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Chapter Text

Prompt 3

Body Swap

“I want it to go on record that I do not like this place!” Michelangelo proclaimed loudly, arms crossed and wearing a now-familiar, sour expression on his face as they stood ready to move after packing up their campsite.

April and his brothers collectively groaned.

“We know, Mikey,” Leonardo sighed with the annoyance of a saint about to snap.

“Neither do I, bonehead, but at least I don't keep harpin' on about it every five minutes!” Raphael snapped with a venomous glare directed his way.

“Doesn't it almost make you long for the days when the relentless repetition would be 'Are we there yet?'” Donatello asked with a forced but not overly amused chuckle.

“No!” everyone but Mikey retorted in concert.

April gave Mikey a small sympathetic smile as he huffed indignantly but he could tell she didn't really mean it.

“It's not every five minutes,” Mikey muttered petulantly and he had a really good reason to keep bringing it up!

“No, it's not but it has been every day since we arrived,” Donnie pointed out drily.

“Every, single day,” Leo chimed in.

“Without damn fail!” Raph grumbled. “Sometimes more than once.”

“They have a point, you know, Mikey,” April offered in a carefully fair tone. “Honestly, I'd have thought you'd jump at the chance to get away from the city for a bit.”

“I would!” Mikey protested loudly, “if we went somewhere with electricity! Seriously, though, this place gives me the major heebie-jeebies! It's worse than the Y'lintean underground city was when it was full of monsters!”

His brothers groaned again and Mikey took offence. He'd warned them over and over then too and they hadn't listened. Then, he'd been proven right.

“You know, if I wanted a deadly, trap-laden adventure, I would've just played 'Jumanji' or 'Temple Run',” Mikey grumbled unhappily as he slung his backpack in place.

“Enough already, geez!” Raph growled. “Can we just get goin'? Sooner we do, the sooner we get to go home again!”

Donnie, who was clearly enjoying the chance to study and explore the ancient temple they'd been inside of the last two days, sighed at the lack of support and sense of adventure from his brothers and Mikey knew that given the chance, he'd happily stay for a year or more but Mikey also knew, the longer they stayed, the more screwed they'd be.

It had all started a little over a week ago when April received a letter from her Uncle Augie asking for her and them (more specifically Donnie) to come to a temple he'd discovered deep in the Amazon. He'd wanted a second opinion on something – Mikey didn't remember what and didn't care much either, to tell the truth. Uncle Augie had already organised everything and knowing April had her pilot's license, even a hired a small plane for their personal use to get there. To say Donnie and April had both been keen would have been an understatement. Then there was the fact that Master Splinter and Leo thought the trip would make a great getaway combination team-building exercise which meant that despite Raph and himself preferring to stick closer to civilisation, off they'd gone.

The five spent the better part of the week traipsing through the rainforest, Raph complaining about the bugs, Leo hiding flinches when something large slithered by and Mikey of being bored – he'd been forced to leave his Gamedude in the plane – before the foreboding feeling began to rise the closer they came to their destination. Though all complaints aside, he had to admit the night sky was amazing and made the trip totally worth it. He and Donnie had climbed as close to the forest canopy as they safely could to stargaze and the meteor shower they saw the night before they reached the temple had been spectacular, even if he did remember how humans once thought they were harbingers of doom.

Then they'd reached the temple, the entrance barely even accessible, buried as it was with the temple mostly underground, and they'd entered the 'belly of the beast' as he'd dramatically claimed at the time. For the last two days since, they'd been skirting deadly traps, precarious rubble and debris and Raph and Mikey's rising tensions, even as Donnie and April became more excited with each find.

“I agree,” Leo said firmly. “Besides, I hate to think how much of a field day crime is having with us away,” Then he set off, leading the way deeper into the temple.

“Why do we always have to run willingly towards our doom?” Mikey grumbled before readjusting his backpack and following his family into the depths.

-:-

The day had been fruitful. While the two scientists made numerous discoveries, had taken hundreds of photos and notes enough to fill a dozen novels, they'd also been respectful, leaving artefacts where they found them as undisturbed as they could and that was before they'd even breached the inner chamber.

It was late in the day when they finally did and for safety's sake, Leo forbade Donnie and April from wandering too far from their campsite, knowing that tiredness mixed with scientific and archaeological excitement would make them careless.

