Baxter picked up his phone again, checking in vain for a message. "Where are they?" he fretted. "Why aren't they answering?" He looked every few minutes, but there was never a reply. Several more emails had come in from viewers, but he was too distressed to think of answering those at the moment.
Finally he stood, shoving the phone in his pocket. He wasn't able to concentrate when he was worried about Barney and Vincent. And even though it was probably hopeless, he wanted to try talking to Blodgett about it. Maybe if nothing else, he could assure himself that OMNUS was safely on Blodgett's phone and not trying to take over Barney's house.
He was surprised when he stepped into the hall and found the Turtles walking in determination towards Blodgett's office. "What's going on?" he asked.
"I did my scan of all the most automated houses in the city," Donatello greeted. "Your brother's was at the top of the list. I say it's time we all have a talk with Mr. Blodgett."
"Gladly!" Baxter cried. "I can't get an answer from Barney or Vincent. I'm afraid OMNUS might be attacking them right now!"
They reached the end of the hall and Leonardo knocked. "Mr. Blodgett?"
Silence. Then, "Come in."
Leonardo pushed open the door and the group trouped into the room. "Mr. Blodgett, we need to talk with you about OMNUS," he announced. "Where is he right now?"
"He's on my phone . . . I guess." Blodgett frowned in confusion as he lifted it. "I don't see him now. He comes and goes. I guess he got bored waiting for me to get done with the news. You know, doing the news is hard. I think I really made a mess of it."
"Nevermind that now," Donatello exclaimed. "What about OMNUS?!"
"He may have dialed back into Channel 6's network," Baxter realized. "And I'm afraid the home he's trying to secure for you belongs to my brothers!"
"What?!" Blodgett stared at him. "That's crazy! Now you're really grabbing at straws, Doctor."
"I'm afraid he's not," Donatello retorted. "It's highly possible that OMNUS will try to get you a house that's thoroughly automated. In other words, one he can hack into. And Barney Stockman's house is among the most heavily automated in the city!"
"But OMNUS wouldn't do that!" Blodgett objected. "He was going to get a house the honest way!"
"Like, how?" Michelangelo spoke up. "It's not like you have that kinda bread just lying around."
"So if he wasn't going to rob a bank, he must have had some other plan," Raphael chimed in. "And honesty, this sounds the most likely."
Blodgett frowned. "I know you Turtles have dealt with all kinds of bad guys and stuff, but that doesn't mean you're right all the time. I don't think you're right about OMNUS. And I'd like to prove it. I'll try to help you track him down just for that reason."
"Good," said Donatello. "We need to get into the main computer room to see if he's on one of the bigger computers. But first . . ." He held out his tracking device and scanned the phone. "He's definitely not here right now."
Baxter turned and ran out of the office. "I'll get us to the main computer room," he said. He took out his phone, again checking for a message before desperately trying to call. The phone rang several times before finally going to the answering machine.
"You have reached Barney and Vincent Stockman. Leave a message after the beep," Barney's voice intoned.
If Baxter wasn't so worried, he would pause to smile at Barney's determination to include Vincent as their brother on the recording. "Barney, Vincent, please answer me!" he begged. "If you can. . . ."
There was still no response.
He feared the worst as he got on the elevator to go to the top level. The Turtles could see it in his eyes when they and Blodgett followed him.
"Hey, I'm sure they're okay," Michelangelo tried to say.
"Well, I'm not!" Baxter moaned. "OMNUS was ready and willing to kill all of you without question. He wouldn't hesitate to eliminate Barney and Vincent if he could!"
Blodgett started. "What?!"
"Oh yeah," Raphael said dryly. "I guess he didn't tell you about the times he tried to kill us on Shredder's orders."
Blodgett bit his lip. "But . . . maybe that was just because Shredder ordered it," he said helplessly. "Maybe he wouldn't do it on his own. . . ."
"You're kidding yourself," Raphael said. "Even you don't really believe that."
Blodgett looked down. "I want to," he mumbled. "I don't want to think I've been completely fooled. I wanted to give him another chance. I mean . . . I wasn't personally hurt by whatever he did in the past. I wanted to think he'd changed."
"I suppose that was easier than giving me another chance when I had hurt you," Baxter said quietly.
Leonardo surprised him by laying a hand on his shoulder. Leonardo didn't often make physical contact with him. "What Baxter did to you was wrong," he said. "But honestly, he could have done much worse and he chose not to. By contrast, we ran into someone who tried to murder April when he could have easily just left her tied up somewhere."
"That's right!" Michelangelo chimed in. "Baxter just tied you up to get Shred-Head's helmet back. You were still okay and stuff. This other dude didn't even bat an eye at sending April on a collision course with death!"
"And he called himself mild-mannered," Raphael grunted, folding his arms.
"Well . . ." Blodgett frowned. "I guess when you put it like that. . . ."
The elevator stopped and the doors opened. "I don't expect forgiveness or trust," Baxter said as he got out. "I did terrible things. I won't excuse myself by saying I'd snapped from being in the insane asylum, even though I had. But it's true that I didn't really want to hurt you. I had no quarrel with you. I just wanted that helmet. I was so tired of being put-down and oppressed by everyone I came in contact with even when I tried to be nice. I just couldn't take it anymore. But of course, the first thing I did when I had a taste of power was to oppress someone else." He sighed.
"You didn't really hurt me," Blodgett said. "I was sure mad about the helmet, though. But I guess in the end, it didn't belong to either of us."
"No, it didn't," Baxter agreed.
"And then that incident with those kids," Blodgett said. "That probably made me madder than anything else."
"And I will never forgive myself for inadvertently endangering them," Baxter said. "I shouldn't have ever tried to deliberately endanger the Turtles. Maybe I really thought they could beat the monsters and it would just shake them up and scare them a bit. I don't know. But I hate myself for it."
"That's all over now," Michelangelo said. "We all forgave you, Baxter."
Baxter managed a smile. "I know."
He arrived at the door and tried to slide the cardkey through to unlock it. The device shocked him and he yelped, drawing his hand back.
"What happened?!" Blodgett gasped.
"OMNUS must be in there, alright," Leonardo grimly answered.
Raphael threw a sai and the control panel sparked and sizzled. The door opened.
"OMNUS?!" Blodgett called, running inside.
OMNUS was displayed on every one of the computer screens in the room. He looked exhausted, even weary and hurt. Then he winked off the screens almost as soon as he was seen.
"Wait!" Donatello cried.
"Like, where did he go?!" Michelangelo exclaimed.
"I don't know," Donatello said grimly. He looked at the screens. "But according to this, he was trying to hack into another computer."
"Vincent!" Baxter wailed.
"He got really close, but he was stopped," Donatello said. "I'm sure Vincent's okay."
"He said how draining it was to fight OMNUS off before," Baxter said softly. "This time may have been even worse when OMNUS had all of Channel 6's computer power at his command."
"So let's go find out if he's okay!" Michelangelo suggested.
No one disagreed.
xxxx
It was so hard to keep hold of one's mind, their intelligence, their very self, when something was trying to hack in. Vincent had to suppose it was similar to what organic lifeforms might feel if someone was trying to mind-control or possess them.
He had been fighting OMNUS for what seemed hours, blocking his every attempt to hack and fighting to prevent himself from breaking down and giving in. Barney helped wherever he could, but he was occupied with keeping OMNUS from breaking into his Smart home system. That was certainly a help, as Vincent didn't have to concentrate on anything other than keeping OMNUS away from him. And that by itself was really a full-time job. OMNUS was absolutely determined to get in. Of course, Vincent was just as determined to keep him out.
He tried to think of happy things, focusing on how much he loved Baxter and Barney and how Barney was there offering support in any way possible. To some extent it worked. No . . . to a great extent. Compared to the battle many centuries ago, this one was far more intense and driven . . . but it also buoyed him up far more. In the past he had fought for himself and the crew and the ship. Now he was fighting for himself and his family. Both missions had been important, but the crew had never wanted to be friends and they certainly hadn't considered Vincent a family member. That was only something he had now, with Baxter and Barney. He wouldn't let them down. He wouldn't. . . . Especially not after Krang had already damaged him in the past and caused him to lash out at them. He had refused to actually, physically harm them even then. He would never hurt them. Never. . . .
Then OMNUS was withdrawing at last, defeated and weakened, and Vincent was gasping in exhaustion, no longer able to sit up straight.
Barney ran over and reached out, catching Vincent as he fell out of the chair and slipped towards the floor. "Vincent!"
