Under Wraps Part 10
Two days had passed by. It was 2 am and Bethany was ushering Luke to the surface. He was grouchy and pleading to go back to sleep. Eventually Michelangelo picked up the little guy and carried him. Within minutes, Luke was passed out over his shoulder. Bethany had a backpack with clothes for the two of them and the other turtles were leading the way, with Don scanning the area above for humans.
She never really asked about all that stuff Don carried on his back, but was curious to know why he did so she whispered to Mikey, "What is up with the proton pack?"
Mikey chuckled, "He always had lots of gadgets. Donnie has a scanner, first aid kit, travel computer, gps, infrared and night vision goggles, solar panels, um…"
"Solar panels?" Bethany's eyes widened.
"Yup. There's one on top the "proton pack" and see the panels on his belt? Extra solar power. I don't have a clue what else he's got on that thing, but its gotten us out of a lot of tight spots."
Don stopped in front of a ladder and did another scan. "All clear." He then ascended to the surface, followed by Leo and Raph. They propped open the manhole cover and did a quick look before climbing out. Mikey then had Bethany go up next. She climbed slowly, nervous about being above ground where people could see her. It was dark topside with only one light above them. They were in an alleyway.
Bethany was offered Donatello's hand as she reached the top and he helped her up. Mikey came up shortly after, to which Leo took the child so his brother could climb out easily. Once the cover was slid back into place, Don led them through a broken fence and into an abandoned warehouse where the turtles briefly split up and searched around the building before going inside.
"What's in here?" Bethany asked as she stepped through a dilapidated wall.
Her question was answered when she spotted a large van with massive wheels and an unusual paint job, similar to camouflage.
"Check out our wheels, girl!" Mikey cheered.
"It…it looks like the tumbler out of Batman…" she commented.
"Hah!" laughed Mikey as he opened the side door. "I suppose the wheels are similar and Donnie suped it up real good! The Dark Knight be envious sistah!"
Leo rolled his eyes and put Luke inside the van, laying him across the seat and slipping a seatbelt around his waist. Then he draped a blanket over him before climbing into the front seat. Then Bethany climbed in next and settled herself on the seat, propping Luke's head up in her lap.
It was a tight squeeze, but Raph and Mikey filed into the van behind Bethany and Luke in the very back. Donatello jumped into the driver seat and started the vehicle. He pulled out of the warehouse and headed north towards route 87. They would be driving for a little under two hours and wanted to make it to their location before the streets became crowded with cars and they would have a better chance of hiding the van and Luke. The city streets were not too bad to drive, only a few commuters going home from the graveyard shift. Donatello kept them hidden from prying eyes by putting up the screens and two-way mirrors on the windows.
The trek north was not very eventful and Bethany had fallen asleep, curled up with her son on the seat while the turtles kept vigilante for any attacks on the road. Don decided to take a detour when the highway became backed up due to an accident. There were a lot of cops at the scene and it was too risky to drive through. He pulled off at a rest stop and determined that an old backroad leading through a small town would be the fastest way to their destination at this point.
It took an extra hour to reach the outskirts of the town and they made it through to their destination. As expected, Sacks had built a second estate after his first one was demolished. However, he was rarely on site and the entire building was run by his assistants and scientists. Stockman was also inside and his team was waiting for them…
Don parked the van two miles away from the estate, hiding it between thick pine trees and brush. It was very cold out, but Raph opened up a storage unit in the floor of the van and he withdrew large coats and a smaller one for Luke, plus some blankets.
"The van is insulated, so Luke will be warm. He can watch movies on the computer if he gets bored and I programmed some kiddie games if he wants to play them," Don said.
Luke had awakened as the turtles slipped on their coats. "Momma, are we there yet?"
"Yes." She then looked over her son, worried. "Do we really have to leave him alone? What if they find him?"
The guys all looked at each other.
"If we don't have all five of us, Stockman might injure the hostages," Mikey said, sliding his weapons into the belt on the coat.
