Knight Rider 2000

Judge, Jury, and Executioner

Written by

Scott Kirkessner

Based upon KNIGHT RIDER

Created by

Glen A. Larson

Original KNIGHT RIDER 2000 Concept by

Rob Hedden

New concept by

Scott Kirkessner

Shawn continues her quest to save the innocent man who has been framed by his insane brother with more government connections than she can count. Now, she doesn't have to go it alone, when the Knight Foundation steps in to assist in the case. They must work together in a race against time to save Harold Johnson, and catch his brother, before it is too late.

Rated PG-13 for profanity, suggestive dialogue, strong violent content, and mild sensuality.

Falling

Down through the terrifying dark.

To Shawn, falling was an eternity. She slipped in and out of consciousness. Shawn just wanted to die, just hit the ground and get it over with. There was no sound to hear but the wind blowing around her ear. She thought she would never hit the ground until she felt her back make contact with a hard, but soft surface. It was an awning. The cloth fabric ripped under her, and she fell into a dumpster. Shawn opened her eyes to look around and she lifted up her head. The alley started spinning and the whole world around her went black.

Shawn heard footsteps running toward her. Her partner, Kurt Miller, was near screaming. She could hear the fear in his voice, but she couldn’t move, or see, or even speak.”

“Shawn? Shawn! Shawn?! Oh God no... Shawn, wake up... please... No!”

A bright light blinded Shawn, but it then subsided and she could see once more. She looked up at a set of eyes that were staring back at her. It was Kevin. Another person walked over. It was Maddock

“Shawn?” Maddock asked. “Kevin, what’s wrong with her?”

“Russ, do you think you could talk after you fell off a 20 story building. Give her some room, okay? From what I can see, and I am no doctor either, the shock of her fall, and the landing too, sent her into this lethargic state. I don’t know when she will wake up, or if she will. But we just have to hope for the best.” Kevin replied.

The room went dark again.

Shawn woke up again. She didn’t know how long she was out. She tried her hardest to talk, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t move at all. She just looked around her surroundings. It was a massive room. It looked like a huge warehouse. It was loud too. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw three semi-trucks parked to the right of her at one end of the warehouse. Workers were busy unloading the trucks and setting up equipment all around the warehouse.

Kevin walked up to Shawn’s bedside. He rubbed her forehead with an ice cold wash-cloth. He massaged her neck, too. “Shawn,” he said, “listen. I’ve been trying to find the evidence that you were looking for. I’ve come up with zero.” He took her hand in his and held it. “I hope you understand what I’m saying. I need you, Shawn. You know what to look for, I don’t. Maddock and KITT arrived a few days ago. They found me and started to set up shop. We were tracking you, until KITT found out that you were immobilized. I don’t know how he knew that you were in danger, but we raced to where he found your communicator signal. We brought you back here. We’re ready to help you wherever you need us.” He held her hand tighter. “Shawn, there’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. Something for a long time. I lov-” Kevin was interrupted when Maddock called him. He looked into Shawn’s eyes and set her hand down and walked over to Maddock.

Shawn’s eyes followed Kevin around the warehouse. She had a vague idea as to what he was trying to tell her. Maddock and Kevin were too far away for her to hear what they were saying.

“....that’s what we’ve found.” Maddock said.

Kevin couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Jesus, Russ, you’re nuts. There is no way Carl Johnson could be behind all of this. He is a nutbag sitting in a padded room. Now you want to confront him and his so-called followers?”

“Kevin, listen. This guy may be legally insane, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid! We’ve done some research. The city DA’s office, the county prosecutor, and the police department were paid off in 1983, 1990, and 1997 to either destroy evidence or keep quiet. We’ve traced all the monies back to a Swiss Bank account that belongs to Carl Johnson.”

Kevin thought the info through in his mind. “1983.. oh my God. You were paid off.”

Maddock was silent.

“How much?”

“Before the court date, $500,000 dollars was deposited into my bank account from an unknown source. A day later, I got a letter. It said that this money was given to me in order for me to keep quiet and to be sure that Harold Johnson goes to jail. During the progress of the trial, which was about three months, I believe, almost one million dollars more was transferred into my account, as well as the accounts of the other DA’s working on the case.”

“Did you destroy evidence?”

