Cheers and laughter echoed through the lair, the three brothers and their father gathered together in the kitchen, just like they did every day. But today felt brighter—a day of celebration for them. It was hard to believe it had been so long since they were just ten years old. Exactly five years had passed.
"There's a bit of algae and worms left if anyone wants some!" Mikey announced, holding up a pot with a grin. "Anybody? Anybody?"
"No thanks," Leo replied, shaking his head.
"All yours," Donnie added.
Mikey shrugged, unfazed. "Well, I guess no one has room for… Cake!" He plopped down a gooey, greenish cake with worms sticking out of it.
The two brothers stood up, slightly impressed with this concoction that their youngest brother had made.
"Oh my— it's an actual cake… made of algae and worms," Donnie remarked, eyeing it with suspicion, wondering how it managed to stand so firmly.
"What's the frosting made out of?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
Mikey pulled the cake toward his chest, a little cautious about the frosting."You don't wanna know," he muttered.
Leo stares for a second or two but lets it slide. Yeah… maybe I don't, he thought.
Mikey's face lit up once again as he exclaimed, "Happy Mutation Day!"
"Happy Mutation Day!" the other two echoed, their smiles wide and full of pride. It was surreal to think how far they had come.
"Ah yes… fifteen years ago today, our lives changed forever, and we became the unlikeliest of families," Splinter mused, watching his sons with fondness. How much they had grown.
It felt like just yesterday he had held them as turtle tots—when Leonardo first discovered Space Heroes and instantly fell in love with the show, when Donatello found technology and began brainstorming endless ideas for future projects, and when Mikey wandered into the kitchen, asking Splinter if he could help cook for his brothers. And when…
"MASTER SPLINTER!" a sudden, panicked yelp echoed through the lair.
"RAPHAEL?!" Splinter shouted back, his heart pounding with worry over what might have happened to his son.
To Splinter's relief, his seven-year-old came running into the living area, completely unharmed. But instead of injury, what caught Splinter's eye was Raphael, cradling a small tortoise protectively in his arms.
"Raphael? What seems to be the problem?" Splinter asked, gazing into his son's eyes. There, behind the tough exterior, he saw the glimmer of tears—Raph's deep concern for the tiny creature.
"I found him in the sewers," Raph whispered, lifting the tortoise slightly, though still keeping it close. "I… I think he's hurt."
His voice cracked with worry, silently begging his father to help, to do something—anything.
Splinter was taken aback. It wasn't unusual to see Raphael care about an animal, but he had always expected this kind of tenderness from Mikey. Seeing this softer side of his toughest, most hard-hitting son filled him with surprise.
"Don't worry, Raphael," Splinter said gently. "We will help this little one. I have some things that can help."
He always kept medication on hand, prepared for emergencies involving turtles. Raph's shoulders relaxed slightly, and he nodded, following Splinter toward the dojo.
A few days later, Raphael had given the tortoise a name—Spike. Over the years, Spike became more than just a pet; he was Raph's best friend. Splinter couldn't have been prouder. It was easy to forget how soft Raphael could be beneath his tough exterior, but moments like these reminded Splinter of just how deep his son's compassion truly ran.
Oh how he wishes he could see it again…
The furry rat sat quietly on the bed that belonged to his son—the one with the red mask. He was so lost in his mind that he had forgotten that he was here. This ritual was something he had done every year. Perhaps it was his way of coping, spending a few hours in his son's room, occasionally talking to Spike.
Maybe it was a way to feel connected to the son he had lost. Yes… that felt right.
As his mind began to clear, Splinter opened his eyes, unsure how long he had been meditating. He assumed it had been a while.
The lair is silent tonight, especially since today is the day his three sons finally venture up to the surface. Splinter can't deny the terror gnawing at him. He knows they've grown up and need to learn from experience, but how can he shake the fear that lingers, especially after losing two of his children?
He couldn't believe he had let them convince him to go. What if he lost one of them again? What if he lost all three? He shuddered at the thought of being alone again, lost in the sewers.
