Three weeks and five days before the Jade Palace's destruction...

The morning Master Eagle Jr. was due to arrive, Po was standing just at the top of the stone stairs, a little disgruntled due to the green vest and black pants Shifu had forced him into. They didn't stretch like his patched pants did, so whenever he moved the thick seams dug into his armpits and other sensitive parts. "Do I really have to wear this stuff?"

"You do." Shifu replied, keeping his eyes on the stairs. "Top Dog is one of the most important people you will ever meet, and I will not have you embarrassing us."

"Gee, thanks." Po muttered.

"And get away from those stairs." Shifu hooked Po's tight belt with his staff and pulled him back. "I don't want to send another ambassador to the healer."

"I did apologise for that, geez!" Po ran his paw over his head. "And why did you drag me out here when I'm not a part of this meeting?"

"Because Top Dog has never met the famous Dragon Warrior. He wishes to meet you before the meeting begins."

Po raised his eyebrows. "That explains the tight pants."

Shifu rolled his eyes, then noticed a group of people coming up the steps toward them. A familiar shape flew through the sky above them. "There they are. Straighten up, Po."

Top Dog was not what Po was expecting.

Since becoming the Dragon Warrior, Po had so far met two high-ranking officials from HQ. Superintendent Wu was a short, loudmouthed jerk. Head of Chief District Superintendent Chan was a lot like Po except for the laziness, the money, and once Po got some lessons from Crane, table manners. What both had in common were the finest silk robes.

Top Dog, a kumming wolf dog with the darkest fur, was wearing thick cotton clothes beneath scaled red armour, almost like an imperial soldier. He wore no helmet, but a short rice hat decorated with metal plates. Po found himself staring at Top Dog as he and his guards reached the top. At first he couldn't understand why someone who spent his days protecting China in the office would dress like a soldier, but then he remembered a conversation with Shifu the day before. Apparently in his earlier years Top Dog was enlisted in the army, but retired at a young age when a well-aimed arrow ruined his ability to walk without a cane. After that the only way he could aid his country was to join HQ, and he had risen high in the ranks since then. A thought in the back of Po's mind wondered if he himself could ever work in an office.

Top Dog reached the top just as Eagle Jr. touched down beside him. Po followed Shifu's lead and bowed in respect first to Top Dog, then Eagle Jr. "It's an honour to meet you, Top Dog."

"Likewise." Top Dog bowed in return. The armour plates rattled slightly. "You must be the Dragon Warrior."

"The one and only." Po grinned. "Master Shifu told me a lot about you."

Shifu's eyes flashed. "Master Eagle Jr., it is good to see you again. How is Emperor Xian?"

"Very busy." Eagle Jr. replied. "I should warn you that Princess Haoxin will be visiting you very soon."

"If you can, keep her as far away from me as possible." Shifu replied.

Po chuckled. "Master, you know she'll be focusing all her attention on Tigress and my dad. But more on my dad, since they're kinda dating, thanks to you."

Top Dog blinked. "Princess Haoxin has a boyfriend?!" He turned on Eagle Jr. "Of all the things you could have reported to me, you didn't mention that Princess Haoxin has a boyfriend?!"

A disgruntled looking Shifu stepped between them. "If you don't mind, we have a meeting. I will escort you inside. Po, would you go check on our junior students?"

Po nodded and walked off, certain that he had said some thing he shouldn't have.

It took him ten minutes to reach the student barracks, and as he approached the front doors Tigress stepped out. Last week Viper had dragged her shopping for clothes after she tore her red vest during training for the umpteenth time, and today Tigress was wearing the fruit of her labour: a yellow vest with a red vine pattern. Po's face had started burning the first time he saw her wearing it. She was also wearing a small bagpack.

"Hey, Po." She greeted him with a smile. "I'm just about to go hiking. Do you want to join me?"

"Sorry, Tigress, but Shifu wants me to take care of some stuff." Po didn't mention the real reason. "... Are we still up for our test date?"

"Our what?"

Oh crap, she forgot.

