chapter eleven
"So, what's going on?" Bonnie demanded, watching with wide-eyed terror from her position on the far side of the wall. Michael was currently reloading his revolver, looking through Kitt's windows to see what was going on. Connor had set aside her weapon and was back under Karr's hood, working frantically. During the ten-minute stalemate, she had managed to mostly attach Karr back to the engine. There were a few more things that absolutely had to be done before she could put the CPU back where it belonged. "I mean, is he going to back off?"
"Not likely." Connor grunted. If it hadn't been for the speed of her repairs, Bonnie would never have known the younger woman was worried. "The Director doesn't back off. He might give us some breathing room, tactical retreat, whatever you want to call it – but give him about a day or two, and he'll be back. That's if we're lucky, which quite frankly, I'm not." She gave the wrench one last, hard tug, and set it aside. "How's that?"
"Much better." Karr responded, and like Connor, Bonnie couldn't tell if he was anxious, scared, or just coldly indifferent. His scanners once again fully operational, Bonnie couldn't help but think of all the pain those two could cause.
"There are still guards out there." Kitt pointed out, and Bonnie was relieved to hear that he, at least, sounded frazzled. "I count six, plus the man called the Director. There's also a young woman in a leotard standing beside him."
"That would be Joyce." Connor said darkly. "Oh, we owe her big time."
"She stole for you." Kitt said.
"She sold us out." Karr shot back. "I don't have a homing beacon, Kitt. Joyce had to lead him here, otherwise he shouldn't have found us so quickly."
"What are they doing?" Michael interrupted, every muscle in his body tense and ready for action. Kitt made a sound that was his equivalent of a shrug.
"I'm not sure. They're talking about something, but they're out of range for anything clear. I'm only picking up on a few words, and none of it makes sense." he said apologetically. "However, they – wait." There was a moment of silence, the only sounds Connor's cursing as her hands slipped once again on something sharp and Karr's reprimands for her to be careful. Kitt zeroed in on the Director, trying to decipher his facial expressions. For whatever reason, the man wasn't very expressive like most humans Kitt had met. "It appears as if they are – yes, they're definitely setting up camp, so to speak."
Bonnie blinked. "Kinda silly, don't you think?"
"No." Karr said, his voice darker than normal with hate. "The Director is planning. He'll stay out there, keeping us paranoid to the point of breaking. Only then will he come after us."
"Good thing we aren't sticking around." Connor said, emerging from underneath the hood and standing up with a satisfied smile on her face. Michael and Bonnie stared at her. Covered in grease and oil, clothes torn and bloodied, she looked like a war-torn veteran. "That does it. Karr, I'm going to need to disconnect you from the extension cables to put you back in the engine."
Karr hesitated. "Is that necessary?"
"You know it is." Connor said. "Don't worry, I'm not shutting you off – you can time me. Five minutes, tops."
"No need." Karr sounded strained, but he made no further protests. "Proceed." Connor nodded, but Bonnie noticed she was biting her lip as she worked, quickly disconnecting all the extra wires that made it impossible to just fit Karr back into his compartment in the engine. Suddenly the scanner went dark, and a few tears escaped to track paths down her cheeks. Hands shaking, she set to work reconnecting Karr.
It was an obvious display of need and affection, and no one said a word about it. About three minutes later, she dropped the hood and took a step back. "Karr?"
"Right here." Karr was quick to assure her, the scan bar on the front of the Ferrari lighting fully before starting to track. "I'm not going anywhere."
"I know." Connor slid into the driver's seat and cranked up the engine. To her delight, it turned over on the first try. "Does it hurt?"
" . . . No."
"You lie like a dog." She looked through the windshield. "Kitt, how far away is they're camp?"
"Thirty feet from the entrance." Kitt said confidently. Connor nodded.
"All right. Barstow, Michael – you guys need to get in Kitt. Now." Bonnie and Michael were quick to comply, even as Connor continued to speak with Kitt. "We're going to leave. Just go as fast as you can, straight through the camp. I want you to follow us. The guards will scatter, and your path will be clear. Sound good to you?" Kitt made an affirmative noise. Connor nodded. "Good. Line up on us – we'll plow the road."
"Connor." Karr's voice was so very quiet, for her ears alone, and she glanced down at the dash even as she aligned the car on the opening. "I do love you."
She smiled as she reached out to touch her fingers to the dash. "I know." she murmured. "Let's blow this joint, shall we?"
"Yes." And the moment was gone, but not forgotten. Connor gunned the engine, tires squealing as she sped out of the underground complex. Kitt's turbines growled as he rode Karr's bumper, out and into the drizzling rain. Bonnie cursed and grabbed hold of the seat, eyes wide with shock. Michael simply grinned at her.
"Piece of cake." he teased. "Right, Kitt?"
"Absolutely." Kitt agreed.
Bonnie rolled her eyes. "You guys are insane." she said flatly.
Karr plowed through the 'camp' first. There were only a few cars that were being used as a blockade, but Karr's MBS made short work of them. The truck went rolling to the left; the minivan literally spun in circles until the back end struck one of the guards, knocking him into Kitt's door. Karr called out an apology over their frequency, and Kitt muttered something about paying attention in return. A few seconds later, they were clear and on the highway.
Michael hailed Connor over the frequency. "What will you do now?" he asked. "Do you still need help?"
Connor hesitated, unsure. In the end, she decided to give him the bare minimum. "We'll be fine. Thanks for what you've done. We won't forget it." And with that she shut off the frequency, ignoring any other attempts at contact.
Kitt, Bonnie, and Michael left down one of the exits leaving the city, heading back to the Foundation and the safety it provided them. Connor and Karr stuck to the highway. They had no such security, and Connor knew they had to find someplace to rest and finish the repairs on Karr. He was keeping his mouth shut for the most part, but Connor knew him well enough to know that the half-finished engine was hurting him.
Perhaps they would be able to find Dom in the neighboring city. Or maybe they could just find an empty field somewhere in between to finish the repairs. In any case, their path was clear. Now it was just Connor and Karr, and no complications.
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AN: Sorry for the long update times! I've been rattling off chapters for Semper Fi and I completely forgot about this one – well, not completely. The plot bunnies just don't work evenly like they're supposed to. One more chapter left to go in this one, more angsty and sweet – well, as sweet as Connor and Karr are concerned. They don't do fluff. Drop me a line, and tell me what you think!
