It's been an interesting week and a half, with plenty of chapters done, but there are plenty more to go. I'm glad that the idea of replying to the reviewers before each chapter is hitting it off so well, so I'll keep doing that from now on.
There are some parts of the story you're reading that were not originally in the typewritten version, such as KITT teaching her some of the basic stuff like familial structure and address. Another that was not in the original was spending the day (that happens to be her 9th birthday) in the city with a makeover and a sunset dinner. Yet another is this chapter.
To the reviewers:
Theravingloony/chuckle/ You noticed that bit, huh? Glad you caught it, it was not intentional, as I said in the edit note. Also, thanks for the compliment about Devon. At first, I didn't like him much either, but eventually that opinion changed. Now, he and KITT are my top two faves on the show. Personally, I see him as someone that is emotional, but keeps it on the inside most of the time.
Kittkatt: Glad you like it so far. And yes, "Knight of the Children" is pretty interesting, as it will also reveal some things about Marissa's and Devon's lineage. Now, I warn you guys in advance, it may seem a bit…unusual, but if you think about it, it also fits them both. It's not exactly sorcery (heck no), but let's just say that lineage isn't the usual kind, either. Besides, I've seen weirder stuff in the fanfics, no offense.
On with the fic!
Chapter 8: Knight-Time Chasing and Chatting
There had been plenty of discussion at the park restaurant as to whether they would be spending the night in the city or in the semi. After all, the majority of the group had been tired from their excursion and would not be on the road all night, too. In the end, it had been decided to bring the semi to a hotel and depart in the morning.
When Marissa heard that, she was a bit hesitant before agreeing to it. Kitt knew why: because every night for the past month, she had been sleeping in the backseat. When Michael had heard that, he had said with a laugh, "The kid's got good taste in sleeping arrangements!" which made her a little puzzled while Devon shook his head bemusedly.
"Don't worry, Rissie," Kitt had said reassuredly, "I very much doubt that they're going to let anything bad happen to you, especially Devon. If anyone tries to, they're in for a bad night."
"He's right," Bonnie added, "Nobody's going to get their hooks into you again. Not on our watch."
The little girl smiled and said something quietly that seemed to fit, "Thanks guys."
"Guys, huh? I'm a girl too!" was the fake-indignant reply, before she continued seriously, "While you were getting your hair taken care of, I bought some things for you…like your own stuff to wash with, so that you don't smell like Michael…"
The man in question sniffed and put in, "I thought that scent was familiar…if I didn't know all that I do now, I'd have come unglued at you letting someone mess with my travel pack, Kitt."
"It was the only soap I had on-hand, Michael."
"Yeah, I know, I know, buddy. But I'll let it slip just this once. No more incidents of borrowing, you hear me, Kitt?"
"Loud and clear."
Bonnie looked meaningfully at them before continuing, "I also picked up a hairbrush and a nightgown."
"Umm, what's a nightgown?"
"It's something that little girls and women wear at night when they're going to sleep," she answered patiently.
The waitress came out and said quietly, "Mr. Miles? That item you wanted is ready…"
He nodded gratefully, then asked Marissa, "Do you remember your mother ever making something like cake?"
"Cake? What's that?" she asked, owl-eyed.
"Um…you'll see soon, my dear."
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As the group drove to the hotel, Marissa looked at the others with an odd expression. Her stomach felt a little weird, too.
"Are you okay, kiddo?" Michael asked.
"Kiddo?"
"Don't mind him, Rissie."
"Um…okay. Well, my stomach does feel a little strange…like the inside' pressing onto the outside. I don't feel bad, really…but it's weird."
"I wouldn't doubt it. You ate more today than you have in seven years. That odd sense is a full stomach. I didn't expect you to take seconds and thirds on the cake, though."
"That stuff was cake? It was really good!"
"Yes, but too much isn't good for little children," Devon, who was sitting beside his niece in the backseat, replied.
She hmphed, as she had heard the RC guy do, then said, "I bet grown-ups get to eat all the cake they want!"
"You would be surprised, Rissie."
"Maybe, maybe not." She then looked behind her for the third time, then said, "Hey…that weird car's been right behind us for a while."
"What weird car?" Bonnie asked, then turned around as well…then saw an unsuspecting green pickup truck that indeed, had been tailing them since the park.
Marissa peered out of an open car window so she could get a better view…then saw—
"A red beam on me?" She was about to add that it was pretty.
"Rissie!" Devon exclaimed as he moved very quickly, yanking her back into Kitt. The moment her head cleared the door there was a sound and a flash that hit the left side mirror for a second.
"Kitt, shut that window!"
"Already on it, Devon."
