Eskimo: Hey everybody! Sorry for the delay, midterms and all that silly balderdash! xD

Bunnie: College…it blows sometimes.

Eskimo: We don't own TMNT but we do own cats…

Bunnie: REVIEW BITCHES!

Eskimo: …Please –gives puppy pout-

Oh my god. They're real.

That was all I could think as we walked silently through the dark and dank tunnels of New York's sewage system. Strange and sour odors surrounded us, accompanied with the stench of mold and garbage; it was enough to make me breathe through my mouth. It was incredibly dark, with only shadows and the occasional, brief lighting from a street light when we passed a gutter overhead for visibility. I stared unfailingly at the red tails of Raphael's bandana, which stood out brightly in the dark, as he strode in front of me, hugging Cleo to me as she, in return, held me close with an arm wrapped around my shoulders.

Oh my god, they're REAL, I thought to myself for the eleventh time as we took a sudden turn around a corner and the ends of Raphael's bandana lightly tickled my snout (not my nose, I didn't have a nose anymore) due to the sudden motion. I resisted the urge to sneeze and blinked my eyes several times. I grimaced when I felt my bare foot step into something slimy and I heard Cleo whisper quietly in the darkness, "How much farther?"

"Just a little further." I heard Leonardo respond, just as quietly from behind us. They had formed a circle around us; with Raphael and Donatello in front, Leonardo and Michelangelo behind us, Venus on Cleo's left, and Mona Lisa on my right. They act like we're gonna make a break for it or something, I thought sullenly, but still, oh my god, they're real.

My mind was still reeling from the encounter back in the abandoned warehouse, when we had been discovered by the suits, when they had ripped Cleo away from me, when they surrounded me, when they all grabbed me with their ice cold hands, and when they all collapsed from the poison (I'm assuming that's what it was) coming from my multihued skin.

Then, of course, when the turtles came onto the scene that had been the cherry on top. I had been so stunned by the attack I didn't realize that they had come until Cleo freaked out when Donatello had attempted to touch me. I looked up and received another one of the biggest shocks in my life. Five turtles and a gecko, stood before us, clad in their signature colors and weapons still drawn from their short battle with the suits, staring curiously at me and my friend. I, in return, gaped soundlessly back.

I knew who they were the moment I saw them, I mean, how could I not? I had been watching their cartoon (the new one) ever since middle school, and I had even watched the old cartoon and some episodes of the live-action series. Hell, I even owned all the movies. But, seeing them there, less than 10 feet away, real and breathing just about made me fall back onto the floor in a faint. It was like a freaky episode of the Twilight Zone or a poorly written fan fiction come to life.

But I was brought out of my stupor when the female turtle in light blue (Venus, I thought, her name is Venus) had stepped up to Cleo and had taken her hand in her own and spoke to her about a safe place.

I don't know about the rest of you out there, but getting to a safe place sounded like Heaven to me.

Glancing at Cleo, I knew she was just as freaked out and confused as I was, but going with the turtles (and gecko) was probably the safest choice we had at the moment. So Cleo nodded her consent and I quickly grabbed a pocket handkerchief from one of the fallen (dead?) men and quickly wiped off the slime that had coated my back and arms. I felt my cheeks burn in shame and embarrassment when I saw the turtles stare at me curiously, until Cleo had stepped into Donatello's line of vision and gave them a hard glare. Mona Lisa (who had caught on) promptly hit Michelangelo and Raphael in the back of the head and forced them to turn around. Leonardo and Venus politely turned their backs towards me.

After I finished 'cleaning up' I stood beside Cleo, pressing my side into hers, she wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders and said, "Lead the way."

I was brought out of my flashbacks when I heard Mona Lisa say beside me, "Ok, it's just up ahead. Just a few more feet." I jumped slightly at the sudden sound of her voice, and saw her stare curiously at me from the corner of my eye. I felt my cheeks burn and lowered my gaze to my feet. I did that a lot, when I was feeling nervous or shy, which was most of the time.

But that's another thing, I thought to myself, why are Mona Lisa and Venus here? They weren't even in the same show together; I mean Venus was a new character in a series that was cancelled, and Mona Lisa only showed up in one episode in the old cartoon. How is that they're here in the 2003 cartoon?

I stared at Raphael again, just now realizing how tall he was, how tall all the turtles were. In the cartoons, they were supposed to be 5 feet tall. I was 5 feet and ½ inches. They practically towered over me (not anything new) but they all had to nearly 6 feet tall!

It's so different from the 2003 cartoon…

Donatello and Raphael stopped in front of a wall that was lined with pipes. Reaching up, Donatello pulled down one of the smaller pipes, which actually seemed to be a lever of sorts, and the wall opened up to reveal a large room. Or rather a lair.

I stepped into the lair and felt my jaw drop in awe. I heard Cleo take a sharp intake of breathe and knew she was just as stunned as I was.

The lair…wow. It's different when you see it on a screen, but when you're actually inside it…it's just completely mind-blowing.

For starters; it was huge. The main room (I'm assuming that's where we were) was the size of a small ballroom. Near the center of it was a small stream with a bridge over it (like in 2K3 cartoon) but off towards the far left wall were multiple game machines (like in the 2007 CGI movie). At the far northern wall, multiple televisions, of all shapes and sizes, lined the wall, all displaying different channels varying from the news to old black and white movies. In front of the TV wall was a large worn out couch that looked like it could sit ten people and a beat-up armchair, with duct tape covering the multiple holes that covered the chair. Also, littered across the floor were multiple video game consoles, along with a rather impressive collection of DVDs and VHSs.

