Contest 4 -- '10' Fanfiction Challenge -- Winners Announced

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Contest 4 -- '10' Fanfiction Challenge -- Winners Announced

Post by knightshade » Thu Apr 21, 2005 10:23 pm

(see below for the winners)

We have yet another contest to celebrate Knight Rider Online's Tenth Anniversary. The '10' Fanfiction Challenge. Write a story that includes '10' of something. It could be 10 years, 10 miles, 10 new gadgets for Kitt -- whatever you'd like.

There are two $10 gift certificates to 80stees.com up for grabs. One for the best story and another for the most creative use of the number 10. We'll have a vote on the best story and the moderators will pick the best number 10.

The rules are pretty simple. The deadline for entries is May 4th. Entries should be at least 200 words but not more than 5000. Please post your stories in this topic to be considered for the contest.

Good luck. Happy writing.
Last edited by knightshade on Tue May 10, 2005 6:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post by Phoenix915 » Fri Apr 22, 2005 4:48 pm

DATES
A (very) short ‘KR’ fan fiction by Phoenix915

"Miriam, Jessica, Alexia, Kenzie, Gwen, Lindsey, Dina, Evelyn, Christine, Mary..." KITT sighed. "So many woman, Michael. Ten, to be exact. This is a record for you."

"Aw, buddy. Feeling jealous?"

"Why would I be envious?"

"'Cause maybe I like one of those girls better then you?"

KITT gave something that almost sounded like a snort. "It's not in my programming to be jealous."

"So what if I start spending more time with...oh, say Evelyn. What would you do then?"

"Let you do it, of course." KITT's voice dropped into a condescending tone. "You're a big boy now, Michael. I think you can handle a few dates. “He chuckled, a rarity for the AI.”Although God help you if those women find out about each other."

"Hey, if a whole group of swimsuit models are on the run from a corrupt CEO..."

"I know, I know ..." KITT sighed.

Together, they chimed "Who am I to say 'no'?"

"Do you ever think you're afraid of something?" KITT asked after a long strech of silence.

"Afraid of what?" Michael laughed.

"Commitment. You seem to change lady-friends every week."

"Hey, I have to move around a lot. Y'know, 'cause of my job?"

"Yes, but there's enough off-time for you to at least call or write some of these poor woman. You romance them, then go riding off into the sunset and they never hear from you again."

"So what do you think I should do?"

KITT's voice was stern. "Pick a woman and stick with her. Or at least stop wooing so many. Ten is much too much. And if you wish to marry them, it's illegal in most states."

Michael smirked. "So out of my little black book, who do you suggest I devote myself to?"

"Well..." The AI trailed off. "There is Bonnie."

"Are you kidding? She thinks I'm a playboy jerk."

"I wonder whatever gave her that idea?" KITT murmured.

Michael frowned. "Point taken."

"If you wish to change Bonnie's mind, may I suggest that you break the dates with the models?"

"Even the one with Evelyn?"

"Yes.”

KITT watched as Michael started dialing the car phone. “I can’t believe I’m doing this.” He muttered.

“Trust me, it’s for the best. Oh and by the way..."

"What?"

“Bonnie’s calling.”


---END---

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Post by Knight224 » Fri Apr 22, 2005 5:22 pm

I love it! Very creative : )

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Post by knightshade » Fri Apr 22, 2005 7:06 pm

Very cute.
"I wonder whatever gave her that idea?" KITT murmured.
*snerk* Hilarious line and so very Kitt.

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Post by LadyV2000 » Sat Apr 23, 2005 10:33 pm

OK I thought I'd give this a ago. This is my first fanfic. I really had a lot of fun writting it. Hope you enjoy. :D

AN INSATIABLE APPETITE

The sun had set hours ago and the roads were completely desolate. There was not a soul to be seen for blocks except for one lone vehicle. The sleek, black Trans Am, with its red scanner wavering back and forth, prowled watchfully down the street as it passed another intersection.

Michael we’ve been searching for nearly hour and I believe we’ve passed this block twice already” KITT said with obvious wear in his voice.

“Sorry pal, but I’ve gotta get something to eat. I’m so hungry right now I’m about ready to devour my wallet! Michael said as he scanned up and down the street for any signs of life.

Really Michael, how can you possibly be hungry at this hour? It’s 2:10 in the morning. Why can’t you have regular meal times like most other people?” questioned KITT.

