Modifications May Void Your Warranty

by shedoc

Some modifications to the model may void the warranty, please consult your manual. Or, when Michael goes missing, Kitt is left to find him, argue with the Foundation about a replacement, and reunite with a former enemy turned family member – as for Michael, all he has to do is adopt said new family member and escape captivity with his brain intact.

3. Chapter 3

Modifications May Void Warranty

Disclaimer – I do not own them, no money is being made

Warnings – angst, experimental medical procedures, hurt/comfort, way AU

Not a warning – POV changes, some OC in supporting

0o0o0o0

Devon watched Kitt and Fletcher pull into the garage space at the compound just as Bonnie hurried in through the far door. Devon was not looking forward to this meeting at all, the friction between Bonnie and the expert he'd had to call in to crack the computers here open was about to break into open warfare, and K.I.T.T. had been increasingly difficult to deal with as the AI became more aware of the treatment that Michael had undergone here. Dr Alpert had not given his full opinion yet, but it was obvious to Devon that this initial debriefing and planning session was going to be … fraught. Bonnie settled onto a free stool and nodded at Devon, who turned to look at the FLAG operative and K.I.T.T.

Fletcher did not exit the car, choosing to open the roof instead and wind down the windows. Fletcher had done very well with K.I.T.T. over the last few months. He had said privately to Devon that he considered himself no more than a temporary substitute for Michael Knight and it was clear the man took his guardianship of K.I.T.T. seriously. Despite this, Devon didn't think the human and AI were very close, even though they had been working together for nearly three months.

Dr Alpert was perched on a stool beside Dr Jackson, the expert who had cracked the computer system here. Dr Jackson was a redhead and of fiery disposition to match. Her ability with a computer was offset by her lack of people skills – even Devon had been hard pressed at times to deal with her blunt nature. As she herself said, there was a reason she preferred to work with computers.

"Now that we are all here," Devon rubbed his hands together nervously, "Shall we begin? Dr Alpert, perhaps you can tell us what you have found."

Dr Alpert blew out a breath and shifted uneasily, "Michael Knight is my patient, so there are limits to what I can tell you, as he still has the right to privacy from his employer and colleagues," the doctor began, "However I can give you generalisations about his condition, which may assist with your search for him."

"Of course, Doctor," Devon murmured, hoping the man would just get on with it. Human experimentation on captives was something that raised alarms at every level – having it happen to someone you knew was nightmarish.

"Michael was administered a very potent mix of sedatives and paralytics during his initial abduction, designed to drop him quickly and allow his captors to take him away with no risk of resistance," Alpert ran a hand through his hair, "They then moved to chemically restraining Michael, keeping him in an artificial coma for a period of almost three months. During this time, his waste elimination and nutritional needs were maintained via tubes. His body was held entirely inert for the entirety of his captivity, resulting in muscle wastage. He is underweight, far too underweight to withstand exposure to the elements for any length of time. If he is in the immediate area, with the weather we have been experiencing over these last two weeks, he will be very near death."

"If he was chemically restrained, how did he escape?" Fletcher asked from where he was sitting. Dr Alpert frowned.

"Someone altered the chemical restraints. His captors brought him out of the coma, however they were administering paralytics that prevented any movement. A third party was able to cease the paralytics, increase the calories being fed to Michael and then administer a high dosage of stimulants including adrenalin, which enabled him to overcome the paralysis and move far enough to escape."

"Do we know who? One of his captors had a change of heart maybe?" Bonnie leaned forward and Dr Jackson snorted in derision.

"Not hardly," she replied even as Alpert shook his head. Bonnie shot her a poisonous look and Devon intervened hastily.

"Do we know why he was kept chemically restrained for so long? Why, for that matter, they changed the method of restraint?" he asked, knowing that this answer was going to be unpleasant.

"They have… injected him with a form of technology that I had never heard of until now," Alpert looked sick, "The technology has solidified inside his brain, forming circuitry."

"Nano-bots," Jackson spoke up over Bonnie's cry of dismay, even as Devon reeled at the news, "Constructed on site here too. While the use they have been put to here and their initial purpose are abhorrent, this could in fact be a step forward in assisting people with brain and spinal injuries overcoming those injuries."

"Oh, and that makes it alright?" Bonnie spat and Jackson turned her head to look directly at Fletcher and K.I.T.T., ignoring the upset technician.

"The fact that he was able to regain control of his body and escape shows that the technology has not, at least, caused paralysis," she informed them both. Devon cleared his throat as Alpert agreed with that assessment.

"Do we know what the purpose of this was?" Devon asked and Jackson pulled a face.

