Chapter Text
The prison dimension was darker than Leo expected, painted in the solemn grays and blacks of age-old grief. It felt disrespectful to look at them, unaware of their stories, of their pain and suffering once they were deemed too weak to be allowed to survive this eternal hell. It could’ve been an act of mercy, allowing the war-torn aliens to finally know peace.
Somehow, even Leo couldn't bare to swallow his own lies. So he looked away, his gaze always returning to the one spot of color within the void he had thrown himself in.
The Photo.
He ran his thumb along the surface gently, wishing to be out there with them rather than face the consequences of his actions.
To Leo, it was a selfish wish.
If fulfilled, it would endanger humanity. Now that Leo knows what the aliens who were trapped here are capable of - leveling cities within hours, killing hundreds of thousands of people within days, and in the future that Leo sacrificed himself to make sure would never happen, destroying his family. These interstellar tyrants who will never stop fighting to prove that they are strong cannot be allowed the slightest possibility of escape. He already made that mistake once, and the cost was astronomical. He's going to spend the rest of his life making amends.
The red-eared slider pulled himself up on shaky legs. He had been idling for too long, and his hunter would be there soon. Dragging his tired feet across the rubble, he extended a hand to the cold metallic wall to his side to steady his stride.
It was one of the larger ones, maybe even the biggest he had seen. The turtle took one look at the slack-jawed false head and scoffed.
“Compensating for something?” He whispered but couldn't seem to find any humor within his own joke. He continued walking, considering the behemoth to his side.
They were probably a general or nobility if Leo had to take a stab at identifying. Besides its obviously larger stature, it seemed more sophisticated than some of the other models the teenager had come across in his short travels. It was sleeker, and other than a comparatively small gash where the alien was housed; it was in no state of disrepair. That was the common thread Leo spotted amongst the ghosts of giants: While the smaller models were either ripped to pieces or decayed beyond recognition, the larger ones didn't seem to house any of that. They had more advanced weaponry, from what Leo could tell, and thicker armor to go along with it. Not that it mattered. The colossus to his side met the same fate as the others, armored or not.
What happened to them?
Leo knew the answer; it had been following him ever since he trapped himself in this twisted dimension.
The strong will devour the weak.
The sound of movement at his back had the turtle scrambling faster, desperate for any cover he could get. It was a practiced dance at this point; Leo would make some distance - where to, he wasn't sure - his hunter would swoop in, and if Leo was lucky, he could find a hiding place until the rage passed over. More often than not, the slider was unlucky, barely escaping his wrath with another cracked rib or bruise. He still wasn't sure if he was actually getting away or if the stalker at his back was simply extending his relentless torture. It wouldn't be fun if he were gone too soon, would it?
The teenage turtle managed to spot a crawlspace under the gigantic mechanized armor. It was a miracle he noticed it, almost hidden in the rubble. It didn't look roomy by any means, but Leo could work with it for now. He just needed to get there, regain what strength he could before he would be eventually forced out to continue his endless run.
Leo hated running. If there were any chance that he could take down his chaser and end the torment, he would've stood his ground ages ago. But Leo’s not stupid. He knows he can't win. The next best thing to winning, in Leo’s humble opinion, is surviving.
So, Leo ran. He ran and ran until he had no energy to keep going, and then he ran some more. It was cowardly and pathetic, but it kept him alive. Every minute of distance between him and his pursuer was a blessing; it meant he got to live for another minute. He got to live long enough to hide somewhere or to get even more distance. Any encounter with that him could very well be Leo's last. Maybe the alien was growing bored of playing with his food.
The crawlspace wasn't far now, only about 20 feet. He needed to reach it; he was so close! All he needed to do was reach it, and then he would be safe. 10 feet.
Leo didn't run very fast. He’s not sure what exactly happened to his leg, and he hasn't sat still long enough in a while to tend to it; not like he had any medical supplies on him anyway. He had used what he had to slow the blood seeping out of his wounds.
5 feet. So close. Just a couple more steps and he’d be safe. He was so close-
Red flooded across his vision. Leo didn’t need to look over his shoulder to know that he was there. He failed. Even if he spent his last moments diving for the crawlspace, it wouldn't matter. He hadn't made it. His body was unwilling to move anyway, the tensity running through his body making him tremble. That voice, Kraang’s voice, echoes through the empty abyss between them.
