Jason had been completely caught off guard as his brother sped into the
underground parking lot and angrily shoved him towards the car.
 "Get in."
 "What?"
 "Get in."  Michael roughly thrust his brother into the car before vaulting
over the roof and peeling away from the police station.
 Jason reached for the door handle and was met by a mild shock from Kitt.
Angry now, he faced the person driving the car.  "You're not the man you
used to be."
 "Damn right I'm not. What the hell did you think you were getting into?"
Michael kept glancing from the road to his brother.
 "They said they wanted the car."  Jay was slightly taken aback by his
brother's fury.
 "And you believed them?"
 "Of course I believed them," came the defensive answer.
 "Jesus Christ, Jay, haven't you been in this business long enough to know
what the scores are?  How much did he offer you?"  Michael's voice kept
rising.
 "Two million and she actually made the offer."
  Coldly, Michael faced his brother, "do you realize that 'she' is the woman
who shot me in the first place?"
 The surprised reaction was mildly satisfying. "No I didn't.  Look man, I
had no idea."
 "Of course not." He retorted bitterly, "didn't you do your homework before
you got involved?  My God Jay, you couldn't have needed the money?"
 "No, I  don't *need* the money.  But I wanted out." he finished quickly.
 "If you knew about me, why not contact me?  I might have been able to help
without endangering everyone close to us."
 "They wouldn't go after Mom and Dad." He was so sure of himself.
 "They already have."  Another mildly satisfying reaction.
 "But..."
 "When did you become so naive? You were good Jay.  You played by the rules,
your investigative capabilities..."
 "Were always outdone by yours."  he spat back, full of resentment.
 Michael roughly pulled the car over, allowing him to face Jason straight
on. "Please don't tell me this arose from jealousy?"
 "Maybe, look at you Mike.  You've got it all."
 "You really think so?"  Michael couldn't believe this.
 "Fast car, all the resources you could imagine and all the money you want."
 Michael sat back in his seat, taking a deep breath, "It's not that simple.
My life is complicated to the extreme."
 "I know the dangers Mike."
 "What about the down sides?"
 "Like there are any?"
 "Like the people you're dealing with shot me in the face and left me for
dead!"  He pounded the steering wheel in frustration.  "What about my wife
being murdered in front of me on our wedding day.  How's that for starters?"
 "Stevie?" Eyebrows rose, voice a shocked whisper.
 "Yes, Stevie."
 "Oh, Jesus, Mike....I had no idea that....... I really screwed this one
up."  Michael watched his brother stammer, as the full impact of his actions
hit him.  "How do we rectify this?"
 "I'm not sure," came the slow answer.   Anger fading, he began to think
again.  "Did they want anything else?"
 "Information."  At least he was cooperating now. "They wanted to know where
you were, what you were doing.  That was fairly easy, especially once Mom
and Dad moved into FLAG."
 "So you're the leak." He literally jumped at the man in the passenger seat.
 "I guess so." the reply was like that of a small child.
 "Do you have an address or a  phone number where you could reach them?"
 "No, she calls me at work at the same time every few days."
 "Kitt can you trace that call?"
 "The approximate time of the call would substantially narrow the search."
 Michael cast a fiery look at his brother when the answer didn't come
immediately.
 "Ohm, ten am.  The last call was two days ago."  Jason shrunk into his
seat.
 "Before Tanya showed herself."
 "I wonder if they figure we made the connection from their appearance?"
Kitt reasoned
 "Maybe, but I have a gut feeling we are not out of this yet."
 "I intensely dislike your 'gut feelings'."
 "Why?"  Michael smirked as he directed the car back onto the road.
 "Because they are usually correct."
 

