Chapter 9: Time Travel Farewell
Rainwater dripped steadily from the tunnel ceiling, tapping a slow rhythm on rusted pipes. The air hung thick with damp concrete and stale metal, pressing in on the huddled group. Mikey shivered, Leo’s head heavy in his lap, the makeshift bandage on his shoulder dark and damp but no longer pulsing crimson. The warmth Mikey had felt earlier – faint, insistent – hummed beneath his own skin now, a counterpoint to the chill. Leo’s eyes were closed, his breathing shallow but steady. Donnie knelt beside them, checking Leo’s pulse with trembling fingers. Raph leaned against a dripping pipe, arms crossed, gaze fixed on the barricaded door they’d fled through. Mia stood sentinel further down the corridor, a shadow among deeper shadows. Ben and Casey huddled together on a discarded burlap sack, silent, their eyes huge pools of reflected dim light.
"Pulse is stronger," Donnie murmured, relief warring with exhaustion in his voice. He adjusted his cracked glasses. "Vitals stabilizing. Whatever… whatever your blood did, Mikey… it worked." He glanced at the small, clean slice on Mikey’s abdomen, covered now with a strip from Raph’s less-ruined undershirt. "You need to rest too."
Mikey just nodded, his fingers gently brushing sweat-damp hair from Leo’s forehead. The silence stretched, filled only by dripping water and ragged breaths. Then, Casey sniffled. The sound echoed strangely in the confined space.
Ben wrapped an arm tighter around her shoulders. "Don’t cry, Case," he whispered, his own voice thick. "Dad’s okay now. Mama Mikey fixed him."
Casey buried her face in Ben’s jacket. "But… but we gotta go," she mumbled, the words muffled.
Mikey looked up sharply. Raph shifted, pushing off the pipe. Donnie froze, his hand still on Leo’s wrist.
"Go?" Raph’s voice was gravelly. "Go where, kid? We just got here."
Casey lifted her head, tears tracing clean paths through the grime on her cheeks. She looked at Ben, then at Mikey, her gaze impossibly old. Ben sighed, a weary sound far beyond his years. He met Mikey’s eyes directly.
"The Resonance is gone," Ben said quietly. "For good. You stopped it." He swallowed. "Mia… she got us out, like she promised. Through the conduit. Before the hunters… before they broke the shield completely." His small hand tightened on Casey’s. "But the timeline’s… settling. Fast. Us being here… it’s making ripples. Big ones."
Mia turned from her watch, her expression unreadable. "The chroniton interference our presence causes increases exponentially the longer we stay," she stated, her voice flat, factual. "We risk paradox cascades. Reality instability." She looked at Leo, then back to the
Mia’s words hung in the damp air, sharp as broken glass. "Reality instability." She looked at Leo, then back to the barricaded door, her posture rigid. "Staying risks unraveling everything."
Leo stirred weakly in Mikey’s lap, his eyelids fluttering open. The pain was etched deep in the lines around his eyes, but his gaze was clear, focused. He saw Casey’s tear-streaked face, Ben’s solemn stare. "Kids..." Leo rasped, the word thick. "You... gotta go?"
Ben nodded, a jerky movement. "Yeah, Dad, Leo. We gotta." He scrubbed a hand across his nose. "The ripples... they get worse. Like throwing a bigger rock in a pond."
Casey sniffled again, pulling away from Ben. She scrambled forward on her knees, the damp concrete scraping her jeans. Her small hands reached out, trembling, towards Mikey’s face. Mikey’s breath hitched. He leaned into the touch, feeling the rough scrape of her tiny fingers against his cheekbone, sticky with tears and tunnel grime. A sob tore from his throat, raw and sudden.
"Don’t cry, Mama Mikey," Casey whispered, her own voice wobbling violently. "You gotta be brave. Like you were for Dad, Leo." She traced the line of his jaw. "We saw you. We saw how strong you are."
Raph pushed off the pipe with a low growl, the sound echoing off the wet walls. "This is bullshit," he snarled, pacing a tight circle. Water dripped onto his shoulder, ignored. "You just got here! We just found out..." He gestured wildly towards Mikey, then the kids, words failing him. His fists clenched and unclenched. "You can’t just vanish!"
