Professor Titanium went through the rest of his day examining his fellow scientists from afar for any mental defects. Except for Steiner, who he knew was in some form of insanity, the Professor was actually surprised at the outcome.

After taking a full patrol around Lockhart's laboratory, Professor Titanium retired to his quarters, where he spent the night dreaming of the horrors Steiner would turn his boys into. Now that he had uncovered the truth behind the Doctor, the Professor decided to create his own form of sabotage.

When he awoke the next morning with an upset stomach and clammy hands, Professor Titanium tried his best to fight the terror that gripped him and focused on the task ahead.

When he arrived in the laboratory, he noticed Dr. Hirohito examining the three tanks. Professor Titanium quickened his pace as he neared the Oriental man.

"Good to see you again, Doctor." Professor Titanium said as he approached.

"Ah, Professor, good to see you as well." Hirohito responded with a kind smile and offered his hand.

As they shook hands, Professor Titanium inquired, "What are you doing exactly?"

Hirohito shrugged, "Just checking the pressure gauges for the tanks. Are you attending the surgery tonight?"

"I guess so."

"You seem rather, nervous." Hirohito pondered as he gazed at Professor Titanium's face.

"Nervous? No not all. Just unsure on how Doctor Steiner will manage to improve Subject #002's emotional traits. It seems, I don't know, impossible."

"Impossible, you say? These respected teams of scientists have created three super-powered boys; you the pinnacle of importance in this; and you think a simple lobotomy is impossible?" Hirohito replied with a confused expression.

"I-I don't know, I just need fresh air or something. I haven't been myself over the last month. I'm starting to doubt my own work." Professor Titanium explained.

"Soon, friend. Soon we will be free to enjoy the fresh air once more." Hirohito said with a sad smile. Professor Titanium cringed at the thought of how Lockhart had demanded that all personal were to be locked inside his base at all times. The guards made sure to keep it that way.

"Am I the only one feels some kind of sinister vibe out of this whole project?" Titanium asked warily.

Hirohito fixed Titanium with a steady, scrutinizing look, "Are you sure you're feeling alright, Professor? You might want to visit the infirmary."

Titanium waved it off, "I'm fine. I just, need to, I don't know, get out of here." He said with a shudder.

Hirohito glanced up at the ceiling, "This facility is rather big. Extreme claustrophobia perhaps?" He suggested.

Titanium sighed, "You know what? I'm feeling fine now, Doctor. Thank you for your concern." He stated before leaving. With that, the Professor wandered aimlessly around the laboratory for what seemed like hours before he almost ran head-first into Dr. Lockhart.

"Ah, good to see you Professor Titanium. Faring well I hope?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Uh, yes, Doctor, indeed." Titanium managed to say.

"Something wrong?" Lockhart questioned breezily.

"Uh, well, no. I'm just stressed out is all." Titanium replied.

Lockhart chuckled, "Don't worry, Professor. This'll all be over soon."

Titanium kept quiet on Lockhart's goal for world domination, "Once the subjects have been fully trained?"

"Precisely. Which brings me to my next topic: Are you still attending tonight?" Lockhart requested.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Titanium said through grit teeth.

"Wonderful. I will see you at 7 PM sharp in Operating Room 1A." Lockhart finished before walking away.

"Damn this better go the way I planned." Titanium thought as he walked over to the holding tanks. He stared at the boy being held in the middle tube. He watched as the boy's orange hair swirled lazily in the green liquid.

"Soon, boys, soon. I'll save you from this nightmare." Titanium thought as he stepped back to inspect the other two boys alongside the middle one.

A suspicious guard suddenly approached, "Sir, may I ask what you're doing?"

"Just examining the subjects." Titanium responded dismissively.

"ID?" The guard asked. With a quick flick of the arm, Titanium showed the guard his ID.

The guard nodded in approval, "Thank you, Professor."

As he turned to leave, Titanium called after him, "Excuse me, a moment of your time, please?"

The guard glanced at him curiously before turning back, "What?"

"Since you are here, can I request clearance for the Gauge Chamber?" Titanium responded coolly.

The guard walked back over, "I'm sorry, Professor. May I see your ID again? Just want to check your level of clearance."

With another confident flick, Titanium exposed his ID, "Here you go."

The guard noticed Titanium's level 4 clearance, "Alright, Professor. This way please." He said, leading Titanium away from the tanks and to the analytical hall. He led him to a secure door secured by two more guards who waved them in casually. Sliding into a narrow room, Titanium found himself among various gauges and meters expressing the various components of the tanks beyond the room.

"Here we are, Professor." The guard said, gesturing around the room.

"Thank you." Titanium called as the guard left. The professor sidled up next to the other lone scientist in the room. Titanium glanced to see the scientist recording numbers from the gauges.

Pretending to check the gauges, Titanium moved over to the gauges of Subject #001's tank. He moved his finger slowly along the various meters until he found the perfect one; it was labeled "Heat Control."

