{ Chapter 9 - It's a source of Madness }
It wasn't everyday that you saw a beautiful young female speeding across one of the highways of New York, windows down and music blaring and a grin on her face.
Tristan had decided to take a detour from going straight back to the hotel and take a drive with KARR instead. The song was "Rhythm is a Dancer" by "Snap!". Tristan had just encountered Michael Knight and was still buzzing from it. She ran the events back over her mind and sat back, one hand on the steering wheel, gripping it lightly as she sped along the straight road, the speedometer creeping just over 150mph. Tristan looked sideways at KARRs' golden 'eye' and smirked, looking back to the road. The muscle car hadn't uttered a word since they had left Michael and KITT and after what had happened, Tristan didn't blame him. She would have been mentally scarred as well had she been in his position. Even so, it had been a very daring act by Michael, leaving on KARR but he had come out of it alive, so that was all that mattered.
Tristen turned KARR around a sharp corner smoothly and accelerated a little, her features going back into her normal state of neutral thought and she rolled up her windows and turned the music down. The moment was over and now she really needed to think about what happened. She looked to the side at the 'eye' which was still not motional, maybe he had friend a circuit with shock. Tristan rolled her eyes and looked straight ahead. It was dark so there was no need to tint the windows so Tristan still said nothing, although she parted her lips slightly to breathe quietly through her mouth and took KARR around another corner which was just as smooth as her last one. Still KARR said nothing...that was until she laughed. KARR's engine revved in annoyance and he only received the most annoying smirk known in history before falling silent once again, fuming within himself yet loathe to take it out on Tristan whilst that...dog...was on his backseats.
They arrived back in the suburbs of New York in about 15 minutes and Tristan's' face was neutral. She was still thinking about why Knight wanted that alliance. Sure, they would get the job done that little bit quicker, but apart from that, nothing would be achieved. She still believed that KARR wanted revenge deep down. Deep down, she knew the mustang she was driving now, wanted to make those two hurt. But his silence was unnerving. Tristan wondered if he was jealous and whether he was "man enough" to admit it, but she didn't want to try his patience again tonight. They drove in silence, with Tristan in control the whole time. KARR was mildly shocked when they stopped, but they weren't at the hotel and forced himself to speak.
"What are you doing, Tristan? Why are we stopping here?"
Tristan had twisted around to attack a lead to Bullet, then she got out and let the dog jump out before twisting round to look at KARR who couldn't help but let his attention flicker to the firm shape of her ass before looking back into Tristans' eyes, trying to read her expression. At the moment, that was more important than how fine her ass looked right now...or was it?
"I need to take Bullet for a walk, he hasn't been out all day, apart from this morning, and obviously needs the loo. KARR, I'll meet you back at the hotel in your hanger, alright?"
"If you insist." came the monotone reply and Tristan nodded before closing the door and walking away, hearing the rumble of the mustang as it departed behind her. Well, stranger things had happened. Tristan shrugged to herself and called Bullet to heel before walking down the road in the opposite direction, iPod in her ears.
888
It wasn't natural really. Tristan was walking back up the car park entrance with Bullet sniffing around behind her, off-lead. Now she had her iPod out and she was breathing slightly faster for she had done a lap of a small park somewhere whilst Bullet ambled beside her. He really was docile despite his looks and luckily for her, he was good with other dogs. But what wasn't natural was the amount that Michael Knight's face was playing on her mind. She belonged to KARR, did she not? They were 'lovers' in a sense and that connected them, did it not? She sighed and turned down the ramp into the hanger were KARR was being surprisingly placid and appearing to let the technicians actually come near him and un hook him from the machines. Well, that's what it appeared like until one of the head technicians came up to her, wary of the dog, and reported that KARR wasn't letting anyone near the cable nearest his CPU. He had allowed them to attach it, with a lot of snarling, but it had been attached with no problem, but now, no one could get near it.
"I'm wondering if we hurt him when attaching the cable, since he did show discomfort, and now he doesn't trust us."
"Cameron, he never trusted you guys. He trusts no one entirely," replied Tristan but not in a cruel or boastful voice, but one that was down to earth and slightly cold.
