Part 6: End of the Line

How long had Jack been in space? He couldn't remember anymore. Time seemed to stand still when one was floating among the stars. Despite this he knew that his time was drawing near... the time when the final truth would be decided. They were close to Earth now, less than a few hours' travel. Keela manned the pilot's seat while Jack sat idly in the co-pilot's seat. Sarah was in the back tossing around her dagger.

"Jack, we're running out of time together." Keela said softly. Jack looked over at her.

"I know. We will find Aku soon, and then I can set everything right again." Jack fingered the pommel of his sword with one hand. "I can go back home, and destroy him before any of this ever happened."

"I don't want you to go..." Keela shook her head and closed her eyes. "I know I'm not an emotional person but we don't have much time left and... and I..." she stuttered. Suddenly the radar on the control panel started beeping, with two small blips moving toward the center. She cleared her throat and composed herself as she examined the radar. "Two objects coming at us from Earth. They look like mechanical insects..."

"Aku's favorite kind of minion," Jack noted. "He knows we are coming. We have to break through." Sarah put her dagger away and moved up front with them.

"This is a freighter, not a fighter. We don't stand a chance against Aku's attack drones," Sarah told him.

"We have no choice. We cannot turn back now." Jack stared out the front window, where the drones were coming into view. Keela exchanged a swift glance with Sarah before turning back to the controls.

"Readying weapons." She flipped a few switches and took tight hold of the stick. "Hold on to something guys, this won't be pretty," she told them as she punched the ship's thrusters up to full power. Jack and Sarah sat down in their respective seats, buckling their seatbelts.

The freighter charged at the two insect drones like a bull. They opened fire, pelting the freighter's thick armor with dents and small punctures, but it kept coming until they were forced to either move or get smashed against the window. The freighter's side cannons opened fie as they passed the drones. The lasers broke through the drones' thin exterior, blowing them up in only a few seconds.

"That was pretty easy," Sarah noted.

"Aku's drones never attack in small numbers." Jack told her solemnly. Indeed, he proved to be right. An entire fleet of bug like drones sat between them and earth, their weapons all powering up for the charge on the freighter.

Keela growled under her breath. "Okay, let's do this." She pushed the engines up to full power again, opening fire on the drones with the forward guns. They managed to take out a few, but the vast majority had time to fully charge their weapons before darting forward and letting loose with volleys of their own. Suddenly something slammed into the back of the freighter, giving them enough of a speed boost to dart between the laser fire.

A familiar helmet appeared on the small intercom screen. "Don't just sit there, get moving!" Samus ordered them.

"Samus? You're helping us?" Keela said confusedly.

"We're on our way." Jack replied before turning to Keela. "We should move as fast as we can." Keela nodded and took them through the throng of drones. Now most of them had turned their attention to Samus' fighter, which was far better equipped for combat than their freighter. Samus whirled in space, dodging the laser fire and taking out the drones like a shooting gallery.

The freighter made it halfway there before many drones broke off from the main pack and came after them, firing at their rear engines. The freighter rocked violently, throwing its three occupants around in their seatbelts. Keela's fingers flew across the control panel, sending them hurtling straight toward Earth at full speed.

The lasers slammed into the back of the freighter, threatening to tear the entire thing apart. The outside of the ship began to glow red as they entered the Earth's atmosphere, plummeting like a falling star toward the thick gray rain clouds beneath them. The drones tried to continue their pursuit, but they broke up in the heat of reentry and disintegrated into small particles.

"Pull up!" Sarah screamed. Keela's fingers moved faster than ever across the control panel. The freighter's nose pulled away from the ground, but the ship continued its rapid descent regardless of their angle.

"It's too damaged! We're going down!" Keela exclaimed. Suddenly another barrage of laser fire dotted the roof of the ship. Some shots plunged straight through the ships thick armor, hitting the floor of the ship. The lasers that missed slammed into the desert below them, gouging huge holes in it like a deadly hailstorm.

Their descent brought them beneath the clouds, where a light rain was falling across the normally barren desert. Keela tried to keep them steady, but the laser fire combined with the added weight of the water rushing in through the hole-filled roof sent them hurtling toward the ground even faster. "Everyone brace for impact!" Keela screamed.

The freighter hit the ground like a boulder, tossing up the rain soaked sand in sheets and sliding across the slick surface for several dozen feet before finally gliding to a stop. Its occupants were severely jostled and dazed by the landing, but the interior of the ship was relatively undamaged save for the water pouring in through the roof.

"Safe on the ground..." Sarah smiled. Her smile faded however when she heard metallic steps on top of the ship. The drones were coming to make sure the job was finished.

