Author's Note:

Here it is: the first actiony chapter of the story. Sorry if it still starts a bit slow at first and there isn't much Jack Attack, but there's still some background info that needs to be filled out, including how Jack has been dealing with his immortality over the years. But if there's a silver lining to this, you'll get to see Jack's first battle and a glimpse of his true enemy...

I'm going to try to shoot for one chapter every one or two weeks. But given I have a job and other real life stuff to worry about, please bear with me if I can't keep up this quota.


Episode MI

"HA! HA! HA! HAPPY CAT SAY TIME TO WAKE UP! HA! HA! HA! YOU THINK HAPPY CAT KIDDING?! HA HA H-"

*CRUNCH*

Shaking his sore fist, Jack rises from bed with a yawn. And to think that Happy Cat alarm clock looked so charming when he bought it. Still, far better than being rudely awakened by a sneak attack or the sound of ailing innocents.

He admires the morning sun through his bedroom window, before looking down at the small ladybug farm on his nightstand. Seeing that all the larvae he bought have fully grown, he opens the hatch and lets them crawl on his hand, before opening the window and letting them fly out into the world. Some would say it's a child's hobby, but for him it's his way of honoring and remembering Ashi's short but significant presence in his life.

"I think I'll go out for breakfast today."

Fifteen minutes later, he's prepped up and already walking out his front door.

"Morning, Jack!"

Jack turns and sees a mustached Israeli man down the hall with the morning newspaper and a hot beverage in hand.

"Omri! You're back! How was your trip to Barvaria?"

"Great! Great! I just made a pot of coffee using a mix I bought there. You want to come inside for a cup and some catch-up?"

"Yes, please! I'd like that very much."

Jack follows Omri into his neighboring apartment, where he's guided into the kitchen. He takes a seat at the dinner table, which is mostly covered with vacation photos and sheets of loose paper.

"Must have been nice to be able to take a whole month off."

"Just one of the perks of having a high-paying job and being part of a rich family of archaeologists. So how are the rest of the gang doing, Jack?"

"Very well! Chang's just got a raise and Morris bought himself another set of wheels."

"How about Kaz?"

"Sadly, his music maker died again last night, this time for good perhaps. He said that he'd like to get a live musician in its place, if not for a lack of funds."

"Interesting. Last time I checked, he also expressed an interest in upsizing his restaurant. I actually offered him some money to help him get started, but he insisted that he doesn't want handouts. Told me that he's thinking about selling that old property of his, but it's so far out that I doubt any developer would be interested in it. Anyways, here your coffee."

Omri hands Jack a cup of the hot aromatic drink.

"Mmm. This smells quite good."

Though Jack has always been a tea person, he's grown to appreciate its "wilder" cousin over the years. He savors the fragrance a little longer before taking a sip.

"With an excellent taste to match!"

"A fine alternative example of German brewing, isn't it? Funny story behind it too! The innkeeper who introduced it to me got it from her daughter, who in turn came across it in a midnight rave!"

A rave? An innkeeper and his daughter?

Jack silently looks over the various photos, his eyes shifting from shot to shot before settling on a picture of the inn. Standing in front is a balding man in green overalls with a purple-haired teenager donning reddish sunglasses and a charm necklace, both smiling and waving at the camera.

Olivia and her father… Two more people from the alternate timeline…

Jack smiles and takes another sip. Seeing no other familiar faces in the photos, he looks at the loose papers. Upon closer observation, they look like a mix of random illustrations and writings.

"What are those?"

Omri places his cup down and scratches his stubbled chin.

"This? It's a little family research project that's been going on for generations. It started with one of my oldest ancestors, Dara III. Long ago, Dara came across a legendary figure dating back to the feudal era. He called this legend…"

Omri pulls out a sheet from the mess and holds it up, showing a rough sketch of a featureless warrior holding a sword.

"The Ageless."

Jack nearly chokes on his drink.

"I know, right? Now for some reason, Dara took an interest in this legend and started seeking out all the information he could about it. I don't know how he did it, but he somehow managed to gather a handful of tales regarding the Ageless. After his passing, his descendants continued to find out all they could. Centuries worth of work was put into this effort."

This revelation takes Jack completely by surprise. Over the years he did everything in his power to keep his identity and immortality a secret. How much does Omri's family know?

"Then… Ahem… How does the legend begin?"

"According to Dara's first entries, the Ageless was original a ruler of an ancient land. For unknown reasons, he never sired a biological heir of his own, so he passed on the mantle to a worthy successor before fading into obscurity. Afterwards, he spent his days traveling the world having one adventure after another. But that's not the craziest part! It's said that decades before his first disappearance, he faced against an evil demon with – I kid you not – GREAT FLAMING EYEBROWS! An interesting introduction, eh?"

Interesting, yes. And alarmingly accurate too.

"Well, uh. Impressive… Hm. Tell me more."

-o-

Meanwhile, in the dark reaches of space, a strange cylindrical object zooms towards Earth. It eventually breaches the atmosphere, burning through as it closes in on Japan.

Directly below, in the middle of a downtown park, Morris and Kaz are having breakfast sandwiches and OJ. It's not long until they notice the cylinder appear in the sky and make its way down to their location at an alarming speed.

