Donatello Purple Hamato could boast that he had a significant resistance to sentimentality and, although living in the literal apocalypse could dull the feelings of the sweetest being, he could not remember the last time he let himself be carried away by his emotions.
He handled seeing his younger brothers again very well, he remained calm and temperate when he hugged Angelo and let him cry clinging to his arm, he remained stoic as he watched his twin fade away after greeting him. Yes, he kept his cool and was proud of it.
Only when he saw, among the roar of stone and iron falling as the building collapsed, the enormous silhouette of a familiar snapping turtle formed of red energy he felt that all his self-control was going to shit. His older brother, the one who died saving them, the one who lost his life thanks to his most terrible mistake, the one who said goodbye to him looking at him with a pained smile and without blaming him for anything... Raphael appeared again in all his splendor, like a boss, as they were accustomed to until the fateful afternoon when everything went to hell and they lost their father figure and the only security they had left in that destroyed world.
Without regard for the danger or those around him, he turned on the thrusters of his battle shell and flew to where the other three mutants were. It took Raph a second to notice and open his arms, after lowering the young Raph and the other Leonardo to the ground and receiving him with the best hug ever, the one that gave them confidence and protection, the only place in the world where they felt one hundred percent safe, where they were once again, for the duration of the hug, the carefree teenagers who snuggled up against their older brother to sleep, shutting out nightmares.
— I missed you too, Dee. — The soft purr of Raphael's deep voice made a sob escape the soft shell's throat and she snuggled further into her older brother's broad, warm chest.
— Never leave us again, do you understand? — he growled, trying to sound threatening but failing epically — don't you dare do something so stupid again, ever — at that point he had separated himself slightly from Rapha and was tapping the older man's plastron with a finger — or I will use the ADA against you and I will throw out the dissolving component and... — Raphael kept a sweet smile on his face, barely affected by his little brother's scolding, and he tightened the hug a little more, drowning out Donnie's next words.
— Yes, yes Donnie, I promise — the others, who followed the older purple one after he flew away, looked at the whole scene in surprise. The sequence of events that occurred in such a short time was dizzying... to begin with, Leonardo was rescued from a collapsing building in some way that was not yet completely clear and that probably involved the tremendous unknown mutant. Raphael was next to the young leader holding him carefully while he used his free hand to try to remove some heavy chains tied to his wrists; Seeing Donatello Hamato, alias Von Ryan, hugging the unknown giant turtle tightly as if his life depended on it was what actually most surprised the two teenagers who were watching the scene open-mouthed. If you thought about it a little, logic said that the newcomer was an adult Raphael, but the way he cradled his little brother and the sweetness with which he looked at him and smiled did not match the normally sullen temperament of the sai-user warrior. to which they were accustomed. He looked much more docile, even when he laid his eyes on them they couldn't feel intimidated despite his size. Curiosity invaded the young scientist in purple, filling his head with many questions.
And why was it so big? How big was it? What kind of turtle was it? What was happening to its eye? What would be the maximum weight it could carry? Donatello began to take notes in his mind so that when they returned to the lair they could bombard the eldest with it. Not to mention the other unconscious brother whom they hadn't met yet.
— Donnie — the voice of his own brother in red caught the attention of the young man in purple — Leo needs your help here — Don looked at the two eldest in his family and mentally scolded himself when he realized that he had not worried about Leonardo when being busier delighted by the arrival of a new member of the older family.
"I'm going," he answers and hurries to approach his two older brothers.
Casey, who had not yet moved from where he was, stared open-mouthed at the two turtles from the future who were talking in low voices. Perhaps he should have gotten used to how chaotic and surprising his life was since he met Red and, therefore, the mutated turtles, but this was far from any expectations, no matter how high they were. Angelo had been a roller coaster of emotions and his physical appearance was very different from that of his friends, then Von Ryan was quite an experience, he led him to know his own limits and to surpass them, he did not overprotect him for being human but he let him try new things that, in other circumstances, he could not have imagined doing. In addition, he began to feel more connected and united to his friends, to feel a soft warmth in his chest when he spent time with them. It was nice.
