"Wait a minute. This truck came out of nowhere and ran down the police car on the road, but neither had a driver?"
"That's what Wu said."
The men approached the semi slowly, looking up. It seemed almost majestic sitting against the bridge despite the minor crumpling on its front end. Something about it gave Nick the creeps, though he couldn't identify what. Was it the red and blue flames sparkling in the noon sun, like a toy truck at the flea market? Was it the perfect aim the seemingly driverless vehicle had used to mow down a police car in broad daylight?
"It's probably got some kinda invisible Wesen driver," Hank announced. "They could still be around watching the investigation."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Oh, you think an invisible guy's watching us, so you just announce secret Wesen stuff for him to hear?"
"Round here, Wesen stuff doesn't stay secret for long."
Smiling back at his partner, Detective Burkhardt slipped on his gloves. He reached up to touch the vehicle, tracing finger along a shining, clean door handle. "No prints. Someone wiped, maybe. Who's this truck registered to?"
"A William Lennox," Hank shrugged. "Except Lennox, as far as we can tell, doesn't have a commercial license."
"Curiouser and curiouser," Nick announced, tugging on the door. It gave a little too much resistance for his liking, but it popped open, and he climbed inside.
The interior of the Peterbilt seemed immaculate. Nick saw no groove in the driver's seat, no cups in the cup holder, and no trash bags anywhere. He looked in the back for personal effects and wondered if the truck had been stolen from a showroom.
"Maybe it's a neat freak Wesen," he quipped. "Whoever drove this cleaned up everything. Have they dusted for prints inside yet?"
"Nothing. They found time to wipe the truck down before they left, which is odd. A couple of patrol guys saw the whole thing."
Nick sat down in the driver's seat, reaching his gloved hand over to the truck's computer console. He started pressing buttons, examining it for any evidence he could find. He took a moment to jot down the addresses in the GPS' memory, but his finger slipped. The button he pressed blared loud rock music out the speakers, music he struggled to turn off.
"I think my daughter listens to that," Hank offered from below.
"Ok, so we have an invisible, neat freak, Wesen that even I can't see." Nick took a breath."He has terrible tastes in music, and spends a lot of time on the east coast and in the desert. Thoughts?"
"Maybe it's that talent show guy's truck?" Hank suggested.
"I can't believe you watch that." Nick hopped out. "We'll have to impound it, I guess. Towing is going to be the fun part."
Hank opened his mouth to speak, more but a loud revving in the distance gave Nick pause. The Grimm held up a finger. "What is it, Nick?"
He shook his head. "Not sure. Something driving way over the speed limit, I think. Not far away, and approaching fast."
Hank started to protest, but then he cocked his head a little to the side. They turned toward the road in time to see a Camaro speed by. An SUV followed it closely, red and blue lights flashing.
"That didn't look like Portland PD or State behind him," Hank remarked.
Then a deep voice boomed from beside them, "It was not."
A crescendo of squeaking, scraping noises rose up to their right. Suddenly the semi was not a truck at all: It seemed to grow legs and arms, changing before them. Nick found himself wondering absently his how black his own eyes looked as strange blue ones peered down at him. Before he could ask what the being before him saw in the reflection, it spoke.
"I am sorry to have inconvenienced you, but now I must rescue my friend." He sprung away from them, limping after the Camaro and the SUV at blinding speed for a creature so large.
"There are semi truck Wesen now?" Nick muttered, the shock bare in his suddenly squeaking voice.
"Nick, that wasn't Wesen, I don't think. I saw him change, too."
He glanced over at his partner, whose dark face had gone ashen. "Then what the hell was it?"
Hank shrugged. "A robot in disguise?"