Notes: ::Looks really mad and is about to kill either her monitor or the e-
machines delivery guy:: Grr, for the last month now my monitor has been
acting strange and it has become clear that I need a new one, or else I
would never get a stupid picture! So my aunt ordered me one, and it was
supposed to be delivered Friday, but instead it was cancelled until
Wednesday!! Unreliable delivery guys...
Enough ranting. I apologize for being way late; all blame should be directed to lazy deliverymen. ^_^ Well, there are personal reasons, too, but I won't go into that... Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who commented on the first two chapters and "Entrustment." You're praise and CC is always appreciated, and I am trying to follow everyone's advice. As usual, special thanks goes out to Olivia for the long IM brainstorming, and to Jayne for editing this. Enjoy!
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Three: Untouchable
Although invisible to the ordinary human eye, there existed a bottomless gap, and in this gap filled absolute darkness. It wrenched at anything that crossed its way, pulling it deeper and deeper within its reign of endless Night. It was very small now, but it would expand with time, with the more it pulled. Only vaguely aware of this, he shivered at the icy ambiance. It pricked against his skin, it ran through his veins, it pumped his heart without rhythm. While it was the only thing keeping him alive, it was destroying him all the same.
Everywhere he heard soft whispers. Almost inaudible at first, they intensified with each heartbeat ever so slowly. They were hideous: but also lovely. Chilling: but comforting. Discordant: and yet they were so harmonious. His mind swirled soothingly and he felt himself melt at the irresistible words of greatness and evil. Over his face spread a slight grin.
There he stayed for what seemed like forever before he felt everything lifting upwards, but he knew he was not ready to leave. Mentally, he grabbed on to whatever he could to withstand the pull; but he slipped and began floating to the waking world...
Very slowly did Jackie come to, and when he did he found that he was incredibly weak. His first instinct was to open his eyes; but they weighed a ton. So he tried to move his arm; he could not, and it hung limp by his side. Gradually, he became cognizant of two things: the dull ache in his left side, and a circle of gentle murmurs. He strained to hear their words, but everything passed over his head in a blur.
As his mind slowly swept away the haze, he realised that he was cold. Painful chills pressed at his body, causing him to moan and shiver in response. Someone was piling blankets on him, but they didn't seem to help much. Suddenly, the ache in his side burst into an uncontrollable pain; he felt as though a knife had sliced him. His eyes shot open and he jerked himself up, as the knife seemed to wrench through his skin, contorting it in different directions. His mouth stretched wide open as if to let out a blood-curling scream, yet nothing but a few weak croaks emitted.
Although it seemed to last for an eternity, the spasm was fortunately brief. When it returned its shape into the dull ache, Jackie settled back into his bed, taking deep breaths. Cold sweat beaded down his forehead. As he calmed down more, he noticed the crowd of people surrounding him, all dressed in white; however, his vision was blurry, so that was the only thing he could make out. But he kept his eyes open anyway, afraid that supposing he even so much as blinked he would not be able to open them again.
Jackie squinted his eyes, forcing the groggy figures to sharpen into clear objects. His plan backfired, though, and instead he only produced a splinting headache. Distracted, he shut his eyes, and found that through tiny slits they could re-open. Despite the endless pain that tugged at him in all directions, he tried to sit up again, only to be stopped by a pair of strong hands that gently pushed him back by his shoulders. He heard something -- someone talking, to him maybe -- but the voice was hazy and he could not comprehend what was said.
He lay there shivering despite the load of blankets, darting his eyes around the room and wishing he could see better. His thoughts became duller and his eyes shut completely as another batch of painkillers were loaded into his IV. Soon he slid into a half-sleep, a twilight world: everything was dark, save for the speck of light far ahead of him. Occasionally, he heard people speaking, their words vague. Listless, he did not bother to understand them.
Sometime later -- although just how long was unknown -- Jackie suddenly blinked and his vision started getting more distinct. He kept his eyes open, determined not to lose his clear sight again; but the longer he did so, the sooner the world began reverting back into a blur. Alarmed, he blinked again, and he could see fine.
