Chapter Text
“Hot! Soup!”
They didn't know what had just happened, exactly. One moment, they - Mikey, Donnie, Raph and Leo - had all been in mid-air together. The oldest of their group was about to punch the alien with the combined strength of their Hamato Ninpō and then…
All four of them had been separated from one another as the Kraang snapped his fingers. The act had somehow sent out some kind of shockwave towards their group.
Raph and Leo had been sent flying towards the TechnoDrome and crashed along its surface. Then the other two had been sent into the large chunk of skyscraper still stuck in the air with them.
Donnie grunted as he crash-landed on top of the partial building, his youngest brother crashing along next to him. The softshell shakily lifts himself onto his hands and knees, only to almost fall back down when he looks up in front of himself and gasps. His eyes went wide as the alien they had just been fighting appeared next to him out of nowhere.
He shoved himself up onto his feet and quickly moved over to cover his littlest brother. Pulling out his bo, he held it in front of him in preparation as he watched the Kraang rear his arm back to swing at them. Donnie spun the staff around while coating it in a layer of his Ninpō, creating a shield in order to try and block the hit.
A futile attempt, however, when the hit does land and ends up shattering the purple-clad turtle's creation to bits. The metal fist continues moving forward and he braces for the inevitable impact. He feels as Mikey does the same, huddling against his back with his hands gripping at Donnie's biceps.
The force of the hit colliding sends the both of them flying off the face of the building. Both of them fade in and out of consciousness as they hurtle through the air and towards the ground.
“Raph, go.”
Raph looks up from the two and back to Leo, nodding his head at the others' order. He drags himself to his feet and starts to run for the edge.
“On it!”
As he ran past Leo, he watched out of the corner of his eye as the slider swung a glowing blade down. In front of him opened up a portal and the red-banded snapping turtle took a running leap into it. He knew for a fact that the portal would spit him back out closer to their brothers, making the rescue a more likely success.
The wind whistled past his ears as he fell out of the other side. Raph had never been happier than right now that he was the heaviest of the brothers as he quickly caught up to the two.
“Gotcha!” Dodging around the rubble falling with them, he grabs and gathers both of his barely conscious little brothers into his arms.
“Don't worry, Donnie!” He reassures as he wraps all three of them up in a protective layer of his Ninpō and curls around them. “This is not a hug. It's a rescue!”
Curling his body up more, his Ninpō construct follows and does the same as he prepares himself for the coming impact. As the ground closes in, Raph closes his eyes as he tenses up his muscles. Finally connecting with solid earth once more, the snapping turtle let out a grunting yelp.
His ninpō had crumbled apart as they landed, smoke flying as concrete was broken. Raph takes the brunt of their landing, holding the other two close as they drag along the rubble to a stop. A large chunk of debris crashes into the ground a couple of metres away from them, a loud bang resounding around them.
“Where are we?” Raph pushes himself up gingerly and rubs at a sore spot on the back of his head, taking a look at their surroundings. “Staten Island?”
“Oh, gross.” Donnie sits up from behind some debris with a shiver, his head pounding. He looks towards the other two and spies Mikey's head pops up out of his shell. “So how would everyone rate that rescue experience? Unsatisfied? Very unsatisfied? Wish Donnie would have done it? Um-hum?”
His vision is blurry and his head is spinning, too heavy for him to hold up as he flops back down. Raph looks at him in annoyance and attempts to push himself to his feet.
He thinks that he has most definitely done something to his right knee as it gives out on him. Kneeling on the ground, he looks up into the sky with worry etched clear onto his features.
“Donnie, Leo's still up there.”
His words snap Mikey out of his stupor and he looks to where his eldest brother is staring off to. Donnie pushes himself back up into a sitting position and stares at Raph. Seeing the look on the taller’s face, the purple-clad turtle turns to follow his gaze up.
None of them could see or hear anything that was happening on the TechnoDrome, being too far away to do so. This is both good and bad and does nothing to diminish the fear they all feel for their brother.
“Casey. Casey, come in.” Leo's staticky voice comes in over all of their communicators and everyone listening lets out a collective breath. He was still alive.
“Sensei, I'm here. And I've got eyes on the key.” The future boy grunted as he landed, staring up at the altar in front of him, determined. He spoke into his own communicator between gasping breaths as he ran towards it. “Just tell me when you're home free, and I'll pull the plug!”
The scattered family all held their breath as a heavy thumping echoed through Leo's communicator to them. When the slider spoke again, everyone let out a collective sigh of relief before regretting it as the others' words had registered with them.
“Casey, listen to me. When I get to the other side, you close that door.”
Casey froze, his hand inches away from grabbing hold of the Mystic Totem that had started all of this. His eyes widened as he had clearly just misheard what Leo had said. He couldn't have possibly just said what he thought he had just said, right?
“What? Sensei, no!”
“Casey, it's the only way. He's too strong. He's not gonna stay on the other side unless I keep him there.”
