Emotionless Mutation (Book Three)

Chapter 4: Emotionless

Donatello works intently as he runs some tests on Subject. The girl never flinches or looks the least bit uncomfortable, instead looking almost curious; the only indication of such is from the way she never takes her eyes off his movements. He scribbles notes down on a pad of paper, nodding his head unconsciously every now and again.

"Are you finding anything of worth?" she inquires as she steps out from behind a bunch of television sets that work together to create an x-ray.

Donatello stares at the results on screen, an elated yet stunned look on his face. "Loads! Why...you've got human blood and human bodily functions, but some of you brain and other functions are completely robotic! Amazing!" He points to the screen that displays one of her arms. "Look, most of the muscles in your arms and—and, well, your legs too, come to think of it—they're completely metal! You must be incredibly strong!"

Subject registers no sign of happiness, but he's already pretty used to that. "My strength is no more than that of a healthy young man, but yes, I suppose my strength does not match up to my body type."

He finds himself smiling as he turns away from the display to face her. She stares blankly back at him and he's suddenly reminded of Diaval. Same blank look, but there's a light in Subject's eyes that Diaval doesn't have. It's an artificial light, but a light nonetheless.

"Hey, Sub, why don't you change your facial expression?" he asks suddenly, scrambling to get his pen from where he stuck it in his mask.

She tilts her head and her eyes narrow a fraction. "What ever do you mean?"

"I mean, you never show any sign of being embarrassed or amazed or...anything. Why?"

"What are these things you speak of? What functions are they?"

He fails to hide the surprise that engulfs him. Everything comes together, snapping together conclusions as if he's solving a Rubix Cube.

"You mean emotions?" he asks.

"Emotions..." She says it slowly, trying the word out on her tongue. "I am not familiar with the term."

He almost laughs. Her confusion is sort of cute. "Emotions are a natural instinctive state of mind, deriving from one's circumstances, mood, or relationships with others. They make you human." He turns back to the x-ray and starts to tap his chin with his pen. "You should feel them, considering that most of your brain and heart are human," he continues, aiming his pen at the image of her chest and brain. He pulls up a chair, sits down, and spins to face her. She imitates him, taking a second chair. "You said something about being pleased earlier, but I'm guessing that was just a formality?"

"Yes. I do not...feel. I suppose that I know the terms, but I cannot connect the feeling to the given title." She pauses, then her eyes flash. "Oh, is hatred an emotion?"

He shifts, his hands drifting to his knee pads. "Yes," he answers, slightly perturbed. "Do you feel hatred? You mentioned it on the ride here."

"For the Kraang, yes," she replies. "I also feel...curiosity. Is that what humans call it?"

"Like wanting to discover and learn? That's curiosity."

"Yes. I feel curiosity and hatred."

She says nothing more. He leans in, pen drifting back to the paper. "Anything else?" he presses.

"No, not that I can think of. I may have researched emotion long ago...I should think of delving deeper into my studies," she admits.

She rests her chin on her hand, her expression going still as her eyes fall into someplace too far away to see. This time, it's Donatello's turn to stare. Despite how expressionless she is, there's something about her face that radiates a youthful intelligence. She isn't dead-eyed. She has a thoughtfulness in her eyes that makes Donatello feel understood on a higher level than ever before.