Michael, obviously a bit annoyed by KITT’S request fired back “Uh huh, sure buddy. I was just going to tell the two jewel thieves we were pursuing earlier ‘Hey sorry guys, can we finish this chase later? It’s dinnertime.’” His stomach then growled with great ferocity, causing him to cradle it in his right arm.

KITT, feeling a bit sheepish, responded “Well I suppose that would be rather irrational.

Michael was just about to reply when KITT interrupted.

Michael, my scanners are detecting that a block ahead of our current position the Three Rings fast food restaurant is still open. It appears that they have just recently adopted new late night hours of operation.

Michael sighed deeply “Thank goodness. I don’t think I could’ve lasted much longer.”

He stepped on the gas pedal and sped up slightly. Soon enough he could see the brightly lit sign of the Three Rings just ahead and another that read “OPEN.” He took a sharp right turn into the parking lot and skidded to a halt just beside the newly replaced mechanical ringmaster. Michael diligently scanned over the drive-thru menu, his mouth beginning to water. Suddenly a young man’s voice came over the intercom.

“Ladies and gentlemen! And children of all age…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. There’s no need to go through the whole routine.” Michael quickly interrupted. “I’ll have a triple Big Top burger with everything on it, a large fry, and an extra-large Juggler’s Juice.” He concluded his order and pulled around to the pick-up window. The young man was just bringing his food.

“That will be $5.10 sir.” The employee said as he handed Michael a bag and his drink. Michael grabbed for his wallet and handed him the money. He then switched KITT into Auto Mode and began to hastily unwrap his long awaited meal as they pulled back onto the street. Soon the strong aroma of grease and fried beef filled the cockpit.

Good heavens Michael! That smells absolutely revolting!” chimed KITT with obvious disgust. “How on earth you can eat such repulsive junk?

“Like this KITT…” Michael said as he took a huge, meaty bite out of his Triple Big Top burger. Ketchup and mayonnaise oozed from all sides of the patty and dripped all over Michael’s hands. “Mmmm…null dat isa gut burger” he said with his mouth full of food. He then took a large gulp of his Juggler’s Juice and wiped his hands with a napkin.

Good?!?!?” KITT said with utter confusion. “That garbage isn’t fit to retread my tires, let alone for human consumption.

Michael finished chewing and soon responded, “Are you kidding? I’ve eaten stuff ten times worse than this and it hasn’t killed me yet.”

KITT paused for a moment and shortly added, “Well in that case you must have quite a tolerable digestive system Michael.

Michael chuckled at KITT’S statement and continued to wolf down his meal. In a matter of 10 minutes he was completely finished. KITT pulled next to a trashcan on the sidewalk for Michael to dispose of his left over wrappers. After throwing his trash away he promptly climbed back into the drivers seat and drove off. There was quite a long period of silence until Michael decided to speak.

“You know what KITT? I’m still a little hungry.”

Michael, you can’t be serious?!” KITT questioned absolutely puzzled.

“Yeah. I think I could go for a little sweet; maybe a double hot fudge sundae with a mound of whipped cream and a cherry on top. How's that sound to you?” Michael asked.

Like acute indigestion and an upset stomach. Michael, this inexhaustible quest to satisfy your hunger needs must stop. We’ve already wasted nearly two hours off our schedule and, by my calculations, should have already been half way to Reno by now.” KITT vigorously protested.

Michael bobbed his head in agreement and headed onto the freeway. “Yeah I guess you’re right buddy. It is still kinda earlier, but hey I can look at it this way. By the time we make into Reno, I’m sure every ice cream shop in the entire town will be open and waiting for our business.”

With that comment KITT had given up all hope of trying to curve Michael’s insatiable appetite and had nothing more to say than “Good grief.

The End
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KITT: "No. I'm a tight end for the Chicago Bears!"

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Post by FuzzieDice » Sun Apr 24, 2005 1:20 am

:lol: These are pretty good! :)

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Post by FuzzieDice » Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:55 am

Here's my entry:

Multiples of Code


K.I.T.T. was just about to power down when he noticed a sudden binary stream. Confused yet tired, he tried to ignore it. But just as he was about to go offline to recharge, there it was again. His red scanner came to life as he wondered if one of the lab diagnostic computers was left on. All he saw in the red glow and in his sensor echoes was... nothing. Nothing powered up that shouldn't be. And the only computer that was powered up was the 24/7 server, which certainly was not the source of the binary stream. K.I.T.T. saved the stream and went offline anyway. His charge was quite low as it was.

