Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started as a regular, boring day. Raphael was hunched over a bowl of cereal dubbed 'Bland Oats' (a truly disgusting brand that tasted of cardboard mixed with wheat, but Donnie insisted it had good fiber), chewing each nauseating bite with slow distaste. There was something on the side of the box stating about a prize inside, but Raph was no fool. He may not look it, but as a self proclaimed cereal connoisseur and as a frequent buyer of sugary snacks, he was well aware that this so-called prize had to be a cheap toy or some puzzle game. Nothing worthwhile, and explaining that to Mikey every time was not fun either. Cereal companies in particular were sneaky in a sense that they could lure naïve fools into buying their products. So he kept munching on his cereal. 

That is, until a flyer floated out of the box and landed directly on his bowl. Frowning, he lifted the page to get a closer look. It was in such small print, the snapper had to press his beak against the paper, nearly smudging it with ink as he skimmed it. Then he reread it again. Then again. Then it finally sunk in. 

His eyes went wide and he spat out his milk. "Holy Mother of Lou Jitsu." He whispered in awe. "This is too good to be true!" He had to tell everyone. And by everyone, of course that only meant the four people he knew.

He practically ripped the doors off as he sprinted to the living room, holding the flyer in one massive fist as he waved it in front of his siblings’ faces. "Guys, guys, guys! You're never gonna believe this!" 

Leo, Mikey and April were all intently staring at the T.V screen, each with a controller in their hands as they furiously punched buttons in an attempt to win some video game.

"Aw come on," He grumbled. "Turn that off, I've gotta say something important!"

"Hang on a sec Raph, I'm about to beat these suckers in Larry-io Kart!" Leo sneered, purposely shoving Mikey aside, kicking the box turtle's own controller aside.

"Hey, cheater!" Mikey whined as he picked it up. The batteries had fallen out and rolled under the sofa.  "You sabotaged me!" He crawled on his hands and knees as he searched for the lost batteries.

Leo smirked, tongue sticking out with determination. "Almost...there...I can see the finish line, yo! Come to papa!” His little blue car picked up speed, while Mikey’s car rolled off the road. 

"Oh no you don't!" Mikey tackled his older brother to the floor. "You're a big cheater!" He snatched the controller from his hands and threw it behind him. Leo squawked in horror, scrambling to reach for it, but the orange clad turtle had blocked his path.

"Get outta the way!" Leo demanded, still furiously trying to push Mikey away, but his brother refused to budge. 

"Not until you admit you cheated!" The normally sweet and easygoing teen had his own mischievous grin plastered on his face.

"Never!" He snarled. "I'm the true winner, hermano! And a true winner never admits when he's wrong!" He swept his leg underneath and knocked him flat on his carapace. "Ha!"

"You're the true cheater!"

"Uhh...guys?" April peered over them, chuckling, pointing at the TV.

The two turtles glanced at the screen. A yellow pixelated car drove past the finish line. In big letters presented over a swirling ribbon: Princess Plum wins!

"Wha-huh?" Leo sat up, affronted.

"Booya!" She pumped her fist in the air. "Y'all just got April'd! Time for a victory dance!" She stumbled around clumsily, spinning and twirling and finishing with a dramatic pose.

"Aw phooey! We both lost..." Mikey grumbled in disappointment.

"I don't believe it. I don't want to believe it."

"You all would have lost if I had joined the game." Donnie scoffed, sitting on the sofa with crossed legs and a white fluff ball on their lap. "Bootyyyshaker9000 is the superior gamer, after all."

"But you didn't play with us!" Leo argued at his twin, sticking his tongue out immaturely. "So that statement means nothing. Zip. Zero. Zilch. Nada."

"I would have, but as you can clearly see 'nardo,  I have a cat on my lap." Donnie gestured to the sleeping, purring Pepper. "I'm not allowed to move—it's the law." Their thick eyebrows furrowed.

Leo looked ready to retort, but April shook her head. "Who cares?" She put a hand to her hip. "What matters is I won this round using my own mad skills."

Raph, who had been standing there like a fool the entire time, decided to speak up; "No, what really matters is I have news!"

The others blinked at him.

"So?"

"Big news," Raph emphasized slowly.

"Oh, well that changes things!" Leo sprung up eagerly. "What is it?"

"Check it out," Raph practically shoved the flyer in all of their faces. "I won a prize from my cereal box! An actual, legit prize!"

Donnie squinted at the paper, lifting Pepper in their arms as they strolled over. "An all expense paid cruise ship?" Pepper licked their cheek. "Where to?"

"The Bahamas!" Mikey squealed, grabbing the paper to read for himself. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Look at all these awesome activities: snorkeling, bungee jumping, water slides, paragliding! Ooh! This looks like tons of fun!"

"I could use a vacation," Leo stretched his arms dramatically, his joints cracking. "Crime fighting and saving humanity really takes a toll on a turtle. I need a break. We all do. And, as the new leader,” He ignored Donnie’s annoyed grunt; “I say we should go!” 

"I don't know guys," April hummed. "Doesn't it seem convenient that there are just enough tickets for all five of us?"

"Nope, it says right here," Raph pointed his stubby finger at the bottom of the page. "This is completely legitimate and not at all suspicious. Right there in black and white." He ripped off the set of five tickets hanging on the edge. "Here are the tickets!"

"That's good enough for me!" Mikey chimed.

"Besides, if we ever get washed up in some hot water, we all have our weapons," said Leo.

"Did you really just do two dad jokes in one sentence?" Donnie pinched their nonexistent nose.

"Like a turtle do!" Leo sang, then frowned. "Say, how are we supposed to even attend the cruise if we have this whole situation going on." He gestured at his plastron,  patted Mikey's shell, and bonked the markings on Donnie's arms.

"I know!" Mikey perked up. "We could dress up in trenchcoats and wear fake mustaches! No one will suspect a thing." 

"Well whatever we do, I'm not dressing up as an old lady again." Leo huffed under his breath.

"That's the best part," Raph beamed. "There's a costume party on the cruise. When we show up, people will just think we're a bunch of dudes dressed up! We'll fit right in as the terrifying turtle aliens that Jupiter Jim fights!"

"So long as I get to be Atomic Lass!" April said, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"Duh," Leo rolled his eyes. "We can't partay without April O' Neil!"

"Ah, it's pronounced 'party' not...partay." Donnie corrected flatly.

"It's official then? We're actually doing this?" Mikey asked, looking hopeful.

Raph nodded firmly. "All we need now is to ask Pops..."

"You want to go where?" Splinter lay back on his recliner, mindlessly crunching on cheesy balls.

"A cruise ship, padre." Leo explained. "We'll be totally safe, and it's just for a few days."

"And what is this for?"

Leo fidgeted uncomfortably as he tried to think of a response. "Um. It's for uh, a special..."

"It's for a mission." Raph said quickly. "Mutant pirate frogs have taken over this ship, and we're thinking of posing as vacationers so we can ambush them. Oh and everything's been paid for. Plane tickets, cruise tickets, all the food...the whole shebang."

"And I'll take care of them, Splints." April assured the old rat.

Splinter grunted. "Sounds reasonable. Alright, you may go, as long as April and Red chaperone—since they are the oldest. Can you bring the cat along though?" He pointed at Pepper, who hissed at him. "I don't think she likes me. The feeling is mutual but still."

"No way, José!" Mikey shook his head. "Pepper's too fragile and cute for this kind of mission. It'll be better if she stays with you! If...that's okay with you, Dad." He pouted his lip.

"Eugh, very well." Splinter relented, watching as Pepper proceeded to trot away with her fluffy tail in the air.

"We truly appreciate your noble sacrifice for her safety." Donnie said, casually dabbing sunscreen on their cheeks. "It's a super dangerous mission." They replaced their regular goggles with upgraded sunglasses . "Super dangerous."

Splinter did not look convinced, but shrugged. "Have fun, kids." He paused, his pink nose twitching. "I mean...good luck!"

"Vacation time, fellas!" They whooped and cheered as they did a group hug.

The cruise ship floated in the distance, a large bulky, cream colored boat that thankfully wasn’t too tall, but instead rather large in size. After a long, exhausting flight, they were ready to relax at last. 

"Vacation's all I ever wanted!" Donnie sang, hovering a few inches off the ground.

"Vacation had to get away!" Mikey bounced up and down the boardwalk.

"Vacation meant to be spent alone!" April and Leo belted together, the latter being intentionally pitchy. 

"Everyone got your tickets?" Raph asked, and the group nodded. "Donnie, stop flying, we're in public!" He hissed.

"My bad."

"And keep your tech in check." Raph sighed. "Everyone present your tickets to that guy, and we'll be able to enter the—"

"Race you to the ship!" Mikey challenged April.  "Three-two-oneGO!"

"Hey, you started early!" She hollered, running after him as fast as she could.

Raph turned to Leo, who was in his own little world as he hummed the Go-Gos to himself.  "Alright," He looked at Donnie instead. "We'll catch up with them later, as long as they have their tickets they'll be fine."

The twins bounded ahead of him with ease, while Raph staggered behind, since he was the one that offered to carry all of the luggage—being the strongest. He immediately regretted being the nice brother for once, since he was pouring with sweat and his arms were starting to ache.

"I should have told Donnie to carry their tech themselves." He grumbled. "Sometimes, being nice really sucks."

There was some shuffling behind him, which made Raph stop his struggling. "Need some help?" A feminine voice piped up, already lifting some of his bags helpfully.

Speaking of nice...

Raph was too exhausted to properly reply to whoever was talking to him. "Yeah, that'd be..." His voice trailed off as he looked up at the girl in front of him.

She was in cosplay, about his age, maybe a year older. She wore a sea green lizard costume with darker green stripes, comically large amber eyes, tiny freckles dotting her cheeks and was dressed in a blue metallic romper.

"...that'd be great." He gulped, the back of his neck burning from the heat. "Thanks."

She reached for Mikey and Donnie's suitcases respectively, while Raph took the rest, their hands accidentally brushing together. "No problem."

He couldn't help but notice she didn't have any bags of her own. Weird.

"That's a lot of bags." She commented as they walked along. "Are you traveling alone?"

"Me? No, no, I'm with some friends." He explained politely. Small talk was never his strong suit, but he hated being rude. "What about yourself?"

"Oh I-"

"Ahem!" The ticket man interrupted them with a rude scowl. "Your tickets?"

"Right here!" Lizard girl presented Raph's ticket with a wink. "We're together, don't worry about it, hon!" Grabbing Raph's hand, she attempted to drag the massive turtle up to the deck.

Flabbergasted and startled, he backed up, now fully aware of what had just happened. "Hey, wait a second. You used me to catch a ride here. You don't actually have a ticket!"

She batted her eyelashes innocently, placing the suitcases by his side. "I'm not sure what you mean." She started to turn away, but then grinned. "Thanks for helping me out there, sugar. Oh, and I absolutely adore your costume."

Raph felt his cheeks warm, forgetting that he technically wasn’t in costume and accepted the compliment. "Thanks!" He smiled goofily, hoping his voice didn’t crack too much. "Hey, wait! I didn't even get your name!"

He tried to follow the mysterious girl but she had disappeared in a sea of cosplayers.

"There you are," Mikey trotted towards him, hands on his hips sassily. "You took forever!"

"Yeah, you were gone like...an entire page." Donnie quipped, close behind.

"We thought we lost you, Raph!"  Leo added.

"Sorry I took so long, but I was busy carrying all of your bags like a pack mule!" He said sarcastically.

"And we appreciate your gallant efforts!"

"Let's just put our stuff away in our rooms, and then we can look at the list of activities." April said.

After their bags had been dropped off (Mikey and Raph shared a room, Leo and Donnie shared, and April had her own), they wandered around the front deck looking for things to do. The ship was about to leave the port, and now they had the freedom to explore every single activity.

"Before we do anything we need to commemorate this moment so we can look back with fondness at this delightful memory." Donnie proclaimed.

"Comm...com...memor..." Leo stared blankly. "What?"

"Is that gonna hurt?" Mikey wondered.

"Nay, Michael, we're simply taking a selfie." They pressed a back button on their battle shell. "Activating selfie stick mode!" The robotic arms attached to the shell connected to Donnie's phone, holding it up at a perfect angle. "Everyone get into position! Mikey, you're too close to the camera!"

"Oops, sorry!"

Raph was grinning in the back with Mikey perched on his shell for a piggy back ride. Leo's arms were crossed in a sassy pose on the left side, with Raph's hand resting on his shoulder, and Donnie and April were hugging tightly in the middle.

"Everyone say: Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!" Donnie said, preparing to take the photo.

"Como?"

"Wait, huh?"

"That's not a word!'

"Donnie!"

The camera flashed. Donnie grabbed their phone, examining the photo. Everyone had confused or annoyed expressions, save for Donnie who looked extremely smug. "Wow, I look fantastic! The rest of you, ehhh not so much. But still, that one's a keeper."

"You caught us off guard, Dee." April huffed. "How 'bout one more?"

"Fiiiiine. Let's do a silly one!"

The first day was mainly an exploring day. Everything went surprisingly well, and the Mad Dogz happily indulged in all of the various cruise shenanigans available. Mostly food related. By the time nightfall came, they decided to settle for the evening.

"I still can't believe we were kicked out of the spa!" Leo complained as he aggressively brushed his teeth. They were all chilling out in April's room after dinner. Or, trying to chill at least.

"Are you really surprised?" Donnie said, helping Mikey button his fuzzy orange pajamas. "You totally blew up on the poor masseuse."

"He asked me to take my costume off!" Leo snapped, flinging toothpaste at Donnie—who promptly ducked inside their shell before it could hit them. "That pervert!"

"Yeah, well, how is he supposed to massage you when you're 'dressed' as a turtle?" April asked, flopping on her bed.

"But I'm not dressed as a turtle! This is my authentic self!"

"Excepth for the sake of thish entire trip, you are." Raph's voice was slightly muffled from his retainer. "Costumth party, remember?"

"That's not fair," Leo pouted. "My neck's all tense and sore because Brandon the massage guy refused to do what he's paid to do!" He spat into the sink.

"Give it a rest, Leo," Mikey adjusted his night cap, yawning. "April, can you put on Jupiter Jim: A New Destiny please?"

"You got it Mike!"

With the first day of vacation complete, the teens snuggled in a cuddle pile to watch the first film of their favorite saga.

Chapter Text

Vacation Day 2

The following morning, the group decided to check out the front deck. Even though the sun was barely visible, the boat was filled with life and a growing crowd was forming. Some were dressed in costumes, others were not.

Donnie smirked, patting Mikey on the head. "Kidding. I'm getting some serious Zs by the pool."

"You? Sleep?" Raph laughed. "Funny joke."

"Groans in exasperation,  I haven't slept properly since I was ten, Raphael! My bags over my eyes have bags. I need to catch up on my precious beauty sleep." Donnie started walking away, waving their hand dismissively. "If you need to contact me for whatever reason...don't." They turned around briefly to give everyone a serious death glare. 

"You'll be fine on your own?" Raph asked, debating on following them like an overprotective mother duck. "And they're gone. Great." He went back to the sign to check on the others.

"Ohoho!" Leo glanced at the poster, his eyes sparkling with delight. "Shuffleboarding? I've never heard of that. Sounds awesome! Can I do that?"

"Well I mean-"

"Coolthanksbye!" And the red ear slider zipped off without letting the snapper finish his sentence.

"And then there were three." April said, amused. "What about you, Captain? What do you want to do?” 

"I was thinking of checking out that costume party." Raph said with a casual shrug. "What about y'all?"

Mikey and April shared an excited look before revealing two unicorn floaties from nowhere.

"We're checking out the water slides!"

"This one called the Tidal Wave is said to be super intense." She said in agreement. "Plus we'll stop by for some food."

"Well...at least you're in pairs." Raph looked relieved. "Alright, well have fun! We can meet back at our rooms later. Just keep your phones on!"

As Mikey and April headed in the opposite direction, Raph decided to find his way to the costume party.

There was something truly nice about taking a vacation. The relaxing air, the various activities aboard the ship, and of course spending quality time with the ones he loved most. Raph couldn't be happier as he ambled along the deck, admiring each place with wonder and amazement. He had never gone on a boat before—let alone a cruise ship and was completely out of his element. And the last time he went on vacation, it ended up with him being confused for a criminal mastermind and having to go on the run...so hopefully this would be a more positive experience.

Even though Raph was solo at the moment, he had some hope that he would have an awesome time at the costume party. Sure he initially wanted to go with the rest of the Mad Dogz, but he could still have fun on his own.

Still, it stung a bit that they all went off to do their own things. Leo was off playing shuffleboard, Donnie was napping, April and Mikey were checking out the water slides. Raph wondered if he would have a better time hanging with them as a group instead of aimlessly wandering by himself. But several hours passed and before he knew it, it was time for the party.

He checked his phone. 5pm. Okay, so he was a little early...

"Here goes nothing." He mumbled, taking a few hesitant steps forward before deciding to stroll inside.

It was like he walked straight into a comic book convention. He hadn't seen so many humans dressed up in costumes since the last time he visited Galaxy-Con. There were all sorts of outfits too. Aliens, vampires, sexy corn, anime superheroes, characters from video games and movies.

"Woah..." he uttered, overwhelmed. There was of course a huge snack table, plus a DJ in the corner playing some of the latest hits for the dance floor in front. He whistled lowly. "Now this is a party. I almost feel like I don't belong here."

On his way to the snack table, his shell lightly brushed against another person. Since he was so large, the poor guy was knocked to his knees. Raph turned around, cheeks burning with embarrassment as he apologized profusely. "Oh gosh, I'm really sorry I didn't mean to—"

The uptight man wearing a truly ugly turtle alien costume scowled at him, as if the snapper was something gross growing on the floor. "Watch where you're walking, you big brute!" He said, narrowing his eyes at Raph's attire and turned to his companion. "Ugh, and he has the nerve to copy my costume! Some people have no originality."

The man's companion sneered. "Except his outfit is absolutely hideous. Did he find it inside a dumpster?" 

"Listen, I said I was sorry! Don't insult my appearance— er I mean my costume!" Raph retorted, already backing away to the snack table. The last thing he needed was some kind of confrontation with randos. Even though he was innocent. He slumped down moodily, prepared to indulge in the chocolate fountain and sulk.

"Well, hello again," mused a familiar sweet voice, scooting beside him nonchalantly. The same lizard girl from earlier. As Raph turned his head, he noticed she was now dressed in a pretty red cocktail dress, the straps hanging loosely on her shoulders. "Twice already we’ve crossed paths," She smirked, amber eyes twinkling. "Do you think it's fate?"

Raph was unsure how to respond besides chuckling awkwardly. “Uhhh...maybe?” 

"So, do you normally cause fights in turtle costumes or was this just a one time thing?" She teased, raising an eyebrow.

Defensively, Raph sat up, sputtering. "I didn't—it was a complete misunderstanding!"

The teen giggled, the sound alone making his stomach tie in knots. "Relax, I'm only kidding. That guy was a huge jerk." She bumped his shoulder playfully. "You got a name, stranger?"

"Raphael," he replied automatically.  He thought for a moment, then added; "Everyone calls me Raph. You?"

"Lisa," She rolled her eyes in disgust. "The most boring, average name ever."

"Hey, I like Lisa!" Raph protested. "It's pretty."

Lisa had a mischievous glint in her eye. "You can have my name then. Let's switch." She joked. "I think Raphael would suit me, don't you?" She dipped a strawberry into the chocolate fountain, and helped herself to a plate.

Raph laughed with her. "I think it would. But you should stick with Lisa." He copied her, taking a piece of fruit and dipping it into the fountain. 

"Still, I'd like something more exciting."

Raphael would argue that Lisa was certainly an interesting name to him, as he didn’t know anyone with that name. But he had a strong feeling she would be stubborn and disagree with him. He paused to chew on his dessert before changing the subject; "I meant to tell you before you ran off, but I love your costume too."

For a split second she looked puzzled, maybe even a little hurt but she quickly masked it with a smile. "Thanks! And yeah, sorry about that. I didn't mean to—it's a long story."

"Hey, no worries," Raph said, taking a huge bite of strawberry, the melted chocolate covering his cheeks. He was still curious why she used him to catch a ride (without a ticket no less!). Before he had a chance to speak however, she stood up from her seat.

"So, do you wanna dance, Raph?"

Raph turned around, assuming she must be referring to some other guy named Raph. There was no one behind him save for the chocolate fountain. "You— wanna dance with me?" He nearly choked on air from shock. "Are you sure? I'm not very good at dancing. Unless you count Dance Dance Revolution."

Lisa nodded shyly. "Come on, it'll be fun!" she slipped her hand into his, leading him to the dance floor. The obvious height difference was awkward to say the least, but Lisa took charge as they swayed to the gentle rhythm, and kept a few inches apart.

"Okay, so we're doing this," Raph gulped. "No sweat."

 The sweet melody chimed through their ears as they danced together. 

I'm thinking 'bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe it's all part of a plan

I'll just keep on making the same mistakes

Hoping that you'll understand

But baby now

Take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

That maybe we found love right where we are

"I love this song," She hummed, amber eyes meeting dark brown hues. "It's a bit romantic for my taste though."

"Tell me about it," Raph clumsily spun her around in a small circle. "Hope they switch to a faster one soon."

His wish came true, as the next song was one of those loud pop tunes that always replayed on the radio. He tried to follow the beat, but his eyes were drawn to his partner.

Lisa danced so naturally, without looking down as she owned the dance floor. Her movements were swift, but elegant. Each turn made his stomach do somersaults, and even though she was currently dressed as a lizard she looked...

"Incredible..." He whispered.

"Hm?" Lisa stopped. "Did you say something?"

"What?" He shook his head furiously. "Nope! Raph didn't say anything! Nothing at all! How about we um...take a break for a sec? For..." He scanned the bar area, hoping there were non alcoholic options. "lemonade?"

"That would be nice. It's getting too hot here anyway."

They found a secluded, quieter table to sip their drinks and try to have a normal conversation. Which was easier said than done with the loud bass chiming in every other minute.

"You gotta tell me Lisa, what movie is your costume from." Raph said eagerly. "I've never seen a lizard lady before."

Lisa seemed hesitant to respond, and automatically Raph panicked —thinking he had accidentally offended her by the question. But she smiled easily; "It's from a pretty obscure movie. One of those...film noir classics that rarely get released on T.V. I'm not surprised you don't know it."

"What's it called?"

"Sherlock Foam and the Skink Woman of Doom." She said, completely serious.

"You're kidding!" Raph stifled a giggle.

"Maybe," Her beady eyes stared at him for a second, and then she winked. "And I'm assuming you're dressed as the turtle alien from the Jupiter Jim movies?"

"Yes!"

"My brother and I are obsessed with Jupiter Jim. We used to wait outside the movie theater whenever a new one came out." She looked deep in thought, as if she was recalling the individual memory. "He'd collect all the action figures, I'd collect the trading cards, all that jazz."

"My siblings and I love them too. Gosh, I remember when we first discovered them. They washed up one day in the sewe..." He trailed off, realizing how he was about to reveal way too much information. "We found them on the streets when we were five and the rest is history."

Lisa's expression softened. "Rough life, huh?"

"Huh? No, no way. I wouldn't trade my life for anything!" Raph said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So, where are you..."

A phone chimed. "Ah, sorry." She gave him an apologetic look as she peered at her phone. Her eyes went wide. "Oh God."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Lisa pocketed her phone anxiously. "I just have to go. I'm helping my brother with a school project about marine life and apparently he found a crazy dolphin swimming around by the main deck. I swear, middle schoolers have some imagination, but I promised I'd help out..." she rambled as though she had rehearsed this exact scenario before.

"Hey, no problem."

"I'm really sorry for bailing on you."

"No worries," Be smooth Raph. Be smooth. "Um, maybe we can hang out some other time? In a less crowded place?"

Lisa nodded, standing up so that for a brief moment she was taller than the sitting, massive turtle. With a soft peck on his cheek, she beamed. "Sounds great!"

Raph's face went as red as his mask, watching her leave with a stunned look on his face. "Uh...um...yeah. See you!"

Although he left in the opposite direction, texting his siblings about dinner plans, his mind was only focused on one thing. Or really, one person.

Raph suddenly had a good feeling about this vacation.

Chapter Text

Vacation Day 2

Donnie had vowed the second they had stepped on the cruise ship, that they would have the most relaxing time ever. Sure, the last few vacations they had experienced turned out to be a total bust, but the genius turtle was determined that this would be different. They wouldn't get arrested or chased by mystic witches this time.

However, they still were cynical as usual. Being hopeful about a trip didn't automatically make any anxiety float away after all. Trapped on a giant boat, surrounded by ocean and waves that were larger than said boat, was not exactly comforting.

This whole trip felt like a disaster waiting to happen. 

"According to my calculations," Donnie murmured, tapping their tech gauntlet until the screen popped up; a video of a ship making a sudden collision with an iceberg followed by various other horrible disasters. "because it's July, it's unlikely this ship will smack into an iceberg.  However, that doesn't mean the possibilities of a whirlpool, tsunami, or hurricane magically disappear." 

Lucky for them, they had an array of gadgets and gizmos aplenty in case of emergencies, namely if the boat ever started to sink to the bottom of the ocean. Most importantly, they had a life jacket attached to their battle shell. 

It's always good to be prepared.

But back to relaxing and napping. Donnie ambled down the main deck, passed the bratty kids spraying super soakers, riding on water slides and causing general mayhem; they found a long line of lounge chairs filled with fellow napping individuals. Donnie was beyond ecstatic upon finding a chair with just the perfect amount of shade and comfort. They quickly checked to make sure their sharpie eyebrows were perfectly crafted before taking a seat.

"Let's see..." Donnie flopped on the plastic lounge chair, stretching their limbs until they were in a comfortable position lying down. "Favorite purple board shorts? Check. Comfortable yet stylish tank top? Check!  Adjusted battle shell to play music mode on my favorite playlists? Triple check. Fresh glass of strawberry lemonade—non alcoholic because I don't condone underage drinking?" They pressed a button, and the robotic arms connected by their battle shell presented the glass with a cocktail umbrella on top. They took a long sip of the refreshing drink. "Ahh... check. Now all I need to do is lie back and..." The robot arms started to massage their shoulders. "relax...."

Soon they were out like a light. While Leo was the self proclaimed insomniac of the team, Donnie came in second place for the worst sleep schedule. They spent countless hours working on inventions and memorizing pi, that sleep was always an afterthought.

Now without any rules or responsibilities, and a robot massaging their tense muscles, everything felt tranquil and serene. The subtle sound of waves crashing against the ship provided nice background noise too.

They must have dozed off for an hour or two before something awoke them from their wonderful, much needed slumber. Some dum dums jabbering. Donnie's eyes snapped open, their brain foggy and disoriented as they tried to figure out what caused the noise and why the heck were these bozos being so loud.

"Julia, you make me the happiest man alive." A twenty something year old man with swoopy blond hair and a denim jacket said to  a young woman with dark brown curls and way too much lipstick.

'Ew, heterosexual romance.' Donnie thought in disgust. 'They're the dum dums keeping me awake! Why I outta-'

"Oh Brad!" gushed the woman, covering her mouth with her hands, tears flowing down her rosy cheeks. "What are you-?"

Brad knelt down, holding up a velvet box to his girlfriend. "Will you marry me?"

Julia let out an ear splitting squeal. "Yes, oh yes!" After a way too long embrace, their lips smacked against each other, followed by several moans.

Donnie fought the urge to gag. "Okay, that's it," They slid off the lounge chair, stomping over to give these fools a piece of their mind. To their horror, the couple hadn't even noticed them approaching and were still making out. "Good grief, she said yes already! Can you two do this somewhere else?" They awkwardly pushed Brad and Julia apart with their robotic spider arms. "Like on the other side of the ship? Some of us- namely me, are trying to enjoy a relaxing nap and it's impossible when you morons are practically swallowing each other! "

Brad frowned. "Listen young man-"

Donnie winced, but hid it behind a disgruntled glare. "Don't 'young man' me," they placed one hand on their hip sassily. "The other side of the ship. Please and thank you.  Go along, shoo." The couple begrudgingly left, and Donnie couldn't help but a sense of satisfied smugness. Now they could return to their pleasant rest without any further interruptions. "Should I have congratulated them? Eh nah."

They wandered back to their beach chair, drifting off into a deep sleep at last.

SPLASH!

A spray of freezing water hit directly on their face, jolting them awake and causing them to stumble off the lounge chair in a crumpled heap.  They sputtered, coughed and sniffled, now completely soaked head to toe. Even their mask drooped downwards.

"Alright, what gives?" Donnie started to wring their mask tails, now irritated. "Who just did that?" They stood up, scanning the area. A group of kids were in front of them, wielding water pistols and laughing their heads off.

"Hey, moldy looking dude!" taunted the boy in the middle, holding up his cell phone. "This'll make so many views on Tik Tak!"

"That turtle costume is so ugly!" squealed another kid with dyed hair.

"Spray it again!" jeered a girl with pigtails.

Donnie narrowed their eyes.  "Oh you did not just do that..." they said, their voice sounding strangely sinister. They remembered something Raph had told them just before they left on the trip. Something quite important...

"Whatever you do, don't use your tech on any humans." Raph had nagged.

"I won't, I promise."

"Seriously Dee, it'll get you into so much trouble. And I don't wanna bail you out of jail."

"Raph, come on! You gotta trust me, bro. I won't do anything, I swear on Galileo's beard.

'Sorry Raph, but some promises need to be broken. Plus, I had my fingers crossed, so any decision I am about to make is completely rational.” 

"You've messed with the wrong tech wiz." Donnie's lips curled into a smirk, lifting their modified tech bō behind their back and pressed the closest button, watching as it converted into a giant super soaker. Though it was less of a water gun, and really a water bazooka.

The children's laughter faded, their eyes wide with horror as the soaker was now pointing directly at them. 

"Wanna spray me again?" They challenged, looking slightly frazzled but still determined to ruin the brats’ day. "I'll put this baby on the lowest setting, since you kiddos aren't even teenagers yet. I like to make things fair. Maniacal laughter!" Propping the 'weapon' over their shoulder, they proceeded to laugh like a mad scientist in hopes to scare these kids.

"Dude, we're sorry!" shrieked the leader kid, already starting to run away. "Guys, let's get out of here!" The other children screamed and followed suit. 

"Yeah, you better run away!" Donnie sighed, placing their bō back in its holder. "Guess I'm not gonna get any more rest up here." They stretched their arms with another loud, over exaggerated yawn. "Maybe I can get some shut eye back in my room."

Donnie had to walk down several flights of stairs to find the hall of sleeping quarters. Despite the trip being all expense, that didn't mean the Mad Dogz had won suites. Instead, they were given average cabins, which surprisingly wasn't a huge issue for them. As long as there was a bed to sleep on, plus space for their tech, they'd survive.

The only problem was sharing a room with Leon, who insisted they have a bunk bed. Not ideal, especially considering the blue clad turtle called dibs on the top bunk, but it could be worse. At least he didn't snore too loudly.

Instead of snoring, Leo either stayed awake the entire night or alternatively talked nonsense in his sleep. So not great either.

Speaking of which ...

"Nardo's probably still playing shuffleboard," They mumbled to themselves, a pep in their step as they turned the next corner. "I'll have the whole room to myself—hm?"

Right before they had even inserted the room key through their own door, they heard a strange rustling noise coming from the far end of the hall. 

“What in Marie Curie’s name was that?” They pocketed the key in their belt, eyes drawn to the hallway. 

There was a lone door standing about twenty feet away that gave Donnie the creeps just by looking at it. The wood was noticeably older, and parts of it seemed to be rotting. It didn’t look like it belonged in a brand new vacation suite, that the cruise flyers had boasted in the advertisements. 

Well, that's fishy.

But the most disturbing part of this door; wasn't even the door itself or how messy it looked from the outside, it was the ruckus coming from behind it. It sounded like footsteps, but more sluggish and slippery. As if they didn't belong to a human, let alone a crew member. Which was a weird thought, seeing as the only mutants on this ship were Donnie and their brothers.

They frowned. "Unless there's some other mutant crashing this ship." Exhaling, they took a few cautious steps forward, now gripping their bō tightly. Not because they were afraid or even nervous, but just to be prepared.  "I've seen enough horror movies to know where this is going." They inched closer, reaching their hand to the doorknob. "I swear, I'm gonna open this door, and some monster or serial killer is gonna pop out at me. Well, jokes on you, bucko!" They twisted the door and waltzed in. "I'm not afraid, I'm ready for whatever ya got so come out and—"

“...play.” Donnie uttered, lowering their staff in disappointment. The room was full of boxes. Just boxes. Small boxes, large boxes, medium sized boxes...and a lone table with more boxes on top.

"How quaint. Well...I'm suddenly underwhelmed." They drawled lazily. "I'm missing valuable beauty sleep over boxes." It didn't explain the noise, but at least it wasn't some crazed bozo with webbed feet or beach balls. 

They approached the box on the table, examining the outside before curiosity took over and they ripped it open. "This better not just be packing peanuts or I'm gonna be thoroughly disappointed."

Inside the box was an array of beakers. None of them particularly interested Donnie, all basic chemicals and such...save for one. It was a clear beaker filled nearly to the top with a neon green liquid. Ironically, the same color as the ooze from oozesquitos. Same texture too. 

They inspected it further, reading the top label, eyebrows furrowed.  "Perfected mutagen?" They hummed, taken aback. "Well that can't be good. I better warn the others."

Donnie headed back towards the door and attempted to turn the doorknob. Stuck. "Ugh, lovely!" They tried jiggling it, twisting it, rattling it, kicking it— all to no avail. "I appear to be trapped. This would be a problem if I didn't have my handy dandy..." They reached behind for their battle shell and silently cursed. "...and of course I left my lock pick with my strawberry lemonade. This really isn't my day, is it?"

'How did it even get locked? I didn't even close the door behind me. Think, Donatello! Somebody else must have closed it.  Which means: You aren't alone, genius!'

If they could sweat, they would be sweating buckets. Something definitely wasn't right here, but Donnie absolutely did not want to find out! 

The lights started to flicker.

"Come on, open already!" They rested their hand on the doorknob. "Perfected mutagen...whoever is behind this must want more mutants."

"Clever, aren't you?" quipped an unfamiliar voice that sounded robotic and cold. But also a bit static-y. Most likely they were speaking through an intercom. 

The genius froze in place, alarmed by the abrupt interruption. "Uh, thank you...narrator?" They tried opening the door again. "Can you open the door?"

The voice spoke again. "So sorry for the inconvenience. But I can't have you leaving after you've been snooping around my project."

They blinked, unphased. "Oh, gee, I'm so sorry for being nosy." Donnie snarked. "Who exactly are you, Mx. Disembodied Voice? And why, pray tell, do you have all this ooze?"

"Is that what you call it? Ooze? How strange.  Unfortunately, I can't tell you what I'm doing with it. Especially since you already saw too much."

"Hey, I won't snitch," Donnie lied, reaching for their staff as they stalled for time. "If you let me go, I'll let you do whatever you're doing without so much as a squeal. Deal?"

The mysterious stranger barked out a cruel laugh. "Do you think I'm a fool?"

A pause. "Was that a rhetorical question or...?"

"Silence!" The voice said snippily. "You can choose to come quietly, and I will promise not to cause too much harm to your spine. How about that for a deal, turtle?"

Donnie crossed their arms. "Nope, not interested." The idea of a disembodied narrator voice actually hurting them was, well, ridiculous.

"Maybe this will make you change your mind."

The lights flickered once more. Then, they were out, the final beam disappearing from sight. Donnie blinked thrice, revealing they were standing in total darkness.

"Oh no, you turned off the lights. I'm so scared right now." They pulled down their swim goggles, adjusting the settings to night vision. These goggles were just a prototype, so they couldn't exactly see perfectly—only outlines and shapes. But it was better than nothing. "Is that all? Because it's a bit underwhelming. I'm not even afraid of the dark."

"No one is truly afraid of the dark." The voice chuckled darkly. "They're afraid of what's in the dark. The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is of the unknown."

"H.P Lovecraft..." Donnie whispered, feeling a pit of anxiety in their stomach as they recalled the chilling quote. "Not a great guy to be quoting by the way, he was extremely problematic even for his time period.” 

The voice ignored them. "Prepare to meet the unknown...also known as my guards."

A horrible squelching noise slithered passed them, swift and sinister as a snake. More approached them, surrounding the turtle in a circle, appearing from behind the boxes. Donnie had no clue what these creatures were, only able to identify their slimy shapes, and that they were getting closer and closer. They obviously weren't human, that was for sure.

"Wish I could stay and chat, fellas, but I've got other plans."  Using their quick thinking and an added boost of adrenaline, Donnie leapt on a nearby pipe hanging upwards, pumping their legs back and forth as though they were riding a very dangerous swing. They extended their bō, swinging it like a propeller and smacking three mutants in the face. Slime splattered everywhere and  sprinkled the floors. "Fibonacci!" They cackled, jumping in a midair split and kicking more of the creatures down with a grunt. Though the mutants appeared to be large, they didn't have much intelligence and were down after a few hits. They whacked them a few more times just for added measure. “Take that!” One more hit. “And that!”

Now in a crouch, they retracted their head inside their shell when one last Slimeball tried to attack from above and promptly missed. Donnie's head popped back out and they grinned smugly. "Please, I could fight you guys in my sleep." Despite their confidence, they were still remarkably out of breath. “Speaking of, I’m supposed to be napping right now and y’all have been ruining my beauty sleep. So I hope you’re happy! Whatever you freaks are.” 

"Then sleep you shall..." the disembodied voice taunted.

"Wait, what?" Donnie spun around, trying to find the voice. "How about you face me instead of using your goons as props? It's a bit pathetic on your part." 

The anxious turtle heard the sound of something fly towards them. It was quick, easy to miss, but Donnie had not processed it brushing past their leg.    

