Mission 1: "Dark Knight of the Soul"
RP Chapter: Mission 1 Briefing - FLAG
Sarah Graiman
Location: SSC Briefing Room
Date: 08/14/2020
Time: 1400 hrs
Sara Graiman sat in a fairly comfortable leather chair that was at the head of a fairly large table. Around the table were her friends and colleagues Billy and Zoe, and her husband Mike as well as Mike's adoptive sister Cira. KI3T, while not physically in the room had access to the cameras that were in the room so he could listen in as well as voice his own opinions.
'"We certainly have come a long way in a short time." Sara began. This statement was basically an attention getter more than anything else. Sara smiled for a second before plunging on. "However I'm not going to waste my time or yours reminiscing on what's happened in the past." Sara folded her arms before fixing everyone with a serious stare. "I think it's time we start recruiting others; we just can't handle the work load like we used to. Also, KI3T has told me on numerous occasions that he senses KARR. Now we know he's been rebuilt but that's about it; no solid facts that could lead us to him. 'While KARR is a serious threat to us, our main priority right now should be, as I said before, recruitment. Once we have more people then we can start to worry about KARR." Sara said. She then shut her mouth to give everyone else a chance to speak.
Billy Morgan
Being one of the primary researchers at the SSC, Billy was already anxious to find ways to help make the job easier for Mike and KI3T. Billy had wanted to attend this briefing because he had heard about TKR starting soon, and that may be the main reason why they needed to find new people.
KARR was back, eh? {Why oh why am I not surprised?} Billy thought as he leaned back in his chair for a moment and prepared to speak. Cira Knight sat next to him on his left, and her attention was fixed to Sarah with a surprised look on her face. He'd heard she had been connected to KARR for a short time. Yes, that was likely shock he saw on her somewhat blank expression.
"If I may throw a couple questions at you right away, I take it I should start helping you guys look for potential candidates? Are we looking for FLAG recruits and candidates for TKR? I know the Interceptor will need a driver. What are we going to do about KARR?" he asked, before glancing at Cira for a moment, wondering just how much she knew about the 'new' KARR. Billy had known zero about the TransAm KARR, let alone much about KI2T.
Sarah Graiman
"Yes we are looking for applications for both, but mainly FLAG. As for KARR..." Sara paused before letting out a heavy sigh. She had no earthly idea what they were going to do about KARR. "Honestly I'm not sure. Mike already took him down once and he was just rebuilt. No...I don't think we can do that a second time. I was hoping that Mike or KI3T would have some good suggestions." Sara replied.
Cira Knight
Cira listened to Sarah intently, studying how she spoke and moved as well. She seemed perfect for Mike just after a few moments of studying her, and she couldn't help but hide a smile when she'd met Sara before the meeting started. Now, that happiness for her adoptive brother she felt was gone and was replaced by shock.
She felt the atmosphere become thick with uncertainty and worry at the mention of KARR, but she was not one of those that was completely disturbed by this announcement. She was simply shocked. {He's...alive? How many times has he been destroyed and rebuilt now? God...can't help but feel sorry for him, after what he's been through...sometimes, I wonder...} Cira set aside her thoughts as she listened to the future exchanges.
Growing more serious and recovering her bearing, she crossed her legs and tried to sink into the fairly comfy chair, and folded her arms as well. She had no questions for Sarah yet, and was still thinking over the possibility of working for FLAG now that she was out of the Air Force. {Is it possible I might actually be able to see KARR again, even if he is a threat?} memories attempted to distract her by the time she started to speak.
"Back in the 1990's, Bonnie and Devon tried ta reprogram him, but that didn't hold. I was gonna be his driver, as Mike has probably already told you...seems I'm one of the few that understands him. I know I don't work here or anythin', an' I know it sounds insane, but perhaps I could find a way to...gain his trust again, and...influence him, if we were to find him?"
Sarah Graiman
"You want to try and tame KARR?! ... there's no guarantee that he won't try and kill you!" Sara said. She understood where Cira was coming from, but the voice of caution and reason was speaking through her right now. "However if you really want to risk trying to get KARR then I can't stop you, though I wish you'd reconsider." Sara said as she focused her attention on Cira. Yes Mike had told her a little about Cira and KARR, though the information had been vague. Sara didn't know if Mike was purposefully holding something back or if that was all he knew.