“There has to be another way!”
Raph walked towards the edge, staring at the TechnoDrome before stopping and catching himself from falling off. He looks down at the communicator on his wrist, hears his brother's voice come through and turns to the other two for confirmation.
The both of them are huddled together on the ruined concrete floor behind him, Donnie holding Mikey and helping him to sit up. The identical and knowing expressions of horror that each of them sport are enough to tell him that what was happening was actually happening.
“We tried everything, Case. This is the only way.”
Raph's eyes widen further - if they even could - and he brings his wrist up to his mouth. He hoped that he could talk at least some kind of sense into the younger. To stop him before he ends up doing anything that was too drastic.
“Leo, please don't do this! Leo!”
A gaspy chuckle comes through in response to his pleading before the slider speaks. “You're one to talk, big brother. Hero moves are totally your style.”
The snapping turtle's arms fall lax by his sides as Leo speaks back to him. He turns around to stare up at the giant alien ship in anguish as his jaw drops wide open. His everything feels numb and he doesn't even feel like he is a real person right now.
Nothing more comes in from the slider for a moment before Casey speaks again. The kid sounds near begging- no, he is begging. Begging in a teary voice for Leo to not do what they all know he has already made up his mind on doing.
“Leo, please! I can't lose you again.”
“Hey, future me would be real proud of you. I’m proud of you.”
Everyone listens in dread as the alien's voice filters in from Leo's own communicator. It sounds as if it is in the distance, but they all know that they must be right next to each other for him to have been heard.
“Weak words, weak actions.” Pained grunting and groaning fills the air, and the sound of something cracking follows as they all wince. “I have forever known what you fail to understand - strength. Always. Prevails!”
The ‘Shlick’ sound of a long blade stabbing into some kind of organic material is heard. “What you fail to understand is I missed on purpose.”
They all wait with bated breath as they hear the telltale sound of Leo opening up a portal and grunting from the effort. Soon after, they hear Kraangs voice again, followed by Leo’s, as strained as it is.
“No, enough of your little tricks.”
“Casey, close the portal.” Casey gripped the key, whimpering as the unshed tears began to overflow. He didn't want to lose his Sensei - his dad - so soon after having just gotten him back.
“What? No! Let go of me!”
“Casey, please!”
Grunting from the effort that it took to force himself to actually do it. Holding onto the ancient relic tight, Casey ran from the altar as a shockwave was sent out and up, power surging to a close.
He swung away and ducked for cover behind some nearby debris as the gate closed to a shut around the TechnoDrome. The ship still stuck halfway through and held the damned portal open.
This minor inconvenience does nothing to hinder the process, however, as the gate continues to close and cuts the giant ship in two. A massive explosion erupts in the aftermath of doing so.
Every remaining member of the Hamato clan stares up at it. Each and every one of them could be found in varying stages of hurt, horror, fear, regret, and so on.
Everything is silent.
Debris falls.
People cry.
“You've been portal-chopped!”
Leo's favourite catchphrase is heard right before the communicator cuts off into static. The gate finally closed for good. The last thing that any of them would ever hear from the blue-banded Hamato brother. How very on-brand for the resident Red-Eared Slider.
Walking through the destroyed and rubble-filled streets, Casey uses his arm to cover his face from the still-settling dust in the air. Blinking vigorously to clear his eyes, he glances up ahead of himself.
His eyes catch sight of a familiar shiny metal and his muscles tense up. He knows that shine.
The kid drops his Genius Built™ hockey stick onto the ground as his tired brain finally registers just what it is he is looking at. He runs forward with a stumble and collapses onto his knees in front of the lone sword with a grunt.
Gently moving his hands under the blade and handle respectively, he stares at his own reflection. Making eye contact with himself, realising what he has done, he holds the weapon close. His shoulders shake as he begins to cry. Silent sobs wreak his slumped form as he refuses to let out any noise in his mourning.
April rubs a hand against Splinter's shoulder as he dry-heaves into the ground. His frame shakes and yet no tears fall. His baby, his baby blue - gone!
Tears fall from the girl's eyes and down her cheeks to pool along her chin. She glares behind herself at where the creature is still trapped. Sister Kraang laughs at their suffering and misery, feeling victorious despite having just lost everything.
Mikey stares up into the sky, frozen where he was. He had finally managed to stand up and felt his knees trembling from the effort.
Donnie faced away silently, unable to bring himself to look. Every single thing around him felt numb and he couldn't believe that what had just happened had just happened. He stares out into empty space as his eyes see nothing, something tickling his cheek.
He brings a hand up absentmindedly to wipe whatever it is away and is surprised when he feels something wet on his fingertips. Bringing the hand away, he looks down at the clear liquid stuck to it. Was he- was he crying?
On the ground in front of him, though not that he could see, Raph is curled up on his hands and knees. His whole body shakes with effort as he desperately tries to keep the tears and sobs that want out, in.