Michael rolled over sleepily and noticed it was still dark in his room. Not the dark of the daylight coming through heavy curtains, but dark. The clock said 3:10 am. It was a very rare moment that Michael actually got to sleep in his own room at the foundation mansion, with K.I.T.T. safely and comfortably tucked away in a nearby lab. K.I.T.T. was just updated and went through a series of tests, since April finally caught them between missions. THIS time there was no getting out of it with a sudden assignment. Michael knew she was up to something when she was a bit too enthusiastic about Devon's trip to Europe without her. He couldn't or would he? Michael and April both hoped Devon wouldn't. And so far he hadn't. At least, not until after April's tests on K.I.T.T. Michael couldn't figure out why he couldn't sleep. He got out of bed and went for a walk down the hall. Maybe it was too quiet. Too calm. Maybe it's because he wasn't sleeping inside of K.I.T.T. He grown to be very accustomed to K.I.T.T.'s comfortable seats.

Michael decided to pad downstairs and walked to the lab barefoot. It was a hot summer night and he could tell the difference between the outdoor night air and the air conditioned lab. Just as he walked in, a familiar red light started to slowly greet him.

"Michael! You're supposed to be sleeping. As am I, by the way." K.I.T.T. reactivated in surprise.

"Yeah, pal, I know. But I can't sleep."

"Why not?"

"I dunno." Michael said as he walked over to the stealthy black form of the Trans Am. He opened the door and got in, tipped the seat back and immediately felt tired enough to get some sleep. Michael yawned and said, "There. That's MUCH better." Then he proceeded to doze off.

"Really, Michael. I would have thought a nice comfortable bed would be welcome after all that time we spend on the road. Surely you can't mean that my seats are better?" K.I.T.T. said in confusion.

"I guess I just missed ya, buddy." Michael said half off to sleep.

"But I'm right here." K.I.T.T. reminded him.

"Yeah, I know. I know..." Michael said as he finally got to sleep.

K.I.T.T. gave up and just as he was about to go offline the binary stream hit again, rather strongly. It was enough for K.I.T.T. to yell "Michael!" loud enough through his speakers that Michael jumped fully awake.

"Wha? What!"

"I've been getting this confusing binary stream all night. It seems to occur just before I shut down." K.I.T.T. said, worried.

"What does it say? I mean, you can decode it, can't you?" Michael asked, sitting up fully.

"Yes. The stream is 011011100011001100110111." K.I.T.T. told him.

"What's all the zeros and ones?"

"That is binary code for n37." K.I.T.T. informed him.

"What's n37?" Michael wondered out loud.

"Obviously a code for something. Although I have no idea what." K.I.T.T. said, with a hint of frustration in his voice.

"I don't know either, buddy. Would it be something left over from one of April's tests?"

"Perhaps. But I can't see why. I mean we covered virtually everything and all data was accounted for. I would deduce that this particular code is not connected in any way with the testing." K.I.T.T. told him.

"It can't be a coincidence, can it? We'll have to remember to ask April in the morning." Michael said, leaning back in the seat again and preparing for sleep.

"As you wish, Michael." K.I.T.T. said but he didn't feel too convinced as he again got another stream as he was going offline to finish recharging.

*****

April walked into the lab which powered up 30 minutes prior to her arrival, and saw K.I.T.T.'s dash was lit and he was fully charged and online. It looked like he was analysing something. "Good morning, K.I.T.T." she said cheerfully.

"Good morning, April." K.I.T.T. replied back.

"I see you're hard at work already." April noted and just as she turned, she screamed a little and jumped suddenly.

Michael's coffee spilled out over his hand a little, making him yell "OW!" and quickly changing the mug to his other hand. "Uh, April!"

"Michael! I didn't expect you here! Let me get you a towel." April grabbed a clean one next to a workbench and handed it to him.

"Uh, yeah. Thanks." Michael said, taking the towel and putting his mug down to wipe off his hand. "Well, we discovered something last night."

April looked at him puzzled until K.I.T.T. described the binary stream. "n37? I wonder what that could be a code for?" she asked.

"And why is K.I.T.T. getting this stream every time he tries to recharge?"

"Actually, Michael, I've encountered the stream at approximately 10 minute intervals since I came back online fully charged this morning." K.I.T.T. told them.

