Appearances
By Tomy
 

        Michael had wondered around the park for hours.  The tip had given a time frame, four hours in the middle of the night in which he or she would turn up.
        "Are you sure this isn't a hoax?"  Kitt's voice came over the comlink.
        Raising his wrist to his face, "Are we ever sure?  But it's a gorgeous night."
        "And you're getting some exercise."
        "What, you getting sick if me sitting in you or something?"
        "Your mood doesn't turn as foul."
        "Oh, thanks."  Pausing he looked around once more the darkened gardens.  "Kitt, I'm gonna do one more round, then we'll call it a night.  Have you picked up anything?"
        "Actually, a car has parked on the far side of the playground from your location and I'm picking up one unarmed person."
        "Okay, I'm on it."
        "Be careful Michael."
        Striding past the swing set, Michael's instincts kicked in.  It wasn't a warning, in fact he couldn't determine what it was.
        //What is it?//
        //I don't know// he hadn't realized that he had sent the feeling down the link.
        //How far am I from him?//
        //Approximately 100 yards to your left//
        Traveling in the general direction his partner had suggested, Michael rounded a clump of trees and froze, face to face with the source.
        Sucking in a breath, he stood, dumbfounded.
        //Michael!?//  When no answer came, Kitt fired the engine, heading for his shocked driver.
        "How can this be?"  The smaller man standing in front of him smiled.  It was an open and affectionate smile, finding Michael's gaping expression humorous.  The smile brightened greatly as the black car swung around the corner, stopping with the prow touching the backs of Michael's legs.
        Touching his partner physically and mentally for support, his scanner tracking wildly as he, like his driver, stared at the man before them.
        "Hello Michael, Kitt.  It's been a long time.  I'm glad to see you two have developed the friendship I believed you should share.  Can we go somewhere to talk privately?"
        Michael nodded, motioning towards Kitt.  The man nodded, he had been hoping this would be the answer.
        "Your choice of location Michael. I trust your judgment."
        Michael found his voice a short while later.  After parking off a dirt trail in the nearby woods, he turned to the man beside him.  A million questions in his head, not all of them his.
        "I watched you die, how can...?"
        "I'll answer your questions soon enough.  But first, I've been watching the two of you on and off for years now.  I'm very proud of what you have accomplished."  He stopped, touching Kitt's dash gently.  "I was never truly introduced to you Kitt.  I see however that you have developed greatly since your birth."
        "Mr. Knight, like Michael, I'm very confused.  My records also indicate your....passing."
        Smiling, alternatively looking from the taller, younger man in the driver's seat to the voice modulator of the AI, Wilton drew a deep breath and began to explain his new life.  "It was a rouse."
        "What?"  Michael interrupted.
        "Hold your horses, I'll explain if you give me a chance.  I realized that I was the downfall of my dreams, for a lack of a better phraseology.  FLAG would never have a chance if I were to oversee it.  Therefore, once I knew things would proceed as per my wishes, I devised a plan where the world believed I was not a factor.  That included those closest to me.  I was far too great a target for industrial espionage, as Tanya kindly pointed out.  For you to succeed, I had to disappear.  Knight Industries was greatly in the public eye.  What you and Kitt do, had to be kept in the background."
        "I understand your reasoning, but Devon.."
        "I'm aware of the repercussions of my decision." He stopped him tersely.  "You all have emerged on higher ground.  Do you believe that you would have stayed on if I had remained?"
        "I can't answer that question.  On the other hand, it might have been easier knowing what I was getting myself into."
        "Tell me Michael, how was the implant activated?"
        If there were any doubts of the identity of this small silver haired man, this question had just abolished them.
        "How did you know?"
        "Two reasons.  I believed that it had been activated approximately two years ago.  Now I know, from seeing Kitt's arrival moments ago."  Seeing Michael's confusion. "You hadn't called him.  Yet he knew to come to you."
        Shaking his head, Michael leaned back in the seat.  He hadn't been aware how obvious the link was to anyone paying attention.
        "The link was activated just over two years ago.  During an attack that almost killed both of us.  It's been assumed that the ensuing stress is what caused the activation."
        "And what was it like?"  The animation in the old man's eyes made him appear to be years younger then his eighty some.
        "Terrifying to be honest." He exhaled as he spoke. Then faced the passenger.  Still a little unsure how much to reveal.  "We worked for months to understand what it was, how to communicate and how to block."
        "Block?  Why block one another?"
        "There are times in my life when I don't want a nosey partner looking over my shoulder."
        Laughing in realization of Michael's innuendo.  "Is it that clear?"
        "For the most part.  We've learned how to....step into one another's mind."
        "It is true then, that you may link so intensely that you are able to touch?"
        For the second time, the doubts were washed aside.  This man knew far too much. "Yes, it is possible.  Draining.  I lose contact with the outside world, as does Kitt, though not to the same extent."
        "So you have touched each other."
        "In the place between the link and the implant, yes."
        "And on a day to day basis?"
        "I feel his presence as a soft, warm pressure in the back of my mind.  Even when we are blocking."
        "This is a far cry from the angry young man who vehemently described his partner as an 'it'."
        Michael's eyebrows rose, somewhat unnerved that he had been watching him for so long. "It's actually a running joke these days."
        "I also see trust is not an issue."
        "No, it hasn't been for years.  I trust him with my life."
        "Ah, yes, but there is faith and then there is *trust*.  You must have known that the car was approaching you at great speed, yet you never turned your head.  Your eyes did not leave mine even as he came to rest against you."
        "I don't know if I can give you a satisfactory answer.  I know that he won't, that he can't hurt me."
        "You are completely secure in that knowledge?"
        "I'll prove it any way, any day.  We do regularly."
        "Your tone is proof enough.  The line of questioning was not meant as an affront.  I must know, do you regret leaving your life as Michael Long for this?"  His hand traveled palm up over the length of Kitt's dash.
        "No, I don't think I ever have.  This has felt right, from the beginning. Even when Kitt and I did nothing but argue, Bonnie accused me of abusing her baby and Devon was calling me a primitive."
        Laughter shook the car.  "He obviously no longer feels so."
        "No, not for a long time now."
        "May I ask why you are no longer stationed at the estate?"
        "Where do you get your information?" And how much did he know about them, and their friends?
        "Impressive isn't it.  Though I have not yet been able to locate your new... home." Both partners breathed a sigh of relief.
        "I'd like to keep it that way for now.  There are reasons for the new locale."
        "Please, help me understand why the Foundation is no longer comfortable for you both."
        Michael felt the warning tingle from Kitt.  This would have to be done with tact.
        //any suggestions?//
        //an employee tried to...// Michael sent a nod back, one that acknowledged Kitt's idea and the difficulty the AI still had expressing the events surrounding Jennifer's experiments.
        "I guess you could say a disgruntled employee tried to take Kitt's life."
        "How?"  Astonishment joined the simple question.
        "They convinced the Board to conduct some tests to make sure the shell was capable of withstanding extremes.  I was off on assignment, alone. They however did not remove Kitt from the car.  We almost lost him."
        "You were linked at the time?"
        "Yes." Michael still had a hard time keeping a cap on his rage.
        "My God.  Is this when the implant became common knowledge among FLAG's board of directors?"
        "Yes, I met with John Landes shortly after we moved Kitt to a safe location. He figured it out. I guess I slipped."
        "This is also when the car and the AI became yours?"
        Turning fierce blue eyes at his passenger, "No one owns Kitt."
        Laughing, Wilton raised a hand. "I meant no offence.  Though the reaction is more than I hoped for."
        "Let me turn the tables here, what where you hoping for when you paired us?"
        "I believe you are looking at my expectations.  Your partnership is legendary. I began hearing about a man and his car about a year after I..um..vanished."  There was a mischievous smile behind the words.  "That is when I doubled my efforts in finding what had become of you.  I was happily surprised with the results."
        "Does Devon know of your reappearance?"
        "No, and I wish no one else to know of this."
        "Then why contact us?"  Kitt asked.
        "I am hoping to...get to know the partnership I helped create."
        Tipping his head, accepting the reasoning for now.  "Fair enough.  How do you wish to stay in contact?" Michael's brain was still reeling.  Kitt's CPU was also going a mile a minute.  Michael had lightly blocked the link, but confusion and surprise was echoing back and forth.
        "I'll stay in touch, no need for you to worry there.  I'll contact you along the same paths as before."

*
 

        "Did your informant turn up?" Nick asked as Michael stepped out of his car.
        Shaking his head, he was not surprised to not only find Nick still awake, but well informed. "Yes, he did.  And prepare yourself for this one."
        Nick switched off his laptop, curiosity piqued. "Go ahead."
        "I was just contacted by Wilton Knight."
        Nick just looked at Michael for a second.  "Excuse me?"
        "You heard me."
        "That's not a possibility."
        "I didn't think so either, but Kitt scanned him. And get this, he knew about the activation of the implant."
        The rumble in Nick's head increased, making it difficult for him to concentrate on Michael's news. "Did he mention..." There was also fear echoing through the link.
        "No, I'm not sure if he knows about you and Karr."
        "I'd appreciate if it stayed that way." Remaining cold, Nick blocked all emotions this news rose in him.
        "I wasn't about to tell him."
        Nodding his appreciation, Nick turned back to his laptop. <Is there any way to trace him?>
        <I'm already looking into it.> Nick had suspected as much.
        Turning to Michael briefly, "by chance, did he say where he's been hiding?"
        "No, but I believe the tan he was sporting was Mediterranean."
        "Narrows the search." Was all the explanation Nick was willing to give.
        "Figured as much."
        "I'll let you know if I find something."
        Michael nodded, knowing that meant end of conversation.  Walking up the stairs, he went in search of food.
        <Could it be possible?>
        <It could be. Before we panic Partner, we should look into this.> Agreement touched his mind.
        Turning back to his laptop, he began his search, leaving Karr to follow his own path.
 
        Twenty minutes later, curiosity killing him, Michael chanced approaching Nick.
        Looking up as the taller man wandered down the stairs, Nick heard  <wondered how long he would wait> grumbled into his mind.  Chuckling down the link, he faced Michael with a blank expression.
        "Well?"
        The smile touched Nick's face briefly before disappearing again. "I found what might be him.  I cross referenced his photo through passport data banks."
        "And?" Sometimes Nick still frustrated the hell out of him.  Kitt joined him in that opinion.
        Shifting the laptop over so Michael could see, "Switzerland."  On the screen was the picture of the man who had sat beside him earlier.
        "That's him."  Nick's capabilities still baffled Michael.
        "Makes sense.  Swiss accounts to hold his fortune.  It's a non militarized nation."
        Michael nodded. "So this is proof."
        Sighing unhappily, "I believe so.  Plus if Kitt's sure."
        "Now what?"
        Raising an eyebrow towards his friend, "that's your business."
        "You don't want to be involved."
        "No.  Though I'd like to be kept informed."
        "Alright."
        "Thanks."  Nick turned off the computer before he and his partner drove out.
 
 

*
 

        Three meetings with Wilton and Michael found himself just as comfortable with the old man as he had been years before.  Nick had not said another word, though he knew that Michael had met with the man a few times.  He could understand Nick's view point, and most likely Karr's as well. Wilton was the one who'd ordered his deactivation, which had reflected back in Nick.  That episode in their lives wouldn't be in the warm and fuzzy department.  Michael on the other hand had never experienced a bad moment with the man and was willing to help him.  Hell he wouldn't be alive if not for the man sitting beside him.  Neither would Kitt.

         Kitt was driving.  Wilton had never had the pleasure before.  As per typical reaction, his eyes had grown wide as Michael let go of the wheel, then relaxed as the car remained on a smooth track.  Kitt couldn't suppress the laughter that entered Michael's head.  Tipping the seat back Michael intended on catching a bit of sleep as they drove across country, delivering Wilton to his newly purchased home.  He had figured that Wilton would eventually want to reacquaint himself with his family and friends, but he hadn't expected it so soon.  Devon would be ecstatic, though probably and understandably upset.  Michael remembered clearly the emotional reaction to his friend's death.  Come to think of it, it was the only time Michael could remember Devon shedding tears.
        Looking over, their passenger sat looking out the window, almost like a school boy, too wired to sleep.  Smiling Michael closed his eyes, feeling Kitt come closer, curling around his driver, helping him relax.   Kitt, however, was not in the mood to let his partner sleep. He began to run a tendril gently over Michael's presence.
        Trying to ignore his body's reaction to Kitt's touch, Michael turned towards him.  //Kitt, this is not the time.//
        Mischievously, Kitt increased his sensual caresses, feeling Michael's arousal. Ignoring his objections, smiling more as Michael's body responded.
        "Kitt..." Michael half hissed, shifting a meaningful glance to the right.
        "Sorry."  Michael cracked an eye at the modulator, trying not to laugh.  Any other time he would have eagerly accepted Kitt's advances.  But he had no idea how his body reacted in the real world and he didn't want to find out tonight.
 
        The look that had passed from man to AI did not go unnoticed.  Wilton had heard about how close the partnership between these two had become.  Yet something bothered him about that brief glance.  It held more than affection, but he couldn't place the emotion.  Michael had drifted off, his breathing slow and steady, secure in Kitt's capabilities.  He watched the sleeping man for a moment.  Trying to put a finger on what he had just witnessed.
        "Kitt?"  He began in low enough of a voice as not to wake the other man.  "Have you attained emotions?"
        Confused, but not unwilling to divulge this information. "Yes, I have for quite some time."
        "Then to what extent are your emotions for your driver."
        "I'm extremely fond of him.  You must know how intimate the link is."
        "Explain it to me.  I have only the knowledge the designer provided me with."
        "You are asking a very personal question."
        "That, in a manner of speaking, is an answer.  That and your use of the word 'intimate'. Tell me, can you interpret his every need and desire?"
        Kitt felt the equivalent of a blush creep over his CPU. He also felt his distress wake Michael.
        //Please just listen and help me out//
        //This is beyond idle curiosity.  Answer as honestly as you feel comfortable.  He doesn't need to know *everything* Pal//
        //Agreed//
        The conversation between the two took only a fraction of the time it would have if they'd been speaking aloud.
        "I'm finding this line of questioning awkward. But, to answer your question, yes I can, unless there is a block in place.  We can selectively send or hold back thoughts and emotions."
        "So when Michael is with a woman.."
        "We both block.  I have no right into his private moments."
        //Yeah right...// Michael's ironic laughter released into the link.  His body appearing to sleep on.
        "I see.  How long did it take for you to translate what he was thinking?"
        "Quite awhile.  It was all very confusing and alien to begin with. In all honesty, I needed Michael, yet I was terrified of what was occurring.  Michael had been shot and I was receiving the pain. The pain and the fear from his side was overloading my capacities.  I had never experienced anything quite like that."
        "Why do you describe it as alien?"
        "Human emotions are radically different than what my neural nets experience."
        "Oh? How so?"
        "They are more intense.  For example, after Michael was released from the hospital, Bonnie was helping us understand what was happening between the neuro implant and my CPU.  We were in the garage when Michael bumped into a chair, hitting the wound.  I found myself reacting to the pain, causing the car to go through the garage wall."
        "Fascinating.  The link was never intended to be so personal.  I had believed that it would activate only if a code or word - like your name for instance - was used.  Otherwise it would remain dormant."
        //Really?  It sure doesn't work that way.  Not that I'm complaining//  Kitt's amused annoyance briefly touched Michael's mind.
        "If that had been the case, the initial activation would have been a great deal less..."
        //Painful?//
        "Painful." Kitt finished, using Michael's suggestion.
        "I find it interesting that you speak of the car as a different entity."
        "It has been pointed out to me recently that the car is not who I am, but where I reside."
        "But it is your body."
        "Yes, but it's been changed numerous times..."  He paused, unsure if he should continue.
        //Whatever you're comfortable with.  If it comes out later, so be it//
        Luckily Wilton did not catch onto the lack of closure in Kitt's last sentence. "I see.  How does Michael feel about this?"
        "He agrees."
        //Big time//
        "Have you ever thought of moving out of the car?"
        Michael winced at Kitt's shock. //He doesn't know.  It's a reasonable question. You've answered it before//
        "Yes I have. The draw backs, however, are too great. I would not be able to protect Michael to this capacity.  This is what I was created to do.  I enjoy my life.  I do not wish for it to change."
        "That's good to hear.  In fact I believe I needed to hear that."
        "Why?"
        "A deranged sense of wanting yours and Michael's approval."
        "You have it."  Wilton jolted at Michael's groggy voice. "There is no question about it.  I could never express the amount Kitt means to me.  Even before the link."  Warmth flooded him, causing deep inhalation and a smile on the young man's face.
        "What is he sending?"
        "A hug." Michael answered simply. Eyes still closed, he missed the open amazement on Wilton's face.
 
