Notes: It seems the JCA section is a little slow about now. Probably everyone's just hyped up because school's starting. ::groans:: I'm gonna be a freshman in high school! In a *hard* school! I'm scared! ~*~
The good news is that we get another batch of new eps! And the return of the Dark Hand! ::cheers:: Thanks to Avery who told me about the episode summaries at the official site--now all of you, go check it out! Okay, so the Enforcers are bad guys (er...*worse* bad guys), and I'm not too thrilled with what they did to Big V, but at least we have *something*! Whoo!
'Kay now, on with the story. Sorry this came out late...again. But you won't have to wait long for part 12, which is already written up, pretty much. It was originally gonna be this part, but the continuity got screwed, so I'm pushing it back to part 12. This is mostly dialogue-driven, but I needed to clear a few things up, and that was the only way. And it's lengthy, too. Hope you enjoy it; hope you review it!
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Eleven: Into the Tunnels
The shop had been quiet all day long. Of course, it was only two o'clock now, but Uncle had been awake since six, and so it seemed like a full day and then some. And since six o'clock all had been silent, and the silence seemed to make the air so thick it was almost hard to breathe.
Uncle was no fool; he knew how everyone had avoided him all day. And the truth was, he didn't blame any of them. He'd been in no mood for anyone; he was very temperamental (_Maybe that is where Jackie gets it from,_ Uncle mused absently). In fact, the only person who had a real -- albeit short -- conversation with him was Captain Black, and he only told him that Shendu and the Enforcers had escaped prison. That information didn't help any.
The fact was, frustration was not something Uncle did not like to deal with, and he had a tendency to take it out on the people around him. Thus, he kept to his research all day, desperately searching something--*anything*--that might give him a clue to as to Jackie's condition. But all the while memories of this morning plagued him.
Probably because of his training under Chi Master Fong, Uncle had the uncanny ability to dream of a personal danger as it happened, and then awaken a while later. So he knew something was wrong as soon as he awoke, and instinctively he ran upstairs to his room, only to discover the bed empty. Through the window, which was wide open, in came a soft breeze. Immediately Uncle called in Captain Black, who was now doing his best to somehow track Jackie through Section 13's technology.
As for his dream...well, it was rather ambiguous, though certainly alarming. He could dimly recall a knife--no, a sword; blood; fire. And Jackie.
And the horrible, insidious laugh of some sort of inhuman creature.
In between his research, Uncle had spent all day thinking about that creature. Mere words could not describe it. All Unce could do was wonder, curious and frightened. Thinking about that laugh, hearing it ringing through his mind like a broken record--it was almost overwhelming. Almost. But whenever it did resurface his mind--whenever he heard that awful, compelling noise that sent chills down his spine--
--or whenever that terrifying realisation, accompanied by a blow to his heart which nearly killed him, that it was not only another creature, but also Jackie, his treasured protégé, his *nephew*--
--that was what kept him working.
And now, thinking about Jackie again, hearing Jackie's share of that monstrosity of a laugh, he ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and opened the book he was skimming through to the next page.
***********
"WARNING! WARNING! INTRUDER - ALERT! INTRUDER - ALERT!"
"Jesus Christ, Ratso!" Finn yelled over his shoulder as he ran down the hall, following Olivia. Red alarms buzzed and flashed; they could hear footsteps other than their own behind them, heavy and intimidating. It had been Ratso who had alerted them, Ratso who had walked through the red laser beam just as Olivia had ordered them to stop. Point of fact, Finn and Ratso got along just fine and enjoyed each other's company for the most part...but if there was one time when Finn absolutely *despised* his companion, it was now.
"What?" He heard Ratso call from behind. "I can't hear you with all these alarms!"
Only one person could fit between the narrow walls, and as they all ran in a single line, Finn felt the old claustrophobia catching up with him. _Oh no, not now,_ he thought desperately, swallowing his panic.
Just when he thought he was about to collapse, Olivia yelled over her shoulder, "Stop," and as they did so she suddenly halted as well. There was a door to the right, complete with a keypad. Ignoring the keypad, Olivia pointed at the door what appeared to be an ordinary television clicker, which she had had ready as they'd run, and pressed two buttons, the second one releasing a series of locks and thus opening the door. They all rushed in, and Chow, who came in last, shut the door behind them.
Apparently they were in a classroom, and they all let out a sigh of relief seeing that it was vacant. It was rectangular and rather small, perhaps only eight by eleven feet. Stretching to the back of the room was a line of desks and chairs, while rows across reached the next wall. At the next wall there was a door at the front, followed by, oddly enough, a long mirror; an identical mirror was set on the wall closest to them. A chalkboard was bolted to the front wall, and a teacher's desk, devoid of any personal content, stood before it. Distantly, they could hear the rumble of alarms and footsteps.
