This chapter is dedicated to Alaer Kino who is doing us all a favour by drawing Ni Tang and who is not only a wonderful author, but also a talented artist! Don't forget to read and review her fics BF 4 Her and BF 4 Her Saga 2, they are worth it!

NI TANG

Chapter 13

The only audible sound was the loud tapping of a pen against the table, and Captain Black put the pen down frowning. Section 12 had not managed to find any traces of the still free Dark Hand member andSection 13agents had not done any better. It seemed the three men had just disappeared somewhere.

But that wasn't what worried him. Agent Tag had told him very shocking news and he didn't know what to think.

The Dark Hand was packing a new magical creature. Black had already believed he could forever forget all this abracadabra stuff, but it seemed he would be never given peace. He didn't know what creature they were dealing with this time, Tag's description had not been that good.

He knew that much that the creature was built like a human, he had glowing red eyes and Tag had been pretty sure when saying he had had long hair. At least things were not completely gone wrong, Black didn't even want to think about fighting some kind of bug or monster about the size of a skyscraper.

Still, this was more than enough. In fact, a bit too much, none of his men would stand up against a magical creature, as well as they had been trained. Even Tag couldn't do it and that's why he, after a long consideration, didn't give the job to him. He would not ask help from Section 12, they were not prepared for this kind of mission and Black couldn't really stand them in his sight.

So there was only one person for him to turn to. Black had called Jackie and asked him to arrive immediately and after some talking the man had promised. He had seemed tired and somehow tight and Black couldn't understand why. Maybe he had troublesat work?

If it was so it might be wrong to ask Jackie's help in this, but Black knew the man and knew he would not disagree with him when he heard what was going on. Jackie could be pretty difficult at times, but he had a heart of gold and would do anything to catch the Dark Hand and get rid of this new creature.

He might even take the job without any kind of pressure. This new magical enemy had to be connected to the demons and right now Black couldn't think anyone who would be happy with the eight. Expect himself maybe, he wasn't really sure what his opinion was.

The demons had taken care of Valmont, yes, and pretty well actually, the crime lord would never be able to escape and hurt anyone, but then again, Black wasn't heartless enough to wish the man a fate like that. He had not been there when Valmont had been banished with Shendu, but he had heard the description. And he didn't know the demons or their ways, but he did have a good imagination.

"You wanted to see me?" Jackie's voice woke him from his thoughts and Black raised his eyes. He nodded seriously and took the pen again.

"Sit, I have something important to tell you," he said gesturing to a nearby chair. Jackie nodded and did as was told frowning a bit and Black couldn't help noticing how tired he really looked like.

"I hope it really is that important. I have something else to do right now," Jackie said.

"Don't worry, this is as important as it could be," Black answered.

Jackie had not told his friend anything about the new demon or Jade being caught, he knew Black would do all he could to help him and neglect his own responsibilities. Even though he appreciated his friend's help he didn't want him to ruin his career because of this.

"So, what is it about?"Jackie asked. Black put the pen in his another hand.

"The Dark Hand," he answered and Jackie let out a sigh.

"If you are going to ask me to catch them I must say no. I'd like to help, but I'm busy," he said standing up, but Black gestured him to sit down again.

"Wait, I didn't tell you everything. They have new magic to help them," he said and had guessed right when Jackie lifted an eyebrow in surprise.

"Magic?" he asked and sat. Where had the Dark Hand, or what was left of it, got any new magic? And what had made them even look for it, he had believed they would never want to hear that word again after the fiasco with Shendu.

Black nodded.

"I've made Agent Tag keep an eye on their old hide-out hoping they would return there. At first it seemed it was completely useless, but then he actually saw something. On the roof of the warehouse appeared someone who soon went in, came out and left."

Jackie shrugged.

"And Tag is sure that someone really was magical?" he asked not truly believing.

"The creature jumped like some kind of rabbit, he had glowing red eyes which could be seen clearly in the dark. He was like a human and most likely dressed in black and - "

"Let me guess, he had long white hair?" Jackie interrupted and Black glanced at him in surprise.

