It had taken Katie a bit to fully calm down. Both Michael and especially KITT had tried to convince her to let Michael handle this for her, but she, of course, refused, trying not to be too stern with him. She understood he was worried about her, but he and Micheal needed to understand she did NOT need protection. She needed support to deal with this, not someone to do it for her. Once she was calm, she retrieved her bat, and they began making their way to the Devil's Rose. KITT had been instructed to stay back for now. From where they were, they had to take the alleyways and had planed to take a side alley to go through the front entrance but as they were walking Katie couldn't help but notice several people paying particular attention to them as they passed. She got a very bad feeling when she heard their footsteps as they walked past. Her fears were confirmed when a couple of men blocked their path.
"Pardon us, can we get by?" Katie requested gripping the leather strap of the bat more tightly.
"No, you can't girly." one of the men sneered at her.
"We don't want any trouble." Micheal chimed in, already knowing this was about to turn south.
"To bad, trouble already found you." Another man chuckled before rushing forward, taking a swing at Micheal.
Having a running start, Katie swung her bat down on one of the men, trying to swing at Michael and pin him to the ground. With a loud CRACK, it connected with his collar bone before he could follow through, and he hit the ground, shrieking from the well-aimed blow. Unlike most women in this situation, Katie had no problem using brute force and fighting dirty just like any back alley mobster. Despite her smaller size, she had the strength and the know-how, and if the situation called for it, she was damn well going to use it! Michael may have been aggravating her nearly this entire time with his flirtatious behavior, but she wasn't going to let him get killed by these jerks- whoever they were!
That being said, suddenly, a few of the men lost their focus on Michael and fixated on her. It gave him a small reprieve from his own fight as he boxed and grappled with three attackers, but Katie was surprised to hear one guy shout at the others. "It's that girl he wants! Get her!!"
She didn't have time to process those words before she noticed two men rush at her from behind. Whirling around She managed to dodge them both before she took another swing and smashed the bat right across one of their heads. He promptly collapsed while the other stumbled from missing his target, and Katie used the opportunity to try and put distance between them and herself.
The last thing she expected was to hear the roar of an engine and the squealing of tires on concrete, and she was caught off guard by a black car racing into the back alley behind the casino, shredding dirt and gravel as it went with its headlights blaring. On reflex, she skidded to a stop and nearly fell backward in a panic as the car came barreling toward her. But before she could turn to run the other way, it drifted to the side and came to a stop just short of running her over.
In a split second, her mind raced from one thought to the next, thinking it was KITT, to realizing it couldn't be. In every way, this car looked exactly the same...
Except the scan bar wasn't red.
That second of being stunned and confused was all it took before Katie wasn't able to react to two of the gang members who lunged forward. One immediately wrenched the bat from her hands while the other snared her from behind and practically hauled her off the ground, kicking and screaming. But she was nowhere NEAR done yet! He had her around the stomach and was stupid enough to leave her arms free, so in her next move she twisted around as far as she could and aimed for the gang member's eyes as she grabbed him by the face and dug her nails in as hard as she could. "Put me DOWN!!"
He screamed from the pain and shock and nearly dropped her as he lost his grip, but the one who took her bat quickly stepped in and helped shove her to the ground instead. Katie felt the wind get knocked out of her when her head and shoulder hit the gravel, leaving her dazed long enough to restrain her hands.
By the time she could breathe and had her brain back together, she was once again being hefted off the ground. She could hear Michael calling for KITT and then after her. But she couldn't respond before she was thrown into the back seat of the unfamiliar car with the door slamming shut and locking behind her.
And in the next moment, its engine roared once more as the tires spun in the dirt, and then the vehicle spun as it peeled out of the alley at break neck speed.
Katie let out a sharp bark when her head smacked against the inner wall of the car as it sped off. From the little resistance she could hear from the tires against the paved street she could tell it was flying at a speed a normal driver wouldn't risk in such a small area, and as the car hit the breaks to round a corner she was tossed to the floor with her shoulders wedged beneath the pilot seat.
