A/N: I am combining Grammarly on Google Docx with Microsoft Word Spell Checker. In this chapter, I used Microsoft Review Read Aloud. Hoping to catch more spelling errors and misplaced words. Exp. word and world sometimes get mist.
Chapter 12: Red Knight Down
Thursday, October 6, 1983,
Iraq
07:00 PDT
K.A.R.R. races across the dusty sands of Iraq. He was not thrilled about transporting three American soldiers bleeding on his upholstery. The fourth person in his cab was not Alex but a young female field nurse. She was sitting in the small back driver-side seat, keeping pressure on a man's bleeding leg next to her. She was also looking over the left arm of the man in the front passenger seat.
The man in the driver seat has a wrapped head injury and was instructed by Alex and Christon not to drive or push any of K.A.R.R.'s controls.
K.A.R.R. was tracking Alex as he drove the large Armored all-terrain recovery vehicle. Christon was assisting one of the HGI-built Medevac Helicopters. Christon is one of the best mid-range assault-rifle sharpshooters. He is able to hit 36 out of 40 with any rifle he holds and 38 out of 40 with his handgun. Christon is considered one of the army's champions.
K.A.R.R. detected the approach of an enemy assault vehicle. It was one of the new Dragon 300s that was stolen from the Americans, a reason Alex will not give Americans weapons. Coming into view K.A.R.R. scanned the 20mm turret it had equipped.
Turning to head away from the Dragon 300, K.A.R.R. managed to fully scan it with his Biometric scanner, which told him It had 8 shells and one in the barrel.
It turned to target K.A.R.R., and he switched to Evasion Mode A. The vehicle, however, did not stop turning its barrel until it was aiming at the A.A.R.V. With a *BOOM* its 20mm solid shell slammed into the passenger side of the A.A.R.V. just behind the door.
Sparks shot in all directions as the shell deformed and glanced off the A.A.R.V.'s 1-inch-thick Mimetic armor with 3 inches of Peranium-A back plating.
Ripples traced down the passenger side of the A.A.R.V., as the squashed 20mm shell embedded itself under the sand. Once the ripples stop K.A.R.R.'s scans showed no damage to the Armored All-terrain Recovery Vehicle or its passengers.
K.A.R.R. made it over a dune to see another stolen Dragon 300, this one aiming at him. Through his internal speakers. "Hang on everyone."
The laser passenger restraint system was active but could not be reliable, if K.A.R.R. was hit it could cause the system to lag.
Calculating the shell's trajectory he deployed the last left rear quarter boost kicker, at the same time deploying the first right fender kicker and angling it up to push down.
With his main scanner, he saw the instant the man pulled the fire handle in the Dragon 300. In the light of day, the fire from the kicker was not visible but it still spat a purple after burner color, which dipped K.A.R.R.'s front end and slid the front of his frame to the left.
The shell missed K.A.R.R. by 3-inches over his hood to embed into the sand. Closing the kicker panels, K.A.R.R. headed for safety over the next hill.
He was monitoring both Dragon 300s, so he knew the other was waiting to take a shot at him. Calculating its shell's trajectory, K.A.R.R. was about to turn to the left and dip his left suspension.
"No, Lookout." The man in the driver's seat yells and yanks K.A.R.R.'s steering wheel with adrenaline induce strength to the right.
The Trans-Am's left suspension went up just in time for the 20mm shell to slam into the front left strut tower. The impact punches the strut through the tower, into K.A.R.R.'s primary 16-volt battery and power distribution box.
The force was so great it pushed the Molecular Bonded (MBS1) strut studs into the bottom of K.A.R.R.'s hood making a bump in the left side of his hood.
K.A.R.R. spun a foot off the ground to the right before crashing back down with the left front wheel in his wheel well and subframe in the sand.
At the impact to the ground, all the systems in the K1200 flickered off for 3-seconds before K.A.R.R. switched to the secondary system.
K1000s
Primary Power Distribution Module/Offline
Secondary Power Distribution Module/Activated
Status: Diagnostics Running….
