The Knight is Still Young

Chapter 35

Amber and KARR arrived home about ten minutes later to find Ashley sitting in the living room just finishing her homework. She looked up when she heard the door open and grinned at Amber.

'Hi!' She then moved slightly to look past the woman toward where she knew the garage to be. 'Is he ok?'

'No, not really. There's only so much I can do.' The young woman answered, 'Like his brother there is only one place he can refill a certain fuel, so he unfortunately cannot go too far from FLAG headquarters. Both cars can and would be essentially mobile time bombs should they not get their refills when required.'

'Would you like to see him?' Amber asked the young girl. She nodded eager to see her friend's brother.

'Yes please.'

Amber lead her guest into the garage to meet him. 'Might want to keep this quiet when you're around KITT's driver....'

She really didn't know what to expect, but she was surprised when she walked and saw what was sitting in the middle of the garage: it was a very KITT-like trans-am, right down to the tires and rims. The only noticeable differences were the amber scanner and the car's bottom half silver which also trailed over the wheel wells.

'Surprised?'  It asked.

'Y-You're like KITT....'

'I am the Knight Automated Roving Robot, KARR if you prefer.'

'So you're the one I was talking to through the computer.'  She realised admiring the car.

'Yes.'

The young girl cautiously walked over to the car, her eyes scoured his body, taking in his smooth silver and black paintwork and looking at his Amber scanner. She almost wanted to reach out and touch it, in fact....

'Careful. My molecular bondage isn't functional.' KARR sighed, she pulled her hand back, unlike her he knew he was a mess currently. 'I don't understand. Why try to kill me? I never intentionally hurt anyone. I admit I did help two petty thieves with robberies but they did essentially save me from being abandoned, upon reactivating me. I was indebted to both of them.'

'Kill you?  Who would want to kill you?'  Ashley asked confused, before glancing at Amber who continued to watch her pal as he talked, not really listening to the girl as she tried to comprehend what he was talking about.

'Bonnie... mother. I do regret having to had kidnap her, but consider the circumstances. I needed repairs, Michael with KITT after me to destroy me and my core-programming being Self-Preservation...' KARR seemed both rather upset and frustrated. 'I know I've caused the death of some technicians, though much of that was in panic due to my programming. Essentially like the Fight-or-Flight instinct that you organic beings have. In the end I payed my time in that empty laboratory which ended up being jail for me. I believe I was to have been bailed earlier, however it seems as if FLAG had forgotten me. Still, hadn't I have already served my time? So why the attempted murder?'

'A-Attempted murder?!  Kidnapping Bonnie?!  What are you talking about?!'  She stared at him in utter confusion.

'That wasn't the first time they left me to die, they don't realize however that my brother and I are linked. If one of us dies, the other would soon follow.'  KARR stated, "Perhaps you should ask them whether they've ever wondered why KITT had been easily brought back from the times he was nearly destroyed?'