The darkness rose from around them and like someone slowly turns the light on, the scenery appeared in front of Raphael and his guide. It was a sunny glade. This was obviously somewhere in the tropical parts of the world. It was hot, sticky and the air humidity was nearly 100%.

"What is this? Africa?"

The guide shook his head and pointed at a clearing further on.

"This is a possible present. This is the island of Isla Bianco. It's an isolated island, far from the world around. It's nearly 150 kilometres from the nearest populated island."

"What? Is this Jurassic Park or what..?" said Raphael and looked around. He was not very amused at the moment with the many sudden changes of time, temperature and surroundings. Made his head ache like hell. He grunted something bout the stranger and walked on in the direction he had pointed out. And just like the last time, the stranger disappeared and left Raphael alone. He stopped by a fallen tree and crouched down. Someone was in front of him, down by a small stream.  

The sight made Raphael's eyes go big.

"Leo?" he mumbled and looked at the mutant that carefully made his way down to the water's edge. He sniffed in the air and stopped. Raphael knew he could not be smelled in this state. But then Leonardo had always had a different mind. He'd always been able to sense and feel things the others could not. Then a short snorting sound was heard and a rustle of leaves followed. He could see Mick and Don emerged out of the thick bush.

"They're savages.." he mumbeld. A sound of silk being crumpled could be heard and he saw the stranger stand next to Leonardo. Leonardo, without any pads no bandana mask and with a crude simple spear, waited when his brothers drank from the cold water.

"But if they are here... where am I? And by the way! How did they get here?"

"They were gushed out of the sewers and floated on a raft for many days before they ended up here. And since you all can work under water, they hunted for fish and crabs during the voyage.

"Whattaboutmethen?!" said Raphael all in one sentence and hurried down the slope. He knew now that they didn't care about him being there. Maybe Leo...

He seemed alarmed suddenly and they all retreated into the forest. A crack of broken twigs and leaves made the redmasked mutant whirl around. He saw men in military uniforms run down the slope. They crossed the stream, a handful of them, and ran after the turtles.

"Who are they?" Raphael said as one of them stopped by the stream and started to measure things in the air.

"They are the ones who discovered you and your brothers living here."

The stranger walked over to Raphael and took his hands.

"You are alive... Barely."  

A laboratory replaced the blur of the forest. One of the walls in the small square room was made of glass. Along the walls he could see cupboards, laboratory equipment and computers. A handful of persons in white labcoats hurried back and forth with test tubes and strange devises. They were examining something. Now and then they walked up to the thick glasswall and looked at something before returning to the tables and computer-screens.

"As far as I can understand, this is your "

"Ultimate nightmare..." Raphael filled in and walked towards the glass-wall. He stopped and took a deep breath before continuing around a clustered bench.

"Oh man!! Is this for real?!"  

The other Raphael sat in there. It was like a cage on a zoo. Like a small forest, only shielded off with high concrete walls, and electrical fences high up. He estimated the little fake jungle to be about fifty meters long and just as deep. He could see himself sitting up there, on a rock watching a small bird tripping closer. And with a quick snatch, he grabbed the bird and looked at it. But then it grew boring and he let it fly. But as it flew higher and higher, Raphael in the cage stood up. He followed the bird with his eyes, longing for the same kind of freedom that it had.

"Oh man! I'd rather eat three days old pizza then live like this!" complained Raphael and a disgusted look came over his face.

"Well, this is just what might have happened to you and your brothers. Venus ended up in China Town as you all know by now and are already in Japan. She'll never know of your existence. She'll never know, like you do, that there is more then just being free that makes you and your brothers to what you are."

Raphael nodded. He carefully approached the glass-wall and looked at his other self in the cage.

"He seems bored Wonder what I'd do in this situation "

"Who knows... This is just one of millions of possibilities. Your brothers are still free. But for how long? Eventually they'll be caught too and placed in there This present is just a possibility." Stated the stranger and waited for Raphael's reaction.

"Hm... I think I like my life just the way it is now. Even if I have to cope with those darn nerds of brothers I have. Know what? I just wish that I sometimes "

"Don't wish too much. It might come true." Said the stranger and stepped up to him.

"Off again?" complained Raphael.

"To the last place." nodded the Stranger "Your possible future "

The stranger nodded and Raphael found himself once more surrounded by the cloak and it's darkness.  

A sudden gust of wind made Raphael shiver for a second, then the darkness of the silk robe vanished and to his surprise, he was at home. Down in the old subway station, with its old carts the kitchen entrance, the ladder and yes, the old training hall. Well, not that old, he mused, it was only six months since they'd made it. As he walked down the few steps that led down to the old embarking platform for the old trains, he stopped. Voices could be heard and the hatch that was the entrance to their lair, were pulled open.

" don't listen to your gnabbing. He said he'd fix it any day! Why can't you trust him anyway?"

"Well, I hardly trust anyone who isn't dry behind the ears!"

The well-known chatter made Raphael sure of the fact that he was home.

"Yo! Dudes! Where are the food?!" a cheerful voice called out from the kitchen and he saw Michelangelo step out. He had an old dotted apron slung over his right shoulder and a big can of water in the other. But something was wrong. This was not the young Mick that shared Raphael's room. No. This one was older. Much older, with wrinkles around the eyes that grew deeper when he smiled.. But he looked well trained and moved just as freely as the one Raph knew.

"Mick? What's the matter with you? Why do you look so old?"

