One Universe Over
By: FortressMaximus
November 26, 2014
Authors' Notes: Hello all! Just felt like writing a quick (well, for ME anyway) story that is pretty much a consolidation of a half-dozen story ideas that, for one reason or another, I have decided not to do full-scale, but rather incorporate them into one…well…whatever this is. Drabble. Cracked fic. Hallucination. You get the gist.
As far as where/when this story takes place in my timelines, it's simply set in a world where all my other stories exist at the same time. But since it's a parallel world, there's going to be some differences in it and the worlds that came before.
I hesitate to call them 'spoilers' since the stories are not going to be fleshed out, but IF I had done a sequel to 'In the Shadow of Love' (my Jackie Chan Adventures story), the way Jade, Paco and everyone else are is a spoiler for 'SoL' if you haven't read that yet. You don't have to read that for this story, but didn't want to spoil anything for anyone just in case.
Anyway, thanks for reading and please consider leaving a review!
FortressMaximus
November 26, 2014
The fire crackled quietly in the background, nearly drowned out by crashing ocean waves as the Pacific continued its eternal cycle of motion. The sun was still high in the crisp, early fall day, and Jade Chan and Paco Fuerte sat on the oversized beach towel enjoying the tingling sensation of their driftwood-fueled fire drawing the salty water from their skin.
Of course, the tingling sensation could also have been from the nearness to the other each enjoyed. Paco's small but strong arms were wrapped around the young Asian girl's stomach in a protective measure as she leaned back against the boy's chest beyond content. A low giggle escaped her lips as a soft kiss fell upon her neck.
"Careful Paco; if Uncle Jackie sees you he's going to freak out" she playfully warned, but kept that her only voiced concern. She leaned her neck in the opposite direction of the kiss, allowing the well-tanned youth from Mexico more surface area to work around. Another kiss-this one a bit deeper-fell upon her neck and a moan-tinted whimper was her reply. "Please tell me he's not watching?" she whispered, praying a sudden flurry of Uncles wasn't about to descent upon her and her boyfriend.
"Do not worry, My Yade..." he said quietly, tightening his hold around her mid-section. "He and Viper are still talking by their fire; I do not believe he has seen my accidental slip-up."
A smirk crossed the girl's face as she looked over her shoulder at him "accident my butt..." she chided, then frowned as the boy grinned wider. "Don't even think it Paco…" she advised.
The boy nodded. "Do not worry Yade, your bottom-even as perfect as it appears-is not enough temptation for me to risk another lecture from your Uncles" he said, frowning as that last incident replayed in his mind. He literally didn't mean to touch her backside earlier in the day, but she had slipped in the sand and he simply went to grab the nearest part of her to stop the fall. Granted, in retrospect he might have had avoided the conversation had it had been her arm or some other part, but secretly the boy treasured the memory despite the embarrassing conversation with a pair of terse Uncles that soon followed.
Jade snuggled a little closer to the boy, leaning her head back and kissing him under the chin. "If you weren't trying to be so noble, I'd almost feel bad about trouncing you at SuperMooses Assemble tonight..." and she laughed at the face he made. Leaning up a little further her lips met his, and the pair fell quiet as the power of that kiss drowned out even the mighty Pacific.
Jackie Chan frowned as he saw his niece and her boyfriend kiss again-on the lips this time-and started to go over and put a stop to the way-too-intimate-for-his-comfort moment brewing over by the distant fire.
Well, at least he would have if Viper hadn't stopped him. "Jackie…no."
The archeologist frowned at the tone of her voice, and looked back at her. "But Viper, they're kissing!" he said, as if that was more than cause enough to dash over and pull the pair apart.
Viper sighed and looked at her friend "Jackie, they both just turned thirteen and they are in love" she said, wondering if the man honestly didn't understand what was going on between the pair, or not letting himself understand because if he did, it would mean letting Jade go and let her begin her growth into a young woman.
And after what had happened the past year, she knew 'letting go' was as far from Jackie's plans for Jade as possible.
"And that's all their going to do Jackie. I doubt Jade is going to drag Paco off behind the dunes and ravish him with us right here."
The pain at that mental image caused the man to age several years before her eyes. "Viper, must you?" he softly pleaded.
With another sigh she patted Jackie's shoulder. "Listen; El Toro's time here in the States is running out. The International Wresting Exhibition ends this weekend, and he and Paco need to return home so El Toro can meet the challenge offered by Pain King to keep his title intact. Once they leave, it'll be at least six months before Jade and Paco can see each other and-to them-that might as well be forever. Give them this time together Jackie; you and I both know they've earned it."
