A/n: Not much to say here, actually. Except I really hate writing dialect. Also, have I mentioned recently that I love reviews...? :D

Chapter 4 – Bought and Sold

...

Time passed indistinguishably. The morning wore on. Raph wished there was a clock on the wall. He wished something would happen, even though he suspected it wouldn't be anything good. He hated just sitting there, waiting. So this time when the doors slid open he was ready, and standing on his feet almost before the men had stepped into the room.

Suit-Man was back, this time with the unmistakable aura of the salesman, a slick presenter of goods. The man who followed him into the warehouse was short, and wrapped in a long dark coat. Something about the way he walked, his proprietary gaze, suggested to Raph that he was familiar with this building. This must be Mr. Darmonaz. Suit-Man led him over to the tiger's cage.

"Here's the beast you requested. We had it shipped over especially for you." Darmonaz stepped forward and examined it critically, eyeing its damaged paws and its sorry state.

"Poor condition," he murmured analytically. "Was this the best you could do?"

"Well, my friend," Suit-Man smoothly ushered Darmonaz in the direction of Raph's cage, "we ran into some slight problems while receiving the delivery last night, but I'm sure you'll see how events have worked to your advantage. This," he gestured towards the glaring turtle, "is the creature that attacked and injured your tiger specimen."

"Bullshit," said Raph bluntly. Darmonaz gaped at him, and Raph smirked at receiving that reaction yet again. "Tigger was already banged-up when he got here. This guy is tryin' ta rip you off." How he wished he could cross his arms right now.

The businessman glared at him furiously, but Darmonaz didn't seem to notice. He gazed at Raph with the same critical detachment as he had for the tiger, examining every inch of him with fascination. Raph's reptilian blood ran cold as he began to circle the cage slowly.

"This one is damaged, too." His voice held disapproval at the sight of the torn flesh on Raph's leg.

"Yeah," growled the turtle before Suit-Man could speak, "apparently that's the thanks ya get around here fer doin' someone a favour."

"It's magnificent," Darmonaz pronounced, as if Raph hadn't even spoken. "How much?" The businessman's eyes gleamed.

Raph twisted with familiar frustration. This often happened with humans. They were so fixated on the fact that he could speak, they never even heard anything that he said. For all the attention they paid to the meaning of his words, he may as well have been speaking Japanese.

"The price is steep for a unique specimen such as this. The shell alone would fetch a hefty sum on the collector's market. Add to that the fact that it appears semi-intelligent – "

" – semi-intelligent?!"

" – and its strongly aggressive nature – "

"Its intelligence is irrelevant," said Darmonaz dismissively. "It could even prove problematic, in fact. My audiences could suspect a cheap trick, a costume – it could drive them away. They don't want to be spoken to. They don't want humanity. No, what fascinates me about this freak are the ways in which it's inhuman."

"More human than you, asshole." Again, that blank look in the eyes suggesting selective deafness.

"It's talkativeness could be… rectified, I'm sure."

"Indeed. Though for the trouble, you will have to lower your price."

And so they began to haggle. Right there in front of his face. For a second he was almost chuffed at the sums of money they were mentioning. Then he was overcome by a wave of outrage, closely followed by a paralysing helplessness. These two men were standing there, bartering his life away like he was an animal, and he was completely damn powerless to stop it.

Caged and chained, he thought with a growing horror. Caged and chained. What could he say? What could he say to make them listen? There was nothing. But he refused to be silent.

"Hey, come on. Surely I'm worth more than that. One of a kind, an' all." One of a quartet, actually, but he wasn't gonna let them know that. "Yo, boneheads. Ya don't know what yer messin' with." Their discussion faltered, and Raph turned up the volume another notch. "Trust me on this one. If ya can't even handle my friend tigger, ya got no chance with me."

Suit-Man grimaced. "Shall we finalise the sale in the peace and comfort of my office?"