“Found you…”
“We’re not in Kansas anymore,” Leo scoffed to himself as he struggled to keep himself upright. Not that he was counting, but waking up injured in a strange dark place littered with giant robots has to be in the top 5 weirdest things that ever happened to the slider. Donnie would be having a field day if he was here, wherever that was. Leo had stopped bleeding, much to his relief, although walking was still causing him serious amounts of pain ( Nothing the great Neon Leon can’t handle, mind you). He tried to trace his memories to when these injuries sprouted but was met with nothing in return.
All Leo knew is that he wasn’t at home. If he had to guess, the memory gaps were probably a sign of a concussion. The turtle didn't have time to rest, however. Wherever he stumbled in this darkened void, he had an uneasy feeling of being followed. It left the fourteen-year-old wrong-footed. It could be Draxum, but stealth and secrecy weren't always the warring warrior alchemist’s forte. No, this had to be something new. He was still unsure if his pursuer was dangerous, but he’d cross that bridge when he got there.
“Leo to Big Red - or anyone for that matter. Come in.” Leo tried to keep his voice light while speaking over the comms; he didn't want to worry his brothers too much. For all the blue-clad turtle knows, he was probably exaggerating whatever pain he did have in his mind. No need for Raph ‘Brother-Henning’ him to death. He left the line open, the static bouncing off the metallic walls of whatever ruin he had found himself in.
There was no response.
Not even one of Donnie’s pre-recorded messages when he didn't really feel like talking. There was just… nothing.
Leo’s tears threatened him, unprompted, and he propped a hand onto the wall behind him, slowly lowering his shaking body to the ground. Maybe they just didn’t hear him? They were probably busy fighting some bad guy or whatever. Yeah, that’s probably it. They were fine.
His trembling bottom lip betrayed him as he reached to his back, trying to get a grip on his odachi.
His hand slipped right past where it should’ve been. Shit.
“I think I need some medical attention A-S-A-P.”His breath whistled, but Leo pulled his wrist away from his mouth, attempting to hide it from the microphone. Desperately trying to keep his voice calm and smooth when he was very much panicking took some effort. “ I probably have a concussion; I don't even know how I got here or where I am. Donnie, If those escape pod thingies are ready, I could really use a pick-up. I don't have my Odachi,” He lowered his voice to a mumble, “not that I can make half-decent portals with it anyway,” he finished, mostly to himself.
Leo didn't care that he was crying. He just wanted to be somewhere familiar. He wanted to go home.
There was no response, and a feeling of wrongness permeated through his entire being.
“I’m sorry, guys. Please- Please don't ignore me! I know im annoying, talk back, and always steal the last slice of pizza, but please….” He trailed off with a sigh and rested the back of his shell against the wall, his head softly hitting the metal.
Hesitantly, Leo reached down to unlatch his side pouch. He always kept some basic medical supplies in there, and although they were probably nowhere near close enough to treat his myriad of wounds, he could at least get a head start.
The pouch was empty, other than a single, neatly folded-up photograph. He unfolded it, creasing the paper, trying not to let it fall out of his trembling hands.
It was a photo of his entire family. April, Splints, Donnie, Raph, and Mikey. April was holding up a binder for what Leo recognized as a local University. The slider was in the photo as well, flashing a wide grin at the camera. They all looked so happy.
It looked wrong to Leo.
He doesn't remember taking that photo. He doesn't even remember April ever talking about college. She was still in Highschool, wasn’t she? The figures in the picture were clearly his brothers, but not the ones he knew. Those weren’t his brothers, were they?
A breeze threatened to shake Leos's grasp of the picture, and his grip tightened without thinking. Why should he care about a silly little picture? He sighed, tucking it back into his side pouch. He couldn't seem to let go.
“If you guys can hear me,” He paused, raising his comm to his head again. Taking another whistling breath to steady himself, he continued,” I’m sorry. Whatever I did that I can't remember right now, but it probably was a ‘Leo Special,’ heh?” His scoff turned into a cough, and Leo didn't miss the spots of red scattering on the floor below him.” I really am sorry.”
