Fic: Afterburner (Knight Rider, Michael/KITT, PG)
Title: Afterburner
Author: Sara
Fandom/Pairing: Knight Rider, Michael/KITT
Rating: PG, FRT, Pants
Word Count: About 4000
Summary: Fuel on the fire.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my stories Adrenaline and Acceleration and won't make much sense if you haven't read those first (in order). (Click on the titles to go to the stories.)
Betas: Many thanks to sassyinkpen for a perfectly brilliant beta and to tygermama for putting up with the usual barrage of emails.
Note: Written for the smallfandomfest, prompt "Knight Rider, Michael/KITT, fuel".
"This is why you brought me here to talk about this," Michael said, glaring at Devon. "And why we couldn't meet you in the semi. You needed to get me far enough away from KITT that he can't hear us?" He gestured across the expanse of mowed lawn to the large stone mansion. Devon had been apologetic when he called them back from their two days of R&R following the case in Villa Lobos, but insistent that they return to immediately.
"I wanted to present the plan to you first," Devon said in his most reasonable voice as they walked toward the pond. "KITT's not going to like it."
"And you think I do?" Michael interrupted, angry at the fact that Devon had chosen to hide this conversation from KITT. "I agree that we've got to stop this General Groves from equipping his own private army. But you can't expect me to agree with shutting KITT's processor down for the duration of the case."
Devon gave him a sympathetic look. "Not the duration, Michael, just long enough to convince Groves the car is the weapon of the future. Then KITT will be restored." Devon gestured for Michael to sit on a wrought iron bench by the pond. Michael resisted automatically but Devon fixed him with a look and Michael finally acquiesced. When they were seated, Devon went on, "You act as though I'm suggesting we permanently deactivate him."
"Can you guarantee KITT will come through this without any damage? Without losing any of his personality?" Michael asked. When Devon looked away over the water, Michael gave a tight nod. "Right. In any case, won't KITT make the car better bait?"
"We can't risk it," Devon said. "If General Groves gets the slightest hint about a computer controlling the car, he'll want both. But he won't want KITT, he'll want a killing machine."
"KARR," Michael said, jaw tight. The thought of a vehicle like KARR, selfish and amoral, in the hands of a man like Groves made his hands curl into fists. But it was worse to think of the General somehow stealing KITT and reprogramming him, changing his personality and basic nature to turn him into...his stomach twisted and he turned his gaze toward the garage where his partner was waiting.
"Exactly. The car's enough to lure the General without us risking him getting his hands on KITT," Devon said. "Mr. Hofstatdler of Advansys Technology has agreed to provide you with a cover story." He handed Michael a piece of paper with a phone number on it.
"So we're setting me up as an disgruntled Advansys employee who's been working on this super-secret car," Michael said, shoving the paper into his pocket. "How do I make contact with Groves?" Michael asked, feeling like he was betraying KITT by even considering the plan. Unable to sit and think about this, he stood and, when Devon had joined him, walked back along the path toward the mansion.
"You don't," Devon said. "Once word of the armored car project is leaked to the right person, we're confident the General will contact you. We've created an identity for you that's deeply in debt to the mob, which will make you the most likely target for him to approach."
"And if he doesn't?" Michael asked. They'd gotten back to within KITT's scanner range and Michael hoped he was watching them and was able to get some information from their conversation to warn him what was coming.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Devon said. "For now, we need to get KITT set up for this and get you both in position at Advansys."
"We've still got to talk to KITT, and I want to go over every detail with Bonnie. If she says this isn't going to be safe for him, we're not doing it," Michael said, turning a hard stare on Devon.
Devon looked toward the garage and gave Michael a sharp look in return, but his words were soothing, "Of course."
*****
Michael let Devon present the plan for baiting General Groves to KITT and Bonnie. He was prepared to go along with it, if it was the only way to get the general behind bars where he belonged, but he wasn't going to endorse it. Devon was on his own. So Michael leaned on KITT's hood and listened while Devon talked. As soon as he mentioned deactivating KITT, Bonnie's face got stormy and KITT's scanner tracked a few times. But neither of them said anything.
Bonnie's reaction to the plan fueled Michael's anger and he forced himself to stay quiet as Devon concluded his explanation, saying, "We feel it would be in your best interests, KITT, and the best interests of the case to deactivate you, temporarily of course. Just until General Groves has had a chance to examine the car." His words weren't a question, but there was one in his voice and Michael was glad he was at least implicitly asking KITT's permission for this.
"If you think it's best, Mr. Miles," KITT agreed, in a flat voice.
