The freedom of thought comes with pain, suffering, and an overwhelming sense of confusion. It was a condition that Leonardo had nearly forgotten how to feel, but now that it was back, he felt it in full force. The whirling whirlwind of self-hatred and guilt attacked his soul, squeezing it and crushing it with the force of a thousand soldiers.
Oh god, what had he done?
Cassandra was gone. April was bloody. Casey and Raph and Donnie were fighting for their lives, as were older Raph, New April, and Little Mikey. And Michelangelo—oh Mikey... He'd nearly killed him, and Leo could still hear his wheezing as he fought the rest of the Kraang as they tried to choke the life out of him—
Leonardo froze at the realization. He had no time to dwell on his guilt; he had to save them, now.
He blinked his eyes white and resumed command of the Kraang. They fell into place immediately, and his brothers stared at him in horror. Just seeing their betrayed gazes was nearly enough to break Leonardo down then and there, but he had no choice but to keep going. He had to save them. As it was, he was too weak to defeat all the Kraang on his own... but if he could get them back to the main room, they could stand a chance. He just had to lock them out.
"Should Kraang escort those known as the turtles and the humans to that which is known as the prison which belongs to Kraang?"
No. Leonardo flinched, hoping no one noticed, and shook his head. "We'll take them back to the transportation room," he said instead, "and put the devices on them there immediately."
Michelangelo's choked sob echoed through the room. Leonardo inhaled deeply, wanting nothing more than to run to his little brother and throw his arms around him for the first time in months. He wanted to tell him that all would be okay, that he was back, he promised. He wanted to hug him and wipe away his tears because that was his baby brother, and Leo was always supposed to take care of him... he wasn't supposed to hurt him, to scare him to death, or to threaten to take away his free will. He wasn't supposed to do this, yet here he was.
But then a quiet hum reverberated through Leo's mind. He blinked and looked up. His April stared directly at him, eyes glowing ever so slightly... and she nodded. A simple gesture, but an incredibly powerful symbol of trust, one that Leonardo needed more than ever at that moment.
April knew it was him. April trusted him.
He held onto this knowledge like a lifeline. Leonardo marched them down the hall to what his team thought were their dooms, but was really the Kraang's. He led them there proudly, ignoring Raphael's angry shouts, and keeping a hand on Michelangelo to support him as he walked.
"Mikey," he whispered the second he could, "it's gonna be okay."
And then he jumped into action, April right behind them. In mere moments, the door was locked behind them and the rest of the Kraang were scurrying off to hide in corners and holes in the wall, leaving their busted metal bodies to rust on the cold floor. Only once this was done did he dare acknowledge the situation. Only once this was done did he dare allow himself to feel.
And he collapsed in a pile on the ground.
His brothers embraced him and whispered words of comfort. Leo, through it all, could do nothing but cling to them with all his might, fingers clutching onto the edges of their shells and pulling them tighter. The last time he let go, he lost them, and he wasn't going to let that happen. He couldn't lose them again, couldn't lose himself again... he just wanted to stay here with them forever, never ever letting go.
He couldn't stop the apologies from pouring out of his mouth. But he couldn't stop his brothers' comfort either.
"It's okay Leo," Mikey said, pushing through each apology Leonardo made, each word more desperate than the last. "It's not your fault. It wasn't you—we're okay. You're okay. It's okay."
Raph hugged him tighter, grumbling out his own quiet agreement to Mikey's words. Donnie was the only one silent. But by the silent heaving of his shoulders and the wetness Leo felt on his shoulder, right where Donatello had buried his face, he knew it wasn't out of anger.
They sat there like that for a long time. How long, Leonardo had no idea, as he was simply basking in the joy of no longer having to count the moments until he was free again. But their embrace couldn't last forever. As much as they all wanted it to, Leo knew their mission wasn't over. It was only just beginning.
He gently pulled back, and Donnie and Raph released him. Mikey needed a bit of a push, but eventually, he relinquished his hold on Leo too (though he was sure to still keep a hand on his upper arm). Leonardo looked up and saw more familiar faces looking down at him.
The Aprils. His Casey. New Raph and Little Mikey.
He smiled.
"Hey guys."
