Meandering in Minefields

Disclaimer: I don't own Knight Rider or any of the characters. They belong to Universal.

Title: Meandering in Minefields
Author: knightshade
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: Graphic sexual situations (m/f) and some swearing.
Summary: Sequel to Disintegrate. Michael, Bonnie, and Kitt work through the past.

Thanks yous:

Thanks to Darknight for explaining how to get fish in and out of a livewell. :-)
Thanks to Scott Kirkessner for answering various KR2K questions.
Thanks to Tomy for beta reading, putting up with my whining, and being an inspiration and friend.

Author's Note: Meandering takes place before the last scene in Disintegrate. It's the story of how they got there.

Meandering in Minefields


Please, I know it's hard to believe,
To see a perfect forest,
Through so many splintered trees.
You and me,
And these shadows keep on changing.

Poe - Haunted


Let me love you true.
Let me rescue you.
Let me bring you to,
Where two roads meet.

U2 - Ground Beneath Her Feet (words by Salman Rushdie)


Prologue

He liked it when they both slept. Not that he didn't like their company or the careful conversation that had been flowing more and more freely as they drove, but something about sleeping humans had always fascinated Kitt. Back in the earlier days, he had spent hours watching Michael sleep in the driver's seat. There was something so unguarded about the process. Over the years, Kitt had concluded that sleep was the only state in which humans were truly open and comply hoy honest.

Kitt had many trivial tasks to attend to while his passengers slept. He had plotted the smoothest course along the road ahead so his friends wouldn't be jarred awake by rough gravel or buckles in the road. He was keeping track of numerous animals that were currently wandering close to the road where they could dart out into his path. He was carefully adjusting his cabin temperature to balance the slight climatic changes that were occurring as the black asphalt lost the heat it had acquired during the day. These tasks, and many others, too insignificant to mention, were not enough to keep him from noticing Michael's hand as it slipped off the gearshift.

He doubted if his human friends knew just how many insignificant oddities he noticed while they slept. He could tell when Michael was disturbed or upset because he slowly ground his teeth together or slept with his foot bouncing. He knew before Michael did when he was having a nightmare. If Kitt wanted to, he could warn Michael's lovers that he sometimes snored in his sleep.

Kitt wasn't as familiar with Bonnie, although she had fallen asleep in him from time to time, after working late. He watched her sleeping now, taking note of the little twitches in the muscles around her eyes. She was entering REM sleep, where humans dream. Kitt regarded her intently for a few minutes, looking for any outward sign of what was playing in her mind's theater. There wasn't much of an indication - there never really was, unless his friends started talking or crying out in their sleep. Michael had done that frequently in the early days of their partnership, after his run in with Tanya Walker. But that trauma had apparently dimmed with time, and Michael had become a more restful sleeper.

Kitt was fascinated by dreams, probably because he didn't have them - in either sense of the word. There was no process by which he could let some subconscious and autonomous part of his processor take over and make up narratives for him. And he was, in a way, thankful for that. He imagined the process would be very disconcerting. He also didn't dream in the sense of having aspirations or goals for his future. Or at least he hadn't. In the old days, he had been happy just to be who he was - Michael's partner and a part of Wilton's dream. He had been lucky enough to be surrounded by people who cared for him and respected h At At that time there was little he wanted, and nothing different that he hoped would happen someday, the way that humans hoped for things in their future.

But then the people he cared for left. He had been deactivated. Only then did he discover that he did dream -- only he wasn't sure that it really qualified. Dreams were supposed to be forward looking, but he just wanted his future to be like his past had been. He wanted his life back.

Kitt studied the two people who were sleeping in his cabin. Maybe it wasn't as far out of reach as he had thought.

Chapter 1

The rolling farmland of New York turned to a blur and ran past the windows as Kitt pushed the car well above the hundred mile per hour mark. They were being careful when they came to congested areas, but in northwestern New York State on a Sunday morning, they were able to fly most of the way without endangering others.

Bonnie squinted at Michael out of the corner of her eyes and seemed to swallow a small chuckle. When she didn't say anything, Michael decided to play along and hauled out his best indignant voice. "What?"

"A 57 Chevy, huh?" she said, smiling warmly. Michael was glad that she was smiling so much. He had been worried that this trip might not go well, but so far they had all been getting along. And despite his initial fear that talking about the circumstances of Kitt's reactivation would upset him, both he and Bonnie seemed amused by the story.

"I had to put him somewhere. It wasn't my first choice," Michael answered.

"Nor mine. It was so embarrassing, Bonnie."

"I don't know, Kitt, it's a beautiful car and very unique. I would think you'd like it," she said, clearly egging him on.

"You forgot musty, ancient, and boxy," Kitt groused.

"You had to bring it up again, didn't you?" Michael rested his head back against the seat and stretched out his legs, carefully avoiding the pedals.

"Sorry." She still had a bit of Cheshire cat grin. "I'm just having trouble picturing it. And when I try, well, let's just say it's a goofy mental picture."

"When we get to my cabin, you can see the body itself. That might help."

She nodded and Michael was waiting for another complaint from Kitt, but he didn't get one.

"So while we're on the topic of what we're going to do, besides my cabin, where else do we want to go?"

"I was kind of thinking it would be nice to go somewhere more scenic. I've been spending most of my time in Boston. I kind of miss wide-open spaces and mountains."

"Fair enough. Where?"

"We've never been to Glacier National Park," Kitt suggested. Over the years he and Michael had learned that driving through a park on the way back to the Foundation was sometimes the closest they got to having an actual vacation. At one time they had talked about trying to visit them all. "And it is on the way."

"Sounds good to me," Michael said and looked to Bonnie who nodded in agreement. "There is one little problem, though. We may have to cut this vacation short if Maddock insists on getting Kitt back."

"Maddock will just have to wait." Kitt said, petulantly.

