Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

He blinked, before frowning. “Whaddaya mean, Donnie? It’s me, Raphael, y’know, alternate brother, huntin’ an’ tryin’ to cure the Corrupted…?” Raph gazed into the other’s face, trying to find some sign of recognition in Don’s eyes. Finding none, his eyes widened and he finally took a step backwards.

Donnie didn’t remember him. This Donatello didn’t recognize him, he corrected himself, because this wasn’t his Donnie, and his Donnie would recognize Raphael right off the bat. The clarification had to be made, even though he could feel the knot encompassing his heart as well.

His grip tightened on the bow for several moments, even as he contemplated just resetting—but what if the next timeline had this Donatello? What if he just had to start all over again, getting to know Don again and then just losing him when things were at least somewhat stable for them?

Finally, Raph turned around, not sparing at glance at Don. “…th’full story’s complicated. We—I got a shelter that we can stay at, so we can get comfy an’ swap stories an’ shit.” His tone was firmer than he would’ve thought he was capable of, considering how much this encounter was shaking him.

Wrong, wrong, wrong…

What little sense the night was making was thrown completely out the window. Raphael --because despite the strange appearance, and fact that this wasn't his brother but some strange alternate this was Raphael-- went on about hunting Corrupted and finding cures and the more he seemed to talk the more of a blank he drew.

Finally stopping himself it seemed like he finally got the hint, that what he was saying made no sense at all and Don relaxed somewhat.

That of course, didn't stop the millions of questions that pounded through his head, enough to make him actually wince in discomfort thanks to sharp pain in his noggin.

He was loath to trust a stranger right off the bat, but considering he had promised safety, information and hadn't tried to eat him he figured he could go out on a limb here and agree. "Well...alright then...."

His dis-comfort and lack of trust was palpable, clearly they hadn't gotten off on the right foot.

Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

One shot kill! That made Raph grin as he jumped across to a fire escape, making his way down with small leaps and bounds. It was when he reached the ground, though, that he managed to plaster a stern frown on his features. The small celebration was only a small reprieve from the shock and worry he’d felt watching the figure fight.

Walking over to the figure, the gear-shaped irises turned in slow circles as he took in his appearance. Just like he remembered, the “default” for every reset, the alternate Donatello who’d arrived seemed to have a different air about him, but maybe it was because this timeline felt so wrong already.

"Jus’ what the hell did ya think you were doin’?” he hissed, drawing close to the purple-clad terrapin. His bow was held at his side, even as he leaned in and tip-toed in order to make his point. “Ya coulda been bitten an’ infected! Woulda thought you’d’ve learned somethin’ the las’ few times ya got Corrupted, you…”

He sighed, then slowly lowered himself onto flattened feet. The cold glare in his eyes softened, the gears giving a quick whirl before finally growing still. “…asshole.”

The turtle breathed a sigh of relief, trying to stem the frantic beating of his heart as he calmed down with his encounter from...whatever that was. Of course, that didn't last though. Before he could even really calm down he was on guard again. Something else was here, and it didn't pretend to hide it's presence with how noisy it was making it's way over here.

He expected another one of those things...but no; quite suddenly he was accosted by....another....turtle....

with a hunting bow in it's hand and sais in his belt he had the distinct that this was Raphael, or he would have thought so if not for the weirdness going on with it's eyes.

He was soon getting very acquainted with them, because now this turtle was up in his face, seething int what seemed like concern for him. Much of what he was saying made his eyes squint in confusion, and it certainly didn't help with his headache.

When at last he finished there was a pregnant pause in the air before Donnie said slowly, "Okay, I'm sorry but....who the shell are you? And what in shells name are you talking about?"

Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

Raphael watched.

He watched the start of the battle between the two, and if it weren’t for his strength and self-restraint, the arrow would’ve flown long ago—perhaps even before the fight started. Either way, he knew that he was more than capable of holding his own, shaky battle plans or otherwise.

The Corrupted was definitely looking to try getting a bite out of the figure, though. Stupid thing had been exhausting its powers, an experience Raph knew was most common in those beyond help. They always consumed and fed in an endless cycle, one that both of them were intimate with.

After a close call, though, he couldn’t take it anymore, and waited a few beats before letting an arrow fly, striking the Corrupted in the shoulder.

