This story written in the universe created and used by kind permission of Gryph.

Thanks for Gryph, Pfyre and Jenn for all their help, encouragement, and for having little or no patience!
And mountains of thanks to our beta readers, Pfyre, Jenn and Giles.

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(1) from "Piano Song", Bell/Clarke
(2)&(3) from "The Heart Will Go On", Dion
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"The deeper I delve into the consciousness of me with you,
the harder it gets.  I need to close my eyes."(1)
 

Beyond Loyalty

by elfin and Gryph

Chapter One:
"Every night in my dreams, I hear you, I see you."(2)
 

Michael sat up on the low work bench, naked feet on Kitt's midnight hood, toes playing on the warm surface.  He knew Kitt was unhappy, he could feel it, and he knew he was adding to it with his own feelings.  They were both brooding.
"I could go undercover," Kitt suggested lightly.
 Michael chuckled, "How?  We paint you white and add a few spoilers?!"  He felt Kitt sigh.  "I don't want to go either, but it's only for a few days."  He leaned down and touched the paint work with his fingertips, tracing little figure-eights in a slow, continual motion.  Kitt smiled gently, the countenance expressed on Michael's face.
"I'll miss you," Kitt murmured finally.
"I'll miss you too."  Michael lowered his voice.  "But you know, I'll still be with you."
Kitt answered him silently, intensifying his projection a little, holding Michael a little closer for a moment.

* * *

Twenty four hours later, Michael was lying in a top bunk, staring up at the ceiling of the barracks, trying to get some sleep.  So far away from Kitt, the link between them was not projecting as strongly.  But unusually, Kitt was boosting his end, presumably in a need to feel Michael with him.  Just like Michael had developed a need to feel Kitt.  As far as his partner's welcome intrusion into his mind would allow, Michael was trying to reason through what he had leaned about the special army unit he had been temporarily assigned to.  The other seven men within the unit seemed like good guys.  He had imagined that this case - his forced separation from his partner - would be a living nightmare.  But the unit had embarked on a leisurely run through the afternoon, and spent the evening in a bar only a mile or so from the barracks.  They obviously spent a great many evenings at that particular spot; the barman knew them all by name and was happy to greet a new customer.
Devon's briefing - which had, Michael would not forget, also included the promise of a paid vacation for both he and Kitt - had told of a TechNet operative working within the unit.  TechNet was a strange organization.  Registered as a legal, private company, they maintained a single web site offering information on a product called TelFo.  But the product did not seem to actually exist, and all inquiries to the company, whether made in person or on line, had drawn a blank.  The FBI now suspected TechNet of selling secrets almost to order.  And to get those secrets, it was assumed that they were infiltrating units of national security forces.  But this unit seemed as tight as any Michael had been involved with in the war.  All seven of them had passed through the Academy together.  They knew one another, and he could not suspect any one of them of treachery.
Michael closed his eyes as he felt a shiver run through him, not one that chilled, but one that warmed.  He smiled, replying in kind, losing himself for a while in Kitt's gentle embrace.  It was so amazing to have his partner with him, even when he could not be nearby.  Thoughts of his mission slipped away, and Michael drifted with Kitt until sleep finally claimed him.

* * *

Devon pressed two fingers to his temples, feeling a migraine coming on with the intensity of a nuclear strike.  He could hear Jennifer's words, but he was not listening.  Only when there was a lull in the previously constant stream of management gibberish coming from behind him, did Devon turn to her, leaning on the top of his desk to try to push his point across.  "For the fifth time," he started, quickly running out of patience and tact.  "Michael is only away for a few more days."
"A few days is all we want, Devon.  You're being unreasonable."
He lifted his finger, pointing it at her.  "This is not an opportunity for you."
"Devon, all the car is doing is sitting gathering dust."
"We're testing new hardware and software.  Kitt," he stressed the name, "is assisting us.  He's busy."
 She glared at him, folding her arms in determination.  "Devon, I think we're starting to lose sight of who is paying for all this research and development, and of who the Knight Two Thousand belongs to."
Devon stood straight.  "If the Knight Two Thousand belongs to anyone, it belongs to Michael."
Jennifer attempted a change of strategy.  "You know the board wants these tests run.  And you know that Michael would never allow it if he knew about it.  With him away, we can perform the tests and have the results before he gets back."
"Jennifer, Kitt will tell him what we did.  What you did."
"But by then it'll be over.  You can tell him I forced you to agree."  She tapped her foot on the rug, the soft noise becoming a harsh beat in Devon's head.  "The board do fund this project, Devon.  You have to remember that."
Devon sighed deeply.  He knew the only way to get Jennifer to leave was to agree.  He did not want to do this; Bonnie would fight them all the way.  But Jennifer was right; the board had insisted that this test be run, whatever it entailed.  They wouldn't rest until it had been.  "All right.  Tell them they can start in the morning."
Jennifer nodded, relieved. "Thank you, Devon."  She turned on her heel and started for the door.
"Jennifer?"  She turned her head, her eyes prompting for him to continue.  "If any permanent damage is caused by this, I'll make sure Michael knows that you were the one behind this.  Do you understand?"
Jennifer smiled and nodded.

* * *

Something was wrong.  Well, not wrong exactly, but different.  Michael had woken, after another night of deep and peaceful sleep, to the welcome warmth of his partner's presence in his mind.  But just after breakfast, he had experienced a sudden jolt, like a shot.  He knew it had emanated from Kitt.  It was not fear, or pain, more like... surprise.  And after a few moments it had gone.  He had worried for a while, but when it did not reoccur, the rigors of their daily routine soon distracted his attention and he settled again.  They had been on the obstacle course all morning and lunch time had come quickly.  Michael had to admit that although this lifestyle was knocking him into better shape than he had ever been in, he preferred life on the road and would make absolutely sure Devon understood that when this assignment was over.
They sat in the mess hall, enjoying the best food Michael had ever sampled from military sources and chatting restlessly about the afternoon of war games that was still to come.  These guys loved this life and Michael was now convinced that FLAG's sources were wrong about this one.  The guy to Michael's right broke off their conversation to attack one of the others' opinion, leaving Michael with a moment's quiet to seek out Kitt in his mind.  For the last few days, Kitt's presence with him had been calm and relaxed.  They missed each other, but they could easily communicate that, and at the same time, each knew instinctively that the other was fine and safe.  Michael had started to view this as nothing more than a fitness break, and that feeling had passed through the link, easing Kitt's early concerns for his driver's well-being.  Kitt was safe at home, a little lost without Michael close by, but happy enough to be helping Bonnie with some software design, and taking on the test track when he needed to stretch his legs, so to speak.
The desolate feelings that Michael had imagined would be streaming back and forth between them had simply not come.  Not once on this lonely mission had he felt that Kitt was not there with him in some manner.  But as he sat now, gently nudging the link with his mind, he felt that little jolt once more.  He tried to translate the feeling into some sort of accurate human emotion, but he could not.  Kitt's projection was too vague.  Michael tried to reassure himself.  If there was anything seriously wrong, he would know about it, like he had known too many times in the past.  The call came for them to move out for the briefing about the afternoon's activities.  Michael followed his new-found comrades out and across to the prefab construction where their officers were waiting for them.  Still, he couldn't shift the nagging doubt in his mind that all was not as it should be.

*

Michael ducked behind the nearest tree trunk, breathing hard.  One of the enemy walked past his position, several meters out, but did not spot him.  Michael felt a roar of triumph drive through him; this guy had been on his tail for the last hour.  Waiting until the other soldier was almost past, Michael silently brought up his rifle, aimed and fired.  The tiny pellet hit the back of the other man between the shoulder blades and he stiffened as it hit.  He raised his hands in the air as Michael left his hiding place to approach, rifle still aimed.  But the guy did not try anything more.  He dropped his weapon on command and turned slowly to congratulate his captor.
The pain came suddenly and unexpectedly, tearing through his head like wild fire.  Michael screamed, dropping his rifle and clawing his fingers into his hair.  The other man, a young new recruit named Robbie, hurried to Michael's side as he doubled over, falling to his knees as the attack on his mind continued.  Through clenched teeth, Michael uttered his partner's name, trying to focus his concentration on that one word, and think past the searing agony flowing through the implant.  Robbie tried not to panic, tried to talk to Michael, tried to determine what was wrong.  But Michael couldn't hear him.  For another long minute he fought to block Kitt's projections, even attempted to send back calming emotions to try to quell the outburst.  A moment later it was over.
Michael sank down into the woody floor, dropping his head to the ground and following it with his body.  Robbie's words started to get through, asking him if he was okay, if he needed a doctor.  Michael muttered a 'no, I'm okay' in what he hoped was the right place.  The pulsing agony in his head eased quickly, leaving behind a blazing path like an eternal headache.  He searched the debris of his ravaged mind for any signs of his partner, and found him turned in on himself, but still there.  Exhausted, but needing to do something, Michael stroked gently with soothing thoughts, hoping to calm Kitt, hoping to prevent another episode like that.  He stayed there, in his own mind, comforting and healing as best he could, for a long time.  Kitt's responses were coming in painful whimpers now, and eventually Michael knew he would have to leave Kitt alone here, in order to get back to his partner in person.  He tried to convey to Kitt that he was coming home, but he was not so sure that Kitt was still listening.
Michael opened his eyes and pulled himself into a sitting position.  Robbie was still watching him, worry plastered across his young features.  "I... I need to get... to a phone."  Michael managed to stammer out the words.
Robbie looked around them, trying to get his bearings.  And then he smiled and nodded.  "I know just where we are, don't you worry."
Where they were was in fact only a few meters in from the quiet road, and as they cleared the woodland, Michael saw the welcome sight of the bar they were regulars at.  He greeted the barman wearily, and picked up the phone, tapping in the number from memory.  It rang for a long time, before it was answered.
"Hello?"
"Devon...."
"Michael."  Devon's voice was cheery, and it put Michael somewhat at ease.
"Devon, what's happened?  Where's Kitt?"
There was a hesitation on the other end of the line.  "Michael, what's wrong?"
"That's what I asked you."
"Well... nothing's happened.  Kitt's out on the test track.  As far as I know, everything's fine."
But Michael knew better, he knew what he had felt had been real.  For him, and more so for Kitt.  "I'm coming in, Devon."
"Michael, you can't.  You're supposed to be there for another four days."  Devon was starting get annoyed, but there was underlying anxiety beginning to creep into his tone, and Michael suddenly realized that his boss was lying to him; something was happening.
"What's going on, Devon?  I know something's wrong.  Kitt's...."   He choked off suddenly as agony sliced through his mind.  He dropped the phone, clasping his hands to his head and closing his eyes, feeling his fragile grip on his own reality shatter as Kitt's reality was forced upon him.  Pain streaked behind his eyes, a blistering fire and blinding light overwhelming his senses.  Robbie closed in on him as he dropped to his knees.  Through the receiver, they could hear Devon's tinny voice calling Michael's name.  Then the line went dead.  Still clutching at his head, Michael staggered back until the wall blocked his way, then he sank down the brickwork, and the floor came up to meet him.  He felt neither the wall against his back nor the sudden jolt as he made contact with the floor.  What he did feel was agonizing sensations of unbearable heat and impossible cold.  He shivered and sweated simultaneously, like a man with a fatal fever.  His body's systems started to shut down as the climatic extremes it was being plunged into fell out of human parameters.  Michael pulled together the fragments of his own mind and desperately started to attempt a block on the input.  He could feel his partner's terror and pain even at this distance; the intensity was incredible.
Slowly, agonizingly slowly, his world began to fade.  He could feel his own grip on consciousness, as well as Kitt's, start to dwindle, and although he wanted to fight, part of him that was registering the damage to his own person was forcing him to let go, to give in.  It was the only way.  That final thought passed back through the implant.  Michael did not feel Kitt's defeated whimper before he too blacked out.

