Kurt was doing everything he could to pull himself together and try to appear calm as his taxi pulled up in front of the Smythe Tower. Kurt stepped out onto the sidewalk and looked up at the tall windowed skyscraper, reflecting the blue of the fall sky.

Smythe Industries.

He closed his eyes as the view and his pressing panic started to make him feel dizzy. They could have taken B anywhere, but this was the Smythe New York headquarters, and Kurt couldnt think of anywhere better to start. He straightened his tie, grateful hed dressed nicely for work today and pulled in a deep breath as he walked through the front doors.

The building was immaculate, windowed walls so clean it looked like you could walk through them, and the floor shined to show your reflection. Kurt went straight to the reception desk and put on a smile.

"Mr. Hummel, here to see Candice Fisher?"

The receptionist smiled pleasantly back. "Is Miss Fisher expecting you?"

"Yes, she is."

"Please sign our visitors log," she said, handing him a thin leather bound ledger and then calling Candice to make sure he had clearance to go up. Kurts hand shook as he signed the book, nerves crawling in his stomach. This was as far as his plan had gotten really.

Once hed left the learning annex, hed called his father and told him a very rushed and very fearful version of what had happened to B. His dad had sworn under his breath and told Kurt to wait, not to do anything rash while Burt contacted their lawyers. B was legally theirs, and Smythe Industries had to return him. Kurt was grateful that his dad was going to look into the legal side of things, but he knew he had to do more. Smythe Industries would know if they had illegally seized B and if they had any plans for him they werent going to waste time.

Kurt shuddered as his imagination filled in the blanks as to what those plans might be. If Sebastian Smythe had thought the B line was such a waste, then why would he want B anyway? Unless… Unless he was going to…

Kurt had to suppress a whimper as the receptionist got off the phone and turned her attention back to him. "Please wear this," she said, handing him a visitors badge. "Miss Fisher is expecting you. 26th floor." She nodded towards the elevator bank.

"Thank you," Kurt said, but it barely came out. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Thank you… And just out of curiosity, on what level is Sebastian Smythes office?"

The receptionist raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, I would think hed be at the top. How many stories are there?" Kurt asked, as if he wasnt looking for anything more than a bit of good gossip.

"His office is on level 59," she said, leaning in. "There are 60 floors all together; the top floor is the Smythe penthouse."

"Wow," Kurt said, feigning admiration. "Thats the life, isnt it?"

The woman smiled, and Kurt headed off to the elevators. The one that would lead him to Candices office only went to floors 16-30. He had no idea how he was going to make it up to Sebastians floor. There had to be security, and even if Kurt somehow got up there, there was no saying Sebastian was even in. But he had to try.

Kurt smoothed his hands anxiously against his pants as he rode up in the elevator. It wasnt an accident that the letter about Smythe Industries taking legal action arrived in Ohio the exact same day they seized B in New York. They had to have plans for B that they wanted done before Kurt or his dad could retaliate.

Kurt took another deep breath; whatever they had planned for B, Kurt would get B out before it happened. He told B he wouldnt let anyone hurt him and hed meant it.

Kurt stepped out on the 26th floor to be greeted by another receptionist behind a glass and plastic desk.

"Im here to see-" Kurt started but stopped as Candice came from around the corner.

"Burt!" she called, and Kurt smiled at her. She had been his first call standing outside of Bs school, saying how interesting hed found the expo and if she had time hed love to stop by and maybe get an insiders perspective about a career with Smythe Industries. If hed been pushy about seeing her right then, Candice had been too polite to say anything, and now she seemed genuinely pleased to see him.

"Thank you for seeing me on such short notice," Kurt said, shaking her hand.

"Your excitement is contagious, and actually, I could use a break, maybe show you around?"

Kurt agreed and while Candice gave him a tour, he tried to seem interested, but his mind was going a mile a minute. Every second that passed, all he could think of was the vague, alarming and terrible things that could be happening to B. He smiled and nodded politely as Candice spoke and he made up answers when she asked about what kind of position he might be looking for.