(M.O.V.E.) Modular Operational V8 Engine/Error
Cyl/1/Electrical Igniter/Online
Cyl/2/Electrical Igniter/Online
Cyl/3/Electrical Igniter/Online
Cyl/4/Electrical Igniter/Online
Cyl/5/Electrical Igniter/Error
Cyl/6/Electrical Igniter/Online
Cyl/7/Electrical Igniter/Error
Cyl/8/Electrical Igniter/Online
Status:M.O.V.E./Modulating Mode/Cyl 5,7/Reconfiguring/Complete
Status: M.O.V.E./V6-216HP/Online
Suspension/Front/Left/Compromised
DriveSystem/Front/Left/Rings/Open
DriveSystem/Front/Right/Rings/Locked
DriveSystem/Rear/All/Rings/Locked
U-Trackes/Front/Left/Tread_0
Passive Restraints/Online
Comlink/Online
C: "K.A.R.R., you need to get out of there, I'm on my way. Deak, take the wheel I'm going for K.A.R.R. *Bam* *Chhk*"
Through the Comlink K.A.R.R. could hear the door of the A.A.R.V. bang shut and the racking slide of Alex's prototype Impact Energy Rifle.
Heeding his commend K.A.R.R. put himself into reverse with his front right wheel turning with the backs and his front left U-Track set to zero tread slicks.
Digging his other studded U-Tracks into the sand he backed over the sand hill leaving a flat trail like a sled in his wake. K.A.R.R. could only get to a top speed of 30mph with the front left side of his subframe dragging on the sand.
One of the Dragon 300s started following him over the hill. The vehicle made it to the crest of the hill and took aim at K.A.R.R.'s windshield. Below the wiper arms and over his windshield a panel opens, and Peranium 1 matt Burgundy armor panels fold down and up to lock together.
The Dragon 300 was about to fire when a 3-inch diameter and 2-inch-long blue burst hit the barrel of the vehicle, swinging it around like a top 12 times, in a half second before breaking off the vehicle, flying backward like a frisbee.
Through the Comlink and with his directional external mic he heard *Chhk* as Alex ejected the spent power cell from the rifle, which used so much power demand of the cell it burnt it out instantly.
The other Dragon 300 turned to head away from K.A.R.R. over a hill. Still backing up towards Alex, K.A.R.R. used his Mark 2 Biometric scanner to look inside the retreating Dragon 300 to lip-read and hear the men inside. "Get out of here, the southern wolf is coming…"
It was turning for the hill when a blue burst hit the upper left side of the vehicle just below its gun. The impact lifts the left side of the heavy armored vehicle off its wheel causing it to roll over the side of the hill. From the sound of its crushing metal, it turned over 4 times before landing on its right side.
Turning his wheel, K.A.R.R. came to a stop hidden from the enemy behind a hill as Alex ran over. Alex was not wearing his heavy armor, instead, he wore his medium armor that looked like sand camo tactical gear, with a full helmet that looked like a wolf's head. This armor can absorb even one of K.A.R.R.'s 4.5x26mm AP (Armor Piercing) AT (Anti-Tank) Stinger rounds.
Alex would still receive signific bruises or broken bones from one of these Stinger rounds. Putting his hand under the driver's door handle's fingerprint scanner Alex opens the door.
"Is everyone alright, what happened K.A.R.R.?"
07:38 PDT
Alex was in the Burgundy-red Trans-Am with a slimmed-down IBM QWERTY keyboard he pulled from the tray in the bottom of the glove box.
As he was typing commands into the K1200's systems he spoke. "K.A.R.R., do you still have a connection to the K1200's left front U-Track? I can see the drive shaft is still working, along with the brake system."
Using his vocalizer K.A.R.R. responds. "I am not 100% sure. I sent a command to make it zero tread and it worked based on the tracks I left behind, but I never got a confirmation back."
They both heard the *howl* of a set of Turbojet Aero series engines as the Trigon RAY flew overhead. Using the sensors and cameras embedded around K.A.R.R.'s hood and up the A-pillars to see the side door of the cargo jet drop a 5'x5'x5' wooden crate.
The crate dropped and deploys a shoot before hitting the ground 20 feet in front of K.A.R.R. "Alright K.A.R.R. you ready?"
"For what?" Alex did not answer, just pushed enter on the keyboard. The right front and rear left U-Tracks expanded with his suspension while the rear right fell.
