Knight Rider '86 #25

Sheriff Daniels arrived at a disused area of desert and shrubbery. Immersed in the complete darkness, he only had the lights of other cars to guide him. This was the rendezvous point. He pulled up outside the entrance to the Mine, which was guarded by two armed men. It's interior was lit up with a series of gas lanterns. As he pulled up to exit the car, Stefan Corbelli approached him from behind. His dark attire and matching persona took the law man by surprise.

“Did you come alone?” He asked him. “Were you followed?”

“No. Nobody saw me leave town.” Daniels replied. “Now what's this all about, Stefan?”

“Relax my friend. I don't know why you're so skittish all of a sudden.” Corbelli smiled as he put his arm around the Sheriff. “As you can see, our operation to extract the gold is well under way. We have sent a small group in to load up the loot and they will push the cart to the entrance. I think at this pace, we could complete the job in a few short hours.”

“Then why did you call me here?” Daniels asked. “You could have told me this over the phone?”

“I called you here to test your loyalty to this operation and to me.” Corbelli explained. “It's for peace of mind. You see you have questioned a lot of my actions as of late which has put me in an uncomfortable position. I would like to trust you, but I don't want anyone uncovering what I'm doing here. You can understand that right?”

“I'm just nervous that's all!” Daniels groaned. “You haven't been there, fearing that the FBI will turn up and take your badge. No lawman should have to cover up something so illegal like what you're doing.”

“What I am doing is for my personal pleasure.” said Corbelli. “I have the power the power to do what I want, when I want and how I want to do it. See those black helicopters? I paid the pilots to fly them around. I used them as scare tactics and you know why? Because I have the power to do that. I've been after that confederate gold for years. Do you even realize the value of it? I could be a millionaire once it goes on the marked! Well that's to say we could be millionaires.”

“What?” Daniels replied.

“I was thinking of sharing the profits with you.” Corbelli continued. “You a man of your word who has most graciously worked with me let alone it has put your career on the line.”

Daniels didn't like the assumption. “I am not a corrupt cop! I don't want your dirty money.”

“So be it.” Corbelli smirked. “I could easily kill you instead. It's not like anyone can touch me. I'm a very powerful man. I could kill you, destroy this Mine and no one could stop me.”

“You wouldn't!”

“Just you watch me! I suggest you really think about your next move, Sheriff. I could cost you your life and those up at Apache Springs.”

“What has Apache Springs got to do with this? What would happen to them?”

Corbelli turned to walk away, gesturing the Sheriff to get out of his sight.

“You figure it out” He said.

*****

Sitting in the shadows high above the Mine site, KITT's red sensor eye illuminated the ground as it swished back and forth. Michael had finished listening to the conversation below. One thing caught his attention. Why did Corbelli mention Apache Springs? His first clue was the Mine itself.

“KITT, how far does that Mine run?” He asked.

A diagram appeared on the screen. The tunnels were marked in orange as KITT explained his findings.

“The tunnels run for Five miles deep into the hills. The gold deposits were located in a cavern just three miles in.”

“Alright. At least they didn't have to go far.” Michael said. “If the Sheriff didn't keep his mouth shut and they had to destroy the mine, would it destroy the ground above?”

“Yes it would.” KITT confirmed. “The highly unstable structure would cause the land above to cave in on itself. The destruction would be at a very large scale.”

“I have a hunch what it is sitting on top of that Mine.” Michael gulped as he put the pieces together. “Apache Springs.”

“I am afraid you are correct.” KITT agreed as he placed Apache Springs on the diagram. “The town would be completely destroyed in the explosion. Michael, do you really think Corbelli would postpone the explosion of Sheriff Daniels took his offer?”

“I wouldn't count on it.” Michael said. “Whatever happens, that Mine is potential evidence. He would go ahead and destroy it anyway. How long do we have until day break?”

“Approximately Five hours and Forty-Five Minutes. What do we plan to do?”

“First things first. We get Jeremy and Alice out of there.” Michael replied a she fired up the motors. “Let's get back to the town.”

*****

The hours followed on as KITT returned to the dark and eerie environment that Apache Springs had to offer. Michael pulled up in front of the hotel and barged his way inside. The energetic sounds he caused, woke up the rest of the residents. RC and Alice dragged their feet down the main stair case. Michael paced the main reception, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. His adrenaline levels reached breaking point.

