Chapter 9- Rebellion

"What the hell do you mean there's a rebellion?!" Jack shouted into the phone. He scrambled to his desk and began to type furiously at his computer, a shocked expression on his face. Kimiko was completely forgotten.

The giant screens above him turned on to reveal footage of a giant massacre, the humans fighting desperately and angrily against jungle cats and some transformed warriors. He narrowed his eyes as he pulled up a map of the world. There was a large red blob towards the east of China, and it was rapidly spreading to the neighboring lands. Red was beginning to appear more and more in Europe and North America as Jack stopped his frantic typing for a minute. He stared at the map, an expression on his face of anger and wonder …and a bit of hope.

"It's the biggest one we've had yet!" Katnappe yelled back through the phone. Jack winced and pulled the phone slightly away from his ear and the loudness. He could faintly hear some people yelling in the background, freezing as he clearly heard Chase Young bark an order. "Chase has deployed almost all of his troops to put it down! Everyone thought it was just like the others, but the humans are a lot stronger than we predicted.

"Shit…" Jack muttered darkly, staring at the screens. "I assume Chase wants me to send in robots….Give me the exact location of where it started and the worst areas of fighting."

"You got it Jackie. The info's coming now."

Kimiko stared at the screens from behind him, frozen in shock. Her eyes went wide and lit up, full of hope: the fire that had left her for so long had finally returned. She silently formed the word rebellion on her lips as she slowly grasped one of the white cuffs. Her eyes wandered to a small keypad on the door. This could be my chance…

"I'm on it…" Jack muttered reluctantly. He entered one of his control panes and entered a security code. Instantly, the sound of propellers could be heard through the thick walls as he set off the shipment. "They'll be there in under an hour."

Her eyes wandered to Jack as he spoke, and a bit of shock was registered in her expression. He had looked strangely hopeful and he shouldn't have: Jack was a Heylin villain and should have been angry.

Kimiko's gaze became even more cautious as she watched his reluctance after sending the forces, he and Katnappe continuing to speak in angry tones. She had been totally forgotten.

No eyes were on her.

A sudden concept ran across her mind, and she whirled around, focusing on one of the small keypads by the metal door leading to upstairs. Over the past few days, Kimiko had memorized all of Jack's controls and what they did…And this keypad was one of the main pieces of technology in his lab. Jack could do almost anything with it…Including removing the cuffs.

All she was missing was the password. Kimiko knew it was a word with nine letters, and she knew the tones of the beeps as they were pressed. Her eyes widened as she began to move towards the pad, almost in a trance. Everything made sense now: Jack's reluctance, his hope, his attitude against Chase.

Jack…Is that what you really want?

Her feet had carried her to the keypad, and now Kimiko was only letters away from breaking the cuffs off. Her hands shook as she reached out to press the first letter of the password.

R

A small red light appeared at the bottom of the pad, connecting to a light of her cuffs.

"How long has it been since it started?" Jack demanded from behind her. The phone was pressed between his ear and his shoulder as he rapidly typed, entering and exiting a few programs to control the bots he had sent. Kimiko barely heard him as she located the next letters.

E, B

"An hour. I would have contacted you sooner, but this Rebellion is spiraling out of control and Chase is furious. He nearly killed me when-"

E, L, L

"An hour?!" he interrupted in disbelief, staring at the glowing red spread that marked the Rebellion's progress. "It's only been an hour and it's this fucking bad?"

I, O

"That's not even the worst part! Rumors are flying and a few have been confirmed…"

Suddenly, all the footage of the Rebellion flipped off of the screens, replacing it with video from around his house. A loud wail of a siren echoed around the lab as the lights turned red and began to flash. Jack stared horror stricken as he watched the screens, knowing there were intruders near.

"Jack, there's been sightings of-"

N.

Three things happened at once.

The phone dropped wordlessly from Jack's hand, crashing to the floor and shattering into tiny pieces as two figures crossed the screen. Both were male, tall and well built.

