Webwork

By Trackula and Co-written by Eduard Kassel

C08 - The New Hunt: Part 1

Light was not his friend, Jackie thought with a wince as he groggily opened his eyes and was suddenly assaulted by the blinding rays. They seemed to lance directly into his skull and sear his brain, awakening his headache along with him. He groaned and quickly shut his eyes again, covering his face with his right forearm as he forced himself to slowly adjust to the land of the living.

"Welcome back, Jackie," came a smooth deep voice the archeologist recognized as Captain Black. Barely parting his eyelids, he turned to see the blurred and hazy shadows of Black, and the massive shadow beside him was clearly Tohru.

Summoning all his will, Jackie forced himself to sit up, his eyes still shielded, and his temples throbbing from exhaustion. He had no idea how long he'd slept, but it clearly wasn't enough. He looked left, then right, the blurring eventually giving way as he assessed the situation he was waking up into.

Jackie was apparently on one of the Section 13 infirmary beds, Uncle was snoring loudly on the bed beside him, and Tohru and Black were sitting at the desk to his left. He looked over at Uncle in concern. The old man seemed fine enough, but tough as he was he was still an elderly man and had been through the same grief as Jackie, not to mention he'd been closer to that explosion. Considering how Jackie felt, he was justifiably concerned for the oldest living Chan.

As tough and reliable as the elder was, it was important to remember he wasn't invincible. Jackie looked down at his hand, the phantom sensation of coarse fur over a hard shell still registering. Jade's new leg felt as alien as she looked. Looking back at the old man, Jackie wished he'd recover quickly; they needed his guidance now more than ever.

"How are you feeling, Jackie?" Black asked, his tone solemn and tired. Jackie wondered if he or Tohru had even rested since he'd last seen them.

Rubbing his eyes to wipe away the sleep, Jackie gave a thick gravelly, "I'm… fine. What happened since I was out?"

"What is the last thing you remember, Jackie?" Tohru spoke up, his voice somber.

"Well… Jade leaving after that strange explosion," Jackie muttered, trying not to remember the look his niece had given him, or her ominous parting words. He quickly pushed the thought aside, "Do you know how she broke free?"

Jackie noticed the look Tohru and Black exchanged. Tohru sighed, and turned to give the archeologist a clear view of the table. On it was several fragments of painted and singed wood. The largest chunk resembled about half of the mask of Tarakudo, while the rest was broken chips and splinters puzzled together.

Jackie looked at the ruined demonic visage for a full minute before stating dryly, "Do I even WANT to know?"

"No," Tohru answered honestly.

With a deep sigh, Jackie looked back at his friends and said, "Thought so. Tell me anyways."

XXX

"Wake. Up." The voice was firm and cold, the tone was level but it was impossible not to detect the rage trembling barely contained beneath the words. It was more than enough to rouse Jade from her beauty sleep.

Jade had been exhausted and sore when she'd warped to this old empty photography studio she'd decided to take as her temporary base. She'd found it when looking for the electronics store, and marked it as a possible escape route.

The young queen quickly knit several healing weaves to wrap herself in to deal with the burns from the DCler and that explosion she'd been at ground zero for. The force of which she could still feel bouncing around inside her exoskeleton. With that done, and securely bound in the soothing aura of her spell, she'd quickly fashioned a nice big web to collapse in.

It was tedious and irritating work in her injured and disheartened state, but worth the effort. Sleep took her almost immediately. So it was not a welcome wake-up call at all, to suddenly be roused by that tone, and see her employer's burning yellow gaze looking down at her from one of the old studio mirrors.

Tarakudo didn't wait for her to respond, seeing his general's six eyes part was more than enough. There was no trace of amusement or arrogance on his demonic face this time. It was all washed away by white-hot anger visible just below the stiff surface.

"Do you have ANY idea what you have just DONE?" he stated, his narrow eyes cold and dark.

Jade sat up, nervously clearing her throat, but her incensed boss cut her off before she could get a word in.

"No, you haven't a clue, do you. Or you wouldn't have done such a thoughtless thing in the first place," he added, fangs bared. "If it weren't for my own staggering amount of power, I would be DEAD right now. As it stands I BARELY survived that little stunt of yours."

"My GENERALS though," he added grimly, his cold ancient eyes piercing through Jade's own, "were not so fortunate. Or what did you THINK would happen if you crushed a prison cell with the prisoners STILL INSIDE?"

"I didn't have a choice!" Jade snapped, fighting back the coldness creeping down her limbs as his words sunk in, "If I didn't I'd still be stuck in that glue-trap and-"

"YOU WERE TRAPPED BY YOUR OWN IDIOCY!" Tarakudo raged, his anger finally breaking through the veneer of forced calm. "Your disgusting human feelings for your enemies distracted you into falling for their pathetic little ploy! You didn't understand the stakes and NOW look at where you've brought us with your naivety!"

"I-I'm sorry…" Jade couldn't help saying, lowering her head. Her shoulders shook, and she reached back, protectively placing both her upper hands protectively over her abdomen. She knew intellectually that Tarakudo couldn't harm her, cruel words aside. But seeing the usually calm and composed Oni King so enraged was such a shock she couldn't help but feel nervous and intimidated.

'I didn't mean to get trapped, or kill the Generals! But… My… My feelings AREN'T pathetic! He could NEVER understand what I'm going through!' she thought bitterly, using all her self-control to keep from saying so.

"Apologies are useless," he scoffed, regaining some of his calm. "We have no time to waste on frivolous things like that. What's done is done; all that's left is to move forward."

"Forward… to what?" Jade hazarded, suspecting Tarakudo wouldn't have approached her just to browbeat her into submission. He was mad, yes, but showing it was a weakness. He wouldn't do so unless he had to, which meant this might not be as hopeless as it seemed.