“No. They paid me to win... and only that.” Maddock admitted.

“Why didn’t you tell this to Shawn?!”

“I didn’t think of it at the time.”

“Bullshit,” Kevin said, “you were saving your ass and you knew it.”

“Saving my ass from what, Kevin?” Maddock asked.

“From being implicated. If you told Shawn, God willing, she would have found the same damn research you did, including your payoff. She would have presented it at Harold’s final appeal trial, and you, and the rest of the DA’s would be sitting in jail. And the Knight Foundation would have a new president. I know what you did. You tried to save yourself, rather than help a friend. You selfish bastard.” Kevin walked away.

1625 Hrs MST.

Shawn laid looking up at the bright light above her. It seemed that no one knew she was fully conscious, in a sense. She thought long and hard as to why she couldn’t move or talk. The chilling words of the man who threw her off of the building replayed over and over in her head.

“You think you’re so close. You’ve just begun..... You think you’re so close. You’ve just begun..... You think you’re so close. You’ve just begun..... You think you’re so close. You’ve just begun.....”

A rapidly spreading feeling swept over Shawn’s body. She had no clue what it was. It wasn’t painful at all. It was beyond description. Finally when it subsided, she sat up and looked around.

She saw Kevin working on KITT. Kevin looked over at her and smiled. He walked over to her.

“Shawn, how are you feeling?” he asked.

“The same way anyone would feel after falling 20 stories and landing in a dumpster,” Shawn said, “and lucky to have such a good friend as you.” she said holding his hand.

Kevin smiled. The two stared at each other for awhile. It looked like they were about to kiss, until Maddock walked up.

“Shawn,” Maddock said, “it’s good to have you back. Kevin, can you excuse us?” he asked.

Still thinking over Maddock’s choices 17 years ago, Kevin simply nodded and walked away.

Shawn and Maddock were walking around outside the warehouse. “Shawn, I guess I should tell you something about this case you’re working on. I wasn’t honest with you when you came to my office a few days ago.”

“What are you talking about, Russ?” Shawn asked, confused.

“In 1983, before the court date of Harold Johnson. $500,000 was transferred into my bank account, as well as the bank accounts of all the other Montana DA’s working the case. A day later, I received a letter, stating that the money was for me to win. It told me to keep quiet and to ensure that Harold Johnson goes to the chair.”

Shawn was silent.

“We did more research, Shawn. We found that the DA’s office, county prosecutor, and the police department were paid off in 1983, 1990, and 1997 to destroy evidence or keep quiet. Basically to make sure that Harold Johnson remains on Death Row.” said Maddock. “The payoffs total in excess of $120 million. We traced all of the money back to a Swiss Bank Account, which was registered to Carl Johnson.”

Shawn looked up. “Oh shit. I knew it! I knew he was evading questions. Russ, when I talked to Carl, I sensed he was hiding something. You could just tell. However, the guy is completely nuts.”

“Or it’s an act.” Maddock interjected. “From what it seems, and of course, records don’t lie, it seems that Carl Johnson is one smart man.”

“You could be right. Although he is schizophrenic, sociopathic, and every other weird thing. He could be legally insane, but smart.” Shawn suggested.

“Well, one thing is for sure. An innocent man is going to die in a few weeks if we don’t find the evidence.” Maddock said.

“You mean, if we find the evidence first.” Shawn said

“What do you mean?”

“If Carl Johnson is as smart as we think he is. Then he’s looking for that evidence too, and will try to stop us at all costs. If he gets that evidence first, then Harold Johnson is as good as dead.”

Maddock nodded. He was confused as to why Shawn wasn’t angry as Kevin was earlier. “Shawn, aren’t you angry about my payoff?”

“Well, sort of, but I knew already. I was just wondering when you would come around to tell me.” Shawn replied.

“You knew?!” Maddock said, somewhat surprised.

“Yeah. I found transaction records from Switzerland last month. Your name was on one of the slips.” Shawn said.

Maddock smiled. “A detective at best. Good job, Shawn. Now, lets save Harold.” he began to walk into the warehouse.

“Russ wait.” Shawn said.

Maddock stopped and turned around.

Shawn paused for awhile, thinking how she could say this to Maddock.

“I’m sure you’re wondering why I have such a personal connection to this case.”

