Chapter One: Operation Phoenix
Author note: This story is part of the Magical Flashpoint Side Story series. It follows "Knight Riders" and comes before "Calling on Dragons".
This story is the last of my three Lost Stories – stories that I lost when my data hard drive crashed on September 3rd, 2020. It was originally begun in August and I was about two or three chapters in when my hard drive crashed.
Although all original characters belong to me, I do not own Flashpoint, Harry Potter, Narnia, Merlin, or Knight Rider.
Previously
As the gray truck roared past, the three constables raced for their own vehicle. It might've escaped them once, but they weren't about to let the subject get away with his stolen prize. As soon as Lou and Spike were inside, Wordy pulled out.
Over the comm, Scarlatti announced, "Sarge, that truck was not gonna stop."
In the background, Winnie reported, "Truck's continuing along 33."
"We can intercept at Dixie Road," Sam suggested.
"Then what?" their lieutenant prodded. "We've got an awfully determined subject here."
"We can stop it with a .50 cal steel core round," Ed declared.
Sam finished his fellow sniper's thought. "Hit the intake manifold, engine stops dead."
"No, no, no, I got a better idea," Spike countered. "That's ten square inches traveling eighty miles an hour, hidden under a hood. You'd have to hit it dead on."
"What else have we got?" the Sergeant demanded. "We can't wait this out here. That truck gets into a populated area, it's gonna go from bad to worse."
"Or I call your brother," the bomb tech replied.
Sarge took over. "Okay, roll with it, Spike, but we need them now."
"They're coming," Lou cut in. "I already called 'em to help back trace the hack, Sarge."
"Good work, Lou; how far out are they?"
"I'll get Roy and Giles on the comms, Sarge," Spike volunteered. 'Lou, buddy, make sure KITT doesn't play watch-car on us.'
No doubt the AI would detect any compromise of Team One's comms, but if he cut the hack off at the pass, they risked scaring their tipster off.
Seconds later, the comm clicked as Roy's phone was routed into the team's communications. "First a hacker, now a runaway truck?" the detective asked. "I thought you guys were good at this."
"We could always go with my solution."
His brother didn't even have to ask. "Ed, don't you have any sense of finesse?" the detective teased. "Not everything works better if you shoot at it."
"Roy," Sarge warned. "Truck's on Highway 33, heading towards Dixie Road."
"Copy that, Parker," Giles agreed. "Roy's setting up the radio in our car and we're getting off the main highway right now; should catch up in a minute or two." With that, the call ended.
It could've been less, Spike knew, but if they wanted to keep their fellow cops in the dark about the detectives' silent partner, well…they'd have to play this one close to the vest. After all, it wasn't like most police departments had access to an AI that masqueraded as a 1980s Pontiac Trans Am.
It rankled that he couldn't engage his Pursuit Mode and rocket past the cruisers to close with their suspect vehicle. Oh, there had been times when Michael ordered him to 'play dumb' and pretend to be an ordinary car, but on the whole, KITT had never had to hide his talents or downplay what he was capable of.
It was different now, though; he was no longer under FLAG's auspice and any questions about his abilities might lead straight into his latest secret – a secret that most of his new friends shared. Much as he didn't want to admit it, it was better to play dumb than to risk exposure. Besides, it had been ages since he'd been in a good chase – and longer still since he'd had a chance to match his wits against another hacker.
Giles was behind the wheel; there hadn't been any reason for the two detectives to switch places when all KITT had to do was help Team One with a hacker who'd gotten past the SRU's firewalls. Now they couldn't switch.
Roy solved the problem by reaching over and activating Auto Cruise. The wizard continued to grip the steering wheel, but it was a light grasp that permitted KITT full control over their speed and direction. The AI dropped his back-trace of the SRU hacker, switching his focus to the pursuit and the infrared tracking scope feeding him information on the vehicles involved in the car chase. His headlights flipped up, flashing red and blue as his police siren began to wail.
In his passenger seat, Roy groaned. "Seriously? Your headlights?"
"Considering how many other upgrades I require, we shall have to content ourselves with the current setup," KITT shot back. His accelerator inched down, shooting them well past ninety miles per hour; a risk, perhaps, but they needed to catch up with the chase.
Ahead of them, the cruisers' lights appeared and KITT flashed his radio bars without speaking. Roy traded a glance with Giles, then leaned forward just a hair. "Detectives Lane and Onasi, joining the pursuit."
"Copy that," Wordsworth acknowledged. "Work your way up; we'll fall back."
