Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987
The Trouble With Tribble
By Lucky_Ladybug
Notes: The characters are not mine and the story is! This involves characters introduced in the Four Turtles and a Baby episode from season 4. I operate on the idea that seasons 1-3, and then 4-7, each comprised around a year of events. This is part of my Exit the Fly verse, so Baxter is human again and an ally of the Turtles and his brother Barney works for Shredder.
Baxter sat at his kitchen table, again pondering on the sketch of the invention he had been crafting for the last several days. It was just as difficult as before to think of how it could be improved, but this time the reason was because he could not concentrate.
"You're still a doormat."
"You're still a doormat."
He snarled in frustration, digging both hands into his hair and leaving it more wild than before. Then he groaned, crossing his arms on the table's edge and resting his forehead against them.
Was Raphael right? All he was trying to do was to show compassion to Barney and others who were exploring darker paths. He didn't really see how he could not view their situations in the light of someone who had also trod such a road. But maybe that was weakness.
No, it couldn't be. It was kindness that had brought him back to sanity after his humanity had been restored. Kindness was strength . . . when it was used properly. That was what Raphael had really meant-that he felt Baxter was over-using it.
Baxter looked up with a sigh. Maybe he had been. But he was treading on thin ice any time he talked to Barney. He honestly wasn't sure if being more firm with Barney than he had already been was a good idea. He never knew what might make his brother snap next.
Maybe, deep down, he was still just plain afraid of Barney and he acted accordingly. And honestly? He really had good reason to be afraid. His twin was short-tempered, vicious, and violent.
He pushed back the chair and got up from the table. Barney wouldn't hurt him again. Not physically, anyway. At least, he was really sure Barney wouldn't, after being so deeply affected by having struck him with a crowbar. But he supposed there was always the chance that something could make Barney snap to that extent again. And even if not, he dealt out plenty of verbal abuse and that was more than a little hurtful.
A sound on the fire escape made him pause and turn. He expected pigeons or even a burglar. He most certainly didn't expect a blonde child with strangely pointed ears looking back at him. "What on Earth . . ." He walked over and opened the window. "Who are you?"
She answered in gibberish. Either she didn't speak English yet or she didn't speak it at all. But she smiled, reached through the window, and suddenly he was rising off the floor with a shocked cry. She giggled and clapped her hands in delight.
Baxter stared down at her from the ceiling. "Amazing," he gasped. "She has telekinetic powers." On a hunch, he grabbed the Turtle-Comm from his pocket. This was just the kind of bizarre occurrence that the Turtles might be able to explain. And if not, they would at least certainly be interested.
"Yo, Baxter! What's up?" Michelangelo greeted when he answered his Turtle-Comm.
"I am," Baxter replied. "There's a child on my fire escape. She looks about toddler age. And she simply levitated me up to the ceiling by some sort of incredible mental ability."
Michelangelo stared at him. "No kidding?!"
"Tribble!" came a collective cry from the background.
"What's that?" Baxter asked, raising an eyebrow.
At that moment the child seemed to get bored of keeping him afloat. Again she waved her hand and he crashed to the floor with a pained yelp.
Michelangelo cringed. "Are you okay, Baxter Dude?"
"Yes," Baxter winced.
"Well, a Tribble is exactly what you've got!" Michelangelo said. "Er, at least probably. You've definitely got a Neutrino microdudette!"
Hearing his voice, the child climbed in through the window and toddled over to look at the screen of Baxter's Turtle-Comm. She beamed, waving at Michelangelo.
"Hey, Tribble!" he said, waving back. "Are you having fun with Uncle Baxter?"
She answered in more gibberish.
"I would hardly call such an act of sadism 'fun,'" Baxter grunted, but he trailed off as Tribble threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.
"Aww, she's just playing," Michelangelo said. "She likes you!"
"Well . . ." Baxter started to soften. The child was cute, he had to admit. And affectionate . . . when she wasn't sending him crashing to the floor from ceiling-height.
"Wait a minute," he exclaimed, shaking himself out of his thoughts. "What's going on here?! Who is she?"
"She's the crown princess of the Neutrinos," Michelangelo said. "We took care of her about a year ago when Rock Soldiers were invading Dimension X and kidnapped her mom and dad. Man, I hope there isn't more trouble over there. . . . She doesn't have a note or anything on her, does she?"
"Not unless it's in the pocket of her clothing," Baxter answered.
Tribble broke free and started to dance through the apartment with a happy gurgle.
"You know, I think we'd better get down there," Michelangelo said.
"Yes, I should think you'd better," Baxter retorted.
"We're leaving right now," Michelangelo promised. "If you need any help, call on April and Irma. They helped us last time!"
"I should be able to handle one small child," Baxter objected.
"Okay, if you're sure," Michelangelo said.
The call disconnected. Baxter started to pull himself up, cringing as he did. "On second thought, maybe I'd better call them," he muttered. "Maybe they know how to stop this from happening again." He limped into the living room. "Tribble? . . . What a ridiculous name. I keep expecting to see little mischievous balls of fur, not a humanoid child."
A shadow fell over him and he looked up with a start. Aghast, he could only stare at the sight of half the living room furniture elevated at once. Tribble stood in the middle, giggling in delight. "Oh. . . ." He slumped against the doorframe, propping himself up on an elbow.
The sudden crash when Tribble brought the furniture back down vibrated the entire apartment. Baxter stumbled backwards, only barely managing to catch himself before he would end up sitting down hard on the floor for the second time in five minutes. "Now stop that!" he cried. "Don't you know it isn't polite to play with other people's furniture?!"
Tribble laughed.
"Dr. Stockman?! Dr. Stockman, are you alright?!"
He turned at the sound of April's concerned voice. Now she was at the fire escape, peering in through the open window.
"Yes, I'm fine . . . for the most part," he answered. "Do you know how to deal with alien children?"
"Huh?" April climbed in through the window and pulled it shut after her. "Well, I haven't had a whole lot of experience with . . . Tribble!"
Tribble was toddling towards April with a bright smile. "Ap'il!" She held out her arms and April swept her up.
"Tribble, what are you doing back here again?" she cooed, holding the little girl close.
"That's what we're trying to figure out," Baxter said. "She doesn't seem to have a note on her."
"Well, I hope the Turtles can contact her parents," April declared. "They must be worried sick if they don't know she's gone!"
Baxter sighed. "In the meantime, do you know how to keep her from levitating things . . . or people?"
"I'm afraid not," April said. "Not unless she's old enough now to understand when you say No. It looks like Neutrinos must age at the same rate as humans, so it's possible. . . ."
Tribble reached out and the lamp rose.
". . . Or maybe not," April said apologetically.
"Just as long as she doesn't do it to me again," Baxter said in resignation.
Tribble gave him an innocent smile.
"She is cute," Baxter conceded.
"Yeah." April smiled at her. "Have you ever dealt with children before, Dr. Stockman?"
Baxter lowered himself into a soft chair. "Honestly, no, I haven't. The closest I came was the year I emceed the National Science Fair. And of course, those children were all much older than this one."
"I'd be happy to help with Tribble, if you'd like," April offered.
"I would be delighted," Baxter said wearily. "I don't even know how she ended up here. Maybe she was trying to find you, since she seems to remember you."
"I guess that's possible," April realized. She looked at Tribble. "I wish you could tell us how you got here. Or why."
