Author's Notes: Hey, everyone! Whew! Man, university is a whole new world with its own challenges! Luckily, it looks like I'm doing OK so far with it (although one class is looking a bit shaky) and having to work on the weekends. Anyway, big news "Knight Rider" fans: The show just turned 40 years old! That's right; as of September 26th, 2022, "Knight Rider" has reached its 40th birthday! Now it's only another 10 years before the show turns 50 (good grief, how time is flying). So, happy birthday "Knight Rider" and thank you Mr. Glen Larson for creating this show, as well as thank you to the cast (David Hasselhoff, William Daniels (bless you and good health, sir!), Edward Mulhare, Patricia McPherson, Rebecca Holden, Peter Parros, Peter Cullen (now 81 years of age as of July 28, 2022, happy belated birthday to you, sir!), and the many guest stars) and crew that brought the world and characters of this amazing series to life.

Two other series birthdays I wish to note: "Animaniacs (1993)" and "Pinky and the Brain", which aired their first episodes September 13, 1993, and September 9, 1995, respectively. The original "Animaniacs" series that originated characters such as the Warner siblings as well as Slappy Squirrel, Skippy Squirrel, the Goodfeathers, Rita and Runt, and, most famously, Pinky and the Brain, has now hit 29 years while its spin-off, "Pinky and the Brain", has turned 27. Man, we have a lot of September birthdays going around, don't we? And to think, I came into the world only 20 days before each series' final episode aired on November 14th, 1998; is that scary or what? Anyways, happy birthday "Animaniacs (1993)" and "Pinky and the Brain", and thank you to Tom Ruegger, Steven Spielberg, Lenord Robinson, Barry Caldwell, Sherri Stoner, Tom Minton, Peter Hastings, Randy Rogel, Audu Paden, Paul Rugg, Deanna Oliver, Charles M. Howell IV, Jean MacCurdy, Andrea Romano, Liz Holzman, Gordon Bressack, Rusty Mills, Chuck McCann (would've been 88 today), Richard Stone, Rob Paulsen, Maurice LaMarche, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille, Frank Welker, Nathan Ruegger, Nancy Cartwright, Bernadette Peters, John Mariano, Chick Vennera, and everyone living and passed on who worked on both shows for giving us such memorable shows and characters that we still love to this day.

OK, now that we've done the "housekeeping", so to speak, let's get down to why we're here, which is this new chapter of "Knight Mice". I have to warn you all that due to outside circumstances as well as the approaching spooky season, I've been turning my attention to an old/new story that's a crossover mainly between Scooby-Doo and a 1986 series called "Filmation's Ghostbusters" (no relation to "The Real Ghostbusters" which aired around the same time). Once I actually get a chapter set, I'll give you the whole story with that, but let's focus on this story, shall we?

Ooh, one more thing I might want to mention: The beginning part of this chapter is not available on the version of the show aired on Netflix, it's only available in the version of "Knight of the Phoenix" that is on the Internet and on the DVD, I believe. So, for those of you who have never seen this scene before, this will be quite a treat.

As per the rules, I only own one character here, and that is my OC Salas. I do not own the series "Knight Rider"; its characters belong to Glen A. Larson, who came up with this fantastic series, and the series also belongs to Universal Studios. I also do not own the duo of Pinky and the Brain; they belong to Steven Spielberg, Amblin, and Warner Bros.

Recap: On arriving in Silicon Valley, Michael Knight, formerly Michael Long, Pinky, Brain, Salas, and KITT set their sights on the electronics company Comtron in order to find and bring down Tanya Walker and her friends, although there is much concern as to which method will be applied to do so. Meanwhile, they also make the acquaintance of Maggie, a waitress and former Comtron employee who is another of Tanya's victims. The unusual quintet hear Maggie's story—which leads to much worrying over safety—and later learn that Tanya Walker will be at a demolition derby that Comtron is holding for charity. Michael promises to pick up Maggie and her son to take them to see the event while he participates. Here's what occurred a few hours before the derby…


Chapter 9: "Another Attempted Break-In"

The next morning, the quartet got up bright and early to get ready for their 10 o'clock rendezvous. Brain had gotten up first at around 4:30 AM—as his world domination capers were often conducted at night, he was used to minimal sleeping hours—and he spent his time still trying to figure an opportune moment to make off with the Knight 2000. Problem was, there wasn't much time, too many eyes were on him, and some part of him was starting to think about dropping the whole thing on the grounds that he was many things but kidnapping certainly didn't fall under his style. Pinky's influence, no doubt. K.I.T.T. was nothing but a computer, a tool. And once this whole demolition derby business was over, K.I.T.T. would be his tool to use.

