I couldn't sleep at all, at least not tonight. A famous scientist, Dr. Rooks, was going to be in town. Somehow I was going to sneak into his laboratory and see him. Somehow.
"Donatello, not again!" the guys yelled from the den opening.
"How many times are you going to do this?" Mikey walked over to me and sat down on the couch beside me.
"I know you idolize this scientist guy, but enough is enough," Leo seemed worried. " You can't stay up all night just because you're anxious to see this guy."
I didn't pay much attention to their pleas. I just left the den and went to get on-line on my computer. The login time took forever, but by the time I got on, I had received an invite to a science chat room.
First thing I saw was the online host announce the topic for discussion.
Online host: Today's topic is a discussion on mutations. Our scientist in this discussion is Dr. Rooks.
I was in awe.
Generation T: So, Dr. Rooks, what do you think about the occurrence of mutation in lesser species?
"Let's see how he answers that," I said feeling very proud of myself.
Generation T: How can you say that?
Rooks05: Easily, Science has proven that.Rooks05: Simple, it cannot oocur. Mutation in itself has only occurred with
amoebas in laboratories.
I could not believe my eyes. Something I based my life on was being used against me.
Rooks05: How do you know so much? I mean why do you think this way?
Generation T: What do you mean? I know too much, how?
Rooks05: Nothing, I meant nothing.
Generation T: Yes you did!Generation T: That's where you're wrong. Science has not proven that it
doesn't exist, but that it can be, with the right knowledge.
What did he mean? He's hiding something from me.
Rooks05: I must go now. Generation T, I will send you an e-mail so that we may continue this discussion.Generation T: All right.
A few moments he had gotten off and I heard those annoying words.
"You got mail," I mimicked.
I clicked on the icon and downloaded a short message from the doctor. All that was in it was a time, date, and a few directions.
"I guess he wants me to meet him tonight," I said while reading the e-mail.
I followed the directions down to the very last letter. When I felt that I had reached the right spot I stayed in the shadows to wait for him. After an hour he finally came. He looked almost worried. I wonder why?
He was a short man with a rather large head and graying hair, or what was left, on top of his extremely large head. Not the picture of beauty if you ask me. Wow, and I idolized this funny looking man. I must have problems.
"Hello," he said aloud. "Is anyone there?"
"Yes," I walked out of the shadows making sure to pull my trench coat up around my face.
"Generation T?"
"Yes. Now, Dr. Rooks, what is it you had to talk with me about?"
"Follow me," he motioned to a door offset from the alley.
I walked inside. His laboratory was enormous. Everything a scientist could ever want or need was within that lab.
Within the lab the doctor and I spoke about all aspects of mutation. He was marveled about how much I knew.
"Tell me, Donatello. How do you know so much about mutation?" he asked.
"From my own experience," even though we had talked for hours, he still had not got a good look at me.
"Experience?" he was puzzled.
"Yes," I paused. "Could you keep your word?"
"Keep my word to what?"
I took off my fedora, and looked down at the ground.
"Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I looked up at him. "This is amazing!"
"You're not scared at all?" now I was puzzled.
"No. Why should I be?"
"Because I'm different."
"So."
How could he just nonchalantly not care? There was a knock on the door, and Dr. Rooks walked toward it and opened it.
"Ah, Lily. You came early today," he welcomed her in as I quickly tried to hide myself.
But too late she saw me, "I'm sorry, doctor. If I would have known you had company I would have came later."
"Don't apologize for something you didn't know about," he said while walking her toward me.
"Lily, this is Donatello."
I blushed a little in front of her, and she did, too. I couldn't believe how beautiful she was. She had very short blonde hair that curved around her face, she had brown eyes that a guy could get lost in, and the cutest smile I had ever saw.
"I need to go run an errand. Lily, your in charge here, and Donatello, you can stay as long as you like," he said waving to us as he walked out the door.
"So I guess we're all alone," could I sound cornier?
"Yeah, I guess we are," she said shyly.
"So what do you do here?" I wanted to find out as much as I could.
"A little of this, a little of that," she looked away from me. "Mostly paper work, though."
"How exciting," I'm starting to sound as sarcastic as Raph.
"Sometimes it can be, but who cares. It pays the bills."
She walked to a closet and hung up her coat. She walked to a desk and pulled out some folders and a pen. Then she sat down at the table Dr. Rooks and I originally sat at.
"I'm guessing you're as much as a scientist as Dr. Rooks," she said leafing through the folders.
"Yes. How did you know?" I was a little shocked to hear her say that.
"Dr. Rooks only lets the most passionate scientists or future scientists into his lab," she glanced at my expression. "I guess he saw a lot of potential in you."
"Dr. Rooks sees potential in me? How could he see potential in me?"
"Don't be modest. I saw your conversation with him in the chat room. You know what you are talking about. You are actually one of two people that were able to stump him."
"Who's the other one?"
"Me," we both laughed, but only a little.
She showed me everything, or what I thought to be everything. I found myself there, talking to her until the morning hours.
"Whoa, it's 7 am," I didn't believe I stayed there that long. "I better get going."
I started to walk away, but she stopped me, "Don. I'm here everyday at six in the evening. If you want, you could drop by every once in a while."
"I'd love to," I smiled and she smiled back.
She walked me to the door and let me out. Now I have to think of an excuse to tell my brothers.