Tribble just gurgled.
xxxx
Krang was very attentively studying his transdimensional screen when Shredder wandered into the room. "What is it now, Krang?" he grunted. "Are you getting the latest news from Dimension X?"
"Actually, yes!" Krang retorted. "I just watched an urgent announcement from King Zenter and Queen Gizzla. It seems that their little daughter Tribble has gone missing! They're asking all Neutrinos to call immediately if they have information on her whereabouts."
"Well, that's nice," Shredder sarcastically growled, "but what does it have to do with us?"
"Princess Tribble is just at that age where she's starting to learn the functions of things," Krang smirked. "It's just possible that she used her parents' portal to go traveling. And it's also just possible that she would come here."
"Those are a lot of uncertain possibilities," Shredder said.
"This is the only planet she's seen other than her own, as far as we know," Krang said. "She might remember her friends and come looking for them."
"And let me guess. You want to kidnap her and hold her for ransom," Shredder flatly deduced.
"Well, why not, when the opportunity might be right here?" Krang sneered. "If we could get the Neutrinos to turn control of their kingdom over to me in exchange for the princess's safety, I could have General Traag and his troops rush in to secure the capitol within the day!"
"A lot of good that would do you while we're stuck here," Shredder grumped.
"I believe in making plans for the future," Krang replied. "So I want you to take Bebop, Rocksteady, and Barney and go to the surface to look for Princess Tribble."
"Why should I go?" Shredder whined. "I have more important things to do than look for that brat!"
"Like standing around complaining?" Krang said, unimpressed. "Look, she'll probably try to find either April O'Neil or the Turtles. You're still so obsessed with having your revenge on the Turtles. Maybe you can get it through her."
". . . That's a promising thought," Shredder relented. He started to leave, then stopped. "Does she still have telekinesis?"
"Probably," Krang grunted. "There's no set time when Neutrinos lose that ability, but it's usually never before they're two years old."
Shredder clenched a fist. "I don't know, Krang. The last thing I want is for that kid to make me look like a fool again."
"You hardly need Princess Tribble around to make you look like that," Krang grinned.
Shredder was about to snap out a retort when Barney appeared in the doorway. "What's going on?" He folded his arms. "It sounds like another scheme going into the planning stages."
"How very astute of you," Shredder smirked. "You're just the man Krang wants to see. He wants you to kidnap an alien baby."
"I want you to help Shredder kidnap an alien baby," Krang scowled, shooting a glare at Shredder.
Barney stared at him. "I am a scientist," he said coolly. "I am not a kidnapper. Do you know how many years you get for kidnapping Earth children?"
"I wonder how many you get for helping intergalactic criminals," Krang remarked. "Anyway, this isn't an Earth child. Legally, I doubt there's anything the justice system could do. And what I really want you to do is invent something that will neutralize her telekinetic powers."
"In order to do that, I would have to have the child on hand," Barney said.
"Exactly my point," Krang smiled. "You'll have to go with Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady."
Barney gave him a long look of displeasure. ". . . What are you going to do with the child after you have her?" he asked.
"Oh, use her to conquer the Neutrinos," Krang said flippantly.
"And after that?" Barney frowned.
Krang glowered. "What do you care? Get going!"
"I'll be ready in five minutes." Barney turned, heading out of the room.
". . . So what are you going to do with her, Krang?" Shredder wondered. "I can't imagine it would be wise to keep her alive."
"I haven't decided yet," Krang mused. "It might actually be more profitable to keep her alive. I could keep the entire Neutrino nation indefinitely on a string that way."
"Hmm. Yes, I see." Shredder's eyes glinted. "And if Barney invents a device to neutralize her powers, we won't have to worry about getting thrown all over the Technodrome by a tiny toddler!"
"Exactly." Krang looked pleased. "And if we could harness her powers and redirect them, we might even be able to lift the Technodrome!"
"Really?" Shredder looked doubtful. "Would her powers be that strong?"
"It never hurts to try," Krang chortled.
Neither of them heard Barney stealing silently back to his laboratory after having only pretended to leave before. He slipped inside and over to his desk, where a deep purple laptop appeared to be complete. "Are you there?" he asked.
"Yes, Barney," came the alien computer's voice. "I can talk to you whether or not the laptop is on, but I can only see if it's on. I really appreciate what you've done for me," it continued. "I haven't been part of a proper unit for what seems a long time."
"I wish I'd had time for more than just preliminary tests," Barney sighed. "I wanted to do more now, but Krang is interrupting my work for one of his little projects."
"You don't sound pleased."
"He wants me to assist in the abduction of a child," Barney frowned. "I know I said I'd do whatever I was ordered to do, but I've never done anything like that in my life. Nor have I ever considered it. I didn't think there would ever be a situation where Krang would want it done."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'll go along, at least at first. But if I can find a way to sabotage this plan, I will."
"Barney, you could be killed if you're found out," the computer worried.
"I am perfectly aware of that." Barney gathered up the laptop and headed for the door. "You're coming with me. You may be able to help."
"I'll do what I can," the computer vowed. "But Barney . . ."
"If anything happens to me, you are to shut down and pretend to be an ordinary laptop," Barney said. "I programmed Baxter's home and email addresses into your system. Then I synced your system with the watch I'm wearing. It secretly tracks my heart rate, and far more accurately than anything currently on the market. You will automatically send a pre-written email and the GPS signal to your location to Baxter if my heart stops. Baxter is the only other person who can access your system. I've done all this to try to ensure that you won't fall into Shredder and Krang's hands."
"Thank you, Barney," the computer said quietly. "But I don't want anything to happen to you. Maybe if you bring Baxter in on things now, he can alert the Turtles and no one will have to get hurt."
"It may come to that," Barney admitted. "But I don't have time now." He opened the door and stepped into the hall.
"Here you are at last," Shredder said in annoyance when Barney arrived back in the main control room. "Bebop and Rocksteady are here and we've been ready to go for almost the entire five minutes!"
"I said I'd be back in five minutes and I am, aren't I?" Barney said haughtily.
"Yes, you are," said Krang. "What's that you're holding?"
"Just a little something I've been working on," Barney said, his voice smooth. "I felt it was about time I had a computer."
"Yes, that should definitely come in handy," Krang said in approval. "Well, hurry and get going. I'll monitor things from here and try to spot Princess Tribble."
"You do that." Barney followed Shredder aboard the transport module. As he did so, his stomach knotted. This would most certainly be the most dangerous thing he had ever attempted. He really didn't know whether he would come out of it alive. But he also didn't know how he could do anything else. He couldn't leave a child, any child, to Krang's mercy. As long as he had placed himself in this situation, he had to do whatever he could to overthrow Krang's plan . . . and if possible, keep him from realizing just who was sabotaging it.
xxxx
"This is so mondo bizarro, Dudes!" Michelangelo exclaimed as they drove to their friends' apartment building. "Who'd have ever thought Tribble would drop in to say Hello?"
"We don't know that's why she's here," Leonardo said. "What if she was sent here on purpose again to keep her from falling into the wrong hands?"
"Then we'll keep her safe, just like last time!" Michelangelo chirped.
"Uh, are you forgetting something?" Raphael inserted. "That we were the ones who really needed to be kept safe?"
"Hey, we made a gnarly team with Tribble and April," Michelangelo said. "And now Baxter will be part of things too!"
Donatello winced. "Maybe we should have warned him what taking care of Tribble is like."
