I know the last chapter was a tad on the boring side, but I promise things are going to start speeding up!
Enjoy!
To say that Leonardo was officially freaking out would have been a vast understatement. However, he'd managed to keep his façade of cool and calm solidly in place. As far as his brothers were aware, he was fully composed and confident.
Which couldn't have been further from the truth.
"Raph, as much as I admire your courage, we can't take on this many Eaters." Leo winced.
The brawler scoffed, although the eldest could tell it was mostly bravado. Raphael had been trying to come back to being their resident hothead, straining to heal and conquer the odd timidity he'd been battling since his torture session with the Shredder, "Ya got a better idea?"
Good question, did he have a better idea? They were at a massive disadvantage, and this time Leonardo wasn't sure what to do. There was one possibility that would give him an offensive edge, but Leo had made many promises to his family not to endanger his health anymore. They couldn't fight, that much was obvious, retreat was the only option. However, being utterly surrounded by creatures that resembled much too closely a particularly horrifying figure from his past, causing his hands to shake and mind reel, and those monsters being almost completely invulnerable, made their escape route that much more complicated. Green brows furrowed as Leo thought it through, casting the docks in a 3-D model in his mind's eye, envisioning every possible angle and assessing which would be the best and worst routes. An Eater's only weakness was the strange new energy that Leo was still learning how to wield, but he wasn't ready to use it in battle, much less against this many, and he knew the monster gear wouldn't cut it with these guys. He needed to come up with a plan, and fast. Sapphire eyes suddenly brightened as Leo noticed one small gap in the circle of predators that could be taken advantage of.
"Donnie," Leo's voice was stern and authoritative, brooking no argument or complaint about his upcoming charges, "we need to make an opening, is the monster gear's entrapment capabilities still at maximum capacity?"
"I tweaked them, actually," Donatello nodded, "so they should be capable of withstanding greater amounts of force than before, I can't say they'll last long with an Eater, though."
"They don't need to last forever, just long enough to give us an edge." The leader hummed thoughtfully, once again looking around him at the terrifyingly silent horde of Eaters.
Raph twisted his beak into a dissatisfied grimace, "Leo," he growled softly, "containin' 'em won't do squat, especially when we can't even hurt 'em. We'll be too busy keeping the ones we catch under control that we'll get bottled in by the others."
"You're right," the eldest agreed, "but my goal isn't so much 'contain' as it is 'preoccupy'."
"Come again?" Mikey quavered, stepping backwards until his shell clunked against his older brothers' shells, a silent plea for comfort despite holding his nunchaku in steady hands.
"We move as a unit," Leo finally decided, "when I give the signal, Mikey will throw down smoke bombs for cover and that's when we'll make a break for it. Use the net cannons to tangle up any Eaters blocking our path of escape and contain any who try to follow."
It was a sound plan, and while Leo hated to leave these monsters roaming free in New York, they just weren't prepared to handle a threat of this magnitude tonight. They needed to regroup and devise a plan of attack that wouldn't end in their deaths, but first, they needed to survive to do so. "Huddle up," Leonardo commanded, "back to back in turtle formation, guns out."
Four net cannons cocked in unison, with each brother shuffling back and covering a different angle. This particular formation was advantageous for them in situations when they were surrounded, as they were able to see from all directions. It had been a while since they'd practiced it, but Leo had confidence in his brothers' skill, as well as in their muscle memory. Plus, their father had repeatedly drilled the art of moving silently as one unit into their heads since they were six. It was a technique that they used often in battle, watching out for each other, and timing attacks with the precision of a well-oiled machine. Their prowess as warriors was a force to be reckoned with on their own, but when they were together, it was unparalleled.
"Go!"
Michelangelo pulled several smoke pellets from his belt pouch, throwing them in the air as a scattershot meant to cover a wide area. They would need as much cover as possible if they wanted to safely retreat. The turtles were frozen, waiting until the pellets clattered onto the ground, cracking as they hit the concrete and releasing billowing clouds of grey smoke. Like a hulking phantom, the brothers ghosted across the shipyard, launching out nets that they'd trained on the Eaters stalking them. Leo and Don took out the ones cutting off their escape, while Raphael quickly clocked one that was already midair as it pounced. Mikey held steady, switching back to his gun after giving his brothers cover, and took down yet another of the interdimensional creatures, face wreathed in a grim snarl.
