Walking out to the grassy area behind the house, Justin and Bonnie set themselves down on the bottom step.  Devon had called upon the partners for help in what he�d had called a 'particularly distressing case.'  When they had arrived, Devon had been immersed in a phone meeting and was unable to speak with them for a time.  They found themselves with Bonnie and Justin, and this scenario had mysteriously evolved.

"You taught him to fight? I gotta see this."

Kitt fired Justin an evil stare. "Thank you very much.  I think I hold my own very well."  He had removed his jacket, tossing it aside with Michael's.

Justin snorted. "You?!  Mr �I can't Hurt A Fly�... no way."

Michael was laughing, waiting for Kitt to focus.  When it didn't happen, he bounced up towards Kitt, shoving him.

"Oh great, play fight."

"Do you want to join in or what?" Michael fired back.

"No thanks.  I know *you* can fight.  I'm interested in seeing the Android Flying Machine."

"Won't happen."

"Come on Kitt, let's get on with this."  Michael almost whined at his partner.

The two circled each other for a moment, Kitt taking a few shots, getting a feel for Michael's mood.  They had both blocked the link, to keep the other from knowing what was coming.  Each move was easily deflected.  Michael with a smile on his face, knowing the real battle was yet to begin.

Kitt lashed out.  Michael ducked, swinging a leg, swiping Kitt's out from under him.  Landing heavily on his rear end, Michael smiled brightly, waiting for Kitt to pick himself up.  Justin's snickering had increased slightly.  Tossing another evil look in that direction, Kitt gracefully stood.

Kitt had learned to block punches fast.  Michael found it a challenge to try and get one passed his partner.  Today he was having no luck.  No matter where he aimed, Kitt caught it and deflected, occasionally sending Michael off balance.  Kitt's confidence was growing.

An idea came to Michael. He feigned a punch and as Kitt deflected it, Michael grabbed his arm, twisting it behind Kitt's back, his other arm wrapping around his partner, hand splayed across his chest.  Kitt nodded, admitting defeat and wanting to get Michael's hands off him before they became too distracting.

Eye to eye they kept circling each other.  Finally, getting a little bored, Michael reached out, flipping Kitt over his shoulder.  Jumping back before Kitt could retaliate, he again waited for Kitt to pick himself off the ground.

Kitt threw another punch towards Michael, who grabbed the fist with his hands.  At that moment Kitt rushed him, picking his partner up by the waist and depositing him on the ground.

Michael grabbed around Kitt's shoulders as he felt himself fall.  Landing with Kitt across his chest, Michael rolled, a move that caused their bodies to rub against each other before Michael could scramble back to his feet.

Justin turned to Bonnie.  "Does this look like foreplay to you?" Bonnie's jaw dropped, face reddening slightly.  Then she nodded, joining in the teasing.

"I heard that."  Michael kept an eye on Kitt.  "What's a matter?  You jealous?"

Seeing Kitt's attention waver at Justin's reaction to Michael's question, he jumped at him, flipping Kitt over his back again.  This time Kitt caught on, grabbing Michael's shoulders on the way down.

Landing on his back, the balance shift causing Michael to land with his thighs straddling Kitt, his palms beside his head, both of them breathing hard, laughing.  Their eyes caught and met for an erotic moment.  Michael dropped his block for a second.

//foreplay, huh?  sounds about right//

Kitt's eyes widened for a second.  Then a slow mischievous smile crept over his features.  Michael had re-established his block.  Without notice, Kitt reached up, grabbing Michael's upper arms, throwing him off and reversing their positions.

Straddling Michael, hands on his chest, leaning close.  "But I prefer being on top."  It was Michael's turn to stare.  Justin had caught Kitt's words and doubled over laughing.  Michael swallowed hard, trying to rein in his rising desire.  This was *not* the time or the place.  Trying to turn his desire into energy, he shoved at Kitt's chest, setting him off balance enough for Michael to get up.

Both becoming caught up in the sexual tension between them, the play fight turned into something more serious.  To any casual observer it was a blatant show of testosterone. Two best friends trying to out do one another.  Bonnie and Justin knew better.  They could almost feel the tension rise. It was thrilling.

"What the hell was that?"  Kitt asked, as Michael executed the clumsiest move Kitt had ever seen.

"Just checking to see if you were paying attention."

"Mi, that was the most pitiful thing I have ever seen."

"Then come get me Beauty."

Justin's jaw dropped, the two partners has obviously forgotten they were being watched.  The banter had been exchanged in low tones, but easily heard by him and Bonnie.  Bonnie had no reaction.  But then again, she had lived with them for so long.

Hip checking Michael, Kitt easily tossed his lover onto his back in the grass.  Justin let out an amazed hoot.  Michael stood, then charged at Kitt, grabbing his waist.  He misjudged and they both went down.  Michael landing on top of Kitt. "Now who gets to be on top?"  Kitt shoved him away, laughing.

Catching himself on his palms, Michael watched Kitt stand.  His body reacting to the touches and the innuendoes. Clambering to his feet, Michael glanced to the two observers.  Motioning towards Bonnie, he chanced a good look, her face was bright red, but she was laughing uncontrollably.

"You think we should quit before we offend your mother's sensibilities too much?" Glancing at Kitt, he figured he'd better stop anyway.  Kitt's hair was tousled, his skin flushed and desire was pulsing from behind both their blocks.  It was becoming more and more difficult for Michael to keep from kissing Kitt.  Kitt just nodded, unsure of his own voice at that moment.  Justin knew, of course, had seen small amounts of the affection shared between them, but he had never witnessed this kind of open sexuality.

Devon turned from his window.  He had watched the partners playing for many years.   He knew they cared for one another, yet something had changed.  He had no idea when or what it might be.  They had always been so careful with each other.  This open violence and familiarity disturbed him.  He wished he knew why.

Seeing Devon at the window, Michael guided his partner inside.  It was time for business.  The chance to express even a small part of his feelings for Kitt was a needed release. One he hadn�t been aware of until now.

*

Devon motioned for them to take a seat.  Kitt sitting in one of the high-backed chairs, Michael, per his longstanding habit, perched on the edge of the desk.  Devon scowled briefly, then shook his head in familiar affection.  Handing Michael a folder, he began the explanation of the case.

"I was contacted a few weeks back by a woman who claimed her daughter was abducted by a religious cult."  Michael snorted, thumbing through the file in his hands. "Not so much of a joke I'm afraid.  In researching this group, we discovered many who claim to have lost loved ones to this faction.  No one has been able to penetrate the grounds.  They seem to have a security system designed to counter act any type of electronic signal.  A car's engine mysteriously shuts off, planes flying overhead experience failures, watches cease to function.  That sort of malarkey."

Michael looked at his old boss.  "So that leaves me to go in."  Tipping his head he considered his options. "Why?"

Devon understood the question. "It is believed that the initiates are tortured until they are either considered 'cleansed', or dead."

Michael cringed.  "Okay.  We'll need to take a closer look.  Is this all you have on the group?"  Michael flipped the folder closed.

"Unfortunately yes. They are a very tight knit society.  No one goes in or out."

Looking at Kitt, he caught the expression on his partner's face.  It was similar to Nick's.  Blank.  There were pulses behind the link, which Kitt had blocked.  Michael couldn't decipher them.

"I'll let you two get to work right away."  It was half a question.  Wanting to ask whether they would take the case or not.

"Let's go see Bonnie."  Michael stood, handing the folder back.  Kitt led the way out of the room without a word.

*

Standing just outside the Foundation�s main doors, Michael and Kitt faced each other.

"I could go in your place."

Shaking his head, Michael looked over his long time partner.  "They'd detect you long before you reached the facility.  I have a much better chance of gaining access and getting the hostages out."

"Do you have a plan?"

"Don't I always?"  Kitt just stared.  For some reason the teasing banter only made him feel worse. Seeing the pained expression on Kitt's face, Michael took his partner�s hands in his, then continued on a more serious note. "I plan on getting as close as possible, then leave the car and walking in.  I�ll activate the homing signal, just in case.  Bonnie said what?  Half a mile would be enough to ensure they couldn't pick up the car's electrical signals?"

"About that.  You might want to add a bit just to be safe."

Kitt looked directly at the face he had known all his life, a face that he may never see again.  Endless searches had revealed little more about their target.  In the end the only way to know for sure was for Michael to go in.   "Are you sure?" Kitt had a bad feeling about this.  He always did when they were separated.