"He said he could handle it," Raphael shrugged.
"Yeah, but he doesn't know Tribble," Donatello pointed out. "Naturally he might think he could handle it. We thought it would be easy at first."
"Tribble's older now," Michelangelo said. "She's probably easier to take care of than before!"
"You wanna bet?" Donatello exclaimed.
Everyone stared up at the apartment building as they arrived. The silhouettes of furniture floated past a window on the top floor.
"That can't be good," Raphael cringed.
Leonardo hurried out as soon as Donatello parked. "Let's go, Turtles!" he called, leaping up the metal steps.
"Hey, who are we to argue?" Raphael shrugged. He hurried up as well, with Donatello and Michelangelo right behind him.
A transport module came up just to the side of the building. "This is where we'll look first," Shredder announced. "And what luck! The Turtles are here!" His eyes gleamed. "The child may very well be here right now!"
"Oh goody!" said Bebop. "But uh, she won't get the better of us this time, will she?"
"She had better not!" Shredder growled. "Unfortunately, Barney can't make the power neutralizer until we have her with us, so you're just going to have to bumble through it!" He got out, followed closely by Bebop and Rocksteady.
Barney pushed up his glasses and plodded after them. "This is just great," he muttered to the computer. "Furniture is flying in Baxter's apartment."
"How are you going to keep them from getting the child?" the computer asked.
"Maybe I can't," Barney said. "I may have to focus on the idea of getting her away from them after they have her instead." He climbed down from the transport and started up the stairs after them.
On the top floor, the Turtles were entering through the still-unlocked window. "Well, isn't this cozy?" Raphael greeted.
Baxter appeared in the living room doorway, looking completely frazzled. "What kind of child is this?!" he cried.
"Aww, Tribble's just like any other baby," Michelangelo said. "She loves to explore and party!"
"Especially with other people's belongings!" Baxter exclaimed.
"Whoa!" April yelped as she floated past the doorway.
Tribble gave a happy giggle.
"Don't you have any way to control her?!" Baxter demanded of the Turtles. "She already dropped me from the ceiling once and I have no desire to repeat the experience!"
"Hello to you too," said Raphael. "Unfortunately, we have no idea what to do."
"We should've asked Zenter and Gizzla for an instruction manual in case we ever needed to watch Tribble again!" Michelangelo said.
"Oh, we'd be happy to take her off your hands," came a familiar, menacing voice.
"Shredder!" Leonardo cried, staring at the villain standing in the kitchen.
"And Bebop and Rocksteady!" April added in horror while floating back the other direction.
"And of course, your loving brother Barney," Raphael said to Baxter. "It looks like he's just added Kidnapping to his list of fun-filled activities for the whole family."
"Barney!" Baxter came into the kitchen. "I can't believe you're alright with this!"
Barney glowered at him. "Get out of the way, Brother."
"Barney's alright with a lot of things," Shredder sneered. "Including barging in unannounced to your apartment. By the way, it's very nice, Baxter."
"You aren't welcome here," Baxter shot back. "And neither are those two." He pointed to Bebop and Rocksteady.
"Not very hospitable, is he," Bebop glared.
"Let's show him how he should treat honored guests!" Rocksteady exclaimed.
Leonardo jumped in the way with both katanas bared. "How about you show me instead?"
"Oooh, fine with me!" Rocksteady growled and charged.
Before Leonardo could do a thing, Tribble laughed and levitated Rocksteady.
"Yikes! Hey!" the rhino wailed.
"Come down from there, you moron!" Shredder boomed.
Even more delighted, Tribble sent him up to join Rocksteady.
"Well, isn't this nice," Raphael smirked. "We can just kick back and watch the show."
"You little brat!" Bebop snorted.
Tribble elevated him off the floor and over to the window, followed by Shredder and Rocksteady. Despite their yells and roars, she sent them all outside and locked the window after them.
"You know, that was the easiest fight I've ever had," Raphael smirked. "Too bad she left one creep in here."
"Maybe she understood when I didn't say Barney was unwelcome," Baxter remarked. He looked to his brother. "Barney, what are you doing here? You've never been party to anything like kidnapping in your life!"
"We both knew that my taking this job meant I would end up in situations like this one somewhere down the line," Barney answered. "Anyway, you've already been party to kidnapping in your life."
"Regarding Miss O'Neil, yes," Baxter agreed, "and that was bad enough. But I never kidnapped a child."
Barney took a step towards Tribble. "So what will you do with me now?" he asked.
"If you think we'll just let you take Tribble, you've got another thing coming," Leonardo retorted.
"A world of hurt," Raphael added. "A really big world of hurt. With a lot of additional damage courtesy of yours truly as payback for what you did to Michelangelo with Krang's golden goose." He sneered. "I haven't forgotten. Ohhh no."
"Wait a minute!" Baxter cried in desperation. He ran out between Raphael and Barney. "It wouldn't be a fair fight at all. Neither I nor my brother are physically strong people. He wouldn't be able to withstand much of what you'd do to him with your ninja skills! Nor would he be able to do much to fight back in his defense. You could seriously hurt or even kill him in a fight!"
"He's right, Amigo," Michelangelo said. "We can't beat Barney that way."
Leonardo nodded. "There wouldn't be any honor in that."
Raphael clenched his teeth. "You know, it's really hard being the good guys sometimes," he growled. "You can't fight dirty even though your enemies do."
Barney smirked. "I appreciate your standing up for me, Brother, although I expected it. But even had they tried to attack, they wouldn't have got anywhere." He opened his laptop and balanced it with one hand while rapidly typing with the other. In a moment a red glow surrounded his person. "Now try to attack."
Raphael gave him a black look. "You made a force field for yourself, didn't you?!" He walked right up to Barney and poked the glow with a sai. It sizzled and the weapon didn't penetrate.
"Yes, and that's only one of my tricks," Barney grinned. Without warning he ducked under Raphael's arm, grabbed Tribble around the waist, and ran for the front door.
The entire group immediately chased after him. "Put her down!" April cried. "You can't take her to Krang! There's no telling what horrible things he'd do to her!"
Tribble gurgled, not seeming worried.
"Baxter, you're going to have to teach that kid that your brother is not someone safe to go with!" Raphael screamed in frustration.
"Me?! You're the ones who interacted with her before!" Baxter shot back. "Why are you so determined to pass the buck?!"
Barney flew into the hall ahead of the crowd and slammed the door behind him. But as he turned to run, he crashed into Irma coming from the other direction.
"Whoa!" Irma cried as they both fell backwards to the floor. "What are you doing here?!"
Barney hissed in pain and aggravation. "Visiting my brother," he retorted with heavy sarcasm.
Suddenly he wasn't on the floor any more. He yelled in surprise as he rose to the ceiling along with Irma. Down below, Tribble giggled happily and turned to skip away.
"Barney," the computer finally dared to speak, "don't you think it might be wise to tell them you're on their side this time?"
"Aside from the fact that I doubt anyone besides Baxter would even believe me, I just can't risk it," Barney retorted. "I programmed those features into you in case anything happens to me, but that doesn't mean I intend to commit suicide! It's far safer for me if they continue to believe I'm an enemy."
The front door flew open at the same moment the invisible Tribble decided to release Barney, the computer, and Irma from her powers. The group stood and watched, appalled, as the two descended to the floor with a painful crash.
