Chapter 92
Sam and Caitlin returned to the airfield with a human appearing version of KITT and the class in tow as Tony and Ralph decided they should help Sam explain what happened in class.
After recalling the events Sam stood before String and Dom. "And that's how come KITT has a human looking body now." she ended the tale.
String let out a deep breath and Dom rolled his head back unbelieving.
"Oh' boy!" Dom rubbed his face and then looked up teenage KITT. "KITT!"
"Yes." he answered.
String looked to Sam standing before her classmates and asked her, "What are we supposed to do with…him?" he pointed KITT.
She winced, "I thought maybe he could stay here in the hangar."
Dom shook his head, "No! The hangar is getting enough attention as it is. We do not need a teenage version of KITT running around here too."
Ralph volunteered, "He can stay with me. I have an extra bedroom. I can say he's my nephew if anyone ask."
KITT suggested, "The nephew cover would be greatly appreciated, Mr. Hinckley. I could also adopt your surname as part of the cover."
Caitlin suggested, "I'm sure Michael would take teenage KITT."
String figured, "He's got his hands full with car KITT right now." He looked the teenage body over and shook his head once more. He then barked at Sam, "You be more careful with those nanites."
"I didn't do it all on my own. It was a group effort." she excused.
Karl complained, "I never did get my Iron Man suit."
KITT sounded, "I assure you that in bionic form I am far superior to any comic book character's suit."
Ralph agreed, "You are KITT! But for this to work you need to pass off as a teenage boy. You think you can do that?"
"Of course." he agreed. "I have studied human interaction and I am sure I can mimic such primitive behavior."
String let out a deep sigh wondering how he was going to explain the new and improved KITT to the others.
KITT then added, "Tonight would be the perfect situation where I can test my human protocols. There is a beach party with students from school. My class can accompany myself and Samantha to the party. If my protocol needs updating they can assist with input."
String blinked as the teenage version of KITT requested he and the class go to a beach party that evening. He looked to Caitlin and Dom for their opinions.
Dom stated, "Least he will have the class to help cover for him."
Caitlin agreed, "Sam will not be all alone with this this one. Maybe Ralph can go with them."
Ralph shook his head, "That would raise a few eyebrows and could get me in trouble with the school."
Tony stated, "I can go! I'm an old man in a young body. I can help Sam keep an eye on KITT."
Ralph agreed, "That would be best."
String asked Tony, "What do you know about John Kreese? The local karate teacher."
He replied, "He was special forces. Trained kids for years back in the 80's. Real hard ass on them. Johnny was his star student. He loses to Daniel in the state champions. Kreese nearly killed him. Destroyed Johnny! He lost his scholarship to college. A few years back he started his own dojo and Kreese shows back up and takes over. I think Johnny was working with Daniel in another dojo. In my opinion that's the best move he ever made but I know those two guys don't really get along. They are too much alike." he declared. "They first got into it over Ali in school. She eventually moved away and got a life of her own. Daniel and Johnny are like…" he reached for an word.
"The Odd Couple?" Sam suggested.
Tony chuckled a little as he nodded, "Kind of like that." He then figured, "They will argue with each other but if there was an external threat they would come together to fight off whatever threat there was. Both are real good at karate. Both are champs."
Sam added, "Daniel is one of the bigger local car dealers in the future. He sold Dad his truck. He gave him a little bonsai tree. I never understood that one."
Tony laughed, "Yeah! Daniel and the tree giveaway. I don't think it worked out all that much. But…he learned karate from a real Japanese master. Mr. Miyagi. He served in World War Two."
"Daniel wants me to meet him." she added.
"Wouldn't hurt." he shrugged. "He's a maintenance guy at the local complex. I think Daniel lives in it. Maybe that's how they met? Anyways, maybe he can help keep an eye out for that Airwolf tape and gather copies he finds since he has the master key to all the apartments."
Sam pondered, "Ali said she got the tape she gave me from Daniel's mother. What does she do?"
"Waitress." he told her.
"A waitress!" she gasped. "I assumed she must be employed at some top secret company or something. This tape is being passed around at local diners."
String stated, "Kreese showed up here today. He has a tape of Airwolf and I think he might have or know who has the original disk. He wants in!"
Sam asked, "What did you tell him?"
"I told him to get out." he informed. "But if this guy is special forces…and the Cylons are already here…we may need him." he then concluded, "If these things are what Mac says…we may even need those kids."
Karl huffed, "See! We need Iron Man suits to fight these alien Cylon robots off."