"Don't tell me you've got some enemies, Michael?" Bonnie asked, slightly sarcastic.
"Not this time."
"Nope, three guesses as to the target," he replied and heard another gunshot, this one ricocheting off of the rear window. Instinctively, Marissa yelped and Devon (in the same way) had wrapped an arm around her.
"Those bullets aren't going to get in here, Marissa. I'm coated with something that keeps me from being hurt by things like this," Kitt explained.
"Save that stuff for later," Michael snapped, "We've gotta shake 'em!"
"Leave that to me." Kitt immediately poured on the speed while accessing the city map at the same time.
"Don't you ever put your head out in a moving vehicle again," Devon said in a stern tone, knowing from the AI not to outright yell at the child, "It's dangerous!"
"I-I was just trying to see who was following us, uncle."
"Yes I know, but you didn't need to. Kitt can see behind him rather well, can't you?"
"That's correct, Devon."
"Besides, at this speed, you could have gotten hurt by something…or killed." He added in a quieter tone, "And I don't want you to die."
She nodded, downcast, "I'm sorry, Uncle Devon. I won't do it again."
He replied, "Good," then smiled kindly at her and ruffled her hair lightly.
Marissa blinked, confused by the gesture.
"I found a route that will take us out of the way of these guys for now," Kitt replied, "And I recorded the image and license plate on the pursuers for later use."
"What's the route?" Michael asked.
"Three block from here there is a construction site. Currently the crews are not there, but the equipment is. We can Turbo Boost across and leave them behind. I don't like the idea of letting them go loose, though."
"As much as I prefer stopping and investigating them, we do have a child on board," Devon replied.
"Trace 'em. That way we'll know who they're with. We'll see 'em again, buddy."
"I certainly hope so. Here we go."
The truck abandoned shooting at them and decided on backing up while revving.
"Preparing for ramming? Oh, please," Kitt said disparagingly.
"Michael, what's Turbo Boost? He never told me about that."
"You'll get to find out soon enough," was the reply from Bonnie.
Right then, Marissa saw the truck advance at high speed…and was surprised to feel next to nothing when they connected.
"That's some nice coating. Wish I could get painted in that stuff," she said.
"It's not compatible with humans, sorry."
"Darn."
Most of the people within the car were quiet as Michael drove down two blocks, with the truck trying to shoot again…this time, aiming for the tires.
"One-trick pony," Michael muttered, "and here's the construction site coming up."
Marissa peered ahead and her jaw dropped. In front of her was a construction site indeed, completely blocked off and for good reason. The asphalt was stripped away for at least two blocks in length, showing brown-red ground underneath. On both sides were equipment, including a bulldozer and a couple of trucks filled with materials for mixing asphalt together.
"How're we gonna get over that?" she asked as she saw the site growing closer, then felt her uncle wrap an arm around her waist to hold her in place.
"This."
She heard an odd sound, then felt herself and the others go upwards…and saw as they all went airborne.
"Whooooaaa!"
"The landing might hurt a bit," Devon said.
She looked puzzled for a second as she felt as if she were falling…and then all of a sudden she bounced up and down rather sharply. If Devon had not held her down, even with her seat belt on…
"Not really," she said, "But it was pretty fun! Are those guys following?"
"No. And Michael, I've gotten the results of the trace. That vehicle is licensed to Douglas Parkson. One of the people inside it was him as well."
"Did you say Parkson?" Devon asked, "That's the one that killed Verona and kidnapped Marissa."
"And hurt me a lot," she added.
"Devon, I hate to say it, but this night's not over with by a long shot. If Parkson's going after her this hot and heavy, we need to get that testing over and done with."
"You mean right now…?"
"Yeah!"
Marissa's eyes went through different expressions as the conversation took place. "You mean a DNA test, right…? So that everyone knows Devon's my uncle?" she asked.
"Yeah," Bonnie replied, "It's painful, though. We weren't going to bring it up until we got back, though. You've been through enough these past two days."
"A dream…" she said quietly, "So this is what it means…"
"Come again?" Michael asked, "What about dreams?"
"Kitty knows about it, kinda, but sometimes I have dreams."
"Everyone does."
"No, Bonnie…I'm not talking about the usual kind," she answered, almost blurting, "Last month, I had a dream about meeting Kitt at the waterfall. In it, I was trying to kill myself. Some golden vines connected us together. The next day, I tried to take my own life. Kitt found and stopped me, and we've been together since then…except for yesterday afternoon, that is."
Devon's eyes widened and glimmered as he heard this. "Good lord, you really did try to…" he said in pain.
"Yes, she did."
