Four - The Angel You Know

There had always been the fun times. Even in their darkest hours,
Michael and Kitt had usually been able to share a private joke. One of
many. There had rarely been hours darker than the ones they had faced
recently. Yet, in the driveway outside, Michael and Kitt were trying to
shower each other with the bubbles in the water that was supposed to be
going on the car. From what Bonnie could see, from the window of
Devon's office, Michael looked as if he was losing.

After Ella's revelation of Alice's attack on Kitt, the two partners had
spent several hours up at the guest lodge, Kitt talking, Michael
listening. While they were up there, Bonnie and Ella logged back into
Foothills with Clay's login, but Alice was nowhere to be to found, and
Bonnie guessed that Clay had already warned her off. Despite Michael
assurances to his partner that they would catch her, they were unsure
where to start looking.

Laughing hysterically, Michael made a last-ditch effort to actually get
some water on the car. He took a running jump up onto the hood as Kitt
span his wheels and tried to get enough traction in the gravel to
reverse. Michael landed on his knees, sliding almost up against the
windshield, bucket in hands and emptying the remainder of the soapy
water over the glass.
"Ha!" He announced triumphantly. "Got ya!" He moved his legs out
from under him and sat back on the hood, almost breathless, leaning
against the wet windshield, still laughing.

Bonnie felt the hand on her shoulder before she realized that Devon was
off the phone and standing behind her. "I feel all warm inside," she
told him quietly.
"They do have that effect on one, don't they?" Devon was smiling.
"Who'd have guessed that this would develop out of their first meeting."

Bonnie remembered the scene well. "I'd never have imagined they'd
become this close."
"And I'd have never imagined that you and Michael would become this
close."
Bonnie turned her head quickly, but Devon was smiling. "You don't have
to keep it from me, Bonnie. You're both adults, and," he nodded to the
two outside, "you both have a lot in common." He lingered for a moment,
watching Michael who was still sitting on the car, saying something to
his partner. It was an image Devon needed, to replace the one that had
haunted him since he had shown it to Michael a couple of days ago.
Slowly, he moved away from the window, going to sit back behind his
desk.

Bonnie's gaze followed him. "What did they say?"
"No one seems to know who she is. Mr. Marsh gave me one or two names,
but I can't seem to trace them either. It's as if she only exists...."
Devon's words faded out as a look of sudden realization crossed his
features.
"What?"
"It's as if she only exists as a computer. Bonnie, maybe Alice isn't a
person."
"Devon, what are you talking about?"
"Michael said yesterday that despite the number of people attacked by
Alice, no one knows who she is. He pointed out that she had always
moved on, people had only encountered her for a few days, and then
nothing. Not one person we've spoken to told us that she had attacked
them in any other way, no phone calls, no spoken messages, no packages,
just the online stuff. And yet she attacked Kitt until he fought back,
and then years later staged the attack on the car to try to kill him."
"You seriously think Alice is a computer?!" Bonnie's expression was
incredulous. "Devon that's preposterous!"
Suddenly he was on his feet. "Why? Why should we believe that Kitt's
the only advanced AI machine...?" He stopped again, but this time,
Bonnie knew the thought that had arrived in Devon's head.
"No, this isn't his style. Besides... from what Ella described, it
took real malice to do what was done to Kitt. KARR always preferred
straight violence. Besides, he's in little pieces, in a box in the
lab."
"Yes, of course you're right. But can you see what I'm getting at?"
He learned forward, palms flat on his desk. "We created KARR, and we
have Kitt, what's to stop someone else making the same leap?"

Bonnie thought about it for a while, but it just did not sit well with
her. "What would a computer with Kitt's intelligence be used for?"
Devon smiled, "My dear, ours is outside being used for target practice
with a sponge."
"I know, but that's different."
"Why? Are we naive to think that we're the only ones who could have
done this?"
Bonnie looked back outside, to where Michael was shielding his face
from the jet sprays that were supposed to be Kitt's windshield washers.
Could it really be that Kitt was no longer one of a kind? She was still
unconvinced. "If there was another computer as intelligent, as advanced
as Kitt, then why hasn't somebody heard about it. I mean, we try our
best to keep Kitt quiet, but hundreds of people know of him, somehow.
It's not as if he keeps himself to himself, is it? Wouldn't a similar
intelligence have similar fame?"
"I don't know. Kitt's our only frame of reference, and while I am sure
that there's nothing quite like him, there's no reason to think that
he's alone." His gaze followed Bonnie's, to where Michael was up on his
knees, hands pressed down against the two pinholes in the hood, trying
to stop the water.
Bonnie sighed to herself, "That windshield wash is one of the most
expensive in the country and look at them. Michael can buy the next
bottle."

She turned back to Devon who had returned to staring at her, waiting
for acceptance of his theory. "If Alice was a computer, surely Kitt
would have known. After all, he destroyed a computer when he caught
her."
Devon took that in. "So maybe Alice is on a network, an entire system,
maybe a central operating system somewhere."
"Devon, that just doesn't happen. It's not possible."
He moved to sit on the edge of the desk. "A great many people have
said the same thing about our little miracle out there."

There was a splash, and a surprised shout from outside. They both
turned back to the window in time to see Michael stand up at the edge of
the fishpond that was in the centre of the driveway. Kitt was nose up
to the low stone wall, and Devon shook his head as Michael launched
himself bodily at the car, landing knees-first on the hood and
splattering the glass with dirty water.
"_Now_ you'll want a wash," they heard Michael say through his
laughter. Kitt backed up, but Michael held on lightly, deeply safe in
the knowledge that Kitt would never do anything to harm him.

"If you're right," Bonnie said quietly, "this new computer has a very
different attitude to life from Kitt."

**

They had traced the machine address that Kitt had discovered, to a PC
in an Internet cafe in LA. Ella had driven over that morning,
reassuring Devon and Bonnie that she knew the place, and was known
there. There would be nothing suspicious about her talking to the staff
and customers. The last thing they wanted to do was scare Alice from
the place that was their only lead.

The only person on line when Ella arrived around lunch-time, was Mick.
A friend of hers, she had never been sure if he actually ever left, or
if he did, where he went. He waved as she ordered a Cappuccino and
pulled up a stool next to him, smiling when she found him surfing the
Star Trek web pages. "Nothing changes, eh, Mick?"
"Well maybe you do, El, haven't seen you around for a couple of weeks."

"I had a site visit. Turned it into a vacation while I was there."
She sipped at her drink, trying to find some coffee through the froth.
"So, what's new?"
Mick shrugged. "Nothing really, same old crowd."
"No one new then?"
Mick skim-read the 'Deep Space Nine' page in front of him, before
clicking on the next link. "There has been this woman in here, you may
remember her, she starting coming in just before you disappeared."
"I was working late a lot. Describe her."
"She's not from around her, further south I'd have said. Blonde hair
cut quite short, average height. Pretty face, not beautiful, but more
natural than most of the women in this town."
"A name?"
"Don't know. What do names mean around here, anyway? I'm not even
sure if Mick is my real name!" He indicated the counter, and Burt, the
proprietor of the cafe. "She never spoke to anyone but Burt. But I
don't think she said much more than ordering coffee." He looked at her,
and finally turned, giving her his full attention. "You seem different,
Ella. What's going on?"
"Too much." She pushed her fingers through her hair. It seemed
strange to be back here, almost as if it was not where she belonged
anymore. "Mick, you've my cellphone number, if she comes in again,
could you call me."
He smiled. "Not that it'll sound at all suspicious."
Ella thought about that, and had an idea. "Okay," she grabbed the pen
from behind Mick's ear, and held his hand, palm up. "Mail me here, but
don't show anyone this addy." She hesitated with the pen just over his
skin, meeting his confused eyes with her own serious stare. "Promise
me."
"I promise, Ella."
On his palm, she wrote, 'kitt@indigo.com'.
He read what she had put, and grabbed her hand as she reached up to put
the pen back. "What are you involved with, El?"
"I can't tell you, I'm sorry."
"When I told you to live a little, I didn't think you'd listen!" She
smiled, taking her hand back. "Just be careful."
Ella nodded. "Don't worry about me."
She stood up and put the chair back. "You can have the coffee, I've
had quite a bit of it lately."
Mick laughed. "So what else is new?"

