Hi everyone. Thanks again for your patience, this is my own original chapter that I've been wanting to write for some time. Here we are finally introduced to the Dark Hand as they enter the fray and they are bringing along some magical mayhem as well. So, without further delay, let us begin.
Need a Dark Hand?
Section 13, a specialized law enforcement agency utilized to take down powerful criminals such as crime lords, and other deadly individuals; however, underneath its professional appearance, this organization also deals with magic on the sly as its underground base in San Francisco is used to hold powerful magical artifacts. With it being the dead of night, no one would expect any real movement within the facility.
That is until an air-duct opened from the ceiling and four ropes came down; sliding down each rope as a man, all of whom wore black suits. Two were rather skinny, one had a pair of yellow sunglasses and the other had red hair; another one was rather large with pale skin, while the last one was the largest, very imposing, with long red hair and a thin mustache and beard.
"Ow!" Ratso accidentally yelled after landing hard on his rear.
"Sshh!" Finn and Chow hushed him so they wouldn't be spotted.
Led by Hak Foo, the four of them slid along a wall where a single guard was on patrol with a flashlight around the corner. Hak Foo motioned them to be quiet as he quickly and quietly jumped from his spot and landed behind the guard.
"Silent Leopard Kill!" Hak Foo said in a whisper as he put the guard in a sleeper hold to knock him out before taking his ID card as the guard fell to the floor.
In just a short time span, the four crooks came to a large vault door where Hak Foo put in the stolen ID card into the lock-panel on the side to unlock it. The vault door opened to reveal in the center of the room was a single glass container with twelve small stone items inside; each one bore the mark of a specific animal of the Chinese Zodiac: the Dog, the Rat, the Tiger, the Pig, the Snake, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Sheep, the Horse, the Ox, the Rabbit, and finally the Dragon.
"Score." Finn smirked.
"Sweet!" Chow rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"The Talismans!" Ratso said excitedly.
"And with them, unlimited power is finally within our grasp!" Hak Foo exclaimed as he delivered a hand-chop to the container, shattering the glass. But the second he did, alarms began to sound off all throughout the facility.
Within just a few short seconds, pretty much every agent in Section 13 had all gathered at the entrance to the vault and pointed their guns and the four intruders with Captain Black at the lead.
"Hands in the air, punks! Game's over!" Captain Black ordered.
Out of instinct; Finn, Ratso, and Chow threw their hands up in the air, but Hak Foo did not.
"Oh no, the game has only just begun." Hak Foo smiled evilly as he already put most of the Talismans in a sack, but held the Rabbit Talisman in his hand. The insignia began to glow as Hak Foo used its power of speed to quickly grab his cohorts and make a quick escape.
"Black Tiger Escapes Eagle's Nest!" Hak Foo shouted as he used the Rabbit Talisman's super speed to barrel his way past the agents before they could even blink; knocking them all down as Hak Foo ran through the facility; Finn, Ratso, and Chow screaming and holding onto Hak Foo for dear life. While running, Hak Foo also took out the Ox Talisman and used the strength it provided to literally smash through the wall at the other end of the facility and escape out into the street.
All the agents groaned as they tried to pull themselves up, while Captain Black looked in annoyance in the direction the Dark Hand criminals escaped before groaning as he slapped his hand down his face.
Valmont stood in a warehouse, looking out the window as a storm continued through the night, rain splashing down on the window he looked out with lightning flashing throughout the sky. He stood patiently, his cane in his hands as he held himself in a very professional manner. He heard the door open behind him.
"I trust you have succeeded in your mission?" He asked turning around to see Hak Foo standing tall, while Finn, Ratso, and Chow looked incredibly tired.
"We have." Hak Foo bowed his head.
"It was rough Big V…" Finn said in between breaths along with his two pals.
"..almost got caught…." Ratso added.
"But we got em." Chow finished.
Hak Foo walked toward Valmont and opened the bag to show the talismans, causing the crime lord to smile evilly.
"Excellent, now that we have the Talismans, and now that I am free from that pestilent lizard Shendu…" Valmont reached into the bag to pull out the Dragon Talisman. "The Dark Hand shall rise again!" HE held it high as the dragon insignia on the talisman began to glow.
Two Days Later – Heatherfield
"Valmont?!" Jackie exclaimed as he spoke over the phone with Captain Black.
"I'm afraid so, Jackie." Captain Black began. "Two days ago, his goons broke into Section 13 and were able to make off with the Talismans. Since then, they've been hitting every major bank and museum across the country; making their way closer towards the East Coast, specifically New York."
"I understand banks, but why museums?" Jackie asked.
"Best guess, they're looking to sell the artifacts they've stolen on the black market and use the finances to rebuild their crime syndicate." Captain Black answered. "And if I had to guess why their heading to the East Coast, they're probably thinking you still live in San Francisco. Meaning, they won't expect you to be there."
"But… I live in Heatherfield now, not New York." Jackie said.
"I know, but satellite tracking shows that the Dark Hand are gonna end up going through Heatherfield to get to their next destination." Captain Black informed. "I'm already on my way there in Section 13's fastest aircraft. We should be there later this afternoon. Look, I know you're eager to get on with your life my friend, but I need your help. Jackie, please."