"WATCH OUT!"

Morris, Kaz, and all other bystanders flee from the scene. About five miles from ground zero, jet engines stick out of the cylinder and propel towards the opposing direction, slowing its descent until it transitions to a crawl and begins to touch down into the park's large lake below. A flock of ducks flies from the lake just in time before the cylinder dips into the water, releasing a geyser of steam as the cool water makes contact with the burning cylinder.

As the steam clears, some of the bystanders curiously walk back towards the landing spot. The lake has completely evaporated leaving only the mysterious cylinder behind.

*BOOM!*

A fiery burst suddenly flares from the top, revealing an open hatch. And out of the hatch pops out a strange colorful humanoid wearing punkish clothing, hooting and hollering with a strange object in hand.

Morris and Kaz stare at it in disbelief.

"Is - is that an alien?"

"IT'S GOT A GUN!"

*PA-TCHEW!*

With a maniacal screech, the alien fires a laser beam into the sky.

"OL-LO-LO-LO-LO-LO!"

"OL-LO-LO-LO-LO-LO!"

More aliens emerge from the hatch and quickly spread out into the surrounding area. Soon the park is filled with a rainbow of crazed extraterrestrials going gung-ho with their laser guns like there's no tomorrow.

Morris pulls out a Desert Eagle from his hip, prompting a surprised look from Kaz.

"What? I have a license! Let's have Chang bring in the big boys!"

After the two run a safe distance away, Morris pulls out his cell phone and quickly dials a number.

*Boooooop*

"Hey, Morris! What's up?"

"Screw the formalities, Chang! This is an emergency! Send out a convoy of special units armed to the teeth STAT!"

"Whoa, seriously? What's the situation?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you! JUST CALL OUT THE CALVARY!"

*SKA-DOOSH!*

"NOW, DAMMIT! NOW!"

-o-

"And where is this Ageless One now?"

"We don't know. Our research has been ongoing, but we have no written record of his supposed travels after the 20th Century."

Jack holds back a sigh of relief.

Omri had just shared a summary of his family's findings. A more-or-less faithful record of his earlier travels after passing his crown, which thankfully ended centuries before the present time. And judging by Omri's expression, it doesn't look like he knows that the Ageless is right in front of him now.

He hopes…

"And do you believe this legend?"

"Well… As an average adult, I mostly regard the family project as a mere hobby opposed to a serious endeavor. But deep down…"

Omri holds up the sketch of Ageless with a glimmer of childlike wonder in his eyes.

"…There's a part of me that believes the legend is real."

As his friend, Jack wants to say there's nothing wrong with believing in such fantastic ideas. But at the same time, he doesn't want to indirectly encourage him any further.

Jack's about to take another sip of coffee when he hears the faint sound of rumbling outside.

"What was that?"

"I don't know… That sounded like it came from the city."

Omri picks up a remote and switches on a small TV on the kitchen counter. He flicks through the channels before stopping on the news network, where a breaking newscast is on.

"We're standing here downtown, where science fiction has just become reality! A UFO has landed in the park, bringing with it a group of aliens that are now raiding the city stree- ulp!"

A stray laser barely misses the on-site reporter.

"I'm out! I can't work in these conditions!"

The reporter and his crew make a break for it, judging by the sudden movements of the camera's POV. Though the visual is incredibly shaky, Jack is able make out a few armored cars entering the scene, with a familiar man in body armor leading the charge.

"Captain Chang!"

"Huh? Hey, you're right! It is him! Guess that makes sense, since he's also in charge of the Special Assault Te- Jack?"

Omri looks around and finds himself alone.

-o-

Jack hurries into his bedroom and opens his closet door. He quickly changes into a jumpsuit, complete with a mask and light armored padding. Then he kneels down to a multi-drawer cabinet, unlocks the top compartment, and slides it out to reveal its secret treasure.

His magic sword, still as pristine and magnificent as the day it was forged by the deities.

Combined with his unmatched fighting experience and physical prowess, his sole eternal companion has remained an instrument of justice throughout his everlasting travels. He has fought against countless enemies: from vast armies boldly declaring war under the open sky, to the covert seeking to instill chaos from the shadows. Together they have largely succeeded in maintaining peace, overthrowing many hostiles seeking supremacy and even preventing major wars from beginning. Granted, he hasn't been able to deal with ALL evils. But with the larger threats being taken care of, most of the world's nations have been able to focus on creating global unity.

Jack holds up the blade and briefly unsheathes it, respectfully contemplating its divine presence.

"It's that time again, my old friend."

He straps the sword to his side then runs back to the front door. Seeing no one around, he swiftly makes his way down the hall, through the fire escape, then out towards the city.

He was hoping that Earth's first alien encounter would be a pleasant one, but that can't be helped now. All that matters this moment is to get downtown before someone gets hurt…

-o-

"BLAAARRRRRGHHH!"

An alien screams in pain and slumps over, dying with an expression of shock on his face.