“What's going on?” RC yawned as he rubbed his weary eyes. “It's Three in the morning. How long have you been gone?”

“That's not important right now.” Michael replied. “Listen we have to get out of here! We're in great danger if we stay here!”

“What? What are you talking about?” Alice asked him, half asleep.

“I know the guy who's been doing the killings. His name is Stefan Corbelli. He plans to steal a hidden loot of Confederate gold and then destroy the Mine afterwards.”

“Michael, where is this going?” RC asked him. “It's too early man.”

“He's going to take out Apache Springs!” Michael continued. “He's going to destroy the Mine and take the town with it!”

Suddenly, Alice became alert at the situation. “What!!? No! This can't be!!”

“I'm afraid so, but we can stop him. I just can't do it alone.” Michael replied as he looked at RC. “How are you feeling RC? You feeling up to a rematch?”

“You got it man.” RC smiled. “Anything to put those lowlifes behind bars.”

“Alright. They begin the operation in three hours.” Michael nodded as he propped himself up on the bar. “I've just spent the past two hours reviewing the evidence with the Sheriff. He's sending it to the state police. I'm hoping that they'll get to the site at dawn.”

“Okay so what's the plan?” RC asked him as his brain clicked into gear.

“We let them take the gold out of the Mine. It'll be the evidence the police need to convict Corbelli.” Michael said. “Once they evacuate the Mine, we'll go in and remove the explosive device.”

“And what if things go sour?” Alice asked him. “The what happens?”

“Well you and Jeremy won't be around to find out.” Michael swiftly answered. “You're going to take him to the Sheriff's office in Tombstone. Daniels said you'll be safe there.”

“Wait a minute! Just how am I suppose to tell him this?” Alice huffed in distress. “This town has been his life's work, he can't leave it behind!”

“If this plan works then he won't have to.” Michael assured her. “Just trust me?”

“Okay.” Alice sighed as she tried to cool down. “Okay. I'll go and wake him up then.”

As Alice turned to leave, Michael lightly grabbed her arm. He gently pulled her towards him and held her in his arms. She knew that he really did understand how she felt about the whole situation. It made her feel more comfortable about the plan.

“You take care okay?” Michael said as she gently pushed herself away from him.

“I will.” She smiled back as she turned to leave. “Good luck you guys.”

Michael watched on as the young girl left the hotel lobby. He felt somewhat responsible for what had happened. Why didn't he but Corbelli there and then? The truth was that it didn't really matter how it happened. Corbelli was a powerful man. If he had taken him down there and then without the evidence to show for it, the ex official would have walked out of jail free only to kill again. Sometimes the rash decisions provided the best results.

RC winced slightly at the bruise on his face. It was healing nicely, but it still ached when he winked. He wanted to head back to bed, but the news had completely thrown him off his sleep cycle. He wanted to go now, much to Michael's warning. The last thing he wanted to do was suffer another premature beat down.

“Great now I can't sleep man.” He moaned as he paced the room. “What shall I do now?”

“Well for starters you could contact Devon.” Michael replied with a suggestion. “He's over due an update on the situation. I'm going to programme the information into KITT.”

*****

The next day, two black unmarked trucks arrived at the site. Their dark menacing shapes stood out amongst the dust and dirt. As they pulled up outside the Mine entrance, six men exited the vehicles and entered the Mine. A short few minutes later, A black helicopter appeared over the horizon. Daybreak was fast approaching. Corbelli's time window was narrowing. Corbelli's Helicopter landed next to the Jeeps. The doors opened and Corbelli himself stepped out onto the soil. He vigorously rubbed the palms of his hands as he stood there watching his men go to work.

“Come on, Come on already!” He commanded impatiently. “We've got a ton of gold to load and we've only got Ten Minutes to do it in!”

His men continued to pile into the Mine. One, by one, they moved the gold using two small metal trolleys. The first team located the loot. It was buried deep with a pile of rocks and metal debris, but it was easy enough for the team to dig it all out. As they loaded the Gold barrels into the metal trolley, one of the men tugged on the rope and signalled the men outside to pull. They repeated this routing for a further four times.

Just as the third gold cart made it to the Mine's entrance, Corbelli spotted a familiar black T-Top. KITT sat there, flickering in the rising heat waves. His red- sensor eye swooshed constantly. Corbelli couldn't believe it. Michael Knight had come out to play.