"You know him?" he asked. Jackie nodded darkly.

"Unfortunately," he muttered. Black frowned and tapped his chin with the pen.

"Care to tell me what's going on?" he asked and Jackie flinched.

"What? Oh yeah, of course."

"The creature Tag saw is a demon, but none of the eight we know. We don't know his name or what element he controls, but he has already caused us enough trouble," Jackie said and sighed.

"He took Jade and the Pan Ku box," he continued quietly and Black dropped his pen.

"Excuse me?" he asked after a while and Jackie had to nod.

"He wants to free the other demons and needs someone to carry the box. Jade is fine, but we have no idea where she is." He glanced at the shocked Black and tried to smile.

"Don't worry, he doesn't know how to use the box, we have nothing to worry yet,", he tried to encourage, but Black just shook his head.

"You don't understand, if the Dark Hand has found him and they work together... The demon doesn't have know how to use it, it's enough when Valmont's men can do it," he said and made Jackie realise something too.

"And they don't need Jade anymore!" he exclaimed and stood up so quickly his chair fell with a loud bang.

"I have to find her before something happens!" he hurried and was about to run out of the door, but Black managed to catch him.

"Wait! There is no sense in rushing before we've thought this over," the man said and Jackie looked at him before sighing.

"I guess you are right..." he mutteredin defeatand didn't resist when Black lifted the chair up and made him sit on it. He himself sat too and crossed his arms in front of himself.

"So..." he started.

"It seems everything is just like before, we against the demons and the Dark Hand," he said. Jackie nodded but frowned then.

"But I don't understand why they agreed to work with a demon, I thought they had got enough of all that after Valmont died," he wondered.

"There could be many reasons. They are the few ones who know how to use the Pan Ku box and the demon needs them. Maybe he forced them into this? Or then he promised them a reward, they are criminals after all and money is all they care about," Black suggested.

"Could be," Jackie admitted deep in thought.

"I have to find the Dark Hand, we won't know anything for sure before that," he then decided and Black agreed with him.

"They will give us answers, we can put them in prison, the demon in the Netherworld and Jade will be free. Everything with one shot," he said.

"But where do I find them? They have been looked for everywhere, they could be on the other side of the world!" Jackie said and Black shook his head.

"Hardly. If their new business partner is here so are they. San Francisco is a big city Jackie, here is lots of hide-outs for professional criminals. But I'm sure you will find them. I could give Tag to assist you," he said but Jackie shook his head.

"No thank you, I will find them myself," he said and after trading few more words with Black he left.

Jackie didn't actually have an idea about were he should start looking for the Dark Hand. Finding three men from a big city like San Francisco was almost impossible, but Jackie was not known for giving up that easily. Especially when it was about the ones he cared.

He still couldn't believe the Dark Hand would be working with a demon. Maybe if Valmont was still alive, but that Finn, Chow and Ratso would do something like that? If he had been part of their group he would have never agreed to assist the ones who had killed his boss and destroyed his life.

Maybe the men were desperate? Yes, that had to be it. The more Jackie thought about it the more sure he was. The three had no job, no actual property and they could not walk freely in the streets without taking a huge risk. Section 12 and part of Black's men were after them and their life could not be easy.

But who could they blame? Jackie shook his head, for a moment he had actually pitied them. They were responsible of their own life and the path they had chosen, it was not his or anyone else's fault if they had made a wrong choice and fallen for crimes. Let them face the consequences , maybe they would even learn something.

Jackie reminded himself he could not start to judge before he had found them. After leaving Captain Black he had not returned to Uncle's shop to break the news and he felt a sting inside of him, the old man had to be let to know the demon had help.