The rattled his brain around his skull, making him squeeze his eyes shut for a second in discomfort. The creature, whatever it was chose that moment of vulnerability to strike, and Dons staff was only partially raised to counter the blow that never came.

Instead the turtle opened his eyes just in time to watch the thing reel back after being struck by something; An arrow seemed to sprout from it's shoulder and he took the chance to whirl his staff around to catch the thing in the neck with his blade.

Instead of blood, black ichor seemed to spout from the wound and the creature seemed to crumple in on itself as it sank to ground. Dons plastron heaved with deep breaths to calm himself as he shakily wiped a stray bit of black gore from his cheek.

"What....in the shell was that..." he breathed, and more importantly, who helped him?

Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

He wasn’t too sure what was the worst part about this, the fact the humanoid was beginning to slowly walk towards the figure, or the fact that the figure was actually beginning to walk towards the Corrupted.

"Dammit, you better have a real good reason fer this…" Raph muttered, following slowly. He occasionally snuck forward a foot or two, but other than that, he stood stock still. His hands guided the tip of the arrow to keep a good look at the Corrupted’s head, but other than that, there was only the sound of his breathing.

If you don’t jump ‘im in th’next fuckin’ minute, I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch, then probably strangle ya.

The figure seemed to catch on and begin it's own slow approach, the closer he got though the more Don seemed to notice...that again, something wasn't exactly right...even if they were injured he'd never seen a human move like that, it was almost like something straight out of Mikey's crummy horror movies, sort a shambling stumble.

Okay, hello red flag, pleased to meet you I'm Donatello.

He stopped and drew his Bo completely and with a flick of his wrist the Naginata blade extended fully. As if in response to his actions the shambling increased in speed until it was a full blown (if awkward) run.

When the figure actually screeched at him, Donatello crouched in a ready stance just in time to dodge a pounce. This thing wasn't human, no thing moved like this....and with his crippling headache...this couldn't end well...

Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

The humanoid Corrupted was swift as usual. Of course it had reason to be, as it smelled a being of pure blood—unCorrupted, untainted. Raphael never knew how, but he was always reset to his default state, and it made the red-clad terrapin all the more protective over him. The Corrupted loved the taste of the clean-blooded the most, and there were even times when Raph himself was tempted…

He shook his head to clear it, the gears in his eyes whirling for a moment before becoming still once more. Raph needed to focus, otherwise he could get hurt or bitten, and to be honest, he was never ready for the timeline to be reset so early. He’d seen enough timelines where he had gotten Corrupted, both face-to-face and in visions, and he wasn’t about to make this one yet another timeline.

It was when the humanoid stopped about twelve steps earlier than it was supposed to that Raphael felt a knot form in his stomach, even as he paused. Immediately, his hand drew the arrow to the bowstring, pulling back and preparing to shoot. He could feel his heart hammering in his chest as the Corrupted looked about, before its gaze rested ahead of it.

The turtle’s gaze carefully swept the area before he finally saw the figure tumbling into the street, confirming his suspicions: this timeline was different, and this was just the beginning.

Different and wrong.

His head was still pounding, and sudden movements only seemed to make it worse. Don couldn't fathom what was going on; why the streets were so eerily, why there weren't any people. It all eluded him along with how he had even got here, because as familiar as the streets of New York were, he instinctively knew that something wasn't right.

This wasn't his New York, not really. The only question was why the feeling of wrongness continued.

As his gaze swept slowly from left to right so as to not aggravate his headache he spotted something far off in the distance, it was too far away to make out but at least it was a start.

Against his better judgement he slowly started to shuffle towards it, a hand nearly halfway to his Bo staff just in case. If it was a human, knocking it out would be simple, and if it was anything else...

Well, he was a ninja after all.

Voice of the Abyss | itsallintheequation

One moment, there had only been darkness and screaming, not his own but another’s. He himself had felt paralyzed and unable to move until he was nearly struck. He’d felt his body grow white-hot and seen gold fill his vision, until he blinked.

And when he did, everything had been reset.

The cool November air blew around Raphael as he blinked again, not even glancing around at his surroundings. He’d grown accustomed to the starting point of every reset: on the rooftop of a small apartment building, overlooking the streets, knowing that there would be several humans cowering indoors in an attempt to hide.