Maddock crossed his arms and nodded. “The thought had crossed my mind. Go on.”

“Harold Johnson is my father. Biological father that is. My mom and him got a divorce when I was young, and tried to start a new life. My mom married another guy who adopted me, and my mom and I took his name. My mom, and even my step father, kinda told me pieces about him, and they never gave into the bullshit that others said about Harold Johnson.” Shawn stopped. She looked like she was about to cry. Maddock could see that she was fighting it off. “Well, anyway...” Shawn trailed off. A few tears rolled down her cheek. “You really think one man can still make a difference?” she said, some what crying.

Maddock smiled and placed a comforting hand on Shawn’s shoulder. “Who says it has to be a man?” He said.

Shawn smiled. “Let’s try to solve a killer case without Michael Knight for a change, okay?”

“The answer is yes, by the way.” Maddock said.

“Yes to what?” Shawn asked.

“Yes, I still think one man... wait, I take that back. One person can make a difference. Just imagine what more than that could do. You got all of us on your side Shawn. Kevin, KITT, and I will help you in anyway we can.”

“Thanks Russ.” Shawn said.

They started walking back into the warehouse. Technicians were working on KITT, who was in stand by mode. “We basically put him to sleep,” Maddock said. “we’re making some adjustments, and some repairs. KITT sort of damaged his turbine when he was speeding, trying to find you. At one point, he hit 400 mph without assistance from the new rocket boosters Kevin installed awhile back,” Maddock said, looking at KITT. “Shawn, KITT was deeply concerned for you. It was amazing how he was determined to find you. I remember Devon telling me how KITT and Michael were connected by some kind of common bond. They were real good friends, but, provided, they rode together for eight years. You only have been riding with KITT for only a few months.”

“It could be the memory chip I have installed in my brain. He might think of me more as a sister than a partner. I really don’t know. Sometimes, the best mysteries are left unsolved.” Shawn said.

“I know what you mean.” Maddock said.

Kevin walked up to both of them. “Shawn, mind if Russ and I have a minute?”

“Sure.” Shawn said. She walked off to watch the goings on in the warehouse.

“Russ, listen,” Kevin began, “I’m sorry for what I said earlier today. I didn’t mean any of it at all. I was just angry.”

Maddock stopped him. “Kevin, there’s no need to apologize. You were right, though. I was a selfish bastard. Whenever I saw money, I decided to forget my friends and the rest of everyone else and take the green. What I did was wrong, I know that now. Hell, I knew that then. I condemned a man, an innocent man, to death, and if I go to Hell for that, then so be it. God knows I deserve it.”

Kevin stood wide eyed at Maddock’s revelation. “Russ, I don’t think you’ll be going to Hell, f such a place exists. You have been working for the Knight Foundation since 1995. How many lives do you think you have helped? People you helped save? Children you helped find? One man can make a difference. Who says that man has to be Michael Knight?”

“Thank you Kevin,” Maddock said, “I just can’t help but feel guilty about what I did in 1983. And if Harold Johnson dies, I don’t know what I’ll do.”

“I do.” Kevin said.

“What?”

“Easy,” Kevin stated, “you’ll go on with your life. Of course you would feel guilty, but you can’t things that went wrong eat you up inside all your life. Keep a special place in your mind for all the guilt-ridden things that happened. Never forget them. Always remember them. But don’t let them tear you up. Don’t let them win.”

Maddock smiled. “Sounds good to me, Kev. When will KITT be finished?”

“Whenever you need him, boss.” Kevin said.

“Okay, try to have him done in 4 hours?”

“Sure.”

June 23, 2000

0945 Hrs MST.

Kevin walked out of the semi that he slept in and saw Shawn sitting inside KITT. It’s been three days since they have been in Billings, and so far, no results.

Shawn was sitting inside KITT searching InterPol files.

“Shawn, what exactly are you looking for?” KITT said. He sounded tired.

“Anything I can find on Carl Johnson. Something tells me this guy has a European rap sheet as long as our semi.”

Kevin walked up. “Good morning.”

Shawn laughed. “Same to you, Kevin. How are you?”

“Fine. A little stiff from sleeping in a semi,” he said, “when did you get to sleep?” he asked.

“I didn’t.” Shawn said, a little hyper. “I made a big pot of coffee and worked all night.”