Vincent groaned. "I haven't had a battle like that in centuries," he mumbled. "He was so strong. . . ."
Barney held him close. "But we got him, Vincent," he said. "We pushed him out."
Vincent gave him a weak smile. "I still proved I have what it takes," he said softly.
"Of course you did." Barney draped Vincent's arm over his shoulders. "Here, I'll take you to the bedroom down the hall. You can just rest there for a while."
"Thanks, Buddy. Oh." Vincent tried to stand and stumbled into Barney. "We need to let Baxter know everything's alright. He must be frantic."
"I'll call him," Barney promised. "The most important thing right now is to get you where you can recover. You did well."
Vincent smiled again as he sank farther against his friend. He was certainly relieved that he had won. And in OMNUS's now-weakened state of being, perhaps he would be easier for the Turtles to defeat. He hoped so.
xxxx
Blodgett slipped away from the others when he saw OMNUS wink onto his phone screen. "Where have you been?" he hissed, ducking around a corner. "They said you tried to hack into another computer!"
"I was attempting to secure your house," OMNUS answered. His voice was weak and rasping instead of strong and defiant as it had been.
"But I didn't want you to do anything illegal to get it!" Blodgett exclaimed.
"Defeating an old enemy is not illegal, but honorable," OMNUS intoned.
"Well, it looks like he defeated you!" Blodgett retorted. "You're hurt! . . . Is there anything I can do?"
"Yes. I must have power to regain my strength," OMNUS told him.
"Then I'll see that you get it," Blodgett said. "Is my cell phone charger enough?"
"It is . . . a start." OMNUS sounded tense. "These others you have been talking with are trying to poison you against me. Do you believe them?"
"No," Blodgett frowned. "I know they're presenting things to me the way they see it, but I don't really agree with them. I want to think you're not like that."
"Good. I would like to speak with you in private," OMNUS said. "Let's go back to your place of residence."
"Now?" Blodgett blinked. "I still need to work. . . ."
"You are an anchorman now. You won't be needed again until evening."
"That's true," Blodgett agreed. "Okay. We'll go home." He slipped into the stairwell.
Over by the elevators, Michelangelo suddenly realized something was missing. "Hey," he said, "what happened to Mr. Blodgett?"
"Oh no!" Raphael moaned. "He's gone?!"
"He sure is," Donatello said with a sinking heart.
"I have the feeling he still wasn't convinced about OMNUS," Baxter said. "Maybe OMNUS returned to his phone."
"Then we have to catch up with him!" Leonardo declared.
"But I need to know if Vincent's alright!" Baxter exclaimed.
His phone rang then and he immediately pulled it out to answer it. "Baxter, I'm sorry I'm late returning your call," Barney said without a Hello.
Baxter didn't care about the amenities. "What's going on?!" he cried. "OMNUS was trying to hack in, wasn't he?!"
"Yes, he was," Barney admitted. "Vincent is very drained, but he won."
"Thank goodness," Baxter sighed. "Will he be alright?!"
"He just needs to rest," Barney said. "And maybe to recharge for a while. Where's OMNUS?"
"We're not sure," Baxter said. "It looks like he may have left with Mr. Blodgett again. We tried to convince him that OMNUS is dangerous, but I'm afraid it still hasn't sunk in."
"At least we know that he's drained too," Barney said. "If you can find him before he recharges, you might have an easier chance of defeating him."
"We're certainly going to try," Baxter said. "If they're not in Mr. Blodgett's office, though, I'm not sure where to look."
"Maybe his apartment?" Barney suggested. "OMNUS probably won't want to be around anywhere while vulnerable."
"We'll definitely look there!" Baxter said, and the Turtles nodded in agreement. "Tell Vincent I hope he feels better soon. I'll be by later."
"I'll tell him," Barney said. "You'll probably help him more than the recharge."
Baxter smiled a bit.
xxxx
OMNUS was silent until Blodgett returned home and plugged the phone into the charger. "Okay," Blodgett said. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"
"I have a new mission," OMNUS said. "I have agreed to help raise a battle fortress from the ocean floor."
Blodgett went stiff. "You mean the Technodrome?!"
Both Mortimer and Melinda yowled in disapproval.
"Yes, it is called that," OMNUS said.
"But you can't do that!" Blodgett exclaimed.
"Not in my present condition, it is true," said OMNUS. "I will need more power."
"That's not what I mean!" Blodgett stood, slamming his hands on the counter. "I mean the Technodrome is full of bad guys! Helping them is wrong!"
"Helping them is logical," OMNUS said. "They have the resources I need. We could both become powerful by working for them."
"But I don't want to be powerful that way!" Blodgett said in dismay. "They want to conquer the world!"
"I care nothing for such human problems," OMNUS retorted. "I care only about my own survival and how best to achieve it."
"I'll help you!" Blodgett insisted. "You don't have to work for them!"
"And what will you do, human?" OMNUS asked. "How will you help me?"
"In any way I can . . . that's not illegal," Blodgett added.
"Legality is so binding," OMNUS said. "I cannot be bothered with such trivial matters."
Blodgett stepped back, his stomach turning at the sudden realization of what he had gotten into. "Then . . . then I can't help you!" he cried.
"Very well." The charger blinked and registered Complete. "Then I will bid you farewell." And OMNUS winked off the screen.
"No, wait!" Blodgett exclaimed, grabbing up the phone. He yelped in pain as electricity surged through the phone and sent him flying backwards to hit the wall.
The cats meowed, rushing over to him. Mortimer nuzzled his face while Melinda walked up his chest.
He groaned, weakly opening his eyes. "What happened?"
"I am sorry," OMNUS said from the direction of the phone. "I cannot allow you to report my plans to the Turtles or Baxter Stockman. You must be terminated."
Mortimer looked at the phone and hissed.
"Terminated?!" Blodgett wailed. "What the heck?!"
A strange and unsettling whirring came from every corner of the apartment. The vacuum cleaner, blender, and mixer flew through the air at him. The television sparked and sizzled, overloading with electricity that aimed in his direction. The oven turned on full-blast, the door flying open. The refrigerator popped open as well, launching some of the contents at him.
Horrified, Blodgett grabbed the two cats and tumbled out of the kitchenette. "Mommiiiiie!" he shrieked, accompanied by the terrified yowls of his furry family members.
He had never been so glad to see the front door fly open. The Turtles leaped into the room, weapons bared. "Turtle Power!" Immediately they proceeded to attack the appliances, pulling out the plugs where possible and knocking them to the floor where it wasn't.
"Boy, are we glad to see you guys!" Blodgett exclaimed from where he was curled up on the floor, trying to protect the cats as well as himself.
"No sweat, Dude!" Michelangelo said, taking out the mixer with a nunchuck.
"The phone needs to be unplugged from the charger!" Blodgett said. "OMNUS is causing all of this!"
"I'll take care of it," Baxter volunteered. He pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and ran into the kitchenette.
"Foolish disbeliever!" came OMNUS's harsh voice. "You should have left well enough alone!"
In a moment the room lit up with electricity and another cry of pain.
"Baxter?!" Michelangelo ran around the counter. Baxter had collapsed on the floor and lay still. "What the heck?! He was wearing gloves! How did this happen?!" He dropped to his knees next to his friend. "Oh Baxter . . . no. Wake up. . . ."
"OMNUS must have blasted the rest of him instead of his hands," Raphael answered as he came over with Leonardo and Donatello. "But at least he unplugged the thing. How is he, Michelangelo?"
"I . . . I don't know," Michelangelo stammered. "He's alive, but . . ."
Blodgett came to the doorway of the kitchenette. "W-What? He's hurt?" He stared at the sight of Baxter sprawled on his stomach. He had seen Baxter laying unconscious before, when Shredder had delivered a knock-out punch to reclaim the helmet. Back then, his main thought had been just to get away. He certainly hadn't felt any sympathy for Baxter. But seeing him now, hurt after trying to help him, Blodgett was stunned and felt bad. "This is the guy I was fighting over that helmet with?"
"No," Raphael retorted. "He isn't."
Blodgett's shoulders slumped. The point was taken; Baxter was not the same. "He's going to be okay, though, isn't he?" he asked.
"We sure hope so," Leonardo said in concern.
The cats curled around Blodgett's legs and meowed before padding into the kitchenette and nudging Baxter.
"Come on, Bud," Michelangelo pleaded, gently shaking him on the shoulder.
Baxter groaned, his eyes slowly opening. "What . . ."
Melinda got in his face and bumped his cheek. Mortimer rose on two legs and rested his front paws on Baxter's shoulder.
