Well, it might not have been the smartest idea to post the next chapter while the first one hadn't received any reviews. But I have the whole thing written already and am going to post it on fanfiction nonetheless! Mwahahaha!
CHAPTER TWO
"What are those?" asked Lizzy, although she already knew.
"Our tombstones," answered Kitt, "It appears that everyone thinks we're dead."
"But that's impossible!" said Lizzy.
"Is it?" asked Kitt, "They saw us go through that machine, which theoretically should have torn us apart atom by atom. And they did not see us come out the other side."
"But, but," said Lizzy, "We went through that for only a second!"
"To us," said Kitt, "But judging by the state of the grass, the trees, the building, and levels of certain molecules present within the air, much more time has passed."
"But this doesn't make any sense!" said Lizzy.
"It does," said Kitt, "I believe we have just 'jumped' forward into the future."
"Like a time machine?" asked Lizzy, "But why would Cooper build a time machine?"
"He did not know it was a time machine," said Kitt, "He designed it to destroy atoms. I saw the blueprints, and his logic was sound. My guess is that during the brief second where the machine was disrupted by Cooper, enough key factors were changed that the machine was changed into a time machine."
"So, we just find Cooper and do the reverse of whatever it is he did," said Lizzy.
"I'm sorry," said Kitt, "But we only made it out alive due to chance. There is no way to reverse the procedure."
"No way at all?"
"I calculate a 100% probability that we would be destroyed," said Kitt.
"But, we have to get back," said Lizzy. She dug into her pocket and pulled out the key card, "We have the Miles key. They need this! We have to get it back to them in the past!"
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry," said Kitt, "But we cannot go back the way we came. They have been without the Key for as long as we have been gone; it cannot hurt to hold onto it a little while longer."
"Then," began Lizzy, "Should we knock on the door of the estate? Someone inside probably has seen us on the scanners by now, anyway."
"Elizabeth, the place is deserted," said Kitt, "Can you not see it? This place has been abandoned for years. Just look at the state of the grounds; Devon would never let a gardener be so lazy. And look at the grass around your tombstone. Michael would never let your tombstone get so overgrown. It is obvious that FLAG has moved."
"But, but," said Lizzy, "We have to go back in time, or at least contact my family here in the future. They think I'm dead!"
"Think, Lizzy." said Kitt, using her nickname for emphasis, "This tombstone is weather-worn. Think what would happen if you contacted them and told them you were alive, as an eleven year old. They would think they were going mad."
"But what do we do?" asked Lizzy, frantic.
Kitt responded by opening his door, and Lizzy stepped into the car.
"We will find the new location of the Foundation," said Kitt.
"Okay," said Lizzy, breathing in and out. "This is a plan, at least. How much time passed? Is everyone still alive?"
"Well," said Kitt, "Judging by the growth of ivy, atmospheric changes, the approximate age of the tombstones and by the new dimensions of the trees, I would say only ten years have passed; give or take a year of course."
"Ten years?" asked Lizzy, slumping into the seat in shock, "Wow, Ashley must be able to drive by now! That would make her 21 years old."
Kitt chose that moment to drive out of the forest and onto the main road.
"Elizabeth, I'm sorry," he said, "But we cannot let the Foundation know that you exist."
"What? Why not?" asked Lizzy, "I thought you said we were going to find the new location of the Foundation."
"We have the Miles key," said Kitt, "And since the key is still intact, the Supercomputer at the Pentagon has not gone into 'melt-down mode', as your father would call it. But this means that as soon as Cooper realized that you took the Miles key from his pocket, he must have realized that we survived the device he built. Because if we did not survive, the key would have been destroyed."
"That's good, right?" asked Lizzy, "He might look at the machine and figure out that it sent us through time!"
"No, it is not good," said Kitt, "Because Cooper will never tell a soul that we survived. He must still be after the Miles key, and this means that he must be after you, Elizabeth. Therefore he must either work at the Foundation, waiting for you, or he has spies placed there. And so no one must know that you are Elizabeth Knight."
"But you said we were going to find the Foundation's new headquarters," said Lizzy, confused, "What is the point of finding the new headquarters if I can't reveal that I'm alive? Dad must be so worried right now!"
"We will reveal ourselves," said Kitt, "But the new headquarters will take time to find, and your father would never forgive me if I placed you in danger. When we find the Foundation, we must first find some way to expose Cooper for what he is before we can reveal our existence. Otherwise he could attempt to steal the Miles key from us."
"But I want to see Mom and Dad and Ashley and Uncle Devon," said Lizzy, about ready to cry.
"They have been without you for years," said Kitt, "A little longer won't make much of a difference."
"I just saw them four minutes ago!" shouted Lizzy.
The eleven year old then curled up in the passenger seat, her head on her knees, and started to cry. The full understanding of what had just occurred came down upon her, and despite the adventure, it was a terrifying feeling to discover that she had missed ten years and that her identical twin sister was now twenty-one.
Kitt let her cry, setting the temperature to a comfortable setting and allowing the smooth sound of the ocean to flow through his speakers. She cried until she fell asleep, as Kitt drove into an unfamiliar decade and began processing information.
Far off in another building across town, Ashley Knight sighed as she picked up the phone.