To the right, I could see a walk-in area that led to a small kitchen and near that a large door that had caution tape on it. Donatello's lab perhaps? Near the corner of the room there was an open doorway that I was almost certain led to the turtles' dojo because close by it, that had multiple stone steps leading to it, was an area of the large room that had been closed off by traditional Japanese paper doors which I assumed led to Splinter's quarters. Then I noticed that there were multiple ladders that were stationed at random points in the room, as well as one main metal staircase that spiraled upwards, which led to an upper level where there were multiple doors that had various things on them. I assumed that these were the turtles' rooms and/or bathrooms.

All in all, this place was pretty epic for an underground sewer lair that was home to seven (now nine, including us) mutants.

While Cleo and I stood there with our jaws catching flies, Leonardo walked past us and called out, "Master Splinter, we're home. Are you here Master?" The others also walked past us and Cleo and I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

Michelangelo had stayed behind with us and turned with a goofy grin, "Welcome to the Turtle Cave, ladies. Would you like the grand tour of our luxurious abode?" he asked in a humorous tone. I felt the corners of my mouth turn upwards, and Michelangelo grinned cheerfully when he saw me smile. He opened his mouth to say more but was interrupted when Mona Lisa waltzed over, "Tour can wait Mikey. I bet these two would like to get cleaned up a bit first before we do anything, am I right?"

And she was. The thought of a shower was divine and I knew we looked, and probably smelled, awful. But before we could respond, Leonardo walked over with a small piece of paper in his hand, "That might have to wait. Master Splinter is visiting with Casey and April but his note says he'll be back pretty soon." I lifted my head slightly and feigned ignorance, "Casey and April?" I asked my voice slightly hoarse from disuse. They looked slightly surprised at my sudden vocalization, but I couldn't blame them; it was the first time I had spoken with them this evening.

"They're two humans we know, but don't worry they're our friends." Mona Lisa explained before turning back to Leonardo, "And c'mon Leo, look at them. They look like they haven't had a decent shower in days, and probably feel like crap. Let 'em take a shower then we can ask them questions." I lowered my head again to hide my blush. We really did look awful. I felt Cleo squeeze my shoulder slightly and she frowned at Mona Lisa slightly, who then looked a little sheepish, "Ah no offence guys."

"None taken. But please, let us clean up first. We haven't felt clean in days." With a little hesitance, Leonardo agreed and Mona Lisa led us up the metal spiral staircase, which wobbled and creaked slightly as we walked up it. I was slightly afraid it would fall, but it didn't. When we reached the next level she led us to a simple wooden door that had nothing on it and opened it. Inside was a basic medium-sized bathroom, with a toilet, sink, mirror, and a medium shower stall, and on the rack were two worn, but clean, white towels. Mona Lisa smiled kindly at us, "Take your time. We'll be downstairs when you're ready." And with that she shut the door and left us to our privacy.

And for a moment, we just stood there, staring at the door, wondering if all this was real and not part of some twisted dream. I was the first to break the silence, "Cleo," I croaked softly, "Are those guys really…"

"Yeah," she nodded shakily, "I-I think they are." She looked at me with a look that mirrored my own: sheer bewilderment. I stared at her, still utterly confused, "But how?" Cleo bit her lower lip and thought for a moment before speaking, "You know how we were talking earlier, about how we might be in a cartoon? Well, I think we just found out which one we're in."

I began shaking my head, "B-but Cleo, it's all wrong. It looks like we're in the 2003 cartoon, but Venus and Mona Lisa are here and they're both from different shows, and even then it all looks so different but at the same time similar to the 2003 cartoon, and it's just-just so confusing." Cleo also shook her head, "Your guess is as good as mine, Ana. I mean remember that movie that came out last year? Turtles Forever? Maybe it's something like that."

In all honesty I had forgotten Turtles Forever but now that I thought about it, it made sense. In the movie it talked about all the different turtle dimensions… perhaps this was one of them? Where multiple TMNT worlds crossed over? It was possible, utterly confusing and freaky, but possible. But if that was the case how much of each world was true here? Did Karai exist here? Leatherhead? And if he did was he an ally or an enemy? What about Krang? The Purple Dragons? Bishop? Bebop and Rocksteady? Did any of them exist here, or perhaps there were alternate versions of them here? What about the Shredder?

I felt a chill go up my spine as I thought of all the villains that could exist here, in this dimension. It was all just too much to take in. But then a different thought came to me and I felt the sickly tendrils of nervousness work their way through my stomach.

"Cleo…what are we going to tell them?" She looked at me confused, "I-I mean should we tell them that we're from a different dimension? That where we come from they're just a cartoon? What should we say, I mean they're gonna want to know!"

Cleo's green eyes widened, "Oh shit you're right!" She ran a four-fingered hand through her ginger hair and I gnawed on my lower lip nervously. Cleo looked down at the tiled bathroom floor, deep in thought. Finally after a long moment she looked up and stared at me, with a serious look on her crimson face.

"I think," She said slowly, "We shouldn't tell them about our dimension. At least, not right away."

I bit my lip harder. "But…what will we tell them?"

"The truth," she replied, her voice firm, "Just not the whole truth. We'll tell them that we where drugged and kidnapped, and then we woke up at the…building."

The nervous twisting in my stomach worsened, "But Cleo…I-I feel bad about lying to them…" I had never been a very good liar; I always stuttered and could never look people in the eyes when I lied. I had been raised to be an honest and sincere person, so telling fibs was not my specialty.

Cleo put her hands on my spotted shoulders and looked me firmly in the eyes, "Ana, I know you don't want to lie to them, I don't want to either, but we have to consider the consequences if we did tell them the truth. I mean, what if they didn't believe us? What if they thought we were crazy or if we were spies or something? What would we do then?"