If Devon noticed KITT using his last name for the first time in months, he gave no sign. He just smiled and said, "Excellent, I'll go make the necessary arrangements with Mr. Hofstatdler."
As soon as he left, Michael asked, "Are you really okay with this, buddy? We'll find another way if you..."
"Don't be absurd, Michael," KITT said, still in that toneless voice. "I'll be deactivated for a few days at most. I'll be fine."
Michael turned to Bonnie, who had walked away to the other side of the garage and was programming something into one of her computers. "Will he?" he asked.
Bonnie whirled on him with something that looked like a laser in her hand. "I can't believe you agreed to this, Michael. KITT trusts you."
"Woah, slow down. I didn't see you arguing with Devon either," Michael said, standing up. "I agreed on the condition that you said KITT wouldn't be damaged. You heard Devon, Groves and his militia can afford the best programmers money can buy. And if they couldn't re-create KITT, they would re-program him." As soon as he said that, Bonnie's eyes widened and she turned to KITT with a worried look. "That is why I agreed. But if he's not going to still be the KITT we know, we'll find another way. Now, will he be okay?"
Bonnie turned back to him slowly, obviously thinking, then said, "Yes, with a few precautions, he should be. If you don't mind, KITT, I'd like to back up your key memory registers and circuits. That will allow us to restore anything that gets lost."
"What about you, Michael?" KITT asked, speaking softly through the wrist communicator, "You'll be facing this General Groves character on your own. I don't like it." Grateful that Bonnie gave no sign of having heard, Michael answered by running his hand across KITT's scanner, hoping to reassure. With only a brief pause KITT said, out loud, "Of course you can make backups, Bonnie." Bonnie started hooking up cables, and as she did so, KITT asked, "Can the deactivation sequence be programmed into some of my buttons?"
Bonnie looked up from what she was doing. "Yes, theoretically. Why?"
"If Michael can deactivate me," Michael's head spun at the suggestion and he was about to object, but KITT went on, "he could do it just before he demonstrates the car to General Groves. And then he could reactivate me immediately afterwards."
Bonnie shook her head, but before she could speak Michael said, "I don't want to take any chances, pal. I want Bonnie here, with her computers, in case anything goes wrong. Believe me, I'll get you reactivated as soon as possible after the general takes his test drive."
*****
Michael drove up to the barred gate at the militia's compound slowly, stopping for the Uzi carrying guard. He rolled the window down and showed the man his fake identification as Michael King, saying, "I have an appointment with General Groves."
"Just a moment, sir." The man stepped into an armored booth, but as he did so another one appeared, his Uzi pointed at Michael. Raising an eyebrow at the security, or paranoia, Michael just stared straight forward and kept his hands on the steering wheel.
"Next, they'll be frisking me," he said, quietly, but there was no response. Even five days after KITT's deactivation, the quiet was jarring and he gripped the wheel tighter. Being proven right when the man returned and ordered him out of the car didn't ease his tension at all.
After a thorough pat-down, the man waved Michael back into the car and said, "The general will meet you at the artillery range, Mr. King. Go straight through the gate to the first intersection, turn left, and follow the signs. If you go anywhere off the direct path to the artillery range, our men have instructions to shoot to kill."
Not surprised by the warning, Michael nodded and drove through the slowly opening gate, trying to be alert to where the patrols and security guards were stationed. He switched on the scanners, but the chaotic jumble of data that scrolled across the screen was impossible for him to interpret.
Swearing, he switched them off again and missed KITT like an ache in his chest.
Once he was past the first intersection and away from the main buildings in the compound, he accelerated, until he found himself going nearly 80 on the straight road out into a large stretch of desert. This meeting couldn't be done soon enough for him. They'd held off on deactivating KITT until Groves made contact, which happened within 24 hours of the information about the super-car being "leaked". That initial contact had led to a series of meetings with progressively higher people in the militia until at the fourth meeting, his patience at an end, Michael had demanded to see General Groves himself.
Devon had upbraided him for risking the entire operation in a fit of pique, but Devon wasn't driving the empty, silent T-top, which was setting every one of Michael's nerves on edge. Fortunately, the general had called him personally and made an early morning appointment for the next day.
He only had to wait at the entrance to the artillery range for few minutes before a Jeep pulled up with two men in it. He recognized the driver as one of the underlings he'd met with already, so he focused his attention on the tall, lean, grey-haired man he didn't know. The man strode up to Michael, ignoring his outstretched hand, and said, "This goddamn toy is the car my men have been talking about?" When Michael nodded, he made a scornful noise, then said, "Prove it."
*****
While Bonnie set the car up for KITT's reactivation, Devon called Michael to one side of the garage and asked, "How did it go?"
