John led them out of the alleyway and through an empty street, KITT following the posse from behind to make sure they weren't followed. The clouds had shifted throughout the night, allowing for the moon to show its pale face and provide whatever light it could. Nonetheless, KITT still kept his headlights on. The farther they got into the city, the clearer the air became, less moisture in the air, less fog.
"Alright, we're on Royal Street, so another turn at this intersection and we'll be knockin' on their front door. Say, y'all never told me why you wanted to find Acid, anyway? Y'all got business with 'em or somethin?" John asked.
Bo and Luke exchanged glances. "They stole our car," Luke replied coldly, not wanting to speak with John more than he had to.
"Stole your car? What could they want with your car? What's so special about it? If anythin' you'd wanna steal the one that talks, no?" John asked, gesturing to KITT.
"They took the General thinkin' we'd trade KITT for him," Bo explained.
"Ah, I see, they're holdin' your car ransom and y'all are tryna get him back."
"Right, but we don't want them knowin' that," Luke said.
John thought for a moment before smiling and saying, "So y'all got a plan or you just gonna rush in guns a-blazin'?"
"I'm workin' on a plan, you just worry about gettin' us where we need to go, we can handle it from there."
"Alright, but I ain't finished here yet, so I think I might just stick around."
"We'd rather you didn't," Bo cut in, shooting his dad a glare.
John just flashed a smile at him, unphased. "Might I suggest a plan of my own?"
Bo, Luke, and Rosco all exchanged glances, unsure whether or not it was a good idea.
"Okay then I'll just start. See, there's a fence that surrounds the place, and my wild guess since there's a talkin' car involved, good ol' Richie decided to go ahead and up his security. So, that leaves us with a tight window, but I can get y'all in there no problem, if all goes well."
Luke raised an eyebrow. "Alright, we're listenin'."
John slung the machine gun off of his shoulder with another charming smile. "You and me are gonna create a diversion so the rest of y'all can get inside. From there, you should be able to get in through the garage. Next thing you do, find the elevator. Richie's penthouse is on the top floor, bar is on the eighth, and whatever you do, do not get stuck on the thirteenth floor, weird shit in there. Anyway, I'd be guessin' that your car is probably sittin' in the second floor apartment above the garage. Also some weird shit in there, but not as weird as the thirteenth floor, I mean, whoof, you should really see the kinda stuff-"
"John."
"Yeah?"
"Focus."
"Right, now you might be wonderin' how they got the car on the second floor, well, there's a separate elevator on the back side of the building, however, once you bust him outta there, you're probably gonna wanna drive straight through the fence rather than take your chances with the guards because they will shoot first and ask questions later, believe me.
"Oh! And whatever you do: do not get caught by his daughter!" John leaned in close to whisper. "She's sick. In. The. Head."
Luke sighed and nodded. "Delightful."
"I'm afraid there seems to be one kink in your plan, Mr. Cathoway," KITT chimed in.
"Yeah, and what would that be?" John asked him.
"Me. If Acid sees me, I'm done for, and it's not like I can just follow Bo and the sheriff over the fence."
"Ah, this's true. Looks like we're gonna have to keep you hid somewhere for the time bein'."
KITT's passenger side door opened as he sighed. "Then it's a good thing I come prepared for situations such as this one. Bo, in my glovebox, there should be a black accessory inside, it looks like a watch."
Bo walked over to KITT's passenger side and opened the glovebox, taking the watch out.
"That's Michael's comms bracelet. Take it, it'll let us communicate while you're inside the building."
"Gee, thank's KITT, I'll take care of it," Bo said, reassuringly.
"If, by any chance, you find Michael in there, give it back to him, even if you have to force it back on his wrist. I believe I might start to go crazy if I don't start hearing his voice again."
Bo nodded, fastening it on his wrist. "Will do."
The distant barking of dogs brought their attention back to the Acid building and the eight-foot chain-link fence surrounding it. It faced the West with a garage complex on the South side of the building.
Luke sighed and sank to the ground, grabbing a stick and drawing it out in the dirt. He outlined the square building with a larger square.