Her heart pounded, spiking her panic off the charts as she fought to think. She was being kidnapped, and with every second, she was getting farther away from KITT and Michael and farther into some unknown danger. This couldn't be happening! She had to think of something and fast!
As the vehicle whipped around another corner Katie was yanked from the awkward position under the pilot seat only to be thrown to the opposite side, and she promptly used the brief leverage to claw her way back up to the rear passenger seat while doing her best to avoid getting tossed around again. Her mind was screaming at her. So she screamed back. "Let me out of this godforsaken car right now!!"
Realistically, she didn't know who she was shouting at exactly, other than whoever was controlling this wild vehicle. It was dark, but she could see there was no one in it other than herself. Just an array of buttons at switches that were alarmingly similar to KITT's own dashboard. With her experience at F.L.A.G. it wasn't too far a jump to think it was perhaps a counterfeit drone being controlled by satellite or a long-distance remote. She didn't know how that was even possible! Either way, there had to be some kind of microphone or speaker in this thing somewhere, right?
But no one was answering other than the increased power funneled into the engine, which caused her to lose balance. The car continued speeding down the road, and from what little she could see outside as the scenery flashed by it was safe to say she was already well out of town but hadn't been taken as far as the mountains yet. She had to find a way out of this thing while the landscape was still relatively flat, but how?!
Come on, think think think think think think! Frantically, looking around and back toward the car's dashboard, she looked for anything that might give her an advantage. Since it was so similar to KITT's, she thought it could be possible even if the chances were slim, especially with someone else manning the controls. But she did see a light on the central panel that had 'auto cruise' printed on the surface. It glowed as brightly as the others, and she realized just as quickly that they were all in the same alignment as KITT's voice box.
So beneath the auto pilot was another that said 'normal cruise'. The manual mode. And if this car was such a close copy to KITT, she was absolutely betting her life that the corresponding switches to those controls were in the same place they always were.
That was when she hardened her resolve in spite of being afraid. One way or another, she was getting out of here!
Gathering what balance she could manage, Katie launched forward between the seats and scrambled over the center console. Even with her hands zip tied, she could still use them to support herself as she dropped awkwardly into the driver's seat with her back to the door. It was locked, but that was about to change.
"I said!" She picked up one foot and stomped it against the manual override and held it down. Then she gripped the far side of the steering wheel with both hands and shouted at whoever could be listening. "Let! ME! OUT!!"
In the same moment, she slammed her other foot down on the break pedal and yanked the wheel toward her. In an instant, the tires screeched as the car lost control and spun out in the middle of the freeway. Katie braced herself for the worst as she felt the vehicle violently spin in circles, half expecting it to flip onto its hood completely. But she didn't let up, and the weight of the car held it fast to the road.
By the time the car careened to a stop, Katie was left panting and dizzy from the rush and feeling as if her life had flashed before her eyes. But with the car stopped now was her chance!
Slamming her fists down on the switch for the door locks and pulling her legs beneath her, she shoved the door open and stumbled out of the car. Then, once Katie had her bearings back, she made a bee line for the nearest ditch and dove straight into it until she was down out of sight.
- Earlier -
As KARR sped away from the city with his captive firmly locked inside his cabin, he was feeling rather proud of himself for the operation going so smoothly. Sure, it wasn't quite what he expected with this woman dealing such nasty blows to those men and likely causing fatal injuries to one, but he didn't care the slightest about them. No human life was any great loss.
He got exactly what he wanted so far. Someone who could repair him. And this time, he didn't have to go through all the rigmarole that he had in kidnapping that other F.L.A.G. mechanic Bonnie Barstow. Not to mention, she had easily gotten away when his back was turned. KARR was determined to hold on to this one for the time being, though, even if she was significantly less docile. To think he had to deliberately thrash her around for good measure.
