Disclaimer: I don't own Knight Rider. It is owned by NBC. I only own my OCs!
[ Location: FLAG ( Formerly SSC ) HQ, Arizona. ]
A beat up KITT was sitting in the gimble, the one that he was always assigned to. Zoe underneath him trying to reactivate his nanite repair program. Parked next to him was KADE, since he was in the light, everyone got a much clearer look at him.
KADE was a Shelby Mustang GT500 Super Snake, a concept car that wouldn't be released until 2018. It was all black with a single dark gray stripe going down the center of the car. He had KLUTCH® - ML1 Matte Rims, with a blue strip on the outer ring. He also had a modified ARP Carbon Fiber Rear Spoiler. The windows were completely dark with black limo tint. The headlights had been replaced with xenons, much brighter than LEDs or the standard headlights that Mustangs are given.
Sarah was looking over KADE with interest, every inch of him was different from KITT.
"My dad clearly put in the wrench time with this one, didn't he?" Sarah joked, running a hand along KADE's smooth finish.
"Actually, my original body was identical to that of the Knight Three Thousand, but Brendan decided that he wanted to be 'badass' so he put me in this new body. It took two years to transfer me, my systems and everything else into this car." KADE explained, as Sarah looked back where the makeshift bed was where an unconscious Brendan laid on top of it.
He had gone under to save energy, and until the damage done could be repaired. Billy was currently looking over him with fascination, Mike next to him as he was burning with questions.
Mainly about where Brendan and Kade came from, and how long they've been around?
Sarah walked over, standing next to Billy with arms folded over chest before speaking. "So, what'd you learn?"
"His entire body has been cybernetically enhanced, his skeletal structure, nerves, muscles, everything except for the outer body and the brain, has been modified. It's like something out of terminator, except without the 'kill all humans' thing." Billy explained, looking over at Sarah, who had a look of concern on her face.
"Yeah, well this guy took out KARR in less than two minutes. He cut the damn thing down the middle with his bare hands." Mike said as he got up, walking back over towards KITT as Zoe pulled herself out from beneath the mustang's battered frame. The others joining him.
"Alright, your nano-repair mods are hot again." Zoe said, wiping the sweat and grease from her.
"KITT, go for it." Billy said, as KITT's nano repair systems kicked on. The damage disappearing in half a second as he was back to his shiny self.
"Now /that's/ what I'm talking about." Zoe said, with a happy smile on her face as she felt accomplished by her work.
"How do you feel, buddy?" Mike asked
"I feel excellent, Michael." KITT responded.
"Well we're glad to hear it, KITT." Sarah said happily, a smile on her face as well.
"There is one thing...I have scanned my memory files and there seem to be gaps...I don't know what it is I can no longer remember...but I can sense something is missing...like a piece of me is gone."
Everyone around the room had a slight sad expression on his face. Since they could only download as much as they could, most of his memories were with KARR when they installed KITT's programming into him.
"You're not gone, KITT. You're all right here." Mike said softly.
"Sarah, I seem to have detected a message in my database...it is from your father." KITT said, as the message began to play via his holographic imager.
"I would say that congratulations are in order as this message is to play only in success so job well done. All of you. And, I take it you were assisted by your newest allies, in which case I want you to welcome them both with open arms. The young man's name is Brendan, he was part of an earlier project of mine called Project Enforcer. The idea was to pair bond a cybernetically enhanced individual with an AI. Brendan was selected because his parents and I were really close friends. Brendan was diagnosed with a fatal disease around the age of 8 and fought it for years, until the treatments stopped working. I offered his parents to save his life, and he was cybernetically modified. Unfortunately, the project was sabotaged which caused Brendan to go on a violent streak and twelve people lost their lives. And like Mike, Brendan had his memory wiped and KADE was locked away. And behind my back, Alex had Brendan's parents assassinated so that there would be no ties back to him." Charles's message explained, resulting in shocked expressions from everyone as they looked back at the man who laid unconscious on the table.
"I couldn't bear myself, I had to fix those mistakes. So I found Brendan and filled the gaps in his memory that plagued him, and I gave him KADE's location so that one day, they would be ready to join you all. I know this is a lot to take in, but please, take care of him, right now more than ever he needs support. Now, for the next order of business! I suppose you're all imagining to yourselves: what next? Well it is my hope that you continue. I don't know if you know this, but the SSC is the property of Knight Industries. The government leased this facility to us and now it belongs to you. As far as funding goes, well, Sarah. I'm sure you remember the beginning of eternity? You can now be the Knight Industries that Wilton Knight always envisioned. You can reinstitute FLAG, Foundation For Law And Government, completely autonomous. No more hidden agendas, no more interference. Just what you think is right. You can make a difference. But you must decide. I know you'll all make me proud. God bless, and carry on." The message ended, with Charles's image fading away.
The group all huddled together, smiles on each one of their faces. They were going to fulfill the hopes that Charles have left them, as well as the promises. Though that didn't last long as the sound of a groan was heard, all heads turning to see Brendan, who was now sitting up. And to their astonishment, the wounds all over his body had vanished! He looked completely healthy, with the exception of the right arm which was still damaged.
