Imaginary Friend or Someone Real? (Rottmnt)

Chapter 2

The sound of explosions was something Raph had long become accustomed to. Hearing them any time before this would mean the Resistance was still going strong, fighting against the Krang as hard as possible. But now, the sound signaled their incoming doom. No matter how hard they fought now, the end result would be the same.

Raph was running as fast as he could to the location Donnie sent him. But even at his speed, he was a few minutes away. He needed to make it to Donnie at all costs. Because even as the world ends, there is still hope.

The large turtle fondly remembers his brother in blue always saying something about hope being a ninja's greatest weapon.

A particularly close explosion has him shielding the small bundle in his arm the best he can. The little being in his arm is this world's last hope. Raph chanced a glance at the tiny box turtle. She was already looking back at him with a smile on her face, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

"Raphala, I know I told you to meet me when you could, but anytime soon would be great." Donnie's sudden call over the comms almost tripped him up. Raph could hear the stress in his younger brother's voice.

"Raph's trying but there was a little setback at the base. At full speed, I'll be there in a few minutes." There was a beat of silence before he got a response.

"Alright. You and Levina just get here alive."

He was already planning on it but he didn't bother wasting time saying that. Instead, he just focused on running.

As promised, Raph was there within a few minutes. He was shocked to find it was the first base they had when the apocalypse started. It was abandoned after Leo and Donnie found a better location for them to settle.

Honestly, he's surprised it hadn't been compromised yet but he won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Donnie was working hard on some large machine that had been left behind. It had clearly aged along with the rest of the base seeing as there was a good amount of rust on a majority of the machine. Despite the rust, the purple softshell was working hard around it. Raph carefully set Levina down and let her walk around the lobby of their old base.

"Donnie, what is this?"

"Oh good, you're here. I was getting worried that you had...y'know." Raph rolled his eyes at his brother's words.

"I told you it'd take a few minutes. But that's beside the point. You said there was still a way to win this war?" For a moment, Donnie paused. But he was quick to continue working.

"Yes. Hypothetically, if we opened a portal to a different bifurcated time branch then we could end this war before it ever began."

"A what?"

"Basically, a portal to a different point in time. If we stop the invasion before it starts, then this world will hopefully cease to exist." Raph let out a gasp. A sure chance to end this was something Leo and Mikey had dreamed of. A dream they died for. If they could really open a portal like that then Levina would have the future they all wanted for her. For a second, the idea had filled his mind and made his heart swell with hope. But all of this rested on a hypothetical chance. And there were still things that could go wrong.