"Sooner or later he's going to put his foot down," Michael warned.

"And then I can run it over."

"Kitt?" Bonnie looked surprised by his obviously idle threat.

"I'm sorry Bonnie, but he's a very unsavory human being. And I use the term 'human' loosely."

"He can't be that bad," Bonnie said looking back and forth between Kitt's dash and Michael's face.

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Kitt on this one," Michael said. "You're going ate ate Maddock. He's an ass."

She shook her head. "After a build up like this, I don't think he could possibly live up to my expectations."

"He excels at what he does," Kitt said snidely.

"We'll see, if and when, you meet him. Maddock is very skilled at ticking people off."

"I believe it's unrivaled," Kitt added. He didn't feel guilty grousing about Maddock. The man was responsible for selling his parts to the highest bidder. And while Michael had been at his cabin for the last month, Maddock had been eyeing Kitt greedily. It was obvious that he was biding his time until he could have Kitt pulled from the car and KIFT reintegrated. Kitt figured he didn't owe that man anything.

* * *

They had been driving several hours when Kitt pulled into a gas station along the highway.

"Even though I'm fuel efficient, it would be nice to be more so," he said as Michael got out to pump the gas.

"Did anything ever come of the fuel cell project?" Bonnie asked, remembering an attempt they made to wean him off gas entirely. She stepped out of the car and leaned against the open door.

"I'm afraid not. They ran into trouble with size and weight and were never quite able to make it practical. Then it was shut down at the same time . . ."

Kitt stopped, but Bonnie knew what he was going to say. It was shut down at the same time he was. She sighed nervously, feeling guilty about all that he had been through while she'd been away. "It is a shame that they never came up with anything workable though."

"I agree," Kitt said.

Their conversation ended there, awkwardly, and Bonnie slowly closed the passenger door. She wandered into the little convenience store and then paced up and down the aisles. She didn't know what she was looking for, but whatever it was, she wasn't finding it. Michael came in to pay for the gas and joined her in the aisles. "Hungry?" he asked.

"Not really. I thought I wanted something, but I don't know what. I guess I just wanted to move a little," she said.

Michael put a hand on her shoulder, in that old familiar way. Bonnie couldn't suppress her smile - it was so nice to see him again.

"I know just what you need," he said, guiding her toward a different row. "Snowballs," he said gesturing to the rack of junk food. "Perfectly light and airy for that not quite hungry feeling."

Bonnie looked up and rolled her eyes, grateful to have an excuse to let her smile escape completely. "I think I'll pass on eating anything that's fluorescent pink and spongy."

"You don't know what you're missing," he said as they bypassed the snack aisle and approached the counter to pay for the gas.

* * *

"Michael, Maddock is calling. He insists on talking to you," Kitt said as the tone chimed from his dash. They had made good time for most of the day and had crossed into Ohio in the late afternoon.

Michael shook his head. "Let me guess, he wants you back?"

"No, I imagine he wants the Knight 4000 back."

Michael shook his head at the distinction and realized it was probably accurate. Maddock still didn't have much respect for Kitt and tended to see him as a piece of property. Michael felt guilty about the situation he had left his former partner in during the last month.

"I don't suppose you can stall him?"

"I have been."

"Put him through," Michael said, resignation slipping into his voice.

The main video monitor in Kitt's dash leapt to life and there sre sitting face to face with Russell Maddock. He was holding a stack of papers in his hand and deep angry lines were furrowed into his forehead.

"I have spent the last . . ." Maddock started and then stopped comically when he caught sight of Bonnie. He frowned even further and turned his attention back to Michael. "If you borrowed a $10 million car to pick up women, so help me, you will never set foot inside it again."

Michsighsighed. "While picking up women with hot cars is a time-honored tradition, this isn't one of those times. Russell Maddock, meet Dr. Bonnie Barstow, one of Kitt's developers and his chief technician in the 80s."

"Ah." It was a sharp, choked-off sound. "Lovely to meet you. Michael, we need to talk."

It was clear to Bonnie that Maddock didn't expect her to respond in kind to the introduction. He was obviously all business.

"I'm listening."

Maddock looked down at the top paper on his stack. "Identifying and Effectively Countering Terrorists." He pulled a page off the top of the ream and crisply set it on the desk next to him. "Negotiating in Hostage Situations. Effective Crowd Management." With each pronouncement, Maddock snapped another sheet to the side. "High Speed Driving in Urban Congestion." Maddock stopped and looked up at Michael like he expected an explanation.

"Ahh, sorry, you lost me."

"These are all the courses that Shawn is rred red to complete before we can continue in our role as the city's freelance department. Apparently, someone informed Commissioner Daniels that the freelance departments in Chicago, Minneapolis, and Detroit are requiring these kinds of advanced courses for their agents. We won't be allowed to work on cases for at least a month."

Michael had to work to suppress his grin. "I have no idea how that happened. It wasn't me," he said honestly.

Russ bobbed his head.And And the fact that it happens to free up Kitt for your little . . . excursion, has nothing to do with it?"

"No. I haven't had any contact with Daniels. I swear," he said, ignoring Maddock's scornful frown.

"If I find out you're lying, there will be consequences. And I want that car back sooner, ra tha than later."

"You got it," Michael said, figuring it was better to just agree - he hadn't said sooner than what.

Maddock gave them one last scowl and the video screen went dark.

"See - ass." Michael said.

Bonnie opened her mouth like she was going to say something and then just shook her head. "I'm going to have to withhold judgment for the time being. Granted, not a very good first impression, but he might, maybe, be okay."

Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, he seems like an ass."

"You catch on quickly."

* * *

Michael emergrom rom his hotel room with his hair still wet from the shower. They had stopped at a little town in Indiana, along I-90. There was a cute little motel with an old-fashioned diner that caught Michael's attention. He had wanted to clean up a little before dinner, and Bonnie hadn't objected. He guessed she was probably taking a short nap.