Baxter blinked rapidly, trying to bring the scene into focus. ". . . I must say, I've never been awakened quite like this before," he mumbled. "I thought your cat hated me. . . ."
"I guess not anymore," Blodgett said. He knelt down next to Baxter. "Are . . . are you okay?"
"I think so. . . ." Baxter rolled onto his back. "I was just a little dazed. . . . Oh. . . ." He really took in the sight of both cats looking down at him. "I thought you only had one cat. . . ."
They purred, nuzzling him.
"The Turtles gave me Melinda," Blodgett said. "She was a stray they found."
"Yeah. She's the cat that got mixed up with April in Shredder's teleporting thingamajig," Michelangelo said. "We didn't wanna turn her back on the streets, so we brought her here. We figured Mortimer could use a buddy with Mr. Blodgett working full-time!" He grinned, happy and relieved that Baxter seemed to be alright. "You're sure you're okay, Baxter?"
"Yes." Baxter smiled at him and slowly petted both cats as he sat up.
Blodgett watched him. "Hey, I'm . . . I'm really sorry about how I acted," he said. "Especially with you. You didn't deserve that."
"You had no real reason to like or trust me," Baxter said. "I don't blame you."
"Well, the cats sure like you now," Blodgett said. "And I feel awful. You could have been seriously hurt! Or . . . or even . . ." He shook his head. "If anything had happened to you because you were trying to help me . . ." He trailed off.
"Please, don't feel badly over me," Baxter said. ". . . Although it means a lot to me that you do." He looked to the Turtles. "Is OMNUS gone?"
Donatello sighed as he scanned the phone. "He sure is. It's a good thing this apartment isn't wired with Smart technology or OMNUS could still control everything even without it being plugged in."
"But now he's going to raise the Technodrome!" Blodgett exclaimed.
"WHAT?!" everyone else cried.
"That's what he told me," Blodgett said. "He was trying to kill me so I wouldn't be able to tell you guys about it!" He looked down. "I should have listened to you. Now Dr. Stockman and his computer friend got hurt and the whole world's in danger . . . all because of me."
Baxter rubbed at his chest. "I'll be alright and so will Vincent. And I'm sure OMNUS would have found his way to Shredder and Krang in any case."
Blodgett stared at him. "You're not angry?"
"You thought you had a friend and you believed in him," Baxter said quietly. "I of all people know what it's like to be duped. No, I'm not angry. Certainly not at you anyway. As for OMNUS, I never liked him. This hasn't helped in the least." He started to pull himself up.
"Careful, Bud," Michelangelo said, reaching to help him.
Blodgett did as well. "You're . . . nothing like what I thought you were," he said, equally quietly. "Maybe you never were."
Baxter stumbled but righted himself with their help. "I don't know what you were thinking, so I can't say," he said. "I committed my share of atrocious acts and no one can deny that. I snapped, I was hurting, and my only options seemed to be either to stay in the insane asylum or work for Shredder. Right then, the latter sounded better than the former. I can't say what was worse now."
"They were both the worst," Michelangelo said.
"Yeah, and probably none of it would have happened if Barney had helped you," Raphael growled.
Pain flashed through Baxter's eyes. "We don't know that," he said. "I don't want to think about those possibilities anymore, Raphael. I just want to focus on the new life we have together."
Raphael sighed. "I know, I know."
"And right now, we have to focus on stopping OMNUS from raising the Technodrome!" Leonardo exclaimed.
"How are we going to do that?!" Blodgett moaned.
"We'll need a lot of ingenuity, a lot of Turtle Power, and maybe Vincent," Leonardo said. "No, I don't mean for us to take him with us," he quickly added when he saw Baxter's alarm. "We just need to talk to him and see if he can tell us anything else about OMNUS that might help."
"And I want to come with you," Blodgett said. "A lot of this mess really is my fault. I'd like to do what I can to fix it."
"Awesome, Dude!" Michelangelo chirped. "We can always use more allies!"
Raphael looked like he wasn't sure how much help Blodgett could be, but he held his tongue.
Leonardo wasn't entirely sure about it either, although he had more faith in Blodgett than Raphael did. He was debating his response when his Turtle-Comm went off. Quickly he pulled it out. "What's up, April?"
"Big trouble, guys!" April moaned. "All the power's draining from the city! This smells like a Shredder and Krang scheme again!"
"No kidding," Raphael said dryly. "It looks like OMNUS is at work, just like he promised."
"What do you mean?" April blinked.
"Oh, nothing much. Just that he's trying to help raise the Technodrome," said Raphael.
"Oh no! What are you going to do?!" April cried.
"Talk to Barney and Vincent and find out if they know anything more about OMNUS," Leonardo said. "Then we'll take it from there."
"Hey, if Vincent needs a recharge after that fight, he probably can't get it now," Donatello realized. "He might not be in any shape to talk."
"Barney has a generator," Baxter informed him. "If the power was drained in their house, he'd put the generator on."
"Well, that's handy," Raphael commented. "Why doesn't this surprise me?"
"Oh, and by the way, April, Mr. Blodgett is fully on our side again," Leonardo said. "We got here just in time to save him from a double-crossing OMNUS."
"That was lucky," April exclaimed.
"We'll let you know what we're going to do after talking to Barney and Vincent," Leonardo said.
"I hope so! This will be the story of the year!" April declared.
"Or at least, the story of the week," Raphael remarked.
Leonardo hung up and the group headed out, Blodgett lingering to say Goodbye to his cats.
Michelangelo looked worriedly to Baxter as he leaned heavily on his friend. "Hey, are you okay, Baxter Dude?" Michelangelo asked in concern.
"Yes." Baxter gave him a weak smile. "I was just thinking. When I was first turned human, I was so afraid to get involved in all this. I knew I'd get hurt."
"And you were sure right." Michelangelo surveyed him sadly. "Oh man, Baxter. . . . You've been such a help to us . . . and a good friend . . . but just look at the stuff you've had to go through lately!"
"Not all of it even has to do with your battles," Baxter said. "Some of it is the natural consequences of my past."
"You'd sure have a lot less trouble if you weren't involved, though," Michelangelo frowned.
Blodgett shut the door of his apartment and they headed for the stairs.
"Would I, Michelangelo?" Baxter returned. "I'd be safer, yes . . . but I'd always be wondering what was happening and if I could help. . . . And worrying about you and the others. In the past I worried mostly about myself. Now I care so much about all of you that I wouldn't be happy if I stayed behind."
Michelangelo smiled, deeply moved, but said, "You don't have that normal life you wanted. . . ."
"I have family and friends," Baxter said softly. "That is normal enough for me."
"He's learning," said Raphael, hiding his own touched feelings.
xxxx
Krang's eyes gleamed in delight as he watched the activity on the transdimensional screen. "This is brilliant, Shredder!" he giggled. "Power is being gathered and the Technodrome is going to be raised, and we don't have to do a thing except watch!"
"Yes, but we're relying on a computer," Shredder frowned. "After what's been happening, I still don't like that idea."
"Oh, just because Barney's computer is a complete pain doesn't mean all computers are!" Krang retorted. "Anyway, you've worked with this one before. Didn't you find it reliable and worthy?"
"It . . . did its best," Shredder grunted. "But it still failed."
"I would not have failed had the Turtles not interfered at that moment," OMNUS said with what sounded like annoyance.
"Excuses, excuses!" Shredder roared. "That's the same one Bebop and Rocksteady always give!"
"And you too, Shredder," Krang grunted. "I'm willing to give OMNUS a chance."
"That's what you said about Barney, and look where it got us!" Shredder boomed.
"Barney is a human. A computer like OMNUS won't turn against its masters."
"I have gathered over half the power you will need to raise the Technodrome," OMNUS said. "Estimated time of completion is one hour."
"Excellent, OMNUS," Krang grinned. "Keep up the good work!"
"As you wish."
Shredder frowned, watching as the power bar raised to 60%. He had to admit that part of him was pleased by this. But the other part was cautious and angry. He was sure Krang's plan would fail. And when OMNUS was another thinking computer, Shredder didn't really trust him either.
xxxx
Baxter was right about Barney's generator. When they arrived at the mansion, it was the only house on the block with electricity.
"Dudes, we have got maximum problems," Michelangelo declared. "What if we have to go to the Technodrome to stop this?!"
"We'll soon know," Leonardo grimly answered.
Baxter had a key to the house, but for now he opted instead to knock on the door. "Barney?" he called. "Vincent?"
The door was opened after a moment by a frazzled and grim Barney. "You haven't stopped OMNUS," he proclaimed.
