Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Day 1

Mikey stood at the kitchen counter humming quietly along with an instrumental song playing from his t-phone. He was slicing strawberries when Leo entered. The leader was always the first one awake and the surprise was evident in his voice when he asked Mikey why he was already up and preparing breakfast. The rest of the family likely wouldn’t wake for at least another hour.

“Couldn’t sleep,” Mikey answered simply and didn’t look up from his task. “There’s water in the pot on the stove if you want tea.”

“Thanks.” Leo instead took a seat at the table. After a beat of silence, he broached, “Nightmares?”

“No. Just a lot on my mind.”

Leo hummed in understanding. They’d all been through a lot lately. “Do you want help with anything here?”

Mikey snorted a laugh. “You will be most helpful by not touching anything but the teapot, dude.” 

“I’m sure I could do something simple like slicing up fruit or buttering toast,” Leo argued halfheartedly, his tone held a note of resigned amusement. This was a common disagreement they had, but the banter didn't hold any heat.

Mikey turned to him and arched an eye ridge. 

“Shell, otōto, you look terrible!” Leo yelped. Mikey, who was startled by the (rather rude) exclamation, cut his finger with the paring knife he was using. “Did you sleep at all last night?” 

Mikey cursed under his breath before sticking his bleeding finger into his mouth. Leo was already on his feet and limping toward him. Mike's answer was muffled around his finger, “I said I didn’t sleep.”

“Have you not slept for days?” Leo pulled Mikey’s finger out of his mouth to inspect the saliva-soaked digit. Thankfully, the cut was shallow and wouldn’t even require a bandaid. 

Mikey didn’t answer, but he knew Leo could come to that conclusion just by looking at him. Without his orange mask, the dark circles stood out starkly beneath unusually dull blue eyes and Mikey's scales were ashy with an unhealthy pallor.

“It’s just been a rough week,” Mikey commented and turned away to hide from his oldest brother’s scrutiny. 

“It has,” Leo agreed and leaned against the counter. “I feel so bad for April. Yesterday must have been so scary for her.” 

Anger swelled beneath the smaller mutant’s plastron and he had to really focus on schooling his features so Leo wouldn’t notice his burgeoning ire. Of course, his brother felt bad for April. Of course, his brother only thought April was affected by the previous day even though Mikey was the one fending off panic attacks, interrogated within an inch of his life in the barn, attacked by the Kraang creature and then physically sick all night. 

Of course, everyone would think ‘poor April.’ 

His temper deflated when he realized his anger wasn’t truly directed at April. He couldn't imagine the heartache he’d feel if he were reunited with Master Splinter and then his father turned out to be a monstrous Kraang hellbent on killing him. April didn’t deserve that. What she experienced was unfair. 

What he experienced was unfair too. 

Unaware of his brother’s inner turmoil, Leo placed a hand on Mikey’s shell and suggested, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. You look like you could use it. Don’t worry about breakfast or training today.”

Mikey met Leo’s soft gaze and felt his heart breaking. Only sixteen hours ago those indigo eyes were filled with hatred. Hatred he never expected would be directed at him from Leo of all brothers. A knot tightened in Mikey’s throat and he didn’t trust himself to speak. He nodded and put down the knife. He doubted he’d get any rest. 

Leo didn’t sense anything amiss when he turned to the stove to boil the water for tea. “My sleeping pills are in the nightstand if you want to take one. But only one pill, Mikey. Okay?” 

Mikey froze, suddenly doused in cold shame, at the mention of Leo’s sleeping pills. He wouldn’t be so selfish this time. It didn’t even matter anyway. Nothing really did anymore now that his mind was made up. So, what if he couldn’t sleep? He’d get plenty of sleep in seven days. Eternal sleep. He could wait until then if necessary. 

