I haven't been motivated to write a chapter this fast in a while! But I've been listening to a song that motivated me and that was how I decided to start the chapter. I do plan on this conflict spreading out until the end of the story, so trying to find fillers or side-conflicts (i.e., Justine's wedding that's coming up) will be a little difficult. But for now, enjoy the chapter!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to "Meet the Robinsons," "TMNT," "Toy Story," "Criminal Case," nor "Lord of the Rings," nor do I own Superchick's "Standing in the Rain." I only own Lilianna, Ryan, Venus, Athena, Anna, Karena, Diana, Justine, and Matilda.
P.S. I learned from my husband that I was supposed to ask you all to read and review my stories in every chapter I publish. This site is my opportunity to better my writing skills, so every single chapter I have posted here is a writing exercise. If you've enjoyed this story so far, then a heartfelt thank you for reading! Unfortunately, I cannot look at my stats, so I have no idea which stories or chapters have the most views. If there's something I need to work on or if you have a compliment or an idea for me, then please leave a review!
January 3, 2048 - New York City, New York, USA
ANNA'S POV
"She never slows down. She doesn't know why but she knows that when she's all alone, feels like it's all coming down."
I put on the blue dress and golden armor that belonged to my mother. I put on her black gloves. I put on her brown boots with golden greaves over them. I placed golden vambraces over my forearms and golden plastrons over my shoulders. I braided my long copper-red hair just like the way my mother had done all those years. Lastly, I put on her golden necklace and a golden tiara.
"She won't turn around. The shadows are long, and she fears if she cries that first tear, the tears will not stop raining down."
I walked out of the dojo and found Lily, dressed as Aumanil, wearing brown leggings and a long-sleeved white dress underneath copper armor. The front of her copper-red hair was up in a braided crown while the rest just flowed over her shoulders.
"Are we ready?" Aumanil asked with a smirk.
"Let's find some answers," I answered, returning the smirk.
We walked out of the lair together and made our walk in the sewers.
"So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain. You won't drown. And one day, what's lost can be found. You stand in the rain."
"Wait!"
Aumanil and I turned walked to find Venus, Athena, and Justine running up to us. I was surprised at what they were wearing. Venus, part-Salamandrian and part-humanoid-turtle, wore teal armor all over her body. Athena, the entirety of her blonde hair in a braided crown, wore a blue jumpsuit with teal armor over it. Justine looked like an Oklahoman outlaw, wearing a long-sleeved white shirt underneath brown suspenders, holding her long brown skirt in place. She wore brown cowgirl boots on her feet and a brown cowgirl hat over two blonde braids.
"There's no way we're letting you two go alone," Justine sternly told us.
"Girls, what are you doing?" Aumanil asked in a deeper voice.
"Going with you," Venus answered. "If the Shredder really is alive again, this is our problem, too."
"We can be more convincing if the five of us are together instead of just the two of you," Athena explained.
"We're just going to T.I.M.E. to find Wilbur!" I replied with confusion.
"Exactly," Justine said firmly. "Ryan heard about you two going and asked me to go along on his behalf. I've been training with his father for a while now, so I can take care of myself."
"The Shredder being here affects all of us," Athena chimed in, her hands on her hips. "You, Aumanil, cannot take him alone. He was the most dangerous human being on the planet. If someone, like Baxter Stockman, found a way to bring him back, then there's no telling how dangerous he'll be."
"Not to mention the gathering of whatever allies used to be a part of the Foot Clan," Venus replied.
"They're scattered around the globe," Aumanil explained to me. "Tiger Claw returned to Japan. Xever went back to Brazil, still committing crimes, I hear. Obviously, Stockman's still in New York. Anton Zeck's found a place in Paris and Ivan Steranko returned to Russia."
"And don't forget the Vizioso gang, or at least the next generation, is in prison," Athena said. "We think Aunt April may have dismantled the Purple Dragons herself when she was possessed by that Aeon crystal."
"Has everyone been cured of their mutations?" I asked.
"No," Aumanil answered. "Tiger Claw, Bebop, and Rocksteady chose to retain their mutated identities. Donatello cured Xever while Michelangelo cured Stockman, much to his disdain. There is another mutant in New York who kept her identity, but we don't know where she is. She's on neutral ground."
"She?" we all asked.
"Who?" Athena asked.
"Alopex," Aumanil answered. "Her specialty is speed. We may need her help later. But right now, our focus is finding out if someone really found a way to revive Shredder."
"Then, let's go," Venus prompted us.
"We're right behind you, Aumanil," Justine told her with a grin.
One by one, we climbed the ladder out of the sewers. To my surprise, the temperature was comfortable with some rain falling down. The five of us formed a line. Aumanil was in the middle. I stood next to her on one side with Venus while Justine was on her other side with Athena. We did not bring any weapons with us due to T.I.M.E.'s weaponless policy. With firm nods, we walked forward, past the World Trade Center.
"She won't make a sound. Alone in this fight with herself and the fears whispering if she stands, she'll fall down. She wants to be found. The only way out is through everything she's running from. Wants to give up and lie down."
We eventually approached Times Square and we found T.I.M.E. headquarters in the distance. We kept right on walking.
"So stand in the rain. Stand your ground. Stand up when it's all crashing down. You stand through the pain. You won't drown. And one day, what's lost can be found. You stand in the rain."
We finally reached the door to T.I.M.E. and we walked in. We approached the robotic receptionist.
"Good morning and welcome to the Temporal Investigation, Management, and Exploration Agency," she spoke in a monotone voice. "How may I help you today?"
"We need to speak with Wilbur Robinson," Aumanil answered.
"May I see some identification, please?"
"I am Aumanil of the Justice League. I ask for clearance on behalf of myself and my team."
"Oh, Aumanil! I am so sorry. You have been cleared by Chief Amy Young. You may proceed to the historian's office."
"Thank you, ma'am."