He whirled around and saw the cuffs dropping from Kimiko's wrists as the light on the keypad turned green. Upstairs, there was a loud bang as his front door was torn down.

"Shit!" Jack snarled, bolting to Kimiko. He grabbed the cuffs off the floor and snapped them back on her wrists, then grabbed her around the waist and effortlessly swung her into his arms. Kimiko seemed to have frozen in shock for a moment, as she didn't resist until Jack began running away from the panel.

"Jack, what the hell is-"

"We're being attacked!" he shouted, running to his computer to send a few guard bots upstairs. He dropped Kimiko to the floor, then pressed a button on his watch. Instantly, one of the heavy shelves moved away from the wall, revealing a door. He whirled around as another banging came, this one closer. They were trying to get into the lab. Jack grabbed Kimiko and roughly shoved her through the opening, then slammed the door shut. About twenty locks slid into place as he pulled her close to him and away from the heavy door.

They were in a tiny room, completely encased in metal and flashing pieces of equipment in the walls. Jack had installed it himself when he built his house. It was a safe-room: if he was ever in trouble and needed protection, he could lock himself in and no one could enter. The room was virtually indestructible, and only could be opened by Jack's DNA.

Kimiko looked around in confusion, flinching slightly as Jack's arms wrapped around her from behind. She was ultimately calm, and that made her a bit uneasy. The fact that she had been millimeters away from escaping, and that Jack had stopped her, hadn't quite registered in her mind.

She swallowed and turned to look at Jack as loud crashes and sounds of glass shattering could be heard from outside. He looked angry and extremely pained, wincing at every sound of breaking. His life's work was being destroyed…And he could do nothing to stop it. They were both silent as Kimiko gently escaped his arms and moved closer to the door. Jack made no move to stop her.

His eyes were dark and set in a straight line as he listened to his heart pound in his chest. Jack knew the intruders would never be able to get to them…But this was the first time he had ever had his safe-room put to such a test. The shelving would have covered the door again by now, so he had hope that they might not even notice they were hidden.

How did they know?

Abruptly, the crashes stopped as the males outside took a break from destroying his lab. There was a bit of silence, and then the voices began.

"-Over there….maybe-"

"That bastard…She has to be-"

He could hear the urgency of the tones as what he now knew what was a search continued. Jack nervously glanced towards Kimiko, hoping she hadn't heard. The voices were all too familiar.

Kimiko's mouth opened as she silently crept closer to the door. Her eyes were wide in pure shock. The voices sounded like…No. It couldn't be. He's gone Kimiko. There's no way-

"KIMIKO!"

"Kimiko! Where are you?!"

"Raimundo?" she whispered hoarsely. Her face turned stark right as she put a hand to the door, beginning to breathe heavily. "R-Raimundo?"

"Kimiko!"

"Kimiko, say something!" There was a large crash as one of the shelves knocked over in the lab.

"Raimundo," Kimiko said weakly. "RAIMUNDO!"

She began to pound frantically on the door, shouting at the top of her lungs. Her eyes were desperate as she pounded harder and faster, her movements frantic and wild.

"Raimundo! Clay! Oh god, I'm in here! Please!"

Jack swore loudly and bolted to Kimiko, roughly tackling her and pressing her against the metal door. "Quiet!" he hissed, yanking her forcibly away. He dragged her backwards as Kimiko kept yelling, frantically struggling and trying to get back to the door.

"NO!" she screamed, clawing at his arms. "No! RAIMUNDO!" She broke free for a moment and ran forward towards the door. Jack quickly grabbed her by the wrist and sharply yanked her body back against his.

"Clay…Did you hear that? Kimiko! Kimiko, shout again!"

Jack closed his fingers firmly around her mouth as she clawed at him. He dragged her back and tripped over her flailing legs, falling to the floor with Kimiko still in his arms. Her body was shaking against his as she thrust herself to the floor, pounding as hard as she could once again. He could hear her muffled screams through his fingers, and he gripped her mouth tighter in an attempt to silence her.

