{ Chapter 4 - Rhythm is a Dancer }
The drive to the Skate-park was a tense one and seemed to drag out for longer than it should have. Sulphur had gotten a change of clothes...and other things...and got back in KARR, who had only let her get in the passenger's side. He kept the drivers side locked. It was still dark when they left the complex and by glancing at the clock, Sulphur saw that it was only 6:30 am. Hmm, around an hour of having KARR listen to her screaming out his name. This was embarrassing. Sulphur tried her hardest to avoid the gold "eye" even though she was sure that the Mustang was ignoring her, so she fiddled nervously with the wheel of her skateboard, spinning in noiselessly.
She swallowed nervously, wondering what was going through KARR's thoughts but refused to look at him directly. A sigh left her and she looked out the tinted windows as the cityscape charged past them.
Had she fallen asleep again, for the next thing she remembered was arriving at the Skate-Park. Sulphur got out of KARR quickly and he shut his door behind her and watched silently as Sulphur charged up and down the ramps of the park on her board, flipping and turning, curving gracefully yet aggressively. There was a certain anger in her movements and he simmered lightly. If it was possible to say so, it would be said that KARR was sulking. The turn of events had definitely confused him. She was human and he was a machine, but he was a damn good looking machine even if he said so himself. That that thought made him snort to himself and then he quietened again and rolled down the windows, sifted through the songs on Sulphurs iPod and put a song through the speakers. It was "If I Can Find You Now" by "Yellowcard." It wasn't his sort of music but it was in one her best playlists so he figured it would give her something to think to and skate to. He half watched her now, but his
attention was steadily drawn to her as he watched her skate pattern change. It was indeed more to the music and her movements softened out and became smoother, more fluid, less punishing to her body and she had decided to skate closer to him as well. If KARR could have swallowed nervously, he would have done so at that point in time. He was just feeling a little unsure and he didn't like it. Usually, he knew what to say, how to say it and when to say it, but now, it seemed that his speak co-ordination had been robbed from him. So he kept quiet for a little longer. In fact until the end of the song, just watching his driver weaving and turning on the board and pulling off skids and stunts that any pro would have been proud of.
He turned slowly, so that he wasn't facing side on to Sulphur and the Park but face on. But he never really knew why he did such a thing, was it to get a better view?
His scanner gave him every angle he needed. But it was just fascinating to watch her with his own visual. He sighed softly and sat silently. His expression, if he had one, would be a stern yet neutral one with a hint of confusion.
He retreated into himself for a while but not before switching to another song. "Shake It." by "Metro Station."
In the skate park, Sulphur huffed as she performed another flip, her black silken hair flying out over, under and behind her trying to keep up with her body. She hadn't bothered tying it back and had just let it hang loose. The song that was playing was appropriate as well, as she got a little faster to keep with the beat. The music cheered her somewhat and made her feel a little easier around KARR. She wondered if she got any closer whether he would try and kill her, after all, his programming was completely different and he made his own rules some of the time. She tilted her head as she skated towards a jump that was closer to the edge and closer to KARR, and completed the jump successfully and then concentrated on a few stunts, mentally noting KARR's change of position.
Sulphur approached a ramp as the song ended and finished her stunt and leant on the short rails that stopped her falling right from the edge and looked over, her board balanced against her crossed thighs. The air was colder than she remembered it, but then, maybe she was hotter than she remembered. She smirked at the thought and removed her zip up black hoody. Leaving her board on the ramp, she jumped down and walked towards KARR, only glancing at him once as she opened the passenger door and placed the hoodie in a neat pile on the seat before closing the door gently and turning back around to walk back to her board and the ramps.
Sulphur halted just as she was about to pass the end of his hood and glanced back at him, before sliding down the entrance ramp and vaulting back to where her board was.
Taking a deep breath, Sulphur picked her board up, vaulted over the rails and went down the steeper side of a ramp and then did a grind and an aerial before circling back to the ramp that was closest to KARR and powering up it, flipping backwards before doing a tight circle and exiting the park and rolling up to KARR and opening the door again, passenger side of course, she wasn't going to try the muscle cars patience right now.
Reaching in, she glanced at the gold eye before grasping her iPod and selecting another song. "Moving On Up" by "M People". She placed the device back in the tray and closed the door and backed away.
Sulphur took a run up and landed in the park just as the song started. Skating to music had always calmed her down since it was complete improvised and anything could go wrong and everything could go right.
She had a grin on her face as she did a series of aerials, grinds, freestyle tricks and pressure tricks. Sometimes coming dangerously near to getting a part of her body hurt, but always avoiding the mishap by a few inches. It was an adrenalin rush and one that she loved greatly. It wasn't often that she really enjoyed herself and wasn't very often that she got to feel distant from KARR and free from him and Thowra, but when those moments came, she cherished them, for in those times, she was really herself. All thoughts of the embarrassing night had gone from her mind as she flew through the air and came up in front of KARR and flipped to the side and landed neatly and danced a little to the music before sitting down, panting a little and tapping her foot against the metal sides to the music as it faded and then lay back, her smile dying slowly as she gazed up at the lightening skies and pulling one knee up.
Soon the uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach again and she berated herself, she should have known that music wouldn't be able to cheer her completely. The silence was broken by a harsh, grating, mechanical voice.
"Sulphur. We need to talk."
It was KARR but even so, Sulphur half jumped from her skin, but she nodded anyway, her mouth dry and throat tight.