Mike Traceur
Mike’s eyes were closed as he sat there listening to Sarah. Like her, he knew about KARR’s resurrection and it worried him immensely. He also knew about his adoptive sister’s connection to KARR and it worried him even more. When Cira mentioned the idea of trying to reason with the killer machine, his eyes popped open and he gave his sister a grave look. “I know you were fond of him and had a good relationship with him, Cira, but KARR is changed. I don’t think he even remembers you now. Last time he was brought on line he killed seven people outright, I was his driver then and my memory was erased after that nightmare. I still only get flashes of it. When the NSA reactivated him, he tried to kill KI3T to get to me. He was obsessed with reuniting with me.” He sighed and shook his head. “Cira, he’s become a monster, a cold murderer. He’ll kill you as soon as look at you and likely will try to kill any of us if we try to approach him. Our only option is to destroy him. We don’t have any other choice.”
He knew Cira would protest, she was strong willed and easily riled. Plus, she loved KARR, the KARR she knew. He had seen recordings, her reaction to his being shut down at the time when his father Michael, KI2T, and others were forced to take him down. She had screamed and fought hard to get to him even as they destroyed the black and silver Trans Am. She had watched his scanners flicker and go out, and no one would let her anywhere’s near what was left of him. Mike shook his head again, he knew they had to kill KARR before he started on one of his murderous rampages. “So far we’ve been lucky. No one has died. But our luck is not going to hold out. I thought it was over twelve years ago. We gotta end this now, once and for all, destroy every last component so he can’t come back again.” Mike’s tone was resolute, determined, and saddened knowing it would upset Cira. But what choice did he have?
Cira Knight
Again came another flashback.
{Cira gazed out the driver’s window, elbow rested against the arm rest. The scenery didn’t match to our routine paths. “KARR? Where are we goin’?”
“A detour.” KARR replied as he headed towards the water. His frame shuddered slightly. Cira frowned inwardly as she watched the cityscape become less industrial. “Somethin’ wrong?”
“I am unsure. I need to ease my processor. We have some time to eliminate before your lesson.”
“Fine by me.”
KARR continued driving along on an off road near a desert, and eventually pulled into it, moving on flatter parts with harder sand and rock. "You know, I do too.” Cira replied after a bit.
“My sensors detect you seem slightly…anxious about this test.” KARR spoke up as they took a temporary detour.
“Oh yeah, I’m gonna be a black belt after dis is over.” Cira piped up. She took a moment to sit more upright and stretched. She then glanced at the wrist watch communicator, and then gazed ahead at the open, empty desert. “Ey, mind if I relax on yer hood?”
“I would protest if you were anyone else.” KARR replied.
Cira smiled. “Thanks.” The fifteen year old hoped it would ease her anxiety, as she had been waiting for this day since she was in middle school.}
Cira glanced at Mike for a moment, her eyes squinting slightly as she took in his words seriously. She didn't really want to hear it, but based on KARR's supposed nature, it was typical of him, and therefore highly dangerous to deal with. "Yer only lookin' at the facts bro, the facts, what ya see on the outside of him. A being just wants to be themselves, you know? KARR never had that chance. That's what I believe anyway, I dunno if you, Dad 'n KI3T do." she popped her knuckles for a moment anxiously.
{Cira swung herself gently onto KARR’s hood by gaining leverage with a right palm. Sighing, She folded her hands behind her head and gazed at the puffy clouds in the blue sky, imagining invisible A10 Warthog’s flying around them. As much as she wanted to be KARR’s driver, should the programming hold, she wanted to join the Air Force as tactical aerial support, and fly one of her favorite aircraft, which she thought were the meanest and coolest things ever (not comparing them to KI2T n KARR).
{I wonder what it’s like ta fly…}
KARR sat quietly, engine falling completely silent as they shared the peace together.
“What’cha thinkin’ about?” Cira asked as she watched a plane go over head. She wondered if KARR could connect to the local tower, but she decided against it-the peace would be ruined. It technically was already with the aircraft.
“My faults.” He replied simply.