I slumped my shoulders in defeat to Cleo's words. She was right. If we told them and they didn't believe us and thought we were crazy, we would be in even worse trouble than before. But still…this whole situation…

"Maybe we are crazy." I whispered, my voice cracking, "Maybe we're all just trapped in this-this weird crazy dream where cartoons are real and take you home with them!" My throat felt thick and I felt tears begin to build up behind my eyes. Cleo's warm arms wrapped around me and she hugged me tightly.

"Well I hate to break it to you, sweetie," she whispered, her tone joking, but with an underlying hint of intense emotion, "But if you're dreaming then your world is a nightmare."

I let out a sound that sounded like a mix of a sob and a laugh. Even now, when the world was making less and less sense by the second, Cleo was there to pick me up again. Cleo is always there.

But sometimes…I worry about her. I really do.

After a minute or two, I forced myself out of Cleo's embrace and smiled weakly at her. She mirrored my expression, with a strained, exhausted look in her eyes. We both were tired and dirty. But fortunately, we had a solution to the latter problem.

Honest to God; a shower stall never looked so beautiful.

I hesitated slightly before turning to Cleo and said, "Go ahead C. You first." She turned to me surprised and relieved. She gave me a grateful smile before going into the stall and closing the curtain. Soon I heard the sound of running water and I sat myself on the lid of the toilet as steam began to cloud the mirror. I rested my elbows on my knees and placed my chin in my hands.

I stared hard at the checkerboard tiled floor deep in thought. This is all happening so fast, I thought to myself. My head ached and my stomach began to feel sick again, probably had something to do with the garbage Cleo and I were eating earlier. Hopefully we wouldn't get sick, I wasn't sure our weak and malnourished bodies could handle it. In fact, I'm surprised we made it this far, I thought. As weakened as we were, we shouldn't have even been able to run away from that building, or find that shelter…

I frowned deeply. Was it due to the mutation we had gone through? Had our bodies somehow evolved, or gone through some sort of genetic enhancement? Cleo was definitely faster than she had ever been before, inhumanly so.

And what about me? I thought, looking down at my blue and black body. Whenever I get really freaked out, poison slime comes out of my skin and kills anybody who touches me. I felt my stomach roll. I didn't mean to kill those people. But-but they were hurting me; they would have taken us back! I shuddered, suddenly feeling very cold in the steamy room. And what if there's more? I thought, suddenly feeling very anxious, what if we have more abilities that we aren't aware of yet? What if we hurt someone?

I let out a slow shaky breath.

What if I hurt more people?

"Ok hon, it's all yours." Cleo stepped out of the shower and grabbed one of the towels on the rack. I quickly stepped past her and closed the shower curtain so she wouldn't see the sickened look on my face. I already worried her enough today. I turned the metal knob nearly all the way to the red 'H'. Scalding hot water poured down on me, making me yelp and quickly lower the temperature. Once I found a comfortable setting, I tilted my head back and let the warm water rush over me. I sighed softly in delight.

Warmth rushed over me and I felt the dirt, sweat, and whatever-else there was wash off of me, making me feel clean for the first time in weeks. I bowed my head directly underneath the showerhead and let my short dark hair become completely soaked. Spotting a bottle of shampoo and conditioner (probably Mona Lisa's) I grabbed it greedily and poured a small handful into my hand. The smell of strawberries invaded my nostrils and I scrubbed it roughly through my matted hair. I scrubbed harshly until my scalp hurt and rinsed it out, watching as the light pink suds spiral down the drain. Next I grabbed the conditioner and poured a small dollop in my hand and worked it through my hair. After I rinsed that out, I stayed underneath the spray of the water, not wanting to leave just yet. I opened my eyes and blinked through the water and stared at the wall. It wasn't until after a few moments I realized that I was crying. I blinked my eyes rapidly and breathed deeply.

Ok Ana, get a grip.

After a few more moments, I reluctantly turned off the water and stepped out of the stall. Cleo handed me the other towel and I began drying myself off, inhaling the clean scent of fabric softener that emitted from the towel. After I dried myself off, I instinctively turned to the counter where I would normally put the clothes I would wear after taking a shower. I blushed, remembering that not only was I a mutant, but I was completely naked as well.

And I was walking right next to all those boys…oh my god. I thought miserably, feeling utterly humiliated. Cleo was combing her fingers through her long ginger hair, trying to smooth it out a little. After she got it looking semi-presentable she turned to me and gave a weak smile, "Well, shall we get this over with?" she asked, turning the doorknob. I nodded feebly and pulled my arms to in front of my small chest; another nervous habit I had.

We stepped out of the bathroom and walked down the spiral staircase, and finally stood before the mutants who had taken us here. They seated themselves on the large couch or were standing near it, watching us carefully. We each gave them nervous smiles and Cleo broke the silence, saying wearily, "So…what now?"

"Now, young misses, you tell us what exactly happened to you, to make you look this way." A voice with a thick Japanese accent spoke directly behind us. Cleo and I yelped and nearly jumped a foot in the air, and turned to see a large rat standing less than 3 feet behind us.

H-how the hell did he get so close without us noticing…wait. I thought as it finally clicked, This…this is Splinter. I felt a wave of awe overcome the surprise. And there he was, staring at us with ancient eyes that just seemed to radiate wisdom and intelligence. I stared at him, amazement and wonder swirling inside me.

I had never really said it before, but Splinter had always been my favorite character in the TMNT series. He had always been the source of wisdom and knowledge in the show, with the occasional funny line that made everyone laugh. And even though he was so old, he could still kick anybody's ass five ways to Sunday if he wanted to, which earned him major badass points in my book. I also always thought there was never a true deep look into his character in the show, which usually focused on the turtles, which I felt made, him underappreciated. But still, seeing him there, real, made it all seem so surreal.

And then I felt very small and young underneath his powerful and aged gaze. He regarded us with an unreadable emotion on his face and was silent for some time. Finally after what felt like an eternity (at least to me) he gestured a paw towards to couch and said, "Would you both like to sit down while we have our discussion." It was not a question.

