One More Knight Please

Chapter 20: Out of the Woods.

Kitt pulled into the parking garage of my apartment, next to my Tesla.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked.
"Yeah, same time as today," I answered.
I walked away, but couldn't help but notice Kitt didn't leave. I walked up to the door of the garage, scanning my badge that all apartment owners had, causing the door to unlock. I pushed the heavy door open, people visiting would have to go through the lobby, which would explain how Bo made it up to my apartment before. The hallway was empty, and the lower floors were near abandoned because everyone wants an apartment high enough to have a good view of the small park and town around us. I never cared about the view, I chose my apartment because it was one of the only studio apartments left. I didn't want anything big because I'm not home half of the time, most of the time you can find me reading a book out in the park. I approached the end of the hallway where the stairwell and broken elevator were. I opened the door to the stairwell and started my long climb. My financial situation was never bad. Mostly because on top of working for F.L.A.G. I also wrote a small series of books, all geared towards younger kids of course, but they still bring in a good chunk of money into my bank account. Which would also explain why I drive a Tesla. Of course, buying it was a bit of a hassle, but I knew what I wanted, and I got it. I always wanted a Tesla because honestly, they reminded me very much of Kitt. Arnold, our agent, always said if we were to replace Kitt, we should get a Tesla. But there were a few issues with the cars. First, their AEB systems are a little touchy, and for the stunts, I've seen Arnold pull, that would never work. Secondly, they weigh a lot, which could be both a good thing and a bad thing. I mean, yeah, they have a lot of torque to make up for that, but the lift systems we used when the 3000 was in service, would never work for a Tesla, they would crunch right under its weight.  Lastly, the only way to drive a Tesla would be to activate something called "Dyno Mode" What it does is turn off all the safety and emergency systems on a Tesla, which itself is dangerous, and with the Arnold drives, I wouldn't even risk it.  I made my way up the final set of stairs and exited the stairwell. The minute I opened the door I was blasted with a cool gust of air. It felt like heaven after being stuck in that humid, sticky, hot stairwell. My apartment is the second one to the right, so I didn't have to walk that far. I walked up to my door, scanned my badge again, and stepped inside. I put my bag down on the kitchen counter and then turned on the light. I looked towards the dining area, where the roses had been moved to the dining table.
"What the," I said to myself. Before I knew it, I felt someone behind me grab me and hold something up to my face. Then everything was black, pitch black.

