Chapter One: A Fearful Situation

"…all I'm saying is that you shouldn't knock a style of music without listening to it first," I protested.

"And I see no reason to sample a style whose sound does not differ significantly from that of a traffic accident," KITT countered; we had just finished a mission and had somehow ended up in a debate regarding music while on our way back to the Bishop.

I threw my hands up in frustration before quickly grabbing the yoke again: I was still driving, after all. "It doesn't sound like a traffic accident, KITT! I don't know what you've heard, but J-Pop is a very, um…it has a very bouncy and rhythmic beat to it."

"I'm sure…"

I smiled even as I shook my head with an exasperated sigh. "Look, KITT: I'm not trying to tell you that you have to like it; I'm just asking you to give it a chance. Shoot, even I don't like all J-Pop, just certain tunes."

"You don't say…?"

"Absolutely," I replied as earnestly as I could. "I like what I like, whether the song is J-Pop or easy listening. Or classical, even," I added with a gesture toward the dashboard; I had recently learned about his preference for that particular genre of music. "I'd just hate for you to miss out on parts of life because of some preconceived notions." I waited, but KITT didn't respond. "KITT? You okay? Sorry if I stepped on your toes…so to speak."

"My apologies, Tomoya; you did not hurt me. I was in the process of considering your position, but Michael's calling."

"Oh. Okay. Put him through, please."

"We can talk about this more later."

I smiled to myself at his concession. "Sounds good, thanks." My smile then broadened as Michael Knight's face appeared on KITT's primary monitor. "Hey, boss; what's up?"

"Hey, kiddo," Michael greeted; over his shoulder, I could see his wife standing behind him with a smile that I could only describe as 'motherly'. "Sorry to interrupt your talk."

"No problem," I replied easily. "I'm assuming you're calling for our report regarding the drug-smuggling ring?" At his nod I began. "It was pretty standard, as far as drug busts go: we found one of the buyers and pumped him for information."

"He didn't give you any trouble or anything?"

"We actually lucked out this time," I told him. "The poor guy really wanted out of the lifestyle, so it wasn't hard to get what we needed from him."

"We took him to a drug rehabilitation clinic afterward," KITT added. "A remarkable young man who will have a bright future. Assuming, of course, that he maintains a clean lifestyle."

"Oh, good for him," Bonnie chimed in.

"Anyway, after that it was the usual surveillance and discovery. The cops took care of the small fry, but we had to chase the ringleader down." I gave the dashboard a pat. "As usual, KITT made that job easy."

"Are you intentionally trying to cause me to blush?" KITT huffed. "Need I remind you that I lack a circulatory system?"

I couldn't help but chuckle, and I heard Michael and Bonnie join in. "I'm sorry, buddy. It's just that I'm so glad to have a partner like you."

"And I'm glad to see you two getting along so well," Michael said, and I couldn't help but notice a slight heaviness in his tone; he was likely feeling nostalgic over his time working with the crime-fighting AI. "Well, give us a couple of days to finish cleaning things up on our end, and you'll be free to head back home to your wife. Sorry for keeping you in the States for so long."

"I understand," I replied, suddenly feeling a little heavy myself. "Part of the job."

"Yeah." He still sounded regretful, which I appreciated. "Well, cool your heels for now, and we'll get back to you as quickly as we can."

"Got it." I held my fist toward the screen, and my boss grinned before holding out his own for a long-distance fist bump. "Take care, you two."

The screen darkened, and I settled back in my seat for the long drive to the Bishop.

"Tomoya?"

KITT's voice nudged me from my musings, and I shook my head in an effort to clear the image of Yukine's smiling face. "What's up, buddy?"

"I'm going to need to refuel soon. I'm fuel-efficient, of course, but not enough to get us to the Bishop."

I reflexively glanced at the fuel gauge to see the low-fuel indicator light was on. "Oh, sorry! You're my first car, so…" I shrugged with an apologetic expression; I still wasn't quite used to the needs of an automobile. "Sorry. How close are we to a gas station?"

