Knight Lights

by vega2

Strange lights, strange sounds. What is really going on at Singing Rock Beach? Michael and Kitt are about to find out.

Knight Rider character copyright Glen A Larson
Knight Lights copyright L. Borchers 2002

KNIGHT LIGHTS
By Vega

"Ah, Michael, thank you for coming." Devon waved him to a visitors chair in front of his desk, "Dr. Aston informs me that you are cleared for light duty."

Michael nodded, slipping into the seat with a sigh of relief, his left arm strapped snuggly against his side in a harness. "It's about time. I'm starting to climb the walls here."

"Yes, so I've been told. Both Bonnie and Kitt have been begging me for the past two weeks to find something for you to do. You are driving them up a wall as well."

Michael ignored the verbal jab, "You've got an assignment for me?"

"Yes. A rather unusual one, actually." Devon pulled a file from his desk drawer and flipped through it until he found the page he wanted. "Two weeks ago I received this letter." He handed it to Michael. "It was addressed to the local newspaper in Ocean View, California, a small fishing town near the Oregon boarder. The editor forwarded it to us." The writing struck Michael odd at first but as he read on it picked up a cadence of its own. The penmanship looked like that of a child's. 'Please help me. They know who I am and want to take me away. I don't want to go. I am afraid. You help people who need help. I need help. If they take me away I will never get home again. Your friend, Billy'

"Who's Billy?"

Devon handed him a snap shot of a young man sitting on a large rock, the ocean surf pounding behind him. "Billy Crow age twenty three." Devon began, "developmentally challenged, he has the I.Q. of a ten year old."

"I still don't understand what we…"

"I received this clipping from the editor yesterday." He handed Michael a page torn from the local newspaper. 'Billy Crow arrested for aggravated assault: While being questioned by Sheriff Austin about the strange occurrences at Singing Rock Beach, Billy became agitated and attacked the Sheriff. He is being held without bond pending a psychiatric evaluation.'

"What strange occurrences?"

Devon stood up slowly, staring out the window at the expanse of well manicured grass below, "I receive requests for help all the time, Michael. It is my job to decided who we help and why. At times it is a terrible burden. And, sometimes I let the really needy slip through the cracks." Devon turned back to face Michael, guilt written across his features. "I let Billy Crow slip through the cracks. He needed help and I ignored him."

Michael stood up, favoring his left arm, "You want me to check out Billy's story? See what it is that's got him so freaked."

Devon nodded. "I talked with Dr. Aston, he is reluctant to have you leave the estate so soon after your injury, but he has agreed on one condition, you take someone with you."

"No way. Kitt and I travel alone."

"Not this time, I'm afraid."

The door behind them opened and Bonnie walked in, a duffle bag filled to the point of exploding. "Since I don't know what the weather's like in Ocean View I packed for all contingencies."

Michael turned back to Devon, "Devon, please," he moaned, "This isn't necessary, you know. I'm fine. Kitt will look after me, he always does."

"I have no doubt he would, but Dr. Aston knows you all too well. If you want this case it will be with Bonnie."

Michael looked back at Bonnie who couldn't contain a grin. "It won't be so bad, Michael. It'll be like a mini vacation."

"Why," Michael said under his breath as he watched Bonnie struggle out of the door with her overloaded duffle bag, "do I think I'm going to regret this before it's over?"

Michael sat dourly in the passenger seat as Bonnie easily negotiated the final onramp to the freeway. It was decided, unbeknownst to him, that Bonnie would do the driving while his arm was still strapped in the sling.

"Come on, Michael," Bonnie chided, "in a few more weeks your collarbone will be healed and you'll be back in the drivers seat."

"I'm perfectly capable of driving one-handed," he snapped back, "especially with Kitt's help."

She looked over at him, studying his face. He still looked pale. It had been a long painful recovery and it was still not over. She still remembered vividly the night Kitt had called, frantic with worry. Michael had been struck by a car as he sat inside Dell's restaurant eating dinner. Three people had been killed that night, four critically wounded and seventeen walked away with minor scrapes and abrasions, as a Monte Carlo careened through the building, its driver slumped over the wheel dead from a heart attack.

As Michael clung to life for the first three days, a respirator keeping him alive, Kitt went into withdrawal. He felt responsible. No one could convince him that it was just a freak accident that no one could have anticipated. There was nothing he could have done. But Kitt wouldn't listen. He was beside himself with guilt.

Once Michael was strong enough to talk on the comlink he convinced Kitt that there was nothing he could have done. Accidents happened.

"I know this has been hard on both of you." She said gently, "but it's almost over. You'll be back behind the wheel before you know it."

"Bonnie's right Michael," Kitt agreed. "You have made great progress in the past two weeks. It's only a matter of time now."

"Easy for you to say." Michael growled.

"Come on," Bonnie sighed, "can't we lighten things up here? We have another three hours before we reach Ocean View."

"Three hours forty two minutes," Kitt corrected. "That's if you exceed the speed limit as Michael does on almost every occasion."

Michael dropped his head back against the seat, "This is going to be a loooong trip." He muttered.

They reached Ocean View in a little over four hours. It was decided that they would find a place to stay first then search out the newspaper editor who had sent the letter.

Ocean View was one of those unique towns that time seemed to have passed by. The buildings were old wooden structures, faded from years of wind, rain and sun. The Main Street was only a block away from the ocean. There Michael and Bonnie found the hub of the town. The grocery story, hardware story and pharmacy shared one large building on the North corner. Directly across the street was the Sheriff's Office, Post Office and Medical clinic. A few doors down they found a small hotel and restaurant.

Bonnie shifted uncomfortably in her seat, feeling every eye on them as the black Trans Am slowly pulled up to a parking spot outside the hotel.

"I guess we're a bit out of place here." She said.

Michael forgot and tried to shrug, immediately regretting it. "You get used to it."

The inside of the Ocean View Hotel was dark and smelled musty. A sign on the Reservation Desk ordered the guest to call 737 on a phone provided for service. Bonnie had barley gotten the phone to her ear when a young man bounded into the foyer, grinning from ear to ear.

"That's some car you got out there." He gushed, "I never seen anything like it. I don't suppose I could have a ride in it before you go?"

"Maybe," Michael said, "but first we need two rooms."

"Connecting rooms, if possible." Bonnie smiled.

"Sorry. The only thing we have open is the Bridal Suite."

"You can't possibly be filled up." Michael nodded at the number of keys hanging on a peg board behind the desk.

"Not filled up, just closed up. If you two really need separate rooms there's another hotel about thirty miles down the road. They got rooms there."

"No," Michael fished his credit card out of his leather jacket and handed it over, "that's OK, we'll take the Bridal Suite. Just send in an extra cot."

The young man shook his head, "We sent all our extra bedding to Lancer School for the flood victims."

Bonnie looked back at the worn furniture and the tell tale line three feet up the wall showing how far the flood waters had risen inside the hotel.

"We'll be fine." She smiled.

There were only three rooms on the second floor, the only three that had survived the ravages of the flooding. Bonnie found the Bridal Suite at the end of the hallway and used the oversized key to open the double doors. For just a second she wondered what it would be like if this were truly her bridal suite and Michael was carrying her over the threshold. She mentally slapped herself and pushed the door open.

Inside a king sized bed dominated the room. A chest of drawers and a lounge chair sat to the left of the bathroom and a desk and chair sat next to the window looking out on the street.

Michael collapsed on the bed, more exhausted then he was willing to admit, even to himself. Bonnie looked over at him, he was already pushing himself to hard. It was going to be an uphill fight to keep him from going beyond his means.

"Why don't you rest for awhile," Bonnie suggested, "while I have a look around town. We can go see the editor and the Sheriff later."

Michael shook his head, "If something is going on here I don't want to give them time to get together and concoct a story. It's best to make contact right away. If you're tired you can rest."

Bonnie glared back at him. "You're not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

He threw her a wicked grin, "Welcome to my world."

The Ocean View Gazette was housed on the second floor overlooking the Ocean View Tavern. A rickety set of stairs led up the outside of the building to an equally rickety door. Michael knocked once and an annoyed voice yelled from inside. "Go away Stan, I told you I'd get to it when I can."

Michael smiled down at Bonnie and opened the door peeking his head inside. The smell of newspaper print and ink filled the room. Sitting behind a desk piled high with stacks of papers was a tiny woman in her late thirties. She wore her dark brown hair in a ponytail and as she turned to yell at Stan one more time she blushed with embarrassment at seeing Michael staring in.

"Sorry, I thought you were someone else."

"I kinda got that impression." Michael grinned. He opened the door wider so both he and Bonnie could walk in. "My name's Michael Knight, this is Bonnie Barstow, we're from The Foundation For Law and Government."

She stood up, surprise turning to relief, "I never thought Mr. Miles would send anyone. Come in, please. Sit down." She hurriedly threw a pile of papers off the couch that sat beneath the window. "As you can see, I don't get visitors here very often. My name's Nancy Ogden. I'm chief editor, reporter, copy boy, printer… hell I am the Ocean View Gazette."

"A lot of work for one woman." Bonnie said, impressed.

"It's worth it most of the time." Her small frame belied her strength in body and character. If there was a fight to wage she was the first one on the front lines.

"You sent Devon an intriguing letter," Michael said, "but to tell you the truth, it didn't make much sense."

"Nothing makes much sense around here anymore. You two care for a cup of coffee or something?"

"No, we're fine thanks." Michael shifted on the couch trying to find a comfortable position. His shoulder was beginning to complain.

Bonnie noticed the tell tale signs, the sweat forming on his brow and the glassy eyes. She would need to get him to rest soon or he would collapse. She was beginning to think that Dr. Aston had misjudged his readiness to be out in the field.

"Billy Crow is the nicest kid you would ever want to meet. But something's been happening near his place for the past two months and he's scared out of his mind. Most people dismiss it. He's got the I.Q, of a ten year old, but he's not stupid. If he says something is wrong then you better believe him."

"Has he said what it is?" Bonnie asked.

Nancy shook her head, "He is either too scared to say or doesn't understand it. I've been out there, looked around but didn't see anything."

"But he assaulted the Sheriff." Michael said,

"Yea," Nancy snorted, "Sheriff Austin got a bruised lip and a bruised ego. I don't know which one hurt more. Billy was scared. He reacted. He's a big man. If they committed him it would be the end of him. I just don't know what else to do."

"We'll talk to the Sheriff," Michael said as he slowly stood up, "and Billy."

"It looks like you could use some rest first. Broken collarbone? I recognize the rig."

Michael shook his head, "I want to get the Sheriff's side first, then Billy's."

"Michael is the most stubborn man I have ever met in my life. He'd rather fall flat on his face then admit he's hurting and needs rest."

"If you two ladies are done discussing my health…"

Bonnie threaded her arm through Michael's elbow and led him toward the door. "We're staying at the hotel…if you need anything."

Sheriff Randall Austin was a short rotund man in his late forties. He glanced up at the door as Michael and Bonnie walked in then went back to reading his magazine.

"Sheriff Austin?" Michael felt an immediate dislike for the man. Several deer heads hung on the walls, the antlers used as key holders. A bear skin was stretched on the back wall a bullet hole framed by a bulls eye patch.

"Yep."

Michael waited. Austin turned a page and continued reading, ignoring them.

"We'd like to see Billy Crow."

"Nope."

Bonnie took a step back, feeling Michael's body language change.

"Any particular reason why I can't see him?" Michael asked through gritted teeth.

"Yep."

"Mind telling me why?" Michael's anger was growing to the breaking point.

"Nope."

Michael took another step closer to the desk.

"Look," Austin put his magazine down slowly, "I don't have to tell you diddly squat. I'm the Sheriff and that boy's my prisoner. You got a problem with that you take it up with Judge Temple over in Sky View. It shouldn't take you more than an hour to drive over there in that fancy piece of junk you got out there."

Michael leaned over the desk, his face only inches from Austin's, "If you lay a finger on that boy," Michael warned, "I'll throw you in the can myself."

Austin smiled, "Big talker for a man with a broken wing."

Michael nudged Bonnie toward the door. "I'll be back." Michael promised.

"That," Bonnie fumed "is the most despicable man I have ever met. Who does he think he is…"

"He's the Sheriff. Look, call Devon, tell him what's going on and have him contact this Judge Temple in Sky View. Tell him ASAP. I want to talk to Billy before the day's over."

"And where are you going to be?"

Michael looked back toward the tavern beneath the newspaper office. "Sometimes," he grinned, "you can get more information over a beer than a weeks worth of newspapers."

The Ocean View Tavern was dark and cool and had the same musty smell as all the other buildings in town. It was early and only a few bar stools were occupied. He took the first stool next to the door and waited for the bartender to finely reach him. She looked like she was barley old enough to drink herself. She wore a pair of faded overalls with a pink shirt that opened enough to show her ample figure.

"What can I get ya?" She asked.

"A draft."

"Draft coming right up. You know," she said as she expertly filled the mug to the top and let the foam spill over, "that's some car you and your sweetie got there. I don't think I've ever see one quite like it in these parts."

"Or anywhere else," Michael smiled, "It's a one of a kind. A prototype. We're just driving the kinks out of it." Michael felt the tiny jolt of electricity from his comlink. The prototype line always got under Kitt's skin.

The girl leaned over the bar top as she handed Michael the draft, "You mean that's not your sweetie?"

"We're business partners."

"Ain't that a hoot. Driving around in a car like that with a stud like you and you're just business partners? That girl doesn't know how lucky she is. My name's Candy Cane."

"Candy Cane?" Michael nearly choked on his beer.

"No lie. My last name's Cane and my daddy thought it was a big joke to name me Candy. Been stuck with it all my life. And what about you? What's your name?"

"Michael Knight."

She reached over the bar and ran her finger down the length of his sling. "What happened to your poor arm, Michael?"

"Broke it."

"Not in that car out there?"
"No. Some guy had a heart attack behind the wheel and plowed into the restaurant I was eating in. Took a lot of people out. I was one of the lucky ones."

"Ouch. You need some doctoring?"

"Thanks," Michael grinned, "But I'm just fine now."

"Oh well, if you ever need anything…"

"How about some information?" Michael asked.

"Information? What kind?"

"I heard there was some strange things going on near the Crow place."

Candy stood up, suddenly suspicious. "What do you know about the Crow place?"

"Only what we read in the papers. But my partner likes to delve into the strange things, you know, things that go bump in the night."

"Then," Candy was more than willing to tell everything she knew, "she'll love this place."

"Really?"

"Yea. They say you can see strange lights coming on shore in the middle of the night. Noises too. Noises like no one else has ever heard. Been told that people hear it once and never go back they get so scared. Billy Crow is the only one who has really seen them and he's too dumb to know what he saw."

"Did he really take a punch at the Sheriff?"

"Funniest thing I ever did see. Poor Billy was minding his own business outside Clyde's place when the Sheriff comes along all mean and full of spitfire. He tells Billy he's got to go to the jail to answer some questions and Billy gets scared. He just wants to go home. The Sheriff tries to grab Billy's arm and Billy decks him. Flat on his ass he went. The whole town saw it."

"I bet the Sheriff's pretty mad."

"Mad ain't the word for it. I wouldn't want to be in Billy's shoes right about now."

The door opened behind him and he saw Bonnie step in, waiting for a moment while her eyes adjusted to the dark room. When she spotted Michael she held up a folded sheet of paper. "We got it." She said, taking a seat next to his.