"Simply put…" Tarakudo began-

XXX

"I'm not sure Jade realized it at the time when breaking the mask," Tohru began awkwardly. "But as we saw from the explosion, it almost certainly destroyed the Oni Generals within. Though the fact that this mask is still somewhat intact means Tarakudo is still alive, and sealed within."

"Why would Jade leave the mask behind, then?" Jackie wondered, "Her whole plan was to get it back."

"It was," Tohru nodded, "When she crushed it, though, she probably suspected it was destroyed and rendered useless. Which is fortunate for us, it means we still hold the worst of the Oni."

"Hopefully she doesn't try to rectify that anytime soon," Black muttered, taking a sip from his "#1 Agent" coffee mug. "She won't fall for that trap twice."

Jackie's eyes narrowed at the mention of the trap, and the circumstances leading up to it, but he held his tongue. Looking over to Tohru, he stated, "But that's not the bad news, is it."

"No," Tohru acknowledged, looking over the mask lying in ruins before them, "The bad news is-"

XXX

"-The Generals may be dead, thanks to you," Tarakudo stated harshly, watching Jade wince as he drove that point home, "but the power they commanded is not."

"The… Shadowkhan Tribes are still there?" Jade blinked, surprised at the revelation.

"Such potent dark forces are not so easily snuffed out," the Lord of the Shadowkhan stated humorlessly. He claimed he wanted to move forward but Jade still got the distinct impression that he would happily rip her legs off and beat her senseless with the wet ends. She was still wrapping her head around the idea that the Nine Generals besides herself had been killed with a mere snapping of wood.

'You screwed up, Jade, he's right,' she admitted to herself somberly. 'You really are sucking at this Dark Queen deal. But no more, you're an adult. Time to bring you're A-Game. No playing around.'

"If they weren't wiped out," she asked, crossing her four arms, "Where are they?"

XXX

"The Shadowkhan Tribes have essentially been beheaded, er… no pun intended," Tohru winced slightly. "But they won't stay that way for long, I'm sure."

Jackie frowned, a sense of familiar foreboding building in his gut. He'd been here one too many times, already. "Let me guess. They're going to find new Hosts and we must find and seal all nine."

"Ten now," Black corrected, making Jackie's eye twitch at the thought.

Tohru blinked slightly taken aback, but nodded slightly, "Yes, actually. Was… was it that obvious?"

"I'm just starting to notice patterns with the direction of my life these days," Jackie grumbled rubbing the bridge of his nose, already feeling tired as he considered the events to come.

"Now we just have to find out what sort of 'hosts' evil shadow mutants would be drawn to," Black pointed out, tapping his index finger on the table.

XXX

"Our advantage is being able to sense our kin," Tarakudo sighed, the setback clearly weighing down on him.

"But we won't be able to do that until they've bonded with their new Generals. Whoever they find most compatible, nine lucky little mortals are about to find the mother of all Dark Force golden tickets." His eyes narrowed with an angry grimace, and he added, "Which could be anyone anywhere on this whole miserable planet."

Jade blinked, "So, you're saying-"

XXX

With a deep sigh, Jackie shifted out of the sickbed and reached for his phone, "We need to call in some help."

"Viper and El Toro?" Black asked, already expecting the answer.

Jackie nodded and started searching through his phone, "If we're going to be jumping all over the globe with Tarakudo AND… Jade as our competition, we need to give put in our best effort from the start."

All three exchanged looks, the thought of going on such an endeavor without Jade at their side was bad enough. As much as he hated to think of his cute niece being in the line of fire, she had been the heart of their group and they all knew it. Now though, not only was their niece lost to them for the foreseeable future, she was the opposition.

Jade probably hated him for seemingly luring her into that trap, Jackie couldn't help but imagine. Who knew what that anger, and the desperation of the chase would bring out of a girl as amazingly resourceful as his niece. He shuddered to think of it.

Jackie was interrupted from his inner thoughts by a powerful aroma, and heat meeting his nostrils. Looking down, he saw Captain Black holding out a fresh mug towards him.

"That's the look of a man who could use a fresh cup o' joe," Black stated sympathetically. Jackie gratefully accepted the offer.

XXX

"Get ready," Tarakudo stated flatly, "We're moving the moment I sense the first chosen Host."

"And Jade," he added before fading her sight, "NEVER again will you fail me so."

The young queen wasn't sure if he could back up the unspoken threat, especially since she was certain she was the only agent the Oni King had left. But still, his words were ringing loudly and ominously in her ears. She sighed in relief when she was finally left alone to the peace of her web.

'So, another globetrotting adventure, after over eight years…' she mused to herself.

There was a moment of thoughtful silence, but then her composure crumpled quickly, and a very unladylike giggle forced itself out of her throat. Jade bounced excitedly in her web, pumping her four fists into the air as she imagined the adventure and excitement to come.

"Did you hear that, Sweeties?" Jade stated excitedly, a fanged grin spreading from ear to ear. "An adventure! Action, excitement, traveling, the whole thing! I'm SO psyched!"

She reached over and excitedly stroked her abdomen, feeling the eggs' curiosity at their mother's sudden elation after those dark feelings of moments earlier. "You're about to see Mommy REALLY strut her stuff, 'cause this magic adventure business?"

Her flames flared out reaching the studio ceiling while her eyes narrowed and took on a brighter red light, and her smirk broadened. "This is my element."

XXX

"And that's the… situation," Jackie mumbled, pushing the security photos to the center of the table. Several were of the dark cocoon taken back at the factory, some were snapshots from the electronics shop security footage, and the rest were Section 13 surveillance footage. Jade in her monstrous inflamed spider form was perfectly displayed in most of them. The new breed of strange female arachnid warriors was showcased in the others.

