Chapter Text
The argument was unavoidable.
Raphael knew from the second they figured out Meltangelo had disappeared that there was going to be an argument. He didn't want to fight with anyone.
But it happened anyway.
“It isn't in the lair,” Raph shook as he spoke, “it's completely gone.”
“Gone!? What do you mean gone!?” Donnie yelled.
“I mean gone!” Raph called back, the annoyance of the already long night was getting to him. Little needles were prickling under his skin.
“Where did it go?” Leo asked.
“Oh he went to his favorite pizza place. How am I supposed to know!” Raph snapped.
“Guys calm down,” April said, wincing as she held her bloody nose. “I'm- oww- sure it didn't get far.”
“It's probably just lost in the sewers somewhere, we can find it,” Leo said.
“And what are we going to do when we find that thing?” Raph questioned. “Donnie, do you think we can stick it back in the tank?”
Donnie had a far off look in his eyes. “It destroyed it.”
“The tank?”
“Everything, the tank, the lab, the retro mutagen. It's all gone,” Donnie mumbled, sitting down in the pit and holding his head in his hands.
“Everything?” Leo echoed. He stood up to go and check. “It looks like the kitchen.”
“Even if we do find him, I'm now weeks behind on progress. I have no way to contain him, nothing to fix him, it's useless ,” Donnie whined.
“Don't say that, I'm sure that…well…it will work out. It has to,” April said.
“So now what?” Leo wondered.
“Aren't you the leader? Shouldn't you already have a plan?” Raph muttered.
“Enough with the leader thing.”
Raph rolled his eyes and stormed off. He had a vague idea on where that thing went. The sewers were dark and cold and Raph shuddered as he stomped back to that place.
He didn't want to be here.
He was alone.
Mikey died alone.
The sewers dripped with sludge and filthy bugs crawled on the walls. He finally reached the pit of hell that was where Mikey got double mutated.
A faint glow radiated green from the end of the hall and Raph had to force himself to get any closer.
“Meltangelo!” he called. He shut his eyes tight and strained for a slithering sound or jumbled whispering.
Nothing.
The tank of shimmering ooze hummed in response. He couldn't stomach being here for any longer than he had to and left this death trap. It took nearly half the night but Raphael went to the old sewer maintenance station, he chose to walk there instead of swimming back through the mud.
He stood on the concrete looking at a thick metal door. He took a deep breath before opening it and staring down at the dark stairwell. Each step he descended down deeper into darkness and the more eerily aware of how lonely he was becoming.
He didn't want to be down there, he didn't even want Melty to be down here either.
He got to the bottom of the stairs and had to use his phone flash light because he stormed out without getting the proper equipment necessary. A gargled hum made him jump back and whip around to face some pipes.
“Hey, Melty!” Raph called, hoping to calm his brother if it was here. “Sorry for umm upsetting you. Come back home. We have a nice pizza waiting and some warm sunlight…”
Nothing.
“We can read comics all night and watch Krognard until you pass out. Just come on home,” Raph said, peering out into the darkness, dust particles were caught in the beam of dim light.
Raph swallowed a lump in his throat and back tracked, trying to take more time to look in cracks of the walls.
There wasn't anything down here.
He was alone.
“Mikey,” he whispered.
This was stupid. What was he even doing down here? He decided to leave and come out to the empty outside. He didn't want to go back home, it was hardly home anymore, without Mikey.
Raph wandered about the streets for a while, he was directionless and disconnected. Did anything even matter?
‘Of course it does,’ Mikey’s voice cried out from somewhere. It was just his imagination but Raph closed his eyes and pretended like Mikey really was with him.
He paced around on the streets, sticking to alleys and ducking behind cars. It wasn't long before something caught his eye.
A news broadcast; some slimy monster spotted in a sewer grate. Of course the footage was blurry but it was definitely mostly green and white.
It had to be that thing.
Had to.
So Raph raced to the area the broadcast was filmed in, skidding to a stop as he saw his living brothers already at the scene of the crime.
“Nice of you to join us,” Leo huffed as he bent down to the sewer grate.
Whatever. Raph couldn’t deal with this right now. He turned to Donnie,
“What happened?”
Donnie looked from Leo to Raph then gave up. “Melty got spotted by someone and they took a video of it. Send it to the news. But that was two hours ago. He could be anywhere.”
“But he couldn't have gotten too far?” Raph asked.
“He could literally be anywhere. This city is huge,” Leo said plainly.
“And what was it doing?” Raph asked.
