Michael Delivers the Goods
"I thought you didn't sleep well away from home," Devon told her as he set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her the next morning. "I haven't seen you look this good in over a week."
She shrugged. "Thanks. I have been worried, and I feel secure here."
As he sat down at his desk, he looked up at her. She was so lovely, and seemed so delicate. He realized that her appearance was deceiving in that way, but it still caused him to be very protective of her at times like this.
It was two hours later when Michael buzzed Devon's desk. "Yes?" He said into the receiver.
"Could you come out here a minute?" Michael asked Devon.
"Where are you?"
"Right outside your office."
"Be there in a minute," he said.
"And Devon...please make Bonnie stay there."
He raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her, typing away. "No problem."
Once outside in KITT, Michael asked KITT to please repeat the test on the box. He did.
"Same result as last time, Michael."
"What is it?" Devon asked, concerned.
"Devon, " KITT said, "It's a dead rat."
He physically recoiled at this news. "Who on earth would be sick enough to do something like this to Bonnie?" he asked.
"I don't know, but you can believe that this case is now our number one priority."
"KITT, was there a message with it?" Devon asked.
"Devon, a dead rat is a message in itself," KITT replied.
"You're right, KITT," Devon told him. Looking at Michael, he added, "I don't want Bonnie to know about this."
"I agree. However, Devon, KITT has discovered something else: this rat was fed a 'special diet'."
"Special how?"
"Apparently it was a former lab rat, and the chemical ingested by this rat is being exclusively used experimentally in a nearby laboratory. We're on our way to investigate now."
Devon smiled at Michael and clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you." He exited the car and returned to the office.
Bonnie looked at him. "Well? Did Michael ever pick up that package?"
He studied her face a long moment, considering actually lying to her. But he couldn't do that to her. Mostly because he would have hated it if she'd done it to him.
"Yes."
"And...?"
"And...we had KITT analyze the contents."
"And...?" she continued to bait him.
"And...I'm not going to tell you what was inside."
"What?" she asked heatedly. "Why not?"
"Because I'd rather you not know."
"Rather or not, it was my package, Devon."
He sighed, went to her, and helped her up. Holding her by the shoulders very gently, he looked into her eyes. "You know how much I care for you, Bonnie. Trust me. You don't want to know what was inside that box. It won't make it any easier for you to sleep at night. But you don't have to worry, Michael is on the case."
"Is this a case?"
"It is now," he replied, squeezing her shoulders lightly. "Now I want you to promise me you won't try to find out."
She stared into his face. She knew by his expression he was not going to tell her, and that was that. "Okay," she agreed, knowing Michael would tell her if she begged...
"And don't try to find out from Michael, either."
She looked like a little girl caught stealing cookies. She nodded, then realized that there was no way KITT could keep it from her...
"And under no circumstances are you to try to find out from KITT. If you are a very good girl and do as you're told, once this is all over, if you still want to know, I will tell you. Deal?"
She sighed, and then gave a small laugh. "When am I ever not a 'very good girl'?"
"Almost never," he agreed, kissing her cheek.
"What do you mean, 'almost'?" she smiled as he released her. In answer, one eyebrow climbed slightly in a gesture guaranteed to win her favor, and he knew it. It didn't fail this time, either. She gave him a hug. "Alright, you stubborn Irishman," she agreed. "But it won't be easy. Remember Pandora, Devon. And it wasn't even her box!"
"I'm aware, that's why I had you promise me."
"Well, I'm still not sure I'm not upset about it, but I do respect your judgement, Devon, and I'll go along with what you ask. I promise."
"Thank you," Devon said as she sat back down to finish her typing.
Michael came in five minutes later and just looked at her a moment before asking her,
"Hey, when you finish typing that, can you do me a favor? Can you type "Carter" into KITT's databanks and see if it relates to any case we've been involved in within the last six months?"
"Sure. Can you do me a favor?" she asked.
"Anything."
"Tell me what was in the box," she replied, looking at Devon to catch his reaction. His head snapped up to stare at her in disbelief before she burst out laughing. Turning back to Michael, who was staring at her open- mouthed at her request, she said, "No, no, don't tell me." She sighed. "I really don't want to know. I was just..."
"Pulling my chain?" Devon asked. "You should be ashamed of yourself, doing that to an old man who loves you."
"Old man, huh?" she repeated, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Stubborn Irishman, huh?" he repeated her words, causing her to blush a little.
In a small voice, but laced with humor, she said, "But you are."
With another raised eyebrow he added, "And I'm not the only one."
Michael stared from one to the other, shrugged, and headed out the door with the words, "I'm gone, Devon. I'll get back to you."
"Good luck, Michael," Devon called after him.
Michael's investigation netted him the receptionist's name and phone number, plus an interview with one of the scientists leading the experiments with the new drug.
He learned more about that chemical than he cared to know, but he also learned that the scientists involved really care about their animals, and he was assured that none of them would harm any of the rats there. Also, he discovered, one of their rats had disappeared about a week ago, mysteriously. It was there that night when they left, but it was gone the next morning. Interestingly, the janitor, Carter Stevens, hadn't been seen since that night, either.
They were glad to give him Mr. Stevens' address, especially once he returned the rat to them in the box with humble apologies. After he left, they wondered what sort of an organization spent time and money investigating the killing of laboratory rats.
A quick look around Carter's house revealed that he was gone. Whether it was a temporary move or a permanent one, Michael couldn't tell, but he obviously was laying low somewhere else. When he called Devon to report this, he was summoned back to the Foundation immediately.
