A Leap for A Knight

A Quantum Leap/Knight Rider crossover

By Lucidscreamer (formerly known as 'Cyberkat')

Originally published: 1999-2005

Disclaimer: Glen A. Larson, Universal Studios, Donald Bellasario, Bellasarius Productions, and any other rightful copyright holders, own Knight Rider and Quantum Leap. (I own a computer, a spoiled-rotten cat, an overactive imagination and this plot, such as it is)This is purely for entertainment purposes; no profit is being made, nor should be inferred.

Author's Note: This story borrows an idea from the Quantum Leap novels, namely that Sam swaps minds/souls with the person he Leaps into rather than physically taking their place. The descriptions of the Project are also extrapolated from those in the novels, just because.

Special thanks to: Janeway, Knightshade and the whole Beta Round-up, and to everyone who took the time to comment on LiveJournal or to leave a review at Thanks for everything!

“Theorizing that he could time travel within his own lifetime, Dr. Sam Beckett led an elite team of scientists into the desert…” Quantum Leap

“…A shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist.” Knight Rider

Prologue

On a dark, desert highway

September 24, 1986

It was just past one a.m., and the highway was a black ribbon stretched from horizon to horizon. A lone automobile streaked across the desert, its high-beams cutting twin swathes in the darkness. Inside the car, the whine of its powerful turbine engine was muted. The lights of the digital dashboard cast strange, shifting shadows over the features of the handsome young man slouched in the driver's seat.

He fit neatly into what might have been a tight squeeze; the car's cockpit had been customized for his 6' 4" frame. He could reach any of the controls without straining, usually without taking his eyes off the road. Not that that was a major consideration. Not with thiscar.

Currently, Michael’s hands were idle, folded comfortably across his stomach. The driver's seat was reclined to its fullest, permitting him to stretch out his long legs. He was snoring softly.

Clearly, this was no ordinary car.

There were few external clues. A casual observer might note the red sensor light set into the car's angled prow, and perhaps wonder at its function. But what the casual observer could not see was far more important. They could notsee that the car's glossy black surface was actually a specially formulated, molecular bonded shell capable of protecting car and driver from virtually anything short of a direct missile strike. Nor would the casual observer spot the most important difference between this and an ordinary street machine: the Artificial Intelligence currently controlling the modified Trans Am as it cruised along at a sedate 55 mph. His creator had named him the Knight Industries Two Thousand. His partner, dozing peacefully in the driver's seat, called him 'Kitt.'

The brainchild of the late Wilton Knight, Kitt had been created for a singular purpose: to protect the life of one man, the man Wilton had chosen as the heir to his dream. A firm believer in the strength of the individual, Wilton had dedicated his last days to ensuring the survival of that dream. The result was Kitt--and Michael Knight, a man dedicated to proving to an often-uncaring world that one man could indeed make a difference.

Now, through discreet sensors in the cabin, Kitt watched Michael sleep.

With nothing else to occupy him, Kitt let his thoughts drift back almost five years to their first meeting. It had been an inauspicious beginning.

A former cop, Michael was headstrong, impulsive, and fiercely independent. He had resented the implications of a computerized partner, certain that Kitt was little more than an electronic stool pigeon, reporting Michael’s every move back to headquarters. Of course, nothing was farther from the truth, but it had taken time for Michael to realize that Kitt was there for him and him alone.

For his part, Kitt had been both hurt and confused by Michael's often-callous attitude. Kitt had been programmed specifically for Michael--his basic personality was tailored to meet Michael’s needs, his primary function was to protect Michael’s life. In every way that mattered, Kitt belonged to Michael.

It had never occurred to any of them that the man Kitt had been created for might reject him, but in the beginning, Michael had seemed to think Kitt was little more than a car with too many options. But Kitt persisted in his duties--even when his helpful suggestions were met with a rude command to “shut up.” But time passed, and with each new mission, Michael learned to appreciate his unique partner. Kitt was far more than simply a talkative automobile; he could think, and learn, and grow. He and Michael had grown together, learning to respect and trust one another. Now, they were not only partners, they were also friends.

That happy thought warmed Kitt as he steered around a particularly rough patch in the highway. Michael shifted a bit at the unexpected jostling and mumbled unintelligibly in his sleep. Kitt watched him anxiously for a minute, but Michael didn't stir again, and the AI relaxed. Michael needed to rest.

Their latest assignment had been particularly rough on him. Michael had been chased, shot at, beaten up, and had narrowly avoided being run down by the bad guys. As a result, he'd gotten very little sleep over the last few days, and Kitt’s scans indicated that Michael's body was a mass of bruises. As usual, Michael had refused to see a doctor, an oversight Kitt intended to rectify as soon as possible. He had called ahead to the Foundation; when they arrived, Dr. Alpert would be standing by to corral Michael and treat him to a thorough examination.

It was, Kitt mused smugly, all part of his primary function. Even when Michael didn’t cooperate. Or perhaps, especially when he didn't cooperate.

Even as the thought passed through Kitt’s CPU, something happened to Michael, something completely outside either partner’s experience. If he had known to scan for it, Kitt might have registered the invisible flare of energy that swept over Michael’s body, wrapped every cell in an intense quantum surge, then vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. In less than a human heartbeat, it was gone.

And so was Michael.