A/N: Thanks to everyone who's been reading this - especially to my reviewers.
As always, big thanks to StillThunder86 for being a great beta and picking up on things I didn't explain clearly.
CHAPTER SIX
Action
"Mack? Have you got it yet?"
Mack glared at Raphael but didn't reply. He was up against the door of his cell, reaching through the bars to tap the keys of the electronic lock. It was difficult, having to work by feel and input the combinations on a reversed pad, but he knew he could do it – if only a certain turtle would let him concentrate.
"Only, it won't be long before ol' B. spots what we're up to, and then…"
"Yeah, yeah," Mack grunted, feeling for the final button. The lock beeped, and he almost fell out of his cell. He immediately started work on Raphael's lock. This one was much easier, as he could stand facing the keypad and see what he was doing. Within seconds, the door clicked open and Raph stepped out. He cast a wary eye at the monitors.
"How long until someone notices us?" he asked.
Mack shrugged, as if being caught was an unimportant detail. He headed towards the door to the right of the cages. The two of them moved silently; Raphael walking with a ninja's light tread, and Mack on four feline paws. They went through the technician's door and Mack raised his head and sniffed. The wolf-like snout quivered as he detected the scent the fresh air, and he trotted determinedly down the corridor.
Raph followed her."Wha'dya got, Mack?" he asked. "Is Don this way?"
Mack stopped and turned his head to look at the turtle. "Nah. Out." he said, adding, "Air," by way of explanation.
Now Raphael stopped, planting his feet firmly.
"We're not leaving without the others," he insisted. "Where are they?"
Mack rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. He sat and listened carefully, then started nosing the floor. He walked in a slow circle, then set off at a brisk pace back the way they had come.
They moved quickly and quietly through the empty corridors. Raph was surprised (and a little disappointed) not to meet any security guards as they went. They must have been picked up on camera several times by now, but so far no-one had come to stop them. Every time the pair had reached a junction, Mack had paused to pick up their new direction while Raph looked about keenly for any sign of guards.
Now Mack stopped, outside a grey metal door with a large '3' painted on it in white. Through the small window Raph could see…
"Don!" he said, delightedly. "Hey, Don, we've come to get you out, bro!"
Donatello was crouched in front of the monitor in his cell, tinkering with what looked like a set of wires. He didn't turn around.
Raphael blinked. Why was his brother ignoring him? The turtle turned to Mack.
"Can ya get this door open?" he asked. The shape-shifter gave a non-committal noise, stood up to reach the key pad, and entered a few different combinations. The light on the lock stayed stubbornly red.
"Move over, let me have a go." Pushing Mack aside, Raphael punched a few random buttons. Frustrated by this lack of success – and Don's still not looking round – the turtle slammed his fist into the lock. It gave a loud bang and spat sparks for a few seconds, causing Raph and Mack to jump back. When they looked again, Donatello was standing in the open doorway.
His relief at seeing Raphael quickly changed to concern when he spotted Mack.
"Hey, Don – we're busting outa this joint," Raph said. "Oh, this is Mack. He's on our side. Where's Mikey and Leo?"
He addressed the question to Mack, but it was Don who answered.
"This way," he said. "And hurry. I don't know what you did to my door, but I'll bet it set off some kind of alarm."
Raph frowned as he hurried to keep up with Don's fast pace. "'Thanks for gettin' me out, Raph', 'Hey, no prob, Don'" he said, sarcastically. "What I 'did to your door' was get it open – while you just sat there ignorin' me. And, I don't hear no alarm." His voice softened slightly when he saw the Don really did look worried. "Relax," he told his brother. "We ain't seen a single guard all evenin'."
-TMNT-
"Shut off that racket!"
Greaves fussed with the panel under the flashing light until the alarm stopped.
"Sorry, Joe," he said. They were the only ones in the guards lounge, and Joe had the TV on to catch a late movie. Greaves picked up his torch and nervously gestured towards the door.
"Um, shouldn't we go and, sorta, see what set the alarm off?" he ventured.