We both took the hint and quickly seated ourselves on the cushy seats of the couch. Cleo and I sat in the middle, and the turtles situated themselves around us, again forming a circle. Mona Lisa sat on my left, Venus on Cleo's right, Raphael and Donatello each sat on an arm of the armchair, Michelangelo leaned against the side of the couch, and Leonardo kneeled beside Splinter, who kneeled in the traditional Japanese style in front of us.

Before now I hadn't really been able to get a good look at our rescuers, due to the darkness in the tunnels and the overall shock, but now in the light of the lair I could see them all in great detail.

Mona Lisa, who was the closest to me, was colored asparagus green, but her front torso and inner thighs were yellow, although she didn't have a plastron like the others. Her hair was chestnut brown, thick and pulled into a high ponytail. Her tail was as long and thick as Cleo's, though she seemed to have better control over it. Her hands were webbed and her wrists to her elbows were wrapped in bandages. Her eyes were a honey brown color, and she (typically) wore a pink scarf around her neck. I noticed that she had a large tattoo on her left shoulder; a heart of some kind with words written in it, but from my angle I couldn't see what.

Donatello was olive-green in color, with the traditional yellowish plastron. His eyes were a light hazel and they stared at us curiously from his violet mask, as we were an interesting puzzle waiting to be solved. He was well muscled, though I noticed a great amount of calluses on his hands, probably due to handling a bo staff all his life. I noticed on his cheeks, underneath his mask, were spots that were colored a darker shade of green than the rest of his body. Freckles?

Raphael was the largest out of all of them by sheer muscle mass. His shoulders were broad, his legs and arms thick with muscle; but what stood out the most to me were the two large scars on his face. One ran from the left side of his head to underneath his left eye, and the other from the right side of his chin to the middle of his right cheek. His plastron also had many nicks and cuts in it as well. Battle wounds I guessed. His eyes were an exotic amber that seem to glow unnaturally as he glared at us…or maybe he was glaring at everybody. I couldn't tell. Raphael was definitely the wildest out of all of them.

Michelangelo had the most interesting color; a sort of bluish-green that reminded me of sea foam. His eyes were big and blue, and his body language radiated excitement. He was muscled like the others, but he seemed the leanest, and his plastron was a brighter yellow than the others. He smiled widely at us, and I noticed that when he did so, his cheeks dimpled.

Venus's body was colored a tea green, however, unlike the other turtles, her plastron split in half at the top, exposing her cleavage and acting sort of like a corset. Her shell was also smaller than the others; while theirs covered nearly all of their backs hers only reached the small of her back. Her mask was a light teal color and the tails were braided. I also noticed that she wore a choker whose color matched her bandana and it had a yin-yang symbol on it. On her hands were custom made leather gloves and on her thigh was a holding pouch, like the kind you would see in the anime Naruto. Her eyes were almond-shaped and were so dark in color; I couldn't see where her irises and pupils touched.

Leonardo was colored an emerald green. His body was muscled and lean, a result from the intense training he had gone through his entire life, and if I looked carefully I could see the light hints of scars on his limbs and plastron from previous battles. His eyes were sharp and angular, colored a deep brown, they shone with a seriousness that made me more nervous than I already was. His mouth was set in a thin line and remained still as stone beside his sensei.

Splinter, by far, was the most interesting of all. He was about my height (again, taller than in the cartoon) and wore a black robe, that seemed to be made of silk, with white dragons on it. His fur was a mixture of dark gray and shining silver, and I saw a large pink tail peeking out from behind him. His hands and feet were wrapped in bandages and in one gnarled paw he held a polished bamboo cane. His snout was long and crooked, with one pink nose on the end; and two small ears (though one looked slightly torn) twitched on top of his head at the slightest sounds. But what got me the most were his eyes. They were large and radiated a sense of calm that swept over me like water running slowly in a stream. I felt my nervousness shrink away, and I felt very calm then, like I could tell him just about anything in the world, and I knew it would be okay. It was then I noticed the color of his eyes: a soothing gray.

He was silent for a while, observing us like we had done him, and then spoke softly, "So young ones…what are your names?"

Surprising myself, and probably the others as well, I spoke first, "My name is Anastasia." I flushed, realizing that I had given my full first name for no reason, "But most people call me Ana." I added quickly, feeling embarrassed. Splinter nodded at me and then turned his gaze to Cleo. Cleo straightened and said, "I'm Cleo. And yes it is short for Cleopatra, queen of the Nile. But I prefer Cleo…or else." She added after seeing Mikey open his mouth, eyes narrowing. He closed it with abruptly.

Splinter, once again, nodded his head and introduced himself, "I am called Splinter. And these are my sons and daughters…"

"Leonardo…" He gestured to the turtle by his side. Leonardo gave us a polite nod but otherwise said nothing.

"…Raphael…" The red-banded turtle grunted and lifted his head in greeting.

"…Donatello…" He gave us a small, slightly nervous smile. "Hi." He said a bit bashfully, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"…Michelangelo…" The orange-banded turtle grinned broadly then winked at us and made a clicking sound with his teeth, "What's up dudettes?"

"…Venus…" She also gave a nod but smiled gently at us. "Welcome to our home." She greeted warmly.

"…and Mona Lisa." She too, gave us a grin and regarded us enthusiastically, "Welcome to the Cirque Du Freaks, ladies. And don't worry about him," she added, jerking her thumb at Raphael, "He might look like a total grump, but he's not so bad, once you get past his piss poor attitude."

Raphael scoffed and gave the gecko-girl a glare, "Yeah, well yer no saint either." He growled, although it seemed sort of lighthearted, like it was a joke between the two of them. Mona Lisa smirked and looked ready to sling back a retort but Splinter cleared his throat and stared sternly at the two mutants. The two murmured apologies and then the attention focus was back on us.

