KR2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 2
Chapter 3
Seattle, Washington“I think the FBI assigned this to us just so they could avoid the stakeout.” Kat said bitterly. She and K.I.T.T had been watching the warehouse that was the suspect's headquarters for the past six hours.
They were in an empty part of town. It mostly housed factories and other industrial buildings. The building they were watching was four stories tall and wide. K.I.T.T had run an infrared scan upon arriving and they were now waiting for the warehouse to be empty so Kat could break inside.
Kat shifted in the Driver's seat, trying to get comfortable. She was developing cramps in both legs. She stretched them out as best as she could but she still felt restless. She had to get out and stretch her legs soon.
“I'm hungry.” She sighed, leaning her head back. She realized as she said it just how true that was. Her stomach roared at her.
“There is food under the passenger's seat.” K.I.T.T offered.
Kat lifted her head hopefully. “Food is good. I'll take food.” She reached under the passenger's seat and found a handle. She pulled on it and a small drawer slid open. She rummaged through the contents. There were a few MRE's and two boxes of instant coffee. “Ugh.” Kat wrinkled her nose at the coffee. “Are there any teabags in here?”
“Affirmative.” K.I.T.T answered.
Kat found the small box of teabags just then. They were next to a travel mug. “Well, we are two-thirds of the way to a cup of tea.” Kat said ruefully. “I still need hot water.”
“I carry a ten gallon tank of water for emergency purposes.” K.I.T.T informed her.
“Can you make it hot?” Kat asked hopefully.
“Of course.” K.I.T.T answered.
Kat looked around the interior. “Where is it?” She asked.
“The tap is behind your seat.”
Kat crawled into the backseat. She looked at the back of her seat and frowned. A panel snapped down for her, revealing the water tap and a large first-aid kit. “That's going to come in handy eventually.” Kat predicted.
“Let's keep a positive attitude.” K.I.T.T said.
Kat snorted. She screwed the lid onto her travel mug and crawled back to the front seat. “So, did Charles assume that your driver would find himself living inside of you when he designed you?” She asked.
“There is always the possibility that we could get stranded somewhere for an extended period of time, without food and water nearby. I have basic life support functions for just such a situation.”
Kat sipped her tea slowly. “That's good.” She said, a little distantly. She sighed. “I miss the sky.” She said suddenly. So many things about her new life were so strange. It made her think of her old life. What she had given up was still inside of her, not letting her forget.
“It's a clear day.” K.I.T.T said, slightly confused.
“I know.” Kat said longingly. “Such a perfect day. Visibility would be perfect for miles.” What she wouldn't give to be in the air again...
She finished her tea and sat up straight. She looked at the FLIR scan on the windshield. “There's only one of them in the building right now.” Kat said. “And he or she is on the top floor. I could probably sneak in and get some video evidence real quick.”
“That is highly dangerous.” K.I.T.T warned.
“So is sitting here.” Kat told him. “They're going to notice if we hang around for days while we wait for the warehouse to be empty. I'll bet that they always leave someone there. They're a careful bunch to have evaded the FBI for this long. They're not going to be making any simple mistakes.”
“What do you want to bet?” K.I.T.T asked.
Kat gave his modulator a sidelong glance. “I'm going.”
“How about you stay and we make that bet?” K.I.T.T asked.
“I can take care of myself, KITT. I was a Marine.”
“Sam said the same thing all the time.”
Kat went still. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. She felt anger rise up inside of her that the car would take such a cheap shot. She had to remind herself that he only did it to try and keep her safe. He had lost a Driver already. It had probably severely affected his AI.
She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I'm still going.” She said, opening the door. “Just let me know if the suspect on the top floor moves.” She stepped out and looked around. She walked calmly down the street to the building, then around the back.
K.I.T.T waited for Katherine. Five minutes passed and a man walked purposefully over to him. He scanned the man, studying him closely. He had not come from the building, and did not seem to be related to the mission.
The man walked to the Driver's door and glanced around once, making sure no one was around. He pulled an odd instrument from his pocket. He reached under the door handle. “Please step back.” K.I.T.T told him firmly. “Only my Driver is authorized to enter.”
“Stupid alarms.” The man muttered under his breath, while still searching under the handle. He didn't seem to find what he was looking for, because he bent down and looked. “The hell? No keyhole?” He ran a hand over the smooth surface of the door, as if it was hidden somehow.
K.I.T.T was really starting to dislike this man. His programming only allowed his Driver access. Anyone else was immediately and thoroughly rejected by it. He tolerated Pierce, Charles and Carmen, as long as they sat in the passenger's seat, and didn't touch the steering wheel. “I repeat, please step back.” He said tightly. “Only my Driver is authorized to enter.”
“Just shut up.” The man muttered. He gave up on the keyhole, instead pulling a heavy crowbar from his jacket.
Now K.I.T.T recognized him as a threat, and not merely an annoyance. His programming took over. “I do not recommend touching me again.” He said threateningly. “You will not like the consequences.”
The man continued to ignore him. He hefted up the crowbar, preparing to strike the window. He placed a hand on the top of the car for support, and to partially hide what he was doing.
When his hand touched the surface of the car, K.I.T.T sent an electrical pulse through his nano-skin, jolting the man harshly. The charge was quick, so the man shook, then fell back. He sat on the pavement, startled and in pain. He stared at K.I.T.T for a long moment. He dropped the crowbar and got to his feet shakily. He slowly stumbled away.
********
Kat frowned at the locked door. The key gadget Pierce had given her wasn't working. It must be dead-bolted as well. She looked it over. It was solid metal. No chance of breaking it down herself then.