Scribbled on the chalkboard was: 2+2=5. Finn and Chow both looked quizzically at this, while Ratso sat at one of the desks and Olivia concerned herself with one of the white tiles towards the next wall.
"Hey, look at me--I'm back in school!" Ratso giggled.
"Didn't know you were even *in* school, Ratso," Chow answered, still gazing at the bizarre mathematical solution pensively.
"I was! Up till third grade, that's right," Ratso said, eyes closed, his fist to his heart with a deep pride. Then he paused, opened his eyes and frowned thoughtfully. "Or maybe it was second," he mused aloud.
Finn, meanwhile, hovered over Olivia's shoulder and watched as she pressed a few buttons on her remote. Instantly the two tiles she was concentrating on were lowered, and they slide in opposite directions to reveal a dark pit. Finn stared.
"A secret passage," she informed him before he could even ask. "Every B.B. hideout has them."
"Right." Finn folded his arms as he watched Olivia stand up. Something was not right about her. Actually, everything was not right about her, Finn realised. Everything she did raised questions. If she worked for Big Brother, why was she helping them? It had to be a trick.
So Finn kept his gun out. Just in case.
"You *idiot*!" Finn was sent out of his reverie by Olivia's exasperated cry. He followed her as she took a few abrupt steps past him, glaring daggers at Ratso.
"What?" Ratso asked rather naively, somewhat taken aback.
Olivia now had her hands balled into fists, and she stamped her foot on the floor impatiently. Ratso bit his lip. "*Look*, you idiot!" Still glaring, she pointed to the huge mirror on one side of the room, and then to the other.
Ratso followed her finger and watched the mirror intently. He suddenly got up and walked over to the nearest mirror. He gazed himself briefly, then used his pinkie to rub at a tooth. "Oh yeah," he mused. "I got spinach there from yesterday. Thanks!" He grinned at her cheerfully.
It took a great deal of effort not to either rip her hair out or bash Ratso's face--although the latter seemed greatly satisfying, Olivia briefly decided. Nevertheless, she stuck to her main complaint. Gesticulating wildly, she exclaimed, "Those are TWO-WAY MIRRORS!"
"Oh." Ratso seemed unimpressed. Then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide. "*Oh*!"
Two-way mirrors. A heavy clank sounded in Finn's stomach, and he almost lost his breath. Looking over at Chow, he could see his companion was shaking. They could hear the doors unlocking...
Suddenly Olivia grabbed Finn and dragged him over to the dark pit. She forced him to his knees and then, headfirst, he found himself plummeting into the dark pit.
And *that* was when Finn truly lost his breath. He could feel the damp wind blowing past him as he fell. His lungs were closing; everything grew dimmer until fear was the only thing keeping him conscious. He could not even scream, and if he did, he felt he would have died from the effort. Everything seemed to rush past him till it felt as though he were frozen in time. Vaguely, Finn recalled seeing somewhere a picture of nighttime traffic: a snapshot of lights zigzagging here and there as though it were in suspended animation.
Mixed sensations of both relief and pain captured him as he hit the grassy ground. He groaned as he struggled to his knees, the shoulder that he had fallen on throbbing, his arms and legs shaking with strain. He vaguely became more aware of another yelling...it was very high-pitched, like a girl's...
Chow? Olivia?
He didn't even have time to gasp. He rolled out of the way just before whoever it was plopped on the ground.
Darkness impaired sight, not sound waves, so while Finn couldn't see the person he could certainly hear her moan and groan just fine in a deep, rich voice. Olivia. Finn squirmed into a sitting position and leaned back, meeting the cold, gooey wall. At first he thought nothing of it, but then he realised with disgust how icky the wall felt against his (thankfully) clothed back...against his hands...his hair...
Panic-stricken, he willed himself forward again. With some difficulty he managed to scramble to his feet, nursing his wounded shoulder, and stumbled over to his companion.
"Oww--hey!"
He ran smack into Olivia, who was beginning to sit up, and they both tumbled over. Finn could feel her warm breath on his neck as he laid on her. This, of course, did not last long, for he soon felt Olivia budging her knees into his stomach, and then into a certain exclusive area that made Finn snap his eyes wide and freeze. Again that suffocating paralysis overcame him while Olivia slid her hands up his chest and gave a mighty push, and Finn hardly realised it as he rolled onto the still damp grass.
Finally he began to breathe again, and as he did so, he heard Olivia gasping as well. "My...word..." A small light flashed on as Olivia turned on a mini-flashlight, and he saw her pat her chest fervently. "What were you...*doing*? You...*perverted*--"
"*Me*?...*Perverted*?" Finn stared up at her coldly. "Lady, you are--nuts! You're the one who...kicked me in the...*groin*, for God's sake!"
