That next morning went about as normal. That is, until the time when Luke and Jesse were the only ones in the house. To which Bo and Daisy were sent running back to the house moments later at the sound of a loud smack! and a thump!

The kitchen door slammed open and the two of them stumbled inside, fearing the worst. Upon entering, they found their uncle standing over their cousin, who was sprawled on the floor and unconscious. Bo moved quickly, rounding the table and kneeling at his cousin's side.

"I dunno what he said but you didn't have to knock him out," Bo said.

"He made me mad," Jesse argued a bit defensively. "I dunno what in blue blazes has gotten into him but he didn't have no call to use the language that he did."

"What'd he say?"

Jesse glanced at Daisy then back at Bo, folding his arms across his chest. "I ain't gonna repeat it." He shook his head. "Look, when he wakes up tell him that he better fix himself or I'mma tan his hide and wash his mouth out with soap!"

Bo and Daisy exchanged glances. "Double threat, means it was serious," Bo said.

With that, the older man left to finish his chores, Bo and Daisy left to confront Luke.

Daisy ran a cup of water under the sink and Bo picked his cousin's head up from the floor. Daisy splashed the water in Luke's face, waking him with a jolt. A wide, blue-eyed gaze met the other two and Luke came around slowly. With a groan, he sat up, rubbing his jaw sorely.

"What happened?" he asked.

"You cussed Uncle Jesse out," Daisy explained, crossing her arms.

"To his face," Bo added.

Luke was shaken by this news. "I did what?"

Bo helped him to his feet and the older cousin staggered a bit but stayed on his feet.

"Am I crazy?"

Bo and Daisy both shared a glance with him.

"Lemme rephrase that."

"I'd suggest you talk to Clayton but I know how that goes," Bo said.

"If I'm gonna try and get any help from him I'm gonna need a bargainin' chip. How'd it go tryna get ahold of Dallas?"

"Autumn answered, said everythin' was fine," Daisy explained.

"What d'you mean you need a bargainin' chip?" Bo asked.

"He ain't too crazy about puttin' me back to normal. But lucky for me, he let somethin' slip last night that I think I can use," Luke said.

"You really think you can get to him?" Daisy asked him.

"No, but I sure as hell am gonna try."

General hadn't been too familiar with phones but found that it was a rather straightforward process. The others helped him track down the Foundation's number, and from there he dialed it on the phone and held the receiver up to his ear. It rang a few times before there was an answer and a woman spoke.

"Thank you for calling the Foundation for Law and Government. How can I assist you today?" the friendly woman's voice asked.

There was a pause as General suddenly forgot what he was going to say but he regained his bearings. "Uh, yeah, hello. I need to talk to someone named Devon Miles. It's kinda an emergency."

"I'll put you through. Can I ask who's calling?"

"Tell him it's the General Lee."

General listened as he was put on hold for a moment, tapping his foot as he waited. Finally, there was a click and a new voice, one that he recognized.

"Hello, this is Devon Miles."

"Good mornin', Mr. Miles," General said.

"I take it this is the bold, orange Charger from Hazzard, Georgia."

"That'd be correct."

"Well, General, what is it that I can do for you?"

"I was wonderin' if we could borrow your boys, Michael and KITT. It's kinda urgent."

"Might I ask what for?"

"Well, it's kinda complicated but the short version is that Thunder's been kidnapped and we need their help to spring him."

"Thunder kidnapped? In Hazzard?"

"Actually, we're in Dallas."

"Dallas…" There was a pause on the other end. "This wouldn't happen to be in relation to any political ventures, would it?"

"Unfortunately, it would."

There was a slight pause and General sensed a nod. "Alright, General, I'll see what I can do."

General thanked him and hung up the phone with a sigh. He drummed his fingers against the phone for a moment, thinking about making another phone call to home now that he'd gotten the hang of it but didn't want to take the chance of missing Mr. Miles' returning call.

Just then, Grant walked up to him, catching his attention. "Well?"

General shrugged. "Still waitin' on a yes or no answer."

"At least they took your call."

"Ah, Mr. Miles knows me. He helped us out when Tank kidnapped me."

"Speaking of, Tank I mean, he's, well… worried. About Thunder that is."

General scoffed. "That's new. Didn't think he cared about anyone but you."

Grant sat down in a chair at the dining table which was located just a few feet away. "You'd be surprised. That, and you forget he's intuitive too."

"You're right, I did forget that." General's face blanched a little as he came to realize what that really meant. "So, what's the big guy's gut tellin' him?"

There was a bit of hesitation from Grant before he answered. "Tank… Tank tells me you should worry."

"About?"

"Well, Thunder, obviously. But…"

"C'mon, out with it, Grant. Actually, why ain't Tank tellin' me all this, usually he's pretty blunt."

