Knight Rider 2008 Alternate Storyline – Episode 4 – The Knight Before Christmas
Chapter 5
F.L.A.G Underground Compound
David surveyed the scene below, both hands on the metal rail. His face was impassive.
Charles headed up the stairs and joined him. The older man placed his forearms on the metal railing, leaning forward. He watched the people below with an expression of relief.
“What was that?” David asked quietly.
“No idea.” Charles said.
“You have a speculation, at least.” David said, still watching the Main Lab.
“I must be an old man.” Charles said ruefully. “I'm being haunted by the ghosts of the past.”
David frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I'll have to retrieve the files from cold storage.” Charles said. “I don't believe you know much about KITT's predecessors. I believe you were ten at the time.”
David nodded. Documentation was something he understood.
“Things were pretty close.” Charles said. “Thank goodness for Ian.”
“I suppose.” David said dully.
“You were gripping that railing pretty tight for a bit there.” Charles commented
David dropped his hands to his sides. He turned to Charles finally, his expression neutral. “Regarding the earlier attacks. Three Thousand is too easily recognized the way it is. Have it refitted before it is sent on any more missions. Katherine should be disguised as well whenever she goes out.”
“All right.” Charles assented. “Anything else?”
“Have the files on my desk in two hours.” He said. He turned and walked back into his office.
********
“Well, look who did a 180.” Carmen said triumphantly as she walked into the Cafeteria.
Kat sat at a table with Angela and Rei. She had eaten only a few hours ago, but she was still ravenous. Recuperating was taking a lot out of her. “What do you mean?” She asked Carmen.
Carmen pulled up a chair and sat with the other women. “Going from 'You're just a car...' to 'He's not just some 'computer'!' in under a month?” She made her voice a high falsetto as she mimicked Kat.
Kat turned her attention to her plate. “Yeah, so? It's not a big deal.”
“Of course it is.” Carmen grinned. “You're becoming one of us.”
Kat frowned. “You're all a bunch of fanatics and work-a-holics.” She said to her plate.
Angela giggled. “Yep. And now... so are you.”
“Here's a question.” Carmen leaned back in her chair. “You find out what happened to Sam, you finish that, you settle it. Then, David walks in and tears up your contract. Would you leave?”
Kat stared at her plate silently. She moved the food around with her fork.
“Yeah, would you leave us? Go back to being a pilot?” Angela asked.
“Well?” Rei asked.
Kat still didn't answer.
“What are they saying?” K.I.T.T asked.
“They wanna know if I'm going to leave when we're done with Sam.” Kat told him.
“Why are they asking that? Don't they know the answer?”
“Do you?” Kat asked pointedly.
“Of course. You're not going anywhere.”
Kat was silent for a moment. The three women watched her. “You don't know that.” She said. She speared a baby carrot with her fork and popped it in her mouth.
Angela, Rei and Carmen smiled at each other knowingly.
********
Hours later, the Main Lab was dark. It was lights out and almost everyone was asleep. Pierce was back on vacation, confined to his quarters.
Only one person moved around in the Main Lab: Charles. He was pacing rather randomly.
“You should get some rest.” K.I.T.T told him.
“I'm not so old that I don't have a few more sleepless nights left in me.” Charles replied.
“You seem agitated.” K.I.T.T said. “Your heart rate is accelerated.”
Charles sighed heavily. He walked over to K.I.T.T and leaned on the hood. “I'm worried.” He said.
“What is there to worry over? Everything turned out fine.”
Charles folded his hands in front of him. He stared down at them. “The future.” He said at last. “And the past.”
“You words are very enigmatic.” K.I.T.T replied. “Do you know what is going to happen?”
Charles shook his head. “That's what has me worried. I do not know what lies in the darkness of the future. I only have my fears of the past. So many loose threads, they can strangle a man.”
“I'm going to guess that you don't mean in the literal sense, since you appear fine to me.”
Charles grimaced. “Earlier, you said that the thing that attacked you wasn't a virus. You said it was bigger than you. Not stronger, but bigger. Can you explain that in more detail?”
“It spoke to me. Like another AI. But I've never met another AI, so I can't say if that was what it was with certainty. I am the stronger one, I think. But that presence knew much more than I did, it tried to crush me with what it knew. It's older than I am, and has grown far more than I have.” K.I.T.T paused. “Do you know what it was?”
