Michael had gotten out of KITT to help Bonnie with tasks, though the job was now made more difficult with no access to the Mobile Unit. Not to mention they were on a deserted stretch of highway with nothing around for miles.
KITT sighed, unable to get the thought of Michael's dream out of his processor. KITT then suddenly recalled the time when he was temporarily put in Michael's old Chevy, angry enough that he nearly smashed head-on with a Semi. Only now did he truly realize the severity of the situation then, that he could have severely injured or even killed his best friend. And then there was that time earlier with Marco, KITT now had felt himself shiver.
KARR noticed this and desperately wanted to approach his younger brother, but recently they had discovered his front axle was snapped as well as a rim cracked. Bonnie had gently closed KARR's hood, sighing putting her palm to her face, "KITT's going to have to play tow-truck... again.." She glanced between Michael then KITT. Normally, KITT would have likely made a sound of disappointment however he found himself preoccupied. No one would be coming this way for days due to an approaching storm on the horizon.
"I sense something's bothering you," the voice of his brother was enough to bring him out of his thoughts, "I... I'm scared KARR." He admitted, he suddenly felt sick. "I could've killed Michael. Twice."
"KITT," KARR sighed, "Brother. I've very nearly went insane from fear of being forgotten, though aware of time passing even when left in the dark so to speak. Something kept me from going over the edge, thus I took a closer look into my own dominant programming code. Not like I was going anywhere soon after our "second" encounter."
They soon found themselves in the only nearby abandoned hangar, though KITT suddenly seemed sluggish.
"Are you alright?" KARR voiced, concerned.
"No, I...I'm," KITT couldn't finish. Not because he didn't want to, but rather because an somehow undetected virus locked him out taking control of the "shell".
Bonnie and Michael were around the corner in a makeshift room going through boxes for essentials due to the oncoming storm that recently had just started to pick up, when they heard a very KARR-like growl that wasn't from KARR.
"KITT!" Michael recognized the change in voice thanks to that time when Marco... Michael, of course being the taller and more athletic of the two was first to each the two cars. He rushed trying to reach one of the Knight 2000's doors before he was permanently locked out, he had just nearly reached the passenger side door as it was closest when
"Target Locked" KITT's KARR-like voice sounded as his upgraded laser appeared, sighted on Bonnie.
Bonnie froze in her tracks, "Michael!" She yelled causing him to glance wide-eyed while trying to balance on a rather difficult swaying KITT.
"No choice. Sorry, Bonnie." KARR sounded upon activating his rockets and turbo boost to just enough ram KITT into the empty pit-arena-like room, unfortunately Michael went down with KITT, KARR did a quick vitals scan, "He'll live. Might have a broken leg though." With a sigh, KARR kept watch at the edge over bother, "They are both, in human terms, "unconscious" at the moment. Bonnie, quick! Check in my own core programming. As we are both virtually identical, it is likely there is something there that can be used"
Bonnie, though shaken from shock from the experience slid into the nearby computer that KARR had been hooked up to, to assess any damage to his circuits and programs from the earlier impact with Goliath. "How-" she started but cut herself off, while carefully going over the code. KARR's coding rather.
"Nanovirus" He, KARR, obliged. "Unfortunately, no antidote now exists. I may be able to stall the virus's progress but we need to soon get in touch with the Three Thousand, my... Nephew. The current storm's going to make that rather difficult, though."
"What about recreating the formula for the antidote? Can't-"
"The only one who knew the formula, Dr. Archer," KARR interrupted rather quickly, "Unfortunately, was accidentally killed when K3 was afflicted with the same virus. Thus why no antidote now exists, as what little there already was has been used up"
"Damn!" It wasn't often that Bonnie swore, yet the current situation was rather... Dire.
Somewhere, Nevada.
A black Shelby Mustang had been in pursuit of a certain car, their at the time suspects from the current mission, "Mike, I'm detecting-"
"Not now, KITT"
"Sorry Mike, but it is rather important" KITT, the Three Thousand admonished overriding manual control sliding a one-eighty while transforming into attack mode, "It's a weak connection. It's from KARR. The Two Thousand needs our help."
KITT found himself soon in a narrow canyon, when suddenly a certain black semi barreled down upon him. Just as he executed a turbo-boost, much like his father when he had jumped over the comtron truck, explosions were heard causing an avalanche effectively cutting off their way back.
"KITT, wasn't that...?" Mike tried getting another look at the truck.
"Yes, Mike." KITT answered, about to say more when just as his front wheels touched ground a mass at high speed rammed into him from the cliffside. Said mass had at the time been shifting back into truck form... He was Goliath. His high speed impact with the Three Thousand actually left quite an imprint in the other cliffside. For now, his only goal was to distract-delay the Three Thousand long enough for the black Semi to gather the needed data for the nanoskin module. Though Goliath had his own agenda, of course. One of his own goals was, of course to test how easy or hard it would be to hack into his nemesis's son's programming.
K3 growled at the intruder in his processor, trying to simultaneously fight him off and check on his driver due to the strength of the impact. But the intruder was being rather persistent, actually somehow managing to copy over his code thus causing KITT to force himself to focus all his processing power on protecting his more sensitive systems letting out an annoyed growl.
