Carder and Gleiv escort me to a small white room. A metal table and two chair are the only furniture inside. They ask me to sit in the chair closest to the door. I look back at them and they take guard at either side of the still open door. I look around and see lights in the ceiling and that silver Sensi-strip along the wall. I don't wait long until I hear clicking feet coming down the hall. Soon those feet enter the room. Carder and Gleiv greet them with a "Good morning, doctor." and "Good morning, sir."

They come around the table and I finally come face to face with the one responsible for my being here.

She's beautiful.

As I watch the woman acknowledge the guards with a slight smile and nod, she sits in the chair opposite me and places a thick, black folder on the table. Her hazel eyes meet my brown I feel a shudder go through me. I'm almost taken aback at how young she is, younger than I. She's wearing a white lab coat opened at the bottom to reveal a tan skirt that comes just above her knees Her hair is auburn, cut short at the back and on sides. Her slightly longer hair on the top is gelled upward in soft spikes giving the style a modern look. Her lips are slightly colored with a tint of red and her skin is pale, as if she never goes out into the sun. Her demeanor and expression exude intelligence but there is also a hint of excitement as she smiles a bit too wide and speaks into the air. "G-log 030513, Tau specimen, codename Kashikoi Kame, Session 3, Initial Contact 01, recoding." A Russian accent. "Good morning. I hope you enjoyed your shower and breakfast. Devin is a wonderful cook… those clothes fit you well."

I almost say. 'Thank you, the shower was hot and refreshing and the food was delicious and Devin is delightful and I love the clothes and what wonderful weather we're having today.' But I immediately turn away her charm and bring my current situation to the forefront. Besides, there was no coffee!

"Who are you, where am I and what do you want with me?" I say flatly.

She sits back, slides her folded hands off the table and hides them in her lap, clearly deflated. "My name is Dr. Gavnikov… and you are Donatello Hamato, Hamato Donatello, to be exact… am I right?"

I nod.

Gavnikov… where have I heard that name before?

"As to where you are and why you are here, those are two sides of the same coin. Allow me to answer your questions with a story, one that begins before you and I were born."

I exhale and nod again.

Thirty years ago, a young English bio-geneticist traveled to Moscow for a science enthusiasts' conference to speak about his findings on improving and strengthening positive traits in human DNA. His research was so in-depth that he claimed to have concocted an almost finished working model. He called it, Protagen. Most attendees were skeptical of the young doctor, few were amused… but one was frightfully intrigued. A Russian pharmaceutical company owner named Umen had persuaded the bio-geneticist to head his genetics center in New York. What the young doctor didn't know was that Umen had wanted to control the rights to Protagen and make sure it never passed FDA requirements."

"Why would Umen hire the doctor, only to restrain the progress of Protagen?" I ask, not realizing how fascinated I am with her story so far.

Her hazel eyes look down, the corners of her lips curl, and she taps a pen against the metal table. I tend to do the same thing when I have to reveal an ugly truth to my brothers. She asks. "Why would a pharmaceutical company want to develop a drug that cured people, enhanced humanity?"

Answering a question with a question, I catch where she is going. "They wouldn't." I say. "Those companies make drugs that numb, stabilize, or slow the affects of the ailing condition. After all, there's no money in curing anything. So… how did the doctor allow Umen to sweep his project under the rug?"

"Tabitha."

I lift my brow and wait for her to go on.

"Tabitha was Umen's younger sister and partner-in-crime. She was beautiful, bright and beguiling. She spied for Umen and stole the doctor's heart while sabotaging his work. Every time the doctor got close to a breakthrough, Tabitha would change a molecule or delete one or two lines in the script and then…"

"The whole equation would crumble." I finish. All of this is amazing but I can tell she is leading up to something even bigger. I glance once again at the black folder on the table. She sees my eyes land on the object and slides it over to me. Here it comes.

"Umen was a brilliant man as well." She continues.

I turn the folder correctly in front of me and open it, thumbing through the scores of pages. I read aloud each label. "Multiple Sclerosis… Schizophrenia … Downs Syndrome… Alzheimer's?!" I look up at her, mouth agape. "These aren't what I think they are."