His hand tightened around the handle of the hunting bow he’d stolen months before the starting point, his free hand taking an arrow from the quiver he’d also taken. As much as he wanted to use the sais at his belt, he also knew that to stray too close to one of the Corrupted would risk himself unnecessarily. The second stage of Corruption was more than enough to piss him off, and the loss of his family…

The sound of a humanoid Corrupted leaving the alleyway across the street caused Raphael to tense as his eyes narrowed, half-obscuring the gold gear-shaped irises and black sclera. That meant only one thing, and it was always the same with each reset.

He had arrived into this timeline.

In seconds, Raph was leaping across rooftops, keeping his pace equal to the Corrupted below. By now he would say that the whole pursuit was cliché, but to Raph, it was at least a moment of routine before the timeline’s shit hit the metaphorical fan. Not only that, but it was always how they met, and meeting was always the start to working on fixing things…

The first thing he noticed after coming too...after regaining consciousness more like, was that his head was killing him. He couldn't remember what he'd been doing either before he came to...in what looked like an alley...

Okay...

The turtle inhaled quietly, propping his arm up set himself upright and shake off the nausea that accompanied the motion. It didn't help that something reeked of Sulfur...

"Ugh," his quiet groan was lost as he stumbled to his feet. Unthinkingly he stumbled out into the street-proper...surprised at...the overall lack of sound.

"What the shell?"

New York was the 'city that never sleeps' but it was as quiet as a tomb. Something was going on here...

Lit | itsallintheequation

Rosemary nodded, picking up the basket beside her and turning to the door. “Yeah, we’re set! Shouldn’t take us long to get to the pier. It’s only about twenty minutes walking…” Thankfully, she mused, it was early enough to where there weren’t many people heading to the pier at all. It was with a light step that she soon exited the mansion.

Meanwhile, Raphael had loosened his grip somewhat to allow the youngling some breathing room as he set out after Rosemary. The sunlight outside caused him to squint at first, before he turned his attention on watching Rosemary. Although she wasn’t his charge, he was still obligated to protect her. It was more of a sense of trust rather than a duty, however, so he maintained a small bit of distance between himself and the human.

The girl led the way out of the gates of the mansion, passing by the park enclosure and continuing onward. The sidewalks and streets were clear as they stepped out, morning dew still present on the lawns and trees.

Jostled only a little by each step that Raphael took Don squinted against the morning light as he took in his surroundings from his frankly huge moving vantage point. His eyes soon spotted the park where it had all began, and noted that in the light of day things differed greatly than when he'd wandered around at night.

Come to think of it, everything looked different in the day time...

A slightly morbid thought took root then, 'So this is what being human is like...the warmth of actual sunlight....'

He huffed quietly, he couldn't let that line of thinking ruin his day. They were going to the beach, in the day time, and he could finally see what swimming in something other than sewer water felt like.

Lit | itsallintheequation

The little one seemed to flush a lot—Raphael wondered if it had a fever, even as its hand lowered and began to pet at his neck. The words it said in human were recognizable, but he was still a bit ashamed of himself for scaring it. He had to work on those behaviors, but it’d be worth it in the end…

It was then that the youngling interrupted his train of thought by making a few noises. His gold eyes widened as he remembered: Rosemary would probably be waiting for them by now. If she wasn’t already downstairs, she soon would be, and he gave a nod to the youngling to acknowledge his words. The noises this time had been equal to the babbling of a small child to Raphael, but the human talk had elaborated upon it.

Cradling the youngling in one arm, Raphael rose, soon picking up the basket of towels with his free hand. He walked out of his room before carrying youngling and basket to the main room, the mess near his room soon easing to the near-flawless design of the rest of the mansion.

In the middle of the main room stood Rosemary, who was wearing a pair of shades and a tankini with a skirt over it. She beamed as Raphael arrived, giving a wave for Donatello’s sake. “…you doing okay up there?” She’d never been too keen on being carried around by the turtle guardian, mostly because he was so big now…

"I'm....uh, getting used to it...unfortunately..."

That brought a stifled laugh from the woman, but it soon turned to a look of concern. "You should probably tell him to let you down soon though...a guardian needs to stay in shape, and considering your size..."