Mike placed the sliced strawberries into a bowl in the fridge. He muttered ‘thank you’ to Leo, grabbed his t-phone which was still playing relaxing Lo-Fi music and walked out of the kitchen without a backwards glance. 

~~~

Mikey was surprised when he woke several hours later. He hadn’t expected to fall asleep, but perhaps he could only stare blankly at the ceiling for so long before his eyes refused to stay open. Thankfully, he did feel better after sleeping. The sadness and anger weren’t present. Instead, he felt light. Happy even. 

When Mikey made his way to the first floor, he found Leo sitting on the couch watching a Space Heroes rerun. Mikey recognized this episode. It was Leo’s fifth favorite in season four. Realizing this was likely his best opportunity for their last one-on-one time, he grabbed an apple from the kitchen and then joined Leo on the couch.

“Can I watch with you?” Mikey asked as he tucked his legs beneath him. He highly doubted Leo would say ‘no.’ Leo always wanted to share his favorite show with anyone willing to watch with him. 

“Yeah!” Leo briefly smiled at him then focused back on the TV. “You’re just in time for the best part!”

Mikey took a bite of his apple and focused on Leo’s profile instead. His brother thought every scene in this dumb show was ‘the best part’ and he was currently mouthing the lines Captain Ryan was speaking on screen. It was always endearing when Leo let himself exist as a kid and indulged in games and TV shows. Mikey loved to see Leo happy and as carefree as he would allow himself. Hopefully, Mike could avoid pissing Leo off this week and they could have this one last good memory together. 

Leo would be an exceptional leader one day. There was no doubt in Mikey’s mind that he’d be even better than Captain Ryan. His brother already possessed the skills and experience of a great leader, but he would reach his full potential when Mikey removed himself from the team. Doing so would really let Leo shine. His plans would run smoother because he wouldn’t need to worry about someone giving away their position. That someone was always Mikey.  

There was a sense of relief that filled his lungs and settled in his limbs. Mikey smiled to himself and turned his attention to the show. He would miss watching cartoons with Leo. 

He hoped someday Leo would be able to think back on these moments they spent together and remember Mikey fondly. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 2

Mikey sat in the grass enjoying the sunshine warming his scales. His beloved chicken, Matilda, pecked at the ground nearby and provided a sense of comfort for the lonely turtle. He would miss her the most from his coop. He gently stroked her back and looked at the clouds drifting by. His one-on-one time with Leo had gone well yesterday. Now he just needed to figure out how to make a good final memory with Raph, Donnie, April, Casey and Ice Cream Kitty.

He was most worried about Donnie. 

Raph had a short fuse, sure, but over the years Donnie’s patience for Mikey had worn very, very thin. Donnie often became annoyed just by Mikey’s presence, so the smallest mutant knew he wouldn’t get to spend quality time with Donnie like Leo allowed him yesterday. Maybe just a good passing interaction where he didn’t piss Donnie off would be best? Or maybe it would be kinder to Donnie to just leave him be… Maybe Mikey was being selfish by wanting one last good memory with the other half of the B-Team. 

They had good childhood memories he could think about instead when the time came at the stream.

He was so lost in thought, he almost didn’t notice Raph walking past him. The sai wielder was stretching in a way Mikey recognized as his warm up before running the farmland perimeter. Raph was constantly trying to break his personal record. 

“Raph!” Mikey shouted before his brain had a moment to even consider what his mouth was doing. “Wait up!” 

Raph turned to look at Mikey with his usual indifference. “What?”

“Can I run with you?” Mikey scrambled to his feet. 

He was expecting rejection.

“Sure.” Raph shrugged and then with a smirk, he added, “If you can keep up.” 

Mikey let out a sigh of relief and smiled at his brother. Of course, Mikey could keep up. Everyone knew Mikey was the fastest of the four of them. That’s why he made the best bait! Well, and he was most expendable, but it was nice to focus on the positives. 

He followed Raph away from the farmhouse and then matched his speed as they raced along the fence line. He could have easily left Raph in the dust, but it was better to match him or let him win, especially if he wanted to keep Raph happy. His hotheaded brother was a sore loser. 

They ran in silence. Mikey reasoned it was hard to hold a conversation and run- even if they had done so countless times in New York City while racing the rooftops. Conversing was likely where he’d screw up and make Raph angry with him. So, silence was better. 

It was okay.

Maybe this would be Mikey’s last run? 

Immediately, his pace faltered and his eyes widened. Mikey slowed to a walk and Raph continued on. He either didn’t notice Mikey falling behind or he didn’t care. Likely the latter.

Mikey stopped completely and doubled over, placing his hands on his knees. He stared at the grass swaying gently in the soft breeze until his vision blurred. It wasn’t fair that he had to wait eighteen years before getting the opportunity to run through a field when the sun was up. He loved racing across rooftops, but the feel of his feet slapping the concrete was never going to be as enjoyable as the soft grass cushioning his steps.

This couldn’t be his last run. 

He had five more days left. 

He’d take a run each day to imprint this feeling in his mind.

“Mike,” Raph called from closer than Mikey was expecting.

