Prison Bars

Summary: With one about to go to court two people sit down for a little chat. April/Bishop

Disclaimer: I do not now, nor ever will (in this lifetime) have enough money to buy the TMNT off Laird.

A.N: Not sure where this one came from … but here you are. Bit of a drabble really. Kudos to Pi90katana aka Pi for the beta and advice on Stockman/Bishop – read her works! They rock.

"Two men looked through prison bars, one saw mud the other stars" Unknown

Bishop walked the length of the visiting booth with arms tucked neatly behind his back and his head lowered. Despite his measured pace a means to an end, his glasses remained perched upon his beak nose, even when his head jerked upwards at irregular intervals to see if his guest had arrived, they stayed in place. Calm as always on the outside, the agent's thoughts were ablaze. The how, where, when. They all needed answers and yes … a small, serpentine smile spread on his lips, there she was.

The one who knew it all.

Ravishing as always.

The guard escorted April to the table, it was visible on her face. The worry and concern that sprouted from being at this place. Dragging the metal chair back with one hand she slid her lithe form onto the seat before picking up the telephone. Already sitting opposite her was Bishop, the black receiver in his hands and his ferret like eyes set upon her nervous face. Separated by little more than a thick pane of glass the two met, stoic mask with nerve wracked expression.

April opened proceedings, "Yes?"

"I want to know how you did it."

The red head licked her lips, the Earth Protection Federation was shrouded in so much mystery that even she wasn't quite certain how she had managed so much. And in such a short period of time. "Doctor Stockman." She finally muttered after a long awkward pause, her eyes lowered to stare at the corner of the window and the grime found there. She couldn't have done any of this without him. Raising her eyes she caught the tiny crack in John's otherwise perfect armor. "You really should have just left him in peace."

Silence.

From what April understood this wasn't the first time Stockman had bit the hand that fed him. "Is it really that much of a surprise?"

"Stockman?" Bishop's thin tongue split between his lips and them. No, it wasn't that great a shock. After all the former male was scarcely human any longer. "One man?" There had to be more to it than that.

"By the end he despised you almost as much as he hated me." April replied dryly, there was a confidence growing within her now. A sense, despite what she had done, of right. Tilting her head upwards she met his gaze once again and waited for him to say something. "You kept him alive for months longer than necessary."

"There must be more than that." Bishop repeated coldly. When April shook her head he scowled at her in disgust.

"I suppose he understands the value of arrogance. And the blind spots it presents." April shrugged her shoulders non-commitally.

"I gave that man everything." Bishop snarled.

"Not everything." A simple computer virus had shut down his electronic shell. Without the life support the scientist had ceased to be shortly afterwards.

"Time!"

They both turned to check their respective clocks, the guard was right, it was indeed time. "Don't worry, any more invasions that occur will be dealt with." She felt it only fair that he be reassured of that. A guard was approaching their booth. "You were never necessary" April whispered quickly into the phone.

"I'll see you in court Miss O'Neil."

Pushing her chair back, April stood sliding her hand bag onto her shoulder before putting the chair back in place. A simple shake of her head told John Bishop all he needed to know. No, he wouldn't. Without his black suits and teams of lackeys he was nothing more than a mortal man living on borrowed time.

He was human.

Outside Casey was waiting for her by the sign in desk. Pushing the swinging doors open she walked away from the former agent dressed in orange instead of black. A former agent facing charges of grand larceny, theft, fraud, torture, and homicide.

Or as human as he would ever be.

For all of his flaws, in the end the notion of outsmarting his superior had won Baxter over. True, he had needed a little push but for all of his grandiose statements the scientist had been right in the end. Stopping Bishop would never involve a grand fight on the scale of their war with Shredder. Nor would it be as simple as alerting the authorities. Defeating Bishop needed to occur through human means.

Defeated by the people he was supposedly protecting – it was irony at its best.

The EPF had been broken up, funding diverted and re-routed just as the president had originally wanted. The invasion revealed for the lie it was and now John Bishop was nothing more than a lame dog with a loud bark.

And that was nothing to fear.

Not anymore.

Complete

And remember, this is my first attempt at Bishop ... I need advice if I'm gonna keep him up. ;-P