An overwhelming silence fell over the five at the table when Jackie finished giving his account of what happened to their guests. Jackie and Uncle waited patiently as Viper, El Toro and Paco digested the news, able to empathize with their sense of horror and disbelief they were going through. On some level, Jackie knew he was still right there with them.

They were all at the kitchen table of Uncle's shop, each of the guests having shown up as quickly as possible after getting the emergency summons. He served the three tea and Jackie then dove right into the unpleasant details. Black was busy overseeing the repairs to Section 13 AGAIN, and Tohru was in the back room trying to prepare for the coming struggle.

All the lights were turned on in the kitchen, brighter than normal as if the simple act could ward off some measure of the darkness they could feel hanging over them. The soothing scent of the tea was more comforting, familiar a constant. Jackie wondered not for the first time if Uncle's fixation on tea was based on that.

A constant in his life from his long past childhood in China to his life here in San Francisco. It certainly helped Jackie now with not only recalling the time before magic had become an unwelcome driving force of his life. But also, sipping the cup he could picture Jade doing the same.

Even recalling how she would take a small sip always to test the heat despite how much time had passed. Perhaps she burned her tongue when she was younger and never got over that strange cautious habit. Strange because she was so reckless in most everything else.

A cup clinked into its saucer and El Toro finished his tea. The masked man took a moment to massage his eyes before glancing between Jackie and Uncle.

"Senor Uncle, you have coffee?" he asked. They did actually, Tohru and Jackie used it sometimes and hospitality demanded they be ready to serve Black or the other J-Team members who partook. The unspoken implication of the wrestler needing something stronger was appreciated.

It occurred to Jackie as the large man in the suit pushed back from the table that El Toro may just need to do something, anything productive to process what he had heard.

"Jade really said she's been gone eight whole years?" Viper asked, shaking her head in disbelief. The beautiful ex-thief could hardly comprehend the young energetic preteen being spirited away for that long seemingly overnight. Just as much as she didn't want to imagine the twisted creature on these photos was her cute overly enthusiastic young friend.

Unfortunately, the smile she wore on some of those photos, the goofy little endorsement she made in the electronics shop, it was all very Jade. Something that looked so truly alien and demonic shouldn't act anything like Jade, it was a perversion of everything the young Chan was.

"That's what she said," Jackie admitted, taking another long sip to try to keep from dwelling on the question, "Among other things…"

Viper winced, knowing Jackie was referring to Jade's apparently proud declaration that she was expecting. Jackie had choked on those words when describing the events until now, and Viper couldn't blame him. She looked down at her reflection in her teacup, an improvement over looking at those awful photos, or Jackie's hopeless expression.

Viper turned to Jackie, and saw the archeologist simply looking down at his teacup, abstaining from answering himself. He looked terrible, pale and worn, somehow thinner than she'd last seen him. The sight made her insides clench. Jade was the one who believed in her most when she'd turned over a new leaf. To see someone with such compassion warped like this, to the point that her uncle looked so hopeless…

"There's… just something I want to know," Viper asked, her words uncharacteristically hesitant, considering the confidence she usually radiated. "Just so we're clear… whether we can fix her or not… you or the old man don't think Jade will ever be like she was?"

"Jade was away in that place, filled with Dark Chi, for longer than we knew her," Uncle answered in Jackie's place, his tone somber and level. "Even had she not transformed into this creature, she would have grown into a veeeery different person than we knew."

There was a moment of silence from Viper, and then she swallowed down the last of her tea and stood up. "I see. Pardon me fellas, gotta powder my nose…"

Wish that she stood and briskly walked to the bathroom, shutting the door without a word. Uncle cast the door a look, and sighed. He knew enough about the woman to know she wasn't one to show weakness in front of others, whether she trusted them or not.

"Senor Yackie?" Paco muttered, looking up from a photo of Jade pinning a poor agent to a wall, a self-satisfied fang-filled smirk across her new adult face. The young luchador-in-training swallowed nervously and pushed the photo away. He cast a needy look towards where his mentor prepared a fresh pot, then swallowed and asked, "Tarakudo is the one controlling Yade, si?"

"Well… controlling is…" Jackie began, not sure how to express to the young man that Jade didn't seem at all coerced. This wasn't a subject that he felt qualified to give any sort of definite statement on. But he could tell the young man was looking for some hope that Jade wasn't responsible for her current amoral agenda. Jackie swallowed nervously and carefully stated, "He seems to be the one guiding her, yes."

"Then, if we defeat demonio, we may free Yade, we can…" he trailed off when he noticed Jackie and Uncle exchange a troubled look at Paco's optimism.

El Toro took this moment to slip back into his seat beside Paco, a steaming mug of black coffee before him. Paco glanced over at his mentor, and then turned back to the Chans, his eyes narrowed in determination. He pressed on; pushing the idea of accepting Jade in this state from his thoughts. "Yade may be a big araña now, but she is still Yade! She is not gone, so there is still hope if we defeat the source of this evil!"

Uncle, Jackie and El Toro regarded Paco silently for a moment. The boy's rather typical childhood optimism was showing through strongly. Though one couldn't fault him for thinking so; of all the people who wore the Oni Masks, Paco alone was able to summon up the willpower needed to rip his off on his own. If anything, his conviction was well-earned. Jackie could only hope it was also infectious.

The masked luchador nodded solemnly at his student's words, and then took a sip of his coffee before addressing the group, "So what happens now?"

"We can no longer stand on the shoulders of giants to help us reach the peak. The climb is now ours," Uncle stated, his wrinkled fingers intertwined, "Lo Pei, the Eight Immortals, the warrior monks who defeated the Oni Generals, we were fortunate to be able to follow the paths they left future generations."

