Notes: Sorry this took so long! But I'm back, and I hope part two makes up for my absence. I'd like to thank everybody who's reviewed so far. It's your comments that keep me writing every chance I get. So, now that this part has been properly revised, edited and critiqued (thanks to the fair Lady Jayne, Funny Freddie, and Olivia the Outstanding), it is now considered safe to continue reading. ^_^
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Two: The Glow of the Talismans
Jade rode her bicycle down Lombard street, mastering the intricate twists and turns. _Those Nintendo racing games *did* come in handy,_ she thought, amused. _And Uncle said it was a waste!_
Soon she was back on normal streets (or as normal as they could get in San Francisco; the hills were murder to ride up). Clearly, she was on a wild goose chase and she was rapidly losing her patience. Just when she was about to try a different route, she spotted a tiny maroon truck at a gas station across the street. Familiar faces could be seen through the wind shield: Ratso, Finn, and Hak Foo.
"Bingo!" she exclaimed.
What were they doing, hanging around in broad daylight? Weren't they supposed to be hiding out? They were all on the Most Wanted list. Something was going on, and Jade was determined to find out what.
She ditched her bike in an alleyway and crossed the street, concealed by the usual throng of people. She stayed along the rim of the street, hiding behind various parked cars, making her way closer and closer to the maroon truck until she finally reached the rear. After making sure no one was looking, she used a bobby pin to unlock the double doors. They swung open with ease and she climbed in.
What she saw almost made her fall out of the truck.
Stark lay Jackie, bruised and deathly pale. He did not appear to be breathing at all.
"Jackie!" She ran over to his prone form and shook him. "Jackie? Wake up!"
When she tried to heave him up, she felt the warm liquid and noticed the huge red pool beneath him. _Not good...!_
"Hey! Kid!"
Jade spun around to see Chow grab the door handles. "I don't think you got a search warrant," he said, grinning.
"What did you do to him?!" she demanded.
"Figure it out!" Chow said as he slammed the doors locked.
_Definitely not good._
***
Tohru entered the shop carrying a bag of rice cakes. When he got to the kitchen, he put it away in a cabinet.
As Uncle came in to the kitchen, Tohru asked him, "Has Chan returned?"
"No, he hasn't," Uncle replied. "One more thing. Please check on Jade; she has been very quiet."
Tohru proceeded to do so. Beneath his feet the staircase creaked and sagged with every step as he ascended to the guestroom. He peered inside the room. There was Jade's unfinished homework piled on the desk, and by the foot of her bed lay her Game Boy; but Jade herself was nowhere to be seen.
"Jade?" Tohru called, stepping inside and looking around. "Where are you?"
After searching for a few moments, Tohru returned downstairs and told Uncle of Jade's mysterious disappearance.
And Uncle knew exactly what happened. "Aaiiyaa! She is probably looking for Jackie!"
"Okay, so we'll just wait here and she will either find him or she won't. Should we inform Captain Black anyway?"
"Good idea," Uncle said. "Now he has to worry about *two* missing people!"
***
They were moving uphill now. As a result, Jade and Jackie, along with various crates, began sliding to the back. Then they made a sharp right and went downhill. The journey continued like this: what mostly came out of Jade's mouth was, "ow!" as she was flung at the wall and squashed between the boxes.
She considered her options. She could try again to wake Jackie up (though somehow she didn't think he would ever rouse--the thought was beyond frightening--if he hadn't already). She could bang on the truck doors, but she was probably already attracting attention as everything slammed to and fro. When all was calm for the moment and she could think more logically, she wished she had a cell phone. She'd *told* Jackie one would come in handy, and yet he still refused to by her one. If *he* had one, why couldn't she--
Jade couldn't help but smack her forehead for being so stupid.
Just as she began to crawl along the cool metal floor, the truck swerved to the left. Fresh bruises surfaced on her shoulder as she pounded into a crate, and she grimaced in pain. Ignoring the discomfort, she continued groping and eventually felt a hand. A lump formed in her throat. It was cold -- very disconcerting. Her hand slipped in his pocket and she snatched the phone.
They came to an abrupt stop: as Jade was thrown backward she wondered how she ever came out of this alive. Just when the doors were opening, she quickly stuffed the phone into her jeans pocket. Then she looked up to see Ratso, Finn and Chow climbing into the truck. She tried to avert them but Ratso caught her ankle.
"Gotcha!"