Leo sighed, "We may have to risk it. Luke's only 6 and if Stockman sends scouts out into the woods, they will find him unless we park the van miles away. I don't want to risk that. So…we'll have to chance it. Who's gonna stay? Volunteer?"
Raph looked at Bethany, seeing the turmoil in her eyes and then at his brothers. Leo would never back down from a mission and Don would be needed to disable security once they busted the hostages loose. Mikey could stay, but on his own, he sometimes got a little reckless. Not much different from himself to be honest. However, Raph was still working to prove himself to Bethany and what better way to do it than guard her son? "I'll stay."
Surprised by Raph's choice to volunteer, Leo patted his brother on the shoulder. "All right. Let's get this plan in motion. Anybody need a quick break before we do this?"
"Oh yeah!" Mikey said and he slid open the side door, exited and ran for the nearest bush before Leo had a chance to tell him to be stealthy.
"Since nobody shot at him, I'm assuming its safe…for now," Leo said and climbed out of the van.
Luke stayed close to his mother as they also found a place in the trees to do their own business. When they returned, Don had given Raph a tracking device that easily slipped underneath one of his arm guards.
"You can find us anywhere in the building with this," Don said and he looked at Bethany. "I also have a tracker for you." He produced a very tiny clip from his belt and approached her. He separated part of her braid and clipped the little device close to her scalp, letting her hair hair fall back into place. "There. We three will be connected at all times and the microphone will pick up any sounds or voices. I'll be able to hear you two and we can make sure Luke stays safe."
"Thanks," she replied, grateful.
"If there isn't anything else, then let's get moving."
Bethany knelt down and embraced her son, kissing his forehead. "We're gonna get grandma and come right back, okay baby?"
"I want to go with you," Luke whined.
"No. Stay here with Raphael. He's going to keep you company. Now hop back into the van its cold out here." She quickly zipped up her son's jacket and pulled up the hood. Luke's shoulders slumped, but he did what he was told and climbed back into the van.
Raph stood out front of the vehicle while his brothers and Bethany lined up. Leo first, then Don with Bethany close behind, and Mikey pulling up the rear.
"Good luck, Raph!" Mikey called as they moved forward through the trees.
After simply waving at the others, Raph turned his attention on Luke. "Just you and me, kid."
Luke nodded and sat there staring at his guardian.
It wasn't Raph's style, but he attempted to engage the kid. "You wanna play a game or somethin?"
"Not right now. I'm cold," Luke muttered.
"Well then, let's get this door shut." Raph then climbed back inside the vehicle and closed the sliding door. He wanted to make extra room inside and folded the back seat down, pushing it into the compartment in the floor.
There was a lot more room now and Luke put a blanket on the floor and wrapped another one around himself. "How long are we going to be here?"
"Not sure, kid. Could be a few hours or more. Depends on how fast they bust out the hostages." Raph then made himself comfortable and kept his eye on the windows, watching for any movement. He looked at Luke briefly, seeing that he was on the verge of tears. "Don't worry, little man. You're mom's gonna be fine. My brothers will take good care of her."
Bethany's feet and tail were freezing. There wasn't any snow on the ground yet, thankfully, but November was such a chilly month. Her sneakers were not keeping her feet very warm and she wondered how the turtles could stand walking around partially barefoot. They had some sort of shoes on their feet, but their toes were uncovered or haphazardly wrapped in bandages. "Aren't your feet cold?" she asked aloud.
Mikey jumped on the answer first, "Nope! My feet are still toasty from the car!"
Don quickly interjected, "Our feet don't get cold as fast as a human's, thanks to our mutation. Our bodies regulate temperature the same way though. So if we're out in the cold for long periods then we'll start to feel it. You on the other hand, are freshly mutated, so you're not quite ready to handle extreme changes in temperature yet. Give it a year or so and see. I'd like to test that, in fact. Since your serum was so different form ours, I'm thinking you might handle changes better than we can over time."
"So, you regulate like humans…okay. Does this mean you started out as humans too?"
