Okay, it turns out that we aren't almost at the end of the story. I thought we were, but Kurt's grandfather is about to do something really awful, and I couldn't wait for a sequel to deal with it.

Forgot to mention that after last week, this little story quietly became the longest single story I've ever written. I couldn't have done it without the support and appreciation from all of you. Thanks.

Chapter Thirteen

When Kurt had control of his avatar again, he found himself in what was either a shop or an extremely large garage. In front of him, he could see a man that (based on Artie's descriptions) Kurt guessed was Karr's mechanic associate. There wasn't anyone else around that Kurt could see, and Kurt's avatar wasn't restrained or anything. It seemed as though he'd been forgotten about.

Karr's associate was listening to a loud voice Kurt assumed was Karr. Kurt listened in, while at the same time doing what he could to lock down control of his modem link-up. Karr had gotten in there once, and Kurt wanted to make sure he couldn't do it a second time.

"Mr Newman, I need you to disable the avatar for right now," Karr boomed. "I need to go over the schematics again if I'm to figure out how to permanently delete Kurt Hummel's programming from the computer system. I can't do that if I'm constantly on guard against an escape attempt."

Kurt's eyes widened. Permanently delete?

"What do you need me to do?" The man, who's name was apparently Newman, asked.

"Nothing too difficult," Karr answered, rather condescendingly. "Remove the power relays to his legs, and the locator chips in his chest and power cell. That should do it."

Kurt didn't have a clue where he was, and the odds of his escaping weren't good. But for now, neither villain was paying attention to him (perhaps assuming he hadn't recovered yet) and it didn't sound like the odds were getting any better. So he ran for it.

A loud tire squeal turned Kurt's attention to the semi that Kurt had assumed was Karr. It had been quite some ways away from Kurt, and Kurt had hoped to get outside before the truck could get going. But before Kurt had the chance to even turn his head, he felt his body slammed against the wall. Karr's grill had him pinned, and only Karr's computer precise braking had prevented Kurt's avatar from being crushed.

And even that was more for Karr's benefit than Kurt's. "Mr Newman. I think you should remove those relays now," Karr told him, sounding far too bemused for his own liking.

Newman went to a nearby table and picked up a box cutter. "Are there any pain receptors I need to worry about?" he asked neutrally.

"Do you really think I care about such things?" Karr asked impassively.

"I suppose not."

Kurt tried not to cry out as he was thrown to the floor, and the door slammed behind him. Karr's butcher hadn't bothered to reseal Kurt's stomach after the relays were removed (no doubt to save himself the trouble when he put them back in later), and the pieces of faux skin hanging from his torso stung all the more when they moved. Kurt thought that maybe one of his locators had sent out a brief signal before they were shut down, but he couldn't be sure. For certain, he didn't have any way of making it happen again.

Or did he?

Kurt tried to ignore the dull ache as he surveyed the room he'd been dumped in. They were using it as a store room but he knew that his own power relays were in Karr's vehicle cab, and he didn't hope that he might find a replacement here.

There had to be something, though.

Kurt thought about how he was going to escape. He couldn't abandon his avatar; besides the fact that he was loathe to give it up to Karr, he wasn't currently linked to his vehicle mode and wasn't sure how to go about finding it.

On the other hand, while he could sort of shuffle around the room on his hands, there was no way he'd get out of there if he couldn't walk.

Kurt started sorting through the crates he'd been left with. If he could find even one relay, he might be able to at least hook up one of his locator cards. Then Blaine would know where he was.

The first crate had avatar parts in it, but none of the ones that Kurt needed.

The second crate was empty. With the amount of packing that was in it, Kurt guessed it once held a piece of equipment the size of his vehicle mode's computer system. Possibly this was the one that Karr had been packed away in.

The third crate had the same packing material in it, but it wasn't empty.

Kurt was puzzled as he pulled out something that looked like a primitive version of his own system. A quick check showed that it was still functioning, but in some kind of sleep mode. Kurt knew from his own system that there was a button to reactivate the system from outside, but where would that be on this unit?

Kurt found the switch simply by trial and error. After a few false starts, one of the switched activated a red light on one end of the system. It bounced back and forth across the screen like a metronome.

Kurt almost dropped it when an urbane voice came out of the unit. "Michael, is that you? I- Oh! Hello."

Kurt realized that the box was addressing him. "Hello. My name is Kurt Hummel."

"Hello, Kurt," the unit told him. I am the Knight Industries Two Thousand, but you can call me Kitt."

Kitt? This was Kitt? "Wow. I had no idea that you were still in one piece. Dr Curtis assumed Karr had you destroyed."

"Karr," Kitt repeated, sounding thought-filled. "Well, that explains a lot. What does he want with you?"

"My body."

"That's rather unusual for Karr," Kitt noted, puzzled.

Kurt shook his head, assuming that if Kitt could tell he wasn't Mr Knight he must be able to see something even with just his basic system. "Not really. I'm kind of the same as you are. K.U.R.T. stands for Knight Ultimate Robotic Transport. When I'm not in this avatar mode, I have a vehicle mode just like you did."