But Jade, of course, would not relinquish that easily. With her free leg, she kicked him square in the jaw.
"OOWWW!" Ratso released her and rubbed his jaw. "That *hurt*!"
Chow and Finn now cornered her. Jade wasn't fazed; she raised her fists.
Meanwhile, Hak Foo waited outside the truck, tapping his foot impatiently. The truck rumbled and rocked from side to side, and the distressed cries of the three Enforcers could be heard loud and clear. He rolled his eyes and sighed, and wondered how they kept their day job.
When the excitement in the truck subsided, Jade hopped out and, in an attempt to flee, ran smack into Hak Foo. She looked up at him and grinned uneasily.
"Heh. Hi." _I'm so doomed._
Hak Foo lifted her by her arm. He turned to the Enforcers, who were now watching him, flabbergasted, and said to them, "Beaten by a rugrat! You are pathetic."
As he was walking away, Ratso said, "Have you even *seen* that show? Those are some really smart babies! Kinda felt bad for them, though -- those poor kids are always gettin' teased by Angelica." He sniffed and wiped away a tear. Finn and Chow stared at him.
In the meantime, Jade was studying her surroundings. She was being taken to a warehouse that she immediately recognized as Monary Bay. This wasn't too horrible: it wasn't that far from Chinatown. Now that she had confirmed the location, she'd have to find a way to call Captain Black.
They came to the garage door. Jade memorized the numbers that Hak Foo punched in the key pad, just in case. Whining and groaning, the door slid open, and they moved forward. Inside it was dusty and Jade had trouble stifling a sneeze. She saw two trucks, both much larger than what the Enforcers used, aligned to the right. Consuming the left half were miscellaneous items, such as a trunk, a large mirror, a stereo, a few blankets and sleeping bags. In the center of the room she saw, much to her confusion, Valmont lying on his back, apparently unconscious. By his feet were the Talismans, lined in two rows.
With much effort, the three other Enforcers were carrying Jackie inside and arguing. Finn and Chow were lugging him by his arms while Ratso was on the other end.
"This ain't fair -- I'm carrying most of him!"
Chow said, "Quit whinin', Ratso; *I'm* having a hard time too, but you don't see me complainin'."
"So am I!" Finn said. "Chow keeps shifting his weight to *my* side!"
"I am not!" Chow protested.
"You are *so*!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Can't anyone see *I'm* the victim here?" said Ratso.
"NO!" Finn and Chow shouted, and then resumed their bickering.
"QUIET!" Hak Foo bellowed; he was so loud that Jade decided she was lucky that she hadn't gone deaf.
The Enforcers stared at him, half surprised, half fearful.
"Uh, we'll just put him down here--"
"--and we'll, uh, shut up now--"
"--just get out of your way 'n all--"
Once they stopped blabbing, they set Jackie down in front of the Talismans.
Jade was horrified to see the trail of blood drops that were splattered on the floor where Jackie had been carried. Instantly her temper escalated and she struggled wildly in Hak Foo's strong grip. "What did you do to him?! Let me go!" she cried.
Hak Foo did not bother hiding the annoyance in his voice, "You too be quiet, child, if you know what's best for you."
Jade did not comply to this, but, in fact, struggled more. "Tell me! Now!"
If it hadn't been for Ratso's interruption, Hak Foo might have done something very cruel. "So when are we gonna do this thing?"
"Now," Hak Foo answered. "That is, *if* you remember the instructions," he added.
"Yeah, we *did*," Ratso said, the three of them glaring at Hak Foo. Then he whispered to Finn, "So what are we supposed to do, again?"
Finn shrugged and whispered back, "Just go along with it."
"So are you going to cast the spell or not?" Hak Foo was getting restless.
"What spell?" Jade asked alarmed, but she was totally ignored.
"Are we *going* to? Did you *hear* that, Ratso?" Finn elbowed him and started laughing. "He asked if we were going to cast the spell!"
Ratso stared at him blankly. "So?"
Finn muttered angrily, "So start laughing!"
Ratso shrugged, and he and Chow joined in with Finn's laughing.
By the intensity of Hak Foo's glare at them, it was blatant that he was not at all amused.
So the three stopped abruptly, and Ratso said, "I don't get it."
"We're trying to cover the fact that we don't know what to do!" Finn exclaimed. Then, once he realised what he had said, he turned to Hak Foo and grinned. "Heh. You didn't by any chance hear that...did you?"
