Even though I hate the (non-canon) Mutant Apocalypse arc, I couldn't get this story out of my head and I just had to write it. If you've already read my AU fic "Akari", keep in mind that what happened in that story never happened in this one, but you'll recognize a few of my OCs. :)

NOTE: There will probably be granmar mistakes that I will fix later.

"Faster! Must go faster!"

"Shut up! I can't!"

The Holy Chalupa peeked out his window and looked at the wall of dust that was getting bigger. "This ain't good!" he shouted as his long grey hair flowed in the wind.

The Red Stripe snorted behind the wheel. "Gee, ya think?!"

The Shellraiser, which was now a modified Volkswagen bus, raced across the desert wasteland with over ten monster trucks following close behind. The leading truck was the largest and most intimidating, with an elephant's skull serving as its front bumper, it's wheels adorned with massive spikes, and the black paint speckled with what appeared to be blood.

Standing on the roof of this truck was a mutant white lion in a rusty suit of armor. He had piercing brown eyes and a large muzzle with fake fangs covered his lower face. His tattered black cape flowed behind him along with his long dusty mane as they continued to pursue the smaller vehicle.

He suddenly stomped his foot down on the roof. "Fire the harpoon!" he roared.

At his command, the elephant skull split in half to reveal a harpoon, which shot out and imbedded itself into the back of the Shellraiser.

Raph grunted when he felt the vibration of the impact. "Now what?!"

Mikey looked over his seat and gasped when he saw the tip of the harpoon poking through the wall. "Bad news: they just speared the bus like it's Moby Dick!"

"Even more bad news: look!" Raph pointed to the windshield with a horrified expression.

They were heading straight toward the edge of a great chasm and Raph slammed his foot down on the brakes. The Shellraiser came to a screeching halt as did the trucks behind them.

"Great!" the older Turtle brought his fist down on the wheel.

The white lion received a megaphone from the driver of his truck and spoke into it. "Red Stripe! This is Dominan Pride! There is no where left to run! Come to your senses and surrender the bomb!"

Mikey groaned as he leaned back into his seat and rubbed his eyes, then he glanced over at his brother. "What now, big bro?"

There was a momentary pause before Raph looked into the back of the car. Covered with a moth-eaten checkerboard quilt was a nuclear warhead, the sole reason for their road trip across the wasteland.

He then looked ahead at the chasm, which was probably at least 2,000 feet deep, and the other side was too far for them to reach even at maximum velocity. Plus they wouldn't be able to escape Pride with his harpoon still stuck to their vehicle.

Behind them was a bloodthirsty gang of mutants, all armed to the teeth. Raph and Mikey both knew that they couldn't fight them all. They could if they were still in their prime, but spending decades in the desert fighting for survival had weared them down.

Raph's grip on the wheel tightened as his head started to throb under all this pressure.

He needed to make a decision now.

One week ago...

Deep within the forest of the Oasis, next to a river, Mikey happily hummed a tune as he picked blackberries from the bushes. He carried his pickings in a leather shoulder bag and wore his water flask around his neck.

Miles away at their camp, his brothers were cooking meat from a deer that they recently caught and he could smell the delicious aroma. He took a deep whiff and a blissful smile formed on his face. He could hear the birds chirp merrily in the trees above him, the sun felt so warm, and the river sparkled under the sunlight as it continued to flow smoothly.

They were truly in Paradise.

It had been a month since they discovered the legendary Green Place, and everyone seemed to be adjusting well. Of course, Leo was still a hideous mutant freak, Donnie missed being able to taste food and to feel the warmth of the sun, and Raph still struggled with PTSD. But they were much happier than they had been in years, and Mikey, being the optimistic Turtle as always, would find more ways to keep their spirits high, like making delicious foods with the fruits and berries of the forest. But sometimes he wondered if he was doing enough.

He was about to move on to the next bush when he suddenly tripped over something and fell flat on his face. The berries all fell out of his bag and he groaned as he got up and looked at the mess.

