| "One for every time you tried to commit
suicide�." "I never tried to commit suicide. Not in the time you knew me at least�" "Noted and stored for a future conversation, Michael, but for now let me rephrase. One for every time you have knowingly and willingly put yourself in the path of some specific danger." Fingers hanging from the base of the steering while, Michael rolled his eyes. "It's my job. Our job." "I'm not claiming to have read the job description. I doubt there even was one. But I also doubt Wilton Knight didn't save your life and spend millions of dollars building me for you to continually risk that life." He smiled to himself and to his partner as Kitt corrected their course slightly, putting them back on to their side of the road. "What about your life?" "Up until nineteen months ago, my life didn't matter." Michael almost laughed. "Oh, I did not hear you say that." "You know what I mean." "I do not." He knew Kitt wouldn't come back at that, could feel it as a warm smile at the back of his head. "You know, I remember the first time I took you out, Devon telling me that your primary function was to preserve human life - my life - and at that time that didn't mean much to me. I think it was a long time before I worked out the real truth behind what he'd said. And when it did finally hit home, I wasn't sure I liked the idea of you sacrificing yourself to save me." "You're still not supposed to risk yourself to protect me." Michael frowned. "Why?" "Because I'm here to protect you. As you said, that's the reason for my creation, my existence. You're the human in this partnership. As you once said, you are able to get your face shot off�" "�'not it'." Michael laughed. "Nice memory. But things change, Kitt. We've changed, you know that better than anyone, and besides, there is another viewpoint." Kitt's tone was softer, quieter, when he asked, "And what would that be?" "You're a miracle. Your existence, as you put it, your life, is miraculous, it's a gift. You and Karr are the ultimate limited editions. Where as me - white male in his thirties - I'm ten-a-penny." "How can you say that? How many white males out there have an implant in their heads that allows another soul to do, say, this�?" Michael felt his partner's caress through the link and closed his eyes briefly, returning the touch. "How many of them have lovers who can bring them to orgasm without physically touching them?" Michael sighed softly. "You blow my mind, Kitt. Nothing about you is remotely possible but here you are anyway, defying daily the laws of robotics, computing, biology, physics." "I do not defy the laws of physics." "I'm sure you do. A couple of them at least. On a regular basis." Kitt didn't answer, not verbally at least. Somewhere between them virtual, invisible fingers laced together. "Getting back to my original question�." "Which I believe I answered. They're four leaf clovers." "And every time I do something stupid�." "Every time you have a narrow escape," Kitt corrected, "I add another." Michael looked at the small digital screen on the dash. The images were only a couple of pixels across on a high-res display. He wouldn't have noticed them if he hadn't squashed a bug against the screen with his newspaper and had been trying to clean the mess off. But from his calculations there had to be around twenty of them. "There are two hundred and forty three of them." Michael's eyes widened. "Oh, come on. My eyesight isn't that bad." "Every time I complete a line, I move it upwards and off the screen itself. If I didn't, you wouldn't be able to see anything but little green dots." "No way have I put our lives at risk two hundred and� whatever times." "Two hundred and forty three, and I didn't say ours, I said yours." "You're just as important, Kitt, especially to me. Never underestimate how much I you mean to me, and to others." //I love you you know that// "So, I want to see four-leaf clovers up there for the number of times I've risked your life too." There was a hesitation, but a second later the screen filled with tiny green leaves. "Very funny, Kitt. Very funny." The car rolled into the warehouse mostly under Kitt's control and he shut off the engine. "Where are you planning on sleeping tonight?" Michael leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes. "I'd better stay here. Wouldn't want to risk a broken ankle by climbing the stairs, would I?" |