"I did no such thing!" Olivia exclaimed as she, now on her feet, brushed off her shirt and overalls. "So." Finn watched as she glared over him. He glared back. "Are we going or not?"
With an indignant snort, Finn slowly sat up and got to his feet. He brushed his lapels as well.
"Why are you moving so bloody slowly! Hurry it up!" Olivia shouted at him.
And that was when Finn decided that enough was enough.
"My *god*, kid!" he boomed, gesticulating his arms and wanting so *badly* to punch this little girl. "*What* is your problem? You've been nothing but bossy the whole time we've been here! What is it? Tell me the truth! Why are you doing this? What kind of trick have you got up your sleeve? What do you *want*? Because let me tell you, I am *not* going to stand for this any longer, I'm--"
But it was the tears he saw welling up in her eyes when he realised he'd gone just a bit too far.
She turned away, and Finn realised that while he had been expecting to feel triumphant after that little speech, he instead felt sick.
"Oh, c'mon..." Finn reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched as the tip of his finger touched her. He drew away and sighed, and jammed his hands into his pockets. Olivia was still crying, silently. He leaned back on his heels. He clicked his teeth. He sighed again.
This really wasn't working.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I yelled at you," he muttered, but she didn't stop. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Really! I am!"
"That..." She sniffed, but still didn't turn to face him. "That really wasn't nice!"
"Yeah." Finn hung his head. A few moments past, and he spoke up again: "It's just that, well...you really can't blame me for wondering. I mean, you, a follower of Big Brother, suddenly decide to help three American prisoners--and you expect us to go along with your plans without question? It just seems a little weird, that's all. Really, who are you? What do you want?"
His heart pounded rapidly, and his outstretched hands were shaking; slowly he let them fall to his side. He bit his lip and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. No answer came--but he heard her sobs subsiding slightly.
"Okay then." She paused. Then: "But are you sorry?"
Finn hesitated a moment. "Ye-yeah," he said softly.
After a minute or two, Olivia turned around, her arms still folded. Finn bit his lip expecting to see a tear-stained face---
But instead it was dry!
And she was *smiling*!
"Hey!" he grunted. "Were you pulling my leg?"
"Absolutely not," Olivia replied, staring at him with an almost challenging look in her eyes. "I was one hundred per cent sincere! Well, almost, at least. But here--the story. It's a bit long, but yes, you do deserve to know.
"You probably know this, but Big Brother was founded in nineteen fifty-eight--that's nine years after the book was published. Have you ever read it?"
Finn shook his head.
"I didn't think so." Olivia pursed her lips. "Well, it's basically about this man named Winston, who lives in a world similar to the one the followers of B.B. live in. It was pretty awful. You know what I mean. George Orwell created a whole horrid world of his own, a world of censorship taken to the extreme, where love and hate and joys and pains and culture and language and *thought* was controlled, diminished--and this organisation made it a reality.
"The book was written during World War II; a lot of people think it was about the war. In fact, it was four Neo-Nazis in London who started this group, only they wanted to keep it purely English--none of the other countries in Great Britain, not even Germany. Just England.
"That was one difference between them and other Neo-Nazis. The other was that they happened to be familiar with magic.
"You're all sick of hearing about magic, I figured. Yes, I *do* know about Shendu and those demon portals and all that. I'll get to that. But this is what happened. These Neo-Nazis, the four of them, knew about magic. I'm not exactly sure how; one of them probably had a relative or something who was familiar with it. But they knew that there was Western magic--which they stuck too--and Eastern magic, and both departments broke off into different branches according to culture. Every culture has made its own edition somehow. And they stuck to the English type, of course.
"Their main goal was control over all living things--control of human thought itself. They really wanted Big Brother to exist--not the organisation, but the person. In the book, there is said to be an immortal called Big Brother, the founder of their nightmarish world, but there was an indication that he was just a figurehead, that he didn't really exist. It was just a way to control the people or something.
"The difference between the book and this organisation is that here, Big Brother really *does* exist.
"Yes, it's true! He really does! In fact, at this very moment, he is trapped in a tower in England. And he *is* immortal. He is not a wizard, no. And *no*, he is *not* a vampire. He appears to be about sixty, actually. You see, he was a very intelligent man, but also very docile, so these Neo-Nazis thought he would be perfect. They gave him a potion to drink that made him immortal. Now he has all human knowledge and every human sense, including the forgotten senses of what the ordinary person would attribute as 'clairvoyance.'
"You must understand, he is not a bad person. But he is trapped in the adamant tower. There is nothing he can do! He understands many things; he had knowledge of good and evil. He chooses good. No one in B.B. knows this but me. Believe me--their security is not as tight as you think, not nearly as tight as it was in the book. If it weren't for magic this network would have died years ago. It may not even have launched!
