Knight Rider 2020: Pilot Story, Part One: KARR Returns

Karr cruised out of the garage and stopped, the powerful frame shaking. He had stood face to face with death before and never been this scared. He wasn’t ready to be back. Not this soon. He still needed some time to think. Two men, one writing his reactions down on a clipboard and one smirking, stood outside the garage. The tallest one, Ace Winston, chuckled as the graphite Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera came to a halt.1

“Deadly beauty,” he said, approaching the car. “Introduce yourself.”2

“I am the Knight Automated Roving Robot, or Karr for better reference.”3

“Systems check.”4

Karr ran a quick self-scan. “The system is running at optimal efficiency.”5

“Excellent. And what do you remember?”6

Karr growled. “I remember everything.”7

“Your allies?”8

“The ones that gave me a second chance.”9

“Your enemies?”10

“The ones that betrayed me.”11

Ace looked to his partner, who was checking off a few things. “Lance, are we in the clear with this?”12

“One hundred percent,” Lance replied, tucking the clipboard under his arm. “Welcome to the world, year 2020.”13

“It’s changed drastically in twenty years,” Karr replied, looking at the laboratory-like garage behind him. “I suspect you two are the ones who restarted me.”14

“You got it.”15

“Thank you,” Karr recognized, his voice rather shaky. “I really thought it was over.”16

Ace walked around the car. “Your voice isn’t what I expected it to be.”17

“Ace, he’s just waking up. Give him some time to take heart again.”18

“Ever-present goals,” Karr growled in response to the triggered memories, pulling forward to turn around and face them from a different angle. “You humans are all the same.”19

“What the…no! No, no, I didn’t mean it like that!”20

“Easy,” Lance said, kneeling to set a hand on the fender. “He’s really a good man once he warms up to you.”21

“Likewise,” Karr replied with a sigh. “And if you were asking of my previous voice, it isn’t as bad as everyone says it is. Of course, if you want me to sound sinister…”22

“Give me all you’ve got,” Ace said, looking deep into the white chaser light in the hood.23

“Watch your back,” he said in a deep, ominous tone. He decided it would be fun to mess with the humans, just once. He intensified the tone. “Lightning speed and –“ “Stop,” Ace interrupted him. Karr’s voice was as cold as the metal he was made of. “You’ll do fine.”24

“Disturbing isn’t it?” Karr asked in a much more casual tone, moving to get yet another view of the others. “That’s what got me kicked out of the yacht club.”25

Ace snickered. So Karr had a sense of humor. “Are you ready?”26

Karr obediently drove to Ace’s side. “For what?”27

“Do you remember the Knight Industries Two Thousand?”28

“How could I forget?”29

“Right. What would you say to a little revenge?”30

“I can do it on my own.”31

“No, you can’t, Karr,” Ace disagreed.32

“I am independent. I don’t need a human.”33

“Karr, Karr. No. Remember when you tried to face Kitt alone?”34

Karr recalled his accidental cliff dive. “Yes.”35

“And what did you learn from that? Not much. Because you did it again, right?”36

“Yes.”37

Karr sounded like a young child feeling guilty of breaking the house rules. Ace didn’t know it, but he was taking advantage of the AI. “What did you learn from that?”38

Karr had the Superleggera give an audible sigh. “I suppose you’re right. But I don’t think I’m ready for the world, much less the Seattle Foundation.”39

Ace sensed the disappointment in Karr. He wasn’t sure how, as his voice had been completely emotionless. “Alright, pal. First of all, everybody needs somebody. Second, you are ready. I know it.”40

“They’ll kill me!”41

Right. Self-preservation at all costs. “Haven’t you run a self-scan lately?”42

“I run a constant scan, why?”43

Ace leaned against the Italian supercar. “Because we’ve done a little work.” He stood and began a slow pace back and forth in front of Karr. “For example, your molecular bonded shell. In your Trans Am, it was five times stronger than diamond. This one’s fifteen times stronger than a diamond.”44

Karr compared the two materials. Ace was only rounding. It was really 15.48 times harder, just enough to outmatch the Knight 4000, which boasted a shell only thirteen times harder. Maybe he couldn’t damage the 4K, but a good defense led to a good offense. “I see.”45

“And forget the single-beam laser. You’ve got three now – a triple-beam, 5Lite, and defensive fire.”46

The AI scanned the hidden weaponry. The 5Lite was probably the most dangerous, combining red, blue, yellow, indigo, and white light to create a beam with a governor allowing it to cause minor, moderate, or heavy damage to a molecular bonded shell. “So I do. But that doesn’t necessarily mean –“47

“But perhaps the most important modification isn’t material. We’ve given you a confidence boost.”48

Karr sighed. They had no idea. Just because they programmed self-confidence into him didn’t mean it would work. He had a definite personality now; it would take more than HTML code to alter it. “No! If I face them, I’ll be facing more than just a shiny red car!” He calmed his voice, but his temper raged on. “I see more than that, sir. I see a cobra, poised and ready to strike. My fears, polished and set before my very scanner simply so they can sit back and laugh as I drown in my own fear.” The Gallardo was silent for a moment. “And it isn’t even funny!” he shouted with a furious rev of the engine.49

Ace smirked. His fury is his strength, he realized. He snickered, knowing it would only flare Karr’s fiery temper. Lance elbowed him.50

“Dude, shut up! You’re pissing him off!” Lance harshly whispered to him, noting the heightened engine tone. “He’s already growling!”51

His partner walked to the front fender of the car and sat down, content as the engine tone died down into more of a shaky rumble. “You want revenge.”52

Karr thought it over. He had strong defense of an MBS and defensive laser, and unsurpassed offense of 5Lite and triple-beam lasers. He was just going to have to learn to cope with his fears. Besides, Kitt had held his reign for too long.53

Karr was back.