"I doubt that at the moment he even trusts me. No, he's not doing this because you might have hurt him, but he wants me to disconnect it for a reason, and I will do so when I've fed the dog. Thank you for being patient with him."
"No worries, miss. But excuse me for speaking out, but maybe you should start treating him more like the machine he is rather than a companion." said Cameron, handing Tristan a clipboard, showing more evidence of KARRs' self programming, obviously thinking he may become out of control. A sad smile graced Tristan features and she stopped and looked at KARR who was motionless in his hanger and then gave the clipboard back to Cameron.
"Never. KARR is the only one worth protecting half the time. Expect his revenge for that comment any time soon." she said softly and walked over to the sound system and put on "I'm not alone" by "Calvin Harris" before exiting to go to the built in kitchen. She swore she heard Cameron swallow nervously at the thought of KARR's revenge. The amount of firepower that car actually had was...horrendous. Tristan glanced back and saw that Cameron was now slightly scared of her car and smirked.
"Beware the flame throwers, Cam." she laughed before stepping fully into the kitchen. KARR had flame throwers mounted under his front and rear bumpers. They spewed either white, red or yellow flame and their shooting range was immense and Tristan knew KARR would not hastate to use them on someone who ticked him off.
She reached up to get some dog food from the cupboard when she heard a sound like a small explosion and a scream for Cameron. Herself and Bullet where back in the hanger like a flash, but as soon as Tristan saw what had happened, she burst out laughing. Cameron had obviously forgotten he had the throwers mounted on the rear bumpers as well and had gone round behind KARR. His trouser legs where blazing with white flame. She doubled over as Cameron had his legs soaked by another of his colleagues in an attempt to put out the bright flames and he skittered away from the muscle car, swearing under his breath.
Tristan shrugged to herself before walking back into the kitchen and grabbing the big bag of dog biscuits from the higher shelf, opening the fridge and pulling out some bloody strips and chucks of rabbit and lamb, mixing both together in the dog bowl, adding some olive oil, more blood and a little water and gravy before putting the deep bowl on the floor and getting out of the way whilst Bullet embraced his name-sake and made for his food like a bullet from a gun.
888
Tristan was still chuckled when she had finished cleaning herself up and exiting the kitchen. Her smile faded slightly as she looked towards KARR who was, obviously, still there, but the technicians were giving him a wide berth after the flame thrower incident. She guessed this was KARR's way of showing insecurity. A tight feeling of apprehension wound in her gut as she approached him, not saying anything just glancing over his body work and looking at the gleaming paint. Sitting there, he looked so confident, but Tristen knew the complexity of the car in front of her, and it scared her for some reason. She paced to the front of him, still not speaking a word. The fact they hadn't talked for over 3 hours weighed on her mind but also the comment that Cameron made. Maybe she should treat him more like a machine that a human. That's what their partnership had been like for a while and it had worked out alright then. Tristan never dreamed that she would ever feel fear, suspicion or even caution when she touched KARR but when she lay her fingers on his hood, those feeling spiked up her arm and landed in her head and gut, and it was all she could do not to pull away with a yell. Her heart rate soared and she thought she saw KARRs' scanner sweep speed up a little but dismissed it as she lowered herself down onto her knees and turned onto her back, wriggling under the muscle car, past all the pipes and circuitry underneath him to where the wire led her.
Right near the back where the bonnet joins the body chase, or round about that. Tristan winced. Partly before of where the wire was attached and partly before of the song that had come on.
"All the things she said" by "tatu" Not the best of songs but it showed how she felt. Raw, confused and frankly annoyed. But she wondered as she reached up into KARR's underside, had she crossed the line? Everything that people said about them being too close, the fact that KARR might be using her, it all came flooding back to her and she removed her hand and lay down underneath KARR, pulling her hand out, accidently brushing against a wire. KARR shuddered and his voice was deep and hoarse and sounded somewhat hollow.
"I wish you wouldn't do that without warning." he said.
"What? Find your CPU cables and touch them?" said Tristan with a grin. KARR shuddered again.
"Yes...and make it sound so dirty." he replied with only a moment's hesitation. Tristans' grin faded to a smirk before she shut her eyes and then opened them again, resuming working on removing the wire that was attached to KARR and silence once again took hold on the couple.
