By: D Anne Paris

It was a nice warm sunny day and 7-year-old Candace Clarissa Knight was sitting by the pond at the Foundation for Law and Government. Her dark brown hair glistened in the sunshine as she absent-mindedly touched the water. Ripples formed around her finger and, in a way, she wanted be like the ripple, to form, become, and then slowly fade away. Her life was in shambles and she felt a great burden was bestowed on her since birth. Candy sighed, she never really wanted to be born, or at least not into the Knight family. Her whole life turned upside down the day her mother brought her to the Knight Mansion.

"We’ll both be safe here." Her mother Emily Yates had told her as they took a taxi to the Mansion. "No one will hurt you."

Four years old at the time, Candy really didn’t understand who’d want to hurt her or her mother. Still, she had a feeling it had to do with the reason why she never met her father.

Her grandfather Wilton Knight welcomed both her and her mother with open arms to his home. Candy remembered how kind and caring he was to her and how amazed he was at her ability to remember things quickly. Wilton was the one who arranged for her to have a tutor when she was four. Wilton also gave her, her own new computer, which was built at Knight Industries.

Candy knew the layout of Knight Industries very well. Her grandfather took her three or more times a week. Candy was so amazed at all the computers and equipment that was there and she longed to be able to work there. It seems her grandfather knew her desire, whenever he looked into her curious brown eyes. One day after they visited Knight Industries Wilton asked Candy.

"Do you want to work there someday?"

Candy looked at him and couldn’t contain her excitement. "Oh, yes Grandpa! I do! There are so many neat things that they make there and someday I want to make something too."

Wilton smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Then it shall be yours, my dear. Everything shall be yours."

Everything would be hers, he said, but the one thing she wanted the most she never got.

Candy was there at Wilton’s deathbed, clutching his hand tightly. Her mother and Devon Miles were also in the room, both with sadness in their hearts.

"Don’t die grandpa." Candy told him through her tears. "Don’t leave me."

Wilton took a slow ragged breath, "Candace, my sweet." He gently told her, "I’ll never leave you. You will have everything…"

"I don’t want everything! I want you to keep living!" she cried.

Wilton smiled, "I’ll live in your heart and in the work that you do."

Candy kept on crying and she didn’t notice that someone entered the room until her mother yelled.

"What are you doing here!?" She yelled at the man that just walked in.

Devon grabbed her arm before she could walk up to the man. He spoke softly to her as he told her, "Emily, It’s not who you think. This is Michael Knight."

Her mother looked at the man, then back at Devon, "His twin?"

Wilton spoke again, "No, his face was surgically altered."

Candy looked at the man. He was very tall and had dark curly hair and striking blue eyes. What Candy couldn’t understand was why her mother was so mad at him. Her mind was still reeling with questions when the man spoke.

"Mr. Knight, I can see this is more for family so I’ll just leave so I won’t disturb you."

"No," Wilton told him, "You are more part of this family then you realize, Michael."

Michael stopped and turned to look at Wilton.

"Michael, I need you to help the Foundation."

Michael looked at him, "But I’m only one man."

"I am one man too Michael and look at everything that I’ve created and done in my lifetime."

Michael didn’t say anything.

Wilton looked at Devon and Emily. "You both must take care of Candace. She is my hope for a bright future. One day she will head the Foundation and Knight Industries. Teach her and prepare her well." He looked at Michael, "Michael, I want you to also teach my granddaughter everything you have learned in your lifetime."

Michael looked at Candy and saw how distraught and fragile she was at the moment. Wilton told him beforehand that she was ‘gifted’ and Michael just hoped that whatever gift she had would help her get through the grief that she would feel once Wilton Knight was gone.

Wilton looked at Candace, "My sweet, don’t ever give up. You are very special and you will have the power to help those less fortunate. Use it wisely…" with that Wilton Knight took his last breath.

Candace could remember the sharp pain in her heart as grief set in. Her mother then took her and embraced her as she began to cry uncontrollably.