Michael had woken up twice; once at 4:50 AM from another panic attack—which had Pinky up in an instant to calm him down and Brain by his side—and at 6:00 AM, which was when he actually dragged himself out of bed, did his morning routine, and placed two calls. One was to the front desk of the motel for room service and to tell them he'd be checking out, and the second was to Comtron to let them know of his interest in entering the demolition derby.

"Dare I ask who was on the other end?" Brain asked, having noticed Michael had been tensing up throughout that last phone call.

The haunted look he got told the big-headed lab mouse all he needed to know.

A few minutes later, Michael walked out of the motel and paused in front of the bushes. He looked around to make sure there wasn't a lot of people around, fingered something in his right jacket pocket, and whistled.

As if on cue, Salas's head popped out of the greenery.

"I'm not a dog, but thanks for the signal," Salas said. "G'mornin'."

"Good morning to you, too," Michael playfully snarked, making the colt and himself laugh. He then withdrew a red apple out of his pocket. "Pocketed some breakfast for ya."

"Thanks," Salas smiled. "There's not exactly a lot to snack on out here."

"I noticed," Michael said as he felt the apple being taken out of his hand, chuckling as the small hairs on the colt's snout tickled him.

"So…So where are the—"

Michael had brought out another apple. "They're in my other pocket," he answered Salas's unfinished question. "I know two apples isn't much, but—"

"Oh, noh—" Salas started with a mouth full of apple before remembering to chew and swallow first, then talk. "It's fine. Really. How'd you two sleep?" he then addressed the mice as they climbed out of Michael's jacket pocket.

"Adequately," Brain responded.

"Oh, not bad; narf!" Pinky answered. "Had to wake up a couple times, though."

"Sorry I wasn't there," Salas apologized to Michael.

"Hey, don't apologize; these guys did pretty good under the circumstances," Michael assured the horse. "Though I hate waking up and feeling like I'm in a place I don't know," he admitted.

Salas nodded, deciding not to verbally respond to that.

"How'd you sleep?" Pinky asked as the unusual foursome began making their way to KITT.

"Not bad," Salas said. "Though I probably got to bed a bit later than I should have; I needed to vent a little."

"I really wish you guys would stop fussing over me," Michael sighed.

"'Fraid you're outta luck on that one," Salas responded. "I've got no intention of stopping my 'fussing', as you've put it, until the last minute, whenever that is."

"I'll say this for you guys: You're persistent."

"Thanks."

"Thank you," Pinky said, before turning his head to see KITT waiting. "HI KI—MMPH!"

Brain shushed Pinky as he grabbed his snout. "Do you want to draw attention?!" he whispered angrily.

"I agree with not wanting to draw attention this early in the morning, but do you think you can do without the physical violence?" Michael asked.

"Can't wait to see the day that happens," Salas muttered to himself. "Just wait 'til we get in, pal," he suggested aloud.

"Sorry. Narf," Pinky said softly once he had been released.

Once everyone had gotten in, Pinky was able to get his "good morning" in.

"You sleep well?" he asked.

Salas was slightly dreading the answer, but at the same time, a smile was beginning to tug at the corners of his mouth in anticipation of the ensuing scene.

"As I've told Salas, computers have no need for sleep," KITT replied. "In addition, someone had to conduct surveillance to ensure your collective safety."

Michael sent a confused look to the colt who was desperately trying to keep a straight face in the back seat.

Salas mouthed, "3…2…1…"

"KITT KNIGHT!" Pinky exploded.

Salas ducked his head as he tried to hold his laughter in. Michael jumped in his seat, and was it his imagination or did the car jump, too?

"For goodness sake, young man! If you don't get a proper sleep, you're not going to be able to perform well!" Pinky scolded.

Hard as he tried, Michael could not stop snickering; this was way too funny.

"And don't give me that lip about computers and the like! The next time I hear you didn't get your needed hours of sleep, I'm gonna—!"

"All right! All right!" KITT interrupted; if he had hands, he'd likely be putting them up in a gesture of surrender. "I'll make sure to find a moment for some downtime next time, all right?"

"I'll hold you to that," Pinky warned. He then turned to the still-smirking Michael Knight, whose smirk very quickly disappeared under the disciplinary gaze of the blue-eyed lab mouse. "And you'd better make sure that he does," he added.

Michael didn't know if he was surprised or scared by this, but he decided to agree if only to stop Pinky glaring at him.

"I will. I will," Michael consented, holding his hands up in a placating gesture before facing forward in his seat and blowing out an exhale.

Satisfied with the answers he had gotten, Pinky settled back into his usual chipper self, not noticing that Brain had his hand over his face. One would think he was expressing frustration over Pinky consistently treating a computer like a child, but that was part of it; apparently, he had found the situation of K.I.T.T. getting scolded by a mouse to be highly amusing.