* * *

Two miles along Gracious Drive, is the turn into the driveway that leads up to the Knight estate; mansion and grounds.  Another three miles on, also accessible via a path that cuts through these grounds, and hidden from the estate by the thick woodland, is the Knight Industries Research and Development centre.  A huge site of R&D facilities, three large construction and testing hangers, and the test track used solely now by the Knight Two Thousand.
In the centre of the sun drenched track, two women stood screaming at each other over the sirens of fire crews, paramedics and cybernetic technicians who were starting to rush to the scene.  The flames, which had minutes ago been reaching for the sky, warming the concrete for hundreds of feet in each and every direction, began to come under control.  The smell of burning chemicals, melted rubber and intensely heated metal hung around them, making several worried looking technicians feel very sick.
As the fire was put out, one of the women broke off her side of the fight to join a certain mechanic, Justin Turner,  in staring at the mess left behind.  Foam covered the area of the track nearest to them, and splattered the track around them.  Bonnie could feel tears forming in her eyes.  In the centre of the carnage, a once proud, black TransAm was standing, it's foam-covered frame trembling.  The tires were gone, transformed by the heat into four black, sticky pools of goo; the car stood now on the bare wheel hubs, all that remained of the special alloys.  The glass of the windows and windscreen had shattered, spraying deadly shards inside and outside the car.  The license plate had melted, along with the wing mirrors, windscreen wipers and a substantial amount of the dashboard and steering wheel.  A heat haze rose from the jet black paintwork through the cooling foam; something everyone now standing around the car could feel.
As the sirens quieted, and the alarms were switched off, Bonnie heard the sound of an approaching car.  Not knowing what else to do, aware that they would not be able to approach their car for some time, still in shock after what she had witnessed.  She shifted her glazed stare up onto the grass bank that sloped up to the road through the complex.  She saw a black Mercedes pull to a hurried halt on the side of the road and watched as a familiar figure climbed out of the driver's side door and stood there, staring down at the track.  She could not make out Devon's features, but she could easily guess his expression.  She wondered vaguely what had brought him here.  And then she looked back at Kitt, at the obvious shaking of the car, and her heart started beating even faster.  Michael.  The implant.
A few second later Devon was strolling down the grass bank toward them.  When he got within a few feet of them, he spoke loudly, with an almost deadly calm.   "Michael called."

* * *

Michael came up through the thick blackness with sickening speed.  As he reached consciousness and opened his eyes, he became immediately aware of two things; he was in a vehicle that was in motion, and Nicholas MacKenzie was his driver.  Why was he not surprised?  He rubbed his face with his hands, looking over at Nick.  "What happened?  What are you doing here?"
"You collapsed in the bar, while on the phone to Devon.  He called me, asked me to come and get you out."
 Michael sank back in the passenger seat of the black Stealth.  He ignored the instinctive fear that being this close to Karr always instilled in him.  He had other worries.  As he closed his eyes, he heard Nick speak.  "How badly is he projecting?"
Michael did not open his eyes.  "At the moment, he isn't projecting at all.  They've been painfully intense twice this afternoon.  He's been fine this week, while we've been apart; something's wrong, Nick."
Nick nodded silently, but Michael did not see it.  He was continuing to search his mind, to probe the link, gently and then not so gently, trying to get a reaction from Kitt.  He threw open his mind in desperation, lowering every block he had managed to build, however tiny, wherever they were, whatever they were protecting.  He found Kitt.  His friend was a presence, curled in upon itself, frightened and shaking.  Michael covered that presence with his own, taking Kitt in a mental embrace.  He soothed with his thoughts, trying to get Kitt to open up to him.  But his partner was not responding.  Michael knew, because of the way Kitt's presence *was* within his mind, that his friend was in agony; terrified of something Michael was not aware of.  Michael knew the implant should have been blasting him with at least some of that pain.  There was none.  Kitt was shielding him from the hurt, and that shielding was keeping Kitt from feeling the comfort and help Michael was offering.  Projection and reception in both directions was being kept to a minimum by Kitt's block, at a time when Michael wanted it, and Kitt needed it, at full strength.
"They've run some tests."  Nick told him quietly.  "Jennifer Knight ordered them."
Michael now opened his eyes, nailing Nick with a glassy stare.  "What were the tests supposed to do?"
"I don't know, but I have an idea about what they have done."
 
*

Michael was out of the car before it drew to a halt.  Nick had driven onto the Knight Industries site and pulled up next to the test track.  The foam was starting to dissipate, scorch marks becoming clear on the concrete.  The entourage that had come running when the alarms had gone off were gone, and Kitt with them.  "I have to find him."
Nick watched Michael disappear off towards the main R&D facilities.  He stepped out of the car.  "Can you tell me what happened?"  Karr scanned the debris on the track.  The AI paused, surprised slightly by his own reaction.  Nick felt the hesitation and turned from the scenery to his partner.  "What's wrong?"
"Why?"  It was almost a whisper, one full of confusion.  "Kitt's the gentle one.  Why did they do this to their own miracle?"
Nick stared at Karr.  He slipped down into the driver's seat.  "Tell me what they did," he instructed softly.
"They set him alight."  Karr's tone was a mix of revulsion and shock.  "They covered him in Tarasine and set him alight."
Nick swallowed back on the nausea that swept over him.  "Is that all?"
"All?"  Karr seemed momentarily surprised at his driver too, but a second later he was all business.  "I don't know.  If he sat there while they did that, I would take a guess that he was incapacitated somehow."
"Can you find him?"
"He's outside one of the test bays.  From the readings I'm getting, I would say that he is no longer incapacitated, and that he is not happy with the current situation."
Nick pulled the door closed.  "Get over there."
 
*

If Michael was missing Kitt's screams from his head, his partner was making up for it verbally.  Michael had been heading for the lab when he had heard the familiar hum of his partner's turbines mixed with the deep growl of the engine, and the terrible screams of an AI in agony.  He had run around the back of the main complex to be met with the sight that he was seeing now.  Kitt had obviously been towed to the big double doors of test bay four.  He had struggled.  The remains of one of his front alloys was still caught in the chains of the tow truck, but he had managed to free the other.  The raw metal of the wheel hubs was eating into the concrete ground, the noise was almost unbearable.  Michael stepped closer, seeing the state of what were once windshield wipers and wing mirrors.  He took in the shattered glass of the windows.  And he started to run.
"Kitt!!!"
At his voice, everything stopped.  Bonnie and Jennifer, who had been tearing into one another, both turned to see Michael rushing toward them.  Kitt stopped fighting the bond that held him, stopped screaming in terror; he felt like crying.  In one swift movement, Michael leapt up into the cabin of the tow truck and hit the 'Lower' button; Kitt was dropped gently to the ground and was able to pull back, shaking madly.
"Kitt...."  Michael ignored everyone around them, carefully opening the driver's door.  Mindful of the glass on the seat, brushing it off the plush material, he sat down.  Soft whimpers now emanated from the computer in front of him.  "Kitt, it's okay now....  Ssh...."  He looked around him, horror in his expression when he saw the dash, and the melted high tensile plastic that had re-solidified over the sensor on the steering column.  "Kitt....  What have they done to you?"
"Michael...."  His voice was a low, keening plea.
"I'm here, Kitt.  I'm going to get you away from this."
Karr and Nick pulled up next to the TransAm in a defensive position between Kitt and the technicians.  Nick was surprised at Karr's sudden protective streak toward his brother.  He climbed out of the car, catching Michael's attention.
"I'll meet you back at the estate."  Michael nodded, and Nick watched as the other car started to limp away, only the high durability of the wheel hubs allowing him to drive without tires.  He turned to the small crowd watching, searching out Justin.  "Could you go help them?"  Justin nodded, and started off toward the estate.  Then Nick found Devon, standing to one side, staring down at the ground; he walked over to the older man.  Taking him to one side, making sure only Devon would hear him, he whispered harshly, "In a couple of hours time, Michael is going to want an explanation.  I suggest you have one that is water-tight, because if you don't, you may find your project without an operative, or a flagship."  It was all he said to anyone, before leaving to join Michael and Kitt back at the estate.

*

Justin pulled up to Kitt's garage, on the estate, at about the same time that Kitt and Michael did.  Michael piloted the car into the large, carpeted building, letting the engine die quietly.  Kitt had been quiet for the entire, painful journey.  Michael had gently nudged him, hoping he would talk, hoping he would drop his defenses and allow Michael to reach him through the implant as he usually would.  But aside from a few occasional whimpers as the holes in the road jarred the car severely, Kitt had said nothing.
Reassuring his partner, Michael released the hood, allowing Justin to take stock of the damage caused.  "I'd suggest taking the CPU out of the car."  Justin told Michael after a few minutes.  "There's serious damage here, it'll have to be fixed and it's usually safer if Kitt isn't sitting in the midst of it all."
Michael frowned.  "Can we leave him connected?"
Justin nodded.  "Sure.  Grab the extension cables from the rack."  The CPU extension cables allowed Kitt to remain connected to his visual and aural sensors and perceptors, as well as all uplinks the car provided him with, while the CPU itself was taken out of the car and kept nearby.  It meant that serious repairs to the engine could be done without endangering Kitt, yet still leave Kitt with all his facilities and senses.  The cables were thick and durable, strong enough to allow the hood to be rested closed on them without making an impression.
Michael brushed against the edge of the engine compartment, attaching the cables as quickly as possible, reassuring Kitt constantly.  As he pulled back, he looked down and saw a flaky residue on the base of his jacket.  "Justin?"  Justin glanced across, reaching out to run his fingers over the edge of the body.  More of the white, almost transparent dry flakes came off.
"Oh God....  The shell... the molecular shell is disintegrating."
Michael stared at him, wide-eyed.  "That's impossible."
Justin shrugged.  "Not impossible, but I don't know what would cause this."  He walked around the side of the car, looking up at the hood.  "He's obviously been subjected to some serious heat, but even that wouldn't have had this effect."  There was a web of fine-line cracks over the whole car.  The shell seemed to have been smashed somehow, shattering as thick glass might, without actually coming apart.
Steely eyed, Michael gazed over at the mechanic.  "What did they do to him?"
Justin looked at him with pain in his eyes.  "I don't know.  I'm sorry"  He lowered his voice slightly, fighting back his emotions.  "Some of these perceptors are malfunctioning, they must be hurting him."
Keeping a tight lid on his rage, Michael nodded, and connected the last of the extensions.  Releasing the mechanisms that held the casing in place, he lifted the CPU into his arms and away from the car.  He cleared a large area of workbench close by, and grabbed a throw from one of the battered couches in the rest area at the back of the garage.  Covering the work bench, he lifted Kitt's CPU onto the soft material.
Michael hoisted himself up behind the casing, using some couch cushions to make it more comfortable for him to stretch out next to his partner.  He rested his head on his palm, supported by his elbow, and with his other hand he found the sensor.  Throughout the whole procedure, Michael had reassured Kitt, spoken soft, gentle words of comfort that he knew helped.  The implant was still quiet and only if Michael searched his mind could he find Kitt's presence there with him.  Kitt was still holding the block on the link at his end, and Michael wanted to get him to drop those shields.  If, and when he did, Michael knew he would have to be as close to Kitt as he could get.  It was not going to be pleasant or easy.
 