They panted, feeling a sudden sharp pinch in their thigh, like a wasp sting but much worse. Their confidence and smug smile vanished as soon as it hit them, losing their balance and stumbling backwards.  "Yeah...like...that." it pierced through their skin, like a needle or syringe of some sorts. It stung for a few seconds, before going completely numb. The dots connected, as they realized what hit them seconds after the dart grazed their skin. It was too late. 

They fell to their knees weakly, their hands trembling and vision becoming distorted, as though they were trapped in a kaleidoscope. "Tranquilizer..." they choked out a gasp, plucking the dart from their thigh to properly examine it- even with their blurry, double vision. The anesthetic was already starting to kick in. "Raph..." They desperately tried to keep their eyes open. They were so tired. So very tired. “Guys…?” 

The darkness finally consumed them.

Chapter Text

"I can't believe we're actually here!" April exclaimed. After many hours of begging her parents, stressfully finding a sitter for Mayhem (thankfully Sunita had kindly obliged), she was finally on the cruise with her family.

She and Mikey were now clad in swimsuits. Mikey was in an orange and white striped wetsuit and a sun hat to conceal his true identity, while April wore a sunshine yellow bikini with a floral pattern. "It feels like a dream! Somebody please pinch me." She felt a sharp pinch on her elbow. "Ow! Mikey, I didn't mean literally!"

"Oops, sorry." Mikey grinned sheepishly. "But you're right. This is even cooler than Snow Days! Well, almost as cool. This cruise is full of possibilities," He exhaled, enjoying the salty sea air wafting through his nostrils. "It's so beautiful."

"It is pretty nice," April agreed while admiring a crystallized fountain by the deck. "Talk about luxury. Mike, we're surrounded by rich snobs." She passed a tuxedo wearing waiter holding a plate of hors d'oeuvres. "Ooh fancy."

"And cosplayers." He added with a nervous chuckle. He moved out of the way of a girl in a lizard costume who seemed to be in a rush. "Come on, let's find those water slides!"

"Now you're speaking my language!"

"Don't let anything, and I repeat ANYTHING distract you from our goal." They started to walk in the direction of the pool area, when Michelangelo stopped in his tracks. "Oh. Me. Gosh." He let out a high pitched squeal.

"What?" She spun around, startled. "What's wrong?"

"It's Midnight Twinkle!" He pointed desperately at what appeared to be a pastel purple unicorn chatting with some cosplayers. She had a flowing rainbow mane, a sparkling sequined dress and unblinking magenta eyes staring into their souls.  It was clear she was just in costume, since the horse was standing on her hind legs and there was a zipper down her back, but nethertheless Mikey looked positively ecstatic to see her.

"Who and what now?"

"Midnight Twinkle! From My Mini Fillies! One of the best cartoons ever made. I've been a fan since I was a little kid." He elaborated, still bouncing up and down. "Gosh April, don't you know anything about pop culture?"

"I've heard of it, but isn't that show just for little...little kids?" April raised an eyebrow. She wasn't one to judge, but she didn't think Mikey was into this sort of entertainment.

He snorted in mock offense. "No way. There are tons of Fillyfansies out there. I've been a member of the fan club since 2015." Mikey looked at April, then back at the cosplayer. "I've gotta take a selfie with her!" He desperately reached for his phone, removed one of his sandals, and sprinted at full speed towards her like a maniac.

"Mikey, wait! What about the water slides?" But she followed her little brother anyway. She didn't want him to get lost.

Mikey nervously inched towards the pony. "H- Hey Ms. Twinkle! I'm your biggest fan. I was wondering if we could take a picture together? Pretty please?" Midnight Twinkle happily obliged, taking a series of goofy photos with the box turtle. "Oh! And can you sign my shoe?" He held up his sandal eagerly. The unicorn looked reluctant, but signed it anyway.

"So cool." As he returned to April, he shoved his signed flip flop in her face. "Isn't it awesome, April?" 

"It's great Mikey." She beamed, giving him a playful noogie.

"Okay, now let's go find those water slides! No more distractions."

Thankfully finding a giant pool with slides was not a difficult endeavor. They merely turned the next corner, and there it was.

The swimming pool was a rectangular shape. It was quite big and sparkled from the sun's rays reflecting off the turquoise water. There were kiddie slides around it, floatation devices, and all sorts of swimming related toys. But the best part of it was the gigantic red tube slide that actually floated above the ship. It twisted and turned in a swirling pattern, until it landed perfectly in the pool.

"Woah!" Mikey chirped, eyes drawn to the largest slide. "That must be the Tidal Wave!"

April glanced at the lounge chairs suspiciously. Something wasn't right here. "Donnie said they were gonna be around here. We can meet them later." Although she didn't see her best friend on any of the chairs, she didn't think much of it. There was probably an explanation as to why they weren't there.

"Aw, they're just gonna be napping and sunbathing. Boring!" Mikey rolled his eyes, took April's hand and clambered up the steps towards the water slide. It was a long climb, and when they made it to the top, they were both panting and out of breath.

"This is it! The Tidal Wave, not trademarked."

"Next!" The bored operator barked.

“Let’s go!” Mikey pulled April towards the slide, vibrating with excitement. 

The floating devices were circular like donuts. They had four little 'seats', April and Mikey taking a seat on opposite sides. Two other teenagers plopped on the remaining seats, and right as they were about to take the first plunge of doom, April spoke up, squeezing her eyes shut. 

"By the way Mikey, this might be a bad time to mention this but I'm not the biggest fan of heights..."

"Wow, that is a really bad time to mention that. I mean, look how high we are!" Mikey squinted through the clear glass barriers. "Hey, I think I see Leo! Aww, he looks so tiny from up here. Like a little ant! Hiiiiii Leon!"

"Not helping!"

"Oops, sorry. Here we go! Hang on." He held out his hand for her with a reassuring smile. She gratefully accepted it, the wave of anxiety fading and instead replaced it with confidence. She could do this.

Though April had her eyes closed, she felt an instant rush of adrenaline once the floatie slipped down the slide at full speed. Her stomach churned at every sharp turn or drop, and occasionally she and Mikey both screamed together. It was both terrifying and thrilling at the same time.

With one final splash, they landed in the pool, their floaties disbanding from each other. The two other teens drifted away from the pair towards the lazy River, but Mikey used all his strength to paddle over to April, blabbering on about the slide.

"Whew, what a rush!" He said, grinning ear to ear. "That was way faster than I expected! It was like a roller coaster!"

"It was so fun though!" April giggled. "That one sharp turn, I felt like my heart was gonna jump outta me! It was so intense. I loved it."

"Me too! I can't believe it's over." He jumped off the floatie with a splash. "Wanna go again?"

"Heck yeah!"

After a long day of fun in the sun, Mikey and April were completely beat, and soaked head to toe.

"Boy, who knew swimming and sliding could be so exhausting?" Mikey said, collapsing on a lounge chair. "N' my stomach's rumbling."

"Come on, let's find some food." April said encouragingly. She helped the little turtle to his feet, leading him towards the snack bar. It was cute and cozy, with bar stools and a tiki head resting on top of the table. A college aged mixologist with a pixie cut looked annoyed at them once they took a seat, still hooting and hollering.

Since it was an all expense paid trip, they inhaled pizza, cupcakes, chocolate dipped strawberries, mini sandwiches, waffle fries, chips, candy sushi, regular sushi and best of all: fish tacos.

While Mikey was currently dealing with a sugar rush as he spun on the bar chair, April decided to order one last item. "One piña colada please, and a Shirley Temple for him."

"I.D?" The bartender raised an eyebrow at the teenager.

April grinned sheepishly. She was far from turning 21, and she looked it too. "Oops, make that a virgin piña colada then. On the rocks." She corrected herself smartly. 

"Can you put the mini umbrellas on top?" Mikey added with a giggle. The bartender rolled her eyes, but scribbled down the order.

They happily sipped their drinks, Mikey overjoyed that he not only had a tiny umbrella, but a maraschino cherry as a garnish.

“It’s so fun spending one on one time with you, April.” Mikey said genuinely. “I know we hang around a lot with the guys, but we rarely hang out together. Just the two of us!” 

“Ditto!” April glanced back at the lounge chairs, frowning. She placed her drink down. "Donnie said they would be there all day. I wonder where they went off to."

"Relax April, Dee probably went to get a milkshake or something. Ooh, or maybe went to the little turtle's room. They can take care of themselves." Mikey patted her shoulder. "Besides, they told us not to bother them while they're resting." He shuddered, taking another sip. "It's not worth worrying about it. When they're tired...they get all cranky. Like, more than usual."

April shuddered. "You're so right." Her eyes wandered a bit, distracted. But as she looked to her side, she caught a glimpse at a strange man wandering about. 

He was dressed in a black trenchcoat and a matching hood covering his head, and appeared to be sneaking near the hull of the ship, occasionally looking behind him. While he wasn't doing anything downright suspicious or illegal, she had a funny feeling in her gut that warned her to stay away from him. "Mike, do you see that guy?"

Mikey's eyes followed the direction to where she was looking at. "Seems a bit warm to be wearing a trenchcoat," He noted, narrowing his eyes. "An all black one too. Weird."

"Something's off about him, I swear."

"Aw come on, don't assume that. He could just be super goth. You know Dr. Delicate Touch never judges one's interests."

"Why is he being all weird and sneaking around though?" She crossed her arms.

"Maybe he works here? There could be a reasonable explanation." 

"He's covering his face! Isn't that a tad suspicious?"

"He could be really shy."

"He just turned that corner, let's follow him."

"Well maybe—"

She grabbed ahold of Mikey's shirt in exasperation. "Can you just humor me for a second, please? If he's innocent, then fine whatever. But I just need to know."

"April, wait!" Mikey staggered after her, reluctantly leaving his Shirley Temple on the table. "I didn't finish my drink..." He whined.

"This way!" She hissed, dragging him along. "It could be Meat Sweats or Repo Mantis or maybe Hypno and Warren or...well maybe not those last two."

"I still think you might be jumping to conclusions."

"I'm not jumping to conclusions." April assured him. "I'm full on leaping to conclusions. And by doing so, I'm saving our lives."

"Full ninja mode then."

They followed the stranger past the next corner. April beckoned Mikey over to lean against the wall, and the box turtle tilted his head curiously as they watched him walk along the cruise deck hallway. He seemed to struggle with walking, as his movements seemed a bit stilted and awkward.

At the end of the hall, the man stopped in front of a door. It read 'DO NOT ENTER' in giant red letters. Using a lock pick, the man swung open the door and darted inside.

"He just went through that door! And it said do not enter!" Mikey exclaimed, suddenly silenced after April slapped a hand over his mouth. He made a few muffled noises of protest.

"Shhh!" She whispered, moving closer to the door. "I told you he's up to something."

"Okay, okay. You were right." Mikey said. He reached for his weapon, while April readied her baseball bat. "I'm still getting the hang of this," He admitted, referring to his nunchaku. It had been a while since he used them, and he still longed for his kusari fundo. "Hopefully we won't have to fight this dude."

April stopped at the door, silently debating on what to do next. "Do we just...open it or is that awkward?"

Mikey lowered his nunchucks, the chains dropped by his side. "Hmmmm you make a valid point. Maybe we should wait until we hear him make a villain monologue or something."

"Or we could just kick down the door."

"That's a better idea!" Mikey chirped, swinging his leg back and kicking the door as hard as he could. The door toppled over after one final kick from April. With their spontaneous fighting poses, they were ready to fight whoever was behind it.

"Alright buster, you better start talking!" April bellowed.

The man in the trenchcoat's back was towards them. He had yet to move.

"Hey, you!" Mikey repeated. "It's rude to ignore us. Enough with the silent treatment! What are you up to?"

"Well, well, well. I was wondering when you two would stop by."

April and Mikey exchanged a confused look. "You knew we were following you?" He 

wondered. “But we were being so stealthy.” 

"Of course I knew." The man sneered condescendingly."It was quite obvious. I figured you were attempting to interfere with my plans."

"Plans? What plans?" April scowled. "You better start talking right now or else I'll whack you into next Tuesday!"

"I wouldn't make threats if I were you, little girl. Especially ones you can't keep."

"Why you-"

"Um, listen sir..." Mikey started gently. "We don't want any trouble. I'm sure this is just a simple misunderstanding, but when you creep around wearing trench coats and a dark hood, it's a teeny tiny bit suspicious from an outsider perspective. So how about you turn around, we can kindly talk this out, and you can stop whatever business you're up to. How does that sound?"

The man chuckled sinisterly. "I'd rather not, it'll ruin my perfectly crafted plans. Guards!"

"Yikes so much for being Doctor Feelings!" Mikey yelped, his eyes widening as he felt something grab him from behind. "You don't deserve my kindness!"

"Take these undersized teenagers away with our other guest." The man barked.

"Hey, who are you calling undersized?" April snarled, shouting loudly when she felt something grab onto her arms. Its sharp claws wrapped around her, holding her in place. "Mikey!" She gasped, watching everything unfold helplessly.

"Get your slimy claws off my sister!" The box turtle bellowed, leaping on top of the creature and swinging his nunchucks at its head. "Ha! Take that! And that! And...uh oh." His eyes turned as big as saucers as another guard lifted him by the scruff of his neck and pulled him away from the one he was attacking.

"Help! Let me go you big ugly-" Mikey wriggled in the creature's grasp. They appeared to be giant, mutant fish with spikes like sea urchins and glowing red eyes. They were both overpowered by whatever these guys were. Mutants? Yōkai? Rejected Albearto's animatronics?

"Who are you?" April demanded, still putting up a fight even though she was clearly losing. One of the 'guards' had smashed her baseball bat during the scuffle, but she stubbornly refused to back down. Nor did Mikey.

The stranger did not answer. Instead, he turned around, revealing his face to the horrified duo. "Be patient and you soon will find out."

The last thing April saw was a massive webbed foot stomping Mikey's sun hat.

Chapter Text

The bouncy beat of pop music lured Leo like a moth to a lamp. He bounded down the lower deck of the ship, completely in his own little world, completely mesmerized by everything around him. He was still amazed he was actually on a real cruise ship, vacationing on the Bahamas without any parental supervision. It felt too good to be true! Best of all, he was about to try a sport he'd never even heard of. What could go wrong?

"Now where, oh where, is that shuffleboarding area..." He hummed, tapping his chin in thought. He rechecked the map, perking up. "Aha! On the East side of the bow...whatever that is. No problem." He strolled by a group of teens, waving at them ecstatically. "Heya fellas, looking sharp!" He exclaimed with awkward finger guns; as though he was hoping they would greet him with friendly smiles or maybe a high five.

The teenagers stared at him strangely, then turned back to their cell phones, glued to their screens.

"Ugh, that kid looks like spinach," One girl who had bothered to look at Leo said with a hushed whisper to her irritated friend. 

"Don't make eye contact, Vanessa," whispered the friend, who narrowed his eyes at Leo suspiciously.

They were all surrounded by some weird yellow and red balloons. 'Parasailing' apparently. 

"Might check that out later," He said to himself. "But first..." He bounded towards the far east end. In front there was a huge sign indicating that this was the shuffleboarding center—but it wasn't at all what he expected. It appeared to be a plain court with a scoring area on the floors. Multi colored discs were scattered about and controlled by paddles. The strangest part however, was who was playing the game.

It was a bunch of old people. Wrinkly, old prunes standing around, chatting, and enjoying each other's company. He was surrounded.

"Ummm...am I in the wrong place?" Leo cocked his head to one side. This gave him serious deja vu to the time Donnie and he dressed as old ladies. Three times.

'I am not going back to being Patty. Not on this vacation.'

An elderly woman with large spectacles and her grey hair tied in a bun approached him. "Are you here to play shuffleboard with us, young man? We haven't had a new member in a long time."

Leo hesitated. "I don't know..." He didn't love saying no to a sweet old lady, but at the same time shuffleboard looked...

An old man wearing a sweater vest slowly placed a puck on the board, his joints looking ready to pop if he made too much movement.

Well, boring.

"Mabel made a lemon meringue pie." She pointed to another old lady. "We'd love to have you." She looked serious, almost as though she was pleading behind her wrinkles.

The promise of free food won him over instantly.  "Count me in!" He nodded eagerly. "Uh, but how do you play? I'm a little new at this." he blushed.

"I'd be happy to teach you, dearie. You remind me so much of my grandson!" She gushed, pinching his cheeks. "How about I introduce you to the team first? I'm Rosie." She passed by a long table with a woman serving slices of pie to other old folks. "This is Ethel, Bill, Mabel, Maria, Hazel, Bob, Ernest, Frank..." She continued the long list of elders. "George, Lucia, Peggy, Diwa and Agnes." She paused, smiling at the final man in a wheelchair. "And my husband, Oliver."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Heh, nice to meet you all. My name is Leo and I'm prepared to play some serious, extreme shuffleboard! Woo-hoo, let's shuffle those boards!" He clasped his hands together.

"Oh, I love his enthusiasm!" Rosie praised. "Let's get started! Now, some of us simply watch and enjoy the social aspect.  But for the rest of us; we play to win." She looked at Leo with determination in her crystal blue eyes. "There are four people to a team..."

Leo grabbed a hold of a notepad in his belt and started frantically scribbling down the rules.

Now, Leo would never admit it out loud (especially in front of his siblings), but shuffleboard turned out to be a blast. Turns out, he had a real knack for the game and not to mention, his teammates were extremely supportive—even when he messed up. Despite them being seventy or so years older than him, they seemed to have the same stubborn pride that he had when it came to games.

"Hot soup!" He bellowed the battle cry at the top of his lungs, whacking the puck with ease. The disc slid across the board steadily before hitting the highest point and knocking the opposing team's disc off. "Awww snap! Neon Leon just won the game! Victory dance time!" He spun around in a circle. "And I couldn't have done it without my new compadres: Ethel, Rosie and Peggy! Blue team is superior."

"Agh...dagnabbit." George, an elder who resembled a sour lemon grunted.

"Good game everyone!" Rosie complimented. "Leo, dear, you've got a serious knack for shuffleboard."

"Aw thanks." He grinned bashfully. "It was a team effort. But it was mostly me, so thanks for the compliment."

"You're so sweet!"

"Speaking of sweet, how about we take a break for some pie?" George grumbled. "I'm starved."

"You said it, Gramps." Leo agreed, finding a seat at the massive table to enjoy some pie. He was squeezed in between Lucia and Rosie.

"Enjoy honey." Mabel said as she served him a large slice with a dollop of fresh cream. His eyes went as wide as saucers as he drooled over the dessert.

"Thanks Mabes! This looks amazing!"

Not only did they eat the tastiest pie Leo had ever had, but it turns out that old people loved to gossip like teenagers. And Leo couldn't be more eager to join in.

"How many times has Barry been divorced?" Peggy asked, mouthful of pie.

"Three times," Lucia said flatly. "And, his new wife is only twenty. She's still in college too!"

Leo gagged. "Gross!"

"You didn't hear this from me," Rosie said in a hushed whisper. "But apparently Arnold over there..." She pointed to a man napping on a lounge chair. "is having an affair."

Lucia scoffed. "Everyone knows that, Rosie. That's old news."

"Except he's been visiting the Captain's quarters to do it..." Rosie winked.

The realization dawned on them at once. 

"No way!" Leo gasped, nearly falling out of his chair. "He's cheating on his wife with the captain? The captain of this ship? Tall guy with the mustache?"

Rosie nodded.

"Ay Dios mío..." Lucia uttered, looking equally as shocked.

Leo was about to hear the second part of the story regarding Arnold's wife, when his phone buzzed. Grumbling, he reached for the device and checked his text messages from the group chat.

radraphie: Hey guys! Just checking up on y'all ! I'm leaving the costume party now but there's a seafood restaurant next door. We could check it out for dinner @ 7:15 maybe?  :) @neonleon @Bootyyyshaker9000 @drpartyd00d  @apriloneil

His phone currently read 6:45pm. Leo groaned to himself. "Ugh, sorry to interupt your story but I probably should go. My brother just texted me for dinner plans." Although, the pie had filled him up. Maybe he would just text him saying he’d meet them at their rooms instead. 

"She's just getting to the good part though!" Peggy protested. "You can spare five more minutes, right?"

"I really shouldn't but hey, okay!" And he sat right back down, because she was absolutely correct. The story was getting juicy. How could he possibly leave when he didn't know what happened next? That was like leaving a movie before the ending. He couldn't wait to find out.

Leo leaned closer, ready to listen to more gossip...but then his phone rang.  "Seriously?"

"It's alright Leo, dear, you can answer it."

He gave the ladies an apologetic look as he found a quieter place to answer the call.  He didn't even bother to check the caller ID, he was too annoyed. "Raph, I know I didn't respond but I swear I'll be there-" 

"I'm not Raph." a shaky voice cut him off. It was recognizable, but he sounded so small, so scared. “It’s Mikey.”

A sense of dread lingered in the back of his mind.

"Mikey?" Leo checked his phone to see if it really was his goofball brother.  "What's going on?"

"I..." There was a hesitant gulp. "I'm not sure if we're being watched or not. It's so dark here."

"We? What do you mean?"

"April and Donnie are here too." A shaky gasp. "We were taken by these..." There was a long pause. "Can't say. Leo...I'm scared."

He blinked twice. “Yeah, I’m not falling for that. Are you meeting Raph for dinner or?”

“I don’t have much time, please hurry Leo!” Mikey’s voice cracked followed by a broken sob. “Please Leo- please!” 

He’d have almost preferred if it was just a sick prank. But Mikey would never joke about something like this. No way was he that good of an actor. He sounded petrified. 

Leo swallowed slowly, the lump in his throat feeling like painful rocks hitting his stomach. How could he have been so stupid to assume this was a joke? All he heard now was the hysteric sobs of his baby brother whimpering through the phone. But the last thing he wanted to do was to freak out, especially not in front of Mikey. That would only make things worse. He needed answers first and foremost. "Don't worry, lil’ bro,  I'll be there in two shakes of a turtle's tail. Do you know where you are?" His Raph impression was shining through each careful word to console the young turtle. 

Be calm. Be calm. Don't panic. Don't panic. Do not panic. Find all the information before it's too late.

"The boiler room, I think. We're at the very bottom of the ship in some kind of supply closet. Room 528."

"No problemo, I'll be there." Leo replied, keeping his voice relatively calm for the sake of Mikey's comfort. "Who took you?"

"I don't k-"

"Leo!" There was a slight scuffle, as if the phone was being taken by someone else. "Leo, it's April.” the confident, but unusually shaky voice of his surrogate sister said,“You need to find Raph first. I think this might be a trap and I don't want you getting into major trouble."

"Who took you?" He demanded, his hands gripping the phone for dear life. “Do you know?” 

"We...don't know. Just hurry and get Raph, okay? Please don't do the whole self sacrifice and go by yourself." She winced. "Those freakazoids beat us up good. My leg's all busted." She sighed. "I'm trying to figure a way out."

"Hang tight April, we'll be there soon. Lemme talk to Donnie too. Are they okay?"

Silence.

"April?" He couldn’t take any more painful suspense. “Let me speak to them!” he urged. 

"Donnie's out cold."

No...

“Are they-”

“They’re alive.”

He had to act now. He couldn't waste anymore time. "I'm on my way."

Leonardo had never run faster in his entire life. His expression was wild and frantic, the sound of his heartbeat ringing through his eardrums as he picked up speed, even ignoring the painful stitch in his side. There was a tiny, logical part of him saying he should go back for Raph. But at the same time; the rest of his family needed help. Donnie was unconscious, Mikey was scared, and April was injured. There was some unknown evil holding them hostage, and he couldn't waste anymore time.

...which was a lot to process. All he wanted to do was play shuffleboard, not fight bad guys again on his vacation!

"I'm the leader now. This is what I'm supposed to do.' He chuckled weakly. "Yeah, no pressure."

He could only imagine Donnie’s snarky expression mocking him for getting a little lost. It was no secret that his twin loathed the idea of Leo taking charge all of a sudden, in fact, they made it perfectly clear. On some days, particularly difficult days, the middle siblings were both caught in shouting match after shouting match over the most idiotic things. All of it leading back to Leo being the new leader. In fact, right before they even went on the trip, Donnie had brought it up.

“Do you always have to bring up that you’re the leader?” They had asked as Leo was shoving a pastry into the microwave. 

“What do you mean?” He started pushing the buttons, watching as his food slowly rotated in the glowing box. “Do you mean when I said: ‘As the new leader, I say we’re going on vacation’? Because that was a joke, obviously.” He chuckled. “You need to stop taking things so seriously, Don.” 

Donnie tapped their forefinger and thumb against a cabinet, eyebrows furrowed. “Except you always do it. Yesterday you said you didn’t want to do the dishes because you're the leader now.”

“But I ended up doing it anyway, didn’t I?”

“That’s not the point!” They gritted their teeth. “I’m sick of you showing off and acting like you’re better than all of us. Just because Splinter made you the leader doesn’t mean you’re-”  

Leo snorted. “Like you’re one to talk. You’re always flaunting your ego whenever you get the chance.” The microwave beeped.

“That’s different.” 

“Is it though?” Leo reached inside the microwave for his pastry. He took a big bite. 

“You don’t even take things seriously!” Donnie growled, clenching their fists. “Raph at least did. And you know I would be better at-” 

Leo cut him off, “Maybe instead of whining to me, you should complain to Splinter about how unfair it is that I was made leader, and you weren’t.” He knew he was being an ass, but he was tired of this. 

He didn’t even have to turn around to know Donatello was glaring at him with burning fury and as he took his dessert into the living room, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride.

‘If I save them, maybe Dee will finally get off my shell about leading the team.’

Stop being petty.  If you don’t find them soon, Donnie might not make it.

He stopped, panting heavily and leaning a hand against the wall. "Need to go back for Raph. I can't..." His eyes flickered to the floor, his vision blurred as his legs burned, begging for a break. 

"You have to hurry. Now!" nagged Mind Raph's knowing tone. "You can't stop when your family needs you."

Leo wanted to lie down. He wanted to quit and get Raph. Raph would know what to do. The real Raph, not the mind version.

"Leonardo!" snapped Mind Raph again. "Leaders don't quit."

"I'm not supposed to be the leader," He murmured softly. He hated admitting that, let alone agreeing with Donnie of all turtles, but even he knew it was true. It was sprung upon him like a surprise party. Except without all the benefits of a surprise party. 

"Pops wouldn't have picked you if you weren't qualified."

"But why me?" He asked, although the image of Raph floating beside him had faded away. "I don't understand. I don't-"

His eyes squeezed shut. He had to keep going. For his family.

Using his somewhat decent navigational skills, he managed to nearly trip down a flight of stairs and slide down the banisters of a long, spiral staircase towards yet another hallway. Luckily the row of doors were in numerical order, otherwise he would be totally screwed.

"524...525...526..." He murmured, trying to keep his breathing controlled. The last thing he wanted to happen was to have an anxiety attack in the middle of a hallway before finding his family. "527...528!" His eyes lit up. "Thank goodness!" He reached in his belt for a spare tanto blade and stabbed directly in the keyhole, swinging the door open with a loud bang.

The first thing he saw was Mikey and April, their wrists bound and sitting close to each other.

"Leon!" Mikey cried out, eyes filled with relieved tears. "You made it!"

"Course I did, Miguel, was there ever any doubt?" He assured the box turtle.  "Lemme untie you guys real quick and..." his voice was caught in his throat as he saw a glimpse of the figure behind April. 

She moved aside to reveal the unconscious, sleeping form of Donatello. All of their tech and armour were removed—including their battle shell. It appeared that April and Mikey had been covering the softshell to protect them from getting critically injured. The only indicator that the purple masked turtle was alive was the slow rise of their chest exhaling weakly.

"Donnie..." Leo crumpled to the ground, placing a hand to his sleeping twin's wrists and examining their pulse carefully. He didn't like how weak it felt, but at least they were alive.  "Still breathing. It's gonna be okay, I promise. I swear, Dee." Standing up, he turned to his awake siblings. "I'm gonna untie you both and then you'll help me carry them out, okay?" He started to untie April before he abruptly stopped. "Hey, how did you guys even call me when your wrists are bound?"

"I used my elbow!" Mikey squealed proudly.

"Eh, it makes sense." Before he could cut the ropes with his katana, April kicked him away roughly with her boot, directly in the plastron. 

"April, what the heck?" He stumbled back, hurt and confused. "Why'd you push me?"

"Behind you!" Mikey shrieked, trying to point behind while still being inconspicuous but failing miserably. The door had snapped open, nearly breaking apart from its hinges.

“Shit…” Leo cursed under his breath. Of course things couldn’t be so simple.

At the doorway was a lone figure dressed in a black cloak that flowed behind her- despite the fact that there was no wind. Her head was covered by a hood, where two amber eyes glowered menacingly back at him. She was petite, with silver armour glistening on her chest plate, almost as though it was melding into her forest green skin. In her belt, was a lone switchblade that activated in one blink. But the most noticeable thing about her (besides the obvious, of course): was how small she was- barely taller than Mikey.

She (he was assuming she was a she) was so tiny and unassuming for an apparent evil villain. 

Leo couldn't help himself. He burst out laughing. "Awwww! You're so adorable!" He chortled. "Are you a yokai? Or a mutant?" He pointed at her tail. "A yokai right? Ooh, maybe Imori?"

His opponent's eyes narrowed in exasperation before shaking her head.

"I almost don't wanna fight you, wittle one," Leo smirked smugly. "But since you messed with my fam, you have no choice. So, let's come out of the closet and have a..." His lip twitched and he started laughing again. "Sorry, I'm sorry just..." He wiped a tear as he unsheathed his katana, hands shaking from laughter. "Did I say come out of the closet? I already did that! Twice!" He wheezed. "Okay, okay I'm good we can fight now."

The hooded person raised her weapon. A switchblade, like one of those movie greasers.  Though it was small, it looked pretty sharp. Ah, so that’s where the whole ‘never underestimate your opponent’ term came from. 

Leo looked at his odds carefully. They were in a closet, which would give him an advantage at cornering her to a corner due to the small space. He already had some advantage anyway, since she looked extremely nervous.  Alternatively, he was more likely to injure himself or his family, with less space to fight. So that was slightly problematic.

But those odds could wait because his opponent was currently charging right at him, with her weapon raised. She made no sound, but her fierce eyes showed her determination to win at any cost.

Luckily, although she was agile, her moves were inexperienced and sloppy. Similar to Cassandra Jones' fighting style, except with a lot less training. As she leaped into the air to pounce, he managed to duck out of the way in the nick of time, sweeping his leg underneath; the impact made her lose balance and hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Ha!" He smirked. "Not so tough, are you?"

Still, the mysterious attacker made no sound, not even a yelp. She glared at him, preparing to attack again as she staggered to her feet. She charged once more, blade at the ready.

"Oh I see! You're like the strong, silent type." Leo held up his own weapon, parrying it vertically as the two metals clanged against each other- although Leo's katanas overpowered her measly switchblade. "I can work with that. Even with that butter knife you call it a weapon." He huffed.  "I much prefer the witty banter though when I'm fighting bad guys." He dodged an attack with a backflip, fist colliding with her midsection. She was caught off guard, the dagger slipping from her grasp, clattering to the floor.  "It makes things a bit more interesting. Banter isn't so fun when it's one-sided, you know?"

She backed up, panting and looking ready to faint. Or collapse. Or both.  That last strike against her stomach must have really knocked the wind out of her.

"No...more." she begged with one last gasp. "I give up, and I'll let your friends go."

"Really? Sweet!" Leo beamed ear slit to ear slit. But he couldn't deny that this victory felt a bit lame. Heck, he barely had to do anything to beat this girl. Cautiously, he crept towards her hunched body, closer and closer until he was only a few inches away. He didn't want to attack or corner her anymore, since she had admitted defeat. It wasn't fair or honorable in the slightest.  "Listen, maybe we can talk this out or-" the girl lifted her head immediately, nodding. "Huh?" He was taken aback. No way this was going to be so easy. 

She smiled with her bright amber eyes staring back at him sweetly. "That would be nice." She purred, slowly approaching Donnie's limp form. Leo's eyes went wide.

"No! Don't hurt them," He warned, tumbling forward to protect their unconscious sibling. He carefully wrapped both arms around Donnie’s flat shell. "Please don't, let's just talk. It's not the honorable thing to do, attacking someone who can't fight back, I mean seriously-"

Suddenly, two fingertips from her cloak jabbed into his neck—a key pressure point; knocking him off balance. He wheezed as she shoved him into the wall, his brief moment of distraction causing her to have the upperhand. She raised the blade to his throat and neck, the knife dripping blood as he choked out a desperate gasp, the only audible sound he could make.  He couldn't breathe. He tried to struggle, but the loss of blood made him weak at the knees.

"Stop!" Mikey yelled. “Stop that! Can’t you see you’re hurting him?” 

The hooded figure noticeably loosened her grip around the handle of her blade, her hands trembling subtly as she exhaled. The fear in Leo’s eyes did not cease, but she gently dropped him.  "All of you must come with me without a single struggle, and I vow not to cause him any more pain," She said in a low voice, oddly calm, but not sadistic in what she was saying. She was unsure with every word that left her lips, yet she was still firm and direct. "Now."

Terrified, all three of the teens nodded. They had no choice. 

Chapter Text

Lisa crept through the halls, her head down but her eyes alert. Her stomach was in knots as she approached the far end door, ready to report her 'successful' mission. She would hardly call it a success since she felt the guilt gnaw at her bones every step she took. She needn't worry about that though. All she had to do was tell Mr. Filch. Then, maybe, just maybe he would give her what she needed.

She saw it perfectly in her mind. A small beaker filled to the top with an orange liquid. To any average person it didn't seem worthy of any interest. But to her, it was everything.

'Wait a little longer, and then it'll be mine."

radraphie: Hey guys! Just checking up on y'all ! I'm leaving the costume party now but there's a seafood restaurant next door. We could check it out for dinner @ 7:15 maybe?  :) @neonleon @Bootyyyshaker9000 @drpartyd00d  @apriloneil

Raph frowned at his phone. He was currently waiting outside said glorious seafood restaurant and so far had heard nothing from any of his family members. Radio silence for nearly an hour. Now, the restaurant in question was in a quieter location from the party, in fact it was right by the boiler room.

Sure, Leo had seen the message and for a second, the bubbles appearing indicating that he was typing showed up after Raph's message had been sent. But they disappeared as quickly as they arrived.

"Don't worry Raph, they're probably having so much fun that they lost track of time! That's it!" He said, leaning against the wall as he tried to slow his breathing.

"Really? All of them?" Mind Raph appeared on his shoulder with a knowing look. "Please, it's obvious they decided to ditch you. Or worse." 

"Worse?" Raph stuttered, sweating profusely.

"They could have died or gotten captured by an evil yōkai...or mauled by a bear."

"We're in the middle of the ocean!" Regular Raph exclaimed. "How would a bear even get here?"

"You never know, your life is pretty crazy like that."

"No! No they're fine, they're fine." Real Raph shook his head. "Breathe, relax. Think calming thoughts. Calming breaths."

They're already dead. You've failed them. What kind of older brother are you? No wonder you're not the leader anymore.

Raph purposely bonked himself in the head. "Stupid anxiety! Those thoughts aren't at all calm! This is supposed to be a nice vacation and I'm stressing over nothing!

"Aren't you supposed to give me advice?" Raph asked himself angrily.

"Sorry, I'm needed elsewhere," Mind Raph said simply. "But I'll be here in spirit!" And his consciousness had disappeared.

"I should try calling them." Reaching for his phone once more, he dialed April's number. He waited a few seconds and it went straight to voice-mail. He tried once more, then the rest of his siblings. Nothing.  He gulped. "Something isn't right here."

Raph pocketed his phone and walked down the hallway nervously. Maybe there was some kind of clue or something leading him to their whereabouts.

And what better place to check than a mysterious corridor with barely any lighting?

The halls seemed to drag on forever, an endless loop of doors and turns. Raph occasionally glanced at his phone for any notification from his family. Still nothing. Near the end of the hall, he stopped at the last door. "Maybe I'm being ridiculous. They could just be back in our rooms. I should..."

Suddenly, he heard voices from inside the main door. Thinking fast, he darted inside a broom closet, holding his breath to prevent any noise from escaping as he listened to the conversation. Two people he gathered. If he pressed his ear against the wall, he could just barely make out what they were saying.

"I managed to capture a mutant for you, Mr Filch- er I mean Doctor Filch, sir." The first voice said, feminine and young, but slightly nasally.

"It's about time. I already caught two. But, well done,``a gravelly voice said. "And you tested to make sure he isn't another one of those fools in costume?"

"No, he's definitely a mutant, I extracted some blood samples from him, like you asked. He was looking for his friends and that human girl. The ones you already captured a few hours ago. He's a turtle too."

Raph's eyes wide.

"Another one?" The male voice replied, then chuckled. "Their reptilian DNA will be perfect for the final stages of my plan. Freshwater or saltwater?"

"Freshwater."

"Ah, no matter. He will do just nicely with the rest."

'Well, that can't be good. Those creeps must have kidnapped my siblings. I've gotta stop them, once they're done conveniently explaining the plan!'

There was a long pause before the younger voice spoke again, "I don't want to help anymore. It's wrong. I told you I'd only help you get onto the ship."

"Ah, but you're indebted to me, remember?" Though Raph couldn't see this guy, somehow he had a strong feeling he was crusty looking. "You have no choice but to do as I say. Which includes finding more mutants."

"...yes sir." croaked the second voice, sounding closer to a teenager than an actual, professional guard.  She sounded scared.

The man spoke again.

"Don't worry, I will repay you for your handy work, like I promised." There was an audible gasp from the girl. "Up up up. Not yet," he tsked. "Once you complete your mission, I will reward you."

"Thank you sir."

"Naturally, Lisa."

Wait, what?

Raph felt his heart plummet to the floor, as though he was punched in the stomach. His muscles tensed, mouth agape, and completely rigid as he slowly processed what he just heard. Lisa...not the same Lisa he danced with for just a few hours. Not Lisa with the sweet, wide eyes and soft dimpled smile. 