We then walked to the elevator that would lead us to the top floor. It took us a few minutes to get there due to the many employees wanting to get on and off. When we got there, we already found Wilbur, wearing a brown leather jacket over his navy blue shirt and black pants, greeting us.
"Hello, Special Agent Robinson," Aumanil greeted him, shaking his hand.
"Eve told me you were coming to see me," Wilbur replied before glancing at the rest of us. "Wow! Anna, Justine, Venus, and Athena, you're all here. This must be serious."
"You would be correct, sir," Venus answered.
"Anna had a vision during my bachelorette party," Justine explained. "We came to ask you if that vision came to fruition."
"Who was in this vision?" Wilbur asked.
"Oroku Saki," I answered grimly. "The Shredder."
Wilbur's eyes widened.
"No wonder you're all here. Come with me."
We followed Wilbur into his office and gathered around him as he warmed up his computer.
"So what exactly do you need me to do?" Wilbur asked.
"Your wife suggested we find you," Aumanil explained. "She thinks there may be a possibility that Baxter Stockman messed up the timeline somehow and made it possible to make a clone of the Shredder."
"I've done my research on Baxter Stockman, and honestly? He was better off as a bug. There's no way in his right human mind that he would be able to make a clone of Shredder. But I'll see what I can find."
Wilbur did his research on his computer.
"So Ryan tells me you two are getting married at the farmhouse, Justine," Wilbur told the bride.
"Yes, we finally decided on it when I got back from Tennessee. And I think we made the right choice. We may be living in Todayland now, but I'm marrying into the clan. It just made sense."
"When's the date again?"
"May sixteenth."
"Ah!" Wilbur exclaimed. "I got it pulled up!"
Wilbur then started to analyze the timeline.
"Hmm, well, I have good news and bad news."
"Give us the good news first," I pleaded with him.
"There's been no disruptions to the timeline. Everything is as it should be."
"And the bad news?" Aumanil asked.
"I came across some news reports about Baxter Stockman. It turns out, he was arrested for arson in upstate New York in February 2017. While the courts found him innocent, he was proven guilty for using mutagen to harm innocent civilians and he was sentenced to time in prison. But he escaped prison in 2027. No one's been able to find him since."
"Wait a minute," Venus chimed in. "How did he escape?"
"It turns out there was a gaping hole in his prison cell that led to the outside world," Wilbur continued to explain as he pulled up a picture.
"It looks like a robot rescued him or something!" Athena said with shock.
"Krang, maybe?" Justine suggested.
"Baxter Stockman is well-known for his M.O.U.S.E.R.S," Aumanil contemplated. "Maybe they evolved somehow. Actually, speaking of evolving, what can you tell us about cloning? Donatello angrily mentioned it was still illegal."
"It is still illegal," Wilbur angrily answered. "There have been many attempts the past decade by rogue scientists attempting to bring their loved ones back from the dead by the process of cloning."
"In my vision, the Shredder had returned by Stockman cloning him," I explained. "Something must have gone wrong here. And that's why we came to you."
"I'm sorry, Anna, but according to my research, Baxter Stockman did not break any laws regarding time travel. That is my specialty, Anna: time travel."
"But Wilbur, you've assisted in stopping crimes before," Aumanil pleaded with him again. "There must be something there."
Wilbur buried his head in his hands and let out a sigh.
"Stockman's specialty as a human is breaking in to high-security places," Venus explained. "He really likes breaking into T.C.R.I."
Wilbur suddenly shot up, his chocolate eyes sparkling.
"Maybe there is something!"
The agent typed rapidly on his keyboard.
"Ah-ha!" he exclaimed. "There was a break-in on Christmas Day, but the authorities couldn't figure out how it happened. According to the New York Police, every canister of mutagen went missing. A centrifuge and lots of science equipment went missing as well. And all the alarms were turned off, which is why the police weren't notified until the next day."
"There's only one place Stockman could have taken all that mutagen," Aumanil said with determination. "Shredder's old lair. It's in an abandoned church."
"We can't rule out the lair in upstate New York either," Athena replied. "Let's go back to the lair and regroup."
DONATELLO'S POV
After the girls returned to the lair and spoke to me and Leo about what they found, Leo asked the entire family to convene in the dojo. We all sat criss-crossed in a circle.
"I want to thank you for being here," Leo spoke, sitting between Karai and Ryan. "I have heard some distressing news that I believe Anna should share."
"Is everything okay, Anna?" Mikey asked.
"While celebrating Justine's upcoming wedding in the Smoky Mountains, I had a disturbing vision," Anna explained. "Baxter Stockman had found a way to revive the Shredder through cloning."
"What?" Raph asked with shock. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes," Anna answered with her head hung down. "But Michelangelo, you believe in what is called a bright side, and there is one. While my visions predict what is happening now or in the future, they don't tell me the exact moment they will happen."
"So what you are telling us is that we need to start being cautious?" Leo asked.
"Yes. Aumanil already has a plan for us to at least start looking."
"One group will go to Shredder's old lair," Aumanil explained. "Another will go upstate. And the last one, the Turtles, will go to T.C.R.I with Raphael as the officer on duty to investigate."
"I'm okay with that," Raph replied with a grin.
"Wait, I just had a thought," Justine chimed in. "Karai, weren't you raised by the Shredder? If Stockman does find a way to revive Shredder by cloning, would he have memories of you?"
"Yes," I answered sadly on behalf of Karai, who now looked terrified. "Karai, why don't you lead the group going to the old lair? You know that building like the back of your hand. Who do you think should go with you?"
"I'll enlist Shini's help again," Karai explained. "Anna, you are very perceptive. Venus, your mind is quiet unlike your father. I will take Mona Lisa and Justine also."
"I'll lead the group going upstate," Aumanil said. "April, Renet, Athena, and Ryan, you're with me. James will watch Isamu and the lair while we're gone."
"I'll go ahead and call Casey and Wilbur," Raph replied. " I think they'd like to join us at T.C.R.I."
ANNA'S POV
"So this is Shredder's lair?" I asked as we ran up to the abandoned church.