Cira hid a frown and turned on her side. “I think ya worry too much, KARR. You are who you are, and there’s little you can do about it unless you want to change radically, which may only seem an idea for you, since yer not human. I forgave you, KARR, and I do not see a reckless killer in you unlike how some of the others do.”
“Radical change.” Was that a dash of spite she heard? “Such a concept relies too much upon the expense of one's spirit, which I seem to lack’. Quite possibly impossible with a complexity such as myself.”
“I was just tryin' to give you a smidge of comfort.”
"I see...my apologies."
Again, another brief moment of silence occurred before KARR added faintly sounding solemn and weary: "I just want to be me."}
How could Mike still see KARR that way when he'd never heard him say such things?
"Bro, think of all the suffering he's gone through. One day when we took a detour, he randomly said to me: 'I just want to be me'. Yeah, his programming started off as a failure, but it's not like it was his fault to begin with. I'd like ta think there's a small chance he'd remember this face." Cira replied, trying not to snap as she pointed to her face with an index finger. "And I'm willin' to take that small chance if I ever cross paths with him." she said to him calmly as she glanced back at Sarah, just waiting for her reaction.
She couldn't help but wonder what KI3T thought of her so far-she hadn't really had the chance to interact with KI3T yet, but had had plenty of interaction with KI2T the more Michael had neared the early stages of his retirement.
Billy Morgan
Billy glanced between Mike and Cira now, not entirely surprised by how Cira was responding, but more or less impressed with how she was handling the exchanges. It really seemed like she cared for KARR in a way that the others didn't, or was he just overlooking the possibility that she just wanted to help them and didn't seem as close to KARR as Mike seemed to indicate? He found it sweet in a confusing way that KARR might have someone that still cared for him.
"Chances of such a thing that's been programmed as many times as KARR has been is actually marginally possible. He would only need an image, something significant to prompt memories." Billy added pointedly.
KI3T
KI3T was connected to the camera's and fed audio though his HUD, and listened to the briefing with out interjecting. KI3T didn't know Cira, because if he had indeed shared any of KI2T's memories, he didn't have them now, and had no way to vouch for Cira's opinions. However, he knew Billy's statement was valid.
"Billy is correct. It is, of course, merely up to the lot of you if you wish to take the risk." He said to them promptly after Billy's statement through the rooms speaker.
Mike Traceur
Mike sighed and looked at his sister. “Cira, you weren’t there, you didn’t see him kill those people, you didn’t see him try to tear KI3T apart. He killed Torres. He’s too dangerous, Cira. He’s not the same KARR you knew.” He said in a serious tone. He knew, he had seen what KARR had become, she didn’t. She wasn’t there, she didn’t know KARR as well as she seemed to think she did. “I’m not willing to risk my sister’s life with him!” he stated firmly.
He looked at Sarah then. “As for recruits, I know of a mechanic and test driver we might be able to bring in. His name is Kane, Kane Aries, professional mechanic and stunt driver. Cira n I can go meet up with him, then she can go from there to meet up with any other possible recruits we have.” he suggested, trying to change the subject.
Sara Graiman
Sara listened to the back and forth bantering for some time without interjecting a word. She understood how Cira felt about KARR but he still was dangerous. Sara's attention was drawn back when Mike spoke. "Kane Aries...alright. If you can convince him to join up, I'm all for it." Sara replied. "Now...does anyone have anything else?" Sara asked. She wanting to make sure all the bases were covered before she adjourned the briefing.
Zoe Chae
Zoe perked up then, glad of the change in subject “Well, what about that boy Danny Clark? He’d be twenty-two now, and he was really smart and seemed keen on joining us here. I could locate him and we could ask him if he still wants to.” She suggested, hoping the now grown kid would remember them and want to join up still.
Sarah Graiman
Sara nodded her head. "I remember him. He was very bright and courageous for his age." Sara said. She paused for a moment, giving what Zoe said some serious thought before she looked back at her and then Mike and Cira. "If you can find him Zoe, pass on his location to Mike, KI3T and Cira." Sara said.