The K1200's left damaged wheel lifted off the ground as the command completes.
"Alex, what did you do?" K.A.R.R. asked as he went over the command code Alex typed out, as he steps out of K.A.R.R. to head over to the wooden crate.
Alex grabs the thick twisted rope strap on the side of the crate and drags it over to K.A.R.R. Once it was near his now lifted left wheel Alex stopped and ripped the side off the crate with ease.
Pulling out a 3-inch wide and 2-inch-thick slide rail he moves to K.A.R.R.'s grill. "Open your hood." While doing as Alex said he grasped the lip to the cut out for the K1200's left inner fog light. Lifting the K1200's 2,760lb front end he then force the strut back over to the damaged strut tower.
Using a spacer plate with universal slits, he places it over the studs. With new nuts, he tightens them down by hand. After he set the K1200 back down to pick up the rail. Placing that over the stud on top of the new bolds he installed castle nuts to secure it.
The rail curves exactly right to make it to the other strut tower around the back of the V8 engine. Alex removes those bolts by hand, adds a thinner spacer, and used new uncapped nuts to tighten it down with castle nuts on top like the other one.
Closing the hood, Alex picks up all the parts he removed and got back into the Trans-Am. "Ok K.A.R.R. that should hold for now. Keep the drive shaft disconnected on that wheel, just let it free spin. You can drop your suspension and adjust the U-Tracks back down.
K.A.R.R. lowers his frame to a drivable state and then asks. "Where are we heading, Alex?"
"We are going to a safe zone to load you into the Trigon RAY to take you back home. Grace will take care of you at her workshop."
"You are not coming?"
"No, I have a few more things to take care of. I will see you in 2 weeks if everything goes as planned."
Making it to the Trigon RAY, K.A.R.R. was loaded inside and secured down. "Good luck Alex, see you in 2 weeks."
Monday, June 6, 1983,
Hargon Industries, Grace's Workshop
22:00
4-months earlier Grase was working on a power conversion system that would take the kinetic energy that the Mimetic Mesh Armor absorbs back into a charge pack. This lost energy could be used to charge the power cells for the IEC (Impact Energy Cannon) that was housed in C10-00T's bed topper.
The 1979 Chevrolet Bonanza C10-00T is the C10 unit's testing mule. 00T had a basic engine since its M.O.V.E. V8 series was placed in K.A.R.R, after his original was stolen when getting rebuilt.
To Grace, its engine was not important right now. She was working on bugs in the Mimetic Mesh Mark 2.5 Armor. When the locking gates opened to deploy the IEC, Interceptor, or any other weapons. The Mimetic material would flick off its skin and after over 45-cycles the Armor would have a weak spot in it right at a critical hit spot.
Grace was testing if she added a command to the bed topper that would pull the Mimetic material away from the panels before they retracted.
The topper was designed to be able to attach to other C10 units like 002 or even 001.
The assault unit C10-003 already had the lab and 00T tested Mimetic Mesh Mark 2.0 Armor.
Grace set up a command to 00T to run 30-cycles to open and close the IEC's deployment panels. She was looking over the results when she heard the diesel engine of a forklift. She was thinking about changing it to run on LH2 but trying to ask Alex to create a complex Hydrogen processing program for a forklift was tiring. She already put her fuel processor on it to give it a better range and lower emissions.
*Clu-Clunk* Turning away from the Pepper Gray Metallic pickup truck Grace pulled her IEP (Impact Energy Pistol) from under her workbench.
She raised it to point at the back loading door when she heard the *clunk* then Alex's voice from the other side of the chain-driven door. "Grace, it's Alex I have a delivery for you."
She kept the gun on her as she unlocked the door and pulled the chain down to open the door. On the other side was Alex in the forklift with an 8'Lx5'Wx6'H wooden crate and a 4'x4'x4' crate on top of it.
Alex pulled into her shop and put the crates down before backing the forklift out, turning off its engine, and walking back inside.
Grace closed and locked the door before asking. "What is this, Alex?"
"I think you are going to like this."
Alex pops the latches on the front of the larger crate and drops it to the ground. Grace's mouth fell open in shock. "How did you get that?"