"Good work. Bonnie, meet Candy Cane. Candy Cane, meet Bonnie Barstow."

Bonnie reached over the bar shaking hands, not sure she had heard the name right. "Candy Cane?"

"Candy Cane." Michael smiled, "you two can discuss it later."

"Why," Bonnie laughed as they stepped out of the tavern, "do I feel like we've stepped into Never Never Land?"

Sheriff Austin was waiting for them when they returned to his office. As he stood up to his full height he was no taller than Bonnie.

"You two work quick," he growled, grabbing a key off a deer's antler as he lumbered toward the holding cells. "Judge Temple said I got to let you see the prisoner." He said over his shoulder, "he didn't say for how long. You got five minutes."

Michael and Bonnie followed Austin down the narrow windowless hallway to the last cell on the right. The small room consisted of six cells, three on each side. Austin made a point of making as much noise as he could as he walked down the isle, scraping and rattling his keys against the iron bars.

"Come on Boy," Austin roared as they reached the end cell," you got company."

Michael was taken aback by the sight of the man sitting at the top of the cot, squeezed as tightly as he could into the corner of the wall, his knees drawn up to his chin, his face buried beneath his arms. His body shook in fear as he raised his head just enough to peek at them standing on the other side of the cell. He was a large man, six foot at least, with broad shoulders and powerful arms. If he wanted to, Michael was sure he could snap a persons neck with one squeeze. But his stomach dropped at the sight of the fear in the man's eyes. He was terrified.

"Come on, boy, show your respect to your guests." Austin taunted, continuing to rattle the keys, grinning at the reaction he was getting from Billy.

Michael swung around and grabbed Austin's arm with the keys and drove his hand against the iron bar forcing him to drop the keys.

"That's enough." He warned, shoving Austin against the bars with his good shoulder.

The sudden look of surprise and fear made Austin look comical for a second before he regained his composure. "You try a stunt like that again, Mister," he warned, "you'll be warming a cell right next to Billy's."

"You continue this," Michael said, the edge in his voice catching Bonnie by surprise, she had never seen this side of him, "I'll have you up on harassment charges. Now, open the door, we have five minutes."

Austin picked up the keys leering up at Michael, "You stay around here long enough, Boy," he warned, "you'll regret the day you were ever born."

Michael ignored the threat and walked into the cell keeping Bonnie behind him. He heard the cell door clang closed behind him and all his senses were on instant alert. He didn't know what Billy Crow was capable of if he was pushed beyond his limit. Anyone, treated as he was by Austin, could break. But with Billy's strength and inability to reason as an adult he didn't feel at all safe and wished he had ordered Bonnie to stay at the hotel for their first meeting.

"Billy?" he asked softly, keeping his distance, letting Billy size him up in his own time. "My name is Michael Knight, this," he pulled Bonnie next to his side, but still behind him if he needed to protect her, "is Bonnie Barstow. We're here to help you, Billy."

Billy stared at them silently. His eyes were still wild with fear.

"Nancy Ogden asked us to come and see you. She though we could help you."

At the mention of Nancy's name, Billy's face suddenly lightened up. "You know Nancy?" he whispered.

Michael nodded, "We just talked to her. We promised her we would help you."

"Sheriff Austin says I'm going to the loony farm where all the crazy people are." He said, his bottom lip trembling. "I don't want to go there. I want to go home."

"I know, Billy, we're working on it. But first you have to tell us what made you write the letter to Nancy." He took a couple steps closer to the cot, still holding Bonnie's hand behind him. "Can you tell us what scared you?"

He shook his head emphatically, "No…! Can't…!"

Bonnie stepped out from behind Michael, "Why Billy?" she asked. "Did some one tell you not to say anything?"

Billy nodded.

"Who, Billy? Who told you not to talk to anyone?"

Billy looked around the cell making sure no one else could hear, "Them…" he whispered.

"Them?" Bonnie slipped away from Michael before he could catch her and sat on the cot next to Billy. "Can you tell us who Them are?"

He shook his head.

"We want to help you Billy, but we can't unless you tell us everything you know."

"They say they will hurt me and Mamma and everyone in town if I tell." Billy reached his hand out to touch Bonnie's arm. Michael made a move to stop him and she cautioned him to stay back with her eyes. "That's why we're here, Billy," Bonnie explained slowly, allowing him to squeeze her arm gently, "to help you and your Mamma and the town."

"Sheriff Austin says I'm crazy. That I never saw nothing out there. That it's all in my head."

"Sheriff Austin's a bully." Bonnie said, "He likes to scare people."

Billy looked up at Michael standing just a couple feet from Bonnie, "He didn't scare him."

"It takes a lot to scare Michael. You can trust him and you can trust me."

"Will you take me with you?" he asked hopefully.

"Now?" Bonnie looked up at Michael who shook his head imperceptibly. "Not yet, Billy. But soon. We have to get Sheriff Austin's bosses to ok it. But we will, very soon. I promise."

"Billy," Michael took a step closer and Billy squeezed back against the wall. He stepped back, it appeared that Bonnie was the only one he trusted at the moment. "Can you tell me where you have seen them?"

"It's ok Billy," Bonnie gently took his hand and held it between hers, noticing how big it was. He was a powerful man in a boy's mind. "you aren't telling us who they are just where you saw them. They won't be mad."

"I don't know."

"If you want us to help you and your Mamma we need you to tell us." She urged.

He leaned in to whisper in Bonnie's ear. Michael went on alert, ready to jump if Billy tried anything. "After Mamma turns off the TV, when the news is over. I sneak out of my bedroom and go to Singing Rock Beach. I saw them there."

"How may times, Billy?"

"Lots."

Billy suddenly stiffened, squeezing himself as tightly as he could into the corner as he heard the rattling of the keys on the bars coming closer. Sheriff Austin was returning. Bonnie quickly stood up. There was no need for Austin to know they had made progress with the boy.

"Five minutes is up, Knight." Austin opened the cell door, "next time you want to talk to Billy here, it'll have to be at the Stanton House."

"What's Stanton House?" Michael asked, knowing if Austin was behind it, it wasn't good.

Austin leaned against the cell bars, laughing at Billy, "You know what Stanton House is don't you, Boy?" he taunted. "It's the nut house. You been headed there all your life."

Tears began filling Billy's eyes. "No," he pleaded to Bonnie, "don't let him send me there."

"What's the matter, Boy, you afraid of your own kind?"

"I wanna go home, please."

"You kissed home good bye, Boy, the minute you struck an officer of the law…"

"No…!" Billy began to cry hysterically.

"Shut up, you sniveling little retard…"

Enraged, Michael spun around slamming Austin into the cell bars, pressing his arm against his neck, "You listen to me, you poor excuse for a human being," Michael seethed, "that boy goes nowhere, not with out Judge Temple's OK. You got me?"

Austin's face was beginning to turn red.

"Michael," Bonnie tried to pull his arm away from Austin's throat. "let's get out of here."

Michael released the pressure against Austin's neck and took a step back. At the same moment Austin pulled his baton out of it's holster and whacked Michael across his injured arm hard enough to knock him off his feet. Bonnie screamed as Michael fell against her and drove her into the iron bars behind her. Dazed for a moment she didn't see Billy dive off his cot and grab Austin through the bars dragging him backwards.

"You stop hurting them." He screamed.

"Billy, no." Bonnie leaped to her feet letting Michael slump to the ground, "Let him go."

Austin jammed the baton back into the cell catching Billy in the stomach. Billy fell backwards grabbing his stomach.

Austin grabbed Bonnie by the arm swinging her into his chest, his face next to hers, his breath reeking, "You get yourself and your partner out of here before I toss you both in one of these cells there for assaulting an officer."

Bonnie ripped her arm free. "If anything happens to that boy," she warned, "you'll have every law enforcement agency breathing down your neck." She turned back to Billy, "We'll have you out of here soon," she promised. "Try to stay calm."

Billy crawled back on his cot, still holding his stomach. He watched Bonnie help Michael to his feet and lead him out the door. He closed his eyes and began to cry, all he wanted was to go home.

Austin held the door open for Bonnie, "Medical Clinic's right next door," he grinned, "you might want to have them to check him out. The poor guy might have broke his arm again."

Too dazed with pain to respond, Michael allowed Bonnie to guide him out the door and into the waiting room of the clinic next door.

Bonnie was all too familiar with waiting in hospital lounges for word on Michael's condition. This was different. A small clinic, she wondered what they did with serious trauma cases. Nancy got word soon after Bonnie managed to get Michael into the clinic, and sat with her while the doctors finished their examination.

"I told you Austin was a maniac." Nancy said.

"Why is he still Sheriff?" Bonnie asked, not taking her eyes off the double doors that led into the treatment room.

"Because he gets the job done. Most of the people in town are afraid of him. So are half the towns within a hundred miles. Riff raft and trouble makers give this town a wide birth."

"Yea, but at what cost? Poor Billy is scared to death. And deservedly so. He's threatening to send him to Stanton House. Says he's transferring him tonight."

"No. He can't do that." Nancy was on her feet heading for the door. "Billy would never survive there."

"We know." Bonnie grabbed her and pulled her back into her seat. "I already talked to Devon. Judge Temple has already ordered that Billy is not to be transferred anywhere. If we're lucky we'll have him out by tomorrow."

"Thank God," Nancy relaxed back into her seat, "I don't know how I am ever going to repay you for all this."

"Don't worry about…"

The double doors opened and Dr. Windom walked out carrying a set of X-Rays. Tall and thin with a mop of red hair that seemed to have a mind of it's own he looked like he should have been kindergarten teacher instead of a doctor.

"Hey, Gabe."

"Nancy. Good old Sheriff Austin strikes again, huh?" The doctor asked dourly as he slid the X-Rays into a lighted viewing box and drew his pencil along a black line on the picture of the bone. "Hairline fracture of the upper Humerus. I stabilized it and the harness Mr. Knight is already wearing will keep it immobile. It's the prior injury I'm concerned about." He replaced the X-Ray with a second one. "This is of his collarbone. The impact of the baton separated part of the bone again." he pointed to a small jagged separation where the bone had been healing. "Like anything else, the more times something is broken or torn the edges become rougher and less likely to mend smoothly. At this point I don't know if he will require more surgery. Time will tell how well it is going to heal this time."

"Can I see him?" Bonnie asked.

"He's under heavy sedation now. You staying in town?"

Bonnie nodded, "At the Ocean View Hotel."

"Ah....the Bridal Suite. In a couple of hours the sedation should wear off enough for you to take him home. But he has to watch that shoulder. He's looking at permanent loss of full movement in that arm if he damages it anymore."

"Thank you Doctor."

"Call me Gabe. I hear you're trying to help Billy Crow."

"We've been in this town half a day and we already know he's being railroaded into an insane asylum."

Gabe looked at Nancy, shaking his head," Not Stanton House?"

Nancy nodded. "Austin's got the transfer papers all filled out."

"Don't worry for the next forty eight hours, we've got an injunction from Judge Temple. By then we hope to have some answers."

"If we includes Mr. Knight, I'm afraid he's going nowhere for the next four or five days."

Bonnie smiled knowingly, "You don't know Michael Knight like I do. If you'll excuse me I have to tell a friend that Michael's OK. He's probably worried sick by now."

Kitt was both worried and angry. He had listened to the entire incident over the comlink and was enraged by Sheriff Austin's tactics. He had already informed Devon of the current situation and awaited Bonnie's return. Time should not have meant anything to an A.I. but it did to Kitt and time seemed to drag on. Finally Bonnie appeared out of the medical clinic and started walking toward him. He wanted to rush over to meet her but thought against it, he was already terribly out of place here, for anyone to see him drive the car driverless would start a panic.

"He's going to be fine, Kitt," Bonnie said as she slipped into the driver's seat. A hair line fracture of the Humerus. He'll be as good as new in no time."

"The tone of your voice tells me you are not telling me everything, Bonnie. What else is there?"

Bonnie sighed, it was useless to try to hide anything from Kitt, why didn't she just stop trying. "He re-injured his collarbone. It may require surgery when we get home. How do you deal with this all the time, Kitt?"

"With what, Bonnie"

"Michael always getting beaten up, always getting into the middle of other peoples problems? Why can't he be like everyone else, go to work and come home each night with not even a paper cut."

"Because that's not Michael, and you know it. As much as we wish things were different, that his life was not always on the line for someone else's cause, it's not. And we have to accept it or walk away."

Bonnie tapped the gull wing steering wheel gently, "How did you ever get so smart?" she smiled affectionately.

"I had good teachers." He answered simply.

Word had spread of Sheriff Austin's newest causality and a half dozen people formed outside the clinic to help in any way they could, including Candy Cane from the tavern. It was decided it would be less painful for him to walk the half block to the hotel then try to slide in and out of a car. Still fuzzy from the sedatives he was barely aware of the different people taking turns guiding him down the sidewalk. Through it all Sheriff Austin watched from his office window, growing more agitated

The stairs posed another obstacle and took several minutes to get him up just the one flight. Astounded, Bonnie was pushed into a corner of the room while three women marched in and began tending to Michael, propping the pillows until he was comfortable and making sure he took the prescribed medication. Satisfied that they had done all they could for the time being they left, but not before leaving Bonnie with a telephone where each woman could be reached and instructions on his care when they were not around.

The ordeal had been more than Michael could handle and he had fallen into a deep sleep for the time being. Bonnie collapsed into the desk chair and looked at Nancy.

"What just happened here?" she asked.

Nancy could only laugh. "Welcome to Ocean View. In many ways the people of this town live their lives like their grandparents did. They hold honor in the highest esteem. Michael fought for one of their own, one of their helpless. They are just repaying him in the only way they know how."

She looked over at him, propped up on a pile of pillows, the harness holding his arm and shoulder tightly against his chest. "I wonder if he will remember any of this?"

"Probably not, he looked pretty out of it. But don't worry, there's plenty to come."

"I'm not sure how he'll take it. He doesn't like being fussed over."

"Then he's going to have a rough time because those women have adopted him now. He's in for the long haul."

Bonnie grinned, "This should be an interesting ride."

Devon returned the phone to it's cradle and studied the note he had just written. He had put inquires out on Sheriff Austin and received some disturbing results. Twenty years ago he had run rough shod over another small town, under another name. By the time he left he had most of it's citizens cowering in his wake. By what Bonnie had told him so far it appeared that Austin was on the same track in this town. Michael and Bonnie had walked into much more than they anticipated.

Bonnie was surprised to find that she had dosed off. Nancy sat in the desk chair composing the headlines for next days paper.

"How is he?" she whispered looking over at Michael still sleeping.

"He's been sleeping like a baby. I think the ladies gave him an extra dose of sedatives. You must be hungry, you haven't eaten all day."

"A little, I'll…"

The door flew open. Simon, from the reservation desk down stairs could barely talk. "The Sheriff is taking Billy to Stanton House right now!"

Bonnie jumped up, "He can't. Judge Temple gave us an injunction against moving him anywhere for forty eight hours."

"Well, he's not paying any attention."

"Nancy, watch Michael. I'll be right back."

"Wait, what do you think you can do alone?"

"I won't be alone," Bonnie called back over her shoulder.

Kitt was sitting at the curb watching the commotion up the street. He turned the engine over the moment he saw Bonnie rush out of the hotel.

