Knight Rebuilt (Pt.2)

Location: Burlington, VT

"Mr. Knight?"

"Yes?"

"Your son is awake. He wants to see you. Please follow me." Michael stood up and followed the nurse to the private room they had moved Mike to just after everyone had left. The nurse opened the door and stepped aside. Michael nodded a thank you and entered the room. His son was awake and talking to the doctor.

"Hey dad! Doc, can you repeat that last bit?"

He smiled and cleared his throat. "As I was telling your son Mr. Knight, our initial diagnosis was incorrect. We only had to repair minor damage to the outside of the lung tissue. The three broken ribs will heal, with rest and taking it easy."

"Wait. First you tell us his lung was punctured, and now you tell me it wasn't? I was under the impression we were at a hospital," Michael said irritably.

Again, the doctor smiled, patiently. "I understand. Because of all the blood and trauma, we made a hasty diagnosis. Once we realized it wasn't as bad as we thought, we did surgery right away. We were able to do a small incision and repair the damage. He's lucky the rib bone only grazed it and didn't puncture it."

"Dad, I'm just glad it wasn't worse. And besides, it cuts down on my recovery time. I'll be out of here and…" he was interrupted.

"I believe the doctor said rest and to take it easy. That is what you will do." Turning to the doctor, he said, "Will you excuse us please? Thank you." The doctor nodded and left the room. Turning back to his son, he said, "I won't let you make the same mistakes that I made. You need to rest, and that's final." As he said this he crossed his arms and gave him the look. Mike sighed. He knew that look all too well.

"You can't stop me," he replied simply.

"I can. Wil has made me the acting CEO until Devon recovers. You had a close call Mike. I can't let you just go running back to work."

"I've read through your old case files. I've read your notes, Devon's notes and Bonnie's notes. I know what you had to do on some of your cases. It's my choice. You can't take it away from me. You didn't let anyone take it away from you."

Michael sighed. He was proud. And worried. "You're right. I want to protect you from my mistakes, but at the same time I have to let you make your own decisions. It's tough being your dad and your employer," he told his son. "So, if you're serious, get up, get dressed and let's get going."

Mike smiled. He swung his legs over the edge of the bed, gently stood up and headed for the closet where his clothes were. "How are we getting back to California?"

"KARR."


Location: Florida

Garthe stood there lost in a memory. It flashed before his eyes, as if it had only been yesterday. Goliath was heading for the back end of the Knight Industries Two Thousand. He was intent on destroying it and Michael Knight. Adrianne. She had reached over and jerked the wheel. Goliath had swerved, missing his targets. He remembered feeling angry. Betrayed. He had managed to get out before Goliath had made his slow decent to the bottom. He had never shed a tear for her. She had betrayed him. For Michael Knight. And now, here she was. With a son. His son, supposedly. He couldn't believe it. He didn't trust her. She was cut from the same cloth as he was. He knew not to trust her. She had betrayed him, a scar he thought had been dead and buried. Now here it was, freshly opened. He snapped himself out of his thoughts. His eyes riveted on her and the boy.

She smiled. She knew exactly what he was thinking. "He's yours. Look at him. He looks just like you did twenty years ago!" She paused. "If you need further proof, please do testing. You'll see." She was feeling tired. "You used to be more of a gentleman. Are you going to invite us in?" Garthe smiled graciously. Stepping aside, he motioned with a sweep of his arm towards the front door.

"Please be my guest. After I receive the test results, I'll be happy to discuss many things with you." She smiled at him, moved up the steps and walked past him. Sebastian was close behind her. He was right. They had many things to discuss…


Location: KITT Cave

"Wil, that is amazing!" Billy and Zoe said in unison.

He smiled. He was glad that they were on board for what he had in mind for KI2T's new body.

"I'm not sure," a mechanical voice put in.

"KI2T," Bonnie said firmly, "it will be perfect. Just give us a chance. Give the new body a chance."

"My old one was just fine. It was extremely popular and very futuristic looking. This is a throwback to the sixties," he huffed.

Wil smiled. "Well, I guess we could get 2015 Mustang and rebuild it for you. Then you'll fit right in with the other two." He knew that would get a reaction. "I thought it would be great to get a Firebird body, especially since there are only a few of them out there."

"Reverse psychology will not work on me," KI2T droned. On the main monitor screen, a single red bar swooshed quietly from side to side. "But I see where you're coming from. It would make me… unique."

"That's what I was going for," Wil informed the AI enthusiastically. "You are a very unique vehicle and I wanted to do something that would make you proud."

"Well, it would be rude of me not accept it, especially when you put it that way," KI2T agreed.

Bonnie winked at Wil. "Great! Let's get to work everyone! We have a vehicle to rebuild!" Turning to Sarah and April she said, "We are going to work on the formula that Wil gave us. Zoe, Billy, you two are going to work on the computer components. And Wil, you said you wanted to rebuild the engine and transmission. Do you need help with that?"

"Not really. Uncle Devon made sure I understood everything there is to know about automotive technology. If I need help with something, I'm sure KI2T can assist. And I had Paul order everything I'd need for the rebuild."

"I'm more concerned with the computer components. I can assist Zoe and Billy with that. Wil should only need me for calibrating," KI2T chimed in.

Quiet had fallen over the KITT cave as everyone settled into their assigned tasks. When Wil looked up at the clock on the far wall, he was surprised to notice that almost eight hours had passed. He had successfully removed the engine and transmission and had rebuilt most of the engine. The transmission wouldn't be as much of a hassle. The loud, brash ringing of his cell phone broke the silence. He set down his tools, picked up a rag and wiped his hands. Moving over to the bench, he picked up his phone and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Wil Knight? This is Dr. Rich. We need to discuss Devon Miles' condition."