He lay on the countertop amid the shattered remains of the aquarium, surrounded by shards and fragments of broken glass, his very human-looking arms and legs curled in against his torso. A few shards were glittering on the curved shell, itself longer than the aquarium had been.
His hairless skin was the green of pine needles, except for the golden-tan plastron that covered his chest and abdomen. His head was the most inhuman-looking part of his body, though — broader and dome-browed, with a wide mouth and deep brown eyes that were staring straight at the Shredder. Except for the shell, it was the most recognizably turtle part of his body.
He was also naked as a newborn baby, though Karai couldn't really see any part of him that necessitated clothing. Animals didn't need clothing, after all.
She felt a strange tightness in her chest as she looked at him. This wasn't possible. That tiny turtle hatchling had become—this creature, almost as large as she was? How was it even possible? Was that why her grandfather wanted the mutagen that had been lost by those two bumbling fools? If it could turn a tiny animal into… that…
The turtle didn't move as the Shredder stepped into the room, but Karai could see his eyes flicking around uneasily, as if he weren't sure what was happening. Maybe he wasn't. But there was only one way to tell for sure.
She moved close to the counter, and unsheathed her katana. "Stand up," she ordered.
He didn't move. He didn't seem defiant, but puzzled instead.
She pointed the tip of her sword at his face. "Stand up now."
He still didn't move, but this time he seemed to have lost any curiosity about what she was saying. He let his face rest against the countertop, as if he was comfortable and didn't want to move. He couldn't possibly have been comfortable there — he was lying on a shattered pane of glass, and she could see a few small punctures on his limbs where the broken glass had pierced him, leaving drips of scarlet blood.
"Stand aside, Karai," Shredder said.
Glass crunched under his feet as he went closer to the turtle and surveyed the green body in front of him. Karai reluctantly sheathed her sword, and stepped back to watch as the ninja lord moved even closer to the turtle.
"Master, if he's dangerous—" she said.
He raised a hand to cut off her protests, and Karai fell silent.
The turtle certainly didn't look dangerous. He had raised his head slightly as Oroku Saki came closer, looking like a curious child. Glass tinkled and slid from his shell and sides as he shifted to look up at the human towering over him.
Saki stared down into the beast's eyes for a long time, waiting for some flicker of awareness that would hint that it understood what was happening to it, or that it might be able to speak or show signs of intelligence. He tilted his head back and forth, watching as the creature moved its head along with him, meeting his eyes squarely and without the deference that Saki was used to.
The turtle didn't seem to be frightened at all, even though he should be — and even though he was clearly ignorant of the fact that the Shredder held the power of life and death over him, he didn't seem at all fazed by his sudden transformation. Interesting.
Perhaps it was only his body that had been transformed into one more like a man's. His mind could still be one of a mere animal. If that was the case, he was useless to the Foot Clan.
Still, there were other possibilities for the creature. Saki reached out and gripped the upper arm of the turtle, drawing him upright until he was sitting on the countertop. The creature blinked in confusion as the man slowly ran his hands over his upper arms, feeling the hard muscles that were clearly visible under that green skin. He moved on to the turtle's thighs, examining them carefully with both hands and eyes before moving on to his calves. Confused, the turtle raised a hand — all present couldn't help noticing that it had only three thick fingers — and touched where the Shredder's hands had been, trying to figure out why the ninja had touched him.
Finally Saki stepped back, satisfied in his examination of the creature's body. "A mutant, Mr. Allen?" he rumbled.
The scientist adjusted his glasses, stammering, "Y-yes. The mutagen from the labs must have gotten on the t-turtle. I didn't know it would have this effect, though."
"How strong is this mutant?" Saki said, watching as the turtle prodded at his own body curiously.
"No way of knowing without further t-tests. But the mutagen was intended to create a super-soldier. So he should be v-very strong, stronger than an ordinary human."
"Strong," the turtle said suddenly.
He sounded puzzled, almost childlike. The word sounded awkward in his mouth, like a baby speaking for the first time. Which, in a way, he was.
The Shredder mused over this for a moment, studying the mutant's face. He could speak. That might mean he was as intelligent as a human, once he had learned enough. Better yet, he was beginning as a blank slate, without outside loyalties or attachments that could interfere in his destiny as a member of the Foot clan.
"Strong," he repeated to the turtle. "Strong—intelligent—and malleable."
Karai appeared beside him. "Grandfather, may I speak?" she said urgently.
"If you must," Saki said, not taking his eyes off the turtle's face.
"The Foot Clan does not need this—this animal in our ranks. He's an abomination—a freak—"
Without warning, she clamped her hand on the turtle's jaw, twisting his head towards her. Before Saki could tell her to stand down, he saw anger flash through the turtle's eyes like a bolt of lightning. His arm lashed out and struck Karai across the face, sending her crashing back to the floor.
For a moment she stared in shock at the creature that had dared to strike her. Blood dripped from her arm where she had fallen on the broken glass, leaving a dark stain on her black clothing. Huffing with rage, she cursed briefly in Japanese and reached for her katana.
"Stop!" her grandfather said, raising a hand.
For a moment, he thought the girl would disobey him and attack the turtle once again. But after a tense moment, she subsided and bowed to him, pressing her other hand against her bleeding arm.
Saki turned back to the turtle. He was still sitting silently where he had been before, but now he was staring at Karai with naked displeasure in his brown eyes. The sight made the ninja smile slightly. He might be little more than an infant, but he had a fiery spirit.
And just as important, he had strength. Strength enough to easily overwhelm Karai, a trained ninja of no little ability, without any kind of training or tactical knowledge. If he were trained in the ways of the Foot, he would be nearly unstoppable.
"He will need a name," Saki said meditatively.
"If I may speak," Allen stammered, stepping forward. "My colleague named all four t-turtles before their unfortunate loss. If I'm n-not mistaken, judging by the skin tone, this one's name is R-Raphael."
Shredder contemplated this revelation. The turtle was now looking down at his own hands in mild bemusement, so Saki touched the blades of his gauntlet to the soft underside of the turtle's chin, and guided his face back towards his new master. The mutant seemed to realize that it was not a good idea to struggle or resist, and stayed perfectly still.
"Raphael," he said in a low voice. "So be it."