Jackie sighed as he knew his friend was right. He knew the Talismans and Valmont better than anyone; he's dealt with them multiple times before, so if he could stop them now, hopefully Valmont and the other members of the Dark Hand could finally be arrested.
"Alright, I'll meet you later." Jackie said.
"Thank you Jackie; see you soon." Captain Black hung up.
Jackie opened the door out of his room but was surprised to see his niece already there.
"Hey Jackie."
"Wha…!? Jade!? You're supposed to be getting ready for school!"
"I'm all packed up and everything." Jade showed her backpack to show she was already packed. "So, Valmont's back and he's packing the Talismans again, huh?"
Jackie knew he couldn't work his way around this, Jade was both smart and cunning, too much for her own good. "Yes, it would seem so."
"Well, we gotta surprise for him." Jade smirked. "As Uncle always said 'magic must defeat magic'. And we've got five super powered magic weapons ready to knock those losers down a peg! Let's see what happens when the Dark Hand meets J-WITCH!"
Jackie looked in surprise at that proclamation. "You want to have Will and the others fight Valmont?!"
"Duh." Jade said. "I mean, come on! They've already taken on a dark prince, an evil wizard, and a giant snake-man in another dimension! Phobos may be no Shendu, but Valmont's got nothing on Phobos, Talismans or not. Plus, he's got those three stooges with him, what are they gonna do?"
"Hak Foo is with them as well." Jackie said, causing Jade to look a bit nervous.
"Oooh… yeah, he could be trouble." Jade groaned before getting back on track. "But you've taken that guy down before. You take Hak Foo, the girls take down Moe, Larry, and Curly; and we all kick Valmont's butt together. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy."
"Jade, look I have no doubt the girls could hold their own against the Dark Hand, but it's not the same as fighting Phobos." Jackie began to explain.
"Why not?" Jade questioned.
"Think about, Valmont has plenty of resources at his disposal." Jackie continued. "If he should learn of the girls' identities, it could put their families in danger."
"But…"
"Jade, I can handle Valmont and the Dark Hand with Section 13; but you have to promise me you won't involve Will or any of the others. Promise me that." Jackie told her.
The girl gave a deep sigh, knowing how stubborn Jackie could be. "Okay, I promise I won't get them involved."
Jackie smiled. "Good, now let's get you downstairs. We need to get you to school."
As Jackie led his niece downstairs, she began to pout a bit. She wasn't dense, she knew that Valmont was indeed dangerous, but the Guardians are just as dangerous themselves. Suddenly an idea came to her, that caused her to smirk. Jackie had her promise that she wouldn't get the girls directly involved, but that wasn't to say, she couldn't at least warn them.
Sheffield Institute – Lunch Time
"The Dark Hand?" Will questioned as she, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia, and Hay Lin all sat with Jade at a table in the school's cafeteria.
"Yep, they used to be a major crime syndicate back in San Francisco, now they're just some thugs hopping to scrape by." Jade explained.
"What kind of a name is 'the Dark Hand' anyway?" Cornelia questioned. "Like something out of a comic book. They're trying to advertise that they're evil?"
"I kinda like it." Hay Lin said. "Sounds like the name of a group of super villains."
"Jade didn't you say they were involved with demons or something?" Taranee asked.
"Well, sort of." Jade gave the sum of it. "Shendu basically tricked them into getting his Talismans, then he turned into a ghost and possessed their boss, Valmont, and tried to get him to open these portals to let his demon family out, but we beat them every time."
"Sounds like fun." Irma said. "So, they got superpowers to or what?"
"They got the Talismans again." Jade explained as she reached into her backpack and pulled out a scroll. "Each one has its own special power." She showed them the picture of the twelve Talismans, all in a circle.
"Hey, isn't that scroll from your Uncle's shop?" Taranee asked.
"I only borrowed it, and I'm gonna put it back later." Jade said before getting back on point. "Okay, so there are twelve Talismans in total, each one for one animal of the Chinese Zodiac." She began to point out each individual Talisman. "The Dragon Talisman is combustion; you basically shoot fire from it."
"That seems pretty straight forward." Will said. "Dragons do breathe fire."
"Right." Jade continued. "The Ox Talismans gives you super strength, the Rabbit Talisman is super speed, the Rooster is levitation; oh, and if you put Rabbit and Rooster together, you can fly."
"That's so cool!" Hay Lin beamed.
"We fly already, I don't really see why we'd need those for that when we can just transform." Cornelia said.
"Anyway…" Jade continued. "The Snake Talisman makes you invisible, the Monkey Talisman is shapeshifting, the Sheep Talisman is astral projection, the Pig gives you heat-beam eyes…"
"Whoa, whoa, back up!" Irma interrupted. "Heat-beam eyes? Like heat vision?!"
"Yeah, I gotta agree with Irma." Will said. "I get Ox is strength and rabbit is Speed, but since when do pigs shoot laser eyes?!"
"I don't know, I didn't make this thing up." Jade stated. "So, as I was saying, the Rat Talisman is motion to the motionless, you basically bring statues and stuff to life."