Michael wandered over to Kitt and sat sideways in the driver's seat, leaving the door open and not bothering to swing his legs inside. It was a nice day out and he wanted to enjoy the warm air and the sunset while he waited for Bonnie.

"So, any idea how Shawn got volunteered for Remedial Police School?" Michael asked, pushing the seat back to get comfortable.

"I may have an idea," Kitt said.

Michael looked down at him suspiciously. "Was it you?"

"Well, put plainly, yes."

Michael tilted his head. "I appreciate it, but you didn't have to do that. We would have stalled him somehow."

There was a long pause. "I simply felt it was a convenient way of getting him off our backs. It also has some redeeming value in that if I have to work with Shawn, it would be nice if she were a little more competent."

"Are you really that unhappy having Shawn as a partner?" Michael asked. This was something that Kitt hadn't mentioned before.

"It isn't that so much; it's more the Foundation in general."

"Why what's going on?"

"It's nothing new, Michael. There just isn't any more for me there than there is for you. True, I have a new partner and the Foundation is making a name for itself again, or at least trying to. But it's fueled more by Maddock's ambition and drive for power than any genuine altruism or desire to help the powerless. Maddock thinks he is the powerless, or at least not powerful enough. And he would do anything to change that. It's vapid these days. I have a job to do, but it's no longer a calling."

"You have to give them time, Kitt. Maddock might never get to a point where he's even likable, but rinow now he's obviously under a lot of pressure. And Shawn is still new to all this."

"Shawn is not you, Michael. She admitted she came to FLAG because there was nothing else for her in Seattle. She doesn't even like people, much less want to help them.""Ki"Kitt, I started my life with the Foundation on a revenge fantasy, remember? Shawn may not be Ms. Personable, but she doesn't like injustice and maybe her hardnosed stubbornness will serve her well in stopping it. Even if she doesn't care that much about the people involved, she can still help."

"How can you say that?" Kitt asked, angrily. "The Foundation was always about helping people first."

"I'm just saying that Shawn doesn't have to be a pe pee person to help them. She did want to be a cop, remember?"

Kitt sighed. "You really don't understand. Michael, the Foundation has lost its heart, for lack of a better word. And I am not confident that anyone there now can be that consciousness or core. If you came back . . ."

"Kitt," Michael cut in, "I'm not coming back."

"But you agreed to help us when necessary, why not on a more permanent basis?"

"For the same reasons why I left. I'm not that person anymore."

"Only because you don't want to be. You have a choice. I don't. And you left me in this situation."

"Kitt, you were fine with this set up a month ago, why is this a problem now?"

"Because, Michael, I went into this with an open mind, but I can see that things are not getting better. I hate the way the Foundation is turning into Maddock's stepping stone to somewhere more important. I said I've forgiven you for leaving ten years ago, and I have, but now you've left again. And the situation is just as bad. You're the only one who can bring the real Foundation back."

Michael tipped his head against the seat. Why couldn't he ever escape from the bonds of his former life? Even hiding away on a lake, he was assaulted by all he owed people and all that his life had been. But maybe that was just the way of families - always pulling you back and reminding you who you were.

"Kitt, I can't come back. But I will promio doo do what I can to help. Maddock still has me on contract to provide support when necessary, and I promise if he calls, I'll come. I promise that if you think things are out of their hands, I'll help. And I'll do what I can to try to remind them of what the Foundation was, but that can only be on a part-time basis. I can't come back full time, and Maddock wouldn't hear of it anyway."

Kitt remained stoically silent.

"And in a way, I think you're selling yourself short. I think you're fully capable of reminding Russ and Shawn what the Foundation is supposed to be about. You can be the Foundation's heart. You don't need me for that." Michael waited a beat. "I know that might sound like a cop out on my part. I'm sorry, maybe it is, but I also think it would be good for you to come out of the shadows and into your own. You're the member of the Foundation with the most field experience. Maybe you should start using that to your advantage."

Kitt didn't answer and Michael decided to let him think it over. But there was one more thing he wanted to make clear as he stood up and prepared to go back to his room. "Kitt, I want you to understand that I'm leaving the Foundation, not you. You're always welcomed to come visit me or ask for my help. But the one thing I can't do for you is come back. Anything else, you've got it. I've missed you."

Michael watched, torn, as Kitt backed up and peeled out of the parking lot without another word.

* * *

After speeding down the road for several miles at top speed, Kitt was feeling a little more at peace. He had left the parking lot in order to stop himself from saying something spiteful to Michael that he might regret. But he had been driving in turmoil ever since. He had found an old dirt road that wove in and out of the trees, around the rolling hills, and past several small lakes. It was just what he needed. Kitt had forgotten how much fun it was to push his systems to their limit.

He approached a sharp bend in the road and intentionally hit it with too much speed. He felt his tires leave the rough gravel surface of the road and swing out away from him. He knew he was still in control. He could break the slide if he wanted to and he wasn't doing anything that would actually cause damage. There were no humans for miles, so he was free to be a bit irrational and reckless. And he loved it.

A hill loomed and Kitt accelerated hard as he climbed the sharp incline. Then he gunned it again just as he reached the top and vaulted himself over the crest, without the help of turbo boost. His tires left the road and he was briefly airborne.

Why were humans, and particularly Michael, so damn infuriating? he wondered. How could Michael on one hand reject everything about his former life and at the same time, tell him he could always ask for help? How could he separate Kitt from the Foundation and say that he was leaving one and not the other? How could he hear that the Foundation was floundering desperately and still walk away? It was completely irresponsible.

Kitt took another small, sharp hill. This time as he reached the crest, he activated turbo boost and sailed over the top of it, leaping hundreds of feet in the air before he crunched back to the gravel road. Kitt fishtailed and lurched, before he pulled the car back under his control. It was exhilarating to give himself up to the forces of physics: acceleration and gravity, momentum and inertia. Forces he understood, even though he had no direct control over them. At least he could predict and calculate their effects and react accordingly. They were much more reasonable and comprehensible than human emotions.

