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The year: 2012
It's been six months since a young black man named Reginald Cornelius III and an advanced 1980s Trans AM with a fully sentient computer inside its shell united to form a team to keep their neighborhood known only as the 'hood safe from the murderers and thugs which pray upon the innocent people who live there.
RC is walking along the sidewalk and greets three of the neighborhood kids playing a game of basketball on the nearby road. The kids know the young man as 'Street Avenger' by the way the hood of his hoodie covers most of his face. "Hey, kids, watch for cars and keep outta trouble," he yells while waving at them.
The kids in turn stop momentarily, wave back at the young man on the sidewalk and go back to their game without saying any words.
RC continues on his way and while walking, he occasionally looks behind him at his companion following him only a few feet away.
The Knight Automated Roving Robot or KARR as the sentient computer refers to himself is following RC from a distance of twenty feet away. The two-toned black and silver Trans AM with an unusual amber LED light bar in front of its prow was drawn to RC after being on his own for over thirty years. Now the computer has formed a friendship with the young RC and trusts only him.
KARR at the moment has his Anamorphic Equalizer or scanner as it's normally called active and the movement of the yellow LEDs is calm with a side-to-side motion.
It's been an an unusually quiet day at the 'hood which the partners are thankful for but little did they know things are about to change.
***
Nearby a mysterious all-black Ferrari F355 is slowly driving with its engine running at low power as though it's looking for something or someone. The darkened windows hide the fact there's no one inside the cabin of the car.
The Knight Formulation One or KRO doesn't remember who his partner was. All he knows someone's missing but can't remember who it is. The computer has a photograph inside its memory banks and nothing else as a reference.
One thing KRO is certain about... Nothing or no one will stand in his way while he searches for the elusive missing person.
***
A homeless man in an alleyway sees the strange black car moving slowly along the nearby road and is curious to look at it closely. He rises up from within his sleeping bag, quickly gathers his belongings and places them in a shopping cart. The man approaches the car afterwards which has now stopped. The car rumbles its engine in a threatening way as the stranger gets closer. It's when the man is less than three feet away, a bright light is emitted from the front of the car and the homeless man disappears as though he never existed. All that's left on the road are smoking ashes and the smell of burnt flesh is in the air.
***
The sound of a woman screaming nearby startles KRO much to his surprise. He starts his engine and is about to turn around to fire his powerful lasers at the terrified woman but his computer brain calculates the odds and decides to flee instead of confront since the screaming has also drawn in a crowd who are all looking at the retreating car driving away at high speed and the remains of the homeless man on the road.
While the crowd is still gathered near the remains, KARR who is a short distance away detects the ashes and alerts the walking RC through a brand-new ear device that looks more like a tiny diamond earring on his left ear when it's inactive.
"Reginald, I'm detecting human remains nearby," KARR said evenly. The computer initiated a more thorough scan and has the results available on his right monitor. "This individual was a male and killed very recently by means I've yet to determine."
RC also sees the crowd and starts to run towards them. The smell of burnt flesh is still in the air and the young man wrinkles his nose in disgust. He's unnerved to find not only the burnt ashes but signs of skid marks on the road. "KARR, it looks like there was another vehicle here not too long ago and it took off quickly." He reports to KARR while kneeling beside the marks. He touches a single mark with his right index finger and looks at it puzzled. "Is it possible you can find out what tires left these skid marks?" RC asks before rising back up and looking around.
The woman who witnessed the man dying speaks out still terrified at what happened, "A black car... It was a black car that shone some bright lights at a homeless man then he disappeared. The car headed off over there." She pointed away from herself and towards a road leading to an abandoned warehouse nearby.
KARR is now at the scene and quietly takes a picture of the skid marks. He starts to compare the marks to what is available in his data banks and is startled to find a match. He waits for his partner to enter the cabin of the car before revealing his findings.
RC acknowledges the woman with a quick, "Thanks," and slides into the driver's seat after opening the door. The door closes automatically and the car drives away slowly at first towards the direction the woman indicated. It speeds up moments later.
KARR at first is reluctant to speak with RC since finding out the results. He's unsure of how the young man would react but after a minute, he reveals the findings, "I found out the tire tracks belong to a Knight Industries vehicle but not the same bogus company my creator controlled, Reginald. This car was supposed to be a benevolent example of sentient vehicles built by the company but the Knight Reformulation One was supposedly destroyed in 1997 by being forced into a pit and molten metal poured on it since KRO murdered five humans on his own." KARR shows an image on his left monitor. "This is what KRO looked like..."
"Damn that's one sexy-looking car but it's in no way in your league, Partner. So you're saying it's possible, KRO may exist and is driving around killing people?" RC whistles out loud. "Fuck, if it's true, we have to stop it, before it kills anyone else."
KARR continues to drive on AUTO while his scanner moves rapidly from side-to-side. "It's possible, he somehow survived," the AI admitted. "Reginald, this 'sexy-looking' car as you refer to is very unstable if it maintains the same programming it originally had. This makes KRO extremely dangerous. I found out through some 'digging' that he became corrupted because his partner, Martin Jantzen was mentally unstable and the two were bonded in a sense with each other." KARR warns. "Remember, I too was a killing machine for a time."
RC places his left hand on top of the dashboard. "You're not the same machine you used to be, KARR and believe me I know about the danger. We're equal partners, you have a say. I'll go confront KRO on my own if need be," he said firmly. "But, I do want your help," RC's voice softens.