“If this is my last message,” something moved in the distance, and Leo slowly pushed himself up, using the wall behind him as leverage. His battle stance was unsteady, as the turtle was shaking like a leaf, but it was better than being unguarded when the noise grew close. If Leo were to be honest, he had no idea what to expect. Amongst the shadows, a small mech stumbled into the clearing of rubble. It was nothing compared to the behemoths scattered around, but still much, much larger than Leo himself. Wedged into the torso of the suit was a bright pink fleshy creature who, in Leo’s opinion, looked akin to a sentient pile of bubblegum.
Leo had never seen him before in his life.
The monster stepped forward in the mechanized shell, slowly approaching where Leo was frozen. Every ounce of sense in the turtles being was screaming at him to run , to escape . But Leo couldn't. Something about the commanding aura of the creature demanded that Leo stay put, and he obliged unconsciously. He was stuck, staring up at the giant in front of him, praying that he has mercy on him. Leo was in no shape for a fight.
“You…” The creature rumbled deeply, recognition flitting across his inhumane features. “I remember you?” He trailed off; it was more of a question than a statement. After a moment of silence, the creature extended a mechanic hand towards the turtle, smiling. If anything, the large pile of bubblegum looked relieved .
“It’d hard to forget a face as gorgeous as this?” Sweeping a hand over his bruised face, Leo gave him a signature smirk. (What? He can't make jokes during the craziest thing that's ever happened to him? It's how he copes!).
The turtle took a metallic hand and let his shoulders drop. Even though this guy was definitely not a sight for sore eyes, and he had no clue what his deal was, Leo was just thankful not to be alone. The mech seemed to show no animosity for him, and if Leo played his cards right, maybe this guy could help him get home. He squeezed the metallic hand in a firm handshake.
“Im Leonardo. You stuck in here too, Gumball?”
The metallic hand squeezed back. It didn't stop. Leos's eyes widened in recognition as he desperately tried to pry his hand from this monster’s hold - but to no avail. In seconds, he was on his knees, crying, begging for him to stop. He heard a crack.
“I am the mighty Kraang, and you- You are the one who put me back in this hell! You will pay for what you’ve done to me!” The creature howled and tossed the slider back into the wall. Leo had no time to pry himself off of the ground before his world was plunged back into darkness.
This place was too dark for Leo’s liking. He had yet to see a portion of the sewers that looked like this. It was too big and definitely not smelly enough. It's too dark to be topside at night; There were always lights and signs and other stuff illuminating the surface. Here, Leo couldn't even see the moon. It was weird. If it weren't for the massive amount of pain he was in, Leo would’ve guessed he was dreaming.
Leo was brave, though, and a little pain never hurt anyone; if Donnie were here (where is he?), he would've told Leo exactly how wrong he was, that pain was the leading cause of death or something. But Donnie wasn't here (Where is Donnie?), so no one was there to tell Leo how illogical he was. Score.
The ten-year-old kept on walking. He had to find his family. Mikey, Dad, Raph, and Donnie. And his new human friend he was forgetting the name of at the moment. Oh well. His hand hurt.
He can't remember hurting his hand. Did Raph step on it? It wouldn't have been the first time someone woke up in pain after a ‘turtle pile,’ as Mikey called them (Where are his brothers?). But this was different. He couldn't wiggle his fingers. That was bad.
Probably.
After a couple of minutes of experimental tugging, getting nowhere - man did that hurt; he tried to occupy his mind with other things. Splinter had told him he easily got distracted, and he hoped that Dad was right because he was in a lot of pain that he would rather not think about right now. He would do anything, literally, to not be in pain anymore, even eat one of Raphs weird food combinations.
As if on cue, Leos's stomach growled. He must be really hungry. The small slider took a gander at his surroundings and himself. Unsurprisingly, there was no food in the wasteland, only rubble and giant robots. Oh well. Leo sometimes tucked away snacks in his hoodie pockets for later, and he was really starting to hope he did. He was starving after all of this walking. He had no idea where he was going either, just that he had to walk and that not walking was a bad idea.
He inspected a pouch affixed to his side. It was blue, and although the slider had never seen it before, it felt familiar. It was too big for him to wear, resting just below hip, but the slider didn't mind. He pried open the pouch greedily, hoping that ‘Past Leo’ had snuck some gummy worms or M&Ms into it.
Instead of treats, Leo found himself fishing out a piece of paper, which had been carefully folded into a tiny square. It’s hard unfolding a photo with one good hand, but Leo managed to do it anyway, staring down at the faces in the picture.