"Bingo." Titanium muttered as he started scanning a nearby table of tools until he found a large, red wrench.

He slowly locked his fingers around the heavy wrench and hefted it with both hands. As he was examining the tool, he saw the other scientist glancing at him suspiciously.

As Titanium turned back to the gauge, he heard the scientist ask from behind, "Uh, pardon me, but what exactly are you doing here?"

Titanium pretended to be adjusting a valve, "Oh you know, just adjusting the pipes."

The scientist walked into Titanium's view, "Can I see your ID?"

Titanium stopped using the wrench and flashed his ID card, "Happy?" He asked annoyed.

"Wait a minute," The scientist replied, snatching the ID card from Titanium's hand, "This says you're a chemist."

"And?" Titanium asked.

"This area is for biologists only." The scientist replied.

"This can be accessed by us too. Besides, I have a level 4 clearance." Titanium responded irritated. He was getting tired of the people in this lab.

"Hmm, perhaps we can take this matter down to Dr. Lockhart, Mr., uh" He paused to check the ID card, "Titanium." He finished.

Titanium sighed, "How about I do this instead?" He said as he swung the wrench without even thinking; right into the Heat Control gauge. The effect was instantaneous, the other gauges immediately began to rise and drop respectively as the now-broken meter shattered under the blow.

"What are you doing!? You could kill the subject!" The scientist howled as some pipes began to bend under pressure, causing steam and water to begin gushing everywhere.

"I'm not killing him, I'm helping him." Titanium clarified as he swung the wrench at the scientist's face, cracking against his bony jaw. The scientist crumpled to the ground, his mouth apparently crippled from the blow, blood pooling on the floor and several cracked teeth scattered within.

"Wow that felt, I don't know, exhilarating." Titanium thought out-loud as he watched the scientist twitch unconsciously on the floor. Turning back to the gauges, he watched as the overall temperature gauge began to drop steadily, confirming his thoughts about Subject #001.

"I gotta get out of here before the guards find me." Titanium thought as he began making his way towards the door. Just then, Professor Titanium could hear someone struggling to get in.

"God damn it, I can't get in!" Titanium heard someone say from outside.

"Stupid handle never works." Another grumbled as the handle was violently beat from the other side.

The Professor had to think quickly; so, he quickly used the wrench to dislodge a nearby pipe from the room's large network. Unfortunately, a burst of water exploded from the now-open pipe.

"Crap." Titanium cursed as he tried to stop the water. A few moments later, the two guards from earlier burst into the room before being knocked back by the torrent of water. As they desperately tried to fight it, Titanium glanced at the rusted, bloody wrench in his hand before lunging at the two guards, swiftly taking them out with the wrench. Ducking under the water, Titanium leaped out of the room before slamming the door behind him. Looking down, Titanium noticed blood splattered over his lab coat. Thinking quickly, Titanium pulled off the lab coat before tossing it into a maintenance closet, along with the wrench. Hurrying away from the crime scene, Professor Titanium hid himself in his quarters. A few minutes later, he heard the emergency siren sound; so he fearfully followed the other scientists to the main laboratory. Once he got there, he found ever member of the project assembled in the room. He gulped fearfully as he watched an angry Dr. Lockhart stomp into view, accompanied by two guards.

He seemed to swallow a lump in his throat before he spoke, "I have assembled you here to tell you about some grave news that has been brought to my attention. You see, we have a traitor, a rebel, and a downright villain among us. This fool has sabotaged our project so that we cannot succeed." He shouted angrily, "My guards and I are treating the situation at the moment; however, we will need to place the facility under lockdown until we have found our man." He clarified.

There was a concerned murmur from the crowd until Lockhart gestured for silence, "Now, none of you should need to worry. The people involved in the incident are being treated in the infirmary as we speak, and all three of them are alive," Titanium cursed under his breath, "However, our medics have informed us that all of them are in comas due to extreme bludgeoning. God bless their souls. Also, some of you may have already heard that Subject #001's tank was the main target damaged during this event. These rumors are true." He stated simply, causing a collective gasp from the crowd, "I'm not going to lie to any of you, our analysts have regrettably informed me that Subject #001 might not make it." An angry uproar resonated from the crowd, "Despite all of this, I opt for us to continue tonight's surgery. The guards will pass out special ID cards for those allowed to attend the operation. We will notify you once the lockdown has passed." Following this, a mixed rumble arose from the crowd. Lockhart waved his hand as a sign of dismissal and the crowd dissipated. Titanium turned away quickly so that he wouldn't be noticed, but he suddenly felt a heavy hand push down on his shoulder.

"A word, Professor?" He heard Lockhart ask from behind.

"Of course, Doctor." Titanium answered as calmly as possible, turning to face Lockhart.

He gazed into Lockhart's dark blue eyes as the Doctor began, "I am extremely sorry to inform you of Subject #001's misfortune."

