FLAG Today: When the Law is Above the Law

Chapter five: Baldor Koravalnikov and Other Lovers

I don't mind KITT taking off on his own. After all, he can work 24 hours without stop, and if KELI doesn't object to a morning on the beach, who am I to complain? After all, I was the one who introduced him to it.

Plus it seems that KELI used her time there productively, gathering more information about Passionata Edinia and Bernardino Koravalnikov. Once they got back and KITT cleaned himself up, they spent the rest of the day in the garage doing more digging and coming up with plans to speak to the fashion designer.

Bonnie and I were also working the web, but we were focused on the younger Koravalnikov, the state of affairs in Denislova and the rumored relationship between Baldor and Senator Sylvester. Bonnie really focused in on the fact that next to nothing is known about Baldor's mother. The only time she is mentioned in any records was on Baldor's birth certificate. He was born in the hospital reserved for Denislova's elites in the capitol city of Robalzesk in 1963. His mother's first name was "Marva". No second name, no place of birth, no occupation. Just "Marva". Bernardino was 35 when his son was born, his date of birth was listed, and his occupation was "People's Representative from the District of Sovalia to the 20th Plenum of the People's Congress". His place of birth was the city of Soval, the administrative center of Sovalia. We spent hours looking for a marriage certificate for Marva and Bernardino and found nothing. Reluctantly, we turned our search to a likely death certificate. "Marva" is not the most common name in Denislova, but it is not uncommon either. There are a couple of dozen "Marvas" who are now deceased who could have been the mother. Nothing really caught our eyes about any of the causes of death, so we decided to put that search aside for the time being.

Before we called it quits for the day, we had unearthed information about Baldor's education; at age eight he was sent to Switzerland to be educated. Later he attended university in Great Britain, spent some time doing post-graduate work in France and then returned home where he has served as an economic advisor to his father. He makes his home now in Robalzesk, has a group of important women around the world who are rumored to be his lovers, but lately has been spending a bit more attention on Aldean Sylvester.

It was late by the time we had gotten to that point, so we decided to close up shop and get some dinner. Bonnie is still skinny as hell and I really have to keep herd on her food consumption or else I'll find her drooped over a chair with a woozy head. The woman can be absolutely single-minded when she gets onto something!

Remembering Devie's comments the other day about involving KITT in more social activities, I sent him a message inviting him to eat with us, but it pinged back indicating that he was not available. That's pretty unusual for him, so I checked the garage sensors. He was still in there with KELI, but all the doors were locked, and the lighting was off. I thought maybe the two of them were charging, which is unusual, because KITT has a charging station in his quarters that he typically uses. However, the sensors indicated that not only were the chargers not in use, but both KELI and KITT had separated their connections to the Foundation's computer and web systems. I was curious about what was going on and was about to mention it to Bonnie, when it hit me.

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They hadn't worked together very long, but since KITT had participated in KELI's programming and had been teacher to her, it was perfectly natural that they knew each other's ins and outs. But having laid on her hood, talking to her at the beach that way, hearing her giggle when the water from his hair had landed like crystals on her shell had started something deep in KITT's processors. They returned to FLAG headquarters and had spent hours analyzing data together. KITT had utilized the USB connectors hidden in his fingers to directly confer with KELI as they obtained, cross-referenced, and analyzed the information that was streaming into them. The direct connection was speedier than speaking to each other and the most secure communication link they had. That was the reason that Bonnie had developed it. Did she realize the other functionalities that it could be used for? KITT didn't want to ponder that. Afterall, he still thought of her as a mother-figure. He could blush, if the need called for it, but it wasn't a physiological response for him. Still, he could imagine blushing if she and Michael ever found out what he and KELI had discovered about the intimacy of the connection through the USB. He, of course, was an anatomically accurate male android. Still, he was surprised to find himself becoming physically excited from their connection. KELI's cabin temperature increased as well, indicating her reaction. It was very hard to explain what happened between them, but they both found it to be very pleasant and it drew them emotionally closer together.

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The next day we found out that Passionata was looking for another male model. She had not had much of a presence in the menswear world, but she was starting to venture into it. She was looking for a particular "type"; tall, slim, and most importantly, over thirty. She found most male models too young and overly athletic-looking. She was going for a more sophisticated/European look, so that let me out, I guess. It was perfect for KITT, however. Especially if he wore his black hair slicked back which enhanced his angular face and blue eyes, his tall, thin physique would make him perfect for what she was looking for.

