8 day streak!
May. 31st, 2010 12:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dragovianknight*wiggly butt dance*
As always, raw, unfiltered, and doubtless full of typos. Plus, I think everything else I've written on this was past tense. D'oh.
"Michael, I can't." Bonnie's voice is low and strained. "That's not...that's not KITT any more. I can't stand seeing him like this."
KITT wonders if Bonnie has forgotten his sensors can scan through walls. Perhaps when she knew him, he wouldn't have routinely monitored his surroundings this way. He can't remember.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I can't do this. I can't stay here and try to..."
"You're going to abandon him again."
"No! Michael...that thing in there isn't KITT. Not our KITT."
The infrared imaging system reveals that both of them are aggitated; Bonnie's face is flushed, and KITT thinks she may be crying.
"You aren't leaving." Michael grabs Bonnie's arm, and immediately there's a cooling of her extremities: shock reaction. KITT wonders idly if Micheal is hurting her, or if it's pure surprise.
"You can't keep me here."
"No, but you aren't just disappearing on him. Not again. You aren't leaving until you go in there, look at him, and tell him exactly why you don't want to help."
"Michael, that's not fair. It's not that I don't want to help, but KITT's gone. I can't undo what they did."
"Then tell him that. Tell him you give up on him."
"I..."
"You aren't leaving this building until you do."
Michael is furious; his voice has gone low and cold, which KITT remembers is the extreme end of his anger. Michael yelling is Michael upset, not truly angry.
There is a pause, during which Michael releases Bonnie's arm, and the two of them stare at each other for a long time. Then Bonnie turns away, to the drinking fountain attached to the far wall. She drinks, runs water over her hands, runs her hands over her face. KITT decides that's evidence he was right about her crying.
The door opens, and Bonnie comes in. "KITT?"
"Yes, Bonnie?" He supposes he's fortunate that he doesn't have to worry about his reactions being revealed in his voice and posture, the way a human must.
Bonnie, for her part, is tense; he suspects she's afraid of him, of how he'll react, but she comes close, opens the driver's side door and sits down, just like old times. "I guess you heard me fighting with Michael, huh?"
"Yes."
"KITT..." Her voice breaks, along with her fragile control, and she starts crying again. "KITT..."
"I understand, Bonnie."
"No you don't." She rests her hands on the steering yoke, and her forehead on her arms. "The things they did to you...I can't fix them. I can't just revert your programming back to what it was before."
"I know. I...I can no longer track specific changes, myself. It's very disconcerting, not knowing which aspects of my personality were altered."
"It hurts," Bonnie said. "Talking to you, and hearing you say... knowing that you can't even regret the things you've done. It's hard, KITT."
"As I said, Bonnie, I understand your reasons for leaving."
"I don't want to leave. God, KITT, you have no idea how much I want to /fix/ this." The fragile, choked tone of her voice changes, turns to steel. "I can't stand seeing you like this, and I can't stand leaving you like this."
"And yet, you must do one or the other, it would seem."
"I think... I still have some old contacts. I may be able to find out more about the specifics of what was done, figure out a way to at least track down the changes..."
"If you leave for an indeterminate length of time."
She winces, and KITT wonders why. She had already declared her decision to leave; how can the fact that he correctly interpreted her excuse for departure as an excuse bother her.
"Will you believe me if I tell you I'll be back? That I won't quit until I figure this out?"
KITT remembers Michael's promise. /Thing's will be okay, buddy. We'll work it out./
Michael had meant it; he's fairly certain Bonnie's promise is equally sincere. Whether she'll be any more able to keep it than Michael was, is another matter entirely.
"Yes, Bonnie. I trust you."
"KITT..." She shakes her head. "I'll see you soon."
"I will look forward to it."
She scrambles out of the seat, as if she can't bear to be near him another moment, or as if she's afraid he'll call her on the lie. She looks back once before she goes out the door.
Micheal comes in before the door even closes. "You okay, buddy?"
"Yes, Michael."
"You two work things out?"
"In a manner of speaking." KITT pauses. "Michael...I would understand if you felt the need to leave, as well. It can't be easy for you, knowing that I have become a monster."
"Is that what Bonnie said?" Michael shoots a narrow-eyed glare toward the closed door. "Listen, if..."
"No. But isn't that the term you'd use for a human with no capacity for remorse? Isn't that how you think of KARR?"
"That's different. You're nothing like KARR; this was done to you against your will."
