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Cursed ch 1

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Rating: T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warnings: This story is harsh and there will be main character death. This is the story of how Michelangelo became Doppelmike and how he started on his journey to darkness. Some imagery may be disturbing. You have been warned.

Summary: Dozens of lifetimes before the nom de guerre 'Doppelmike' was ever coined, he was still Michelangelo, and he'd just witnessed his family brutally murdered. Now he awakens in a new world so similar to his own, that he is left unsure as to which reality is even real. Prequel to 'Snatched'.


Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.

About the Madness (excerpt taken from the :icontmntmadness: journal):

It's happening, a madness like no other.... consuming, twisting our lovable turtles! Dragging them into the pits of darkness, changing their roles, giving them new meanings, not in a good way! The cause is truly unknown, other than this... this symbol!
What is it?
Where did it come from?
Why is it corrupting the turtles in every universe?
Spread the Madness!!!
 


A/N: Yes, the prologue is from 'Snatched' but it fits this story also. As a result, I am posting it with the first chapter. You don't need to have read 'Snatched' to read this, as this long precedes the other story.

Like 'Snatched', this story will move quite quickly and is set over a number of months and even years.


'Cursed'

Prologue


He lay there slowly fading in an ever expanding pool of blood, surrounded by the already cold bodies of his brothers and father. It was all his fault... Even if Shredder hadn't reminded him of that, he'd known it to be true. Yet despite being filled with hatred and self-recrimination, he didn't want to die.

He would do anything to stay alive if it meant he could take his revenge.

“You wish to continue living,” a spectral voice whispered and no matter how hard he tried, he could see nothing through his rapidly diminishing vision.

“Y...es,” he choked out, sure that he was hallucinating in his final moments. “I ne... need to make Shred... der pay for what he's d... done.”

“I can make it so you continue on, even when all others die around you, give you the chance to exact your revenge. Such things come with a steep price though, young turtle. Are you prepared for such a price?”

His face and demeanour hardened, making him unrecognisable to anyone that knew him. “Anything... Would do any... thing...”

“Then so be it,” the voice murmured almost soothingly.

The last thing he saw was the blinding brightness of something dark and gleaming rapidly descending toward him.

Ch 1

With a terrified cry, Mikey shot upright, wide awake and breathing harshly. The remnants of his far too realistic nightmare clung vividly to his mind; he could still smell the cooling, congealed blood that liberally surrounded and coated him, still feel the stiffness from the rigor mortis settling into the bodies of those he held dear as their bodies lay draped against him. He remembered the pain of his own injuries finally diminishing as a cold numbness seeped into his body instead.

Mikey's heart beat frantically as he keened his distress, squeezing his eyelids painfully tight, trying desperately to blot out the sight of mangled green bodies and blood-matted fur. The memory of his father's severed head carefully, almost lovingly, placed upon his plastron enough to make him throw up. At least, it would have had he anything inside to throw up with.

As with many nightmares, he hadn't been able to move, hadn't been able to shove it off as his terror at the time dictated. Hours before slicing into his stomach through his plastron and leaving him to slowly bleed to death surrounded by the cooling bodies of his loved ones, Shredder had broken both arms and mangled his legs, all to keep him helpless, unable to do anything but watch as the ultimate betrayal unfolded. Forcing him to watch as Shredder murdered his family one by one.

And it had all been his fault...

As he sat there gasping in horror, he slowly became aware of a familiar voice desperately urging him to calm. Eventually, he realised that same someone was holding him tightly, warm arms wrapped around to offer comfort in their effort to anchor him to reality.

“Shh, it's okay, Mikey. We're home and safe. Shh, everything's okay now, I promise,” the voice kept repeating, over and over.

Finally, Mikey shifted slightly in the grip, just enough to make out who was holding him. It was enough to make his breath freeze in his chest for what felt like an age.

“D... Donnie?” Mikey finally gasped hoarsely in disbelief over the miracle of seeing his brother alive. Last he'd seen, his olive toned brother had bled out, laying where he was tossed haphazardly across his legs, pinning him down; not that he'd been able to move anyway.

Donnie relaxed upon seeing Mikey finally responding to him, and relief filled his voice. “Yes Mikey, it's me.”

How? I saw you! I saw you die! Shredder killed you!” Mikey suddenly cried shrilly, his panic already rising again. “I... I felt you go cold!