Salas had managed to stop laughing, but the smile had not disappeared as he brought himself back up.

"I told you," Salas mouthed to the AI.

KITT virtually rolled his eyes.

Don't remind me, the AI groaned.

As for Michael, Salas had this to say: "Another thing to learn about us is 'Don't mess with Mother Hen'."

The look on Michael's face as he put the car in gear said the same as KITT's virtual eyeroll.


"But why not call Devon back at the hotel?" Pinky queried as Michael opened the driver's side door.

Michael had just pulled KITT into the parking lot of a car repair shop, having noticed a pay phone nearby and deciding to give Devon a progress report…not to mention say a few things about some recent surprises.

"I can understand if you don't want to chance anyone from Comtron listening in at the hotel, but also why not use the microwave mobile line?" Brain asked.

"Same reason," Michael answered. "I'd like some privacy. Hey!" he yelped when Brain jumped onto his jacket as he got out of the car. "Where do you think you're goin'?"

"As a senior member of this group, I insist on adding in my own progress report," Brain answered.

"What do you mean 'senior member'?" Michael questioned.

"Among the three of us, and for obvious reasons, Brain's in charge," Salas explained.

"Well, in case everybody's forgotten, there's four of us now, and since I'm the one driving, that means I'm in charge and I give the progress reports," Michael stated.

"You may be the one driving the car, but frankly your agenda is clouding your judgment, thus there's the possibility of the three of us being put in jeopardy; therefore, based on that and my prior experience, I am a senior member in this group and, if need be, leader."

"I'll follow you when h—"

"OK! OK! Time-out, everybody!" Salas shouted, stopping Michael from saying something that would get everyone riled up again. "Look, how about this: Michael does half of the report, and Brain does the other half. That sound fair?"

"Sounds fair to me. Narf!" Pinky said.

Brain looked at the Quarab colt suspiciously, wondering if this was another ploy to get him out of the car again. The response he got was a face that said, "Would you just cooperate for once?!"

So it wasn't a ploy. This time.

Both Michael and Brain let out a sigh of defeat before the former offered his hand palm-up for the genius lab mouse to stand on so that he could take him up to his shoulder. Once Brain was situated, Michael closed the door and walked over to the pay phone.

Salas blew out a breath to release the tension.

"We seriously have to work on our command structure," the young Quarab sighed.

"Not to mention those two need a refresher in math; there's five of us, not four," Pinky added. "I'm surprised Michael made that mistake."

"Hey, give 'em time; they'll come around," Salas said optimistically, meaning that assurance to be for KITT as well as Pinky.

BleeE-Eep! BleeE-Eep!

"Kitt, what are you doing?!" Pinky yelped as a sliding whirring noise sounded off.

"It's KITT's surveillance alarm!" Salas identified. "We've got company!"

"Who?!" Pinky yelped, looking panicked.

"Oh no!" KITT groaned.

Salas looked out the windows until he finally spotted a familiar car colored light blue with a black stripe just out the rear windshield.

"Aw, not again!" Salas groaned. "Get down!" he ordered Pinky as he got on the floor and tried to squeeze as much of himself under the backseat as he could. Once he and Pinky were situated, Salas then asked, "Remember those two guys I told you about? The ones who tried to steal KITT yesterday?"

Pinky nodded.

"Well, they're right outside," Salas finished.

"They can't take Kitt! That's kidnapping!" Pinky protested.

"I believe the actual term for the offense is 'auto theft', but I can assure you that there is no cause for alarm," KITT said in a hushed tone in case those two car-thief wannabes were close enough to hear at the moment.

"'No cause for-'! Kitt! They're gonna try to steal you!" Pinky argued, needing to quiet his own voice after getting shushed.

"Exactly," KITT said, sounding rather confident about something.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"I think we're about to find out; here they come," Salas piped up, hearing car doors close and footsteps approaching.

A couple seconds later, Jackson and his friend were right next to KITT. They gave a brief glance at their surroundings to see if the coast was clear, somehow once again missing the floor in the back of the car.

"What, uh… What do you think?" Jackson's Spanish-speaking friend asked, trying to sound casual.

Jackson smiled, pulled out his lockpick, and said, "Piece o' cake".

I am afraid that 'piece of cake' of yours is going to turn out to be a concrete brick, gentlemen, KITT thought smugly.

Now it was Pinky's turn to roll his eyes.


Meanwhile, Michael had dialed the number for the Knight Estate and managed to reach Devon in his office.

"Michael, where on Earth are you?" Devon demanded over the phone.

"You act as if you didn't know," Michael answered, his tone of not believing that Devon was genuinely surprised.