"You both stay here," Jack whispered. Jack stood and drew his sword, moving cautiously into the middle of the ship. He could see the shadow of the drone as it moved on the top of the ship, tapping it as if listening for them to respond. The samurai moved underneath it and slashed upward. The strike cut the roof in half, bringing the drone plunging down to the floor.

Another swift slice cut the drone in half with no difficulty. He turned toward the girls, who were watching him silently. "We have to leave before more come looking." The girls both nodded and stood up.

They pried the door open and took off running across the damp desert floor. They held hands to move as fast as possible, Jack holding Keela's, and Keela holding Sarah's. They could see crimson laser fire erupting far above them in the clouds, along with bursts of fire from the engines underneath Samus' ship. A city loomed over the horizon, so close they could see inside the topmost window of the nearest building.

They came to a halt when several drones landed on four spider-like legs in front of them, pointing laser cannons at the three of them. Jack let go of Keela's hand and drew his sword, lunging forward without a word. Crimson laser fire erupted around him, burning into the damp sand and tearing through Jack's robe, but he managed to avoid getting caught by any himself.

His blade sliced two drones in half, but still more landed around him. He dodged more fire and cut through several drones, but more still crowded around him as the swarm realized where he was. He fought valiantly, but for a moment it looked like he would be swamped through sheer numbers.

An explosion rocked the desert as drones went flying into pieces. Samus' ship hovered close to the ground, detonating several more with the heat of the quad engines that kept it afloat. A claw-like appendage lowered from the bottom, crushing another drone and waiting.

"Come on! Get to the ship!" Jack cut his way through the crowd of drones as fast as he could. Thankfully the drones were intent on him, so Keela and Sarah were able to reach the ship and climb into the large claw without incident. Jack cut through two more drones with horizontal slice and leapt off one of their bottom halves, landing on top of the claw with a grunt.

The ship lifted instantly, letting loose with a volley of fire from its turret as it took off through the sky. Jack clung to the arm that connected the claw to the ship itself while Sarah and Keela sat huddled in the claw itself. The drones started to give chase, but Samus' ship was designed to catch up to any ship in the galaxy. They were easily outdistanced.

Jack climbed up the arm and managed to make his way onto the roof of the ship, where the top opened and a panel rose up from the inside. He moved onto it and it lowered again, carrying him into the ship while the roof closed again.

"You should be more careful samurai. Especially here." Samus looked back at him, though she was still piloting the ship at the same time.

"I thank you for your assistance." Jack bowed his head graciously. "But how did you know what ship we were on? How did you know we were here at all?"

"I have my methods," Samus replied. "It's my job to be able to track people down. You're no different." She turned back to the screen as they glided down toward a small village made up of wooden huts and tents. "I believe this would be a safe place to set down and plan our next move."

"Our next move?" Jack walked up to stand behind her. "You are going to help us fight Aku?"

"You're a hard man to forget, Jack." Samus didn't look at him as she spoke. "Let's just leave it at that." She moved close to the ground to let Keela and Sarah climb out of the ship's claw before she retracted it and set the ship down near the village.

Soon Jack, Samus, Keela and Sarah were sitting around a small but cozy cottage, paid for by part of what appeared to be Samus' small fortune. Keela sat on a stool next to a thick wooden table. Sarah sat next to her, with Jack sitting on the other side of them. Samus was standing with her back against the wall, and her helmet held underneath one arm.

"Do we have any idea where to even begin looking for Aku?" Keela asked.

"He obviously knows you're here." Samus chimed in. "It would be best to find him as fast as possible and put an end to this. My ship's sensors can locate his energy signature pretty easily."

"Then our next move is decided." Jack announced.

"Hold on a minute." Keela put one hand on Jack's arm to get his attention. "Jack, I don't know what happened between you two on Tarsonis, but she's still a bounty hunter. She could hand you in to Aku at any time."

"What's the matter, jealous?" Samus smirked. Keela growled and began to get to her feet, but Jack held her down with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I'm the only way he will ever find Aku within his lifetime, and he knows it. Even if he doesn't completely trust me, he can't afford to refuse what I'm offering him."

"I will just have to hope that your word is as good as your skills." Jack stood up, fingering his sword. "But I will not fail in my mission, no matter what I have to do." He narrowed his eyes meaningfully. A tense silence filled the air, thick enough to slice through with his sword.

Samus stood up straight. "Well, it's late and we have much to do tomorrow. I believe I will turn in for the night." She gave a courteous bow and left the room, leaving Jack, Keela, and Sarah alone.

"I have a very bad feeling..." Sarah spoke for the first time since arriving on the planet.

"We can find another way Jack." Keela turned toward him, gripping his shoulders tightly. "We can find him ourselves, we don't need her. It's too dangerous."

"We must end this now, before Aku finds a way to thwart me again." Jack stared into her eyes defiantly. "This must end."

