When The World Crumbles: Chapter 1, A Journey Begins By Accident.
(It is done! Enjoy!)
It was over.
The Kraang had lost, with the majority of their forces teleported back to their home dimension. Those that somehow stayed behind were trapped on Earth. But that wasn't a problem, their numbers were few and far between, dwindling fast.
However they tried again, resurrecting the Technodrome from the ocean floor, only for it to be shot back down by the Triceratons. Kraang Prime was destroyed, and without the leader of the hivemind, it was only a matter of time for the last remaining Kraang cells to crumble.
That was how it was supposed to go. However it seems assuming that their enemies were defeated was a recurring mistake that keeps coming back to bite them in the ass.
But surely this time it was over. No way Kraang Prime survived…That naive, almost wondrous spark of hope was quickly dashed against the rocks.
The Kraang communicator was going off.
After months of the white, pearlescent orb sitting silently on the shelf collecting dust, it was active.
The flashing magenta lights almost seemed like they were mocking the four turtles that surrounded it, waiting with baited breath as Donatello began decoding the message.
It was quiet in the lab, the only sounds coming from the orb's beeping and Donatello's rapid typing on his laptop. Then there was silence as the orb finally shut up. The purple clad turtle quickly scanned the message, clinging to the tiniest shred of hope. Maybe it was just a Kraang cell that got unruly? Maybe?
He covered his mouth with his hands, the color draining from his face.
"Well? What is it!" Raphael demanded, his sais tightly gripped in his hands, ready to take down any possible threat. Despite the threatening tone his eyes betrayed him. He was scared.
They all were scared.
"It's probably nothing! Right Dee?" Michelangelo said, trying to lighten the mood. Deep down he knew that it was far from nothing.
"Donnie…" Leonardo gently chided, from the look on Donatello's face he had a guess as to what that message had said. God he hoped that he was wrong.
Finally, the genius turtle spoke, voice a small whisper.
"The Kraang are planning another invasion."
A heavy, choking, silence filled the laboratory. The four brothers looked at each other as the words bore into their minds.
The Kraang are going to invade again!
Because of course they are. They can't just move on to a different planet, go to Mars or some exoplanet and mutate it to their heart's delight. Of course not.
Raphael let out an exhausted scream filled with frustration, with hate for the aliens that simply can not allow them to live their god damn lives!
The red clad turtle's fist collided with the metal wall of his younger brother's lab. His anger only grew, maybe if he pretended it was a Kraang droid's stupid head he could punch all their problems away.
Donatello looked at Michelangelo, the younger turtle's eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"Not again…Not again…Please not again…" He mumbled under his breath, hugging himself with his trembling arms.
"C'mere Mikey," Donatello whispered as he pulled his brother into a tight hug. "I'm here…Donnie's gotchu." The only response from the turtle in orange was a small whimper and a nuzzle, tears starting to spill over his freckled cheeks.
"Why?" Raphael yelled at no one in particular. "Why does this keep happening!" He kicked a discarded soda can on the floor, making it smack into the wall with a small clang.
"Did we royally piss off some god in a past life or some shit? Is that why we have to keep suffering all the damn time?" Raphael finished his little tirade with a groan, smacking his face into the cold metal wall.
"I don't know Raph," Donatello started, arms still around his younger brother. "Leo what do we do?"
Silence.
"Leo?" Michelangelo piped up as he unburied his face from Donatello's plastron.
The blue clad turtle in question had sat down on one of the nearby chairs. His eyes blank and unfocused in a thousand-yard stare. His right leg was pulled up close to him while the other was bouncing up and down rapidly. Donatello could see the thick black band of the knee brace on his eldest brother's leg, a reminder of the last Kraang invasion.
"Hey Leo?" Raphael asked. That snapped Leonardo out of his daze. "What now?"
Leonardo looked at Donatello, forcing fake resolve onto his expression. "How much time do we have?"
The purple clad turtle glanced at his laptop. "About a week before the invasion begins." Well that was more time then they had last time. Leonardo nodded and stood up on unsteady legs.
"We'll make a plan," The fearless leader stated with a slightly shaking voice. "And end this nightmare once and for all."
Time felt strange as the days ticked by. It felt like time had dragged by at a snail's pace and yet also flew by faster than a comet.
The four turtles had come up with a plan and started preparing. They found the gear they handcrafted in the woods after the first invasion. It was worn and dirty by now, but that was fine.
The gear was remade, the same concepts with new fabric and materials. The sheaths for Leonardo's katanas had been moved down, crisscrossed against his back to make room for the large quiver he slung over his shoulder. A bow and as many arrows as he could fit were stuffed inside.