"Yes, I'm very disappointed that someone would try to undermine our project." Titanium lied, trying to keep his face as straight as possible.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Lockhart asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Positive. I'm just a bit disgruntled about the situation." Titanium explained.

Lockhart sighed, "As am I. Hopefully, my technicians will be able to save the Subject in time."

"What exactly is the damage?" Titanium asked.

"The culprit smashed the Heat Control gauge for Subject #001's tank. Thus, his body temperature is rapidly dropping. Soon, he will die of hypothermia. Also, there is a broken pipe for the water supply, but that isn't much trouble. Then there are the two guards and one scientist beaten into comas." Lockhart described while shaking his head. As he did, Titanium recalled each event unfold as Lockhart spoke.

"What's your next course of action?" Titanium asked curiously.

"As I've said, we will continue with the operation in a few hours." Lockhart clarified.

"Are you worried?" Titanium inquired, probing to see Lockhart's reactions.

Lockhart seemed to wave it off, "Honestly, not at all. No one is stupid enough to interrupt this event with the entire squadron of guards watching it." He scoffed.

"Am I one of the scientists put under lockdown?" Titanium asked innocently.

Lockhart shook his head and grinned, "No, Professor. You are one of the guests of honor tonight."

"Thank you, Doctor." Titanium answered, smiling warmly at the praise.

"You don't know how honored I am to have you on this team, Professor, it's truly an honor." Lockhart expressed, extending his hand.

Titanium shook his hand and said, "The honor is mine, Doctor. I never thought I would be called here to recreate a new species of humanity."

Lockhart chuckled, "It seems so childish, yet we did it."

"Almost." Titanium corrected.

"Yes, almost. As of tomorrow, training begins." Lockhart said, gazing up at the ceiling with evil glee.

"May I trust you with a secret, Professor?" Lockhart requested, leaning in slightly.

Titanium was hesitant to answer, "Yes, of course."

"Did you know I am of Japanese descent?" Lockhart answered with a sly grin.

Titanium was taken aback, "No, I did not. Not to offend, but you don't seem very Japanese."

"Ah, that is because it stopped after my grandfather had an affair with a white woman. After that, he was targeted by a wealthy crackpot who wanted him to help genetically engineer a race of 'metal guardians.' His record also states that he attempted to use sea slug DNA to create super-powers in humans. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I believe it was somewhat true." Lockhart explained with a slight smirk.

"No, no, I believe it. It's just that I wonder why." Titanium replied.

Lockhart shrugged, "I guess I'll never know. Now, what of the project?"

"Hmm, should we go to the operating room now?" Titanium asked.

"Ah, soon, my friend, soon. There is one more hour before seven." Lockhart clarified.

"I see. Doctor, may I ask that I use the chemistry storage area? I need to begin the bonding process for a new liquid that will bind muscle using certain pressure points." Titanium requested, hoping for the necessary authorization.

"Muscle binding?" Lockhart asked intrigued.

Titanium thought quickly, "I suggest it is a more humane way of controlling the boys when they become awakened. Similar to Chinese acupuncture, my intentions are to create a special system of restricting the boys' movements so that it'll be easier to constrict them from disobeying in any way."

Lockhart nodded in thought, "Normally, I would just say we can stay with the current method of using guards. However, after today's incident, I don't want to deal with anymore intrusions. So, I'll give you special clearance into the storage area." Lockhart said as he withdrew a slip of paper and began to write with a pen he pulled from his lab coat pocket.

"Thank you, Doctor. I will bring you the finished product as soon as I complete it." Titanium said as he took the signed paper from Lockhart.

"You're welcome, Professor. I will see you in the operating room within the hour." Lockhart finished with a slight wave before leaving.

With a sigh, Titanium quickened his pace as he traveled over to the apparent storage area for all of the laboratory's chemicals. He strode confidently up to the stern guard standing by and handed him the paper.

The guard stared at the paper for a moment, "Alright, access granted." He said before opening the heavily-sealed doorway. Once inside, Titanium marveled at the large shelves of various containers holding the many chemical compounds. He browsed the shelves until he found a clipboard containing a long directory of the room. With a deep breath, Professor Titanium set out to search.

After ten minutes, Professor Titanium had gathered several dangerous toxins, sleeping agents, and antidotes. He carried the many vials of the liquids over to a brewing station near the back of the room. Once he stretched, Titanium began to mix the proper ingredients.

The final product was not a muscle binding formula like he had told Dr. Lockhart. Instead, Titanium had created a special mixture that would temporarily cause a heart attack, causing a jolt in a person's body. The plan: to use the liquid on the boys, causing them to jolt out of the anesthetics. Thus, successfully waking them; and with them being unsure about their surroundings, the boys would panic and attack the hostile Lockhart. With extreme caution, Titanium slowly poured the mixture into syringes. Unfortunately, he could use only fill two of the syringes; but that was not a problem as he wouldn't need one for Subject #001.

Taking the two syringes, Professor Titanium pulled on a spare lab coat, tucked the syringes into his coat, and set out to release hell.