Part 3: Revelations
Chapter 13: Dark Secrets Revealed
Authors Note: Hello, my lovely readers. We are finally in part three of the story.
I just wanted to say thank you for your dedication, your reviews and your support.
Now without further adieu
"He he" Bebop laughed leaping from rooftop to rooftop with his man: Rocksteady, not far behind him. "Rocksteady my man, the city's sleeping like a baby tonight" the mutant pig laughed.
"Yeah as you would say it's all good"
With a contented smile the two ex-villains went to turn around and head back home when a sudden sound made them turn around. The sound of a metal garage sliding shut drew the attention of the two mutants.
Now it might have been a while ago, but Bebop remembered this side of town. Before he and Mr. Steranko turned good and allied with the turtles, he'd been an errand boy for Shredder and often headed over to these storage compartments where Shredder stored most of Stockman's inventions, mutagen and more expendable resources. Suspicion grew as an all too familiar figure emerged from the storage unit carrying a few boxes his eyes darting around nervously.
"What the..Blister Stickboy?" Bebop leaned forward and watched the now-human scientist load the boxes into his car before returning to the garage for another load.
"I thought he was dead!" Bebop whispers yelled. They may not talk with their 'allies' much but they keep in touch. The turtles patrol New York while he and Mr. Steranko watch over New Jersey. Few months ago they'd called in to check with Leonardo, the turtle leader usually checked in with them quite routinely to make sure they were doing okay and were still following the path of justice instead of reverting back to their old ways. It actually kinda touched Bebop, not that he would admit it. After his long career in villany he wasn't all too surprised that the turtle wanted to check up on them and all. Actually the routine was less invasive than he'd originally thought it would be, instead it was more personal, almost like friendship or at least allies. But after a few months passed without so much as a sound, he decided to call the turtles himself. The mutant Pig may be many things but the patient was not one of them. And he sure as spit did not stand to be forgotten. The disconnected signal he received when he called turned his anger into apprehension, he was just about to storm down to New York to check inta things himself when Mr. Steranko decided to call the other turtles.
Donetello was reserved and his answers were curt. But it honestly pained the mutant pig to hear that Leonardo was missing and presumed dead. Evidently something had gone down at Stockmans old warehouse and the brothers didn't get there in time. Sure enough Stockman's old warehouse was nothing more than a pile of rubble, not much was even left now of the warehouse as the rubble of a building was cleaned up by the city. Stockman hadn't been heard or seen from since.
So it was no surprise that when the creep did appear Rocksteads gut reaction was to attack.
"Wait Dog!" Bebop grabbed his friends hand before he could shoot the loaded weapon at the unsuspecting scientist below.
"He's mad-man no?" the rhino shrugged off his friends hand "we are allies with the turtles, he took something from them we take something from him"
Bebop shook his head, although he himself used to live by the adage "an eye for an eye'' he couldn't stop the nagging feeling that something bigger was going on.
"No Dog somethings up, we should follow him and see where he goes"
Rocksteady let out a breath. "Fine, but stealth is not my strong suit. No?"
Bebop let out a sigh, his friend was right it really wasn't. "Fine, he still has a few more trips till he's all loaded up. I'll sneak down and put a tracker on his car. Just stay here. Don't move and Don't be seen"
"Hesh alright alright"
With that Bebop nodded and seconds later the pig was an invisible figure of the night. It didn't take much effort to slip a tracker onto the underside of the beat down town car that Baxter was driving. Minutes later they were watching a small blinking light on a screen as it moved further and further along the map heading out of town.
"He's left town dog."
"Yes, I may be no genius Bebop but I'd say he's hiding something"
"I've done a few shady things in my day Mr. Steranko and I don't like the smell of this. We need to call the turtles and tell them what's up"
It had been quiet today, just the routine rounds. I was surprised to find the house quiet when I got home. After changing out of my uniform and fixing Bax and I, some leftover stew that I made yesterday I brought a bowl down to my isolated brother. In the past most meals were eaten in the kitchen or in the very least, on days where he was locked away from hours on end, I would be invited in if I brought something down and we would talk while we ate. But these last few days Bax has just offered a few cold words before slamming the door in my face.
This was..odd. I felt a growing apprehension in my gut as a new but insulting 'KEEP OUT' sign blocked my path. Baxter had been thrilled when he learned that the small two bedroom place our combined salaries could afford came with a basement and my genius older brother immediately turned the space into a workshop. I had helped transform the basement into his lab, keeping him from turning the space into a quote on quote 'mad scientist layer', I'd followed all the fire codes, kept a fire extinguisher nearby and made an effort to drag the genius away for small breaks on a regular basis. But in all this time I had never been actually banned from the basement. The two of us had always had a true brotherly perspective: we shared everything. Though annoying at times, it had never actually been a problem before.
