Anything to Survive

by Macx

set in elfin's AU of Fire&Ice; when Nick disappears without a trace, Karr has only one option left to find him on his own....

Anything to Survive
by Birgit Stäbler

It was early in the morning with the mist still clinging to the ground and the sun not yet strong enough to pierce through the cloud cover. It spoke of snow already and by midday it would probably pour down again. Nicholas MacKenzie stood in front of the security fence and got out, looking at the ruins shrouded in the wavy whiteness. A week had gone by since the facility had been destroyed and by now construction equipment was lining the driveway up to what had once been the main entrance. Bulldozers, steam shovels, Bobcats and more. The moment the officials gave the go, this ruin would be torn down. It had been declared highly unstable and dangerous, and multiple signs had been put up.
The fence was locked by a rather primitive combination lock, but Nick had no intention of breaking it. He was expected. The guard was a rough-hewn, tall man with light brown hair and watery eyes. He nodded at Nick as he flashed his ID and unlocked the fence.
"Keep on de designated tracks," he told him, his voice heavily accented. "Dis is a dangerous ruin."
"No problem, thanks."
Up close the ruin looked even more impressive than from afar. It had the look of a movie set for a horror movie, just waiting for someone to shout 'action' and monsters to lurch toward the hero or heroine. Walking into the once proud building, Nick stepped over charred wooden beams, molten plastic, fallen roof sections, always cautious not to stray too far from the route declared safe.
A labyrinth of more debris lay ahead of him and he peered into the murky twilight. Getting out a high power flash light he searched on.
Whoever destroyed the lab, he was thorough> he muttered.
And knew where to place the bombs> Karr answered.
Nick had to agree. The X-Treme lab had gone up in a brilliant explosion of flames and debris, killing five people in the furnace fire and destroying everything within a short period of time. The fire fighters had not been able to save anything. This had once been a high-tech place of futuristic designs in glass and steel. Now it was a heap of debris.
He stepped deeper inside, ducking his head to avoid fallen poles, charred and split open from the heat. Some of the walls around him had collapsed, partitions blackened, windows blasted out. Nothing left at all. Why would someone destroy a research lab of a company that did nothing more than just test survival gear under extreme conditions. It wasn't even their own gear. They offered their services to other companies. Insurance fraud had been one accusation, but he had quickly dismissed it. Rachel Foxx, the CEO of X-Treme, had given him all the access he needed and it had given him a good idea of who he was dealing with.
Nick kicked lightly against some charred wood and it cracked. Normally he would not be here to have a look into the events, but he had been called by an old friend of his and since there was no other urgent case waiting, he had accepted the little detour to the Northwest Territories.
Nothing here at all>
What did you expect? Neon signs?> Karr asked sarcastically.
He smiled wryly. Maybe. One can always hope. What about the main computer system? Any news about possible recovery?>
Burned to crisp>
Oh great>
Taking a last look around, Nick decided to head back to X-Treme.

* * *

The Bell Model 430 helicopter churned through the crisp morning air, leaving a faint trail as it made its way across the white winter landscape of Alberta. The Rockies loomed up not far from where the pilot was steering the aircraft and they were getting ever closer, actually aiming to pass over the impressive rock formation. The landscape below was beautiful. Everything seemed to be covered in a sugary white crust, from the trees to the ground to the high mountains. It was in the middle of winter and all looked untouched and wonderfully romantic.
Leonardo Devereux grinned to himself as he checked his position and corrected it slightly. Dressed in a pilot's uniform, glasses covering intelligent blue-gray eyes, he deftly and surely handled his 'baby', a multi-million dollar helicopter.
"Enjoyin' yerself?" he asked his passenger.
Nick gave him a lazy smile. His eyes were hidden behind shades. "It was a nice week, Leo."
"Thought as much. Yer bin a big help for Rache."
"I aim to please."
The pilot chuckled. "Yer did good. Knew yer were the right lad."
Nicholas MacKenzie chuckled softly. He and Leo went back a long time. He had known the pilot since Devereux had worked for the CIA. They had met on a mission that had nearly ended fatally for the older man. He owed his life to the quick thinking of a stranger who had turned out to be a fellow CIA operative. In a way they had kept in contact, but it had taken a while for Leo to find out that Nick wasn't who he appeared to be.
Nick gazed out the window. The Rockies passed beneath them. The solution to the case of the burned lab had been easy. A company trying to cover up that their gear wasn't as good as they promised. It had been a rather unspectacular solution and Nick had been slightly disappointed. It was easily earned money, though he had moderated his bill. Rachel Foxx had told him she would pay him fully, but Nick had just shrugged. It wasn't like he would go broke because of it.
As Leo corrected his flight coordinates, Nick watched the mountains fall away to the right, still pretty near and a fascinating panorama outside. He reached for his partner, feeling a slightly disgruntled Karr respond. He chuckled silently.
I promise to pick a more interesting case next> he told him.
Karr rumbled but didn't respond verbally.
We could have taken the android along>
The response was the expected one. No way!>
A soft alarm echoed through his headset and Nick turned his attention away from the grand view to the instruments. Nothing was on the radar, but Leo frowned at one of the other screens that adorned the control dash of the state-of-the-art helicopter.
"What's up?"
"Pickin' up a signal."
"Identification?"
"Impossible. System cannet get a fix. It's like every time I'm tryin' to find it, it jumps to another spot."
Nick frowned. "Display?"
A small holographic sphere popped up in the pilot cabin, a white dot in the middle of it, representing their location. Leo pushed a key and the computer did some calculating. Suddenly there were a lot of red dots flashing all around them, showing Nick just what his friend had meant by not being able to get a fix, that the target always moved. Now that was weird.
"Could it be a natural phenomenon?" he wanted to know, brows drawn into a frown.
"Never seen one like it."
Nick frowned some more. Before he had time to ponder this phenomenon some more, something appeared right next to him. Nick's trained mind recognized it immediately. It was another helicopter, a Mil Mi-34 Hermit, and the side door was open. He could make out a figure dressed in a thick white overall, holding what looked like a futuristic bazooka of a kind.
"Shit!" Leo cursed and twisted the controls, the helicopter banking left and diving.
Nick's eyes narrowed at the sight of the strange helicopter following them, actually matching their speeding descent. Leo was an expert pilot, had been so when he had joined the Company, and he could fly this baby with his eyes closed.
"Pissed someone off lately?" he asked casually as he evaded the smaller and apparently very maneuverable Mi-34.
"Not to my knowledge," Nick answered, gritting his teeth as Leo threw the Bell around and climbed up again.
"Hope yer don't get airsick," Leo called, eyes darting back and forth, trying to get a glimpse of their pursuer.
The radar still wasn't picking it up and the computer scan came up with the dots flashing all over the place. Suddenly the Mi-34 appeared next to him once more. Leo cursed heartily, throwing the helicopter to the left.
"What the heck...." he muttered.
Nick was gazing at the open side door of the other 'copter, studying the bazooka device. Leo was about to say something when something seemed to hit their aircraft like fist into the face. The controls lit up like a Christmas tree one second, then all went dead the next.
Nick saw little of what came next. For him, the world ceased to exist as a burning red-hot spike buried itself in his neck and he screamed. The pain was absolute, over-powering all other senses, and then pushed him into the black abyss of unconsciousness.
The helicopter dropped like a stone.

* * *

Karr hadn't liked the idea of staying behind while his driver and partner flew to a remote outpost on a new case. The problem was, there was no way he could have come physically along. The outpost was in the middle of nowhere; no roads leading there. Hauling the Stealth along in a cargo helicopter would have been a waste of time and manpower since Nick wouldn't do much more than investigate into the insurance fraud claims. He would spend most of his time on the computer, hacking, or reading old files and latest reports. Karr's assistance was required to get into mainframes or to crack security codes, but that was about it.
He sighed and went over the security parameters of Nick's highly secured server once more. He did it once a week and had decided to keep himself occupied while his driver was on his way back. A week sitting in the warehouse had been enough to make him stir-crazy. Nick's light jibs and remarks through the last five days hadn't helped. He couldn't help it. He hated sitting still. He hated the prospect of being unable to help his driver in case of an emergency even more.
We could have taken the android along> Nick remarked, barely able to contain his laughter.
Karr snarled. No way!>
He hated the bipedal form. Kitt might have chosen it voluntarily, and for different reasons, but Karr wasn't about to do it again. Not a chance in hell. His brief time as an android had been enough to tell him this wasn't the existence he was craving. He could't protect his driver, he was too vulnerable, and it showed too much of what he tried to hide. Having a face was a vulnerable spot. People could read his emotions.
Swan had added a few new components to the android Karr had been forced to live in for a few days, despite the fact that he had no intention of ever using it again. She had installed a rudimentary booster for the neuro-implant signal, which would enable the two partners to receive each other's neuro pulses while Karr was not in his CPU. She wouldn't develop this any further unless Karr wanted to change bodies on a permanent basis, but that was not an option. He'd never go there voluntarily ever again. He liked who he was.
Suddenly Nick's presence changed and he felt a brief surge of alarm. Nick?> he inquired.
There was no reply. He felt the tightly controlled emotions, gathered the information that something was wrong from the echoes he was allowed to feel through the shields, and then there was pain.
Karr was flung back from the neuro link with a force that drove the energy out of him, flattened him against his own CPU, tearing apart the link with such force that he barely had time to voice his pain over it. It was like watching a bridge break in a storm, blown away, cut to smithereens as it went, and then there was nothing but the raging river of his own emotions.
Nick!> he yelled.
His dark voice echoed hollowly in the vastness before him. The river disappeared, making way to the flat, dark planes of … nothingness. The nothingness that had been there before the link had been activated.
No!> he screamed. No!>

* * *

The cell door slammed shut behind them. Michael slid onto the top bunk, ready to wait things out as typical. Kitt on the other hand paced, from one end of the small brick room to the other, clearly agitated.
"Kitt, please. Stop."
"Is this what it's always like?" The insinuation clear in his frustrated tone.
Michael tried to hold his laughter in check. "What do you think?"
"How should I know? I've never been in jail before."
"Sure you have, it's called an impound yard, except here, you don't get rained on."
Kitt spun to face Michael, his angry expression leaving in light of Michael's laughing one. "I guess you have a point."
"And just like the impound yard, there is nothing we can do. So, take a load off, rest and enjoy the view."
Kitt took in the gray brick walls, the suspended bunks in blue broadcloth, the white toilet in the corner with a tiny sink beside before glaring at his partner. "View huh? At least the impound provided fresh air."
Lying back on the top bunk, his feet dangling off the edge, Michael tucked his hands behind his head. "It could be far worse Kitt. I've been in some dives before. At least this one's clean."
Hopping up to sit beside his partner, Kitt shook his head. "And I can't even blame this one on you." Michael's eyes opened in surprise. Laughing, Kitt pressed the matter at hand. "Speaking of which, what did Devon say?"
Michael snorted. "Nothing much complimentary towards the FBI." Shifting his hips towards the wall, he made room for Kitt to sit comfortably on the bunk. "It's going to take some time though."
"Great," Kitt whined. "I don't know how you put up with this." Glancing at Michael's face, seeing the barely suppressed laughter as it danced across the link.
"It'll be easier this time."
"Why's that?" Kitt drummed his fingers on the edge of the cot, not seeing the humour value at all.
"'Cause I have good company this time."
"Does this mean I won't have to deal with your temper later?"
"Naw, heads are still gonna roll. I'll just stew about it for the duration, let it gather some steam." Shaking his head, Kitt watched Michael's eyes close as he attempted to get some sleep. For a second he wondered whether or not to open the private link to his brother, then decided against it. Karr would have a field day.