From an artistic viewpoint, Mikey could appreciate the inner chamber of the temple and thought a few game developers could make good use of such imagery but his every sense was dialled to eleven, screaming at him to turn around and just leave. Right now! Unfortunately, every time he tried bringing it up, he was always shut down or branded as a scaredy-cat or chicken.

“Seriously, Leo,” Mikey tried again now that they were able to just sit and rest for a while, “you don't find anything about this place creepy?” His skin, his shell, even his bones itched just being here.

“It's just the decaying skeletons and the cobwebs getting to you, Mikey,” Leo sighed, obviously sick of the conversation. What he said was definitely true. Some of the rotting remains proved how people and animals both had died in horrifying and often torturous ways and it turned Mikey's stomach to see them. “All those times before that we've been in 'spooky' situations turned out just fine, remember? This one will too.”

“But we nearly weren't,” Mikey scowled, “and our luck can't hold out forever, bro!”

“Tell me honestly, Mikey,” Leo cut in before he could say anything more to further his argument, “if we could do the Y'Lyntian City and the Volpehart building, among others, over with full knowledge of what would go down and being unable to change a thing, would you turn your shell?”

Mikey opened his mouth to protest, to say shell yes, he would in a heartbeat but... he couldn't. They had been needed in those places, at those times. People had counted on them for help, for their lives and sanity and they had made good friends as a result of those terrifying experiences. He couldn't, in all good conscious, have walked away given a do-over.

“No, I wouldn't, Leo,” Mikey admitted with a groan, “but I was still right at the time, especially about the Y'Lyntian City and it really hurts that you guys just keep dismissing me now,” he said, not willing to add how it hurt being dismissed as a coward back then too. “This place is full of bad juju and it's not just my 'overactive imagination' like you guys keep telling me.” He took a deep breath and tried again. “Leo, you're supposed to be the most spiritual of us, you tell me honestly, haven't you sensed anything bro? Even the slightest little thing as being off?”

Leo hesitated half a moment but Mikey caught it. He refrained, however, from crying 'ah-ha!'. Instead, “Or haven't you even meditated since getting inside this tomb?” Because that's what this place really was, even if it wasn't intended to be one. As far as he was aware, Leo had been too wound up since soon after they landed to meditate, put off by the things that slithered through the undergrowth and through trees, even through the water like that giant anaconda they'd seen just four days prior. Man, but Donnie had been impressed by that. Even Mikey thought it was kinda cool, as long as it didn't come too close, that was. He'd read all the stories and seen all the movies about giant snakes like that one and no way was he willing to take that kind of risk. As for Leo, while he didn't allow his fears to rule him, that didn't mean he was unaffected by them and so he'd been on edge since entering the jungle and them seeing the first sign of snakes. Mikey dropped his volume, aware not all their brothers or April knew of Leo's secret, “Are you maybe assuming anything feeling off is just 'cause of the wildlife?”

The wince was small but Mikey again caught it and he felt a small surge of triumph. If only he could get Leo on his side, then maybe they would make it out in one piece. If nothing else, his brothers would be more cautious, expecting not just the physical but perhaps supernatural attacks.

“Alright, Mikey, enough,” Leonardo groaned in defeat. “I'll tell you what, I'll meditate before bed and see if I can sense anything off if you stop going on about this in the meantime.”

“Deal, bro!” Mikey crowed just a little too loudly and drawing looks their way from the others. He laughed self-consciously, giving Raph, Donnie and April bright grins. Raph rolled his eyes and April and Donnie shot him tentative smiles.

Then Leo spoke up again, loud enough for all to hear as April went back to studying nearby relics while Donnie inspected the area for traps, all while keeping to their promise of not wandering far and definitely not leaving the chamber. “We'll take two-hour shifts on watch tonight. Donnie, you have the first watch, then Raph, Mikey, myself and April, you have the last watch. Are you all good with that?”

“Sure.”

“Yeah.”

“Sounds good to me.”

“Whatever.”

Pleased, Leo nodded, then turned back to Mikey. “So what's on the menu tonight?”

“Well~ we have a truly delectable choice tonight, bro, peppercorn beef jerky with cold beans,” the air quality inside the ancient temple was not conducive to lighting a fire to cook with. Mikey's smile then grew wicked as he watched Leo carefully, “Or instead of the jerky, we can have the last of the snake, which I recommend before it goes bad.”

