Chapter 8- Desperation

Kimiko's whole body felt sore as she glared up at Jack. He paused for a moment as his words took effect, then slowly released her. Getting to his feet, he crossed his arms and stared down at her.

She painfully sat up, her head spinning. The room went in and out of focus as she stared numbly at the wall. The room was silent except for the faint humming of computers and robots. Then, she began to fall backwards again.

Jack sighed and grabbed her arms, pulling Kimiko to her feet. She weakly stood for a moment, and then let her knees collapse. Jack quickly wrapped his hands around her waist to keep her from falling, catching Kimiko just before her knees would have hit the ground.

The air became quiet again as her head fell forward against his chest. Jack stood frozen for a minute, still supporting Kimiko around the waist.

Oww…Kimiko breathed gently against his chest, her mind swirling. For a moment she was sure she was going to pass out, but then regained control. Her eyes flickered open, and for the first time Kimiko realized she was leaning against Jack.

Snarling, she pushed herself away from him, regaining her balance and stumbling backwards. Kimiko clutched her side as a sharp pain erupted by her waist where Jack had struck her. She grimaced and closed her eyes against the pain, falling into the chair by his desk.

Jack, unsure of what do, hesitantly stood then brushed a few strands of messy hair out of his face. He calmly walked over to her and knelt down, prying her fingers away from her side.

Instantly, a fist caught him powerfully on the chin. He grunted and stumbled backwards, loosing his balance and crashing to the floor on his back.

"Don't touch me," Kimiko hissed at him faintly, her eyes burning dimly with fire. Her breathing was heavy as Jack ruefully got to his feet, rubbing his chin.

"Ow," he commented.

"Bastard."

"It wasn't a fair fight," Jack said, crossing his arms and glaring down at her. His features began to harden as he once again took on the icy manner he had gained from the past three years. They glared at each over for a minute, Kimiko numb over what had happened. She barely moved an inch as her mind heart sank in horror. No…How could I have lost?

"Bastard."

"Thanks," Jack said sarcastically. He glanced at the clock on his computer: it was almost five in the afternoon. Sighing and running a few fingers through his hair, he walked over to Kimiko and roughly grabbed her arms, pulling her to her feet. He bluntly ignored her weak attempts to get away and the string of curses directed at him. Jack knew Kimiko's energy was fading fast: she had probably used the last of her real strength to punch him at the end.

As Kimiko weakly tried to wrench herself away from him, Jack quickly switched his grip so that he was holding on to her wrists with one hand above her head. Then, dragging her over to the door, Jack pushed a button on his watch. Immediately, a couple sensors revealed themselves. A small red beam scanned his eyes, and a beep sounded. Bypassing the keypad, he pushed open the door and shoved Kimiko inside.

She stumbled backwards and dropped onto the cot, grunting as she fell backwards. Her sore body was beginning to give in to the stress of the day. Jack leaned in the doorway, blocking any means of getting out.

He smirked as the girl struggled to get back on her feet. "Rest, Kimiko," he said softly. "You'll exhaust yourself even more, and then you'll be weaker than you already are. Want to go back to not walking?"

Kimiko felt like she was about to cry. Angrily, she forced herself off the cot and stumbled over to Jack, glaring up at him. He looked calmly down at her, ready to act if tried to pull something sudden.

"I don't belong to you," she said, her voice growing deadly soft. She was only inches away from Jack, every lethal power she still possessed going into her eyes. He flinched but didn't move away.

"You may have won this time…but I'm not going down without a fight. I will never serve you: be sure of that. And once I get out of this hell hole…watch out. You may have saved my life, but now-"

Jack froze, but didn't back down. "I think it's the other way around," he said coolly, interrupting her. Firmly tilting her chin up at him, Jack narrowed his eyes, immediately taking on an evil and almost merciless appearance. What the hell are you doing? He had no idea why he was acting the way he was.