She trailed off, and Donatello considered her words. He was still a ninja...or a guardian...whichever, and getting out of shape wasn't a good plan.

Don nodded and shifted in Raphael's grip. He'd tell the turtle so, but perhaps later...that little incident with Candy was still fresh after all. Onto the matter at hand...."So are we all ready to go?"

Lit | itsallintheequation

"Stop. Please. Scared."

As if snapped out of a trance, Raphael’s growling slowed to a stop before he glanced down at the youngling. The worried tone in the little one’s true voice…the larger terrapin’s expression softened at the mere thought of it, fresh from seconds before. He’d forgotten that he’d practically hunted it down before capturing it, and that it’d still be scared due to being forced into a new place.

Loosening his grip on the smaller terrapin, he gave a soft, apologetic coo as he began to nuzzle it. "Don’t worry, little one, it’s all right." It was so small, and it was also easily frightened—something he should’ve considered, with how frail the youngling was. "Don’t be scared, I won’t hurt you," he added, a soft chirp joining the cooing.

Well that certainly worked. And again with the face-nuzzling; it was always with the face and his surrogate 'caretaker' had thrown in some of his own language in what he was sure (if the tone was anything to consider) was some sort of re-assurance.

It was probably because he had tried talking like the turtles here...which brought heat to his face again. The hand at Raphael's cheek slid to his neck and he pet at the muscles there. "It's...it's alright..."

He was okay, he was really and they still had the beach to look forward too. Speaking of...

He made a few noises, pointing his head towards the door before saying. "We should...uhm, probably go. Remember? Swim? Ocean?"

Lit | itsallintheequation

Candy’s dark skin seemed almost white at the knuckles as she brought the basket in, one hand gripping it while the other attempted to smooth down her still-frazzled hair. She gave a nervous glance at Raphael as he had undergone a 180, growling at her when moments before she could’ve sworn he’d been chirping at the stray (or, as Rosemary had insisted, “Raphael’s adopted youngling”).

With a gulp, she walked as close to the bed as she possibly dared before setting the basket down. “R-Rosemary said she’ll meet you two downstairs sh-shortly. She’s getting herself dressed for the pier as well.” With that, she spun on her heel and briskly walked out, leaving Raphael still growling in her direction.

He’d never gotten along with Candy; a caretaker fresh out of college and hired on by Reese Michaelson, she’d come into the job with a set of expectations that Raphael clearly defied—his breed being a strong and hearty one, she had a set of qualifiers in hand and none of the willpower to back them up.

Thus, if the time came for them to be in the same room, Raphael immediately turned aggressive on her, knowing he’d have his way.

The woman, Candy had left and Raphael still growled at the closed door. The giants distaste for her was palpable and Don wasn't overly fond of her either but the fact the he was still so tense was a source of concern. Every single muscle had gone rigid, making their once comfortable position now very uncomfortable.

The growls to managed to drown out whatever he tried to say, in fact it made talking difficult with how much they rattled him, a small downside to being pressed so closely to the others plastron.

He had an arm free, maybe he could get his attention that way? It was worth a shot.

Don's free arm tapped at Raph's jaw, and for an added effect he threw in what he hoped sounded like a distressed noise. 'Stop. Please. Scared.'

Lit | itsallintheequation

Raphael actually looked sheepish when his charge asked if he could talk human. It was a complicated matter, but he could understand words the humans said; speaking them was difficult for him, but he did try. Regardless, the youngling was interested, and it was with another word that he put the two together.

He gave a nod as he said, “Swim. O…ocean.” Rosemary would’ve been proud if she’d been witness to the development. He could say a handful of words, but he rarely spoke due to how his “human” voice seemed to frighten humans. The youngling didn’t seem to mind, though.

With a smile, he began to nuzzle his young charge, giving some chirps. "Talented little one…"

To his great surprise Raphael actually (albeit sheepishly) repeated the word and added another one for his troubles. So he really could speak English.The question now was why did he choose not too? He wished he could hold a conversation to figure out why, but considering his face was being subject to another of affection that probably wasn't going to happen.

There was no way he was going to get used to this, and the noise he just made --something between an actual squeak and a gasp--  was a pretty good indication of that being the case.