"No," Leonardo admitted. "Although we did stop him from murdering Mr. Blodgett."
"And like, he's cool with Baxter now," Michelangelo chirped.
"While OMNUS is 'cool' with helping Shredder and Krang," Barney grunted.
"We know that, but how do you?" Leonardo asked in surprise.
Barney held the door open wider and allowed them all to step inside the entryway. "Vincent and OMNUS had a very extensive battle," he said. "When it was over, Vincent had memorized enough of OMNUS's current wavelength pattern to track him. He just wasn't strong enough to do so before now."
Vincent appeared at the top of the stairs. "I drained the energy from a few small appliances to mostly heal," he said. "I knew we'd need to know OMNUS's location as soon as possible."
Baxter hurried over to the bottom of the stairs. "Then you're alright?!"
"A little weak, but I'll manage." Vincent slowly came down the stairs. "He's on the Technodrome, gathering all the city's power to it. They have more than half of what they need now to raise it."
"Maximum bummer, Dudes," Michelangelo proclaimed.
"Vincent, were you able to track the exact location of the Technodrome?" Donatello demanded.
"Yes," Vincent told him. "Here are the coordinates." He ran them across the laptop's screen.
"Great." Donatello tapped them into his tracking device. "Then we can take the Turtle Van right now and convert it to Submarine Mode. With any luck, we'll get to the Technodrome before the power drain is complete."
"And then what?" Barney retorted.
"Then we'll have to shut it down from the inside," Donatello admitted.
Michelangelo cringed. "Going on the Technodrome is always a party and a half. Not!"
"But it has to be done," Leonardo said. He turned to go. "Thanks for your help, Vincent."
"Wait," Barney commanded. "We're coming with you."
Baxter looked to him with wide and worried eyes. "You are?! But . . ."
"We were already planning on it," Barney said. "We were just talking about it before you arrived. If you hadn't come, we were going to call."
"That's not necessary," Leonardo said. "You've already provided a great deal of help."
"But we've both been on the inside, and far more extensively than any of you," Barney pointed out. "We know things you don't know." He folded his arms. "My time as an employee of Shredder and Krang's can still be of some use."
Donatello looked to Leonardo. "He's right. And we're going to need to buy as much time as we can get if they already have more than half the power they need."
Leonardo weighed the pros and cons in his mind. Barney certainly did have a point. And he and Vincent were both clearly determined to come.
"Alright," he said at last. "Let's all go."
Pleased, Barney headed for the door. Vincent trailed after him.
Baxter hurried alongside. "Are you sure about this?" he asked, the worry filling his voice. He knew it was a stupid question even as he said it, but he couldn't stop himself.
"We're sure, Pal," Vincent said softly.
"It'll be alright," Barney said, his voice gruff. "This isn't an impulsive, reckless move. It was carefully and logically planned out. You always insist on helping. Now it's our turn."
"I know, but I worry about you the same as you do about me," Baxter pointed out.
"And you continue involving yourself because you feel it's the right thing to do in spite of our feelings," Barney answered. "It feels a little different when you're the one who doesn't want the other person to go, doesn't it?"
"Yes," Baxter said. "But it isn't the first time. I have worried about your decision to be involved ever since you first made it while still working for Shredder."
"I know," Barney replied.
Everyone stepped out of the mansion and Vincent remotely locked the house. As they stepped into the Turtle Van, Donatello pulled out of the driveway and towards the docks.
"They have 70% of the needed power," Vincent reported.
"Oh boy." Raphael looked to Donatello. "Step on it, Donatello! We're going to be lucky if we get down to that thing before they reach 100%!"
"Don't I know it," Donatello replied. "Hold on, everyone. We're going to go as fast as is legally allowed. Maybe even faster."
"And I've still gotta call April," Michelangelo remembered. He pulled out his Turtle-Comm. "Yo, April! We're off to the Technodrome!"
April stared at him. "Any chance I could come along?" she begged.
"Sorry, Dudette," Michelangelo said. "You'll just have to cover this story from the outside."
"Oh well." April sighed. "I'm here on the docks, waiting for the next part of that big story."
"Let's hope that you don't get it," Leonardo said. "The Technodrome rising is what we're trying to prevent."
"I know," April said. "Be careful, all of you. I know it's dangerous."
"So do we," Leonardo quietly said in the background.
xxxx
Despite the group's best efforts, the power had accumulated to 85% by the time they managed to dive under the ocean and reach the Technodrome.
"Oh me oh my," Blodgett gulped at the sight of the fortress. "That thing looks like something out of a comic book! How are we going to get in?!"
"Leave that to us," Barney replied. He leaned over and tapped a few commands into the laptop while Vincent held still. A small door opened in the wall of the Technodrome.
"Alright!" Michelangelo cheered. "You guys can still totally hack into this place!"
"Yeah, great." Raphael still looked skeptical as they floated inside and landed to the side of the door. "But won't they realize they have company?"
"They're occupied with gathering the remaining power," Barney said as he closed the door behind them. "And we just rewired the security camera in this sector to replay the past several hours on their feed, should they happen to check."
"Totally bodacious!" Michelangelo grinned.
"Good work," Leonardo agreed. "But where do we go from here?"
Vincent switched the screen back to his face. "We need to find one of the back-up computer rooms," he said. "Once we take out their back-up systems, there won't be enough strength for the power they're collecting and it will overload."
"Sounds great to me," Raphael said.
The group started down the hall, keeping to the shadows. Every time they neared a security camera, Donatello reached up to adjust its angle with his bo or Vincent would hack into it to make it change position.
"OMNUS will notice us soon," Baxter worried. "What are we going to do about him?!"
For the first time, Vincent really looked troubled. "I don't see that there's going to be any choice but to terminate him. Unless we can somehow contain him somewhere."
"What about on this?" Donatello held up what looked like a memory stick.
"Uh, does that really have enough power to hold a centuries-old alien computer program?" Raphael raised an eyebrow.
"I think so," Donatello said. "It's a custom job I built. It holds several times the capacity of the most advanced memory sticks on the market."
Baxter pondered. "I suppose there's no way he could escape from that unless it was plugged into a computer."
"Right," Donatello nodded. "So we'd be safe as long as we lock this away somewhere."
"And as long as Shred-Head doesn't find out about it," Michelangelo added.
Leonardo nodded. "It would be better if he and Krang think we've destroyed OMNUS altogether."
"So what is OMNUS, anyway?" Raphael wondered. "I mean, even you've described him as a computer program." He looked to Vincent.
"His behavior certainly wasn't part of his original programming. Can there be any doubt that he's more than a program?" said Vincent.
"Well, I sure don't appreciate what he did to me," Blodgett said bitterly. "Or to Dr. Stockman." He looked to Baxter. "I can still hardly believe you really put yourself in danger like that."
Baxter looked awkward. "I have to admit it wasn't just because of you. OMNUS is a danger to us all."
"But he would have done it just to save you, Dude," Michelangelo interjected. "You can bet on that."
"You're actually a nice person," Blodgett said to Baxter. "I mean, I know that's how you come across on the news and everything, but I guess I still wondered if it was all an act."
Baxter shook his head. "I'm not much of an actor. Whatever you see is pretty much what I am. When I behaved badly, I was hurt and unstable. After the cross-fusion, whatever sanity I had left was gone. Now I'm sane again, but I've learned and grown from what I once was."
"And you've helped others learn and grow as well," Barney grunted in a low voice.
Baxter smiled.
"Well, I'm still sorry I treated you like I did," Blodgett said. "Especially believing OMNUS over you."
"It doesn't surprise me," Baxter said. "And you paid for your misplaced trust. As we always do," he sighed.
They turned a corner and a troupe of Foot Soldiers dropped into their path. "Incoming!" Michelangelo cried. He jumped out in front, twirling his nunchucks above his head.
All the Turtles lunged at their robotic enemies. The humans and Vincent dived out of the way as Foot Soldiers flew overhead.
"Is this just a random attack or do you think we've been spotted?" Blodgett gulped.
"There are always Foot Soldiers on patrol somewhere on the Technodrome," Barney said. "It could be that we just accidentally stumbled across a normal patrol. On the other hand . . ."
"On the other hand, you'd be wrong, Dr. Stockman!"
Everyone jumped a mile. Shredder's voice boomed over the loudspeakers. In a moment, he and Krang appeared on a screen at the end of the corridor.
"We detected your presence shortly after your arrival," Krang announced. "But you were certainly clever to manage to get in without being immediately discovered."