A whistle caught everyone's attention, the eldest purple, now composed, separated from his older brother's embrace and, with his usual grandiloquence, proceeded to speak.
— Little mutated turtles, young lady, I'm still not sure who you are — Karai rolls her eyes at the insolence of the purple mutant — young Jones, it is a pleasure to introduce you, and I hope for applause, my great older brother Raphael "Red" Hamato — the huge red-masked turtle laughed in embarrassment — who heroically rescued little Leonardo, thus completing the mission that brought us here — Donnie and Leo let out an amused snort due to the drama that the purple one was showing - so it's time to go back to the lair, there's a twin that I must kill - by pressing a few buttons on his wristband he rises thanks to his thrusters away from the older one. Raphael gives each of the young men a loving look, stopping at Casey's face.
— Oh, you remind me of Junior — she says wistfully. All the younger ones look at each other, except for Karai who just looks bored, they don't remember any Junior being mentioned at any point. Something else to add to Dee's long list of questions.
— Maybe, Raphala, but I doubt that our little one has grown up to become a criminal like this — Von Ryan responds, which earned him a rude "Hey" exclaimed by the human, a claim completely ignored — I need you to come with me, there are bandages in the vehicle and I need to check your wounds — the oldest obeys, motioning to the younger ones before following his brother. As you pass Casey he touches her head gently with a finger before walking away. The human only feels even more curious to know about this "Junior".
"We should do the same," says Donnie, looking at Leo's injured wrists. "I must remove these chains and bandages from your arms, you hurt yourself a lot." The one in blue only smiles a guilty smile before receiving a light slap on the back of the head from his immediate younger brother. .
— Ouch — he complains.
—Look, worrying like this, at this rate I'll have to ask Von Ryan to put you in a bubble or something—despite the irritated tone Leo could hear the sincere concern in his second brother's voice—I swear I'll get the scales. gray at this step.
Donnie, a few steps ahead of them, rolls his eyes, smiling in relief. If Rapha and Leo can joke around, it means things are going well. They dodged, once again, a tremendous bullet.
— Turtles! —A man's voice echoed over the roar of the collapse, drawing the attention of most of them. The eyes of the younger ones widened in terror as they saw their most dangerous enemy emerge from the dust and fog of the night— I think you have my prisoners, I would appreciate it if you would return them to me or I will be forced to fight for them.
Raphael tightens his grip on Leo and his nictitating membranes cover his eyes preparing for battle, Shredder will only be able to have Leo if he pulls him out of his dead arms. Donatello held his Bo staff in his hands tightly, he knew that his staff wasn't enough to deal with the armor the human was wearing, but if it gave his older brothers time to escape then he would gladly break it over the enemy's head.
A heavy silence envelopes the parking lot, Destroyer began to advance towards the young people at a firm pace, the metallic sound of his walk increased the tension that overwhelmed the teenagers; The situation was not advantageous for them and it got worse when about twenty footbots began to emerge from the shadows surrounding them.
Karai, who had remained in the shadows while the man who raised her threatened the turtles and her human friend, felt her blood boil. Although she was still not entirely convinced by the story of her mother's spirit, doubt implanted itself in her heart and she longed for answers, answers that only Oruko Saki could give her.
— Just who I needed to see — the girl raises her voice enough for it to reach her father's ears loud and clear — they told me a very interesting story — Karai emerges from the shadows brandishing a sharp kunai in her hands, the shine of the weapon is cold and threatening — and now I have many questions.
Shredder's attention quickly turns to the girl. The girl's insolent tone does not go unnoticed by the warrior and he narrows his eyes in anger.
— Karai — there is a tone of confusion in the human's voice, something that he hides with coldness — Why are you here in the company of our enemies? — the girl stops a few steps from the destroyer.
— As I said, they told me a very interesting story, "father" — the kunoichi's voice is loaded with venom — so I wanted to ask you, are you the murderer of my mother?
The parking lot fell silent, only broken occasionally by the sound of some falling debris. Leo looked at Raphael but he did not look back, his gaze was fixed on the Destroyer and his response; He didn't completely believe the story of his teacher's resurrected daughter, Splinter was quite clear in telling them that both women had been burned to death, it could still be a very elaborate trap.