Mikey scrubbed at his eyes and looked up to see Raph jogging back to him. A flicker of fear tore through the smaller turtle when he realized he’d ruined Raph’s record by making him double back. Mikey braced for yelling.

“You okay, little brother?” Raph’s voice was filled with concern and his eye ridges were knit together. 

Mikey’s beak quirked in surprise and he tried to hide his sniffling behind a cough to clear his throat. “Yeah. I’m all good now.” 

Raph hesitated, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “Are you okay about… ya’know? The thing with April’s mom being a Kraang was pretty fucked up. You were pretty sick afterwards.” 

Mikey’s posture tensed and Raph’s eyes narrowed at the reaction. Mikey forced himself to relax. Now he knew his brothers acknowledged how sick he’d been and still not one of them bothered to check on him that night… He didn’t really know what to do with this information besides feel hurt. This confirmation was somehow a different kind of pain than he’d experienced that night after being so sick. Maybe part of him hoped his family didn’t realize how sick he’d been. He wanted to believe they would have sought him out if they’d known. 

Wait, he didn’t want to spend this last one-on-one time with Raph being angry or sad. 

It was over now. It was done.

It didn’t even matter anyway. Nothing really did anymore now that his mind was made up. 

“All good, bro. Poor April though…”

Raph still didn’t look convinced, but he dropped the subject. He offered Mikey a fist bump and then they were off again. When they reached the end of their race ten minutes later, Raph checked the time and said he’d gotten close to beating his PR. He grinned at Mikey and Mikey smiled back, congratulating him. 

Raph had a nice smile when he was feeling genuinely happy. It didn’t happen often enough, though, and Mikey regretted not being able to accomplish his self-appointed team role better. 

Raph deserved to be happy. And he would be without Mikey pushing his buttons and getting on every last nerve. Raph was a glass half empty kind of guy, but Mikey still hoped that if he occasionally crossed Raph’s mind in the future, his brother would focus on some of their better memories instead of all the ways Mikey pissed him off. 

As the two mutants jogged back to the farmhouse, Mikey promised himself he’d run the perimeter again tomorrow. Alone that time. Maybe after expending as much of his restless energy as possible, he’d lay down in the grass and just feel the wind and sun on his scales. Maybe he could even take a nap. It was peaceful out there. 

He wanted his last week to be peaceful. 

Chapter Text

Day 3 

“Mikey!!” Donnie’s angry shout carried from outside on the porch to the kitchen where the other mutants and their human friends sat at the breakfast table. 

Mikey lowered his spoon and nervously glanced to the archway where his tallest brother rounded the corner a moment later. Five sets of eyes bore into him and Mikey tried not to shrink under the weight of their collective gaze. “Umm… yes?” 

“Why were you touching things in my lab?!” Donnie growled and threw his hands above his head.

“Mikey!” Leo’s voice held a note of disappointment that cut deeply. 

“I just cleaned it up and organized it for you,” Mikey mumbled and looked down to the soggy Cheerios in his bowl. “I thought you’d be happy. You’re always complaining about what a mess your workstation is.”

“ I know where everything is in my ‘mess.’ Every time you play around in my lab, you set things on fire or dump things on my notes or knock over my experiments and set back my research! How many ruined experiments will it take to get that through your thick skull?”

“I didn’t make a mess though! Nothing was ruined!”

“But it could have been!” Donnie spat. “Don’t. Touch. My. Things. Michelangelo! I mean it!”

So much for doing something nice to make Donnie happy. Mikey smoothed his features to hide the hurt and then lifted his eyes to meet Don’s. “I promise it won’t happen again.”

“You always say that!” Donnie seethed. “I don’t believe you!”

“I mean it this time. You don’t have to worry about me ever touching your stuff again, D.” Mikey set his jaw and glared at his brother. Donnie didn’t realize how close he was to getting his wish.

“Yeah, right.” Donnie glared back and then turned on his heel to storm out of the house.

Mikey flinched when the screen porch door slammed against the frame. Raph and Casey went back to their breakfast as if the interruption never happened.

“Mike, you know Don doesn’t like you messing with his things,” Leo admonished since Mikey hadn’t been chewed out enough by the resident genius.

“I was just trying to be helpful… I swear.” Mikey deflated and let go of his spoon. He leaned back on his back chair legs and twiddled his thumbs. “He’s always complaining about what a mess there is. I know he’s not sleeping great and he’s stressed about literally everything because he’s the only one smart enough to figure out what to do about the Kraang. I just thought I could help a bit. I was super super careful not to hurt any of his notes or experiments.” 

“Donnie has been really stressed,” April agreed and offered a kind smile over her coffee mug. “I think it’s nice that you wanted to help him, Mikey. Maybe there’s another way you can help out without touching his things.”

“Siblings never want their siblings touchin’ their shit, Mike,” Casey said through a mouthful of cereal. “I love my little sis but I hated when she’d go through my room and play with my stuff.”

Leo and Raph grunted in agreement. 

Mikey let his chair fall back so all four legs were on the floor. How could he have been so stupid? Of course, organizing Donnie’s lab would only bring his brother more stress. Why couldn’t Mikey ever think that far ahead? He pushed away from the table and stood. Silently, he took his half-finished bowl to the sink and dumped the remainder of his breakfast down the drain. He wasn’t hungry anymore.

“I'm going to go feed the chickens.”