"We broke through!" Leo panted, slamming another cartridge into the barrel and cocking his gun, "Run!"
The eldest didn't start running right away, he hung back for just the barest of seconds, allowing his brothers to go ahead of him. He needed to guard the rear, ensure none of those things followed. Apparently, Raph had the same idea, as the brawler stayed shoulder to shoulder with his leader, "Alright, Fearless," Raphael snarled, cocking his weapon with a vicious slam, then aimed it at the writhing horde sniffing the air behind them, "let's blow this popsicle stand!"
"Right behind you!"
Red and blue sprinted behind purple and orange, cartridge after cartridge spent snagging the black monsters, leaving them scrabbling on the dock as they clawed at the netting. Leo kept an eagle eyed gaze on his younger brothers, his jaw clenched hard enough to make the molars creak as he silently begged them to make it out of danger, to make it to the battle shell so they can leave these creatures behind and race home. However, Leo had long resigned himself to the fact that he and his brothers were fate's favorite chew toy, and once again, the universe wanted to take a bite out of their hides. A new wave of black bodies flowed over the dock, rippling across the metal containers and then turning to cut off their escape, teeth bared in a slavering snarl. If Leo had the breath, he'd have howled in frustration, but he held his peace, focusing rather on how to adjust his plan for their escape.
He had that one option that could turn the tide to their advantage, but it wasn't one he felt comfortable taking advantage of yet. Especially after all the promises he'd made to make his health a priority. Unfortunately, as it so often did, life didn't give him a choice. It was either definitely die with his brothers by the teeth of interdimensional monsters or only potentially die protecting his family and ensuring at least three turtles made it out alive. Leo knew which one he would pick in a heartbeat, his lack of hesitation undoubtedly galling to his brothers when he admits it to them. If he survived to do so, that is.
"I'm out of nets!"
Michelangelo's frightened shout jostled Leo out of his thoughts, and blue eyes widening when he saw an Eater leaping off a metal container, needle sharp teeth dripping saliva, tentacles all reaching for the youngest and the life energy pumping through his veins.
Without another thought to his personal safety, and the inevitable lecture he would get for endangering it, Leonardo summoned the strange energy that had been growing inside him. His skin reacted, glowing symbols and lines igniting on his scales. Focusing the power into his arms, the blue ninja pushed it down his limbs before concentrating it into his sword. This was what his true training had been the past couple weeks, yes, he'd been fine tuning the teleportation, but what had actually been draining his energy was teaching himself to gather the energy into his weapon for the day he'd one day face an enemy of this nature. He didn't tell his brothers what he'd been doing because he knew they'd get angry at him for trying to push beyond his limits. However, that was his job as leader and as aniki, he would be the shield protecting his baby brothers from harm, even at the cost of his own life. Not because his wasn't valuable, no, they'd taught him that he held a place in their family that was just as irreplaceable as theirs; but because he held them as treasures in his heart that he'd fight tooth and nail to defend. Just as they would for him.
In a flash, Leonardo teleported himself the twenty feet forward, landing right in front of the baby brother, and swinging a katana wreathed in blue flame. He wasn't skilled enough to cover both swords yet, but he had already determined that he would, eventually. For now, the one was enough. As blade met the tentacles of the Eater, the eldest couldn't hold back a bellow of triumph when he felt the steel cut neatly through, slicing it as easily as if it were sashimi, sending the detached limbs squirming across the concrete ground, curling like singed hair as they skittered. The Eater released an animalistic shriek, sending up a howl of alarm that made the monsters bristle and snap their jaws.
"Dude!" The youngest impressed gasp sent a rush of air across the back of Leo's neck, but the leader didn't turn around, "since when can you do that?!"
Sapphire eyes narrowed, choosing not to indulge in brotherly banter. They were being hunted, and he'd just gotten the confirmation he needed that he could actually stand up to them. Now the fight for their lives would truly begin.