* * *

Nick woke slowly, his mind a fuzzy mess and his head pounding viciously behind closed eye-lids. There seemed to be a horde of dwarves in his head, doing some ceremonial log-splitting and mining in the depths of his cranium. He wished they would stop. Then there was the unnatural cold on his face. Like a piece of ice resting against his cheek. Cracking his eyes open, he was greeted by whiteness. Bright and cold whiteness. He blinked once, but the whiteness stayed, barely even taking on a shape or anything. He exhaled and a cloud of warm breath floated up, startling him. Then the cold hit his senses for real and Nick felt himself shivering in the iciness that surrounded him.
With the cold stimulating his nerve endings into transmitting, even if it was more pain and the ice around him, memories floated back. As his memories reached the specifics of what must have happened to let him end up here, he felt a jolt in his mind, his body reacting, and he tried to sit up.
They had crashed!
They had been attacked by an unmarked helicopter and they had crashed.
Nick's mind returned to almost working order and he took in his position. He was lying on his side, one cheek resting against the cold metal of door. The helicopter lay on one side, the whole vehicle tilted to the left. He levered himself up and looked over to the pilot's seat. Leo lay in his harness, a sizable gash on his forehead. He was breathing, but he appeared to be trapped behind the broken controls.
"Leo?" Nick rasped, sounding hoarse.
No response. He cursed and half slid, half stumbled out of the passenger seat, landing unceremoniously on his butt in the snow. His left knee had simply given out from under him and it felt like his leg no longer belonged to him. He must have bumped it quite severely in the crash. It was a miracle nothing else had been broken. At least nothing felt broken.
Nick looked around. There was nothing but snow around him. Oh damn...... They had to be right in the middle of nowhere! Making his way to the pilot's side, Nick marveled at how intact the helicopter looked from the outside. Some paint had scraped off from the rocks and there were dents, but it looked far from the twisted wreck he would have expected after such a crash. It had left a broad trail of its descent and slide across the frozen, snow-covered surface, and the tail was nearly torn off, but it was still in good shape.
Nick remembered little of what had happened after the sudden flash of pain. He still had no idea what might have caused it. He was feeling a bit light headed and there was a dull headache pounding behind his eyes, but he was actually feeling rather good.
Leo was still out cold. Nick forced his dizzy mind to work his limbs, and he managed to open the pilot's door, crawling inside. Checking Leo more thoroughly, he discovered the pilot had a few mild bruises, probably where the harnesses had bitten into his body as well, but they were hidden under the uniform. There was a cut on one cheek and on the forehead. What worried him more was the swollen looking wrist of the right hand. They had to find a way out and fast. Whoever had taken them down, he might be back to finish what he had started.
Leo chose that moment to wake. He groaned softly, eye-lids fluttering but not opening.
"Leo?" Nick called.
Another moan.
"Wake up, Leo. We got trouble."
"I don't wanna know," was the mumbled reply. Then his eyes flew open. "Shit!"
Nick smiled humorlessly. "That about sums it up. How do you feel?"
Leo sank back into the chair, grimacing in pain. One hand fumbled for the harness release. The restraints snapped off and he sighed in relief. "Fine. What happened?"
"What do you remember?"
"We were attacked and crashed...."
"That's exactly what happened."
Leo grimaced again. "Hell." He looked through the windshield. "Snow."
"Lots of it," Nick confirmed. "I have no idea where exactly we are. The instruments are dead. Nothing works."
"So, nobody knows where we are," the former CIA agent muttered. "Nice."
"And we might have another problem. Whoever took us out, I don't think they'll be very happy to see us still in one piece."
"Only if they intended to kill us," Leo said, frowning mildly. "Tell me the truth, who did yer kick in the ass lately?"
"No one, Leo, as I told you. I don't know who they are."
The older man narrowed his eyes, searching Nick's face for any clues. Finally he sighed, leaning his head back against he head rest. His eyes went over the controls.
"They used EMP on us, Nick, while they could've tried ta shoot us out of the sky with something really big and nasty. What's going on?"
Nick felt like slapping his hand against his forehead. EMP! Of course! And then it hit. Realization of the facts. No… god, no please…. He accessed the implant and was hit in the face by the sudden blackness that touched him. Not the silky blackness of Karr, but the blackness of nothingness. No one at the other end. Nothing there. Nothing at all.
"Nick?"
His mind reeled. He felt it shred, plunging into the ever-widening hole. The implant was dead…. Dysfunctional. Nothing left.
"Nick!"
Someone touched his shoulder and Nick reacted out of instinct. A yell of pain answered him.
"Stoppit!"
He blinked. Icy cold air rushed into his lungs, burning them, and he stumbled back, tremors racing through his body. He was gone. His partner was gone. No…!
Karr!>
"Nick, what the heck is wrong with yer?"
Answer me!> he demanded, shivering the coldness that seeped into his mind. Answer me, damnit! Karr!>
"Nick!"
The voice was there again and with an immense effort, Nick dragged himself back into the outside world. His blurring vision took in Leo, who was cradling his already injured wrist.
"I'm sorry," he managed. Karr?>
Leo gazed at him. "What's wrong with yer, man? Yer totally zoned out there for a moment!"
Nick ran a shaking hand through his snow-damp, dark hair. There was no response from his partner. Not even the slightest shiver.
"I'm fine," he whispered. Damn, even his voice was shaking. He turned away.
He tried to think of what Leo had last said about the EMP. Whoever had taken them out, had chosen a way that would insure minimal damage.
"So, what next?" Leo interrupted his thoughts.
What next indeed? Their only vehicle was down, they had no way of calling for help, and they were in the middle of nowhere. They could try repairing the radio, send of a call to whoever was listening, but there was the very real danger of the people who had shot them down listening in. Then again, it might be the only chance and they had to take it. The implant was dead and Nick could only pray that Karr was in control of himself right now.
"Ever done some radio repairs?" Leo wanted to know when Nick didn't answer his other question. He squinted into the harsh light of the snow and slipped his sunglasses back on for relief. "I might need an assistant."
"I think I can manage," Nick told him with a smile.
"X-Treme will look for us for sure," Leo went on as he started to take off some of the armor-plating at the rear of the Bell, looking through the wires and stuff underneath.
He wasn't a mechanic, nor did he think of himself as talented with tech-stuff. He was a hands-on man, someone who could fly and race-drive and had been trained by the CIA for field missions, but repairing things; no, not really. Still, he had had a few rudimentary courses.
"Yes, but it'll take them a while to locate us, let alone get us out of here. I want to speed that up. The sooner we are out of here, the better."
Nick watched his friend fiddle with the wires, scanning the landscape after a while, keeping guard duty. Suddenly something caught his eye. He squinted. Movement? Had he just seen something move? There was nothing but the blinding snow around him, but something told him he hadn't hallucinated. He frowned, concentrating, wishing his eyes would stop watering. His headache was increasing and he was incredibly tempted to just slide along the darkness in his mind, lose himself in the abyss. And then he saw it again. Movement. White against white. Someone in a snow coverall, a camouflage coverall.
"Leo!" he hissed sharply.
Before he could say more, there was a sharp, stinging pain in his thigh and when he looked down, his eyes widened. A dart was sticking in the muscles of his thigh, a bright orange against his gray and blue uniform. He tried to rip it out, but his hands refused to follow the command. His vision seemed to narrow down, turn into a tunnel vision with the blinding snow an ever-decreasing source of light, until it blipped out completely. Nick never felt his body hit the snow, nor did he see Leo collapse behind him.

* * *

"Package secured."
The words echoed through the cavernous room and a figure dressed in light clothes swiveled a chair to face the gigantic screen that occupied most of the forward wall.
"Good," the man said, smiling an unnatural smile. It looked like painted, completely unreal. "Get the package to the base. We will be ready to receive it."
"What about the excess baggage?"
There was a short, thoughtful pause. "Get rid of it."
The speaker clicked off his com and silence descended, only disturbed by the distant sound of falling water. The man in the chair remained still for a moment, then he rose and left the room, the door closing noiselessly behind him.

* * *

Bear walked purposefully toward the warehouse that was Nick's home. He had no idea why Swan had called him in the middle of the night. The sun was just now gracing the horizon with some purplish-orange light and the streets were empty. It was a Sunday and no one in his right mind would go out in the middle of the night. Swan had simply told him she had a situation and needed a pick-up for the package at Nick's place. The package was the code name for the Stealth – without Karr inside. A sick feeling had spread through him at the very idea that something had happened to the AI and he had left everything back at the Shop, driving like a mad man across town to the old harbor.
"Hey, slow down! I'm still sick," a voice moaned behind him.
Bear glanced at the smaller man who was stumbling after him. He shook his head. Duck was sick; he had motion sickness. This always happened to him when he wasn't driving, and it didn't help that he hadn't had time for breakfast. Duck had been at the Shop when Swan had called and Bear had simply grabbed him. If something needed to be done with the Stealth, Duck was the right person to have along. That the dark-haired mechanic was mortally frightened of the AI was another matter. The man usually never got close to the car or the AI if Nick wasn't around. With Nick somewhere up North, waiting wasn't an option.
"Will ya hurry up!"
Bear stormed through the doors into the warehouse and looked around. His eyes fell on the Stealth and he immediately checked for visible damage. None. No dents, no bruising, no cracked MBS. He looked just fine, but Bear had learned not to trust mere appearance. Swan was standing next to a work table, talking to someone. It was a tall man, dark-haired, dressed all in black, almost towering over the smaller woman. Bear felt shock settle in him like a fist in the stomach. He stopped a few feet away from the pair.
"Holy…"
Swan turned and smiled tightly at her larger friend, while the other man was simply giving Bear a neutral look. Cold, gray eyes regarded the mechanic emotionlessly and he didn't move a muscle.
"Swan?" Bear managed, his mouth suddenly parched.
Someone bumped into his back and annoyance hit him. Duck was really making a nuisance out of himself. How could he get car sick when he was spending most of his waking time in his truck anyway?
"Sorry," Duck started, then his eyes fell on the android next to Swan. "Ah, hell!" he exclaimed, stumbling back and falling over. "Shit, shit, shit!"
Bear witnessed a small smile crossing Karr's lips and the eyes took on a malevolent look. He would have laughed if not for the growing dread in his stomach. Something must have happened for the AI to take this step. He pulled Duck to his feet and the smaller man tried to hide behind the mechanic.
"Stop being such a child!" Bear snarled under his breath.
It had little effect. Duck was scared shitless of the AI and while Karr had been in the android body the first time, he had talked of nothing but the possibility of the AI attacking him. Duck considered himself with a little chance of survival as long as Karr was inside the larger Stealth, but a humanoid form could get everywhere he went.
"What's going on?" Bear asked. "What happened?"
"Nick went missing," Swan explained. "No signal, no life sign."
No signal? Bear felt the dread double. He met Karr's eyes and saw the confirmation there. The implant link had been severed.
"Damnit," he whispered. "Where and when?"
"He was on his way back from his last assignment when there was a sudden... disturbance of the link," Karr said monotonously. "I failed to raise him since."
Shitshitshit, Bear continued cursing silently. "You know where he is?"
"I have the approximate location of the crashed helicopter from satellite images. It's in a remote location. I have already arranged a drop."
"So where do we fit in?"
"I need someone to take care of the Stealth. Michael and Kitt are currently on an undercover mission at the East Coast. They won't be back any time soon. Take the Stealth to the Shop or wherever it is safe."
Karr's intense eyes met Bear's. The larger man nodded. "No problem. Are you sure you are up to this search and rescue?"
A humorless smile, so like Nick's, spread on the cold lips. "Don't worry, I will have a guide."
Bear frowned, but he didn't ask. He looked at the still hiding Duck and sighed. The man couldn't be convinced that Karr was simply acting and had no intention to kill him. Duck had once called Karr 'terminally dangerous', and though Bear had to agree that it fit the dark AI, Karr had yet to attack any of them. At least more than verbally.
"We'll take the car to the Shop. Duck?"
"No way I'm getting into that machine!" the younger man immediately protested.
Bear rolled his eyes and Swan smiled slightly. "Get my truck back. I'll drive the Stealth."
Duck took off at high speed, leaving the lab. Bear chuckled and shook his head as the door to the outside slammed shut.
"One day you have to set him straight on the matter of you wanting to kill him."
"There is something he doesn't understand about the concept?" Karr asked malevolently.
Bear grinned. "Right!" He grew serious again. "Are you okay?"
Karr's impassive face met his inquiring gaze. Finally the AI looked away. "I'll function, don't worry."
"I'm not talking about that, Karr…."
The android turned away. "Time is of essence, Bear. I have to get ready for my pick-up." With that he strode out of the room.
Swan sighed and shook her head, then met Bear's eyes. "He's taking it badly. It's eating away at him."
"Guessed as much. How long?"
"It's been fifteen hours. I arrived here last night after he called and demanded the transfer. He told me what had happened. I had no choice. Sadly enough, I can't even fine-tune or boost the connection he has to the implant in Nick in this body as long as there is no reaction from Nick's side. The little he has now is all I could give him. And even that is dead. If Nick dies or is dead, you know what will happen."
Bear ran a hand over his bald head. "Yes, I know," he answered quietly. "Shit, shit, shit!"
"My sentiment's exactly."
"Who's picking him up?"
"No idea. He made a few calls."
Bear sighed again and walked over to the silent Stealth. He hated this. He wasn't a field agent and he knew he was doing what he did best, but he didn't have to like it. If Nick was dead or would die while Karr was in that android body, hell, in any moving shape, there would be no hiding for those responsible. Karr was a killer and Nick was his catalyst. Without the catalyst… Bear shivered. He didn't want to think about it. Ever.