He didn't let go of her as he dropped his chest against her back. Not letting go of her mouth, Jack used his other arm to grab her two wrists and hold them together so she couldn't use them. He lay across her body even more and firmly intertwined his legs with hers. The girl was immediately immobilized.

Kimiko continued to scream against his hand and struggle, fighting back the tears that were coming to her eyes. She desperately tried to get free, refusing to give in to Jack. Raimundo! Clay!

"Earth!" There was a scraping sound as the shelf concealing the door was dragged away. Jack grimaced and held her down tighter. He didn't mean to be so violent and rough, but there was no other way to contain her. If the Xiaolin monks knew she was with him, they would not rest until they got her back.

"Kimiko! Are you in there?"

"Stand back partner. I'm going to knock it down…Earth!" A large, fist sized dent in the door appeared. Kimiko whimpered and attempted to bite Jack, but he merely tightened his grip.

More and more dents appeared in the door after several minutes, but they didn't break through. Jack listened to a heavy sigh from the other side, debating whether he could restrain Kimiko and deploy a few canisters of knock-out gas at the same time.

"Rai, I can't get through…And I don't think she's in there. There's no-"

"She has to be! There's no other place he could-"

"Raimundo! Kim would have answered if she was…Jack moved her somewhere else if she ain't here."

"I heard her Clay! I'm not leaving without her!"

"We don't have time buddy! Chase's warriors know we're out there, and we may only have ten minutes at most before they find us! We gotta get away now, but we'll be back again…We'll find her, but now our lives are in danger and if we get caught, no one will be able to save 'er."

The voices began to fade away, and Kimiko closed her eyes. Her body went limp as she stopped struggling, but now she was beginning to cry silently. Jack kept holding her, looking away with a pained expression as she shook beneath him.

After a few minutes, a green light went on, alerting Jack that his home was once again secure. He sighed and slowly got off of her, crossing his arms as he stood up.

Kimiko curled her legs to her chest and rolled onto her side, staring numbly at the floor. There was silence as Jack continued looking at her, not bothering to open the door. He didn't want to see the damage yet. After a minute, his cool frocade broke and he opened his mouth to speak.

"I'm…Sorry."

"You bastard," she muttered darkly. Kimiko regained hold of herself as she got to her feet. Her body was now shaking with rage, eyes narrowed and full of anger. "You BASTARD!"

She threw herself at him, overcome with anger and her fists flailing. As she aimed the first punch, he stepped forward, his arms outstretched. Jack pulled her into his embrace and held her tightly there. As Kimiko fell into his arms she collapsed, her knees buckling as her body gave out.

Jack tightened his arms around her and pulled her body against him to support her. Kimiko's head fell against his chest as she sobbed loudly, her tears wetting her shirt. Every emotion she had restrained from the beginning was tearing loose, destroying all of her carefully planned defenses in one swoop. She couldn't stop the intense shaking of her body, or the sobs that wracked her.

"Why?" she sobbed finally, her voice weak and muffled by his chest.

Jack was silent for a moment before he answered. "They would have killed me and taken you."

"I would have killed you!" Kimiko shouted, yanking herself away from him. She tried to escape his arms but he held her tightly. "God Jack! It was Raimundo and Clay! You say you hate Chase, but then you stop me from leaving? We're the only people who can stop him Jack! I need them! How could you?!" She could barely speak as the sobs overcame her body, collapsing totally in his arms.

But I need you. Jack pulled her tighter against him and took a deep breath, putting one hand behind her head. He was silent again, knowing he could never say what he was thinking. He held her and ignored Kimiko's occasional feeble jerk to get away.

After a few minutes she went limp again, exhausted from her anger and frustration. The sobs attacking her body became less violent as she slowed her breathing. Kimiko was devastated.