Sarah stood up, running one hand through her hair. "I think I'm going to bed too... it's been a long journey." She turned and left, leaving Jack and Keela facing off in the little light given off from the candle on the table and the soft pitter-pat of raindrops on the roof.

"Jack you've been so intent on this. I think you're being blinded by this desire to kill Aku. Are you sure it's justice you're looking for? Or revenge?" Keela asked. Jack clenched his fists for a moment, then relaxed and took a deep breath, never taking his eyes away from hers.

"Justice must be done." Jack said.

"Not at any cost." Keela grabbed his hand, holding it in both of hers. "Not... not at the cost of your life." Jack's gaze softened when Keela's grew wet with unshed tears. "I lost one hero, Jack... I don't know what would happen to me if... if I lost another." She closed her eyes and turned away from him, running her fingers over the wooden table.

Jack looked down at the table, unsure what to do. He had faced countless opponents in fights to the death, survived the vacuum of space, and journeyed halfway across the world. But he didn't know how to handle this.

"I am no hero." Jack said when he finally found the words. "I will not be until I can rescue my family and my people..." he looked over at her. She was staring at him with wet eyes and tear-stained cheeks. "If I quit now... if I turned away and left with you to some far away land... I would be nothing but a traitor. I will live with my people again... or I will die with them."

"Then I suppose... there's nothing more I can do here," Keela said as she stood, wiping her eyes on one sleeve. Jack stood up with her, reaching out to her. She batted his arm away and moved toward the door. "Good luck on your mission samurai... I hope you succeed." She walked out into the darkness.

Jack walked toward the door, staring out into the moonless night. She was walking toward the edge of town. She was really serious about leaving. Jack was about to call out to her, but then thought better of it. She had made her decision, and for him, there was no decision to make. He had to fight. So he turned and walked back into the building to rest for the coming morning.

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The next morning Jack, Samus, and Sarah gathered near Samus' ship to discuss their final plans. Neither Samus nor Sarah asked where Keela was. Apparently word of mouth spread quickly in a small town like this. Everyone knew she had left in the night. Some gave Jack curious or disgusted looks, but he ignored them by concentrating on the task at hand.

"I've pinpointed Aku's location to a volcano fifty miles south of here." Samus was again wearing her helmet, which distorted her voice but still left it audible. "But there's a whole lot of resistance between us and him. It's almost like someone snuck out in the night to tell Aku where we are..." Samus' voice trailed off, leaving the accusation clear in the air.

"You take that back," Sarah growled darkly. Jack put one hand on her shoulder to calm her down.

"Regardless of what we face, we will find Aku today. This will all be over by nightfall. One way or another," Jack swore softly. Samus nodded and moved back to gesture to her ship.

"Then let's get going, we don't want to keep destiny waiting," Samus said. Jack walked toward it, but Sarah started to follow. He reached down and grabbed her shoulder, kneeling down in front of her.

"Stay here. I will return soon."

"But I'm part of this too." Sarah said calmly. She seemed wise beyond her years, but he knew she was still a child underneath it all.

"This is something I must do alone. It is my duty to destroy Aku, no one else's." He smiled and gave her shoulder a squeeze. "I will do it for you, your parents, Keela, and everyone Aku has hurt." Sarah's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and took a step back, lowering her head to her chest. Jack stood and climbed on top of the ship with Samus.

They were lowered into the ship and Samus took the controls, firing up the engines. They roared as the ship rose into the air, flying through the air toward the south. They had been flying only a few minutes when several dozen of Aku's aerial drones took off from the ground toward them. "He's becoming desperate," Samus noted.

"He knows he cannot escape me now." Jack watched the drones approach. Samus took the ship into an evasive spin, rolling through the crowd of drones like a bird through the clouds. Jack clung to his seat and watched the drones open fire on them. Not one laser struck the ship thanks to Samus' superior ship and flight skills.

The ship's lasers carved a nice path through the drones as the volcano hove into view over the horizon. They were getting very close now, he could practically feel Aku's presence. Samus steadied the ship and waved at Jack. That was his signal to move.

He stood and raced to the platform in the back, which normally rose to allow exit from the ship. The top hatch opened, and the platform sprang up, shooting Jack into the air amid the swarm of drones. His enchanted blade sliced through them easily as he fell through the air.

He whirled his blade around and buried it into the volcano's side, slowing his descent toward a cavern Samus' scanners had picked up from the village. He swung inside and landed on one knee, hunched over on the ground. He deftly slid his sword back into its scabbard, keeping one hand on its hilt.

He ran down the cavern, leaving Samus outside to deal with Aku's drones. He made his way through a seemingly endless maze of caverns, feeling Aku's presence somewhere within this mountain. He was closer than ever. Jack could barely believe it, but it seemed his journey was almost over.