"They are. Umen found vaccines for all of those, all diseases dealing with brain degeneration. The accompanying diagrams are codes of DNA. Umen's version of Protagen works by arranging and rearranging DNA and exponentially multiplying to not only cure the diseases, but permanently erase them from the individual's genes forever. If that individual has offspring, only healthy genes will be transferred."

"My God!" I gasp. I don't mean to interrupt but… my God, this is all impossibly amazing. I nod for her to go on.

"Umen had found a practically identical formula to the doctor's Protagen a decade prior and modified it to compliment each specific disease listed here." She stands and leans over the table toward me. Her id card dangles from the pocket of her white jacket. Dr. S. Gavnikov… Gavnikov… I can't recall why that name is so familiar. I follow her finger as it runs across one of the drawings. It is a slender digit and its groomed nail shines with clear polish. "Umen would complete each vaccine and then omit a key equation in the formula. He left these vaccines incomplete so that no one could have them. He would have his pharmaceutical company make a lame drug they could sell instead. He intended to keep the profits coming in for a very long time."

I shake my head. "You speak of him in past tense… what happened to him?"

"He's dead. Tabitha killed him... yes, his very own sister." She adds, seeing how my face contorts. She sits back down and sighs heavily. "His plan was to keep his company going until he retired… then he would destroy his company and his competition by announcing to the world his cures. He and his lawyers drew up a 'one thousand year patent' so that no generic vaccines could be produced at a lower price. He planned on selling the vaccines for $500,000 a dose so that only the rich could benefit. He was not a good man. He would not give anything away for free. Tabitha thought Umen planted her to keep the young doctor from stealing from the company and controlling his research. She had no idea what her brother had done or what he planned on doing. Once Tabitha learned the truth of her brother's gluttony for money and power she stabbed Umen in the neck with a syringe and watched as her brother turned into a primordial puddle of ooze."

"Wait, wait wait!" Once I hear her say 'ooze' alarms go off in my head. I put up my hands and wave her to stop her storytelling and get to the point. "Ok, Dr. Gavnikov, time for the big reveal." I lean back in my chair and cross my arms, trying to not be phased by her words but also bracing myself for what is coming. "How do you know all of this, how are you connected, why do you care, and how do my family and I fit into all of this?"

She looks down again at her pen and fails to hide her smile. She must have the pen so she has something to do with her hands. I don't think she's planning on writing anything. I can tell that she likes knowing things others do not, like me. I also notice she likes telling what she knows and watch the reaction of those who listen, also like me. She reclines, rests an elbow on the back of her chair and crosses her legs, looking much more nonchalant. The issue must be bigger than what I expect. The more casual she attempts to look, the more smug her expression becomes. If it wasn't for her kidnapping me and stopping me from saving my brother, I might have liked her… and indulged in her image, reminding me of a quiet fantasy of mine.

She exhales and looks me right in the eye. "Promise not to interrupt." I nod and she begins. "Tabitha Gavnikov was my mother. She and the English bio-geneticist had a small love affair which resulted in me. Of course that means that Umen was my uncle… His corporation owned the small company in New York under the name TGRI, which was headed by Professor Jordan Perry. Yes, Jordan was my father. Because of my mother's interference with Jordan's Protagen project, he finally gave up and was forced to eliminate the toxic chemicals known as Mutagen, which I assume you are keenly aware of. Once his project ended, my mother was forced to leave the country. She did love Jordan but Umen threatened to have her deported and Jordan killed. She had no choice but to leave him and move back to Moscow, where she had me. My parents, being who they were, primed me to love science and my mother put me in the best schools. I graduated early and studied neuro-science at university. I hadn't known my father, but my mother often spoke of him, more so once she became sick. At some point my mother must have contacted Jordan and told him about me because a week after she died, he came to Russia and claimed me as his daughter. I was fourteen at the time… I moved to England with him and I eagerly learned everything he had to teach. That was ten years ago. I was fascinated with genetic engineering and micro-biology. I could never match his intellect though. It wasn't until he died six years ago that he gave me what I needed to complete his work… Yes, I am sorry, he is dead, heart stopped, very suddenly… he didn't suffer… I only knew him for a few years myself. I was more his protégé than his daughter in that time. I knew he loved me deeply by how much he poured into me, how much he invested in and entrusted to me… I inherited everything in his will. One particular document I received was an encrypted map and ledger, revealing the location of this very facility and a list of 'trusted' people I should contact."

