Diversity

Part 4

Mikey lounged on the couch in the living room, watching some movies, and stuffing handful after overfull handful of potato chips into his mouth, as his eyes eagerly devoured the B-movie playing on the TV screen. Master Splinter had gone to bed a few hours ago, having given up on waiting up for his second oldest son to arrive back home. Don had wandered into his lab and had begun tinkering with some sort of machine that Leo was unsure of not only its function, but its viability as well.

The lair mostly quiet, just the sound from the TV and the occasional sound of metal clanging against metal issuing from Don's lab. Everything was pretty normal... right down to the pacing turtle, who continued to wait up for Raph. Leonardo repeated his own words in his mind, 'Raph's rash actions might one day be the end of him.'

As the eldest, he couldn't help but worry about his brothers; especially Raph. The fact that Raph was still outside made him worry even more, but he knew that Raph had his shell cell with him. He didn't have any big reason to be overly worried just yet.

Another hour passed by, and still, Raph wasn't home. What had started out as mild concern, had not blossomed into overwhelming worry. It wasn't like Raph to be out for over four hours without at least checking in. Though Leo knew that there were instances where Raph would stay out until dawn when he was really angry. But as far as Leo knew, Raph was not angry, just eager to be topside.

Of all of his brothers, Raph was the one who was able to get away with remaining topside for a lot longer and more often than the rest of them, without suffering their father's disapproval and punishments.

'Maybe he just lost track of time.' Leo thought to himself, hopefully. He decided that he would continue to wait up for Raph for a little longer. He didn't want to worry Don, Mikey, or his father just yet. He would give Raph two more hours tops, before alerting his family to their brother's worrying tardiness. And besides, there was still a lot of evening left.

Leo continued to pace, trying to ignore the ball of dread that had curled up into his stomach, but couldn't seem to quell the feeling that something horrible had happened to his brother.

....

The circular saw had easily cut through the turtle's belt, the leather falling to the side so that Bishop now had an unobstructed cutting surface to work with. Bishop had relished in the unadulterated fear that had risen up in the red masked freak, but playtime was now over, and he had some serious work to be doing. He started up the saw again.

Raph felt his skin quiver in fear, as the circular saw blade neared his plastron for a second time. Raph searched the room, listened intently for signs of a disturbance that would indicate that his brothers had arrived, but he heard nothing. Only the high pitched whine of the saw, as it was held mere eighths of an inch above his plastron. It was then that the horrific thought struck him; that his brothers didn't even realize that he had been kidnapped in the first place.

As this thought struck him, Raph knew that it was the truth. His brothers would not worry about him until he did not show up at dawn, and by then, it would be much, much too late for him. Raph swallowed down his fear, and closed his eyes against what was no doubt going to be agonizingly painful.

"I do apologize." Bishop soothed. "Sorry I can't administer a sedative. It will mess up my findings." Bishop gleefully repeated the very words that he had said to Mikey the first time they had met. Raph could never forget how terrified Mikey had been at the time, and now Raph was able to fully appreciate the sadistic simplicity of the threat.

The saw blade touched down in the middle of Raph's left scute, high above where his belt had been moments ago. It began to move to his right, straight across. Raph just clenched his teeth and tried to keep from screaming. He was not going to give Bishop the satisfaction. He was used to pain and he could withstand a lot of it. But Raph knew that the type of pain that Bishop had in store for him, was going to be a kind of pain that he would be unable to even fathom.