"Alright, this's the fence. John and I are gonna try to get all of the security to the front gate." He drew a circle at the front gate. "Bo, Rosco, y'all are gonna get in through the South. KITT, you can get 'em over the fence, right?"
"No problem," KITT replied.
"Right, after they're over, you need to get lost, just not too far so that you're cut off from Bo."
"I understand."
"And we know where to go from there," Bo added.
"Alright, we meet back by the diner we passed on the way here, then get the hell outta town, agreed?" Luke asked.
He was met with a profound nod from everyone as he stood back up, wiping the dirt from his hands.
John reached inside his coat and pulled a handgun from the holster under his arm. "Here, you'll wanna carry this if you're gonna ride with me." He held the gun out to Luke.
However, Luke pushed his arm away. "Right, thanks for your concern, but I touch that thing and my probation goes whistlin' up a hollow tree."
John raised an eyebrow and turned to Bo, offering the gun to him. Bo shook his head and took a step back.
"Seriously? Bo, you too?" John scoffed as he shook his head and tucked the gun back under his arm. "Amateurs."
Luke sighed and started walking up the street towards the building. "Let's go, I don't wanna drag this out longer than we have to."
Bo and Rosco stood on KITT's roof at the edge of the fence. Rosco pulled his coat off, pulling it down over the barbed wire top of the fence. Bo pulled himself up one side of the fence, climbing over to the other side and dropping himself onto the manicured grass in one fluid motion. He grinned and motioned for Rosco to climb over. Rosco made a noise and jumped up onto the fence, catching the edge of it and trying to pull himself over.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" KITT hissed, lifting his trunk to push Rosco's legs up.
Rosco struggled, still, finally getting one leg over. He turned to swing his other leg over, his pant leg getting caught on the barbed wire.
"Rosco, will you hurry up?" Bo growled.
Rosco mumbled, trying to get his pant leg loose from the wire, in turn losing his balance and falling off the top of the fence. He hit the ground with a thud, howling softly.
"Ooh, that scuffed me, gjit!" he exclaimed.
"Get up Rosco, c'mon, you're makin' a scene!" Bo scolded, grabbing Rosco by the arm and dragging him up.
When they turned back to look at the fence, they noticed that KITT was gone. Bo brought his wrist up to his face.
"Can you still hear me, KITT?" he asked.
"Loud and clear," KITT responded, though he was nowhere to be seen.
"Alright, stay on, we might need ya."
"That's what I'm here for."
Meanwhile, John and Luke were at the gate gettin' everybody's attention. And they were sure attractin' a lot of it, maybe too much.
The plan started with Luke walking right up to the gate, to which the guard in the booth wasn't too fond of. The man stepped out, drawing his gun.
"Alright, what're you doin' here, son, this's private property," the man growled.
"My truck broke down a ways down the road here. See, I ain't from these parts, I was just passin' through. Question for you, though: are you new here?" Luke asked him.
The man knit his brows together. "Uh, yeah, why?"
Luke shrugged. "Because," he paused, looking up, "you're stupider than hell."
Just as he said that, John dropped down off of the roof of the booth, landing on the guard. John grinned and stepped off of him, not a sign of damage to himself.
Luke looked at him skeptically. "How old did you say you were again?"
John raised an eyebrow at being asked this. "Forty-two. Why, you expect me to start givin' you shit 'cause I had a family at your age?"
"No, and I'd rather you didn't."
"Oh, I get it, you think I'm too old to be jumpin' around like that, well I ain't, so bite your tongue!"
Luke put his hands up defensively. "Hey, I didn't say nothin'!"
John scoffed as he pulled the machine gun from his shoulder, loading it and aiming for the fence. By then, a bunch of other guards had begun to gather after the commotion with the gatekeeper. John inhaled sharply, shrugging slightly.
"Here goes nothin'," he growled, before open-firing into the fenced yard.
Bo and Rosco bolted for the garage, seeing most of the guards at the front gate. They walked in, seeing one guard sitting in the office, feet up on his desk, hat over his eyes. They crept across the room to the large, double-doors. However, just as they reached them, another guy walked through. Bo panicked and threw a punch, dropping him on the garage steps. He and Rosco exchanged glances and Bo shrugged. They grabbed him and drug him off the steps and propped him up against the wall, before slipping through the doors and into the building.