"Hmmm..." April thought a moment. "n37... could it be related to your last case?"

"I thought it had something to do with your testing." Michael told her from behind the mug as he went to take a sip of his morning coffee.

"That's not posible. As K.I.T.T. can tell you, we've already covered all data and information. The tests are fully complete." she told him.

"April, Michael. I think I may have something." K.I.T.T. said. "What does the word 'net' make you think about?"

"net?" Michael and April chimed in. "Uh..." Michael asked. "internet?"

"Exactly." K.I.T.T. said. "While there is a chance that n37 could mean anything, I've noted that because it was a binary stream coming from somewhere on the network, it could be the word 'net'."

"But how?" Michael asked.

This time April chimed in, "Well, the 'n' is pretty obvious. But, the 3 can be a backwards E and the 7 a slanted T with half it's top cut off. This is a common form of lingo in some IRC channels."

"Very good April." K.I.T.T. said enthusiatically.

"Thank you." April replied proudly.

"Alright!" Michael then cut off their little conversation. "So, assuming it is the word 'net', so what? What is it connected to?"

"Since K.I.T.T. is getting this stream every 10 minutes, it could also be that NET spelled backwards is TEN." April told him.

"Too many coincidences." Michael dissmissed the idea with another gulp of now nearly cold coffee.

"I have to agree with Michael, April. It would be too simple." K.I.T.T. said. "I've also now pinpointed the source of the transmission."

"That would help." Michael said sarcastically.

The black machine ignored him for the moment as he scanned all eyes on him. "It's coming from K.A.R.R."

April and Michael both raised an eyebrow. "But K.A.R.R. is in lab 5 as he too completed the same tests and course you did." April told K.I.T.T.

"I know. But it puzzles me why he's doing this. It's as if he's running an automatic script to send me this information at a specific interval." K.I.T.T. said.

Michael leaned against K.I.T.T.'s hood after putting his coffee mug down on the nearby bench and folded his hands across his chest. "I don't like this." He said as he watched April grab some portable diagnostic equipment.

"I'll go over to lab 5 and give K.A.R.R. another check." She told them as she left Michael sitting on K.I.T.T.'s hood, looking straight ahead as if in deep thought.

"Did you ask K.A.R.R. what it all means?" Michael asked.

"Yes." was K.I.T.T's reply.

"And....?"

"He said 'guess'."

"Dimwit."

"My thoughts exactly. K.A.R.R. never was very bright to begin with, but now that they updated his programming, I was under the impression that his intelligence level was to be boosted by 200%."

"Well, why is he playing these stupid games with us? I suppose they didn't erase that from his programming, did they?"

"I guess not." K.I.T.T. agreed. "I would say he's at his old tricks again. This time he has even stumped me."

"That's a new one!" Michael seemed almost genuinely amazed. "Ten... every ten minutes a binary stream that means ten. Why?" Michael said as he heard April come back.

"You got me." She said, returning the diagnostic equipment back to their rightful places. "I checked over his systems and programming and I haven't found any errors. All of K.A.R.R.'s data was also accounted for after testing. Though he is running a script that is transmitting to K.I.T.T., he pretty much is keeping that a secret from us, including his motive." April informed them.

"Maybe you should reprogram him." Michael said in annoyance.

April just smiled. "We like to let our AI's learn on their own."

"Thank you, April." K.I.T.T. said politely. "However, I fail to see what exactly there is to learn by this experience, both for me and for K.A.R.R."

April sat down at the computer terminal and Michael came up behind her and looked over her shoulder. "Wow. K.I.T.T. finished the test course in only 14 seconds!" He said, rather amazed, as the course map was also up and it looked fairly difficult.

"14.9 to be exact." K.I.T.T. corrected him proudly as yet another binary stream of the same ten stuff came through.

"Let's see how well K.A.R.R. did." Michael asked. April called up the data and found K.A.R.R. only did the course in about....

K.I.T.T. and Michael both spoke at the same time, though K.I.T.T.'s voice had an indignant tone while Michael's tone was very much amused. "10 SECONDS!"

April burst out laughing. "I also upgraded K.A.R.R. to have a little more of a sense of humor, in an effort to tone down his angry edge in his voice."

"I think it has gone to his CPU, April." K.I.T.T. half scolded. With that, K.I.T.T. sent back a binary stream rather strongly to K.A.R.R.

011011100111010100110111

April caught the stream on her computer as well. She decoded it and Michael read it: nu7 "Nut?" He asked, laughing.