Bonnie was working on an enhancement for KELI. With concerns about ultrasound attacks on U.S. officials in overseas diplomatic offices, Knight Industries wanted to develop a way to detect ultrasound transmissions. This was a very difficult thing to do because of all the natural background ultrasound. My darling genius of a wife had been able to build something stationary that had about 80% accuracy in picking out an intentional (pulsed) signal from the typical noise generated by natural geological movement and vibrations caused by mechanical objects. The next big step was installing the detection device in KELI in a shell that could isolate it from the vibrations of carrying it in a vehicle over typical pavement. Bonnie was going to spend most of the day underneath KELI installing the package and tweaking the whole thing. For this reason, KITT needed a set of wheels of his own and I leant him the red Mercedes convertible that had originally been Devon's. We all loved the car and kept it in immaculate condition and used it fairly often. We all thought it would be perfect to drive up to Passionata's office building in.

Of course, I can't say if the car had anything to do with it, but Passionata Edinia practically fell all over KITT the minute he strolled into her atelier with a cool attitude as he looked down his nose at everything and everyone. As I had predicted, he was exactly what she was looking for and he was hired almost instantaneously. It made me wonder why I had never been sent on assignments like that. Hey, I was a good-looking guy in my day! Of course Bonnie tells me that I am still as handsome, just more distinguished. For her part, she hardly looks a day older than she did when we first met, and at social events guys (sometimes much younger guys) still try to hit on her. But back to my friend, getting him placed with Passionata was a humongous stroke of luck. Especially because one of the people in the CEO's office that day was Baldor Koravalnikov. How interesting that the economic advisor to President-for-Life Bernardino Koravalnikov was found lounging in Passionata's high-backed office chair with his feet on her desk. Baldor was in his mid-fifties and he had long before gone bald but unlike his rotund father, had kept his lean, feral looks. What he was doing there was merely stopping to visit with (one) of his father's many mistresses, before going to spend some time with his own special friend, Senator Sylvester.

He reacted with his own chill demeanor when Passionata burst in with KITT in tow and didn't vacate the chair as she introduced them.

"Baldor, I'd like you to meet the new face of Pasionata Homme, Kitt Knight. He's perfect don't you think?" The two men looked each over for a moment. KITT's only response was the smallest bit of a smile, but Baldor caught it before it was gone. Instinctively he sensed that this man was going to be a rival in some manner or other, but there was nothing to do about it but keep him on his radar. He stood, and coming around the desk, extended his hand.

"How do you do, Mr. Knight. I hope you will bring much success to my old family friend." He inclined his head toward Passionata before turning to her. "Darling, I must go. I have an appointment I must keep. Perhaps dinner tomorrow?"

KITT took the opportunity of their brief goodbyes to do a survey of the office and download the computers' IP addresses. Anything more invasive would have required a search warrant, which they could not get. The last thing that FLAG wanted to do in this case was to let the authorities know that they were looking into something like this. Once the other man had left the office, Passionata sat down on the leather couch up against KITT, practically winding herself around him like a snake on a tree limb.

"So tell me, Kitt," she began, "where have you been? I have never seen your face in any of the mainstream periodicals or even in the more avant garde ones."

"Oh, I've been here and there. I've spent a lot of time in Asia. Modelling was merely a means to an end; I did a lot of runway work so that I could study martial arts. I am a brown belt in Mui Thai and a second-degree black belt in Jui Jitsu."

"No wonder you have such a good physique," Passionata cooed.

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Thirty minutes later Baldor was on the patio besides Aldean's pool, stretched out on a lounger as the older woman stepped out of the water. She grabbed a towel and smoothed back her hair and then dried herself off. Baldor looked at her appreciatively. Although she was 68, she looked damn fine and certainly still had a fiery passion. She often left him exhausted, but definitely satisfied. She pulled another lounger next to his and draped herself across it, kissing him deeply.

"To what do I owe the honor of your surprise visit, Baldor?" she asked.

"I had a little business to do. I thought I'd mix a little pleasure in with it as well. I hope you don't mind."

"Oh, I never mind your visits, my dear. You look like you've had a very successful trip. Tell me what's new."

"Just the usual things. Keeping trade flowing, managing our relationship with the World Bank, importing, exporting. All the boring details…."

Aldean laughed. "Don't look so jaded. You and I both know how important that is for Denislova. And what's important for Denislova is important for you. And Bernardino, of course."

"Of course," he replied with a smile. "And we both are very thankful to the senior Senator for her assistance in normalizing the relationship between our two governments."

"Good international relations are the best way to keep a peaceful world," she said as she leaned in for another kiss.