"There's one in a small town approximately ten miles ahead."

I checked the dashboard chronometer. "It's about noon…" I mused, then gave my partner a lopsided grin. "How about we both have lunch?"

"An interesting application of the phrase."

"We'll get you taken care of, and then I'll get something." Noting the clear, sunny sky I added, "How about we find someplace quiet and with a nice view?"

"I have no objections," he intoned. "We spent so much time in the city that it might be good to be around nature for a change."

I blinked in surprise at his words before reaching out to pat the dashboard. "That's the spirit, buddy."

The town was certainly small: a few businesses surrounded by groups of homes scattered here and there. Suburb-like, but not quite.

Fortunately, one of the businesses was a gas station. "I might need you to teach me how to do this," I told KITT while staring at the alien device designed to dispense fuel. I had fueled KITT once before, but due to his efficiency it had been a long time.

One tutorial and fueling later, I headed up to the cashier's booth to pay. Finding no one there I tapped on the plexiglass. "Herro?" I called, then winced; while my English was better than that of most of my fellow countrymen, I still tended to slip into more comfortable pronunciations. "Er, hello?"

There was no immediate answer, and even after waiting for a couple of minutes no one showed up. "Weird…"

"Try entering the convenience store," KITT suggested from my watch. "I'm detecting someone toward the back of the building."

"Got it," I replied while giving my partner a thumbs-up. I then headed into the store and shivered slightly at the sudden drop in temperature. "Hello?" I called.

"What do you want?" A nervous, male voice replied from the back of the store. "Whatever it is, we don't have it."

My eyebrow furrowed, and I looked around at the well-stocked shelves. "I'm…just here to pay for the fuel I just pumped," I said while jerking a thumb over my shoulder toward the entrance. "Can I pay in here?"

"Just…leave the money on the counter and go. Please."

Something about the voice had me concerned so I left the money on the counter, but instead of leaving I cautiously made my way toward the back of the store in hopes of meeting the owner of the voice. "Are you okay, sir?"

"I'm fine," the voice shuddered. "Now, please leave."

My budding crime-fighting instincts told me that something was very wrong, so I continued toward the back. "My name is Tommy Knight, sir," I said using the pseudonym that Michael and I had come up with. "I mean no disrespect, but I'd like to make sure you're okay before I go."

"I SAID I'M FINE!"

I winced at the outburst but continued, eventually rounding the end of an aisle and finally meeting the voice's owner. He appeared to be in his late fifties to early sixties, with gray in what was left of a receding hairline. Despite his noticeably overweight belly, his knees were drawn nearly to his chin, and eyes filled with terror greeted me. "No, you're not fine," I said, compassion compelling me to hurry my pace as I approached him. "Let me get you to a hospi-"

"GET AWAY!" he cried, and he was on his feet in an instant, drawing a fist back.

A few seconds later he lay on his stomach with his arm twisted up behind him, courtesy of my training with Tomoyo. "KITT!" I barked into my watch as I held down the struggling man. "Scan this guy!"

It only took a moment for him to reply: "I'm detecting an elevated heart rate, as well as elevated levels of adrenaline," he reported. "It appears that he has been in this state for at least two hours."

"Two hours?!" I couldn't believe my ears. "We need to get him to a hospital!"

"For what it's worth, I agree."

"Please, sir," I said as I released the man to help him to his feet. "I'll carry you if necessary but…"

"NO!" the man wheezed. "LEMME GO!"

"Tommy!" KITT's alarmed voice sounded through my watch. "Be gentle with him! He's having a heart attack!"

"No choice, then," I decided, then hefted the man over my shoulder; despite him being taller and heavier than myself, I managed to get him across my shoulders to carry him outside. "KITT, open the passenger door!"

"Tomoya…"

"What?" I gasped as I stopped next to the passenger-side door; the man was still heavy, after all. I also noticed that my partner had opted to use my real name.

There was a long pause before my partner responded. "I'm sorry, Tomoya; he's dead."