Author's Note: I'm truly sorry for making everyone wait! So I'll shut up and let you get to reading!
---
Forty minutes sped by with rapid speed. Before they knew it, an announcement came from the cockpit. "Attention passengers. We are approaching your drop off point. Please strap yourselves down inside the cars."
Kasey surmised that the pilots didn't know that there was only one passenger and two cars as their cargo. But none-the-less, she hopped inside Kile and he strapped her down tightly against his leather seat. She now could guess what was going on: they were going to be dropped out of the plane and then land somewhere.
"So sky diving was the big surprise you had for me, eh?" Kasey asked as she re-checked her harness to make sure it was snug against her. She completely trusted Kile, but she was nervous. Checking her harnesses was one way to keep her mind off what was to come.
Kile beamed a huge smile, even though Kasey wasn't able to see it. "Yes. I hope you don't mind. Last night you did say that base jumping would be fun. This is just one step higher."
"No, you mean a couple THOUSAND steps higher!" Kasey joked as she put her shaking hands on the steering wheel.
"Alright, alright. You are right on that one." Kile admitted.
One of those annoying alarms sounded in the belly of the plane as the ramp was lowered. Kile felt his frame lift up further from the floor once the straps were released. He shifted himself into neutral yet applied the brake; otherwise he would ram Karr from the force of the plane.
Karr on the other hand was having second thoughts. His scanner gave him the exact height at which they were going to be falling from. His CPU went whirling when he realized that if he didn't land just right in the water, he could be mortally injured with no one to help him. When he felt the straps release themselves and his frame start to roll back, he slammed on his brakes. His golden scanner rapidly swished back and forth displaying the emotion he hated dearly: fear.
Kile saw Karr stop and realized that he was not going to move. "What's wrong?" He asked the Mustang behind him out of curiosity.
"Nothing!" Karr sneered. "I just refuse to part-take in this suicide attempt!"
Kile almost burst with laughter. "Karr, you wanted to do this earlier. There is no going back now. I have to exit the plane and you are in my way. So either you move, or I will make you…" He threatened.
"No!" Karr applied his emergency brakes and locked his tires. He was not going to leave the plane!
Kile decreased pressure on his brakes, letting himself roll back just enough to let Karr see that he was indeed serious about pushing him out of the plane.
"I still refuse! You cannot make any of my tires leave the floor of this plane!" Karr was almost yelling at the Challenger in front of him.
"Suit yourself." Kile then said while igniting his engine which fired with a determined growl. He shifted himself into reverse so that he could have more force. He ever-so-gently applied pressure to his gas pedal and his rear bumper made contact with Karr's front. He pushed just a little harder and felt Karr skid back an inch.
Karr in turn ignited his engine and shifted himself into drive. He applied enough gas to push Kile forward the same inch he had gained. He was notgoing to be pushed out of the god-foresaken plane!
Now it was a pushing match with engine roars and metal on metal screeches.
Kile knew he only had a certain amount of time before the ramp was going to be raised. He had to get out of the plane before then.
Kasey sat inside the Challenger waiting. "What's going on?" She asked into the silence.
"Karr's being stubborn. He won't move." Kile replied, sounding distracted.
"Oh." Was all Kasey said.
The Challenger finally grew tired of waiting and slammed the accelerator. Karr was forced back and had his rear tires out of the plane before he had any chance to rebel.
"Noooo!!!!" Karr managed to say as he fell out of the plane. A few seconds later he deployed his parachute, making the car jerk before it settled into a sway while falling.
"I told you." Kile boasted before he rolled out of the plane himself. After a few seconds of falling, his parachute also sprang out of his roof, slowing his decent considerably.
Kasey in the mean time was holding onto anything she could. She knew she wasn't in control, but her white knuckles were gripping the steering wheel fiercely. When the parachute deployed, it too giving the car a jerk, she make a 'oof' noise and thanked her blessings that the harnesses held. She released her grip from the wheel and flexed her hands, getting the blood back into them. When she had the chance to look around, she was stunned. All she saw was blue: blue sky and blue water.
"Kile? Where are we?" She asked as she looked all around his cabin, seeing nothing but the beautiful blue.
Kile smiled. His driver's reaction was one of surprise, exactly what he wanted. "We are just off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii."
"Hawaii?! Wow!" Kasey screamed in joy.