KARR decided to carry on speaking, since his bio-scanner showed the lack of liquid in his drivers' mouth. A rasping sigh came from his vocaliser before her started and was shocked by the hostility in his own voice and tried to soften it and eventually, through his speech, it softened.
"Sulphur. I would say I find what happened last night completely unacceptable, but strangely enough, I don't." there was a pause as KARR tried to get himself together to say the words.
"We've been together for a good few years now, almost 5 years and as you know, a lot can happen. What I'm trying to say Sulphur, is that, I...I do have 'feelings' for you. I'll always be loyal to you and protect you even against my own protocols. Sulphur..." he paused again and then sounded very un-KARR like.
"Sulphur...I love you." he said softly.
Sulphur was listening intently, as much as the harsh grating of his anger hurt her at times during that short speech and she was glad that it died down in the end but she felt nerves pooling in her belly as his voice got softer and he admitted having feelings for her. She didn't doubt the fact the turbo powered brute next to her did indeed feel lust and for some odd reason, she prayed that it would be something a little more but her hopes dropped as he swore he would protect her. Of course that was a good thing but she already knew that and wanted something a little more. Unknowingly, her lips tightened and her muscles tensed as her eyes watched the reflecting gold light from KARRs' scanners but she froze at the word she never thought could make its way onto his database, let alone come out of him. Love. He, loved her?
She sat up stock straight and twisted her body to look at him, her light hazel eyes pooling with tears and then she flung herself onto his hood and hugged him as best she could. After all, it's very awkward trying to hug a 74 inch wide supercar. Her body was pressed against his fender and she could feel the heat from his engine and scanner as they tracked across his hood.
Resting her chin on the bridge of his sensors she finally locked through the windshield at him and gave him the answer he wanted to hear.
"I return the feeling ten-fold, KARR. You are my world." she murmured. The engine underneath her gave off a comforting heat, even though it may not have been KARR's intentions.
A few minutes later, she got of him and collected her board and prepared to go back down to the skate-park, that was until KARR barked her name and told her there was a transmission coming through from Thowra. It was urgent. Even so, Sulphur couldn't help but roll her eyes. Out of habit and ease, slid into the passenger seat, her legs partially out, balancing on her board, he let Thowra come through.
To her surprise Thowras normally calm features were sweaty and stressed.
"Sulphur! No time to explain. I need you to ask KARR to hack into our main computer and track the person who has just hacked in!"
"We've been hacked?!" snarled Sulphur, her eyes starting to change colour to the pale blue that they took on when her vicious side took over.
"Yes! Please ask KARR..."
"No need to ask, I've done it and I'm transferring the details to you now and we're making our way back now." KARR's deep voice cut across Thowras panicked one and Sulphur swiftly flipped her board up and put it neatly in the back and clambered over to the driver's seat and kept a close eye on KARRs' transmission. There was no need, since the Mustang cut it off as soon as everything was sent. Sulphur grabbed the wheel and looked KARR in the eye.
"Can I drive?"
"Go ahead. Burn rubber."
- - -
On the highway, Sulphur was going around 90 and getting a briefing from Thowra and Flame. She swallowed nervously as more details came in. KARR chipped in a bit as well, but it didn't help the situation. In fact it made it worse. She swallowed again before stating a summary of what she thought was going on.
"Alright, Flame, Thowra, KARR. You're saying we've been hacked by some 12 year old boy genius?" she spat out. KARR growled loudly, causing Flame to raise an eyebrow and Thowra to look around nervously.
"Kind of, Sulphur. This kid, this lad, we don't know much about him and we have records from when he was twelve but now he's just appeared back on the radar under the name of Curtis Pridmore. From what KARR has gathered, he runs a business very similar to ours but only in hacking instead of what it is we do. I've given KARR a protection firewall against this fool in case not even he can take down the virus' he uses."
KARR snarled and his temper flared.
"I can take care of myself! Did I not drive that virus from your systems?" he challenged. Surprisingly, Thowra went straight back at him.
"Of course you did! But then again, they weren't prepared for such a powerful defence that turned into an attack. Even if cyber fighting is your thing, KARR, we have no idea how prepared they will be the next time you run into them. So install the Firewall or have yourself chewed, swallowed and regurgitated, fool!"
KARR roared powerfully at this but Thowra didn't back away this time.
"When I get back, Thowra, I'll need to teach you how to respect a supercar." he snarled as he installed the Firewall into his system.
Sulphur merely rolled her eyes at them both and went to speak again, but then John charged into the bay and pushed Thowra and Flame out the way, he looked even more panicked than Thowra had. KARR growled in irritation at the man but Sulphur hushed him and was concerned.
"John...what is it?"
"It's Knight Industries." a different tone came into KARR's engine when those words were spoken, but Sulphur paid no attention, but she should have.
"This...this hacker has stolen from them as well and Michael Knight and KITT are on the path of vengeance!" he blurted.
KARR's engine roared again and the controls flared brighter than normal and now Sulphur knew that he was furious. She lay back, put on a Drum and Bass remix of "Curtis Mayfield's "Move on Up" and let KARR take control.
"See you in the big apple." she smirked before KARR seized control and floored it.
Authors Note: Finally, the plot thickens and KITT and Mike are finally in the picture. Is KARR speeding up to destroy KITT or to get to the hacker first? Find out later on.