Ella drove back into the estate by nightfall. She had phoned ahead,
telling Devon that someone had started using the cafe at roughly the
same time of the attack, but it was not conclusive and whoever it had
been had not returned there today. The delicate strains of early
Genesis filled the car as she drove. Something Mick had said had been
bugging her for the whole journey.
'What do names mean around here, anyway?'
They had assumed that 'Alice' was this person's real name, but why
should it be? Personally, she always went online using a pseudonym. It
might not even have been a woman, although from what she had seen, she
was fairly convinced that it was. Still, her real name could be
anything. And so many people used the cafe, the woman Mick had told her
about could have been anyone, someone who caught his eye because she was
pretty. Mick had never really been much of a Hollywood guy anyway;
girls who turned his head usually were from out of town. It meant
nothing.

Ella sighed deeply as she turned off the highway. Why did it feel as
if she was going home, when her home was the place from which she had
just come. She absently wondered what her boss would do if she
over-stretched her six weeks of owed vacation. Nothing, probably, as
long as she went back eventually. She was one of the best in her field,
and her boss knew it.

The estate was quiet as she swung the car into the driveway and parked
off to one side of the mansion. She had presumed that everyone had
already turned in for the night, but as she climbed out of the car, she
could hear quiet voices in the warm night air. One of them caused her
heart to start beating just a little bit faster. Silently, she went
around the back of the house, and stood on the patio, looking out over
the grounds. Down towards the end of the lawn, just before the woodland
began, she could make out Kitt's sleek form in the moonlight. The
second voice she had heard had been Michael's, so she guessed that it
was he who was sitting up on the hood of the car. Next to him, she
could just make out a bottle. It looked as if Devon's cellar had been
raided once again.

Ella seated herself on the wide, low wall that hemmed in the patio,
leaning up against a corner post; the stone cool against her back. She
could not quite catch what was being said, but then she would not have
stayed out there if she could have done. She did not want to eavesdrop,
she just wanted to admire him, to know he was nearby and to revel in the
warmth she felt whenever she thought about him.

Unaware of Ella's presence, Michael sipped at the vintage wine. They
had come out here several hours ago, and Michael had sat in the car and
listened while his partner described the nightmare of Alice's attacks.
It had taken all day for Kitt to finally open up to him. They had
played together, as they had not played in too long. Michael had seen
it at the time as belated therapy for his partner, but as he had heard
everything Kitt had to say, he realized that he had needed the time too,
more than he had known. Now he was sitting cross-legged on the warm
hood, simply enjoying his partner's company. He had almost forgotten
how good it felt just to be with Kitt, the deep feelings of safety that
the car had always stirred within him, the wonderful rapport that had
quickly developed between them.

Kitt's presence had always reassured and comforted him. Ever since the
day Bonnie had strapped the comlink around his wrist he had not ever
been alone, and sometimes he felt he was high on just that feeling. He
had always felt that the comlink joined him to Kitt, even when they were
separated. And of course when Avril had abducted his partner. Kitt had
spoken briefly about that this evening, but he had not said much. The
memories, he had told Michael, were too painful to cope with. Best that
they just stay hidden, buried at the back of his long-term storage.

Finally, after spending the day with his partner, Michael felt able to
face his job once more. The attack had affected him more than he had at
first believed, because he had come closer than ever before to losing
Kitt, and that had scared him more than anything else could have. When
Wilton Knight had plucked him from death at the roadside, his blood had
been on the headlights of his previous car. He had seen too many people
die, and maybe, at that moment, through the excruciating pain and the
fire along his nerves, he had been fleetingly glad that it was all
over. He had only allowed himself to keep Kitt because he had believed
then that there was no way he could become emotionally involved with the
computer. He had been wrong. Very, very wrong. Together they had
faced frightening situations with terrifying courage. And somewhere
along the line, they had become inseparable.

The responsibility that Michael felt for Kitt was not so much to watch
his back, as it had been for his previous partners. It was simply to be
there, and to ensure Kitt was treated with respect and care, by everyone
who was supposed to be responsible for him. Kitt's life, as all life,
was unique and had to be protected. They continued to charge headlong
into situations that could end in disaster. But ninety-nine times out
of a hundred, they did not, and when they did, he and Kitt still seemed
to have a guardian angel watching over them.
Idly, Michael dropped his hand to the scanner track, gently rubbing his
fingers back and forth across the dark panel. Kitt gave the red light a
single sweep, and Michael laughed quietly. "You okay there pal?"
"Perfectly, Michael."

Ella sat for about an hour, before dropping down off the wall and
starting over towards the pair. She just wanted to say goodnight. As
she approached the car, Kitt's scanner lit up, and Michael knew there
was someone coming. He turned his head, not surprised to see Ella
walking uncertainly towards them. He smiled, patted the hood, and waved
her over. "Glass of wine?"
Ella smiled at seeing a second, empty glass on the lawn beside the
car. Bonnie had obviously been here at one point. "I don't want to
interrupt."
Kitt spoke up, "You're not interrupting. Please." Michael waited for
her to nod her assent, and then leant down to retrieve the glass,
shifting up to make room for her on the hood.
"Missed you, Kitt." Ella told him truthfully.
"I missed you too." Michael's eyebrows rose at the gentle, sincere
tone of his partner's voice, but he said nothing. She sat up on the
hood, next to Michael, side-on to the windshield. As Michael poured,
she placed her hand flat against the warm body-work of the car, and
stroked softly. She allowed a sigh of contentment to pass her lips.
Feeling as though this was where she belonged, she leaned slowly against
the glass, hooking her arm across the top of the car.

Kitt monitored her every move, her every touch. Never had he wanted to
be so physically close to someone so desperately. Being with Michael
was what made his life complete and worth while. But Ella's presence
satisfied something within him that he had not quite been aware of until
he had met her. He realized, as he watched her, that although she was
accepting the invitation, and the drink, from Michael, she was there
with _him_, leaning close to _him_. Like no one ever had before.

Ella took the glass from Michael's fingers and thanked him.
"How was L.A.?" Kitt asked her, before Michael could get a word out.
She turned to look into the car through the windshield. "It was
strange to be back there."
"Did you find anything?" Michael asked her, because something told him
that Kitt would not.
"I called Devon earlier, did he tell you?"
Michael shook his head. "We've been out here."
She told him what she had told his boss that afternoon, about Mick, and
the girl that he had described. "But I was thinking, on the way back,
that her name probably isn't even Alice." She read Michael's confused
expression. "People who spend a lot of time on line usually have
aliases, names they go by, like truckers have handles. It's very likely
that 'Alice' is just a pseudonym. I'm sorry, I know that's the only
lead we've got, but it struck me on the way back, something Mick said."
Michael thought about this latest piece of bad news. "It's the perfect
hiding place, isn't it? The Internet."
Ella nodded. "I wish I had something more for you both."

They sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes, Ella and Michael
sipping at the exquisite wine, while Kitt simply enjoyed feeling her
body against him. As she looked over at Michael to say something, Ella
caught a glimpse of gold against his shirt. She reached out and
carefully lifted the small medallion that hung from a thin gold chain
around his neck. In the moonlight she could see the intricate St.
Christopher design.
"It's beautiful," she whispered.
Michael smiled. "A Christmas present last year."
She was about to ask 'from whom?' when she turned the pendant over in
her fingers, and read the simple inscription: 'always, Kitt.'
She looked up into Michael's eyes and saw the pride and love that was
shining there. No one could ever doubt his feelings for his partner.
She smiled and returned her attention to the written words. Seeing the
name spelled out before her, she realized that it was written as a word,
rather than an acronym. "When did Kitt become his name?" She asked
gently.
"I don't know," Michael looked down at the medallion between her
fingers. "It happened very naturally. I guess it just felt right.
He's been more than just a machine for a long time. Machines have
acronyms, people have names."
Kitt swept the scanner light back and forth across its track in
contentment.

Above them, the stars were bright, and the full moon illuminated the
estate in an almost super-natural glow. Michael finished his drink, and
placed the glass, and the bottle, back on to the lawn. Then he reached
over and put a gentle hand on Ella's arm. "Thank you...."
She shrugged, "It was the least I could do, and it was good to see Mick
again, I know he worries even if he doesn't say it."
"But not just for today, for everything. I know you have... other
reasons for being here," he glanced inside the car and smiled when he
heard a single sweep of Kitt's scanner. "But you've done a lot for us
all. I appreciate it, and I know Bonnie and Devon do too."
"Thank you."
He smiled, and slid down off the hood. "And as for Kitt... well I
think he'd appreciate it if I made myself scarce."
"Michael...." Kitt found he did not really want to stop Michael from
leaving, but this had been their day together, and a lot had passed
between them.
"It's all right, Pal. Beep me, okay."
"Okay."