Baxter cringed. "Are you both alright?!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah," Irma groaned, "but what's going on?! Why is Tribble back and why was your brother carrying her out?!"
"Why do you think?" Raphael retorted before Baxter could speak. "Tribble's back because . . . well, who knows why, and that sleazoid was kidnapping her for Krang! And now she's skipped right out of here!"
"She can't be far," Leonardo insisted. "We'll have to spread out and search!"
Everyone trouped out of the apartment. "Why were you up here anyway, Irma?" April asked in surprise.
"I was looking for you!" Irma answered. "I wondered if you wanted to go with me to the Winter Wonderland Dance tonight."
"I don't even have a date," April exclaimed. "And if we don't find Tribble, there's no way I'd feel like going to any dance!"
"You go to a dance to find a date!" Irma insisted. "Although I even wondered if Dr. Stockman might go with us. . . ."
Baxter started. "Thank you, but I don't think so," he exclaimed. "I can't dance."
"Me either, but it doesn't stop me from trying!" Irma declared. Looking back to April, she said, ". . . But I guess you're right about Tribble. And you couldn't take her to a dance anyway."
"I'm sure she'd have a ball!" Michelangelo chirped.
"Yeah, but I bet no one else would!" Irma retorted.
In all the madness and the concern for Tribble, Barney slipped away unnoticed. He fled down the stairs and out the back door, where he nearly crashed into a frustrated Shredder.
"Watch where you're going!" Shredder fumed. "Don't you have the brat?!"
"No," Barney retorted. "She eluded me as well. Now no one knows where she is."
"So we've gotta go all over town looking for her?" Rocksteady whined.
"Apparently so!" Shredder snarled. "You miserable incompetent!" His eyes flashed as he looked to Barney. "If Krang didn't like you so much, I'd . . ."
"You'd what?" Barney boredly retorted. "You didn't have any better luck than I did, and you and your mutants should actually be far more capable than me." He smirked. "Imagine, a ninja master and two strongarms failed to abduct one small child with telekinetic powers. That's far more humiliating than one lone scientist failing to abduct her."
Shredder lunged, his hand outstretched as if to either slap Barney across the face or rake his spikes through Barney's flesh. Barney merely jumped back and activated the force field.
"You can't touch me, Mr. Shredder," he sneered. "Now stop this childish nonsense and get to work. You know Krang would tell you the same thing, were he here."
Shredder stood for a moment, seething, outraged that Barney had outwitted him. Then he spun around, his cape swirling with the motion. "Very well!" he spat. "We'll split up and find the girl. Bebop, you take that way. Rocksteady, you take that way. I'll go this way. Dr. Stockman, you may do whatever you please!"
"Wow," said Bebop, looking to Barney with new admiration. "You really don't let anybody push you around, Barney."
"It must be quite a different feeling for Mr. Shredder, after always having to deal with those who don't stand up for themselves," Barney said calmly as he switched off the force field.
"Sometimes we'd like to," Bebop said.
"Get going, you morons!" Shredder screamed.
"Right, Boss!" Rocksteady called back. He and Bebop exchanged a deer-in-the-headlights look before hurrying off in their separate directions.
"What are you going to do, Barney?" the computer quietly asked when they were alone.
"We're going to join the search, naturally," Barney answered. "If we find the girl, we'll try to keep hold of her long enough to deposit her with those who will keep her safe."
"And if we run into Shredder, Bebop, or Rocksteady after we have her?"
Barney sighed, heavily. "Then . . . I don't know. Obviously I'd have to keep going through the motions of working on their side until I could find a point to get the girl away from them."
"Barney, I think you're going to find this very difficult to keep up for long," said the computer.
"I think you're right," Barney frowned. "But it's just this one assignment I can't abide. After this, it will be business as usual."
"Until the next assignment you can't abide," the computer quietly remarked.
Barney scowled. Although he knew the computer was very likely right that there would be others, he didn't want to think about that right now. "Let's just focus on finding the child," he grunted. "I've programmed your systems with tracking devices. Can you specifically search for a Neutrino child?"
"Yes, I think so," said the computer. "I certainly could with my old system."
"Good," said Barney. He started walking, desperately hoping that Tribble would be located by allies and not enemies.
xxxx
All members of the Tribble search party were in varying states of dismay and confusion.
"Dudes, who'd think a little Neutrino microdudette would be so hard to find?!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "How did she even get away that fast?!"
"Talk to any mother and you'll find that what happened is pretty common for any toddler, Neutrino or not," said Irma. "We're not too far from Howie's place now. I just called and asked him to be on the lookout for a little girl with pointed ears who might be climbing or floating."
"Righteous notion!" Michelangelo declared. "We can use all the pairs of eyes we can get!" He grabbed his Turtle-Comm. "I'm gonna see if Leonardo's had any luck."
Leonardo, however, looked quite overwhelmed and confused. "She's not over here," he sighed. "Raphael and I are just walking past the 11th police precinct."
"And feeling really, really grateful that Tribble's not out on the flagpole," Raphael interjected.
Michelangelo sighed. "Okay. I'll check in with the others."
Donatello was feeling just as exasperated. "There's no sign of Tribble over here, either," he said.
"And I sure hope there won't be!" April cried. "We're at the Floxy Theatre!"
Michelangelo cringed. "Oh man. Yeah, we don't want Tribble turning up there. Way too many things she could get hurt with!"
"Maybe we should just go back to where we started," Baxter said in annoyance. "Sometimes people find missing children almost exactly where they left them!"
Before anyone could reply, a chorus of stunned screams filled the air. "What's that?!" Michelangelo gasped.
"It's the supermarket!" April groaned. "Oh no!"
She, Donatello, and Baxter hurried down the street and through the doors of a Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market. Sure enough, Tribble was flying down the aisles in a shopping cart and levitating items that she wanted off the shelves and into the cart.
"Oh no is right!" Donatello said in horror.
"Is that your child?!" a nearby worker demanded.
"She doesn't belong to any of us," April answered honestly. "But we were trying to watch her."
"Well, you're doing a bang-up job!" the worker snapped.
"I'm sorry," April stammered. "So sorry. . . ." She hurried to stop the wild cart. "Tribble! Come back!"
"Tribble?" Now the worker just looked baffled. "What kind of a name is that?"
"Her parents are science-fiction geeks," Donatello bluffed.
"I'll say," the worker grunted. "Hey, I like a little Star Trek myself now and then, but you wouldn't catch me naming my kid after a pesky critter. I don't think I'd even name my kid after Mr. Spock!"
"Good for you," Baxter retorted. He brushed past to help April with Tribble. "I'll put these items back while you get her out of the cart," he offered.
"Thanks," April sighed as she reached for the mischievous toddler.
Baxter quickly discovered that replacing the groceries was not going to be an easy task. The moment he lifted some of them into his arms, Tribble levitated them out again.
"Man, this kid's gonna be a great magician someday," the observing worker commented.
"I'll be sure to suggest that to her parents," Donatello shot back.
"Donatello, what are we going to do?" April exclaimed. Several cans of coffee floated past her head. "Tribble, you don't want that! You're too young!"
Tribble gurgled in pleasure.
"She must think this is all a game," Donatello gulped.
"Or else she's allowed her own way back home," Baxter said. "You did say she's royalty?"
"That's right," Donatello nodded.
"Well, this isn't the Neutrino palace." Baxter grabbed two of the floating cans and held onto them firmly. "She can't have her own way down here."
