Chapter 33: The Thunder Rolled
Author's Note: sorry for the late update. Life has been really busy lately.
Now without further ado...
Baxter drummed his fingers alongside his thigh rhythmically, listening to the far off sound of the rain on the tin roof of the abandoned warehouse.
The place was cold, dark, almost lifeless. It felt as metallic and unfeeling as the monsters he'd employed for his dark purpose.
He didn't know if it was the rain or his own nagging guilt deep in his stomach that he kept trying to ignore, but he missed his home. The home he had built for himself this last year. The first place he'd ever truly considered home in a very long time.
That's why he was here. Part of him tried to claim that he needed more serum for security's sake, but deep down he knew it was a desperate and blind grasp and protecting his home.
He may still have his house, his job and his few friends. But it still felt as though he'd lost everything.
Having Peter in his life had changed everything. It was the first time he hadn't been alone. He had a family. A brother. Someone to laugh with, to cry with. Someone to lean on and someone to be strong for. He hadn't realized how much he'd actually needed that, until now.
He had a Peter sized hole in his life, and he'd be lying if he denied that he put it there. But lying was one of his best traits, to others, and especially to himself.
He didn't need to admit what had led to everything falling apart, he just needed to fix it.
That's why he came here.
That's why he re-engineered the M.O.U.S.E.R.S to track down the reverse-retro-mutagen.
To rebuild the life he'd had.
He'd lost his family before and he wouldn't go through that again.
Outside the thunder rolled, shaking the isolated warehouse with its might. The angry force of nature had seemed to come out of nowhere, overwhelming the summer night with its fury. The air was thick with the on coming rain, though not a drop had yet to fall. The air seemed to crackle with electricity at the oncoming storm, and the night seemed to be holding its breath for the first raindrop to fall.
Baxter let out a sigh, as he approached the cot where his brother lay. He hadn't expected the sleeping serum the M.O.U.S.E.R.S injected Peter with to last this long. But it had allowed him to take the blood he needed for one more dose of reverse-retromutagen.
Things had fallen into place fairly well so far. Though honestly, Baxter had to turn off his brain and relied mainly on autopilot as he worked through the linguistics of his plan. The abandoned warehouse had been a manufacturing sight years before and thus it had been easy to re-utilize the worn down machines to be used to fit his purpose. It had taken a few mere days to manufacture the M.O.U.S.E.R.S he needed for his plan. The location was fairly optimal and he didn't foresee many problems.
Everything would work out in the end, he kept reassuring himself. He just needed to convince his brother to come home. If only his brother understood why he did everything he'd done then he surely would forgive him and agree to return home with him. Then everything could go back to the way it was before. Then he would no longer be alone, it would be the two of them, the two Stockman brothers against the world once more. He was sure of it, he just needed to make Peter understand. He kept telling himself this over and over again, a mantra to work by as he set up his temporary lab, created the M.O.U.S.E.R.S, and tracked down Peter. His mantra faltered when Peter was brought in unconscious.
That was one of the many times his resolve momentarily slipped and he questioned what he was doing. If it truly was the right thing.
But he'd come too far. He had to explain things to his brother. He had to. It was the only way he knew how to fix things. Peter understood him, he always had. Surely he would understand this. He had to. He couldn't stand to be alone again. Truly alone.
Outside the thunder rolled.
Peter let out a groan at the distant sound, turning his head this way and that as he fought his way to consciousness.
Steadily Baxter took a seat beside his brother, grabbing his hand in a comforting motion. It made him think of that day nearly a year ago, when Peter woke up for the first time.
Sapphire eyes blinked open, clouded in confusion before they focused as they looked around the dark abandoned warehouse. Then they finally landed on him and narrowed in anger.
Sitting up slowly on the cot, Peter swung his legs around to face Baxter glaring at the scientist intensely as the tension in the room built, the only noise the distant thunder that shook the warehouse.
Baxter licked his lips "Look Brother, I can explain"
"You can explain?" Sarcasm practically dripped from Peter's lips. "You can explain?" He let out a humorless laugh as he shook his head, in both angry bemusement as well as to clear his sleep clogged brain. "What can you explain Baxter? Why you mutated me? Why you kidnapped me? Why you lied and manipulated me for a whole year?" The icy tone cut Baxter to his core but he tried to push past the frost bitten words despite the unease that settled into the pit of Baxter's stomach.
"Like I said before, Peter, that was an accident. It was not my fault you were mutated. As for the whole 'kidnapping' accusation" he scoffed. "I did no such thing"
Peter rolled his eyes, as he rubbed this forehead tiredly with one hand. "Then what would you call it Baxter? Remember I worked on the police force. If someone is taken without their consent and or knowledge away from their home and family that is recognized as kidnapping"
"I did not Kidnap you!" Baxter yelled leaping to his feet, the stool on which he sat hitting the cold concrete ground with a resounding clang at the commotion. The sound echoing the rolling thunder outside.