"Oh, that." Tigress's smile flickered. "How about a couple of weeks from now?"

"Sure, okay." Po felt some unease, but nevertheless walked past her into the building.

He told himself it was just nerves. Tigress wasn't really a dater, so it was natural that she would be nervous. Even so he was still deep in thought when he reached his destination and knocked lightly on the paper door.

There was a clatter of wood on wood, and then Su opened the door. She looked like she hadn't slept well. "Hey, Su." Po said.

"Hi." Su said. She looked a little irked.

"Aaaaaareeee you okay?" Po asked.

"Just tired. And thinking about stuff. Don't want to talk about it."

"Alright, fine." Po rubbed his head, something he'd been doing a lot lately. "I just wanted to check up on you after yesterday."

"I'm fine. Just a migraine, bleeding eyes, voices in Su's head. Nothing out of the ordinary."

Po stared at her like she'd just given him an impossible riddle. "You are Su."

"I said I'm fine. You look distracted. What's on your mind?"

Po interlocked his fingers nervously. Something about the way she was speaking and her expression was unusual, but he couldn't put his finger on it. "I'm just thinking whether or not the bedroom is the best place to have a first date."

Su turned bright red and looked like a child again. "Oh shurrup! We're just playing checkers!"

Po looked over her head into her room. On the floor were a checker board and a mortified young pig called Pong. On the bed reading a scroll was Viper, who was currently trying to keep from laughing. "Now that's just an unfortunate coincidence."

"We're not dating, that's gross!" Su yelled, clutching the edge of the door with both paws. "Only grown ups like you date! Now go away and date missus Tigress!"

"How did you-"

"I told her." Viper said. She lost some of her self control and started giggling. "Besides, everyone knows. They're just waiting for you to get on with it."


Viper wasn't giggling as she and Master Boar bounded across the forest towards their destination, the abandoned fireworks factory where the fugitive Sao was supposedly hiding. They'd left soon after it was decided that she and Boar would undertake the task of capturing Sao and getting information out of him, while the rest of the Five would travel to the Imperial City to find Mei Ling and stop whatever trouble what happening there.

Viper had first met Master Boar during the last Winter Feast, and though that meeting had only lasted for forty seconds, she'd learned three things. One, he appeared to be a rather cold blooded person. Two, the likely reason was the sudden loss of his older brother years ago. Three, contrast to his pudgy appearance he was a master of stealth. Back then she hadn't been sure if she liked him.

Now that she'd spent some time living with him, she'd learned something else. Though cold blooded, Boar was capable of compassion, but it was saved for the innocent and the small time criminals who stole out of desperation. Colonel Sao, who'd not only contributed to the attempted murder of Emperor Xian but kidnapped a young girl and was partly responsible for the deaths of dozens of soldiers, was not going to get any mercy. Boar had made that very clear to Viper when she'd asked what they'd do with him once they'd gotten what they wanted. Fortunately he'd only meant that they would toss him in the nearest prison to rot, and beat him to a pulp if he resisted.

"Wait." Boar stopped on a thick branch. Viper stopped on another branch two feet from him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Nothing is wrong. There's just a couple more things I want to go over before we get there." Boar's gaze was intense. "First, are you sure you've told me everything I need to know about Colonel Sao? Does he have any specials skills that he could use against us? It just that it seems hard to believe that the Children of Nuwa would make the effort to retrieve him from prison unless he was still of some use to them."

Viper shook her head. "There's nothing else I can think of. He didn't show anything special in the Himalayas."

"Right. Also, aside from the Dragon Warrior and Master Tigress, is there anyone else we should inquire about when we find him?"

"Su." Viper said at once. "She'd disappeared right before the Jade Palace was attacked. Her parents and Po's birth father had disappeared earlier before that. We don't know for sure, but it's very likely the Children of Nuwa got them too."

"All the more reason to find that fox." Boar said. "We'd better get moving before he-" He froze. "Quiet."