"Oh, so for my next history test, I could just use that at Mount Rushmore and talk to the presidents." Irma said.
"Oooh, what if you used that bring the dead back to life!" Hay Lin wondered. "That would be so killer for Halloween!"
"Well, I don't know about that one." Jade said. "I've never seen it happen, and I'm not in the mood to raise any zombies."
"So, what about the other Talismans?" Taranee asked.
"Right; well the Dog Talisman is immortality, and the Horse is healing." Jade continued.
"Isn't that kind of redundant though?" Cornelia asked.
"No; immortality means you just can't die; it still hurts though." Jade explained. "Healing can fix up any injuries you got from paper cuts, to broken bones, you can even cure diseases."
"Wow, magic cure for cancer. Cool." Irma said.
"And finally, the Tiger Talisman, which represents balance." Jade said.
"What do you mean balance?" Will asked. "As in, you can never fall."
"Eh, spiritual balance." Jade corrected. "Like Yin-and-Yang. It's a pretty useless power on its own, but this one time when it broke, Jackie got split into two different Jackies; one good, one bad."
That got all five of the girls' attention. "An evil Jackie Chan?" Irma questioned. "Yeah I don't see it."
"Kinda hard to imagine, considering Jackie's such a good guy." Taranee agreed.
"Oh, Jackie-Dark wasn't evil, just a real jerk." Jade pouted. "But yeah, that's it: The Twelve Talismans of the Chinese Zodiac."
"And this bad guy named Valmont has all of them?" Will asked.
"Yep." Jade nodded as she put the scroll back in her backpack.
"So why tell us all this?" Cornelia asked.
"Oh, I know! Jackie wants us to fight these guys!" Hay Lin beamed excitedly.
"Actually no." Jade said, causing the five to look at her in confusion, even saying 'huh?' in response. "Apparently, Uncle Jackie says Valmont's resources make him dangerous, so he had me promised that I not get you involved."
"But you literally just told us…" Taranee.
"I was warning you guys." Jade began to explain. "Apparently the Dark Hand is gonna come through Heatherfield soon, so if you guys see fire in the skies or flying cars, you know what's causing it. But like I said, I'm only warning you caused Jackie had me promise not to involve you. You guys didn't make any promises like that, and what you decide to do with what I just told you guys, is up to you." She finished with a smirk.
The five girls looked towards each other as Cornelia and Irma both smirked.
"Wow Jade, you're quite the evil mastermind." Cornelia said with amusement.
"Yep, you're a real sly fox." Irma smirked as well.
"I try." Jade put her hands behind her head with pride.
Will however didn't seem as enthusiastic. "But if Jackie says…"
"Hey, you guys took own a dark lord in an evil dimension and won." Jade said. "Honestly, the only thing Valmont's got going for him is a guy called Hak Foo, who is pretty good with Kung Fu, but other than him; the other guys are total morons. If Jackie, Uncle, and Tohru can beat em up, I'm sure you guys can to."
"Well, speaking from a technical standpoint…" Taranee began. "It would help us to use our powers in real fights. Experience does help."
"Well I'm all for it!" Hay Lin beamed. "I mean, we've got superpowers and we're fighting real life bad guys…. We're basically superheroes right now!"
"From what Jade says, these guys won't even be a real challenge." Irma also said.
"Plus, we know what kind of powers these Talisman-things got, so we should be alright." Cornelia voiced.
Will looked around and saw all five of her friends bearing confident expressions. Soon, the leader of the Guardians followed with a confident smile of her own as she clenched her fist. "Let's do it."
Sometime later, Jackie had already met up with Captain Black as they rode in a Humvee with several other Section 13 transports behind them.
"Augustus, I'm surprised they let you come all the way across the country." Jackie said. "Isn't Heatherfield outside Section 13's jurisdiction?"
"I told them about Valmont's escape and that he was packing dangerous weapons, and yes I was able to avoid using the m-word, so they gave me the green light." Captain Black responded.
"But are you sure the Dark Hand is really here? Valmont could have chosen a different route instead of traveling through Heatherfield." Jackie asked. However, before Captain Black could respond, they both saw a large explosion several blocks away, almost in direct response to Jackie's question.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're here." Captain Black said before he drove off in that direction, followed by the rest of Section 13.
Multiple people ran away from the bank, all screaming and shouting as Chow shot blasts of fire up into the sky with the Dragon Talisman to try and keep everyone back. Once everyone was cleared, he turned around and used the strength of the Ox Talisman to punch a hole into the building, revealing a large vault door, which he broke down with another blast from the Dragon Talisman to reveal a large room with huge bags and sacks of money.
"Pay day fellas!" Chow said with a grin as Finn, and Ratso, walked forward. Using the Rooster Talisman, Finn telekinetically picked up multiple bags and began to load them into a large truck that Hak Foo was driving as Ratso used the speed from the Rabbit Talisman to zoom in and grab the other bags. It took now less than two minutes for the entire vault to be cleared.
"Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" Finn shouted as he high-fived his buddies. "We're never losing these things again." He opened his coat to reveal the four Talismans he had: Pig, Rooster, Dog, and Tiger. Ratso and Chow did the same thing with their jackets or coats to show their Talismans; Ratso had the Snake, Rabbit, Horse, and Sheep; while Chow had the Dragon, Ox, Monkey, and Rat.
"Yeah, and we bagged it all without any trouble from…" Ratso didn't finish as they all looked in surprise to see multiple SWAT vehicles, all owned by Section 13 drive up. The lead Humvee stopped as the passenger door opened to reveal Jackie Chan. "…That guy." Ratso moaned as Finn, and Chow looked in disbelief.
Captain Black stepped out next as he pulled out a mega-phone. "Freeze punks!" He shouted to the Dark Hand goons as Finn and Ratso responded with eyebeams and fire blasts respectively at the Section 13 agents, forcing them all to run and take cover as most of their vehicles were completely totaled.
Jackie and Captain Black tried to get away but were caught off guard by Ratso who zoomed in with super speed from the Rabbit Talisman and turned invisible with the Snake Talisman. Jackie and Black tried to form back-to-back to prepare themselves; but Captain Black was the first to be knocked down by an invisible punch. Acting quickly, Jackie ducked and swept his feet and was able to knock the invisible Ratso down, causing him to turn visible as he hit the ground.
However, Jackie didn't have time to recuperate as he had to take cover once again from Finn's eyebeams while also using the Rooster Talisman to hover in the air and blast Jackie.
"Hey, hey, we gotta go!" Chow exclaimed as he was quick to help up Ratso, who used the speed from the Rooster talisman to carry both him and Chow back to the truck, which Finn flew towards. Hak Foo immediately pressed on the gas pedal to drive the truck away from the bank.
Jackie helped up the groaning Captain Black as he could only sigh. "Bad day."
Meanwhile; Will, Taranee, Cornelia, Irma, and Hay Lin had all gathered together in an alleyway near a construction site, at least six blocks west of the bank were the explosion just went off.
"Is anyone else totally excited about this!?" Hay Lin beamed. "I know I said it before, but we're real superheroes right now!"
"Hay Lin, try to focus." Taranee told her. "These are dangerous criminals with powerful magic items. It's not a game."
"Pretty sure though these guys aren't any worse than Phobos." Cornelia said.
"Yeah, you can take them in their sleep." Jade said as she suddenly appeared next to the blonde.
"Glad you agree with me Jade." Cornelia smiled before her eyes widened as she looked towards the girl in surprise. "Jade?! How did you get here?!"
Jade gave her titular scoff. "Like I was gonna miss this."
Irma smirked. "Houdini's got nothing on you Jade."
"I try." Jade smirked as well.
"Guys get your heads in the game. I think I see them." Will got everyone's attention as she looked out the alleyway and onto the street to see the truck speeding in their direction.
"Yeah, that's probably them." Jade remarked, considering the truck was driving like a bat out of hell. "Now let's get this party started."
Will took out the crystal pendant known as the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!"
"What the heck is Chan doing here?!" Finn exclaimed as Hak Foo continued to drive. "Thought he was still in San Fran!"
"Maybe on vacation or something?" Ratso guessed with a shrug.
"Doubt it. Black must have called him." Chow guessed.
"You are all cowards for running away like this!" Hak Foo scolded. "You wield the powers of the Talismans, yet you don't even stand your ground?!"
"Hey, you wanna take on Chan the Terminator, be my guest!" Finn protested.
As they continued to argue, they failed to notice a fire-hydrant on a sidewalk beginning to shake before it suddenly burst; a powerful stream of water sending the outlet cap blasting out like a bullet, slamming into the right front wheel of the truck, causing the entire vehicle to spiral out of control. All four men screamed as the truck veered off the road and straight into a construction site, which thankfully didn't have any workers around, and crashed hard on its side right into a stack of girders.
The door at the top opened as all four members of the Dark Hand climbed out with groans before falling on the ground.
"Excuse me boys, I think you forgot to pay for all that." They looked up in surprise to see the five Guardians of the Veil floating above them. "But don't worry, we accept cash, check, or teeth." Irma finished with a smirk.
The four looked gob-smacked to say the least. "Uh… think I may have hit my head too hard but… are we seeing… fairies?" Ratso questioned.
"We've seen magic ninjas, dragons, and demons, so how come we're still not used to this?" Chow complained.
"It does not matter." Hak Foo stood up. "I shall pluck their wings like the insects they are!" He jumped high into the air. "Angry Crow Takes Flight!" He leapt and tried to deliver a kick, forcing the five flying girls to fly around and avoid it; but they had to fly even more to avoid the fire and eye beams shot at them by Finn and Chow respectively.
As the battle between the Guardians and the Dark Hand began, Jade made her way toward the construction site and watched with an eager grin. "Oh, this is gonna be good."
Using the Rooster Talisman, Finn chased after Hay Lin while trying to blast her with the laser beams from the Pig Talisman. They flew into the unfinished building; up and around the maze of girders. He continued to fly after her and blast in her direction; but Hay Lin was much too fast and nimble, avoiding every blast as she flew above, below, and around every girder she came across. After getting some distance away, Hay Lin twirled her body to form a windy tornado, pulling in Finn. When he was close enough, Hay Lin got rid of her twister as she delivered an airborne kick to Finn to knock him down onto an unfinished floor closer towards the ground.
