TMNT - Worlds Change

Forty

Leo POV

I felt a lot of guilt wash away in that moment – along with a lot of anger. As we made our way through the corridors, I knew that the anger and frustration she had felt was never meant for me, but I had gotten lost. I couldn't know what she was feeling. All that guilt she had poured out to all of us, baring what she felt were her sins... If I made a list of all the times I had screwed up, all the mistakes I had made and things I had kept secret, I'm sure it would be just as long. Her emotions were tied to mine, and I just hadn't noticed it until I almost lost her. I'll make it up to her, after all of this.

"The main room is up ahead," Atlas scanned the corridor with his eyes, as he seemed to have done many times. It worried me, but he wasn't who he was when I met him. He was looking out for Venus and the others.

"You're certain it's him?" The words seemed to catch in Venus' throat. Her voice was already heavy with the weight of fighting tears as she told that story.

"Positive. I discovered it not long after I made my quiet exit. I went back to look for... something, and that's when I discovered the Foot Soldiers moving equipment into trucks. I started watching their movements and found a few locations. They all were slowly being condensed into this one location." He pulled a map from his bag and laid it out the counter that we had all come to gather around.

"It's going to take some stakeouts to find our ins and outs. We can't be seen" Raph leaned in close, examining the map and the routes. "There should be a sewer entrance in that area."

"Eyes open. There will probably be Foot coming in from all sides soon." As soon as the words left my lips, it was as if I had spoken them into existence.

There had to be hundreds of them – Foot Soldiers filled the halls, as we began fighting our way through the masses. At some point, Donnie's group found itself next to us. Everyone started pairing off, fighting and watching each other's backs. Between attacks, I watched, as Mikee made his way through the center and headed for the main room. As he crossed the threshold of the door, the metal clanged shut – sealing him in.

"Mikee!"

Mikee POV

The room was dark with the sudden clang of the doors. Spotlights came on around the room, one directly overhead. Standing in the light, I did the one thing I could think.

"Come on out, Shredder. I know it's you."

The room was silent, the air heavy as it rested in my lungs. Was I afraid? I couldn't afford to be afraid now. I had to do this.

"You shouldn't have come." Dread filled me at the words from this stranger. At the center of the room was a chair, with the dark huddled mass of a turtle-like myself, cloaked in robes of burgundy. And kneeling beside him was-

"Iris?"

Venus POV
"We have to get to Mikee, now," was all I could say before Leo and I were thrust back into battle. A quick sweep of the room showed all our siblings present – with the exception of Mikee and Iris. But the presence I felt on the other side of that door... and where had Atlas gone?

A Foot Soldiers blade came within inches of hitting my shoulder, had Leo not parried.

"I know, but keep your eyes on the fight for now. Where is Atlas?" The two of us stood back to back, working in tandem.

"He disappeared. Figures he would when we need him most." I gritted my teeth, worrying I had been a poor judge of character.

"Now is that any way to treat reinforcements?" Atlas appeared at my right, with what appeared to be-

"Who is that?!" I was stunned. At his side was a turtle I had never seen, a grey cloth wrapped around the eyes.

"This is Jennika, another experiment by our gratuitous and too-long lived patron. She's the reason I came back." A blush on his cheeks answered about 4 of the thousand questions that flitted across my mind as we resumed the battle. At this point, every set of hands we could get was one step closer to those doors.

Mikee POV

"Iris... What are you doing here, you are supposed to be with-"

"She can't hear you, boy. She's under my control." The growl was seared into his face. I tore my eyes back to Iris, who looked up at me but had no recognition in her eyes. I swallowed.

"Iris, I know he's lying. I know you are in there." Clenching my fist to stop the slight tremors of fear, I reached for my weapon. This had to be a trick. It was a clone, nothing more.

"I hear that it was you that destroyed those clones in my labs, Michelangelo. It was quite a bold move that I didn't expect from you." Turtle Shredder rose from his makeshift throne and stooped, pulling Iris to his chest. Instinct kicked in and I began to charge, but before I could reach her-

"What's wrong Michelangelo? You seem a bit shaken?" Shredder smiled menacingly, as Iris' body fell limply to ground beside him.

Everything inside me went numb. My eyes trained on him, and without hesitation, I engaged the kusarigama blade in my nun-chucks. In that moment, I knew why all my brothers had reacted to losing the girls the way they did. Because what I felt right now – the blood boiling with rage inside of me – was more than I could take.

"You're gonna regret that."

Donnie POV
"Got one coming at you Leo!" I launched the Foot soldier across the room as I turned back toward the doors, making my advance. I stopped in my tracks when I noticed an oddly familiar face standing by the control panel for the door. Well, I guess you could say memorable robot.

"Professor Honeycutt?" The robot stirred at the name, an expression of joy appearing on the digital screen.

"Donatello! So nice to see you again. I hate that it's always under circumstances like this but-"

"Professor, what are you trying to stop? The last time you were altering time to evade the Utrom and the Triceretons." I stood in shock and fear, praying there weren't more time mixups to fix.

"Well, you see, I was captured by Shredder to help with his cloning process and with the deepening of that dark spell, he placed on Iris. I can never seem to evade evil people who want me to use my scientific advances-"

"Wait, back up Professor, You said you are a part of the spell that's on Iris right now? But it isn't technology-based." As I stood, baffled at this concept, from behind me I hear Leo call out,

"Donnie, on your left!"

As I turn to fight whatever is aimed my direction, Athena comes flying in, landing square on the chest of the foot soldier in front of me.

"Don, What have we talked about? You have to be aware of the surroundings." Athena turned to glare slightly. Reaching back, I knew she was right. I had gotten so caught up in talking to Professor Honeycutt that I forgot we were in battle.

"Donatello, you never told me you were working with dear Athena. My, it is good to see you dear!" Professor Honeycutt was all smiles again, and from Athena's stunned gaze, the feeling was about half mutual.

"I'm afraid we don't have too much time to reminisce, Professor. Can you help us release the sell on Iris?"

"Well, I can help get it to where the spell can be broken. But it will still require Shredder's defeat and a sample of his blood to revert the spell's contract. Tell me, did he take on the turtle features as I expected?"

I turned to Athena, who read my thoughts in a second.

"Help him, I'll watch your backs."