Tribble didn't seem to mind. She laughed, levitating Baxter instead of the cans and plopping him in the cart. He yelped.
"I guess she wants to take you home, Dr. Stockman," April sheepishly chuckled.
Baxter groaned. "Why don't you try to re-shelf these?" he said to her and Donatello as he held out the cans.
They each grabbed one before Tribble could float them away. "Good idea," said Donatello, and he rushed off.
April looked back to Baxter, who was still slumped in the cart with his legs hanging over the edge. "Are you alright, Dr. Stockman?" Merriment danced in her eyes, but she didn't laugh aloud.
"Fine," Baxter said in irritation. "I just hope I didn't break anything so I'll have to pay for it." He reached behind his back and pulled out a slightly dented box of cereal. He gave it an exasperated look.
"That really looks okay," April told him. "I see a lot worse on the shelves."
"I suppose." Baxter handed it to her and grasped the edges of the cart in an attempt to pull himself up. Tribble sat in the top compartment and just watched. When he had successfully stumbled to the floor, she gave a cheery cry and jumped on his back. Not having expected it at all, he tumbled forward.
"Dr. Stockman!" April threw the groceries back in the cart and reached to grab him before he could hit the floor. She caught one of his hands, while he used the other to snag the edge of a display nearby. Amazingly, neither he nor it toppled to the floor.
"I'm starting to feel relieved that I'm a bachelor," he groaned.
Tribble giggled, hugging him around the neck from behind.
"Actually, you're really not doing too badly for not having any experience with kids," April smiled. "And I wonder what's keeping Donatello?"
That mystery was soon answered when the Turtle appeared with several cans of baby food and a box of diapers. "I thought maybe it was about time we needed some of these things," he said, placing them in the cart.
"I think it's about time you try to contact her parents," Baxter retorted.
"I wish I could," Donatello sighed. "The only possible way is back at the Lair. I tried calling them before we left to go to your place, but there was no answer then."
Baxter straightened, while at the same time trying to reach around for Tribble. Amused, Tribble rose just out of his reach. Baxter frowned, confused at first and then frustrated. "Then don't you think we should go back there?" he snipped. "Unless Splinter could try contacting them. . . ."
"That's a thought!" Donatello pulled out his Turtle-Comm. "I'm going to see if he can."
April plucked Tribble out of the air before she could float too high. "Okay, that's enough of that now," she said.
The doors opened then as Michelangelo and Irma came in, followed closely by Leonardo and Raphael. "We came as fast as we could," Leonardo said. "How's Tribble behaving?"
"About like you'd expect," April sighed. "She's adorable, but she's causing too much trouble!"
"Aww, Tribble just wants to party, don't you?" Michelangelo said, grinning as he looked at the child. She beamed.
"If you think you can control her, you're welcome to it," Baxter said with a weary gesture.
Michelangelo reached to take her from April. "Hey, Tribble Dudette, partying's great and all, but the grocery store isn't the right place for it. Okay?"
Tribble smiled and promptly sent the cart rolling away.
"Tribble!" Leonardo cried. He and April ran after it, just barely catching it before it could slam into a shocked customer just coming out from an aisle.
Baxter stared at the spectacle. "Alright," he cried. "That is it. This is unacceptable! Someone could have got hurt! By now she should be more than old enough to understand she must be careful!"
Michelangelo gave him a worried look. "Well, maybe so, but what are you gonna do, Amigo? Punishing someone else's kid never seems like a gnarly idea to me."
"Yeah, and her being from another dimension makes the whole thing even stickier," Raphael added. "I'd probably be all for punishing her if she was from here, but when she's from there, and we don't know what's acceptable behavior over there and what isn't, and the Neutrinos are our friends and all . . ."
Tribble looked to Baxter. Finally seeming to realize that she had done something upsetting, she reached for him with an innocent hand. "Uncle?"
He blinked in surprise. "What . . . ?"
"Wow, she really took what I said to heart," Michelangelo commented. "About you being Uncle Baxter, I mean."
Baxter stared at him, then at her. Finally he held out a hand and took hers. She perked up. "Better?"
At last he sighed. "Oh, alright. As long as you don't send any more shopping carts through the store."
Tribble looked thrilled. She answered him in gibberish and waved her other hand.
"She wants you to take her, Dude," Michelangelo said.
"I can't imagine what she sees in me," Baxter said, shaking his head. "Particularly when I haven't been so receptive to her antics." But he accepted, drawing her down into his arms.
Tribble was delighted. She balanced herself with one hand on his shoulder and reclined in his grasp, looking around the store with wide eyes.
"Microdudes and microdudettes are sensitive about that kind of thing," Michelangelo grinned. "They can scope out the really good ones, even if those peeps aren't always so keen on everything the kids do."
"Oh yeah?" Raphael countered. "Then how do you explain her and Barney?"
"Well . . ." Michelangelo shrugged. "Maybe he reminds her of Baxter?"
Raphael didn't quite buy it, but he snarked. "Oh boy, is it a good thing he isn't here to hear you say that!"
"I guess that would be asking for trouble, wouldn't it," Michelangelo mused.
"And how!" Raphael shot back. "As far as I know, he's still throwing temper tantrums any time somebody so much as suggests that he and Baxter look alike. Heh! That jerk would benefit from acting a little more like Baxter!"
Donatello hung up his Turtle-Comm and came back over to them. "I told Master Splinter how to work the communicator," he said in relief. "And he got a message through! Zenter and Gizzla have been worrying sick. Apparently Tribble was playing with their portal and just came over to visit without telling them."
"Isn't that just like a kid?" Raphael commented.
"They said they'll be over right away," Donatello continued. But he looked worried.
"Uh huh. And what's the rest of the story?" Raphael asked.
"The Rock Soldiers just started an attack on the palace," Donatello cringed. "Krang must have been jumping the gun again thinking Shredder was going to be able to get Tribble."
"So before Zenter and Gizzla can come, they have to subdue the Rock Soldiers," Raphael deduced. "Great."
"And Shred-Head might still get a chance to get Tribble!" Michelangelo cried in alarm. "Here he comes!"
Leonardo and April were just coming back in time to hear that. "We'll have to go out the back way!" Leonardo exclaimed. "Baxter, Shredder's probably not expecting that you'll have Tribble. Go with April and Irma and we'll try to hold off Shredder and his goons!"
"And where are we supposed to take her?!" Baxter demanded.
"How about Channel 6?" Leonardo suggested. "That's where Zenter and Gizzla picked up Tribble before. Hopefully they really will be able to come soon."
"Alright." Baxter still looked hesitant, but he knew there was no time for doubt. He turned and ran for the back of the store, April and Irma right on his heels. Looking over his shoulder, Tribble waved and called gibberish to the Turtles.
"You know, it is going to be really interesting when she learns more words," Raphael remarked.
Leonardo hurried for the front doors. "Let's go, everyone! Turtles fight with honor!"
"Nevermind your tired speeches!" Shredder snarled as he approached.. "Where's the brat?!"
"We'll never talk!" Leonardo insisted.
"Oh yeah? Maybe we can make you!" Rocksteady taunted as he and Bebop ran up from the sides.
"Well, this is turning into a regular reunion," Raphael said with dripping sarcasm. "We're just missing one other troublemaker and Old Home Week will be complete."
Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady stormed into the store. The moment they were in, the doors shut and locked behind them.
"Whoa, what the heck?" Michelangelo blinked.
"They must be jammed," Raphael remarked. "Isn't that convenient."
When the lights went out in the next moment, it seemed more than just convenient coincidence.
"What's going on around here?!" Shredder boomed.
"It's almost like someone is doing this deliberately," Leonardo said in amazement. "Maybe to help us."
"Or hurt us," Raphael retorted. "They locked us in Wal-Mart with three angry villains."
"And if they let the others get out, then Tribble is safe," Leonardo pointed out.
Shredder was fuming. "Get these doors open!" he roared.
"Right away, Boss," Rocksteady gulped. He and Bebop strained at the heavy glass and metal doors before prying them open at last.
"Aww, aren't you going to stay and play?" Raphael cooed with dripping sarcasm.
Shredder ignored him and ran out into the parking lot. "Where is that child?!" he screamed. Several people approaching the store stopped and looked at him in befuddlement.
"If it's your kid that's lost, did you ever think that maybe she's scared of your costume?" said one guy.
"Silence, you fool!" Shredder bellowed.
"Man, I hope they really did get away," Michelangelo worried. "They left Baxter's car at the Floxy, I think."
"Yeah, we did," said Donatello.
As if on cue, a tan station wagon pulled into the street up ahead and drove off.
"There they go!" Shredder yelled. "Hotwire a car and go after them!"
"Hey, here's a car with the keys in the ignition," Bebop reported, hauling open the door of a blue van.
"Good! Let's take it and go!" Shredder practically threw himself into the vehicle. Bebop and Rocksteady piled in after him.
"Oh great," Donatello moaned.
"No sweat, Amigo," Michelangelo chirped. "We brought the Turtle Van!"
Donatello's eyes lit up. "Then let's get going!"
The Turtles rushed to their trusty Van and Leonardo took over the driving. He revved the engine, praying the blue van would stay in sight.
"Actually," Donatello blinked in realization, "isn't that a Channel 6 news van?"
"And just who would be stupid enough to leave the keys in the ignition of a news van?" Raphael frowned.
Vernon rushed out of the store with two shopping bags. "Hey!" he cried. "Those people just stole the news van!"
Raphael slapped his forehead. "I had to ask."
Vernon dashed over to the Turtle Van. "Take me with you," he pleaded. "I have to get that van back!"
Leonardo pressed the button that opened the side door. "Vernon, what were you doing leaving the keys in the ignition?" he sighed.
"I just needed to run in for five minutes," Vernon defended. "I didn't think anyone would notice." He scrambled inside and the door closed after him.
"Oh, trust me, Vernon, they noticed," Raphael retorted.
Up ahead in the station wagon, Baxter was at the wheel while Irma sat beside him and April stayed in the back holding Tribble. She turned, staring in disbelief at the vehicle bearing on them. "We're being chased by Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady in a Channel 6 news van!" she exclaimed.
"Oh great," Irma muttered. "Mr. Thompson is really going to love this."
Tribble giggled and raised her hand. The entire news van lifted off the ground. Traffic ground to a halt as people stopped and stared.
Baxter gawked in the rear-view mirror. "Is there anything she can't lift? . . . No, nevermind. I don't want to know." Images of buildings tearing from their foundations danced through his mind.
"Maybe we'll have the chance to lose them yet," Irma hoped.
Baxter sped around the corner. "She'll have to bring the van down sometime. It had just better not be on top of another vehicle!"
Behind them, Bebop and Rocksteady were both screaming in terror. The van, rather than hovering in one place, was floating over the other traffic.
"Don't bring it down right near us!" Irma exclaimed to Tribble.
With a turn of her hand, Tribble instead brought the van down gently, but upsidedown. Horns began to honk in all directions.
"That will give them something to think about!" April chuckled.
Baxter had to smirk in a bit of amusement as well. Their enemies were unhurt, but Shredder was furious. He was climbing out of the upsidedown van and throwing a fit while ordering Bebop and Rocksteady to get the van turned right-side-up again. Bebop and Rocksteady were hurrying to do so while the cars continued to honk and the drivers screamed and swore at them.
"Serves them right," April declared.
The Turtles and Vernon had watched the entire scene in bewilderment as well. "What on Earth caused that?!" Vernon cried. "And what if the van is damaged?!"
"An alien toddler caused it," Raphael answered. "And the van looks alright to me. But you'll probably want to wash the roof," he smirked.
"Fumigating the inside wouldn't hurt either," Leonardo added.
xxxx
Nothing further happened before Baxter pulled up at the Channel 6 building. He parked in the parking garage and looked over his shoulder at April. "Get Tribble inside before anything else goes wrong," he instructed. "We'll be right behind you."
"Let's just hope Shredder isn't right behind us!" April moaned. She quickly climbed out, Tribble in tow, and hurried towards the doors.
"So what, exactly, are we going to do inside?" Irma wondered.
"Hope that Tribble's parents come very soon," Baxter answered. "I don't suppose there's any hope they'll already be here and waiting." He got out of the car and chased after April.
Irma ran after him. "There's a news van pulling in!" she cried. "It's probably Shredder!"
And indeed it was. "Don't let them get away!" Shredder roared.
"We're tryin', Boss," said Bebop. "But what if the kid does something else to us?"
"We have to get her anyway!" Shredder shot back.
April ran ahead into the lobby and frantically pressed the elevator button. "Come on," she begged.
The doors opened just as Baxter and Irma caught up with her. "Shredder's right behind us!" Irma squealed.
They rushed inside and the elevator slammed shut in Shredder's face. "We'll have to catch the next one!" he fumed.
Rocksteady pressed the button and a second elevator soon arrived. But as they crowded inside and hit the Up button, the elevator went down instead.
"What the . . . !" Shredder stared at the panel in disbelief.
"The kid must be doing it!" Rocksteady exclaimed. Again he pressed the Up button, to no avail.
The elevator traveled down to the lowest parking level and then finally started back up, stopping at every floor along the way except the top one. On some levels, people got on. Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady were eventually pushed to the back.
"This is ridiculous!" Shredder roared.
"It'll be your turn in a few minutes," a grouchy lady told him.
"But we were here first!" Rocksteady whined.
When the last passenger aside from them was off, the doors shut and the elevator began to descend again.
"The elevator ain't broken," Bebop exclaimed. "It really hates us!"
Outside in the lobby, the Turtles had just arrived after leaving Vernon in the parking garage with the van. They were staring at the elevator in bewilderment.
"Dude, that elevator's pulling some really bizarro moves," Michelangelo declared.
"April and the others are on the top floor," Leonardo remarked. "But that elevator won't go up there."
"And Shredder, Bebop, and Rocksteady are on it," Raphael laughed. "Oh, that's priceless!"
"But who's doing it to them?" Donatello wondered. "April doesn't think it's Tribble."
"Well, who else could it be?" Raphael snarked. He turned and walked away, shaking his head in amusement. "It would have to be someone with access to all the controls."
"You know, we thought someone was helping us at Wal-Mart too," Leonardo reminded.
Raphael paused. "That's right."
"So it's someone who has access to their controls too?" Michelangelo scratched his head.
"You know, it's starting to sound like a computer genius," Donatello mused. "A hacker. Somebody who's breaking into computers all over the city and doing it for the purpose of helping us. Or keeping Shredder away from Tribble."