—So you found out the truth? — Saki's voice became dark — How does it feel to know that that despicable rat is your father? — All the young turtles emit a low and threatening growl upon hearing the contempt with which Shredder speaks of his father — Did you decide to join his family? You disappoint me - the Japanese man removes the mask that covers his mouth and spits on the ground in disgust before looking at them all with an arrogant smile - I would have liked to kill you in front of Yoshi now I will have to wait to show him your corpse later... daughter.
The girl's scream came from deep within her chest, the disappointment, the betrayal and the pain of knowing that her whole life was a lie, that the treatment given to her by the man she loved like a father was due to the fact that she was only seen as an instrument of revenge, a dispensable doll, all that anguish and desperation clouded her senses and led her to blindly attack the dangerous warrior.
— I'll kill you! — The young woman's broken voice showed her pain and her fury; He launched himself against the adult brandishing the kunai directly at the neck, he wanted to deliver a single devastating and lethal blow but that would allow him to see the light disappear from his eyes, he wanted to see how the man who destroyed his life in so many ways would lose his breath. .
The experienced warrior dodged the attack and caught the girl's wrist tightly, lifting it a couple of centimeters off the ground.
— Pathetic just like your father — the human growls in the girl's face — insignificant, you never had potential, training you was a waste of time and... — a strong source of light formed on the girl's chest, so bright that Shredder had to cover his eyes with his free hand due to the pain. The emblem of the Hamato clan unfolded in all its splendor, spinning and increasing its light until the adult had to release the girl while she moaned in pain due to the blow of light in her pupils; behind Karai the ghostly figure of a beautiful Asian woman took shape, placing her delicate and strong hands on the girl's shoulders and looking at the man who acted as a surrogate father to the minor with barely concealed fury.
— Don't be afraid, little one — the ghostly woman whispered directly into the kunoichi's mind — you are not alone — she added — your family is here — breathing deeply, the young ninja allowed the spirit's words to calm her fury. She knew Shredder, she knew the warrior was agile enough to attempt a direct attack, she had to think if he wanted to win.
Saki watched the girl, he knew her, he trained her himself, she had no chance of beating him. He would kill her in front of the turtles and then leave only one alive to send the message to Yoshi, he could not enjoy the devastated face of his "brother" seeing his family annihilated, once again, by his hand, but he would rejoice imagining it.
He gave a signal and the footbots moved towards Leo and his brothers. Raphael pushed the older man into the purple man's arms before taking out his weapons.
"Take Leo with the others, I'll stay to buy time," he orders and the one in blue begins to protest, "I'm the leader for now and you have to obey," he says, looking him in the eyes with determination. The older man nods, it's Raph's time and he'll respect that. The one in red breathes a sigh of relief and signals to his little brother to get away from him.
He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns to see his human friend standing next to him smiling at him.
— You won't let Leo forget this, right?
— Of course not — he answers and they both put themselves on guard to attack the robots and keep them away from the injured.
Von Ryan had finished bandaging and checking, and secretly attaching new trackers, to his older brother and was now waiting for the younger ones while checking his phone, with his back leaning against the side of the van. Raph rested with his head resting on the door, Dee summarized, somewhat, what had happened in the last few weeks. Despite his efforts to investigate the reasons for his miraculous resurrection he had not found anything, Raphael could not get an idea either, more than anything because everything happened very quickly, when he woke up he was already a prisoner and had no idea how many days he had been there. His mind was only focused on staying calm and not letting himself go crazy due to the absence of his family. He didn't know if his destructive behavior would make his captors hurt his family, if they were prisoners. same as him.
— Here come the kids, they were taking too long — says Purpura, bringing her brother out of his thoughts — I need to get to a safer place to check your wounds and those of the blue mini — she adds, taking a couple of steps towards the minors but stops abruptly when she sees that there are only two of them.
— Where are the others? — he asks as Raph rushes to take Leonardo from his little brother's hands and carefully carry him to the van. — There were five of them, if I recall correctly. — Little Donnie takes his cane with both hands.
