Part 5

Hearts

Moving day

By TT Snim

Once the door was open, Kitt found it next to impossible to close again.

Two days before, Bonnie had run a dozen tests and re-flushed his hydraulic systems. Thankfully Kitt had been, for the most part, unaware of the events. He had awoken with the subtly strange feeling of over-full hydraulic lines, but other than that, he had been fine. Bonnie allowed him some more rest time, which he spent the majority of, recharging.

Now it was time for him to try and get his hydraulic system to work again.

“Come on Kitt, you can do it.” RC prompted.

Kitt tried as hard as he could, but the open door wouldn't budge. What was worse was every time he tried, it would send a rather sharp pain down through his left side.

“It's no good, RC, I am stuck.” Kitt sighed, defeated.

RC walked over and slammed the door shut. He opened it again and slammed it a second time. “Try it now.”

Kitt did as he was told and managed to get the door open... and closed.

“Keep working that door.” RC commanded.

“I was able to both open and close it, I don't see the necessity of doing it again.” Kitt grumbled.

“Hey, look Kitt, I know this is tough, but Bonnie said that you had to work the system ta' get it all cleaned out. She said it would break up any clogs and she would flush the system when she got back.”

Kitt grumbled something and opened the door again. This time it was easer to close.

“Again.” RC said.

With a sigh, Kitt opened the door and closed it again. This time a distinct grinding sound could be heard.

“Is... is that supposed to happen?” Kitt asked.

“Yes.” RC answered. “Bonnie said that you would start to hear any of the clogs getting loose. She said it might grind. Don't worry, it can't hurt you. Now do it again.”

Kitt hesitated.

The day before, Bonnie and Michael had left to meet with the team creating the engine. Because Bonnie knew Kitt inside and out, and because Michael knew just how Kitt needed to handle, they had both been called away for their advice. RC had been left in charge, not only because he had actually rebuilt Kitt, but because he was also the next closest knowledgeable friend.

“Come on Kitt, don't you trust me?”

“Yes.” Kitt said reluctantly. “I trust you.”

“Then keep going. You have to do this until it's easy for you. Then we'll know that the system is all clear.”

Kitt opened the door again... and closed it. The act was neither easy nor pleasant. Nevertheless, with RC watching him closely, he continued to do the simple exercise. After about five minutes, RC held up his hand. “OK, Kitt, let's move on to the other door.”

“Very well.” Kitt got this door open, but like the other one, it refused to close. RC again opened and slammed the door a couple of times. When Kitt tried again, the problem had not been solved.

“Well, let's skip that door and move on to the trunk.” RC suggested.

“Can we take a break?” Kitt asked. “This is rather difficult.”

“If you think it's difficult now, buddy, just wait until Bonnie gets back. You know how she'll push you.”

Kitt mulled his words over. “You’re right. Trunk it is.” The trunk popped open with ease and closed similarly.

“Good, now do that about ten times.”

“Very well.” Kitt opened and closed the trunk up until the sixth time, when a rather unsettling crunch was both heard and felt. Now the trunk was stuck. “It won't move.” Kitt nearly yelped.

“OK, take it easy, its just clogged.” RC walked over and shut the trunk almost violently. With the rough motion the crunch was both heard and felt again. “OK, Kitt, try it now.”

“Are you sure? I mean I’m not going to go anywhere... wouldn't it be better to wait for Bonnie and Michael to return?”

RC sighed and rubbed his temple. “No, Kitt. Bonnie had a list of things to do when she got back. She needs this to be done before she returns.”

“But...”

“Just get back to it, Kitt.”

Kitt, with more hesitation than before, complied. The trunk popped open and the grinding again made itself known. Wordlessly Kitt shut the trunk. More grinding. After repeating the process ten more times, Kitt stopped, trunk open.

“What's wrong?” RC asked.

“I would rather wait for Bonnie.” Kitt's voice was meek.

RC sighed and hung his head for a moment. “Right.” He stood all the way up and walked over to Kitt. Opening the driver's side door he sat down. “I know, for a fact, that this can't hurt you in anyway Kitt.”

“Are you sure?”

RC nodded. “Positive. I mean come on? Who rebuilt you? From scratch I might add.”

“But Bonnie knows all of my systems inside and out, and if something you were unaware of...”