"Yes."  Michael had said it in that determined tone he only used when his was scared stiff, but knew he had no choice.

"Come back to me, please." Begging deep brown eyes locked on to blue.

Pulling his love into his arms, Michael held him. "I will.  In the mean time, see if you and Bon can dig up anything on the grounds of the facility.  The more I know, the faster I can get in and out of there."

"No heroics."

Michael snorted against his partner�s hair.  "Not this time.  There is too much riding on this.  And I know I could never manage to get everyone out unnoticed."

Suddenly Kitt lifted his head, slight fear on his face. "The link!"

Michael frowned. "What about it?"

"If they can detect any electronic signal, they will detect the link. You can't go in."

"Yes, I can."  Kitt did not like the look on Michael's face.

"How�?"  It hit him.  "No.�  His eyes widened.  �Absolutely not!  Out of the question."

Michael gazed at him and he murmured.  "When did we become so selfish?"  Kitt's face fell, hurt.  But Michael continued.  "We can suffer for a few hours.  I'll put the cuff on when I park the car.  I'll give you as much notice as I can, wait for you to put up your blocks.  I can't not go."

�Mi, please... be sure of what you are doing."

Michael sighed, the expression on Kitt�s face beginning to shatter his resolution.  "I am."

Kitt nodded, acknowledging his decision.  Taking one step back, he paused, catching Michael's eyes, which were unguarded for the first time.  Reaching back, he took hold of the dark head, pulling it down to him, stretching up to meet the kiss.  Michael felt what was coming, what he had wanted himself.  'Screw it' he thought to himself, no longer caring who saw.

Wrapping his arms around his lover, he deepened the kiss, memorizing the feel of Kitt's tongue along his, Kitt's arms around his body, holding on with desperation.

Breaking away before he changed his mind, Michael sprinted to the Trans Am, peeling out without looking back, leaving Kitt standing on the landing.

Devon almost dropped his teacup.  Believing his eyes were deceiving him as he stared at the spectacle outside.  As what he had witnessed sunk in, so many other aspects suddenly became clear.  He had always just assumed that the closeness that was shared was a result of many harrowing situations and the intimacy of the link.  He'd never dreamt that they could be....  His mind refused to grasp that idea.  The whole idea of two males was beyond him, but for the other to be an AI?  Devon shuddered, trying to push the thought aside as Kitt walked back inside.

*

Michael pulled the car in through the opening doors and killed the engine.  He didn�t have too much time.  The longer he had to think about what he was about to do, the less he wanted to do it.  Nick was about to go out by the looks of things.  He frowned at Michael.  �You�re missing something.�

Michael was caught by surprise, his mind on other things.  �What?�

�Kitt.�

�At the Foundation.�  He didn�t miss Nick�s expression.  �What now?�  He was almost too distracted for this, and yet a part of him wanted to be held away from his task.

�Far be it from me to tell you about your own partner, Michael.�  Nick threw an overnight bag into the passenger seat of the Stealth.

Shaking his head, Michael ran up the stairs and found the cuff in one of the filing cabinets in the computer room.  When he came down again, playing it in his hand, he saw Nick still standing in the open door of the car, leaning on the top of the door.  Michael stopped in front of him.  �Okay.  What?�

Nick�s cold blue eyes spotted the cuff.  He pointed to it.  �What do you want with that?�

Michael took a deep breath and briefly explained.  Nick couldn�t fault his reasoning or his physics.  The link would be picked up because of it�s broadcasting.  The cuff�s electronic signals would merge with Michael�s natural electronic pulses and would thus be masked.  But Nick had to question his motives.  �What does Kitt feel about this?�

Nick�s alluding to Kitt�s hidden feelings had been starting to annoy Michael, but this direct concern angered him.  �What do you think?� he snapped.

�I don�t think you should do this.�  A beat, and then Nick dropped down into the driver�s seat.

�Because of the cuff?�

�Because neither of you want to use that thing ever again.  You�ve been linked twelve years, that,� he nodded at the innocent strip of material, �will hurt more than you realize.  You shouldn�t be going into dangerous situations wearing that, your concentration will be shot to hell within an hour, take my word for it.�

Michael stared down at the cuff.  �We�ll manage.�

Nick sighed, watching Michael turn from him and head to the TransAm.  �Kitt doesn�t want you to do this,� he called.

Michael didn�t have to ask how he knew.  �You don�t run our lives, Nick.�

Slamming the door closed as Michael started up the engine of his car, Nick let his gaze settle on Karr�s dash.  There was a discussion of sorts happening in his mind, and Karr won the debate.  Starting the Stealth�s engine, he asked Karr to head for the Foundation while he called his client to postpone their arrangement.

*

Michael parked the car off to the side approximately a mile from his target.  Looking around, he took note of his surroundings. It all looked so peaceful.  There was no hint of the suffering that was occurring not so far away.

Activating the car�s scanners once more, they showed him exactly what he had expected.  A blank area to the North East.   Whatever they were using to conceal the grounds, his systems couldn't penetrate it.  And the car's systems were well ahead of most technological advances.

He sighed to himself.  Bonnie and Kitt had come up empty in their searches for information on the cult.  He had tried to mask the feelings of dread, but that ghost refused to leave him.  Telling him that he did not want to go in there.

//you don't// Kitt's voice startled him.

//yes I do.  can we really leave those people in there to be tortured?//

He felt Kitt's indecisiveness.  Knew first hand the battle that was raging inside his partner.  Because he was fighting the same one. //no//

Michael nodded.  //by any chance have you discovered anything about these people?//

//they are a long standing religious cult.  they pay their taxes on time, purchase foodstuffs on a quarterly basis.  other than those few trips, no one leaves the grounds... unless they see someone who they feel requires cleansing//

//cleansing?//

//I haven't figured that out yet.  I have not come across the criteria for their rituals//

//okay, I'm going in//

//Mi....//

//I know, but it's only for a short period.  I have to locate where the hostages are, then I'm getting the hell out of Dodge//

Michael looked at the seemingly harmless bracelet on the passenger seat. It looked so innocent sitting there.  Once he placed it on, he was going to have one hell of a battle.  Trying to stay alert while ignoring the hole in his mind.  But this group was technologically advanced.  They used tracking devices to pinpoint the location of any type of electronic output.  That let them know if there was a car, plane or even a phone was being used without permission.

The link would be a dead giveaway.

//don't say that word//  Michael half smiled.  He should have known that Kitt would stick close until the cuff went on.

//I love you, Beauty//

//come back to me please//

//I will.  I promise.  no stunts today, in and out as fast as possible.//

Letting the link deepen for a moment, they shared a tender kiss.  Then backing away, Michael waited until he felt Kitt complete building his strong blocks.  Erecting his own shields, he grabbed the cuff.  Taking off his Comlink, throwing it into the car, he placed the cuff around his left wrist and snapped it secure.
 

Jogging to the site helped keep his mind and body focused.  The less chance he had to think about the link, the less likely he was to use it and the less likely he was to notice the darkness beyond his shields.

A tall chain link fence bordered the entire property, hopping over it was easy.  Crouching low, he followed the tree line as far as he could.  Four buildings faced each other in the centre of the grounds.  There was a swimming pool of to the west side, parking areas in the centre, and a few small shacks peppered the area around the buildings.

Making his way to the closest shack, he kept an eye out for activity.  He could hear singing in one of the buildings, but nothing else.  He wasn't sure if he was comforted by it, or spooked.

Gaining access into the closest building, he crept through the hallways.  From the looks of it, there was no one in this building.  He heard no movement whatsoever.  Looking in the first room, it seemed to be set up like army barracks.  Rows of bunk cots lined either side of the long room, small locker separating them along the walls.  Very clean, very neat.  He moved towards the next room down the hall.  The corridors were narrow, not wide enough for two men to pass shoulder to shoulder.  Stepping into the room, he never saw it coming.

*

Waking was not pleasant.  In fact, he wished he hadn't.  He found himself on his knees, his hands tied behind his head, his back resting against some sort of cold wall.  Trying to open his eyes, he found rough material against them.  A blindfold.  He shifted, trying to move his hands.  His breath caught.  Whatever they had done, whatever knot they had used, his hands were tied behind his head, to a rope around his neck.  Any movement caused him to literally strangle himself.  He tied to grab the blindfold, only to have the rope tighten around his throat again.  Figuring if he really needed to, he could release the blindfold, but for now it just wasn't worth it. Threading his fingers together, he placed his palms along his head, resting them there.  To wait.
 