"No...it can't be. Lisa is a fairly common name!"

"Did you hear that?"

'Aw crud, did I just say that out loud?' Raph silently scolded himself, staying as still as possible.

"I'll see what it is," ‘Lisa’ said calmly. "It sounded like a rat or something."

"Good, I have work to do, and I don't have time to deal with pesky rodents."

The door closed behind her with a creak. Footsteps were headed in his general direction.

Frozen in fear, Raph squeezed his eyes shut. Please don't find my hiding place, please don't-

The doorknob turned. Double crud!

He gripped his sai and stayed in his crouch position. He had the size advantage at least. If this really was Lisa, and if Lisa was evil, he could take her down. Even without his mystic weapon, his sai were pretty lethal.

Even though he wasn't the leader anymore, his family always came first.

The door creaked open and Raphael braced himself. He didn't know who she was anymore. She wasn't the same girl he thought he could trust. If she was one of the people behind his siblings' disappearance, she had to be destroyed.

A hooded figure walked through, carefully shutting the door behind her. She was petite, but stealthy, sneaking in the storage closet as swift as a shadow, a flicking reptilian tail trailing behind her. And then she stopped abruptly, realizing exactly who she was facing. "Raphael?" Her gold eyes widened, slamming the door shut. "What are you doing here?" She hissed, more anxious than angry.

"I could ask you the same thing, Lisa!" Raph snapped, already preparing to chew her out. "So that's why you left the party! You're on some kinda kidnapping mutant spree, is that it? Here I thought we were friends, Lisa but you openly admitted to nabbing my family- I mean innocent mutants! Well, good luck trying to catch me..." He hesitated awkwardly.  "Whatever evil business you're doing. Even though I'm just a guy in a costume."

Lisa blinked, deep in thought as though she was analyzing his wild, but valid accusations. "I'll explain everything." She pulled down her hood, still in her lizard costume oddly enough.

"No, I need you to tell me where my siblings are right now. I mean...those random mutants you captured. Who I don't know, and I'm absolutely not related to." The last thing he wanted was for her to know he was a mutant too.

'Nailed it!'

She rolled her eyes so far back that only the ivory whites of her sclera were visible. "You can stop pretending, I know you're a mutant, Raph." She ignored his gaped expression. "Please, just let me explain. I promise it'll make some sense."

"Do you really expect me to believe you?"

She sighed. "I suppose not. But I know where your family is, and I can help you and save the people on this cruise. You need to listen to me, Raphael."

Raph had no reason to trust her, but decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. And he really was desperate to find his siblings.  He nodded. "Tell me the truth. What's going on?"

"The first thing you need to know is that I'm not evil. More like, morally grey since I've made quite a few mistakes but that's besides the point. I'm trying to save the people on this cruise, not the other way around." She took a deep breath. "The real evil behind this scheme is Doctor Phineas Filch."

Even that name sent a shiver up his spine.  "Who's that?"

Lisa snorted. "He was my tenth grade bio teacher before things got really weird. Like a science fiction movie type weird." She sat down, elaborating further. "One day, I was doing some extra credit for his class, studying for a quiz or whatever. Halfway through, a neon green mosquito flew into the classroom. It wouldn't stop buzzing."

"An oozesquito." He supplied helpfully.

"Yeah, that. I swatted it away because it was driving me crazy, and it landed on Filch's shoulder. I didn't think much of it until it bit him. It happened so fast.  I saw him contort and transform before my very eyes in the most horrifying way into some freaky mutant piranha man." She shuddered as she recalled the events. "Something in that oozesquito warped his mind. He kidnapped me shortly after, since I was the only one there," She swallowed slowly, catching his anxious glance. "And he started creating homemade ooze using his fish DNA and some from the mosquito that bit him. Like I said, the man lost his marbles."

Raph sat beside her, listening intently to her story.  "And then what happened?" He had no Doctor Feelings, but he had a tendency to care a little too much about people, and therefore was extremely concerned.

She inhaled a shaky breath, her eyes downcasting. "I don't...I..."

"Take it easy, Lisa." He rested a hand on her knee. "Calming breaths..."

Lisa bit her lip. "He told me his plans right away. To create a fake cruise vacation and use his 'improved' mutagen to lure innocent people in and create a whole army of fish and aquatic mutants. But he needed some help first before he tried it. I told him he was insane, that I would never help him even if my life depended on it." 

"I'm assuming he didn't react well to that."

"Nope. So he made the decision to test his perfected mutagen, to see if it worked." There was a pregnant pause.

Raph shifted his weight uncomfortably, wondering if she was going to say more.

"He tested it on me." Lisa turned to face Raph directly, moving closer so he had a proper look at her face.

"He did WHAT?" Raph growled. "What did he do to you?"

"It didn't work, at least not the way he intended it to be." Her eyes met his. "What I'm saying is...I'm not wearing a costume either."

"What do you-" As Raph moved closer, he noticed the supposed freckles were in fact tiny scales dotting across her cheeks. Her hands were noticeably webbed with tiny claws and her pupils were white slits. He let out a gasp. "You're a mutant too." he murmured in stunned realization.

Lisa looked down in shame. "Yep, this is the real me." She gestured at her scaly skin and her reptilian tail. "I figured out you were a mutant due to my enhanced sense of smell," she explained after noticing Raphael's confused stare. "So, will you help me?"

Raph stayed silent, gears turning inside his head full of suspicion and uneasiness. He didn't trust her at all, especially not after she lied and admitted to capturing his family- even if it wasn't entirely her fault.

"If not for me," she continued. "Do it for the sake of the innocent people on this cruise."

Raph closed his eyes, opened them, then finally nodded. Lisa perked up, instantly moving closer before he stopped her with one hand. "Just so we're clear, I'm helping the people on this cruise and finding my family. We're not..." He gestured vaguely. "A team or anything. Let alone friends."

"But I'm trying to help—"

"I know," he said quickly. "But I can't fully trust you yet. Not until you show me where my family is."

Lisa's smile faded slightly, but she nodded too,"Of course. Here's my plan."

Chapter Text

The first thing that Donatello noticed upon stirring awake was that they had a killer headache. The feeling reminded them of the time they stayed up working on a project for several days without so much as a coffee break—except ten times worse. As though their precious noggin' was pressed under a thick pile of cement crushing it.

The second thing that they noticed as they blinked blearily, eyes adjusting to where they were, was that they appeared to be trapped in a cage. Though it was tall, enough for Donnie to stand in if they wanted to—the width was cramped and tight.  Even the floor was barred with cold metal.

"Nngn...whuzzgoinon..?" They slurred groggily, wiggling and squirming as they managed to find sit up in an upright position.

Voices started to pipe up, all disoriented as if they were underwater, and then suddenly became clearer.

The third and final thing that Donnie noticed was that they were not alone. In fact, Leo, April and Mikey were all squeezed next to them.

"Donnie?"

"They're awake?"

"Finally!" Mikey squealed, nearly knocking the softshell turtle down with a joyful bear hug wrapped around them tightly. "We were so worried about you!"

"Ugh, Michael, please give me a moment..." They patted their brother's head with fondness before promptly wheezing overdramatically; "I'm struggling to breathe with you collapsing my left lung. I predict it'll rupture if you keep hugging me."

"Oops, sorry," He moved away sheepishly.

"How are you feeling Dee?" April said, resting a hand on their shoulder. Donnie automatically melted at the warm touch from their friend.

"Well considering I was knocked out, captured and I am now in an oversized cat carrier next to Leon so..." They grumbled, but there was no further malice behind the statement, just snark. "Not great."

"What's so bad about being next to me?" Leo scrunched his nose sassily. "Should I be offended?"

"How about the rest of you?" Donnie asked, ignoring their twin's question. 

"Ehhh...so so. A little dizzy," Mikey admitted. "And April messed up her ankle so it's all twisted and weird looking."

"Hey!"

"What? I'm just being honest."

"Yeah but you don't-" She sighed. "We're fine overall."

"I looked it over, and it's just a sprain," Leo confirmed to Donnie, who looked deeply concerned for their best friend. "The rest of us are good. I mean, considering the circumstances..." He gestured to the cage around them.

"Great, kidnapped on our supposed vacation. How delightful," They rolled their eyes, yelping slightly as they felt another sharp pain in their temple. "This is so inconvenient. I should be sipping a smoothie now, but nope, the universe seems to hate me. Or at least want me to be humiliated."

"You think we're all jazzed to be stuck here?" Leo snapped, turning surprisingly serious for the self proclaimed jokester of the team."We've gotta get out of this stupid cage!  I don't know what that creep is planning, but it can't be good. Especially with us involved."

"How did you even get caught? My memory's all foggy, I don't remember anything before I woke up."

Mikey raised his hand and waved it around. "Ooh! I'll explain everything. April and I followed some guy in a trenchcoat into some spooky room. And then when he said we were interfering with his 'plans' he attacked us with his freaky looking guards! It was so not cool."

"Then we were thrown into a supply closet, which was degrading," April added. "You were already there when we arrived. Completely unconscious. We still had our phones at the time, so we called Leo to tell us what happened. After we tried to wake you up of course."

"April told him to contact Raph so they could rescue us together but..."

"But...?" Donnie prompted, already shooting an accusatory glare at Leo. "Leon, what did you do this time?"

"...I went by myself." Leo confessed, his voice quiet. The blade wounds on his neck started to form faded scar lines, which he subconsciously rubbed. "I thought I could handle everything but seeing as I also got kidnapped: Apparently not. But that's in the past, so all we can do is rely on Donnie to figure out how to get us out. So let's- Mikey, will you stop kicking me?"

"That wasn't me!" Mikey protested.

"It was me, sorry," April said sheepishly. "It's just this dang cage is so tight! I'd like a little more space, y'know?"

"I'm gonna lose my mind if I spend one more minute trapped in here. It's been thirty minutes and already my butt's all numb!"

"Thanks for sharing, Leo," April said flatly, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"No problem."

"Guys, I think my leg fell asleep." Mikey whined.

"Well, wake it up!"

"That isn't going to work!"

"Enough!" Donnie gripped their hands against the bars. "It's impossible to think with a headache /and/ you imbeciles chatting!"

"Don't worry, Dee, we know you'll think of a super awesome plan in that great noggin' of yours," Leo gushed, leaning back to relax. "So we'll behave."

Donnie crossed their arms over their plastron; "Wait a second.  Why am I the one who has to think of a plan?"

"Um, because you're the smart one...duh." Leo said slowly, as though he was speaking to a small child.  "You're the smart one, April's the chaotic one, Mikey's half of the comedic relief, Raph the muscle and I," He smirked. "am the most relevant one."

"Nardo, you're also the leader! As much as it pains me to admit it." They exhaled sharply. "You can think of some ideas too, ya know."

"Well my plan was to just sit here, look pretty  and wait for Raph to rescue us." The other three blinked back at him as if he just sprouted three heads. "What?"

"That's it. We're officially doomed." April grumbled.  "But, no way am I just gonna sit here and do nothing. I mean, that would be really anticlimactic."

Mikey shook his head furiously. "Me neither!"

Leo nodded. "I was kidding about the waiting around part anyway. Mostly. How can we help, Dontron?"

"Make yourself useful Leon and push the violet button on the left side of my battle shell. I can't reach it from here, and you're the closest."

Leo winced, looking visibly uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah...about that..."

"Seriously, just do it. It'll activate a drill and then I can break through the bars."

"Dee, um..." Mikey fiddled with his hands nervously. "While you were out cold, the evil dude he might have..."

"It's a really funny story but..."

"He took your battle shell!" April blurted out, squeezing her eyes shut. "And all of your tech."

"He WHAT?!" This had to be some sick joke. Donnie spun their head back in horror, trying to feel for their shell, then to their shoulders where the pads usually rested on top. Instead of the comforting armour they were used to wearing, was now replaced with the familiar, soft exterior of their natural shell. "No..." they uttered, shivering from the sudden vulnerability of their exposed shell. "Great Galileo, I'm naked. That was my favorite one too! If that monster even slightly dented the titanium alloy- which would nary be possible but still, I will be furious!" they fumed.

Noticing his sibling's distress, Mikey started rubbing circles on Donnie's flat carapace. "Hey it'll be okay! We'll get outta here without it. And our weapons..." He pointed towards his empty holders which usually carried his nunchucks. "His goons took em' too. But! We totally will escape without all our stuff."

"That's not the point! I don't need my battle shell to be an awesome fighter, but it's nice having it with me! And furthermore, if I had any of my tech, I'd be able to sneak us out faster than a speeding comet. But I don't. We don't even have our weapons! So as dear April eloquently put: ``We are doomed." They frowned at their siblings in annoyance. "Don't look at me like that. I'll survive even without my battle shell."

"Sorry for showing concern." Leo rolled his eyes.

Mikey's stomach audibly growled. "I'm about to die of starvation," He flopped to the floor. "This is the end."

"Actually you would probably die from dehydration long before you die from starvation but that's besides the point!" Donnie threw their arms in the air. "I need to figure out a way outta here or we will be doomed."

"No worries," Leo said. "There's one last bit of technology that wasn't stolen," He whipped out his phone from his belt. "Tada! We're saved! That weirdo didn't snag my phone."

"Go on and text Raph!" Mikey said eagerly. "Hurry!"

"I'm on it."

[heyyy raph just wanted 2 let u know we got kidnapped :( can u pick us up? lol]

"Was the 'lol' really necessary?" April raised an eyebrow.

"Absolutely yes."

"He's not gonna take it seriously!" Donnie snapped, growing irritated with Leo's nonsense.

"Put a smiley emoji to show we're okay!" Mikey insisted. "Or maybe a skull face."

"Winky face and send!" Leo pressed the button cheerfully. "And send!" He frowned. "Donnie, why isn't the message sent?"

The purple masked turtle peered over at the screen. "Alas, there appears to be no signal."

"Can you fix it?"

"Unlikely," Donnie reached for the phone, fiddling with the device carefully. "If there's no signal, there's no signal. I'd have to figure out a mobile hotspot, which might take some time."

Leo tapped his foot impatiently. "We don't have time! We have to contact Raph now! No pressure though. Actually, yes, lots of pressure!"

"I'm working as fast as I can." Donnie's beak was pressed against the phone as they tapped away irritably.

"You have to work faster. You've barely even tried!" He urged, unknowingly causing his sibling's stress to rise. When Donnie didn't respond immediately, he took it as a chance to keep pressuring them. "Donnie! This situation is super cruddy and you're our only hope right now!"

Donnie's eye twitched, snapping their head upwards in aggravation. "Well maybe we wouldn't be in this situation if somebody had contacted Raph in the first place like he was supposed to!" They snarled the retort, causing Leo to flinch from the sudden outburst.  "Instead you just had to play 'Hero Boy' and risk not only yourself but the rest of us here. And now you're expecting me to get us out of here once again, instead of leading us." They scoffed, ignoring April's glare. "But that was to be expected of course..."

"Listen if you're jealous that I was made leader and not you: that's your problem."

He regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. How could he have been stupid to metaphorically poke the tiger? Even Mikey looked mortified.

"Donnie, he didn't mean-" April started but she was promptly cut off.

Donnie snorted. "Jealous? Are you even listening to yourself?" They flipped their bandana tails back in a mocking gesture, "Oh, look at me! I'm Leonardo, the brand new leader in blue appointed by shere dumb luck and everyone simply must be jealous of me! Get off your high horse for once in your life!"

"I'm not- ugh!" Leo winced from both exasperation and pain.  "I shouldn't have said that."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have because obviously I'm not jealous. I'm right! I would be better at leading this team, you ignorant, idiotic-"

Leo shook his head. "We don't have time for this! I know I shouldn't have gone alone, and I am sorry! Can't I make a mistake without you constantly biting my head off? Don, I don't know what you want from me."

"What was even the point of even going alone? To satisfy your own ego?"

"No!" Leo said, affronted and hurt, but also growing frustrated by Donnie's hypocrisy. "I..I panicked, okay? I was going to find Raph but I couldn't waste another second leaving you three alone with God knows what!"

"What were you thinking?" They stood up with a scowl, not missing a beat.  "Big surprise! You weren't. You never think, Leo and now we're trapped here." They hugged their arms, breathing heavily, Leo's phone still loosely held in their grasp.

"I..." Leo gulped. "Donnie, seriously just fix it plea-"

Donnie tossed the phone to the floor. Miraculously, only the screen cracked. "How about you fix it, Fearless Leader." they spat,  clenching their fists against the bars. Leo missed the look of regret in his sibling's eyes when they turned away, but Mikey didn't.

There was a long, painful pause before Leo spoke; "I thought you were gonna die, Donnie."

The words hit like a ton of bricks the second they left his lips. Mikey and April sat in stunned silence, Donnie had yet to utter a single word, but still refused to look at their brother, which felt like an added punch to the gut. Leo's dark eyes filled with devastated tears, the liquid trickling down his cheeks which he refused to acknowledge. He didn't want to seem weak.

"I thought you were gonna die, and it would be all my fault. When April told me what happened it was like something snapped. I couldn't waste any time knowing you guys were in trouble. I know, it was reckless and stupid and impulsive and whatever other words you wanna use but..." He trailed off, his voice barely a choked whisper.

"And you're absolutely right. I should have gone to Raph. He would have known what to do, being the oldest and all that stuff." His eyes flickered to the floor. "I still don't know why Dad even made me leader of all turtles. He sprung it on me and I still don't know how to handle it all. You said it yourself," He placed a hand where his heart roughly would be. "I let my own emotions take control and in doing so, put you guys in danger.  I don't even know what the guy wants with us," He glanced meekly at Mikey, then April, then back to Donnie, who had yet to look at him. He let out a pitiful laugh, the kind reserved for self deprecating jokes. "What kind of leader am I?" He asked no one in particular.

The three jagged scars on his neck burned.

"An amazing one, that's what," Mikey said firmly. "You're trying your best, and even though things didn't go exactly to plan...well we still have Raph! He'll help us and it'll all be cool. We'll fight the bad guy like we always do." He smiled cheerfully. "Uh once we found out who he is."

"You're still new at this, we don't expect you to be perfect, Leo," April agreed. "None of us do."

"Exactly!"

"But..." Leo muttered, watching their unusually silent twin. They had yet to move a muscle, as though they were still processing everything Leo had said. He had expected a furious retort, a snarky comment, an eye roll- something that proved Donnie was listening. Heck, even those hostile reactions would have been comforting. But Donnie remained fixated on the wall instead.

"Give them time." Mikey said quietly, though even his own optimism seemed to falter. His hopeful grin didn't disappear though, "Say Leo, do you still have the tanto blade? I know, the guy took our weapons, but maybe I can-"

"Yeah, I still have it," Leo handed the small knife from his belt into Mikey's eager hands without a second thought.  "Don't hurt yourself."

"I've got an idea!" Mikey zoomed towards the only door of the cage, and got straight to work on...something. Leo didn't look, he was too focused on Donnie.

"You two never saw the guy who attacked us." April said to Leo and Donnie. "But Mikey and I did. So we know what we're up against. Sort of." She huffed as she faced Leo. "Stop dwelling on your stupid arguement with Dee!  We need to focus on getting out of here."

But Leo was neither paying attention to April, nor staring grimly at Donnie.  Instead, both he and the purple masked turtle were looking at the only door in the room that was now opening.

April shuddered. "Or we could pay attention to the conveniently opened door. That's cool too."

"Ooh..." Mikey shivered, turning around from the lock and placing the tanto down. "Heh, well would you look at that? I think you guys'll finally get to see our captor in person!"

"Oh goodie," Donnie said dryly, speaking for the first time since the argument. Despite their initial calm demeanor, they looked anxious.

Webbed feet stepped into the room, revealing a mutant none of them had ever encountered before. He appeared to be some humanoid fish. His skin was red and orange, with giant gills stuck to his sides and two fins the size of diving boards for a swimming pool. His teeth were overgrown and sharp, sticking out of its mouth unnaturally. But the oddest thing about this creature was that it had a fish bowl filled with water on its head, most likely to help him breathe as though he was an astronaut.

He was...bizarre.

"Greetings," He said, fully waltzing into the room with a slippery trail of water following him. Two larger mutants that looked like a combo of different marine animals trailed behind him. One resembled a shark with urchins sticking from its sides, the other was a jellyfish hybrid. 

Donnie had only heard the guy's voice over an intercom, so they were extremely confused. "He's a fish?" Donnie gave April a baffled look. "You didn't mention that he's a mutant! Or that he has mutant bodyguards!"

"It didn't seem that important!" She hissed back. "We didn't even see him up close before his goons grabbed us." She pointed to his guards that were blocking the doorway.

"Huh, he kinda looks like Piebald," Mikey noted.

"I don't care what he is! Why have you captured us?" Leo demanded, cutting to the chase and looking the fish directly in the eye.

"Ah, getting ahead of ourselves, aren't we? Normally I wouldn't share my evil schemes, but I've decided you're all going to perish anyway, so why not?" The mutant chuckled. "My name is Doctor Phineas Filch."

"No one asked."

"Shhh, let him do his evil monologue!" Mikey whispered,still crouching down.

"Thank you. As I was saying, my name is Doctor Phineas Filch and I used to be a normal man, much like how you turtles were." None of them thought it was wise to point out that they started out as turtles and April was a human, so instead they let him continue his monologue. "I had a successful career, I had everything I could have possibly desired. But a scientific mishap turned me into a deformed monster. A piranha, of all things." He spat. "Once a man, now I’m a..." He raised a fin to his scaly cheek. “A monster.”

"But that changes today. I have altered the mutagen used from one captured mosquito and some of my own to create the ultimate ooze! Soon, I won't be the only fish man out there. No, now there will be more like me." He frowned at his guards behind him. "I tested the ooze a while back and although it didn't give me the exact results I wanted, now it has truly been perfected."

His lips curled into a sadistic smirk. "Now I will be able to make my very own marine mutant army! And what better way than to infect all of these innocent cruise goers with it. Maniacal laugh!" He demonstrated by laughing like a corny super villain.

"Hey!" Donnie scoffed. "That's my line! First you steal my stuff and then you steal all of my genius quips! Wait until you hear from my lawyer!"

"You don't have a lawyer," April pointed out.

"Fine, when I obtain a lawyer, he will be hearing from them!"

"Listen Fishface," Leo started, casting Donnie a look before sneering at Filch.  "Can I call you Fishface? Whatever I'm calling you Fishface. Quick question: how do you expect to turn every single human being on this ship into a mutant? That's a lot of people. Didn't quite think that through, did you?"

"Foolish turtle. With this!" The newly dubbed Fishface presented a small tranquilizer gun from behind his back, the clear top filled with mutagen.

Leo stared at it blankly. "That's it? That puny thing is supposed to mutate everyone? Oho, now that's...just pathetic." 

"This?" Fishface placed the gun into the holder on his belt next to a strange orange beaker. "No, no, that's just for close targets. Thanks to one of my loyal assistants, I've hooked up every sprinkler on this ship with my ooze, so when I press one simple button, boom! It'll coat everyone with it. Like a cascading rain of pain and suffering."

Leo cringed. "Ooookay...yeah you definitely thought this through. Wait a fish army? I feel like there's a pun there somewhere..." He tapped his chin.

"Not just fish, all sorts of marine life mutants. It's truly a fantastic plan if I do say so myself. Any more pressing questions?"

"Yes, actually," April placed a hand on her hip. "Why are we here?"

"Initially you turtle mutants were used to upgrade my mutagen," Fishface said, flicking his fin casually.  "You were just here at the wrong time," he said, referring to April.  "But seeing as I have already retrieved all of the necessary DNA..."

"You'll set us free?" Donnie promoted, resting their head on the bars.

"Goodness no! Not when you could reveal all of my plans to the entire crew. I've decided a perfect plan for you four," Fishface jeered. "You see, this cage isn't just any ordinary cage. It's a shark cage. I'll have my guards attach you to the ship and then lower you into the waters where you'll be eaten by sharks."

"Ahem, hold the phone. Did you just say we're gonna be EATEN??" Leo repeated, holding two bars and aggressively pulling at them- as if they would rip in two. More out of annoyance than genuine fear. He didn't have Raph's strength, so the act itself was pointless. "You can't do that! That's totally unethical and weird! You'll never get away with this- and don't you dare say-"

"I already have." Fishface sneered, waving a flipper casually.

"Oh, great he said it!" Leo's face planted the bars irritably. "You're really predictable, you know that? Like, if I were a bad guy I'd try to spice things up a little. But nope! You're just going with the clichés. Lame!"

"Leo."

"Not now, April, I've got a bone to pick with this loser! First he kidnaps us, then he puts us in a shark cage, and THEN he decides to feed us to said aforementioned sharks!"

"Leo!" April exclaimed in exasperation. "He left while you were ranting. It's just us."

Leo pouted, crossing his arms. "Hmph!"

"Or are we..." Mikey said ominously. He then giggle snorted as he watched each of them turn to face him slowly in confusion. "Nope, yeah, it's just us. But don't fret, I've got this!"

"What are you on about, Miguel? You were sitting there the entire time he was sharing his evil plans." 

"Was not! I was picking the lock with your tanto blade. Thanks for distracting him by the way. I followed Donnie's lessons on lock picking AND I watched 'The Unlocking Channel' once. So I'm basically an expert," With one last wiggle of the knife, the lock clicked. "Tada!" Even Donnie looked impressed.

"So, the only reason you asked him to keep monologuing was so you could have time to pick the lock?"

"Duh!" Mikey scoffed, but still had a playful glint in his eye.  "Pretty awesome right?" His expression turned suddenly serious and determined. "Let's get outta here. Once and for all." He swung the door open clumsily and slipped through. Unfortunately, the door shut behind him before any of the others could escape. "Uh...oops." His eyes went wide as he heard the click of the lock.

"Mikey!" April groaned. "You were supposed to keep the door open! Now we're locked inside."

"I didn't know it was gonna lock behind me automatically!" Mikey said in a panic. "I'm sorry! What should I do? What should I do?"

"Stop hyperventilating, obviously." Donnie reached through the bars to pat their little brother's head to console them. "Listen to me, because I'm only gonna say this once. You have to go through those vents," they pointed upwards towards an air conditioning vent on the ceiling.  "Sneak through without getting caught. Find our weapons, and more importantly my tech. If all goes well, you'll locate Raph and then both of you will come to save us. Got it? Please tell me you've got it, because I despise repeating myself." They drawled.

"What?" Mikey gulped. "I have to do this...all alone?"

"Ideally, yes. Until you find Raph but I mean it's a very large ship so don't get your hopes up."

"No way, I'm not leaving you guys here!" Mikey looked outraged. "Leo, tell Dee they're being crazy! I can't abandon my own fam."

Leo hated agreeing with Donnie, especially now, but he didn't see any other option. "It's the only way. We're locked inside, remember? You're the guy outside of the cage." He didn't want to add that technically it was Mikey's fault that they were still trapped. He didn't want to upset the kid any further.

"But I..." he looked positively terrified, shaking like a timid puppy. "I don't think I can do it! I never do things alone, it's always a team effort!" He gripped the other side of the bars anxiously. "We're the Mad Dogs!" He whimpered, voice cracking. "Emphasis on dogs! Plural! I can't do this."

Leo tried to keep his face stone cold to prevent any more panicking. "Mikey, you need to go right now. We'll be fine. You'll be fine."

He couldn't protest any longer. Fishface could enter at any moment, and Mikey was wasting valuable time. He only wished he could have hugged them goodbye, but the bars prevented him from doing so. With one last fleeting tearful look at his family, he bravely climbed through the vent and disappeared from sight.

Chapter Text

Michelangelo was terrified. There was no other word to describe how he was feeling. In all of his fourteen (nearly fifteen) years of life; which was a very long time to him, he had never expected to be crawling through an air vent while searching for his siblings' weapons.  He had managed to shimmey through the vent with all his might; the energy mainly coming from adrenaline and his shaking limbs. He was hidden from sight now, and he had time to catch his breath even with the walls closing in on him. It was a tight squeeze in the ventilation shaft with sharp, metal edges- which did not ease his worries.

To add onto his list of worries, he felt something moved brush against his thigh. Almost immediately he reacted with a flinch that shivered throughout his body.

He covered his mouth to muffle a yelp as the culprit scurried by him, squeaking cheerfully. A small, grey rodent.

"Phew," He sighed in relief. "Sorry, lil fella, I'm a bit jumpy." he said to the rodent, seeing as it was his only companion. The mouse's round black eyes stared at him for a second, before darting down the vent pathways. "No, no, don't leave me!" He pleaded. But it was gone.

'It's every creature for himself I guess.'

Now on his hands and knees, he started to crawl forward, the tunnel seemingly endless from his perspective. It was dark and freezing with the air conditioning on full blast hitting him in the face.

He couldn't give up now. Not when his family depended on him.

"If I don't hurry, the guys'll be shark bait! Literally swimming with the fishes. Oh, and the cruise goers will be mutated. That's bad too."

He grimaced. Those weren't pleasant thoughts at all.

"C'mon Mikey, they're counting on you! I mean, yeah they didn't really have a choice but still! Don't freak out, don't panic, don't mess up. Follow Donnie's instructions. Find the weapons and then find Raph. Reconvene with the rest of the guys. Save the day, as always. Who knew being a teenager could be so stressful?"

What would Lou Jitsu do in this situation? Well, not crawl through vents like a rat in the wall that was for sure.

Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Keep going.

The walls were thin, he could hear shuffling noises from below him. From different rooms, clearly, as he didn't recognize any of the voices. Crew members, he presumed. They sounded way too formal to be vacationers waltzing around, and it was late at night. At least that meant he was going somewhere instead of moving in circles. He tried to listen to the voices. Maybe they would lead him somewhere.

"...the gentleman requested to remove the tails from the shrimp tartar. Twice. Now he wants us to redo the entire dish," a woman spoke, sounding irritated and tired. "Who orders food past midnight? Especially shrimp tartar!"

Or not. The mere mention of food made his stomach growl once more. He continued to crawl, ignoring his hunger and instead focused on finding the end of this tunnel.

Until some dust flew up his nostrils as he made a quick turn. Luckily he managed to cover his beak before he squeaked out a sneeze, but it was still startling nethertheless. He was tired, his nose itched, and his knees were starting to ache and bruise.

"Jeez," Mikey stopped to catch his breath. "This is like, a whole maze! I'll never find the weapons at this rate."

"Not with that attitude you won't!" a friendly, but slightly gruff voice chimed in his ear. A voice he hadn't heard in hours.

"Raph?" He croaked, brightening. Finally someone he recognized!

"Nope, just me." Mind Raph said, sitting on his shoulder. Mikey wilted, but still looked hopeful. "I had to help regular Raph with something but I'm here to give you the motivation you need."

"Is Raph okay? He didn't get captured?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah he's fine." Mind Raph assured him. "He's looking for you guys as we speak. But I'm not here to talk about him," He poked Mikey's head. "I'm here to help you. Or at least motivate you. You've gotta keep moving!"

"Well, yeah, I know that," The box turtle scoffed, continuing to wriggle through the vents while having this discussion with a figment of his imagination. "But what if I don't get there in time? I feel like I'm moving in circles!" His hand twitched.

"You will. Raph's already trying to figure out a plan to save the cruise people as we speak. At least I think he is." Mind Raph tapped his chin. "To be honest, the last time I checked he was-"

"It doesn't matter!" Mikey said, now exasperated. "Can you please tell me where to go?"

"I'm not a map, I'm just here for moral support."

Mikey groaned.

"You could try turning left though."

"And one more right..." Mind Raph drawled, half asleep. "Okay now turn left. Last time, I promise."

Mikey, now exhausted, flopped on his face. "This is hopeless." He lifted his head, scrunched his nose, and listened closely to some sounds coming from below him, a muffled hum of voices; grumpy and hushed chatter.  "Wait a sec..."

"I can't believe you lost one of the turtles!" Fishface growled furiously from the room underneath. "I should never have left them alone. Now the little one is gone! And it's all you ignoramuses fault!"

Mikey gulped. Even hearing the sick mutant's voice was enough to tie his stomach into an unpleasant knot; yet he still couldn't help but listen.

"No matter. The plan can still commence without him."

There was a gurgling noise followed by a grunt.

Whatever sound it was, Fishface understood it perfectly.  "What do you mean the mutagen hasn't been added to every sprinkler system? What are you waiting for? Do it now or I'll turn you both into sushi! I'm not a man- er fish of idle threats."

Both guards started to slip away, but Fishface stopped them again. "You, with the dorsal fin,  put those weapons in the other room and lock the door. I don't want anyone finding them." The doors closed, and the room was quiet once more- save for the occasional drip drop of water.

Mikey snapped his fingers. "Bingo!" He whispered excitedly to Mind Raph. "That's where the weapons are: The next room!"

"See? I told you turning was a good idea," Mind Raph said. "It's good to be helping."

"You didn't do anything..."

Mind Raph scowled. "Oops, well I've gotta help Donnie with something so, catch ya later!" He poofed away in a puff of dramatic smoke—reminiscent of Hypno's illusions.

"See ya, Mind Raph!" Mikey crawled to the edge of the shaft, climbed down the vent and landed relatively unscathed in an empty suite.

"Cowabunga!" He squealed, now in an awkward squat position before he plopped down on his rump. "I made it!" He glanced around the room suspiciously as he stumbled to his feet. "At least, I think I did?" He whistled lowly at the size of the suite and how fancy it was. The walls and decor were all matching creams and whites, with a plush rose rug in the middle complimenting the room. His eyes stopped on a cluster of weapons lying haphazardly on the satin queen sized bed. Best of all, they were unguarded.  "Aha! Found it!"

His eyebrows knitted in concern, discouraged by the current situation at hand and how completely impossible it seemed to fix. "How am I supposed to carry all of this stuff? I'm only one guy. Unless..." He lifted Donnie's battle shell with a grunt. "Ugh, this is heavier than it looks," He adjusted the straps, tied the ends tightly so it fit relatively snug on his back like a glove. Or backpack.  It shifted slightly, since Mikey was much smaller than his sibling, but it would have to do for now. "I've always wanted to wear this- even though it feels like a kajillion pounds! My back is already starting to ache," He did a very slow turn. "Woah, I see why Don likes this! It's so stylish."

Next was the tech bō, which he shoved inside the holder with only some struggle. Leo's swords were a bit trickier, so he decided to carry them himself. As for his nunchucks, they were clumsily placed where they usually were in his belt.

Last was April's baseball bat, which had been snapped in half by Fishface's goons.

"Come on, mystic bat..." He murmured, picking it up with a very exhausted grunt.  "Do your magic, please! Abra Kadabra?" He waved it around like a baton wielder. "Alakazam! Mystic Magic Mojo? Ugh!" in pure frustration, he thrusted both ends to the floor with a loud clang. "Stupid stick!"

Predictably, the baseball bat stubbornly refused to budge. "Figures..." The second he started to move away, a strange emerald aura illuminated around the baseball bat like a very sparkly ceremony. Startled, Mikey started to back away as the two sides floated in the air and then finally connected.

He let out a gasp, cheerfully picking up the glowing bat to take with him. "Wow, who knew that would work? I sure didn't!" He wiggled the battle shell uncomfortably. "Now, let's get this shell flying pronto! Activating: Jetpack Mode!"

Unlike in the movies, the jetpack was not activated by voice recognition. Unless it only reacted to Donnie's voice which would make some sense. "Eh...I think I'll just walk."

He hoisted the weapons up, and started on his journey to find his missing siblings.

"I think we may have gotten on the wrong foot," Raph said as he and Lisa walked through the halls side by side. She was noticeably smaller than he was, so she had to quicken her pace just to keep up with him, "I know I said we aren't a team. Or friends. But I've made the decision to trust you for the time being."

Lisa raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"If you were really gonna betray me at the last minute, you wouldn't have told me your whole story. That was a big risk you took and ...well, I admire that."

"Even if I did betray you, you're twice my size," Lisa quipped. "But thank you. For trusting me, I mean. I want to help save everyone too, and I think if we work together we might actually stand a chance." She stopped, motioning him to peak around the corner. "Here's the plan: We'll sneak above deck, find your family, rescue them..."

"Then we'll get Donnie to hack into the sprinkler system and stop Filch from mutating everyone on the ship," Raph finished for her with a thumbs up. "Sounds good. I just have a few questions..."

Lisa looked at him in slight exasperation, blinking as though he had lost his mind. "We really don't have time..."

"It won't take long, I swear," When she relented, he took a deep breath, "You helped capture my siblings, I know you did," Before she could protest, he continued, "I heard you say you nabbed one of them."

Lisa looked down guiltily, but bristled at the sudden accusation. She lifted her chin up to defend herself from being scolded; "I did it because I didn't want Filch to get suspicious. I didn't hurt your brother, if that's what you're going to ask."

Raph hesitated. "It was."

"I'd never..." Lisa hesitated. "I don't think I hurt any of your family, no."

"That's all I wanted to know," He beckoned her up the stairs, helping her up the steps. "I know you didn't want to do it Lisa. I believe you. So let's go."

She smiled softly, touched.

The back staircases leading up to the deck were long and tedious. Each step was steep and anxiety inducing, since they felt as though they were being stalked by an enemy. In some ways, they were. Raphael was climbing with a determination to find his family. Lisa on the other hand, was terrified at the prospect of disobeying Filch. She had never once even questioned his orders, not since she had been mutated by him. There was no telling what would become of her if Filch found out she had betrayed him. He told her once that the consequences would be dire.

An image flashed in her mind. A girl with dark hair and olive skin and curious eyes. A girl with a bright future ahead, waiting for her story to be told. Overshadowed constantly; but hopeful for a better life. A second chance.

Would that girl be gone forever?

The imaginary beaker hung over her head mockingly. She needed it more than anything else. No matter the cost. 

She was being selfish, she knew that. She had promised Raphael that she would save his family. But on one hand, since he was also a mutant, perhaps she could turn him back to his original human form too. She could...

"Lisa?" Raphael's gentle tone snapped her away from any past thoughts. "We're here, uh, on the deck."