“KITT!”

Kitt fell silent. Slowly the trunk shut. It made an ever so quiet clicking noise. “I'm sorry.”

“Forget it. I know this is tough, but you are going to get through this. You hear me?”

“Yes.”

“Besides, just think of how surprised Michael will be when he can see you can convert into the top down, chick magnet he's come to know you as?”

“I honestly doubt any female would be attracted to me like this.” Kitt grumbled, a touch of misery creeping in.

“You sure? Cuz' Bonnie had to be practically removed by force this morning.”

“I don't think she classifies as a 'chick', RC.”

RC chuckled. “Probably not.” There was a long moment where RC seemed to be deep in thought. After a moment, he glanced down at the voice box. “I'll make you a deal, Kitt, you get your doors to open, and your top to pop, and I'll give you a wash and wax.”

Kitt considered the proposal. It had been almost two months since he had been cleaned up. The realization suddenly made him feel almost grimy, despite the fact that he wasn't as filthy as he would have gotten on the road. “Will you vacuum my seats?” He asked, hopefully.

“Sure, I'll even wash the inside of your windows.”

Kitt thought about it for a little while longer. “All right, it's a deal.”

RC grinned and glanced at the door. “Shake on it?”

Kitt popped the door open and RC grabbed the handle. Kitt pulled the door back and forth before shutting it. “That makes it final.”

RC laughed. “It sure does.”

~*~

Two figures emerged from the limo and hurried to open their umbrellas. The taller one leaned back down to see into the limo's cabin.

“Thanks Hank, don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up.”

“Called a cab?”

The two men laughed as the tall figure shut the door. As the limo drove off, the two figures stepped around puddles and made their way to the door. Once reaching the overhang above the entrance, the two shut the umbrellas.

A quick, yet violent, flash of lightning illuminated their worry lined faces. The shorter figure fumbled with the umbrella for a moment before growling with frustration.

“Here, Bonnie, let me get it.”

Turning, she handed the now soaked umbrella to her companion. “Thanks Michael.”

He nodded and opened the door for her. “After we say hi to Kitt, you want to go get some coffee?”

She shook her head, causing her damp hair to send water here and there. “I just want to go to bed.”

“OK.” He peeled off his coat and hung it up. Before she could protest, he took her coat as well and hung it for her. After that they made their way down towards the 'E-room'. Just before the got to the door RC stepped out, grinning.

“Hey, how did every thing go?”

Michael sighed. Bonnie just glanced at the ground.

RC's face fell. “What? What is it?”

For a moment neither spoke. Finally Michael looked up. “The engine is going to be done on time. But there are questions about how we operate.”

“Operate?” RC asked.

Bonnie nodded. “Removing the old engine and replacing it with the new one seems simple enough, if you were to follow the blueprints of the old engine. But they didn't. They added things to the design and now there might not be enough room in the chassis for everything.”

RC nodded. “And that’s bad...”

“Very.” Michael said gruffly. “We could be looking at days of work that may or may not be beneficial to Kitt.”

“I'll have to nearly completely redesign how Kitt's internal systems are arranged before I can even put the new engine in.”

“We have a month left, right?” RC asked. “We can make it in time.”

“We can try, but after I finalize my plans we can't change them.” Bonnie replied. “And the board is pushing us to hurry. We have a lot of backed up cases.”

“We'll go at the pace we decide.” Michael said firmly. “If the board has a problem with that they’ll have to talk to me.”

Bonnie smiled ever so slightly. “Thanks.”

Michael nodded, once, looking stern.

“Well...” RC said slowly, “Why don't you two come and say hi to Kitt. He's been missing both of you real bad today.”

Bonnie glanced up at Michael, worry still in her eyes.

“He'll be all right.” Michael said, answering her unasked question. “He's a big boy, he can handle the news.”

She nodded and took his hand. “Thanks, you have been more than helpful today.”

~*~

Kitt spotted RC rushing down the steps and over to him. “Get ready, Kitt!”

Kitt waited... waited... and spotted Michael and Bonnie. As soon as the looked at him they smiled.

“Kitt...” Michael said a little surprised sounding, “Your clean.”