* * *

"The chopper disappeared off the radar screens at 2:06 p.m. local time. The monitoring station in Edmonton reported that the contact was lost from one second to the next, without a distress call or another signal after that. Prior to the disappearance, no communication had been going on between the pilot and the controller. We have tried contacting them, but so far without any luck. No homing or distress beacon has been picked up on any frequencies. We have launched a search around the last known coordinates. So far we have found nothing. We'll keep looking."
Karr listened to the conversation with only half an ear. Most of him was turned inward, trying to pick up anything from Nick though the coldness that resided where the implant had once been. He knew that in this form, he wouldn't receive his partner's signals as strongly as in the Stealth, but there was nothing. Nothing at all.
If you can hear me> he sent we're coming. We know where you crashed, Nick. Just hold on>
"What puzzles me is how fast the chopper disappeared. Even if it was an engine failure, which I highly doubt, the pilot should have been able to send out a distress call. We have zilch. Nothing at all."
"I understand. Thank you, Mr. Montan."
Alexandra Christopher hung up and turned to look at her friend. "Anything?" she asked.
"Nothing."
She touched his arm and squeezed it lightly. "We'll find him." She didn't add in what shape or whether dead or alive.
Karr had called her because, frankly, there was no one else he could call and also trust. Nick had countless associates and contacts, but Karr wouldn't want to work with any of them. Not in this form. The android was known to no one but the closest of friends. Alex had come to mind because she was reliable and trustworthy, because she was a Ranger, she knew nature, and because she had an interest in finding Nick.
Kitt and Michael would have been the other choices if Alex hadn't been able to make it. Maybe they would have been the primary choices as well, but currently his brother and his partner were hip-deep in surveillance and espionage. Kitt was shielding, which was for the best, and Karr had by now added a lot of layers to his own shields. No use in distracting or even frightening Kitt.
Alex had been shocked of course, but she had agreed on being his guide. She had taken on a professional air while dealing with the facts and the people who could help them get where they needed to, but there were moments of pain, of despair, and Karr found it hard to comfort her. He wasn't good at it, so he didn't approach. He simply watched, wishing he could reach out; it was too difficult.
"Ready?" Alex's voice now interrupted his thoughts.
Karr nodded. Their ride was leaving in a few hours. The last call had gone to the air traffic control office. Alex had used Foundation ID and priority codes to get the necessary cooperation, but it didn't tell them anything new.
"Let's go," he said roughly.

* * *

Nick woke a second time. This time, the dwarves in his head had been joined by the whole dance ensemble of the Riverdance troupe. They were creating quite a ruckus and he wished they would keep it down. Cursing softly, he tried to open his eyes, and regretted it immediately. Bright lights hurt him and he couldn't suppress a groan. He tried again a second time after the pain had subsided, and gratefully discovered that the lights weren't as bright as he had thought. His eyes were simply way too sensitive. It took another five minutes until he was ready to get up, and he felt like a hundred years old as he dragged himself up into a sitting position on the floor. Then he looked around.
He was in a small, very enclosed space with only a door leading outside. There were no windows and the walls were completely smooth. Massaging his temples, Nick sighed. Who had gone to this extent to kidnap him and why? All the people he knew who would want him harm wouldn't go to this extent. They would just take him out. And speaking of 'them', where was Leo?
He rose, a bit unsteady on his leg, and walked over to the metal door. Running his fingers across the door, Nick sighed wearily. He didn't have to be an expert to realize that he wouldn't be able to break out of here just like that. He sank down on the bed again and stared at the wall, trying to get his brain to work. He remembered the crash, how he had woken, how Leo had tried to get the radio to work, and then... how he had been shot with a red dart. Tranqs or drugs. Whatever. They had taken him out.
Why? Why not kill him right away? Whoever had staged all of this, he would know who he had taken. Or didn't he?
Something cold trickled along his mind and he winced. Karr's non-presence was growing more and more pronounced. This wasn't like the times he had been separated because of one incident or the other. This was the complete failure of the chip in his mind, all the complicated connections it had to his brain. Nick tried not to think of what this might mean. If the EMP had destroyed it – there was no way to repair the delicate circuitry. He knew all there was about this implant and one thing that was for sure was that he couldn't remove it, ever. It would be too dangerous to get it out. It had been inside him for two decades and the tissue had accepted the intruder, had grown around it, had included it. If someone tore it out, Nick could just as well say good-bye to his sanity.
He smiled wryly. If it was dead because of the EMP, he could do the same.
There was a muffled sound from the other side of the door and he turned as the door opened. A muscular man in a tight fitting jeans and sweater looked at him with narrowed eyes. He was armed and there was no doubt that he would use force if Nick didn't comply with whatever he wanted him to do. Nick decided that he'd first check out the situation and then see what course of action to take.
"Ready to play?"
"Play what?" Nick asked, assessing his position, the speed the goon would be able to fire and his strength.
"The game, Mr. MacKenzie," another voice said.
The man who now stepped next to the muscular goon was tall as Nick, with a narrow face, pronounced cheekbones and gray eyes that had an unnervingly washed-out quality. Blond hair fell on his shoulders and he was dressed in a light gray suite. He didn't wear any jewelry, not even a wrist watch. The smile on his thin lips seemed almost like painted.
"Who are you?" Nick asked, keeping his voice neutral but firm.
"My name is of no importance."
"You know mine. I think it's bad manners."
A chuckle escaped the thin lips. "The game starts in fifteen minutes. I think you'll find it highly entertaining. The aim is to survive, but I think you'll figure that out by yourself soon enough. Good luck, Mr. MacKenzie."
"Where is my pilot?" Nick called as the door was about to close.
The blond stopped, the smile turning downright nasty. "I never burden myself with excess baggage."
Cold fury flooded Nick as he realized the implication of those words. On the outside his mask didn't waver, but on the inside, the death warrant of the blond had just been sealed. Even if it was the last he ever did. Most likely, it would be the last. There was nothing for him anymore, he realized as the cold blackness beckoned to him again. He didn't know what the game was, but even if he made it through, what was there? Nothing. The implant was dead. Part of him had been torn out.
Minutes ticked past as he assessed his situation. Something inside of him shut down, dying. Something old and nearly forgotten surfaced. A cold glint came to his eyes, his face expressionless. So someone wanted to play? He would be happy to oblige.
The door slid open once more, but this time, no one was waiting outside. Nick felt his body vibrate with tension and apprehension of the game. He left the small room and looked around. He was in a featureless corridor with no doors or windows leading left or right. There was a massive door straight ahead and he slowly set off toward it.

* * *

Soft curses could be heard in the otherwise silent car and Kitt smiled as he watched his partner glare at the light traffic. If looks could kill, the car in front of them would have been blown up by a blast that would have made George Lucas weep with appreciation of the art. Michael wasn't in a good mood, and it wasn't because of the traffic.
"Two months of work down the drain!" Michael muttered, finally overtaking the slower car. "Two months! I spent two months undercover in some sleezy pool halls! With guys who have the worst breath! Two months!"
Kitt sighed. He knew this would go on for a while. He was always learning some new curse words on these occasions.
"And what happens? Some FBI agent thinks he has to make a big bust! Blows our cover, the case, everything! When they were handing out brains he must have arrived too late, and all he got was a rain check! Back to square one, damnit! Two pointless months!"
The case had really turned into a disaster, Kitt had to admit. They had nearly succeeded in getting the information for a major weapons deal going on in one of the pool halls, when the FBI had charged, arrested everyone, and blowing what Michael and Kitt had so painstakingly built. They had spent the night in jail because some, in Michael's words, 'asshole of a rookie agent' had had too much fun. Then they had listened to rather unconcerned apologies and finally had been kicked out.
"I know potted plants that have a higher IQ than those guys! We were busting our butts to get this far! And what do they do?"
Kitt had to smile. He distinctly remembered Michael telling the team leader who had blown it all to smithereens to try using his head next time. It would be a new experience. Now, both were on their way back home and Michael's mood hadn't changed from what it had been like throughout their time in jail.
Kitt leaned back into the passenger seat. Michael had demanded he drive. Kitt hadn't been one to argue. You shouldn't argue when Michael was in this mood. It would only get worse. Instead, he lowered the shields around his mind and sought out the private channel to Karr. To his surprise, he encountered barriers. Strong and heavy barriers. More than Karr would normally put up on a case. He felt over the seamless obstacle and then retreated. Something inside him tightened in brief fear.
The silence in the car roused him to a change of moods from Michael. He turned his head and Michael briefly met his eyes before looking forward again to keep them from ending up in an accident. "Kitt?" he asked, sounding worried. "Something wrong?"
"I… don't know, Michael," he answered slowly. "I don't know…."

* * *

Their breaths crystallized in the frosty early afternoon air as Alex led the way up the treacherous mountain slope, her feet finding purchase in the deep snow. She was bundled up against the wind in a camouflage thermo-jacket and her eyes were hidden behind snow glasses that took the painful edge off the glare. Behind her, Karr followed her effortlessly, but he made sure never to stray from where his guide was making a safe path for them. While he had greater endurance and strength, Alex knew what they were facing. The sparse trees they encountered at this altitude acted as a buffer against the relentless wind. The sun shone high in the blue cloudless sky but offered no warmth.
They had been dropped off as close to the crash site as possible, without alerting whoever might be watching, and Alex had stated that it wouldn't take them more than maybe three hours to get to the coordinates by snow mobile. Karr took her word for it. He trusted in her to make it to the site. They had had to leave the vehicles at the bottom of the steep hill they were now trying to master. There was no way they could make it up there and taking a detour wasn't an option.
Alex stopped and checked her map, then nodded. "Over that ridge," she told him, her voice muffled by the scarf over her mouth.
He nodded silently and they continued. As they passed over the ridge, leaving the last vegetation behind, Karr stopped and felt something inside of him clench in fear. Not far ahead, brightly visible in the white snow, lay the wreck of the Bell. Alex started out toward it, her face set in a determined mask. Karr had to admire her. He felt a lot of trepidation and fear. There was the very real possibility that Nick's body was in that wreck. He followed her, long legs eating up the distance she had already put between them.
As they approached the wreck, Karr took in the damage. It looked worse than it actually was. The main body of the chopper looked very much intact. The tail had broken off, the blades were bent, the nose had deep grooves in it, but it hadn't broken apart. Walking to the pilot's cabin, Karr found it empty. One door was hanging open.
"Karr."
The toneless voice alarmed him and he quickly went over to where Alex was staring down at something.
"What?" he demanded, then stopped.
Before them, next to an open panel and in the shadow of the bent and broken tail, lay a body. Karr knew the face. His name had been Leonard Devereaux, one of Nick's old associates, and the man who had asked for his help. A small, red-rimmed hole in his forehead told of how he had died. The dart sticking in his thigh added some chapters to it.
"Leo," he said softly.
"Nick's friend?"
He nodded. Alex gazed at the dead man, then turned away, hugging herself. In a gesture that amazed even himself, Karr wrapped an arm around her shoulders and hugged her gently.
"I'm okay," she muttered.
"I'm not," Karr said so softly, Alex nearly didn't catch the words. She met the dark eyes and gave him a gentle smile. The moment passed and she knew he would deny ever saying what he had. Karr wasn't the person to make confessions of need out loud.
Half an hour of searching the immediate area around the wreck found no sign of Nick, but Alex discovered tracks of a snowmobile leading away into the distance. Karr had checked the helicopter and when Alex returned, he nodded at the wreck.
"Circuits are scrambled. Something hit it and I suspect it's nothing short of an EM pulse."
She whistled through her teeth. "Someone really brought out his expensive toys."
He nodded. "What about the tracks?"
"Easy to follow. I guess we have about two to three more hours of sunlight. We should use them and then stop for the night. It's no use getting lost in the dark," she added when Karr didn't look very pleased. "We can cover a lot of ground with the skis."
He simply gave a brisk nod and twenty minutes later they set out again, skis attached to their boots. No one had buried the body. They would come back later to give Leo a descent burial, but right now, time was of essence.