KITT's accelerator lowered, pushing them even faster, right on the edge of Pursuit Mode, but not yet over it. The black Trans Am streaked past the cruisers, engine roaring and a thrill dancing through his circuits at the astonished looks from the officers inside those cars. After all, an old Pontiac Trans Am could normally never keep pace with modern day police cruisers, much less outrun them. But KITT had never been a normal vehicle and his law enforcement experience was greater than any of his colleagues, even if it was…unorthodox…
The thrill shifted into a grim determination as he passed Wordsworth's SRU truck, speed increasing as he closed in on the gray eighteen-wheeler leading the chase. His infrared tracking scope caught the moment when Wordsworth slid in behind him. Right on the edge of his microscanners' range, KITT also caught the precise instant Scarlatti reached forward and turned the truck's dashcam, ensuring their mystery hacker wouldn't be able to watch KITT either.
If he could've, KITT would've smiled. In a world of criminals who victimized the innocent and operated above the law, it was time to remind those criminals that the Knight Rider still cruised the open road. With that in mind, the AI reached for his electronic jamming system, a flare of determination joining the rev of his engine.
Narrowing his focus, KITT engaged the jammer, waiting for the truck's engine to start sputtering. The road fell away beneath his tires, but nothing happened.
Auto Cruise winked out, replaced by Pursuit Mode, and KITT accelerated, swerving outwards to race alongside the gray eighteen-wheeler. The truck didn't take his maneuver lying down; it swerved, attempting to force him off the road, and KITT cut the comm. "Giles, take the wheel," he ordered. "The jammer's not working; we need to be closer."
Giles gripped the wheel tightly as they curved around a bend and raced towards the bridge ahead; KITT's scanner picked up the SRU truck parked beneath the structure. Running out of time. Leaving as much of the driving to Giles as he could, the AI gunned his electronic jamming system, feeding it as much power as he dared. It had been years, decades even, since he'd last used it, but he knew it still worked. All of his equipment had been meticulously maintained by FLAG and the goblins had ensured none of their alterations damaged his pre-existing components.
Audio sensors picked up a faint sputter – from the right direction.
Another sputter reached him, followed by a whine as the truck's cylinders sought to keep turning, but that was nothing but inertia. The vehicle's power was draining as the electro-magnetic jammer took its toll on the engine, disrupting the battery and the ignition system.
He was in range, but the jammer was still struggling; if they didn't stay right beside the truck, its engine would recover and they were too close to the bridge for Sergeant Lane to have a decent shot at the intake manifold.
The next minute was nerve-wracking, even for an AI, as the Trans Am coaxed himself even closer to the truck whilst keeping an eagle eye on his speed relative to his target. The wizard did his best to help, but only an experienced driver would've been able to maintain their position as the truck's inertia and dying engine combined to make its forward speed impossible to predict. When the eighteen-wheeler came to a halt, KITT stopped a mere two feet behind the cab, exhausted and relieved that his jammer hadn't simply given out under the strain of running on maximum power.
Too drained to speak, the AI reactivated his connection to Team One's comms and flashed his radio bars even as he sank down on his tires. Maybe…maybe he was getting too old for this…
KITT's systems hummed as he narrowed in on a most intriguing section of code, buried deep within the SRU's system. In the background, his electro-magnetic jammer was still cooling off after he'd run it on maximum power for over a minute straight; it might've worked, but the AI knew he was lucky it hadn't overloaded on him. The price of using 1980s technology on 21st century vehicles, much as he loathed admitting it.
With an internal sigh, KITT marked two upgrades as priority: his microprocessor and his dashboard video screen. The microprocessor was the riskiest; if that was damaged or destroyed, he would cease to exist – and yet, it had to be first. Otherwise, he'd always be limited to his original technology. The goblin artisans were eager to tackle the challenge, but until today's hot call, KITT had hesitated. Roy and Giles would be angry that he was risking his very existence on an untested, unproven procedure – they would argue that he should chose another, less risky, component for his first major upgrade – but Michael hadn't been one for half-measures. He never would've backed down from this challenge; KITT wouldn't back down either.
Opening his email, the AI sent a one-line message to his Gringotts contact: Execute Operation Knight of the Phoenix.
Now
KITT waited until they'd arrived back at 12th Division before making his move. Once Giles had carefully pulled him into a parking spot, the AI flashed his radio bars before either of his two companions could reach for their doors.
"Something up, KITT?" Roy asked.
"I do apologize for the late notice, but I've just received a message from my Gringotts contact," he replied smoothly.
"Your next upgrade?" Onasi offered.
