The Journey Home (TMNT Fanfic) (CANCELLED)

1: Lost

"Dudes! This water came outta nowhere!" Mikey gasped.

"That's why it's called a 'Flash' flood, Mikey!" Leo explained.

The sudden flooding of the sewers had rid them of the Foot they'd been battling, but now it was after them, and not even mutant turtles wanted to deal with that much fast-moving water.

They just had to outrun the flood, get to the surface and stay there until the worst was over.

"A ladder!" Raph gasped as they reached a turn in the tunnels. "April and Casey, you first!"

The turtles' human companions scrambled up the ladder, vanishing into the darkness for a few seconds.

"We're clear!" Casey shouted back down after a moment.

Raph climbed up next, but as Leo followed, the weakened ladder rungs broke out from under him.
He yelped as for a split second he fell, but then came to a stop as Raph caught him by the back of his shell.

"Gotcha!" Raph shouted over the water, pulling him up to where the next rung was.

"You guys go ahead! Mikey and I will find another way out!" Donatello shouted.

"Be careful!" Leo shouted, then he and Raph vanished up the ladder.

"Come on, Mikey!"
Donatello shouted, pulling Mikey along after him.

All they could hear was rushing water, and debris from above flew by him in the flooded waterway. Branches, trash and even scrap metal.

The roaring only seemed to get louder the farther they went, and Donatello kept looking back, as if to make sure Mikey was still with him.

"Look! A pipe!" Mikey shouted, and Donatello paused as the youngest turtle pointed to a pipe poking out of the wall on the opposite side of the tunnel.

"It'll go right up to the surface...!" Donatello looked at the water rushing by between them and their escape route. "Hold onto me, Mikey!"

Donatello trudged through the rushing water, pulling Mikey across the tunnel with him, but as they climbed out on the other side, he could hear more water coming, and a lot of it.

From his calculations, there wasn't enough time for both of them to make it...

"Mikey..." Donatello forced his brother into his shell, then shoved him into the pipe. "Keep Leo and Raph from killing each other... Okay...?"

"Don!?" Mikey tried to uncurl out of his shell, but there wasn't space. "Donnie, what are you-!?"

He didn't finish, because then the wall of water drowned out his words, filling the pipe behind him with water and shoving him up the pipe.
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Mikey screamed as he was shot up and out of the pipe like a pebble in a geyser, and then flew out and hit the ground above.

"Mikey!" Leo and Raph hurried over to him as he frantically popped out of his shell. "Are you alright!?"

"No!" Mikey scrambled to his feet, running for the hole again but being caught by Leo and Raph. "Donnie! Donatello!"

"Where is he?" April asked. "Wasn't he with you?"

"H-He told me to keep you from killing each other, a-and then the water came, and- Donnie!"

Everyone froze as they realized what had happened.

April ran to the pipe. "Donnie!" She screamed. "DONATELLO!!!"

But all that could be heard was the loud rushing of water below, and no gap-toothed turtle appeared out of the pipe.

April continued to scream the missing ninja's name, until her voice became hoarse and she broke into pitiful sobs, clutching Casey's shirt as he came over and tried to comfort her.

The remaining turtles stared at the scene, then fell to their knees. "D-Donnie...!" Raph stammered. "H-He's a turtle... He... H-Has to be okay...!"

"W-We have to tell Master Splinter." Leo muttered. "C-Come on, Mikey."

"But he might still-"

"Michelangelo...!" Leo's voice cracked as he used his brother's full name, a rare occasion. "Come. On...!"

Mikey looked at the pipe one more time, then looked away, and slowly followed his brothers away, occasionally looking back at it as if somehow... Donnie would appear.