Bet you thought we forgot about this story… well we didn't! Thanks for those of you that stuck around, and for anyone new: welcome!

Many thanks to our beta: FeatherArtist!

Chapter 6 - A Fly in the Ointment

Donatello stood at the edge of the rooftop, watching April through a small spyglass. She was sitting on a bench in a small park below him, laughing at the voice of a man he couldn't see.

"It's never gonna work." Raph spoke up from beside him and he turned to glare in his direction. Collapsing the spyglass, he tucked it into the pouch on his belt that fit right into the gap at his side between his shell and plastron. Fiddling his large green fingers together to avoid eye-contact with his brother.

"She's a girl, you're a turtle. Just forget about it already." Raphael added, when he didn't respond.

A large free-standing mirror loomed off to his left, just outside of his peripheral and the sun reflected off its surface, catching his attention. That's an odd place for a mirror. The thought crossed his mind very briefly as he stepped closer to look at his reflection; A familiar face staring back.

Olive speckled skin textured with smooth pebbly scales ran over his bald head and around his beak-like snout where a proper nose should be. Something about his eyes caught his attention, they seemed darker and more intense than usual.

"You think wearing a human suit is going to make a difference?" Raph sneered from beside him. But Donnie was too intrigued with the swirling pools of blackish brown in his irises to pay any attention to his brother.

Reaching back he fumbled at the tie in his bandana, loosening it so as to remove the mask and get a better view. But as he pulled the purple fabric away, something strange was happening to his skin. It started to sag and loosen, slowly sliding down off his head as though the mask had been the only thing holding it in place. Like a stretched-out stocking that had snapped from its garter, his entire outer layer continued to slide down his form, shell and all, peeling away as though it had only ever been a cloth-like covering.

Turning back to the mirror in shock, he saw the face of a human man. The foot assassin's steely gaze staring back at him, as the rest of his turtle façade pooled around his ankles.

"That's not your face. You stole it." April's voice was clear behind him and he whipped around to see her standing next to Raphael, a stern look of disappointment painted on her features.

"But, I…" Donatello wanted to explain that he hadn't done this on purpose, that he was not happy about the situation, but the glare from April and Raphael seemed to hold him in place like a tractor beam, preventing him from moving.

"I don't want this." April turned and hooked her elbow through Raphael's and the two began to walk away.

"Don't go! Don't leave me!" He managed to shout out. Battling against his body's prison, he struggled to take a step towards them, but it was as though his legs were trapped in wet cement. Looking down to determine why he was stuck, he realized the man from his reflection had reached through the mirror and grabbed ahold of his arm. He frantically twisted to free himself of his grasp, calling out to April's retreating form.

"DON'T!—"

Donatello jerked his head up from the desk, his mouth still hanging open from shouting. Frantically, he looked around, needing to steady his mind and find assurance that he was no longer dreaming.

Taking stock of the situation, he confirmed that he was still in April's apartment, sitting at her father's desk in the living room, hunched over his laptop where he must have dozed off. Five-fingered human hands lay splayed across the keys before him and he sighed at the reminder that things were as he had left them, though not as he wanted.

Confusing snippets of his dream trickled through his thoughts, but he was unwilling to spend any time deciphering their meaning. The entire team had been running on fumes, it was no wonder he had momentarily succumbed to exhaustion, and the randomness of his dream state could be explained with the same reasoning. From his spot near the window, he could see bits of sky beginning to grow warm with oranges and pinks of the fast approaching sunset and it was all he needed to be re-energized.

The afternoon had dragged on exceptionally slow. After returning with lunch and relieving Casey of his watch-guard duties, they simply needed to wait for quitting time at the docks so they could revisit the warehouse unnoticed, and that time was finally approaching.

He typically sided with Leonardo about taking precautions when it came to their safety and staying in the shadows. But as the hours had crept by, watching the sun slowly move across the sky, he could do nothing but worry. Each passing minute increased the chance that Shredder's goons could return to the warehouse, or that the assassin chained up in the store below him might do something desperate, putting his friends –and his own body– in danger. But as it was, a team of mutant and human ninjas pulling up in their rather conspicuous vehicles in broad daylight amongst a bustling crowd of dock workers, was not ideal.