"Hi Kevin," she said, silently thanking whoever had thought of caller ID.
"Hey Ashley, just thought I'd check up on you," said the man on the other end of the phone.
"Oh? What's the occasion?" asked Ashley.
"Come on, Ashley. You don't have to hide it from me. I know, remember?"
Ashley sighed again.
"Come on, it's your boyfriend here," said Kevin, "How are you doing?"
"It's been ten years since she died," she said.
"I know," said the man, "Are you alright?"
"Yeah," said Ashley, "It's always hard, every year. I just keep wishing I had convinced her to join me in the kitchen, and every year I find myself fighting the urge to buy popsicles."
Kevin paused. What was he going to say to that? What could he say?
"How are your parents taking it?" he asked.
"They're too busy to notice this year, and that's probably a good thing," said Ashley. "They are helping FLAG get settled into the new headquarters, the permanent one, but they just got transferred to the division searching for… searching for the key."
Kevin nodded. He worked at FLAG; he knew that they were searching for the all-important Miles key.
"It disappeared years ago," he said, hoping to change the subject, "Are you sure it hasn't been destroyed or anything?"
"We would know if it were destroyed," said Ashley, "The consequences would be…disastrous. But it seems strange that someone stole it and hasn't used it yet. The key is really powerful, you know."
"I know. Is it true that you almost didn't notice it was missing?" asked Kevin.
"Oh yeah," said Ashley, "Several people were fired for that, and Mr. Cooper is the head of the investigation for the key."
"Mr. Cooper?" asked Kevin.
"The scientist who made the device that…that hurt Lizzy and Kitt," said Ashley, "He really wanted to make amends for what happened, so we let him head up the investigation. It's been ongoing for ten years now."
"Wow. Any leads?" asked Kevin.
"None at all, which is weird." said Ashley, "The thief left absolutely no trace. We had no idea it was even missing until Karr discovered it about a month after…after Lizzy and Kitt…" she broke down and started to cry over the phone.
"Shhh," said Kevin, "Listen. Every year you mope around on this day, and I for one do not think Lizzy would approve, or Kitt for that matter. How about we go take your mind off things? What do you say-a movie, or a show?"
"What?" asked Lizzy, "Kevin, I can't just-"
"Yes you can," said Kevin, "I'll pick you up in half an hour, alright?"
"But-" said Ashley, before pausing. "Alright," she said dejectedly.
"…And the new set of computers go here," said Devon, pointing to a section of the building.
"That area provides poor internet service," said Karr, "You would be better off placing the computers in the opposite corner."
Devon sighed.
"Must we go through this again?" he asked.
"I am merely trying to help," said Karr.
All eyes turned to the vehicle, sitting in a corner of the building. To those who did not know that the wall could be opened up to the outside, the presence of a black vehicle was slightly disturbing in that environment. Even more disturbed were those who knew the vehicle to be the killer known as Karr.
"Karr, for the last time," said Devon, "Mr. Cooper says this area is the best for internet reception."
"Yes, it's true," said Mr. Cooper, "That corner is perfect."
"You lie," said Karr.
Devon sighed, and Michael Knight finally spoke up.
"Listen, Karr," he said, "I don't know what you have against Mr. Cooper, but you have done nothing but accuse him since you two met. Why don't you both make up and become friends? You might be surprised, Karr."
"You do not believe me, but it is true," said Karr, "The signal from Mr. Cooper's private enterprise will clash will the internet signal, and make for poor service in that area."
"Private enterprise? Whatever are you talking about?" Mr. Cooper asked innocently, in a laughing manner.
Devon sighed once again.
"The computers go in the corner I specified," he said, "And that is final."
At that moment, a red alert began flashing silently on Mr. Cooper's laptop. However, no one saw it, not even Mr. Cooper. No one, that is, except for Karr- who instantly hacked into the computer, silenced the alert and altered the computer's memory so that Cooper would never know it had appeared. He was not about to let Mr. Cooper know that his pet project, his secret enterprise, had actually succeeded, even if he still wasn't certain what the project was about.
If he had known the alert meant that Kitt had reappeared, he might have behaved differently.
Bonnie picked up the phone. She had never bothered to change the number, but had it transferred over from when they lived at the Estate, before the pain and the memories had contributed to their leaving.
"Hello, Knight residence," she said.
Silence.
"Hello?" Bonnie asked.
"Is…is this FLAG?" asked a little girl.
Bonnie's guard was instantly up. "What did you say?" she asked.
"Is this the Foundation for Law and Government?" asked the voice.
"Sorry, you must have the wrong number," said Bonnie.
It was technically true: FLAG was no longer affiliated with that number.
"Oh," said the little girl, "Can I have the right number?"
"I'm sorry, but I don't know it," said Bonnie, lying, "Why don't you call the police? They should be able to contact the Foundation."
"Oh," said the voice.
"I really wish I could help. I hope you find what you are looking for," said Bonnie, before hanging up.
"Yeah," said the little girl sadly, realizing that Bonnie had hung up on her. Tears fell onto her green t-shirt. "No one knows the new location of the Foundation," she said, "I'm going to train with Kitt until we find it. Love you, Mom."