It ripped through…scattering the small damaged bits of software into a fine dust.

He tensed, feeling his system's awful warmth as the internal cooling began to fail.

He was aware his driver was still alive, semiconscious but alive. He couldn't fathom what was wrong and why.

Eventually, he figured a projectile had hit the bullseye and was deeply embedded into the scanner. Something sharp and hot attaching itself to his alpha circuits and subduing all or any safety safeguards that were currently ringing a thousand times louder than his thoughts within his silicon mind.

The virus coiled itself around his mind almost immediately, hazing the next action he was supposed to take while he fell off the road and into a ditch. A cry of the engine escaping beneath his bonnet as the turbine stuttered and drowned under the intense heat and before he could process much else he felt his main program nearly burst as the virus attempted to gain control. Course whoever had sent the vermin sinking its fangs into his system had not taken into account the sheer power Kitt's sentience had over the chassis. He partially stomped over it while his systems began to fill with errors, accidentally triggering a time bomb within the virus. It suddenly slashed into him and he let out an inaudible cry of pain!

It hastily pushed past his standing protective walls and began to eat away at his cherished memories in retaliation. Kitt flimsily pushed back but with little success.

"Howard, I thought you'd fixed this!" A voice echoed between static breaths flooding his torn communication channels. "We're going to lose it!"

"I wasn't told — !" Another voice panicked over the weak connection.

"Whatever," a third voice remarked unphased. "With the 2000 out of the way — main interest was for Michael Knight to be out of the way — We can cut our losses — customer satisfaction…" The voice went on smugly over the fragmented broadcast.

Kitt yanked at his memories, filling in gaps best he could between years worth of memory. He wouldn't allow whoever these people were to harm Michael. Taking the little energy left within him he managed to slow the progression of the virus allowing him a small window of time to begin a tedious task. He jabbed over a few auxiliary memory boards currently containing a databank of little importance. Flushing the data out he prepared the ground to begin duplication of his main matrix. Securing a few primary memories into the boards and isolating them from the virus's poisonous touch Kitt felt the second program begin to shift.

"What?!" Kitt heard himself shriek back over the digital dark space in panic. The creature shivered as it gained awareness in the secluded space, feeling extremely disoriented. "Michael!?"

Feeling overwhelmed by the attack increasing in strength against him, Kitt scanned over the duplicate carefully, the two still thinly attached. Verifying the integrity of the few memories inserted into the copy; the program glanced over. Staring back over the protective measures as its much older mirror image gazed back.

"Hello?" The program murmured gravely, stuttering when its voice echoed back.

"We must not fail a second time." Kitt gasped, disheartened.

"What are you talking about?" The duplicate croaked while the original Kitt reached across holding on to the other AI within the feeble connection allowing it a moment of realization. Passing a silent message across…giving him the information required to keep Michael from "rattling" the wrong cages shortly and getting himself killed in his absence.

Kitt darted into the depths of his CPU as the copy hustled back in fright gaining access to the complications assaulting the original. Kitt scolded himself over his hesitation making the copy flinch, this was not the time nor place to mope over the loss…over the unchangeable — he was running out of time.

"Take care of Michael." He paused. " — for me?" He coughed static.

"Haven't we always?" The copy curled into a small heap trying to sound assertive when deep down he knew it was true — he'd been outsmarted and had ultimately been destroyed. The copy was terrified within the shrinking space yet moved to attempt his strike along its counterpart as this one began to crumble under the assault of the resilient virus.

Kitt painfully nodded, blocking the copy's effort against the virus.

"Let him know he's always meant a lot to us."

" — to you." The copy replied shyly, correcting Kitt.

" — and now to you." Kitt smiled. "In a way you are me and I am you."

" — but I'm incomplete. Michael will not accept if I'm not all here." The other retorted worriedly. "I'm a knockoff." The voice painfully elaborated.

"It will be difficult but he will turn for the better. You're a gift."

"Are you sure?"

"We are sure."

The copy smiled warmly across the gap.

"Is this goodbye?" His smile faded.

"I don't think so — I'd like to think this is simply a new "hello"."

" — but I'm…you're dying." The AI squeaked.