"Yup," Karai answered. "Shredder's fortress for as long as he had control of New York City."
"How long was he here?" Justine asked.
"Three years. He took me with him when we left Japan and that how I heard about the Turtles. It was how I met Leo."
Karai smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.
"Alright, before we get into the soap opera of Karai and Leonardo's love story, could we go inside and examine every inch of the building?" Venus asked with some sarcasm.
"Agreed," Shinigami chimed in.
We followed Karai inside and we were taken to the throne room. It was not very well-lit. There were two long pools on either side of the aisle and ahead of us was the throne with quite the view of the city behind it.
"Anna, Karai tells me you are also a psychic," Shinigami said with a smile.
"Well, I wouldn't say that exactly," I replied. "I don't read minds. I just have visions."
"So, you can't scan the room for anything weird?"
"No, I cannot. Only April and Lilianna are capable of doing that."
"Girls, there's nothing here," Karai spoke up. "Let's go downstairs."
The floor below the throne room looked like a huge lab of some sort.
"Whoa!" Venus, Mona Lisa, and I gasped in awe.
"I wonder what was kept here," Mona Lisa asked out loud.
"Stockman's experiments on animals," Karai answered in disgust. "Even Master Splinter was kept in here when he didn't have his mind. And so was I."
Karai turned towards me and put her hands in mine.
"Anna, I was accidentally mutated into a serpent after I disowned Shredder."
I gasped before she continued.
"I kept on hiding, trying to escape Shredder's forces. But I fell for a trap. The only thing I will be thankful for in here was Stockman finding a way for me to control my mutation."
"But you look very normal," I replied concern as Karai hung her head down.
"There is no cure for my mutation. Donatello already tried. My mutation is unique because Stockman made a mistake. But it's alright. I've used my mutation to save lives, my family."
I closed my eyes and focused, wondering who else were victims to Stockman's experiments in this lab. First, I saw a mindless Splinter being denied a chance to have cheese. I saw Karai strapped down and experimented on. I saw Slash, Dr. Rockwell, and Raph having some sort of worm inserted into their brains. And then I saw Leo and Mikey trapped in a cage and somehow escaping by combining the three mutant forms of the Shredder in the mutagen below them, which was how this lab was originally destroyed.
"Did you find anything, Anna?" Mona Lisa asked.
"Pain," I answered sadly. "Baxter Stockman was not a good man, and his mutant form was not any better."
"But nothing that relates to Shredder's return?" Shinigami asked.
"No. Baxter Stockman is not here."
"Let's check one last place," Karai suggested. "The dungeons."
"The more I hear about the Shredder, the more dread I feel," I replied in disgust.
We followed Karai down one more flight of stairs to the dungeons.
"Why dungeons?" I asked. "I highly doubt a place of worship would have need for those."
"These didn't exist at first," Karai explained. "Shredder and Bradford built these out of the pews."
"Wait, Bradford? Who's he?"
"A celebrity Uncle Mikey really liked until he took advantage of him," Venus bluntly explained. "Bradford was a con and he died a just death by drowning."
"Well, okay, then."
"There's nothing here," Shinigami spoke. "It's empty."
"Let's hope the others have more luck than we have," Karai replied.
WILBUR'S POV
I explored T.C.R.I as an agent working overtime while Raph worked as an officer. I had to beg Amy to let me work overtime and examine the crime scene for evidence.
"So what are we looking for?" I asked.
"Anything out of the ordinary," Leo answered.
"I'm glad you're here, Wilbur," Raph told me with a smile. "I had forgotten T.I.M.E. was part of the special forces."
"I want to help you as much as I can to make sure this Shredder revival does not happen," I replied with a glare. "I understand how much he's hurt all of you."
"Most of the stuff the Kraang kept was on level 40," Donnie said. "Let's start there."
"But hold on," Mikey replied. "Don't we need to figure out how Stockman broke in? The police couldn't find any sign of a break-in."
"That's where I come in," Donnie said with a grin.
Donnie took out an invention of his and scanned the locks and alarms.
"Stockman must have upgraded his technology. He created a system where it disarms all locks and alarms, allowing himself and his M.O.U.S.E.R.S. in."
"So basically we have no evidence?" Raph asked.
"No," Donnie answered with a frown.
"Not even a piece of hair?" I asked.
"No."
"How old would Stockman be anyway?" Leo asked. "He's gotta be old by now."
"I'm guessing mid-sixties?"
"Let's go, already!" Casey nagged us. "Whatever evidence we find won't be there forever!"
We followed Casey into the elevator, but we were stuck. We couldn't find a way to activate it.
"Wait, let me try something," I spoke up.
I used my Robinson gadgets to activate the elevator and we started going up.
"Your dad's technology, I take it?" Leo asked with a smile.
"Actually, I combined my dad's technology with scraps I found at work," I explained. "I've made quite a few modifications since I started there in 2045."
"You really are Cornelius Robinson's son," Raph replied with a proud smile. "He must be proud of you."
"He is! He actually told me when Diana and I visited him and the family. I never thought I'd hear it from him, but it did feel awesome. I'm proud of myself, too."
It took a few minutes, but we finally made it to the fortieth floor. We entered... an empty room.
"Stockman took everything?" Casey asked in bewilderment.
"So much for taking some lab equipment," I replied, rolling my eyes.
"Well, we can still look for clues while we're here," Donnie suggested.
"Let's move," Leo commanded. "Spread out and search."
Donnie and I used gadgets we invented to search for evidence. Raph used a tool given to him by his fellow officers. After some time, I found a piece of hair on the ground.
"Hey, Donnie!" I yelled. "Does your gadget have a DNA-identifier on it?"
"I wish!" he shouted back. "Did you find something?"
"Some hair!"
"Look what I found!" Mikey yelled from across the room.
"It's not a slice of pizza, is it?" Raph asked.
"No, better!"
We all walked over to Mikey. I saw that he was holding a piece of white metal.
"Part of a M.O.U.S.E.R., maybe?" Donnie asked. "I'll examine this in my lab."