Hak Foo nodded, his face stern.
"I'll shut up now." Finn tried to conceal himself behind Ratso.
Ratso blinked. "I still don't get it."
It took a great deal of self-control for Hak Foo not to slam his head against the wall. Instead he said to them (although not too tolerantly), "Do you have the papers the Master gave you?"
They began to search the pockets until they each found a scrap of paper with alien words written on it. Fortunately for them, the pronunciation was provided. Then Hak Foo ordered them to stand near Valmont and Jackie and to start at the count of three.
Although dubious of their ability, they began to pronounce the strange words, feeling very awkward. After repeating the spell only twice, they could feel a strong force engulf them: their voices seemed to echo and the sound came from everywhere in the room. They felt themselves being drawn by a beckoning, magnetic force, but to where they did not know. Slowly they were pulled, more and more, down, down, never stopping. Over and over they chanted, faster, louder, they're voices formed one, superior rhythm.
_Not good, not good!_ Jade observed. If only she didn't have this stupid lunkhead holding her down. Looking around, she found a fire extinguisher; the hook must have snapped off from the support beam and no one had fixed it. And it was only a few feet away from where she stood!
Talk about lucky.
But she could reach it without much difficulty, but she also needed to distract Hak Foo. After thinking a moment, she pulled at his shirt.
"Hey, look, it's Jet Li!" she exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Where?" He looked, and Jade kicked the fire extinguisher towards her. Just as he was turning to face her, she picked it up and pulled the cord. Cold white foam was released in Hak Foo's face; she fled the second he let go of her.
"Come back here, you little--!"
As soon as Hak Foo recovered he raced right towards her. Jade struggled to stay ahead; though the head start was a tremendous help. She reached the other Enforcers (who were completely oblivious), and she noticed with distress and alarm that the Talismans were glittering a bright blue. This couldn't be good. And Hak Foo was coming right at her. Without giving much thought, she scooped up two talismans. She peered down at her prize.
"Healing and invisibility," she said to herself with satisfaction. "Not bad."
Then Jade looked up to see Hak Foo lunge forward. She yelped involuntarily and jumped away. The Snake Talisman activated and she vanished. Hak Foo scratched his head in perplexity. Seizing this advantage, she backed away to one of the trucks without making a peep. She climbed inside (luckily there were no windows so she could slip in) and dialed Captain Black's number on the cell phone.
The first ring barely sounded before a deep voice answered, "Black."
"It's me, Jade," she whispered. Peering out the windshield, she spotted Hak Foo advancing blindly in her direction. She bit her lip nervously.
"Jade! Are you all right?! Your Uncle has been worried sick!" Captain Black yelled. Hak Foo must have heard him because he cocked his head sideways and listened intently.
"Shh." Then she whispered even lower than before, "I'm at Monary Bay, in a warehouse. Hurry!"
"Jade--!" But she had hung up.
And, much to her distress, when she looked up, she did not see Hak Foo anywhere.
Jade couldn't help but shriek once when the truck began to shake from side to side. As it was lifted up, she held tightly on to the Horse Talisman; but when the truck toppled over to one side, the Snake Talisman was flung out into the open. The truck crashed and dust smothered the air as Hak Foo snatched the Talisman from the ground with glee.
Jade heaved herself through the window door on the other side and slipped down to the floor.
"Healing, *duh*!" she laughed -- but when she looked up she still could not find Hak Foo. She checked her pockets; she had the Horse, but-- "No Snake!"
An invisible force lifted her up by the hood of her jacket. "Invisibility, duh!" he said.
This was too easy. Jade slipped out of her jacket, revealing a black tank top, and ran away.
Her adversary was quick, though -- he stopped in front of her and she crashed into him. Then he grabbed her by her arm and shook her for the Horse Talisman.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the Talismans continued to glow. Blasphemous dark blue radiated from them: they looked like glittering sapphire gems. Soon they were virtually black, with just a tint of an ice-coloured chill. And as the colour intensified, light blue began to emit from Valmont and Jackie.
Jade paid no heed to this. Hak Foo was shaking her wildly upside down, and she felt she would surely yak. The Horse Talisman then slipped out of her pocket. Hak Foo flung her carelessly behind him; she landed hard on her stomach with a thud.
The second Hak Foo snatched up the Talisman, the warehouse doors swung open, and there was Captain Black holding out his gun with a backup crew behind him.