The girl was wounded, it seemed, after being thrown to the ground by the men Dillon hired to corner Michael Knight. That didn't appear to stop her, however, as she was doing everything she could to keep herself upright despite going through road curves at over two hundred miles per hour. He ignored her shouting, too, since her hysterics were of no great concern. As of right now, he didn't believe he owed her any kind of response. She was his prisoner, and there was nothing she could do until he saw fit.
KARR knew she was afraid and panicking from how her adrenaline levels were jumping all over the place, even when she was sitting still. He actually preferred his captives that way. After all, when humans panicked, they were as good as dead due to being so easily manipulated. They made poor decisions and failed to save themselves purely because they were too stupid to let themselves think straight. Really, it was all he needed to get his way.
When he pulled onto the straight of the freeway heading toward the mountains, he realized she had ceased her incessant squalling for a moment. She was terrified and frozen as her eyes glanced from one side of his control panel to the other.
It was that scanning that made him wonder, however. What was she thinking exactly?
Seconds later, he was too late to realize when her expression shifted from fear to outright fury.
With a snarl of effort, the human shot forward toward the dash and the pilot seat, and even with her hands restrained, she made the most of them for balance and getting herself into a manageable position. And KARR couldn't react before she forced control away from his central processor and shouted at him again, ripping the steering wheel to the side and sending them both into a wild tailspin that ended with him stalled in the middle of the road. Smoke and dust rose from the friction beneath his tires, and his circuits felt as if they were in a daze. Even his scanner flickered rapidly back and forth in distress.
He was so stunned in processing what just happened that he didn't yet have a chance to react when his captive unlocked the doors and forced her way out of the cabin the second she had the opportunity and her mind back together.
That. Was. Horrifying.
He had expected her to simply freeze and resign to her capture. Instead, she devised that plan far too quickly for his liking. The fact she was able to seize control on her own, then be willing to risk crashing him in order to get away despite her own survival and escape being narrow at best, was outside the scope of what he knew of a human's natural response to such a situation. He had never known one other than Michael Knight to take such a calculated risk. To have a choice between fight or flight... and utilize both to overpower him.
Damn it. KARR grossly underestimated this one. She was much less like Bonnie than he thought and, dare he say, smart. Perhaps he shouldn't have expected any less from a former affiliate of F.L.A.G. and Knight Industries, but at this point, he had figured they were all as predictable as the last. Only now was he realizing that was foolish.
After running a brief diagnostic to ensure nothing else was damaged, he resumed control of the auto pilot and closed the door she left standing open. He knew she hadn't gone far. So, after restarting his engine, he pulled forward to turn around and backtrack along the opposite side of the road until he came to the ditch where he saw Katie dive in to take shelter. And as he pulled up to it, her actions made sense as to why she did such a thing rather than run into the trees or out into the valley.
The ditch spanned about two miles in either direction and was fifteen feet deep by only six feet wide. Despite the slope that would prevent a sheer drop off, there was no way he could pursue her without getting himself stuck in a jam that he wasn't likely to get out of easily.
She really was smarter than he thought.
Sure enough, when he rolled up to the edge, she was sitting at the bottom of the ditch covered in dry grass and dirt from the slide down. There were scrapes and scratches all over her arms, and she was attempting to use her teeth to break her restraints even as she panted to catch her breath. And she glared up at him through the roof of her vision when she saw him approach. She was nothing if not a scrappy individual, but there were no words to describe just how much he hated this situation right now.
KARR turned on his exterior speaker, and his voice came out in a low growl. "Get back up here," he demanded.
"Go to hell!" She stopped gnawing on the zip tie long enough to snap in response. "And leave me alone!"
Her aggression would have caught him off guard if it weren't for her recent actions. "I will not, Miss Smith. I advise you to do as I say before I come down there and get you personally."
Katie's expression hardened at hearing her last name being used by this stranger. She didn't know how he knew it, but that wasn't her first concern right now. "Oh yeah? Give it your best shot! And then good luck finding some cops to pull you out, or you can do it yourself!"