"So Big Brother grew and grew; money poured in, as well as dozens of converts. More and more people were born into it as well, including me. Now the reason why I am not like them is because I was trained by The Immortal. He taught me right from wrong and I, like him, chose to be on the side of good. Let me tell you, it is hard to pretend every day. It makes me so sick sometimes. I wish I could escape.
"But that's where you come in. I am risking everything to help you, yes. But, as I've said, The Immortal is 'clairvoyant', and he told me all about you and your friends and Jackie Chan and his niece and the chi wizard, and, of course, Shendu. This demon, Shendu, his goal is to destroy Asia and then enslave the rest of humanity. Why would The Immortal want this? He got pretty scared. So he told me to come here and help you. And here I am."
Playfully, Olivia took a deep bow.
Finn just stared at her.
Now standing straight again, Olivia frowned at him. "Oh, come on. Do I have to smack you again?" A deep guttural noise came from Finn's throat, and he winced. "I'm only joking," Olivia frowned.
But Finn was shaking his head. "Let me get this straight. This Immortal guy sent *you* to help *me* help *Chan.*"
She nodded. "Essentially. I originally wanted to get to that Chi wizard, but you just came here, so I figured you would be my best bet."
"Makes sense. That's where I'm headed, the old dude's shop. And the Immortal dude--he's the leader of Big Brother, yet he's on our side?"
"Weelll..." Olivia chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "He isn't the leader, only a figurehead. The real leader changes because of death or illness and such. But he is always the descendent of one of the Neo-Nazis who has dubbed himself O'Brien. The leader's name is always O'Brien--nothing else."
"Weird." Finn raised an eyebrow. "But why did this Immortal dude choose to teach you? Any particular reason, or did he just pick someone by random?"
At this Olivia darted her eyes to the ground as a small smile formed on her lips. That look in her eyes--Finn recognised it immediately. It was a sort of pride mixed with a deep love. "Well," she looked back up at him, "he's my grandfather."
"Oh." Finn scratched his head. "A girl who has a grandfather who can never die. Why should I be surprised?"
Oblivious to his comment, Olivia nodded, still smiling. "Rudyard Pennyworth."
"*Rudyard*? His name is *Rudyard*?" Finn held his mouth, trying not to laugh, but it didn't seem to work; his shoulders shook and muffled giggles managed to escape him.
"Hmph!" Olivia stuck her nose up in disgust. "It's a very nice name, thank you! You know, like Rudyard Kipling!"
"Who?"
"Never mind."
"Oh man," Finn muttered, holding his stomach. "Wait till I tell Chow and Ratso, they'll--"
He stopped, the breath caught in his throat.
"Uh-oh," Olivia mumbled, her eyes wide as well.
"Chow and Ratso!" Finn cried. "Where are Chow and Ratso!"
"They..." Olivia paused, and jammed her hands into her overalls. Somehow, Finn knew what she was about to say, and he felt his blood boil. "Th-the agents--they caught them."
Finn grimaced.
Chow, Ratso--what had happened to them? Ratso--why had he been so unruly with Ratso? He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, true; but he was one of Finn's best friends. He listened to Finn. He got along with Finn perfectly! He'd just been a little irritated with the goofy enforcer. That was all. Finn looked down at his hands: they were shaking. Ha, irritated! That was just a cheap excuse.
And Chow...Chow wasn't too hard to picture getting carted away by overall-wearing agents. A very stiff and easily provoked person, Chow probably hadn't dealt with his kidnapping too well. He'd been screaming and attempted to wriggle himself free a lot, Finn was sure of it. Finn was also sure that his attempts hadn't succeed, and that he was probably scared to death.
Once again that desire to deck this little girl crept over Finn. They had wasted all this time talking--*talking*--while his friends were in danger! What had she been *thinking*!
_What were *you* thinking?_ Finn groaned. He couldn't lay a finger on Olivia. He'd been just as irresponsible. They both shared the blame.
But that didn't make him any less angry.
But being angry at Olivia or himself also wouldn't make anything better; it would only weaken their defenses. They had to act. *Now.*
"Kid," Finn said through his clenched jaw, "let's save them."
Olivia nodded fervently. "Right," she said quietly.
And, with her in the lead, they started quickly down the dark tunnel, the only light coming from Olivia's insignificant mini-flashlight.
-~-~-~
Ha! Didn't think I'd forget about Chow and Ratso, didja? So what *will* happen to the two enforcers? And Finn and Olivia? Find out next time on-- No, wait, that's not true. We're going to take a break and go back to Jackie. What is up with Jackie now? Part twelve soon--in the mean time, what do you think of this chapter, eh? My ears are open!