Nicholas pulled up as Michael started to talk again, this time backing up his soothing words with ever-so soft strokes across the sensor.  Nick closed Karr's door quietly, leaning back against the Stealth to watch the heart warming scene.  He envied Michael sometimes; envied him the gentle being that he would be forever linked to, forever loved by.  He idly wondered how different things would have been if he had been chosen for Kitt.  But he did not dwell on these speculations for too long.  The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Karr's feelings.
"I want to feel you, Kitt.  I want to help you.  Please open the link."  Michael's only answer was a murmur of pain.  "I know, you're hurting.  Please let me help, let me in.  There's no reason for you to block your projections, you need me.  You're preventing me from helping you."  Again, a whimper, a low sound of suffering, was the reply.  Michael dropped his head to the cushions, still stroking the sensor gently.  He probed his end of the link, trying to coax Kitt's wary presence into giving up and letting go.  But within his mind he started to feel even that faint presence start to fade.  "No!  Please, Kitt.  This isn't helping.  Stay with me."  //stay//
"He's scared of hurting you."  Michael looked up at the soft sound of Nick's voice.  MacKenzie was standing a little way back from them, watching with sad eyes.  Michael let his gaze settle once more on the black box before him.
"Kitt, if Nick's right, if you're doing this because you're worried about me feeling what you're feeling, please let me decide that.  The link is there for us help one another, we can't run from it when we get hurt.  I want to help, and I can't do that if you're shutting me out.  I understand that my feeling your pain scares you, but I'm asking you to let me feel it.  I can help, I can ease it, but you have to let me in.  Please, Partner.  Let me hold you.  Please."
Slowly, Michael felt Kitt open up at last.  He lifted his block a little at a time, allowing Michael to get an idea of what was going on in the AI's complex mind before he was hit with the full force of Kitt's hysteria.  It did not help.  Michael gasped as his mind filled with panic, terror, disbelief, pain, cold, heat, fire, blazing agony....  He bit back a scream and forced himself to relax as he had practiced, as Nick had taught him.  Nick's voice cut through the noise.  "Find yourself, Michael.  You have to keep hold of yourself."
Michael struggled to locate any emotion that was his own, fighting through the chaos that was Kitt's being.  Finally, he grasped a single feeling he knew was human, and clung to it, using it to pull himself above everything else.  He started to soothe, slowly easing his own presence around Kitt's, surrounding it with a gentle embrace that cradled Kitt softly.
//let go   let it all go   I'm here now//
Some sense began to form in the myriad of feelings and emotions that belonged to the AI.
//why? why?  whywhywhywhywhywhywhywhywhy....//
Confusion mixed in with the agony blazing through Kitt's systems.  And Michael had to fight to understand what Kitt was asking him.  The communication between them was not made of words exactly.  Thoughts could pass between them in moments of intense connection.  Stress could bring them closer, could blot out the rest of the world, could allow them to be together, more intimate than they could ever otherwise be.  And at those moments, they could, in a way, speak to each other through their thoughts.  Those moments were the most terrifying.  It only ever occurred if one or the other were so far gone that such a deep connection was needed, and at that level, emotions were so defined as either human or AI, it was difficult for them to understand just what the other was feeling.  Those moments were also the most intense.  Each was sitting somewhere with the other that no one else had or would ever go.  These were private places, never before open until the implant had been activated.  Both Michael and Kitt had hated the forced intrusion of the other at the start, but now neither felt complete without it.
The absolute terror that now flooded Michael's mind was almost overwhelming.
//tell me//  He forced the thought through as his partner's hysteria grew.
//hurt me   hurt me!//  Kitt's projections were cries of terrorized confusion that Michael barely understood.  He again concentrated on calming and reassuring, holding Kitt tight in his mind, soothing gently.
//ssh now   it's okay  it's over   ssh//  So slowly, Kitt started to calm in Michael's mind.

Nick watched Michael drift.  The other man had been so insistent, so willing to risk the backdraft of emotions that would be forced over him if he persuaded Kitt to let him in.  Nick knew Kitt still worried about hurting Michael through the link.  The partnership he watched now, the one he had helped survive the pressures placed on it by the neuro implant's accidental activation, was one of the most beautiful things he had ever witnessed.  He pulled himself from his musing, hoping he wasn't projecting too much of this to Karr.
Pacing around the car, Justin was taking an inventory of which parts were going to need replacing.  "I don't understand," he muttered as he picked at the crumbling shell.  "Why would they do this?"
Nick frowned.  "You don't know why they did it?  You weren't there?"
Justin's eyes widened, he straightened, and Nick could see the pain written there.  "How could you think that I would have anything to do with something like this?  I could never hurt Kitt, he's my friend."
"I'm sorry, Justin.  I thought....  Who the hell did this?"
"Jennifer Knight and some technicians - strangers to us - came for Kitt at lunch time.  Devon was with them.  He told us, and Kitt, that there were a couple of tests to ensure some weaknesses had been resolved.  Kitt trusts Devon implicitly, we had no reason to believe that Kitt was in any danger."  He took a deep breath.  "If I'd have thought for one minute that they would do anything to hurt him....  I don't understand...."
Nick nodded.  "I know.  Kitt knows it too."  He wasn't sure what made him say that, he just thought maybe Justin needed to hear it.  "I'm going to find out what the hell is going on."
As he left the garage, Bonnie came running up the path toward him.  He stopped her from bursting in there, from possibly disturbing Michael from the deep connection he had created between himself and Kitt.
"Dr. Barstow, they're okay.  They're okay."  He held her arms, forcing her to look at him and understand.  Her eyes were wild, and while she did not struggle against him, he got the distinct feeling that he did not have long.  "Michael's with Kitt, using the implant at full strength.  It would be dangerous to disturb them."  Bonnie nodded in understanding.  "Now I want to know what happened."
She took several deep breaths.  Nick eased off his grip and she visibly relaxed.  "I don't know.  The first thing I knew was his screams from the test track.  I was taking a coffee break from working in the development lab....  Kitt's screams are very distinctive.  I went running around to the front and I saw fire.  They'd set him on fire....  I started running and I was followed by the fire crews who must have been alerted in the same way.  Is he okay?"
Nick hesitated.  "No.  If I was to take a guess, I would say that he's in a great deal of pain, and he doesn't understand why the people he trusted  have betrayed him and hurt him."
"I had nothing to do with this."  She told him unnecessarily.  Not for one moment had he thought she had been involved.  "I thought... I thought Kitt was here."
"I know you did.  But Devon didn't."
Horror crossed Bonnie's face.  "No... Devon loves Kitt like we all do....  He wouldn't do something like this."
"Devon was with Jennifer when she came for Kitt, that's why he went with her.  I looked into his eyes at the track.  He was involved in this."  Nick released Bonnie, apologizing with his eyes.  "Don't let anyone near Kitt unless it's someone you trust completely.  Okay?"  Bonnie nodded.  "I'll go find out what's going on."

* * *

//why?//
//don't know, need you to stay, will you stay?//
//no hurt//
"No hurt, Kitt.  I promise I won't let them hurt you."  Michael opened his eyes, realizing that he had spoken aloud.  "Kitt?"
"Michael...."  Michael let out a deep sigh, hoping that the headache the deep link had brought on would subside.
"I'm here, Kitt."  He brushed the sensor with his thumb.  "I'm staying, I won't leave you."  He could feel Kitt now, pulsing in his mind, still scared and hurting, but no longer hiding and no longer hysterical.  He shifted closer to the CPU, letting Kitt feel the warmth of his body, before looking up at where Justin was trying not to watch them.  Michael smiled, acknowledging the mechanic before turning onto his back, ensuring he was not in any danger of falling.  He curled his arm over the CPU casing, still keeping the contact between his stroking thumb and the live sensor.  Closing his eyes he once again wrapped his partner in a warm mental embrace.  //love you//  Kitt let an almost desperate sob pass through the link, and at Michael's bitten-back gasp, the AI almost dropped his block back into place.  //stay//
//no//
//stay//  Michael drifted back, letting the link between them deepen again.  In the few moments that Michael had taken away from Kitt, his partner had lost it again; he was utterly terrified, and only by acknowledging that terror could Michael help, otherwise it simply overwhelmed him.  The deeper the link, the easier it was for Michael to keep control of his own reactions.  He could reach Kitt at a more intimate level, take him in a tight embrace and soothe him.  And this fear of his partner's was something Michael could understand, because he was feeling it too.  He could not comprehend what had happened, just as Kitt couldn't.  But he couldn't go and yell at anyone until he knew that Kitt would be all right, until he could confidently let him go without the fear of losing him.

* * *

Nick returned to the lab, wanting to find out exactly what had happened before he took someone's head off.  Metaphorically speaking.  The test bay where they had found Kitt earlier on was now deserted, save for one young technician Nick did not recognize.  He was going through papers, reports.  Test reports.  Nick approached slowly, holding out the authorisation card Devon had given him when he had asked Nick to stay on, to help Kitt and Michael come to terms with the implant and its implications.  "Were you here when they did the tests on the Knight Two Thousand this afternoon?"
The technician scrutinized the card, more out of nervousness than security consciousness.  "I... wasn't responsible..."  The technician met Nick's stony gaze.  "I wasn't...."
"It's okay.  I know.  Did they leave any documentation?"  The young man nodded, and indicated the mass of papers strewn across one of the work benches.  Nick thanked the man, and gathered up the paperwork.  Outside, Karr was waiting for him.  He ran the short distance to his car, sheltering the papers from the rain storm that was just beginning.
Kitt's garage was high on the estate, up the driveway that went past the mansion and into the woodland.  As they pulled up back outside the open doors, Nick glanced at the dash.  Karr had been strangely quiet since the afternoon.  "Are you all right?"
"I am....  Kitt is hurting."
Nick's eyes went wide.  "Excuse me?"
"His pain... is excruciating."
"Karr... how do you know?"
There was a pause.  "He is broadcasting on the private channel.  I can still pick up some stronger signals."
"Why haven't you said anything before?"
"Usually the signals are quiet echoes.  I take no notice of them.  These are difficult to ignore.  I recognize what he is sending out."
Nick waited for a beat, and then asked, "What are they?"
"Betrayal."  Karr's voice became stronger, almost angry.  Nick could hardly believe what he was hearing.  "They have betrayed him.  Like they betrayed me."
"You can feel that?"
"...Yes."
Nick brushed his hand over the dash.

Inside the garage, the temperature had dropped considerably since the storm outside had taken hold of the evening.  Bonnie had taken another of the throws from the rest area and gently covered both Michael and Kitt who were still buried in each others' thoughts.  She and Justin had put new alloys on the car.  All the glass and plastic that had been destroyed was still to be replaced, and the engine was in less than fully working order.  The state of the molecular shell had baffled both of them.  Nick greeted them and retired to the rest area at the back of the garage.  He dropped down into one of the battered sofas, spreading the papers out on the coffee table before him.  Bonnie perched herself on the edge of the seat opposite him, handing him a mug of steaming coffee.  "What are these?"
"The test reports from this afternoon."  He took the drink gratefully.
Bonnie stared at him, then down at the papers.  She wanted to ask him to tell her what they had done, why they had done it.  She had not gone to find Devon because she knew she wouldn't be able to face him.  He had allowed them to do this to her baby, to hurt him so much his screams had been heard around the R&D complex.  She wasn't sure that she would ever be able to talk to Devon or see him again.  And yet she wanted to see him because she wanted to hear him explain, she wanted to hear him apologize, if he ever could.  She wanted to kill him.  She stood, returning to her work.
Nick read page after page of pointless, meaningless notes.  They did not seem to relate to the tests at all, most of them did not even mention Kitt or the Knight Two Thousand.  On one page, scribbled in the margin, were the words 'cold room' and some figures.  Nick looked up.  "What's a 'cold room'?"
Bonnie looked up from under the hood.  "That's the freezer."
"The what?"
"It's a test bay at the R&D facility.  They can lower the temperature to what they want, and they can drench the contents in liquid nitrogen to test extremes." She could watch the horror spread over his features.  "Why?"
"Would the molecular bonded shell cope with that?"
Bonnie swallowed hard, leaning against the car, looking down at the flaking paintwork.  "I don't know.  It's never been tested."
Justin came around from the side of the car.  "There is no way they would have done that....  Not to Kitt.  Devon wouldn't have allowed it...."
"Devon let them soak Kitt in Tarasine and set fire to him.  Who knows what else they did to him before that?"
 Bonnie looked over at the partners on the work bench.  Michael had shifted to curl around Kitt; Bonnie wasn't sure whether they were sleeping or just holding each other.  Which ever it was, they looked comfortable.  She found herself relieved, for the first time she thought, that they had the link, because it meant Michael could be there for Kitt, closer than he otherwise could have been.