Just like that, she called his minor bluff. It wasn't that he couldn't find a way down into the ditch to go after her, but by the time he did, she would already be on her feet and running again.
This was quickly going nowhere. "Do not make me wait! I have no time for stalemates, and my patience is already on the verge of wearing completely thin."
"Then go suck a cactus because I'm not going ANYWHERE! Especially not with some two-bit, carbon-copied tin can!" She went back to digging her sharpest teeth into the zip tie. The sooner she got it off, the sooner she could get out of here and go back to town, and hopefully, Michael wouldn't be dead by then.
Well, who was she kidding? As long as he called KITT, she was sure that wouldn't happen. At least, pretty sure.
"Copy!?" The AI revved his engine in disgusted offense, and he was instantly angry. That was one trait this human did seem to share with all the others from F.L.A.G. Assuming HE was the inferior remake to KITT. She didn't have to say that verbatim. It was more than obvious! "I am no copy! I am the original model, and I am far superior!"
Katie just rolled her eyes and groaned to herself. She didn't know who was controlling this car, but whoever they were, they were nuts. And she wasn't buying it for one New York minute. "Yeah, right," she scoffed when she had to give her efforts to break her restraints a rest. "Who the hell are you anyway?"
This time, he growled out a reply without hesitation. "I am KARR."
At that, Katie stopped short. For once, she was quiet as her skeptical gaze snapped to the black vehicle. There was no way. "That's not possible," she said, her voice surprisingly less hostile. Though she clearly didn't believe him, her tone gradually returned to its former volume. "Wilton said KARR was scrapped. I saw the paperwork myself. There's no way you're him!"
"I assure you I was not 'scrapped,'" he said dangerously, rapidly losing composure. "I have now escaped the Foundation twice, and I will NOT be compared to KITT's pale imitation!" Even more than Michael Knight, that was the one thing he hated most.
In fact, he was so wrapped up in his anger that he didn't notice how Katie's eyes widened in unbridled disbelief. Nor when she momentarily abandoned her effort to free her hands and climbed up the slope of the ditch to suddenly find herself standing in front of him, which was arguably a mental shock to both of them. The AI even retreated a few feet out of suspicion, bathing her in the headlights. "Let me get this straight," she started immediately, ignoring the fact she was such a mess after sliding into the ditch. "You're KARR? The first vehicle Wilton Knight built?"
"Yes," he growled back in annoyance. "I will not repeat myself again."
KARR didn't understand why, but her whole demeanor was beginning to change. Her eyes read as if her whole world had been flipped upside down, just like it would have been if she had succeeded in crashing him earlier. "Then what the HELL are you doing all the way out here?!" she suddenly demanded. "Why don't you have a driver, and what do you even want?? I don't even work for F.L.A.G. anymore!"
The AI couldn't help but mentally pause. If he had picked up on a hint of worry in her tone, he was sure he imagined it. Either way, this was not the reaction he had been expecting. Not really.
Although, he supposed now was as good a time as any for some sort of explanation. It wasn't like refusal would make any progress faster. "I am in need of repairs," he told her gruffly. "And while you do not work for the Foundation any longer, my resources tell me you were one of the people involved with my copy's programming and construction. Your cousin is Bonnie Barstow, the Knight Industries mechanic who led the project. She is currently unavailable to me."
Then his voice lowered. "So that is where you come in, Katie Smith." He didn't know how much more he would have to say or how to convince her to come with him. As long as she wasn't in the car, she had more of an upper hand than he did, but he still worked on re-devising his plan. If he didn't come up with something now, they could either be here all night or until KITT and the Foundation found him again. Because, unfortunately, he had nothing readily prepared. He didn't think he would ever find himself in this predicament. And on account of his own error, too. Ultimately, this was his fault.
However, he was surprised once more when Katie finally spoke up after a long minute, with determination written all over her face. "Alright. I'll do it."
"... Excuse me?"
"I said I'll do it!" she barked. Evidently, she didn't like repeating herself either. "But on one condition."
