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Braving it in the New World	By : EvaBrick Category: Comics > Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Views: 10091 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own the Ninja Turtles, nor am I making any money from them. I'm just borrowing the boys for a while. I do own my original characters.

Chapter List
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Finding Slash had been surprisingly easy... they just followed the puddles of pee. They found him curled up at the end of a storm drain, half-starved and bawling in misery. It was an awful sight.
“Give him the ham, Mike,” Leo said. “He likes you best.”
“I can't do this to him,” Mike moaned. “He's half-dead already.”
Slash lifted his head and blinked at them. “Mama?” he croaked.
Raphael shoved Mike forward a couple of feet. They were all still about fifty feet away but that was close enough for any of them. Mike glared at Raphael and took another few cautious steps forward.
“Hey, Slash,” he said in a voice that was supposed to sound gentle, but that came out sounding terrified as hell. “How's it going, buddy? I brought you some lunch.” He took the ham out of the plastic shopping bag and set it down on the ground. He and the turtles all took a step back. “Come on, buddy,” Mike cooed. “Come eat the nice ham.”
Slash shuffled to his feet. Leo grabbed Mike's shoulder and pulled him back into the group. They all took another step back.
“Come on, dude,” Mike encouraged. “Remember your old pal, Mikey?”
“Mama?” Slash moaned. He sounded stronger than he had a moment before. He took a few steps toward them and smelled the air.
“Get ready to run,” Leo muttered out of the side of his mouth.
“We should have used the fuckin' dynamite,” Raphael muttered back.
Suddenly Slash sprinted toward them in his heavy, lumbering gait. The turtles turned and ran like they hadn't run since they were teenagers, trying to sneak back into the lair before Splinter woke up. Slash roared and thundered after them. His cries of, “Mama!” ripped through the tunnels.
“Who the fuck is Mama?” Don panted as they skidded around a sharp corner.
“Does he mean me?” Mike asked. “Fuck, I hope not.”
“We're here!” Leo barked. A heavy storm grate covered the opening of the tunnels. Leo dove through a hole in it and did a barrel roll to his feet on the other side. The other followed, hot on his heels. They stood on the other side of the grate and waited as Slash pounded toward them.
“This had better work, Leo,” Raphael said. He actually sounded scared and Raph never ever sounded scared.
“It will,” Leo said. “Trust me.”
Slash slammed into the grate but it held fast. He roared and shook it in rage. Mike went to a dark corner and grabbed the mini-palm they'd bought at the florist's. The second Slash saw it, he started to cry.
“My tree... want my tree!”
“Raph, get that ham back,” Leo said. The red turtle nodded and slipped into the shadows.
Mike set the tree down near the grate. He looked like he was ready to cry, himself. “Here's your tree, buddy. Isn't it nice?”
Slash reached a meaty arm through the grate but couldn't grab the tree. He wailed miserably.
“Ask him how he got here, Mike,” Leo said. “We might not have much time.”
Slash had angry tears rolling down his ugly, snapping face. He gnashed at the grate with his beak but couldn't bite through. Blood ran down from his mouth where the metal had cut into him. He finally sank down to the ground in a heap of despair. Mike didn't move any closer but he sat down, too.
“He bud,” he said, softly. The grate made him feel a bit braver. “Don't cry, Slash. I'm here with you.”
Slash sniffled but Mike didn't move any closer. He knew Slash would peel him out of his shell if he got the chance. Mike swallowed and took a few meditative breaths. It was tearing at his heart to see the creature in such a miserable state.
“How did you get back here, buddy? Why did you leave Florida?” Mike asked. “Did you get lost?”
Slash hiccuped and nodded. “Want my tree,” he whispered. His whisper was gross and dangerous but very, very sad.
“Why'd you leave the swamp?” Mike asked.
“Mama said,” Slash replied. He kept reaching for the little palm.
Mike put his head to one side and watched the bigger mutant cry. It was cruel that he existed like this, with just enough humanity to feel misery and heartache. If he was even just a little bit more human they might be able to work with him.
Slash'd head snapped up and he growled at Mike. “Want Mama!” he snarled.
“Uh-oh,” Don muttered to Leo. Leo grunted in agreement.
