Fall
Mikey
Fighting in the air has become the bane of his existence. They don’t do it often. Heck, Mikey can count on one hand how many times they’ve fought in air that’s a touch too hard to breathe in, but each time always cost something. Nearly costs them limbs, injuries, and brothers, all things he doesn’t want to give up. So when this spaceship sunk deep into the atmosphere above a glowing New York skyline line, Mikey knew they would be risking something.
They’ve been fighting for what seems like hours, but Donnie’s finally gotten control of the ship. The softshell is steering it away from the city and Mikey relaxes at the smell of salt in the air. They’ll get as far away as they can, Donnie will set the ship to crash and Leo will portal them home. Then it’s warm baths and turtle piles to forget another battle at dizzying heights.
It’s going just as planned. Mikey ducks under a long swipe of a tentacle and glimpses dark ocean out of angular windows. They’re still too high up for his liking, but they’re no longer flying at heights that remind him of floating buildings and glowing eyes. He lets a smile pull at the corner of his mouth and turns to look at his brothers. Of course, at that moment, Mikey forgets about the risk.
There’s always a risk at these heights.
A tentacle melts from the alien tile and whips through the air. It moves faster than anything Mikey’s ever seen. He watches as the appendage seems to harden and disappear, before materializing beside Leo. Time seems to slow. Leo’s eyes go wide and the slider pulls up an arm to protect his face. The tentacle lands solidly against Leo’s raised arm. There’s an audible crack. A pained shout. Then Leo flies past him and Mikey can only watch. Leo hits the angular windows violently, shell first, but it doesn’t stop him. Doesn’t even seem to slow him. The window breaks and Leo’s suddenly not on the ship.
And neither is Mikey.
He doesn’t remember moving, but he’s no longer in the weird warmth of the spacecraft. He’s in the cold September air, arms outstretched and eyes only for his older brother. Mikey collides hard with Leo, but the sliders not moving. Mikey twists with Leo in his grip and grabs the handle of a spinning katana.
“RAPH!”
Mikey throws the weapon hard. It spins through the air and passes through the broken window of the ship. Mikey looks around widely, but they are falling quickly away from the fight, and Leo’s not moving. A glint of light to his left has him reaching out blindly. He hisses as his hand closes around the blade, but he doesn’t care. He adjusts, spinning the sword until it slides easily into Leo’s scabbard. Mikey wraps an arm around Leo and ignores the fact that the slider hasn’t said a word since he caught him. He pulls out a nunchuk and flings it toward the decreasing form of the ship.
A string of orange lights the darkness like a beacon. Mikey squints and flicks his wrist to wrap the chain around the entire aircraft.
It bounces uselessly off nothing. Mikey’s eyes widen as the chain starts to fall. A force field? He looks to the approaching ocean and back at the ship with a wild sense of panic. They aren’t going to make it. Not from this height and speed. What can he do? What can he grab onto? He looks back at the sky for something, anything for him to wrap this chain around.
A giant open palm sprouts from the side of the ship. The glowing hand seems to wrap around nothing, but Mikey can feel the vibration run down the entire chain. He moves quickly, wrapping the chain around his bleeding hand and clinging tightly to his unconscious brother. They stop falling with a jerk, and Mikey shouts at the pull in his shoulder, like a hundred tiny ropes giving all at once. He doesn’t let go though. He can’t.
“Don’t worry Leo,” He breathes, “I got you.”
Leo doesn’t respond. The slider hangs limply from his grip and Mikey swallows at the sight of blood running down Leo’s head. There’s a jerk and Mikey looks up. He can make out the faint outline of a tentacle waving through the air outside the ship. Another thud rings downs the chain and Mikey’s heart beats at the pieces of red falling away. A thousand thoughts run through his head, but there’s only one he can’t run away from. He can’t shorten the chain. Mikey can’t risk it. If Raph’s projection goes before he’s back at the ship...
“Leo,” he says. “Leo, please?”
There’s a mumble but Mikey keeps his eyes on the sky. A second red arm grabs the chain, but Mikey feels them fall a few inches. “Can you get in your shell for me?”
Leo doesn’t say anything, just continues to groan, and Mikey tightens his grip on his brother's shell. The sky lights with purple, but the chain is still slipping. “Get in your shell, Leo. L-like shell bowling. Please, Leo.” He doesn’t know how long he begs like this, but Leo finally moves. There’s a hiss of pain and Mikey glances to see Leo’s bandana tails disappear with the rest of him.
Mikey looks back up just as a tentacle cuts the red projections in half.
They hang in the air for a breathtaking moment, before they’re falling again. Mikey pivots, pulling the nunchuk back to him. He wraps himself around Leo’s shell and grunts through the pull on his shoulder. It’s going to be fine. They aren’t as high. They aren’t falling as fast. Leo’s in his shell, and Mikey’s going to protect them. Once Leo wakes up, he’ll teleport them to his other sword. His brothers will leave enough space for them. It’s going to be ok.
His shell cracks hard against the water.