"Fascinating," Kitt told him. "You mentioned April, is she the one that created you?"

"She did a lot of the preliminary work, but her protege actually built me," Kurt replied. "Well, this and my vehicle mode. Inside my head was human, at one point."

"Human?"

"It's a long story," Kurt sighed.

"Why don't you tell me about it," Kitt recommended. "If I know the whole story, I might have an idea of how to get out of here."

Santana was muttering at her computer console when Artie came through the lab doors. "Damn it. Where the hell is he?"

"Not what I wanted to hear," Artie announced, grimly but calm. "Kurt has not one, but two locator cards on him. Why aren't you picking them up?"

"I'm not the science of this operation," Santana reminded him hotly. "If I had to guess, I'd say Karr turned them off from the inside. Which means it's still on you for letting him get away. Hell, for letting him get into Kurt in the first place. Six million dollars and you couldn't spring for a firewall?"

Artie growled. This wasn't getting them anywhere, and Santana-

The monitor pinged behind them, conclusively ending the argument. "Was that Kurt?" Artie asked.

"It looks like the frequency you gave us," Santana admitted. "He- Damn it! The signal's gone again."

"How?" At Santana's irritated grimace, he nodded and considered the possibilities. "It could be two things. Kurt could be fighting for control, or Karr's back in his vehicle mode and it took him a couple of seconds to shut the locators off from the outside."

Santana turned back to her computer, trying to see if they could find out where the signal had come from. "Why would Karr bail? That's the only avatar he's got now."

"Maybe he's hoping Kurt will jump ship once he's got the chance." Santana and Artie turned to the door, startled. Blaine closed the door and walked up to them. He still looked wrecked, but the determination in his eyes was convincing.

Artie rather hated having to disagree with him. "It's not that easy. The avatar isn't hard wired to our mainframe the way his vehicle mode is. If Kurt doesn't have at least a vague idea of where he is, he might not be able to find his way back."

"He can't- He can't erase Kurt, can he?" Blaine asked, uneasily.

Artie thought about it, but couldn't come up with a clear answer. "If there is, it'll take time for him to figure it out. If we can find Kurt before then-"

"Lima," Santana exclaimed suddenly, spinning her chair to face them. "We can't pinpoint any closer than that, but at least we've got a starting point."

"I didn't think that Dr Hummel owned any property in Lima," Artie told them.

"Dr Hummel wouldn't bring Karr there all the way from Michigan unless there was a lab there," Blaine deduced. "Santana, have your guys check the area for anywhere that meets that criteria. If you can't find anything under his name, look for companies based out of Germany."

It was always a risk to just give Santana orders like that, but she was worried enough about Kurt that she just nodded. "Will do."

"Artie, we're going to Lima," Blaine announced. Apparently, he meant now because he turned around and strode out of the lab.

Artie had to jog to catch up. "Are you planning on taking Kurt's vehicle mode?"

"If Kurt can't find his way back, we'll just have to take the mountain to Mohammed," Blaine stated.

"I don't know if it's up to that long a highway drive without Kurt," Artie admitted. "It's never been tested."

"Not a problem," Blaine replied. "April gave me the lowdown on the remote unit Knight Industries used in her day. That should get us all there no problem."

"So we determined that our avatars can't be destroyed by death glare," Kurt laughed as he recounted the story of Artie's 'funeral'. "That's something, at least."

"Was it awkward reconnecting with your friends after all that?" Kitt asked. He sounded legitimately interested, for which Kurt was thankful.

Of course, they'd spent nearly an hour talking, and found they got along together quite well. "A little. It's hard to know what to say to them," Kurt admitted. "It doesn't help that the time's been a little weird. Sometimes it feels like I was locked in storage for years,but others it doesn't seem that long since we were all together in Glee."

"I understand completely." Because if anyone knew how disorienting that felt, it was Kitt.

And oddly enough, Karr. "It's too bad Blaine was preoccupied with Sebastian that night," Kurt chuckled. "You should have seen their faces."

"Kurt, I have a question," Kitt said. "You've mentioned Blaine Anderson before, and your face shows signs of sexual attraction. Are you and he a couple?"

Kurt was a little surprised to hear that, as he didn't know what signs he was giving off (if Artie had lied to him and he really DID still blush, Kurt was going to be very annoyed).

He was also a little uncomfortable. Kitt was from a different era, and Kurt didn't know how he would react to Kurt being gay. "Yeah, I guess we are," Kurt breezed. "I hope you don't have a problem with that, because I can always put you back in your crate."

Kitt took the quip for what it was, and laughed. "By no means. I was never programmed with any human prejudices."

Kurt smiled, but he suspected it didn't reach his eyes. "I miss him. I thought I finally had something with him, but it seems like there's always something coming against us."

"I still can't believe Karr wants to take this form from you," Kitt sighed, sounding very annoyed.

"He's not the friendliest guy around," Kurt reminded him.