“How should I know?” Donnie snapped. “Just because I'm the only one that takes care of it doesnt mean I know his every move.”
Raph rolled his eyes. “Where is April? Can she sense him?”
“She's home.”
Leo sighed. “We should split up.”
“Shhh,” Raph said. He thought he heard something. A faint echo. He crouched down by the sewer drain and listened.
Donnie crouched with him.
“He's not down there, I checked already,” Leo said.
“Shhh,” Raph hissed again.
“What? What is so-“
“Too cold.”
“Too hot.”
And the brothers looked at eachother with silent glares. The words were faint but unmistakable.
“Too cold.”
“Too hot.”
The sound was echoing across the sewer tunnels. Raph pinpointed the sound and it began to get clearer as he moved down the street. The brothers traveled a few blocks, listening as they went.
“Too cold.”
“Too hot.”
“Too cold.”
“Too hot.”
And then Raph saw it. It was further down a street, halfway under a street lamp. It was wider than usual, it seemed split nearly in too.
It was mumbling to itself about the temperature. Then it stopped and went still.
“Ssssssomne there?” It asked. It condensed suddenly and shot for the sewer drain. A green hand reached back out and rested in the lamp light.
“Ssssunshine?” It asked.
“Danger. Hide.” It told itself.
And with a deep saddened moan it pulled back into the sewer and sludged away. Raph ran up to the edge of the drain. He listened in close, but there wasn't a sound.
“Meltangelo!” Leo called and stormed to the drain. “It's gone!”
“Too cold?”
“Meow?
“Still danger?”
Meltangelo said at once. It stuck its head out of the next drain over. It apparently thought it went far enough away.
Leo made a hand motion that meant; quiet, don't move. And the brothers watched Melty for a while.
It took a while for it to decide to crawl all the way out of the sewer system. It put a hand under a nearby street light. Ice cream kitty’s body and head fell limp and she meowed about it being too hot.
“Sun?” it asked. “No- ght. Not! RIGHT!” it bellowed and ripped the street lamp out of the ground. With one furious yell it threw the pole and impaled a car. Its horn started to blare and Meltangelo froze.
“We gotta get him outta here,” Leo said. “Fast.”
“Meow?” it wheeled around to the sound. It looked at Leo and puffed up three times its size. “Not safe. Danger. You wan-ant hurt. I won't. Let…oh?” its arm flashed white. “Hurt them.”
Then fazed down into pure liquid and rolled up the side of a building.
The other turtles barely had time to duck into an alley before whoever was unfortunate enough to own the now impaled car ran outside.
Raphael was first on the roof with Metlangelo.
“For massssster.” it hissed.
“Brothers….” it whined.
“Home?” it cried.
“Melty,” Raph called softly.
The monster made of ooze twisted around to look at him.
“Ro-ro-rose?”
“Yeah, it's ok,” he said quietly as he took a step closer.
“It was just an accident,” Donnie huffed. “You don't know any better, come home”
“Home,” he echoed with such longing. The white patches on its body faded away. It seemed to shrink down a lot, nearly half puddle form on the roof. “Home.” it said again. This time louder. It stopped sulking and turned to the east. “Home.”
And it was gone.
“After him!” Leo ordered. They raced after Meltangelo. It was hard to keep up.
“Where…did…it…go?” Raph wheezed, out of breath.
“I- I don't know why.” Leo whispered.
And then Raph saw what building he was looking at. The abandoned church that Shredder made his lair.
“Why the hell would he go there!” Raph yelled at the sludgy figure outside.
“It can't be,” Donnie cried. “That's not…” he turned and looked at Raph with such heartbreak. Raph didn't understand. Maybe he figured out why?
“Whatever, let's just go get it,” Raph decided. And before anyone said anything Raph sailed down the roof and rushed over to the church. The other two were following him.
“I know why he's here,” Donnie whispered.
“Doesn't matter, let's just grab him and go-”
“And not stop in and say hello?” a dark voice growled. Raph wheeled around to face Tigerclaw. A gun was pointed right at his head. Rahzar and Fishface were glaring behind the big cat.
“Were just here for-”
“Doesn't matter,” Tigerclaw smiled. “Inside or red loses his brains.”
So the brothers were marched inside and sat hands bound behind their shells as they waited for Shredder to speak.
“You turtles have some nerve. How dare you come here after what you did to my daughter?”
“You're the one with the nerve! She killed our brother!” Raph yelled back. “She deserved it!”
