Disclaimer: I obviously do not own Xiaolin Showdown. (I am sorry for not putting this on chapter one, it completely slipped my mind and I apologize for it.)

Also, to the spelling errors of the first chapter, I must have let those slip by when I was double checking everything and I'm sorry for those as well. Just another case of "I'm really not perfect for this."

Anyway, onward to the story.

Chapter Two.

In the deep end.

Sometimes I thank the gods that Shen-Gong-Wu have some of the most perplexing timing to reveal themselves to the world. This particular Shen-Gong-Wu had the best timing for me, having saved me from nearly having my head crushed by Wuya's anger. Well, not so much anger as irritated from my lack of being her 'yes-man lackey' that she used to love having around to follow her orders. My Jack-bots had tried to help, their upgrades caught Wuya and Hannibal off guard, buying sometime for the Wu to reveal itself.

I rub my arm, just before I had slipped my trench coat on I noticed the formation of a dark bruise, credit for which goes to Hannibal for the rough punch. My body aches all over from the beating those two delivered so generously for my rejection to their offer. They gave me quite a few bruises up and down my pale body, as well as a broken rib or two and a blazing headache from when I hit the ground due to their excited tossing. The blades of my heli-pack squeak slightly, bringing me out of my momentary mental check of damage. The squeaking reminded me that i would have to oil and update the aging pack. I look ahead at the scenery of where we're going, Wuya and Hannibal's bodies slightly blocking me from the view from far off.

Wide open fields roll underneath us, the dark green grass swaying welcomingly in the light breeze and the outside leaves of the forest trees shake gently in the direction of the blowing winds. The leaves shift momentarily as the air is disturbed by Wuya, Hannibal and I. A large deep blue lake shows itself beyond the trees ahead, giving us a destination for the 'oh-so-important' Wu that these two Heylin freaks wish to take.

Those two dip down, just in front of the lake, and I lower slowly into the forest below. Keeping a safe distance between us, hoping I won't have to do anything on this useless trip. Hannibal takes a look around before motioning for me to come closer, I sigh and approach him.

"Alright Jack," His voice Low and smooth as always, easy for convincing others to do what he wants, as well as coming off as an innocent comforter. "The plan is simple, Wuya will find and tell you the exact location of the wu. You, my boy, will retrieve it and bring it to us. Understand?"

He looks up at me, those beady eyes showing a hint of violence. I shrug. "Whatever jelly bean. But after this, you two leave me alone."

Hannibal only smiles and laughs a bit. "My boy, I-"

"Stop calling me that." I snap at him, catching him a bit off guard. He recovers none the less and clears his throat.

"Very well, Jack, I doubt after this that you will be left alone. You are and always have been a valued member to this group for-"

"Just shut up Bean, we both know that all you're doing is trying to soften me up to do whatever you want as if I'm some kind of servant. Well guess what, I'm not." I cross my arms a bit, shifting my weight to the left side since my right is killing me. "You two betray and dump me after I serve whatever useless purpose you two have in mind for 'world domination' yet both of you have failed to rule the world."

Hannibal growls. "Jack, this can go two ways. You can help us willingly or we can just make you mindless. Now choose which you want because either way you will do this."

I glare at him. "I'm already here no thanks to you two, might as well do this. But I won't be doing this every time you two need a distraction."

He only smirks and calmly responds in a cold, malicious voice. "We'll see."

Wuya shudders a bit and points to the middle of the lake. "Down there." Her voice high-pitched in an effort to not shout it out. "Well!" She snaps, turning to face me. "Go on, Spicer! Fetch!" She smiles as she orders me like some dog.

"Hold it right there, Wuya and Hannibal!" A slightly cheerful voice fills the air. I slink into the shadows and out of sight enough to not be noticed. That voice I know too well, Kimiko and the other monks have arrived.