Cira Knight
Cira held back a growl, and glanced away from Mike. {If I find KARR at some point, I'm still gonna try, and there's nothing Mike can do to stop me. I don't want to see KARR destroyed in such an unfair fight he's always been struggling with since day one. It's getting to be ridiculous.} She stood up abruptly, but did not leave. Sure, she'd help them find people if they wanted her to, but she needed some time to cool off before she started yelling at a potential new set of co-workers and new friends. "Permission to temporarily leave fer my vehicle if I'm not needed?" she asked, unable to ease the glare from her eyes as she looked at Sarah. If Mike was going to be THAT stubborn about finding KARR, she needed time to think over the option of jumping into a new job. At least there was no guarantee she was hired yet. She would not want to think about things around the influence and presence of others here.
Billy Morgan
Billy watched Cira get up, slightly confused. He could hear the growl she held back in her tone. He found it odd she was that angry about such a subject that would normally end with a mutual agreement that the evil had to be eliminated. Such was not the case here though. He hoped he hadn't just lost their chances of recruiting her, they really needed more people.
"Yeah, I kind of remember that kid, he'd be a great candidate! Finding him shouldn't be hard between Zoe, KI3T and I." Billy said confidently as he turned his attention back to Sara and Zoe for a moment.
Sarah Graiman
Sara raised an eyebrow at Cira. Her hostile attitude was a little surprising and then again it wasn't. "If KARR really means that much to you..." Sara began, {Can't believe I'm going to say this...!} "Then we'll do our best to get you to him. However in answer to your question, yes you can go to your vehicle now." Sara then turned her attention Billy. "How quickly do you think you and Zoe could track Danny down?" She asked.
Zoe Chae
Zoe inwardly shivered at the thought of anyone trying to confront KARR. She had seen the files on him and what had happened years ago, she was a damned good hacker. She couldn’t believe Sarah was actually going to let Cira go after that thing. She was pretty good at hiding how she felt though, and when Sarah asked about finding Danny, she gave Billy a sly devious grin and glanced at Sarah. “We’ll get right on it.” She said with confidence as she looked back at Billy.
Mike Traceur
Mike looked at Sarah in surprise at what she said about KARR. “Sarah, no, he’ll kill her!” he protested urgently. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to do everything in his power to stop Cira from going after that monster; did none of them understand? Twelve years ago, Sarah wanted him to go back to the SSC when KARR had gone after him and KI3T but Mike had turned and chosen to take KARR out then and there. He was not about to risk the NSA hiding KARR, nor was he going to risk that beast finding and tearing the SSC apart either. He looked at Cira then, worried she was going to take off on her own and go looking for him. “Cira, don’t do this!” he started, “You’ll be killed!” He loved his sister, but damn if she could be downright stubborn sometimes.
Cira Knight
Cira tucked her hands into her dark jean pockets. "Not afraid," Cira replied in a low tone as she kept walking. "A few years ago when I was flyin' in tactical aerial support, there were times where I coulda' been blown out of the sky if I made one wrong move." She turned around and walked backwards for a moment as they approached the center of the SSC where KI3T currently hung out. She didn't even so much as glance at the black Mustang. "I wasn't leavin' right away anyway, I was just goin' to my car ta think, dude. I wouldn't have said temporarily if I was gonna go right then and there."
Cira turned back around and headed down a hall towards the main garage where employee vehicles were kept, moving straight to Tacoma, the Veilside kept at FLAG for now. She didn't care if Mike followed. "I just need some time to think...hell, news of KARR returnin' is news ta me..." Cira heaved a sigh.
Jumping onto the hood of the black pick up truck, Cira sat upon it cross legged and leaned forward. She attempted to take a deep breath and tried to think things through. {I know it's crazy, and that KARR is different now...isn't it worth a shot? I don't want to see him goin' through the same shit over and over again...}
KI3T
KITT observed quietly, unsure of what to say. He knew the situation with KARR was highly dangerous. Undoubtedly, KITT knew KARR as a brother and an enemy rival. The degree to which Cira knew KARR only slightly mattered to KITT. He hardly knew Cira, after all, at least based on what he remembered. He too had gone through changes in programming over the years, and KI2T's memories were practically non existent.
Personally, KITT didn't like the idea of Cira going to find KARR alone, and part of him was siding with Mike and the others regarding the option of destroying KARR. But what good had that done previously? Someone found a way to bring him back AGAIN. Perhaps they should take the one new chance they have. KITT would be willing to go with Cira and help search, but of course their current priority was finding new drivers, and that meant a few trips in the near future were on his agenda already.