"Do what you want, kid," said Joe, without taking his eyes off the screen. "Just don't bug me any more tonight, OK?"
"Um, yeah. OK. I really am sorry about this, Joe. I…" Greaves faltered under Joe's disapproving silence, and finished, "I... I'll go and make sure everything's OK."
Joe sighed as the door closed behind his junior colleague. He ought to ease up on the kid, he thought. After all, at least he didn't get Greaves' pay-cut, so night-shift meant better wages. And it was easy work, to be honest. With everything locked down tight, and surveillance covering every inch, security guards had nothing to do but go on the occasional patrol. And he got to carry a gun. It was a pretty cushy number, really. Maybe, when Greaves messed up enough to get himself sacked for good, Joe would get to stay on night-duty for this sector. No more carting around great heavy test subjects? Better pay, nice uniform and a proper gun? Yeah, thought Joe, I could get used to this.
-TMNT-
"You just had to say it, didn't you Raph?" said Don.
The three escaping prisoners had rounded a corner to see a uniformed figure coming towards them, torch in hand. Mack's hackles rose. He shifted to his most wolf-like form and tensed for attack, but Don laid a hand on his head to stop him. The wolf's ears went flat and he flinched at the touch. Raph's eyes widened in shock, sure his brother was about to lose a hand, but Don didn't seem to notice any of this. Instead, he went forward himself, silently keeping to the shadows until he was close enough to speak to the guard.
"Hi," Don said, keeping his voice low. "Greaves, right?"
The guard dropped his torch, and nearly screamed in shock. Don caught the torch before it hit the ground and held a finger to his lips urgently.
"Shhh! Greaves, it's me."
Raphael and Mack peered around the corner and saw Don having an urgent, whispered conversation with the young security guard. Mack stiffened, but Raph motioned him to keep still.
"Don knows what he's doing," he assured his friend. "Let him handle this."
After a minute or so, Don waved for them to join him. The guard flinched when he saw Mack.
"Hey, you never said you had Mack with you!" he protested. He backed away until both turtles were between him and the wolf-like Mack. "You're crazy, bringing that animal with you. You'd better keep it away from me, that's all."
Mack's ears flattened against his skull and a low growl started in the back of his throat. Raphael now recognised the guard, and understood Mack's reaction. He almost wanted to growl himself. Then a thought struck him.
"Hey, I saw you here in the day yesterday," Raph said. "How come you're on nights, too?"
Greaves went red. "The boss is mad at me," he confessed. "When he finds out I let you guys go, I don't know what he'll do." Then he seemed to cheer up a little. "Hey, at least he can't make me fight Mack, right? Not if you all get out tonight."
Don took Greaves firmly by the arm, before he could say anything more to offend their fellow-escapee.
"Where's that store-room, kid?" he prompted. Turning to the others, Don added, "Greaves here knows where Bishop put our weapons. He's going to show us the way, right?"
Greaves nodded and set off down a side corridor, careful to keep a safe distance away from the still-angry Mack. After a minute, he stopped outside a plain wooden door.
"In there," he said. "It's the key with the long handle," he told Don.
Don sorted through the keys and card-keys that he'd taken from Greaves, selected the right one to unlock the storeroom, then pushed the young guard ahead of him through the open door. While Raph and Mack collected the belts, masks and weapons, Don picked up a piece of discarded cable and loosely bound Greaves' hands behind his back.
"We'll lock you in, kid," he said. "If anyone asks, we overpowered you, stole your keys and forced you to tell us about the storeroom. OK? That ought to keep you out of trouble with Bishop. Though, if you've got any sense you'll find another job as fast as you can."
Raph and Mack left the room, carrying the turtle's possessions. Greaves relaxed slightly now that he was no longer in the same room as the werewolf, but he still looked pale and scared. Don turned to him for one last question.
"How many guards on duty tonight?" he asked.
"Um, just me an' Joe in this bit," said Greaves. "An' Joe's not gonna come out patrolling 'less he has to. He's mad at me for getting him put on nights."