KARR scoffed. "You are in no position to make negotiations, Miss Smith."
"Oh, yes I am," she countered. "And the least you can do is hear me out."
His scanner swept to the side in annoyance. He supposed it wouldn't matter. If this went well, soon enough, he wouldn't have to deal with these wretched humans anymore or their precious Foundation. "Fine. What is it?"
Just to clarify her intent, she reiterated. "I'll get you the repairs you need. But, in return, I want you to tell me everything."
....Okay, now he was just confused. "Everything about what?"
"About what happened to you!" she pressed. "What Wilton ACTUALLY did with you, how you escaped, where the HECK you've been!" Katie was edging back into hysterics now as she took a step forward, and she looked more frustrated than ever that her hands weren't free yet. "AND what you mean by getting away from the Foundation two times! That bastard Wilton told me you were destroyed! Darnit, KARR, all his CRAP concerning you was the biggest reason I left F.L.A.G. in the first place! I want you to tell me what on God's green earth actually happened!"
Silence passed between them when Katie realized she was getting louder than she intended, and KARR's own thoughts slid to a halt.
That was definitely unlike anything he expected to hear. There was so much fire in her voice at the mention of the man who deserted him and then being so intent on hearing his side of the story? It was certainly something else. He also couldn't help but notice that her animosity toward him had been briskly put aside.
This time, it was him who took a minute to respond. And he did so cautiously. He had no idea why she gave a damn, but he had to admit...now he was curious too. "If I give you a full explanation," he said slowly, "Is that really all you want? You will repair me after that?"
"Absolutely," she said seriously. "I swear it."
After another short moment, KARR hummed in thought, though he didn't have to. "Don't think I won't hold you to that promise."
She scoffed at him. The implied threat was entirely unnecessary. "Be my guest. I know what I said."
"...Very well, Katie Smith." With that, he opened the pilot door. "Then get in."
She promptly gave him what amounted to a dirty look in response to his challenging tone. Of course, he wanted to see if she really meant it. Not that her hesitance was a surprise since she was an unwilling victim up till now. Even trusting each other this much was tedious. But if they were both to get what they wanted, KARR recognized all he had to do was humor her for now. What she asked for wasn't a difficult request to fill.
Katie gave him one last skeptical glance as she cautiously walked around to get in the car. Once she got to the pilot seat and sat down, she was grateful that he allowed her plenty of time to pull her feet in and get settled before closing the door.
"Oh, and one more thing if you don't mind," she added while giving his voice box a sorely irritated frown. "Don't throw me around like a bag of bricks anymore."
"Hmph." For the first time, she saw as his voice modulator light up, in the same golden-yellow color as his scanner. "You have a deal."
This time, when KARR drove off, he took to the road more casually. It was well into the night, and he was certain with those hired thugs occupying them. KITT and Michael Knight were unlikely to be on his tail anytime soon. Earlier, he was speeding merely to put distance between them and himself as well as get Katie as far away from her allies as possible. But now he felt little need for the rush since, in this strange turn of events, she made herself his ally. At least, for the time being.
As it was, she was still in the process of getting the restraint off her wrists and close to succeeding after the better part of twenty minutes. She was tired and frustrated, and the injuries to her arms and her back likely played a part in hindering her progress, but she was more intent on being freed than taking any time to rest. So he left her to it without interrupting. For the most part.
"Must you continue acting like a feral animal?" he asked in disgust, referring to the way she was biting on the plastic strip. "Watching you chew on that thing like a dog is repulsive. It's as if you have no sense of dignity. "
She brushed him off easily. "If you don't like it, don't watch," she snipped, not taking her eyes off the frayed zip tie. Hopefully, it would be off in another minute or two. "If someone stuck a boot on your tire and you didn't have a way of getting it off except chewing through it, you can't tell me that you wouldn't at least try."
"I would rather lose the tire," he told her flatly.
Katie snorted in what sounded like amusement as she shot his voice box a glance. "And that solves your problem, how?"
