Chapter 6~ Innocent
Jackie was in a dark room studying a poster for a movie that was due that summer- The Medallion. It was supposed to star some kung-fu action hero from Hong Kong, but Jackie couldn't really recall the name. It didn't matter, he wasn't really interested. He glanced casually over at the snack bar, where Captain Black was sipping a large soda. The bald man tapped his wristwatch, and Jackie turned his gaze to a red door marked with digital marquee: Theater 10- Melvin Moose 3.
At that moment, an usher opened the door wide and people began to walk out, mostly children around Jade's age who were yammering excitedly to parents wearing very forced smiles. Jackie gave them sympathetic looks- he had sat through Melvin Moose 1 and 2 with his niece.
The steady trickle of patrons parted and shifted as the unmistakable bulk of Tohru came through the door. Jackie shook his head when he saw that Tohru looked just as excited as the girl who stood next to him, dressed in the unusual choice of a blue sundress sent to her from her parents and a white cardigan, carrying a basin of popcorn larger than her head. She saw Jackie and waved, looking surprised.
"Oh, hi, Jackie!" she waved, and Jackie felt sick to his stomach.
"Hi, Jade. . .How was the movie?"
"Great! It was the best Melvin Moose yet!"
Jackie forced a laugh. "I thought you said you were too old for that, Jade."
"Oh, no. You're never too old for Melvin Moose, huh Tohru?"
"Oh. . .yes," said Tohru distractedly, gazing longingly at the half-full bucket of popcorn Jade held. Jade walked over to a trash can and dumped the popcorn into it.
"Sorry, T, but you know that stuff has a ton of cholesterol! You shouldn't eat it, it's really bad for you. Don't want anything to happen to my best friend!" Jade said brightly, and Tohru sighed and shot a sad glance at the trash bin, then whispered to Jackie
"I'll be at the snack bar."
Jackie nodded and swallowed hard, scratching his head. He knew he'd have to say it eventually, so he took a deep breath.
"Jade. . .I know the truth about the talismans."
She brightened, not the anticipated response.
"You found the thief?"
"Yes. . ."
"Was it George? Did he work for the Dark Hand?"
"Well, he did, but he didn't steal the talismans."
"Then who-"
"Jade, we saw everything on the Radio Shack surveillance tape. We know it was you who stole the talismans. Give them back, and Captain Black may let you off. But this is very serious, I'll need to talk to your parents and. . ."
"B-but Jackie. . ."
Jackie glanced at his niece, who wore an incredibly startled expression on her face. Jade must be a better liar than he had thought. . .
"I didn't steal anything!" she said, suddenly forceful. "I would never! Stealing is wrong!"
"Oh?" snapped Jackie. "Then what did you call it when you took the animals out of Section 13? Or all the other times you took the talismans?"
Jade sniffled and looked down at her feet, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Jackie, I just borrowed them those times, I'd never actually steal, and I didn't do it, I swear!"
Jackie considered offering a retort, but noticed Jade wiping tears off her cheeks. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. The thing was, Jade wasn't that good a liar. She was quite talented at sneaking around, and finding loopholes in all the promises she made, but if he confronted her, she would almost always confess. And she hardly ever cried, not to mention that he hadn't even thought Jade would resort to robbery in the first place. Something was definitely not adding up.
"Jade. . ." he said tentatively, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Jade, I think I believe you, okay? But if you really did steal the talismans, you had better confess now, or you'll be in big trouble."
"I d-didn't steal a-anything," she sniffled, and began to dry her eyes with her white sweater.
"That's good. Now, we'll talk to Captain Black, and see if we can figure out what's going on. . ."
But that wasn't necessary, because Captain Black came running up to them.
"Jackie, when did Jade get out of the theater?"
"About ten minutes ago, but you see-"
"You were watching her the whole time?"
"Yes, but-"
"Listen. I've just gotten report from the U.S. Mint about a break-in. The culprit got out of the building five minutes ago, but we're fairly certain that this was our talisman thief."
