Andy peered out the window, watching the plane now resting in the backyard. He scowled seeing Sarah talking to him. "Hmph…" He turned away and walked the opposite direction, going back over to the map spread out over the kitchen table.

It wasn't the best map in the world, but it was the only one small enough to fit on the table. "Let's see... It's possible it's here…" He pinned own a red pushpin in one area. "... No... Too obvious…" He mumbled.

"Andy…" Dusty sighed, watching the boy. Brody had come home the other night and Andy had pretty much locked himself inside, deeming it too important to go out to even say 'hello'. "Just... ask your dad…"

The teenager pretended not to hear him.

"Andy... Did you even hear me?"

"...I don't want to… You saw how he was... A freakin' drunk who backstabbed us…" He mumbled, keeping his head low.

"Andy... You have to give him another chance..." Dusty sighed, getting up from where he was, putting his hand on the teens shoulder. "He deeply regrets what he's done... I've been seeing it... I'm the one who taught him how to fly and kept him from rusting over for awhile... He's not the man who left that night... He really regret's it... He misses you kids like crazy…"

Andy looked up. "How do I know he won't hate my guts?" He asked quietly.

"Andy... He loves you and Olivia very much. Try to remember... Humans and machines make mistakes... We all make 'em...Your dad made a mistake... If your mom and Olivia can forgive him... Can you try?" The cropduster asked, keeping his voice quiet as well. Dusty's face was serious, he wasn't going to let it go easily.

"... Alright." He finally sighed. "You win..."

"I just don't want you to have any regrets."

Andy nodded. "I'm... Gonna go talk to him." He said, quietly heading for the backyard.

Dusty shook his head, watching him go, his dog trotting after his master.

Once outside, Andy stood off to the side. Sarah and Brody took notice.

"Andy... It's.. It's good to see you again, son." Brody said, feeling a bit awkward. Andy was keeping a good distance.

The boy gave a nod. "Um... Mom? Can I talk to uh... Dad alone for a bit? Man to... Cropduster?" He asked, giving his mother a pleading look.

Sarah nodded and got up, giving the cone of her husband's propeller a kiss before going back inside.

An awkward silence fell as father and son looked at each other, unsure what to say to the other.

Andy coughed a little to clear his throat and sat down infront of his parent. "Dad... It doesn't hurt does it?" He asked, tilting his head to the side a little.

Brody gave him a reassuring look. "No it doesn't. I'm fine Andy... But... are you?"

"... I guess I'm just confused by all this." He sighed leaning back, feeling the sun warm his face a little. "Mom told me the gist of it and Dusty filled in some of the blanks... But I just... I don't get it…" He gave him a bit of a hurt look. "I'm your kid... I thought you trusted me... You could've told me what was going on and I would've kept my mouth shut... Heck I could've helped you!"

Brody sighed. "Andy... This is something that I couldn't tell anyone... You have to understand that my simply being in the same house as Dusty was a danger to you kids and Sarah... To your grandparents... To everyone I care about... I had to limit as much contact as possible... Then after McQueen, I had to leave... I felt absolutely horrid for what I had done…" He explained, trying to keep his emotions in check. It was just... Jarring to be home but not able to do anything like he had been able to do as a person. He couldn't hug his wife or his children. He couldn't sleep in his own bed, he couldn't even eat the same things. "Andy... I had something hidden that I should never have hid and when your mother found out it nearly gave her a heart attack..."

It dawned on Andy at that moment, just what had turned part of his mother's hair white. "So... The white streak was from that ... and not you going into a drunken rage?"

He winced. He was not proud of that in the slightest. "No... and I would never have hurt you, even if I was under the influence... What I was doing... Andy I could barely handle it sober, drinking... It made it go away for a short time... and I am SO sorry for all the things I said…" His voice cracked. He knew it would take time. "I... I understand if you don't want to forgive me... Frankly... I don't really want to forgive myself either..."

Andy sighed getting up and doing something that he had swore he wouldn't do and Brody was surprised by.

He hugged him as best as he could leaning upwards to do so. "... I want to forgive you... I don't want to see someone suffer... Dad you screwed up yes... But... I can't hold a grudge!" He had his head down, trying to hide the tears that were trying to escape.

"Andy…" Brody's voice cracked a bit. His son looked up, and he swore he felt whatever was left of his heart break. "It's okay... Thank you... I love you son... So much... I've heard you've been trying to be a leader... I'm so proud.." He nuzzled him gently. The boy smiled a little, climbing onto his wing and sitting against his side, much like how Olivia used to do with Dusty.

"Thanks Dad... Just you wait... We're gonna change everyone back…" He grinned a little. "I promised to start a revolution…"

"And I know you will..."

"First the organization... Then the world."
The two fell into another silence, this one a comfortable silence as opposed to the awkward one from before.

"Do you wanna move around?"

"That would be great.."

And so they left, heading to the backfields of the ranch house, talking, laughing a bit.

Andy came to a stop at the hill and pointed to a person in green trying to detassle a pile of corn next to him. "There's Ripslinger... Grandpa decided he made a GREAT handy boy."

Brody chuckled a bit. "Glad he came to use."

"Yeah... He tried beating me up but I kicked his arse."

"Good boy." He smirked a bit.

"Yep... Now Grandpa just has to aim his gun at him to get him to stop being SO LAZY!" Andy called.

Ripslinger looked up and shook his fist at the teen.

"Screw you too!" Andy called back. After a moment he turned to his father. "Dad... Do you think you could help us figure out the location?"

"I would be honored." Brody nodded.

The boy smiled. "Thanks Dad…"

"You're welcome son."

-?-

I couldn't believe this was the world I had to grow up in when I was a child. Ruled by what we had created. The biggest mistake we ever made.

Forced to hide, forced to have places for THEM to refuel if heaven forbid they ever broke down.

We didn't have a say, we didn't have any say in it at all.

They just gradually outnumbered us, outsmarted us. They were stronger, faster…

My grandparents had been old enough that they could remember when the Machines took our world for their own.

And now... I was taking it back.

HEAMIC was my creation. It was my pride and joy. No one ever saw my face but many like me decided they'd rather see the machines gone then have to continue to be under their wheels.

The idea was to take out the strong ones first. The champions... The ones everyone knew the names of.

We got a good number of them. Then we tried for others but we had to lie low.

Then... That fool had to break his orders. He couldn't simply keep the code to himself.

I grinned watching the footage of his transition from human to machine. Listening to his screams, it was like music to my ears. "Good... Suffer…" I said watching the man become a machine.

I will admit... No one saw my face for a good reason.

It wasn't what I wanted to be remembered as. I didn't want to be seen as someone so weak and pathetic. I was in charge now. A woman with a purpose... To take back our world for it's own.

That invisible line everyone spoke of... The "Never kill a Machine if it speaks" rule…

I was going to break it.

I just had to pick who was going to die.

I looked back at the security footage looking over the machines with my eyes.

Hm... None of them would make a big enough impact… I went through our database of known racers retired and current.

An image popped up on the screen as I leaned back in my chair and smiled.

Yes... He will do perfectly…

They're all worthless…

All of them.

But I'll correct the mistake we made...