And so instead he had worked on furthering his plan of what to do once they acquired the machine. After narrowing down the best places he could think of to reassemble the device, the one closest to April's place seemed like the best option. He'd need to move between the two locations, to help keep an eye on the prisoner, and the health of his terrapin body. The defunct steel mill sitting about a quarter mile to the East, looked to have all the things he required; most importantly a large open space to work.

The only other need he had was for basic accommodations, since he'd be working there for at least a couple of days. Currently, he was hacked into the city's utilities grid, ensuring that the unused factory would have running water and electricity, all the while going unnoticed. A feat which he had accomplished many times over the years, keeping his family living as comfortably as possible.

He must have dozed off while waiting for the decryption code to finish running. A flashing indication on his screen showed that the hack had successfully finished several minutes earlier.

Letting out a sigh into the empty living room, he absently rubbed at the crick in the back of his neck. Hours earlier April and Casey had retired to the store below them. They had tried their best to help with things, but eventually it ended up with him on the computer and little reason for them to stick around to watch him work.

Besides, April had done more than she probably even realized in her attempt to lift his spirits earlier that day. April, his figurative ray of sunshine with her optimistic attitude and persistent encouragement, was one of the few constants he could rely on in his crazy life. He felt a strain of guilt for having dragged her into this situation, but at the same time, there was nowhere else he'd rather be right now, than with her by his side - despite the troubling images from his dream. Something about the comforting familiarity of having her support eased his worries around the current situation, if only a bit.

Tapping the screen on his phone, he verified the time. It was getting close. He had arranged for the guys to meet them at the store with both the Shell Raiser and Party Wagon in tow. They would head to Shredder's warehouse as soon as the end of the work shift approached. It wouldn't be dark yet, but the traffic at that end of the docks was sure to be minimal on a Friday afternoon.

With a deep breath, channeling his focus and his energy, he quickly closed programs and shut down his laptop. Standing up from the desk chair he felt the creaking of unfamiliar joints, a good 8 years older than the ones he was used to. The sore muscles unafraid to remind him of the state they were in, whenever possible. With any luck, he'd be back in his own battered and bruised body before either one had the proper time to heal.

Tucking his laptop under one arm, he grabbed his forgotten coffee and tossed back the last of the cold and bitter brew in one gulp. Walking to the kitchen, he set the mug in the sink, before descending to the store to collect his things.

The roar of the Shell Raiser approaching the back alley could be heard just as Donatello finished gathering some borrowed tools and spare parts to his already hefty bags.

"They're here!" He hollered out towards the front of the store, where April was digging through drawers for helpful tools and Casey was 'keeping an eye on the prisoner' from a rather comfy looking spot on the couch.

The bell on the back door chimed as Leonardo entered with Raphael right behind him.

"You guys are actually on time." Donnie announced, failing to hide his surprise that his brothers had arrived when he had requested.

"We didn't forget Donnie. The fifty or so reminders you sent, made sure of that." Raph complained.

Walking past him into the store, Raph made it a point to bump against his side just to be annoying. At his brother's reaction, Donnie muttered a derisive 'thanks', realizing that he may have been a bit too persistent with his reminder texts.

Unexpectedly, the bell chimed once more and they all glanced up to see the youngest Hamato brother enter, looking a little worse for wear. The clean white bandage on his collar bone, standing out like a beacon against his olive toned skin, mottled with bruises.

"Mikey!" Donnie exclaimed. "I didn't realize you'd be joining us tonight. How are you feeling?"

Donatello took a step towards his brother when he saw Mikey's face shift to one of suspicion. He was immediately reminded of his unrecognizable new look and paused in his tracks just a few feet from where he stood in the doorway.

"Whoah Donnie, is that you?" Mikey asked, his expression glowing with delighted wonder. "I mean the guys told me what was going on, but it's still so weird to see it."

Donnie couldn't help the grin at his younger brother's childlike astonishment. "Yeah, it's me. And yes, it is very weird." He gave a friendly smile and attempted to look non-menacing.

Mikey stood in his place and tilted his head, one side of his browline raised, as he inspected the face of the man that Donnie was currently occupying. "It's like you're not you, but some guy pretending to be you."

"The others," Donnie gestured to his brothers, Casey and April, "all asked me a personal question only I would know; something to prove myself. Did you want to ask me something?" Donnie gently suggested, as everyone stood around him watching.

The young turtle nodded as he seemed to take a moment to think of something before posing his question.