— Raph and Casey stayed to hold off the footbots that were following us, they left me in charge of bringing Leo to the van, now I'm going back to fighting — he says before turning around and running towards his other older brother. Von Ryan looks at Raphael and he gives him a nod that the purple one responds to before running after his younger counterpart.
The robots didn't seem to be ending, both Raphael and Jones had already finished off several and yet they still didn't stop attacking them.
— Did that moron Shredder bring everything he had or what? — Casey yells before knocking down a mechanical ninja who almost burying a blade in his arm. Raphael was no better, taking several hits from some of the robots while trying to prevent them from hurting his friend. The worry for Leo, the adrenaline rush and the fall he had in the rubble, which also hurt him, were taking their toll on him and the fact that the footbots kept appearing was tiring him out.
— Most likely... — the red one answers before kicking a bot and launching it against several more that were approaching — we have to get out of here — a second after saying that several purple missiles pass over their heads aimed at a large group of mechanical ninjas leaving only a few twisted and sparking irons — Ha! Von Ryan appeared.
Both Raphael and Casey run towards the two Donatellos, the mutant being hugged by his immediate younger brother.
— Being a leader doesn't mean staying to be a sacrifice — she scolds him firmly before exhaling loudly — I swear you two will make my scales turn gray — Von Ryan just rolls his eyes in annoyance.
— I'm not sorry to interrupt, I just want to say that we're surrounded — says the major — I know you were against a lethal intervention, but I suggest making a quick move before their forces get close to the wounded.
Raphael hesitates for a second, he knows that this was not something that Leonardo or the master would accept so he quickly glances at his younger brother, who had just decommissioned a new robot, and he nods. Not only was he taking the risk, but there were also Don and Casey, as well as Leonardo himself.
— Can you handle them? — he asks the elder before burying his sai in the head of a footbot.
— You ask offended, dear Raphala. I can always — an arrogant smile settles on the older man's face as he firmly takes his Bo staff with both hands — eat napalm, you sons of bitches!
Raphael grabs Casey and Donnie by the arm, dragging them away from the purple one seconds before a huge flame erupts from the end of the titanium rod. The fire begins to melt the approaching robots, the air is filled with the smell of hot metal and burning plastic, the electrical screeching that comes from the charred metal bodies is drowned out by Von Ryan's maniacal laughter and, from a distance, the three young men gulp, grateful that they are not the enemy.
While all this was happening, Shredder and Karai, with the help of the spirit, faced each other. The young woman took advantage of the moment when Shredder took a step towards her to move towards the protection offered by the shadows of the half-collapsed building; despite having only been living with the mysterious spirit for a short time, literally half a day, she gave him confidence, guided him to the truth and was now offering her help to fight against the dangerous warrior she once called father. He could feel that their stories were similar and that she understood him, understood his pain and the betrayal that tore his heart apart, that filled his veins with burning anger and desire for revenge and still gave him peace. Without her, he would have thrown himself into certain death in order to hurt Saki, but now she guided her, made her feel safe and calm, gave her the confidence that she could fight him.
— You have to wait for your moment, don't let hatred blind your mind, take a deep breath, we can defeat him only if we are patient — the voice of the spectral woman sneaks into her soul seeking to relax her — you have the power of your family, the strength runs through your veins, I will teach you how to use it... — the heat that gathers in her chest gives shape to the, now, well-known emblem of the Hamato family. A new power ran through her entire body, from her feet to her head and the girl took a deep breath releasing it slowly into the air. She felt the heat focus on her eyes and, when she opened them, her breath was cut off.
All around her was filled with semi-transparent figures of Shredder, she could identify several of the poses the images showed, ancient movements that her adoptive father had been teaching her all her life. Attacks, counterattacks, every possible move the man could make was drawn in the air before her. Karai smiled, whatever it was she saw gave her an advantage.