"What do you propose to do Bonnie?" he asked.

"Austin doesn't have the authority to take Billy now."

"He may not have the authority, but you don't stand a chance against him."

"Not alone." She said determined.

Kitt squealed the tires as he pulled away from the curb skidding to a stop in front of the sheriff's office.

"Billy doesn't go anywhere for the next forty two hours." Bonnie yelled. "Take him back inside."

"This is my town, Lady. Stay out of the way or you'll be in the same condition as your partner."

"Be careful, Bonnie" Kitt cautioned.

Now she knew how Michael felt. She was scared to death but she could not not help Billy. Even if she was hurt in the process it was something she had to do. "Pull up as close as you can to Billy." She ordered.

Kitt maneuvered until he was inches away from the frightened boy.

"Open the door Kitt," she shouted.

Surprised to see the door open by itself Austin took his attention off Billy just long enough for Bonnie to shout to Billy, "Get in the car, Billy!"

Billy reacted, jumping head first into the passenger seat. Kitt slammed the door shut before Austin could react and spun around in a tight circle until Bonnie was next to the driver's door. "I'm making a citizens arrest. Billy will be safe until Judge Temple is informed of what you are doing."

"The hell you are.! Get out of the car." He tried to swipe at the car. "That's my prisoner. You're breaking the law." He was beside himself with anger. His face was as red as it was when Michael had him trapped against the cell bars.

"Where to Bonnie?"

"I'm not sure. We have to hide him out until we can get Michael on his feet."

"May I suggest the jail in Sky View. He will be safe there and closer to…"

"No jail!" Billy panicked, looking around for the source of the other voice. "No jail!"

Candy was by the driver's door banging on the window. Kitt let the window down just enough for her to peek in. "Get lost for two hours then meet me here." She dropped a map drawn on a paper napkin from the tavern into Bonnie's lap.

Kitt peeled away from the curb leaving behind an infuriated Sheriff Austin. Despite the seriousness of the moment Bonnie couldn't resist a hoot of satisfaction as the rotund man ran through the crowd cursing at the top of his lungs.

Michael's mood was bleak. He awoke to find three strange women in his room all fussing over him when all he wanted to do was to be left alone. His shoulder hurt, his arm ached and the pain pills the women forced down his throat left him groggy and anti social. It took him awhile before he realized he had not seen Bonnie for a long time and suddenly curiosity turned to concern when he couldn't get a straight answer out of any of them.

Left alone for a few precious seconds he awkwardly climbed out of bed and staggered to the window surprised not to see Kitt parked at the curb. Something must have happened. He raised his comlink to his mouth, the watch feeling odd on his right wrist, "Kitt…Kitt, can you read me?"

"Yes, Michael. Loud and Clear." The sound of Kitt's voice brought a sigh of relief.

"Where are you?"

"We're on the outskirts of town for now."

"What the hell's going on?"

"Michael…" Bonnie's voice emanate from the comlink.

"Bonnie…? What the hell's going on?"

"Austin was taking Billy to Stanton House."

"He had a court order…"

"He claimed he never got it. We ah…we sort of kidnapped Billy."

Michael looked at the comlink not sure he was hearing right. Bonnie, kidnapping… The two did not exactly go together.

"We're going to keep him out of sight until Devon can get Judge Temple to oversee Billy's case personally. It may take a couple of days."

"Where are you staying?"

"Don't know yet. We're going to meet Candy Cane in half an hour, she says she knows where to hide us. Are you alright, Michael?"

"Yea, I'm fine. Don't worry about me. Kitt, you take good care of Bonnie."

"I intend to Michael. Bonnie and Billy will be safe with me. And you? What are you planning?"

"I'm not sure yet, I think…"

A whoop of displeasure erupted in the doorway as the three ladies saw Michael standing before the window.

"What are you doing out of bed?" the tallest of the three demanded. "You are to stay in bed for forty eight hours, doctor's orders."

Michael looked at the three women descending on him and thought he had never seen a more frightening sight.

"Michael, are you alright, your vital signs just went through the roof."

"I'm OK, I just met my nurses."

Michael glared down at the watch at the sound of Bonnie's delighted laughter. "Think it's funny, huh?"

"I think, Michael," Bonnie said, "that you better do as you're told. I'm sure they're as tough as any enemy you've ever met."

Michael glanced at the three women descending on him and couldn't agree more. "Call me when you're settled."

"Yes Michael." And Kitt's voice clicked off. Was there just a hint of a smirk in Kitt's voice?

"Come on, come on," the women flutter around him, straightening the bedcovers and leading him back to bed, "Gabe will be here any second to check on you." one of the three tittered, "What do you think he'll say if he sees you up like this?"

"Your worse then my Harry," another woman piped in, "no common sense."

Michael decided it was better to say nothing at the moment. He just followed directions.

Bonnnie followed the map provided by Candy Cane and finely pulled up in front of a small bungalow nestled in a grove of Pine Trees. She spotted a motor cycle parked on the side of the house and watched Candy appear from the front door carrying a tray of drinks.

"Right on time." She called, setting the tray on a small wooden table on the porch.

"Wow!" Billy spotted a tire swing hanging from a tree in the front yard and was out of the car before Bonnie could stop him.

"Don't worry, he's safe here. You're both safe here." Candy held up a glass, "Care for some fresh homemade lemonade?"

"Kitt?"

"She's right Bonnie. There is no sign of anyone else in the area."

Bonnie nodded. "Tell Michael where we are and that we're safe."

"Right away."

"This is a wonderful place, Candy." Bonnie joined her on the porch watching Billy playing on the swing contentedly as if he didn't have a care in the world.

"It belonged to my granddaddy then my daddy now me. No one knows about it but family. It's my little refugee away from the world. The pantry's stocked with enough supplies to live for a month without ever having to go into town. I figured one day I might want to up and disappear."

"Austin?"

"The Sheriff? He don't know nothing." She snorted, "He's an outsider. Always will be."

Bonnie looked over at Billy swinging as high as the rope would take him. At first it had taken her aback to see a man of his size acting like a child. It had even scared her at first when she saw him in the cell, but now he seemed so natural. He was a kind gently child with all the bewilderment and curiosity that went with being ten years old.

"That's the way Billy used to be all the time." Candy smiled, "There wasn't a house in town he wasn't welcome in. He was everyone's little boy. His mother home schooled him long as she could then he started getting odd jobs in town, just enough to help her out and have some spending money of his own."

"What happened?"

"Sheriff Austin, for one. When he took over as sheriff everyone's life changed."

"Why didn't you petition to have him removed?"

"By the time we knew he was more than just a hard ass it was too late. Anyone threatened him, they paid. People are down right scared of him."

"And Billy?"

"He took a downright dislike to Billy right away. Called him every name in the book. Billy stopped coming to town. Then the strange things started happening down at Singing Rock Beach. Sheriff Austin called him a damn liar and a retard. But other people saw strange things down there too."

Bonnie looked over at Billy; what had he seen out there? Was it just his imagination
gone wild? Had the town bought into his hysteria? Or was there something really out there?

Michael's forty eight hour confinement was almost over. Over the past two days someone was always in his room with him. His original three nurses had multiplied to nine in the first twelve hours. He appreciated their concern and their help but what he really needed was rest and he wasn't getting any. Between sponge baths to bring down his fever and homemade elixirs to reduce the pain he was exhausted. Finally Dr. Windom stepped in and gave them all a schedule and a specific duty. They rotated every hour giving him at least forty five minutes peace between shifts. He was also terribly worried about Bonnie. Although he knew she was in good hands with Kitt, he still felt guilty that she was on the run with Billy while he was laying here in this bed.

By tomorrow afternoon, if everything went as planned, Billy would be safely in Judge Temple's hands and he and Bonnie could begin checking out the strange goings on at Singing Rock Beach. He had asked his 'nurses' what they knew about the area and they all became nervous and evasive. What ever was going on had not only affected Billy but it had spread to the entire town.

He sighed heavily and closed his eyes, he could feel the pain medication pulling him down again. He had tried to fake taking the medication once and found out the hard way that his 'nurses' didn't fall for his shenanigans easily, or appreciate them in the least. It was far easier to go with the flow, for now.

He wasn't sure how long he had been asleep when he awoke to excruciating pain in his shoulder. His addled mind couldn't comprehend why, after two days of recovery, he was in as much pain as he was in the jail cell. He pried his eyes open trying to focus on the swirling mass that hovered above him.

Sheriff Austin leaned all his weight into Michael's shoulder, enjoying the moans of pain and disorientation it elicited as he kneaded his palm deeper into the injured shoulder. Knight had come into his town and made a mockery of him. His girlfriend had taken Billy and hidden him, making the townspeople think twice about the control he had over them. For that, the man should be dead. But that would come later.

"Your girlfriend is in a lot of trouble," he said, watching recognition then surprise cross Knight's features as he realized who was standing above him.

"Go to hell." Michael gasped.

"Not without you." Austin chuckled. In his limited range Michael could not see Austin spill the contents of a bottle of pain medication into his pocket and replace it with similar looking pills.

Satisfied, Austin leaned in harder, "Where's the boy?" he hissed. "Where did that bitch of yours take him?"

"Out of your reach…"

Austin leaned down closer, his face only inches from Michael's, "You're a dead man, Knight. You hear me? You're a dead man." He pushed harder digging his palm deep into the muscle.

Michael gritted his teeth, refusing to give Austin the satisfaction of hearing him cry out in pain.

"I can keep this up for a long time, Knight. A lot longer than you can play hero. Why don't you save yourself a lot of grief and tell me where they are?"

Michael remained quiet, delving deep inside himself, distancing himself from the pain. He had done it before, he could do it again. It meant Bonnie's life.

Austin, outraged, picked him up by the shoulders and started shaking him, "Tell me!" he shouted. "Tell me!"

Suddenly there were voices raised in anger. Austin was pulled off him and gentle hands rearranged the pillows beneath him. He wasn't conscious long enough to see his 'nurses' drag Austin off him and push him out of the room.

Bonnie was developing a serious case of cabin fever. Despite the beauty of the area and the serenity, she wanted to be back with Michael. She knew he was in good hands, but this inactivity was getting on her nerves. Funny, how often she had chastised Michael for his nervous pacing or sudden outbursts when a case had stalled. Now that she was walking in his shoes things seemed a lot different.

It would be another day before Judge Temple could get to them, speed apparently, was not high on the list of priorities around here. Sheriff Austin, however, was very fast in issuing an arrest warrant for her: Aiding and abetting in the escape of a prisoner and obstruction of justice.

She walked outside, surprised to see Billy sitting on the ground, his back resting against Kitt's front tire carrying on a conversation.

"Hey you two," she smiled as she approached, "can anyone join the party?"

"Of course, Bonnie, have a seat." Kitt's scanner tracked slowly, keeping a watchful eye on everything around them. "We were just discussing the best and worst things about living in a small town."

"Have you ever been far away from here?" She asked.

Billy nodded his head.

"Where?"

"Los Angeles."

"Wow, that's a big city. Did you like it?"

"No!" Billy shook his head emphatically.

"How come?"

"Too much noise. Too much people."

"I agree," Kitt said, "this is much more peaceful."

"Me too." Bonnie agreed, lifting her face to the warming sun. "Do you have a favorite place you like to visit around here, Billy?"

Billy shook his head.

"You don't?" Bonnie turned to him, puzzled, "Nancy said you did."

"Not anymore." Bonnie heard just a hint of a quiver in his voice.

"Why?"

"…Cause…"

"Cause why?" Bonnie persisted gently. She didn't want to shut him down but she felt that he was so close to talking.

"…Cause bad things happen there."

"At Singing Rock Beach?"

He nodded.

"What kinds of things?"

He looked toward her, true fear in his eyes. "If I tell you they will hurt me."

"Did someone threaten you, Billy?" Kitt asked, anger toward whoever would hurt an innocent like Billy rising.

He shook his head.

"Then how do you know they will hurt you?'' Bonnie asked.

"I heard them talking."

"To who Billy?"

"Mamma."

"They threatened your mother?"

He nodded, his eyes averting hers.

"What did they say?"

Billy shook his head, pulling his knees up to his chin again. He was regressing.

"Billy," Bonnie gently laid her hand on his knee, "We're here to help you, but we have to know what is happening around here."

"No…" Bonnie could see his bottom lip begin to quiver.

"Can we talk to your mother, then?"

Billy pulled up a small clump of weeds from the ground, rolling a cattail between his fingers, studying its tiny delicate thistles. "She's gone."

A shiver ran down Bonnie's spine, "What do you mean, she's gone?"

Billy stared at the cattail. "She's gone."

"Where?"

Billy ignored the question continuing to study the cattail.

"Billy. Did someone take her away?"

He nodded slowly.

"Who? Who took your mother, Billy?"

"They did."

"Who, Billy?"

He turned to her, tears welling up in his eyes. The fears and anxieties of a ten year old multiplied ten times over. He had been keeping a secret, too afraid to say anything to anyone until now. She gently took his hand into hers, squeezing it reassuringly, "Who, Billy?"

The sound of Cindy's motorcycle broke the mood. Billy hopped up, running toward her as she pulled up against the side of the house.

Bonnie sagged back against the tire, they were so close. "Get me Michael, Kitt."

"Right away, Bonnie."

"I can do it myself!" Michael snapped, angry after two days of inactivity and his inability to do the smallest things for himself. Finally with a loud sigh of resignation he allowed Laura to help him on with his jacket.

"You know, you shouldn't be out of bed this soon." She said, zipping his jacket up over his harnessed left arm so his left sleeve dangled empty.

"I'm OK," he promised, leaning down and kissing her gently on the cheek, "how could I not be?" he asked looking at the three 'nurses' watching him, "with three of the best nurses in the world taking care of me?"

"It's still too soon." Millie tisked, opening a bottle of pain medication and spilling a few into his right jacket pocket. "Just in case you need them." She smiled.

"Jess is waiting downstairs with his car, he'll take you anywhere you want to go." Amy said, pulling the curtains aside to look out the window. "We've got a couple people keeping Sheriff Austin busy while you sneak out."

"When you're ready to come back we'll do the same. The Sheriff will never know you've even gone."

"Thank you ladies."

"You just be careful, Michael," Laura patted his good shoulder.

"I still say it's too soon for you to be out and about." Millie complained.

"Gabe said forty eight hours." Michael reminded her.

"That was before Sheriff Austin paid you a visit."

"I promise," Michael sighed, crossing his heart, "that I will be careful and not overdo it and come back safely."

"It's clear," Amy said as she saw someone waving from the door of the Sheriff's office.

Michael made it down the stairs, his legs weaker then he expected, and climbed into the waiting pickup truck in front of the door.

"Where to first?" Jess asked, grinning from ear to ear, as he coaxed the truck into drive, the gears grinding in protest. Michael wondered haphazardly, if he was even going to make it out of town.

"Billy's place."

"How come? He ain't there." Michael glanced over at the young hotel clerk. He had eagerly helped in every way he could, and now he was really going out on a limb by driving him around, but Michael wished desperately that he was inside the safety and comfort of Kitt's cabin. The old truck bucked and bounced over the uneven roads sending his arm and shoulder into spasms of pain. If this kept up he would have to take one of the pain pills Millie had slipped into his jacket pocket.