~~~

“Hey, Case,” Mikey called and peaked into the barn several hours after breakfast.

Casey looked up from where he was bent over working on the hot rod. “Hey, dude. What's up?” 

Mikey kept both feet planted firmly on the dirt ground outside of the barn threshold and ignored Donnie who was actively ignoring him. “Do you want to play frisbee with me? Or watch an episode of Crognard?”

Casey wiped sweat from his brow and offered a gummy smile. “Sure. Just give me a few minutes to finish up here.”

“Yeah, of course, dude. Thanks.” Mikey felt warmth and relief spread through him as he waited for Casey. 

Ten minutes into their game of catch, Casey finally asked, “What’s eating you, dude? You’re really quiet.” 

Mikey blinked in surprise. He returned the frisbee with a front hand toss. “Oh… I guess there’s just a lot on my mind.” 

“Still upset about Donnie wiggin’ out?” Casey immediately sent the frisbee flying with a backhand toss that Mikey had to chase after to catch. “I know everyone says Raph needs anger management, but Donnie sure has a temper too.” 

Mikey flipped the frisbee around in his hands. He was still upset about Donnie’s reaction, but resigned himself to the fact he should have known better. Dull blue eyes met Casey’s brown and he asked, “How would you spend your last day on Earth?”  

“What?” Casey arched an eyebrow, clearly taken aback by the unexpected topic change. 

“Your last day. How would you spend it?” 

“Do I know it’s my last day alive?” 

“Yeah.” 

Casey carded his fingers through his greasy hair. “I guess I’d spend it with my little sister if we were back in NYC instead of up here. If we didn’t have the stupid Kraang to deal with, I’d probably take her ice skating or out for tacos or something.” 

A small smile tugged at Mikey’s beak even as envy stained his lonely heart and guilt curdled inside his gut. Why couldn’t he and his brothers be close like that? Why wasn’t Mikey worthy of that kind of love? Casey would spend his last day on Earth with his sister and Mikey knew without a doubt spending the day with him wouldn’t even cross his brothers’ minds if they knew they only had one day left on Earth. 

He already knew the answer, but he asked it anyway. The question burned, scraping against his vocal cords like sandpaper. “You miss her a lot?” 

“Yeah.” Casey sighed and looked up to the overcast sky. “I hope she and my dad are okay. I hate not knowing where they are and if they’re even still alive.”

“If they're half as passionate and crazy as you are, dude, I bet they’re just fine,” Mikey reassured the best he could and sent the frisbee back to Casey. “When you get back to the city, my bros will help you track them down.”

Casey caught the disc with one finger. What he didn’t catch was how Mikey excluded himself from the search party. “How would you spend your last day?”

“I’m not sure yet.” The left corner of Mikey’s beak quirked as he raised his right hand to catch the oncoming disc. “Still figuring that out.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 4

“Hey, April. I’ve been thinking about what you said at breakfast yesterday and trying to think of ways I can help Donnie without touching his things.” Mikey took a seat beside her on her family’s A-frame swing set. 

“Oh, yeah?” April looked up from where she was doodling flowers in the margin of her journal. A pair of cheap navy-blue flip flops were lying in the grass a foot from the swing and her legs and grass stained feet were tucked neatly beneath her.

Mikey hummed and pointed at her journal. “I want to write down everything I remember from Dimension X in a notebook for Donnie. I became kind of an expert while I was there. Do you have an extra I could have?”

“That’s a great idea, Mikey! I’m sure he’d appreciate that very much.”

Mikey highly doubted that, but he valued her enthusiasm nonetheless since he was used to having any and all of his ideas shot down. 

“I don’t have any extras here.” 

Mikey frowned and hunched in on himself. Of course, they didn’t.

“But we can take a ride to the convenience store. I saw some spiral notebooks when Casey and I were there last.” 

Mikey perked back up. “Can I come with you?”

April smiled gently and Mikey felt like shit for blaming her for the way his family preferred her and prioritized her needs and feelings over his own. It wasn’t her fault. Not really. And she didn’t deserve his resentment. They were just built differently. April was perfect - if you asked Donnie, Casey and the Kraang - and Mikey was built incorrectly. 

“Of course, you can come with me, silly. Unless you have something important to do right now?”