His head now cleared away the grogginess, allowing him to think straight. This was a mixed blessing, for now he also realised how sore and tired he was. He started to sit up, but fatigue and a sharp pain at his side stopped him. With that option ruled out, he arched his head his head up and glanced around, hardly noticing anyone in the room. Just as he was getting a good look, his head plopped back on the pillow in weariness. At least now he knew where he was: Section 13's infirmary.
"Jackie?"
Jackie nearly jumped when he heard his name being called. He carefully steered his stiff neck leftwards where he spotted the familiar face of Captain Black. He sat at a chair that was parked next to the bed. Jackie wondered how he could have missed him when he had looked around, and silently vowed to sharpen his observation skills.
"How are you feeling?" Captain Black asked, now that he had Jackie's attention. It was obvious that Black had been worried, although he tried to conceal it. Jackie felt the guilt build on his aching shoulders.
"Fine." Jackie subconsciously darted his eyes away from Black as he said this: Jackie was a bad liar, and Black picked up immediately.
"Jackie," he pronounced his name in a firm, but gentle tone.
Jackie shrugged, or did as best he could to. "Okay, so I'm a little sore -- but it's nothing, really." He was grateful when Black did not press on the subject, although he could tell from his expression that he was skeptical.
"What happened?" Jackie asked, suddenly acknowledging his nagging curiosity.
Black proceeded to explain everything, starting from how everyone was worried when Jackie hadn't returned home (which only added to Jackie's guilt). He informed him of Jade's encounter, according to Jade herself, and how Black had arrived to the warehouse as soon as he received her urgent yet somewhat ambiguous phone call.
"Is Jade all right?" Jackie interrupted, fearing the worst.
But to his relief, Black nodded. "She's just fine, and she wants to see you. In fact, she will tomorrow; it's too late tonight." Jackie looked at the wall clock for the first time: it was two o'clock -- in the morning, he guessed. He wondered how long he had been out, but decided to let Black finish the story first.
Now came the part where Black was most reluctant to tell: partly because it was hard to describe, but mostly because it was so disturbing. This part he explained to Jackie with every intention of using the most indistinct sense, which only made Jackie more nervous. He even felt slightly reluctant to ask him to clarify his statement, in trepidation of what the answer might be.
After piecing it all together, this was the picture Jackie was getting: After Hak Foo disappeared and it was obvious that Jade wasn't too hurt, Black turned back to his main concern, Jackie. He had been greatly surprised and alarmed when he saw the bright blue radiating from his body. That was when he had noticed the three Enforcers murmuring alien words. After speaking to them had failed to catch their attention, he attempted to pull them away, but found them impossible to move. Giving up on that approach, he finally turned to Jackie, who lay there stark and lifeless, save for the eerie glowing. He attempted to shake him awake; but when he touched his arm, his hand just passed right through!
"You've got to be kidding me," Jackie muttered, staring at his friend in disbelief. Black gave him that look that meant, "I'm dead serious."
"So what did you do?" Jackie wanted to know.
"There was nothing to do, really," Black said, shrugging, "except wait. It wasn't too long before Valmont's Enforcers fell unconscious, and the glowing stopped then. As soon as it did, we got you a first class ticket to the Section 13 infirmary." He grinned slightly, but Jackie didn't return the gesture.
"What was all that about?" he asked.
"Your Uncle is trying to figure that out," Black answered. "He thinks he'll have it researched soon enough."
Jackie nodded and looked away. Suddenly he felt a swish of cold air wash over him, it's source a mystery. He wrapped the polyester blankets over him tightly just as he began to shiver.
Black shrugged. "Sorry. I'm afraid Section 13's always been more concerned with security than coverlets."
"Could you at least turn the heat on?"
"It already is," Black replied, looking at his friend uneasily.
But Jackie just shook his head dismissively. "Doesn't matter."
"Now that I've filled you in," Black said, turning back to business, "perhaps you can do the same for me. Just what happened, Jackie? The Dark Hand must have tried to capture you a million times but you always managed to get away -- why not this time?"