"Ok, so remember that one time we pranked Raph when we were kids–" And then, as if just remembering that the brother he spoke of was standing there listening, Mikey stepped in closer and whispered his question into Donnie's ear.

Donatello's mind had already been reeling, wondering exactly which childhood prank his brother could be referring to, but before he could spend too much time Mikey's whispered explanation made it all clear. "I saw an opening to mess with Raph, so just roll with it." He stifled his own giggle in response to the prank and asked his question. "What was your favorite childhood snack before you discovered Pop Tarts?"

Mikey stepped back with one brow raised, awaiting his reply, all the while keeping a subtle eye on the way Raph was squirming just behind him.

Donnie had to chuckle at the scenario, it was refreshing to be assured that even with all the craziness in their lives, some things never change. And Dr. Prankenstein was a welcome reminder.

Donnie pretended to consider his answer for a split second before his reply. "Ah yes, peanut butter." He threw an evil grin in Mikey's direction to add to the effect and the two of them burst out laughing.

"What the hell?!" Raphael barked from beside them. "What was that about? What prank? What did you do with peanut butter?"

"Ha! I knew it was you, man!" Mikey gasped between bouts of laughter, growing stronger as Raphael grew more annoyed.

Raph was full on fuming as the two continued to laugh at his expense, his fists balled up beside him. "So help me, if you don't tell me what the hell you are talking about—"

"They're just trying to get under your skin, Raph." April stepped in, placing a calming hand on the hot head's arm.

"And doing a decent job of it!" Casey guffawed with a shit-eating grin. Leo stood beside him with a similar smirk, neither caring that they weren't privy to the joke.

April directed her gaze back to Donatello and the look on her face was silently telling him that now would be a good time to wrap this up.

"So anyways, how are you feeling, Mikey?" Donatello pressed on, pushing down his fit of giggles while ignoring the red burning in Raph's eyes.

Knowing his ever-positive brother would sugarcoat the truth so as to ease his guilt, he stepped right up to Mikey's side and pulled back the gauze bandage to take a look himself. The cut had been long and deep, but Master Splinter's steady hands had done an excellent job with the sutures. Donatello took comfort seeing Mikey up and about and joking like his usual self, but also couldn't ignore the fact that Mikey's coloring was still rather pale.

"I'm good and ready to help out. Sensei got me all stitched up." He waved a hand through the air like it was no big deal. "And I totally rested up all afternoon like I was supposed to."

"Yeah, eating pizza and laying around playing video games with Ice Cream Kitty." Raph clarified with a frown, still fuming from the teasing.

"Damn right!" Mikey nodded with an enthusiastic thumbs up. And though he tried his very best to hide it, Donnie couldn't help but notice the slight waver in his brother's movements that made him reluctant to actually have him traipsing through the city tonight.

"Alright Donnie, this is your plan." Leo stepped forward and held up a hand, a signal to end the small talk so that they could begin. "How do you want us to split up?"

"April volunteered to keep watch over our 'guest' while we're out. So she'll stay here." He explained to the group. "Mikey, maybe you should stay here too…"

April's forehead creased in annoyance as she spoke up. "Don't forget I'm a kunoichi, this guy's chained up in a cell, I think I can handle this on my own."

"Yeah, baby-sitting duty is pretty much the most boring thing ever." Casey grumbled. Yet another of many times he had complained that day about what April and Donnie had left him to do all morning.

"I wasn't trying to imply that you couldn't handle it yourself." Donatello scrambled to explain, completely ignoring Casey in the process. "I just thought it best for Mikey to take it easy."

Mikey nodded in agreement. "I know you can take care of yourself, April. But you have no idea what this guy can do." There was an unusual seriousness in his tone. A fact that —indicated by the raised brows around the room— did not go unnoticed. He laid one of his large hands on her shoulder while arguing his case. A silent assurance that he believed in her. "Besides, I'm not going to be super helpful moving heavy stuff. So let me keep you company!"

As if to make a point, he clasped his hands together in a pleading gesture, the quick movement making him flinch in pain.

Not wanting to step on any more toes, Donnie simply looked to April for her vote. She seemed to consider Mikey's pathetic puppy-dog look and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Okay, sure. The company would actually be nice."

Taking a short sigh of relief to have skirted that fight, Donnie clapped his hands together, drawing attention back to himself. "Alright then. That's settled."