No. He couldn't think that way.
He had to trust in his sons' skills. They were talented and strong. They would be fine.
A soft crunch caught his attention, and he turned his head to see Spike munching on a fresh piece of lettuce.
"Oh, Spike…" he sighed, pondering, What am I supposed to do? He wanted to ask, but what was the point in asking an inarticulate reptile?
They can hardly believe it. They're really on the surface! THEY ARE UPTOP! This is incredible! There's just so many things to see, to explore!
They all glaze over the starry night as the distant sound of sirens echoes in the background. Cars bustle along the roads, and a soft breeze brushes against their supple green skin. It's a dream come true!
"It's beautiful…" Mikey murmurs, his gaze overwhelmed by the scene unfolding before him.
"Tell me about…" Donatello replied back in a hush voice, also starstruck with what's in front of him.
Without hesitation, the blue leader steps forward, a renewed sense of purpose igniting within him, a feeling he hadn't experienced in a long time.
"The city is just full of possibilities!" He starts, an obvious excitement to his voice, running to the first corner he sees "there could be an adventure around this corner! Or this one-…" He runs to another corner "Or this one!" He exclaims
Meow a cat replies back inside the empty alleyway. "There's not but there could be!" Leo continues on running off excitedly, the two brothers following right behind him.
Their eyes darted all over the place, as if they had just stepped into another dimension. They'd been waiting for this moment for years!
They had their own theories about what the outside world would look like, but nothing prepared them for this sense of euphoria. The city lights, the moon—it was their first time seeing them. The way everything glowed, like something out of a dream... It was beautiful. And then—wait...
Donnie's heart nearly stopped as his gaze landed on something he thought he'd never see. "Look at all these computers..." he gasped in awe, his voice barely above a whisper. "Is that... the next generation cadmium processor with QUANTUM ENCRYPTION?!"
"OH OH, let me see!" Mikey shouted, shoving Donnie aside. "Where? Where?" He jumped around, scanning the endless rows of computers and parts.
"Right there!" Donnie pointed to one of the machines... one among fifty. It didn't look all that different from the other square devices beside it.
"Hm..." Mikey squinted. "Tiny square thingy with gold spiky things. Yeah, bro, it looks just like the others."
"No, it's not!" Donnie shot back, his voice dripping with nerdy excitement. "You see, data can easily be hacked, but with this next-gen cadmium processor and quantum encryption, it's protected by various cybersecurity measures! It secures data based on the immutable laws of quantum mechanics. And since it's next-gen, we're talking billions of simple logic operations per qubit!"
The words flew straight over Mikey's head. Whatever Donnie was rambling about sounded like a whole other language to him.
"Do you have any idea how much research I could get done with this?!" Donnie's eyes widened, his pupils dilated, and his whole body buzzed with excitement.
"Uh... yeah! Totally!" The youngest teen said with a grin, though it was obvious he hadn't understood a word.
The night unfolded like a dream, and it couldn't have been better. At one point, they stumbled upon something extraordinary—an unworldly, exquisite dish. It's like they hit the jackpot!
The bright yellow topping melted in their mouths, dissolving as smoothly as algae, but this… this was infinitely better than algae! It was called pizza, and by the heavens, it made the night all the more unforgettable.
If only Raph was here… Leo suddenly thought, he didn't say it out loud however. He didn't want to ruin the moment. A moment like this, so rare, so joyful—something they hadn't experienced in years. He couldn't help but wonder what his reaction would be though.
He could see it so clearly—Raph's face lit with pure bliss, eyes wide with hope at the discovery of food better than worms and algae. Finally! Better food than worms and algae! He can hear him exclaim as he stuffs more pizza in his mouth, probably getting the cheese all over his face.
Leo felt a sting at the corner of his eyes, the tears threatening to spill. Not right now… he reminds himself.
Besides, it's useless to hope for someone that's never coming back.