But then Raphael remembered. He could not be heard on this voyage into the possible future. He could only watch and learn from it. The future Mick walked just thru him, as if Raph had been a ghost. It was an awkward feeling and he spun around to see who the ones were that climbed down the ladder. As they entered with their back towards Raph, he could only see the colours on their masks. Blue mask; Leonardo. Purple mask; Donatello. Mick with his favourite orange coloured one was already there. But then something strange happened.

There was three more climbing down. One with a yellow mask turned around. And then one with a black mask... Followed by another with a white one! And then he saw Venus with her light blue mask. But a second and third one, those last two females like Venus, followed.

"It's freezing up there! I think they got two foot of snow yesterday." complained Donatello. And he too was aged. Leonardo looked stronger and more impressive then before. The others were unfamiliar faces.

"Where did they come from?" he said and looked around. The stranger came down the ladder and walked thru the others and stopped by Raphael.

"I think they were born actually. You know, birds and bees "

"Very funny. You got a twisted sense of humour, pal."

"Why thank you To be serious, this is a possible future, based on your own reality, where you lay ill."

"Hey... We've only got one gal among us, and she's our sister. Where did they come from?"

The stranger sighed and walked off to a stair. It had not been installed back in his time, but had most likely been placed there just recently. As they approached it, they heard footfalls and suddenly three smaller turtles; two boys and a girl came rushing down the ironstair. They were little miniatures of the others and to Raphael's surprise Donatello caught one of them and hugged the child close. The young turtle with the yellow mask grabbed another one and one of the blue masked females, not Venus, grabbed the third.

"Did you bring anything for me?" chattered the child in the arms of the yellowmasked one.

"That depends on if you'd been a good boy today..."

"I have! I..."

"He broke a vase up in mom's bedroom " stated the little girl clinging to Donatello's neck. Raphael walked up to them and stood beside the possible future. He looked at Donnie, saw the shine of joy, pride and fatherhood beam out of his eyes.

"This is amazing... Did we find more of our kin, or?"

"Follow me.." said the stranger and pushed the timetraveller up the iron stairs. Up here, they walked down a hall, with six drapes. It was lit by soft electrical lightbulbs and the drapes all held different colours. One of them was red as blood. Raphael stopped in front of it. He suddenly got a very strange chill down his back. As if he knew that if he pulled this curtain aside, he'd see part of a possible future.

"Do look " said the stranger. And Raphael pushed the red heavy drape aside to look into the chamber. It was cut right from the solid rock, a long rectangular room, decorated as if it had been in Japan. Braided straw carpets, vases and oriental paintings on the dark carved walls. A stereo just next to the doorway broke the composition pretty effectively along with two big speakers. At the far end of the room, he could see a big white screen shielding off a section that seemed to be a bedchamber.

The curiosity of exploring things made him walk over to it. He peeked into the section. He saw his old worn futon, blankets and pillows in a heap. And himself, sleeping in the futonbed. The red mask was tossed into a corner and it had an overall messy atmosphere. As he closed in on himself, sleeping with the back against the door, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a hand. A human hand, resting on his shoulder. A few locks of golden hair and a shapely leg as well. He stumbled backwards and hit the stranger.

"Easy, Raphael-san."

"I don't want to see more!" Raphael said and tumbled out of the room. He felt his heart race underneath his chestplates.

"Who was it in there?"

The stranger took a deep breath and shook his head. "Well, I am not entitled to show you that. All I can say is that it is your future... maybe."

Raphael bit down and walked to the exit of the chambers.

"I have seen enough I'švehad my question answerednow. I know that there is a lot of things that surrounds this mask. It means far more then I can understand. At least for now."

He didn't want to confess that he was very upset. This was just what he had wondered about. But he knew now... there was a lot more to this life then just fighting to survive. Now he knew that if they were lucky they would sure see a different tomorrow. He stopped when he reached the chatting bunch of turtles.

To his surprise he saw some humans climb down the ladders as well. One dark-haired short woman in her mid forties joined Donnie and took the little boyturtle in her arms. A slender tall black man joined Venus. The other humans split up to join the others as well.

"Where is master Splinter?" said Raphael. He was missing.

"Well, this is a possible 25 years into the future, Raphael-san. Splinter is alive, but old and not so strong as he used to. He teaches the children to read and write. He teaches them what it is to live down here and how to master their talents. "

"Good... I thought he was "

"Gone? Not that easily. He is still searching for the one who is going to take over his position. Most likely it'll be Leonardo, but then again... Who knows."

As the group split up, they disappeared into the various rooms and halls.

"But you then? Who are you?"

The stranger shook his head. "The one who heard you thru oceans of time and had to show you alternatives to soothe your mind. But now it's time for you to return. You are going to survive."

Raphael's eyes narrowed as he walked up to the stranger and pulled the dark hood down. He gasped in surprise as a tall turtleman looked down at him. This one was dark in the skin, almost black.

"Time to return now. Go in peace, Raphael-san."

"No wait! Who are you?" he called out. But the falling sensation returned and he lost track of the strange dark-skinned turtle with the red bandana.

"Ever heard of reincarnation? " was the last words he heard. Then he was back in the darkness again. And he felt the sensation of returning to his fevered body.  

"Almost thought we'd lost you there." said Donatello as he helped Raphael to get up.

"Yeah..You talked also... Who's Stranger?" said Mike and shoved the door open. They entered the old platform. As they walked up to the sofa, Raphael looked up at the place where the stair had been. The others gathered around him. April handed him a glass of cold water, and Venus made sure he sat comfortable in the sofa. Leonardo and Splinter joined them as well.

"Don? Have you still got that old stair? You know the one you dragged here a couple of weeks ago?"

"Yeah...It's in the traininghall Why?"

Raphael grinned. "I have an idea... I think it can be pretty cool actually "