"Reece!" I cried out in warning.

It was too late. I knew it was.

Jack was too close.

That's why what happened next took me completely by surprise.

My little Reece, who looked like a baby lamb with his soft white curls and gentle expression, spun rapidly in a low roundhouse, sweeping Jack's legs from underneath him in an instant.

I stared in awe, once again confronted with the fact that Reece was a total badass.

One of these days I'm going to regret underestimating this guy...

Too stunned to recover, Jack landed flat on his butt, giving Reece all the time he needed to close the distance between them.

The petite man slammed his small fist into the taller boy's face, snapping his head back with the blow and making even me wince with the complete lack of hesitation.

I know Jack is the ruthless bad guy here... But geez, ouch...

To his credit, Jack keeps silent as he fell back onto the floor. He lay unresisting, even as Reece knelt over him with his fist raised.

There was no doubt in my mind that Reece was about to hit the fallen boy a second time.

That was until Reece suddenly froze in his assault, his back to us going rigid with shock.

From where we stood on the floor, I couldn't see what exactly Jack had done to make Reece stop.

I opened my mouth to call out encouragement to Reece... Maybe a little too enthusiastically... only to stop when a hand touch my shoulder.

"Come on Love, don't stand around lollygagging." Artemis hand slid to my wrist, pulling me with him.

He pointed over to Nigel, indicating that the taller boy should go around the desk on the far side. Nigel bit his lip, obviously not liking the lets spilt up plan, but nodded and sprinted off in the opposite direction from us.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, following along reluctantly as Artemis began to jog.

"Not sitting around like a duck Sweetheart." He said, causing me to frown in irritation.

"But..."

.. I wanted to watch...

That's when Jack started laughing.

It was gentle, his voice revealing nothing but honest amusement...and that's how I knew he had somehow found a new way to screw us over.

Though Jack was scary, he wasn't strong, not compared to most of us on the Hill.

That is why he always had tricks up his sleeve.

As we moved around them and towards the glass doors, I was finally able to see what had made Reece stop his attack.

Jack held a small vial of clear liquid up before his face.

Between him and Reece's fist.

"Ah, you figured it out so quickly!" Jack said to Reece, still chuckling softly.

"I thought that I would have to explain. I am holding something you want. Something quite...breakable."

Before Reece could reply, Garmen struggled up into a sitting position, using the desk to prop his back against.

Honestly, I was surprised he had it in him.

Looking like he could pass out at any moment, Garmen turned his hazy gaze onto Jack.

"What... Did... you do... to Havoc....?"

I stopped at the question, refusing to move at Artemis' insistent pulling.

Nothing. " Jack said, turning his attention towards the ill Supervisor.

"I didn't need to do anything. Once I informed him that I had infected you with anti-Nanotech, he felt less inclined to keep me immobile."

No wonder he let us escape.

"It was really the only option." Jack smiled kindly. "Seeing as you would have died in the time, it took him to disconnect from the system again and bring you the medicine himself. His only choice was to let me go and hope that I saw fit to administer the antidote."

"Fool...." Garmen muttered before slumping bonelessly where he sat.

I was near trembling with nerves, desperate to do something before we ran out of time.

"Oh, and Maddison?"

Artemis suddenly yanked me forward.

I yelped, stumbling into Artemis in the same instant something flew through the space I had once occupied.

Even without being touched, I felt the force of it in the air. With Artemis' arms supporting me, I raised my gaze to find Jack's gentle eyes on me.

"Don't think that I can't see what you are trying to do." His smile widened teasingly. "You can't sneak past a master of misdirection."

"... You-! " I nearly choked on the thought, but anger would let me stay silent."... Nearly killed me, you crazy little... "

I stopped at the frozen look of horror on Reece's face.

And Jack's smile.

What had Jack thrown at us?

What did he have in his hand at the time.....?

No.

My worst suspicions were confirmed when Reece made a strangled sound, throwing himself away from Jack and towards where the vial had gone.

Faster and with more skill than I believed Jack capable of, the boy yanked on Reece's ankle, tripping the Supervisor.

He struck like a snake, pinning Reece to the floor with the small man's arms twisted around his back.

"Tsk tsk." Jack murmured into Reece's ear as the Supervisor struggled in his hold. "No need to get so worked up, that was nothing more than a vial of water after all."

With a single hand, Jack reached into his jacket, pulling out several more identical vials.

One by one, he sent them rolling across the floor, sending them off in a different direction.

"Now, I am afraid that you now have quite the conundrum on your hands. You see, one of those vials does indeed contain the antidote." Jack chuckled mischievously.