And on top of that they also knew where most of the demon portals were located. Jackie stopped on the pavement understanding how dangerous enemies he was facing. Finn, Chow and Ratso might not be the best fighters in the world or even very intelligent, but they had knowledge which in the wrong hands could cause all kinds of harms. For a moment Jackie considered if he should return and ask Uncle's help, but gave up the idea then. It was quicker if he just took care of this as soon as possible.

He decided to start his hunt from a certain pub he knew all kinds of crooks preferred. It would be quiet there now at this time of the day and it might even be closed, but he didn't let that put himself down. He would find a way in and if needed, he could break the door.

It was an early morning, but the city was already full of excitement and Jackie felt somehow different on the street. Everyone else seemed to have their life in control and things well, but he had only problems. His niecehad beencaught by a demon and a bunch of criminals, his whole life seemed to dance around demons and magic and he didn't have a possibility to say anything in that matter.

He would not get any younger and he really wanted to consider a stable relationship and maybe even having children of his own. But who could he pull in this nightmarish mixture which didn't seem to want to let him go?


Finnwatched as a round black haired woman wiped the table with a white rag and sipped his drink. He couldn't actually pay for it, not anymore when he had lost his job, but he knew Isabelle would never ask for the money. Not from him and the ones who were with him.

The Irish man knew the woman had a crush on him and that's why she offered her hostility to him and his companions. He didn't return her feelings, but he tried to tell himself he was not using the woman at all, he would pay this all back. Someday. Really.

Isabelle was a bit younger than him, a plump woman who was coming from somewhere in Germany. She said she had moved in the US hoping to have a better life but, never told if her dream had come true or not. She just laughed and shrugged changing the subject.

She wasn't actually a criminal, she just happened to own the pub which for some reason was popular among the crooks of San Francisco. Why, that Finn couldn't understand. She wasn't beautiful at all, she was rough and had a strong will. She would never allow herself to be used by a man that way, no that anyone would want to do anything with her. But she created the atmosphere of safety around her and even though no one would ever admit it, she was a mother figure of the crooks who had long time ago stopped talking to their own.

The police and other people running after them knew about the place and who favoured it, but they couldn't actually do anything. It was impossible to punish Isabelle for not being able to choose her customers and that's why she had been allowed to live in peace. Had.

Black' men had been there too looking for them and it had required lots of work and acting from Isabelle's part to make them leave. They had not given up easily, they had gone through every possible room, but had not been expecting there would be anything behind the walls.

There were always people who had to disappear for a while but still hear the latest news and like Isabelle said, extra money was never a bad thing. She offered a safe place and took care of those who had problems with the law and that's why she was respected among criminals. Not really liked, but respected. It was an unwritten rule that fights were not allowed in her place and no one had any right to harm her.

They had arrived here almost immediately after Chow and Ratso had come and told him and Hak Foo what had happened. At first Finn hadn't wanted to believe it, he had thought Chan with his relatives would respect at least something. He himself didn't have as good moral as was needed, but even he didn't even consider banishing a human in the Netherworld to be tortured and killed by a demon.

They had told they were the good guys working for common good and look what had happened. When the easy way to victory had been getting rid of the enemy with the cruellest way possible, they had taken it clearly not thinking about the consequences.

Finn didn't want to thinkabout what Valmont's last moments must have been like and he could only hope the demons had killed him fast. He had not been there to see his boss being banished, but it had been enough when Chow and Ratso had seen it.

Both of them had been totally mixed up after they had realised what had happened and Finn was worried for them. Chow acted like it didn't bother him at all, but Finn could see through him as well as he heard him having nightmares. The Irish man didn't have to use his imagination to guess about what, he too found himself thinking what it would be like to be forever trapped in a nightmarish dimension with eight bloodthirsty demons and with no hope of being saved.

The nightmares had become worse and he could only be thankful for Ratso not having them. He would not have survived with two confused friends, one was enough. Besides, when Ratso didn't have to deal with his own dreams he had enough time to support their Chinese friend so that he would not be completely broken.

Finn himself couldn't do anything like that, he was not very goodat an emotional level or attalking about anything. And that was fine with him, Ratso could take care of that. He thought it was enough if he made sure none of them would get caught and they had a place to stay.