"I'm not clairvoyant!" Devon answered back.

"You got a spy, though."

"KITT? Don't be ridiculous."

Brain cleared his throat loudly just then, making himself heard over the phone. Michael rolled his eyes and begrudgingly held the receiver in Brain's direction.

"Oh. Hello?"

"Greetings, Mr. Miles," Brain said in his usual, droning tone. "It is I, the Brain."

"So, you haven't run off, then?" Devon asked.

"Not at the moment, no," Brain answered. "We're in Millston. However, I do want a word with you regarding withholding critical information."

Brain could practically see the man rolling his eyes on the other end. "Let me guess: KITT."

"You deliberately neglected to mention that your AI was capable of verbal communication," Brain accused.

"I was going to tell you, but you all ran out the door before I could say anything. And Michael, KITT is not a spy for anyone. He answers only to you, unless, of course, you're incapacitated and release him, in which case he'll-"

Brain groaned this time, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"What the devil is the matter now?!" Devon asked in exasperation.

"Mr. Miles, I find it hard to believe that a man such as yourself would find yourself buying into the beliefs of a simple mind," Brain answered.

"What?"

"I can't believe Pinky got to you."

"In simple English, Devon, 'it' is an 'it', not a 'he'," Michael stated with emphasis, referring to KITT. "Don't ever forget that."

Brain had to adjust his balance as Michael shifted. The genius lab mouse glanced over to find that the curly-haired young man was looking uncomfortable, as if his stomach was bothering him.

"I don't see what difference that makes!" Devon said.

Before Brain could get a word in, Michael put the receiver back in his right hand, fought through the tightening in his chest and stomach, and said, "That's because I'm the one out here with three animals to look after."

"We're not your pets, you know," Brain muttered.

"I'm a 'he'. The four of us are living beings," Michael continued, ignoring Brain's grumble and now resisting the urge to groan as the uncomfortable feelings increased. "We could get our faces shot off, not 'it'."


Back at KITT, Jackson was still trying to jimmy the door open, but was surprisingly finding himself getting nowhere fast.

"It's already been a minute and a half," Salas whispered from his hiding spot on the floor. "Anyone else would have gotten in by now; this is incredible!"

"Really?" Pinky asked, also whispering from his hiding place under the backseat.

"Have you heard the door open at all since they started?"

"No."

"That's why I'm so surprised! Actually, you know what?" Salas asked after a pause.

"What?" Pinky asked back.

"Maybe we really shouldn't be surprised. I mean, think about it; do you really think Wilton would have built KITT to be out here without putting in some safeguards besides a tough shell?"

"Well, no; I mean, that'd be…" Pinky trailed off, starting to catch on. "Well, no wonder Kitt said not to worry," the blue-eyed mouse softly chuckled.

Frankly, Pinky and Salas didn't have to worry about Jackson and his friend getting into KITT, but they still had to worry about getting spotted; the Spanish-speaking man was wondering what was taking Jackson so long to pick the lock and started turning around. With his arm in the way and Jackson occasionally covering the window, he couldn't see much, but he was starting to wonder why it looked like the floor in the back was moving.


"All that business aside," Devon said firmly, wanting to move on from the subject of mistaken pronouns, "what's happened, Michael?"

"Nothing so far, but we've made contact," Michael reported.

"Marvelous!" Devon praised.

"Let's hope so," Michael said.

"Well, we'll know in a couple hours," Brain added.

"And what happens in two hours?" Devon asked eagerly.

There was a pause as the man and the large-headed lab mouse looked at each other with smirks. This was gonna be fun.

It was Michael who decided to break the news to the boss: "Demolition derby."

"Splendid! Demolition—What's a demolition derby?" Devon asked after cutting himself off mid-praise.

The smirks widened.

"It's where people enter their cars in a kind of competition," Brain explained, deciding to take the lead this time.


He supposed that if he was, KITT would be giggling like a little boy who had gotten the upper hand in a game, which is funny because as he watched that man try to pick his door lock, he was giggling like a little boy and trying hard not to make it noticeable via the little red square on his dash.

"It bent my pick!" Jackson suddenly yelped.

The eyes and mouths of the hidden horse and mouse went wide at the exclamation while KITT's virtual face got a devilishly smug look.

True enough, when Jackson had taken his tool out of the lock, it was bent and twisted as if it had been tinfoil.

I warned you, KITT silently smirked.

Salas and Pinky became a flurry of hushed whispers:

"Did you hear that?!"

"How did he do that?!"

"I don't believe it!"

"You think I do?"

"This is amazing!"

"This is wizard!"

"You hear something?"

The two hidden animals immediately hushed up.

"I didn't hear nothin', man," Jackson told his friend, still frustrated over the pick.