The good news is that we get another batch of new eps! And the return of the Dark Hand! ::cheers:: Thanks to Avery who told me about the episode summaries at the official site--now all of you, go check it out! Okay, so the Enforcers are bad guys (er...*worse* bad guys), and I'm not too thrilled with what they did to Big V, but at least we have *something*! Whoo!
'Kay now, on with the story. Sorry this came out late...again. But you won't have to wait long for part 12, which is already written up, pretty much. It was originally gonna be this part, but the continuity got screwed, so I'm pushing it back to part 12. This is mostly dialogue-driven, but I needed to clear a few things up, and that was the only way. And it's lengthy, too. Hope you enjoy it; hope you review it!
THE DEMON WITHIN
Part Eleven: Into the Tunnels
The shop had been quiet all day long. Of course, it was only two o'clock now, but Uncle had been awake since six, and so it seemed like a full day and then some. And since six o'clock all had been silent, and the silence seemed to make the air so thick it was almost hard to breathe.
Uncle was no fool; he knew how everyone had avoided him all day. And the truth was, he didn't blame any of them. He'd been in no mood for anyone; he was very temperamental (_Maybe that is where Jackie gets it from,_ Uncle mused absently). In fact, the only person who had a real -- albeit short -- conversation with him was Captain Black, and he only told him that Shendu and the Enforcers had escaped prison. That information didn't help any.
The fact was, frustration was not something Uncle did not like to deal with, and he had a tendency to take it out on the people around him. Thus, he kept to his research all day, desperately searching something--*anything*--that might give him a clue to as to Jackie's condition. But all the while memories of this morning plagued him.
Probably because of his training under Chi Master Fong, Uncle had the uncanny ability to dream of a personal danger as it happened, and then awaken a while later. So he knew something was wrong as soon as he awoke, and instinctively he ran upstairs to his room, only to discover the bed empty. Through the window, which was wide open, in came a soft breeze. Immediately Uncle called in Captain Black, who was now doing his best to somehow track Jackie through Section 13's technology.
As for his dream...well, it was rather ambiguous, though certainly alarming. He could dimly recall a knife--no, a sword; blood; fire. And Jackie.
And the horrible, insidious laugh of some sort of inhuman creature.
In between his research, Uncle had spent all day thinking about that creature. Mere words could not describe it. All Unce could do was wonder, curious and frightened. Thinking about that laugh, hearing it ringing through his mind like a broken record--it was almost overwhelming. Almost. But whenever it did resurface his mind--whenever he heard that awful, compelling noise that sent chills down his spine--
--or whenever that terrifying realisation, accompanied by a blow to his heart which nearly killed him, that it was not only another creature, but also Jackie, his treasured protégé, his *nephew*--
--that was what kept him working.
And now, thinking about Jackie again, hearing Jackie's share of that monstrosity of a laugh, he ignored the sick feeling in his stomach and opened the book he was skimming through to the next page.
***********
"WARNING! WARNING! INTRUDER - ALERT! INTRUDER - ALERT!"
"Jesus Christ, Ratso!" Finn yelled over his shoulder as he ran down the hall, following Olivia. Red alarms buzzed and flashed; they could hear footsteps other than their own behind them, heavy and intimidating. It had been Ratso who had alerted them, Ratso who had walked through the red laser beam just as Olivia had ordered them to stop. Point of fact, Finn and Ratso got along just fine and enjoyed each other's company for the most part...but if there was one time when Finn absolutely *despised* his companion, it was now.
"What?" He heard Ratso call from behind. "I can't hear you with all these alarms!"
Only one person could fit between the narrow walls, and as they all ran in a single line, Finn felt the old claustrophobia catching up with him. _Oh no, not now,_ he thought desperately, swallowing his panic.
Just when he thought he was about to collapse, Olivia yelled over her shoulder, "Stop," and as they did so she suddenly halted as well. There was a door to the right, complete with a keypad. Ignoring the keypad, Olivia pointed at the door what appeared to be an ordinary television clicker, which she had had ready as they'd run, and pressed two buttons, the second one releasing a series of locks and thus opening the door. They all rushed in, and Chow, who came in last, shut the door behind them.
Apparently they were in a classroom, and they all let out a sigh of relief seeing that it was vacant. It was rectangular and rather small, perhaps only eight by eleven feet. Stretching to the back of the room was a line of desks and chairs, while rows across reached the next wall. At the next wall there was a door at the front, followed by, oddly enough, a long mirror; an identical mirror was set on the wall closest to them. A chalkboard was bolted to the front wall, and a teacher's desk, devoid of any personal content, stood before it. Distantly, they could hear the rumble of alarms and footsteps.
