Chapter 5

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Devon and Cara walked up to his office. "Have a seat." said Devon, motioning towards his desk. They both sat down. "I would have given this to you sooner, Cara, but the jeweler had a devil of a time getting it cleaned." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box. He handed it to her.

She took it from him and opened it. Inside was a beautiful silver necklace. The pendant was a star enclosed by a circle. In the center of the star, was a small gemstone with a slight blue tint to it.

"It's beautiful."

"Yes. It's the most unique piece of jewelry I've ever laid eyes on." He looked over at her. "You had it in your grasp when Kitt found you."

"This belongs to me?" She examined it. Something about the colors blue and silver together…something that told her those two colors were important.

"As far as I can tell. Do you remember anything about it? Maybe something about the person who gave it to you?"

Cara thought and closed her eyes. She thought she saw a man come up from behind her and put the necklace around her neck. She felt a kiss on her cheek and she was looking at her reflection. 'Oh, thank you. It's beautiful.' she told him. But then, shortly after, something horrific had happened, yet she couldn't recall what that was. Then, her memory was gone.

"No." she told Devon. "I remember someone putting it on me, but that's about it."

"Well, it's a start anyway." he said. "Maybe it will come back to you. And if not, you may remain at the Foundation as long as you need to."

"Thank you, Devon." She looked at the necklace again and put it back in the box.

Just then, Bonnie came running into the room with a first-aid kit. She was almost out of breath. "Cara, there you are! Kitt just told me what happened. Are you okay? Let me look at your arm."

Cara rolled up her sleeve. "Bonnie, really, I'm fine."

"Just let me take a look." Bonnie inspected her red arm and got to work cleaning the wound.

"Cara! What happened?" asked Devon.

"Some bullies at the center pushed me down. Ouch!" she said when Bonnie put some ointment on her skin.

"Sorry." said Bonnie. "Kitt told me how you fought them off by yourself. Sounds like we really missed something, Devon." Devon stared at Cara. She, Cara, fought off two thugs all alone? This was something he had to see for himself.

"Bonnie, did Kitt get the fight recorded by any chance?" he asked.

"Let me check." She finished working on Cara's arm, then walked over to the computer on her own desk. Devon and Cara stood behind her. "Kitt, did you happen to catch the fight on your video recorder?"

"Yes, Bonnie." came Kitt's voice. "I'll play it for you now." Devon and Bonnie watched as Cara fought Trevor. Devon watched with great interest as she blocked Trevor's blows and made several high kicks in the air. Cara turned away, uneasy. Would Devon be mad at her for getting into a fight? The video ended with the two men running away. "I must say I'm quite impressed." said Kitt, ending the feed.

"Yes, as am I." said Devon, seeing Cara in a new light he hadn't thought of before.

"So…you're not mad at me for what I did?" asked Cara.

"Certainly not, Cara. As a matter of fact, what you did was an impressive example of self-defense." He looked at her, a twinkle in his eye. Maybe Mr. Stromburg wasn't all wrong that morning.

Bonnie recognized that look, and she didn't like it. "Oh, no! Devon! You can't. She's too young!"

"Why not, Bonnie?" he said. "Michael wasn't much older when he joined FLAG. She's smart, intelligent, and can obviously handle herself in a difficult situation. Plus the fact that Kitt seems to like her, unlike many of the other agents he's driven off."

"But, Devon…"

Devon held up his hand and Bonnie went quiet. He then led Cara back to the other side of his desk and took his own seat. "Cara," he started, "have you given any thought to what kind of employment opportunity you would like to pursue?"

"Well, up until this morning I though maybe I'd be an artist. But I don't want to go back to that center."

He looked over her drawing. "Yes, you do have a talent in that area. And I don't blame you for not wanting to go back there." He put the picture aside. "What I meant to ask is have you ever thought about a life in law enforcement?"

"What? Like a cop?"

"More like a detective…in a sense. Cara, what we do here at the Foundation for Law and Government is continue one man's dream. Wilton Knight's dream. The dream that one man, one person, can make a difference if they so chose to. We help those individuals who have nowhere left to turn. Many who feel powerless against those whose work against what is just and right in this world. Are you following me so far?"

She nodded.

"Sometimes, I need a person to do the Foundation's work outside the bureaucratic system. That is why Wilton created the Knight Industries Two Thousand before his death. For four years, we had one of the best operatives in the world as Kitt's pilot. But, I dare say, I've had a rather hard time finding a replacement. That is where you come in, Cara." He let his words sink in.

"Me? You want 'me' to become an operative for the Foundation?"

"Yes." said Devon. "You'd be up against many adversaries like those two men who picked the fight with you today. Most, I'm afraid to say who are much worse. They won't stop at anything to get the upper hand, including trying to take your life, so I understand if you decline."