Why did Michael seem to think it was fair to just reactivate him and desert him in that cesspool of Maddoc mak making? Michael had a choice; Kitt needed maintenance, attention, and money to keep operating. Michael was free and he wasn't. It wasn't fair, or right, and he deserved better.

Kitt's scanners spotted a dead tree lying in the road up ahead. From the scorch mark that started at its base and ran through the larger branches, he determined that it must have been a victim of a lightning strike.

Kitt sped toward the tree, his nose lowering in the air stream. He was well over a hundred miles per hour when he barreled into it, sending dead leaves and splintered wood everywhere. Some of the debris caught in his scanner bay and there was one leaf flattened against the forward curve of his left side mirror.

But could it be that Michael had a point? Maybe Kitt had been hoping that Michael would come riding in and save the day, solving everything simply by being there. He had to admit that it probably wasn't that easy and he might be expecting a bit too much from his friend. Maybe he was selling himself short in assuming that Michael could make things better and he couldn't, simply because Michael was human. If Maddock was being a power hungry ass, maybe Kitt could be the one to remind him of what his real duty was. As Michael had pointed out, he was the reigning elder.

Kitt reached a bridge, and instead of crossing it, like any other car, he activated turbo boost again and lofted over it. Despite this car's awful color, it was more powerful than the Trans Am, which was a wonderful feeling.

Michael probably had valid points, but that still didn't get him off the hook for everything. Kitt wanted to be angry with Michael, but he wasn't sure he had reasons that were any er ter than Michael's. He tried to determine what he felt most angry about. It wasn't an easy question, but Kitt was better at being honest with himself than most humans. He decided that what really bothered him was that he had assumed that Michael would want to come back -- for him if for no other reason.

* * *

Michael had moved one of his chairs out onto the walkway in front of his motel room. He was leaning back in it with his eyes closed when he heard Bonnie's door open. She glanced at him and then Kitt's empty parking space, confused. Michael rose and slung his chair into his room, letting the door close behind it. "He left."

The confusion didn't leave her face.

"Okay, we had a little discussion. It didn't go so well. Then he left."

Michael wasn't surprised to see the old protective streak of hers spark to life. "What did you say to him, Michael?"

"We were just talking."

"Well obviously you said something." Her hands planted themselves at her hips. "He's been through a lot you know."

"I know that," Michael said, seriously, walking the fine line between wanting to work things out with Kitt himself and not wanting to make her angry. "Look, Bonnie, there is still a lot going on between us and we still have to work it all out. That's not always going to go smoothly, but I'm not trying to upset him intentionally."

She looked like she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. "Okay. I'm sorry. I just don't like to see him upset."

"Me either," he said sincerely. "What do you say we head over to the restaurant and get some dinner? Hopefully, he'll be back before we're finished."

She smiled weakly. "Okay."

* * *

The diner was dusty and old. One of the vinyl seats in the booth they were led to was ripped in two places and the white stuffing was pushing out of the angry gashes. Bonnie paused to wipe away the crumbs of someone else's meal before she sat down on the slick surface.

Michael loved these kinds of places. In his time on the road he had found himself searching for the neighborhood greasy spoon more often than the local chain restaurant. He had developed an appreciation for the oddities in places, not the similarities that most people found comforting.

After perusing the slightly sticky menus, they each picked out sandwiches and the waitress, absentmindedly twirling a piece of her hair, took their order and left.

Michael stretched his hands out in front of him, drumming them against the flecked Formica.

Bonnie looked down at his hands, and spoke to the solid bones in his wrists and fingers. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for not keeping in touch. I don't know why I didn't just call or email you."

"It's okay," Michael said, wondering why she hadn't. "I could have called or emailed too."

Bonnie smiled, tentatively. "But you didn't know where I was."

"I could have found you if I had wanted to. I'd be a pretty bad private investigator if I couldn't even find you in Boston."

"Well, I certainly could have made it easier."

"True." Michael paused, not sure if he really wanted to ask his next question. "Why didn't you?"

"I don't know. At first I didn't want to, and then, maybe it just didn't seem appropriate or something. I guess I was afraid that I'd call you and there would be nothing to say."
haelhael nodded. "I would have liked to have heard from you."

She slowly lifted her gaze and put a hand on top of his. "I'm sorry. I I s I should have called. I'm glad you finally looked me up though."

"I just wish I had done it under better circumstances."

Bonnie shrugged and looked out the window to where Kitt had been parked. The waitress came back and plopped two platters in front of them. Michael's plate hit hard and sent a clatter over the din of the restaurant.

"Sorry about that," the waitress said, setting down a bottle of ketchup with greasy oval fingerprints on the side. "You need anything else?"

They both nodded 'no' and she returned to the kitchen, disappearing through a swinging door that fluttering long after she was gone.

Michael grabbed the ketchup off the table, and as he pounded the side of it, casually added, "There's somewhere else I'd like to stop while we're on our little road trip."

"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Bonnie asked as she forked a limpid French fry and examined it suspiciously.

"I'd like to go to Los Angeles. To see Devon's grave."

Bonnie's fork hand dropped a little and after a brief pause, she set the utensil down completely. "I'd rather not," she said, quietly but firmly.

Michael tried to hide his disappointment. He was hoping it would be helpful to add a little closure and he had been meaning to get back to Devon's gravesite. He didn't want it to go untended. "It's a little out of the way, but it might be nice, just to say goodbye."

"You're welcomed to do what you want, but I have no interest in going to his grave."

Michael made eye contact and she turned away from him. This night was definitely not going his way. Bonnie picked up her sandwich and began eating in earnest, but Michael got the impression she wasn't tasting much of it.