His pale brown eyes narrowed behind his glasses, "Now we are on our own. This situation is without precedent, Jade is something new. No longer will we be given answers from those who came before."

"Do you really think we are up to that? Without the talismans we are down to whatever you and Senor Tohru can come up with. Also, it sounds like Jade is no slouch in magic making herself, these days," El Toro pointed out critically. Unlike the others, his tone was calm and firm.

"A pointless questioooon!" Uncle waved off contemptuously, "We have to be up to it, the stakes of this contest is tooooo big to fail!"

"If that's the case," Viper stated calmly, walking back up to the table, "what options do we have? I'm not about to believe your hat has run fresh out of rabbits, you old wizard."

Uncle and Jackie regarded her for a moment, surprised she'd come back so quickly. The old man figured that Viper was the sort to quickly lick her wounds and move on. Though he was glad she was so expedient with such matters.

Jackie stood up, and indicated for the group to follow him, "Follow me to the backroom. Tohru's been working on something for the last several hours. Hopefully it will be the first step to solving this crisis."

"Yes, my student has been veeery dedicated to finding solution!" Uncle pointed out with some pride as they made their way to the study. El Toro, Paco and Viper followed closely, none of them expecting to really follow whatever mystical solutions the wizards came up with. But that was nothing new, better to just have faith in the nonsensical craft and move forward as usual.

They found the massive Chi Wizard surrounded by a virtual nest of thick heavy-bound volumes piled high nearly to the ceiling tiles. The enclosed study smelled of sweat and frustration, and several books were scattered on either side of Tohru with their pages marked. They could faintly hear a sound like focused mumbling coming from his direction.

Was he talking to himself as he worked? Viper wondered somewhat nervously. Last thing they needed was stress getting to their backup wizard.

"Tohru, have you come up with anything?" Jackie asked softly, getting his friend's attention, while hoping to not startle him.

Tohru shot up with a start and twisted his thick neck around to look upon his sudden audience. His eyes were bloodshot, and sweat visibly trailed across his brow. He rubbed it away with the back of his wrist and swallowed, self-conscious at the sudden audience.

"I'm… afraid I still do not have a method of extracting raw Shadowkhan essence," Tohru muttered, clearly upset at his own perceived inadequacy. His brow knit and he added, "Though it seems from what I've been able to put together that the general theory is… once the Essence bonds completely, separation is virtually impossible…"

The implication was clear enough that Jackie's skin turned ashen, and Uncle sucked his dentures unconsciously. El Toro crossed his arms, and Paco just seemed confused and upset, shifting closer to his teacher's side. Eight years was a long time for darkness to bond, after all, it wasn't a leap for all the adults to reach such a conclusion.

Viper was able to find her voice before the archeologist, and asked softly, "Then, does that mean Jade…"

"It's… just a theory," Tohru stated helplessly rubbing his nose, clearly grasping at straws. "It doesn't seem anyone has ever dealt with such raw Shadow Essence before…"

"What have you come up with, Tohruuu?" Uncle asked stiffly, losing his already miniscule patience. "You have been in study for hours, do not tell Uncle you have found nothiiiing!"

Tohru winced and after some internal debate stepped aside and revealed the contents displayed across the center of the desk. It seemed to be some sort of old atlas of the west coast, and on top of which was what seemed to be a Juzu tied to a splinter of red wood. The majority of the crowd could only stare uncomprehendingly at the seemingly random objects, but Uncle immediately "Hmmm"ed and rubbed his chin in thought.

"Veeeery interesting," Uncle admitted, shifting in close and looking over the objects. He reached up and patted his large former apprentice on the shoulder with a slight smile. Tohru smiled sheepishly at the rare praise and rubbed the back of his head.

"Thank you, Sensei," he mumbled self-consciously as he looked away, "but we will not know if it works until one of the Essences finds a host."

Annoyed, Viper crossed her arms and spoke up, her right eyebrow rose, "How about you clue in the laymen in the peanut gallery, Dumbledore?"

"Aiyah! Should be obviouuuus!" Uncle scoffed. "Tohru has made locator spell for Shadowkhan Essence!"

"You have?" Jackie asked, surprised at the rare show of possible good news in what felt like days. Tohru looked over at him and frowned before nodding slightly.

"If it works, yes. This is a fragment of Tarakudo's mask," Tohru explained, pointing to the sliver at the end of the string of beads. "With this we should be able to douse the location of the Essence on this map once one finds a host. But again, it's untested…"

"Well, hopefully we'll have a way to extract the essence long before we need to test it," Jackie muttered aloud, looking over the display. The thought of his next altercation with Jade left his mouth tasting of ash. It was hard enough to bring himself to fight her when she was merely blue, he dreaded facing her as a giant spider monster. He may not have the luxury of pulling his punches against his niece. Or worse, the thought that he wouldn't even have the luxury of pulling his punches if push came to shove.

As if on cue, the mask fragment of the dousing beads began to twitch, pulling slightly along the map millimeter by millimeter in a jerking manner. All eyes followed the display in silence, before several accusing glares turned towards Jackie.

Jackie blinked and looked over the angry stares nervously before asking, "What? What did I do?"

"You do not watch very much television, do you, Senor Yackie," Paco deadpanned.

XXX

"Jade. Jaaaaaaade," Tarakudo spoke up from the mirror, trying to ignore the indignity of one of his status acting as an alarm clock to his vassal.

The General in question was splayed out over her web, looking quite the opposite of Queenly decorum. Apparently young Jade was far from the most graceful sleeper, her eight legs were splayed out over her web, twitching slightly as she dreamed. While her head rested on a pillowy mass of silk she hugged tightly in her forearms. Tarakudo tried to ignore the rhythmic snoring, and the strand of drool soaking the pillow for his own sake.