“Did Mama take bring you here?” Mike asked.
Slash lunged for the palm tree. He was putting so much pressure on the grate that it creaked.
“Give him the tree,” Leo said. “If he takes the grate down, we're fucked.”
“Raph's still out there alone,” Don reminded him.
“I'll call him,” Leo said. He pulled out his shell cell but Raphael appeared behind them at that moment. He was so out-of-breath he could barely speak. He tossed the ham to Mike. “I sprinted the whole way,” he panted.
The gate creaked again and this time dirt and dust fell down from above. Mike hopped to his feet and reached out to push the palm forward. A hand on his shoulder stopped him. “Don't get too close,” Don said. “He's got a long reach.” Don squatted down and used his bo to slide the tree into Slash's hand.
Slash pulled it through the grate and cuddled it against his chest. He churled happily and smelled the plant. Don slipped back to stand with Raph and Leo.
Mike took a deep breath and sat down again with the ham at his side. “Slash, did Mama bring you here?”
Slash looked up. “Mama?” he asked.
Mike patted his own plastron. “Mikey. I'm Mikey. I'm trying to help you find Mama.”
Slash's stomach rumbled and he moaned. He looked at the ham in Mike's hand and whimpered.
Leo rubbed the bridge of his nose in frustration. “Give him the ham, Mike. This isn't going anywhere and that grate won't hold for long if he rushes us again.”
Mike nodded sadly and tossed the ham to the grate. “Here, buddy,” he said. “Have your lunch.”
His giant beak leaned down and sniffed the ham. Slash's churl got louder and he lifted it through the grate and up to his mouth. It was gone in a minute. A half-hour later, the ham had been eaten and Slash had passed out against the grate in a puddle of bloody urine.
Leo shook his head. “I wish we'd gotten more info out of him.”
“I know, bro,” Mike said, “but Slash is more likely to chew your ear off than to talk it off.” He wiped a the tears from his cheeks. “Poor, dumb bastard.” He still hadn't left the spot here he sat just out of Slash's reach.
“So who wants ta do the deed?” Raphael asked. He pulled out a sai and it glistened in the sharp tunnel. “I think it's more humane if Leo or I does it.”
“I'll do it,” Leo said, sadly. “I'll take his whole head off. It'll be faster than bleeding out through his throat.”
“Are you sure?” Raphael asked. “Cause I know it's gonna eat you up for weeks.”
“It'll eat you up too,” Leo countered.
Raphael chuckled. “Yeah, but I gotta thick Latina to take the pain away.”
Leonardo rolled his eyes. “I'll do it,” he said. He pulled out a katana. “It's one of those fearless leader things I have to do.”
Raphael patted him on the back and they all cautiously approached the giant snapping turtle.
Mike stood and put a hand up to stop his brother. He bowed low to Slash. “He may be a monster,” Mike said, “But we should still honour the life we're taking.”
The other turtles looked at each other. Mike was right. They all bowed to Slash. Leo didn't waste any time. As soon as he righted himself, he stepped into the danger zone. His blade swished through the grate and Slash's head rolled away from his body. The big turtle shuddered and lay still as his body bled out into the dark tunnel.
The four turtles stood around and watched as the blood flowed. “I don't think I'll ever eat a ham again,” Mike said as he wiped his eyes. They all grunted in agreement.
The turtles slipped back out through the hold in the grate. Mike put his hand on Slash's enormous plastron before helping Raph and Leo bundle the body up with ropes so they could drag him through the sewer. Don called Charlie and told her that it was over and everyone was safe and that none of them even had a scratch. Charlie was so relieved, she burst into tears.
“Oh Donnie, I was so worried. Are you coming home now?”
“Not for a while, sweetheart. We're going to bury him. It's the right thing to do and we can't just leave him here for someone to find,” Don said.
“Can... can I see him?”
Donatello hesitated. “We cut his head off. Are you sure that's something you want to see?”
“Not really,” Charlie said, “but I think I need to. I just... I want to understand.”
“Brace yourself,” Don said. He turned the camera around and panned it over the body. He walked around the scene, showing her the blood, the clawed hands, then finally the head.
“Good Lord,” Charlie said. “He looks so primitive and big! It's like looking at a weird dinosaur.”