A disturbed light filled Donnie's eyes. “It was just a nightmare, Mikey. I'm alive and I'm fine, I promise.” Donnie pulled away just enough to grasp Mikey's right hand in his and lift it to his face. “Feel my warmth, Mikey. I'm fine.”

Mikey stared with haunted eyes, wanting desperately to believe. Yet it had been so real!

Donnie shifted again, this time repositioning Mikey's hand to his throat and settling his fingers on his pulse. “Feel it, Mikey,” he commanded gently. “Count my heartbeat. I'm fine and you will be too. Count them!”

Swallowing, Mikey began to count each beat, calming more with each number spoken aloud.

“Are you alright now?” Donnie asked gently once Mikey's breathing had steadied and his panic abated.

Mikey nodded slowly. “Yeah...” he replied, still a little shaky. “What about... what about Leo and Raph... and Master Splinter?” he pleaded, suddenly terrified all over again by what the answer would be.

Donnie smiled calmly. “They are fine too. They're all asleep right now; it's almost dawn,” he explained in a soothing voice before getting to his feet. “Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, just getting you a drink,” he reassured as he moved away to get a glass of water. Moments later, he was back and giving Mikey a couple of pills and the water.

Mikey stared down at the pills he'd been handed in confusion.

“You must still be in quite some pain,” Donnie explained gently. “Those will help.”

He hadn't really noticed in his prior hysteria, but now that Donnie mentioned it, Mikey realised his left arm was in agony and his head not much better. With a little help from his brother, Mikey obediently swallowed the painkillers and water. “What... what happened, Donnie?” Mikey asked, his voice still sounding half panicked.

“You saved me, Mikey,” Donnie eventually replied. “If it wasn't for you, Shredder would have killed me.”

The cold terror of Mikey's nightmare knifed through him once more. “What?”

“You stepped in and blocked the blow that would have eviscerated me,” Donnie explained softly, his hand resting on Mikey's right and squeezing it lightly. “Your... your left arm is pretty messed up as a result.”

His arm. His left arm.

But he remembered both were broken... and he was pretty certain his legs were too...

In disbelief, Mikey lifted and stared at his right hand, suddenly realising he'd been using it only minutes before, that he'd in fact felt the proof of his brother still living with it at the time.

Then his gaze shifted to his left. Swathed in bandages, it was secured snugly against his plastron, and his wrist and hand were in a cast.

“The bones in your wrist and hand were badly broken, Mikey,” Donnie said gently, apologetically. “At this point, I'm not entirely certain if you will ever regain full use again. As for your arm, it was slashed to the bone by the Shredder's gauntlet. I had to do a lot of work stitching it back together; I'm afraid it's going to scar.”

Mikey knew without a doubt that Donnie would never lie to him about such things, but what he was saying simply didn't sit right. He couldn't remember any of what Donnie was explaining, only what he'd experienced in that horrifying nightmare immediately prior to awakening. Mikey swallowed nervously, torn between which to believe.

“Leo donated blood to you as you'd lost too much by the time we were able to get you home.”

“So why does my head hurt so much?” Mikey eventually asked in a small voice.

Donnie hesitated a moment. “Shredder picked you up and threw you head first into a nearby wall. It's little wonder you are having trouble remembering what happened. Do you... what's the last thing you remember before waking up?”

His family dying all around him.

However, he knew he couldn't say that since Donnie was alive and breathing right in front of him, and he'd assured him the rest of their family was fine too. Mikey struggled to think, but nothing was clear right now, not with the remnants of what was obviously just a nightmare still overriding everything else. “... Dinner,” he eventually replied, almost questioningly.

The concern filling his brother's eyes deepened. “What did we have?” he asked softly.

“I... cooked a roast,” Mikey answered hesitantly. “Roast pork with crackling and baked potatoes, carrot and pumpkin. Made apple crumble and custard for dessert.”

A shadow flit across the scientist's eyes. “That was the night before...”

Mikey's eyes widened as he considered the implications.

“Missing only a day isn't so bad,” Donnie quickly continued, trying not to sound too doubtful as he attempted to reassure Mikey. “Not when you consider how much worse it could have so easily been.”

Mikey swallowed again. He guessed that explained his mixed up nightmares. That's what it had to have been after all. His family didn't die and neither did he. Relief should have filled him with that realisation, but strangely, it refused to.