"I guess I was just caught off guard," Jackie said, rather vaguely. He didn't feel like explaining his encounter with the Shadowkhan just yet, although why in particular he wasn't sure. Pondering this produced no answer, and that only made him more restless, so he decided to obey this urge.
Black, however, was no fool, and he was determined to find out what happened. With concern in his eyes that weighed a burden on Jackie, he said seriously, "You were hurt very badly. Jackie, you were *dead*."
"WHAT?!" Jackie swung his whole body to face him, forgetting the blankets that were now huddled in a mass surrounding his waist. Dead? How could he be dead if he were alive now? Impossible! He wanted to say this and demand a reasonable explanation from Captain Black. But all he could spit out was, "But...how...I'm..."
Black sighed tiredly. "You were, according to Jade's description. She said that when she saw you, you were very still, and cold, and deathly pale. Even when I found you I could tell you weren't breathing. The glowing stopped and we got you on life support right away, and you seemed to be fine. We think that spell had something to do with it."
Jackie stared at him, unable to conceive this new piece of information. Dead. It wasn't possible, and he knew it. But he could not recall anything else; everything between his fight with the Shadowkhan to awakening in Section 13's sickbay was plastered with grayness. This, too, encouraged Jackie's frustration, but he refrained himself from taking it out on Black.
"You...must be mistaken," he said finally, his gaze drowsy but firm. "It's impossible. Why would the Dark Hand kill me and then bring me back? It doesn't make any sense."
Black looked uneasy. It was clear that there was something more to the spell, but Jackie did not have to recognize that if he didn't want to. Not until his Uncle had completed the research, anyway. "It doesn't make sense," he agreed, "and we're going to figure everything out. Don't worry about it anymore."
"Sure," Jackie said, leaning back. "I'll just worry about my side; it feels like it's..." He trailed off as memories of the Shadowkha's wicked sword piercing through his skin flooded back to him. Shivering, he remembered the blankets and covered himself.
"You had a deep wound there," Black supplied for him, "and you'd lost a lot of blood. They had to remove your spleen...but the doctors say you can go home in a week or two."
"Home?" Jackie said. "My home is down the hallway!"
"Doctor's orders." Black shrugged. "You might even get out earlier if you take care of yourself -- which I know you will, of course."
Jackie suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance for some reason, but nodded all the same.
"Good," Black said. "Now tell me: what happened?"
Jackie didn't look at him. Instead, he stared down at the sheets on his bed. He couldn't figure out why he was so defiant in confiding to Black, but he did not ponder over it either. "It's a long story.I'll explain tomorrow."
"Fine," Black sighed, standing up. "I had better hit the sack, too -- it's two-thirty! I'll check back later today, all right?"
"Okay." Jackie turned away from Black and lay on his stomach. "Goodnight."
The lights turned off and the sound of Captain Black's footsteps receded. When he was sure he had left, Jackie sighed and shut his eyes, but he did not go to sleep. His mind was baffled with the news he had received. Surely, none of that could be true. It must have been a misunderstanding; there was no other reasonable explanation. An image of Black passing through him disrupted his thoughts. He slid his hand under his stomach and used his fingertips to rub the spot where his spleen should have been. But he flinched and removed his hand -- not because it hurt, but instead it felt numb at his touch. Perhaps it was just that he was cold.
Recalling his conversation with Black caused him to wish for the millionth time that there was no physical pain, no Talismans, no demons, no secret agents. One day he finds a shield in a Bavarian castle -- quite by accident, too -- and his whole life is changed. It didn't seem fair.
What was even less fair was the fact that he wasn't even supposed to be doing this type of work. Captain Black had appointed him as a part-time researcher, and yet Jackie was involved in all of the action. Then there was the final showdown with Shendu, and afterwards Jackie was looking forward to resuming his normal life. And then the infamous fire demon and the Talismans return. "One last time," Captain Black had practically begged him to come back, and Jackie had reluctantly agreed, faithful that Black would keep his promise. But now he was a bit skeptical.
Jackie sighed, turning over on his back. Black would keep his promise; he had always been a loyal friend. Jackie trusted him. With that thought resting in his mind, his eyes shut more loosely and he relaxed.