Michael threw her a stunning smile, and started off back to the
mansion. Ella too slipped off the car, and moved around to snuggle
herself into the driver's seat. "Hi Sexy," she said quietly.
Kitt waited a beat before speaking. "Ella, could I ask you
something... personal?"
"Of course you can." She wanted to add more, but as she played words
around in her head, nothing sounded right, so she left it at that.
"Do I..." he faltered, embarrassed now that it was Ella he was talking
to. He tried again. "When you're with me, do you feel...." Another
failure. But Ella had picked up easily on what he was trying to ask.
She grinned.
"You're trying to ask me if you excite me?"
"Yes."
"Yes. you do."
Kitt was stunned. "Honestly?"
"Honestly. Everything about you.... Mostly your voice, the things you
say, and the way you say them, your accent.... It's very sexy."
Although he had asked the question, Kitt was unsure how to proceed.
This was all new to him, and he found himself frightened of making a
mistake, of saying something that would put Ella off. "I take it you
weren't expecting that answer?"
"No, I wasn't. I always believed it to be impossible for a person to
have... the feelings for me that you seem to have. I never even
considered it. But when I'm with you, I feel things that are...
unfamiliar to me."
"Are they bad feelings?"
"No, but some are frightening," he admitted.
"You don't have to worry, Kitt. I don't want to frighten you, I want
you to be able to relax with me. I don't get insulted easily, and if
you say something wrong, I'll tell you long before I walk away." She
reached a hand out to the voice panel, stroking one finger down it
gently. "I understand how difficult this must be for you. I would just
like you to enjoy my company as much as I enjoy yours."
"I do, Ella. You have no idea."
"So tell me. Make me realize how you feel."

Kitt tried to find the right thing to say to describe his feelings to
her, and when he could not, he searched for an alternative. He took off
the hand-brake, allowing the car to roll slowly down the slight incline
to the first tree of the woodland. They stopped in front of it, and he
activated his laser, toning the power down to a bare minimum, and fired,
directing the beam at the thick tree trunk in front of him. Ella peered
out of the windshield, fascinated. When Kitt had finished, he
deactivated the laser and switched on the front spots, illuminating the
trunk for Ella to read what he had put there. As her eyes adjusted to
the light, Ella could see, in perfect script, three words carved lightly
into the wood. It said simply, 'I love you'.

**

Michael sat in the lounge, draped over the sofa, with Bonnie lying in
his arms. He could not remember the last time he had felt this
comfortable. He nuzzled his face into Bonnie's hair.
"I watched you and Kitt this afternoon," she murmured quietly, enjoying
the feel of his strong body next to hers. "I wish I'd had the camera."
"Umm, I'm glad you didn't. Devon really does have to get the pond
cleaned out." He felt, rather than heard her chuckle. "Bon, do you
think this thing with Ella and Kitt is... odd?"
She turned her head to look at him, as he brushed her hair away from
his face, breathing her in. "No. I think they're both going to end up
getting hurt, but that's a risk I think they both feel is worth taking."

"You don't think her attraction to him is slightly... out of the
ordinary."
"Absolutely not. Why?"
"Well.... He's a car. He's my car."
"If he heard you saying that...."
"Bonnie, you know how I feel about him, but a friendship is one thing.
Ella being attracted to him... in that way, is something entirely
different."
"It's how she feels."
Michael faltered. "But... he has no... arms. Or legs. Or anything."
Bonnie could not help but laugh. "And men accuse women of being
shallow." She sat up slightly. "You're not thinking about arms and
legs!"
"Okay, so you know what I'm getting at."
She attempted her best innocent look. "I haven't got a clue what
you're referring to."
Michael glared at her. "They won't be able to... do anything. Kiss,
or hold hands...."
"Or have sex."
His eyes widened for a moment, before he looked away. "Yes. That
too."
"Michael, I think it's up to them to make the best of what they feel
for each other. She loves him very much. And I believe Kitt is very
fond of her."
"He is. He's also very confused about it all."
Bonnie shrugged, settling back down again. "They'll work it out."
"I never imagined I'd be talking to a computer about the birds and the
bees."
She smiled. "I'd really love to overhear that conversation."

A warm quiet fell over them. Michael gazed around the room,
remembering what Ella had said about the photos. He knew Bonnie carried
one of him and Kitt. He did not tend to carry things like that, things
that could be used against him. He did not like to think that his
friends' lives were ever in danger because of what they did here. If he
was caught, it was just he and Kitt, and although some had tried to use
Kitt to get to him, eventually they had all failed. Kitt could look
after them both, he did not have to worry about that. His eyes fell on
the picture of the team of engineers, taken several years ago.

Suddenly, he was up on his feet, surprising Bonnie. "What is it?"
Michael walked towards the photo, his face going white. Bonnie followed
him, concerned. "What did I say?"
"Nothing, it was something Ella said."
Bonnie looked at him. "What are you talking about?"
He stopped in front of the picture, staring at it. "She said that her
friend in LA had described a woman to her, a woman who had started using
the Internet cafe just before Ella had been called to Canada, just
before the attack on Kitt."
"Yes, so?"
"So, he described her as average height, short blonde hair, pretty
face." He pointed at someone in the photo and turned to Bonnie.
"Remind you of someone?"
Bonnie's face turned ashen as she looked at the picture. Michael's
finger was resting on Avril's smiling face.

**

Kitt came to rest just outside the guest lodge. It was shaded here by
trees, and the moonlight was not so bright. "You don't have to stay,"
he said quietly.
But Ella smiled. "I want to. I just want to be with you."
Ella settled back in the seat and closed her eyes. Suddenly, there was
a noise at the window. She sat up and turned, stopped by the sight that
greeted her. Michael and Bonnie were outside, holding a framed
photograph up to the windshield. Ella squinted in the dim light, but
she could make out that it was the group photo from the wall of the
lounge. She opened the door, and frowned up at them both. "Why?"
"The description of the woman, that Mick gave you."
"What about it? Michael, I told you, it could be anyone."
"But it isn't. It's Avril."
Ella felt her heart skip a beat. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw
the LEDs jump on Kitt's voice panel, but no sound came out. "It's okay,
Kitt," she told him gently. "It's okay."

**

Devon put the phone down slowly. "I have an address." Michael was on
his feet immediately, but Devon held up a warning hand. "I think we
ought to let the police handle this one."
"No," he was shaking his head, fresh anger clear in his eyes. "Devon,
this one is ours."
"Michael, we all feel the same way about this woman, she hurt us all.
We're all too involved."
"Devon, she's a murderer."
"Now, Michael, she paid for what she did in Las Vegas."
"She didn't pay! She was released from jail after four years! A man
died, and Kitt's sentenced to his whole life with the memory of what she
did, of what her actions lead to. The woman had her own father fire
anti-tank missiles at us! If it hadn't been for Kitt, I wouldn't be
here. You have to let me take this one!"
As Michael tried to press his point, the door opened, and both Ella and
Bonnie practically ran inside. Devon looked up, slightly annoyed at the
interruption. "What is it?"
"There's no use arguing over whose catch it is," Bonnie told them.
"Kitt must have intercepted your phone call, he's gone."
Michael spun, going to the window and looking out into the moonlit
drive. "What do you mean 'gone'?" He turned back to the women. "Gone
where?"
"One guess."
Devon put a hand to his mouth. "He wouldn't."
"Avril's done her best to hurt him. He just wants it over with, he
wants things back to normal."
"But he wouldn't hurt her." Devon sounded if he was trying to convince
himself.
"No," Michael tried to assure him, slightly unsure himself. "I need
that address, Devon." Immediately, the older man handed him the piece
of paper. "And I guess I need a car." He glanced down at the address,
relieved that it was not far. Kitt had an edge over any car that Devon
could give him. A fantastic edge of about 200mph.