Staying out of his brother’s metaphorical hair was definitely important right now if he wanted to remain on Leo’s and Raph’s good sides. “I’ll come.” 

~~~

“So what kind of information are you going to write in the notebook for Donnie?” April asked as they drove the country backroads to reach the little convenience store she and Casey had been getting all of their supplies and food from. 

Mikey looked out the window, grimacing at the green fields flying by. “I’m not a great artist like Raphie, but I’ll draw the creatures and plants I saw while I was there. I have some facts about each of them that I can write down. It might be helpful in case my bros ever go back to Dimension X. Which I really hope they don’t!”

“Are you going to be able to fill a whole notebook? I remember Donnie said there was some time differential thing going on. How long was it that you were there before the guys showed up?” 

Would he be able to fill a whole notebook? Mikey resisted the urge to roll his eyes since it was a valid question on her part. Unfortunately, he could easily fill two notebooks with notes. But if he asked for two new notebooks, April would become suspicious of how long he’d truly been there. Instead, he planned to write small and utilize the front and back of each page. 

“Hours, days, months. Who knows? I didn’t have a watch and my t-phone didn’t work there. Surprisingly, there isn’t great reception in Dimension X. Maybe instead of invading NYC, the Kraang should focus on improving their cell service.” He infused his words with his typical teasing tone so she wouldn’t overthink his response. If he was lucky, she would assume the same as his brothers and believe he’d only been in that godforsaken dimension for half a day at most. 

“Were there more of that hideous creature that was pretending to be my mom?” April shuddered at the memory.

Mikey glanced over to her warily and muttered, “No, I didn’t see that one there.” 

April nodded and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. “How did you know?”

Because she smelled like a Kraang. Mucid like the fliers and droids that hunted and tortured him for weeks and months on end. 

Because she made his scales bristle when she looked in his direction. Only the Kraang had made him feel on edge like that. 

Because she could hear the sound he made to test her. A sound so high pitched no human or mutant could hear it unless they were from Dimension X or spent a significant amount of time there to adapt.

Mikey couldn’t tell her any of that without her realizing he’d been there much longer than a day. She wouldn’t like his answer, but he offered it anyway. “I just had a feeling.”

April’s cheek twitched and she side eyed the mutant sitting beside her. “You attacked my mom because you had ‘a feeling’?”

“Yes,” Mikey whispered, then quickly added, “And I was right! She wasn’t really your mom.”

That didn’t seem to help improve April’s mood any so they lapsed into uncomfortable silence until they reached the convenience store.

“Should I get a purple notebook if they have any in that color?” She asked curtly after parking in a stall.

“Yes, please.” Mikey curled his beak into a weak smile and then flinched when she slammed the front door. His smile dropped and he balled his hands into fists in his lap. While recalling memories of Dimension X was the absolute last thing Mikey wanted to ever do, this was the only way he could think to help Donnie. He just hoped his brother wouldn’t discard the notebook and dismiss his notes as a joke…

Several minutes later, April returned and handed Mikey a purple spiral notebook and a bag of Cool Ranch Doritos. They were his favorite chips and she knew that. He gave her a smile as thanks for the peace offering.

“I’m sorry I got kinda pissy about the whole situation with my not-mom again,” April apologized while frowning. “You had a feeling and I shouldn’t dismiss your intuition. Sometimes a gut feeling is all we have to go off of and that’s not a bad thing.” 

Mikey nodded and opened his bag of chips. He hadn’t been expecting the apology or the snack. “Thanks, April.”

Chapter Text

Day 5

Mikey crouched next to the sink in the first floor bathroom with his hands pressed tightly to his ear slits. He could hear them chittering, mocking, threatening, taunting as loudly as the blood pounding in his ears. He could feel their slimy tentacles touching his face, his arms, his bridges… his tail. Even with his eyes squeezed shut, he wished he’d turned on the bathroom light to chase away the horrific imagery. 

