Chapter 1

Ten gunmen blocked Mike and Sarah's escape route out of the hotel in Portland, Oregon, all automatic weapons aimed at them. They currently had their hands placed behind their heads as ordered. The police had already been called. As long as they could stall them, help would be on the way.

"If you hurt her…I swear you will know the true meaning of pain!"

The lead gunman stepped forward from behind his men, holding the girl in his arms. He had his gun across the front of the three-year-olds chest, laughing at Mike's bold choice of words.

"Please…just let her go, I'll give you anything you want," Sarah pleaded.

"What I want…is to see you both suffer for all of the pain and misery you've caused me these past five years. Your daughter just happens to be, my ticket to achieving that dream."

The mafia leader grinned wickedly and clicked his gun off of safety. The three-year-old girl whimpered but didn't say a word, locking eyes with Mike and Sarah.

She was afraid but would never let the mean people know it. They made her angry rather than scared, the way they were talking to her parents.

Michael I am in position…shall I proceed?

Kitt spoke to his long time partner and friend through his earwig.

Michael coughed just then, saying 'GO'.

The Shelby Mustang tore around the corner of the next building, appearing just behind the gunmen and raised the volume in his interior so his demands could be heard through his loudspeakers.

Drop your weapons or I will open fire.

The leader swore and turned around to see KITT sitting directly behind him. The little girl smiled and clapped her hands at the shiny talking car, although she had never seen it before in her life. Apparently…her parents were very good at keeping secrets.

The leader then smiled viciously as he picked up the girl by the back of her light, mint green overalls and held her dangling from one hand, raising the gun so it rested directly on the side of her head.

"Call your car off, Knight…or I will blow your girl's head off right here!!"

Mike growled at the man as Sarah screamed in fear. She struggled to run to her daughter but Mike held her back with a restraining arm. His gun was on the ground a few feet away where he had kicked it when they were first ambushed ten minutes ago. Kitt had only three seconds to warn them before they were set upon by the ruffians, their daughter ripped from Mike's own arms.

His face was grim as he spoke aloud.

"Kitt…do as they say."

But Michael, I have the capability to dispatch eight of the ten gunmen.

Mike's warning tone responded as he knew with a fact that provoking the already pissed mafia with retaliation would result with his daughter's death.

"Kitt…just do it."

The black Shelby reversed and sped away, screeching to a halt in the parking lot to their right. He was farther away but not too far if Mike should order him to take them out.

The AI knew how important Mike's daughter was to him…he had practically watched over her since the day she was born. Through the security cameras and his own scanners, Kitt had grown rather fond of the child and swore to protect her, even if she had no knowledge of his existence. This was as personal to the AI as it was to Michael Knight.

"If you want your daughter back alive…you will do exactly as I say. You will not follow me, or she dies. The police will be called off…or she dies. Are we clear?"

Mike ground his teeth tightly and growled out a response.

"Yes."

"I'll hold you to that." He grinned as he backed away with the girl and disappeared from sight as his men stepped forward.

A car engine could be heard as the mafia leader began to drive away with their daughter. Sarah was crying and screaming death threats on all of them while Mike seemed to possess a relative center of calm. He was thinking…and he had a good idea on what to do.

Just as the police arrived, surrounding the remaining gunmen Kitt gunned it, racing to their side and blocked for them just as gunfire erupted between the mafia and the men in blue. His driver's side door opened and Sarah crawled in first, getting into the passenger seat followed by her husband. Mike retrieved their guns and slammed the door as Kitt peeled away already on a pursuit vector.

Michael they are heading for the downtown airport. Shall I notify security?

"Do it."

"Kitt…upload that new program I installed last week. We can't let him recognize you or he'll…or he'll…" Sarah choked off, unable to finish what she feared the most.

Prepare for transfiguration.

Despite the dire circumstances, Mike shot Kitt a confused look and replied.

"Did you just say transfiguration? Don't you mean transformation?"

No Michael…I meant what I said.

