Big shout to Tempest, thanks for beta'ing, and help with the cars and characters!

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Chapter 8: They'll Only Get One Finger While I'm Shifting Gears

Dom was far from happy as he and the team arrived, Brian nowhere to be found, only slightly mollified by the crowd of racers gathering round to show their appreciation as he arrived, his RX-7 rolling forward in neutral as he gunned the engine. Keeping his annoyance from his face, he started setting up the night's first race and shot a look at Mia. "Where the hell is Brian?"

"I'm his fiancé, not his keeper," Mia replied, giving her brother an annoyed look. The sound of a powerful engine revving drew their attention to where the crowd was parting to let a car past, its driver purging the car's NOS in puffs of smoke as it pulled up. Dom turned purple when it stopped, its engine revving right up in the same way he did, the car's NOS purging once more before its driver got out. "What the hell took you so long Brian?"

Brian gave him a wide grin. "What's up Dom?"

"Where the hell have you two been?" Dom growled furiously.

Brian shrugged. "Knight just needed to swing by his bosses place, pick up some keys."

"So why did you go?" Letty asked.

"You know me, I just love to gossip, snooping around a rich persons house is a dream come true," Brian joked.

Dom shared a look with Vince, but neither said anything as Knight joined them.

Instead Dom chose. "Nice of you to join us."

"Sorry we're late," Knight replied, staring back at the other man, refusing to back down.

There was a moment of tense silence before Dom turned his attention back to business. "You racing tonight Brian?"

"Nah man," Brian answered. "Something just feels wrong with the Skyline somehow. Want to get Jesse to look her over before I give her a proper run."

Knight gave him an irritated look but didn't say anything as Dom asked. "How bout you?"

"I'm s'posed to be racing someone tonight," Knight replied, looking around, then grinned. "Hey Temp. Can we expect a storm tonight?"

Tempest rolled her eyes as she walked over. "Real funny, like I never heard that before," and flipped him off. "You're lucky you're cute, or I'd lay the smack down on your ass."

"Oh yeah? I'm just playing. You know how it is," Knight replied then asked. "You settle for a run tonight?"

"Only if you're ready to get your ass handed to you by a girl," Tempest replied quickly.

Dom chuckled. "Girl knows how to throw down. Two large people."

Knight handed over his money, as did Tempest. Two others handed over money, but Knight didn't recognise either. Dom counted up. "Alright, let's roll!"

Cars started, and peeled out of the street, heading for one of the cities main strips.

**************************************************

The cars lined up as a red line was painted across the road surface, Tempest's elaborately painted RX-7 on one end, Karr on the other. Knight checked the cars between them, an NSX and a Nissan 350z. Both were good cars, and according to Karr's scans, both were fully tuned, and ready to roll. He knew in any other car, they'd probably be stiff competition, but not to Karr. He didn't bother scanning Tempest's car. He wasn't bothered about the other two, but he didn't want to know any potential weaknesses Karr could pick out from it, although he doubted there were any. The girl had a lot of confidence in her RX-7, and he suspected it was well placed. She was obviously proud of it.

He listened to the CB radio as Leon let Dom know they were clear to race, Karr's system easily picking up the transmission. He gunned the Trans-am's engine, hearing the cars engine pick up in its bass rumble, just barely able to hear the roar of Tempest's engine over the noise of the other cars as his eyes focused on Dom, waiting for the go. The cars forward scanner was rippling back and forth with anticipation, its internal monitors displaying the car's status, before Dom signalled the go.

Knight was startled as Tempest's RX-7 leapt off the line, rapidly accelerating away from them. "Damn, didn't expect that," he muttered, pulling away, the other two cars pacing him at first, as he continued the show that Karr was as regular as the other cars present as he slowly gained on Tempest. "Karr, give me a visual on her."