As he drove, he worried. Michael could see, in his mind's eye, the
destruction he had seen in the aftermath of test program the
Foundation's board had, in their wisdom, chosen to run on Kitt. He was
certain that his partner would not hurt Avril, he was more worried about
what effect she could have on him. But there was a reason Kitt had
taken off without him, he had only done that once or twice before, and
he had had a good reason each time. Avril had hurt him more than any
other single person ever had, and now he realized that she was 'Alice',
God knew what was going through his complicated mind. He floored the
accelerator, hoping to at least get within comlink range before Kitt
reached the address Devon had given him.

Finally, he got a signal, and Kitt's voice came over the link.
"Michael, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, Kitt. How are you doing?"
"I just want to talk to her, Michael, to find out why."
"We could have done this together, Kitt. Remember everything we said
this afternoon?" He wrestled Devon's car around the tight bend.
"Besides, after driving our car, anything else just isn't the same."
The engine of the Convertible screamed in protest as Michael pushed it
to its limits.
"I'm sorry, Michael."
Michael felt a dread settle into his soul. "Don't be sorry, Pal,
please. Just pull over and wait for me, we'll handle this together."
"It's my fight." But despite Kitt's words, there was a sadness in his
tone that Michael thought he just might be able to work with, if he knew
Kitt well enough....
"You don't want to do this alone, you know you don't. Avril hurt us
all. Let's end this legally."
"Michael, we've no evidence. Nothing's going to happen to her. There
is no way that Clay will testify against his own daughter, he would take
the blame for it himself rather than see her go back to prison. You
know I'm right."
*Shit*. Michael knew Kitt was right. They had nothing to charge her
with. They had no proof that would connect her with the attack, and
there was nothing illegal about sending email. "Kitt, this isn't the
way, please listen to me. Don't do anything stupid."
"She's going to walk away from this, despite everything we know she's
guilty of. I doubt the police will even have sufficient reason to
arrest her."
"I understand how you feel, but we will find something, we'll find a
way, we always do. I know that you feel you want her to hurt as much as
you have, and if she'd done to me what she did to you, I'd want to kill
her. But it isn't the way."
"Michael...." There was a dangerous tone to his voice, but Michael
knew he was getting somewhere.
"Kitt, listen to me. If you hurt her, they'll take you away from me,
and I can't face that."
Silence. Then, somehow, Michael knew that Kitt was slowing down.
"I'll wait for you."

Michael pulled Devon's car over to the side of the road, just behind
Kitt's bumper. He activated the homing signal, an extra Knight
Industries security measure, and locked the car; knowing Devon would
retrieve it eventually. He climbed into Kitt's driver's seat feeling
nothing but relief. "We'll get her on something, Kitt, I promise you."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. I do understand the need for revenge, Pal. But there's
always a better way, even if you can't see it right now."
Michael eased the car from the roadside, and continued in the direction
of the address. "We're just gonna talk to her, okay?"
"Okay."

Back at the Foundation, in the small office off Devon's, Bonnie heaved
a sigh of relief as she sat back. Beside her, Ella watched the small
blinking light on the computer monitor. "What? What's happened?"
"Michael's activated the Convertible's homing signal."
"So?"
"It means he's left it on the roadside somewhere, I would guess that
he's managed to talk Kitt into waiting for him."
Ella closed her eyes, "Thank God for that."
In the doorway behind them, Devon was looking worried. "Bonnie, what
do you think Kitt would have done to her?"
Bonnie looked around, and with an expression Ella would never know how
she held, she told him, "Nothing, Devon. I think he just felt he should
talk to her alone, after all, what she did to him was personal."
Devon frowned, not totally convinced. "You're sure?"
"Yes."
Finally, Devon seemed to accept her explanation, and moved back into
the other room. Bonnie and Ella exchanged glances, and Ella shook her
head. "He could have killed her." Ella whispered.
And Bonnie nodded. "I know. But he wouldn't have."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because after she abducted him, and used him to kill a man in Vegas,
and then to try to kill Michael. The Foundation's board had a test
program run through Kitt's systems, over and over again, until he
snapped and destroyed the inside of the garage they were keeping him
in."
Ella's eyes widened. "What kind of program?"
"They showed him, over and over again, what it would have been like if
he hadn't have stopped at Michael's feet."

**

The house stood alone, slightly back from the road, in what looked to
be a quiet neighbourhood. Michael was not sure what he had been
expecting, but he knew for certain that this definitely was not it.
"Kitt, scan the house."
"What am I looking for?"
"People."
"There's only one person in the house, in the kitchen as far as I can
make out."
Michael thought for a moment, then he reached for the door. "Kitt, I'm
just going to talk to her."
"You can't honestly believe that she'll just confess."
"I don't believe anything of the sort. But she might say something we
can use, so I want you to record the conversation."
"That'll be the easy part, Michael."
"I know, Kitt. I know."

He closed the door quietly, and trailed his fingers over the car as he
walked around the front to the path up to the front door. Kitt's
scanner tracked madly, following Michael's every movement and accepting
his touch for the understanding and encouragement it was meant to be.

Michael knocked on the door and waited. Seconds later, it opened, and
Avril Stone stood before him and smiled. He fought down his anger,
thanking god that he had managed to reach Kitt. "Hi Avril."
"Michael, this is a pleasant surprise," she seemed genuinely glad to
see him, and Michael felt a shiver run down his spine. "Come in,
please."
Michael glanced back at his car as he stepped into the house; he could
practically feel Kitt's anxiety. He wished there were something he
could do to settle him, but for now, they would just have to play this
by ear.

"Please, sit down. Can I get you a drink?"
Michael remained on his feet. "You can't honestly think that I came
here to exchange pleasantries. After what you did...."
"I went to jail for what I did, Michael." She was still smiling, still
relaxed, as if they were old friends. It was like facing a crocodile.
"I changed while in was in jail. I realized what terrible things I'd
done, and I repented for them, that's why they let me out."
"You may have fooled them, Avril, but I know you haven't changed." Now
he chose to smile. "Or should that be, Alice?"
Her expression changed to slight confusion. "Who's Alice?"
"Don't play games with me."
"Michael, I honestly don't know what you're talking about. I know how
hard it must be, to see me free after so short a time. I really am
sorry for what I did to you, Devon and Bonnie must hate me."
"They're not the only ones." Avril looked away, and Michael felt the
same confusion he had experienced when he had spoken to William Clay.
"I spoke to your father."
She met his eyes again, and Michael could have sworn that the fear and
concern in her eyes was real. "Oh God.... I didn't tell him, I...
couldn't face him. He's so proud of me, you see." She took a step
forward. "Please, it would break his heart if he knew what I'd done."
Michael frowned. "I didn't tell him." She sighed in relief, a small
smile breaking through. "But I'm afraid Kitt might have let it slip."
There was a flash, of what Michael interpreted as fury, across her
features, and then she had control. "I'd... I'd better call him."

Michael made his own way to the front door, stopping with his fingers
on the handle. "I know you were behind the attack on Kitt and I a
couple of weeks ago. And I know what you did to him as Alice. And I
swear to you Avril, I will prove it."
He opened the door and slammed it behind him, jogging down the steps to
where Kitt was sitting, his engine fired. "How could she so blatantly
deny it?" his partner asked him.
"I dunno Kitt, but we've shaken her. Is there a call going out?"
"No, Michael."
"So I guess she lied about calling her father."
"What now?"
"Home, Kitt. We need to think about this."

Avril watched the car leave from the window. She looked down, at the
automatic weapon in her hand. She could not be sure whether or not they
had any evidence, whether they had found Greg Fulman's body, whether
they had identified him, or even whether they had tied him to her father
yet. There had been no police round, so they evidently had not run a
ballistics check on the bullet the autopsy would have pulled from his
brain.

So they knew she was Alice. She did wonder how they had worked that
one out. But there was nothing they could do. Even if they made her
confess to being Alice, what charges could they possibly bring against
her? Sending 'distressing' images to a computer system? They had not
even been pornographic, not in any way that a human eye would have
recognized them as such. And there was no way that she was going down
for the attack. Her father would take the heat for that one, if any
heat was to be taken.

So far they had nothing. And all she was going to give them was
'wilful destruction of property'. A month, maximum. Maybe even just a
fine, a couple of thousand dollars. He had once asked to know his
worth. Well, soon he would.