Things had been going really well actually. I passed the test at the academy and became a full fledged officer of the law. I like my job. A position where I help people just makes sense, and I like who I work with; they all share the same morals of honor, peace and justice as I do and are trustworthy individuals who are respectful and actually want to make a difference. Bax or as he formally liked to be known to others as, Profesor Stockman, is thriving in his job. He loves it and is a natural, though at times he can ramble like the crazy scientist he is, he also loves knowledge and has a lot to teach and show his eager pupils. Things were going well. We both had great jobs, we both were making friends, we both were moving forward and of course we had each other. And then one day it just all changed. It started subtle at first. Baxter started becoming more aloof, secretive, and defensive. I didn't want to push my brother and instead of confronting him I gave him a little space to come to me with what was bothering him, a system that had always worked with us before. As I grew more concerned I made more forward efforts to find out what was wrong. But each time I tried to reach out, tried to talk to him, offer support, anything, I was shut down. Pushed away. Then suddenly he's up and leaving for New York. Saying he got a notice that a storage unit he rented was expiring. I offered to come along thinking a road trip might be just what we needed. Since I had woke up we were practically inseparable, a few of my buddies at the station have even joked about us being joined at the hip. So when Baxter blatantly stated that he wanted to go alone, it was a huge red flag for me.
When he got back he just locked himself in the basement. It's summer break so class isn't in session.
Earlier in the summer we were always out hiking, fishing, camping. We also kept in touch with Marcus and Mrs. Tribony, having them over for dinner every once in a while or having Marcus come over to play Mazes and Mutants. But then a week ago everything changed, it was like Bax my beloved brother was becoming someone I didn't really recognize. And I did not like it! Not in the least.
I knock on the closed door in front of me still slightly insulted by the new KEEP OUT sign. After a few light knocks the door swings open.
"Baxter," I called out through the open door that was lately always locked.
Receiving no answer i tried once more "Bax I brought dinner"
I feel a twinge of guilt at the temptation. Pushing it down my curiosity and worry win over and I step into the lab. My eyes darting around the cold empty lab half hidden in the darkness.
"Baxter" I turn on the light and stand frozen in shock, gapping in horror at what has become of our basement. What used to be an organized space with a desk and a laptop, filing cabinets, a bulletin board and a chalkboard I found at a rummage sale; has now transformed into a room with glowing blinking lights. Jars of ooze are scattered around on shelves, crazy sporadic notes and diagrams fill the chalkboard in a hurried illegible scribble, pictures of creatures are strung alongside the wall along with notes and plots and…
It looks like a cheesy horror film
Or a crazy scientist lab from a cartoon.
My eyes dart around the room not sure what to take in first. What has become of my brother..
Baxter has told me about his time with the shredder and the work he once did with the mutagen. Despite his dark past, the whole time that I can remember knowing my brother, Bax's work has been centered around productive inventions, scientific explorations that would help others, all in effort to change from who he used to be and take a hold of his destiny. This crazy lab around me resembles none of that effort, this crazy mess of plotting and planning, blinking lights and insects in glowing jars of ooze, none of this seems to fit with Baxter I know and love.
I had dedicated part of my paycheck when I worked at the pizza place to finding materials and supplies, went garage saling with Baxter nearly every Sunday, and worked alongside my brother to turn the basement into his lab and office. I had played a huge part in creating this work space and know for sure that all this is new. The blinking lights, the sporadic charts, the jars of ooze and other worrisome chemicals, the weird looking gun sitting in the corner, that creepy chair, all of this is new. It has to have come from New Jersey from when he made that trip to the storage unit a week ago. Suddenly the pieces started falling into place. This stuff was from my Brother's past, it had dragged up some bad memories bringing my brother to a place of isolation and fear. One thing I still couldn't place was the obsession. Something had triggered this and I had a feeling it was more than the notice about the storage unit, something else was at play here, something I was still missing.
Placing the stew down on his desk, I lean over and look at the charts Baxter still had pulled up on his computer. It was a string of mutagen DNA. Baxter had been running a program checking for differences between the mutagen in this specific DNA and the mutagen in a number of other DNAs. The one he was analyzing was labeled 'Reverse Retromutagen'. As the younger brother to a very talkative, at times mad, scientist I had learned quite a bit about various topics, including mutagen. It had taken a lot of patience and understanding but I eventually helped Baxter reach a place of acceptance where he was beginning to let some things go. Hard things. It had been hard for Baxter to talk about his past. Shredder still haunted his nightmares, and his time as a fly had not been easy for him. When he did talk about his past the subject of mutagen came up, quite a bit. I had learned enough about the alien ooze to understand how it works, how it's reversed and how it can be manipulated. Sadly, my brother's past is not pristine, he has done many things which he greatly regrets. Many of these regrets involve mutagen.
I frown and run a hand down my face as I stare at the program on the computer. The wheels on the chair squeak as I take a seat, moving the mouse to start exploring the data here. My frown deepens, worry and apprehension growing with each new piece of information. The 'reverse Retromutagen' is a formula created specifically to work only on mutants. The solution works to mutate an individual into the life form it first came into contact with.
What does my brother want with this?