"He wants the car," Michael said, turning so he could keep his eye on KITT as Bonnie buzzed around him hooking up cables and pushing buttons on her computers. "There's no doubt about that. When I told him I wouldn't take a cent less than ten million for it he was not happy." The price had been carefully chosen both to reflect the value of the car and to be about twice what Groves could raise to pay for it.
"I should imagine," Devon replied, giving Michael a concerned look. "I take it there was no trouble."
Michael shrugged. "I'm here, aren't I?" His voice was light, but his escape from the compound had been far closer than he liked without KITT's assistance. He'd been careful not to mention money until he was safely back in the car and only its armor and speed made it possible for him to get out of the compound through the hail of artillery they threw at him. "I figure he'll make his move to steal the car tonight..." He stopped when Bonnie straightened and looked in his direction with a nod. Excusing himself to Devon, he trotted over to the car.
"We're about to reactivate him," Bonnie said, giving a nod to her technician. The technician flipped a couple of switches and pushed a button and KITT's scanner started to track. Michael smiled and stepped forward, about to say something, but Bonnie put her hand on his arm and held him back. "He needs to run through a few test sequences before he's ready to process external data," she whispered.
The wait seemed to drag on forever, though in reality it was only a couple of minutes before Bonnie gave a happy smile at something in one of her readings. She opened her mouth to say something then stopped and nudged Michael instead.
Michael smiled in gratitude and said, "KITT, buddy, welcome back," stepping forward to run his hands over the satiny finish.
"Michael," KITT said, with relief clear in his voice, "I see you survived your meeting with General Groves."
"Yeah, I did" Michael said, "He almost got me with a couple of mortar shells, though. It would have gone better with you there." Devon fixed him with a look, but Michael ignored him.
"Naturally. I hope you weren't too hampered by my absence," KITT said. "Did the meeting go well? I trust you demonstrated my abilities adequately. Was he impressed with me?"
He'd been so keenly aware of KITT's absence from the car for those four days that the question threw Michael for a few seconds and it took a moment for him to respond. "Very impressed, especially with the new laser Bonnie gave you. He wants your body, pal," he finally said, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts.
"I've never had to defend my virtue before," KITT said, drawing laughs from Bonnie and Devon.
*****
"Someone's here," KITT said, through Michael's comlink. "It's that colonel you met, Haynes, not General Groves himself."
Michael had been expecting that, but he still swore softly. They wanted to get Groves in the car before they made their move, and had hoped that the general would come for KITT himself. "Let him drive you to the general. I'll be right behind you," Michael said, starting his car, a sports car belonging to the Foundation that would be able to keep up with KITT as long as they stayed out of pursuit mode. "Tell me what's going on."
"He's clumsy with the lockpick," KITT said. "I'm not at all convinced he could pick even an ordinary lock. Didn't you show them my security features?" After a moment, he asked, stress clear in his voice, "If he takes me to the compound, how will you get past the gate?"
"I don't think he'll do that. Groves is paranoid, even about most of his own men. He'll want to keep his new super-weapon away from his soldiers until he has a defense against it," Michael said, watching through binoculars for KITT to emerge from their borrowed Advansys garage, but there was no sign of movement or life.
"Michael, he's trying to hotwire me," KITT said in a deeply offended tone a few seconds later. Despite the tension, Michael smiled. "Are you certain I have to allow this ham-handed..."
"We all have to do our parts, KITT," Michael said, "Sorry." He hoping KITT would be able to tell exactly how true that was, despite his light tone. "This is why Bonnie gave you those fake wires. As soon as he touches them, start your engine. He needs to feel like he's doing something or he'll get suspicious."
"Does he have to be so clumsy about it?" KITT complained. "I think he's managed to scratch my steering column." A few seconds later though, he said, "We're leaving. I hope he's a better driver than he is a thief."
"I'll be about half a mile behind you," Michael said, clenching his teeth as he watched them drive out of the garage and away from the Advansys labs. Letting someone else drive KITT was just the latest in the long string of things he hated about this case. He put his own car into gear and pulled slowly out on the road, following KITT's distant tail lights.
Aside from instructions as to where to turn, KITT was quiet, which was unsettling. After about twenty minutes of toneless directions and silence, Michael asked, "Are you okay, pal?" He and KITT hadn't had as much as half an hour alone together since he was reactivated, going straight from the mansion garage to Advansys as soon as Bonnie cleared him and the quiet was making him worry if something of KITT had been lost in the deactivation after all.
