Curiosum Labs
London, England
6:34 PM
Dr. Gouyen's ascent to the seventh floor was one filled with a cyclone of emotions. She was feeling angry, heartbroken, guilty, and in some sense, frightened for the little girl she knew as Sonseeahray. How could they send a twelve-year-old child off to fight adult, highly trained, mutant ninjas?
She forsook the elevators in favor of the stairwell. There, at least, she could have some time to be alone with her thoughts. She climbed the concrete steps, her footfalls echoing beneath her and above. Glancing upward toward the landing, the designation "6-D" was painted in bright yellow against the gray wall.
She stopped then. Sighing deeply, Dr. Gouyen slid down, sitting on a cold step just beneath the landing. She wrapped her arms around herself, hands rubbing the crisp fabric of her lab coat. She wanted to cry, but she willed herself not to. Crying wouldn't solve anything, only action would. But what could she possibly do?
Sonseeahray was ill-prepared to run off to New York City and start killing. Regardless of the abilities the girl possessed due to her unique DNA: strength, speed, and agility that would potentially be four times that of a grown man; she was still a child and had not reached the apex of those abilities. Besides, any physical prowess she possessed was made subordinate to her beauty which was specifically engineered to transcend her inhumanity and inflame baser desires. Yet, as a child, she couldn't even rely on the beauty she was gifted with, as her features had not reached maturity.
As her mind swam, she faintly remembered reading the intel profiles gathered on the Turtles. She smiled wryly. Why the hell did she think of them, just then? She knew the EPF and the Turtles weren't on the friendliest of terms just by working on Project Siren. It's not like they'd want to help a lone scientist who works with the EPF…
She paused, brow furrowing, "Or would they…?" she mused.
the seventh floor...
Sonseeahray should have been used to it by now. There had been always at least one pair of eyes on her since…well, since as long as she could remember. It didn't matter what she was doing: eating, reading, learning math, practicing her Kung Fu or, as she was now, bathing. At first, she thought it was to make sure she was safe from the monster in the basement or from those ninja turtles. Now, she wasn't sure what it was, but she was certain it wasn't for her personal benefit. That knowledge made the eyes that watched her now even harder to bare.
She didn't quite recognize the lab technician (was his name Robert? Or, was it Ronald?) He was an older man in his mid-forties with a long face and a nose that looked as if it had been broken. He held a tablet in his left hand, dangling at his side. Next to him was a fully armed commando. His name, Sonseeahray couldn't quite remember either. Was it Lieutenant McMillian? Half of the commando's face was hidden behind the standard EPF helmet and red tinted visor, but he had tan skin and a broad jaw. The lab tech whispered something to the EPF guard and the two laughed together as they stared at her.
Her bathroom was like the rest of floor: the walls to the east and west were a stark snow white, but the wall facing the hallway was made of reinforced glass, just like the door. There was a stainless steel sink which shone brightly under the LED lighting. A rectangular mirror hung above the sink and a porcelain white tub stood adjacent to that.
She quickly disrobed and stepped into the tub, the hot soapy water flushing her creamy skin to a bright pink. She sat down, allowing the steaming, bubbly water to envelop her small frame. Sonseeahray would have liked to have tried to relax, but the eyes boring holes into her skin wouldn't allow it. She grabbed a washcloth and started scrubbing, only to be greeted by the chortles of the two men watching over her.
"Don't rub so fast, chimera," the lab tech sneered, "you'll rub your skin right off!"
"When she meets those turtles, she'll be rubbing a lot of things!" The commando cracked, which brought on more laughter.
It wasn't even funny, Sonseeahray thought with a frown.
Did they have to stare so intently? Others who have watched over her while she bathed at least had the decency to give her their backs in order to give her a little bit of privacy.
Sonseeahray sighed and sank down into the bathtub; the hot water coming up to her jaw, the men disappearing from her sight behind the porcelain screen of the tub. The cupcake-scented foam kissed her chin and cheeks while other bubbles danced into fluffy white mounds with every moment she made. She shut her eyes, rested her head on the back of the tub and tried to shake off the reality of where she was and imagined herself in a cozy home filled with warmth, laughter, and colors: blue curtains, green blankets, purple rugs and deep red towels.
