Chapter 24

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The woman sat huddled in the room. The walls were padded. There were no windows, only a door bolted shut. She kept to herself in a corner, rocking her knees against her chest. She chanted incoherently, a mixture of different phrases. And every now and then she'd say the word 'evil'.

A nurse unlocked the door and in walked two individuals, a man and a woman. They had come to see her, but were careful to keep their distance.

"Hi." said the man. "We've come to see you. To see how you are."

She looked up, her head was shaking. She didn't recognize him. But she noticed the woman looking over his shoulder.

That face! She knew that face! The face of the one person who had ruined everything! She had to die!

She shot up and tried to get a hold of the woman. The man did his best to keep her back. "You!" she screamed. "You've destroyed everything! I'll kill you!" But she was unable to reach her.

She then let out a horrible scream and which resonated throughout the building. Reaching up, she then began to scratch at her own face. Her visitors looked on in disbelief. Doctors and nurses rushed in. They strapped a straightjacket onto her. Another nurse injected the woman with a strong tranquilizer.

A doctor walked over to her guests. "I'm sorry. The electricity must have done more damage than we thought. She needs to rest. I'll have to ask you both to leave now."

"Thank you, Dr. Collins." the gentleman said. "Keep me informed on how she's doing, alright?"

"Of course." The doctor went back to his patient. The man put his arm on the young woman's shoulder and walked down the hall.

"Think she'll ever recover?"

"Can't say for sure. It's probably better if she doesn't. She'll be facing a lot of charges if she does."

Cara sighed. Through it all, she still felt 'some' sympathy for Dedra. "Michael, I tried. I really did."

He put his arm around her. "I know you did, sweetheart. Sometimes, there's just no reaching some people." His comment brought her some comfort. Together, they walked out to the parking lot where Kitt was waiting.

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Michael drove them back to FLAG Headquarters. He pulled up in a parking area just behind the old semi. A huge sheet was draped over the back. Bonnie had been inside for almost a week, being busy and very secretive. She had been keeping 'mostly' to herself.

"Home, sweet home." said Michael. He got out and spoke to Cara through the window. "You coming?"

"In a minute. Go ahead and see if you can find out what Bonnie's up to in there for me."

"I'll try. You know she won't tell me anything." He walked over to the back of the semi and jumped in.

Cara sat there for a moment. "Kitt?" she asked, finally.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something?"

"Anything, Cara."

"Would you have really taken my place with Alex?"

"Of course." Kitt answered without hesitation. "I couldn't let harm come to my partner." 'And even if you weren't my partner, I still would have.' But he didn't say it out loud.

"What kind of partner would I make?" she scoffed. "You're programmed to protect human life, and I've already killed two others myself."

"It wasn't your fault, Cara. The authorities determined Carrie killed the guard in self-defense, so you won't be facing any criminal charges. And as for Alex…well, I can't say I'm sorry he's gone."

"But I still killed him."

"Unfortunately, that sometimes comes with the territory of this profession. That's something I've learned from your father." He paused. "Actually, I want to thank you, Cara."

"Thank me? For what?"

"For stopping me before I did something to Harrison that I would later regret…and…for saving my life."

"Hey, don't mention it. It was the least I could do after you saved mine. I couldn't let any harm come to my partner either."

"But you're leaving, aren't you?" Kitt asked.

"You know?"

"Michael told me."

She sighed. "I haven't really made my mind up yet. Jonathan and I have been through a lot together. That's like splitting you and Michael up."

"I understand, Cara." he said. Kitt hated this. In a way, it was worse than when Michael had left the Foundation all those years ago. He had grown very fond of Cara. He wished there was some way to convince her stay.

She heard the disappointment in his voice. "But I'll be back to visit, Kitt. Every chance I get."

"You had better. I wouldn't want to drag you back here kicking and screaming."

"Trust me. You won't have to." She smiled as a certain warmth filled the cabin of the car. Cara was torn. She didn't want to leave her friends, to leave Michael…or Kitt. She didn't want to chose between the two families she loved. She reached out and patted the dash. 'I don't want to leave you.' she thought.

Michael jumped out of the semi. 'Boy, wait until Cara and Kitt see what…' He stopped when he saw the two of them. For a second, he could have sworn…. His next thought gave Michael reason to pause. Wait. This was his daughter and his best friend. She was human and he was an AI inside a car. What if there certain things later on in life that Kitt couldn't give her? He didn't want either of them to get hurt.

But Michael knew that Kitt was a 'person' in his own right, and a damn good one at that. He would never treat Cara the way that Alex had. And Devon was right, this was something they would have to work out for themselves. He decided to stay out of it, at least for the time being, and let fate take it's course.

He made his way over. "I can't wait for the both of you to see this." He helped Cara out.

"Michael, I don't know if I can take anymore surprises." she said, tired.

"Oh, I think you'll like this one. Come on."

She raised an eyebrow at him then looked down at Kitt. "Go on." he said to her. He followed them over to the semi.

