After TKR found him, Michael Knight has returned to the Foundation for Law and Government. While the original team commanded by Kyle Stewart, formerly of the CIA, hunted down Mobius, an alias for a crippled Garth Knight, with the objective of retrieving the Knight Industries Two Thousand CPU, Michael approaches the board of directors and is granted permission to create a new team, to tackle tougher assignments, and is granted permission to use full strength molecular bonded shells for their vehicles. Michael recruits Bonnie Barstow to help him construct this new team. By the time Kitt has been retrieved, the foundation has obtained a classic 1982 Trans-am, and equipped it with an MBS, and restored all of the original car's functions, with updated technology. While Michael and Kitt look for new operatives, construction of a similar Trans-am begins, and Bonnie digs out an old CPU from storage. The CPU from the original prototype vehicle, KARR, which had been destroyed several years previously, and its remains brought back to the foundation. Bonnie and a team of programmers successfully reprogram Karr, fixing the error in his original programming, without destroying the personality entirely. By this time, Michael has found a young street racer in Miami, a young man that shares his surname, Ian Knight. Although this new Knight has a troubled background, Michael sees potential in him, and recruits him to the new team.
Ian Knight is initially partnered with Michael and Kitt, for training purposes. When his training is complete, Kitt is returned to Michael, and Knight is partnered with the now operational and tested Karr, and begins to work assignments, while Michael resumes his search for new drivers. While his name is Ian, only foundation personnel and Kitt refer to him as such, Karr and the people who know him call him by his surname.
Light glinted through the cracks in the paint obscuring the warehouse windows. Inside, a balding man and two assistants were working on a workbench, trying to prepare the next shipment –"C'mon, hurry it up already, I want this shipment out of here by dawn. It's almost five now."
A deep bass purring noise came from outside the building, and gradually getting louder, drew their attention. As they looked in the direction of the noise, the double doors that formed the entrance splintered, giving way and shattering in all directions as a black and silver Trans-am with a gold light rippling back and forth on its front end hurtled into the warehouse. The car's tires squealed as its back end span, smashing the table to pieces and dispersing white powder over the floor. As the 3 criminals got to their feet, a young man with short dark brown hair and dark brown eyes leaned out and trained a semi automatic weapon at them –"Alright, hold it."
The balding man looked positively ill –"Four million dollars worth of prime coke, shot to hell. And we haven't even cut it yet!"
The car's driver grinned, his eyes twinkling with mischief as he shrugged –"Think of it as the tax laws. You can depreciate it over the next five years while you're in jail," he said, a slight English accent present in his voice as he spoke, motioning towards the door with the gun –"lets move outside shall we, get some fresh air while we wait."
Reluctantly, the drug dealers moved outside, the car sidling along side, its driver still leaning out the window, neither hand at the controls, as the distant sirens grew louder.
The truck's driver was oblivious to the three Honda Civics approaching from the rear of the truck. Oblivious that is, till the first of the three vehicles pulled in front of him, the other two drawing level with the sides of the cab and holding position. From the green glow emanating from beneath the cars, the driver knew what was going on. Several months ago, a series of hijackings had taken place, and then stopped, with no arrests being made. Recently, the heists had started again, using the same method. His suspicion was confirmed when the sunroof of the lead car opened, a figure emerging with a harpoon gun, and lining it up with the passenger side window. As he looked to his left and right, there were figures emerging from the sun roofs of those two cars as well, although the items in their hands were instantly more recognisable, the one on the driver's side of the cab clutching an Uzi 9mm, and aiming it straight at him. The one on the far side, was holding another harpoon launcher, and as the truck driver watched helplessly, the figure from the lead car fired. The projectile smashed easily through the window and opened out, latching on as the car pulled forward, yanking the window out via the cord attached to the projectile. As the window smashed on the tarmac, the lead car pulled to the right, and the second car on the far side pulled in front of the truck, the first car falling back. The figure from the second fired his harpoon gun, which stuck into the seat next to the truck's driver, then attached the cord to his belt and leapt from the Civic, to the truck, and hauled himself into the cab. The driver's first instinct was to fight back, but with the semi-automatic trained at him, he knew it wouldn't be a wise idea. His new passenger levelled an air pistol at him, and fired. The driver felt a dart strike his arm, and he began to feel drowsy. The cars on either side backed off as the truck started to weave back and forth across the road, and before he passed out, the driver felt his passenger pulling him out of the way, and taking his place. The hijacker struggled for a few moments before gaining control of the rig, and straightening out. The cars pulled in line with the rig now under their control, and sped off into the night.