The small one in the corner was definitely Dad, but the other figures in the picture made Leo stop his stride momentarily. That looked Like him and his brothers, but it wasn’t. Raph wasn’t that big, and Mikey had different stickers on his shell. Donnie was mostly unchanged. Besides his apparent height growth, Leo could recognize that forehead from space. Surrounded by the mutants was a human, happily holding up a binder. The text was too small for Leo to read properly with the headache he was getting, but she looked really happy. They all did, even Donnie, who never smiles for photos. Even though these were not his brothers (Mikey is not that big!), they still felt like family to the small turtle.
His gaze fell on the turtle that took his place, smug smile and all. This older version of himself's markings were much more vibrant than Leo’s current situation; they looked like they were almost glowing in the photo. The teen seemed genuinely happy, flashing a big, goofy grin to the camera.
It felt wrong .
Leo managed to fold the photo back up and tuck it safely back into the pouch at his side. He couldn't afford to lose the one piece of familiarity in this dimension.
He couldn't afford to lose them.
Leo was scared. It was too dark for him to fall asleep. And besides, Dad promised not to close the curtain all the way. If Leo had any right mind, he would get up and find his Dad to tell him off. Even though Donnie insisted there were no monsters under his bed or in his closet, the young slider had to disagree. Pushing himself off of the floor with shaky arms (he must've fallen out of bed again - he’s glad he let Donnie take the top bunk), Leo pried open his sleepy eyes.
It was still too dark for Leo. The ground was cold, like the lair, but it stung of something unfamiliar. Why were there so many rocks on the ground? Was there an earthquake?
He stumbled out of his hidey-hole and continued in the darkness of the void. He had to find his Dad and make him turn the light on. It was too dark. He stepped on something soft and bent down to pick it up. It was hard to see in the dark, but he could just make out the silhouette of a bag and a strap. It was much too big for Leo himself; it must be someone else's. Curiosity stung the mind of the five-year-old, and despite his father's teachings not to snoop in other peoples belonging, Leo used his good hand to open the bag.
All it contained was a piece of paper, clearly worn around the yellowed edges, and his eyes had adjusted just enough to make out that it was a picture. It showed someone's family, Four turtles, and a rat, kinda like his own. Leo smiled at the picture. He had to return it. Maybe once he found Dad and told him off for closing the curtain, he could help return the picture to the rightful owners.
Leo wasn’t really aware of how much pain he was in until he started walking again. His hand ached, and so did his shell. Leo didn't cry, though; he was brave! He needed to find Dad; he would know what to do.
Light suddenly erupted from behind him, illuminating the wasteland Leo had found himself in. He turned towards the light, bright and orange light like the sun. Dad had only taken him and his brothers topside once during the day, and they were all bundled up so much that no humans could see how green their skin was. Donnie and Mikey complained the entire time; they didn't like the layers, but Leo? He was too in awe of the glowing orb in the sky to care. He stared and stared at it before his father nearly tackled him, telling him the dangers of looking directly into the sun.
Leo was a rebel.
He was looking into the sun again.
It was different this time. It had the same warmth the sun evoked, but it felt different. The sheer electric energy radiating from it was enough to beckon the slider forward, curiosity taking over. He limped towards the sun( was his leg hurt? Leo hadn’t noticed) and squinted into the light.
He spotted three silhouettes staring back at him.
Leo didn't know why, but something deep inside him told him to run into the sun - that it was safe. He hobbled closer, dragging the bag he found on the stone ground behind him. As he grew near, a large red ghostly hand erupted from the side of one of the figures.
Leo hesitated.
In that moment, something awful creaked behind him, and Leos's blood froze. Donnie was wrong; there are monsters in the dark.
“Leo!”
He snapped his head to the voice. He couldn't make out the faces beyond the sun, but he could feel their presence. Slowly, Leo extended his hand into the palm of the red ghostly hand. It emanated a strange feeling; the small slider struggled to find words. It felt like training dummies and toy shields. It felt like puppy dogs and brig brothers and sweet peppermint candy. It felt like a blanket or stuffed animal you take everywhere with you just because you can. It felt like a warm fire, hot enough to burn, but never did. It felt like safety.
It felt like home.
Leo let himself be pulled through the sun and into the arms of the biggest brother in the world.