*

//don't know... can't take this extreme... no.... please no... why?  whywhywhywhywhy...//  Kitt's silent sobs woke Michael from his peaceful slumber.  It took him a moment to realize the terror and fear that was flooding him was not his, but his partner's.  Then he was soothing again, touching Kitt gently, with his fingers and his mind.
//ssh   bad dream  you're okay  I'm here//  He felt Kitt settle back into a restless sleep, miserably acknowledging Michael's comfort.  Very slowly, Kitt's hold on the link loosened as he rested, allowing Michael to open his eyes and take in his surroundings.  The garage doors were still open and outside the rain was falling steadily.  The sound of water bouncing off the roof was one Michael had always found a comfort, ever since childhood.  The only light, besides the moonlight, was a dim lamp on in the rest area, and Michael could make out Bonnie's feet sticking over the arm of the couch that had its back to him.  He whispered her name and was surprised to see Nick's head appear over the top.  Michael sat up slightly and could see that it was Nick who was using the light to read by.  "She's asleep," he told Michael, standing and stretching.  "I got involved with the so-called test reports from this afternoon."  Nick padded quietly over to where Michael was half sitting, half lying, staying close to Kitt, keeping the physical contact between them.  "How is he?"
Michael simply shook his head, rubbing his eyes with his free hand.  "He won't come up past the level of... consciousness that the implant functions at."  He kept his voice low and quiet, as Nick had done.
"Are you all right?"
There were a thousand feelings and emotions coursing through him, some of which were his own., all of which he understood at that moment.  There were too many to mention, to summarize.  In the end he simply replied,  "Yeah, I'll live."  And he knew Nick understood.  "Do we know what happened?"
"No.  Not exactly.  Not past the fire.  Although there is some scribbled note on those fake reports about the cold room."  Michael obviously wasn't familiar with the term.  "Has Kitt... told you anything?"
"No.  He just keeps asking why.  It's a question I wouldn't mind the answer to either."
"No one's seen Devon since this afternoon.  I...."  Nick watched Michael flinch and close his eyes.  It took a moment for his expression to relax, but when it did, Nick felt a stab of pride.  A little under a year ago there would have been no way that Michael could have sustained this amount of control over his end of the link.  He could simply block the nightmare that Kitt was projecting, but Nick knew them better than that; the thought would not even have crossed Michael's mind.  He was not about to let Kitt go through another moment of this alone.  A few minutes passed before Michael opened his eyes again.  "Okay?"  Nick knew enough about the implant to be concerned.
"Bad dreams.  He's projecting everything now I've coaxed him into dropping the block.  A lot of it is betrayal, strong feelings of betrayal."  He sighed, stroking his thumb over the live sensor on the side of the casing he was partly wrapped around.  "At least I can understand that."
"Karr's receiving him too, apparently."  Michael's eyes widened.  "He never mentioned it before, but he told me earlier that Kitt unconsciously broadcasts very strong emotions across their private channel.  He described it today... as excruciating.  He's becoming quite protective now that they share something in common."  Nick smiled inwardly as he felt the slight pressure in his head pulse gently.  "He said that Kitt had been betrayed... as he had."
Michael took in Nicholas's words.  "I'm not sure we can stay here," he murmured eventually.  "But then, I'm not sure where we can go."
"I think you're quite safe here, at least for now.  At the moment, Kitt needs the technical support.  And I don't think that Devon Miles or Jennifer Knight are going to drop in for a chat anytime soon."  Michael closed his eyes as another jolted sob drove through him.  He felt Nick's hand on his arm.  "Relax, I'll get you a drink."
Michael nodded slightly, muttering his thanks as he tried in vain to divide his attention between Kitt's pleas and the world around him.  The world lost as Michael allowed himself to drop back to where his partner was sitting in his mind.  He could feel Kitt crying now, as if he were holding a human being in his arms, rather than an AI in his mind.  The heart wrenching effect of having someone he loved so very upset was the same.  Michael touched Kitt gently, reassuring once more.  //ssh//
//gone//  The thought was bitter.
//what?//
//not safe nowhere safe no one//
//safe now  I'm here  won't let them hurt you I promise//
 
Nick stepped up to the work bench with a mug of coffee.  He watched as Michael sank down, curling his body around the CPU.  A tear formed in the man's eyes and Nick felt the stinging hatred that may have originated from himself, or from Karr; it did not matter.  They were both sharing this solid emotion.  He touched Karr's presence slightly, acknowledging him.  Placing the mug on the bench, slightly away from Michael, Nick wandered out into the rain, to where the Stealth was parked.  "I would kill them for what they've done," Karr grated.
"No.  You wouldn't.  If I asked you not to."  The reply came only through the link.  "Is he still broadcasting?"
"Badly.  Erratically.  If it were not for the link...."
"I know.  But we're not going to lose him.  Michael will hold him."
 
*

'Time:14:04.LN2 released. Temp abs 0.MBS shattered on impact. App Tarasine. MBS held. Further Investigation Required.'
Nick reread the final line of the page he was holding.  There was still a mountain of papers to go through, but unlike most of the rest of what had been written, this line actually seemed to make sense to him.  The time, two in the afternoon.  'LN2' he guessed from what he already knew, stood for liquid nitrogen.  So it sounded as if they had somehow gotten Kitt into the cold room, sprayed him with liquid nitrogen, and then what?  MBS - Molecular Bonded Shell - shattered on impact.  Impact with what?  Unless....  Unless Kitt tried to get out of the room.  Maybe he did, maybe he drove into, perhaps through the wall of the freezer, desperate to escape the pain of the absolute cold.  Nicholas tried to picture the scene; a shivering Kitt sitting out in the sunshine, on the test track because that was where he had happened to stop.  So trusting, maybe he thought it had been a mistake.  So he had stood there, waiting, thinking or hoping that someone would come and help him.  Because these people were his friends and he trusted them.  But again they had attacked him, this time drenching him in Tarasine.  Had they known what his reaction would be?  Had they been waiting by the track with the tanks of the flammable chemical?  Why the hell would they have done this?  And who?  Jennifer?  Devon?  Or someone else, someone higher up whose orders had not been questioned.  Devon had given them permission to go ahead though, and nothing would change that fact.
He briefly searched the rest of the papers for any similar ending lines, but there were none.  'Further Investigation Required'.  Not bloody likely.  Nick dropped the page and picked up his coffee, glancing over at where Michael and Kitt were curled together.  He smiled gently.  This was going to wear Michael down, slowly but surely.  He would have to rest, alone, sooner or later, or else he would find insanity starting to creep up on him.  Nick knew how difficult that would be; Kitt was obviously clinging to him, holding onto the one person he was sure he could still trust.  None of this made any sense.  Nick glanced at his laptop - a PowerBook - sitting on the table beside him.  He never left home without it.  Leaning over, he powered it up, connected to the Internet, and started to hunt.

*

Silence had settled over the garage; even the rain had stopped. Justin had retreated for the night, Bonnie was fast asleep, and Michael was still curled up beside Kitt, throws draped over him and the CPU, sleeping. Only one man was awake and still was in the early morning hours when the visitor came. Nicholas was still reading over the dozens of papers full of scrawled notes, trying to make sense of them. He had his legs curled under him, leaning against the armrest of the couch, apparently unaware of anything but his work. The PowerBook was sitting next to him, opened and logged into a very specific chat server. He had not taken the route through FLAGNet. Too insecure.
Karr was only partially watching his driver and partner, keeping the neuro link open, receiving emotions he felt himself and it only fed his intense hatred. But Nicholas was not the main problem here; Kitt was. The other AI had quieted down some time ago, but he was still in pain and Karr felt every single pulse of it. And every pulse was mirrored by one of his own. Why had they done this? To Kitt! He didn't understand it. Experimenting on the alloy or molecular shell was one thing, but hurting the one inside the car body was another. They could have run the tests differently, without Kitt inside the car, but they hadn't.
Why?
Karr growled softly to himself. If they had done this to him, back when he had still been Foundation property, he might have understood. He was not like Kitt, had never been and would never be. Kitt was a gentle person, protective, caring, warm and trusting in his friends. Karr had no such feelings.  He stopped, a slight curl of emotions begging to differ.  He snorted. Well, he had a friend in Nicholas and if pressed to admit it he would say he cared about him.... He ran a scan over his partner who was hacking something into his laptop. No, he definitely cared a lot about this single human being. He would protect him and had already on countless missions, even over his own safety, something he had been astounded to discover.  But this was not about him. This was about Kitt.
Why?
A ripple of pain came through the private channel and Karr winced. It wasn't because of the pain - he was used to pain, sometimes greeting it as an old friend - but because of who felt it. Kitt probably didn't even know there was another witness to his suffering other than Michael Knight, and Karr preferred him not to know it. Nick had told Knight earlier and he had not known how to react to it, too confused that his friend would reveal this, but maybe Knight would forget.  Karr had entered the garage in the morning hours when Kitt had started to project badly again. He had driven in in silent mode, aware that Nicholas knew he was here, but he had not wanted to disturb the two partners still locked in each others minds. He had parked the Stealth in a defensive position so that everyone approaching Kitt would have to walk around him first. He had felt Nicholas' smile then and had ignored it. Otherwise his partner had not reacted, except for a soft thank you through the link.
And then he detected the visitor.  His circuits froze with anger and he squelched his first instinct to charge and run this person over. His visual clouded with suppressed emotions and it took all his will power not to slip. Instead he activated his guidance laser for the small projectile launcher.
"Please do not approach any further, Mr. Miles, or I will be forced to terminate your life."
 
Nicholas looked up as he heard the soft footsteps and his face locked into a mask when he recognized Devon Miles. The blue eyes turned cold, chips of eyes, nothing more; the whole expression was deadly. Devon looked a bit haggard, as if he hadn't slept at all or just a little last night, his neck-tie slightly awry and his hair not as neatly combed as usually.  Cold rage coursed through Nick from the neuro implant and he didn't even want to calm his partner down. He felt the same inside and they both echoed each other's feelings. This man had sanctioned inhuman experiments on a living being! He couldn't see it in himself to ever forgive Devon this.  Suddenly Karr's laser guidance lit up, pinning Devon's chest with a red dot right where his heart was.
"Please do not approach any further, Mr. Miles, or I will be forced to terminate your life."
The voice was cold, devoid of inflection, totally mechanic, but still, because the warning had been delivered so flatly, it was to be taken very, very seriously. One false move and Devon would feature a hole in his chest.  Neither Michael nor Kitt had stirred and Nicholas slowly unfolded from the couch, walking over to where Devon stood frozen to the spot, eyes full of terror. "Nick, I came to talk," he said, sounding strangled.  Nicholas met his eyes, unwilling to show any kind of understanding or willingness to comply.
"There is nothing to talk about," he said slowly, voice as flat as Karr's.
"Nick.... I'm sorry..."
"Sorry is not enough, Devon," Nicholas whispered harshly, not wanting to wake Kitt or Michael. "You almost killed him! You severely hurt the most gentle creature I know, someone who trusts you implicitly! There is nothing at all that can ever excuse these actions! Now leave before I do and let Karr handle the situation!"
Devon swallowed, his eyes flickering over to the Stealth, then he nodded and turned around, leaving. Nicholas closed his eyes and leaned against his partner, weariness hitting him like a sledge hammer. He hadn't slept for more than an hour last night and the mental stress was getting to him. Karr hissed angrily and Nicholas could only agree. The nerve of the man to come here!
"Nick?" He looked up, blinking, discovering Bonnie as she uncurled from her makeshift bed, looking worried.  "That was Devon I saw leaving, right?"
He put a finger to his lips and indicated the sleeping pair. Bonnie nodded and they walked over to the couch. Nicholas sank down and rubbed his eyes.  "Yes, it was him," he finally said.
"What did he want?" Anger swung in her voice.
"I don't know. We didn't give him the chance to say much." Nicholas smiled darkly.
"We?"
He shrugged. "Karr kinda kicked him out."
Bonnie's head turned to stare at the Stealth, now really seeing that it was here. "What's he doing here?" she whispered.
"Watching.... waiting ... protecting....."
"Prote......" She stopped, turning to look at the Stealth again. "But... I mean.... he..." She helplessly shook her head. "Why?"
Nicholas rubbed his forehead. "Because they did to Kitt what they did to him," he said after some time, sadness washing through his words. His eyes wandered over to his partner who silently sat where he was. "They betrayed him. He won't let anything more happen to Kitt." The link flared with those emotions and Nick calmed his friend, feeling a headache creep up on him.
Bonnie couldn't believe it. The last person she had expected to feel anything in this case was Karr. Maybe she had been wrong. Maybe he had changed. Bonnie chased that thought away. If she started to think about Karr as anything but what she knew he was.... Too risky. She met Nicholas' tired eyes and had to smile slightly.  "Shouldn't you catch an eye full of sleep?"
He shrugged. "I'm okay."
"You look far from it."
"Looks can be deceiving," he said softly, but he shut down the PowerBook.
"Why don't you stretch out on the couch? Justin and I want to work on Kitt when Michael and he are awake, but I guess if the noise level is acceptable...." she proposed.
Nicholas shrugged again, but he lay back on the couch and Bonnie could almost tell when he was asleep. His features relaxed, giving him a much younger, softer appearance. She got another blanket and covered him, then walked over to where Michael was still curled up. She felt a warning tingle as she neared the Stealth and slowed down, almost subconsciously raising her hands, indicating she was unarmed. Karr was watching her and she hated to think of what he might do.  "I'm here to help," she heard herself say, as if justifying her presence.  Nothing happened, but her instincts still warned her loudly. She inched past the black car and then approached the sleeping man.  Michael was already stirring, waking slowly, ensuring his mental embrace remained around his partner.  As she drew closer he cracked his eyes open, yawning. He smiled tiredly as she stepped into view and brushed some hair out of his face.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," she whispered.
"Morning, Bon."
Michael's voice was a bit slurred and he was still holding Kitt protectively, hand resting on the live sensor.  "Good morning, you two." She smiled, then discovered the mug on the bench. It was filled with a cold, black liquid.  "You need sustenance.  You can't survive on coffee.   Take it from an expert."
Michael nodded, smiling.  "I know."  He glanced down, taking stock of where he was.  The throw was still snugly covering both he and Kitt, and he could feel the warmth of his partner next to him.  Despite the fact that his whole body was complaining about the night spent on the hard surface, Michael found himself slightly unwilling to move.  Bonnie watched his expression.
"Maybe you two would consider a couch tonight?"  She teased quietly.
"Not such a lousy idea."  He sat up slowly, stretching, and gathered the throw around Kitt, his palm remaining pressed lightly against the sensor.
Bonnie waited a beat, before asking him, "Do you think he should be put back in the car?"
Michael hesitated.  "I don't know.  Probably, but to be honest, I don't know if I like the idea of him being able to take off.  In his condition, I'm not sure what he'd do."
"You mean... he may hurt someone."
Michael shook his head.  "No, no.  I don't think he would ever hurt anyone.  Except himself."  He looked at her.  "Maybe tomorrow, okay?"
She nodded.  "We still have some work to do on the car anyway.  The shell needs re-applying and sealing."  She watched him for a few seconds.  "You're not going to go and eat, are you?"
"I'd... rather not go that far from him... at the moment."  He put on his well-practiced puppy-dog face, and Bonnie frowned.  "All right.  Just stop with the eyes.  I'll get you some food.  We need a fresh supply of coffee anyway."
Bonnie turned from him, and he noticed Karr for the first time.  Looking across to the back of the garage, he saw Nick sleeping, and returned his attention to the Stealth.  He vaguely remembered what Nick had told him at some point during the night; something about Kitt broadcasting across the private channel, about Karr picking up the signals.  Still, he was surprised to see Karr so close.  He felt a not-so-gentle ripple stir his inner emotions, and closed his eyes, stroking his partner with his mind, soothing the distressed AI.  The strength of Kitt's presence with him was bordering on what it had been at the start, before Nick had helped them to train the implant.  Back then, Kitt's terror had been based on the unknown, on the intrusion into his privacy and on the pain he was feeding back to his driver.  Now, Michael could again feel the intense emotions building, but this time on what Kitt knew.
Although Bonnie and Justin's work on the car had eased Kitt's physical pain, his nightmares reminded him, threw him back time and time again to when the agony was real.  In his confused mind, it was difficult for Kitt to differentiate between the two causes.  He was being subjected to the unbearable extremes again and again, over and over.  He was caught in a vicious circle of falling into sleep, of dreaming, of moaning and whimpering then waking, crying out, helplessly reaching for support he could only hope was there.  And as Michael comforted and calmed him, as he done so many times through the hours of the night, Kitt could only cling to his partner's presence, because he was learning that he was trapped, and part of him was starting to believe that this was never going to end.
 
