Mike's POV

Sarah's kid brother was a cute little guy when I first met him. They loved what their father did and with their mother and Sarah's stepmother hanging around SSC for a few days before Christmas…they were enough to kill me.

"Uncle Mike guess what?!" This was the third time Billy and I's Halo game was interrupted…I wanted to spin the little sucker in KITT.

"What is it this time Zack?" His little eyes darted from my head to the tips of my combat boots. He was holding what looked like one of KITT's back up drives in his little hands.

"KITT is gonna show us a movie!" Billy tried not to laugh and I simply shot him a look. Christmas music at this point even got on my nerves not only the shorty standing before me. "Aunt Zoey is watching it with me."

"That's good. He might start with out you if you don't go now." He sprinted out of the room and I blew something else on the screen into pieces. "Better Zoe then me…" Billy chuckled and took a sip of his soda.

"Sick of them yet?"

"What gave you the first clue…KITT's getting sick of being jostled around and buttons being pushed. We're lucky the Xbox still works."

"Webkinz has taken over my computer station…damn flash has slammed the SSC hard-drives." Something else on screen blew up. "Torres is pissed."

"Course he is…he didn't want them here in the first place." A crash from the other room didn't sound good. Billy and I paused and looked at each other before sprinting out of the room. Sarah had heard it too and had joined us in the doorway.

"Check it out Uncle Mike! KITT has a hook!" I knew that of course…just I didn't want to see the hook deployed and sitting in the middle of some crackling electrical wires. If KITT wasn't pissed, Torres would be. "Isn't it so cool?!" I leaned to Sarah.

"How old is he again?"

"12…pushing 13." I was going to wring the kid's neck.

"Zachary!" Looks like I wouldn't be the only one…his mother came storming down from the catwalk…looking at me sternly. She never did like me. Dr. Graimen tight on her heels. "What do you think you're doing?! KITT is not a toy!"

"You could say that again…" I mumbled. Billy stifled a laugh and KITT tried hard not to encourage me. The new Mrs. Graimen gave me an icy stare.

"Do you have something to stay Mr. Traceur?" She reminded me of my sixth grade teacher. I just gave her the look I would give my past teacher; "I said…"

"I heard what you said and no." Her eyes didn't let up.

"Finally an answer, Alex I don't want my son with…him…and Sarah I don't think I want you around him either." Torres looked like he was going to fall over laughing when she told Sarah to stay away from me.

"Don't worry about your son…but Sarah is another story." Torres straightened his jacket and returned to his serious face as my words filled everyone's ears. '' didn't like it one bit. She grabbed Zack's arm and dragged him up to her pod and I ran my hand down KITT's hood. The mustang didn't purr. KITT's voice simply lit up the room.

Michael, you seem to have some serious distaste for Dr. Graimen's new wife.

"How long did it take for you to figure that one out…?" Billy typed some nonsense into his computer; it still worked…thank God. Sarah stood in the doorway still, worry on her face and it seemed like some tears brimming in her eyes.

"Sarah?"

"It's not a good time Mike…" I respected her wishes and went to load my gun. She was on my mind as I was set to leave for a mission. KITT's systems were revved and my adrenaline got pumping. Eventually I was half asleep on a highway to who-knows-where preparing to go undercover as a delivery agent for a highly wanted software thief.

Our destination is 500 meters from this point Michael.

"Thanks KITT." The fingerprint covers and the voice changer popped out of the glove compartment. The contact lenses came out of the dash. Eventually we pulled next to a warehouse. I couldn't stand the stupid places. Armed guys held guns to my chest and back. All of them trained not to say a word unless told so. I was briefed on where the disk was to go and how…but the guy still didn't seem to trust me.

"Just so you get it done…within our time-window…" A sharp pain in the back of neck didn't feel too hot. I slammed my attack in his chest and forced him to the whole way to the ground with my foot.

"Now finish the job…or you will have your whole system…nerves, brain, everything shut down with in 4 hours." KITT could feel everything that just happened.

The SSC has been informed about your deadline Michael…should I inform them of the poison?" KITT barely finished his sentence when Sarah's face popped on screen…a worried look still on her face. She could obviously see the pain in my eyes, I tried to hide it…I wasn't any good at it.

"Mike? What happened? Are you ok?" The skull splitting headache didn't help with me trying to answer.

"I've been put into a trust scheme…poison in exchange for the software…can shut down my nervous system…brain…he has the antidote." Her facial expression burned in my already pained head.