Donnie stood slowly, his movements stiff. He adjusted his cracked glasses, peering intently at Mia. "The chroniton interference... exponential increase.
The dripping water sounded louder suddenly, like a ticking clock counting down seconds they didn't have. Donnie’s gaze snapped from Mia to Ben, his mind visibly racing through equations and probabilities. "Exponential increase," he echoed, his voice tight. "Meaning every second we argue makes it worse? Makes it harder for them to get back?"
Mia gave a single, sharp nod. "Correct. The temporal eddies are already forming. We must initiate departure protocols immediately." Her eyes, usually so flat, held a flicker of something urgent, almost desperate. She glanced towards the tunnel’s darkest bend, where faint, distorted shouts echoed – hunters regrouping, searching.
Leo struggled to push himself up on one elbow, wincing as the movement pulled at Mikey’s makeshift bandage. "Then... go," he managed, his voice rough but firm. He looked at Ben and Casey, his leader’s mask slipping to reveal pure, aching loss. "Go now. Before... before it gets worse." He reached out a trembling hand towards them.
Casey flung herself forward again, burying her face against Leo’s uninjured shoulder. "Dad Leo," she whimpered, her small body shaking violently. "Don’t wanna leave you hurt!"
Ben stood straighter, squaring his narrow shoulders. He walked over to Leo, placing his small hand carefully over Leo’s larger one where it rested on the damp concrete. "You’ll be okay," Ben stated, his voice surprisingly steady, though his eyes shimmered. "Mama Mikey fixed you good. You gotta rest." He leaned in, pressing a quick, fierce kiss to Leo’s stubbled cheek. "Be careful."
Raph slammed his fist against the wet pipe beside him, the metallic clang echoing sharply. "Damn it!" he roared, frustration boiling over. "This ain't right! We just found you! We didn't... we didn't get to..." His voice cracked, choked by the enormity of everything unsaid – the future glimpsed, the family lost, the sheer unfairness. He turned away, scrubbing angrily at his eyes with the back of his wrist.
Mikey hadn’t moved from Leo’s side. He watched Casey cling to Leo, watched Ben’s brave facade. The warmth beneath his own skin felt like a fading ember. His fingers, still resting near Leo’s hair, trembled. Casey finally pulled back from Leo, her face a mess of tears and dirt. She turned those huge, wet eyes towards Mikey.
"Mama Mikey?" Her voice was tiny, fragile.
Mikey opened his arms. Casey scrambled into his lap, pressing herself against his chest, her arms locking around his neck with surprising strength. She smelled like damp earth, ozone, and childhood fear. Mikey buried his face in her messy hair, inhaling the impossible scent of his own future child. A sob ripped through him, silent but violent, shaking his entire frame. He couldn't speak. He just held her, memorizing the weight, the feel, the frantic beat of her heart against his.
Ben stepped closer, placing a small hand on Mikey’s knee. "You gotta let go now, Mama," he whispered, his own composure finally fracturing. A single tear tracked down his grimy cheek. "Please. Before... before we can't."
Mia moved swiftly, pulling a complex, crystalline device from her pack. It hummed to life, casting fractured blue light across the wet tunnel walls. "Conduit stabilizing," she announced, her voice devoid of inflection again. "Prepare for transit. Thirty seconds." She positioned herself beside Ben, her posture rigid, ready.
The blue light intensified, bathing Casey’s tear-streaked face. Mikey felt her grip tighten impossibly for a second, her small fingers digging into his shoulders. Then, with a shuddering breath, she loosened her hold. She pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. Her lower lip trembled violently. "Love you, Mama Mikey," she breathed, the words barely audible over the conduit’s rising whine.
Mikey choked, his vision blurring. He pressed a desperate kiss to her forehead. "Love you," he gasped out, the words thick and broken. "Always." He forced his arms to unlock, to release her. Casey slid from his lap, her hand finding Ben’s instantly.
Ben gave Mikey one last, long look – a look that held lifetimes of understanding and sorrow. He squeezed Casey’s hand. "Ready, Case?"
Casey nodded, wiping her nose on her sleeve. She took a shaky breath, trying to stand tall like her brother. "Ready."