"Okay, the rest of us: Leo, you and Casey take the Party Wagon, while Raph and I will follow in the Shell Raiser. We'll take slightly different routes to draw a little less suspicion."

Casey and his brothers confirmed their assignment with a sharp nod. Donnie pointed to his bags of gear packed and waiting near the door. "Take these out and load up. Let's do this."

"You know a 'please' wouldn't hurt." Raph complained as he grabbed one of the bags laden with heavy tools. "What the hell is in this thing?"

"Please take this bag of tools I'll need to reassemble the machine, out to the van." Donatello clarified between clenched teeth and a fake smile.

"C'mon guys, let's get going." Leo added in a full leader-like command. Picking up the other bag beside Raph and following him out the door.

As the group prepared to leave, Donatello stopped by the locked closet door to take one last glance at the prisoner. The intruder in his body seemed to be meditating and gave no indication that he'd noticed Donnie peeking in.

Earlier, when they had returned from their shopping excursion he had once again attempted to interrogate him, but quickly gave up after the prisoner had made it clear he wouldn't be answering any questions.

Something about seeing his own body sitting in that makeshift cell was unsettling on its own. But the unease of the silent treatment, had made it even more so. He hadn't been expecting any change within the small room, but confirming the prisoner was still locked up where they could at least keep an eye on him, gave him a small sense of security before heading out.

With his nose practically pressed against the small glass window of the door, he jolted at the feeling of a warm hand on his arm, spinning around to see the concerned face of his best friend before him.

"Be careful out there tonight." April said softly, tilting her head to the side in a gentle smile and taking a slow breath. It was the look she made when she was concerned, but trying not to let it show.

"We will. Wish us luck that maybe things aren't as bad as they looked from outside." He quirked his lips in a hopeful grin.

"Good luck." She leaned up on her toes and gave him a quick hug, taking the advantageous position to whisper into his ear. "And don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Mikey."

"Thanks, April. You two be careful as well." Reluctantly he stepped out of her hold and turned back with a brief goodbye wave before following the guys out the back door.

Just as suspected, the pedestrian traffic on the docks proved to be scarce by late afternoon, with most of the workers having headed out for the weekend. The two vans pulled around back of the warehouse without causing much of a scene. The teams exited the vehicles and spread out to their various positions around the building.

"All clear from the roof, no movement inside." Leo's voice rang out through the com links they all sported. Donatello found himself nodding even though his response could not be seen from where he stood by the back door.

"Same from over here. Time to let us in." Raph's impatient response soon followed.

It was the signal Donnie had been waiting for; once he had confirmation the building was still clear, he initiated his encryption app to unlock the coded panel that had been securing the warehouse's side door.

A whirring of mechanical components could be heard as the panel's programming was quickly overridden, before stopping when the light switched to a bright green indicating the door was unlocked.

Quickly, he stepped through the door and connected his T-phone to the panel inside, which ran the security of the entire building. Another few seconds passed, and the layout for the entire building was blipping in green on the digital map.

"Ok, security is off. You're good to enter." Donnie spoke back through the com links to everyone.

"I could have just broken in through this window. Remind me why we care about being nice to Shredder's warehouse?" Raph asked.

"Because this is, as you said, Shredder's warehouse. It would significantly complicate things if we set off an alarm, alerting him that we're here." Donnie explained, for what he was sure was the third time.

A gruff sigh of resignation followed, but with no further complaints.

Hitting the controls beside the entrance, Donnie opened two of the garage doors along the back docking side, so that Casey, who was waiting at the vehicles, could pull them in. With a satisfying groan of chains and gears, he could hear them opening in the distance and the whirr of the ShellRaiser being put into gear.

The little sunlight peeking in through the high set windows was fading fast as evening approached, leaving most of the large space in a dark shadow. Swiping across the security panel Donnie quickly identified the light controls and switched them on, one at a time.

"Turning on lights." He warned into the comm as the giant fluorescent bulbs began humming to life.

Just as a section towards the back began to illuminate, there was a loud pop and a strange crackling as some broken bulbs failed to perform, most likely from the explosion damage. He quickly shut that section back off, concerned that there could be dangling fixtures or live wires; leaving the center in a strange shadow.

Having finished his prep, Donnie shoved the phone into the back pocket of his pants to free up his hands, and moved cautiously into the large ominous space. They had done their due diligence of inspecting things from the outside, but with the way his luck had been going, he wasn't going to let his guard down.