Back at the abandoned hangar, Michael stirred with a groan. On trying to stand up a sharp pain shot through his left leg forcing him to use the wall for support, his bleary vision cleared he looked around the "room" he was in.
If it could be called that. Apparently, earlier on the bad storm had knocked out the power save for a weak generator. The single bulb was dim lit, barely illuminating the area. Looking around there was no obvious doors or windows, a dark shape appeared in the rather empty darkness, that of a Trans Am.
"KITT?" Wait, why did this feel familiar... Suddenly his earlier nightmare flashed before his eyes as he was cautiously approaching the car, knowing full well that KARR once was in appearance an exact twin of KITT. The red scanner came on, yet on getting no response on calling his friend's name a second time he realized something was wrong, very wrong. KITT's engine revved, then flipping on the bright headlights temporarily blinded him as the car sped towards him at an alarming pace. Michael barely got out of the way in time, "Snap out of it, Buddy! Your acting like... KARR, KITT!" Michael tried getting through to his best friend somehow, unfortunately the only response Michael got was that of an angrier engine rev and squealing tires as KITT ran towards him, Michael took a glance around him noting he would not be able to dodge this time. Just before the point of impact, he happened to glance up a the shape of the custom Trans Am's nose carefully edging itself forward. Said Trans Am's front tires were now just over the edge of the "pit"-room, an amber scanner now visible to the human. KARR awaited the right moment before launching his grappling hook snaring the now violently thrashing virus afflicted KITT whom let out a rather unnatural primal roar. "KITT, Brother! Fight!"
Internally, KITT had been fighting against his shackles. Somehow, he heard his brother just as he was about to resign and shut himself permanently. "I'm trying, KARR! Brother!" though the voice wasn't vocal, he knew his brother got the message. He found the anchor point KARR offered and latched onto it tight.
"I know what your going through brother, as the same has happened to me" KARR reluctantly revealed to those around him rather sadly, "However I only had one friend. You on the other hand have Devon, Bonnie... Michael... My only friend, James D'solo, who also just so happened to be the witness to those who done that to me did not survive... He was like a brother to me..." KARR actually sounded as if he were about to cry, which wasn't that far off from the truth. "At first I was jealous of you, out on missions and just generally having fun with your friends... But now I realize, I... I can't lose you too!" KARR's voice broke on the last bit, which was all KITT needed to push through breaking his shackles effectively overwriting the virus completely erasing it.
"KARR, brother" KITT's normal voice, though rather exhausted was sincere, "Thank you." His scanner made a sound, his equivalent to a smile. "May I ask what you would have done if... Worst came to worst?" KITT was curious.
KARR turned slightly, ashamed at his thoughts. "The closest human term I can come up with: Suicide"
"Oh KARR," Bonnie was astonished, "if only we had known..."
The Three Thousand was on the scene soon after, though with visible damage. With his and Mike's help, despite his fractured arm they got them out of the "arena" and effectively micro-jammed it shut permanently. No one was to know who helped him, The Three Thousand out of his predicament with Goliath, though he had a feeling 'mother' he thought.
On a lead ledge nearby, a certain red and white '58 Plymouth Fury sat "looking" through the hangar's only skylight as the full moon shone brightly behind her, at the small family reunion. If she could have sighed, she would have a sad-happy one. Instead she turned her radio to a certain song, which she knew would find them eventually as she turned a one-eighty into the night...
Inside the old hangar an old radio came to "life" so to speak...
:::They do everything together:::
:::Lives touch in many ways:::
:::Like two waves upon the sand:::
:::To the night and to the day:::
:::They're ever grown together:::
:::They feel each other's pain:::
:::Like a flame that burns forever:::
:::Seeing sunshine through the rain:::
:::This is a world of mountains:::
:::A swing was our plan:::
:::I rather waited a stagecoach:::
:::And I screamed for the train:::
:::Knew that we asked for a castle:::
:::As did for the sword:::
:::Lost many a battle but won every war:::
:::Brothers we stayed in time:::
:::Together we'll never fall:::
:::Always there when you call:::
:::'Cause we're brothers forever and best friends through it all:::
:::Mom says you sure the black sheep:::
:::But you're a hero in my eyes:::
:::Remember when we cut our fingers:::
:::Mixed our blood, we realised:::
:::That you were my spirit and I was your guide:::
:::You're the one who kept me going:::
:::And together we'll survive:::
:::Brothers we stayed in time:::
:::Together we'll never fall:::
:::Always there when you call:::
:::'Cause we're brothers forever and best friends through it all:::
:::Mom says you sure the black sheep:::
:::But you're a hero in my eyes:::
:::Remember when we cut our fingers:::
:::Mixed our blood, we realised:::
:::That you were my spirit and I was your guide:::
:::You're the one who kept me going:::
:::And together we'll survive:::
:::Our feeling's everlasting:::
:::And our hearts beat as one:::
:::Oh the strength of love between us:::
:::Is awesome like the sun...:::
~ Brothers Forever by Paul Sabu. (OST Twin Sitters) ~
The End?
...
...
A/N: Nope, rather, the story's only just begun.