* * *

When Kitt finally arrived back at the hotel, it was well past dark and there was a figure leaning back in a chair in the shadows. When his headlights swung around, they caught Michael staring straight back at him, a mug of coffee in his hand. He wasn't entirely up to dealing with Michael at the moment, but it looked like he didn't have much of a choice.

Kitt pulled into his parking space and took a moment to organize his thoughts. "Michael, I've had some time to think about what you said. I don't want to go into it all right now - there are still some things I want to think through - but I understand some of what you're saying. Maybe I do rely on you to solve too many things for me. Perhaps you're right in suggesting that I try to change things myself before I ask you to step in."

Michael nodded and stood, stretching as he walked over to the car. He stopped and patted the hood. "Thanks."

"But I still don't like the way you've abandoned the Foundation. I do believe that you have a responlitylity to it. And to me. It's upsetting that you don't want to come back because I want you back."

"I'm sorry, Kitt. I know. And I don't deserve your loyalty."

"'Deserving' has nothing to do with it, Michael. You're my friend, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with all your choices."

Michael nodded. "We can talk about it more later. Right now I'm pretty tired, but I'm glad you're back. Good night."

"Good night," Kitt answered.

* * *

Since leaving the motel a couple of hours ago, Bonnie had been posing statue-like, gazing out the passenger window at the scenery around them. Michael had become accustomed to the silence so he was mildly surprised when she turned away from the view and asked, "Don't you get bored fishing?"

"No. How could anyone get tired of fishing?" Michael asked like it was the most natural thing in the world. "You get to spend your days out on a lake, communing with nature, enjoying sport, basking in the light of day . . . "

"Sleeping," Kitt added with a smirk in his voice.

"I only sleep some of the time," Michael said, turning back to Bonnie. "Why do you ask?"

"I just noticed a sign for a fish hatchery back there so I was thinking about it."

"Where?" Michael asked, craning around to look behind them.

"We just past it. Why? Don't tell me you want to stop."

"Of course I want to stop," he said, enjoying the expression on her face as it tilted back and forth between horror and disbelief.

"You're serious?" she asked.

"Yes. This is how I make my living now, remember."

"Not that you earn any money doing it," Kitt said.
We uWe used to be friends." Michael faked a glare at the dashboard.

"I'm voting with Bonnie. No fish hatchery stops. You see enough fish at home."

"Fine," Michael said. He didn't really want to see the hatchery -- he just enjoyed the banter. "Since my new profession has been the butt of all the jokes lately, what about you, Bonnie? What have you been doing all this time?"

toldtold you, consulting," she answered matter-of-factly.

"I know, but what does that mean?"

"It means I work temporary jobs for whatever companies need help. I've written software for an airline and a couple of large insurance companies. I help out on short-term projects or projects where the company's own employees have gotten in over their heads. You might say I'm a hired gun."

"You aren't doing research anymore?" Kitt asked.

"No."

"What kind of software are you writing?" Kitt continued. Michael could hear the concern in his voice.

"It depends on the project. I updated the software that the airline used to track and schedule their planes. That kind of thing."

"But Bonnie, you have a PhD," Kitt said as Michael realized where he was going with his questions.

"So? That makes it easier to get hired by these firms. They're looking for experts."

Kitt paused and Michael thought maybe he was going to let it drop.

"I hope you don't take this the wrong way, but it seems like you're wasting your talents."

"I'm not wasting them. I'm still working in the industry," she said, a bit defensively.

"But it isn't cutting edge research anymore."

Bonnie didn't answer, but Michael had a feeling he understood where she was coming from. It was temporary work. She didn't have to form any loyalties. He understood that.

"It's easier that way isn't it?" he asked.

She looked at him darkly. "What do you mean?"

"You don't have to put so much of yourself into it. You don't have to be so personally invested."

"I like what I do. I like my boss. That's really all that matters," she answered and pointedly turned her head to stare out the window again.

* * *

Bonnie watched as the ghostly, unearthly colors swirled along the windshield. It was just before sunrise and the sky over the Badlands was a sea of gray and blue on the Virtual Reality Display. In low light situations, it used an infrared camera as its source, so the view tended to look solarized and decidedly unearthly. The rock formations were a deep green with darker blue and purple shadows that moved with the car's angle to the crevices. The screen was as mesmerizing as flame.

Kitt didn't need the display to drive, obviously, but he had turned it on for Bonnie's amusement when she woke up. They had decided to drive though the night this time, but it meant that she wasn't going to sleep much. Bonnie had never really gotten used leepleeping in a car. The semi was different; they usually stopped and she had a place to stretch out.

After deciding that she wasn't going to fall back to sleep, she had turned her attention to Kitt's dash and had tried to memorize the unfamiliar terrain of buttons. Even the old functions were accompanied by new colors and locations. The Kitt she knew well was long gone. She was aware that this only applied to the external features. The AI she loved was basically the same,a lia little older and having suffered a few more growing pains, but the new layout made her feel like a stranger.

Michael was slumped in the driver's seat, his head turned toward her, his mouth slack. She watched him for a moment, feeling a bit out of place, sitting beside him while he slept. For all that he had been through, he had aged well. She still felt some of those old feelings that she had tried for so long to ignore.

"Bonnie?" Kitt asked quietly, careful not to wake Michael.

"Yes?"

"Would you ever consider coming back?" he asked.

Bonnie wasn't overly keen on discussing her career with him again, but there was no point in shutting him out. She took a minute to think about it and studied Michael to be sure he was really sleeping. She was afraid that if he heard her express any interest in coming back, he'd badger her about it. She wanted to make that kind of decision on her own, not because it was what he wanted her to do. "Maybe. It's been a long time, Kitt, but the work we did, working with you and Michael, was one of the best times of my life. A part of me would love to come back."

"Only a part?"