They all could hear K.A.R.R.'s laugh from the other lab, and then he pulled into K.I.T.T.'s lab and parked next to him. "I am the Knight Automated Roving Robot. NUT if you prefer." he said jokingly.

"Oh, how I WISH you would let THAT get to your head!" K.I.T.T. answered, to which April and Michael were by now in hysterics laughing. Michael tried to catch his breath but laughed out "I think you over-programmed him!"

K.I.T.T. and K.A.R.R. stood looking at the laughing humans, K.A.R.R.'s scanner pacing back and forth at a steady, confident rate while K.I.T.T.'s scanner light was lit steady in K.A.R.R.'s direction, almost scoldingly.

"I do not detect any source of amusement." K.I.T.T. stated as he let his scanner start tracking back and forth slowly.

"Only an inferior production line model would not understand amusement." K.A.R.R. stated. "It proves that I am the one with superior programming."

"Only a problem-ridden prototype would think up such a lame joke." K.I.T.T. said in retaliation. "Really, K.A.R.R., your antics made absolutely no sense whatsoever."

"Aren't you jealous?" K.A.R.R. asked.

"Of what?" K.I.T.T. answered with his own question.

"That I did BETTER than you in the tests." K.A.R.R. stated with a good amount of arrogance in his voice.

"Of course not. I'm perfectly capable of accomplishing my tasks. And furthermore, my scores weren't that bad." K.I.T.T. stated.

"Hmmmm... If K.A.R.R. can do the course in 10 seconds and you took 15... I think we can shave off another 5 seconds with a few more adjustments and tests..." April started.

Michael gave a look of surprise and fear as K.I.T.T.'s scanner started tracing back and forth more quickly. But just as either was about to speak, a series of beeps was heard and K.A.R.R. stated, "Devon's calling."

April patched it through their vidcom system at her desk and Devon's face appeared. "Well, I hope you had a good night's rest, Michael." Devon asked cheerfully.

"Uh, yeah. Yeah! Really good! Best rest in a long time!" Michael said, puffing his chest up as he drew in a good, long breath.

April looked at him with a tinge of fear... "Oh no...."

Michael smiled as did Devon. "Good. Then you won't mind getting right to your next assignment..." Devon said.

"I give up!" April exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Next came K.A.R.R.'s laughter. "Ten." He said. He also detected that K.I.T.T. gave off an electronic version of a wince, which made K.A.R.R. chuckle again.

Devon knew they had been up to no good, but continued to fill Michael in on the details. "There is a group of 10 con artists that broke out of prison..."

"Please!" K.I.T.T. spoke up, much to Devon's surprise. "If I hear that number one more time, I think I'll blow a CPU!" K.I.T.T. exclaimed.

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Post by LadyV2000 » Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:09 pm

What a great story FuzzieDice. It's very creative and funny. Good job. :D
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Post by TurbomanKnight » Sun Apr 24, 2005 2:50 pm

"I do not detect any source of amusement." K.I.T.T. stated as he let his scanner start tracking back and forth slowly.

"Only an inferior production line model would not understand amusement." K.A.R.R. stated. "It proves that I am the one with superior programming."

"Only a problem-ridden prototype would think up such a lame joke." K.I.T.T. said in retaliation. "Really, K.A.R.R., your antics made absolutely no sense whatsoever."
This was the most funniest part. Why? Because you can just picture them saying that. With their voices. Good Job Tika. 8)
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Post by knightshade » Sun Apr 24, 2005 7:47 pm

Great stories LadyV2000 and FuzzieDice. Very clever.

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Post by FuzzieDice » Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:53 am

Thanks everyone. :) The binary code in my story, if you translate it, does turn out to be the ASCII code for the codes I mentioned. :) I actually had to look up a converter and stuff on the web so I kinda did research. :lol:

Sam - Thanks! :) I guess maybe I might know KITT and KARR a bit too well. :lol: Well, maybe not THAT well, but it just seemed to fit. :)

I just started writing with the idea of using a code and 10, and a plot where they had to figure out this 10 thing that popped up multiple times within the whole code (thus the title Multiples of Code). Being that I did some computer programming (sometimes all hours of the night into sunrise) I kinda had fun with this one. :)

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Post by FuzzieDice » Mon Apr 25, 2005 1:54 am

Oh geez! I just looked at my previous post and I could almost write another called "Revenge of the smilies". :lol:

BTW, Phoenix915 had a clever one with all those girls of Michael's :)

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Post by Phoenix915 » Mon Apr 25, 2005 8:16 pm

Thanks! I liked your story a lot Fuzzie. Yours too Lady V-- although if Mike eats too many of those burgers, he won't be able to fit inside KITT!

