Well, here it is. The return. If you wonder what happened to the scientist guy, well…I don't even know. There's one passage of this chapter that might seem a little familiar to you…like you've read it before. Yes, this is done on purpose. Sometimes I like to give my readers déjà vu. Here it goes! Oh, and in case you're wondering by the end of this, this is not the last chapter! Nope, we've still got a few things to settle first…but that's for later.
40+ reviews! Never thought I'd see the day… Jadebell, that long dialogue review made me laugh! …And I'm really sorry! I forgot that some of you haven't seen season 2 yet! Yeah…Chase Young is a character from S2. Sorry I spoiled that, but at least I didn't spoil everything about him! I'll try to delete all S2 references in the story from now on. Although, in this chapter, you'll hear about "Megan", I couldn't leave her out, because she's crucial to the "reflections" portion of this chapter. And there's something else later about Jack's "promise" that you might not get. My problem is, mostly all of the XS episodes I've seen have been the S2 ones. I'm a recent fan. Yes, I tried to mimic the nursery rhyme with this fic, though I stop after the first verse. In this chapter, it makes more sense to replace "Jill" with "Kimiko" and "pail of water" as "the Vase of Viscous Visions". Imagine if I tried that with other nursery rhymes…
EternalFluffy: Jack be nimble, Jack be quick. Jack, jump over the candlestick! (points demandingly to a little candle in the middle of the room)
Jack: …Do I really have to?
EternalFluffy: Of course. Because I'm the author, and I command it!
Jack: You're trying to find another excuse to torture me. I thought you were my fan!
EternalFluffy: I am! I torture you because I love you!
Others: (chanting) jump, jump, jump, jump!
Jack: (stares at the candle stick) (runs and leaps over it, but falls back on the other side and catches the seat of his pants on fire) AAAAUGH! (runs around, screaming like a little girl with his butt on fire)
EternalFluffy: (places her head in her hands in desperation)
Rai: (suddenly steps next to her) Idiot. Doesn't he realize he could've just flown over it?
EternalFluffy: Nah, if he'd tried that, I would've yelled at him. It's Jack jump over the candlestick, not Jack fly over the candlestick. (sprays Jack with a garden hose)
Rai: Gee, you're awful stringent
EternalFluffy: Well, I don't think this one could have a metaphorical meaning… Well maybe, "jump over" means "overcoming an obstacle" and "candlestick" could mean "holder of fire" or "Kimiko". That's it, it means "Jack gets over Kimiko". …I don't like this nursery rhyme.
Rai: Uh…how did you get that out of…
Jack: (dripping wet and trying to fix his hair) She's insane! Insane, I tell you! Anyone who would spend a whole hour trying to get some deep meaning out of Mother Goose must have something wrong with them!
EF: uh…anyway…on with the chapter?
-
Chapter 8: Harsh Reality
With a clashing and suction sound, Jack finally felt his body crash against a hard, stone platform, and the force propelled him straight down the stairs of the machine. When he finally rolled to a stop at the base, he opened his eyes and gazed into the dark floor.
"Ugh…" Jack felt sick and lightheaded after a trip like that, so he stayed pressed against the floor for a few more minutes before attempting to rise from that position. He slowly pulled himself into a crouching pose, and dragged a heavy item up with him, without even noticing.
Then, his gaze fell upon the scientist's underground laboratory. He was in…Paris, right? It felt like ages since he'd seen this place. The man had vanished from the control panel, so some time had to have passed. Of course it had, Jack told himself. It had been so long… He'd spent months in that terrible labor camp. Speaking of that…
He reached up and felt his goggles. They were suddenly intact again. His hair stood up on end, like it was supposed to, his clothes were whole, except for the end of his coat, which was natural, and all of his injuries had healed. Looking into the shiny, reflecting surface of one of the machines, he also observed that his face paint was back in place. It was like none of it had even happened…
Jack stared at himself a little longer, and the more he stared, the more he began to look like that evil man from the future world…goatee, twisted smile, and all. I promised Julie that things would be different when I saw her again… But I really don't have to worry about that. All that would never happen. I'd never put one of those emotion chips in myself. That's just crazy. I'd never use my daughter to get Wuya's powers. Ha. Whoever made up that stupid world must have been on something…
Satisfied with this resolution, Jack turned around and began to skip, haughtily back out of the dark lab…but then he looked down. A long, glittering stick lied heavily against his palm. Its swirling red orb stared, smugly up at him, and Jack froze as he looked deep into its cloudy core. "It all…starts…now…" "It all began with you. It all began there." That world didn't just pop into existence… It was already starting. This whole horrible chain of events…it had all started when Jack had won the Xiaolin Showdown against Omi for this Soul Scepter.
He shivered as he stared down at the powerful, destructive Shen-Gong-Wu. For a moment, he thought he should just throw it into the sea, so he'd never be able to find it and use it to destroy the world, but a moment later, forced these thoughts from his head. This is stupid, he told himself. If I decide that I'm not going to use it to destroy the world, I won't use it to destroy the world.
