Knight Rider AS Season 2, Episode 1 - Knight and Day

Part 2

"Ian, you wasted your request," K.I.T.T told him as the young intern pushed his chair over to the car's hood. He had his red laptop under his arm. It was the only thing in the room that had miraculously survived K.A.R.R's attack. "If this has to do with Knight Industries, then he has to call on me to help."

Ian shook his head sadly. "No, he doesn't. He could ignore the guy that took Dani and nothing would change for him or the company. If he did decide to do something, Knight Industries has other resources they could use." He looked directly at the car's scanner bar. "I wanted you and Kat on this mission, not one of David's flunkies or spies."

"And why is that?" Kat asked from the Driver's side. The door was open and she was leaning on it while watching Ian's face.

He locked eyes with her. "Because you two will bring Dani home. My request isn't to stop that guy or his plans, your mission is to make sure my sister is safe."

Kat nodded. "Well, let's get started then."

Ian opened his laptop and rested it on K.I.T.T's hood. "I'm sending you an email I prepared last night, KITT. It contains all the information I have about Dani and her kidnapper. He or she took over Dani's Facebook account and has been messaging me from there."

Kat heard a beep from her phone as well. She swiped it open and placed it down on K.I.T.T's hood. A blue line appeared around it and a larger replication of her screen appeared on the windshield. She swiped through the screenshots Ian had sent her, making a noise of dismay when she reached the picture of Danielle bound and injured. "I hate to ask, but are you certain that she's still alive?"

Ian's hands paused over his keyboard. "They sent me a video, I think I saw Dani move a little in it."

Kat felt great sympathy for him. "I understand if you don't want me watching it, but send it to KITT so he can analyze it. He should be able to tell if your sister is alive in it."

"Thanks Kat." Tears formed around his eyes, but they didn't fall. He took a deep breath. "The kidnapper wants me to send them everything from here, but-"

Kat turned and interrupted him. "Oh, we're going to San Diego, Ian. there's no way we're not getting your sister personally."

Ian let out a pent up breath that had a whisper of a smile. "Good, then I'm going with you."

"No, that is not happening," Kat snapped back at him. "You stay here where it's safe."

Ian opened his mouth to protest when Rei appeared next to him. "Katherine, you have to take Ian with you," she said stubbornly. "KITT's scanners are good, but neither of you have met Danielle in person. You need Ian there to make sure you're getting the right girl back."

Ian looked over at her. "Rei, when did you become my best friend?" he asked with a weak laugh.

She ruffled his hair. "Always be friends with the hacker, didn't you know? Besides, it drives Kai nuts."

Kai was indeed at his workstation, watching the group by the car intently. His work lay before him, half done. "Why is he so worked up?"

"He thinks I want to date you," Rei said simply.

Ian's eyebrows knit together. "You're engaged though."

Rei shrugged. "That's why it bothers him so much." Her expression became more serious. "You make sure to be safe. Dani won't want you getting hurt just for her, okay?"

"Okay." Ian nodded. She beamed at him then retreated back to her own workstation. "Thanks Rei."

"Anytime!"

Ian turned back to Kat, who was frowning indignantly. "You're not coming," she insisted.

"Except… I have to. I'm the only one who can make sure Dani is safe."

Kat groaned in defeat. "We better get you fitted with some body armor then."

xxxXXXxxx

After the morning rush, the kitchen could be classified as a trash dump. That didn't daunt Sam in the least, however. No matter what challenge lay before him, he would tackle it head on. The trash took up an entire black bag. The pile of dishes were daunting, but he knew they wouldn't be so bad.

Once he could get up there.

He frowned at his wheelchair, specifically at the crank on the side that would not turn for him. "Oh, come on."

Carmen walked in then and noticed his trouble. "Is it stuck again?"

"I don't understand, Pierce just fixed this thing." Sam let out a frustrated breath through his nose. He ran a hand through his short blond hair, ruffling it till it stood up in the front.

"Well, there you go." Carmen knelt down by the chair and inspected the crank. "He put it back on too tight." She reached into one of the deep pockets on her coveralls and pulled out a small wrench. She wrestled with the bolt for a bit till it loosened. "Sit back," she told him.

He leaned back in his chair while she turned the crank. The braces around his waist and legs shifted as he was forced upright out of the chair. He was still attached to the chair, but now he was tall enough to do the dishes.

"Thanks Carmen," he said with a sigh. "I'm still getting used to this." He turned on the water and let it run over some of the stickier plates.

"We really should load up the dishwasher ourselves," she commented. "Instead of throwing everything in the sink."

"Nah, it's fine. Some of this stuff needs a good rinsing." He gave her his trademark charming smile. "You guys eat like bears." He loaded up the dishwasher slowly, but steadily. Carmen watched him like a hawk. "Careful, Pierce might get jealous with you staring a hole through me," he teased.

"Pfft." She made further noises of disbelief. "How can you joke around so easily?" She demanded. "How on earth do you look so cheerful doing dishes?"

He looked at her over his shoulder, as he wasn't currently able to turn around. "What are you talking about? They're just dishes." He closed the dishwasher and locked it. Then he grabbed the crank on the side of his chair and released the tension. He landed in the seat with a jolt. "Oh come on."

"You were supposed to be KITT's driver!" she exclaimed in frustration. "And now you're downgraded to busboy! We can't even get you a frickin' chair that works! How are you taking all of this so good?"

He arched a brow as he moved his chair over to the dishwasher's control panel. "What do you expect me to do? Sink into a spiraling depression?"

Here she faltered. "I mean, I don't want THAT. But you look so well adjusted, so quickly, and I'm worried." She bit her lip.

He started up the washer and wheeled over to her. "Carmen, trust me when I say this. That all already happened, and I'm good now. I spent a year in darkness." His blue eyes were wide. "Who cares that I lost my legs? I've got my hands back!" He waved them to make his point. "I have my mouth, and my eyes, and my ears. Losing my legs to get all that back is worth it in my opinion."

Her expression darkened. "You remember everything?"

His eyes flitted to the side. "Not EVERYTHING, but some things, yeah. Jesus Christ, I pointed a gun at a kid." His hand went through his hair again. He rubbed the back of his head. "And sometimes my hearing would turn off, or my eyesight. Or both. I would be doing things, but I had no idea what." His eyes were on the floor. "It was bad. Really bad.."

Carmen's nails dug into her palm. "I wish I could kill KARR. Again."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, David kinda took that away from you. I mean, that's what I heard."

She looked down at him, her expression pitiful. "You don't belong here. Not like this."

She was short enough that he could reach her face from his chair. He palmed both of her cheeks. "Never, ever, say that." His expression was steady, but his voice was stern. "This is the only place I belong. FLAG gave me a purpose, and I am sticking around till the very end."

"What about Kat?" she asked.

"Kat doesn't need me. Not anymore. Not for a very long time." He dropped his hands, placing them on his wheel guards. "She's the main character now, and I'm lucky to be on the sidelines."

His face was so sincere it made her heart clench. This was how he truly felt. When he turned and wheeled out of the room, she whispered to herself "FLAG doesn't deserve you, we never did."