Of all the things she wished she could change about the lab, it was the starkness of it all. The colorlessness of it reminded her what a mausoleum or an asylum would look like, rather than the place that she called her home. Sonseeahray never took her life at the lab for granted. All things considered, it wasn't a bad existence. She had a roof over her head, she was warm and safe, she always had a full belly, and she received some love and affection from time to time from Dr. Kushala Gouyen and Miss Sarah Pomfret.
A loud cackle jarred Sonseeahray from her reverie and she glowered. She peered over the edge of the tub and she saw the lab tech lean over toward the commando, his eyes locking on hers, "It's true! I swear it!" His voice was loud enough for her to hear. "That creature is going to be the world's greatest whore by the time Miss Pomfret is done with her!"
"Maybe the little freak will co-star in one of Miss Pomfret's adult films!" The commando added.
More laughter.
"Stop it! Miss Pomfret is a nice lady!" Sonseeahray snapped.
"Miss Pomfret is a slut who's seen more sausage than a hot dog stand!" The lab tech sneered. "And you're being trained to do the same."
The commando turned to the man beside him, "Maybe after those mutant turtles are done with her, the rest of us can get a taste?"
Her cheeks had burned with a mix of embarrassment and fury then. They made another lewd comment about the "tricks" she could do with her mouth and she shot to her feet, soapy water sloshing out of the tub. "Shut your bloody gobs and leave me alone!" Sonseeahray yelled.
The men chuckled.
Sonseeahray felt tears start to well up in her eyes and that feeling only added to her embarrassment and anger. She never liked crying.
"What are you going to do, Chimera?" The EPF commando spat the last word like a curse, "You gonna seduce me to death?"
"I've been trained in Tiger Style Kung Fu, you sodding wanker!" Hot tears fell down her cheeks.
The commando laughed again, lifting his rifle, "And I have a gun."
The commotion caused a group to appear in the bathroom. A couple of lab techs flanked by a few more EPF commandos pushed their way into the bathroom.
"What's going on here?" One commando demanded. Sonseeahray recognized him instantly: Lieutenant Kyle Kramer. He was a tall and handsome man in his mid-twenties: thick black hair, piercing blue eyes and powerfully built with military discipline flowing through his veins. Agent Kramer had stood guard by her room every night for the last five years. His intense gaze shifted between the lab tech and the commando.
"We're just watching the creature take her bath as ordered, Lieutenant Kramer." The tech stated with a shrug.
Kramer's attention then turned to Sonseeahray, "What happened?" He asked, his voice becoming softer, almost like as if he were an older sibling talking to a little sister.
Sonseeahray wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand, "They were calling me and Miss Pomfret names, saying that we would co-star in one of her Blue Films. I told them to stop but they wouldn't!" More tears fell against her will. Wiping them away, she took a deep, shaky breath and calmed herself. "They wouldn't stop so I yelled at them."
Kraemer turned to the EPF commando, "McMillian?"
The commando shrugged, "Just taking the piss out of the little chimera, as the British would say, sir."
Kramer leaned in close, "You're charged with watching over her while she bathed. You were not charged with joking around with her or giving her your thoughts on life, is that clear?"
"Sir, my job with the EPF is-"
"Your job is to follow orders, which you clearly have problems doing! Let me ask the two of you a question, what do you think is more important to Agent Bishop and Dr. Schneider? You or her?"
The two men exchanged bewildered glances.
"Let me rephrase, who do you think Agent Bishop and Dr. Schneider have invested more money in? You or her?" The weight of Lieutenant Kramer's intense gaze forced the two men to start fidgeting and staring at their shoes. "The EPF and Curiosum Labs have invested a hell of a lot of money in her. Therefore, when it comes to the chimera, it is of the utmost importance that we all follow orders, isn't it? We need to make sure they get their investment's worth, correct?"
Kramer turned on his heel, grabbed a white, fluffy towel that hung on the wall and opened it up in front of Sonseeahray. With a faint smile, he nodded for her to step forward. When she did, he wrapped her in the dry warmth of the soft fabric. Sonseeahray balled the fabric in her hands at her neck, the towel covering her like a cape.
Lieutenant Kramer turned back to the small crowd that had already begun to disperse. He eyed the two men who were charged with watching the Siren, "I would highly suggest the two of you start packing your things. I'll be filing a report and doubtlessly, the two of you will be relieved of your services. We need her to be loyal to the EPF and mistreatment of her will only undermine that."
