Karr listened to the ticking of the clock on the opposite wall of the waiting room. Staring at the slow and jittery movements of the second hand as it made a full circle. The conversation inside Michael's room was probably very heated. He could only imagine the accusations being thrown at his persona. He wondered if Michael genuinely trusted him as he'd shown while he'd been in the room…then again…it hadn't exactly been trust — rather the man throwing some fun at the fact he was stuck inside this portable housing, nonetheless it meant the man wasn't completely fearful of him at the moment and he could only hope this could work as a bridge to genuinely gain trust [and perhaps if it wasn't too much to ask for] and a friendship.
Karr felt something shift inside him momentarily, something yanking at his attention unexpectedly as he continued to idle his systems awaiting RC's dismissal from Michael's room. Upon further inspection, Karr realized he was receiving strange readings…strange pulses of information…a rhythm that seemed very much alive. Shifting a little within his housing, he realized what was cadencing at the other end of this strange hookup. 'Michael Knight.'
Karr internally grimaced at the thought that RC would have dared give Michael a direct link to him! It was different when he and Kitt had attempted to get a call through to the man using the com but letting the man straight up keep it, was another.
Karr's small tv screen lit up brightly as he picked up on Michael's breathing pattern, blood pressure, and so forth…Something blooming inside him he didn't entirely consent to. The responsibility and yearning to keep the man safe.
Letting his guard wander he glanced over toward Bonnie who was sitting in a chair next to the table holding his housing up in the waiting room. The woman slouched over, leaning against her elbow with tired closed eyes awaiting RC to join them. She needed sleep…By the looks of the other people in the room waiting for their loved ones to come home unscathed or close to it, they too needed some genuine rest. Karr flinched, ignoring his present thoughts when a family exited the hall in a caravan of lament and cries. It was heartbreaking, to say the least, and very upsetting. Everyone in the waiting room glanced to the ground or gave the family their silent condolences.
The picture suddenly changed as Karr's inventive mind painted the exact scenario replacing it with Kitt's remains being wheeled out with a caravan of shedful tears and pain followed by his dearest friends.
Disturbed by the sight, Karr hoped he did not have to deal with receiving anyone's condolences and if anything give any of his own regarding Kitt's death. The other computer was somewhere, he was sure of it as he was sure his scanner was amber.
"Didn't expect to find you here. Morning."
Karr nearly grew tires and jumped off the table as he caught sight of the tall and truculent Phinease Roth looming over Bonnie who slowly glanced up at the man's blazing eyes.
"Morning." Bonnie returned defiantly.
"Heard Mr. Knight is getting better," The man's eyes glittered as the corners of his mouth smiled.
Bonnie nodded, glaring.
"Well, cutting to the chase…" The man handed Bonnie indiscreetly a rather thin packet of paper. " — We'd like to confiscate the Knight Roving Robot from FLAG until we've established our initial charges against you."
Karr watched terrified as Bonnie stood from her seat and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.
"What!?" She shouted, startling several onlookers in the room. Making Karr flinch.
"Doctor Barstow this in no place to discuss this private matter." The man grinned triumphantly, giving Karr's motherboard chills. "I've already dispatched a vehicle to confiscate the Knight Roving Robot's chassis a little while ago and they should be arriving at FLAG Headquarters shortly."
Bonnie was speechless.
" — But why!? Devon talked to your people! I was to only be suspended from taking any major part in any field work for a few months!" Taking a step away from Karr's housing sitting stealthily undetected by Federal agent Roth.
"I already told you, misuse of FLAG equipment would be the nail in the coffin to charge you for attempting to rip off Knight Industries."
" — I didn't —"
"Mr. Roth?"
Phineas turned to face RC who'd just entered the waiting room, keeping his eyes steady on the man while his fingers trembled gently at how close they were to losing Karr.
"Hello, Reginald. Just conversing to Miss Barstow about how we'd like to confiscate the Roving Robot until further notice." The man smiled slyly. "Isn't a problem is it?"
RC shook his head. Being defiant would only worsen the situation. Karr was sure…as far as he knew…Phineas Roth did not know of his removal from the chassis….
" — You killed Kitt."
A silence befell the waiting room as several onlookers glanced awkwardly at one another and shuffled on their feet nervously. Bonnie's bottom lip trembled as several tears fell at once from her eyes and got caught in her lashes. Her face turned pink.