"Meanwhile, I'm going to ask my lab expert to analyze this hair," I chimed in. "Did we find anything else?"
"I found nothing on my end," Leo answered.
"I found this hard drive," Casey said, holding a piece of technology.
"Casey..."
Donnie paused, breaking into a grin.
"That's genius! We gotta take it back to my lab! Wilbur, good luck with the hair!"
North Hampton, New York, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
My mother drove the five of us to Shredder's lair near my childhood home since she was the only one of us who had been there. Just the thought of someone attempting to resurrect the Shredder again shuddered me. While my life wasn't as hard as my father's, repeating his past was something I had no desire doing.
Despite the circumstances, I was thankful for Anna. If she hadn't found us, she may never have gotten over her grief of her father and gotten her powers back. And if she hadn't gotten her powers back, we would not be on the trail for Shredder's possible rebirth.
We finally approached the old lair upstate.
"We're simply here to look for Baxter Stockman, correct?" Ryan asked.
"Or the Shredder," Mom answered. "But if you find the Shredder, do not engage him. The Shredder was the most dangerous man I had ever encountered. Towards the end of his life, his mind became very unstable."
"His mind was unstable to begin with," I muttered.
The entirety of the lair was empty. I felt no one besides the five of us. The first room we entered appeared to be the combination of a bedroom and an infirmary.
"This was the last place we found Baxter Stockman," Mom explained. "Mikey used one of the bulbs of retro-mutagen to turn him human again. Of course, he acted like a jerk."
"Wilbur explained that Baxter was found here and arrested for arson," I replied.
"But Stockman didn't start the fire; the Shredder did."
"That's what the courts found. But they did find his stash of mutagen and all the projects he had planned and that's why he was imprisoned."
"And yet, here we are," Renet sarcastically replied. "I never even thought that I would actually be face-to-face with the Shredder. I've read about him in the history books."
We cautiously continued finding my mother. However, right when I got to the doorway, I found a note on the ground.
"My master is going to die. I must do everything I can to keep him alive, even if it costs my life."
I turned the paper over to find a list: everything that was stolen from T.C.R.I. I folded the list and put it in a pouch before I actually followed my family out.
"Bebop and Rocksteady challenged us in this room," Mom explained as if she was a tour guide. "They created this weaponized obstacle course but Donnie managed to make it work against them."
Then we walked into the next room.
"Tiger Claw faced us here," Mom continued. "There was a trapdoor here that brought us down to a den of tigers."
"I take it you got everyone out?" I asked.
"Correct. And... that's it."
"Well, that was a nice tour, Aunt April," Ryan told her. "But I couldn't find anything out of the ordinary."
"Me neither," Athena replied.
"I found a list that would, unfortunately, confirm Anna's vision," I spoke up, revealing the list from my pouch.
Mom took the note and read it out loud. She turned it over, read the list, and then read one more note on the bottom of the page.
"Must look into cloning," Mom read with fear in her blue eyes.
"He's crazy!" Renet replied disgustingly. "Just as crazy as Shredder!"
"But the note doesn't share anything about his location," Athena chimed in. "How are we going to find him?"
"April, can't you do one of your telepathic scans?" Renet asked.
"Wait," Ryan chimed in. "Lily, or Aumanil in this case, has psychic powers too. Can't she do the scan with you?"
"We can try it." I replied. "It may be more effective with Anna, though."
"Anna doesn't have psychic powers, sweetie," Mom told me. "Although, when I tried to do a telepathic scan to find Diana, I found Anna's mind instead."
"So Anna's only psychic powers are her visions and simply connecting with one of us?"
"Yes, which may explain why you were able to see some of her visions."
"Can you both just try the scan already?" Athena asked impatiently.
Mom and I held hands.
"Let's do this," we said together.
We opened our minds and started the scan. I was facing west while my mother faced east. I was unsure of what Baxter's voice sounded like but I knew my mother would help me in anyway she can. We scanned the entire globe for about five minutes but I was getting tired.
Eventually, I collapsed, and shortly after that, so did my mother.
"What did you two find?" Athena asked, shaking me up.
"I found nothing," I answered tiredly.
"Same," Mom chimed in, also with a fatigued voice. "Which probably means Stockman's underground somewhere in the globe."
"We're not going to find anything else here," Renet suggested. "Let's return to the lair and share our findings."
New York City, New York, USA
LEONARDO'S POV
"Let's examine the evidence," I said, starting another meeting with my family. "Karai, let's start with you."
"We found nothing," Karai answered with a frown.
"Seriously?" Raph asked in bewilderment. "Nothing out of the ordinary?"
"No," Anna affirmed. "The lair looked very much abandoned with no clues left. Neither Baxter Stockman nor the Shredder were there."
"Lily and I tried to do a combined telepathic scan for Stockman," April explained. "But we couldn't find him. We think Stockman has an underground lab somewhere in this globe, but we do not know where."
"Speaking of which, we did find a note that Stockman wrote as a mutant fly," Lily chimed in. "It was a list of ingredients and supplies he needed with two notes."
"What did these notes say?" I asked.
"My master is going to die. I must do everything I can to keep him alive, even if it costs my life. And Must look into cloning."
Every single person in the dojo gasped.
"Okay, he's sick," Mikey exclaimed disgustingly. "But I gotta know. If Stickman was arrested in 2017, then why are we just now hearing of his return?"
"I thought of that also," Wilbur chimed in. "Before Raph asked me to join you all, I did some digging on Baxter Stockman's past. He was raised by a single mother named Matilda Stockman. She never married and it turns out, she was raped. They grew up in a poor neighborhood here in the city and that might have played a part in Stockman's crimes. I'm going to bet that Baxter returned to his mother after he escaped prison and stayed with her until he was ready to attempt to recreate the Shredder. And since no one knew how T.C.R.I. was broken into, Baxter was never in the news, thus going underground."
"Oh wow," April replied with a frown. "So Baxter's life was rough from the get-go."