He gave the two men another intense stare then exited the room with brisk strides, Sonseeahray at his heels. The two of them crossed the long hallway at a quick pace. "Screw them and what they said about you and Miss Pomfret." The Lieutenant said to her, without stopping.
The two quickly arrived at Sonseeahray's room which was being guarded by Lieutenant Anton Payne. Payne had shared nightly duties with Kramer for the past five years as well. He was a bit older than Agent Kramer, in his thirties with rust-colored hair, brown eyes, and a quick smile. Payne quickly opened the glass door to the siren's room, stepping aside to allow the spindly chimera to enter.
Sonseeahray turned to see Lieutenant Kramer standing at the threshold of her room, "Let me give you a word of advice, kid." He stated seriously. "Don't get upset by the words that people say. Let people think what they want to think about you, let them say what they want to say. That way, they'll be all the more surprised when you prove them wrong." A wry smile pulled at his full lips. He gave her a wink, bowed and then turned, allowing the glass door to close and lock behind him.
Sonseeahray's gaze lingered on the young lieutenant for a moment, her stomach awash with butterflies. She couldn't help but smile then. He had always been friendly to her: quick to give her a high-five or a kind word. She once confessed to Miss Pomfret that she had a crush on the EPF commando. Sonseeahray fawned over Kramer's kindness, bravery, and his intelligence. Miss Pomfret had smiled, amused by the girl's infatuation, but told her that Lieutenant Kramer would be far too old for the chimera by the time she was of age. Sonseeahray had protested, saying that she didn't care if he was eighty, she'd still like him. That was still true, especially now that he had come to her rescue and defended her.
She quickly dried and dressed in her nightgown which was a pale pink with yellow stars and climbed into her bed. She grabbed the large book on astronomy that was on her nightstand and opened where she left her bookmark. The book did very little to hold her attention, she peered over the top of her book, gazing at the tall frame belonging to Kyle Kramer. She sighed with a smile and went back to staring at an image of the Eagle Nebula. Maybe one day Kyle would ask her to marry him, just like Dr. Schneider asked Miss Pomfret?
Mrs. Sonseeahray Kramer. She repeated the name again in her mind and giggled softly to herself. She liked the sound of it.
In the stairwell, somewhere between the fifth and sixth floors...
Dr. Kushala Gouyen remained sitting on a concrete stair. Her mind was racing through all of the knowledge she had acquired while working with Dr. Schneider and the EPF. The Turtles were very resourceful, in fact, one of whom was supposed to be quite proficient with computers and technology. They were more likely to attack criminals or those that threatened their family unit, otherwise, the mutants left people alone. Perhaps she could find a way to contact them? Send them a message? Maybe if she told them that the Siren was just a child they might be moved to compassion?
Dr. Gouyen stood, brushed off her slacks and ascended the remaining stairs to the seventh floor, silently praying that the Mutant Ninja Turtles she heard so much about would be moved to compassion for Sonseeahray's sake.
After Dr. Gouyen exited the stairwell, she quickly found herself in the labs that housed the Siren. She gave an absent nod to Kramer and Payne that stood as sentinels outside Sonseeahray's room. They nodded in return, stepping aside to allow her to punch in the four-digit code to open the door. Once inside, she was greeted by the young chimera, who had jumped up from her bed to embrace her in a hug.
"Dr. Gouyen, you'll never believe what happened-" The girl started, but was interrupted.
"Listen, Sonseeahray, there isn't a lot of time."
Sonseeahray was taken aback by the troubled look in Dr. Gouyen's eyes. "What's wrong, Dr. Gouyen?"
Dr. Gouyen drew in a deep breath before she whispered to her the problem, "You know how we have been training you to get rid of those Turtles?"
Sonseeahray nodded.
"You also know how we were waiting for you to grow up more before we do that? Well, that's changed. Somehow, Agent Bishop has information that, according to him, forces him to activate your project early."
Sonseeahray's brow furrowed, "How early?"
"Tomorrow, he wants you to undergo that bio-data transfer that we talked about a few weeks ago. If all goes well, he wants you activated by the end of the week."