The vehicle responded wordlessly, the RX-7's driver side window appearing on his monitor. Tempest wasn't even looking back as the gap between the cars narrowed. As Karr drew level, Tempest looked over, stuck her tongue out and gave Knight a cheeky wave. A second later, her 7 shot forward, closing rapidly on the line. Knight cursed, and hit the turbo, Karr rocketing forward in pursuit mode, just narrowly beating Tempest over the line, the other two cars crossing behind them seconds later. Knight grinned. "Hah!"

"That was close," Karr commented.

Knight shrugged as he turned the car around and headed for the starting line. "It has to be, or we'd blow our cover."

"I suppose," Karr replied moodily.

Knight grinned. "You just want to show how superior you are. Show off."

Karr made a snarling noise, and Knight laughed as the car headed back to the starting line.

**************************************************

Knight grinned as he got out of the car, bumping his fist against Brian's in celebration, and meeting the look Dom gave him. "Impressed?"

"Your winnings," Dom said, refusing to be baited as he handed over the money.

Knight smirked. "Thank you."

"Right," Dom narrowed his eyes, before grunting dismissively and turning away to set up the next race.

Knight put Brian in a headlock and messed his hair with the knuckles. "See that Bullitt?"

"Chumpy," Letty corrected absently. Brian shoved Knight off and gave him a playful punch, as they started to mess around before Tempest came over.

"Nice race."

Knight grinned. "You nearly had me. You got a lot of acceleration, and over these distances, its acceleration that's more important. Gives you an edge, and gets you in front quickly."

"You got lucky," Tempest grinned. "I'll get you next time."

"Oh yeah?" Knight asked. "I guess we'll have to go again sometime then."

"Damn straight boy," Tempest replied, punching his arm. "Congrats though, can't take that you won away from you," she finished, then looked over his shoulder. "I gotta go, that's my home girl over there," she said, and headed past him, turning round to look at him. "Congrats again."

Knight watched as she walked towards two people, recognising the red and white Mustang from the night before, still trying to place where he recognised the scheme from. Her friend had dark hair falling down her back, but he couldn't see her face. Knight recognised the Asian from the file Michael had given him and nodded towards him. "Who are they? I could swear I recognise that Mustangs paint job."

Brian looked at him, a dark look passing over his features quickly. "Ricky Tran. The team has history with his family. The girl with him, I don't know much about, other than that she drives for him. That's about it. She hangs out with Tempest, you met her the other night, raced her tonight."

"I know, the girl with the storm car."

"One and the same," Dom interrupted. "You know the other girl?"

"I don't know," Knight replied irritably. "I recognise her cars paint job, but I can't recall ever having seen the car before."

As he said that, the girl turned around, and with a start he realised that while he didn't know her, he did recognise her. She raised an eyebrow him curiously before conversing with Tempest and the Asian, then slid slowly into her Mustang, regarding Knight coolly before she drove away.

Brian looked at Knight following the display. "So what the hell was that about? You know her?"

Knight was saved from having to answer by police sirens, everyone scrambling to their cars. Knight slid quickly into the Trans-am. "Check your files relating to this case Karr. If that doesn't work, cross reference with law enforcement databases, I want to know she is. While you're at it, get me everything you can on Tempest, Hector, Edwin and Toretto."

He cursed as a cop car swerved to a halt in front of the car, the cops sliding out quickly and drawing a bead on him. "Shut down the engine and get out of the car!"

"Like hell," Knight muttered. "Karr?"

"Agreed," the AI replied, the Trans-am slamming into reverse with a screech of tyres, spinning the sleek machine around. The dashboard lighting indicated the car was now in pursuit mode as Karr effortlessly slalomed the Trans-am through gaps between police cars until they were clear, the engine surging with a burst of power and thrust, the car rocketing forward, leaving the police car trailing far behind as the Trans-am sped down the road, Knight relaxing in the driver's seat, taking small comfort from the cars speed.

Karr regarded his driver quietly, his scanners active and monitoring his drivers vitals with interest as the adrenaline rush left his system. Karr ran a scan through his databanks, through his own experiences, and those of Kitt, wishing he'd put as an extensive research in to human behaviour as Kitt had, to understand the appeal of these races, and the subsequent police chases.