The blue light surged, engulfing them. Mia placed a hand on each child’s shoulder. For a fraction of a second, their forms flickered, becoming translucent, insubstantial. Mikey lunged forward instinctively, his hand reaching out into the blinding light. His fingers passed through empty air where Casey’s shoulder had been.
Then, silence. The blue light vanished instantly, plunging the tunnel back into near darkness. Only the steady drip-drip-drip of water remained. Where Ben, Casey, and Mia had stood, there was nothing. Just damp concrete and the lingering scent of ozone.
Mikey’s outstretched hand hung in the empty air. He stared at the vacant spot, his body utterly still. The sob he’d held back finally tore loose, a raw, guttural sound of pure loss that echoed off the cold walls. He crumpled forward, his forehead pressing against the wet floor, shoulders shaking violently.
Leo pushed himself up further, ignoring the sharp protest from his wound. He reached out, his hand landing heavily on Mikey’s trembling back. He didn't speak. He just held on, his own jaw clenched tight against the tide of grief, his gaze fixed on the empty space where the future had vanished. The hunters' shouts grew louder, closer. Raph spun towards the barricaded door, fists raised, a snarl twisting his features. Donnie scrambled for his tech-bag, his movements jerky, haunted. The dripping water kept counting the seconds.
The dripping water kept counting the seconds. Raph slammed his fist against the pipe again, the clang echoing like a gunshot. "They're breaching!" he snarled, already moving towards the groaning metal door they'd wedged shut with a rusted I-beam. Heavy impacts thudded against it, dust and flakes of old paint raining down. "Move your asses!"
Leo gritted his teeth, trying to push himself fully upright. A fresh bloom of crimson seeped through Mikey’s hasty bandage. "Donnie," Leo gasped, the effort turning his face pale. "The sonic emitters... the backpack..."
Donnie was already moving, scrambling across the wet concrete towards his discarded tech-bag. His fingers, usually so precise, fumbled with the straps. "Got it! Setting dispersal pattern theta!" He yanked out two hockey puck-sized devices, slapping them onto the tunnel wall near the barricade. "Ten seconds to pulse! It'll disorient, but not for long!"
Mikey wiped his face roughly with his sleeve, smearing grime and tears. The raw hole inside him where Casey and Ben had been a moment ago felt vast, cold, but Leo’s weight anchoring him, Raph’s snarled urgency, Donnie’s frantic movements – they were a lifeline. Survival instinct kicked in, sharp and desperate. He shoved the overwhelming grief down hard, locking it away. Later. He could break later. Now, Leo needed him. He slid an arm under Leo’s good shoulder, heaving. "Come on, Fearless. Lean on me."
Leo grunted, staggering to his feet. "Service tunnel... Donnie mapped it... left fork, fifty yards..."
The barricade buckled violently. A crowbar smashed through a gap, probing like a metal finger. Raph braced his shoulder against the shuddering I-beam, veins standing out on his neck. "Any day now, Donnie!"
"Pulse initiating!" Donnie yelled, thumbing a control on his gauntlet. The sonic emitters on the wall emitted a soundless vibration that hit like a physical blow, a pressure wave slamming through the tunnel. The banging on the door ceased instantly, replaced by muffled cries of pain and confusion from the other side. Dust billowed from the ceiling. "Go! GO!"
Raph shoved off the beam and bolted, leading the charge down the dripping tunnel. Donnie scooped up his bag and followed, glancing back. Mikey half-dragged, half-carried Leo, stumbling over uneven concrete. Leo’s breath came in ragged gasps, his free hand clamped over the wound. "Faster, Mikey," he managed, his voice strained thin.
"Trying, bro!" Mikey panted, his own muscles screaming. The damp air burned his lungs. He could feel Leo weakening with each step. Behind them, the disoriented shouts were already hardening back into angry pursuit. Boots scraped concrete.
The left fork materialized from the gloom, a slightly narrower passage choked with cobwebs and reeking of stagnant water. Raph plunged in without hesitation, vanishing into the darkness. Donnie skidded to a stop at the entrance, pulling a small flare from his belt. He cracked it, casting a sickly red glow that painted the rusted pipes and slick walls with long, leaping shadows. "This way!"