"That's great! So Jade couldn't have done it!"
"Right. And there's been tougher security at the Mint since Valmont's break- in two years ago. The thief for some reason wasn't using all of the talismans, so she barely got out before she was caught. And we have surveillance tapes. . .I'm being sent the footage now frame by frame so we can get a clear view. It should be here in. . ." a tiny alarm rang from Captain Black's cell phone. He flipped open the lid, and there was a picture on screen.
The picture showed a girl who was unmistakably Jade, holding a talisman in her palm that enabled her to use the super speeds that kept her from showing up on live action film. Each stop-action photograph displayed that she was filling her green backpack with bars of gold, but seemed to be struggling to carry it out. Jackie wondered why she didn't just use the ox. On cue, Jade took out the ox talisman and touched it to her bag. To Jackie's surprise, she didn't carry it- instead, she and the bag began to levitate above the ground, and she flew out. Security lasers began to fire at her, and she fired back several dragon-blast beams of light, using the sheep talisman. Then, she flew out the window.
"That's all there is," noted Captain Black.
"But. . .the talismans are all wrong. Jade, they're not supposed to be like that, right?" Jackie asked, knowing his niece to be something of an expert with the talismans.
"Yeah, they're not. Y'know what? I bet when they were zapped by the floor, their powers got messed up. It happened before, that's how I was infused with them that time. That's probably why she isn't using them all- she hasn't finished figuring out which is which. But I want to know who she is! What a . . .a meanie! Stealing like that. I hope she'll be giving that money to people who really deserve it! And why does she want everyone to think I'm a thief?"
Jackie chuckled at her remark about giving to the needy, but Jade looked confused, like she hadn't meant to be sarcastic. Captain Black only looked concerned.
"Captain Black?" Jackie asked. "What about Chang? Could this be one of his clones?"
The Section 13 Captain shook his head. "Both Chang and his alchemist have been in solitary since the clone incident. I don't think he'd be able to make any more. Of course, I'm no expert in magic, but Uncle said the arrangements would work out."
"Uncle would know."
Jade looked up at the mention of this phrase. "Uncle would know. We should ask him. Maybe he'll figure out what's wrong."
Jackie nodded, thinking that this sounded like the best plan he could think of.
"Alright, we'll ask Uncle."
Author's Note~ Okay, so I lied. You don't find out whodunit in this chapter. I meant to, it just got longer than I expected, and it would require a scene shift. Too much effort. :p But I've given you a lot of clues. I'm sure you bright people can figure it out, I'm not even gonna bother trying to keep it secret. Just think if anything seemed a little. . .off to you, and there ya go. A free cookie to anyone who guesses correctly!
Actually, it was fun to read all of your speculations for this chapter. But you all seemed so sure Jade couldn't have done it. I almost considered having her confess, just to spite you. Sure would've meant less work for me! But I didn't, because we're just moving into the interesting bit. Translation: We're getting to the point from which the story isn't mapped out anymore, and I'll just start pulling stuff out of thin air. Only I want to bring the J-Team in somehow.
*Uncle impression* One more thing! Anyone see the new episode of Jackie Chan? ^_^ Been waiting for new eps forever, although it'll probably make this fic AU. And I'm a big Shadowkahn fan. I used to be on a basketball team where the uniforms were black and light blue, and we called ourselves Jade's Shadowkahn. Queen of the Shadowkahn is like my favorite episode. I'm just hoping will see a return of Jade's Shadowkahn powers ^_^.
Only problem with the new episode- online guide promised that "The Dark Hand is together again." Okay, sorry, but in my book, the Dark Hand includes Valmont. He was a way better villain than a giant floating head. Ah, well, can't have everything in life. But I hope the demon head guy gets a little cooler, and we get more Valmont than last Season. (Although the Horse Ep was cool!)
This Author's Note is getting long, so I'll finish up now. One last thing, ignore my beta reader's taunting notes in the reviews. She leads a sad deprived life and the only way she'll feel better is making other's feel small. (Lol @ Caily)
Bye now!