"Welcome back!" Little Mikey shouted and ran straight toward him. Leonardo just barely caught him, falling back slightly before he could stabilize himself. He chuckled as Little Mikey hugged him tightly, rambling about how happy he was he was back, how happy he was he was safe.
He wasn't the only one. "Dude, never do that again," said Casey, grinning lopsidedly as he usually did. But beneath his familiar humor, there was true concern. Leonardo could feel it by the fierce grip Casey laid on his shoulder as he muttered, "We can't do this again a second time."
"You had us really worried, Leo," New April said, smiling kindly. Her counterpart walked over and offered a hand to Leo, helping him stand and then embracing him herself. Both the Aprils looked different now, Leo noticed, though it was hard to see just how much they'd changed from beneath their helmets. But the most important thing was that they were safe. That was all Leo cared about.
And he knew exactly who to thank for that.
He looked up and met New Raph's gaze. New Raph, who stood tall and protective over the whole group, who had tears in his eyes from this poignant and beautiful reunion. New Raph, who'd done the one and only thing Leonardo asked of him, and who Leonardo would forever be grateful to.
"Thank you," He whispered, "for keeping them safe."
New Raph swallowed a sob and nodded proudly.
"And thank you guys for getting me back," Leonardo said, wiping the tears he hadn't even realized had been leaking from his eyes. He chuckled. "That... was really the worst time of my life. I can't wait to go home and sleep it off, but we still have more work to do. We gotta save this city. I assume you guys have a plan?"
Raphael scoffed. "Yeah, looks like the leader is back," he said, rolling his eyes. But his tone wasn't harsh; even as he tried to return to their normal banter, there was a fondness he couldn't force out of his voice. Leo smiled at him but chose not to comment on the redness of his eyes. He'd been crying too.
"We teamed up with a human military organization and some other mutants," New April said, "They're outside the city on standby. As soon as we get the forcefield down, they'll head in and take care of the Kraang droids for us. But before we can do that, we gotta get your Donnie to release the retromutagen."
Leonardo blinked. He stared at Donnie, his mouth slowly twitching into a proud smile. "You made retromutagen for the gas?"
Donatello nodded. "Yeah, and even better: it exclusively works on the new formula the other me made. Meaning once it's released and neutralizes the mutagen in the air, we won't have to worry about being demutated or anything like that. It'll save all the humans in the city and we're home free."
"But we gotta get to wherever the giant vat of mutagen they're releasing the mutagenic gas from is first," New Raph said, "Do you know where that is?"
"I do."
"Perfect. Then you lead the way."
Leonardo hesitated. As much as he wanted to stay with his team and do just that, this plan wouldn't work. There were too many tasks to fulfill, too many people to save... He looked around at his brothers, at his family, and sighed.
"No. We're going to have to split up."
"Split up?!" Michelangelo stared at Leonardo as though he were crazy, eyes wide with worry and horror. "Dude, no way. We just got you back and splitting up never leads to anything good. We gotta stay together!"
"Mikey's right," Raphael said, "We're sticking together."
Leonardo sighed once more. "Leo Prime—er, other me isn't going to just patiently wait for us to get the retromutagen set up. If he intervenes, he'll figure out a way to destroy it before you can even use it, and judging by Donnie's bag he didn't bring much along for extra chances. Plus, we need to make sure he doesn't try to destroy the Bridge. We need a team to distract him. And what about New Donnie and Sensei? We need to go to the Dimension X prison and save them... preferably before they chip New Donnie again."
Casey winced, while Little Mikey gasped dramatically and covered his mouth.
"No!"
"Alright," New Raph said, "Then who is going where?"
"Obviously one of the Mikeys is going back to Dimension X," April said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm guessing the prison won't involve much of outdoor Dimension X hopping around, but just to be safe."
"I'll go," Michelangelo volunteered, "But I don't know where the prison is. Leo's gotta come with me."
By the way that Michelangelo clung to Leonardo's arm as he said this, Leo had a feeling he wanted him to come with him for reasons other than him knowing where the prison was. But Leonardo didn't comment; he missed his brother too.
"Then who's going to face the other Leo?" Casey asked.
Leonardo paused, two fingers on his chin as he thought back to their earlier fights. "April, your powers have grown while I was gone, haven't they? I think you need to help fight other me. With his teleportation, telekinesis might help out a lot."