Stars scattered the midnight sky. Constellations that she couldn't name connected together in an endless stretch of darkness illuminated by their tiny sprinkled forms. The only sounds she heard was the occasional wave crashing against the ship. Everyone was asleep in their cabins. No one was there, except for the two of them. It would be a beautiful night, if the circumstances were different perhaps. She looked back at Raphael with a distant expression on her face. He had a hand outstretched for her.

"Lisa?" He repeated, louder this time.

"Sorry, m' sorry," She shook her head, hesitantly reaching for his hand. Though they were large and calloused, she felt safe.

"Do you know where to look first?"

Lisa was about to answer that the ship was huge and of course she had no idea where to look. She kept her eyes peeled, craning her neck in several directions to search for any sign of mutant turtles and a human girl.

If Lisa wasn't already a giant salamander, she would have considered that the strangest statement she had ever thought. But by now, she was used to it. As she moved a bit closer, something caught her attention, and she grabbed on to Raph's shoulder and tugged him. "Look!"

Near the edge of the deck, she saw a truly peculiar sight. A shark cage was dangling at the end like a swinging pendulum, as if it was ready to plunge deep into the water. She even saw a few people inside. "Bit late for diving..."

"Guys!" Raph cried out, rushing towards the cage as soon as he saw it. He'd recognize their faces anywhere, even if they were yards away.

The closest to him was Donnie, who was gripping on the bars anxiously with a fearful look in their eyes. "Raph!" They cried out, then scowled shortly after. "Took you long enough," They said sassily, but they looked beyond relieved.

"Don, I'm pretty sure you're the only person on the planet who actually complains about being rescued," Raph replied with an eye roll.

Leo was behind them, and although he looked happy too- he had yet to say anything. No quips or jeers. Just silence.

On their left side was April. "Can you get us out?"

"Easy!" Raph cracked his knuckles. "I'll smash y'all out in no time." As he was about to raise his fist to punch the cage door, Donnie smacked him away.

"No!" They squeaked. "Do you see how shaky this cage is? We'll fall right in!"

"How else do you suppose we get out?" April said. "We don't exactly have a lock pick."

"We also don't have much time," Leo added, speaking for the first time since Raphael had arrived. "Focus on saving the humans on the cruise."

"I'm not leaving without you," Raph argued stubbornly. "My friend and I searched forever to find-" He paused. "Say, where's Mikey?" He couldn't help but notice his littlest brother was missing.

"He's fine," April assured him. "He escaped. He's out looking for our weapons."

"Good. He's safe at least then. Now to get you out..." Raph leaned forward, reaching out to clasp the handle of the locked door and wiggle it. "Almost..."

"Raph..." Donnie gulped as the rusty old metal bars creaked slightly. "Not to trust your judgement or anything but..." they yelped as the cage moved back and forth from Raph's added weight. "Stop that! We're gonna-"

"Gonna what?" As Raph lifted his leg to hook himself on the other side, he heard a popping noise. He frowned, debating on just smashing the door when April suddenly gasped.

Snap!

He flung himself backwards to the wooden floorboards, crashing his face into the ground. The cage hanging helplessly by a string waited for a brief moment, before snapping, and the anchor holding it in place plunged down towards the ocean waves. He had no time to react, to even reach out and grab it.  The rope, along with the cage, fell deeper and deeper into the water until it was barely visible, even as he glanced overboard.

"No..." He whispered. "No!"

The cage had sunk.

Chapter Text

He had to act now.

Raph swung one leg over the ledge, taking a deep breath as he counted any last prayers that his family was going to be alright. Even when he couldn't see the cage sinking further into the deep waters, he had to have faith. It was all he had. All he had except, well...

A hand went to his spiky shoulder, tugging him abruptly. "Raphael what the hell are you doing?" Lisa demanded, alarmed by his brash actions.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" He said, his hands trembling from anxiety. "Saving my family. Raph's gonna dive down and-"

"I'll come with you," Lisa said instantly.  "I'm a decent swimmer."

Raph pulled away. "No. I'll need someone to stay and help pull us back to the ship." He cringed as he saw how high up they were. He wasn't afraid of heights, and he could swim incredibly well due to him being a turtle but at the same time, it was scary to look at.  "Leo can hold his breath for a few minutes and Donnie even longer but April..." He bit his lip. "I have to go."

"It's a far way to fall and it must be freezing," Lisa replied, a bit harsher to stop him from doing something completely insane. Which, from knowing him for the past day or two was entirely possible. "I won't stop you from doing this, but you could get hurt or-"

"I don't have a choice," He swung his other leg over, already preparing to jump off. Her hand wrapped around his forearm before finally leaving his side.

"Be careful," She whispered. "Promise me. We're in this together."

"I will. I promise Lisa. I'll need ya to lower that rope once we come to the surface by the way," he didn't hesitate any further than he already had and leapt off the gunwale in a quick motion. "Savin' the day like a boss!" With another deep breath, he felt a rush of adrenaline pick up as he plunged down deeper and deeper. He heard someone, Lisa most likely yell out his name in a muffled panic but he had no way of replying. Due to his size, he hit the water with a loud, painful splash, although the fall itself was long and endless.

The water was freezing the second he hit it. The initial splash caused him to choke, shiver and sputter. His heart raced from the shock, but he ignored it. Freezing to death was only a minor problem. If he saved his family, then it would be worth it. He dove head first with his back legs kicking frantically for momentum. The current whipped against his body, his lungs were already starting to burn from the failed belly flop acting like an electric shock chilling his bones.  Bubbles swirled around him, which he pushed aside with every furious stroke.

The further he swam, the more he longed for Donnie's state of the art, glow in the dark swim goggles. At first, Raph had scoffed at such a bizarre invention, but now as he was swimming in the pitch black ocean with saltwater burning his eyes- he silently wished to be wearing some.

Deeper and deeper and deeper. Had the cage fallen to the bottom of the ocean? Was there any hope left? He was already starting to feel lightheaded from the lack of oxygen. He must have been swimming for a few minutes by now, although it felt like hours.

Shadowy outlines of the cage formed around his blurry vision, and he swam closer to reach and clasp his hands on the firm metal bars. He threw his knuckles at the lock and banged against it-  though it hurt like hell. With his bleeding knuckles and a final scowl of determination, the door finally ripped open. Two lime green arms belonging to Leonardo wrapped around him tightly, and then climbed on his carapace, hanging there like a sloth. Donatello followed suit, this time carrying a nearly passed out April.

'Right...humans can't breathe underwater as long as we can.'

Pumping his arms, Raphael swam with all of the energy he had left inside him. They made it to the surface in a good amount of time, although they were all exhausted. All of them took several greedy gulps of air.

Leo was the first to make any noise, a raspy, agonized hiss. Curious to know what was ailing him, Raph treaded water to get a closer look.

There was a jagged scar plastered on his skin, right on his neck like a crude lightning bolt. The wound had opened into a clumsy mess of blood clots littering his already weakened body.

"M' fine. I'm..." Leo coughed up some water before leaning back on Raph's shoulder.

"Jeez Leo..." Raph mumbled, touching the smallest scar with his little finger and retracting it when Leo let out a whine of pain.

"S-Stop..." He said in a sharp tone."I said I'm fine."

"I'm gonna find out who hurt you and..." He raised one sai. "They'll be toast."

"The sterile saltwater must have opened the wound," Donnie noted.

"The blood could also attract sharks," April said. "Good thing I'm not on monthly right now," She leaned against Raph for extra support. Being human made her even more exhausted then the others.

"Let me check it out-" Donnie, who had yet to reconcile with their brother, made a gentle motion towards him.

"Just drop it!" He snapped, yanking their hand away before collapsing into another coughing fit.

Donnie raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.

"Lisa, throw the rope!" Raph hollered above, much to the confusion of the others. Like the flowing braid of Rapunzel's golden hair, a long rope flew downwards and landed in the water. Eagerly, the snapping turtle grabbed a hold. "Everyone follows me. Leo, stay on my back, you hear?"

"I can climb myself," Leo muttered, but he did climb on Raph's bulky shell for security.

They climbed silently up the creaky ship, all exhausted from the initial fall, swimming to the surface in time, and the late hour. Hours earlier they had all been relaxing and enjoying their vacation. So much had happened since then.

It didn't feel real. This wasn't their dream vacation. This was a nightmare. But when would it ever end?

Occasionally as he climbed, he heard Leo's shaky, choked breaths or a squeaky cough beside him. It was pitiful to listen to, knowing for the time being- he was useless to help. Leo's weak body needed serious medical attention, but the problem was Leo was the medic of the family. No human could properly treat a mutant turtle, and Raph's knowledge was limited. Still, he knew he would do anything to make sure his brother was alright.

Then, as he reached the ledge, he felt a freckled hand grab ahold of him and help pull  them up. When they all reached the top of the ship, they collectively stared at the little helper, "There ya go!" The familiar voice piped.

Fluttering above them, clad in Donnie's violet, robotic battle shell and carrying an abundance of weapons, was a tiny box turtle with a shit eating grin plastered on his face. His eyes were sparkling as though he was a little kid heading to Disney World for the first time.  "Hiiiii!"

"Mikey??" Raph sputtered, still in shock. "You- wha-" He cradled his head. "I need a minute."

Mikey giggled. "Sorry I took so long buuuut," He landed swiftly on the ground, detaching the battle shell from his back and handing it to Donnie. "It took me forever to carry all this stuff," as Donnie put their battle shell on, he plopped their tech bō on the ground. "Swords for Leo," The red eared slider looked eager to be reunited with his precious katanas. "N' don't think I forgot about you, 'pril!" He marched towards April and handed her the repaired baseball bat.

"Thank goodness you're okay," Raph said, automatically giving his littlest brother a fond noogie. "An' we all got our weapons so it should be easy taking Filch down!"

"Raphael!" Lisa shimmeyed her way into the little group circle. "Was it a success? Everyone is alright?" She glanced expectantly at the others with a bright, hopeful smile.

April was the first to react, pointing her bat threateningly at the other girl. "What is /she/ doing here exactly?" She snarled.

Mikey backed away, inching towards Donnie anxiously.

"I know you guys had a bad first meeting with her, but she helped me get to you all," Raph explained gently. "This is-" He was cut off.

"We know who she is," Leo growled, approaching her with his swords drawn in a fighting stance. "Get back Raph, don't let her come close." His right katana blade was dangerously close to her throat.

"She's the girl who attacked us!" April said, backing Leo up.

"No, no you're misunderstanding everything!" Raph flapped his arms so quickly they became a green blur. "She was only helping Filch because he forced her to. She didn't want any part of it and now she's here to help."

"Do you actually believe that?" Leo scoffed. "She's obviously lying to you!"

"No she's not, she's already been helping us!" Raph argued, stepping in between them to protect Lisa from being injured. "You gave Draxum a second chance after he literally threw you off a roof!"

"That was different and you know it!"

"How is it different?"

"It just is!"

"Please," Lisa interjected quietly before the fight could escalate. "I know apologizing won't change the pain I caused, but I am here to stop Filch once and for all."

"She's my friend, Leon. She's one of us."

Mikey and Donnie both nodded in understanding, trusting their older brother's judgement. April looked reluctant, but she too nodded after a while.

Leo's expression only darkened as he clenched his fists. "She is not one of us."

"Leo-"

"She did this to me!" He roared, violently turned his head to reveal the horrible scar on his neck, now reddening from infection.

Raph took a step back, startled and confused. The scas seemed to look redder and uglier than before. Or perhaps it was the reflection of the moon glistening. "What?"

"She used her knife to attack me while I was protecting Donnie," Leo said with a fierce glare.  "So you can probably understand why I'm not gonna trust her," His beady eyes turned back to Lisa. "If you think about hurting my family again, you better hope there's a doctor on this ship because I clobber you into-"

"Nardo!" Donnie pulled their brother back sharply.

"Lisa, is that true?" Raph uttered, casting a glance back at the salamander mutant, his hands shaking. This couldn't be happening. Not now.

She ducked her head in shame. Her silence spoke volume.

"No..." He whispered. "You...you said you didn't hurt them! You lied to me!"

"I- I didn't know-"

"I thought you were my friend," Raph shook his head. "I thought you were my friend! How could you do this?" He blinked back tears, the sudden betrayal stinging like the freezing ocean water still soaked to his skin. "You hurt my brother."

How could he have been so stupid, so naïve?

"Raphael, please let me explain," She reached for his hand, but he retracted it.

"No, no I don't want to hear your excuses," Raph said, refusing to look at her with her heartbroken doe eyes. It would only make everything worse. "S- Stay away from me and my family." He warned.

"Raph-"

He turned away so he wouldn't have to watch her run. He felt numb to the world even as his family surrounded him. "Is she gone?" He didn't bother to check. He knew she already was.

"Raph? You okay?" Mikey asked innocently.

"We're sorry about that whole thing..." Donnie looked apprehensive, but sympathetic.

"I'm not," Leo folded his arms. "Serves her right for messing with us."

"I don't think it was the right call," Donnie said pointedly at Leo. "We need all the allies we can get."

"Well of course you'd think that. You just want an excuse to argue with me," Leo spat back. "We did make the right call. That girl is bad news," He yelped and clutched his neck. "Shit..."

"Leo..." April murmured.

"Can I take a look at it?" Donnie moved towards their brother.

"Ugh, save it," He said snippily. "We need to stop Fishface pronto. He mentioned something about the sprinkler system connecting the mutagen, can you-"

"On it!" They started to tap away on their tech gauntlet. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Leo snorted, ignoring them. "Say fellas, how do you feel about a sneak attack while Donnie's hacking? Because if so, I've got an awesome plan."

Raph turned back to his siblings, nodded firmly. "Let's hear it."

Every bone and muscle in her body ached as she ran, faster than she had ever moved in her life. Everything was distorted, from the voices around her, to the ship around her swirling in a blurry mess from tears cascading down her cheeks.

Lisa boasted to her friends that she never cried. Not during sappy movies or even at her lola's funeral. She had been upset, yes, but stayed stone cold and stoic; and so no tears had fallen. Maybe it was her being numb at the time. Maybe she was secretly a robot as her little brother once teased.

But now, she was an emotional wreck. All because of a stupid guy.

No...not because of him. Because of what he represented. He was the sense of normalcy, compassion, and joy she so craved. Something she seldom ever had in a very long time.

Now he was gone.

She would make things right. He'd probably never forgive her. She couldn't exactly blame him. But she would make things right. For the sake of the humans aboard the ship. They would never suffer the same fate she and Raphael experienced.

Lisa's sobs turned into squeaky hiccups at last. She could catch her breath, then find a way, somehow to mess with the sprinkler system. Then she could-

She stopped in her tracks. Footsteps were approaching from behind, and she felt a sudden rush of hope, her heart doing somersaults. She turned, only to feel a wave of disappointment. It wasn't him. It was...

"Lisa..." Filch crooned in his disgustingly sleazy voice, causing her skin to crawl as he placed a slippery flipper to her shoulder blade. She felt so violated around him; that by only saying her awful name automatically made her want to take off running. But she couldn't. She couldn't escape him. "The plan is going simply wonderful my dear~" She fought the urge to throw up. "Splendid, actually. I disposed of those despicable mutants in the shark cage, and now all I need to do is make a public announcement-"

"To let them know the people on board are about to be mutated?"

"Precisely!" Filch cackled. "The sprinklers will go off in an hour." He checked his invisible watch. "Won't be long now, Lisa darling. Oh! But don't think I forgot about you," He presented the small bottle filled to the top with an orange liquid. "One retromutagen, tested and ready for Lisa Langstein."

She reached out for it, but he cackled once more and raised it over his head so she couldn't snatch it away. "Not yet, Lisa! I will reward you for all your help once the plan is complete. Tut tut, don't be so greedy," He slivered a hand to stroke her cheek.

Lisa scowled, loathing him even more for treating her like a dog being rewarded with a treat; "I don't understand. You have the cure right there to become human again, why aren't you taking it?"

"Good question," He lifted her chin mockingly. "Because I actually have power, I have control as a mutant! When I was a measly human, I had nothing. No love, no friends, no family..."

She bit the inside of her cheek. "You told me you loved teaching. You said you cared about me and all your students."

Filch smirked with his sharp teeth, tsking. "Once I have my mutant army, I will have everything." He patted her head condescendingly. "And who knows? Perhaps you will change your mind and stay by my side. Wouldn't that be nice?"

Lisa forced a grin. "It would be nice." She repeated like an animatronic porcelain doll.

She only had an hour to stop him. Worse, she didn't have Raphael, or really anyone else to help. 

She was alone.

Chapter Text

Lisa once again found herself at the bottom of the ship. With lack of sleep being her only motivation, she shoved open a door and snuck inside to examine the electrical room; home to many pipes and wires. Now, she was no plumber, but she figured she had some idea on how to work this.

'Bingo,' she thought, inhaling some steam through her nostrils as she approached a donut shaped valve. The sign on top read that this was connected to all the sprinklers on the ship. 'Now, righty tighty or lefty loosey?’ She lightly lifted the metal solenoid and started to twist the valve as fast as humanly possible. If she wasn't a salamander, she would probably be sweating buckets. She may have gained several abilities upon her mutation, but strength was not one of them.

Things were bleak at the moment. She was at a crossroad with herself, trying to make the right decision. Did she help save the cruise goers? Or did she stick with Filch, earning her humanity back? If she did, perhaps she would help Raphael and his family. They would all turn back human, she could return to her family and...and…

She wondered what Raphael looked like as a human. What color his eyes truly were, his height, his hair color. 

"Just so we're clear, I'm helping the people on this cruise and finding my family. We're not...a team or anything. Let alone friends."

That had stung hearing that from him; even when he had every reason not to trust her. Now he really didn’t, after she injured his brother. Perhaps they would be friends if she helped him save the humans. Could she possibly do both? Save their humanity AND everyone on the ship? Maybe at last, he would consider her his friends or something more.

"Ugh...this is hopeless," Lisa huffed, rubbing her temples.

"Need some help?"

She nearly jumped out of her skin as she tumbled to the floor in shock from the sudden noise. "Gah!" She faced the intruder with her arms raised defensively.

They (He? She? Lisa had no clue) stepped closer into the dimly lit room. She winced, recognizing them immediately from looks alone and feeling a wave of anxiety rushing through her. They were a tall and lean mutant, with a forest green complexion and a bulky purple shell on their back. In fact, they were mostly clad in purple; to an obsessive degree. They were wearing a purple mask with thick eyebrows obviously drawn on with a sharpie. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," They said blandly, unphased by her mild freak out. "You look like you're struggling," They nonchalantly strolled towards the valve and turned it to one side. Then, they started typing away on a strange device on their wrist.

"You...You're Raphael's ..." Blushing, she trailed off in embarrassment. She didn't know how to refer to this turtle in particular without being intrusive.

Smirking, they looked as though they had read her mind even when they were focused on their tech, "Sibling, yes," They paused their typing to look back at her with a neutral expression, "Donnie. You must be Lisa."

Lisa cringed. "Yeah, but I wish I wasn't."

Donnie shrugged. "Understandable, I wouldn't like being called Lisa either. You're Raph's friend," They added 'friend' with not so subtle air quotes.

Lisa laughed, although their comment wasn't that funny. "Why are you helping me?" She raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I betrayed your entire family, I practically helped kidnap you, we're obviously on different sides. I'm...evil," she deflated, hugging her chest miserably.

"Ah, that is where you're wrong," Donnie said, with a strange look in their eye.  "I mean sure, you attacked my family which was...not cool of you," They pursed their lips, stuck out their tongue in concentration before finally softening a bit, "Listen, I just so happened to follow you right after you left. Not in a stalker way, but I knew there was more to you then whatever Leo was ranting about- not that he wasn't justified either. Normally I don't agree with Lame-o-nardo, but he had a point with-"

Lisa cleared her throat.

"Sorry I'm doing the rambling thing, aren't I? Anyway I saw what that creep was doing to you and put two and two together."

Her eyes went wide. "It's not what you think..."

"Maybe not, but either way there's a clear power imbalance. Am I right?"

She meekly nodded.

"You're not evil, Lisa," They tapped a button on their gauntlet. "You just got yourself in a bad situation. Been there, done that," Their gauntlet beeped like a microwave. It beeped thrice before they reacted, "Annnnd with that being said, I just disabled the sprinklers, you're welcome, hold your applause please."

"You did all that while you were talking to me?"

"I can multitask. Pep talks and hacking shit is part of who I am," They smiled. "Are you gonna help us kick Fishface's soggy butt or what?"

Lisa snorted. "Fishface?"

"That's his name now apparently," Donnie shrugged nonchalantly. "Wasn't my idea."

"I want to help, I truly do but..."

"You've already helped," They gestured to the valve. "I mean sure I did the majority of it but-"

"No, I mean, I can't help," She exhaled, biting her lip. "Filch promised me something I couldn't refuse. If he finds out I betrayed him, he'll use that against me. I won't get another chance."

Donnie frowned. "Is that 'something' really worth it?"

"Yes!" Lisa held up her scaly hands. Claws extracted from the tips, where her knuckles would be, "He can turn me back to normal, a normal human. In fact, if I get enough, I'll give some to Raphael," Her eyes sparkled happily. "And you too, if you'd like."

"Well that wouldn't do us much good," Donnie stated bluntly.

"What do you mean?"

"I was born this way," Donnie pointed at their plastron. "I was born a turtle, so was Raph and the rest of my brothers."

"I...didn't know that," Lisa glanced down, cheeks flushed.

"S' all good," The screen dissolved from the air and retracted back into the gauntlet. "Listen...I'm not gonna say your name because I know you don't like it, but think about all the other people on this ship. They'll be mutated, turned into monsters with no mind of their own. Most likely. That's the worst case scenario. If given the chance: wouldn't you rather stop that from happening?"

"Why do they get to stay human when I don't?" Lisa argued, bitterness in her voice. "It isn't fair."

"I know it's not fair," They said sympathetically, but still remaining realistic, "Who's to say that Fishface won't back out of the deal? If you betray him before he betrays you, it'll be more satisfying."

Lisa remained fixated to a tile on the floor.

"Although," Donnie said thoughtfully. "It might be cool to see what kinda fish these people will turn into. So really it's up to you."

"Not cool at all!" Lisa shook her head. "Filch mentioned to me that the mutagen is a combination of all sorts of aquatic creatures. The worst of the worst. Sea snakes, giant squids, sharks, stingrays, angler fish, box jellyfish. Basically a sea serpent or monster," She shivered. "He also has that ray gun. One zap of that, and you get the same effect."

Donnie cringed. They'd never admit it, but those were probably the most dangerous undersea creatures ever, and thinking of that combo was enough to freak them out a tad, "Eugh yeah, that's not so great. So think of the good you'll do. Whether Leo likes it or not, you did pull us back up on the ship; and now you can help us save these people."

"Why are you giving me a second chance after everything I've done?"

Donnie did not respond immediately. They took a few seconds to ponder on her words, carefully and with some sensitivity, "Because if I were in your shoes, I'd want someone to do the same. If not for me, do it for Raph. I can tell he really thinks you're something special."

"He...does?" Lisa perked up, feeling suddenly lightheaded.

"Well, duh," Donnie rolled their eyes. "He was devastated when he found out the truth. He trusted you, which by the way, it's extremely hard to gain that guy's trust- so kudos to you!" They ignored Lisa's flustered squeak of joy, " Anyways, now's your opportunity to make things right. Again, if not for me, or heck not for Raph: do it for the humans on the cruise." They examined their fingernails idly, “But don’t let me stop you from doing whatever you want to do. I too, have had the urge to go fully evil from time to time.” 

"I don't want them to suffer the way I have," Lisa admitted. "I'll help."

Donnie grinned.

April was conflicted. On one hand, she hated seeing Raph look so distraught and unhappy. Even though he didn't know this Lisa girl for that long, he seemed to admire her a lot and trust her enough. Plus she had helped them by throwing the rope.

But on the other hand, she saw what the mutant girl had done to her family with her very own eyes. She saw her raise a knife to Leo's throat, and heard him cry out in pain.

However her last memory of Lisa did not involve her maliciously cutting him into pieces like a horror movie villain. In fact, she had looked terrified to be doing such a terrible act. She wasn't the main person involved in this whole mess; that was obviously Fishface. She may not be innocent, but she was not the person they were after.

"I think we made a mistake," April said to both Raph and Leo. "We had an ally back there, and we pushed her away. We need all the help we can get-"

"She's not gonna help us," Leo interrupted stubbornly.

"I know she hurt you Leo, I was there," April narrowed her eyes. "You have a right to be suspicious. But she knows Filch better than any of us. Having an extra set of eyes might be helpful; especially behind the scenes."

Raph looked up hopefully.

"I'm not saying we should trust her completely," April said, patting the back of Raph's shell. "I'm saying we need to think about how we're gonna do this. She might be the key to stopping his plan. What do you say?"

Mikey beamed. "I'd like to trust her! I mean we gave Baron a second chance, and look how good he's doing!"

Raph nodded, a smile revealing itself behind his formally downcasted eyes. "I'd like to give her a chance to redeem herself. Only if Leo's comfortable though," He turned to his unusually quieter brother,  "Since you're the leader and - and brothers come first. No matter what."

Leo smirked, "Glad to see you've got some of your common sense back. If she actually turns out good and helps us fight Fishface, then I'll trust her too. Just as long as she doesn't stab me again. Y'know both you and Mikey both have a habit of trusting people that attack me specifically. First Draxum, now Lisa. Should I be worried?" He teased.

"Not at all," Raph assured him with a wistful expression. "An' like I said, brothers first."

"Siblings actually," Mikey piped. "Speaking of, Donnie's been gone for a while now," His eyes went wide, now imagining the worst possible scenario, "You don't think they got kidnapped again, do you?"

"Why is that your first conclusion?" Leo crossed his arms, more amused than worried.

"Because it's entirely plausible!" Mikey said defensively. "They were the first one to go missing on this trip, they also got caught by Meat Sweats-"

"Oh yeah I remember that. But they're more capable now. We all are."

"And that was only one time," Raph noted, counting on his fingers. "I don't think it counts."

"When was that?" April asked.

"When they gave us those cruddy gifts," The orange clad turtle elaborated, "You weren't in that episode, it's okay," He trembled slightly, but still put on a brave face, "I say we should look for them in case they did get kidnapped!" As he was about to look inside a barrel for any sign of his sibling, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"You thought I got kidnapped?" Donnie said from behind, with a raised eyebrow, insulted and exasperated. Leo and April meanwhile were trying to stifle their giggles.

Mikey shrieked, leaping into Raph's arms automatically, "IT WAS A REASONABLE CONCLUSION!"

"I was gone for ten minutes max," Donnie deadpanned. They glanced awkwardly at Leo, whose expression had darkened somewhat upon their appearance. "Leon, I just wanted to say..."

Leo held up his hand dismissively. "I told you to save it. What's your status?"

They scowled. "All I wanted to say was I'm-"

"Less chatting, more explaining, 'tello. I don't wanna hear anything other than what happened."

"Fine. I managed to switch the valves from the sprinkler system," Donnie shifted their feet. "Actually I did it with the help of..."There was microphone feedback coming from the nearby speakers on the deck.

Everyone covered their ears (or ear slits), but Donnie looked positively furious. "Excuse me, this is the third time I've been rudely interrupted and I just like to say-" as they were about to share the news that Lisa had assisted them, a raspy voice spoke through the speakers, catching them all off guard.

"Apologies for waking you all up at such a late hour," Fishface's voice echoed throughout the entire ship. "But I'm here to make a delightful announcement. For starters, I am your new and improved captain. Captain Phineas Filch."

Leo rolled his eyes and put his thumbs down while Mikey blew a raspberry.

"Second, this cruise will not stop at our first location, because as Captain, /I'm/ in charge now. Consider this vacation over!"

Several people started to exit their cabins, all looking confused and disgruntled at being awoken.

"Because you see, this cruise ship was never supposed to be a vacation vessel. I tricked you all with faux tickets. Seriously, who would be dumb enough to fall for prize tickets from a cereal box?"

Raph rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

"It worked out perfectly! Now I have enough helpless victims for my experiment. What is this experiment you may ask? Well I'll tell you!" Fishface continued, "You all will turn into my fish army! And to demonstrate..." He waltzed on the upper deck, revealing his mutant form and laughing with glee as the people started to shriek in horror at his appearance. A little girl, no older than four, started to cry. "Oh I'm sorry, am I too scary for you pathetic humans? I'll show you scary! Come, my children!"

A mutant jellyfish, electric eel, tiger shark, sea slug and sting ray slivered out in unison, hissing and making various grunts and noises. The more mutants that came out, the more people panicked.

"Is this some kind of joke?" A man demanded.

"Certainly not!" Fishface snapped. "As you can see, I only have five mutants. Not enough for an army. Which is where you all come in."

As the mutants circled around the innocent humans, Fishface grinned sadistically at them. He was so smug, he hadn't noticed the Mad Dogs standing from a few feet away. "Jetsam: Turn on the sprinklers!" The jellyfish nodded, pressing a button on the control panel it was holding in its tentacles.

Everyone braced themselves for something to happen. Even Raph expected water to pour on them, but it never came.

Nothing happened. A few humans even looked exasperated as they returned to their cabins; thinking it was a joke.

"What??" Fishface roared. "Why isn't it working?" He asked the closest mutant to him. "The mutagen is supposed to pour on them!"  He looked ready to pop a blood vessel as he tried to figure out what went wrong.

"Ha!" Donnie chuckled. "It did work, just not in your favor. I disabled the sprinklers."

"You..." Fishface's red eyes met Donatello's, looking even more furious than before. "You fool! You've ruined my plans, you inconsiderate twit!"

"I know, isn't it great? It was so easy too!" Donnie bragged. "I can't take all the credit though."

"It's true, they can't," a melodious voice chimed, strolling from behind Fishface and his goons.

"I'm sure you've met our colleague," Donnie said with a grin.

The beautiful spotted salamander smiled at her former boss. Raphael couldn't believe his eyes.

"Lisa?" He gaped, his heart thumping with joy and feeling a rush of excitement. She was really there beaming right at him.

"Lisa!" Fishface snarled. "You filthy traitor!"

Lisa batted her eyelashes innocently, "Who, me?" She flicked her tail forward, predicting his next move: to run straight at her and used her tail to trip him. He fell on his face and growled.

"Mad Dogs- and apparently Lisa too, attack!" Leo bellowed, raising his swords like a mighty warrior.

It was utter pandemonium as everyone rushed into battle. Weapons clanged loudly against each other. Mutants roared from pain, and from fury as they used their individual skills to fight. Raph's mind was spinning as he tried to figure out which tactic to use next as each monster thrashed against him with their own weapons (mostly teeth or claws) .

April had taken the liberty of ushering any remaining humans out of the battle and into their cabins while the turtles fought. When she came back, she proceeded to whack the sea slug mutant in its antenna. "Take that, you ugly, no good slimeball!" The slug spat at her, causing her to tumble backwards, coated in the slime. "Ugh, now that's just gross!"

Leo looked at Raph teasingly.  "We'll take these bozos and you go help your girlfriend. No way she can take Fishface on her own."

"Sh- She's not my girlfriend!" He squeaked, but was already running to help Lisa; too angry to argue with Leo about something so juvenile. He climbed to the hull with fierce determination. Fishface, although he had been initially losing the fight with Lisa- was currently keeping her in a chokehold with a knife to her throat.

"You messed up big time, little girl," He growled. "To think, I was being so nice. I offered you the retromutagen and everything. His grip tightened.

Lisa weakly held her head defiantly. "Like I'd actually trust you to give it to me."

Fishface laughed. "But now, you will never be human, and you'll die a mutant freak."

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Raphael roared, pouncing on top of the fish mutant with a furious roar. Using his upper body strength, he lifted the struggling fish and threw him over his head. Fishface hissed in pain once he landed.

"I had that under control," Lisa huffed.

"I know," Raph blushed. "I just- wanted to y'know..." He started to fiddle with his hands. With a soft smile, she took his palm, causing it to stop shaking at her comforting touch.

"Thank you," She murmured.  "Look out!"

Fishface had recovered rather quickly, and now with his sharp fangs was ready to sink his teeth into Raph's shoulder- had Lisa not pulled him out of the way in the nick of time, swept her leg underneath Fishface's scaly tail and hit him directly in the snout with her own tail. The sudden impact caused blood to spurt sporadically from his squashed nose.

"Thanks!" Raph said, grateful. "You've got some nice moves..."

"Hey, you're not so bad yourself..."

"Heh, well I am a ninja so—" He rubbed the back of his neck. “You came back even after everything?”

“I had to. For the sake of everyone and all that…” Lisa interjected. “And you. I wanted to make up for my mistakes. I am truly sorry about what I did to Leonardo. I can only ask for both of your forgiveness.”

Raph gave a crooked grin. “I already do. Thanks for helping us Lisa.” 

"Ay Dios mío, chicos!" Leo shouted from below the deck, currently being pinned down by a shark mutant. "Stop with the flirting and get on with the fighting!" He pointed at Lisa. "An' you're still on thin ice with me!"

"Sorry Leo!"

The red eared slider had only been partially watching the exchange between the couple. How could he not? They were being so obvious about it— even during such a stressful situation.

When did he start being the responsible one all of a sudden? He wasn't even the oldest. But he was the leader, which carried a heavy burden he never thought would be thrusted on his shoulders.

He would have to complain about it later. Right now, he was busy trying not to be bitten by a shark.

"Listen Jaws—" He yelped as the shark snapped its teeth at him, using his katana blades to block the attack. He then backflipped away to avoid the angry mutant drawing closer. Unfortunately for him, the shark had grabbed ahold of his midsection and looked about ready to chomp his head off in a single bite, "First of all: Rude. Second of all..." He paused, wondering if the so-called Face Man could talk his way out of this.  "Has anyone ever told you you've got a lovely smile?"

The shark looked at him, perplexed, but flattered. "You really think so?"

"Oh, absolutely, darling! You've never looked better. And I always say, if you look amazing you should flaunt it! You know what else though?"

"What?"

Leo wriggled out of the shark's grasp, knocking him right on the head with a shuffleboard paddle that had appeared from his belt. "Hot soup!" He blew another raspberry at the injured mutant. "Oh yeah, I learned that move from some old ladies. It's a fighting tactic called shuffleboarding! Booya!" He swiveled his head around to check on his siblings.

Donnie and Mikey meanwhile became a spontaneous tag team and decided to take on the electric eel. She slivered like a snake towards them, a sadistic smirk plastered on her face as she sparked with high voltage electricity.

"Careful Mike, one shock from her and we're toast," Donnie warned. "A regular non mutated electric eel has about 600 volts of electricity. Who knows how much she has?"

"Wouldn't you like to find out?" The eel sneered.

"What's the plan?" Mikey bounced on his heels anxiously.

"Mind giving me a boost?"

"You got it!" He squealed, crouching down with his carapace up so Donnie could bounce on him for extra height. The softshell turtle whooped as they spun through the air, lifted their tech bō and shot bowling balls out of it- and right in the face of the mutant; a perfect bullseye. Though she was hurt, and had a black eye to prove it...she had yet to collapse fully. She simply sat up straight and continued to crawl towards them as if nothing happened.

"Yikes, she's strong," Donnie commented. "Your turn!"

"You're going down, lady!" Mikey twirled his nunchucks, whacking her once with the ends. "Ha!"

"I don't think so..." the eel said, coiling her tail around him. Now completely bound, he struggled to escape her clutches.

"Mikey!" Donnie exclaimed. "Leave my brother alone, freak!" They held their bō over their head, ready to smack the ever loving shit out of this lady. Raising the staff high, they managed to swerve it underneath one of the tentacles, releasing Michelangelo from her grip. Before they had a chance to move again, they felt a sudden shock of pain in their thigh. It started soft, a weak poke at that; then started to sting like a wasp. When they thought the initial pain had ceased, a jolt of electricity erupted through their bones, causing them to collapse on the floorboards in a crumpled heap.

The mutant stingray had decided to make a late appearance, the stinger only lightly caressing Donnie's hip and leg, but because of its status as a mutant; it was more powerful than that of a regular ray. Now Donnie lay, seizing on the floor.

"Donnie!" Mikey howled, "Please, stop hurting them!"  But he couldn't run up to them- the eel had grabbed him again. "You- you monster!" He tried to fight back tears even as the electric eel burned his arms and legs with her powerful sting. It hurt too much, but he didn't care. He had to help Donnie. He had to-

He looked around frantically, praying that his other family members were having better luck. To his horror, Raph and Lisa were cornered by the mutant jellyfish, April was stuck in sea slug slime, and Leo was nowhere to be seen. Mikey gulped.

"Looks like you're outta luck, turtle scum," the eel sneered.

The stingray pulled Donnie upright to their knees, shooting them a menacing glare. "Should we finish them off, boss?" He asked Fishface eagerly.

Donnie rolled their eyes. The stingray tightened his grip around his victim while the eel continued to hit Mikey with electric shocks.

"Don't even think about it!" Mikey growled.

"No." Fishface boomed, two fins clasped together. "I have a better plan," He slid towards Donatello, a malicious glint in his eye. "Why don't we experiment my mutagen on the Purple one, hm? The turtle who messed up my plans..."

"How about you don't do that?" Raph growled, still struggling with the jellyfish.

"You don't have any ooze left." Donnie spat. "Remember?"

"On the contrary," Fishface revealed the ray gun from his belt filled with bubbling mutagen. Donnie's heart sank. "I have just enough to use on one victim. I've never mutated a mutant before, I wonder what sort of monster you'll turn into? Double the mutation!" He drew closer, letting the ray move aside for space. "Truly magnificent, don't you think? Or horrifying. Maybe both actually!"

They remembered exactly what Lisa said about what was contained in that ray gun. Not just mutagen- but animal DNA.

The worst of the worst. Sea snakes, giant squids, sharks, stingrays, angler fish, box jellyfish. All mixed together to create a terrifying sea monster.