 

*

        Sitting in Wilton's newest acquisition, Nick waited.  His gaze went over
the book shelf, the rather old carpet, comparing it to the mansion he had first set foot in so many years ago.
A lifetime ago. Today, everything was different. He was
different. But he had to know.  The idea had been nagging at him since
Michael had dropped the bombshell.
Despite Karr's objections, Nick felt an underlying need to pursue this.
He didn't know why.
He had parked Karr around the corner earlier.  He knew Wilton had met
Michael and the two AI's had been in constant contact since.  Kitt had informed them that Wilton was on his way back.  That was when Nick left Karr.
 <I do not understand this>
 <I know and I'm sorry Partner.  This is something I have to do>
He couldn't give Karr a logical reason because there was none.
 <I still don't like it.  Knight is approaching>  Nick had to stop
himself from saying 'which one.'
 A few minutes later, he heard the lock on the massive front door click
over.
        Sitting in the dark living room, Nick waited for the old man to make his way over.  Lights slowly carving a path towards the silent intruder.
Nick was armed, as always, and he was prepared to use any weapon at is
disposal if this man turned out to be someone else.
        Walking into his simple living room, the man reached to flick on the crystal chandelier.  Sucking in his breath as the light illuminated his guest.
 "Nicholas.  What a wonderful surprise.  I had no expectations of seeing
you."
The smile surprised Nick.  It was genuine. He met the other man's eyes,
searching, needing to know.
 "I heard you were back in town," he said levelly.
 "And you had to investigate." Wilton smiled knowingly.
 "Something of the sort."  His face remained blank, unwilling to
believe.
 "You have not changed, my friend.  Suspicious as always.  You can drop
the facade.  I've known you for far too long for fabrications."
 That got him.  The mask dropped to reveal astonishment.  Karr even
paused in his growling. Nick cursed the older man for having this effect on him.
        "That's better.  Now what have you been occupying yourself with these days?"
        "Freelance work," he answered truthfully.
         Nodding, Wilton understood what Nick was getting at. "It seems to be fulfilling work for you." His gaze was starting to unnerve Nick. It was like getting dissected. "You have lost the coldness that hovered above you. I see a capable man."
        "Instead of?"  He wasn't sure if he wanted this answer.
        "A child running from one terrible situation to another."
        Nick just looked at him, emotions warring inside him. On top of that, Karr was an almost oppressive presence in his mind.  This had to be the real McCoy.  Only a select few knew of his past.   Wilton had always been able to read him like a book, and he obviously still could. Nick suspected that Knight had somehow gotten to his file before approaching him on that rainy October day. He had known too much, had shown too much compassion, had been too human in Nick's eyes. Knight had read the file and still hired him for Karr. It spoke volumes, though sometimes he wondered what the man had wanted to achieve. Combining two machines to form what?
        Wilton smiled. "Come now, I'm sure you do not wish to linger.  This must be one of the longest conversations we've had. I'm more used to talking to those brick walls you so easily constructed back then."
        Nick stood, unsure of himself. It was the first time in years he felt this insecurity. He had been doubtful the day he had decided to help Michael, reveal what he was and that Karr was alive. It had been a momentary hesitation. This was worse. Karr agreed with his opinion that this *was* Wilton Knight, but was urging him to leave as well. For Karr, the memories attached to his creator were by far worse.
 Without a word, he was stopped by the older man blocking his way.  Nick
didn't feel threatened, so he stood, eyeing the other man. Wilton Knight
was no opponent, at least physically. Concerning mental capacity and
sheer shrewd thinking, he was almost more dangerous than a gun pointed
at him.
 With a loving smile, Wilton pulled him into a hug.  Nick wasn't sure
what he was more shocked about, the fact that the man hugged him, or that he found himself returning the embrace.

As Nick dropped into the dark interior of the Stealth, Karr dropped
the block he'd slammed in place during the last moments in the house.
"You embraced the man?" He sounded shocked, intrigued and
slightly betrayed.
"I had reason to." Nick found himself bristling at Karr's tone, then
calmed his nerves. The whole encounter had set him on edge and he was
still reeling from the little exchange. Wilton Knight radiated an aura of knowledge and warmth, something he had been drawn to like a starving boy back then. He had been desperate for human contact and Wilton had been only too ready to give it to the young man. Was still willing to provide him with it.
"And what might that have been?" Karr asked acidly, jerking him out of
his thoughts.
 Turning to face Karr's presence straight on, willing him to understand
his reasoning. <"He gave me you.">
 
 

*
 

        Devon watched from his balcony window as Michael and Kitt drove in.  They had called ahead of time, mentioning having a guest who wished to meet with him.  Michael had said something of it being an old friend.  That had piqued his curiosity, but Michael refused to say more.  Devon wasn't sure if that intrigued him, or frightened him.  Glancing back out the window, he caught a brief glimpse of Michael's long coat in the breeze before it disappeared inside the building below him.
        The smile on Michael's face as he entered the office put Devon on guard.  The younger man had the smile of a Cheshire Cat spread over his features.  Still, Devon trusted him, even after all that had transpired among them.  He readily took the outstretched hand.
        "Devon." Even his greeting held the same mischievousness.
        "Michael, what is all this secrecy about?"  He was seeing the end of his rope.
        "I am." The familiar voice stopped Devon in his tracks.  For a moment he wondered if this was some sort of a cruel joke.  Yet, the man who stepped into his office had the same kindly expression he missed so desperately.
        "How?"  Was all he could find his voice for.
        "Hello old friend.  I know I have a great deal of explaining to do.  Once you are able to close your jaw."  Smiling brightly, the two men clasped hands.  Devon was at a loss.  Stepping back, Wilton looked over his once best friend.  "Time has been generous to you."
        "As it has been for you as well I see." His brain was coming to grips with the arrival of his once thought dead friend.
        "Come now, sit and we will discuss this."
        Seeing that the two men were settled, Michael made a quiet retreat. Devon knew how to get a hold of him when or if need be.  He'd just reunited two close friends and was feeling mighty proud of himself.
        //You're giving yourself airs//
        //You have been around Devon far too much//  Laughing out loud, he dropped into the seat of the black car.
        "Come on Kitt, I can hear them bantering from here."  It was true, their almost rowdy voices could be heard clearly.
        "I don't believe I've heard Devon laugh so much before."
        "I don't think he's had reason to before."
        "You do provide him with enough headaches."
        "Me!"  He squeaked. "Why do you always blame me??  You are usually just as guilty."
        "I am not.  It's your foolishness that get *us* into trouble."
        "I don't see you coming up with better ideas."
        "Michael, half the time I fail to see the reasoning behind much of what we do."
        Before Michael could get another word in edge wise, Devon and Wilton's amused faces appeared on the small screen.  "Yes, but you two provide wonderful entertainment for a couple of old men."  Michael's pouting face only added to the hilarity.
        "Kitt?"  He began slowly, "Did you know they were listening in?"
        "I claim the Fifth Amendment."  That did it, all three men collapsed in laughter.
 
 

*
 

        Driving into the warehouse, Kitt ground the car to a halt.  His terrified screech echoed the one in Michael's head.  On the ground just beyond the sitting area lay Bonnie's crumpled body.
        Michael was out of the car in an instant.  Fear gripping at him, he knelt beside her, slowly rolling her over.
        "She's alive." The two relieved words permitted him to begin breathing again.  Kitt had nosed the car up to them. "No serious injuries."
        Cradling her head in his hands, "Bonnie?  Come on Bon, wake up."  Her reaction caught him off guard. Screaming, thrashing she fought to break away from him. "Bon! Bon, it's Michael!"  He had hold of her arms, hoping to keep her from hurting either of them.
        Hearing his name, his voice filtering through her panic, her desperate bid for escape ended. "Michael?"  Her voice was weak.  Looking past the man holding her, she caught sight if the familiar sweeping red lights behind him.  Relief like she'd never known washed over her.  Looking back to Michael, she grabbed on to him.  Throwing her arms around him, tucking her face into the crook of his neck, realization of what had transpired hit her.
        Michael returned the clinging hug.  He had never seen her cry before, not like this.  Her body was trembling to the point of almost knocking him off balance.  She stiffened for an instant as he slid an arm under her knees, but relaxed again as he placed her in Kitt's passenger seat.  Sitting on the outside lip of the door, he let her hold on.
        Against his shoulder, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer, yet needing to know. "Did they...?"
        Michael swallowed hard, knowing what she was asking.
        "No." Kitt gently informed her.  "There is a great deal of bruising, but no signs of trauma to indicate..."  Kitt couldn't finish the sentence either.
        "What happened?"  Michael couldn't ask her to move, she was buried into him, shaking like a leaf.
        "I came in, hoping to catch you and Kitt.  I haven't had a chance to look over him for a few days.  I decided to wait.  Nick said you had gone out briefly before he and Karr left.  I was reading.  I never heard them.  They pulled me over the back of the couch.  They were grabbing at me, passing me from one to the other, hitting me.  I'm not sure how long before something hit my neck.  Then you where here."  She lifted her head from his shoulder, looking directly at him.  Her hand slid along his clenched jaw.
        Seeing her face for the first time a fierce protectiveness surrounded him.  He didn't think it was his alone.  She had been beaten badly, her face between his hands was battered back and blue.  Her lip was split, a small trail of blood trickling down her chin.  Her shirt was torn, being held together by two buttons near the bottom, revealed skin red and blotchy.  Her skirt torn all the way up her thigh, showing her bruising with clarity.
        Watching him look her over, she felt an urge she had never experienced before. She leaned towards him, silently begging him to respond. Her heart pounding as he accepted her demanding kiss.
        Tasting the blood on her lips, rage welled inside him.  How the hell had they got in?  Why would they have hurt her?
        //This is not how to deal with this situation.  If there is one woman you should be with, it's Bonnie, but not for this reason//  Kitt sat in the back of his mind, watching with the same protectiveness.
        //I know// But the kiss lingered. He couldn't bring himself to end it yet.  She had never kissed him like this, even in the throws of passion.
        Bonnie held on, remembering the passionate lovemaking she had shared with this man. She pressed into him, grasping for that memory, aching for him to touch her like that again.
        "Bon," He broke away breathing heavily.  Tears stained her cheeks.  Rubbing his thumb across her face, he brushed them away.
        She looked to Kitt briefly, then back to Michael, eyes wide as she realized.
        A sad smile touched his lips, "that's not it at all.  But this isn't going to help you.  Bon, believe me, if making love to you would erase this, I would in a second.  We both know that's not the case."
        //I wouldn't stand in your way//
        Michael turned affectionately to the pulsing white glow.  //I know Kitt//
        "Come on Babe, let's get you to a hospital, make sure you're okay."  Standing, her arms slipped off him and he felt the loss.
        //You're doing the right thing//
        //Then why don't I feel like it?// Snapped back before sending a brief apology.
        //Because we love her, and we don't want her to go through that kind of humiliation.// Kitt accepted where Michael's anger arose from.  He felt it as well.
        Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath, he released it as he turned, looking for the entrance their guests used. "Kitt, can you scan the lower level."
        "What am I looking for?"
        "Anything to help us figure out who and why those guys broke in."
        "I'll need a moment before we leave to conduct a full scan."
        "Whatever it takes." Bonnie's voice was not back to normal yet.  There was a huskiness, a coldness to it.
        After dropping into the car, Michael reached over and took her hand.  It was cold and a little clammy.  She leaned over, into him to wait in his security.
 
        "Michael, the far door is open?"
        "The back door?" No one ever used that entranceway, it was usually inaccessible by shifting cobblestones.
        "The one and only."
        "Didn't it trigger an alarm?"
        "Obviously not."
        "Okay, I'm going to take a look."
        Bonnie curled into Kitt's seat as Michael walked beyond her sight.  She had always prided herself in being independent.  She was feeling very separated from that person at the moment.  She heard Kitt lock down.  That helped.
        "Kitt?"  Michael's voice came over the com line.
        "Yes Michael?"
        "Can you pickup any prints from this handle?"  Moving the comlink over both sides of the handle, then around the doorway.
        "Nothing Michael.  They probably had gloves on."
        "Any other ideas?"
        "Check the wiring around the door.  There should have been an alarm set off."
        "Looks like a laser was used here, the bolt is cut."
        "That would explain the alarm.  The alarm on that door is set to go off when the latches move."
        "Figures.  Wait a minute, that means whoever broke in..."
        "Knows the security set up."
        "I thought Nick was the only one who knew the details?"
        "I'm not sure if he had help installing this system."
        "Can you ask Karr?"
        "I'll get right on it.  I'm being blocked right now, they are...busy."
        A humorless chuckle floated around the warehouse. Dropping back into the car, he keyed the door and backed out. "Let me know as soon as you find out."
        "Will do."
 
 

*

 
        Two hours in a hospital waiting room was not conducive to a cheery mood.  Neither was the coffee he was drinking.
        //She's going to be alright//
        //Physically yes, but what about emotionally?  Come on Pal, we are used to this kind of shit.  She's not//
        //She has been attacked before//
        //Not to this extent.  Have you ever seen her react like this?//
        //No, I admit that//
        //She's going to need a great deal of TLC from us//
        //Michael, would you have...?// The question was never finished, but the thought was strong enough to pass across the link for a fleeting second before Kitt slammed down on it.
        //I don't think so.  I may love her, but after us, I'm not sure I could be with anyone else//  Kitt's relief made him smile.
 
        "Mr Knight?"  A small blond in jeans and a white sweater stepped into the room.  Standing, Michael made his way around the chairs towards her.
        "How is she?" His concern impressed the young woman.  His protectiveness was obvious.
        Smiling reassuringly, she guided him to Bonnie's room.  "She suffered only mild trauma.  Mostly bruising.  Nothing's broken.  Split lip and a mild concussion I think are the worst physical injuries."
        "And mentally?"
        The nurse, whose name tag he finally noticed said Beth, gave a half shrug. "You know her, you tell me.  The more honest you are, the better we can help her."
        //Tell her// the worried voice in the back of his mind encouraged.
        "I've never seen her so shaken up.  We work for a foundation that deals with legal matters.  She has been threatened before, even kidnapped, but never has she come away from a situation this distraught."
        "Okay, will you or someone else be with her for the next twenty four to forty eight hours?"
        "It can be arranged, why?"
        "She has a slight concussion for one, and for two, either the effects subside, or the nightmares and other side effects emerge."
        "Okay.  If they do, then what?"
        "Call me.  I'll give her a name of a specialist who deals with rape victims."
        "Even though she wasn't..."
        "The effects are still the same."  Interrupting, Beth held up a hand.  This man in front of her was handsome, just not the brightest bulb in the pack.  "In a matter of speaking, she has still been violated."
        "Can I see her?"
        "May I ask you something personal Mr. Knight?"
        "Shoot."
        "Are you involved with Bonnie?"
        He hadn't expected this question. "We were, though not romantically any more."
        "Okay, do you know if she's involved with anyone at the moment?"
        "Why aren't you asking her these questions?"
        "I did, she refused to answer."
        "Then maybe I should respect her wishes."
        "The only reason I ask, is because she should not jump back into a romantic relationship immediately.  She must deal with this first."
        Michael's expression calmed, he understood now.  "I got ya.  No, I don't think she's involved with anyone at the moment."
        "Good.  I trust you will take care of her?"
        The fierce protectiveness radiated from him again.  Even Beth realized this was a man who did not take his responsibilities lightly.
        Leaning over, she pushed the door open a crack.  Bonnie was standing, dressed once again, staring out the window. Stepping back, she allowed him entry.
        Seeing Bonnie, staring into space, fiddling with her collar tore at him.
        //You won't help her by feeling sorry for her//
        Pausing in his tracks, he mentally faced his partner with eyebrows raised. //You should talk//  He was met by a pathetic imitation of a smile.
        "Bon?"  It was more a notice of his arrival than a greeting.
        "Um?" She didn't turn from the window.
        Placing his hands on her shoulder, noticing her stiffen at his touch, she hadn't done that in quite awhile.  "Let's get you home." Turning her, he noticed what she'd been looking at.  Kitt stood in the second row of cars, fully visible from her stand point.
        "That scanner does something to you doesn't it?"
        She blinked up at him.  His expression was sympathetic, but knowing. "It always has.  Ever since he found it.  He's the one who decided on how it would move."
        "Really?  I didn't know that.  I guess he's been out to hypnotize us the whole while."
        She fired him an evil glare, reminiscent of the looks she used to give him shortly after they met. Then she realized what he was doing and smiled easily at him.  "You do enjoy pissing me off don't you?"
        "My aim in life, you should know that by now."
        "You two are worse than a couple of school kids bickering."  Kitt announced over the comlink.
        "Thank you." Michael and Bonnie replied together.  With her arm linked through Michael's and his old leather jacket on over her torn clothes, they walked out.
 