"I called Markes and asked him about the wording of Wilton Knight's will. Wilton stated that K.A.R.R.'s current Frame, hardware, Armor, Data, and AI were mine. He sent a turnover request to Jennifer Knight and now we have an original Turbojet Knight series engine to use as we please."
Smiling Grace said. "You mean I can do whatever I want with it? What is in the smaller crate." Alex just waves his hand down in a dismissing way. "That is the transfer coupler for the transmission the thieves used to fit the transmission in their car. The sturdy original transmission is still on K.A.R.R.'s K1200 frame."
Friday, October 7, 1983,
Hargon Industries, Grace's Workshop
20:00
In 4-months, Grace had the problem with the Mark 2.5 Mimetic Mesh Armor sorted out and had a device that could save 10% of the kinetic energy the Armor absorbed to a capacitor. Once the capacitor was full it could be used to charge two cells, fire a long-duration laser from the Mark 2 Biometric scanner. The same type of scanner that K.A.R.R. and K.I.T.T. currently use.
Grace was trying to solve the distortion and interference the Mimetic material has on these advance scanners. If she could fix it, her Armor may be used for K.I.T.T. or K.A.R.R. one day.
At the same time, Grace had been working on a Crystil-line light data Matrix. The Matrix was in a larger storage trunk that barely fit behind the front seats.
In the center of the trunk was a 2-inch diameter, 3-foot-long frosted cylinder made of grown Crystil-line gem. To either side of it was a multi-color light wavelength emitter. The different lights act like a key or encryption, that only the AI would know the pattern to access their data.
From Grace's testing, the Matrix had a capacity of 2,500Mb, over double what K.I.T.T. had and over 3 times what K.A.R.R. could store.
This incredibly early prototype was nowhere as durable as magnetic tape storage or solid chip storage that KNI uses for their military grate CPU chips.
This was fine for now, but Alex wants the Matrix, windows, and lenses to be intact in a crater if something obliterates the K1200 or K2000 frame.
Grace had her cart terminal hooked up to 00T to run the Biometric scanner's data through the data compressor to the Matrix, then out to her local private server. Not even A.R.I.A. could access it with it being off the interweb. A.R.I.A. would have to somehow move her now six-server-cabinets from Alex's workshop to hers to find the data.
*Bring, Bring*
The landline phone on her desk began to ring. Getting out of the completely Pepper Gray Metallic colored truck, she walks over to her desk. Picking up the black phone on her desk the ringing continued.
"This can't be good." Going around her desk she put her hand under the lift-up handle in the last drawer of her desk. The fingerprint scanner in the handle flashed green on the floor and she pulled open the drawer to reveal another phone that *Brings* again.
Friday, October 7, 1983,
Nevada, outback roads
16:10
*Bang Knock Bang*
Michael's head throbbed as the banging continued and K.I.T.T.'s slurred voice came from all around him. "Michael, cannnn youuu hear meeeeeee?"
Michael tried to move but he was wedged against the driver's door. Touching his head he winced, he was used to not wearing a seatbelt with K.I.T.T.'s passive laser restraint system.
Feeling around he found that his face was pressed against the glass. "K.I.T.T. what happened?"
"That behemoth's sharp grill cut 001 in half just as it pushed us out of the way."
"What about Rita?" *Bang, Bang*
Wincing Michael turns his head to look out the windows, but they were frosted transparent. "K.I.T.T. your windows are…"
"I'm sorry, that rollover and impact knocked out my power distribution system on my sides. I can clear up the windshield and back glass."
The windshield became clear with some dust covering it. He could see Rita frowning at him, and she spoke. "Finely you are awake, can you get out to help me?"
Rita saw Michael's mouth moving as he spoke to K.I.T.T. then she saw him reach around to open the armrest.
Feeling around he found what he was looking for. Sliding the hockey puck shape device out of its holder, which prevented it from moving in an accident, he stuck it to the driver's window. "Tell Rita to stand back."
"Ms. Wilcox stay clear of my driver window." Michael presses the button on the puck device and a *Birr* sounds as it matches the molecular frequency of the Crystil-line glass.
The glass explodes outward away from Michael into thousands of Sphero-cube pieces the size of pea gravel. Putting his hand in the glass it did not cut his hand just felt like smooth pea gravel. The way the Crystil-line glass explodes was made for safety.