"You won't like this," she warned, "But hear me out. The people here had two captives. One an AI constructed through the usual coding processes, and one a human, with circuitry forming in his brain. From the data I can reconstruct, the captive AI contacted Mr Knight when the circuitry came online, while the scientists were attempting to download Mr Knight from his brain into an empty computer mainframe. Together Mr Knight and the AI worked to firstly remove the restraints that were keeping the AI locked down, by altering significant aspects of its primary functions. How the hell the man managed to do that when his brain was under attack is a miracle in and of itself. Once the AI was freed of its prior erroneous programming, it was able to take over the complex, reverse the chemical restraints, and decoy the scientists to areas it could control and lock down. While it was doing that, Mr Knight was moving to this garage and the vehicle contained in it. He assisted the AI to transfer into the vehicle, and they left."

"Wait, there was a car in here? One capable of housing an AI? Like K.I.T.T.?" Devon interrupted and Jackson nodded.

"It was intended for Mr Knight," she shrugged, "But as the attempted download failed, the AI was moved into it instead. There is some evidence that the AI is accustomed to controlling a vehicle, certainly from what little of the memory logs copies I found it is likely that the AI is very similar to K.I.T.T. and used that similarity to send the SOS."

"Karr?" K.I.T.T. spoke up, sounding shocked, "Michael was trapped here with Karr?"

"That is the identifier the AI used," Jackson nodded and Devon sat down on the spare stool nearest him in shock. They had not located K.A.R.R.'s CPU in the wreckage, but they had thought it had been destroyed. If it was loose now, they were in much more danger than Devon had counted on. A homicidal AI was the last thing they needed.

"The good thing is, that although the chief scientists got away, we will be able to get them to come back. They'll be wanting their data, because this is not something that they will ever be able to recreate," Jackson continued and Bonnie leapt to her feet, shouting what could only be classified as abuse at the cold statement. When Devon moved to intervene, Dr Jackson held up an arresting hand and he sat back, letting Bonnie wind down. When she was silent once more Dr Jackson stood up from her stool and stepped into Bonnie's personal space although she didn't touch her.

"Are you done? Because I was brought here for a reason, Dr Barstow, and it wasn't my complete lack of humanity, as you so kindly phrased it a moment ago," Jackson's tone was pleasant, and all the more chilling for it, "Sit down please. We have a lot to do if we are to punish these people for their crimes."

Bonnie sat, her hands shaking with emotion and even Devon was relieved when Jackson moved away to stand next to K.I.T.T.'s hood.

"We already know it is possible to house an AI in a mobile chassis," Dr Jackson nodded to K.I.T.T. respectfully, "And for that AI to work with a human partner. The purpose of the experimentation here was to see if it was possible to form a connection between a human brain and a computer, download the mind in that brain into said computer, and then into a chassis that it could control. For this, the scientists here determined correctly that they needed a very specific type of individual. They had already proven the nano-technology on mice, rats and a monkey at another location. I have the details of that location for you Mr Miles, should you wish to investigate it, though you are likely to find the remains of their experimental subjects only. All of their data is here. The human subject though, needed to fit very specific parameters. They needed to be extremely familiar with artificial intelligence and its limitations as well as its potential: and that person needed to be across the latest developments in the field. They needed to be highly intelligent, a real cut above the rest. Additionally, they needed to be physically fit, to withstand the treatment, and practice excellent mental health regimes."

"That's Bonnie to a T," Fletcher vocalised what Devon was thinking, and he was shocked when Jackson shook her head in denial.

"She may qualify on some of the grounds I mentioned, but not strongly enough in all of them to be a viable subject. In addition to the virtues I just listed, the candidate they needed had to be resilient, with a strong sense of self and others, as well as able to withstand enormous pressures without losing their sense of identity. They needed to be mentally agile and quick to adapt," Jackson looked down at K.I.T.T. who flashed his scanner at her in response.

"Michael," K.I.T.T. said quietly, "Of all the human's I know, he is the only one I would judge to have a chance at surviving being pulled from his own body and put into a chassis like mine."

K.I.T.T.'s statement was as shocking as Jackson's. Devon had not been aware that the AI had been following Jackson's investigations so closely as to be familiar with her conclusions.

"And that is why the scientists involved will be desperate to recover their data. There is only one Mr Knight in the world. Even Mr Fletcher here wouldn't do as a substitute for him," Jackson smiled down at K.I.T.T. and bent to pat the hood comfortingly, "I have been unable to locate Mr Knight in the databanks here and neither has K.I.T.T., though he has searched very carefully over the course of several days. Dr Alpert concurs that the very fact that Mr Knight was able to plan and execute an escape with K.A.R.R. indicates that his mind is intact."

Fletcher looked as if he was going to be ill, "Could K.A.R.R. have taken over Michael?"