"Go back with Donnie and Raph!" Leonardo bit out in a snapped command, "Cover my six and net any who sneak in past my defenses!"
"But," Mikey floundered, already jogging slightly backwards towards the turtles in red and purple, but concerned baby blue eyes glued to the eldest, "what about you?"
"I'll do my best to not get hurt, but we need to escape," Leo replied, green brows furrowing as he watched the hordes begin their approach, "I need you as my rear guard, okay?"
It was the closest he could get to promising not to put himself in any more danger than he already was, and Leonardo could see a sorrowful understanding in the eyes of his siblings acknowledging that this was the only way to make it out alive. It wasn't ideal, but honestly, that's how it's always been for them. They'd bit and clawed their way out of worse scrapes than this, and they would again, just as long as they stuck together. Michelangelo gave a grim nod, then quickly accessed Leo's bandolier, grabbing the unused net cartridges from the pockets and stuffing them into his own belt, "I'll be taking these, then," he said with a weak chuckle, a pitiful attempt at humor, "since you've already got something a bit more useful than these cannons."
Leo smirked, eyes glowing with excitement, "Just a bit," he agreed, then swung his katana parallel to his shoulders, "let's do this!"
With that, the eldest charged.
Like sapphire lightening, the blue clad ninja flit to and fro across the docks, teleporting from Eater to Eater, mercilessly cutting them down. He could hear the whomp of the net cannons behind him, his brothers diligently guarding his back and defending him from any Eaters attacking from behind, allowing their leader to focus on his all-out assault on the monsters from the great beyond. If Leonardo had taken even a second to look at his siblings, he would have seen them maintaining their wall of defense with steady hands and determined eyes. However, if he had looked even closer, he would have seen the admiration and pride in their gaze, puffing their chests, and inspiring them to fight back against the horde of nightmares. However, Leo could not look, as he had his hands full with the now screaming mass of ebony bodies.
How so many had come to be in New York, the leader wasn't sure and even as he sliced through countless more creatures, his mind whirled with questions. It couldn't be a coincidence that so many suddenly converged on their home turf, so close to where their lair was located. Had the monsters tracked him down? No, that couldn't be it. Venus had explained to them that the Eaters were only able to leave their domain should they come across a tear in the shatter space between dimensions. Even then, that only occurred once in a blue moon, with only one or two at the most coming through. The sheer numbers currently attacking them was no accident, meaning someone was behind this, and had orchestrated a large enough rip to allow this flood of Eaters through into their dimension.
So, who was responsible? Bishop? Maybe. Kitsune? Far more likely. Or, horribly, it may even be a new enemy, one determined to steal or drain his fledgling powers. That thought, and the danger it posed to his family, sent a shudder of fear through the blue ninja. Bishop he could handle, so could they deal with Kitsune. Not that they wanted to, with either of them. However, the brutal efficiency of this plan, the way this mystery person was able to bring this many Eaters to their dimension and time the attack just right for the turtles to stumble across. It was clever, it was something that took planning, it was undoubtedly manmade, and it bore none of the trademarks of their current gallery of enemies. It had to be someone new, and that terrified the young leader, more than he had words to say, because if it was true, then this attack in the docks was only the beginning.
Leonardo ducked, sliding under an Eater, one hand stretched out behind him to maintain his balance, before the ninja leapt up and nimbly cut yet another creature down. Whirling around, the turtle gasped in surprise as he was almost nose to nose with one and swung his fiery blade as the Eater attempted to catch it in its jaws. However, it miscalculated. Leonardo's katana was crackling with energy, and the ninja gave a vicious grin as the sword cut the monster's head clean in half at the jaw. It was utterly disconcerting how easy they were to cut now, going from the knowledge that these monsters were invulnerable from any of their weapons, to them being reduced to lumbering nuisances that he only had to slice once to take down. Confidence filled the young leader, and he quickened his pace to match the euphoria rushing through his veins.
He felt unstoppable!
