Legal Disclaimer: I don't own the Jett Jackson characters, they belong to Disney. The only character that's mine is Jackie, Booker's love interest... Booker never seems to get any action so I decided to take a chance...

A/N: Another fic! This one is for Nicki, Tiffany, Wishbear-chan, HAA, geanie, and everyone else! sorry if i forgot anyone!

A/N2: The Silverstone story deals with bioterrorism... if that bothers you because of recent events, don't read pwease. And there's a huge block of Silverstone in between the real life scenes for the continuity of the Silverstone story.

Shades Of Gray

"Sometimes, when you keep life in black and white, you miss the shades of gray,"
Me (yes, it's original... i think)

The bell rang at Wilsted High, and pandemonium broke loose.

"Summer!" someone yelled, and a massive cheer went up in the hallways. School was over for the next ten weeks.

"Finally," Kayla emerged from the lab, brushing a few stray curls from her eyes. "June twenty-third is now my favorite day."

JB walked out, looking over his shoulder at Jett. Kayla turned. "Are you coming?"

Jett walked out of the room on his hands. "You bet."

Kayla started to laugh. "Don't you have a set to get to?"

Jett flopped back down onto his feet. "Come to think of it, yeah, I do. Wanna come?"

"Are you kidding?" JB said. "It's the last day of school! I dunno about you, but I'm going home to enjoy my TV."

"I'm coming." Kayla said. "I wanna see what's going on."

"Well, I guess I'll see you guys later, then." JB exchanged hugs and high fives with his friends and walked off in the direction of Halliburton's, the family store.

"So," Kayla said as they walked. "What do you plan to do this summer?"

"I don't know, truthfully." Jett realized that he really hadn't thought about it. "You?"

"I have no idea. Probably paint and hang out with you. And JB, of course." That part seemed to be an afterthought, almost, as if she had forgotten there was anyone but Jett. For some reason her answer made him smile. She wants to spend time with me... whoa, chill, Jackson. She said you and JB. Not you alone.

"Well, here we are for another long afternoon." Jett held the door open to Silverstone Studios. Kayla did a perfect cartwheel down the hall and Jett followed her to the set.

* * * *

Silverstone watched the computer screen. The red dots were spreading rapidly. "Those red dots are the Rat's virus carriers." Artemus said. "It seems our slippery adversary has come up with a new way to achieve his ends. Biological warfare."

"What kind of virus is it?" Hawk spoke up.

"No one is sure." Artemus answered. "Do you remember, Silverstone, when I was infected with that virus? It seemed that there was no cure?"

Silverstone nodded. "Well, there truly is no cure for this disease. It is mutating too quickly for us to catch. The only way we can combat it is to dispose of the rest of the samples, and..." Artemus trailed off.

"And what?" Hawk asked.

"To kill those who are already infected."

"What?" Silverstone was shocked. "Kill them?"

"It would be a mercy." Artemus said softly. "The disease, from what we have gathered, turns the victim slowly to a skeleton by eating away at the flesh and muscle. It is great pain, and the victim is conscious throughout the entire ordeal. It is so slow it may take weeks to happen fully. Weeks of pain and agony."

Silverstone put his head in his hands. "I can't believe you're asking me to do this."

"If there was anyone else, Silverstone, I would send them."

"What about you?" Silverstone asked. "You can't help us?"

"I can help you from here, Silverstone, but ever since I contracted that virus I am in grave danger if I am exposed to any other disease." Artemus looked as if he truly wanted to go with them. "But I am relying on you, Silverstone. And you, Hawk."

"We will make you proud." Hawk said.

* * * *

"I don't believe I'm doing this." Silverstone muttered to himself. He was dressed as a doctor, with all the protective gear to shield himself from the disease. He was in the ward of the hospital where all of the Rat's victims lay.

The visions he saw were terrifying. People were in agony, writhing and crying out. Some had just gotten sick and had a terrified look in their eyes, and others were so far along they were practically all bone. Their eyes were dead and staring.

Hawk was sobbing silently as they walked through the ward. Silverstone was fighting to keep his own eyes dry. Children, elderly, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, every one of them. Lives taken unnecessarily.

"We have to get rid of this." Silverstone whispered as a few other doctors walked by, their heads bent.

"Artemus said--" Hawk began.

"I know." Silverstone scanned the control panels that manipulated the temperature and oxygen flow in the closed-off ward. He found the lever he was looking for. He didn't reach out. It would be a mercy, Artemus had said. A mercy, a mercy, a mercy.... the worlds echoed in his head. If they die this way, it is cruel... a mercy, a mercy... a mercy... If he pulled that lever, the air supply would be cut off. And those people would die. His hand rested on the switch.

A mercy... the victim is conscious... Silverstone felt Hawk's hand on his. She pushed down, ever so gently, and the lever sank. A sob escaped from Silverstone's mouth, even though he was trying to hold it back. Hawk watched the ward through the window, tears leaving shining paths down her face. A small sound reached their ears, like a soft exhalation, and the pulsing hills of the heart monitors became straight lines. Silverstone and Hawk slipped away.

Part one done. Now it was time to hunt down the Rat.

* * * *

"Shhh," Silverstone silenced his comrade. Hawk clamped her mouth shut and watched from behind Silverstone, who was standing against a pillar. They were watching the Rat, who was holding a vial of an evil-colored liquid. "This is my ultimate creation," he was saying.

Silverstone's lip curled. "Bastard." He had to contain himself. If he moved now, the Rat's henchmen would be on him in a second.

It was amazing to Silverstone that the Rat would be such a big-time criminal now. He had specialized in petty theft and the like. It seemed he had found his break in bioterrorism.

Hawk tensed next to her partner. The Rat was laughing. "If I release this into the reservoir of New York City, I can easily annihilate the entire population in one stroke," The Rat continued.

"Not so fast, Rat." Silverstone and Hawk emerged from behind the barrel they had been hiding near. "Put the vial down."

The Rat started to laugh. "You're kidding me, right?"

"Never been more serious in my life."

"Well then, Silverstone, meet my friends, who will escort you out of here." The Rat snapped his fingers and five huge men came out of the shadows. Hawk fell into a ready position beside Silverstone, and they put their martial arts training to good use. Artemus had taught them well.

The men were short work, and Silverstone stood before their adversary, hardly breathing out of pace. "Put down the vial, Rat." Hawk was standing behind the little man, ready to spring if he made any fancy moves.

"Not a chance," The Rat flipped the little tube up into the air and caught it again, swiftly twisting off the top. He spun around suddenly, and threw the contents of the glass into Hawk's face.

Hawk screamed, a high, unearthly sound of pain and terror. Her hands flew to her face. Blood was streaming down between her fingers. With horror, Jett realized what the Rat had done. It wasn't the virus that was making her bleed. It was harmless until it was inside your system. It was the tube itself. The Rat had smashed it into her eyes with the force of a bullet.

"RAT!" Jett threw himself at his enemy, not caring anymore whether or not he killed him; just knowing that Hawk was hurt and bleeding was enough.

Laughing, the Rat dodged Silverstone's fists. "Poor boy," he taunted. "I've won, at long last."

Hawk was collapsed on the floor, soundlessly screaming, her mouth open. Blood was still flowing, mingled with tears. When she lifted her hands away from her face, a real scream erupted.

"I'm BLIND!"

Silverstone had the Rat pinned down below him. He turned his head to look at his partner and it took everything he had to keep himself from throwing up right there.

Hawk's eyes were gone.