“Tell me about it.” KITT said, wearily. “She’s been searching everywhere for this Carl Johnson man.”

“I don’t know what I’m really looking for. Most of the records are dead ends.” Shawn said.

Kevin climbed into the passenger side. He took out a keyboard and plugged it into a serial port under KITT’s dashboard. He typed in a few commands. All of a sudden, KITT’s monitor was on a CIA page.... a classified CIA page.

“Kevin, what the hell is this?!” Shawn said.

“It’s the CIA foreign terrorist database.” Kevin answered simply.

“Does the Foundation have access to this database?” Shawn asked.

“No.” KITT answered. “Only high officials have access to this database. Including the President.”

“What are you doing?” Shawn asked Kevin.

“I’m searching for Carl Johnson. This database has much more, and better information than InterPol.” Kevin replied. In a few seconds, Carl Johnson’s face came up on KITT’s monitor. “Here we go! Carl Johnson, aliases include Chico Book, Jordan Mitchell, William Troy, and Oliver McNamara. Wanted for suspect of bombings in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar Es Salam, Tanzania. Wanted for conviction of several bombings in Dublin, Ireland, and Moscow Russia. There’s an American connection link here. Wanted for suspect of....” Kevin stopped.

Shawn read the monitor. “Wanted for suspect of blowing up a school bus in Montana, 1983. Wanted for suspect of bombings at Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia in 1996. Wanted for suspect of bombings in New York City in 2000. How could he do all of this if he was committed since the 70’s?”

Kevin clicked on a link marked: Known Accomplices. He and Shawn stared wide-eyed at KITT’s monitor as the list of his accomplices went down forever.

“KITT, what else can we find out from this database?” Shawn asked.

“From what I can see, Shawn, it seems we can find out anything we ever wanted to know about Carl Johnson. From his hair color at birth to what he eats daily in the mental hospital....” KITT trailed off.

“KITT?” Kevin asked.

“Someone is using this connection to dial into me... I don’t know what is going on-” KITT’s voice shut off.

“KITT, you there?” Shawn asked.

“Who is this?” another voice said over KITT’s speakers.

Kevin spoke up. “Uhh, we just stumbled on a wrong circuit, sorry for the-”

The other voice cut him off. “THIS IS A RESTRICTED GOVERNMENT DATABASE. YOU ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO ACCESS THIS DATABASE!”

Kevin quickly typed on the keyboard. There was a click heard and then a dial tone. The dial tone shut off and KITT came back.

“That was very strange.” KITT said.

“You got that right,” Shawn said, “how in the hell did they do that anyway?”

Kevin looked over at Shawn. “Shawn, it’s the CIA.”

Shawn realized what Kevin was saying. “Oh. How’d you get rid of them?” she said.

“I sent a feedback loop through the connection, and then I covered our tracks, so they can’t find out who we are.”

Shawn nodded.

“Well, from what I saw, and downloaded too, it seems that Carl Johnson is much smarter than we gave him credit for.” Kevin said.

“I think you’re smarter than we give you credit for, Kevin.” Shawn said. She took his hand in hers. “Thanks, for everything. You really helped me when I needed it the most.”

Kevin smiled. “You’re welcome. Shawn. I’m always glad to help.”

With their hands still joined, Kevin and Shawn leaned closer to each other until their lips finally made contact with each other. Kevin and Shawn kissed full on the lips.

Shawn broke the kiss. “Wow.” she said.

“Wow indeed.” Kevin replied.

The two sat silent for awhile and then left the car, going in opposite directions in the warehouse. KITT, who was silent the whole time shut off the Internet connection and closed his doors. He ejected the disk in his drive, seconds before Kevin came back to retrieve it. “Thanks KITT.” Kevin said.

June 24, 2000

2301 Hrs MST.

Six days until trial...

Shawn, KITT and Kevin were parked outside of City Hall. It was about an hour from midnight, and they were waiting to sneak in and look for records of Harold’s case from 1983.

“Shawn, this is fishy. What makes you think that there is a missing link to the evidence? Wouldn’t you think that it would all be destroyed by now?”

Shawn shook her head. “No, something tells me that there is still a crucial piece out there, and Carl is looking for it. I’m sure he knows where it is too.”