*

Justin came to work an hour after Bonnie had woken and he stopped when he discovered the Stealth. He cast a quizzical look toward Bonnie. Karr was parked in a way that didn't allow them direct access to Kitt in any way. Bonnie was doing some work on the laptop and he saw that Nicholas was still going over the papers. Picking up his tool box he slowly approached the other AI.  Justin's approach to Karr was different than Bonnie's. He had never met the AI when he had still been property of the Foundation. He knew all the facts, but he was missing real life experience. That was the main reason he had an open mind and accepted that the Stealth was different than Kitt. And he didn't want to judge anyone by facts on paper. Karr had done nothing so far that would require a wary or suspicious approach, but he was apparently protecting Kitt and that was the reason why Justin was careful.  He walked toward the TransAm, stopping in front of Karr.  "Good morning," he greeted the black car.  There was no reading the Stealth, mainly because he was missing the scanner, and Justin didn't know whether Karr was even aware he was here. He probably was.  "I know you don't want to hear this, but you are in the way and I need to work on Kitt." He raised an eyebrow. "I just need a bit more elbow room."
The Stealth's engine hummed to life and Karr retreated just enough that Justin could work without feeling boxed in.  The chief mechanic smiled. "Thanks, Karr."  There was no reply, but Justin didn't need one. He set to work.

Karr watched the human mechanic work on the mutilated body shell. Just like Michael, still sitting beside his partner, as close as Justin's work would allow, Karr kept track of what the mechanic was doing, but his main attention was still on the private channel. Kitt's pain was coming through in ripples, always subdued again when Michael became aware of the surge, the memories, and enveloped his partner with his mind. Kitt could be grateful that he had such a friend in this human. Karr stopped, searching for his own link and found the reassuring presence of Nicholas MacKenzie. He knew Nick would do the same and had done the same in the past.
Suddenly Kitt's pain spiked again and it was the worst Karr had yet experienced. He flinched back from the excruciating pain, trying to bite back a moan as the agony was accompanied by a scream and frantic flailing for a support. Karr was unable to slam up a shield and he felt Kitt's presence close. His cries for help and his questioning whimpers of 'why' were almost overwhelming. And underneath it was a slowly cooking hatred born out of betrayal.
"<_No!"  Karr was not aware he had spoken out loud. <_Don't hate! he whispered intensely. <_Don't hate!
<_Whywhywhy? They hurt me!
<_Don't let your hatred take over, Karr told the frightened presence that was Kitt. <_It will only hurt you more. Trust those you love.
<_No trust. No trust. Betrayed me!
A wave of emotional upheaval passed over Karr and he tried to stand his ground.  <_Trust Michael Knight. Trust those who love you.
<_Loved me. Betrayed me. Hurthurthurt! Why?!
Karr had no answer for it, but he knew that if Kitt nurtured the hatred he was one step closer to becoming what Karr had been.  <_Michael Knight did not betray you. Trust him, he said softly. <_Don't let the hatred turn you against everything. It will hurt you a lot more. Trust me in that. I know.
Confusion greeted him, then Kitt retreated back into his own world, curling up close to Michael, seeking reassurance.  Karr sighed heavily, feeling tired, worn out. Still, he kept the private channel open, monitoring his brother.

*

Nicholas stood outside in the damp air, inhaling it deeply. It smelled acutely like rain, even tasted like it, and a few drops were still coming down from the grey sky. A wind had picked up and it looked like there would be another rain shower due soon. The sun had not managed to break the clouds and the whole atmosphere was both clean and dreary. He had been unable to sleep longer than an hour. It wasn't that Bonnie and Justin's work had woken him, but he was far too upset, his inner self in turmoil, to really relax.  MacKenzie leaned against the Stealth, closing his eyes, turning his face into the slight drizzle.
Karr had followed him outside, aware that his presence was influencing both the technician and the mechanic currently at work. He hated to leave Kitt alone, but since he could still feel him and since he would not leave completely he had finally decided to join his partner.
"Why?" Nicholas now whispered, arms crossed in front of his chest.
Karr had no answer for it and had been searching for one as well.
Why had they hurt Kitt like that? Whywhywhy?  It was an act of incredible cruelty against a living, thinking, very much aware being that was able to hurt and be in pain like any human being.
Why?
Devon had not returned and neither had Jennifer Knight shown her face around here. They better not. Karr's intent had been clear and he would go through with it. Anybody coming close to his 'younger brother' would be incinerated.  Nicholas smiled and perched himself on the gleaming black hood. Like Kitt's paint alloy, Karr's was smooth and soft, resistant to most of what you could throw at him. Now he reveled in the feeling of his driver so close and unconsciously reached out, seeking reassurance. He didn't like to confess that this had rattled him, as well as had made him incredibly angry. He was not about to let this negative emotions take over, though. Not yet anyway. Nick ran a hand over the warm hood.  "How is he?" he asked.
"Not good," was the hesitant answer.
"And you?"
"I manage."
It was a huge confession. Normally he would have replied in ways of 'I am functional', dismissing any closer inquiries, but the pain from the private channel was there, eating away on his mind, and Karr was battling it.  Nick reached out and closed his mind gently around Karr's. "Why do you stay so close to Kitt if it hurts?" Silence. Karr didn't really know. No, he did know but the reasons scared him. Nicholas only smiled, reassuring him briefly that it was okay to feel this way. Then he leaned against the windshield, arms clasped behind his head, staring into the sky, watching how the wind chased the dark clouds. He felt some of the tension drain from his body and he felt Karr's soft hums at the edge of the link. Closing his eyes he simply lay there, breathing deeply, allowing himself to relax for this moment.

* * *

Michael could feel exhaustion crawling over him; his mind was a fuzzy mess, feeling like it would ooze out of his ears any minute now. He had slept, but not really. Kitt was keeping his side of the link awake with terrible nightmares, crying out in fear, needing to be soothed. Every time Michael had nodded off, another nightmare had hit. It had been an endless circle. His body was not about to take it any longer, but he knew he had to. He had eaten little ever since he had arrived and he couldn't sustain himself on coffee, but there was little choice as an alternative. Kitt was clinging to him, almost possessively, and every time he had thought he could relax, it had happened again. Leaving was out of the question, even a short bathroom stop evoking terrible screams inside his mind.  Tears came into his eyes and he bit back his anger. Why? Why had they done all this? They had hurt more than just Kitt's body; they had hurt his soul. If and when those wounds would heal, Michael had no idea.
"Michael?" The quiet voice jolted him out of his thoughts and he looked up, discovering Nick.  "You need sleep," the other man said softly as if not to disturb the resting AI.
Michael gave him a tired smile. "I had some already."
"No. You only closed your eyes and that was it. Kitt is keeping you too alert to rest and it eats away at your mind. You can't go on much longer like this."
"I have to," he mumbled, wishing his head would stop pounding like mad.
"Michael, you won't help Kitt if you break down! Go to sleep!" Michael stubbornly shook his head and Nicholas' features hardened.  "Go. To. Bed," he said, voice growing colder.
"But...."
"No buts!"
"Kitt needs me!" Michael protested.
"Yes, Kitt needs you and if you break down from exhaustion, he will still need you! Michael, you need rest badly!" Michael met the hard, blue eyes and ducked his head. Exhaustion was creeping up on him like a predator and he would sooner or later be prey to it. His eyes fell on his partner, indecision warring with need.  "We will take care of Kitt," Nicholas added, voice softening. "He is safe here." Michael inhaled deeply. He knew that the promise was sincere and that Nick would let nothing happen to Kitt, guarding him as if he were his own partner. He looked at the Stealth parked close by, though not too close to be intruding.  "Go," Nicholas ordered. "Before I bodily kick you out."
Michael raised an eyebrow, but Nick's features were unreadable. "Okay," he finally muttered and carefully removed his hand from the sensor.  Kitt twitched faintly, as if moving in his sleep, and Michael reached out, reassuring his partner that he was still here, still close, embracing him gently.
//Won't be long//
//Don't leave!//
//Not leaving. Always with you here//
He winced as Kitt whimpered and felt Nicholas' supporting hand on his arm.  "He'll be okay. We'll take care of him," he promised again.
"I know. Thanks." Michael got to his feet and winced again, this time at his cramped muscles protesting moving so quickly all of a sudden.  Kitt's agitation died down gradually and he reached for Michael, keeping close, unable to let go for a moment. But after a while exhaustion took over and he slipped into a kind of slumber.

Nicholas watched Michael go and inhaled deeply, pinching his nose.  Damn Miles! Damn him all the way to hell! What had he been thinking of when he had let them do it!?  Getting his PowerBook he settled down beside Kitt on the throws, taking Michael's place. It would be no substitute for the hurt AI, but at least someone was close by.
"It's me, Kitt," he told the CPU gently. "I'm here, as is Karr. You are not alone and no one will hurt you."
There was no reply and Nicholas had not really expected one. Kitt was still not surfacing beyond the neuro link, but MacKenzie was sure he was listening. He felt Karr's anger again and curled his hands briefly into fists, mirroring the hatred for a short time. After a while he relaxed.  "How is he?" he asked softly, looking at the Stealth.
"Resting. Finally."
Nicholas nodded. That gave him time to do some research into the depths of FLAGNet. New security measures had been put up around the entry points after the net had once been breached, but that was no obstacle for a professional like Nick. He had left an invisible entry point, one only he knew and one no one else could find, and now he used it to get past the safe guards and cyber-dogs. Nicholas smiled slightly as he logged into FLAGNet and received the highest security clearance possible. Then he started to work. He began by searching through the latest entries into personal logs. MacKenzie had no scruples and had never had. He browsed through the names and let the search engine list him every file with Jennifer Knight or Devon Miles' names on them, also asking for cross-references concerning screen names. He got a small list and had his work cut out for him.