Peter looked up, unfaced.
"I saved you Peter!" Tears began to build behind his brown blood shot eyes, tears Baxter refused to acknowledge or lease. "You had nothing left for you! I saved you! You would have been alone! You would have had no one to look out for you, I was there for you!"
"That's a lie" Peter's sapphire eyes were as cold as stone as he stood up to confront his two time kidnapper. "You're thinking of yourself Baxter. You were all alone. You had no one. You claimed to have saved me and maybe in some ways you did, but the real truth of the matter is that I saved You!" Baxter fell back into his chair as Peter poked him in the chest. Tears began to fall as Baxter's honey brown eyes darted back and forth trying to deny what Peter was saying but finding no argument against the accusations.
"Your the only family I have Peter.." Baxter's words fall heavily onto the concrete floor. The first raindrop of the storm. There it was, the truth laid bare. He felt as though he had just revealed his deepest darkest secret. But looking into Peter's eyes he saw that he'd known that all along. But understanding and acceptance were two far different things. Peter may understand Baxer's motivations behind his behavior, but that did not mean he accepted or forgave them.
The moments ticked by in the tense silence.
"You can't just steal yourself a family Baxter!" Peter's voice thundered through the room. "Love isn't stolen, it's given!"
Peter grabbed his long hair and started to pace. "Is that all you are Baxter? A villain? Are you so lost in those habits that it's your only resort to all the problems you face? Who does that?! Who kidnaps someone and then convinces them they are family just because they are tired of being alone?!"
"We were both alone!" Baxter leaps to his feat.
"No!" The first tears fall from Peter's voice. "No" he repeats softer. "I wasn't alone."
He shakes his head tiredly. "That is probably the worst part of this all." Peter's voice is a whisper.
Baxter feels a punch to the stomach with the amount of emotion held in the oceans of Peter's eyes.
"You can defend yourself as much as you would like Baxter. You can do what you do best and lie and justify your actions to yourself and others, but the truth is you kidnapped me. Twice now! You lied to me, you manipulated and used me" Peter shook his head. "But that's not even the worst part." Peter let out a sigh as he pulled out a picture.
"You have always blamed your past actions on the pain and loss you've carried. It's been your justification in the past and it's your excuse now. You may have thought that by claiming me as your brother you were doing the right thing. I can believe that in some twisted way, you thought you were doing me a favor."
Baxter grabbed the worn polaroid picture, freezing as his gaze fell upon the snapshot of time. A snapshot of four brothers. They were making a pizza, working together, laughing, smiling, looking as though no trouble existed in their world. Baxter knew different, he had seen this team fight many battles and face several foes. As a team. As brothers.
"But you weren't Baxter, because I wasn't alone. I had. I have three younger brothers who need me. Who missed me. Who thought they lost me. And that is all your fault! They were broken Baxter. They were hurt, grieving. You know that kind of pain. Why would you wish it upon anyone?!"
Baxter stared down at the picture, tainting it with his tears, like rain upon a battlefield.
"You didn't save me Baxter. You thought you were adopting a baby brother, but I already had a family. A family who missed and needed me. You took me away from them when they needed me most. And that Baxter is the worst part."
"Peter.." Baxter's voice came out broken.
"My name is Not Peter!" his voice thundered. "It's Leo! Peter is a façade" tears trekked across his face, falling from sapphire eyes. "Peter is the name of the lie you tried to mold, no matter the good intention. Leo is the older brother of three younger brothers, brothers who missed him, who needed him! Leo is the brother and a leader you stole from them!"
The thunder rolled, shaking the very foundation of the warehouse, causing the lights to flicker and a deep chill to settle in. Baxter stared at the picture of the family he broke, feeling the waves of guilt hit him like a storm on a sea.
Peter was right. He did know kind of pain. He was well acquainted with grief and loss, he knew those two burdens well.
In all his scheming and tricks, he'd never felt like a true villain until this moment.
He had caused true devastation and pain, and had tried to justify but his own personal gain fueled by past loss. He had been blind to the devastation he left in the wake of his actions, but now confronted with this tsunami, he was charged with the responsibility of his actions.
His guilt was only a compass to his mistakes, but he needed to take responsibility in order to reroute the roadmap of his life.
Looking up into stormy sapphire eyes, Baxter felt his heart strain. He had found a true brother in Peter. The closest he had to family, to home in a long long time. But he knew, he understood now, that Peter did not belong with him. Leo did not belong to him. Leo was not his brother to take. He had a life before his mutation and memory loss. It was wrong to pull him away from that. If there was a chance that Leo and the turtles could pull together and be a family, Baxter had no right to deprive them of that. It had taken him a long time to realize that one of the greatest treasures one can have in life is family. The gift of the people you choose to surround yourself with, both to support you and for you to support them.