* * *

Nick crouched in a dank and grimy tunnel, studying his surroundings. Dim lights made it possible to discern that the tunnel was barely high enough to stand, that there was water about ankle deep in the middle indention of the tunnel floor, and that walls were covered by a muddy slime he wasn't looking forward to touching. The smell was a mixture of damp rot and brackish water. This place hadn't been emptied and cleaned for a long time. It was also the only route he could take. The corridor had been a dead end, the massive door nothing but a fake. He had discovered the sewer lid, and though he knew this was exactly where he was supposed to go, he had had no other alternative.
Nick carefully put the sewer grill back into place and crept forward. His feet splashed slightly and he tried to be as silent as possible as he scouted the moldy, dim and very much garbage-ridden tunnel. He didn't see any security measures, no cameras, no infra red beams, but he had to be careful anyway. After crawling around the tunnel for another ten minutes he arrived in what looked like an intersection. The tunnel he had come out of branched off into two others, one very narrow, the other a bit wider. Both were dark and there was no telling what lay beyond. In the middle of the junction he had arrived was a larger water puddle and he carefully stepped through it.
Nick inspected the two tunnel entrances and then stood back, thinking. He had to make a decision and if he made the wrong one, he might end up dead. There was no guarantee that taking either entrance would let him live, but if the object of the game was to watch him struggle, he guessed both would lead somewhere nasty or difficult anyway. It was his decision just what kind of nastiness came next.
Silently he slipped into the wider tunnel, the darkness folding around him like a cloak.

* * *

"What?!"
Michael nearly dropped the portable phone as he spun around. He had come back home to an empty warehouse and an urgent message waiting for him. The message had told him to call Bear, which he had just done, but he hadn't expected to be told what Bear just had.
"Why didn't he call us?"
"You know Karr," was the answer over the phone, clearly audible to Kitt because Michael had switched on the loudspeakers. "He's not very communicative when it comes to asking for help. You two were also deep undercover and blowing that wasn't an option."
Michael had to grudgingly agree. At the time, he wouldn't have wanted interference or disturbance. "So where are they?" he asked, trying to calm down.
"Right in the middle of Canadian wilderness. I'll give you the coordinates. Alex accompanied Karr as a guide. They left a day ago."
Michael muttered a thanks and then cursed heartily as he hung up the phone. Kitt met the turbulent grayish blue eyes of his partner, worry dancing in his own.
"Any idea where my Northpole survival gear is?" Michael asked with a touch of humor.
Kitt chuckled. "I'll arrange a transport," was all he said.

* * *

So this was it. From the outside, it didn't look like much more than a resort. A tourist place to spend money on being pampered all day, relaxing, maybe do some skiing or walking tours in summer. It didn't look like Bad Guys HQ for sure. The house as such was a solid wooden building, made up in the shape of a log cabin, with a broad verandah to the back. There were high windows, all covered, a lake not far away, which was currently frozen solid, and if she was not mistaken it had a helicopter landing pad to the left. From her position it was hard to tell, but there was a secondary building made of metal that had all the looks and feel of a hangar. If this was a holiday hideaway, it figured they'd have a helicopter to get here or take them to the sights of this nature area.
Alex put down the binoculars and frowned. This was the only place for miles and the snowmobile tracks had led into this direction. It had taken them a whole day to find this place and to get here undetected, but they had made it. Currently, Karr was taking a look at security. And that place had security! Loads of it. There were motion detectors, infrared cameras, security personnel with guns, and the likes, and all of that didn't fit a holiday resort. Well, it did if the people who came here were some kind of high-placed individuals. She doubted it though.
Sliding back down the snow-covered hill she had used as a look-out, Alex wondered just why Nick had been kidnapped – and if he was still alive. The thought wormed itself into her mind again and she shivered. She held firmly onto the belief that he had to be alive. Who would drag a body all this way?
A noise to her left made her whirl around. Karr raised his hands as she pointed her gun at him, a small smile flickering over his features.
"You have learned."
Alex returned the smile and lowered her weapon. "Only from the best."
Years of being Nick MacKenzie's partner had given her some training when it came to the spy games.
"The house is like a fortress," she commented.
"Every fortress has a secret passage way," he said with a nasty smile.
"You think this is where he is?"
"You are the tracker. You tell me."
Alex smiled again. "This is where the tracks led."
"Good enough for me." Karr's eyes drifted over to the cabin. There was a hard to read expression in them.
They walked back down the way they had come to where the gear had been deposited.
"So?"
He didn't meet her eyes. "So what?"
"So what's next?"
"I'm going in."
Alex reached into her thick overcoat and withdrew handgun. She held it out to Karr. He eyed it for a second, then took it with a nod. She smiled and took the hunting rifle that had been stashed in her backpack.
"Good luck," she whispered.

Ten minutes later Karr was on his way, making his way through the outer defense perimeter without setting off any alarms. To them, he was only a ghost, but Karr knew it would get trickier the closer he came. He was prepared for all eventualities.

* * *

Nick stood on a narrow metal catwalk, looking down at the sluggishly moving sewage about two feet below. It stank abominably, but he managed to breathe in as little of the stink as humanly possible. He had left the narrow tunnel behind a minute ago and discovered that it ended in what could be almost called a hall. The room was five times as high as the tunnels, had a wide sewage river in the middle, narrow, slimy banks to both sides, and a rusty catwalk as a kind of bridge leading from one side to the other.
There was a creaking, groaning sound and then a loud bang as the two exits to the chamber were suddenly sealed off. Almost simultaneously, four large holes in the ceiling opened.
"Oh-oh," he muttered to himself.
Cold water rushed out of the openings and crashed into the chamber, rapidly filling it.

* * *

It had taken Karr three hours. He fumed silently, angry at himself for having been detoured so often, and he blamed his surging emotions. He tried to suppress them, but every time he felt the disconnected link, they raged to the surface. Nick was in there and every minute counted. Now he had wasted three perfectly good hours on breaking into that thrice-damned compound. But he was in and it was all that counted.
He crept along a formerly heavily guarded corridor. The two guards, who had just come on duty as he had observed the change of personnel, were lying in a near-by room that looked like it hadn't been used for ages. Both were dead. Karr normally didn't go around killing people, but this was personal and they wouldn't hesitate to take him out either.
As he came upon a door marked 'control', he felt a smile cross his features. That sounded promising. He went in.

* * *

The trip to Edmonton had been spent alternating between calming Kitt down because of his fear of flying, and calming himself down because of his increasing worry about Nick and Karr. Michael had called in a favor from one of Nick's associates to get a flight leaving within one hour after his call. He didn't know the person on the other end of the phone line, but he was aware that his name was well-known. It hadn't been a problem to get the flight at all. The real problem had been to convince Kitt that nothing was going to happen, that he was fine, and that this was the only option. Driving to Canada would take too long and they had no time. Kitt, pushed by the inner fear about his brother and Nick, had reluctantly agreed to an aerial transport, but he still didn't like it.
The plane had turned out to be a Lear Jet. It streaked through the night sky, its position lights blinking at regular intervals. In the cockpit, a man of undetermined age was talking to the control tower and requesting landing information. The cabin Michael and Kitt sat in was spacious and resembled a large office, complete with a satellite linked computer, phone and TV. A heavy mahogany desk with a black leather executive chair dominated one side of the airplane, a cream colored couch with two matching armchairs the other. Soft, likewise cream colored carpet swallowed all sound.
Michael was simply amazed by it all, but he refrained from asking. This was definitely a company jet, though he had no idea whose company, and it had cost a lot to outfit. Kitt was clinging to the seat, looking rather pale and about to throw up. Michael reached out and touched the nervous spark in his mind.
//Almost there//
//You said so an hour ago!// Kitt complained.
He smiled. Kitt's fear of flying was well-known, but now that he was in the android body, the fear really showed in his features as well.
They touched down thirty minutes later and Michael thanked the pilot, who simply nodded wordlessly. He had no idea if they would need a ride back and he hadn't asked. The TransAm was unloaded from the aft section and one of the customs officers started to ask him a string of questions which he ended abruptly by flashing his ID. The officer nodded, let him sign some papers, and then told him he could leave.
"Anything from Karr?" he asked.
Kitt shook his head. "Nothing. He's… shielding very heavily."
Michael sighed and wove through the early morning traffic until he was on the highway. Then he floored the accelerator.

* * *

The water fountained from the valves, billowing around him, rising past head level. Nick was treading water, paddling, as he was buoyed closer to the ceiling. The mass of water rushed up around him, icy cold and not exactly the cleanest of liquids. He was pushed inevitably toward the ceiling, his breathing space getting smaller and smaller. There was only one way out and Nick knew it was risky, but much better than dying. As his last resources of air vanished and he bumped against the rough, stone ceiling, he bent back his head to snatch the last bit of air, then held his breath and swam toward one of the water vents. He pushed himself inside. He had a time limit of maybe four minutes, the longest time he could hold his breath. He had managed to hold it longer before, but it had been a very close call.
Nick dove into the long, dark tunnel, leaving the chamber behind. His strong arms pulled him forward and his legs pushed up. Swallowing and reswallowing deoxygenated air, he rose into the darkness. But with each passing second, his body seemed to fade into terminal numbness. The water was liquid ice, biting into his unprotected skin. Soon the only sensation was that of his lungs burning in his chest, his mind screaming for him to breathe. The logical part reminded him that all he could breathe was water, which would mean suffocation. The survivor in him refused to give up, ordered his body to keep moving.
Time passed.
Too much time.
Way too much time....
And then his head broke through the water and he gulped in breaths of air, coughing wildly. His lips were tinged blue and he was totally breathless. Nick groped helplessly for something to hold onto and his hands touched what looked like metal rungs. Numb fingers curled around them and he hoisted himself up with what little strength still remained in him. He collapsed on the icy cold, metal floor that was all around him, shivering violently.
He had to get warm.
Waves of delirium swept over him and he fought to stay conscious.
Get warm.
Nick stared at the greenish-gray walls surrounding him. The room seemed to alternately expand and contract, distances were inconsistent, and the reality of his own physical existence seemed questionable. His hands twitched, numb fingers grasping for something invisible.
Get warm.....
Delirium threatened to blank out every rational thought and he moaned softly. Warmth. From somewhere, he could feel warmth. The delirium made way to an abominable feeling of utter cold, which soon turned into just feeling too cold to be comfortable and then warmth.
Nick closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, his lungs feeling like chips of ice. He was still warming, but the effects of the cold were receding only slowly. With a weak sigh he simply surrendered to the warmth.

* * *

Karr stood in the middle of the control room, fury and emotional pain racing through him as he took in the sight. In front of him was a wall full of monitor screens, showing him different camera angles of what was a maze of tunnels and rooms. Each room was different and if he wasn't completely mistaken, one of them showed a body. It wasn't Nick, he assured himself with a closer look, but it had been a male human once. Now he lay in a dried pool of his own blood, multiple arrows protruding from his chest and back. A control board sat beneath the screen and there were different settings, some of them giving Karr a vague idea what was happening.
He searched the screens for a sign of Nick and found it in the lower right corner. Nick was currently trying to struggle to his feet, looking wet and exhausted, barely able to stand. But there was a determination in each move that Karr knew only too well. Fury surged and he clenched his teeth. He wildly looked around for some means of determining just where his partner was, but there was no map.
"You won't be able to get him out."
The voice made him spin around and suddenly he was facing the wrong end of a gun. A thin, blond man smiled sickly at him and Karr snarled softly. Left and right of the man were his bodyguards, two mean-looking, muscular goons.
"Who are you?" Karr demanded. "Why are you doing this?"
"My name is of no importance. As for the reason, that's simple. Entertainment."
Karr's mind froze for a second. Entertainment? He found this entertaining?
"It pays well, too," the man went on, making a grand gesture to encompass the whole room.
"You are a very sick individual," Karr said tonelessly.
"I only give people what they demand."
"Death."
A chuckle could be heard. "If it pays. Mostly, it's entertainment only that the customer demands."
Karr felt fury build up inside of him.
"I have to confess that you surprised me, Sir," the blond went on. "I didn't expect any visitors, but the more the merrier. The moment Mr. MacKenzie has outlived his usefulness as a pawn, I think you will provide us with some more entertainment for the evening."
"Don't count on it," Karr hissed, sizing up his opponents.
He would be able to take them out and while they couldn't kill him with bullets or anything else they might throw at the android body, injuries would be painful. A glance at the screens told him it was even more painful for Nick to remain in this death trap any longer. For a second, he felt glad that the link was dysfunctional. On the other hand, it would have fueled his own rage just perfectly.
He made his decision. He attacked.