It was clear to the ex-thief the man was torn between letting the two youths enjoy their time left together and 'rescuing Jade' from making decisions she wasn't ready to make. She knew this past year hadn't been easy on anyone in the Chan clan, but despite the fact Jackie was her guardian, some things Jade would have to face on her own when the time came.
Viper patted Jackie on the arm; she didn't want to tell him this, but he had a right to know "Jade and I had long Talk last night…" she said, looking at him in the eye.
Something about the way Viper phrased that one word caught his attention. "Just what kind of…'talk'?"
"THE Talk."
Jackie went white as a sheet. It was only several minutes later he could squeak out a single word "Why?"
Viper shrugged. "Because she asked me some very important things, and because her mom said if Jade came to me with questions, she trusted me enough to help Jade understand what was going on."
Jackie blinked. "Mayumi asked you to do that?"
"Yep; last year when-well-when everything went down..." Viper paused for a long moment, glancing over at the girl who had become such an important part of her life. A determined look crossed her face as she focused on Jackie once more..."let's be honest Chan; we both know Jade's been through hell this past year and the one reason-the only reason she's rebounded as well as she has- is because of that boy right there…" she stated, nodding towards the youth still holding the girl tight. "We can trust them together because Jade has more than kept her promise to be a better person. " The woman paused, shifting a little to give Jackie a critical eye…"no running off on grand adventures, homework done every night, even her martial arts training with you and Uncle like clockwork, barring the occasional school event. She has kept her promise to be a better daughter and student to the letter Jackie and I don't think she's going to ruin things now with her and Paco doing something stupid."
Jackie Chan nodded, conceding the point. "I know Viper, and I am so proud of Jade for keeping her promise. I'm even proud of Paco for standing by her and grateful when he brought her back from despair after...after…."
Viper gently patted Chan's arm. "After IT happened; I know…" she said quietly. "Let them be young and in love for a little while longer Jackie; we both know how long that may not last. They deserve that much."
Jackie looked at the two teens once more, a soft smile on his face as the pair of youths now chased each other with blobs of wet sand, trying to get the other muddy. With a smile he nodded towards Viper. "Okay…I'll try" he promised, and she knew he truly would try to not interfere as much.
The woman laughed softly and gave Chan a hug, smirking at the red blush on his face. "Now since that's settled, let's talk about something much more interesting!"
"Oh no; what would that be?"
"About our date tonight and where you're going to take me!"
Jackie blinked. "Date?! I asked you out on a Date!?"
"Of course you did! Don't you remember?"
"Quite sure! The words 'Viper, would you like to go out on a date with me'...".
"Oh Jackie I'd love to go out!" she playfully cooed, taking the man by the arms and dragging him off down the beach away from the teens. "And I know just the place…"
Jackie protested loudly and with vigor, but in the end Viper finally talked him into going out. The woman was stubborn as Jade but possessed a knowledge of subtlety and cunning that the younger girl simply didn't have yet. And, as Jackie had found out early in their friendship, THAT was a dangerous combination.
Still, a night out with a good friend (although he refused to call it a 'date') could be what he needed to relax.
Besides, what could possibly go wrong?
Several hundred miles further south along the same coast, a dimensional portal opened. Rippling with power untold, the energies arced along the unseen lines of magical force that crisscrossed the planet. Without warning, a crack of sonic energy announced the portal going critical and a flash of light erupted from the center, strong enough to permanently blind anyone had they been present to see the lightshow.
As the light faded, a tall, muscular man-thing flexed, roaring as he molecules settled back into their familiar pattern. His clothes reformed as well, although the sleeveless black vest and gray shirt were tattered and worn beyond repair. His matching leggings weren't in much better shape and one could see dark olive reptile-like skin through the holes. The portal shut and with another roar Drago, son of Shendu, was reborn. A deep, almost feral growl erupted from the Demon Lord as he tried to place where-and when–he was.
Wet sand.
Salty air.
The crash of roaring waves.
Earth.
With a laugh the demon roared again, this time with pure happiness. "At last! I, Drago, son of Shendu, walk the Earth once more! Humans tremble, for your mastery over this planet ends today!"'
*Squawk!*
Drago blinked, and looked around for the source of the sound. There, a few feet away, a lone seagull pranced around in the receding surf looking for tasty things to eat. The bird-somehow sensing it was being watched-looked up at the dragon-youth and squawked at him once more.
It was then Drago looked around and saw…nothing. Nothing and no one for as far as the eye could see. With a face palm that would have made an internet meme proud, the dragon sighed.