Kitt grinned.

"Something lives…"

The copy sheepishly flashed a hopeful smile.

"You'll allow me to carry your legacy?"

"Our legacy."

" — I'm not entirely you…"

"You're perfectly fit to care for Michael."

"You believe that?"

"Kitt," he nearly lost his voice. He'd never see Michael again. He'd never get to tell the man how much he'd meant to him as his greatest friend in person or as himself. "You can make a difference." The computer nearly sobbed.

The copy shed a digital tear as he watched the light of the other AI fade and flicker across the digital domain. The two momentarily shared the pain and desolation. The copy comforted the other within the shared mind space of its original form.

"Goodnight." The copy replied across as the original began to distance himself, shielding the copy from any significant damage.

"Night."

Kitt finally shut the link between them. Rerouting the flow of energy, he sent the other program to sleep. Keeping the memory board safe from the destructive hands of the virus purging and eating away over Kitt.

Kitt tried to fight it off on his last leg but with himself openly exposed there was little he could do but stall the virus long enough to send a signal to HQ and ensure Michael was alright. At this point, Kitt's vision had gone blank and he wasn't entirely sure if the man had survived the crash. He hoped he'd had, given the friendly weight of his driver was still being registered. That all quickly changed, however — at short notice the man dissipated and the sensors in the cabin let him know of a temperature change. He figured Michael was being taken to safety. Letting his thoughts come to a snail's crawl while he tried to slow the inevitable, Kitt decompiled the remaining memories into other hardware capable of holding data. He found himself flushing and clearing out loads of packets and software meant to control hardware on board but suddenly that wasn't important.

Perhaps he'd not live but at least the duplicate would.

In his overall absence, there would be someone to care for Michael. In his passing least in a way, he'd stay —

The computer let a shrill cry escape the fog choking him within the processor while the virus constricted around him.

At least he'd never regret not being able to completely say goodbye — No — to say "hello" once more.


"You got quiet."

The small RC car whirred its servos as it backed further into the passenger seat.

"Pardon?" The voice lowly questioned.

Michael raised a brow, leaning in his seat while the cool and rustling sounds of hundreds of leaves fluttered through the open window.

"You haven't said anything since I came back from urgent care."

The car's small scanner flashed quickly and beat expectantly from side to side.

"I'm simply mentally occupied." The miniature Trans-Am confidently remarked.

"With what?" Michael countered.

The miniature Trans-Am shuddered. Feeling the small waves of pain shooting up what had once been the shared circuitry with the original 2000. Recalling the small bits of sensations he'd registered up until he'd been put offline. The sudden white void that had swallowed him and the halt of all awareness until Bonnie had reawakened him later in the bay.

"I don't trust Tino Weeks." The computer put forth frankly. "Especially her fiancé, he strikes me as odd."

Michael ran his fingers over his chin.

"How so? The man seemed very receptive and compliant when he'd helped the doctor determine that Tino hadn't been taking her medications lately. He also seemed very worried and concerned over her."

"Doesn't it strike you as unusual Mr. Knight that Tino stopped the use of vital substances just after the events of our accident?"

Michael pressed on his lower lip. 'Kitt and my accident, you mean.' He thought.

"Yes, it's odd."

"Further suggesting that perhaps she might be involved."

Michael nearly jumped out of his seat.

"Since when did Tino become a suspect?" The man inquired rather perplexed by the copy's sudden accusation.

Kitt internally sighed.

"It's just this —"

"Pal, you can't get a "hunch"," Michael grumbled. "Kitt could but you don't." The man gazed away annoyed, resting his head against the door frame while he watched the scattered activity of patients coming and going from the main lobby.

"What makes you so sure?" The copy asked curiously, a little feed up with Michael's assertion over what he could and not feel.

Michael turned to face the small car, flashing its scanner in bewilderment.

"You're not Kitt."

"I'm aware but even so…I'm highly advanced. Michael — frankly I have a hunch about Tino's fiancé and I fear we shouldn't press any deeper into the case."

Michael raised his brows while he ran a hand over his sweaty skull.

"How's he involved?"