**

Bonnie felt Michael lean gently against her as they sat on the steps of
the patio, leading down into the grounds of the estate. Beside him, the
sun was starting to rise. Neither had slept in nearly twenty-four
hours, but Michael looked more confused and angry than tired. "I swear,
Bonnie, I must be losing it. She sounded so for real, you know, but I
have this gut feeling.... She knew exactly what I was talking about.
Although something told me that she hadn't been totally truthful to Clay
about her departure from the Foundation."
"Maybe we could use that somehow. Maybe if you lean on Clay, tell him
exactly what she did do, show him some pictures...." Michael could hear
the anger growing in Bonnie's voice. "We can't let her get away with
this."

Michael put down his coffee and turned to her, taking her hands in
his. "Bon, I love him and hurt for him as much as you do. And maybe,
if they'd killed him, all I'd want is blood. But let's be honest about
this. There is nothing we can pin on her, we have no evidence and Clay
is not going to give her to us. He attacked us, not her. Even if we
could prove that she asked him to do it, and she confessed to asking
him, she wouldn't get very long."
"I just can't believe that we do so much here, fight and win cases that
others have found practically impossible to crack, and still we can't
look after our own."
"It's because Kitt isn't human, there are no laws that protect him from
people like Avril."
"Then we should be able to."
Michael shook his head, gathering her into his arms as exhaustion
finally took its toll. He rocked her gently, placing kisses in her
hair. After a short while, she gently pushed him back and looked up
into those deep blue eyes. "Promise me you'll think of something."
"I promise you that I'll try."

In the darkness of the garage, Kitt knew she was there before he had
activated any higher functions. He watched her silently for a short
while. She was sitting on one of the workbenches, a large automatic
weapon held in one hand, barrel lying on the palm of the other, cradling
it. He quickly quashed the urge to beep Michael. He reasoned that she
could shoot him before he had a chance to warn him. Or maybe that was
just an excuse. He wanted to talk to her alone. He had wanted to
earlier, but Michael's plea had stopped him. Now she had come to him.
Finally, he activated the scanner, setting it into a gentle sweeping,
back and forth.

In his usual, friendly, trusting tone, he greeted her. "Hello, Avril."

"Hello, Kitt."
He added suspicion into the mixture. "What are you doing here?"
"To finish what I started. To do what my father failed to do with all
his expensive weaponry." She smiled. "I like the new look, Kitt, it
suits you."
"Why are you doing this?"
"You have no idea, have you?" Avril smiled. "When I first met you, I
fell in love with you. It's that simple. And as time went on, I
realized that it could never possibly be right. You couldn't ever feel
for me what I felt for you. You couldn't ever understand what I was
going through. And I started to hate you for it, for being so fucking
intelligent but not being able to see what was right in front of you."
She sighed. "This thing with you and Michael.... It's weird. No human
should ever be as close to a machine as he is to you. I wanted to try
to make you see that your existence was wrong, that you didn't have a
place here."
"Is that why you used me to kill that man in Las Vegas?"
Avril's eyes widened, and she actually laughed. "You really think I
killed him because he wouldn't buy you? I knew he wouldn't deal, but I
needed an excuse, a reason. I thought if I used you to kill once,
maybe, just maybe, when the time came, I would have enough control over
you to kill Michael."
"But you failed."
She shook her head. "No, Kitt, I didn't fail."
Her words confused him. "But I didn't do what you wanted."
"No, you didn't." She leaned down, closer to him, smiling like the
Cheshire cat. "But here's the beauty of it; you still know, don't you?
You still know what it would have been like to kill him, because they
showed you over and over again. I wrote that test program, Kitt. I
found it ironic that you showed them a miracle that afternoon, and they
brought you back here, to where you're supposed to be safe, and they
tried to destroy that miracle by forcing you through the one experience
you'd managed to save yourself from."

Kitt felt a shiver drive through his soul. Suddenly he did not want to
talk to this woman. He switched off the vocal telemetry to the comlink,
and shut down the connection, knowing that a warning would sound on
Michael's link. It was one way of telling him to be careful. It took
less than half a second. "Why do you hate me so much?"
Avril jumped down from the workbench and walked over to the car,
lightly trailing the barrel of the gun across the scanner track. "Love
always turns to hate eventually."
Kitt processed that. He thought about Ella, and what had obviously
developed between them. He did not want to believe Avril; he was
determined that this woman was not going to hurt him any more. "You're
wrong."
She laughed softly. "What would you know about it, Kitt? You'll never
know."
"But I do know. I have... someone. Someone I love. Someone who loves
me. You never gave me a chance. I trusted you, maybe I could have
loved you."
Avril was shaking her head. "There is no way...."
"I am capable of that emotion. Whether you believe it or not, it is
true."
"I don't believe you."
"But the images, the things you showed me as 'Alice'.... Surely you
must have thought they would hurt me, or why do it?"
Avril sat down on the hood, legs dangling, one foot still on the floor,
she continued to caress the scanner track with the tip of the gun; an
action that was making Kitt very uncomfortable.
"I've been doing that little trick since college. I just thought it
might be fun with you. I did want to hurt you, but I wasn't sure if I
would succeed. It took some doing, but prisons like it if you show
willing to learn. I always liked computer classes. Although they
weren't very happy when one of their systems crashed, destroyed by an
outside virus." She toyed with the gun against the scanner track. "And
neither was I. You were very thorough, I honestly hadn't realized quite
how much I was hurting you."
Kitt thought about her explanation. He had wanted to hear her explain
her reasons. But he found what she had said to be unsatisfying. "Some
of the images were very personal."
His words fascinated her. "You saw everything I meant you to see,
didn't you?"
"You raped me." Her smile gave Kitt the urge to pull back. But he did
not want to give her the satisfaction.
"Yes. That's what I was trying to do. It's gratifying to know that I
was right about how you perceive things. It's interesting to hear you
use the word 'rape' though. I could ask you to go back through the
images, show me the ones that brought you to that word."
"I no longer have anything of what you sent me."
Avril frowned. "But the backup storage.... They must have used it to
revive you after the attack."
"I told you, there is someone who loves me, I believe, very much. She
is better than you are when it comes to computers." Kitt spoke the
words as calmly as he had the rest of the conversation. But although he
knew they would they would hit a nerve, he said them anyway. Avril
remained silent, her anger building. She unclicked the safety from her
weapon. "You might as well put the gun away, Avril. You can't shoot
me, you know that."
"I can't shoot you yet, Kitt." She took a deep, calming breath, and
smiled. "Just be patient, the time will come."

Michael stared at the comlink. He was depressing the 'talk' button,
but Kitt was not responding. Yet the bleeping, not the same tone as
usual, did not stop.
"It's the warning signal," Bonnie remembered finally. "I think it
means that Kitt has terminated telemetry."
"You mean he's stopped monitoring me?"
"I think so."
"Why?" Michael was on his feet, heading around the house to the
garage.
"Michael, wait!" Bonnie grabbed his arm. "He wouldn't do that without
a reason. He would know about the warning signal, maybe he's trying to
tell you something."
"So why doesn't he just say it?"
Michael had pulled away and was starting over the grass to the main
door of the garage. "Michael, don't!"
But it had been a long day and he was tired. He opened the garage door
and stopped in his tracks. Avril smiled up at him from her position on
Kitt's hood. She waved him inside with the gun, and asked him to close
the door. "What do you want, Avril?"
"An ending." She stood up, taking a step back from the car. "I think
Kitt and I have finally had time to understand each other. He knows,
even if he doesn't fully comprehend, why I've done all I've done, and
why I'm about to do this."

Kitt suddenly realized that calling Michael had been a mistake. On his
own he was safe, with Michael there, they were both in danger. The
realization shocked him. He had endangered Michael's life by calling
him. He had done the one thing that went against everything his
programming stood for, just because he had not felt capable of dealing
with Avril alone. Panic welled up inside his systems, threatening to
overwhelm him. The greatest sadness he had ever experienced enveloped
his soul. This was the end. Somewhere deep inside himself, he accepted
his fate. But he was going to save Michael's life at all costs.
"Avril, why hurt Michael when it's all about me? Let him go."
"I'm hoping that I won't have to hurt him, Kitt. You do what I want,
and I give you my word, he won't come to any harm. I promise you that
he'll be quite able to give the eulogy at your graveside. I'm sure
they'll give you a grave, I have this feeling."
Michael stepped forward, unsure. "Avril...."
"Shut up. I don't want to hear it." She turned to Kitt. "You see,
the police will look on me destroying you, as... I think the correct
term is 'wilful destruction of property', I believe I can get up to two
months imprisonment, or a fine, maybe a couple of grand. That's about
all you're worth." She aimed at Michael's head, taking a couple of
steps towards him to ensure she would not miss. "Now, if I kill
Michael, unfortunately it would be murder. I can't really frame a car,
now can I? And I wouldn't really want to go back to jail for that
long...." She spun on her heel and once again unclicked the safety.
"... but I could live. Whichever way, Kitt, I effectively end your
life. So what'll it be? It's your choice."

