You all might get angry as you're reading this fanfiction. Just a warning…:(
Also, I'm not good at describing scientific stuff, so I'm a bit rusty…sorry. :)'
Hi, everyone. Glenn Keaton. Welcome to the Keaton Hour, and joining us today is Malcolm Sefton, the founder of Morph Enterprises. Welcome, Mr. Sefton.
Thank you for having me, Keaton.
So, Mr. Sefton, your latest contribution to the police force, the MetalCops, have been praised for saving thousands of lives during the last three months since they have been introduced. Now I understand that the reason you put so much effort into this was because you were tired of all the deaths of cops and deaths by cops?
Yes, that's right, Keaton. There are too many casualties on both sides. Families are losing fathers, mothers, sons, daughters. All of America is sick of it, and that's why I hired some of the most brilliant minds in our country to invent a robot that would be able to take down criminals and offenders without causing fatal injuries. The ballistic steel armor covering its body protects it from damages caused by bullets. And it does not fire bullets, itself. It instead stuns the perpetrator with a wrist-mounted Taser.
And for when they are high-speed chases, it can actually transform itself into a vehicle?
Yes, that's correct.
And how fast can these things go?
The maximum speed is 315 mph.
Oh, my goodness. So, every police cruiser is required to have one MetalCop, correct? So whenever a cop pulls someone over, it's the MetalCop that actually inspects the driver first?
Well, Keaton, every MetalCop has a camera, through which the officer can see whether or not the driver is armed and dangerous. The MetalCop asks the driver to show his/her license and registration, and once it receives the documents, it gives them to the patrol officer. If the driver is suspected of being drunk or hiding any drugs, the officer will instruct the MetalCop to keep an eye on the driver while he inspects the vehicle or does a sobriety test. If the MetalCop detects any kind of threat from the driver, it will immediately take action and pin him/her to the ground.
So the robot actually makes decisions? It thinks for itself?
It does what it is programmed to do. It still takes orders from police officers, but if it detects danger, it will do whatever it takes to protect the officer and the citizens.
And what if the police officer is the threat, himself?
Well, like I said, the MetalCop has a camera and monitors everything, and so if the officer does abuse his power, then the people down at the station who are watching can determine what to do at that point.
Astounding. Well, Mr. Sefton, all of America thanks you for your MetalCops. Except maybe the criminals.
Ha ha ha, I'm sure. But the real credit goes to the scientists of Morph Enterprises. Without them, none of this would have been possible.
April walked through the big glass doors and to the front desk. A blonde woman filing her fingernails didn't look up at her as she entered. "Can I help you?" she asked rather unenthusiastically.
"Um, yes, I think someone I know works here," April said. "A…mutant turtle, perhaps?"
The clerk looked up from her nails and raised an eyebrow at her. "Turtle?" she scoffed. "Ma'am, if a 'turtle' was working here, I'd know about it."
"Okay, well, what about 'Donatello?' April suggested. "Does that name ring a bell?"
The woman sighed exasperatedly and picked up the phone. "Hold on, I'll check," she mumbled. She tapped her fingers on the desk waiting for someone to answer. "Nate? Yeah, it's Katie. You know anybody named 'Donatello' who works here? Okay, thanks." She hung up and looked back at April with a shrug. "Sorry, ma'am. No Donatello works here."
April felt her heart sank. "Are you absolutely sure? Because it's really important that I meet…"
"Look, ma'am, we're really busy here," Katie went back to filing her nails. "If you really want to find this guy, go to an archivist or something."
April nearly gave up and was about to leave, when she noticed that Katie was too preoccupied with her nails to be aware of her surroundings. She didn't even notice an employee who carrying a large pile of papers and a cup of coffee trip and fall flat on his face.
She casually and quietly walked around the desk, keeping an eye on Katie as she passed by. Thankfully, she was able to sneak past the not-so reliable clerk.
She eventually found the security control room, where a tubby officer was busy texting. "Excuse me, sir, I need to find someone, an old friend of mine. I think he works here."
The officer didn't look up from his phone. "If you need help, go to the clerk," he merely said.
April rolled her eyes. Where did Casey hear that security here was tight? Using her mind, she lifted the chair off the ground and slammed the officer headfirst into the ceiling. When she put the chair back down, the man was unconscious and had a large bump on his head. "Sorry," she whispered.
She then walked to the video wall and searched for any sign of her Turtle friend. There were several laboratories but only one of them had an employee at work. His back was to the camera, and she couldn't see his face. But as she leaned in closer, she noticed that his back looked more like a…
"Donnie…!"