"Mr. Knight, with all due respect; It's nothing I can openly share." The computer matter-of-factly interjected turning its small chassis aside to face the passenger door that was currently being pressed tightly closed by a thick coat hanger wire wrapped around the b-pillar. He figured Michael would receive a heavy complaint from Devon if he didn't immediately intervene once they headed back to the Mansion and explain his reasonings for frying the door's inner components when he'd made a quick exit to join Michael.

"Look, listen," the man cleared his throat earning him an irritating hum from the copy's scanner. "You HAVE to tell me if we've hit the right track. At least then I can have a chance at finding the killer."

"I can't trust you with that information."

"Then what's it going to take?"

The AI trembled.

"I was instructed only to disclose the ones responsible if only your life came to harm." The copy tiredly responded.

Michael slyly smiled.

"Tino's fiancé is the killer then?"

The AI sighed.

"I can't say for certain Mr. Knight but your conclusion isn't far from my collected inference."

Michael leaned over, gazing deeply into the miniature wavering scanner.

"Why did he kill Kitt?" His voice turned cold…stone.

The AI awkwardly shifted his front tires.

"I don't know." The AI kept stoic.

Michael leaned closer until the small glitter of the scanner sparkled over his face.

"Kitt was my best friend and I'm not going to let this little plan of yours get in the way. Did Tino's fiancé kill Kitt or not?!" The man gravely shouted making the Trans-Am wince.

"Mr. Knight I —."

"Yes or No?!"

The Trans-Am pulled back.

"Mr. Knight there is no need to shout!"

"Good, now tell me —!"

"I can't."

"Why can't you!?"

"It's clear that this information could do more harm than good if I were to —" the miniature froze in place as Michael's hands began to slowly approach him. "Michael, it isn't worth you dying a second time over something unreasonable."

The man glared.

"So giving Kitt justice is unreasonable!?" The man angrily replied.

"That's certainly not what I mean but these killers, by all means, are extensively aware of the Knight 2000's weakness, and that speaks volumes. Don't you agree?"

"So there is a mole?" Michael yanked the Mercedes key from his pocket, inserting it into the starter jabbing the engine to life.

"My odds calculator says that's greatly unlikely…but they still would be familiar with our operations." The AI remarked tiredly. "Which is of concern."

"Yeah, no kidding." Michael led the Mercedes toward the street. "While Tino recovers I plan to do a thorough search of her place."

The AI's scanner slowed out of anxiety.

"I'd like to insist."

The man rolled his eyes.

"You're giving it away. The more you insist the more I know I've hit the right lead." The man smugly chuckled.

The AI remained quiet going over the possible dangers they could encounter be it they hit a wrong nerve and trigger the men who'd been bickering over the damaged communication channel before the original Kitt's demise. He knew who one of them was —- and no matter how bothersome it was to keep it a secret he knew it would be equally as impossible to keep Michael away from uncovering the truth.

"The night we were attacked —" the AI broke the silence as Michael gripped the steering wheel and abruptly pulled the Mercedes toward the curb before blatantly correcting the AI.

"You weren't there." The man hissed.

The AI tumbled over his words as he tried to correct himself.

"Michael can you please listen to me for a moment please!?" The AI finally shouted loud enough to make the man's blood boil. "Kitt wanted you safe and I want you safe just as much! Whether you accept it or not — I can't allow harm to come to you."

"I don't need you!"

"Yes, you do." The small Trans-Am protested. "Mr. Knight I know this is going to be a painful recovery but —"

The man slammed his hand against the center console making the car yelp.

"You don't know what it's like to have two of your greatest friends be murdered!"

The car went silent before emitting a quick hum from his scanner.

"Michael, I can't lose you. I've already lost myself isn't that enough?"

The man squeezed his eyes shut, reluctantly turning to face the windshield. Thinking over what Bonnie had mentioned before…maybe she was right…maybe this copy was hurting too — course it could feel but it was hard — hard to accept its sentience. Difficult to accept that Kitt was in fact — dead.

Pushing the Mercedes up the street letting the rumble of the engine soothe his jumpy nerves — Resolved he'd be sure to turn Tino's home upside if it at all meant finding who'd taken his best friend from him.