I let my eyes drift to the map that hung on the wall above the desk, it has red tacks covering it with pictures next to each tack. Each picture was of a mutant, one was a tiger with a missing eye, another a fish, a mutant pig and rhino ext. Trepidation spread through me. These must be Shredders' goons, Baxter's always talking about. My frown deepens. My brother's considering hunting them down. Something must have frightened him and instead of coming to me and discussing what was going on and finding a logical peaceful solution, the fear driven idiot decides to go all mad scientist on me!
I grab my head as my thoughts race around in a chaotic storm, my emotions acting even more like a tornado on a warpath as bits and pieces start to come into harsh light.
I don't know what to think.
I don't know what to do.
I feel betrayed and afraid.
I let out a deep breath, centering my emotions.
Focus.
Right now, I need to keep a calm head and figure just what all was going on.
After a few more deep cleansing breaths I turn my eyes back toward the screen.
Hastily I also decide to grab a clean USB drive from the drawer. Plugging it into the computer I start saving some of this information as I go, including a digital copy of Bax's map.
This data is not all old. Much of the data here has been updated recently, the existing formula for the mutagen seems to date back to last summer but Bax has recently updated the formula to compensate for a missing key ingredient: mutagen.
Baxter had explained something to me once, a stream is a derivative of a river. It is a branch of the main stock. Smaller creeks can sprout from the stream but these derivatives would be much much smaller than the original river.
Stockman had used this metaphor to explain how to use a derivative to compensate for mutagen. It was just a theory but in essence he could use a mutated individual's DNA as a derivative from the mutagen, a stream from the river. He could not then use the DNA from the individual who was mutated with this mutagen as it would be too far removed, a creek sprouting from a stream instead of a stream sprouting from a river.
Thinking back on it now, that conversation should have worried me a LOT more than it had.
If I was reading this information correctly. Stockman had a plan but without the mutagen needed to bring this plan into action he intended to use the DNA of this oblivious individual.
This revolution hit me like a punch to the gut.
SHELL NO!
I was not going to let my brother mutant anyone!
I was not going to let my brother slip back into who he once was, this past year he has proven just how much good he has within him. He has come so far. He doesn't need to do this. I need to get to the bottom of what is going on. Find out where these thoughts, plots and plans are coming from. What is he fearing? Where is this fear stemming from?..and why didn't he come to me?! We share everything!
Angry tears slide from my sapphire eyes, I wipe it away with the sleeve of my blue sweatshirt, pulling my knees to my chest.
My brother was thinking, no plotting, to mutate someone!
I was NOT going to let my brother mutant anyone!
And I was sure as hell not going to let my brother use this poor individual to carry out his plan!
I froze
Wait
Derivative.
Who was the derivative? Baxter had no mutagen. He had recently updated his formula to compensate for the lack of mutagen by engineering a process to extract the solution from the DNA of an individual already mutated with the reverse retromutagen. Already mutated. Baxter had already used the reverse retromutagen on someone.
Dread coursed through my system at the revelation. Jumping out of my chair I start angrily sorting through the information at my fingertips, saving information onto my flash drive as I search.
Reverse Retromutagen Case A
Reason for mutation:...accidental- resulting from subject's interference
I let my eyes drift over the reactions to the mutagen, stated in the file, surprised to find that the individual mutated into a human. Baxter's speculation being that the mutant had originally been an animal who came into contact with the mutagen either by accident or as a test subject. Reading this robotic, unemotional dialog chilled me to the bone. The individual, as I refused to refer to this poor victim as a 'subject' in my mind, evidently showed no negative side effects and seemed to fall into the exact poramators of Baxter's speculation for the mutagen.
My heart nearly stopped.
Amnesia.
Retrograde Amnesia.
The reverse retromutagen caused amnesia. My brother had created something that would strip an individual of all their past memories. Fully stripping them of all semblance of an identity by not only mutating them but by erasing their memory as well. How could my brother create something so..despicable so destructive..so evil.
A sob caught in my throat and I had to clench my fists in order to keep my hands from shaking.
How. Could. He?!
I hated it! Everyday I woke up without any memories from my past life, of who I was, who the people I loved and knew were. It made me feel so lost. So weak.
How could Baxter do that to someone?! On purpose!
Fury welled up inside me and with a yell I threw the soup at the wall making the map hanging there fall to the ground.
Something catches my eye, standing up I make my way over to the map. The map I had spared a glance at earlier is covered in tacks and pictures. For each red tack there's a picture of a mutant. Every tack was red except for one: a blue tack that sat innocently on the outskirts of Jersey, exactly in the same suburb we live in. My hands shake as I unpin the picture that was facing the opposite way, obscured from view. I have no doubt that it holds the identity of the person Baxter's mutated, someone who's past and Identity has been ripped away by Baxter's mutagen, someone he was planning on using to create more reverse retromutagen. Someone I Need to protect. No matter what.
My breath catches in my throat.
Dropping the picture I sink to the floor as the world as I know it shatters.
Because the person in the picture is me.
DUN-DUN-DUUUNN!
What will happen next?!
Reviews appreciated :)
P.S I hope I did Bebop and Rocksteady justice, I wanted to add their voices into the story, though I worry about writing them well.