"Freeze!" he commanded.
"I think not," sneered Hak Foo. "Until next time!" And he disappeared without a trace.
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Two: The Glow of the Talismans
Jade rode her bicycle down Lombard street, mastering the intricate twists and turns. _Those Nintendo racing games *did* come in handy,_ she thought, amused. _And Uncle said it was a waste!_
Soon she was back on normal streets (or as normal as they could get in San Francisco; the hills were murder to ride up). Clearly, she was on a wild goose chase and she was rapidly losing her patience. Just when she was about to try a different route, she spotted a tiny maroon truck at a gas station across the street. Familiar faces could be seen through the wind shield: Ratso, Finn, and Hak Foo.
"Bingo!" she exclaimed.
What were they doing, hanging around in broad daylight? Weren't they supposed to be hiding out? They were all on the Most Wanted list. Something was going on, and Jade was determined to find out what.
She ditched her bike in an alleyway and crossed the street, concealed by the usual throng of people. She stayed along the rim of the street, hiding behind various parked cars, making her way closer and closer to the maroon truck until she finally reached the rear. After making sure no one was looking, she used a bobby pin to unlock the double doors. They swung open with ease and she climbed in.
What she saw almost made her fall out of the truck.
Stark lay Jackie, bruised and deathly pale. He did not appear to be breathing at all.
"Jackie!" She ran over to his prone form and shook him. "Jackie? Wake up!"
When she tried to heave him up, she felt the warm liquid and noticed the huge red pool beneath him. _Not good...!_
"Hey! Kid!"
Jade spun around to see Chow grab the door handles. "I don't think you got a search warrant," he said, grinning.
"What did you do to him?!" she demanded.
"Figure it out!" Chow said as he slammed the doors locked.
_Definitely not good._
***
Tohru entered the shop carrying a bag of rice cakes. When he got to the kitchen, he put it away in a cabinet.
As Uncle came in to the kitchen, Tohru asked him, "Has Chan returned?"
"No, he hasn't," Uncle replied. "One more thing. Please check on Jade; she has been very quiet."
Tohru proceeded to do so. Beneath his feet the staircase creaked and sagged with every step as he ascended to the guestroom. He peered inside the room. There was Jade's unfinished homework piled on the desk, and by the foot of her bed lay her Game Boy; but Jade herself was nowhere to be seen.
"Jade?" Tohru called, stepping inside and looking around. "Where are you?"
After searching for a few moments, Tohru returned downstairs and told Uncle of Jade's mysterious disappearance.
And Uncle knew exactly what happened. "Aaiiyaa! She is probably looking for Jackie!"
"Okay, so we'll just wait here and she will either find him or she won't. Should we inform Captain Black anyway?"
"Good idea," Uncle said. "Now he has to worry about *two* missing people!"
***
They were moving uphill now. As a result, Jade and Jackie, along with various crates, began sliding to the back. Then they made a sharp right and went downhill. The journey continued like this: what mostly came out of Jade's mouth was, "ow!" as she was flung at the wall and squashed between the boxes.
She considered her options. She could try again to wake Jackie up (though somehow she didn't think he would ever rouse--the thought was beyond frightening--if he hadn't already). She could bang on the truck doors, but she was probably already attracting attention as everything slammed to and fro. When all was calm for the moment and she could think more logically, she wished she had a cell phone. She'd *told* Jackie one would come in handy, and yet he still refused to by her one. If *he* had one, why couldn't she--
Jade couldn't help but smack her forehead for being so stupid.
Just as she began to crawl along the cool metal floor, the truck swerved to the left. Fresh bruises surfaced on her shoulder as she pounded into a crate, and she grimaced in pain. Ignoring the discomfort, she continued groping and eventually felt a hand. A lump formed in her throat. It was cold -- very disconcerting. Her hand slipped in his pocket and she snatched the phone.
They came to an abrupt stop: as Jade was thrown backward she wondered how she ever came out of this alive. Just when the doors were opening, she quickly stuffed the phone into her jeans pocket. Then she looked up to see Ratso, Finn and Chow climbing into the truck. She tried to avert them but Ratso caught her ankle.
"Gotcha!"
But Jade, of course, would not relinquish that easily. With her free leg, she kicked him square in the jaw.
"OOWWW!" Ratso released her and rubbed his jaw. "That *hurt*!"