Michael stared at her in horror, realization finally sinking in. "Kitt
no! She's trying the same trick as her father, don't do it."
Avril laughed. "My father couldn't shoot a pheasant! Believe me, he's
not the type to pull a trigger himself. However, if you move a muscle,
I will kill you." She sighed. "Decision time, Kitt."
"All right Avril..." ("No Kitt....") "... we'll end this here. But
just me."
"Kitt!" Michael heard the soft click of the hood release, as Kitt gave
her access to his CPU. "No!"
"Michael, I'm sorry." Michael heard the tone of his partner's voice,
and in a horrifying moment, he realized that Kitt had already given up.
Anger flared within him, and he kicked out, aiming to connect with
Avril's arm. But she was faster and more agile her father had been.
She took a step back and fired, catching Michael in the shoulder and
forcing a scream of pain from his throat. He wobbled on his feet,
managed to stay upright, but the blood started to flow immediately, and
that familiar feeling of nausea swept over him.
"Michael!" Kitt's voice cut through the reverberation of the shot and
the dizziness assaulting him. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, Kitt, I'm fine."

Avril sighed. "Touching." She waved the gun in Michael's direction.
"Backup. Against the wall. I know it's a cliche, but I need to take my
eyes off you for one moment to put a bullet through your partner's
brain." She watched Michael back up, he in turn watching her like a
hawk. The pain in his face was obvious, but she doubted the cause was
his wound. She smiled. "Shall we have some fun?"

In one, unbelievably fast movement, she turned, aimed into the engine
compartment open before her, and fired once, spinning back to Michael
before he could move a step. In the moment after the bullet had been
fired, both Kitt and Michael screamed. Michael screamed because it was
the only thing he could do, desperate and helpless he could not believe
he was watching as his partner was murdered before his eyes. Kitt
screamed for a more basic reason. Avril's first bullet had blown a
perceptor apart, and it hurt like hell. His first instinct was to slam
the hood down, to save himself any more agony. But Michael's life was
in the balance here, and there was no question about his priorities.

"Kitt...." Tears were filling Michael's eyes. "Kitt...." He started
to sway, feeling the wall come up to meet his back.
"I'm all right...."
"Not for long." In a second, in another fluid movement, Avril fired
again, and for a moment, Kitt thought he was going to blank out. His
whole network of perceptors seemed to be on fire, the data being sent
was overwhelming and the pain was more excruciating than he would have
ever believed he could experience. Other emotions came crashing down
upon him, overloading his systems until he just wanted it all to stop.
Helplessness and despair drained his remaining power as he fought to
keep everything stable, shutting down sensors that were screaming at the
overload. Through it all he could hold only one thought; that he had
failed. That after everything they had been through together, Michael
was going to die, and it was he who had called him to his executioner.

Michael knew only that the bitch with the gun was toying with Kitt,
hurting him as much as she could before finally ending his short life.
Fury sparked his actions. He lashed out at her with his good arm,
catching her wrist and knocking her off balance. But it was not
enough. She fired at him, narrowly missing his neck, making the hole in
his shoulder bigger. His vision began to fade, and he slumped to the
floor, back against the wall. "Please..." he begged as a final resort,
"don't...."
"Michael...." There was choked desperation lacing Kitt's voice, making
it sound as if he too were crying.
"Kitt, don't let her do this. I need you."
"I'm sorry...." Avril took another shot at Kitt, piercing a third
perceptor. Kitt struggled to stop the onslaught into his CPU. That had
been the fifth bullet. The next was going to kill him; he had no doubt
about that. "Michael.... I'm sorry... so sorry...."
"Kitt!! No!!!!"

What happened next was a blur for both of them, as both started to lose
consciousness. Michael heard a sixth shot, and closed his eyes, tears
leaking from them even as he fought not to pass out. Kitt also heard
the shot, but to his surprise, it was way off course, lodging in the
corner of the ceiling. He fought to bring some sort of monitoring back
on line, desperate to know what was happening. Avril found herself
caught in an arm lock, her weapon wrenched from her hand, staring down
the barrel of a handgun.

Devon held Avril firmly as Ella forced herself to consider the horrible
mess shooting her in the face would make. She had always been severely
squeamish, even in first aid class. And it was the only thing keeping
her from pulling the trigger. Bonnie knelt by Michael's bleeding form,
concern written all over her face. He opened his eyes as she begged him
to speak to her. "Michael, are you all right?"
"Yeah...." He winced in pain, but he did not care about his own
injuries. "Kitt...."
Bonnie was over by her car in an instant, calling his name. She swore
when she saw the damage three bullets had done. Miraculously none had
hit the CPU casing. "Kitt! Answer me."
There was nothing, and Michael shook his head, letting his tears of
pain become sobs of agony. "No, please, no...."

Ella handed the gun to Devon, who was quite happy to keep watch over
Avril while Ella practised her first aid on Michael, stopping the
bleeding and strapping him up as best she could. As she did so, so
looked towards the car, tears forming in her own eyes. She could not
believe what was happening. "Kitt! Don't do this to me! You
bastard! Don't you leave me now!"
Agonizingly slowly, the first light of the scanner came on, and then
the second, and the third. "Kitt," Bonnie leaned on the car, "just say
something, please."
"....sorry...." The voice was low and thick, as Kitt's ability to talk
faded with the rest of his systems.

"Shit!" As Bonnie grabbed a laptop from the workbench, "Kitt, hang
on."

Leaning against Ella, Michael was beginning to lose consciousness; only
his fear for his partner keeping him awake. Ella watched him, easily
recognizing the signs. "Kitt! If you're still there, we need an
ambulance."

Bonnie hooked in the laptop and read out the words that instantly
appeared there.

services on their way tell michael sorry love you all

"Kitt!" There was real anger in Bonnie's voice. "Don't even think
about it! I'm not letting you go!"

failed

"No! You didn't fail! Michael's fine, it's just a bullet wound! He's
okay. Kitt, I won't let you do this to us! You can't leave us." She
took a deep breath. "We love you, Kitt."

There was a long pause, before she read,

too much pain must shut down

"Kitt...." Bonnie watched the screen, searching for some sign that he
was still with them, but there was none. Finally she turned to Ella and
Michael, wiping the moisture from the side of her eye. "He's in shock.
Three perceptors are shot and he's taken himself off line."

Devon glanced around the quiet of the garage. Ella was sitting on the
floor, with Michael held gently in her arms, watching Bonnie with stark
concern. But although she had cut the input from the perceptor net to
Kitt's CPU, there was still no response from Kitt himself.
Ella's eyes fell on Avril's straining form. "You bitch," she spat,
just for the hell of it.
Avril glared back. "Who the hell are you?"
Devon looked at her with mock apology. "I'm sorry, how rude of me not
to introduce you, Ella, Avril Stone, Avril, this is Ella...." And
without knowing why, he added, "Kitt's girlfriend."
Ella recognized the expression on Avril's face, and suddenly she
realized what all this had been about. She smiled. "You lost...
Alice."

**

Devon walked through the peaceful cemetery until he came to the marble
gravestone he knew so well.
'Wilton Garth William Knight - died August 8th 1982 - beloved father
and friend'.
Sighing gently, Devon crouched down and laid the flowers in front of
the stone. "Wilton, I know it's been... a long time, too long, I'm
sorry. I've been rather busy, you did leave me with the equivalent of
half an empire to run." He smiled to himself, shifting to get his
balance right.
"We've been through a tough patch, and we're lucky Michael's still with
us. But I'm not sure that we all made it through this one. You see,
Wilton, we need to talk about your son - your other son. I realize that
for the few days that you knew Kitt, he was simply a computer. But he's
reached the stage where we need to start thinking about his future, if
he makes it. You were too generous to me in your will, Wilton, you left
me more than I could ever need, and I only have one daughter. I'm going
to set up a trust fund, for Kitt, to ensure he can live out his life by
Michael's side, without the worry of where his next overhaul is going to
come from."