She was not surprised when Saki tried to attack her from the right, the image of the attack lit up half a second before the older man started the movement so she could easily dodge it. She somehow gained the ability to see a couple of seconds before all the possible movements of her opponent and, thanks to this, be able to develop a strategy; She can feel the excitement bubbling within her, the unexpected power coursing through her, her eyes moving between the many possibilities presented in front of her, it is easy to tell when Shredder chooses a move as that specific line lights up allowing her to quickly dodge and counterattack. which surprises the seasoned warrior too much. Karai smiles when she sees the confusion in the adult's eyes, it is satisfying to see the proud fighter hesitate after belittling her and to see how fear settles in her eyes when she cannot defeat her as easily as she thought she would.
An accurate kick throws Destructor several meters back until he almost crashes into a collapsed wall. The adult leans against the wall, recovering the breath lost from the blow and looks at the girl, growling enraged. He can't hit her, he doesn't know how she avoids him so easily, how he can know what move she's going to make, he doesn't understand it and that makes him boil with rage. He is the best warrior, he has defeated people stronger and more experienced than that ungrateful girl, there was no possible way for her to surpass him, something was happening, something he couldn't see, something unnatural.
— I don't know what you're doing, Karai — Saki spits — but you have no way to defeat me, you're just a stupid, useless girl, you have no power...
— You talk too much — an unknown voice makes the older man look around looking for who spoke — you're boring — behind the annoying turtles that he already knows there is a new one, tall, muscular and obviously bored — you could finish, I have a twin to mutilate.
Shredder, already standing, frowns at the mutant's insolence.
— I thought my footbots had already finished with you — he says annoyed — How did you get rid of them?
—Those? — an amused snort accompanies the purple one's words — they didn't last at all, I could build twice as many robots, twice as efficient with half the materials — he boasts — I don't know who your engineer will be, but I would fire him — he waves his hand to emphasize your point.
The turtle's utter insolence further infuriates the Asian.
The younger ones watch the exchange open-mouthed, Shredder had always represented a deep fear, a formidable enemy and here was Von Ryan, in all his insolence, belittling him. Karai approaches the turtles, keeping an arrogant gaze on the man she had to fear growing up, seeing him reduced to a quivering bundle of nerves in front of the creatures he despised, seeing him fear this new mutant that he couldn't intimidate with his Just his presence made the kunoichi's heart swell with pride, she had a lot to learn about the weight of her new, real last name. He looked askance at the turtles, the young girls seemed really scared that his "father" was going to get up from the floor and skewer purple with his claws, but he didn't seem the least bit intimidated, rather he seemed bored.
— You! — the adult straightens up and shoots a venomous look at the taller turtle, Von Ryan simply raises one of his drawn eyebrows — you were the one who stood up to my people when they went to investigate the technology thief — a sinister smile settled on the Asian's face — if you join me you wouldn't have to steal anymore, I could give you everything you need to make that genius of yours shine.
The young turtles and the two humans held their breath, Von Ryan was unpredictable and ambitious, an offer like that would surely get his attention. The older purple one put a finger to his chin and pretended to think about it before a predatory smile creased his features; a powerful purple aura surrounded him, the same one that took the form of several missile launchers floating above the shoulders of the adult reptile.
— I appreciate the offer — there is a manic joy in his voice — but my little brother would eat me alive if I betray the family, you know — he gives a quick glance to the minors before turning his attention to the destroyer — now be a good villain and stay still while I disintegrate you - the pure terror in the adult's eyes when he sees the weapons light up is a delight for Karai and Raphael to watch, although they are a little disappointed when they see that instead of missiles a series of ropes are fired trapping the ninja against the rubble — oops — the expression of total humiliation on Shredder's face when he was unable to move causes laughter in the group of young people — now let's go back to the lair, I have some brothers to deal with — Von Ryan turns around and begins to walk back to the truck, the others simply follow them, leaving behind the furious warrior who tries to free himself by growling and hissing bad words in Japanese.
They reach the van just as the fire sirens stop in the abandoned parking lot.
— We have to leave immediately, before the authorities investigate the surroundings — Donatello quickly sits in the driver's seat and starts the van — everyone up, quickly.
Leonardo and Raphael give their brother a discreet nod and point to the older red one, its enormous size preventing it from getting into the back of the vehicle.
