Forward And Back Again
A Window In Time
"Well I'll be," Raph said as he and Zixx loitered in the backyard of the home. "Never knew you had roots in New York."
"Hey, you know what they say," Zixx smiled. "New York is a microcosm of the entire world. And that's before it got a lot of alien visitors in the future."
"So what do you want to see?" asked Raph.
"Well, my grandpa is gonna be born at some point," Zixx replied. "I just wanna check out if he's around yet. Then we can be off."
"Say, what' this guy's name anyways?" Raphael inquired.
"Lloyd Zeiss is his name," Zixx answered. "He's a car salesman and based on what I've read up, he wasn't the most ethical or honest guy."
Raphael shot Zixx a weird look. Suddenly, he had a feeling that a rotten apple never fell too far from a tree. It was likely through this Lloyd Zeiss and subsequent generations that Torbin Zixx got a lot of his bad con-man qualities.
"Alright, so you wanna check it out?" Raph offered, pointing towards a window.
The two of them walked over to the window to take a peek inside the kitchen of the home.
"Hey honey!" a brown skinned woman went over to Lloyd to give him a hug and a kiss.
"I'm back, Camila, and you won't believe that killing I made today," Lloyd smiled, kissing his wife.
"My dad always said I had a touch of Brazilian in me," Zixx whispered to Raph who merely nodded at the interesting tidbit.
"So who did you sell to today?" asked Camila.
"It was a yuppie couple from Tribeca," Zeiss told his wife. "I actually talked them into giving away their son's semester tuition to buy one of my used cars! Guess junior's gonna have to settle for a student loan this year!"
"Ha!" Camila laughed.
"Yeah, that's pretty dirty," Raph whispered to Zixx. "Not the most evil thing I've ever seen but messing with a kid's money is low down."
"Hmm, I don't see any signs of my own grandfather so far," Zixx observed carefully. "He must not be born yet during this point in time."
"So wanna head out now?" asked Raph. "Guess we now know you had ancestors once instead of being born from a floating asteroid or something."
"Let me watch just a little bit longer," Zixx promised. "We can head out in five."
"Suit yourself," Raph sighed, silently swearing that he'd keep his eyes on the intergalactic con-man.
"Lloyd, let go!" Camila suddenly cried after Lloyd noticed a man's name on her phone, being alerted to a buzz.
Lloyd immediately grabbed the phone in her hands.
"Who is it?" demanded Lloyd. "Who?!"
"The heck?!" Raph went up to Zixx's side and watched the scene unfold.
Lloyd wrenched the cell phone from Camila's hands.
"I swear to you it's not what you think it is!" Camila cried.
"And who's this man sending you messages?" Lloyd demanded.
"It is only my brother from Manaus!" Camila insisted.
"I'll be the judge of that!" Lloyd Zeiss smacked Camila across the face, knocking her to the floor.
"Aaahhh!" Camila cried out.
Lloyd turned on phone and read through the message. He had a decent understanding of Portuguese and after scrolling through enough of the texts, he realized the man was indeed who Camila said he was.
On the floor, Camila was in tears.
"Baby, I'm sorry," Lloyd wrapped both arms around her, comforting her.
Raph had seen enough of the scene, placing his hands on both his sai's at the sight of the domestic abuse. Torbin Zixx noticed what he was doing.
"That's it!" Raph snarled. "He's not getting away with hitting her on my watch!"
"Raph, stop!" Zixx quickly placed his hand over Raphael's mouth, muffling him.
"What was that?!" Lloyd got up, hearing a sound outside. "Camila, I'm sorry but let me deal with this first."
Lloyd grabbed a handgun and went outside in the yard. He looked around but found no home intruder. Suspiciously, he scanned the yard with his eyes once more before going back inside.
"Mind telling me why you stopped me from giving that piece of trash the same beating he gives his wife?" demanded Raph.
Both Raphael and Torbin Zixx were hiding in the other yard, hidden by a fence.
"Raph, listen," Torbin Zixx reminded him. "Look, what he did wasn't right at all. But this man is my ancestor. And right now my grandpa isn't even in diapers. So by intervening, you're seriously putting my future in jeopardy! Is that what you want?"
Raph glanced to the side, thinking over Zixx's words. Truth be told, the thought of making sure Zixx didn't exist anymore might've crossed his mind once or twice in the past. Then he remembered that there were two instances during their time in the future that Zixx did end up saving them. And then there was that instance with Mr. Touch.
By putting Zixx's existence at jeopardy, he was also taking a huge gamble with putting a lot of other things in jeopardy, including his own family.
"Yeah, you make a good point," Raph calmed down only slightly.
"Look, I'm sorry I brought you out here," Zixx told him. "And I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Somehow it still doesn't make me feel good knowing I'm leaving a woman at the mercy of her domestic abuser," Raph crossed his arms.
"It's sad," admitted Zixx. "But that's life. My life. I come from a broken family. Lloyd Zeiss passed on a lot of negative traits to his son. And my grandpa passed on lots of negative qualities to my dad. And… well, you get the point. I've never been a Saint, Raphael. But at least now, you can see where this sinner got his historical origin story."