Irma landed on the ground as she squared off with Ratso. "Uh… my momma told me never to hit girls."
"Well, that makes things easier." Irma said as she threw her hands forward to blast a torrent of water at Ratso, but he was able to quickly avoid it with the speed of the Rabbit Talisman and zoomed behind Irma. Before she could even react, he already held her in a tight bear hug.
"But a bear hug ain't exactly fighting." Ratso told her as Irma struggled in his grip.
"Just watch where you're grabbing!" Irma exclaimed before she flew into the air, with Ratso still hanging on. She then fell back to the ground, making sure Ratso took the impact; causing him to let go of Irma as she stood up. However, Ratso quickly flashed the Snake Talisman and vanished from sight, much to Irma's surprise.
"Oh, right. Invisibility." She groaned a bit in annoyance.
Chow used the Dragon Talisman to shoot blasts of fire at Taranee who flew to avoid each shot. "Nice trick." Taranee said. "But you're not the only one who plays with fire." She created a fireball in her hand before she threw it at Chow, forcing him to roll and avoid it. He retaliated with another fire blast at Taranee who threw more fire-balls at him. The bespectacled Guardian created one large fire ball and threw it at Chow who shot at it with another blast from the Dragon Talisman; both hit each other, resulting in an explosion with enough force to knock them both back.
Chow tried to pull himself up, but quickly noticed a small pile of girders near Taranee as she rubbed her head. He smirked with an idea as he pulled out both the Monkey and Rat Talismans; shooting the magic from them both at the girders; simultaneously transforming them into giant metal snakes and bringing them to life. Taranee gave a loud gasp as the metal snakes suddenly coiled themselves around her and lifted her into the air.
"Shapeshifting and motion to the motionless." Taranee grunted. "Yeah… that's a pretty good combo."
Will landed on a girder in the construction site that was fifteen feet off the ground and came face-to-face with Hak Foo as he jumped up on the same girder.
"Okay pal, just give up those Talisman-thingies, and no one gets hurt." Will tried to make a solid combat stance.
"You seek the Talismans, do you?" Hak Foo took his own Kung Fu stance as he motioned his hand for her to bring it. "One-on-one."
Cornelia flew in right beside Will. "How about two-on-one?" She challenged with a smirk of confidence before flying straight towards Hak Foo.
The red-haired man gave a warrior's yell as he leapt into the air. "Black Tiger Crushes Blonde Fairy!" He delivered an airborne kick to Cornelia to knock her down hard onto the ground; fortunately, she landed on a pile of sand, so the impact wasn't too hard.
"Cornelia!" Will was about to fly down and help her, but she just barely avoided a punch from Hak Foo who was on the attack. "Mad Monkey Kung Fu!" He threw a series of punches at her, which she tried to block and avoid using what little defensive techniques Jackie taught her and her own enhanced strength. "Snake Cuts Grass!" Hak Foo gave a sweeping kick to knock her off her feet and would have sent her falling off the girder, but she flapped her wings hard to halt her fall as she flew up at high-speeds and was able to deliver a flying-uppercut right into Hak Foo's jaw that sent him flying and falling off the girder, but he landed on his feet and was more than ready to attack again.
However, before Hak Foo could even make a move, he was suddenly forced back by a large mound of dirt that shot up from the ground, curtsey of an angry Cornelia. "Oh, you are gonna regret hitting me!"
Will flew down by her friend's side. "You doing okay?"
"I'll be much better after we take down this looser!" She used her earth-powers to solidify several mounds of sand which she sent directly at Hak Foo who actually ran towards them.
"Sword Slices Through Sand!" He gave several fierce chops that actually sliced through the mounds as he quickly ran towards the two Guardians. "Scorpion Stings Butterflies!" He tried to deliver two strikes toward Will and Cornelia, but they flew into the air to avoid them.
"Okay, he's gotta be making this stuff up." Will stated.
"Yeah, he sounds like one of those corny dubbed Kung Fu movies." Cornelia agreed before they both flew back down towards the fight.
Meanwhile; Captain Black was able to make it to the scene via a motorcycle, with Jackie riding on the back. However, right as they stopped, they looked in surprise to see the clash of elemental magic against the various Talisman powers. Jackie looked in shock while Captain Black's expression was more of gob smacked. Jackie's expression of shock however quickly turned into one of annoyance as he sighed.
"Jade."
Irma kept looking around for the invisible Ratso, only to be tripped and pushed to the ground by him. "Hey, I thought you said you don't hit girls!"
"I'm not!" The invisible Ratso protested. "I'm just tripping and pushing, that's not hitting."
Irma groaned as she tried to pick herself up but looked in minor surprise to see some footsteps in a small puddle. She smirked as an idea came into her mind. She flew up into the air and created a large ball of water in her hands before exploding it outward around the area like rain. She spotted water covering an invisible mass that was trying to brush it off.
