Tmnt An Agonizing Secret

Chapter 11. The Desperate Search

It was when Don had just finished scanning the Laird Street entrance area for an electronic signature that he heard the lab door slam shut. He, Raph, and Leo jolted out of their seats at the noise and immediately realized that Mikey was nowhere to be found. Raph was the first to run to the door in a rage, yelling his brother's name, but just as soon as he reached it the sound of the electronic lock system being smashed and the inevitable 'click' that followed echoed through the lab room. Raph and Leo pounded at the door while Don furiously tried to jiggle the handle. Nothing worked.

"MIKEY!" Raph screamed with his head pressed up against the door. "Mikey, ya betta' get back here so I can kill ya fer doin' this!" After a few more kicks to the metal door, he stepped away panting.

In the awkward silence that arose, the three siblings exchanged glances. All three wore a defeated expression; they knew Mikey was long gone.

Don slipped to his knees, his shell against the door. "He did it again..."

"Yeah," Leo agreed somberly. "He really can't seem to let go of something."

Raph gave a low growl. "Don' tell me he was planning ta escape the whole time?"

The room was quiet for a second. Finally, Leo shook his head resolutely. "No, I think he really did want to tell us."

Don stood up suddenly. "It doesn't matter anyway. Mikey's been running around with two broken ribs for god's sake!" The turtle's voice rose in anger. "He'll end up killing himself at this rate! I just don't get how he can't understand."

Raph clapped a hand on Don's shoulder to comfort him. "Ya saw him shakin' like that, Donnie—something like that...he musta been really scared." He gave an uncharacteristic sigh. "He's neva' been the type ta bottle things up inside though..."

"That's what worries me the most!" Don replied heatedly. "It's one thing for Mikey to be scared...but this is completely different!

"Guys, calm down," Leo said in a stern tone. He pressed himself in between his two younger brothers to separate them.

"Calm down?" Raph cried. "Are you nuts, Leo? How can ya expect me ta calm down when my little bro could be dyin' somewhere—"

"—He's my brother too, Raph!" Leo shouted back, losing his composure for a second. He took a deep breath and started again. "And my brothers, our family, will stick together no matter what. The only way we can do that is to focus on getting out of here and finding Mikey. You said it yourself, Raph—you have to get stronger. Not only for yourself but for your family!" Quieting down once more, Leo turned away from Raph. "Donnie, is there a way to break down this door?"

Don stood there stunned for a moment before nodding in answer to Leo's question. "Y-yeah. Just in case, I set up an override program for the door's electronic lock on my computer. It'll take a few minutes."

Once Raph had calmed down, he began to stretch his sore arms and legs and watched Don type away at the supercomputer. "Why'd ya have ta make this door so damn strong anyway?" he muttered crossly.

"So that if there was an explosion, it wouldn't destroy anything outside the lab," Don deadpanned.

"What?" Leo exclaimed suddenly. "You mean you plan to have explosions occur?"

Don flinched. "Eh...t-that's beside the point."

Raph chuckled a bit. "So...when we get outta here...are we splittin' up ta look fer Mikey?"

"Nope," Don answered. "I think I have an idea where he went."

Leo nodded. "The Laird Street sewer entrance."