And it was at this moment that Candy stepped through the door, one hand on her hip and a basket of things (most likely for their trip in the other.

The silence could be cut with a knife....

Lit | itsallintheequation

More human speak came from the youngling, and Raphael couldn’t help but frown when he realized that a question had been posed. He recognized some of the words, while others he thought he should understand but didn’t came about. It frustrated him, but the youngling seemed curious about him at the very least.

He eased one hand from around the youngling in order to pet its head, giving a low churr. After a brief pause, though, he finally attempted human speak, his voice somewhat raspy with disuse but soft so as not to frighten it.

"Swim…?"

Despite himself, and the sudden affections Don froze not quite believing what he was hearing. Raph didn't just...did he? Shifting in the others arms so he could get a better look at the large turtles face Dons face reflected his open curiosity. "S-so you...can talk?"

He shook his head, the question might just confuse him. "I..Uhm...yeah, Raph. Swim...at the ocean."

Maybe using the ocean would make him say it again? This was a first for him after all, so it was worth a start.

Lit | itsallintheequation

Donatello was a weird turtle guardian, that was for sure—but Rosemary’s assumptions that he was a stray kept flip-flopping, and this was one of those moments when she wondered if he really was one. Still, both turtles’ excitement was contagious; she couldn’t help but laugh somewhat, before giving a nod. “All right. I’ll let you two stretch your legs and whatnot while I go to the kitchen and prepare some food to take with us.”

Raphael made more chirping noises at her, which prompted the girl to make some more in return—this time, the large terrapin clicked his tongue a bit in response, a sign that Rosemary was only just repeating something equivalent to a sentence. She shook her head, adding, “I’ll have Candy pack some towels and stuff, too…she’ll bring them up here, so try not to scare her, okay?”

Raphael’s response was an unenthused grunt, but he nodded nonetheless. Reluctant as he was to deal with the other maids, good behavior meant going to the pier faster!

"Good! I’ll be back, then." With that, Rosemary was already turning to leave.

Left alone again after having the proverbial carrot dangled in front of him was little more than torture. Of course, preparations were always necessary when it it came to planning trips but he never realized how awful it was until....well, now.

There was nothing to do about it though, but wait it out...

Of course Raphael didn't seem very enthused about having to deal with Candy again, and to be honest neither was he. She didn't even pretend to 'tolerate' them...no wonder the larger turtle tried to get a rise out of her.

"I wonder if I can go swimming..." He hoped there wasn't some inane rule about turtle guardians not being allowed in bodies of water. That got him thinking though, and he turned to Raphael, speaking even if he couldn't understand him. "Do you know how to swim?"

Temporalia | itsallintheequation

"Uh, ya look like you seen some shit, that’s what.” Raph shook his wrist again as Don’s expression seemed to morph into something he expected from a mad scientist examining a specimen. There was none of the fascination, nor the excitement of the discovery, but the presence of being judged and scrutinized was very clear.

It was only when the other’s eyes widened in shock that he let out a sigh of relief, shaking his head—but before he could speak, he was tugged again. “O-oi! Watch it!” Was Don always this strong and he never knew it? Raph had nearly fallen over, although the size difference was a major factor in it. “Look, okay, we’re gonna move, okay?”

With that, Raph moved a few steps forward, breaking his gaze from the other terrapin’s brown eyes. It was probably best not to stare at them for too long…

Finally. The further they were away from this things corpse the sooner he'd feel a little at ease. It was only once he was sure that Raphael was following that he let go of the others wrist; This reset was the worst one yet, even worse than the one in which he'd lost an arm and had to learn how to use a different weapon.

Raphael didn't seem to remember anything of what was going on, and it was going to make keeping his shell alive even harder than it normally was.

"Right," he said dryly, almost as if he was a teacher that had explained himself to a student for the umpteenth time, "Ask your questions, I'll bring you up to speed and find a place for us to lay low...just stay close."

Of course he wouldn't be telling him everything this time around (considering he didn't need Raph going into shock) but he'd at least try.

Temporalia | itsallintheequation

He blinked in surprise, before frowning—moreso when Don approached him and grabbed his wrist without any warning. “Whoa! Whoa whoa whoa. Wait, slow down…I mean, uh, don’t, but, um…” Raph  shook his wrist, attempting to shake off the other terrapin’s hand. “…what th’fuck happened around ‘ere, anyway?”