That worry only intensified when there was no answer to the question. A couple of minutes later KITT said, "He's stopping in front of a warehouse beside the river. The general is here. Alone."
"You know what to do," Michael said, wishing he were there.
"Of course," KITT said, without much emotion or enthusiasm. "They're exchanging vehicles, so I won't be able to bring you Haynes. I've micro-jammed his car's brakes, though, so he won't get far. I'll take General Groves to the end of the parking lot near the river."
"I'll be waiting. Notify the authorities," Michael said, turning his car toward the rendezvous point and away from KITT. "And call Devon."
"I've already done both. We'll be there in three minutes," KITT said, then went silent.
Michael was waiting in the darkest corner of the parking lot, under a stand of cottonwood trees that blocked both the moonlight and the streetlights, when KITT arrived, moving fast. He pulled up in front of Michael with a screech of brakes and flung open the driver's door saying, with unexpected urgency, "Get him out of me, Michael, or I'll use the ejector." General Groves was unconscious in the driver's seat, crumpled forward against the steering wheel.
Michael hauled Groves out of the car, laying him on the ground several feet away. While Michael stripped the general of his weapons, two handguns and a vicious-looking serrated knife, KITT closed his door with a thud and drove several feet away, his scanner making an erratic red glow on the asphalt in front of him. When the general was secure, Michael stepped toward KITT saying, "KITT, what's...?"
"The police will be here in approximately 46 seconds," KITT interrupted, his voice tense. But as he spoke he rolled forward until he was just touching Michael's legs.
"Later," Michael agreed, patting KITT's sleek fender. As the police sirens drew closer and the blue and red lights flashed on the river, he turned to sit on KITT's hood, a position he stayed in throughout the next hour of interviews and questions, only leaving once when the police were dusting KITT's interior for fingerprints, and then to stand by the open door.
*****
When Devon arrived at the end of that hour, General Groves was awake and in one of the police cruisers, alternately swearing and demanding his lawyer. Devon spoke with the officer in charge for a few minutes, then walked to where Michael and KITT sat on the edge of all the activity. "They captured Colonel Haynes near his disabled car. He's already at the police station. The fingerprints in KITT will be excellent evidence, though the general is crying entrapment."
Michael stood and said, "Entrapment?"
At the same time, KITT asked, "He's not going to get out of these charges is he, Mr. Miles?"
"The Foundation's lawyers will deal with that, never fear. Your work on this case is complete," Devon said, though he looked slightly troubled.
Michael nodded and went to the door, which KITT opened for him, "So we're done here?"
"Not yet," Devon said, "I thought the plan was to allow the police to find the general in the car."
Michael sat in his seat and put the key in the ignition. "Plans change," he said, as the engine hummed gently to life. "I had to disarm him before he woke up. Anyway, he was drooling on KITT's upholstery." Devon shook his head, but he was smiling and Michael knew his explanation had been accepted. "About that R&R you interrupted," he said, putting KITT into gear, "I'm thinking the Mojave Desert. We'll see you in three days. And, Devon, I'd appreciate it if you forgot you know us until we get back." Devon said something in response, but Michael rolled the window up and drove away without listening.
Michael could only stand the quiet in the car for about five minutes before he asked, "Are you okay, pal? Do we need to get you back to Bonnie?"
After a moment, KITT said, "I'm fine now. I apologize for my outburst earlier."
"Hey, it's okay. I just..." Michael's voice trailed off as he tried to figure out where he was going with that sentence--I need to know if you're okay, I care about you, I missed you. All of those were true, along with things he wasn't ready to think about. Not yet. He settled for saying, "I'm worried."
KITT's only response for a few moments was a faint hint of electrical current that warmed Michael's back. "It was," he said, finally, and then paused again for a long second before going on in a voice that seemed heavy with emotion, "extremely uncomfortable for me to allow Haynes and the general to drive me, especially so soon after being reactivated. You're in my programming, Michael, they are not. A fact for which I am profoundly grateful."
"Me too, KITT, me too," Michael said, voice rough. He was going to say something else, but he couldn't find the words to convey what he was feeling, so he leaned forward to touch KITT's voice panel briefly with his fingertips and wished he could do more.
They rode on in a much more comfortable silence through the city's sparse late night traffic. Once they were on the highway out of town, KITT asked, "May I ask why you chose the Mojave?"
"Miles and miles of open desert roads, KITT," Michael said, "and nobody on any of them but you and me. I've had enough of other people for a while."
"I couldn't agree more," KITT said. "May I?" When Michael nodded, KITT switched into pursuit mode and they sped into the night, away from the city and the people and the lights.
***END***
All of my Knight Rider fanworks are linked here.
