Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 2
Chapter 4
Meanwhile, Kat was staring down the barrel of an assault rifle.
She sat on a crate, looking up at the woman behind the gun. She wore combat fatigue pants and a black tank top. Her brown hair was done up in a messy ponytail. She held the rifle one-handed. She smiled at Kat. “If you say one word without me telling you to, you die.” She said.
They were in a small circle of light coming from a bare bulb set into the ceiling. Shadows surrounded them from all sides. That meant that her eye-cam wasn't working. The jolt that the woman had given her from the taser in her other hand had probably fried the tiny circuitry.
Her chest wasn't constricted, so that meant the shirt was dead as well. She wondered how the dental implant had fared, not that she could test it out. She narrowed her eyes at the woman.
“Oooh, nice expression!” The woman exclaimed. “It just begs for death. Now, who are you?” She asked. Kat remained silent. The woman nudged her cheek with the barrel of the rifle. “Answer or die.”
“Katherine Knight.” Kat said tensely.
“That's a good girl.” The woman had a high, sweet voice that contrasted sharply with the cruel expression on her face. There was a buzzing at her hip. She holstered her taser and pulled a cellphone from her pocket and flipped it open one-handed. “A little busy right now.” She said into it irritably.
“The door? No worries, I've got the intruder here.” She listened for a moment. “It's probably her car, go check it out.” She hung up the phone. She hadn't taken her eyes off of Kat the whole time. “Now, Miss Knight. You hardly look like the most unlucky burglar in the world. So, why are you here? Are you with the FBI? Or are you alone?”
“I'm not really with the FBI.” Kat answered. “But I'm also not alone.”
Outside, K.I.T.T assessed the exterior. There was a small window that was painted over. He fired his grappling hook at it. It crashed through the window, shattering it completely.
Inside, the woman turned instinctively to the sound of breaking glass. “What the-”
Kat sprang then, when her attention was turned away. She grabbed the barrel of the rifle, pushing it up to aim at the ceiling. In the same motion she brought her knee up into the woman's mid-section.
K.I.T.T reeled in the line and the hook caught securely to the window frame. He hit reverse then. His tires squealed against the pavement for a few seconds before the frame and part of the wall gave way. He shot back ten feet before braking hard. He reeled in his line all the way and drove back to the wall. He scanned as much of the interior as he could through the hole he had made in the wall while he readied his grappling hook for a second attempt.
He identified Kat and Carol Levins struggling inside. Kat was trying to disarm the woman, but the woman fought back fiercely.
Kat had one hand on the rifle, keeping it pointed upward. The other hand held the woman's wrist. The woman pulled her head back and then slammed it into Kat's face, stunning her. Kat fell back a step, her grasp slipping. The woman brought the rifle down, but she had to back up to aim it at Kat.
Kat recovered and grabbed the rifle with both hands, finally managing to twist it from the other woman's grasp. With one swift, practiced movement, she brought the butt of the rifle down on the side of the woman's head. The woman crumpled to the floor.
K.I.T.T tore out another section of wall. “Kat?” He called to her.
“I'm fine.” She had heard him in her ear, that meant the implant had survived. She felt her injured nose. It was tender, but wasn't bleeding.
“I'm coming to get you.” K.I.T.T answered her.
“Wait a second.” Kat told him. In the light coming from the hole in the wall, she had spotted several stacks of crates. She headed toward them.
From above, a figure jumped down at her. He landed on her hard, forcing her to the ground. The rifle was knocked from her hand and skidded across the floor. Kat struggled, but couldn't find enough leverage to force him off of her. He pulled out a handgun and aimed it at her.
K.I.T.T fired his grappling hook again. This time it hit the man in the side. The man was knocked off of Kat. He flew several feet before he hit the floor. He didn't move after.
Kat got to her feet slowly. She ached in several places. Her arm hung at her side limply. Her shoulder was dislocated from when the man had jumped on her. She needed both hands in order to bind the suspect's hands with her cable ties. She would have to leave them be for now. “If one of them moves, shoot them again.” She told K.I.T.T.
“With pleasure.” K.I.T.T reeled in his steel line. “And I won't say I told you so.”
“You just did.” Kat muttered. She walked over to the fallen rifle. She picked it up. “Get a shot of this.” She said, holding it up. She opened a few of the crates and showed K.I.T.T the contents. “Assault rifles... grenades...” She opened another crate. “Nerve gas. Looks like it's time to contact FBI Liaison Karen Summers.”
“Her team is already on their way.” K.I.T.T answered.
“Oh good, you called them already.”
“Actually, it wasn't me.” K.I.T.T told her. “It was someone back at the compound. I reported what had happened to you.”