He skidded to a stop at a gigantic pool of lava with four platform suspended over it by ropes hanging from the ceiling. Undaunted, Jack leapt across to the first platform, landing in a crouch. To his surprise the platform began to lower toward the lava, pulling the third platform upward. They were on a pulley weight system, with this first one and the third one connected, which meant the second and forth would be connected as well.

He was more than halfway down before his platform stopped, and began to rise again. Jack drew his blade slowly, waiting to see what had landed on the third platform. His eyes went wide when he saw a shadow standing on the platform with glowing red eyes. It looked suspiciously like a fifth scion, but it was so small that it looked like a child. The platforms stopped moving when he and the scion were on an equal level.

[Welcome samurai.] The voice echoed in his mind, removing all doubt that this was indeed a fifth scion. [I am the Scion of Spirit. Aku's newest creation, and strongest. In fact, he made me especially for you.]

"I would be honored if you weren't evil." Jack quipped. "Stand aside, I have nothing against you. I would rather see your master."

[You must face me first.] The scion lowered itself to a crouch on the platform. [Are you ready to face me, samurai?]

"I will do whatever I must." Jack lowered himself to a crouch, facing the scion. They both leapt at the same time, hurtling toward each other. Jack raised his magical blade to cleave the scion in two, but he saw his father coming toard him with wide, fearful eyes.

"No son... don't!" He screamed. Jack hesitated in surprise. This was enough for the image to swipe him across the stomach and sending him falling to the second platform while the scion landed on the first. Both platforms began to fall toward the lava below, since neither was weighted on the other end. Jack rolled to his feet and leapt for the third platform. He plunged his sword into the side and flipped up to the top, bringing its ascent to a stop and lowering it so that it was level with the first platform, which the scion was on.

"Dirty tricks." Jack whirled on the scion angrily, but instead he saw his mother standing there, holding a little boy in her hands. "This... this can't be... the sword protects me from the scion's powers..."

"Jack, is something wrong?" His mother said. She wasn't looking at Jack however, instead she was stroking the boy in her arms' head. The boy was crying into her kimono, clutching at her sadly. "Don't worry, it'll be okay... as long as we don't depend on you." Her voice was still soothing, but her words stung Jack deeply. Suddenly he heard a yell from the small gaps in the walls where a person could stand.

Jack whirled to see his people screaming and cursing at him angrily. Some shouted curses, still others asked why he had abandoned them. "This is all a trick..." Jack whirled, but wherever he looked they were there, screaming in pain and anger over his betrayal. "None of this is real... the scion's doing this..." Jack reminded himself.

"But you said yourself the scion's power cannot harm you." Jack whirled back toward the first platform, where Keela was staring at him coldly. "But your sword doesn't make you immune to your own memories. Your own fears... it doesn't make you immune to the truth." Jack whirled, seeing friends he knew from childhood, men he'd grown to respect. Everyone he'd ever known was there, accusing him of some betrayal.

"None of this is real... I'm fighting for them! I will fulfill my promise!" Jack exclaimed.

"Like your promise to me?" Keela asked. Jack stared at her in confusion. "You swore you would protect me Jack... you swore you would be my hero." She lowered her face and turned away from him. Jack's heart skipped a beat and he took a step forward.

"I meant it... I will protect you..." Jack promised once again.

"It's too late!" Keela whirled on him again. Her body was scratched and bruised beyond recognition. Her face was a mess of blood and bruises. "This is your protection Jack! You failed! You couldn't protect me! Like you couldn't protect them!" She gestured to the angrily screaming people on either side of them. Keela stepped back toward the edge of the platform. "You couldn't protect me from this... and you can't protect me now." She let herself lean back over the pit of lava, falling backward and plummeting down toward it.

"No!" Jack moved to leap after her, but stopped himself. He didn't know why he stopped, he simply did. He could only watch as her body plunged downward, still as bruised and broken as ever until it finally plunged into the lava. It vanished instantly underneath the white-hot surface, leaving no trace of her to be seen.

"No... it's... impossible..." Jack knelt in despair, but something in the back of his mind registered something peculiar. He was on a platform on a pulley system, and the person on the other end of it just jumped off. So why wasn't his platform plummeting toward the lava as well?

He looked up slowly, not wanting to see that she was really gone, but unable to do anything different now. He saw the Scion of spirit standing on the other platform, watching him with those glowing red eyes. The people around them had vanished. It was all an illusion... it was all a trick. Jack pushed himself to his feet, clutching his sword in his hands.

"Your... tricks won't work on me... scion." Jack growled for the first time he could remember. True hatred sprang into his mind, hatred for what he had been put through. "Your illusions mean nothing. Now fight me!"