Unfortunately, the light had been the last thing on his mind when he stumbled in a few moments earlier, gasping for air, vision pink and distorted, with a steady stream of blood oozing from his snout. The only thought his panicked brain could assemble and carry out was locking the door and shrinking into the wall.

Mikey’s heart thudded painfully beneath his plastron and his hands shook so violently against his head that his teeth were chattering. A pitiful sob caught in his throat before he could stifle the sound.

Sound was a funny thing, really. It could save him or bring about his capture depending on the volume, frequency and his own lucidity.

He couldn’t be captured again.

Not again. 

Not after–

Mikey curled in on himself tighter and whimpered, wheezing for air as his lungs screamed in a way he himself could not afford. He fought against the fuchsia flashbacks, but it didn’t stop the tentacles caressing him cruelly. Then they were slicing into him with silver tools. Sharp, cold and vicious. To see him bleed. To hear him beg. To watch him squirm. 

The neat and symmetrical surgical scars adoring his body were nothing more than dull, grey lines blending into his scales now. And yet, the unobtrusive physical reminders of what he survived itched– alight with phantom pains that Mikey couldn't bring himself to scratch because it would mean removing his hands from his ears. 

They wanted answers he would never give. He would rather die than betray his family. Wherever they were. 

And he almost did die on several occasions. Mikey would have welcomed – would have relished – the sweet relief death would have brought, but his captors revived him each time. They said their toy was more useful, more exciting, and more interesting when he was alive even during his defiance.

Mikey disagreed. 

Blood dripped onto his plastron and then the floor. The droplets shattered like glass against the linoleum. The sound was much too loud for any creature who spent a significant amount of time in Dimension X. He could be caught like this. 

It took more effort than Mikey had the energy for to remove one trembling hand from his head to cup his beak. The sweet tang of copper was both dizzying and grounding. He tried to focus on it. Tried to let it envelope his senses and push away everything else until he could calm himself back into reality.

He stayed like that, shaking and weeping inaudibly until the static crackling in his mind smoothed into silence and the fear gripping his heart released enough for him to breathe freely. When he felt like he could remove his hand from his beak, he grabbed blindly for the toilet paper roll on the wall. He wadded the paper against his beak, ignoring the dried blood crinkling in the grooves of his hand. 

Only 30 more pages to go in his notebook. Only 4 more creatures to draw. 

Mikey wondered for the umpteenth time if it was even worth writing everything down if it meant picking open the scabs on these horrific nightmares he experienced, bleeding from his mind and beak while cowering in the bathroom like a frightened child. There was a very good chance Donnie would dismiss his field guide as soon as he noticed Mikey’s abysmal handwriting. Afterall, Donnie only believed he’d been in Dimension X for a few hours. How could Mikey possibly know this much about the Kraang and their world? 

Mikey stood up slowly, wincing when his cramped legs had a chance to stretch and straighten. He flipped on the light and tossed his bloodied toilet paper in the toilet to dispose of the evidence. The last thing he needed was Leo interrogating them all about bloody tissues in the wastebasket again. 

Mechanically, he cleaned his face at the sink, running his wet hands over his bald head instead of drying them on the towel hanging from the back of the door. When he caught sight of himself in the mirror, he cringed at the pale and sweaty turtle wearing his orange mask over red, glassy eyes. The turtle in the mirror looked as shitty as Mikey felt. 

It would all be over soon though. He had to keep reminding himself that. The finish line was in sight. So close he could taste it. He just needed to finish up a few things here to help his family and then he could rest.

Now, he needed to pull himself together and get back to the kitchen where he could work on the rest of his field guide. It was late and his family was sleeping, but if anyone woke up and wandered downstairs, he needed to appear presentable and not like he’d just spent half an hour panicking in the bathroom. 

Neither the turtle standing on wobbly, weak-kneed legs in the bathroom or the exhausted, ragged turtle in the mirror could muster a believable smile. With a heavy sigh, Mikey resigned himself to his current situation. Hopefully nobody would wake up and wander downstairs.