From the inside, the large brick warehouse seemed fairly ordinary for what one would expect. Large shipping crates were lined in row after row, stacked high enough on the cement floor to prevent seeing around them, and hiding the more nefarious contents from prying eyes. About halfway down on one side, there was a large mezzanine office which had sat above the main floor, but now seemed to be precariously drooping on one side. Some girders that had once helped hold it in place, were bent and twisted from the explosion and dangling down beside it. As if to emphasize the extent of damage, some loose rubble from the crumbling side of the office lazily tumbled as he stood scanning the scene.

It was strange, he had just been here the night before, digging himself out of a pile of rubble. Somehow he had escaped, but he could not recall exactly how he had gotten out of the building. If he had gone out this door would it have still been locked and secured? Before he could wonder any more, Leo called his name from behind a stack of crates.

Making his way around the large wooden towers, in the direction of Leo's voice and towards the toppling office, the scene became more in-line with his hazy memories of rubble.

Unfortunately, things were just as bad as they had appeared from the windows he and Casey had peeked in the night before. Rounding the last stack of crates he was met with the remnants of the explosion. It was clear the Kraang Switching Device had been at the epicenter, and it would need to be determined whether it was something Baxter had done wrong or something else that had caused it to explode.

It was both rewarding and disconcerting to find the machine left from the previous night. On one hand, he was grateful that Shredder's goons hadn't cleared it out, but on the other hand, it was obvious that they hadn't deemed it worth salvaging. Apparently, they weren't overly concerned about stranding one of their Foot soldiers in the wrong body.

The mind-switching Kraang device had been torn to pieces. It was a wonder that both he and the foot soldier had managed to survive the explosion. The once shiny glimmer of the silver alien metal was tarnished with soot and scratches, twisted and warped and mixed in among the remnants of the dangling office wall that had hung above it. The purple alien power cells that usually glowed with energy, lay dull and lifeless. And Donnie couldn't help but start a mental checklist of all the parts he didn't know how to replace.

"What now, Donnie?" Leo asked as they all stood around silently observing the wreckage.

With a shake of his head, to clear stray thoughts, Donatello took a deep breath and relayed his plan. "We need to collect as many of the parts as we can. If it looks like Kraang hardware; pack it up."

He pointed to the largest parts of the machine that remained standing despite the damage around it. "Leo and Raph, start loading these larger pieces into the vans. Casey and I will start collecting any stray pieces into some of these crates."

"Are you sure you're able to help, Donnie?" Raph snarked as he approached one side of the large device and tested its weight. "I wouldn't want you to get your outfit dirty."

Donatello couldn't restrain himself from the glance down at the crisp new jeans and tee he was sporting. They were pretty casual, but next to Casey in his grungy spray-paint spattered clothes and his brothers in only well-worn belts and wraps, he did look a bit over-dressed for the occasion.

Casey, who had just kicked over a decoy wooden crate, unceremoniously emptying its few contents onto the floor, let out a howling laugh at Raphael's crack. "You have no idea dude! April actually took him shopping today!"

"What? Seriously?" Raph exclaimed with a look of disbelief, dropping the leg of the machine back down with a loud thud. "We were cleaning up the damage from your doppleganger back at the lair, while you were out playing 'Make-over'?"

"HA!" Casey sputtered at Raph's comment, pointing at him as he practically keeled over.

"It wasn't like that." Donnie tried his best to argue, but he could feel his cheeks heat up as Casey's laughter continued. "It's not like I could just walk around in bloody, battle-torn ninja gear without drawing suspicion!"

"You're usually a 6ft walking turtle, Don - you ALWAYS draw suspicion! Hence the whole idea of sticking to the shadows." Raph pointed an annoyed finger in his direction, his piercing green eyes rolling for good measure. "You just couldn't pass up a chance to pretend you're a human and prance around the city with April!"

This comment spurred Casey's laughter, and the young man slapped his knee in emphasis. "Oooh, he's got you there, dude!"

"Knock it off you guys!" Leo chastised from the other side of the hunk of machine that Raph was no longer lifting.

"Awww are we not being nice enough to wittle Donnie?" Raph spoke in a mock baby voice.

"No seriously, shut up. I thought I heard something." Leo held up his hand in a signal and Casey's laughter cut out immediately.

"Is that a buzzing sound?" Donnie asked, his voice low enough that only Leo who stood nearby could hear it.