The first floor looked to be a conference area. Long tables with black, padded chairs. They continued, watching for any movement in the room. Rosco drew his gun nervously. Bo brought his wrist up again.
"Alright, KITT, where to now?" he asked.
"There should be an elevator through the doors to your left," KITT replied.
"To the left, thanks."
Bo turned to Rosco, nodded and continued on, walking to the left. They passed through the conference room doors, where a lobby now sat. They looked around to make sure no one was there, to which there wasn't.
Rosco walked forward, pushing the button for the elevator. After a moment, it dinged, and the silver doors opened. The man standing inside, seeing the two of them, his eyes widened, and he slowly brought his radio up to his face. However, before he could call for help, Rosco took his gun and clocked the man across the head with its handle. The man fell, his radio clattering onto the floor. Rosco cringed and Bo picked up the radio.
Bo pushed the unconscious man out of the way with his foot, stepping into the elevator. Rosco did so as well, stepping over the man's body to climb inside. Bo pushed the button for the second floor, watching as the doors closed on them. He turned the radio over in his hands.
"At least now we'll be able to know if they're after us," he said.
The elevator dinged again as they reached their destination. The doors opened and they stepped out into the dark room. Bo brought his wrist up once more, unable to see anything.
"KITT, we're in a dark room, are you pickin' anythin' up on your scanner?" Bo asked.
There was no answer.
"KITT?"
Again, no answer.
Bo swallowed hard, beginning to get worried. "KITT, you there?"
Just then, the lights powered on and the two of them were suddenly greeted once more by the white Hearse.
"Lookin' for your clown car?" he asked.
Bo and Rosco each took a step back.
The Hearse revved its engine and chuckled, backing away to reveal a band of guards walking in from the other elevator, holding Luke and John with their hands bound.
"I'm afraid you just missed him, he'll be back momentarily," the Hearse rumbled with a laugh. "The Trans Am's another story."
Bo and Rosco turned to Luke and John, Bo tossing the radio onto the ground. Luke shook his head and shrugged.
"We thought we had 'em but they had us. Sorry," he explained.
Bo nodded as another regime of armed guards walked in and ushered them to the other side of the room. With the armed guards was a man in a wheelchair, who grinned a devilish smile.
"Well, looks like we managed to trap a bunch of rats, eh Tank?" the man sneered.
Tank growled. "Mr. Tarantino, nice of you to finally drop by."
John growled as well. "Ah, sit on it Richard! You cheated me, I coulda died you know!"
Tarantino chuckled, removing his glasses and wiping them clean with his shirt. "Oh, I know, Cathoway." He looked up. "That was the whole point."
Tarantino smiled again and wheeled away, laughing to himself.
"God, that guy really pisses me off," John muttered under his breath.
"Fellas, go ahead and introduce our guests to Mr. Knight," Tarantino turned briefly, "I'm sure he's yearning for some company."
A few of the guards took them all to the elevator.
"What're you plannin' to do with us, anyway?" Luke asked.
Tarantino turned to him. "Well, now that you mention it, I guess we'll just have to figure something out, won't we?"
Just then, the elevator doors opened and the guards forced the four of them inside. Tarantino waved them off.
"Enjoy your stay, boys," he said cheerily.
Then, the doors closed on them, and that was the last they saw of Richard Tarantino. The elevator went up, and the guards unbound Luke and John's hands, but still kept guns on all four of them. They all exchanged nervous glances, the elevator doors opening a moment later. The guards pushed them out into the room, closing the elevator doors on them before they could turn and try to fight with them.
"So, the Foundation sends four hillbillies. What a joke."
They each turned to see a tall man standing on the other side of the room, looking out the glass patio doors.
"Right, and just who the hell are you?" Luke asked angrily, having taken offense to being called 'hillbilly'.
The man scoffed and turned around, looking at him with cool, blue eyes. "I'm Michael Knight."