Mikey hauled Leo towards the light, every step an agony. Leo stumbled, his weight nearly pulling them both down. "Leo!" Mikey cried, scrambling to keep him upright, his boots slipping on the slimy floor. Donnie darted back, grabbing Leo’s other arm, and together they lurched into the side tunnel.
Raph was ten yards ahead, prying open a heavy, corroded metal grate set low in the wall. "Sewer access! It stinks worse than dead fish in July, but it’s clear!" He wrenched the grate aside with a shriek of tortured metal, revealing a dark, gaping maw exuding a miasma of decay and chemical rot. "Down the ladder! Move!"
The hunters' voices echoed closer, bouncing down the main tunnel. Their lights flickered at the fork’s entrance. Donnie shoved Mikey and Leo towards the opening. "You first, Mikey! Get Leo down! Raph, cover the entrance!"
Mikey didn’t hesitate. He guided Leo to the black hole. Leo gripped the rusted ladder rungs, his knuckles white. "Don't... drop me," he gasped, trying for levity that fell flat with pain.
"Not a chance," Mikey promised, his voice thick. He helped lower Leo onto the first rung, then scrambled down after him into the suffocating darkness and the overwhelming stench. The ladder felt slick, unstable. Above, Donnie tossed the sputtering red flare down the side tunnel they’d just left, then turned, pulling something else from his bag.
Raph stood facing the fork, fists raised, a grim silhouette against the dim light filtering from the main passage. "Come on, you bastards," he growled. "Give me an excuse."
Footsteps pounded, beams of light swept the junction. Donnie hurled a small sphere down the tunnel towards the approaching lights. It hit the wet concrete and erupted not in fire, but in a blinding, silent flash of pure white light that seared the retina. Cries of shock and pain erupted. "Smoke and mirrors!" Donnie yelled, already turning and diving for the sewer opening. "Go, Raph!"
Raph spat towards the light, then spun and practically dove headfirst down the ladder after Donnie. Mikey, halfway down, flinched as Raph’s boots clanged past him. They hit the shallow, foul-smelling stream flowing sluggishly along the sewer tunnel floor with a splash. The air was thick, warm, and nauseating.
Donnie landed beside them, immediately pulling the heavy grate back into place overhead with a grunt. It wouldn't hold anyone determined, but it bought seconds. "Which way?" Mikey gasped, gagging on the stench, still supporting Leo. The red flare sputtered nearby, casting hellish light on the trickling brown water and slime-coated brick walls.
"Follow the flow," Leo whispered, his eyes closed, leaning heavily. "East... should hit a storm drain near the river..."
Raph took point without a word, splashing forward into the uncertain darkness, his shoulders hunched with fury and tension. Donnie stayed close to Leo and Mikey, scanning their surroundings with his tech-enhanced goggles. Mikey focused on putting one foot in front of the other in the ankle-deep muck, Leo’s weight a constant drag. The warmth from earlier – the strange life-force he’d somehow shared with Leo – was gone, leaving him cold and hollow. The only sounds were their splashing, Leo’s labored breathing, and the distant, echoing drip of unseen water. He kept seeing Casey’s tear-streaked face vanishing into the blue light. Love you, Mama Mikey. The words echoed louder than the dripping water.
They slogged for what felt like hours, the tunnel branching occasionally, Leo muttering low directions. The flare died, plunging them into near-total darkness broken only by the faint green glow from Donnie’s goggles. The hunters didn't follow, or if they did, they chose a different path. Eventually, a sliver of grey, pre-dawn light appeared ahead, filtering down through another grate.
Raph reached it first, peering up cautiously. "Clear," he rasped. "Looks like an alley off Water Street." He strained, muscles bunching, and lifted the heavy iron cover aside with another metallic groan. Cool, relatively fresh air flooded in, smelling of rain and exhaust. Dawn was breaking, painting the sky a bruised purple-grey above the city skyline.