“Don?” Mikey asked plaintively after some time. “How long...?”

“You've been out for three days, Mikey,” Donnie answered tiredly, reading into the unfinished question. “I'm so relieved you've finally woken up. We've all been extremely worried about you.”

Donnie then smiled tentatively and helped ease Mikey back into a laying position. “Get some more rest, you need it.”

-:-

Slowly, Mikey became aware of two voices speaking in hushed tones nearby. The sound of them alive and actually getting along for once did much to ease his lingering fears, but still, he needed to see them for himself. When he opened his eyes to the sight of them both whole and uninjured, other than a few yellowing bruises, Mikey called out a relieved but hoarse, “Hey, bros...” Right away, he struggled to sit up, momentarily forgetting his injured left arm strapped to his chest.

At Mikey's greeting and the sound of his movement, Leo and Raph turned to face him, happy relief on their faces as they surged forward.

“Don't try to get up, Mikey,” Leo immediately spoke, concern for his injured brother filling his voice. However, Raph was already helping Mikey into a seated position. Leo shot Raph a reproachful look but otherwise didn't say anything.

“Hey, about time you woke up again, knucklehead,” Raph said easily. “I was beginning to think Don was hallucinating.”

Mikey chuckled weakly, “I can see that, dude. Too much coffee and too little sleep could make anyone start seeing things.”

Being far more awake and less panicked than last he woke, Mikey stared around the infirmary with interest as Leo turned away to fetch him a drink. Even now upon seeing for himself that his brothers were alive and uninjured, not to mention feeling their warmth, something still didn't feel right about the whole situation to Mikey. His nightmares from before he awoke the first time still clung to him, sinking their claws deep into his psyche, and no matter how much he clung to Raph's hand or stared into Leo's warm, brown eyes, he couldn't shake how wrong this all seemed.

Yet nothing appeared out of the ordinary, everything looked just as it always had. As he handed the now empty cup back to Leo and took Raph's hand again, to keep reminding himself they really were alive, Mikey bit his bottom lip.

“Are you alright?” Leo asked softly. “Do you need some more painkillers, or anything else?”

Mikey shook his head once, carefully. “I wouldn't mind some, my arm really hurts.”

“Don told us you'd had nightmares before you woke up before,” Raph suddenly spoke, causing Mikey to turn his gaze from Leo to Raph. “Said you didn't seem to believe we were all alive or something?”

“Yeah, it was a real doozy!” Mikey exclaimed, trying to laugh it off as he normally would anything else that troubled him.

Leo stepped in close to hand over the medication and Mikey reluctantly released Raph to take it. As he washed down the pills with more water, Mikey kept his eyes on his brothers as if fearing they'd disappear before his eyes or worse, morph into the cooling corpses of his nightmares, when Raph's right arm suddenly caught his eye.

Puzzled, Mikey handed over the cup once more before reaching up right-handed to lightly touch at a large, ugly, jagged scar near Raph's shoulder. After a few moments, he turned questioning eyes to Raph's.

Raph shifted his head to look where Mikey's fingers rested and coloured in embarrassment.

“Where'd you get that scar, Raph?” Mikey asked in trepidation. “It looks old...”

“You don't remember?” Leo asked cautiously.

Mikey shook his head slowly. “No...”

Raph and Leo exchanged worried looks.

“Don did say he was missing about a day's worth of memory... maybe there's a few other gaps too...”

A fear reminiscent of the one he'd originally awoken with began to flood his soul and he looked from Raph to Leo and back again, desperate for answers and reassurance. It wasn't just that he didn't remember how his brother came by that scar, but he was certain he'd never even seen it before.

“I'd rather not talk about it,” Raph mumbled when Mikey continued to look at him beseechingly.

Leo took one look at the rising fear in Mikey and turned to Raph, laughing lightly. “You're usually so proud to show off your battle scars, Raph,” he teased.

Raph shot Leo a threatening glare and Leo grinned back at him, before leaning in towards Mikey conspiratorially.

“Back when we were twelve, you and Raph were constantly trying to outdo each other...”

“Leo...” Raph cut in with a warning growl.

Leo ignored him, wanting to ease Mikey's anxiety. “Not much has really changed since, to be honest. Anyway, you were both racing each other on your skateboards through an obstacle course we'd set up a couple of tunnels over, when suddenly,” Leo laughed again, “Raph rode straight through a spider web...”

