He wasn't overly thrilled he was marching his way but he could tell he needed something — Whether it was to say or to do, he hadn't a clue but the boy was set on pressing forward.
Mike drew closer, keeping a steady pace before stopping and eyeing the Trans-Am for a moment.
"Can I talk to you?" He asked, awkwardly. A little hazed by his trot up the dune.
"I don't see why not." Kitt answered, intrigued over what might be the young man's predicament. The last few days had been challenging, it seemed Mike was ill-bent on avoiding him entirely. Making no point in being discreet or kind about feeling odd in the Trans Am's presence. Kitt attributed it to the young man's fear of being read, because he was no stranger to knowing just how mischievous Kitt's scanner could really be.
"You see those girls over there?" The man impatiently shared, jolting the car out from his thoughts.
Kitt followed his gaze, noting a few teen "fledglings" as he liked to call them, hanging out just at the border of the shore where water tickled the sand. Yes, the majority were girls and they seemed to steal a glance or two in their general direction but they seemed overly charmed by the ripple of stray waves to take considerable interest. Their red faces catching the blush of the cold wind and their hair flickering like caught thunder in the clouds.
Kitt let out a faint static laugh.
"I see them but I don't see a problem." Kitt answered astutely. " — is there a problem?" Taking a more cautious tone with the latter, he greatly prayed one of them had not just disappeared under the surf.
He imagined Michael doing a daring rescue, but that would prove difficult and not because he would be more than willing to put himself in harm's way but…because he'd simply stayed home.
Mike interrupted Kitt's musing with an eager chuckle, unintentionally leaning comfortably against Kitt's fender. Easing the car out from speculation.
Kitt's hard drives unclenched, a little more than happy to welcome the young man's closeness in return.
The computer abruptly jolted in his processor, however, as the young man scrambled to push the smooth surface away with his only good arm, almost sending himself face down into the sand. Mike was more than alarmed that he'd taken to an unestablished endearment he hadn't meant to give.
Kitt brushed it off calmly, deducting the young man missed his own car that was still undergoing critical repairs.
"So what's to be done?" The computer shrugged off Mike's unease while avidly monitoring the fledglings laughing and splashing in what one could hardly consider "puddles". The cold swelling of the ocean kneaded off the barefooted fledglings that found nothing but merriment among the waves.
"Nothing —" Mike stammered, before continuing. "They wonder who I am."
Kitt held an airless breath, his fans whirring unbeknownst to Mike deeply eclipsed under the hood.
"Did you tell them?" Kitt asked, heedful of harsh correction. If he'd made a mistake of revealing who he was, they could easily retreat now and find elsewhere to unwind in the meantime.
"I'm just a one armed guy." Mike answered in a whisper. Weary himself of an identity breach.
"Sounds right to me." Kitt chaffed with a sigh.
"Yes but…" Mike struggled to share. " — I don't know — " He uttered half-heartedly to the air, eager to be heading back and saving his energy toward hiding away from the car once more.
"What is there not to know?" Kitt asked patiently, worriedly inspecting the man with the invisible pulse of his scanner. Getting a few readings on his vitals. His wounds were healing very nicely, and everyday he was gaining strength much like Michael had when he'd been younger. Mike would be out and about very soon but on the other end of the spectrum Kitt was uninformed of the man's true inner workings. For all he knew, Mike was finding no pleasure in staying at close hand. All though the opposite could easily be said — The computer hadn't the slightest clue! He was overly dazed.
The young man gazed back at the young fledglings, who found it appropriate to break away from their amusing puddles to greet another group that was bashfully returning from the waves. Kitt watched them exchange words. Several laughing and others holding themselves tightly together, as though afraid to embarrass themselves in front of the others. They all engaged in chatter and as far as Kitt knew, it was all simple banter. Behavior he expected of young people aching to fit in.
"What are they saying?" Asked Mike, making the car's scanner blink black at once.
"Hmmm?"
"You were listening to them, right?" Mike raised a brow. Gently cradling his arm by adjusting the strap to his sling.
"Well, I was." Kitt admitted hastily. Yanking his attention away from the group and focusing on the unique makeup of the sand before him…elementary work but just enough to keep his systems engaged elsewhere. "I did not find it convoluted."
"What did they say?" Mike asked curiously, this time purposely leaning against Kitts fender, intending to ruffle Kitt's sensors and saturate the computer's keen processor.
Unfortunately for him, that wasn't a likely possibility.
Kitt let out a sharp whirr of his scanner in response, making the young man quickly jump aside.
"They are overly amused about why you are here in a sling." That was partly the truth.
Mike opened his mouth to speak but Kitt beat him to it —
" — Quite absurd I know, but you can't exactly swim."
" — Yeah, but I still have LeGs." He tossed them in the air to emphasize his point, his toes clenching and uncurling.
His increased ratchet caught the attention of the fledglings. The girls motioned to a few beached surfers to join them along the uneven dunes; it so happened to be where Kitt and Mike stood.