"I'm actually impressed you got that information, Wilbur," I complimented my friend.
"I got help from Marina, the profiler I work with," the raven-haired agent explained. "It turns out she's dealt with children for quite some time."
"Wait, not the same Mareena I know, right?" Lily asked.
"No, no, this is Marina Romanova, a Russian. But what do you all think?"
"I think a visit to Matilda is in order," April suggested with determination.
"I'll go with you," Wilbur replied. "We can both go on official capacity."
"Deal!"
"But while I'm talking, let me share my results. While patrolling with the Turtles at T.C.R.I., I found some black hair. I took it back to T.I.M.E. and had my lab expert Theodore examine it. He concluded that the hair belonged to Oroku Saki."
"Wait a minute, how?" Donnie asked in bewilderment. "Shredder was bald because of the fire in Japan!"
"Are you sure it wasn't Stockman's hair?" I asked with a raised brow.
"Theo's the best I've ever worked with," Wilbur shot back, crossing his arms. "It's a one hundred percent match with Oroku Saki."
"Thanks a lot!" Donnie angrily exclaimed, crossing his arms.
"Cool it, Father!" Lily snapped. "T.I.M.E. probably has better equipment than you do. And besides, you don't have a DNA-machine that identifies which item belongs to who."
Donnie took some deep breaths to calm down.
"Wilbur, please forgive me," he said solemnly. "I guess I'm still learning."
"Everyone learns something every day until the day they die," Wilbur replied with a smile. "All is forgiven. But didn't you have results to share, too?"
"Oh, right! The white metal that Mikey found. It belonged to a M.O.U.S.E.R. Baxter had made some serious upgrades to his M.O.U.S.E.R.S. He enabled them to be able to walk through walls and turn off the locks and alarms without alerting the authorities."
"So it was definitely Stockman who stole everything from T.C.R.I.," I replied.
"Yes. And I also examined the hard drive Casey found. Stockman figured out how to clone the Shredder, which now explains why Wilbur found the hair. He's already started!"
"And this all definitely confirms Anna's vision," I answered with much sadness. "We had avenged Splinter by finishing the Shredder. But now we've gone right back to where we started. Did that hard drive say anything else, Donnie?"
"Yes. Stockman was going to try to mutate himself back into a fly and then figure out the cloning process. He figured this entire thing out from his prison cell. He was going to return to his mother's so that he can have time to plan out where to get all the things he needs. Then he was going to build a new lab so he can mutate himself again and then start the cloning process on Shredder using what's left of his skin and hair from previous Shredder mutants."
"So chances are, he's already a mutant fly again," April angrily replied.
"April, Wilbur, see what you can find out about Stockman from his mom," I told them. "The rest of us will have to do a search across the country to find them. Donnie, Ryan, Justine, and Venus, you do your search in Todayland. Lily and Anna, you search all over the state of California. Wilbur, you handle southern New York and Connecticut while April looks all around upstate New York. The rest of us are going to scatter across the country to find Stockman."
"Actually, sensei, with your permission, I'd like to do my search in Oklahoma, too," Justine spoke up.
Lily immediately faced her with concern in her brown eyes.
"Justine, are you sure?" she asked. "I know you and Woody don't get along."
"Lily, I have to do this. And knowing Woody, he'll help. That's one of things I actually like about him. He's always willing to lend a helping hand."
"Then I'm coming with you," Ryan spoke up. "If Woody tries to do something to you, he'll have to hurt me first."
"But wait, how are we going to search underground?" Venus asked. "Uncle Donnie, have you invented something to help with that?"
"I have spelunking equipment," Donnie answered. "But that's for caves. Wilbur, on the other hand, might have something."
"That's right!" Lily exclaimed. "Wilbur, what about those havoc gloves? Can you find more of those?"
"Unfortunately, no," Wilbur answered. "I only needed the havoc gloves because I needed to correct the timeline that I messed up when I was a teenager."
"Doesn't your dad have a replicating machine?" Donnie asked.
Wilbur hesitated.
"Are you and your dad not on good terms?" Anna asked.
"We're on better terms, but as far as asking for help, I'd rather ask Donnie."
"Wilbur, just ask your dad and explain the seriousness of this," Donnie replied. "You're an adult now. Your family is all about moving forward. So please, move forward with your dad and help us."
"Wilbur, if I can look past everything my dad has done to me and ask him for help on this, then you can, too," Justine said with determination. "Because now we don't have a choice. We have to ask the people we like the least to help us."
"Splinter even had to ask Shredder of all people to help us once," April chimed in. "We believe in you, Wilbur."
January 4, 2048 - Westport, Connecticut, USA
WILBUR'S POV
I hesitated at the kitchen table with my phone in my hand. I just sat there and stared at my dad's phone information.
"Hi, Daddy!"
I jumped and turned at the sight of my daughter running up to me. She ran up to me and tried to climb up on my leg. I let out a sigh and lifted her up to where we could see each other's eyes.
"Hi sweetheart, you can't run in the house," I told her. "You can get hurt."
"I'm not hurt!" Diana shot back with sass in her little voice.
"I know, and I'm glad you're not hurt. But do you remember what Mommy said about following the rules? Not running is one of those rules because you can get hurt. And Mommy and I don't want to see you get hurt. Okay?"
"Okay, Daddy!" Diana replied happily.
"Why don't you go in the living room and play with your toys while Mommy makes breakfast, okay? I have to make a phone call."
"Can I talk?"
"No, but I will tell Grandpa you said hi."
"Okay!"
I set my black-haired daughter down on the ground and she skipped off to the living room. I pushed the button on my phone to make the call.
"Hello?"
"Oh! Hi, Dad! I thought you were at work?"
"Not yet, son. It's only seven o'clock."
I let out a sigh. It was eight o'clock in Connecticut.
"Right. Time change. So you're just waking up?"
"Yeah! And I'm glad I woke up to your call. How are you?"
"I'm doing pretty good. But I'm also in a grim situation and that's why I'm calling."
"Grim? How?"