— Don't worry about it, my young turtles — Purpura says with his usual theatricality — my wonderful brother here can adjust his size thanks to the power of his ninpo — Red scratches his cheek, clearly uncomfortable with his brother's praise, but nods.
— Raph can do it — a powerful red light envelops the mutant for a second, when it disappears the older one is quite a bit smaller, compared to his previous image, but much bigger than any of them — I think I can get in now — much more smoothly than expected the huge turtle crawls until he lies down on the floor of the van and curls up to make himself as small as possible, even so, he takes up almost all the space.
—Where will we go? —Casey asks, looking at the small free space.
— You can sit on top of Rapha — the youngest of the group answers — I have no problems — as an example Von Ryan simply floats up to settle on his older brother's shell and turns on his holographic screen to start typing quickly. The others look at each other and slowly climb up to curl up on the sides and on top of the largest mutant. Leo was sent to the front to sit next to Donnie.
—Are you all ready? - asks the youngest purple one before stepping on the accelerator, behind them the lights of some flashlights are a sign that they are looking for them - let's get out of here - the young man in red loses his balance and almost falls out of the space into the shell in which he had been located, but is saved by his counterpart before he hits the floor of the truck.
"Hold on tight, little one," he says with a purr and a smile, "you can get hurt by Raph's quills." The young man observes, fascinated, the enormous and dangerous thorns that plague the older man's body.
— You're too big and strong to be so gentle — he tells her.
— Raph had to learn — the oldest responds with a hint of melancholy in his voice — he didn't want to do more damage... — Raphael can imagine the story behind those words, he knows that he is strong, stronger than his brothers, and losing control would only mean causing pain to those he loves. The calm and sweet attitude of the adult prevents him from imagining a scenario in which that would be the case, but he cannot judge, they do not know the complete story, just a few fragments that the brothers have been narrating throughout the time in which they know them and Each one of them is burdened with deep pain, irremediable loss, and deep-down terror, one that they are trying to prevent from happening to them.
— Great performance there, purple one — Karai's voice draws the attention of both reds — I think Shredder soiled his pants, he'll think twice before showing up again — Leonardo turns around and looks at the kunoichi with a mix of distrust and curiosity.
— Could someone explain to me why Karai is here... — says the blue one, Raphael, Donnie and Casey look at each other encouraging each other to be the one to speak — well? — the silence of his brothers confuses him even more — I'm waiting...
— You should leave the interrogation for when we are in a safe place — the ninja girl speaks from her position on the red major's shell — we have wounded to attend to, I have questions to ask and we are fleeing from the authorities — she smiles and the blue's cheeks brighten. They turn pink for a second — What do you think, redhead? — All eyes are diverted to Raphael who widens his eyes, confused.
— I agree with Karai — Raph responds after taking a deep breath — there are still many answers to get and I will feel better when your wounds and the red ones are being treated — he adds seriously and, despite his many doubts, Leo cannot stop feeling proud to see his younger brother take the reins and be listened to respectfully by others, including Von Ryan, it seemed that, finally, the leadership trait that was always hidden in Raphael came to the surface. Who knew it only took apocalyptic counterparts showing up and him being kidnapped for Raph to embrace that part of himself — I'm in charge of this mission, Leonardo, so I'm ordering you to do nothing until we're home and Dee has checked on you. .
— Understood — the blue one replied and settled back into his seat, allowing himself to relax after the events of the night. He felt a warmth bloom in his chest, a pleasant feeling of calm and connection that made him smile with his eyes closed. At his side and behind him, the other young men felt something similar in their own chests, a whirlwind of energy that spread through their bodies, a warmth that put an end to their fears and made them feel calm and in harmony.
The two older Hamato smiled in unison as they felt a residue of that energy in the silent space of the van, the soft connection of the younger ones grew stronger and it made them remember their own beginnings, what they had to face to awaken their own ninpo and take advantage of its power to face the greatest enemy they had ever met up to that moment. They only hoped they would have enough time to guide the younger ones, teach them properly; they suspected that, just as it was for them, the awakening of their internal power meant having to face something that went beyond their abilities, they were grateful to be there to support them, they would not let the little ones face hell alone.
Even if that meant losing his life again.