Leo nodded silently and gestured at the mezzanine office above them. Just then, a loose brick was tossed through one of the office's far windows and the buzzing sound intensified as a familiar mutated fly darted out through the opening.

"It's Boxer Stackman!" Leo shouted.

"Take 'em down before he can get to the skylights!" Raph shouted as he and Leo launched over the largest pile of rubble and took off following his escape route.

Reaching up over this shoulder for his bo staff, Donatello was momentarily thrown off when the makeshift harness for his shell-less back left it perched at a slightly different angle. Scrambling to reach around and grab it, wasted precious seconds of response time, but he watched as Casey's sharp reflexes took over, dropping the piece of metal he was holding, while whipping the hockey stick from his bag, and swinging at the nearest object beside him on the floor. The scrap hunk of metal flew in a perfect trajectory, knocking into Baxter's wings and causing him to drop in altitude.

After he finally obtained his weapon, he broke into a sprint to follow his brothers towards the giant fly, zigging and zagging as they raced between stacks of shipping crates. Peeling around a corner, he spotted Leo and Raph running side-by-side, their arms out behind them as they sped up.

Casey's shot knocked Baxter low enough, that he had to retain his new altitude to avoid hitting the rafters that ran several feet below the ceiling. This was fortunate, as he was staying low enough for them to keep a close eye on him, even has he zipped around stacks of crates.

Donatello struggled to keep up, his borrowed sneakers squeaking and unfamiliar clothes twisting and pulling at his body as he ran. From the sound of it, Casey was closing in behind him, his bag of gear clanking around loudly as he moved.

Up ahead, Leo called to Raph, gesturing to the laced fingers he offered as a platform. Using the momentum of his run, Raph stepped into Leo's foothold and was launched high enough by his brother to grasp the edge of a stacked crate and pull himself up. With a leap from his new height, Raph crashed into Baxter's frenetic flight path, tackling the bug and pulling him down to the ground in a rough tumble.

Leonardo was beside them as they skidded to a landing, offering a hand to help hold the criminal in place as Donnie caught up to them. Donnie's chest was burning from the intensity of the short run, and he felt out of breath, but tried his best to hide. He casually holstered his bo staff, wondering why he had even gotten it out, realizing he had provided little value in the scuffle.

"Raph! That was awesome! You totally knocked him right out of the air!" Casey cheered, running up behind them while pumping his hockey stick above him for added effect.

"Sure did. Now hurry up and give me something to hold him." Raph snipped as though he were annoyed, but at the same time wore a proud smirk.

"Oh yeah, sure." Casey swung his bag around him to the floor and quickly produced several zip ties, passing them over.

Baxter was squirming and fighting to free himself from Raph and Leo's hold when he locked his large round spheres of eyes with Donatello and froze.

"You!" His voice buzzed in surprise. "If you'rrrre with them, that meanzzz it worrrrrked! The swiiitchzzzz worked!"

Leo used the fly's distraction to finish securing his arms behind his back and Raph none-to-gently shoved him face down onto the cement floor.

Seeming unfazed by the rough treatment the scientist cackled maniacally to himself as he spoke. "Shzzzredder should have nevvver underestimated meee!"

"Moron." Raph glared disappointedly as he continued to hold him down with little effort.

But Donatello was stopped in his tracks by the villain's comment. Willing the adrenaline which was still furiously pumping through his system to fine-tune his focus. Baxter thought the switch had failed? He would have never known it was successful had he not seen Donnie in the spy's body. No wonder the Foot were in no hurry to switch them back and retrieve their soldier—Baxter thought the switch had failed.

"Why did you do this?!" Donatello shouted before he could stop himself. A full day of being unable to pry any answers from his body-snatcher had left him more frustrated than he had realized. "What could you possibly gain from swapping our bodies!"

"It wazz the perrrrfect plan– if not for the exxxxxplosion." Baxter snickered to himself, his body awkwardly shaking against the ground. Raph had a knee dug into his back, simultaneously holding him down flat while also keeping his wings pinned to prevent them from buzzing around.

"Pay attention, dweeb!" Casey flicked the side of Baxter's face with the blade of his hockey stick, cutting off his bout of laughter.

"What plan?" Donnie growled out in frustration.

"I needed your brain azzz my assssssistant to create a retroooo-mutagen." Baxter stuttered a bit as he divulged his master plan.