I fidgeted uneasily under the multiple gazes, not really sure what to say. What would happen now? The silence went on for a beat, and I hated it; long silences always seemed awkward and it made me very uncomfortable. I was lost, swimming around in my own thoughts, and I nearly jumped when I heard Cleo speak up beside me, "Excuse me for asking; but where did you guys come from exactly? I mean it's not every day you see giant turtles."

Splinter smiled gently and responded, "Yes, our story is a strange one." Suddenly the turtles all had grins on their faces and Michelangelo piped up excitedly, "Do you wanna hear it?" Cleo and I nodded eagerly, even though we both already knew the story it would still be far more interesting to hear in it person.

Splinter had a wise smile on his face and began the story, "It all began 20 years ago…"

-Time Skip-

Wow. Like I said about the lair, it's one thing seeing and hearing it on television, but being there and hearing it, in person, was just…wow.

The story itself was basically the same: Splinter had belonged to a man named Hamato Yoshi, who had been murdered by the Shredder, the boy with the glass jar of baby turtles, the metal canister, Splinter saving them, the mutation, and raising them to be ninja. He also told us of how they had come across many allies and foes, and how the war between them had been going on for a while now. But what was new to the story was (of course) Venus and Mona Lisa.

Venus had been the first of the two to join their group. It had been about 4 years ago when she had run into the turtles. It had been a huge shock for all of them; apparently there had been five turtles in the jar that got covered in ooze but somehow Splinter had missed her. Venus had been washed away by the sewer system and landed in Chinatown where she was found and raised by a man named I Chung, who took her to China with him and taught her chi magic and basic fighting skills, all the way to adolescence. But then one day, her father had been killed and Venus had vowed revenge. She had been following her adopted father's murderer and followed him to New York. Together they had defeated man and avenged I Chung. Venus had remained in New York ever since.

Mona Lisa's story was much different than her 80's cartoon counterpart's. Her father had been killed by a mafia gang who were connected with an illegal experimentation association. Mona Lisa had gone after them, wanting also to avenge her father, but had been caught. There she had been mutated and experimented on, until she managed to escape and then ran into the turtles. Then they had worked together and eventually brought her father's killers to justice, and had decided to remain with the turtles, rather than searching for a way to be human again. I suspected Raphael had to something to do with it (surprise, surprise).

And, finally when it was all over, I was blown away. The story was so familiar yet so different. This world wasn't the 2K3 cartoon or the 80's cartoon. It wasn't the live-action series or even the CGI movie. It was a world where many TMNT worlds met and intersected with each other, creating a world that no one else had ever seen or heard off. And we were trapped here with no way home, no way to reach our families, and no idea how we even got here.

We were stranded in an alien world.

…

Splinter had remained silent after he finished, carefully studying our expressions. After a moment he spoke, "Now that you have heard our story; will you tell us yours?"

I stiffened and squeezed Cleo's arm and my heart started jumping around anxiously in my ribcage. Cleo's face had remained calm, but I could see the nervousness in her eyes as she gazed at Splinter. We were silent for a while, not entirely sure what to say, where to begin.

"We were kidnapped." I spoke softly, finally breaking the silence, "We were at my house, having a sleepover. We-we were just hanging out, watching TV but-but…" I swallowed thickly and felt Cleo's arm tighten around me, "…we were ambushed. These men, in black suits, they broke into my house, and grabbed us…" I felt tears gathering in my eyes and I blinked rapidly to stop them, but a few fell down my cheeks anyway, "They d-drugged us and when we woke up, we-we were in that building, and then they-they..."

"They did this to us." Cleo interrupted her voice low. I bit my lip and looked down at my mutated hands and swallowed the tears that threatened to become a waterfall down my face. Cleo's arm was still around my shoulders, but I could feel her trembling slightly. It was hard to imagine that we had still been in that place less than 32 hours ago.

"How long were you there?" Leonardo asked, after a moment's silence.

"Wuh-weeks." I stuttered, my voice cracking again, "We were in there for weeks." I began to sob softly, the situation just being too much for me. Cleo held me closer and I felt her trembling worsen. The turtles were silent for a little bit, looks of pity and guilt painted on their faces. I went on like this for another 5 minutes or so before I finally calmed down, my cheeks sticky and wet with tears.

"S-sorry." I stammered, embarrassed that I had broke down so easily. I saw Splinter shake his head slowly, "Do not be sorry, Miss Anastasia. You and your friend have been through a terrible trial, and it has affected you greatly. You both have been done a terrible injustice." Cleo gave a soft, humorless laugh, "Ain't that the truth." She stated giving a pointed looked at her new tail.

"Ah, if you are not too offended by my asking, but exactly how did they do this to you?" Donatello asked his eyes narrowed in scientific curiosity. Cleo answered him this time, "Um they injected us with some sort of solution, which hurt like hell by the way."

Donatello's brow furrowed, "Did they do this multiple times or only once?" Cleo frowned and we both unconsciously raised our hands to the spot on our chests where we had received our injections, "They injected us with it almost daily, sometimes we would be left alone, but we were so out of it most of the time I couldn't tell you everything they did."

Donatello nodded slowly and rose from his spot on the chair. He walked over to us and leaned in front of us, observing us closely. I leaned back into the couch, feeling a little self-conscious, while Cleo merely raised an eye ridge.

"It appears you both have been mutated with different species of amphibian DNA." He finally said, rubbing his chin in thought. He turned to Cleo and said, "It appears that your DNA has been combined with a breed of mud salamander but I cannot tell whether if it's eastern or northern." Cleo blinked, "What's the difference?"