Kile loosened his harnesses on her to give her room to look out his windows. He watched her as she sat higher in the seat to see the green islands and at the beauty they gave. The sun was high in the sky, the rays shining through the few clouds giving off a magnificent glow. The reefs were as clear as day in the water. They zigged this way then zagged that way, going everywhere with no real pattern. There was some coral sticking up out of the water, and what was shown was almost bleached white. The wav es were gently lapping at the exposed coral as they would the shores of the islands. Then parts of the water were a darker blue, showing that the water was deeper and more mysterious there. The view was really marvelous and breath taking.
While Kasey was enjoying the glorious view, Kile turned his attention on his fellow diver. Karr was silent as he swayed to and fro in the soft breeze. Kile sent out a message to him hoping he would respond.
::Karr? Are you alright?::He asked tenderly, not wanting Karr to explode at his intrusion.
::Alright? Alright?! Do you think I am alright? I was just shoved out of a plane over the Pacific Ocean! How do you think I am doing?!::Karr screamed through their link. Kile gave off what sounded strangely like a=2 0laugh. ::What in the world are you laughing at?::
::Just the fact that you are scared out of your CPU. You know you didn't have to come. But you did, now you have to face the consequences.:: Kile explained to the now steaming AI.
::I came because…because…::Karr stuttered. ::Oh, all right! You win!:: He shut up before he said something he would regret later.
Kile smiled again and turned his attention back onto his driver. She was still looking out his window with the most amazing smile on her face. He was content. He made his best friend happy on her birthday. "Are you happy, Kasey?" He asked quietly, not wanting to disturb her.
Kasey sighed. "Yes. I am more than happy. I'm thrilled!" She turned her head towards the red globe and beamed a smile from ear to ear.
"Happy birthday, Kasey." Kile told her.
"Thank you. So much." Kasey replied with as much gratitude as she could possibly give. She looked back out the window at the water that was slowly coming closer to them by the second.
When the cars were within 100 feet of the surface of the water, they initiated their transformation sequences. All the holes and vents in the car sealed up, making them water tight. A type of seal covered the engine from any moisture getting inside. The sharper points on the cars rounded out so that they would more or less slice through the water. The rims on their tires were transformed into propellers that pushed the cars left to right and vice versa. A smaller propeller emerged from underneath the back bumpers.
The cars hit the water with a large splash and the parachutes were automatically pulled back into their storage areas before the cars ever-so-slowly sank under the water. Once completely submerged, the two cars flicked their headlights on to illuminate the surrounding area. After the cars descended ten feet below the water, the stabilizers built into their sub-mode kicked on. The thrusters slowed the cars decent as the rear propeller pushed them forward.
As they sank gradually, the colors of the reefs came to life. Kasey sat astounded as fish cautiously swam out from hiding. There were tons of them, ranging in size and color. Her face was plastered to Kile's driver window, her eyes taking in every detail.
Kile and Karr had never actually been underwater, but now that they were, they were enjoying it immensely. They let their pre-initiated programs take control and they sat back and watched the ocean.
Kasey spotted a fish that intrigued her. It was about 8 inches in length and 5 inches tall. There were lines all over it making irregular sections. In each section, there were different brightly colored patterns. For some odd reason, it reminded her of a parrot. Kasey instantly liked this fish, but had no idea as to what it was.
"Kile? What is this fish here called?" Kasey asked as the fish in question swam by the driver's window. She was absolutely curious now.
Kile did a quick look up of the said fish and found what it was. "It is a Trigger fish, the Hawaiian state fish. The Hawaiians call it Humu-humu-nuku-nuku-apua-a." He said pronouncing each syllable clearly.
"Wow, what a mouth-full. It's beautiful." Kasey said following the fish with her eyes as it crept by.
"Yes it is." Kile said with awe.
Karr in the mean time was also enjoying everything that was going by. The different sizes of starfish and the gigantic sizes of the clams surprised him. He had heard of such things, but he had never 'seen' them before.
The wall of coral was enormous and was teeming with life. Kasey watched as the murals of corral revealed themselves to the new-comers. The soft coral swayed gently in the current while the hard coral stood its ground. The sea anemones held the clownfish and protected them from being swept up in the current. She looked up through Kile's sun roof and saw a dark figure above her. She focused her eyes more and saw that it was a giant sea turtle. She stared at it as it swam above them, continuing on like nothing was happening. The grace in which it propelled itself forward was magnificent.