Sonseeahray shook her head in disbelief, "By the end of the week? Why? Have things really gone that pear-shaped to send me off, years before I was scheduled?"
"It appears so. My colleagues seem to think that with Agent Bishop's bio-data transfer you'll be alright..." Dr. Gouyen paused.
"But you don't."
"You're unique and you're very bright...but you're still only twelve!" She drew in a deep breath, tears stinging the backs of her eyes, "You're still growing and even with the bio-data transfer, I fear you don't have the experience to take on four of them!" She watched as the little girl's expression fell, understanding enveloping her young mind: she wasn't expected to survive.
Sonseeahray nodded solemnly.
"Listen, it's a long-shot...but, maybe-maybe I can send a message to the Turtles somehow? They're turtles, too-"
"But I'm not a turtle-"
"But you can pass for one! Maybe with that, plus the fact that you're a child and female...we can appeal to their sense of mercy."
Sonseeahray frowned, "You don't sound very convinced."
Dr. Gouyen sighed heavily. Determination flickered behind her eyes, "I just don't know what else to do! I'm not going to let these people use you and send you off to die! Not as long as I have breath in my body!"
She cupped the small chimera's face in her hands. "I know things seem...uncertain right now. But always remember: you were created to be a survivor. You're brave, you're strong-"
"Keep calm and carry on." Sonseeahray finished.
In the morgue...
Dr. Carl Moore stretched, arching his back. "Good grief! I think moving that monster off the gurney pulled a muscle in my back!"
"Was it the monster, or that new girl you've been seeing?" Dr. Willamson teased. The men chuckled.
Dr. Neri picked up a hose that was attached to the wall. The nozzle was long and the head could be adjusted for pressure. He pressed a button located next to the hose and water filled the tubing which was encased in a stainless steel coil. "Let's just spray this thing down and get out of here!"
"Okay, but don't put the pressure on too high! I don't want wayward chunks of rotting flesh hitting me in the face!" Dr. Anderson quipped.
"Right!" Dr. Neri turned the head of the nozzle and a high-pressure stream of water shot out of the hose like a bolt of lightning. The stream hit the back of one of Slash's thighs, the pressure tearing a chunk of rotted flesh from the body, spraying the other men in the room with the rotten meat from the mutant's corpse!
The group of men groaned in response, "Damnit, Neri! What did I just tell you!?"
Dr. Neri frantically reached for the nozzle, twisting the head to adjust the pressure, "Sorry!" He walked forward toward the tables, then stopped suddenly. He mouth was agape, as he gasped for air. His face was contorted in an odd mix of both shock and pain.
"Neri? Neri, what's wrong?!"
Blood began to ooze from Dr. Neri's open mouth. What his colleagues and the EPF commandos couldn't see on their side of the table, was one of Slash's massive, clawed hands, penetrated Dr. Neri's abdomen with a strike that was as swift as a snake.
Before the group of men could rush to Dr. Neri's side, they heard a low rumble emanating from what they thought was the corpse of Slash.
"No…no…it can't be! It's dead!" Dr. Anderson stammered.
Before they could blink, in a swift movement, Slash threw Dr. Neri's body toward the group, knocking them off their feet and leaped toward them!
Three of the EPF commandos were able to clamor to their feet, pulling their weapons from their sides, they began firing on the creature.
Dr. Moore was in shock, "Possum! He was playing possum! How was he able to fool the tests?!"
The fourth of the EPF commandos grabbed Dr. Moore, lifting him to his feet and shouting over the din of gunshots, "You have to move, doctor!"
The last of the EPF agents were able to get to their feet. He leaped toward the door, pressing an emergency button on the intercom panel that was located to the right of the door. Instantly, the building erupted with the shrill sound of a siren and red lights began to flash overhead in every hallway throughout the structure.
On the fifth floor...
The calm stillness on the fifth floor shattered under the deafening horn the security system used as an alarm. The main office lights dimmed in favor of flashing red lights overhead, arresting the attention of anyone who still hadn't left for the day.
Dr. Schneider shot to his feet in alarm. "What the bloody hell?!"
"Doctor, what's happening there?" He was still able to hear Bishop's voice through the alarm.
"I don't know, sir!"
Suddenly, an armed EPF commando rushed into the room, rifle at the ready, "Doctors, we need to get you all to the seventh floor, now!"