*

Nicholas got up and walked over to the Stealth. Anger radiated off him with every step. Karr clicked the door open and Nick sat down, keying in a few commands to link Karr to the PowerBook's wireless modem, enabling him to see what he had pulled off FLAGNet.
Uncontrolled rage coursed through him as Karr read and he only nodded, not even trying to calm his partner.  "He is not a lab animal!" Karr hissed. "How dare she treat him like one?!"
"She thinks she owns him."
"She owns the car, not Kitt!"
Nicholas smiled dimly. "I know, partner."  Suddenly his stomach growled and he winced. Karr sent a brief wave of amusement and Nick sighed. It was time he ate something as well, at least more than a donut.  "Will you be all right?"
"Of course," was the stiff answer.
"Karr...?"
There was a hesitant silence. "We will both be all right, don't worry about me."
"I never do," MacKenzie replied lightly and got out of the car.  Karr gave an annoyed rumble.
Nicholas briefly informed Bonnie he was embarking on a food hunt and she and Justin ordered sandwiches for them as well. He gave them a good-natured smile and left.  Karr changed his position, rolling forward so that he was now squarely in front of the throws, keeping Kitt safe from prying eyes. The private channel was open and he was monitoring the other AI closely.

*

Michael walked slowly through the mansion toward his room.  He needed a shower at the very least, a couple of hours uninterrupted sleep would be perfect.  He could feel Kitt, ever-present in the back of his mind, a trembling, but for now sleeping presence.  Nicholas had practically ordered Michael to leave the garage for a short while.  Michael had made him promise that he and Karr would stay with Kitt, wouldn't leave him while Michael was gone.  For some reason that nagged too far back in his mind for him to establish for certain what it was, Michael needed to know Nick and Karr were there with his partner.
He closed and locked the door to his suite, and stripped, walking through to the en-suite and stepping into the large shower.  He turned the on to full power, letting the sharp needles of water pound against his skin.  He closed his eyes, trying to relax his mind and let go of Kitt, just for a little while.  He was exhausted, and he knew it.  He could not keep this up for much longer without getting some proper sleep.  Kitt had woken at regular periods during the night, frightened by what could only have been dreams; reoccurring images of that afternoon, forced to the forefront of his CPU by the impact his experience had had on him.
Physical distance between them, or at least the distance now, had no effect on the strength of the link.  He could feel Kitt in his mind as acutely here as he could when he was lying next to him.  But being away from the CPU meant that Michael could not offer his partner the physical connection of his touch on the sensor, and he knew that to be important to Kitt.  No one else's touch, he understood, would give to Kitt the comfort and reassurance that he received from his driver.  Kitt knew when Michael was the one touching him, he could feel the contact through the implant as well as the sensor.  If anyone else came near, he cut the input.
Michael stood under the harsh water for a long time, attempting to let his mind go blank.  There was so much he had to consider as well as caring for his traumatized partner.  Their future with the Foundation was now in question, his willingness to go on working for a group of people who could do something like this was seriously in doubt.  He cleared these thoughts from his head.
Eventually, he shut off the water and climbed out of the shower, taking a towel from the rail and drying himself as he walked back into the bedroom.  Michael dropped the towel to the floor and sank down onto the bed, feet against the pillows, naked body cool in the warm air.  In the quiet of his mind, he finally dropped off to sleep.

* * *

Devon stood at the entrance to the devastated cold room, staring out into space.  Why had he agreed?  He was being haunted by Nicholas's words: "You severely hurt the most gentle creature I know."  Would Kitt ever trust him again?
"Devon!  There you are!  The test results from yesterday...."  Devon whirled around at the voice, pinning Jennifer to the spot where she stood.  She stared back at him, challenging his expression of fury with her own triumph.  "Now, Devon, I know you're upset with me...."  Her tone simply fed his anger.
"You don't know what you've done, what you've started."  He told her, his voice low with barely repressed rage.  It had been so long since he had felt like this toward someone.  Even their enemies had not stirred these emotions within him.  Michael had been shot, stabbed, poisoned, his life threatened so many times; Kitt had been attacked, fired at with missiles, sonic fields, rockets, anti-tank armory; still he had not felt the furious hatred he felt now.  Physical attacks by those he already hated were acceptable risks, being terrorized and tortured by those Kitt trusted, that was something else entirely.
"Devon," Jennifer took a step forward, her words dripping from her smiling lips.  "Our results were so good.  Just another day with the Knight Two Thousand and you can take it back."
Devon's eyes widened.  "Are we talking about the same car here?  We can't be, because I saw Michael Knight drive off in the one that you ravaged yesterday."
"So!  You're Knight's boss.  Get the car back."
Devon shook his head, an ironic smile gracing his features as he stepped into the concrete room that had once been a million dollar test suite.  "Yesterday, Jennifer, you took a sentient, trusting, happy being, and you physically and mentally tortured him until he couldn't take anymore.  You shut him in this room, coated him with something that even I know wasn't as harmless as liquid nitrogen," Jennifer smirked, "knowing that he would make a run for it out of this wall," he pointed to the collapsed outer wall, "and onto the test track.  You even knew approximately how far he would go before stopping to question his treatment.  And then you attacked again.  He trusted me.  Now...."  Devon shook his head.  "As I said, you don't know what your actions have lead to.  Or will lead to."
Jennifer stalked across the hard, cold floor.  "Get the damn car back, Devon.  We start again at eleven."
She was about to continue on past him, when he grabbed hold of her arm.  Her eyes held a glaze of surprise and haughty denial as she looked up at his face.  But he simply stared at her, his unshaven, disheveled appearance adding to his air of fiery anger.  There was so much he wanted to say, so much he wanted to blame her for, to lay it all - all the hurt and pain she had caused - at her feet.  But he knew he was also responsible.  He would never forgive himself, and he was not sure if anyone else would either.  He deflated slightly.  "If you want the car," he murmured eventually, "get it yourself."

* * *

Nicholas rummaged through the fridge and got out some of the needed food.  He was sick of coffee and sticky donuts, and he gratefully noted that someone had stocked up on milk and soft drinks. He started making sandwiches, eating one while doing the rest.  MacKenzie was just about done with his load of sandwiches for himself and the team back in the garage,  piling them on a plate, when he heard steps. He glanced over his shoulder and froze.  He had seen the woman only once, but her face was burned forever into his mind. And like then she was impeccably dressed, her dark blond hair neatly styled. Jennifer Knight. She had stopped as well, their eyes meeting, and he felt uncontrolled hatred again, part of it coming from Karr. He shut out his partner's side and tried to even out his boiling temper. For a second his trained mind was supplying him with all those painful little ways to kill someone, most of them transforming into Knight in either a cold room or experiencing the joy being aflame in Tarasine.
"What are you doing here?" she  finally snapped.
"I work here," Nicholas grated, voice totally flat.
"Not to my knowledge, Mr. MacKenzie. You are not an employee of FLAG!"
"Fine. Then you are not my boss." He pulled all his screaming instincts together and turned to leave.
"What are you doing? Where are you going?" she demanded.
"None of your damn business, lady."
Jennifer Knight stepped closer, stiffly, fury in her eyes. But it was not the fury Nick felt inside himself. His was born out of a death wish for this woman, hers was pure annoyance.  "I don't know why Devon thought he needed your so-called talents, Mr. MacKenzie, but as of now, we don't need you any more!" she declared. "And if you think you can keep what is rightfully mine....!"
Nicholas' expression turned completely deadly and she stopped, swallowing hard.  "Wrong," he said, voice cold. "I don't *think* I can protect Kitt. I know I can. You and your technicians won't lay a single finger on him ever again, Ms. Knight. If it means killing you, I have no problem with that either. And he doesn't belong to you, lady. Kitt belongs to Michael, if at all. He is his own person. You might claim the car, but you can never claim another being. Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone waiting for lunch."
She fumed silently, but he ignored her.  "I'll make sure you will never get a job anywhere!" she threatened.
Nicholas' grin was nasty. "There are some things money can't buy. One is a good threat. Ms. Knight, I don't care what you try to do to me, I just know you won't do anything to Kitt ever again." Then he left.

Bonnie watched Nicholas return and noticed the changes immediately. His face was set into a stony mask, his eyes frozen chips of ice. She also felt strange echoes of this coming from Karr, a rumble so low it never reached her ears, just passed through her body. Nicholas placed the plate of sandwiches on the cupboard, next to the coffee machine. He was completely still for a moment, not even blinking.  Suddenly he whirled around and his fist connected with the wall. Bonnie winced, but there was no emotion crossing Nicholas' features. Karr moved slightly, but he didn't leave Kitt's side.
"The nerve!" Nick finally  hissed.
"Nick, what happened?" Bonnie asked softly as she approached him carefully. Right now he radiated as much danger as Karr.
"I met Ms. Knight."
Bonnie's features froze. "What did she want?" she grated.
"Guess."
Mother instinct flared up inside of her and for a moment Bonnie's eyes were as hard and dark as Nick's. "Only over my dead body!" she declared.
 He smiled, flexing his hand. He had bruised it and if he had hit a bit harder he would probably have broken it. "She won't get to Kitt. Never."
Bonnie knew this was more than a promise; it was a vow. "Let me take a look at that hand," she offered.  Nick looked at it as if he noticed the blood trickling out of the wounds for the very first time.  Bonnie got the first aid kit, cleaned the wounds and wrapped a bandage around the palm and wrist.
"Thanks," he said sincerely.
Nick walked back to the throws, briefly patting the Stealth's hood as if reassuring and calming him, then sat down beside Kitt again.

*

Karr had watched Kitt for a long time now, noting every little twitch, every spike of energy passing inside the CPU, and the channel between them was wide open, allowing the other AI full contact. Kitt was not aware of Karr's presence and Karr was glad.  He neither wanted to scare, nor to alert his severely unstable brother.
Echoes of Nick's own rage were still inside him, but no longer as strongly. He understood his partner, who was still hacking FLAGNet and still finding only meager evidence leading to the idea behind the tests. A half eaten sandwich lay beside him and the bottle of soda was nearly empty. It was late in the afternoon. Work on the Knight Two Thousand was almost done and the car was ready to receive its molecular bonded shell. It would take another night to dry and harden.
Kitt mumbled something and roused a bit. Karr watched him, alert for any alarming developments. Kitt was what a human would call sleepy and stressed out, his reflexes down several margins and his mind cluttered with fragments of nightmares. Karr sighed softly. He knew the nightmares in a way, though his had been different. They had never done this to him. They had simply shut him down because he had not been what Wilton Knight had dreamed of. They had programmed him, discovered their error, and downloaded what could still be recycled. Then he had died in a sense of the word.
He still remembered waking up and feeling no different, just a bit disoriented.
He remembered terrifying realization hitting him as he found out he had been shut down, left to gather dust until they would decide what to do with him.
He had been furious to see they had constructed another Knight Two Thousand, had given him his design, his abilities, his life.
He had done everything to kill Kitt, everything! But in the end he had died, feeling pain and betrayal grow, feeling his hatred grow in leaps with it. He had been blind with fury the second time, had been so set on proving he was the superior one. And he had died again.
Karr shivered. Both times part of him had been left aware, a tiny spark, a memory of who he was and who he should have been. And the memory of his brother, the wish child of Wilton Knight. He had been the prototype, but Kitt had been given the love and care.
Now they had destroyed their work with these experiments, had hurt their beloved child, and why? For science? Out of curiosity? Some sick sense of hunger for more?
He growled softly, calming down as it reflected through the channel. He didn't want to disturb Kitt any more than necessary. A slight whimper could be heard and Karr automatically withdrew, unsure. He was no good at dealing with emotions and since Nick was an expert controlling his emotions as best as possible, Karr was rarely confronted by them anyway. And even if the wall broke, he knew Nick. Nick was his partner and there was no corner of him he hadn't seen or heard or experienced in their shared past. But this was Kitt. Another whimper let him wince and he tentatively reached out, touching the slightly trembling AI on the other side of the channel. Kitt calmed again, muttering, drifting off.
Karr was a bit confused by his actions, but he stayed. His brother needed his help and he was not about to deny it to him, past or no past. The past was dead and forgotten, maybe not completely but mostly, and Kitt had not shown any hatred toward him. And he had been betrayed just like Karr had been so long ago. They had something in common now, something terrible, something painful; and for the first time Karr felt he and Kitt actually shared a bond, that they were brothers.

