- WhiteBird -

Chapter Thirty One - Memories

A chilling swath of cold air blanketed Casey's bare arms, but his constant shivering was not from the brisk temperature of the dark room. He was angry, hurt, and most of all, in pain. 

He could not see the room in which he had been dragged to countless hours before, the black cloth bag still tightly inclosed his head, trapping his own breath, his lungs begging for more oxygen. The cold cuffs were merciless against his slim wrists, cutting into them deeply. He had been placed on a bare cement floor, restrained with his arms around a metal pole, so that his back was pressed into it. Restraints had also been placed around his ankles, a pair of leg irons, but his jeans cushioned his ankles. His body ached at the immense discomfort, his overstretched shoulders most of all. 

He had fallen asleep at some point, he had no idea of the time or day, how long he had been out, or how long he had been there. Minutes felt like eternity, each second that passed only prolonged the physical and mental torture.

Soft tears rolled down his cheeks, for hopelessness took its hold on him, sucking away all clear thoughts and reason, leaving behind misery and panic. He knew, deep inside him that there was a risk his father would not be a good man, but his own deceitful hope had clouded his judgment, he should have stayed far away, for a life without the truth was better than no life at all. The betrayal from Braille hurt most of all, but it made sense to him now, how she had been so quick to accept the reality of Karr, how she had seemed so interested in him. She was a ploy from his father to gain his trust, or gain access to Karr, but when Arturo had learned of his disappearance he became impatient, and took matters into his own hands. 

What exactly Arturo wanted with Karr, Casey didn't know. Karr could do many things, the world depended on technology more everyday, and his abilities grew more useful for someone who wished to wreak havoc, hurt and steal from others. An invincible car with hacking capabilities could prove to be an unstoppable force in the world of crime, causing far more trouble than even Kitt and Micheal had been able to stop on the opposite end of justice. 

Fear prodded at his mind like a branding iron, for even the present was an uncertain one.

After more countless time had passed, and Casey felt himself nearing the edge of unconsciousness, a long low creak roused him from his pit of self loathing.

A door, from the other end of the room eased open, and a slow rush of warm humid air brushed past him. An ominous click of boots echoed against the cement floor, nearing him with every slow step. The bag over his head blinded him completely, the world was so black it hurt his eyes to be open, but they were open wide with fear nonetheless. 

"Hello Casey'' A voice called, hurting his sensitive ears. "Do you want to play a game?"

-

"Where is he now? Is he hurt?" Kitt's voice rang, sounding worried.

"They took him to a basement" Karr snapped, anger rolling through him like dark thunderclouds. "They haven't hurt him yet"

"Bonnie called Micheal just a few minutes ago, she's on her way to meet him" Kitt responded, talking internally with Karr.

Karr had been placed in a large garage, two boots securely attached to his tires. He knew he could probably break them if he tried, but he was hopelessly worried about Casey, and wanted to create a perfect plan for escape. Causing a scene now would only endanger his friend.

Shame washed over him with a forceful vengeance, his own stupidity and childishness had brought upon them the very thing Karr lived for, protecting his driver from the evil he knew existed in this world.

When he had rushed away from Casey at that hospital parking lot, filled with anger and hurt, he had not gone far. He had been so angry that Casey refused to listen to him, angry at his harsh words, that he had run like a coward, exposing the both of them. It was a mistake he could not live long enough to forgive himself for. He had turned off all tracking features, and concealed himself out of Kitt's radar range, but his time alone had not been spent uselessly. He had tapped into every computer that belonged to Micheal, Bonnie, The Foundation, and local law enforcement, brushing past their weak firewalls in an angry blaze. He read every piece of information regarding April available in the world, charging through it with mad fury. 

Inside one of the computers at The Foundation for Law and Governments office, he had founded the code that had been created that locked away Karr's own personal memories, and suddenly, like a clash of lightening, the truth had come back to him, revealing all that had been lost. Information that he had hoped would persuade Casey stop looking for answers, information that he had hoped would allow the boy to find closure, and leave Sole for good.

It had taken him days to dive so deep and hack into so many private files, by the time he decided to race back to his friend, it had been too late, Arturo had found him, and he had stupidly fallen into his grasp.

"Did he agree to help?" Karr asked.

"Yes, he is sour, but Micheal said he would do anything to free Casey, the truth haunts us all" Kitt responded.

Karr growled deeply, his synthetic voice filling their internal conversation with its intense anger.

Why Bonnie had chosen to conceal the truth from him, was beyond him. That program blocked the memories he had of Aprils death, Karr knew what Bonnie did not when she tried to erase them, he knew the reality of Arturo, it was a pain he did not know if Casey could bare.

She had blocked those memories when he was sent to protect him, memories that perhaps would have saved them from their trip altogether, but she had been afraid of a vengeful son, who would use Karr to get back at the  person behind it all. Even Karr himself was afraid of the horrid things he might of done, had he known the truth before this.

The Foundation had ceased operations when April had died, Micheal and Kitt could no longer pursue justice behind their money or blessing, the police too, had dropped the investigation after many uneventful leads, but Karr knew. 

Bonnie had swiped his memory before he had a chance at revealing anything, for they knew she had been killed, but not by who or why. 

Karr knew, and it devoured his soul. Karr knew, because he was there.