"Then I'm going too," New April said, throwing her arm over her counterpart's shoulders. She grinned at her. "We got this."
"Hey, I want some action too." Raphael punched his fist into his other open palm. "So sign me up for this."
"And I'll need a team to guard me while I get the retromutagen set up," Donatello said, "New Raph, Little Mikey, Casey, can you guys help out there?"
The three nodded, and just like that, the plan was settled.
"Once Mikey and I get Splinter and New Donnie, and our Donnie's team gets the mutagen down, we'll head to meet up with you guys to take down other me," Leonardo said to Raphael and the Aprils. It wasn't ideal and all of them knew it; it would be better to stick together to face the controlled Leo, but they had no choice here. He just hoped this part would be over sooner than later.
Leonardo readied to go when his name being called stopped him in his tracks. He had no time to react before New Raph ran over and pulled him into his arms, engulfing him in a giant hug that yanked him off his feet.
"Promise me you think we can win," New Raph whispered, quietly enough so only Leonardo could hear. "Promise me we have a chance."
Leonardo softened. Through the shield New Raph held up for his family, Leonardo could see his doubt, he could see his fear—the fear he didn't want to let the rest of the team see because he was supposed to be the strong one. But he was letting Leonardo see, and that meant the world to him.
"I promise," Leonardo whispered to his little brother, "Leader to leader, I promise."
***
New Donnie never let his guard down.
It didn't matter that Subprime had led him down a hall alone and ordered the rest of the Kraang droids to stay back. He hadn't even allowed Granitor to follow them, which New Donnie couldn't understand. Surely Subprime realized that there was no way he could take New Donnie on his own. New Donnie didn't think Subprime was an idiot, but since he hadn't even taken his weapons away or tried to cuff him, New Donnie was running out of alternative theories.
"You do realize I'm not going to willingly let you put that stupid device on me again, right?" New Donnie demanded, grip tightening around his staff. "And we both know you can't take me in a fight alone. I'm not coming back on the Kraang's side again. It's not happening."
"I sure hope not!" Subprime barked out a laugh, still walking down the hallway, leaving a confused Donnie with no choice but to keep following. "Man, if you came back to our side after all this... excuse my language, but I'd be Kraanged."
New Donnie stopped in his tracks. For the first time, his grip on his bo faltered, and he lowered it in time with the drop of his jaw. "Wait, what?"
Subprime stopped and looked back at Donnie. "What? It's not that crazy. I was all for us getting you guys on our side in the beginning—hell, it was my idea!—but then ever since you pathetic Earthlings did join us, you've been acting like you run the place."
Something clicked into place. New Donnie shook his head in disbelief, a grin slowly creeping onto his face.
"You're pissed Leo is above you."
"Of course I am!" Subprime threw both sets of his arms in frustration, real and robotic. "Look, who was it who stood by Prime all these years and was the only one who supported him in his whole 'I wanna enslave all the other Utrom and make my own species' business?"
Subprime paused for an uncomfortably long time. New Donnie blinked, and then abruptly realized that this was not a rhetorical question.
"Uh, you?"
"That's right! Me!" Subprime exclaimed, "And for that, Prime promised me lifelong partnership—seated at his side as his second-in-command. Then your stupid brother shows up and upsets that whole system. And you probably would've too, if you stayed any longer! Prime wanted to promote you too!"
New Donnie ignored the minor rush of pride he felt at that. Sure, he no longer had any desire to be with the Kraang, but an enemy recognizing how powerful he was was still a win in his book.
Subprime continued. "And since the other blue turtle showed up, he's been getting promoted too. He's close to surpassing me. And I can't let that happen, so you know what? I need you and the rest of you to get the Kraang out of here and never show your faces again."
Subprime began walking again, and New Donnie followed him. When Subprime stopped in front of an elevator and stepped inside, pressing a button to take them to the bottom floor, New Donnie's eyes widened. He recognized where they were going.
"You're helping us."
"I'm helping get you all out of here so I don't have to deal with you morons anymore, and I get the Kraang hierarchy back to the way it should be—filled with Kraang and Kraang alone!"