"Maybe we oughta hold it a moment," Jackson's friend suggested. "Something's not right about this car."

"You're darn right there ain't! No car can mess up my pick like that!"

"Hey, it ain't just that; I think there's somethin' in there."

"You bet there is; a sweet ride and it's mine. Now come on, help me get in there!"

They just don't know when to quit, do they? KITT sighed to himself.


"Sensational!" Devon was saying to Michael and Brain. "We can't lose! We have the best car on Earth! And what happens next?"

"All the cars get demolished," Michael answered.

"That's not very funny," Devon said, the excitement gone from his voice. "Now, what really happens?" he asked.

"That's what really happens," Michael said truthfully.

"I'm afraid I concur," Brain added. "I've had experience, trust me."

"I don't even want to know," Devon muttered.


"Can you see what they're doing?" Salas whispered to Pinky, who was now standing on the colt's side.

"Poit. Not from down here," Pinky replied. "I can't see them, but I hear 'em."

"Then they're probably standing far enough away," Salas reasoned. "I'm getting my head up; the suspense is killing me."

Salas carefully inched back as much as he could so that he could pull his head out from under the seat, which, given his snout, wasn't easy. Trying to pull himself partway up was even harder due to not having elbows like a human, and he found himself dealing with a slightly pulled neck muscle when he was suddenly startled by a foot with a leg attached slamming itself into the door.

Man, they've gotta be getting desperate if they're reverting to more physical tactics, Salas thought.

If that hooligan tries again, all he is going to get for his reward is a broken foot, KITT said silently, shaking his virtual head.

"Here, you idiot!" the Spanish-accented man berated his partner as the latter groaned in pain from his failed attempt to bash the window in. "Don't be usin' a foot, man! Use somethin' that ain't gonna get hurt!" He then bent down and picked up a brick, intent on throwing it at the car window.

He's not serious, KITT thought, mostly from brash confidence in his molecularly-bonded shell and partly from concern at what might happen when the intended projectile collided with him.

Jackson's friend made ready to throw the brick like a baseball.

Oh my word! He is! KITT realized.

Oh, this isn't going to end well, thought Salas.

There was the wind-up, the pitch, and… The brick bounced off of KITT's window and hit the African-American square in the head, making him go down. Pinky and Salas winced and groaned. KITT was rather mortified, for lack of a better word.

"Boy, that's gonna leave a mark," Salas grimaced.

"Frankly," KITT whispered aloud, "I half expected the damage to look much worse; that man will be injured for some time, but it looks like he will make it with his skull intact."

It was true; by some sheer, dumb luck, the man's skull hadn't cracked open.

"I was truly not expecting that to happen," KITT said honestly.

"Neither were we. Or them," Salas said as Pinky shook his head.


"Devon, if the car is everything we think it is, we can't get hurt," Michael told the Englishman.

"But much of what KITT's engineers have designed has yet to be proven in the field," Devon argued.

"I think it's safe to say that by the end of the day everything will be tested, for better or for worse," Michael stated confidently.

The man then felt a paw on his neck; it was Brain pointing to his wrist as if the mouse was wearing a watch. Time to go. He hung up before Devon could say anything else, leaving the Englishman to grumble "Demolition derby, indeed".

"You could have at least said 'goodbye'," Brain said to Michael as they made their way back to the car.

"Maybe, but I don't think he was going to let me off the hook, and we've got a date," Michael pointed out as the mouse hid himself under the shoulder of Michael's leather jacket to avoid being seen.

The man hesitated a moment at the sight of two men lying down near the car, one looking like he was out cold with blood going down his face and the other trying to wake him up, but Michael once again reminded himself of his appointment.

"Hey!" Michael called to some people nearby. "Somebody call this guy an ambulance!"

"Hey! No, man! He'll be fine!" the Spanish-accented man said quickly.

"You sure? That looks pretty bad," Michael said.

"Hey, mind your own business!" the man snapped.

"Easy, I'm just tryin' to help here," Michael said in a placating tone.

Some people came over just then and one man asked what had happened, to which Michael answered that he had come back from making a call when he found the two men. A blonde woman corroborated his story and the man volunteered to call an ambulance, much to the Spanish man's chagrin; they needed to get out of here before anyone like the police came! Michael said his thanks before getting in and driving away.


Once they were far enough, Michael signaled the animals to come out of their hiding places.

"All right, who did that?" Michael asked sternly.

Salas and Pinky looked down nervously.

"Well?" Michael asked.

"They are not to blame," KITT spoke up.

"Don't tell me you did that," Michael groaned to the AI.

"Kitt did nothing of the sort!" Pinky exclaimed.

"Yeah, that jerk did it to himself!" Salas added.