~~~

I hope you never have to go back to Dimention X but if you do for some reason I hope some of this guide is helpful. Maybe something in here will even help you back in NYC.

Love M

If your wondering how I know all of this and whether its true, I was in Dimention X longer than I admitted. I guess theres no point keeping it a secret anymore. Dont blame yourselves because it was my choice to go through the portal to save leatherhead. Like you said when you guys showed up we didnt know about the tempura difference. It was also my choice to 

Love

Mikey

Air / Atmosphere:

• toxic to most things cause its made up of the element that starts with N and the element that smells like rotten eggs
• filtration unit only lasted 8 days & then fell apart (ᗒᗣᗕ)՞

• filtration units aren’t necessary if you’ve been in dimention x long enough… or maybe its cause of our mutation? ᕙ(⇀‸↼‶)ᕗ

• you will pass out severral a lot of times until your body is used to the ‘air’ 

• foggy air becomes clear once your used to it

Water:

• will melt things outside of dimention x - I heard a droid say this
• burns really badly if it touches your scales or shell

• DO NOT DRINK THE WATER - DIE OF DEHIDRASHIN FIRST!

• If you don’t want to die of dehidrashin you have to follow these steps:

• explode a blue crystal tree that looks like this →◥█̆̈◤

• watch out for flying shards of crystal because those can cut thru scales

• inside there is a gooey black liquid that smells like dish soap

• it is safe to drink

• your welcome (^o^)/

Weapons:

Bang Rocks

• explosive crystal shards
• they grow on crystal trees and will detach safely if you ‘call it’ → I’ve found saying  ‘mow, mow’ works in the highest vocal range you can manage

• after they detach from branch they are safe to catch and store

• explodes on contact when thrown

• don't trip when you have these on your belt…

Electrick Creatures:

Giant Pink Eyeball

• shoots lasers electrickcity from black center pupill but luckily doesn’t move
• one of the biggest creatures in dimention x

• no known weakness ┐( ˘_˘)┌

• avoid flying close to it even if stealth ship invisiblity is working

Scatterpillars

• 4 plasma spheres that move together like a snake
• shoots electrickcity from the first sphere but the charge starts in the last sphere and goes along its body - kinda cool when your not the target

• moody and territorial (>﹏<) big time

• unlike the giant eyeball they these can fly & will chase you

• tend to stay in one area so they can be close to there nest 

• baby scatterpillar spheres are the size of marbles but grow to the size of a baseball after 2 days there kinda cute

• throwing bang rocks can scare off scatterpillars but not for long

Rock Creatures:

Traag 

• dark gray rock man with glowing orange cracks, glowing eyes and a glowing mouth
• he barfs lava which is cool and gross

• like 20 ft tall probly

• super strong and reseliant resistant to weapons (or maybe just nunchucks and lasers)

• if they do take damage they can just pull themselves back together which is unfair
• shrieking + throwing bang rocks will make them retreat long enough to get by them

Granitor

• pink rock man with glowing white cracks, glowing eyes and a glowing mouth 
• he barfs blue flames

• same info as Tragg but hes waaaay more of a dick (¬､¬)

• don’t let him grab you

Rocktopus

• large insect thingy with 2 legs and green glowing eyes
• crystal rocks on top of head look like a mohawk

• their head kinda looks like stockman flys head

• small creature growth is cute and lures prey by saying ‘mep, mep’

• throwing bang rocks + shrieking can scare off rocktopus

Worm Creatures:

Kraathatrogons

• looks like a giant pink and blue worm
• the grown up ones can be 100s of ft long

• really really sharp teeth (；⌣̀_⌣́)

• makes mutagen and the kraang milk them like cows

• its weakness is its butt-face at the tip of the tail

• kraang ride and control them by there 2 long entenas

Long-Tongue Worms / Squibbles

• can be used as grappling hooks when squeezed
• green slime is safe to eat and tastes like qucomber / shake first like a soda can

• might be related to kraathatrogons? idk

Cyborg Creatures:

Dracodroid 

• 2 headed metal dragon cyborg with glowing pink eyes and jet wings
• really sharp claws and teeth

• has laser / lightning breath it can shoot from both heads

• shooting kraang phasers at dragon isnt very effective cause most shots bounces off its metal skin 

• only known weakness is the exposed soft spot under the dragon heads

• if you can shoot the soft spot or throw bang rocks at the soft spot the head will explode

• the kraang make a super funny offended face if you explode there dragon head haha

Biotroid

• giant blue gorilla automaton controled by the kraang riding in floaters
• they have butt canons and chainsaw robot tentacles come out of their nipples akward

• very strong and can jump really high

• shooting the exposed panel on its belly will cause it to slow down

Spider Gunner 

• has 4 long spider legs and fires laser beams like a machine gun
• take out the legs!!

• the machine gun part can easily be pulled off once spider gunner is disabled and the kraang driver is killed

• machine gun part only works for like 20 minutes after removed from spider

Food:

Chickmungsquels

• looks like a purple and black spotted chickmunk that has a squirrel/rat tail
• hard to catch cause they can teleport (¬､¬)

• easier to kill if you can make something like a bow and arrow or slingshot with a spider gunner leg and a kraang tenticle (before it starts to decay - like 3 days then you need to kill a new kraang), use bang rocks or shards of crystal as projectilles

• tastes like chicken

Small insects

• the edible ones look like this → 🪲 and can be found in the pink puddles found in crystal caves (DO NOT DRINK THE PINK PUDDLE LIKUID or youll start to shake like your having a sezur)
• the ones that give indigestion look like this → 🦟 and can be found crawling along crystal tree bases

• the ones that give you trippy hallucations look like this → 🪳 and can be found on the underside of the islands (good luck knowing what side is the underside. the physics is fucked here)

Long-Tongue Worms / Squibbles

• see page 20 with more information under ‘Worm Creatures’

**Drawings of all creatures and plants on pages 27 - 46. I’m sorry I’m not a better artist. Maybe Raph can redraw them if hes feeling inspired. 

