A/N As you can tell, I kinda lost my muse with this story for awhile. But I'm back, and I hope to be for awhile. I really need a good time to introduce Macey's parents….I just don't know when. I also haven't been updating much because of school. *sighs* Last weekend I went and saw the new Jackie Chan movie! It was awesome...but I still like the cartoon better. Thanks for sticking around to read even with my slow updates. God, you guys are patient!

Chapter Seventeen - The Rock (episode 9, part 1)

"Superman where are you now, when everything's gone wrong somehow?"- Genesis, "Land of Confusion."

*JCA*

Finn shivered. "Big V, d-do'you think you c-could turn up the h-heat?" Being used to the warmth, Finn was struggling to remain alert in the room with the cold distracting him.

"Allow me." The dragon statue breathed fire in their direction, the orange light reflecting on their face.

"That's plenty!" Finn gasped, alarmed at how hot it had suddenly gotten.

"Much o-obliged," agreed Ratso through clattering teeth, rubbing his arms vigorously.

"Careful, Shendu." Valmont sighed. "If you charbroil the help, they'll never find the next talisman."

Shendu scoffed. "The next talisman is insufficient, Valmont," he proclaimed. "I need all twelve to shed this petrified form, and regain my true powers." Shendu wanted nothing more than to reign again, with no one in his way, and these imbeciles were making it almost impossible. Shendu was truly surprised at why Valmont hired the men in the first place- they were foolish, impulsive, and easily distracted. It was like working with children, and Shendu was beginning to lose patience.

"We are working on it, Shendu," Valmont promised, his eyes averting to the said statue. Although Shendu was considered his boss, Valmont was not frightened of him, by any means.

"With your customary ineptitude, once again," Shendu snarled, his frustration audible, "this...Chan….has snatched a talisman from your so-called professionals!" If the word "professionals" even belonged in the same sentence as those idiotic men, Shendu couldn't help but think scornfully.

"Too bad Chan ain't workin' for us…" Ratso drifted off, frowning.

Valmont smirked, a sign that an idea was coming to his maleficent mind. "Perhaps he can be persuaded."

An expression of curiosity scattered about the Dark Hand's faces as they awaited their next orders.

*JCA*

The stairs clamored noisily under my feet as I bounded down the steps after Jackie. He'd taken awhile to heal (8 weeks, exactly), but now that his cast was off and he was out of the wheelchair, he was back to his energetic self. But something was bothering Jackie - even I could tell that. It probably wasn't my business anyways.

As we rounded the corner to Section 13 (I'd become a regular there alongside Jackie (even though Captain Black was still suspicious of my intentions and didn't seem to like me very much, but made an exception because I was working for Jackie), I heard the all-too-familiar clicking of the touch-screen security system.

Jade was standing near the computer, furiously typing. I was still rather impressed with Jade, as she knew things most kids her age wouldn't dream of thinking. Or doing, for that matter.

"Jade!" Jackie immediately pulled the addressed child aside. "It's not polite to hack into security systems that don't belong to you."

At this I burst out laughing.

"I saw a seven!" Jade exclaimed, looking over at me.

Jackie and I stared at her blankly.

Jade sighed. "Never mind," she mumbled, allowing her curtain of black hair to fall over her eyes.

"I have translated the inscription on the back of the talisman!" I jumped at the sound of Uncle's booming voice.

I groaned. "Can't you just say 'hello' like a normal person?" Then again, Uncle wasn't exactly a 'normal' person.

"Apparently not," Jackie said jokingly, taking the parchment paper from Uncle. I leaned over his shoulder, peering at the Chinese writing, which I was still having trouble figuring out. I can see now why people say Chinese is one of the hardest languages in the world to learn.

"'If activated, the noble Horse expels all alien forces within'," Jackie translated, folding the paper up and handing it back to Uncle.

"I bet those 'alien forces' fly out and latch onto human brains and turn people into mind-control zombies to conquer the world!" Jade exclaimed excitedly, and Jackie, Uncle, and I all stared at her quizzically.

"Uh, alien forces signal the Mother Ship to launch an invasion?" She stated this as if the whole thing were obvious.

"This...isn't the Martian talisman?" A mixture of both confusion and disappointment tainted her voice. I smiled at her hunger for adventure.

"There is no such thing as Martians!" Uncle told her, giving her an odd glance. "The talismans are magic."

"That explains everything," I said sarcastically, squinting at the computer nearby. Just two weeks ago I wouldn't have thought magic was real, either. I pulled my inhaler out of my pocket, sucking in some air. I'd become more out of breath lately with all the running I'd been doing with Jackie, but I didn't let him know, in case he made me stop working. I wasn't going to let one little asthma attack (okay, maybe a big asthma attack) stop me from doing my job, which I was enjoying more than I probably should have.

"So, what are we gonna do this time?" I discreetly pocketed the inhaler, my hand cupping the area, but then decided covering it would do more than harm than good. I stuffed my hands into the pockets of my Puma sweatshirt.

"I'm going to need your help." Jackie looked over at me, a look of worry conjuring him.

"Uh, why?" I tapped my foot impatiently.

"Are you afraid of small spaces?" Jackie proposed, and I froze up. "You are?" I nodded. "Scratch that." I'd been afraid of small spaces ever since I was little. I'd been playing hide-and-go-seek with my next door neighbor, a boy named Kaden, who forced me to hide in small spaces since I was so petite, insisting I should be the one to do the tight spaces work. One time, he forgot about me, and I was locked in a hot, stuffy closet that smelled like moth balls and cat litter for an hour. The door had been jammed, so I couldn't get out from the inside even if I tried. I'd refused to place hide and seek or crawl into tight spaces ever since.

Now, whenever I had to go to small spaces, I got clammy and felt sick to my stomach, causing my hay fever to act up. So, I avoided the possibility of an asthma attack by avoiding tight spaces altogether.

"Why are you scared of small spaces?" Jade asked, and I reddened. "They're just small areas."

"Jade," Jackie chided gently, sensing my discomfort. "Sometimes, we all have fears, even if we can't explain them."

"Like how I'm scared of thunder, and how Drew is scared of the dark?" It all clicked into place for Jade- hopefully I wouldn't have to explain the background of my unnecessary fear.

"Exactly," Jackie confirmed with a smile, giving me a reassuring glance. I nodded, understanding.

At least he'd noticed my feelings.

Were they becoming more noticeable than I thought?