Katie ended up jolting awake just before dawn. Unlike most people she didn't feel sore from sleeping in the seat of a car, but when she realized she drifted off in KITT's cabin she was totally mortified.
After apologizing profusely to KITT, she made him promise not to tell Michael about the night before. She was pretty sure Michael would tease her about it if he found out, and she really didn't need that right now. Last night she had honestly forgotten KITT was in the parking lot until she came outside. She was coming out to sit in the yellow Saturn next to him, actually, as she often did to calm herself before doing an actual check around the facility. KITT just made that a bit easier this time... Evidently to the point she let her nerves unwind a bit too far to end up completely crashing asleep in his passenger seat after a short time.
Even though KITT didn't see it the same way, Katie felt like she utterly embarrassed herself. So when she hurried back inside to get ready for the day she tried her absolute hardest to put the whole thing out of her mind.
Not that she wasn't grateful by any means. All things considered, that was one of the better nights of sleep that she had in a long time.
It was only a few more hours before Michael and Katie came out rare and ready to go. And much to Michael's surprise she had a wooden baseball bat with a leather strap at her side.
"Is that really necessary?" he asked asked as he walked to the driver's side. "If you're worried about getting attacked I will protect you."
Katie narrowed her eyes at him. "Listen, honey, I don't know if you think I'm some fragile little girl or what, but I don't need you to protect me. I can do that just fine on my own," she warned. "I may have asked for help on this matter with my brother, but all the same you have no idea how things work around here. This isn't California where everything's cut and dry. 'Wild west' doesn't even cover it. And Mama didn't raise no pansy bass."
She pulled the door open with no resistance from KITT, and the AI waited until the door was closed before speaking to Michael. "She told you," KITT said amused.
"KITT?"
"Yes, Michael?"
"Shut up."
With that he got in the car and they headed into town. Being the type of car he was, KITT certainly turned quite a few heads. He was already preparing for the very likely event that someone would attempt to steal him. If things were as Katie said it was likely going to happen more than once.
They ended up stopping at the only diner in town. If there was one place to find out anything it was there. People talked over food and the wait staff arguably knew more about what went on in this town than those who controlled it.
Almost immediately one of the waitresses came over. Her name tag read 'Jennifer.' "Hey, Katie," she greeted sweetly. "Who's your friend?"
"Michael Knight," he introduced with a charming smile and a polite handshake, making Jennifer blush.
"Hey, Jen. Michael is here to help with the break-in that happened at the sanctuary," Katie interjected before they happened to rabbit-trail too far. "Have you heard anything significant by any chance?"
Jennifer's eyes widened a bit. "Oh, hun, you need to be careful. Your brother was in here yesterday ranting and raving about a big lawman to those Gunnison boys and getting them all worked up."
Katie's eyes widened too, and then her shoulders sank in exasperation as she ran a hand over her face. "Of course he did," she sighed. Leave it to Dillon to make things difficult for everyone. She was hoping to avoid the Gunnisons given they literally worked for the freaking Cartel. Dillon occasionally worked with them directly too, so she had wondered if him trying to get his hands on the sanctuary had something to do with that as well.
"I really don't know where your mom went wrong raising that boy," Jennifer commented while putting a hand on her hip and shaking her head.
"Nowhere," Katie stated. "I know Mom did everything right... He just actively decided to be a poor excuse of a son."
Jennifer seemed to mirror her exasperation. "Yeah, that's plenty fair... She was a good woman."
Michael glanced between them. Something told him there was a lot more to this. But, first thing's first. "So, Jennifer..." he carefully interrupted so not to be rude. "Did you happen to hear much else from the conversation Dillon had with those guys? Such as where they were going, or if they were planning anything?"
The waitress tapped her lips with her pen in thought. "Y'know, not a lot other than what I told you. It's been a busy morning with customers. Although," she said, holding her pen up as if to make a point. "Dillon did say he'd be headed to Cripple Creek today to hit the casinos. Particularly Johnny Nolon's and McGill's."
"Oh great. So he's drinking again now too," Katie groaned.
"I certainly wouldn't let the girls serve him here," she confirmed. With that, she pulled her notepad out form her apron pocket. "Speaking of, what can I get for you two? Anything particular today?"
"A coffee and a breakfast special, please," Michael said, letting the topic come to a stop for now. He knew it wasn't right to keep a busy lady waiting.
"Caramel coffee with extra sugar, orange juice, and..." Katie paused as if she had to think hard about it. "Whatever he's getting, but half. I'm not up for a lot right now. Just, y'know-"
"Burn any bacon you get?" Jennifer jumped in with a wink.
Katie grinned. "Yeah, that'd be great."
"Can do, sweetheart." She scribbled the notes down, then gave Michael a pat on the back of his shoulder as she walked toward the kitchen. "And I'll get you that coffee in a minute, handsome, so just sit tight."
He waved after her, and they exchanged smiles. "You bet." When he turned his attention back to Katie, she was wearing an absolutely deadpan expression. "What?"
She didn't so much as miss a beat. "You're a real casanova, aren't you?"
Michael was dumbfounded at her pointed question, though he tried to play it off. "Well, I mean...I wouldn't say that," he tried.