A gentle touch startled him awake.

"It's okay, I won't hurt you."  The voice was soft, young and definitely female. Her fingers were still on his cheek.

Feeling something against his lips, he turned his head, suspicion and fear rising in him.

"Drink.  It's just water."

Moving slowly, she lifted the glass for him. The touch of the liquid against his skin reminded him just how long it had been since he'd had anything. Instinct took over and thirstily he drank. "Slowly.  There's more if you wish."  Placing the empty glass on the floor beside her, watching as his breathing returned to normal after gulping down the water, she placed her hand on his face again.  She'd never been permitted to touch before.  "What is your name?"

"Michael."  He answered before he could stop himself.  Her hand was warm against his cheek, tentative.  "Where am I?"  He finally asked.

"In the holding room."

Her soft caress was distracting.  So was the knowledge that he could do nothing to stop her.  "What do they have planned for me?"

"You will be initiated through the cleansing rites."

"What if I don't want to be a part of this?"

"You will.  Once you know more.  We all felt as you do.  Only a few came willingly.  We all saw the reasoning afterwards."

"Why are you here?"

He heard her shift, closer to him.  Her hand was still on his face, palm resting against his jaw.  "My parents died when I was very young.  I was playing with matches... the house burned...."  She trailed off.

"They never made it out?"

"No." Her voice had changed.  Holding a great deal of guilt and sadness. "But I have been cleansed of my sins.  Now it's time to move on."

That sent a shiver down his spine. "Move on, how?" he asked hesitantly.

"The group is always seeking new blood.  Once you are cleansed, you and I...."

Her hand had moved to rest, palm flat, at the top of his chest.  His heart jumped.  There was a part of his brain that understood the concept.  The other side screamed down the blocked link.

"I'm with someone."

"That no longer matters."

"It matters to me.  I'm very much in love with that person.  I can't just... change that."  He felt her hands move around him.

*

Kitt leaned over the borrowed laptop.  Bonnie had almost as much access on hers as Kitt had gained over the years.  Still, he kept coming up empty handed.  Michael had been gone for 8 hours.  The link had been disrupted for just over 6.  The headache had slowly grown.  Thinking was becoming difficult.  The computer beeped at him again.  Looking at the blank screen on the workbench he cursed, throwing the pen in his hand across the building.

<_You must maintain your wits

<_And what the hell do you know about it?  Kitt paused, astounded by his own actions. <_I'm sorry Karr, I didn't...

<_No need.  Karr's tone held it's usual cold monotone, but Kitt had still felt the surprised pulse.

<_Any ideas?

<_No.  Your partner made the decision.  He must cope alone

Kitt's eyes widened. <_And would you leave Nick?  Silence. <_I thought not.  Leave me be.  I have work to do

Karr shook his head, watching his brother.  He could feel his fear, his frustration and his growing anger.  He could not place the reason for his anger.  Backing away, he left Kitt to his own devices for the time being.

*

In the early hours Michael was led from his room to the courtyard.  They had blindfolded him again before roughly hefting him to his feet.  His arms were aching.  They had not released the knot around his neck.  Anytime he had failed to think about his hands, the swift tightening of the rope reminded him sharply to keep his hands clasped behind his neck.

He heard movement all around him, like they had circled him. Then the prayer began:

�And we know that yesterday
The moon was brown
And that today it is black
And that tomorrow it is red
And we know that when we go to the sun
The moon comes along
And the cows in the pasture graze
And we know that we know what we know
Is it truth?�

Michael swallowed hard listening to the ominous voices surrounding him.  He wished he had an idea of what was going on around him.

"Why are you here?"  The single voice spoke out from his left side.

"Where am I?"

"We are asking the questions."  This voice drifted from in front of him.

"Can you believe� curiosity?"  That's when it hit him.  The stream hit him in the abdomen, knocking him backwards, off his feet.  His hands moved automatically to block the fall, causing the rope to tighten painfully around his neck.  He hit the ground hard, coughing water out of his lungs.

Two arms grabbed him, yanking him to his feet.

"That was a warning.  Now again, why are you here?"

"I told you.�"  He didn't finish his sentence.  This time the stream was harder, directly to his chest, knocking the wind out of him as it easily sent him to the ground again.  He lay there, gasping for breath, his arms useless to wipe the water from his face.  His neck felt burnt, and whatever was running down his neck was warm.  He wasn't sure if it was water, or blood.

"Now, you are obviously a capable man.  You have no watch or other trinkets on you - other than that plastic bracelet.  That points to you knowing of our security measures. How you came to know of them I would dearly like to know."  Again, he was roughly lifted to his feet.

"Look, I've heard stories and I wanted to see for myself."  He waited, bracing himself for another blast from what he assumed was a fire hose.

Silence.  He began to shiver in his wet clothes. "All right.  Suppose I believe you.  Then you must have heard that anyone who arrives in this compound does not leave."

Michael shook his head.  "I wasn't aware of that."

"Now you are."

Another man, closer to him began to speak.  "Lise mentioned that you are not interested in our community?"

"I believe I said that I was not interested in becoming a part of it."

"You sound very sure about something you know nothing about."

Michael stood his ground.  In a way he had just slipped up, and they knew it.  He reached for the link.  His blocks crumbled.  The cold and the darkness swamped him.  He almost lost his balance.  He groaned quietly as he quickly tried to replace the blocks.  His throat was now throbbing, the rope sticking to him, pulling at his skin, his concentration wavering as the darkness engulfed his mind.

"I told you,� he gasped, �I was just curious about what was going on in here."

"You will be granted your wish, when you decide to end this charade."

"I don't�."

The water hit him full force.  He felt his feet leave the ground.  Landing on his side, jarring his elbow, the wind knocked out of him and the stream still slamming him. Rolling to his knees, he tried to escape, only to have the water thrown him over again.  Curling into himself, he waited, tucking his face behind his knees, using them as a shield for his face.  His arms were on fire, this position pulled at the rope around his neck.  He didn't care.  In his panic he'd lost control of the block, opening the dark wound and if he lifted his head, he would receive a face full of pressurized water.  As suddenly as it began, it ended. He collapsed back, struggling for breath, struggling to block.  His skin felt burnt from the force of the rushing water.

Two sets of strong hands pulled him up by his arms.  Moaning as the ropes cut further into his skin, he fought to stay on his feet as they lead him back to the holding room.
 

Dropping him onto his knees on the concrete, they left him.  Shivering violently, he ached for Kitt, the warmth only he could give him.  He snapped upright as he heard the door open again.

"It's only me."  Lise's voice drifted over him as he heard her approach.

"Let me help you."  He was in no condition to argue.  "I'm going to remove the ropes.  If they hear anything, the men outside the door will kill you.  Do you understand?"  Michael's teeth were chattering too much for him to speak.

He nodded once, regretting it immediately.  He felt her fingers on the back of his head, first pulling off his blindfold, then on his wrists as she untied the knots.  The pressure of the rope eased, he gasped for air, his arms dropping limply, too numb for him to control.

Watching him struggle before her, she wondered how they could have done this to him. Gently, she removed the ropes from his torn skin, ready with the antiseptic once she peeled them all from him.  He had gained enough control to lean on his arms.  He was shivering terribly, still dripping water.  The pool around him had a pinkish tinge.

Reaching behind her, she draped the blanket around him.  His head snapped up, a mixture of surprise and disbelief in his eyes.  Crossing his legs in front of him, he sat down, his back resting against the wall.  She had very gently placed the blanket around his shoulders.  His hands were shaking, pins and needles having set in, but he was still able to pull it around him.  Breathing was still difficult.  His ribs were bruised, as was his abdomen.  Every time his swallowed or moved his head, his neck screamed in agony.  He jerked, feeling her fingers on his neck.

"Let me treat those.  You do not wish them to become infected."

"Why...?"  He rasped, trying to find his voice. "Why are you doing this for me?"

"Would you not do the same?"  He smiled slightly, knowing she was right. "I thought as much.  I do not understand the need for such violence.  The soul may be cleansed in many ways."  He didn't have the heart to tell her the truth.

He watched her pick up the container of swabs, knowing it was going to sting, he looked at his wrists.  They were an ugly bluish colour, the open wound from the ropes contrasting brightly against the dark bruise.  He reached to touch his neck.  Her hand on his stopped him.