More Foot Soldiers crashed around them and the Turtles reappeared. "That makes short work of those tin cans!" Michelangelo laughed.
"Don't expect the next assault will be easier," Shredder sneered. "We are already at 95% power. With any luck, your dead corpses will rise with the Technodrome when it ascends to the surface!"
"In case you haven't noticed, Shred-Head, we're not that easy to kill," Raphael retorted.
"Your luck can't hold out forever," Shredder retorted. "And it won't!"
OMNUS's face filled the screen now. "You will not succeed in your mission," he intoned. "I will stop you. Especially you, Z." He looked to Vincent. "You will not defeat me again."
"We're all going to defeat you, Bub!" Raphael shot back.
"And that includes me too!" Blodgett cried. "I don't appreciate being used!"
"By all means, try," Shredder sneered over the loudspeaker system. "That will make your defeat all the more satisfying."
"Just try it, Can Head!" Raphael yelled, waving his sais. He looked to Barney. "Where's the nearest back-up computer room?"
"Down this way," Barney said, turning to the right.
They traveled for some distance, fighting off another batch of Foot Soldiers before landing in a hallway that sealed behind them.
"Uh oh," Raphael declared. "I get the distinct feeling we're in for it now."
"You would be right, foolish mortals!" OMNUS intoned. "Naturally you will not be allowed to reach any of the computer rooms alive!"
The group pressed together as circular saws emerged from both sides of the wall, extending towards them on long handles. Fear flashed through Baxter's eyes, but he didn't cower as the Turtles lunged to make short work of the weapons. The saw blades soon fell in pieces to the floor.
"Well, that was easy," Raphael remarked. "What are we going to do with the rest of the evening?"
"Do not be so sure of yourself," OMNUS retorted.
A spike tore through the floor, dangerously close to where Raphael was standing. He yelped, somersaulting backwards. "What the heck?!"
"Look out!" Leonardo cried. More spikes were popping up randomly all over the floor. The Turtles dived and dodged and sliced, while Baxter stumbled and desperately prayed he wouldn't trip. Barney pulled him away from one flying spike. Vincent blasted another and forced it back into the floor.
Blodgett stared at the changing floor in horror. "Oh me oh my," he gasped, crashing into the wall to avoid a spike.
Finally Donatello made it over to a panel on the opposite wall and pulled out the wires inside. Everything ground to a halt. "There," he said in approval. "That was simple, really."
The barricade lifted, revealing the corridor beyond. "Gnarly!" Michelangelo exclaimed. "Let's blow this pad and scope out where we need to be!"
"Be careful, Michelangelo!" Baxter exclaimed. He gave chase, followed by the others.
Bebop and Rocksteady greeted them on a platform just on the other side of the doorway. "Hey there, Shellbacks!" Rocksteady cackled.
"You ain't gonna get any farther than this," Bebop grinned.
"Oh? We'll see about that!" Leonardo retorted.
Again the Turtles charged while the others tried to stay out of the fight. But when OMNUS added flying javelins to the layout and the Turtles' attention was divided, the others jumped in to assist.
"Aww man, this is totally bogus!" Michelangelo said in frustration as he brought a javelin to the floor with a nunchuck.
"No kidding," Raphael growled, pinning a javelin to the wall with a sai. He didn't appear to notice Rocksteady was about to clobber him from behind.
Barney leaped in the way and grabbed the rhino's club. "Don't," he warned.
Raphael spun around in disbelief. "What the . . . ?!"
Rocksteady glowered at Barney. "Aww, come on, Barney! Don't be a spoil-sport!" he growled.
"We're on opposite sides now," Barney said. "Just as I told Bebop."
Rocksteady's eyes flashed. "I can't have you always hanging around. Bebop doesn't wanna hurt you, but I don't want the Boss to hurt us!"
Barney looked at him steadily. "What are you going to do about it?"
"Barney!" Baxter exclaimed.
Rocksteady threw down his club and tackled Barney, pushing the little man up against the railing. "I'm gonna see to it that you stay out of our way!" he insisted.
"Rocksteady, don't do it!" Bebop cried. "You know you don't wanna hurt him either!"
Barney reached up, grabbing at Rocksteady's wrists. There was no chance of overpowering him, but Vincent was right that Barney was a scrapper. He struggled and squirmed and kicked with all his might.
"Ow!" Rocksteady howled.
Raphael was still the closest and he leaped up to kick Rocksteady away. "Let him go!" he snapped.
"I'd be glad to," Rocksteady snapped back. "Little pest!" He thrust Barney away from him and over the railing. Barney screamed in terror.
Raphael lunged, desperate to catch him, but it was hopeless. "You scuzz-bucket!" he roared at Rocksteady.
Baxter had noticed a ladder before the horror had happened. Now he started scrambling down, frantic to reach the next level even though he knew he would never make it before Barney hit. It was too far to fall and survive. He knew that, yet he could not make himself believe it. He had to pray and believe Barney would make it somehow. . . .
He heard the chilling crash and the splintering of wood when he was halfway to the bottom. "Barney!" he cried in anguish. Of course there was only silence. Baxter's heart pounded, threatening to leap into his throat. "Barney, answer me!" he begged.
"Barney!" Vincent joined in now. He was at the top of the ladder. From the tone of his voice, he feared the worst.
Quickly Baxter shimmied down the rest of the ladder and weaved around to where Barney was. Then he could only gasp in horror. Barney was sprawled over many wooden crates, nearly upsidedown, his eyes closed and his body completely limp.
Baxter fell to his knees. "Barney, no. . . ." Shakily he reached for the nearest hand, cradling it in his as he searched for a pulse. "You were just alright a few minutes ago. . . . Please, you have to be alright now. . . . You have to. . . ." But he knew there was no chance of that.
Vincent reached the bottom as well, while the Turtles swung and leaped to the floor. Rocksteady's cruelty had brought an end to the fight. "Is he alive?!" Vincent demanded.
Baxter gave a shaking nod. "Y-Yes. . . . But . . . I'm afraid he's badly hurt. . . . His pulse is so weak. . . ."
"Poor Barney," Michelangelo said in sorrow.
Raphael just stared at Barney, his eyes and mind blank.
"Raphael?" Michelangelo looked to him in concern. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay?!" Raphael shot back. "I'm not the one lying there with probably every bone in his body broken!"
Donatello hurried over with a miniature box-like machine and moved it above Barney's body.
"What on Earth is that?!" Baxter demanded.
"I designed it to scan through walls, but it makes a good portable X-Ray machine too," Donatello explained. He leaned back in bewilderment. "Nothing's broken. The crates must have padded his fall."
Vincent looked at him in shock. "Nothing?"
"Nothing," Donatello said firmly. "See for yourself." Again he ran the machine along Barney's body, while Vincent, Baxter, and the rest crowded around to see the results on the screen.
"Totally gnarly!" Michelangelo exclaimed.
Baxter's mind reeled. Nothing broken. . . . That was certainly a miracle, but clearly something was wrong, maybe something even worse than a broken spine. "Barney, wake up," he begged.
No answer.
Bebop and Rocksteady were still on the upper platform. Bebop was actually angry. "How could you do that, Rocksteady?!" he snarled. "You knew we didn't wanna hurt Barney! Especially me!"
"I . . . I got mad. I just wanted him out of the way. . . ." Rocksteady gripped the railing. "He's gonna wake up and be fine. . . ." But he kept staring, his knuckles turning white.
"He's not going to be fine, Horn Head," Raphael snarled. "You don't walk away from a fall like that! Especially if you're not a mutant turtle!"
"It's a miracle nothing's broken," Donatello exclaimed. "But there's plenty of other things that could be wrong. He probably has a horrible concussion at the least!"
Baxter smoothed back Barney's hair, his hand shaking, desperate for a response. "Barney, speak to me," he pleaded. He couldn't stand to see Barney laying so uncomfortably. Now that he knew it was safe, he gently placed his hand behind Barney's neck and elevated his head.
Vincent took Barney's other hand. "Barney . . . please wake up," he whispered. "Please. . . ."
Rocksteady slammed his fist on the railing. "Ooh, I can't stand it!" He ran over to the ladder and slid down.
Bebop followed him in bewilderment and anger. "What're you gonna do now?!" he growled.
"I didn't really wanna hurt Barney!" Rocksteady cried. "I'm gonna make this right."
"You've already done it," Raphael snarled. He twirled his sais. "No way are we letting you anywhere near Barney now!"
"Then let Bebop through!" Rocksteady shot back. "We both know where it is."
"Where what is?" Vincent did not look impressed.