The passing breeze lifted one of the flowers, and moved it towards
Devon. Watching the petals dancing, he continued. "I need to give
him... something, a gift, to show him how much we care. I know it's
unconventional, Wilton, but I'd like... to have him Christened. I only
hope that you would give him your blessing."

The breeze became a quiet wind, and the stray flower was shifted closer
to Devon. "I never would have thought that it would be like this, I
know it wasn't your intention to create a new life. But that's what we
did, dear friend. I only wish you were still around to watch him grow."

He stayed for only a few minutes more, before standing, and walking
back towards the path. Not a day went by without him missing his
friend, but he had enough to remind him of Wilton, the old man would
never be forgotten.

**

Michael sat in the driver's seat, head back against the rest, the door
open, his eyes closed. He had ignored the doctor's advice to rest in
his bed; he had wanted to be with Kitt while his partner also underwent
surgery. But as soon as he had become comfortable in the plush seat, he
had fallen asleep.

Bonnie replaced each perceptor, teaching Ella how to configure them as
she went along. They were repairing the physical damage, but Kitt still
had not brought himself back on-line, and the external access was still
locked out. When they had started working several hours ago, they had
tried talking to Kitt, trying to persuade him to come back. But Bonnie
could not be sure if Kitt was even hearing them, and some time ago they
had lapsed into silence. Finally the perceptor net was complete again,
and Bonnie closed the hood gently, not wanting to wake Michael. She
looked over at Ella, helplessness clear in her expression. "I don't
know what else to do."
Ella touched her arm in understanding. "He went through a lot, I think
it's gonna take some time."
"He told me, on the laptop, before he shut down, that he'd failed. I
don't know what he meant by that."
"He was in a lot of pain, chances were that his systems were severely
affected. Maybe he... imagined he was responsible for Michael being
injured, because he was the one Avril was interested in."
"Maybe," Bonnie was not convinced, but there was very little she could
do about it at the moment. She glanced down at her watch. It was
nearly eleven am. "I have to get some sleep before I collapse."
"I can understand that one."

Together they headed tiredly for the house. But while Bonnie headed
for her room, Ella made for the kitchen, and coffee.

Michael slept for another four hours before he awoke feeling fragile
and crumpled. Cautiously he stretched his back, only to have his
shoulder warn him that the painkillers were rapidly wearing off. He
groaned with the pain, and leant back again in the seat. "Kitt." There
was no reply, and Michael realized that the dash was unusually dark.
"Kitt?"

As he had lain on the garage floor, in Ella's strong grip, he had
believed Avril had killed his partner; shot him dead as Michael had sat
there unable to do a thing about it. Anguish and pain had kept him
awake when his whole body had been dragging him towards the blissful
darkness of sleep. Then Bonnie had come over to him; he remembered her
beautiful face near his. She had told him that Kitt was okay, that
Avril had not shot at the CPU, that his partner was going to be fine,
and so was he. So what the hell was going on?

He looked out of the windshield, over to the workbench to see if they
had removed the CPU from the car for some reason. But it was relatively
clear, except for the laptop. "Kitt?" Still nothing. He thought back
to those dark hours, to everything Kitt had said to him. Kitt had kept
apologizing, but why? Michael frowned, and shifted to try to get his
shoulder comfortable.

"Kitt, I know you're there." He sighed. "What were you apologizing
for, Pal? It wasn't your fault Devon employed a total psychopath five
years ago, we just have to get him to improve his interview
techniques." There was still no response, but something, a sixth sense
that he had developed over the last few years, told him that his partner
was there, and was listening. "I know how much you're hurting, Kitt.
She said a lot of things that I know would have upset you." He shifted
again; his injury starting to really hurt now the medication had worn
off almost completely. But he was not going to walk away from Kitt if
he could help it.

"A long time ago you asked me your worth. You're worth everything; I
wouldn't start to calculate your value in money, because you can't put a
price on life." On the dash, a single light sparked into life next to
the tiny lens. Kitt was watching him. He softened his voice. "You did
the right thing by calling me the way you did, it was my fault that I
just came storming into the garage. You warned me, and I just ignored
it because I was tired. Don't think for one moment that you endangered
my life by calling me." He tried to think straight, tried to get
through the pain fogging his mind to what he thought was the point.
"She wouldn't have waited forever. She would have come into the house
and found someone, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get at you."

He bit into his bottom lip, and knew he was going to have to get some
medication. "Kitt, listen pal, I have to take something for this
shoulder. I will be back in a couple of minutes, you just hang in
there, okay?" There was no answer, but Michael somehow knew that it was
okay. He struggled out of the car and started towards the house.

Kitt sat quietly on his own. His circuits were processing a paradox,
not an easy thing for a computer to do. His main program was to
preserve human life, Michael's life, and he could not and would not
abandon that most basic function. He had failed to do that in this
case. He had called Michael because he had needed him, because Avril
had frightened him, and in doing so he had placed Michael's life in
mortal danger. He should be shutdown for that near fatal error of
judgement. But he had heard Bonnie's pleas to him in the garage
afterwards, he had heard the pain in Michael's cries when he had called
to him. They would not shut him down if he asked them to, he would have
to do it himself, and that action would again hurt Michael. Maybe more
than his injury, if Kitt understood human emotions correctly now. So he
was stuck in the middle of a decision he could not make. His systems
were tied into a loop he was finding very difficult to get out of.

Ella peered into the garage. Michael had asked her to talk to Kitt, to
see if she could talk some sense into him. Michael needed to sleep, he
was in no condition to deal with this right now, and he did not want to
make a mistake that would lead to them losing Kitt. Ella understood all
that, but she still was not sure what she could say to him that would
make any difference here. At least, she thought, she understood the
ghosts he was fighting with.

The car door was still open, and she made herself comfortable. The
dash was still dead, even the one light Michael had managed to coax on
had been darkened again. "Kitt," she started gently. "It's a terrible
feeling when you believe you've put someone's life in danger, especially
when you can't find a good reason for your actions. But you don't have
to go through this. Any of us could have wondered into the garage last
night, we were all up. You see, Michael may have ignored your warning,
and strolled straight in here, but Bonnie didn't. She called the
police, she alerted Devon and I, and when we did come in here, we were
prepared. Your call to Michael saved you both. Because she would have
got to someone eventually, and after a long wait she may not have
bothered taking her time with you."

Ella closed the car door and curled her legs under her, shifting
position until she was sat up against the window; arm hooked up over the
dash. She reached out to the internal perceptor and gently laid her
thumb over it, starting to stroke softly, trying to reassure. "It's
over now, Love. She handed us something to charge her with. Attempted
murder. Devon's trying to make it two counts, and I think the local
police are fine with that. You seem to have made a lot of friends
around here."

Her gaze swept across the dash. "I know you're not sulking. I know
there's something terribly wrong. Please talk to me." More silence.
She leant her head against the side arm of the car, between the window
and the windshield. "Well, okay, how about I talk to you, and when you
get bored of hearing my voice, you tell me to shut up." There was no
reply. "Okay. I've been doing a lot of thinking, about my life, and
about you. I like L.A., I like living in Hollywood, it gives me a sense
of... grandeur. I enjoy my work; I like my job, especially the amount
they pay me to do it. I love my friends. I get off on the idea that I
spend a great many lunch-times and evenings in an Internet Cafe when I
have a faster, free link at work."

Her eyes dropped to where her thumb was playing on the perceptor, and
she altered the pattern slightly, going from reassurance, to something
slightly more sensual. "I have had boyfriends in the past, none of whom
have turned out to be the man of my dreams. I started thinking maybe I
was expecting too much, or maybe I should become a nun, or a lesbian.
And then out of the blue comes a mysterious phone call from an
Englishman, who sounds like he's about to breakdown at any minute. And
I end up flying to Canada late one Friday night to fix a non-existent
bug in a piece of my software that I didn't even know was being used, in
a system that officially does not exist. I used not to believe in fate,
but I'm not so sure now." She smiled to herself, her voice softening.
"And I met you. And from the first moment you spoke to me, I knew that
I would love you."

