Chapter 17

Michael Knight spent the day teaching. He felt as if his undercover assignment should end for he found the source of the money and been to future himself. He struggled to justify in his own mind why he should waste his time in school and at the same time he needed to come up with a conclusion to the money trail case that would steer clear of Sam and the warp drive engine. After school he left to meet up in the local warehouse that Knight Industries used to house the more advanced computer systems.

He emerged from KITT and greeted, "Devon! Bonnie!" He hated lying to his friends. "Did Wilton give you his personal override code?"

Devon nodded, "He has provided the code to me. Bonnie will access the information that was downloaded into KITT, Michael."

"Oh," he played dumb. He stepped aside for he knew older Bonnie had made some adjustments. He leaned against a nearby desk and watched.

Bonnie stated, "Pop the hood, KITT."

The engine compartment unlocked and Bonnie opened the hood. She attached a lead and didn't noticed the recent work her older self had done. She then took a seat behind the wheel with the door open and Devon waiting to give the command. She looked to her boss.

Devon stated, "The command is 001WK."

"Command 001WK. KITT, let me access the memory that was downloaded." she commanded.

"Very well." he agreed for that information has since been moved to the secret upgrade memory by Bonnie's older self.

Bonnie went to the computer read out and found there was nothing there. She cocked her head, "What the…?"

"Is there a problem?" Devon asked.

"It's gone." she told him. "His memory bank is back to normal."

Michael stood smiling to himself and tried very hard to not laugh for in an odd way it was like Bonnie had played a joke on herself.

She complained, "I don't get it! I will have to run more diagnostics."

"Very well." Devon agreed. He glanced over at Michael expecting to see a worried expression but instead from a grin from ear to ear. "Is there something humorous, Michael?" he asked.

He shook his head and hid his expression, "No!"

Devon found Michael's reaction rather unusual and even suspicious. He feared KITT and Michael could have been compromised by an unknown enemy. He asked, "Have you found anything else out on Sam or the money?"

He had to lie. He could not tell them the truth though he wanted to with all his heart. He wanted to tell them that Sam is a genius inventor who accidentally created a wormhole through time and he had been to the year 2022 and got a tour. He wanted to tell them that he met an older version of Bonnie and she was helping Sam and her family and that there was nothing to worry about for they were good people. He wanted to tell them everything he learned but simply could not.

"No," he shook his head and looked down at the ground for he could not bear to lie and look his friend in the eye.

Devon at that moment knew he had been lied to but could not understand why. He cautiously replied, "Very well. Let me know if you find anything else, Michael." He was essentially giving an second change to come clean.

He agreed, "I will." He made eye contact as he promised to eventually tell him if he could.

"I'll be in my office." Devon told him and Bonnie. He then walked away concerned that Michael and KITT were both compromised somehow.

Bonnie called out after Devon left, "Michael…did you see this?" she found a file labeled "2022 Penny".

He glanced at the file, "What is it?" He played dumb.

Bonnie stated, "It's a video file. A very big video file. This is not on KITT's mainframe." she found. She went back to the driver's side seat and sat down. Michael hovered knowing what was on the file for he watched older Bonnie make the recording. "KITT, play file 2022 Penny." she gave the command.

"Very well." he complied.

On the small screens in the cockpit appeared Bonnie's own face. She blinked for she looked much older but she knew it was herself. She could see KITT's interior in the background of the recording. The video began to play.