But still he could not sleep.
************
Moonlight beamed through the bars of the tiny window and poured light into the jail cell. Scooted on the bench to the right sat the three Enforcers, all pale with fright. Across from them sat Shendu, his daunting red eyes glaring at the three. It had been that way since he woke up. They very well knew that the ancient fire demon would have their butts on fire in an instant had it not been for the fact that he didn't want attention drawn to him. They wouldn't be out of jail for a while, but the minute they would set foot on free ground...
...well, it certainly wouldn't be free.
"Hey, Shendude," Finn finally said, breaking the silence. But he quickly shut up when Shendu focused his glare solely on Finn. He gulped. "Never mind."
For hours Shendu glared at them, thinking of all the vile and ferocious ways to splatter their blood. This came to amuse him and a wicked grin spread across his face. The Enforcers looked at each other and gulped. Realising what he was doing, Shendu quickly resumed his menacing stare.
The image of the Enforcers bloody and broken had set Shendu in a better mood. Anger ceased to dominate his thoughts and he had newer ideas. He thought more, and soon he came to an interesting theory. At length he ordered, "Tell me what happened."
The Enforcers blinked and glanced at each other. When they did not reply, Shendu got frustrated again, "NOW!"
They jumped in their seats. None of them wanted to speak. Realising this, Finn elbowed Chow in the ribs. "Yeah, tell him, Chow!"
Chow's eyes widened, absolutely horrified. "Me?! Why don't you?!"
"Someone had better, and fast - I grow impatient," Shendu muttered.
Ratso and Finn glanced at Chow, and he sighed in defeat. He began to tell everything that had happened - the fear in his voice delighted Shendu. Chow was able to tell him of everything up until when they cast the spell. "I don't remember what happened after that," he said. "Next thing I know, the police got me."
Shendu was silent for a moment, lost in thought. The Enforcers waited anxiously. And then Shendu grinned the same vile grin as before, but not directed at any of the Enforcers. Needless to say, they were utterly confused.
But all Shendu said was, "This may turn out for the better after all."
The Enforcers stared at him in perplexity. They began to wonder if there was hope that they just might get out of this alive.
Enough ranting. I apologize for being way late; all blame should be directed to lazy deliverymen. ^_^ Well, there are personal reasons, too, but I won't go into that... Thanks SO MUCH to everyone who commented on the first two chapters and "Entrustment." You're praise and CC is always appreciated, and I am trying to follow everyone's advice. As usual, special thanks goes out to Olivia for the long IM brainstorming, and to Jayne for editing this. Enjoy!
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Three: Untouchable
Although invisible to the ordinary human eye, there existed a bottomless gap, and in this gap filled absolute darkness. It wrenched at anything that crossed its way, pulling it deeper and deeper within its reign of endless Night. It was very small now, but it would expand with time, with the more it pulled. Only vaguely aware of this, he shivered at the icy ambiance. It pricked against his skin, it ran through his veins, it pumped his heart without rhythm. While it was the only thing keeping him alive, it was destroying him all the same.
Everywhere he heard soft whispers. Almost inaudible at first, they intensified with each heartbeat ever so slowly. They were hideous: but also lovely. Chilling: but comforting. Discordant: and yet they were so harmonious. His mind swirled soothingly and he felt himself melt at the irresistible words of greatness and evil. Over his face spread a slight grin.
There he stayed for what seemed like forever before he felt everything lifting upwards, but he knew he was not ready to leave. Mentally, he grabbed on to whatever he could to withstand the pull; but he slipped and began floating to the waking world...
Very slowly did Jackie come to, and when he did he found that he was incredibly weak. His first instinct was to open his eyes; but they weighed a ton. So he tried to move his arm; he could not, and it hung limp by his side. Gradually, he became cognizant of two things: the dull ache in his left side, and a circle of gentle murmurs. He strained to hear their words, but everything passed over his head in a blur.