"I know. But I want to see if his mother is."

"What ever." Jess grinned, "you're the boss." And he hit the clutch again the gears squealing until he found forth gear.

It took over thirty minutes before Jess finally pulled off the main road and started down a secondary road that led to a narrow path then Billy's house. Michael was surprised to see a modest looking ranch style house nestled in the trees. It was clean and well maintained but showed a lack of attention recently. The grass was in need of mowing and the flower bed that lined the front of the porch was wilting.

"Nice place." Michael commented.

"Billy's dad spent half his time here and half his time in LA."

"Spent?"

"He was killed in some kind of accident a couple months ago. For some reason Ruth, that's Billy's mom, decided to stay here. I guess because Billy is happy here. I don't know how happy he'd be in LA."

"Ruth doesn't like it here?"

"Naw. She's too much city folk. Never really fit in. But everyone likes her, she just never joins in on any of the socials."

"That's too bad." Michael opened the door and slid out of the truck waiting a moment for his legs to adjust. He was still weaker than he expected.

Jess was already at the front door knocking on the glass, "Ruth… Ruth you in there? It's Jess Watson." There was no answer.

Michael walked around to the back of the house. A clothes line full of once clean sheets flapped in the mild wind. The back door leading into the kitchen was standing half open. A half full pitcher of lemonade sat on a picnic table under the canopy of an old oak tree. Michael looked inside the pitcher to see a layer of mold on the lemonade. It had been days since it was left out there. In the distance he could hear the roar of the surf. He hadn't realized how close they were to the beach.

"Find anything?" Jess asked, joining Michael in the back.

"No one's been here for a few days. Does she have a car?"

"Does she have a car?" Jess's eyes lit up. "She has a honey of a car. Drove it out from LA. Tom, he's Billy's father, he took everyone out for a ride in it when they first got here. She keeps it parked in the garage over there," Jess pointed to a shed in the back of the yard.

Michael followed him over to the shed grabbing his arm before he pulled the door open, "Easy," Michael cautioned. Jess's face blanched. "You don't think she…"

"I don't know." Michael said, "just take it easy."

Jess nodded, his hands shaking as he pulled the doors open. Parked inside was a 1983 red Mustang Convertible, clean and freshly waxed.

"It's Billy's job to keep it clean. He washes it once a week and waxes it once a month."

"Good job. Is this the only car?"

"Tom drives the other one back to LA."

"Then if she left alone it was on foot." Michael said, turning back toward the house. "Let's have a look inside."

Jess was not as eager as when they first got there and lagged behind. Michael could understand. For some reason the place gave him an odd feeling.

As they entered the mud room off the back porch Michael heard faint voices, then music. He motioned Jess to stay behind and he carefully opened the door into the kitchen. A radio sitting on top of the refrigerator played softly. The kitchen tap was on, overfilling a small pot of water in the sink. Four slices of bread sat on the counter, open jars of peanut and jelly sitting next to it.

"Billy loved peanut and jelly." Jess whispered behind him.

Michael walked into the living room. Nothing seemed out of place. The two bedrooms and one bath looked the same.

"She left or was taken suddenly." Michael said, walking back into the kitchen.

"Can we leave now?" Jess asked, "this place gives me the creeps."

"In a few minutes. Why don't you go outside and have another look around. I feel a little tired here, I think I'll rest for a few minutes."

"Sure. But what am I looking for?"

"Anything that doesn't look right. You'll know it if you see it."

Jess disappeared out the back door, less and less eager. Michael pulled a kitchen chair out from the table and sat down, unwilling to admit, even to himself, how tired he really was. He leaned back in the chair propping his elbow on the table and called Kitt.

"Hey, Buddy," it's good to hear your voice.

"Likewise, Michael," came Kitt's reply, "but you sound dreadful."

"I'm OK, just a little tired. How's Bonnie?"

"Feeling trapped. Judge Temple won't be here until tomorrow."

"Tell her to hang in there."

"I'll do that. Michael, are you sure you're OK? You're vital signs are…"

"Forget about that now, Kitt. Believe me, I've been well taken care of. Listen, I want you to check on a few things for me."

"Of course."

"Find everything you can about Billy's parents, Ruth and Tom."

"Do you think they're involved?"

"At this point I'm not ruling out anyone. I'm here at Billy's house now, Pal. His mother is gone. It looks like she left in a hurry."

"Of her own free will?"

"No way of knowing. But if I was going to make an educated guess…I'd say no."

"Poor, Billy."

"Don't say anything to him until we know all the facts."

"What is your next move?"

Michael looked out the kitchen window at the dark shadows starting to appear beneath the trees. "We've got about another hour of daylight. I want to see Singing Rock Beach before it gets dark."

"Do you think that's a good idea to go there alone?"

"I won't be alone, Kitt, I'll have Jess with me." But Michael knew what Kitt meant. Alone was without him.

"Please be careful, Michael."

"I will. I'm just going to have a look around."

"I've heard that before."

"Talk to you later, Kitt."

"How did you do that?" Michael turned toward the door, regretting the sudden movement. Jess was standing in the doorway watching him talking to his watch.

"It's kind of a walki talki," Michael answered, holding his breath against the pain in his shoulder. He needed to be more careful of how he moved. And more alert. He hadn't even heard Jess walk through the mud room.

"Wow, in a little watch like that? What won't they think of these days. Hey, you don't look so good, you want to head back to the hotel?"

Michael shook his head, "Just give me a minute. I still want to check out Singing Rock Beach."

"Now?" Jess blanched. "But it's almost dark.

"I know. We won't stay long. I promise. Is it far from here?"

"Naw. Two miles as the crow flies. A little longer when you drive."

"I think," Michael stood up slowly steadying himself against the table, "we betterget going."

Jess shook his head as he followed Michael out the door, "Those ladies are gonna have my hide back at the hotel." He muttered.

The two miles turned out to be over some of the roughest road Michael had ever been on. By the time they had pulled off the rocky path leading to the beach Michael was close to passing out. Jess helped him out of the truck and led him to a boulder to sit and rest.

Jess reached into Michael's pocket and drew out one of the pain pills. "You better take this." He said.

"No, not yet. They made me fuzzy."

"Take it anyway. Or we turn back right now for the hotel."

Michael looked up at Jess. The boy was holding his ground on this one and he obediently downed the pill without water. Jess nodded, satisfied, then sat down beside him to wait. Michael didn't miss the boy's body language or the wringing of his hands. It seemed everyone was a little scared of this place.

At first glance it was one of the most beautiful places Michael had seen in a long time. A white sand beach with towering cliffs jutting out into the turbulent waters, the waves crashing against the rocks shaking the ground beneath him. To his left the cliffs were honeycombed with holes.

Jess pointed to the holes, "That's why they call this Singing Rock Beach. When the wind picks up it blows through those holes and makes some of the strangest sounds."

"If you know what makes the sounds why is everyone so afraid of it?"

"Because, the sounds have changed. They don't sound right anymore."

Jess looked around nervously, "It's going to be dark soon, we better get out of here."

"In a few minutes." Michael needed time for his shoulder to calm down. He wished he had waited now. At least until Kitt and Bonnie could come. There was something about this place that didn't settle well with him. He wasn't sure if it was because of the pain in his shoulder and arm, or if there truly was something here…

The tide was rising fast. Part of the rock jetty that was visible just a few minute ago was now under water.

"How high does the tide rise around here?"

"Half way up the beach this time of year."

The wind began picking up, tugging at his hair. The view was nothing short of spectacular. Michael couldn't remember when he had seen a sunset more beautiful. The waves pounded against the cliffs creating a mist in the setting sun. The waves grew bigger, the whitecaps catching the last rays of color.

Suddenly a chill went down his spine as the cliffs began to moan. Mournful tones that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

"It's going to be windy tonight," Jess said, "the cliffs will be singing."

It was getting darker by the minute. He could feel Jess's nervousness. An uneasy feeling hung heavy in the air. He took a deep breath, pushing back his own encroaching fear.

"Alright, lets…" A wave of dizziness and fatigue hit him with the force of a sledgehammer. He fell to the ground, stunned. He looked around, dazed, unable to move.

"What's wrong?" Jess was hovering over him, just a dark shadow in the deepening night.

"Don't know," he said, his voice slurred. He couldn't think straight.

"Michael, please," Jess's voice was pleading, "we gotta get out of here."

The pain that had been near unbearable just a few seconds ago was nearly gone. Replaced by a strange euphoria.

He looked up at Jess who's outstretched hand wavered toward him. He reached up for it and missed it by a foot.

"Hurry!" Jess cried, "They're coming!"

"Who…?" Michael tried to climb to his feet on legs that wouldn't obey.

Jess grabbed him and forced him to look out at the water. What he saw mad no sense. He tried to rub his eyes, to force them to focus.

Off shore he saw a bright light rising up from beneath the water, illuminating the waves as they rolled toward shore.

The wind blew harder. The mournful sounds from the cliffs changed pitch, hurting his ears.

"We gotta go!" Jess was near hysterical. We gotta go!" He grabbed Michael's free arm and pulled him to his feet.

The light in the water grew brighter, now it was at least a fifty foot circle.

Michael couldn't move, transfixed by the sight. He watched three smaller lights break away from the main light and begin to travel toward shore.

"They're coming…" Jess gasped and pulled Michael toward the truck. Loosing his footing in the soft sand he panicked and scrambled toward the truck, leaving Michael behind.

Michael looked back over his shoulder at the three lights as they got nearer to shore. He felt Jess grab his arm again and fear spurred him on. He half ran, half crawled to the truck. Jess opened the passenger door for him but his knees buckled and he hit the ground, hard. He lay there for a moment, on his stomach, dazed. Nothing seemed real but the fear. He had a clear view beneath the truck as the three lights emerge from the water, making their way up toward the truck.

Jess grabbed him and shoved him into the cab slamming the door behind him. The singing cliffs grew louder making the truck hum with their vibrations.

Then Jess was in the car beside him, frantically trying to start the engine. He kept on turning the key, pumping the gas pedal. "Damn it!" he yelled, he was flooding the engine.

"Take your time." Michael said, trying to calm his voice, "Give it time."

Jess nodded. He took a deep breath and counted out loud to ten. The three lights continued up the beach, floating closer. He turned the key and the engine caught. He shifted into reverse, flooring the gas pedal. The tires squealed in protest, spinning on the soft sand. They finally caught and the truck jerked backwards. Michael held onto the door handle hoping Jess knew where he was going.

They reached the end of the rocky path and Jess did a one eighty, nearly loosing control of the truck then hit the gas pedal.

They drove in silence. Michael still felt as if he was wrapped in soft gauze, dulling all his senses. He knew what he saw, what he thought he saw, but it didn't make any sense.

Jess was shaking so hard he could barely drive. "I told ya," he said, his voice shuddering, "we shouldn't go there. I told ya."

Michael laid back against the seat, the pain in his shoulder still just a memory. He tried to make sense of what just happened, but it defied logic. Maybe Kitt could make some sense out of it, if he picked up anything on the comlink. He looked over at Jess, his face frozen in disbelief. Would anyone believe them? Did he believe himself? He didn't have time to answer the question before his head lolled forward and he was sound asleep.

Bonnie leaned into the car and kissed Billy gently on the cheek, wiping away the tears that ran down his face.

"It's going to be all right, Billy," she said, "I promise. Judge Temple is going to take you to a nice family who will look after you until you can come back to Ocean View."

"But I want to stay here, with you and Candy and Kitt." He cried. "Please?"

"Billy, listen to me. We want to keep you away from Sheriff Austin and find out what happened to you Mamma. If we know you're safe then we can do our jobs better."

"You'll come get me?"

"I promise, Billy. Very soon."

The window closed as Judge Temple began to pull away. "We'll take good care of him Ms. Barstow."

Bonnie nodded, wiping away her own tears.

She turned back to Kitt who was waiting for her. "Do you think he will ever be able to come back here?" Kitt asked as she slid in behind the wheel.

"I hope so, Kitt."

Bonnie took one last look at the house before she backed up then headed toward town.

"How's Michael?" she asked.

"He appears to be still sleeping. Bonnie, are you sure it's safe for you to go back into town?"

"Judge Temple spoke to Austin in person. The charges have been drooped."

"He's not going to be happy."

Bonnie glanced over at the voice box, "That's an understatement."

To Bonnie's surprise she had to coax her way into Michael's room passed a trio of extraordinary woman who had taken Michael under their wings. She found him looking out the window, no doubt at Kitt parked below.

'Michael…?"

He turned to face her and she was stunned at the change in his face. Not only had the trauma from the broken arm and further injury to his shoulder taken it's toll, there was also a haunted look in his eyes. "Is Billy alright?"

"Judge Temple found a family for him to stay with until this is over. He'll be fine. And you? Are you alright?" She asked. The man that stood before her was not the Michael Knight she knew.

He nodded. "Are you clear with Austin?"

"For now. Temple told him to drop the charges. But I don't trust him any further than I can throw him."

"He's in this up to his neck. Look," he said, gesturing with his eyes toward the three women who stood in the doorway watching them, "this has got to stay here with us. Only us."

The three women closed the door and stood guard. They had been privy to things Michael had said when he returned last night. They knew more than they should, more then was healthy for them to know, but it was unavoidable. When Jess drove him back from the beach last night they were both in a state of shock, Jess from pure fear and Michael from a combination of pain medication and fatigue. What he saw still made no sense, despite Jess's insistence that everything he remembered actually happened.

"I'm not sure what really happened last night at Singing Rock Beach. What Jess tells me is impossible, but I remember every detail just like he tells it. I've got to go back there, check it out for myself."

"What happened?" Bonnie couldn't keep the quiver of fear out of her voice. Michael was scaring her.

"I'd rather not say now. I don't want to put thoughts in your head."

"You can't go back there!" Millie stepped forward, "You were almost killed out there last night."

"That's why I have to go." He said gently, "I have to know what really happened. Not just for me but for Billy and his mother."

"But you've already done enough." Amy insisted. "Billy's safe."

"For now." Laura said, handing Michael his jacket. "I know you have to go." She helped him slide his good arm into the sleeve and zipped it up over his harnessed arm. "No one is safe until we know what is really happening down at Singing Rock Beach."

Michael leaned down and kissed her gently on the cheek, "Thank you all."

Bonnie didn't say a word. She felt that she was witnessing a moment that was meant only for them. A unique bond had grown between them. She almost felt jealous.

"The first thing I want to do, "Michael said, collecting his emotions, "is have a little talk with Sheriff Austin."

Bonnie nodded, "I have a few things I'd like to say to him myself."

"I'm sure you do," Michael grinned.

If Sheriff Austin was surprised to see Michael and Bonnie standing in front of his desk he didn't show it. As they walked in he deliberately picked up a magazine and began reading it.

"Interesting reading for a Sheriff," Michael said, noticing the title, Hitman.

"If I were you two," Austin said, still not looking up, "I'd get the hell out of here while you still can."

"Is that a threat?" Michael asked.

"Naw, just a little friendly advice. I don't know how you got Judge Temple to spring the retard so fast or get Missy here off the hook, but…"

Bonnie bristled and Michael laid a cautionary hand on her arm. "Just so you know," Michael interrupted, knowing Bonnie was ready to take him on herself, "Judge Temple is going to be all over you like white on bread."