"No, we started life as little box turtles. Our injections were the first few experiments in the Sacks corporation. More like a test run actually. Your injection was, well, updated and more potent. That's why it almost killed you."
"Keep it down guys, we really should be traveling in silence," Leo reminded. He drew a sword and started slicing away a few pine branches that blocked their path. "Trees are thick through here," he whispered.
Don caught up with Leo and kept his pace with him. He whispered back, "Sacks actually hid this base. I'm not getting a signal. That means security is going to be tight. I'm guessing snipers, radar, heat sensors, the works…" He checked the area for any indication of a satellite reading. "Nothing." He gave up on his wrist scanner.
"How in the hell does this place have an address then? Unless its unlisted…"
"Exactly. Sacks works closely with the government. They won't list his building and may even deny its existence, especially if they are working on billion dollar projects. Stockman gave us the address, but it had no building number, which tells me there is only one."
They kept wandering through the woods until they spotted a solitary lamppost in the center of an open field. Not wanting to be caught without cover, the group stayed in the confines of the trees looking for any movement or a sign of the building.
"Where is it?" Mikey asked, forgetting to keep his voice down.
"I really don't like this," Bethany said.
"Stay calm, we're okay," Leo said as he peered through the thick branches. Even to him, something didn't feel right. "Donnie? Still nothing?"
"I've scanned this place three times now. I haven't picked up a trace. I hope my gear isn't crapping out." Don began tapping on his scanner.
"No, I don't think so…" Still holding onto his sword, Leo pushed aside the brush and cautiously stepped out into the open. The lamppost just looked oddly suspicious. He signaled to the others to stay put as he wandered across the field, reaching the post and tapping his sword against it. It made a soft clang, but nothing happened. He turned around, looking to Donnie for suggestions, but then Leo heard metal begin scraping together and he jumped back when the lamppost started to rise. There was a large hatch opening up, revealing a staircase underground. Leo drew his other sword, expecting someone to either come rushing out and attack or an array of bullets to whiz by. He held his position for a minute. There was nothing. It was just an open hatch inviting him to enter. They came to retrieve Bethany's mother and free other hostages, but Leo had the sneaking suspicion they were walking into a trap. There really was no choice. If they turned back now, then they would be responsible for the death of innocent civilians. Leo did not sense anyone in the hatch nor did a single shot breeze by. He turned to his comrades and waved them over.
Don and Mikey looked at one another before slowly stepping out into the open. Bethany was terrified, but she followed close behind, occasionally peering over her shoulder to make sure they weren't being followed. Her son's well-being crossed her mind, but Raph was there with him. If anything happened to her, she trusted Raphael enough to get Luke to a safe place. They proceeded with caution until reaching the mouth of the hatch. Then Leo took the first step onto the stairwell and descended underground.
Bethany stayed between Don and Mikey, her eyes darting back and forth as they passed through a long corridor. All the turtles had their weapons at the ready in case of an attack.
After making it through the corridor, they entered a much larger room, harboring freight and vehicles. A large door that probably led to underground tunnels was towards the back of the room.
"Where is everyone?" Mikey asked.
"I know we walked into a trap," Leo whispered.
Bethany gasped and backed up into Mikey, who quickly put an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay…" he said.
"Like hell it is…" she muttered nervously. She looked at the vehicles, many were equipped with machine guns and she even spotted what looked like armored vans for capturing victims. Just as her panic rose, the lights overhead flashed and an alarm sounded. Just as quickly as they arrived, an army of Foot soldiers surrounded them, guns pointing at them.
"Stay calm!" Leo demanded and he positioned himself ready to fight, leading his two brothers to do the same. They surrounded Bethany, keeping her within their reach and security. They waited, but the soldiers did not attack, just kept their guns fixated on them.
Then a familiar voice took charge of the situation.
