Don had just realized that he was looking at Harold literally over his own dead body, when the scientist moved. The next thing Don knew, Harold was in his face, peering closely at him.

"Don, are you all right?"

"I think I just died and got reincarnated as a robot," Don said, trying to remain deadpan despite his mounting panic. "That's two reincarnations for a guy who doesn't even believe in the concept. Give me a minute to -"

Instead of giving him a minute, Harold held up a hand in front of Don's eyes. "Donatello? Can you hear me?"

"Yes, of course I can -" Don would have drawn a breath as another horrible realization clicked into place, but the part of his brain that was cataloguing everything wrong with this situation had just added "robots don't breathe" to the list.

Harold looked up, over Don's shoulder. "Honeycutt, what's happened? He's not responding."

"I am not certain," Professor Honeycutt replied, as Don struggled to turn and look at him. "Perhaps now would be an opportune time to speak with his family."

Don could do nothing as Honeycutt walked to the door, leaving him alone with Harold, whose expression was more fearful than Don had ever seen on him.

Mike jumped up as soon as the door of the cooling unit opened. "Is Donnie awake?" he asked, as Professor Honeycutt carefully closed the door behind himself. "Can we see him?"

"We think so," Honeycutt replied, "and yes, in a moment."

"You think so?" Raph growled. "Is he or isn't he?"

Honeycutt held up a placating hand. "I apologize for my haste earlier. Allow me to explain what has happened."

Leo crossed his arms, listening, as the professor continued. "Donatello's body is nonviable - that is, it is no longer capable of sustaining its own life processes. But his mind, we believe, is still functioning. The opposite of a vegetative state, if you will."

"So…?" Mike prompted nervously.

"So," Honeycutt went on, "with the aid of some technology I recovered from Burnow Island, we were able to transfer his consciousness into a new host. We believe he has successfully transitioned into the robot known as Metalhead, but -"

"Wait just a second," Raph interrupted, balling his fists. "You put my brother's brain in a robot?"

It was hard to tell whether the expression on Honeycutt's face was cold. "Would you prefer his brain remain in a dying body?"

Leo put a steadying hand on Raph's shoulder. "Go on, Professor. But what?"

"But he remains nonresponsive," Honeycutt finished. "We are not sure why."

"But we can see him?" Mike asked in a small voice.

Honeycutt nodded. "I must warn you, his current condition will not be easy to see."

"We don't care," Leo replied, and Honeycutt turned to lead them into the room.

Donatello had learned a host of details he hadn't really wanted to know about Harold's face, thanks to Metalhead's enhanced optical sensors, when finally the scientist moved.

One by one, his brothers knelt in his field of view. They were already feeling the cold, he could tell - from the little puffs of vapor that issued from Harold's mouth with each breath, he knew the room was below freezing.

"Don?" Leo asked. "Are you in there?"

"I'm here," Don tried to say. Nothing came out of Metalhead's voice synthesizer. "Help me."

Leo exchanged glances with the others - Raph furious, Mike on the edge of tears. "He needs Master Splinter."

"So go get him," Raph said. He was not leaving this room until Donatello was fixed, even though half of him had wanted to run as soon as he set foot inside. He would have described the scene in the cooling unit as a nightmare, but even in his dreams he had never seen anything as gutwrenching as this. His eyes had gone automatically to Don's body, lifeless on a table, with some kind of horrible clawed contraption gripping his head. He had barely begun to process that image when his gaze followed the electrical cord from Don to the motionless robot on the floor. On pure reflex he had knelt beside his other brothers, his mind completely fogged by rage. He was going to murder everyone who had anything to do with this.

But not until Don was all right.

"We can't stay here," Leo said quietly. "It's too cold."

"So turn up the heat."

"We can't do that," Harold said. "And we can't move Donatello either, so don't suggest it. His body needs to be kept in stasis, and connected to Metalhead, until we know what his status is."

"I don't - " Raph started, but Mike interrupted him.

"Raph, let's all go get Sensei," he said, making only a passing effort to keep the trembling out of his voice. "Staying here doesn't help anything. I don't think." He tilted his gaze towards Metalhead. "We're gonna take care of you, bro. Hang in there."

Stiffly, he got to his feet. Leo followed, and, after clenching his fists and admitting that there was nothing to punch, so did Raph.

"God, it's cold," Harold muttered, after everyone else left the room.

"I will stay with him. I do not mind the cold."

Harold jumped, and Don probably would have too, if he could. "Oh, Alopex. I didn't see you there."

The arctic fox padded across the room to crouch next to the scientist. "Go and warm up."

Harold started to stand, then hesitated. "Hey, aren't you one of those on-and-off friends that the Turtles don't really trust? Maybe I shouldn't leave you alone with Donatello. His brothers are angry enough at me already."

"Then stay," Alopex replied, settling herself on the tiled floor. "Splinter will be here in a moment, and then Donatello and I will not be alone."

Harold stayed.

Splinter came a minute later, speaking a quiet word to his sons before closing the door, leaving them out in the warm. Almost without acknowledging Harold or Alopex, he came to kneel in front of the robot.

"My son," he said. "I did not allow you to become trapped in the darkness, and I will not let you be trapped in this machine, either. I am coming for you."

Crying was one more thing Donatello could not do.