The two black silhouettes dodged in and out and through the reefs. Not once did they get stuck and have to back out, thanks to their constant scanning. They elegantly made their way closer and closer to the shores of Kauai. Kile only had enough air for his driver for a couple of hours and they were getting close to two full hours. He and Karr scanned the shores to see if there were any vacationers on the beach. Two cars would seem bizarre emerging from the ocean, like something out of the Twilight Zone. So to be on the safe side, they were going to exit the water where the beach was deserted.
Kasey was a little disappointed when the coral reefs faded away in the distance. She was enjoying her time immensely. She reluctantly agreed when Kile explained his reasoning. The rays of sunlight started shining through the water as they got closer to the surface. She felt the slight jolt as Kile's front tires made contact with the sand and tried to grip it. After a few spins though, the tread stuck and they moved forward. The light blinded Kasey as the sun shone through the now exposed windshield. But her eyes adjusted and she was able to see the tall green trees just beyond the road on the other side of the beach.
The two cars pulled themselves out of the water and drove onto the road. There was water droplets scattered from bumper to bumper. Kasey noticed this and realized that the salt water would leave marks if not cleaned off soon.
"Ya know…I just gave you a bath yesterday. Couldn't you have picked something less dirty?" Kasey asked as she looked through the windshield and examined the speckled hood.
"I could have, but you wouldn't have had as much fun. I don't mind being spotted for a day or two if it means your happiness." Kile said affectionately as he used his windshield wipers to clear away the water for Kasey to have a better view.
Karr overheard this through his link to Kile. ::Yeah, you may not mind, but I certainly do!:: He said with a hint of anger.
Kile just laughed. He was enjoying the fact that all of this was driving Karr nuts. ::You shouldn't have come then.:: He let his amusement filter across the link and felt Karr's deadly stare.
Kasey once more sensed that Kile and Karr were talking privately again. "Okay, what are you two plotting now?" She asked into the silence.
"Karr's upset." Kile almost busted with laughter.
"Oh really? What on Earth could Karr be upset about?" Kasey asked as she looked behind her at the Mustang following them.
"He's dirty, like me." Kile almost gave up holding in his enjoyment.
"Tell him if he behaves, I'll give him a wash too." She turned back around to the front and faced Kile's globe.
::Kasey said that she would give you a wash as well if you behave yourself.:: Kile told him through the link.
Karr thought on this…for all of a second. ::That sounds good to me! But she better do a spectacular job. I was pushed out of a plane, landed in the water, and now I look like a black Dalmatian with white spots!::Karr hissed.
::She wouldn't do anything less. Trust me.:: Kile said and cut the link, not wanting to listen to Karr's grumblings about being a dappled Mustang. "Alright, he accepts, but he said you better do a spectacular job." He told his driver.
"Oh, he knows I will. Just ignore him." Kasey said and turned her attention to the scenery. They passed a small waterfall that was right next to the road. Since the speed limit was only 35 mph, she had ample time to see it. It looked like a tiny stream running down the curve and bends of the hill. It was absolutely gorgeous.
They passed a dark hole in the mountain and Kasey grew curious about it. "Kile? Can we stop at that cave back there? It looks interesting." She asked and pointed in the direction of the cave.
"Of course. Anything you want to see, just let me know. I will gladly take you to show it." Kile said softly as he turned the Challenger around.
"Thanks. I really do appreciate this." Kasey told him and caressed the dash lovingly.
Kile 'leaned' into the touch as much as possible. He loved it when Kasey stroked the dash the way she was now. It gave him the comfort he desired from his driver.
Karr followed the Challenger into the parking lot across the street from the cave. Kasey got out and crossed the road, looking both ways to make sure she wouldn't get run over. Once at the mouth of the cave, she tried to peer inside. She saw the back, but it only looked 4 feet high. She stepped inside and instantly felt the cool dampness on her skin. She looked at the ground and saw that it was uneven and fairly bumpy. She made her way towards the back and saw that her 5 foot 8 inch frame was indeed too big to fit, so she hunched over to reach the back wall. Once there, she reached her hand out and touched the wet wall, feeling the moss brush her hand. She turned back around towards the exit and saw the light filtering in. Realizing that her time was getting lengthy, she slowly walked back out to her awaiting friends.