That was a hellish thought, but Devon shook his head at once, certain that had not happened.

"Why would K.A.R.R. take over Michael if it could use him to gain access to the chassis in this garage?" Devon spoke up, "No, if Dr Jackson is certain that Michael's mind was not… downloaded… what a hellish thought…"

"I am certain, Mr Knight was intact when he left here," Jackson nodded, "What I want to do though, is make it seem he was… copied successfully. I want to make it seem as if we have located a copy of him, for lack of a more scientific phrase, in the databanks here, and use that as bait to get the scientists running this amoral exercise back to steal him."

"Why would anyone do this?" Dr Alpert blurted, "What possible benefit could there be in trapping a man in a world of circuitry? Torture?"

"Deep space exploration," Jackson shrugged, "According to the files I have seen, and they are not complete, because K.A.R.R. did some damage to the systems here before departing them, the use of AI's to man space probes for deep space exploration is something being considered by several parts of the scientific community. There have been some limitations encountered, mainly due to the scientists themselves having no experience with deep space exploration and those limitations are being transferred into the programming. At the moment, there is no better computer for retaining experience and adapting swiftly to change than the human brain. The scientists we are dealing with here decided to attempt to get around the limitations of a programmed AI by taking a human and turning them into a computer housed intelligence."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Bonnie muttered, "That is…"

"Yes," Devon stood, needing to pace. The possibility of using a human in such a deep space craft made a hellish sort of sense, if you had no morals and absolutely no compunction about experimenting on your fellows.

"Dr Jackson, was Michael aware of his location?" K.I.T.T. asked and she looked down at the car she was standing next to.

"K.A.R.R. sent the message to you, based partly on the commlink codes you use with Mr Knight, with this location, so the AI was at least aware. From the records in here, the chassis would have been fully operational, though they would not have transferred Mr Knight to it immediately. They had some… conditioning in store for him first. As they were working together, I would estimate K.A.R.R. gave Mr Knight their location as well," she replied, "I think that the scientists here went after them, however, which is why the local authorities missed arresting them."

K.I.T.T.'s engine started and the chassis began to close up. Fletcher looked startled, but made no move to exit the car. That was probably wise. K.I.T.T. had been on edge ever since he had detected Michael's signal but found only traces of his absent partner.

"Then they would likely have gone to New York," K.I.T.T. stated. Devon nodded. A city of that size, a man and a car would not be noticed among all the other men and cars.

"You're looking for a 1983 Hurst/Olds, K.I.T.T. in black and chrome," Jackson stepped back from the now active chassis.

"We'll contact you later, sir," Fletcher called as the car backed out of the garage, obviously under K.I.T.T.'s control. Devon waved an acknowledgement and turned back to Dr Jackson.

"How do you propose we bait your trap?" he asked. It was well past the highest time that they brought the criminals responsible for the torture of a good man to justice.

0o0o0o0

It had taken Michael a week to regain enough strength to walk from the bed to the bathroom without being half carried. A week of constantly exercising, just by lifting and lowering his limbs, and eating as much as he could in small frequent meals. The portions were starting to increase as the week drew to a close and Sam deemed him more recovered.

It had taken him a couple of days to remember that Sam couldn't hear him speak in the mind space, and that he had to speak aloud. Karr and he were in almost constant contact. During their escape, he had learned to reach for the AI he had befriended in such a short amount of time, establishing a connection without being physically wired into the chassis or a network. Now, they played chess together and worked on the crossword in the paper together, Karr learning to look through Michael's eyes when Michael could focus enough to allow the connection. Karr couldn't control where Michael looked or change his focus or anything. It was like watching a screen, the AI said.

Sam had spent that week caring for Michael almost around the clock. She was there to help him regain his range of movement, looking up her old physiotherapy modules and working through a careful series of stretches and strengthening exercises. She had taken that week off work, leaving the clinic short while she stayed with Michael. Michael had told her that he would be fine during the second week and he had continued to regain his strength, following her regime of nutrition and exercise under Karr's watchful eye.

Sam had asked Karr to take her to and from the clinic, confessing to Michael that she was worried about locking his friend in a tiny box for days on end. He hadn't told her that Karr was able to talk to Michael whenever he wanted to, not wanting to confess to the computer in his head. He was able to pick up all sorts of signals he hadn't been able to hear before. Part of the transmitter buried in his head, he assumed. It was kind of cool to be able to pick up a game on the radio without having to get up and turn the thing on.

On day nine of their escape Michael was determined to go downstairs and join Karr in picking up Sam. Karr had given him a deadline, threatening to leave him in the garage if he didn't make it. The AI had a dry sense of humour, and Michael appreciated that right now. Today was day fourteen and the routine of picking Sam up was as much as part of his day as the exercise, nutrition and crosswords.

