Raph sniffed. Something smelled.

Ah yes, Leo. Fresh from the dojo. Sweat a la perfume.

Disgusting.

Mikey and Splinter were still in sensei's room. He was sure he could hear crying in there. He didn't go and investigate.

Leo passed him without a word. Raph grunted a hello, but was used to no response – that didn't mean it didn't irritate him – he just couldn't be bothered getting in a fight right now. Leo would have just kicked his shell anyway. Leo would have relished the practice with a living opponent, but Raph couldn't help but view his brothers as fragile now. He felt like if he just got too close, they might disappear – just like Donnie had…

Stuff this, he was going out. He needed fresh air, and time alone. He hated passing Dons room, but the lift entrance was right next to it.

Something caught his eye, and he froze, hand poised in mid-air, ready to call down the elevator.

That…was…impossible.

Surely...that…was…impossible.

The light reflecting of the screen disagreed. No one had entered Dons room since…no one had entered Dons room in a month. The computer had been left on - to switch it of just felt too much like agreeing that Don was truly gone. Raph had to remind himself.

No one has been inside there…no one has been near the computer…no one has clicked anything…

So why are all those computer windows opening and closing?

Now that…was spooky…

What was it that those horror movies Mikey used to watch said?

Computers were alive!

Uh-huh…sure I believe that…but if the computer ain't doing that…who clicked it?

**

Mikey left his fathers room, sniffing from the last of his tears. Splinter had decided to meditate, and try to clear his mind. He could hear the water running. Leo was in the shower. Splinter was in his room. And Raph…was standing frozen at the elevator doors, with his jaw wide open, looking dumbstruck.

Oookay.

"Raph?"

Raph clenched his mouth shut at the sound of his name, but couldn't tear his gaze away from the glowing monitor screen.

"Yeah…"

Curious, Mikey trotted up next to him, and followed Raph's gaze.

"Who…why…who's doing that?"

"You tell me" replied Raph, mesmerized by the rapidly opening windows of the computer screen.

**

Leo left the showers after drying himself of. He'd exhausted himself again. Splinter had tried to warn him about pushing himself too hard, but the only thing he could find solace in was his training. He needed something to focus on. Something that didn't involve that night…

Shaking his head to rid himself of those thoughts, Leo failed to see his two frozen brothers until he was halfway across the room.

Halting, he watched them, wondering what they were standing there staring into…Dons room?

They had the 'deer-in-the-headlights' look about them. Hesitantly, not wanting to go anywhere near to Dons room, but unable to shrug of the feeling that he would be missing something extremely important if he didn't, Leo glided over to the two startled turtles.

"Raph?" Leo asked quietly, "Mikey?"

Both turtles jumped at the sound of their names, but neither turned to face him.

Leo was beginning to get worried. Was there a medical condition for this? When you couldn't stop staring into your dead brother's room?

Sensing that Leo wasn't understanding the reason for their inactivity, Mikey tapped him on the shoulder and pointed.

As Leo turned to look at what had caught their attention so, Raph asked the question that all of them seemed unable to answer.

"Who the heck is doing that!"

**

Splinter sighed. He was unable to clear his mind. Whenever he tried, something kept blocking him, as if telling him that meditation wasn't what he needed right now. He felt the exact opposite, but as long as he was being blocked by the…presence? feeling?...he was unable to clear his mind.

Slowly getting to his feet, he left his room. Looking about for his three sons, he felt immensely curious when he found them all standing together. Normally they hardly got to within a few feet of each other now.

He felt drawn, not to them, but to whatever it was that had caught all of their attentions. Not wishing to startle the three turtles, he approached, making just enough noise to alert them to his presence. Neither of them turned.

**

"You think it's…a ghost?"

"Right. Like a ghost is going to come here, just so it can check if it has any last emails, or how its favourite pop-star is doing in the ratings!"

"No need for sarcasm…what? You think the computer just got bored and decided to look up stuff by itself? Play its favourite music to keep it amused? I'm telling you – computers can be alive!"

"Okay, forgot who is doing it. Just what is it doing?"

All three turtles lapsed into silence.

"Perhaps it is a – what do you call it? A program that runs by itself?"

Splinter was sure Donatello had once told him about programs like that, they activated when the conditions needed occurred.

"An…embedded program? That's what you call it isn't it?"

The four watched as the computer windows continued to flash by.

The computer stopped. One window remained on top of the others, full-screen and easily viewable, even from their position outside the door.

Email Inbox

6 new emails

Program running complete

They stared dumbstruck at the screen, unable to move.

Automatically opening instructions…click on link to open mail…mail listings…

Leonardo

Raphael

Michaelangelo

Splinter

April

Casey

Sender:

Donatello

The four froze.

"So" Mikey ventured, "Who's going first?"