“Shawn, if Carl is as smart as you say he is, then I assume that he has his associates looking for this evidence too. Therefore, I suggest you proceed with extreme caution.” KITT said. At the exact second he finished, a panel in the center console opened and two ultrasound handguns popped out.

Shawn and Kevin each took a gun. “Thanks KITT.” Kevin said.

“KITT,” Shawn said, “scan the building for any guards, or things that might get us in trouble.”

“Right away, Shawn.” KITT said. On the windshield, the image changed into a Virtual Reality display of the building. The image slowly zoomed onto the building until it was inside, on the ground floor. The VR image showed three armed guards walking around. “It seems these are the only men in the building.” KITT reported

“What kind of City Hall needs armed guards?” Kevin asked.

“A city hall which has been bought, that’s who.” Shawn replied.

Kevin punched a few commands into a keyboard, and on KITT’s windshield, a VR image of a room appeared. “Okay, from earlier scans, it looks like the records are kept in this room, in that vault over there,” he pointed, “the vault is 6 inches thick, but KITT said that he could open it.”

“Correct.” KITT confirmed.

“All we have to do is get to the Records Room without tripping alarms or being spotted by guards.” Kevin added.

“Okay, KITT, what is our best bet?” Shawn asked.

“My scans show that the guards are on the first floor. The records room is on the top floor, which is the fourth floor. You’re ‘best bet’ is to enter through the skylights on the top of the roof. The alarms are easy to disable with my MicroJam.”

“Okay, KITT, and how do you expect us to get up four floors?” Shawn asked.

“Shawn, you really under-estimate me. I have it covered.” KITT said. Shawn and Kevin heard a whirring noise, as the rear spoiler spilt in two, and the two pieces lifted to where they were vertically in the air. KITT’s engine roared to life and he positioned himself to where his back was facing the building. Two small shots were heard as grappling hooks launched out of the spoiler segments and reached the roof.

Kevin and Shawn got out of KITT and walked to the spoiler segments. They reached up and grabbed a large hook-type device attached to the ropes leading up to the roof. Kevin pressed a button on his and the device moved up the rope, taking Kevin with him. Shawn did the same, and within seconds, both were on the roof of the building.

Shawn and Kevin spotted a skylight and ran toward it.

Shawn spoke into the comm-link. “Okay, KITT disable the alarms.”

“Right away, Shawn.” KITT said as an image of the alarm computer system appeared on his monitor. A section of a motherboard flashed yellow.”

“Alarms are deactivated.” KITT said, through the comm-link.

Kevin took out a crowbar from his bag and pryed open the hatch. He clipped a rope to a small pipe nearby and dropped the rope through the skylight. Shawn went down first, and Kevin followed.

“Now what?” Kevin asked.

“I don’t know.” Shawn replied. “KITT, is this the records room?” Shawn asked into her comm-link. There was no reply. “KITT?” she repeated again. No reply.

“What’s going on?” Kevin asked.

“I can’t raise KITT.”

Kevin spoke into his comm-link. “KITT? KITT, you there?” No reply. “Nothing,” he said, “not even static. They must be jamming our signals. Do they know we’re here?”

“I don’t know.” Shawn replied.

“This is bad, Shawn. We gotta get out of here. Now.”

“No,” Shawn said, “not until we get what we’ve been looking for.”

Kevin nodded. “Okay. You go left, I’ll go right. We’ll meet back here in an hour, regardless if we find the records or not. Remember, our comm-links don’t work.”

“Okay.” Shawn said. Shawn and Kevin went down their indicated hallways.

After a few minutes, Kevin stopped at a filing cabinet and opened it up and looked through it.

Shawn opened up a door and walked into a small office. She set her ultrasound down on the desk and walked over to a filing cabinet. She opened the cabinet and looked through the files.

KITT was monitoring their movements through the building, when something caught his attention. A guard! And he was moving towards Shawn. He tried to contact her on the comm-link. But for some reason she didn’t reply.

“Shawn! Look out! Shawn!” he said. KITT watched the guard slowly approach the office. “Oh no.” he said

The guard saw the light in the office coming through the faux-frosted-window door. He quietly opened the door, and raised his handgun.

Shawn was looking through the files, and found one marked: HJ83. She took it out and began to look through it.