"I save myself from looking utterly stupid."
At that, she narrowed her eyes and smirked in a vindictive sort of way. His direct insult hadn't gone unnoticed, and she wasn't the kind to take it lying down. "Right. Because there's totally nothing stupid-looking about a car with only three wheels."
He hated to admit that he saw her point. There was no logical way to defend himself on the hypothetical matter. When he didn't reply further, she continued, letting the issue go. "I'm not staying like this the whole time, and I'll get it off my way. On top of that, you're literally the one who got me in this mess. So you'll just have to deal with it."
KARR silently growled to himself. He had never dealt with a human who was so brazenly outspoken. Much less one who spoke as if she wasn't actively afraid of offending him. And he wasn't sure if that meant whether she had a brave streak or an incredibly dumb one.
Seeing no point in continuing the squabble, he let her do as she pleased as long as it kept things quiet. He wasn't particularly eager to share his story, so he had no intention of doing so until he had her full attention, which wasn't likely just yet. That being the current case, he kept to his own thoughts.
He couldn't quite grasp how he managed to be in this situation. For once, he had a captive who somehow knew of him and was still willing to give him what he wanted with virtually nothing in return.
She was either witless in that regard or lying.
But until he knew which he decided, exercising caution was his best play. He wasn't about to let some human use him again like all the other ones had. After all, there was no way she could possibly be interested in anything else. Humans always wanted something.
"Got it!!" Katie exclaimed loudly after a subtle snap of plastic. The zip tie had finally been broken off, freeing her hands and allowing her to stretch her wrists and arms properly. Although she was groaning at the top of her lungs as if that had been far more effort than necessary, and was thus an immense inconvenience. "Freakin' damn, I was about to lose my mind."
"Congratulations," KARR said in a sarcastic manner.
She took it for what it was worth anyway, with equal sarcasm to match his own. "Why thank you so awfully much." After rolling her eyes, and as she worked the kinks out of her wrists, her mind went straight to what was ultimately the forefront of her mind. "So," she started somewhat slowly. "You mind telling me what all this is about now?"
Katie was referring to KARR's origin as far as escaping the Foundation, of course, and how he wound up all the way out here in Colorado. Her mind was absolutely racing over it, and she was itching to hear what he had to say. But he couldn't help but silently groan at that part of the deal. Yes, he agreed, but it really was one of the last things he wanted to do.
He couldn't put it off forever. Probably. But maybe he could for just a while longer. "There will be time for that," he dodged, to which she audibly gave a short growl in annoyance. He didn't know humans could produce such an expression, but even while it perplexed him, he ignored it to go on. "First, we need to discuss your part of our agreement," he said.
She squinted at his voice box, so far not happy about the shift of decision. "How so?"
"If you are to repair me, we need a base," he clarified. "A garage. Tools. The proper equipment. Since you have insisted on our...arrangement, then I believe it is your job to acquire such things. Just as it is my right to know your plan in advance."
That should do it, he figured. If he was going to buy time, he believed this method, while one hundred percent necessary anyway, would accomplish that. Everything they needed was acquirable if they raided the Mobile F.L.A.G. Unit, which was more than likely within reach somewhere with KITT present in the state. But if Katie wanted to do things her way, then KARR saw no problem dropping that responsibility on her. The longer she pondered how to go about it, the longer he could go without delving into his past. And if she couldn't come up with a suitable answer, then he could revert back to his initial plans. His logic was perfect, and more than sound. He definitely had her cornered on the subject.
Or...so he thought.
Her features opened up in a way that wasn't the slightest perturbed. "Oh. Is that it? Good grief, that's not hard." From her tone, it was pretty obvious she knew he expected the task to be nearly impossible. "I already have all that stuff at my place. At least the basics. All we gotta do is head there, and I can get you fixed in a snap with what I got and build the rest from scratch."