Viper didn't move a muscle. She heard the distant sound of two men talking. She caught the name 'Sao' and knew at once what it was.

"A patrol." Boar muttered. "Let's take them out. Quietly."

Silently they crept through the trees towards the two men. As they got closer, Viper could tell that the tone of their voices was dull and emotionless. They must be brainwashed. Soon enough she saw them. Two rhinos in black armour, with crossbows and red eyes. By now they had stopped talking.

"Don't break anything." Viper whispered to Boar.

"They'd kill us as soon as look at us. No promises."

"I mean it. They're not acting under their own will."

"Fine."

There was a breeze rustling the leaves, drowning out the sound of their movements as they moved behind the two rhinos and dropped to the ground. Boar gestured for Viper to take the rhino on the left while he took the right. Viper slithered up. At the same time they struck. Viper wrapped her coils around the rhino's neck and didn't let go until he passed out. Several feet away she heard a grunt as Boar took out the other rhino.

"Nicely done, flower girl." Boar said. "We can't be far now."

Sure enough, they reached their destination, a short cliff that gave them a perfect view of the run down fireworks factory. Boar crouched low and crawled towards the edge. Being much smaller, Viper didn't bother lowering herself any further as she joined him and observed the building. It was eerily similar to the factory in Gongmen City, where Shen had mass-produced his ultimate weapon, especially when she looked down in the courtyard and saw-

"Oh hell." She whispered.

Cannons. Big, evil looking cannons being shoved into crates by a dozen red-eyed men.

"Now we know what happened to Shen's plans." Boar said. He didn't look very surprised. Suddenly he nudged Viper's 'shoulder' and pointed. "There's our guy."

Sao was standing by a normal looking soldier. He said some words that Viper couldn't hear and disappeared through a door. She felt a deep sense of dread.

"He must be overseeing the production of these weapons." Boar said. "That's one more thing to question him about. You remember the plan?"

Viper knew. First they would take out the men in the courtyard. Second, Viper would slither into that hole in the rotten wood above the door Sao had just gone through and let Boar in. Third, depending on how many men were inside, they would either take out or sneak by them until they found Sao. She ran through those steps in her mind one more time before nodding.

She'd done the first step a dozen times with the Furious Five, so taking out half of the men in the courtyard one at a time was like taking candy from a baby. Not that she'd do anything so cruel, of course. Once boar had dealt with the other half they turned their attention to the door. Boar gave a push and found it unsurprisingly locked. "I can't jump that high. Give me a boost." Viper said as she looked up at the hole.

Boar grabbed the middle of her body and lifted her above his head. From there Viper effortlessly leapt up and through the hole.

She'd expected to see the large foundry that produced the cannons once she was inside. It was just like the machinery in Shen's factory. What she didn't expect was that the foundry looked like it hadn't been used in days. Even the massive vat that held the molten metal was empty and stone cold. There were no men to be seen.

Viper didn't like this at all.

"Hey, flower girl!" Boar whispered from the other side of the door. Viper quickly unlocked the door.

Boar strode inside and frowned when he saw the inactive foundry and the lack of people. "Looks like we got here a little too late."

"What do you mean?" Viper asked.
"The foundry's empty and the only men here are the ones outside." Boar said. "You know what that means? The Order doesn't need the foundry anymore. They have all the cannons they need. The people out there must be a skeleton crew left behind to prepare the last of the cannons for transport."

"Oh my god..."

To Viper's confusion, Boar smirked. "Look on the bright side. Sao's easy pickings."

Boar was right. Without any guards to fight or sneak past, tracking Sao down was easy. The only other door in the big room was one on the bottom floor. Where it led to, they didn't know, but Sao wasn't anywhere else.

Boar crept to the door, with Viper at his side. He pressed his ear to the wooden surface. After a moment, his eyes narrowed. "He's here. When I open the door..."

He put a hoof on the door handle. Viper poised, ready to lunge inside the moment he opened the door. He opened it with a bang.