On the battlefield Leo was merely a line of light leaving luminescent trails of energy as he gracefully danced in and out around their enemy, his sword a silver smear in the moonlight. The air was rent with the sounds of screaming howls, Eaters writhing on the pavement before eventually coming to a standstill and dissolving into moon dust. However, despite the inarguably overpowered nature of Leo's new technique, it wasn't enough. Floods of black bodies continued to pummel their defenses, fresh bodies replacing their fallen comrades, and the blue ninja could already feel the strain on his body. He wouldn't last much longer. As Leonardo teleported to catch one creature from biting Donnie's head off, he almost stumbled as a harsh wave of vertigo slammed his senses sideways. Donatello yelped as he caught the eldest, pulling him into their huddle as Raphael and Mikey continued their defense.
"Leo, are you okay?!" The genius asked, brown eyes wide with worry at the sudden change in his brother's demeanor.
The leader pulled in a steadying breath and gave a shaky nod. Leonardo pursed his lips as he came to the grim realization that he was almost out of energy, and they still had well over forty Eaters left to deal with. He needed to change tactics if he wanted his brothers to make it out alive. A more direct approach, one capable of taking out their enemy in one fell swoop, was required. It would most certainly send him into a brief hibernation to get his lost energy back, and Leonardo was sure that he'd wake to the lecture of a lifetime from his family, but it was the only strategy that would ensure his brothers' survival.
"Help me up," Leo rasped, jolting in shock at the sound of his voice. Was he really already so spent? He could only pray he'd be capable of pulling off this last ditch effort, "I need to get back out there."
"Are you kidding me?!" Donnie scoffed, "You're in no condition to keep fighting!"
The leader gave a weary shake of his head, "If we had the luxury to, I'd gladly listen to you, Don, but we don't." He panted, "I can do one final attack that will likely wipe the rest out, but we gotta time it just right."
"You can't even stand on your own feet; how do you intend to take them all down like that?" Donatello pressed, "Besides, I'm worried about what all this teleporting is doing to your heart, aniki!"
"Yeah, well I'm more worried about what all these Eaters are going to do to your face," Leo shot back, setting his jaw in a stubborn pout.
"But, do you have to attack them?" Donnie worried, "I mean, just to wipe them all out would take a significant amount of energy, probably more than you have. What if you just teleported us out?"
"Donnie, I wish I could magically get us out of this, but I can't!" Leo snapped, but softening his tone with pleading sapphire eyes, "Plus, I've only just gotten the hang of teleporting by myself, I can't take the chance of traveling with any of you until I've done more of my own tests! This is the only way! I'm not going to let us all get killed, so please, take this chance with me and I promise I'll let you chew me out over it later!"
Donatello bit his lip, then gave a resigned groan, "Fine!"
"Good," the eldest nodded, "now, help me up."
The scientist scooped his older brother up by one arm, pulling him onto his feet, and then steadying the swaying form. Leo allowed himself a second or two of calming breaths, before clapping his hands on Raphael and Michelangelo's shoulders, "Alright, new plan," he barked, pulling on the last vestiges of strength that he had left, "we're going to let them surround us and attack!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Mikey screamed, shooting down another Eater and hurriedly filling his gun with another cartridge.
"Nope," Leo shook his head, "we need to draw them in and then I'm going to do one final attack to wipe them out, but I can't do it until they're close enough."
Raphael grinned at his leader, barking out a laugh as he shook his head, "Yer crazy, Fearless, ya know that, right?"
"That's what my family tells me," The leader shrugged with a smirk, "now, on my mark…"
Mikey pulled up his gun, frightened blue eyes watching out of his peripheral as Raph did the same. The flood of Eaters immediately reacted, converging on the huddled terrapins in a rippling mass of midnight black. Leonardo merely pulled out his sword, "Hold your position!" He commanded, watching as the youngest twitched towards the net cannon's trigger, "Hold it!"