"I… I never knew," Raph admitted, looking a bit sad.
"Sometimes in life you can't save 'em all," Zixx told him.
In that moment, Raph had a small epiphany. None of them were able to save Master Yoshi from dying at the hands of the Shredder, but it was because Yoshi died that he and his family came to exist despite all the tragedy. It was an important lesson the Ninja Tribunal had imparted to them.
And quite possibly, this was Torbin Zixx's tragic start that in hindsight enabled Zixx to come into existence and do some good, as exasperating as he could be most of the time.
"Yeah, you know what?" Raph finally sighed. "Let's just head back."
oooo
"Hey Raph, how'd it go?" asked Donatello as Raphael and Torbin Zixx returned to the base.
"I think we were able to clean up what was left of the Foot," Raphael told them.
"Wait, you guys defeated the Foot remnants without us?" asked Leo, looking surprised.
"Well yeah," Raph shrugged. "I mean, it was just Khan and less than a hundred leftover Foot ninjas."
"Sheesh Raph," Mikey told him. "Way to not be a selfish bro who hogs defeating the Foot for himself!"
"Oh get off it, Mikey!" Raph glared at his brother. "It was a mop-up mission with me, Casey, and our latest guest… not some epic battle to the finish against the Demon Shredder!"
"I see what you're saying," Leo admitted. "Still, it would've been nice if we were able to finish the Foot off together."
"Trust me, it was about as mundane as stepping on a cockroach," Raph told them. "It was over in five minutes."
"Yeah, and to be honest," Zixx added. "Those Foot guys seemed like they were on their last legs."
"The Foot has seen better days," Leo nodded in agreement.
"Oh yeah," Donatello approached Zixx. "I'm almost done with the Time Window I need to send you back. It should be ready in two or three more days after additional tests."
"Sounds great," Zixx told them. "Listen, I know I've been difficult with you guys before. But this time, I really do appreciate it."
"Well," Raph looked at Zixx thoughtfully. "You had a rough start in more ways than one. I think we can cut you some slack."
oooo
Two nights later.
"Hold still!" Dr. Malignus shouted as he blasted at Raphael and Zixx with his arm-mounted cannons.
"Talk about another brush with history," said Zixx as he and Raph found themselves hiding behind one of the mad scientist's desks.
The other Turtles were battling his mechanical monsters.
"Dr. Malignus," Raph told him. "He was the main villain of the Silver Sentry. You read up on him?"
"It's in the history books," Torbin Zixx nodded.
"Lately he's become more of our problem," Raph told Zixx. "I think ever since me and Mikey took him down, he's considered it more personal with us."
"The guy's a super genius," admitted Zixx. "But that's just for his time era. His tech isn't quite as advanced as when I'm from."
"Any ideas then?" Raph asked.
"Just one," Zixx smiled. "And it involves my hologram. Think you can provide a distraction?"
Raph nodded. He leaped out from the table. Dr. Malignus saw the Turtle and began blasting at him. Raphael leaped over multiple other lab equipment with his ninja acrobatics to avoid the shots before taking cover once again behind a pillar.
"Hey doc, watcha up to?"
Dr. Malignus turned to the side to see Zixx right in front of him, smiling.
"Aaaahhh!" Malignus screamed and pointed his gun at Zixx, firing at him wildly.
To the surprise of the mad scientist, Malignus noticed that all the shots went straight through Zixx as if he was intangible. Looking down, Dr. Malignus noticed that it wasn't really Zixx after all as he saw the holographic projector on the ground.
"What?!" Malignus cried.
"Hey Malignus…"
Malignus turned around. This time, the real Torbin Zixx came in with a punch that staggered him, causing him to stumble back. At that point, Raphael also came in and kicked Malignus across the face, knocking him out for good in a single powerful blow.
"Ugh…" Dr. Malignus groaned before going unconscious.
"We make a pretty good team," Zixx told Raphael.
"I'll say," Raph smiled.
"You guys good?" asked Leo.
The rest of the Turtles had defeated the robotic minions of Dr. Malignus.
"Peachy," Raph replied.
"Just out of curiosity, is the Shredder still around?" asked Zixx. "I've heard you guys mentioning him here and there. He must be your number one baddie."
"I'm afraid you missed him," Donatello informed him. "You see, we've already taken care of the various people who took up his mantle over the years. The Utrom Shredder. Karai. The Tengu Shredder. The Cyber Shredder…"
"Huh," Zixx scratched his head. "So more than one person has that title?"
"It started in medieval Japan where a warrior named Oroku Saki merged with a dreaded tengu demon called the Shredder," Leo told him. "Since then, that title's been taken up by an alien, a woman, and even a computer program."
"And that one guy Khan… wanted to become the new Shredder," Zixx nodded.
"Sometimes you just gotta stop certain people before they can really get started," Raphael crossed his arms.
"By the way Zixx," Donatello told him. "The Time Window I have should be ready and operational by tomorrow."
"Sounds good," Zixx smiled. "Not gonna lie. The past ain't bad. But it'll be good to finally go home."
"Ready to head back?" asked Leo.