She smiled at his insistence. "I'm not sure I'm the right person for the job. As you pointed out, I haven't exactly kept up with things and the Foundation has obviously changed. I'd need more information to make a decision like that."

"But you'd consider it?"

"Maybe. Why? Don't you like the people taking care of you now?" It was a loaded question, just as Kitt's had been. But Kitt's situation would certainly factor into any decisions she made.

"It's not that I don't like them. They don't like me."

"Why?"

"Well, technically, Michael and I stole this body. It was meant for the Knight Industries Four Thousand. We removed the AI from the car and installed me."

"What happened to the other AI?" Bonnie asked, surprised that Kitt would do something like that.

"It's been deactivated," Kitt said with a touch of guilt in his voice. "Bonnie, it wasn't meant to be a true AI from the beginning. Maddock wanted to make sure it had very little personality and what it did have was very arrogant. KIFT was not an AI that you would have cared for." "But"But you still feel guilty about causing his deactivation," Bonnie said, reading between the lines.

"Yes, but at the time I felt there was no other choice."

Bonnie nodded, but shared Kitt's unease with the situation.

"Most of the technicians seem to see me as inferior technology that destroyed their brain child."

Bonnie nodded, understanding the feeling. She wouldn't be able to work on something that had replaced Kitt, especially under those circumstances.

"It would be nice to have someone there who I could trust."

Bonnie was elated to hear him say that, but she was also concerned. "I appreciate that Kitt, but I'm not sure I'm worthy of your trust."

"Why?" It was Kitt's turn to be surprised.

"For the same reasons that you and Michael aren't as close now. I left you to fend for yourself. If I had stayed, maybe I could have fought against your deactivation. Maybe I could have figured something else out. Michael isn't the only one to blame for that."

Kitt was silent for several moments. "But you didn't know. Michael did."

That was true. She had assumed that Michael would never leave Kitt, that he would always protect him. But it still hadn't been fair to leave and lose contact. She was at fault for what had happened to him, even if more of that responsibility did lie on Michael's shoulders. "I still should have been there for you, Kitt."

"Why did you leave?"

Bonnie pursed her lips and looked down at the red voice modulator. "You know Devon and I weren't getting along," she said, marveling at how benign the tip of the iceberg sounded.

"Why?" Kitt asked again, undeterred.

"Kitt, we just weren't."

"You aren't ever going to tell me, are you?" he asked indignantly.

"I'm sorry, Kitt," she said without explaining anything.

There was another long pause and when Kitt spoke, his voice had softened. "I wish I could truly understand what happened, Bonnie, and it hurts that I can't. But I've accepted things. And I would very much like to have you back."

"Thank you, Kitt," she said, feeling relieved but worried. She wondered just how alone and fearful Kitt must be to be willing to forgive her so easily.

As the sun began to rise, Kitt switched back to the normal windshield display and darkened the windows so that Michael could keep sleeping.

* * *

Michael was glad to have somewhere to be after driving for so long. They were only planning to spend a couple of days at Glacier, but it was nice to actually stop driving for a while.

After getting settled in his room, he wandered through the lobby of the Lake McDonald Lodge and pushed through the doors to join Kitt in the parking lot. "So, what's on the agenda?" Michael asked as he leaned against the corner of the hood.

"The main route through the park is called Going-to-the-Sun Road. It's 52 miles long and crosses the Continental Divide at Logan's Pass, 6,646 feet above sea level. Sites along the way include waterfalls, glacial lakes, and several scenic overlooks."

"Sounds nice." Michael said absent-mindedly.

"You don't care do you?" Kitt replied scornfully.

"It's not that I don't care." Michael was confused at how personally Kitt seemed to take his indifference. "It's just nice, that's all. It doesn't sound adventurous or out of the ordinary, just nice I guess."

"Well, if you're looking for danger, you might consider a hike through the glaciers. You'll be happy to know that hundreds of people have died over the years in avalanches."

Michael wasn't sure if Kitt had eased up and was teasing him, or if he was being sarcastic. It was hard to tell because Kitt's overall tone had taken on a harder edge since his deactivation. Michael decided it was best to play it as though Kitt was just kidding with him. "Okay, maybe a nice safe drive is the way to go."

Michael glanced out over the lake and noticed Bonnie sitting on the pier, with her legs dangling over the side, staring at the mountains. Michael patted Kitt's hood, thinking that right now he preferred Bonnie's company, and went to join her.

Bonnie had her back to Michael as he approached, and his mischievous side couldn't resist the temptation to play a little prank. He hoped it would be like the old days -- he missed the playful side to their friendship. Michael stepped quietly onto the planks of the pier, being careful not to creak them. He slunk up behind her and suddenly grabbed her around the waist, making a feint of pushing her into the water. She was completely surprised and her hands flew up to clutch his upper arms tightly. Bonnie whipped her head around and let out a gulp of air when she realized who it was. "Jesus, I forgot what a pain you are!" she fumed as she caught her breath. Her hands relaxed slightly but didn't let go of his arms. She leaned into him slightly, while he continued to hold her suspended out over the water.

"Ah, but you love it."

"Hardly," she said, laughing. "Remind me to feed you to the bears."

Michael could feel her rapid breathing against his chest. "You wouldn't. You love me too much for that," he said.

"Don't bet on it. Kitt would probably be willing to help me find a nice hungry one."

Michael smirked as he pulled Bonnie safely back over the pier and reluctantly let her go. He moved to sit opposite of her and dangled one of his own legs over the side, leaning back to rest against a piling. "You two complain but you missed me."

Bonnie didn't reply, and gazed back out over the water, having calmed down from her fright. After a minute, she said, "It's crazy. On the drive out here, I was thinking there was nothing in Montana except hundreds of miles of straight highway through flat desert with only the occasional pickup truck to break the monotony -- thisthis place is beautiful."