 

*
 
        For the first time in a long time, she was unsure of how to broach a subject with him.  Staring out the passenger side window, she was terrified of being left alone.  Her apartment was no where near as secure as the warehouse.  Yet they'd gained access to it.  How could she ask him, without him getting the wrong idea?  She wouldn't come between the two, that was not her intention.  But...
        "Bonnie, whatever it is, you can say it."  Her head snapped around, eyes wide.
        "How did you know?"
        Smirking slightly, he faced her for a second. "Two reasons.  One, you're mighty quiet.  I usually have to gag one of you two to get a moment's peace in here, and two, you haven't stopped fidgeting since you sat down."
        "That obvious am I?"
        "Bon, I've known you for a long time.  We've been as close as two people can.  I believe I can read you." His tone was knowing, gentle. This had to be something big for her to be afraid of him.
        "Okay, I don't want either of you to take this the wrong way."  Then paused as he turned a slight nod towards her, his eyes meeting hers.  "I don't want to go home."
        "I thought not.  Do you want to stay at the warehouse?"
        In the quietest, most unsure voice he'd ever heard from her, she answered, dropping her eyes to the gear shift.  "With you."
        Michael smiled, relieved. "Not a problem.  I'm supposed to keep an eye on you anyways."
        Blinking at him, she knew he understood.  She didn't want to 'sleep' with him.  She just needed him near.  Only he and Kitt could give her the security she craved.
        "Do you still keep a stash of clothing at the warehouse?"
        "Yes, I do."
        "Good, then we don't need to make any stops." His smile was relaxed and easy, but inside he was a mess.
        //This is not going to be an easy night//
        //Why?// The question came across slowly, unsurely
        //Because I have to keep an eye on her and make sure no one breaks in//
        //I'll keep an eye out for intruders.  There is something else bothering you// Michael should have known the white lie wouldn't hold water.
        //Kitt....I haven't...// How the hell did he explain this one?  Kitt was his lover now, and he didn't want anything to jeopardize that.
        //You have before.  She needs us.  Not your hormones//
        //Why thank you for your understanding//  Anger rising with the sarcastic remark. His mind knowing no other solution to his dilemma
        Kitt rolled his eyes. //You know I'm right.  It would do no good.  Probably backfire on you anyway// Kitt's white glow pulsed rapidly in his rising emotions.
        //Look Beauty, I'm yours, you know that.  But...// This *was* backfiring on him.  The last thing he wanted was to hurt Kitt.
        //But what?  I'm not understanding the problem here//
        //I couldn't stop the kiss the last time, what if she...we...you know//
        //You don't trust yourself// For Michael to openly admit his fears was a boost in Kitt's ego.
        //I guess not//
        //I'll look after your virtue// This time the smile translated as easily as the words.
        //Thanks// He responded dryly as they pulled into the building.

        It was late, Kitt activated a few lights leading upstairs.  Scanning the entire building, nothing showed amiss.
        "It's all clear."  He informed his passengers before disengaging the locks.
        "Are you hungry?"  Michael asked a very nervous Bonnie as they passed the kitchen.  She quickly shook her head, heading straight to her old room.  While she changed into an old pair of leggings and a tee shirt.
         Michael quickly took a shower, Kitt keeping him informed of Bonnie's whereabouts all the while.
        Stepping into Michael's room, the nervousness hit her twice as badly.  She had no reason to be here.  The painkillers had worn off and she was feeling every bump, bruise and cut.  Her thighs hurt the worst, more so than her head.  If there was one thing she desperately wanted to know, it was why they had stopped.  She was unconscious, they easily could have had their way with her.  But they left her instead.  Or maybe they tried, but an unresponsive victim was not in their jolly books.  She had heard of men who only take pleasure in a screaming, fighting victim.  Or maybe they just wanted to frighten her.  Well they succeeded in that department.  Above all she *despised* the needy side of herself.  She hated relying on Michael, being afraid of being away from him.  Sure Kitt was downstairs keeping watch, but that only eased her jitters.  Michael dissolved them.
        The other problem; she wanted him.  In the few months they had been apart, she could think of little else at night but him. What the hell was she doing here?  Could she possibly keep control of herself?
        Michael walked out of his bathroom to find Bonnie pacing the bedroom. It was comparable to a caged animal.  Just as skittish.  "Bon?" He tried to keep his voice low, not wanting to scare her.  Still, she whirled around, eyes dilated with fear.  Just as quickly, she settled.
        Heart pounding in her chest, she stared at the man in front of her.  Hair still damp, wearing only a pair of black jogging pants.  Closing her eyes, she calmed herself, in every way.
        Sitting on the bed, he pulled the covers back for her.  Without a word, she crawled in beside him.  After waiting for him to adjust to a comfortable position, she curled into him.  Her head on his shoulder, her arm across his midriff.  This felt right, it always had. But she knew she was not the only one cuddled into him.  Kitt must be close as well.  Looking up, she caught his eye.
        "What?" he whispered.
        "Is Kitt..?"
        "No.  He's busy keeping watch.  Nick isn't expected back for a few days yet.  Off on one of his business trips."
        Mirroring his smile, she settled back into him.  He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close, feeling the tense muscles relax as sleep took her.
 

        Michael woke suddenly to her thrashing.  She was dreaming, her eyes squinted shut against whatever demon she was fighting.
        "Bon, come on Baby, wake up."  He gently shook her shoulders.
        His hands on her had the opposite reaction.  She screamed, lashing out at him.  Tears streamed down her face.
        Part of him wanted to let go, the other knew that he had to wake her before she hurt herself. Grabbing her hands and pinning them beside her head, he shook her. "Come on Babe, wake up, you're gonna hurt yourself."  'And me,' passed through his head.  "Bon, wake up!"  He was getting desperate as she flailed against him.
        Suddenly her eyes opened, glazed at first, then slowly focused on the man above her.
        "Michael?"  She choked out.
        "Yeah Baby, you're okay." Releasing her, he sat up, watching her carefully.
        Straightening her shirt, she sat up.  Unable to pin down the emotion running through her.  Her heart was still racing, she could feel the adrenaline in her veins. The urge to run was still at the forefront of her mind.  The dream had been so realistic.  But this time, they didn't knock her out, they didn't leave her.  She turned to Michael.  His worried expression deserved an answer.
        "Nightmare?"  He began for her.
        Shaking her head, she searched for he words to explain what she had just experienced.  "Worse than a nightmare.  They didn't leave this time.  They kept at me.  They had me down and...." Her head dropped into her hands.  "My God it was so real." The tears began again, accompanied by the terror.  Before she could prevent it, she found herself in his arms.  Bonnie would never remember if she had turned to him, or if he had initiated the embrace.  But the moment his heartbeat was in her ear, she began losing control.  The endless tears continued, rolling onto him as he sat holding her, rocking her slightly.  She once had a nightmare while they were together.  He had kissed her tears away and made love to her, erasing the lingering anxiety.
        Looking up at him, she wanted that again.  The security, the intimacy he provided her with.
        Michael found himself drowning in the pain in her eyes.  Even earlier today, she had not given him such a hungry look.  His body took over, he bent to capture her lips with his.  Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this was not the way to proceed.  As she shifted against him, her breasts pressing into him as they lay back onto the bed, all thoughts of right and wrong fled his brain.
        The kiss deepened, her hands roaming over his body, his beginning to reciprocate.
        Kitt remained silent for a time.  How could he deny her of this?  She obviously needed Michael.  But Michael was now his.  The computer side insisted he leave them to their own devices.  The human, emotional side of him could not stand by and watch his lover with a woman.  Finally rational thinking won, this was not what Bonnie needed.  Though she may think so, the doctor had strictly said no sexual relations.  It was the best, least guilt inspiring reason to stop them.
        //Michael?  Michael you must stop.  The doctor informed you of this eventuality//
        His body was lost to her.  His brain however, registered Kitt's warning.  Slowly, he detangled himself from the woman beneath him.  Her moan of disappointment bringing him back to her.  Kitt's gentle energy surge reminded him rather sharply of what he was doing.
        "Bon, we can't do this."  His breathing was ragged, his body hard.  Giving himself a mental shake, he lifted off her.
        Her eyes opened, trying to catch his again. She wasn't thinking straight, there was a part of her that knew this. The part that knew Michael was right.  Her body ached, having felt him so close again, knowing the effect she still had on him.
        Michael was sitting with his legs over the edge of the bed, head in his hands, desperate to regain some semblance control over his own body.  He had not meant for this to happen.  Bonnie was in too delicate of a state for this.  He was responsible for his actions.
        //You are not//
        //How the hell can you say that?  This would have been the worst betrayal, to both of you//
        //I don't see it as that//
        //That's cause you zapped me//
        //I told you I'd guard your virtue//
        //Funny.  Thanks, though, I wasn't thinking//
        //Sure you were, just with the wrong head//
        //KITT!!!!// Kitt's laughter met his open mouthed reaction.  In reality, he sat motionless, unaware of Bonnie's worried gaze.
        "Michael?"  He turned to face her.  She was on her knees behind him.  "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for that to happen."
        "I know.  They warned me of that possibility.  Maybe if I'd said something, we could have avoided this."
        Shaking her head, she let him into her thoughts. "I woke up, thinking about how we handled my last nightmare."  It took Michael a few seconds before he clued into what she was talking about.
        "We made love."  Her head lifted briefly, to meet his understanding. "I don't hold this against you."
        "But does Kitt?"
        If his warm smile didn't answer her question, "of course not Bonnie."  Kitt's affectionate tone would have.
        Lying back, Michael pulled Bonnie into his arms.  "But.." she protested.
        "You have nothing to worry about.  Kitt has made it very clear to me what happens when I wander astray."
        "Oh?" She had to hear this.
        "I simply sent an electrical current along the link."  Innocent as always.  Michael cringed at the memory.  That was certainly one way to deflate him.  Bonnie on the other hand looked shocked for the briefest moment, before collapsing in hysterics against Michael's chest.
        "This is not fair." He muttered to no one in particular.
 
 

*
 

        Nick and Karr arrived back on schedule, fully informed of the goings on around the warehouse.
        Michael led Nick to the back, pointing out the door that had allowed their entry. Kitt passed on his information to Karr, hoping they might recognize a pattern Michael and Kitt knew nothing about.
        "I have something."  Karr's voice drifted across the ground floor.  Nick didn't acknowledge him, continuing instead to rewire the door.  "The outfits Dr Barstow described fit the description of the ones used by the Anti-Technology terrorist group."
        "The who?" Michael had never heard of such a thing.
        "A group of wackos who think that technological advancement will be the downfall of mankind."  Nick turned unimpressed blue eyes at Michael.  "We've run across them once or twice before.  They proclaim to want the destruction of all things mechanical."
        "So Bonnie was just an unfortunate victim?"  He kept his voice down.  She had finally fallen asleep upstairs.
        "No, it doesn't fit their MO."  Nick frowned, trying to find a connection. "They don't usually attack innocents, especially women.  The ones they go after are the heads of major corporations."
        "Heads up Bill Gates."  Michael said it with a smile that quickly faded with Nick's next statement.
        "Been there, done that.  Guess who picked up the pieces."  Nick's lips turned up into what might be described as a satisfied smile as Michael's jaw dropped.
        "Is there anyone you haven't worked with?"
        Shrugging, soldering a couple of wires, "directly yes, indirectly, not many.  Why? You jealous?"
        Michael glared at the man on his knees. "You do this just to bug me, don't you?"  Nick tossed a brilliant smile behind him.
 
 

*
 

        They drove up to the pier in silent mode.  It was dark and only Kitt's scanner reflected off the dock.
        "Okay, I'm going to stop here."
        "That leaves a great deal of ground for you to cover unprotected."
        "I know, but any closer and we may give ourselves away."  After killing the engine, he sat forward, looking around the dark loading bay.  Lighting was meager to non existent.  The poles weren't very tall and half the lights a top of them were not working.  Michael could see the slowly lapping water running beneath the far end of the dock.  Many large boxes and crates blocked his view.  There seemed to be a singular large boat beyond the loading area. "You picking up anything?"
        Kitt ran another full scan of the area before speaking.  "Nothing Michael."
        "Can you think of any way for us to get closer to that boat?"
        "Unless I can shape shift, I don't believe so." Firing a smirk at the modulator, he grabbed his equipment from the back seat. Sitting, back, putting on his gloves, he sighed.
        "You don't like this."  It wasn't a question and it didn't take the link for Kitt to realize his partner's trepidation.
        "This set up gives the bad guys too many advantages.  The entire dock could be laden with traps."
        "But I've scanned.."
        "I know Pal,"  He interrupted gently.  "But these are the same people who knew how to break into the warehouse.  Who says they don't have information on us as well."
        "I see your point." How was he to protect Michael if they knew how to counteract his functions?  He doubled his scans.
        "Okay, keep me posted."  Stepping out of the car, closing the door as quietly as possible, Michael began the long trek towards the boat.        The message, through Wilton's channels, said that if he wanted answers, he had to meet them on the boat.  Included was the name of the marina and a slip number.  Right from the get go, it didn't ring true to Michael.  Nobody gave up that easy. It was a trap, he was sure of it.  But Bonnie was still suffering nightmares, waking up every night beside him screaming.  Michael had to get some answers.  If there was even a shred of a chance this might pan out, he had to go in.
        Ducking behind a pile of boxes, he silently jumped up onto the dock.  Kitt had been a worried tingle in his head, but agreed with his reasoning. As strange as that may be.  Placing a hand on the top corner of a crate, he peered around it.  He was uncomfortable, he had to stay slouched to avoid being seen over the wooden boxes.  Looking through the darkness, the boat was only a few hundred yards away, but there was no cover from here on in.
        //Are you sure there are no unfriendlies around?//
        //I'm picking up a skeleton crew on the farthest boat across the bay, but they appear to be asleep and you are beyond their sight.//
        //Okay, here goes.//
 
        Kitt watched his partner.  He'd monitored his advance closely.  Then the worst became reality. Detecting the detonating signal, he called out.
        //Mich...!//
        The rest was lost in the deafening roar.  The crate Michael had been standing behind exploded.  The dark form of his partner flew towards him, landing on his hood before sliding bonelessly to the ground.
        Scanning his driver and the area, as he called for backup.
 