Kimiko felt a shiver run down her spine as she cringed against his touch. She had never seen him look this threatening and dominant before: it was like he was two different people. She unintentionally shrank back a little, and her glare faltered. Kimiko's knees threatened to give out from lack of energy, and she forced herself to stay standing.

Jack smirked again as he saw a tiny wave of fear run through her eyes.

"I bought you. In your situation, I wouldn't be making any threats, especially when you're weak and helpless. I have power over you. And you'll do good to remember that."

With that, he trailed his fingers off her chin and placed two of them at the base of her neck. Before she could react, he pressed his fingers into her skin. Kimiko gasped and fell to her knees, clutching the spot where he had touched her. Damn pressure points…

Jack crossed his arms and looked down at her, then turned and strode through the doorway. "I'll bring you dinner later…." With a complicated series of beeps at the keyboard lock, he left Kimiko alone in the room.

Sighing heavily, Jack dropped into his chair and stared at the computer screen. His own head felt heavy as he reentered one of his programs for a robot, canceling out the image of Kimiko still breathless on the floor.

Jack put his head in his hands and took a deep breath, trying to clear his mind. He had been a lot harsher than he had meant to Kimiko, but Jack was sure without it she could have intimidated him. Rubbing his forehead, he grabbed a pad of paper and began to sketch a set of blueprints.

What have I gotten myself into?

He narrowed his eyes and began a calculation, his pencil flying across the blank page. Within a second, Jack scowled and crumpled the paper into a ball chucking it at the nearest Yes-bot. The soft Ping! of paper on metal wasn't satisfying at all.

Glaring at the pad of paper, he reached out for the touchpad of the computer before he could stop himself. An image of Kimiko lying on the cot filled the screen, and he froze, staring at the picture. The pencil dropped from his hands and hit the floor with a soft plink.

Jack leaned forward, his eyes still on Kimiko. The whole lab was silent as he barely blinked. Wait… As if Jack had just realized what he was doing, he jumped out of the chair, knocking it over as well as a stack of blueprints. Shaking his head in disbelief, he strode over to the computer and firmly turned it off.

Grabbing the pad again and an unfinished robot, Jack began to heatedly bang away at the pieces of metal.

This is ridiculous…Why am I acting this way?!

I should have let Tubbimura have her.

Damn right you should have.

But…Who knows what he could have done to her!

So? At least you wouldn't be killed. If Chase finds out…

Angrily, Jack angrily sighed in irritation and furiously swiped everything off his desk. The unfinished robot crashed to the floor, shattering into pieces. Irately he swung his foot out and kicked it, sending pieces of metal flying across the lab.

Jack took a deep breath and put a hand to his head before storming over to his bedroom. Opening the door, he whirled around and faced some of the robots who had curiously made their way from their stations. "Yes-bot!" he snapped at the little waiter-robot. "Cook something for dinner and clean up the lab!"

"Yes, Jack! Coming right away Jack! Anything at all-"

Jack slammed the door and retreated into the darkness.

What have I gotten myself into?

The days passed slowly. It began with one day. Then two. The third passed slowly, as did the fourth. Soon the fifth day was dawning as realization set in.

Kimiko wasn't going anywhere.

Each day was practically the same. She awoke in the same fashion to see the cuffs still around her wrists, and still confined in the tiny room. After being escorted to the bathroom, Kimiko took a quick shower and got dressed: Jack had gone into the nearest town to get clothes for her.

He had soon discovered that she could cook, so she then made breakfast for them both. Too bad a robot checked the food for poison and deadly substances before it reached him. She had tried to fill a glass of juice with some drain cleaner, hoping it might be enough to paralyze Jack for a bit, or just finish him off.

She then learned that the robot had as much power over her as Jack did with the cuffs.

Kimiko felt as if she was slowly dying. The realization had sunk in, leaving her without energy. She refused to think that Jack had "broken" her, like Katnappe had suggested almost a week ago. I am Kimiko Tohomiko. I am the Xiaolin Dragon of Fire. I'm going to kick Jack's ass and get out of here…

But now, she wasn't so sure.