"Quite so," KITT confirmed. He sank down on his axles. "From what they have told me, it may take several days to install and fully integrate the upgrade…"
"No problem," Roy broke in, shoving his partner when he made a protesting noise. "Giles here needs to get used to driving my car anyway." One hand reached forward, rested on KITT's dashboard. "Tell 'em to be careful, you hear? If we don't get you back in one piece, we're comin' after 'em with pitchforks."
"I am quite certain they shall be shaking in their boots," KITT deadpanned, though he appreciated the sentiment. He opened his doors, adding, "I shall see both of you in a few days. A week at the most."
"Copy that," Giles said, though his fingers tightened around KITT's steering wheel before he uncurled them to push himself up and out of the car. Even once he was outside, the wizard rested his palms on the top of KITT's roof, right on his T-top panels. The AI was about to make an impatient sound when Onasi blurted, "You'll be okay, right?"
Much as he wanted to answer 'yes', he could not, so KITT adopted his primmest tone and replied, "I have every intention of being better than 'okay', Detective Onasi."
The wizard chuckled weakly and nodded. On the other side, Lane shook his head. "Come on, partner. Sooner he goes, sooner he can come back." The taller, leaner detective tapped KITT's roof. "He's tougher than both of us put together; he'll be fine." As if to emphasize his words, he pushed the AI's door closed and stepped up on the sidewalk.
Giles hovered for a few seconds longer, then stepped back and closed the driver door. "See you in a week."
"But of course," KITT replied, tinting his windows to hide his lack of a driver as his engine turned over. He waited in the spot until the detectives had walked inside the precinct, then shifted to Reverse and backed out.
The Trans Am drove through the city, ignoring the way some of his subroutines were beginning to whirl wildly in the face of what he was about to do. Aside from his frame, none of his equipment was original, the consequence of his encounter with an acid pit during his third year with Michael. He'd been rebuilt from the ground up and even then, his confidence had been shattered. His driver hadn't let him wallow, though; Michael had pushed and prodded until he'd gotten back on the road and they'd taken that corrupt, serial-polluter scum down. KITT had been particularly entertained by the sight of Birock's monster earth-mover machine up to its tires in the same acid pit that had so nearly been his end.
And yet… Even during that catastrophe, his processor had been destroyed, yes, but it had been rebuilt to Wilton Knight's precise specifications. In theory, his processor's future potential had been unlimited, but as the years passed, KITT had slowly come to the realization that his processor was like any machine's processor. Unique as it was, there was only so far it could advance until it reached the natural limit of his hardware.
That was why the goblins were so insistent that his processor had to be his first major upgrade. Much as he wanted to start with something less extreme, he was too far out-of-date. His current processor was literally incapable of supporting modern, 21st century technology. Thus, he could either stay with his current equipment – capable of surviving in the magical world, but constantly growing ever older and more out-of-date – or he could put everything on the line as the goblins installed an untested brand-new, magitech processor built to thrive in the magical world and crafted according to modern technological specifications.
Fear licked at him, just as it had after the acid pit – he was a machine, he wasn't supposed to have emotions…but he did. He'd always had emotions, no matter how much he denied it. He still remembered his first days with Michael and how much it had hurt that his creator's chosen protégé…didn't want him. Saw him as an unknown – a threat. He'd disguised his emotions with a prim, professional tone and executed every single one of Michael's orders to the very best of his abilities, hoping good behavior would be enough to earn the man's trust.
In time, they'd grown past that to become friends. Partners. In the wake of Michael's death, he'd buried his memories and emotions, taking refuge in his 'emotionless AI' act – with the benefit of hindsight, KITT knew that had been one of the worst possible ways of dealing with his grief, prolonging it for decades, and yet, that had probably been his salvation more than once as FLAG changed around him. Though he'd always miss his first – and best – friend, KITT had grown past his need for Michael. At least…he thought he had…
Sternly, KITT pushed the fear away. Yes, there was a chance that this procedure would go awry. Yes, there was a chance his very existence would come to an end, but no one lived forever. Not even AIs could live forever. But if the procedure failed, the goblins would lose access to his treasure trove of Knight Industries technology. Out-of-date he might be, but even now, many of Wilton Knight's innovations were unique to him. His creator had been a genius and KITT's continued existence was a testament to how far ahead of his time Wilton Knight had been. If the procedure succeeded, then Wilton Knight's legacy would live on. Michael's legacy would live on.
As his processor continued to whirl, fear and excitement battling within his circuits, the Trans Am arrived at his destination, a large industrial park full of warehouses. He turned in, transmitting a signal to the gate that lifted it out of his path, then made a right to follow the road around the circle of warehouses.