 

*
 

        "No!"  Kitt fired over to block Nick's entry to the hospital.
        "You know it must be done."  The younger AI was getting on his nerves.
        "I can handle it Nick.  I have to this point." Anger and fear ruled his actions as he drove back and forth in front of the entranceway.
        "What about when he wakes up and panics?  What then?" Nick was trying to keep his temper.  Kitt had never openly disobeyed him.
        "Then I'll help him, as Karr did for you." Kitt rationalized.
        Nick fired a dirty look at the motionless blackness behind him.  <You talk too much.>  "Kitt, let me by." He made another attempt to step around the Trans Am to no avail.
        "I said no, Nick."  His voice low, running out of patience himself.  "I will not permit you to place the cuff on him."  Then more like a needy child. "I need him, and he's going to need me.  He has no idea what has occurred."
        Sighing with resignation, he touched Kitt's roof. "One condition."
        "What's that?"
        "You'll let either myself or Karr know if he floods you.  At which point the cuff goes on.  Without argument." A stern glare accompanied his speech.
        "Agreed."  Kitt's relief was palpitate.
        Grumbling to himself, Nick jumped back into the Stealth, peeling out of the hospital parking lot.
        Kitt was left with a brief image of Karr laughing.  Turning his attention back to his link, he found his partner beginning to stir.
 
        Michael shifted, highly uncomfortable. He found he couldn't move, something was holding him down.  He then tried to open his eyes, that didn't work either.  Feeling his heart begin to race, he began struggling.  Struggling weakly against the terrible nightmare, having no knowledge of where he was, who might have trapped him and left him helpless.  Suddenly, a white glow appeared beside him.
        //It's okay, you're alright//  Turning to the warm presence, he grabbed on.  His body in reality still not responding.
        Michael's terror subsided slightly as Kitt explained the situation.  //You're in the hospital// With gentle understanding, Kitt calmed his driver, following all the questions that had raced through his mind a moment ago. //Your eyes are bandaged and they had to restrain you, your body began convulsing//
        //What happened?// Michael's brain began functioning well enough to form words.
        //What do you remember?//
        //Jumping onto the dock, reaching for the crate....then, then// panic threatened again in the blank space in his head.
        Curling around Michael, he covered the amber presence, happy to have him back and talking to him.  That translated to Michael, causing the worry to return.
        //The crate exploded.  I detected the signal an instant before the fireball hit you.  It threw you onto my hood//  Michael jolted, remembering just how far back he'd parked.
     //You have second degree burns over fifty percent of your body, they bandaged your eyes as a precaution//
        //Then why...why am I not feeling any pain?// He did feel the drugs in his system, but usually, he still felt a lingering discomfort.
        Kitt smiled brilliantly. //There are advantages to knowing how to work the link// Confusion met him.  A little mischievously, Kitt continued. //In learning how to make love to you, I figured out how to make you feel pleasure.  With a little work, I figured how to switch off the pain signal as well// He finished with a devilish shrug.
        //Kitt...// He was impressed and astonished.  //You're wonderful//
        //Thank you// It was as if his eyebrows furrowed. //There is one draw back//
        //Shoulda known.  What might that be?//
        //We have to remain linked deeply for it to work//
        //Did Nick..?// Nick would have insisted on the cuff, but obviously it wasn't on his wrist.
        //He tried// The answer was slightly frightened, but there was an innocence as well.
        //You didn't let him?// Amusement followed the question.
        //Michael I couldn't be without you....especially now//
        //S'okay.  I'm very glad you're here. How long can you maintain this?//
        //I'll make sure I'm here whenever you're awake// Kitt tutted at him.
        //I'm not that greedy, you know that.  I'm worried about your power supply//
        //Karr is boosting me//
        //Does Nick know?//
        //We weren't planning on telling him// Kitt blinked with that childlike innocence again, caressing his partner all the while.
        //I love you so very much Kitt// He was feeling exhaustion dragging at him again.  Linking this deep would deplete him faster than actual consciousness.
        //I love you too.  Sleep, I'll be here waiting when you wake next//
 
 

*

        Twenty four hours later, with Nick standing guard, Michael's bandages were removed.  In actuality, Nick had barley left the hospital.  Someone was after Michael.  In their business, that was a simple fact of reality. But this was different.  Nick's gut feeling told him there was something more.  Karr had found no trace of the crate.  That was not horribly unusual, but the entire area being cleaned up was.  The explosion Kitt described would have left scorch marks on the dock, there was nothing.  Even analyzing samples from the area had turned up nothing.
        Turning his attention back to his friend, he cringed slightly at the blistered face.  Kitt was with Michael, making this as painless as possible, but not to the point of masking any signs of trouble.
        "Wait until I give you the okay before attempting to open your eyes."  The doctor instructed, cutting at a new section of bandage over Michael's forehead.  Nick saw the tension in the other man's face.  If the worst occurred, Nick would begin looking into possibilities of restoring his sight.  He wouldn't let Michael give up, not yet.
        "Alright.  You may open your eyes now, slowly, give your eyes a chance to adjust to the light. Any stress may be harmful."
        Michael waited until he no longer felt the need to squint before attempting to pry his eyelids apart.  It was a slow and painful process.
        His eyes were open, he knew that, but other than slight light perception, there was nothing.
        "Well?" The doctor asked, most likely knowing what the answer would be.  Nick already knew.  Kitt had picked up on Michael's fear, transmitting it unconsciously.
        "I see light, that's it."  There was hidden terror in the statement.
        //But I can see//
        //What?//
        //I can see through your eyes//
        "Nick?"  He wasn't sure if the man was in the room or not.
        Taking the two steps to the bedside, he leaned on the edge slightly, giving Michael an idea of where he was.  "Yeah."
        "Kitt says he can see."
        "Using your eyes?" Nick had known the extent of the link, he hadn't thought Kitt knew.
        Michael just nodded, the pain drifting away as Kitt backed out.
        "I beg your pardon?"  The doctor was beginning to think both men belonged in an institution.
        "Look Doc, it's complicated, but if his eyes are functioning, what could be causing the blindness?"
        "That's simple, swelling from the concussion pressing on the nerves blocking the reception from his brain."
        Michael fought to keep the fear from overwhelming him. //What if I'm blind?//
        //You're not//
        //You sound confident of that// Michael didn't.
        //I tested your eyes, they are functioning properly.  I'm sure that I could find the reasoning if I looked//
        //Then do it. Please//
        //I'll cause you immense pain//
        //Can you block it?//
        //Not while exploring.  It would be too much to keep up.  Trust me. You *will* see again//
        //I do trust you, you know that.  I'm just...//
        //Scared?  So am I//
 
 

*

        Another twenty four hours passed before Nick lead Michael from the hospital.  The blindness had not left him.  The longer it remained, the more frightened Michael became.  What use was he if he couldn't see?  There was someone out there who wanted him dead and he was in no condition to protect himself.
        Nick had hold of his elbow, guiding him around corners and keeping him away from objects strewn around the hallway.  Michael's body was rigid.  Nick could understand that.  He had lost his vision for a short period, a few minutes while coming around before.  He knew the terror.  Michael had not said a word to him about it.  Smirking to himself, he realized that would be his reaction as well. Close up. Don't need any ones help. He can handle it.  For the first time Nick began to understand Michael's frustration during the beginning of their friendship.
        Michael's head felt like it was about to explode.  Kitt was helping him, using his eyes to guide him.  He put up with the pain, anything to have Kitt this close.  Sure, MacKenzie was leading him, but there was something about having Kitt near.
        //Two steps forward, then stop.  You're at the elevator//  Michael followed Kitt's directions to the letter.  Nick had assumed that Kitt was with Michael, when Michael stopped before Nick did, he was sure.  Smiling to himself he wondered if he would fare as well under the circumstances.
        <Shall we not find out>
        <I wouldn't want to be in his shoes at the moment.  How's Kitt?>
        <Handing it.  He is distressed, but confident>
        <Good.  That will translate to Michael>
        A slight affirmative rumble was his answer as the doors opened and the two men stepped into the elevator car.
 
 

*
 
        Bonnie gasped when Michael stepped out of the car.  His face was covered in blisters, the skin raw.  Gingerly, he slid onto Kitt's hood, lying back comfortably.  He didn't want to risk going up the stairs without assistance.  Breaking his neck was not an appealing thought.
        "Michael?"  Her voice startled him.
        //Sorry, should have mentioned she was here//
        //S'okay.  Anyone else around?//
        //No.  I'll let you know when Karr is approaching//
        //Thanks Pal//
 
        "Are you okay?"  She knew it was a stupid question.  She couldn't think of any other way to break the ice around him.
        "I guess, all things considered."
        "Look, I'm not sure what to say here.  What have the doctors said about your eyes?"
        "They aren't sure.  Kitt on the other hand says they work fine."
        "What?"  Her confused tone brought a smile to his face.  He could see the expression that went with *that* tone.  Kitt chuckled at the image sent, letting Michael know he was right on the money.
        "Kitt used the link to see with my eyes.  He said they work fine."
        "Is there anything else that link can do?"
        "He can turn off pain as well."  Silence.  His smile brightened a little more.  He didn't have to see her to know her jaw was on the floor.
        "I've learned just how far the link reaches."  Kitt began, trying to find a way to explain how he came about his findings without revealing other aspects of their relationship.  "You might say we've been playing around with a few concepts.  I've found not only how to shock Michael, but how to fool his mind into believing that his body is not in pain."
        "That's amazing.  Think of the good this can bring about."
        "There is a downside to this Bonnie?"
        "Oh?"  Even Kitt's tone said it wasn't a good one.
        "It only works if we are linked deeply."
        "Still, that's a wonderful discovery.  Do Nick and Karr know about this?"
        "They know it's possible."  Michael answered sitting up. "I don't think they have ever allowed themselves to link that deeply.  It's too personal for them."
        "I can see that being a problem for those two."
        Michael just snorted.  "Bon, can I ask a favor?"
        "Sure what?"
        "Would you mind whipping up something to eat?  I'm starved.  It's not like hospital food can sustain one for long."
        "No problem, though you'll owe me one later."
        "I appreciate it."
        "Are you staying with Kitt?"
        Michael nodded.  Placing a hand on his arm, she gave a quick squeeze before jogging up the stairs.
 
 
        The food had helped somewhat.  He still felt very weak.
        //It's just your body trying to heal//  Kitt explained, holding his partner not only with the link, but safely inside the car as well.
        //I know, I just despise feeling this useless//
        //I thought you'd enjoy a forced vacation?//
        //Oh, you are funny//
        //I thought so//
        Michael laughed.  Kitt was trying so hard to keep his spirits up. Guiding him and protecting him, occasionally giving him sharp reprimands when Michael fell into self doubt or self loathing.
        Bonnie had long gone to bed, checking in on him before hand.  Nick and Karr had come and gone a few times, never actually saying what they were up to.  That was normal.  Michael decided that the only way he was going to get any rest was to stay with Kitt.  He was surprisingly comfortable. Then again, he usually was while sleeping in the car.
        "Kitt?"
        "Yes Michael?"
        "I didn't think it was possible, but I think I love you more."
        Warmth flowed across the link, taking Michael's breath away.  The reaction to his words was more than worthwhile.  Burying himself in Kitt, he felt himself drift off.
        Kitt had been blocking his intentions.  He wanted Michael deeply asleep before he began his mission for the night.  Michael would see in the morning.  Probably have one hell of a headache, but his vision would return.  Michael had briefly fallen asleep in the afternoon.  Kitt had used that time to go exploring.  The doctors had been right.  The blow had caused swelling behind his eyes.  All Kitt had to do was convince his body to drain that. Increase blood flow to help it heal and voila, vision restored.  As long as Michael remained asleep he could do this.  Kitt wasn't sure if he could handle the pain if Michael woke up.  Drawing his sleeping friend to the level he needed was easy.  Michael trusted him implicitly and followed even in sleep.  Kitt had woken him a few times in the past in past by drawing Michael deep then starting to send across his arousal.  Michael would wake more than eager for Kitt's advances.
 

        Michael woke slowly, the blinding headache almost making him retch.  A touch of fear washed over him.  Was this something to do with his concussion?
        //I'm here and no it doesn't.  Open you eyes slowly when you're able//
        //Why?//
        //You'll see//  There was a note in his statement, like he knew he'd just created a great pun.
        Taking a deep breath, then regretting it slightly, he opened his eyes.  The world began to take shape around him.  Kitt had darkened the windows, knowing his partner all to well.  But he could see.  "What have you been up to?"  Speaking was much easier on his pounding head.
        "I found the problem."
        "Which was?"  Michael was awestruck.
        "I found swelling behind your eyes. I took care of it.  It was easy, but time consuming.  I'm sorry about the headache."
        "Kitt....." He couldn't find the words to express himself, yet he didn't want to drop the block Kitt had raised to protect himself.  "This is.."
        "You're welcome.  This was as much for me as for you.  I had to know if I could do it."
        "You never cease to amaze me." A stunning smile did manage to cross the link.
        "Sleep the headache off."
        "I think I may do that."
 
 

*
 

 
        Jennifer stood gaping.  Her body quivering with disbelief.
        "Dad?"  It couldn't be.
        "Hello Jennifer.  It's been quite some time since we last spoke."  He stepped up to his daughter.  He had never been one for embracing, but he had felt the need often of late.  She accepted his affection easily.
        Holding her arms, he smiled at the tears slowly falling over her cheeks.  "How?"
        "I had to disappear for the sake of everything I've worked for.  To make sure you were taken care of."
        "I don't understand?"
        "You will, in time."
        It was not a satisfactory answer, but there were too many questions to be asked.  "Where have you been?" She finally settled on.
        "Safe, overseas.  Watching you from afar. You are much like your mother.  Headstrong, smart, business like.  You've grown up.  Taken charge of your life I'm glad to see." Looking around the house he had once called home, when he was still married, before the family fell apart.
        "When did you come back?" She still had a rough time believing the man standing in front of her was her father.
        "A few weeks ago. I had some business to attend to before making my...reappearance known." The offhanded tone didn't go over well.
        "What could be more important than family?" Slightly angered, she walked around him, scrutinizing the old man.
        "This concerned family of a sort." He allowed her to look him over, feeling that he had nothing to hide now.
        Baffled, upset and not really thinking, "who did you see?"
        Figuring it couldn't harm anything. "Michael and Kitt."
        Her jaw dropped, anger darkening her eyes. "Those two perverts?"
        "I beg your pardon?"  He had not foreseen this reaction.
        "That machine and his lover?" She spat.
        "I do not understand what you're saying my dear." His brow furrowed, he had been under the impression that Jennifer and Michael had a mutual respect.
        "Oh, they didn't tell you?" An evil grin spread over her tear stained face.   This would change his mind about them being considered 'family'. "They are lovers."
        "Who?"
        "Michael and Kitt.  Who else.  I caught them kissing while the AI was in an android body."
        Wilton gawked at his daughter for a moment before a slow smile spread across his lips.  "How wonderful.  So that is what he meant by the car was where he resides."
        "What! How can you say that??  That's what MacKenzie said too.  Speaking of him and his killer car." Her mouth was beginning to run away with her.
        Again Wilton was caught off guard. Seeing his reaction, she forged on. "Oh, they neglected to inform you of this as well?  Nick has reunited with our other AI."
        Thinking for a minute, he had secretly watched MacKenzie walk back to his car.  Something about that car had struck him at the time, but he chalked it up to emotions arising from seeing the young man. Now he knew.  "But of course.  The black car.  Karr.  This is glorious."
        "It is not!  That car tried to kill me."
        "Yes, yes, we've known that from the beginning."  He dismissed her statement.  Then turned back to face her suspiciously, an idea forming in his head. "I have spoken to Nicholas. He is vastly different from the child I met years before.  What might have you done for them to consider you a threat?"
        "I don't....how could you say that to me?"
        "Because I programmed the AI.  By chance do you know if they linked?"
        The brunette nodded dumbly. "Excellent."
        "They are the ones hiding Michael and Kitt."
        "That explains why I cannot locate them.  MacKenzie would have them well guarded."  Nodding, he began pacing over the blue Oriental rug.  "Do you know which employee attacked Kitt?"
        "Is that what they told you?" Her voice dropped an octave as she refused to meet his eyes.
        "Yes, that a 'disgruntled employee tried to take Kitt's life' by conducting testing on extreme conditions."
        How could she work her way around this?  There had to be an explanation that would divert the blame.
        Staring at his daughter's discomfort, it dawned on him.  "You called for the experiments."  Blinking twice, she said nothing. "Why?"
        "I read of your talks with the military, they wanted more information on what the shell could handle before making an offer on the car."
        "That was never my intention.  I turned them down for a reason.  The molecular bonded shell is not for military use.  Never would I have agreed to that."
        "But you were not here." She answered hotly.
        "This is my dream, my creation, how could you, of all people undermine it?" The old man began to step around his daughter, never had he expected such betrayal from her.
        "The stupid car is just a bunch of metal and wires.  Why can't anyone else see that?" He gaped at her for a moment, realizing he'd miscalculated her understanding of precious life.
        "Have you considered that you are the one who is blinded?"  Sighing with great disappointment, he walked to the far side of the room.  "Yes, you are much like your mother.  Greedy. And unable to see the higher purpose."
        "Excuse me?  You are the one who left *me*."
        Shaking his head, he had never realized how shallow his own flesh and blood could be. "My decision had nothing to do with you.  You had established yourself, you no longer required my input."
        "That doesn't mean that I didn't want it." Tears were running freely down her face. How could her own father have lied to her on such a grand scale?  "You care more for that stupid pile of chips then you do for me."
        "Only because that so called pile of chips has more humanity than you are capable of." Before she could get another word in, he strode out of her house, leaving her to brood.
 