In a millisecond they were inside the smaller room full of crates and barrels. On the far side Sao cursed and pulled out a reloadable crossbow. Viper moved her head to the right just in time to avoid the arrow. Before either she or Boar could retaliate Sao had another one ready to fire. Tucked in his belt was a large rolled up scroll. "Stay back!" He yelled.

Viper and Boar could easily deflect the arrows and take him down in seconds. Viper, however, had made it clear to Boar beforehand that they were to give him once chance to surrender without a fight. As much as she hated Sao, she hated the idea of resorting to violence unless absolutely necessary even more intolerable.

"There's no-one to help you, colonel!" Boar said. "Give up!"

"Never! I'm not going back to jail!" Sao retorted.

"Put the crossbow down or we will hurt you!" Boar replied.

"Go to hell!" Sao fired straight at Boar's chest. Boar deflected the arrow effortlessly, a hint of respect in his eyes. Sao was an excellent shot.

Speaking of Sao, the fox had just disappeared through a door they hadn't noticed.

"Colonel!" Boar growled as he and Viper started after him. They entered an unlit corridor in time to see Sao race out the exit at the far end and slam the door behind him. Boar reached the door first and smashed it with one kick.

They were back in the courtyard again. Sao had reached the big doors that led outside into the forest. If he made it to the trees, it would make catching him all the more difficult.

So it was a good thing Viper and Boar had the sense to bar the doors with a fallen branch before entering the building.

Sao shoved at the doors three times before giving up. By that time, Viper and Boar were mere feet away.

"Nice to finally meet you, Sao." Boar said. "Did you know that the Jade Palace was built centuries ago in Master Oogway's honour?"

Sao took a deep breath and slowly turned around. To his credit, he didn't look all that scared. "Yes, I did. It's a shame what happened. No hard feelings?"

"None whatsoever." Viper grinned, baring her pearly white fangs. Now that she was seeing him with her own eyes once again, she remembered how he had tried to kill Emperor Xian, then kidnapped Su and took her beneath the fortress, indirectly delivering her into Ember's murderous hands.

Quick as a flash, Sao lifted the crossbow to fire, but Viper was quicker. With a flick of her tail she had knocked the weapon from his hands. Boar leapt forward at the same time, twisted Sao's arm behind his back and shoved him face first against the barred doors. "You've got a lot to answer for, colonel." Boar spoke.

Sao grunted once. "I'm guessing you're not just here to drag me back into a cell."

"Po and Tigress." Viper said at once. "Would you mind telling us where they are?"

"As a matter of fact, I-" Sao yelled as Boar twisted his arm further.

"A little girl, her parents and the Dragon Warrior's father vanished that same day." Boar said. "Your nefarious cult wouldn't be behind that too, would they?"

Sao turned his head to glare at his captor. "Yes."

"I knew it!" Viper hissed.

"Don't ask me why, my boss insisted on it!" Sao said. "Happy now? I'm cooperating. Would you mind showing me a little mercy now?"

"I don't give mercy to traitors." Boar replied.

"And I might have shown you a little mercy if you hadn't tried to kill us all." Viper added. "Where are our friends?"

Sao didn't speak. Viper and Boar exchanged glances. Boar twisted to near-breaking point. Sao hollered.

"Where. Are. Our. Friends?" Viper repeated slowly.

Through gritted teeth, Sao gave them the answer they wanted. "Just north of here is a prison the Order took over after the Imperial Army abandoned it. They were taken there."

"I know that place." Boar said.

"If you want to save them, you'll have to hurry." Sao said. "They're going to be moved to the main headquarters tomorrow."

Boar spun Sao around so they were face to face. 'And where is this main headquarters?"
"Now that I don't know."

Boar looked Sao in the eye for a long time. "Fine. I'm convinced."

With that he headbutted Sao into unconsciousness and dropped him to the ground.

"This prison." Viper spoke. "You know the layout, don't you?"

"No. I know that it will be crawling with guards, though." Boar chuckled. "Truly a challenge worthy of our talents."

Viper didn't care about the challenge. She just wanted her friends back. And Su safe.