"I would," KITT's voice suddenly came over the com link from where he was parked outside. "He is a womanizer and is virtually with a new woman every week. Sometimes more than one."
Katie had to cover her mouth as she nearly spat from the unexpected burst of laughter. Michael on the other hand sent a sharp look at his com link as if he'd been vastly betrayed. "KITT!!"
He would have went on, but not before the AI did first. "In fact, in order to take this assignment Devon made him cancel a date with a woman he met at a local bar in Nevada three nights ago. 'Stacey,' was it?" KITT heard Katie attempting to stifle her laughter, so he continued. "From what I heard she was quite attractive. But given Michael's less than ideal standards and habits even I don't see the failed plans as any great loss."
Now Katie was in a fit of giggles, her forehead on the table as she literally fought to get her laughter under control without drawing attention to them. KITT felt rather proud of himself actually, succeeding to cheer her up somewhat even if it was at the expense of his partner's ego. He had no regrets, even as Michael barked at him over the com link.
"Just who's side are you on??"
"None but my own, Michael. I am merely stating facts."
"You're so unbelievable," he groaned, very much irritated.
"I don't understand what is so hard to believe."
While Michael groaned under his breath and muted the com link Katie finally sat up, snickering now that her laughter had died down. She was clearly still amused. "Wow, busted by your own car. That's the classiest thing I've ever seen."
Never before had Michael worked so hard to resist the urge to tell a woman to shut up for teasing him. She really was Bonnie's cousin, huh? "Yeah, well..." he grumbled, thoroughly flustered. "He gets like that sometimes..." Thankfully Jennifer brought his and Katie's coffees in the nick of time. He used his to mask his embarrassment.
-----
Katie let the teasing drop, knowing it was technically wrong to keep taking jabs at Michael's trouncing. Of course she couldn't deny that it helped her feel a little better. KITT's deliberate shenanigans were actually a wonderful thing to see. It meant all her efforts to make him so...alive, in the best sense of the word, hadn't gone to waste like she once feared. And as they continued to sit at the diner table and mentally prepare for the day, it did help a little to put her mind and worries at ease.
And Michael and KITT both couldn't help but notice this was the longest she wore a genuine smile.
Since the timing seemed permittable and she was evidently feeling better, Michael took the opportunity to strike up another conversation. Once he had calmed down himself, that is. "So, Katie," he started. "Why don't you tell me more about yourself?"
She looked at him and smirked, and somehow he knew he was about to regret his choice of words. "This isn't another flirty pass at me, is it? I could have sworn we already covered that subject five minutes ago." It turns out she couldn't resist one more go-round. He walked himself right into it.
"Pff, no, it's not," he replied, taking it in fairly good humor this time. "But why would that be such a bad thing?"
Katie chuckled under her breath. "I don't think you'd like that answer."
"Tell me anyway. I'm curious," he insisted.
She took another sip of her coffee while she gave him a raised brow, as if to ask if he was totally certain he was sure about his decision. Then she shrugged and put her glass down. "Okay, if you insist." Then she folded her arms and sent him a cheeky grin. "I'm a peculiar kind of woman, Mister Knight. I don't get swept away by physical attraction. Of all things that potentially catch my eye, appearances and flirtatious macho behavior aren't any of them."
Then she picked up one hand and briefly counted off on her fingers. "I'm attracted to intelligence and sincerity, among a few others. Which means, even as it stands, KITT has the highest chance between the two of you."
Michael raised both brows at the verbal ribbing. He technically did ask for it, especially after KITT ratted him out. "Ouch," he commented. "That's a little harsh, don't you think?"
Her mischievous grin only widened and she shook her head with another shrug. "Nah. I call it as I see it."
"Double ouch."
"Well I am rather flattered," KITT interrupted when he reinstated the volume on the com link. He actually enjoyed taking part in the mild tomfoolery, seeing as it was helping him and Katie establish a proper bond. "It is good to know I am thought of so kindly by one of my long lost creators."
To which Katie appeared very happy with herself now. "Only always, honey. I couldn't tell you how often I talked to Mom about you when you were still in production. She would have absolutely loved you," she beamed.
"I am sure my sentiment would have been likewise," the AI replied genuinely.
Michael guessed he shouldn't be surprised by how well she and KITT were getting along, though it left him with a bruised pride. Bonnie was the same way as his partner's mechanic. It seemed there was always this connection between them that couldn't be altered no matter what monkey wrench was thrown into the fire. Which, in this case, was several years away from F.L.A.G.
He decided he really couldn't stay mad at that. Even if their teasing was almost relentless. "So...about my question?" he prompted.
After one last giggle, she finally let up. "Alright, alright. I can tell you some. Just give me a second to think." Once she had her thoughts in order she proceeded with answering his question. "Well, I was born in Arizona, but raised in a little city outside of Pueblo here in Colorado," she explained. "I graduated in '75 at 18 after five years of college, then I spent six years mostly running the sanctuary with Mom and Lian. After that, of course, was my time at Knight Industries."
"When you and Bonnie were recruited to build KITT," Michael said. An observational statement, not a question.