"He's scared, brother. For you, and for Thunder. He says we're in over our heads."

"Vague."

Grant rolled his eyes. "We're in pretty deep shit, you know."

"I know."

"So what're you going to do about it?"

General gestured to the phone he was leaning on. "Wait for Mr. Miles to return my call."

"That's it?"

"Hey, if we can get KITT back, we'll be sittin' pretty. Trust me, there ain't a thing that car can't do."

"And if you can't get him back?"

General hesitated for a second. "Then… then I'll figure somethin' else out."

Just then, the phone rang, outspoken and interrupting. General picked it up quickly.

"Hello?" he said, listening for the reply.

"General? You're on speaker," said Devon.

"I'm here," came another voice. Michael.

"And so am I," came a third. KITT.

"Y'all are on board?" General asked.

"Not yet. We want all the details first. I want to be sure that I know what I'm stepping into."

"Alright, I'll start from the beginnin'."

And that General did. He explained their reason for being in Dallas in the first place, then their discovery of the HRO, and then Thunder's disappearance, or rather, his abduction, including the detail that the Defect was now powerless. After he was finished, he leaned against the dining table where Grant sat and waited for a response. One came after a moment's silence.

"It seems as though you all may have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time," said Devon.

General nodded. "Question is, can y'all help us?"

"KITT, how long do you think it'll take to get us to Dallas?" Michael asked.

"Eight hours if we leave now," KITT replied.

"We'll be there tomorrow morning."

General smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, hot damn, y'all are life savers. I can't thank y'all enough."

"You can thank us after we spring Thunder. We'll see you tomorrow."

"Right, tomorrow."

With that, the phone call was complete. General beamed, putting the receiver back in its hangar. He gave a short laugh of victory.

"We're in business, Grant!" he exclaimed.

Grant gave him a solemn look. "I still don't think this is a good idea, I mean, Tank's got a really bad feeling about this."

"It'll be okay, Grant. Michael and KITT are gonna get here, they'll help us spring Thunder, we get to stick it to Gravedigger and all his lousy new friends, and then we go home. Deal?"

"General. We came here for Gravedigger, remember? We can't just leave him, he needs our help. That was the whole point of coming here in the first place."

"And I wouldn't have a problem helpin' him if it was for the right reasons. I don't want no part of this petty fightin' and I doubt you do too."

"You're right, I don't, but he's our friend. And maybe he's not going about this the right way but if so then it's our job to help him get back on the right path."

General shook his head, stepping away from the table. "No, it ain't our job. It's for him and Autumn to figure out on their own. He got himself in this mess."

"If you're not going to do it for him, at least do it for Autumn."

General paused, still facing away from Grant. After a moment's hesitation, he replied, "I'll think about it. But Thunder comes first."

And with that, he stalked off.

The man called Halton was back that morning to take him back to the room in which he'd stuck needles beneath his skin. And it was then that the first efforts of resistance from Thunder met him.

When Halton went to open the door, Thunder threw himself against it, knocking the older man down. This led to Thunder's discovery that there were more people in the building like Doctor Halton. He ran to the right, stepping over Halton's reeling form and making a break for the stairs. However, there were, as he soon found, more Haltons. Not clones of the man specifically but men and women who were there for the same reason as he was: to hurt Defects. And that they did.

Halton yelled for help as Thunder ran for the stairs and the Defect was soon met with two large men dressed in dark clothes, like police officers armed for riot control. One of which was armed with a long stick. At that moment, Thunder imagined that it was comparable to the cattle prods used on the farm for herding livestock. And as the rod connected with his abdomen, he found that that was exactly what it was.

When he had his powers, he'd found that things such as cattle prods and electric fences had no effect on him. The electricity was, if anything, a small spark of pep. However, now it was painful and drained his energy. He found a cry of pain escaping from his mouth and he dropped to the floor, doubled over.

His breath came in short gasps as his body spasmed in pain and he found that he couldn't move beyond that. His right hand gripped the spot of flesh that the rod had dug into and inflicted its pain, though the action didn't help it subside, it gave him a loose grip on reality which otherwise would have been lost to the agony.

As he lay writhing on the floor, he felt a foot in his side and soon found himself being shoved onto his back. Above him there was a sinister chuckle and he forced his eyes open to look at the man responsible. For the whole thing, that is, not for shocking him.

"Who knew? Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness," Halton said, staring down at him with a pitiful glare.

Thunder coughed a couple of times, still gasping for breath. He tried to sit up but found it quite difficult with the ache in his abdomen. He lay his head back on the cool concrete beneath him with a soft groan. "You won't find what you're lookin' for. I can guarantee you that."