"Last night, I dreamed about all four of you, and the same golden vines connected us to all of you. Don't you see?" she continued, "The dreams I have really happen later on!"
She heard a sharp intake of breath and turned red. "Sorry," she muttered.
"It's…it's just a surprise, that's all," Devon said, "What does that have to do with what you said?"
"I didn't even tell Kitt, but I had two dreams last night, not one. One of them involved me with all of you, and a mean old shadow that was making me hurt and sick. In it, I turned around and faced it down, even though the shadow was yelling at me to go back with it. I used some kind of sharp object, an axe I think, and chopped the shadow away from me. It snapped and hurt me a bit before it vanished."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because at first I thought it was a regular dream." She looked at the others and said, her voice becoming more certain, "Kitt told me how a DNA test is done. It's gonna hurt, but can we do it tonight? I want to get it done with, and fast."
"Well, we can get it done here, to be honest," Bonnie said, "Kitt has an analyzer built-in. In technical terms, the test is merely analyzing the DNA within a blood sample and matching it with two other people on file."
"I've never tried using the analyzer that way before, but it's worth a shot. Devon, isn't Doctor Rayes from the Foundation in the city?"
"Yes he is, and he has the equipment needed for the blood test. Kitt, contact him at once and tell him to meet us at the semi. I don't think he'll mind a late-night visit."
"Right away, Devon."
"In the meantime," Michael said, "Let's get to the hotel."
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It was half an hour later when the group was assembled in the semi, where one of the tables was cleared. The doctor, a man with brown hair and twinkling eyes of the same color, looked to be in his early 30's as he prepared one of the syringes, as well as changed the straight needle for a butterfly that was attached to a thin, long tube.
Marissa and Devon were seated at the cleared desk, her left hand proffered upon it while her right was in her uncle's. Bonnie was helping the doctor by wrapping a small tourniquet carefully around it and finding the vein. Kitt's feeding her twice daily for a month had helped put some meat on her bones, but she was still rather thin, and the older woman worried about breaking any of them.
"I'll admit it," Rayes said, "I was surprised when you called for me for a DNA test, and moreso when I saw her. Devon, you'll have to get Verona's body in Ontario exhumed in order to get a sample to compare with."
"I'll get on it as soon as possible, Doctor."
"I told you before, call me Jason." He turned back to the child. "Pretty scrawny little thing, I say. Ok, Marissa, right?"
"Yes," she replied.
"I'm going to insert the needle in the back of your hand now…just stay still, and if it hurts, just squeeze Devon's hand."
"Okay."
He nodded and carefully stuck the needle in. The little girl whimpered slightly and squeezed her uncle's hand.
"Uncle Devon…are there any kids at this Foundation?" she asked.
"There are a few, yes," he replied, seeing that she was trying to shift her focus, "A lot of the people at the Foundation have families, and there are some that work in the headquarters that keep their children with them."
She simply nodded, then asked, "Do you…what was my mom like?"
He chuckled a little, answering, "She was rather headstrong, yet a kind woman. She tended to do things herself…but if someone had harmed her, she would keep it to herself to prevent it from troubling others. Michael would have liked her, I believe…" His tone saddened as he said, "The last time I saw her was when you were born."
"Oh, I'm sorry…"
"It's-it's all right," he replied, "Your father was already dead, so I was in the delivery room with her." His eyes glimmered a bit as he continued, "I had…always meant to come to Toronto and visit you two, but my work, it…it always kept me busy."
Michael heard the tremor in his voice and said, "Devon, you don't need to talk—"
He smiled warmly to the younger man and replied, "It's all right…I need to. Jason knows…"
"If you say so."
He took a breath and continued, "I had finally managed to get time off to go visit both of you for a couple of weeks…" His gaze became distant as he said, "The day before my flight, in the evening, I had gotten a phone call from a neighbor…and he had told me that Verona was dead and you were missing…I had to go…identify the..." His voice broke and he lowered his head.
Mark wasn't kidding when he said the murder-kidnapping left wounds, Michael thought and walked quickly to him, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly. "It's okay, Devon."
"Yeah, Uncle Devon, I'm okay and right here. Kitt found me," Marissa added, squeezing his hand a little more for a second.
The older man pulled out a kerchief and dabbed around his eyes before he looked up, but the little girl could still see a pair of tear-streaks on his face.
"Okay…I'm putting on the gauze…now," Rayes said as he removed the needle and covered the spot quickly. "You did really well, Marissa. You're one brave little girl."
"Me…? Brave…?"
"Got that right," Michael said quietly, "Even after what you've gone through, a lot of pain, you decided on your own to get this blood test done."
The others agreed and she blushed.