“That’s not all, watch!” Kitt tossed both doors open and rolled down the windows. Then he opened the trunk. He closed the trunk and, with a triumphant “Tada!” he opened the top. There was no grinding and no resistance. All was smooth and clean.

Michael grinned and Bonnie clapped.

“Bravo, pal.” Michael said. “I'm glad you got all the problems worked out.”

“The word ‘out’ is right, Michael.” Kitt said quickly. “RC and I had to run four tests on the trunk system alone before we even found the...”

“Kitt.” Michael interrupted.

Kitt stopped talking and waited. “What?” His tone remained at the same excited level it had been.

“There is something you need to hear.”

Kitt closed the doors. “What?” He asked again, his tone shifting to worry.

Bonnie cleared her throat. “There is a problem with the new engine.”

Both her and Michael waited for Kitt to respond. They had agreed to do this slowly, let it all sink in one bit of information at a time. Let him ask all the questions he needed to. Let him panic... but they had to stay calm.

“Problem?” He finally asked. Hs voice had sunk back to the timid tone he had shown hours before.

“It's larger than your old engine.” Michael added the next part of the news quietly.

“How much bigger?”

“Approximately one quarter.” Bonnie replied.

Kitt sat, calculating. “That's too big.” He finally said, fear creeping into his now quiet voice.

“It's too big to fit as you are, Kitt. But I think I can rearrange your internal components just enough to allow everything to fit together.” Bonnie spoke slowly, letting him take in every word.

It took a moment for Kitt to respond again, but when he did it was with near terror. “Bonnie, what if another cylinder ruptures? With everything packed so tightly together I'll be torn to shreds!”

“No you won't, Kitt.” Michael said calmly. “The labs have tested and retested the metal making up your old engine. Five years ago the metal met all the standards, and to some extent, surpassed them. Every test that could be performed on the metal was performed. But now, we have new tests.”

“And?”

“And your old engine had micro flaws in it. Flaws that the new one doesn't have. Everything will be fine.” Michael's voice was slow and almost soothing.

Kitt, however, was now beyond the point where he could be soothed. “That doesn't mean anything! Something else could go wrong, something just as bad! Or worse!”

“Yes, Kitt. Something bad could go wrong. But that's just a part of life.” Bonnie replied. “Just going outside is full of risks.”

“She's right.” Michael said. “Life is risky. But trust us, Kitt; everything we could do to make the new engine safe has been done. That's partly why it's so big. It was built with fail-safes. If any structural damage is going to occur then it will be in designated weak points. They will be easy to repair.”

“Will that hurt?” Kitt managed.

“No.” Bonnie replied. “At least not like it has been. It will be unpleasant, but it won't hurt. Basically you won't be able to move. The semi will pick you up and you can be on the road again with in the hour.”

Kitt sat in silence for a while, trying to digest all the new information. “What else will this new engine be able to do?”

“It's stronger. It can take a third more load then the one you currently have.” Michael replied.

Kitt didn't reply.

“You can drag the semi uphill.” Bonnie said.

“With you in the back.” Michael added.

“That would be impossible to do, Michel.” Kitt said, not amused.

Bonnie looked down for a moment. “Kitt.” She said gently. Then she brought her head back up. “I know this isn't good news right now. But after I install the new engine you'll not only feel better but you'll be a lot stronger than you have ever been. You'll even be able to go faster.”

“Faster?”

She nodded. “You can hit two-fifty easy now, with the new engine you'll be able to hit three hundred with out a problem.”

“I'd like that.” He admitted. “But is all the improvement worth the risk?”

Now it was Bonnie and Michael's turn to be silent. Finally Michael spoke up.

“They changed the plans without consulting us, Kitt, and we don’t have the funds to start over.”

“Or the time.” Bonnie added, ever so quietly.

“So this is it?” Kitt asked.

Bonnie nodded. “Don't worry, Kitt. Everything will go fine. “We'll extend your nose if we have to, to make this fit.”

“But I like the way I look now.” He protested.

“I know, partner.” Michael sighed. “I like the way you look too. But looks aren’t everything.”

Kitt was quiet for a long time. Finally he spoke. “Nothing can ever escape complication, can it?” He sounded defeated and beaten. “Why can't this just be over with? I hate this!”

“So do I, Kitt.” Michael said quietly. “So do I.”

“We all do.” RC said.

