Karr hissed, cornered, aware that if he now raised his gun it would not only be a hostile act, it would also provoke the much more massive Autobot to fire.

//Karr, get out of there!// Nick shouted in his head. //Now! Don't engage!//

It had been a mistake to come to this place. It had been an even bigger mistake to show themselves so openly. Too many mistakes and now a trigger-happy Autobot was trying to turn him into scrap metal.

Well, the idea had been sound. Nick had wanted to confront their silent shadow, the police cruiser that never interfered but always watched, but by leading it here, he had also alerted the Autobot now trying to terminate him. The Decepticon had high-tailed it out of there at an incredible speed, but the Autobot hadn't followed. He had taken on the next best target: Karr. Why he believed Karr was a Decepticon was beyond Nick, but it seemed a matter of proximity to the actual enemy that made others the enemy, too.

//How? By shooting him?// his partner replied sarcastically. He had no illusions that his current state of armament was inferior to that of the Autobot.

//I'll distract them. You go//

//Nick…//

//Go!//

There was an explosion outside and the Autobot turned his head as if scanning for the source, which was Karr's clue to get going. His much more slender and lither form enabled him to easily clear the wall behind him and then he transformed. Nick was just outside, looking a bit soot-streaked, and hopped inside.

Karr shot off, but not without his pursuer behind him. The much heavier GMC truck plowed after him with relentless speed. They whisked through the abandoned warehouses, taking apart walls and windows, scraping along pillars and piles of debris. Karr was trying to lose the other robot, but it wasn't possible.

"Damnit, he's right behind us!"

"His speed surpasses that of a normal vehicle his size," Karr answered levelly, trying to increase speed.

Something struck them and Nick winced. Karr gave a hiss of anger and pain. Laser couldn't really damage them, but concentrated, high energy lasers could hurt. Karr had refused to transform at first to fight back, only changing shape long enough to ward off the more massive Autobot, and Nick had accepted it. They were a team and had gone through enough missions before Karr had received a transformation. They could do this...

Karr spun down the highway, the truck in close pursuit.

"Damn!" Karr suddenly snarled.

The highway was coming to an end, a concrete block ahead.

"Can you break through it?" Nick demanded, voice relaying the stress he was under.

"Insufficient power."

He swerved to avoid a beam of laser fire. Nick saw only one chance. He turned Karr 180 degrees around and floored the accelerator.

"What are you planning to do?"

"Play chicken!"

"Nick, do I have to remind you that we are currently traversing with an increasing speed of 60 mph toward a several tons heavy, truck? I do not think he will 'chicken out'."

Nick smiled grimly. "I know."

"And he can transform."

"So can you."

"I have you inside me."

Nick laughed wryly. "We can change that."

Karr growled darkly, but he didn't try to take control.

Something slammed into him.

Karr screeched in pain and anger as he was pushed off the road and overturned. The transformation came without a second thought, almost like an instinct he had always had. Nick was safely deposited on the ground, looking stunned and a bit worse for wear.

His driver scrambled for safety, getting away from the fight that was about to start, and Karr faced the much larger opponent with a furious hiss.

"So you want to play?" the Autobot laughed. "Gladly!"

The hybrid robot turned to face his attacker and blocked a blow, only to receive a massive jolt that left his mind scrambling for a hold. Karr shrieked, the links to his driver alive with pain as his sensory feelers exploded into agony. He knew he was yelling and something was racing through his very soul, scorching a path through his mind and back.

Nick echoed his scream of pain and Karr reached out through the link to grab the flailing presence. His own pain vanished at the sight.

//Nick!//

Fury coursed through him at the sight of the weak, blue light that represented his driver through the connection and he lashed at the Autobot, surprising him with his renewed attack. Karr might not have any experience at hand-to-hand combat – seeing he had had no hands to begin with just a few months ago – but desperation was a quick teacher. That and his connection to a human that had been trained in lethal combat techniques. For Karr, linking to Nick was natural.
What he encountered was a jumble of signals.

//Nick!!//

//…//

Pain. Just pain. All the pain Karr had felt and more. All in Nick's mind, rebounding off his mental walls, making him delirious and disoriented.

They had shared pain before, worse pain than this, but Nick's implant had changed and it was no longer the familiar link between them. Whatever had coursed through Karr, it had, without buffer, hit Nick as well.

Nick cried out in agony as his head seemed to explode. Blinding white lights flared up in front of his eyes and he grabbed his head, willing the pain to subside. But the more he fought against it, the stronger it got. With a sob he fell to his knees. Like through layers of thick wool he heard shouts, then even that was gone. There was only pain. He was tumbling deeper and deeper into the pain and it seemed to be all in his head.

This wasn't just a reflection of the hit Karr ha taken.