Tristan worked smoothly and tried to cause as little pain as possible to KARR since the wire actually branched out to different systems and she had to shut down the several clamps before being able to reel the cable through his systems carefully and slowly before gathering it in her hand. But for some reason, she couldn't help but look into KARRs' systems a little more. They glowed a neon red and the colour sometimes pulsed, or maybe it was trick of the light, but it was extremely warm underneath there and Tristan now understood why Bullet liked it under there. She sighed and started to wriggle out from underneath KARR when his voice stopped her.
"Tristan. Where are you spending the night?" he asked her. His voice was growing to be more like his original voice. Not monotone exactly but more malice was creeping into it and is was deeper and more electronic. The thought that his self programming could have more to it than meets the eyes raced through Tristans' own mind and maybe he was turning back into his ruthless self struck her and pricked at her like needles. Why was that prospect turning her nerves to ice and shattering them. This was how it was when they first became partners and they had worked well together then. So why would his change in attitude now change anything between them. Oh I don't know, maybe because Tristan had the sneaking suspicion that he wanted to drive one of his tentacles through her neck. She gulped as she glimpsed them through the pipes in his underside and tried to swallow her fear. It didn't work. Her voice came out higher than she wanted it too.
"Probably down here in the bunkers. The hotel rooms are nice, but a little too nice." she replied, trying to keep her voice calm as she slithered out from underneath him.
She finished up and went to put the cable away when she heard a pattering behind her. She turned and with a fond smile regarded the sleek form of Bullet as he came trotting out of the kitchen, licking the gravy from his chops. He had a very smug look about him...and then something weird happened. When he was just about to pass in front of KARR, he suddenly spooked, skittering sideways and away from the hulking mustang and stood away from him, staring in shock at the car, ear back and tail straight up, his expression intense and one fang showing. No sound was coming from him through. Bullet's muscles showed through his pelt as he tensed and then suddenly bolted towards Tristan and she embraced the scared Doberman. That meant there definitely was something wrong with KARR. She petted Bullet softly, smoothing his fur and rubbing the dogs' ears and just looked at KARR for a while. It was like he was jealous and that would make sense really. First Thowra, then Bullet then Michael. Possibly Michael, there was nothing there but physical contact and it didn't take a genius to realise why KARR was possibly jealous. Those three, not including him, where all males and she was a female. He was probably feeling a bit protective. But that still didn't explain Bullets' sudden cowardice. Probably a high or low sound that out did any humans hearing. She scowled and hugged Bullet tighter to her and then let go of the big dog. Standing up, Tristan sent Bullet up the hanger stairs into her bedroom and then went to sit by KARR's wheel, as they had been a few days ago but now she didn't dare lay her head by his wheel, such was the tension between them.
Tristan remotely turned off all the hanger lights after about 15 minutes of silence and finally lay her head down, but in a straight line with her body, not curving under KARR's wheel and breathed out harshly before speaking.
"KARR. I know what's going on and I know that you disapprove of it."
"That's an understatement." came the snapped reply. Tristan gritted her teeth before replying.
"KARR I'd say an alliance with Knight is the only way, but that would be a lie, and you know it. But it's the quickest and fastest way, and we both know that." she paused again, steeling herself to say the unthinkable. KARR was proud. That was the bottom line and his pride had been hurt but he had also had his circuits in the clouds and needed a reality check. Or did he? In fact, thinking back, ever since Thowra sent them on this mission, they had argued, stormed off, snarled and ignored each other more than usual and only two people where dead from all of these tiffs. But it was now or never.
"KARR, you're jealous." it was a flat statement, leaving no room for arguments...or so she thought. A snarl from KARR's vocal processor, not the engine itself and that sound was something unholy.
"How dare you...!"
"I dare because I CAN and because you KNOW it's the truth, KARR!" snapped Tristan and got up, glaring straight ahead and starting to walk forwards to the hanger stairs to join her dog in her bedroom.
"Tris!" KARR called after her and when she didn't turn around his voice changed to something he thought might get a reaction. Deep, technologic and vicious.
"Tristan! I am not jealous!"
"Bullshit, KARR!"
OOC :: And the plot thickens even more. Is KARR truly jealous and does he have good reason to be. Will Tristan leave him in favour of Michael? And on that note...what will happen to Sarah?