"Great," he muttered, and he turned to what caused him to trip. There was big lump completely covered in moss and he figured that it was a dumb rock. He kicked it in frustration, and as he soon as his foot collided with it, there was a hallow echoing sound.

Mikey raised his eye ridge. "Huh?" He bent down and began to wipe away the moss.

The first thing that was revealed to him was a faded radiation hazard symbol.

His heart skipped a beat and he fell backwards. He stared at the symbol in horror for a few minutes before he quickly got up and ran back to camp as fast as he could.

...

Less than half an hour later, Mikey returned with his brothers and Mira and showed them what he had found. Donnie slowly and carefully cleared away all the moss and sure enough, they were staring at a two-foot long warhead.

"I don't believe it," Donnie said with some fear in his electronic voice.

Leo stepped forward, his blue eyes wide with shock. "Is that... a nuclear bomb?"

"A nuclear warhead, to be precise. It looks to be a W80 model. They have a blast yield of up to 150 kilotons."

"Holy Chalupa," Mikey gasped softly, his face losing color. "I almost blew us all up."

"What's it doing here in the Oasis?" Raph asked.

"It was probably abandoned here either before or after the Mutagen Bomb was dropped," Donnie guessed. "It could be a dud."

"A dud?" Mikey scratched his head. "You mean, like, it won't explode?"

"We don't know for sure if it won't, so we need to be extra cautious."

Mira had never seen a nuclear device before and became very curious. "Wow," she said softly in awe as she reached out to touch it.

"Mira!" Raph swiftly grabbed the meerkat's hand and pulled her away. "Careful!" he warned her. "That thing's extremely dangerous."

"He's right, Mira," Donnie agreed. "Even bombs that hadn't been used in decades could still explode."

"Well, now that we've found it, what do we do with it?" Mira asked.

"I say we just leave it here," Raph suggested. "We shouldn't even be messing with it."

Mikey eagerly nodded. "Good idea!"

"No, too risky," Donnie shook his head. "Something could happen and cause it to detonate. Or someone else might find it."

"Then we have take it back to camp with us," Leo said.

Both Mikey and Raph looked at him astonished. "WHAT?!" they yelled in unison.

Leo held his hands up and explained himself. "Until we figure out what to do with it. Like Donnie said, we can't leave it here."

"Forget it, Leo!" Raph snapped. "There's no way I'm sleeping with a nuclear warhead next to my tent, even if it is a dud!"

"Yeah, same here!" Mikey said.

"Guys, I'm not too thrilled about it, either," Donnie said, "but it's just for the night. Tomorrow morning we'll properly and safely dispose of it." He then turned to Leo. "Leo, you're the strongest of us. You think you can carry it all the way back home?"

"Only one way to find out," Leo bent down and very slowly lifted it up, holding it in his muscular arms. "It's actually not that heavy."

"Yeah, for you, maybe," Raph grumbled. "That thing probably weighs 300 pounds."

The eldest smiled a little. "Feels about right."

...

Later that night, Mira and the Turtles gathered around a bonfire to roast marshmellows as well as discuss what needed to be done with the warhead. Speaking of which, Donnie kept it in his own tent, where he could keep a close eye on it for the rest of the night. Being a robot, he didn't need as much as his brothers did.

Chompy, as usual, lay next to Mikey, who would toss a roasted marshmallow into his massive mouth. Ice Cream Kitty couldn't sit too close to the fire, of course, so she stayed in Mikey's tent, but her owner promised to bring her marshmallows before bed.

"Maybe we could disarm it?" Leo suggested. "Donnie, you're an expert at that kind of stuff."

Donnie sighed and his rabbit ears lowered to the back of his head. "Leo, I don't know how to disarm nuclear warheads. I'd probably end up killing us all."

"But you deactivated the first Mutagen Bomb," Mikey pointed out.

"Only because we got lucky...and I was crazy enough to follow your instructions. And that was Kraang tech. This is military tech. One screwup and we could all be dead."

"I still say we should just bury it in the forest somewhere," Raph said. "Like eight hundred feet below the ground. No one would ever find it."