-:-

“Wake up, Mikey!” a voice hissed lowly as he was roughly shaken, causing him to start in his sleeping bag.

“Wha'... 'm up! 'm up!” Mikey mumbled, shoving Raph off him as he struggled upright and blinked blearily, yawning wide enough to swallow a cow whole. “Wha' t'me is it?” he slurred sleepily.

“Time for you to take your turn at watch,” Raph replied calmly, stepping away from Mikey to give him space. He gazed down at Mikey in a way that unnerved him.

Mikey yawned again and stared up at Raph in confusion. “Yeah, 'k, jus'... gimme a minute, bro,” he moaned, rubbing at the grittiness in his eyes. Damn, but he could hardly wait to get home again if only to get a full night's sleep. Raph nodded and continued watching him but otherwise didn't reply. After a couple of minutes and finally feeling awake enough to be steady, Mikey wriggled out of the sleeping bag and stumbled clumsily to his feet, figuring if he stayed on the ground then he'd too-quickly fall asleep again. “I'm okay now so you can go back to bed, bro,” Mikey beamed confidently at his brother but Raph didn't make a move to return to his sleeping bag. Instead, he just continued to watch Mikey seriously.

Finally, “Actually, I need to show you something first,” he said worriedly. “I found something odd while patrolling the room.”

Mikey stared at him wide-eyed. “Uh...”

“It's not dangerous just... look, I just need to show you, okay? You won't believe it otherwise,” Raph said, moving across the room a few metres before picking up the lantern and checking to see if Mikey was following. He hadn't been but upon seeing how insistent Raph was, he sighed lightly, plastered a smile on his face and followed.

“So what are you showing me, dude?” Mikey asked curiously as the suspense ate at him.

“You'll see,” Raph replied, glancing back with a secret little smile. He reached the wall of the room and slid through a previously concealed opening, causing Mikey's eyes to boggle and the trepidation he'd felt been chewing at his soul since entering the temple to sharply spike.

“Raph, you know we're not supposed to wander!” he half yelped. “Leo said...”

“Leo, shmeo! Look, that was for Don and April's sake, not ours and you know it. Besides, we're supposed to keep watch so don't you think we're better off knowing what's around the corners?”

“Well...” Mikey hummed. Raph did have a point. The instruction was more about warding off carelessness born of excitement, curiosity and tiredness and what Raph said really was just commonsense. Still, every instinct said no! Demanded him to turn around and run now and never look back. Shell, he'd never even heard Leo's thoughts after his meditation because he'd fallen asleep before Leo was done but... if Leo picked up on anything, surely he would have woken Mikey up to tell him. Right? Maybe his brothers were right and nothing was amiss and yet... he just couldn't shake the growing feeling, despite the fact that Leo was so much more in tune with the spiritual than himself.

Raph sighed in annoyance and turned to stare him down, arms crossed. “Are you coming? I'd like to get to bed sometime tonight.”

“Uh... sure...” Mikey hesitated before finally following Raph around the corner. “Just... why are you acting so weird, Raph?”

“I'm not acting weird!” Raph scoffed defensively. “You just aren't fully awake yet, that's all, but you will be once I show you what I found!”

His senses screamed at him just then so Mikey planted his feet; no way was he taking another step into the antechamber. “What happened to your accent, bro?” he countered, suddenly realising just what was so off. Like himself, as a kid, Raph had deliberately modelled his speech over a human on TV he'd so admired and it had become a habit, neither of them even aware they were doing it anymore. It was something that had confused April when they first met her, given that he and Raph had accents and Leo and Donnie didn't. Mikey had no problem dropping the accent when he wanted, given how good his mimicry skills were but Raph, on the other hand, could not; it just sounded ridiculous when he tried.

Ahead of him, Raph had frozen in place at the question, before suddenly turning, gaze hardening. Before Mikey could react to the alarm bells screaming in his head, his brother's hand darted out, clamping around his wrist with a vice-like grip and he yanked him forward. Mikey yelped in fright, fighting not to stumble and trying uselessly to break free but as always, Raph was just too strong. Suddenly, Raph threw him forward and he skidded painfully along the rough ground to stop in front of a cage holding a pale furred spider monkey with a darker head.