“Bad timing.” the guard said.

Shawn whipped around, dropping the file onto the floor. She gulped. “You’re telling me.” She ran for her ultrasound on the desk. The guard caught her and threw her against the filing cabinet, knocking it over. She got up again, but he grabbed her. She screamed for Kevin.

“Kevin! Help! Kevin!!!! Help me!” she screamed

Down the hall Kevin heard Shawn’s screaming. He dropped his flashlight and ran, with his ultrasound drawn.

Shawn reached the desk and grabbed her ultrasound, but the guard was still holding her, and slamming her against things. She had her finger on the trigger of the ultrasound, and he pushed on her finger, forcing her to fire.

Kevin came running up, he heard the ultrasound fire and slowed down. He was about to open the door when he heard another discharge and the window of the door broke. He stepped back and kicked in the door.

Shawn was still struggling with the guard and he spun her around to face Kevin. He pressed on her finger and forced her to fire, sending Kevin back, hitting the wall. He fell to the floor, unconscious.

“Kevin!” she yelled. Shawn continued to struggle with the guard. He slammed her against the wall three times, but she still persisted. Finally, he slammed her against the wall again, and she fell down, motionless.

The guard spoke into his walkie-talkie. “I got McCormick. What do you want me to do with her partner?”

The guard’s parter replied. “Leave him there, he’s no use. I’ll tell Mr. Johnson that we have the girl in custody.”

“Gotcha.” the guard replied. The guard was about to pick Shawn up when he heard a very loud noise. He looked out of the door to see a red car with a red light in front of it speeding to him! “Holy shit!” he yelled. The guard picked Shawn up and ran for the elevator. He got in and pressed the button to close the doors repeatedly. They finally closed.

KITT came to a stop. He had failed Shawn. He tried to scan for her, but the high velocity turbo-boost had damaged some scanners. “Kevin,” he said, “can you hear me?”

Kevin started to get up. “What the hell...” he said, “KITT?! What... how did you get up here?”

“I turbo-boosted, Kevin. Shawn is gone. She got jumped by a guard and I don’t know where she is.”

“Yeah, I know,” Kevin said, “I think those guards work for Carl Johnson.” Kevin got up and got into KITT’s driver seat. He shifted KITT into reverse and spun around. He pressed the gas pedal to the floor and sped towards the hole where KITT came in. “Okay KITT.... turbo-boost!”

KITT launched out of the hole he made earlier and flew into the air for a few seconds, until he landed on the road. They sped back to the warehouse.

When Kevin and KITT arrived at the warehouse, Maddock was very irate.

“What?!”

Kevin rubbed his eyes. “The guard jumped Shawn and kidnapped her.”

Maddock looked at KITT, who seemed to be in some bad shape, structurally.

“What’s his story?” Maddock asked, pointing to KITT.

“When he landed on the road after he jumped out of the building, he bottomed out. I think we wrecked the suspension.” Kevin replied.

Maddock leaned on KITT’s rear fender. The whole chassis touched the ground. “Great! Just great!” he said.

“Jesus, Maddock, calm down! I can work on him as soon as possible, he should be repaired by tomorrow morning.” Kevin said. “Shawn can fend for herself, she’s strong! She’ll make it through the night.”

2329 Hrs MST.

Carl Johnson walked down a corridor and entered a room. There was a person sitting in a chair in the center of the room. It was Shawn. Carl walked towards her and faced her.

“You little bitch.” he said, as he punched her in the face. “What made you think that you could mess with my plans to have Harold Johnson executed?”

Shawn began to speak, but Carl interrupted her.

“Don’t give me that bullshit about him being your father, I know that already.”

“Maybe it’s because I’m a human being, with a conscience. You’re just a barbarian.” Shawn calmly replied.

“Barbarian?! Human being?!” Carl screamed. He punched Shawn again, and knocked her out of the chair. She fell to the ground. Carl kicked her in her stomach. “Don’t gimme that shit about being a human being! I’ve bet you’ve killed before, haven’t you?! Haven’t you?!”

Shawn could hardly talk. She spit out blood. “No..” she said.

“Bullshit.” Carl said. “Bullshit!” he yelled louder. He kicked her again. “You were a cop. You had to have killed someone before.”

“No.” Shawn repeated.

