Knight Strike (Pt4): Knight vs Knight
There was no direct or easy route to the farmhouse. The two Knight Industries vehicles flew down the interstate. Getting off at exit 10, the made their way to the farmhouse.
"Michael, do you think we'll get there in time?" KI2T asked his driver anxiously.
"I don't know KI2T. I just know that we need to get there," Michael responded.
"Maybe you should let me drive. I can detect the curves more easily in the dark," the car suggested.
"No way pal. I'm in control," Michael told him determinedly.
In the other vehicle a similar conversation was taking place…
"KI3T, what's going on up there? Can you give me a visual?" Mike asked.
"I can only give you thermal imaging," the car replied. The windshield showed the outline of the farmhouse and barn. Red outlines of people showed two fighting in an upstairs room, two outside in the hallway, and ten down in the basement level. Only a vague outline of Goliath could be seen in the barn.
"I've detected KARR's heat signature. Wil is not within the vehicle compartment," KI3T informed him. "Maybe I should drive. I am more easily able to detect the road. Especially at night."
"No way KI3T! I'm in control," his driver replied resolutely.
PWWOOOOOOOOSSHHHH! CRASH! CRACK!
KARR sailed through the air, slamming through the corner of the house. He didn't stop there. He bullied his way through into the dining room. From there he kept going straight through into the kitchen and once more activated his turbo boost. His frame lifted up and he went sailing through the air again. The kitchen had high ceilings, KARR's front bumper hit the wall one foot above the back door. The back wall of the house blew outward into millions of pieces and chunks. Sparks were flying everywhere as the electrical system started shorting out. The house was plunged into darkness. He only briefly surveyed his handy work for a half second. Satisfied with it, he continued onto his second objective. The barn. Within seconds he had slammed into the side of it. He found himself in the makeshift lab. Sparks were flying out from the computers from where they had been torn out of their mounts on the desk top. Chemicals that had been on one side had flipped over and spewed about, inter mixing with one another. Smoke started to seep out and up. This, combined with the sparks, started a fire. KARR reversed out the way he had come in.
Goliath had awakened when KARR had made his way through the right side of the farm house. He had done nothing, as he had been instructed to stay in the barn with his motor off. Now the barn was on fire. He self-started and made his way through the closed doors. Like a tank through a forest, the doors burst apart upon his departure. He came to a stop just outside the barn, face to face with KARR.
The damage caused to the house was more severe than anyone knew. Because of where KARR had entered, diagonal to the right front corner, the house was in a slow process of collapse.
Upstairs, April and Becky fell to the floor, Becky to the right and April to the left. The generator kicked on and the lights flickered back on. They heard a splintering/cracking sound just as the lights went out again. When they flickered back on, there was a slight tilt in the floor. And it was splitting open. Before either one could move the whole right side gave way. To April, everything was happening in slow motion.
"Becky!" she screamed. "Jump!" Becky took a step back and then jumped. The floor fell out from under her seconds before she leapt. It threw her off and she managed to grab onto a section of the floor sticking out from the left. As April moved to grab her, the fragile section snapped under the extra weight of Becky. Horror covered her face as April watched helplessly. Becky screamed as she fell. Then silence. April looked over the edge and saw her cousin sprawled out grotesquely and knew right away she was dead. Before she could move away, the floor gave out from under her.
Wil made his way into the house. The damage was incredible. He went up the stairs and started trying doors. It was a little rough going in the dark. It wasn't until he came upon the two guards stumbling down the hallway trying to get out that he knew he was close. It took him less than two minutes to knock the frightened guards out and make his way to the locked door. He kicked and pounded on it until he heard it breaking. Giving it all he had, he smashed through the door into the room. The lights had flickered on at just that moment. Just in time for him to see April start to fall. He launched himself over, sliding to the edge and managed to grab her arm before she fell from view.
"I gotcha!" he yelled.
Downstairs in the basement, Garthe had just walked into the room where Devon and the two women were when KARR came crashing through the house. Thinking quickly, he ordered the guards to take the women out to the barn. Grabbing Devon himself, he half-dragged, half-carried him out the passageway. They reached the barn only to find it starting to go up in flames. He hustled all of them out the side, into the yard. He was just in time to see Becky falling from the second floor. He noticed a car in the driveway, facing off with Goliath. He recognized it immediately.
"KARR!" he screamed. "Goliath, turn that thing into a pile of scrap metal!"
"I shall comply," Goliath responded. Lurching forward he aimed himself at KARR. The vehicle stayed firmly planted until it looked like he would be hit. At the last possible second, he reversed and spun around in a one-eighty. Just as Goliath passed him, he shot at the truck with his laser. An ugly black scorch mark formed about a foot from the bottom of the backside of the cab. Before Goliath could turn around to retaliate, both KITT's came on the scene.
"Michael! Goliath's grill has been recoated with the MBS formula. We need to stay away from his front end," KI2T informed his driver.
"Pass that on to KI3T. Let them know to be careful," Michael ordered.
Unfortunately, it was too late, as Goliath plowed into the back left driver side of KI3T as Mike had tried to maneuver around the truck.
"Mike, I am experiencing complete failure of several systems. I am no longer able to repair myself, as the nano skin is offline," his vehicle informed him.
"Then we have to stay out of his way. Let KI2T and KARR deal with him, we'll try to decoy that monster," Mike replied. He maneuvered off to the right side of the barn and ended up in a sideways position. Goliath took the bait and headed straight for them. At the last possible second, Mike threw KI3T into reverse. Goliath missed them by only a fraction of an inch. The heavy truck whipped around as best he could. Garthe saw his opportunity and dumped Devon on the ground. Racing over to his truck he grabbed the passenger door, opened it and hopped in.
"Now, we'll destroy them!" Garthe exclaimed. He shoved the gas pedal to the floor. He felt the back tires bite into the soft grass and shudder as they tried to push the truck forward. He aimed for the center car, which he knew was KI2T. He would kill them this time for sure.
"I believe we should attack the vehicle on our left. It is experiencing complete system failure and will be useless in sixty seconds," Goliath informed him. He waited to the last minute, throwing Goliath to the left, striking KI3T fully on the driver's side.
KI3T immediately tried to move out of the way, but had lost all traction on the grass. Michael watched in horror as Goliath pushed his son's vehicle until it flipped over. Garthe kept going for twenty feet, shoving the battered vehicle into a huge elm tree. Satisfied, he started backing up. KARR shot his laser again, hitting one of the rear tires. Goliath staggered in the grass, almost facing both of the attacking vehicles. KI2T fired his laser and managed to hit the driver side door, just under the glass. But the scar it left disappeared just like the one KARR had left, thanks to the nano skin.
"My tire is repaired. I am ready for battle. What will we do?" he asked his driver.
"How many EMP discs were loaded into your gun?" Garthe asked quickly.
"Only one. They did not figure on us doing battle so soon," Goliath replied.
"I have a plan," Garthe smiled evilly. He lurched Goliath forward.