Austin dropped the magazine and stood up slowly, his face turning red. "You get the hell out of my office and out of this town. You don't know what you're messing with around here, boy"

"Thanks for the warning," Michael turned toward the door pulling Bonnie after him. "We'll see you around, Sheriff." He called over his shoulder.

Bonnie was still fuming as she slid behind the wheel.

Michael looked over at her as he settled himself into the passenger seat. His shoulder had returned to it's former discomfort, making last nights events even harder to believe.

"Why antagonize him?" She demanded, her adrenalin still pumping.

"Because," he answered simply, "angry men make mistakes."

She looked over at him, astounded, "You're setting us up." She accused.

"Bonnie, I think what ever is happening in this town, our friend Sheriff Austin is involved. I'm not sure how much… but he's involved. And now he's pissed."

"I understand your strategy," Kitt admitted, speaking for the first time since Michael and Bonnie had entered his cabin. "But aren't you taking a big risk?"

"You don't get very far without taking risks, Kitt. Relax, I've got you and Bonnie to protect me."

"Now I feel much better." Bonnie deadpanned. "Where to now?"

"Billy's house is empty now. I don't think they'd mind if we stayed there for a couple of nights."

Somehow Bonnie didn't think that it was as cut and dried as Michael made it sound. There was something that was going on that involved everything around that house and Singing Rock Beach. She had the uneasy feeling that before this was over she was going to come face to face with it… whatever it was.

Bonnie followed Michael's directions and headed down the main road for thirty minutes before pulling off onto the secondary road that led to the narrow path and Billy's house. Bonnie was as surprised as Michael when he first saw the house.

"This is beautiful." She said, climbing out of the car. She could envision it as it was meant to be with the grass cut and the flowers blooming along the porch. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't this." Her burst of enthusiasm dwindled as she followed Michael around to the back of the house. The sheets flapping in the mild wind, tinged brown from hanging to long unattended, was her first hint that all was not right.

"Kitt," Michael raised his comlink to his mouth, "park back here, Pal, out of sight. If anyone comes snooping around I want them to have to come right on the property to see us."

"Right away Michael." Michael heard the whine of the turbine engine turn over and Kitt appeared, pulling past them and parking behind the shack where the Mustang was housed. He knocked twice before opening the door to the mud room. Bonnie followed him into the kitchen, feeling a hollow pit in the middle of her stomach at the site of the half made peanut and jelly sandwiches. Billy had requested one everyday, he said his mamma always made them for him. Except for the sandwiches and a pot of water in the sink everything was neat as a pin except a fine layer of dust coating the countertops and furniture from the door being open before Michael closed it the day before.

"Where do you think she is?" Bonnie asked as she opened the refrigerator door. Two seasoned lamb chops sat on a platter, brown now from age, waiting to be cooked.

"Don't know," Michael said, heading into the living room, "she was either picked up by some one or she headed out on foot. Her only car is still parked in the shack."

A shiver went down her spine as she remembered Billy telling her that his Mamma was gone. "I think she was taken, and I think Billy might have witnessed it."

"No wonder Austin wants him out of the way." Michael said as he eased himself down onto the sofa.

"What are we going to do next?"

"Nothing for now. Tonight, just before sunset I want to be down at Singing Rock Beach. You're not going to believe this place, Bonnie."

"What happened down there last night?" she asked, he had that haunted look in his eyes again.

"You can see for yourself, tonight."

She grabbed a throw blanket off the easy chair and covered him.

"I don't need this." He protested.

"Humor me. You look as pale as a ghost. Get some sleep while you can."

She watched him as his eyes closed and he was asleep in seconds. It felt funny not having him in charge at all times. This was supposed to be a simple case where he could blow away the cobwebs after the accident, both mental and physical. Instead it was turning into a full fledged investigation, involving everyone and everything. She headed outside to meet Kitt. Maybe he had come up with something interesting.

The sound of the waves crashing nearby was both soothing and annoying. She wanted to see Singing Rock Beach after hearing so much about it, and it was just a short hike away. She checked her watch, it was still another four hours before sunset and Michael would be asleep until then. What harm could there be in just checking it out? All the strange things that happened seemed to happen only at night.

"Kitt, I'm going to take a little walk," she said, "if Michael wake's up early tell him I'll be right back."

"Bonnie, you're not thinking of going down to the beach?"

"I just want to check it out. I'll be fine, Kitt."

"But Bonnie when Michael finds out…"

"He'll never know because I'm not going to tell him, and neither are you. Promise me, Kitt. Not a word."

"You are putting me in an untenable situation, Bonnie. I never lie to Michael."

"I'm not asking you to lie. Just don't offer any information. It'll be fine, I promise."

Kitt kept her on his scanners until she dropped out of sight behind a series of sand dunes. He had an uneasy feeling that he should have tried to stop her, but short of disobeying her directly and waking Michael up, he had no choice but to wait. But there was only so much time he'd give her. Two hours tops, then he would awaken Michael. That decision made he went back to monitoring Michael and everything in and around the house.

Bonnie had not expected such an arduous walk from the house to the beach. No wonder Billy was in such good shape if he walked this daily. She was forced to climb sand dunes and skirt large boulders. After ninety minutes she climbed the final dune and was met with a scene that's beauty made her heart skip a beat. White sand beaches, towering cliffs, rock jetties that disappeared into the turbulent waves. This part of the coast line was known for its speculator surf. The jagged ocean bottom rose fast creating monstrous waves that at times warred with themselves as incoming waves crashed into outgoing waves. She carefully made her way down to the soft sand beach. The strong smell of seaweed was everywhere, left behind on the beach after the last high tide. Tonight it would be carried back into the water. She walked until she was standing beneath the towering cliffs. She saw blue sky peaking through the other side of the holes that dotted the rocks, some as big as car tires. She couldn't wait to hear them sing tonight. Tonight… She suddenly remembered the time. She checked her watch. It was four thirty. She had already been gone two and a half hours. It would take her another two hours to hike back to the house. Damn, Michael was going to be furious. She turned to hike back up the sand dune and stopped dead in her tracks, her heart leaping out of her chest. She had felt something brush past her arm. She whirled around to see a dark shadow hovering over her blocking out the sun.

Michael awoke, regretting the position he had nestled into. His shoulder and arm were on fire. Sleepily he checked his watch. It was after five already. He thought Bonnie was going to wake him up in a couple of hours. She probably thought he needed the sleep more. There was still time to make it down to the beach before sunset, but not much. He struggled to a sitting position pondering if he should take one of the pain pills Millie had put in his jacket pocket. It was tempting but he needed a clear head. He got to his feet and moved toward the kitchen, none too steady.

He was surprised not to see Bonnie anywhere in the house. Maybe she was sitting with Kitt, keeping him company.

"Kitt," he asked through the comlink, "is Bonnie with you?"

There was a long silence. Too long. "Kitt…where's Bonnie?"

"She took a walk, Michael." Was the meek reply.

Michael had a sinking feeling in his stomach, "Don't tell me. To the beach?"

"I told her not to go, but she said she would be fine in the daylight."

"You shouldn't have let her go, Kitt. It's too dangerous."

"I'm sorry, Michael. But she was adamant."

"Then you should have woke me up."

"She was adamant about that too."

"It's ok, Kitt," He ran his hand through his thick curly hair, why was he not surprised? "How long ago did she leave?"

"Two thirteen. I'm afraid I wasn't able to keep her on my scanners. There must be a lot of metals in the rocks around here."

"You mean she's been out of touch over two hours?" Anger turned to worry. "Come get me, Kitt. We'll take the surface roads there."

Kitt pulled up in front of the backdoor and opened the driver's seat for Michael.

"I'm sorry, Michael." He said as the closed the door and pulled away from the house.

"It's ok, Kitt. Bonnie can be demanding when she wants to be. Get me Devon."

"Right away."

Michael realized only after telling Kitt to contact Devon that it was the middle of the dinner hour, but Devon was right there at his desk as usual. Sometimes Michael wondered if the desk was permanently attached to the old man.

"Did you find anything on Billy's parents?" he asked. At this point he was willing to try just about anything.

"Everything came back negative. No warrants or arrest records. Not even a traffic ticket on either one of them. Ironically, Thomas Crow was killed by a hit and run driver on his way from his office to his car. The driver of the other car was never found."

"Given what's going on around here, I'm not so sure I'd be so fast to close the case."

"You think there's a connection?"

"It is sure a convenient way to get him out of the picture."

"I have to agree with you, Michael. How's Bonnie?"

"I'm going to meet her now, down by the beach."

"You let her go there alone?" Devon asked, astonished.

"Of course I didn't," Michael snapped back, "she slipped away while I was asleep."

"I sent her with you believing that you would watch over her...I…"

"Please, Devon," Kitt interrupted, "this was all my doing. I allowed Bonnie to talk me into not waking Michael when I knew I should. If anything happens to her I will never forgive myself."

"I am not blaming anyone, Kitt," Devon said gently, "I'm just worried about Bonnie. You will, of course, let me know what happens."

"As soon as we know anything. Hey, don't worry. Bonnie can handle herself, you know."

"Yes Michael," Devon sighed, "I know all too well."

There was an unusual silence in the cabin. Kitt felt guilty over allowing Bonnie to go and Michael was fighting his rising fear as they drove down the rough unpaved road toward Singing Rock Beach. His mind told him that what he saw last night wasn't, couldn't, be real. Just his over active imagination brought on by fatigue. But the feeling in his gut told him it was all too real.

"Step on it, Kitt." He ordered, noticing that Kitt was taking valuable time trying to avoid the roughest parts of the road.

"Michael, your vital signs tell me that you are in a lot of pain. This jousting around…"

"Forget that, we've got to get to Bonnie before the sun goes down." There was a desperate tone to his voice.

"Very well." Kitt said and Michael felt the surge of power beneath him. The pain it caused in his shoulder was nothing compared to the worry he felt for Bonnie.

"Michael…won't you tell me what happened to you last night?" Kitt asked tentatively.

"I can't, Kitt. Not really. It's all jumbled up like a huge nightmare and I don't know what was real and what wasn't. I just know we've got to get to Bonnie. ETA on the sunset?"

"Seventeen minutes, Michael."

Michael fell silent again. He should never have let her out of his sight. He knew how headstrong she was.

It was starting to grow dark. Heavy shadows formed beneath the trees and shrub as they sped by. Even without seeing the ocean Michael could visualize the sun disappearing below the horizon, painting the water all the colors of the rainbow.

"How long?" Michael asked.

"ETA to the beach, seven minutes."

Seven minutes. An eternity.

"Kitt, no matter what happens, I want you to record everything you see. I want a record of this."

"Yes Michael." The audio video recorder engaged and stood on standby.

They made the last turn off the road and Michael felt the rock turn to sand beneath the tires. Michael directed Kitt through the last two turns and Singing Rock Beach appeared before them.

"Pull over there," Michael pointed to the same spot Jess had parked the night before. The beach sand would be too soft for Kitt to get any traction if they went any further. "Do you see her?" he asked anxiously. Kitt scanned the area, his red sensor tracking back and forth…

"Michael, I detect no life signs in the immediate area."

"Can you tell if she was here?"

Kitt continued his scan. Kitt's number two monitor came on showing a picture of a woman's shoe partially covered in sand. "I believe that is Bonnie's shoe, Michael."

"Damn it. Alright. I'm going to have a look around. You keep your scanners peeled, and watch the water."

"Excuse me?"

"If anything happens you'll know it."

Michael gingerly climbed out of the car.

"I'm confused, Michael."

Michael patted the T-Top, "Join the club, Pal."

The first breeze of the night blew across the beach tugging at Michael's hair. It would only be a matter of time now. The first low moans of the singing rocks made Michael's skin crawl.

"That is a most disconcerting sound." Kitt said.

"Just wait…it gets a lot better." Michael said, pushing himself away from the safety of the car. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do. He made his way over to Bonnie's shoe and picked it up, draining the sand from the toe. He spotted a dark round spot on the tip of the toe. It looked like blood.

"Kitt, is this blood?" he asked, running the comlink over the shoe. Everything he did was awkward with just one hand.

"Yes Michael."

"Is it…?"

"No. It's not even her blood type."

He wasn't sure if his sigh of relief was loud enough for Kitt to hear. He dropped the shoe and continued searching the beach. The darker it got the harder it was to see anything. He had a high intensity flashlight in the back of Kitt, how he could have forgotten it was beyond him. He was not working on all cylinders. From the beginning he did things he would never have done. He wasn't sure if it was the injury or his worry over Bonnie. When he was alone he only had himself to consider. Now everything he did was with her in mind. It definitely took his edge away.

The wind picked up. The cliff's moans grew louder, more mournful. The sound brought a melancholy that he could not shake. High tide was coming in. Waves crashed over the jetty, breaking against the cliffs, their monstrous energy shaking the ground beneath his feet. He was reliving the night before. He looked out at the broiling sea waiting for the light, because now he was sure it was not just a dream. It had happened, and it was about to happen again.

"Michael!" Michael almost missed Kitt's voice, it took a mild electrical shock for Kitt to get his attention.

"Yea. You got something?"

"Michael, I've analyzed the harmonics of the so called singing cliffs, they are not a natural phenomenon."

"Manmade?"

"Yes. Very sophisticated. The frequency is designed to create a feeling of unrest in human's."

"Well, I can tell you Kitt, it works. Any idea where it's coming from?"

"Not so far. I'm working on that."

"OK, keep on it. I'm going to keep…" Michael's voice trailed off to a whisper as he looked out at the churning water. "Do you see that?" he whispered.

A bright light began to form a hundred yards off shore, it grew in a circular pattern, becoming brighter, highlighting the waves from beneath as they rolled through it.

"Yes, but I'm not sure what it is."

"It's the same as last night." Michael felt his heart begin to beat faster. He was reliving the nightmare again. He wondered if Bonnie was anywhere close to see this.

The sound from the singing cliffs was deafening now. He could no longer hear Kitt over the comlink. He watched the three lights break off from the main light and begin coming toward shore. He looked back up the hill, he needed to know that Kitt was there but his black shell was no longer visible in the dark night. The three lights were almost on shore now, bobbing on the incoming waves. His mind warred with itself. Instinct and fear told him to run, seek the safety of Kitt. But the possibility that those lights were the answer to all the questions, answers to where Bonnie was, made him hold his ground. He compromised and began to back up slowly, keeping is eyes on the bobbing lights. They were nearly to shore. As he watched them, something in the back of his mind told him he knew what they were, but he could barley think with the cacophony of noise. He took another step back in the soft sand and his heel caught on the edge of the rocks leading up toward Kitt. He fell backwards, flinging himself instinctively to the right to avoid hurting his shoulder. Sprawled on his back, the wind knocked out of him, he watched the three lights float across the sand like apparitions toward him. They were nearly on top of him… The second before he heard a pop and then a sharp sting in his right thigh he knew what they were.

Kitt watched the three lights descend on Michael. Frantically he searched his database looking for an explanation. Nothing registered. His first impulse was to turbo boost and land between Michael and the approaching lights. But with the uneven surface of the rocks beneath his tires and the sandy beach below he couldn't be certain he wouldn't injure Michael. Instead, he did the hardest thing he had ever had to do, he sat back and simply watched, recording everything he saw. He tried to use his infrared scanners but they would only pick up scrambled images. He kept a close watch on Michael's vital signs, they were sluggish, his brain activity minimal. He was heavily drugged. He watched in horror as Michael was lifted up between the hovering lights like a marionette with its strings cut, and dragged along the beach toward the water, then into the waves. The three lights sank below the surface towing Michael behind them. Kitt watched his vital signs fade as he was dragged deeper into the depths of the ocean. A moan of despair escaped his CPU.