“I have a guess. But it could just be an old man's fears. I might be seeing shadows where there are none.” Charles bowed his head for a moment. “Enough rambling on my part. How goes your learning?”
“I've finished learning Chinese, bringing my total of known languages to twelve. I am working on Russian next.”
“I'm impressed. You know more languages than I do now.”
“I have more free time.”
Charles smiled. “How have you been adjusting to Katherine?”
“She still confuses me a great deal.” K.I.T.T answered. “We get along better at least. She's very interesting to talk to, even if she has some things reversed. Perhaps the logic portion of her brain is bugged.”
Charles glanced through K.I.T.T's windshield. Kat was curled up asleep in the backseat. The book he had given her was lying on the floor. “She's grown protective of you.” He commented.
“That's one of the points that defies logic. I'm supposed to protect her. I'm the one with the Molecular-Bonded Shell and the small-range missile array.”
Charles chuckled. “Strength isn't just measured in physical power. There is also strength of spirit. And Katherine's is quite fierce.”
“You mean how she believes that she is stronger than she is? That's just foolishness.”
“You'll understand one day.” Charles said.
“The day that Kat's actions make sense to me is the day I will know madness.” K.I.T.T predicted. “She keeps insisting that she is the sidekick.”
Charles shook his head. “She's wrong.”
“I know that.”
“So are you.”
“What do you mean?” K.I.T.T asked. “How can we both be wrong?”
“The very basics of your argument are flawed.” Charles said simply. “Who's the sidekick, who assists who, who is the strong one. All flawed. Your thinking was wrong exactly when the both of you assumed that one of you was more than the other.”
K.I.T.T was silent. Charles went on. “Try this idea out. Instead of thinking that one is lesser and one is more. Think equally. There are many things that you can do that Katherine cannot. But there are also many things that you cannot do, but Katherine can. You give each other balance.”
“You're saying that we are a set.” K.I.T.T said.
Charles nodded. “That's an adequate analogy. Separate, you each have your weaknesses. Together, you can be unstoppable. As long as you both work with each other as equals.”
“You've given me a lot to process.” K.I.T.T said.
Charles patted his hood. “My work here is done.” He smiled and got to his feet. “I think I shall retire after all.”
“Good night.” K.I.T.T said as Charles headed up the stairs.
********
Kat opened her eyes and groaned. She stretched out across the backseat. Her leg responded to the motion by sending fire up her thigh. She winced. “What time is it?”
“5 am exactly.” K.I.T.T answered.
“Oh dammit, I'm still waking up too early.” Kat muttered. “No one around here gets up before six.”
“I could tranquilize you.” K.I.T.T offered. “My darts would knock you unconscious for about an hour.”
“Someone woke up on the wrong side of the moving circle.” Kat muttered. “Hey, can you play my favorite Christmas song?” She asked. “Christmas passed and I didn't get a chance to hear it.”
“Certainly, if you give me the name.”
“'Carol of the Bells' by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. And put the volume up.” Kat laid on her back and closed her eyes.
The first strains filtered through the interior. The speakers in the back catching the bells perfectly. Kat drummed her fingers on her stomach as the music picked up.
She had always loved this song. It was rich and powerful, but still had that slight Christmasy feel to it, only much more intense. Listening to it inside of K.I.T.T, with his surround-sound speakers, immersed her fully into the music. She could even feel the notes vibrating in her chest.
When the last notes died, she opened her eyes. “KITT, sometimes, you are so cool.”
“I know.” K.I.T.T responded. He decided to keep the song in Kat's playlist. The playlist wasn't a list of music Kat liked, but music that he felt was similar to Kat herself. He had about a dozen different playlists for various people he knew. He liked being organized.
Kat sat up and moved to the front seat. “I finished the book Charles gave me on Attack Mode. We can start running simulations after breakfast.”
“Sounds like a plan. By the way, since Christmas is over now, can you remove the tinsel and the mistletoe and holly? I don't know if I like looking so 'festive'.”
Kat laughed. She reached up and began untying the bundle of mistletoe and holly. “So, did it bring you luck?”
“If by luck, you mean Carmen kissing my hood when she spotted it, then yes.”
Kat snickered. “There are worse things than getting a kiss from a cute girl on Christmas.” She said.
“If you say so.”
“Here, one from me.” She kissed two fingers and pressed them to his steering wheel. “Now you're popular.” She laughed as she opened the door and climbed out. She de-tinseled him and then headed upstairs for breakfast.