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Post by FuzzieDice » Tue Apr 26, 2005 12:58 am

Dude! You are SO right! :D In fact, I just did one the other day where he's eating some burger and fries and KITT also farts from cheap gas... :lol: To see it you'd have to join the Knight Rider 2005 fanfic group though. The story is called "Loud Muffler" :lol:

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Post by Sith » Thu Apr 28, 2005 12:20 pm

10.

10 years on.

On a cool summer evening in the mids 1990s, the rain was pouring down. To most people, they would have sought shelter, or at least an umbrella.

Not this man. He stood in the graveyard, his face equally quiet and stoney - the rain soaking his hair, and starting to pour down his back, even under his jacket.

A flash of lightning. The gravestone he looked upon cast shadows for a brief moment. And although his eyes saw the writing upon it, he himself was not there. Lost... lost in memories.

In his hand, he held a single rose. Through his memories, he relived those awful final moments of his true happiness. The pain of knowing that someone sacrificed themselves for you, is doubled with the guilt of carrying on.

Overwhelmed with grief, he gripped the rose tighter in reflex... and the thorns dug into his skin. He lifted the rose to his face, gazing upon the trickle of blood escaping the edges of the flower.

Holding it to his nose, he took a deep long sniff - taking the scent in fully. Flooded with memories, pain and rainwater... he finally caved in and let the tears out.

He had been someone. He had made a difference. But not now. How could he go on, without the single thing that made him feel alive?

10 years.

It still felt like yesterday.

If he was honest, he would say his life ended there too. What is a future, if it is spent alone? How can you replace, the irreplaceable?

No longer could he fight for a justice, he no longer felt the world deserved. If he was to suffer, so would they.

Earlier that day, he had handed in his resignation at the Foundation. This life was no longer for him. He wanted to find some sort of peace... any kind of peace. Away from the world.

He had to let go. To move on.

10 years.

It was time to live.

He gently put down the rose upon the gravestone, and headed for the car park.

The rain started to subside, and he was pleased to see his new acquisition - a blue Chevy - was now suitably cleaned up by the rain.

Opening the car door, he looked back to the gravestone. The rose shone in the sunlight, as the water on the petals reflected the golden colour.

And then he felt a calm wash over him. Surprisingly he even managed a slight smile.

"Goodbye Stevie."

Getting back into the car, he moved the fishing rod to the passenger side. Perhaps it was time for a new hobby after all.

Driving off into the vanilla hewed horizon, a new man was born.

10 years.

10 years from now... you won't recognise him.

But he is destined to once again... make a difference.

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Post by knightshade » Thu Apr 28, 2005 6:39 pm

Very well done, Sith. And I was just watching White Bird. Poor Michael.

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Post by FuzzieDice » Fri Apr 29, 2005 3:51 am

Sith that was excellent! It was suspenful, meaningful, emotional. And yet very sad. Because of Stevie and also because KITT and Michael are no longer together at that point.

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FLAG Ball

Post by knightshade » Tue May 03, 2005 6:13 pm

This isn't an official entry, it's just me writing a response to the challenge because I can't resist and it fit well with a silly idea I had a long time ago. It's not up for either prize.

Disclaimers: I don’t own anything Knight Rider. See Universal.
Author’s Notes: Many thanks to my lovely beta reader Pheral.

FLAG Ball

Kitt’s voice modulator flashed very briefly, just enough to catch Michael’s attention, even though Kitt didn’t actually say anything. Michael sat up straighter in his seat, concern creasing his forehead.

“You awake, pal?”

Bonnie had gone over to her workbench to study some piece of diagnostic equipment, which left Michael alone in Kitt’s cabin as he came out of his recharging state.

“Yes. I’m awake.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I don’t know, Michael. Dreaming is strange. I’m not sure I like the experience at all.”

That didn’t ease Michael’s concern any. Bonnie had devised a program that would allow Kitt to dream while he recharged. Michael wasn’t a fan – he couldn’t see any useful purpose for it and his own dreams were more often of the unpleasant variety. But Kitt had been curious and wanted to try it out, so Michael was trying his best to be supportive.

