Chapter 1: Kiro

 

She lay motionless on the floor. Her only movements were the rise and fall of her chest with each strained, ragged breath, and an occasional twitch her or there. He sighed and wondered. "Why me?" Then, he bent down and examined his captive.

Her light brown hair had lost its stiff, bouncy shape and fell across her face limply. Her mouth was covered by a rough black gag, so her breaths were long and ragged. Her face was covered with bruises and scratches. He frowned and cursed softly. He had told them not to harm her! They had perfectly good sleeping gas available, but no, they saw fit to beat her up instead.

Her normal red outfit was replaced with a baggy, colourless shift. Her arms were bound to her body just below the shoulders, and her hands fell limply into her lap, bound at the wrists. Her legs and ankles were tied together and her shoes were not there.

Scowling, he prodded her with a stick. "Get up," he growled. "Up! Now!"

She moaned, and curled her legs in. Her eyes did not open.

"UP!" he said, getting agitated. He poked her more sharply and she gave a grunt of pain. But slowly, her eyes were opening. He was not satisfied, and roared, "GET UP! NOW!"

 

She sat up and let her eyes focus on her captor. He was a lot younger than she'd thought, maybe two or three years older than herself. His wavy black hair fell over his left eye. A red cap rested on his head and she noticed it did not have the trademark 'R' on it. His eyes, or at least the one she could see, were a tawny amber colour. He was clad in a red and black outfit, that, she saw with some curiosity, did not have an 'R' anywhere on it either. He prodded her again, annoyed. "Stand."

"Who are you?" she asked hoarsely, swallowing.

"My name's Kiro. Stand."

She wondered how. Her legs didn't seem like they could hold her weight even if she weren't tied up. Sighing exasperatedly, Kiro bent down and untied her legs and ankles. "Get up." His voice was annoyed, but not malicious. As May struggled to get to her feet, she asked curiously, "Are you from Team Rocket?"

He did not reply, but said, "Come with me."

When she took a wobbly step and collapsed, he sighed and grabbed her wrist, yanked her to her feet and led her out of the cell.

They were walking briskly along a dark corridor when they suddenly bumped into a tall, muscular man. He turned around. "Ah, Agent 199." May's heart sank as her worst fears were confirmed. "You have done well. I'll take it from here."

Kiro did not release May's wrist, but sidestepped the man smartly. "No, thankyou Admin Rick, I'll take her to the interrogation myself."

Rick's eyes narrowed. "You have done all that is required of you," he said. "You are a grunt and nothing more. Goodbye."

May was barely breathing. Kiro's grip on her wrist tightened. "I am capable of more than you think," he said shortly. "I will take her myself."

"Hand her over, Kiro," said Rick softly. "There is nothing you can do."

"I have no idea what you're talking about," said Kiro coldly. "I am going."

And he began to lead May around the corner. He stopped very abruptly. Rick had grabbed his own arm. May felt him wince as the older Rocket began to twist his arm. "Give her over," he said, his voice rising. "Now! Don't think you can get away with this, Kiro! You're just a kid!"

"Let go," said Kiro in a carefully controlled voice.

"Give me the girl!" roared Rick, and twisted harder. May could feel Kiro beginning to give in. She went cold. "Give me the girl! You know what I will do, don't you?"

"Go ahead," said Kiro painfully. "Tell Giovanni. What are you going to do?"

"Oh, I'll tell Giovanni," said Rick quietly. "But what I'll do to you is a bit more personal..."

Kiro fell to his knees. He let go of May's wrist. Terrified, she grabbed his hand and tugged him out of Rick's reach, sprinting along the corridor with a bewildered Kiro struggling to keep up.

"Who are you?" she panted, turning a corner and dodging more Rockets.

"I told you," he said, leveling with her as she dropped his hand. "My name's Kiro."

 

Kiro grabbed May's wrist again and soon he was dragging her up the corridor.