"So do you get to rub shoulders with the Smythes very often?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, not really," she said. "Some people do, but thats a little above my pay grade. I dont even have clearance for any floors above 35." She pulled the badge she wore on her hip up by its retractable string. "Orange clearance. To go up to 59 you have to have blue. To go up to 60? You have to be a Smythe," she said, winking.

"Lots of top secret things up top?"

"Oh, you know. Any company whose main business is developing new technology cant be too careful."

"Of course." Kurts stomach was flipping over. This was taking too long, and he couldnt think of a way to actually see Sebastian besides demanding to be taken to him, and that would more than likely end with Kurt being thrown out of the building.

He was just starting to despair when a man stopped Candice to ask her a few questions. He could tell by Candices posture and responses that this man was her superior. He was probably in his mid fifties, with silver hair and an alert expression. Most importantly, he wore a blue badge at his waist.

Kurt watched him walk away and then turned to Candice. "Could you point out the restrooms?"

She directed him where to go and he slipped away, trying to follow the direction of the man with the blue badge. What was he going to do? Tackle him for it? Try to pickpocket him? There was no way this was going to work, he was going to get thrown out, Candice would get in trouble and in the end… In the end, hed lose B.

Kurt clinched his fist and kept his eyes on his target. He refused to lose B. This had to work. The man stopped in a kitchen and started to make himself a cup of coffee with their coffee machine. Kurt braced himself and walked forward, pretending to be waiting for the coffee machine as well. Oh god, how was he going to do this?

Kurt smiled at the man and thought about trying to make conversation. He was close enough that he could reach out and grab the badge if he wanted, he just didnt know how to do it stealthily. It wasnt like hed ever done something like this before.

The man glanced at him and nodded, and then his gaze shifted. Kurt looked to see what had drawn the mans attention. A young and very attractive woman had just entered the room and Mr. Silver Foxs eyes were glued to her. He practically rubber-necked as she walked by. Kurt held his breath, reached for the badge, unclipped it and slipped it into his pocket before the mans cup of coffee was even done.

Oh my god.

Kurt put his coffee cup back with the others, turned and hurried out of the room as fast as he felt he could without drawing attention to himself. He got to the elevators and he felt sick with nerves. How long would it take for the man to figure out his badge was stolen? Could Kurt be arrested for this?

Kurt slipped the badge out of his pocket and looked at it. He didnt care. B was more important than anything else right now.

Kurt would have felt bad for ditching Candice after shed been so nice to him, but all he could think of was B, alone and scared somewhere while tests were being done to him or worse, he was being reprogrammed.

He got into an elevator that went up to 59. He swiped the blue badge and held onto the rail in the elevator for support. If theyd already done something to B, would Kurt be able to get him back to the way he was before? How was he even going to convince Sebastian Smythe to give B back? His chest felt hollow, thinking back to kissing B goodbye that morning. What if that was the last time he was even going to see B? Why had he gone to the expo in the first place? Everything was good. They were happy. Kurt rubbed at his eyes, willing himself not to cry.

Once the elevator doors opened on 59, Kurt realized yet again that he had no idea what to do from here, but hed made it further than could have been expected. The 59th floor was darker than what Kurt had seen of the building so far. With wood paneling and an old-fashioned interior, it was impressive and intimidating. Kurt nodded to himself, making up his mind; there was no more time for subtleties.

He marched past the assistant that sat outside an office label Sebastian Smythe, ignoring his protest for Kurt to stop. Kurt pushed the door open, hoping against anything that Sebastian was in.

The door closed behind him and Kurt stopped.

Sebastian Smythe sat behind a large desk in a ridiculously huge office. Two of the four walls were glass and the view of the city was enough for Kurt to feel a little bit of vertigo. Sebastian himself sat with his feet up and looking far from the clean-cut, confident, powerful business man Kurt had seen at the expo.

His jacket was off and tossed over a nearby chair, his tie as well. The first couple of buttons of his shirt were undone, showing his T-shirt underneath. His hair was tussled and his eyes blood-shot. He was sipping out of a rocks glass with some kind of brown liquid in it.

Sebastian looked up at Kurt with not even the tiniest inflection of surprise as his assistant stormed in after Kurt.