"As far as using Kitt for this goes…I think that's a bad idea," the doctor continued, "Something like this can't really be rushed when it comes to the analysis. After the body gets exhumed, I would say that the results would be sent to you at Foundation headquarters in about 4 to 6 weeks."
Devon nodded, "I'll get the process for that started tomorrow. Thank you, Jason."
"No problem," was the reply as Bonnie applied a bandage over the puncture.
"For now, though, I know a little girl that's up past her bedtime," Kitt inserted.
"Huh? You are too, Kitty!"
Michael chuckled while Devon, whose voice had steadied, replied, "Yes, but the same little girl needs a real bath first. I've always found that a shower or bath just before bed helps you get to sleep faster."
"Um, what's the difference between washing in the river and a real bath…?"
"The water is usually hotter."
"Aw, I gotta…? Oh okay..."
Bonnie smiled, "I know just how to do it so that stepping in the water isn't as bad, kiddo." She had a feeling that while the usual sleeping arrangements would be done, (Each of the adults would have their own room) Marissa would be with her uncle. "If it's okay, Devon, I'll come over and take care of her first real bath."
"Thank you," he replied gratefully.
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A couple of hours later, Devon was reading a book when the door to the bathroom opened, then closed.
"It's almost like washing in the river in the summer. I do feel a bit odd, though."
"It's ok, you'll get used to it with time. Didn't I tell you I knew how to fix the problem with temperature shock?"
"Yeah, you did. Hey, Bonnie…"
"What is it?"
"It's weird how girls need things like what you bought today just to take a bath…but boys use just a bar of soap."
"Yeah, well…boys have different ideas about baths and how to wash. Do you know how to use a hairbrush?"
"Uh-uh."
There was a quiet sigh before the two females came into the room and Bonnie said, "Well, you'll find out tomorrow morning…right, Devon?"
"Oh, most assuredly," he replied, "And I am rather careful when brushing hair, little one. I used to brush your mother's often when we were little."
"You sure…?"
"Of course I'm sure."
"Okay…" her voice trailed off and she sighed.
"What's wrong…?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to Kitty before I go to bed," she replied, "It's gonna feel weird not to sleep in the backseat. It's real cozy!"
"Michael would definitely agree with you there," Bonnie laughed.
"It's a cold night…are you gonna cover him with a huge blanket…?"
Bonnie looked confused for a moment. "A huge blanket…you mean a tarp?"
"I guess so. It's a blanket for Kitt...so are you gonna cover him with one tonight? He likes that, you know."
That surprised her. "Kitt? Liking to be covered in a tarp?"
Before she could answer, there was a knock on the door. Devon quickly walked over to it and looked through the peephole before he let out a breath of relief then unlocked and opened it.
"Come on in, Michael," he said quietly.
Michael walked in and looked around. "Hi Bon," he said, then turned to the little girl. "Hey, Marissa, just who I was looking for."
"Looking for me? How come, Michael?"
"Someone I know wants to talk to you and wouldn't rest unless he did."
"Oh? Who?"
"That would be me," came a voice from Michael's comlink.
"Kitty!" she grinned.
"Sounds like you wanted to talk before bed too, Rissie."
"Yeah! I wish I was down there right now in the backseat."
"I admit, after you having slept there for a month, it is disquieting for you not to be here."
She chuckled and was about to say something when Bonnie cut in, "Michael, I just heard something really…surprising. She said that Kitt likes being covered with a tarp."
"You gotta be kidding!"
"I do have some surprising news for you two, then: Marissa is right."
Both of their jaws dropped.
"Well, what do you expect? I don't like staying out in the open on cold nights anymore than you do. Humans have blankets to keep them warm. How am I any different with a warm tarp?"
"It just goes to show you that even when you've worked with Kitt for a few years, there are always going to be a few surprises," Devon put in.
"I can easily deduce why the subject came up about me and tarps. There is no need to worry, Rissie, I will be inside the semi tonight, which is always kept warm. I'm touched that you remembered and thought about it, though."
"I'm glad, Kitty…" she said and tried to stop a yawn, but failed miserably.
"I know a little girl that needs some sleep," the Englishman said with a bemused smile, "And an AI that needs a full recharge."
"You're right, Devon. Good night, Rissie."
"Sweet dreams, Kitty."
"Same to you."
He then turned to Marissa and pulled down some sheets, gesturing for her to climb in. She looked confused for a moment, then nodded and scrambled into the bed. After he hugged the child, Devon tucked her in and said, "I need to talk to Michael for a little bit, then I'll get some sleep soon, all right?"
"Okay, Uncle Devon. Night night…" She mumbled something before she fell asleep.