"Let me.  Your hands are filthy.  You will only cause infection." Letting his head fall back against the wall, he let her proceed.  She had never been this close to a man before.  Finding herself very uncomfortable, she tried to focus on her task.  His body tensed, arching slightly as she touched the wound around his throat with the antiseptic.

His breathing increased greatly, but he never cried out, nor did he shout at her, or make any nasty movements towards her.  She had heard about men, how they acted when under the influence of pain.  The woman said it was because God had decided to give women the pain of birth, they could deal with great pain. Men had no need for the instinct that let women suffer in silence. Yet this man, who was obviously in great pain, refused to utter a sound.  She found herself questioning the ideals she had lived by for so long.  This man possessed great strength, not only physically, but on a much deeper level.

She worked to remain gentle, trying no to pull at the raw skin.  She saw the pain on his face as he tried to swallow.  Lifting his right arm, she began working on his wrist.  He hissed in pain as she moved over a particularly open section, but still, other than the tension in his body, he made no movement. As she picked up his other hand, laying it in her lap, the plastic on his arm caught her attention.  It was not ornamental, if anything it was rather ugly.  There had once been two lights on it, they no longer seemed to function.  It was thicker on top than underneath and warm to the touch. She looked up to find his eyes on her.  Blushing slightly, she reached for another swab.  While she was turned away, Michael lifted his hand off her lap, reaching for the cuff, he tried to remove it, pressing the tabs, then pulling as he had been shown before.

It refused to budge.  Twisting it in his numb fingers, he easily saw the problem, the connections had fused.  Age and water had taken its toll. Pulling almost desperately, ignoring the pain it caused his wrist, he worked the clasp.  Her hand on his stopped him.  It was not coming off, and he did not have the strength to rip it.  Heaving a shaky breath, he let her take his arm again, his head limply falling back to the wall.

 //Kitt???  God, Kitt, answer me!//  Only silence answered him.  It hadn't even powered down to let him feel his partner.  If only he could tell Kitt what was happening to him.

The stinging on his wrist brought him back to reality.  She had cradled his arm against her knees, using tender motions against his open skin.

"How long are you permitted to stay?" It was an unexpected question.  One he surprised himself with.  But having her with him kept his mind occupied.  Kept it away from the link that would only lead him down a path to insanity.

Looking at him shyly, "As long as I wish.  Unless you..."

"Try to hurt you?  I wouldn't."

"I thought not."  The shyness returned.  "You are very unlike the others."

"How so?"

"You have strength of will."

Snorting, he faced her. "Not as much as I would wish to have."

"The person you...." She stopped, blushing fiercely.

"Go ahead, ask.  If I don't want to answer, I'll simply say so."

Catching his eyes, searching him for a moment, she nodded, deciding to trust him. "The person you are in love with... they feel the same about you?"

"Yes."  It was an easy question.

"How do you know?"  This one was more difficult.  Michael thought back to before the link was activated, to they ways he had known that Kitt cared for him.

"Because of what is said, how it is said, actions towards me.  There are many different ways.  Why do you ask?"

"I have seen the elders together.  They do not express themselves.  Though there are children, so they must.  But I have heard... I remember my parents, they... touched many times."  Struggling to find the words, Michael felt he should help her out.

"It's one of the great pleasures of being in love.  To be able to show the person you love how you feel, then to witness their reactions."  Fond memories of times he and Kitt had spent alone, cuddling, physically demonstrating their love.  Even seeing the smile on Nick's face as they had sauntered back into the warehouse one day, hand in hand, chatting about nothing.

"I see it so clearly in you.  The way you feel about that person.  Your eyes change when you are thinking about her."  Michael smiled at the innocent assumption.

Frowning, he turned to her again. "What happens next?"

"There is usually two or three days of rites.  Then you are initiated on the eve of the last day."

He hadn't believed it was over yet.  Sighing, he watched her finish wrapping gauze around his wrist.  Her hands moved with knowing ease. "Have you done this before?"

"The little boys tend to hurt themselves regularly.  I seem to have a talent for tending wounds."

"You do." He paused, confused.  "I thought you said the sexes were separated?"

"They are.  There are those of us that have specific tasks.  Plus, little boys have no interest yet."  Her smile was open, relaxed.  This was the most natural he had seen her.  It was a nice change.  Something he had been striving for without realizing it.

Finishing, she placed his hand back on to his knee before closing the container.  Watching her, he also realized that her contact had helped him.  He had almost stopped shivering, having a distraction helped greatly. Focusing on the pain and her kept his mind from the block.  He had managed to rebuild the strength of his block.  Knowing that there was an end to this, that as soon as he could pry the cuff off, he would feel his partner again helped his sanity.  Kitt would be there, waiting.  Probably ready to strangle him.

Seeing her, her beliefs, her pain.  He felt a stab of guilt at this nasty question to his partner when they had last been together. They had a right to be selfish.  What else was there for them?  For Kitt?  Michael had already experienced what it would be like to think that Kitt was gone forever.  God, Kitt would be panicking.  To not only have lost the link, but to have no way of contacting each other.  How many times did they have to do this?  He wasn't getting any younger.  His body was still just as strong and agile, but he found he had to work twice as hard to keep it that way.  The old adage of 'you'll regret it when you're older' was true.  There were some mornings that the only way he could move was after Kitt deposited him in the tub.  When he managed to get out of this one, he and Kitt would have to do some serious thinking.

"Michael?"  She voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Humm?"

"Are you thinking about her again?"

"Yes I am."

"Why?"

"It helps to keep me relaxed."  She looked at him quizzically.  Smiling, he took her hand in his.  "They are nice memories, it's like a lifeline.  Knowing that when we are together next, we will have a great deal to talk about.  Knowing that I will be safe when we are together again."

"I've never heard of anyone speak like this before."

He shrugged. "I would call it a fault in your society.  I believed for years that I didn't need anyone.  We were friends at the time, long before we fell in love.  My partner watched me go from woman to woman, never judging, occasionally questioning, but never cruel.  I wish I had seen it sooner."

Tipping his head, knowing she understood, his curiosity got the better of him. "What are your customs?"

"When the elders decide, you meet your chosen mate.  Form there I'm not sure.  I've heard the women talk.  They don't speak of the time with their men kindly."

Michael shook his head.  It sounded more and more like the olden day horror stories he had heard about.  The male dominated society that had only one thing on its mind.  And the women had been subjected to the whims of the man. "It doesn't have to be like that.  It's supposed to be mutual.  The woman experiencing the same pleasures as the man."

Wide-eyed, face beet red, she literally gawked at him.  He chuckled.  "You didn't know that?"  She just shook her head.  Stretching his legs out in front of him, regretting using his hand for balance, he turned towards her slightly.  "Do you have any crime here?"

"A little.  Very seldom though."

"What kind?"

"Some theft. And.�"

"And?"  He encouraged, pretty sure he knew what she was about to tell him.

"And violence against persons."

"Meaning?"

"There are some fights between men."  She had taken on a hard tone, her posture rigid. "But there is a great deal of violence against women."

Typical, Michael thought to himself.  In a society that teaches men that they own women, that was a common outcome.

"You do not appear to be surprised by this?"

"No, I'm not.  I know of societies like this, they all function the same."

"In your world...?"

"There is still." He interrupted her. My partner and I work to help people. I do not know of any culture that has no crime."

She nodded, her hand still in his.  He could feel the tension, as she became absorbed in their conversation, her hand relaxed.  Looking him over, she saw tiredness. He hid it well, but this morning�s ordeal was effecting him. "Are you thirsty?"

"Yeah, actually I am."

"I'll be back in a moment."  Gracefully getting to her feet, two knocks on the door and a spoken word or two and she was permitted out.

Michael leaned back, relaxing fully for a moment.  The block dropped at his inattentiveness.  He sucked in his breath at the coldness.  Kitt was always so warm, so responsive.  His brain was looking for ways to find that warmth, searching through the darkness.  Pulling himself back, he knew he had to stop this, or he'd lose himself in the darkness.  Lifting his arm again, he twisted the cuff around, digging his nails into the clasp, pulling.  In frustration, he yanked on it, only causing himself agony as tore his skin under the bandage.  There was no use.

The door opening again prevented him from taking further stupid actions.  He would have to wait for Kitt or Nick to take it off him.  Regret filled him.  Kitt had begged him not to proceed, and all he did was insult him.