It was raining today and Michael was glad that Karr had turned the heat in the chassis up. Karr was driving of course, though Michael sat in the left-hand seat to keep the cops off their back. The windows had just enough tint to blur anyone's view of the interior, and Michael was people watching as they pulled into a parking space only a few metres from the door of Sam's clinic. Rain drummed hard on the roof of the chassis as they waited for Dr Parker.

"How do you do that?" Michael shook his head, "You always seem to find a parking spot exactly where you want to be."

"I am a superior being," Karr replied smugly, earning himself a laugh, "Does the production line model suffer issues locating parking?"

"Hey, be nice, that's your little brother," Michael chided lightly. There was a blue flash of surprise and then warmth in their shared mind space, "And no, Kitt is just as uncanny as you when it comes to parking."

"Superior skills run in the family," Karr suggested shyly and Michael laughed hard as Sam came out of the clinic, dashing across the pavement with another woman. Karr opened the passenger door, and Sam slid into the back while the second woman slid into the front.

"Hope you don't mind," Sam gasped, "But I promised Zoe here a lift."

Zoe was a brunette, wearing jeans and a black sweater under a greatcoat that looked to have been sourced from an Army Navy store. Michael offered a smile to her and nodded, mentally reassuring Karr that he had no intention of trying to drive. He wasn't sure he had the strength to turn the wheel properly to start with, let alone concentrate enough to navigate the insanity of New York traffic.

"Where are we going?" Michael asked and Sam squeezed his shoulder in thanks.

"Thanks," Zoe smiled in response and gave her address, "My car was stolen this morning, right from the front of work, too."

"That sucks," Michael commiserated as he went through the motions of pretending to start the chassis and put it in gear. He positioned his hands on the wheel and hoped the gloom of the weather would hide that his feet were not near the gas or brake. Karr reassured him that their passenger wouldn't notice and wondered if she was a nurse, doctor or clerk.

"How do you know Sam?" Michael asked as they moved down the road and Sam laughed.

"I patched her up a few times," she threw her hands up in the air, Michael could see her in the rear mirror, "It's how I meet all my friends, apparently."

"You too?" Zoe giggled, "Well, I am in good company then, Sam. I work for a missing persons charity, Michael, in the offices above the clinic actually, and field work can sometimes be a bit more exciting than it should be."

"Tell me about it," Michael agreed absently, "I work in the field myself, though not in missing persons."

"Yeah well, I have been learning martial arts since I was three, my parents sent all us kids to the dojo across the road and I have eleven older brothers, so usually there isn't much that gets by me," Zoe shook her head. Karr was interested and Michael relayed another question for the AI, just as curious himself. He was going to rephrase things a bit though. If she was used to investigations, she knew what an interrogation sounded like.

"You work missing persons cases for the charity then? Ever found anyone famous?" he shot her a glance as the chassis took a smooth right turn and Zoe squinted in the gloom at him.

"Did you hear of the Barclay case? Missing twelve years, murdered the day of his disappearance?" she asked, then shrugged self depreciatingly, "That was me. They finished the sentencing up last month."

Karr had the information to hand and Michael reviewed it as they slowed to a stop at a light.

"That was some good work," he complimented her and she smiled, then looked into the backseat at Sam with a teasing glint in her eye.

"I didn't even need a doctor at the end of it," she crowed and Sam laughed.

"So, your car was stolen?" Michael asked obediently as Karr poked him, "That's a pain."

"Yeah," Zoe sighed, "It was an old beater, but it got me from A to B, you know? I'm going to have to rent one if the cops don't find it soon – I have some driving coming up."

"Good luck with that," Sam said from the backseat, "The cops are far busier with murder and gangs and stuff, car theft is not high on their list."

"Well, on the bright side, it was insured, and maybe I can buy something that doesn't sound like it's going to die when I turn left on a hill," Zoe laughed, "It was on its last legs, to be honest. The thieves may have done me a favour."

"We're here," Michael grinned as they pulled up, "Do you want a lift to work tomorrow? I'll be taking Sam in anyway, so we can swing past if you'd like."

"Oh, well, if you're sure. I mean, I can take the subway if it's not raining like the next great Flood," Zoe hesitated and Michael gave Karr a stern poke. He was not going to insist and come off like some sort of potential stalker, no matter how curious Karr was about Zoe.

"What time?" Michael asked, and they arranged a time. Zoe got out and Sam slid into the front seat. She waited until Karr had them back in traffic before asking,

"What was that about?"