"T-0028. The Kraang will take the turtle for testing in about 55 minutes and 43 seconds." The purple robot said, in its all too well monotone voice, before walking away, leaving the poor freshly beaten up turtle to rot in his cell.
T-0028 glared at his master, a monster in every sense of the word. A blaze of anger ignited within him, stoking the dark corner of his mind he had long tried to ignore. Why him? What had he done to deserve such suffering? He couldn't remember anything from before his imprisonment—not even his own name, if he had one. Yet he did nothing. He couldn't. He was utterly powerless.
He was just thrown to the ground like a lifeless rag doll, pummeled by metal fists and knees. His shoulders and thighs had been stabbed repeatedly until his blood nearly ran dry, his skin and flesh scorched by laser-like weapons until parts of him disintegrated into dust.
Sure, they warp his arm and with bandages,
and stitch all his open wounds up, but it didn't change the fact that he was left broken.
It had happened so many times before—beaten to the edge of death, only to be resurrected. All he wanted now was to stay dead.
"W-Why?…" A tear strikes the floor. His body trembles, ignoring the excruciating pain radiating from every single muscle, tissue, and vessel. God… how long has he been enduring these endless cycles of experiments? Testing his ability to learn, testing his strength and mobility, probing his characteristics, dissecting his body parts to understand his species, and… testing… researching…
Oh God… their tentacles…
Just thinking about it makes him want to vomit all his innards out.
It hurts… everything hurts…
His body succumbs to exhaustion as he collapses onto the cold floor, dreading the next experiment. His eyes force themselves open, hoping to slow time; he doesn't want to leave so soon. Tears flow down like a riverbank, each sob releasing an agonizing scream.
Let this end… he cries silently. He was punished for being too loud last time.
His breath comes in ragged gasps, the air refusing to flow as easily as it should. It feels as though he's choking, yet no cold metal fingers grip his throat, nor is a rope tightly bound against his neck. It's just pure air.
Why?… he wonders solemnly.
He no longer knows if he's crying or simply howling from the excruciating pain. He's shed so many tears onto the floor, he wouldn't be surprised if his eyes had dried up.
"I… I hate them…" he mutters, his voice raspy and dry. He hasn't had water in a while.
He wants to punch something, someone. But he was punished for that, too. The scars from the electrified whip are embedded in his skin as a reminder. They could have sliced him in two if they wanted to.
With what strength he has left, he pushes himself up from the ground, growling under his breath, "I… hate them…"
I hate them…
I hate them…
I hate them.
I hate them!
I HATE THEM!
I HATE THEM!
In a surge of adrenaline, his fist shot up and slammed into the hard ground, leaving a crack where it struck.
Oh…
His lips quivered, his eyes locked on the dented floor beneath his knuckles.
No no… what have I done?!
He had broken a rule—a rule they never forgave. He had damaged their property, something that wasn't his to touch. His chest heaved, breaths coming too fast, too shallow, like the air itself was refusing him. They were going to hurt him again. Not again… please, not again…
Maybe they didn't hear. Maybe they were far away…
But his frantic thoughts screeched to a halt as the sound of heavy stomps echoed in the distance, growing louder. Closer. Closer.
No, no, no… please, no!
He scrambled frantically into the corner, his body shaking uncontrollably, terror racing through his veins. Every footfall sent waves of dread crashing over him, the sound growing louder, suffocating him.
Thump… thump… thump…
Then, silence. His stomach dropped as he looked up, the feet of two Kraang standing right in front of him, their shadow looming over him like a death sentence.
Go away… please, go away…
"Turtle." T-0028's chest tightened, as if his heart had just stopped. Piercing purple eyes bore down on him like a predator, shrinking him into something smaller than dust.
No… please… His eyes pleaded for mercy, but what chance did he have against a machine?
"The Kraang heard the turtle punch the floor. What is known as the turtle must be punished."
If anyone corrects me about the computer fact that donnie rambled about, well i triedT_T I don't know what i was talking about, i tried to research. Didn't have anything. So I did the best I can.ToT