"We found out yesterday that Baxter Stockman is trying to clone the Shredder."
"Cloning? Are you sure?"
"Yes. Anna had a vision about the Shredder returning and we found lots of evidence that her vision is in motion. So I've been asked to replicate my havoc gloves so everyone can search underground for Stockman. I was wondering if you could help me."
"Absolutely. I remember reading about the Shredder back in the history books. He was the leader of a ninja clan from Japan. But from the stories the Turtles have told me, he was a monster."
"He killed Splinter, Dad," I angrily told him. "Whatever cloning project Stockman is doing, we need to stop it at all costs."
"You're absolutely right, and not just because cloning is illegal. I'll help you. But how will you get the havoc gloves to me?"
"I can give them to Donnie and he can stop by Robinson Industries to give them to you on Monday."
"That sounds good to me! So how are Karena and Diana doing?"
I smiled.
"They're doing good! Diana says hi. Karena just got back from the Smoky Mountains celebrating Justine's bachelorette party and had a good time."
"Oh, good! I'm glad to hear Karena made it home safely. Well, I should let you go so we can spend some time with our families."
"Sounds great, Dad. And thank you for your help."
"No problem. I'll talk to you soon, okay, son? I love you."
"I love you, too, Dad. Have a good day."
I hung up the phone and got up out of my chair. I glanced over at my wife, her brown hair in curls and wearing a blue dress. I smiled, starting to walk over to hug her from behind.
"WHOA!" I suddenly yelled.
I felt myself flying and falling. I landed on the floor with a loud crunch.
"OW!"
"Oh my gosh!" Karena exclaimed. "Wilbur, are you okay?"
"That is an excellent question," I answered honestly.
"How did chocolate milk get on the floor?" Karena asked angrily. "Diana Evelyn, come over here, please! Wilbur, can you move?"
"I think so," I answered.
As Diana toddled over to us, Karena tried to help me get up.
"AH!" I screamed loudly and tears started coming to my brown eyes.
"What hurts?" Karena asked.
"Daddy, are you okay?" Diana asked.
I shook my head in agony, gritting my teeth. I placed my hand on my right calf, currently in a weird position on the floor. Karena immediately took out her phone and placed a call.
"Donnie, it's Karena. Wilbur slipped on some chocolate milk and fell to the floor. He can't move his right leg. Thank you."
Karena hung up.
"Donnie's coming."
"Oh, good!"
"Diana, I need you to go to your room, please," Karena told our black-haired daughter.
"But I wanna stay!" Diana cried.
"No," Karena sternly replied, pointing up the stairs. "Go. I'll be up to talk to you later."
Diana started to cry as she walked up the stairs. Shortly after she left the kitchen, Donnie appeared out of a portal with his doctor's bag.
"Hey, Wilbur, are you doing okay?"
I glared at him.
"Do I look okay?" I yelled at him.
"Hey!" Donnie snapped back. "You are my patient and you need to calm down, right now. Being snippy with me is not going to help you. Now, let me look at that leg."
Donnie examined my right calf. I winced right when he touched it for the first time. The more he massaged it, the worse I felt.
"Wilbur, you need to get to a hospital. That leg is definitely broken. Karena, is there a hospital close by?"
"It looks like it's St. Vincent's," Karena answered.
"Call them and tell them you'll be there in ten minutes."
"Okay."
"Now, is someone coming to watch Diana?"
"Yes, Russell's coming over."
"Okay, good. Would it be alright if I checked on your daughter?"
"Go ahead," Karena answered. "She needs to know where we're going."
"Where is her room?" Donnie asked.
"Up the stairs, to the right, and it's the last one ahead."
"Thank you."
DONATELLO'S POV
I knocked on Diana's door, but I didn't hear a response.
"Diana, it's Dr. Donnie," I called out. "Are you okay?"
Instead of an answer, I heard sniffles. I frowned. I opened the door and found the young girl lying in her bed on her stomach. She was crying into her pillow. I pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.
"Hey, your mom wanted me to tell you she's taking your daddy to the hospital," I explained softly. "Your daddy broke his leg. He's going to the hospital to get it fixed."
Diana wailed.
"Oh, hey, hey!" I tried soothing her, rubbing her back just like the way I rubbed my daughter's back all those years ago. "Everything is going to be okay."
"I'm a bad girl!" Diana wailed again.
"What? No, you're not. It was an accident. It happens to everybody."
"But I hurt Daddy," Diana replied, sitting up on the bed and wiping away her tears. "And he hates me."
"Whoa, hey, hey, Daddy does not hate you," I sternly replied. "Who put such words in your head?"
"I don't know. But Mommy yelled at me. I spilled my milk!"
"Diana, that was an accident. You didn't know that spilled milk would hurt your daddy. Yelling is often the first response when someone gets hurt. I'm sorry your mommy took it out on you."
"It's okay."
"No, it is not okay," I corrected her. "Yelling is never okay. I've learned that quite a few times from my little girl."
"You have a little girl?" Diana asked, her brown eyes gazing into mine.
I chuckled softly.
"Yes, though my little girl is all grown up now. May I tell you a story?"
"Yes, please!" Diana answered enthusiastically.
I laughed.
"You're just like Daddy, you know that? Anyway. Once upon a time, I got very, very sick. And I collapsed while working. I lived with two girls at the time - my wife April and my little girl Lily. They found me and carried me to bed. Lily never left my side."
I paused.
"Well, okay, that's not entirely true. April tried to tell her to do some chores to give herself a break from watching me breathe and sleep. But the chores Lily did were awe-inspiring. She did the dishes. She made tea for me to drink. She made me soup to eat. She somehow came up with a medicine to cure me of my sickness."
Diana smiled.
"But I knew Lily was scared. Lily was scared to lose me to this sickness. And Diana, being scared is okay. It shows you care."
Diana cocked her head to the side.
"Really? It's okay to be scared?"
"Yes. It shows courage. I think that's why Mommy wanted you to come in here. She wanted you to be brave."