I slowly opened my eyes, I was tied to a chair, in a building that seemed abandoned. I looked at my wrist, which had been tied with an itchy rope behind my back. My watch had been taken, and I felt somewhat helpless. I looked next to me, and there was another chair, turned away, but I thought I recognized the person sitting in it. Their brown hair seemed all too familiar. Oh my goodness! It was Bo!
"Bo?"
"You're awake?" He responded.
"Yeah, what's going on, where are we?'
"Susan, this is all my fault. I gave the piece of equipment you gave me to my uncle, and he instantly thought it was spyware. So then he thought I was working with you, and took my phone, found your address then kidnapped you. He tied me up just to make sure I wouldn't run off and tell anyone." He said. I could hear his voice breaking up like he was beginning to cry.
"Bo, It's not your fault, It's mine. This was my stupid idea to get a lead on Berio Electronics, and I lied to you...None of this would have happened if I would have just kept to myself." I tried to reason, but the words came out of me in chokes. I couldn't bear to see Bo tied up because of me, let alone, think it was his fault.
"Susan, he took Kitt," Bo said after a moment, both of us were trying to get ourselves together.
"W-what?"
"I saw it, he had managed to power him off and he had him towed here."
I didn't know what to say, why did he want Kitt so darn bad? Why did he want to kill me?
"What does he want with him?" I asked.
"I don't know."
"Well, at least I know he is on the premises."
"I wouldn't count on that," He said.  His voice seemed to echo off of the walls of the building. It was strange how large the place was, the walls seemed to be made of solid brick, and the floor out of concrete, like some kind of warehouse. A few fluorescent lights were hanging from the ceiling, making me able to see Bo's back. I heard the creaking noise of a door and the sound of footsteps coming toward us.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Susan Barstow." A Voice said menacingly.
"Where is Kitt? And what do you want from us?" I asked, shouting.
"Well my dear, if you looked behind yourself, you'd find your beloved four-wheeled friend is right there." He simpered.
I tried to look behind me, but unfortunately, my neck doesn't go 180 degrees, but I was able to see a speck of the car's bumper.
The voice laughed scornfully."Your boyfriend is with you too." The owner of the voice finally revealed himself when he flipped Bo's chair around, revealing that Bo had been blindfolded this whole time.  He slipped the piece of fabric off of his face. The man stood proud and tall over us both, almost as if he was standing on a ten-foot-tall block, watching us like the eagle stalks its prey.
"Who are you!" I exclaimed, letting my voice grow louder.
"You know who I am." He smirked.
It crossed my mind, he was Marco Berio. He laughed once more.
"Look, I didn't want it to come to this, but your time is over. The Foundation was abandoned in 1986. So this is what is going to happen. I am going to burn this place down with both of you in it and blame Kitt's faulty motor." He laughed. He left again, his shoes tapping evilly against the concrete floor.
I looked over at Bo.
"If you were blindfolded, how did you see Kitt getting towed?" I asked snarkily.
"That was before he put the blindfold on me and tied me up," He said, rolling his eyes.
Marco returned a second later, two cans of gasoline in his hands. He poured a generous amount around Kitt, then drizzled it all around the rest of the room. It just now occurred to me that I was genuinely going to die. This man, who was an enemy of my family for a very long time, was going to kill me. After a second he stopped, then generously poured the rest of the gasoline around me and Bo's feet.
"That's probably worth more than this whole building." I joked to myself, humor was always my favorite coping mechanism.
"Shush." He hissed back at me.
He placed the cans down gently, before pulling a matchbox out of his jean pocket.
"Any last words you two?" He said, striking the match, and making it glow that dangerous orange glow of a fire.
I couldn't speak, Bo's face seemed to be dead already with the way he stared down the match.
"No, alright." He said, tossing the match towards Kitt, picking up both of the gas cans, then making a run for it.
'I shouldn't have ever said anything to you about my family." Bo shouted.
The match must have just waited for Bo to choke out his final words before coming into contact with the toxic fumes of gasoline, because the next second, flames erupted all over the room, they licked and burned my skin. It hurt like no other pain imaginable, and the worst thing is, it would be a long, painful death. Unlike a gunshot to the head where it's just like, BANG! Lights out!
I remembered I had the pocket knife on me, ironically in my pocket, but it would be no use.
I could hear Bo groaning in pain, but I could no longer see him. The flames had taken over my ability to see.
I started to jump around in the chair, maybe if I knocked it over, the rope would catch on fire sooner.  I did knock the chair over, but it wasn't as good an idea as I had thought it would be. The flames burned my hair, my hands sat squashed against the burning hot floor. I felt the flames dancing across my hands.
"SUSAN!" Bo yelled. I couldn't reply, the pain was too immense.
I finally felt the rope catch on, the flames licking my wrists like an unwelcome guest. I had no choice but to sit there as my hair was being burned off, and flames were burning their way into my scalp. I thought I'd be dead by the time the rope had burned off,  but I wasn't. I was able to pull it apart with my hands after a few seconds. The air was growing thick, and smokier, I couldn't breathe. But out of instinct, I was able to get out my knife and cut the remainder of the rope that bound me to the chair. I sprung up quickly, getting out of the hot spot of the flames, and ran over to Bo, who was still upright but severely burned. I cut the rope off of him as well, then I heard a familiar engine. The turbine sounded like Kitt's but there was no way it could be him, he was behind us the whole time. A large, similar, black car crashed through the wall. It looked like Kitt, but there was a very distinctive gray stripe on the bottom of the body. It was Karr.
"Get in, or you will die." His deep voice commanded. And I rushed Bo to the car. The doors opened automatically, and Bo got into the passenger seat, after sliding across the hood like something straight out of Dukes Of Hazzard. Maybe that's why they call him Bo. I leaped into the driver's side, and both of the doors closed. Karr then crashed through the other wall of the warehouse, getting us out into safety.
"Karr, how did you-"
"I had been notified that your watch had been destroyed. Kitt had taught me how to tap into it and see your location. So I went to the last place the watch had been before it was destroyed and saw the fire. Do not worry, I have informed the fire department." He said, his voice just as robotic as I remembered.
"Kitt was in there, we have to go back!" I exclaimed as the car drove on the grass.
"No can do, I am getting you and him to the nearest Hospital as soon as possible. Kitt would have done the same thing if he was currently powered on."
I just let him, he was cutting through a wooded area on a shortcut, something Kitt would probably never do. I looked over at Bo, He was laying back in the seat with his eyes closed. His face was blackened from ash or soot. I wanted to touch his hand with mine, just to let him know it would be alright., but my own hands hurt too badly. If there was a cannibal, not even he would eat me, He'd say I am overcooked. It felt like a really bad sunburn, but worse. Instead of just hurting when you touch it, it always hurts. I could feel blisters beginning to form on my hands, arms, and legs. I looked in Karr's mirror, some of my hair was left, but it was mostly gone on the left side of my head. The other side was singed. I looked terrible, there was no other way to describe it. My cheeks had a series of smaller burns on them, my nose had a blister forming on the bridge of it, and my whole face was red. I looked over at Bo, he hadn't seemed to be as badly burned as I was. His pants were no longer pants at this point, they had been burned into shorts.
Karr arrived at the hospital and checked us in through his computer. I got out, and so did Bo.
"Thanks, Karr," I said, walking across the hood to meet with Bo.
"Thank Kitt." He said, then pulled out of his parking spot, and left.
Bo and I walked into the Hospital together, where we were assisted by the receptionist.