They escaped. Barely.

Dad's smoke bombs saved them. If not for that, they could already be dead.

They'd want to be confused and surprised that Sky knew about the pesticide. They'd very much prefer torturing their brain with that question over the doubt if all of them will even survive, the image of Sky breaking the vials in her hand, her smile not faltering a bit when her forearm was being actively burning with whatever chemicals were used in that pesticide.

And now they were all standing on a roof, looking at the giant spaceship, the Technodrome if they're right, hovering over New York, the burning city below their feet.

One sentence, one statement, despite not spoken, was weighing down the silence between the six of them.

We lost.

There is no hope.

"The Kraang are too powerful." Dad stated with a morbid expression on his face, while Donnie's twin fell to his knees dramatically.

"Let's face the facts. We can't change the future." They were sure of their words. Countless theories and paradoxes backed it up.

They've lost.

The only thing they could do now, was take a deep breath and try to live through it.

"But, we already did. Raph never got kraangified in my time." Casey's words were full of hope, but foolish. He must've remembered wrong because there was literally no way it could be true.

"That's impossible. According to the Grandfather Paradox, Physical Determinism, the Space-Time Continuum! You must be wrong." There was no hope! Why didn't Casey just accept it?

"Wait! What if we are in a different... you know... that thing where the timeline splits and does this weird thing-" Leo clearly had no idea how such a simple concept was called.

"Bifurcated time-" Wait, if they were in a bifurcated time branch that means they can change the events of the future! There could be hope. "branch."

"You're right. This might change everything!"

"Yeah. We still have hope!"

"A ninja's greatest weapon."

"I like that! Look, I'm done thinking I have all the answers." Character development? Leo's character developing? Unheard of. But welcome nonetheless. "I don't know how to beat the Kraang, but I know that our future isn't written until we write it, as a team."

Now that was a spirit lifting speech right there!

"So, what do we got?" Leo asked, and April responded quickly.

"Maybe we don't have to beat them. Can't we just send them back to the prison dimension?" That was an idea so simple yet genius, Donnie was a bit jealous that they didn't think about it.

"There's an idea! Donnie, what do those big, beautiful eyebrows have to say?" Leo asked them.

Good question. Let's see. The portal open in the sky does lead both ways, the Kraang are sucking the energy to power the portal from the city somehow, but if they close the portal now the Technodrome will stay in New York.

So they have to send it back. It should be controlled in some way... Let's just hope it isn't any kind of neuralink specific to the species.

Although even if it was, they could always either torture one of the Kraang into sending it back or do an experimental surgery with a paper clip and implant the part with neuralink into someone on Earth.

"If we got control of their ship, we could send it back through the portal." They settled on the simplest and most non-lethal idea. No one ever liked their lethal ideas :(

"And if someone on the ground can get to that key, we can close the doorway!" Splinter added. Donnie's guess is that the key is on top of Metro Tower, where the giant goop spikes align with the portal.

"And then bye bye Kraang forever, baby!" Yeah, this plan is... doable.

"What do you say Donnie? Ready to fly a spaceship?" Oh, of course! Even if it involves an experimental surgery.

"Literally, the greatest question I have ever been asked."

And so they split into two groups: Mikey, Donnie and Leo will try getting into the Technodrome. They and Mikey will try to hijack a spaceship and their dum dum twin will try to get Raph and Sky unkraangified. Or at least contained until Donnie can find a cure.

And April, dad and Casey will attempt getting to the key.

"One last thing before you go." They stopped April's team. "It's dangerous out there. Take this."

Saying this, they made five guns and a bazooka with their ninpo. April got the bazooka. She's the only one who could properly use it (besides Donnie themself).

"Thanks."

They just hoped the plan would somehow work out with Sky playing with the Kraang now.

How much does she know? Does she know about their plan? In detail?

They'll have to be on the lookout for her. She's an unpredictable variable that could quite literally fuck everything up.

-

Climbing up levitating debris was easier said than done. At least they had a jetpack to help. The amount of rocks around was too big to attempt flying straight to the spaceship, but the jetpacks still assisted in bigger jumps.

Oh, how many steps was Donnie gonna get credit for. Real cardio session.

Finally the three landed on the fleshy surface of the Technodrome and slipped in through a cut Leo made with his katana.

The blue idiot immediately ran off to try and find Raph, while Donnie and Mikey tried searching for the main console.

It was occupied, but after a quick fight, the Kraang #3 kindly removed himself from the spot, making room for Donnie. And-

Ookay, what was that? Where are the buttons, monitors, switches? Where is the computer?

There is just a lot of drippy disgusting mass.

How was the Kraang even operating it-

Oh.

Donnie realized how.

They'll have to stick their hands into this- this living, moving disgustingness. The sole thought made them want to barf.

The thought of these... slimy tentacles on their hands made them want to faint.

Wait...

Was that why Sky wanted to learn hacking a few weeks ago?

Did she know this would happe- Oh, who was Donnie kidding, of course she knew.

Was it possible she wanted to do it instead of them?

They closed their eyes and put their hands into that goop.

Okay, back on track. Anything to take their mind off... You know...

Let's start with something simple: 100 digits of pi. That should calm them down.

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

Another time

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

The digits filled their brain, like a mantra, a long memorized string of numbers being the only thing they focused on at the moment.

3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375105820974944592307816406286208998628-

Wait... Wasn't there supposed to be something else going on? They were supposed to steer a ship.

"It's not working." They need better connection. But the only part of their body that could guarantee it is... Sweet Newton, no!

The living goop-

NO

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

"Mikey, take off my battle shell."

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679

They were falling.

3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445-

Suddenly they saw everything, felt everything. They saw Mikey standing next to the console, but not from their body anymore.

There was only one possible conclusion.

"I am a spaceship!"