The Shredder stalked up to Raphael. He raised his gauntlet full of claws and slashed Raph’s face. It burned as blood spilled out of him. He felt warm liquid trail down the entire left side of his face. He wasn't even sure if he was still alive.
“Raph!” Leo yelled.
“Quiet or I'll take his other eye! Shredder yelled.
Blood was falling to the floor now. Raph was feeling lightheaded. The world was stretching out in front of him. And then it faded to darkness.
Raphael had collapsed in a pool of his own blood.
Leo’s heart pounded as he watched helplessly. But there was nothing he could do. He failed . He failed again.
Shredder laughed.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
“I'm sorry your pathetic rat father couldn't be here to watch you all die,” Shredder hissed.
Drip.
Splat.
Drip.
How was Leo going to save any of them now?
Plop.
Splat.
“Uhh master?” Tigerclaw said.
“What?” Shredder yelled. And then he saw it.
Even the mighty Shredder was frozen at the sight of Meltangelo. It was standing there smiling as it watched him. It made no sound. No movement.
Leo could hardly focus on what was happening. Raph’s blood was pooling on the ground. It nearly touched his leg.
He failed.
“What is that thing?” Tigerclaw screamed and drew his gun.
“Don't shoot!” Donnie called. “The bullet will pass through him! He won't hurt you! Just leave us alone and we'll take him.”
“Massster?” it asked.
“Not master.” it argued at itself.
Its arm was wildly flashing between white and green. Mutagen cascaded out of its eyes and it trembled violently.
“Will se-ver serve…not my- massster! Master? Will. not. Too hot.” Then it exploded and angry liquid pooled around Shredder’s throne. Jumbled words were heard here and there.
“Take them to the prison. I'll kill them after I figure out how to kill that thing.”
“No!” Leo called desperately. “Don't hurt it. Please. Leave him alone!” he was helpless. He failed. The weight was crushing him. His pounding heart ached with longing.
He just wanted to go back home. He missed how things were. Everything changed for the worst.
He failed.
But his pleas were heard on deaf ears and the brothers were dragged down to the prison. Raph moaned when they dropped him. That tiny whimper was enough to make Leo jump into action.
He took off his arm wraps and pressed them against Raph’s face. Blood was everywhere. Slick and warm and red.
“Is he…?” Donnie trailed.
It wasn't looking good. His whole face was slashed open, from his ear to his nose. The eye was beyond damaged. If he survived this, he would be half blind.
If.
If Leo didn't mess this up. If Leo failed again, then he would have lost two . He was going to fail. He couldn't do this. He couldn't do anything.
His breath was getting shallower.
“Help!'' Leo called. “Help him please! He's dying!”
But there was no one to hear him. If the guards did, then they certainly didn't care enough to do anything.
“Please,” Leo cried. “Please help him.”
Donnie was crying now. He and Leo were hugging each other and watching as Raph bled to death.
Then a strange green light filled the damp prison. And something sludged their way.
“Wilting,” Meltangelo observed.
“He's going to die,” Leo sobbed. “I'm sorry. I can't save him.”
“Meow?”
Meltangelo placed a wet hand over Raph’s face. He couldn't stop him. He couldn't even move.
If Raph was a part of…no. No. He couldn't let that happen…and yet, he didn't try to stop the monster from absorbing him.
Time stopped in a haze of confusion. Leonardo had failed. whatever was about to happen, it was out of his hands now. He just wasn't strong enough.
It was a different process from when it sucked Ick into itself. Its hand glowed green with mutagen and its whole body hummed.
After a minute Meltangelo made a soft whining sound and fell into a puddle. Raph was still on the ground.
“It- it didn't?” Leo stuttered.
“His face,” Donnie said. “Look at his face!”
It was healed. Perfectly. No scars. Not even the fainests of marks.
“He's going to be ok,” Donnie said as he shook Leo. “he's going to be ok!”
Leo brushed Raph’s face gently where it had been ripped open. “Thank you,” he whispered at the puddle.
A mutagen filled eye merely blinked back at him.
Raph was awake quicker than Leo thought he would be. He struggled to even sit up.
“Carefull, you lost a lot of blood,” Leo hushed and let Raph lean against him.
“Where are we?” Raph asked.
“Shredder’s prison,” Leo replied. “Melty is here too.”
“They healed your face by the way,” Donnie added with a scowl. He was staring out of the bars, looking off into the distance.
Raph made a little yelping sound and reached up to his head. He felt his face where it had been a long bloody gash. “I'm healed?”
“Yeah, and Melty is out of energy. Almost like it was before.” Leo narrowed his eyes at Raph who was looking at the puddle. “Did you know he could heal wounds like that?”