Normally K.I.T.T. could cause the glass to explode, himself if he wanted to, but the emergency glass breaker was good to have.
The instant he was out of the Trans-Am and standing he picks up the puck to put it into his jacket. If he lost it Alex and K.A.R.R. would kill him. Since this was the only device that could shatter Crystil-line glass that easily.
Staggering a bit Michael braced himself on the sideways K.I.T.T. "Ok buddy can you get us a signal for help or…"
Rita cut him off. "I have already tried asking Michael. K.I.T.T. said he is running in tertiary system mode. C10 as you can see is out, he activated Blackbox Protocol before I came too. I have no idea if he activated his emergency beacon or not. Now What should we do?"
Rubbing his head Michael spoke. "We could try pushing K.I.T.T. back onto his wheels."
"I already asked him that, he said he weighs 5,200lb and is tilted toward his roof. We do not stand a chance without more help to push him back over."
"Ok, What about C10 does his frame have any explosives we can use to knock K.I.T.T. back over."
Rita shook her head. "No, 001 is an infiltration unit he has color-tone-shifting armor and scanner-blocking technology but no weapons."
After 30 minutes of going back and forth with an idea and looking over the damage to K.I.T.T.'s left door and bent hood, Michael decided to look in K.I.T.T.'s emergency schematic blueprint.
Rita did the same as she looked through C10-001's diagnostic manual and systems blueprint. That is how she found a storage compartment under the passenger's floor. Opening it she found three gallons worth of water bottles and ration bars from 1980.
Another thing she found was 001 had a winch and it could be operated manually. She pulled the hood release and walked back to Michael.
"K.I.T.T., I found something. What is left of C10 is over there." Rita pointed to where the front cab of the C10 truck was 50 feet to K.I.T.T.'s left at a 40-degree angle.
Rita handed a water bottle to Michael as she continued. "C10 has a winch that can be used manually. If you can calculate or we can, we may be able to turn you over with it."
K.I.T.T. spoke. "You can try. I cannot do calculations right now, my systems are very limited in tertiary systems mode."
They had no chance to move the cab of the truck, so they first hooked the winch up to K.I.T.T.'s right front suspension knuckle and pulled him closer to the C10 truck. Once he was a bit closer, they hooked it to his rear skid plate and pulled.
He slid at first then the build-up of sand forced him to turn back and land on all four wheels.
Michael spoke first as Rita was flipping through 001's technology manual. "Ok K.I.T.T. now that you are back on your feet we can get out of here."
"Michael your analogy is incorrect I do not have feet and I'm still not going anywhere. My Turbojet engine is non-operational and without diagnostics, I cannot tell you how to fix it."
Rita spoke up "Michael can I see K.I.T.T.'s Turbojet blueprint?" Picking up the folder Michael handed it to her. K.I.T.T. did not say anything as she put her open folder on his bent hood, as she flipped through his blueprint folder.
"Here it is, primary and secondary power distribution systems."
Picking up the folder she asked. "K.I.T.T., can you open your hood for me?"
"Michael, could you help, my electronic hood strut is not responding?" Nodding, Michael held the hood open for Rita. looking at the schematics she turned to orientate her position, so the K2000's secondary power distributor was on her left. The box was crushed, and the battery had a chunk missing causing it to spill its acid over the engine bay.
The primary on her right was pushed to the side from his multiple rollovers. "Well, your main forward turbine blades are shot. Now I just pop this and pull these two relays and turn this."
Rita set the blueprint down and began pulling out the Turbojet's turbine fans. She looked at each one before setting it down on top of the engine or tossing it on the ground.
After 10 minutes of this, she started putting the good blades back in. She only picked 4 of the best ones to put back out of the 12 she pulled out.
Turning, she ran over to the C10 truck and pulled something out from underneath the dash on the driver's side. Running back to K.I.T.T. she plugged it into the last fan blade sensor port that No longer had a blade to use.
K.I.T.T. spoke up. "Rita, what is that?"
"That is C10's distress beacon. Once you are running the beacon should get power from your currently unused blade sensor."
"How am I going to run exactly?" She did not answer, just reinstalled the relays, adjusted the undamaged battery back into place and turned the main voltage key she turned OFF back to ON.