All that occurred almost two years ago and yet it was still fresh in her mind. So many things changed since then. Devon Miles was now the top official at the Foundation, and even took up the responsibility of being a Grandfather to Candace.

Michael Knight stayed and became the Foundation’s operative along with KITT his sidekick. Michael, on occasion would also take Candy on some missions to show her a different side of the world. Spending more time with Michael made her realize how much she looked up to him as a father figure. He seemed to know it too and grew accustomed to the role.

KITT was the supercar that she met shortly after her Grandfather’s death. KITT was a sleek, powerful, black, Trans Am with the latest Knight Industries technology. KITT was the absolute dream car that could do practically anything from talking to jumping and even putting out fires. Many people who first met KITT were a bit unnerved even scared at the idea that the car could think and talk. Candy didn’t feel the least bit frightened of KITT. In fact, she enjoyed helping Bonnie, the head engineer, keep KITT running at peak efficiency.

And her mother…

Candace tried to stop the dull ache in her heart when she thought of her mother. About a year ago her mother disappeared without a trace. She left in the morning to go shopping and she never came back. Even the car that she drove disappeared. Michael and KITT tried for months to find her but they came up empty handed.

Candy felt so alone but Devon and Michael reassured her that there would always be someone who would look after her.

"Look around you, child." Devon had told her. "Everyone at the Foundation will be with you. All of us will be there for you."

Still, Candy felt like she had no purpose. Her everyday life consisted of studying, doing stuff on her computer, eating, and sleeping. Occasionally she was able to go with Michael and KITT on assignment or help Bonnie in the semi, but that only happened once in a blue moon. It felt like a constant endless cycle. Especially since, now she couldn’t even leave the Foundation grounds. She didn’t understand why. Devon and Michael told her that it was just temporary and it was for her own safety.

Irritated, Candy splashed the water.

"It’s my life!" she told the blurred image of herself in the water, "I think it’s my own decision to figure out what’s good for my safety."

Getting up, she ran out to the garage. Candy knew that she wasn’t allowed to go in the garage without an adult but she didn’t care at this point. She had to know what was going on even when it meant that she’d be grounded for a month.

"Being grounded probably won’t be worse then the life I have now." She mumbled as she stood on her tip toes and punched out a sequence of numbers. The codes she used were unique and didn’t even need fingerprint identification. Candy herself tapped into the Foundations mainframe and created it to grant her access to various places at the Foundation. Fortunately, no one found out about it yet and Candy hoped that they never did.

The door to the garage opened and Candy slowly peeked in. Seeing that there was no one there, she came in and closed the door behind her.

"KITT?" she whispered to the vast dark interior inside.

A red LED Light appeared and began to pulse back and forth. "Candy? What are you doing here alone? You’re not allowed…"

"KITT please. Tell me, what’s happening?" she said as she came over to the black Trans Am, which was standing in the middle of the garage.

"What’s going on is none of your…"

"It is my business!" she told him as she anticipated his answer, "I’m the one who can’t go anywhere and I want to know why."

"I’m not authorized to tell you." KITT plainly told her.

Candy put her hands on her hips, "Okay, fine." She told him firmly, "Override the Authorization. Code Alpha Knight seven three one eight five."

KITT checked his databanks. Sure enough that code was among the ones that could over ride the Authorization. "I don’t know how you got that code Candy, but since you do know it then you have privilege to that information." KITT paused and then told her, "You won’t like to hear it though."

"KITT I’ve been through more then any other kid my age. I think I can handle it."

"All right. The reason why you’re confined to Foundation grounds is because your father has been released out of prison."

"My father?" she asked as she slowly opened the passenger side door. "You know who my father is, KITT?"

"Unfortunately, I do."

Candy sat down in the passenger seat, trying to calm her racing heart, "Who is my father?" she asked in a whisper.

KITT paused, "Do you really want to know, Candy?"

Candy nodded.

"Your father is Garth Knight."

The world around her, collapsed.