Chapter 2: The Fateful Meeting

The following morning, the semi from the Foundation for Law And Government had arrived in Helena, Montana, where the month-long law enforcement convention would be held. Shortly after sunrise, the group within awoke, washed, then decided on having a small breakfast at one of the restaurants before separating. For KITT, of course, breakfast meant a refill of gas, which Mark, one of Bonnie's technicians, took care of, as well as a diagnostic before the sentient car could be let loose on his own.

"While everyone was sleeping," she told the AI, "I took the liberty of installing the modifications to the homing beacon. Now, if someone you don't allow tries to take control of you, the program will take a snapshot of the person and send it, along with the location."

"That's certainly a relief, Bonnie. I know that you and Devon aren't comfortable with me going off alone, but I will be careful. I haven't forgotten what happened to me recently, when I was hacked into," the familiar voice with a Boston accent replied, a slight touch of ruefulness coming into it.

"We haven't either. Be thankful that Devon backed you up, or you'd be staying either with Michael or in here," she answered, then asked quietly, "Kitt…why a forest of all places? Is the rumors of a ghost kid really that troublesome to the locals?"

"That's one way of putting it. The area closest to it is considered a prime area for picnics and camping. The appearance of the 'ghost' is, to use a term of Michael's, scaring away all the business. It's rather logical if you think about it."

She chuckled and grinned, "Leave it to you to come up with a logical answer."

"Bonnie, there is one thing I am puzzled about."

That didn't seem like anything new to the technician. Kitt was programmed to protect human life, and most especially the life of its driver, Michael Knight, and often claimed that he didn't actually have emotions other than what was programmed, as such.

"Yes?"

"I have gone through my record banks on all FLAG members currently on staff, and a particular name only comes up a few times—"

"What name?" she interrupted, forestalling a lecture.

"Who is Verona?"

That made her turn rather pale. Kitt must had heard Devon last night.

"W-why?"

"A short time ago, I heard Devon talking to himself about someone that had called for help and he mentioned that name."

She muttered something under her breath that sounded distinctly like swearing, then replied, "Kitt…ask me again after we finish this convention, ok?"

"All right, Bonnie."

About half an hour after the human staff members had left for breakfast, the refill was complete, as was the diagnostic…and the technician opened the semi doors, watching while Kitt drove out, heading directly for the forested area.

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Devon looked a little distant as the group ate breakfast. This time, Michael picked the place, which was a regular 24-hour restaurant. Surprisingly, though, there was something for everyone on the menu, even the Englishman with his tastes.

"You okay?" Michael asked, "You look kinda spooked."

"Hm…? Oh…I'm fine, my boy, just a little preoccupied."

Michael nodded, although he looked right at the man that was his boss at the Foundation for the past few years. He had rarely seen this expression on Devon's face, and it was never good when it happened. The previous night, he had heard the disturbance in the back of the semi and had caught only little bits. He now took a mental breath before he spoke his next question.

"I'll ask you straight. Who's Verona?"

Michael was a bit stunned at Devon's reaction to the question: he choked on his coffee. From just that, it seemed he had hit a harder nerve than when Amelia, the love of the Englishman's life, had been murdered. As soon as he was able to take an unsteady breath, Devon glared at Bonnie before he raised an eyebrow at his subordinate. She gave a don't-look-at-me gesture in response.

"That loud?" he merely asked.

"Yeah," Bonnie replied, "Kitt heard you this morning and asked too before we left. Not my place to tell him your business."

The distant look returned two-fold and the table was clothed in silence before the older man nodded and said, "I had a very unusual dream last night…followed by a nasty nightmare about her. More like reliving a painful part of my past, actually. Verona…Verona Miles."

Michael nodded, then asked quietly, "Your wife?"

Bonnie shot him a frosty glare and Devon shook his head.

"No. Verona was the youngest in the family. She's my sister."

It was pretty evident that Michael was not prepared for that answer from the look on his face.

"Surprised?"

"Well, yeah," he admitted, then asked, "What happened?"

As Devon turned to look at Michael, his eyes were now tinged with sharp, deep pain. "She was killed in her home in Ontario, seven years ago. Right along with her only daughter."

"Hey, you don't know that for sure," Bonnie replied, then added to Michael, "The child disappeared without a trace. All we ever got was the name of a man that was dragging her off when her mother was murdered."

The Englishman simply shook his head, then added in a somewhat calmer, yet sharper tone, "Instead of digging up old memories, how about we finish so that we can get to the convention hall on time?"

The other two quietly nodded, knowing by now when to drop a subject.

"I just hope Kitt knows what he's doing. He really shouldn't be out by himself in a large forest like this. And he's never gone ghost hunting before."

That made Devon blink, then remark, "Michael, Kitt will be fine. I've got a whis—" he started for a moment, then finished, "a gut instinct."

Michael said nothing about the half-slip.