Against initial expectations, the Japanese Special Assault Team is doing surprisingly well against the invaders. Though they don't have any laser guns or space technology, their highly advanced tactical weapons are working wonders. Equipped with powerful assault rifles packing over a hundred miniature bullets per magazine, the SAT squadron is slowly cutting down the aliens' numbers.

During the sudden attack, public property has been shot up and a dozen flaming cars are scattered here and there. But thankfully, there seem to be no human casualties. The battle has moved to a large intersection, where the SAT has just finished off the last of the invaders.

Chang looks around at the carnage before turning to his lieutenant.

"This is nuts! I thought aliens were supposed to dominate humans the first round!"

"Probably helped that we have a base here in the city. Plus, they weren't wearing any armor, meaning any civilian packing heat could have shot back. Speaking of which, where's Morris?"

"Popped a few before running to safety. Says he'll take us out to drinks later. His treat!"

"Great! Cause after this, I could really use a cold o-"

*RATATATATATATATAT!*

A barrage of lasers hammers the asphalt before them. Looking at the source of the shots, they see another alien standing over them from the top of an incomplete building. This one has dark red skin and yellow eyes, a gaudy mismatched outfit complete with a large belt and an oversized finger ring, and two wrist-mounted miniguns.

"Not bad, earthmen! But now the real fun begins!"

The alien leaps from the rooftop and rains lasers down in midair. The officers move out of the way and quickly return fire, peppering the alien with their assault rifles until he hits the ground. Once the dust settles, they reload their rifles and slowly approach his fallen form riddled with bullets.

"There goes a nominee for the Darwin Award! He looks like a lump of Swiss cheese!"

"Yeah, but… Why isn't he bleeding?"

Suddenly the alien snaps back up and fires a few bursts, hitting a few of the officers.

"DAMMIT! Retaliate! Hurry!"

The SAT unload their magazines on the alien again, causing him to stumble back a bit. But once they stop, the alien is still standing. To the officers' bewilderment and horror, the alien flexes and forces the bullets out of his body, followed by his visible wounds healing and closing up almost instantaneously

"What the hell are you?!"

Chang steps forward and fires at the alien's head, with the rest of the officers shooting everywhere else on his body.

The alien laughs as he ignores the barrage of bullets, before holding a minigun up and aiming back at Chang.

"I. Am. UNKILLABLE!"

*CLANG!*

A manhole strikes the alien's arm aside, causing the officers freeze from the sudden interruption.

"Eh?! Where did that come FROOOOPMH!"

The alien is greeted by a strong flying kick to the face, sending him flying a good distance away. The officers stare in shock at him, then back to their mystery masked savior.

JACK'S BACK.

"GO! Take your wounded and leave here at once!"

Jack rushes at the alien, unsheathing his sword for combat.

"What now, Chang?"

"Do what he says! We'll get our men out first, then return later with heavier artillery!"

As the officers retreat, the alien squeezes out the last payload of bullets, then stands up and gives a death glare to Jack.

"You've got some real nerve waving that butter knife at me! You saw what good those peashooters did! I'm unkillable!"

Jack raises his sword, mildly offended at the alien's disrespect towards the sacred blade.

"No. You are at best bulletproof. And this butter knife will be the death of you."

"Fool!"

The alien aims both miniguns at Jack and starts firing once more. But with his agility and reflexes, the samurai is able to easily evade and slowly approach him. Before the alien knows it, Jack closes the gap between him and swings his sword.

*SCHKKT!*

The blade violently severs the alien's jugular, finally drawing a sickening stream of blood. The alien's eyes widen with shock, as he clutches his wound and staggers in place. To Jack's surprise, he lunges forward and manages to grab his neck. But before Jack can shove him off, he slaps his belt buckle and disappears in a flash of light.

"What?!"

Jack looks around for a few seconds before hearing a distant metallic clang, followed by the sound of a rocket engine. He turns towards the direction of the park and sees a small emergency pod soar back into the stars. The alien must have used a teleportation device to help make his escape.

The battle now over, Jack looks down at the large pool of dark crimson blood he's standing in. He knows it's a terrible thought, but he hopes that the alien will die before he gets a chance to tell the tale.

He's about to make his exit when he notices a tiny ripple in the macabre puddle.

A raindrop?

Jack looks up at the sky, still as cloudless as before, then back down. The ripple has turned into a small whirlpool, with some sort of odd writhing shape forming in the middle. As he cautiously kneels down for a closer look, the shape grows darker and darker until it becomes pitch black. Feeling uneasy by the sight, Jack slowly rises back to a standing position. He's about the back away from the growing mass when it suddenly takes hold of his foot.

*SKREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!*

By instinct, Jack plunges his sword into the shrieking atrocity. The form convulses and hisses against the submerged blade, before finally exploding and dissipating into the air like burnt leaves.

Jack feels his blood run cold, struck by a dreadful sense of familiarity from this thing's final throes.

"No… It can't be…"

-o-

Somewhere, on a distant unknown planet rests an underground pit. In this pit lies a swirling abyss of darkness, bubbling with the faint sounds of muffled voices.

In the middle of the abyss slowly rises a shadowy figure, floating in the air for a few seconds before opening a pair of pure black eyes with glowing red pupils.

"It begins..."