Sam rebutted, "We don't have those suits even in my time, Karl. They would be completely nanites made and I don't know how long they would even hold up or if we would have total control over them."
String agreed, "Sam's right! We cannot be using the nanites to make super suits. It would be too risky."
Karl waved his arms and huffed, "Then what do we do when the Cylons come, man? I don't know nothing about fighting."
Sam looked directly as him and smirked, "You will now." She then gave the nanites an order, "Nanites, imprint Karl with his future memories and self from 2022."
Karl blinked surprised, "Wait! What?"
Tony told him, "You were in the military, Karl."
The boy felt a bit light headed for a moment. He brought his hands up to his temples and rubbed the side of his head as if he suddenly felt pain.
Ralph came to his side, "You okay, Karl?" He then looked to Sam, "You sure about this? Tony was imprinted when he went into Dr. Beckett's experiment." He placed his arm over the boy's shoulder concerned.
Karl lifted his head and blinked. His fingertips touched his lips as his mind from his future self took hold. His life rolled out before him like a memory. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed. He looked down at himself, "I'm young again." His hands went to his stomach, "I'm thin again." He looked at Tony, "This is a head trip."
He nodded, "I know it is."
"Damn!" he gasped as he understood what he life were to become. "I remember being in the military now. I remember my training, what I did. My wife, my kids, my job." The anxiety and fear about the coming Cylon invasion melted away as he now understood what Earth faced. He slowly nodded, "Okay! Let's kick Cylon ass."
Jose stood utterly stunned. "Karl! You okay?"
He assured, "I'm fine." He looked to Sam, "You need to do this to Rhonda. She's a top neurosurgeon. We need her."
Rhonda stood wide-eyed. "Um…"
String held up a hand, "Only if Rhonda wants it, Sam. You cannot go around just giving commands that affect other people like that."
She agreed, "You're right. I shouldn't have done that. It's up to you, Rhonda. If you want to be imprinted with your future self then tell me."
"I really have to think about that." she replied worried.
Karl stated, "Don't be scared. It's not knowing that is scary. When you know, you think clearer."
String countered, "And we do not know what long terms affects imprinting can have, Karl. So far, it's only you and Tony who have been imprinted. You two are basically test subjects."
Ralph agreed, "String is right! We do not know the long term affects of the imprinting. You have to be more careful, Sam."
"I will." she agreed.
Karl realized, "You know…we could use this to make money. We know what companies will be big in the future and what goes bankrupt."
Tony agreed, "We could! But should we?"
"Have you seen what big tech has been doing?" he asked him.
He nodded, "I know."
"That's nuts." he told him.
"I know." he agreed.
Karl concluded, "I bet Zuckerburg is a Cylon! I'm telling ya, that dude ain't human."
Sam nodded in agreement rather wide-eyed.
Tony laughed, "Who knows."
Later that Evening
With Tony and Karl both having been imprinted mentally with knowledge from the future, Sam felt even more like a kid as the pair treated her like a millennial. Karl went from being a kid himself to an old man in a young body. The class arrived at the beach with teenage KITT is tow to join the schoolmates for a evening party. A bon fire was roaring on the sandy shore as the sun set over the glimmering water.
Daniel LaRusso was placing a blanket on the beach near the bon fire for he and Ali to sit on. Other students were busy doing the same and a large radio called a "boom box" played. A cooler filled with cans of soda was perched nearby along with some bags of chips for snacks. Daniel looked up as Sam and her class approached the scene. He waved them over, "Over here!" He didn't recognize KITT and wondered who the new boy was.
The group came over to the bon fire. They found some familiar faces with the school geek, Anthony present as well as some other students including Ferris Bueller and Samantha Baker from Caitlin's math class.
Anthony asked, "No Cait?"
Caitlin had previously excused herself from the beach party as she was rather busy tending to her life and planning a wedding.
Sam shook her head, "She's busy. She's in an upcoming wedding." she explained.
Samantha Baker gave a half smile, "I was in my sister's wedding last year. It was on my birthday and my whole family forgot." The red headed girl informed.
Sam replied, "I'm sorry that happened you." She then changed the subject for it was an awkward situation . "This is KITT. He's a new student here."
Samantha Baker rose and greeted him with a handshake, "Nice to meet you, KITT."
"My pleasure, Samantha." He replied most cordially.
She blushed finding the new boy just adorable.
The geek, Anthony spoke up, "Hey Sam! Tell us about Airwolf."
She plopped down on the sand and stated, "It was a top secret chopper back in the 80's that my uncle flew on top secret missions for the CIA. It was decommissioned and then my dad bought it as scrap and we spent ten years rebuilding her to take on air shows."