Scribbled on the chalkboard was: 2+2=5. Finn and Chow both looked quizzically at this, while Ratso sat at one of the desks and Olivia concerned herself with one of the white tiles towards the next wall.
"Hey, look at me--I'm back in school!" Ratso giggled.
"Didn't know you were even *in* school, Ratso," Chow answered, still gazing at the bizarre mathematical solution pensively.
"I was! Up till third grade, that's right," Ratso said, eyes closed, his fist to his heart with a deep pride. Then he paused, opened his eyes and frowned thoughtfully. "Or maybe it was second," he mused aloud.
Finn, meanwhile, hovered over Olivia's shoulder and watched as she pressed a few buttons on her remote. Instantly the two tiles she was concentrating on were lowered, and they slide in opposite directions to reveal a dark pit. Finn stared.
"A secret passage," she informed him before he could even ask. "Every B.B. hideout has them."
"Right." Finn folded his arms as he watched Olivia stand up. Something was not right about her. Actually, everything was not right about her, Finn realised. Everything she did raised questions. If she worked for Big Brother, why was she helping them? It had to be a trick.
So Finn kept his gun out. Just in case.
"You *idiot*!" Finn was sent out of his reverie by Olivia's exasperated cry. He followed her as she took a few abrupt steps past him, glaring daggers at Ratso.
"What?" Ratso asked rather naively, somewhat taken aback.
Olivia now had her hands balled into fists, and she stamped her foot on the floor impatiently. Ratso bit his lip. "*Look*, you idiot!" Still glaring, she pointed to the huge mirror on one side of the room, and then to the other.
Ratso followed her finger and watched the mirror intently. He suddenly got up and walked over to the nearest mirror. He gazed himself briefly, then used his pinkie to rub at a tooth. "Oh yeah," he mused. "I got spinach there from yesterday. Thanks!" He grinned at her cheerfully.
It took a great deal of effort not to either rip her hair out or bash Ratso's face--although the latter seemed greatly satisfying, Olivia briefly decided. Nevertheless, she stuck to her main complaint. Gesticulating wildly, she exclaimed, "Those are TWO-WAY MIRRORS!"
"Oh." Ratso seemed unimpressed. Then, suddenly, his eyes grew wide. "*Oh*!"
Two-way mirrors. A heavy clank sounded in Finn's stomach, and he almost lost his breath. Looking over at Chow, he could see his companion was shaking. They could hear the doors unlocking...
Suddenly Olivia grabbed Finn and dragged him over to the dark pit. She forced him to his knees and then, headfirst, he found himself plummeting into the dark pit.
And *that* was when Finn truly lost his breath. He could feel the damp wind blowing past him as he fell. His lungs were closing; everything grew dimmer until fear was the only thing keeping him conscious. He could not even scream, and if he did, he felt he would have died from the effort. Everything seemed to rush past him till it felt as though he were frozen in time. Vaguely, Finn recalled seeing somewhere a picture of nighttime traffic: a snapshot of lights zigzagging here and there as though it were in suspended animation.
Mixed sensations of both relief and pain captured him as he hit the grassy ground. He groaned as he struggled to his knees, the shoulder that he had fallen on throbbing, his arms and legs shaking with strain. He vaguely became more aware of another yelling...it was very high-pitched, like a girl's...
Chow? Olivia?
He didn't even have time to gasp. He rolled out of the way just before whoever it was plopped on the ground.
Darkness impaired sight, not sound waves, so while Finn couldn't see the person he could certainly hear her moan and groan just fine in a deep, rich voice. Olivia. Finn squirmed into a sitting position and leaned back, meeting the cold, gooey wall. At first he thought nothing of it, but then he realised with disgust how icky the wall felt against his (thankfully) clothed back...against his hands...his hair...
Panic-stricken, he willed himself forward again. With some difficulty he managed to scramble to his feet, nursing his wounded shoulder, and stumbled over to his companion.
"Oww--hey!"
He ran smack into Olivia, who was beginning to sit up, and they both tumbled over. Finn could feel her warm breath on his neck as he laid on her. This, of course, did not last long, for he soon felt Olivia budging her knees into his stomach, and then into a certain exclusive area that made Finn snap his eyes wide and freeze. Again that suffocating paralysis overcame him while Olivia slid her hands up his chest and gave a mighty push, and Finn hardly realised it as he rolled onto the still damp grass.
Finally he began to breathe again, and as he did so, he heard Olivia gasping as well. "My...word..." A small light flashed on as Olivia turned on a mini-flashlight, and he saw her pat her chest fervently. "What were you...*doing*? You...*perverted*--"
"*Me*?...*Perverted*?" Finn stared up at her coldly. "Lady, you are--nuts! You're the one who...kicked me in the...*groin*, for God's sake!"
