The stainless steel electronic doors opened with a soft mechanical hiss, and the three men who'd been waiting patiently out in the darkened corridor now calmly entered the pristinely white lab that unfolded before them. There was no doubt the men's senses were being assaulted by not only the stark contrast in lighting from the shadowed hall they'd just traversed, but also the sharp chemical smells that seemed to permeate every square inch of the labs glimmering white surfaces.
But if they were bothered, these men showed no sign of it; they're dark eyes and sharp features seemed focused on one thing and one thing only – another shiny steel door located at the back of the lab.
Like gliding shadows, the men passed through the room without a sound; the only noise being that of dozens of machines and various lab equipment whirring and humming as they calculated and processed thousands of bits of information each second. Then there were the shelves of books, computers, and chemical components, each tucked away in cubbies and corners or carefully stored in their own jars, vials, and beakers awaiting use by the scientists who called this pristine laboratory home.
Finally, near the back of the lab, they passed several rows of glass aquariums; each its own little ecosystem meant to supply its small occupants with the closest copy of their natural environment as humanly possible. Snakes, young komodo dragons, scorpions, spiders, and several brightly colored frogs lounged on thick branches and small rocks, while jellyfish and puffer fish floated calmly along in the saltwater environments they called home.
And just like everything else in the seemingly sterilized lab…the men in dark suits ignored these creatures as if they didn't even exist.
It wasn't until they stopped before the steel doorway at the back of the laboratory that the man in the middle spoke, his voice echoing strangely in the pristine emptiness of the lab. He spoke in Japanese, his voice as sharp and commanding as his dark, almond-shaped eyes. At the sound of his voice the man to his right stepped forward, producing a small silver keycard out of pocket of his black suit. With a quick swipe he flashed it in front of the electronic card reader just to the right of the door, and all three men waited motionless as the reader beeped softly three times, then chimed happily as this door also opened with a soft mechanical hiss.
Before them was a small office; just as pristinely white and sterilized as the rest of the lab. It was sparsely decorated, with a single counter to the right, a few shelving units along the walls, and a small but sturdy-looking desk slightly offset in the center of the room. And behind this desk was a man, reclining rather contentedly in a comfortable and expensive looking white leather chair. He wore a long white lab coat over what appeared to be very expensive dress clothes, and his hands were folded thoughtfully in front of his face; all the while his cool and measured gaze was fixed solidly on the computer screen in front of him. He paid no attention at all to the men who'd entered his office; choosing instead to act as if he were oblivious to their existence…or, rather…they weren't worth his time to acknowledge.
It was at this desk the dark-suited men stopped; with the man in the middle stepping forward slightly to set himself apart from the other two accompanying him. Yet all of them held a similar expression on their face; one of distrust and pointed irritation. When the man in the middle finally spoke, his words were sharp and dripping with contempt.
"The Master is tired of waiting. He requires the results you promised without further delay."
For several long moments the man behind the desk made no move to answer; acting every bit as if he had no intention of acknowledging their presence at all. This seemed to quickly infuriate the men standing before him, and as their eyes narrowed dangerously, the man in the middle slowly and pointedly slid his hand into the inner lining of his suit jacket and pulled out a small, but extremely ornamental silver dagger. In one swift motion, he slammed the tip of the dagger into the desk, burying its viciously sharp silver tip deep into the pristine white surface. It was only then that the man seated at the desk finally looked up from his computer screen; his seething eyes flicking somewhat nervously between the dagger and the men standing before him.
"My apologies, gentlemen…I meant no disrespect." The man seated behind the desk attempted a contrite smile, but it came off more like a painful sneer than any form of an admission of guilt. "I was simply looking over the final results of the testing your Master requested." He paused, licking his lips nervously as his eyes flicked back momentarily toward the dagger still buried in the desk. "Shredder has been very patient…and I assure you, his patience will be well rewarded."
At this all three men flinched as one, and the man at the forefront snatched the dagger from the desk and leveled it threateningly at the man seated in front of him.
"You will not speak the Master's name, pawn! We will not allow such disrespect…especially from one such as yourself!"
The tension in the air was so thick it was almost palpable, and with a nervous flinch the seated man raised a placating hand, then carefully adjusted the dark rimmed glasses that had slid slightly down the bridge of his nose.
"Again…my apologies, Mr. Todaka." He paused, slowly reaching for the small, white tablet that rested between the two of them on the desk. "Perhaps I should just show you what our research has produced…then you can let the Master judge whether my work has been worth his patience."
His inflection on the words "the Master" made the man holding the dagger grip it more tightly; his dark eyes narrowing venomously as he watched the white coated man gather his tablet and stand, rather slowly, from behind the desk. For a moment he simply stared at him, then he slowly and pointedly slid the silver dagger back into the sheath that remained hidden inside the edge of his suit jacket.