Dream or reality? That was the question buzzing around in Michael's addled brain as he tried to make sense of what had just happened. Without opening his eyes he reached down and felt the bruise on his right thigh, surprised to find his pants soaking wet. In fact, he was dripping wet from head to toe and shivering so badly that his teeth were chattering. Then he remembered. Just a moment before blacking out he realized what the three lights were: lighted diving helmets. Black diving suits and lighted helmets. Prying his eyes open, the first thing he saw was his right hand laying in his lap restrained by a metal cuff and a short length of heavy chain bolted to a metal floor between his legs. Testing its length he found he could only lift his hand a few inches above his waist.

He raised his head carefully feeling the onset of a major headache from the after affects of the tranquilizer dart. It took a moment for his eyes to fully adjust to the glare from the bare florescent light in the ceiling. Where ever he was it didn't have creature comfort in mind. Merely a six by six foot room constructed of steel with one door. Strangely the walls were covered by thick condensation.

His wet clothes were becoming a problem, especially his heavy leather jacket. He couldn't stop shivering and the shaking was awakening the pain in his shoulder. He took a deep breath. He had to keep in control. Bonnie was still out there somewhere.
Suddenly the sound of footsteps on metal stairs brought him to attention. He listened as they approached then passed by the door. He let his head fall back against the metal wall, the effects of the tranquilizer not fully drained from his system. He tried to keep his eyes open, to make sense of everything that was going on, but pain, fatigue and the remnants of the tranquilizer dragged him back down again into a fitful sleep.

Bonnie cupped her hands against the tiny porthole trying to see outside through the murky water. When she first awoke an hour ago (or so she thought, they had taken all her personal possessions) she found herself dressed in a pair of jeans two sizes to big and a heavy wool coat she kept wrapped around herself to ward off the cold dampness. Her hair was wet and she felt a burning sensation down the back of her nose and throat as if she had swallowed a ton of water. At first she thought she was in a submarine, but decided against that when she didn't feel any movement or hear the sounds of engines or ballast. But she could feel the pressure and the smell of recirculated air. This was a permanent structure on the ocean floor, how deep, she had no idea. Somehow she had been brought here from the surface without drowning. Damn it, how would Michael ever find her here? She shivered from the cold and the realization that she had really blown it this time.

"Can you see anything?" Bonnie turned back to the woman huddled in the corner. Ruth Crow stared up at her, eyes wide with fright. She looked paler than the picture Bonnie remembered seeing in her house, accentuated by dark circles beneath her eyes. The woman had been in a state of shock and terror for two weeks now. The only spark of life Bonnie saw was when she told her that Billy was in safe hands. After that she went back to cowering in the corner.

"No," Bonnie answered, trying to keep the despair from her voice. She turned back to her watch out the window. She hoped to see something, anything that would give her a clue to where they were. "Do you remember seeing or hearing anything?" Bonnie asked, "Anything at all? You've been here two weeks, someone must have said something."

Ruth shook her head.

"Think." Bonnie persisted. "Anything at all?"

"…No…"

"Anything."

Ruth looked up, her eyes flaring. "Can't you just leave me alone? I don't know anything. They feed me three times a day and take me to the bathroom an hour after each meal. That's all I know."

Bonnie was suddenly alert. "They take you out of this room?"

Ruth nodded. "Down the hall to the bathroom."

A small smile played across Bonnie's lips. "When's our next meal?"

Kitt was on his way back into town. He had sent what he recorded to Devon who was now busy organizing a search party. It would still be several hours before anyone arrived. Kitt had never felt so lonely or despondent. He had watched Michael dragged into the ocean and knew with little doubt that he was dead now. Guilt that he had done nothing to help Michael laid heavy on him. He wanted to drive away someplace desolate and just shut down, make all the hurt go away. But that was not an option, not yet. He still needed to find Bonnie and retrieve Michael's body. After that…there was little left if Michael was gone…

"Just couldn't stay out of it, could you Missy?" Bonnie whirled around at the sound of the door opening and saw Sheriff Austin standing in the doorway, a smug smile on his face.

"Sheriff Austin," she said calmly, trying to keep the fear she felt out of her voice. "I can't say that I'm surprised."

He stepped into the room over the high door sill, two men following him. They all wore heavy parkas to ward off the cold. "I warned you two to get out of town, but you wouldn't listen. Now look where it's got ya."

Bonnie glanced over at Ruth who was still cowering in the corner. It wouldn't be long before she snapped mentally. She was already on the verge of hysteria.

"And where's that?"

"You're a real hoot, Missy." He laughed. "You're going to liven up this party just fine. Come on, there's someone I want you to meet."

The two men pushed past Austin and grabbed Bonnie by each arm leading her toward the door. She didn't try to resist. She would never have the strength to fight them both. She would bide her time.

"Wait!" Ruth was struggling to her feet. "Don't leave me alone. Please."

Austin shrugged, "Why not? Might make the party more interesting."

They were led down a narrow corridor, dimly lit by overhead florescent lights, passed two closed doors and another corridor that veered off to their left and appeared to open onto a large room, with pale blue lights.

They stopped in front of the third door and Austin shoved Ruth into the arms of one of the guards while he fished a set of keys from his pocket. Fear broiled up inside her. She had no idea what lay on the other side of that door. Austin pulled the door open and the two guards shoved her in. Her ankles hit the high doorsill and she lost her balance sprawling on the cold metal floor. Dazed, she wasn't sure what she saw before her as she climbed up to her knees.

"Michael?!"

Austin shoved Ruth in behind her and the door clanged shut, the sound of the lock echoing hollowly in the room.

She scrambled over to Michael, her hands shaking. She couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. He sat at an odd angle, his head resting on his chest, his right wrist cuffed to a short chain bolted to the floor and his left arm still strapped within the harness. He had not been there long, his clothes were still dripping wet, a large puddle of water pooled around him.

"Michael…" She felt for a pulse in his neck. It was weak but it was there. She couldn't find any obvious injuries. He must have been drugged too. "Come on, Michael, wake up." She slapped him smartly cross the cheek. "Come on!" His leather jacket was soaking wet and ice cold. She turned back to Ruth, "Help me." Ruth could only shake her head. Bonnie slid across the floor grabbing Ruth by the shoulders, "Listen to me, I know you're scared, so am I, but if you want to get out of here and see Billy again you have to help me."

Ruth nodded dully.

"We have to get this jacket off before hypothermia sets in." She struggled with the jacket, her own hands so cold that she could barely grip the zipper. She felt Ruth crawl up beside her and together they hefted Michael forward so they could unwrap the jacket from his shoulders. They couldn't remove it all the way, the wrist cuff and chain were in the way so they rolled it into a tight ball and placed it at his side.

"Come on Michael, wake up." She slapped him again, this time harder. He moaned softly, he was coming back.

At first Michael thought he was hallucinating, he saw Bonnie's face wavering before him, then he felt a sharp slap across his cheek and he was awake.

"Ouch! That hurt." He complained, his voice still slurred.

"Sorry." Bonnie sat back and watched as he went through the stages of fully waking up.

"Where are we?" he asked, looking around the metal room. He remembered vaguely waking up before.

"From what I can figure out, the bottom of the ocean."

Michael looked at her like she was out of her mind. "What?"

"Michael, I don't know how or why, but someone built this underwater habitat. It's pretty basic, not even heated."

Michael nodded, shivering so badly his teeth were chattering. "It must be below freezing."

Bonnie, smiled, "More like forty degrees…above. It's the wet clothes."

"Any idea what's going on?"

"Not yet. But a lot of time and money's been put into this project."

"If you think about it has been a perfect plan." Michael said, toying with the chain that bound his wrist, "Kit said the singing cliffs were made by artificial harmonics created to make people feel uneasy."

Ruth looked up, "That makes sense," she said, "the cliffs have always sung, it used to be a haunting but comforting sound. (Jack) and I would take Billy down there at sunset and we would sit and listen. It was the one place where he felt content. When Jack got the new contract in La we talked about moving but we couldn't take Billy away from his special place."

"When did it change?" Bonnie asked.

"I don't know exactly," she reflected back, "a few months ago, right after the floods. We were hit with a hurricane force storm. Unusual for this area. It flooded Ocean View and three other towns along the coast. Soon after that things began to change."

"What kind of changes?"

"Stories about strange lights appearing in the water and on the beach. The old timers said it was haunted. Sheriff Austin posted the area off limits."

"The lights are real. I saw them for myself. Twice."

Bonnie glanced over at Michael, not sure he wasn't still feeling the after affects of the tranquilizer.

"The Sheriff came to the house and told me not to let Billy down by the beach, or else. I tried to keep him in, but short of tying him up I couldn't. The next morning two men were at my door. They wanted Billy. I knew he was hiding. I just prayed he'd stay out of sight until they left. When he didn't come back they forced me into their truck. I didn't fight them, I didn't want Billy to know how scared I was and show himself. He'd do anything to protect me you know."

"I know." Bonnie's heart went out to her. So much sadness in such a short time.

"He's safe."

"He told me that he was having Billy committed to Stanton House. He doesn't belong there. He would die in a place like that."

"We have a court order. The Sheriff can't do a thing to him. He's staying with a family until we get you back home."

The look in her eyes told Michael and Bonnie she held little hope of that ever happening.

"Meanwhile we've got to get out of here." Michael yanked on the chain, "Any bright ideas?"

Bonnie scooted over to get a better look at the cuff. "If I had a piece of wire or something…"

Ruth turned her back to them and when she spun back around she was holding a three inch piece of wire.

"Where…" Michael began but Bonnie recognized it right away.

"Perfect." Bonnie twisted it until she had it in the shape she wanted and began picking the lot.

"I still don't…"

"Come on Michael…you don't recognize the wire from an under wire bra? I thought you were an expert."

Michael grinned, "Very funny."

"You have any ideas what we're going to do once we have you out of this?"

"Play it by ear."

Michael heard the click of the cuff's lock open the same moment the door was unlocked. Bonnie quickly relocked the cuff and hid the wire in her pocket.

Sheriff Austin stepped in. "Sorry to break up the party folks but I thought you'd like to stretch your legs." He threw the cuff keys to Bonnie, "No funny business, Missy." He warned.

Michael was not sure if he could stand. The combination of the tranquilizer, his shoulder and the heavy wet clothes weighed him down to the point of exhaustion.

"Come on,!" Austin snapped impatiently, "you're gonna like the surprise I have for you."

Somehow none of them was willing to believe that.

Bonnie hefted Michael up with Ruth's help and they followed Austin down the hall and toward the second hallway she had seen earlier. The hallway opened onto a doorless room, darkened except for muted blue lights and a wall of monitors and control boards. The muted lights were necessary to eliminate the contrast between the inside and the huge pane of plexi-glass that looked out on the ocean floor. Flood lights trained on the remains of a wooden hulled ship lying on its side, three quarters of it's frame buried beneath the sand.

"My God," Bonnie gasped.

"Amazing, isn't it?" All three prisoners turned to see a tall man walking toward them. He had the demeanor of someone with power. Instead of the heavy parkas to ward off the cold he wore a floor length leather jacket.

Bonnie took an involuntary step back, stunned.

"So we meet again, Miss Barstow," he smiled coldly. "I hope your stay has not been too uncomfortable."

"Where's Billy?" she demanded.

"Billy?" Ruth looked from the stranger to Bonnie, her face turning even paler.

"He's in safe hands. I kept my word, he is not in Stanton House…yet."

"Judge Temple?" Michael couldn't believe it.

"We haven't had the pleasure, Mr. Knight. It was a shame you didn't take the good Sheriff's advice and leave town when you had the chance."

Michael looked back at the window. Three men dressed in specially designed diving suits made their way toward the wreck.

Temple nodded toward the activity outside," We did everything we could to keep people away. At first we were able to work during daylight hours, but when we realized it would take far too long we had to expand it to a twenty four hour operation. It became necessary to take more drastic measures. In the end, Billy was the only one who didn't listen."

"No one is going to believe him anyway." Michael said, "Hell, I saw the lights and no one would believe me, I wouldn't believe myself."

Austin couldn't hold back a hoot of pleasure, "I had you so doped up with Kava you didn't know where the hell you were. I switched your pain pills when I paid you a visit that morning."

Bonnie laid a cautionary hand on Michael's shoulder. The last thing they needed was Michael in a brawl with Austin. "What do you have in mind for us?" she asked.

"Not sure yet." Temple said, "Can't very well just let you to tell the world what's going on down here."

"How much longer is this salvage operation going to last?"

"With what we're finding…another month or two."

Bonnie surreptitiously nodded to Michael to look to their left. A communications station sat in the corner. Dim red lights gave off just enough light to read the dials but not interfere with the view out the window.

Austin raised an eyebrow, not sure if they were hatching some kind of plan. Michael suddenly let out a loud moan and began to shiver. "Damn, it's cold down here." He hissed through chattering teeth. It wasn't all an act, he was becoming dangerously cold.

"He needs dry clothes," Bonnie pleaded, "he'll go into hyperthermia."

"Sorry, Ms. Barstow," Temple said," the more uncomfortable Mr. Knight is, the safer we are. Take them back to their cell, they've seen enough."

Bonnie swung Michael's good arm over her shoulder and steered him into the corridor that led to their cell. She could tell by the way he was moving that he was on the verge of collapsing. They had to get him dry and warm, soon, very soon.

They were led back to their cell and Michael was cuffed again. As the door clanged shut, Ruth slid to the floor, all hope lost.

"Can you do it?" Michael asked, his voice shuddering for real now.

She nodded. "If I can get to the main communications grid I might be able to get a message through to Kitt. But I won't know for sure until I get a better look."

"Then we need some kind of diversion." Michael yanked at the cuff around his wrist and Bonnie produced the wire from Ruth's underwire bra from her pocket and easily unlocked the cuff again.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"Austin's headed topside. That's one less to deal with."

"Ruth," Michael looked toward her, but she was crumbled into a little ball in the corner, inconsolable. "Ruth!" he shouted, "stay with us, we need you. Billy needs you."

"It's no use," she mumbled.

Bonnie slid across the floor taking her hands in hers, "No, it's not useless. There's always a reason to fight. You want to see Billy again, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Then help us."

"I'm so tired."

"We all are. But we're going to make it."

"Ruth, listen to me," Michael said, "we need a diversion. They won't expect anything from you."

"I don't understand."

Michael grinned for the fist time in what seemed like years, "Call the guards. Tell them you have to use the bathroom…"

Ruth returned from the bathroom five minutes later with a glint in her eye. As she stepped over the high threshold she deliberately misjudged the height and fell forward with a startled scream. Bonnie rushed to her side helping her to her feet, at the same time stuffing a wad of material from Michael's wet shirt into the doorjamb where the lock slid into place. The guard closed the door with a smirk on his face and they all waited to hear the tell tale sound of the lock engaging. It never came.