Mike's eyes widened when he noticed the black exterior of Kitt's shell, slowly melting away into white.

"No way… You can change colors now?!"

His exterior finally changed, leaving the mustang completely white with the exception of two black racing stripes.

Transfiguration…complete

"Nice. Very nice"

Kitt was about to reply when he noticed that his target just took an extreme direction shift.

They are now heading away from the airport and towards a local resort.

"Follow them!"

Mike let Kitt drive, too drained to do it himself. He couldn't believe what was happening, slowly going into shock but snapped out of it when his military training kicked in. They were going to get his daughter back…or he was going to die trying.

They reached the resort, ten minutes after the gunman and found themselves next to sand dunes. Two dune vehicles were already racing off, sending up clouds of dirt and grit.

There are four gunmen total. The mafia leader, Ryan Tyrone, is with another heavily armed suspect holding your daughter hostage in the first vehicle.

"Kitt, stay here…we can handle this."

But Sarah…I can transform into my four by four all terrain vehicle.

"Kitt…we need you to stay here in case they loop around and come back this way. Stop them by any means necessary if they do," Michael patted Kitt's hood as he closed the door. He and Sarah were already jogging for the last dune buggy that was about to be occupied by a couple of tourists. Mike shoved the elderly man aside while Sarah threw a couple rolled up fifty dollar bills at them and then they were off, speeding through the sand after the kidnappers.

Their driving pattern appears to be erratic. I believe the gunmen are lost.

"Good Kitt, keep us informed. We have them in sight."

Proceed with caution, they are heavily armed and are now aware of your presence.

Mike handed Sarah his gun and looked at her all business.

"Cover me."

He relayed final instruction to her before making a hard left, disappearing behind another dune just as gunfire erupted where they had been seconds before.

They reappeared directly beside another dune buggy. Sarah shot out the tires, causing the two gunmen's vehicle to flip as it lost traction. They steadily approached the last one that held their daughter.

The little girl sitting in the backseat of the dune buggy did not like this ride at all.

The mean people kept screaming at her to stop complaining when sand kept getting in her eyes, nose, and mouth nearly suffocating her. They both got to wear protective goggles against all of the blowing sand…why couldn't she?

"I don't like the sand…I want to get off!"

"SHUT UP you filthy brat!"

She remained silent but glared at him through her already narrowed eyes. She coughed and tried to see behind them when she heard another engine approaching but couldn't. The man next to her tightened his grip on her arm and shouted at the guy driving.

"We have company!!"

"SHOOT THEM THEN!"

The little girl began to cry as the man next to her took out his gun and began to shoot at her mom and dad. She knew it was them…who else would it be?

Sarah did not fire back and glanced over at Mike's stern expression as he dodged shots while navigating around more dunes to keep them from getting hit.

"We can't get close enough!"

"Kitt, we need an update!"

If you maneuver to the far right until you are directly next to them, there is a chance that you can forcefully re-direct their path.

"That seems a little risky…"

"Re-direct them where?"

If Kitt had been a human…he would be grinning ear to ear right now.

Back to the parking lot

"We'll do it"

Sarah looked at Mike as if he had just sprouted a second head.

"Excuse me?! We will have no cover, giving them point blank shots at the two of us! Are you crazy?!"

Mike grinned as his adrenaline pumped, refusing to look at her directly.

"This is where the fun begins."

The little girl despaired when she saw her parents disappear behind another dune, believing they were separated forever. She was cuffed over the head by the man beside her, ceasing her crying. She scowled up at him but he wasn't looking, too concerned and jittery with their disappearance.

"They stopped following us and I can't see where they went!"

At that exact moment, the dune car lurked violently to the left as Mike's buggy slammed into their right side, forcing the driver to divert his course.

Michael, the plan is working. They will arrive within the parking lot perimeter in less than five minutes.

"Copy that, partner."