For now, KITT remained silent, wondering if he should try to talk privately with Cira and/or Mike immediately, or wait until Mike or someone else spoke to him. It was one of those occasions where, despite the matter dealing with KARR, he was struggling to find the need to speak up right away, Mike's concerns were quite similar to his own.
Billy Morgan
Billy noted how quiet KITT was being, but said nothing of it. He nodded at Sarah and then glanced towards Zoe. "Somewhere less than 30 minutes, Sarah. Much less were KITT to assist. Depends on the information. All we really need is a full name, which we have." He walked around the briefing table and promptly walked out of the room towards his typical computer in the KITT cave.
Mike Traceur
Mike followed her out, determined to talk her out of confronting KARR, especially on her own. As he followed her through the central chamber past the black Mustang, he gave KI3T a sidelong look that clearly told his long time partner he was worried. “Cira…” he tried to keep his voice calm as he watched her hop up onto the hood of her truck. “It’s a bad idea.” He said as he walked up, placing his hands on the edge of the hood. “I don’t care whether we’re blood or not, you’re my little sister and I don’t want you going out there trying to find him thinking you can trust him and talk him down only for him to turn around and try to kill you. My mother was shot and killed right in front of me, dad’s not long for this world, you’re all the family I got left. I love you and I don’t want to lose you too because of all this. I know you can fight and take care of yourself, we both have military training, but I’m still your big brother, I’m supposed to look after you. Last two times he was on line he killed people and tried to destroy KI3T to get to me. Just… please don’t go after KARR. Okay? For me?” he was almost pleading with her, and with the two of them alone in the garage it was clear to her that he really was scared, almost terrified of what would happen if she ran into KARR on her own. He was honestly afraid she would be killed by the marauding AI vehicle designed for war.
Zoe Chae
Zoe skipped off down the hall and plopped down at her computer in the affectionately nicknamed ‘KITT Cave’, starting up multiple searches simultaneously: Kane Aries, Danny Clark, and a broad spectrum search for other likely recruiting candidates. It took barely 10 minutes for her to locate Kane, making her smile. “KI3T, I got info on Kane Aries for ya. He’s in LA working over at All-Car Specialist over in Alhambra and apparently frequents a dive bar called Jay-Dee Café. You guys might be able to find him there after work.” she offered and forwarded the info to KI3T’s systems, including pictures of him. “Oh he’s cute!” she exclaimed gleefully, knowing it would rib Billy a bit. “Seems he's a bit of a brawler too, got a few assault charges against him, most ruled as self defense though.” she remarked curiously. “He should be fun to play with.” she added with a grin.
Cira Knight
"I understand how you feel. Yet how can I agree to avoid this when somethin' is naggin' at me to do go find him?" Cira glanced at Mike for a moment as she tapped her wrist watch. "You weren't close ta KARR like I was. Hell, no one else was really. I know it seems a bit unfair fer me ta ask you n KITT ta back me up, so I'm not going to go run off and spend the next who knows how many days searchin' for him. I'm not sure if I could reach KARR via this wrist watch communicator, and if I did and yall are right, my location could give us away. I know you guys have priorities. I'll help ya with those priorities if ya want me to, in the mean time.
Now lemme ask ya this. What if we do bump into KARR at some point, and he remembers me, and he were ta somehow agree to be less hostile? Would you still want to destroy him because it's too risky? Even a being as evil as him is likely to hesitate given the right situation. I'm not gonna rely on that obviously if we did bump into him, but still..." With the way she was talking, it was clear Cira was trying to be rational about the situation. It was also clear that unlike the others, she actually genuinely missed KARR, even if he no longer remembered her. Perhaps that was part of why she was currently feeling what she felt. Still, Cira was convinced she should believe in that nagging feeling.
KI3T
KITT remained quiet for a moment longer. He easily noticed how Cira missed KARR. He found this to be peculiar. Who could miss that vehicle? He certainly didn't!