[Illusions?] The scion's eyes seemed to gleam humorously. [You don't seem to understand samurai. Everything you saw is a true memory. Not necessarily yours, but a memory nonetheless.] Jack stared at the scion, uncomprehending. [After so many years of hardship, your people began to hate you. They cursed your name, the name of the coward who abandoned them. This, Aku remembers.]

"That won't be so... I will go back to them," Jack replied.

[And poor, precious Keela?] The scion narrowed its eyes. [Let's just say the reality is actually worse than the fantasy.] Jack growled and threw himself across the platforms at the scion. He landed in front of the scion and opened with a huge slash, but the scion dodged out of the way like a shadow. The platform they were on plummeted toward the lava, weighted down by two people instead of one.

Jack whirled on the scion again, only to be blocked by a sword wielded by his father. Now he was wise to the scion's tricks, so he pressed the attack anyway. Steel flashed against steel, and each samurai dodged the advances of the other skillfully. The intense heat began to get to Jack as they plummeted closer and closer to the lava flow below.

Eventually the platform slammed to a stop as it reached the end of its rope. Jack and the scion were thrown to the ground as it jerked, threatening to throw them both into the lava. The heat was unbearable now that they were only a few feet away from the lava.

Jack and the scion stumbled to their feet and began their battle again. Strike after strike, and neither could gain an advantage over the other. The scion didn't seem to feel the heat however, so Jack was tired out much more quickly. The scion kicked him to the ground and stood over him with a victorious grin on its face.

"Almost, son." The face of his father said grimly. "But like I said so long ago. You are still a disgrace to this family." He raised his sword, preparing to cut Jack in half.

"You're not part of this family..." Jack rolled forward underneath the scion's legs and jammed his sword backward into the scion's lower back. It stumbled with a surprised cry as it reverted back into its shadowy form. Jack yanked his blade out and leapt up, grabbing onto the rope that held the platform suspended above the lava.

[Your people are gone samurai, and your girlfriend is gone as well. You have nothing left... if you face Aku, you won't even have your life.] The Scion of spirit taunted him even as it fell to its knees.

"I'll risk it." He slashed at the main rope above the four support ropes, cutting through it easily. Jack was yanked upward thanks to the weight of the second platform, but the scion was dropped into the lava flow below before it could die from its fatal wound.

The scion's mental cries of agony rang through his head the entire way up. When he reached the top of the cavern he swung and threw himself at the far exit, landing heavily in a crouch with one hand on the ground and the other clutching his sword. The scion's screams finally died out as he stood from the ground and slid his sword back into its scabbard.

He took a moment to compose himself before continuing through the cavernous maze. Eventually he found himself standing in front of a huge cave whose walls were glowing with molten energy. It looked so much like the lair Jack remembered from so long ago, he knew this had to be it. He took a step forward, but something struck him from behind, sending a wave of blinding cold through him.

He fell to the ground, shivering with his torso trapped inside a giant ice cube. He looked up wearily to see Samus standing over him. Her arm cannon was glowing blue before it shifted back into its normal configuration. "You... betrayed... me..." Jack stuttered. He didn't get any response except a swift kick to the face, and the peaceful bliss of darkness.

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He woke with a start some time later, surprised to find himself being dragged through the cavernous maze. He tried to move, but some kind of energy barrier kept him from moving his arms. He looked up to see Samus dragging him along by the barrier.

"You betrayed me... why? You said you didn't want to take away humanities last hope..." Jack demanded.

"I lied." Samus looked down at him as she walked. "If Aku died, someone else would take his place. Maybe a human, maybe an alien. But your version of 'hope' is merely a dream. The only hope in this universe is the hope of getting everything you need to lead a prosperous life."

"But why the deception... why did you pretend to be an ally? Why not take me back on Tarsonis?"

"I think that should be obvious." Samus turned to look ahead again, as though avoiding his gaze. "I let you go because I wanted you to kill the scions before I brought you in. I realized that the price on your head doubled every time you killed a scion, so I let you go on to kill them all. I've been tailing you since you left Tarsonis. Now you're worth more than every job I've ever taken put together."

Jack sighed and closed his eyes, knowing that argument would be useless. Samus had completely given up hope on humanity. So much so that she saw nothing wrong with sacrificing it for herself.

He looked up when they emerged into an even bigger cavern than before. It was like a huge domed coliseum. Aku sat on a hideously misshapen throne set against the far wall, eyeing him with eagerness plain on his face. Samus dragged the samurai forward and threw him on the ground, staring up at Aku. "I brought you your samurai, now where's the money you promised me?"

"Very good bounty hunter. I should have known better than to doubt you." Aku grinned and reached behind his throne to pull out a large bag. "Ten billion, in cash." He threw the bag down at Samus' feet. The bounty hunter stooped to pick up the bag, hefting it up over her shoulder. "I'll remember to call you again if any more... pests, pop up."