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In the forest, all was rather quiet, as though there weren't humans living within it, only the animals, the waterfall, and peace.

In one section, though, there was a sharp, loud blast of anger.

"You little piece of trash!" a booming male voice roared, "I told you last night you get nothing to eat for a couple of days as punishment, and you dare steal food when my back's turned!"

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The little, dirty child whimpered and said, "I-I didn't take any, master. Your dog took it. I-I tried to stop him, but he bit me."

"Liar!" he snapped and backhanded her across the face.

"I'm not lying! Why would I lie, Master Parkson?"

"Why would my pal take my own meal, filth? Even he knows better than that. How about either a better story or the truth, for once!"

At that moment, her trembling form stood straight and she snapped, "Don't call me a liar! It's not my fault that you don't know what your own dog is doing!"

The instant the words had left her, she knew them for a mistake. She didn't know what made her say it.

The man snarled and drew back a fist just before hitting her in the stomach, then hit her in the eye.

"Piece of trash, you dare talk back to me!" He then yanked her, hard, by the hair and dragged her as he headed for the door. As he did, he continued, "You think you're so smart, brat, let's see how well you do against the real wilderness for a week, without me to protect you."

She screamed as he opened the door, which made him even angrier as he moved his arm up and down once, causing her to bounce off the floor. The next thing she knew, she was flying out of the shack, through the air. She then found herself with a mouthful of water. He had thrown her into a small pool of water.

"Maybe if you really are smart, you'll kill yourself and not come back!"

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Kitt sighed as he scanned the section of the forest he was in for the upteenth time. Ever since he had arrived that morning, he had asked some questions discreetly about the "ghost child" and the times that it would show up. Usually, the child would go towards folks that had lunch baskets, although sometimes she (he had not known before that the ghost child was a girl) would approach those that didn't have food. All of them had run the other way. After he had actually gone in, he had been scanning, and finding absolutely nothing.

For a forest, there were a few areas that he could traverse around rather easily, thanks to a few roads near the section with the waterfall. However, he knew that deeper in, he wouldn't be so fortunate. This had to be where the ghost came from.

Just as the AI was about to let his thoughts drift, his scanners picked up something. Slightly surprised, he checked the source of the alarm…and if he had been human, he would have gaped.

There was something approaching the waterfall…and if his readings were right, it was a little child!

He was about to discard it, and then decided to trust what Michael had called "a gut feeling". An odd bit of vernacular, since Kitt didn't have a gut. Nonetheless, he activated his turbines and Stealth mode, then started off in the direction of the life-sign.

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The child whimpered as she ran, her stomach growling loudly and hurting. She hurt all over, really, but having not eaten in a few days was even worse.

The master had been worse than usual. The dog really did eat the breakfast, and now she was being punished for it, as well as talking back. The beating from last night only added to her woes.

"What did I ever do to be punished like this?" she whispered, "Just being born, like the master says? Maybe I really am worthless…"

She huddled in on herself when she tripped on a branch and wept for a long time. When she looked up again, the sun was closer to the middle of the sky.

"If I'm worthless…then what am I doing here?" she asked quietly, again to herself, "I don't wanna hurt anymore…I don't wanna be punished anymore."

She thought back to the dream she had the previous night. At the time, she didn't know why she would go to the waterfall to kill herelf. Now, though, she did.

"Waterfall," she added, more resolutely, "There's a good jumpin' spot, an' I know where it is."

She got up and hurried at an uphill climb. Oh yes, she knew exactly where she could jump off from.

As soon as she arrived at the spot, she looked about her. Like most areas, this was full of trees, and there was even a road that lead up to here. The hill she was on overlooked not only the waterfall, but also the river below. The perfect area for sure.

She turned around to face the water and closed her eyes, remaining still for a few moments. After all, someone that was going to jump would be peaceful. She was bending her knees a bit, when she heard two words, from a voice that she had heard only once.

"No! Don't!"

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Kitt couldn't believe his luck. As soon as he had arrived at the waterfall, the child from his scanners appeared and walked quickly over to a hill that overlooked the waterfall and river below.

He examined her quietly, although pulling up a little bit. Nobody would hear him in Stealth mode, not even this…girl.

"This is no ghost," he said quietly, "But this is the girl everyone's talking about."

He saw her start to bend her knees and knew exactly what she intended to do. At that very instant, he…the best word would be felt a bit of desperation as he turned on his outside speakers and called out, "No! Don't!"

The child's eyes opened wide as she whirled about and peered at him. Now that he had a frontal view, he could tell that it was a living girl, perhaps eight or nine years old at most.

"Wh…what?" she asked in a hoarse voice.

"Why in the world would you want to end your own life?" Kitt asked her, a bit bewildered, although he couldn't understand why.

"Why? Because I'm nothing but trash…just a piece of filth," she replied, "I don't wanna hurt anymore, and I don't wanna be punished anymore. Why do you wanna know anyway? I'm just a stranger to you."