Fortunately Hak Foo wasn't here anymore, Finn didn't believe the man would have stood up being locked inside four walls for this long. That would have caused problems he didn't want to think about. The man had returned to his home in China back to his masters and in was unlikely they would ever see him again.

"What are you thinking about?" Isabelle asked not stopping her sweeping and Finn shrugged.

"Nothing important," he answered and now the woman stopped. She looked at him for a while deep in thought.

"Finn, you can talk to me about it, if you want to," she suggested and Finn flinched. Talk... Just what he couldn't and didn't want to do.

"Isabelle, I..." he started but didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her they didn't have a future together and give her a chanceog finding someone else in her life, but if he did that she might drive them away. He couldn't do that, he was responsible of Chow and Ratso.

"Yes?" the woman asked leaning forward and Finn could have slapped himself. Now the woman was probably thinking that... Damn! He didn't even want to finish the though. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, when someone suddenly knocked the door.

"Hello? Anyone there?" a familiar voice asked and Finn froze. Chan! Isabelle noticed his expression and nodded towards the back room, she had been living with this kind of people long enough to know what this meant.

"Closed, no customers!" she answered making sure Finn really left.

"I know, I'm not a customer! I don't even drink alcohol, at least not very much and only when it's a special - I mean, came for some answers!" Jackie answered and knocked again to remind the door was locked and he could not come in.

"The police werealready here, I have nothing to hide!" Isabelle said angrily and Jackie bit his lip.

"I know that too, but couldn't I come in for a moment to trade few words? Besides, I'm not a police, this is private," he asked and when he was not answered he thought he really had to kick the door in. Then he was happily surprised when Isabelle opened the door and let him in.

"This is better be important and quick," she growled when Jackie stepped in.

The man nodded thankfully and looked around himself. The place was notas bad he had thought, but he still didn't like it or approve the place at all.

"What do you want?" Isabelle asked impatiently and crossed her plump arms in front of her. Jackie rubbed the back of his head, he felt pretty stupid thinking this woman would have anything to do with the Dark Hand.

"I'm looking for few men," he started. Isabelle snorted and shrugged.

"There are many men here. It would be easier if you were looking for women," she commented.

"Yes, yes, but you can not forget them if they have ever been here. They used to be part of the Dark Hand and one is weirdly dressing Irish man and the other is a Chinese man in black and their friend wears some kind of old business suit," Jackie explained starting to lose his hope about this place. Isabelle shook her head.

"Haven't seen them. If I were you I would look for them in New York, everyone with any Dark Hand connections fled long time ago," she suggested.

"No thank you, I know for sure they are somewhere in San Francisco," Jackie said. He sighed and turned to leave.

"Thank you anyway," he said.

"Wait!", Isabelle hurried and Jackie looked at her confused. What did she want now? She looked at him for a while frowning before asking.

"You said you are not a police but working for private. Why are you looking for these men?"she wanted to know.

Jackie wasn't sure should he tell her anything. He was trusting by nature and this woman didn't seem to be untrustworthy but still... Besides, she would just get scared.

"It seems they were not able to give up their old business. Let's say they have nasty connections to some people and I want to stop it now," he answered and left.

Immediately after he had left Isabelle rushed to Finn. She had no idea who those people Jackie had mentioned could be and was sure he had been wrong. The Dark Hand just didn't have enough time to organise anything.

She didn't know what had happened to the Dark Hand, no one had any idea what had made Valmont leave. There were rumours of course, Isabelle had heard too many of them already and most of them overturned each other. The only ones she believed to know the truth were Valmont's men but none of them wanted to talk about it.

"Finn? What's going on? Who was that man?" she asked maybe a bit worried and the Irish shook his head.

"Chan. This is all his fault," he said angrily and clenched his fists.

"And he doesn't even know anything, we have nothing he should care about," he muttered.