"I would like to know more about her work," Karr sounded a little defensive, "The Barclay case that she mentioned took her six months to resolve and netted several members of a street gang."

"Well, she's a great person," Sam shrugged, "But you should probably ask your own questions, rather than relying on Michael to guess what you want to know. Though how you guessed that, Michael is beyond me."

"Karr and I know each other pretty well," Michael wasn't lying exactly, "It wasn't hard."

"Like you and Kitt?" Sam asked, "Michael, I didn't want to ask before, but where is Kitt?"

"He's… working elsewhere," Michael hesitated, "I know I haven't been really forthcoming."

"No, you haven't," Sam agreed lightly, "But that is ok. You'll tell me when you're ready."

Michael nodded; grateful she wasn't pushing for more information right now. In the mind space, Karr suggested that they try and contact Kitt again. Michael had been unable to conceal the flash of longing for his partner when Sam mentioned him.

I don't know, Michael sighed, I'm a bit… scared. You understand what has happened. I have no idea how he'll react.

He will be relieved you are not decommissioned and that you are repairing the damage to your chassis, Karr replied impatiently, You have nothing to fear from my little brother.

And that was the truth. Michael signalled his acceptance of this fact and resolved to begin attempting to establish a connection to Kitt tomorrow. Given that his partner was not used to the method of communication that Michael currently used, it was likely to take some time.

0o0o0o0

Karr could admit to some nervousness as Zoe slipped into the passenger seat. He and Michael had discussed how to introduce him, Michael drawing on his past experiences introducing Kitt. That didn't mean Karr was sanguine about the experience. Dr Parker had been kind, if a little unsure how to interact with him. In Karr's experience kindness was an outlier.

"No Sam today?" Zoe asked as she settled into the seat. Michael grinned at her, shaking his head.

"We wanted a word with you, actually, and Sam kindly said she would take the bike to work today," Michael said quietly, "I wanted you to meet someone."

"Uh, if you are setting me up with a date…" Zoe frowned and Michael laughed, appearing genuinely amused.

"Not as such," he held up a hand, "Zoe I'd like you to meet Karr. He's been driving us this last week."

Zoe's sceptical expression was very clear on the internal scanners.

"Hello Zoe, I am Karr," he said it quietly, hoping that she would not panic. Humans tended to panic when machines started talking in his experience. Michael pointed helpfully at the vocaliser as Zoe's eyes widened.

"Hello," she gulped, "Uh Michael, couldn't you come up with a better name for your car than Car?"

"My initials are K.A.R.R., short for Knight Autonomous Roaming Robot," Karr explained.

"Oh, that makes better sense," Zoe rubbed her chin, "And Michael says you've been driving us? Why? I mean, you're very good, smooth and all, no accidents, but…"

"I'm not up to driving yet," Michael shrugged, "I'm not usually this…"

"Skinny?" Zoe suggested when he hesitated, but the voice analysis module showed her tone was kind, not critical.

"Feeble," Michael grinned, ignoring Karr's indignation. He was getting stronger every day!

"So Karr, what do you do when you're not driving people around? Or are you some sort of new taxi service?" she smiled as she said it, and Karr wished he could smile back.

"I am designed to be one half of an investigative team, working for the Foundation for Law and Government," Karr told her, "Due to circumstances beyond my control, I am currently… out of work."

"You got fired?" Zoe looked startled, then angry, "How could they do that to you?"

"It is a long story," Karr hedged. Michael prodded him encouragingly, which was both a comfort and an embarrassment, "If you have time, I could tell you."

"Sure," Zoe grinned, and waved at the chassis, which was still parked outside her apartment, "I've got time."

Karr took the AI equivalent of a deep breath and began to talk. Either she would accept him or not. Michael's support didn't waver for a moment and Karr drew on it shamelessly as he explained who he had been, and who he was now.

0o0o0o0

Kitt registered the closure of the ramp behind him as Fletcher got out and strolled over to where Bonnie was sitting at her computer station, Devon standing beside her. At the fringe of his range, a signal teased his notice and then slipped away again. It had been happening all week, however Kitt had been unable to isolate it. New York had a lot of random signals and interference patterns, and Fletcher had suggested that maybe he was picking up something natural to the city.

"Well, my boy, how did you go today?" Devon asked and Fletcher sighed, shaking his head.

"Dr Parker is still travelling on that bike of hers to work. If there is a Hurst/Olds in the area, we haven't seen it yet," Fletcher reported, "She did take a week off three weeks ago, but her colleagues said the stated reason was a girlfriend who'd gotten herself into a bad way. They think that was a blind though, apparently there is some political manoeuvring about schedules and they think Dr Parker took the week off to make her point. As she is independently wealthy, she can afford to do so."