"I may be a stranger, but I'm not about to let a little girl kill herself," Kitt replied as he quietly began to turn on a small camera to examine her. Past the dirt and ragged clothing, he could tell that she was covered in cuts and bruises. "What in the world happened to you?" He paused for a second as her eyes went wider, then he asked, "What's your name?"

"My…name? Hm. Trash, filth, imbecile, slave…that's what my master calls me."

"Those aren't names. Do…do you have a name? Like Judy? Andrea? Mary…?"

Her eyes became a little less wide as she replied, "Yeah. I only hear it in my dreams, or if the master's talking to one of his friends, but yeah."

"What is it?"

She took a deep breath. The master didn't want her to be using that name. Just speaking it got her no food for a day. "It's…Marissa."

The strange voice, one that had a Boston accent, replied softly, "Marissa…that's…"

"Ugly? Not fit for a slave?"

"No. That's a pretty name."

Something inside her burst when the strange car-man said that to her and she started crying.

"Why won't you let me stop hurting? Nobody wants me around anyway!"

"That's not true!"

"Oh? Tell me one person, one being that doesn't want me gone!"

Kitt was silent for a long moment. Before she turned back, ready to jump again, he replied in a hushed tone, yet sincere, "I don't want you to die."

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The child, Marissa, peered at the car in front of her, confused by the hushed sentence. This car-man wanted her to live? Why?

"Who…who are you?" she asked quietly, "I know you're not human."

"You're right, I'm not. I'm…" he paused again, as if thinking about how to answer. After a few seconds, he replied, "My name is Kitt."

That actually brought a little laugh out of Marissa, and she murmured, "So the car-man is Kitt." She continued in a louder voice, "It's a cute name!"

There was a small chuckle coming from the car-man—no, from Kitt, she thought, before he replied, "Thanks…Marissa. Can you come over here? So I can see why you're hurting?"

She whimpered at that, eyes widening again. The dream told her this Kitt would keep her from jumping…it didn't say whether or not he could be trusted.

"Please, I won't hurt you. Trust me."

Those words brought back memories of her other dream…the one where golden tendrils came out from around her and snaked around car—Kitt. Maybe she could trust him.

"You promise?"

"I promise, I won't hurt you."

"O-okay, then," she replied and walked slowly and carefully from the hill towards the black car.

As she approached it, Kitt made a sound that was would be, to a human, a gasp of shock.

"What in the world would do this to you?" he asked, astonished as he ran the scan on her, "Old broken bones, numerous cuts, welts…and malnourished! Marissa, who did this!"

She squeaked with fright when she heard the pure anger in Kitt's voice and started to back away.

"No, come back. I'm sorry…I'm not angry with you. I'm angry at whoever did this to you."

The voice still had anger, but there was more regret in it. She nodded and stepped forward again.

"Th…the master did it," Marissa replied quietly, "Master Parkson. He does it all the time, when I mess up on a chore, or sleep too long or lots of other things. It's…punishment because I'm such a piece of trash."

"For one thing, you're not a piece of trash at all. I definitely don't think so," Kitt replied, "And for another…that isn't punishment, that's abuse!"

"Abuse…?"

"Yes, it's nothing but child abuse and it's inexcusable," he replied, feeling…anger all over again. "Does this Master Parkson also starve you as what you call punishment?"

"Yeah. My stomach really growls and hurts, I haven't eaten for a couple of days this time."

That made Kitt mutter in a tone too low for her to hear. When he spoke again, he asked her, "Do you know how to wash?" When she blinked, he added, "With soap and water."

"Uh-huh! I do that sometimes in the river…even though I get punished for it. Master Parkson calls it putting on airs."

"How about I follow you to another spot and you wash up? After you do, I'll open a door and you come in, okay?" Kitt asked her.

"O-Okay, but how come?"

"Well I'm not about to take a dirty little girl into town to get some food, now am I?"

"You—you're gonna get me food? Even though it's punishment not to—"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You need to eat, and it's inhumane to starve a child as a punishment…especially when you probably did nothing wrong."

Marissa nodded, then said, "Do you…have any soap? I lost mine last year. Some humans beyond the forest got scared when they saw me and took off without their stuff. Some soap was in there."

Kitt checked within himself, thinking, So that's how the people got the idea there was a ghost, then replied, "As a matter of fact, I do. Come over here and I'll open the door."

The little girl nodded and came up to the car, which then opened the passenger-side door.

"Okay, now you see the little door in front of you? Open it and look in a small, black bag. You'll find soap in there."

She nodded again and opened the little door, then after a minute, she pulled out a bar of soap from the black bag. Kitt knew that if Michael ever found out, there would be some explaining to do.

"Now, lead the way to the place you can wash at and I'll follow you."

"Okay!" she replied and quietly lead the way.