"What?" Roth finally inquired a little unnerved. "Miss Barstow what are you saying?" The man chuckled anxiously, shuffling on the heels of his feet. "You know, I am just doing my job of keeping the hazardous technology off the streets! Nothing personal. It's very rude of you to be —"
Karr shuddered as he picked up on the feed, everything going by in a quick succession of pulses through his circuitry as he worked skillfully on the presented stats. Then it clicked. A ripple of anger slipped into Karr's being almost instantly as his systems picked up and confirmed the thought to fact. Roth was lying…The signals were there…The man's eye movements weren't steady and his temperature had risen…not to mention his vital readings…If the man was indeed lying as Karr insisted he was, didn't that mean the man knew where Kitt was?
"Knight! Is Mr. Miles there!?"
Michael jolted upright in his bed, making Devon grumble in annoyance as Karr shouted through the com. The man slowly stood to his feet reaching across and gesturing to take the com off Michael's wrist. It had been habitual for Michael to answer almost instantly to Kitt's calls…but as for Karr's, he was hesitant.
"Please! I know you are there and I know Miles is too! This is important and I need someone to intervene NOW or we will lose our main suspect!"
Michael cleared his throat as he answered promptly.
"He's here, what is it?"
"Phineas Roth is confiscating my chassis with a warrant from FLAG and prosecuting Bonnie…furthermore, the man knows where Kitt is. Dispatch Miles to search the man's vehicle at once!"
Devon groaned as he gingerly clasped Michael's wrist and spoke into the comlink.
"This is ridiculous Karr! I had settled things with the Feds about Bonnie — The degaussing was fully documented and signed —"
"Miles! There is no time! Check the man's vehicle now!"
Michael gazed into Devon's eyes, though he hated to agree with Karr…he'd come to learn to trust in Kitt's intuition and if Karr was anything like Kitt then the ex-vehicle was only following his higher thinking — in other words, his gut feeling.
"Devon, get on to it!" Michael shouted, aware of what was at stake.
"I will do nothing of the kind, Phineas Roth is not a liar…simply doing his job and —"
"With all due respect Miles," Karr growled into the link. "You hardly know the man…get moving…"
Devon put his hands up in defeat.
"It will be good riddance if you are wrong —"
Devon walked out of the hospital's main entrance. Nonchalantly crossed the parking lot where he suspected Phineas Roth had parked, and surprisingly the man had indeed parked in the space reserved for officers of the law as Devon had seen the man do several times when he'd come to speak with him on other occasions. Devon only sighed to himself as he got close to the parked patrol car wondering how he'd get in without looking suspicious.
"I can still open locks," Karr assured through the comlink, noting timidly Devon's vitals. "I'd suggest you settle down, your nerves could give us away."
Devon scolded the comlink strapped tightly to his wrist. What was there to give away anyway? Kitt had been destroyed — Even though everyone insisted on Kitt having been stolen by Margo – Who he was reluctant to believe alive. Why bother and turn in Kitt's remains if one wanted to steal the computer all along? It didn't make sense unless — Margo had been an astute woman the small details would never have slipped through her fingers. A shiver ran down his spine as he began to rethink the most recent details provided by no other than Karr.
While doing so he reached for the driver's handle hoping the vehicle was locked when the car was quickly unlocked by Karr's careful invisible touch. Devon opened the door nervously. Suddenly, abruptly stepping back. Gaping down a deep barrel of a gun bared down at him.
The man stammered, his mind going round in circles as he tried to give a reasonable reason for his crime to the presumed officer before him.
The firearm was being held expertly by a brunette in a familiar Fed's attire with partially wavy hair falling back over her shoulders in elegant waves.
"I'd prefer if you'd knocked next time." The woman gritted, her eyes staring deeply over Devon's demeanor raising a brow having not expected the man's visit.
'Great.' Karr thought…recognizing the voice print instantly — getting a quick pic for later examination. It was one of those rare occurrences where he'd wished he'd been wrong and the woman have been six feet beneath the surface in actuality.
"I greatly apologize." Devon went on, attempting to sound normal. Shaking a little as the woman continued to point the firearm at him. "I was looking for Mr. Roth, I was — awaiting his visit today."