"We'll fix it Mike…KITT get him back here as fast as you can." I attempted to keep myself from dosing into a sleep state. KITT refused to let me drive and we skidded into SSC within twenty minutes. Zack was right there…ready to annoy me. Sarah took my blood sample; coming up with the results in only about 45 seconds. Leaning on KITT's hood I could barely feel my own finger tips against the warmth of the hood. I drank like I hadn't ever seen water before.

"They contain a combination of the toxins. One being traumatizing to your nerves and another that'll dehydrate you…and the last one can be a truth serum." Zoe looked like she was going to try and take full advantage of it. Not like I could restrain from saying anything…it would all come out of me even if I paused and thought about the questions.

"Return the software to where they want it Mike and come straight back." Torres looked concerned. I don't blame him…I was sweating more then usual.

Upon return, I wasn't a free man. They had destroyed the antidote in front of my eyes and sent me off to die. KITT's speed was barely enough to get me back before I dosed off. Stumbling I got out of KITT and collapsed into a chair and downed another bottle of water…making me feel slightly better then before.

"Figure anything…else out about it yet?" Sarah looked sadly at me…the look wasn't reassuring. I went to get ready for dinner that night. The room had everything I needed to survive plus a small fry…named Zack.

"Can I ask what the hell you're doing in my room…?" He picked his head out from under the bed and looked up at me like I had about ten heads.

"Nothing."

"Sure, give me my disk and my iPod and get out." His mother then stepped into the room, my sweat turning to ice and my heart racing. Damn poison.

"Hello Michael, feeling any better?"

"Not with you and your blood relative in the room." She wasn't impressed.

"Lighten up…it's Christmas Mr. Knight." I almost wanted to yell Bah humbug in her face until Sarah came waltzing through the door…I never did get privacy.

"Mike?" I was fading, my sight fading in and out, dizziness over coming my head. Twenty seconds later I was on the ground, attempting to suck in air.

"MIKE!" she was on the ground next to me, I could simply feel her breath trying to keep me alive. The world was black and the light at the end of the tunnel was either heaven or hell and I couldn't quite tell what it was. A few coughs, jerks, and then a slap later I was alert again.

"You are not ok…" The two other had left…my iPod was left but the disk wasn't.

"Have I ever told you you're ridiculously beautiful?" She smiled and then cocked her head.

"That's the truth serum…talking." She almost dropped me back to the ground. I then shook it off and nearly sprinted in the control room of the SSC beyond pissed.

"Where's the countdown to my death KITT?"

"3 hours, 40 minutes and 15 seconds Michael…your inner readings are unstable, requiring serious medical attention."

"I'm fine KITT…we have to get the antidote and I'm not stopping till I die or save my own life." He reluctantly started his engine and Sarah didn't look too happy…more worried…Billy and Zoe had the same look. Torres on the other hand, gave a reassuring glance…yea right. We whipped out of the SSC and into the wide open air…KITT insisted on having the wheel in my unstable condition. He squealed the tires and I leaped out. I wasn't in disguise and I wasn't hiding anything…not like I could.

"Drop everything you have and put your hands in the air…F…B…I…" The thoughts weren't progressing…soon enough my speech would slur like I was drunk and had no idea what the hell I was doing. Their leader laughed and drew a gun, training on my chest.

"Hello…Michael, remember me?" I attempted to focus...when I then realized who was really in front of me; Jason Mirage, former Army Ranger and battled me once for the spot in the SSC. Here he was, the shaggy white blonde hair streaked with an oily black. His smirk as I felt my legs give way…my time was running out.

"Ah…the poison works pretty well doesn't Traceur? Enduring the way you are is brave of you…there's obviously a girl involved." Sarah was violently pulled from the center of the group, held out to me like candy. It hurt to see her scratched up course I didn't help that my own gun was on the ground and my self control dying away piece by little tiny piece.

"Mike, hold on please…his bullets will kill you on contact! Mike just stay put…please." Her begging tore at me more then the poison did. Sirens wailed up the parking structure. Carrie and Torres both got out. Dr. Graimen and wife followed, with about seven other agents. Having me already defenseless Jason sent a kick into my chest…knocking me completely to the ground. Torres's gun clicked and Carrie's voice sliced through the air.

"Kill both of them and you'll be charged with murder of two government operatives. Right now, it's only kidnap and double attempted murder." He knelt down and pressed his knee hard into my chest, the gun barrel being jabbed into my forehead.

"Goodbye Mikey…I finally got what I wanted…"

"Old habits…die hard…" A gun shot rang out, and my world went black.