Bonnie simply hung her head and nodded.

~*~

The morning did not clear the sky of clouds, or drive away the rain. Instead it just shed light on the problems from the night before.

Bonnie was already up and reviewing her past work. To Kitt's surprise, she had his manual open on the table and she was making notes. Even more surprising was the fact that Michael was next to her, asking questions and making suggestions.

Both humans were beyond worried looking.

“What if we tried to re-box all of his CPU components?” Michael was asking.

Bonnie shook her head. “If we pack the CPU any tighter it won't stay cool enough. I suppose if we added a cooling system we could try, but with all the action you two see, I think it would be to risky.”

“What if we made a CPU case that had the MB shell? We could pack it in to the dash. I know that there is more room in the dash we haven't utilized.”

She nodded. “I can try. But that may take too long. It's not just a matter of moving things, it's redesigning how they work together in such a close space.”

“Is there anyway we can create a system wide cooling system?” Michael asked, slightly frustrated.

Bonnie thought for a while. “I'll have to call some people. They will know better than I will. But... I think it's possible.”

“Good.” Michael said with a nod. “What about reducing the size of other things?”

“Like what?”

“Like the scanner, or maybe even getting rid of functions Kitt and I never use.”

She nodded slowly. “I'll have to go over the logs to see what I can cut.”

“Great.” He smiled a little. “Hey, I'm starving. I'm going to run over to Joe's. Want anything?”

She thought again. “I'd like a plate of hot cakes.”

“OK, I'll be back in a minute.”

Kitt watched as Michael grabbed his coat and headed for the door. Bonnie sighed, and rubbed her neck before going back to her work.

Kitt waited until Michael was out of scanner range before speaking. “Bonnie?”

Her head jerked up and she forced a smile. “Morning, how long have you been awake?”

“Not long.” Kitt replied. “Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“When you put the new engine in, will you have to take any of my functions away?”

Bonnie looked at him for a minute. Her smile faded and finally she sighed. She turned back to her notes. “I don't know, Kitt.”

“Because I like having everything, even if I don't use it.”

“We may have to make some sacrifices.”

“You don't use everything you have.” Kitt argued. “But you wouldn't want to be altered in anyway.”

“Kitt.” She said sharply, turning again to him. “If I had a choice between death and sacrifice then I'd choose to sacrifice.” She expected Kitt to say something now, to snap back, but he didn't. After a moment, Bonnie sat up straighter. “Kitt?” Nothing. She shifted in her seat and turned towards him. “Kitt? Come on, say something.”

“I... I won't really die.” Kitt asked quietly. “Will I?”

~*~

Michael entered the hall and instantly became aware of someone crying. Setting the two bags of food down, he rushed to see what was the matter. When he turned the corner he spotted Devon trying to console Bonnie.

“What happened?”

Devon looked up, clearly distraught. “I'm not sure.”

Michael rushed past both of them and in to the 'E-room'. “Kitt?”

Kitt's scanner seemed to skip a square. “Michael?”

“What happened? Are you all right?”

Kitt hesitated. “Apparently not.”

“What do you mean by that?” Michael asked.

“When I asked Bonnie if I was going to die she wouldn't answer me.”

Michael took a deep breath and ran his hands through his hair. After a moment he walked over to Kitt and got in. “Look, Kitt, it's true that there are a lot of things stacked against you. But you are not going to die. You are going to get through this, no matter what happens. You hear me?”

Kitt didn't reply. All Michael had now was words. Bonnie was the one who had the ability... or lack there of... to get him through this. No matter how much Kitt wished or hoped for a good outcome, it all came down to whether or not the parts worked.

“Kitt, you listening to me?”

“Yes, Michael.” His voice was so quiet, Michael nearly missed it.

“Right now Bonnie is under a lot of stress. I don't think her crying means you'll die, pal, just that she's... well, she's afraid.”

“Afraid of what?”

“Afraid of failing.” Michael replied. “But don't worry. She has never failed us before. I know she won't allow herself to fail this time. I'm sure of it.”

Kitt felt no such conviction. Even with Michael with him, in him, he felt alone. Through the thin walls of wood and sheetrock, he could see Bonnie still. She too, seemed lost.

Lost and drifting... Unsure about the outcome of the decided future.

And it was terrifying.