"Same difference," said Raphael as he approached a seemingly vacant corridor and paused to listen outside a supposedly empty office. "If Baxter wasn't so involved with other things, I'd say it's him. But the only person we met today who was using a computer was . . ." He threw open the door. The lone occupant started and looked up with a defensive jerk. "You!"
"Barney Stockman!" all Turtles cried together.
"Okay, what's going on in here?" Raphael strode into the room and over to Barney, where he turned the laptop to face him. The Channel 6 elevator controls showed on the screen.
"I'm . . . monitoring the situation," Barney said haughtily.
"No, you've been working against Shredder," Leonardo observed. "Why?"
Barney turned the laptop away from Raphael and typed something into it. "I'm a scientist, not a kidnapper," he grumbled.
"Barney?"
Everyone looked up as Baxter appeared in the doorway. Barney glanced at him and then away.
"What are you doing down here, Baxter?" Raphael asked.
"Irma reported that someone was tampering with our elevator controls," Baxter said. "The signal was traced here." He slowly advanced into the room. "I thought . . . I hoped that maybe, possibly . . ."
"That I'm on your side?" Barney jeered. He stood, keeping one hand on the desk. "That I'm going to be good, like you always wanted to be and you are now? I'm not good, Brother. I just . . . don't want to see that child end up in Krang's grasp." He looked away, back to the laptop.
The laptop switched to the alien computer's familiar face. "Baxter, old pal!" it greeted.
The Turtles jumped a collective mile.
"You know, I should have known," Raphael remarked. "That one didn't even occur to me. I thought that was just an ordinary laptop."
Baxter smiled. "Barney did a good job."
"He did!" said the computer. "And I've enjoyed helping him today. It's good to feel useful again."
Baxter nodded. "It is," he said softly.
"So!" cried a new and unwelcome voice. Everyone whirled to see Shredder standing in the doorway with fire in his eyes. "Here's where you went, Barney. We've been running ourselves ragged looking for that brat and you've been hiding in here!" He paused. "Or have you been hiding? What have you been doing with that laptop?!"
Baxter stepped forward. "He was trying to stop me," he said evenly. "I'm the one who sent you on that elevator ride just now. He found me out and tried to override what I'd done."
The Turtles stared at him. "Baxter," Donatello said in concern.
Shredder glowered at Baxter with what looked like utter hatred. "You?" he snarled.
"Surely you know I have the technical know-how to do it," Baxter said calmly.
"Yes, but so does Barney." Shredder looked back and forth between the brothers. "And Barney didn't want to be involved on this mission to begin with."
Barney closed the laptop. "But I still work for you," he said, finally deciding to accept his brother's help out of this possible disaster for him. "Baxter is right. He was the one playing tricks on you. I cornered him in here."
"Well, it's too late now," Shredder growled. "The brat's parents are flying around outside the building. Let's get out of here!"
Barney nodded. "I'll be right with you."
Shredder turned and stormed out.
Barney looked Baxter up and down. "Shredder could have killed you for that," he said quietly.
"I was surrounded by my friends," Baxter answered. "I felt safe."
"But you would have done it even if they hadn't been here, wouldn't you," Barney knew.
". . . Yes, I would have," Baxter agreed. "I didn't want you to be hurt."
"You're a fool," Barney scoffed. "But . . . thank you." He walked past.
"Goodbye, Baxter," the computer called.
"Goodbye," Baxter smiled.
"Wow," said Michelangelo, when Barney left. "That was a switch."
"Okay, I'll admit he surprised me there," Raphael said. "Maybe he really does have some goodness in him, even though he denies it himself. But I'm still not forgiving him for what he did to you."
"Hey, Shred-Head said Zenter and Gizzla are here," Michelangelo chirped, switching gears. "Let's go scope them out and say Goodbye to Tribble!"
"Sounds good to me," said Raphael. He headed out of the room, followed swiftly by the others.
Zenter and Gizzla were hovering in their Star Mobile outside April's office on the top floor. Tribble was on Gizzla's lap.
"Hey, we're real sorry Tribble showed up here like that, completely unannounced," Zenter was saying when they arrived.
"She likes to play with our portal, but this is the first time she's actually used it," Gizzla added.
"Oh, we were happy to have her here," April said. "I'm just glad we were able to keep her from falling into Shredder's hands."
"Thank you all so much," Gizzla smiled. "It's such a good feeling to know that our daughter has a safe place to come when she leaves home."
"Well, let's just hope this little experience has taught her a lesson and she won't go playing with the portal again," said Raphael.
Tribble beamed and clapped her hands. "Tu'tles! Ap'il! I'ma! Uncle!"
"Uncle?" Zenter and Gizzla exchanged a confused look. "We didn't teach her that. . . ."
"Oh, she means Baxter," Michelangelo said, laying a hand on Baxter's shoulder. "He's a new friend."
Baxter nodded. "I'm pleased to meet you both. You have a . . . lovely daughter."
"Hey, that's great that Tribble has so many friends!" Zenter said. "The more, the merrier! Right?"
"Right," April chuckled.
"Well, catch you cats later!" Zenter said.
"Hopefully sooner rather than later!" Michelangelo grinned.
The Star Mobile vanished through a portal as Tribble waved like crazy. Everyone left behind waved back.
"There goes a real nice family," Michelangelo declared.
"You know, I wonder if things will be anywhere as interesting if Tribble has lost her telekinetic powers the next time we see her," Raphael remarked.
"With Tribble?" April sighed. "Things will always be interesting."
". . . Yeah," Raphael mused. "You're probably right."
xxxx
Michelangelo found Baxter sitting in his office soon afterwards, staring thoughtfully off at the window. "What is it, Baxter Dude?" he asked. "Are you missing Tribble? I know it was pretty lonely around here when she left before."
Baxter looked over at him. "I suppose it was," he mused. "I don't know if I would actually say I miss her. . . . I don't miss her antics. I certainly don't miss seeing my furniture floating and I definitely don't miss floating myself . . . or falling." He winced, subconsciously holding a hand to his thigh. "But it is quiet now, without her innocent laugh. Maybe I miss that."
"Yeah." Michelangelo came over to the desk and perched on the edge of it. "That's what I miss the most too."
"Is he in here?" Raphael peered through the open doorway. "Hey, guys, he's in his office!"
Leonardo and Donatello joined him at the door. "Oh good," said Leonardo.
Baxter looked at them all in surprise. "What's going on? You thought I was hurt somewhere?"
"Well, we weren't sure," Leonardo said.
"We thought maybe Bebop and Rocksteady were ordered to come back and get you because you confessed to locking them and Shredder in the elevator," Donatello explained.
"That was really stupid," Raphael declared as he walked in. "Really stupid! You know what Shredder's temper is like. The last thing you should try to do is say something that's going to get him mad!"
Baxter flinched but looked up at him. "You know why I did it, don't you?"
"Yeah! To protect that no-good brother of yours," Raphael retorted. But he flinched himself as he looked into Baxter's unwavering gaze.
"To keep Shredder from turning that fatal temper on my 'no-good' brother," Baxter elaborated. "And I wouldn't have needed to have said anything if he hadn't been the one who really played tricks on Shredder."
Raphael looked away. "You made your point," he said quietly. "Barney actually helped us by working against Shredder."
"And if Shredder had learned the truth, we probably all would have jumped in to protect him," Leonardo added.