She pulls out a sheet of paper from the back of the folder. There is a short list of names. "There are only a few people on staff here, all on this list; Carder and Gleiv, my go-to men for security and special operations, Devin McGaff, the cook and seamstress. She has many domestic skills, you should thank her for the clothes… There's also Troy, my assistant and Truth, the facility's technician. All report to me and believe in my and my father's endeavors. I had found all of those people, except one person..." She smiles at me.

I finally blink my eyes, feeling them sting away the dryness. "Me… he put me on your list?" I look down at the paper and, yes, my name at the very bottom; Hamato, Donatello, Location New York City, exact location, unknown, specifications, brain power.

She nods. "Yes, you. In studying his documents he credits you as the one who helped discover the Antigen. In his personal diary he stated that you were the most fascinating mind he had ever met." She pauses for a moment to allow this all to sink in. I appreciate it.

Antigen… Professor Perry and I made it to change two dangerous mutants, Tokka and Razar, a snapping turtle and wolf, back into their natural forms. What an exciting adventure! I give a small smile. I remember Professor Perry to be a skittishly brilliant man. I was fortunate to meet him. It was a pleasure to speak about such complex things and have someone to understand, or even challenge me, even if it was for a short time.

"I knew he had moved back to England but I had never known why. I'm sorry for your loss." My smile fades. Why am I being kind to her? She's my captor!

I'm captivated.

She licks her lips. "I had no idea how to find you and only had a small suspicion that you were a mutant."

I notice how she ignores my condolences. Maybe she is beginning to feel some sort or remorse, and guilt, for the situation she's placed me in. She continues. "All I knew was that you were a teenage genius from New York who, by the aid of his three other brothers, rescued Jordan from some bad people. I didn't decide to pursue my search of you until I became curious of my daughter's online science tutor." She grins.

I squint my eyes at her insinuation. Then my eyes widen. She must mean Anya! Of course! I run a hand down my face. "Anya Gavnikov is your daughter. She's one of my international online students from England."

She nods.

"How did you make the connection?" I ask.

"I am the one that signed her up for an online tutor." She says a-matter-of-factly. "For as fast as she was developing, I needed to make sure she was getting the best education. I wasn't searching for you at first… But there was one particular session I listened in on that sounded strangely familiar… it was almost verbatim to how my father taught me, the way you explained DNA to Anya… that is when I setup my little investigation… That was about six months ago."

I smirk. "It took you a while to find me. I had been tutoring Anya for almost a year by then. Why did you wait so long to… pursue me?" I want to spit.

"Your computer's electronic address was encrypted and bounced off of twelve different countries' satellites… You've set up a very elaborate maze for anyone wishing to find you. You had no physical address or telephone number and you only took payments. All I had was your name and subtle hints about where exactly in New York you were when you spoke with Anya. You also never consented to video chat, just audio. And what made me absolutely sure it was you were the drawing and tabloid paper clipping my father kept in the back of his journal."

"Paper clipping?" I ask.

She pulls out some folded pieces of paper from her side pocket and slides them over to me. I reach out and take them; willfully disregarding the sharp tingle I feel when my hand touches hers. I unfold the papers. "This is the night we won a big battle, accidentally barging into a warehouse dance club… Our father was, surprisingly, less angry than I expected about us being seen… and this… is a drawing of me. Dr. Perry drew this?"

"Yes, and he entitled it, simply, 'Donatello'." The drawing was etched in black pen. You can tell it was not done by an artist. The lines were scribbled and the eyes too far apart… but it was me, a younger version. I hand the papers back to her. "Once I put 'two and two together' I knew you weren't human. Besides, you are a fantastic teacher to Anya. I know a lot of smart people who know a lot of things but don't know how to communicate their ideas. You do wonderfully with her and she sings nothing but praises about you. She doesn't have a lot of friends; you were thousands of miles away from her and still left such an impression." She gives a little smile. I nod as I recall the Wednesday and Saturday evenings I've spent on the computer, finishing up the lesson and Anya wanting to talk about things unrelated to her studies. She would have so many questions and her logic and understanding would be uncanny. We would play online chess and other strategy games as well. I do enjoy speaking with the little girl.