"Awe, and I just got this cleaned." Ratso complained as he was spotted, leaving him open for Irma to fly in and deliver a kick to his chest to send him flying straight into a pile of roads and pipes. He had turned visible again, but his injuries were quickly healed by the Horse Talisman. However, Ratso felt something vibrate in his pocket. He took out his phone and answered it.
"What in the world is taking you so long?!" Valmont exclaimed from the other line.
"Uh… would you believe me if I told you we were fighting magical fairies?" Ratso asked nervously; only to hear a yell on the other line and a crash. It was probably Valmont throwing the phone to the floor and stomping on it in frustration.
Hay Lin meanwhile kept flying to avoid more laser eye blasts from Finn, who also telekinetically lifted several bricks and pipes via the Rooster Talisman and threw them at the airborne Hay Lin. "Catch!"
However, Hay Lin wasn't the least bit scared. She actually smiled as she created a large, spinning, air sphere that not only caught all the stuff thrown at her, but she even turned her body to spin like a top before throwing the stuff back at Finn. "Back at ya!"
Finn comically screamed as he hovered and flew, barley avoiding each item. He then looked angrily at Hay Lin before blasting at her again with his eyebeams from the Pig Talisman. Once again, Finn chased Hay Lin as he tried to blast at her. She flew up and then up even higher to avoid another blast, however, that one blast in particular hit an unmanned crane, causing it to loose its balance.
Hay Lin flew behind Finn, who turned around and happened to back underneath the crane that was already about to fall. Hay Lin noticed it and looked in worry.
"Look out! Behind you!" She tried to warn as the crane already began to fall.
"Yeah right, like I'm gonna fall for…" Finn suddenly turned around and looked in shock just as the crane hit him. He was able to fly and get some distance but was still nailed in the back by the extended part of the crane and fell till he hit the ground hard just in front of where the crane crashed.
Hay Lin flew down and looked at him with concern. "Hey, are you okay?"
Finn groaned with a dazed look in his eyes. "Immortality hurts."
Taranee appeared to be struggled in the grip of the metal snakes and looked to see Chow holding a girder like a baseball bat, no doubt using the strength of the Ox Talisman. "Sorry about this kid. But you should have stayed out of our way." Chow looked as though he was ready to clobber her, but Taranee actually smiled mischievously.
"Hey, quick science question. You know the melting point of steel?"
"What are you talking about?" Chow asked in confusion, only to look in shock to see the metal snakes around her melting away. Taranee had been using her fire element to increase her own body temperature to the point that it got too hot for the snakes, formerly girders, to stay solid as they melted in a pile of molten metal; Taranee smirked as she held two flames in her hands while Chow looked with a nervous smile.
"Shredding Lion Claws!" Hak Foo attempted to strike Will, but she was able to avoid all the attacks. He was suddenly thrown in the air by a burst of dirt from Cornelia, but he was able to straighten himself out as he fell towards the blonde with his foot. "Falling Anvil!" However, Will was able to fly and catch his foot using her strength.
"My turn." She spun her body in the air rapidly, at a point that not even Hak Foo could counter before she finally let go. "Red Fairy Tosses Bad Guy!" She had let him loose; and he had crashed hard onto the ground, leaving a trail as he skidded to a halt.
"That sounded really lame, didn't it?" Will asked with a sigh.
"Yeah, but that toss was cool." Cornelia complemented as they both looked to see Hak Foo standing up.
"Try as you may, but the Black Tiger cannot fall! I shall…!" He suddenly gave a howl in pain as a steel pipe came up between his legs and smacked him hard where the sun doesn't shine. He squeaked as he grabbed his lower regions before falling face-flat on the ground.
"Guess the Black Tiger's not gonna have any cubs now, huh?" Jade smirked as she held a steel pipe in her hands.
"Jade, when did you get here?" Cornelia asked.
"Like I was gonna just sit on the sidelines." Jade kept her smirk up with her titular scoff.
Will shook her head with a smile. "Oh, what am I gonna do with you?"
Not even a full minute later; all four Dark Hand goons laid in a beaten pile as they glanced upward to see the five Guardians, and Jade, all smirking at them.
"So, you losers wanna go for round 2?" Irma challenged as she, Cornelia, Hay Lin, and Taranee showed off bits of their own elemental powers while Will just cracked her knuckles and Jade had her arms crossed.
A sense of dread falling upon all four of them, they decided to make a strategic retreat. "RUN!" Finn shouted as Ratso took the Ox and Rabbit Talismans, picked up his buddies and zoomed off.
Once they were gone, all six girls cheered and shared high-fives with each other. "Now that was fun!" Irma exclaimed.
"Yep, we are so totally superheroes right now!" Hay Lin exclaimed. "Oh, now we're gonna need code names!"
"Isn't J-WITCH already a code name?" Taranee asked, still smiling herself.
"But that's a team name. We need individual names." Hay Lin corrected.
"Yeah well, I think I'm too good for any code names." Cornelia said with an air of confidence, whipping her long blonde hair in the back.