"Dad always says, keep moving forward."
"Exactly! You're smarter than you think, Diana. You're definitely a Robinson."
"Hi, Wussell!"
I turned around to see Russell in the doorway with a smile on his face.
"Diana, Russell will be right back, okay?"
"Dr. Donnie, please stay."
Diana grabbed onto one of my fingers with her small hands. I knelt down and faced her at eye-level.
"I wish I could," I replied. "But I need to be with my own family. But you be good for Russell, okay? Mommy and Daddy will be back tomorrow."
Diana gave me a hug, her small arms around my neck. I couldn't help but smile and hug her back. She was Karena's daughter as well. I walked out of the bedroom with Russell so I could explain what's going on.
"Diana spilled chocolate milk on accident and Wilbur slipped and fell, breaking his leg."
"Oh, dear," Russell replied with a frown. "Is he okay?"
"He'll be fine. Karena took him to the hospital. They may be there overnight. Diana's not taking this well, though. She's blaming herself for Wilbur."
"Well, sure, she is. She realized she made a mistake. But she'll learn and recover. But you've seemed to put her at ease."
"For now. How is she going to last the night? She'll be alone with one man who is not her dad."
Russell bit his lip.
"I see your point. Why don't I take her to my place? Jessi is normally her babysitter on the weekends. And besides, I'm sure Amy would love to cook Diana's favorite food."
"I'm sure she'll love it! I'll leave you to it!"
APRIL'S POV
I sat in the hospital room with Karena, Wilbur, and his boss Amy. Wilbur was still fast asleep, recovering from the surgery he had to put the bone back in place. Amy came to the hospital after learning of Wilbur's accident and making Diana dinner. She had told me Diana was spending the night with the Cranes as a result to give Karena a break.
"Is Donnie doing alright?" Amy asked me.
"Yeah, he's fine. It's not the first time he's seen a broken bone. I had broken ribs in my first fight against Karai. Leo broke a lot of bones in his battle against the Shredder. Raph broke his foot. Lily broke her foot, also."
We both gazed at Wilbur, fast asleep in the hospital bed, and Karena, asleep in a chair next to him.
"May I talk to you about something on Wilbur's behalf?" I asked.
"Shouldn't Karena be the one asking?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Please, Amy, this is important. I promise what we will discuss will stay off the record in this room. My family's lives may be at stake."
Amy relaxed her expression and now expressed concern.
"Is everything okay?" she asked.
I let out a sigh.
"Have you met Anna Swan?" I asked.
"No, but she's all Jasper talks about nowadays. Jasper's taken a liking to her. In fact, he paid her a visit in New York this past Thursday after she got back from the Smokies."
My eyes widened with surprise.
"Um, anyway, Anna received a vision and it was about our foes from the past," I explained. "Through thorough investigations at two lairs and T.C.R.I., we found her vision is in motion. Baxter Stockman is trying to have the Shredder reborn through cloning."
Amy gave me a disgusted look.
"And here I thought Wilbur was nuts! But now hearing it from you, a news reporter who won numerous Pulitzer Prizes..."
Amy then glared.
"What do you need us to do?" she asked.
"Wilbur and I were going to pay a visit to Matilda Stockman on Monday on the clock, but now that he's broken his leg, I was wondering if you had any ideas."
"What are you planning on asking her?"
"Wilbur believes that Baxter spent time with his mother after his escape from prison. Mikey noticed that we were just now hearing about him since 2017. We just wanted to know if Baxter had done anything during his stay with her. Wilbur already confirmed he did not break the rules of time-travel."
"Well, technically, Wilbur is not a field agent," Amy explained. "So I can't just sent him to interrogate a suspect unless the suspect is involved in Wilbur's specialty. But since Wilbur has already become involved in this plot by investigating T.C.R.I. with Lieutenant Hamato and checking out Stockman's history, I will let him go with you on one condition."
"What is it?"
"He takes one of our best agents, Zara Tien, with him."
January 5, 2048 - New York City, New York, USA
I sat outside the residence in a desolate neighborhood waiting on Wilbur and Zara to arrive. I did feel a little nervous but I was thankful I had my ninjutsu in case I needed to defend myself.
After five minutes, I saw a car from T.I.M.E. approaching me. Zara, a white-haired agent who looked to be about my age, got out of the car and then went around to the passenger side to help Wilbur out. Zara then grabbed Wilbur's crutches and Wilbur hobbled over to me.
"Thank you for being patient, April," Wilbur greeted me with a smile. "I'm still getting used to these crutches."
"Your leg will heal before you know it," I replied. "I'm just happy you're here and safe."
"All thanks to my fellow teammate. April, this is field agent Zara Tien. Zara, this is--"
"April O'Neil, Channel 6 News," I interrupted my friend, holding my hand out for her to shake.
"Oh, you're that April!" Zara exclaimed excitedly. "I watch your news broadcasts all the time. The way you always spoke the truth and always made the day exciting... it just makes me feel excited to be living in New York City."
"Well, thank you! I'm honored. Well, how do we want to do this?"
"Let'a start out casual," Wilbur suggested. "And this is Baxter's mother. We want to treat her with respect."
"And once we've made ourselves at home, then we interrogate her," Zara chimed in. "Ask her what she knows about Baxter's schemes."
"Well, let's do this," I said with determination.
I rang the doorbell. After a minute or so, the door opened to reveal a frail African-American woman with black curly hair, wearing a pink dress with pink slippers. She was holding herself up with a cane.
"Good morning, ma'am," I started the conversation. "Are you Matilda Stockman?"
"Yes, ma'am. May I help you?"
"I'm April O'Neil from Channel 6 News. I'm here with some friends from the T.I.M.E. Agency, Agents Zara Tien and Wilbur Robinson. We'd like to ask you some questions about your son Baxter."
There was a pause as Matilda glanced at the three of us.
"Oh goodness!" she exclaimed. "Your leg!"
Zara and I glanced at Wilbur, who then looked down at his leg.