Chow and Finn now cornered her. Jade wasn't fazed; she raised her fists.
Meanwhile, Hak Foo waited outside the truck, tapping his foot impatiently. The truck rumbled and rocked from side to side, and the distressed cries of the three Enforcers could be heard loud and clear. He rolled his eyes and sighed, and wondered how they kept their day job.
When the excitement in the truck subsided, Jade hopped out and, in an attempt to flee, ran smack into Hak Foo. She looked up at him and grinned uneasily.
"Heh. Hi." _I'm so doomed._
Hak Foo lifted her by her arm. He turned to the Enforcers, who were now watching him, flabbergasted, and said to them, "Beaten by a rugrat! You are pathetic."
As he was walking away, Ratso said, "Have you even *seen* that show? Those are some really smart babies! Kinda felt bad for them, though -- those poor kids are always gettin' teased by Angelica." He sniffed and wiped away a tear. Finn and Chow stared at him.
In the meantime, Jade was studying her surroundings. She was being taken to a warehouse that she immediately recognized as Monary Bay. This wasn't too horrible: it wasn't that far from Chinatown. Now that she had confirmed the location, she'd have to find a way to call Captain Black.
They came to the garage door. Jade memorized the numbers that Hak Foo punched in the key pad, just in case. Whining and groaning, the door slid open, and they moved forward. Inside it was dusty and Jade had trouble stifling a sneeze. She saw two trucks, both much larger than what the Enforcers used, aligned to the right. Consuming the left half were miscellaneous items, such as a trunk, a large mirror, a stereo, a few blankets and sleeping bags. In the center of the room she saw, much to her confusion, Valmont lying on his back, apparently unconscious. By his feet were the Talismans, lined in two rows.
With much effort, the three other Enforcers were carrying Jackie inside and arguing. Finn and Chow were lugging him by his arms while Ratso was on the other end.
"This ain't fair -- I'm carrying most of him!"
Chow said, "Quit whinin', Ratso; *I'm* having a hard time too, but you don't see me complainin'."
"So am I!" Finn said. "Chow keeps shifting his weight to *my* side!"
"I am not!" Chow protested.
"You are *so*!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Can't anyone see *I'm* the victim here?" said Ratso.
"NO!" Finn and Chow shouted, and then resumed their bickering.
"QUIET!" Hak Foo bellowed; he was so loud that Jade decided she was lucky that she hadn't gone deaf.
The Enforcers stared at him, half surprised, half fearful.
"Uh, we'll just put him down here--"
"--and we'll, uh, shut up now--"
"--just get out of your way 'n all--"
Once they stopped blabbing, they set Jackie down in front of the Talismans.
Jade was horrified to see the trail of blood drops that were splattered on the floor where Jackie had been carried. Instantly her temper escalated and she struggled wildly in Hak Foo's strong grip. "What did you do to him?! Let me go!" she cried.
Hak Foo did not bother hiding the annoyance in his voice, "You too be quiet, child, if you know what's best for you."
Jade did not comply to this, but, in fact, struggled more. "Tell me! Now!"
If it hadn't been for Ratso's interruption, Hak Foo might have done something very cruel. "So when are we gonna do this thing?"
"Now," Hak Foo answered. "That is, *if* you remember the instructions," he added.
"Yeah, we *did*," Ratso said, the three of them glaring at Hak Foo. Then he whispered to Finn, "So what are we supposed to do, again?"
Finn shrugged and whispered back, "Just go along with it."
"So are you going to cast the spell or not?" Hak Foo was getting restless.
"What spell?" Jade asked alarmed, but she was totally ignored.
"Are we *going* to? Did you *hear* that, Ratso?" Finn elbowed him and started laughing. "He asked if we were going to cast the spell!"
Ratso stared at him blankly. "So?"
Finn muttered angrily, "So start laughing!"
Ratso shrugged, and he and Chow joined in with Finn's laughing.
By the intensity of Hak Foo's glare at them, it was blatant that he was not at all amused.
So the three stopped abruptly, and Ratso said, "I don't get it."
"We're trying to cover the fact that we don't know what to do!" Finn exclaimed. Then, once he realised what he had said, he turned to Hak Foo and grinned. "Heh. You didn't by any chance hear that...did you?"
Hak Foo nodded, his face stern.
"I'll shut up now." Finn tried to conceal himself behind Ratso.
Ratso blinked. "I still don't get it."