"Agent Gotsis, what is going on there?!"
"Commander!" The commando gave the video image of Bishop a salute, "We have word from Team 13 in the basement sector: Project Slash is alive and he's loose. He's killed several people already. Teams 10 through 12 are en route to contain the creature!"
"It would seem that preparations for Slash's death were premature. Initiate Omega Protocol. Lock the building down, agent. We can't have project Slash getting outside the building. Contain the creature. I'll contact our counterparts in London to send reinforcements. In the meantime, Doctor Schneider-" Agent Bishop turned his attention toward the scientists standing around the table, while Agent Gotsis shouted orders to lock down the building into the mic of the two-way radio mounted on his right shoulder.
"Get you and your people to the seventh floor. My agent here is correct. The laboratories that house the Siren are the safest place to be right now should Slash be able to make his way out of the basement sector. Your brains are worth more to me alive than dead." With that, Agent Bishop's image disappeared.
"What about everyone else?" Dr. Fierst asked
"They better hope my teammates can contain that thing or, they're on their own!" Agent Gotsis said tersely. "Now, move!"
As they hurried out of the room, they were soon joined by four other commandoes, weapons drawn. As the group moved through the hallway, they heard a muffled clicking sound beneath the blaring siren. Instantly, reinforced steel shutters clamped down over every window with a metallic "clang".
Paul Walsh whirled around, fear absorbing his flabby features, "They-they've locked us in here like rats!"
Dr. Schneider rushed past him, holding Sarah Pomfret's hand in his, "Yes, Doctor! We're on lockdown! All windows and doors are covered with those reinforced steel shutters! There's no way in or out! We have a crazed monster on the loose downstairs and we can't have it getting out and terrorizing London!"
"But-but, what if we can't get out?!"
"That's kind of the point, Doctor!"
"What if we die?!"
Dr. Schneider stopped, spun on his heel and leveled a hard gaze at the balding man, "Then we die, Doctor! We cannot under any circumstances allow Slash to escape, even if it means forfeiting our own lives!"
One of the EPF commandos that joined them in the hallway, nodded in silent agreement. "And if you try to escape while that thing is still on the loose, I'm authorized to use deadly force! Now stop complaining and move!"
On the road, approaching Curiosum Labs...
The creeper van sped down the expressway, closing the distance between its occupants and their destination: Curiosum Labs. The four brothers rode on in silence. Donatello busied himself with driving, while his three siblings readied their gear: shuriken were taken out of pouches and attached to belts and shoulder straps for easy access, packs of smoke bombs attached to belts, and daggers were sheathed hidden in their clothing.
"In my duffel bag, there's a pack for each of you with C-4," Donnie stated, motioning absently with a free hand.
Raphael reached forward to the brown duffel bag which was stashed behind Donatello. He opened it up with a zip and dug out a square pack. "This one of 'em?" Raph asked as he held the object between his two brothers in the front seats.
Donatello's gaze shifted from the road to what was in his brother's hand and nodded. "Yep. That's it. There's one in there for each of you."
Leonardo nodded, sheathing a tanto short sword in a scabbard belted to his thigh. "Remember guys, Don uploaded the building schematics to our Shell-Cells-"
"Yeah, we remember," Raph stated as he handed Leo a pack. "Place these bad boys where Donnie designated and the place goes boom!"
"Isn't there a song called, 'Boom Goes the Dynamite'?" Mikey mused, taking a pack from Raph who only shook his head in response to his little brother.
"Mikey, we're almost there. Focus please." Leo warned.
"You said that like, five minutes ago, Fearless," Michelangelo stated.
"And I meant it, five minutes ago." Leo retorted.
"Well either we're going slower, or that lab is getter farther away." Mikey deadpanned.
Raph chuckled, "In this thing? My money's on us going slower, little bro."
"Donnie's givin' 'er all she's got, captain!" Mikey quipped, doing his best impression of Scotty from Star Trek.
The brothers broke into laughter again and Leo shook his head with a grin. Donatello turned toward their desired exit and left the expressway, heading south.
A chirping sound came from the device on Donatello's forearm, "What is it, Donnie?" Leo asked.
With one hand, Don punched a few buttons on the device, "Leo…" He didn't need to explain, Leonardo reached over and grabbed the steering wheel. The space before him illuminated into an array of colors as the virtual computer screen manifested. A flashing red light caused Donatello to pause. "Uh-oh."
