Emotionless Mutation (Book Three)

Chapter 28: Lessons of the Heart

Donatello lets out a long breath as he closes Sarina's file. He sets it back with Destiny and Diaval's files, resting his hand on his chin as he lets out a long breath.

"Wow," he breathes.

He didn't look at everything inside her file, he just skimmed over it and read the bits that especially intrigued him. That amounted to reports on which parts of her body are robotic and which are human, eventually leading to him learning about the fact that she had a lung defect at birth that made breathing a chore, hence why her lungs are reinforced with metal.

"Wow," he repeats to himself.

The last file on the table still waits, taunting him with its hidden contents. Donatello cringes as he shoots it a glare, that horrible itching need crawling back into his hands. If only—

He stops as a simple solution pops into his brain and he sighs at how silly he's being. Too many distractions definitely make him less sharp. He pulls out his t-phone and dials the number, putting it to his ear as it starts to ring.

There's a click on the other end. "Hello?" a gravelly, accented voice answers.

"Diaval, it's Donnie," Donatello says. "Is this a bad time?"

There's a pause, a few deep breaths, then a sigh. "Nah. Getting ready for bed," Diaval says and Donatello can imagine him giving a barely there shrug. "Everything okay?"

"Uh...fine. Well, sort of. A lot has happened."

"Destiny's okay?"

"Um...she's recovering from a..." He tosses explanations around in his head, then settles on "...injury."

There's a crash from the other side of the line and a soft "damn", followed by scuffling. After a few seconds, Diaval's voice comes back.

"Sorry, broke a plate," he states. "What happened?"

"She got shot in the shoulder, but a new friend of ours got some medicine for her. She should be good as new soon."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Mhm."

Silence. Donatello starts to tap his fingers against his knee as he pivots back and forth on his office chair. The man on the other end still says nothing.

"So..." Donatello says. "I was actually calling about something concerning you."

"Huh?"

"My...friend, Sarina, she used to be a TCRI Kraang subject," he continues, starting to nervously rub the back of his neck. "The other day, she found some files over there and...one of them belongs to you."

There's a long breath. "Huh..."

"It's your business, and I completely understand if you want it to stay closed, but I'd like to be able to do some crosschecks. The information could be a great help."

More silence, but Donatello is used to it by now. There's soft shuffling from the other end, a thump followed by a low "ow", and then the shift of material as if Diaval sat down on a chair or couch.

"You...know, about some stuff," Diaval mumbles. "Stuff 'bout...m-me..."

Donatello swallows as an icy feeling reappears in his gut. "Yes."

"Des doesn't?"

"As far as I know, that's true."

Diaval pauses again. "Don't let her read it. Not yet," he says.

"I won't."

"Thanks."

"Do you want to talk to her?"