That affirmed, he clicked his HeliPack on and stepped out of the dark lab, squinting in the painfully bright sunlight. He had no idea how much time had passed, but after the flashing yellow splotches subsided, he could see his hovering bus-like vehicle floating in the distance. Surprisingly, none of the French people below had noticed the giant steel frame suspended in midair. However, they certainly noticed when a boy in the middle of their crowd suddenly took to the sky on a pair of mechanical "wings".
Jack yanked the door to the driver's seat open, and pulled himself back behind the rubbery wheel. He gently set the glittering Soul Scepter against the seat next to him, and fastened it with its own mini seat belt. At least that helped him feel like he had some company.
Stop thinking like that, he told himself. As much of a nutcase that representation of the "future me" was, he did have a point. I'm not alone, I've got Wuya. And right now, I need to get this Soul Scepter thing back to her. I just won't ever use it in that way… But what if she tells me to? How can I explain it to her…? Jack finally shook himself and started up the vehicle's engine again. Never mind. I don't think anything like that will ever happen anyway… And a few minutes later, he was flying off back to the comforting familiarity of the Asian landscape, and his old style mansion.
-
When Jack finally stepped back down into his world, shutting out the light of the "normal" world behind him, he was slightly surprised to find it completely empty.
"Wuya?" he called. "Hey, Wuuuu-yaaaa! I got a little present for you!" He expected the little masked witch to come zooming out of some drawer or portion of the wall or ceiling at any moment. Nothing. Everything was so deadly still and silent.
Jack stomped down the rest of the stairs and clanked the Soul Scepter onto his work table, just for the sake of making some noise. He should probably wait here until the evil sorceress got back from…wherever she had gone, he decided. She'd certainly see the powerful scepter the instant she got back and give him a hearty acclamation. It was strange how he did all of this- flying around in a hover car, battling for Shen-Gong-Wu, and making all these high-tech gadgets…just for the approval of a thousand-year-old evil witch.
That's not all, he tried to tell himself. This is all practice for the day when I… Suddenly, Jack stopped his normal, everyday thoughts, and remembered the experience he'd just had. Normally the phrase he'd put after that was "rule the world"…but now, he wasn't too sure about that.
…Yeah. He slowly tried to affirm again. I could still rule the world, just in a different way. Like…not by killing everyone. The spice of life, remember? Now, that was even stranger than his original vein of thought. He hadn't recalled those phrases from his father's "Spicer family history" talks in years. Jack shook himself for the third time since coming back from that future world.
Things were finally back to the way they were supposed to be- the Xiaolin Warriors on one side, him on the other, tons of people all over the place, of different ethnicities, and generally free to look like whatever they wanted to look like, and say whatever they wanted. If I grew up in a world like that, I'd probably kill myself, Jack realized. As much as I hate this world, that one would be the worst thing imaginable!
"Those horrible powers will one day destroy the world…" It was his father again, off on one of his speeches. I don't think that's what Dad was trying to tell me then… Jack thought, as he connected to this world with that other one he had experienced. But I…don't want all of that to happen. Dad… He saw the haggard old face of his father from the future world. He would make him that way- he would one day burn him alive for his nonexistent crimes. As much as he hated his father…it was a horrible way to die. He knew from experience.
Jack turned away from the platform on which the Soul Scepter sat and began to wander around his lab, trying to drive these memories, and these images out of his mind. He just needed a bit more time in the shadows of this gloomy lair to get him into the evil, scheming mood. I know, he decided, opening up one of the various giant cabinets that lined the dingy walls. I'll let some of my Jack-bots out to play. Maybe they'll do that thing with the Chihuahua again…
When he was bored, sometimes Jack let his robots torture the neighbor's Chihuahua just for a laugh. They'd never seriously hurt the animal, but it was fun watching the little yippy dog running from an army of evil, armored, floating robots. Of course, the neighbors would complain to Mr. Spicer who in turn would reprimand Jack, but right now, the lecture didn't really matter to him.
However, when he looked up at the first Jack-bot that fell out of the closet, his slight excitement immediately wore off. The large, armored robot was clutching something long and brown in its clamp-like hand…a jump rope.
"Darn rope!" Jack muttered to himself, yanking the long coil out of the machine's grip. "I swear, somehow they're smuggling them in…"
This jump rope obsession began when he was once again forced to baby-sit his little cousin Meagan, and she'd taught the Jack-bots how to play jump rope. Unfortunately, some of them had actually taken a liking to the children's game, and sometimes would spontaneously produce a rope like this one and start playing.
Jack stormed over to a trash barrel and was just about to toss the long coil inside, but then another horrible memory from the future world entered his mind. It was Meagan, of course, the future Meagan, in her shabby clothing, desperately pointing a Shen-Gong-Wu at him, as she and Ashley fought for their independence. She'd tied to use a HeliPack to escape, but couldn't control it. Maybe he should give her a chance to try it next time; then she'd know how to use it properly, and escape…
Next, he saw Meagan and Ashley, clutching each other, just before they were going to be burned…the Mustards sisters… He'd have to ask his father if they really were related.
The many fibrous strands within the rope were weaving in front of Jack's eyes. He hated that little girl and the bratty way she always tried to boss him around…but somehow, he couldn't imagine doing something so terrible to her.