One by one, they clambered out into the grimy alley, blinking in the weak light. Rain slicked the pavement, reflecting the neon signs of a distant all-night diner. Leo sank down onto a rain-drenched crate, his face grey with exhaustion and pain. Raph leaned against the damp brick wall, breathing hard, scanning the alley exits like a caged animal. Donnie immediately knelt by Leo, pulling back the makeshift bandage to assess the damage. Blood was still seeping.
Mikey stood apart, his back to them, looking at the open sewer grate. The darkness down there felt like the hole inside him. The city sounds – distant sirens, a garbage truck beeping, the hiss of tires on wet asphalt – seemed alien, too loud. He wrapped his arms tightly around himself, the damp chill of his clothes seeping into his bones. They were out. They were alive. Leo would be okay. The kids… the kids were safe? Gone. Back to a future they’d barely glimpsed, leaving only echoes and a crushing weight of absence. He took a shuddering breath, the taste of tunnel grit and loss thick on his tongue. The city stretched before them, vast and uncaring. Where did they go now? The question hung heavy in the damp alley air, unanswered.
The question hung heavy in the damp alley air, unanswered. Rain slicked Mikey’s face, mingling with the grit and dried salt tracks from Casey’s tears. He stared at the dark maw of the sewer grate, the faint reek of stagnant water and decay still clinging to their clothes like a shroud. The city’s pre-dawn sounds – a distant garbage truck’s whine, tires hissing on wet asphalt – felt jarringly loud, intrusive against the hollow silence inside him.
"Donnie?" Leo’s voice was thin, strained. He slumped heavily on the rain-soaked crate, his face pale as old paper beneath the grime. "Status?"
Donnie knelt beside him, fingers probing gently beneath the soaked, makeshift bandage. His tech-goggles cast an eerie green glow on Leo’s shoulder. "Deep puncture," Donnie murmured, his usual clinical tone frayed at the edges. "Missed major arteries, thankfully. But muscle damage is significant. Bleeding’s slowed, but it’s still oozing." He glanced up, his eyes wide behind the cracked lenses. "He needs stitches. Proper antibiotics. Like, yesterday. Risk of infection down there…" He gestured vaguely back towards the sewer entrance, his nose wrinkling. "It’s off the charts."
Raph paced the narrow alley like a caged tiger, rainwater dripping from the spikes on his elbows. He kicked a discarded bottle, sending it clattering against the brick wall. "Clinic," he growled, not looking at them. "Doc Feldman’s. Only place that doesn’t ask questions we can’t answer." He finally stopped, his broad shoulders blocking the alley’s exit towards the street. His gaze swept over Leo’s pallor, Donnie’s anxious face, then landed on Mikey’s rigid back. "Mikey. Snap out of it. Leo needs you present."
Mikey flinched as if struck. He slowly turned, the movement stiff. His eyes, usually bright with mischief, were red-rimmed wells of raw loss. He looked at Leo, slumped and bleeding, then at Raph’s fierce, worried scowl. The warmth he’d felt channeling into Leo – that strange, vital pulse – was utterly gone, leaving only a deep, cold ache. He swallowed hard, forcing his voice to work. "Yeah. Yeah, okay." He wiped his face again, smearing grime. "Doc Feldman’s. Two blocks west. Back entrance." His voice sounded flat, distant, like someone else was speaking.
"Can you walk?" Donnie asked Leo, already packing away his diagnostic tools.
Leo gritted his teeth, pushing himself upright with a stifled groan. Sweat beaded on his forehead despite the chill rain. "Have to," he managed. "Raph, point. Donnie, watch our six. Mikey…" He met Mikey’s eyes, his own gaze holding a complex mix of pain, command, and shared, unspoken grief. "Stay close."
Mikey nodded mutely, moving automatically to Leo’s uninjured side. He slid an arm around Leo’s waist, feeling the tremor running through his brother’s frame. Leo leaned heavily on him, his breath hitching with each step. The rain plastered Mikey’s hair to his skull, cold rivulets tracing paths down his neck. He kept seeing the blue light engulfing Casey’s small form, the desperate emptiness where Ben’s hand had been moments before. Love you, Mama Mikey. The echo was a physical pain beneath his ribs.