*

Devon started as the door of his office was flung open, smashing the handle into the wall behind it.  The last person he expected to see standing there when he looked up was Kitt.  The usually relaxed, happy AI looked close to cracking as he stepped into Devon�s office.  For a few moments, the stormy liquid gaze studied the older man as if the answers he sought could be found simply by looking.  And then he lowered his head, wrapping his arms around himself as the ebbing loneliness within him threatened the composure he�d clawed together.

�Why?�  His voice almost broke around the bitter word.

Devon frowned.  �Why, what, Kitt?�

�Why did you do this to us?�

The word �us� brought a certain dread to the pit of Devon�s stomach.  �Do what?�

�This!�  The gentle accent raised in volume and pitch.  Kitt ran one trembling hand through messy blond hair.  �Don�t you think� we�ve earned a break?�

�A break?�  Something inside the Englishman started to crack open.  The coil of whatever it was in his stomach that had been building since he�d witnessed the� scene in the driveway days before.  He stood slowly behind his desk, gripping the edge of it.  �Do you think those people get a break?�

Kitt�s fingers curled into his hair, tugging once.  Then he looked up, defiantly meeting Devon�s glare.  �They went in there!  They willingly followed that man and because of that, because you thought you should help, Michael is in there too!�  He could feel the tears stinging his eyes.  The pressure in his head was building.  It felt to him like a black hole had opening up in his central processor had was starting to swallow him into the suffocating darkness.

�Michael wanted to help,� Devon pushed pointedly.  �It�s what he does, Kitt.  It�s what you both used to do.�  He caught his breath.  He knew he�d gone too far.  The usually warm, whiskey eyes were small cold points staring at him.

�We gave twenty years of our lives to you, to others, to those who needed our help!  We�ve paid our dues!  We�ve paid more than anyone should ever have to!  We owe you nothing!  We owe them nothing!  They�re strangers.  We�re not responsible for their lives!�  He felt the first tear roll down his cheek and ignored it, letting the emotion twist within him under the terror and pain turned to anger.  �You can�t ask us to give anymore!  I won�t let you continue risking Michael�s life, putting him in danger for other people, because one day I�m going to lose him!�

Devon came around to lean on the front of his desk.  �You were always going to lose him, one day,� he murmured.

Kitt�s voice dropped to a whisper.  �What?�

�You were supposed to stay in the car, Kitt.  One day, he would have walked away.�

�And I would have gone with him.�

�Maybe� he wouldn�t have wanted you to.�

The AI backed up a step.  �Why�.  How can you say that to me?�

�I�m trying to make you see that Michael chooses his own path.�

Kitt shook his head.  �Not this time,� he growled.  �This time, you forced him on to it!  What did you think he would say when you told him about those people?  You knew!  You knew he couldn�t walk away, that he would go and help them because that�s who he is!  He even accused me of being selfish!�

Devon spread his hands.  �Don�t you think you are being selfish?�

�No� don�t you dare�.�  He looked away, at the window, around the office, so neatly decorated.  �You sit here and watch it all happen!  Michael could die in there and what would you have lost?�

�A son.�

Despite the calm tone, Kitt was edging toward breaking point.  �A son?  You would never, ever have asked a son of yours to walk into what Michael walked into!  You use him like you�ve always used him!  Like you used me!�

�I use him?�  The anger crept back into his voice.  �And what exactly are you doing?  You�re an AI!  You�re supposed to be his partner, his protector, instead you�re standing here imitating a human form and playing�.�  He trailed off as he watched Kitt reach back, wrap his fingers around an almost priceless Ming vase and lift it.  His hand came up automatically, his mouth opened, but the word didn�t get a chance to come out.

Kitt hurled the heavy vase against the wall next to him, watching in a single moment�s peace as the porcelain shattered into a hundred pieces on impact.  In the silence that followed, Devon could only stare.  Then he found his voice.  His eyes flashed as he said, �That vase was priceless!�

�No.  Nothing in this room is priceless.  That was just a piece of china.  As you said, I�m just an Artificial Intelligence.  The military once decided what I was worth, offered to buy me.  I�d like to know what value they gave to my life.  But Michael�s life � that�s priceless.�
 

<Nick>

<Karr?>

<As fun as it would be to watch Kitt take Miles� office apart�>

Nick put down the laptop and got up.  <Message received and understood>  He headed for the stairs.
 

The headache was getting quickly worse.  Kitt had dropped all the blocks, was wide open to the implant and all he could feel was the darkness the cuff was creating.  The cuff� or the simple fact that Michael was dead.  The idea that his partner could have lost his life and Kitt couldn�t feel it stoked the flames of his anger.  �You can�t understand what he is to me, can you?  Despite the fact that you made us, you created us!  You linked us and put us together.�

�So that you could protect him, Kitt�.�  He was back to reasoning, he didn�t want to watch anything else take flight.

Kitt frowned.  �It�s what I�ve done, all my life, I�ve�.�  He stopped.  There was something about the expression on the other man�s face�.  Kitt�s own eyes widened.  �Oh�.  No,� he shook his head, �Tell me you didn�t send him into this� because of me.�

Devon stared.  �Of course not!� he snapped.

�But you disapprove of what I�ve done, what I am now.�  It wasn�t a question, it was a statement of what Kitt saw on the older man�s face.  �You think I should have stayed, that Michael Knight belongs with his car.�  He didn�t try to hide the bitterness.

�I think Michael belongs with Bonnie!�

The silence between them was more intense than the one that had followed the vase�s demise.  Kitt�s brows furrowed.  �You saw us kissing, and you�re disgusted.�  It was barely a murmur.  Devon couldn�t answer.  He swallowed and deliberately turned away.  �You knew!�  Kitt�s voice grew louder.  �You knew and still you sent him!  Still you let him go!�  In a single, swift motion he was across the room and standing almost on Devon�s toes.  �You can�t stand the thought of your �son� loving another man � not even a man, an android!  An AI you helped create and enslave.�

Devon looked across at the usually so-gentle face of the AI he loved and wondered why he could feel only anger and bitterness.  �It�s not right.�

Kitt�s fingers clawed once again and for a moment, the pounding in his head almost got the better of him.  He screwed his eyes shut against the pain for a second, and then opened them.  �Who are you to say what�s right?  You�ve sent a man to his death!  My partner!  My lover!�  He stressed the word, this release of fury helping to ease the terrible crushing of his mind, of his senses.  �You put us together, linked us mind to mind and now you decide it�s not right?!�
 

Nick thought it might have been the first time he�d heard Kitt raise his voice in anger.  Even when he�d been dealing with Karr being a total arsehole in the android body, he�d remained unflustered.  But the missing link was tearing him apart.  Whatever Devon had done or said hadn�t succeeded in defusing the blame Kitt was rightly or wrongly harbouring against Devon.  He considered letting Kitt do whatever it was the AI had in mind at that moment.  But Kitt was hurting right now, and in the end, beating the crap out of Devon or his antique collection wouldn�t help.

Slowly, he walked into the office, closing up to Kitt, dropping a hand to the android�s shoulder.  �Come on, Kitt.�  He could feel the tremors driving through the body.

�Nick�.�  The begging in his tone almost broke the hardened heart.

�Let him go, it won�t help.�

Kitt drew in a long breath, tears cascading over his face.  �I need him back!� he stammered.  �I can�t take this any more!�

�I know.�

�He did this!�

�I know.�

Devon looked up, again about to defend his actions.  But he caught Nick�s icy glare and swallowed back on the words.

Moving his other hand to Kitt�s other shoulder, shifting his fingers to gently grip his arms.  �Come on,� he murmured softly.

Devon was amazed.  Nick could really purr when he needed to.  Kitt turned, meaning to walk away from them both.  But he glanced at Nick and the expression of understanding and empathy he saw there broke him in two.  His shoulders lifted and the sobs came.

Without a second thought, Nick pulled Kitt to him, wrapping his arms naturally around the slim form.  Moving one hand to the silken hair, he cradled the blond head, lying his own head against it.

�Ssh,� he murmured softly, �I know, Kitt, I know.  We�ll find him, I swear to you.�  No words broke through the terrible sobs racking the body he held.  Leaving one arm around the android�s shoulders, Nick carefully manoeuvred them out of Devon�s office toward the back lounge.  Sitting them both down onto the one of the sofas, he just let Kitt cry it all out.