The orange ninja hugged the gun, clenching his eyes shut as the monsters were within ten feet of them, and then…an explosion. Leonardo swung the sword over his head, and slammed the blade tip into the ground, creating a circular wall of energy that snapped and crackled, rushing out in a mushroom cloud of energy covering over fifty yards on every side. The eldest felt the last drops of mystical energy leave him as a mere husk, making his frame shiver like the last dead leaf holding onto a tree branch in the dead of winter. Collapsing onto his knees, hands gripping the hilt of his katana, Leonardo cracked open one eye and smiled as he surveyed the scene. All forty plus Eaters were down, and they were already dissolving into dust. He'd done it, he'd saved his family and lived to tell the tale.
…..
Donatello gaped in awe, brown eyes wide as dish plates. What had his brother just done?
This whole night had been one surprise after another. From going out on their first official mission post rest from ninjutsu, to being cornered by dozens and dozens of Eaters, to watching Leo tap into his new power and channeling it into his weapon only to cut down the previously invincible enemy with terrifying ease. It was heartwarming at first to watch his aniki retake his role as leader, but that emotion was quickly replaced by gobsmacked wonder when the eldest's skin began to glow in familiar shapes and whorls, before his sword ignited in sapphire fire. Although, the designs on his scales were different than usual. They were more elegant, and on Leo's plastron was the image of what looked like a tree, a weeping willow to be exact, while willow vines blossomed in glowing blue lines up the back of Leo's scalp stretching out onto the eldest's forehead. Strange. Donnie made a note to research the imagery later.
And then Leonardo was a one turtle light show, teleporting from one side of the dock to the other, luminescent blue footprints left behind in his wake. The green form dancing as gracefully as a water nymph but carrying on his shoulders the wings of the death angel. It was strange how something could at once be so beautiful, and so brutal. Their brother was an assassin again, cold eyes and a smirking mouth, slicing to pieces all who may defy him. Eaters fell in droves before his blade, body after body hitting the concrete with shrieks of pain, dissolving into dust and scattering across the waves on the wintery wind. Donatello couldn't speak, unable to tear his eyes away from the exhibition of Leonardo's true strength. Their leader really had returned.
The scientist shook himself, reminding himself that they needed to concentrate on backing Leo up and helping him in his offensive maneuver against the Eaters. From that point on, the fight passed quickly, with Donnie focusing on keeping the hordes at bay with Raphael and Mikey, it wasn't until their leader stumbled that Don was shaken from his trancelike state induced by extreme concentration. That was when things took a turn from the amazing, to the crazy, and Donatello wasn't even aware yet of the kind of life changing adventure that night would set them on. All he knew was that his brother was struggling but had to pull one last miracle out of his metaphorical hat just to ensure their survival.
Now, here he was, staring across a dock of dead and dissolving interdimensional monsters, while Leo collapsed to his knees with a dull thud.
The broad shoulders shook with exhaustion, sweat coated Leo's scales, streaming down his body in thick rivulets, soaking through his coat and pants. The eldest heaved with labored breaths, but weary sapphire eyes slowly opened as a tired grin of triumph stretched across the eldest's face, "I did it," he rasped softly, "they're all dead."
"Leo!" Donatello rushed to kneel next to his eldest brother, checking his vitals with worried eyes, "How are you feeling?!"
"…Tired…" Leonardo gasped, tone quiet even as the blue masked head bobbed with the effort to stay conscious, "….Cold…."
Suddenly the large frame tensed, and their leader released a strangled gasp. The younger brothers sucked in breaths of shock when Leonardo's frame began to spasm uncontrollably, his body growing strangely translucent, almost see through, as what looked like waves of static glitched across his body. It lasted barely a millisecond, but it was enough to send an icy spike of dread right through their hearts. Had Leo pushed himself too far?
Raphael was the first to recover, "What the shell was that?!"
Leo grimaced, leaning even more on his blade, "Don't know," he panted, "felt weird."
Don leaned forward to touch his leader, but froze when the blue ninja shuddered again, his body growing faint, as if he were disappearing from reality, while harsh static raged down his shoulders and across his legs. The eldest shook as if he were being electrocuted, whines of pain whistling between clenched teeth. This one lasted longer, and the genius could feel bile building in the back of his throat. Something was definitely wrong. Then the sapphire eyes fluttered shut as the fit ended and Leo's grip on his sword faltered, leaving the young leader to slump to the ground.