* * *

The helicopter touched down next to the wreck of the Bell, disturbing the powdered snow that had fallen throughout the night. Michael gazed at the wreck, a feeling of dread rising once more.
"Inform the RCMP," he instructed the pilot as he got out.
The man nodded and got on the line to the next outpost, calling for back-up. Kitt jumped out behind Michael and they made their way over to the broken aircraft, keeping their heads down to escape the miniature storm the rotorblades were creating. They found the body of the pilot and Michael simply nodded once as he discovered just how the man had died. Due to the cold weather the corpse was in a rather good shape. Further exploration got them no sign of Nick, but some faint tracks led away from the wreck.
"We are following the tracks," Michael informed the pilot as he got their gear out. "We'll keep in touch."
"Understood. The RCMP will be here within the next few hours. I'm staying."
"Thanks."
"Good luck, Mr. Knight."
Michael smiled grimly. They would need it.

* * *

Nick had no recollection how he had gotten here. His mind was exhausted, as was his body, and he moved on automatic. 'Here' was a room full of old theater props, looking eerie and like it hadn't been in use for ages. Fake pillars were left and right of him. Moving slowly and carefully, he tried to listen to any strange noises or tell-tale activity. There was nothing but silence.
Suddenly there was a creaking noise, followed by a loud splintering. He stopped and looked around and his eyes went wide. A curse left his lips and he forced his body into a run. Behind him, the first pillars exploded into plastic and wood fragments as the ceiling squeezed them together, coming ever closer toward the ground. And in front of him the exit became inevitably smaller as the ceiling lowered further and further. He panted painfully as he pushed himself to his limits. With a yell he jumped and slid through the narrowing door, hitting some obstacle just outside, though not hard enough to knock him out. Stars exploded in front of his eyes and for a moment there was nothing but the blood rushing in his ears. Gradually it was replaced by the loud cracking of splintering wood and plastic, shards of destroyed fakes exploding into the small corridor Nick lay in. He weakly shielded his eyes, wishing he could just lie here for a while. His wrist hurt abominably from where it had slammed into the wall and his limbs felt like lead weights attached to his body.
Finally the loud noises died down and he squinted over his arm. Where the room had been was just a dark wall now, the entrance barred by the lowered ceiling. Nick closed his eyes again, trying to steady his breathing.

* * *

Karr felt no remorse as he let the body of the second man slide to the floor, his neck broken. The first one was merely unconscious from a severe blow to the chest that had cracked ribs and breastbone alike. The leader was gone, had taken off the moment Karr had launched his attack, but right now, it was of no importance. Pain signals alerted him to the fact that he had been injured. It was a mere flesh wound and though it bled the synthetic fluid that posed as blood for this body, it wasn't fatal. Karr ripped some strips out of the dead man's shirt and applied pressure to the shot wound in his side. He hissed in pain, then waited for it to pass. He knew why he disliked this body. It was too vulnerable; way too vulnerable! Though the MBS shielded core was unbreachable by normal weapons, the skin had nerve endings and conducted pain signals. Very distracting.
Checking the monitors, he discovered that Nick had moved further through the game grounds and was currently about to meet some heavy resistance from four men who looked like they came from the same place the two goons he had taken out had hatched from. But where in the maze was the room he now saw? Karr's eyes took in the pale, bruised and damp figure that was determinedly and rather doggedly fighting his way through, and he felt pride blossom inside of him. Nick wasn't easy to keep down, but he knew his human partner could take only so much.
Hold on> he sent down the useless link. Just hold on>
Walking over to the console again, he let his gaze wander. He had to get access to the controls and find the room. Suddenly something brushed over his shields. With growing horror Karr discovered that throughout the fight and the injury, some of the outer shields had crumbled because his concentration had wavered. Kitt was waiting on the other side, asking, needing to know. Karr moved away from the private line. Then he stopped. He would need help here soon, especially with Nick, and Kitt and Michael….. he let the thought trail off. After two seconds, which were a long time for an AI, he sent a burst of information along a tiny opening in the shields, then closed the link once more.
Karr turned back to the console, concentrating on finding a way to Nick.

* * *

Kitt hadn't expected any kind of reply from Karr, even though he had felt the barriers between them weaken. Something was happening and it wasn't good. Karr wasn't easily convinced to drop shields he thought of as necessary, and whatever had occurred in the last hours, it must be taxing his endurance. And then the burst of information had hit.
Kitt had had to stop, knees almost buckling at the myriad of data, but before Michael could even utter his worry, he smiled. Michael's frown lifted into an expression of hope.
"Karr?"
Kitt nodded. "Nick's alive, but not well. He's trapped in what appears to be a maze. Someone's using it to entertain people…." Kitt shivered. What Karr had sent were cold facts, but his imagination was good enough and his experience had shown him what the human mind was capable of.
"Where?" Michael demanded.
"Not much further. We should be there within half an hour."
Determined, the two moved on.

* * *

He had found it! Karr's fingers flew over the keyboard, cursing the slowness of this body. If he could just interface with the mainframe, he would be through the files much faster, but he was restricted to typing and reading the data on the screen. One after another, he shut down the death traps, working as quickly as the accursed system allowed him to. Finally, the last green light turned the red of inactivity, and he sat back. Two minutes. The whole procedures had taken two long minutes!
Cursing to himself, he drew the map out of the system and checked where Nick was. Then he ran off down the corridor.

* * *

Alex had been huddling inside a camouflage tent for what seemed like eternity. The tent kept her from prying eyes, hidden beneath some weathered pines and kept in shades of snowy white and gray. She didn't have a heater, but the thermo gear kept her reasonably warm. Six hours had passed already and Karr had told her to wait for no more than eight before heading back and getting help. She had hated staying behind, but Alex was well aware of the fact that she wasn't superwoman. She couldn't go up against the enemy forces; she would endanger Karr.
A noise alerted her. It wasn't a natural sound, not made by snow dropping from the heavily laden pines or an animal passing by. She grabbed the hunting rifle and peeked out of the shelter. From her position she discovered a heavily dressed figure making its way along the barely visible path she and Karr had taken. The snow that had fallen throughout the last hours hadn't been able to cover their tracks completely. Alex gritted her teeth and slid out of the tent, lying low. There hadn't been any patrols outside the complex since they had arrived. So why now?
Another noise could be heard, this time behind her. Shit! She rolled around, bringing up the rifle. A figure in a white thermo suit stood above her, its face covered by snow glasses and a scarf. The gun was pushed aside and she heard a muffled exclamation, but she didn't listen or tried to understand. Her heavily booted foot connected with her attacker's knee and she heard a yell of pain.
Alex jumped up the moment the man went down and made to sprint away from the attacker. She got quite far, but she hadn't thought of the second man moving as well. Something tackled her around the waist and she crashed into the snow. With a yell, Alex twisted around and kicked hard again. Nick had shown her a few very mean moves and told her that her strength were her legs. She might not be able to hit someone hard enough with her fists to knock him out, but she had leg power. The kick didn't dislodge her captor and it jarred her foot.
"Alex!"
The voice, though muffled, sounding vaguely familiar, and she hesitated for a second. The attacker pulled down the scarf from his lower half of the face, then pushed up the snow glasses.
"Kitt?" she breathed.
He smiled at her. "Yes, it's me."
He sat back, giving her the freedom she needed to sit up. Alex stared at him, then something struck her. "Michael!"
"I'm okay," a voice muttered and she grimaced in sympathy as Michael limped over to them. "You pack quite a kick, Dr. Christopher."
"Sorry."
He shook his head. "No need. Shouldn't have surprised you like this. Where's Karr?"
Alex climbed to her feet, accepting Kitt's outstretched hand. "He went in. Six hours ago. Haven't heard from him since."
"In where?"
"There's some kind of cabin or lodge half a mile down there." She gestured into the direction. "It's where the tracks of the snow mobile we followed led. How did you two guys get here?" she finally asked.
"We followed the same tracks."
"I mean… how did you get from your assignment here?" Alex clarified.
"Lucky coincidence. Our case was blown and we were back home early. Bear had left a message and I called in a few favors to get here ASAP."
Alex smiled gratefully.
Michael surveyed the winter landscape. "I guess there is about a ton of surveillance around the compound, hm?" She nodded. Michael sighed and replaced the goggles. "No time to waste."
"I'm coming along this time," Alex told them, not accepting any arguments. "I'm sick and tired of freezing my butt off out here." She glared at Michael, daring him to voice his obvious objections.
Michael bit his lower lip, shrugged, then walked off, following the barely visible footsteps from Karr. Kitt smiled at Alex, who came next, and then brought up the rear.

* * *

Karr was following the memorized map, long legs taking him down endless corridors and through rooms that had been death traps before. Some, Nick had never had to fight through; some he had.
"How did I know you'd end up trying to save your friend?"
The smooth, cold voice stopped him. Karr whirled around just as the gun sounded. He felt something spin him around, pain flashed through the positronic mind, and the body crashed heavily to the floor. He located the wound. It was a head shot. The bullet had been deflected by the MBS shielded skull and was bleeding heavily. He lay still, ears straining to hear where the enemy was. He heard footsteps and muscles tensed.
"My, my, so easily defeated. I'd have thought to be the same challenge as your friend. I was explicitly asked to acquire him as a game participant by a highly paying member of our exquisite club. He came much further than most of the others. Sadly, the human body can only go so far and I believe Mr. MacKenzie is by now finding that out as well."
Karr's fury turned into blinding, screaming rage, tearing at his sanity. He threw the blocked, dead link to his partner wide open, feeling the darkness descend into his mind, embracing it. It fueled his mindless rage. He rolled around and brought his left leg up, kicking the foot full force into the blond's ribcage. The man's look of surprise turned into one of horror as he heard the bones in his chest break. He was flung back and the gun cluttered from his hands. Karr jumped to his feet and struck out at the gasping man with his flat hand. It hit the throat and crushed the larynx. The man wheezed in pain.
"You chose the wrong victim," Karr snarled, the next blow sending the blond back against the wall, blood spewing out of his broken nose. "You chose my partner. I don't take kindly to that."
A roundhouse kick broke more ribs and the breastbone. Karr grabbed the barely conscious man, reading the pain and terror in the pale eyes.
"Not kindly at all," he snarled, listening to the wheezing breaths escaping the thin lips.
Karr's fingers curled around the already severely injured throat. Cold, gray eyes bore into the fading blue ones. He flung the blond aside and the thin body connected with the other wall. Karr didn't look at the broken heap of a man as he stalked out of the room.

* * *

His opponents were outnumbering him four to one, but Nick had never been for numbers in a fight. He knew his abilities and the men he was facing were more counting on their size and strength. All were broad-shouldered, with the general build of a brick wall, and their faces were set in the unimpressed, rather unintelligent expression of a bully who didn't expect much resistance.
Nick proved to be a lot of resistance. The first attacker went down as a hand struck his throat. He gasped for air, clawing at his throat. Nick spun around and his foot connected with the groin of the man behind him. A large hand grabbed his neck, but a vicious elbow to the stomach ended that attack. A large fist connected with the left side of his jaw and he went down hard. He rolled away and jumped back to his feet, his head ringing, his vision a bit blurry.
Except for the one with the breathing problems, the other two had stumbled to their feet once more. They didn't look overly happy about Nick's resistance.
The dance continued, but it was taking its toll. Nick removed a second attacker from the game, the man collapsing in a heap. He actually had no idea if he was dead, but the crack he had heard hadn't sounded very healthy. The others didn't appreciate his efforts. A fist slammed into his stomach. He wasn't allowed to double over. The second one held him up and hit him again. Four times the fist met with resistance, the fifth time, ribs cracked under the onslaught. He was finally allowed to slump to the floor.
Breathing hard, holding one arm protectively to his ribs, he focused on his next move. One of his opponents chuckled and reached for him, but Nick didn't let him. He let himself fall to his uninjured side and his foot snapped up, catching the man in the jaw. There was a resounding crack and the goon howled in pain. He kicked out again and his left foot connected with something. His friend tried to catch Nick, but the smaller man lashed out once more and connected with his groin. Another howl joined the first. Nick added a blow to the head and the man collapsed.
Pain lanced through his injured side and Nick fell against the wall, suppressing a groan. Broken ribs. No fun. Damnit, why did they have to break his ribs? There was a low snarl of pain and Nick opened his eyes long enough to see the back of a fist heading towards him. He tried to move away from it but his reactions were slow. It hit him with enough force to double his vision. Again, his legs were his better weapons. This time, he hit a knee and the yell told him it had been a successful hit. Stumbling forward, heading for the door, Nick willed his tiring and aching body to move. He left three unconscious and one semi-conscious goons behind.
He didn't see the small hole in the ceiling open, but he felt the needle prick his skin. It was too late by then. The liquid that now invaded his blood stream quickly began to do its work. Nick blinked rapidly in an effort to clear his blurring vision. It only made it worse, so he closed his eyes instead. He fell against the wall, so tired, but the blackness wouldn't come for him. Instead, the steady chunk of black ice that was his constant companion seemed to expand, encompass his whole thinking, driving him on.
He stumbled down the corridor, continuing his struggles against the game.