But now I am confused about something. "This can't be right. Anya can't be your biological daughter. She's is ten years old, a brilliant ten year old, but still... And you couldn't be more than… twenty…" I fumble.

"I am twenty-four, twenty-five in June." She offers. "Actually, Anya is my step-sister, Jordan's daughter. I became her guardian and raised her as my own when he passed. Perhaps you will meet her someday." There's that smile again. I take a mental note. I never had inklings that the professor had been married, or even in a relationship, to have had a daughter. I wonder why he'd never mentioned this to me.

"Well, that covers my first two questions." I say, inviting her to continue.

"Why I care and what concern is it to you and your family…" She uncrosses her legs and folds her hands in her lap. She lowers her head and looks up at me, almost pouting, almost adorable. "I care because of what my mother died of. You've heard of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disorder…"

I appreciate her correctly assuming I have heard of the rare neurological disease, CJD, instead of asking me. I nod and she continues. "It claimed my mother's life when she was only fifty years old. It took her quickly. A month before she died, she was angry when she killed my uncle, Umen."

"Why was Tabitha angry enough at Umen to want to kill him?" I ask.

"Umen had discovered the cure for CJD. And he would not give his only sister the vaccine. When my mother found out Umen found the cure and wouldn't even want to heal his only sister, she realized what a money-hungry monster he really was. He controlled her and used her her entire life and she was going to pay the ultimate price for it."

The pit in my stomach grows. I'm thoroughly disgusted at this man. I rest my chin in my hand and look away to think. "So I'm guessing the concoction in the syringe Tabitha release into Umen was Antigen. That's why he molecularly separated into a 'puddle of ooze'."

"Her doctors mentioned that that's what she claimed had happened, but the hallucinations my mother had, along with other symptoms, narrowed down to her having CJD. And they never found Umen. He must have evaporated or sunk into the floor. Once tests were done, we found that the disease is hereditary and viciously aggressive. In my research I can surmise that my great-grandmother died of CJD at the age of seventy-two and my grandmother at fifty-seven." She stops and folds her hands over themselves. "The disease overcame its victims in my family line twenty-one years sooner in only two generations. That means I could start showing signs in as little as five years. If the disease evolves exponentially, it could already be turning my brain into a sponge." She says, joking minimally.

I get it now.

"You think, because I helped Professor Perry create Antigen, I have the capacity to reengineer it into Protagen and eradicate your CJD gene."

"I believe you can solve the key line of code Umen erased and complete it… You would save countless lives from many diseases and change the course of humanity."

"Your flaw in all of this is you hoping that I would give a damn about humanity, especially a 'human' like you." I say without thinking. I surprise her speechless. She knows I have more to say. "You do realize you had picked a hell of a day to go kidnapping? If I could have just gotten to him sooner… If I would have held onto him, my added mass would have negated the time transfer and Leo would have still been here with us where he belongs!" I bang my fists on the table. The metal clangs against the floor. She lifts her hands, signaling the guards at the door not to react. I barely acknowledge this as I go on. "What if I say no? Hell no? Would you quit this little 'double-O-seven' crap and let me go? You've wasted your time on me. I need to go home!"

She purses her lips and lays her hands flat on the table. She looks behind me at the guards and then at me. I am not going to like what she is about to say. "If you help me in finding the key to complete Protagen, you will be saving countless lives from a horrible death… and countless little girls from loosing their mother…"

My mind flashes imaginary images of a younger version of the doctor, hugging a faceless brunette woman, her mother. The mother disappears and the girl cries out in vain. And then I imagine the doctor holding hands with Anya, also a faceless child. I imagine her to have dark curly tendrils like her mother, actually older half-sister. And then Anya left all alone, and scared.