In this life, he had been a thief. A liar and a manipulator.
But he had turned from that path. He'd learned what it meant to be something more than that. To be a friend, to be a brother. Right now, he needs to practice that. He needed to be selfless.
He traced the picture with his eyes, seeing the youth and vulnerability in the faces of the four turtles.
"I'm sorry" the words are quiet but sincere.
Baxter looked up, brown eyes meeting blue, both filled with tears and regret.
"I want to fix this brother"
Leo shook his head. "I'm their big brother" his voice came out raspy.
Baxter nodded understanding what Leo was saying. "And I'm yours"
On unsteady legs, Baxter walked over to the control center in the middle of the room.
When he was very Baxter had a pet bird, he took it everywhere with him. He hadn't any friends, in his neighborhood, in school; so when a six year old Baxter found the little sparrow outside his house with a broken wing he had ran to his Mother for help. The little bird had been his constant companion since that day. The bird was his best friend, and he was its. One day, the bird grew strong enough to fly once more. It had broken Baxter's heart that his only friend had wanted to leave. His mother had told him that the bird had never been his to keep, that it had belonged in the wild, and was meant to be free. That day his Mother taught him a very important lesson: if you love something let it go.
Blaring assaulted the warehouse, red lights flaring and warning signs flashing as Baxter continued pressing buttons, working through his intucate security system.
Warning all security systems will be disabled. The automatic voice warned.
A smirk crossed Baxter's face momentarily, at the warning. For someone who prided himself on several security systems and firewalls, taking them all down on his own free will was a huge mountain for him.
He watched as the M.O.U.S.E.R.S around him collapsed to the ground, as he disabled the main system they were all remotely controlled through. The lights momentarily flickered as the last of the security systems around the warehouse were disabled.
Baxter let out a breath, as he stood there leaning against the computer station, now completely vulnerable.
"And you'll leave my brothers alone?" the voice behind him pulled him back to the present.
"Yes" tears slid out behind his glasses as he turned around to face his brother.
"I promise."
Baxter distantly heard the glass overhead break as three heavily armed ninjas dropped to the ground, weapons in hand. He vaguely registered yelling in the ears, and the rain leaking through the now broken roof above. He felt the rain on his head, the steel at his throat but he could only stare at his brother, an understand passing between them.
He would not track him down again.
He would not be responsible for tearing apart this family of brothers.
Leo stared back at him, his eyes narrowed, before giving him a cold nod.
"Leo!" a flash of orange and green leapt at Leo encompassing the boy in a death gripping hug.
"Are you okay ? Are you hurt ?" the one in purple asked, as he hovered around Leo checking him for injuries. Purple's question earned a protective growl from the red one, who stood holding an oversized salad prong to Baxter's throat.
"I'm fine" Leo answered, his eyes locked with Baxter's as he answered.
"If you ever come near my brother again!" the red one growled lowly, his weapon at Baxter's throat. " There won't be a shadow you could hide in that I wouldn't find you!" Baxter turned and met the fiery green eyes of the turtle beside him, recognizing the anger reflecting in those eyes.
"I understand" he answered, never looking away from the pain filled eyes feeling a mixture of regret, understanding and guilt at the pool of grief, fear and pain reflecting within. The red one seemed to stagger, shocked whether at his answer or his unwavering resolve, Baxter didn't know.
Purple and orange raised their weapons, both taking a protective stance in front of Peter.
"You stay away from our brother you treacherous manipulating reprobate" Purple snarled.
"Just leave him" Peter answered, inclining his head to the exit, signaling to leave.
"But Leo?!" Those two words held so much emotion and questions that Baxter had to take a step back from the shaking red turtle in fear.
"No Raph!" barked the leader. "I will not have any of my brothers getting hurt today!" He took a breath. "Baxter disabled the M.O.U.S.E.R.S and the outside security, we should have no trouble leaving."
The words froze them all in place. With that Peter turned to leave.
"What about him?" Orange gestured to Baxter.
Baxter felt his breath catch in his throat.
If you love someone set them free
"I won't be any more trouble to you" Baxter met the gaze of those he'd stolen from.
If they returns, they're yours
"I will leave your family alone."
If they don't they never were.
"I promise."
With that the three turtle brothers exchanged a glance. Confused Purple checked the control panel, confusion covered his face as the station verified that yes in fact Baxter had disabled it.
Baxter watched in frozen silence as the family made to leave. Standing in the shards of the broken glass from the ceiling, he didn't even feel the rain as it continued to fall. Watching his brother until he was far from out of sight, knowing that he would be alright. He was where he truly belonged.
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