"I thought you didn't sleep well away from home," Devon told her as he set a steaming cup of coffee in front of her the next morning. "I haven't seen you look this good in over a week."
She shrugged. "Thanks. I have been worried, and I feel secure here."
As he sat down at his desk, he looked up at her. She was so lovely, and seemed so delicate. He realized that her appearance was deceiving in that way, but it still caused him to be very protective of her at times like this.
It was two hours later when Michael buzzed Devon's desk. "Yes?" He said into the receiver.
"Could you come out here a minute?" Michael asked Devon.
"Where are you?"
"Right outside your office."
"Be there in a minute," he said.
"And Devon...please make Bonnie stay there."
He raised an eyebrow as he looked over at her, typing away. "No problem."
Once outside in KITT, Michael asked KITT to please repeat the test on the box. He did.
"Same result as last time, Michael."
"What is it?" Devon asked, concerned.
"Devon, " KITT said, "It's a dead rat."
He physically recoiled at this news. "Who on earth would be sick enough to do something like this to Bonnie?" he asked.
"I don't know, but you can believe that this case is now our number one priority."
"KITT, was there a message with it?" Devon asked.
"Devon, a dead rat is a message in itself," KITT replied.
"You're right, KITT," Devon told him. Looking at Michael, he added, "I don't want Bonnie to know about this."
"I agree. However, Devon, KITT has discovered something else: this rat was fed a 'special diet'."
"Special how?"
"Apparently it was a former lab rat, and the chemical ingested by this rat is being exclusively used experimentally in a nearby laboratory. We're on our way to investigate now."
Devon smiled at Michael and clapped him on the shoulder. "Thank you." He exited the car and returned to the office.
Bonnie looked at him. "Well? Did Michael ever pick up that package?"
He studied her face a long moment, considering actually lying to her. But he couldn't do that to her. Mostly because he would have hated it if she'd done it to him.
"Yes."
"And...?"
"And...we had KITT analyze the contents."
"And...?" she continued to bait him.
"And...I'm not going to tell you what was inside."
"What?" she asked heatedly. "Why not?"
"Because I'd rather you not know."
"Rather or not, it was my package, Devon."
He sighed, went to her, and helped her up. Holding her by the shoulders very gently, he looked into her eyes. "You know how much I care for you, Bonnie. Trust me. You don't want to know what was inside that box. It won't make it any easier for you to sleep at night. But you don't have to worry, Michael is on the case."
"Is this a case?"
"It is now," he replied, squeezing her shoulders lightly. "Now I want you to promise me you won't try to find out."
She stared into his face. She knew by his expression he was not going to tell her, and that was that. "Okay," she agreed, knowing Michael would tell her if she begged...
"And don't try to find out from Michael, either."
She looked like a little girl caught stealing cookies. She nodded, then realized that there was no way KITT could keep it from her...
"And under no circumstances are you to try to find out from KITT. If you are a very good girl and do as you're told, once this is all over, if you still want to know, I will tell you. Deal?"
She sighed, and then gave a small laugh. "When am I ever not a 'very good girl'?"
"Almost never," he agreed, kissing her cheek.
"What do you mean, 'almost'?" she smiled as he released her. In answer, one eyebrow climbed slightly in a gesture guaranteed to win her favor, and he knew it. It didn't fail this time, either. She gave him a hug. "Alright, you stubborn Irishman," she agreed. "But it won't be easy. Remember Pandora, Devon. And it wasn't even her box!"
"I'm aware, that's why I had you promise me."
"Well, I'm still not sure I'm not upset about it, but I do respect your judgement, Devon, and I'll go along with what you ask. I promise."
"Thank you," Devon said as she sat back down to finish her typing.
Michael came in five minutes later and just looked at her a moment before asking her,
"Hey, when you finish typing that, can you do me a favor? Can you type "Carter" into KITT's databanks and see if it relates to any case we've been involved in within the last six months?"
"Sure. Can you do me a favor?" she asked.
"Anything."
"Tell me what was in the box," she replied, looking at Devon to catch his reaction. His head snapped up to stare at her in disbelief before she burst out laughing. Turning back to Michael, who was staring at her open- mouthed at her request, she said, "No, no, don't tell me." She sighed. "I really don't want to know. I was just..."
"Pulling my chain?" Devon asked. "You should be ashamed of yourself, doing that to an old man who loves you."
"Old man, huh?" she repeated, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Stubborn Irishman, huh?" he repeated her words, causing her to blush a little.
In a small voice, but laced with humor, she said, "But you are."
With another raised eyebrow he added, "And I'm not the only one."
Michael stared from one to the other, shrugged, and headed out the door with the words, "I'm gone, Devon. I'll get back to you."
"Good luck, Michael," Devon called after him.
Michael's investigation netted him the receptionist's name and phone number, plus an interview with one of the scientists leading the experiments with the new drug.
He learned more about that chemical than he cared to know, but he also learned that the scientists involved really care about their animals, and he was assured that none of them would harm any of the rats there. Also, he discovered, one of their rats had disappeared about a week ago, mysteriously. It was there that night when they left, but it was gone the next morning. Interestingly, the janitor, Carter Stevens, hadn't been seen since that night, either.
They were glad to give him Mr. Stevens' address, especially once he returned the rat to them in the box with humble apologies. After he left, they wondered what sort of an organization spent time and money investigating the killing of laboratory rats.
A quick look around Carter's house revealed that he was gone. Whether it was a temporary move or a permanent one, Michael couldn't tell, but he obviously was laying low somewhere else. When he called Devon to report this, he was summoned back to the Foundation immediately.