Don turned the camera back on himself. “See why I didn't tell you about him? How could you ever...” He walked a few feet away from the others and lowered his voice. “How could you ever go to bed with me and let me touch you the way I do if you knew that a mutant turtle like that existed? I didn't want you to think that I might be passing some freaky mutant genes on to our child and that you'd give birth to something nightmarish like Slash.”
Charlie shook her head and smiled sadly. “I don't know how you could ever think I would put you guys in the same category as that... thing,” she said. “I love you, Donnie... and our child will love you too.” She wiped the last of her tears away. “Do what you need to do and come home, okay?”
“I love you too,” he said. “Why don't you put your pajamas on and get into bed? He's heavy so this is going to take a while.”
“Okay,” she said. “I'll just read though. I'll stay up and wait for you.”
“Only if you can. I know you're tired,” Don said. “Did you get anything to eat?”
“More than you did,” she smirked.
Don grinned and twitched in his shell. He'd been going down on her twice a day since intercourse had become too uncomfortable for her. The smell of her pregnancy hormones was driving him crazy.”
“I heated up some left-overs.” Charlie continued and yawned into her hand. “I miss you.”
“I'll be home soon,” Donatello said. “Love you.”
“Love you,” Charlie repeated. She blew him a kiss before ending the call.
Mike picked up the head and looked at the ugly face for a minute before he stuck it in a bag. He tied the bag to Slash's chest for easier transport.
They rolled the body onto a big palate with wheels and slowly rolled Slash through the tunnels. Raphael and Leonardo took the front end and Mike and Don took the back. Slash was heavy and awkward to move. No one felt like talking much but eventually Raphael and Leo fell into a conversation about Mama and who she might be.
Don looked over to Mike. “You know our apartment is right off the kitchen, right?” he said, very quietly.
Michelangelo froze for a moment. His shell rose and fell as he sighed. “Well, I guess that makes it easier for me to follow you, since you know.” He turned to face Don. “Do you want to thank me or punch me in the face? Either one's fair.”
“I'm undecided,” Donatello admitted.
Both conversations stalled for a moment as they maneuvered Slash around a tight corner.
“Did you hear the part where she was only worried about you coming back?” Mike said. “She doesn't love me, Donnie.”
“But you still love her.”
Mike nodded. “God help me, Donnie,” he said. “How could I not? Surely you of all people can understand that.”
Up ahead, Leo and Raphael were now discussing hiring some temps for Charlie's maternity leave. They really needed more staff anyway, but no one was sure how to handle the turtle thing... they'd have to be extra careful with strangers on staff.
Don nodded. He understood too well how Mike felt. They pushed Slash along in an uneasy silence. “I know you had sex with Lisa,” he said after a while.
Mike's jaw fell open in shock.
“She got in touch with Charlie about a month ago,” Don continued before Mike could say anything else. “She's in Wisconsin with her aunt. She's had a complete nervous breakdown.”
“Oh God,” Mike moaned. “Is that my fault? Did I do that to her?” He put his hand over his face.
“No,” Don sighed. “No, it was the whole Bubba thing. Sleeping with you was a cry for help... no offense. She needed therapy.”
Mike sighed. “Well, we all knew that. Charlie and Leo tried to get her to go but she wouldn't.” He squared his shoulders. “Help me out here, bro,” he said. “If you're mad at me, I wish you'd just say so. Did Lisa tell Charlie I was drunk off my ass?”
Don nodded.
“Did she tell Charlie why I was drunk?”
Donatello didn't answer.
“Donnie?”
“No.”
Mike's shoulders sagged in relief. “Oh, thank God,” he said.
“I saw the security footage though, Mike.”
Mike stopped short. “What?” he said. Slash tilted to the side and Mike rushed back to straighten the load.
“Do you morons really think there's only one recording in a security system I set up?” Don said after things were stabilized. “You also forgot who empties the garbage. As soon as I saw a sai puncture in that thumb drive I went to search through the footage to see what the hell had happened while we were on our honeymoon.”
“Do it,” Mike said, numbly.
“Do what?” Don asked.
“Beat the fucking shit out of me. I won't even fight back. I deserve it.”