“Uh, hello there,” Mikey squeaked in surprise as he immediately tried to scramble backwards; he did not like the evil glint in the monkey's eye. Unfortunately, before he could move more than a couple of inches, he felt a foot slam down hard on his shell, holding him in place within reach of the creepy little monkey. The monkey's paw shot out, pressing against his forehead and Mikey yelled. “Take your stinking paws off me, you damn...” Abruptly, his words were cut off as he found himself unable to speak, frozen in place like a deer caught in headlights as he felt a sensation like his soul being sucked out of his body through a straw.

Suddenly, the feeling was over and Mikey could breathe again. He blinked and looked down, only to see himself looking through bars at his own face before him.

“Thanks for the new body,” his body smirked without even a trace of his slight surfer accent.

Mikey felt cold with fright. “Ooh ooh ee!” Mikey screeched furiously, eyes widening in terror as he heard what came out of his mouth which was definitely not the 'Give me back!' he'd meant it to be. “Ooh, ee ee ahh ooh eh?” he screeched again desperately. 'What have you done to me?”

The usurper in his body ignored him in favour of looking up and down Mikey's true body, lightly jumping in place as if testing what it was capable of. “Nice! Bit strange but it's in good shape. I like this body, Chort,” he said, turning to smile gratefully at 'Raph'.

Mikey grit his teeth in anger and disbelief that this was happening, ignoring the strange feel of long and sharp incisors in his mouth.

“Yeah, I like mine too, Empusa. It's nice and strong, unlike those pathetic monkey bodies we were trapped within,” Chort replied with a nasty smirk.

Mikey heard a low growl coming from another stone cage to the left of his and he turned to see another spider monkey glaring daggers, teeth bared angrily at Raph's body and Mikey felt sick, realising at that moment that this had happened to his brother too.

“These will serve us well.”

Empusa nodded, a pleased grin on his face. Then turned to Mikey's right. “Don't worry, Djjal, we'll fetch one for you too.”

And Mikey's heart sank as he turned to see a third monkey, this one with a pleased look on its evil furred face.

Then the two body snatchers left, leaving Mikey and Raph in almost total darkness as they took the lantern with them. He turned to Raph forlornly. 'What are we going to do, Raph?' he tried to ask, only to hear soft, nonsensical chittering exit his mouth and from the way he felt Raph looking back at him, he knew Raph hadn't been able to understand a single word.

-:-

“What the shell were you two thinking?” Mikey heard Leonardo hiss. He looked up from where he was curled into the corner of his cage to see his brother at the entrance of the antechamber with the two body snatchers in front, looking at him. “You both clearly heard me tell everyone not to wander off or leave the room we were in! Ugh! Why do you neither of you ever listen? And seriously! While I don't expect better judgement from you, Mikey, I certainly expect it from you, Raph!”

Mikey winced unhappily, a stab of pain at those awful words piercing his heart. Did Leo really think that little of his judgement, despite all the times he'd encouraged him?

“We're sorry but we heard something in here when we were switching shifts earlier and had to check it out in case it was something dangerous,” Chort, still wearing Raph's stolen body, apologised, pretending to look chagrined.

Raising his now furry eyebrows in disbelief at the 'story', Mikey prayed for Leo to realise, to notice the lack of accent, the odd way 'Raph' spoke and of course the almost unheard of apology. All should have been instant red flags for their tactically trained brother but then again, what reason did Leo have for suspecting anything wrong? Well, he'd just have to give him something, the only way he knew how.

Mikey opened his mouth wide and screeched as loud and high pitched as he could, even as he stuck his long, furred arms through the stone bars and repeatedly shooed for Leo to go away with one hand while using his fingers on the other to mime walking away.

Leo frowned in his direction. “Monkeys? What are they doing in...”

Suddenly, the two faux ninja turtles grabbed Leonardo and dragged him forward, taking advantage of Raph's superior strength. When Leo almost managed to throw them off, Empusa, wearing Mikey's form, hit him just hard enough in the head to stun him. It was enough for the two to offer him as a sacrifice to the third monkey, Djjal, who acted immediately.

It took but mere moments for the exchange to take place, all just out of Mikey's reach and he cried out in rage and frustration over how they violated Leonardo.