Anthony argued, "But that makes no sense. You said back in the 80's. They didn't have helicopters a hundred years ago."
"I know." she agreed.
"Then how could it have been in the 80's?" he asked trying to figure out the puzzle.
Ali reminded him, "The copyright on the tape said 2018."
"Then that would mean time travel." he concluded. His eyes then grew wide. He looked at Sam, "Did you really travel through time?"
She nodded, "Apparently the government was screwing around with that technology for a while."
Rhonda sat down on a blanket as well. She motioned, "Don't forget to tell them about the space aliens too." she said rather mockingly.
She nodded, "The Cylons."
Ali asked, "Okay…it this some kind of joke?"
"If only!" Tony miffed as he took a seat. He retrieved a beer from a soft sided cooler he brought with him and then handed a can to Karl who graciously took the offer.
Jose waited but was not offered. "Hey! What about me?"
Tony rebutted, "You're too young."
He soured rather upset, "This is not fair." He looked to his friend, "Sam do something."
Samantha Baker stated, "Like what?"
"My Sam." he corrected pointing to Samantha Hawke.
"I think beer is disgusting." she told him and then found her thermos of coffee and a cinnamon roll that she packed.
"Have the little robots dudes…you know." he hinted he wanted to be imprinted as well.
"Don't!" Tony warned. "He does not want to relive those last days." He tried to spare his friend the agony of remembering his own death.
"Maybe I should know what is coming." Jose stated.
Karl shook his head, "You do not want to remember that. And we are gonna change it. My and Tony both were there and we will change it. I promise you that."
Daniel asked a bit confused, "What are you guys talking about?"
Tony explained, "I was given a gift. Me and Karl both were. We both know what our lives will be for the next thirty plus years."
Daniel asked, "How did you get that kind of gift?"
"I was in the future, I was an old man and I stepped into an old defunct time travel project to save the inventor. In doing so my mind from the future was imprinted on my mind now. So, I know what my life will be. Karl was exposed to the same technology that did the same thing to him." He omitted the Sam merely gave commands to alien technology to grant Karl the knowledge.
"Wow!" Daniel sat stunned by the claim.
Ali asked, "Does this mean you can travel through time mentally and physically?" She was nearly laughing as she thought they were making up a story.
Tony nodded, "Yup."
Sam questioned aloud, "I wonder what secret time and space travel programs the government has. Maybe Men in Black shit?" She took a bite of her roll.
Karl stated, "I would not be surprised if there was a secret space fleet."
Anthony asked, "Like Star Trek?"
"Maybe the Navy but in space." Karl had to agree.
Daniel and the others laughed assuming the chatter was a mere joke. He stated amused, "You guys are comedians." His laugh then faded as he realized that Tony and Karl were both serious. "You are kidding, right? Right?"
They didn't reply and shrugged it off.
He cocked an eyebrow, "What happens to me in the future?"
Sam stated, "You own a car dealership. My dad buys only from you."
He squinted, "Car dealer? I become a car dealer! Do I lose the championship or something?"
Tony shook his head, "Actually…you will win. Kreese tells Johnny to do an illegal move. He did it too. But you came back, did this crane kick thing and won. Johnny even handed you the trophy. Then Kreese nearly killed Johnny afterwards. Johnny lost his scholarship and never went to college." He wagged a finger, "If you can get Johnny on your side, get him to ditch Kreese, you could help him."
"Johnny want to kick my ass." he stated.
"It's Kreese! He's the real issue. He's a bad guy." he insisted. "Johnny and you do become friends…eventually…" he winced.
Sam smirked, "I wouldn't mind taking Kreese down. He's trying to blackmail Uncle String with that Airwolf tape. I bet he has the original."
"Probably does." Tony agreed.
Karl smirked, "You know, Sam…that's not a bad idea. Kreese owns Cobra Kia. You go and sign up for classes. He will let you in since it's your tape he has. Me and Tony can sign up too so you won't be alone in there."
Sam pondered, "That might work."
KITT had to agree, "I do believe infiltrating Cobra Kia would be your best chance at getting the original disk back, Samantha." He then figured, "I should go as well."
Ali squinted, "I didn't think Cobra Kia accepted girls. I wanted to learn karate and Johnny tried to get me in last year. Kreese said he wasn't about to teach a girl."
Daniel assured, "If you want to learn karate, Ali. Mr. Miyagi will teach you. I'm sure he would."
"I'll think about it." she replied unsure.