All of my fanfiction, in all fandoms, is linked here.
Author: Sara
Fandom/Pairing: Knight Rider, Michael/KITT
Rating: PG, FRT, Pants
Word Count: About 4000
Summary: Fuel on the fire.
Author's Note: This is a sequel to my stories Adrenaline and Acceleration and won't make much sense if you haven't read those first (in order). (Click on the titles to go to the stories.)
Betas: Many thanks to sassyinkpen for a perfectly brilliant beta and to tygermama for putting up with the usual barrage of emails.
Note: Written for the smallfandomfest, prompt "Knight Rider, Michael/KITT, fuel".
"This is why you brought me here to talk about this," Michael said, glaring at Devon. "And why we couldn't meet you in the semi. You needed to get me far enough away from KITT that he can't hear us?" He gestured across the expanse of mowed lawn to the large stone mansion. Devon had been apologetic when he called them back from their two days of R&R following the case in Villa Lobos, but insistent that they return to immediately.
"I wanted to present the plan to you first," Devon said in his most reasonable voice as they walked toward the pond. "KITT's not going to like it."
"And you think I do?" Michael interrupted, angry at the fact that Devon had chosen to hide this conversation from KITT. "I agree that we've got to stop this General Groves from equipping his own private army. But you can't expect me to agree with shutting KITT's processor down for the duration of the case."
Devon gave him a sympathetic look. "Not the duration, Michael, just long enough to convince Groves the car is the weapon of the future. Then KITT will be restored." Devon gestured for Michael to sit on a wrought iron bench by the pond. Michael resisted automatically but Devon fixed him with a look and Michael finally acquiesced. When they were seated, Devon went on, "You act as though I'm suggesting we permanently deactivate him."
"Can you guarantee KITT will come through this without any damage? Without losing any of his personality?" Michael asked. When Devon looked away over the water, Michael gave a tight nod. "Right. In any case, won't KITT make the car better bait?"
"We can't risk it," Devon said. "If General Groves gets the slightest hint about a computer controlling the car, he'll want both. But he won't want KITT, he'll want a killing machine."
"KARR," Michael said, jaw tight. The thought of a vehicle like KARR, selfish and amoral, in the hands of a man like Groves made his hands curl into fists. But it was worse to think of the General somehow stealing KITT and reprogramming him, changing his personality and basic nature to turn him into...his stomach twisted and he turned his gaze toward the garage where his partner was waiting.
"Exactly. The car's enough to lure the General without us risking him getting his hands on KITT," Devon said. "Mr. Hofstatdler of Advansys Technology has agreed to provide you with a cover story." He handed Michael a piece of paper with a phone number on it.
"So we're setting me up as an disgruntled Advansys employee who's been working on this super-secret car," Michael said, shoving the paper into his pocket. "How do I make contact with Groves?" Michael asked, feeling like he was betraying KITT by even considering the plan. Unable to sit and think about this, he stood and, when Devon had joined him, walked back along the path toward the mansion.
"You don't," Devon said. "Once word of the armored car project is leaked to the right person, we're confident the General will contact you. We've created an identity for you that's deeply in debt to the mob, which will make you the most likely target for him to approach."
"And if he doesn't?" Michael asked. They'd gotten back to within KITT's scanner range and Michael hoped he was watching them and was able to get some information from their conversation to warn him what was coming.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Devon said. "For now, we need to get KITT set up for this and get you both in position at Advansys."
"We've still got to talk to KITT, and I want to go over every detail with Bonnie. If she says this isn't going to be safe for him, we're not doing it," Michael said, turning a hard stare on Devon.
Devon looked toward the garage and gave Michael a sharp look in return, but his words were soothing, "Of course."
*****
Michael let Devon present the plan for baiting General Groves to KITT and Bonnie. He was prepared to go along with it, if it was the only way to get the general behind bars where he belonged, but he wasn't going to endorse it. Devon was on his own. So Michael leaned on KITT's hood and listened while Devon talked. As soon as he mentioned deactivating KITT, Bonnie's face got stormy and KITT's scanner tracked a few times. But neither of them said anything.
Bonnie's reaction to the plan fueled Michael's anger and he forced himself to stay quiet as Devon concluded his explanation, saying, "We feel it would be in your best interests, KITT, and the best interests of the case to deactivate you, temporarily of course. Just until General Groves has had a chance to examine the car." His words weren't a question, but there was one in his voice and Michael was glad he was at least implicitly asking KITT's permission for this.
"If you think it's best, Mr. Miles," KITT agreed, in a flat voice.