“Free at last!” Djjal crowed, sending a cold shiver of horror down Mikey's spine.

Donnie! There was still Donnie and April! Taking advantage of the light from the lantern the body snatchers brought in with them, Mikey looked about frantically, relieved to see no sign of any other monkeys or cages. Donnie and April would definitely notice how weird they were and find a way to save them. He made a mental note to scream for help as soon as the three left the antechamber. Sooner or later, they'd be found and he'd... find some way to talk to Donnie, to make him understand. If anyone could, it would be Donnie.

Then Djjal finished checking out his new body and testing it and he smiled coldly down at Mikey and his brothers. “Don't worry, we'll make good use of these bodies, far better than any of you lesser creatures would have. You've already been rewarded for your magnanimous sacrifices so enjoy your new forms; you will have use of them for eternity.”

The body-jackers then left the antechamber, taking the lantern with them and ignoring the frightened and enraged protests of Michelangelo, Raphael and Leonardo.

-:-

Chapter Text

Prompt 9

Delusions/Seeing things

Mikey stared up longingly towards the low ceiling of his stone prison but as ever, he couldn't see a thing. He hadn't been able to in a very long time, years, he often suspected but certainly not since the body snatchers convinced Donnie and April they needed to leave only minutes after leaving them to their fates. When they'd left, they'd taken the lanterns with them, preventing them from even seeing the vague shadows created by the faint glow passing the corner of the entrance to the antechamber.

Making soft burbling noises supposedly to amuse himself, at least that's what he figured his brothers probably thought he was doing when in reality it was more to remind them he was still there, he stretched one, long gangly arm up, touching the cold stone above. Honestly, though he'd have given anything for his brothers not to be trapped in adjacent cages, he was grateful for their presence, knowing he'd have gone long mad without their company. He did, however, often wonder how he hadn't gone mad though. They'd spent most of the time in physical contact with each other, a reminder that they weren't alone despite how it looked and felt, stretching arms and prehensile tails through the bars of their cells to simply hold onto each other. In the days (months? years?) since, they'd tried to talk to each other, to learn to understand their new language but it had been hopeless. They did, however, learn to discern limited meaning from each other, 'I'm here, it's alright, you're not alone,' 'are you still there?' 'I just want to go home...' 'I miss Donnie, Master Splinter and April...' but they couldn't communicate anything complex and it left Mikey heartbroken.

He feared for the three of them as the endless night stretched on. He feared for Donnie, April, Master Splinter and Casey too but they had no way to escape, no way to... to even find out if their loved ones survived the impostors masquerading as them.

In the constant darkness, Mikey had often tried meditation, hoping to reach the Astral Plain and actually talk with his brothers, to find a way to warn Donnie and Master Splinter but it was like the cage extended around the Astral Plain too, preventing him from entering and he despaired as he wondered if they really would be trapped in the dark in the wrong bodies forever, just like Leo's jacker promised they would be when he made it out to be a reward. Mikey bared his teeth at the disgusting thought. Reward? Hah! Eternal life or not, who would want this as a 'reward'?

Suddenly, there was a sharp yank on his tail and screeching in protest, Mikey sat up, glaring daggers in Raph's direction, which he only knew thanks to the fact the back of the cage was solid. Then, he blinked, squinting into the darkness in amazement as he realised there was light and he could actually make out vague shadows for the first time since the day they lost their true bodies.

Mikey made a soft questioning sound, only to hear an affirmative from Raph. He wasn't seeing things! Well, he was but it was things that were really, actually there! In excitement, he jumped to his feet, screeching softly as his head smacked into the low ceiling of his cage. Then desperate to share the news, he reached out for Leo, tugging at his paw until he too sat up and took notice.

It was sometime after that Mikey finally heard voices. Actual, real, human voices, filled with the excitement of discovery and his heart clenched in pain. The tones, if not the voices themselves, sounded just like Donnie and April had and glancing at his brothers, he could see the pain in the way their bodies slumped, even while sitting to attention.

Hours more passed and a couple of voices came closer and desperate for help, Mikey screeched loudly, calling, even as Leo and Raph hissed at him, telling him off but Mikey didn't care, he just called even louder. The voices fell silent and Mikey screeched again and again. 'Please,' he begged, 'come find us, let us out, please!'

