Ch 2

Peanuts

Kitt was finding it rather bothersome — the constant crunch and crackle of Michael's sudden addiction to peanuts echoing in the cabin and keeping his nerves on edge.

It had started a few days back, they were traveling between two towns trying to figure out the culprit of a real estate fiasco that had negatively affected two well-known families in the community; ruining innocent reputations that had nothing to do with the business — several people were fighting it off in court pointing fingers at one another and some had already been fined unjustly. There was a lot of tension between the town's people, the conflict amounting to bruised connections that had once been strong within the community

There was a lot to be said of each other.

— This being the case, Kitt found it quite impressive how Michael was able to skillfully somehow blend into the tapestry of such a tight-knit community. He was a very likable man, simple and rather down to Earth. Several aspects that the computer was beginning to appreciate. Apparently "clever" was a package that came in a dark leather jacket.

Michael was so down to Earth in fact that he wouldn't stop eating these earthy legumes!

"Michael?" Kitt asked while he shot a few brown shells into the plastic bag he'd brought to discard his "finished" snack later.

"Hmmm." He answered by breaking another peanut wide open, chewing the seed, and flicking the shell into the bag sagging in the passenger seat.

It was late and cloudy, the moon's shine un-present, a perfect combination of factors to hide out in the open and watch Franklin Will's house up close.

Kitt was about to voice his concern over Michael's excessive peanut consumption in the last few days when movement coming from the rear of the house caught his eye.

"Michael, Mr. Will is exiting the building," Kitt reported attentively.

Michael sat straight in his seat leaning over to set the bag of peanuts aside while his eyes trailed after the dark form racing across the neighborhood — unfortunately, the dim light and his unfocused gaze fooled his eyes, missing the passenger seat entirely and sending a harmony of peanuts scattering onto the floor.

The tension that was let loose in the cabin was almost criminal.

Michael tried to play the accident off, homing into Mr. Will's silhouette stalking over the neighbor's yard while Kitt glared at him in a complete rage.

"Where's he going?"

Kitt shelved his "rage" for later choosing to be diplomatic instead and brought his attention back to the task at hand.

"I have no idea, but he does have a rather large payload in his coat," Kitt informed him with a few whiffs of his scanner. "Would you like me to name the content of bills, Michael?"

"Not. now Kitt. Hmmm...Interesting." Michael grinned dismissing Kitt's overly calculative tone, clasping his hand on the door handle ready to pounce out the cabin. "Standby, I might need backup." He said finally breaking quietly into the dim lighting of filtered moonbeams; taking after Mr. Will's who had broken into a mad dash into a nearby alley.

Kitt internally nodded letting his driver scurry across the street, of course, the AI knew better than to stay behind. He was already tracing a route to keep within arms reach so to speak if intervention turned out to be necessary.

He was just whirring his turbine at idling speeds when an urgent call through the comlink let him know that Mr. Will had just spotted Michael and had taken him toward the nearby wilderness. He was trying to flee the scene.

Kitt's task was clear: intercept the man.

Kitt burned rubber in an instant, sending nearby car alarms off with tumbling trash cans rocketing to the side of the curbs as he raced toward his target. Within seconds he had Mr. Will in his sight. Sweeping the chassis to a side, Kitt managed to trip the man and eventually snagged some of his coat with the passenger window.

Michael was about to readily accuse the man and interrogate him but before he even set a single finger…

"Michael, Mr. Will's just entered anaphylactic shock!" Kitt reported in utter alarm watching the man lean sideways his face swelling instantly, slowly rolling toward the ground and holding his throat. Kitt unrolled his window allowing the man free movement to support his chest (running away was the least of their troubles and probably the least priority for the man anyways!), who unceremoniously fell to the ground in a heap. "Hurry!" Kitt shouted in alarm as he popped the trunk.

Michael dug through the supply bag in the back, almost flinging it into the air, skillfully unsheathing out an epi-pen and jabbing it into the man's thigh immediately.

The man seemed quite relieved in the next few seconds and Michael, well he was happy not to be an accidental killer.

"You're allergic to peanuts!?" Michael asked after a few seconds. Finding it difficult to find his own voice. He offered the man a steady hand to help support him into a sitting position.

Mr. Will nodded, still unable to completely process what had just happened.

"Kitt, call an ambulance will you?" Michael sighed watching Mr. Will lean back against Kitt's cool skin and mouth inaudible words with his puffy lips. He wondered if he was in pain. Michael sure was, in the form of excessive exhaustion, he sounded far more tired than the night before.

Giving the man a final gentle pat on the shoulder, Michael helped the man stand. The glitter of blue and red flickered in the distance.

"I already have," Kitt remarked holding onto his initial startled state. "Michael?"

"Yeah?" Michael asked leaning against Kitt's fender and watching Mr. Will's heavy breathing subside.

"I've come to the conclusion I don't like peanuts." Kitt mused trying to suppress his shaky voice.

Michael smiled. Letting the cool breeze of the late-night sky ruffle his hair while he watched Mr. Will's breath steadily.

"Yeah, I think I do too, pal. I think I do too…"