Chapter 2: Friend
SEVENTEEN YEARS LATER:
T-1 got up from his small bed and carefully stretched himself out. T-1 was what they called him, since he was in need of a name and designation numbers. He had grown much larger in size during the seventeen years of captivity: standing about six foot eight inches, with much longer arms and legs. Three toes and fingers acted as appendages, while freakishly cyan eyes marked his face. The doctors hadn't determined an exact gender identification, since he was missing a few parts, and tended to act a little more femininely than masculinely. They had been testing for years: speed, stamina, intelligence, diet, evolution, and much more. He got up and walked over to the small sink provided to him by the doctors, washing his face and giving his teeth a good brushing. Four sharpened canines lined his mouth, with a small tail adorning his rear. His shell had grown hard and sturdy, arming him with much strength. Yet, whenever the doctors came closer, he would always flinch for some unknown reason. This would then cause them to back off a little, as if they were afraid of him, and lead to another silent misunderstanding between them. When he was given books to read, he would choose combat for an unknown reason, his interest peaked by the study of swordsmanship and ninjutsu. However, when he finished preparing himself for the doctors, something felt off. They were either late, or he was early in getting up. At last, a doctor walked into the room, a clipboard in hand and a remote in the other. The turtle knew what the remote was for: the treadmill, it's favorite exercise. T-1 watched as the doctor routinely pressed the remote, two planks in the floor sliding apart to lift his treadmill into the room. Normally, he could run at a top speed of 8.6 for nine hours straight, without tiring. Though, the doctors usually gave him something to eat and drink before the testing. Hopping onto the treadmill, the doctor started the track. Beginning with a simple walk, then run, then acceleration into full-scale dash. This went on for two hours before the doctor shut off the treadmill and gestured for him to get off. 'Two hours? Something is off.' T-1 thought. The doctor left the room and a loudspeaker came on. "Subject T-1, we know you are confused right now. But, today, we are going to introduce you to Subject G-1. We ask that you do not show signs of aggression, as it will not be tolerated." a familiar voice spoke to him. Doctor Stockman, T-1's apparent parental unit. T-1 walked over to the mirrored wall and stood by it, as expected of him. The mirror slid away to reveal a window with two large, yellow eyes staring back at him, pulsing with energy. He looked deeper into the glass, trying to wipe the fog away with the palm of his hand, only to watch the wall slide away to reveal a mass of scaly skin. T-1 was frozen to the spot, staring wide eyed at the creature before it. The two eyes lifted from the floor, to a total height of ten feet. Two long arms, muscular and armed with metallic spikes lined the upper body, along with two large, webbed feet of similar design. It bent down and crawled closer, allowing the turtle to see its massive body at full length. Seeming about twenty feet long, with mostly metal armor and many sharp teeth and claws to adorn its long body, it resembled a crocodile. The turtle took a few steps back, falling onto its shell as the gator crawled much closer. The croc's head tilted to the side slightly, its massive yellow eye glaring into T-1's own cyan. "T-1, this is Subject G-1." Baxter confirmed through the loudspeaker. 'How did they make something like you?' T-1 thought as he carefully ran his hand along the length of G-1's head, feeling the numerous textures of the croc's body. "Hello, T-1. I am G-1. But you may call me G." a deep voice offered. T-1 looked up, smiling slightly. "Call me what you'd like. I don't generally care." T-1 replied. "I will call you T, then. It is good to meet you, T." G answered. "It's nice to meet you, too, G." T replied. Over the next three months, the two became good friends, interacting in training, testing, and mealtimes. T was grateful to have someone to speak to, and G was happy to have someone who wasn't fearful of him.