"Ive already called security, Mr. Smythe," he said.

Sebastian lazily waved a hand at him. "No need. Not yet at least. He can stay."

"But Mr. Smythe-"

"Reese, please leave Mr. Hummel and me to talk."

The young man glowered at Kurt, but otherwise did what he was told, shutting the door behind him.

"Where is he?" Kurt said with his hands balled into fists as he glared at Sebastian Smythe.

"How did you get up here?" Sebastian said, still sitting with his feet crossed on his desk and seeming nonplussed by Kurts evident rage.

"Where is B? What have you done with him?" Kurt took a step forward.

"Oh god, you named it B? Clever." He rolled his eyes and moved his feet down to sit up a little. Kurts heart flared with anger and he marched up to the desk.

"You cant just take other peoples androids!" he seethed. "You have to give him back. We are already consulting lawyers-"

Sebastian held up a hand and interrupted him "My lawyers are better, remember?"

"You stole him."

Sebastian slammed his glass down on his desk, causing the liquor to slosh over the side. "I cant steal something that already belongs to me!"

Kurt wasnt intimidated by Sebastians sudden anger. Instead, it stoked his own. "He doesnt belong to you!" Kurt yelled back, his breath shallow. "We found him in a dump. He was discarded. He belonged to The Heap and then we purchased him. You cant have him! Now..." Kurt straightened his shoulders and enunciated his next words. ""Were. Is. My. Droid?"

Sebastian stood, his face flushed red with anger, but then he started to laugh… He was laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach, and it made Kurt want to throttle him.

"What… What are you doing? Whats the matter with you?" Kurt asked, watching as Sebastian tried to regain his composure."

"You got it from a place called The Heap? Your droid is literally trash, and here you are fighting for him against someone vastly more powerful than you." He wiped his eyes. "Trash," he repeated with a chuckle.

Kurt felt sick. He pressed his lips together and breathed in through his nose before speaking again. "B isnt trash."

"Oh god, stop calling it that," Sebastian said, reaching for his glass and taking a swig."Listen. That droid belongs to my family. If anything is found on him that belongs to you, well be happy to return it. His clothes, that ridiculous plaid eye patch. Oh! His eye, that isnt mine. After we've decommissioned him, Ill personally make sure you get the pieces that belonged to you."

Kurt felt wobbly as Sebastians words swirled around his head. "Decommissioned?" he echoed softly, that one word sounding like an end to everything.

"He is stolen property," Sebastian explained. "Now, Im willing to believe you didnt steal him…it. Didnt steal it yourself. We can probably even reimburse you for your troubles."

"What do you mean by ‘decommissioned'?" Kurt asked, feeling weak.

"Mmm?" Sebastian finished off his drink before answering. "In this case, it means wiping it clean, breaking it down and destroying the parts," he answered nonchalantly.

Kurt felt ill. "No. No no no." He doubled over, one arm slung over his stomach and supporting himself by bracing his other hand against the chair in front of Sebastians desk. "You cant… You cant…" Kurt couldnt even speak; there wasnt enough air in his lungs. Breaking B down and destroying his parts? Sebastian was talking about killing him.

"I can do whatever I want with it. In fact, it is probably already happening right now. Piece by piece." Sebastian said smugly.

The anxiousness that had been building inside of Kurt when he first got the call about B came rushing to a head, blinding Kurt with pure panic, he could hardly draw a breath and his heart hurt in his chest like he was having a heart attack. This monster was standing there and casually talking about ripping apart and destroying someone Kurt desperately cared for. Kurts vision blurred for a moment, and he lost his balance, and then he felt strong hands under his arms keeping him from falling.

"Whoa," Sebastian said, and Kurt was aware enough to know Sebastian was helping him into the chair.

"Are you going to pass out? Fuck. Put you head between your knees. Jesus."

Kurt sat curled over in the chair with his head in his hands and trying to take deep calming breaths. It had been ages since hed had a panic attack, but he still remembered what he needed to do to make it pass. Breathe.