KADE was the first to respond "Glad to see that your internal nanobots have finally activated. It only took about five years."
"And the timing couldn't be better..." Brendan mumbled, stretching as he got off the table. He looked down at his damaged arm with a sigh as he grabbed said arm, twisting it as the sound of locking mechanisms releasing was heard and the arm detached off at the base of the elbow, placing the damaged limb on the table behind him.
"You got the new arm ready for me?" Brendan asked, walking over towards KADE as he opened his trunk for his partner. Within the trunk was the new arm for him, it was different than the last one. The appearance was slimmer, with the fingertips being red instead of blue.
"Tomboy is ready. I finished her on Tuesday and she has the special...functions you requested." KADE responded as Brendan picked up the arm, attaching it with a heavy CLICK sound as it locked in place. The fingers moving as Brendan closed the trunk...and was greeted with the faces of both Mike and Sarah.
Brendan felt himself freeze a bit, he had not been 'social' in a long time. And the feeling of nervousness overwhelmed him.
"So..." Brendan tried to start, but he wasn't always the best at conversations starters.
"I...actually wanted to say thanks. For saving me and KITT out there." Mike said, holding his hand out to the younger man who looked down at Mike's hand for a moment before he reached out with his new cybernetic limb and shook it.
"I wasn't gonna let Charles down, I told him I'd be there. And I consider it my way of saying thanks for...helping me fill the gaps." He said to Mike, as he released his hand, backing away a bit as the feeling over being overwhelmed hit him hard.
"I...I just need to be alone." He said, quickly making his way down one of the hallways, despite not knowing where to go he just needed to get away. He didn't know what to do.
Mike was prepared to go after him, but Sarah stopped him with her arm blocking him from moving.
"Let me..." She told him, with Mike nodding as Sarah went down the hall after him.
He knew he couldn't go back home, he had no home, not anymore. His parents were dead, his own existence erased. The only thing he had left of himself was the memories of who he once was, and how happy he used to be. He stopped, pressing his back against the wall before sliding down to a sitting position.
"What do I do now?" He asked himself, looking down at his hands. The last thing he remembered Charles telling him before he went off to face KARR.
"You move forward. What direction you choose to take is up to you. So long as it is what you think is the right one."
Sarah had finally caught up to Brendan, seeing him sitting up against the wall as he looked at his hands. She slowly made her way over towards him, finally sitting down next to him as she spoke, her tone soft and caring.
"...are you okay?" She asked him.
Brendan didn't look at her, but the fingers on his cybernetic arm flexed a bit.
"I...I'll be okay, it's just...a lot to take in. I mean, I spent the last five years not knowing who I really was or where I came from. And now..."
"—you don't know what to do next?" Sarah finished his sentence, with Brendan nodding in reply.
"We were thinking that you'd like to stay here? Charles told us about you in his last message. It's hard, going through all that with nobody. And I won't force you to stay if you don't want to..." Sarah reached out, placing her hand within Brendan's metallic one.
The green eyes of the male locked with Sarah's own, fingers interlacing with metallic digits.
Maybe.
This was the way to move forward?
Maybe.
He could do some good with what he was given?
[ Later On ]
Most the the gang was sitting around, cleaning up the mess the SSC had left when everything got shut down. That was when Sarah walked in, Brendan at her side as Sarah looked towards the group.
"I...I've decided that I want to stick around, I feel as though I can do some good and save people. His tone was that of slight nervousness, but also courage as the group before them seemed to smile, nodding at this idea.
Brendan then turned around, facing KADE who was parked next to KITT as a smile finally was on his lips.
"What do you think, bro?" He asked the AI mustang.
"What do I think? I think it's about damn time!" KADE responded with a soft chuckle.
Brendan shook his head, walking up and patting KADE's hood. "I'm glad you think so too, partner. Cause if you were to disagree, I'd kick your metal ass." He teased as KADE's engine revved a bit in response.
"Like you could kick my ass!" KADE said back with laughter.
"Brendan, I am curious. Why is KADE's range of responses so emotional and human like?" KITT asked, as Brendan turned to KITT and approached him.
"KADE and I were pair bonded, both physically and mentally. We're like Yin and Yang. One cannot be without the other..." He explained to the AI, placing a hand on KITT's roof.
That caught Billy's attention as he spoke up. "What do you mean by that?"
Brendan turned to Billy "If I were to die, then KADE would shut down and his data-core would wipe itself so that his AI won't fall into enemy hands. If KADE were to be badly damaged, I would lapse into a coma and would not come out of it until the connection can be reestablished or repaired. We cannot survive without each other."
"The bond also links our personalities. I have a little of Brendan's personality and he has some of mine. Which is why my communication, responses are so rapid and human like, not to mention the use of profanity." KADE explained.
"Well, as riveting as this conversation has gotten. I myself am quite tired, all I want to do is sleep." Brendan said, cutting into the conversation. He did look rather exhausted.
"Let me take you to your room then!" Zoe said enthusiastically, she was quick to volunteer, as she made her way over towards Brendan and took his hand, dragging the younger man down the hall.