"I can still enjoy romantic walks along the beach —" Mike teasingly mothered, his attention engrossed elsewhere. Perhaps overly determined to swamp Kitt's processor with nonsense. Lately he did nothing else —
Kitt swept his scanner in utter puzzlement.
"Perhaps." Kitt remarked, lowly. "Mike, could I interest you in a steady retreat to the northernmost part of the beach —?" The computer insisted. Somewhat uncomfortable about finding himself crowded without Michael available to run interference. It was a silly thought, he'd done it before but — nothing guaranteed Mike would stick up for the Trans-Am and or stay out of trouble. They hardly knew each other.
— but now it was too late, the small crowd reached them first, a few were determined younglings tossing up sand in their wake before taking in Kitt with childish delight.
"Hey!" A few of them greeted, taking in Mike's sudden sheepishness rather skeptically. "You're new…" Some began, trying their utmost to impress and others miserably failing to appear interesting.
Deep down Kitt knew they were all looking for trouble and it happened to be they didn't all mean to talk to Mike. Some of them were definitely after something with horsepower…
"Hey, where did you get this car?" Someone asked, completely smoldered in sweat and fine ocean mist.
Mike tried nonchalantly to reply, all though Kitt thought it strange he would shut himself so suddenly. Mike liked to talk, and he was very avid with the task but somehow it seemed the crowd had too easily evaporated his charm.
"It isn't mine, it's my — ." He swallowed, taking a painful amount of time to reply. " — it's my dad's…Isn't mine."
"That's what they all say!" Someone whooped. "Say, take us for a spin? It looks fast!" Someone else hollered, Kitt gasping inaudibly as someone drenched in sea mist took a seat over his warm hood. Chirping in shock as someone else tried to make themselves at home on his t-top. Fledglings could be a pain! "Where are you from?" Someone else insisted.
Mike just laughed lightly, visibly overwhelmed by the outlandish crowd. A sore thumb as he was visibly older than most present. He seemed divided between remaining mellow or simply taking to the current…But Kitt was surprisingly able to tell how eagerly he wanted to correlate —
"Just out of town, I'm visiting my old man." He added absent-mindedly.
A small band of jeaned girls chuckled under their vibrant smiles. Somewhat enthralled with Mike's awkwardness.
Kitt could not help and felt unhappy — internally shuddering in his drives, eager to shield Mike from harm but he knew better.
Instead he shuddered a little in defiance. Making a few of them peel off his fenders and take a step back in fascination. It wasn't enough though, as just quickly as a pair got off another pair of them leaped forcefully to claim a spot.
Kitt took more the shape of a black boulder as the crowd grew in size, everyone intent on claiming a seat and blabbering about how soft his sheen was.
'Oh brother.' Kitt mused, utterly annoyed.
"Who might your dad be?" One of the girls asked, seemingly genuinely interested. Jumping abruptly off Kitt's hatch. Her chestnut eyes begging to know as they attentively pinned Mike.
Kitt figured she was more engrossed in obtaining gossip and making it widespread than yearning to drop off cookies at their house as a welcoming gift. The town folk knew very little of him and Michael. Their little cottage was offset from the main village by several miles. — Mainly for that very reason.
"He lives 'round here, " Mike tried to toughen up, straightening his back. Taking note of the fit boys looming over Kitt's passenger window and admiring the rather helpful deep tint. "He doesn't hang around too much. He's busy traveling." He added, sounding almost hoarse as he overdid it.
"Is he a semi driver?" A newcomer asked. "My dad lives for it, and we have lots of frequent fliers. I wonder if they know each other?" The young man concluded rather politely before admiring Kitt's finish, and running his fingertips over Kitt's a-pillar. He was overly dazed by how everyone was just completely mystified by his MBS coating, enough to forget how objectively impolite it was to handle a stranger's car.
Kitt noted curiously that this new onlooker had not come on his own trotting over the dunes; he'd been accompanied by another wandering crowd.
'Just what I needed.'
Despite Kitt's discomfort Mike seemed to ease slightly at the man's good nature.
"Yeah they might but my dad is a lone wolf anyway." He assured, miserably trying to rest against the driver's door and take a more prominent pose with a slinged arm as though Kitt really was his to adore. It made Kitt audibly sigh, making a few people flinch and look around them in search of no such person…
The surfer casted Mike a friendly grin.
"I'm sure you brought it here to keep it to yourself." The man pointed out teasingly. "I sure know I would, if my dad would let me." The young man gave Mike a mischievous wink.
"I definitely did." Mike agreed anxiously. Unsure if to engage in any more chatter.
"Hey, ummm. What's this blinking light here?" Someone remarked a little too loud for Kitt's liking. Poking Kitts scanner with their fingers before flashing it with a phone.
Mike reached for his neck with his good arm, shaking his head in exhaustion.
"Beats me." He tried to play it off cool. "My dad is a bit of a mechanic." He added absent-mindedly.
Kitt was feeling a little cramped at this point. Sure, he was grateful Mike had found company as Michael had intended with this visit — Interaction between people was healthy and welcoming, especially for a developing young adult like Mike but…oh, good grief! Kitts olfactory sensors were shell shocked by the sheer potency of sweat! He wouldn't be surprised if several sensors required replacements later on. Not to mention wildly picking up on all sorts of deodorants that for a fact, were miserably failing to hold against the day's blistering end.