He vaguely wondered what she could possibly be dreaming about, after setting their plans back and inadvertently slaying all her colleagues in a single ill-thought motion. The thought brought the familiar anger to his thoughts and he finally barked out a loud and harsh, "JADE! WAKE UP!"

With a start, the Arachnid Monarch shot up, six eyes wide, and shouting, "THE BURGER CROCODILE!"

There was a pause as she blinked, and then reoriented her thoughts, looking back and forth to assess the unfamiliar surroundings. It was the same old decrepit photography studio like before and same sour red face staring at her.

Jade pouted at the sudden wake-up call, and rubbed her six eyes carefully. Doing so made her notice the state of herself, and she then turned away from her boss and wiped her face in horror to hurriedly remove any of the spit from her chin and cheek.

The Queen turned, hiding her dark purple blush, and glared drowsily and bitterly at the Oni King, "I don't remember asking for a wake-up call, Eyebrows. What's up?"

"Though sheer morbid curiosity DEMANDS I ask what you were dreaming just now, I'll shove that thought aside for the pressing business at hand," he stated flatly. Inwardly enjoying her blush deepen at the revelation that he'd heard what she'd exclaimed upon awakening.

"What business?" she muttered with a yawn, sitting up on her web and stretching all four arms above her head. He could hear the plating creak against eachother as she limbered up.

"The ONLY business; one of the Essences has found a new host," The Lord of Shadowkhan declared. Jade perked up at that and leaned in close.

"Reeeeally?" she muttered, suddenly smirking, her fangs popping out as she imagined the day to come. "Well that was fast. What a nice bit of news to be rudely woken up to."

"Glad to see your head's in the game," Tarakudo nodded in approval. "I should mention for better or for worse, this one is an old friend of yours."

Jade blinked, and then placed all four hands on her hips as she regarded the Oni face in the mirror, "Okay, just so we're clear, is this a literal friend, or are you just being annoyingly overdramatic like before with the Spider Queen?"

Lord Tarakudo just grumbled and told her where to go and who to find, enjoying Jade's sudden look of shock with a minor degree of schadenfreude.

XXX

The walls of the penitentiary shook as waves of black energy surged and rocked through the foundation of the massive complex. Some guards and staff were fortunate enough to see the catastrophe from the maximum-security wing swiftly approaching. They turned to run, but shadows dogged their every step at terrifying speed. Soon the air was filled with the sounds of steel flying through the air, and screams of fear and pain.

Only the inmates seemed to be spared, viewed as below the notice of the advancing mass of gloom and living shadow destroying all in its path as it slithered at a casual pace towards the main entrance. From the center of the black wave, a crooked stooped form walked, his body wrapped in black.

The old man grinned a grin of crooked yellow fangs framed by a winkled blue face. His right eye glowed a fiery solid red, while the left was a pale sickly pink and framed by an ancient arcane tattoo. Both malevolent beacons filled the steel halls as they regarded his former fellow inmates of this pathetic mortal kennel. These common criminals were beneath his notice, which he considered a form of mercy.

But those fools who worked in this pit had forced their better to suffer indignity after unforgivable indignity. There would be no mercy for a single damned soul in his path. Let this be a reminder to the world of the consequences of offending one such as he; a being beyond their feeble pathetic mortal nightmares.

Daolon Wong clenched his fists and breathed in, feeling the mass of evil within him swell like never before. He felt young again; better than he had even in his prime centuries prior. The Evil Chi was alive in him and begging to be released, so he obliged. Several more shadowy constructs shaped like Shinobi rose around him, and he sent them forward on their grim task.

He was forced to admit, these Shadowkhan he'd been mysteriously blessed with were far superior to his demon familiars, Gan, Ren and Chui, whom he'd once been so proud of. So many, so loyal, and so horrifically efficient. His imagination overflowed with the possibilities and opportunities to come.

The Dark Wizard-turned-Oni let loose a low purring chuckle as he considered his sudden fortune. "Once again, the Forces of Darkness favor their Lord with an act of divine sanction."

XXX

"We're still counting the dead," Black stated softly, standing rigid in the kitchen before the others. "Thankfully, no one else managed to escape in the chaos. It seems they were… too terrified to leave their cells. Though from their testimonies, we at least know which Tribe he has."

Augustus Black looked calm, but Jackie knew his old friend well enough to see through the stern mask at the rage beneath. Black would not show it while on the job, but the thought of those men and women cut down, and so many families who would mourn this night was eating at him like a cancer.

Jackie told himself he'd talk to Black in private, but for now there was the dire news to process.

"Well this whole mess certainly didn't waste any time in escalating," Viper muttered, seeming a bit green at the description of the carnage from Wong's bloody egress. "Not surprised he has the Ninja, the old bastard's a traditionalist."

"I do not recall Daolon Wong being quite so… unrestrained in the past," El Toro pointed out; glad Black had sent Paco away on an errand before giving the news. The last thing the luchador wanted was to expose his young friend to such distasteful business.

"Unrestrained," Viper laughed humorlessly, "that's a diplomatic way of describing the situation."

"Oni as a rule are vicious passionate creatures, Tarakudo was something of an exception," Tohru explained, settling back into his chair. He winced slightly as he added, "I imagine such a nature compounding Wong's already monstrous personality would have… very twisted consequences…"

"Of all the people to be bonded to an Essence," Jackie sighed, slumping back into his seat.

"Seems to me he's EXACTLY the sort of person the Shadowkhan would want as a master," Viper pointed out, leaning against the table. "Frankly, we should expect more of the same from the other eight."