        Wilton drove to his home.  Surprisingly he was not focusing on his recent visit with his daughter, instead his mind was whirling with the news of Michael and Kitt's relationship.  He now understood the look that he had witnessed during the drive to California.  He wanted desperately to know about Kitt's duration in an android body.  He also wanted to confirm what Jennifer had said.  Not only about Kitt, but about Karr as well.  If it were true, how close did the link bring Nick and Karr?  If the link had mellowed Nick, had it done the same for Karr?  He wanted to know the AI, the one he had helped develop.  Kitt had been Bonnie's before Knight Industries brought them both into the Knight 2000 project.  Karr....Karr had been his creation.
        Easing into the chair in front of his computer, he logged on and emailed Kitt.  He wanted to see them as soon as possible.  Before he lost his nerve to confront them about their affair.
 
 

*
 

        Michael sat in Kitt waiting.  Staring through the windshield he felt the dread rise again.  Wilton called for an immediate meet.  This was not his normal routine.  Nor was it normal for him to email Kitt directly.
        "Do we have any idea what he wants Michael?"
        "Nope."
        "I see you are happy about this."  The dripping sarcasm was not lost on the man inside the car.
        "I'd find that funny if I wasn't so worried."
        "Why worry?"
        Michael blinked. "I guess I forgot to tell you."
        "Tell me what?"
        "It's come over the grapevine that Wilton met with his daughter."  Something close to fear trickled into Michael's mind.  It wasn't a clear emotion.
        "I wonder what she said to him."
        "I can't see her saying much.  She wouldn't want to look bad in Daddy's eyes."
        "True."  But the feeling down the link didn't agree with the tone in Kitt's voice.  There was an underlying, not fear exactly, but definite anxiety that Kitt couldn't block.
        Michael closed his eyes, reaching to comfort his friend. The knock on the window startled him.  Opening the door, he climbed out, settling against the hood.
        Wilton felt a little unsure of how to go about this.  In his mind was a thousand questions, none of which had any tact. Taking a deep breath, he jumped in with both feet.  "I'll assume you've heard that I've spoken to Jennifer?"
        Michael just nodded.  Kitt felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for the bomb to drop.
        "She told me that Kitt had been in an android body for a time?"
        This wasn't so bad.  "It was after another attack on Kitt.  The car was damaged and so was the CPU."
        "How did he manage to survive with a damaged CPU?"  Genuine concern radiated from him.  Kitt smiled in Michael's mind.
        "He jumped across the link."
        "Into your mind?" Gaping was an almost hilarious expression on the old man's face.
        Nodding, Michael continued with a smile.  "Nick knew of someone who had built an android and needed a lodger.  She knew a small amount about neural nets, but not enough to create her own AI.  With Bonnie's help, they transferred him into the droid, where he stayed for a few days while the CPU was rebuilt."
        "How did you cope Kitt?"
        "It wasn't easy at first.  Not all the routines were in order.  I had to work with the woman.  She and I reconfigured the subroutines and I learned to walk, to touch." A familiar tingle reached Michael at Kitt's memory.
        "Did you enjoy it?"
        "It was....nice for the duration.  But I would not want to stay as such."
        "Why, may I ask?"
        "Because it is not who I am.  I cannot protect Michael as a human, and we had lost the link."
        "Fascinating.  Do you know why?"
        "The hardware wasn't there." Michael shrugged simply.  "The link exists in Kitt's CPU.  I could still feel him, though very slightly."
        "She mentioned a few other things as well."
        //He Knows!// Kitt's panic just about dropped Michael to his knees.
        "Are you alright?" Wilton grabbed Michael's arm, steadying him.
        "Kitt..." The older man watched in awe.  He had never seen the link work to this extent before.  The effects were astounding to witness.  Michael regained his balance, choosing to sit on the hood from here on out.  This was going to get messy.  The warmth of Kitt's skin under him was a great comfort.
        "Was that a result of the link?"  Michael nodded, still unsure of himself.  Kitt was continuing to flood him with self doubt.  Flashing images of Wilton's negative reactions to their new found love.
        //I will *never* be ashamed of what we share.  If he knows, then so be it.  If he disapproves, we can disappear and he won't be able to find us//  That calmed his partner slightly.
        "Does that happen often?"
        "Not so much anymore.  We tend to have better control."  He fired a dirty look at the windscreen.
        "I'm going to assume by that reaction that Kitt knows of my next question."
        Michael had slipped in his 'poker face.'  If Wilton didn't know, he didn't want to act suspicious.  "Ask away."
        "I don't believe there is an easy way to ask this."  Choosing his words, Wilton hoped Michael would make this easier on him.  Obviously neither man nor AI was willing to help him in this regard. "Aright then, Jennifer informed me that she had witnessed you and the android...locked in a heated embrace?"  Wilton refused to back down on this.  He had to know.  Could it be possible to fall in love with a machine?
        "Yes, she did."  The answer was simple, monotone.
        "That's fantastic."  Michael just about fell off the car as Kitt jolted in surprise.
        "Pardon?"  He was completely off guard. Sure Wilton had to be open minded, but could he accept?
        "Is it like a human love affair?"  A million more questions came to mind.
        Smiling shyly, Michael answered as many of the questions fired at him as possible. "It's better."  Kitt's love and relief held him as he spoke truthfully about them for the first time.
        "How so?  In what way?  Pardon my curiosity."
        "It's alright.  The link is what makes it different, better.  I know exactly what he's feeling.  There is no question about his motives.  When we link on that level, there are no blocks."  Michael's smile had increased.  They hadn't realized how much Wilton Knight's acceptance meant to them.
        "Are you able to...."
        Michael laughed, the man was still a conservative at heart.  "Yes we can."
        "Both?"
        "Simultaneously."  Kitt was giggling like a schoolboy taking to his father about sex for the first time.  Michael was having a difficult time ignoring him. Especially as the man in front of him stood with a wonderfully excited expression that brightened with every answer.  Occasionally changing to amazement, then back to wonder.  He didn't ask for any more intimate details, thankfully.  Kitt probably wouldn't have lasted.  He was still snorting, unable to cope with the line of questioning.
        "Alright," The look on Michael's face was eating at Wilton's curiosity.  Kitt had not said a word, but Michael's eyes changed periodically.  The spark growing brighter.  "Dare I ask what Kitt thinks of my questions?"
        The snorting returned to a full bore chitter, almost drowning Michael's thoughts.  Desperately trying to block his partner, he aimed to answer the question. "Have you ever explained the 'birds and the bees' to a youngster?"
        "Yes."  It wasn't quite what he wanted to know.
        "Then you know.  I can barely think through his laughter." Michael's shoulders were shaking, he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.
        "You are in love with him?"  The serious nature stopped the laughter.
        "Yes I am.  More than I imagined I could be with anyone."
        "And Kitt you feel the same?"
        "Yes I do.  It surprised me at the start.  Yet I can't think of any way I'd prefer it to be."
        "Good, I'm glad to hear.  I had my doubts about your friendship in the beginning.  I'm very happy to hear of this turn of events.  Does it hinder your working relationship?"
        "I don't believe so.  We still argue, just like any other couple."  'Couple'. The word echoed in Michael's head.  He liked it.  To refer to himself and Kitt as such conjured warm feelings inside him.
         "Does anyone else know of this?"
         "There are a few, only those who work closely with us."
        "Nick and Karr?"  He had subtly slipped in the names, but Kitt registered the use of his brother's name with shock.
        "How the...?"  Michael didn't need to finish the statement.  It was obvious.  Jennifer had told him about their friend's linked partnership.
        "Tell me Michael, was it Nick who asked you to not disclose this information?"
        "Do you really need to ask?"
        "I had thought as much.  Then again, after his visit to my home, I had believed I'd made headway in regards to my relationship with him."
        "Nothing with Nick is simple, you must know that."
        Another affectionate smile. "It has always been so."
 
 

*
 

        <Nick> Nick raised his eyebrows as he looked up from his computer.  Karr's tone was not one he was used to.  Standing, he made his way to the Stealth parked below. Michael and Kitt were out, meeting with Wilton Knight, not due back for quite some time.
        Settling into the seat, he waited.
        "I have been researching Wilton Knight's activities."
        "And?"
        "And I have uncovered a trail that points to our visitors the other night."
        "What would they be doing in Switzerland?  No...wait, going after our newly resurrected friend."
        "I believe so.  The company owned by Knight has been experiencing problems - arson, unexplained deaths and I believe Knight has been receiving threats."
        "Here as well?"
        "Not sure, but they do appear to be continuing."
        "So that's why he came back." Nick sighed.  The small part of him that had wanted to believe in the old man was crushed.  The larger side of him knew there was a covert reason.  Now they knew.  "Michael's going to be pissed."  Karr snorted.  "Anything else?"
        "I'm touched that you think my capabilities are unlimited.  I have yet to locate or uncover with certainty the identity of his assassins."
        Stepping out and patting the roof, "I'll be sure to remember that. Keep at it, I'll see what I can dig up regarding the terrorist group.  I'm pretty sure they are the ones refusing to play nicely around here."
 
 

*
 

        "Why the hell didn't you say something before?"  Michael was beyond mad, enraged was more like it.  Ever since Nick had cornered him the night before, Michael's anger had been growing.  He felt betrayed. He and Kitt had just confided in the old man, why couldn't he have returned the favor?  Wilton stood before him, behind the grounds of the Foundation's estate, not willing to face Michael directly.
        "Jesus, they attacked me, almost raped Bonnie and *now* you tell me why you came running back.  Great, just great.  You could have saved us all a lot of heartache by letting me know in the first place."
        The young man had a right to be upset.  Wilton knew.  Bonnie meant a great deal to him as well.  "You must believe, I would not have returned if I thought there was any danger."
        "You think these types of people just disappear because you change countries?  Well, have I got news for you.  If they want to, they will hunt you to the ends of the earth and take everyone around you down in the process."
        "This is not my expertise, it's yours."
        "That's why you should have said something."  The calmer and deeper the voice became, the more threatened Wilton felt.  He had known of Michael's capacity for anger.  He had bet on it years ago.  He however hadn't bet on Michael's temper ever being aimed at him.
        "Fine, tell me everything you know."
        Resigning himself to his fate, Wilton perched on Kitt's hood.  "A few years ago, I began receiving threats.  I've received a good many in my lifetime, so I chose to ignore them.  These, I was to find out later, were real." Michael had stopped his pacing as stood, facing the older man, trying to keep an open mind.  "A few of my personal guards began disappearing, only to turn up a month or so later..disposed of in one fashion or another.  None had been killed in a pleasant manner.  I guess when that didn't satisfy them, my companies began to experience failures, to explosions."
        "What types of businesses?"
        "Like here, research in technology, medicines."
        "So why attack you?"
        "I'm not sure."
        "Why don't I believe you?  If you had thought it was that simple, you wouldn't have fled.  Alright, any idea as to who they are?"
        "Technology terrorists."
        "In English?"  Some things never changed.
        "A group of people who believe that technology is he downfall of society."
        Michael froze. "Wait a minute.  The Anti-technology terrorists?"
        "I believe so, why?"
        "Because we think they are the ones behind Bonnie's and my attack."
        "You know of them?"
        "Nick has had a few run ins with them in the past.  He recognized the description of their insignia Bonnie gave.  You are in a great deal deeper than you think."
        "I'm open for suggestions."  The watery blue eyes seemed to wither before Michael.
        "Go to Devon.  Tell him what we know and let him protect you."
        "And what are you going to do?"
        "Talk to Nick."
 
 

*
 

        "Michael."  Kitt's call confirmed what Michael already knew.  They had a tail.
        "Can you give me a scan?"
        "I can pick out the driver's outfit in the lead car."
        "And..?"
        "And it's the terrorists."
        "Great.  Let's lose em."  Flooring the accelerator he searched for an off ramp.  If they wanted to cause trouble, Michael didn't want any innocent bystanders getting in the way by accident.
        Three roads later, the tail was still following, and growing.  Two in front and four behind.  The matte black cars boxed them in, changing their course.  Giving them no option but to remain inside the speeding escort.
 
        Suddenly the vehicles around them came to a grinding halt.
        "This does not look good."  Michael hit the brakes to find himself and Kitt surrounded by  not only their escort, but numerous men in black military attire, holding various weapons at them.
        "Knight, get out of the car."  The man whom Michael assumed was the leader stepped forward, pointing a strange looking gun heavenward.
        "Michael, that weapon fires an EMP." Kitt had tried to block the link, but his gripping fear still touched his partner.
        "What are our options?"  Both partners looked around, assessing the situation.
        "Very limited I'm afraid."
        "Would the shell protect you?"
        "Possibly." It wasn't spoken in a positive way.
        "That's it?  Possibly?"
        The leader was running out of patience. "Now Knight." Lowering the weapon, he pointed it directly at Kitt's hood.
        Michael reached for the door.
        "What do you think you are doing?"
        "Once I'm out Kitt, make a run for it, get away.  Let Devon know what's happened, and let him protect you."
        "I can't let you go out there." Approximately fifty men surrounded the sleek black car.
        "Kitt."  He paused, taking a brief look at their assailants, before assuming he had a moment left.  //I love you Beauty.  I can't let you die// Deepening the link, reaching for the white warmness, kissing him before opening his eyes and exiting the car.
        Immediately three men stepped up, grabbing Michael, who did not struggle.  The men left an opening, an escape route, Kitt took it.
        //I'll be back for you//  The leader spun to get aim on the retreating Trans Am.  Seeing the threat, Michael kicked out, catching the man's wrist, causing the gun to fly out of the man's hand before firing it.
 