Michael took a minute to admire the deep blue water surrounded by jagged snowy peaks. He could smell the chill in the sunny late summer air. The lake was fairly calm, with only a gentle splashing of waves against the pier supports. The mountains were almost perfectly reflected in the water -- diamonds of brown and white in the distance.

Michael glanced back at the large, older-style hotel behind them. It had all the Old World charm of some European villa. "You know, I could see Devon in a place like this. I can almost picture him in Earnest Hemingway style safari clothes, drinking a scotch out on the lawn."

Bonnie lifted her head and stared skyward. "Why do you do that?"

Michael glanced at her. "Do what?"

"Take a nice moment and ruin it by bringing him up?"

"I didn't know I wasn't allowed to mention his name."

She gave him an exasperated look and got up suddenly. Michael caught her arm and gently pulled her back down. "Because the guy I was supposed to catch killed him. I didn't do my job in time, and part of me feels very guilty about that," he said, earnestly. He realized that this was the first time he had admitted that out loud. "I miss him and I'm not going to pretend he didn't exist."

Bonnie shook her wrist out of Michael's light grip and crossed her arms. "I'm not ready to reminisce about the good old days, Michael. I can't just forget about everything that happened. Ad I'd rather not talk about him."

Michael again found himself disappointed. A part of him felt he had a responsibility to Devon's memory to try to make amends. But he knew he couldn't do that in place of Devon himself. "Okay. I guess we can table that topic for a while."

Michael stood and offered his hand to Bonnie. "What do you say we forget I said anything and get something to eat?"

Bonnie looked at Michael's outstretched hand for a moment before taking it. "Okay," she said as he pulled her to her feet and they headed back up the slope to the lodge.

* * *

The late morning sun was glinting off the cascading waterfalls that lined a rock wall along the road. The spray was creating little puddles of runoff that moved restlessly as Kitt and the other cars splashed through them. They had decided to go for a drive in the morning and do some hiking in the afternoon. It was a compromise to let Kitt participate but also let Michael get some exercise. The views along the road had been spectacular, and Michael was glad they had gone, but he was also looking forward to actually getting out and doing something.

"If you're going to go hiking, you should at least pick up some supplies," Kitt chided. "You don't have nearly enough water and both of you are going to have to wear better shoes."

"Yes, mom," Michael said.

"I was just offering advice, Michael. You don't have to get snippy with me," Kitt huffed.

"I wasn't being snippy. It was just a joke," Michael said, making a mental note not to tease Kitt in the future.

Bonnie frowned at both of them. "We'll stop back at the lodge and change before heading out."

There was a longish, awkward pause before Kitt continued. "There is a gift shop that has groceries at the hotel and there are several trails in the Lake McDonald area. One follows the shore and several others branch out into steeper climbs into the mountains." He continued on with the travelogue until they reached the hotel parking lot. Michael didn't say anything as he got out and led the way inside.


The gift shop was typical of a place in a national forest. There were kitschy charm bracelets, spoons bearing images of wildlife, postcard racks, and books. A pleasant-looking woman behind the counter smiled at them through large glasses and pushed back a few ringlets of curly light brown hair. "Can I help you?" she asked, her eyes crinkling.

"We were hoping to get some water and maybe granola or something."

"There's a cooler in the corner," she said, pointing to a cluttered section of the store.

Michael went to investigate as Bonnie wandered around the little shop, picking at the souvenirs. She stopped at a rack of bells near the front register and ran her hand along one strand. There were three large Christmas bells evenly spaced along a thin leather cord.

"If you're going hiking, you may want to buy a set of those," the woman behind the counter said. "They're bear bells. They keep the grizzlies away."

Bonnie looked up at her, unconvinced.

"Really. The bears here are pretty much afraid of people, so they aren'tely ely to hurt you, but if you come up on them unawares, they get startled. And that tends to make them angry."

Michael returned with an armload of water and snacks that he spilled onto the counter in a cascade of bottles and bags. He set a trail map on top of the pile like a concurring army's flag.

"You wear the bells and it warns the bears that you're coming," the woman continued, glancing at Michael. "Then they stay out of your way."

"Either that or they learn that bells mean dinnertime," Michael quipped.

"Nahhh," the woman said. "They aren't something you want to mess with, but they're not that bad. They mostly stick to themselves."

Michael grinned and pulled out his wallet. Bonnie plucked the cord of bells off the rack and set it down on the counter with a jingle.

Michael just looked at her.

"A souvenir if nothing else," she said defensively.

Michael laughed. "The bears are gonna know you're a tourist and steal your camera." He pulled out a few bills and paid the woman before leading the way outside.

* * *

Michael reached down from the ledge where he was standing and gave Bonnie his hand to help her make the last bit of the climb.

Michael had opted for the rougher hike up into the mountains. He wasn't in as good of shape as he had been in his prime, but he was convinced that he could still take a good hill. And he was surprised by how well Bonnie was keeping up. She had always been athletic, but he hadn't really expected her to be able to move over the rugged terrain this easily. He didn't think she had any rock climbing experience, but she had a certain balance that didn't come as naturally to him.

The ledge was a relief after the narrow, rocky path they had just climbed. Michael decided it was as good a time as any to take a break. He flopped down on therestrest rock and pulled out one of the bottles of water. Bonnie wandered over toward the edge.

"Despite everything, did you ever miss it?" she asked, with her back to him.

Michael looked up, knowing immediately what she as talking about. es,\es," he said honestly. "I missed it a lot. But I usually just told myself that I was glossing over the bad parts. That if I had gone back, things wouldn't have been the same."

"They wouldn't have been," she said. "You're right about that."

Michael set down the bottle. "I do wish I knew how to earn back Kitt's trust though."

Bonnie turned and joined him on the rock. "What you're doing. Spending time with him. He'll come around, but I think it's going to take time."

"I know. He's gotten better, but it's not the same."