“You didn’t have any nightmares did you?” he asked. Bonnie had promised that he wouldn’t have nightmares.

“I don’t think so, Michael. Although the falling dream was most disconcerting.”

“You mean the one where you wake up when you hit the ground?”

“Yes. You’ve had that dream as well?”

“Yeah, buddy. I used to get it a lot when I was at the Academy.” It didn’t quite qualify as a nightmare but it wasn’t exactly pleasant either. And it probably wouldn’t do much for Kitt’s fear of flying. “If that’s the sort of thing you’re dreaming, I can see why you didn’t care for it.”

“It’s not really that so much as the fact that the dreams didn’t make sense. I’m not sure I care for illogical thoughts in my own CPU.”

“Well dreams don’t usually make sense.”

“Bonnie said the program uses something from my recent memory as a seed for my dreams. But I can’t figure out what.”

“Well, what else did you dream about?”

“Baseball,” he said with an incredulous tone that made Michael laugh.

“Well, it is the season. Maybe you heard scores on the radio or something yesterday.”

“I would think it would have to be something more significant than that.”

“Not if your dreams are anything like human dreams,” Michael said, only half joking. “So which teams were playing?”

“That’s the strange part. We were.”

“You were playing baseball? How did you hold a bat?”

“I had these hideous mechanical arms that popped out of my front fenders where my SPM fins should be. It was most embarrassing. But, Michael, we had a whole team. You were pitching and I was catching.”

“You were the catcher?” Michael was having a very hard time visualizing that.

“Yes. As it turns out my window was the perfect strike zone, so I just rolled it down.”

“How did you get the ball back?”

“The T-tops were open. I just ejected it.”

Michael raised an eyebrow and tried to suppress a laugh.

“The rest of the team was made up of other Foundation employees. Wilton Knight was on first. Devon was on second, although he kept complaining that he’d rather play cricket. RC was the short stop. Bonnie was at third base. SID was in left field. . .”

“Wait, SID? As in SID the soccer ball?”

“Yes. Only this time he was disguised as a baseball glove.”

Michael had to admit that his partner had some pretty strange dreams.

“April was in center field. And Michael, do you remember Elliott Sykes?”

“How could I forget?” Michael cringed at the memory of the kid with the black scooter and the KNERD license plate.

“He was in right field.”

“At least you put him in the right position, buddy,” Michael said, remembering that Elliott hadn’t exactly been an athlete. “So were we winning?”

“When my dream ended we were tied at ten and the game had gone into extra innings.”

“Who were we playing?”

“The other team was made up of our former adversaries, Michael. Garthe was pitching.”

This was going to be interesting. “Garthe?”

“Yes. And I think he had the ball coated in MBS because he kept hitting me with wild pitches and it really hurt.”

“He didn’t have Goliath catching, did he?”

“No, but Adrianne St. Clair was his designated hitter. Durante was the catcher. Tanya Walker was at first, although she seemed more interested in getting her hands on SID than playing the game. Graham Deauville was at second and every time I got on base, he kept saying, ‘You belong to Graham Deauville. Steal third base.’ It was most annoying.”

“Why would he want you to steal a base?”

“I think he was trying to get me thrown out, since he’d always wait for Garthe to look over before doing it.”

“Okay, so who else?”

“Boyd LaSalle was at short stop and he had this old-style perfume atomizer. Every time a base runner went past, he’d spray them with something. I was just hoping it was empty. Bianca Morgan was on third base, I think. I kept getting her confused with Adrianne. If I had to guess, I’d say she was put on third to distract you and keep you from scoring,” Kitt said with more than a bit of disapproval in his voice.

“Hey, don’t look at me, pal. I’m not responsible for what you come up with in your dreams. Besides, I had to make her think I was interested. It was all part of the mission.”

“I’ve heard that before, Michael.”

Moving on,” Michael said indignantly. “Who was in the outfield?”

“Cameron Zachary was in left field. KARR was in center field and every time I was up to bat, he’d yet out ‘Hey inferior production line model . . . swing!’ It was most irritating and unbecoming of an AI.”

Michael couldn’t help grinning. “And right field?”

“Marco Berio, Michael. He kept wandering around mumbling ‘I deserve to play infield. I don’t know why no one can see that. My achievements are ignored.’”