"Impossible!" Brain disagreed. "And what are you talking about?"

"Those two men were attempting to break in to me," KITT explained. "Thankfully, they were unsuccessful."

"Yeah, and unfortunately, that guy may have a concussion because of you!" Michael said.

"It was not my fault that that man got hurt because he was trying to steal me!" KITT shouted. "My shell was created to repel any kind of attack on all of you whilst inside me; it is not my fault that he didn't know that! If you want to blame someone, don't blame me and don't blame Pinky and Salas!"

"Whoa, whoa! All I wanted to know was what had happened, I wasn't trying to blame anyone," Michael said, surprised with the burst of frustration from KITT. "I'm sorry."

That got looks of surprise from everyone, even Michael caught himself off-guard. What in the world compelled him to apologize to a machine? His facial features soon twisted into a look of discomfort as the feeling of guilt from what he had said to Devon about KITT being an "it" and not a "he" came back. Why was he feeling so lousy? What he had said was true, wasn't it?

"Hey, Mike, you all right there?" Salas asked, noticing the man's face.

"Are you in pain, Michael?" KITT queried, starting a scan of the human's vitals.

"Nah, I'm fine, don't worry about it," Michael lied. "We got other things to do."

"Speaking of which, what am I gonna do when we get to the track?" Salas asked. "I mean, KITT's not the only one who's gonna stick out like a sore thumb out there."

"What does an injured appendage have to do with you?" KITT queried.

"It means that Salas will be the only horse—Well, actually, the only animal in a place full of vehicles and humans," Brain translated.

"But we'll be there, too, Brain," Pinky pointed out.

"We'll be hidden," Brain told his friend.

"You all will," Michael said firmly.

"But what about when you get into the race?" Salas asked. "You don't expect me to be a passenger throughout that whole thing, do ya?"

"I don't think we've got a lot of choices here. And as long as you're in KITT, you'll be safe and sound. Besides, I don't wanna show all my cards just yet," Michael added enigmatically.

"You mean we're your secret weapons against Ms. Walker?" Brain asked, an accusing tone in his voice.

"She doesn't know about you guys yet and I plan on keeping it that way."

"Mr. Knight, I told you; I will not let myself or my friends be used in your revenge agenda!"

"And I told you, will you guys get off my back with the 'agenda' stuff? It's starting to sound like a broken record."

"Perhaps you should listen to them for a change," KITT said sternly. "Your welfare is part of my programming, and if you think I will let you simply throw your life away or put the lives of my friends in jeopardy to satisfy your foolhardy, single-minded quest, then you are sorely mistaken."

"According to Devon, as long as I'm driving, you answer to me," Michael told the AI.

"Unless you are unable to give orders," KITT pointed out, making Michael nod grudgingly as he remembered that condition being mentioned. "In which case, my programming states that I take them from the next person in line."

"And who would that be?" Michael asked sarcastically.

"According to the conditional statement regarding such an emergency…Pinky."

If anyone had been drinking a glass of water at that moment, they would have spit it out in surprise. Not to mention it was a good thing they were at a stop light, or else Michael would have made a rather sudden lurch to either side of the road. Instead, Brain sputtered and barked a laugh, which stunned Michael further; this was the first time he had heard Brain make a sound that was remotely close to laughter.

"You…You can't be serious," Brain said as he tried to get his breath back.

"Me?!" Pinky squeaked, stunned.

If KITT could nod, he would have.

"And, of course, if somehow you are also incapacitated, then Salas would be next," KITT continued.

"Which means that you're at the bottom of the chain of command, Brain," Salas realized. "Ouch."

Brain was on the verge of losing his temper again; how in Dante's inferno had he been placed at the bottom?! Who was responsible for—?!

"This was Miles's doing, wasn't it?" Brain growled, clenching his fists. "Of all the beings in this world, why were you chosen to be second?!" he shouted at Pinky.

"I dunno," Pinky shrugged. "I'm as con-fused as you, Brain."

"Now, hold on a moment," Salas spoke up. "It's no secret that Devon has never trusted you, Brain, but I highly doubt that he would decide on putting Pinky in charge if something happened to Michael."

"Well, then, whose idea was it?!" Brain demanded.

The answer hit him immediately: Wilton Knight. The old man always seemed to favor Brain's Cockney-accented compatriot more than him. But then, Wilton trusted Salas as well; surely the colt would be a better candidate to be second in line.

Oh, don't tell me…

"But I'm just a stupid lab mouse; why would I get picked?" Pinky asked.

"Whoever did it possibly saw some potential in you," KITT stated honestly, feeling a twinge in his circuits from hearing his friend deride himself like that. "And I don't mind saying that I am glad they made that decision," he added proudly.