As he listened to Cira and Mike, KITT turned some of his attention back to Zoe and Billy. Billy looked like he was about to make some sort of remark to Zoe about her comment about Kane's appearance, which he silently chuckled from. "All right Zoe, I'm retrieving the coordinates now. I will be able to depart whenever Mike and Cira are ready."
He then decided to speak up through Cira's wrist watch communicator, and simultaneously ran a quick search for the cafe address Kane would occupy at the end of his shift. "Cira, all though there is indeed a small chance KARR will remember you, there is no guarantee as to how he'll behave now. He has gone through so many changes that we cannot expect he will cooperate with our ways. All though he does not have a human mind, I fear he may lose his sanity, if he hasn't already. As Mike has mentioned, he was obsessed with teaming up with Mike before he was destroyed previously. It would seem that during his time online then, memories of you may have been void. It is reckless to rely on such a small chance. Should we ever meet KARR, I will do my best to protect you and Mike if I am able to be present, but I strongly agree with Mike that we should not actively seek him out, seeing how unsafe it is, and that we have other objectives to meet. Additionally, I honestly do not wish to encounter him for now if given the option."
Billy Morgan
Billy began to search for Danny's full name while Zoe was cruising through Kane's information. He rolled his eyes briefly, but a smile was on his face temporarily. "Yeah, I bet you five bucks you'll say that about every other candidate you find from here on out." he said to Zoe, clicking away at the search engine for any signs of Danny and his family's contact information. With a last name already obtained, it made searching through the yellow pages online pretty easy.
Mike Traceur
Mike sighed and lowered his head. “KI3T’s right. He didn’t seem to remember you at all when we confronted him twelve years ago.” He looked back up at her then. “Cira, even if he seems compliant at first, he’ll turn on you like he’s done every time he was reactivated. I’ve read the files, every time he was brought back on line he snapped and turned on the people he was supposed to protect. None of us can trust him, not even you. I know how upset you were when he turned on you and attacked for no reason. He’s not rational, he’s little more than a savage monster in the body of a weapon, not a rational thinking AI like KI3T. There was a reason KARR had to be destroyed. What I don’t understand is why people keep thinking they can fix him. Others have tried and some have paid for that mistake with their lives. I don’t want you to make the mistake of trusting him when I know he can’t be trusted. I won’t let him hurt my sister like he tried to do years ago. You trusted him then and he turned. Please, don’t make that same mistake again.”
He reached out and gently took hold of Cira’s hand, laying his other hand on top of hers. “I’m worried, ok? I’m afraid that if you approach KARR at all he’ll kill you outright. I would never be able to forgive myself for allowing him to get to you when I could have stopped it. As it is I feel like I failed because I didn’t destroy him irrevocably. And if he hurts or kills you, or Sarah, or god forbid both of you, because I didn’t make sure he was gone… may as well rip my heart out and kill me too.” His words were sincere, and while he did like pulling practical jokes sometimes, this was not a joke, and something he would never even think of joking or lying about. He was deadly serious, and scared out of his mind, though it was a rare thing to glimpse at any time. But he could never hide it from Cira, to him, she really was his sister and he would sacrifice his own life to protect her just as he would for Sarah.
Zoe Chae
Zoe giggled at Billy’s remark. “Oh, only if they’re really hot.” She answered, which she knew was not exactly what he wanted to hear. “So, did you find anyone or are you too busy checking me out again?” she asked, doing a bit of a shimmy dance in her chair with a sneaky grin that she knew often made him shiver ever so slightly. Oh how she loved tormenting him just for the sake of her own amusement.
Cira Knight
Cira winced at the last bit of Mike's words. She understood every bit of his reasoning, but the one thing that didn't match up was KARR's attempt to turn on her back in early 2000. "KARR seemingly turned on me because he didn't understand what was going on. I sensed panic and confusion, but most people assumed he was scared or out of control and therefore acted violently. During those last couple of years as a TransAm, he was struggling to maintain control of his processor. On the day of his destruction, he was trying to keep others away from me. I may have only been 15, but that's what I saw. By the time Dad and KI2T got there, they were trying to keep people away and calm them down, but did so to little avail. KARR tried to flee, they were forced to stop him in case he lost control. I think that was one case Dad may have misjudged the results of his programming. I know I sound hella biased, but I swear to God he had a simply major panic attack and scared everyone-I was in the middle of a sparring match, and he probably concluded I was hurt and needed help. I'm sorry, but I still think you guys're wrong." Cira shook her head and grumbled. "Then again, maybe I'm just bein' hopeful. Yeah, I know safety comes first, just...as long as he doesn't start causing major trouble, can we just leave him be? If he does anything major, I bet you it's because someone, likely whoever built him or wants him will pursue him. Given his state, the last thing he wants right now is to be pursued. He undoubtedly fears the possibility of not being online for very long, and the possibility of being tampered with, which means he's likely just tryin' to stay low fer a while."