It took a great deal of self-control for Hak Foo not to slam his head against the wall. Instead he said to them (although not too tolerantly), "Do you have the papers the Master gave you?"
They began to search the pockets until they each found a scrap of paper with alien words written on it. Fortunately for them, the pronunciation was provided. Then Hak Foo ordered them to stand near Valmont and Jackie and to start at the count of three.
Although dubious of their ability, they began to pronounce the strange words, feeling very awkward. After repeating the spell only twice, they could feel a strong force engulf them: their voices seemed to echo and the sound came from everywhere in the room. They felt themselves being drawn by a beckoning, magnetic force, but to where they did not know. Slowly they were pulled, more and more, down, down, never stopping. Over and over they chanted, faster, louder, they're voices formed one, superior rhythm.
_Not good, not good!_ Jade observed. If only she didn't have this stupid lunkhead holding her down. Looking around, she found a fire extinguisher; the hook must have snapped off from the support beam and no one had fixed it. And it was only a few feet away from where she stood!
Talk about lucky.
But she could reach it without much difficulty, but she also needed to distract Hak Foo. After thinking a moment, she pulled at his shirt.
"Hey, look, it's Jet Li!" she exclaimed, pointing in the opposite direction.
"Where?" He looked, and Jade kicked the fire extinguisher towards her. Just as he was turning to face her, she picked it up and pulled the cord. Cold white foam was released in Hak Foo's face; she fled the second he let go of her.
"Come back here, you little--!"
As soon as Hak Foo recovered he raced right towards her. Jade struggled to stay ahead; though the head start was a tremendous help. She reached the other Enforcers (who were completely oblivious), and she noticed with distress and alarm that the Talismans were glittering a bright blue. This couldn't be good. And Hak Foo was coming right at her. Without giving much thought, she scooped up two talismans. She peered down at her prize.
"Healing and invisibility," she said to herself with satisfaction. "Not bad."
Then Jade looked up to see Hak Foo lunge forward. She yelped involuntarily and jumped away. The Snake Talisman activated and she vanished. Hak Foo scratched his head in perplexity. Seizing this advantage, she backed away to one of the trucks without making a peep. She climbed inside (luckily there were no windows so she could slip in) and dialed Captain Black's number on the cell phone.
The first ring barely sounded before a deep voice answered, "Black."
"It's me, Jade," she whispered. Peering out the windshield, she spotted Hak Foo advancing blindly in her direction. She bit her lip nervously.
"Jade! Are you all right?! Your Uncle has been worried sick!" Captain Black yelled. Hak Foo must have heard him because he cocked his head sideways and listened intently.
"Shh." Then she whispered even lower than before, "I'm at Monary Bay, in a warehouse. Hurry!"
"Jade--!" But she had hung up.
And, much to her distress, when she looked up, she did not see Hak Foo anywhere.
Jade couldn't help but shriek once when the truck began to shake from side to side. As it was lifted up, she held tightly on to the Horse Talisman; but when the truck toppled over to one side, the Snake Talisman was flung out into the open. The truck crashed and dust smothered the air as Hak Foo snatched the Talisman from the ground with glee.
Jade heaved herself through the window door on the other side and slipped down to the floor.
"Healing, *duh*!" she laughed -- but when she looked up she still could not find Hak Foo. She checked her pockets; she had the Horse, but-- "No Snake!"
An invisible force lifted her up by the hood of her jacket. "Invisibility, duh!" he said.
This was too easy. Jade slipped out of her jacket, revealing a black tank top, and ran away.
Her adversary was quick, though -- he stopped in front of her and she crashed into him. Then he grabbed her by her arm and shook her for the Horse Talisman.
Meanwhile, unbeknownst to them, the Talismans continued to glow. Blasphemous dark blue radiated from them: they looked like glittering sapphire gems. Soon they were virtually black, with just a tint of an ice-coloured chill. And as the colour intensified, light blue began to emit from Valmont and Jackie.
Jade paid no heed to this. Hak Foo was shaking her wildly upside down, and she felt she would surely yak. The Horse Talisman then slipped out of her pocket. Hak Foo flung her carelessly behind him; she landed hard on her stomach with a thud.
The second Hak Foo snatched up the Talisman, the warehouse doors swung open, and there was Captain Black holding out his gun with a backup crew behind him.
"Freeze!" he commanded.
"I think not," sneered Hak Foo. "Until next time!" And he disappeared without a trace.