Lab Rat

by elfin

"…listen, April, no offence but Kitt is technically a computer and I'm not sure running too much current through him is going to be particularly beneficial."

He watched her shift her weight to her other foot, a sure sign she was irritated by him questioning her test plan. "Michael, that's my point. It's more than possible you could be subjected to an attack of this nature and we need to be sure you'll be safe."

Behind him, he heard his partner reluctantly agree with her. "She has a point, Michael."

He wanted to reach out and strangle her with his bare hands. She was pushing all of Kitt's buttons and it wasn't fair. Risking his partner just to make sure his own butt was covered wasn't part of the deal.

"We'll increase the feed slowly, if Kitt feels there's anything wrong he can tell us and we'll stop the experiment."

His hackles were up already and her use of the word 'experiment' in the same sentence as Kitt's name angered him further. "He's not a guinea pig!"

"Michael, we can do this with or without you. I could ask one of the mechanics to sit inside…."

He took a step back almost instinctively, hand dropping to his side, fingertips brushing the warm paintwork. "Kitt?"

"It's okay."

With a sigh, he opened the door and slid into his seat. "I don't like this."

"I'm not overly keen either, but April is right about knowing what will happen to you in such an eventuality."

"What about what happens to you?"

"I'm a computer, Michael," and he could have sworn Kitt's voice was softer, "I can be rebuilt, reprogrammed, recreated. You're human, you cannot."

"Will you quit that 'I'm just a computer' stuff?" He watched April through the windshield as she attached two giant crocodile clips to the left and right front wheel arches. "The slightest hint of a problem, Kitt, and you shout. Got that?"

"You have my word."

She mouthed 'Ready' at him and he didn't respond. He had to talk to Devon about her, about these tests she insisted on running, emotionally blackmailing his partner to ensure his compliance. Of course Kitt would agree - his primary dictate was the preservation of his driver's life. If there was any perceived threat, Kitt would immediately back down from any protest. It didn't stop it from being wrong.

"They've started the feed," Kitt informed him. Michael hooked his fingers over the centre of the steering wheel. "You're really worried about this, aren't you?"

"I swear, Kitt, if she hurts you…."

An immediate response wasn't forthcoming, but after a long pause Kitt told him quietly, "I'm extremely touched by your concern, Michael."

He felt the hairs on his arms stand up, felt a slight static in the car. "Kitt?"

"They're increasing the current."

"Are you okay?"

"So far. How about you?"

"Hey, when I was a kid I stuck my fingers in a plug socket and blew myself half-way across the living room. I can take it." The Auto Cruise light flickered once. "Kitt?"

"It's just a glitch."

He was feeling the electricity now, crawling over his skin like it was crawling over the body of the car. He kept his arms close to him but didn't take his fingers from the wheel. Another couple of lights flashed on and off, the digital speedo indicated '88' for a moment, an array of LEDs lit up. Michael sat forward, "Kitt, I'm stopping this."

"They're just lights. Lights tend to light up when electricity is…" A blaze of colour ripped across the dash, tendrils of smoke rising in its wake.

"Kitt?" Opening the door, Michael leaned out and shouted, "Turn it off!" Back inside. "Kitt? Come on, talk to me." Head out of the door, "Turn if off now!"

Someone responded, shouted back, "It's off!" But Kitt said nothing and the acrid smell of metallic oxides was turning Michael's stomach; he knew his partner couldn't respond. But Kitt apparently still had other means of communication at his disposal and Michael was utterly relieved that when April approached, Kitt immediately fired the engine and backed the car up several feet.

He got out, spreading his hand on the roof, keeping contact. "Stay away from him! I told you this was dangerous, and I warned you…." He shook his head. "Come near us and I'll let Kitt loose and I don't think he's completely in control at the moment." Sliding back into the car he closed the door and put his hands on the wheel. "Partner, if you can hear me, let's get out of here." The car moved backwards at lightening speed, ripping open the metal garage door, and Michael wrapped one arm over the steering column, thankful, relief flooding him.

"Kitt… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let her do that, should never have let her talk you into it, let you talk me into it…. God, Kitt, please be okay, please be okay." Sitting back so his hands were on the gull wings of the wheel, "Give her to me, Partner, I know what to do." Hesitation, then the Auto Cruise light winked off and the Normal Cruise came on. "Don't worry, Kitt. Don't worry."