A glance at the large beast prompted a shiver before he added, “An’ what th’fuck is that? What happened to the humans ‘round ‘ere?” He glanced up at Don’s face, eyes narrowing as he tried to discern the odd look in his brother’s—well, more like alternate brother’s—features.

"…an’ what happened to you?”

Don had been about to say something along the lines of there wasn't any time to answer any of his questions when he stopped, the odd phrasing behind those words..."What do you mean, 'what happened to me?' exactly?"

The strange look in his eyes had changed back to something cold and scrutinizing, with the odd look on his face and his lack of obvious knowledge concerning the Changed...His eyes widened into something akin to shock. "You can't be serious..." he muttered mostly to himself. "You mean to tell me you have no idea what's going on here?"

He didn't wait for an answer, instead the turtle tugged harder. "I'll explain as we move. I'm not sticking around here so come on."

Temporalia | itsallintheequation

The figure seemed quick to realize what Raph was doing, and had leapt to the opportunity. With several swift movements, the beast was on the ground, and Raph couldn’t help but whoop a bit in victory as the corpsebeast fell to the ground. He managed to calm himself down somewhat, however, when he spotted the figure nearby.

Time t’get some answers, he thought, drawing in a breath before approaching the figure. When he glanced up at the figure’s face, he paused, taking in the familiar but different features.

For one thing, the figure wasn’t a human; although the build was different, the figure was most definitely a mutant turtle, tall and lanky. The staff was new too, a naginata that the turtle wielded with an almost professional air. Despite it all, it was the purple bandanna that made Raph’s eyes light up and draw closer, even knowing it was an alternate.

"Donnie? Donatello? That you?"

"Donnie? Donatello? That you?"

Those same words, spoken in the exact same tone for who knows how long. It made the turtle sigh aloud, as if under great pains. "You are an idiot." There was heat in his words but the frost in his eyes almost seemed to melt, almost. "How many times have I told you not to throw yourself into trouble now? And yet you never listen to me..."

Clicking the release switch again, the blade retracted and he stowed it across his shell. He marched up to the slowly approaching turtle and grabbed at his wrist brusquely.

"Come on, the corpse will attract more of them...they cannibalize when there's nothing fresh around."

Temporalia | itsallintheequation

A large beast that seemed to smell of stuff that made the sewers seem pleasant rampaged by, causing Raph’s eyes to widen. His shock merely grew as the figure suddenly used their momentum from a roll in order to fling their body onto the beast’s back, and it was then that he grabbed the lug wrench and the spare tire. The figure looked a lot more trustworthy than the carcass-smelling titan, that was for sure.

Darting close to the rear end of the beast, he leveled the wrench in his hand. One eye closed as he aimed the tool, before throwing it with all of the precision of one of his sais, striking the beast in the back.

"Yo! Ugly! Look over ‘ere!"

With that, holding the tire in both hands, he spun around three times before letting go, the tire flying towards the beast and hitting its target. To add to the distraction, Raph began to wave his hands, yelling—

"Come an’ get me, ya piece of corpse shit!"

"Yo! Ugly! Look over ‘ere!"

Oh shell no. The familiar voice rang out into the empty streets before the beast bellowed in rage. He couldn't see over the swell of flesh that was it's back but whatever had gotten it's attention now had the creature on the warpath. It had stopped it's flailing to stomp towards the newcomer, snarling (and somehow stinking) even worse.

"Come an’ get me, ya piece of corpse shit!"

The turtle took the opportunity to situate himself a little better, clambering to his feet and drawing his weapon. He had no intention of being reset so soon, and so with a click and the familiar sound his weapon always made He plunged the Naginata deep into the tissues behind the creatures skull.

It made an unearthly yowl, stumbling as it's attentions turned towards him again, but Don didn't give it a chance he gave the blade a twist and the monster let out one painful, rattling cry before toppling over.

Don jumped clear and flicked his staff, getting the gore off the razor sharp edge.

How...unfortunate....that voice could only belong to one person, no turtle. To meet again so soon after the reset complicated things. 'And not a shellforsaken thing I can do about it...' he thought morosely.