They would face that, and much worse. They had never even heard of a mutant being mutated twice or more. Draxum had never considered it, let alone mentioned the idea.

Donnie scowled. "Y- You're messed up," Their voice wavered slightly, though their furrowed eyebrows indicated they showed no physical sign of being afraid.

"Oh, I know," Fishface pointed the device directly at them, smirking. "Enjoy your last few moments of sanity, turtle." As he pressed the button, something - a green blur ran directly in front of them both.

“No, Donnie!” cried the stranger, protecting Donnie with their body in front instead.

Everything happened in slow motion. First, there was a shout, and then, the person flung themselves in front of the mutagen blast, taking the hit instead of Donatello. They yelped, tumbling forward and on the ground with a sickening thud; the ooze coating them entirely from head to toe.

Everyone looked in horror as realization struck them all on who had been struck by the mutagen.

Chapter Text

April's mind was a whirlwind of confusion, panic and shock, trying to decipher in a matter of seconds what just happened. Had she moved a little bit faster; This wouldn't be happening. But it was, and she knew from that sinking feeling in her stomach- that it was far too late to do anything about it.

They were too slow, and now they had to pay the price for their actions. Their leader collapsed to his knees, knuckles white and panting heavily. Then he started to shake violently. 

Mikey was the first to react, crashing forward to his fallen, seizing brother and trying to pick him up without touching the ooze. It covered his skin so intensely, he looked unrecognizable in the sludge,  "Leo!" He cried urgently.

"Oh no..." April choked out, unable to form any proper sentence. She felt that horrible feeling of dread inside her again, and it didn't seem to be leaving anytime soon. 

"No, no, no, no!" Raphael charged passed them both, chanting erratically like a mad man. Lisa was close behind, looking equally as scared.

Donnie was the only one who hadn't moved. They seemed to be taking a longer time to register that the mutagen had in fact hit Leonardo; when the actual assault was intended for them instead. They shook their head furiously, ripping their purple mask and bandanna off and frantically attempting to cleanse the red eared slider of the ooze. "Are you crazy? Why'd you do that? That's mutagen, you moron!"

Leo weakly lifted his head, "Couldn't let you get hit," He chuckled, falling into a coughing fit shortly after, "What kind of leader would I be if I did? Or brother."

"A dumb dumb, that's for sure," Donnie shot back, tears leaking down their cheeks even with snappy reply.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mikey asked anxiously.

"Do I look okay?"

"His body is already starting to change..." Lisa examined Leo's arm, watching as flecks of gills started to scatter.

"You all better listen to me right now," Leo slapped Lisa's hand away to prevent any ooze from landing on her, "If I- aah...transform or some shit, ya gotta make a run for it. Maybe leave this ship, it's been nothing but trouble."

"No way!" Raph refused, "We ain't going anywhere without you."

"'Sides, we can't do anything without our leader!" said Mikey.

"There must be a way we can prevent you from turning..." April said thoughtfully. "Dee? What do you think?"

Donnie looked on the verge of a breakdown, muttering to themselves as they tapped on their tech gauntlet, "I can fix this, I can fix this, I can fix this!" They looked directly in their twin's eyes, sharing a connection even as their brother held back a strangled scream, "I swear, I will, Leo just hang on a sec buddy-"

A horrible howl of agony echoed through their ears- Leo's scream caught everyone off guard as the transformation truly began before their very eyes. He shoved Donnie away, rougher than he intended; gasping and wheezing for air- as if he was losing the airways to his lungs.  "S- Stay back!" He yelled, his voice sounding deep and croaky; "Don't wanna hurt you-" His eyes went wide before he fell to his knees; seizing once more as foam formed his lips. He was convulsing in a crumpled heap, breaths becoming shallow and inconsistent.

"Donnie, what's happening?" Raph demanded, hoping the seizure would stop. But it only got worse.

Claws started to grow from his fingernails, sharp and pointed. Each finger shook in excruciating pain, blood dripping from the ends as Leo let out another awful scream. His toes and hands were longer and flatter now, as though they were webbed like that or a fish's fin.  Gills shifted on his neck, thigh and biceps- looking equally as painful.

"He-" Donnie backed away, trembling with fear as Leo's howls and tears shifted into a deafening roar. "He saved me. But now he's-"

"Make it stop, Donnie!" Mikey begged, trying his best to stay close to Leo, who's condition was only worsening. "Please!"

They all knew what was happening; and they all knew Donnie did not have any answers to solve it.

"Donnie!" Raph repeated urgently. "What is happening?"

"I didn't think it was possible!" Lisa gulped.

"He's mutating..." April whispered, the only one able to say it.

The transformation was longer than any of them had ever expected with normal mutations. It was slow and excruciating as each of Leonardo's limbs morphed and contorted into a completely different shape; bones cracking, shell melding into his skin and finally: his legs fusing together to form one slender, fish tail with silver gills scattered on it. 

His snout was pointed, with sharp teeth growing out of his large mouth. His skin was still green, but now had patches of icy blue from his armour, plastron and carapace fusing into his body. He was sleek and serpentine in appearance; and his black eyes had no pupils whatsoever, but his red markings by his cheeks remained trickling downwards.

He barely resembled the same turtle, hell, he wasn’t even a turtle at this point. 

"Leo...?" Mikey whimpered, calmly walking towards the sea serpent, hand outstretched to lightly pet his brother's snout. "S' gonna be okay..."

Leonardo's eye slits darkened, unable to recognize the little turtle with his warped mind. He hissed like a snake, flicking his tail threateningly. Still, Mikey made no sudden movements. He wasn't afraid of his brother, even now.

"Mikey, no!" Donnie pulled him back. "He's not the same anymore!"

"Stop, let me go!" Mikey shoved his sibling away furiously, eyes filled with tears. He smacked Donnie's arms until they finally released him, "He's my brother! He's our-"

The mutant hissed.

"He's our brother."

"An' we aren't gonna hurt him," Raph assured him. "I swear."

"Then what are we gonna do?" Lisa asked, yelping as Leo snapped his jaws at her. "He's out of control!"

The humans that remained outside now were screaming at the newly transformed mutant. They ran around in circles, causing an obvious commotion.

"What is that thing?" someone asked.

"It's a sea monster!" someone else hollered.

"I don't know," Raph said, putting on a brave face. "We could try to tie him up, maybe April you could calm everyone down?"

"Now hang on a second!" April said. "We have to find that Fish Freak and make him turn Leo back pronto!"

"If anyone can turn him back, it's him!" Mikey agreed, "So!" He pointed at the fish who seemed to be standing quite still. "Cough up the answer!"

Filch looked positively delighted, strolling towards Leonardo ready to boast at his success and ignore Mikey, "He's perfect! Even better than I imagined! A vicious beast ready to do my bidding. Unfortunately he seems a bit mindless but..." he waved a hand casually. "I'm pleased with the results. Aren't you?"

"You!" Raphael roared, pointing his sai at the fish with a glare, who didn't even flinch. Filch seemed strangely casual for someone who made a monster, and Raph was furious, "You better turn him back right now!" His remaining siblings did not bother pulling him back- Fishface deserved whatever was coming to him. The normally docile turtle was not willing to play nice.

"Ha! Even if I could, I wouldn't!" Filch snarled, "My plan may not have gone as I anticipated, but now I've got a sea monster as a pet! So really it was a win win...

"Plus spreading a little chaos is what I do best," He laughed with glee as Leonardo roared once more, chasing a group of people.

"You're not gonna touch him!" Raphael growled, charging towards him with a murderous look in his eye. He tackled the mutant to the ground once more, pinning him and refusing to back down- even as he heard the snap of bones. He didn't care if he had to wipe blood off his hands or snap this monster's neck in half. He would pay for what he did.

Something rolled underneath Raph's leg, falling out of Filch's satchel carelessly from the initial attack. He ignored it and threw another punch at the fish's temple. Lisa scooped the object from the floor and pocketed it, but Raph was blinded by the sudden rage to notice.

Fishface flicked his tail, smacking Raphael in the face. "You can attack me all you want, but you must face the fact that your brother is no more," There was a mischievous glint in his eye that further enraged Raph. "He belongs to the sea. And me."

"No! Even though you mutated him, he'll never, ever, join you, Fishfreak," he snarled back.

"Uh, Raph?" Donnie poked their head from behind, biting their lip, "We have a problem."

"Can't it wait? I'm about to smash Filch!" Raph snapped. "Keep an eye on Leo."

"That's the problem!" Mikey squeaked, "He's going haywire!"

Raph stopped his punches to turn around, heart plummeting to his stomach.

There was an animalistic growl followed by a hiss. April seemed determined to tie Leo up with Mikey's nunchuck chains- but the mutant had now increased in size and strength.

How could he have been so focused on getting revenge on Filch; that he had failed to notice his brother was getting worse?

"It's not gonna work," April yelled, narrowly avoiding Leo biting her head off. "He's too strong!"

"And fast!" Lisa added.

"An' uh Fishface got away..."

To his left, he turned and saw Fishface had indeed wriggled out of his grasp, "Any more bad news?" Raph asked dejectedly, watching as Leo tore open what looked like the hull of the ship. He bit it in half and chomped down hard. Water spurted sporadically and the boat started to shift filling with freezing water. If the people on the ship weren't panicking before, they certainly were now.

"Yes, actually," Donnie grimaced. "Leo just...ate the bilge pump so now it's leaking."

"Which means...?"

Waves crashed over them, screams filled their ears before finally dissolving into darkness.

"This ship is sinking."

There was not a second to waste. Already people were swarming like insects to lifeboats. But the gang, even Lisa stayed put. Time was ticking, and if they didn't find Leo soon- they would sink with the ship.

"We can't leave without Leo!" Mikey said, stubborn and distraught. Even as sea water was filling up to his ankles, he couldn't show that he was afraid.

Lisa climbed on Raph's carapace for extra height, "We don't have a choice, not when the boat is sinking!"

"It'll sink in precisely two hours and forty minutes," Donnie said, giving April so she could climb on their back securely. "What do we do Raph?"

Raph looked at his odds. Leo was rampaging about on the ship. The ship itself was doomed to sink. He wanted to save everyone- including Leo but he didn't see it being possible. The double mutant was huge, and much stronger than he was. Not to mention, his sense of mind seemed to be hanging by a thread.

He never considered he would have to make this choice.

He looked at his younger siblings' wide, terrified eyes. "I...we have to go. We'll take that lifeboat over there," He gestured with his thumb at a lone, slightly rickety wooden boat that looked ready to break in half.

Mikey looked predictably outraged. "No! Not without Leo!" He stormed over to tug on Raph's arm like a little kid. When his brother didn't budge, he looked desperately at Donnie, "Donnie! Tell him!"

Donnie shook their head, wincing as they all heard Leo's growls. "Mikey..."

Another wave crashed into the mighty ship, causing Mikey to topple over like a bowling pin. They were running out of time. And judging by the sounds Leonardo was making, he didn't seem eager to go with them.

"We don't want to leave him either, but I think Raph's right," April said, helping Lisa on to the lifeboat. The two girls had yet to have a single conversation, but that didn't seem to matter. They were a team now. They all were.

"We'll turn him back," Lisa vowed, although she had no idea how they would do that. "I think we will."

Mikey refused to move, still fixated on finding Leo.

Raphael gave in, having to lift his screaming and sobbing baby brother into his arms, wordlessly assuring him that everything would be fine. Even though the lifeboat was starting to drift away into the middle of the sea. Even as the clouds turned into mist and the waves knocked their boat away from everyone else's.

Even as they saw a flash of Leonardo's fish tail disappear into the ocean and out of sight.

There was no telling if everything would be fine ever again. Only time would tell.

"Leo..." Mikey murmured, half asleep as he leaned into Raph's plastron.

"At least we know he escaped that monster," Donnie said, jolting slightly from the waves hitting the tiny boat. "I hope."

April hummed in agreement, a yawn escaping her.

Wherever Leonardo was, he was away from Filch. 

Chapter Text

He didn't know where he was or how he got there, but he knew for certain he wasn't home. He knew he had to run. Keep running and running and running even when his legs were burning and he was ready to fall over with no air left to breathe. Through the dark tunnels and the cascading ice cold water hitting his thighs. He was lost, he was drowning, God he was dying, he was—

He rammed into something. Oh shit, someone. Raphael stumbled backwards, rubbing his knees and trying to stand on his shaky legs. His eyes snapped up to see what hit him.

A sea serpent swam around him, twisting and coiling its sleek tail around his body. Its eyes were coal black, its teeth were sharp as the edge of a katana and ready to sink into him. He squinted, realizing that the creature had a nasty grin on its face, sadistically enjoying his suffering and cries of pain. It looked pleased, and if snakes could laugh, it would be cackling into his eardrums. He struggled in its grasp. 

Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopplease-

Is this the end? Will this be the last thing I see before I die?

It tightened its grip. Tighter and tighter until Raph's lungs were being crushed from the weight. All seemed lost until...the pain stopped.

The mutant ripped its tail away from him, releasing him. It hissed and snarled, blood seeping down its scales. It was a truly hideous creature, and Raph couldn't bear to look at its ugly appearance any longer. But he needed to know something. 

"Why did you stop?" He wondered, his voice slightly slurred.

It blinked at him.

"Why?" He repeated. "What are you?"

Swirling passed him, a piece of blue fabric was placed in his massive palms as soon as he reached for it. The serpent blinked again. It didn't seem as bloody and it didn't seem in pain anymore.

"Rrrra...ph..." the creature croaked, its blood red markings glistening from the light. "ael..."

He recognized the voice, even if it had been altered remarkably. He just didn't want to believe it. This was something out of his worst nightmares. 

"Leo?" He uttered in disbelief, holding his hand for his mutated brother automatically. 

Leonardo nudged him softly, muttering unintelligible sounds. Raph looked up hopefully, but the second he made eye contact with him- the serpent faded into the shadows like mist. His outline wasn't even visible. 

"No!" Raphael moved closer, reaching for something, anything to appear. But there was nothing. "No, Leo! I'm here, brother, please I'm-" 

But he was gone.

"It's all my fault..."

He crumpled to the floor and wept until he had no energy left to cry any longer. 

Raph mumbled something incoherent as his eyes fluttered open to the rhythmic song of seagull calls and waves crashing against his toes. Covered with seaweed, he sat upwards to rub any excess sand from his eyes.

He was on a beach by a shore. Pink sand, crystal clear waters, and overall a beautiful sight to see...if there was anything beyond that. He squinted only to see more and more ocean, plus the forest behind him.

'An island,' he thought. 'I'm on an island?'

"Mm..." a voice grumbled, half asleep herself. Lisa yawned and stretched beside him, completely coated in sand. "Ugh..." She looked ready to take a quick dip in the water, just to clean herself of the dreaded sand.

Next to her was April, whose hair was wrapped in seaweed somehow. She was currently attempting to untangle it (with some 'help' by Donnie, who seemed to be struggling as well)

Mikey was the only one who was still asleep, curled up in a ball and snoring softly with a hermit crab crawling on his head. For a brief, hopeful moment, he expected to see Leo by Mikey's side, and he felt a sudden wave of disappointment to see his brother not there.

Raph's eyes wandered back to the ocean, a deep frown across his face. He only snapped out of his thoughts by Donnie's cry of delight.

"Almost got it..." they murmured, tugging one of April's afro puffs, "Got it!" A strip of seaweed pulled out, whacking them in the face.

"Ow!" April yelped in alarm. "That was way too hard!"

"Yeah I know, but it was really stuck in there!"

"Guys?" Mikey mumbled groggily, finally awaking from his slumber. "Where are we?"

"Ah, you're all awake!" Donnie said,  "That's a very good question, Michael," they examined their wrist, pondering for a second before answering; "My GPS tracker is giving me a lot of question marks so that can't be good..." their nonchalant tone seemed to make Mikey's scowl deepen. And Mikey was not one to scowl.

"We must have crashed here during the night," Raph stood up, gathering everyone in a circle. "So let's figure out what happened...we were on the ship, Leo got mutated..."

"And now we're stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere," Lisa crossed her arms.

"I knew we shouldn't have left him. I told you guys!" said Mikey.

"Don't worry, we aren't gonna leave this place until we find him. He was close by the last time we saw him, so we'll stay in the area...rescue him...and then call Draxum to come pick us up."

"Assuming we do find him, and that's a big if," Donnie remarked, raising an eyebrow, "We still have to turn him back to normal."

"You're smart Dee, I'm sure you'll figure that whole process out," Raph assured them. "Easy peasy, right? We beat the Shredder last year...twice, we can definitely handle our sea serpent brother."

They glanced from side to side, nodding, "...Right."

"Can we look for Leo now?" Mikey asked, bouncing on his heels, "He could have landed here too!"

"Absolutely!" Raph said firmly, "but I'd say we need to explore the island first. Find food and shelter."

"I can scope out the place for shelter," April offered. "Dee, wanna come with me?"

Donnie gave a thumbs up. “No probbles.” 

"Bring Mikey too," Raph said, "It's best to be in groups. Lisa and I can look for food."

"Hey!" Mikey narrowed his eyes, looking at Lisa, then back at Raph, "I know what you're up to. You're just leaving me with them 'cause you want-"

Raph pressed a finger to his lips, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Keep your phones with you so we can stay in contact."

"Mhm, sure thing Raph." Mikey wiggled his eyebrows. "Good luck!"

"Now the important thing we need to establish is that our shelter needs to be by water," Donnie explained, spider shell activated and occasionally picking up various stones, sticks and other tools with the mechanical arms, "Water is essential. Plus if we find water, then we'll know this place is capable of living in. So keep your eyes peeled for a creek or stream. We can set up camp nearby."

"Shouldn't we be concerned about bacteria and parasites?" April asked.

"Nah, I've got a built-in filter system."

"Ooh, classy," She complimented.

Donnie felt their cheeks warm, quite prideful, "Hey, it's no big deal."

"I wish the circumstances were different," April murmured, kicking a stone forward as she walked. "Normally I love camping but this just makes me feel sick and scared."

"But Leo's gonna be alright, isn't he?" Mikey wondered, eyes wide with innocence. "Donnie?"

With their eyebrows furrowed, they replied almost instantly with a blunt tone, "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It means exactly what you think it means. I don't know, simple.  Now stop asking questions and look for any signs of water."

"He'll be alright," April said, patting his carapace.

"Don't tell him that," Donnie dismissed, waving a trembling hand, "It's just putting false hope in his brain."

His temper rose the second he heard the phrase, "False hope?" Mikey repeated, almost mockingly. His snappy tone caused Donnie to recoil from shock, "False hope? At least I HAVE hope that he'll be okay instead of assuming the worst!"

"Mikey, I’m not assuming the worst I just think we should be realistic about-” 

"He's not dead!" He bit back a growl, "He's out there somewhere, and I'm not gonna listen to you tell me that he won't be okay! That doesn't do us any good!"

"I'm not- I'm not saying he won't be okay," Donnie landed beside their brother calmly, "I shouldn't have said false hope; that was wrong of me. But we don't even know where he is right now. He could be anywhere in the ocean and then some."

Mikey huffed. 

"Both of you need to stop arguing, it's giving me a headache," April grumbled tiredly.

Donnie rolled their eyes.

"I don't understand why you're being so calm!" Mikey snapped, glaring daggers at his sibling. "Especially when it's your fault Leo's like this!"

The words left him before he had time to retract them. 

April gasped. "Mikey!"

The box turtle covered his mouth, gaping in horror. 

Then there was silence. Even the birds ceased their chirps. Michelangelo took a step back to dwell on the words that he uttered, stunned that he said such a terrible thing. This wasn't like him...he would never lose his temper and be so awful. But Donnie just made him so, so ...angry. So much for Doctor Positivity. 

"Donnie...I-I didn't mean..." He swallowed the lump in his throat. The damage had already been done. 

Donnie exhaled, showing no indication of emotion, but behind their frown, was layers of guilt in their eyes. They hummed softly, walking passed Mikey and staying close to April- who was still shocked, "Let's keep looking for shelter. It's starting to get dark."

Meekly, Mikey lowered his head and followed them, feeling worse than ever.

In retrospect, Raph probably should have known partnering with Lisa was most likely going to end in disaster. For him, not for Lisa.

It wasn't that he didn't trust her, quite the opposite. Ever since she rescued his family, and helped them take down Filch, he had a newfound respect and fondness for the mutant salamander.

Even still, as he walked beside her, he felt his muscles tensed and his legs wobbled with each movement. He didn't know why or when these feelings started happening, but they were.

"I'm sorry about your brother," Lisa said quietly, taking his hand to show support. He hadn't expected that, and was a bit taken aback by the gesture, "I couldn't imagine how that must have felt."

There it was. Raph squeezed her hand, his throat closing at the mention of his lost brother. "Thank you," He croaked.

"Magtiwala. You must have faith," Lisa murmured, "My ina always told me that. My mother."

Raph hummed. "Will it be enough though? Faith alone can't bring him back."

"That's not all you have," Lisa dimpled, "You have me." She held his cheek with one hand, a determined twinkle in her eyes that made his heart race and his stomach tighten, "And you have your family. We'll all help save Leonardo, so don't you forget that. Okay?"

He felt lost in her amber eyes, but at the same time: safe and comforted. He nodded. "Thanks, Lisa."

Lisa winced, taking her hand away from his cheek quickly. Worried he offended her somehow, he let his other arm hang awkwardly at his side.

“So…” He chuckled, pretending he wasn’t the same color as his mask, “What language is that? Mag...ti...wala?”

She giggled. “Tagalog. It’s what we speak in the Philippines.” 

“It sounds beautiful when you speak in it.” 

Lisa's cheeks tinted a light pink. “It means trust or faith. Something you need, especially now.” She paused in front of a bush, examining it. 

“Oooh berries!” Raph eagerly pluckled a branch off. “I’m starved!” 

Lisa’s eyes went wide, and she slapped the branch out of his hands and to the forest floors into mush. “Don’t eat that unless you know what it is! It could be poisonous!” She picked a squashed berry from the ground, licked it, then gagged. “Yup, red baneberry. Poisonous for human consumption. Highly toxic.”  

“But we’re not even human!” Raph argued. 

“Your little friend May is,” Lisa snapped back. 

“April!” 

“Whatever. We’re getting food for everyone,” She perked up, “And I know exactly where to find it!” She pointed up, towards a tree that was so tall, it looked ready to touch the clouds, “That tree is full of plantains!” 

“Are you sure it isn’t just a toxic banana?” Raph wrinkled his nose, “Plus, no way I can climb that.” 

“You won’t, my dear,” She demonstrated with slight smugness, her elongated square tipped toes, perfect for climbing. He couldn’t help but let out an impressed ‘ahh’. “Allow me! But you need to search for some food in that creek while I climb-” 

“That creek?” Raph repeated, feeling a bit lost. “How m’ I supposed to...do that?” 

“Catch a fish or something. You got this,” She was already climbing up the tree, so he had no choice but to do it. 

He sighed. “Alright Raph, you gotta do this or else you’ll disappoint Lisa big time. Besides, if my cousins can do it, well, so can I,” Although regular, unmutated alligator snapping turtles had more of an impulse to catch fish then he did. Still, he hated looking like a fool, so he crawled in the surprisingly freezing knee level water. He gasped from the cold. “Okay, I can do this. I can totally do this.” He scanned for any fish. “Here fishy fish…come to Raphie...so I can eat ya,” He grinned, spotting a particularly slow moving trout and diving down to snatch it. It was swifter than it looked, and saw the giant turtle moving towards him- immediately swimming faster. Obviously catching it in his hands wasn't going to work, so he opened his jaws to grab it. The fish saw this moving coming, and decided to snap its own mouth on his beak. “AH!” He sputtered and coughed out water as the fish continued to bite his nose. “GETOFFAMEGETOFFAME!” He wailed, trudging out of the water frantically with huge splashes. He flopped on the ground, rolling around and hoping the fish would flop off. Eventually it did, but only because it was struggling to breathe on land.

“You doin’ alright there?” Lisa was peering over his body, blinking. In her satchel was an abundance of plantains, looking concerned but mostly amused. 

“I got a fish,” He grumbled, lifting the trout proudly as if it was an award. 

“Good job,” She smirked, helping him up as best as she could, “I think we’ll have enough food for a couple of days if we save it. Should we check and see if we’ve got a shelter?” 

Raph reached inside his belt for his phone, “Dee texted saying they constructed a shelter with April n’ Mike.”

“Already? That was fast.”

“You don’t know my sibling,” Raph laughed. “They can do anything if they set their mind to it. They sent their coordinates so we can find where they are.” 

“Perfect!” 

Turns out, the shelter Donnie constructed was not at all what Lisa had expected. For one, it was much bigger and professional. It was a wooden tree house decorated with flowers and other decor. It had a ladder pulley system, water nearby, and chipmunks providing heat and electricity by running on hamster wheels. 

“What do you think?” April asked, whooping as she climbed down from the rope ladders. 

“It’s incredible! You all did this in just a couple hours?” 

“Mikey and I helped a bit, but really it was all Donnie. We each have our own rooms too!” 

Lisa cocked her head. “Where is Donatello?” 

April hesitated, “They need some space right now,” Noticing Lisa’s worried look, she quickly said: “They’re fine, I swear. It’s been a lot, and you know how things are…”

“I understand. I’ll have to compliment them on their craftsmanship later then.”

“Not too much, they have a big ego,” April teased. “That wasn’t a joke by the way, they really do.” 

Lisa’s eyes wandered to look at Raph lifting the bags of food. She forgot how strong he was. 

“So, uh, what’s your deal with him?” April gestured to Raphael and Lisa squeaked. 

“Nothing! I just- I’m gonna help with the kindling. Bye April!” And she dashed off.

After they had eaten, the group retired for the night. Mikey hadn't spoken to Donnie since their little argument, and the softshell turtle had not eaten their plantains at all. Instead, they left early for bed, insisting they were too tired to eat. 

The others had accepted this and let them on their way. But Mikey wouldn't let that slide. He knew better. He knew Donnie, and he had to fix this. 

He climbed out of his new bed, wide awake from staring at the wall and stars scattering the skies for at least an hour. Even still, he was a bit disoriented from the darkness, and the unknown area. 

Donnie's room was right at the end of the hall.  He pressed an ear slit to the door, hoping for any sign that Donnie was okay. Heck, they really could have been tired, and if that were true he would hear their gentle snores. They were a pretty heavy sleeper surprisingly.

But he didn't. He heard muffled, shaky breaths from the other side of the wooden wall. So he gently creaked open the door. The breaths faded into an alarmed gasp, and then silence. Donnie had collected themselves, straightening up on their bed and turning behind. 

"Don?" He murmured, half in, half out. "Are you awake?"

It was a stupid question, really. He didn't know what else to say though. They used to do this all the time as kids but now it feels weird. 

There was an affirmative grunt, which Mikey took as a yes. He sat beside his sibling, noticing their body tense up. They hugged their arms, refusing to look at Mikey. Either they had been crying or they were furious. Probably the latter. 

"Hey…" He said finally after a beat. 

“You don’t need to say anything,” Donnie murmured, voice cracking almost easily as a branch snapping in half. 

“No, I really do,” Mikey said, “I shouldn’t have said those awful things. They aren’t true, and it isn’t your fault. I don’t know why I even said it I’m just so scared-” 

“Mikey, it’s okay.” 

“I’m sorry,” He hiccuped, hugging his sibling tight. “I’m really, really, really sorry. I was so mean and wrong.” 

Donnie hugged back, although a bit hesitantly. They patted Mikey’s back, whispering comforting words into his ear and letting him cry silently, “You don’t have to apologize. I know it’s tough,” They lightly flicked Mikey’s temple with their fingertips. “Okay? We’re cool.” They smiled softly, “And I love you, brother.” 

Mikey smiled back. “I love you too,” He scooted closer, “Can I stay here tonight?” 

“Of course,” They scooted over so that Mikey had space to sleep. 

“Thanks. Say Dee?” 

“Hm?” 

“Do you think...Leo’s out there? Somewhere?” 

Donnie's gaze wandered, but eventually nodded, “I hope so.”  

Now, comfortable and secure, Mikey started to doze off at last. Before he drifted into sleep however, he swore he heard quiet sniffles from next to him. 

“Donnie…?” He whispered, but the crying continued throughout the night, no matter how many times he called his sibling’s name. 

It was no use. 

Chapter Text

Elisabeth 'Lisa' Langstein was painfully average. She was a plain girl with shoulder length stringy brown hair and a smile that revealed too much of her slightly crooked teeth; a side effect of her parents not being able to afford proper braces. Her grades were average too, never straight As, but also never failing. She had some friends but never any close ones. She simply faded in the background with her peers.

Now, this wouldn't be a huge issue if it weren't for her siblings. Her older sister (by only fifteen months embarrassingly enough) was extraordinary—and that wasn't an exaggeration. Irma was beautiful, with her thick, jet black curls and bright green eyes hidden by cute, trendy glasses. She was nerdy, but in a quirky way that made guys blush and talk nervously around her. Everyone wanted to be her partner in projects since she was so gifted and smart. She had lots of friends too, since she wasn't introverted by any means— despite the stereotypes of nerds being quiet and awkward. Indeed, Irma was an enigma. Something that Lisa constantly strived to be but failed miserably. 

"Lisa, maybe if you tried joining a few clubs, you'd actually make friends," Irma had reminded her several times, staring at her calculus textbook instead of her distraught sister. Typical. 

"I've done that," Lisa snapped, crossing her arms and glaring moodily at the ground. "But everyone keeps comparing me to you!"

"You're always welcome to join my study group."

Her dark eyes flickered to the textbook and shuddered. "I'm not smart enough for your genius friends. I'm barely passing algebra."

Irma shrugged. "M' not sure what else to tell you, sis. You barely even try to study," She turned a page. "Or make friends."

Lisa bristled, "I do try it's just...really hard," but her retort dissolved seconds after they left her lips. Irma had returned to studying, ignoring her as if she hadn't said a word.

It wasn't only her sister that made her feel inadequate. Her little brother Nathaniel- who was barely a teenager was also equally as extraordinary. He was not as bright as Irma, however he was gifted in many sports and joined a plethora of clubs- thus making him very popular and gregarious. Not only that, but being the youngest and only son of the Langsteins, he was doted on by their parents.

Which left Lisa stuck in the middle, pun intended.

Irma was the beautiful, intelligent oldest daughter. Nate was a charming and talented son. And Lisa...well Lisa was just there. She loved her family, particularly her mother but she wouldn't lie and say she felt a bit out of place with them. Even her teachers had little to say about her.

Until everything changed.

From the moment Mr. Filch (or rather Doctor Filch as he preferred to be called) stepped into the science classroom, Lisa had a funny feeling about him. Not because he had a strange appearance or anything; actually he looked like any other balding white man but because he was just plain odd. His assignments were complex, however he was patient and understanding to the students who were struggling- particularly Lisa. In fact, he was kinder to her than any other teacher she had. She visited him after class nearly every day for help, and he happily obliged. As time went on, it was clear he respected her as a pupil, and her grades in that class vastly improved. 

She glowed with pride every time he would compliment her or insist she was his favorite student. Sure some of his lessons were unorthodox and he seemed slightly erratic, but it felt amazing to be appreciated, even if the guy himself wore two different colored socks on a regular basis. 

“Something about Mr. Filch makes me uneasy, nene,” Lisa’s mother told her once, “But I’m proud of you for working hard! Now can you put the same amount of effort in your other classes, eh?” 

“Mm-hm.” 

She didn’t of course, she focused primarily on Filch’s class. She loved the attention, she adored the praise. Her other teachers did not understand or give her the time of day. In his class, things felt right. She trusted him, in a way. 

One afternoon after school, she had to retake a quiz in his class. It was on the Krebs Cycle, and she totally flunked it. But as usual, he was kind enough to let her retake it- and if she got a higher grade: she would keep the score. She stepped inside the classroom, taking a shaky breath. 

"Mr. Filch?" 

"Ah, yes, if it isn't my favorite pupil Lisa. Take a seat anywhere you'd like," Filch drawled, handing her the blank quiz. "Have you studied?"

"Yes sir."

"Excellent. You may begin." 

The quiz started without a hitch. She had crammed in some extra studying, so she knew the answers easily. In fact, she would be done in ten minutes if there wasn’t an obnoxious buzzing fly fluttering by her ear. She waved one hand at it, but it continued to fly erratically. She glanced back at the insect, realizing it wasn’t a fly at all but an even worse villain: a damn mosquito. Rolling her eyes, she swatted at it without a second thought.  

“Stupid bloodsucker,” She grumbled, swatting once more. The insect flew away and perched on Filch’s shoulder, who didn’t seem to notice as he was grading papers. “Uh, Mr. Filch you’ve got a—” 

It was too late. The insect pierced his neck with its proboscis. Although, the blood it was sucking wasn’t a usual crimson color— instead an acid green. 

Filch smacked at the mosquito, crying out in pain. 

“Sir?” 

Then he started screaming. Screaming and screaming and screaming the most horrible screams she had ever heard. This was no average pest, it was beyond anything Lisa had ever seen. And it was currently torturing her teacher.

To her horror, it did not stop. Filch howled an agonizing yell—pushing the papers aside until they crumpled off his desk. Gills dotted his skin, which was now turning into a greyish green. Lisa fought the urge to vomit or scream herself when she heard the horrible sound of bones cracking and contorting until a hideous dorsal fin formed by his own muscles and bone appeared on his back. 

She couldn’t bear to watch any further, praying to God this was just a terrible nightmare. Her vision became hazy, each sound fading away and the increasing nausea made it difficult to stand. The floor was swaying, and she may have yelled for help—but it disappeared in her throat.

Then everything went black.

Her head was pounding when she finally woke up, and she was dying of thirst. She wondered how long she had been asleep. Hours? Days, perhaps? She shook her head, rubbing the temples, trying to remember anything prior to her passing out on the floor.

“Ah, you’re awake!” boomed a familiar voice.

She saw the outline of a giant fucking fish in front of steel bars. Oh wait, outside of bars. Which meant she was in a cage or a prison or-

She was trapped with a man sized fish keeping her captive. 

“I know I may look different, but I’m still your favorite teacher!” cackled the fish, looking pleased. “Lisa, honestly, don’t be rude and speak up.” 

Something about the way he said her name this time, made her shiver in uneasiness. 

“Mr. Filch?” She whispered groggily. “No...it can’t be.” 

“Brava, you get an A+ for figuring that out!” Filch said sarcastically. “Why, yes it’s me Mr. Filch.” 

“My teacher isn’t a fish!” She sputtered. 

“You saw the entire thing happen, did you not?” He said, pressing his snout against the bars. “I was against the idea at first, but now I realize it’s simply marvelous! I can breathe underwater, I have sharper teeth that can gnaw at bones, I’m much stronger than any man on Earth. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. And, it’s all thanks to this little fella,” He presented a jar with the same mosquito trapped inside. In his other fin, he held a bottle of the same glowing green ooze. 

“This is crazy. This is insane. You’re insane!” Lisa exclaimed, her voice raising several octaves. “This is just a dream, and I’ll wake up in a second,” She pinched herself. Nothing happened. “Okay, this is a really intense dream. Either that, or I’ve completely lost my mind.” 

She lifted her head. “Where am I?” 

“That isn’t important. While you’ve been napping, I have been doing some special testing with this little mosquito.” 

“How long was I asleep?” 

He ignored her. “In fact, you’ve woken up at the perfect time! Because my ooze combined with the mosquito’s- I have created the ultimate concoction!” He cackled once  more. “Along with some blood of a salamander…”

Lisa looked confused. “What are you doing with that?” She pointed at the canister.

He gave her a sinister sneer. “Lisa, Lisa, Lisa, Lisa... How would you like to be a part of a truly incredible experiment?” 

Her eyes went wide with fear. “No, no, stay back!” 

Lisa was awoken the following morning by the soothing chirps of birds outside her clear window. Thinking she was home in bed, she yawned, rolled over, and fluttered her eyes open- only to realize she was not in her bedroom at all. She was in her temporary sleeping quarters that Donnie made for her. And she experienced a nightmare. 

Except it wasn’t a nightmare. It was all real. She was dreaming of everything that had happened. 

Lisa...Lisa...Lisa...

She shut her eyes tight, rolling over in hopes of getting a little more rest. There wasn’t really any point though, considering that dream was haunting her long after she woke up. She bit her lip, hoping to fight back any tears from forming.

She missed her mother. She missed her home. She missed…

Lisa...Lisa...Lisa...

Lisa sat up, blocking her ear slits with her hands. The more she thought of her home, her family, the more reality sunk in. They thought she was dead, or at least missing. They didn’t know her teacher had kidnapped her, or that she was coerced into being his assistant for evil deeds. 

Or that she was a giant mutant salamander.

Lisa...Lisa...Lisa...

“Stop saying that name…” She grumbled, twitching every time she heard it. 

“Lisa?” A kind voice entered the room, comforting her immediately. “Is everything okay?” 

Lisa rubbed her eyes, meeting April’s concerned ones, “Yes. Did I wake you?” She could see the dark circles around her eyes and felt a twinge of guilt.

The other girl shook her head. “Not really, I’ve been awake for a while. It’s been a difficult night.” Her expression softened, resting a hand to her slick shoulder. “I don’t mean to pry, but you were muttering a little in your sleep.” 

“What did I say?” The last thing she wanted was April to think she was some crazy person. Or reveal anything private. 

“Nothing embarrassing, I swear,” April assured her, noticing the panic she displayed. “You were just saying ‘don’t call me by that name.’ over and over.” 

Lisa had no response to that. She bit the inside of her cheek.

“You don’t have to tell me, I know we haven’t known each other for long…” April said, contemplating her next words carefully. “I’m here for you. Whenever you need someone to talk to, alright Lisa?” 

Lisa winced, looking uncomfortable. “That’s just it. Calling me Lisa is ...the problem.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I don’t know why, but every time I’ve heard my name it brings back really bad memories. Memories of Filch yelling it at me. I grew to resent it.” 

“Would you like me to call you something else?” asked April. 