This was more. This was different. It seemed to amplify with every second, eating into his very mind.

His body hit the ground and he curled into a ball, still clutching his head. It was unbearable and he wished he would just fall into the merciful blackness of unconsciousness, but it seemed that something was keeping relief from him.

//Nick!//

The scream echoed through his mind and the pain increased.

Go away, he yelled, but it was only a faint whisper.

//Nick, no!// the voice cried in agony.

He pushed it away, starting to associate it with the pain.

No!

Karr's world turned white hot.

Rage.

Anger.

Fury.

Survival.

Karr was running, not caring about the Autobot, heading toward his driver. Nick was lying in a crumbled heap, eyes screwed shut, hands clutching his head, and a tiny whimper escaped the downed man.

"No!" Karr roared and fell to his knees, scooping the smaller form into his hands, cradling his driver close.

At the sound of heavy footsteps he looked up and the fury turned into hatred. He had no idea how, but he suddenly had a gun in his hand… on his forearm… and it was pointing at the enemy. He felt the energy collect in that specific body part, ready to be released and to destroy the enemy.

"Put down that pea shooter," the Autobot demanded, two huge canons pointing at Karr. "I'll blast you to pieces."

"Ironhide, no!" a new voice commanded over the sound of the massive Autobot charging his weapons.

Karr looked up sharply, snarling, growling deeply. Blue eyes burned in the grim face of the other robot. Just to the left stood a larger mechanoid, not as bulky, colored in blue, silver and blue. He had no gun pointed at him, but somehow he didn't look unarmed either.

He knew their designations. He knew the larger one was the leader, Optimus Prime. He knew he was in really serious trouble. He knew he was outgunned. He knew he was no match at all.

But he also knew that he had to protect Nick.

//Partner?// he inquired.

//Head… hurts… happened?//

//Backlash. He hit me with something. It went to you, without shields or buffers between us//

Nick was twitching faintly, fighting for a semblance of control. Being a man always in iron control of his body and mind, the backlash had severely disrupted his mind. It was a lot worse than anything he had ever gone through before an Karr felt the ripples and echoes. The neuro implant was a lot more sensitive, a lot more fine-tuned, and whatever was still happening inside Nick because of the Allspark, it was handicapping them.

"Who are you?" his thoughts were interrupted by Optimus Prime.

"He's no Autobot, all right," Ironhide snapped. "That only leaves Decepticon scum! He kidnapped a human!"

"Ironhide…" There was a warning there.

Karr still didn't rise from his crouched position, ready to spring into action, even with Nick cradled to him. He had no clue how strong the gun on his forearm was, but comparing it in size to Ironhide's weapons, it was like a child's toy. Still, even small calibers might pack a punch.

"I'm no Deception," he hissed.

"And no Autobot. But you're like us."

He glared at Prime. "I'm not like you!"

"If you are neither, who are you?"

The deep voice was soothing, calm, reasonable. Optimus didn't move from his position between Karr and Ironhide, making it clear that he was here to protect Karr from the trigger-happy other Cybertronian as long as Karr didn't turn more hostile than he already was.

"None of you business," Karr answered coldly.

"It is if you hurt humans!" Ironhide said sharply.

"I did not hurt him. You did."

The other robot frowned. "What?"

Nick's hands clenched around Karr's finger as he fought waves of echoes, then he slammed a mental shield between the pain and his hyper-sensitive implant.

//Nick?//

//Getting there// was the breathy reply. //Shit, that hurt! Set me down, okay?//

And Karr did. Reluctantly he released his driver from his grasp.

"Karr, lower your weapon," Nick said out loud.

//Are you sure?//

//Yes//

//Nick…//

//We're alone, Karr, no back up. I'm feeling far from fine and my head's about to explode. You have no idea about the fighting capabilities of your body and that gun isn't going to help much//

//You trust them?//

//No, but right now, being alive and not shot to pieces, I think they're the better option//

//To what?//

Nick didn't answer, just looked up the imposing robot called Optimus Prime. "I think you're the very person we need to talk to," he only said.

"I am?"

"Yes. Because what happened to us happened in Mission City and it involved something you call the Allspark."

That had their attention. Completely. Nick would have smiled if his head wasn't pounding so badly, if all his joints weren't aching.

Captain Will Lennox, leader of a very special team consisting of Army Rangers, Airforce and Special Ops – the only team to work side by side with the Autobots on Earth – looked up from his laptop. Ironhide had contacted him, telling him that they were coming in with a special package. It had been cryptic and the weapons specialist had been unwilling to go into detail, aside from mentioning that it concerned them all.