Raphael upgraded his makeshift flamethrowers, increasing their fire power. Across his chest was the weapons harness he had worn when they fought the Technodrome, adorned with all the spare weapons he could find. Even more were hanging from his belt.
Donatello had upgraded his bō staff, infusing it with metal and electrifying it so it could zap anything it touched. He replaced the fabric grip with thick rubber, as well as thick electrical gloves on his hands to avoid electrocution. A large med kit and tool box were strapped to his back because it would definitely be needed.
And lastly there's Michelangelo, he added a hood to his gear to match his brothers. His nunchucks and kusarigama chain were strapped to his belt along with tons of brand new electric poppers that Donatello whipped up. And like Donatello he was also wearing electric gloves to make sure he doesn't fry his brain. A small backpack filled with food was on his back in case they were trapped and without rations.
All four of them also had their grappling hooks, oxygen convertors, turtle gliders and nearly all the throwing stars and kunai they could find around the lair. Plus Donatello had made them ten smoke bombs each, forty in total.
It was almost time.
The last preparations were underway, then they would leave.
The plan was simple: break into TCRI and take the portal to Dimension X. Then they would find Kraang Prime and take her down, along with Kraang SubPrime, just to be sure that the Kraang would never come back.
The lair was going into full lockdown, once they left no one would get in. After all, the Kraang know where they live. It would be stupid to assume they forgot after the last invasion. The turtles were taking any chances this time.
"Got everything?" Leonardo asked for the umpteenth time, checking his team over to see if anything had been missed.
"For the hundredth time, yes!" Raphael yelled from inside the Shellraiser. Donatello carried the last bag into the vehicle, giving the blue clad turtle a thumbs up as he passed.
"We can't be too sure Raphael, once we leave there's no coming back." The turtle in question only nodded in response, mind elsewhere.
"Ice Cream Kitty is back in the freezer." Michelangelo said as he entered the lab, a little dried ice cream on the side of his mouth which he quickly licked off with his tongue. The four turtles stood in silence, dreading what was to come.
"Everyone ready?" The leader asked. The three younger turtles nodded, although they all knew that was a lie. They were just putting on a brave face, after all how could anyone be ready to storm an alien dimension to kill the aliens' hivemind. None of them slept much the past couple of days, dreading when this moment would arrive. But as the saying goes: fake it till you make it.
"Alright," Leonardo whispered, steeling himself for what is to come. "Let's say goodbye to Master Splinter and be on our way."
The four turtles said nothing more as they made their way to the dojo. Inside they went to the wall and all sat down in front of the shrine. Leonardo carefully lit the candles while Michelangelo added an offering. A small cup of tea and a piece of cheese.
Silence washed over the teens as memories filled their minds. Two months ago, Splinter was still alive, everything was fine! They were still being scolded for not cleaning their rooms on time. They could wrap their arms around their father and feel his steady heartbeat and warmth soothe their worries away. Two months…
Two months since the turtles watched the Shredder impale their father and chuck him off a building like discarded trash. Two months since they had to dress their father's wounds for his burial. Two months since they took the fight to Shredder. Two months since Leonardo beheaded that vile monster.
Two months, and now when the shock started to wear off so they could actually begin to grieve, the Kraang are plotting another full scale invasion. Because apparently it was too much to ask for a god damn break.
Eventually the four turtles finished praying to the shrine and stood up, hearts heavy but eyes filled with cold resolve. They were in agreement, they were going to finally end this.
They left a note behind explaining their plan, and piled into the shellraiser. They drove off, leaving their old home behind.
Leonardo had once suggested that the Kraang, despite being highly advanced aliens from another dimension, were quite stupid. They could never learn their lesson, never adapt to a situation. That made them predictable, weak.
Oh how Leonardo regrets saying that.
The portal, which the turtles had assumed would be at the top of TCRI because that's where it's been for the past four years, was gone.
In its place were hundreds upon hundreds of Kraang droids. It was an ambush.
The turtles barely escaped with their lives, forced to ditch the Shellraiser since the Kraang decided to hide there too.
The next three or four days were a constant blur of searching Kraang bases and hideouts, only to get chased out and escape by the skin of their noses. They had burned through the rations and medical supplies far too quickly as they searched the city, the invasion drawing ever closer.
Now the four, much more ragged turtles stood in front of the last known Kraang base they hadn't checked. The Statue of Liberty.
"Still can't believe a New York monument is a Kraang base." Donatello mumbled as he quickly stitched a deep gash on Michelangelo's forearm closed. The younger turtle quietly whimpered into Leonardo's plastron the whole time. Raphael was keeping watch.
"You think the portal is here?" Leonardo asked, caressing Michelangelo's shell as the stitches were finished.