“Well, my actual name is Elisabeth, but I’m not quite sure I like that either.” 

“Have you ever thought of changing your name entirely? If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t be forced to be called that.” 

“I can do that?”

“People change their names all the time,” April shrugged. “Give it some thought, okay? I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

Lisa found herself thinking for a long time, even after April had left.

A new name. Maybe I should try that. 

Eventually Lisa stumbled out of bed, still in a half asleep state and willing to snooze for another hour or two if she could, but alas—it was not meant to be. All she could think of was a new name for herself. She climbed down the step ladder towards the fire pit, where Michelangelo was stirring something that smelled delicious. 

“I made gumbo!” He chirped. “I remembered an old recipe.” 

“For breakfast?” April smirked. 

“Just give it a try!” 

Elisabeth has a lot of nickname options. Elisa, Beth, Betsy...or perhaps do I want to do a name that’s completely different. Beatrice, Amelia, Lucy? 

Her jumbled thoughts were interrupted by someone clearing their throat rudely. 

Lisa’s eyes snapped up to face a very exhausted looking Donatello, who shoved a bowl at her. “Here’s your food or whatever.” They said, their voice flat and uninterested. Before she could say her thanks, they leaned against a nearby tree and started tapping away at their phone. 

Her mouth was watering from the scent alone, but she paused. “Aren’t you hungry?” 

“No.” 

“Are you—” 

“I’m going for a walk,” Donnie said snippily, as they brushed past the group with a disgruntled huff, all while muttering to themselves. 

“You shouldn’t go alone, Don.” said Raph, but Donnie ignored him and sauntered away.

“Are they okay?” Lisa wondered out loud. “Or are they normally this…” She tried to think of a better word than ‘bitchy’. “...moody?” 

“They always have a bit of an attitude, yes. They get into little moods once in a while.” Mikey admitted quietly, stopping his stirring. “I swear Donnie’s a real sweetheart once you get to know them.” He whistled.“Although getting to know them might take a while.”

“Don’t take it too personally, Lisa,” Raph said.

“I’m gonna go after them.” April put her food down. “I know it’s been hard but it’s been rough for everyone. They need someone to talk to or it’s gonna kill them. Y’all know they have a soft shell. Literally.” 

“No, don’t.” Mikey stopped her. “I swear they’ll be okay. We talked last night. Uh, it’s not just the whole Leo thing that’s making them act all…” He gestured vaguely. “y’know.” 

April silently nodded, an unspoken conversation between the two that neither Lisa nor Raph quite understood. “I feel bad leaving them alone.” 

“I’ll check in with them later, but uh, can you make sure they don’t wander too far?” Raph asked April, who gave him a thumbs up, “Thanks. Well, I should look for more supplies.” He announced to really no one in particular .

“Actually Raphael,” Lisa said once April had left, “Do you think we could talk?” 

“Hm?” Raph looked at her confused. “Sure what’s u-” He glanced at a devious looking Mikey and his lips formed an ‘o’. “Ah, you mean…” 

“Alone, yeah.” 

“Mikey do you…” 

“Not at all!” Mikey giggled, “I’ll be off doing something so you two can chat!” 

Before Raph could pull his little brother back and beg him to stay, the box turtle had already bounced off. He started to sweat nervously. Clearing his throat, he tried to play it cool. “So…” 

“So…” Lisa echoed. 

They were now facing each other. Raph was fiddling with his hands and Lisa was looking downwards to avoid any proper eye contact. 

“What did you want to talk about?” He asked her, finally meeting her gaze. The sun’s beams reflected off her amber eyes, which made things distracting. He swallowed slowly. 

“It’s something super important,” Lisa started, rubbing the back of her neck. She too seemed nervous. 

“Yes?” 

“Something that will affect how you think of me.” 

“Oh?” 

“Something that might affect our entire relationship.”

Raph felt his throat tighten. Relationship?? 

“What I’m trying to say is…” 

Here it comes. Don’t freak out. Remember Raph, play it cool. 

“I want to change my name.” 

“I’m so sorry I didn’t know that you- wait what?” Raph blinked thrice, not expecting that answer. 

“I want to change my name,” Lisa repeated, now sounding more confident. “Is that okay?” 

“Of course it’s okay!” Raph said, puzzled. “It’s your name, after all but can I ask why?” He recalled the day they first properly met. It felt like eons ago. 

“What’s your name?” 

The girl, who at the time he thought was dressed in costume, rolled her eyes. 

"Lisa. The most boring, average name ever."

"Hey, I like Lisa!" Raph protested. "It's pretty."

So she explained to him why she wanted a change. It brought too many painful memories, and it was better to let the past behind her. She was a new person, with a new motivation. She ended up revealing more than she had with April, and found herself pouring out her emotions to him.

“You know I always loved your name,” Raph admitted. “But I understand now and I respect that decision you want to make, and it’ll hopefully make you feel more comfortable. Changing your name won’t change who you are.” He blushed. “And you’re amazing. So what do you want your new name to be?” 

“I...don’t know.” Her eyes downcasted, furrowing her brow. “I can’t decide.” 

“Do you want it to be similar to your original name or something completely different?”

“Similar.”

Raph tapped his chin thoughtfully. “How about Eliza?” Seeing her shake her head made him more determined to think of a perfect name. “Nah, you’re right, it’s too common. Wait...I got it!” he snapped his fingers.

Lisa tilted her head.

“You know that really old painting?” He snapped his fingers. “The one with the lady smiling? Well, I’m not quite sure if she’s smiling or not, it depends on the angle but-” 

“You mean the Mona Lisa?” 

“Yes! It even has a little bit of your old name at the end.” He grinned, looking thrilled. “What do you think?”

“I mean, I love it and I’d love to be called that but...” She winced. “The Mona Lisa is depicting a beautiful woman and I’m…not.” Hugging her arms, she tried not to let any tears escape. 

Raph deflated. “How can you say that?” 

She met his eyes. 

“How can you say that about yourself?” He asked, gently taking her hand and feeling a sudden warmth inside. “Mona Lisa, you are so beautiful." 

Mona’s amber eyes went wide. “You mean that?” she whispered. “Raphael…” 

“I know my words don’t really mean much considering I’m a giant turtle.” He laughed lightly, only now realizing they were extremely close- beak to beak almost. He backed away. “It’s the perfect name for you, in my opinion.” 

“You know what else?” Mona smirked. “Mona Lisa was painted by Leonardo Da Vinci. Only fitting that we’re going to save your brother Leonardo. So, what do you say?” 

“Let’s do this, Mona Lisa.” 

Chapter Text

I created a monster

A hell within my head

With nowhere to go

I'm out on my own

Oh, I'm so scared

I created a monster

A beast inside my brain

With nowhere to go

I'm not on my own

My mind impaired

Awake me from my nightmare

'What am I?'

That was the question that rang inside the creature's new, adapting mind.

There was darkness surrounding him. So much darkness. The ocean was pitch black as he tried to swim past the wreckage of the ship. It was difficult to maneuver, with his new form hindering him at the worst possible times. His joints ached, his tail was heavy, and everything hurt. It hurt so much that he wondered how he was still alive. But he did move much faster than before- which helped.

His eyesight seemed to be worse as well. Everything was foggy and disoriented, forcing him to use his other senses to his advantage- like his new improved sense of smell.

He couldn't even tell how long it had been. Hours? Days? Weeks? He was too deep underwater to even see the sun.  Not that he really remembered what it looked like. He didn't remember much at all.

He remembered a bright light. The feeling of his body changing, and the pain that came with it. He heard screams that didn't belong to him, before everything faded into silence.

He wondered who those screams belonged to. They sounded close to him, and equally as wounded by his appearance. If they had names, he didn’t know them. But they were important. They had to be. Otherwise, he wouldn't keep seeing them in his dreams.

He needn't worry about that now. No, he had important things to worry about. How to survive now that he was alone.

He snapped his jaws back eagerly, catching a runaway squid with ease. It would satisfy his rumbling belly for a little while longer; if not for the whole night if he was lucky. He couldn't help but feel a certain burst of delight as the squid struggled to keep alive- even as he tore its limbs one by one like taffy strings being pulled apart. He enjoyed every bite. It was part of being an animal.

He was full, but he couldn't shake the pit from his stomach. He didn't know what he was feeling, it wasn't anything that he ever recalled to have experienced. It wasn't hunger, or pain or exhaustion that was causing him this sorrow.

It was loneliness.

He just wanted to swim home. Wherever home was.

He found a nearby cave and tried to get some sleep.

 The mutation process was horrible. It was the most agonizing pain he had ever felt in his short life. A thousand knives digging into his flesh, screams that faded into animalistic roars, gills scattering his body and pricking his skin. He couldn't bear it any longer. He wanted it to stop.

Broken, shaky gasps came from his throat- any last, precious moment of his sanity would be lost in seconds.

He hit the ground with a thud. The voices around him were getting louder. Speaking words he did not understand. But they were important- they had to be.

And then...it all stopped all at once. Warm brown eyes met his own. They were hugging him, assuring him that everything would be alright. He desperately wanted to reply. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He saw the little stranger's eyes fill with tears. They were so much smaller than he was.

"It'll be okay Leo, I'm here...I'm here..." the figure in orange whispered, "I love you brother."

"Give him space," another voice said, a bit harsher than the last. They were panicking too. "Leo?"

Brothers...Family...Leo...

Leo...

'Is that my name?'

His eyes snapped open. The one hugging him in his dreams...he was his kin. The little one who cared for him. There were others too but they were blurry figments of his own imagination at this point.

He had to find the little one as soon as possible. Then, he could find the others.

At least he knew his name. That was one positive.

He croaked out a sound, attempting to say his name, only to be met with bubbles squeaking out his throat. He couldn't speak anymore, let alone underwater.

He had to swim to the surface. He started to swim as fast as he possibly could, wagging his tail back and forth until he reached the top. Through his blurry vision, he saw them. They were grinning and beaming, clad in bright colors. Red, orange, purple and yellow. All with him. Hugging him close. Comforting him. He would reunite with his kin and they would...

He stopped as soon as his massive dorsal fin breached the water. The corner of his eye saw the jagged fin and flinched at its terrifying appearance.

What if they saw him and were frightened and repulsed by what he looked like?  Would they really want to care for the horrible sea monster?

He started to float down back to his cave. In the darkness, where a freak like him belonged.

Chapter Text

Raphael was smarter and wiser than anyone truly knew. Well, he knew for a fact his siblings told him he was smart, but there were times he simply didn't feel that way. As leader, he was impulsive and impatient, always rushing into battle sai (or formally tonfa before they were destroyed) ablaze. He was never a planner, and that was how he led his team. Kick. Punch. Smash. It worked for him, for them.

He should have known his time as leader would end eventually, but he didn't expect it to end so soon after a glorious victory. They had defeated Shredder. They had won. He remembered hugging Mikey tight, yelling and whooping and cheering for pure joy. Until...

"Oh and Blue, you're the leader now." Dad told them without a second thought. 

Had he heard those words correctly?

His world stopped then, crushing him like an overflowing avalanche cascading down a mountain. He was shocked, startled, betrayed and heartbroken at the news.

What did I do wrong?

Why was Leo now the leader?

He wanted to ask all those questions right away, though he knew he couldn't. He saw the glowing pride mixed with surprise in his little brother's eyes. He looked so happy and excited that there was no way he was going to ruin it for him.

He wasn't the only one who was unhappy with the news. Donnie, unlike Raph, had been extremely vocal in their disapproval for Leo's new role in the team. Ever since the announcement, they were more cold and distant, and every interaction with Leo ended in a screaming match.

Raph was the one to stop the fights before it got ugly. He was the one Donnie vented to about how dumb Leo was. He was the one who comforted Mikey after each horrible fight. He was the one Leo would go to for advice on how to properly handle said fight.

Before Raphael was a leader, he was a brother. That would never change. And his siblings were the best things in his life. So to keep them happy, he pushed his own feelings aside from then on. What did it matter if the former leader was jealous of his younger brother? It didn't matter that he was still bitter about how he was never given any proper training to be the leader, like Leo did. Or that he was always the one his littlest siblings went to...because their father was never willing to listen to their troubles. Raph was never busy, Raph was understanding, Raph was caring, Raph was the oldest, Raph was...

Raph's feelings did not matter. He grew to understand that.

He hoped that the cruise vacation would be just what they all needed. A break from the arguments, the tears, the pain. A chance to relax and enjoy each other's company after an entire year of suffering.

He thought of the first few nights there. The laughs he shared with his family. The warmth inside that made his heart swell with happiness. The euphoria in his smile as he dreamt that night.

He thought of his dance with Mona Lisa, and forgot his harsh reality. He laughed when she laughed. Her eyes sparkled madly when he turned her in a clumsy twirl. Maybe he was meant to be happy instead. This trip might finally be the first few steps of a better life. Best of all, he didn't have to bottle his emotions inside for once.

Then it all came crumbling down.

He hadn't been fast enough. He was too focused on helping Mona Lisa fight off this disgusting mutant sea slug to hear Donnie scream for help. His sibling was on the other side of the ship, seizing in pain from a powerful stingray. He saw Filch's claws grasping the mutagen gun, pointing at his sibling...

He dropped everything and ran. He heard Mikey's shouts, he felt Mona pull him back, but he didn't stop running. He would save Donne in the nick of time, and everything would be okay.

He just didn't anticipate Leonardo would have the same thought process.

He failed. Massively.

All of a sudden his feelings, his jealousy, his pain, his frustrations became petty and unimportant.

Leo was gone.

And that moment forward, Raph decided he had to fix it. He didn't know how he was going to do it, but he was. For the sake of his family.

There were no words to properly articulate how Donatello was feeling, despite their vast knowledge and vocabulary. No matter how much they concentrated, no words came through. Except...

"Oh and Blue, you're the leader now."  "What??"

Disbelief.

"Listen if you're jealous that I was made leader and not you: That's your problem, not mine."

Jealousy.

"Well maybe we wouldn't be in this situation if somebody had contacted Raph in the first place like he was supposed to!"

Rage.

"Just breathe, Donnie. You can't keep doing this to yourself." The voice of Mind Raph assured them, although at the time they didn't know what he meant.

Helpless.

"On the contrary I have just enough to use on one victim. I've never mutated a mutant before, I wonder what sort of monster you'll turn into? Double the mutation!"

They thought they were doomed. They thought the gun held in Fishface's webbed claws would activate, mutating them into a horrible, mindless monster. Perhaps this was their karma for how awful they had been.

Fear.

But that never happened, or at least how any of them expected.

"No!" They heard Leonardo shouts before taking the hit instead. It happened so fast, Donnie had not a second to register it. Their brother, their protective brother, had saved them.

Their brother sprawled to the ground, panting heavily as he struggled to stay alive.

Donnie clenched their jaw, reliving the memory of Leo's howling cries hitting their ear slits as his body mutated. They could hear each bone contort and change, but there was nothing they, or anyone else could do to stop it.

Shock.

Raph's arms were holding on to them for dear life, assuming comforting words that left no impact, "It'll be okay, I promise."

Denial.

"It's your fault Leo's like this!"

Guilt.

There were several words that Donnie could use to describe how they were feeling. But the one that spoke to them the loudest, was numb.

They were numb to the world.

Hamato Donatello was gifted with knowledge that most adults didn't have. Knowledge, wisdom, wit, and the skills to create wonderful inventions made out of scraps and metal. They were a problem solver, and they always have been.

You're smart Dee, I'm sure you'll figure that whole process out."

But this was one problem they couldn't solve. They just didn't have the guts to admit it.

Why did everyone have to solely rely on them to fix it? And if they didn't turn Leo back to normal, that weight would carry on them for an eternity. Like climbing a flight of stairs with a ball and chain tied to their leg. The ball only gets heavier and the stairs only get longer, and with nothing stopping them except the encouragement of those watching them suffer in silence.

'It's my job to fix this. Not because I can or know how, but because it's my fault this happened. Do it for Leo. Do it for everyone.'

The purple turtle reached for a nearby stone on the sandy path. It was firm and not flat enough to skim but they tossed it into the ocean anyway. Predictably it landed with one, pitiful splash. Donnie sighed. It was hopeless. They didn't know the first thing about reversing a mutation. Perhaps Draxum did, but even still...

The palm trees rustled behind them. They jumped subtly, aware that it wasn't the wind or an animal. It was footsteps, a snap of a twig from being stepped on and then abrupt silence.

Donnie didn't even bother reaching for their staff, and instead snapped at the person behind them, "Didn't I make it perfectly transparent (that means clear, in case you didn't know), that I'd like to be alone?"

"Even me?"

Though their expression was hardened from exhaustion, their shoulders slumped, comforted by her presence, "April." they murmured, sounding fond, but tired.

She joined their side, trying to meet their stubborn gaze.

"I don't want to talk about my feelings," They said bitterly.

"Relax." April held her hands up in surrender. "I didn't come here for that." She frowned.

"Can you look at me though? Please?"

Reluctantly, their eyes met hers. She studied them carefully.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"No." 

"I didn't sleep much either," April admitted softly. "Couldn't stop thinking about..." she trailed off once she saw Donnie wince. She tried a different approach. "You're tired and hungry. I know you Dee. Come on, let's get some food and rest a bit and then you'll feel better."

"I won't feel better until he's back and safe."

"Which he will be." Her voice was firm and certain. "Don't give me that look. He will be. We can't turn him back to normal if we're exhausted."

"We?"

"Yes, we." April folded her arms. "You, me, Raph, Mikey, Lisa. We're a team!" She pumped her fist in the air, only to deflate when Donnie didn't copy her motion.

"No. No, I have to fix this myself. The reverse mutating part at least. I'm the only one who can actually do it."

"You can't possibly pile that entire burden on yourself. You couldn't figure that out by yourself either."

"Well obviously!" Donnie's voice cracked. "Do you have to rub it in??" April automatically reached for them- which they rejected with a flinch and a tense turn away from her.

"Donnie, I didn't mean- I just meant it's a lot. Please, let us help you. Let me help you," She paused, memories flooding back to yesterday's events.

"I don't understand why you're being so calm!" Mikey snapped, glaring daggers at his sibling. "Especially when it's your fault Leo's like this!"

How could she not have realized sooner? She knew her best friend well, and that comment still left a painful mark. No doubt they would believe those words- even if it was only yelled out in a brief moment of rage. Mikey was so sweet, that it was incredibly jarring to hear- and the box turtle regretted it too, clearly.

"This...whole thing is because of what Mikey said, isn't it?"

Numb. That was what Donnie felt. Still, they made no indication that they were suffering, "I need to fix this."

"We will." April confirmed, taking their hand and squeezing it. To her relief, they didn't retract away. "It isn't your fault, Donnie and we will fix this. Do not put this entirely on yourself."

They looked mournfully at the ocean. "I should...I should get some rest."

She gave them a watery chuckle, watching them slip away back to the campsite and following them close behind. "I love you Donnie."

They stopped, a ghost of a smile appearing across their face.

"Love you too."

Donnie's initial plan was to head back to camp, claim to be taking a very long nap and instead focus entirely on turning Leo back to normal. Of course, none of that came to be, because as soon as they returned together with April, they were bombarded by Michelangelo who shoved some kind of dish (that was not gumbo this time) in their hands.

"I saw you missed breakfast so I figured I'd getcha something!"

Donnie bowed their head slightly as a nod of thanks, hoping to take it to go, but Mikey stopped them.

"Lisa has something to tell us! Take a seat and start eating before it gets cold."

He was trying to make amends, even after Donnie had forgiven him. Donnie would be lying if they didn't appreciate that.

Much to the surprise of no one, Lisa was with Raph. It was almost laughable to see them act like fools around each other, sharing quick glances and blushing madly. When it was time for the announcement to actually happen, Lisa raised her voice to the group.

"I'd like to be called Mona Lisa from now on."

And that was that. Mikey seemed more chipper, thrilled that they all had matching art names, whilst April seemed to have known all along that the name change was going to happen. Donnie simply didn't care too much, but politely gave a half hearted congratulations before retreating.

They flopped on their makeshift bed, dwelling inside what their next plan would be.

'If I can get some of Leo's blood samples... combine it with my own mutated DNA and perhaps some ooze that Barry has then maybe...'

"I need to write this down." They mumbled, grabbing their phone and jotting down information in the notes app. "His mutated DNA has to be different from mine, seeing as he was mutated twice. That's never happened before so I'm working with..." they snapped their mouth shut upon hearing heavy footsteps behind them- of course belonging to none other than their overly concerned elder brother.

"Don?"

"What's a fella gotta do to get away from you people??" They demanded, spinning around dramatically. Their anger did not last long upon seeing Raph's shattered expression. Instantly they felt a pang of regret. "Raph, bud,  I didn't mean to..."

"No, s' okay. I shouldn't have bothered you. I'll leave ya be."

Donnie's eyes watered, now feeling more helpless and exhausted than ever. As Raph turned to leave, they crumpled to the floor, hoping their sobs would have the decency to be quiet to save their dignity.

They weren't quiet. The sobs turned into muffled, hiccuppy squeaks which were painfully audible. They only ceased when Raphael laid a gentle arm around them, then moved just a little closer until they were pulled into a secure hug.

"Donnie?" He tried to be gentle while resting one hand to his sibling's shaking shoulders, "What's wrong?"

"Everything." They mumbled, hating how weak their voice sounded.

"Shhh...I'm here now. I'm here, Dee." He looked down mournfully. "I came to check on you 'cause April was worried. We all can tell you're hurting," He moved an inch to give Donnie some space. "I've been doin' a whole lot of thinkin' and I wanted to properly apologize."

"Huh?"

"About what I said yesterday."

Donnie blinked.

"You know! I made it sound like you're gonna be the one to turn Leo back all by yourself an' that must have been so stressful to hear. I shouldn't have put so much pressure on you."

"Oh. That."

"Yeah, that. Which would explain why you were..."

They stiffened, scowling slightly, "I wasn't crying."

"I didn't say you were," Raph assured them, before adding, "I miss him too. We'll get him back, I promise."

"I'll get him back," They corrected. "I'll turn him back to normal as soon as I figure out how."

Raph wanted to throw his arms up in exasperation, "No, no, no that's 'zactly why I was apologizing! I don't want you doing this," He gestured comically, "all by yourself."

"Everyone keeps saying that, but I have to fix it. I know you didn't mean to pin it on me, however-" Donnie resumed their typing. "Seeing as this was entirely my fault (a fact I seldom thought I'd ever admit aloud), I figured I'd take one for the team."

"What?" The snapping turtle snatched the gauntlet from his younger sibling's wrist, holding it up above his head.

"Hey! Give that back!"

"Not until you admit what you said was wrong! How the heck is this your fault?" Raph shook his head in disbelief. "That makes no sense. So tell me why you think that."

"Return my tech gauntlet and I'll tell you."

"Hm..." he pretended to think for a moment. "I dunno."

"Hamato Raphael! I demand that you present my tech gauntlet post haste!" They attempted to climb their brother's spiked carapace, only to flop backwards into the sand. Frustrated, they tried one last tactic. "Please?"

"Why do you think this is all your fault?"

"Give it back."

"Stop avoiding the question." He snapped back, unaware he drove Donnie into a corner. “Tell me why you think this is your fault.” 

The younger turtle sighed, accepting that Raph was too stubborn to back down. “You know I’ve been jealous of Leo being the leader.” They didn’t wait for him to reply.  “I was so angry about it, I’ve been wondering why it couldn’t have been me. I know that sounds selfish, I don’t need you to tell me.” 

‘Boy, do I know how that feels.’ Raph thought. 

“You’re probably wondering how this relates to anything. Well, before you saved us from Filch, Leon and I had a fight. Tensions were high, we were all scared, but I lost my temper. I said things I shouldn’t have, basically implied he wasn’t fit to be the leader. 

Then of course, I got into trouble again. I thought I was a goner, I thought Filch was gonna mutate me and I was terrified.” Their voice trembled.“I saw you running to help me but I didn’t even see Leo and then-” Their eyes went wide, as if they were replaying the events again. “He saved me. Even after all I said to him, he still saved me. I mean, shit, how can that not be my fault? If I had just gotten away in time, he would still be here.” They hugged their knees. “If I wasn’t so jealous and resentful, he wouldn’t be...well...you know.” 

Raphael had been listening the entire time, pondering each word with enough care to speak from the heart. “He would have saved you regardless.” 

“What?” 

“Not saying you're not capable of saving yourself, you are but we’re a family and we fight for each other. No matter what you said, or what you did, we’ll always want to love and protect you. If I had been faster, I’d probably have been mutated too. Because Donnie, we would go above and beyond to make sure you guys are safe. Leo’s exactly the same,” He rested one hand to his knee. “It was a huge adjustment when he became leader. I was upset, even a little jealous too. The point...the point is we’re gonna save him. I swear. All five of us. An’ we’ll kick Filch's fish butt in the process so he'll never cause us anymore harm."

"You were jealous too?" Donnie asked suddenly.

"What? No, no I didn't say that-"

"Yeah you did," They propped one leg up and cocked their head to one side. "Y'know, you don't have to deny it. I'm not the only one who has feelings."

Raph bit his lip. "I was jealous, but not really? I was more confused than anything. Like, I was wondering what I did wrong."

"You didn't do anything wrong! You helped us defeat the Shredder."

"Then why was Leo..." His eyebrows furrowed. "Now I sound selfish. I don't want to be, especially now but..."

"It was a lot to take in."

"I didn't even ask how Leo felt."

"Me neither."

"When we turn him back, we have to talk. All four of us."

Donnie didn't perk up at that, they merely hummed in acknowledgement. "If we turn him back." They corrected.

Raph's leg started to bounce up and down, an anxious tick that always started whenever he didn't know what else to say. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out: "Magtiwala!"

Donnie raised an eyebrow, tilted their head, and stared at their brother for a long time as though he had lost his mind.

"Magtiwala. It's um, Tagalog. The language they speak in the Philippines, it's-"

"I know what Tagalog is, I'm not ignorant. But why did you say that?"

"It means to have faith," Raphael's grin widened. "Which I think we all need right now."

Donnie's puzzled stare switched to a smug smirk. "Did your girlfriend tell you that?" They teased, enjoying as Raph nearly fell backwards in shock.

"Girlfriend? What girlfriend?" He sputtered, carefully sitting back up as naturally as he could, "I don't see any girlfriends here! Nope!"

"Fine. Be that way. They rolled their eyes, tsking. "Did Mona Lisa tell you that?"

Raphael blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, "Nooo...? It's a quote from uhhh...Gandhi?" His voice went uncharacteristically high.

"Gandhi?" Donnie repeated dryly. "Uh-huh."

"What? He could have said it."

"I know Mona's Fillipina, she told me-"

"I don't know why you keep bringing her up when clearly I was quoting Gandhi."

"You're not fooling anyone, Raphael," Donnie snorted. "You like her."

He exhaled. "Is it that obvious?"

"Let me put it this way: You're as subtle as a sandstorm in New Mexico."

Raph started to whistle casually.

Donnie groaned. "Yes! Yes it's extremely obvious! I may be asexual and have terrible social cues but even I can pick up on that." Their smile faded when they noticed Raph's downcast expression. "You can tell her, you know."

"I mean, obviously I care about her and want to tell her but I can't. Not when Leo's life is at stake."

"Guess we have a lot to talk about when this is over."

Raph huffed a laugh. "You bet. Some vacation, huh?"

They shared a light laugh, not realizing how long they had been talking. The sun was starting to set against the peach, gold and red streaked skies. All was peaceful, until they heard more footsteps- small, flighty but running with purpose approached from behind.

"Guys!" the littlest turtle exclaimed, looking wide eyed and frantic. 

"Mikey, what's wrong?" Raphael demanded, seeing the distress in his brother's eyes and mannerism.

"It's - I-" He started gasping, shaking like a leaf.

"Mikey?"

"It's Leo. I found him!"

Chapter Text

When Mikey was very little, he recalled a phrase said on TV: 'Pinch me, I must be dreaming!' 

He giggled when he heard it. It was so absurd, he couldn't help but laugh. The reason it was said was because the situation in question was so nonsensical, so strange and whimsical that it couldn't possibly happen in real life. It had to be a dream, simple as that. 

Sometimes he used the phrase.  Like the time he was surrounded by adorable puppies owned by the sweet, but weirdly friendly Todd. Or the time he fought with his mystic kusari fundo for the first time against Baron Draxum before he became good. Or heck, when a new Jupiter Jim movie was released early. 

Now, was one of those times. 

He was by the beach, admiring the sea side and doing some deep thinking. The water was clear, the sun was shimmering above the golden sand, and he felt, for once in a long while: at peace. With all the stress filled nights he experienced, it was nice to breathe for once. He closed his eyes with a content hum, hearing the gentle crash of waves push against the shore. Each wave was calm and predictable. 

But something didn't sound right. After a few moments of hearing the waves splash about, and the seagulls cry from a distance, it suddenly was silent. 

The waves were irregular now. Mikey opened his eyes. He swore he saw- no, he knew he saw something! Something that wasn't a wave breached the water. The action was brief, because whatever it was disappeared under the water as quickly as it entered. 

It couldn't be gone though. No normal animal moved that fast. Unless it wasn't a normal animal. 

His heart was doing a thump thump thumping against his plastron as he made his way to the shore, nearly falling flat on his face in shock. He squinted a bit, hoping to catch a proper glimpse of whatever it was before it dove underwater. 

He was getting closer now, he hissed at the sudden shock of cold water hitting his ankles. He didn't stop moving, not until he saw it again. 

'There it is!' He almost whooped with joy once he saw a silvery, muted green dorsal fin burst through as it swam along. A dolphin? A shark? Mikey hoped it wasn't the latter. 

No, it couldn't be either of those things. The rest of its massive body breached the surface at last, finally becoming visible. Most notably, its uneven back, flank and tail. And Mikey did not know of any normal sea creature having the spotted, bumpy markings belonging to that of a turtle's shell. 

But the final straw was seeing the creature's face. He couldn't see its eyes- it was too far away. What he did see was the familiar blood red markings cascading down the creature's cheek, covering its eyes and leading down to its snout. 

"I gotta be dreaming..." He uttered in amazement. 

His initial reaction to seeing Leo would have been to scream, to cry, to swim right over and give his big brother an old fashioned bear hug. But Mikey had learned from constant lectures by Donnie, that it's best to think with his head, not his heart. 

Which was easier said than done, because Leo was so close, probably ten or twelve feet away, and yet his mind was clearly far gone. He didn't even register that Mikey was standing there. The only acknowledgement he made was a hoarse growl. 

"Hang on Leo, I'll be back faster than Rupert Swaggart dicing cilantro!" He vowed, crossing his heart for good measure. "Just stay put!" 

Now whether his super mutant brother actually understood him was debatable, but regardless Mikey sprinted as fast as his legs could carry him. Through the lush trees and the chirping birds and the thick layers of brambles poking him with every heavy step. He was still huffing and puffing when he arrived at the campsite, a painful stitch in his side and with barely enough energy to voice a raspy gasp to his oblivious siblings. 

"Guys!" 

"Mikey, what's wrong?" Raph was the first to react, moving towards him with a concerned brotherly stare. 

"It's - I-" he couldn't form the right words. How could he? It was all so sudden. So strange. He was still out of breath. 

"Mikey?" Donnie interrupted his jumbled, anxious thoughts with their sharp tone. They weren't angry, they were scared. "What happened?" 

Finally, he swallowed thickly, letting the words spill out. "It's Leo. I found him." 

Donnie and Raph looked at him in alarm. "Are you sure?" the latter asked. 

"I know what I saw. C'mon, I'll show y'all exactly where I saw him." 

Mikey led the way, feeling grim, but still hopeful. If luck would have it, Leo would still be there, and they could find a way to keep him safe. "He might have swam away..." 

They heard a roar in the distance. 

"Or...not." Donnie gulped. 

"Holy..." Raph uttered as he brushed past them. He was in front now, eyes wide and jaw dropped as he stepped on the sand to face the creature in front of them. Approaching the shore with his massive tail flicking forward was Leo, now more snake like than before. He was as large and imposing as they remembered, with gills scattering his new mutated form. His carapace was still there, unnaturally breaking through his skin in hideous silver and green bumps. His mouth was ajar, fangs poking out. Leo let out a mighty roar that sounded close to a pained scream. It ached all three of them to hear. 

"Leo..." Raph whispered mournfully. He instinctively stood in front of his younger siblings in case their mutated brother attacked. He hadn't spotted them yet, but he wasn't taking any chances. 

"What's the plan?" Donnie tilted their head in Leo's direction. 

"I'm open to suggestions." replied Raph. "There's no way we can catch him all by ourselves." He murmured under his breath. 

"Maybe I should have gotten April and Mona too..." 

"No, you did the right thing, Mikey." Raph assured him, then a light bulb turned on, blinking above his head. "Plan A, we talk to him." 

"Talk to him?" Donnie repeated flatly. 

"Well, yeah. There might be some of his old self inside his head," Raph poked his temple to demonstrate or rather explain his thought process. 

They all simultaneously cringed as they heard an awful retching sound near Leo. 

Donnie poked their head out from behind the palm tree. "He just puked up a whale carcass." 

"That doesn't mean anything!" 

"And now he's..." 

"I don't wanna know!" He exclaimed in disgust. 

"Don't you see, Raph?" Donnie snapped. "He isn't in the right state of mind! I don't even think he can talk." 

"You don't know that." 

Leo started to growl. 

"All I'm saying is, one of us can try to talk to him, but I don't think it's gonna work." 

Raph sighed. "You may be right. I just...wish there was some way to communicate with him." His eyes wandered, watching as his brother moved closer to the trees. "Bingo! Say, can I borrow your nunchucks, Mikey?" 

"Sure?" Mikey stared at him for a moment before complying. "Why do you need 'em'?" 

"I think I got an idea. It won't be pretty, and none of us will like it but..." He pointed at Leo who darted behind a series of trees. "He may not move as fast on land, but he's way faster than any of us. So we gotta get him trapped somehow, and I'm thinkin' I'll hold him down gently-" He held his hands up at Mikey's wince. "Gently, I swear! Donnie will tie him up with the kusari..." 

"I will?" 

"I don't know about this..." Mikey's lower lip trembled. "What if you accidentally hurt him? The new mystic mojo might still be there. I mean sure it only really activates when we're together but I'd hate if-" 

"Uh, I think you should be more concerned for Raph." Donnie pointed out. "I remember Fishface mentioning that there's some box jellyfish DNA in him. One zap from them, and you're toast." 

"I've dealt with worse than electric shocks." Raph said, dismissing Donnie's concerns. He frowned.  "Wait...box jellyfish...ain't those the fish that stop your heartbeat?" 

"That would be correct, yes." 

Raph shivered, trying to push away the unpleasant thoughts. "Noted." 

"What will I do?" asked Mikey. 

"You've gotta distract him. Any way you can." 

Donnie looked outraged. "What!" 

"Me? But I-" Mikey squeaked out, taking time to register his brother's words with his innocent doe eyes. He nodded grimly. "I won't let you down." 

Raph placed a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder.  "We'll be here if anything happens." 

"Oh no, he is not going out there with Leo!" Donnie pushed towards their towering brother. "He'll be eaten alive!" 

"Donnie..." 

"You are not sending our baby brother to act as bait! I shan't allow it!" 

"Hey, I'm not a baby anymore!" Mikey scowled. "Leo's always had a soft spot for me and I think, no, I know he's in there somehow. I've gotta find him." 

"Mike's the best turtle for the job," Raph insisted, "And I'd never let either of you get hurt, you know that. We just need someone to keep Leo calm until we catch him." 

"But you guys won't hurt him when he gets caught," Mikey's eyebrows furrowed. "Promise me." Both his siblings nodded. "Good," He handed off the twin nunchucks to Donnie. "Let's do this." 

With the confidence that usually came from Leonardo himself, Mikey bravely strode towards his mutated, still thrashing about brother. 

"Hi Leon..." He said in the softest voice he could muster. "It's me," He shyly waved.  "Your brother. Mikey." 

Leonardo blinked at him slowly. His eyes had no pupils now, only snake-like slits that made him seem less approachable, even a bit scary. Additionally the fangs sticking out of his mouth weren't comforting either, making Mikey wish he had rejected this idea. 

Mikey continued, despite the clear indication that Leo was unable to comprehend what he was saying.  "Actually all of us are here. Raph, Donnie, April..." He listed them off. "Do you remember them?" 

No response. He should have expected that. 

"I think you do," He insisted, firmly planted. "We're your family, and we miss you so much. We just want to help you." He exhaled a shaky breath.  "Will you let us?" 

Leo moved closer towards him. He squeezed his eyes shut, only to open them again when he realized Leo was only trying to get a closer look. His dark eyes met Mikey's, snout lowering slightly to nudge him. There was a croaking noise that the serpent made that sounded in between a sob and a growl. 

"Hey, hey..." Mikey held out his hand to pet Leo's deformed beak. "I'm here. I'm not goin' anywhere." 

He flinched slightly as Leo made a soft growl.

"Mm...iiii..." He croaked. 

Mikey was taken aback. "What?" 

"-ii...key..." 

He instantly perked up. "Yeah! Yeah I'm Mikey!" 

"Mi...key..." 

He felt his heart race. "And you're Leo...can you say Leo?" 

Leo stared back at him. 

"Give it a try, Leo. Leo." 

"...'eo..." he mumbled. 

Mikey's heart exploded just at the little signs of his brother recognizing him. "Yes! You're Leo. You're my big brother!" He concentrated for a moment. "I ...didn't think I'd ever see you again." He rested a hand on Leo's scaly cheek and sighed. "You look so different now, but I know you're still my brother an' I know for a fact you're the same as always. You wanna know why?" He didn't wait for a reply. "Cause you risked everything to save us that night on the ship. That's just who you are. Our leader who always tries to protect us, even at the cost of your own life. You're funny, witty, smart and brave. So brave." Tears were forming as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "You're also, Leonardo, the same weirdo who orders Hawaiian just to piss Donnie off AND ends up genuinely liking it afterwards." 