She thought this over. "And if I say yes? What then?"

"Then, we'll start your training first thing tomorrow morning. Kitt seems to like you, so the battle's already partially won." he said, grinning. He then grew serious. "But it won't be an easy life, Cara. That I can assure you."

She sat and thought for a moment. It had been quite a day already. She missed the bus, got into a fight, was saved yet again by a talking car, and now, Devon was offering her a much different than the one she had envisioned for herself just moments before. Did she really have what it took to be an operative.

She then thought about how helpless those men had made her feel. She couldn't just stand by while others were being treated the same way, could she? No, of course not. And somehow, something struck a cord in her when Devon spoke about how one man can make a difference. Like it was something she had been told a long time ago.

"What do you say, my dear?" asked Devon. She looked at him and Bonnie. 'Maybe this is how I can pay them back.' she thought. 'And I won't be alone. I'll have Devon, and Bonnie…and…Kitt.' In that instant, she made up her mind.

"Devon?"

"Yes?"

"Let's do it."

-

The next few weeks were very busy for her. She spent hours everyday working out with physical trainers, some much bigger than she was. Except for a couple times, she got the upper hand in almost every session. She was also taught new defense skills, how to fire a gun if she needed to, and Bonnie taught her about computers. She also took academic tests to see what her logic skills were like. She passed them all with flying colors.

One day, Kitt pulled and watched as Cara worked outside with a trainer named Samuel. She was holding her own against him. "Good." said Samuel. "Now, when you lean like this, your leg can come up here." He showed her the new position.

Kitt watched as she trained. Her appearance had improved and she was turning into quite an exotic looking beauty. Her skin had gained a lot of color, and she finally had some muscle on her as well. Through her training, she had also gained some self-confidence and was holding her head high. He had to admit that she was a very attractive…he stopped his thought processor. "What am I doing? I'm a fine piece of machinery. Computers aren't supposed to feel that way…'

Cara saw the Trans Am out of the corner of her eye. From the movement in the scanner, he looked lost in thought. 'What's he thinking of?' she asked herself. Suddenly, a hard blow sent her to the ground. "See?" said Samuel. "You gotta stay alert and on your toes."

"I think that's enough for today, Samuel." said Devon.

Cara said goodbye to him and walked over to Devon who handed her a towel to dry off. "What a workout. I'm hurting in places I never knew I had." She drank from a water bottle. "How did that other operative ever do it?"

"He was a very determined young man. Care to walk with me?" asked Devon.

"Sure." She flung the towel over her shoulder and noticed Kitt following along behind them.

"I have some news for you." Devon said. "You'll be ready for your first assignment in a few weeks."

"A few weeks? Why not sooner?"

"I want to make sure you have all the necessary skills and tools when you go out into the field. You'll be doing surveillance work for FLAG. I need you to investigate a company called CompuTech."

"CompuTech?" It did sound familiar.

"Yes. CompuTech was started by a man named Andrew Harrison. He was one of the original designers for Kitt. Shortly before his activation, he and Wilton had a falling out of sorts. Harrison quit and started his own company. After his death, his son Alex took over. Some call him a 'mad scientist'."

"So where do I come in?"

"We have reason to believe CompuTech is performing illegal and immoral experiments. Rumor has it, Harrison will soon complete a project that will earn him world renown fame. We need to make sure that project doesn't involve any illegal activity, but knowing Harrison's son, I'm most certain it will."

"Can't wait to start." said Cara.

"Good." Devon then stopped in his tracks. He was feeling very hot and tired all of a sudden. He wobbled a bit.

"Devon? Are you alright?" Cara asked, putting her arm around him.

"I'm fine, my dear. Just a dizzy spell." He steadied himself. "I believe I'll have to skip my appointments for this afternoon and rest before dinner. I'll see you then, all right?" He patted her hand and went indoors.

Cara looked on. "Kitt, is Devon going to be okay?"

"Yes, Cara. He's just been tired lately. He'll be fine." Kitt hated lying when he knew just the opposite to be true. But he had his orders. Devon didn't want anyone to worry over him.

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Jonathan handed the photos he had taken of the girl to Alex. The large man looked through them. He had a slight grin on his face, though he wasn't completely happy with Jonathan's findings.

"They don't have to show her much about self-defense. She was taught by the best." And by that hemeant himself.

"They're training her to be an operative for the Foundation." said Jonathan.

Harrison's grin disappeared. He put all the photos into a folder, except one. "Keep an eye on her." he told him. "Don't blow your cover. I want to see you back here in the next few days for further instructions." Jonathan nodded and left. Alex looked at the one photograph left out. It was of Cara next to the black car.

'Fools.' he thought. 'Don't they know they're enemies?'

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