"Michael?"

"Yeah, pal?"

"I assume you are on your way to the garage?"

"Yes. Is Melissa there?"

"She is. And you may wish to delay your arrival."

"Oh?"

"Melissa has apologized for taking Bonnie's tools without permission. Bonnie is now letting Melissa how she feels. In no uncertain terms."

Michael had been on the receiving end of Bonnie's temper more than once. He quite understood why Kitt suggested he not get to the garage too soon.

"Care to share the gist? I don't want to pile onto Melissa too much. She'll shut us out even more than she already has."

"Bonnie is pointing out the . . . lack of respect Melissa has shown her."

"How is Melissa taking it?"

"Based on my sensor readings, her heart rate is elevated, and her muscles are tense."

"Classic fight or flight response."

"Yes. However, Melissa is not yelling or even talking back to Bonnie. She is instead remaining where she is, nodding her agreement but saying nothing."

"Let me know when it's safe to come in, pal."

Michael mulled over what approach to take. Kitt's assessment last night was right on the money. Melissa was too young – and had too sheltered an upbringing – to fully understand the consequences of her actions. And Devon was also right: Melissa would fight him – tooth and nail – if she thought Michael was stopping her from doing what Wilton had wanted and expected of her. To be honest, Michael might not have been receptive if Melissa had come to him about her plan to retrieve Karr. And that really was the point here: she hadn't come to him first.

By the time Kitt gave him the all clear, Michael knew exactly how he was going to handle the situation. He entered the garage, where the atmosphere was very tense. Bonnie may have stopped lecturing Melissa, but her body language made it clear she was still very angry. Melissa, for her part, was stiff. But the look in her eyes and the expression on her face was more defiant than fearful.

"Emily lectured me about overdoing it. Dr. Barstow here lectured me about taking other people's things. Now it's your turn. Guess you're going to lecture me about retrieving Karr."

"Not exactly."

Michael leaned against Kitt's hood with his arms crossed. Melissa was at a disadvantage. She had nothing to lean against unless she moved. And she couldn't cross her arms without dropping her cane.

"What does that mean?" asked Melissa, more angry than curious.

"You did three things you shouldn't have: you overdid it, you requested a retrieval unit without permission, and you took Bonnie's tools. Also without permission." Michael ticked them off on his fingers. "All three share something in common. Do you know what that is?"

Melissa thought carefully, and then shook her head. "No, sir."

"Trust. Or rather than lack of it. You didn't trust me enough to discuss what you wanted to do. Yet now you want me to trust you enough to fully activate KARR." Melissa started to speak, but Michael held up a hand to forestall her. "Either retrieving KARR was an emergency or it wasn't. If it was, then you should have called me. Or gone to Devon. Or Bonnie. If it wasn't, then you should have waited until I was home."

Melissa said, "But until the retrieval unit went, I didn't even know if Karr was still –"

Michael again held up his hand. "Melissa, the issue isn't what you did. The issue is how you went about it. You went behind everyone's back. So either you don't trust us or you don't believe you were doing the right thing. Which is it?"