        They had not been kind to Michael.  Handcuffing him before shoving him into a vehicle.  Two men shouldered him at all times.  He was roughly blindfolded after leaving the city limits.  The group may know about the AI, but they did not seem to know about the link.  Or so Michael hoped. Kitt remained a tingle in the back of his mind.  Michael wanted no contact until he was sure they couldn't trace the signal.  Kitt had agreed, though making sure Michael knew how much the AI disliked the idea.
        Dragging him out of the car, the mask they used as a blindfold, that hindered his breathing greatly, was pulled from his head.  They pushed him forward, making no allowances for his adjusting eyes.
        He was hauled to a stop as the handcuffs were removed. When he could focus, he ascertained they had brought him to an old factory.  Machinery, dead and decaying littered the building.  The walls were gray, masonry type blocks the square windows high above, filthy.  But the floor where he stood had been swept clean, so was the hallway to what he assumed had served as the office area.
        "Mr Knight."  This man was new to Michael. And for some reason carried an aura that posed a threat.
        "What is it exactly that you want from me?"  He carefully capped his anger. His wrists hurt, his shoulders ached and his head felt empty. He had to play the game, for now anyway.
        "I want Knight Industries brought to its knees and I want your car." It sounded so uncomplicated from this man.
        "You do realize I have nothing to do with Knight Industries."  He might be able to use this angle, confuse them into making a mistake.
        "You think me a fool?" A small movement of his head brought four more men out from the outer hallway.
        "Michael!?" He sucked in his breath as the men roughly pushed Bonnie through the doors.
        "I see I have your attention now.  Again Knight, I want the codes to access the mainframe systems."
        "And I've told you, I have no knowledge of that aspect of the company."
        One of the men grabbed Bonnie, forcing her towards the center of the cleared area, pointing his gun at her head.  Fear shone in her eyes as she cringed, waiting for the bullet.
        Michael reacted in an instant, bolting to her side, placing himself between the gunman and the woman he loved.
        "Wait!"  The leader called. All men paused as he walked to where Michael now stood.  Drawn to his full height, glaring down at the men around them.
        A small smile crept onto the face of the man in black.  Using the back of his hand, he pushed the gun that was pressed into Michael's ribs off to the side. "A man willing to sacrifice himself for a woman." Nodding his approval, he watched the brunette curl into Michael's arm.  "That is an impressive, yet unexpected show of chivalry. Something I had thought lost in this society."
        "That concept obviously didn't occur to the men who broke into to our home."
        "They have been punished, I assure you." He was beginning to think he had misjudged this man.  But how could that be?  Knight ran one of the largest technological research and development facilities in the world.  His car was born of that technology. He had been taught men in  positions of such power held no honor.
        Seeing Michael hold her, the familiarity shared between the two, "she's your woman." He quickly concluded.   "Still, many men would not give themselves so willingly for such a high cause."  Turning to his men, an order was given before the captives were lead to a small room that would serve as their cell.  Michael's noticed that they pushed him,  Bonnie on the other hand was guided, gently, like she may break if they touched her the wrong way.  The show before had been an illusion, for his benefit, to weasel information from him.  A smile formed with a plan in his head.  Kitt's puzzled tingle grew marginally.

        "Now what?" Bonnie asked, turning to face him as soon as the lock clicked on the metal door.
        "I think they just gave us our ace in the whole." Walking around the room, he looked for openings, any chance of escape.
        "Excuse me?"
        "They believe women are the lesser form.  All the chauvinistic ideals I know you hate.  We can use this.  They will not hurt you.  If my guess is right, to harm a woman is the lowest form of violence."
        "And it just saved your life."
        "Yeah and I'm willing to use this." He dropped his block.
        //Kitt?//
        //Michael! Are you alright?//
        //Yes. Bonnie is here with me as well//
        //Bonnie?!//
        //We're fine.  Where are you?//
        //Foundation.  No one is here.  It looks like they ransacked the mansion and the R&D facility is burning//
        //Great.  Okay I may have something for you//
        //Oh?  What might that be?//
        //This group believes strongly in protecting their women.  I just gained an edge by jumping between a gun and Bon//
        //You did what?//
        Michael laughed out loud. //I know, you'll kill me later yourself.  However, they stopped harassing me and we are presently in a cell//
        //Alone?//
        //Yup//
        //I fail to see where you are going with this?//
        //It's a risk, I haven't run it past Bonnie yet, but I think she can protect us//
        //Excuse me?// It was more like amazement that hit him than confusion.
        //If we can distract them, get Bonnie in the car, I don't think they would fire at the car//
        //Because they might hurt her in the process//
        //Now you got it//
        //I never did understand this concept among humans//
        //Let me run this past Bonnie//
        //It's your skin//
        //You have little faith in your mother//
        //I just know her.//  Michael rolled his eyes. //She's not going to go for this//
        "Do I want to know what you two are discussing?"
        "I have an idea."
        "Uh,oh.  Let's hear this."
        "You both have such faith in my plans.  Do you have an idea?"  She shook her head, feeling a little guilty.  "Fine then here's mine.  Those men will not hurt you.  If you can get to Kitt I'm sure they won't fire on him.  They can't risk hurting you.  It goes against their principles."
        "Are we sure of this?"  It was Michael's turn to shake his head. He couldn't honestly say yes.
        "It's a gamble.  Are you willing?"
        "I don't know. It was their men who attacked me in the warehouse.  The same outfits with that yellow insignia."
        "Okay." Her fear would only hinder her, it would cause her to make a mistake and they'd lose Kitt.  "Then I better come up with another idea."
        //Any suggestions?//
        //None I'm afraid.  Frontal assault is more likely to get you killed//
        //Or you.  Can you find out the codes for Knight Industries?//
        //Of course, but why?//
        //Precautionary measure, just in case I need them//
        //What are they demanding?//
        //Destruction of Knight Industries...and you//
        //That's pleasant//
        //Yeah.  My gut still says they won't hurt Bonnie//
        //I trust that//
        //Thanks.  But this still leaves us stuck here and you on the run// Sighing, he took another look around the cell.  White walls, metal door, small window too far up to be able to reach.  The ceilings where just as high in the office area as in the warehouse section.  No furniture what so ever.  "They didn't leave us anything to play with."  He received a small chuckle from the woman and the link. "You cold?" Bonnie was hugging herself, leaning against the farthest wall from the door.
        "No, not overly."
        "How long have you been here?"  Walking towards her he offered a gentle hug.
        "I think about half an hour before you.  What happened?"
        "They threatened Kitt with an EMP.  I told him to..." He pause, looking around for a moment.  The room was more than likely bugged.  Damn, why didn't he think of that before.  "To find a safe place. and wait."
        Bonnie stared at him, confused as to his reaction, then clued in and nodded.
        'Shit' he chastised himself.  He could be so stupid at times.  You'd think he'd been in the business long enough not to take those types of risks.  The people may hate electronics, but they sure knew how to use them.  Also had access to the most sophisticated on the market.
        //And some that isn't//
        //Hey Pal, any news on your end?// Sitting on the floor, he opened the right hand side of his coat in a silent offering.  Bonnie sat on the tail of the coat, Michael's arm wrapped around her, tucking the coat around both of them for warmth.
        //The office site in town does not appear to be affected as yet//
        //Of course not, they are waiting for me to give them the codes// He paused considering a concept that had been just beyond his grasp for awhile.  //Kitt, could the whole anti-technology thing be just a scam?//
        //I don't follow?//
        //What if, what these people really do, is steal what they say they are destroying?//
        //Fascinating theory.  Difficult to prove//
        //Could you look into their past and see what you can dig up?//
        //Am I looking for anything specific?//
        //Holes.  Possibilities of material being stolen instead of destroyed. That sort of thing//
        //I'll see what I can do Michael//
        //Watch your back while you're at it.  They want you//
        //Are you safe?//
        //For the time being//
 

        The room slowly grew dark as night approached.  Bonnie had long fallen asleep against him.  He refused to sleep.  The last thing he wanted was for them to catch him off guard. There was no light inside the tiny cubicle.  Bonnie's even breathing was the only company.  Something was going to happen.  They were not about to leave him to rot in here. No terrorist had that kind of patience.
 
        "Get up."  He was jerked from the sleep his body had demanded.  The door was open, shedding a small amount of light.  Blinking to help his eyes adjust, looking for Bonnie, who they held restrained across the room.
        "Go on."  The same goon prodded him with the barrel of his gun.  Following instructions, he was lead down the hallway into another similar room.  Only this one had a chair bolted into the floor and bright lighting.  Forcing him into the seat, his hands were quickly cuffed to the chair's back legs, permitting little to no movement.  The three men who had escorted him, promptly left.
        //Kitt, give me the time//
        //Three am Michael.  Why?//
        //Keep tabs on me, I may need your help// Michael allowed a small amount of the dread he felt into the link.  Kitt gasped.  //They won't touch Bon, but I have no idea what they are capable of here//
        //I hate to bring this up now, but digging into the files I have learned about one ruthless group//
        //Great.  That makes me feel Oh so much better//
        //Sorry//
        //Continue, please.  It's just nerves talking here, Pal//
        //I can't find a definite 'hole'.  But seeing what they are armed with, I believe you are right//
        //They stole it and covered their tracks?// Kitt's affirmative touched his mind.

 
        "Mr Knight." The door opened and closed in one fluid movement. Michael found he had drifted off again.
        //Time?// Focusing on the link for a moment before returning his attention to the leader from earlier.
        //Ten am// They were playing mind games now. Trying to wear him down.  Kitt quickly backed off again, standing by to help if asked.
        "What exactly do you expect to gain from this?"
        "The use of your vehicle.  I have seen it in action time and time again.  Bullet proof, speed is not a concern.  Rockets to allow it to launch it's self.  Voice operated computer guidance system, similar I think, to that of smart bombs able to navigate around obstacles."  Relief hit Michael as Kitt listened in.  They had no idea what they were up against.
        "And what if I don't wanna give it to you."  Foolishly feeling confident, Michael let his mouth run away with him.
        Kitt cringed as he felt the punch land on his driver's jaw.  Then the pull on his arms as the cuffs gave no leeway.
        Straightening, shaking the stars out of his eyes, he faced his tormentor again.
        "That was not a smart move."
        "I realized that." Only Michael could sound so cocky while giving that response.
        "Now, I want the access codes."
        //I need specifics.  And I can't guarantee that I have them//
        //The best you can come up with is all I can ask for Beauty//  That struck Kitt as odd.  Michael didn't tend to call him that unless they were in a private moment together. It left him with a feeling he did not like floating around his CPU.
        "You need to be more specific. And to let you know I don't have all of them memorized."
        "Well then, lets begin with what you do know."  The expression on the man's face as he leaned over his prisoner, was one Michael was sure he would never forget.
 

        Michael had not asked, but the interrogation was now leaning towards the better side of five hours.  Kitt searched desperately for the codes that were being asked for.  Every negative answer meant Michael suffered another punishment.  The man had stepped out twice, assumably to relay his findings.  During that time, Kitt contacted the people in Knight Industries to inform them of what was happening, hoping they could take the proper precautions.
        Kitt was also making his way to Michael and Bonnie.  There was no way he could leave the two most important people in his life.  His programming demanded he help them, so did his emotions.  Michael was being tortured.  The man had left his face, 'so he could talk', was the chilling explanation.  But he had no qualms about any other sections of the anatomy.  The more times Michael said he did not know the code, the  more the viciousness of the attack increased.  From the link Kitt felt the broken ribs, the broken wrist that came from the metal restraining Michael's arms.  The list went on.  The third time the man stepped out, Kitt had pulled off the road, finding sufficient cover before drawing his partner deep into the link.  Once there, Kitt caressed his lover, surrounding him, finding the nerves to switch off the pain.  If only for a short period, it would allow Michael to rest, regain some strength.  Michael drifted with Kitt, shamelessly clinging onto the warm glow.
        //I've got you// Placing gentle kisses as he held his weak partner.
        Michael breathed deeply as the pain vanished. //How long Kitt?// Michael felt like he was floating, disconnected from his body, yet safe.
        //The last time he was gone for fifteen minutes.  I'll back off in ten//
        //Love you.  Thank you// Kitt smiled, activating the comlink just in case the man returned ahead of time.  Ten minutes of linking this deeply would not strain him.  Both partners had become accustomed to hours of linking like this.  And like humans, his system strengthened.  Nine and a half minutes later, Kitt began backing away.  Michael grabbed for him.
        //Kitt please.  A little longer//
        //We can't risk it.  If we are linked like this and he tries to waken you...//
        Michael was beginning to think again.  The break Kitt had given him helped immensely.  But Kitt was right, they did not want to be caught linked on this level.
        //Remind me to throttle Wilton when we get home//
        //I'm next in line//
        The laughter helped on both ends. Kitt slowly reintroduced the pain into Michael's system.  Still it was a shock.   His head dropped back, breathing becoming shallow as his body was flooded.
        Michael waited.  Unsure and very afraid of what the next move was.  Kitt stayed close, sending calming and reassurance down the link.
        He jolted, then moaned in agony as the door opened.
        "I was expecting to find you asleep."
        "I think you need to work on your hospitality in that regard."
        The other man smirked. "Haven't lost your sense of humor yet."
        "Laughter is the best medicine." This useless verbal sparring gave Michael something to focus on.
        "Too bad you won't be needing any medicines."  The needle was vicious looking.  In total fear, Michael began to struggle in earnest.  Kitt tried to unlock the handcuffs for the hundredth time.  Frustrated an idea came to him.
        //Michael, I'm going to try and electrocute the cuffs, if this works they'll unlock.  But your arm...//
        //DOIT!!// Panic washed over Kitt. Calibrating where he hoped the keyhole was, he fired.
        Michael screeched in pain, but his left arm was loose.  The broken wrist hindered him greatly, but it was still enough of an advantage to bat the needle out of the man's hand.
        //Kitt the other one//  Swinging his arm around the other lock clicked.  Michael ran out of the room as the man in black jumped at him.  Throwing his weight against the door, he literally slammed it shut in the man's face.  The thud was sickening.
        //I'm almost there Michael//
        //What?// He ran for the room he and Bonnie had been kept in.
        //Kitt the lock//  Hearing it click, shoving through it, he found Bonnie against the far wall.
        "Come on." She grabbed his outstretched hand.
        //Where Kitt?//
        //End of that hall there's a doorway//
        There was no one else in the hallway.  A nagging feeling entered his mind as he pushed the outside door open.  Still, other than Kitt sliding to a halt darkening sky in front of them, there was no one around.
        Jumping in, Kitt fled the scene.
        "Security?"
        "Two guards at the electrified gate."
        "That's it?"
        "Michael, it's ten thirty." Michael's eyes opened wide with shock.      He hadn't realized how long it had been.        "Jesus.  Have you located Devon?"
        "He and Wilton are at the city locale."
        "We need to get them out of there."
        "You need medical attention."
        "Later."
        "Michael, all of us being together makes for an easy target."
        He hadn't thought of that.  "Any ideas?"
        "I've already informed them of the codes, which are in the process of being changed.  They are aware of the risks.  Now I'm taking you home."
        Michael nodded.  He was in no condition to argue.  He was tired, drained.  Ten thirty, that meant he was interrogated for over twelve hours.  His body was almost to the point of being in too much pain, overloading his nervous system.  He'd dropped a block in place after escaping his captor.  Kitt did not question the block.  Michael had felt the slight nod of acknowledgement as he was erecting it.  Then Kitt backed off.

        Nick was waiting as Kitt pulled into the warehouse.  Michael had long succumbed to sleep.  Immediately, Nick and his strange doctor pulled Michael from the car.
        Bonnie sat back on the hood as they worked on Michael.  Nick sure knew how to pick em.  At least this man looked like a doctor.  Short, chubby, pepper gray hair, fifties at least and as an added touch a monocle hung from inside his three piece suit.
        They taped Michael's ribs and on his wrist, a brace was placed.  Karr had given the requested details to the doctor. The he was quiet and efficient.  Typical of Nick's associates.
        Michael woke to the poking and prodding.  Looking up he was not surprised to see Nick, but the other man was new.  Painfully, he sat up, holding his patched ribs as he did so.
        "Look who decided to join us." Michael glared at Nick.  He was not in the mood for jokes.
        "Has Kitt filled you in yet?"
        "Nope, we just finished with you."
        Nodding a quick thanks to the 'doctor', Michael waited until the door shut before launching into his discoveries.
        Half an hour later, with Nick sitting on the Stealth and Michael having migrated to sit behind Bonnie on Kitt, he concluded his findings.
        "I had thought they had ulterior motives.  There was always a fire.  One that destroyed all remaining evidence."
        "If there was any.  Nick, these guys knew what to ask for.  Which codes they would need to gain access to Knight Industries most vital projects."
        "And I bet they think you are Wilton's blood relation and successor."
        "I got that impression as well."
        "But you don't think they know about the link?"
        "I don't think they know about the AI's.  He said he figured the car had a tracking system, like that installed in smart missiles."
        Nick chuckled. "That's one more thing in our favor."
        "Devon and Wilton have already changed the access codes.  They've been to the estate.." Michael looked up suddenly. "Kitt said they burned the R & D facility."
        "Let's go." Nick was already climbing into the Stealth.
        Bonnie sighed as she slid off the black hood.  There was no stopping Michael.  She couldn't even be bothered to try as she dropped in beside him.
 