As his mind slowly swept away the haze, he realised that he was cold. Painful chills pressed at his body, causing him to moan and shiver in response. Someone was piling blankets on him, but they didn't seem to help much. Suddenly, the ache in his side burst into an uncontrollable pain; he felt as though a knife had sliced him. His eyes shot open and he jerked himself up, as the knife seemed to wrench through his skin, contorting it in different directions. His mouth stretched wide open as if to let out a blood-curling scream, yet nothing but a few weak croaks emitted.
Although it seemed to last for an eternity, the spasm was fortunately brief. When it returned its shape into the dull ache, Jackie settled back into his bed, taking deep breaths. Cold sweat beaded down his forehead. As he calmed down more, he noticed the crowd of people surrounding him, all dressed in white; however, his vision was blurry, so that was the only thing he could make out. But he kept his eyes open anyway, afraid that supposing he even so much as blinked he would not be able to open them again.
Jackie squinted his eyes, forcing the groggy figures to sharpen into clear objects. His plan backfired, though, and instead he only produced a splinting headache. Distracted, he shut his eyes, and found that through tiny slits they could re-open. Despite the endless pain that tugged at him in all directions, he tried to sit up again, only to be stopped by a pair of strong hands that gently pushed him back by his shoulders. He heard something -- someone talking, to him maybe -- but the voice was hazy and he could not comprehend what was said.
He lay there shivering despite the load of blankets, darting his eyes around the room and wishing he could see better. His thoughts became duller and his eyes shut completely as another batch of painkillers were loaded into his IV. Soon he slid into a half-sleep, a twilight world: everything was dark, save for the speck of light far ahead of him. Occasionally, he heard people speaking, their words vague. Listless, he did not bother to understand them.
Sometime later -- although just how long was unknown -- Jackie suddenly blinked and his vision started getting more distinct. He kept his eyes open, determined not to lose his clear sight again; but the longer he did so, the sooner the world began reverting back into a blur. Alarmed, he blinked again, and he could see fine.
His head now cleared away the grogginess, allowing him to think straight. This was a mixed blessing, for now he also realised how sore and tired he was. He started to sit up, but fatigue and a sharp pain at his side stopped him. With that option ruled out, he arched his head his head up and glanced around, hardly noticing anyone in the room. Just as he was getting a good look, his head plopped back on the pillow in weariness. At least now he knew where he was: Section 13's infirmary.
"Jackie?"
Jackie nearly jumped when he heard his name being called. He carefully steered his stiff neck leftwards where he spotted the familiar face of Captain Black. He sat at a chair that was parked next to the bed. Jackie wondered how he could have missed him when he had looked around, and silently vowed to sharpen his observation skills.
"How are you feeling?" Captain Black asked, now that he had Jackie's attention. It was obvious that Black had been worried, although he tried to conceal it. Jackie felt the guilt build on his aching shoulders.
"Fine." Jackie subconsciously darted his eyes away from Black as he said this: Jackie was a bad liar, and Black picked up immediately.
"Jackie," he pronounced his name in a firm, but gentle tone.
Jackie shrugged, or did as best he could to. "Okay, so I'm a little sore -- but it's nothing, really." He was grateful when Black did not press on the subject, although he could tell from his expression that he was skeptical.
"What happened?" Jackie asked, suddenly acknowledging his nagging curiosity.
Black proceeded to explain everything, starting from how everyone was worried when Jackie hadn't returned home (which only added to Jackie's guilt). He informed him of Jade's encounter, according to Jade herself, and how Black had arrived to the warehouse as soon as he received her urgent yet somewhat ambiguous phone call.
"Is Jade all right?" Jackie interrupted, fearing the worst.
But to his relief, Black nodded. "She's just fine, and she wants to see you. In fact, she will tomorrow; it's too late tonight." Jackie looked at the wall clock for the first time: it was two o'clock -- in the morning, he guessed. He wondered how long he had been out, but decided to let Black finish the story first.
Now came the part where Black was most reluctant to tell: partly because it was hard to describe, but mostly because it was so disturbing. This part he explained to Jackie with every intention of using the most indistinct sense, which only made Jackie more nervous. He even felt slightly reluctant to ask him to clarify his statement, in trepidation of what the answer might be.