Jack gritted his teeth in frustration, and slammed the rope into the wastebasket. I don't want to be like that…but I don't want to be "good" either. But there is nothing in between. Can't I be medium evil? There's no such thing… That would sound weird- Jack Spicer, semi-evil boy genius…
He turned back around to face the workbench where the Soul Scepter still lied, in waiting. Suddenly, he noticed something small and rectangular sitting next to it. Jack stepped off to brush what he figured was debris from his "presenting platform", but froze in position, eyes wide when he got a look at what it really was. His heart began pounding, with disbelief and fear. Those memories again…
It was one of the emotion chips he'd manufactured for the more advanced of his robot minions. He didn't remember what he was planning on doing with this one, since there were no open Jack-bots lying in heaps along the floor. Slowly, his hands began trembling, before he even knew it. Here was the key to that future…right in front of him, where his future self had told him it would be.
There was that memory, produced by the Vase of Viscous Visions…when he had first put that chip in. It was true…all of it was true. His life's goal had always been to rule the world…to make it a different place to live in. He wanted to change everything… He wanted to get rid of these secret, fearful, lonely feelings…
No. I can't keep doing this forever, he thought, without even realizing it. I will never be able to do this…because of my own pathetic personality… His hands trembled as he slowly clutched the new insertion device and lifted it from its pedestal. He could be holding the key to his success in his very paled hands. It didn't matter what happened on the outside…he'd never feel any regret, guilt, or sorrow on the inside… With just one shove, everything he had always strived for could be attained right here and now. It would only hurt for a second, and then he'd never hurt again…
Jack held the little object closer to his chest. And just then, those images shot through his head- of what would really happen on the outside…zombie Kimiko, and the Xiaolin Jesters, Mr. Spicer crying out for salvation, the Mustards sisters crying and waiting for death, Dojo spewing fire in pain and rage, those emaciated, barely clothed prisoners, working themselves to death, downgraded Facist Chase Young, and Julie screaming in agony as Wuya tried to take over her body… It all…starts…now…
"NO!" Jack suddenly managed to scream, tearing his gaze away from the little chip and flinging it to the ground. He stood for a moment in the same place, panting and sweating from the battle raging in his own head. A few of those despicable tears slid down his face, and he flung them off as he bent down to shove that awful device into the wastebasket with the jump rope. He couldn't believe he'd actually almost put that thing in his body…when he'd been struggling for the longest time against that awful other world…and he'd been just about to create it.
Jack took a few more deep breaths and tried to calm down. But it still had him spooked. Everything from that warped, crazy world was true. The Facist labor camp would be built right here- he was standing in the Shen-Gong-Wu storing room right now. And the Hill Palace…was probably built right over the Xiaolin Temple! And the surrounding areas would be Hilltown…
Well, if everything from that world is true, Jack reasoned. That means I'm really the Dragon of Metal, and I have special magic powers! Ha, I doubt that, but… He stepped up into what he remembered as the position he'd been in for his attack, one arm extended and the other bent in towards his chest.
"Metal!" he called, expecting to see the silvery backdrop spring up out of nowhere again…but nothing came. How come nothing works in the present like it does in that future world? He wondered. Oh, that's right, the Soul Scepter worked like this…
Jack seized the long handheld rod and twirled it around like he'd seen his future self do. "Soul Scepter, Metal!" Still, nothing happened. It's not working… he thought with a frown. Maybe because there aren't any souls around to capture… Or I don't really want to be the Dragon of Metal.
He set the Soul Scepter back down in its position on the "display platform" and turned back to his thoughts. But if I am the Dragon of Metal, that doesn't necessarily mean that I have to become one of those goody-goody monks. I could just use my powers to fight and prevent…that future…yeah…
He took his stance again and called, "Metal!" assuming it would work now that he was in a more positive mindset. Still nothing. "C'mon, I'm supposed to be the Dragon of Metal!" he yelled at the invisible powers around him. "Metal! …Metal! Metal, metal, metal!"
"What was that?" a hissing voice suddenly slid in his ear.
"Ah!" Jack cried in surprise as Wuya appeared out of nowhere and floated up beside him. "Uh…I'm out of metal for the new line of robots I'm working on… Yeah…I need some metal… Metal, metal, metal!"
If Wuya could roll her spiraled eyes, she would have been at that moment. She continued on past her brain-damaged partner, who was strangely posing to the side, and when she finally reached the center of the lair, lit up when she saw the treasure waiting for her. "Ah, the Soul Scpeter! Well done, boy. And I was starting to lose faith in you…"
Finally, Jack stopped trying to pose for his "Metal" attack and turned back towards the table and Wuya. It was strange…he didn't feel any excitement or motivation from this small compliment.
Wuya glanced back for a moment, a bit surprised when she didn't heard Jack's annoying voice bragging about how he had "destroyed" those Xiaolin Warriors with one hand tied behind his back. Oh well…it was a welcome change. "Now, if I were only human…" Wuya mused, staring into the wall, and placing one spade hand under her transparent chin.
Jack continued to stare at her, remembering how he'd tried to implant her into Julie, and take her powers.
While the evil ghost witch was thinking, she glanced back at Jack, and almost seemed to smile at him. "You've been most unusually quiet lately, Jack. I'm quite enjoying this…"
Jack went on staring, still lost in thought about the future events he'd witnessed. He didn't even hear when the little, malevolent sorceress told him about her new evil scheme.