Once back at FLAG, Michael dragged his brother into Devon's office, "I found
our leak." walking past a chair, he dropped Jay into it.
 "Jason?" Amidst Devon's surprise, there was a small part of him that felt
sorry for Jason.  Devon had witnessed Michael's capacity for anger.
 The curly blond head just nodded,staring at the carpet.
 "Alright then, tell me how this began."  Devon sat behind his desk while
Michael took his usual perch, arms crossed in front of his chest.  Anger and
frustration clearly visible in his posture.
 "I was working for the prison system at the time.  It was a change I
thought I wanted and if not a way to gain experience to move up my status in
the police force.  I had come up the ranks and was in charge of a cell
block.  During that time I met Zachary.  He seemed friendly enough.  I knew
not to give any information away, but he began to tell me about the
Foundation.  I guess he had already figured out who I was.  When he told me
about you Mike, I was so mad.  I felt like you had deliberately left us
behind for this better life.  He told me about the 'miracle car'.  A bunch
of Kitt's functions.  He also said that I had been in line for your job.
That if it hadn't been for your being at the right place at the right time,
I'd be here."
 "Not as far as I know." Devon interrupted harshly. "Michael was the only
candidate for Kitt."
 Michael was steaming inside, "did you set John up for the meet?"
 "Yes.  I found a few friends who worked regularly with you and they gave me
all the information I needed to have John accidentally bump into you.  I
swear they just said they wanted the car.  That you'd offered it to them at
one point.  But you'd never come to an agreement."
 "So they were going to obtain it the old fashioned way." Michael snorted at
his boss's sarcasm.
 "They wanted to steal it, yes."
 "They used you Jay.  They want the car and my death on top of it all."
Exhaustion was beginning to claim Michael again.  His body slumped as he
tried to find a way beyond the whirlwind in his head.
 "They never said anything about wanting you dead."
 "Of course not." Devon stood, seeing Michael's energy dwindle, he wanted to
complete this conversation as quickly as possible.  "Tanya Walker was
working for Zachary five years ago.  He was the one who gave the order to
kill Michael.  Tanya was just the hired help, one of the many women Zachary
used to obtain his goals."
 Jason sat astonished.  He had jumped the gun and almost gotten his parents
and his brother killed.
 Michael looked up in exacerbation as his parents walked in.  This was the
last thing he needed.
 "May I ask what this is all about?" The eldest Long asked in rather a
pissed off way.
 "Yes, come in Peter.  I believe Jason has something to tell you."
 Jason's eyes widened at Devon's words.  After watching his parents take the
seats facing him, he retold his tale.
 "You see what you've gotten us into?" Dorothy directed at Michael.
 "Me?!" That awoke the anger, "how am I to blame for this?"
 "Pardon me, but I believe Jason..." Devon tried to diffuse the situation,
only to be interrupted.
 "I will not pardon you.  You took our son and proceeded to brainwash him
with that car."
 "Your son??" Michael's voice was dangerously calm. "I don't think so. My
family accepts me.  My family gave me a precious gift, a soul mate.  You may
be my mother in blood, but they," Michael pointed to Devon, "are my family."
Without another word, Michael strode from the office and a few seconds later
Kitt's engine fired before tires squealed from the driveway.

*

   Michael had driven at breakneck speeds to the only spot he could think
of - the beach.  Sliding the car through the sand to a stop, his anger still
filling him, he slammed the door and jumped up onto the hood.  Then curled
into himself. The silence inspired Kitt to speak.  "Did you mean it
Michael?"
 "What?" Michael was so immersed in his own thoughts he hadn't heard Kitt's
question.
 Kitt scanned over his despondent friend, almost afraid to ask his question.
"What you said to your parents, about us?"
 Michael had to think for a second, then smiled, "Yeah Kitt, I meant it.
Have you ever known me to lie during a rage?"
 "No I haven't."  This didn't quite answer his question and Michael seemed
to understand Kitt's need.
 "I said this the other day, you are the closest one to me.  My best friend,
my soul mate."  As he spoke, he unconsciously stroked the hood of the car.
 "Michael...." His name came out more as a whisper as the car quivered under
him.
 Until dusk, the two remained unmoving, other than Michael's hand slowly
moving over the hood, patterns changing with his thoughts.
 

part nine