Divided Loyalties
Part 4 of 'Burn'
A CMAU fic
By Numnut
16 Jan 2007


They kicked him out.

Nick, Karr, and Michael ganged up on him and kicked him out.

Karr had picked him up at the hospital entrance, despite his protests, determined to keep an eye on him while Nick vowed not to let Michael out of his sight. A dubious scout's honour was even offered. Michael didn't say anything. He couldn't say anything, he couldn't speak.

But he thought a great deal.

His driver was improving. The proof was in the complaining, verbal or not. He was still on oxygen and still in pain, though the drugs dulled a great deal of it. Kitt managed the link, juggling blocks if he needed to. He wanted to be there for his lover and he was prepared to suffer if he had to.

Even the complaints.

Nick and Karr had ascertained little from the fire. An incendiary grenade had been launched at the ground floor of the barn, the second floor collapsing almost immediately and taking Michael with it. They located the launch point, but as yet had no clues as to who was responsible. Michael and Kitt's current case was still highly suspect, but there was a lack of motive. Theoretically the jewel thieves had no idea Michael and Kitt even existed, much less had any urge to assassinate either of them. Of course there were a plethora of previous cases to choose from. Nick and Karr spent the night rifling through networks.

But it had been nearly forty-eight hours since the fire and Michael was receiving some of the backlash from Kitt's injuries despite Kitt's attempts to prevent it and the AI suspected that his driver was also disturbed by his appearance. He felt like a stand-in for the phantom of the opera. Erik in a baseball cap.

So they had kicked him out.

Now he sat hunched in the Stealth's driver's seat, his arms wrapped around himself, silent. Karr had attempted to speak with him a couple of times, but Kitt ignored him, simply waiting for them to reach Swan's home once again. If he wasn't an AI he might have claimed a case of déjà vu.

<_Kitt.

Kitt shifted in his seat, but refused to answer.

<_I did what was necessary.

Kitt threw up a block and shut him out.

His brother rumbled. "Childish."

"Necessary."

Karr shut up.

They arrived and Kitt left his brother out on the footpath, strangely reminded of the many times he had been left in similar circumstances. He shoved the thought aside.

Swan, once again, met him at the door.

"How is he?"

"Michael will recover." He found himself short on words.

"That's good news." When Kitt didn't say anything else, she continued, "Let's see if we can give you a similar diagnosis."

He looked up, frowning. "You can make repairs, can't you?"

"I don't know, Kitt, you didn't exactly give me a chance to do a thorough examination yesterday, did you?"

He looked down. "I'm sorry. Michael-"

She reached out and touched his arm. "I know, hon." She smiled slightly. "Now lets get you fixed up."

He would have smiled in return, but he couldn't quite get up the energy.

She sat him on her table and gently removing the cap and the bandanna, she exposed the damage to his hair. "I guess you could hope that Michael is attracted to bald men."

"Swan...please, not today." He simply wanted to get this over with and return to his partner.

"Sorry, hon."

She urged him to lie down and removed the dressings from his face. She muttered something under her breath that the AI picked up, but neglected to acknowledge. He didn't need a description; he hurt enough to discern he was damaged without the verbal special effects.

Karr poked at the block Kitt had put in place and the AI knew his brother wanted to offer his support, but refused him entrance. He could do this alone.

Without anyone.

Something rippled behind the block that protected Michael, but he ignored it.

Trust was a fragile thing that Kitt rarely had opportunity to give voluntarily. It was often thrust upon him by circumstance. But despite that, despite the necessity of their relationship, he thought he could trust his brother.

But apparently he couldn't.

Perhaps the dark AI had been correct in his self-assessment. Perhaps there was a darkness there designed to hurt. To maim.

Guilt wove itself into his processor at that thought. It was unfair. But he didn't feel like being fair. Life certainly wasn't.

Karr had done something to him he hadn't even known was possible. His brother had shut him down, cutting him from his shell. From his partner.

He had taken the right of decision from him. It had been a long time since that right had been usurped and he found himself angry at its sudden return. Michael had done it to him many a time. But Michael was Michael. Bonnie had done it a few times, but never without warning or due consideration.

Not while she was in her right mind.

He shuddered.

"I'm sorry." Swan pulled back as if she'd hurt him.

"It's nothing." Pain was pain, no matter the source at the moment. His existence was rife with it.

He closed his eyes, shutting out the world.

It was so easy to steal his rights. There had been a time where it had been a given, part of his existence, but now he was used to the simple respect of choice.

Karr prodded again.

Kitt reinforced the block.

Echoes of his argument with Michael the night before all this had started bounced around his processors. Wasn't this the same argument? Wasn't he simply fighting for the right to be himself, make his own decisions?

Was it too much to ask?

"You're lucky, Kitt. It wasn't as bad as it looked. Some replacement and sealing, but I'll be finished in just a moment." He felt her fingers tracing the outline of a new set of sensory ends and he fought the urge to reach up and feel them for himself. "Your hair is another matter, though. I'll have to craft a replacement. You'll be wearing that hat for a few days yet."

He didn't answer since she was working across his cheek. He could have verbalised without the movement, but chose not to.

He did have some choice after all.

As Swan promised, it didn't take much longer. When she had finished, she asked him to sit up and held up a mirror. "What do you think?"

He took the glass and stared into it. With the exception of the withered remains of his hair, he looked like himself. There were some faint lines and a little discolouration between the new syntheskin and the original, but time and exposure to light would no doubt take care of that. "Thank-"

Something shifted in his head.

Karr?

And a bolt of bright electric blue arced across his link with his brother, destroying the block and almost taking Kitt with it. A scream of agony followed.

"<<_Nicholas!>"

Shattered glass fell to the floor.

-o-o-o-

Michael's eyes shot open, his mind shrieking with the echoes of whatever had hit Kitt and the mutual scream of two AIs.

//Kitt?!//

//Nick! Where's Nick?!//

He wasn't in Michael's room. He should be in Michael's room. The former FLAG agent didn't hesitate, throwing the covers from his legs and pushing himself off the bed. "Nick?" He coughed, shoving off the oxygen mask.

No answer.

His bare feet hit the floor. Wires and tubes pulled at him, and he hurriedly flung them off, struggling to his feet. His head was a mess of painful confusion. Something was very wrong.

//Karr?//

//Lost Nick.//

God. "Nick?!" His throat screamed, the syllable coming out hoarse and weak.

He made it to the door. Cursing at his weakness, he opened it. The corridor lay beyond.

Nick wasn't there.

Michael's heart beat at his ribcage. "Nick?!"

A couple of people glanced at him as they passed, but no one answered. Somebody was running. He looked to the right. Long, long corridor. Somebody was running.

"Nick?!"

//Michael, Karr's link with Nick is gone. He's panicking.// Kitt was struggling with something. Michael had no doubt it was Karr.

Somebody was running.

"Nick?!"

No one was answering. He struggled forward, aware of pain; breathing was agony, spots danced in front of his eyes. "Nick?!"

//Michael!//

His heart pounded in his ears, but he made headway, sliding along the wall. They were still running away. "Nick?"

But again there was no answer and the people running disappeared around a corner. His legs wavered

He stumbled and someone caught him. He gasped. "Nick?"

//Michael!!//

But his struggling heart ran away with his mind, its determined thud beating him into darkness.

-o-o-o-


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