"But what if something goes wrong?" Mira asked worriedly. "This is the only Green Place left in the world, and if the bomb goes off, it will be gone forever. And all of our efforts would've been for nothing."

"She has a point," Donnie agreed. "We'd be risking a lot in keeping it here. But Raph is right about the digging part."

"So what do you suggest?" Raph huffed. "We go out into the desert and drive millions of miles away from home and bury it in the middle of nowhere?"

Of course he wasn't being serious, but the others seemed to consider this, based on their thoughtful expressions.

Raph looked at them all in disbelief. "Wait. You guys can't seriously be thinking about...?"

Donnie scratched his metal chin. "Hmmm...you know, that actually-"

"Uh-uh!" Raph stood up and angrily shook his head. "No! Way! We are NOT going back out there! I mean, come on, guys! We just got here!"

"Raph," Leo gently touched his brother's back, "calm down."

Raph pulled away from his touch. "No! I spent fifty years in the desert! I fought for my life against dozens of mutants every day! Except for Donnie, none of you know what I went through! And for the first time in forever, I actually feel safe! So I'm not going!"

"Whoa, whoa, Raph, no one said you had to go," Mikey said. "If you wanna stay, then stay. Donnie and I can go by ourselves."

Donnie's ears perked up in surprise. "What? When did we make that decision?"

"Oh, come on, D! I know you're worried that I'll somehow cause the bomb to explode-"

"You almost did, actually, right after you found it."

Mikey grinned sheepishly. "Heh, oh, yeah. Well, I promise, I'll be super extra careful with the bomb."

"'Super extra'," Donnie muttered. "Yeah, sure, Mikey."

"Yeah, well, you guys figure out a plan," Raph said as he headed toward the woods. "I'll be right back. Nature calls."

Mira watched his best friend disappear into the forest. "I thought Raphael liked the desert?" she wondered aloud.

"He's accustomed to it," Donnie explained. "But that doesn't mean he likes it."

"He has a point, though," Leo said quietly as he looked up at the starry sky. "We did just get here. I don't really want to leave, either." He looked back at the bonfire with sad eyes. "And besides, I don't want anyone to see this hideous form."

"Leo, you're not hideous," Mikey said with a grin. There was a pause before he continued. "Well, no, I can't lie to you. You are hideous. But at least you still have a body. Donnie lost his and now he's a robot."

"Gee, thanks, Mikey," Donnie said with some annoyance in his voice. "But he's right, Leo. It could've been worse."

Leo flashed both his brothers a grateful smile, feeling a little bit better. "Thanks, guys."

...

After he finished doing his business in the forest, Raph started to head back when he heard a very distant and very familiar voice call his name.

Raph!

He froze and his green eyes widened. It couldn't be...

"April?"

With a groan, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. No. Just another stupid hallucination. It'll pass, just like always.

He never told his brothers, but his hallucinations had actually been getting worse since they arrived in the Oasis. He thought living peacefully in a green paradise would soothe his mind and make them go away, but perhaps he was broken beyond repair. He didn't want to worry his family, though. They had been through enough.

"Raph!"

The voice was now right next to him and he couldn't stop himself from looking.

Stepping out from behind a tree was the young red-haired kunoichi, and she looked exactly as she did before the Mutagen Bomb destroyed everything. There was sadness in her blue eyes as she stared directly at him.

"Why didn't you save me?" she asked with hurt in her voice.

Raph felt his heart grow heavy. He knew she wasn't real, but he couldn't help it. "I...I tried to, April, but-"

"You forgot about me," she whispered with tears in her eyes. "You forgot about all of us."

"No!" he shook his head and ran to her. "I didn't! Please, April, you've gotta believe me!" He reached out to embrace her but she disappeared before he could.

"You did, Raph." Suddenly she was right behind him and he quickly turned around. Her expression was now angry. "And you're about to let it happen again, because you're too scared and selfish."

He was hurt by her words, but he knew that she was right. "I..."

"Thousands more will die..." She turned and pointed to the West, where New York used to be. "And it will be all your fault."

In the far distance, he could see an enormous green mushroom cloud arise and the horrible flashbacks came back again.