"You guys go on ahead," Raph told them. "Zixx and I are gonna make one more stop."
"One more stop, you say?" asked Michelangelo. "Raph, are you two gonna catch a Broadway play or something? I never knew you were a fan of opera!"
"And why would I need to listen to opera when your Soprano screaming voice is pretty much one and the same with a Broadway singer?" Raphael mocked Mikey. "No, Zixx and I are just gonna hang out with Casey."
"You got the card I gave you?" asked Donny.
"It's worked pretty well so far," Raph told him. "Like hiding in plain sight."
oooo
At the local bar, Casey sat down with a mug. Raph was supposed to join him later that night and have a few drinks.
"Hey Casey."
Turning around, Casey Jones noticed Raphael in a trenchcoat followed by Torbin Zixx. The two sat down alongside the native New Yorker.
"Hey Raph, how'd your night go?" asked Casey.
"Well, you know," Raph shrugged. "We're just scraping the bottom of the barrel with C or D-list villains right now. Nothing big."
"But tonight is gonna be scraping a different bottom of the barrel for me," Zixx took out his wallet. "It's gonna be my last night before heading back home tomorrow. Might as well try the finest of wines in this time before going back."
Zixx showed his ID to the bartender who came up, completing his order. After that, the bartender turned to Raph.
"You want anything?" the bartender said to Raph.
"Yeah, just a beer," Raph picked one out before taking out his ID.
The bartender scanned it with his eyes. Donatello had created an identification card showing Raphael as a man with a skin disorder. Then he examined Raph's face closely again.
"Epidermolytic hyperkeratosis," Raph told him, producing another medical card that Donny had forged for him. "It's gotten worse in the past five years."
"Oh wow, sorry pal," the bartender told him, looking at the card. "I had no idea."
As the bartender went off to get Raphael's drink, Raph smiled. Due to Donatello's ingenuity, they now had a way to be able to walk around somewhat freely at night, provided they wore heavy clothes and had their ID available at all times. Naturally, the autumn and winter months were better for this sort of night activity than the hotter summer months.
"Your bro's a genius," Casey told him.
"Yeah, Donny always finds a way," Raph agreed. "Say Zixx, what're you gonna do when you go home again?"
"Oh, just find a way to make a honest living again," Zixx took a drink. "Say, I gotta use the restroom. I'll be right back."
As Raphael and Casey continued chatting, Zixx went down a different hall to where the bathroom was. After looking around to make sure no one was there, Zixx went outside and tapped into a digital map on his wrist computer.
"Yes!" Zixx declared. "Quick and easy. I'll be back just in time for the meal."
Zixx fired a grapping hook onto the top of the building. Moving quickly, Zixx leaped from building to building until he reached the neighborhood he wanted in less than three minutes.
Finally, he landed in front of the house he wanted to go to and knocked on the door. After a while, the door opened up.
"What the hell do you want at this hour?" Lloyd Zeiss demanded, opening up. "I don't need no damn solicitors right now!"
"Hey, I'm not here to peddle garbage or faulty products," Torbin Zixx told him. "But I do have something for you. Something which will change your life!"
"Oh yeah?" Lloyd crossed his arms. "And what's that?"
Zixx reached in his coat and produced a book, handing it over to Zeiss.
"W-What's this?" Zeiss demanded.
"Horse racing results for NYC," Torbin Zixx told his ancestor. "From this year all the way to 2105. I bet a man could make a killing if he were to place his bets on all these races."
"Is this for real?" Lloyd was incredulous. "How much are you even charging?"
"It's free of charge," Zixx told him. "Take it. After all, what do you have to lose? If you lose the bet for this year, you won't ever have to do it again."
"Honey, who is that?" Camila's voice was heard further into the home.
"Shut up and mind your own business, woman!" Zeiss snapped, making even Torbin Zixx wince, knowing just how nasty of a person his own ancestor could be.
"So what do you say?" asked Zixx. "Remember, free of charge."
Finally, curiosity won Zeiss over. He took the book from Torbin Zixx's hands.
"Thanks," Lloyd told him. "Say, who are you anyways? And why are you even helping me like this?"
"Let's just say I'm a guardian angel of sorts," Zixx told him. "Besides, what's a better way of striking it rich quicker? Conning gullible folks or placing your bets on races?"
"I'll definitely try this out," Lloyd said greedily. "What was your name again?"
Zixx looked down at his watch.
"Sorry to cut this short, but I gotta head back," Zixx told him. "Just think of me as your guardian angel!"
The intergalactic mercenary quickly ran off as Lloyd looked on in a surprised manner.
Before long, Torbin Zixx was back at the bar where Casey and Raphael were at. Zixx came in through the back.
"Your food's here," Raph told him. "What took you?"
"Stomach wasn't feeling too well," Zixx replied. "I'm used to more finely processed future drinks. Say, this steak and fries look delicious!"
Raph looked a bit suspicious like he wanted to say more but the beer he had did make him a bit tipsy, since his biology was a little different from Casey's. Soon, Raph's suspicions melted away as he saw his own meal arrive.
To be continued.