Carl rolled her over and bent down. “I see.... We’re you a good cop, hot shot? You had to have been some kind of great cop, not to kill anyone.”

“Being a cop isn’t always about killing people. It’s about putting scum like you away.” Shawn said.

Carl kicked Shawn in the side. She screamed and collapsed onto the floor.

Carl smiled and walked out of the room, locking the door behind him.

June 25, 2000

1020 Hrs MST.

Five days until trial...

Maddock walked into the warehouse and saw KITT elevated from the ground. About 20 technicians, including Kevin were working under him. He walked over to Kevin. “How long?”

“Not long.” Kevin replied, tightening a bolt. “It should be a few more minutes and we’ll be good to go again.”

Carl walked into Shawn’s room carrying a tray full of food, and a glass of water. He opened the door. “Got some food for ya, ocifer!” Carl set the tray down.

Shawn had her back to him. She asked the question that she had wanted to ask for awhile. “You have the missing evidence, don’t you?”

Carl laughed. “What makes you think I’m gonna tell you?”

“Because you’re going to kill me.” Shawn said.

Carl was silent. This smart lady read his mind. He came too far to be stopped by a broad with a flashy car. “Yeah, I got the evidence. How you ask? Because I got the money,” Carl said, “some say there are things money can’t buy but they’re wrong. See, everything and everyone has a price tag, but sometimes it is hidden, and you gotta look for it. I have the money to buy and sell everyone in this town, and you know what?” Carl said as he faced Shawn, “I can buy its nosy visitors too.”

“How long do you plan on keeping me here, alive?” Shawn asked.

“After Harold’s execution, which is on, ohh.... July 5th. It looks like you and your Knight Foundation buddies are running out of time. I know all about them too. An annoying do-gooders glee club with a flashy car that talks.”

Shawn was amazed as to what Carl was telling her about her own company. “How do you-”

“Ocifer, you don’t give me enough credit! I may be legally insane, but God dammit I’m not stupid!”

“Could have fooled me.” Shawn said. She quickly realized that she had said the wrong thing.

Carl punched Shawn in her black eye from last night. He knocked her out of the chair. “That’s okay, I’ll just let you in here until your daddy is executed, and to make it even better, I got a video feed from the prison, and you’ll be able to watch it LIVE!” Carl laughed. “Where is your knight in shining armor now?”

Shawn gave him a confused look

Carl was frustrated that Shawn didn’t understand his cliché. “Michael Knight, ocifer! He seems to save your ass when you need it, doesn’t he? Looks like he’s sitting this one out, because, well... I don’t see him, do you?” Carl laughed and walked out of the room.

Shawn hung her head down and got up and walked around. One thing she was relieved about was the freedom to walk around, not caged up. She carefully approached the tray of food, waiting for it to explode or something. She got on her knees and picked up a piece of bread. She smelt it, trying to figure out if it was poisoned. She knew it wasn’t. Carl wanted her alive to watch Harold be killed. Shawn looked at the contents of the tray. Toast, eggs, bacon, butter, and orange juice. Carl definitely wanted her alive. Shawn hoped that her friends would find her soon, and began to eat.

June 28, 2000

1645 Hrs MST.

Two days until trial...

For the past three days, the Knight Foundation has been looking very hard for Shawn. Maddock and Kevin both agreed to wherever the find Shawn, they find Carl Johnson. And wherever they find Carl Johnson, they find the missing evidence. Now all they have to do is figure out how and where to find Shawn...

“KITT this is bullshit.” Kevin said.

“I beg your pardon.” KITT replied.

“It’s been... what, 3 days, and no trace of Shawn. How can that possibly be?” Kevin asked.

“I don’t know, Kevin. But I have been scanning everywhere since than, and have come up with nothing.”

“It’s almost like she walked of the edge of the earth...” Kevin murmured. He thought for a while. “That’s it!”

“What is?” KITT asked.

“The earth! We’ve been using conventional scans, earth scans, to find Shawn.”

“I’m afraid you haven’t been getting enough sleep, Kevin. I am returning to the warehouse.” KITT said.

“No wait, let me explain. What we need to do is scan for the communicator’s satellite signal.” Kevin said.

“I understand now.” KITT said.