"Right, I believe that," Jackie's voice suddenly said and both Finn and Isabelle flinched when hearing him.

"You! How did you get in and why did you even come back?" Isabelle asked angrily and Jackie shrugged.

"I'm not as stupid as you think. I noticed the glass on the table and because it seemed unlikely for it to be yours it was easy to guess what was going on. And it seems I was right," he said turning to face Finn and his expression darkening.

"I want to talk with you," he announced.

Finn sighed.

"At this point it might be difficult to say no. But if you think you'll get me in prison you will be in trouble," he answered.

"We'll see," Jackie said and glanced at Isabelle, who understood the message and left. She was very curious about this, but knew this was not her business.

"All right Chan, whatever you think we did, we are innocent," Finn said before Jackie managed to even open his mouth. The archaeologist snorted.

"Sure, that's what they all say. But I've got enough of the games. Where are Jade and the demon?" he asked and had to admit that if nothing else, Finn was a very good actor. If he had not known better he would have believed his surprised expression was real.

"What demon?" Finn asked on guard, he didn't want to hear this, it couldn't be...! Jackie sighed.

"What do you mean what demon?" he asked.

"Stop it Chan, being sarcastic doesn't suit you," Finn commented angrily.

"Well, what did you expect? I thought you had learned your lesson, but no, you've made another agreement with a demon and caught Jade!" Jackie blamed and Finn just stared at him.

"What makes you think we have anything to do with this?" he asked not believing this. None of them had done anything, they hadn't even known there was a new demon.

"The demon has been seen in your old hide-out in the harbour," Jackie answered simply and the Irish man slapped himself.

"So? He has probably been seen in other places too,is everybody connected to those places guilty? Didn't you ever consider it's possible to visit the harbour and not be connected to us? Besides, we don't even want to hear about the demons anymore!" Finn snapped not actually believing Chan had bought fragile evidence like that.

"You are my enemy, why should I believe you?" Jackie asked.

"You better do! We lost everything because of them, we would never help them. Valmont died in their hands and we despise them more than anything!" Finn stopped to think for a moment.

"Well, maybe expect you," he muttered.

"What? What did we do?" Jackie asked surprised. This was getting ridiculous! Finn stared at him like he was the most stupid person in the world, and that's what the Irish man considered him to be.

"How can you even ask? Because of you Valmont was banished, because of you he died after going through who knows what! Because of you our lives are ruined and because of you nothing is working!" he snapped.

"We didn't do it on purpose! The spell didn't work as it should have!" Jackie defended sharply and Finn snorted.

"You are my enemy, why should I believe you?" he asked.

Jackie shook his head.

"This is getting nowhere!" he complained.

"Maybe it would if you used your time looking for the real crooks instead of lazing around here blaming those who have nothing to do with this mess, Finn suggested sarcastically.

"I have no prove of you speaking the truth, Jackie reminded him.

"Do I have to give them to you? One, you've never seen any of us with the new demon. Two, how could we have found him? Three, we have no motivation to work with one. Four, if you niece really was here we would have gone mad or she would have escaped by now. Enough already?" Finn asked helpfully.

"But - " Jackie started but was not allowed to continued.

"And I say it once again, we don't want to work with anything magical ever again. How many times I have to say it for you to understand? Everything we hold dear was ruined because if them. Chow has nightmares about Valmont almost every night and if you think he'd want to be on the same side with one you are even stupider than I thought," the Irish man added and Jackie sighed defeated. Maybe he and Black had been wrong after all...

"All right, I'll go," he admitted raising his hands and pushed his way out of the room. He considered if he should try to arrest him, but it would not happen without a good fight. And he didn't have time for one. Besides, he would probably have to witness in his trial and that too was completely waste of time. He would take care of the Dark Hand after freeing Jade.

Just when he was about to leave he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to look in surprise.

"Yes?" he asked.

"Chan, remember to kill that new demon. All of them if you get the chance," Finn said sharply before letting go and turning away.

To be continued...