THE SHREDDER

SEVEN MONTHS AGO

TATSU

Tatsu managed to find a hiding place until the Foot Clan arrived. He managed to place salve on his Master's wounds and bandage his face. He made a fire to sear his severed arm, but he was still weak from all the blood he lost. The cops arrived and from his vantage point he could see them. EMS arrived at the same time as the Foot. They were disguised as EMS and it didn't take them long to find Tatsu and the Master.

"What happened?" The Ninja Master asked.

"Not now." Tatsu replied. His main focus was Grandmaster Saki. As soon as they arrive at the base the Foot Clan Doctors take Saki to surgery. "Aui."

"Yes Master Tatsu."

"Take four Ninjas and bring me the Scientist Baxter Stockman."

"Yes Master. I shall leave at once."

Three hours pass before the doctors come out Surgery, "Will the Grandmaster live?"

"He'll live…His face will be forever scarred. What did that to him?"

"You would not believe me."

"Was it a five, foot tall animal of some kind?"

He sighs, "Yes…A rat that walked and talked like a man. It called Homato Yoshi it's master. It fought like a Foot Clan Ninja."

Later Tatsu sits at his Master's side. Then Aui walks in, "Master Tatsu I have the Scientist."

He nods stands up, and heads to the door, but stops at Aui's side, placing a hand on Aui's shoulder. "I do not want the Grandmaster to be alone…Stay with him."

"Yes Master Tatsu."

Tatsu leaves the room and heads to a another room, where four ninjas are holding Baxter. "Why have I been bought here?"

Tatsu strikes him across the face with the back of his hand, "Silence! I am asking the questions." He had struck Baxter so hard that he drew blood. Baxter wipes the blood away, "Do you see this?" He says showing him his severed arm. "A five, foot tall rat did this…A Rat that called itself Splinter. It also called Homato Yoshi Master…Now tell me what you know."

With a trembling voice Baxter tells him everything, "Are you going to kill me?" He asks when he is done.

"I would like to, but that privilege belongs to my Master."

"I…I can be of use to the Foot Clan. Help you get revenge on Splinter…I can make more serum…You can have your own batch of Mutant Animal assassins…I can even make an exoskeleton suit. The suit will grant the wearer speed and strength equal to that of Splinter's strength and speed."

Tatsu grunts, "I cannot promise you your life, but I will speak up for you to my Master…In the meantime make the serum and the exo-suit. My Master will want to kill Splinter himself."

"I will need some things and a lab to work out of."

BAXTER

Three days later they take Baxter to a room that had been converted to a laboratory. A week after that they gave him the equipment he needs to make the serum and build the exo-suit. He makes the serum first from memory, then he starts on the suit. When he takes a break to eat Baxter asks to speak with Tatsu. "What do you want?"

"The serum is done. Do want me to use it on an animal?"

"No we will wait for the Master to awake."

"Very well…Um…I also have a degree in robotics and engineering…I could make you a cybernetic arm."

Tatsu agrees and the next day they prep the surgery room for the operation. First Baxter records the movements of Tatsu's left arm. Then he writes a program from the recorded data. Then he attaches the wires and chips to his nerves, then the metal skeleton for his arm. Baxter creates the arm so that it runs on the blood pumping through his body. The battery in his arm uses his blood like hydro-generator would water to convert into energy.

He finishes the arm by installing a blade and then the metal coverings. It takes a day for Tatsu to recover. "Okay try to move your arm. Focus as you would with your left arm." Baxter says. The blade sprouts from the slit on the wrist area. "Try again." After a few minutes he is able to lift his arm. "Good the more you practice the more control you will have."

Tatsu's cyber arm is stronger and faster. The metal Baxter built it from is lite weight as not to unbalance him. "Well done Scientist."

SAKI

In his mind Saki can see the claws raking across his face parting flesh and drawing blood. He awakens in a medical bed, his face bandaged, an IV in his arm. "Grandmaster you are awake." The Doctor says.

"How long?"

"You've been unconscious for two months Grandmaster. You lost a lot of blood."

"Where is Tatsu?" A few minutes later Tatsu enters the recovery room.

"Grandmaster." He says bowing.

The first thing Saki notices is Tatsu's arm, "Your arm, how?"

"The Scientist Baxter Stockman…I had him bought here. He fixed my arm. If you wish him dead…Grandmaster I ask that you reconsider. He has been very useful. And he has made an exo-suit for you. It will make you as strong and as fast as the rat."

He nods, "I am still weak. I need rest. He may live for now." A week passes before Saki can sit up and feed himself. Then the time came to remove the bandages from his face for good.

"There was some extensive muscle and nerve damage Grandmaster…I was able to repair most, but not all. The scars healed,, but will remain."

Saki stairs into the mirror at his face. There are five claw marks running across his face, they are healed but they dominate his face. He tries to stand and when his followers try to help him, he waves them off. He pauses bent over with his right arm on the chair holding him up. After a few minutes Saki is able to stand straight up. Everyday Saki strives to get back to his fighting strength. The only one he allows near him is Tatsu.

PRESENT

Saki strikes with his fists twice, then a high, side kick, next he leaps into a twister kick. When he lands Saki does a side hand chop, then he steps forward with a punch. He stops to breath, "Do you feel at full strength Grandmaster?" Tatsu asks.

He nods, "I do…and my heart burns with vengeance! Bring me the Scientist." Saki sits on his throne waiting with Tatsu standing at his side, his face is covered by full hood mask with glyph of the Foot Clan in gold on the forehead. They throw the Scientist to his knees. "Baxter Stockman…You put a death contract out on…your brother, the admiral, the Director of the CIA, a General, and my enemy Homato Yoshi…Why did you not tell us about the Rat?"

"I thought Splinter may have gone into the wilds or something…I did think he would take residence in the sewers near Yoshi's home."

"Yoshi is dead."

"And I have paid you. But why did Shannon have to die?"

The Ninja standing next to Baxter raises his hand to strike him, but Saki stops him with a gesture of his finger. "She died because Yoshi loved her." He looks at Tatsu, "Tatsu tells me that you have been useful to the Foot Clan making advanced Ninja weapons. You also restored his arm and made me a suit, that will put me on equal ground with the rat."

"Yes…It is more advanced than the one I made Yoshi."

"You made a suit for Yoshi?"

"Yes…He needed it to spar with Splinter. You will have to train wearing the suit."

"I intend to…In the meantime we need to find where the Rat is hiding."

"One other thing Grandmaster…Splinter stole serum from my lab when he escaped. He may have used to it turn sewer rats into mutants like himself."

"If so they will all die." Saki stands up. It takes him two months to master the exo-suit, with all its weapons and advances it gives him. The exo-suit has a chest guard, flexible abdomen plates so that he can bend and twist. His crotch is padded, his arms and legs have scale like armor. There are bars going down his legs both inside and out. They go into disks at his knees which allows him to bend.

The same on his arms, but there are gauntlets on his forearms, from the elbow to the wrist. Six blades pop up on each gauntlet and blades on his leg bracers. There is a bladed helm and mouth guard to cover the lower half of his face. The mouth guard also has a microphone in it to amplify his voice. Saki stands before his gathered Ninjas.

"Oroku Saki is no more! The Shredder stands before you!" The Foot Clan Ninjas cheer, those before him and those in Japan watching by video.