CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

Donatello and Raphael entered Maxwell's office with sour expressions etched across their faces

"Don, Raph, what can I do for..." Maxwell began.

Before he could finish Raphael grabbed him by the collar

"Where is he?" he said, "Where's Baxter?"

"In his lab. Why?" Maxwell said. Raphael let him go and walked towards the door at the back of Maxwell's office leading down into the main hub of labs.

"Raph, wait..." Donatello said. Raphael ignored Donatello's pleas and stormed through the door

"What's this about?" Maxwell said

Donatello took out a chip and deposited it on the desk

"Hook this up to your PC. Trace the route on the network, pinpoint the source signal. It's been right under your nose" Donatello said

Inside his lab, Baxter was seated on a revolving chair, he was locked in a busy sounding conversation on his phone

"…Yeah well if you could kindly tell Karai that if she wants the blueprints handed over to her contacts in China she's going to have to reach deep down into her purse and…"

Baxter looked up, Raphael had entered the lab, his face froze as he read the different types of tense frustration on the Turtle's face.

"I'll call you back" he said rather meekly, and put the phone down.

Raphael walked slowly up to him. Baxter could sense he'd been rumbled, yet he decided to still put up a facade

"…Oh. It's you. Hi. Nice day." he said. Raphael didn't answer. He was visibly bottled up with anger. Baxter noticed the mouser in his hand, and chose the wrong moment to make light of the tension.

"…So…how'd the upgrade go?" he asked

Raphael charged at Baxter and decked him with a straight uppercut. Baxter was thrown off his seat. Raphael grabbed him by the collar and threw another punch.

"Stay down, you sniveling little BASTARD" Raphael cried out and viciously kicked Baxter square in the gut as he tried to get to his feet. Raphael grabbed Baxter's head and smacked it off the floor, Baxter's glasses were crushed in the impact.

"DON'T YOU TRY TO GET UP" Raphael bellowed, and delivered another stern kick to Baxter's head, before placing his right foot on it, pinning him down. Baxter futilely tried to break free of the grip, he wiggled and flapped his arms about helplessly

"Ah god, stop, STOP! Ahh" Baxter screamed.

"Thought you could sweep us all under the rug did you? You hate the idea something like me can exist?" Raphael said, raising his foot and again bringing it down hard.

Back in Maxwell's office, he and Donatello examined the mouser mainframe on Maxwell's laptop, taking a look at the diverted channel

(Max and Donatello examine the Mouser network on the main computers, taking a look at the diverted channel. Maxwell was horrified.

"Holy shit, what's he done?" he said

They heard a loud clutter of noise, broken glass, and hectic yelling and commotion followed from several workers

"What in hell's colors was that? Maxwell said

"We'd better get down there. Now." Donatello said

Maxwell reached for the intercom

"Can I get security down at enhanced robotics please?" he said. Donatello raced down to the division, where Raphael continued to inflict punishment on Baxter

"Had enough?" he said

"Nice to know, I have a say in this" Baxter said, almost weeping

"I was asking MYSELF that question" he said, and kicked him again, he then picked him up and head butted him, Baxter reeled back, falling into another table full of glass beakers, which shattered upon contact.

"There's something I'm always asking of my brother…a word. Pretty simple one actually. I want you to say it." Raphael said

"S-say what?" Baxter said

"Oh I didn't expect you to know, you didn't show ANY of it to us. DID you? But you're a smart man, you'll figure it out very quickly" Raphael replied.

Baxter tried to slip by Raphael, but the Turtle grabbed him by the shoulder and slammed him back on to the table, Raphael produced one of his sais and aimed it at Baxter's right eye

"You can watch the birdie and pray it doesn't eat worms…or you can say it" Raphael said

Baxter shook, visibly terrified, the sai etched closer and closer

"Say it" Raphael yelled

Donatello entered with Maxwell and security guards.

"Raph, stop" Donatello said, running up to Raphael and restraining him, grabbing both of his hands.

"Let me go! He's gotta pay" Raphael said

"I know...I know, but not like this ok? This isn't what we do" Donatello said

"He led them to the lair…all of them, the damage done there…all down to him. You trusted him…and he sold us all out" Raphael said, close to despair in his vocal tone.

"It's ok. It's ok" Donatello said, and let Raphael go. He sank in despair, placing his head on one of the tables, and buried it in his hands. Donatello patted him on the back and focused on Baxter, who staggered back to his office desk.

"Why?" Donatello said sternly

"Donny, man, you gotta keep that bro of yours in check…" Baxter began, but Donatello would have none of it.

"Don't play innocent, I've seen the corrupted trail you left on the network, why did you do it?" Donatello said

Baxter slyly reached into his desk drawer

"What can I say?" he said, pulling out a gun

"…I've always thought this place could do with some re-branding"

Donatello quickly reacted and threw himself in front of Raphael as Baxter opened fire. The Turtles hit the floor and crawled on all fours to a safe distance, Maxwell's security guards exchanged fire. Baxter ducked the blasts and returned more bullets as he made his way to the back entrance, which in turn led down another corridor. Maxwell checked on the Turtles

"You guys ok?" Maxwell said

"Yeah, thanks" Donatello said

Raphael got up and headed down the same corridor. Donatello followed.

Baxter darted down the corridors, bumping into fellow scientists and secretaries, some of them carrying important work. Donatello and Raphael rushed down the hall, closing in on their target. Donatello, however, took pity on one of the women Baxter had knocked over and tried helping her pick up her papers and beakers

"Donny, you can play 'perfect stranger' later" Raphael said

"Sorry, gotta go" Donatello said to the perplexed female

As the pursuit continued, Maxwell's voice rang through the loudspeakers.

"Attention! Until further notice, this facility is in lockdown. We apologize for any inconvenience" he said

"We need to slow him down, so you better think fast" Raphael advised

"Are you alright in the head. You're not yourself right now" Donatello said

"Yeah well, I'm hungry" Raphael said

"You want a Snickers?" Donatello asked

"Any better ideas?" Raphael said

"I guess Mikey's birthday present's gotta come early" Donatello said

"What do you mean by that?" Raphael said

"This" Donatello said, producing something from the back of his shell. A grappling hook.

"Just the thing" Raphael said. Taking the hook, he aimed at the fleeing Baxter and fired. The grappling hook wrapped around Baxter's legs and sent him to the floor. Raphael pressed a button on the compact device and the hook and it's quarry found themselves being dragged all the way back to them. Baxter reached for his gun, but Donatello was quick to kick it out of his hand.

"Better?" Donatello said

"Better" Raphael replied.