"I hate you…"she whispered, clear hate in her voice.

Jack let out a slow breath and stared at the metal door behind her. "I know…" he said softly back, closing his eyes. "I know."

The small room was dark as Kimiko opened her eyes. She felt weaker than she ever had in her life, and the darkness was pulling her down. Kimiko couldn't hold on for much longer here: she felt as if her soul was dying.

A few hours earlier, Jack had finally opened the safe room to find most of his lab torn apart. Luckily, most of his equipment had been spared in the wreckage, so it wasn't a complete disaster. He had carried her to her room, left her without saying a word, then went out to sort out his lab. She had unwillingly fallen asleep, and now she was up again.

Kimiko slowly swung her legs to the floor from the cot, gripping the edges tightly. She reached between the mattress and pulled out the sharp piece of metal, fingering it in the darkness. She stared at the reflection of her eyes, softly glowing even though there was no light.

She sighed heavily and laid back down, the piece of metal still in her hand. There was a heavy feeling in the back of her throat, and she quickly closed her eyes to stop the tears from coming. I can't do this anymore…I need Raimundo. And Clay.

Kimiko got to her feet and slowly crept to the door, ready to attempt to pick the lock with the piece of metal. But appeared she didn't need to: Jack had apparently left the door open. With the stress of the day, Kimiko figured he had forgotten…But why would he have had needed to? The cuffs would prevent her from going anywhere.

She took a deep breath and crept into the darkness of the lab, glancing around carefully to avoid any sign of movement. The lab was still in shambles: Jack hadn't had time to clear up most of the damage.

Kimiko quickly located the door she knew to be Jack's room and began to make her way through the wreckage towards it. She cursed as she tripped over a fallen robot head, looking up to make sure she hadn't disturbed anything. Within moments she was standing in front of his door. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly prepared herself for what she had to do next. Then, she pushed the door open.

She had never actually been in Jack's room before. He hadn't ever allowed her in. The room was red with black trim and tastefully decorated in a Goth-like style, with a few posters of rock bands and a few cars dotting the walls. There was a dark bureau pressed up against a wall with a small mirror hanging over it, along with a few various combs and trinkets scattered around the room. Her gaze fell into the darkest corner of the room, and she stopped.

Jack was sprawled upon a futon, wearing nothing but a pair of cotton pajama pants and of course, the spiral goggles in his hair. There was a thin beam of moonlight upon his body coming from a small skylight above him, making Jack seem even paler.

Kimiko gripped the piece of metal tighter and slowly advanced, her heart pounding loudly in her chest. He was so peaceful, so unknowing and vulnerable to what Kimiko was about to do. She silently knelt by his head, staring at his unconscious form regretfully.

She looked at the piece of metal before flipping it around so that the sharp side was facing out. With a look of quiet determination, Kimiko placed it against his neck. Her hands were shaking.

"Do it."

Kimiko took a sharp intake of breath as Jack slowly opened his eyes, staring at her. He made no attempt to move or defend himself, merely stared at her with unpitying eyes. "Do it now. Kill me."

"I have to," Kimiko answered softly, her voice sounding weak. "There's no other way. If I don't kill you…Millions of others will die. I can't let that happen."

Jack looked up at her, his red eyes almost glowing. "Then do it…Or are you afraid?"

""I have to!" she shouted at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "We have to bring down Chase. That man is evil…And one life for millions is a small price to pay."

"No…" Jack whispered calmly, closing his eyes again. "He'll kill you."

"I'm not afraid to die!" she snapped, pressing the sharp metal a degree harder against his neck. "I can't avoid this…I can't!" Tears were running down her face now, and she couldn't stop them.

Jack reached out and put a hand to her cheek, slowly wiping away the tears. "Then kill me."

A small sob erupted from the back of her throat as she continued to hesitate. Something was holding her back, but Kimiko couldn't overcome it. A minute went by in silence, Jack still gazing steadily at her.