"But how do you know which one?"

No.

I sent a panicked look at Garmen, who looked even paler than before...

We didn't have time for games.

Something that Jack was all too willing to take advantage of.

"It will take the antidote at least five minutes to start showing signs of recovery, and if you take a gamble on the wrong one, your green-haired friend there may not make it." Jack continued casually, not seeming to care that he was talking about someone's life.

"Your best chance is to collect and try every single one. And while you do that, I'm afraid that I shall be very busy. "

With that, Jack loosened his hold and made to stand up, obviously expecting Reece to go straight for the vials.

Instead, the white-haired man twisted, yanking Jack down and flipping so that he was on top of him again.

"And what's to stop me from knocking you unconscious while I collect the vials?" Reece asked quietly, warily.

"Ohhh, you're good." Jack's smile widened into a grin. "I was hoping you wouldn't think to ask that."

I scowled, totally okay with the knocking Jack out thing...

"I have a confession to make." The purple-eyed boy sighed, feinting disappointment. "As I have told you, there are seven vials. One is the antidote. Five are simply water. The remainder... Well, let's just say that there will be no saving Mr Garmen after you give him that one."

So one antidote, five decoys, and a death sentence.

"It's not fair...." I growled, hands clenching at my side.

... why do all my enemies have to be so damn devious?!

For once couldn't I just have...then again, I'm sure that if I asked God to send me an enemy dumber than a doorknob, the jerk would just turn Nigel against me...

"Tell me which one is the antidote." Reece murmured softly, his voice gentle, but darkly serious. "And I promise not to hurt you further...."

Jack suddenly burst out laughing, the sound wild, with a sharp edge of hysteria.

Like a man who had just miraculously survived a war, only to die a slow, painful death to cancer.

I shuddered. As much as Jack's smile freaked me out, the rare times I caught a glimpse of what lay behind it left me chilled to the bone.

"Really? You promise not to hurt me anymore?" Long fingers wrapped into Reece's curls, gently pulling the unresisting Supervisor down so that... He held the smaller man in a tight hug.

Jack. Wrapping his slimy arms around my Reece!

I didn't realise that I had taken a furious step forward until Artemis grabbed my arm, shaking his head silently.

But... Reece... Violated...

"Do you know what they do to failures in the Underground?" Jack asked a patent smile on his face.

"What they did to me after I lost my status as Jack of the hill to Maddison Trampth?"

He gave a breathy, bitter chuckle.

"Well... I always did hate it when my mother forced me to play the violin... So that is what they did."

He ran a hand through Reece's white curls.

"They made me play, for hours on end, without rest, without food, until I collapsed. Over and over again."

In a burst of speed, Jack flipped them over. Beneath him, Reece lay limp, but Jack played him little attention.

Expression caught in a soft smile, Jack's gaze locked onto mine.

"But before they did this before they had me play for them, they made one small adjustment."

Lavender eyes still on me, Jack lowered his face to speak into Reece's ear. It was hardly more than a whisper, but we could all hear.

"They pulled out my fingernails."

I stared at him in horror, one desperate thought circling in my mind.

It wasn't my fault.

I wasn't sure I really believed that, though.

"So tell me." Sitting back up slowly, Jack gave Reece a cheerful smile.

"How were you going to hurt me again?"

Reece stared up at him silently for a moment, in shock, in horror, or perhaps in pity.

"If you stop now, we can protect you from them...." He tried, but Jack just raised an eyebrow.

"Interesting. And what makes you think I want protection?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Though I sincerely doubt your ability to protect anyone, if today's events are to be an example."

"Please... " Reece tried once more, but Jack's hand shifted into a silencing finger.

"Lets put the fantasies aside, and listen closely, for you do not have much time." Jack's smile widened in amusement. "I am the only one here who can identify which vial is which. Fortunately, I am all too happy to cooperate. To compromise."

He stood, and this time Reece made no attempt to stop him.

"So how about we do this? You will sit still and be good while I collect what I came here for. And on my way out, I will tell you how to identify which vial is poison."

"How do I trust you to tell the truth?" Reece asked flatly.

"It is out of my character, to lie to people outright." Jack smiled sweetly.

Yea. Right.

At Reece's unconvinced expression, Jack shrugged mockingly.

"You have very little choice but to trust me. All I'm asking for in return is a head start to the door. If you find my answer unsatisfactory, it won't be too late for you to attack me instead of helping him. So..."

He held a hand down to Reece, polite smile in place.

"Do we have a deal?"