* * *

_Karr? Please answer me! We are here. We can help, Kitt pleaded.
Michael, Alex and him were slowly making their way through the silent house. They had found two dead guards and there wasn't much guesswork involved just who had ended their lives. Kitt had to grimace at the thought. While Karr was a mirror of Nick most of the time, the AI might not so readily handle ending a human life as his driver did. He would have to keep an eye on him after this was over.
_Karr!
There was a faint noise at the other end, then Kitt felt his brother's presence. _What took you so long? he asked, his voice sounding rather faint and exhausted.
Kitt reached out and joyously hugged the single tendril of his brother's presence. He felt Karr's exhaustion and his pain, as well as his fear.
_Where are you?
_We are on Level –2. All traps and game mechanisms have been deactivated. It's safe.
Traps? Kitt shivered at the sound but he didn't inquire further. Karr and Nick needed their help now. He told Michael and Alex of the short contact and they started to search for level –2.

* * *

Nick was under the influence of the drug that had been injected into him. He couldn't fight it. He was too tired, too beaten, and he knew he was losing the game. He stumbled and fell against the wall, trying to catch his breath. His ribs hurt with every breath and he couldn't think straight anymore.
Suddenly there was a shape coming closer, a voice talking to him. Nick's survival instinct screamed. His fist connected with his attacker's chin, snapping the head back. Nick stumbled away and nearly fell. He made it three steps farther down the room when something caught him. His hand flew up, catching the attacker once more, then he added a roundhouse kick to the fist. The form moved away with a grunt, but not far enough. He fought the hands, striking out at whatever he could hit, employing hands, feet and his head. Whatever he could. His body, weakened from the game, was quickly approaching a total shutdown, but Nick knew he would take as many with them as possible. His hand connected with an unforgiving surface. Pain lanced through his wrist and he clenched his teeth, attacking once more. His injured wrist was grabbed in a vice-like hold and he screamed this time. His knees buckled and he fell to the ground, but he still fought.
Another hand tried to touch him and a voice was talking to him, insistently, trying to get him to understand. He didn't. He didn't care who it was. He had been sentenced to die in the game and he wouldn't go without evening the score. Leo had died because of this and he would make them pay.

Karr winced as he heard Nick's scream of pain. There had been no other choice but to grab the injured wrist and hold on to the madly fighting man. Wild, blue eyes looked at him without seeing anything. Nick was in a fighting fury, throwing all he still had, and which was formidable considering the injuries and signs of exhaustion, at his 'attacker'.
"Nick, it's me!" he tried again and was rewarded with a blow to the chest.
While it smarted, it hurt his partner more than him. Karr desperately caught the other hand and twisted Nick around so he was resting with his back against Karr's chest. His arms were crossed in front of his own chest, immobilizing him somewhat. Nick threw his head back and it crashed into Karr's face. With an angry snarl, he tightened his hold on the injured wrist and heard Nick hiss in pain. It pained him just the same, but he had to quiet him down.
"Nick, it's me, Karr," he whispered into his partner's ear. "You are safe. Calm down. It's okay. You are safe." He repeated it over and over again.
Suddenly the body in his arms grew limp. The adrenalin that had sustained him deserted him without warning. "Karr?" Nick whispered, sounding weak and broken.
Karr smiled and allowed himself to slide down the wall, cradling Nick in his hold. "Yes, it's me. You're safe."
"Safe?"
"Yes."
Karr held Nick tightly, feeling the lean body tremble uncontrollably. He rested his chin on the dark head and continued to softly reassure his partner that he was safe now, that everything was going to be okay.
"What are you doing here?" Nick whispered. His eyes were closed and Karr felt Nick's good hand curl around his own wrist.
He smiled. "Saving your sorry butt."
A dry chuckle escaped him. Blurry eyes fell on his face. He knew he had a split lip from Nick's blow and there was the head wound from the bullet. The blood had dried but it was coating his face and hair. Nick could pack quite a punch even when weak and exhausted, but he was secure now.
"Thank you," his partner breathed, slumping against him.
Karr protectively laid his hand and arm over the dark head, feeling the tremors increase. After some time, Nick quieted down, going limp against him, his ragged breathing still a bit uneven. They simply sat together for a while. There was no more danger and help was on the way. All that counted was that Nick was alive, that he was here. Karr had no intention of ever letting go again.
He felt Kitt's calls and tiredly acknowledged his brother's presence, telling him where they were.

* * *

Kitt ran into the semi-dark room and stopped. His worried features relaxed into a smile of relief, then the worry came back. Karr sat with his back against the wall, cradling Nick in his arms. Nick was disheveled, his hair matted by blood and sweat and dirt, and his clothes showed tears. Blood crusted some of the gashes.
_Karr? he whispered through the link, not wanting to speak out loud. It seemed inappropriate.
_He's alive, was the soft answer. _In pain, very confused, exhausted, but alive.
Kitt walked closer and to his horror, discovered the blood on his brother's face and clothes. Karr had been injured as well. He crouched down and reached out. He wordlessly asked for permission and when Karr gave it, he carefully touched the dark head. Nick didn't react to it at all.
_Unconscious, Karr added.
_Help is on the way.
_Thanks.
_We should get him out of here.
Karr nodded and slowly climbed to his feet, lifting Nick with him. The human was completely unresponsive. Kitt discovered the makeshift bandage around Karr's middle and bit his lower lip.
Michael was outside with Alex and when they came out, Alex's eyes widened. Michael's face seemed to grow rigid with worry and Kitt felt him reach out, asking. He assured his partner that Nick was alive.
"Karr?" Alex breathed.
"He's unconscious," Karr told her, lowering the limp form to the ground.
She sank down beside Nick, then glanced at the android. "You?"
A brief smile flickered over the blood-coated features. "Messy but only superficial."
Michael grabbed a blanket and draped it over Nick.
//God, he looks bad// he sent.
Kitt had to agree. There were so many scratches, bruises and cuts, and Nick's face was showing a lot of discoloring. Karr looked just as bad and there was a strange expression in his eyes. He was fully concentrating on Nick, unable to reach his partner through the dead implant, and Alex was simply sitting next to them, one hand lightly holding a cold, pale hand.
The Medivac helicopter arrived thirty minutes later.

* * *

"Hold still!"
Karr glared at his brother, eyes trying to relay a fair amount of menace. Kitt ignored him as he quickly and expertly cleaned the multiple wounds on Karr's face and head. Karr winced as Kitt applied more pressure to the laceration where the bullet had clipped his temple.
"That hurts!" he hissed.
"I know," was the almost sweet reply.
"You are doing this on purpose!"
"No, but you are making this harder than it actually is," Kitt countered.
"I don't need this!" Karr objected, trying to pull away.
Kitt's strong grip held him in place. "You want to stay with Nick? Then you have to look better than a roadkill!"
The glare intensified. Kitt gave him a bright smile and deftly combed some hair over the stitched skin.
"Now take the shirt off."
"I most certainly will not!"
"Karr…."
"I only need a new shirt," Karr told him forcefully, trying to rise from the chair.
"Sit and take that shirt off!" Kitt growled dangerously.
Karr's eyes widened slightly. Kitt's face was set in a threatening expression.
_You learned fast, Karr muttered.
Kitt chuckled. _Only from the best. Now take it off, please?
Karr worked the shirt off and Kitt grimaced as he discovered the torn flesh over the ribcage. It had to hurt. He knew it would. These android bodies were quite sensitive, almost like a human body, and there was no way Karr could take the sensors off line.
"This will hurt."
"More than what you already did?" Karr grumbled.
Kitt cleaned the dried synthetic fluid off and then started to stitch the wound. Karr hissed in pain. That about answered the question. When he was done, he regarded the torn and bloody shirt.
"That won't do. You can take one of Michael's spares."
Karr grimaced but shrugged into the uncharacteristic white shirts. It fit, though rather loosely, and he carefully rose.
"Thanks," he said softly.
Kitt smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

Michael sat in the back of the Rescue helicopter, a silver thermo blanket around his shoulders. A well-meaning paramedic had checked him after discovering the limp, but he had waved him away. He was fine and the bruise on his knee from Alex's kick would be colorful, but not life threatening. He was watching RCMP scurrying around. Michael had already been interviewed by an officer and he had answered as best as he could. The simple question the man had posed as to what the hell had been going on, had gone mostly unanswered. He didn't know himself.
//They have readied Nick for transport// Kitt informed him.
His younger partner had been watching proceedings, keeping physically close to Karr because he wanted to prevent any kind of incident involving a hyper-tense and easily infuriated AI. So far, Karr had been almost docile. Due to the nature of what he was, Kitt had had to almost force him to relinquish his hold on Nick before the EMTs arrived. If they saw the blood and open wounds, they'd try to treat him. They would immediately find out that he wasn't human. It had been a fight to get the older AI to surrender Nick to the care of Alex and Michael, but in the end, he had gone.

Ten minutes later, the helicopter took off, heading toward Edmonton.

* * *

A TV was mounted in the upper left hand corner of the waiting room, switched on and playing an old I Love Lucy episode. Red, rather comfortable chairs graced the small room. The floor must have been redone just recently. It was a smooth, chocolate brown and very clean. Old and new magazines and children's books lay on imitation wood square coffee tables. A Coke machine and vending machine sat on the opposite side of the room. The unmaskable, disinfectant institutional smell that permeated all large city hospitals hung like a blanket in the air. Alex had gotten herself a coffee and was sitting on one of the chairs, warming her cold hands on the cup. It was late at night and there was no one in the room but her. Apparently, Nick was the only emergency with family and friends present at the moment.
The door opened and Michael walked in, looking tired and beat. He was still sporting a slight limp and she winced in sympathy. She hadn't meant to hurt him but at the time, he had been classified as the enemy.
"They've taken him to Radiology," he explained. He held out the clipboard he had been carrying to her. "Think you are better qualified than me."
Alex took the hospital form with a slight smile. "Considering the times he has been hospitalized, you should know this inside out."
Michael grimaced. "True. Truth is, I've never been good with forms."
Alex unhooked the pen from the clipboard and started to fill out the form. It took her only a few minutes and finally she handed it back to Michael. He let his gaze fly over the piece of paper and whistled appreciatively.
"You lie even better than I do."
"It's a knack."
The problem with Nick was that his personal data was either non-existent or unknown; sometimes even to him. His name and address were partially right. The address was a townhouse in San Francisco he actually owned, but no one lived there. They used it as a safehouse now and then, or when a place of residence was needed. Michael didn't know if the date of birth Alex had jotted down was real or her own creation. He didn't put it past Nick to tell her and not him. The assorted insurance numbers were fakes. If checked, they'd turn out to be valid, but the person who taken out the insurance was not the same as the one who was currently being treated. Alex had written down her cell phone number in the spot where a contact was requested, as well as her name.
"Where are Kitt and Karr?" she then asked.
"Karr is refusing to leave Nick's side and Kitt had to use some major arguments to get him out of the treatment room." Michael shrugged. "He's staying with him right now, making sure nothing happens."
"To Karr or the doctors?"
Michael chuckled. "Both."
Alex placed the pen back in the holder on the clipboard. She pushed back an errand strand of hair. "Think they have a shower here?"
Michael shook his head with a grin. Alex was the most practical woman he had ever met, aside from Bonnie. And she had a lot of experience, too much experience, with hospital procedures. Nick would be in treatment for a while and she was dirty and in need of a chance of clothes. Before he could answer, the door to the waiting room opened.
"Mr. Michael Knight?"
Michael nodded. The visitor was a man not much older than him, wearing a police uniform.
"I'm Carl Standish, RCMP. We need to ask you a few questions…" He cast a meaningful look at Alex.
She smiled. "I get the hint. I'm off to hunt down that shower, Michael, and then I'll see what I can do about Karr."
Michael nodded gratefully and followed the officer. He knew this would be a long night.