“Shut up, Leo!” Raph snarled caustically, scowling at their leader.

“... with the spider still attached. He freaked out, no longer paying attention to where he was riding as he tried desperately to slap the poor, innocent creature away.” Now Leo sobered, the funny part of the tale over, “Raph's skateboard hit one of the obstacles head on and he went flying. He sliced his arm open on an old, broken pipe and the spider scuttled away victorious.”

“I remember that...” Mikey admitted slowly. What he didn't admit to, however, was that in his memory, when Raph went flying he hit his head and was knocked unconscious. He'd never hit any pipes, or cut himself open.

“That's good,” Leo smiled in relief. “You used your mask to bandage and staunch the bleeding before you both returned home.”

Mikey blinked up at Leo before shifting his unsure gaze to the still glaring Raph. The way he remembered things, was by him panicking when Raph wouldn't wake up and then rushing home to fetch their father for help. Raph had woken up a couple of hours later with a concussion and the next few days off training.

He swallowed. Something deep inside warned him to keep quiet about his different memory of events, but he didn't know what or why.

“Are you hungry, Mikey?” Leo suddenly asked.

“Yeah, famished, bro!” Mikey answered brightly. Somehow he knew he needed to convince his family that everything was alright, just as much as he needed to convince himself.

Leo reached over and gave Mikey's right hand a comforting squeeze. “I'll go get you some soup then.”

Mikey nodded with a faint smile, even as Raph barked a laugh.

“Don't worry Mikey, it's canned. Even Leo can't ruin that.”

But Mikey knew better. His smile widened to a real one as he chuckled, “It's Leo, of course he can.”

-:-

The next couple of days passed quietly with Mikey feeling a lingering anxiety due to finding himself unable to shake the bloody imagery left by his vivid nightmares. He knew he was worrying his brothers and father, but somehow, he couldn't help it; he simply couldn't bring himself to talk about, or even mention, the dreams that felt more real than the reality about him. Especially considering the tangible proof that everyone was alive and well directly in front of him.

“Are you sure you're alright, Mikey?” Donnie asked in concern for the umpteenth time that day.

“Yeah, seriously, I'm fine bro!” Mikey answered a little snippily. “I'm just a bit bored is all.”

At that, Donnie gave Mikey a look. “Just 'a bit'?”

“Okay, okay, a lot bored,” Mikey lied, forcing a laugh.

“Well, I can't see any reason why you can't go recuperate on the couch for a while instead,” Donnie offered with a faint smile.

Really?

“As long as you promise to stay there and not go anywhere, including the bathroom or kitchen, without someone there to support you.”

“I promise!” Mikey cried, far more eagerly than he really felt. To be honest, he really didn't want to be alone right now, what with those images so entrenched in his mind. However, he knew Donnie expected him to be desperate to get out of the infirmary and to be somewhere, anywhere, more interesting; like in front of the televisions for example.

“I mean it, Mikey,” Donnie added seriously. “You are still far too unsteady to walk anywhere on your own.”

“Well, if you give me my Shell-cell, I'll make sure to call you so you can hold my hand when I need to go to the little turtle's room,” Mikey offered devilishly, a cheeky smile playing the corners of his mouth.

“I don't think we'll need to go quite that far,” Donnie said dryly. “However, I'll certainly help you get to your destination.”

Mikey grinned, but as good as joking around with his brother felt, he still couldn't shake the feeling that nothing was as it should be.

Carefully, he climbed out of the infirmary bed with Donnie hovering close by, then slowly made his way to the currently empty family room. Settling down into their worn, yet comfy couch, Mikey watched as Donnie left the room to fetch his phone.

Once his brother disappeared from view, Mikey turned and anxiously gazed around the room for the first time since his injury, relieved to see everything where it should be; the recent family photos, courtesy of the photographic paper and chemicals April had brought them – they couldn't get the film processed professionally after all; the battered old trophy with 'World's Greatest Father' they found in the dump when they were eight and later presented to their beloved father; the shelving full of books, mostly old and weather-stained, some with covers torn or missing; decorative but still highly functional weapons; and the painting Mikey himself had painstakingly worked on last year of Time's Square at night, filled to the brim with revellers, including his brothers watching from the rooftops.