Michael piloted the car the short distance to the Knight Estate, through the gate, following the drive as it zig-zagged up to the mansion and beyond to Kitt's garage in the grounds. There was a telephone there, and leaping out of the car, Michael grabbed up the receiver and dialled a number he'd memorised seven months ago.

"Bonnie? It's Michael. We need you. Kitt needs you."

He watched her stroke her hand along Kitt's fender, reassuring him she was there, and although he couldn't greet her verbally, his partner opened the hood, giving her access to him, putting the deepest trust in her.

She lifted out Kitt's CPU with the greatest of care, ensuring nothing touched the sensors set into the casing. She'd already dug out the extension cables and Michael worked quickly to attach them with the same care, allowing Bonnie to gently lower the CPU to the workbench while it remained connected to the car's peripheral functionality - scanners, sensors, audio and voice.

"I'm hoping you can hear me, Kitt. I'm going to open up your CPU case and see what damage has been done. Don't be scared. I won't hurt you."

Sitting up on the next workbench along, Michael tried hard not to let emotion overwhelm him. When Bonnie lifted the lid, he could see the vulnerable components, the naked chips and wire, the processors that made up who and what his partner was. He could still smell the burning and could see dark patches on the circuit boards. Worse, he heard Bonnie curse.

"What is it? What's up?"

"There's a crack diagonally right across the primary motherboard." Her words didn't mean all that much to him, but the expression on her face told him it was bad. "Michael… it's like having a fractured skull. Only this isn't going to heal itself."

"Can you replace it?"

"I don't have any choice. But the motherboard… it's where the very core of him resides." She looked around and he waited for her to make a quick decision. "Kitt, I'm going to link you to a backup CPU. You'll need to move across so I can fix your motherboard. When you do, you won't have any access to any of your systems, but I'll fix it as soon as I can. Can you… blink if you understand me?"

Michael saw her turn, looked himself and saw the scanner flash twice.

"Good. Okay, give me a minute and we'll get started."

"It was an accident!"

Michael was out of his seat in a heartbeat, palms flat on Devon's desk, the other side of which April stood defiant. "You almost killed him! It took Bonnie five hours to repair the damage."

"Damage I could have repaired."

"Oh no." Michael shook his head. "You touch him again and you'll regret it. I'm serious about that." He turned to look at Devon. "I'm sorry, I know she's related but she isn't qualified to work with Kitt. Bonnie's agreed to stay on, given a couple of conditions, and I've agreed to them on your behalf."

"Michael, be reasonable, you can't expect…."

"I do expect. Kitt's my partner, my friend. Dammit, Devon, he's more than that and you know it. I'm not playing happy families with his life." Taking a deep breath, he straightened. "Kitt deserves someone who knows what they're doing. He's a gift, Devon, a miracle. You can't risk losing him. Please. Please."

Waving goodbye through the windshield, Michael smiled to himself at the much-missed sight of Bonnie standing watching them leave.

"How are you feeling, Kitt?" he asked quietly once the Semi was well behind them.

"I'm fine, thank you, Michael."

"Great. So I'm going to ask again, and this time you're going to tell me the truth."

"I'm a computer, I can't lie."

"Maybe not, but it doesn't mean you're always straight with me. And what did I say about all that 'I'm just a computer' stuff? So… how are you feeling, Kitt?"

There was a second's silence. "A little shaken, Michael, but it's a relief to have Bonnie back, and I'm confident I'll soon be back to my old self. With your help, if you have some spare time."

Michael smiled. "I have all the time in the world, and so do you. Now belongs to us, Kitt, you and me. Secluded beach hut, late-night drives through the surf, long talks and bonfires. And you know one of the first things we're going to talk about?"

"No. What, Michael?"

"Compliance and sacrifice."

"That sounds heavy."

"Yeah, but it's one we need to have, because you're more important to me than I could ever express, and I need you to start factoring that into the equation before you put your life on the line again for nothing more than a possibility."

It was a short time before Kitt's voice box danced with his words. "Thank you."

Smiling, Michael leaned back, letting his partner drive.