"Where are you taking me?" she gasped. She guessed that it wasn't the interrogation. Kiro did not reply. Finally they reached a blackened steel door. Kiro wrenched it open and tugged her inside. Then he took a deep breath and sank to the floor. His head was down and May couldn't tell whether his eyes were closed or open. She looked around the room. It was very bare, with black paint covering the walls and a plain, spotless purple carpet. There was three items in the room. One was a lumpy, flat bed. One was a desk. The third item was a picture frame, lying face down on the desk. Intruiged, May reached out and began to lift it up. "Don't touch it," said Kiro. He was standing again, massaging his injured arm. May put it down gently. She walked over to - her captor? Her savior? She wasn't sure any more. "What was that all about?" she asked, frowning. "Are you in Team Rocket, or not?"

Kiro sighed and looked at her appraisingly. "Yes," he said finally. "I am in Team Rocket."

"Then why -" May stopped. She said suddenly, "Why?"

Kiro sat down on the bed and paused. He was wondering how much he should tell her. Then, slowly, he said, "I was born into a family of Rockets."

May digested this information. "Who are your parents?"

"I don't know. I was taken away from them when I was only five. I don't remember them. But I remember a struggle. And I remember who gave me this."

He lifted the long fringe that covered his left eye. May gasped. There was a large scratch running along the brow and eyelid, ending just below the socket. His eye was a cloudy white. He was blind in one eye. Scowling, he let the curtain of hair fall back over his eye, hiding the scar. "He still doesn't like me, the one who did that to me. He seems to enjoy hurting me."

May said slowly, "It was Rick, wasn't it?"

Kiro nodded, but said nothing. His head drooped again and May could no longer see his face. Tentatively, she reached out and took his hand. It was limp and he made no attempt to draw it away.

 

Suddenly the steel door burst open and several Rockets came into the room. Rick was leading them. "I knew it," he growled. "You were never one of us. You never fit in. Because you're a traitor." He spoke contemptuously. "Filthy, lying scum. LOOK AT ME, BOY!" Kiro's head was still down. Slowly, he raised it to look his enemy in the eye, as Rockets overturned his desk and burned the photo.

Rick was looking at the bed. No, he wasn't, realised May. He was looking at Kiro's hand, which was still in her own. She made to pull it away, but he seized it before she had a chance. He had gone very tense.

Rick stared at Kiro, then burst out laughing. "You're going to get out of here and take your little girlfriend with you, are you? Not this time, sonny. You're coming with me." He made to grab Kiro's wrist, but before he had a chance a Rocket overturned the bed and set it on fire. May and Kiro were thrown forwards out of reach. Rick roared and dove at them as flames licked the walls. He ploughed straight into Kiro and the two struggled wildly. Kiro's hand was wrenched from May's. May grabbed Rick around the stomach and pulled him off Kiro. He bellowed like an Ursaring and pounced at her. Kiro grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the mad Rocket. They bolted for the door, but Rick seized Kiro's leg and they both fell to the floor. Angrily, Rick produced a sharp knife and swung it at Kiro's throat. May screamed and jumped in front of him. The knife slashed through her shoulder, but she ignored it. Kiro stopped struggling for a moment and stared at her. She was holding off the crazy man, kicking at his stomach with both legs. Snorting like an angry bull, Rick turned on Kiro, brandishing his now bloody knife. He jabbed at Kiro's chest, but May pushed his hand to one side and it sank into the carpet.

May pulled Kiro to his feet and they hurried for the door. The colour was draining from May's face due to blood loss.

Kiro led her around another corner and they came to another door. He pushed it open and the miracle of sunlight streamed into the building. They ran out onto a dusty trail into the woods. After a few minutes, May began to slow down. Kiro turned, showing emotion for the first time - concern. "Are you all right?"

Gulping in air, May nodded. "I'm...fine," she panted. "Thank you."

And then she collapsed.