* * *

Nick wanted to scream at the suffocating darkness that surrounded his mind. He had thought he'd gotten away, but he was mistaken. He tried to find his way through this nightmare and his body tried to force itself out of its prison. The game. He was still in there. A voice whispered to him, but it couldn't be heard over in the panic his mind projected. The link. It hurt so much feeling the icy blackness coming from there, telling him he was alone. His body wanted to react by fighting, but he was too weak. His breathing pattern changed; it became rapid. He was beginning to find it hard to get the air he needed into his lungs.
A hand touched his face and he couldn't help but jerk away from it. The voice began to talk to him then, calling his name and telling him that he was going to be fine, that he was here with him now. His mind finally forced the scream to leave his body. His pain filled form began to fight. He couldn't stop it. It was more a reaction than a request. He wanted it to stop but it wouldn't. He tried to ward off the hand touching him, but something was keeping them down.
Hands gripped his face and held it tight. A voice began to whisper in his ear, but he couldn't calm down; the fear was too great. He struggled even harder. The hands still held his head in a vice-like grip and finally words filtered through.
"Nick…. you're safe….."
Karr?
"Open your eyes."
His body went limp and he tried to force his eyes open. It was an effort. The blurry image that greeted him turned into face.
"Karr?" he whispered, his voice rough and weak.
"Yes. You are safe, Nick. Relax."
The dead link blazed through his mind, hurting more than any other physical wound he had sustained.
"It'll be okay," Karr said softly, gray eyes bearing into Nick's blurry ones.
"Not… okay," Nick managed. "Alone."
With that, sleep claimed him again.

Karr sat back, feeling the weight of those three words settle on him. No, it wasn't okay. The link was dead, maybe even destroyed, which he prayed was wrong. He gazed at his sleeping partner, then closed his eyes, wishing he could just shut down as well. But he couldn't and he wouldn't.
Alone….
The word echoed in his mind. He felt tremors race through the android body and his hands curled into fists. Karr's jaw almost creaked from clenching it so hard. In a sudden movement he rose and paced the room.
They were both alone, the link was gone, and being reminded of it only brought the pain again. With more force than before, clawing at the last defenses he had against the oppressing feeling of being alone in his mind. How could he have treasured this loneliness before? How could he have wanted it before? How could he have wanted to kill the man who was now part of his soul? The tremors increased and Karr felt like driving his fist or any other body part into the wall. He didn't want to be alone. He couldn't be alone. He wasn't meant to be…..
In one smooth move he whirled around and his fist connected with the wall.

*

Alex had showered, dressed in fresh clothes from her bag and gotten a bite to eat, though she had been unable to taste the food. The hospital cantina had actually rather good snacks, but it had been tasteless nevertheless. Her mind kept going over what had happened over and over again. Nick was fine, he would heal; he always did. But this time something was different. This time, something else had been hurt and she knew that no amount of medical treatment could heal it.
She entered the room Nick was in, knowing that Karr was there, who seemed to be part of the inventory by now. The smile on her face faltered and was then replaced by shock and immediately flaring worry as she took in the damage to the wall. There was a fist-sized indention in it and Karr was sitting with his back against the damaged wall, head buried in his hands.
She let the door fall shut behind her and quickly walked over to the android. "Karr?" she asked.
"Leave," was the harsh reply.
Alex saw blood on Karr's right hand and grimaced. She crouched down beside the AI and touched the left upper arm. Karr's head snapped up and blazing, gray eyes bore into her. She saw fury in there, a lot of unreleased rage, combined with fear and smoldering panic. There was so much suffering, so many emotions, in those eyes; all unable to sort themselves out.
"Leave me!" he hissed again.
"No," she answered simply.
She wouldn't be scared off by him. Karr needed her, if he wanted it or not. He wouldn't accept help from anyone and currently, he was in an even worse state than Nick, if that was possible.
"Did he wake?" she asked softly.
Karr glared at her, face set in a rigid mask. He wanted her out of this room, but unless he bodily shoved or carried her out, Alex would stay.
"Don't try that look on me, Karr. You know it doesn't work," she said in a low voice.
Indecision flickered over the pained eyes, then he looked away. "Briefly," he finally answered. "Nightmare."
Alex placed a hand on the android's shoulder and squeezed it gently. Karr had an aversion to the physical display of affection, but she managed to get away with little gestures. Right now, she could probably get away with a hug but she didn't want to press her luck.
"He feels the separation even more now," Karr added softly, almost to himself.
"I know. You both do."
"Alone." It was barely a whisper.
"Can I stay?" Alex asked permission.
Karr gave her a surprised look, rallying for composure. She smiled at him, then, seeing his agreement to her presence, rose slowly and walked over to where Nick was resting almost peacefully. She reached out and gently brushed back some errand strands of hair. He had come out of treatment hours ago, but since they had wanted to keep an eye on him, visitors had been restricted. Add to that the time of day, it had been a small miracle that Karr had been allowed to stay. Then again, she knew they would have had to remove him by considerable force.
Alex pulled up a chair and prepared herself to wait until Nick woke. There was nothing else she could do, no words or gestures to take away the emotional pain. She hoped her presence was enough to at least ease some of the discomfort.
Karr joined her a few minutes later, having cleaned the blood from his hand. They sat in mutual silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

* * *

The hospital corridors were quiet, only a few nurses walking from room to room, checking on their more critical patients and adjusting IV drips or giving medication. It was late afternoon, past the normal visiting hours, and except for in the emergency rooms, not much activity was going on. Michael strode through the corridors, eyes scanning the room numbers until he found the one he had been looking for. He was tired, angry and very worried in one. The nurse at the night reception desk had felt it, though he had tried to keep calm, and after a lot of subtle threats and not so subtle flashing of official IDs, he had been given Nick's room number.
Michael had spent too much time, as he thought, talking to officials and on the phone with Devon Miles or John Landes. Most of the day actually. Kitt had briefly gone to the hospital to check physically on Karr and Nick, but Nick was still sleeping the sleep of the exhausted, and the doctors said it was normal after what he had been through.
He entered the private room after a short moment of hesitation. Nick lay on the single bed, eyes closed. He had various IV lines sticking out of his arms. His handsome face was pale and slack with a large, deep purplish bruise covering half of his left side. Michael could hardly tell he was even breathing and he glanced at the heart monitor for assurance. He wasn't alone. Karr sat on one of the very uncomfortable looking plastic chairs, one hand curled around Nick's wrist, eyes riveted to the pale face. Alex had curled up on a slightly more comfortable couch chair, fast asleep. Michael had asked if she wanted a motel room close by but she had declined.
When the door opened, Karr looked up. Burning, gray eyes pierced into Michael's. The expression softened a bit as he recognized the intruder. There was a large band-aid covering the wound on his temple. Luckily, the head shot had torn more into the skin beneath the hair than into the visible areas. Some quick cleaning and expert combing had hidden the wound. Michael still cringed at what Kitt had had to do. He didn't envy his partner the task of sewing the synthetic flesh closed. Swan would have a fit. The wound in Karr's side had been equally treated and clean clothes hid the injury.
"How is he?" Michael asked softly.
"Sleeping," was the monotone answer. "He will heal."
He nodded slowly. Yes, he would, but what about the damage done to the implant? Kitt had slipped in behind him. Michael hadn't even been aware that his partner had followed him.
"I called Dr. D'Angelo," he said softly. "She said she'll be here by tomorrow and to call her if Nick insists to be moved before she has arrived."
"I'll make sure he doesn't."
Michael smiled. Nick was well-known for bailing out of the hospital the moment he could walk more than three steps without keeling over. Christa D'Angelo was a neurologist and someone who had helped Nick in the past. She was also the only one who had ever taken a closer look at the implant and how it worked in cooperation with the nervous system and the brain. She was the right person to examine what damage the EM pulse might have done.
Karr didn't move at all or let his gaze wander from the slack features of his partner. Kitt stepped toward him and gently squeezed one rigid shoulder.
_Karr?
_Can't feel him, the dark voice whispered.
_Christa will be here tomorrow to check on him.
_He's gone.
_Nick's here. He survived this horrid game and we will get him back to you.
_You can't promise that
Kitt winced. No, he couldn't. No one could. In the beginning, Karr had frantically tried to pick up even the slightest twitch of an active implant. Now he was simply watching, waiting; fearing.
_You won't lose him! he insisted.
_I already have….
Karr's hands started to shake again. Kitt knew he hated these human reactions, but the barrier he was keeping up was thinning. The emotional stress Karr had been under was wearing all his defenses out. Kitt felt pain swamp him, pain and sorrow.
_Do you want me to stay?
_No
"We'll be back tomorrow. Don't scare the nurses," he said out loud, strangely hurt by the denial.
Karr's only reaction was a barely perceptible nod. Michael bit his lower lip and then followed Kitt out of the room.
"He's scared," Kitt whispered as they walked to the parking lot. Terrified actually, he thought.
He scanned the parking lot without really seeing it. There were fewer cars here now that visiting hours were technically over. The evening air was fresh and cool, but unusually mild for the season. It almost felt like spring.
"We all are," Michael muttered.

* * *

"The RCMP found several bodies inside the game maze and outside. Five had died recently, two not so recently." Kitt played with the edge of the folder he was holding. It was the preliminary report that had been faxed to them throughout the day.
Michael sighed. He remembered the bodies outside the lodge. Karr had killed them to gain access. Somehow, it disturbed him. If it had been Nick, he would have been able to accept it. But it had been Karr. A very desperate Karr. Taking the report from Kitt, he read over the facts. The two older corpses had clearly died in the game. Four of the more recent deaths had been rather quick and clean. The fifths had been beaten up pretty badly. He had died from suffocation. The coroner wasn't clear on whether he had suffocated on his own blood because of the multiple punctured lung or from obstruction of the upper airways. No one had identified the man yet, but the police suspected that he had been the boss.
Michael looked up and met Kitt's concerned gaze. "He did it, right?"
Kitt nodded.
Michael's eyes rested on the autopsy report of the blond who had been labeled the head of the operation. He grimaced as he read over the medical terms. The man hadn't died immediately. He had been conscious throughout most of what had been done to him.
//He's not a killer!// Kitt sent forcefully as he felt Michael's thoughts brush by. //He didn't do it intentionally//
Michael hesitated. This looked mighty intentional to him, but he knew what emotional upheaval did to a person. It could cloud the mind and take all rational thought away.
//I never said that, Kitt// he then answered calmly.
//They drove him to the extreme// was the fierce addition. //He protected his own//
There was a fire in the brown eyes that both touched and frightened Michael for a second. //Would you have done it?//
//Michael…..I nearly did it as well one time!//
Michael blinked and shot him a confused look. A flash of memories hit him. They were Kitt's memories because at the time, Michael had been less than coherent. Roger Geiger, the millionaire who collected the extraordinary and who had wanted Kitt for his collection. Michael and Kitt had been separated by the cuff Geiger had invented, and it had driven them both nearly insane. In a final fight outside Geiger's residence, Kitt had believed Michael to be dead and had been ready to run Geiger over in revenge. Karr had stopped him back then. It had been a close shave.
He sighed and sat down beside the slender form. "Kitt…."
"What?" came the sullen reply.
"Kitt, it's just…."
"It's just that what he did fits in a behavior pattern from twenty years ago, right?" the AI snapped, glaring at Michael. "Well, so be it! He had every right! Those people wanted to kill Nick and they tortured him! He saw it, Michael! He might not have felt it through the link, but he saw it!" Kitt clenched his hands into fists. "This man shot him and was about to deliver the killing blow. I don't want to imagine something like this happening to you, but if it had been you…. I don't think I'd have had the control to stop myself from hurting someone else… maybe even killing someone else in return….. No one would stop me, Michael. No one."
Michael wrapped an arm around the trembling shoulders and pulled Kitt close. "I'm sorry, Kitt," he murmured. //You know I don't look at Karr like I used to any more. I trust him. It was just…. something unexpected. Despite his … appearance and bluster, I never thought him capable of it//
Because usually, Nick did the killing when it had to be done, when there was no alternative. Karr had never run someone over as far as Michael knew. Now he had killed five people while he was in the android body. It was frightening; an eye-opener.
//He's no killer// Kitt insisted weakly. //He's not!//
//No, he's not// Michael murmured.
None of them were. He had killed before as well. It was self-defense.

