Here is my new story!
I'm really excited to write this one, I hope that you guys enjoy it!
Oh! and thank you to Grungekitty for helping me out with the ideas for this story!
*THAAAAANK YOOoooooouuuuu...* :D
Enjoy!
49 Days to Make a Mistake
Day One: A Don Discovery
Normal P.O.V.
It was ten till midnight. Not that that was late for the turtle brothers. In fact the only odd thing about them all being awake at this hour was that none of them were outside of the lair. It was Tuesday night, which means not too many people would be out and about. But Leo just didn't feel like leaving today. He felt utterly and completely lazy. It was a rare feeling for Leonardo, he was a hard worker, and he liked being a hard worker.
But everyone has their days.
What was even more surprising was that both Raph and Mikey agreed. Raph because he decided that he had already worked up enough of a sweat after his elongated work out earlier and Mikey because he decided that some good ol' family bonding was needed. He held out a pack of cards, daring Raph to not accept his hidden challenge.
So the lazy day was set, and a game was chosen. All that was missing was the last brother.
"I'll go get Don," Leo offered not wanting to be the one that ends the amusing staring contest going on between his two fired up siblings.
The door to Don's lab was open, which has been the case as of late. The brothers have been getting along splendidly these last couple weeks. And Don seemed to enjoy the heartwarming sounds of his family, just being their happy selves outside.
Leaving his door open also gave silent permission for visitors, which his brothers have been making sure to take proper advantage of, like now for instance.
Leo slid into the lab, not even bothering to prevent his shell from scraping the side of the door. Don was at his computer, not typing. He didn't turn at his brother's noisy entrance.
"Maybe he's thinking too hard again," thought Leo worriedly. All brothers at some point have caught Don so deep in thought that someone had to physically touch him to bring him out of it.
Leo took an experimentally large step forward, purposely bumping one of Don's rolling chairs as he did so, causing the wheels to give a soft protesting sequel.
The experiment was unnecessary.
"Leo can you close the door?" asked Don still not turning around.
Leo froze "Uh ok, Don what's wrong?" said Leo as he slowly reached out to shut the door, making sure to glance outside at his two feistier brothers as it shut. Luckily it looked as if a wrestling match had begun. Leo hoped that Mikey could hold out long enough for this talk with Don to finish.
Leo wasted no time and marched importantly right over to Don. Whatever Don had to talk about most likely deserved some amount of seriousness, Leo decided to do his best to honor that. Before he even made it to the genius Don spun around to face him.
Leo hesitated, lowering his posture in his uncertainty. He was more than happy to help his brothers out if one of them needed something, emotional support or advice. But Don's face was completely straight, which meant he probably just needed to explain something. And from the deadpan look in his eye, it wasn't something good.
"Alright Donnie, the door's closed, what's wrong?" asked Leo again.
Don seemed to sink in on himself a little. Licking his lips nervously he began, "It- it's not exactly that something is wrong Leo. In fact something is both wrong and right."
Leo sighed helping himself to the rolling chair he had bumped earlier, "Why don't we start with the good news, but you better make this quick Donnie, Mikey is determined for another round of brotherly bonding. And Raph won't hesitate to bust down that door."
Don chuckled dryly "Ok, I get it, I like my doors were they are thank you," he was silent again before continuing "Leo I have discovered a cure for Protozoa."
Leo waited a moment before grumbling, "Don don't make me ask what that is, you know I don't know."
"Protozoan Disease is an illness caused by harmful parasites. It actually covers a large range of diseases that one could acquire from Leishmaniasis to malaria," Don pauses for a moment before continuing. "Leo, this disease kills approximately 1.1 million people a year. Granted a large portion of that is from an inability to get the proper vaccines, or second world living conditions. But what I've created will only require one shot. In fact it could be given to any human and they would be protected from any sort of Protosoa infection, for life. And, oh man that could only be the beginning! The immunities I could build up because of this! It could save so many! Maybe even-"
Don stopped, the excitement he built up as he spoke immediately dying down. He sunk back into his chair. The thing didn't even groan as he leaned back into it. 'Leave it to Don to build the only office chair that didn't make noise,' thought Leo as his own chair gave another audible squeal.
