The hours were dwindling.
Dark clouds floated ahead, absorbing the moonlight and obscuring the moon's pale face.
The cool, bitter breeze was biting at the man's ankles but he seemed not to take notice. There were worse things to be occupied with.
The car internally trembled, cautious to creep forward and give a silent vouch of comfort but the man seemed distant despite the close proximity between them.
Something terrifying kept him captive under the absence of moon rays bouncing off the darkened landscape.
It was rather frustrating, Kitt had to admit. The constant terrors and monsters of the past came to haunt the man on a daily basis. He never spoke of them, never brought the subject to light but the computer figured that perhaps that was for the better…who knew what damage these could create if recreated or if brought purposely to the light.
From experience, he knew Devon never brought up topics of this nature. Never aspired to roundabout such a delicate matter that the computer had no right to know of. Or maybe it was a matter of processing and understanding?
This in itself made for some untold frustration to rise in the machine. He understood, perhaps not to the fullest extent as he had no real nightmares of his own. Whatever the case he presumed he could learn. He could adapt to process such complex ideas and be of help in some way or form.
The computer was brought back to the present. Michael cleared his throat while he pinned the surrounding darkness with a grave gaze. What was out there? In the dark? The computer scanned the vicinity quite sheepishly. As he suspected there wasn't anything peculiar about the landscape, nothing noteworthy. In contrast, the man's mind was hanging onto something that the computer could only wish he could fathom.
"Michael?" He shyly asked, waiting for a response from the stiff-necked human gently caressed by nothing else but shorts and an undershirt.
As expected, there was a lack of response. Even lack of acknowledgment. Again, not something the computer could get offended about — that simply wasn't possible. He would just simply remember.
The man continued to pin the landscape, the moon above rustling in the patched sky. Stealing a gaze or too through the clumped-up clouds.
The breeze got stronger and bitter. The temperature even biting at Kitt's still warm engine bay. He would have protested loudly letting the man know of his disapproval of staying out during such weather unnecessarily but it would have fallen on deaf ears. When Michael went through these things, the least of the man's concerns was to listen to basically anything.
Once, Bonnie had come to scowl him over the imprudence. He hadn't even flinched. Almost stunned, completely frozen stiff from whatever it was he'd seen in his nightmare.
Kitt perked up suddenly, the man making a slow sigh, his body seemingly coming back to life. But just as quickly as Michael began to relax he locked back into place like an unoiled set of wheel bearings.
Kitt internally grumbled.
He would be due to turn over the topic in maybe an hour or less.
Kitt didn't mind the wait but he couldn't bear the absolute pain and discomfort the man was put through constantly. And there was nothing he could do! It was so counterintuitive Kitt usually thought. He was designed to adjust and respond to Michael's every need and yet he could not attend to the man correctly where mental trauma was of concern. It wasn't just that but it seemed the man wouldn't allow the computer the chance or simply didn't wish for any intervention. It was like watching the man get run over tenfold and forced to watch from the sidelines helplessly. Kitt absolutely hated it!
There just had to be something he could do. Some way for him to fight alongside Michael, bat away at the nightmares or just dent them enough to break Michael free from this semi-comatose state.
"We should be heading inside, the rain will arrive shortly," Kitt answered in the dark. Letting his words fall blank at the man's feet.
Still no response.
Just a soundless, meaningless gaze glued to the landscape. The man locked within himself, far too distant that standing next to him was not enough.
The car jerked within, grumbling and having an internal battle of his own.
"We should be going."
Still nothing.
And if he called Devon? Sometimes there were those rare occasions where Devon managed to break the man out of the nightmare with a simple pat or a very well-calculative word.
A difficult task in itself that Kitt had no experience to wield.
Kitt froze, his scanner flickering to black. Watched attentively as Michael stirred slightly in place; the cold front finally awakening his nerves. Kitt could only hope so but then, Michael came to a standstill. Gulping in harshly and studying the dry landscape attentively just as the moon rays came tumbling out of a rip between the clouds.
