He uncurled himself from the warmth of his CPU. Giving off a small "yawn" before letting his consciousness fill the gap between him and the car pressed lightly by condensation and frost.
In no time he had the engine power on, letting the somber warmth drawn through the manifolds heat his tailpipe and let the trapped condensation dry.
He let his wipers sweep across his windshield once, lifting leaves and other ornaments from the nearby tree brush off.
The sun was filtering through the bare bones of the trees that'd gone partially leafless in the past days.
Autumn was settling over the valley and with it rain storms and clouds.
Kitt surely didn't mind — Left to take the beating storms day after day alone in the parking lot while his beloved driver slept under his cozy blankets in room C34. There were worse things than sleeping in the rain — and several of those worse scenarios were past memories that burdened his mind every so often.
Kitt internally smiled, dismissing the pains of the past chapters gone by, his engine reaching an acceptable idling state before pulling out from his worn parking spot with mild grease puddles. He was overdue for a tune-up and in dire need of a few updates. Even so, he wouldn't complain — far too risky to go out of his way and seek help. This would only get his case under the attention of the unwanted companies watching him from every corner. Something he'd avoid even if it cost him a catalytic converter or his whole turbine. He listened to his seasoned V8 a little longer before approaching a window on a peppered building with the curtains drawn.
He almost could have burst laughing the second Michael's shaky hand latched to the curtain and pulled it away giving the car a ginormous grin. The man could recognize that gentle whirr from anywhere and for this Kitt felt content that not all of Michael's cognitive archives had gone entirely corrupt.
The nurse was with him, trying to usher the patient to the diner to get him some warm breakfast but no one could ever get Michael Knight to move any quicker than his set pace. He couldn't ever leave the room without Kitt and his habitual morning chat. Kitt on the other hand couldn't start his own mornings without this force of habit either.
Kitt felt quite antsy on his tires while Michael tried to shoo the nurse into the hall. A usual interruption the computer was getting quite tired of and one Michael seemed overly annoyed about Like driver; like car.
Finally, Kitt broke the unnecessary silence between them and began the conversation.
"Good morning Michael. Sleep well?"
"How do you think I slept!?" Michael broke into a chuckle startling the nurse just enough to shake her head realizing he was too stubborn just to let off his hand on an ongoing habit that had no cure. "I think Alice had company last night and she wouldn't let off the television set!" Michael mused, trying to lean on the window best he could, outstretching a hand and pressing it hard against the glass while Kitt's voice came uninterrupted through the comlink. It had been eons since the man had even lightly brushed the automobile's hood and Kitt couldn't deny this sinking feeling that perhaps they'd never be allowed in the presence of the other.
"Well, that's unfortunate…" Kitt mulled over the thought a little longer. Aware that Alice had long left room C32 a while ago and that perhaps Michael's sensors were acting up. The man was also in dire need of a tune-up. "Perhaps I can be of assistance." Kitt chirped quite confidently.
"Yes please, pal," Michael laughed. "Blow away those underpowered circuits for me."
"I'll do my best Michael. No promises."
Michael grumbled.
"'No promises.' Ever since I got hauled to this place you can't keep a promise. What's with that?" Michael shook his head in disbelief, his gray hairs glowing brightly under the sun's shimmer filtering stronger past the clouds.
Kitt thought it over briefly, letting his scanner beat side to side idly while Michael read it perfectly and awaited a reply. He couldn't promise anything anymore because — and he knew Michael acknowledged this fact very well — Michael was in higher care than the car could provide now. Things had changed —
It wasn't possible anymore to simply lift the man up and head after the sunsets and give free rein to chasing after a starry night to make things right. Those days were all gone.
"I'd rather not converse over this now. Perhaps a bagel or some orange juice will settle the score." Kitt offered helpfully, noting a sliver of lag gently settling over his system. Kitt was quick to dispose of the nuisance and grab ahold of a helpful amount of RAM to counteract the limitation. Nothing would be more embarrassing than experiencing a program crash here and now at such an early hour.
Michael rolled his eyes, turning away from the glass and clasping his hands around his walker. Noting that the nurse seemed quite baffled over the man's fond attachment to the car.
"Care to join me for breakfast?" He asked the comlink.
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Kitt's smile was evident in his voice, making Michael soften up enough to let the rounding argument subside to silence.
The nurse gave the man a curious grin as she led him to the diner.
"You have a peculiar car, Mr. Knight." She beamed, clasping her hand over his as he tried to lift the walker over a silver edge under where his room's flooring morphed with the halls.
Michael smiled mischievously.
"And if I told you he can jump? He's quite possibly one of the most bizarre cars you'll ever see!" Michael bragged, suddenly gaining speed with his walker down the hall, recalling all the successful missions he'd completed with Kitt long ago. He felt the nurse restlessly pull gently on his shoulder but that didn't hinder him not even slightly.
"ETA partner?" He asked into the comlink out of habit, grimacing as his hip started to complain over the sudden speed.
"1 minute 45 seconds Michael. I do caution you to reduce your speed though." Kitt replied smoothly. "You might crash." He teased.
Michael broke into a chuckle, eyeing the small comlink lens with enthusiasm.
"You and I will never give up speed." The man murmured between gritted teeth as he pulled faster with his walker, wincing over as he tried to fasten his pace.
Kitt worried over the pain he was reading off of Michael. It was rather minor but still real and with Michael's body's uncanny ability to bruise so easily now, Kitt wasn't sure this foolhardiness was worthwhile.
"Slow down Michael." Kitt finally sternly replied into the comlink.
Michael let out a low whistle, slowing his pace and giving Kitt a frown.
"What for?"
"Your hip, it can't give proper chase anymore." Kitt kindly explained. "Just like my drive train can't keep up with these fancy electrics swarming the streets nowadays," Kitt added hoping to somehow enlighten the mood.
The man bit down on his lip before smiling down at the lens.
"Whatever you say, pal." He sucked in air through his teeth, slowing to a crawl while the nurse scolded him for this unwholly behavior.