Chapter 13

K.A.I.S.Y. sat in his spot in the garage, his blue scanner tracking sedately back and forth.

Since it was nearly midnight, he had thought that other than himself and Michaela, everyone was bedded down for the night. So he was quite surprised when Bonnie opened the connecting door between the mansion and the garage and slipped inside.

"Hello, Bonnie. Why are you still up?"

"I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd come out and do some work." Bonnie's hand found the light switches near the door, and turned one on. Her computer workstation, in front of K.I.T.T.'s empty spot, was gently illuminated from above.

"Bonnie? Can I talk to you about something?" K.A.I.S.Y.'s voice was uncertain.

"Anything, K.A.I.S.Y."

K.A.I.S.Y. told Bonnie about what he had done to Drakon's mechanic. "How is it possible for me to do something like that? My programming... I was prepared to take his life, if he didn't move!" The last came out in horrified confusion.

"I knew this would come up at some point." She grabbed her computer chair and rolled it over in front of the midnight blue truck. "Your programming, while basically the same as K.I.T.T.'s, has a few differences."

"Differences?" K.A.I.S.Y. asked in confusion when Bonnie paused.

"You still have the preservation of human life directive. It's been... modified, though." Bonnie paused again.

"Modified! How?" K.A.I.S.Y. prompted, feeling a bit more confused.

"K.I.T.T. has never harmed anybody. The wording of his directive prevents him from it, even if his driver is in life-threatening danger."

Bonnie stopped for a moment and took a hesitant breath, as though she feared K.A.I.S.Y.'s reaction to what she was about to say. "Your directive is worded in such a way that if Michaela's life is threatened, you can do whatever you have to do to get to her and help her. I did that because of the way Michael died. K.I.T.T. might have been able to save him. Unfortunately, I couldn't alter K.I.T.T.'s programming to better protect Carlee, but I could yours."

K.A.I.S.Y. sat in stunned silence for a few minutes. "Thank you for telling me," he finally said.

"Are... are you okay?"

"I don't like what I did to that mechanic, and I'll admit, I almost didn't give him a chance to get out of the way. I felt that if I hurt him seriously, though, I'd be no better than K.A.R.R.!"

"You could never be like K.A.R.R.! Anything you do will always be for others, not yourself!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that!" K.A.I.S.Y. nearly snarled. Bonnie got the feeling that was snarling at himself, not at her.

"What do you mean?" Bonnie asked in confusion.

"What if I'd do anything to protect her because I love her, and can't bear to lose her? Doesn't that qualify as doing it for me?"

Bonnie opened and closed her mouth a few times, as though about to say something, then changing her mind. Then finally, "Well, that explains a lot!" Another pause, this time as she stood and rested her hand on K.A.I.S.Y.'s hood. "Taking an action out of love is never a selfish reason! If you've learned anything from what Drakon was doing to his wife, you should know that it's when you do things out of a need for control and power – and for purely selfish reasons – that it's wrong! I know that if the time comes that you have to make that decision, you will weigh all options first and come to the right one!"

"How can you be so certain?"

"Because I'm the one who programmed you! And I programmed you to be the best person you could be! Plus, you've earned Michaela's love! She doesn't give that to just anybody!"

"Thank you, Bonnie!" K.A.I.S.Y. responded warmly.

"I think I can sleep now, so I'm going to go back in. Goodnight!" With that, Bonnie put her chair back, switched off the light, and disappeared back inside the mansion.