"But it won't work. Honestly Leo I don't even know why I'm telling you this, it doesn't matter really," said Don.
Leo leaned forward giving Don a patient straight face, "Why not?"
"Because Leo, it requires our plasma, our mixed mutated plasma for it to work," Don said looking away from Leo
Leo didn't respond right away as he processed what his brother had just said, and then it clicked. "What Don, how could you, why, Don this is not ok," Leo was flustered and angry, two things he tried hard not to ever be. But when Leo really thought of it, this news was definitely bad news. If Don found this out, then that means experiments done on any of them may end up with similar results. If scientist actually had a reason to go after them, if the government did! Leo knew none of them would stand a chance, not against the United States Government! And stockman, not that stockman cares about cures for mankind. But others would, scientist, people who care, and Leo didn't even want to imagine what Don meant by only the beginning.
To Leo this drug didn't sound too important, but it did provide one thing. It provided the horrifying proof, that studies done on them would actually be worthwhile.
"Don how could you take this risk, what have you been doing!" continued Leo standing up from his chair, as images of sterile science labs, and white coats covered in blood danced through his brain.
Don met Leo's gaze with his own calm glare, "Leo I was just experimenting, turtles have a natural resistance to Protozoan Diseases. Mix that with our human blood and I created a mixture that could be inserted into a human body without the body naturally rejecting the foreign substance as it should," Don's hard gaze melts once again turning somber.
"Leo, I'm sorry, I was just messing around, and this was just a side experiment. I mean, our mutagen is amazing. And I do mean ours in particular, it's different somehow, an older model that the kraang were working on at the time I imagine. Its effects were both more subtle, yet more complete. But Leo, I am sorry, about this, really I am, I don't know what to do," Don finished putting his head in his hands.
Leo tried to understand, and in a way he got the gist of it. Of course Don had to try this experiment. He experiments, that's what he does. And this was bound to happen, in fact this wasn't the first, nor will it be the last time that Don's research comes with complications.
However Don didn't ask Leo to come in here for sentimental understanding, he brought Leo in here for advice, from someone he respected. And to be respected by someone like Don meant something to the young leader, so Leo would be honest, and hopefully, he would be right.
Leo grabbed Don by the shoulders and bent down to his brother's height. He thought about Don's kind nature, his desire to help everyone around him. He thought about how Don was probably imagining the cries of the humans who he didn't know, dying from some disease Leo hardly understood. And Leo thought about his own honor, and what it would have him say.
"Don, stop this research, it's too dangerous. Even an improved version of this cure that only needed a duplicate of our blood, or plasma, or something like that, would give some humans too many ideas. Because either way, the components of this thing would have to be released to the public for this thing to make any difference," said Leo.
Don bit his lip allowing Leo to see the struggle in his eyes, science or safety. The fierce need to not give up on anything, and the consequences not giving up could mean.
Leo decided to stick to the truth of his thoughts, the whole truth, before he allowed Don to make this decision. So he finished constructing what his mind had processed into his words. "But Donnie, I am so proud of you for finding this cure. You did this, and this medicine was just a side project. That is amazing Donnie, I really am so impressed. You can do so many things Don, don't let this get you down. I'm too self-centered to want you to continue this thing. But I can at least understand what it must have taken to accomplish what you have done."
With that the lab door burst open and Mikey and Raph tumbled into the room. Mikey literally throwing game cards into the air as Raph jumped to grab them, yelling creative curses at Mikey for bending the deck.
Leo backed up from Don immediately racing towards Mikey in an attempt to save the last remaining quarter of the cards.
Don stood smiling. He turned back towards his computer for a moment and whispered, "You know what Leo, I'm selfish too."
Yet even as he blissfully listened to his brother's familiar groans of exasperation and laughter in the background. He saved his work onto a separate flash drive, only deleting it from his main computer.
Stay tuned for the next chapter, Day Three!
It will be much longer I promise!