“Good. The communicators use microwave signals, but there still is the transponder that we use to find an agent. You scanned for the microwave transponder, which is easier to find, but there also is the satellite transponder, which requires tapping into the Global Satellite Network.” Kevin said.

“Kevin, every time I tap in to GSN, I end up wishing for vacuum tubes. It is a very large network.” KITT said.

“I know, KITT, but this is our only way to find Shawn.”

Shawn was rubbing a piece of wood that she broke off of the chair on the underside of it. She rubbed her bloody hands on her cloth napkin, and hid the sawdust in her cup of orange juice. She was rubbing the wood on the chair since 11pm last night, and was hoping it was sharp enough to escape from Carl. She knew he would be in soon to bring her dinner, and was working hard to get the wood sharp enough. She heard Carl unlocking the door. She hid the remaining sawdust in her drink and rubbed her hands clean of blood as she could. She slid the wooden knife up her sleeve, and waited for Carl to come in.

Carl opened the door with a smile on his face. It was only 2 days until the trial, and he knew that without that evidence, his brother is dead. It was so hard being brothers. He walked over to Shawn and set the tray down. “Hey, ocifer. Dinner is served.”

Shawn got up and walked towards him. She hit the tray on the bottom and hit flew up and hit Carl in the face. She took the wooden knife out and stabbed him in the shoulder. Carl screamed and fell down. She kicked him in the side and the stomach, and in his shoulder wound, causing him to scream, loudly. Finally, she kicked him in the head and he went unconscious. She searched him and found a handgun and two clips. She made sure the gun was armed and she ran down the hall. She ran towards the first door she could find, and opened it. There was nothing in there. She frantically looked around for any kind of file or papers, but found nothing. She ran out and tried another door. It was locked. She broke in only to find an empty room. Shawn couldn’t see any guards, or anyone else, so she figured she was all alone. She looked down another hall filled with lots of doors.

1920 Hrs MST.

Kevin was sitting on a chair drinking a glass of water while KITT searched GSN. “How much longer, KITT?” he asked.

“I predict about three more hours.” KITT said.

Kevin threw his glass across the room. “The trial is two days away, we have to get Shawn and hope to God that she has that evidence.”

“Kevin,” KITT said.

“What?”

“I hope so too.” KITT replied. “But you have to relax, Kevin, and give me time. GSN is bigger than ever now, and it will take three more hours to complete the search. The problem is that we have no idea where Shawn is, so I have to search the entire world.”

“KITT, I’m sorry for my outburst. I’m just.... Hell, I don’t know what I am.”

“In love.” a voice said from across the room.

Kevin turned around and saw Maddock standing there.

Maddock nodded. “Yeah, Kev, you are in love. I can see it. Hell, KITT can see it.”

Kevin nodded. “KITT already knows, kinda. Shawn kinda knows too. KITT knows because I told him. Shawn knows because we kissed a few days ago. So I think she’s in love too.”

Maddock walked closer to Kevin. “Don’t bust your ass to save Shawn because you are in love. Keep your mind where it needs to be and save her because she is your partner. She’s OUR partner. We all have to work together.”

Kevin smiled. “It’s good to be part of a team. I was so rejected throughout high school, it was so annoying. Everyone thought I was a geek, and a nerd and what not because I fell in love with computers. Now I am making big bucks and part of a team finally. It feels so good to be accepted.”

“Kevin, you aren’t just part of any old team. You’re part of a family, now. We all need each other to live. Come on. KITT won’t be done for three more hours, I think we need an adult beverage.” Maddock said, smiling.

2057 Hrs MST.

Shawn was out of breath. She had tried every door she could find and came up with nothing. She finally figured out that Carl must have the file of her father on him somewhere. She walked back to the room she was kept in and slowly approached the door. She saw blood on the floor and what she thought to be Carl’s foot. She walked in the room and saw it was Carl’s shoe! He was loose somewhere!

Out of nowhere, a sharp pain hit Shawn in the back. She saw pieces of wood flying everywhere. Carl had hit her with the chair. He kicked her and she fell down, and the gun went sliding across the floor.

Shawn got up and hobbled towards the gun.

“Oh no you don’t!” Carl yelled.

But Shawn reached it first and she fired point blank at Carl and hit him in the arm. He screamed and fell over.

Shawn walked towa