Reckless Aim

Reckless Aim--By Knighthawk (find more stories at http://krfiction.blogspot.com)

Michael was standing in the empty warehouse, his gun loaded. He
could feel the adrenaline rush when he caught the unexpected sound of
his boot as it brushed across the concrete. After that, an eerie
quiet fell over the large warehouse room. He dared to take another
step. Kitt had analyzed the room as safe, and he trusted his partner,
but there was still no room for fatal mistakes. The quiet was so
deafening that Michael's ears strained to hear the slightest sound,
even if it was only the wailing of the freezing Colorado wind howling
outside the warehouse. He felt a little guilty about leaving Kitt out
in the snowstorm alone in such hostile territory, but he had managed
under worse conditions. The wind died down and the ear-splitting
silence set in again. He startled when he heard the crunch of tires
on the concrete and didn't think to look before he spun around and
pulled the trigger with a steady hand and perfect aim. Normally he
would congratulate himself on such a perfect shot, but the last thing
he expected to have shot was his own partner, but sure enough, the
Trans Am was leaning against the wall, trembling. Michael ran to the
car and pulled out a pocketknife in an eleventh-hour attempt to pry
the bullet out of the scanner, but he only deepened the wound.
"Michael," Kitt desperately called. "Is that...you?"
"I'm here, partner. I'm here."
"Michael...why?"
"I...I don't know."
Kitt's air intakes were working overtime in a useless attempt to
keep his CPU cool. He gasped and the entire frame began heaving with
the heavy respiration. All he could possibly comprehend was that his
scanner had just been hit with a lead bullet and his chances of
survival were only about fifteen percent and dropping by the minute.
The only thing that kept him holding on right now was Michael's
constant support. He had just enough time to send out a severe
distress signal before he was forced unconscious.
-_-_-
Michael was gently stroking Kitt's hood, a little concerned that
no one had shown up yet. Devon and Bonnie had their coordinates and a
helicopter capable of towing Kitt himself, so why hadn't they come
yet? He was beginning to give up hope that they would be rescued in
time to save his partner, and he was a little afraid right now. All
Michael could do was play his partner false and tell him that
everything would be okay, but deep in his heart, he knew the truth.
He knew Kitt was fading fast and if he was going to do anything, he
shoudl start now. Michael had to bear the weight of that for a minute
before the truth came down on him like a ton of bricks. What could he
do? Try and fix Kitt? No, he would probably end up killing him even
faster.
"Michael," Kitt called for his lifeline.
"I'm here with you, Kitt. And I'll stay here. Forever."
"Cut...the power."
Michael couldn't believe what Kitt was asking him to do. "What? No!"
"Please, Michael...trust me."
"Kitt, I won't be able to live with myself if I do that."
"Do you want...to see me die...like this?"
"Well, no, but -"
"Cut it." Kitt spoke with infinite patience for his driver.
"No. No!"
"Please! You cannot...save my life, but...you can save...me."
"How is that saving you? I'll just be killing you!"
"Michael..."
Kitt's voice was almost a cry. "Alright," Michael accepted. He
carefully climbed into the cabin, opened the dashboard, and found the
wires that powered the entire AI unit. He began to pull the wire
threads apart, repressing tears, when he felt a light shock.
"I can't do it, Kitt!" he shouted and pulled his hands from the
wires. "I just can't do this to you, partner!"
"I understand...completely, Michael," Kitt reassured, a little
disappointed. He sounded totally defeated and it hurt Michael to hear
him like this.
Michael sat back in the leather and suede seat. If he hadn't so
recklessly shot his own partner, he wouldn't be faced with this
decision. He was the cause of the pain that made Kitt ask Michael to
take his life and save him the suffering he would otherwise have to
endure. Michael understood now - Kitt was going to die either way and
he was asking Michael to make it easier on him. "Okay, partner. I'll
do this."
Kitt gasped and Michael figured that he just hadn't expected his
voice. He put his hands to the wires. "Are you sure?"
Silence.
"Buddy?"
Silence.
"Kitt?"
Silence.
Michael lifted the cover of it and jabbed the 'Reboot' button on
the LED box, but no startup signal came. He folded his arms across
the gull wing steering bar and began to cry.
He had killed Kitt.
If only he had cut the power. If only. The words echoed in his
head. If only he had listened, Kitt may have had a much more peaceful
death, if at all. But Michael hadn't listened or trusted, as he had
been tied up in his own selfish reasons for not shutting down the CPU.
He didn't want to live with Kitt's death on his shoulders, but now
that he had gotten his way, he had to deal with it being painful and
preventable. He was jerked out of his thoughts by footsteps coming
towards him.
"Michael?"
"Bonnie?"
"Is Kitt okay?"
There was a long silence between them. "No."
"What happened?"
"I...killed him."


--
~Knighthawk