She was now facing the door to the lab, and slowly, she reached for the doorknob with a shaky hand. She turned it and opened the door, the cool air rushing out and the sound of typing could be heard.
She walked into the white clean room. Several deactivated MetalCops, two of them with limbs missing, were sitting in a corner. About twenty empty coffee cups were on a metal table in the middle of the room. And sitting at a desk in front of a computer was the employee she had been searching for.
There was no doubt about it. It was Donatello. She'd recognize that shell and grey green skin anywhere. She noticed that he wasn't wearing his old purple mask, though.
She opened her mouth, but the words were stuck in her throat. What could she say? She felt like it had been an eternity since she last saw him and his brothers. Her heart was now pounding harder than ever and her legs were shaking.
Get a hold of yourself, April. Remember Master Splinter.
"Donnie?" she said barely below a whisper.
At the sound of her voice, the Turtle turned his head and she nearly jumped back when she saw a robotic red eye glancing back at her.
Donnie turned around in his office chair and revealed his shocking new appearance to her. His right arm and both of his legs had been replaced with robotic limbs. Both of his once auburn eyes had cyborg implants. The way they coldly bore into her own eyes sent shivers down her spine.
Was it just his body that had changed? Was the old Donnie even in there? There was only one way to find out.
"Donnie," she said softly, "It's…it's great to see you again."
The cyborg Turtle simply stared at her, folding his hands in his lap. Why wasn't he saying anything?
April swallowed and forced herself to speak. "Something's different about you, Donnie. Did you get a…a haircut?" She chuckled weakly and wringed her hands. "Bad joke, I know. You guys never had hair, anyway."
Donnie didn't even crack a smile. He continued to look at her impassively.
There was awkward silence in the room for a moment.
"So, um…?" April nervously started to say, before she was interrupted by Donnie.
"This is a restricted area."
"…what?"
"You shouldn't be in here," he continued to speak in a monotone voice. "I'm on the clock, and you're just wasting my time." He turned back around and started typing again. "So I suggest you leave before I call security."
April stared at him in disbelief as he continued to type. How could he say that to one of his best friends? Did he even think of her as a friend anymore?
"Security?" she spat. "You mean that fat oaf who's too busy texting and stuffing his face with donuts? Yeah, I wouldn't count on him coming to get me. Besides, have you completely forgotten who you're talking to? Former kunoichi with telekinetic powers?"
"What do you want, April?" Donnie sighed without turning away from the computer.
"Is that all you have to say to me?" April asked incredulously. "After all these years? Do you have any idea how many nights I've stayed awake thinking about you and the others? Wondering if you were even still alive? Do you even care that one of your best friends went through all this trouble just to see you again? I'm jeopardizing my own career here! I'm risking everything for you, Donnie!"
He only continued typing.
April felt angry tears building up in her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried to keep herself together. "Anyway," she said shakily, "I'm here because Master Splinter's dying."
"And?" he asked impassively.
"And," she snapped, "we need to get the family back together again before it's too late."
"Well, good luck with that," he mumbled.
"Aren't you going to come? Aren't you even concerned that your father is dying?"
"Everybody dies. Nobody lives forever. You of all people should know that, April."
"But…but, Donnie…he's still your father…! He raised you since you were a baby. He loved you like a son."
"The 'love' he had for me or any of his sons was merely a result of the hormone Oxytocin. It's just a chemical reaction."
Okay, April, take a deep breath. Give him one last chance.
"You know, Mikey would've wanted you to come."
"Mikey's dead. What does it matter?"
"Donnie…please…"
He suddenly turned to look at her. "I'll tell you what does matter, though. What matters is that my bosses are depending on me to produce twelve thousand MetalCops by the end of the week, and if I want to keep my job, then I have to meet the deadline. And the more time you spend talking to me, the more money you're costing me. So if you don't mind, please leave and let finish my work." He turned back to his computer and resumed his typing.
Her first were clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her angry tears were now spilling down her face.
"Did you replace your heart with a robotic one, too?" she whispered bitterly.
"I'm thinking about it," Donnie replied.
April sighed in defeat and wiped away her tears. "Yeah, well," she mumbled, "thanks for nothing." She then stomped out of the lab and slammed the door shut.
She wept bitterly as she sat in her car, not caring about the people who would walk by and glance at her.
That wasn't the Donnie she knew. That wasn't even a person. That was a cold, emotionless machine.
I'm so sorry, Karai…Master Splinter…Mikey…
She prayed that Casey and Karai were having more luck than she was.
Well, Donnie has made his decision. What about Raph and Leo? Will they hear Casey and Karai's pleas and agree to come back…?