"Well one type has brown eyes, and the other has yellow, but yours are green. I'm guessing they're your natural eye color?" he asked. Cleo smiled and said, "Yup. They're all O'natural, a la Cleo." I saw Donatello's cheeks darken slightly and he quickly turned to me, coughing slightly. He then began observing me just as thoroughly as he did Cleo.

"Hmm." He hummed, "And you it seems…have been combined with a blue poison dart frog." I blinked a couple times, confused.

I'm a frog? So…that's what the picture above my door meant…

"How…how are you so sure that I'm a poison dart frog?" I asked confused how he had come to that conclusion so quickly. Donatello smiled at me and replied, "Well, for starters your skin color and pattern is exotic and unique to the poison dart frog family, and I wasn't so sure about it at first, but thinking back to what happened at the abandoned building, when… Cleo stopped me from touching you…" He paused and looked at me with a serious look on his face, "Those men collapsed because they came in contact with your skin, didn't they?"

I felt my stomach clench and I looked down at my hands in shame. "Yes, they did." I answered quietly, "But why does it have to do with-"

"Poison dart frogs secrete a toxin from their skin's pores when they feel threatened, usually causing temporary paralysis or, in some cases, death to the ones whom they come in physical contact with." Donatello explained.

"…Secrete?" I echoed, feeling slightly nauseous. Donatello continued, not noticing the ill look on my face, "Yes, all frogs, and many amphibians for that matter, secrete a mucous-like substance from their skin's pores, mostly to keep their skin hydrated, but poison dart frogs are widely known for their toxins, which is a defense mechanism in their case, in fact many natives have used these toxins in the tips of their arrows for hunting, or for medical purposes even, it's all quite fascinating-"

"Uh, Don? I think you should stop now." Michelangelo (thankfully) interrupted him. Cleo's face had turned slightly pale, which was hard to see due to the color, but it was there, and I was sure I had a look of complete terror on mine.

Don's eyes widened and he stood straight waving his hands in front of him, trying in vain to undo the damage, "A-ah but don't worry! I-I'm sure there's a way for you to control it and it's completely normal in amphibians," Our eyes went as wide as dinner-plates, "O-of course you're not really amphibians, you've only been mutated, which in itself is an incredible that it has advanced this far," Our jaws dropped, "I-I mean, not to say what happened to you wasn't horrible, it's just that something this complicated had happened so quickly and the results so unfeasible, and-and…I'll stop now." He quickly walked back to his spot on the armchair, cheeks completely flushed with embarrassment.

The silence went on for a moment before someone snorted; it was Mona Lisa beside me, "Unfeasible? Don, I seem to recall someone else in this room who used to be human and was mutated into a lizard." She stated crossing her arms over her chest, raising an eye-ridge at the purple-wearing turtle. He smiled nervously at the gecko-girl and rubbed the back of his neck, "But Mona, your mutation was due to an intense exposure to chemicals, radiation, and a nearby reptile; Cleo and Ana had a foreign component introduced inside their bodies, completely rearranging their DNA and molecular structure, not only altering their physical structure to mimic the base where the DNA came from, but to also have similar defense mechanisms as the original base. Such an action is a huge feat in science."

Cleo frowned deeply, and spoke softly in a low voice, "I don't think this is a feat. Not at all." Don grimaced with a guilty look on his face. "You're right, forgive me, I forgot what the two of you had gone through. That was insensitive of me." Cleo looked at him with tired eyes, and replied, "Yeah." She wasn't mad at him and neither was I. Not really. We both were too exhausted to be angry. But after hearing this, a new question surfaced in my mind.

"Is it reversible?" I asked. The group looked at me surprised, so I continued, "I-I mean would it be possible to be changed back? Into our human forms? If it is possible to be changed like this, can't it be possible to have it undone?" I stared at the genius turtle expectantly, and saw Cleo do the same. If anyone could change us back, it would be Donatello.

Any hope I had left for being changed back to normal was shattered when I saw Donatello look sadly at me and replied, "I'm sorry, but to do something like reversing your mutation is virtually implausible. The fact that you had been mutated to this extent and survived is practically one in a million. If the two of you were the first to survive the mutation, there would be no guarantee that you would be able to live through something as dangerous and unstable as another one. Your entire molecular and DNA structure has completely transformed, and to change it back to its original form is incredibly dangerous and all but impossible. And even if you could survive the procedure, I wouldn't know where to begin to start developing one. I have no idea or knowledge of how you were mutated, other than the DNA injections, and I have no samples of your DNA's state, previous to your mutation, to work with. Even then, I would have to develop a procedure that would be successful and not harmful to either of you, which would take numerous experiments and research that would take months, possibly years to get right before it would be safe and successful. I'm sorry but…I don't think it can be done…"

I was in shock. My mind and body were numb. Everything seemed to fade in and out, and a horrible roaring echoed in my ears.

It's not reversible. It's permanent. We're stuck like this. We can never be human again. We-we can't go home…

Images flashed in my head. My friends, my school, my pets, my family; I would never see any of them again.

My family…

A terrible weight formed in my chest. I thought of my mother and sister.

Mom…Dani…

I would never see them again. I would never see my sister's violin recitals again, I would never see my mother get remarried, I would never see my sister graduate from high school, I would never see my mother grow old.

I…this can't…oh God please!

My vision faded in and out, and I slid off the couch and onto my knees. I could hear concerned voices around me but I paid no attention. My body was shaking and I couldn't see straight. I felt a hand on my shoulder and heard Venus say to me, "Ana are you alright?"

NO I wasn't fucking alright! Nothing would ever be alright, ever again! Didn't she get that? I wanted to scream this at her but my voice was gone; all I could manage were small gasping breaths. I heard Cleo answer instead, "N-no but p-please, I-I, we need some space. Please." She sounded like she was choking through sobs. Mona Lisa stood and said, "You can have my room, we already set it up for the both of you." I felt Cleo lead me up the stairs and into a room, how she managed to be able to walk after this astounded me, I could barely stop my legs from shaking.