"You do that." Samus turned to leave, carrying the bag with her like she was making a simple withdrawal from a bank. Jack managed to squirm to his knees, staring up at Aku defiantly.

"Samurai Jack." Aku lifted himself from his throne, moving to stand over the comparatively tiny samurai. "It appears that our rivalry has at last come to an end." Aku grinned. "And I can see that you have suffered much in my world... my universe."

"If you kill me, someone else will rise up to defeat you." Jack managed to rise to his feet despite his arms being bound by the energy chain. "Righteousness can never be destroyed by evil."

"Kill you... I will get to that." Aku grabbed him in one giant hand and lifted him off the ground, staring at him victoriously. "Without your sword, you are completely powerless against me."

"I will never quit." Jack didn't struggle or fight. He simply stared at Aku with a look of defiance on his face. "You will never win."

"I think I already have." Aku laughed and squeezed the samurai like a tub of toothpaste. Jack grunted as his bones were slowly crushed together inside his body. The pain was excruciating, but he would never scream.

"Where... is... Keela..." Jack stuttered. Aku stopped and stared at him in surprise. "Your... scion... said you... remembered her... where is she?" Jack asked weakly. Aku grinned again and turned toward the opposite wall. Jack blinked to focus his eyes as a figure came into focus, attached to the wall by more energy bonds. Her body and face were identical to the one portrayed by the Scion of Spirit. "Keela!"

"Insurance, brought to me by the bounty hunter Samus Aran." Aku laughed again at the look of shock on Aku's face. "She played you like a musical instrument. It's so satisfying to know that after all your days of fighting against me, it was someone you trusted who turned against you." Aku let out another barking laugh, throwing his head back.

"You made one mistake Aku..." Jack said softly. Aku looked down at him, but realized his mistake too late. Squeezing Jack had also crushed the energy chains, freeing the samurai's arms. He leapt from Aku's loose palm and rolled on the ground, darting for his sword on the other side of the room. Aku melted into a shadow on the ground and sped ahead of him, reshaping into a massive python.

Jack leapt in the air as the python struck, flying right beneath him. Jack leapt off of its head with one foot and lunged for his enchanted blade. He grasped it and yanked it out of the wall, rolling to a fighting stance facing the evil sorcerer.

"Are you still so brave?" Jack asked, stepping forward and waving his sword threateningly. "Let us finish this Aku. Once and for all!" Jack leapt at the python, bringing his sword back to cleave the creature in half. Aku melted into a shadow again, melting into the ground underneath the samurai. "What!? You're not escaping this time!" Jack yelled.

"No, I'm not!" Aku yelled back defiantly as the ground underneath the samurai burst upward. Jack was thrown forward hard, rolling on the ground until he finally stopped himself. He whirled with his blade ready, but stopped in surprise when he saw a creature made of the rocks themselves. Two shadowy eyes stared at him from just above the top boulder. "In so many years, I too have learned new tricks samurai."

"They will not save you!" Jack shouted back. Aku lurched forward, swinging one boulder the size of Jack's body at him. Jack leapt straight up and jumped on it, using it as a springboard to launch himself at Aku's face. Aku brought his other stony fist around to send Jack sailing back to the ground. Jack lurched to his feet, clutching his blade before him.

He waited until Aku struck again, but this time jumped to the side and launched forward. He cut his magical blade up Aku's entire arm until he reached the head, lopping off the top boulder with one swift swing. The stones tumbled to the ground in a heap, but the shadow that was Aku crept away along the ground to reform yet again into a giant shadowy spider.

Aku opened his massive mandibles and lunged forward, lashing out with four of his six legs. Jack leapt back, letting them tear into the solid rock ground and lopping them off one by one. The spider opened its mandibles again and launched a glod of liquid at the samurai from its mouth. It splattered over Jack's left arm, burning through his skin like acid.

"AAAGH!" Jack fell to his knees, clutching his arm painfully as the stomach acid melted his sleeve and arm alike. He looked in time to spot the spider lunging again, this time to devour him. Jack rolled along the ground, lashing out with his sword to slice off the spider's mandibles. Aku screamed in pain and jumped backward, reforming into his normal self. One hand was missing.

Jack lurched to his feet, ignoring the burning in his limp left arm. Jack and Aku faced off again for a few moments before Aku again shifted. This time a lizard-like creature leapt at him with a horrendous high-pitched shriek. Jack whirled out of its way, but it was remarkably agile. It whirled the second it hit the ground and snapped at him with powerful jaws.