"That's right," she confirmed. They paused long enough for Jennifer to bring them their meals, which they thanked her for. As soon as she walked away, Katie added, "After that has been the last three years running things with my little brother." She omitted the part where she was also in hiding from the corrupt forces of the Foundation. And KITT, having promised not to divulge that information, didn't elaborate further.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you leave the Foundation?" Michael asked. Of course he was curious, since he was unaware of the events from last night.
KITT wondered how she would handle the inquiry this time, and was not surprised when Katie merely looked at his driver over her glass of orange juice with a guarded expression. She set it down before replying, in a way that was so casual it was impossible to tell it was forced. "Mm... Let's just say Wilton Knight and I had our differences."
Michael was surprised now. "Really? You and the old man? What kind of differences?"
"Differences of opinion," she said. Again, she didn't elaborate. However, she did frown somewhat and avert her gaze. She didn't want to go into detail. Thankfully at that point Michael managed to pick up on the fact that she didn't want to talk about it...but he was certainly confused. Sure, Wilton was an eccentric that liked to push his values onto others, but was it really that bad?
He also wondered what Bonnie thought of the situation. If she knew about it, why it was such a big secret, and why she and Devon had kept her cousin herself a secret even from him and KITT until now. But he knew if he pressed any further, Katie might stop talking altogether and go back to her gruff and sassy self. And he didn't exactly want that.
"Well, that's too bad," he commented, letting the subject drop. "I bet you would have been a great asset to the Foundation. And a good friend too." He meant that as a compliment, not an accusation of any kind.
Which she seemed to appreciate, since her grin returned. "Thanks. I think so too."
"If I can ask another thing...purely out of curiosity," he added before she rejected the thought, "How is it you got on the Knight Industries project if you were so involved with your wildlife conservation? Didn't you say wolves are your passion?"
"I am curious about that as well," KITT said over the come, "It does seem that the two interests fail to overlap in any way."
"You're not wrong," Katie answered with a shrug. "Either of you. One has nothing to do with the other. But I did pick up more than one interest in my early years, and wildlife conservation is one of them... But it's really only a second passion." She picked at her food a bit as she continued. "I discovered a love for robotics in middle school. We had an extracurricular class in programming, and others in psychology, auto mechanics, and engineering. Learning the bunch came easier to me than anything else, and I wanted that to be my focus even though I had a little bit of a knack for anything I got my hands on, minus math."
Michael sent her a smirk of disbelief. "You got on to the project without decent mathematics?" Sure he wasn't exactly a total genius himself, but wasn't that supposed to be the baseline in rocket science? Isn't that why there was a whole saying about it?
"Pretty funny, huh?" She smirked back, not even trying to deny it. "But, that's what I had Bonnie for. The two of us excelled in places where the other lacked, which is why we were both indisposable while the project was underway. We were top notch in our fields of expertise and an even better team."
"That's amazing," Michael had to admit. "So when you said most people didn't have the brain power to comprehend KITT's technology..."
"I wasn't kidding," she finished.
"No, you weren't." He really was somewhat in awe, and judging from the AI's silence KITT was as well. Bonnie was the smartest person they knew and now Katie, seeming to be more than well-rounded in every subject that dominated the creation of artificial intelligence and thensome. One could say her insight went even beyond that if they went by KITT's general capacity for intellectual growth. Perhaps it was her studies that became a key factor in making him so much more than a robot or a car.
And it was KITT who found himself considering that and more, with the previous night in mind.
As Katie and Michael chatted over their meals, he thought back on her mention of KARR and how distraught she had been over the second AI being decommissioned. Given her knowledge and the nature of her studies it was likely that she thought KARR's programming and learning flaws might have been repairable. And KITT truly wondered if they could have been.
The fact Wilton lied to all of them, however, and KARR instead fell into the hands of those drunken hooligans while KITT became the most successfully programmed AI between the two, made it abundantly clear that Wilton Knight made the wrong choice in ignoring Katie's insight and efforts. What only made it worse was that it wasn't Wilton who had KARR destroyed like Katie thought, but the man's negligence that forced Devon and everyone else left at F.L.A.G. to destroy the rogue AI themselves, albeit somewhat indirectly...
KITT decided it was probably best not to tell her that. Not merely because he suspected it would upset her in a very big way, but also because it would serve no purpose otherwise. Regardless of how it happened KARR was gone now. Revisiting such information would only rub salt in old wounds, as it were, and damage what little trust she had in the Foundation.
This way, he figured she would be safer not knowing. At least not now while there was already so much going on and at stake.
Almost as if they were on the same page Michael's voice popped up over the com link just as KITT put his thoughts aside. "I'm normally not one to talk badly about the old man. But- and nothing against KITT, of course- it seems to me that lovely brain of yours really was totally lost on him and his big ideas," he said.
Surprisingly his newly-shameless pass at Katie wasn't entirely rejected for once. She simply gave a short chuckle under breath to brush it off, since, she had no reason to disagree with his statement. And even with her apparent doubts she currently had no reason to believe he wouldn't have taken her side if he knew the whole truth.
"For real though," she said, "That makes two of us."