“That fits.” Michael smiled and glanced down at Kitt’s voice modulator. “I gotta say, buddy, this new program of yours is certainly interesting.”

“Yes, Michael, but what does it all mean? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Most dreams don’t. But it looks like it’s all people from our past.”

“Yes, I know, but that’s just it. They’re all from the past. The seed that is supposed to set the narratives for my dreams is supposed to be something from my recent memories. In fact, Bonnie said it would be something that occurred between my current recharging and the previous one. I haven’t been thinking about any of these people recently.”

Michael was about to dismiss it as part of the mystery of dreaming when something caught his attention.

“You said the game went into extra innings right? What inning was it? Do you remember?”

“The top of the tenth. Why?”

He smiled. “I think I’m onto something. You said there was a designated hitter, so there were ten players on the opposing team. You said it was tied 10-10 in the top of the tenth. You haven’t been thinking about the fact that next month will be our tenth anniversary of working together have you?”

There was a long pause. “I was in fact,” Kitt said, his voice sounding a bit awe-struck. “I was thinking that it was quite a milestone and that perhaps we should do something to celebrate.”

Michael smiled down at his partner. “I think a celebration is a great idea, buddy. Ten years is pretty impressive, isn’t it?”

“Yes it is. But you’re absolutely right about my dream, Michael. It explains perfectly why people from our past became part of it. Fascinating, really. Are dreams always like this?”

“A lot of the time, I guess. They often contain things from our daily lives.”

“I think I may have to revise my opinion of them. They do make sense. I just have to figure out how. It’s kind of like a puzzle,” he said, his voice getting a far off and almost wistful sounding.

Alarm bells went off in Michael’s head. “A puzzle?”

“Yes. Here I was thinking they were simple flights of fancy. But perhaps . . .” he trailed off for a moment. “Michael, maybe we should look at some of the other dreams I had last night to see if the pattern holds. I had one where there were monkeys riding unicycles, juggling circuit cards, which seemed completely illogical at the time, but maybe it means something. Or there was the one where you had to give a presentation at a fundraiser and you showed up naked, Michael. That one was very bizarre. But do you think maybe . . . “

Michael put his head down on the steering column and tried to tune out his partner. Bonnie quickly hurried over.

“Is something wrong?” she asked, clipboard in hand and a worried look on her face.

Michael just turned his head to the side and stared at her. “Congratulations Dr. Frankenstein, I think you’ve created a monster.”

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Post by LadyV2000 » Tue May 03, 2005 8:08 pm

LOL! Great story Knightshade. It was just the thing I needed to cheer me up after a hard day a studying. :D
Flyer Guy: "You really a talking car?"
KITT: "No. I'm a tight end for the Chicago Bears!"

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Post by FuzzieDice » Tue May 03, 2005 10:01 pm

:lol: :lol: That's a great one, Knightshade! It was very entertaining. I loved K.I.T.T.'s reactions to dreaming. I was giggling and laughing through the whole baseball story. I almost couldn't stop laughing at K.A.R.R.! :lol: And Michael at the fundraiser. :shock: :lol:

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. :)

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Post by knightshade » Wed May 04, 2005 10:50 pm

Thanks guys. I'm glad you liked it. :wink:

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Post by FuzzieDice » Thu May 05, 2005 12:21 am

Well, it's past the deadline for entries. Any word for when the winners will be announced?

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Post by knightshade » Thu May 05, 2005 8:40 am

Sorry, I wasn't up until midnight last night. :wink: The post to vote for the best 10 will go up tonight (unless one of the other mods has time to do it earlier). Best story will be decided shortly.

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Post by FuzzieDice » Thu May 05, 2005 11:48 am

Actually I just found out this morning I was the one in error. :oops: I thought yesterday was the 5th and today the 6th. I got my time all messed up. :oops:

I need to get to bed earlier, myself. Been up too late and tired. Then I can't think.

Sorry about me getting confused...

I enjoyed reading all the stories and I'm sure it won't be easy for folks to pick a winner. They are all great! :)

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Winners Announced

Post by knightshade » Tue May 10, 2005 6:16 pm

We have our winners!

For the Best Story, FuzzieDice's Multiples of Code and for the best use of the number 10, Phoenix915's Dates with 10 of Michael's women.

Please contact Neil (neps) by PM or Email (through your user account on this board) with your contact info so he can get your 80stees.com gift certificates to you right away!

Congratulations to everyone who participated. All of the stories were wonderful. 8)

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