Jack had changed in so many ways. Over the days, Kimiko had watched him at work. Not only was he mature, stronger and perhaps a bit less evil, his intelligence had seemed to intensify greatly. She watched him as he furiously scribbled blueprints for a robot, and then build it in an hour. A large chalkboard filled with untidy equations and numbers and expressions she couldn't even begin to hope to understand was often by his side.

It was like another Jack had replaced him in the last three years. He no longer even resembled the lanky, pathetic boy he was.

And that scared Kimiko. She knew how deeply she had underestimated him. Now it would be ten times harder to get away. She was restless and pained: people were dying, and she could do nothing to stop it. Chase Young showed no mercy to anyone, and Kimiko knew it wouldn't be long until darkness totally consumed the world.

And yet, life went on. Kimiko continued to lifelessly perform her "duties" as Jack held her captive.

Kimiko sighed as she placed the broom back into the small closet, staring dully at the metal door. She quietly closed it, then turned and walked pack into the main part of the lab. Jack was typing a program at his computer, his eyes totally fixed on the screen.

She stopped short and jumped back as a small robot with a load of scrap metal flew past. A piece of the metal fell to the ground at her feet. She gently picked it up and nearly dropped it in surprise; the edge had instantly cut her. A large trickle of blood flowed down her finger.

Kimiko glanced up at Jack for a minute, her heart pounding. Sticking her bleeding finger in her mouth for a minute, she silently and carefully slipped the sharp piece of metal into the waistband of her skirt. Kimiko felt a little cold as she walked quickly over to her room. Jack usually left it open during the day and just locked her in at night.

He was still staring deeply at the screen, the cameras in her room turned off. She quietly entered and slipped the sharp piece of metal under the springs of the thin mattress.

"Kimiko! Come here for a second."

She jumped and whirled around as his voice echoed through the room. Did he see?! Kimiko hesitantly came out, trying to look as innocent as possible. But, his eyes were still fixed on the program. She sighed and rolled her eyes in both relief and annoyance.

"Yes, Master?" she said sarcastically. He was seated with his back towards her, furiously typing away at his computer. Glancing to his side once at her and a robot sitting on his desk, Jack continued to type.

"Don't call me that. And can you get a microchip for me? The one on the top of the shelf in the far corner."

She scowled at him and looked where he said. "Couldn't you have just gotten a robot to do that?"

"Why use a robot when I have you? Besides, the Yes-bot is the only one not working…And he's feeling a little under the weather."

She raised an eyebrow and turned to the pile of metal by his feet, topped by a gleaming head of the irritating machine. 'Under the weather'. Yeah, right.

"…Fine." Sticking her tongue out at the back of his head, Kimiko slowly walked over to the shelf, trying to take as much time as possible. She still tried to fight Jack as much as possible. Kimiko purposefully took the literal meaning of his orders and performed them as slowly as possible. She was hoping he might let her go just because she wasn't worth the trouble.

Kimiko jumped a little as a strain of the energy flowed through her body. Muttering a string of curses at him, she picked up her pace, rubbing her sore wrists.

"This shelf?" she called, staring up at the largest and tallest in the lab. The shelf was at least twice her height.

"Yeah. There should be a little box on the seventh shelf. There's a couple of them in there, but I only need the green one."

Damn you Jack.

Pulling over what appeared to be a large, black, metal box, Kimiko climbed up onto it and strained to reach the tiny chip. Her hands could barely touch the shelf under it.

Suddenly, with a small rumble, the box she was standing on decided to walk away. Kimiko cried out in surprise and stupidly grabbed the shelf to hang on instead of just jumping down. Her feet dropped from underneath of her as Kimiko struggled to get them on one of the lower shelves. The metal was slick, and her flimsy shoes slid right off.

Kimiko hung for a second, feeling her hands begin to slip as well. Wait… Aren't I only a couple feet off the ground?

At that moment, Jack glanced up from his computer and saw her struggling to get a hold. He jumped to his feet, abandoning the program. "Hold on Kimiko! I'm coming!" He didn't want her to fall and break something. Her body was still frail: and it had been torture enough for Jack to take care of Kimiko when she had just arrived wounded.