Jackie was in a dark room studying a poster for a movie that was due that summer- The Medallion. It was supposed to star some kung-fu action hero from Hong Kong, but Jackie couldn't really recall the name. It didn't matter, he wasn't really interested. He glanced casually over at the snack bar, where Captain Black was sipping a large soda. The bald man tapped his wristwatch, and Jackie turned his gaze to a red door marked with digital marquee: Theater 10- Melvin Moose 3.
At that moment, an usher opened the door wide and people began to walk out, mostly children around Jade's age who were yammering excitedly to parents wearing very forced smiles. Jackie gave them sympathetic looks- he had sat through Melvin Moose 1 and 2 with his niece.
The steady trickle of patrons parted and shifted as the unmistakable bulk of Tohru came through the door. Jackie shook his head when he saw that Tohru looked just as excited as the girl who stood next to him, dressed in the unusual choice of a blue sundress sent to her from her parents and a white cardigan, carrying a basin of popcorn larger than her head. She saw Jackie and waved, looking surprised.
"Oh, hi, Jackie!" she waved, and Jackie felt sick to his stomach.
"Hi, Jade. . .How was the movie?"
"Great! It was the best Melvin Moose yet!"
Jackie forced a laugh. "I thought you said you were too old for that, Jade."
"Oh, no. You're never too old for Melvin Moose, huh Tohru?"
"Oh. . .yes," said Tohru distractedly, gazing longingly at the half-full bucket of popcorn Jade held. Jade walked over to a trash can and dumped the popcorn into it.
"Sorry, T, but you know that stuff has a ton of cholesterol! You shouldn't eat it, it's really bad for you. Don't want anything to happen to my best friend!" Jade said brightly, and Tohru sighed and shot a sad glance at the trash bin, then whispered to Jackie
"I'll be at the snack bar."
Jackie nodded and swallowed hard, scratching his head. He knew he'd have to say it eventually, so he took a deep breath.
"Jade. . .I know the truth about the talismans."
She brightened, not the anticipated response.
"You found the thief?"
"Yes. . ."
"Was it George? Did he work for the Dark Hand?"
"Well, he did, but he didn't steal the talismans."
"Then who-"
"Jade, we saw everything on the Radio Shack surveillance tape. We know it was you who stole the talismans. Give them back, and Captain Black may let you off. But this is very serious, I'll need to talk to your parents and. . ."
"B-but Jackie. . ."
Jackie glanced at his niece, who wore an incredibly startled expression on her face. Jade must be a better liar than he had thought. . .
"I didn't steal anything!" she said, suddenly forceful. "I would never! Stealing is wrong!"
"Oh?" snapped Jackie. "Then what did you call it when you took the animals out of Section 13? Or all the other times you took the talismans?"
Jade sniffled and looked down at her feet, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Jackie, I just borrowed them those times, I'd never actually steal, and I didn't do it, I swear!"
Jackie considered offering a retort, but noticed Jade wiping tears off her cheeks. He shifted uncomfortably and sighed. The thing was, Jade wasn't that good a liar. She was quite talented at sneaking around, and finding loopholes in all the promises she made, but if he confronted her, she would almost always confess. And she hardly ever cried, not to mention that he hadn't even thought Jade would resort to robbery in the first place. Something was definitely not adding up.
"Jade. . ." he said tentatively, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Jade, I think I believe you, okay? But if you really did steal the talismans, you had better confess now, or you'll be in big trouble."
"I d-didn't steal a-anything," she sniffled, and began to dry her eyes with her white sweater.
"That's good. Now, we'll talk to Captain Black, and see if we can figure out what's going on. . ."
But that wasn't necessary, because Captain Black came running up to them.
"Jackie, when did Jade get out of the theater?"
"About ten minutes ago, but you see-"
"You were watching her the whole time?"
"Yes, but-"
"Listen. I've just gotten report from the U.S. Mint about a break-in. The culprit got out of the building five minutes ago, but we're fairly certain that this was our talisman thief."
