A/N: In a sudden moment of stunning clarity, I decided 2025 was going to be the year I FINALLY cleaned out my old drafts, endless piles of notebook paper and unfinished expositions. After going through some of these, I have found some keepers I MAY add on to at some point, though I haven't quite decided yet. If there's a particular one you'd like to see more of, let me know and I'll see what I can do ;)

As always; sit back, relax and enjoy another one of my wild adventures...

(Chapter Summary: Social bonding hour with the locals be damned. This is a sin.)

Gone Painting

It was supposed to be simple.

In and out. Be back by dinner time.

But, if it's one thing this particular AI's learned, it's that not everything will always go according to plan.

Such as now.

"What do you mean we have to fall back and regroup?" The two-tone Trans Am snarled out over the com. This was just getting ridiculous now.

"We're too exposed out here." Answers his brother in that oh so annoying tone of his. Ever the loyal follower of his human counterpart. Karr idly watches a red leaf gracefully fall down on to his hood. "Come back to my location. Quietly."

Karr nearly huffed at the emphasized word, as if he would do more to jeopardize this already perilous situation they have all currently found themselves in.

"Very well," he mutters, idly switching gears.

He never got the chance to even pull away.

Out of nowhere, a sudden thwack! against his windshield stops him dead in his tracks. Karr did not jump at the impact, but he did growl lowly enough to vibrate the very ground they sat on. In the upper right corner of his windshield, a neon pink splat now adorned his once spotless pane of glass.

Somewhere nearby, horribly muffled chuckles reached his audials.

It only served to irritate the super car further.

"Let me remind you, small humans," he spoke aloud to the open space of the course. No sense in being discreet now. "It is a foolish act to agitate the predator when the prey remains entirely too vulnerable."

"Ah, ah, ah! Time out!" A female voice rang out suddenly, momentarily pausing the game. Bonnie came swinging out from a nearby dilapidated hut, lifting her helmet to shoot a disapproving glare his way. "Absolutely no threatening the other players. That's foul play."

"Oh pssh!" Karr blew her off. "This-" his chassis lifted on the right side some, indicating the pink splat. "was clearly foul play. Why not reprimand the guilty party instead of the victim of such savagery?"

"Karr, stop being dramatic." Kitt deadpanned as his impeccable frame pulled up beside Bonnie. "You'll live, I assure you."

His elder brother gave a haughty sniff. "Do you have any idea how long it will take for this staining to come away?" He cut off Kitt's reply. "Ages! Eons! It may never go away entirely!"

If Kitt could've facepalmed, he would've. Luckily, Bonnie had hands, thus the ability to do the act for them both along with a well placed put-upon sigh.

"Game on." She called out while darting away back towards another hiding spot. Kitt whipped it around, providing himself with enough cover to race away before he too got nailed.

Exposed and humiliated (disqualified), Karr sat like a lone sentry in the middle of the course. A soft breeze kicking loose a tumbleweed that scratched across his bumper. It was silent enough to hear a pin drop to the soft earth below.

Nearby rustling from a tree-top platform drew his attention.

"Hey!" A teenage boy shouted down to him from a lone platform, his two other teammates hovering over his shoulder to scowl down at Karr. "Get off the course, you moron!"

Oh. So that's how it's going to be, huh?

His turbine revved threateningly, sleek chassis aiming towards the commandeered lookout where the delinquents were situated. The two other boys began to look very nervous all of the sudden. Meanwhile tires silently inched closer and closer., engine growling like a jungle cat readying to attack. By now all three boys understood the mortal danger they were in and made haste to jump off the platform. In a cruel show of power, Karr allowed them to think they had gotten away in time, while he simply slunk down in the overgrowth, disappearing from view momentarily.

"Phew!" The lead boy wiped his forehead after verifying they were no longer being followed. "That was a close one."

His comrades nodded, feeling shaken.

Behind them, a yellow light blinked to life, tracking a slow, vindictive pattern.

"Too close, indeed." Karr's deep purring voice piped up from the darkness.

Bloody murder screams echoed across the park, scaring birds from the trees and other players from their hiding spots.

Off towards the main grounds, Karr's teammates gathered around, listening to the scene unfold. Blubbering sobs and pleas for mercy echoed their way along with Karr's cold accusations.

"Should we stop him?" Michael asked the group mildly.

A loud crash erupted from where the altercation was going down. More screams followed, along with indignant shouts of disapproval.

Devon sighed deeply. "That sounded expensive."

Next to him, Bonnie rubbed her face, attempting to alleviate the growing headache to no avail.

"I'm gonna fucking kill him." She muttered under her breath.