"I did no such thing!" Olivia exclaimed as she, now on her feet, brushed off her shirt and overalls. "So." Finn watched as she glared over him. He glared back. "Are we going or not?"
With an indignant snort, Finn slowly sat up and got to his feet. He brushed his lapels as well.
"Why are you moving so bloody slowly! Hurry it up!" Olivia shouted at him.
And that was when Finn decided that enough was enough.
"My *god*, kid!" he boomed, gesticulating his arms and wanting so *badly* to punch this little girl. "*What* is your problem? You've been nothing but bossy the whole time we've been here! What is it? Tell me the truth! Why are you doing this? What kind of trick have you got up your sleeve? What do you *want*? Because let me tell you, I am *not* going to stand for this any longer, I'm--"
But it was the tears he saw welling up in her eyes when he realised he'd gone just a bit too far.
She turned away, and Finn realised that while he had been expecting to feel triumphant after that little speech, he instead felt sick.
"Oh, c'mon..." Finn reached out to put a hand on her shoulder, but she flinched as the tip of his finger touched her. He drew away and sighed, and jammed his hands into his pockets. Olivia was still crying, silently. He leaned back on his heels. He clicked his teeth. He sighed again.
This really wasn't working.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry I yelled at you," he muttered, but she didn't stop. He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Really! I am!"
"That..." She sniffed, but still didn't turn to face him. "That really wasn't nice!"
"Yeah." Finn hung his head. A few moments past, and he spoke up again: "It's just that, well...you really can't blame me for wondering. I mean, you, a follower of Big Brother, suddenly decide to help three American prisoners--and you expect us to go along with your plans without question? It just seems a little weird, that's all. Really, who are you? What do you want?"
His heart pounded rapidly, and his outstretched hands were shaking; slowly he let them fall to his side. He bit his lip and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. No answer came--but he heard her sobs subsiding slightly.
"Okay then." She paused. Then: "But are you sorry?"
Finn hesitated a moment. "Ye-yeah," he said softly.
After a minute or two, Olivia turned around, her arms still folded. Finn bit his lip expecting to see a tear-stained face---
But instead it was dry!
And she was *smiling*!
"Hey!" he grunted. "Were you pulling my leg?"
"Absolutely not," Olivia replied, staring at him with an almost challenging look in her eyes. "I was one hundred per cent sincere! Well, almost, at least. But here--the story. It's a bit long, but yes, you do deserve to know.
"You probably know this, but Big Brother was founded in nineteen fifty-eight--that's nine years after the book was published. Have you ever read it?"
Finn shook his head.
"I didn't think so." Olivia pursed her lips. "Well, it's basically about this man named Winston, who lives in a world similar to the one the followers of B.B. live in. It was pretty awful. You know what I mean. George Orwell created a whole horrid world of his own, a world of censorship taken to the extreme, where love and hate and joys and pains and culture and language and *thought* was controlled, diminished--and this organisation made it a reality.
"The book was written during World War II; a lot of people think it was about the war. In fact, it was four Neo-Nazis in London who started this group, only they wanted to keep it purely English--none of the other countries in Great Britain, not even Germany. Just England.
"That was one difference between them and other Neo-Nazis. The other was that they happened to be familiar with magic.
"You're all sick of hearing about magic, I figured. Yes, I *do* know about Shendu and those demon portals and all that. I'll get to that. But this is what happened. These Neo-Nazis, the four of them, knew about magic. I'm not exactly sure how; one of them probably had a relative or something who was familiar with it. But they knew that there was Western magic--which they stuck too--and Eastern magic, and both departments broke off into different branches according to culture. Every culture has made its own edition somehow. And they stuck to the English type, of course.
"Their main goal was control over all living things--control of human thought itself. They really wanted Big Brother to exist--not the organisation, but the person. In the book, there is said to be an immortal called Big Brother, the founder of their nightmarish world, but there was an indication that he was just a figurehead, that he didn't really exist. It was just a way to control the people or something.
"The difference between the book and this organisation is that here, Big Brother really *does* exist.
"Yes, it's true! He really does! In fact, at this very moment, he is trapped in a tower in England. And he *is* immortal. He is not a wizard, no. And *no*, he is *not* a vampire. He appears to be about sixty, actually. You see, he was a very intelligent man, but also very docile, so these Neo-Nazis thought he would be perfect. They gave him a potion to drink that made him immortal. Now he has all human knowledge and every human sense, including the forgotten senses of what the ordinary person would attribute as 'clairvoyance.'
"You must understand, he is not a bad person. But he is trapped in the adamant tower. There is nothing he can do! He understands many things; he had knowledge of good and evil. He chooses good. No one in B.B. knows this but me. Believe me--their security is not as tight as you think, not nearly as tight as it was in the book. If it weren't for magic this network would have died years ago. It may not even have launched!