"If you are watching this than you found that I did some upgrades to KITT. It's okay…self. Sam is not some secret KGB spy or any other idiotic theory thrown out. Sam is an inventor. She was working on a warp drive engine when it got out of hand and it created a wormhole from 2022 to 1984. I'm helping her on this end. To control this engine she will need KITT. Not even the computers of 2022 are can do it. KITT can! I did some secret upgrades so when the project you are on is decommissioned you will need to pull the upgrades, leaving the original equipment behind. KITT has already been transferred to the 2022 equipment. You need to keep KITT safe and then bring him to the old Santini Air hangar in 2022. This will not only save KITT but Sam's project too. Michael knows! He took a tour! He can tell you all about 2022. He was here for a few hours. Things is, it has to be a secret. You can't tell anyone. We cannot let Sam's invention fall into the wrong hands. Imagine time travel as a weapon and what someone could do with that. Sam is trying to safeguard it until she can find a way to close the wormhole. Maybe with KITT she can find a way. I really don't know. Stringfellow Hawke is her uncle. Dominic Santini is her great uncle and her father is Saint John Hawke and in 1984 he was a POW. Michael spent some time with him and he can tell you about her family. Sam is also worried about a teacher in the school. Mr. Ralph Hinkley. Now, apparently there was some guy in a red suit flying around like Superman back in the 80's. Things is no one remembers it. Ralph Hinkley has a blog. It's like a diary that people on the internet can read. Michael can tell you about that too. Sam printed the pages off his blog and he claims he was the man in the red suit and aliens gave it to him. They took the suit away and erased everyone's memory. Michael, String and Cait can vouch for Mr. Hinkley's story. They said it's in the papers. I honestly have no memory of it and well, it's possible my memory of it was erased. Mr. Hinkley loses his mind because of it. The poor guy is a laughing stock out chasing lights in the desert now. Sam said he's a real good teacher and she doesn't want him to suffer a mental break down because of these aliens. She thinks they are real and she wants to find them. If she is going to find aliens…well…she has a warp drive engine and KITT to help her…I suppose. There is no government oversight. It's just us trying to protect the future. Good luck and well…" she paused for just a second, "I shouldn't do this but in 86 you meet this guy; he's handsome, has money, smart…run away from him. He's no good. Avoid him like a disease. Save yourself some heartbreak. Instead, go on a date with Michael." She held up her left hand showing her wedding ring, "You won't regret it." The recording ended.

Bonnie looked over at Michael wondering what on earth was going on.

He asked, "Who was the guy in 86 she told you to avoid?" He pondered who hurt her so bad that she would warn herself to not date him.

"You were to the future, Michael?" she gasped still trying to process the information.

He grinned, "You were there too! I went for a drive with Cait and Sinjin, Strings older brother. Well, I'm not sure who is older. But anyways, I saw so much. It blew my mind."

"The money?" she asked.

"Sam spent her own money not realizing it looked different. Apparently, they use more credit instead." he replied. "She's trying to get the money back but…not doing so well on that end."

"That was me! I left a big video file for me." she gasped.

"You used your cell phone and did it right there in KITT." he told her.

"Cell phone?" she asked.

Michael reached into his pocket. "Sinjin gave me one incase we need to get a hold of them on the other side of the wormhole. Check it out." He handed it to her. "You got one just like it. You even helped program this one. To get back to the future you have to be standing in this one section of the hanger and dial 119." he instructed.

She emerged from the car and her eyes grew wide as she examined the device, "This is decades ahead of anything we have."

He nodded, "You should see Sinjin's truck. I want one!" he confessed. "Put KITT in a big ole truck. Go off road…" he pondered what he could do with KITT in a large pickup truck.

She figured, "We need to tell Devon."

He shook his head, "You told yourself that you can't tell anyone." He placed his hands on her shoulders, "This is bigger than us, Bonnie. Sam needs our help to keep that invention safe and secured until she can get it under control. If this falls into the wrong hands…it would be real bad."

Bonnie figured, "We have to help protect a timeline that we really don't know."

He asked, "Can you imagine what a time war would like? Someone could change the outcomes of elections, wars, prevent new technology, who knows…"

She agreed, "That would be bad." She shivered as she realized that she was one of a handful of people entrusted with time altering information.

Michael wrapped his arms around her in assurance. "It will be alright."

Meanwhile

String, Caitlin and Sam had returned to Santini Air after school. Soon after a familiar long white limo pulled into the field and drove up the hangar. Michael Coldsmith-Briggs the Third, also known as Archangel emerged with his right hand woman, Marella.

The first thing Archangel noticed was Dom, String and Caitlin had positioned themselves before Sam much like a human wall. He found it odd how they were blocking her.

Sam spoke up, "I can't see."

String stated, "Just don't say a word."

Caitlin muttered, "For once."

Archangel stopped before the trio. He cocked his head to peek behind the three. "How are you doing back there, Sam?" he addressed the obvious issue.

Sam stepped to the side of the three giving her family a displeased look in the process. "I'm doing well. How are you, Mr. Coldsmith-Briggs?" she replied very cordially.

He gave a slight smirk, "I'm well." He looked to Dom, "Your…daughter…is very well behaved for a sixteen year old."

Dom defended, "She's a good kid."

Sam let out a long exhale as her shoulder's slunk for she was getting tired of playing the role of a sixteen year old.

Archangel cocked an eyebrow as he noticed the shift in body language.

String spoke up in an attempt to deflect, "What's this all about, Michael?" He crossed his arms in a defensive manner.

Before Michael could speak Sam suddenly realized, "Wow! Two guys named Michael."

Caitlin closed her eyes, wrinkled her nose and tried to keep a straight face as it appeared the obvious often escaped the young inventor.