It was a stupid joke, and automatically he let out a watery laugh. 

"I just want you back. We need our brother. I- ..." His voice cracked, wrapping his arms around his mutated brother's neck and lightly weeping into it. "I miss you." 

Through the corner of his eye, he swore he saw a flash of blue light sparking from Leo's tail as it flicked towards him. He frowned, reaching a hand to touch it. 

Lucky for him, for at that moment, Donnie noticed it too. 

"Don't!" They warned, jumping in front of him with their staff raised. "Sorry about this Leon!" And whacked him in the snout to prevent him from coming any closer. 

"Why did you do that?" Mikey demanded as Leo howled in pain. "You promised you wouldn't hurt him! You promised!"

"He was about to sting you with his tail," Donnie snapped back. "Remember what I said? Box jellyfish? Does that ring a bell?" They pulled Mikey to the ground roughly as Leo snapped his jaws at them, narrowly avoiding a sudden decapitation from their elder brother. He did bite at them, but only enough to slightly smash the top of Donatello's battle shell. Pieces of the machinery scattered messily. 

"Donnie!" Mikey cried.  

Raphael was coming from the other side, darting underneath Leo's serpentine body to return to his little siblings. He covered their shivering forms, eyes meeting Leo's, who roared in his face. 

"Leo, you have to stop this, brother." He whispered. 

They braced themselves for a final attack but it never came. Leo stared at them for a long time, as if he was trying to decipher who they were. He blinked thrice. Then once more, and then slithered back into the waters, disappearing under the waves. 

"Leo..." Donnie murmured, forcing themselves to look away from the ocean and back at their remaining brothers. "He's gone." 

The walk back to camp was silent, except for the occasional birds chirping in the distance. No one wanted to speak. There was no need to. 

When they arrived, it took one concerned look from April O' Neil to notice their devastated expressions for her to suddenly demand: "What happened?" 

Raph was the one to explain. His throat was tight and hoarse and every word came out emotionless. Everything was far more painful than any attack Leo inflicted on him, and it was worse recounting the events back to their sister. 

"You should have told me. I could have helped," April had the right to be hurt and angry. All three of the turtles expected her to yell at them. They probably deserved it anyway after their failure. Instead however, she brought them into a close hug. "C'mere guys." 

Mikey was the first to break away. He glanced back at his siblings, flicking to each of them briefly. 

Donnie's eyes were filled with guilt and despair. They took a step forward to say something, but Mikey shook his head. 

"We were so close too." He murmured weakly, brushing the tears that were rolling down his cheek. 

Leo was always the planner, even before he became leader. He never made a fuss about it, and was always subtle and nonchalant whenever he took charge. Without him, they were an empty shell of a team. And none of them knew how they were ever going to get their brother back. Their one chance, their one silver lining...and they had blown it. 

They sat around the dimly lit fire pit, huddling together for added warmth. 

Raphael clenched his fist around a broken branch, twisting it into little bits before tossing it into the flames. His initial excuse for the action had been kindling, but now he was throwing it carelessly. 

"He's gone again. We almost...he could have been with us. Maybe if I just reacted faster, I could have held him down and...

"Everything since this vacation started has been a curse. I let you guys get captured. If I had just gone with Donnie instead of going to that party-" 

I never even asked them what happened when they were captured by Filch. 

Donnie cut him off. "You wouldn't have met Mona Lisa, who just so happened to know Filch and figure out what he was up to. Face it Raph. If you had gone with me or Mikey and April, you would have probably gotten captured too." 

"And don't tell us you regret meeting Mona, because we won't believe you." April added. "In some ways, it's good we went on this terrible vacation. Otherwise Filch would have mutated a bunch of people into ..." 

"What Leo is now." Raph finished for her, burrowing his head in his hands. 

"Yeah. That." 

Raph sighed deeply. "Just another thing we messed up. We lost the people on the cruise, we lost Leo, Filch got away..." 

Someone leaned against his shoulder. April. Then his other side. Donnie. The only one who hadn't moved closer to Raph was Mikey. 

The box turtle was close to the fire now, back turned away from Raph. He was shivering despite being so close to the warm flames. 

"It's no use blaming ourselves for what happened, Raph,"  He finally said. "What's that gonna do? At least we know Leo is alive, even if our plan failed completely. If we can find some way to track him..." He gave a pointed look at Donnie. 

"Even if I could, I have no way to turn him back to normal!" 

"Maybe you don't but I think I know someone who could..." 

"Fishface." Raph growled. 

"Exactly!" Mikey turned around. "We capture Fishface, demand him to turn Leo back to normal and then we'll have our brother back." 

"You think he's even out there?" 

"He's a fish. No way he could have drowned,' April snorted. "Mikey's right. We can't keep beating ourselves up. We have to stay positive and fight for Leo's sake. We'll find that fish creep if that's the last thing we do."

Mona Lisa couldn't sleep. Her insides were twisting and churning as she sat on the edge of her makeshift bed, rest being the last thing on her mind. Her mind was fully awake anyway, there was no point in trying to sleep. 

She climbed off the bed, crouching forward to grab her nearby satchel. She reached her hand inside, checking to make sure the item was still there, and breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled it out.

In her fist, was a shiny bottle filled to the top with the familiar orange liquid. One sip, or rather one splash of this, and she would revert back to being a normal human. Just one…

“Mona?” 

She jerked around, shoving the bottle back in its bag, “Raph?” she squeaked, shoving the bag behind her arms and hoping she didn’t look suspicious. “Is everything okay?” she asked the large turtle. 

“Yeah, uh, just wanted to let you know we have a game plan tomorrow,” His voice was gruff, but certain. “To stop Filch, and maybe get Leo back too. But we can’t exactly plan unless we get some sleep. So,” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Good night?” 

She smiled softly, feeling the side of her bag. “Yes. Goodnight. But first...there's something I need to tell you." 

Chapter Text

"What is it?" Raph asked, taking a seat beside her. He clasped his hands together with polite, but clearly concerned thoughts.

Mona rested one hand to her temple, remembering so long ago when hair used to rest on her head and feeling a wave of despair hitting her at once. But she pushed those thoughts aside. That wasn't important.

"Mona?"

"I'm sorry for not being completely honest back on the ship." She placed her hand down, "and for everything I put your family through." She looked at him with remorse.

Raphael's expression softened. "Mona, you know I forgave you ages ago. We all did.  Water under the bridge."

"I know, but still...I shouldn't have lied about who I was."

"You didn't know us at the time. Heck, we were practically strangers."

Mona stared at him for a moment, amused, "The point I'm trying to make is I realize how much suffering I caused by lying," She met his warm smile, "I'm not going to defend my actions. It was an awful thing to do. So I want to make things right, and swear to be honest with you guys."

The snapper looked surprised. "I appreciate that. Especially after the whole situation today," It was only mere hours ago that the three siblings had seen Leonardo, but it felt so long ago. "It's been rough."

"There's more to what I'm saying."

"Huh?"

She reached behind for her satchel and held the bottle in the space between them. "Look at this. I showed it to Donatello while we were on the ship, but not to you. It's retro mutagen. Or at least, that's what I call it."

"Retro mutagen?" He poked the bottle, causing the liquid inside to make a small ripple. The second he poked it, the bottle was snatched away in a blink of an eye.

"Don't touch it!" She hissed. "It reverses the effect of a mutation. So you would turn back into a regular turtle. Filch had some, and promised if I helped with his plan I'd get to turn back human. What he didn't know is," she tapped the cork, "I took the bottle before the ship sank. Sure I betrayed him, but I earned my prize. Do you see what I'm getting at?"

Raph's eyes went wide with realization, then his shoulders slumped, "And you want to use it..." He couldn't hide his disappointment even if he wanted to.

'Of course she would want it. Why else would she bring it up? Who knows if it even works on Leo.'

She paused, the image of her former life flashing in her mind. A normal teenage girl, doing normal girl things and being with her normal family. The same family who didn't seem to notice or care that she had been gone this whole time. Six months if she remembered correctly. Did they even miss her? Probably not. They barely cared when she was around.

Then she thought of Leonardo, a person she did not know very well and who rightfully disliked her, mutating into a hideous monster right in front of his own family. She thought of Raphael, who spoke so fondly of Leo being bright and curious and so caring. She didn't really know the real him, but she hadn't gotten a chance to.

He needed this more than she needed it.

"I did," her smile faded. "I really want...wanted to. But sometimes what I want isn't what I need. I want to stay by your side, Raphael and I..." She placed the bottle in his hand. "I want to help save your brother. Maybe this is the key to turning him back."

Raph seemed conflicted. "I don't know what to say...this is amazing but...are you sure you're okay with this?"

She swallowed the painful lump in her throat. There was no use turning back now, and she had made her final decision. "Yes. Making sure Leo is safe is my only concern right now. Besides, being a mutant has its perks."

"What about your family?" He pressed. "I don't mean to intrude, but they miss you, don't they?" His voice trailed off once he saw her scowl.

"They don't," She replied simply. "And they never will. Look, my family isn't like yours. We aren't a tight knit group. They don't miss me. Especially not my dad. He's a dick."

"What about you mother? Or your siblings?" Raph asked, recalling mentions of her mom.

"My Dad up has- er had full custody over us because Mama had really uh," Mona didn't quite know how to explain it without confusing him further, since it was a touchy subject even for her, "she wasn't well mentally after she had my brother Nate. She was sent to a facility when she didn't recover, they divorced a few years later and... it was a whole mess. I called her a few months ago, though I'm not even sure where she is anymore. We visited her a lot more when we were younger. Ironically she always liked Nate best. Cruel irony."

"Mona, gosh I didn't realize—"

"Hey, hey, don't worry about it," She assured him quickly.

"I just assumed when you told me that phrase Magtiwala from your mom I thought..." He frowned. "I shouldn't have assumed."

"It's not a big deal. Every family has their issues. Which is why I want to help you. It took me a while to figure that part out."

"That's very honorable of you," Raph said, eyes glistening with happy tears. He couldn't believe it. They had a chance to turn Leo back to normal!  "Thank you Mona. Thank you so much." He pulled her in a sudden embrace, overcome with emotion.

Now it was Mona's turn to feel flustered, "Ah, um, it's no problem really! But Raph?"

"Yeah?" At this point he was spinning her in the air.

"I love you but I'm starting to get vertigo."

"Oh, oops. Sorry." Raph set her down gently before tensing up. "Wait did you just say—"

She cut him off. "It's getting late, we should probably go ..."

"Sleep. Yes." He cleared his throat. "Sleep is good. Uh, goodnight."

To her surprise, Mona was awoken not by the sweet chirps belonging to the tropical birds inhabiting the island. Instead, she was woken by deep snores.

That's...odd.

She blinked the dust from her eyes and tried to roll over, only to realize she was laying her head directly on Raphael's plastron.

Mona jolted away from shock, startled at how she managed to not only fall asleep on top of him, but not notice it all night.

He obviously didn't notice either, considering he was still snoring even after her sudden movements. She figured she would let the poor guy sleep. He was exhausted from the stressful night, and some rest would do him good.

She stepped out, hoping to enjoy some alone time to enjoy the scenery and relax for a moment. Every day felt like a constant state of panic because of what happened. All she needed was some peace and quiet, just for a little while.

It was a sweltering day already, save for the gentle breeze that wisped by her and rustled the nearby emerald leaves. She could hear the trickling waterfalls nearby and breathed a calm sigh. She never really appreciated how beautiful it was here.

The salamander mutant stiffened as she heard a gruff, but kind voice chime a friendly, "Mornin'!"

She stiffened, turning a shade of pink. "Raph! You're awake! That's...nice."

He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. "Yeah I woke up a little bit after you did. Sorry about the whole sleeping situation. Some night, right?" He said it so casually that she couldn't help but turn away, mortified.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"Hey, hey! No worries. You fell asleep and I didn't have the heart to move," He fumbled with his words nervously. "And I fell asleep right after so it wasn't awkward at all. Until I just said it was awkward. So now it's awkward."

"Oh."

"But I understand if you feel weird about it..."

"No, no, no, it's not weird at all!" She nudged him as she moved closer. "Thank you for not waking me up. I value my sleep."

Their noses were barely an inch apart.  "I value you too," His cheeks turned red the second the words left his lips.

Mona looked taken aback.

"I meant- I mean I didn't-"

"Raph."

"I'm such an idiot, I don't know why I said that!"

"Raph."

"Why did I say that? I mean sure, I value you as a person but that was so random! Who even says that?"

"Raphael!" Mona interjected sharply, but couldn't hide her playful grin.

"...yeah?"

She nuzzled his snout, "It's okay. Relax."

He stood there, stunned into flustered silence. Before he knew it, they were starting to lean closer and closer.

"Guys, Donnie has some big news!"

Both Raph and Mona shrieked, pulling apart instantly at the noise. April stood behind them gaping.

"I'll..." She trailed off, clearing her throat. "Hi. I didn't mean to interrupt whatever this is." Between Mona and Raph's mortified expressions, she was assuming something was going on.

"You weren't interrupting anything!" Raph sputtered, in between laughing and dying inside.

"Oh no, we aren't even-"

"It's a misunderstanding really."

"Yeah, we're just friends!"

"Pals." Raph corrected. "Pals wishing each other a good morning."

"Pals! Yes." Mona lightly punched his arm. "Good morning...buddy."

April, who was now sick of being the third wheel, folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. "Riiiiiight, I'm so convinced," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. "Like I was saying, Donnie has news. So stop with," she tilted her head in their direction, "whatever this is, and let's get going!"

When they returned to the campsite, Donnie and Mikey were by the fire pit talking. The latter immediately stood up and bounded towards the trio- only to be pulled back by Donnie.

"Don't ask them." They warned, shooting a look at Raph and Mona before patting Mikey's shoulder.

Mikey pouted. "I wasn't going to."

"Ask us what?"

"Nothing." Donnie replied, and that was that. "Now on more important things, I may have found a way to track Leo."

Suddenly everyone started talking at once.

"Wait what?"

"Are you serious?"

"How??"

"That's amazing!"

Donnie chuckled, presenting a strange device that was about the size of an ant but with two golden antennas poking on the top.  "Behold: The Tracking Leo Device 1.0! Otherwise known as TTLD." There was a long pause so they added a quick: "The name is still in beta."

"Yeah, we can tell," April snickered. "Go and tell em' what it does."

"I'm getting to that O'Neil, thank you," Donnie huffed. "So when we were with Leo, I managed to attach an identical device to his neck."

"While we were trying to escape from him?" Raph asked, blinking.

"Precisely," They pointed at the shiny metal. "All I need to do is attach it to my tech gauntlet (thank goodness they're both wireless) and bingo! We'll track him down. You may all applaud now."

"That solved one problem, but our brother is still a giant sea serpent with a pretty unstable mind," Mikey said. "Not sure if he can even fit in our new lair in that state."

"One problem at a time, Michael, I'm not a miracle worker." They thought for a moment. "Well I am, but this type of science is a little beyond my capabilities. I've never even heard of reversing the mutation process from Draxum, let alone a mutant even getting mutated twice."

"Actually," Mona said shyly. "I think I might have solved that problem."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Check this out!" Raph nudged Mona forward.

After Mona showed the bottle and explained what it was, the remaining trio looked at it in confusion.

"Are you sure it'll turn Leo back?" asked April, suspicious. "It looks like orange juice."

"Sparkling orange juice!" Mikey said. "Is that a thing?"

"It's worth a shot isn't it?" Raph insisted with folded arms. "This could be our only way to cure Leo."

"Yeah, and it could also kill him!"

"Let me take a closer look," Donnie pulled down their swim goggles, nearly identical to their regular ones. "Aha! Huh...hmmm..."

"See anything Dee?"

"I see a lot of mystic energy, holy shit, I mean, that’s seriously a lot..."

"You can tell that from a pair of swim goggles?" Mona questioned, earning a glare from the softshell.

"I'm not sure we should just dunk this retromutagen on him," April motioned to the bottle. "What if it messes him up more?"

Mikey nodded vigorously. "I'm with April. It could be dangerous!"

"I'd agree with you two, but I also see Raph and Mona's point," Donnie sighed, rubbing the space where their noise should be. "I don't wanna put some unknown chemical on him, but we don't really have any other options to get him back. I can examine it a bit more though, just to be sure it won't kill him."

"Well, that's reassuring."

"I'd like you to think of something else, 'pril," Donnie snapped slightly at their best friend. "Sorry. I just think we don't really have a choice."

"So what's next?"

"We go find Leo."

Chapter Text

April for the most part, had been eager to listen to Donnie's excited rambles about how to properly save Leo. Tracking him was something she had not expected, but nevertheless was on board with. Then with Mona and Raph's revelation about the mysterious retromutagen, she had become more confident. They had a chance! A slim chance, but still a chance! With the five of them together, it would be much easier to hold him down and douse him with it. Although that left her silently wondering if that option was safe, and she knew Donnie was wary of the concoction too. Her best friend was not subtle when expressing their anxieties, though they would never admit it. There was still one issue that the teenaged girl had thought of, and she immediately spoke her concerns. 

"He's deep in the ocean," Donnie confirmed after their tracker had finished examining the area. "Very deep. It's like he wants to make things difficult. But it won't be impossible." 

"There's just one problem, Dee." 

Donnie raised an eyebrow, silently telling her to keep talking. 

"How are we going to get to Leo anyway?" She pointed out, "We can't exactly swim to him. I know I can't." 

"Aha, I thought of that already," The nonbinary scientist grinned, pressing a button on their tech gauntlet. "Watch this." 

"Another invention?" Mona snorted. 

"AnOThEr inVenTioN, she says with zero confidence in my craft!" Donnie mocked, bumping Mona's shoulder playfully. 

"Don't you know by now that we all have our specific quirks, Mona?" Mikey said cheerfully. "I'm the cute one, Donnie does machines, Raph's the strong one, April's the one with the actual legal driver's license..." 

"Ahem, number one: Never say I 'do machines'. That sounds horrible and indecent.  Second, gaze upon the ocean, my friends." 

The gauntlet beeped once. Then again. April squinted, craning her neck forward to get a closer look, as was everyone else. Something was moving towards them, so fast it became a purple blur. 

It appeared to be a small, violet boat with an electrical engine propelling at full speed towards them. As it reached the shore, April noticed it was shaped like a sea turtle, very much similar to... 

"Shelldon!" Raph nearly fell backwards on his carapace. 

Mona scrunched her nose in confusion. "Shell-who?" 

It wasn't a boat at all, but a large robotic motor boat-submarine hybrid with a strong resemblance to Donatello's beloved drone. It flapped its flippers happily, spraying the group with water. 

"Booyakasha!" The drone yelled over its loud motor, "How's that for an entrance, bro-slices, lady bros, and gender neutral bro?" 

"Very impressive Shelly," April grinned. 

"Behold, my pride and joy: S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N, new and improved, never seen before until this very moment!" Donnie crouched down to scratch the top of Shelldon's metal head, "Missed you buddy." 

"Dudesssss I'm so much better now! Good as new!" 

"You rebuilt him?" Raph's confusion melted into pure delight. Donnie's growing grin was the only answer he needed. "Donnie, you brilliant knucklehead!" 

"Thank you, I know." They looked smugly at their creation, reminding April of a proud parent. And in some ways, they were. 

“I can’t believe it!” squealed Mikey. 

While everyone was fawning over the sweet reunion, Mona looked baffled, frustrated and annoyed. "Will anyone explain what's going on here?" she demanded. 

Raphael ended up quickly telling her all about how the turtles were trained to be ninjas, and how they defeated a possessed armor-wearing demon just last year. But despite their victory against the horrific Shredder, they had many losses that came with it. Their original home, their mystic weapons. Mona Lisa was not familiar with demons, or for that matter anything mystic, but she listened on with sympathy. 

"We lost our Gram-Gram during the fight," Mikey swallowed, tears filling his eyes from the painful memory. 

Mona gave him a look not of pity, but of mutual understanding. "You lost your grandmother?" 

Raph nodded grimly. 

"I'm...so sorry." There wasn't really much else she could say. 

"When she died though," April continued. "There was a part of her spirit that went into /my/ soul." 

"Wait, what? Like she possessed you?" 

"No!" April shook her head. "It was like, we became one! It was amazing! It's when I officially became a Hamato and we could all tap into our ninpo!" 

"Ninpo?" 

"It's a super secret clan skill that we have!" Mikey explained, now interested in telling the details of their match with Shredder. "It's how we kicked Shredder's metal butt! It enhances our speed, our strength, our weapons, even our clothes!" 

Mona, who had been nodding through his explanation, raised her hand, then put it down. "I understand none of that." 

"Eh, it's a Hamato thing," Donnie simply shrugged. "We all gain special abilities with it. Although it's only really happened that one time." 

"I have one more question." Mona looked at them, placing her head in her hands thoughtfully. 

"Yessss?" 

"What does all this have to do with your robot?" She didn't like the way the bot was staring at her with its (his?) lifeless eyes. 

"Gasp, he's a drone, thank you very much!" Donnie scoffed in mock offense.  "S.H.E.L.L.D.ON was also destroyed during the fight. But I've rebuilt him since then," they tapped Shelldon's hollow, frigid head fondly. "Before we left for vacation, I tinkered- well, adjusted his primary functions to create a calibrated buoyancy polarity that I will demonstrate shortly." 

April, Mona, Mikey and Raph all blankly stared at them. 

"Can you dumb that down a couple notches, ay pasuyo?" Mona said with an impatient grunt. "Will the flying toaster help us save your brother or not?" 

Donnie smirked, pressing one more button on their gauntlet. Shelldon's flippers flattened and extended outwards, and his 'mouth' revealed an automatic door just big enough for Raph to fit in. It already looked bigger on the inside than on the outside. "Does that answer your question?" 

April's smile widened. "Donnie, you never fail to amaze me." 

"Woooooah...talk about riding in style!" Mikey squealed, climbing inside. "Come on guys!"

The steel doors closed shortly after they all entered the submarine. 

Even though they were technically not on a ship, Raph couldn't hold back his excitement to bellow out a proud; "Mad Dogz, ahoy!"

Filch was furious. 

He had everything down to the last detail in his disturbingly genius plan. Every moment that was unveiled was morbid and wonderful and downright perfect. The ooze he modified, the animals' DNA he captured, fooling an entire ship full of vacationers and having his loyal assistant Lisa do all the behind the scenes work. But one thing led to another and as those last moments came crumbling down, Phineas Filch made a striking conclusion that left him perplexed and disturbed. 

He had failed. 

The thought of even mentioning his failed plan only left a withering feeling in his bones. Or rather, cartilage.  Failure was not something he was used to. His ideas, even before his mutation, always seemed to work without any issue.  And better yet, this time he had all the necessities to make it go without any problems. 

And yet... 

He lost everything before his very eyes. The ooze he lovingly created? Destroyed. The human victims? Every last one of them had not only survived but they had escaped too. The mutants that did his bidding had left to fend for themselves. He didn't blame them honestly. That didn't make him any less bitter though. Bitter for what might have been. Perhaps he would have been successful, had it not been for Lisa's blatant betrayal or those loathsome turtles. The burning hatred he felt for them only made his vengeful thoughts grow. 

The mutant fish swam through the murky waters, deciding that was when everything fell apart. The turtles had somehow tricked Lisa to work for /them/ instead of him. He didn't know how exactly they manipulated her, but it had happened, leaving Filch to deal with the consequences. 

All was not lost, however. He had miraculously managed to mutate one of the turtles into an ideal sea serpent. It had swam off, just like the others but still. It was out there, and it proved his ooze had worked as intended. Finally, Filch would be regarded as a world renowned scientist who had changed someone's entire biology! He would finally be taken seriously. This was better than being some lousy public school teacher. 

He glared darkly at his webbed fingers. 

Well, almost. 

The water seemed thicker now, and although Filch was struggling to see, he tried his best to swim further and further down. He was so close, just a little longer. His fins were getting tired. 

He breathed a long sigh, bubbles swirling around him instead of air and pressed his fins against something not visible to the human eye. Something that would aid in his new plans. 

Since his mutation, or rather the months following it, Filch had spent much of his time underwater, trying to build a place for him and his fellow fishfolk to live. One benefit to becoming a fish was not needing to sleep as much, which meant he had more time to build it- with the help of his mutant minions. 

It was not a cave, nor a sanctuary of any sorts, but rather a dome. He called it the Technodrome, and it was where he resided. 

But just as he was about to enter the dome, he felt a shiver down his spine. He whipped his body around, using his minimal vision from his massive yellow eyeballs to find the mysterious stalker. 

"Who is there?" 

Something swam behind him. He could feel its slender tail brush past his neck. He flinched, turning to face it. 

His beady eyes went wide. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

It was the turtle he mutated. His body was a brilliant emerald, a serpentine shape that coiled and twisted with a gill scattered tail. Its shell had melded completely into its skin, a deeper green than its completion. The most notable aspect of the mutant however, was its dorsal fin, sharp and navy blue. Red stripes covered its eyes. 

"You..." it didn't open its mouth to speak. Its snout was frozen shut. It seemed to be communicating through echoing chirps, a language Filch was rusty at. 

He tried speaking back. "What do you want?" 

"You ...You're like me..." 

Filch was taken aback. It appeared the mutant's mind was indeed deteriorating, so much so that it didn't even recognize him. He nodded slowly, examining his creation without making it too obvious. "I am. I'm a mutant, like you," He held out one fin to show he was peaceful. 

"Mutant..." 

That phrase, the serpent seemed to know well. He looked sadly at the coral reefs below him, then back at the surface and sea foam. Filch had to be patient if he wanted to earn its trust. 

"Do you remember your name?" 

The sea serpent stared at him, looking surprisingly thoughtful. "They ...called me Leo. Leonardo." 

"I see," Filch hummed. "I am called Phineas Filch. You said you require my help?" 

Leonardo bowed his head in shame. 

Filch smiled. "I'll help you then. As we are both mutants, we share a mutual understanding, yes? Mutants stick together." 

Leonardo looked conflicted. "I think so." 

"I'm your friend, Leonardo. I will help you." 

"Friend." He echoed. 

"What is this place?" Leo asked, swimming behind Filch carefully as he was led to the invisible dome. 

"It's my home. The Technodrome. Consider it a sanctuary for creatures like us," Filch explained, the door expanding and letting them inside. There was no water inside the Technodrome, so Filch attached his robotic legs that were hanging idly on the floor to his waist, helping him walk. Leo, on the other hand, did not have anything to help his obvious disadvantage so he slid along. "Apologies for the lack of water inside. I was born a human, and I prefer walking, you see." 

"I understand." 

"Good," Filch gestured to him. "Come this way." The automatic doors opened and they entered another room. "How about I get you some warm food and a place to sleep for the night?" Leo looked at him suspiciously. "I insist. Just go wait by that corner and I'll be right back." 

Leo made his way to the corner of the room, eyes slits narrowing. Before he could react, Filch had pressed a button on the side wall. "What are you…" 

Glass encased Leonardo in a smaller, see through containment unit. Chains protruded from the walls and wrapped his limbs tight. His struggles were pointless. He couldn't move. 

"So sorry Leonardo, but you must understand, this is merely for your own good." Filch said with a sinister smirk. "Don't worry. I have plans for you." 

Chapter Text

Leo's heart sank. A sudden flash of anger condensed in his dark eyes, and he let out a menacing growl. "You lied to me." The chains clamped to his body seemed to tighten with every movement in his bones.  He was trapped, and that obviously inevitable outcome only seemed to make him angrier. 

"I never lied to you," Filch shrugged. "I promised you a place to stay. Which I did." 

"You never mentioned me being a prisoner!" He gestured towards the glass cage he was encased in. It was only big enough to fill his body, his smushed snout against the glass, the stringing heat lamps over his head, the chains attached to every part of him- was enough to make him mad from claustrophobia. He started to pant. 

Filch tutted. "You are an unstable mutant, or at least, soon will be. It's only a matter of time before your mind deteriorates, for good," he extended his sticky webbed hand to touch the glass separating him from Leo. "Keeping you contained is the best option." 

"You're a sick monster!" He snarled. 

"I'm the monster?" Filch mocked, barking out a cruel laugh. "Have you seen yourself lately? Dear child, I don't think you have room to talk." 

Leo paused, silence filling the room, coiling himself closer to the wall. "What did you mean by 'my mind deteriorating'?" 

"Haven't you noticed how you lack the capability to speak, and now are only using sonar to communicate with me?" Filch said, the robotic legs making an odd squeaking noise as walked away from Leo's prison. "How you've become more violent and aggressive? You're changing by the second, Leonardo. Your memories will fade, and your true being will be unleashed. An animal. A monster." 

"No...that isn't true. I have a home. I have a family!" 

"Really?" Filch sneered. "They've long forgotten you. You're a lost cause, and they know it. Otherwise they would have found you. Even if they did find you, they'll only see you as a freak." 

"They'll turn me back to...to whatever I was before. They'll save me!" 

Filch turned around, a sadistic smirk revealing itself as he gazed at his prisoner. "Tell me something, Leonardo." 

"What?" 

"Do you even remember your family's names?" 

Leonardo lifted his head, fighting the urge to scoff.  Of course he knew their names! He was their brother! How could he possibly forget? There was no way he would brush them off, mutation or not. He thought for a moment. Then another. Then another. His mind whipped a whirlwind of answers, but nothing came through. He saw faces. So many faces beaming at him and bright colors and masks and warmth. He saw laughter and pranks and hugs. But no names. No names, nothing connecting to those faces. He started to panic, pulling against the painful chains burning the edge of his neck. 

He took too long to answer. Filch was laughing now. Laughing at him. 

"That's what I thought." He sneered. "It won't be just the names you'll forget. Everything from your past life will fade away in due time. This is your future, Leonardo. A mindless monster. You might as well accept it. It'll make things easier on yourself." 

The serpent tried to think of a retort, something to prove the smug mutant wrong and wipe that smirk off his stupid face. But he had no witty remarks either. 

"But, I can help you." 

If he could roll his eyes, he so would be doing that. He may be a super mutant now, but that didn't make him dim. He knew Filch wouldn't willingly help him out after such a quick betrayal. He had to be up to something. Something messed up. Everything so far had loopholes or some price to pay. 

"How?" 

"I'm a doctor and scientist," Filch said matter-of-factually. "Although with the former I never did receive my medical degree. But with my knowledge, I can help you ease your mind and become controllable." 

"Yeah, under your control. No thanks." 

"Would you prefer the alternative? A mindless beast with no free thoughts? Sounds pretty terrifying, doesn't it?" 

Leo did not reply. 

"All I need is to run a few tests on you. Simple tests," The way his tone suggested, there was no indication that said tests would be simple, let alone painless. 

"Never." 

"Very well, I wasn't asking you for permission, I was going to do it anyway," Filch shrugged. "I just thought I'd be polite. But seeing as you can't willingly comply, it doesn't really matter to me." 

Leo growled, struggling against his bounds furiously. "When I escape, I swear I'll tear you apart-" 

Filch didn't even flinch at the blatant hostility, in fact he seemed rather amused. "If you behave, perhaps I'll keep your mind intact and not run any psychological experiments," he chuckled darkly when Leo retaliated by snapping his jaws at him. "I'll be back with our first test. Stay put." and with a flick of his tail, had disappeared from sight through the automatic doors. 

'Like I even have a choice," Leo thought bitterly. 

The fish mutant was not gone long. He returned from the next room, rolling a small examination table with several tools placed haphazardly tossed on top. Scalpels, tweezers, tubes, surgical staplers, and trocars, among various other things Leo did not recognize. None of them looked like they had been cleaned ever, and dried blood coated the edges of each lined up blade. His heart sank.  

One odd object, a stray remote with several buttons lay idly. 

"It'll be over before you know it," Filch said softly, a pleased smile on his face as he reached for his first tool. The sharpest scalpel on the table. Then he took the remote, "Now I don't have any needles, but needles are overrated anyway." He grazed the scalpel's handle, waltzing towards Leo's 'tank'. 

With one pressed button, part of the glass lowered, just enough space for Filch to step through and examine Leo with fierce intensity and precision. 

He pressed down on Leo's bony shoulders, scraping the surface with the blade of the scalpel. There was not a wince, nor a moment of hesitation, as he peeled the skin off with one last cut, letting the warm blood drip down. A hiss escaped Leo, but he refused to show any signs of weakness. He refused to give him the satisfaction. 

He breathed a sigh of relief. It was over at last, just with a stinging aftermath. Nothing he couldn't handle. 

"Not enough," Filch murmured, disappointed. "Wait a moment, what's this now?" He moved his slick hand up Leo's neck. The latter hissed from the sudden touch. The skin became rougher, scabbed and oozing with unknown fluids. His body seemed desperate to fight the bacteria and heal overtime, but the damage had already been done in the form of a hideous scar.  "An infection." He hummed. "You must have been injured earlier...a stab wound if I'm correct. And if my theory is right, this was done by Lisa herself when she was under my command. Too bad it wasn't treated in time. Such a shame." He smiled. 

Filch slowly placed the scalpel in between the two shredded pieces of skin, opening the wound, intentionally shaking his body so the movements were jagged and uneven. A violent shade of red came trickling, sticking to chunks of flesh and burning his tingling nerves as a blood vessel had burst from the impact. The stab was swift, clumsy but deliberately diving deep into the bone. Leonardo let out a weak roar. Blood was pooling out, cascading into a river. If he was human, he would have been dead. There was just so much blood. So much. Blood. Everywhere. So much. 

Was this what he truly deserved? 

The sickening, burning smell wafted his nostrils, making his stomach twist and churn. He was going to be sick.  Either he was going to vomit his guts out, or he was going to die from bleeding out. Die without a second thought, slow and agonizing. Each breath he took caused a shiver of new pain inside him. His eye slits widened, letting his insides squirm a bit more. It would be over soon if he was lucky. 

He choked and gagged, shut his eyes, leaned forward, a thick rush of fluid filled his mouth, automatically making him lurch his body in a sharp movement heaving and finally splashing the tiles in a sick waste of blood, bile, and pus. Since his stomach had been empty before, there was no food to dispose of. A horrible stench filled the cool air. But at least it was over. Somehow he felt worse than before. 

Filch violently pulled Leonardo's weak body back. "Finished?" He snapped impatiently. "Don't expect me to clean up after you. The first experiment is complete. The next one will be in an hour," He left Leo's vomit and blood soaked body alone, not before taking everything else he needed. He didn't bother giving him a second glance. 

                                                                                                                                                                    ~•~ 

Filch did not return in an hour. He didn't return for a very long time, although Leo wasn't sure how long exactly. Several hours at least. He did not stop by to even give him food. Not that he would be able to stomach anything to eat now without vomiting profusely. 

No, what he truly craved was water. His throat was dry and hoarse from screaming. Swallowing his own saliva didn't help. 

Even though he detested Filch, he couldn't help but wonder where he was. He said he wouldn't be long. He promised. He said he would be only gone an hour and it had been much longer than that. Where was he? Did he forget him? 

His neck hurt. His joints ached. 

He was so thirsty and delirious and dizzy. Licking his lips, he curled into a ball and closed his eyes. Just a little rest to forget the pain for a bit. 

                                                                                                                                           ~•~ 

Filch wasn't back by the time he had woken up and now, Leo was starting to panic. Where was he? He couldn't have left him. He wouldn't have left him. He wouldn't have...

His body felt cold and clammy and tingly. Blood pounded in his ears, his own screams clouding his mind like a malicious punch to the gut. Chest tightened. Vision hazy. He couldn’t stop shaking. He looked at the walls in attempt to distract himself.

The walls were moving closer to him. Eating him alive with their mocking glares. He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He wanted his family- he wantedoutheneededtogetout-

Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe... 

His eyes snapped shut. Try to dream. Try to remember your family. 

There they were. 

Three green blurry figures were running towards him. They were so close, he could reach out to them. 

"Leo!" The smallest turtle in orange beamed, happy tears glistening his bright eyes. 

Michelangelo, his littlest brother. 

The large red one picked him up in a comforting hug. He felt safe and secure in his arms. "You made it brother," the red one said soothingly. 

Raphael, his older brother. 

"I did?" Leo whispered in disbelief. He glanced hopefully at the last turtle, the one in purple. 

They nodded, smiling softly, filled with love and adoration for their elder brother. "You did." 

Donatello, his twin. 

He laughed, relieved. "Guys, I'm here! I'm here!" He couldn't believe his own words. "I missed you all so much." 

He hugged his siblings as tight as he could. 

"Don't forget me!" Another voice chimed in. The girl with the curls and the mischievous smile. "Really Leo?" She snickered, giving him a quick noogie. 

April, his sister. 

But they were all fading away.

"Knock knock." 

He flinched. 

Filch tossed a bowl of water in his direction. Leo hadn't even seen him enter.  "Miss me?" 

Leo immediately started lapping up the water until there was nothing left. He didn't care that it was demeaning to be drinking water like a pet. 

"You passed the second test. Impressive." 

"Second...test?" 

"Isolation."  

Leonardo lowered his head meekly. So that was a test too. His wounds seemed to sting more. 

"Eight straight hours of it. During that time I managed to see the results from your blood test. Tiger shark, cnidarian, hydrophiinae...only a handful of the animals I picked from my mutagen ray became a part of your DNA. Interesting indeed. All those are powerful and deadly creatures," He stroked the glass. "For instance, the tiger shark is the most likely to kill a human unprovoked. A box jellyfish can stop a heartbeat. All of them have a higher pain tolerance too of course. And all of those capabilities you possess." 

"I'd never do that to anyone, not even you. No one deserves to die that way." 

"Which begs the question," Filch raised his hand and held out the remote. Electricity sparked the outsides of the controller. "How much more pain can you handle, Leonardo?" 

He would never forget the electric waves hitting his body endlessly. 

The submarine started to hum. Raph made his way to the front, eager to take a seat in front of the controls. "Navigation's on me," he stated firmly to the group. There weren't as many buttons as he expected, but he figured he'd handle it. Besides, Mona was watching, and he wanted to look impressive. 