The men of the room exchanged troubled glances from Viper's observation, all of them imagining their past adversaries suddenly blessed with the power to summon an army of perfectly obedient monsters. Monsters they still had no idea how to remove.

"At the very least, we know that Senor Tohru's tracking method works," El Toro pointed out, focusing on the one positive of the situation.

"Yes, thankfully," Tohru nodded, somewhat sheepish at the accomplishment, "Though this method will only work until the bonding has completed. We can't track Jade with this."

The ex-thief took a sip of her tea, then glared at nothing in particular. "Wong is a weed. No matter how many times we yank the wrinkled old goblin, he always seems to pops right back up."

"I tried to explain how dangerous he is," Black added bitterly, his knuckles white at his side, "that they should have placed him under the heaviest security possible, but most of his crimes couldn't even be PROVEN, let alone believed. All they saw was a crooked old man, ranting insanely. It was a wonder we got Wong processed in the first place, for all the good it did…"

"You did the best you could," Jackie pointed out, placing his right hand on Black's shoulder. "Nobody could have held Wong with the Shadowkhan essence empowering him. But we WILL find him, and put a stop to him before he causes anymore harm."

"We certainly will," Black muttered darkly, shrugging his friend's hand aside. Black felt the familiar bitterness welling strongly in his gut towards the system and its inability to keep up with the very real supernatural forces threatening the public.

Jackie blinked when he realized they hadn't heard from the most opinionated member of their group since the news of Wong's empowerment and escape. Looking over he saw the old wizard calmly and methodically filling his tote bag with various magical catalysts, potions, and talismans. Uncle seemed dead to the room as he checked and double-checked the contents of his bag, thin lips tight and brow knit.

"Uncle?" Jackie asked in concern, his right eyebrow raised. His question roused the attention of the others in the room as he suddenly noticed the silent old man.

"Daolon Wong killed those men and women as a matter of pride," Uncle explained levelly, not looking up as he worked. "Being placed in a mundane prison with his powers sealed was the greeeatest humiliation for a Dark Wizard. His brutality was a means of washing away his weakness with a show of sheer strength."

There was a pause as the old man's explanation was processed by the room. Tohru nodded once, "Yes Sensei, that sounds like how a man like Daolon Wong might think, but what are you-"

"Uncle is REEEEASON Wong's powers were sealed and he was imprisoned," the old wizard interrupted, finally looking up at the men and woman before him.

Uncle sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly behind his glasses, and added, "One more thing. Killing the guards was a statement, not personal. With Uncle it IS personal, and Wong's pride as a wizard demands he wash away old shame with blood."

Jackie shot up to his feet with a start, his eyes wide as he moved to the old man's side, "Wong is coming for you, Uncle?! Are you sure?!"

He winced when he was struck, but appreciated the familiarity of the gesture in these crazy times all the same, "Of course Uncle is sure! Daolon Wong will come sooner or later, so Uncle must prepare for coming duel!"

"You're not going alone, Uncle," Jackie stated firmly, prepared to push the point if he had to. Let the old man be stubborn. Like hell would he sit back and let him face that ancient monster alone. Tohru and the others stepped forward about to state a similar claim, but Uncle cast them all a look that shut their mouths in an instant.

"Tohru will need help if he is to find means of extracting Essence in time! That means reeesearch which is time we do not have! Uncle will be able to distract Wong as you search for the solution! One more thing, there is no other way!" he stated firmly, leaning forward to let his piercing brown eyes hammer his point home to his much younger comrades.

"We still have all the ingredients from Japan in stock at Section 13," Black pointed out, "including the Japanese steel we needed for the Ninja-khan. We can- Ow!"

Uncle pulled back his hand from smacking Black and shrilly bit out, "Mask removal spell no longer applies! There are no masks to remove! We cannot rely on ancient spells! We can only make our own way."

He looked over at his student, Tohru looking lost and upset at his teacher's plans. "I have faith that Tohru will find the answer we seek. But Uncle will not waste time."

"Uh… Senor Uncle?" came Paco's voice from the backdoor, interrupting the argument. They had nearly forgotten about the luchador-in-training in the heat of their discussion. His voice however sounded oddly strained and hesitant. All eyes looked over and a cold chill ran through the room.

Paco was standing stock still, his face pale as death with perspiration running down his neck. A glittering four-pointed steel star was pressed lightly over the boy's carotid artery, clenched in steady blue fingers. The black-clad shadow ninja crouched silently behind the boy just beyond the door, its narrow cruel red eyes regarding all the members of the J-Team closely.

El Toro was at the door in an instant, his fists raised. "Get away from the boy, Demonio!"

The Shadowkhan regarded him silently, tightening his grip around the boy's wrists, making Paco wince visibly. The members of the J-Team surrounded the door on all sides, besides the luchador. All eyes looked over the monster and its hostage, trying to find a clear shot. But they all could tell rather quickly that the there was no way to reach the ninja safely without forfeiting Paco.

"I-I'm alright, El Toro," Paco insisted, putting on a brave front, in spite of how his knees shook. "I'm sorry, it surprised me."

"It's alright, Paco, you're being very brave," El Toro stated, teeth grit as he glared hatefully at the Shadowkhan, imagining his fists around its slender blue throat.

"What does Shadowkhan want?" Uncle asked, eyes narrowed, as he moved up to El Toro's side past the others. He raised an ancient eyebrow and asked calmly, "Whyyyy are you here, Daolon Wong?"

The Shadowkhan's eyes flared a brighter red, and to the group's shock, it spoke. Though the voice projected from the Ninja was that of the cruel sorcerer, twisted and distorted like all Oni. "Very clever, old fool. I am most pleased to see you haven't dulled since our last encounter."