Don shook his head. “Oh believe me, I've considered it, but we promised not to fight like that again... and a promise means something, doesn't it?”
“There is no honour in breaking a promise,” Mike said. “Did Charlie see the security footage too? I'd just like to keep track of the number of people who have watched me have sex.”
“Fuck, no,” Donatello said. “I'm not showing my wife anybody's dick but mine.”
Mike would have laughed if it hadn't all been so serious. “You said once that you loved her enough to die for her,” he said. “I love her enough...” his voice caught. Between killing Slash and more of the Charlie mess, it was almost too much to cope with. “I love her enough to let her go and I don't think you understand that.”
The came to another turn and the conversation was interrupted again while they all yelled back and forth to get the body around the corner.
“Do you mean that, Mike?” Don asked. He was stunned. He hadn't ever expected Mike to say that.
Mike nodded. “Those two,” he gestured toward Raphael and Leonardo, “are the two most self-absorbed assholes I've ever met. Our entire lives, they've done nothing but fight. They got all of Splinter's attention because of it and their rotten attitudes have shaped everything we've ever done. Look at us now... why are you and I together in the back?”
Donatello bit his lip ad hoped the others weren't listening. “Because we expect them to fight and we don't want to listen to their shit.”
“Exactly,” Mike ground out in his deep voice. “You and I have been best friends our whole lives because of it. We've always done stuff together while Splinter was policing them. How many Playboys did we share? How many stolen beers did we drink? How many times did you help me fix my game consoles? How many times did you and I go out alone because they were grounded?”
Don blew out a heavy breath. There were too many memories with Mike to count.
“Has it occurred to you that you and I are a lot alike?” Mike's voice was now definitely loud enough for everyone to hear. “Those assholes have A-type personalities and so does Splinter, but you and I are the thinkers, the nurturers.” By this point, they had all stopped moving Slash.
Mike went on, “I know I was the smallest when we were kids but how can you guys not have noticed that I'm bigger than all of you now? Maybe you guys are an inch taller but I'm the strongest. I'm the toughest.”
He leaned into Slash and grunted as he gave the body a hard push. Slash surged forward and nearly fell off the palate. Raphael and Leo gave up eavesdropping and came around to the back. No one had ever heard Mike talk like this. They eyed Mike's thick shell and broad shoulders... he was actually bigger than them. How had they not noticed?
“I'm not your little brother who needs to be looked after and managed.” Mike went on. He wasn't yelling, but his voice was firm. “I am so sick of this 'little bro' shit. I don't need to have life explained to me.”
Leonardo opened his mouth but Mike cut him off.
“Can it, Leo,” he said. “We don't know who's oldest and I'm sure as hell not little. And I'm not stupid, either. I'm the peace-maker in this family. I'm expected to clown around and hold it all together for the rest of you.”
He ran a gentle hand over Slash's shell. Poor, poor Slash.
“I don't care about computers, I don't sneak around, and I'm not in denial about my depression issues.” He gave each of his brothers a hard look as he spoke. “People matter to me. Being honest and open matters to me, having a healthy mentality matters to me.” He turned to Donatello. “We're more alike than you realize, Donnie. Is it so hard to accept that we could both fall for the same girl?”
Don's eyes narrowed. “What's your point, Mike?”
Mike sighed and his voice softened. “My point is that I can't help how I feel about Charlie but I'm mature enough to control my behaviour. I love her enough to want her to be happy and if that means keeping you safe for her, than that's what I have to do. I have spent my whole life holding this family together. What makes you think I can't handle this, too?”
He walked over to Don and put his hands on his brother's shoulders. “These assholes are always gonna be self-absorbed but you and I... you're my person, Donnie,” Mike said, quietly. “You're the one I love enough to die for. So just... just cut me a little slack, would ya?”
Donatello was speechless so he just grabbed Mike into a bear hug.
“We're not self-absorbed assholes,” Leo sputtered. “We're... we're just...”
Raphael put his hand on his brother's arm and pulled him back to the front of Slash's body. “Leo, we are self-absorbed assholes.”
*
Back in the lair, Charlie sat alone in bed with the shell cell up to her ear. She ended the call and lay back against the mound of pillows.
Donatello had butt-dialed her.
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Braving it in the New World