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When was the last time Leonardo talked to his brothers? Really talked to them? No meetings or debriefings, no rallying hero speeches, just one-on-one hanging out. There hardly seemed to be any time for a chat about the weather. Donatello was always in his lab, constantly redoing and updating and fixing any tech he got his hands on. Mikey was dedicated to practicing mystic magic, finding an affinity in it that his brothers had not. Raph was scarcely seen home, only stopping by to refuel before jumping straight back out to keep fighting.
Maybe losing touch with those closest to you is what growing up meant. The world was always going to become too demanding for his family to stick together. Maybe work taking priority was an inevitable future.
Or maybe his family being ripped apart could simply be blamed on an alien invasion destroying the world.
Leo dashed around the dismembered head of Lady Liberty. She was far from her original spot, having been knocked clean into the now drained Hudson River. It was a little disturbing to have a staple of freedom being broken into pieces, but she still made for good cover.
Making sure the surroundings were clear, Leo waved his unit over. Casey Jones slid up to his side, looking up at Leo expectantly for the next instructions. The reverence reflected in his gaze caused Leo to hike his shoulders a bit higher, but he shook off the feeling. “Take half of the group to flank on the right,” he pointed towards a broken piece of the Lady’s arm, “If Don’s intel is right, the Krang zombies should be showing up any minute. Wait for my signal.” Casey nodded, again with that same sparkled expression that put rocks in Leo’s stomach, and gathered his group before sprinting away.
Leo turned to the remaining resistance members. They were haggard and dirty, gripping their shoddy weapons in a nervous twist. Raph had done well finding lost humans in the New York wreckage and training them, but arming them did little to get rid of the threat of death.
“Don’t worry, this will be a quick in and out. The goal is to push them back, not engage in anything serious. And if anything were to happen,” Leo gave a flourish of his katana, blue lightning skittering off the blade, “I’ll portal us out. Easy peasy.” The recruits shifted and eyed each-other, unconvinced. “If all goes well, we’ll even have that karaoke night I promised.”
A couple snorts and eye-rolls traveled through the crowd, but the tension ebbed away nonetheless. Leo led them through the dusty expanse opposite of where Casey and his group were set up under the shade of the statue’s broken pedestal. He had the humans tuck themselves deep into the rubble, reminding them not to move until instructed.
After being sure they understood the plan, he stepped away and steadied his swords. Light blue runes lit up the blade and began to hum to life the more Leo concentrated on the sword’s mystic energy. Leo spun them around his wrists before slicing the air, enjoying the ooo’s that came from the crowd behind him. The space in front of him split in twain, leaving behind a perfect circle that warbled blue in tune with his swords. Leo gave his recruits a head nod before stepping through the light.
Leo came through the other side of the portal on top of the Statue of Liberty’s head. Being half buried in dirt, it made for an alright platform for Leo to stand on and get his bearings. He poked his head out from behind one of the crown spokes, scanning the horizon until he spotted his student. Casey Jr. had his modified hockey mask lowered over his face, no doubt standing watch with owl-like precision. He looked like a scarecrow ready to burst straw everywhere.
Leo lifted his watch up to his face and whispered, “Boo.” The effect was instant, even from far away Leo could see Casey jump three feet in the air. The kid whipped his head around from side to side before realizing what had happened and raising a hand to the side of his mask.
“Not funny, Sensei,” Casey’s voice crackled through the device.
Leo smirked, “C’mon Case, loosen up.”
A huff came through, “Master Donatello didn’t make the communication devices for prank calls.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time I used Donnie’s stuff for an unintended purpose.” Casey went quiet on the other end, expectant. Leo settled his shell against the copper, “We were younger, a bit more stupid. Donnie had made us all ‘gifts,’” he emphasized the word with sarcasm, “to help us in battle.”
“What did he make you?”
“A shock collar.”
“A shock–” Casey choked off a laugh.
Leo grinned in response, “Yeah, a shock collar! It was to get me to stop making one-liners. Can you believe that guy?”
Casey was still wheezing on the other end, “He hasn’t changed all that much, has he?”
Leo went quiet. Donnie still made machines, still bragged about his genius, still locked himself away in his lab whenever he entered a groove. But when Leo saw him in meetings, there was a gauntness that had appeared that Leo could not forget. It had replaced his brother’s youth. And it had crept into every member of his family.
“I guess not,” Leo finally answered.
Casey echoed Leo’s pause for long enough that Leo started to wonder if he had taken too long to respond, but Casey continued softly, “And what about Master Michelangelo and Master Raphael?”
“Ah, well, Donnie built Mikey this balloon suit to lessen impacts or something, but he ended up using it to bounce straight into enemies,” Leo couldn’t imagine his little brother rushing into battle now, not when it was life or death, “and Raph got this helmet that nagged him about battle strategies. He strapped it to his fist and punched stuff with it,” Raph was always worried, always stressed that one wrong move could ruin their family.