"Get to the point, Wong," Jackie glared, fists up. He was ready to spring forward and grab Paco at the instant he could get a clear chance.

"Be silent, Boy!" Wong snapped through his new minion, "I am speaking with your Elder!"

He turned back to Uncle and smugly added, "As you can see, I have been granted a boon from on high for my tireless dedication to the forces of Darkness. The balance is now tilted in my favor, and I have such grand designs for the future."

The Shadowkhan's cruel red eyes narrowed, "but before I can move on, I WILL have satisfaction."

"Uncle sees old dog has not used any time locked in kennel for self-improvement," Uncle stated dryly, clearly unimpressed. "But if you think cheap new tricks give you a better shot at Uncle, name the time and place!"

The Shinobi gave a cruel laugh, and stated casually, "You cannot comprehend the joy it gives me to imagine the miserable end I have planned for your pathetic excuse for a life. But just so there is some sport to be had, I will allow you to choose the place, Wizard. I do not want this duel to be over too quickly."

"Very well, return boy and Uncle will leave for battlefield of his choosing," Uncle stated without hesitation, ignoring several voices of protest at his sides.

The shinobi regarded Paco dispassionately for a moment, the boy shaking harder in his grip now that attention was being focused on him by his assailant. There was a deadly moment of silence, which ended in cold relief when the Shadowkhan gave a disinterested shrug. "Fine, I have other business to attend to, and don't have the patience to drag around an irritating hostage. I know you're not so cowardly as to force my hand, old fool. I suggest you move quickly, or I shall be far less accommodating in the near future. Go wherever you wish to die, I will be watching from the shadows..."

With that, Paco was shoved forward falling into El Toro's grateful arms, and the Shadowkhan sunk into the pavement and away from sight without a sound. Paco took deep nervous breaths in El Toro's arms, clearly shaken from his close brush with death. But to the relief of the group, and El Toro in particular, he seemed none the worse for wear.

Taking this as his cue to leave, Uncle turned and began to move towards the door without a word. Jackie quickly noticed the action and moved between the old wizard and the door, barring his path. Uncle looked up at Jackie in annoyance, crossing his arms, and declared in irritation, "Nephew will moooove aside!"

"Uncle please, you can't go there alone," Jackie tried to reason to the old man. His voice was strained as he considered possibly losing Uncle just like he had already lost Jade in a very real sense. "Daolon Wong is more powerful now than ever, it would be suicide! He may even… may even be working with Jade!"

"I doubt that, actually," Viper interrupted, placing her hand on Jackie's arm. "Yeah, they're both full of the same voodoo, but evil nor not… I really cannot see Jade working with a petty wrinkled worm like Wong. Not to mention Wong probably has as much of a grudge against her as Uncle, too. It's a faint comfort, I know, but I doubt she'll be involved in this. Woman's intuition."

There was a moment of silence as everyone considered Viper's words. Eventually Uncle looked up into Jackie's eyes and sighed, his old brow furrowed as he considered his words. When he spoke his voice was firm and confidant, "Uncle is not afraid of death. I am very old and have done my duty. I do not intend to lose, but if I do, Tohru is the heir to my knowledge and role. He will guide you in my stead."

Gritting his teeth in frustration, Jackie was about to snap out another impassioned protest, but El Toro suddenly spoke up from where he kneeled beside Paco. "Senor Jackie! Please, I know this is hard, but it is a matter of honor. Respect Senor Uncle's decision in accepting this duel. It is for our sakes."

"But…" Jackie mumbled, feeling lost at the wrestler's words. The strength bleeding out of him as he actually considered sitting back and letting his Uncle move on to near-certain death.

El Toro nodded sympathetically, and looked to Uncle, standing and taking the old man's hand in his, giving it a firm shake, "I wish you luck, Senor. I believe you can defeat that old monster, regardless of any unholy power."

Uncle nodded once, and then met eyes with every member of the room in turn. His face was a mask of stone, hiding whatever he might be feeling inside at the thought of the coming conflict with his super-powered antithesis.

"Uncle will be heading to the scrapyard," he stated simply. His gaze lingered longest with his nephew. Not being a sentimental man, he adjusted the strap of the bag on his shoulder and stepped out the door. Ready to face whatever his destiny may have in store for him without hesitation or regret.

A somber silence fell across the group as they watched their elder leave them, possibly for the last time. Tohru stared helplessly as Jackie slumped back in his seat, Viper muttering some words of comfort to his enemy-turned-friend.

This wouldn't do, he thought to himself. Every moment they wasted on fear was another nail in the old wizard's coffin. They needed an answer, and needed it yesterday. Tohru shut his eyes tightly, scraping at his mind for any possibility, any clue at all that could aid the crotchety blowhard…

Suddenly Tohru's eyes shot open, a vague idea at the edge of his consciousness taunting him with hope. Not hesitating for a moment, he turned and rushed back towards the study, earning him the attention of the others.

"Jackie, I need you to get me the all the volumes on astral displacement, Viper grab me a vial of red moss, El Toro and Paco, I need you to find me this month's star charts!" Tohru shouted the uncharacteristic orders as he buried his nose in his notes, leafing through the pile at astounding speed for a man of his bulk.

Tohru paused and looked back, seeing the group all staring blankly at him, as thought he'd grown a second head. Losing his patience and not having time to waste on explaining his idea, the ex-criminal belted out a loud harsh "NOW!"

That did the trick, the whole group instantly forgot their worries and started moving, quickly gathering the ingredients and references he needed faster than the young wizard could hope.

XXX

Power, Wong thought not for the first time, was a means and end unto itself. He breathed deeply as he sat in the shadows, relaxing in the lotus position.