"Indeed." They headed for the exit. "I'd like to contact my vet before we finish to discuss what to do about the noise problem – I don't think a conventional muzzle would work over the strangely shaped beak…"

"Yer mum's got a strangely shaped beak!" Raph bellowed after them as the door closed and their voices dwindled away. "What, you afraid of a little conversation? Wimps." He muttered under his breath.

See, Leo, he thought to himself. I can be talkative when I want ta be. Some people jus' don't appreciate my sparkling wit and my way with words.

… Leo. He sighed. Leo would probably already be angsting and worrying and fearing the worst, going over all the worst case scenarios in his head. Don't worry, he wished he could tell his brother, M'fine, I've been stuck in much worse situations than this before. I'll be alright, I'll be home soon.

Practically, he had no idea how he was going to manage that. But it was just a bunch of good-fer-nothin' greedy crims, right? How hard could it be?

.:...:.

He got a hint of the answer when they came for him that afternoon. Lots of them this time. They looked to be from the same mould as the goons on the dock last night, but these ones didn't have dart guns.

They had tasers. About half a dozen of them. And a dozen more bulky men stood around, ready to add their muscles to the mix.

"We'll get this one first." It was the worker from this morning, and he was indicating towards Raph's cage. "Bring the crate over." Apparently he was some kind of overseer, as the men scurried to do his bidding. One of them powered up a small forklift vehicle, and used it to drag an empty crate from the wall towards the centre of the warehouse.

Raph tensed. This would be his only chance, when they tried to transfer him between the cage and the crate. The door would be open, and he'd have maybe a few seconds to bust his way out. Surrounded by twenty men and with his hands still chained behind his back. Sure. Easy, right?

"Okay, Joey. How 'bout you give the turtle a little buzz so he knows what he's dealing with?" One of the men with tasers approached the bars, and Raph's mind worked furiously. I've gotta let them underestimate me, make 'em think I really am just a dumb animal. Then when the door's open…

So even though it went against all his instincts, he forced himself to stand motionless as the tip of the taser came through the bars. He tensed and didn't allow himself to cry out as it connected with the centre of his plastron. Fire flooded through him, his nerve endings burned and writhed, but as soon as it started it was over and he gulped in deep breaths, trying not to shake, willing his legs to support him. He twisted his wrists subconsciously against the chains.

"The fuck was that for?" he swore at them when he could speak again. He didn't get any of the customary looks of shock, so these guys must already have been informed of his 'noise problem'. They just watched him cautiously.

"That, turtle, was merely to demonstrate the consequences of non-cooperation. Now when we open the door you're going to hop straight in the crate like an obedient little freak, right? And things will go easier for all of us."

"Uh… yeah. Right." Raph tried in vain to hide the incredulity in his voice. This guy really believes it's gonna be that easy? "Ya coulda just said 'please'." The overseer looked puzzled.

"Didn't think animals answered to 'please'."

"Yeah? Well maybe you should have a good hard think about that. Before ya stick me in a crate."

He was ignoring him again. Men swarmed like insects. The side of the crate facing his cage came open. Its interior was even smaller and more cramped than the cage itself. I am not going in there. A man came forward slowly and began to unlock the padlock and chains around the cage door. Men with tasers moved into position on either side.

The door swung open. Raph stood docilely, with his head down.

"Easy," murmured the overseer, as if to a spooked animal, "easy now…"

Tasers moved slowly towards him from the back of the cage, and he let them shepherd him out until he was in the open, surrounded by men with weapons. The crate was no more than two steps away.

He jumped. Kicked. Two men went down immediately. God, just for those few seconds, it felt so good to move. But it was hard to balance his landing and pivot with his arms chained back. He knocked one more guy to the ground before the first taser got him in the side, a higher setting this time, and he was on his knees. The pressure didn't release.

Yelling. They were all over him, it hurt, oh fuck, it hurt, and he couldn't stop himself crying out.

There was a circle of them around him where he was curled on the floor, and they didn't let up. He couldn't hold on to consciousness any longer.

The men dragged his twitching body into the crate, and sealed it shut.

"Now the tiger." The work went on.