Bonnie greeted them, cleaning herself off. "Well, I didn't have much to work with at first, but it's done." she said, wiping her forehead.

"What's done?" asked Cara.

"See for yourself." said Bonnie. Michael helped her down. "Okay, come on out!"

Cara watched as something moved from behind the curtain. She saw a silver car roll out of the semi and onto the ground. It continued backwards, spun a few times, then came to a stop. "Star? Is it really you?"

The blue scanner flashed on and tracked back and forth. "The one and only. I feel like a million bucks!"

"You should. It took several times that much to repair you." Bonnie turned to Cara. "She's now fitted with Kitt's molecular bonded shell."

"That's great! But how can the Foundation afford this?"

Michael answered her question. "The Government saw fit to give FLAG a special no limit grant for the next fifteen years for putting CompuTech away."

"Oh Michael, that's terrific! I still can't believe Star's here though."

"Well," sighed Bonnie, "I 'did' have a little help." Cara was confused. Bonnie pulled the curtain to the side. A man stepped out, covered in grime.

"Jonathan?"

"Hey! How ya been, baby girl?"

"Great." She looked over at Star. "You and Bonnie? But…why?"

"Well, we couldn't let all that hard work go to waste, now could we?" He smiled. "And Michael and Bonnie 'did' offer me a job as an assistant."

"Assistant?"

"Cybernetic Technician in training." he said. "What do ya think?"

"You want to stay? But I thought…"

"Cara," said Jonathan, "I've been thinking it over. We have everything we need right here, traveling, adventure, maybe even a family. So, what do you say? Wanna stick around for a while?"

She looked from him to Michael, who had his arm around Bonnie, and finally to Kitt. Devon was right in what he had said. This was home. This was her family. Together, 'they' could make a difference. "Why not?"

"I was hoping you'd say that." Michael said. He walked over to her, and placed something in her hand.

"What's this?"

"Oh, just a couple things you'll need." he answered. She opened her palm. In it was her necklace and a new driver's license.

She read the name. "Cara Knight?"

"Only seemed right, you know." He held out his hand. "Welcome home, sweetheart."

She reached up and hugged him. "Thanks Dad."

"Hey, Kitt!" said Star. "How cool is this? We get to be roommates again."

"Oh, goody." Kitt replied. "Just when I was getting some peace and quiet around here too."

"Ah, you like me. I know ya do." she teased.

"That's debatable." The others laughed. Cara made her way over to him. "You mean it, Cara. You're staying?"

"Yes, Kitt. I'm staying." she answered. "This is where I belong."

"That's wonderful." He felt like turbo boosting.

"But…you better not throw me in anymore fountains."

He chuckled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

"Hey, Cara!" Star called. "How about we get outta here and see what these new wheels of mine can do?"

"Sure!" she said. "Be back soon, okay, Kitt?" she added, quietly.

"I hope so."

Jonathan overheard them and gave Cara a strange look, which she ignored. "I'll be back guys. Thelma and Louise need to go take a road test." She slipped on the necklace and got in.

"Thelma and Louise?" asked Bonnie.

"Uh, tell you later." Jonathan said.

"Make sure you steer clear of any garbage cans, Star." Kitt called.

"Oh ha ha." Star said, sarcastically.

Cara smiled at Michael, who winked at her. "Let's go for it!" She pressed pursuit. The car turned and sped out of sight.

Michael turned to Bonnie. "Ya know, Bon, speaking of road tests, maybe Kitt and I could…"

"Go on." she laughed. "Get out of here."

Jonathan shook his hand. "Thanks, Michael. Sorry about before."

"That's okay, man. Just make sure Bonnie behaves herself while I'm gone." Bonnie hit his arm lightly. Michael laughed and got inside of Kitt. He was about to start to drive off, then stopped. "Actually, you're the one who deserves the thanks, buddy."

"Me? Why?"

"For taking care of my daughter. Thanks, Kitt. I appreciate it."

"You're quite welcome, Michael. Anytime. But Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"Thelma and Louise? Really. I was thinking more of…"

"Butch and Sundance?" Michael answered.

"Exactly."

"I hear ya there, pal." Michael let out a yell, then he and Kitt then took off, going even faster than Star and Cara.

The technicians watched until they were out of sight. Jonathan couldn't believe any of it. "What have we signed up for?"

"Welcome to my world." Bonnie said, laughing. She patted his shoulder, then headed back inside the semi. Jonathan shook his head with a chuckle, following after.

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Dusk fell over the quiet desert terrain. The sky blended with different shades of pink, red, and purple. The first star of evening could be seen overhead as the sun faded with the light.

Soon, the sound of turbine engines broke the silence. Two Trans Ams, one black and one silver, made their way through the desert, side by side, at a swift and steady pace. The mummer of red and blue scanner lights could be heard. Both their drivers smiled at each other as the cars accelerated. They seemed to defy the laws of motion themselves as they continued to race under the night sky.

In an instant, they were gone…

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The End

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