"Once you find the vaccine for CJD it should be more than easy for you to find a pattern and solve for the other diseases. I have no doubt that you could pass every test we throw at you, Hamato… But this is a test of morality, the sacrifice for the greater good. This involves you and your family more than you know. I knew you would be hiding, but I just didn't know where. I needed time to call my other trusted contacts and get a team together who knew how to detect anomalies within the regular grid of the New York City. And once we found it, we came to New York and waited for it to happen again. We detected the power surge and went in. We had to be careful. You are not the first mutant we've come across… You've seen the cages of random animals… those were once mutants. None of them passed the sentient tests as well as you. None of them made it as far as your have. They were always meant to be wild and free. You could be so much more. We will release them back into their natural habitat and tie up the loose ends."

"What loose ends?" I ask.

"My secondary agenda is to eradicate any connection of the ooze to the name of my father. Once TGRI crumbled, Jordan started the Perry Foundation in England to ensure that Protagen can become a reality someday. But the catalyst and structure of Protagen has always been Mutagen. Although few and far between, sightings of you and other mutants could one day lead to being captured by the wrong people. Then the tests and dissection would commence and the traces of Mutagen would lead right back to The Perry Foundation and we would never find the cure! The money will stop and the research will die. None of these vaccines will be completed... at least not by us and not in this century." She stands and pushes in her chair. Her eyes keep fluttering back and forth between me and her guards.

"I know you want to protect your family," She says. "But I want to protect mine as well. If you refuse to help me make Protagen then I will assume you to be a threat to the foundation and to humanity. I will have to cure you and your family with the Antigen and devolve you back to your natural states."

"What? How dare you…!" The guards are quickly on top of me, restraining my arms and pinning me back in my chair. It's not like I was going to hurt her! "We are not animals! Haven't I proved that to you already?"

"You ARE animals, transformed through human error. Your desire to stay in this mutated state was placed into your DNA made by Jordan, a human. You are my father's responsibility, now mine, and our potential downfall. Besides, this is ultimately not about proving anything to me. Sooner or later you will be exposed by the wrong people. Then who will be your ally? If you help me make the Protagen, no one would ever harm you or your family. You would be mankind's savior… my savior." She wraps her hands around the top of her chair.

I give a weak laugh. "People die everyday, Doctor. It's the nature of things. This Protagen sounds like a fantastic idea at face value, but maybe Umen had a point." She gasps but I ignore her. "In hindsight, if everyone took their free dose of Protagen, and no one died of these diseases, the whole world would succumb to over-population and we would all die of hunger or dehydration, or maybe some other unthinkable thing instead. There is no cure for greed, doctor." I smirk. "And as enticing as this offer you're giving me to work on a cure sounds, forgive me if I'm not jumping at the chance to save your life. Not after you prevented me from saving my own brother."

She closes her eyes and exhales. "There are no sufficient words I can say to apologize and no way can I atone for the ill-timing that led to loosing your brother. But you and I are both scientists…You cannot deny how horrifyingly perfect the odds are for it to happen the way it did..."

I bit the inside of my lip. As much as I chided myself for doing so, I'd done the math in my head countless times already. The statistics are so tremendous; it's as if Leo was supposed to leave us. I still didn't like it.

She walks around the table, out of my line of sight, Carder and Gleiv still holding me. She speaks from the door. "I only say this because I want you to know that I understand, somewhat, where you're coming from… Think about it. Deeply. We share the same world, Hamato. It doesn't matter that you were confined in the darkness and I was in the light. One cannot exist with out the other. You can stay apart of this world, help make it better, or you can choose the Antigen and forget about it all." She huffs a small laugh. "Honestly, I envy you a bit. None of this would matter, not fighting, not Mutagen, nor the human condition, to a simple little turtle…"

"Then why don't you take the first sip, Doctor?" I sneer.

"I don't have that option, Hamato… not yet. I still have purpose, and not just to my daughter, Anya... What is your purpose, Donatello?" I hear her heels click down the hall. "Take him to room S7. I think he'll find it more comfortable there."

The guards say. "Yes Sir." They usher me out of the door and down the opposite direction from where Dr. Gavnikov heels tap away around a corner.

It turns out to be a short walk from the interrogation room to my new quarters. Still, within this short time my mind is racing. My heart is beating hard and my jaw becomes sore from clenching. She has totally justified her imprisoning me for the greater good of humanity. Damn my freedom, my family and my brother. She's the one with the family curse. This is not my problem!