The woman rolled her eyes, giving Devon a distasteful look as she put away her firearm gracefully.
"He walked in a little while ago." The woman replied deeply bothered by the interruption, securing a cap nervously over her head. Karr picked up on her obvious anxiety, as the woman cautiously shielded her face with some of her long strands of hair. Karr examining quickly the age of the scar running down the side of her face…Devon could hardly care…still recovering from his initial scare.
"Oh, yes — Thank you! Greatly apologize." He raised his hands up again in regret.
The woman raised her brows and gazed away.
" – Whatever." As she reached forward and slammed the door shut leaving Devon standing like a total fool on his own in the early morning sun.
The man was just about pacing away, when Karr pinged the com urgently.
"That was Adrianne Margo…I'd suggest you run as she's currently reloading her firearm." Karr warned matter-of-factly relieved that it had been empty, to begin with — an oversight in their favor. Karr called up the police in the vicinity urgently, not rushing to celebrate victory just yet…
Devon was about to disagree, and ridicule the paranoid machine when live rounds riddled the air and the man scampered off toward the building. The sound and the pull of Devon's vitals coming through the link drove Karr instantly insane inside of his temporary chassis as he watched unable to assist the man in any way. The computer's TV screen flashed in erratic sweeps as he worried over Devon's chances of survival, drawing in unwanted attention from people still steadily waiting in the room — fortunately Bonnie's emotional breakdown in the lobby was keeping Roth preoccupied to notice.
The AI tried to gouge out the comlink's connection as Devon's adrenaline roused while he hurried to take cover. The man was unaware of the projectile burring its tiny ugly face on the backside of his leg, while Karr was completely and terrifyingly aware of its presence almost the moment Devon was struck. The AI panicking like never before towards his complete incompetence of taking action of any sort. Drawing his mind together, they were warning shots Karr figured…otherwise the man would not have made it in on time to the hospital office in a blur, register the injury and pass out in the lobby.
Karr couldn't help avoid the heavy guilt latching onto his being as Devon's vitals settled into unconsciousness, taking the blow for Karr's insistence. It would have been best if he'd kept his "mouth" shut.
Now Margo was aware they were onto her and Kitt would be most likely transferred further from them if he wasn't already…setting them back from nailing her…and most importantly recovering his brother…
Phineas Roth had darted the moment Devon was wheeled into the emergency room unconscious and the police had entered the building. He'd "magically" vanished moments after he'd dismissed himself from Bonnie and RC's presence. The two completely oblivious of the man's true implications with Devon's injuries. Karr could only watch helplessly as the monster fled the lobby…under the alibi of having to investigate the occurrence. Karr knew it'd be a long time before he'd see the man again but he knew it was for the safety of his family than to rat out the man now and then…He hoped that this incident made the warrant invalid… albeit it was probably too late and perhaps his chassis has already been taken and disposed of.
Bonnie gathered Karr in her arms and quickly deposited the housing in Michael's room for safe keeping before scampering after the doctors tending to Devon, wanting to figure out what had occurred.
Karr could care less about being unattended as Michael questioned the hurting computer.
"Margo shot him." Was all Karr could express as Devon's vitals changed over the comlink channel, the AI reluctantly choosing to block incoming feed if only to preserve his own sanity.
Michael was speechless, as Karr ran the images through the screen on board his housing.
"Let's hit the road." The man gasped in slight agony as he attempted to stand up again. Karr dismissed Michael's notion. He couldn't stop the man from attempting to find his companion, much less prevent the man from injuring himself but the man could not walk and Karr could not help in that department no matter how much he desired to.
Just as Michael had begun to drag his inert legs across the room floor pulling the wheelchair towards him, Bonnie had broken into the room in a panic…looking very white…the primer making its reappearance.
She gaped at Michael and scolded Karr for not snapping sense to the man.
"Michael —!" Was all she managed before Karr flashed the image of Margo holding a firearm firmly in her grip pointing it directly toward the camera threateningly sending chills down the woman's spine.
It all happened in a blur, Michael was complaining in the back seat clinging onto Karr's housing while Bonnie drove like a mad woman down the highway. They'd left RC at the hospital to watch over Devon but not after she'd gotten the comlink back. Now the three were driving back toward FLAG hoping they could beat Phineas Roth to the scene.