"I see," Devon sighed, "Did you make contact with Miss Zoe Washburn?"

"No, the missing persons agency said that she was in the field and not expected back for a while: they will pass the file on Michael to her when she returns," Fletcher stuck his hands in his pockets and shrugged, "She's a friend of Dr Parker's by all accounts, so maybe she'll be able to get closer for us."

"I don't understand why we don't just go to her apartment and look around," Bonnie frowned, "Surely that would be the quickest way to eliminate her as a… suspect?"

"What, precisely, do you suspect her of, Bonnie?" Devon shook his head, "If Michael is with Dr Parker, breaking into her home is hardly going to create the right impression. We have no idea what his mental and physical state is. We can't afford to break trust with him, not even for his own good."

"He will be much easier to help if he trusts us," Fletcher nodded, "Otherwise I'd have done some snooping up closer. As it is, the building is high enough and the structure has enough lead and other materials that block Kitt's scanners. We can't be sure he's in there, and we can't get line of site. And we're not too sure what he currently looks like either. I wouldn't put it past him to adopt some form of disguise if he felt threatened."

"He just had to go for a run, didn't he," Bonnie sighed, "He couldn't read a book or complete paperwork…"

"And you had me shut off the sensors I was using to monitor him," Kitt could no longer keep the bitter comment unspoken, even though he was disappointed with himself for giving in.

"Kitt!" Bonnie snapped, "That is unfair."

"No Bonnie, this is," Kitt replied sharply and displayed a picture of Michael on her monitor. Just before the escape had begun, Karr had taken control of and corrupted the cameras and their recordings. Bonnie wrinkled her nose at the image on the screen. Michael was bearded, long haired and his eyes were closed. He was so thin that the railings on the bed were almost thicker than his arm.

"Who is that?" Bonnie asked, distaste in her voice. Devon made an appalled noise and Fletcher startled in shock. Kitt activated the ramp, simultaneously locking the chassis down, darkening the windows and starting the engine.

"That, Dr Barstow, is the last recorded picture of Michael Knight," Kitt said coldly. He deactivated his homing signal and completely shut down the channel to the commlink, putting the chassis into reverse and gunning the engine to warn Devon back. Fletcher at least was not exclaiming and demanding he stop what he was doing, and Kitt was grateful for that. Once the ramp was low enough, Kitt sped backwards, throwing the chassis away from the semi and the people inside.

That Bonnie hadn't recognised Michael, even when he was in such poor condition, made Kitt want to scream. As it was the tyres screamed for him as he spun the chassis and sped away. His CPU was one long wail for his Driver and he very nearly put the chassis through a road side barrier when Michael replied.

Kitt? I'm here partner, this was contact in a way he'd never experienced before, but Kitt didn't care. If he was malfunctioning, so be it. The signal was similar to the commlink, but instead of experiencing the input as sound only, there was sound and visual and so many unfamiliar points of contact that Kitt couldn't categorise them.

Michael! Michael, I need you! Kitt's engine howled and the contact strengthened. Kitt had seen Michael embrace other humans before and had always wondered what that was like. Now he knew as Michael, all the shades of green imaginable, gathered him close, surrounding him totally and providing a still centre to Kitt's spinning rage.

I'm here, pal, I am right here, Michael soothed, and the green contracted slowly around him, calming his chaotic CPU. Kitt let himself be calmed, let Michael's presence permeate his own, reaching to pull the green closer. It came easily, wrapping tightly when he tugged. There was someone else there, shades of blue and distant and Kitt knew a moment of fear.

You have nothing to fear from me little brother, the contact told him, at the same time as Michael spoke, It's Karr, just Karr. He's piloting her for you. He's bringing you to me.

Did I hurt anyone? Kitt had lost track of the chassis in his panic to secure Michael's contact. He didn't even have the input of his scanners as he clung to his Driver's presence with all his processors.

No, although if you were less well constructed you might have hurt yourself, Karr chided him while Michael chuckled in the space all three of them were sharing. Kitt fell silent, anxiously checking Michael over.

What are you doing? Michael asked.

Initiating a diagnostic, Kitt replied, I am unable to complete it though.

I don't think my brain talks to the circuitry the same way the commlink did, partner, Michael sighed, Or, if it does, I haven't learned how to control it yet.

You are making great improvement in your control of your circuitry Michael, Karr said with undisguised fondness. Kitt had a moment of jealousy, but Michael squeezed him for a moment, and Kitt relaxed.

Although the slowness of your chassis' self-repair function is appalling, Karr tutted, Kitt, he is still significantly negatively impacted by captivity.