"But why swap him? It would have been easier to just kidnap him?" Leo leaned over his prone form to ask.

This question made the mutant cackle with hubris, before he answered with pride in his voice. "That'zz the genius of it all. Nobody would have evvver come looking for you, had they not known youuu were gone." The fact that his face was pressed against the dirty cement floor did not affect his air of superiority.

"You'd have a prisoner that nobody was coming to rescue…" Donatello stated, putting together the pieces of the maniac's story.

"And an imposter in our ranks–all in one move." Raph offered, batting away a loose wing that had smacked him in the face.

"The perrrrfect plaaan!" Baxter continued to giggle with glee from his spot on the ground. "I get what I want, and Shredder getzz to infiltrate his enemy with the perrrrfect spy!"

As Baxter raved on about his plan, Donatello was struck with a frightening realization; had the machine not exploded, he would most certainly be Shredder's captive by now; forced to work as one of the madman's scientists. Meanwhile his brothers would have done exactly what they did the previous night when they had rescued what they assumed was their brother. Without a reason to cause suspicion, they would have never realized he was a spy - at least not until it was too late.

"I'll admit, it was a fairly clever plan, except you let me get away." Donnie's comment made Baxter's laughter die immediately. "Too bad you're an idiot and blew up the machine. What did you do? Mess with the power cells? Did you think you could just plug ancient Kraang tech into a 220 volt outlet and switch it on?"

The hack of a scientist had tried to hide his reaction, but it was clear that Donnie's guess must have been pretty close.

"Ha! He IS an idiot!" Casey roared as he pointed a gloved hand at the captive.

"Howwwww dare you!" Baxter was obviously trying to sound dignified, but his words held little weight as Raph continued to sit on his back, holding him prisoner. "Once the master findz out the switch worked, he'll—"

Donatello stepped in to cut off Baxter's gloating with a point of his own. "He'll be pissed you ruined a perfectly fine working machine." He paused to point back towards the pile of rubble behind them. "You blew up his warehouse and his soldier, letting your captive get away, and failed to deliver what you promised."

It was hard to read subtle expressions on the face of the half-man, half-fly, but Baxter was clearly caught off-guard by the point Donnie had just made. His cocky smile had faded and he looked more nervous than anything else.

"Ooooooh, Shredder's going to be so mad." Casey snickered. "He's gonna be shopping for a giant fly swatter!"

They were standing in a semi-circle around the captive and Raph took the opportunity to pull the scientist up to a sitting position—holding firmly onto his zip-tied wrists to prevent him flying off. This gave Donnie and Leo a better view to stand before him.

Leo stepped forward, his arms crossed in front of his plastron and a severe look on his face. "Sounds like you got yourself into a bit of a pickle."

Donatello stepped up beside Leo to add onto his point, he tried to mimic his brother's stance, but felt as though he wasn't quite pulling it off. "I highly doubt that Shredder would be pleased to hear that your incompetence prevented this plan from reaching fruition."

"Now that I knoooow you are trapped in thizzz body, Shredder will come after you, he'll never let you ressst." Baxter tried to play the only hand he had.

"That's true…." Donatello tapped his chin as he pretended to consider the consequences. "Of course, if he had me, why would he need to keep you around?"

"Shredder needzz me, I'm a genius! He'z relied on meee this entire time. I...I'm the onllly one that can figure ouuuut how to manipulate the mutagen!" Baxter's voice cracked as he desperately reached for more points.

"And yet you openly admitted you couldn't figure out how to reverse the mutation process." Donnie crossed his arms in front of his chest and held his head high. "Face it Stinkman, I'm smarter than you, and if Shredder gets ahold of me, he'll have no reason to keep around a screw-up like you."

"You got a point there, Donnie." Raph smirked from behind Baxter. For added effect, he gave a tight squeeze on his hold, causing the mutant fly to squirm in his grip. "You're ten times the scientist this guy could ever be. Shredder would probably feed Rahzar with Boxter here, for his incompetence."

Casey chuckled from behind his mask as they all watched the terror of realization cross Baxter's strange features. "You're a dead man flying."

Unable to hide his terror, Donatello could see that Baxter was in agreement with their points. He felt that they had sufficiently scared him enough to not immediately give him up to Shredder. Although, Stockman was an idiot and it was only a matter of time that he let something slip to save his own hide. Could they really just let him go? Suddenly an idea struck him and Donnie leaned in to whisper his plan with Leo.