"Shell!" Don swore, dipping down to do yet another check, "his breathing and heartbeat are too shallow," the genius reported, "we need to get him home and warmed up!"
"Ya got it, Don," Raph was quick to bundle their brother up into his arms, and like that, they were sprinting across the docks back towards the battle shell.
None mentioned the odd occurrence on the way back to the lair, but all three were sending up silent prayers that it wouldn't happen again.
…..
It was happening again, and it was getting worse.
In the three days since their adventure on the docks, their leader went from the occasional tremor, to full on seizures on the living room floor. The whole family was worried, and Leo, for his part, was frustrated. The eldest grumbled about how he'd finally done something useful, but still managed to mess up. Thankfully, he wasn't spiraling too badly, as he had his younger siblings to remind him that it was only due to being forced to push himself too far past his limits in an impossible situation. That comforted the eldest, but it didn't detract from the fact that ever since that night he was now struggling with all new health issues. Ones that even Donnie couldn't quantify. Their resident genius wasn't even sure what tests to run, much less how to treat it. Anthony was obviously befuddled, stating that veterinary school never taught him how to handle interdimensional maladies. Even Leatherhead had sorrowfully declined any knowledge that could be of use to helping Leo, and after hours of scouring through Donnie's notes on interdimensional phenomena gathered from their many adventures, April and the purple ninja had to declare defeat.
This was quite literally the unknown, and they were utterly helpless to change it. Or at least they thought they were, the youngest turtle knew differently.
Michelangelo paced his room, hands entangled in his mask tails as he desperately tried to think of a way to contact Nessa. Normally she would tag in every night before bed, and they'd talk about their day, however, the dragon maid had been missing for the last two weeks. She hadn't even projected herself long enough to give a reason for her absence, but rather just disappeared from the youngest's life entirely. It put Michelangelo on edge, but more than that it worried him. The need to talk to her, verify Nessa's safety and ensure all was still well between them, gnawed at the young ninja's heart. It was imperative that he speak with her, not only to ease his concern, but also to help Leo. He had options, of course, but he was hesitant to use them. The easiest way to contact her would be to talk to Raph, he had the communicator given to him by Mona that could reach her in her dimension. His hesitancy didn't come from a lack of desire to help his brother, obviously, but the youngest was a tad anxious about revealing he'd been enjoying a secret relationship with someone who could have prepared them for all this. No doubt he'd get the lecture of a lifetime, from Donnie and Father.
Michelangelo cursed his laid-back nature. If only he hadn't just written off her warnings as something they'd already dealt with. Stupid!
The dragon maid had told him that health problems could crop up if there were any complications with his powers settling in, but Mikey had assumed that the heart issues were what she was talking about. He didn't give it another second thought, as he was convinced that anything that came up could be handled by the miraculous combined knowledge of Donatello, Anthony, April and Leatherhead. So, he'd said nothing to his family, thinking it wasn't necessary. The youngest snarled his regret quietly to himself. Stupid! Immature! Michelangelo paused in his pacing, growling into his fingers as he cupped his face. He needed to talk to Raphael and just get it over with, Leo needed his help and dithering about it wasn't going resolve the issue.
"DON!"
The brawler's panicked yell echoed through the lair, and Mikey's head popped off his hands. Only one thing would get Raphael that upset, someone was hurt, and Mikey had a feeling he knew who it was.
The orange ninja flew through his bedroom door, catching himself at the rail of the balcony outside where they slept, and looked down into the living room. Leonardo lay on the floor in front of the couch, pained grunts whispering from lips bared in severe grimace as the eldest twitched and spasmed. His frame was once again faint, as if caught between channels with static rolling through his body. Donatello and Raph were already knelt on either side of their leader, hands fluttering as they tried to comfort Leonardo but unable to touch him, having learned that when he fades like that their hands literally go right through the eldest. Something that really freaked the brothers out the first time it happened. The youngest gave a sorrowful sigh, this needed to end, and it needed to end now before it worsened beyond being fixable. Green eyebrow ridges furrowed as Michelangelo frowned. He'd be the one to end it.
