The man in the lab coat fit in perfectly with that atmosphere, as his hooked nose, pinched gaze and long fingers gave him more of a look of a twisted gargoyle rather than a man. His steps took him out of the shade as if he was a piece of the void separating itself from the whole of the darkness. Cold cruelty marked his every look, and he moved with the confidence of someone who more than believed that he belonged there. This was his home as much as certain predators waited for unwitting victims to wander into their traps.
But even he ducked and bowed towards the man standing with his arms crossed over his chest near the center of the room. On another individual, the bright red uniform and cape would have looked like a theater costume, but on him it was a imposing symbol of danger. That it covered a massive body that bore hardened muscles that did not have an ounce of fat helped, but it was the pure malevolence in the eyes that would cow even the stout heart. Those standing in his shadow were no slouches in their own viciousness, but they all showed submission to this giant figure of a man.
"Report, Doctor," the obvious man in charge rumbled. "What progress have you made?"
"Much has been done to advance our understanding the process. It is really quite fascinating, as such power can do so many wonderful things...." the scientist replied, smiling softly.
"I asked for results, not admiration for what I've already accomplished."
"Yes, of course, General Bison. What your abilities do could bring out many years of study for me. But no matter, we now know that the energies do have a finite life, mainly due to them not being native to the host bodies. There is a clear advancement of abilities, and a connection to the source of the energy, but they also have to be maintained."
A narrowing of Bison's eyes betrayed more of a questioning attitude than his tone. "Are you saying that I need to replenish the power that I put into my tools?"
"Rather, that they need to be monitored and the energy... given life. For it to stay static, it seeps away until there is a chance it might not rule over the flesh that it rides," the doctor murmured.
"I see."
"There is a chance that we could make it so that you wouldn't have to do that, but for that to work, we'd likely have to replace the subject's life energy with the power, and that would negate any real free will, but it would also make them a weapon that could only move under your direction. At least, that is the theory, as all this is."
"Then you have no certainties."
"We can not be sure without at least some of the original subjects," the hook nosed man admitted. "They were exposed for long periods, and were the ones who survived. With them under analysis, we could learn so much more. But we do not have them."
"That is a problem, Doctor. What are we doing to remedy that oversight?"
One of the men in Bison's shadow stepped forward. "Unfortunately, the Dolls were spread out over a wide area when the... incident occurred. That makes finding them a challenge, but we are searching down every lead that we have."
"And why haven't we found any of them if that is the case?"
"Some were already found by the authorities and shipped off to other areas. Others were on their own and could have wandered off. And there's always the possibility that someone might have claimed one of them already."
"Taken my property, you mean."
The underling nodded. "Yes, Lord Bison. They might have subverted your Doll to their service at her weak moment."
"Well then, we will have to teach any fool who would do something like that the folly of such imprudence. After we have taken back my tool," Bison stated with the slow acting venom that paralyzed before it killed, and tighten one gloved hand into a fist, while:
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