"Raphael," Donnie tilted their head in the direction of the dashboard. "You can't." 

"Look Donnie, I know you built it, but I can handle driving it. I'm the oldest. So take a seat and relax," He waved a hand, expecting Donnie to scurry away. But they didn't. Typical. 

"Have it your way then," Donnie shrugged dismissively and joined April's side to chat about something. 

"Thank you," Raph turned back to the buttons. He stared at it, scratched his  head, and found himself looking helplessly at Donnie, unable to figure out the controls. "Er, so how do I start?" 

"I thought you had navigation handled, Raphie?" April teased. 

His cheeks heated up. "I do I just..." 

Donnie rolled their eyes. "It's autonomous." 

He could hear Mikey giggling in the background. "What?" 

"It pilots by itself," Donnie said. "That's what I was trying to tell you. Press the purple button." 

"Oh..." Raph mumbled in embarrassment, wishing he could disappear, "I knew that." He pressed the button, and the submarine started to glide underwater automatically. 

Through the wide windows, he decided to stay and watch the swirling water around them. Schools of fish swam with no thoughts on their minds, just at peace as they made their way to the rainbow coral reefs and anemones. He smiled contentedly as he even saw sea turtles drift along the waves, paddling their flippers to wherever they were going in the turquoise water. 

"Beautiful, isn't it?" mused Mona, who had snuck up behind him, leaning her head against his shoulder, avoiding his spikes. 

He eased into her touch naturally.  "It is." 

"If the stakes were different, I'd like to take a joy ride on this baby again," She continued. "With someone special," Her eyes were twinkling. "Just watching the waves above puts me at ease." 

"But things are different," he murmured sadly. 

"Which is why this trip isn't as enjoyable," she agreed. "But still..." 

Raph wasn't stupid. He knew she was implying something between them. He focused on the water instead of on her. He didn't want to think about it. 

"About what I said earlier. It was a spur of the moment- I didn't...I know it was bad timing." 

He sighed, wanting to know if she was going somewhere with this. 

"You mean a lot to me, Raphael. That's all I really mean." 

"...You meant it? What you said?" He swallowed thickly. 

They were facing each other now. She nodded coyly. 

His attention turned back to the dashboard. 

"Raphael?" 

"I- I should focus on navigation." 

                                                                                                                                                                             ~•~

"I can't believe them," April huffed, sitting across from Mikey. Her glasses were tossed to the floor lazily. "This is painful to watch." 

"Them?" Mikey looked confused. When April jerked her head in the direction of navigation, his eyes went wide. "Oh!" 

Donnie, who was sitting a bit farther away from the duo, silently picked up April's cat-eyed glasses and started cleaning them. 

"I think it's sweet," Mikey concluded. "And romantic." He thought for a moment before perking up. "Do you think they'll get together?" 

"Is that really your main concern? We have a mission to rescue Leo and you're focused on whether or not they'll be a couple?" 

Mikey pouted. "Don't be mean, I can multitask!" 

"All I'm saying is, we can't worry about them," April folded her arms. "If Raph knows what's good for him, he'd wait until after we save Leo," She snatched the cleaned glasses from Donnie after a quick 'thank you' under her breath. 

"I like Mona Lisa, I think they'd make a good couple!" 

"We haven't known her for that long, how could you possibly know that, Mike?" 

"Because she makes Raph happy!" He replied. "That's all that matters to me! Look at the way they look at each other. I've never seen him look at anything, let alone anyone like that. He's crazy about her!" 

April nudged her silent companion. "What do you think, Dee?" 

"Yeah, Donald, share your wisdom!" 

Donnie blinked. "About what?" 

Mikey made a squeak of frustration. "About Mona and Raph!" 

"I honestly do not care in the slightest." 

"You do too!" He insisted, now leaning his head against his immediate elder sibling. His agitation only grew when they stubbornly refused to state their opinion. "Donnie. Donnie. Donnie." He started poking their cheek. "Donnie!" 

Donnie abruptly stood up. "It doesn't even matter! Stop pestering me!" They grunted. "I just want Leo back safe and sound." 

Mikey wilted. "I do too." 

"For the record, I don't disapprove of it. Like April said though, that isn't exactly our priority." 

"I know...I just ...I don't know..." 

"S' okay," April said. "You just wanted to lighten the mood." 

"It seems a little pointless to do that now," Mikey hugged his knees. "What if we don't find him?" 

"...I wouldn't be so sure of that." Donnie's eyes were drawn to their tech gauntlet. The submarine itself had stopped moving the second the wrist tech started beeping. Although there was nothing in their field of vision through the glass, some activity was clearly happening. "Here's there!" They pointed to the empty space of the ocean. "Or at least...he should be. S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N, move the sub closer!" 

"You got it, dude!" 

The submarine moved forward for a moment, before bumping into...something. The sudden impact caused Donnie to promptly fall on top of April. "Eugh...oops." 

"What is that?" April asked, lightly pushing Donnie off her. "You're saying Leo's in there? In that empty body of water? Are you sure your tech has malfunctioned?" 

"There's nothing there!" Raph exclaimed. 

"There must be some kind of invisible barrier..." Donnie looked amazed as they tried to analyze the area. They fiddled a bit more with their tech, before looking back up. "He's in there." 

"Are you sure?" 

"Positive." 

Raph didn't look so convinced. "How can you be so confident?" 

"Because," Donnie lowered their goggles. "The aura around it is entirely mystic and possibly extraterrestrial. No doubt we wouldn't be able to see it normally, because it's not intended to be seen. Take a look." 

Raph borrowed the goggles, letting the others take a peak for themselves. 

Surrounding that area in front, was a glowing silver dome. 

"Holy chalupa..." Mikey whispered.

Chapter Text

Of all the places for their mutated brother to be, trapped inside an invisible dome was not on the top of their list. It was so specific, so strange, that each pair of eyes were drawn to Donnie, hoping that perhaps they could elaborate further. But they didn't. 

Thanks to their mystic goggles though, the group could get a closer look, or rather the mute gray outline. It was a perfectly round sphere, almost planet-like in appearance. It looked built recently, brand new in fact, but at the same time as though it had been there for years. 

"So, you're saying Leo is inside this...circle thing?" Raph repeated, still unsure even as he handed off the goggles back to his sibling for safe keeping. He never wanted to discredit his extremely intelligent sibling, but he was naturally a bit hesitant to go inside a suspicious location without any other knowledge.  Especially if Leo wasn't even in there. But they also didn't seem to have any better options.. If Donnie's tracker was accurate, they had to take that chance. It was their only key to finding Leonardo. 

"Technically it's a highly technological geodesic dome with a cloaking device not a 'circle thing' but yes, affirmative." 

"It's entirely invisible without these fancy goggles! How are we gonna get in if we can't even see it?" Mikey pondered, pretending he understood everything that Donnie had stated. 

With a mischievous grin plastered on her face, April started to spin her mystic baseball bat around. "Leave that to April O' Neil!" she eagerly snatched the goggles from Donnie and took a closer look for herself, "See? There's a button right on the side. That must be the opening." 

"It could also be a self-destruct button," Donnie stated dryly, taking the goggles back and putting them back on with a disgruntled huff. "There's a chance it could explode the second you press it." 

April cringed. "...I'm taking that chance." 

"No, we'll go around and see if there's another way in. There has to be another entrance." 

She folded her arms, scowling. 

Donnie mirrored her with the same scowl, "It could be dangerous, that's all I'm saying. We all know what happened last time someone went running in to save the day." That off-handed comment held more weight than they seemed willing to admit. 

April could tell it did, which made her more determined to push, "But it's worth a shot. We don't have time to think about what might happen. Leo might be in there, waiting for us!" 

"If his mind is still there," Mikey stated grimly. "He was pretty out of it last time." 

Donnie gave their little brother a weary look before replying to April, "I'll bring the sub closer to the dome- and then you can swim and push the button. Hopefully it won't explode." 

"Stop saying it'll explode," April glared at them, pausing for a moment before heading straight for the door. "I'm already stressed about swimming in the ocean as is. If I get eaten by a shark or something, I'm blaming you." 

Mona cleared her throat once they arrived close enough to the invisible dome. "Actually, maybe I should swim up there? I can hold my breath a bit longer. Salamander privileges," She winked. 

"Sounds good to me," April smirked, but looked relieved . "Would you like to do the honors?" She held out her bat expectantly. 

Mona Lisa's eyes twinkled at her new friend. "Always." 

"Not to be the one to oppose smashing things," Raph said slowly. "You probably shouldn't go smashing random things without knowing what might happen-" 

Mona spun around to poke his plastron. "I appreciate your concern, but I'm gonna do it anyway." 

"Be careful!" Raphael didn't even try to hide his amazed stares as Mona swam towards the opening, bashed the air aggressively for a good few minutes. It looked a bit amusing at first, since it seemed as though she was fighting nothing. Then the doors slid open after her last swing. He sighed dreamily, "Isn't she great?" He couldn't help but swoon. She was so beautiful with her turquoise gills shimmering from the sunlight above. 

Donnie rolled their eyes, attempting and failing to drag Raph by his mask tails, "Yeah, swell. Let's go, Casanova." 

After Mona had finished bashing the opening in, they entered the chromatic silver dome quickly. The cloaking device only seemed to work outside, for when they entered, it was perfectly visible. The walls were rigid and white polyethylene, shiny like aluminum foil, but thicker. 

"This place doesn't look like it was made by a human, not even military tech is this weird," April commented. "I think you were onto something before, Dee, it looks beyond our world. Extraterrestrial to the extreme." 

"This technology is certainly advanced, and that's coming from me. Might be Kraang related," Donnie murmured under their breath. They knelt down to examine what looked like a glowing fuse box with buttons and switches. "Hmmm..." 

"But we beat those guys!" said Mikey, before pausing. "Or at least, in this story's canon timeline we did!" 

"They might still have some leftover tech," Donnie said. "Either that, or someone might have stolen it from them. But why in the water of all places. Did it sink? Or was it put down here intentionally? So many questions, and I'm going to figure it all out. Once we rescue Leo." 

"It reminds me of Filch's old lab where he kept me," Mona shivered. "It has his face written all over it. And well, he is a fish now." 

"But we defeated him too," Raph frowned. "I mean, I assume we did. He looked in pretty bad shape, and with the boat sinking...speaking of, did the other passengers survive the shipwreck? Should we have been more concerned about that?" 

Donnie scoffed, moving away from the control panel to meet in the middle, "We were obviously occupied with Leo getting mutated. But, I did see them escape into lifeboats, just like us," They tapped their chin, more questions spiraling in their head. "Well Fishface is a fish who can swim." 

"Excellent deduction, Donnie." 

"Thank you April," They said without missing a beat. "So it's possible he's still alive since the ship went into the water. He might have fixed up the place. Can't imagine him actually constructing it, that would be giving him way too much credit." 

"Fishface wasn't that strong of a fighter though," Raph said, withdrawing his fist away from the windowless wall. "We could have turned him into sushi if we wanted to." He almost huffed out a laugh, but it came out as a strangled sound in his throat instead. 

"But we didn't. He could have slivered off like the snake he is." 

"Which begs the question if he was the one who made this elaborate dome," Donnie glanced down at the tracker. "and if he did make it and all evidence points to Leo being here..." 

"Then he must have taken Leo and brought him here," Mikey whispered, eyes wide with panic. 

Raphael paled. 

"It's just a possibility," the box turtle added quickly, hoping that was not the case at all. 

"That our brother is being tortured by a deranged monster as we speak," He clenched his jaw, anxiety bubbling inside him. "It's gotta be true," Just imagining his brother, his caring brother; trapped, hurt and alone was enough to make his anger rise. He was never the violent type, even to foes, but this was different. Phineas Filch was a dangerous mutant capable of causing harm right in front of them. Probably more, since Mona Lisa had never explained in full detail of what she endured, always dismissing or avoiding the topic entirely.  "Filch is gonna pay," He growled. "Nothing else matters except finding Leo and turning him back. Mona do you have the...?" 

The salamander mutant lifted the retro-mutagen from her bag, "Already one step ahead of you." 

Donnie's tracker started to glow a vibrant royal blue, pointing towards the right. "He's close. This way! I mean, I'm assuming he is," They took the lead this time, with April marching behind them, followed by Raph, and finally Mona and Mikey lingering in the back. 

"So..." Mikey tugged at his nonexistent shirt nervously and pointed at the bottle.  "About that retro mutagen stuff...what's in it?" He scrunched his nose. 

"Why do you ask?" 

"I just don't wanna give anything potentially toxic to my big bro. But I'm sure you already know what's in it. Of course you do!" 

Mona did not answer and instead seemed to walk faster. 

"Mona?" Mikey scrambled after her. "Mona Lisa!" 

There was an awkward pause. "Ummm...chemicals and stuff?" 

"Chemicals and stuff!" He sputtered, horrified. 

Mona sighed. "We've been through this, I don't know what's in it, but it's our only option to save Leonardo." 

"Or it could turn him into a pile of goo! Or a regular, non mutant red eared slider." He froze in place, suddenly realizing that terrible thought. "What do we do if he becomes a normal turtle?" 

"Feed him lettuce and keep him a heat lamp by his side?" 

"Mona, I'm serious!" 

"We won't need to do that," Raph shot her a look. "Because he'll be back to his old self." 

"Of course. We have to think positively." 

"I just..." Mikey felt his eyes prick with tears. "If he really is being hurt by Fishface, then what if...what if this stuff makes him worse? It would be all our fault." He rubbed his arm, swallowing his tears and stared at his siblings ahead, who all stopped to listen to his concerns. "I'm scared. And he doesn't deserve this, he was- he was trying to save us and now..." He noticed Donnie's wince at that, and that action made him want to shrink into his shell, mortified for running his mouth again. Leo had been trying to save Donnie, and he knew his smart sibling still took the blame for that. "I don't wanna lose him again." 

"We won't lose him again," they said firmly. "Don't even think about that happening. We're gonna find him, cure him, and make Fishface regret that he ever messed with one of us. Capeesh?" 

Mikey solemnly nodded, not even feeling bothered when one of Donnie's robotic arms from their battle shell extended and patted his head. It was a comforting, not condescending gesture that made him feel less afraid and surprisingly eased his nerves. 

"Good." 

He wanted to say more, but Donnie and April were already farther down the hall, both animatedly discussing the tracker and Leo's location. 

Raph gave him a crooked grin, shrugging. "Keep going Mike, Donnie knows the way with that tracker. And as long as one of us knows what's going on, I'd say that's a good sign." 

They started to hurry to catch up with April and Donnie, about to enter the next room, when suddenly, there was a rush of cold air at the opening. The automatic door abruptly slammed shut like that of an elevator. With no handles, not even a secret key pad or anything, there was no way of entering the room. The group was separated. 

"Seriously?!" Raph groaned, examining the door to see if there was another way in. He tried to push it, to no avail. And without a handle, obviously pulling wasn't an option either. He blinked. 

"Donnie! April!" Mikey shouted as loud as he possibly could and pressed his face against the door. "Are you guys alright?" Silence. He frowned and tapped his foot, "Either they're in trouble, or they're ignoring me." 

"Or alternatively, the door is a slab of concrete and they can't hear you," Mona commented. 

"Hang on, step back, I've got an idea," Raph said, raising his fist to pound against the door repeatedly. He tried a few times, to get nothing but a slightly brushed hand. "Okay...new theory..." He winced. "Smashing is not always the best option. Any other ideas?" 

"Like I said, slab of concrete." She knocked on it for added emphasis. 

"We've tried opening it, smashing it..." Mikey pondered, trying to think of more ideas when his phone buzzed from his belt. "Ooh!" He reached for it, stared at the screen for a few seconds before brightening. "It's a text from Donnie!" 

"What's it say?" 

"It says: Do not try smashing the door. We are fine. smiley emoji, turtle emoji. See if you can find another entrance, we will continue to use the tracker to find snake emoji, lol." 

"Snake emoji?" Mona repeated. "Do they mean Leo?" 

"Who else would it be?" Raph almost wanted to laugh, even if it was in poor taste. "We need to find another way around." He needed to get out of this tech zone. It was too noisy, too much buzzing and clicking of metals in the background. 

"This place is like a maze. Too many doors and corridors." 

"We'll find a way, no need to worry!" Mikey said, surprisingly cheerful. Before any of them could turn to face another door, they were halted by a chilling voice. It did not come from an intercom, but right behind them. 

Mona was the first to react, stumbling back. 

"Oh, I think there's plenty of reasons to worry." 

Sneering at them with a wicked grin, was Doctor Phineas Filch himself. 

"Ah sewer apples." Mikey groaned. 

"You..." Raph growled, already with his sai at the ready. The striking revelation that the clicking noises he had heard were the sounds of Filch's robotic legs. In fact, everything about the once pitiful-looking mutant fish had been upgraded with silver armor and gauntlets, even some kind of squishy, orange breathing device where his dorsal fin should be. Though he didn't seem to have any of his crew left, his new look left them wary. 

"Good to see you all again," Filch drawled sarcastically, eyes drawn to Mona, glancing her up and down. "Lisa, lovely as always. Your betrayal, although expected, still came as a surprise to me. You had so much potential." 

"You better watch your mouth, Fishface, unless you want a sai in your eye." 

Mikey stepped forward, eager to egg him on. "Now tell us where Leo is, or else we'll kick your fishy butt to New Jersey!" 

Fishface laughed. "Leo? I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean...Oh! You must be referring to the mutant I so lovingly created," there was a devilish twinkle in his eye that left them all uneasy. 

"Gross! You didn't create him, you double mutated him!" said Mona, scoffing.  

"Those are merely semantics, for Leonardo belongs to me now. Only me. His mind and body were too easy to destroy, it barely took a few days to make him crack! It was delightful!" 

"This ends now, Filch." The red banded turtle snarled, fists clenching his sai so tightly, he was close to dropping it. 

"There's three of us and only one of you, so it's better for your sake that you tell us where our brother is." Mikey twirled his nunchucks around. "Go on!" 

Filch did not reply, and instead proceeded to laugh, louder, this time. His laughter drowned out their shouts, which he too ignored as he pressed a button on his armor. The armor extended, silvery protection plates wrapped around his entire body, muzzle, and tail, leaving only the dorsal fin and his eyes uncovered. Spikes expanded from his robotic gauntlet fins and when he grinned, a row of dense, pointy teeth appeared. 

"Let me be clear, children. You will never see your brother again," He said, voice robotic and emotionless but his expression was still with a sadistic smirk. "Or make it out of the Technodrome alive." 

His smugness, his nonchalant demeanor and personality only infuriated Raph more. How such a cruel monster could possibly stand there, openly admitting to harm an innocent, was enough to make Raph go full savage. Leo didn't deserve this. No one deserved it, but especially not Leo. 

“How do you make it look so...easy?" Leo asked, leaning against Raph's massive shoulders. 

"Make what look easy?" 

"Being a good brother, a good leader-" He murmured. The slider hugged his knees and sighed. "I'm constantly stressed and scared I'm gonna mess up. I can't let you guys down. I'm a wreck every night, Raph. How do you do it?" 

Raph huffed out a laugh, tugging Leo's bandana tails fondly. "Are you kidding? I was always scared! I was terrified every time you and the others put themselves in dangerous situations. But Dad always told me that's the mark of a true leader. You care so much Leo, and that's not something to be ashamed of. You're strong and capable.  You're gonna make an amazing leader. Okay? Look at me bud," He lifted his younger brother's chin and wiped the tears from his cheeks. "You've got this." 

"I just feel bad," Leo admitted softly. "I stole your role. Aren't you mad?" 

Being honest wasn't the right thing to do at this time. He was upset, heck, maybe a little angry at Dad for making that sudden decision. It was Raph who truly saved the day, it was Raph who solved the last puzzle connecting to the ninpo. And it was Raph who got his role stripped from him in a matter of seconds. It wasn't fair. But Hamato Raphael had learned from a young age that things will never be fair for him. 

So he couldn't be honest. Not now. 

"Mad? No way. You might be surprised to hear this, but you've always had that leader spark to you. Anytime I was out of commission, you seemed to take charge without any issues. Like when I went savage and lost in the sewers. It was all you. Not Mikey, not Donnie..." Leo's smile faded at the mention of Donnie, who was still struggling with the change of dynamics within the team. "They'll come around," He assured, noticing Leo's torn expression. "It's been a difficult adjustment." 

"They hate me." 

Raph's face fell, patting the side of Leo's shell. "Don't say that, Donnie would never hate you. They'll come around eventually. It takes longer for them to get used to change, but they don't hate you." He didn't sound too confident in that statement. Donnie had their weird moments, especially now with their insistence that they would make a better leader or that Raph should just stay leader. They had gone on saying anybody but Leo. "Say Leo?" 

"Hm?" 

"I can't imagine anyone better to be a leader. Sure I was surprised at first when Dad made that random announcement, but I should have seen it coming.  Besides, I've got a pretty solid role, being the big brother protecting my baby siblings." He teased. "So no, I'm not mad at you for 'stealing' my role. And obviously I put stealing in quotes." 

Leo chuckled. "I won't let you down Raph. I promise."

His pupils turned white. "Give me back my brother!" He roared, charging towards the mutant beast with the rage consuming his insides and bursting out from inside him. He could hear Mikey's frantic shouts, begging him to stay back, but the sounds were muffled and distant, as though he was underwater. He was too angry. Too mentally exhausted to focus on any fighting techniques Splinter had taught him. He had to save Leo. Even if it killed him. 

Each punch, dodge, smash, and kick felt heavy and exhausting. It didn't help that the armor was preventing him from actually attacking Filch, and the mutant cyborg fish was easily causing him more pain than the other way around. To add insult to injury, the stupid fish couldn't stop laughing at every single blow he hit. 

"You really think you can face me and my tech? I'm the most powerful mutant in the ocean!" Filch mocked. "And with your brother as my ally, I'll be able to take over the World!" 

"Leo would never join you," Raph said defiantly. "No matter how far gone his mind is, he would never join you willingly." 

"Who said anything about willingly?" 

A robotic fist collided with his face, the impact causing him to fall backwards onto the chromatic floor. From the corner of his eye, he saw Mikey spring into action and try to parry and block with his nunchucks held vertically only to be smashed against the wall. Mona was nowhere in sight. He winced and groaned, ready to try again. But his smashing hands were bruised and cracked with blood. If he tried again, it was likely the same outcome. 

'Thanks Donnie for getting separated. Really could use your tech right about now,' He thought bitterly, wiping his mouth. 

Mikey, on the other hand, was trying a different approach. Once he was hit against the wall, he bounced like a slinky spring with the heels of his feet as a boost. Now in the air, he hollered out a mighty 'cowabunga' and landed on Filch's face, now trying to open the helmet covering his true form. He tried pulling it, only to realize it was shut completely from the inside. He tried another tactic, whacking it with his nunchucks. "Take this Fishface! And that!" He punched the glass covering, expression shifting from confident to pained in a matter of seconds. "Ow! Ow! Omigosh that really-" he cried out, an extendable arm grabbed his torso and held him up to the wounded red banded turtle. 

"Face it, Raphael," Filch remarked cruelly, ignoring the irony of that statement. He was the one, after all, clad as a fish cyborg. "My suit was crafted from titanium with cybernetic enhancements built from the very aliens that invaded our planet. I'm unstoppable. Invincible. It will save you the embarrassment if you give up now. Unless," he twisted his arm and tightened his grip on Mikey. "You would be willing to join me." 

"You kidnapped and mutated my brother, tortured my friend, separated me from my siblings and are now holding my younger brother as a hostage...why would I ever want to join you?" Raph snarled. "Did I even give any indication I'd want to join your hypothetical fish army to take over the world? Are you even listening to yourself?" 

"Even if it meant releasing your friends?" Filch bargained, dropping Mikey roughly on the plastron. 

"Don't listen to him!" The younger turtle pleaded. 

"Your friends would walk out of here free, and you would even get to see your brother Leonardo again. Doesn't that sound like a fair deal? Together, with my plans and superior intellect we would make the perfect team." 

"Yeah, uh, about that." A voice chimed from behind him. Mona Lisa was casually leaning against a pillar, staring at her nails. "I'm not saying it's a bad idea, wanting to take over the world and all that..." 

"Mona!" Raph said, alarmed. 

"No, no I'm serious. Ruling the world sounds awesome," She stepped forward. "But is it really practical? Ruling the entire world is a lot of pressure and that idea is so vague too! What does that even mean? Are you planning to overthrow the government? Do you still want to have that fish army deal or have you moved on from that fantasy?" 

"I don't need to listen to you question my genius plans!" Filch hissed. "You're a traitor!" 

"See this is why I betrayed you! You're making up nonsense as you go along," She tilted her head and pointed at Filch's orange breathing ring. "And for some self proclaimed genius, you really didn't see this coming, did you?" 

"See what?" 

"Do it Mikey!" 

"On it!" Mikey cheered, latching onto Filch's back like a sloth. "Ready to be owned, Fishface?" He taunted. 

"What's going on? What are you doing you little brat?" Despite his best efforts to throw him off, Michelangelo held on tight, and immediately started to pull at the breathing ring. "No! No! Stop!" One last tug, and the ring was heaved off, tossing the kidney shaped device to the ground. "No!" 

Without his breathing device, Filch was essentially helpless- even with his powered suit. A literal fish out of water, he flopped to the floor, shriveling up and screaming in agony. 

"Really Doctor Filch, you should have thought of protecting the device that helps you breathe safe and secure!" Mona commented, watching as Filch's eyes bugged out one last time, skin gray, lips blue with one final pitiful gasp. 

Then silence. 

"Is he...?" Mikey poked him with one foot. The mutant did not budge. 

Raph nodded thickly. "Holy shit." 

"I think I just murdered a guy." 

"You killed a homicidal monster, so I think that cancels things out? That's like ...PEMDAS," Mona said. "I think." 

Mikey winced. "Dad's gonna be so disappointed in me!  Now what do we do?" 

"I think..." Raph picked up the control panel that Filch had been carrying and pressed a button. The door that had been previously locked snapped open. "Woah..." 

"Donnie and April aren't on the other side!" Mikey exclaimed. 

"We have to find them."

The moment the doors had shut behind on Donnie, they realized that Doctor Phineas Filch was not messing around. They had texted their brothers, obviously that was the first thing they did. 

"I let them know we're gonna keep looking for Leo," they told April shortly after the message had been sent. 

"Sounds good." April took their hand. "Donnie? You're shaking," she commented as they walked down the corridor. 

"No I'm not," they said, shoulders stiff, not even realizing they were trembling all over everywhere else. "Just a little bit." It was easier to admit their feelings to April and vice versa. Together they gave each other comfort, a sense of purpose. 

"It's okay to be scared, Dee. I'm scared too." 

They didn't reply to that statement. Why admit the obvious?  

The tracker beeped and buzzed erratically once they made it to the final door. April shot Donnie a wary look, before reaching for the doorknob. 

"Don't." They said softly, retracting their own hand away. "I don't know if I can see him." 

"What? Why?" 

"I mean obviously I know I can see him but- when we turn him back, I don't want to face him because..." They bit their lip. 

The realization dawned on her at once, and she felt a pang of sympathy. "You think he'll be mad at you for the way you acted." 

"He hates me." 

"You don't know that." 

"Please." They folded their arms. "It wasn't just petty sibling rivalry back then. I was so...so angry when he became leader. I kept telling him it was a mistake, that he didn't deserve it. What kind of sibling does that? Then he goes and plays hero boy and saves me, even though I didn't deserve it. I know it's selfish to think about, but I'm scared about seeing him after everything I did. I wouldn't blame him if he never forgave me." 

"You have to make things right," April said wisely. "And seeing as I had to deal with both of you complaining about one another for the past year, it's nice to see that both of you were...are...dealing with similar fears. So my advice here is that you have to face this. Even if you're scared Donnie. Alright?" She held out her hand. "So open that door with your tech magic." 

"Scoff, I thought we agreed my tech isn't related to magic?" They chuckled, tapping away at their wrist tech. When the door opened, Donnie finally accepted her hand. "Thanks. What would I do without you?" 

She returned the smile. "Any time." 

There was a rush of cold air blasting as they entered. It seemed like an average laboratory from the looks of it. Desks, scattered notes, computers that looked as though they seriously needed to be updated, test tubes... 

April saw him first. She let out a choked gasp. 

"No..." 

Chained and battered with wounds beyond belief, was Leonardo. He was coiled in a ball, scars mutilating his mutated body. If it wasn't for his weak chest rising, Donnie would have assumed he was dead. But somehow, he pushed through, despite the abuse he suffered through. 

"Leo!" They somehow found their voice, mind rattling but remaining frozen in place. Their hands were trembling, clammy with anxiety and ready to faint from dizziness. 

"We have to get him out of there!" April shook Donnie out from completely freaking out by gripping the wrist and pulling them towards the containment unit. 

"Leo!" They cried out. "Hang on, I-I'm gonna help ya out!" 

Approaching Leo while still panicking was not an easy task. At least April was by their side. They gently pressed their hand against the glass, wondering if there was a control panel or something that would help them out here. They couldn't focus. 

Before they could even get close enough to reach for Leo, the serpent mutant retaliated suddenly, fins sparking up and letting out a terrifying roar. Both teens flinched, hugging each other in fright. 

"Leo, calm down, it's only us!" April quickly said, yelping into Donnie's arms as Leo snapped his jaws- just barely missing her head. "Does he know it's us?" 

"I don't know!" Donnie, still holding April, tried to walk forward again. Leo started to growl and snarl, refusing to let them move towards him. Donnie decided it would be wiser to back up against the wall, even though they didn't want to. They were so close to rescuing him, but this barrier would surely make everything more difficult. 

They made a frustrated noise. "He isn't letting me come closer! How am I supposed to calm him down if he doesn't want me near him? How do we release him if he's freaking out?" 

April climbed down, resting a hand on their shaking shoulder, and finally pulling them back. They wouldn't stop shaking. Even with Leo trapped behind glass and unable to actually harm them. 

"I can fix this...I can fix this...I can..." 

Leo let out another roar. 

"We'll figure this out Donnie, I'll call-" They continued to shake, and it took April a moment to realize they were crying. "Donnie..." She wrapped her arms around them tightly, not letting go even when they tried to nudge her away. Tears formed her own dark eyes, the stress and fears of everything finally coming down, unable to hold in her emotions any longer and instead accepted it. She hugged them tighter, ignoring the sharp edges of their battle shell digging into her side. "I'm going to call Raph, tell him where we are, and we'll handle turning Leo back to normal." 

"I'll never forgive myself." She heard Donnie whisper, and in that moment, her heart shattered into pieces.

Raph picked up his phone the second April called, already prepared to do his responsible brother's speech; "Are you guys okay? We couldn't find you, and I was so worried when we separated! You won't believe what we did-" 

"We found Leo." 

"You- what?" He blinked. "Where?" 

"Look up from your phone." 

He complied, feeling a wave of relief when he saw her at the end of the hall. 

"April!" Mikey ran over to his sister and immediately embraced her. "Is Donnie-" 

"Inside with Leo," She answered. "I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but it isn't looking so good. We can't get through to him, he's just freaking out!" 

"As in, attacking y'all?" 

April swallowed thickly, devastated. She beckoned them to follow her to the laboratory, pointing at the trapped Leonardo. Seeing him there, unable to escape and in so much pain, made Raphael want to rip open the glass himself, or break down on the floor. But he couldn't, with Mikey and Donnie shivering, and April trying to pull herself together.  He had to put on a brave face. Mona shared a wary glance at him, before nodding. 

"That control panel over there might unlock his cage," April said. "But we can't get close enough to it without him wanting to attack us." 

The second Raph tried to approach the control panel, Leo snarled and snapped his jaws at him. "I see what you mean. I could try throwing a sai at it? Long distance aim." 

"And then when he's released, he'll immediately kill us all," Mona said, shaking her head. "There's gotta be an easier way to calm him down before we turn him back. Maybe..." She looked at April, then at a perplexed Raph, then finally at Mikey and Donnie.  "What about that family magic thing? Hamato Ninpo! Didn't you say it was a powerful mystic energy?" She grinned eagerly at April, who did not seem as excited. "Or something like that?" 

"I might have said something along those lines..." She murmured. "How would that even calm Leo down?" 

"If it's powerful enough, he might tap into it!" 

Raph hesitated. "I appreciate the idea Mona, but I'm not so sure..." He rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. "I don't know if that's how it works." 

"We haven't done it since we fought the Shredder," Donnie added. "And we've never done it without Leo." 

"It's worth a shot though, isn't it?" Mona pleaded. "I'm not part of the Hamato family so obviously I know nothing about it, but I have a feeling it might work! Then once he's calmed down, I can throw the retro mutagen on him." 

"I don't..." 

"I think we should do it!" Mikey interjected firmly. "We have to try at least," He smiled at Mona, and held out his hand for Raph. "For Leo." 

Raph winced as he heard Leo roar again. "For Leo." And took Mikey's hand. 

Donnie took Mikey's other hand, and April took their hand. Raph looked over to Mona, who shook her head. 

"Just you guys," She said. "I'm not a Hamato." 

Nothing happened at first. Aside from their synchronized breathing, it didn't didn't seem to be working or connecting them at all. Then, Mikey started to glow a vibrant orange gold hue around him. His pupils white and almost angelic, with a light innocence to them, he beamed. 

"Anatawa Hitorijanai. Say it with me, guys," He whispered. 

Mona did not know what the words meant, but it must have left an impact, for once the words left his lips, Donnie's eyes filled with tears. 

"Anatawa Hitorijanai," they echoed, now glowing a rich lavender aura around them. 

"Anatawa Hitorijanai," April had an emerald shine to her. 

Raphael was overcome with emotion. "Anatawa Hitorijanai." He finally was glowing a brilliant red. 

Somehow with all that, Mona had at least expected some positive reaction out of Leo. Some connection, some memories, anything! But instead, the serpent was only thrashing against the glass. 

"Come on Leo," Raph chanted under his breath. "We love you so much. Please come back to us." 

"You've come so far, Leo!" Mikey shouted, blinking back tears. "We can't be a team without you! We can't be a family without you!" 

The serpent- Leonardo's eyes went wide. He slivered, muzzle against the glass, and made a soft noise. His entire body started to shimmer, a familiar shade of sapphire. He faded from the glass prison, and reappeared in front of them. His teleporting powers were still inside him. 

"It's working!" Someone shouted. 

With newfound determination, Mona Lisa stepped forward and released the retromutagen. 

His head was pounding. Leo tried to maneuver himself in a comfortable position, but found that nearly impossible. Every joint and muscle hurt, his head felt as though it was ready to explode, and generally speaking, he felt like crap. 

It was so dark too. He tried holding out a hand (fin? Whatever limb he had) and couldn't see what was in front of him. Pitch black darkness. 

"Am I dead?" He thought to himself. It was certainly a strong possibility, even though he had no memory of what happened to him. Just that he hurt a lot. "Shit, am I in the bad place?" 

Before he could even try to contemplate whether he had kicked the bucket or not, he heard a group of muffled, recognizable voices around him. Which did not help his headache. 

"I can't believe it worked!" Once voice exclaimed. 

"Is he alive?" 

"Yeah, look, he's breathing!" 

"He looks like hell." 

"Wow rude." Leo thought. 

"He looks just like Leo, but his gills...are they permanent?" 

"How am I supposed to know, Raph?" 

Raph?! 

"Guys shut up, he's waking up! He's waking up!" 

Leo yawned, blinded by the white lights. "The fuck...?" He mumbled. "Donnie turn off the lights, m' trying to sleep here." He winced, feeling a sudden sharp pain in his side. 

"Leo!" A chorus of cheers, followed by gentle hugs engulfed him, and he couldn't have been more relieved. Whatever had happened, the bits and pieces he remembered were over. He was with his family. He was home. 

Everyone was talking over each other, rambling about how he was back to normal, how they thought his new gills and scars made him look awesome, among other things he couldn't understand. 

"Guys, chill," Leo smirked, leaning back. "I really gotta get some..." His eyebrows furrowed once he spotted Mona Lisa. It took a moment for things to register, but he smiled weakly. "Hey." 

"Hey," She parroted awkwardly. "I'm Mona Lisa. I don't know if you remember me, but we initially got off on the wrong foot and I wanted to say I'm..." 

"I know," Leo admitted. "I remember some things." 

"She helped save you," Raph said, rubbing circles on Leo's carapace soothingly. 

"Hey," The slider weakly chuckled, shooting Raph and Mona separate looks. "I get it. Now come join the hug, or else. And thanks. All of you." 

Mona happily obliged. 

One month later 

The sun was peeking over the Hudson River. It was an ungodly hour, especially since it was still summer. Raphael had wanted to get extra early to not only impress Mona, but to watch the sunrise with her. Leo had insisted that it would be romantic or something. 

"I'm surprised you came," Mona teased, showing up from behind him, clad in a new magenta romper. "You hate waking up early." 

"It was no problem at all." 

"You set five alarms, didn't you?" 

"...Maybe."

Mona laughed. "How is Leo?" 

"He's recovering. Dad told him not to patrol and train for a while, Donnie's doing daily check ups, and I'm helping him with physical therapy." 

"You're a good brother, ya know that?" She mused. "I'm glad he's doing alright. And you?" 

"Better, now that my family's all together again. How's the roomies?" 

Because of her mutant status, Sunita had graciously invited her to room with her in the Hidden City. Turned out Cassandra Jones was living there too. 

"Casey snores and the walls are super thin," Mona stated drly. "I actually love living with them both." 

"I'm glad everything is sorted out. Mostly." He looked on at the horizon, content with watching the clouds float by, the peach orange swirling into a sky blue. It was beautiful. 

"I am too." Mona took his hand. 

Raph's cheeks warmed, and without really thinking, leaned down (since she was adorably short) and pressed his lips lightly against hers. The kiss was short and sweet, a little awkward and messy, and perfect. 

They both stood in flustered shock, until Mona intertwined her hand in his. Leaning against him, together they watched the sun rise above them, a new day bringing on a new set of adventures.