"I hope so, otherwise we'll have to assume that the portal is not in New York City. Then we might end up searching the entirety of the east coast." Donatello wrapped a bandage around the orange clad turtle's arm.
"I think this is the right place." Raphael interjected in a hushed voice. "The place is crawling with Kraang-" As he said that the loud bangs of blasters being fired caught their attention. The turtles barely had time to dodge the magenta shots. Yup definitely the right place.
"Ninjas let's move!" Leonardo shouted, racing towards the statue. His brothers close behind.
Run and dodge, run and strike down Kraang, and keep running. That was the plan. Keep fighting as they climbed higher and higher to the top.
Why were there so many stairs? And even more Kraang all around? Finally they reached the crown, legs burning and chests aching. And for once, the universe was kind to the four turtles.
They found the portal.
"Cover Donnie!" Leonardo had shouted over the constant sounds of blasters. His katanas sliced through two Kraang droids and impaled another.
Donatello quickly got to work on the portal, trying to activate it so they could get to Dimension X. It was difficult, the Kraang had really gotten smart this time and changed all the codes, meaning he was starting from scratch. The raging battle around him didn't help.
It's not easy to decode advanced alien technology while also getting shot at.
"How's the portal coming Dee?" A brother yelled, though with the constant blaster fire, screeching Kraang droids, and Donatello's own brain fog he couldn't really place the voice to a name.
"Working on it!" He shouted back, ducking as a pink blast nearly went through his head.
"BOOYAKASHA!" Michelangelo yelled, chucking two poppers into the never ending swarm of Kraang. The poppers went off, zapping several of them and taking them down. "Hey Donnie! The poppers work great!" Donatello gave a thumbs up before returning his attention to the portal.
"Biodroids: engage" The robotic voices of the Kraang stated as three of the little brains settled into the blue apeish bodies of the Biodroids. The beasts roared, one of them smacking a screaming Michelangelo into the wall.
"Mikey!" Raphael yelled, about to race after the youngest.
"Raph cover Donnie I'll get Mikey!" Leonardo shouted, narrowly dodging the battle droid's fists. Raphael begrudgingly nodded, attacking the nearest Biodroid while poor Donatello struggled with the portal.
Sweat ran down his forehead, so close just needed to keep going and he'll be through. "I almost got it, just one more minute!" He screamed before he was suddenly slammed into the side of the portal.
A groan escaped his mouth while his vision struggled to unblur and focus. He looked up with dazed, the fuzzy silhouette of the Biodroid looming over him. Just as it was about to crush him, bright orange flames scorched its body. Donatello looked up to see Raphael, flamethrowers firing at the Biodroid.
An all too familiar kusarigama chain wrapped around the droid before yanking it to the ground. The Kraang screeched, attempting to flee before being sliced in two by Leonardo.
"You alright Dee?" Michelangelo asked, helping his older brother stand. Donatello nodded, despite his pounding head. His laptop beeped. Thank god for small miracles.
"It's done! Just gotta open the portal and we're good to go!" Donnie said, fingers rapidly typing against the keys while his brothers once again played defense against the last few Kraang droids. The portal started to glow, humming to life as it activated in a bright magenta light. The turtles smiled at each other, relieved.
This relief was short-lived when more swarms of Kraang stormed the crown, with more Biodroids and two cannons this time.
"Mikey got any poppers left?"
"Four left!" Michelangelo held the last four poppers in his hands.
"Throw them! We gotta go!" Leonardo shouted, grabbing Donatello by the arm and pulling him to the pillar of light shining from the portal. The duo entered the portal, with Raphael following close behind.
Michelangelo wound up both his arms, chucking the poppers at the Kraang with one last "Booyakasha!" Before he jumped into the portal.
The four turtles landed on the ground with a thud, groaning as their wounds were aggravated. Leonardo looked up, expecting to see the sunless pink sky of Dimension X.
Instead what he saw was just the human world.
"Ugh my head…"
"Mikey get off of me!"
"Did we win?"
"Oh great we're 2D again! Fantastic just what I wanted!"
"Donnie where are we?" Leonardo finally asked when his brothers stirred. The purple clad turtle looked around and shrugged.
"By the looks of it a sawmill, I think…"
"They have sawmills in Dimension X?" Michelangelo asked, flopping onto the dirty floor.
"No you shellbrain we aren't in Dimension X!" Raphael yelled, wiping blood from his mouth.
"I don't know what happened I programmed the portal like nor-" Donatello was interrupted by another flash of light, releasing dozens of Kraang droids.
"We'll figure it out later!" Leonardo yelled as the weary ninjas took up their weapons yet again.
More Kraang kept coming until the portal seemed to close. Another round it is.
It was supposed to be over! So why does it never end?