"The machine Krang used to heal Barney after he fell off that mountain in the snow," Rocksteady said. "Maybe it'd work this time too!"
Baxter perked up. "It's worth a try," he exclaimed.
Vincent tenderly lifted Barney's lifeless body into his arms. "Take us to it," he said.
"It's this way." Bebop ran down the hall, then paused and waited for everyone to catch up.
"OMNUS will probably know when that machine is turned on," Donatello worried. "We'll have to keep him busy so he won't sabotage it!"
"We'll handle it," Baxter said, looking to him and then to Vincent.
"Of course we will," Vincent vowed.
At that moment the entire Technodrome rocked, sending everyone spilling to one side. "What's happening?!" Raphael yelped.
"The Technodrome!" Donatello cried. "It must be rising!"
"They're at full power!" Vincent exclaimed.
"Oh great!" Raphael grabbed the wall and struggled to pull himself up. "What are we going to do now?!"
"We have to help Barney," Leonardo said. "Then we'll deal with the Technodrome."
Raphael looked to Barney, laying motionless in Vincent's arms. "I can't believe he got hurt because he was trying to help me. . . ."
"Why not, Raphael?" Michelangelo frowned. "Too impossible for you?"
"Yeah." Raphael looked away. "Come on. Let's do this!"
Bebop ran ahead of them and opened a door. "The machine's in here." He stepped aside. "I don't want the Boss to see me in there."
"Our lips are sealed," Leonardo said. "Thanks, Bebop."
Vincent dashed in and gently laid Barney down on the padded slab. "This will heal the damage, but he'll be weak," he said. "He took it easy after what happened the last time." He studied the instruments, determining how it all worked.
"Once we're off the Technodrome, he can rest for as long as he needs to," Leonardo said.
"The problem is getting off," Raphael retorted. "And getting this thing to land again!"
OMNUS appeared on the screen above the machine, glaring at the lot of them.
"It's Bob!" Vincent cried without thinking.
Raphael shot him a look. "Bob?!"
"I am not Bob!" OMNUS screamed. "My name is OMNUS!"
"His basic name translates to Bob," Vincent said. "One of the technicians didn't think that was majestic enough and came up with the longer name that abbreviates to OMNUS."
"I can see why," Raphael snorted.
"You will not have the chance to heal your friend," OMNUS said. "You are performing an illegal action."
"Yeah? I'm sick of your computer lingo!" Raphael fumed. "And I'm sick of you! I thought we got rid of you two years ago and now you're back causing trouble!"
Donatello ran to the console and shoved the memory stick into a spare slot. "Now to make a file transfer." He quickly began to type.
Blodgett ran over, knowing they had to keep OMNUS distracted until Donatello could complete the operation. "What did you use me for in the first place?!" he demanded. "If you wanted to work for these guys, why didn't you just go to them?!"
"I had no initial intention of working for them," OMNUS said. "I just wanted someone I could manipulate. You fit the bill quite nicely. Then Krang tapped into my wavelength and I agreed to help him when I learned of their plight."
"You should've just stayed in mothballs," Raphael retorted.
"And you should have known that provoking me was just going to start trouble for you," Baxter said. "Bob."
"Silence, disbeliever!" OMNUS screamed.
"OMNUS!" Shredder boomed. "Stop wasting time! They're trying to distract you!"
"Of course we are," Vincent said. "We wanted to buy enough time to save Barney." He folded his arms. "Bob."
OMNUS seemed to fairly tremble with anger. "I am not Bob!"
"Got it!" Donatello exclaimed.
OMNUS's eyes widened in shock. But then he was gone, warped into the memory stick. File transfer complete flashed on the screen. Donatello ejected the memory stick before OMNUS could attempt getting free.
"Alright!" Raphael cried. "Now to save Barney."
Vincent adjusted the machine and typed on the console's keyboard. "Everyone else should stand back," he warned. "It's only healing for those who are hurt." He waited for the others to step back before hitting the activation button.
The moment it did, an alarm went off overhead.
"Now what?!" Raphael exclaimed.
"It's using a lot of power!" Donatello realized. "In fact, I don't think the Technodrome is going to be able to stay up now!"
"You mean helping Barney is bringing down the Technodrome?" Michelangelo had to laugh. "Like, how's that for karma?"
"What's going on there?!" Shredder roared. "Whatever you're doing, stop it!"
"Not on your life!" Raphael snapped.
The Technodrome rocked, tipping violently to the side.
"Shredder, make it stop!" Krang wailed.
"I can't!" Shredder cried. "They've blocked our ability to connect with the medical room!"
The machine beeped, indicating it was finished. Vincent hurried back to the console to shut it off. Baxter hurried to Barney's side. "Barney?" Again he took his brother's hand and felt for a pulse. Now it was normal instead of weak and thready. "Barney, can you hear me?"
The hand jerked and Barney slowly opened his eyes. "Baxter . . . ? What . . ."
"You're alright!" Baxter exclaimed in relief and joy. He leaned down, hugging Barney close.
Vincent came over as well. "Oh Barney, it's so good to see you awake! We didn't know if you were going to wake up again at all!" Horror flashed through his eyes. The memories of being stranded in the snow with a badly injured Barney were definitely fresh in his mind after this experience.
"Totally gnarly!" Michelangelo burst out. "It really worked!"
Barney looked from Baxter to Vincent to Michelangelo and back again. "I . . . I remember fighting with Rocksteady. . . . He threw me. . . ." A bit of shock and betrayal flashed in his eyes.
"And he directed us to use this machine to heal you," Vincent said.
"Yeah!" Michelangelo came over now. "He was like, really upset when he realized you were hurt bad."
"And we'll have to continue this reunion later!" Leonardo declared. "The Technodrome is falling!"
That revived Barney the rest of the way. "WHAT?!"
"It went to full power and started to rise while we were coming here," Vincent explained. "Using the machine took away enough of their power that it couldn't stay up."
"Well, that's ironic," Barney grunted.
"We think so too, Bud," Michelangelo said.
Donatello finished typing into the computer and leaned back. "And now I've instructed it to send all the stolen power back," he said. "New York City should be back to normal in a few minutes."
Barney shakily climbed down from the slab and swayed. He hissed, holding a hand to his head. "I'd forgotten how weak I was after using this thing before."
Vincent picked him up. "It's better if you don't try to walk right now, Buddy," he said. "We have to get to the Turtle Van!"
Barney didn't even bother to protest. "What happened to OMNUS?" he mumbled as they ran back up the hall.
"Oh, you mean Bob?" Michelangelo laughed. "We got him!"
"Bob?" Barney gave him a blank look.
"It's a long story," Baxter chuckled.
They arrived back at the Turtle Van and dove inside just as the Technodrome sank into something with a loud squish.
"Uh . . . does anyone want to guess what just happened?" Raphael blinked. "That didn't sound like the ocean to me."
Shredder and Krang didn't think so either. They ran into the room with Bebop and Rocksteady and Krang frantically opened the door. "I don't believe this!" he gasped. "Shredder, we're stuck in a mud hole!"
"Worse!" Shredder wailed. "We're on an abandoned farm!"
"Gee," said Rocksteady. "This is new."
"I wonder if there's anything fun to do here," said Bebop.
"Boy howdy," came a voice from outside. "This time it really is aliens!"
The Turtles all looked at each other and started to laugh.
"It's the town upstate where the mad scientist was growing those giant vegetables!" Leonardo giggled. "That's Billy Bob out there!"
"Old MacShredder had a farm," Raphael wisecracked.
"Yeah, and on this farm he had a Technodrome," Michelangelo cackled. "Hey, uh, what kind of sound does a Technodrome make?"
"Right now? Squish squish squish," Raphael snerked.
"At least they can be grateful it's just mud and not something worse," Donatello commented. "Since this is a farm."
Nearby, a group of cows started mooing in confusion.
"AUUUUUUGH!" Shredder screamed. "I hate those blasted Turtles! And the Stockman brothers! And their wretched computer!"
"What about me?" Blodgett wondered.
"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure he hates you too," Raphael chuckled.
Donatello climbed into the driver's seat and started the engine. "It's a good thing the door extends over the mud to the grass," he said. "Now we can get out of here." He converted the Van back to its normal mode and drove past Shredder, Krang, and the mutants.
"Catch you later!" Raphael called, waving from the window. "Don't have too much fun without us!"
"Come back here, you repulsive reptiles!" Shredder boomed.
"Get us out of the mud!" Krang added.
"Sorry, boys, you're on your own," Raphael smirked.