Vaulting over the railing, the orange ninja sprinted to his brother's side, "Raphie, call Mona, now!"
"Wait, what?" The brawler's liquid gold eyes snapped up, fearful concern warring with confused irritation at the random interruption, "Why? What's she gonna do?"
"She can't do anything, but we need to talk to someone named Nessa," Mikey paused, then heaved a sigh, his gaze fell to the floor as guilt weighed his shoulders down, "look, I have a lot of confessing to do about a bunch of stuff, but we need to talk to Nessa first, okay?"
Raphael opened his mouth, fury burning his eyes molten, but then the ire dimmed as the hothead took in the meek behavior and how the youngest was already admitting that he'd done wrong. Of all the good things that had come out of the caves, the best was probably the fact that Raphael was a better lister, now, and capable of picking up on the more subtle social cues. So, the crimson merely gave a begrudging nod, then pulled out the communicator given to him by his wyvern girlfriend. Donatello shot Mikey a look of curious anger, but upon seeing the determination gleaming behind the shame in the youngest's gaze, also seemed to decide that the lecture could wait. On the floor, Leo's fit finally came to an end, the shuddering frame slumping into the living room rug with an agonized moan. Broad shoulders trembled, and the eldest seemed ready to pass out at any second but held onto consciousness as long as he was able to ensure his brothers were not overly distressed. Typical Leo. Mikey could only give a bemused shake of his head.
The youngest gave their leader's head a stroke, gently closing his eyes in an unspoken gesture of giving permission for Leo to rest. The blue ninja didn't fight against it, his frame melting into the rug, exhaustion etched into his features.
"Mona!"
Once again, the orange ninja jumped at the sound of Raphael's voice, head snapping around to give the brawler his undivided attention.
"Yeah, sorry ta interrupt ya," Raph winced, "I know yer workin', but we got a problem we need yer help with."
The brawler quickly put the wyvern on speaker phone, the brothers leaning in as she spoke, "Okay, now I'm worried," her sultry tone fretted, "what's going on?"
"Where ta start?" Raph groaned, "Between the army of Eaters that we had ta take down the other night, or the fact that Leo keeps havin' these weird seizures, we've been pretty busy the last couple of days."
Silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment Mikey was worried that the call dropped, at least until Mona shrieked into her receiver, "WHAT?!"
The younger brothers cringed away from the phone, exchanging a mutual look of hesitation, unsure of how to begin explaining but were swiftly cut off from doing so, "Eaters?!" Mona bellowed, "In your world?! Again?! HOW?!"
Raph shook his head, despite not being seen by the Wyvern, "We don't know, we haven't had a chance ta look inta it, yet."
"How many were there?!"
"Uh," Donnie tabulated the number of monsters they'd seen in his head as he reached down to gather Leo's now unconscious form into his arms, "maybe about sixty? Probably closer to eighty?"
"WHAT?!" Mona's voice cracked from the force of her shout, "That's impossible! Now way can that many Eaters make it out of the shatter space!"
"Apparently not that impossible," Raph muttered, "considerin' we just barely avoided them takin' a chunk outta us this week."
"That's exactly the problem!" Mona snarled, "it should be impossible, so how did it happen?!"
Michelangelo released a frustrated groan as their conversation began to run in circles, there wasn't time for this, they needed to help Leo not yell at each other. Helping the genius lift their leader onto the couch where he'd be more comfortable, Mikey snatched the communicator out of Raphael's hand, "Look, Mona," the youngest sighed, "I know you're shocked about the Eaters and all, but I really need to talk to Nessa so we can help Leo. Are you able to give her the phone?"
The wyvern choked, her voice a strangled mass of incoherent words, before she stammered, "How do you know Nessa?!"
"That's kinda a long story," the orange ninja grimaced, "and one I'll gladly tell later, but she's the only one who can help us right now."
"Right, Leo," Mona seemed to calm for a moment, shaking herself after getting distracted by the news of the Eaters, "you said something about seizures?"
"Yeah," Donnie nodded, scooting closer to the phone after covering their leader with a blanket, "they started after he started using his new powers."
"Powers," the Wyvern enunciated, emphasizing the S, "as in plural?"