"Yes…this is perfect! Jack, I need you to break into the Xiaolin Temple's vault again. It'll be easy, I know. Those simple-lived little monks have never thought to use any kind of alarm system… Then, once we have the Serpent's Tail and Reversing Mirror again…" Suddenly, in the middle of her evil plot, Wuya felt a strange force through her ghostly body. "Oooh…wait…" she quickly changed plans. "I feel…the awakening of a new Shen-Gong-Wu!"
At this statement, Jack finally snapped back into reality. New Shen-Gong-Wu… "The Vase of Viscous Visions?" he asked, his eyes lighting up in recognition.
"…Why, yes…" Wuya slowly admitted. "The Vase of Viscous Visions! …Wait, how did you know about…?"
Jack suddenly remembered that memory he'd seen through the vase when he'd first encountered it in the future. "Yeah…" he said, shifting his gaze towards the stairs. "It's in the house! I know where it is!" There was a decorative vase that always sat on a pedestal in one of this house's museum-like hallways. Though he'd never known it all these years, the Vase of Viscous Visions had been sitting right under his nose the entire time.
Wuya floated in place and watched in disbelief as Jack thundered up the stairs, where her magical sense was also pointing to as the location of the Vase of Viscous Visions. "Bah!" she said to herself. "I don't know how he did that. Certainly that boy doesn't have the power to sense Shen-Gong-Wu…"
A few minutes later, as Jack was sprinting through the hallways of his own ancient Chinese decorated mansion, Wuya permeated through the floor and floated up beside him. "The Vase of Viscous Visions…" he said, half to her and half to himself. "That was the one that stored memories, right?"
Amazing… Wuya thought to herself, but out loud, she said, "Well, of course, what would you expect from something called the 'Vase of Viscous Visions'?"
Finally, Jack reached the pedestal he remembered from the memory…but when he got there, the intricate eye pedestal was empty. Up above them, one of the skylight ceiling windows was ajar, and that could only mean one thing…
"Blast!" Wuya cried, grabbing her head in disgust. "Those cursed Xiaolin Warriors have already gotten it! Why didn't you sense it earlier, if you could sense it?"
"I was…distracted," Jack truthfully answered. "I didn't remember about it being here…" In sudden inspiration, he clenched one of his hands into a fist. "I'll go after them!" he decided. "If they left the window open, they must have heard us coming and had to hurry out. I bet they're not far from here!" So the villainous duo rushed back down the fancy halls to the secret laboratory.
-
It was getting pretty late by the time Jack and Wuya caught up with the fast-flying dragon. The three kids on its back seemed relaxed and confident, gazing down at the sunset in the distance. So needless to say, it was the perfect time for an ambush.
Jack revved the engine of his hover car up to maximum, intending to zoom up alongside them and grab the Vase right out of their hands, but the vehicle was starting to lose control. He yanked the wheel to the left, but it didn't seem to move at all.
BANG! The hover car, going at top speed, slammed right into Dojo, causing the three Xiaolin Warriors on his back to fall to the ground again, and drop the Vase.
"What are you doing?" Wuya criticized as Dojo slithered around to go catch them. "You could have just used a Shen-Gong-Wu to take it from them!"
Jack shrugged. "I didn't bringany with me. And besides, mowing them over with the hover car is way more evil!"
Wuya sighed in desperation and turned to look out the side window.
Jack grinned as he slowed the floating vehicle to normal speed, and redirected it towards the ground. Finally, he was beginning to feel like his old self again. In situations like these, he could forget about those nagging experiences from the future and just concentrate on being as evil as possible…like always. At last, he spotted the shaken Xiaolins on the grass below and brought the hover car into landing.
Omi, Clay, and Kimiko sat up and rubbed their bruised body parts as some large, slightly familiar machine settled down in front of them. A very familiar person then jumped out of the driver's seat.
"Wonder no longer, you thieving monks," he called, trying to make an entrance. "You have just been the hit-and-run victims of Jack Spicer, evil boy genius!"
Omi immediately hopped to his feet, pointing accusingly at their nemesis. "I knew it! Who else would run over our transportation with a flying…um, thing!"
"How can you call us thieves?" Kimiko added, placing her hands, angrily on her hips.
For a moment, Jack froze at the sight of her. She looked kind of pretty today, in her black-and-purple striped outfit, and shining black hair hanging long and straight… He felt a slight prickle on his cheeks as he remembered that in that other future world, she had been his wife. "Er…urrr…" he struggled forward, trying to cover up his flustered state. "…Well, it was in my house! You shouldn't have just barged in and taken it!"
"What were we supposed to do?" Kimiko argued back. "Ask, 'Jack Spicer, may we please take that Shen-Gong-Wu in your house?' I really don't think that would've worked for us."
Jack glanced down, and found the blue-tinted item lying on its side in the grass a few meters away. The Xiaolin Warriors didn't seem to notice it, busy tending to their bruises, and the large, red spot that had appeared along Dojo's bottom half.
"Still, that Shen-Gong-Wu was mine!" he called over to them, although Kimiko seemed like the only one who was listening. "And now I'm going to bring it back where it belongs!" With a quick flick of the switch, the propellers on Jack's HeliPack popped out and started up. He flew as fast as he could towards the item, and was just about to grab one of its handles, when Kimiko noticed what was going on.