I will be careful, Kitt vowed, which seemed to propitiate the prototype. Control of the chassis was returned to Kitt, along with full scanner input. He was in an underground garage, with a parking bay lit up on the scanners. Michael's presence did not diminish, but Kitt no longer had his Driver's full attention.

Reverse in, Karr instructed gently, He will be with you soon.

Kitt acknowledged, parking the chassis with care and great attention to detail. He felt Karr withdraw from the contact and sent gratitude to the fading presence. Karr acknowledged and then pulled away. Further into the structure a lift bell sounded and Kitt registered shuffling footsteps heading in his direction, coupled with a stronger sense of Michael's presence.

Michael had shaved and his hair was combed, though still too long for his Driver's taste. He was still terribly underweight, even with the weight he had slowly gained in the last three weeks. Someone had bought him a dark navy jogging suit, and he wore a grey knit sweater underneath. He was walking steadily, if not particularly quickly. Michael walked down the side of the chassis and Kitt popped the driver's door open at once. His driver's weight barely registered in the seat.

"Oh Michael," Kitt despaired as he closed up the chassis and darkened the windows. Michael hadn't lessened his mental hold on Kitt one iota, and the AI was relieved.

"I look a lot better, Kitt," Michael reassured him, "Trust me."

"I know you do, I've seen the pictures," Kitt confessed, "You need a haircut though."

"Or I can let it keep growing and plait it," Michael teased. In the shared mind space, Kitt poked his Driver indignantly. That gained him a laugh as Michael curled more comfortably into the drivers' seat.

"What happened, Kitt?" Michael put his hand on the gear selector lightly, "One minute I'm trying to get your attention, and the next you're screaming for me. Did I hurt you?"

"No," Kitt rushed to reassure him, "I didn't even notice the contact, Michael. I was… fighting with Bonnie. I know I shouldn't, that it's not really allowed…"

"You can argue with whoever you like, Kitt," Michael interrupted sternly, though the gentle and warm touch didn't falter at all, "You know that. Bonnie might not argue with you often, but she can't have the first, last and only say. That's not fair to you."

They had had this argument before and Kitt didn't want to start it again.

"She… was blaming you. Or it seemed that way. For your abduction. I told her it would not have happened if she hadn't made me disconnect my sensors from the commlink, and… well, it hardly matters now."

"Kitt," Michael warned, "It matters to me pal. If you need more time, I understand, but it matters and you have the right to say it."

"She didn't recognise the picture I have of you, just minutes prior to your escape," Kitt confessed reluctantly, "She hadn't looked at the files that pertained to you."

"Or," Michael said after a long moment, "She didn't want her last memory of me to be that thing in the bed. Believe me, I was horrified when I realised how badly I'd wasted away."

"They hurt you," Kitt knew his voice sounded small and frightened, but it was one of his greatest fears, that Michael be hurt and Kitt unable to help him.

"I'm getting better though," Michael replied firmly, "I'm beat now, yeah, but that's just 'cos it's the middle of the night and I did some extra miles on the treadmill today."

"You should rest then. In a bed," Kitt forced himself to say it and was pleased when Michael clutched the door and steering wheel tightly. He realised that Michael could feel his reaction and shyly stroked against the presence of his Driver in approval.

"I can sleep here, partner, if you don't have anywhere you need to be," Michael informed him and Kitt dimmed the lights on the dash in response.

"I am not leaving you again," Kitt vowed and felt that vow repeated back to him in their mind space.

0o0o0o0

Michael had always been an early riser. Their work often demanded an early start, and policing had certainly not been respectful of the nine to five traditional working week. As he liked to run, Michael had always gotten up early to do so, the quiet dawn hours the perfect time for such solitary exercise. With FLAG, he wasn't able to stay in a routine like that, so he had started running in his downtime, not wanting to lose his fitness. Sitting in the chassis was not conducive to maintaining a healthy routine.

Kitt had gotten used to Michael's early rising habits. On the occasions when Michael had been awake too early to pursue a lead or when he had been sleeping in the chassis and woke, Kitt had started playing chess with him. The game was often part of a discussion about their current mission and to-do list for the day, although sometimes they talked about other things. Kitt may maintain that he had no love for sport, but when it came to baseball he was solidly behind the Red Sox, and when it came to basketball, he would loftily extoll the Celtic's virtues over any team that Michael cared to name.

They were playing chess, and not speaking, when a man entered the garage and approached Kitt after looking around for a moment or two. The windows were still opaque, but Kitt flashed the scanners view onto one of his interior screens for Michael to see it. Michael thought he knew him, and Kitt certainly did if the flash of recognition in their mind space was anything to go by. It took a moment's thought until Michael identified him as Thomas Fletcher, one of the FLAG field agents that he and Kitt had worked with some time ago.