Knight relaxed as the car shot down the desert road, grateful for the break. The last assignment had been relatively easy, and he was satisfied with the outcome. The panel above and behind the cut off steering wheel lit up with green bars, one in the centre, and one in each corner, approximating a wave form as the car's cool, steely voice emerged –"Michael's calling."
"Put him through Karr," Knight replied automatically, his hands moving to the steering wheel as the monitor lit up –"hey Michael, how's things?"
"Busy," Michael replied, his blue eyes twinkling –"Where are you?"
"In the desert, on the way home from our last assignment."
"How soon can you be in LA?"
"I need to recharge my power packs," Karr injected smoothly. The image of Michael on the monitor nodded –"I know Karr. But you won't be able to recharge at home, we've moved base while you were away, we're at the LA headquarters now. How soon can you be there?"
Knight shrugged –"Karr?"
"We'll get there when we get there," Karr replied coldly. Knight shrugged, not bothered by the car's attitude. From what he'd been told before partnering with the machine, the personality was a lot friendlier than it had been previously, although it still seemed cold and indifferent occasionally, although rarely with him –"I need a more accurate estimate Karr."
The Trans-am was silent for a moment before answering –"Two days, maybe two and a half depending on traffic. We'll need to stop for gas, and my less important systems will begin shutting down to conserve power as we travel."
"We'll see you in two days then," Michael said and the monitor went blank. Knight raised an eyebrow –"Wonder what's going on. Michael's never usually that abrupt."
"I guess we'll find out when we arrive," the car replied –"if we arrive."
"We'll get there," Knight replied, smiling indulgently, knowing the car's sensors would pick it up. After a few minutes, Karr piped up again –"There was an error in my calculations. We can arrive in a day and a half. If we choose."
"That's a big error," Knight replied –"Something wrong with your system?"
"There is no malfunction detected," Karr replied tersely –"However, I did calculate given normal operation."
"Meaning?" Knight asked, a wry smile beginning to form as Karr replied –"meaning I forgot to account for the use of super pursuit mode," then with an irritated tone –"In my original shell, I didn't have that function. I keep forgetting that this body does."
"I thought that you didn't forget anything, given your advanced computer circuitry," Knight teased. Karr's response was a noise that sounded like a snarl before speaking –"If we cut through the desert in super pursuit mode, we can arrive in a day and a half."
"Let's move," Knight replied. A panel on the dashboard slid back, and he pressed the green button. A small light flitted above the button, as the car's air intake rose out from the body, at the same time, the nose began to extend outwards, and the forward section split in two, the upper half where the canner was mounted raising to form an airfoil. Two small panels on either side of the car, in front of the front wheels shot outwards, providing two more fins. Panels in front of the rear wheels turned slightly, providing two more air intakes, and on the rear section of the frame, behind the side windows. Two more panels emerged, with more intakes beneath, the rear end rising to reveal hidden thrusters, the spoiler atop the section raising higher to provide another airfoil. There was a whine as the extra engines powered up, and with a burst of power and thrust, the car rocketed forward, dust kicking up behind it as it tore across the desert. Knight's eyes closed as the car sped along, and he let out a sigh –"Where were you when I was street racing?"
Karr knew that he wasn't really expecting an answer, instead concentrating his scanners on the path ahead, ready to take control if necessary.
End of Chapter 1…