"Pardon me." Kitt finally gasped. Firing the engine and whirring desperately to get the crowd off him at once…!
Everyone leaped off the car.
A few people cast a bewildered gaze at Mike.
"You didn't tell us you could remote start it!" A young lady exclaimed, completely fascinated.
Mike smiled crookedly, pulling with a jerk at the door latch which woefully didn't react.
"Well, I better be going." He nervously laughed. Once more, playing it off cool by taking the best striking pose one could muster with a broken arm over Kitt's hood. "I got to spend some time with this baby."
Kitt felt his scanner blush hot embers as the crowd whooped.
"Oh, slow down there cowboy!" Kitt interrupted hotly amongst the oblivious crowd. " — but I'm certainly not yours." Kitt recalled, alarmed.
Mike winked before waving the crowd away but not without difficulty. It seemed everyone was drawn to the already present crowd before finding their way back to wandering the shoreline once more like lost sea gulls.
Kitt struggled to keep composed, keeping himself sealed away before he could share his thoughts on how uncomfortable this evening was turning out to be.
"You okay?"
Kitt let his scanner slow, touched by the abrupt sentiment. Mike's voice lacked the conviction he'd attempted to play off just moments ago.
Kitt allowed himself to relish in his internal fans, his processor dropping a few degrees before realizing he was not going to allow himself to be severe. He'd been completely engulfed by his sheer discomfort that it had dismayed him acutely. Which he was at odds with. Wasn't he an experienced field car? He had been one for the longest time after all but then again; it had been a long time since he'd been swarmed by such a restless crowd! Most importantly he felt ashamed he'd forgotten Mike had been feeling much the same the entire time!
" — I was not prepared to be taking part as a beach chair." Kitt remarked, a quick jab at humor, dawning on him that he'd not taken notice of when Mike had settled in the sand, fatigued. His good arm resting apologetically on top of the car's front tire.
"That was exhausting." Mike exhaled. "It felt like I was a game show host. I think some people expected me to hand you off like prize money." He paused, turning to face Kitt's slow and dazed scanner. "I'm surprised you didn't just drive off…I mean, the girls sure got a kick out of you but still, I thought you'd go home and tell Michael everything."
"Well, I was hoping we could keep this incident to ourselves." Kitt blatantly expressed.
Mike laughed, wiping sweat off his brow.
"You're so different!" He said between choked laughs. "My Kitt would have been somewhat lost with that crowd…"
"I can't blame him. I was too!" Kitt remarked, guilt-ridden.
The two sat in blissful silence, both car and boy embracing its fond presence. Almost scared stiff into stillness, as though it could be stolen from them all over again.
"Hey, uh, Kitt." Mike cleared his throat.
"Hmmm?" He answered, finding comfort in the isolated crash of the waves and screams of the gulls that had finally returned him to his senses. He was getting a little eager about returning home and joining Michael.
"I think," Mike held back before proceeding. "I think there won't be anyone quite like you for a long time."
Kitt thoughtfully tossed the response in his mind. Encapsulating the truth behind what Mike meant.
"I don't know," Kitt modestly replied. "Scientist have been perfecting —"
"No," Mike shook his head. "I'm serious, there is something that everyone is trying to make that just comes so naturally to you."
The emerging bloom of the sun's glare embraced the ocean in crimson and violets in a soundless explosion as the words chilled over him. The light neatly tinting everyone and everything around them.
"Thank you." Kitt paused. "What might it be, Mike?"
Mike smiled, laughing. The young man stealing a glance or two of the splendid palette of colors collecting over the mirror appearance of the ocean.
"You're very human."
"Is that so?" Kitt quipped.
Mike grinned to himself staring out to see, the two sharing a few pleasant words as the sun began its descent into the chilled waters.
"I think we can be friends."
Kitt blinked back in dismay. He wasn't sure himself. Mike was stubborn — Kitt internally exhaled — but so was Michael.
"I didn't expect we'd collect such rapport so quickly. If I'd taken a guess, your arm would have healed sooner." Kitt quipped once again.
The two engaged in light hearted banter all the way to the sun's vanishment under the horizon. Completely sunk under the frigid waters. Even the fledglings had all but left. Only a few lone groups of people gathered around fires, their faces painted by dancing flames lapped by the never ending winds.
And all the while the two exchanged stories until Kitt had to urge Mike to go home.
The computer was overly excited to retell Michael all about their eventful evening, convincing himself it was more worthwhile sharing than to forget what had happened. He was more than convinced Michael would not let him hear the end of this though! Such oddity that the teen would find a connection with someone so old as him! Even though technically he was just 42! But computer's age distinctly from humans.
The two raced at lightning speed along the countryside roads warmly greeted by moonlight, it was like time had kindly replayed itself — Kitt embracing the solidarity every moment along the way, shocked to realize he wasn't too old school to make a new friend.