Once were inside the room and the door was shut I felt myself slowly come back to reality. I was sitting on a lumpy, but soft, bed with Cleo sitting next to me rocking back and forth but holding me to her at the same time. She didn't say anything, but I could feel her shoulder shaking violently and heard her take sharp, shaky breaths from time to time. I, for some bizarre reason, was very calm. I leaned my head against her shoulder, burying my face in her red hair and breathed in the scent of Mona Lisa's strawberry shampoo.

"Cleo," I whispered softly, almost childishly, "I wanna go home." Tears ran slowly down my face, but I didn't sob or gasp. They just fell in silence, and dripped onto the plush comforter of the bed, my face calm and expressionless.

I felt Cleo shake harder and she squeezed me tighter to her, and buried her face into my short black hair. "Me too." I heard her whisper, her voice thick and cracking. I felt the top of my head become wet with her tears and I said nothing more. There wasn't anything left to say. No words of comfort or reassurance. No hope, no faith, nothing.

So we just sat there, held each other, and cried.

)-*!-$-!*-(

The family of mutants watched in silence and pity as the two amphibian girls disappeared into Mona's room, the red one supporting the blue one who seemed to be in shock. They closed the door and were silent for the rest of the night.

Donatello's face and body looked heavy with guilt as he frowned unhappily at the floor. He looked up to see his sensei put his hand on his shoulder. The old rat's eyes were kind and shone with sympathy.

"Do not blame yourself, my son. Miss Anastasia asked you a question and you answered it truthfully and honestly, which was the best thing you could have done." Donatello looked up at his father figure forlornly, "But Master…the looks on their faces…they-"

"Needed to hear the truth of their situation, and it was best to hear it sooner than later. Now they can grieve and begin the process of healing and acceptance." Splinter finished. He looked toward the closed door that the two girls had disappeared behind and felt immense pity for the unfortunate teens. No one should have their lives ripped away from them as they had. No one.

However, he had felt the nervousness and apprehension rolling of them in waves when they had told them their story. They were hiding something from them, what Splinter couldn't tell, but it was something. And he would find out soon. He always did.

But for now, Splinter would let them be. They had been through much, and needed time to adjust to their new lifestyle. They could ask questions later, perhaps he would ask them individually. The salamander, Cleo, was extremely protective of her younger companion, Ana, who was in turn, heavily influenced by her protector. He had a feeling that he would be able to get a straighter answer out of the young frog-girl; she was absolutely terrible at lying. Poor thing.

He sighed and walked slowly over to the paper doors which led to his personal chambers. He turned to his adoptive children and said, "Perhaps it is time to get some rest. It has been a long day."

Leonardo stood from his spot, "But Master, what will we do about them?"

The rat turned to his eldest son and replied, "These young women are in desperate danger, Leonardo and as such, are in need of our protection. I feel it would be safest that they would stay here with us." His youngest son smiled widely at this.

"Sweet! We get to keep them?" Michelangelo exclaimed. Venus frowned at him and scolded him, "Mikey, we are not keeping them, we are protecting them." He grinned sheepishly at the female turtle.

"Oh, right."

Raphael got up and stretched his arms, "Alright, I dunno bout the rest of you, but I'm beat. I'm going ta bed." He grunted. The others made sounds of agreement and Splinter walked into his room, "Goodnight my children. I will see you early in the morning for your training." Some of the mutants gave soft groans but gave their goodnights as well.

Raphael looked over to Mona Lisa and said, "Looks like yer bunking with me tonight?" The gecko-girl smirked and said, "Looks like." And they both headed into his bedroom.

Michelangelo climbed swiftly up one of the ladders and called out, "G'night!" and disappeared behind a door covered in superhero posters.

Donatello disappeared into his lab, where he spent most nights, and closed the caution-taped door behind him. The soft glow of computer screens shone underneath the door and Leonardo knew he would be up for most of the night.

Leonardo and Venus exchanged their own polite goodnights and went to their respective rooms, each pausing to look at the room the two new girls had gone into.

Inside Raphael's room, the mutant couple had snuggled (yes Raphael actually snuggled) into a large, worn hammock. Mona Lisa rested her head on her boyfriend's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat. She felt him shift slightly and heard him murmur, "Hey…you ok?"

Mona Lisa sighed and lifted her head to look at her boyfriend whose face was set in an uncharacteristic look of mild concern, something that was seen very rarely, by very few.

"I just…I know what those girls are going through you know? I mean, waking up in an entirely different body, having bad guys after you, basically having your entire life ripped out from under you." And he did know. They both did.

She sighed again, "I can imagine what they're going through right now, and I don't know how to help them. I mean, where they're at right now, I was two years ago, and it sucked." Mona Lisa rested her chin on Raphael's chest and her honey eyes met his glowing, golden ones.

"Why do people do this Raph? Why do they hurt other people, for their own selfish reasons and gains?" she asked him. Raphael regarded her for a second and replied, "Becuz' 98% of the people out dere, are total assholes who are too blinded by their needs to care bout other people."

The gecko-girl snorted. Raphael smirked and ran his three-fingered hand through her chestnut hair and wrapped an arm around her, "Well dere ain't much we can do right now; jus' let em sleep and we can deal with it in da morning." He told her. She nodded and closed her eyes, and he did the same. They laid there in the dark, wondering about the two new mutants who had come so unexpectedly into their lives, and what to come of them. Soon they both were asleep.

)-*!-$-!*-(

"They ESCAPED?"