"Mind your tongue, Dr. Stockman. The Master may be patient…but I am not. I will not suffer your petty insolence again."
To this, the man known as Dr. Stockman simply nodded, then stiffly began tapping the screen of his tablet as he stepped nervously around his desk and out of the office toward the lab. Once back in the lab, Stockman seemed to relax a bit; the haughty note returning to his voice as he motioned for the men to accompany him toward an area of lab equipment and a small storage unit in the far left corner of the lab.
"As you can see, Mr. Todaka, we finally have a fully synthesized version of the serum ready for testing." He paused, proffering a hand toward the temperature controlled containment cabinet on the counter in front of them. "It's taken valuable time…and much effort…but I believe the fruits of our labor will be well worth it." He paused, his eyes glinting malevolently as he now gestured toward the three small, seemingly harmless blue vials in the central shelf of the containment chamber before them. "We are now to the point of testing an infusion of the TD04 compound directly into the host's blood stream…and as long as there are no adverse effects to the host itself, this will turn said host into a proverbial "Trojan Horse"…perfect for the delivery system of the TD04 compound."
Mr. Todaka regarded Stockman with a hardened glare, his dark eyes moving pointedly from the small blue vials, to Stockman's eager and obviously proud gaze.
"And this TD04? It has the desired affects you claimed you could produce?"
Stockman cleared his throat, a look of superiority growing on his face as he tapped the screen of his tablet and then spun it so the men before him could see.
"Oh, most assuredly! As you can see, the TD04 mutates the natural dermal oils that are produced by the body of the host, giving said host the same natural defensive properties of the Anura Dendrobatidae…commonly known as the Poison Dart Frog." Stockman paused, a slight smirk playing at the corner of his lips as he noticed a stiff nod of approval from the man before him. "We've even been able to assimilate other unique and naturally produced toxins of other species, such as the puffer fish, Komodo dragon, and even spider venom…." He paused, motioning briefly toward the rows of glass aquariums and their occupants on the opposite side of the lab. "…to allow for not only a higher level of toxicity from exposure to TD04, but also to incorporate other useful side effects…such as paralysis, and the sedative-like properties produced by some natural poisons."
This brought a pointed pause from Mr. Todaka, as he exchanged glances with the two men who had accompanied him.
"Unfortunately, the effects aren't permanent as of yet…but can assure you we're working tirelessly toward that final result." Stockman smiled vilely as he tapped the screen of his tablet with his stylus. "As I stated…all of the time and money your Master has invested in my work is coming to fruition. In just a few short weeks, I'm certain we'll have the final compound ready for him to do with as he pleases…" he paused, his wicked smile widening as he suddenly fished a hand into the pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a small, black thumb drive. "…until then, please accept this information as proof to your Master that all is going according to plan."
The man to the left of Mr. Todaka suddenly spoke, his voice deep and cutting as he spoke to his colleagues in Japanese. The man to the right nodded in agreement, but Mr. Todaka remained silent. He calmly reached for the thumb drive, taking it from Dr. Stockman with a measured glare. He then turned it over in his hand, his dark eyes carefully looking over the seemingly simple device before handing it off to the man on his left. As he did, he responded to the man who'd spoken, also in Japanese; his words noticeably holding a cold, threatening undertone that Stockman quickly recognized, despite his inability to understand him.
Once Mr. Todaka finished speaking he turned his dark eyes back to Dr. Stockman, then bowed his head ever so slightly without breaking eye contact.
"I will pass along the information which you have provided…but know this, Doctor Stockman…." He paused, stepping dangerously close to Stockman with a hateful gleam in his eye. "…You are only as useful as the results you produce. Disappoint the Master again, and he will see to it that you are treated just as you would treat one of your test subjects…." He paused yet again, giving his words time to sink in as Stockman nervously shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "…for despite the high regard in which you hold yourself, the truth of your existence is simple: you are just as expendable as they are."
At this, Dr. Stockman nodded curtly, doing his best to hide the nervous tension that was quickly building in the pit of his stomach. Then, without another word, Mr. Todaka turned, leading the men at his sides just as calmly and quietly from the lab as they had entered.
It was several moments after the doors had closed with a soft, mechanical hiss before Dr. Baxter Stockman released a long, nervous sigh from behind his tight, thin lips. His eyes then narrowed dangerously, and he slowly turned back toward the 3 small, innocent looking blue vials resting quaintly on the shelf of the containment cabinet on the counter beside him.
The lenses of his glasses glimmered with a strange, otherworldly blue hue as he leaned over to make himself eye level with the little blue vials. Then, through clenched teeth, he whispered to no one in particular.
"Don't worry, Master Shredder…." The inflection of sarcasm was heavy in his voice as he whispered to the little blue vials in front of him. "…soon the truth of your existence will be revealed…and then we'll see who the expendable one truly is."