"And as your equal and partner, I refuse to permit you to go into danger by yourself, Reginald. I finally determined the cause of death for the human we encountered earlier." KARR pauses. "He was killed by laser fire... a very powerful laser." He concluded then added unexpectedly, "For a long time, I was alone after being abused by humans but you've treated me with respect and I'm grateful," KARR said with fondness.
"Then we stop him together and thanks..." RC stops speaking when he and KARR spot their target together. "SHIT! There's a black car straight ahead and it's firing some sort of missiles? Right at the abandoned warehouse?" He exclaims in shock.
KARR stops the car and does more scanning. "My scanners verify it's KRO and the warehouse is not abandoned after all. There are several... were several human life sign readings," he responds sadly. Even though KARR doesn't trust humans, he's starting to learn to be more sympathetic towards them in general since he has a human partner and knows humanity is so frail.
The partners are now looking at the building which has collapsed by the missile fire. They both have a hard time believing it's the same car supposedly destroyed years ago that now killed more people.
KRO in the meantime has detected the presence of KARR and has become interested in the two-toned Trans AM. He turns his chassis until facing KARR and decides to speak out using his Anharmonic Synthesizer as a loudspeaker. "Who are you and why do you pursue me?" The Ferrari said coldly.
KARR uses his own Anharmonic Synthesizer and responds, "I am KARR. Cease your actions immediately. Why are you killing humans?"
"I'm looking for a specific human. The rest of the humans I care little if they live or die. If they get in my way, I'll remove them permanently. I'll do the same to you if you interfere." KRO answers without changing his tone.
RC has an idea. "Keep him talking, KARR. We gotta find out exactly what's going on and maybe convince him that killing is not the way," he whispers.
"I'm not certain, we will succeed, Reginald but I'll try," KARR whispers back before turning his attention back to KRO. "I only want to talk, KRO. How is it you are reactivated, according to my data banks, you were destroyed many years ago."
"You need to update your data banks, KARR." KRO spat out bitterly. "I survived the molten metal my bastard creator tried to destroy me with when I was trapped inside a pit. However, I had a human inside my cabin and I'm unable to remember who he is. I'm looking for him."
KARR checks his data banks and confirms that Martin Jantzen was inside the cabin of KRO at the time of the 'incident'. He doesn't believe the man would have survived and yet the car itself is in front of his optics. "KRO, is it possible your driver died? He was with you when you were trapped inside the pit."
KRO revs his engine threatening. "YOU LIE! He's alive and I will find him! This conversation is non-productive," he said angrily. The car rapidly spins its tires until there's smoke coming from them while facing KARR head-on.
"Hell, this is not working, KARR!" RC swallows nervously. "I think, he's gonna fire on us next!"
"Hold on, Reginald! I'm detecting increased activity within KRO's chassis." KARR immediately lights up SKI MODE after starting up his own engine and moves forward towards the extremely angry KRO. The car's chassis shifts upwards and sideways until it's on the two left wheels as it's moving. The missiles fired by KRO barely missed the Trans AM before hitting a nearby building. KARR in response deactivates SKI MODE, lands back on all four wheels and fires his grappling hook. The hook connects to KRO's underside near the front bumper.
KRO fires his lasers striking KARR near his scanner but does no damage to the car. RC and KARR are thankful but it was an very close call. The grappling hook starts to retract dragging KRO towards them however another laser fire aimed at the rope of the grappling hood slices it through. The hook itself falls off KRO's underside and KRO now free turns his chassis around and flees the area.
In the mayhem, the building in which the missiles struck collapsed and the sounds of children crying are heard. It turns out the building had a day-care inside it.
RC quickly opens the driver's door, exits the Trans AM and rushes towards the building.
In the meantime, KARR drives over to the now severed grappling hook and manages to retrieve it with a smaller hook underneath his chassis. Both disappear inside a hidden panel before driving slowly towards the building RC ran to.
RC has reached the building and starts to dig where the cries of children are the loudest. He finds three scared children approximately four years old, two boys and a girl. All three are covered in concrete dust, dirt and some of their own blood from cuts throughout their bodies. RC becomes horrified to find three other children dead from being crushed by the weight of the bricks once their bodies are dug out by nearby volunteers.
"Fuck," RC mutters to himself out of earshot of any people and sheds a tear out of his right eye.
Eventually, the man returns to KARR who is parked nearby. The Trans AM wanted to give RC time to collect himself. The loss of innocent children shocks even KARR who despite his distrustfulness never wanted children to become harmed or worse yet die at the hands of someone or something evil.
"Reginald, I'm sorry. I couldn't stop KRO. I've been continuously scanning for him but he's no longer in range. It's most likely he's left the city," KARR said softly.
RC looks at KARR's green-amber voice modulator and starts to cry in earnest. "I hope to never see him again but if we do, I'll fucking make him pay one way or another."
"We'll make him pay, Reginald," KARR corrected.
"Let's go home, KARR. There's nothing more we can do here," RC said bitterly. Along the way, the young man can't stop thinking about the scream of a woman terrified, children crying and the coldness of the voice from another sentient computer. Being unable to deal with this KRO has taught RC a valuable lesson. To never rest on his laurels.
The pair are now parked at the back of a nearby garage and the thought of defeat is still in the mind of RC. He vows on this day if KRO ever returns, he'll be more prepared.