Raph led the way, a hulking shadow melting into the deeper gloom of the alley mouth. He paused, scanning the wet, deserted street beyond. Neon signs from a pawn shop and a closed bodega reflected garishly on the slick pavement. "Clear," he hissed, waving them forward. "Move fast and quiet."
They shuffled out of the alley, a ragged, dripping procession. Mikey focused on the rhythm of Leo’s labored steps, the feel of his brother’s weight, the slickness of blood seeping through Leo’s shirt onto his own arm. Anything to anchor himself in the now. The city felt alien, hostile. Every shadow seemed to hold a hunter’s silhouette; every distant siren felt like it was screaming towards them. Donnie trailed behind, constantly glancing over his shoulder, his gauntlet humming faintly as he scanned for electronic signatures.
"Left here," Mikey whispered hoarsely as they neared a narrow passage choked with overflowing dumpsters. The stench of rotting food battled with the lingering sewer smell. "Service door’s around back."
Raph grunted, leading them into the tighter space. He froze halfway, holding up a clenched fist. Mikey and Leo stumbled to a halt behind him, Donnie pressing close. Raph’s head tilted, listening intently. Footsteps. Distinct. Purposeful. Approaching from the street end of the passage. Not casual. Not drunk. Boots on wet concrete.
"Shit," Raph breathed, barely audible. He gestured sharply backwards. "Back out. Now."
Too late. A beam of harsh white light speared the gloom, pinning them like insects. It swept over Raph’s broad back, then flickered to Mikey struggling with Leo, to Donnie frozen in the act of reaching for his tech-bag. A voice, cold and electronically distorted, echoed off the damp brick walls. "Targets acquired. Containment protocol Gamma. Non-lethal force authorized."
Raph snarled, pure fury erupting. "Like hell!" He spun, planting himself squarely between the light and his brothers, fists raised. "Mikey, get Leo out! Donnie, smoke!"
Donnie fumbled, panic flashing across his face. He yanked a small cylinder from his belt, thumbing the activator. "Cover your eyes!" he yelled, hurling it towards the advancing light. It clattered on the wet ground and erupted, not with fire, but with a thick, acrid, grey fog that billowed out with shocking speed, instantly filling the narrow passage.
The light beam vanished, swallowed by the choking cloud. Coughs erupted from the hunters. "Go! GO!" Raph bellowed, already surging forward into the blinding murk, the sound of a short, brutal impact followed by a pained grunt echoing through the fog.
Mikey didn't think. Pure adrenaline surged, burning through the numbness. He hauled Leo backwards, stumbling blindly towards the alley mouth they'd just left. Leo gasped, stumbling, his weight threatening to pull them both down. Donnie slammed into them from behind, shoving. "Move! Move!" The fog burned Mikey’s eyes and throat. He could hear shouts, the scuffle intensifying behind them in the grey chaos – Raph’s enraged roars mingling with the hunters’ distorted commands and the sickening thud of blows.
They burst back onto the wet street, coughing, eyes streaming. The fog spilled out behind them, obscuring the passage entrance. "The clinic!" Donnie gasped, pointing frantically west. "Forget the back! Main door! Now!"
Mikey adjusted his grip on Leo, half-dragging him towards the dimly lit sign reading ‘Feldman Urgent Care - Walk Ins Welcome’. Leo’s head lolled; he was fading fast. Mikey risked a glance back. The fog pulsed near the alley mouth. A figure staggered out – Raph, clutching his side, blood welling between his fingers. Behind him, shapes were emerging from the grey cloud, weapons raised.
Raph met Mikey’s eyes across the rain-swept street. His expression was fierce, pained, but utterly determined. He jerked his head towards the clinic door. "GO!" he roared, then turned, planting his feet wide, readying himself to hold the hunters back for the precious seconds they needed. The distorted electronic command crackled again, chillingly close. "Subdue the primary target!" Mikey wrenched his gaze away, heart hammering against his ribs like a trapped bird, and lunged for the clinic door, Leo’s dead weight pulling him down as Donnie scrambled ahead to wrench it open. The sterile, antiseptic smell of the waiting room hit him like a wall as they stumbled through, the sound of Raph’s defiant snarl and the hunters' closing pursuit swallowed by the heavy door swinging shut behind them.