Don nodded, once, and patted the uniformed shoulder. "Thanks, Greaves," he said, before bringing his hand up sharply against the side of the boy's head. As the guard slumped to the ground, Don set him carefully against the wall and left the room, locking the door behind himself. Raph and Mack were waiting for him outside.
Raph turned to Mack.
"OK, we need to find Mikey and Leo now," he said. "Can you track them?"
Mack shook his head.
"Can't you even try?" Raph almost shouted.
"No scent," said Mack, flatly.
"I know where they are," Don cut in, quickly. "I was taken to see them both when... woah – Mack can talk?"
Mack glowered at him, but said nothing. After a long moment of silence, Raph answered for him.
"Yeah, Mack talks. When he feels like it," he added, bitterly.
Don lead the way to Michelangelo's cell, with Raph and a still-silent Mack trailing behind. Soon they came to another grey door, labelled with the number '7' in white paint. Raph looked through the window while Don searched for the key-card that matched the lock on Mikey's door.
"Hey, Mikey!" Raph called, "It's us! We're gettin' you out!" The youngest turtle sat on his bunk, staring blankly at the opposite wall, and ignoring Raphael completely. A pile of discarded dressing lay in a heap in one corner of the room, but, Don was astonished to note, there was no trace of the serious injuries he'd treated only hours before.
"Hey, shell-for-brains, over here!" Raph said, louder this time. He reached past Don to knock on the glass just as Don swiped the lock. The door clicked open and Mikey's head snapped round at the sound.
"Oh, now he stops ignorin' us!" Raph muttered. Don gave him a strange look.
"The door is probably sound-proofed, Raph. I know mine was," he said. Raph's face turned as red as his newly-recovered mask, and he didn't say anything as he handed Michelangelo his own mask, belt and weapons. So that was it, he thought. And me thinkin' Bishop had made Donnie deaf or somethin'.
"Thanks, guys," Mikey said. He sounded tired, and carried his left arm a little stiffly. He looked around to see a tall, shaggy figure standing behind his brothers and carrying Leo's equipment. He leapt immediately to the wrong (if understandable) conclusion, and stared at Mack in horror.
"Leo?" he whispered. "Is that you?"
Don, Mack and Raph looked at Michelangelo as if he'd gone mad.
"We haven't got Leo out yet," Don said, carefully. "This is Mack. He's helping us."
Raph looked like he wanted to say something at that, but Don didn't give him time. "Come on, this way," he said, and took off at a swift pace down the seemingly endless grey corridors.
Don was leading the way, with Mikey close at his heals. He seemed to be waking up with each step, although he still held his left arm a little stiffly. He'd tucked his chucks into his belt, and made no move to wield them – unlike Raph who, now that he was no longer carrying Mikey's gear, had his sais held firmly in his grip, ready for the first sign of trouble.
As they rounded a corner, they came face-to-face with a man wearing a white lab coat and carrying a clipboard. He stared at the four of them for only a second before his hand went for his pocket. Quick as a flash, Mikey grabbed the man's wrist.
"Hands where we can see ' em, mister," he drawled, in his best John Wayne impression. Turning to the others, he added, "I always wanted to say that."
The man's other hand was reaching for his pocket, but Mikey put a stop to that by delivering a neat chop to the back of the neck. The technician passed out with Mikey still holding onto his wrist, so that for a moment the turtle looked like a referee in a boxing match.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is - me!" he announced.
Raphael cuffed his brother on the head. Mack stiffened. They didn't have time for a fight here! Even a short scuffle might attract more attention than they could deal with. He stepped forward, ready to stand between the combatants. To his surprise, there was nothing to stop. Michelangelo wasn't poised to answer his brother's challenge, nor was he backing away. He was laughing, which Mack couldn't understand at all. Turtles, he thought, must be different from wolves, or even cats. It was a puzzle alright, but one for another day. Right now, they had to focus on escaping.
Meanwhile, Don has been going through the pocket that the technician had been reaching for. He lifted out a PDA.
"Brilliant," he said, smiling broadly. "I got a bit of information from hacking the monitor in my room, but this will be much better." He promptly began pressing buttons, frowning with concentration and ignoring the others. After only a few seconds, he smiled and slipped the PDA into his belt.