There was a loud smack and a body slammed violently into a wall. Five feet away, the sadistic, insane woman who was responsible for the two girls' suffering stood, her face twisted into a mask of rage and madness. Her cold, serpent-like eyes glared fiercely at the unfortunate messenger, one of the men who had been part of the group who attacked the girls and had been knocked unconscious by one of the turtles. There was blood dribbling out of the corner of his mouth, and his dark glasses had been knocked off, revealing his wide panicked eyes.

"I-it wasn't our fault, Doctor B," he cried as the woman in hot pink began advancing on him, "there were-"

"Not your fault!" snarled Doctor B, "You idiots couldn't handle two weak little girls, it sure as hell is your fault, you incompetent little-"

"There were other mutants there!" the man bravely interrupted her. Doctor B paused and then grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and yanked him up.

"What do you mean there were others?" she hissed, leaning in close to his frightened face.

"Th-there were turtles!" he stammered, "Five of them! And a gecko! They had weapons and ambushed us!" The doctor's eyes narrowed and he continued eagerly, "A-and that frog-girl! She poisoned half of the men and killed them!"

The doctor frowned and was silent. Then she released him and he slumped against the wall in relief. She walked over to a metal cart where multiple medicals tools laid strewn about, some of them rusty and covered in dried blood, and placed her hand on it.

"So," Doctor B whispered, staring out a nearby window where the city lights shone, "They've already made contact with the others…"

The man behind her nodded eagerly and said, "Y-yes! But we were taken by surprise that time! Now that we know how many there are and what they're capable of, we will be ready next time! I won't fail you again Doctor B."

"No," she murmured, her hand discreetly closing around a scalpel, "You won't."

And before the man could react, she spun around quickly and sliced the blade across his exposed neck. The man's eyes bulged as warm red blood flew from his neck, and covered himself in his own life's blood. Doctor B didn't flinch when the warm liquid sprayed her face and body and watched with silent malicious glee as the man fell to the floor, gurgling and convulsing, and lay in a rapidly growing red pool. Soon he stopped moving completely.

This isn't going at all as planned; she thought and twirled the crimson-stained blade in her hand. They weren't meant to make contact this soon, not this early in the experiment and with my only two living subjects, she frowned and licked the blood off that had gotten on her lips, deep in thought.

"Must you do that, Belladonna? It's simply ghastly." A masculine voice spoke from the shadows. Doctor B turned sharply at the sound, startled, then annoyed.

"I told you not to do that." She growled as a man wearing a dark suit and glasses stepped into the light. He raised an eyebrow and smirked, "My apologies." He responded, not sounding sorry in the slightest. Doctor B scoffed and glared at him.

"So I suppose you heard what's happened to my experiment?" she asked him, crossing her blood-spotted arms across her chest. The man hummed and nodded, "Yes, I managed to hear what he had to say before he came to see you." He glanced at the rapidly cooling body slumped on the floor and sighed.

"You know, we won't have any employees left if you keep slaughtering them." He said dryly. Doctor B shrugged and said, "Less paychecks to fill." The man sighed again, and Doctor B scowled.

"So what do we do now?" She demanded, her eyes narrowed, "The plan was that once we had living subjects that reached the final phase of the mutation, we would mold them to be our weapons, then unleash them on your precious turtles." She spat the last word like it was a curse.

The man gave a thin smile, "Now? Now we do nothing."

Doctor B's head shot up and her nostrils flared, "Nothing?" she spat, "We do nothing? That was not the plan, my experiment-"

"Your experiment," the man interrupted, "is, as of the moment, on hold."

This pissed off the hot pink-wearing woman even more. "You bastard, those girls are my property." She snarled, "And I should decide what happens with them, not you."

The man's eyes narrowed behind his glasses, "Do not forget who is paying for your little experiment, Belladonna." The man said coldly, "Without my funds, you'd be back in your little basement playing with mice." Doctor's B's face contorted into a hideous grimace.

"Besides," he continued, "This could be the beginning of something even better."

Doctor B's dark eyes narrowed in suspicion, "What exactly do you mean Bishop?"

The EPA agent smiled eerily and replied, "Why, think of the possibilities my dear," he walked over to where she was standing, casually stepping over the body, "If your subjects are with the turtles, we can observe how they interact and adapt with more of their kind. They'll feel safe and protected. They will become close with the turtles and learn how to use their abilities. Why, they might even breed with one of them."

Doctor B's eyes widened and a malicious grin spread across her face, "Oooh that would be wonderful!" she cooed, "Little mutant babies to dissect and analyze! The possibilities would be endless!"

Bishop smirked at the woman's glee, "Yes, and when it's all done, you'll have your subjects back and we can get back on track with the original plan. It's all a matter of patience."

The doctor paused and put a bloody finger to her chin, "Well, I suppose it is worth the wait." She concluded and Bishop chuckled.

The agent then walked out through the door, Doctor B walking beside him. They walked speedily through the halls, discussing how to alter and postpone their original plans, and talked about any further problems they might have.

" We'll be needing more subjects soon. Is the dimensional doorway generator (A/N: wow that's a mouthful xD) repaired yet?" Bishop asked as they passed an employee carting away, yet another, failed experiment.

"No, the damage to the power core was too great, we'll need another one." Doctor B answered.

Bishop frowned darkly, "The only reason it was damaged was because you threw one of the scientists into the power core." Doctor B scoffed and waved her hand dismissively, "Details, details." She replied.

"Don't do it again," he warned in a low tone, "Plutonium and alien technology is not easy to come by or cheap."

"Fine, but the little prick should have brought me decaf, I can't stand black coffee."

Eskimo: And that's all for right now! Oh and if you're wondering how old everyone is:

Leonardo: 20

Raphael: 20

Donatello: 20

Michelangelo: 20

Venus: 20

Mona Lisa: 21

Cleo: 19

Ana: 18

Bunnie: Now REVIEW!