When he finally calmed, he wiped his eyes with the pads of his fingers.  Nick�s hand was on his arm and in his mind, Karr�s upset presence was close by; Kitt had never broken down like this before.

�<_Sorry,� he muttered to them both.  Nick shook his head, moving his hand soothingly up and down Kitt�s arm.  �It just� hurts.�

�I know.  We�ll get him out of there, Kitt, I promise you.�  But whether it would be dead or alive wasn�t a promise he could make.

*

Sitting back beside him, hearing the latch close behind her, Lise marvelled at how well Michael was handling his situation. Granted she had been young, but she remembered screaming and fighting, making it a much more painful experience.

"What?"  He asked, seeing her expression.

"It's not important.  Here."  She handed him the glass.  Taking it from her, he lifted it, his hands still shaking badly, almost spilling the water.  Her hands wrapped around his, guiding it for him.  She waited as he drank.  He had no choice but to sip slowly.  His face wincing each time. He seemed so gentle to her.  So unlike what she had been warned against.  How many more like him were there on the outside?  Maybe it was her lack of experience, maybe not.  She felt an attraction to him.  She had since he first opened his eyes.  He was so very tall, exuding strength and confidence, even now as she helped him drink.

Glancing up, he caught her eyes again, she had no idea what she had been deprived of.  What he was now being deprived of.

//Kitt//  His whole being, through the haze of pain and the chill of the water, seemed to cry out for the mental warmth of his lover.  He looked at her and for a moment his mind clouded over.  //Kitt...//  Here, in all this perversion and agony, he needed the safety and reassurance the nearness of  his partner had always given him.

He leaned towards her, his left hand tucking beneath her hair, against her neck.  Her hair was like Kitt's, silky against his skin.  Easing her towards him, he touched his lips to hers, eyes closing, mind trying to block out the cold and concentrate on the heat of another body.

He felt her startled intake of breath and something within himself relaxed. When she didn't pull away, when he felt her hands on his shoulders, he gently pressed his tongue into her mouth.  She responded in kind and his body seemingly reached out to her.

//Kitt...//  His mind jerked in reaction, his heart skipped but he ended the tender kiss as gently as he could.  He didn't want to hurt her.  What the hell was he doing?  He watched her sit back on her heels, fingers of her right hand touching her lip.  //Kitt... I'm sorry!//  But his lover didn't know - couldn't know.  And he was apologizing to a darkness that seemed, if it were possible, colder than before.
 

*

He had recently been promoted to third from elder.  It was a title that he was proud to receive.  It held power in the community, it held prestige, but it also meant great responsibility.  When he had discovered the stranger lurking amongst the buildings, a fear had sparked within him.  Now that the outsider was contained, he and the other third elder searched for his vehicle, or his friends.  The location was too far from the main town for him to have travelled by foot.

Twenty minutes later he found it.  The beautiful car was parked well off the road, but the sun glinted off the unusual paint.  He could not see inside, the windows had been darkened. Yet on top of the dash, he could just barley make out a green flashing light.  It was not anything he had come across before.  It looked startlingly like a homing beacon.

Turning, bounding into a run, he headed back to tell the others.  The contingency plan must be brought into action.

*

As they drew closer to the edge of the monitored zone, Kitt felt Karr�s awareness of� something.  He knew his brother was scanning the area again before the AI spoke.  They drew level with the TransAm, and Kitt�s eyes were on it, when the deep voice said suddenly.  �There is a highly dangerous amount of gas around the buildings ahead.�  He even sounded concerned.

�Gas leak?�

�No.  There are twenty-seven valves around the site that have been opened to release the gas into the buildings.�

Nick frowned.  �Why aren�t people escaping?�

A pause, and then, �The doors have all been locked.  There is no escape.�

Without hesitation, Nick threw the car into gear and pressed his foot down onto the accelerator.

*

Lise had settled against him after their brief kiss.  There was a part of him that was glad he could show her that being with someone wasn't a terrible experience.  On the other hand, he had done it for the wrong reasons.  Sighing, he shifted the arm that was holding her to him.  This was all for the wrong reasons.  He was here only to appease Devon, for nothing else.  He knew what this meant, the possibilities, but he had ignored them, again.

Now he was paying for it.  The girl he was holding was here only to keep his mind off the chill.  The chill of his still damp clothes, the chill of what was to come and the chill in his head where he was used to feeling the warm glow of his partner.  The possibility of him losing his life was one he had grown accustomed to.  Yet he had thought he was beyond being careless with it.

Looking down at the youthful face against his side, realization hit him. Kitt truly was no older than this girl.  And he was much older.  His life had changed so much in the past few years that he had no had the time, nor the will, to take stock of himself.  Yes he noticed the subtle changes in himself.  His appearance still remained fairly constant.  His body required more attention.  He refused to delve deeper.  Now, he felt he must.  For his sake and for Kitt's.  Nick's disapproving glare still haunted him.  More so now that he knew Nick had been right.  The effects on Kitt would be far worse than his.  He was just blocked, Kitt would be experiencing the slowly growing black hole.  The one that had him close to suicide before.  The guilt was becoming unbearable.  He deserved whatever they may throw at him for what he had done to Kitt - what he was still doing to him.

Lise shifted again, waking slowly.  He felt her stiffen. Her head tipped up and he smiled at her. She was sweet.  A gentle soul.  One who had stayed with him despite the discomfort of the cement floor and his wet clothes.  Taking a deep breath he frowned.  Something wasn't right.

"What is it?" Lise moved aside, allowing Michael to stand.  Once he stood, he knew.

"Stay down." He ordered her.  Her eyes had grown wide, his tone telling her that something was greatly amiss.

Moving to the door, Michael looked through the small window.  There were no longer guards standing by.  In fact, he could see nothing.  He knocked, imitating the rhythm he had heard he use.  Nothing.  "Shit!" Moving about the little hut, he searched for an escape.  He was wide awake and alert now.

"Michael?" Her small voice tore at him.

"Do you have a cutting device on you?  A knife?  A pair of scissors?"  She just shook her head.  He had thought not.  Pulling on the cuff again, he tried to rip it, ignoring the searing pain.  If he could get it off, they might have a chance.  Kitt would be close.

"Why are you hurting yourself?" He owed her an explanation.  At least a small one.  He didn't want to tell her what he was thinking.  She deserved better than this.

"If I can get this off, I can... contact my partner.  We have...� he searched for a phrase, ��telepathic abilities."

Her face changed in shocked disbelief.  "I don't fully understand it either."

"Why must you contact her?"

Breathing in the fumes again, just to prove to himself that he wasn't hallucinating.  The distinct smell of natural gas burned into his lungs again. "Stand up and smell the air."

Slowly getting to her feet, she did as he instructed.  Her eyes looking to his in confusion when she recognized the odour. "There must be a leak."

Michael closed his eyes.  She was so innocent, so trusting. How could he tell her that her people had left her to die?

"I don't think there is a leak." His head bowed, his heart ached.  More for her than for himself.

"I do not understand?" Fear was clear in her.

"We need to get out of here."

"The guards will..."

"There is no one outside."

"But..."

Michael looked around again.  The building appeared to be solid.  But no building would survive an underground gas explosion. Closing his eyes he focused on the link.  Pressing on the tabs, hoping to maybe be able to get a brief message to Kitt.  To maybe be able to tell him one last time.

Searching through the darkness, looking for cracks in the block.  He could find none. All he'd managed to do was increase his headache.   Taking Lise's hand he huddled with her in the furthest corner of the building to wait.

*

The buildings blew as they rounded the corner, bringing the bright, devastating explosion into view.  Karr applied the breaks faster than Nick could, and they slid to an elegant, sudden stop at the side of the road.  Before either could stop him, Kitt was out of the car and running toward the fire but there was nothing he could do.  The intense heat was overwhelming even for an android and he was beaten back.

<Emergency services are on their way>

Nick thanked his partner and climbed out of the car.  Even this far back he could feel the heat of the flames as they licked up toward the sky.  The whole complex looked to have gone up.

<_Karr, can we scan for the link somehow?

The AI was in the process of narrowing down that single, unique frequency.  Michael wouldn�t be broadcasting if he still wore the cuff, but Kitt was definitely trying to communicate with his partner, and that communication would only be picked up by one thing, even if Michael couldn�t hear it.