"Oh no you don't!" she yelled, and with one acrobatic flip, landed on the other side, grabbing the opposite handle.
The Vase of Viscous Visions stood between their two hands, but they were so close now, Jack really had to try to hide his blushing. "Kimiko, I challenge you to a Xiaolin Showdown!" he cried, ducking behind the body of the vase.
"I'm ready, Jack," Kimiko replied. "What's it gonna be this time?"
"Uh…" For a moment, Jack couldn't think of anything for a Showdown. He concentrated and tried to remember that list he'd made up of possible challenges, but nothing was registering, and the only things he could think about were Julie and the zombie Kimiko, lying on a golden platform in her peasant's clothes.
Turning away for a second to think, he spied a hill in the field to the distance, and blurted out, "First one to the top of that hill! You Star Hanabi against my, uh…" Jack had to take a moment to search through his pockets. He didn't think he'd even brought any Shen-Gong-Wu with him, but happened to pull out that powerful, familiar item. It was the only thing he had, since he hadn't stopped to grab any Shen-Gong-Wu out of the closet before rushing out after them. "…against my Soul Scepter!"
"You idiot!" Wuya yelled, flying up to his ear. "You can't wager that! You'll just lose it again!"
"Be quiet," Jack told her, brandishing the golden rod. "I won it before, didn't I? I can win it again!"
The miniature Heylin witch took a deep breath and hoped for the best. "He's gone overconfident again…" she muttered to herself. "I don't know if this is a good or a bad sign."
Kimiko accepted, and as soon as the two called, "Xiaolin Showdown", the hill grew higher up into the air and became a mountain. A white flag at the very tip marked the goal. Dojo floated up on one side, holding up Omi and Clay, while Wuya floated on the other, around the mountain.
"Gong Yi TanPai!" Kimiko and Jack yelled in unison and both sprinted off towards the mountain.
As soon as he reached the base, Jack flicked his helicopter blades on again and they yanked him up into the sky. He had to get that vase and keep the scepter at all costs! But still…another part of him would be glad to get rid of those haunting Shen-Gong-Wu, and for a moment he considered purposely throwing the showdown.
"Star Hanabi, Fire!" Kimiko yelled, throwing out the flaming Shuriken and aiming it directly at Jack. Meanwhile, she was thinking, Wow, Jack actually wagered the Soul Scepter on this! I have to get it back and make up for Omi's loss! This is probably the only chance any of us are going to get!
"Aaugh!" Jack cried as a sharp, hot metal object slammed into his back, catching his jacket on fire. He fell forward onto the cold, stone of the mountain, and tried to snuff the fire out. "See?" he said as he rocked back and forth on the ground. "Stop, drop, and roll! I'm setting a good example for all the kids who watch this show!"
Kimiko jumped up the cliff next to him and raised her thin eyebrows. "If you're a good example, I'd hate to see what a bad example would be." She then skipped, daintily and acrobatically up the steep footholds of the cliff.
The fire finally extinguished, Jack popped back up and followed her into the sky. He felt a little flustered as he revisited these future events, and struggled to concentrate on directing his whirling "wings". Naturally his HeliPack was faster than Kimiko's high jumps, and the white flag at the summit was growing closer and closer.
As he neared victory, a desperate female voice yelled from below- "Star Hanabi, Fire!" Remembering the disaster before, Jack whirled around, expecting to see the spinning star come shooting towards him.
His hands automatically gripped around the Soul Scepter. This was the part when he would normally use his Shen-Gong-Wu to defend himself…but he couldn't use the Soul Scepter. He didn't want to take Kimiko's soul…although it was the only way he'd ever get her to like him… Jack hesitantly held out the rod and stared at it for a moment. Maybe I could just take her soul, and no one else's…
Then, the peasant adult Kimiko stared blankly back at him from the future. Mechanically, she began to perform a dance routine in front of him. No…I don't want her to live like that…
Finally, not knowing what else to do with this dangerous item, he gripped its end like a baseball bat, and when the rotating Star Hanabi zoomed towards him, he whacked it with the staff and sent it flying into the side of the mountain.
Kimiko glanced down when she saw her Shen-Gong-Wu smack against the rocks a meter or so down. I don't think that's what the Soul Scepter was meant to do, she realized. He must not have figured out how it works yet! …Oooh, this is our last chance! With such a surge of inspiration, she leaped towards the summit, using the last of her strength to clamber on top of the mountain.
It was too late. Just as she set foot on that ground, Jack burst from the side of the mountain, setting the speed of his helicopter fans on maximum. Rocks from the mountainside came flying up with him. As he zoomed for the white flag, the rocks hovered dangerously in the air just above Kimiko.
"Oh, no!" Clay exclaimed from the sidelines.
"Kimiko!" Omi cried.
Jack's hand was a few inches away from the flagstaff when he heard a shriek from behind him. He jerked his body back around for a second to see what was going on. A giant boulder was hurtling through the air…about to crush Kimiko! In an instant, Jack realized that he was about to kill her, just like in that future world…and he had to save her somehow!