Jack jumped back and slashed expertly with his sword, missing its head by mere inches. The lizard jumped forward and clamped down on his wrists tightly, shaking him as though trying to tear it right off. Jack rolled to his back and pummeled the creature's face with his wooden sandals, trying to make it let go. Finally Aku had enough punishment and backed off, letting Jack roll to his feet. He was still clutching the magic blade in his bloody hand.

Aku shifted yet again, into a sinuous snakelike creature with massive wings sprouting from its back. Aku lifted his mighty head in the air and let out a defiant shriek. A blast of fire scorched the ceiling as Aku yelled, and it died down when he stopped. Aku looked down at him victoriously, as though victory was already decided.

Jack leapt up as high as he could, raising the magical blade over his head and screaming defiantly. Aku opened his mouth and let loose a blast of red-hot fire right at the samurai. Jack brought his blade forward and cut through the fire. The flames split on impact with his sword, instead burning the air around him without ever touching the warrior.

Jack continued on toward Aku's head, but the dragon moved away from him and brought its massive whip-like tail around. It slammed into Jack and sent him flying against the wall with a thunderous crash. The warrior fell back to the ground, his sword lying just within arms reach.

"And here it ends, samurai." Dragon/Aku taunted him. He stomped toward Jack at a leisurely pace. Flames licked at his mouth as though eager to burst forth and cook the samurai. Aku lowered its head down to the samurai, opening his mouth and taking a deep breath.

"Yes... here it ends!" Jack grabbed his sword and lunged forward into Aku's mouth just as the flamed came up the dragon's throat. He slashed with the sword, again splitting the flames, but this time they had nothing to burn except the inside of Aku's mouth. They also surged back down inside his throat, cooking him alive from the inside out.

Aku let out a scream of pure pain, throwing his head around in an attempt to put out the flames. Jack was thrown to the ground as the dragon thrashed. Aku stumbled and slammed into the wall where Keela was hanging. "No, Keela!" Jack jumped to his feet. The wall cracked and the chains broke. Keela fell to the cold stone ground, still unconscious.

Aku shifted back into his normal form at a human size, groaning from pain and holding his stomach. "It... still... burns..." Smoke issued forth from his mouth as he spoke. Jack moved toward him, lifting the blade in front of him.

"It's time to pay for your crimes Aku," Jack said as he moved close to the sorcerer. Aku scrambled back away from the samurai, trying to get away. Apparently his insides were hurting too badly for him to accomplish a shape shift.

"I will never be defeated..." Aku lurched toward Keela and lifted her off the ground, holding her in front of him like a shield. "Leave me be samurai, or the girl suffers."

"You soulless coward! Face me!" Jack demanded. The commotion apparently was enough to rouse Keela from her unconsciousness. She opened one swollen eye and looked at Jack. She was shaking from the severity of her injuries. He doubted she would survive long without some sort of assistance, even if he defeated Aku here and now.

"Jack... I'm sorry..." Keela cried softly. "I'm so sorry... please... fix everything... undo it all..." She whispered. Aku grabbed her neck and twisted it painfully to the side. She let out a cry of pain. "Agh!"

"You can't get to me without going through her samurai. I don't think you have the guts to do it." Aku taunted him menacingly. Jack stared at her, his own eyes beginning to moisten. He knew what she was saying, but he didn't know if he could make himself listen.

"Undo it..." Keela told him again through her sobs of pain and grief. Aku lifted her from the ground, his hand wrapped around her throat. She gargled and struggled for breath, too weak to fight back.

"RAAAAGH!" Jack lunged suddenly, thrusting the blade forward. It went straight through both Keela and Aku, impaling them both against the back wall. Keela gasped, her eyes going wide. Aku groaned and looked down, an expression of utter shock on his face. "Go to Hell sorcerer... and stay there for eternity!" Jack screamed.

Aku didn't have the strength to respond before his form began to melt away. Like a shadow it twisted against the wall and fell to the ground, where it eventually vanished altogether. It happened quickly, but it seemed to take forever before the shadow had completely faded into little more than a memory.

When it was gone Jack carefully pulled the sword out of the wall. Keels stumbled as he pulled it out of her, falling against him weakly. "Keela... I swear... I will undo this... and everything else Aku has done..." Jack knelt down and laid Keela on the ground, putting her head in his lap.

"I know... Jack..." Keela smiled slightly despite the blood beginning to come out of her mouth. "You'll never quit..." She raised one hand and gently stroked his cheek. "Don't ever... quit on me... samurai... Jack..." Her hand slowly fell to the ground as her body went limp on the cold stone ground. Jack closed his eyes and bowed over her, clutching her hand in his.

"I swear by my sword... I will not fail you..." Jack opened his eyes and gently put two fingers on her eyelids, pulling them closed for the final time. He closed his eyes and stood up, turning away from her to head toward the exit. He stopped however when he felt something strange behind him. It was like a sudden surge of energy running through the room.