"Good morning, Kitt," Fletcher said amiably enough, "Have you been here since you left?"

An odd way to phrase it, Michael thought. Kitt was not in the habit of lying but such a broad question allowed plenty of wiggle room for ambiguous phrasing.

"Yes," Kitt replied quietly, and said nothing more.

"Well, I'm going to get breakfast," Fletcher nodded, "If you see Dr Parker, maybe you should ask her if she's seen Michael. Provided you can do it without spooking her of course. I'm going to head to the diner down the road. Join me when you are ready."

"I will attempt to gauge if that would be wise," Kitt agreed. Fletcher nodded and walked back out again.

He was giving you an out, Michael was alarmed, He knows I'm here.

We have all long since suspected it Michael, Kitt returned quietly, Fletcher will try to avoid asking awkward questions. He has been kind to me while we worked together.

So that's who replaced me, Michael mused. Fletcher was good at what he did, if a little unimaginative at times.

No! Kitt protested, I have worked with him, but he is not your replacement.

Michael surrounded his overwrought partner with his presence, soothing the AI back to calm again. His captivity had been hard on Kitt too, and the fact that he and his partner had this deep connection was all that stood between him and damning the scientists straight to hell. That, and his retrieval of Karr. Michael was genuinely pleased to have been able to help the AI he considered Kitt's big brother.

I'm glad he's been kind; Michael offered his strength and shaded the next comment with amusement. It would be a pity to have to rough him up for being unpleasant to you.

That will not be necessary Michael, Kitt scolded, He doesn't socialise and he carries and uses a gun, but he has not done anything to deserve your wrath. Besides, I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.

True, Michael agreed. He was reluctant to bring this up now, but if he was to stay out of Foundation supervision for his recovery, they needed to start making plans. That meant separation, even if it was only for a short while. He needed to go back upstairs and eat and start his daily regimen of exercise, otherwise he would lose ground.

You need to go, Kitt agreed sadly, following his train of thought quite easily.

We need to find a way to get Devon and the Foundation to accept Karr, Michael frowned, He would be a great asset to the field. And we need to find a way to reassure Devon that I'm not some basket case who needs to be retired.

Dr Jackson would help us with Karr. She has already stated she has evidence of his reprogramming, Kitt was curious, but Karr deserved to decide if he wanted his little brother to know how they had reprogrammed him. She has been very kind to me as well. She has kept me in the loop as to her findings and allowed me to assist her with some of her work.

Good, Michael decided. Set up a meeting with her, and Karr and I will be there. It can't be until tomorrow though, because he won't be back here until tonight.

Where is he? Kitt strongly disapproved of Karr leaving Michael so vulnerable, if the emotions he was sensing from his partner were correct.

He's out courting, Michael replied and received what could only be a squawk of outrage from Kitt in response. He's found someone that he thinks he might be able to work with as his Driver. She works in the field of missing persons and she seems really nice. He needs someone who will… take care of him. A proper partner, not whatever he had before he met us. If this time together proves they are a good fit, we can pitch hiring her to Devon.

The travesty of Karr's early days still made Michaels' blood burn with anger. The elevator dinged and Dr Parker stepped out, heading towards her motorcycle, parked opposite Kitt. With his windows opaque she would not be able to see in, and Kitt flashed an idea to Michael who sent approval in return.

"Good morning, Dr Parker," Kitt announced himself quietly and Michael grinned when she swung around, wide eyed, "I am Kitt."

"The other one," Sam grinned and came over, "Hello Kitt. Nice to see you again."

"And you," Kitt's manners had always been spot on, "I was wondering, have you seen Michael this morning?"

The slight emphasis was deliberate and she caught on at once.

"No, I haven't seen Michael," she said clearly.

"Thank you, Dr Parker. Have a pleasant day. Drive safely," Kitt replied demurely and Michael stifled his laughter as she waved a hand, put on her helmet and started the bike. He gave in to it when Kitt sniggered, there was no better description for it, in the mind space.

"She didn't seem worried about you," Kitt accused when Michael had calmed.

"I left her a note before coming down," Michael admitted, "I don't want her to worry. She's been so kind to me and to Karr."

"We owe her more than a jacket this time," Kitt mused and Michael agreed silently.

"You should go back upstairs," Kitt said reluctantly, "You need to keep to your regimen. I said I wouldn't leave you, but if I am not going to arouse Bonnie and Devon's suspicions, I will need to return to Fletcher."

You're not leaving me, Michael told him in the mind space and felt his partner cheer up considerably, We won't be apart for much longer. Once I'm sure Karr will be ok with FLAG and they won't bench me to be a lab rat, we'll be back together properly.

It was a promise he intended to keep.

0o0o0o0