The ambient light brightened, burning his eyes and Mikey flinched, gasping in pain. Then finally, as his vision cleared, he made out two human forms wearing torches strapped to their heads. Two women, one of slightly below average height and skinny, flat as an ironing board and one tall with a well-endowed chest and pleasantly curvy form. Mikey strained his eyes to see them better against the bright lights and decided the taller one had a kind face so he called out yet again, more quietly this time, stretching his spindly, hairy arms (that was something that still weirded him out to this day, all the hair,) through the bars towards them, grasping desperately towards her.

“Aw, look! Spider monkeys,” the kind-looking woman cooed gently. “Aren't they cute?”

“Sure, as cute as any other poop flinging ape,” the shorter one grumbled sourly at the sight.

The taller woman moved closer, drawn by Mikey's soft, nonsensical chatter and beckoning arms. “Poor things! Who would do this to them? Trapping them in such small cages like that without food or water. It's disgusting!”

“More like, who beat us here first, if there are live monkeys down here and where are they now?”

“True,” the first woman replied darkly. She turned away as if to leave and Mikey cried out in fright. They couldn't just leave them here! They had to help them! Please!

“Hey, hey, it's alright, little guy, we'll be right back. Henry's going to inform our team leader someone else has been here and I'm just going to get some fruit for you, okay? You must be starving!”

Mikey nodded frantically. As long as she was coming back, he was good.

“Wow! Henry! Did you see that?” she asked in amazement.

“See what, Aziza?” her companion replied.

“The monkey in the middle just nodded, like it actually understood me!”

“It's just your imagination, you just thought it nodded because it's frantic being trapped in there.” Henry stopped walking for a moment to look directly at Aziza who gazed back seriously. “Promise you'll be careful when you feed them, okay? Monkeys can be dangerous.”

“Of course,” Aziza promised before following Henry from the antechamber.

Mikey stared after them in awe as they left. Food! Aziza was getting them food! His lips quirked up in a smile. The last thing he'd eaten had been so long ago that he couldn't even remember what it was anymore. Surprisingly, even after all this time, he wasn't hungry but the thought of food! Of something other than the unrelenting darkness devoid of anything but the company of his brothers! He could hardly wait and hopefully, afterwards, the human woman would find a way to get them out of these damn cages!

They'd tried over and over to break out but not even a bar wobbled slightly. He'd never even seen the details of his prison due to the lack of light (and his focus on the body-jackers) but if he didn't know better, he would have sworn the cages were carved from solid stone but how as that even possible? He'd imagined more than once, seeing Donnie standing in front of them and lecturing in a voice dull from repetition about how impossible it would have been for the original monkeys to be trapped inside if it had been the case and he'd more than welcomed the fantasy as it helped him remember what Donnie looked and sounded like.

God he missed Donnie... and Master Splinter... and April and Casey. He sniffled slightly at the thought of his loved ones.

Suddenly, he heard a soft, questioning burble from Leo and he looked over, smiling in the darkness as he replied he was okay. Better than okay, really, because they were getting help at last! He reached out to grasp Leo's questing paw and clutched it as tightly as a hand without thumbs could, feeling the tension ease from his brother.

“Aww, that's so cute!” Aziza gushed awe as she stepped back into the room. Mikey looked to see her placing down a lantern in the middle of the room and turning off her headlamp. “I always knew monkeys were social creatures but...” she sighed, the expression on her kind face turning sad as she looked from Raph to Mikey to Leo. “We'll find a way to get you little guys out and then hopefully we'll stop whoever did this from doing it again,” she promised as she walked slowly closer, holding out fruit at arm's length for Raph to take. Mikey saw him watching her warily before snatching at the banana and struggling to peel it without a thumb.

Mikey winced. Yeah, given they'd been trapped in cages so small that could barely even lay straight inside without sticking paws through the bars, it was little wonder his brother was having trouble now; they'd never even had a chance to learn their new bodies. He chattered softly, asking Raph if he needed help and Raph curled his lip, letting out a small hiss. Mikey smiled ruefully. Typical Raph. He was just glad to actually see his brother again, even if they were still stuck in the wrong bodies.