"Yeah," the brawler coughed, wincing, "ya remember how I told ya he had healin' powers?"
"Ye-es,"
"Well, he's kinda developed other ones."
Mona growled, the rumble low and feral, making Raph shrink where he sat, "I promise, I woulda told ya sooner, but we haven't talked in a while! We've both been busy!"
"What other powers?" The wyvern bit out, ignoring the brawler's plea.
"Well, he can teleport," Donatello said, trying his best to rescue their hotheaded brother from his peeved girlfriend, "and he's managed to channel the energy into his swords and can use them to cut down Eaters."
Mona was silent, her voice a mere whimper of shock, "He….what?" Her temerity disappeared, though, as she found herself in yet another fit of rage, "You're telling me that your brother has not only developed new abilities, but they're abilities that can take down an Eater, and you never once felt the need to text me or call about that?!"
"Mona, babe," Raph broke in, stealing the communicator back from the youngest, "take a breath, please? Yer freakin' out."
"I'm not freak-!" The wyvern cut herself off, a dull thunk signaling that she must have set the communicator down to take several audible deep breaths, before she picked the phone back up, "Raphael, I have a very good reason to be upset!"
"Then please tell me, because I don't like gettin' yelled at!" The turtle shot back, "Especially if I don't even know if deserve it or not!"
Mona paused, the brothers hearing her draw in a sharp breath, before releasing a small sigh, "I'm sorry, nierte," her tone was soft with remorse, "it was not my intention to take out my frustrations on you."
Raphael also calmed, his ire diminishing as he accepted her apology, "It's fine," his gruff voice rumbled, taking on a tenderness the brothers had never heard before, "if anyone gets losin' yer temper, it's me."
The wyvern chuckled softly, affection evident in every note of laughter, "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
Raphael smirked but did not reply, his cheeks flushing a deeper shade of green. The brawler waved his hand, giving Michelangelo the phone, "So, ya gonna get Nessa or what?"
The youngest nodded, giving his brother a grateful smile, "Mona? Can you get Nessa for me?"
"I can do you one better," the Wyvern stated, voice firm with determination as her computer returned, "I can bring you to see her for yourself."
"Wait, ya mean open a portal for us ta come ta yer dimension?" Raph was shocked, as Mona had only ever visited them, but he'd never been given the opportunity to see her home.
"Yes," Mona said, shuffling in the background signaling that she was on the move, "it's the only way to help your brother now, and it might just be the answer to the chaos that we've been dealing with here."
"Chaos?" Raphael perked up, worry igniting in his topaz gaze, "Are ya okay?"
"Honestly, no," the wyvern sighed, voice breathless as she ran, "the manor is under attack by an old enemy, and we've already taken heavy losses. We're still fighting to defend the manor, but what is taking place in Leonardo is more important!"
"Why?" Donatello asked, "I mean, I agree because I want to help my brother, but that doesn't take away from the fact that you're in a literal war zone right now. So, how are his seizures suddenly so important that you'd take your focus off the attack on the manor in your dimension and take the chance of bringing us there?"
"Because it's all connected," Mona replied seriously, "everything, his seizures, the attack on the manor, even my lady's current illness, it's all connected."
"What?!" The genius gawped, "I don't understand, how is my brother connected to the Duchess and what's going on in your world?"
"I can't explain," the wyvern groaned, "but the Duchess can, and you need to get here as soon as possible. If you don't, not only will your brother's condition worsen, but we will almost assuredly lose the manor!"
Silence reigned in the lair, and the younger brothers could only draw in shuddering breaths of confused shock, "Well, shell," Raphael said with a weak chuckle, "is that all? Then what are we waitin' for? Let's get Leo ta Mona's place."
"I'm on my way to Venus' lab, we'll open the portal soon, be ready!"
Michelangelo nodded, regret that he hadn't said something sooner battling in his heart with the stark relief that they'd have answers soon, "We'll be ready," he promised, "all of us."
Whew…..that took a hot minute to write, don't know why this chapter gave me a bit of trouble but it did.
So, what do you think? Things are definitely going to be picking up!