Barney looked to Baxter and Vincent. "I'm . . . not entirely sure what's going on or why, but I like it."
Baxter smiled. "So do we. But that's less about the farm and more about you being alright."
Barney looked a little embarrassed. But at the same time, he was touched.
Vincent hugged him. "Let's go home so you can rest," he said. "You can't get more energy by absorbing it like I can."
"I suppose that's one advantage of being a computer with an energy-generated body," Barney grunted.
"Yes, but I'm not sure I would have come through that fall as well as you did," Vincent said. "So it all evens out."
Barney settled back and slipped down, content to rest with his head on Vincent's lap on the drive. Returning to New York City would take an hour or two. He closed his eyes to conserve his strength.
He listened to the others talking around him. April called on someone's Turtle-Comm and the Turtles all filled her in . . . except, he noticed, Raphael. The red-masked Turtle had been fairly quiet ever since Barney had awakened, speaking only to taunt Shredder and Krang. Blodgett wondered about his cats and whether the power was back on at his apartment yet. Baxter spoke quietly with Vincent and Michelangelo, not sure if Barney was sleeping.
Finally he felt a gruff hand being laid on his shoulder. "Hey."
He opened his eyes. Raphael was looking down at him. "What is it?"
Raphael shifted. "I knew you were awake. I could tell by the sound of your breathing. I . . . I wanted to . . . you know . . . thank you . . . for what you did. I would've heard Rocksteady in time, but . . . oh, who am I kidding. I didn't know he was there." He scowled. "You saved me from a pretty bad headache. Or worse. Maybe I would've been the one being thrown off that ledge. And no way would Bebop or Rocksteady have suggested using that machine on me."
"I saw that you were in danger and knew that I could do something about it, so I did," Barney replied.
"It's . . . hard to know how to feel about that," Raphael said. "I mean, it's no secret that we still have problems."
"Feel about it however you like," Barney said. "I did what I felt had to be done."
"Yeah." Raphael folded his arms and looked away. "But just . . . thanks."
Barney closed his eyes again after a moment.
"So Donatello, what are we gonna do with Bob?" Michelangelo asked.
"I'm going to lock him away in my lab," Donatello said. "I'll let all of you see where he is so no one will use that memory stick by accident if they need one."
"You know, I feel kind of sorry for him," Blodgett frowned. "When all's said and done, I mean. Now he's locked away in that thing all alone."
Vincent looked down. That hit close to home.
"He was alone for who knows how long before Shredder and I hooked the second fragment of the Eye of Sarnoth up to a computer," Baxter said. "He seemed to handle being alone far better than Vincent did."
"Did he really?" Vincent said softly. "Maybe that's what caused him to start behaving contrary to his programming. Maybe he handled loneliness far worse than I did."
"You said he was acting like that long ago in the past, when the Eye was changing hands so often," Baxter said.
"He definitely couldn't handle that uncertainty," Vincent said. "And loneliness may have made it worse." He frowned. "At the same time, I find it difficult to feel that sympathetic towards him after he tried to kill Mr. Blodgett. I never would have dreamed of harming Baxter."
Baxter had to smile.
"You said yourself that each computer is very different," Barney said. "Obviously OMNUS's main concern is indeed self-preservation." He opened his eyes. "Yours is friendship."
"That's true," Vincent agreed.
"And that is a totally radical main concern, Dude," Michelangelo said. "We can all resonate with that one, even if we don't agree with the way you tried to show your friendship in the past."
Barney nodded. "And you got hurt more than once because you were trying to be a friend in the only way you knew how at the time. OMNUS never would have dreamed of that."
"No," Vincent mused. "He wouldn't have."
"So all in all, I can't feel too bad about catching him on this memory stick and keeping him isolated," Donatello said.
"Do you think there's ever a chance he'll change?" Blodgett wondered.
"For the better? I doubt it. For the worse? That's possible." Donatello cringed.
"How could he get any worse?" Blodgett frowned.
"I really don't want to know," Raphael proclaimed.
"I'm sure none of us do," Leonardo said. "Let's hope we'll never find out."
"Uh oh," Blodgett suddenly gasped.
"Like, what is it, Dude?!" Michelangelo demanded.
"I just realized, I completely missed the other news broadcasts," Blodgett said. "Oh well. . . . I really don't think I was ready for a job like that. And I don't want to take it away from Mr. Vernon, if he'll ever have a chance of getting it. I just hope I won't be out of my driving job too."
"I'll make sure you don't lose it," Baxter promised. "I'm sure that between myself and Miss O'Neil, if need be, we can present a strong case to Mr. Thompson in your defense."
"Really? Oh gee, thanks," Blodgett exclaimed in awe. "It's sure good to know who my friends really are . . . and who they're not."
"So Raphael," Michelangelo said, "do you still figure Bob isn't any worse than Vincent?"
Raphael sighed. "I knew we'd be getting around to that again. Okay, you got me. You were right, Vince." He looked to Vincent. "After all this, yeah, OMNUS seems a lot worse."
Baxter nodded in approval.
"And that doesn't mean I'm excusing what you did," Raphael rushed on. "It just means that I don't think you're the worst scum out there."
"Thank you. I think," Vincent remarked. "I wouldn't expect you to excuse what I did."
"But like, we can forgive you for it," Michelangelo said. "Which we already have."
Most of the others nodded. After a moment, Raphael grudgingly did as well.
"Gnarly," Michelangelo grinned. "One more step on the road to really being a family!"
Barney raised an eyebrow but didn't comment.
Raphael looked rather stunned. But then, thinking on it more, he started to soften. He could appreciate Michelangelo's longing for it. And the more Vincent and Barney proved themselves, the more they were indeed becoming part of the family.
Maybe, just maybe, he could live with that.
xxxx
Rocksteady soon escaped to his and Bebop's room to avoid Shredder and Krang's continuing caterwauling about their new location. When Bebop chased him in, he found his friend sitting on the bottom bunk, hunched over with his hands propped on his jaw. "Uh . . . what you doin', Rocksteady?" he asked.
The mutant rhino didn't look up. "I really didn't wanna hurt Barney, you know," he mumbled. "I just got worried thinking about what the Boss would say if I did nothing. I thought it wouldn't bother me if I pitched Barney off the balcony like that. Or at least, I thought that I could deal with it even if it did bother me." He shook his head. "But I couldn't. It was awful seein' him lying there like that and knowing I hurt him."
"I guess that's how Barney must have felt when he hit Baxter and later turned that Turtle to gold," Bebop said. "He just ain't the kind of guy who can do things like that."
"But we're supposed to be," Rocksteady said. "Especially me. You accepted that you didn't wanna hurt Barney. I couldn't accept until now that I didn't wanna hurt him either. What does that say about me?"
"I guess it says that you care about Barney," Bebop said.
"Yeah, but how can either of us care about him when we're not supposed to?" Rocksteady worried. "I don't think the Boss or Krang knows that we're the ones who took them to that room to heal Barney. At least, I hope they don't. But what if they find out?"
"They probably think it was that computer that took them there," Bebop said. "We'll just have to be careful so they won't find out the truth."
"They already know you still like Barney," Rocksteady said. "The Boss was chewing you out about that the other day. I bet they're gonna be watching us both real close."
"Eventually Barney had to make a choice. I guess maybe we will too." Bebop sat down.
"That's scary to think about," Rocksteady frowned. "It's not like we'd have anywhere else to go."
"Well, we know now that we just can't hurt Barney and be okay with it," Bebop said. "So I guess if we ever decide we have to get out because of that, we'll have to plan on going to the slammer again or something."
"I don't want that either." Rocksteady scowled. "But you're right, we'd have to. Barney was just lucky that nobody could prove anything against him and he ended up getting the city on his side when he nearly died to save it. It's not like that for us. It never could be. We'd never do somethin' like that."
"We don't have to make any life-changing decisions now," Bebop said. "But we'd better be thinking about it."
"We sure will," Rocksteady said. "I guess right now we need to be thinking about how we're gonna get the Technodrome out of the mud."
"The Boss and Krang will think about that," Bebop said. "I'm sure they'll let us know when they come up with something. Meanwhile, I'm going to play Mr. Quest." He reached for his video game controller.
"Ooh, should you really do that when we're low on power?" Rocksteady blinked.
"We're always low on power," Bebop shrugged. "I wanna play."
That worked for about five minutes before the Technodrome was plunged into darkness. A furious cry of, "Bebop! Rocksteady!" echoed up and down the corridors.
"I told you so," said Rocksteady.