Mike was just about to have Sarah take the wheel so he could leap into the other dune buggy when gunfire ricocheted off of the metal of their vehicle, forcing him to slam on the brakes. He sped after them, finally able to see his daughter through the thick cloud of sand they were kicking up and shouted at her, giving her hope.

"We're coming for you sweety! Just hang on!"

The little girl sniffled and looked behind her to see her father waving at her. She began to smile, as she barely made out his words, no longer afraid of the mean people. Her daddy was the best and he never lied.

Just then, the gunman aimed his automatic, lining it up perfectly with her mom and dad's buggy. She screamed and kicked the guy next to her, forcing him to shoot wildly away from them. He hit her in the head with the butt of his gun, mindful that she was still a child and did little damage. It served only as a warning and she shrank back while rubbing her head, fearful once again.

He aimed again and shot out Mike's tires, forcing their buggy to spin and crash into another dune. They got out and ran after them, shouting their daughter's name.

They reached the top of the next hill and smiled with relief when they saw the aftermath of Kitt's handiwork. The AI released an emp that killed the kidnapper's car so they could not escape again. Their buggy was flipped over on its side, half on the sand and half on the parking lot.

The crazed gunman turned around and saw Mike and Sarah. He aimed his gun at their daughter again, who was currently being restrained by his lackey a few feet away. The three-year-old was kicking and struggling and screaming for help. Her eyes widened when she saw her parents and began to cry with relief.

"Mommy, daddy"

"You'll never see mommy and daddy again, you little brat!"

Sarah aimed the gun at the mafia leader, with cold eyes.

"Let her go…or I'll blow a hole through your skull."

He laughed as if he just heard a good joke.

"I think you've got it all wrong, love. If I'm going down…I'm taking your daughter with me."

Sarah's eyes widened in fear and disbelief when he clicked the safety off again and prepared to pull the trigger on their daughter.

The angry rev of a Shelby mustang's engine distracted him long enough for Sarah to take the shot. It was a clean hit and Ryan Tyrone fell dead. His lackey, who still held her daughter, turned wide disbelieving eyes on them, beginning to shake. He let the girl go and began to run but a well aimed tranquilizer dart from Kitt dropped him like a deer.

Both the girl and parents ran for each other, the little girl disappearing within the arms of her mom. She was kissed and hugged and wiped off the kisses with a disgusted face and wiggled down until she was back on the ground. Her father picked her up and held her, Mike relishing the feel of his child safe in his arms again. They ran to where Kitt was parked and notified Billy and Zoe about the situation and left the scene before the cops could question them.

The little girl sat in the backseat and stared with awe at the glowing blue orb in the dashboard and was entranced by the red light that blinked within it when it talked.

The police have arrived on scene and are recovering both men.

"Mission accomplished," Mike smiled tiredly as he leaned back in the driver's seat, giving Kitt control. His daughter immediately noticed this as he let go of the wheel, causing her to panic considerably.

"Daddy, drive or we will crash!!"

Kitt turned his sensors on the little girl when he heard the stress in her vocal tone and noted her elevated heart and breathing rate.

Its' okay little one, we will not crash while I am driving.

She went silent a few minutes and leaned forward to get a better look at the glowing dashboard. Her parents shared a knowing smile with each other and remained silent, allowing Kitt and their daughter to get acquainted with each other.

"Who are you?" She whispered in awe.

My name is Kitt.

She remained silent for a few more minutes as her child like mind tried to figure out how to respond to this interesting situation. She finally grinned and patted the seat as she realized that Kitt was the car.

"I like you, Kitt."

Why thank you. I also enjoy your company.

The little girl yawned and rubbed her eyes tiredly as the drama of the previous events slowly faded away. Sarah and Mike were already asleep as exhaustion finally took its toll.

The child fought sleep, too interested in the talking car and tried to stay awake.

Kitt's calming voice had some sort of an effect on her as she slowly drifted off, feeling safe and warm in his interior.

Go to sleep…I promise, you are safe here.

And so she did.

TO BE CONTINUED!

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