"Pretty sure any code name you can come up with would suck." Jade jabbed, causing the others to laugh, and Cornelia to pout. However, Will's smile soon faded as she heard an 'ahem'. Glancing to the side, she looked to see a certain man with crossed arms and an irritated look on her face. "Uh oh."
The others turned to see Jackie who looked a little less-than-pleased, along with Captain Black, who still seemed in shock.
"Uh… hi Uncle Jackie…" Jade waved nervously.
"Nice day we're having… huh…" Hay Lin laughed nervously as well while the others looked a bit nervous themselves.
Captain Black looked towards his friend. "Jackie… please explain." Jackie himself sighed as he rubbed his hand down his face.
"Okay, let me see if I understand you correctly." Valmont began. "You're telling me, that my four enforcers; three of which having the power of the Talismans, while the other is a feared martial artist, were overpowered by fairies?!" The crime lord exclaimed as he faced his quartet of henchman. After suffering quite a defeat from the Guardians, the Dark Hand goons ended up making their way back to their hideout where Valmont was waiting; which just so happened to be a warehouse along the docks.
"Hey, those chicks had some serious magic power behind them!" Finn exclaimed.
"Yeah, they were like Shendu and those other demon guys we let out." Ratso added. "All that fancy element magic."
"Plus, Chan was there to!" Chow stated.
That got Valmont's attention. "Chan?! Here?!"
"Indeed." Hak Foo confirmed. "His niece as well; and it would seem likely that Chan has allied himself with these 'fairies'. However, their demeanor seemed very human, almost child-like."
Rather than being upset at the mention of his worst enemy being present in the same city that he and his henchman traveled cross country specifically to get away from him, Valmont took the moment to think as he put a hand to his chin. "So, these fairies are children with their own magical powers?"
"They kind acted more like teenagers Big V." Finn said.
"Hmmm. Do you still have the Talismans?" Valmont asked.
"Right here boss." Ratso and his pals presented the twelve Talismans they still carried.
Maybe these so-called fairies could actually be useful. "Hak Foo, please take me to the site of this battle. I wish to see these beings for myself."
It was evening in Heatherfield as the Guardians, now in their human form, along with Jade were sitting down in a surveillance van with Jackie and Captain Black. Given how the head of Section 13 has seen the Guardians and their powers with his own eyes, Jackie had to explain who and what they were; including the Heart of Kandrakar, and their battle against Phobos in Meridian.
"Okay, so let me see if I understand this Jackie." Captain Black summed up. "You moved here to help these five girls train with magic powers to fight some evil prince from another dimension?"
"Essentially, yes." Jackie confirmed.
Captain Black smiled slightly as he shook his head. "You seem to always have a knack for attracting some unusual trouble my friend, the magical kind."
Jackie chuckled. "You have no idea."
"So… you actually believe all this?" Will questioned in surprise. One would think someone would be skeptical when it comes to magic.
"Kid, I've seen more than enough to make me a believer. Between dragons and demons, something like fairies doesn't really surprise me anymore." Captain Black responded.
"Yes, well I am still disappointed in all of you." Jackie addressed the girls. "Especially you Jade, you promised me that you wouldn't get them involved."
"Well I…"
"Hold on this wasn't Jade's fault." Hay Lin interrupted.
"Yeah, all she did was warn us about the Dark Hand." Irma said as well. "Just to kinda give us a heads up about any explosions or cars going flying into the air."
"If anything, we're the ones to blame for involving ourselves." Tarenne added. "We just wanted to help."
"Besides; compared to some of the freakshows Phobos has got, those Dark Hand chumps were kinda mild." Cornelia said.
Jade was a bit surprised but had a grateful smile at how her friends came to her defense. None of the kids at her old school would even think about doing something like this.
"So, if you wanna blame anyone, blame us." Will said.
Jackie was a bit mildly stunned, but very proud at how mature each of the girls were acting right now. It was more than likely Jade did have a hand in this, but each of these other girls were willing to stand up and take the blame as well, as they were responsible themselves.
"Well, did you at least get the Talismans?" Jackie asked; causing all six girls to stiffen up as they looked towards each other. Cornelia, Jade, and Will each face-palmed while Irma, Hay-Lin, and even Taranee gave nervous laughs.
"Well… we were kinda having too much fun to really notice…" Irma laughed nervously.
"Yeah eh… rookie mistake?" Hay Lin said in the same sort of tone.
Jackie and Captain Black both sighed. "You're still new to all of this, so I suppose that is to be expected."
"But this could also mean that Valmont might be willing to stay in town for the time being." Captain Black assumed. "He's one to hold a grudge, and since he's seen Jackie here, and if he still has the Talismans, he's probably going to try and make sure you don't interfere again."
Jackie looked with a serious expression. He knew Valmont very well and that was definitely something he would do.
"However,…" Captain Black continued. "I would also urge the five of you to be careful as well." He addressed the girls. "Should Valmont learn of your identities, it could potentially put your families in danger. I don't know who this Phobos-guy is or what kind of powers he's got, but just because Valmont doesn't have any magic, doesn't mean he's not dangerous."
Jackie spared a glance towards Jade as he told her the exact same thing, causing Jade to look away with crossed arms.