The hour was almost up, but the possibility of Michael staying for longer was a rather likely outcome. It didn't happen often but the man was more than capable of standing here so inert until the break of dawn.
Kitt blushed his scanner, forcing it to pulsate in complete rage.
Was there really nothing he could do?
In a way, he felt hurt and so hopelessly forgotten as he watched Michael's empty stare cuffed to their surroundings. It was as though he did not remember that he had a machine capable of facing off difficult foes. Strong enough to shatter to bits intricate structures — agile enough to leap in the air. Nothing of this even a fraction of practical use against nightmares and their gut-wrenching symptoms. He was either not enough; inefficient or weak against this invisible enemy.
"I hate it when you get this way." Kitt finally snapped, taking no mind of the morning doves finally taking their places and singing their early melodies.
"What?"
Startled the car choked on air, the ignition jamming as he unexpectedly wished to retreat and provide the man with undeniable space. He hadn't meant to say that out loud, he hadn't even thought the man would respond. Devon had said such cruelties before and never with a receiving end on Michael. It was as though he was deaf or partially asleep which Kitt thought would be the case now. He'd said so much already, what difference would it make if he said a "little" more?
— But Michael had heard! Something completely different than before.
"I —" the car stuttered. "I do believe we should go inside." He scurried over a better excuse.
Michael turned to face him, swollen puffy eyes having a hard time distinguishing the black beauty against the surrounding darkness.
"No, you said — something else…" The man took a wobbly step in the car's direction. His ashen face captured some sort of worry —
"I said, 'The rains are coming soon.'" Kitt tried to backtrack to the prior statements, stubborn to allow his foolhardy words to be uttered ever again.
Michael frowned, taking a few slow steps in the car's direction.
"How long have we been outside?" He asked instead, his steps heavy and forced.
"Two hours and 45 seconds plus counting," Kitt reported, relieved.
The man nodded, blinking slowly and keeping his eyes closed for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I didn't think you wanted to go to bed." The man sighed, some fond worried tone catching his breath.
"Bed? No. No, I can't go to bed — computers don't —" He was feeling awful now. Was Michael associated his ill temper with the lack of sleep? If so, that was quite thoughtful of him but Kitt couldn't stand the idea of making it the man's fault or somehow making him guilty of this situation. It was completely out of his control. Nightmares simply couldn't be tamed and put away, nor prevented entirely. It wasn't Michael's fault! And Kitt shouldn't have said anything if he was being completely honest. It wasn't Michael's fault. " — If anyone should apologize it's me." Kitt answered gingerly, awaiting the man to step up and somehow seize the guilt to keep as his own burden but Kitt wouldn't allow that.
"Kitt, tomorrow I will try —"
"I don't mind this weather, and it's worth noting I'm not even bothered by the early hour. We can do it again tomorrow. I have no complaints." Kitt proudly commented.
Michael grinned faintly.
" — But you hate this."
Kitt's scanner flickered before freezing in place and pulsating quite baffled.
"Maybe…But that's not your fault. That's Tanya's and Wilson's fault…for this…for your hurt." Kitt mumbled over his words unsure if this would make sense, if this shed truth in nice pastel colors or made for an agonizing dark enlightenment.
Michael seemed to sway a little against the strengthening breeze. Contemplating the comment, as though his mind was lagging behind.
"It is their fault." He agreed after a while, making Kitt relax momentarily. " — but it's my fault for keeping you up." These statements would have made Kitt so ill worried, hadn't it been for the man's teasing grin and embers reigniting in his eyes, that Kitt's being gently melted into a little pool of relief within his domain. Indeed, some downtime was in order.
— For both of them.
"Well, I don't count it as a complete loss." Kitt followed along. "The air is very fresh out here. I'm content to see the rise of dawn again. I am, however, very surprised that the rains have yet to arrive."
The man chuckled, taking the lead finally and ushering Kitt toward the cottage lightly pressed between the dark and the sparkles of a bedside lamp left idling inside.