Raph didn't reply.
It didn't matter if he did or didn't. Leo already figured it out. That one night he left and came back, Raph was limping slightly. He and Melty disappeared then the double mutant was drained of all energy.
Just like it was now.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I didn't want you to worry…besides you would have grounded me.”
“Well if you would just-”
“Sssssop,” the puddle whined.
“Yeah, your yelling is upsetting them ,” Donnie hissed. He went back to staring out of the bars of the cell.
“Sorry,” Leo whispered. “Just go back to sleep.”
Three eyes blinked at him sadly.
“So what's the plan?” Raph asked.
“You need to rest-”
“I need to get out of here!”
A gooey hand reached up and swatted at the sound.
“Right-” Raph said. Then in a more even voice, “we need to escape.”
“I know. And we will. You need to rest first. You need some time to recover from losing all that blood. Besides, Melty needs to rest too,” Leo replied.
“How do we move ‘em?”
Leo sighed. He had been trying to think of that for half the night now. The only thing he could think of was trying to coax it into the sewers with flowers. Or they could try using a bucket. But that would take too long.
They all needed rest and hopefully all of them could escape sometime tomorrow.
How was he supposed to pull this off? Did he really think he could actually do it? He was probably going to fail.
Leo wasn't sure how exactly he fell asleep but he managed to sleep for a few hours. He stretched in the cramped cell.
There was a pained mumbling in the cell across from them. Leonardo couldn't figure out what it was saying but it appeared conflicted about something.
“What's it doing?” he asked himself.
“They don't know what to do,” Donnie replied.
“Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you?”
“I didn't sleep.”
Yeah, he looked like it. His eye bags were dark and he had a deep frown.
“Why are its arms white?” Leo questioned. “Is it a stress thing?”
“Must be,” Donnie muttered. He looked away again.
Raph was still out like a light. He was a heavy sleeper, so that was good. He needed rest.
“Melty,” Leo called quietly.
The ooze monster stopped and twisted around. “What do? What. do-do-nt know?”
“Are you feeling better?” Leo asked. “Come here.”
“Master?” it asked. It carefully crept over. “It's too hot.”
“Do you think you can help us escape?”
“Meow? Master? Too hot. Too cold. What does masssster? What do blu-on-n-ets?”
It moved away and began to mumble to itself again. It just seemed so lost.
“Melty,” Leo snapped and tried to get its attention. “Melty. Can you help us?”
It stared with lifeless, star filled eyes.
“You can trust us, we're your brothers.”
“Brothersssssss?”
“Yes. Please. Help us, ” Leo begged.
The whiteness receded completely until there was just a small patch on its chest. It seemed to shrink. Meltangelo sludged its way over to the bars and grabbed Leo’s arm.
It started to pull.
“Owww, let go!” Leo yelped. “I won’t fit!”
After another tug the monster let go and seemed confused. It passed through the gaps in the bars. Then it went back out. It didn't seem to understand why Leo was having an issue.
“I think you need to find a key,” Leo said and grabbed the bars.
Meltangelo held Leo’s hand and tried to pull him through the bars one last time just to make sure. It gave up and let go. Then it walked off without a sound.
“What's going on?” Raph asked through a yawn. “Where's Melty?”
“It went off to find a key…I hope.”
It was a long time before it slithered back into sight. Much to all of their surprise it was actually holding a key.
“Good job! Just give it to me,” Leo said and held his hand out.
Meltangelo grabbed his hand. Freezing ooze clung on to Leo, wrapping around his arm and holding it tightly.
“We can hold hands later, just give me the key.”
“Soft leaves,” it commented. Then it tried to pull Leo out of the bars again.
Raph laughed as Leo struggled.
“Let go! Owww! We did this before, I don't fit remember?”
“Can we-weeee take cornflower?” it asked.
“For master?” it asked itself.
Without waiting for an answer Meltangelo ripped the bars of the cell open with an agonizing metallic screech. It picked Leo up and held it close to its cold chest as it turned and left.
“Let go!” Leo hissed and wiggled around. But it was no use. Its body was too sticky. And it seemed very determined to get somewhere. “You two get out of here. I'll try to get out when it puts me down,” he yelled at the other two.
“We're not leaving you,” Raph barked.
Donnie didn't say anything. He didn't even look at anything. He just seemed so empty.
The brother made of sludge carried Leo all the way back to the throne room. Raph stood definitely as the Shredder glared at him.