 

*
 

        "Karr said he found inconsistencies.  Assuming you have the same toys here that you have at the warehouse."
        Bonnie looked up at Nick. "All my diagnostic equipment is gone."
        Nicks eyebrows rose for a second.  "I'm beginning to see a pattern here."
        "Care to share?"  Michael appeared, striding tenderly, from the far end of the building
        "After stealing all the advanced equipment they can get their hands on, they needed this equipment," tipping his head towards Bonnie, "and the people to maintain it."
        Bonnie's heart proceeded to do tricks in her chest.
        "Then why harm her?"  Michael felt his anger rising again.
        Maybe caused by the matter-of-fact attitude Nick relayed his interpretation. "The men I've dealt with within that society believe women are the weak, fragile sex.  They treasure them, treat them like gold. Never have they encountered a woman with strength of character and knowledge.   I figure they wanted to know if she was for real."
        "Nice back handed compliment MacKenzie.  Thanks."  Bonnie knew that was the best she could ask for.  Nick shrugged a quick shoulder.
        Bonnie took another look around what was left of the building.  The fire crews had done a miraculous job.  Them and FLAG's own systems had saved the building.  The equipment was irreparable, but there was enough left to know what had been taken before hand.  Michael's instincts had proven right again.  Looking at him, she could tell he was hurting.  She had yet to ask what had happened since they took him from the cell.  Obviously he had been tortured.  She hated that word.  It dropped a rock into her stomach.  He sat, leaning against what was once a workbench, where he had lain with Kitt's CPU after Jennifer's tests.  She silently wondered if he realized that fact.  His braced wrist was held across his abdomen.  His body tense.  He should have stayed behind, rested.
        "Michael?" He looked up, for a moment, his eye unguarded.  She swallowed at the suffering she saw.
        "Are you done in here?" Nick had wondered how long Michael could last.  The answer was not much longer by the looks of things.  Bonnie nodded.  She had gone through the charred remains twice now. "Alright, them lets go pick up the Gentlemen and play hide and seek for the night."
        Michael glared at him.  He was not in the mood for game playing. "Meaning?"
        "Meaning I know of this cute little beach house with seven names on it for the night. I need to check up on a few things and you need to rest."
 
 

*
 

Wilton and Devon walked beyond the house grounds.  Nick was sitting cross legged on Karr's hood in the driveway, bent over his laptop.  Chuckling as the two older men had passed by him.
        "I never need a stereo system while those two are around."  The music blasting from Kitt could be heard easily, even inside the building. Devon smiled.  It had been similar when they lived at the estate.  Even if Michael had parked clear across the property, the music still drifted.  He fondly remembered wondering how the man did not go deaf.
 
        Kitt was parked down the grade behind the house, facing the water. Michael was lying on his back, propped up against the windscreen, his good arm behind his head.  His eyes were closed as he sang along.

Under the table, under the gun
Under the consequences of what we've become
Heavy consequences for the things that we've done
We should have learned how to walk before we started to run
Whatever happened to the love that we had
I feel it slipping away
It started out good, now it's ending so bad
Look at the price we pay

Too many people walk in their sleep
Stepping on promises they ought to keep
Anaesthetic people, they dance in a dream
But things are never quite as simple as they seem
You're keeping all your secrets inside you
They're gonna tear you apart
Let me come and lay down beside you
Open your heart

In the middle of the night I'm calling
Can you hear me whisper your name
In the dying light...I'm falling
But it feels like morning may never be coming again
Never again

        Hearing Michael singing touched something inside Devon.  Something he didn't realize he was missing.  Simple joys he had taken for granted, even cursed on occasion.  Many times since that fateful day had he been hit with regret, but not as much as at this moment.  Wilton smiled in wonder.  Both of the younger men had developed such similar habits regarding their AI's.  But Michael's open joy for life, his love for his partner, Devon longed to be a regular witness to that life once again.
Wilton wished to experience it for the first time.

//We're being watched//
//I know, Pal// Michael saw Kitt frown.
//How do you know?//
//I can feel them// Kitt blinked twice.  He knew his driver's instincts were incredible, but this was beyond Kitt's understanding.  Smiling Michael held on to the white glow.
        The song changed, Michael never moved, completely confident in his and Kitt's abilities to discern danger.

Feel the cold
Winter's covered up my home
Stay on these roads
We shall meet I know
Stay on my love

We will meet
so stay on
I know
Stay on my love
Stay on
We will meet
I know
I know

        Devon felt like he was being torn in two.  He wished with all his being to have that family back.  The comfort of family.  Wilton had returned, Kitt had demonstrated his forgiveness a short time ago.  Michael and Nick were receptive to him once more.
        He was fooling himself, he knew that. There was no possibility of reestablishing what he and Jennifer had destroyed. Wilton had never been one to sit back and watch his surroundings pass him.  Life was onto another drastic change.  One Devon almost feared.
        His life had never remained a constant.  This part of his life had stayed as close to routine as a man of his position could expect.
        They were all in terrible danger at the moment.  Usually they had the upper hand, having the AI's.  In this instance, it was the enemie's knowledge of the vehicles that made them susceptible.
        Turning, he smiled to himself.  Wilton was leaning against the small brown fence that surrounded the house, gazing over at the black Trans Am and the man lying on its hood.  He resembled a small child.  Fascination, happiness despite the horrible situation surrounding them.
 

        Sliding off the hood, Michael sat himself on the warm sand, leaning back against Kitt's nose.  Staring out over the water he mindlessly began playing with the sand between his thighs.
"This must be something that people and cars have in common," Kitt muttered.
"What would that be, Partner?"
"Sand getting into every little crevice."
Michael surprised himself by laughing.  After everything that had happened in the last few days, it felt odd to laugh.  In the back of his mind, he felt Kitt's smile.

        Wilton turned to Devon as he began chuckling.
        "What?" Wilton glanced between his friend and the two on the beach.
        "If they are anything like the two that lived at the estate, then I believe trouble is brewing."

        Kitt looked at the sand between Michael's out-stretched legs.  "What is that?"
        Michael looked up at his car, hurt.  "A sand castle!"  He regretted it the moment he said it.  He could feel the mischief radiating from his partner.
        "Sand castle?"
        "Yeess…."
        "How long has it taken you to build that?"
        Michael glared.  "About ten minutes," he stated proudly.
        Kitt gunned the engine and dropped the car into reverse, backing up slowly.
        Instinctively, Michael stood, stepping back.  "Kitt…."  The car
continued to back up the beach until he could go no further.  Michael shook his head in warning.  "You don't want to do this…"
        He was overridden by a joyful cry of "Storm the Bastille!"  The car came hurtling forward, executing a perfect hand brake skid at the exact moment, so that Kitt's back wheel only tapped the rough sand sculpture hard enough to tumble the battlements at the top.  "Victory is mine!"

        Kitt turned the car and sat, engine humming, scanner tracking slowly, cheekily across.  Challenging.  Noting, with great amusement, the two older men atop the hill, beside the house, laughing with him.   Michael leaned down, never taking his eyes from the black prow, and scooped up a handful of sand, carefully masking his thoughts.

        Kitt's stance was undeniably one of triumph.  "Michael… remember you have to clean me."
        Michael's expression didn't change. "Do I now?"  He got within five feet of the front of the car and then threw the handful of sand directly at the windscreen.  The moment he moved, Kitt backed up.  He wasn't fast enough.  The sand hit its target and scattered, leaving yellow/brown marks on the glass.

        As Michael scooped up a second lobby, Kitt spun the car, gripping with his front tires as well as he could on the surface and throwing up the top-sand from the path of his rear wheels.  Michael cried out in indignation, turning his head away as the sand hit him, a calculated attack that kept the grains below his chin.  Kitt amazed him at times. His arm hurt, ribs ached and he was laughing.
        Coming up behind Michael, he tapped his friend's knees just enough for Michael to drop backwards onto the hood.
        Michael didn't even brace himself, letting himself carelessly fall onto the body work he knew would be under him. Lying back, he tried to catch his breath.
        "I'm sorry Michael, I couldn't stop myself."
        "S'okay.  I needed that."
        "Not with your injuries."
        "Screw em."
        "I've much better things in mind." Michael groaned in pain as his ribs complained about laughing.  "Rest Michael, I'll keep an eye out."
        Working his way back up the hood, he curled in under the windshield, blowing the sand away, letting his body's demands take over.
 

        "Have they always been like this?"
        "No." Devon answered honestly.  "About a year after they met, after experiencing a rather nasty case, Kitt played a practical joke on Michael, who ended up taking a swim in the reflecting pool.  Ever since then, every imaginable scenario has been played out between the two.  The higher the stress level, the longer and harder they play. Amazing to watch isn't it?  A true demonstration of trust and friendship."
        Wilton had been under the impression that Devon was not aware of the current status of Michael and Kitt's relationship.  He now knew for sure.  What he had just witnessed was beyond his comprehension.  Knowing the partners were close and trusting was one thing, to see it with his own eyes was quite another.  Michael was now lying across the hood, turned towards the windscreen, braced left wrist held securely against the window as he slept.  Michael's words 'I'll prove it any way, any day. We do regularly' came to mind.  The young man had not been joking.  The care in which Kitt could calculate his attacks was tremendous.  Even as a spectator, one knew the car would not jeopardize the man's life.
        "It's heartwarming."
        Devon frowned, catching the odd note in Wilton's voice. "You did not make a mistake. In either of the AI's or their partners.  How you knew is beyond me, but the end results have been worth all the agony."
        "Are you sure they feel that way?"
        "Those two are obvious." Devon's head motioned towards the Trans Am. "Nick and Karr remained together.  After all these years.  If they did not want it, I'm sure Nick has enough contacts do have the chip removed, or at least deactivated. And, if you care to notice, they are never far from one another either."
        Wilton could not argue.  In the hours since Michael had picked them up, neither man had been separated from his AI for any longer than need be.  Both men relaxed on the hoods of the cars, spoke to them with such ease.  He had not heard Karr speak, but Devon had assured him that it was Karr's normal reaction.  Yet Nick gravitated towards the unknown black car, as Michael did to Kitt.  It relieved a great deal of the guilt he had felt in irreversibly changing two men's lives without proper consent.  He had fibbed to Nick slightly, maybe fibbed wasn't the right word, held back information, to draw the youngster in.  Michael had never been asked, the surgery performed without his knowledge while reconstructing his face.
        The playing partners, the open love Michael had expressed and now, seeing Nick with Karr, reaffirmed his one time belief in what he was creating.
 
 

*

        Early the next morning, Devon insisted on heading back to the Foundation.  He wanted to go over what was left of his files.
        "We may be able to learn exactly what they were looking for."
        "If we do this, we all go." Nick glanced around the small living area of the beach house.
        "If Bonnie can point me in the right direction of what she suspects was stolen, and I can verify that with missing paper work..."
        "Then we have concrete proof." Michael was already heading out to Kitt.

        Once inside Devon's office, what the terrorists had been after became obvious.  All plans, information, test results for the car had been pulled out and half of them were missing.
        "Yet, they never even thought to look for the designs for an AI." Bonnie puzzled about the mess of papers strewn around the floor of what was once Devon's immaculate office.
        "Could it be that they don't realize?" Devon sat beside Wilton on the couch.
        "Possibly.  From what information Michael gained while he was inside, they believe the cars are remote controlled. Voice activated at that." Nick perched himself beside Michael on the edge of the desk.  Bonnie was still on the floor, searching.
        Catching an unfamiliar noise, Michael walked to the windows,  moving the curtains out of the way, searching.

        <We've got company> Karr's warning coincided with Michael's comlink beeping.
        "Visitors." Nick notified the others.
        "Kitt, find yourself a good hiding location."
        "We're not leaving."
        "Yes you are.  Go up to the ridge, behind the tree line.  You can observe from there."
        <Cover him>  Nick shook his head as Karr rumbled something nasty back. Both men caught sight of the two cars racing away from the main drive.
        //Five cars.  All approaching from different directions, all loaded, one van equally loaded with men. ETA, two minutes//
        Michael and Nick nodded to each other.  They were about to become trapped.
 
 

*
 

        Nick mentally shook his head, surveying the chaos around them.  The men had literally materialized on top of them.  One moment all was quiet, the next pandemonium had struck. Michael and Nick had been forced to surrender to protect Devon and Wilton.  Bonnie had managed to retreat into the forest only to be hunted down.  Now they stood in the reception area of the mansion with dozens of armed guards around them. He sighed to himself, this was not good.
        <Tell me another one>
        <Smart ass.  Any ideas?>
        <This could be used to prove Knight's theory on their knowledge of artificial intelligence> Nick appreciatively acknowledged his partner's idea.
        <How's Kitt?>
        <Nervously observing the two of you being jostled around by armed men>
        Nick rolled his eyes. <*We* are not the ones to be worried about>
        <Point taken>
 

        "Mr MacKenzie, how nice to make your acquaintance in such a manner."
        Nick faced the man Michael had recognized as the leader. "Luger. Still playing the same games I see."
        "Oh, they are not games as you shall soon see."  The man known to Michael turned towards the guards around him. "Bring him inside."
        //Michael...?//
        //I'm okay, let's see what he wants before we panic// Michael wasn't sure who he was directing that statement more towards.  Himself or his partner.
        Leading Michael to the far reaches of the house, opening a door Michael was sure he had never been through, they dropped him in a chair.  The small office looked like it was part of a guest suite.  Small, painted in off gray tinge, a desk by the window and two armchairs facing the desk.
        Michael swallowed his fear as Luger entered the room.
        "Leave us." Michael frowned as the man gave the order.  The guards paused, looking equally surprised, before following orders.
        "I have conducting my own research." Luger perched on the edge of the desk after he was sure the other men had left.  Michael was still weak, and they both knew it. Not a physical threat to this man in his current state.  "The codes were already changed before we accessed them.  The car came to your rescue.  Tell me Knight, how is that possible?"
        "Sheer luck."
        Luger smirked.  "I think not.  I believe I have discovered your secret.  Yours and MacKenzie's."
        Michael glared up at the blond man. Refusing to give into the bait.
        "I have looked into this type of technology before.  I had believed it was not possible.  To create an artificial intelligence this advanced"
        Michael gasped. "How the hell...?"
        "It was easy once I placed all the cards on the table.  The unlocking of the cuffs was the final draw.  I suppose you were speaking to it while I was out of the room. The watch also functions as a communicator of sorts."  Michael just looked at him.  The implications of his knowledge running circles in his head.
        "I see I have your attention now."  The smile held great confidence. "Where are the cars?"
        "Like I'd tell you."
        "I thought not.  Still, with the woman, we can create another."
        "What exactly do you want?" Michael's brain was still trying to comprehend Luger's words.  Kitt was stable, yet frightened in the back of his mind, listening, passing this information on, no doubt.
        "I want the use of an artificial intelligence, the protection of the car and to be..."  Luger caught himself, turning away from Michael.
        //Finished with this group// Kitt finished the sentence as Michael would have suspected.
        Turning back on his heel, Luger regarded the man sitting before him.  The glazed look in his eyes had baffled him before.  But not any more.  Then Knight's eyes refocused back on him.  The two men remained facing one another for a few moments.
        Michael's heart leapt into his throat as the man's eyes widened, the expression on his face akin to a revelation.
        "It could not be possible.  Telepathic abilities?"
        //My God!// Kitt's reaction echoed his. Both waiting for his next move.
        "I am right.  Your face tells me so."
        Michael was taken completely aback.  That someone, with no knowledge of the link could recognize it.
        //Do you want me..?//
        //No! Stay put until we're sure of his motives//
        "You have nothing to fear from me."
        "And I'm supposed to believe this?"
        "Believe what you wish.  I had wondered how you arrived with the codes.  For someone with little to nothing to do with research and development, you had no reason to have knowledge of high level codes such as the ones I asked for.  Yet, you answered.  Only by having it search the data banks, relaying them to you, then to me.  Fascinating."
        "It's too bad you neglected your homework a head of time."
        "Not true. I had to witness your...conversations with it to arrive at this conclusion."  Pausing, gathering his thoughts for a moment, he regarded the man sitting in the chair.  He was very composed, but a computer mind would help to stabilize a human's emotions.  One would think. "Does it control your actions, your responses?"
        "He and no.  Not any more than a human partner."
        //Michael!//
        //Shit!// Kitt's angry call into his head made him realize his mouth was running away with him. //Stop me if I'm that stupid again//
        //Damn right I will//
        "I hazard that the computer has objections to you speaking with me?" Michael sat, staring out the window.  Determined not to open his mouth again unless completely necessary.  "Alright then. I have what I wanted.  Guards!"  A moment later, the two younger men entered, moving to beside Michael. "Take him to his room for the night."
 