KARR was surprised and not in a good way. She came up with that way too fast. He didn't believe her. "Oh, do you now?" he challenged. Then his tone dropped. "Do you seriously expect me to believe an ex-associate of Knight Industries was permitted to keep such valuable resources after being terminated from their position? What a laugh." If he wasn't so concerned about being caught and unprepared, he would have hit the breaks and pulled over right then. Her willingness on top of her quick thinking made him all too suspicious of her motives.
And yet her frown returned. "Okay. First of all, rude," she countered with a pointed gesture at his voice box. "Second of all, no, I don't expect you to believe Wilton 'permitted' me to keep anything. I took what I came with and built the rest from my designs. And I've kept my resources and personal space hidden from those ass-hats ever since I left."
"You must be insane if that is true."
She folded her arms with a sort of glare at his voice modulator. "I practically built your successor. Is it really that hard to believe?"
Yes, actually, he thought. The knowledge of her being related to that pathological lying scoundrel he teamed up with was fresh in his mind. Dillon was rottenly conniving and as villainous as the next man, so KARR had no doubts that his sister here could be capable of the very same acts.
But the AI kept that to himself since he knew she wouldn't like the answer he had to give and deviate from the subject further. "Hmph," he gruffed. "If I discover this is a ploy to get away, I assure you it will not end well." The emphasized growl from his voice seemed to reverberate into his engine as he picked up his pace on the road once again.
"And you will owe me an apology when you discover it's not," she popped back.
"Highly unlikely."
"Says you."
Growing tired of this banter going nowhere, KARR changed subjects somewhat. "Should this alleged and imaginary place exist," he sneered, "Then where, pray tell, would it be?"
"La Junta," she replied seamlessly. "About four hours from here on the right road, and then out in the highland flats taking a dirt road off of three-fifty."
...She came up with that one pretty fast, too. Maybe she wasn't lying. As KARR vaguely considered this, she added, "You'll probably want to make a stop for the rest of the night in Cañon City, though."
"And why would I do that?"
Katie sighed through her nose. "Let's put it this way: You want repairs but don't want to get captured by F.L.A.G, right? That's your whole shebang?"
"I do not understand your lingo. But that outcome would be ideal, yes." he agreed.
"Then Cañon City would be an ideal stop," she clarified. "It's in a mountain valley well off the main road and away from any major cities. It's small, relatively isolated, and quiet, and you'll draw the least possible attention from anyone important. And the south side of the river going through it is a good place to hide off-radar in case anyone does come looking right away, which I doubt." Then she sent an oddly tired sort of look and added, "Seriously, KARR, I'm not doing anything except trying to help. I know Colorado, like I know, KITT's blueprints and, by extension, yours. Why would I just ditch what I already promised you?"
"You humans always have your reasons," he growled point-blank. "Just as I have mine. What I fail to understand, nonetheless, is why you are putting in such vast amounts of effort when you are, in every sense, my prisoner."
Katie hummed to herself at that. Willing or not, she supposed that much was true... For some reason, though, she didn't see it that way. Nor did she really... feel concerned. She was too caught up in the discovery that KARR had been... Well, alive this whole time. As well as other facts that had already come to light, such as him being on the run from the same Foundation that ran her out.
Which actually brought up a good point. One that she could use. "Maybe you're right," she said finally. "But there is one thing you haven't considered yet."
"Oh?"
"You think I was fired from F.L.A.G. and Knight Industries," Katie started. "But the real fact of the matter is I quit."
A few seconds of silence passed between them as that tidbit caught KARR's attention. "You quit?" he echoed in disbelief. "That is not the information I have in my data bank."
"Did you get your quote-unquote 'data' from hacking old F.L.A.G. servers?"
How she knew that he didn't know, but there was no point in denying it. "Affirmative. Partly." He omitted the part where he listened in to her and Bonnie's phone calls. That wasn't a detail she needed to know, nor was it relevant.
"Then you have the wrong data."
"Impossible. My data is never wrong."
"And I've never been kidnapped before, yet here we are," she sassed.