"Kurt, I- I really don't want anything to happen to you," Kitt admitted.

"Neither do I," Kurt stated. "Unfortunately, Karr took the power relays going to my legs so I can't really walk anywhere."

"Hmm." Kitt was silent for a long time. Kurt waiting, because he had a feeling that Kitt was thinking about the problem. Kitt finally sighed. "I think I have an idea."

Kurt perked up immediately. "Really? Why do you sound so sad, then?"

Kitt chuckled dryly. "I'm not; it's just a little awkward offering you my parts. But I suppose it shouldn't be. If April's protege created you, then you're kind of a relative. Your computerized side, in any case."

Kurt was touched by the comment, but couldn't help but be concerned. "Parts?" The only power relays Kurt could see on Kitt were the main ones connecting Kitt's power core to his computer system.

"If April worked out the basics of your creation, my main relays SHOULD be compatible with yours," Kitt stated.

"Is that safe?" Kurt asked. He knew that his own systems could survive a complete loss of power, Kurt wasn't sure about how this older model worked.

"Of course," Kitt quickly answered. "Aren't your systems recoverable in case of a power loss?"

"Well yes." Kurt was silent for a moment, stunned by the offer. "I'd really appreciate that. I don't like to admit it, but Karr kind of scares me."

"Then it's best if you get out of here," Kitt determined, breezily. "Just bring me with you, and I'm sure April will be able to patch me up when we get back."

Kurt couldn't believe how calm Kitt was being about this. "I'd be freaking out in your position."

"I've been through an awful lot in my time," Kitt told him. "It's not much of a sacrifice for a good cause. I only have one request, though you may not like it."

Kurt frowned, worried. That sounded awfully final. "What is it?"

"If you get stopped on the way out of here, I want you to leave me behind," Kitt declared.

Kurt was horrified. "No! Why would you ask that?"

"I can't be sure of course, but I'm pretty sure Karr still hates me enough that he'll have me picked up before he goes after you. That might buy you a few more seconds."

"A few seconds won't do it," Kurt insisted.

"Well, if it happens that you can get away, but you need to leave me behind, I want you to know that I WANT you to take the opportunity."

"Well, I doubt that'll happen, so it's a moot point."

Kurt made a move for one of the power relays, but Kitt stopped him. "One moment. Before we head out there, I just wanted to say that I'm glad I got the chance to meet you, Kurt Hummel."

Kurt was able to give Kitt a real smile, this time. "I'm glad, too. April will be so excited when she finds out I rescued you."

"Until then." Kurt winced as the voice slowed to silence and the bouncing red light went out again. Hoping he hadn't just screwed everything up, he stood and put his shoulder against the door.

Breaking down the door was thankfully quieter than Kurt had been fearing. He looked around to see that he was in a hallway just outside the shop/garage Karr was in. That seemed to be the last place Kurt would find an exit, so he headed in the opposite direction.

Kurt briefly wondered if he'd gotten turned around when he walked into yet another big industrial room. But no, this wasn't Karr's shop it looked like some sort of hospital. The equipment he could see looked very medical, and there were two beds behind curtains. Each with a very distinct heart monitor indicating a living patient.

What the hell was his grandfather up to now?

Kurt knew he should just go, but he had to know. Clutching Kitt's system tighter to his chest, he approached one of the beds and pulled the curtain back.

Kurt felt like his heart stopped.

But he knew it hadn't. Because the heart monitor on the wall was still beeping merrily away.

And that was Kurt's own body on the bed.

Kurt couldn't move at first. How was this even possible. Carole had- She'd BURIED him. How could he be in the ground in Lima and also here?

Kurt hurried to the other bed, almost sure what he was going to find.

Oh god.

Oh god. "Dad."

Far from being stunned like before, Kurt couldn't stop his almost hysterical laughter. He didn't know how his grandfather had managed this, and he didn't care.

He had to go. He had to go find Blaine, and bring him back here. And they could get his dad out of here. His body too, he supposed though he didn't know what he was supposed to do with-

"Is someone there?" Dr Hummel's assistant Elizabeth, had heard someone laughing and had come to investigate.

Kurt ducked behind the one curtain, all too aware of how bad it would be if he was discovered here.

Kurt considered his options. He hated the idea of hurting anyone, but his best chance of escaping would be if he just knocked this woman out and ran for it. Not very gallant, but she'd be fine.

He had to get out of here, he just had to. Not just for himself, but now for Kitt and his dad, too.

Kurt quieted himself as much as he could, and crept closer. Silent. Like death.

Oh god. Don't think that.

Kurt was too nervous. He was making too much noise.

And now she'd heard him. And she was turning around.

Kurt raised an arm. Now, before she cries out.

You can do this, Kurt.

But then she turned around. And he saw her face.

And his arm dropped, seemingly boneless, to his side.

Oh god.

It couldn't be.

"Mom?"

(to be continued)

I know, I have this obsession with bringing people back from the dead. Especially Kurt's mom. Sorry.