<Scan for signs of life>

<Sorry, Kitt asked first>  Nick turned and glanced at the dashboard in his car.  He was about to speak when he raised his eyes and for a moment saw himself in Kitt�s lonely figure on the burning road.  He nodded once and closed the car door.  It would be five minutes at least before the emergency services got here.  Until then they were helpless.

<_I�m sorry, Kitt, there�s nothing

The AI felt Nick�s hand on his arm.  Karr had echoed his reply to his partner before starting to pick out any life signs in the fiercely burning ruins.  He desperately wanted to find Michael for his brother.  He didn�t want to think of the fallout if Kitt�s partner had died in the explosion.

*

Kitt stood on the sidelines of the devastation.  All around him the grief of the injured could be heard, but he blocked it out, overwhelmed by his own worry, his own grief.  He threw the link wide open, calling constantly for his partner.  The only sign that he�d been so close to the explosion was the hot, grey ash patching his face, blackening his shirt, darkening his skin.  As the debris started to settle, Kitt stepped forward, walking into the wreckage, heeding none of the calls asking him to stay back.

The link was an angry wound in his mind, raw, weeping.  Instead of the personal, intimate hunt for his soulmate that an active link would allow, he accessed every scanning function he possessed.  So many people were buried under the remains of the building, some were still breathing, some were not.  Many would make it out alive, but a few wouldn�t.  Kitt hadn�t the strength to help with the rescue.  Not yet.  All he could do was tune out the terrified cries of the wounded and continue his lonely search.

Michael�s bio-rhythm was the most familiar signal in the world to him.  When he picked up a match, pin-pointed the position, he dropped to his knees and started to dig.  He shifted burning hot metal and scorched wood with his hands, striping off flesh as he did so.  Two wide, crossed beams were thrown with ease behind him, and suddenly Michael was lying unconscious in the rubble before him.

Crying now, Kitt reached down and lifted Michael�s left.  With vicious determination born of approaching insanity, he tore the cuff from his partner�s bloodied wrist, pulling the fused fastenings from the material, tearing the delicate electronics so that no one, ever again, could use the damnable gadget to torture them in the name of neither good nor evil.

For a moment, there was nothing.  And then there was everything.  Michael opened his eyes but Kitt didn�t notice.  He was burying himself in the amber presence filling his mind, burrowing into it, desperate, sobbing.  He didn�t realize that his partner had woken until he was gathered up into the tightest embrace, arms wrapping around his neck, dragging him forwards and down.  Tears were falling onto his neck and all he could do was pull his own arms from between them and hold on to Michael as firmly as Michael was holding on to him.

Together in the rubble, neither partner knew anything except for one another.  Kitt was all around him, surrounding him mentally, clinging to him physically.  Michael could barely find the strength to comfort his lover, all he could do was rest back with Kitt held to him and wait for the emergency services to find them.  And they would, quickly.  Something caught in Michael�s mind and he jolted them both.  Lise.

He was instantly hit by Kitt�s confusion and pain, and he couldn�t bring himself to let go of his partner.  But he did open his dirt-filled eyes and through the blur he looked around him.  There was nothing but chaos.  He wasn�t even sure he was in the same place where he�d huddled down with her.  He prayed silently that she was still alive.
 

Nick had to pry them gently apart to let the paramedics check Michael over.  He was in a bad way � on top of all his other injuries, hypothermia was starting to set in.  He staggered to the ambulances with Kitt and Nick�s help and sat in the back of one of them as they took his wet clothes from him, wrapped him in blankets and dressed his wounds.  Kitt refused to leave his side, and once they�d finished with him, Michael wrapped Kitt in one of his blankets, wanting him close, using his partner�s bodily warmth to help bring his temperature back up.  His headache was easing too, and despite the utter exhaustion and the pain of his wounds, he felt so very much better.  Kitt�s head came to rest upon his shoulder, silken hair against his cheek.  His lover needed this contact, this comfort.  In his own way, Kitt had suffered just as much through this.

He thought again of Lise.

�Kitt,� his voice sounded rough, but he had to explain.  So deeply linked, mental communication would express too much in the wrong way.  �There was a girl with me when it went up.  Lise� you have to find her.�

Kitt raised his head from his partner�s shoulder, honestly not wanting to leave this man�s side ever, ever again.  But despite everything he wanted to beg of his lover, now wasn�t the time.  He stroked Michael�s amber presence in his mind.  //show me//

Michael sent an image of Lise sitting in front of him, tending to his wounds, and Kitt nodded.  �Don�t you move,� Kitt instructed him motherly.

Michael even managed a smile.

With no knowledge of her bio-rhythms, Kitt sent Karr the image he�d received from Michael and Karr started to scan the few survivors and the faces of the dead who had been pulled from the ruins.  There were still so many buried, some who may never be identified.  Kitt searched for a half-hour and was about to give up and return to his partner when he saw two firemen pull a girl from the debris, not far from where he�d found Michael.  Apart from a couple of bruises on her face, and the ash in her hair, she matched the description exactly.  Kitt watched for a few seconds, and when he decided she was going to be fine, he turned away and headed back to the ambulance.

Michael had been persuaded to at least lie down on the narrow cot along one side of the vehicle.  The paramedics were out in the rubble and some of the other ambulances had already left the scene with sirens blazing.  Kitt couched down next to Michael�s head, touching his lips to the filthy forehead, combing his fingers very gently through the dust and ash-filled dark hair.  They�d put some drops into Michael�s eyes to clean the dirt from them, so when he opened them to look at Kitt, it was slightly easier and clearer than it had been before.

�They�ve found her,� Kitt reassured.  �She�s going to be fine.�

Michael managed to smile.  �Thanks, Pal,� he murmured.

�You rest, I�m going to try and help.�

Michael nodded once, and slipped back to sleep, the medication they�d given him starting to work on his body�s stressed systems.  Kitt waited another minute and then went out to join Nick and Karr and the emergency services in their terrible search.
 

The men who had found Lise led her slowly over to the waiting ambulances.  As they approached, she saw Michael lying asleep and asked if she could sit with him.  The paramedic staying with her agreed, telling her that she could be treated in the same ambulance.  As she sat up on the second cot, her eyes looked over Michael�s relaxed face and she smiled.

�Will he be all right?� she asked nervously.

The medic glanced around, and nodded.  �Sure.  His friend pulled him from the rubble earlier.  Amazing how he found him.�

She smiled, not really hearing the medic, glad that Michael had been found, wondering where the woman was who had kept him so distracted even during the hellish torture they�d submitted him to.

After he�d finished cleaning her up, the medic asked her to just sit tight for a while.  The police would need her details and anything she could tell them about what had happened, today and before.  She was happy to just sit and watch Michael sleep.  In the few hours she�d known him he had changed so many of her ingrained ideas it was unbelievable to her.  She almost envied the one who�d obviously captured his heart.  A very lucky girl.  Again, she wondered where that girl was.

Nick and Kitt took a break two hours later.  They plodded through the debris, downcast.  The sun had risen an hour ago over the scene of horror.  Dropping a hand to Kitt�s shoulder, Nick muttered, �I�m going to check back with Karr.  I�ll be with you in a few.�

Kitt nodded, smiling his thanks for Nick�s silent support, watching the other man head toward the back Stealth before he turned and headed for the ambulance.

Stepping up inside, he smiled at the girl sitting on the other cot.  �You must be Lise,� he murmured, stepping forward and covering Michael�s hand with his own.  She regarded him in confusion but nodded.  He had a kind face and warm eyes and he was obviously a friend of Michael�s.  �He said you helped him in there.�  Another nod.  �Thank you.�

She smiled nervously.  �He� helped me too.�

Kitt nodded, �He would do.�  Carefully he sat up on the cot by Michael�s feet.  Through the link he could feel his partner sleeping, his own presence wrapped over the amber one in peace.  �How long had you been in there?�

�Almost all my life.�  She studied him for a moment longer.  She felt somehow that she could trust this man.  �Michael was to be my chosen one,� she told him innocently.

Kitt felt something he hadn�t felt in a very long time.  A surge of jealously and possessiveness, stronger than every other emotion churning in his mind, almost overcame him.  The wave was enough to disturb Michael�s drug-enhanced sleep.  Kitt turned towards the presence, stroking, making sure that his lover stayed asleep.  Lise could see she�d upset him, although she wasn�t sure how.