"Come on inside!" Matilda beckoned him, using her free hand to help Wilbur inside.
Before we knew it, Wilbur was sitting on a recliner with his broken leg inclined. Zara and I sat on a couch with Matilda in between us. All four of us had a bowl of macaroni and cheese in our laps.
"So what would you like to know about my dear Baxter?" Matilda asked sweetly.
"What can you tell us about Baxter's childhood?" Zara asked.
"Oh, it was traumatizing," Matilda explained sadly. "He was born without a father and we barely had any money to survive. We could only rely on food stamps and housing assistance. The kids at school always made fun of my dear Baxter. And he was always depressed."
Matilda suddenly smiled and her brown eyes brightened.
"But his best interest was science! He always had the best science projects, even if they kicked him out of school for a few days. And he always used science to teach those kids a lesson for teasing him."
Matilda's smile disappeared again.
"But suddenly, one day after graduating college, he stopped calling me. I always had a feeling he fell into the wrong crowd. And then I hear of his arrest for using mutagen. All I want is for my dear Baxter to be safe."
The three of us glanced at each other with uncertainty in our eyes, but also with certainty, knowing what our next question would be.
"Matilda, I have come across a rumor from an anonymous source that Baxter is working on cloning," I explained. "Has he mentioned any of this to you?"
"No, not a word," Matilda answered in bewilderment. "Every time we spoke in this house, he always said, I love you, Mama. And then he went right back in his room. Always working on a science experiment, he says. He rarely went out. We spent last Christmas together. I have not seen him since."
"Has Baxter mentioned where he was going?" Wilbur asked.
"No. I'm worried. I hope he hasn't gone back to those friends who got him arrested all those years ago."
"He mentioned nothing about the Foot Clan or anyone called the Shredder?" I asked.
"He always said his time in the Foot was in the past and that the Shredder was dead. He said he wasn't going back."
Once again, the three us of glanced at each other with uncertainty.
Pacific Bay, California, USA
LILIANNA'S POV
I was helping the profiler I worked with on a psychological analysis when I heard my T-phone ringing. I picked it up and found it was my mother calling me.
"Hamato."
"Lily, it's Mom. Listen, can you do me a favor?"
"I'll do my best. But I'm at work, so you may want to make this quick."
"I interviewed Baxter Stockman's mother with Wilbur and Zara. Wilbur and Zara gathered their notes and sent them to their profiler at T.I.M.E. to analyze them. Now, I need you to psychoanalyze mine."
"Mom, you are aware that I'm only a profiler's assistant, right?"
"But don't you do analyses when your profiler is out?"
"Yes."
"Then I trust you. And besides, this was your dad's idea. If I sent my notes over email, would you analyze them for me?"
"Sure, Mom. After I finish this current analysis that I'm assisting Maria with."
"You're a lifesaver, honey! I'll send them over soon. I love you."
"I love you, too, Mom. Be safe."
"You too. Bye now."
"Bye."
I hung up and finished analyzing my project.
Westport, Connecticut, USA
WILBUR'S POV
After I hobbled up the stairs, I knocked on the door to my daughter's room. Then I opened the door and hobbled in the room.
"Daddy!" Diana exclaimed. "Wait!"
Diana quickly got off the bed and ran towards a chair. I immediately grew concerned.
"Diana, be careful," I warned her. "That chair is heavy."
"I... got... it!" Diana replied, straining as she pulled back the chair using a leg.
"Diana, let me help you."
"No!" Diana yelled. "I got it!"
"Do you need me to get Mommy?"
"No! I almost got it!"
Diana somehow managed to pull a chair all the way up to her bed. Then she sat back down on her bed. I let out a sigh and chuckled.
"Diana, I would have been okay sitting on the bed with you."
"You're too big!"
I glanced down at her bed. Then I looked at the chair. And lastly, I looked down at my leg. I was still getting used to having only one working leg and realized sitting on her bed would have been hard for me to do.
"Touché," I finally replied, sitting on the chair. "Thank you for your help. But next time, please ask Mommy for help, okay?"
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm sowwy I hurt you. I didn't mean to."
"I know, sweetheart," I replied with a frown. "It was an accident. I'm not mad."
"You're not?"
"No. Princess, accidents happen all the time. It's a part of life. I may be the one with a broken leg, but it doesn't mean I don't love you any less. But, I still would like to teach you something from this."
"What, Daddy?"
"The reason why Mommy and I tell you not to do things is because we don't want to see each other get hurt. But because you spilled some milk, I ended up getting hurt."
"I'm sowwy."
"I know you are, and I appreciate how sincere you are."
"What does sincere mean?"
"It means you were honest, truthful."
"Daddy, I feel bad."
"Princess, I know. But I need you to listen to me, okay? You already said you were sorry. Do you know what we do after that?"
"Kee moving foward."
"There you go!" I replied enthusiastically. "But there's something you learned too, isn't there?"
"No running and no spilled milk."
"That's right."
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
"I love you too, Princess."
"Daddy?"
"Hmm?"
"May I stay in my room?"
I frowned.
"Why do you want to stay in your room?" I asked.
"Mommy hates me."
"Did Mommy tell you that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well... no. But she yelled at me."
"Princess, I'm sure if you talked to her, she'll tell you she loves you. I know Mommy."
"Yeah, you kiss her evy day!"
"Yes, but what I was trying to say that I know Mommy loves you just as much as she loves me. You're not just my little girl and you're not just her little girl. You're our little girl. Please, go on downstairs and talk to Mommy, okay?"
"Okay, Daddy. I go white now!"
Diana ran out of the room.
"No running!" I yelled. "Do you want a broken leg, too?"
"Yeah!" Diana answered rather excitedly.
"No, you don't," I yelled again.
I felt my phone buzzing in my pants. I stood up and got my phone out of my pocket. I discovered Lily texting me.
"Wilbur, after analyzing your interview with Matilda, I went to his old lab by Chinatown. Matilda mentioned that area quite a bit. He's transformed himself into a mutant fly again!"