Kurt was shaking all over, and he knew he was crying, but he couldnt stop. Not when B might be… He might already be... He looked up to find that Sebastian was kneeling by his chair, unexpectedly looking at him with a thoroughly concerned expression.

"P- please dont do this," Kurt begged. "You dont understand. I… I dont know what the B line is to Smy- Smythe Industries," Kurt shuddered out. "But B means so so much to me."

"Listen, kid," Sebastian said softly, almost soothingly. "Its just a machine. You can get a new one."

"He isnt," Kurt said, sitting up a little straighter now that his lungs felt less like they were collapsing. "He isnt just a machine. Did you actually take any time to talk to him? To… To learn anything about him? I swear to you he isnt whatever you think he is. He… is so human… and I…" Kurt closed his eyes even as another round of tears rolled down his cheeks. "I love him."

There was silence for a moment, and when Kurt opened his eyes again, Sebastian was standing and moving back around his desk. He had an inscrutable look on his face, some kind of mix between dark humor and disbelief. "Well, shit." He smiled ruefully and chuckled, but it sounded hollow. He ran his hand through his already messed-up hair and then picked up the receiver to his phone.

"Reese, get me Dr. Lemaire on the phone." Sebastian looked back at Kurt while he waited to be transferred. "He is just a machine, just an android," he said, still sounding kinder than Kurt would ever have expected. "But if it isnt too late, Ill have them hold off with its decommissioning until I can prove that to you, okay?"

Kurt licked his dry lips, not knowing what to say. If it isnt too late. Because B could already be in pieces in someones laboratory. Kurt had to push that thought away or he was going to be sick right here in the head of Smythe Industries office.

"Lemaire?" Sebastian said into the phone. "Is that B line droid…" He glanced at Kurt. "Um… Is he destroyed yet?"

Kurt couldnt hear the other half of the conversation, even though he knew that was the information that could break him right now; he stared steadily at Sebastians face as it scrunched up in confusion and maybe anger. "What the hell do you mean?" Sebastian rubbed his forehead and sighed. "Fine. Fine. Im coming down there." He hung up the phone loudly and didnt look at Kurt.

"Is it too late?" Kurt asked, his voice so small he barely recognized it.

Sebastian looked back up at him as if he had forgotten Kurt was even there.

"I dont know what the hell is going on down there, but the droid is still intact."

Kurt felt like someone had been squeezing his heart to almost bursting point, but at those beautiful words the grip was released. "So Bs okay? They havent wiped him clean or... or done anything to hurt him?"

Sebastian was staring off into space, scratching his chin and obviously distracted. "Huh?"

"Is B okay?" Kurt said louder, gripping the arms of the chair as anger started to wash over him, giving him more strength than his fear had.

The kindness that had been in Sebastians eyes earlier shifted to something haughty, close to the way hed looked at Kurt at the expo. "You dont really have any right to demand anything of me you know? Im doing you a favor by even talking to you."

Kurt stood up shaking with anger and dread of what was going on with B. He slammed his hands against the desktop. "Just tell me!" Tears scratched at his throat, but he was done with talking, he needed to see B.

Sebastian didnt answer. Instead he glanced down at his desk. Kurt followed his line of sight and saw that he had shook the desk enough to knock over a framed picture. It now laid face up and Kurt drew in a breath of surprise as he realized what he was looking at.

There, framed in a simple smooth wood, was a photograph of a younger Sebastian Smythe, probably a teenager; he was between two other young men, all three in navy and red prep school uniforms. But out of the three boys, it was the one on Sebastians right that drew Kurts attention. He was looking at Sebastian with a grin that lit up his face and crinkled his eyes. The other two boys were smiling at the camera, but this young man appeared to be caught mid-laugh at something one of his friends had said.

Kurt sunk back into the chair and reached for the picture, lifting it up and holding it in trembling hands as his brain tried to process the sight of a photograph of Sebastian Smythe standing next to a much younger looking... B.

Kurt couldnt pull his gaze away from the young B in the picture, his mind trying to reconcile what his eyes were seeing and what he knew to be true. He didnt even glance up when he heard Sebastian groan. "Well fan-fucking-tastic."