“KITT, come here and give me a hand.” She whispered.
“I don't have a hand.” K.I.T.T responded.
Kat rubbed the spot between her eyes. “Just get your butt back here and help me out.”
There was a brief pause. “Kat, I don't have a-”
“Listen,” She interrupted him, speaking through clenched teeth. “Drive around and break this door for me or I am going to go over there and rip your gear shift off.”
“On my way.” K.I.T.T answered promptly.
Kat sighed heavily, rolled her eyes. Despite the fact that they were getting along much better than when they started out, Kat still found the car's literal way of thinking annoying.
She wasn't waiting more than thirty seconds before K.I.T.T was there, facing the door. “Should I break in the door with my battering ram?” He asked in her ear.
“That will draw attention.” Kat whispered. “Can you use your laser to cut through the deadbolt?”
K.I.T.T scanned the door, locating the two deadbolts. “Affirmative.” He said. “Please stand back.”
Kat retreated a safe distance while K.I.T.T's laser burned two neat holes into the metal door. Before the metal had cooled, she tried the knob again. The door swung open easily. “Thanks, go back to your post.” She waved to him, disappearing into the warehouse.
K.I.T.T watched her close the door. He waited a moment, then returned silently to his spot on the street. The suspect inside had moved around, but had not left the floor. No one else was approaching the building.
********
Kat moved stealthily in the large space, keeping to the walls. She took a deep breath, filling her lungs, then pressed the spot on her collar. Her shirt hardened, and she could still breathe. She wasn't comfortable, but she was relatively safe. Well, her torso was.
The only light came from the large frosted windows in the front. And that was weak at best. The whole first floor was shrouded in shadows. “K.I.T.T, can you help me see?” She asked hopefully.
Suddenly, the entire room brightened, taking on a greenish glow. The light from the windows stayed the same brightness, not blinding her. This wasn't like the regular night vision goggles she was used to. “Is there anything you can't do?” She asked dryly, hiding that she was impressed.
“Give you a hand?” K.I.T.T offered.
“KITT, are you pretending that you have a sense of humor?” She asked him.
“I wouldn't dream of it, Kat.”
Kat was suspicious. “Good.” She whispered anyway.
She crept to the other end of the warehouse. Her footsteps were soft and the wooden floorboards squeaked only slightly. She doubted that the sound would carry through three floors. There were some crates stacked up over in the corner that looked promising.
She approached them carefully. Most of them were open, and empty. Okay, she knew that this wasn't going to be easy.
She took a step back, debating her next move. Should she chance moving to the second floor?
She stepped on something and looked down. A metal ring was set into the floor. The area around it was swept clean, while the rest of the floor was quite dusty. Ell now, this looked promising.
“How is our suspect?” She asked K.I.T.T
“The suspect has moved down to the third floor.” K.I.T.T answered.
“Okay then.” Kat bent down and took the ring in two hands. She pulled upwards.
The trapdoor lifted smoothly, the hinges were well oiled. A wooden ladder descended into the basement, which she could see perfectly. Kat smiled.
She began climbing down the ladder. “Kat, you've disappeared.” K.I.T.T said at once. “The area you are in must be shielded against infrared. Exit immediately, there might be someone else down there.”
But Kat was at the bottom of the ladder by then. She felt someone behind her. Then there was a blinding flash of pain in her side. Her body shook briefly before darkness clouded her vision. Then she was falling...
********
“Kat.” K.I.T.T called to her. He tried once more while simultaneously sending a message to Pierce. “Katherine!”
Back at the lab, Pierce answered K.I.T.T. “What's happened?” He asked.
“Katherine's disappeared.” K.I.T.T told him. “She went into a shielded area, and now she is not responding. She is in the building's basement, what is the best way for me to get down there?”
“Show me the building.” Pierce said quickly. K.I.T.T sent him the information and he put up on the big screen. The other technicians stopped their work and studied the pictures and diagrams as well.
“The ground is lower on the south side of the building.” Kai said. “He could break in through there-”
“-then use Turbo Boost to jump out through the floor.” Rei finished.
Pierce nodded. “That sounds like the best option. K.I.T.T-”
“Wait fifteen minutes, if you do not hear from her, then come back to the facility.” David's voice came from above.
Everyone turned and looked up at him. He was staring at the big screen, one hand on the metal railway.
Pierce couldn't hide his scowl. He opened his mouth to protest, but Charles beat him to it. “There is a high possibility that Katherine is still alive.” He had exited his office as well and was down the walkway from David.
David turned to Charles, his hand still on the rail. “Wait fifteen minutes. If there is still no response, then the chance that she is alive is nearly nonexistent.” He said calmly.
“She could be alive now, and dead in fifteen minutes!” Pierce said heatedly.
David ignored him, he was still staring Charles down. “This is an unknown situation. We do not know what is going on down there, what the threat is. Three Thousand is the priority, Katherine is not.” He turned away then, walking back to his office.
“Katherine is the Driver.” Charles reminded him.
David paused with his hand on the doorknob. “Driver's are dispensable.” he said so low that only Charles heard him. Then he was gone, closing the office door behind him.
Pierce's blue eyes were narrowed. He looked up at Charles. “We're not losing another Driver.” He told him firmly. His words were echoed in the faces of everyone in the lab.
Charles nodded. “Since you are obviously going to follow David's orders, I feel safe leaving you unattended while I go back to work, which I can do without worry of any insubordination.” He turned and walked back into his office.
Pierce smiled grimly. He turned back to his computer. “Okay KITT, you know the plan.”
“Affirmative.” K.I.T.T was already driving around to the south side of the building.