"And what is it that you think I'm looking for?"

Thunder gave a short laugh, a small smile playing on his lips. "And that's another thing, you don't know half as much about me as you should. I know exactly what you want. I know every thought you think, every emotion you feel."

Halton seemed to roll his eyes and looked up at one of the 'guards' as Thunder had insightfully dubbed them. Within a moment, he was met with a kick to the head as a means to shut him up. It made his brain feel foggy and his teeth rattle around inside his head.

Before he even felt like he could begin to walk, he was being drug away. And all the way he clawed at the hands that were on him. He kicked and scratched and made his voice heard. When a hand came to slap him, he bit it. That got him the rod again.

When they passed by the shop below, Thunder found that the El Camino was still there, resting on top of the lift. It gave him a spark of hope to see his new friend, however, upon closer inspection, he was able to see that the car's engine had been ripped out, wires and bleeding hoses swaying in the air. And Dexter was dead.

Yet his body had been left on display. To send a message no doubt. To make sure Thunder knew that there was no way out. That he had no friends here. That he was alone.

But General would be coming for him. He had to be. Thunder had faith in that. That kept him hoping. Rescue was near.

Halton continued his experiments. Though today produced an entirely new Hell than the day before. Today, there were no needles stuck into his skin. Instead, he was asked to lie down on a table. When he refused, they stuck him with the rod again. As the guards worked to strap Thunder down, Halton studied the instrument.

"You know, I'd swear you liked getting hit with this. Third time today and it's not even nine," the man remarked.

Thunder was tense, his attempts to fight were going in vain, and he was angry. The Defect was practically vibrating. "Maybe I do, you never know."

Halton gave him a sidelong glance, setting the rod down. There was silence as he said this, and Thunder waited for the pain, though it didn't come. Finally, Halton spoke. "Do you know why I'm using electricity?"

Thunder didn't answer.

"Because there's a rumor that that's how you got your powers in the first place. Is that true?"

"So what if it is?" Thunder asked.

"Lightning gave you your gift in the beginning. It'll do it again."

"It also took it away."

"And to every action, there is a reversal. Bite down on this."

Thunder looked at him, then to the hand stretched down toward him which held a curious piece of translucent rubber.

"Why?" he asked, a bit skeptical.

"Because otherwise you might bite your own tongue off," Halton explained, placing the piece in his subject's mouth.

Before Thunder knew it, there were wires on his skin. And the pain followed. It came in pulses, one after the other. He figured that Halton thought that this was absolutely the right way to go about things because every two minutes or so, the pulses would stop and Thunder would be allowed to rest as the man instructed him to try and send electricity into some kind of device. Thunder had little faith that it worked. Regardless, he spent most of that day in his head, trying to drown out the pain.

Gravedigger, who had just gotten off the phone with Miss Fleetwood, was now pacing back and forth in his room, muttering and worrying.

"No, no, this's all wrong. None of this shoulda happened! Now, everyone thinks that General's biased, apparently Thunder's been kidnapped, and I'm still under fire from last week's debate," the small Defect ranted. "Not to mention Billy Ray couldn't teach General how to reach worth a shit. What the hell am I gonna do?"

"Forget the whole damn thing!" Autumn exclaimed. "I didn't even want you comin' here in the first place. You remember, we fought about this! D'you know how many times I've had to postpone our weddin'?"

Gravedigger was quiet for a moment. Finally, he shook his head and scoffed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I ain't doin' this right now."

Autumn stood, her height seeming to tower over his. "Oh, the hell you ain't! D'you know what's goin' on, Gravedigger? D'you have any idea what's happened since you've been gone? General was kidnapped, and he was hurt. Then he had Christine ripped away from him and now Thunder. And you don't even care. He's your friend, Gravedigger, and he would do anythin' for you. Why the hell else would he be here? He came here for you," she poked him in the chest, "and here you are worryin' about some stupid opinion and media control when Thunder's in trouble!"

"You think I wanted this? You think I wanted Thunder to get kidnapped? You think I wanted Christine to get killed? None of that was my fault!"

"You're right, it wasn't, but you weren't there when you shoulda been. And I dunno how General can forgive that but he can and that's what makes him all the much better a Defect than you."

"If you wanna leave me for him, hurry up and do it then, I don't need this."

Autumn scoffed and a laugh escaped her. "Oh, you idiot. I'm in love with you. I fell in love with you, not nobody else. If I wanted to love somebody else, I would, but I love you. But I guess you don't feel the same way."

"I never said that."

"Well it sure feels that way." Autumn turned away from him. "Let me know when you love me again. Until then, I'll be helpin' General get his life back in order."

With that, she left, and Gravedigger was alone; again.