"'Uh-oh?' What do you mean, 'Uh-oh?'" Mikey asked.
"The lab is on lockdown."
"What?!" Leo and Raph exclaimed in unison.
"The place is on lockdown. There was a security breach and apparently, it's serious enough that they no one is getting in or out of the building."
"That changes things." Raphael grimaced.
"Just a bit…" Mikey chimed in.
"Pull over," Leo said, and Donnie complied. The van pulled up to a stop several yards from a massive office complex. A large field separated the brothers from their destination. Don killed the engine and the four brothers sat in silence gazing at the buildings. From afar, all seemed well enough. There were no outside indications of any problems within, save for the steel shutters that covered every window and door.
"That it?" Mikey asked motioning toward the office buildings.
"Yeah," Donnie answered.
"It doesn't look like much."
"Well, the TCRI building didn't look like much from the outside, either, Mikey." Raph reminded him. Raphael was right: years ago, they broke into the TCRI building in the hopes of finding Splinter. What looked like a simple office building from the outside, turned out to be a front for the alien species known as Utroms.
"What now?"
Without prompting, Donatello went back to the virtual computer screen. The colors shifted as he tapped a few buttons on the device on his arm, pulling up a schematic of the complex.
Leonardo leaned over and studied the information with his brother, the green, blue and red colors illuminating their faces and cutting through the darkness of the van. Leonardo drew in a breath, shaking his head. "If I'm reading this right, something got out."
Raph and Mikey crept forward, staring at the screen with their brothers, trying to make sense of what they were looking at.
"That thing in Hades?" Raph offered.
"It appears so. Whatever it is, they don't want it getting out of the building. They've initiated what they call the 'Omega Protocol', locking everything down and authorizing deadly force." Donatello shook his head.
Raph sat back and tossed up his hands, "Ain't that the turtle luck workin' true to form! We come all this way, wanting to get in and out, and crap is already hitting the fan!"
"Well, we could always call it a night and check out the sights!" Michelangelo began, then, catching a glare from Leo, "But, we're still going in, aren't we?"
"We didn't come all this way for nothing," Leonardo stated as he turned to study the virtual screen intensely. "Looks like in addition to windows and doors, they've cut off access to the roof..." he paused, "What about there?" He pointed to the lower left.
Donatello nodded, "The service tunnels beneath the building. It could work. We can follow it beneath the parking lot and it'll bring us up to the morgue-"
"Excuse me? Did you say, 'morgue'?" Mikey interjected.
"It ain't the dead ones you should be afraid of Mikey, it's the live ones." Raph retorted.
Donnie continued, "It'll take us up to the morgue, but it looks like the grates are protected by a thermo-laser system."
"Can you disable it?" Leo asked.
Donatello looked at his brother, "Of course. For a time anyway. I think I can hack into their security system long enough to give us a fifteen-second window to get inside."
"That's all we need." Leo turned to his brothers, "Let's roll."
With a click, Don snapped the virtual screen off, grabbed his duffel bag, and followed his brothers out of the van.
"Well, at least we're out of the van. I'm gonna smell like French Fries for a week!"
"Shut-up, Mikey." Raph snapped. "We got business to take care of."
Swift as the night, the brothers made their way across the field, staying low as to not gain attention from anyone who may happen to glance at the shadow covered field.
They quickly came upon a large fence and Donatello whipped out a metal rod, tapped a button, and instantly it transformed into a six-foot staff. With both hands, he held the staff in front of him, allowing each of his brothers to use it, launching themselves effortlessly over the fence. Afterward, Donnie jogged back a few feet, then rushed forward, using his staff to help him vault the distance. He landed on his feet silently on the other side and with the tap of a button, his staff retracted back into a rod.
The entrance to the service tunnel was a gaping cavity, threatening to swallow them in pitch blackness. Straining their ears, they could hear the faint sounds of rapid-fire gunshots and screams in between the muffled, but rhythmic shriek of an alarm.
The four brothers exchanged glances.
Leonardo took a deep breath and exhaled. Furrowing his brow, he stepped forward, "Turtles fight with honor." He murmured as he stepped inside. His brothers followed, each of them becoming cloaked in darkness.