She didn't see him coming and let go, preparing to neatly land on her feet. Just as Kimiko dropped, Jack was right next to her, his arms outstretched.

Neither of the two were prepared for what happened next. Kimiko was completely unaware that Jack was right next to her. As she tried to land neatly on the floor, his arms wrapped around her waist in midair. With her back pressed against his chest, Kimiko looked up in surprise and instantly lost her balance. Jack tried to pull her back upwards as she fell, but only succeeded by being pulled down, as his hands still encircled her waist. The two crashed to the ground, Kimiko's eyes were wide before she was the first to hit the floor.

There was a moment of pure silence, then a brief period of darkness. A large pain erupted in the back of Kimiko's head, and she instantly jolted back to reality.

Oww…She groaned and fluttered her eyelids, not sure of what had just happened. There was barely a sound in the lab as Kimiko realized she was lying on her back on the floor. Narrowing her eyes with some confusion, she tried to get up only to have a great weight on her chest holding her down. Kimiko let herself fall back to the ground, realizing that her arms were pinned to her sides as well. It was a very uncomfortable position, and she jerked as she realized the weight was moving.

What the…

Jack was lying on top of her, chest-side down, his arms still wrapped around her. His head was resting just above her chest at the base of her neck. As her heart began to pound, she could feel warm whispers of air blowing against her skin.

"…Jack!" she said loudly, trying to shift out from under him. But he was a lot heavier than she was, making it virtually impossible. Kimiko tried to move her legs, but they were pinned as well.

He groaned softly and gripped her tighter, turning his head to the side and continuing to rest on top of her. "Five mor' minutes…" Jack mumbled, obviously oblivious to the situation.

"JACK!" Kimiko hissed. "Get the hell off of me!"

He groaned again and lazily opened his eyes, turning his head so that his chin was resting right at the top of her chest. "What if I don't want to?" Jack said softly, staring into her eyes. Kimiko tried to shift her arms about under his death grip then looked up, blue meeting red.

They stared at each other for a minute, neither making any attempt to move. Jack could feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

"…Jack."

"Oh…Sorry." Jack could feel his face getting hot as Kimiko arched her back. He slid his hands out from around her, slightly touching the cool skin of her back. It sent shivers up his spine. Carefully getting off of her, Jack quickly stood up and extended a hand to her. His face was bright red.

Kimiko shakily sat up and grabbed his hand, using more of Jack's support than of her own to keep her balance. An awkward silence filled the air between the two.

"I…err…I didn't want you to-"

"I didn't see you," Kimiko interrupted softly.

Jack sheepishly ran a few fingers through his hair, wondering if Kimiko could have felt his erratic heart beat through his chest. "I'll…I'll um. I'll just get back to work." He activated his Heli-pack and easily grabbed the chip, landing a few feet away from her. Jack smiled awkwardly at Kimiko and began to back away, running into a file cabinet and nearly knocking it over as well.

Kimiko's cheeks were flushed pink as she tried (and failed) to return a small smile, looking rather confused. Jack slowly turned his back on her and began to walk back to his desk, feeling utterly stupid and quite hormonal.

The last week had felt like the first couple of instances from when he had first met Kimiko. He had only been fifteen, the girl thirteen. But every time he had seen her, his damn pubescent hormones had gone off wildly.

And now here he was, four years later, and the sight of Kimiko still made his heart rate increase.

What the hell are you doing Jack? Get a grip on yourself!

"Jack?"

He turned around in his chair as Kimiko called his name. "Yeah?"

"Umm…Is there anything else you want me to do or-" She was cut off by a loud series of beeps coming from Jack's pocket.

"Oh…Hold on." He removed a small black phone and hit a button, frowning at the name that appeared. Flipping it open, he placed it by his ear. "I'm kind of busy Ashley. What the hell do you want? And this better be-"

"JACK! There's a new rebellion! The humans are revolting against Chase!"