Places the Kraang mentioned that I probly spelled wrong:

Balarafon 

• planet where a sposedly peaceful alien race lived until the kraang took over
• the technodrome is being kept here

Penitentery

• prison realm
• apparently the worst criminals go here and it's like impossible to escape

• they threatened to send me here as punishment but I was more fun to play and experiment with

Hirobil

• a planet orbiting an aging and dying giant star 
• was home to a colony of the Malignoids at some point

• I have no idea what a Malignoid is 

• kraang bragged about destroying all life on the planet  RIP Malignoid

• they built lots of TCRI labs there for experimentation

• I was here a few times and give 0 out of 5 stars 

• avoid at all cost

Hanu

• planet that orbits a red star sun I asked if they meant a pink star sun instead of red since every fucking thing here is pink and I didn’t see anything red
• kraang bragged about destroying all life on this planet to while searching for something called ‘turnstone’ ?
• they wouldn't tell me what turnstone ment

Morbus 

• toxic nuclear waste dump and prison planet
• they threatened to send me here to

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 6

“Hey, D,” Mikey greeted softly as he carried a plate of eggs and fruit into the dark barn. The lights were on, but they didn’t sufficiently illuminate the vast space when the sky outside suddenly darkened from a tranquil, pellucid blue to a mocking gravel-grey. The air was charged with the scent of the impending storm. “I’ve got breakfast for you.” 

Donnie stood with his posture hunched in a way that would cause his back to ache later, pouring over blueprints for something that Mikey didn’t recognize or care to scrutinize. The taller turtle hummed in acknowledgement but didn’t look up from his notes. Mikey laid his completed Dimension X field guide on the corner of the table Donnie used as his desk. He purposefully planted it on top of a stack of papers because he didn’t want his genius brother to notice the notebook too soon. If he did, there would be too many questions that Mikey didn’t have the strength or energy to answer.

The plate was placed next to the scientist with a glass of chocolate milk.

“Don’t work too hard now.” The teasing tone sounded hollow and tattered to Mikey’s sensitive ears. 

Donnie didn’t notice.

“Somebody has to.” Donnie’s monotonous voice held a note of accusation that stung like splattering kitchen oil.  

Mikey shook off the unkind remark like he always did. Instead, he stood rooted to the ground for a moment waiting for something that didn’t come. He wasn’t even sure what it was exactly he was waiting for, but finally he gave up as the silence stretched. “Well, I’ll see you at practice, I guess.” 

As he turned to leave, he heard Donnie belatedly mumble, “Thank you.”

Mikey couldn’t help rolling his eyes as he pulled the barn door closed. He’d considered apologizing for his earlier blunder when he foolishly thought Donnie would appreciate him cleaning his lab space. Now that he was standing outside, he was grateful that he’d kept those embittered words on his tongue instead of letting them fall.

He started walking in the opposite direction of the farmhouse as a clap of thunder shook the sky. His pace neither faltered nor quickened when the first raindrop splattered against his scales. 

~~~

Hours later, after warming up from the storm he let himself be caught up in, Mikey sat at the kitchen table with Ice Cream Kitty. He smiled at his pet while shaking a can of Really Whip. ICK mewled happily in her bowl when Mike dispensed a dollop of sweet cream on her head and added a maraschino cherry. 

“You look good enough to eat, my pretty Kitty-Kitty.” Mikey moved his face closer to hers and made exaggerated chomping noises, much to ICK’s delight. Her strawberry flavored tail swayed back and forth behind her as she purred lovingly. 

Mike sobered a moment later when the guilt of his upcoming confession suddenly made it difficult to look at ICK. She was the only one he planned on telling since she was the only one who wouldn’t understand his disappearance and the reason it needed to happen for the good of the family and team. In an effort to put distance between them, Mikey leaned back in his chair so his front chair legs lifted off the ground, and admitted, “I have to go away soon. You can’t come with me because you’d melt, but we’ll see each other again someday. I promise.” 

ICK frowned, meowing sadly and motioned a melting chocolate paw towards Mikey. He wasn’t sure how much she understood about his situation or what she inferred from his vague goodbye. She had more emotional intelligence than his family gave her credit for.  

“April will take really good care of you,” Mikey assured as heat built behind his eyes and his chair legs dropped back into place on the ceramic tile. “So, you don’t need to worry.”

ICK hissed softly, clearly dissatisfied with Mikey’s decision. She crossed her arms and looked away from him while he quietly drummed his fingers on the table. He could only offer her a sympathetic frown and quiet apology. She deserved more than he could give her. Shame clawed at his heart, but it didn’t change the fact his decision was for the best.