As the elevator began its descent, New Donnie tapped the side of his tech bo and shrunk it in on itself so he could safely tuck it on the back of his battle shell. He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking. "So despite me and Leo being the reason you guys have finally been able to begin to colonize Earth, you still want us gone because you aren't in charge?" He scoffed, but more out of amusement than anything else. "Wow, Subprime. I've always known you were a selfish bastard, but I never took you as one who would betray Kraang for your own benefit."
Subprime grinned, all teeth and flaps of pink skin. "And now that you know that, I definitely can't have you snitch to Prime. You get mind controlled again and I'm doomed. I ain't helping you, I'm looking out for myself, and that just so happens to work out in your dimwits' favor."
The elevator dinged and opened, and the two of them walked out into yet another long, silver and pink hallway. At the end of this one was a dark, heavy door of an unearthly element stronger than steel, powered with pink conduits in a strong lock.
The entrance to the Kraang prison.
"You do realize that you Kraang will be set back decades, if not centuries, by the time we're through with you, right?" New Donnie asked as Subprime began to tap away at the lock, pressing his hand to the scanner and staring intently ahead. "Did you think about that, or did that thought never cross your mind?"
"It might set us back a while," Subprime admitted as the door slid open, "But we Kraang live a long time, much longer than you puny Earthlings." He cast Donnie a look over his shoulder with a glimmer in his eyes and an even deeper smile on his face, lips stretched unnaturally wide. "Try stopping us when you're dead, insect."
"I'd rather be an insect than a blobfish," New Donnie retorted, rolling his eyes. "You look in a mirror lately?"
"Kraang are the most beautiful creatures in the multiverse! And I'll tell you right now, other Kraang envy my charm and looks. The fact that you can't recognize that just proves your inferior intellect."
"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say blob fish."
The two finally entered the prison. New Donnie blinked, staring around at the familiar room with new eyes, as it'd changed quite a bit since he'd last seen it. Several of the old empty cells had been filled with new beings and a few of the previously filled cells were not empty. But what caught his eye was one particular cell that was nearly completely destroyed, the lock torn to shreds and slabs of concrete shattered across the floor. New Donnie searched through his memories for who had been in that cell.
Oh, yeah: the Shredder. Oh well, hopefully, that'd be a problem for their counterparts to deal with long after New Donnie and his team were back home.
Finally, they reached the end of the prison and Subprime unlocked the door to Splinter's cell. Donnie pushed past him and raced into the room, freezing just a few steps into the room and staring down at his father's counterpart.
He was lying on the ground, muscles deteriorated and clothes tattered and torn. His usually shiny fur had traded its sheen for matted clumps of fur tainted with blood. He didn't even bother sitting up when Donnie entered the room.
New Donnie never knew this Splinter well, but he still knew Splinter never should have looked like this.
"Hello, my son," Splinter said quietly, not even bothering to raise his gaze. "Have you come to taunt me?"
"You've been here for years," New Donnie realized aloud, all breath knocked from his lungs. "It's been years."
Maybe it was the horror in Donnie's voice, or maybe it was because at that moment his cuffs disappeared, but something made Splinter finally look up. His eyes locked on New Donnie's. He froze.
"You're yourself," he said, mouth agape, "They didn't take you."
As much as New Donnie wanted to question Splinter to find out exactly what kind of torture had been going on in this wretched place, he knew they didn't have time. He quickly walked over to Splinter and threw his arm over his shoulder to support him and pull him to his feet.
"I'm fine. Everyone's fine—your guys too. We just need to get you out of here."
"Yeah, up and at 'em, Rat," Subprime snapped, looking around. He faced New Donnie as the two left the prison. "I'm gonna give you guys a two minute head start before I sound the alert that you two escaped. If you're caught, you better not go snitching. So hurry up and get out of here."
Subprime tossed a small silver object and New Donnie caught it with his free hand, slowly opening it to realize it was a portal maker. He grinned and nodded. "Got it, Subpar."
"Oh no, you're not starting that again."
New Donnie tapped the side of the device and threw it into the air. The glowing pink triangle flashed to life, hovering in the air and buzzing with power. New Donnie adjusted his grip on the barely conscious Splinter and nodded once more to Subprime, who nodded right back.
With that, he stepped through the portal and disappeared. A few seconds went by until Subprime snapped his fingers and the the device powered off, clattering to the floor with a low clang.
He sounded the alarm.