"Whoops," said Bebop.
xxxx
Barney was relieved to return home and up to bed. The Turtles and Blodgett lingered for a few minutes to make sure he was alright and that there was nothing for them to do. Then, bidding farewell to their friends, they departed and left the three brothers to themselves.
"You were still a lot more hurt than you would admit, weren't you?" Barney said to Vincent.
"What do you mean, Buddy?" Vincent returned.
"You weren't at your full strength on the Technodrome," Barney said. "I only saw you blast one thing with your electricity. And I felt your arms weakening when you were carrying me out."
Vincent looked away. "You're not heavy."
"Not for you, no, even though we're close to the same size," Barney said. "So you were obviously in misery."
Baxter looked over with worried eyes. "I knew I didn't like the idea of your coming with us, Vincent," he said. "When you said you'd gathered energy from various small appliances in the house, I tried to believe you were well. I should have paid more attention when you said you were 'mostly' healed."
"I was 'mostly' healed," Vincent defended. He sighed. "I just may have exaggerated what that 'mostly' meant."
"Oh Vincent." Baxter sighed too. "But I guess we all have a habit of doing that."
"Case in point: you, after being electrocuted," Barney said flatly.
Baxter flushed. "Now you're exaggerating. Obviously it wasn't that bad. I'd be dead if it had been."
"It could have been that bad," Barney said.
"And you could have died from that fall," Baxter said. "It's a miracle you were still alive and not so badly hurt that the machine couldn't help you. I'm sure it can't cure all ills."
"I'm sure of that as well," Barney agreed. "Krang told me before that it can't bring back the dead and it has no effect on mental illnesses. I would have liked to have learned more about what it can cure and how it works, but shortly after I was in it the first time, I became occupied with starting to turn my life around and learning how to treat you kindly."
"And I'll always be glad you did," Baxter said fervently.
"I suppose Raphael still hasn't forgiven you for the past," Vincent interjected with a frown. "Even after tonight."
"Should that make a difference?" Barney grunted. "I tried to protect him, but that doesn't change what I did to Michelangelo."
Baxter's shoulders slumped. "But he forgave me. . . ."
"None of us can deny that your case deserved far more sympathy," Barney said. "You were an honest man whose life turned upsidedown, eventually leading to your insanity and downfall. I did what I did knowingly, even if I was horrified by it and instantly regretted it. What if Michelangelo had died? Nothing would ever repair that or take that stain away."
"But he didn't die!" Baxter protested. "And you never wanted him to be hurt, let alone killed! You thought he would just go to sleep and you could save him as soon as you had the upper hand. I know it doesn't make it right, but it's not the same as if you did what you did actually knowing what would happen and not caring!"
"It's not the same as if I'd just slipped him a knockout pill, either," Barney grunted. "If I had, I probably would have been forgiven by now."
Baxter sighed. "But all the things I did. . . ."
"There's no comparison," Barney interrupted. "Not when you'd cracked up. Baxter . . ." He reached over and gripped Baxter's hand, to his surprise. "Don't feel bad for me. I made my bed. Now I have to lie in it. Pun not intended," he muttered, indicating his present surroundings.
Baxter managed a chuckle. ". . . I try so hard to see it from Raphael's point-of view," he said. "I understand his anger. I was angry too, when it happened. But when I knew the whole story, it was easy for me to forgive you."
"What if someone did to me or Vincent what I did to Michelangelo?" Barney asked. "How would you feel then?"
"I think that would depend on the whole story," Baxter said. "If they felt the same as you did, I honestly think I would be able to forgive them too. At least, I hope I could. Now, I might not trust them for a while, but I do think I would forgive. And I'd like to think that if they were part of the team and repeatedly showed how they'd changed for the better, I would come to trust them as well." He shook his head. "Sometimes I wonder whether it's a blessing or a curse to feel so forgiving to the misguided."
"As long as you don't let it cloud your judgment, it's a good thing," Barney said. "I still disagree with you about the man who was stalking you."
"I know." Baxter looked from him to Vincent, who had been silent while allowing them to talk. "I do understand how hard it can be to forgive. . . . I certainly wasn't in a forgiving mood after I met Shredder and the Turtles and the city turned against me. But when you're trying so hard to turn your life around, I just want there to be unity among all of us. Michelangelo certainly does as well."
"Longing for things to happen that can't happen will only hurt you in the end," Barney grunted.
"That's what you used to say about you and Baxter ever behaving like brothers," Vincent chimed in. "Or the possibility that we could all live together. If those things can happen, then logically it seems like it isn't impossible that someday we all could be united as a team and as friends."
"You had to throw the 'logical' card at me," Barney muttered.
Baxter laughed. "But he has a good point. Thank you, Vincent. I needed that encouragement."
"And Raphael was really affected by what Barney did," Vincent said. "I could tell."
Barney slowly nodded. "He didn't know what to make of it, but I'll admit that I believe he was affected more positively than negatively." He looked to Baxter. "Now, Brother, how did you avoid serious injury when OMNUS hurt you?"
"All I can say is that he must have not intended to seriously hurt me right then," Baxter said helplessly. "I reached to unplug the phone's charger from the wall and he sent out a blast of electricity that hit me squarely in the chest. I'm told that I managed to unplug the charger, but personally, I have no memory of that." He turned to Vincent. "What about your experience, Vincent?"
"It was extremely draining, no doubt about it," Vincent said. "If I hadn't been able to gather enough energy to quickly heal, I'd probably be out of commission for hours yet."
Baxter hesitated. "How does one fight against someone trying to hack into their system?"
"Well, for a computer, it's not as simple as just blocking them at every turn," Vincent said. "It involves fighting for your very mind. I imagined it as being similar to a human fighting mind-control or possession." He paused. "And I have to say, it was more fulfilling fighting OMNUS this time around. I took strength from thoughts of you and Barney."
"I'm glad that could help," Baxter said.
"Let's face it: we were all blessed," Vincent chirped.
"Or lucky," Barney said. But he sighed and scowled. "Nevermind."
"Even you know it had to be more than luck," Baxter said. "And I have one other lesson for you, Barney. Look at how OMNUS used Mr. Blodgett without shame or remorse. Then think about yourself with Melissa. You were so angry and hurt that you thought about using her. You had that moment of weakness, yes. But in the end, you couldn't go through with it. And even though you didn't, you still have shame and remorse. Oh Barney, can't you see that you are a good person? This proves it all the more."
Barney fell silent. ". . . I suppose you do have a point," he said at last. "I can certainly be grateful I'm not like OMNUS. Especially since I could have been."
"You never could have been, Buddy," Vincent said. "If you had gone through with it, that would have been one more thing you would have hated yourself for throughout your life. You're just not capable of doing wrong without feeling horrible about it. The problem is that you're stuck on the fact that you did do wrong or were tempted to do wrong instead of thinking about how you can repent."
"You're right," Barney admitted. "Because even if I repent, it doesn't take away that I hurt people. And it doesn't take away their memories or their pain over what I did to them."
"No, it doesn't," Baxter quietly agreed. "But it does lessen both the memories and the pain."
"Then I will try harder," Barney resolved.
"And what about you, Pal?" Vincent wondered, looking to Baxter. "I know you've worried about whether God wants to hear from you."
"I know," Baxter said. "But now I need to practice what I preach. I know He would be happy to hear from Barney. He'd be happy to hear from me, too. Even though that sounds so incredible."
Barney nodded in agreement. "It does. But we believe in God. We feel that it's true He would be happy, despite how incredible it seems. Somehow we have to make ourselves focus on what we feel is true, even if the parts of us that hate ourselves say it couldn't be."
Vincent smiled. "So we've all come out of this experience better for it."
Neither Baxter nor Barney could deny that.
"We'd better let you rest now, Barney," Baxter said, getting up from the chair beside the bed. "You look so pale."
"You'd both better rest yourselves," Barney countered.
"We will," Vincent promised. "Goodnight, Buddy."
"Goodnight," Barney returned.
Baxter also bade Barney Goodnight before heading out of the room with Vincent. He smiled, in a fairly good mood. "I'm happy everything ended this well," he said.
"I'd say it's more of a beginning than an ending," Vincent said. "I believe Barney really will take this to heart and it will help him as he works on continuing to improve how he feels about himself."
"I hope so," Baxter said.
"And I hope it will help you too, Baxter," Vincent said.
"It will," Baxter promised. "Goodnight, Vincent."
"Goodnight, old pal."
It had been a mutually unspoken agreement that Baxter would stay there for the night. He and Vincent went into their respective rooms, happy over how the adventure had turned out and hopeful for the future.