"No!" he yelled, with no thought or assent. "Stop! Metal!" His body was pulled into that same extended-arm position and silvery spikes erupted from the ground, catching the boulder as it fell.
"What the…" Kimiko slowly asked as she got a look at the spikes around her, protecting her. "…What just happened?"
She moved to step out between them, but before she could, Jack snapped back into the matter at hand, and grabbed the flag from the rocky perch.
"What did just happen?" Omi asked, glancing down at Dojo. "He just said "metal" and a bunch of spikes popped out of the ground!"
"Nah, that wasn't all," Clay added. "I saw some odd-lookin' symbol behind him…it looked kinda familiar."
"I…I…" Dojo was too stunned to talk, which was a first. "No…no, it can't be…"
"Can't be what?" Omi and Clay both insisted.
Since Jack had won the Showdown, the mountain below them sank back into the slightly elevated hill from which it had originally come. Both the boulder and the spikes disappeared from around Kimiko, and Omi, Clay, and Dojo came floating down to meet her.
"Kimiko!" Omi cried, jumping off the dragon's back and running to her side. "Are you okay?"
"Fine," she replied. "But I'm not sure why…"
Meanwhile, Jack turned his back to the happy, reunited Xiaolin Warriors and didn't even notice when the blue Vase of Viscous Visions materialized in his arms. He'd won another Showdown. That was two in a row…but suddenly, it didn't really matter. He'd just saved Kimiko's life…but that wasn't truly registering in his mind either.
Right now, the only things he could see were the blue, endless sky and the sprawling grass field around him. There was so much to the world…it was just so big. Today, with computers, the internet, and jet planes, it was easy to lose sight of how big the world really was…but these two things seemed to go on forever. Soon, it would all be just one tiny town, surrounded by millions of miles of empty wasteland. What a waste of space…
Maybe…I don't want the world to change… Jack slowly admitted to himself. Maybe…it should just stay the way it is. Maybe no one will ever respect me…or like me…but at least everything won't be destroyed. He managed a hesitant smile at this existing world.
While the three Xiaolin Warriors remained clueless about the last event, Wuya knew exactly what had happened. "So that's why he's been acting so strange…" she said to herself. "Jack is really the Dragon of Metal! I was wondering where that extra one went…" Her eyes spiraled around, digesting this information. "That means those others will try to get him on their side…and I can't have that happen! I know…" At that moment, the transparent, ghostly witch turned and targeted her now former servant.
"You know what it looked like to me?" Kimiko told her friends as they discussed the mysterious spikes. "It's weird, but it almost looked like Jack was using an elemental attack."
"He said 'Metal', like he was the Dragon of Metal or something…" Omi continued. "But there's no such thing as a Dragon of Metal, is there? There are only four elements…"
But Dojo, behind them, was shaking his head. He could tell already, but he was just in shock and denial. Jack Spicer couldn't be a Chosen One, it just wasn't possible…
"This is the end of the line, boy," a familiar, screeching voice stated as it lowered itself just in front of Jack.
"Wuya…?" Jack slowly said, at last noticing her presence.
"You are of no use to me anymore in that state. It's time I took control of this situation…"
"Huh?" Jack asked as he tucked the Vase of Viscous Visions away in his coat pocket. "Now what are you babbling about?"
The purple, transparent witch smiled, wickedly. "Since now I can't have you steal my materials for me, and I need a body to use that Soul Scepter…why don't I just…" Steadily, she was reeling herself back, preparing for something, and at this statement, shot forward, aiming straight for Jack's chest.
He gasped, startled by her sudden actions, but his "normal" mind told him he shouldn't be. It wasn't a very pleasant feeling to have another spirit slithering around inside of you, but he thought he would be okay… Wuya only used this power to hide from enemies or to read his mind, she could never…or could she?
Instantly, another image from the future flashed before Jack's eyes. It was Julie screaming and gripping her body, as Wuya tried to take control of it from the inside out. Her face and her skin flickered death gray, and she desperately tried to speak, her voice choked in a rasp. She had been able to do that through the Soul Scepter. It didn't matter what the principles of it all was; he couldn't afford to take a risk like that.
Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo all glanced over when they noticed the action.
"Stop!" Jack yelled in desperation, throwing out his hands as a gesture of resistance. He looked away, closing his eyes, afraid of what would happen to him in the next minute. He never intended for anything to happen, and though it was a futile resistance, it made him feel a little better to know that he at least tried… But, in that instant, as Wuya was zooming towards him, a shiny, opaque barrier popped into existence in front of him.
"Oooh!" Wuya exclaimed as she slammed into the barrier and went reeling backwards. She flew back into position again and rubbed her tentacle-like head.
"Now what just happened?" Kimiko asked, turning to question Omi at her side. "I thought Wuya could go through any solid object."
"Even if he is the Dragon of Metal, I don't know how he made that shield…"
Jack stared at the discombobulated ghost in front of him. Somehow, he'd protected himself from her body-snatching scheme. He had power; he didn't have to submit to this "partner" any more. And suddenly, he knew exactly what he should do to be rid of her nagging demands forever.