Karr felt something disturbing the link between himself and Kitt and he tilted his head slightly. He listened to the faint echoes that were coming from his brother and sighed deeply. He knew this would come sooner or later. Reaching out, he touched the shields between them.
_Kitt?
The shields fell and he felt the touch of the lighter AI.
_Don't, Karr whispered. _Don't get worked up over this
_I'm not
He chuckled softly. _Oh really?
Kitt sighed. _Maybe a little
_Kitt, it happened. I couldn't stop it. I saw what he had done to Nick. He called it entertainment!
Anger, disgust and murderous hatred raced briefly through him. He tried to shield Kitt from it, but failed to do so completely.
_Karr….. Kitt reached out and hugged him. _I don't think of you as a killer and you know it.
Karr regarded him from a distance. His emotions alone told him what he was capable of, and his memories showed him what he had done. Time and again, what he had done.
_You did it to save Nick, Kitt whispered through the haze of memories.
_I might be able to do it again
_Never against innocents
Karr gazed at him. _Who decides who is lost?
Kitt faltered a bit. _Karr….
_Could you have done it? Could you have killed them?
_Maybe. I don't know. I wasn't in the situation…..
Not then at least. He had been in such a situation before, he had felt the negative flood of emotions, and he had nearly killed someone. But only nearly.
Karr sighed and shook his head. _It will stay with me. Forever.
_I'll be there, too, Kitt reminded him, gently reaching out.
The darker AI hesitated, then acknowledged the touch. _Thank you
Kitt sent a smile, holding on to him. _How's Nick?
_Slipped from unconsciousness into sleep
_We will come by later today
_Thank you
Karr retreated from the close connection and concentrated on his sleeping partner again.

* * *

There was something about being watched like a hawk by a tall, dark clad man with equally dark eyes that never wavered from what you did. Christa D'Angelo calmly conducted her examination of Nick's reflexes, asked him questions and generally ignored the other presence in the room as much as possible. She had been slightly taken off guard when Michael had told her who the man was. While she had met Kitt once or twice in the past years, she had never thought of Karr as an android. Now he sat watching her, his eyes telling Christa that one wrong move would get her a whole lot of trouble. It didn't really faze her, but it gave the relationship she had seen develop in the past decade a whole new edge.
Nick had regained consciousness this morning and though he was tired, he had lasted through her examination quite well. Looking into his dull blue eyes, she knew there was more than physical discomfort hurting his soul. A sprained wrist, broken ribs and countless cuts and abrasions were nothing compared to the loss of the implant connection to his partner. Christa had known Nick for too long now to simply discard it as a minor detail. This was major. Without the link, those two individuals would die. If not physically then at least mentally.
"So, what's the verdict?" Nick asked as she stood back.
"You'll live," the woman remarked dryly.
Nick grimaced, then winced as it hurt assorted bruises all over his face.
"Seriously, Nick, everything looks good from my point of view, but I want to run a head CT next to be certain."
"Be my guest."
She smiled. She knew that his cooperation stemmed from the sole need to get the implant back online. Nick hated hospitals and he hated examinations.
"I'll inform the doctor. Don't go anywhere."
"Very funny, Doc."
The moment she had left, Nick turned to look at his partner. Karr was leaning against the wall next to the window, arms crossed in front of his chest, gray eyes dark and unreadable. Nearly unreadable. Nick felt weak and ready to sleep for a week. He knew his body was trying to recover from the ordeal, but his mind was insisting he needed to get out of here and soon. The only things that kept him were Karr, who wouldn't leave the room for a minute, and Christa, who was doing her best to assess the damage to the link.
The link. The implant. He shivered as he thought about it, hands involuntarily clenching into fists. The darkness had stopped growing, but it had become colder, more malevolent, and it was hard not to give in to it. Just slip inside the blackness and be done with it. Never hurt again. Nick swallowed and briefly closed his eyes, dragging his thoughts away from the beckoning relief. This was far different from the cuff or anything else. This was complete emptiness and the threat of never feeling his partner's presence again. They had been able to deal with interruptions of the bond before, but this time, the very real chance of a permanent loss hung over them like a thundercloud.
Opening his eyes, Nick was surprised to see Karr standing right next to the bed. Gray eyes met blue ones and there was a brief smile visible on Karr's lips. There were no assurances that they would get through this. No encouragement that this was only temporary. Both partners knew the facts and neither dared to hope or dream. Karr silently sat down once more; his guardian for the time.

* * *

"Gentlemen," Christa greeted Michael and Kitt as she stepped into the private waiting room. "Dr. Christopher." She nodded at Alex. "I've finished my examination and tests, and I have the results. I suspect you know the basics of how EMP works?"
Kitt nodded, Michael shrugged and Alex made a vague gesture that she had an idea but no real knowledge.
"The EMP effect, the electromagnetic pulse, can result in irreversible damage to a wide range of electrical and electronic equipment, particularly computers and radio or radar receivers. Depending on the electromagnetic hardness of the electronics, the equipment's resilience to this effect, and the intensity of the field produced by the weapon, the equipment can be irreversibly damaged or in effect electrically destroyed. The damage inflicted is not unlike that experienced through exposure to close proximity lightning strikes. Usually, stricken equipment requires complete replacement or at least substantial portions thereof."
Fear crossed Alex's features and Michael valiantly tried to hide his growing concern. Christa gave them a reassuring smile.
"Wounded devices may still function, but their reliability will be seriously impaired. I ran several neurological checks on Nick and the tested the implant for circuitry damage as well as transmission and reactions. There is no tissue damage around the chip, which is good. Transmission of signals is almost unhindered and what I saw in the CT scans gives me a lot of hope. Looks like the signals were only scrambled, but the electronics still work. I suspect that the tissue surrounding the implant prevented the worst. The chip has been inside Nick's head for such a long time now that the body grew a kind of protective layer around it. It's unusual for EMP not to destroy what it hits, but I wouldn't question such good fortune. I suspect the attack wasn't very focused. As far as I was told, the aim of the attackers had been to force the helicopter to land."
"So… the link will come back?" Michael asked, not yet daring to really hope.
"Yes, I believe so. It will take a while for the implant to sort itself out, but I think we can rest assured that Nick's side of the link will recover fully."
Michael felt himself release a breath he hadn't been aware of holding. A slow grin spread across his lips. Kitt was smiling broadly and Alex was simply clutching her hands in front of her face, close to tears.
"How long?" Michael wanted to know.
"I can't say. I think little impulses are already arriving, but the interpretation is still not working." Christa smiled as well. "Give him some time and a lot of rest. I asked Karr not to push it. It has to come naturally."
"This is the best news I heard all day," Michael sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair.
The neurologist nodded. "I bet. If you need me, I'm at the Towers&Arms hotel. I'm staying for another two days, just in case."
"Thanks, Doc."
She nodded and left them alone. Michael sank back into the waiting room couch, briefly closing his eyes.
//You talking to him?// he asked Kitt.
//Only checking, Karr's too preoccupied to actually acknowledge me much// There was a smile in Kitt's voice.
Michael chuckled and turned his head. He opened his eyes and looked at his partner. //Trying to keep Nick in bed?//
Kitt mirrored the mental grin. //Currently threatening to tie him down and sit on him if he doesn't cooperate//
Michael laughed out loud.
Alex shot him a questioning look and he grinned. "Nick's not behaving himself," he told her.
Alex, eyes bright with unshed tears, chuckled and rose. "I think I'll help Karr keep him in place."
Michael just chuckled. Nick would really have to bring out the heavy artillery to get through the two most important and very stubborn individuals in his life.

* * *

The warehouse was peacefully silent in the early morning hours. Michael was still asleep, as was Kitt, and with no traffic passing outside, except for the faraway freight ships, it was nice to just lie back and close your eyes. Nick was currently doing that, lying on the couch, eyes closed, body propped up slightly to help his ribs heal. One arm lay protectively over his stomach, the other was flung over his head. He concentrated on the point inside his head that connected him to Karr. Two weeks had passed since the ordeal in the remote lodge. Two long weeks spent in hospitals or under close scrutiny.
Two weeks without having any contact at all to his partner. If it hadn't been for the simple fact that Karr was visibly present, Nick would long since have lost it completely. As it was, Karr's presence was the only thing that was keeping him sane. His partner was never far from where Nick was, be it in the kitchen, on the couch, or outside the warehouse. Or, for one day, at the funeral of Leonard Devereaux. Still, the presence in his mind was gone and it ate at him. Rather badly, too. Michael had more than once been at the receiving end of a very bad tempered Nick and like Kitt, he was treading carefully now. Phone calls to Alex had increased and Karr had initiated a few of them on his own, just to calm down his partner.
Karr himself was dealing with Nick's absence in another manner. He was shutting his self off from Kitt. His brother was having a bad time reaching him through the private link and he barely allowed him any closer contact than what was necessary. He couldn't handle the reminder of what he had lost with Nick. Kitt was calm about it, but it was getting to him as well, mostly because he was unable to do anything to help.
Lately, Nick had felt impulses coming from there, little blips and jolts, and he knew the EMP's damage was slowly healing. He wasn't about to whoop in joy yet; not his style. But he had settled a bit, his temper had mellowed, and he was more accessible.
He reached out for the other side and thought he felt Karr react. It was vague, almost like a memory, but Nick was sure it was real. He opened his eyes and found himself looking up into a stormy gray sea of barely suppressed emotions.
"You felt it, too," he managed.
Karr nodded wordlessly. Nick tried to reach again and this time, he noticed that something on the other side reached back. Their virtual fingers touched, then Nick had to stop, the strain resulting in a vicious streak of pain through his mind. He hissed, clenched his teeth, and rode out the sudden attack of a miniature migraine.
Someone touched his arm gently and he felt a weight settle on the couch. Karr gazed at his prone driver, smiling slightly. "Don't force it. We know it's coming back. It's enough for now."
Nick smiled slightly, then sat up with an effort, biting back a moan as his healing ribs protested.
"You found out why yet?" he then asked, trying to get his mind off the injuries.
Karr nodded slowly. "Kitt and I checked the lines leading out of the compound and found some old tapes. It appears that there were multiple satellite lines going out, broadcasting the events from the game to various receivers all over the world. I'm still tracking them down," he added when Nick shot him an inquisitive look. "It's difficult. I've only run into dead ends and reroutings so far. I doubt we will ever find out who exactly was watching, but whoever it was, they paid a lot of money."
There had been account statements in the computer. Karr had sat over the data for hours, checking each single payment, whether it was a withdrawal or a deposit. Most were deposits from untraceable sources. One had had a name to it, but it had been a dummy. The account had been with a Czechoslovakian bank and had been cleared and canceled a long time ago. Before the actual payment. Still, Karr was running his search programs. If there was even the slightest chance that he could get a name, he would follow it. Kitt was busy with the satellite links. Like the accounts, they led nowhere in particular, but he had traced most of the users to Japan, Russia, South Africa and Australia. The leads mostly dissipated into nothingness then, but Kitt was doggedly staying on the trail, as faint as it was.
Nick nodded slowly. He had expected it. Whoever had run the game, he had covered his tracks. He touched the implant link again and Karr reacted, wincing in surprise. Nick smiled slyly. "Getting better, hm?"
A smile flickered over the handsome features of the android.
"Any ID on the boss or the victims?" Nick asked, interlacing his fingers.
Karr nodded. "The man's name was Julian Kosar. I checked him. The police suspect him to be the head of a major porn video ring. He sold world wide and whatever the customer wanted." Disgust shone in the words. "They could never pin anything on him, so he walked free."
Nick's face was expressionless.
"We also found some records on who they abducted," Karr went on, trying to keep his voice neutral. "Kitt and Michael are still checking the names, but a few were already found on the Missing Persons list."
"Shit," Nick muttered.
"We also found the name of a missing Russian agent. Dimitri Yurikov. I think you know him."
His head came up. Of course he knew the man. They had gone up against each other several times, until the end of the Cold War, and Dimitri had proven to be a worthy opponent and later a good contact. "Shit!" Nick intoned again. He closed his eyes. "Anything else?"
"The RCMP is investigating the case. The Foundation has stepped in as well and we will keep an eye on the proceedings."
"Good." He gazed at the ceiling, eyes holding a faraway expression. Karr knew that Nick didn't like the meager facts they had gathered, but there was no helping it.
"So," his driver said after a period of mutual silence, "another question: why are you still in a body that you really don't like all that much?" A faint smile played over his lips and he attempted to rise. He swallowed a curse as his broken ribs protested.
"That's why," Karr remarked dryly and pushed him gently back onto the couch. "Stay."
Nick glared at him but it didn't faze Karr at all. He was used to it.
"I will stay in this accursed bipedal form as long as it takes," Karr informed him.
"As long as what takes?"
A nasty smile graced the android's lips and he walked off. Nick glared daggers and sent a dark thought toward the implant, but he doubted it would go through.

Actually, it did. Karr laughed silently and shook his head. Some things never changed.