The metal slipped from her hands and fell to the floor as she broke into a quiet sob. Then, Jack saw his advantage and took it.

Suddenly, Kimiko felt herself be pressed into the futon, her hands held up by her head on either side of her. Jack had taken her hesitance to pin her. He slowly moved one of his bent legs up between hers, gently grasping her yet using most of his weight to hold her down. They stared at each other in the darkness, neither making an attempt to move.

Their eyes connected and Jack felt a small wave of energy move through him. Forces were tugging him down towards her, but he resisted and kept his gaze steady. Kimiko's eyes were wet and shining in the moonlight, her dark hair framing her pale face and making her appear hauntingly beautiful to Jack. Somehow in the process, her shirt had slightly rolled up, revealing her bare skin, and Jack was only reminded more of the girl underneath of him.

Tears silently rolled out of Kimiko's eyes as they looked at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move. She didn't struggle, merely let her body go limp and let him hold her. Her body was almost acting on its own: she was quite peaceful even in this situation.

"Why?" she asked at last, her voice faint and a bit shaky. She couldn't move her eyes from his as her heart beat slightly faster.

Jack stared at her, a soft look in his eyes. He couldn't respond, couldn't say what he wanted to.

Because I love you.

He hadn't even noticed that it had been a few minutes since she spoke until the stunning silence hit his ears for the first time. Jack leaned in to her, pressing their bodies a bit closer together. His lips parted a tad to speak, but no words came. Instead, he lifted one hand from her wrists and tenderly stroked her tear-stained cheek. Kimiko made a small whimpering noise and met his eyes, still not bothering to try and escape.

Jack leaned closer to her, his eyes never leaving hers as he gently smoothed her hair out of her face. Their faces were only inches apart, and a subtle light lit in his eyes. His hand rested upon her cheek, and Jack knew he couldn't resist any more. His heart pounded faster as he gazed into her eyes.

"You're beautiful."

And then, he kissed her. Jack crashed his lips to hers as he moved the hand on her cheek back to her wrist, gently holding her back down. His mouth enveloped hers in a persistent kiss, becoming deeper and deeper with each passing moment.

And to both of their surprises, Kimiko was kissing back. Her head bent upwards towards his as she pressed back against Jack, their lips never lifting from each others.

Jack couldn't restrain himself as his tongue moved over her soft lips, not stopping until they finally parted in compliance. Within seconds, his tongue was exploring every corner of her mouth, and he was pressing her body back into the soft fabric of the futon. He closed his eyes and grabbed both of her wrists in one hand, not even realizing that he might be overpowering her.

And as their tongues intertwined, Jack suddenly realized what he was doing. His eyes flew open but he couldn't stop himself. Abruptly, Jack could feel his legs wrapped around hers as they pressed together. The kiss was becoming intense, and he could feel his brain stop working and his male instincts take over. Before he could stop himself, Jack had moved one of his hands from her wrists to her torso, slowly caressing the small curves of her body.

Stop it Jack. Control yourself!

He knew he had to end it. Jack reluctantly pried himself away from her, going back into the position in which he was leaning over her. Kimiko let out a small intake of breath, her body falling back against the futon. She looked half repulsed, like she couldn't believe what she had done, but the other half was somewhat of wonder. Jack slowly met her gaze, and as blue met red, a sudden warmth that had never been there before passed between them.

Jack felt energy run through him once more as he leaned down, kissing her on the lips one last time. His hand slid down her side to just above her hip. There, he pushed gently deep into her skin.

Kimiko gasped and fell away from him, breathing slightly heavier with a glassy look in her eyes. The only sound in the room for a moment was her heavy breathing. Then, she caught Jack's eye and gave him a slightly scared look. Her eyes closed slowly and her body fell limp into his bed, completely unconscious. Jack didn't move as he stared at her lifeless form, his heart pounding wildly in his chest.