After piecing it all together, this was the picture Jackie was getting: After Hak Foo disappeared and it was obvious that Jade wasn't too hurt, Black turned back to his main concern, Jackie. He had been greatly surprised and alarmed when he saw the bright blue radiating from his body. That was when he had noticed the three Enforcers murmuring alien words. After speaking to them had failed to catch their attention, he attempted to pull them away, but found them impossible to move. Giving up on that approach, he finally turned to Jackie, who lay there stark and lifeless, save for the eerie glowing. He attempted to shake him awake; but when he touched his arm, his hand just passed right through!
"You've got to be kidding me," Jackie muttered, staring at his friend in disbelief. Black gave him that look that meant, "I'm dead serious."
"So what did you do?" Jackie wanted to know.
"There was nothing to do, really," Black said, shrugging, "except wait. It wasn't too long before Valmont's Enforcers fell unconscious, and the glowing stopped then. As soon as it did, we got you a first class ticket to the Section 13 infirmary." He grinned slightly, but Jackie didn't return the gesture.
"What was all that about?" he asked.
"Your Uncle is trying to figure that out," Black answered. "He thinks he'll have it researched soon enough."
Jackie nodded and looked away. Suddenly he felt a swish of cold air wash over him, it's source a mystery. He wrapped the polyester blankets over him tightly just as he began to shiver.
Black shrugged. "Sorry. I'm afraid Section 13's always been more concerned with security than coverlets."
"Could you at least turn the heat on?"
"It already is," Black replied, looking at his friend uneasily.
But Jackie just shook his head dismissively. "Doesn't matter."
"Now that I've filled you in," Black said, turning back to business, "perhaps you can do the same for me. Just what happened, Jackie? The Dark Hand must have tried to capture you a million times but you always managed to get away -- why not this time?"
"I guess I was just caught off guard," Jackie said, rather vaguely. He didn't feel like explaining his encounter with the Shadowkhan just yet, although why in particular he wasn't sure. Pondering this produced no answer, and that only made him more restless, so he decided to obey this urge.
Black, however, was no fool, and he was determined to find out what happened. With concern in his eyes that weighed a burden on Jackie, he said seriously, "You were hurt very badly. Jackie, you were *dead*."
"WHAT?!" Jackie swung his whole body to face him, forgetting the blankets that were now huddled in a mass surrounding his waist. Dead? How could he be dead if he were alive now? Impossible! He wanted to say this and demand a reasonable explanation from Captain Black. But all he could spit out was, "But...how...I'm..."
Black sighed tiredly. "You were, according to Jade's description. She said that when she saw you, you were very still, and cold, and deathly pale. Even when I found you I could tell you weren't breathing. The glowing stopped and we got you on life support right away, and you seemed to be fine. We think that spell had something to do with it."
Jackie stared at him, unable to conceive this new piece of information. Dead. It wasn't possible, and he knew it. But he could not recall anything else; everything between his fight with the Shadowkhan to awakening in Section 13's sickbay was plastered with grayness. This, too, encouraged Jackie's frustration, but he refrained himself from taking it out on Black.
"You...must be mistaken," he said finally, his gaze drowsy but firm. "It's impossible. Why would the Dark Hand kill me and then bring me back? It doesn't make any sense."
Black looked uneasy. It was clear that there was something more to the spell, but Jackie did not have to recognize that if he didn't want to. Not until his Uncle had completed the research, anyway. "It doesn't make sense," he agreed, "and we're going to figure everything out. Don't worry about it anymore."
"Sure," Jackie said, leaning back. "I'll just worry about my side; it feels like it's..." He trailed off as memories of the Shadowkha's wicked sword piercing through his skin flooded back to him. Shivering, he remembered the blankets and covered himself.
"You had a deep wound there," Black supplied for him, "and you'd lost a lot of blood. They had to remove your spleen...but the doctors say you can go home in a week or two."
"Home?" Jackie said. "My home is down the hallway!"
"Doctor's orders." Black shrugged. "You might even get out earlier if you take care of yourself -- which I know you will, of course."