Leo could hear Casey’s smile, “And what did you do with your gift?”
“I stuffed it down–”
A growl sounded behind Leonardo.
A split second later Leo felt a cold force push the surface he was leaning against forwards. A shower of debris rolled with him all the way to the edge of the structure, skidding to a stop with a harsh scraping noise. Leo looked up from his fetal position.
The Krang straightened up on its mechanical haunches, fully placing Leo in shadow. Its tail shot out in viper-like strikes before settling pointed towards Leo. Its prune face, centered in its chest, curled into a smile. “Found you, resistance leader,” it purred.
Leo staggered into standing, raising his watch, “Casey, change of plans,” Casey let out a startled question that was drowned by the heart beat in Leo’s ears, “get everyone out of here. Don’t take a straight path. I’ll meet up with you later.”Casey asked something else, but Leo was already turning down the volume of his watch. He needed to focus.
The Krang’s voice called his attention, “So your little comrades are here too? Perhaps I should say hello.”
“I’d like to see you try, brain face. You’ll have to go through me,” Leo drew his swords.
The Krang scoffed and leaned back. Relaxed, he curled and uncurled his claw, “Outmatched and alone, yet you persist?”
“Someone has to take you alien freaks down.”
The Krang narrowed his eyes. “Weak words, weak actions,” it veered towards Leo, “we both know how this will end. Your sense of duty means nothing in the face of strength.”
Leo twirled his swords, “We’ll see about that.”
The Krang and Leonardo dashed forward in tandem, the Krang lunging with an open claw. Leo ducked under, momentum carrying him underneath the Krang’s large frame through its legs. The Krang twisted around just in time to see Leo slice open a portal to teleport back to strike towards the Krang’s front. It took a step back before swinging forwards again, only to miss as Leo slid into a well timed portal he created beneath himself. Leo popped back into existence above the Krang’s head. His arms pulled back to slash down, but the Krang batted him away with a metal arm.
Leo went flying, far, as if he weighed nothing. His shell slammed into the copper statue, leaving a dent. A fervent buzz sounded from his wrist. Casey was trying to call him.
“Sensei! Come in, are you there?” There was fear in his voice, Leo couldn’t help but cringe with guilt.
“Here, Case,” Leo coughed out.
“Sensei, are you okay?”
“Focus, junior. Are you guys home?”
“Yes– but where are you?”
Leo looked up. The Krang was swaying in place, crouching down ever so slightly to spring at a moment's notice.
“I’ll be with you in a second,” Leo said, rolling his shoulders and rising from the ground.
Leo sprinted at the Krang, winding back and flinging one of his katana at the alien. The Krang turned its head to one side, letting the blade fly over its shoulder and off the Lady’s head. Leo kept running, chanting please work, please work, please work inside his head as the runes of his remaining sword lit up. The Krang reared back and brought an outstretched claw onto Leo.
Leo reached out his empty hand to the horizon where his sword was thrown. In a crackle of lighting, he closed his fist and felt his body shoot towards his missing blade just as the Krang’s hand swiped at the space he once was.
“Yes!” Leo cried when he didn’t feel the Krang’s attack. It worked, his sword was back in his hand reunited. The joy he felt was almost enough not to notice the rushing wind stinging at his skin.
He was able to teleport away, but the deflected sword hadn’t exited freefall when he did. Leo was falling.
“No!” Leo screamed, “No, no no no no!”
He scrambled to get a better grip on his katana. Some frantic swings on his part opened a shaky and dubious portal underneath his falling frame. Leo came tumbling out the other side, bouncing against the ground and leaving a cloud of dust behind himself. Looking around it appeared he had ended up in the middle of the drained river, a little ways away from the Statue of Liberty’s head.
Leo let out a weak laugh that rolled into a series of coughs. A roar rang in the distance, an angry cry from above that reminded him coldly that he wasn’t quite out of the thicket yet. He jogged over to where his swords fell during the fall. He shook the dust off and took a deep breath.
Only for more dust to fly in his direction. Leo turned around to see the Krang landing in a crater it had created from its own fall.
“Can’t get enough of me?” He taunted.
The Krang growled. It started walking, then striding, then running, then bounding at Leo. Leo cursed under his breath and cut a portal and stepped across the threshold.
“Sorry bud, but this is my stop–”
The Krang moved faster than Leo had thought. A cold metal hand curled around his bicep and yanked back. In a panic Leo brought down his sword to close the portal. His arm was still on the other side. A clean cut. A sharp pain. His student yelled his name.
If he hadn’t tried to goad it. If he hadn’t waited to open the portal. If he had run at the first sign of the Krang. If he hadn’t left his group behind.
He could still have his arm.