Kile watched as his driver re-emerged from the mouth of the cave. He saw her jog across the street and eventually make it to his driver side door. It popped open when her fingers made contact with the door handle and she slid into his warm interior. She stole a glance at the black Mustang and laughter filled the silence when she saw his golden scanner flash in annoyance. She shook her head and put her hands on the steering wheel, silently asking permission to drive. The engine ignited and the RPMs jumped on the gage as Kasey slammed her foot on the peddle. The car shot off like a bullet, hitting the normally slow highway with amazing speed. Karr followed closely behind, making sure to keep up with the excited teen now that she was driving.
The wind messed up Kasey's red hair as it flowed through the cab. But it wasn't enough to make her Hawaiian trip perfect. She reached up to hit the buttons for the sun roof to retract. It opened and even more wind came rushing through the cab of the Challenger. The let her hand flow out of the window and let it move up and down with the force of the wind. But still, it wasn't enough. She quietly thought of asking Kile if he could retract the entire roof and become a convertible. She mulled over the idea, then decided to go on ahead and ask him.
"Kile? Gotta question for ya..." She looked from outside at the scenery to the red globe on the dash.
"Yes?" Kile drew his attention from monitoring the roads for other drivers to watch Kasey ask her question. They weren't technically allowed to drive at these speeds, but Kile didn't mind letting his ecstatic driver drive at the speed she wanted as long as it was safe to do so.
"I don't even know if you can do it...but are you able to transform into a convertible?" Kasey asked then turned her attention back to the road and waited for his answer.
Kile decided not to respond though. Instead, he searched through his transformation sequences and found the correct one that would able him to transform into what Kasey wanted. He initiated it, and let the program run through his system getting him ready for his change. The nanoskin on the roof glowed to the amazing crystal-like blue while starting to transform. The nanoskin shimmered as it disappeared from the top of his windshield all the way back to underneath his back rear window. The edges on the side of the car that were left from where the hood connected had the nanoskin swept over them, rounding them off to become smoother and not have a jagged look to them. Once the roof was gone, Kile ran through his systems to make sure that nothing had gone awry. Once he was satisfied, he glanced back up at Kasey to see a huge smile plastered on her face.
"Will this suffice?" Kile asked causing Kasey to smile even bigger if possible.
"Yep! Now this vacation is perfect!" Kasey untied her hair and let the wind flow through it, tangling it up as they sped down the empty road.
::What's so special about having the wind blow through her hair? Won't it mess it up even more? I thought girls didn't like their hair messed up!:: Karr said through his link with Kile, clearly confused with Kasey's behavior.
Kile thought for a minute on why Kasey would indeed risk getting her hair into the proverbial rat's nest it would become with the wind. ::Well, Kasey isn't exactly an ordinary woman.:: He emphasized because Kasey was one of the most mature females he had seen for her age and he reasoned that she should be called more than just a girl. ::And I think that it is a luxury to have a convertible car driving along a beach.:: Kile filled Karr in hoping that he wouldn't have to explain anymore. It also confused him to a degree, but he didn't want it to show.
Karr didn't answer so Kile turned his attention to the scenery around them again. They were coming up on a small town, so they would have to slow down to avoid a possible dangerous situation. "Kasey, we need to slow down. There is a town coming up." Kile said and watched his driver as she slumped dramatically and put out her lip in a small but playful pout. "Don't give me that look. Technically we were only allowed to go 35 miles per hour on the highway, but I let you slide considering there was not a single person for a quite a few miles." Kile's 'eye' looked towards Kasey as he talked in an exasperated manner.
Kasey giggled and put her hands back onto the steering wheel, not wanting the nearby pedestrians to think the car was actually driving itself. She did get quite a few stares though. In a state such as Hawaii, muscle cars were unheard of. Usually there were the regular every day cars, not the expensive and powerful ones that could go around the island in an hour if pushed to. So people were gaping at the strange yet beautiful objects that seemed to float down their streets with a rumble. Kasey, Kile, and Karr just smiled at the attention they were getting. It was a feeling that they would probably never get used to.
---
Author's Note: I'm really really sorry to all of you who have been waiting to read more of this! My computer took a dump on me and I couldn't write for some time. Homework has been killer as well and I have had multiple essays, projects, and debates I have had to do. Senior is fun and all, but hard work! lol. Anyways, Kile, Ki2t, Ki3t, and Karr have all been getting on my rear end about getting this story up. They even threatened to run me over! So, I finally relented and sat down wrote something to make everyone happy. I hope everyone enjoyed! I still am not done but I hope to get more up soon!
~BuckleWinner~