The dark wizard felt the darkness and shadow twisting gently within him. Its tendrils shifting and crawling through every inch of his ancient form, it's cold touch gentle and inviting like a lover. He could feel it reach up into his thoughts, stoking the fires of his most vicious and depraved desires, and he let it, welcomed the attention greedily.

This was true love, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt. No pun intended, of course. Love was blackness that sucked in all life and light into its void, a greedy and insatiable need. With another deep calming breath, he felt the enlightenment of its icy maw bite and chip away at his essence like no eldritch sorcery had ever before.

Wong felt his awareness swell and spread, his new minions were his arms, legs, eyes, ears, his body was a great vast thing now. A massive monstrous beast of a thousand parts, all focused and dedicated to his singular will. It was overwhelming, the sensory overload of having so many bodies. But he was too experienced to be washed away by the tide of information, and let it flow through his thoughts as naturally as blood through veins.

With every breath, he could feel this new bond within him further blackening and fusing with his already putrid spirit. Soon, there would be no going back; he would be forever bonded to this majesty. The simple and unique pleasure of true power after such extended humiliation and degradation at the hands of one so much lesser than he. His burning need for revenge was the one stain tainting his overwhelming joy.

Through dozens of eyes he patrolled and stalked through San Francisco, watching his old enemy slowly make his way towards his final resting place. Following the fool from the cover of shadow with a legion of eyes, he imagined this was what the Gods felt looking down on the foolish weak and pathetic mortals beneath them, choosing which to smite from the Earth.

But he had waited this long, he can wait a little longer; savor the coming victory over his hated rival. His victory was the only reasonable outcome; there would be no more tricks from that pathetic excuse for a Chi Wizard. This was the moment his luck and the fortune of those who idiotically followed the Light would be snuffed out once and for all.

Suddenly Wong's aged eyebrow twitched and his expression became one of caution. He could sense it clearly now, another source of darkness approaching. It made no attempt to cloak its presence or destination. The dark wizard knew immediately it was heading deliberately towards his location.

Cautiously he extended out his senses to the new presence, and tensed in surprise. It was like his own, but different. Stronger, firmer, no initiate to this power like him. Yet from how the new Essence boldly flared, he could tell its source was young and fresh, lacking his long years steeped in darkness.

He smiled and relaxed slightly, slowly opening his new eyes. He could think of no reason to not welcome a kindred in Darkness, come to greet him.

XXX

"This is lame," Jade stressed once again to the mirror shard she carried. "WONG is lame. Look up 'lame' in the dictionary and you'll find his raisin-y mug glaring up at you all puckered up like he sucked a lemon."

They could have simply opened a shadow gateway to Wong's location, but Jade had insisted they take the scenic route of back alleys and rooftops. She'd been gone for a very long time, she wanted to get reacquainted with the city, stop being so overwhelmed by the chaos and noise. It wasn't as if she was dragging her eight feet so that she could put off meeting the evil old bastard. That would be silly.

A perception enchantment kept the random citizens from noticing her unless she directly approached them, or they were naturally attuned to the supernatural. But in a modern busy city like this, she wasn't worried about being spotted.

"I understand you have something of a complicated history with this era's Dark Wizard," Tarakudo sighed, as he regarded his only current vassal. "However, a certain perfectly reasonable and thought out action on a certain spider's part have forced us to recruit his aid. If you have a problem with that, I suggest you take it up with her."

The Queen flushed, still feeling rather upset and ashamed of the desperate measure she took and hating the Oni King for continuing to rub it in. 'Yeah, you're just so perfect, right boss? Leaving your mask in the Shadow realm where anyone diving in could find it. You don't make mistakes, just poor stupid Jade.'

She tongued her venom ducts in order to distract herself from voicing her objections, easily hopping over to the next rooftop in her path. "You don't need to keep reminding me of that, Eyebrows. I'm still GOING, right? Constantly rubbing it in ain't exactly kingly."

"Recruit our next general, and then I'll consider laying off," he stated dryly, "but until then, you're on thin ice, young lady. Need I remind you I could be unsealed right now, had you not left my mask in the wreckage?"

"I THOUGHT it was garbage, and I'd just been deep fried in batter, then blown up," Jade pouted, trying not to look as self-conscious as she felt. "So forgive me if I was a bit distracted and thought that mask was reduced to a cheap broken tchotchke."

"Considering I could be free right now, you should understand if I don't," the red face stated flatly. "We will revisit the mask matter soon, I assure you."

They approached the decrepit old pharmacy she could feel Wong's filthy presence radiating from above. The Young Queen could tell he sensed her, the fact that he wasn't intercepting her, she took as an invitation. Jade took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath. Letting it out slowly, she looked over at the mirror and thrust out her lower lip in a pout.

"Suuuuuure we can't just bail and get lunch? I really REALLY don't want the biggest creep alive who smells like a retirement home on my team..." Jade pleaded, giving her boss the best set of puppy dog eyes she could muster as a spider woman.

"MY team," Tarakudo reminded her, completely unmoved by the display. "So let's not dillydally. Now, remember, be charming. You're royalty after all, and we have a Dark Wizard to woo."

"Urgh," Jade muttered, feeling her stomach acid churn at the thought of "wooing" and "Daolon Wong" being in the same mission briefing. Pushing that disgusting thought aside, she braced herself and took the plunge.

C08 – END

Author's Notes: Terribly sorry for the late update. This chapter would have been posted last week, but I had computer issues to get past. Everything's running smoothly now, though, and I'm back on track!

Same grammar stuff as usual, nothing new there.

Well, now the next arc is well on its way, you'll see plenty of familiar faces from here. Look forward to it!

Happy 4th of July where applicable. Please enjoy!