It grew late. Justin walked off to the storage room in the back of the hangar-like building, looking for needed parts to complete the car so it could be coated and Bonnie had left a few minutes earlier, wanting to check on Michael. Nick was still sitting on the throws. Silence, one only disturbed by Nick's hacking, settled over them and Karr heard the distinct sound of rain starting to beat on the garage's roof again. Nicholas finally closed down the laptop and stretched, first checking on Kitt, who was silent as always, then on his own partner.
"Be back in a second," he told Karr. "Making a bathroom run." He smiled slightly.  Karr acknowledged and continued his vigil.
And into the now complete silence a new noise intruded. Footsteps. Not soft-soled feet but high heels. Karr's scanners went on-line and did a total sweep. He picked up a female human coming toward them with measured steps. It wasn't Bonnie Barstow; he knew her biorhythm. The woman approached the car, checked it, nodded, and then walked over to where Karr was, following the extensions of the CPU support cables. When she stepped into the circle of light cast by the overhead lamps Karr felt something inside of him cry out in anger.
Jennifer Knight!
The two words were out before he could close down the private channel and they transmitted clearly through to Kitt. The reaction was immediate as it was violent.
Kitt shrieked in terror and horrifying visions began to flood back into Karr, who was totally unprepared for the assault. The Stealth felt a violent shudder pass through him and his engine flared up with a turbine whine.
Cold room.
Coating him with something.
Unsure what was coming next.
Reassuring words from his friend.
Pain!
Eating away at him, ice penetrating.
Have to get away!
Nonono! Why?
He crashed through the wall, taking it apart, fleeing out of the cold room into the warmth of the sun.
Waiting.
Confused.
Shivering.
Why? Why had they done it??
Sitting on the track.
Painpainpain!
Karr screamed in agony, voicing the scream Kitt sent through the open channel, his tires squealing on the floor.  Jennifer Knight stumbled backwards, colliding with the Knight Two Thousand frame, eyes open wide in surprise.  Karr was unable to stop the flood, all of it pouring out of Kitt, all the horror, all the pain he had experienced. He set back, colliding with a table several feet behind him, the whole equipment falling off, shattering on the floor. His frame was shaken by massive energies, his CPU whirling with nightmares of the deepest hell.
<_Kitt! he cried, but there was no getting through.
Kitt was going through proverbial hell, the name of the one who had ordered the test to be performed closely associated with excruciating agony. And she was still there. Kitt could not see her, but Karr could, and because of that so could the one linked to him through an open channel.
<_Away! Away! Away!! Flee! Hide!
The screams were Kitt's and Karr was reacting to them. The Stealth turned in a tight circle and destroyed the wooden table completely as it smashed against the wall. Karr mowed down some spares to the left of him and came to rest again in front of the garage doors, prow pointing toward where Jennifer Knight stood, frozen to the spot.
On the track; familiar. Know the track.
Something on him; liquid.
Covering him.
Fire!
Burning him!
Unbearable heat!
Ice inside him, heat flaring up.
Karr was unable to take it much longer. He was going on overload, unable to move as he felt his body burn while it had been cooled down to extremes, to an absolute zero, just minutes before. His CPU was melting, his circuits were freezing.
Why? Whywhywhy? Why the pain!?
He screamed in agony.
He saw her move.
The hated figure of the one who had done this to them.
She was approaching Kitt.
Karr felt a small part of him flare with absolute hatred, burning through the pain like a hot needle, cutting him apart. If she touched Kitt.... If she even so much as looked at him the wrong way! His tires burned rubber on the garage floor and he shot toward the woman, his intent deadly.
Protect Kitt.
Nothing else counted.
<NO!>
Karr roared in anger and lashed out at his driver. Nick had burst out of the room next to the garage and was now almost blacked out by the strike. He fell against the wall, crying out in pain.
<Karr, no! Don't kill! Don't!! PLEASE!>
Karr broadcast his intent quite openly. And then Kitt's next nightmare enveloped him and he came to a full stop, shrieking, voicing what his brother felt. His shrieks climbed in intensity and he desperately tried to cut the link. It was impossible.
Circuits overloaded, short-circuiting, melting.
Hell was all around him, no way out, surrounding his core, pressing in on him.
 
Nicholas was in the best and worst position to experience it all. He knew Karr was swamped by Kitt, that he was acting out what Kitt felt, and it all went through the link. Nick was barely able to hold Karr, the thin line of control he still held over his partner straining to the limit. He had to get Jennifer Knight away from here before his partner lost every restraint and did what he fervently wanted to do: kill the woman responsible.
"Get her out of here!" Nick bellowed as he saw Justin run back, attracted by the deafening noise.
Justin did not hesitate for a second and he did not ask who, or what was going on. He acted.
"Let go of me, you idiot!" Knight screamed and struggled.
Karr surged forward and this time he would have hit her if Justin had not pulled her away.
"He is going to kill you if you don't leave!" the mechanic told her, voice frosty, also relaying that he didn't terrible mind an accident happening just now, though the paper work would be hell.  Jennifer's eyes flickered over the madly shaking Stealth, the low hisses emerging from it telling her that it would be in her best interest to leave. But she was not about to surrender to an over-prized car!
"This is my property!" she proclaimed. "And I'm taking it with me!"

Kitt's panic was all-encompassing and threatening to override every single one of Karr's functions. He saw how Jennifer freed herself out of Justin's grip and walked to the Knight Two Thousand, intent to take him.
Something snapped.
Fire-heat-ice-cold-pain-no-why-stop!
Karr lost it.
Nicholas lost it as well. He cried out in agony as his mind exploded into fiery heat, drowning all rational thought. Then he was suddenly pulled into the coldest depths imaginable. He went down on his knees, all his shields, those erected over the years, crumbling like old wood. A sob escaped him and he tried to reach his partner, but he was only met by cold hatred.
<Don't destroy what we built!> he cried.
<She won't get him!> Karr screamed.
And then the world blanked out around him.
 
Michael came storming into the garage to see Nicholas go down with a cry of agony, Karr fishtailing toward Jennifer Knight, and Justin jumping for her to get her out of the way. And his mind was alive with Kitt's cries for help, for support, though they were strangely muted, as if most of the emotional upheaval was bleeding off somewhere else.
//Kitt? I'm here  it's okay  Stop!//
//Michael!//
Kitt flung himself at his partner like a frightened child and Michael held him, soothed him, wrapped him into his protective arms.
Karr came to an abrupt stop, trembling uncertainly, the Stealth steaming and hissing. Jennifer lay on the floor, hair unruly, clothes dirty and disheveled. Justin had simply pushed her out of the way. The chief mechanic now stood in front of Karr, his shins touching the front of the black vehicle. He looked ready to pass out, his face chalky white. One more inch and he would have been street pizza.
Michael, pulling himself together for this confrontation, stalked to Jennifer. "Get out of here!" he hissed angrily. "Now!!"  She staggered to her feet, too much in shock about the near-miss to argue much. He turned, looking at Justin.  "You okay?"
Justin swallowed heavily. "I .... I think so...." he whispered, eyes pinned on the Stealth once more.
Karr was not moving, his engine emitting a deep bass rumble, his frame still shaking. Nicholas lay in a crumbled heap, not moving at all. Bonnie ran toward them, eyes wide. She started out toward Kitt's CPU, but found her way blocked by Karr all of a sudden. The Stealth had reversed, smoothly sliding between her and the vulnerable CPU casing. He growled menacingly.
"He's trying to protect him," Justin whispered. "He...."
Kitt whimpered in pain and the same cry came out of Karr, his engine sputtering. The frame twitched as if he was trying to decide whether to stay or leave.
Protect him.
No one close.
No one.
All out to hurt.
Betrayed his trust.
Our trust.
Hurt him. Hurt Kitt. Hurt them both.
Karr was lost in the sea of age-old memories and Kitt's recent additions. The neuro implant was dead and he was alone, his whole thinking rotating around the frightened little entity on the other side of the private channel.   Kitt was crying, needing comfort, but Karr could only live through the nightmares over and over again.
The heat. The flames licking at him, feeling his body melt, the circuits as well.
The cold. Everything freezing, his mind, his body, his soul.
Break out!
Run!
Can't run. Have to stay. Protect him.
Screams of agony.
Too much, too much, too much!!!
Michael held Kitt close, whispering meaningless words to him, wishing he could touch him physically as well. Karr suddenly reversed more and slammed bodily into the wall, shrieking like a tortured animal. He scraped along the brickwork, tearing a deep, jagged line into it, dust and debris spraying over the black skin.
And then he came to a rest, an uneasy rest.
He was trembling, soft, keening noises escaping him. He cried pitifully, unable to voice anything but his brother's pain.
//feels me  with me  too much//
Michael was stunned. //With you?//
Kitt clung to him, needing reassurance his partner was only too ready to give. //With me// he whispered.
"Oh my god!" Michael groaned aloud.
"What?" Bonnie asked, severely shaken by the whole event, even more by Karr's hostile move against her, blocking her way to Kitt.
"He... he feels what Kitt is going through. Kitt's projecting and Karr's receiving! Nick said he was sensing part of it... but all?!" Michael shook his head in disbelief, staring at the disturbed Stealth who now sat with his backside in the wall, moaning. Bonnie went to Nick who had still not moved. Michael headed for his partner but found his way blocked as Karr moved between him and Kitt, hissing dangerously. Michael stopped in shock.
"Karr...."  The engine whined, then fell to a deep growl. The Stealth was protecting Kitt, against everyone.  "Kitt is my partner, my friend. I won't hurt him," Michael whispered intently. "Please.... please let me go to him!"  Karr shivered. Michael took another step forward; the Stealth did not move.  "You know I would never hurt Kitt!"
Kitt's calls for his partner where getting louder and Michael calmed him carefully. He just had to convince Karr that he was the good guy.
And then the Stealth shot back, colliding even harder with the wall, almost taking out a portion of it. The keening started again, dying down after a minute. Michael was deeply touched and hurt by it in one. He joined his partner, immediately touching the sensor and feeling Kitt's response.
"I'm here," he whispered. "I'm here."
Kitt whimpered, sending a torrent of images and Michael saw out of the corner of his eyes how the Stealth shuddered violently. He was shocked. Yes, Nicholas had mentioned something like that, but he had thought it was rather superficial. This ran deep though. Very deep.
"How's Kitt?"
Michael looked up and discovered Bonnie, looking worried.
"He's as okay as he can be. Nick?"
"Out cold. Whatever hit him, it must have been massive."
Michael could imagine what it had been. If Karr had lost it, flooding the link, Nicholas had been overloaded with images out of a nightmare he was unable to process in such a short time. When Kitt had dropped his shields, letting Michael in on what were his nightmares, Michael had been swamped, but he had handled it. Nicholas must have been hit with both Kitt's pain through Karr and Karr's own rage at what had happened.
"It was," he whispered, stroking the sensor, feeling Kitt relax again. He quieted down considerably now that Michael was close again. Finally he looked up once more. "Where is she?"
Bonnie knew who he was talking about. "Gone. Took her remaining dignity and made a run for it. I could kill her for what she did! To all of you!" Anger flared in Bonnie's eyes.
 Michael nodded, looking at Karr again. The Stealth was still buried in the wall, moaning almost inaudibly. With Nick out he was totally alone. He wondered if he should do something....
//Kitt....//
//Stay  stay//
//Will stay//
He placed the casing on his lap. Bonnie smiled, but her smile faded when she looked over to Nick again. Karr suddenly inched forward, strangely humming, stopping beside Nick. A low whine could be heard.
 