"I'm wasting a perfectly good monologue on a bird. "
For its part, the gull seemed remarkably impressed for a second before flapping off for better feeding chances elsewhere. Now totally alone the overlord-wannabe growled.
"Okay, first rule of my new empire is when I have an awesome monologue everyone has to stand at rapt attention to enjoy it!" he yelled before regaining his composure. "But now that I'm back, it's time to take care of old business first before the new business can start! They say you can leave your heart in San Francisco; that's a perfect place as any to have Jackie Chan lose his!" and with a horrible grin he looked off in the direction of the distant city.
With that Drago activated the talismans of levitation and flight and took off for The City by the Bay, determined to end any chance of another failure with the death of every member of the Chan clan.
Takato Matsuki could only stand there, blinking in shock and amazement at what had just been offered to him; well, not just HIM, but to both his best friend Henry Wong, and girlfriend Rika Nonaka. The large window that had shown off a spectacular view of the Golden Gate Bridge stood forgotten now in the wake of what had just been said.
The man at the table smiled; an honest, natural smile that invoked trust and a sense that no matter what he said, you could tell that it was the truth. Blond hair rested on a powerful frame, and that frame was clad in a mix of red, white and blue spandex with a white star on the front of his chest. Upon his back he wore a like-colored metal shield, the dark grey of the backside peeking out from under his arms.
He knew his offer would be met with some surprise, but he honestly didn't expect the trio to become immobile for several minutes. Still, he had made this offer before and would do so again, so the teens standing before him wouldn't be the last ones to have such a reaction.
Guilmon, Takato's red dinosaur-like Digimon partner tilted his head, not sure why his best human friend was so quiet. Takato liked to be parts of clubs at school, and this sounded like the best club ever!
The rabbit-like digital life form known as Terriermon rested on Henry's head, stunned just like his partner into total quiet (which, for anyone who knew the Digimon that was a feat in and of itself). He leaned over and looked into his partner's eyes and saw nothing looking back save for a great void of amazement. "Yep; lights are on but no one's home…" he whispered after finding his voice, summoning up the situation fairly well.
It was the fox Digimon known as Renamon who fully grasped the meaning of the offer before them. She knew the blending of super-heroes the man before them both represented and lead was nothing to underestimate, and this offer would not have been made lightly. With a glance at her partner, Renamon tried to fathom what Rika was pondering, but like her two best friends the girl simply had stopped thinking and could only stare at the elder man in shock.
Steve Rogers stood up from the desk and walked around, sitting down on the front edge and sized up the three teens {and their Digimon} for a long moment before lightly clearing his throat. "So; Takato, Henry, Rika…can I have your answer or do you need more time?" he asked gently, knowing this was not something one should rush into.
"Mr. Rogers…Sir…" asked Takato in a light voice, looking at Guilmon, then back at the man. "Can you…just so we all heard that right…can you say it again?"
Steve blinked, and then smiled at the youths and their partners. "Mr. Matsuki and Guilmon, Miss Nonaka and Miss Renamon, Mr. Wong and Terriermon" he began, standing at parade rest and fixed the trio with the most serious look any had ever seen before…"it is my honor-and privilege-to ask you three to consider our offer and become the newest members of The Avengers."
"Order up!" came the cry from behind the warming bar as Kim turned around and flashed a grin towards the chef and owner of Vic's Place. Grabbing the plate of toast she slid another half-dozen orders into the turn style and politely shouted them back to Vic himself. "Double order cheese and eggs with double side of burnt pig, BLT double T drop mayo add Whip, creamed wheat hold the flavor, veggie moo burger with not-chili, two bagels with butter, and a naco!"
The elder man laughed, his slightly-overweight frame jiggling a little. "Possible, tell your boyfriend I don't have time for off-menu stuff! He wants a naco tell him to get back here and fix it himself! Lord knows he can do it better than me!"
Kim Possible laughed and glanced over her shoulder to her boyfriend and nodded. In seconds Ron Stoppable was behind the counter, little paper hat and all, swirling around like a master chef as he fixed his special request. Within a few minutes all the orders (including Ron's) were completed and Kim took them over to her waiting friends in the large corner booth.
Vic peeked his head out the small space where completed orders waited and shouted over to the young woman "Kim, Flo's here so take your 10!"
With a grateful grin, Kim sat down beside Ron, getting a one-armed hug from him as the others in her party took their plates.
Monique glanced around; making sure no one was listening. "We've got less than 12 hours left; everything on your end ready to go?" she asked, silently wondering if her outfit matched her rings' emerald hues properly or if she should have gone for a more forest green tint in her outfit's trim.