When he could, Kitt smiled gently at her.  �Chosen one?�

�We� would have coupled, been joined in the eyes of the leaders.�  She frowned.  �He said, he already had someone, out here.  I don�t think he would have ever have given her up.�  Kitt�s brows furrowed.  Her?  �All he did was kiss me but even that�.�  She trailed off, the expression on the other�s face stopping her in mid-sentence.

Kitt was surprised that he didn�t feel the hurt he might have felt under other circumstances.  Michael would never have betrayed him, not now.  There would have been a good reason.  He looked at the girl across from him.  �Are you all right?�

She nodded.  �I don�t know what�s going to happen to me now�.�

�There�ll be people to take care of you, don�t worry.�

She appreciated his reassurance.  She wanted to stay with Michael, but when his girlfriend turned up she would presumably take him home.  Perhaps she�d never see him again.  That saddened her.

Another stranger appeared in the door of the ambulance.  �Kitt,� he glanced at Lise and smiled what he hoped was a friendly smile before turning his attention to the AI.  �How is he?�

�Sleeping.�  Giving Michael�s hand a squeeze, Kitt stood up before he leaned over and touched his lips to his lover�s forehead.  �Sleep on, Mi,� he murmured, before heading out of the ambulance again, smiling again at Lise.  There was more searching to do, and Kitt found himself needing something to keep him occupied right now.
 

Michael opened his eyes a little while later.  He managed a smile.  �Lise�.�  Carefully, he sat up, leaning back against the inside of the ambulance.  �Are you all right?�

She resisted the urge to move, to sit next to him.  Something about the young man who�d been here earlier was nagging at her but she couldn�t put her finger on it.  Perhaps men out here were more physically expressive than she was used to.  There would be a lot that would be different, she realised.  She nodded in answer to his question.  �You saved my life.�
He only acknowledged her unspoken thanks.  When the explosion had taken hold there had been nothing he could do for either of them.

�There was a friend of yours here,� she told him quietly.  Michael smiled and nodded.  �He and another man went back out to search for people.  Do you� think many will have survived?�

Michael regarded her with heartfelt sympathy.  Her family, the only real family she�d ever known, lay strewn about here, most of them dead by all odds.  �I don�t know,� he told her gently.  �You�ll be looked after, you don�t need to worry about that.�

She nodded.  �That�s what your friend said.�

Michael felt a spike of pride.  He wondered what else they�d said to one another.  Before he found a way to ask, he saw Kitt approaching the ambulance.

�You�re awake.�  The gentle voice was almost scolding.  �You should be resting.�  Kitt stepped up into the ambulance and perched on the edge of the cot, next to his partner.  �I�ll get you home soon, I just needed�.�  He trailed off, feeling Michael�s understanding in his mind.  Glancing up, he smiled again at Lise, feeling a little awkward now.

Michael reached an arm around him, touching his back reassuringly.  He could feel his lover�s reeling emotions.  They needed to get away from here, back to their home where they could put all this behind them, confine it to the past with all the other nightmares they�d shared.

�Lise,� Michael started, �this is Kitt.  He�s the one I talked about.�  Her eyes widened and her mouth opened.  �I know that in your community, men paired with women.  Out here, people pair with the one they love.  And I love Kitt, very much.�

She blinked.  She�d never imagined this could happen.  �I don�t understand,� she murmured.  �How can you�?�

Kitt smiled, embarrassed, and glanced back at Michael.  //get out of that one// he spoke softly into his lover�s mind.

�When you�re in love, nothing much else matters.�  He felt Kitt�s surprised smile and returned it.

Lise stared at the two of them, a hundred questions coming to mind but giving voice to none of them.  She could see now the possession in the young man�s very posture.  She was glad of what had happened in a way.  She�d been appalled at what they�d done to Michael.  They were both free, at an enormous cost.  It was a cost she would have to pay.  But not him.  He didn�t belong here.  She could see now that they belonged to a different world.

She smiled at them both and took a deep breath.  �You should take him home,� she told Kitt determinedly.

Michael sat forward.  �I don�t want to leave you here alone.�

Bravely, she shook her head.  �I�m not alone, Michael.  I think there are some members of my family out there who will need me.�

They were struck by her spirit.  She would be all right.  Eventually.

�I�ll see you again,� Michael told her as Kitt helped him to her feet.

She only smiled.  �Thank you for what you did for me.�

* * *

The silver moonlight flooded their bedroom and into the barn conversion.  In the warmth of the aftermath of their lovemaking, they lay face to face under the light, white duvet.  Earlier in the evening, their coupling had been desperate, almost brutal.  This time, hours later, they�d been slow and gentle with one another, touching, caressing, bringing each other to long, powerful orgasms.

Lifting his hand, Michael swept a lock of blond hair from Kitt�s forehead.  �Time to stop?� he murmured softly, asking a question that had been on his mind since his time at the cult, maybe since he�d practically accused Kitt of being selfish.

Kitt had barely been able to think over the last twenty-four hours.  His mind had been a black hole into which his very soul had started to slide.  But from the moment he�d held and been held, in the chaos of the explosion in the early hours of that morning, he�d wanted to beg Michael never to do this to him again.

�Would that be selfish?�

"Maybe what we need to do is be more selective of which cases we agree to.  I can't imagine what I would do with my life if we weren't doing this.  I know that financially we are set for life, but, neither one of us is the type to sit around."

Kitt snuggled in a little closer, relishing the warmth, the contact of his body against Michael�s. "I can think of a few things to keep us occupied."  Michael snorted, burying his face in Kitt's hair.  To be so separated from his lover had been the nightmare.

"But I know what you mean.  We just need to be a little more selfish."  Kitt turned his head to capture a kiss.  "I'm not saying we should say no just because a case is dangerous, but... I want to face that danger together."

Michael sighed, trying to pull Kitt closer, if that were possible.

"I'm sorry for not listening to you.  I had no right to say the things I did to you."

"You did.  I feel the same... responsibility.  Devon asked and we...."

"We jump."  Michael shook his head.  "That doesn't mean that I have to a - insult you and b - scare the daylights out of you.  I'm sure we could have come up with a method of staying in contact if I hadn't jumped the gun."  In his mind he felt his partner wrap himself closer, stroke along his own presence in an almost desperate caress. "God, Kitt.  I always manage to leave you out." Tipping Kitt's face up, he kissed him, letting his own amber essence return the meaningful touches in their minds. Kitt grabbed on as the guilt washed over him. Breaking away a few moments later. "You don't.  You haven't in a long time.  There was a legitimate reason this time.  And if you didn't jump in head first, I would have to wonder who replaced you."

Michael relaxed, understanding his partner's message.  Still this was not resolved.  "We need to set guidelines for cases now."

Kitt nodded. "That's a good idea.  I also think...." Kitt trailed off, unsure if he should voice the thoughts he had keep carefully to himself since before Michael's return.

"What?" Michael gently tipped Kitt's face towards him.

"I think we need to cut ties with the Foundation."

Michael's eyes widened with surprise.  For ten years, since Jennifer's attempt on Kitt's life, they'd been pulling away from the Foundation  Three years ago, their contract had ended yet they'd remained at the Foundation's service, being called on day and night on cases both simple and dangerous.  Michael looked into his lover's whiskey gaze.  "Why?�

"Two reasons.  For a start, the cases we receive are often the most dangerous... for you."

"And two?"  Michael pushed, knowing this had to be brought out into the open.  There was something going on, something he couldn't put his finger on.

"Devon saw us kiss."  The tone Kitt used, it was one Michael was not accustomed to hearing when they were discussing their relationship.

"I take it he doesn't approve?"

Trying to keep control of a mix of anger and pain, Kitt tried to explain.  "He told me that I should have stayed in the car.  That you were meant to be with Bonnie and that one day, you would have walked away, not wanting me to follow."

Michael clamped down on his anger.  How dare Devon say that!?  "Kitt, you know that's not true."

"How can you be sure, Mi?

Cupping Kitt's cheek in his palm, Michael touched his lips to his forehead, to his lips.  "Because we talked about this many times.  Before the link, before we fell in love, we agreed that we would always be together.  That I would find a way to support you if the Foundation decided to claim the car.  We were best friends and I needed you.  Even if I didn't know how to admit it to myself."

Kitt stared into the blue eyes, searched the emotions surrounding his presence through the link.  There was no doubt, no confusion.  Michael had truly known from the start that they were inseparable. Relaxing against his lover, tucking his head into the crook of Michael's naked shoulder.  "Now, about those conditions?"