"Now we wait." Michael said, resting his head against the damp wall. He was closer to sheer exhaustion than he was willing to admit. He prayed their plan would work. Bonnie had instructed Ruth on how to sabotage the toilet so it would continue running until it filled the bathroom then overflowed into the corridors.

They waited. It seemed like hours before a loud Claxton blasted the warning of a possible breech. Someone had panicked and hit the emergency switch. They smiled at each other and Bonnie pulled Michael to his feet, aware of his chalky white completion. He needed medical care, and above all, he needed warm dry clothes. She carefully opened the door just wide enough to see the crew headed for the bathroom. Their corridor was already covered by an inch of water. Ruth had outdone herself. They made their way to the observation room. Michael found only one guard on duty and quickly eliminated him with a karate chop to the back of his neck.

"All right," he hissed at Bonnie, "you're on."

She nodded, heading over to the communications station. Quickly she studied the layout in the dim red light, then began to dial in Kitt's emergency frequency.

Devon eased himself behind the wheel. He often wondered how Michael was able to get in and out of the low slung car with such ease.

"We've done all we can for now," he sighed, patting the gull wing steering wheel like he had seen Michael do so often. He had arrived in town early that morning, with little hope of finding Michael alive. Kitt was inconsolable. He replayed Michael's abduction over and over, trying to convince himself and Devon that Michael could have survived. "A team will be here within the hour. They will go over every inch of Singing Rock Beach."

"They won't find anything," Kitt said flatly.

"Well, I for one will not believe he is gone until it is a proven fact."

"They're both gone, Devon." The anguish in Kitt's voice built as he went over the days events yet again, remembering every detail. "I am to blame for all this. If I had not let Bonnie talk me into letting her go to the beach alone…"

"Kitt, you and I both know that when Bonnie puts her mind to something, no one, including you, could change her mind."

"It is still not an excuse. Michael expected me to watch…"

Devon heard the crackle of static come over Kitt's radio then the unmistakable sound of Bonnie's voice.

"Kitt… can you read me?"

"Yes, Bonnie." Kitt answered, his voice raised an octave in surprise, "Where are you?"

I haven't got much time. I'm with Michael and Ruth Crow."

"Michael?!"

"Yes. We are being held captive in an underwater habitat on the ocean floor. I'm not sure how far off shore. Sheriff Austin and Judge Temple are in charge."

"Temple?" Devon looked at the speaker, stunned.

"Hurry, I'm not sure what they have planned for us." The fear in her voice made Devon's stomach drop.

"We will be there as soon as possible. Try to keep this line open for as long as…"

Devon jumped at the sound of a woman's startled scream and the signal died.

"Devon…?" Kitt's voice shook with fear.

"Kitt, we know they are alive now. We will find them. As God is my witness, we will find them."

Ruth screamed in surprise and fear as she was grabbed from behind and shoved against the wall behind her. Bonnie reacted, smashing her hand against the console, breaking several tabs off at their base. If she couldn't use the radio, then no one would. Michael took a long step toward one of the returning guards and kicked him in the chin, nearly sending himself off balance with his tethered arm. But he was no match for the entire crew as they ran down the corridor and filled the observation room. He stood, bracing for the worst, Bonnie standing at his side.

"How the hell did he get out of the shackle?" Temple demanded, pushing his way through the half dozen men standing in the doorway.

"Games over, Judge." Michael said, "they know about your litter operation down here."

"So what? I'll pay a few fines for not getting the proper licenses. A slap on the wrist and I'll be on my way."

"What about kidnapping and murder?"

"What kidnapping? What murder? You're a fool if you think they're going to find your bodies here." He turned to his men, "get them ready."

Devon couldn't help but feel an excitement he had not felt in years. He hadn't been part of an actual assignment in far too long. On the other hand Kitt was less then anxious as he looked at the bobbing boat in front of him. He knew that his sonar was the only way they could detect the underwater habit Michael and Bonnie were held in, but it still sickened his circuits at the thought of being out on the ocean.

Devon had found, and commandeered, the first boat he could find, an out of service ferry that transported cars and passengers from Ocean View to Port Pagemill, a route that saved locals from traveling a nearly impassable road through the mountains. The ramps were set in place and Devon made the pretense of driving Kitt onto the deck of the small ferry. A dozen police and a medical emergency team waited until Devon stepped out of the car and the boat pulled away from the pier.

They were marched down a short hallway in the opposite direction of the observation room to a large staging area where the diver's entered and exited the habitat and their equipment was inspected and stored. Bonnie's stomach dropped when she saw a three man sub sitting on a platform with a half dozen men scurrying around it making last minute adjustments.

"I am told," Temple said as he followed them into the room, "that the scenery is spectacular the deeper you go. I haven't experienced it myself," he chuckled, "I find it frightening enough just swimming from the shore down here."

Ruth's knees buckled and she was caught before she hit the ground, swooped up and lowered in the navigation seat before a control panel of switches and dials. Bonnie whipped her arm free of a guard and climbed into the sub by herself. The end was inevitable now, at least she could do it with some dignity. They were buckled in safety belts and their hands and feet secured with duct tape.

Michael's long legs were not meant for the small confined space of a three man sub. He was squeezed in last, his shoulder screaming in pain as they pushed him down into the seat, buckled him in and taped his free hand to the metal arm of the seat. His ankles were bound, his knees nearly touching his chin.

"The batteries were recharged this morning," Temple continued, "that gives you three hours max. I borrowed this sub from Nautical Biotech for the salvage, it's designed for deep exploration. It can dive three thousand feet, below that…" he shrugged, "I wish this wasn't necessary. If you had listened to Austin in the first place..."

"You won't get away with it you know." Michael warned. "They're a lot of people backing us up."

"Don't be too sure of that. Seventeen miles straight out to sea doesn't sound like a long distance, but in the open ocean, even if someone were trying to find you it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. It could be years before they find you're bodies. By then we will be long gone. Besides, I understand there is a big storm due to hit the coast anytime now."

Ruth squeezed her eyes closed and whimpered in fear. Bonnie forced herself not to let Temple see her trembling. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

"Oh, and by the way, Ruth," Temple leaned down to the first seat, "I will keep my promise, I will find a good home for Billy, he won't go to Stanton House."

Ruth nodded silently.

Michael watched the see-through hatch placed over their heads and locked into place. He forced himself to remain calm. The sound of the subs generator came on and the capsule was filled with slightly sweet air.

"The air mixture is automatically calculated for our depth," Bonnie called back.

"What happens if we go beneath three thousand feet?" Michael asked, feeling the sub hydraulically lifted and placed into a black tube. The only light came from the dim switches and dials on the control panel.

"We implode from the pressure. But we would be unconsciousness long before that. Beyond a thousand feet the air circulation would drop below our minimal needs without a special combination of gasses to compensate for the depth. Since the salvage was only two hundred feet I'm sure we're not equipped."

"Wonderful." Michael felt the sub suddenly become buoyant and then they were moving forward. Lights on the nose came on and they began pulling away from the habitat. "I think I saw this ride at Disneyland."

Bonnie smiled sadly, "Do you think they'll give us a refund?"

The sub picked up speed and Michael watched as the ocean bottom fell away as they moved steadily away from the habitat.

Devon moved from the railing of the ship to Kitt's cabin constantly keeping an eye on Kitt's sonar. Kitt hadn't had time to triangulate Bonnie's position in her short broadcast, only that she was approximately three quarters of a mile from shore. When they reached their search point the captain began to trawl slowly back and forth, occasionally Kitt picked up something but it was not big enough to be the habitat.

Devon leaned over the railing watching the boat cut through the waves. He felt an exuberance he hadn't felt in years. The feel of the wind in his hair, the salt water stinging his face brought back memories of days long gone when he was working for the Resistance. It was a young man's world now, and he was content to be on the sidelines as Michael went out on assignments. But there was always a part of him that wanted to be at his side. Now he was possibly the only hope for Michael and Bonnie's survival…He looked back at the black Trans Am; They were possibly Michael and Bonnie's last hope for survival.

Bonnie couldn't help but be amazed at the sights she was seeing. They passed through huge schools of fish. Inquisitive eyes peeked inside the windows of the sub lured by the lights. She looked over Ruth's shoulder at the control panel and saw that they were slowly, but constantly descending. At this rate she calculated that they would reach a thousand feet in approximately two hours. She could feel the cabin temperature dropping already. The sub had not been prepared for a deep sea dive, only a two hundred foot salvage operation. She dreaded the thought of how cold it was going to get as they descended deeper. She could already hear Michael's teeth chattering in back. His clothes were still soaking wet, draining him of what energy he had left.

Kitt maintained a steady search pattern. A map of the ocean floor was displayed on the left monitor while the sonar signal was constantly changing on the right monitor as the topography changed beneath them. The sandy bottom quickly fell away as they moved away from shore. At one half mile the depth was already one hundred and fifty feet.

Devon kept his own watch, pushing away the ever mounting fear that they would never find Michael and Bonnie alive. Even with Kitt's sophisticated electronics, the chance of finding the habitat was like finding the preverbal needle in a haystack. The water became increasingly rough. A storm that had formed over the Hawaiian Islands three days ago was heading toward them with high winds and rough seas. The Coast Guard had already sent out a warning for all ships to return to port. If they didn't find the habitat in the next thirty minutes the ferry would have no alternative but to head back to shore. To lose all on board on the hopes of rescuing three was not acceptable. Devon knew it, he only hoped Kitt would understand if it came to that.

Devon dropped into Kitt's driver's seat. "Anything?"

"Devon, the odds of our finding…"

"I know, Kitt. But we have to try."

"Of course we do, I was not suggesting otherwise, I was just…"

Devon took a deep breath, laying his head back against the headrest. "I am truly sorry, Kitt. I sent Michael and Bonnie on this assignment simple because Michael was annoying me. He can be difficult at the best of times, and when he is recovering from an injury…I simply wanted some piece and quite, no more complaints from staff, from you and Bonnie…I sent him on an assignment that I thought was harmless. I never imagined…"

"You are not at fault, Devon. If there is to be blame it is mine for allowing Bonnie…"

Suddenly the sonar began pinging faster and louder. Devon saw a dark image appear on the screen, then a second, larger than the first.

"Kitt…?"

"It appears to be the habitat, but what is next to it I…"

"We'll have a look," Sergeant Helms called back as he and four other divers fell backwards off the railing and disappeared beneath the water.

"Can you read any life signs?" Devon stared at the dark images on the screen.

"They are too deep."

It seemed an eternity before Helms resurfaced with a sixth man dressed in a pressurized diving suit. As they hauled him onboard he struggled to remove his diving helmet.

"They're salvaging some kind of sunken ship down there." Sergeant Helms reported as he dragged the sputtering diver over to a bench next to Kitt.

"What the hell is going on?" the diver yelled. "You got no right…"

"It's against the law to salvage without a permit." Helms said, struggling out of his scuba tanks.

"That's got nothing to do with me. That's the Judge's worry."

"You may be right." Devon stepped forward. "But, you should be worried about the kidnapping and attempted murder charges you're facing."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"We know you have our people held prisoner down there. If you cooperate and help us rescue them I'll put in a good word to the prosecutors. Otherwise you could face life in prison."

The diver blanched, "I didn't know anything about them holding those people. I only knew about it when they sent them off in the sub."

Devon took in a sharp breath, "What sub?"

"A three man submersible. Look, I just work salvage, nothing else. Whatever else is happening down there is none of my business."

"Where is it heading?" Helms demanded.

"Out to sea. They run out of power and they sink. I tried to tell the Judge it wasn't a good idea, but he wouldn't listen. You gotta believe me, I tried to stop him."

"Sure you did." Helms swung him around and handcuffed him, pushing him toward his deputies to secure him in the lounge until help arrived.

"How long ago?" Devon called after him.

"Thirty minutes, maybe. But you're wasting your time, you'll never find them."

Stunned, Devon looked out at the turbulent waters off the bow, there was nothing but water, in all directions. "He's right, we'll never find them out here."

"It would be a miracle," Helms nodded, "but I've seen my share of miracles out here not to give up now."

"He's right, Devon," Kill called, "I have the schematics for the habitat," a diagram of the underwater building appeared on the screen. Devon and Helms dropped into the front seats, "the launch tube for the sub is here," a small red dot indicated the location, "if it was not programmed with precise coordinates, I believe they are traveling in this direction." A yellow dot moved slowly away from the habitat. "But any number of variables could change their heading by just a fraction."

"Can we find them?" Devon asked, dreading the answer.

"There is no way of knowing." There was a long pause and Devon sensed the turmoil within Kitt. "They are most likely traveling at four knots…that's approximately five and half miles an hour. That means that if the batteries are fully charged they will be able to travel approximately seventeen miles," a new graph appeared on the screen, a topographical map of the area with a huge swatch of yellow painted across it, "They could be anywhere in this vicinity."

"That's got to be a hundred miles." Devon stared at the map, his hopes dwindling.

"One hundred and thirty miles to be exact."

Helms tapped his finger on the monitor. "But we got a major storm headed our way, in fact it'll be here in less than an hour. That means the currents are going to be controlled by that front. We figure out the currents and we cut that distance in half."

"Kitt…?" Devon waited for an answer. "Kitt…?"

"Sergeant Helms is right. The storm currents reduce the area to…" the yellow swatch on the graph shrunk to a quarter of its size.

"But Kitt," Devon looked at the graph, "that is still forty miles of open ocean."

"That is still ninety miles less water to cover." said Sergeant Helms.

"And if we're wrong?"

"They will lose power and drop below four thousand feet and…implode."

The momentary silence between them was profound.

"I understand." Devon laid a gentle hand on Kitt's steering wheel, never before feeling as close to the AI as he did at that moment. Every emotion that was swirling around in his mind was likewise flowing through Kitt's CPU. He suddenly felt guilty that he had never fully understood what a sentient being was capable of. "We can only do what we can," Devon said softly.

Sergeant Helms looked away, somehow knowing he was witnessing a moment between man and machine that should have been impossible.

The temperature was dropping rapidly inside the sub. Michael found it hard not to doze off. Between the physical trauma and his wet clothes, he was going into hypothermic shock.

"Michael!" he heard Bonnie shout, "you've got to stay with me. Come on, talk to me."

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, his teeth chattering so badly that the words came out muddled.

"I don't know, anything. What about your latest fling? What's her name, Cornie?"

"Connie," Michael snorted, "her name is Connie, and she's not a fling. She was simply a date."

Bonnie laid her head back against the seat, how she had always wished that she was Michael's fling. As they traveled further into the open ocean and continued to descend slowly it became darker outside their life pod. There was no longer any light from the surface reaching this depth. The subs lights seemed to be absorbed by the darkness and she realized they were not the special lights designed for depths like this, the sub had been rigged for a two hundred foot salvage dive.

She held little hope of being rescued. No one knew where they were, and she could feel the effects of hypothermia herself already. She had lost communication with Ruth twenty minutes ago. She wasn't sure if she had passed out or was simply shutting down emotionally. In any event, it was probably for the best. The last few minutes would not be pleasant.

"Michael…you ever wonder what your life would be like if you had never met Tanya Walker?"

There was a long pause and Bonnie wasn't sure if he had fallen asleep again. "I used to." Finally came the reply. "Every time I looked into a mirror I wondered who I really was."

"Used to?"

"I'm Michael Knight now. Michael Long died a long time ago, alone in the Nevada Desert. It took me a long time to realize that."