"That's great! So Jade couldn't have done it!"
"Right. And there's been tougher security at the Mint since Valmont's break- in two years ago. The thief for some reason wasn't using all of the talismans, so she barely got out before she was caught. And we have surveillance tapes. . .I'm being sent the footage now frame by frame so we can get a clear view. It should be here in. . ." a tiny alarm rang from Captain Black's cell phone. He flipped open the lid, and there was a picture on screen.
The picture showed a girl who was unmistakably Jade, holding a talisman in her palm that enabled her to use the super speeds that kept her from showing up on live action film. Each stop-action photograph displayed that she was filling her green backpack with bars of gold, but seemed to be struggling to carry it out. Jackie wondered why she didn't just use the ox. On cue, Jade took out the ox talisman and touched it to her bag. To Jackie's surprise, she didn't carry it- instead, she and the bag began to levitate above the ground, and she flew out. Security lasers began to fire at her, and she fired back several dragon-blast beams of light, using the sheep talisman. Then, she flew out the window.
"That's all there is," noted Captain Black.
"But. . .the talismans are all wrong. Jade, they're not supposed to be like that, right?" Jackie asked, knowing his niece to be something of an expert with the talismans.
"Yeah, they're not. Y'know what? I bet when they were zapped by the floor, their powers got messed up. It happened before, that's how I was infused with them that time. That's probably why she isn't using them all- she hasn't finished figuring out which is which. But I want to know who she is! What a . . .a meanie! Stealing like that. I hope she'll be giving that money to people who really deserve it! And why does she want everyone to think I'm a thief?"
Jackie chuckled at her remark about giving to the needy, but Jade looked confused, like she hadn't meant to be sarcastic. Captain Black only looked concerned.
"Captain Black?" Jackie asked. "What about Chang? Could this be one of his clones?"
The Section 13 Captain shook his head. "Both Chang and his alchemist have been in solitary since the clone incident. I don't think he'd be able to make any more. Of course, I'm no expert in magic, but Uncle said the arrangements would work out."
"Uncle would know."
Jade looked up at the mention of this phrase. "Uncle would know. We should ask him. Maybe he'll figure out what's wrong."
Jackie nodded, thinking that this sounded like the best plan he could think of.
"Alright, we'll ask Uncle."
Author's Note~ Okay, so I lied. You don't find out whodunit in this chapter. I meant to, it just got longer than I expected, and it would require a scene shift. Too much effort. :p But I've given you a lot of clues. I'm sure you bright people can figure it out, I'm not even gonna bother trying to keep it secret. Just think if anything seemed a little. . .off to you, and there ya go. A free cookie to anyone who guesses correctly!
Actually, it was fun to read all of your speculations for this chapter. But you all seemed so sure Jade couldn't have done it. I almost considered having her confess, just to spite you. Sure would've meant less work for me! But I didn't, because we're just moving into the interesting bit. Translation: We're getting to the point from which the story isn't mapped out anymore, and I'll just start pulling stuff out of thin air. Only I want to bring the J-Team in somehow.
*Uncle impression* One more thing! Anyone see the new episode of Jackie Chan? ^_^ Been waiting for new eps forever, although it'll probably make this fic AU. And I'm a big Shadowkahn fan. I used to be on a basketball team where the uniforms were black and light blue, and we called ourselves Jade's Shadowkahn. Queen of the Shadowkahn is like my favorite episode. I'm just hoping will see a return of Jade's Shadowkahn powers ^_^.
Only problem with the new episode- online guide promised that "The Dark Hand is together again." Okay, sorry, but in my book, the Dark Hand includes Valmont. He was a way better villain than a giant floating head. Ah, well, can't have everything in life. But I hope the demon head guy gets a little cooler, and we get more Valmont than last Season. (Although the Horse Ep was cool!)
This Author's Note is getting long, so I'll finish up now. One last thing, ignore my beta reader's taunting notes in the reviews. She leads a sad deprived life and the only way she'll feel better is making other's feel small. (Lol @ Caily)
Bye now!