His irritation rose, but not quite to the degree it was earlier. Now, he was all too focused on this new information. He wanted to know what she was talking about. "Alright, explain to me then," he demanded. "What do you mean you quit? And what does that have to do with our deal?"
Katie was proud to finally have his full attention. Not that she planned on saying much right now, but she did want to tell him what mattered at this very moment. "It means I walked out on my own accord, and just like you, it made me an enemy of the old F.L.A.G. and Wilton Knight's empire," she told him. "When I confronted him about having you destroyed, he painted a target on my back to get rid of me. I'm still in hiding myself and arguably a felon in the eyes of the government dogs that have been trying to find me ever since."
KARR's scanner swept back and forth in thought. He definitely hadn't known any of this. If he had, he might have executed his methods in capturing her differently. Now that he thought about it, he just might have drawn too much attention to himself by employing Dillon and those other criminal thugs.
Maybe there was another element to this story, after all. One worth looking into eventually, if it really did have anything to do with him. "So you want me to view our arrangement as if we are on the same side?" he asked.
"I mean, yeah. The way I see it, we are on the same side." And there was no indication in her tone that she was lying this time either.
If she was truly in as much constant danger as she claimed, then perhaps it wouldn't be such a foolish thing to listen to her advice. Betraying him would mean betraying her own sense of safety. She feared the dark side of the Foundation and Knight Industries, and what they might do should they ever find her.
That, he decided, he could trust. But only temporarily.
"Very well," KARR stated as he slowed to a stop at a fork in the road. One led to a small town out in the middle of nowhere, and the other led to the valley Katie presumed to be safe for them. "For now, you have me convinced. I will take your suggestion and drive to Cañon City for the night. But we will leave first thing in the morning."
Katie shrugged, pleased that she managed to make her argument heard. "I'd figure as much."
"I feel the need to inquire one more thing," mentioned. "Why are you so dismissive of making yourself an enemy of the Foundation? Or are you simply eager?"
She snorted in mild offense. "I'm not 'eager,'" she claimed.
"But from what you say, you are making it personal."
Katie furrowed her brows and then cast her gaze to the side. "...Sure," she said. "I guess you could say that."
"Is it a vendetta?" the AI asked. "Revenge against Wilton Knight, perhaps?"
Her face scrunched at the idea, and she shook her head. "Actually, no, I wouldn't go so far as to say that." Then, unexpectedly, she sighed again and added, "Look, I really just don't have a problem repairing you, KARR. It's kind of hard to explain, but after how much they screwed me and you, I simply don't care how the Foundation feels about what I do. It's not my problem."
"But my own backstory is?"
... Well, that topic seemed like it came back out of the blue. "Yes," she said slowly as if to pull her mind onto the correct track. "I thought you were dead this whole time. So, finding out you're still in one piece is a pretty damn big deal."
At that, he scoffed. "Why?"
She abruptly paused and gave a somewhat apprehensive yet startled look. And to his bewilderment, it lasted some time before she sat back with her legs crossed and arms folded over her chest. Something in her thoughts was clearly being debated. However, she wasn't quite letting up. "It just does," grumbled.
"That is not an answer."
"Yes, it is," she argued rigidly. "I already agreed to fix you if you tell me what happened to you, and you haven't done that. I'll even help you get to my garage safely. But beyond that, no dice. I'll tell you when you tell me."
Based on her guarded expression and body language, it was evident this was not a negotiation she would budge on. At this point, he had no choice but to accept it. Begrudgingly, of course, but nonetheless. "Fine. Have it your way."
After a moment longer, he turned left toward Cañon City. Their bickering had come to a close, and the rest of the drive was carried on in silence while Katie leaned her head against the window of the pilot door. Her adrenaline levels were still above normal, but as she watched the stars above the mountain walls, there were no other signs of distress like before.
Beyond a periodic glance to his control panel and the data readings, she kept her hands and thoughts to herself. After everything that took place tonight, he naturally assumed she would be more set in significant unease. But, instead... she was relatively content.