This can't be happening, it can't! He's the big brother, he's the one that's supposed to protect them all, he's the one that's supposed to-!
Soft whimpers and cries catch his attention and he looks up at the youngest. Mikey's shoulders are set, though shaky, and his arms are stretched out before him. He stares as tears land on the ground, pulling himself to his knees as his littlest brother cries.
“Mikey, it's over.” He says as the box shell looks back at him.
“Leo never gave up on us.” He says, eyes facing forward once more and determination taking hold. “I’m not giving up on him.”
He grunts with focus, voice straining as he starts to glow. The makings of a portal, small as it is, start out in front of him. Behind him, he hears Donnie let out a gasp in astonishment.
“Woah.”
“Mikey!” Raph pulls himself up fully, running forward with Donnie in tow to stand next to the short Box turtle. They both stand on either side of him for encouragement. “Whatever you're doing, don't stop!”
Together, they all watch in disbelief as the small dot continues to grow bigger. It reaches around to the size of a basketball and small glowing cracks start to form up Mikey's arms.
Both of his oldest brothers put a hand on each of his shoulders. The same orange cracks begin to form on their own skin where they are connected as they help to take some of the strain.
“We're here, Mikey. Together.” Said Raph.
The orange-banded brother glanced at the both of them in disbelief. His eyes grow relieved as Raph looks back down at him. Growing even more determined with their support than before, Mikey looks back to the still-growing portal and grunts with the effort to open it further.
The cracks continue to traverse their skin, Donnie and Raphs eyes glowing as Mikey borrows some of their energy to fuel his own. They all grunt and groan with the effort that it takes them not to let go of the youngest.
The portal stops growing now, the young box shell seeming to have finally reached his limit. Peering inside, all three of them have an almost clean view of their missing brother. He's far, too far to just reach inside and grab him out.
They all watch with bated breath as Leo turns himself around to see what the glowing light is and reaches out towards it. He sighs, looking exhausted and beaten. The sight brings tears to their eyes with the effort that it looks like it takes him to speak.
“Took you guys long enough.” They don't hear what he says fully, he's too far away and his voice is weak.
Raph stares at him determined and reels an arm back. Activating his own Ninpō, he creates a giant red arm and throws it into the portal, straining at the toll on his body. Reaching for his little brother, he grabs onto Leo's hand and forearm and holds him tight.
Seeing Leo smile tiredly back at him, he starts to pull him back to them before he freezes up. Behind Leo, the Kraang emerges from out of the shadowed dark with a deep, rumbling growl.
“Leo!”
Hearing the fear in his oldest brother's voice, his vision too blurred from a mix of a concussion and a black eye to see his face, he glanced back. He sees - well, he hears - the Kraang let out an enraged screaming roar as he nears closer.
Donnie, seeing the enemy reach out for his younger brother, gets mad. He can’t take him. He can't have him. Seething protectively, the purple-clad Softshell creates a weapon from his own Ninpō and launches a giant spinning drill head at the alien.
Now, in a perfect world, the alien wouldn't have seen it coming and the drill would hit its target dead in the chest and knock him further away from his twin. Or, at least, it would distract the bastard for long enough so that the oldest could safely pull the slider the rest of the way to them and out of the portal.
But this isn't a perfect world, is it?
The Kraang, having reacted quicker than Donnie had hoped he would, moved over to the side quickly and dodged the projectile by a hair's length. The vindictive creature lets out a sinister laugh as he reaches out and grabs onto the slider with a clawed grip. Holding the smaller being tight around the middle, he tugs.
Raph panics at this and deactivates his Ninpō on reflex when his little brother screams out shrilly in pain. Donnie gags as they can all hear the very audible snapping pop sound of broken and then dislocated bones. They all watch as Leo collapses in the other's grip, looking barely conscious as he goes limp and sobs.
The Kraang pulls the turtle close, holding him to his chest and laughing in victory. Much like a child who had just won a game of tug-o-war with a toy.
All three watch helplessly as the creature falls backwards, floating further and further away from them and deeper into the Prison Dimension. They watch as their brother floats away from them.
Their faces morph into horror as the portal starts to slip closed, the oldest glancing at Mikey to see his eyes start to droop. His shoulders fall lax as his legs give way and Raph stoops to catch him as he passes out.
Without something holding the portal open, it closes completely with the Kraang’s laughter ringing in all of their ears.
Donnie stares at the pained and teary face of his only twin brother, the image ingrained in his head long after it had shut for good.
He stands there numbly, still staring at the space that the portal had once occupied. Everything is silent around them, nothing at all makes a sound of any kind and Donnie just stares.
He is lost, confused, disoriented and, if he wasn't already, starting to dissociate as all hell.
His brain, as large as it is, is outright refusing to allow him to process what had just happened. Ignoring the tears that fall from his eyes, he collapses roughly onto his knees and mumbles as his vision begins to darken.
“... Leo…?”