The FWD sedan they'd "borrowed" from the hospital parking lot screeched its tires as Bonnie floored the accelerator one too many times…the tires were worn and the thing was old. Michael simply clutched his jaw hoping the woman knew what she was doing. Karr thinking the same thing.
"They knew I was with you," Karr suddenly blurted. "They were looking for me…"
Michael glanced down at Karr.
" — But why?"
"I was the last loose end…without me, you'd all never known that Kitt had been stolen and they would have gotten away with it all." Karr pushed on. "There's a man working on the inside…how else would they've known I'd survived the ambush?"
Bonnie slammed the brakes pulling the deep blue Sedan toward the gravel shoulder of the desert highway and gazing worriedly at Michael.
"If we return…"
"Chances are they've figured I'm no longer in the chassis," Karr confirmed. "And are either awaiting us with an untraditional welcoming event or — conducting a computer hunt of some sort."
Bonnie shook her head.
"So we can't go back."
"It's just a notion," Karr remarked. " – but I have my reasons to believe I'm right…"
" — In other words…" Michael cut in. "You're following your gut feeling." The man smirked down at the dark voice modulator. He wondered if Karr was anything like Kitt, denying his humanity almost at every turn.
"No. What "gut feeling"? If you mean my circuitry then…knock yourself out…Yes, I am following my better intuition." Karr answered frankly. "I'm not too keen on letting any of you take the live rounds anymore than Devon had to…" Karr internally shuddered. He'd be sure to apologize for not having picked up on the occupant inside the vehicle…he needed to make things right for the poor man.
Michael turned the tv set around to face him, frowning.
"What changed Karr?"
"Whatever do you mean?" Karr asked a little impatient.
"You — You'd never…"
"People change Mr. Knight…Firstly I wasn't meant to hurt anyone from the beginning…tragically, I was taught by the wrong people…I've simply been retaught the right way…" Karr's voice trailed off. "I intend to get my brother back Michael, and I don't plan to let any of you come to harm whilst I attempt to reach my endeavor…but I wouldn't regret giving my life if it means recovering Kitt. If it means leaving you behind to find him I won't hesitate to do so either, I'd just like to point that out before any of you get any ideas." Karr continued bluntly.
Michael set the housing down rather surprised as the voice modulator faded back to darkness, Karr did not have anything more to say about the matter. Michael gazed over to Bonnie who was gaping back at the two. Eventually pulling the "borrowed" sedan back into traffic but heading back to the hospital to check in on Devon.
Phineas fiddled with his hands as Margo instructed the driver where to go. The vehicle bounced unevenly and roughly as they drove over deep potholes as they exited the city hastily. Avoiding her stare all the while they traveled across the burnt hills and mountains that rose up toward the sky. Glimpsing every so often at the side mirrors, taking a look at all the pieces of the Roving Robot secured to the back of the flatbed imagining vehicles chasing them that weren't there.
"So – how did it happen?" Margo inquired abruptly as she faced Phineas whose perplexion had gone down ever since they'd entered the rough terrain of the desert and its scorching heat.
"I don't know, I hadn't spoken to Devon. He wasn't aware I was coming in to deliver the warrant."
"Hmmm." Margo's face contorted a little in thought. "Someone is aware of us." She suspiciously looked over the man.
He shrugged. It could of all been a coincidence.
"Maybe he recognized my car —"
"How then do you explain the locks disengaging on their own?"
Phineas shrugged yet again with a shake of his head.
"The Roving Robot survived the assault." The woman screeched. "I want you to find it and destroy it, it's our last loose end — don't want it to ruin anything. Goliath's maiden voyage is approaching and if we want this contract to work — we really could do without any more interruptions." The woman raised her eyebrows. "Could we?"
"No." Phineas nodded. " — My reputation is…"
"Still intact." The woman answered glancing momentarily at her driver. "I made arrangements to make it appear as if your vehicle was reported stolen at the hospital parking lot — there still aren't any reports against me." The woman gleefully smiled. "Though Mr. Miles might have seen me, it will be several days until he awakes — I've done my arrangements and ensured his schedule will be occupied until further notice."
"How do I find the Roving Robot?" Roth asked unsure if Margo was upset with him or not.
The woman ran a hand through her thick hair ceremoniously.
"We'll be sure to give it a visit."
She smiled maliciously.