Then Aziza shifted, holding out one each to him and Leo. As they took them, she turned away again and Mikey couldn't help but panic, dropping his banana to the ground beyond the cage and reaching desperately for the young woman. Canting her head slightly, she frowned and came closer, crouching to pick up the banana and hand it back and coming into Mikey's reach. Without thinking, his hand darted out, touching her forehead and she froze, staring at him wide-eyed as if worried he would attack. Unable to help himself, he stared back, then suddenly, something changed. It felt like he was staring into her soul. He discovered she liked chocolate and cake, disliked hard-boiled lollies, hated red meat but loved chicken and fish. Aziza liked the night more than the day, autumn and winter over summer, she loved to learn and experience things for herself rather than simply reading about them in books and she loved to swim and explore. She had a pet lizard back home, currently being looked after by her ex who she was still on good terms with while she was on expedition and she had a love of life so deep it sometimes hurt, never more than on the day she'd miscarried and then later learnt she couldn't have children at the risk of her life. All this and more he saw within her and something within himself, desperation, stirred and he couldn't let go. The next thing he knew, he found himself outside the bars, staring down into the stunned and frightened features of a trapped spider monkey with pale body fur and a darker head.

Stumbling backwards and over-balancing onto his arse in surprise, Mikey opened his mouth. “Oh...” he breathed. He felt the intense psychological need to clear his throat so he did and it sounded strangely feminine, just like Aziza had. “Oh my god,” he said softly, the shock still overwhelming him. He blinked in confusion at Leo and Raph who stood there watching him expectantly, paws gripping the bars of their prisons. Raph looked unsure but Leo had a glint of recognition in his eyes. “Shell! I...” Mikey tried jumping to his feet but the balance was odd and he stumbled, feeling quite unfit. He looked himself up and down, hands patting frantically all over and stopping in unsettled surprise on his well-endowed chest. It took him a moment but aware of the growing soft growl of disapproval from the monkey before him, he shifted his gaze from his breasts to stare instead at his slender but tough and calloused hands, taking in the soft milk chocolate tones, “I-I'm a woman now and... a human?” He looked to Leo in fright, wondering what the shell to do.

Raph made a rude noise as Leo questioned him.

Mikey nodded hysterically. “Yeah, it's me, Mikey! Bros! We can fix this! We have the ability to swap back or... or rather the monkey hosts do! I...” dropping his hands at last, he spun around, taking in the room now that he had the chance to.

Aziza screeched angrily, drawing his attention and Mikey winced in shame.

“I... I'm so sorry, dudette!” he replied breathlessly, moving towards her, “I... I didn't mean to take your body! I-I'll give it...”

Raph chattered furiously, glaring up at him from behind the bars and Mikey nodded wildly.

“Yeah, y-you're right, bro,” he admitted sheepishly, stepping out of the monkey's range again. He took a deep breath and crouched down, ignoring the slight burn of muscles unused to such movement. “Aziza, listen to me, please.”

The former woman glowered up at him but nodded, falling silent. “I will give you your body back, shush, Raph! Let me talk, bro! I will give it back but not until we find our own true bodies that were stolen from us. We'll go find them and drag them back here, then we'll all swap back and make this right. Okay?”

Aziza let rip with what Mikey could only assume was much swearing; he vaguely recalled she had a mouth on her to rival Raph's when she was angry and knowing just how he knew that, he winced in sympathy. Yeah, he'd feel that way in her position too.

“I really am sorry, Aziza but we were victims too but I promise, we're going to make it right! You just... you gotta give us time. Please!”

The monkey before him crossed her arms and looked away furiously but she nodded nonetheless.

“Thank you,” Mikey breathed in relief. He straightened up, looking towards Raph and Leo with a bright smile plastered on his face. “Gimme a few, bros.” Then he left in search of Henry and a third person for Raph and Leo.

-:-

A couple of hours later, Raph and Leo were freed also, Leo in the body of a slightly overweight but otherwise strong and fit man apparently named Antonio and Raph in Henry's shorter wiry body. Raph scowled and bared his fangs at Mikey when presented with her but saved his complaints for the first actual words out of his mouth once he'd taken (borrowed) her form.

“Sorry bro, beggars and all,” Mikey shrugged dismissively. Being a human woman was weird after being a mutant turtle and then a normal monkey but he was willing to put up with it without complaint. Raph would just have to too. “Far as I could tell, there were only the three of them anyway.”