"Really?" Pinky asked, touched by that statement.

"Hey, if KITT's OK with that, then so am I," Salas stated.

"I won't lie, it's a bit strange," Michael admitted. "But whoever made that choice apparently knew what they were doing. Besides, I hate to say this, Brain, but you really haven't given people a chance to trust you, so it's no wonder you're at the bottom of the chain."

Brain grumped and sat himself down in the seat, Pinky sitting next to him about an inch away.

"Sorry, Brain," Pinky said contritely.

"Hey, KITT," Salas called. "You wouldn't happen to know who programmed the chain of command that way, would you?"

"The hierarchy was a last-minute adjustment, possibly on…Wilton Knight's orders," KITT stated, almost slipping again. "Thus it is likely that he was the one who dictated the condition."

"Tough break, pal," Michael shrugged to Brain. "And you might wanna lighten up while you're at it; we're almost there," he added as the car turned onto a familiar stretch of road that led to Maggie's apartment.

Brain huffed but didn't say much else. This was the last straw; one way or another, he was getting that computer on wheels out of Knight's hands.


The quintet arrived to find Maggie and Buddy standing at the front door of the apartment, waiting for them.

"Hi, Maggie. Hi, Buddy," Michael greeted as he got out of the car, the mice on his shoulder.

"Hi!" Buddy called.

"Hey there," Maggie said. "Almost thought you guys were going to be late."

"Eh…we kinda ran into something," Michael explained as he pushed the driver's seat forward so that Salas could get out.

"Nothing serious, I hope," Maggie said.

"Me too," Michael agreed. "Apparently some fellas were trying to break into my car and one of them somehow ended up getting hit over the head," he explained. "And no, it wasn't any of us; strange, huh?"

"I'll say," Maggie said, still a bit shocked by what Michael had told her.

"Bet the guy had it comin', though, huh?" Buddy asked.

"Buddy, that man may have been doing something wrong, but it was nothing worth almost getting his skull split open," Michael stated seriously.

Maggie put a hand over her mouth in shock. "It was that bad?"

"He was lucky it wasn't any worse."

"Gee…" Buddy trailed off, feeling a bit bad for what he had said.

It was at that moment that Salas decided to introduce himself to the boy by gently nudging his shoulder. Buddy turned around and his face became the picture of absolute surprise.

"Wow!" the boy exclaimed.

Michael and Maggie chuckled.

"Buddy, this is the other animal pal I told you about: Salas. Salas, meet Buddy," the young man introduced.

"That's a strange name," Buddy admitted.

"Maybe," Michael shrugged. "But it's the name he was born with, so I'm not gonna argue. Go on, you can pet him. Just hold your hand up and he'll do the rest."

Buddy did as instructed, giggling as the whiskers on the colt's nose tickled his hand. Salas then put the right side of his face to Buddy's and nuzzled him gently, the boy still giggling and now giving the colt a hug around the neck.

"He's amazing!" Buddy beamed. He then broke of the hug and asked, "Can I ride him?"

"Buddy…" his mother began, a disciplinary tone entering her voice.

"Uh, I don't think so," Michael said, looking unsure. "I think you might be too big for him."

"Well, how old is he?" Maggie queried, referring to Salas.

"Honestly, I don't know," Michael admitted; he had never bothered to ask. "But I definitely know that he's not at the right size to be…"

Michael and Maggie's mouths dropped open while Pinky smiled and Brain rolled his eyes but grinned as well. KITT was, well, astounded; physically, he placed Salas at 2 months old—although his voice and mentality placed him as a human teenager—which was below the recommended age for a horse to be rideable. Yet, there was Salas walking around the car with Buddy on his back.

He circled KITT three times before he swiveled his ears back, waiting for a command. Buddy wanted to keep going, of course, but he saw Michael mouthing the word "Whoa" and relayed the command aloud, making the colt stop.

Salas then lowered himself so that Buddy's feet would touch the ground and the boy could easily step over him to get off.

"Thanks," Buddy told Salas as he patted the colt's back. "Wasn't that great, Mom?" he then asked.

"That certainly was," Maggie agreed, smiling. "You were right; your friends are full of surprises," she said to Michael.

"They certainly are," Michael concurred, still looking a bit stunned, which made Maggie giggle.

"Well, shall we?" the widowed mother asked.

Michael was still getting over his surprise, so Brain had to discreetly poke him on the side of his neck to make him remember that they still had a demolition derby to go to.

"Uh, you two might wanna hold on a moment," Michael warned Buddy and Maggie as he opened the driver's side door and beckoned Salas to come over.

As if trained, Salas obeyed and waited for Michael to move the seat forward before getting inside with much more ease this time.

"Wow! How'd you teach him to do that?!" Buddy exclaimed in awe.