"Eh… we'll be sure to keep an eye out and be more careful this time around, Captain Black." Tarenee said.
"In the meantime; I'll keep the search up for the Dark Hand." Captain Black. "As well as talking with my superioris about the possibility of transferring Section 13 here to Heatherfield."
That took all of them, even Jackie, by surprise. "Your transferring your entire group here?" Will questioned.
"Considering what I've heard about this Phobos-character, this could probably spell out as another 'magical-end-of-the-world' type deal." Captain Black explained. "So I'll do what I can to help."
"Uh… are you sure about this?" Irma asked.
"Like I said, I've seen enough to make me a believer." Captain Black continued. "Plus, as a law enforcement agent for the United States, it's my sworn duty to protect this country, and potentially the world from all threats, even magic-based ones."
None of the Guardians knew what to say. "Wow. Uh… thanks. I… I really don't know what to say." Will said.
This seemed to get Hay Lin even more excited from before. "So, now we're not just superheroes, we're also secret agents?!"
"That is so cool!" Irma exclaimed as she pumped her arm.
"Oh, you know it!" Jade agreed as she and Irma shared a high-five.
"I just hope I don't get one of those Mission Impossible jumpsuits." Cornelia said. "Black's not my color."
"Hold the phone." Captain Black said. "I can't exactly employee all of you officially, considering you're all underage. But you'll still have my help."
"Is this really a good idea?" Taranee asked.
"It's alright." Jackie assured. "I've known Augustus for years; he's very dependable and has more than helped to fight magical threats before. You can count on him for help."
"Got that right." Jade added. "He's got all this super awesome James Bond stuff that I know is gonna kick major butt!"
"I can hardly wait." Irma smirked.
"Now then, I think it's best to get all of you home. It's getting late." Jackie told the girls. "I wouldn't want to worry your families."
"I'll give you all a lift, least I can do." Captain Black said.
"Thanks again for your help, Captain Black. Any friend of Jackie's is a friend of ours." Will said as the other girls, even Jade, smiled in agreement.
Captain Black gave a friendly smile. "They've taken quite a liking to you, Jackie." His friend smiling as well.
The sun had set as everyone had gone back home safely. However, not all was well. Right outside the building where Will's apartment was; both Valmont and Hak Foo snuck through the alleyway; having fallen the Section 13 transports when they dropped off the girls' home.
"So, one of these 'fairy-girls' lives here, it would seem." Valmont said.
"Yes master, the red-haired one specifically." Hak Foo confirmed.
"And they each possess some form of elemental based magic?" Valmont asked.
"Not all of them." Hak Foo answered. "The red-haired one didn't seem to possess any magic abilities, save for flight and supernatural strength. However, I did notice that she bore a crystal pendant of sorts that the others did not."
"A crystal pendant?" Valmont mused. If there was one thing he learned during his time both working with, and being possessed, by Shendu; it was that artifacts like talismans or pendants possessed some kind of unique power.
"Master, since we know where they all live, allow me to vanquish them." Hak Foo requested as he cracked his knuckles. "Their power could present a significant problem for us."
Valmont raised his hand. "No, I have a better idea. The Talismans please?"
Hak Foo did as he requested as he pulled out a sack containing all twelve Talismans. The crime lord reached in and grabbed only four: the Dragon, the Snake, the Monkey, and the Rooster. Using the Snake Talisman, Valmont turned his whole body invisible before using the Rooster Talisman to fly towards the building.
Quietly; Valmont searched each window until he found the one that revealed the bedroom of Will Vandom; the lights were out and the young girl was asleep, her whole body wrapped in her blanket, save for her red hair. Still being as quiet as possible, Valmont used the power of the Dragon Talisman to channel a little bit of heat into his hand as he placed it on where the lock would be on the inside. Just a tiny bit of heat was enough to melt the lock, allowing him to open the window slightly. He then used the Monkey Talisman to shapeshift into a bird before flying into Will's room through the small opening.
Once inside, he transformed back but remained invisible with the Snake Talisman. He remained as still as possible as he heard Will groan slightly while rolling a bit on her bed before going into a deeper sleep. Valmont spotted the crystal pendant that Hak Foo mentioned on her desk as he slowly walked toward it and picked it up by the string.
Using the Monkey Talisman again, Valmont transformed into a bird and flew out the window, holding the crystal by the string with his feet. He flew away from the building before meeting up with Hak Foo again and transformed back to his normal visible self.
"You say these girls a problem, Hak Foo." Valmont said as he held the Heart of Kandrakar in his hands. "Well, there is an old saying us businessmen have: 'a problem is simply a misunderstood opportunity.'" The crime lord smiled evilly as he glanced at the glowing amulet now in his possession.
Done.
Well, this chapter turned out to be a bit shorter than I thought. So, there is some good news and bad news.
Good news: The Guardians had just had their first encounter with the Dark Hand and seemed to be more than a match for them. And they are now getting some help from Captain Black and Section 13 in their fight against Phobos.
Bad news: Valmont has stolen the Heart of Kandrakar. But what does he plan on doing with it? Find out in the next chapter to J-WITCH, which I plan to have out soon. See ya next time.