Leo struggled as Meltagnelo spoke; “flower? Or Massster!”
“So that's where it went,” Shredder hissed. “The monster went crawling back to its family.”
“Massster!” Melty called out and dropped Leo on the floor.
The shredder stood and stalked over. The amalgamation shrunk down and sludged backwards. Its body curled around Donnie’s foot as it shook.
Leonardo picked himself off the floor. He mustered all the strength he could as he faced the Shredder.
“Leave me and my family alone. We will take our brother and get out.”
“A tempting offer. However, I find it much easier to kill all four of you right now,” the Shredder replied in his dark voice.
“Trust me,” Raph spoke up, “it won't be easy. Our brother will just heal us faster than you can tear us down.”
“Or just give me the pleasure of killing you over and over.”
There was a soft clicking sound as Tigerclaw drew out his pistol. Rahzar growled and fishface drew his knife. Bebop chuckled and smiled with glee.
Meltangelo shot up, nearly twice its size and made a soft hissing sound, chains rattling in warning.
Leo backed up slightly. Him and his brothers were all surrounded by the foot. They were all going to die here. He was going to fail.
No…he already did fail.
“Massster!?” the melted brother called. Both arms glimmered white and there was more mutagen dripping out of its eyes.
“Shut up freak!” Bebop yelled as he got closer.
“That freak will kill you! Just let us go!” Raph warned.
“Enough stalling. Kill them all,” Shredder ordered.
Bebop charged forwards and Leo moved to block but chains wrapped around the warthog’s leg and threw him across the room.
“Leee-leeeave broo…ers…meow!” Meltangelo bellowed.
A soldier threw a spear and it passed through its sludge body and landed on the floor. Donnie rushed to grab it and he fought off three more soldiers.
Gunshots rang out and Raph groaned in pain and fell, holding his knee. Tigerclaw smiled as he aimed the gun to Raph’s head.
“No!” Leo called and ran to jump in front of the gun.
Something green and shining flew past Leo and landed on Tigerclaw’s chest. At first nothing happened but then his clothes started to smoke and melt off of him.
Tigerclaw screamed in raw agony as the skin and bones and muscle on his chest dissolved into nothing. Bright starry ooze ate away at his body and made him glow a soft turquoise.
Leo tried not to vomit as blood dropped to the floor and the tiger’s ribs melted away to reveal lungs being fused together as he cried. He was clawing at his torso before his gun slowly raised to his head.
And with one more gunshot it was over. Tigerclaw was dead and no longer in any pain.
The battlefield was silent apart from the soft drone of mutagen still billowing off Tigerclaw's body. With a twisting feeling in his stomach Leo turned to see what was supposed to be his brother. Its face was a blackhole, covered with mutagen. The shimmering substance filled the room with its disastrous light.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
Mutagen fell out of its face and hit the floor, melting it where it splattered.
“It's over Shredder,” Leo stated. He began to walk over to the Shredder who was still transfixed by the dead warrior.
The monster slithered in his way. Leo was face to face with pure inky darkness.
“Leave masssster. Leave brothersssss. Alone.”
“Just get out,” Shredder barked. “And pray I never catch you alone without this thing.”
Leo backed away from the glow of the ooze. He looked back at the other two. Raph was bleeding just below the knee and Donnie was helping to prop him up.
The three brothers left, and stood on the roof just outside Shredder’s lair. Meltangelo wasn't following them.
Its face was more or less back to normal. It watched them with dead eyes as they walked further off. Its hand was reached out but its feet were planted.
“Are you taking your monster?” Rahzar growled.
“Meltangelo, we're going home,” Leo ordered.
It didn't move. Didn't say anything.
The entire night seemed to hold its breath as they all waited for the amalgam to do anything.
It melted down into a poodle of green and white and pink and brown and olive. Eight different sized eyes were fixated on anything that moved.
“Are we really leaving it?” Raph winced as he put weight on his leg.
“I don't think we have a choice,” Leo mumbled back. “I just don't understand. Why did it attack Tigerclaw and defend the Shredder?”
“You said you knew,” Raph said to Donnie.
The brother in purple was staring far off. “I want to just go to bed.” he whispered after a while.
“Donnie why di-”
“- I need to be alone. Clear my head.” Donnie dropped Raph and hopped down the roof. Leo watched him disappear under a manhole cover.
“I guess we'll find out in the morning,” Leo half joked towards his brother. “We’ll also have to come up with another game plan. I don't think Shredder will be stupid enough to try and hurt it.”
Raph didn't say anything and Leo helped carry him home.