His elder brother gave a nod of agreement, and waved his arm forward, suggesting that Donnie share it with the group. Baxter lifted his head in curiousity, interested in whatever he was about to divulge.

"Look, Stockboy, whether we like it or not, we're now on the same side: the side that doesn't want to get killed by Shredder. If you want to live, then we make a deal." Donnie tried his best to sound commanding as he presented the scientist with his only option.

"A deeeeal? What kind offf dealll?" Baxter turned back to look at Raphael behind him, but his brother shrugged and tipped his head towards Donnie and Leo as if to suggest Baxter pay attention to them.

Leo spoke up next, his position as leader of the group made clear by his authority. "If you agree to keep Shredder convinced that the switch never worked, and declare this machine unsalvageable so that we can take it unnoticed. Then we'll let you go."

"But, buttttt–" Baxter started nervously stuttering in protest. "Shredder will killlll me if I tell him the machiiiine was ruined! You said so yourselffffff!"

"Sucks to be you bug-brain." Casey snorted from the sidelines, catching a glare from Leo in the process.

"You havvvve to givvvve me somethingggg." Baxter was practically begging at this point as an idea seemed to cross his giant fly brain. "Retromutagen! Givvvve me retromutagen so I can be human again. Ifff you promise me that, I'll keep Shredderrrr off your tail."

Leo turned to Donnie with a raised brow. Technically the retromutagen could be used as a weapon against them, but Donnie doubted the fake scientist even realized that. He believed the poor twisted creature, when he said he wanted to be human again. Afterall, Donnie was currently living out a rather personal experience with being trapped in a body different from his own. It was a risk, but if the promise of retromutagen kept Baxter holding his tongue long enough to get the machine working, then so be it.

"I have a batch started, but it'll take some time to complete. If he can keep our secret long enough for it to be finished, then he can have it." Donnie concluded aloud.

"I don't know, Donnie." Leonardo replied, both ignoring the hope that flashed across Baxter's giant spherical eyes. "That seems awfully nice. I'm not sure we can let 'em go."

"Pleazzzze!" Baxter begged. "I'll do anything to be human again! If you make me retromutagen, I'll reconfirm with Shredder that the device didn't work - he knows that's why I was here, to figure out what went wrong, find his missing agent."

"You'll tell him that his foot soldier died in the explosion." Leo commanded. The sudden authoritative shift in his voice gaining Baxter's attention as he intended. "And you'll keep him away from this warehouse until we can gather up the remainder of the machine and get it out of here."

"Yezzzz, yezzzz, I can do that." Baxter nodded desperately. "He'll nevvvver know you were herrrrre."

"Damn right he won't." Leo glared.

"Now tell me what went wrong with the machine." Donatello barked, trying not to let his fear of this answer show through is tough exterior. "Why did it explode?"

"Iiiii don't knooow!" Baxter cried. "There was some kind of surrrrge… maybe it was the way I charrrged the power cells…?"

"Sounds like you overloaded it." Donatello commented, perplexed that the "scientist" wouldn't have foreseen the issue, yet not surprised at the same time.

"It shooooould have worked. Perhaps the Kraang brooooke it?"

Baxter's attempt to place the blame on an alien race that had been driven from the planet months earlier was about the most pathetic thing Donatello had heard all night and it left him shaking his head. "Just let him go Raph, before we change our mind."

Raphael glared down at the captive before releasing his grip. Flipping out his switch blade he broke off the zip tie and stepped back. The fly's wings buzzed to life as soon as they were freed, and Baxter was up above them a second later.

"Don't make us regret this Baxter!" Raph threatened as they watched his retreating form zoom out one of the skylights above them.

"You really think we can trust that idiot to keep his word?" Casey asked, tipping his mask back up onto his head as he looked up.

"He'll keep it." Donatello responded in a tone that left no room for argument. "For his own sake."

End Chapter 6 - A Fly in the Ointment

A/N: So many apologies for the long wait on updates! My muse was refusing to cooperate! Luckily, Suthnmeh/Poleepkwana keeps me honest, and we finally got back to this.

Baxter's master plan was revealed… what do you guys think? Is it what you thought? What the hell is Donnie going to do? He's definitely got his work cut out. Reviews make us happier than you could ever possibly know! Thanks for reading!