Ch3

(Detention Cell 1)

Mike was sitting on the floor of his cell, resting from his struggle with his restraints, when the door opened again. This time when he looked up he smiled brightly as he saw the young woman standing there without her disguise. Now he could really take in her features: waist-length red hair; warm brown eyes; pouting red lips; slender but strong figure, and skin whiter than the buildings of Detroit Deluxe.

His eyes dotted to the camera and when Julie gave him a nod, he knew it was safe to talk to her. He got up from the floor and barely finished brushing himself off when Julie ran to him and hugged him around the waist.

Mike brought his arms around her shoulders and placed his chin on the top of her head, allowing himself to breath in her aroma of simple shampoo and bath soap. Julie was never one for perfumes and hairsprays like the other Deluxian girls.

For what felt too soon for either of them they broke apart and Julie looked at him with a happy, yet worried, look in her usually smiling eyes.

"Sorry about earlier," she apologized sheepishly.

Mike just shrugged, "No problem. I knew you were just playing for the camera."

Julie smiled as she said, "Well that... and it was pay-back for not listening to me in the first place."

Mike laughed, "Yeah. I guess I deserved that."

Then he became serious, "Have you contacted the others? Are they alright?"

"Yeah they're fine. Dutch and Chuck had a little run-in with some Bots but I was able to get them out of trouble. They should be safe at Jacob's by now."

"Thanks Julie," he said. "I don't know what we would do without you."

At that Julie bit her lip and turned away from Mike. The feeling of guilt had been eating away at her for a long time, and Mike's words did not exactly make it any better.

Mike detected her sorrow and asked, "Jules? Is something wrong?"

Without looking at him Julie said, "Mike, we've known each other even before we came to Motorcity right?"

"Yeah"

"And we've been honest with each other since we became a team, right?"

"Yeah, but I don't know what you're trying to-"

"What I'm trying to say is that, even though we've fought, hung out and goofed off together, there's something you don't know about me. Something I've been keeping secret for a long time. I have always wanted to tell you, but I've been scared and even ashamed to mention it."

She looked at him in the corner of her eye and saw that he had a curious look in his eyes.

Then he put on a smile and asked in a teasing tone, "Lemme guess. You've... got a Deluxian boyfriend? It isn't that Tooley guy, right? 'Cause I know you can do better."

Julie giggled sadly, knowing he was trying to lighten the mood, and turned to face him.

"No I don't have a boyfriend, from here or Motorcity, and if I did it definitly wouldn't be Tooley," she replied.

Taking a deep breath Julie began, "Mike... I... I'm Abraham Kane's daughter."

Before Mike could utter a word Julie sputtered out, "I know it's hard to believe, and I know I should've told you much earlier than this, but I wanted you to get to know me first, seeing as how you don't like my dad, which I completely understand, and I tried to find the right time to tell you, but I was scared you wouldn't like me, then you showed me Motorcity, how to drive a car, what real pizza and soda tastes like, and with the others coming up and starting the team I wanted to be useful so I-"

Julie was cut off and her mind went numb as Mike grabbed her by the shoulders, brought her closer to him, and kissed her.

(Kane's Secondary Office)

Unbeknown to either of them a dark figure stared at the video screen of Mike's cell as he saw his archenemy and his "partner's" daughter share a sweet kiss.

Red smiled underneath his helmet at his good luck. He had only unscrambled the video to see him strain helplessly against his chains, but now he had something better to toy with. Not only had he been right about Kane's daughter being a Burner, but he was also pleased that his guess about Chilton and Julie being more than "just friends" was also correct.

"The ex-knight and the secret princess. How touching," he said sarcastically. "Too bad it all ends tomorrow."

As the couple paused for air Red thought of different scenerios revolving around his two nemesises.

As Kane's new right-hand man he could tell his "boss" about his daughter being a Burner, but that was under-rated. Knowing Kane he would use that to hurt Chilton and give him an advantage to use Julie to get the other Burners. Kane would never be too noble to use his own flesh and blood for his own gain.

He could tell Kane about his daughter and his rival locking lips behind his back. But what fun would that be? He wanted to destroy Kane completely, not give him a painfully slow heartattack, and that would only give Chilton a reason to have a bigger grin on his smug face.

That is when Red got an idea that would destroy both Kane and Chilton at the same time. So he rescrambled the video and left the room.