He turned around and saw a portal of light on the ground where Aku had last lain. It looked just like the portal that brought him here. Vanquishing the sorcerer must have reversed the spell that brought him here in the first place... he could go home through this portal. For some reason though, this didn't lighten his spirits.

He turned back to Keela's body one last time. He bowed deeply to her, bringing his hands up in front of his chest. Then he turned back to the portal, and finally after so long, went through it.

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"Alright y'weak little moochers, it's time t'earn yer pay 'round here." Reggoth yelled at the crew of his brand new starship, the S.S. Aurora. His crew scrambled to haul the supplies on board faster while he supervised them with a smug smirk on his face. He'd worked for several years in the Earth Space Confederation to get this chance, he wasn't going to miss his launch time because of some lazy crew members.

"Get the lead out already!" Reggoth screamed. They moved even faster until one of the tipped and fell to the ground, spilling the contents of several boxes to the floor. "Good God are y'stupid or something!? Pick 'em up!"

"I'm sorry sir." The crew member smiled at him spologetically, then turned to glare at something on his other side. When the crew member finally gathered up his stuff and got on board Reggoth could see a little girl staring after him and waving happily. Of course, it had to be her.

"Hey, this isn't a playground, g'find yer parents or somethin'!" Reggoth yelled at her. The girl stuck her tongue out at him and stomped up to him.

"I was here before you!" She told him.

"Well I'm bigger so up yer..." Reggoth was interrupted before he could finish.

"Sarah, are you coming to dinner?" A lovely woman approached them with an equally handsome man on her shoulder. The little girl whirled and ran toward them excitedly.

"I'm coming mom!" Sarah ran to her parents and leapt into their waiting arms, hugging them tightly. "On to the sushi!" She yelled excitedly. Her parents let out happy laughs and carried her away, leaving Reggoth staring after them with an expression of disgust on his face.

"Useless little buggers..." He turned back to his crew and growled when he saw that several of them had tripped over the same spot on the ground as the last crew member. "Get yer Goddamned feet movin' or yer not comin' on my ship!"

"Aye sir!" The crew hustled to load the ship with Reggoth watching irritably.

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Samus Aran made her way through the thick jungle, pushing leaves and underbrush out of the way as she made her way toward her next bounty. She used her visor to make sure that she had the right target before leaping out of the bushes and grabbing the young man by the shoulder.

"Hey, what!?" The kid leapt up and whirled, but Samus grabbed him again and pulled him close to her chest long enough to get him subdued.

"You shouldn't be out here kid, bad things happen," Samus told him. The kid rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly.

"Whatever..." He stopped struggling as Samus dragged him back through the forest toward a small cottage on top of a hillside. She put the kid on the porch as his mother came outside, glaring at the boy angrily.

"How many times have I told you not to run off!?" She whapped him over the head and pulled him inside. "You worry me sick! One of these days you're going to meet your maker and I'm just going to laugh!" She sighed and came out onto the porch, smiling at Samus. "Thank you for finding him again... please, let me give you something."

"Don't worry about it, lost loved ones are free." Samus replied.

"Oh? But you're a bounty hunter, I thought you only did this for money." The woman said. Samus turned to look up at the stars shining overhead as she replied.

"People are worth the effort." Samus started to walk off, adjusting the cannon on her arm as she went.

"Well, thank you just the same. If you ever need anything please feel free to ask!" The woman called after her. Samus waved back at her over her shoulder on her way back to her ship, to continue with her never-ending adventure as the best intergalactic bounty hunter.

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Keela lied on the couch alone, watching the light of the fireplace cast an orange glow over the rest of the room. She hugged herself against the growing chill of winter, waiting for her hero to return to her. She waited until it seemed as though it had become a futile effort, but finally the door opened and a man with strong shoulders and a kind smile entered.

"Jonathan." Keela smiled and stood up, rushing to meet him with a passionate kiss. "You're late again."

"I apologize, it turns out they were worse off than I knew before." He smiled and kissed her back with equal passion. "So, what's for dinner tonight love?" He asked.

"Forget dinner for a while... it's so cold." Keela kissed him passionately again, pulling him back toward the couch. He moved with her, lying with her on the coiuch in front of the fireplace. A flash of orange light reflected from something on top of the fireplace, seeming to cover them both in its pale hue.

On top of the fireplace sat a single object that had been passed down through Jonathan's family for many, many generations. It was said to be a symbol of great power and might, wielded only by one man in history. A man who vanquished a great evil, and brought peace to an entire planet.

It was a sword with a shining silver blade as sharp as it had been on the day it was crafted. It was passed down from generation to generation, starting with one man. One warrior who had gone by only one name in all of his years.

A samurai warrior named Jack.

THE END