Billy Morgan
Billy chuckled. "Please, that's exactly what I meant." he replied with a grin before glancing back at his screen. "Actually, I located Danny while you've been checking out Mr. Aries. I'll be sending the information to KI3T shortly. Getting Danny should be a piece of cake, though I can't guarantee that seeing how finding resume's are a little harder to snatch up. At least we plan on getting a hold of Mr. Aries first." he said as he looked over the information a second time and prepared a quick file transfer for KI3T. "Sending now."
Mike Traceur
Mike sighed and shook his head. “I can’t take that chance Cira. Not with you, or Sarah, KI3T, or Billy and Zoe. I can’t. If by some insane miracle you end up being right, then we’ll deal with it, but as it stands now, I can’t take that risk. He has proven repeatedly that he is a rampaging killer, a bomb just looking for a place to cause the worst damage and casualties possible. I was part of the program that brought KARR back on line and he was completely uncontrollable, even his own creator, Sarah’s father said so. He murdered seven people before they managed to shut him down, Cira. Then the NSA destroyed my memory of the whole thing and I still only get flashes of that nightmare. He’s gone, Cira, and there’s nothing we can do to fix him. He has to be destroyed irrevocably this time for everyone’s sake, especially yours.” He reached out and pulled her into a hug then. “I’m sorry, Cira, I really am. The only thing we can do is to put him down before he hurts people, before he starts killing again.” He said softly, hoping she would listen to reason, that she would understand. “What KARR did back then, he turned on everyone. When I was supposed to be his driver, he turned on me too. You think I don’t feel betrayed? Trust me, if by some bizarre twist of fate KI3T were to turn on us and start killing people, I would be upset beyond reason knowing he had to be destroyed and wondering what went wrong. Believe me, I understand. But I know KI3T won’t turn on us, he cares for us, we’re his family. It’s not the same with KARR. It’s only about himself and his own existence for him, no one and nothing else matters to him. And he will kill and keep killing until there’s nothing left.” He looked at her then, knowing his words were not what she wanted to hear, but she needed to hear them anyway. He knew it would be impossible to control KARR, though secretly in his heart he wished that for his sister’s sake there could be a way, knowing how much she loved KARR those years ago. He just wasn’t the same anymore, and she needed to understand that.
Cira Knight
Cira sighed, returning the hug. {That vehicle has gone through so much...will anyone other than me ever understand? Maybe there's still hope for him...who knows...} She thought as she gazed at the wall off to her left for a moment. "There's a high chance yer right on that, an' I can accept it." she replied. "But if I am EVER lucky enough to get a chance to interact with KARR in a civil manner even if it's just for a little bit, you do know I'm gonna take it and I don't want anyone stoppin' me, right? And that's IF I get lucky. If I never get that chance, well, I won't like seein' you and KITT set out to shut him down AGAIN."
Cira wondered if there was any way she might be able to reach KARR through her watch communicator. Maybe it was worth a try, or perhaps she could find a way to talk to him via the internet without the others knowing-but the latter would be quite difficult, especially since she hardly knew how to track KARR in the first place without KI3T's or the staff's aid.
KI3T
KITT received the data on Danny from Billy within seconds, and soon enough would received Zoe's information on Kane as well. "Data received. Thank you, Billy, Zoe." He then informed Mike he was ready through his ear piece: "Mike, I have information regarding Kane's location whenever you and Cira are ready to depart."