"What'cha got there, Donny?" Michelangelo asked. Don smiled to hear some of Mikey's enthusiasm returning, even though the hardship of the last few days still showed in the dark circles under his eyes.
"I managed to pull up a rough map, and got an idea of where this base is. We're not that far from where we left the Battle Shell, if we can just get out of here."
Raphael glanced over his shoulder. Don and Mikey were following him closely, but Mack lagged behind. Raph saw him turn to look down a side corridor, and he seemed about to go down it alone when he checked himself and followed after the turtles. Raph felt his anger fade. He was still annoyed that Mack had refused to help find Leo and Mikey, but he knew that the werewolf was risking a lot by getting them all involved in this escape. He let Don pass him as he waited for Mack to catch up.
Mikey stopped too, and Mack watched them both warily as he got nearer.
"What?" he said, drawing level.
"You OK?" Raph asked. "What's that you were looking at?"
"Air." Mack said. "Out," he added.
"That's the way out? Down there? Great!" Raph said. "Soon as we get Leo, we'll head straight for the door."
Mack frowned, as if he wanted to ask why they didn't go now, rather than wasting time on Leo. Still, he knew better than to annoy Raphael by saying that out loud. Instead, he gave his usual non-committal grunt and walked on beside Raph.
By the time they got to Leo's cell Don already had the door open. Leo came out looking dazed, and even more tired than Mikey had. He didn't seem to be injured, but he walked like he was asleep. Quickly, Raph took Leo's katana from Mack and passed them to his eldest brother.
"Come on, Fearless, snap out of it!" he ordered. Leo's hands closed around the hilts of his swords and he seemed to come alive. Mack could tell at once that this was the leader of the four brothers. Even Raphael seemed to defer to Leo, although he probably didn't realise he was doing it. Leonardo moved with confidence, despite the bruises which mottled his left arm, and which must have been causing him some pain. He slung the sheathed weapons into their place on his back, then put on his mask and belt. His eyes seemed brighter as he took in the sight of his brothers, safe and whole. He paused as his gaze fell on Mack, who was already poised to head back the way they had come, towards the exit.
"That's Mack," said Mikey, noticing Leo's expression. "He's okay. Come on, we're getting out of here!"
Leo cast a look around the corridor.
"Wait," he said. "There's a camera that way. We need to stay out of the line of sight. If anyone saw you coming this way, they'll think you carried on in the same direction. Stealth, everyone – now!"
Mack watched, amazed, as all four turtles seemed to vanish into the shadows. He himself shifted to his most panther-like form, as having the darkest fur, but even with his enhanced night vision he could hardly see where Raphael and his brothers had gone. The hall seemed full of half-light, and they were just four shadows among shadows.
"Hey, Mack? Come here, where the camera can't see you." It was Michelangelo's voice, and Mack turned towards it. Now that he had a direction, he could just make out the edge of a shell. He padded forwards until he was standing next to Mikey. His tail lashed a little at being given orders, but he kept still and quiet.
As they all stood, frozen, waiting for the camera to sweep past them, Mack took stock of the two brothers he had met before. Mikey seemed relaxed – almost too much so, given their situation – and it was a new sensation for Mack to be so close to someone who didn't fear him. However, he filed this in his mind under "investigate later", because Leo was there too, and the signals he was getting from this turtle were all too familiar. From the tense way he was standing, the set of his jaw and the short, controlled breaths that Mack could just about hear, it was obvious that Leo didn't feel happy about the shape-shifter's presence. Leo didn't seem afraid, exactly, but a sense distrust and discomfort was coming off him in waves, and making Mack himself feel nervous.
He was also a little uneasy at being so close to these strangers – and armed strangers at that – but neither of them attempted to lay hold of him. Mack released the breath he'd been holding, and prepared to follow the turtles' lead. With the four of them working together, he realised, they stood a much better chance of making this escape successfully. For the first time, Mack thought that Raphael had been smart to include all his brothers in the break-out.