The Soul Scepter…can take any spirit and trap it in its red globe…and in the future, Wuya merged with Julie inside the globe… So that means it's possible… Jack suddenly pulled the Soul Scepter out of its holder at his side, and held it out, threateningly at his former evil master. "You're right; this is the end of the line, Wuya… I don't need you anymore, either!"
Wuya simply laughed and brushed the threat off. "Ha! You think I'm scared of a little rod like that? You can't use that stupid Shen-Gong-Wu to capture me. You don't even know how it works, do you?"
Jack narrowed his eyes and glared at his former "friend". All this time, he'd always thought of her as a friend- a companion that would be there, no matter what. Even though she yelled at him, and made fun of his methods and personality, she was still…there. But now, with that horrible image of the future searing in his mind, he was willing to lose his companion, and everything he'd worked so hard for, so that everything could stay the way it was.
It seemed a crazy notion, since his original intention had been completely the opposite…but now he realized for the first time- changing the world would only worsen it…and Wuya was never really his friend or ally, she had to use him in order to get her body back, in lieu of succumbing to Katnappe's conditions. He didn't need to keep in servitude to her forever. Although the back of his mind thought that the next day or two would be painful if he captured her, this was the only opportunity he would get. He could either capture her now, or remain the way he was until he became the heartless killing machine of the future.
"Oh, yes I do," Jack finally objected. He twirled the smooth golden Shen-Gong-Wu around in his hands and aimed the center crystal at the witch spirit. "Soul Scepter, Metal!" At last, the red, capturing beam erupted from the crystal ball, and washed around Wuya, sticking her to its reach.
"Ooh, I get it!" Omi said, lighting up. "The Soul Scepter is a special elemental Shen-Gong-Wu. It can only be used with the Dragon of Metal powers. …I guess he really is the Dragon of Metal!"
Wuya's high-pitched scream echoed through the field as the beam began to drag her into the crystal. It was a much different experience to be on the opposite side of the scepter's snatching ray. Jack's arms were shaking from the immense power shooting out of its center. It suddenly felt like he was in control, at last. He didn't need to stay in this everlasting loophole forever.
Finally, at last, the beam receded back into the round crystal ball. And that was it. Wuya was gone.
Jack fell forward from the release of power, and held out his arms just in time before he smashed into the grass. Jack didn't even notice it as first, but he was panting again, mostly from the shock of what he had just done. Why…he asked himself, why did I do a stupid thing like that? Now I'll never be appreciated…even as a tool of an evil demon. Because he was staring at the ground and trying to block out the rest of the world, Jack didn't notice when the Xiaolin crew rushed up in front of him.
"Juh…Jack…Spicer?" Kimiko at last said, in disbelief. "…What happened?"
"You captured Wuya?" Omi stated the obvious, displaying as much amazement as his female teammate.
Hearing their presence, Jack simply held the Soul Scepter out with both hands, not even bothering to look up. "Here-take this. I want you to take it. Don't let me get a hold of it again. It's dangerous, and now that I can use it again…"
Slowly, Omi stepped up to receive the item, but then turned away. "No. You did win that Shen-Gong-Wu yourself. I can't just take it from you."
"I'm giving it to you," Jack insisted, shoving the scepter out a little further. "Take it. Now!"
Omi looked back at Dojo for confirmation. "…Is that legal?"
Dojo quickly skimmed the ancient Xiaolin Showdown rulebook. "Yup," he affirmed. "If one owner decided to give his Shen-Gong-Wu to another person, then that person is allowed to take it, even if it was won in a Showdown."
Omi reached out and was about to take the Soul Scepter, but turned away yet again. "No, it just doesn't feel right. I was the one that lost…"
Finally, Jack ventured a glance up at his pint-sized nemesis. "You have to take it. Otherwise, in a day or two, I'll just give in and release her again. Please…" Now, this was really strange, being on his knees and pleading with the little, bald monk, but…it had to be done.
"Okay…" Omi at last consented, and slowly lifted the staff from Jack's black gloved palms. Surprisingly, though, he didn't move from his crouched position. The Xiaolin Warriors stared, from the silent tension and confusion in the air.
"You're the Dragon of Metal?" Kimiko slowly asked, blinking. "Well…thanks for saving me."
Jack didn't even look up in response. He was still trying to figure out what in the world he would do now. He didn't want to stay the same, but he didn't want anything to drastically change. It didn't matter- whatever he did, it wouldn't feel right. Now that Wuya was gone, it would be awkward and unnatural. What would happen if he went home? He didn't feel safe sitting around the lair in his current state. Who knows what he might do by himself with his screwed up thoughts about the future?
"Jack Spicer!" Omi cried, jumping forward with enthusiasm. "You must come back to the temple with us! We could really use a new Warrior around…with Raimundo missing and all…"
Jack just shook his head as always. "No…no… You just want me because I've got powers now… I don't know what to do now. There's nothing… I captured her so I could try to change things…but…"
"That's right!" Omi interrupted, still trying to persuade him to come. "You did capture Wuya with that staff…you're the only one who can use it! And, earlier, with that spike attack, you saved Kimiko's life! Jack Spicer, you're a hero!"