“It's good to see they are on the ball.” Kat smiled.
“They always are.” K.I.T.T told her.
“I'm starting to see that.” Kat walked over to him. The wall he had taken out was about three feet off of the basement floor. She scrambled up to him as best as she could with one arm.
Suddenly, K.I.T.T fired his grappling hook again. Kat was right in front of his hood. Her eyes widened as it sped past her, so close that the steel ruffled her hair. The tri-pointed retractable hook hit someone behind her. She heard them cry out in pain, then fall to the ground.
She turned slowly and looked behind her. Carol Levins was now lying unconscious on another part of the floor. K.I.T.T retracted his grappling hook slowly. “Are you all right?” He asked.
“Yeah... fine...” Kat said weakly. She climbed up out of the building. K.I.T.T opened the door for her and she slid into the seat.
Kat held her injured arm and groaned. “I'm going to need you to drive us back.” She said. “When the FBI get here.”
“They are already here.” K.I.T.T replied as two large black vans pulled up to the front of the warehouse.
“Oh good. We can leave right away then.” Kat said. She was feeling her various injuries now that the adrenaline was fading. “That was awfully quick of them.”
“They were probably waiting nearby.” K.I.T.T said.
Kat looked at the open Driver's door. Her left arm was the injured one. Closing it on her own would he difficult. “Uhm, can you close the door for me?” She asked.
“I will, after you speak with our new FBI Liaison.” K.I.T.T answered.
Kat frowned, but didn't say anything. All she wanted to do was go lie down somewhere and ache for a bit, maybe have a hot shower. Then she could have Dustin look at her arm. Staying here longer didn't help her get those things.
All of the doors on both vans opened and people poured out. Most went into the building. One woman separated herself from the rest and headed over to K.I.T.T.
She was of average height, with long strawberry-blonde hair. Her eyes were a sharp turquoise. Kat suspected colored contacts.
She showed Kat her badge. “FBI Agent Karen Summers.”
Kat offered the woman her good hand. “Katherine Knight.”
“I believe you have some evidence for me?”
Kat blinked for a second. “Oh, uh...” She looked over at K.I.T.T's voice modulator. A miniDisc popped out of his dash. Kat grabbed it and handed it to the agent. “Here you are.”
Karen took a closer look at Kat, noting how she cradled her arm to her chest. “Are you injured, Miss Knight? We can help you if you like.” She pointed to one of the vans.
Kat shook her head. “Thank you, but no. I have to get back to base. Our medic there will take a look at me.”
Karen's frown was light. “All right then.” She said, unconcerned. She turned away from K.I.T.T. As she walked away, she looked back for a second. “Tell David that we're even.” She said.
Kat's expression was confused. K.I.T.T closed the Driver's door and pulled away from the warehouse. “I wonder what she was talking about.” Kat mused.
“We will have to wait until we report back to David.” K.I.T.T said. His voice sounded almost... cheerful.
“What are you so happy about?” Kat asked irritably. She was in pain, he shouldn't sound so happy.
“We've just completed our second successful mission.” K.I.T.T explained. “I was right about the danger in the warehouse. And I saved your life. Twice.”
Actually, he had saved her life three times that day, but Kat wasn't going to tell him that. “You're awfully smug.” She said. “I thought you weren't going to tell me 'I told you so'.”
“I apologize, but I was right.” K.I.T.T said, his voice didn't lose a trace of it's smugness. “I'd say I've been doing exceptionally well as a sidekick so far.”
Kat rolled her eyes. “Don't start that again. If anyone is the sidekick here, it would be me.”
“Katherine, I was the one specifically designed to enhance my Driver's capabilities.” K.I.T.T replied.
Kat closed her eyes. “I'm in too much pain to argue. Let's talk about something else.”
“The new vest seems to have stood up pretty well,” K.I.T.T commented.
Kat looked down at the black leather vest covering her red shirt. “Yeah, I'm really starting to like it.” She said.
“It's enhances your shape in an aesthetically pleasing way.” He told her.
Kat's brows pushed together. “Uhm, thank you KITT...” She said slowly. “I think.”
“You're welcome.”
Kat shook her head. “You know what, let's just listen to some music.”
“What do you want to listen to?”
Kat leaned her head back and covered her eyes with her arm. “I don't care, you pick.”
Soon, Cake's 'You Turn the Screws' filled the interior. Kat listened for a bit. “This is a good song for David.” She said, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement.
“You think so too? I have a song for everyone on the team.” K.I.T.T said.
Kat smiled. “Really? What's mine?”
Another Cake song came on then. Kat listened for a bit. “Short Skirt, Long Jacket?” She asked. She threw her head back and laughed.