"I don't think you can hope for that, Michael. It's never going to be you and Kitt against the world again. He's moved on to a new life and so have you. It's always going to be different."

"I thought that leaving him after he was reactivated was the best thing for both of us. I figured it would give him time to adjust to working with Shawn and I didn't really want to be around the Foundation at the time. But I think it was a mistake. I think he sees it as a reason not to trust me."

"I would," Bonnie said.

Michael looked at her sharply, more hurt by that than he should have been. He must have been broadcasting that pain in his features, because she stepped toward him and took his hand sympathetically. "Sorry, but he obviously doesn't like Maddock and he doesn't seem that keen on Shawn. You reactivated him and then left him alone in the world. If you want him to trust you, you're going to have to be there for him, even when it isn't easy. Or when you'd rather be out fishing," she said, with a hint of playfulness that lightened the message a little.

"I know. I have to decide whether he's better off without me and leave him be, or decide to be his friend. I guess I've been riding the fence on that too long."

"He loves you Michael. He wouldn't be better off without you." Bonnie picked up their backpack and started down the path again.

* * *

They climbed up another stretch of trail and came out into a sprawling meadow surrounded by peaks. The grass was high and there were still wild flowers in bloom despite it being late summer.

Bonnie walked out into the open and turned around slowly, enjoying the view. "I guess this is worth the climb," she said, a little tired after the hike.

"According to the trail map, there's a small set of pools up ahead about a mile that are supposed to be beautiful. If you feel like going that far."

"Why not," she said, "but it would be nice to rest a bit first." She left the path and sat down in the tall grass. It was well past tick season and it smelled so nice.

Michael found hin pan patch of grass to sit on under a few trees in the shade. He laid back and let the breeze lull him.

* * *

Michael woke to realize that something was beeping at him. It sounded like an alarm clock at first.

"Michael!" came Kitt's insistent voice. "Wake up!"

It had been a while since Kitt had had reason to call him on the comlink and he wasn't used to wearing it anymore anymore. He fumbled to depress the talk button.

"What is it?"

"Bonnie needs your ." ."

Michael sat up suddenly. "Where is she?" She had been right across the path, but obviously she had wandered off while he was sleeping.

"She's northwest of your current position, approximately 100 meters off the trail."

Michael blundered through the grass as quickly as he could. It didn't occur to him to ask Kitt what was wrong until he after he spotted her. She was standing dead still with her back to him. It took Michael a minute to spot the large, beige cougar that was staring at her through the grass. It was no more than 10 or 12 feet away. It's head turned almost imperceptibly to eye him as he slowed his approach.

"Bonnie, I'm right behind you," he said, carefully. She nodded but didn't take her eyes off the animal. "Kitt what do we do?"

The cat's eyes narrowed, as it looked back and forth between the two of them. A low guttural growl formed in its throat and its ears pressed tightly back against its head.

"Both of you need to stand up straight with your arms out to your sides. Make yourselves look bigger."

Michael hadn't realized that he was crouching slightly, on the defensive. He slowly drew himself up and felt like he was losing the advantage of being tightly coiled. It wasn't comfortable.

"Bonnie, you need to move back slowly so that you and Michael are closer together. It will make you loore ore intimidating. And you both need to stop looking at it."

"What?" Michael asked.

"Most cats, including cougars, see direct eye contact as a challenge. If you both move together, you look like too big of a target, and he'll move on. But if you stare at him, he's going to think you're challenging him. That may be enough to cause him to attack."

Michael understood the logic, it made sense, but he had years of conditioning not to take his eyes off a threat. It was counterintuitive to his survival. "Where would you like me to look?"

"At the ground, or off to the side."

"Kitt, if he pounces I won't be able to see him coming."

"I'm watching him," Kitt said calmly. "Trust me."

"Okay. Bonnie are you ready?"

"Yes," sai said quietly and slowly took a step back. The cougar growled again and it took all of Michael's self control not to look at it. He was staring at the ground in front of him, not really seeing, but listening intently for each of Bonnie's steps. He waited until her boot was in sight and then slowly reached out to guide her back to him. Michael froze when the cat let out an angry cry. He could see a hint of beige out of the corner of his eye as his hand grazed Bonniebackback. He hooked his hand around her waist, carefully pulling her to him. When they were finally together, Kitt said, "Now stay where you are. I'm going to give him a distraction."

There was a moment of silence while Michael waited for Kitt to do whatever it was he was planning. Bonnie jumped when a loud, deep-sounding cat cry echoed off the mountains. Michael waited a few beats -- the cat in front of them stopped growling. Another roar echoed through the valley. The cat roared in answer and then Michael was relieved to hear a very faint rustling as the cat slipped back into the grass. He risked glancing at the place where it had been, and was relieved that it was indeed gone. There was another roar and an immediate reply as the cat moved away.

"I think he is sufficiently distracted, Michael."

"Thanks, Kitt." Michael had to resist the urge to use 'buddy' or 'pal', feeling that it was too familiar given their current relationship, but it had almost rolled off his tongue. The situation reminded him so much of how things used to be. "That was great. I didn't know you could create sounds from so far away."

"You can thank my new body for that. The anharmonic synthesizer is 40 dB stronger than my old one and it's directional. I never would have been able to bounce that call off the mountains with a high enough volume in the Trans Am."

"Lucky us," Michael said and turned to pull Bonnie into a hug. "Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that she was shaking.

"Yes. I decided to walk a little while you were sleeping and I just stumbled onto him. I didn't even see him until I heard a growl."

Michael laughed when she pulled away and the bells that she had hung from her belt jingled. He picked up the bottom bell on the cord and tugged on it. "I think next time you should skip these and look for the mountain lion bells."

"I think I'll just wear them all," she said.

"Had enough excitement for one day?" he asked. When she nodded, he turned and put his arm around her shoulder, and led her back to the main path.