Jack didn't respond to this for a while. He began to tremble as he thought about all that had changed just now. "N-Nothing seems…normal anymore. It doesn't make…sense… I want everything to go back to the way it was…but I don't want it to happen…"
Kimiko and Clay exchanged confused, suspicious looks. Jack was on his knees in front of them, spouting nonsense and shaking from fear, anxiety, pressure, or a mixture of all three. Sure, they'd seen a few weird things happen to him while they were there, but now he looked like he was having a nervous breakdown. They looked back again with concern in their eyes.
"It's just…I have nothing now. I had to capture Wuya because one day she'd just try to destroy us all again, and maybe it's another step to preventing the future…"
Then, he finally remembered those statements he'd made in that future world while struggling for that world and what was left of its people- "I don't want any of this to happen. I don't want…to be…evil…" Was it true in this world too? It was the same world- the same place, just in a different era.
"…I have nothing now…" he slowly began to repeat, as his face tightened, and his eyes squeezed closed. "But, I guess it's okay, as long as…" Jack trailed off as a black, baggy pant leg stepped up, just a foot in front of his nose. It was Omi again- that annoying, persistent, goody-goody monk he despised. But the next few words out of his mouth were the ones to truly instill the reality of the idea within his mind.
The little sallow-skinned boy held out a small hand, and smiled, with his eyes closing into slits. "Well…" he easily stated. "…You've still got us."
It took Jack a while to let the statement settle into his panicked and paralyzed brain. At last, he started to get up again, staring at Omi the whole time. The young monk kept his hand extended, almost expectantly. Jack glanced down at his hand…and then into the distance at Kimiko, Clay, and Dojo.
They were staring at him as well, holding their breath. Kimiko was standing very still, a worried look on her face, as she clutched her hands together just in front of her mouth. She was obviously afraid…but was she afraid that he would turn them down…or afraid that he wouldn't?
Jack shook his head a little as he tried to think it over. No… one of his inner voices told him, they'll never accept you, after all you've done to them… While another side argued, this is your chance to start over. If you go with them, it'll be like a whole new life…and the future might change.
When he happened to look up again, he saw Kimiko talking to herself behind her worried, clutching hands and managed to read her lips- "Please…take his hand, Jack."
He looked down again and took a deep breath. It would be strange…it would be difficult for a long while, but now he knew he had to do this.
At last, he reached out, and curled his large, gloved hand around Omi's little pointy one. And the two shook.
The tension in the air and on everyone's faces gently relaxed, and they melted into little smiles. Jack felt very awkward as Omi dragged him by the sleeve over to the others, but their signs of joy automatically made him feel a little better about it.
"Yay!" Kimiko exclaimed. "He's one of us now!"
"We always knew you couldn't be all evil," Omi added, at last releasing his sleeve. "Remember when I tried to get you to join before? You weren't even the Dragon of Metal then, but you helped us try to defeat Wuya…" The energetic boy began to talk in a very fast voice, recalling the whole incident.
Meanwhile, Jack looked over at Clay, next to him. The cowboy had been stonily indifferent to the whole idea the entire time, but at that moment, he suddenly reached over and pulled Jack into a bear hug. "Mmmmff!" he cried as his face squished against Clay's broad chest and he struggled to get away from him.
When Clay noticed, he released him again, blushing a little bit, and said, "Sorry. Just glad to have ya on the team, par'dner."
Jack gasped for breath, feeling extremely awkward again, and looked over at Omi, who was still rambling away.
"…andthenWuyanoticedsoweranforourlivesandsheshotthesegreenballsatus…"
Kimiko rolled her eyes, and glanced back at Jack. "Hey, we should have a celebration in honor of our new Xiaolin Warrior!"
This finally caught Omi's attention, and dragged him away from his story. "Oh! Yes! I know! We can all go out for frozen cream! Jack Spicer, you promised, remember?"
Finally, Jack spoke for the first time since his nervous breakdown. He turned away from the others for a moment and crossed his arms. "I never promised you anything," he told them in a low voice. "I just said maybe we could go get ice cream."
They all fell terribly silent again, and the tension returned. The three original Xiaolin Warriors looked at each other. Did that mean he was changing his mind and didn't want to be a part of their group anymore?
Jack grinned to himself. Though he couldn't see what was going on behind him, he could almost feel their concern and puzzlement. It was fun playing with them like this. At last, he thought they had suffered long enough, and turned around, with the same grin plastered over his face. "So…what are we waiting for?"
They all smiled in relief. They began to board Dojo again, Omi in the front, and Kimiko behind him. When Jack clambered onto the round dragon skin in back of her, she pulled out a fan and whacked him over the head with it. "Don't you ever scare us like that again!" she scolded.
Jack wobbled on the dragon, and rubbed his forehead. Oh, yes, this was going to be very interesting.
Just as they were about to lift off, Clay got a good look at who was sitting in front of him, and yelled up to the two in front. "Uhhh…I don't think this is such a good idea!"
"Oh, don't worry," Jack replied, turning around to reassure him. "I'm used to it now. You could say I 'got my dragon legs', or something…"
The long dragon snaked up into the sky. And as Jack felt the familiar feeling of the wind rushing through his hair and past his cheeks, he looked out to the horizon before them. It reminded him of his race back to the Hill Palace in that future world. But, this time was much different. This time he wasn't just zooming towards a new destination; he was going towards a new –and possibly better- life.