A 40-foot long jade green dragon lands in the clearing just of to the side. Four well known monks hopping off of his back immediately to confront the two Heylin siders, the dragon promptly shinks to the size of a lizard and takes shelter under the biggest monks hat. I smile a bit, those four always know when to make an entrance and how to get rid of the two annoyances in front of me. The biggest of the monks by far is the cowboy, Clay. His stocky build leaves many in his shadow and blue eyes are currently hidden behind his blonde bangs and the tip of his cowboy hat, his small smile turned into a scowl at his enemies. The second monk is a bit smaller but still quite tall, Raimundo, the Brazilian boy from Rio. His dark brown hair is spiked and the darkness complements his bright green eyes and rounded face. He still sports his mischievous grin to Wuya and Hannibal, both of which he has betrayed and made a fool of. The only female monk in the group is Kimiko, well known for her firey temper and extreme determination to master said temper. Her raven black hair shines in the sun, and I tilt my head as I notice it's in a single ponytail instead of her signature pigtails. She holds the star hanabi in her hand tightly as she glares daggers into the two threats in front of her. The last monk being the smallest by far is Omi. Although his body is small, he sports a large bald head and small black eyes. He always gets serious around enemies, and says the same line to them all. But it's his own style so there is little to be done about it.

"Surrender now, or suffer a most humiliating defeat!" Omi declares in a loud voice, he prides himself on being the most experienced warrior of the four. Even if he isn't the leader.

Wuya only growls slightly, flashing a glance in my direction to signal that I release my Jack-bots to their destruction. "I believe it is you who will be defeated today, Omi." She states matter-of-factly.

I sigh and press a button on my watch that's attached to my right hand. As soon as I do the feint sound of whirring parts can be heard from behind me and the Monks look over, unsurprised that the Jack-bots would be joining the fight. They get into fighting stances and my bots come up from behind the tree line, flying in swiftly to obey my commands. My heart clenches a bit, they may be seen as only machines to some people but to me, those are my companions. The only ones who are around when I need them, the only ones who listen to me. It breaks my heart to send them into a fight that I know they'll loose. But it's not like anyone here will ever understand that.

"So that no good snake, Jack Spicer, is finally showin' himself after a week of not bein' 'round." Clay's heavy country voice hits my ears. I expected the comment, I'm used to hearing them by now.

I activate my heli-pack once again and fly out of my hiding spot, just as the monks, my bots, Wuya and Hannibal begin their fight. Wuya and Hannibal both seeking the demise of Raimundo for his treachery. It amuses me how they can hold that grudge when they have betrayed so many people as well. The monks take care of my Jack-bots with relative ease, but not without a few surprises and light bruises to themselves first. Omi, being the over-achiever, sets after me and the Shen-Gong-Wu.

Figures. I think lightly as I remove my trench coat and heli-pack so they won't weigh me down while I swim. I get to listen to Omi, but then again, he is better then Wuya and Jelly bean.

"Jack Spicer!" Omi exclaimed loudly as he approached. "You will surrender your search now, or face a most humiliating defeat!"

I smile a little, putting on my childish mask so as to avoid questioning. "Whatever cheese ball, I'm an evil boy genius, I do what I want." A hint of humor is thrown into my voice, seeing as how I don't really mean it.

The humor flew right over his head. "Very well, you have been warned."

He charges at me and I frown, pulling the most feminine scream I can muster from my lungs. A ghost of a smile on his face as the act made him feel as if he had won. That is, until I dove into the water and started swimming down to the bottom. Omi fell face first into the mud where I had been standing moments before, but the little guy recovers quickly and looks to see what I'm after. I don't look back anymore as I swim down into the depths, the clear water only slightly stinging my eyes as I forcefully hold them open to scan the lake's floor. My lungs start to burn and beg for air when a golden band catches my eye, it's only slightly hidden in the muck of the soggy ground. I grab it quickly and begin to swim back to the surface, only to be dragged back down by another, determined force.

And that's all for this chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Criticism and reviews are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading and I hope to have the next chapter up soon.