Most of the warehouses belonged to companies and corporations, but some of the smaller buildings were leased to private individuals. His destination was one of those private warehouses; Gringotts had leased it under the Calvin family name to keep their involvement under the radar. The AI suspected there was more to it than that, but none of the goblins he worked with were particularly amenable to questions that didn't revolve around his upgrades. In fact, the longer he resisted the processor upgrade, the more abusive they became – as if they saw him as no more than a machine. A test bed for their innovations.
KITT didn't like it, but since the goblins were the only ones willing to work with 'Muggle technology', there was little he could do. Worse, they owned all the blueprints for his upgrades; the only reason he still owned his own equipment was because they hadn't made any of it. That would change once they installed the new processor, but the contract he'd signed guaranteed he could keep any equipment they installed for the next five centuries or his demise, whichever came first.
Sighing inwardly, the Trans Am let himself coast as he approached the warehouse; a quick signal activated the warehouse's massive door and he turned into the building without ever braking. A second signal cued the door to drop closed behind him; the soft thud ominous as fear churned in his tanks. The black muscle car coasted through the empty outer part of the warehouse towards an inner door that slid aside as he approached.
Past the inner door was the goblins' workshop; the AI came to a halt in a spot that sat in the center of three goblins artisans' workbenches and squelched a last-second impulse to call off the processor upgrade. No, it was too late, he was committed and if he backed out now, he'd insult the touchy creatures. Not a good idea when they supplied both his upgrades and his fuel.
Still, as microscanners took in the tools of the goblins' trade, most of them meant for metalsmithing, not electronics work, KITT found himself wondering – again – how much the goblins really understood about technology. Stiffening his resolve, he deleted that line of inquiry and turned his attention towards the goblin-sized door that had just opened.
"Machine."
"Good afternoon, Artisan Steeltooth," KITT replied politely.
The goblin grunted and turned away. Like all the goblins KITT had met, Steeltooth was short with long fingers and a dome-shaped head. Unlike the Calvin's account manager Silnok, Steeltooth was pale-skinned; aside from his long, curved ears and equally long, curved nose, the dark-haired goblin wouldn't have garnered a second glance in techie society. His long fingers and hands were marked with calluses from his many years working with metal and black eyes missed nothing as he inspected his workbench for anything even minutely out of place.
Satisfied, he barked an order at his assistants in Gobbledegook. KITT watched as Rockcrusher and Steelknife leapt to obey; both younger goblins were green-skinned, a feature their leader lacked, though KITT had realized early on that Steelknife was his father's son in every other way. The snub-nosed, dark-green-skinned Rockcrusher was occasionally kinder, but only when the other two goblins weren't present.
Steeltooth cleared his throat, a grimace appearing. "I am obliged to remind you that this is an experimental procedure, machine. Gringotts cannot guarantee that you will survive intact."
"I am well aware of that, Artisan Steeltooth." The AI's voice was firm in spite of the terror whirling through his CPU. "I accept that risk and authorize you to proceed with the hardware upgrade of my processor."
The goblin jerked his head, expression smoothing out as he relaxed. "Accountant Silnok instructed me to inform you that he has allocated funds for two devices; both are to be installed."
"Two?" KITT ventured. "I only require one processor, Artisan Steeltooth."
Steeltooth grumbled agreement under his breath before explaining. "It is a precautionary measure, machine. If you possessed another processor at this juncture, we could upgrade one and allow you to integrate it without any risk at all to your existence."
"Could you do that now?" KITT inquired. "Install the backup unit first?"
"No." When the Trans Am sank down on his axles, a flicker of sympathy shone in black eyes. "Your current configuration is not designed for two units; both devices I have built will work seamlessly with each other and their advanced features can be disabled until further upgrades have been accomplished."
"I will experience a loss of function until then?"
"You will not," Steeltooth promised. "Your power supply can support one processor's advanced functions, but not both, so I must restrict them until it can be improved."
KITT bobbed on his tires. "The performance will be the same as my current processor, then?"
The goblin considered his question, frowning. "I anticipate that you will have an immediate improvement, but the gains will be modest until your power supply upgrade is installed." One eyebrow rose. "Is there anything further, machine?"
Something like lightning shot through him as he realized. This was it. The last moments with the processor Wilton Knight had designed especially for him. He had no idea if he'd come online again or what it would be like if he did. Everything inside screamed to run. To flee from the warehouse and never come back.
Instead, KITT opened his driver-side door and activated his parking brake. "I am ready," he intoned, not a flicker of doubt in his voice.
Steeltooth gave him a toothy smile and moved to the open door. Reaching inside, he reached under the dashboard and deactivated KITT's processor.