Growing Up Fast

Part 3

Sir sat at his desk and watched the video of the turtle as he paced in his cell. Once he had the turtle in his grasp and did the ultrasound did he realize that the internal organs were still a lot like a normal turtle's. There wasn't much room and Sir had to sit down and rethink where he was going to place the embryo.

He had two that he was able to grow in the two months of planning. He had gotten his hands on human egg cells. Out of ten that he and his team worked with, only two had survived the DNA merging. He had taken red eared slider DNA and isolated the vector DNA, then the vector DNA was cut with restriction enzymes. When the sticky ends were formed, the DNA was then cut with the same restriction enzyme, but the restriction enzyme that produced blunt ends also work well in cloning. The vector and source DNA are mixed with a ligase system and covalently bonded together. Finally, the legated DNA was injected into the human's egg, then frozen to wait upon Donatello's arrival.

But once he had his hands on Donatello, he had found out his current problem. He sighed and looked over the x-rays and ultrasound pictures he had taken of Donatello while he was still under the effects of the tranquilizer. He was just about to push the papers aside when one caught his eye. It was an ultrasound of Donatello's lower belly. The high powered machine had a clear view. It showed all the way to the spine.

He pulled it closer and studied it. 'That looks like a good, clear window right there. There's plenty of room to hold the embryo.' He thought. 'Now if at least one of those eggs survives the fertilizing and the next week, while I begin the hormonal treatment. I've already given a high dosage earlier. The rest will have to be given orally. I can give it to him through food. Not the best way, but I have no choice. To give him an injection every day would stress him and me out too much.'

Sir looked over at the small monitor that recorded everything that the turtle did. "I'll give him something to do. Those books and the TV won't hold his interest long."
.....................

Donatello let out an annoyed groan. He had looked over the cell from top to bottom and he could find no way to escape the cell. He had even tried to see if there was a way to pull the TV out and somehow make a small explosive to loosen the sides of the sliding door, but the TV was firmly set into the wall and he couldn't even break the screen.

He turned away from the bars and sat down on the bed. The room was large enough without making him too claustrophobic. About twenty by twenty. He lifted his head and looked over at the clock that he had spotted near the room. In the light that was coming from his room, he saw that it was well past midnight.

"I wonder if the others have started looking for me?" He let out a small scoff. "Of course they have. I was bringing back dinner tonight." Donatello sweated nervously.

This was not good. He had to get out of here, and the sooner, the better. His mind wracked with finding a solution to this dilemma. He had nothing. He wrinkled his snout and felt like crying. He then gave up with a disgusted sigh and decided to see how this progressed in the morning.

Standing up, he walked over to the light switch that he had found upon his inspection of the cell. He paused then flicked it off and headed back to the bed and laid down on it, resting his thudding head against the pillow.

XX

"Good morning, Donatello!" The soft voice woke him.

Donatello gritted his teeth and felt his temper and annoyance rise. It had been a week since he was captured and placed into the cell. He was bored out of his mind.

The scientist had tried to give him things to work on, but when he had discovered that Donatello was trying to use them for an escape, he took all the tools and scrape wires and odds and ends away and just made sure Donatello was well supplied in books. It annoyed him to no end and made him feel like a disobedient child. That wasn't all that was getting to him.

The scientist had not told him why he was there or when he would release him. And not only that, but Donatello had come to the conclusion that something was happening to him.

His mood would change so fast that it worried him. One minute he was his normal calm something silly self, the next, he felt like screaming. It wasn't until he was watching a monster movie half heartily and began to cry. It was then that the scientist had walked in and nodded. He had then leaned against the wall beside Donatello's cell and told him that tomorrow would be life changing for him.

Donatello had dried his tears and glared at the man that had no name and no face. No matter how hard he tried to see the man, he couldn't. The man always had the light contraption on his face and whenever someone went to look up into the man's face, the lights would blind them.

"What do you mean?" Donatello had snapped. His temperament had changed drastically.

The man had chuckled lightly and just shook his head. "You'll find out." He said, then left Donatello alone again.

So today was apparently the day. Donatello was ready. He didn't know how they would move him, but he wouldn't make it easy for them. Donatello was ready for them and took a defensive stance.

"Now, now, Donatello. You don't have to make this so hard." The scientist said, his hand on the door.

"Yes I do. Now bring it!"

"So be it."

A short young woman took the scientist's place and aimed a small gun at him. A series of darts pierced the right side of his neck. Donatello knocked a few out of the air and his neck, but the drugs were already starting to work and he finally fell to the floor and was still.

Sighing, a look of pity befell Sir's face as he shook his head. He opened the door and kneeled by Donatello's side and he listened to Donatello's ragged breathing. He nodded and rolled Donatello over onto his back.

Donatello wasn't completely under, but he couldn't move. All he could do was lay there and stare up into the air. Lights shined into his face and he closed his eyes. The lights were then gone and he slowly opened his eyes as he felt himself be moved over onto a flat table, then it raised and he was rolled out of the cell that held him for the past week.

Sir knew that Donatello was still awake, but not for long. He would soon fall asleep and that's when Sir would begin. Within five minutes, Donatello was asleep and his two assistants brought in the two surviving embryos.

They were just smaller than the size of a grain of rice. They were growing fast and Sir couldn't wait any longer. Each one was in a syringe that held a mix of fluid that was found in the birthing sac and extra hormones. As one of the assistants moved an ultrasound probe over the right side of Donatello's belly, Sir pressed on the thick leather like skin.

"All right. Let's find the spot. Let's see here. Side peritoneal cavity. There. That looks like a good, clear window right there. There's plenty of room to hold the embryo. That's it."

Sir took one of the syringes and gently inserted about six inches of the thick needle into Donatello's side. "There, all done." He removed the needle and stood back.

"Uh, Sir... what about the other one?" The female assistant held up the second surviving embryo.

Sir stared at the pink fluid and the man shrugged. "Let's place it on his other side. If I remember correctly, there should be room there as well." They moved to the other side and repeated the process.

When they were done and had Donatello moved back into his cell, right before he left the room, he smiled and nodded toward Donatello. "Congratulations. You are now a father and a mother."