Aziza nodded, chattering briefly to confirm it, even as she kept her gaze firmly on Mikey as if threatening that if he didn't hold to his promise... Mikey smiled back at her reassuringly as Leo stepped up to explain the situation to the other two former humans. Henry and Antonio were furious, which Mikey thought was reasonable given they hadn't been given a choice and their swaps, unlike his and Aziza's, they were not an accident but rather horribly deliberate. He felt guilty forcing that on them but his family came first he refused to feel shame.

As Leo explained things and profusely apologised, Raph took the chance to walk around to get used to moving in his new body, so unlike either of his old ones. He came back a short time later carrying a journal in hand and looking even paler than his host normally did.

“Twenty-three years,” he said hollowly. “We've been...” he motioned wordlessly at the cages, “here for twenty-three fucking years!”

Mikey felt sick. He'd known it to be a long time but he hadn't suspected that long. How they had not gone mad, even with each others' company, was a true mystery. Or... or maybe they had actually gone mad and this was just a delusion. Maybe they... or he.. was just imagining their newfound freedom.

Leo swallowed and turned haunted eyes on him and Raph. “We... have to get home. Find out what happened to us, find out if Donnie and April are alright.”

Mikey's eyes widened at the lack of mention of their father, then he realised that Master Splinter had been old even back then. The chances of him still being alive twenty-three years later... Holy shell! Twenty-three years. It still hadn't quite sunk in. He nodded carefully, unable to speak in case he broke.

“Does anyone know the time?” Leo asked, looking at him and Raph, both of whom had been out in the expedition's campsite while he had not.

Mikey swallowed and found his voice. “You've got a watch on, Leo,” Mikey said softly. He'd seen Leo's host looking at it when he'd first approached him.

Leo looked at his wrists in surprise, seeing it on the left. “Alright, it's... just after one pm. Gather up the equipment and we'll leave asap.” Mikey and Raph nodded and went to do as he bade. Leo turned to the three prisoners, apologetic again, “We'll recover our true bodies as fast as we can, then return for you.”

Twenty minutes later, the campsite was packed up and the three former mutant turtles had their backpacks on when Raph suddenly stopped and looked back. He pulled off the pack again, took out a mallet and headed back to the antechamber holding the stone cages.

“What are you doing, Raph?” Leo demanded in disbelief.

Raph stopped and scowled at Leo. “We know exactly what it's like bein' trapped in those things so I'm breakin' them out before we leave!”

Leo winced sympathetically. “I understand how you feel Raph, it was horrible but the fact is, we were safe in there, they will be too and if you free them now, then how are we supposed to find them again when we come back?”

Raph hesitated then went into the room anyway. Mikey and Leo followed him, seeing him stop to look down at Aziza. “If I break you three out, will you stay around here? Near the temple, so we can find you again?”

Aziza nodded frantically. The other two looked shifty but grudgingly agreed and Leo held out a hand to stop Raph before he could do anything.

“First, we need a promise from all three of you that you won't attack us if we let you out.”

Henry huffed in annoyance, then nodded reluctantly and Antonio soon followed suit but Leo studied them a few moments longer before giving Raph the go-ahead.

“I don't wanna hurt you so press as far back into the cages as you can while I smash the bars out,” Raph instructed. Once they did, he set to work as Mikey watched anxiously. That bad feeling from twenty-three years ago was beginning to rise again but he couldn't understand why.

Several minutes later, all Raph had succeeded in doing was tiring himself out and hurting himself from the shock of the mallet on stone so Leo took the mallet from him and tried instead. It took some time but finally, cracks appeared in the bars and Leo hit them harder before finally shattering them. Only one bar per cage, the corner one, but it was enough for Aziza, Henry and Antonio to squeeze their small, furry bodies out.

Aziza licked a finger and wrote 'TY' in the dust, then she suddenly stiffened in pain, back arching as she screamed, the other two following suit after a moment and Mikey watched wide-eyed in horror as one after the other, the three once-human spider monkeys rapidly aged and turned to piles of dust and bone.

“Oh, shell! W-we killed them! The cages were what kept us alive, kept them alive and by breaking them out, we killed them!” Mikey gasped hysterically before turning and being thoroughly sick.

“And now we're stuck like this forever...”

-:-