"Ok we need to secure or remove K.I.T.T.'s hood, we cannot close it. The Turbojet needs as much airflow as possible."
Michael opens the trunk and pulls out a shirt from his bag. He ties it to the hood shackle and the bracket for the Biometric scanner.
Rita gets into the driver's seat, before Michael or K.I.T.T. could say anything she climbs over the center console to sit in the front passenger seat.
"Come on Michael it's hot in here without AC." When he sat in the driver's seat Rita asked. "Have everything?" Rita had all of C10's manuals and the Turbojet's blueprint in her hand. Michael's jacket with the emergency glass breaker was in the back seat along with the water from her C10.
"Ok close the door and hang on K.I.T.T." She reaches over, turns the key in the ignition to full auxiliary then holds the Pursuit manual override button for 4-seconds.
The Turbojet's central displacement rod slides forward and locks onto the 4 turbine fans Rita installed. The central fan locks the blades in and the Turbojet engine kicks to life like a Turboprop.
"Brake quickly." Rita said and as Michael pressed the brake, she threw K.I.T.T. into Drive. "Off." Releasing the brake, they were both pressed back into their seats as K.I.T.T. shot forward like a cork leaving a bottle. In 2.03 seconds the K2000 was at 100mph and still climbing, they made it to 210mph before the shirt gave up and the K2000's hood ripped off.
The K2000's whole front end started to rattle, and the Turbojet began making deep *Woomp* sounds. Rita spoke over the noise "I am Sorry K.I.T.T., the warnings said this may happen." Michael turns to look at Rita "What would happen?"
He just got his question out when a screeching of metal and the sound of exploding ceramic sounds from the Turbojet as bits of turbine fans blew out of the front of the engine.
"Did you get the beacon to work?" Rita asked as K.I.T.T. begins to loose speed.
20:38
The good news was K.I.T.T. did not shut down once his Turbojet engine grinded to a locking stop. The patch Rita did to his primary power system was working but without an alternator to keep him charged he will run out of power.
The best chance the two people had was the distress beacon that was transmitting. K.I.T.T. had no idea if someone would come now, tonight, or in a few days when his companions were too dehydrated to think.
Rita had thought to store the water in him before they started his engine, in the future he had to make sure to get stocked up on emergency water and food.
It was 20:56, Rita and Michael were sleeping, with his AC on its lowest setting to conserve power, when he picks up the *howl* of Turbojet Aero engines.
A large Jet the color of the sky flew over him. He keeps track of it by the sound of its engines and when it turned around to head back to face him, he tried to scan it.
The Jet approached him at 15,000 feet in the air before it stopped in place which should not be possible for a rear-engined Jet.
K.I.T.T. saw the belly of the jet drop and a cargo ramp lower before a Pepper Gray Metallic Chevrolet C10 with a paint-matched bed topper backed out of the Jet at 15,000 feet in the air. After the first one another one, this one was either Black or Night-Blue K.I.T.T. could not tell with his scanner at that distance.
The Gray C10 did two back somersaults before beginning to fall straight down with its wheels facing the ground. It was at 5,000 feet when its free fall began to slow as eight, 4-inch diameter kickers burned violet-fire from the truck's undercarriage. The eight kickers were in pairs, one on each side of the truck at its frame rails. Finally, at 3,000 feet it shot a shoot to bring it to the ground a good 6 miles across the desert from K.I.T.T.
The Night-Blue one deployed its shoot at 5,000 feet, so it was still falling to the ground when K.I.T.T. decided to wake Michael and Rita.
*Capoow*
K.I.T.T. picked up the sound of a rocket launcher firing and saw the trail as it headed for the still-landing Night-Blue C10 truck. K.I.T.T. had no idea what he should do when the left side of the bed topper on the truck slid down and opens at an angle to look like a launch tube. A rocket shot from the tube and intercepted the incoming rocket, both exploding in midair as they got within 10-feet of each other.
K.I.T.T. expected that to be it but another rocket shot from the truck as it touches the ground. The rocket flew up, past K.I.T.T. to hit something on the hill behind him, and he could not turn to look. The *Boom* did wake Michael and Rita.