Jackie suddenly felt a twinge of annoyance for some reason, but nodded all the same.
"Good," Black said. "Now tell me: what happened?"
Jackie didn't look at him. Instead, he stared down at the sheets on his bed. He couldn't figure out why he was so defiant in confiding to Black, but he did not ponder over it either. "It's a long story.I'll explain tomorrow."
"Fine," Black sighed, standing up. "I had better hit the sack, too -- it's two-thirty! I'll check back later today, all right?"
"Okay." Jackie turned away from Black and lay on his stomach. "Goodnight."
The lights turned off and the sound of Captain Black's footsteps receded. When he was sure he had left, Jackie sighed and shut his eyes, but he did not go to sleep. His mind was baffled with the news he had received. Surely, none of that could be true. It must have been a misunderstanding; there was no other reasonable explanation. An image of Black passing through him disrupted his thoughts. He slid his hand under his stomach and used his fingertips to rub the spot where his spleen should have been. But he flinched and removed his hand -- not because it hurt, but instead it felt numb at his touch. Perhaps it was just that he was cold.
Recalling his conversation with Black caused him to wish for the millionth time that there was no physical pain, no Talismans, no demons, no secret agents. One day he finds a shield in a Bavarian castle -- quite by accident, too -- and his whole life is changed. It didn't seem fair.
What was even less fair was the fact that he wasn't even supposed to be doing this type of work. Captain Black had appointed him as a part-time researcher, and yet Jackie was involved in all of the action. Then there was the final showdown with Shendu, and afterwards Jackie was looking forward to resuming his normal life. And then the infamous fire demon and the Talismans return. "One last time," Captain Black had practically begged him to come back, and Jackie had reluctantly agreed, faithful that Black would keep his promise. But now he was a bit skeptical.
Jackie sighed, turning over on his back. Black would keep his promise; he had always been a loyal friend. Jackie trusted him. With that thought resting in his mind, his eyes shut more loosely and he relaxed.
But still he could not sleep.
************
Moonlight beamed through the bars of the tiny window and poured light into the jail cell. Scooted on the bench to the right sat the three Enforcers, all pale with fright. Across from them sat Shendu, his daunting red eyes glaring at the three. It had been that way since he woke up. They very well knew that the ancient fire demon would have their butts on fire in an instant had it not been for the fact that he didn't want attention drawn to him. They wouldn't be out of jail for a while, but the minute they would set foot on free ground...
...well, it certainly wouldn't be free.
"Hey, Shendude," Finn finally said, breaking the silence. But he quickly shut up when Shendu focused his glare solely on Finn. He gulped. "Never mind."
For hours Shendu glared at them, thinking of all the vile and ferocious ways to splatter their blood. This came to amuse him and a wicked grin spread across his face. The Enforcers looked at each other and gulped. Realising what he was doing, Shendu quickly resumed his menacing stare.
The image of the Enforcers bloody and broken had set Shendu in a better mood. Anger ceased to dominate his thoughts and he had newer ideas. He thought more, and soon he came to an interesting theory. At length he ordered, "Tell me what happened."
The Enforcers blinked and glanced at each other. When they did not reply, Shendu got frustrated again, "NOW!"
They jumped in their seats. None of them wanted to speak. Realising this, Finn elbowed Chow in the ribs. "Yeah, tell him, Chow!"
Chow's eyes widened, absolutely horrified. "Me?! Why don't you?!"
"Someone had better, and fast - I grow impatient," Shendu muttered.
Ratso and Finn glanced at Chow, and he sighed in defeat. He began to tell everything that had happened - the fear in his voice delighted Shendu. Chow was able to tell him of everything up until when they cast the spell. "I don't remember what happened after that," he said. "Next thing I know, the police got me."
Shendu was silent for a moment, lost in thought. The Enforcers waited anxiously. And then Shendu grinned the same vile grin as before, but not directed at any of the Enforcers. Needless to say, they were utterly confused.
But all Shendu said was, "This may turn out for the better after all."
The Enforcers stared at him in perplexity. They began to wonder if there was hope that they just might get out of this alive.