"So Big Brother grew and grew; money poured in, as well as dozens of converts. More and more people were born into it as well, including me. Now the reason why I am not like them is because I was trained by The Immortal. He taught me right from wrong and I, like him, chose to be on the side of good. Let me tell you, it is hard to pretend every day. It makes me so sick sometimes. I wish I could escape.
"But that's where you come in. I am risking everything to help you, yes. But, as I've said, The Immortal is 'clairvoyant', and he told me all about you and your friends and Jackie Chan and his niece and the chi wizard, and, of course, Shendu. This demon, Shendu, his goal is to destroy Asia and then enslave the rest of humanity. Why would The Immortal want this? He got pretty scared. So he told me to come here and help you. And here I am."
Playfully, Olivia took a deep bow.
Finn just stared at her.
Now standing straight again, Olivia frowned at him. "Oh, come on. Do I have to smack you again?" A deep guttural noise came from Finn's throat, and he winced. "I'm only joking," Olivia frowned.
But Finn was shaking his head. "Let me get this straight. This Immortal guy sent *you* to help *me* help *Chan.*"
She nodded. "Essentially. I originally wanted to get to that Chi wizard, but you just came here, so I figured you would be my best bet."
"Makes sense. That's where I'm headed, the old dude's shop. And the Immortal dude--he's the leader of Big Brother, yet he's on our side?"
"Weelll..." Olivia chewed the inside of her cheek thoughtfully. "He isn't the leader, only a figurehead. The real leader changes because of death or illness and such. But he is always the descendent of one of the Neo-Nazis who has dubbed himself O'Brien. The leader's name is always O'Brien--nothing else."
"Weird." Finn raised an eyebrow. "But why did this Immortal dude choose to teach you? Any particular reason, or did he just pick someone by random?"
At this Olivia darted her eyes to the ground as a small smile formed on her lips. That look in her eyes--Finn recognised it immediately. It was a sort of pride mixed with a deep love. "Well," she looked back up at him, "he's my grandfather."
"Oh." Finn scratched his head. "A girl who has a grandfather who can never die. Why should I be surprised?"
Oblivious to his comment, Olivia nodded, still smiling. "Rudyard Pennyworth."
"*Rudyard*? His name is *Rudyard*?" Finn held his mouth, trying not to laugh, but it didn't seem to work; his shoulders shook and muffled giggles managed to escape him.
"Hmph!" Olivia stuck her nose up in disgust. "It's a very nice name, thank you! You know, like Rudyard Kipling!"
"Who?"
"Never mind."
"Oh man," Finn muttered, holding his stomach. "Wait till I tell Chow and Ratso, they'll--"
He stopped, the breath caught in his throat.
"Uh-oh," Olivia mumbled, her eyes wide as well.
"Chow and Ratso!" Finn cried. "Where are Chow and Ratso!"
"They..." Olivia paused, and jammed her hands into her overalls. Somehow, Finn knew what she was about to say, and he felt his blood boil. "Th-the agents--they caught them."
Finn grimaced.
Chow, Ratso--what had happened to them? Ratso--why had he been so unruly with Ratso? He wasn't the brightest crayon in the box, true; but he was one of Finn's best friends. He listened to Finn. He got along with Finn perfectly! He'd just been a little irritated with the goofy enforcer. That was all. Finn looked down at his hands: they were shaking. Ha, irritated! That was just a cheap excuse.
And Chow...Chow wasn't too hard to picture getting carted away by overall-wearing agents. A very stiff and easily provoked person, Chow probably hadn't dealt with his kidnapping too well. He'd been screaming and attempted to wriggle himself free a lot, Finn was sure of it. Finn was also sure that his attempts hadn't succeed, and that he was probably scared to death.
Once again that desire to deck this little girl crept over Finn. They had wasted all this time talking--*talking*--while his friends were in danger! What had she been *thinking*!
_What were *you* thinking?_ Finn groaned. He couldn't lay a finger on Olivia. He'd been just as irresponsible. They both shared the blame.
But that didn't make him any less angry.
But being angry at Olivia or himself also wouldn't make anything better; it would only weaken their defenses. They had to act. *Now.*
"Kid," Finn said through his clenched jaw, "let's save them."
Olivia nodded fervently. "Right," she said quietly.
And, with her in the lead, they started quickly down the dark tunnel, the only light coming from Olivia's insignificant mini-flashlight.
-~-~-~
Ha! Didn't think I'd forget about Chow and Ratso, didja? So what *will* happen to the two enforcers? And Finn and Olivia? Find out next time on-- No, wait, that's not true. We're going to take a break and go back to Jackie. What is up with Jackie now? Part twelve soon--in the mean time, what do you think of this chapter, eh? My ears are open!