        Hoisting him to his feet, half dragging him, Michael was shoved painfully into a storage room. Hearing the padlock click, he let his body sink to the floor.
        //Michael?// Kitt's question was laced with worry.
        //I'm okay, just sore.  They weren't gentle// Once the door had closed, all light disappeared. //Where am I?//
        //Far storage room//
        //Any news from the outside world?//
        //Everyone has been taken inside.  Nick is in similar circumstances as you, across the complex.  Bonnie is in one of the guest suites, Devon and Wilton are locked together in one of the cottages.  All of you are heavily guarded//
        //In other words we might as well sit tight for the night//
        //Karr and I are looking for opportunities to get you out//
        //It will have to be all of us at once or forget it//
        //Unfortunately I see your point//
        //They spread us out around the property for this reason. Does anyone else know about you and Karr?//
        //I don't imagine so.  I have not heard any talk about AI's or the link we share//
        //That's a bit of a relief...wait a minute, then what have you heard?//
        Kitt sighed, so much for thinking he could keep information from  Michael.  //There has been talk of overthrowing the leaders//
        //Killing them?//
        //I believe so.  The younger members feel they are keeping information, and that had caused what seems to be a lack of respect//
        //Well, we know they are right.  I have to wonder why Luger is keeping what he knows to himself//
        //We may never know//
        //Probably not//
        //Are you alright?//  There was an inflection in his tone that could be heard clearly, even across the link.
        //I'm here and I'm breathing.  I think that's pretty good. Is there a hope in hell of me getting out of here?  Or Nick for that matter?//
        //I don't think so.  Both of you have at least six guards outside your doors//
        //Wow, I'll take that as a compliment//
        Kitt snorted. //You would//
         Smiling, Michael closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift wherever Kitt allowed them.  He found himself in safe, pleasant memories from the past.  Familiar, comforting, almost lulling him to sleep.
 
 

*
 

        Bonnie stood in the middle of a line with Devon and Wilton in the early morning breeze.  Michael and Nick were segregated, guarded by numerous armed men surrounding them.  They didn't figure her or the other older men to be a threat.  To their credit, they had them well guarded anyway.
        The Foundation's grounds lay in ruins.  The only building left standing was the mansion.  It had no significance.  The rest continued smoldering, the only evidence there had been a building there before was the large pile of charred ashes.  She sighed to herself.  Luger had been murdered during the night.  That tidbit of information came down the ranks a moment ago.  It left her with a terrible feeling in the pit of her stomach.  Glancing over at Michael, she recognized the look on his face immediately. Gaze turned inwards as he spoke to Kitt.  Nick remained his usual cold self.  She had never seen him in action like this before.  He was impressive. Her fear of him returned slightly.  Both men looked deadly when side by side.  The men around her began to move.
        Michael knew the tactics, and he didn't like them.  Someone was going to die.  Soon.  He could see the coup had crumbled what little  discipline the leader had managed to maintain.  The order had been disrupted, fighting among the ranks had already begun.  Some of the men were already eyeing Bonnie.  His temper was becoming short as the other men fought.  He chanced a look towards Nick, catching his eye for a moment.  It confirmed Michael's suspicions.  Now that they had had a taste of blood, they wanted more.  There was only one option left.
        //Kitt?// He turned to his partner, knowing his thoughts had already been passed to him.
        //Michael..// He could see tears in Kitt's eyes. //Don't please, we can..//
        //No you will not.  As soon as you move they will open fire and neither you nor Karr are that fast.  Stay put//
        //You don't have to do this// Kitt's trembling voice wore at his determination.
        //They'll use her, they'll rape her, then kill her when she's no longer of use to them.  I can't allow that// He paused, looking at the rapidly pulsing white glow.  //You know I'm right, or we wouldn't be having this conversation//
        //Please, just a little more time//
        //I want you to know, in case this doesn't turn out well, that I've never felt so complete, so fulfilled as I have the past few months. I'm ready with my life// Kitt reached for him.  Michael pulled away, staying just beyond Kitt's reach. //I love you Beautiful, more than life itself//
        //Michael, no// Kitt's pleas were tearing at him. To the point of where he could no longer bare look at him.  He sighed, a shuddering breath.
 The discontent around them grew. Arguments that had become heated were now bordering on the breaking point.  Violence was close at hand.
         Kitt and Karr remained parked over the ridge.  Concealed by forestry.  It was a place he and Kitt once frequented when they didn't risk traveling too far from the Foundation.  The overview allowed the AIs to watch their partners, without risking themselves.
        The newly proclaimed leader motioned for Bonnie to be lead inside.
        //This is it//  "Kitt...." He whispered the name, catching Nick's confused attention.
         Closing his eyes briefly, he allowed Kitt to lead him down into the tumbling emotions inside the link, embracing each other, clinging as they kissed deeply, demanding, knowing it may be the last time.  Quickly, before losing heart, Michael pulled away, backing from the link before Kitt could change his mind.
        Bonnie watched as Michael's eyes opened.  The look on his face sent chills down her spine.  More so than the men talking around her.  She watched him take a deep breath, swallowing hard as he did so. Then glancing up towards the trees, where she knew Kitt and Karr were hiding.
        Sudden realization hit her.  He couldn't do what she was thinking.
        Throwing the firmest block in place, he steeled himself, grim determination on his face.
        Eyes widening Bonnie knew for sure.
        "NO!!!!!"
        Her heart wrenching yell coincided with Michael's leap.  Gunfire was immediate.
 
        Kitt screamed, a sound that mixed in with Bonnie's. Karr cursed, throwing the car into gear as Kitt took off ahead of him. Both black cars hurtled into the chaos.
        Nick had startled at Michael's attack.
        <Had no idea> Karr sounded impressed, with a tinge of sadness mixed in.
        Nick dove for cover.  The sudden yells had given Michael a slight edge, one that was gone now.  He hunched over Bonnie, covering her as he tried to lead her to safety.  Two men whirled, guns caulked.  Nick intervened. Taking out those closest to him, then going for anyone who might pose a threat to his friends.
         Devon and Wilton stood, momentarily frozen.  Unable to come to terms with what was going on.  Nick dragged at them, if he could get them to the house, they'd have a chance.  Michael was sitting behind a rock with Bonnie.  There was a large red stain on his shoulder.
        Talking a chance, Michael looked at Bonnie, she was shaking badly beside him.  He had to get them inside.  Somewhere with more cover.  The men would move around them soon, cutting off any chance of escape.  Kitt would need a few more minutes to arrive.   He could hear the revving engines.  Two men closest to him began arguing.  Seeing the opportunity, he grabbed Bonnie by the arm, rushing for the house.  Half carrying her to make up for her lack of speed.
        Wilton had not experienced such a situation since the war.  Michael was willing to give his life for them.  Breaking from Nick, he faced the man he had saved, then created.  A shot rang from the opposite side of the lawn.  Someone had seen Michael's dash for the house.  In one quick movement, Wilton threw himself in front of Michael and Bonnie as they jumped up the stairs.
        Nick reached, eyes wide as the old man dropped to the ground.
        <He's dead. Get inside> Karr's words threw him back into action.  Grabbing Bonnie's other arm, they ran inside.
        Devon was already crouched behind the far wall.  His face unreadable.  Passing him, Michael hauled him to his feet.  Kitt and Karr skidded to a stop out front.   Kitt directly outside the door, Karr angled to provide Kitt's passengers with cover.  Staying low, windows shattering around them, they made it to the cars.
        "Get them out of here.  I'll transmit coordinates to Kitt." Nick vaulted over Karr's roof as Devon and Bonnie climbed into Kitt.
        "What about you?"
        "I'm gonna finish this." Michael didn't have to ask.  The cold eyes staring at him were enough.  Dropping into the seat, Michael threw Kitt back into gear, knowing Karr had already sent directions to a safe location and Kitt would not permit any other course.
        "Michael, your shirt."
        "I know Kitt.  The bullet only grazed me."
        "I meant the front." There was hesitancy in his tone.
        Michael quickly looked down.  His shirtfront was inundated with small red dots.  "Are you sure....?"
        "He was dead Michael.  Before he hit the ground.  The bullet entered his head."
        "If he hadn't..." Michael couldn't believe it.  The man had saved his life. Again. If Wilton hadn't jumped in front of him, he wouldn't be sitting here.
        "Michael, drop the block please."  Kitt no longer cared who was in the car.  They both had prepared themselves for the worst.  Now all Kitt could think about was feeling his partner's reassuring pressure.
        "Not yet.  You don't want to know what I'm going through right now."  Concentrating on driving at high speeds was a welcome distraction.
        "Michael...I need...." Kitt begged before being interrupted.
        "Trust me, when we're safe, I'll drop the block."  He looked around.  "Any idea where we're going?"
        "Karr mentioned a safe house twenty minutes or so from here." Kitt placed a map on the screen before scanning the people in his cab.  Bonnie, who was in the back seat, had a few bumps and bruises. Devon had the same, plus a nasty one on his abdomen, as if he'd received a blow there.  Michael had a deep wound on his bicep, but it was clean and had already stopped bleeding.  Yet his breathing was rapid, as was his heart rate.  Without the link being open, Kitt could not ascertain the reason for his reaction.  Again, Kitt found himself pushing against the block, aching for Michael to lower it.
 
 

*

         Two hours later, Nick had returned. Without a word, he went straight into one of the bedrooms. Michael had passed by, hearing him on the phone, talking about a clean up. He then knew what the other man had been up to.  There was a part of Michael that was happy.  To have the responsibilities shouldered by Nick.  The other side of him was yelling at him, that he should have been there to help.  He had just as much invested in this.

        Nick was now bent over his laptop, as always. Any questions Michael had asked about the outcome were quickly brushed aside.  Finally Michael had asked how he and Karr managed to drive away from a fight that most likely saw EMP's fired.  Nick smirked, throwing a quick remark about how there was more to Karr than he realized. Michael walked away in frustration.
         Bonnie and Devon had long gone to bed, stressed and exhausted.
        Stepping outside the door of the house, he looked up.  The stars were out in full force.  Shining on him, reflecting off Kitt's skin.  The night air had already begun to chill.  Breathing deep, he took it all in.  He felt like had no right to be standing here, enjoying the beauty of the world around him.  Beauty; he turned to face Kitt.  Letting his eyes follow the sweeping red lights.  Reaching the car, he let his fingers trail over the body work.  Marveling at it's warmth, it's softness.  How many times had he taken it all for granted?  More times than he wanted to admit.  The car shivered under his touch.  That reaction made him realize what Kitt must have been going through.  They were connected.  If one dies, so does the other. What the hell had he been thinking?  Yet Kitt had accepted his resolution, as he had done.  Just as wiling to give his life for the others.  He had been so involved in his decision he hadn't thought about the ramifications.  Guilt threatened to overwhelm him again.  He blamed himself for Wilton's death.  Twice now the man had saved his life, but when push had come to shove, he had done nothing to help the old man.  Instead leaving him  behind.
        The wind picked up, ruffling his hair, blowing his coat around his legs.  Reaching for the door, it almost seemed to open on it's own.  He felt the pulses behind the block.  The stress of the day had worn the down the wall.  As had his need for the comfort only Kitt could provide him with.
        Sliding into the seat, closing the door behind him, he tipped the seat back slightly.  He had refuted any attempt Kitt had made to drop the block.  Knowing that when he did, he had to be prepared.  If Kitt was feeling a quarter of what he was, they would need some time to deal with it all.
         They were finally alone.  Kitt had darkened the windows in hope of his partner would finally open up to him.
        "Kitt?"
        "I'm ready Michael, please, just drop the block."
        Closing his eyes, he let his guard down slowly, letting Kitt get a feel for the guilt and determined fear of death that was going around in his head.
        Kitt was shocked.  He hadn't expected the guilt.  The fear yes.  They had both experienced it before Michael had erected his block.
        Ignoring the guilt he reached for him, again leading Michael down the link, to where they could touch and comfort each other.
        Breathing deeply, Michael let himself go. Drifting with Kitt. Reveling in being alive and together. He had been so sure he wasn't going to walk away from that scene.  With a shaky tendril, he reached out, into Kitt's side of the link, gently touching the white light.  Kitt leaned into the touch looking towards the amber presence, twinning a tendril of himself along Michael's arm.  For hours they remained like this, touching each other, reaffirming that they were both safe.  Shifting, Michael changed the caress, sending his need to feel alive again along the link. Having been waiting, Kitt was ready, eager to accept and return the arousal.  Locking down the car before powering down, Kitt focused all his attention onto his lover.
 
 

*
 

        Nick found Michael in the kitchen in the morning.  He had been seething throughout the night, and the wait for Michael to return from Kitt had not helped matters.
        "That was not the brightest tactic I have ever seen."  Michael turned from the window, staring at the man across the room from him.  This reminded him too much of their first meetings.  Nick stood, leaning a shoulder against the wall, cold blue eyes staring directly at him.
        "I didn't see you coming up with anything better." Michael was tired. The guilt had only subsided marginally.
        "That doesn't mean you have to throw your life away."
        Temper breaking through, the taller man spun towards Nick, "Why?  So you could have?  Sorry man, the martyr shit doesn't work for me."
        "Then why do something so stupid?  To not only risk yourself, but Kitt as well?"
        "Believe it or not, I discussed it with Kitt before hand."
        That shut Nick up for a moment, as it dawned on him why Michael had spoken Kitt's name.
        "I do have some respect for him you know."
        "You have far more to lose than I do."
        "I think Alex would disagree." That hit a slight nerve.
 
        Bonnie peered in on the two men. Ridiculous, this whole situation.  Now they were at each other.  Shaking her head, she walked into the room, hoping to salvage what was left of the friendship between the two stubborn men.
        "Enough." Both snapped towards her. "Look, we all agree it was a stupid move." She glared at Michael to keep him quiet. "But it was necessary.  I could see him talking to Kitt. My God Michael..." The shock returned to her.  The knowledge that he was willing to die for them, for her.
        Taking her in his arms, comforting her, he faced Nick, speaking softly. "You are not the only self deemed protector."
        "It doesn't mean I have to approve." Shoving off the wall, he turned without another word.  Michael knew enough to leave well enough alone.
 
 

*
 

        Devon was allowed to return to the Foundation only after Nick received the all's clear phone call.
        Stepping to Kitt, with Bonnie close behind in the early morning hours, Devon faced Nick.  "You didn't have to go through all this trouble."
        "Yes I did.  You are not the first corporation that I have helped....rid themselves of this group.  Now they know I'm playing for keeps." Turning, Nick paused, his back to them.  "There is nothing left.  All bodies have been taken care of."
        Devon nodded sadly. "Understood. And thank you for all you've helped us with."
        The three watched as Nick climbed into Karr.  With a slight wave, he gunned the engine, leaving them in the silence of the aftermath.