Still, something about the room did not sit right, but he simply couldn't put his finger on it. For a moment, Mikey was tempted to brush it off as simple unease from terribly realistic memories of horrific nightmares. Unfortunately, something deep down inside wouldn't let him, and as if in a dream, Mikey found himself standing again, and taking a step closer to his painting.

“Michelangelo! You gave me your word you would not move from that couch without someone with you!” Donnie admonished in disappointment as he arrived back with Mikey's Shell-cell.

Startled, Mikey turned haunted eyes on his brother. Donnie's expression softened and he rushed over, taking Mikey into his arms and gently lowering him back down to the couch.

“Mikey, what on earth is wrong? Talk to me!” Donnie pleaded, unable to stand seeing Mikey so upset.

Mikey shook his head and buried his face in his brother's plastron. How could he explain to Donnie how his corpse had been thrown carelessly across his legs, pinning him down, even though his mutilated limbs wouldn't allow him to move regardless; how his brother's lifeless eyes had stared accusingly into Mikey's as he'd bled out over him and grown cold over the course of hours.

It was just a dream!

A horribly realistic nightmare whose images and smells continued to plague him even days later.

Donnie sighed softly as he continued to hold Mikey, pouring as much love and comfort as he could into the embrace. “It's okay,” he eventually said quietly, “I won't force you to talk, but I'm here whenever you're ready.”

Mikey nodded wordlessly to show he'd understood but otherwise made no attempt to move.

Eventually, feeling calmer once more, Mikey pulled away. “I'm sorry, Don,” he said in a small voice.

“It's okay,” Donnie smiled. “I only wish you could bring yourself to let me in.”

Unable to give false promises, Mikey's gaze slid away, settling on the television monolith instead. He felt Donnie's eyes linger on him for a bit before his brother finally stood.

Donnie pulled the coffee table closer and placed the Shell-cell upon it, before picking up and handing Mikey the remote. “I'll go bring you some water, then head back to the lab,” he said softly. Mikey nodded. “Remember, if you need anything, call one of us.”

“'kay...”

Donnie hesitated a little longer before leaving, as if unsure whether leaving Mikey alone really was okay, but then he did and Mikey willed his eyes closed before taking a deep breath and turning on the televisions.

When Mikey opened them again, with a shock, he finally realised what was so off about the room.

One of the TVs in the middle right had finally bitten the big one a scant couple of weeks before and Donnie had taken it away to repair before proclaiming it too far gone to be worth the effort.

Yet there it sat, switched on and working with the same greenish hue in the upper right corner that it had always had. A discolouration, according to Donatello, caused by being too close to a strong magnetic field for too long, like that of a constantly operating pedestal fan.

Beginning to shake, Mikey continued to stare, unable to peel his gaze away.

-:-

To be continued




Skin design By: sampsonknight

Rating: T

Disclaimer: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and all related characters belong to Nickelodeon.

Warnings: This story is harsh and there will be main character death. This is the story of how Michelangelo became Doppelmike and how he started on his journey to darkness. Some imagery may be disturbing. You have been warned.

Summary: Dozens of lifetimes before the nom de guerre 'Doppelmike' was ever coined, he was still Michelangelo, and he'd just witnessed his family brutally murdered. Now he awakens in a new world so similar to his own, that he is left unsure as to which reality is even real. Prequel to 'Snatched'.


Comments, thoughts and concrit are always welcome.


Ch 1 (you are here)
Ch 2 

A/N: Yes, the prologue is from 'Snatched' but it fits this story also. As a result, I am posting it with the first chapter. You don't need to have read 'Snatched' to read this, as this long precedes the other story.

Like 'Snatched', this story will move quite quickly and is set over a number of months and even years.

Also I would like to apologise for my seeming inactivity of late. Over the last few months, a friend and I have been working heavily on a collaboration story, and it's left me so obsessed with that that I've had trouble devoting time to even edit stories and chapters already typed up. I'll try to make an effort to remedy that. Rest assured, 'Cursed' has been typed up since early in the year and I have at least made sure it's ready to post before starting. Chapters for this will come out regularly.


Awesome cover Curse Cover Image by sampsonknight created by the amazing sampsonknight.  Go check out the full sized original! Thank you :-)

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FoxKids1302's avatar
AND THE MADNESS CONTINUES!!!!! I knew pieces from this group would churn themselves back to my notification at some points, and I was right!

This is before it dawns on Doppel!Mikey that he's cursed, right?