Chapter 3: Swinging Into Action
There was a jug of iced lemonade in the middle of the outdoor table by the pool side. April poured him a glass. "Thank you," he said, nodding at her politely, and accepted the cool glass.
"Michael, what did the little girl say when you talked to her?" Devon asked.
"I have it recorded." Michael explained, setting down a handheld tape recorder from his leather jacket. "I asked her what the car looked like-and she said it was black and looked a lot like KITT. I came much later, because KARR disappeared right after he rolled the SUV over. The girl was certain she remembered the details of that particular correctly." Michael said. "It was like she knew the car was a TransAm. She said she swore it was the exact same 'make and model'. Now what little 9 year old girl knows that term?"
"I told you that TransAm had a bad reputation." KITT butted in. April smiled.
"So you're certain KARR did this?" Devon asked.
"Yes," replied Michael confidently. He paused to take a drink of lemonade from the cool glass cup. It was wet from the vast amount of condensation that lingered on the glass due to the hot LA weather.
"We need to figure out what to with that car." Devon said.
"KARR is hard to stop." Michael reminded Devon, but he knew that as well as he and KITT did. Devon nodded in grave agreement.
Michael leaned forward a bit in his chair, his hands resting on the chair's arms.
"It would be a tedious and almost endless task to successfully fix KARR's program." April said.
"You mean rebuild." Michael pointed out.
"Completely." Devon quipped.
"Definitely," April agreed. "but you get the point." She added.
"Is it worth a try?" Michael asked somewhat hopefully.
"Perhaps." Devon replied, sounding a bit unsure. "It's something we'll need to think about."
Michael nodded, and started to fiddle with the dripping condensation on his glass.
"What are we going to do with KARR, if we repair it?" Michael asked.
"Simple." Devon said smiling. "We get a new driver. But we'll talk about that when the girl gets here safely; has rested up, and is more at home."
"Okay," Michael said. He rested his back against the chair once again, and ran a hand through his hair briefly.
"Tomorrow morning you're going back to the hospital to pick up the girl." Devon said.
"What? Repeat that?" Michael flew back forward in his seat, very surprised at what he was hearing coming from Devon.
"We're picking her up tomorrow morning." Devon said. He and April just KNEW they were going to get this sort of reaction from Michael!
"Why?" Michael's eyes were wide from the sudden surprise.
"She has no family now, Michael," April said. "Her Aunt was the last one able to take care of her."
"Oh, that's right..."
"So…we're taking up the responsibility in adopting the poor child." Devon said. "We have more than enough money on our hands; and thus can certainly help a girl like her out."
Michael swallowed a lump that was forming in his throat.
"That makes sense." He said.
"Since you are one of the few youngest members here of FLAG, I'm thinking it would be best if her new name was under yours." Devon said as they got up to go inside for the afternoon.
"So…I'm a uh…father?" Michael asked. Never did he ever think he'd hear that word in his lifetime…
"Yes. Step father to be exact, but a father nonetheless; and we'll make sure you're a good one." Devon answered.
Michael stared emptily at the middle of the small table in shock.
"Relax, it won't be so bad." April said.
"That's easy for you to say." Michael replied quickly.
"We're not expecting you to raise her all by yourself." She replied, giving him a smile and a twinkle in her eyes.
"You'd better believe it." Michael said; though hardly feeling any better. He chugged down the rest of his lemonade. "I'm going to go talk to KITT and take a breather." Michael said as he stood up slowly. "Thanks for the lemonade, April."
All that had hit him hard. Yet he had over-heard Devon talking to the policeman about adoption rights and going back to the LAPD for records and adoption papers! He had feared something was coming, and he was right, but had been a little too slow to accepting it. What had he done to deserve this?
Later that day, Michael went to go talk to KITT about what had happened earlier that afternoon with April and Devon about the little Girl.
"Hey KITT," Michael said.
"Yes Michael?" KITT replied, immediately 'coming to life'.
"What would you think if we were somehow able to re-program KARR's AI system and brain?"
For a long moment KITT thought as Michael kneeled down and rested his elbows on the nose of KITT. This was merely just like someone casually sitting down with their best friend and having a chat with them at the bar.
"I wouldn't mind," KITT said. "KARR would have no memory, unlike you who have bits and pieces of memory hidden in your mind. Once a program is erased completely, there is NOTHING left. KARR would no longer be the evil KARR we know, if what you're saying is possible." KITT explained. It all made sense.
"Right," Michael agreed.
KITT was silent for a few seconds.
"If we were to do this," the AI said. "Would we use KARR?"
"It's very possible," Michael said. "and we'd get a new driver."
"I would hope so, Michael." KITT replied.
Michael smiled.
"We have to go pick up little 'miss knight' tomorrow morning." Michael said suddenly.
"Why?"
"We're adopting her. She has no family left. They died when she was very young and her aunt died in the crash."
"I never thought I'd see you as a baby-sitter." KITT said.
"You mean step-father." Michael corrected.
"That makes it even more surprising." KITT replied.
Michael was not excited. Children were never on his mind, and that was the raw truth.