Lennox had been assigned by the president himself. He and his team, the survivors of Qatar, some closely screened former Sector 7 agents who had come out of the Hoover Dam debacle alive, and one or two Airforce specialists, had been the only ones ever to be in such close contact with the Autobots, and even Decepticons, and they were trusted by the robots. It was an honor, but also quite an obligation. A hard job, one that had taken him away from his family. Barely reunited with Sarah for a week, he had been called on again.

That had been months ago. He hadn't seen his wife or daughter and things were strained between them. Her happiness about his survival of Qatar had been shadowed by his renewed recall into service. And this time, it was even more secret than Qatar. Contact was at a minimum and while Sarah now lived in the same country, he was stationed with the Autobots and barely saw much of her or his baby.

Lennox knew of men whose marriage had ended because of their job. He hoped he wouldn't be one of them.

He pushed those thoughts aside and rose as Optimus Prime drove into the hangar, followed by an unfamiliar car, Ironhide bringing up the read.

The black car pulled up in front of the hangar, the finish giving the impression of sucking up the last rays of the sun as it set slowly on the horizon. It was of an unknown brand, a special construction, nothing you could buy anywhere. The door opened and a man got out. He had black hair, a sun-tanned face that didn't reveal his age and his eyes were hidden by sunglasses. The man was dressed in black jeans, a black jacket and a white shirt.

Lennox didn't know who he was, but he could read exhaustion in every line of his body, and there were lines of pain around his mouth. There was an aura of danger around him, something that put the Ranger on edge, had him tense a little, expecting an attack.

Ironhide transformed, looking rather grumpy – which was nothing new -- followed by Prime, whose expression was hard to read.

"I think it is time for introductions now," Ironhide growled. "Who are you?"

The dark-haired man shrugged. Lennox tensed more, for no apparent reason or threat. Damn if the guy didn't trigger all his instincts to go and expect the worst.

"My name is Nick MacKenzie, this is my partner Karr. And I know who you are."

Lennox didn't recognize either name, but by introducing the car with a name, the captain suspected he was more than met the eyes, like the Autobots.

"How?" Will asked, still not relaxing.

"Just because you cover up the arrival of giant, transforming robots doesn't mean a few well-placed hacks can't reveal a thing or two."

Ironhide's optics flashed. "You're a spy?"

"No. An interested party."

Lennox almost laughed. All his alarms were ringing and the denial that the man was a spy sounded only partially true. Government trained, he mused. It all spoke for it. The guy had experience and whether or not he had retired – young as he looked – there was a military air. CIA or worse, too.

"We were in Mission City at the time of the attack. Something happened to Karr. You saw it."

Optimus looked at the black sports car. "He is none of us."

"No. Neither of you, nor the others. His core unit was constructed on Earth, his shell designed by me," MacKenzie explained levelly. "Everything else, you added."

Lennox frowned, listening to the cool, detached delivery. The frown turned into open-mouthed gaping as Karr transformed and loomed over his driver. He didn't look as heavily armored as the Autobots, nor was he as tall as Optimus Prime, but he was imposing. The yellowish eyes and the hostile expression didn't help, neither did the all-black color scheme, though Ironhide almost mirrored that. And this was no Autobot or Decepticon?

"Holy shit," he whispered.

"Quite," was MacKenzie's reply, smiling wryly.

He had taken off the glasses and Will was looking into ice blue eyes. There were deeper lines of pain around those eyes than a mere headache could create.

"The Allspark," Optimus only said.

"Yes."

Lennox studied the new robot, intrigued. So the Allspark had given life to a machine humanity had given birth to? Wow…

"You know about it?" Prime wanted to know.

"Like I said, I know my way around the net, and the US government is an old friend."

Will heard more sarcasm, but he also noticed a shiver running through the man. Karr was looking at the human, eyes brightening briefly, and MacKenzie had to reach out for the leg again as he swayed a little.

"Are you okay, Mr. MacKenzie?"

"Fine," came the strained answer.

From the looks of it, this was far from the truth.

"Maybe we should take this somewhere else," Lennox offered diplomatically. "Sit down, have a coffee, and talk. I, for my part, would want to know what the heck happened."

Nick laughed wryly. "You and me both."

Optimus nodded and Lennox gestured toward the back of the hangar to where he and his men had human-sized furniture for whenever they were around.

MacKenzie followed, though he looked wary and alert, confirming for Lennox that the man was trained and had never lost that. Karr suddenly transformed and rolled after them with a softly purring engine. Ironhide looked strangely surprised, as if he didn't understand why the other robot would prefer the vehicular mode. Judging from the others, they didn't understand either.
Lennox mused that maybe Karr wasn't really used to the alternate form, the bipedal one, and stayed in one that suited him. Nick sat down, still too pale for Will's liking, and gazed at them with shielded eyes and a rather bland expression.

Optimus and the others took their places as Lennox set a large mug of coffee in front of their visitor, and then the questions started.

tbc...