Mike Traceur
Mike sighed softly and nodded. “No one likes to see someone they care for die, I can understand that, believe me. But we have to be realistic about this, okay? I’m not gonna brow beat you, I know all it does is get your hackles up. I just need you to understand that I do not want you to end up getting hurt or killed because of KARR. His AI is unstable and his programming is not fixable, they tried three times and it fell apart every time, turning him violent and each time he only got worse. I’ve read the files about the first time when he turned, when he attacked you, and I was there for the other two.” He sighed and lowered his voice to barely a whisper as he hugged his sister tightly. “I wish there was a way to save him, Cira, I really do. But if he could be saved, Charles would have found a way before he died. I’m sorry, Cira… I’m so sorry…” he whispered softly in her ear so only she could hear him.
Cira Knight
"But he didn't attack that time..." Cira wriggled from his hug, partly touching/leaning against the windshield of the Tacoma now. Her voice was still a bit heavy, thought she tried to hide it. "I swear he panicked..." She paused, and took a deep breath. "Ya don't need to apologize for somethin' that wasn't yer fault. We'll deal with this as the opportunities present themselves, and that is all."
Mike Traceur
Mike sighed and let her go, seeing that his efforts to try and get her to understand were getting him nowhere fast. For now he just dropped the subject and turned towards the hallway that led back to where KI3T was waiting. “KI3T’s got the info on Kane and is ready to go.” he said to her, not quite able to hide the note of disappointment in his voice. He then headed down to where KI3T was, letting her have her moment alone before they headed out.
As he got to the launch room, he went straight to KI3T, got in and shut the door, running his hands over his face for a moment as he sat back and waited for Cira. “Why can’t she just accept it?” he muttered softly, then looked over at KI3T’s dash. “You know we’re going to end up having to face him down again, don’t you.” Mike stated as much as asked. He really wasn’t liking the idea and it showed in his tone and body language. “We’re going to have to destroy KARR again and this time destroy him irrevocably so he can’t come back. You know as well as I do he’s too dangerous to allow him to live. I just wish Cira would understand that…” he said with a heavy sigh. He just could not see any other way around it.
KI3T
'"'For some odd reason, I have found that I Billy and Cira may be right, that there is a small chance KARR may be willing to consider change. But yes, we both know that we cannot rely on that as a hunch. It could kill any of us if we did. We have to be prepared for the worst." KITT replied before Cira began to follow Mike from the parking area. He popped open the door as she began to approach the vicinity. Half of KITT wished his older brother was capable of leading a normal behavior pattern similar to his own, but like Mike, he feared that would never be possible, especially now. He just hoped that the G8155 Interceptor wouldn't suffer any malfunctions the same way KARR did. So far there were no complications from what he knew, at least, and he was quite relieved about that.
KITT started his engine and kept it at idle, waiting for Cira.
Cira Knight
Cira waited a second or two before Mike walked off towards KI3T before sighing, staring ahead of the nose of the Tacoma for a moment. Huffing slightly, she planted a hand on the right side of the hood and propelled herself into a flip up and over the right side, balancing upside down by her wrist as an anchor. Tucking her hands into her black cargo pants pockets, she trotted towards KI3T. Lightly vaulting over KI3Ts low roof (one far easier to vault over normally than the Tacoma), she promptly got into the passenger's seat as KI3T opened the door for her, pausing for a moment be. "Aight, let's get this started." she said, her tone more confident and back to normal now.
Mike Traceur
Mike could only nod as Cira approached, and once she was in and settled, the doors closed, he pressed the accelerator pedal and drove up and out of the SSC, heading for Los Angeles, California. As he drove, his thoughts turned back to KARR, what had happened those years ago when he was part of the KARR Project and the AI who was supposed to be his partner turned on him and killed seven people, then three years later he and his new partner were forced to kill that same AI, moving on with their lives thinking KARR was gone for god. Now rumors and evidence said he was back and running loose on the streets and Mike was fearful of the volatile AI vehicle’s return to his murderous rampage yet again. And he was also fearful for Cira’s safety if she ever ended up facing KARR again, especially if she ends up facing him alone.
Characters Involved
Sarah Graiman played by Numb3rsfan
Billy Morgan played by JettaWindstar
Cira Knight played by JettaWindstar
Mike Traceur played by Leathurkatt
KI3T played by JettaWindstar
Zoe Chae played by Leathurkatt