"One thing about Salas; he's pretty smart," Michael answered, avoiding giving away too much while also complimenting the young Quarab.

Salas let out a nicker and carefully bobbed his head, saying "Thank you" in horse-speak.

"You're welcome," Michael grinned before setting the seat back up in the upright position, not knowing that he had correctly interpreted Salas's sound and nod.

The young man then pushed the front passenger-side seat forward so that Buddy could get in, warning him to mind Salas's legs. It was a bit difficult, but Salas managed to adjust himself a bit and Buddy tried to keep his feet off of Salas's legs.

I think seating arrangements are something we're gonna have to discuss in the future, Salas thought. Either that, or I'm gonna need to get some kneepads. Or shrink.

Once Buddy was in, it was Maggie's turn to get in followed by Michael and the mice. Since Buddy had asked last night if he could hold the mice, Michael instructed him on how to properly hold them and not to bother Brain if he didn't want any pets.

With everyone in, Michael put KITT in gear and began following Maggie's directions to the location of the Comtron demolition derby.


And there we are, folks! Another chapter done! Now, as I have said before in the beginning Author's Notes, I am now turning my attention to some spooky stuff in honor of the Halloween season. I've been listening to Halloween music since early September to put myself in the mood and I've been getting back into "Filmation's Ghostbusters" to get ready for this new crossover I'm working on. However, because of university and work, it's going to be slow going, so please bear with me.

I seriously can't believe "Knight Rider" is 40 now. Not to mention "Animaniacs (1993)" is 29 and "Pinky and the Brain" is 27. It's just amazing.

Man, doing lab tests during the day and trying to enact world domination schemes at night do not do wonders for one's Circadian rhythms (although, frankly, I don't know if Brain still has his after almost six years of that routine). Looks like he's still aiming to make off with KITT despite everything, and I can tell you know, this will certainly have consequences.

Poor Michael. Think about it: If you had been in his position and had woken up to find yourself in a place you didn't know with you face altered, wouldn't that leave a lasting effect on you, too?

(Giggle) Well, for those of you who were waiting to know who "Mother Hen" was, you got your answer: It's Pinky! And oh, boy, did he give KITT a bit of an earful! Well, Pinky has taken it upon himself to look out for Brain's well-being on numerous occasions, so this is probably not surprising.

Michael finally decides to give Devon a progress report, with Brain insisting that he give his two cents, which he does, of course. Meanwhile, the two car thieves from yesterday come back to try again, only to find KITT a rather tough nut to crack, much to the astonishment of the AI's remaining passengers and to KITT's smug satisfaction…although concerns arise when Jackson gets hit in the head with a brick that bounced off the car. Yikes! Luckily, it looks like he'll eventually recover (well, he has to because he and his pal make one more appearance later). I also decided to add in a bit where Michael asks for assistance for the two car thieves (not really knowing who they were and what they were doing initially) because in the original scene, all he did was get into the car and drive off without paying the two any mind; that didn't exactly jive with me, so I put in that extra bit.

We also see how the chain of command goes as to who operates KITT should Michael be unable to, and the surprising first choice is Pinky. Salas is next, and all the way at the bottom is Brain, mostly due to trust issues (although the one who is truly on the bottom of the command chain is actually KITT, if the presented model is anything to go by). This arrangement will change once we hit season 4, but that's later. Speculation flies as to who dictated the arrangement, but the answer settles on the late Wilton Knight.

Later, Michael arrives in time to pick up Maggie and Buddy, and after Salas gives the boy a brief ride despite being physically too young to carry a rider, the group departs for the derby.

And now, for the questions:

What's your reaction to KITT getting scolded by Pinky for not getting enough sleep?

What would be going through your mind if you saw Jackson and his friend trying to break into KITT and failing?

What are your thoughts on what was said during the phone call between Michael, Brain, and Devon? If you were there, what would you add to the conversation?

Out of all the possible suspects, who do you think arranged the chain of command? Do you have another idea as to how it should go?

What would you be thinking when Salas has Buddy on his back?

And those are the questions. I look forward to reading your responses. Now, as I said earlier, I'll be shifting my focus to something Halloween-related due to it now being the spooky season, but don't worry; I'll be back on this story soon enough. I've also got a prologue set up for another story that was brought on by something that happened October 11th that occurs in the part of my fanfic-verse that features me and the Godzilla family. Don't worry, I'll give full explanations when I put it up, although if you've been watching news in the entertainment business as closely as I have, you'll know what's happened.

Anyway, in this story, what's coming up next is the moment I'm sure many of you have been waiting for: The demolition derby! And it's going to be an unforgettable event for everyone, let me tell you!

Until then, please read and review. Thank you!