Leo pushing him to safety as the Mutagen Bomb detonated in the night sky.

People all around him screaming in fear as the wave of radiation came right at them.

Men, women, children, all of them mutating into hideous creatures.

Buildings collapsing and burning.

Everything and everyone was gone in a flash.

"No..."

He fainted right on the spot. April was nowhere in sight.

...

"...aph! Yo, Raph!"

He was awakened by a strong smell, and when he fluttered his eyes open, Mikey was kneeling over him and holding a spoonful of steaming mushrooms under his nose. "M-Mikey...?" He felt so groggy and his head felt like it was going to split open.

His youngest brother grinned. "Welcome back to the real world, bro." He then turned to Donnie, who was standing next to him. "Told ya the mushrooms would work."

Donnie knelt down and helped Raph to sit up. "Are you feeling okay, Raph? Why did you faint in the middle of the woods?"

"I...I don't know," Raph weakly lied. He looked around and realized that he was back at the camp and in his tent. "How long was I out?"

"About an hour," Donnie said.

Just then, Leo peeked his head in and was very relieved to see his brother awake. "Raph, I'm so glad you're okay." He stepped inside with a bowl of freshly made stew. "Here, this will help you get your strength back," he said as he handed it to him.

But Raph could only stare at the stew at his hands, too troubled to even eat. This worried his brothers even more.

"Raph, you've got to eat," Donnie sternly but gently told him.

Raph just set the bowl down. He couldn't keep it from them any longer. "Guys, there's been a change of plans."

...

"Raph, listen, you don't have to do this," Leo continued to plead with Raph as the latter packed his things and took down his tent. The former leader spent all morning trying to convince his brother to stay at the camp, but the hothead was too stubborn and had his mind made up.

"Yes, I do, Leo," Raph softly said as he flung his bag over his shoulder. "You wouldn't understand."

The older, bigger walked around his brother and stood in front of him. "I understand better than you think, bro." His blue eyes became sad as he looked down at him. "Before you guys found me, I did terrible things as Maximus Kong. I hurt..." He closed his eyes for a moment before he continued. "...I killed people."

Raph looked up at him sympathetically and touched his massive arm. "Leo, that wasn't your fault."

Leo sadly shook his head. "It doesn't matter. I still have to live with that guilt. But you guys make it more bearable and it doesn't hurt as much. You can bury the bomb, Raph, but you can't bury the pain inside. This won't bring back all the people we lost."

Raph sighed softly and nodded. "I know that, Leo. But at least I'll have saved thousands, and after that, I just might be able to live with myself. I need to make sure that the job is done right." He started to walk past his brother when a large hand grabbed his shoulder.

"I still don't think you should be going if your hallucinations are getting worse," Leo told him. "You should've told us before."

Raph glanced back at him with a small, reasurring smile and placed his hand over the larger one on his shoulder. "Don't worry, Leo. I'll be fine."

...

Mira was tending to Chompy and feeding him apples when she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Raph smiling down at her. Although it would be for only one day, she was still worried about him going out into the wasteland. "You'll come back, right?" she asked with a concerned frown.

"Of course I will," Raph said as he knelt down to her level. "And I might even bring back a gift for you."

She smirked and chuckled softly. "Like what, a rock?"

He playfully rubbed her head. "You never know. Could be something really cool." He stood back up and scratched Chompy's nose. "I'm counting on you to take care of the others while I'm gone, Chompy." He leaned in close to the space turtle's face. "And stop peeing on Leo's tent," he whispered with a grin. "Pee on Mikey's instead."

Chompy hummed in response and licked Raph's face with his large, wet tongue.

Raph chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Chompy's neck. "I'll miss you, too, buddy."

...

"Wow, you did an awesome job, Donnie," Raph stood in awe before the new Shellraiser.

A few days after moving into the Oasis, the brothers found an abandoned 1975 green Volkswagen bus in the woods. It was in terrible condition and covered with moss and fungi, but that didn't stop the genius of the family from repairing and remodeling it. Within a few weeks, it looked terrific, with a red stripe painted across the front, like a ninja mask, and the VW emblem had been replaced with a Turtle shell symbol.