His own experiences with Tony and Rev, the two criminals who'd reactivated him after his long slumber hadn't prepared him for this. Both of those men had been terrified while he'd evaded the police. His experience with John, the beach boy who'd pulled Karr from the sand shortly before his original shell had been destroyed had been different.

While John had been concerned about the police, he was exhilarated by the chase. Before Karr had proceeded to manipulate him and terrify his girlfriend. Karr reflected briefly on the way he had interacted with those individuals, contrasting his behaviour in the past to his behaviour now. To his new programming, his behaviour at the time puzzled him. With Tony and Rev, it didn't. Then he'd obeyed his original programming. His behaviour later, with John however, did confuse him. Karr delved into the SSC's computers, and found what he was looking for, the file regarding him.

He hesitated, knowing he wasn't supposed to be able to access the file, just as Kitt wasn't. Not that Kitt would have attempted to access it when he'd been forbidden to, Karr thought to himself. After a moment, Karr broke the encryption, and began to look through the files. Some related to events he remembered, before the destruction of his original shell. Details of all that had been done since he'd been reprogrammed. He came to what had been done in the time in-between. He scanned it with interest. According to the file, the parts that had been salvaged after his original shell's destruction were extensively damaged, apart from his well protected CPU. Despite that damage, the engineers had found evidence of some salt water damage before leaving his CPU in storage for over two decades before rebuilding him and teaming him with Knight.

Karr wondered if that salt water damage was why his behaviour had altered in those two years. It was unlikely his CPU would still be functioning if it had been damaged by salt water, he knew that, although he knew Kitt's had survived being dunked in a lake. He decided that, true or not, he'd rather believe it was salt water damage that had corrupted his circuits and thus his core programming, to explain his behaviour. He tried to delve further, and found further protection, and encryption that was beyond his abilities to crack.

With the equivalent of a mental frown, Karr left the file, and pushed his recent thoughts into his memory circuits, musing how being a computer had its advantages. It seemed more advantageous to be able to put aside old data and forget about it when circumstances dictated. Karr's scanners rippled steadily as they sped away. "I have evaded our pursuers. I do not detect any police in the local vicinity, nor can I locate any pursuers via satellite navigation. You may resume manual control now."

"She's all yours Karr."

"As you wish."

"What did you find on our new friends?"

"Edwin Atkins has been in trouble with the law on numerous occasions. Speeding, dangerous driving, reckless endangerment, multiple traffic citations. Hector Guglielmi's record has similar offences, speeding, traffic citations. It appears he owns a small club which has been cited for violence and substance abuse. Mr Toretto has a long history of driving offences, and a conviction for aggravated assault. Ms Brennan has no convictions or prior arrests, however she is on the watch list as a suspected street racer, as well as several outstanding speeding tickets."

Knight snorted. "Nice to know the LAPD is on the ball there. What did you find on the other girl?"

"Jade Barrett, also uses the alias 'Jewels'. Multiple speeding infractions, reckless endangerment, destruction of property and destruction of police property. She also has convictions for grand theft auto, as well as outstanding warrants for arrest."

"Now that's interesting," Knight raised an eyebrow.

Karr was silent for a moment. "I do not understand why such a woman would be involved in crime. According to my data, she comes from a wealthy background. Financial records suggest that she also has legitimate wealth, as well as her illegally obtained financial gains."

"She's a thrill seeker. She doesn't pull those things for money, she does it for fun, for excitement," Knight explained.

"I do not understand."

"I'm not sure I can explain it in terms you'd understand," Knight sank back into the seat. "Scan my vitals."

"Your vitals are elevated, particularly your pulse and respiration rate."

"It's a reaction to the chase, a rush of adrenalin, excitement. That's what she's after when she races, or whatever else," Knight let out a slow breath. "Take us to the SSC's safe house. I need some sleep."

Karr wordlessly dropped out of pursuit mode and engaged the auto cruise, taking control of the sleek trans-am and drove onwards.

End of Chapter 8…