Amused Archangel replied, "Ah…myself and Michael Knight. I assume you have met him at your school." He directed the question to Sam.

She nodded, "I love his car."

He pondered if she knew that the car contained KITT. "Yes, it's a black Trans Am…I believe."

"KITT is pretty cool too." she nodded. "Needs a cup holder through…" she puckered debating what changes she would make to her own future Trans Am.

String turned slightly and asked, "So you will have a place to put you coffee from McDonald's?"

"Mocha." she agreed.

"Sixteen is kind of young to be drinking coffee." Marella stated concerned.

Sam rebutted, "Half the school smokes cigarettes. My coffee is the least of the problems."

String smiled for she recovered her cover. "Lots of teen smoke. Some student in that school do drink coffee."

"Yes," Michael had to agree. "How is the mission going? Did you find anymore bills? I have also been informed there are also coins with future dates circulating as well."

The three traded glances unsure who would speak first. String spoke on their behalf, "Nothing yet."

Dom nodded hard in agreement, "Trail dried up. I guess that's it!" He seemed eager to give up on the mission.

Caitlin chimed, "We got nothing. Sorry!" She took a defensive stance.

Archangel knew they were bluffing. He could tell by the body language. He was about to call them out when her heard was sounded much like music playing nearby.

Sam's cell phone rang as the wormhole allowed for her to receive calls constantly from the future and she forgot to turn the ring tone down.

String closed his eyes and held his head against his hand for he knew it was her cell phone and she forgot to put it on mute.

Dom rolled his head back and moaned, "Oh' great."

Marella asked, "Where is that music coming from?"

Archangel knew it was coming from Sam and waited to see what she would do.

Sam was used to hearing the sounds of cell phones ringing at any time in the future and thus ignored it. At first she assumed it was someone else who had a call and then she realized, "That's my phone!" She reached into her pocket, retrieved the device, looked at the notice, "Spam." She declined the call and put it back in her pocket like it was an every day occurrence.

Caitlin put her arms around her and sighed, "Yup! That's your generation there."

Archangel asked, "May I see that device you have in your pocket, Sam?"

She looked him dead in the eye and stated, "Fuck no!" To ask to see a stranger's cell phone was taboo in Sam's time.

Dom grinned, "That's my girl."

Archangel demanded, "Just what is going on here?"

Sam asked, "What's it to you?"

He grew irritated, "Just who are you, Sam Santini? There is no official birth record for you on file. I got a hold of the birth record used to enroll you and it's a fake. Just who are you and why are you here?"

"It's not fake. It's a reproduction." she rebutted.

"What device did you use to print that certificate? The ink was applied differently. It was not typed. It's looks to be injected." he informed.

"Home office printer." she told him. "Ink jet technology."

Marella stated, "That technology is still in development. No one has it at home."

She looked to String, "Um…"

He concluded, "We're going have to tell them."

Archangel huffed, "Tell us what?"

He explained, "Sam is the source of the money. She's my niece. Dom's great niece and she will not be born until the year two thousand. Sinjin is her father."

Archangel traded glances with Marella. He asked, "She's your niece and is the time traveler."

He nodded, "She's not kid!"

Dom warned, "String! No! It's too risky telling the FIRM."

He asked, "Too risky?" Archangel found it absorbed that he would be considered a risk by the crew of Airwolf.

Sam suggested, "Maybe he can help us. He's a clown. Maybe they know something about the aliens and what they are doing here."

Archangel could not help but ask, "Clowns? Aliens? Do we get invaded?"

Dom huffed, "If your engine falls into the wrong hands, Sam. Things could be really bad."

"What engine?" Archangel asked peeking past them and into the hangar.

Sam confessed, "I'm from the future, okay! I'm twenty two years old and I invented a warp drive engine. I had a bit of a mishap and opened a wormhole through time. It connects 1984 to 2022." She continued, "Yes! I was me. I spent the money. In future we have cash but I usually use the app on my phone. I couldn't use my phone so I thought I would get some cash out of my account. I never thought the money would be different. My father is on the other end of the wormhole. He's holding down the fort in 2022. My mom is Jo Santini. Dom's niece. In 2022, I am using the hanger for my engine. The wormhole established and it brought Dom to the future. He spent three days with us. I have yet to figure out how to close the wormhole if it even can be closed. It's right there in the hanger. It's like an invisible door. The whole damn thing was an accident and no one wanted the government to know about because…well…let's face it…the government is not exactly trustworthy."

He asked, "Can I see this engine?"

"Why not?" she shrugged.