"Well, well. You're all early." It was Stockman and he was steadily making his way to the front of the crowd. He spotted Bethany standing at the center of the protective circle. He stared at her, finding her newly mutated form very intriguing. "So Bethany managed to survive. I wasn't too sure before I spoke with you over the phone, but now I'm convinced." He looked at the turtles next, "We also have a problem…"
Leo quickly interjected, "Where are the hostages?! We need to make sure they are safe before we converse about anything!"
"Where's my mother?!" Bethany cried.
Stockman chuckled, "Patience, friends. The hostages are secure in their cells. Now back to my initial concern. Where is the fourth turtle? I believe we had an agreement. Four turtles, plus one lady and I forgo giving them the ML serum."
"…" Bethany was at a loss. She knew they would ask about Raph, but she had no idea what to say and she didn't want to mention her son out of fear for his life.
"Raphael is no longer a part of this team," Leo said. It was a total lie, but it was his best attempt to fool Stockman.
Internally, Don and Mikey were conflicted, but they did not show emotion. Leo must have had a plan.
"Ah, I see. After his little romp, I can't blame you for casting him out. I'm sure Bethany appreciated it," Stockman mocked.
Bethany was very lucky her face did not show red because she was highly embarrassed. She was rubbing her hands at her sides nervously.
Leo redirected Stockman. "Show us the hostages."
"In good time. First, drop your weapons. Since the hostages remain in my custody, I make the demands. Any problems with that and I'll still test the serum. If you try anything right now, my team will see on the monitors and they will begin the injections the second you swing those swords." Stockman laughed and he ordered his militants to cautiously approach.
Leo was the first to surrender his blades and he allowed the armed men to search him for any additional weapons. Then they cuffed his hands and feet to prevent him from fighting. Don and Mikey followed suit, but it was frustrating for Donnie because they took all of his gear, leaving him with his clothes and belt only. Then Bethany found her hands bound with simple ropes, mouth covered with duct tape, and a gun pointed at her back, urging her to move forward. Their coats were thrown into a dumpster as they were escorted down winding tunnels.
The soldiers then pushed the turtles into walking towards the labs, forcing them into one of the largest rooms. There were tables, computers, and scores of equipment, making Don's lab look like a playroom. There were no scientists present except for Stockman and the militants filed in, covering every door that could be a potential escape route for the turtles.
"Put them in chains," Stockman said, referring to the turtles.
Mikey groaned as his limbs were secured to the cement wall, as were his brothers. But Bethany was left in the center of the room, four guards surrounding her.
Once the turtles were restrained, Stockman started to question them again. "I'm going to ask one more time, where is the fourth turtle?"
"We already told you, he's gone," Leo insisted.
"You think I'm a fool? Did you really think for one second that I'd believe you tossed out one of your own? I know you have some code of ethics you follow and that you'd likely rehabilitate that uncontrollable beast before banishing him. So, is he stalking around the woods somewhere? Last chance to tell me the truth…"
"He's not with us," Leo growled.
Stockman closed his eyes and smirked. "Fine. We'll do this the hard way." He snapped his fingers and one militant stepped out from the crowd, putting his weapon away and unraveling a long rope from his belt. It was a whip.
This didn't seem to faze any of the turtles. Mikey even smirked right back at Stockman. Their shells were bulletproof, so there was no way a whip would ever penetrate. Apparently Stockman was more of an idiot than he looked. However, the turtles were shocked when the evil scientist snapped his fingers again and the four soldiers surrounding Bethany suddenly grabbed her and cut the ropes from her wrists before yanking her over to the nearest pillar. It was right within view of the turtles and they began shouting at the men.
"Leave her alone you bastards!" Mikey yelled and struggled against his bonds.
Every word the turtles threw at the men fell on deaf ears, so Leo had to try and stop this before Bethany suffered for their stubbornness.
"Raph's out in the woods!" Leo cried, hoping it would stop the men.
Stockman only smiled, "Thank you. I appreciate your honesty, but I'm afraid you've already crossed me once and liars don't go unpunished."
"Then take it out on me!" Leo growled.