"Any regrets?"

There was another long silence. Pressure was beginning to build and she could feel her head begin to throb. It wouldn't be long. They were now surrounded by complete blackness. The lights had exploded in the outside pressure.

"I should have told you things." Michael said softly. "Important things."

"I know. I feel the same way. But we both know what they are."

Michael nodded. They both knew all too well the lost opportunities, the words unspoken.

"Keep talking, Michael." Bonnie urged. But there was just silence. "Michael…?" Still silence. She looked out the window at the total blackness…"Please, Michael…Don't leave me alone."

"Never…" came Michael's hushed reply.

"We have a patrol boat rendezvousing with us in five minutes," Sergeant Helms turned to Devon after briefing his men. "With this storm moving in they are as good as prisoners down
there. There's no way they can make it to the surface. As soon as they get here we can take off and find your friends. Unfortunately you are the only ones with sonar sophisticated enough to find a mini sub out here. This storm is raising hell up the coast and the Coast Guard have their hands full. They'll send out a chopper as soon as they can."

Devon nodded, holding onto Kitt's door for support. In the past fifteen minutes the foul weather had moved in. Threatening clouds darkened the sky and the water had gone from choppy to four foot waves.

"We won't have long to look, this system is a big one." As the wind picked up Helms had to shout to be heard. "But," he said, "we'll stay till the last second, until we find them."

Devon acknowledged with a nod and dropped into the driver's seat. "How are you doing, Kitt?"

"Has my monocular bonded shell turned green yet?" Kitt asked as he automatically closed the driver's door.

"Your shell looks fine, Kitt." Devon smiled, reminded once again at the complexities of Kitt. It astounded Devon that he had not noticed the subtleties of his personality. How he had learned so many things in the past few years from Michael, one of them being a sense of humor.

A huge wave hit the bow and a spray of water cascaded over the deck. "We haven't much time, Kitt. Have you set a course?"

"As I said before, they could have veered off in any direction."

"Yes. But now you must decide which one to take."

"Devon…"

Devon suddenly realized what he was asking Kitt to do. If he was wrong, could the AI live with himself? The burden was too great. It had to be his decision. If he was wrong, God help him, he would have to live with it. Kitt couldn't.

"Triangulate speed and distance. Where would they be right now if they were on a true course?"

"We start are search pattern from there, making our way back to the habitat. Brilliant Devon."

Michael felt his body being pushed into the seat, the tremendous pressure around the mini sub making the small life pod groan and creek in protest. How much longer could the hull withstand the pressure? They were surrounded by complete blackness. He could hear Bonnie and Ruth's labored breathing as the oxygen began to run out. What had Bonnie said? One thousand feet and they loose consciousness? This wasn't exactly how he had pictured the end of his life. While he was not naive enough to think that he would die in his own bed of old age, (the odds against that were not worth the bet), he didn't think it would be in a watery grave like this. Not with Bonnie by his side. He took a shallow breath, trying to conserve all the air he could. Despite the futility of it, he could not just give up, he had to fight.

Five minutes later the patrol boat heaved dangerously close to the ferry off letting some of Sergeant Helm's men. Helms and six others stayed with Devon along with the medical crew.

"God speed," Helms yelled as the two boats parted and the ferry captain began following the coarse Kitt had drawn up.

"How long?" Devon asked. He grabbed onto Kitt's dash as the ferry's port side dipped steeply in the trough of a huge wave. Torrents of seawater heaved up and spilled over the deck.

"We are heading into the storm, at least twenty minutes to be far enough ahead of them to backtrack."

Another huge wave broke over the bow drenching the car in a massive wave. "A vessel like this is not meant for this kind of weather." Kitt warned.

"You'd be surprised, Kitt." Devon opened the car door and braced himself against the wind and spry as he made his way toward the wheelhouse. He crossed the deck and climbed up through the lounge to the pilot's station.

"Captain, how much more can we take?" Devon shouted, watching the Captain expertly turn the boat into the oncoming waves.

"She's a tough one, Mr. Miles. It'll take a lot more than a little drizzle like this to take her down. We'll find your people first then worry about the weather."

Devon slapped him fondly on the shoulder, "Good man, Captain. We start our search pattern here," he pointed to the coordinates on the map hanging on the wall that Kitt had given him, "and head back. They should be in this vicinity."

The Captain nodded and Devon made his way back to Kitt. The storm was getting stronger. He respected the Captain's nerve, but wondered if the ferry could really withstand this kind of punishment.

Bonnie felt her mind drifting. She was beyond cold. The temperature in the sub was well below zero now. Her bones ached with each labored breath she took. She thought about Kitt, and how she had told him everything would be fine as she stubbornly set off to investigate the Singing Rock Beach. He had warned her, but she wouldn't listen. Now three people were near death, and she was to blame.

She tried to call back to Michael, but there was not enough air left to talk. This was, unbelievable, the end. There was no chance left now for rescue. She wondered how long they would drift in the open ocean before hitting crush depth, or if by chance the mini sub would become hung up on some ledge and remain a tomb for them, waiting for someone to come upon them, perhaps years from now… She forced the morbid thoughts from her mind and closed her eyes, if this was how it was to be…

Michael thought about Kitt and wondered if he would survive with both him and Bonnie gone. It would be up to Devon to force him to accept the truth and move forward. If he could. Most likely, Michael realized, Kitt would simply shut down all his systems and in AI terms, simply die. The thought made him sad. Sadder than the thought of his own death.

There was very little air left. His lungs burned. With every small gasp of air he pulled in, nothing came out. The ringing in his ears shut out the sounds of the sub protesting it's decent. Only a matter of time now. He hoped Bonnie and Ruth had lost consciousnesses already.

The officers and medical staff that had stayed on board to help with the rescue huddled in the ferry's lounge, holding onto the bench seats. Two of the officers had already been sick and the rest didn't look far behind.

Devon sat in Kitt, watching the fury of the sea. If they did find the sub how were they going to raise it? They had been heading back to shore for twenty minutes, and nothing. The wind and waves threatened to capsize the boat more than once but the Captain expertly turned into the wave each time. He looked at his watch, he would give Kitt another five minutes then terminate the search. It was a long shot at best finding them out here. To take the lives of everyone else on board for a chance of finding them was not acceptable.

Five minutes passed by quicker than he could ever have imagined and he sighed deeply, "Kitt, I'm afraid it's over. We must head in, now."

"NO!" The disbelief in Kitt's voice made Devon's stomach drop.

"I'm sorry, Kitt, there is little hope. We can't ask these people to risk their lives further, Michael wouldn't want us to. We must…"

"I've got something!"

Devon squirmed over to look at Kitt's monitor in disbelief. A small blip appeared, three hundred feet down. "Is it them?"

There was an agonizing moment of silence before Kitt confirmed a "Yes."

"Are they alive?"

"I have no way of telling."

"Alert the Captain. Can you tap into their controls, bring them up?"

"I'm attempting that as we speak." Kitt gained and lost control of the sub's computer system three times before he finally got a solid lock. "I have it. But Devon, the battery is nearly dead. I'm not sure if there is even enough left to guide them to the surface."

"Try, Kitt. I'll alert the others."

Devon was nearly launched over the railing as he opened the door and a gust of wind caught him, ripping his fingers free of the door handle. He slid across the deck hitting the railing hard. A rope came out of nowhere and he grabbed on. Two officers stood at the hatchway into the lounge pulling him across the slippery deck.

"We found them," Devon gasped. "My computer has locked onto the sub, it's bringing it to the surface."

Everything was deathly quite inside the sub as it steadily ascended. Bonnie and Ruth were unconscious. Michael was barely conscious and didn't realize they were headed up. Even the violent storm topside that began tossing the small vessel around like a cork didn't register.

Devon and the rescue party strapped themselves to the railing. Huge waves cascaded over them, threatening to drag them into the ocean despite the bindings. "There she is!" Helms yelled, as the sub broke the surface. The churning waves pushed it back under again.

"Hurry!" Kitt shouted over his PA, "the batteries are almost dead. I can't hold it much longer."

They all stared at the bobbing sub. They couldn't reach it in the broiling waves. Suddenly the ferry's port side bottomed out in a huge trench of water and the side railing hit the sub pushing it back under water. Kitt coaxed just enough power out of the dying batteries to bring it back to the surface.

"How are we going to get them out?" one of the officers shouted, the wind and waves plastering him backwards. "If we open the hatch the sub will flood."

"We don't have a choice, if we don't they'll suffocate." Devon yelled back.
Helms unstrapped himself and returned a second later holding a harness. "You get me out there over the hatch I'll open it." He yelled, "It's up to you to get them on board."

Devon grabbed his shoulder," I can't ask you to do that."

Helms grinned through the sheet of water pouring over his face, "You're not asking…"

A wave suddenly caught the ferry nearly capsizing it on the opposite side of the sub, as the boat righted itself Helms jumped, just missing the sub by inches. In the churning water he fought to swim the few feet to the sub. The sub dipped beneath the water and when it came up he grabbed for the hatch fighting to open it as the sub bucked and swayed in the waves.

He wrenched the hatch open and tons of water cascaded inside. He slid inside, slammed against the bulkheads as the tiny sub was buffeted mercilessly in the angry waves. Clean air flooded the sub. Michael coughed as fresh air filled his lunges. Disorientated, he didn't know what was happening.

Helms felt for a pulse, satisfied he made his way up to Ruth and cut away her bindings and hauled her up through the hatch. Another officer hung over the side of the ferry's railing, secured tightly by ropes and grabbed for her. He caught her under the arms on the first try as the ferry listed to port and he dragged her on board.

Helms went back for Michael. He was semi alert now. The water had reached his waist. He cut away the tape that bound his wrist to the arm of the chair but Michael yelled, "Get Bonnie!"

He looked one seat forward. The woman was unconscious, the water lapping at her face. If he saved her the chances of returning to save Michael were slim.

"Save her," Michael gasped, "Please."

Helms leaned down close to Michael's ear, "You got it Pal, but I'll be back."

Michael nodded and watched through blurred vision as Helms cut away her bindings and dragged her through the rising water. A wall of water rushed in through the hatch catching them in a torrent of white water. Helms grabbed her hair, keeping her head above water and tried to push her up through the hatch again. Another wave washed over the sub and he was forced back again. He glanced over at Michael, struggling with one hand to release the safety belts as the water rose up to his chest. If he didn't get the woman out on this next try he wouldn't have time to reach him. He pushed her up and hands grabbed her under the shoulders whipping her out of the hatch. He returned to Michael. The water was up to his chin. They only had minutes before the sub filled with enough water to sink it. He was already struggling to climb out of the seat but the harness around his shoulder made it impossible for him to push himself out of the seat. Helms grabbed his right arm and dragged him out of the seat, ignoring Michael's gasp of pain. With his ankles were still taped Michael was helpless as Helm's dragged him through the water toward the hatch. He shoved Michael half way through the hatch when a torrent of water forced them back. Michael grabbed onto the hatch, the sub was nearly flooded. Helms wrapped his arm around his stomach and pushed them up through the hatch again. Suddenly the sub began to sink. The suction sucked them both under the waves. Helms pumped his legs furiously to free them from the sub. His left foot hit the top of the hatch and he pushed off. They hit the surface just as another wave broke over them pushing them back down. Cursing at being so close, Helms grabbed Michael's belt and swam to the top. Hands reached down from the railing of the ship and he waited as the ferry dipped toward them and strong hands hauled him up dragging Michael behind him.

Devon watched the medical staff carry Ruth and Bonnie into the lounge. Hit by a huge wave that cascaded over the railing they lost a grip on Bonnie and she slid toward the railing. Devon held his breath as he saw her come dangerously close to being lifted overboard by the rush of water. The medics grabbed her and carried her inside.

Helms flopped on the deck, gasping for air, still holding onto Michael's belt. The paramedics grabbed them both. Ropes were thrown from the lounge and tied around their waists and they were hauled across the deck.

Devon looked back over at Kitt and saluted him. Never had he felt more alive.

Epilog

Michael spent three days in the local hospital before being released into the capable hands of his nurses. Laura, Millie and Amy were ready for him, armed with medications and directions on how to care for their patient. Michael found he really didn't mind being pampered this time. He was spent, physically and emotionally. There was not an inch of his body that didn't hurt. His collarbone and arm were reset and he was ordered confined to bed for two weeks.

Bonnie and Ruth were kept overnight at the hospital then deemed fit. Ruth was reunited with Billy and returned to their home to find that the townspeople had gone in and cleaned the house spotless and left a fresh peanut butter and jelly sandwich on the counter for Billy.

Things were not as pleasant for Judge Temple or Sheriff Austin. Temple faced charges of kidnapping, attempted murder, salvaging without permits and a host of other indictments. Austin faced kidnapping, attempted murder, false imprisonment among other charges brought by the townsfolk. Neither one of them would see anything but prison bars for a long time to come.

The Moonspun was handed over to the maritime archeology center to be excavated. Ocean View would receive a portion of the salvage since it was in their waters, but most of the treasures would go to museums to be seen by millions.

Singing Rock Beach returned to its idyllic setting, no more frightening songs from the rocks. Small speakers were found embedded in the rock where low frequency sounds were mixed with the natural sounds of the wind blowing through the holes creating the disturbing songs.

"Well my boy," Devon patted Michael's knee, "I will leave you in capable hands." He nodded to the three women, finding it hard to hold back a grin. Poor Michael didn't stand a chance against them. For once he would follow all of the doctor's orders to the letter. "I must return to my mundane duties at the Foundation. I must say this was an exhilarating case." He beamed. His face was still red from the sun and wind burn he got on the ferry. "I have not felt so alive in years. I must reconsider my position at the Foundation. Perhaps I should accompany you and Kitt on some of your assignments in the future."

Michael rolled his eyes toward Bonnie who had to walk over to the window to hide her grin.

"Yes, well," Devon cleared his throat, "there will be plenty of time to talk about that when you have healed, Michael. I will expect you back at the Foundation in two weeks, and this time you are not going on any assignments until you are fully cleared by Dr. Astin. And you," he turned to Bonnie, "I will see you in one week."

Bonnie nodded walking over to him and kissing him lightly on the cheek, "Thank you Devon for saving our lives."

"It was a pleasure my dear. Now, I shall let you get the rest you need Michael."

As Devon stepped out of the room Candy Cane rushed in carrying a box of food for everyone. "Billy is driving that car of yours, all by himself! Who would have thought Billy could drive."

Michael raised his comlink to his mouth as Bonnie escorted Candy Cane to the table and busied her with setting out the lunch, "Hey Pal, what's going on?"

"Michael," Kitt's rather sheepish voice came back, "nothing much at the moment. How are you feeling?"

"You know exactly how I am feeling, better than I know myself. What is Billy doing driving? I thought we were going to keep a low profile here."

"I promised him Michael. And you taught me how important it is to keep a promise."

"Kitt…"

"We are two point three miles from Billy's house. I will return as quickly as possible."

"You better, and don't pick up any hitchhikers. And Kitt…" Michael's voice softened, "you did a good thing partner. I'm proud of you."

"Thank you Michael, that means a lot to me."

He relaxed back into the soft pillows, still feeling fuzzy from the pain medication, and watched the five women huddled over the table laughing as they shared a funny joke, at his expense most likely. He felt safe and content…life wasn't that bad in Ocean View after all.

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