Kitt was not sure if any of his circuits were still dealing with the
paradox he had been experiencing. The only things he knew for certain
were Ella's voice, her words, and her touch. He was mesmerized.
Everything she had said to him had given him a reason to stay. He was
starting to accept that he had made a mistake. Or maybe he had not.
But whatever had happened, he realized Michael would rather they just
accepted that, learn from it, and put it behind them. The simple
conclusion was pushed to the back of his CPU as Ella's presence became
intoxicating, filling him with the warmth of her words and the effect
her touch was once again having on him. It was hard enough to
concentrate on anything else when her fingers were simply on his body.
But her stroking of the sensitive area the perceptor represented was
overwhelming, leaving little room in his processor for any other
thoughts.

Ella believed she could feel the heat in the car rising. She tilted
her head to look at the main dash, and at some point, a few of the
lights had been illuminated; Kitt had come back on line. Still he did
not speak, but if she listened carefully she could hear small, quiet
moans of what might have been contentment, or might have been need. She
swapped to her fingers over the perceptor, increasing the pressure
slightly and again changing the pattern.

When Ella had begun her gentle caressing, all of Kitt's functions had
been off-line. He had left a great many of them that way, bringing only
a few back, enough to be able to see her, and hear her, and feel not
only her fingers but her body against the seat, the door and the dash.
Nothing else existed, and that gave her presence an intensity that Kitt
had not experienced before. He let another, this time greater, wave of
energy pass over his voice modulator.

Ella felt the warm shiver drive through her body when she heard the
sound. This time she understood exactly what it meant, a need, an
almost desperate need for something she was not sure she could give
him. Leaning her head back against the hardness of the car, she closed
her eyes. "Kitt," she whispered, "you have to tell me if it becomes too
much." The last thing she wanted to do was to start an overload. "I
don't want to hurt you."

There was a heated pause, and then finally Kitt spoke, quiet yet with a
depth of sensuality she had never heard before. "It feels so good,
Ella."
She smiled, increasing the strokes, keeping pace with the beat of her
heart.

Kitt could feel... a pulse, through his circuits, aligning and
harmonizing as it passed. For this time, she was all he knew, all he
needed to know. Never before had he thought this much about his own
feelings, about his own being. It was fantastic, it was erotic in a way
he had never believed he would experience. Through the sensual haze his
world was becoming, he could hear Ella's voice, caressing him as much as
her fingers were.

"Kitt, I need you. I want you to let go, of everything they've done to
you. I want you to release it all, the hatred, the pain, the fear; let
it all go. Just keep this next to your heart. Just this one feeling,
my fingers on you, my body wrapped in yours, close to you."

Ella's eyes were open, watching the light inside the car as it dimmed.
The only real telltale of the effect she was having on him were the
almost continual sounds emanating from the voice modulator. Ella felt
their effect on her as she had never done before. She gazed down at her
fingers, and slowly she lowered her head and placed her lips lightly on
the area she had been stroking. Kitt felt it, felt the change in
pressure, sensed the softer caress, the slight moisture and the focused
heat of breath. A long moan escaped him, and the pulse within him
grew. "Come on. Kitt, I know you can do this for me. Let it go baby,
just for me. Let it go."

The sensations of her fingers, her lips, her voice caressing him and
her body within the car became overwhelming. A sudden fear of losing
the control he had always maintained flooded over him, leaving a chill
deep within him. But Ella's ruthless touch filled him again quickly,
chasing away the fear, unknowingly reassuring him that she was there,
that he could let go of the control he held on to as if it was his
life's dependence.

In a magnificent moment, Kitt released that hold, riding the bright
waves of energy that were passing through him, nearing a climactic burst
that he knew would be like nothing he had known. Ella watched as the
lights on the dash danced with the joy of being released, with the
energy flowing through them, unreigned and unfocused. "God, Kitt....
Baby...."

Suddenly, Kitt let loose a joyous cry; the dash lighting up across the
board as the stunning burst of energy flooded every system. Like white
fire through his circuits, the peak of the surge seemed to last forever
and ended in a second. Kitt rode the backwash of tremors over his
pathways and nets, knowing a deep peace that was new to him. He was
uncertain what had happened. But unlike any other power surge, that
might have wiped out his systems if it had hit so hard, this had been
more of a release of energy than a build up. He could feel every
circuit; every system pulsing with the warm glow that had seemed to
envelop him.

Finally, he started to take in data again from the internal sensors,
and found Ella still curled against him, exactly where he wanted her to
be. Her fingers were dancing teasingly around the edge of the
perceptor's range, but no longer touching it directly, as if she knew
somehow that the surge had made the area suddenly painfully sensitive.
As if to ease him, she once again leaned down and placed a gentle kiss
where she knew he could feel her so very clearly.

"Are you okay?" she whispered after a short while.
"...more than okay, Ella. Much more."
She smiled, finally resting her fingers' movement and wrapping her arm
lightly around the steering wheel. Her whole body felt warm and
tingling. "I love you, Kitt," she told him softly, thinking that just
maybe he needed to hear it right now.
"I love you too, Ella. That was... amazing, incredible.... Words
don't seem adequate."
"You don't have to find the words. You have a much more eloquent way
of expressing yourself, believe me."
Kitt did not really understand that, but Ella seemed to be at ease with
him still, and that was the most important thing.

**

They left the garage together, Kitt driving, Ella strolling happily by
his side. Finally, everyone had managed to get some sleep, and Michael,
who had seen them from the lounge window, came out to meet them. Ella
was looking rested and relaxed, and to his weird sixth sense Kitt felt
alive and settled. Hands in pockets, Ella stopped in front of Michael
and smiled. There was something in that smile, something he was sensing
from his partner also, something he did not want to ask about. "Sleep
well?"
Ella nodded, grinning insanely. "You?"
"It's always easy to sleep when you're drugged up to the eyeballs!"

Bonnie was not far behind Michael. Once she saw that Kitt was back
with them, she wanted to run all the diagnostics that she could on the
new perceptor net, to ensure that Kitt did not suffer any side-effects
from the installation of the replacement hardware, and to make certain
everything was functioning as it should.

But Kitt had his own priorities, and he asked her and Ella if he and
Michael could join them in the lab. The two women made a tactical
retreat, and Michael climbed in to the car. "It's good to hear you
talk, Kitt." Michael told him with absolute sincerity and no small
measure of relief.
"I'm so glad that you're all right, Michael. I'm sorry I risked your
life."
"You know it was the only thing you could have done."
"Maybe."

Michael ran his fingers gently over the hub of the door, and leaned
forward, ensuring his good arm rested over the perceptor as he hooked it
over the steering wheel. A sudden flood surged through Kitt's systems
and he instantly dampened the input from the device, having forgotten to
earlier on. Michael noticed nothing wrong, although maybe he sensed...
something. He merely smiled. "It's over, Pal. Life can return to
normal whenever we want it to."
"I think you need time to heal," Kitt told him, referring to his
bandaged shoulder.
"I think we both need time to heal." Michael sighed gently. "Have I
told you lately that you're the best, Kitt?"
There was cheer in Kitt's voice when he answered. "I think you might
have."
Michael smiled at that, and it reminded him of something Kitt had once
said. "Do you remember, when we faced off with KARR, telling me that
you wanted me to know that it had been a beautiful partnership?"
"Yes."
"You were right. We have the most beautiful partnership I have ever
experienced. And I swear to you that I never let anything destroy
that."
There was a pause, and then, "Michael?"
"Yeah, Kitt?"
"You're the best."

*****

Ella sat quietly on the front steps of the mansion and watched the sun
set. Maybe she had known that night in Canada, when she had looked up
and seen the stars for the first time in many years, that she would not
go home again. Maybe she had known, the first time she had heard
Devon's voice on the telephone, that her life would never be the same.
Maybe. But the moment she had met Kitt, she knew nothing could stay the
same.

She had resigned her position at RDA, and accepted Devon's offer of a
job in Knight Industry's research and development lab, working on a
secretive project concerning one man, and one hell of a car.

Michael and Kitt were back on the road only a couple of weeks after the
shooting; something came up, as it always did. Ella was to see very
little of Kitt, but every moment that they did spend together was
electric. And she always felt close to him, working on the estate, and
he never failed to call when he said he would.

And even though neither she, nor Kitt could see a happy ending to their
relationship, both knew how they felt, and neither was willing to give
that up.

So maybe that is a happy ending.

fin