If Devon noticed KITT using his last name for the first time in months, he gave no sign. He just smiled and said, "Excellent, I'll go make the necessary arrangements with Mr. Hofstatdler."
As soon as he left, Michael asked, "Are you really okay with this, buddy? We'll find another way if you..."
"Don't be absurd, Michael," KITT said, still in that toneless voice. "I'll be deactivated for a few days at most. I'll be fine."
Michael turned to Bonnie, who had walked away to the other side of the garage and was programming something into one of her computers. "Will he?" he asked.
Bonnie whirled on him with something that looked like a laser in her hand. "I can't believe you agreed to this, Michael. KITT trusts you."
"Woah, slow down. I didn't see you arguing with Devon either," Michael said, standing up. "I agreed on the condition that you said KITT wouldn't be damaged. You heard Devon, Groves and his militia can afford the best programmers money can buy. And if they couldn't re-create KITT, they would re-program him." As soon as he said that, Bonnie's eyes widened and she turned to KITT with a worried look. "That is why I agreed. But if he's not going to still be the KITT we know, we'll find another way. Now, will he be okay?"
Bonnie turned back to him slowly, obviously thinking, then said, "Yes, with a few precautions, he should be. If you don't mind, KITT, I'd like to back up your key memory registers and circuits. That will allow us to restore anything that gets lost."
"What about you, Michael?" KITT asked, speaking softly through the wrist communicator, "You'll be facing this General Groves character on your own. I don't like it." Grateful that Bonnie gave no sign of having heard, Michael answered by running his hand across KITT's scanner, hoping to reassure. With only a brief pause KITT said, out loud, "Of course you can make backups, Bonnie." Bonnie started hooking up cables, and as she did so, KITT asked, "Can the deactivation sequence be programmed into some of my buttons?"
Bonnie looked up from what she was doing. "Yes, theoretically. Why?"
"If Michael can deactivate me," Michael's head spun at the suggestion and he was about to object, but KITT went on, "he could do it just before he demonstrates the car to General Groves. And then he could reactivate me immediately afterwards."
Bonnie shook her head, but before she could speak Michael said, "I don't want to take any chances, pal. I want Bonnie here, with her computers, in case anything goes wrong. Believe me, I'll get you reactivated as soon as possible after the general takes his test drive."
*****
Michael drove up to the barred gate at the militia's compound slowly, stopping for the Uzi carrying guard. He rolled the window down and showed the man his fake identification as Michael King, saying, "I have an appointment with General Groves."
"Just a moment, sir." The man stepped into an armored booth, but as he did so another one appeared, his Uzi pointed at Michael. Raising an eyebrow at the security, or paranoia, Michael just stared straight forward and kept his hands on the steering wheel.
"Next, they'll be frisking me," he said, quietly, but there was no response. Even five days after KITT's deactivation, the quiet was jarring and he gripped the wheel tighter. Being proven right when the man returned and ordered him out of the car didn't ease his tension at all.
After a thorough pat-down, the man waved Michael back into the car and said, "The general will meet you at the artillery range, Mr. King. Go straight through the gate to the first intersection, turn left, and follow the signs. If you go anywhere off the direct path to the artillery range, our men have instructions to shoot to kill."
Not surprised by the warning, Michael nodded and drove through the slowly opening gate, trying to be alert to where the patrols and security guards were stationed. He switched on the scanners, but the chaotic jumble of data that scrolled across the screen was impossible for him to interpret.
Swearing, he switched them off again and missed KITT like an ache in his chest.
Once he was past the first intersection and away from the main buildings in the compound, he accelerated, until he found himself going nearly 80 on the straight road out into a large stretch of desert. This meeting couldn't be done soon enough for him. They'd held off on deactivating KITT until Groves made contact, which happened within 24 hours of the information about the super-car being "leaked". That initial contact had led to a series of meetings with progressively higher people in the militia until at the fourth meeting, his patience at an end, Michael had demanded to see General Groves himself.
Devon had upbraided him for risking the entire operation in a fit of pique, but Devon wasn't driving the empty, silent T-top, which was setting every one of Michael's nerves on edge. Fortunately, the general had called him personally and made an early morning appointment for the next day.
He only had to wait at the entrance to the artillery range for few minutes before a Jeep pulled up with two men in it. He recognized the driver as one of the underlings he'd met with already, so he focused his attention on the tall, lean, grey-haired man he didn't know. The man strode up to Michael, ignoring his outstretched hand, and said, "This goddamn toy is the car my men have been talking about?" When Michael nodded, he made a scornful noise, then said, "Prove it."