"Why, thank you," Donnie said with pride in his voice, and Raph could just imagine him smiling.

"Looks to be in great shape," Raph complicated. "Let's check it out." He walked to the front and sat down on the driver's seat. "Nice," he chuckled as he studied the features of the dashboard. "Very nice."

"Don't forget the air freshener!" Mikey gleefully said as he hung a little tree-shaped freshener on the rear view mirror.

Raph nodded absently as he continued to admire the car. "Yeah, air fresh..." His eyes widened in realization and he whipped his head toward Mikey, who sat in the passenger's seat with his hands behind his head and a relaxed look on his face. "Mikey? What are you-?"

"Guess what, dude?" Mikey excitedly said as he looked at his brother. "I'm coming with you!"

"W-What?!" Raph incredulously shouted. "But-But I thought Donnie was-?"

As if on cue, Donnie appeared next to Mikey's window and shrugged. "We couldn't convince him to stay, either. He's just as stubborn as you."

"I know you wanted Donnie," Mikey said to Raph, "but you've already spent fifty years traveling with him." He gave his brother the puppy dog eyes. "And I miss hanging out with my favorite big bro."

Unfortunately for Mikey, the puppy eyes weren't as effective now that he was old and wrinkly, and Raph just stared ahead at Donnie with a worried expression. "You sure this is a good idea?" he asked the robot.

"Not really," Donnie admitted. "But I'm sick of the desert. Besides, we all need to have a little more faith in Mikey, and well, I couldn't just say no to him."

"Aww," Mikey reached out his window to pat Donnie's metal head, "you're so sweet, Donnie."

"Yeah, yeah," Donnie muttered. "Now remember, the bomb is in the back of the bus, so be extremely careful as you drive."

Raph glanced back at the bomb, which was securely tied down to a seat against the left side of the bus and covered with a quilt. All the other seats had been removed and the rest of the space had been filled with emergency supplies, two gallons of water, and two boxes of canned food. Ice Cream Kitty poked her head out of the cooler and mewed at Raph.

"She's coming, too? Great," he groaned.

"Of course she is!" Mikey said. "I'd never leave without my traveling Kitty."

"There's also a 2200-Watt jack hammer of my own design back there," Donnie said, "and a, uh, couple of spare shovels in case somebody breaks the jack hammer."

Mikey was oblivious to the hint and he nodded with a big grin. "Good thinking, D!"

"The Shellraiser's battery has enough power for one week. As soon as you bury the bomb, use this map to get back home." He handed Mikey a map to the Oasis that he had recently drawn. "Remember, you need to be at least fifty miles away from here."

"We'll go five hundred miles," Raph said. "Better safe than sorry."

"And in case something goes wrong-"

"I'll call you," Raph held up the emergency T-phone with a smirk. "But I'll think we'll be fine. We should be back by morning."

Mikey leaned his chair back a bit and put on a pair of shades. "Yeah, what could possibly go wrong?" he said as he put his feet on the dashboard and placed his hands behind his head.

"Don't jinx it, doofus," Raph muttered as he started the bus.

"Seriously, be careful, guys," Donnie told them with genuine concern.

"We will," Mikey said casually, still in his relaxed position. "Love ya guys."

The Shellraiser started down the dirt road that they dug up shortly a week ago, and from the rear view mirror, Raph could see Donnie, Leo, and Mira waving and shouting their goodbyes.

...

They were now at the edge of the Oasis, staring into the dry, empty horizon. They were about to leave the sanctuary of the Green Place and return to the dangerous desert wasteland.

Raph took a deep breath and glanced over at his brother. "You ready?"

Mikey nodded and gave him a thumbs up. "Let's do it."

The older Turtle shifted the gear into drive and they made about six feet when his brother suddenly spoke up, "Hold up!"

He immediately stopped the vehicle. "What's wrong?"

Mikey smiled apologetically. "Gotta take a whiz." He hopped out and ran back to the nearest tree.

Raph groaned as he rubbed his temples. He could already tell that this was going to be a long trip.