"We might still have to," said Donatello.
Baxter nodded. "Barney found something he absolutely wasn't okay with doing. It could happen again. It probably will. My brother is not a lost soul. He still has a conscience and a moral code."
"Apparently his moral code feels perfectly alright with turning innocent Turtles to gold," Raphael said darkly.
"He didn't feel alright about it," Baxter insisted. "You didn't see into his eyes after he did it. He was absolutely haunted and shaken. And he never would have done it if he hadn't known there was a way to reverse it. It's not an excuse; it's an explanation. I'm still angry that he did it. But I would be far angrier if I didn't understand those things about him."
". . . He doesn't deserve to have you for his brother," Raphael muttered.
"Oh? Does he deserve to have someone who reviles him as much as he has me?"
"That's exactly what he deserves!" Raphael snapped.
"And he agrees with you," Baxter said simply. "He knows he's done wrong. He believes there is no forgiveness for what he's done or how he feels. And part of the reason why he's so angry at me is that he can't understand why I don't treat him the way he feels he deserves."
Raphael fell silent as he processed that information. "Your brother is messed-up," he said at last.
"I know," Baxter sighed, "but so was I. Kindness saved me. I want to believe it can save him."
"Maybe it can," Leonardo said compassionately.
Michelangelo nodded. "I'll try to keep believing in him, Dude. For your sake."
Baxter smiled. "Thank you."
"Hey." Irma peered in the open doorway now. "I'm going home to get ready for the dance. Are you sure you won't come, Dr. Stockman?"
Baxter looked to her in surprise. "I completely forgot about it," he confessed. "After a day like today, I really just want to go home and lie down."
"April says the same thing," Irma sighed. "You two are both alike; neither of you have any romance in your souls. After a day like today, I want to go all the more! Okay then. See you tomorrow. Bye, everyone."
"Bye, Irma," Leonardo said with a wave as she vanished.
"There goes one romance-crazed chick," said Raphael.
"It's what she wants so bad," said Michelangelo. "I hope she finds it someday."
"A boyfriend won't necessarily make everything better," said Donatello. "Irma needs to find happiness in her life right now. If she feels she'll only be really happy with a guy, she'll have a sad wake-up call someday."
"Now you sound kind of like Master Splinter," Michelangelo observed.
"It's true, though," Donatello shrugged. "But I'm thinking of things logically, not spiritually."
"Maybe the two aren't really so disconnected," said Leonardo.
Michelangelo looked to Baxter. "So why haven't you ever got married, Dude?" he asked curiously.
Baxter gave him a reproving look. "That isn't something you ask people, Michelangelo." But then, relenting, he said, "I was always a recluse. I wasn't good at socializing, or dancing, or any of the things one does on dates. I wanted my science and my inventions. Women weren't interested in me, and I must confess that I wasn't terribly interested in them, either. The few times I did go on dates, it was mostly because they had been set up by someone else and the girls and I were just trying to be nice to each other. And I spent the time mostly thinking of my inventions and what I could be doing instead."
"Sounds like Donatello," Michelangelo said. "We always have to drag him away from his inventions to get him to relax and have fun. And he's usually thinking about his inventions the whole time anyway!"
"Sometimes I don't," Donatello retorted.
"For a scientist, there isn't anything more fun than science and inventions," Baxter said. "I wouldn't have a happy marriage with a wife who wouldn't understand that, or who would but would be sad if she was alone all the time while I worked. I wouldn't want to do that to someone. I think the only way I would seriously consider marriage would be if I met a woman who was as interested in science as I am. Then we could share it together."
"That does sound fun, I guess," Michelangelo mused. "And then you could have a lot of little Tribbles! Well, minus the floating and falling and all that stuff."
Baxter winced. "But still getting into plenty of trouble. I don't think I'm ready for that." He leaned back. "If I ever am, though, all of you will be my children's uncles. Splinter as well."
"Yeah?" Michelangelo grinned. "Alright!"
Leonardo smiled. It was certainly a conversation they had never thought they would be having. But it was nice. One more indication of how far they'd come.
"I wonder how Barney would handle being an uncle," Raphael said.
"He would likely be a very harsh disciplinarian," Baxter said. "But he'd be fond of the children regardless."
"So your kids would have six uncles!" Michelangelo said.
"And that would just be your side of the family," Donatello interjected.
Michelangelo nodded, looking awed. "That's epic."
Baxter smiled a bit. "It is, isn't it. But it's purely hypothetical. I honestly doubt I will ever get married."
"You could even adopt," Michelangelo suggested. "That sure turned out great for us!"
"I doubt any adoption agency would consider me eligible as a parent," Baxter retorted. "And there would have to be highly extenuating circumstances to warrant my even trying." He paused. "But yes, I suppose there is that faint possibility, if someday I meet a child and somewhere along the way decide that I want to be the parent." He had to smirk. "But if that ever happens, I hope the child will not have telekinesis."
The Turtles laughed.
xxxx
Barney said very little to Shredder on the trip back. Once in the Technodrome, he retreated to his laboratory once Krang and Shredder began their usual post-mission argument. He sighed wearily, setting the laptop on the table and lifting the lid.
"That was a close call," said the computer.
"Don't I know it," Barney frowned. "Baxter probably saved my life."
"Was it worth the risk?"
Barney paused. "Yes, it was. I didn't want the child hurt."
"And you probably liked showing up Shredder."
"That too." Barney folded his arms on the table.
"I know you don't want to think of yourself as one of the 'good guys,' but maybe you'd settle for an antihero?"
"An unconventional hero, eh?" Barney looked darkly amused. "You're so determined to see me as anything other than a villain."
"You know, Barney, villains never see themselves as villains. They see themselves as heroes."
"And since I am self-aware enough to recognize that I am a villain, that means I'm really a hero?" Barney smirked. "Oh, the ironies of life."
"Maybe someday, Buddy Boy."
Barney tilted his head to the side. "You're calling me pet names now? I thought you reserved that for Baxter."
"I reserve it for my closest friends."
"Well." Barney looked away to hide the touched smile. "Then you're a fool too."
"We'll see."
Barney leaned back in the chair, looking up at the ceiling. In spite of the close call, it really had been a good day. The laptop had passed all of his tests with flying colors. He had shown up Shredder and helped to keep him from getting hold of Tribble. Baxter had been kind and protective and for once, Barney hadn't felt like screaming his lungs out at him. And the alien computer felt very close to him now.
". . . I can't believe I never asked this before," Barney realized. "Do you have a name?"
"A name?"
"A call sign. A designation. Something." Barney sat up straight again.
"The aliens did give me a designation," the computer admitted. "But it's not very interesting."
"As long as it isn't HAL," Barney giggled.
"It's not." The computer sounded puzzled.
"Nevermind; it's a silly joke involving a computer in a movie."
"Oh." The computer hesitated, then said, "I was designated as V.I.N. CENT-2152."
"Really." Barney raised an eyebrow.
"You still look amused," said the computer. "Is there something else entertaining about my designation?"
"Not unless you've seen The Black Hole," said Barney. "A movie, not the real thing."
"Actually, I've seen a lot of black holes. But I'll take your word for it."
"You'll have to tell me about that." Barney's eyes gleamed.
"And you'll have to show me this movie."
"I'll do that." Barney leaned back. "For now, Vincent, I would say we have the continuation of a beautiful friendship."
"I would say that too," said Vincent.