*****
While Bonnie set the car up for KITT's reactivation, Devon called Michael to one side of the garage and asked, "How did it go?"
"He wants the car," Michael said, turning so he could keep his eye on KITT as Bonnie buzzed around him hooking up cables and pushing buttons on her computers. "There's no doubt about that. When I told him I wouldn't take a cent less than ten million for it he was not happy." The price had been carefully chosen both to reflect the value of the car and to be about twice what Groves could raise to pay for it.
"I should imagine," Devon replied, giving Michael a concerned look. "I take it there was no trouble."
Michael shrugged. "I'm here, aren't I?" His voice was light, but his escape from the compound had been far closer than he liked without KITT's assistance. He'd been careful not to mention money until he was safely back in the car and only its armor and speed made it possible for him to get out of the compound through the hail of artillery they threw at him. "I figure he'll make his move to steal the car tonight..." He stopped when Bonnie straightened and looked in his direction with a nod. Excusing himself to Devon, he trotted over to the car.
"We're about to reactivate him," Bonnie said, giving a nod to her technician. The technician flipped a couple of switches and pushed a button and KITT's scanner started to track. Michael smiled and stepped forward, about to say something, but Bonnie put her hand on his arm and held him back. "He needs to run through a few test sequences before he's ready to process external data," she whispered.
The wait seemed to drag on forever, though in reality it was only a couple of minutes before Bonnie gave a happy smile at something in one of her readings. She opened her mouth to say something then stopped and nudged Michael instead.
Michael smiled in gratitude and said, "KITT, buddy, welcome back," stepping forward to run his hands over the satiny finish.
"Michael," KITT said, with relief clear in his voice, "I see you survived your meeting with General Groves."
"Yeah, I did" Michael said, "He almost got me with a couple of mortar shells, though. It would have gone better with you there." Devon fixed him with a look, but Michael ignored him.
"Naturally. I hope you weren't too hampered by my absence," KITT said. "Did the meeting go well? I trust you demonstrated my abilities adequately. Was he impressed with me?"
He'd been so keenly aware of KITT's absence from the car for those four days that the question threw Michael for a few seconds and it took a moment for him to respond. "Very impressed, especially with the new laser Bonnie gave you. He wants your body, pal," he finally said, trying to distract himself from his own thoughts.
"I've never had to defend my virtue before," KITT said, drawing laughs from Bonnie and Devon.
*****
"Someone's here," KITT said, through Michael's comlink. "It's that colonel you met, Haynes, not General Groves himself."
Michael had been expecting that, but he still swore softly. They wanted to get Groves in the car before they made their move, and had hoped that the general would come for KITT himself. "Let him drive you to the general. I'll be right behind you," Michael said, starting his car, a sports car belonging to the Foundation that would be able to keep up with KITT as long as they stayed out of pursuit mode. "Tell me what's going on."
"He's clumsy with the lockpick," KITT said. "I'm not at all convinced he could pick even an ordinary lock. Didn't you show them my security features?" After a moment, he asked, stress clear in his voice, "If he takes me to the compound, how will you get past the gate?"
"I don't think he'll do that. Groves is paranoid, even about most of his own men. He'll want to keep his new super-weapon away from his soldiers until he has a defense against it," Michael said, watching through binoculars for KITT to emerge from their borrowed Advansys garage, but there was no sign of movement or life.
"Michael, he's trying to hotwire me," KITT said in a deeply offended tone a few seconds later. Despite the tension, Michael smiled. "Are you certain I have to allow this ham-handed..."
"We all have to do our parts, KITT," Michael said, "Sorry." He hoping KITT would be able to tell exactly how true that was, despite his light tone. "This is why Bonnie gave you those fake wires. As soon as he touches them, start your engine. He needs to feel like he's doing something or he'll get suspicious."
"Does he have to be so clumsy about it?" KITT complained. "I think he's managed to scratch my steering column." A few seconds later though, he said, "We're leaving. I hope he's a better driver than he is a thief."
"I'll be about half a mile behind you," Michael said, clenching his teeth as he watched them drive out of the garage and away from the Advansys labs. Letting someone else drive KITT was just the latest in the long string of things he hated about this case. He put his own car into gear and pulled slowly out on the road, following KITT's distant tail lights.
Aside from instructions as to where to turn, KITT was quiet, which was unsettling. After about twenty minutes of toneless directions and silence, Michael asked, "Are you okay, pal?" He and KITT hadn't had as much as half an hour alone together since he was reactivated, going straight from the mansion garage to Advansys as soon as Bonnie cleared him and the quiet was making him worry if something of KITT had been lost in the deactivation after all.
