Same As It Never Was (TMNT 2012 Short Story)

Chapter 1: Michelangelo No More

Something isn't right, and Donatello knows it the moment he wakes up. The first clue is that his room is completely wrecked, everything broken and messed up in a way that he knows will take forever to even begin to repair. Second, Sarina isn't with him. She usually doesn't get out of bed until he wakes up, and then they head to breakfast or the laboratory together. Finding himself alone in the morning isn't something he's used to.

He gets up, his bō staff already on his back, despite the fact that he didn't have it when he went to sleep. There's something about the eerie silence of the lair that is making his skin prickle. He moves out into the living room to find everything in disarray, just like everything else. The lair is a complete mess in general, worse than when the Kraang first invaded New York and wrecked the place.

"Leo? Raph? Mikey?" Donnie calls, his heart beating loud in his ears. "Destiny? Sarina? Splinter?"

No answer. Donnie rushes to his lab, finding it to be in the same state as everything else. He spins around, his russet eyes wide and scared as he looks around. There's no sign of life, no sign of his loving girlfriend or his wonderful family.

Without a second thought, he dashes from the lair and runs at full speed down the tunnels. He needs to reach the surface. He needs to find out what's going on, and he needs to do it swiftly.

He reaches the manhole and shoves the cover off, emerging into the outside air. Only, he doesn't recognize the city he emerges into. The sky is dark and filled with smoke, glowing fires burning in little spots across the city, tongues of orange in the shadowy world. A voice echoes out over the expanse of the desolate city.

"Obey Shredder. He is your leader," a familiar female's voice sounds. "Shredder is always watching. There is no hope for you."

"Is that...Emery?" Donnie whispers, shocked.

He moves closer to the edge of the alleyway, his eyes wide as he stares at the carnage. His throat tightens with worry as he watches, thoughts of his family returning to his mind.

"Halt!"

He spins around, instantly being greeted by another familiar face; Tiger Claw. Older, but still the mutant Donnie knew. The giant cat snarls and cracks his knuckles at the sight of the turtle, his yellow eyes glinting.

"So...the prodigal son returns," he snarls.

"Prodigal son?" Donnie mumbles to himself.

"Foot bots, de-shell him."

The bots attack, prompting Donnie to whip out his bō and fight back, but it's obvious to him that the Foot bots have changed just as much as the world around him as soon as he fights back. He dashes into the streets, evading the attacks as he searches for some way to escape.

Suddenly, a form leaps down from above and takes out three bots, disappearing before Donnie can comprehend what just happened. In another flash, more of the bots are taken down, and the remaining soldiers start shooting at the assailant in a desperate attempt to get rid of them.

It's no use. The figure leaps and dodges, grabbing something out his belt and chucking it at the Foot. The sound of a grenade goes off, breaking the bots apart and rattling Donnie's teeth as he shields himself from the debris. Before he can uncurl himself, a strong hand grips his arm and takes off running, dragging the disoriented turtle along behind him.

"Hey! What in the name of Darwin's beard are you-" Donnie starts, but then he takes a good look at his rescuer.

Tattered orange mask, scratched and chipped plastron and scars etching his arms and legs, a cold steely glare in his baby blue eyes, and a stump where his right arm used to be, but Donnie knows that it's still him.

"Mikey?" he whispers.

Michelangelo turns to him, his face registering something for a moment before his eyes widen.

"Donnie? Is it...is it really you?" he asks, moving closer to his tall brother.

Donnie nods, almost crying with relief at the sight of his brother. "Yeah! It is!"

"You're looking younger than ever. I'm surprised."

"What...what happened to you? Where is everyone?"

Mikey's face instantly hardens again as he steps away from the purple-masked turtle. "I could ask you the same thing. Where the shell were you for thirty years?"

Donnie's mouth falls open. "Thirty years? But...I saw you yesterday!"

"That wasn't me you saw, Don, because you have been MIA since before..." He trails off, his eyes growing pained before he shakes his head and hides the look. "You were gone. You abandoned us."

"Mikey...I would never abandon you guys! I swear, we were just at the lair watching a movie! You were eating pizza with Annalise and-"

"Don't speak of her," Mikey snaps, his eyes filled with suffering again.

Donnie places a hand on his forehead, panting a little. "Where's Splinter? Where's Leo? Where's Raph?" His face twists as he chokes out the last two names, "Des? Sarina?"

"You really have missed a lot," the orange-clad turtle murmurs. "We can't talk here. Come on. I've got a lot to show you."

"Where are we going?" the taller brother asks as they start moving.

The other doesn't look back. "There's someone you should talk to."

Mikey turns and disappears into the shadows and Donnie follows, dazed.