"What's the point? I'm not an idiot. You won't feel a thing! But I think you'll feel this as much as she will…" He then turned his back on Leo and ordered the soldiers to continue.
Bethany was screaming against her gag, but it didn't do any good. Nobody could understand her. She was forced up against the pillar, arms retied so they were wrapped around the marble and one soldier produced a knife and slashed open the back of her shirt and the sleeves until the fabric fell away from her body. Her chest was now bare and pressed up against the cold pillar. Her braid was pushed up over her shoulder and she watched in panic as the soldier with the whip stood a few feet behind her, practicing with the torture weapon against the floor for a moment.
"Let's see how well the ML serum works and gauge your pain tolerance!" Stockman said. He then nodded at the soldier, who raised the whip in the air and cracked it once before slamming it against her flesh.
Bethany screamed loudly, her voice muffled from the tape, but everyone in the room was either enjoying her pain or horrified by it. The turtles started struggling, trying to pull their chains out of the walls, but it was no good. She cried as a second strike hit her across the lower back, the tail of the whip wrapped around her torso for a moment and left a horrendous welt on her tummy.
"Make sure you give her a few seconds between lashings, otherwise the pain of each strike will dull into the next." Stockman was far too happy watching this poor girl getting tortured.
Bethany could no longer stand on her feet and had fallen to her knees, at least as far as the ropes would let her go. Her face was soaked with tears and her skin was burning.
With a heavy heart, Leo watched as Bethany slowly succumbed to her beating. Her back was torn to pieces and bleeding. His brothers were still yelling at the men and begging to take her punishment for themselves, but they were all ignored.
Another crack and the whip ripped another gash across her shoulder…
Then another strike shredded her already mutilated skin…
Then another…
And another…
Until she passed out from shock.
When Stockman felt she'd had more than enough, he halted his soldier. "That's good enough. She'll be feeling that for weeks. Bring the other team and tell them to get started on the withdrawals. Oh also, send a team out into the woods. If this freak was telling the truth, then that behemoth of a turtle is out wandering the perimeter. Find him and bring him here. Kill anyone else that may be accompanying him."
The turtles each gasped. Luke was in danger! They peered at one another for a moment but refrained from saying anything, knowing that Raph would not let anything happen to Bethany's son.
Within thirty minutes, the lab team arrived and started their work. Bethany was removed from the pillar and laid across a table on her belly. Instead of cleaning up her wounds, the team just withdrew as many blood and skin samples as they could and strapped her down to the table when they were finished. When they attempted to start collecting form the turtles, they were nervous to get near because Leo, Don, and Mikey were rowdy and shouting obscenities at them. It was impossible to collect anything until Stockman threatened to do something even worse to Bethany and the hostages.
"Should we drain them entirely?" one scientist asked.
"No. My father nearly made that mistake under Sacks foolish decisions, but I'm not prepared to waste any amount of blood these freaks produce. And I want an endless supply," Stockman said.
It had been hours since his brothers left and Raphael was steadily growing impatient. He wasn't one for sitting and waiting, but at least Luke kept him entertained. They played a few games on the computer together and watched a movie. Raph was extremely vigilant and continuously peered out the windows and doors to listen or see if anyone was approaching. So far, no action.
Currently, Luke was sitting in the driver's seat, pretending to be police officer chasing a criminal. He was behaving pretty well for kid, so there really wasn't much Raph needed to do other than watch him.
Once dusk started to settle over the land, Raph was beginning to question if he should go after his brothers. They shouldn't be taking this long. Perhaps they had run into problems? He sat up in the seat and reached for the door, slowly opening it. He peered out into the thick brush and saw nothing, but his stomach had flipped as he felt a tremor run down his spine. His senses were telling him something was coming and he quickly reached into the front seat to take Luke's hand.
"Stay silent, kid," Raph said as he bundled the child up in a coat before zipping up his own. Then he and Luke climbed out of the vehicle. "Keep low and follow me." The pair moved away from the van and in the direction opposite of his brother's original path. Raph decided it was best to find another route if the others were captured.