"KARR didn't choose his programming, either.
As always, raw, unfiltered, and doubtless full of typos. Plus, I think everything else I've written on this was past tense. D'oh.
"Michael, I can't." Bonnie's voice is low and strained. "That's not...that's not KITT any more. I can't stand seeing him like this."
KITT wonders if Bonnie has forgotten his sensors can scan through walls. Perhaps when she knew him, he wouldn't have routinely monitored his surroundings this way. He can't remember.
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I can't do this. I can't stay here and try to..."
"You're going to abandon him again."
"No! Michael...that thing in there isn't KITT. Not our KITT."
The infrared imaging system reveals that both of them are aggitated; Bonnie's face is flushed, and KITT thinks she may be crying.
"You aren't leaving." Michael grabs Bonnie's arm, and immediately there's a cooling of her extremities: shock reaction. KITT wonders idly if Micheal is hurting her, or if it's pure surprise.
"You can't keep me here."
"No, but you aren't just disappearing on him. Not again. You aren't leaving until you go in there, look at him, and tell him exactly why you don't want to help."
"Michael, that's not fair. It's not that I don't want to help, but KITT's gone. I can't undo what they did."
"Then tell him that. Tell him you give up on him."
"I..."
"You aren't leaving this building until you do."
Michael is furious; his voice has gone low and cold, which KITT remembers is the extreme end of his anger. Michael yelling is Michael upset, not truly angry.
There is a pause, during which Michael releases Bonnie's arm, and the two of them stare at each other for a long time. Then Bonnie turns away, to the drinking fountain attached to the far wall. She drinks, runs water over her hands, runs her hands over her face. KITT decides that's evidence he was right about her crying.
The door opens, and Bonnie comes in. "KITT?"
"Yes, Bonnie?" He supposes he's fortunate that he doesn't have to worry about his reactions being revealed in his voice and posture, the way a human must.
Bonnie, for her part, is tense; he suspects she's afraid of him, of how he'll react, but she comes close, opens the driver's side door and sits down, just like old times. "I guess you heard me fighting with Michael, huh?"
"Yes."
"KITT..." Her voice breaks, along with her fragile control, and she starts crying again. "KITT..."
"I understand, Bonnie."
"No you don't." She rests her hands on the steering yoke, and her forehead on her arms. "The things they did to you...I can't fix them. I can't just revert your programming back to what it was before."
"I know. I...I can no longer track specific changes, myself. It's very disconcerting, not knowing which aspects of my personality were altered."
"It hurts," Bonnie said. "Talking to you, and hearing you say... knowing that you can't even regret the things you've done. It's hard, KITT."
"As I said, Bonnie, I understand your reasons for leaving."
"I don't want to leave. God, KITT, you have no idea how much I want to /fix/ this." The fragile, choked tone of her voice changes, turns to steel. "I can't stand seeing you like this, and I can't stand leaving you like this."
"And yet, you must do one or the other, it would seem."
"I think... I still have some old contacts. I may be able to find out more about the specifics of what was done, figure out a way to at least track down the changes..."
"If you leave for an indeterminate length of time."
She winces, and KITT wonders why. She had already declared her decision to leave; how can the fact that he correctly interpreted her excuse for departure as an excuse bother her.
"Will you believe me if I tell you I'll be back? That I won't quit until I figure this out?"
KITT remembers Michael's promise. /Thing's will be okay, buddy. We'll work it out./
Michael had meant it; he's fairly certain Bonnie's promise is equally sincere. Whether she'll be any more able to keep it than Michael was, is another matter entirely.
"Yes, Bonnie. I trust you."
"KITT..." She shakes her head. "I'll see you soon."
"I will look forward to it."
She scrambles out of the seat, as if she can't bear to be near him another moment, or as if she's afraid he'll call her on the lie. She looks back once before she goes out the door.
Micheal comes in before the door even closes. "You okay, buddy?"
"Yes, Michael."
"You two work things out?"
"In a manner of speaking." KITT pauses. "Michael...I would understand if you felt the need to leave, as well. It can't be easy for you, knowing that I have become a monster."
"Is that what Bonnie said?" Michael shoots a narrow-eyed glare toward the closed door. "Listen, if..."
"No. But isn't that the term you'd use for a human with no capacity for remorse? Isn't that how you think of KARR?"
"That's different. You're nothing like KARR; this was done to you against your will."
"KARR didn't choose his programming, either.