That worry only intensified when there was no answer to the question. A couple of minutes later KITT said, "He's stopping in front of a warehouse beside the river. The general is here. Alone."
"You know what to do," Michael said, wishing he were there.
"Of course," KITT said, without much emotion or enthusiasm. "They're exchanging vehicles, so I won't be able to bring you Haynes. I've micro-jammed his car's brakes, though, so he won't get far. I'll take General Groves to the end of the parking lot near the river."
"I'll be waiting. Notify the authorities," Michael said, turning his car toward the rendezvous point and away from KITT. "And call Devon."
"I've already done both. We'll be there in three minutes," KITT said, then went silent.
Michael was waiting in the darkest corner of the parking lot, under a stand of cottonwood trees that blocked both the moonlight and the streetlights, when KITT arrived, moving fast. He pulled up in front of Michael with a screech of brakes and flung open the driver's door saying, with unexpected urgency, "Get him out of me, Michael, or I'll use the ejector." General Groves was unconscious in the driver's seat, crumpled forward against the steering wheel.
Michael hauled Groves out of the car, laying him on the ground several feet away. While Michael stripped the general of his weapons, two handguns and a vicious-looking serrated knife, KITT closed his door with a thud and drove several feet away, his scanner making an erratic red glow on the asphalt in front of him. When the general was secure, Michael stepped toward KITT saying, "KITT, what's...?"
"The police will be here in approximately 46 seconds," KITT interrupted, his voice tense. But as he spoke he rolled forward until he was just touching Michael's legs.
"Later," Michael agreed, patting KITT's sleek fender. As the police sirens drew closer and the blue and red lights flashed on the river, he turned to sit on KITT's hood, a position he stayed in throughout the next hour of interviews and questions, only leaving once when the police were dusting KITT's interior for fingerprints, and then to stand by the open door.
*****
When Devon arrived at the end of that hour, General Groves was awake and in one of the police cruisers, alternately swearing and demanding his lawyer. Devon spoke with the officer in charge for a few minutes, then walked to where Michael and KITT sat on the edge of all the activity. "They captured Colonel Haynes near his disabled car. He's already at the police station. The fingerprints in KITT will be excellent evidence, though the general is crying entrapment."
Michael stood and said, "Entrapment?"
At the same time, KITT asked, "He's not going to get out of these charges is he, Mr. Miles?"
"The Foundation's lawyers will deal with that, never fear. Your work on this case is complete," Devon said, though he looked slightly troubled.
Michael nodded and went to the door, which KITT opened for him, "So we're done here?"
"Not yet," Devon said, "I thought the plan was to allow the police to find the general in the car."
Michael sat in his seat and put the key in the ignition. "Plans change," he said, as the engine hummed gently to life. "I had to disarm him before he woke up. Anyway, he was drooling on KITT's upholstery." Devon shook his head, but he was smiling and Michael knew his explanation had been accepted. "About that R&R you interrupted," he said, putting KITT into gear, "I'm thinking the Mojave Desert. We'll see you in three days. And, Devon, I'd appreciate it if you forgot you know us until we get back." Devon said something in response, but Michael rolled the window up and drove away without listening.
Michael could only stand the quiet in the car for about five minutes before he asked, "Are you okay, pal? Do we need to get you back to Bonnie?"
After a moment, KITT said, "I'm fine now. I apologize for my outburst earlier."
"Hey, it's okay. I just..." Michael's voice trailed off as he tried to figure out where he was going with that sentence--I need to know if you're okay, I care about you, I missed you. All of those were true, along with things he wasn't ready to think about. Not yet. He settled for saying, "I'm worried."
KITT's only response for a few moments was a faint hint of electrical current that warmed Michael's back. "It was," he said, finally, and then paused again for a long second before going on in a voice that seemed heavy with emotion, "extremely uncomfortable for me to allow Haynes and the general to drive me, especially so soon after being reactivated. You're in my programming, Michael, they are not. A fact for which I am profoundly grateful."
"Me too, KITT, me too," Michael said, voice rough. He was going to say something else, but he couldn't find the words to convey what he was feeling, so he leaned forward to touch KITT's voice panel briefly with his fingertips and wished he could do more.
They rode on in a much more comfortable silence through the city's sparse late night traffic. Once they were on the highway out of town, KITT asked, "May I ask why you chose the Mojave?"
"Miles and miles of open desert roads, KITT," Michael said, "and nobody on any of them but you and me. I've had enough of other people for a while."
"I couldn't agree more," KITT said. "May I?" When Michael nodded, KITT switched into pursuit mode and they sped into the night, away from the city and the people and the lights.
***END***
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