Karr was deeply disturbed by what had happened in the last minutes, echoes of it still bouncing inside his mind. He still felt Kitt's pain, but it was no longer coming through the private channel. Something else connected them.
No!
Cold realization hit him.
No link! It couldn't be! The channel was bad enough already, a breach of his privacy, and now...
Kitt was there. Still. A suffering little presence close to him, close to Michael Knight. Karr longed for Nicholas' presence, but his partner was out cold, his mind overloaded with what Karr had projected.
<I'm sorry> he moaned.
He had attacked Nicholas as viciously as he had back then, back when they had still not found a common base. Back then he had severely hurt his partner, almost killed him, driven him over the edge. Now.....
"Nick....."  Someone was there at his side and he hissed a warning.  "I'm not here to harm you or Nicholas."
It was Bonnie Barstow. He tried to calm down, tried to shut out Kitt's presence, and at last succeeded in tuning down what he was receiving. He frantically tried to link to his partner and found a tiny spark of response, but Nick immediately flinched away, shying away from the echoes of pain.
"Karr, can we do anything?" Bonnie wanted to know.
Why do you care? Why do you want to know? You have no idea!  "No," he finally said evenly.
Nicholas stirred, groaning.
<Nick? Please?> Karr asked, forcing the link to open.  Nicholas moaned in pain, curling into a tight ball in his mind.  <Please!>
Fragments of Kitt's pain came back to him and he winced away, drawn between running and staying. He was here to protect Kitt, the only protection he had. Michael Knight was keeping Kitt safe as well, but Karr was his physical safety.
<Karr...... tune... it.... down...> Nick groaned.
Karr bit back a cry of relief and simply held himself in check, letting Nick wake, then he touched him questioningly.
 
Nicholas had a hell of a headache and his vision was blurring constantly. The pounding behind his eyes was maddening and he heard noises that weren't really there. Karr's presence was all around him, asking, prodding, wanting, needing.
"Nick?"
That was another voice, a female one. He cracked his eyes open and groaned. "Hi, Dr. Barstow," he managed, then winced and buried his head in his hands. "I'll be okay," he mumbled. "Is she gone?"
"Yes." There was a certain amount of satisfaction in Bonnie's voice. "But she'll be back, I believe. She wants Kitt."
An angry rumble came from the Stealth and Bonnie flinched away.
"'Tis okay," Nicholas said swiftly. "Karr, calm down, partner."
"She will not have him!" Karr declared coldly.
Bonnie was once again amazed by the protective streak this machine had developed.
"You got an aspirin?" Nick asked.
"Sure." She rose and walked over to the small medical cabinet.
Nicholas knew that no pain killer was able to dampen the pain in his mind. It was all coming from the link, but he had to get Bonnie to give him and Karr some privacy. Now he leaned against the nose of his partner, feeling all the little shivers, sensing the distress.
"He is hurting so much," Karr whispered.
"I know."
"I apologize for what I did. I didn't know what else to do. Nick, I...."
"It's okay, partner. Very much okay. I understand." He rested his forehead against the warm metal.  "This has to stop. Now!"
"How?"
 Nick's eyes turned hard for a moment. "I will find a way, even if it is the last thing I ever do. She will pay for what she did to them!" The last was just a harsh whisper.
Karr touched him, briefly, softly, sending his support. He had been ready to kill and this time Justin had gotten in the way. He should have mowed him down as well.
<No> Nick said calmly. <You did the right thing>
He growled softly.
Bonnie came back with the aspirin and a glass of water. "Here."
"Thanks."
Bonnie looked over to where Michael was with Kitt again, his features pained, then relaxed, then gentle, ever-shifting.
"Kitt's calming down," Nicholas muttered and pulled himself up to sit on the front of his partner. He looked cruelly tired and worn out.
The rain was picking up again and the wind howled around the garage. Bonnie only nodded and went back to the car body where Justin was half-heatedly doing something or other. He was as badly rattled as all of them. Nick let his head hang down, arms resting on his knees, hands dangling between his legs. He remembered Jennifer Knight's personal logs and they told him enough about her; now that he had met her this profile he had started to create on her was only confirmed. She was a cold-hearted bitch who viewed Kitt as an object.
He had to talk to Devon.
Then again, he couldn't find the strength inside of him to go through this conversation.
Later.
Maybe later.
Karr nudged him slightly and he smiled humorlessly. "You go and keep an eye on your brother."
Slight annoyance hit him and he chuckled, wincing as his head pounded again. He laboriously got up and stumbled over to his laptop. Michael looked up as Nick sat down again. Then the Stealth pulled up close, protectively. He smiled at the two partners and resumed the gentle soothing of his frightened friend.

* * *

Angry, disheveled and more than trembling a little, Jennifer stumbled back down the driveway and into the front entrance of the mansion.  They had made a laughing stock of her, she had convinced herself, despite the fact that she had come within an inch of being mown down by another of her father's creations; a fact she was stubbornly refusing to acknowledge.  Devon was part way down the stairs when he saw her practically fall through the door into the grand entrance hall.  He watched her for a moment, his eyes cold and uncaring.  She looked up and saw him there as she tried to straighten herself out, to make herself come across as having at least some dignity.  "I'm firing them Devon, all of them," she yelled.
He raised his eyebrows, his only reaction to her sudden outburst.  "You can't.  You don't have that authority."
"That... that monster Nicholas MacKenzie mistakenly refers to as *his* car nearly killed me."
"That's awful, Jennifer.  Maybe he'll succeed next time."
She stared up at him, disbelief and fury raging over her badly made-up features.  "This is madness," she mumbled, rearranging her skirt.
Devon shook his head slowly.  "*This* is madness?" he asked her softly.  "What exactly did you expect?"  He stepped down the stairs slowly, shoes tapping on the stone tiles.  "Did you honestly think they would thank you?  Is that it?  Are you so miscalculating that you thought they would simply forgive you, hand the car back to you for more abuse?"
She was watching him now, as he descended toward her.  "You know why we did this, Devon.  You gave your permission."
"Yes, yes I did, didn't I?  Because I'm a coward.  Because I've always been under threat from a board of idiots like yourself who don't or won't understand what Wilton Knight did."  He reached the ground floor and walked to her, stopping a few feet away, his eyes shining with something that had finally broken through the English up-bringing and the social etiquette he lived under.  "You'll never get Kitt back, Jennifer.  Accept that, and walk away.  Whatever the real reason behind the barbarism you called a test actually was, it's over.  You've destroyed everything you father believed in and worked for.  I hope you're happy."
Jennifer stepped back, still shaken from her encounter in the garage, she was unprepared for Devon Miles' hostility and uncharacteristic sarcasm.  "My father believed in justice, law and order, not some out-of-control car and its bone-head driver playing at James Bond.  And another thing," she continued to shout at him, "MacKenzie's car is Foundation property and I will make sure it is returned to us."
If Jennifer was trying for a reaction from Devon, that last part got her one.  He started to laugh.  And as he looked at her, saw the annoyance on her face, he laughed harder.  "And how," he managed to ask, "do you propose to do that?"  She stood before him, tapping her foot and glaring, and all of a sudden, the mirth left him.  "You're a manipulative, sadistic woman.  You remind me so much of your brother Garth.  You won't get Karr back, ever.  If you try, he'll kill you and I won't stand in his way.  But by the looks of you, you already know that.  Or did you try to get to Kitt?"  He watched her expression.  "You did.  And his brother protected him."  Devon smiled sadly.  "Kitt's finally learning who his true allies are."  He sighed.  "Karr isn't Foundation property anymore, Jennifer.  Your father gave him over to Nicholas Mackenzie a long time ago, before he realized what he had created, before Nick walked away from it all only to find that in the end, he could never walk away.  I'm going to make sure that the Foundation board relinquishes any ownership it has of the Knight Two Thousand.  I'm going to make sure that you never do this again.  Your father believed in Kitt, he believed in Michael, he never believed in you."

* * *

Night had settled and with it some kind of quiet. The rain was still coming down heavily, a calming background noise to the occupants of the garage. Some of Kitt's technicians and mechanics had been in throughout the day, expressing their support, asking if they could help, assuring them they had had no idea what was going on. Every single technician involved in the tests had been Jennifer Knight's. O'Malley had come later, telling them that the coating was ready to be applied if they wanted to.
Finally, taking Bonnie's earlier advice, Michael had switched from his rather uncomfortable position on the throws to the couch, Kitt still in his arms, never leaving him alone either physically or in his mind. Justin had left for the night again, unwillingly though. Nick had kicked him out since the mechanic was still in some kind of shock from the prior events. Bonnie had followed not much later, her body demanding rest and there being no other bed here. Like Justin she had left under protest and with a promise to be back as early as possible.
Michael leaned back, cradling his partner, listening to his soft pulses as he once again rested almost peacefully.  The sudden explosion of agony and fear had taken a lot of his pain away for the moment, had left him empty but peaceful. The nightmares were still there, still deep inside Kitt's mind, but for now they were at rest. He had poured it all somewhere else.....
His eyes wandered to the Stealth who had moved with him, had silently followed the driver and his partner. Karr had not spoken a word, but Michael vividly recalled what had happened. He recalled Karr's screams, so much like Kitt's in his mind, and the evidence of his destructive run were still there. Karr had been on the receiving end of Kitt's outbreak and had suffered as much as his brother, but he had not fled. He was still here, close by, watching and protecting.
Michael shook his head at the sudden change of the normally so cold and ruthless AI. What had changed him? And when? Why? He would have to talk to Nick about it, but MacKenzie was not here. He had said he wanted to take a walk to get his head straightened out. After the blast he had received, Michael was amazed to find the ex-agent already on his feet.
"I have experience with these kinds of intrusions," Nick had only said, then had set out for a walk in the rain.
Experience with painful attacks, with floods of unbelievable proportions..... Michael shuddered as he remembered what Nick had once briefly mentioned: his and Karr's partnership had started out rough and cruel. Now they were close, connected tightly, both alone without the other.
Michael rested his eyes on the softly gleaming black Stealth. He still nurtured an instinctive wariness, a kind of fear, concerning this car, but through what had happened he had changed his opinion. Kitt had calmed considerably and maybe it was also thanks to his brother, someone who had first been set on killing him and now was ready to protect him under all circumstances.
"Thank you," was all he whispered.
He didn't know if Karr understood what for, if he even listened, but somehow he imagined that he would. Since the Stealth had no outside features to determine he was on-line, like Kitt's scanner, he had to guess. Michael more felt than heard the bass rumble and smiled, sliding deeper into the cushions on the couch, his mind murmuring calming words to Kitt. His partner kept in constant touch with him and now and then he shivered as if he was cold.
//okay  I'm here  won't go//
Michael closed his eyes, concentrating fully on Kitt once more, letting the rain lull him into relaxation, remembering Nick's exercises.

Karr never let his concentration waver from the channel and the fragile link now standing between he and Kitt. The link was a terrifying new addition and he tried not to think too deeply about it, but it was there. Kitt was resting, almost sleeping, now and then tossing as if plagued by vague memories, and every time he calmed down again, soothed by his partner. Karr had to agree with Nicholas on that; it was a beautiful partnership and he envied Kitt. He had made the mistake to feel threatened by Nick's presence in the beginning, and he had fought him with every weapon at his disposal. It had nearly destroyed them, but in a way it had fused them together. And lately, through their contact with FLAG and the other team of human and machine, they had come another step. Nick's abilities to bear Karr's direct communication had increased. They were using this ability frequently now, but it was still new and frightening to both.
Jennifer Knight's short presence had nearly destroyed everything Knight had been able to build in the last twenty-four hours and it had nearly driven Karr insane. He had locked the nightmares away, was trying to battle them alone, but now he knew exactly what his brother had gone through and his hatred had grown in leaps. He knew it wasn't he who had been in the cold room or set on fire, but whenever trickles of the horrific visions went past his shield, he felt like he had been. If it hadn't been for his priorities, to guard Kitt, he would have done the same as the other AI had done: run. Get away!
Karr sighed and felt a reassuring pulse from his driver. Nick was outside, in the rain, totally soaked, but relaxed. He was getting better by the minute and the attack on is mind was healing. Karr felt like apologizing over and over again. The last he had wanted to do was hurt his partner, but he had been unable to stop himself, lost in rage, hatred and the horror that were Kitt's nightmares. He had lived through them live and in Technicolor.
Kitt twitched again and Karr watched him through the private channel, feeling ripples of pain come his way, accepting them. It was either cutting himself off or suffering with his brother, and he preferred the latter. He wouldn't leave Kitt alone. If he did, if he left him to his own devices, he would nurture this hatred and turn against those he loved. Karr wouldn't and couldn't let that happen.
He cared.
As disgusting as it had been at first, it was true. He cared deeply.
The link echoed the ripples and Karr did what he would have done if Kitt we