Carder and Gleiv guide me into an open door and my mental ranting subsides momentarily. This room is, indeed, much more comfortable than the cold small cell I first woke up in a few days ago. There is a large window, opposite my now descending and locking door. Sigh.

Alone again, at least physically.

I'm positive that the silver strip running along the parameter is transmitting sound and video. I turn my attention back to the window. Sure, it's a false window, more like a screen, but the artificial sunlight coming through lifts some of the heaviness off my shoulders I hadn't noticed I was carrying. I walk into the middle of the space… very utilitarian, muted colors on the simple furniture, a chair, table and lamp. But the single bed has two pillows so I guess I should be grateful. I turn left and head into the bathroom. Just like the one before, there are no Sensi-strips in here. So, the doctor's not a pervert. It doesn't outweigh everything else she's done. I sit in the dimness and think. I exhale sharply as I remember her asking me to 'think deeply'. If she'd 'thought deeply' this whole situation would have turned out differently. Instead of ambushing us like murderous criminals or rabid animals, she could have just knocked on our door. Cautious words would have gone back and forth but the point would have been laid out eventually. All she'd have had to do was mention Professor Jordan Perry and I would have at least listened to her.

"I would have." I whisper as I sit my elbows in my lap and face in my hands. And my anger starts to boil and my logic is quickly being steamed away. I wanted the darkness to swallow me. I didn't want to face whatever was coming. Not alone. Not without my family, my brothers. Not without Leo! Even if I survive this, there's nothing I can do to get him back. These damn tears won't stop.

It's your fault. You lost your brother.

I know.

The doctor and her men have nothing to do with your inability to be close to your brother when he needed you the most.

I know!

How will you face your family? How will you be able to look into your father's eyes and tell him, 'I lost your favorite son… ?'

Oh, God...

God has nothing to do with your sins. And even if you do decide to help the doctor, curing millions of humans will never bring you brother back.

I sob.

If either of you had to be stranded in time, it should have been you.

Is it because I have ingenuity and would be better equipped to manage than Leo would?

No. It's because your family would still have a leader. Not left with you, an apprehensive know-it-all. The best of you is gone.

I fall to the floor, upon the cool tile, crying miserably. "Father… I'm so sorry, father… I'm sorry."

Then I hear a low whisper. It startles me at first but then I just sit and listen. This voice is different from the vindictive one I was torturing myself with. This voice is warm and familiar. It's not coming from my head. It is coming from my heart.

Father?

"Do what you have been, then do what you should, then do what you want."

The words kept echoing, over and over. When it finally dissipates, an overwhelming sense of peace remains. "Master Splinter." My lips part. He's connected with me. Does he know I'm alive? Does he already know bout Leo? I stand to my feet and wipe the tears from my face. I step into the main living area and, feeling the light over my face I, go right into my katas. I stretch and kick and turn, elongating my muscles and enjoying the tension release from my tendons.

I must do what I have been, and then do what I should, and then I can do what I want. Well, all I've been doing so far is ask questions and cry about the answers. To be fair, I've been compliant and, for the most part, calm. I'll just stay cool and ask questions. Then I should make my decision as to whether or not I help the doctor make Protagen. Maybe I should. It's not my responsibility to take the future of my mutated family's free will into my hands. None of them would want to turn back into box turtles or a brown rat. Would we even realize what we had lost if we had take the Antigen? Like Dr. Gavnikov said, even Dr. Perry before her, we were accidents. An unplanned occurrence. A phenomenon. Does humanity live with their mistake of bringing us into their world, or do they make amends?

To hell with their mistakes, I want to live.

I spend the rest of the day in seclusion, refusing food and the company of the younger guard, Gleiv, who 'just wanted to talk'. I meditate on the floor until the faux window swells into a dark blue. I climb into bed and fall asleep.

...

A/N: What the heck! That's a lot to throw at Donnie at one time, but I think he can handle it. I hope I'm right because more is coming his way. Do you guys remember Professor Jordan Perry From TMNT2? Which TMNT movie was your favorite?… Any comments?