"Yea cuz" interrupted Joss Possible, the teen stuffing her red ring into a jeans' pocket to keep the ketchup off it before diving into her eggs with gusto "we got everything ready to go this morning; yer stuff's with ours in the lockers at the bus depot near the bridge. All we gotta do is grab the stuff and head for the park when it's time!"
Kim nodded, trying to ignore the insane amount of ketchup Joss put on her eggs and was about to speak when she saw Tara looking down at her plate with an odd look. "Tara" she said softly "are you OK?"
Glancing up at Kim's words (as well as the comforting touch on her shoulder from her girlfriend's hand) Tara nodded as she rested her head on her own hands, sunlight glinting off a light blue-stoned ring. "I'm fine Kim; it's just that we've waiting so long for tonight I'm worried something's going to happen and make us miss our chance."
Yori smiled at her teammate and nodded in understanding. "I too have felt the specter of worry these last few days Tara, but know it is but an empty fear trying to prey upon us. If we are needed, then we shall help because that is why we were chosen" the young Asian woman paused, looking at the dark blue jeweled ring upon her right hand's pointer finger for a moment before returning her gaze towards the blond teen beside her "but we shall make it home. Our friends and family still wait for us, and we shall not disappoint them."
As if echoing Yori's words, Bonnie gave Tara's shoulder a gentle squeeze of reassurance before moving her hand back to her own side. "I just want to get back home; this place feels…wrong." She said glancing at her own orange-jeweled ring set on the same finger as Yori's.
Ron glanced up at Bonnie, swallowing the last bite of his naco. "Bon Bon…you feeling okay?" he asked, concern evident in his voice as he looked at her intently from across the table.
"Not really, and if anyone can understand why it's you Stoppable" the former cheerleader growled, drawing a stern look from Kim.
"I told you, it's going to take time."
"I still think you should take it back; damm thing chose you, not me."
"I couldn't do that now even if I wanted to Bonnie. It's yours, and I wouldn't have vouched for you with The Big Guy if I didn't think you could do it."
"Then you're as crazy as I thought you were back in high school."
"Bonnie…" began Kim, not looking happy her former rival was falling back into her old ways. But before she could add more a toe-curling kiss on the lips from Tara took Bonnie's dark mood away faster than anything Kim could say.
Joss let out a quiet 'there they go 'gin', earning her a light kick to the shin from her cousin as Tara finally pulled away, blushing deeply at having to make a show of herself to keep Bonnie from slipping into a darker mood.
"That's not playing fair" groused Bonnie, looking every bit as flustered as her girlfriend.
"They say all is fair in love in war Bonnie; perhaps you and Tara can discuss that saying in private when we all return home and let us know what conclusions are to be discovered from it." Yori didn't quite smirk as the pair blushed crimson, a hue almost matched by the look on Kim's face. Joss grinned at the whole situation and Ron…
"Hey…what's that?" said the young man, pointing out the window towards the Golden Gate Bridge and a dark shadow landing on it.
Drago looked at the arch under his feet and smiled, his scale-covered hands wrung together in glee. "If this little demonstration doesn't bring Jackie Chan and Section 13 running, nothing will!"
Taking a moment to locate the main support beam, Drago smirked.
"Heat Beam Eyes!"
People slammed to a stop on the famous bridge and scampered from their cars in panic. The first support wire *sprong* loudly and fell by the wayside, the bridge shuddering just a little as the melted end of the cable splashed into the water far below.
The Battle for San Francisco had begun.
"This just in!" shouted the radio in the rental car as Paco and Jade tried to find some music they both could agree to listen to "police are reporting an attack at the Golden Gate Bridge! Eyewitnesses report-if you can believe it-a dragon/man thing using heat vision to snap the support wires! The bridge is being evacuated but authorities are as yet unable to stop the creature!"
Jackie and Viper looked at each other, their faces pale with the news. "Shendu!" they both exclaimed, having hoped they had seen the last of the Demon Lord.
Paco turned to Jade, worry crossing his face as he knew what was going to happen next. Wherever magic was used for evil, there would be a counter from the side of good to maintain the precarious magical balance the world now enjoyed.
And wherever evil magic threatened the innocent, The Great Chosen Protector of Light would be there to defend those who could not defend themselves and stop the evil from spreading. It had been that way for untold centuries and it would be that way for many more to come.
Yet, at this one moment in time, the Chosen One was…different…than those in the past.
For in this time, and in this place, the Chosen Protector was a 13 year old girl named Jade Chan. Or, perhaps more accurately, her alter-ego known as T-Girl.
To be Continued….