Last Chance

Hannibal Roy Bean had consented to be locked into the Meditation Hall overnight and be watched over in turns by one of the Xiaolin monks while the others slept. Their sleep was still uneasy, however; at any moment, they feared that they would hear the sound of the warning gong being struck to signal that Bean had betrayed them by attacking the Temple. So, at dawn, the four monks and Dojo decided to discuss what to do about him.

"We can't trust him." Clay declared over bacon and eggs. "He's been tryin' to destroy us all since the day we met him. If we keep him around, he'll be all over our Shen Gong Wu like stink on a skunk."

"I agree. That guy gives me the heebie-jeebies!" Dojo said, shivering as he cast a wary glance towards the door to the Meditation Hall.

"Guys, don't forget how he got here." Raimundo said. "He travelled through the Yin-Yang Portal with only one of the Yo-Yos. All of his evil chi is now locked in a bottle somewhere in there, and there's no way he'll even try to get it back. Besides, we need all the help we can get."

"Who says it even worked?" Kimiko pointed out. "He could be immune to it."

Omi piped up next. "Yes. Legends speak of certain Heylin magic that can even overcome the powers of the Shen Gong Wu. This could be some of Bean's trickery."

"There's a lot of things that need doing." Raimundo said. "The Temple still needs watching, and there's a lot of stuff that needs to get done around here while the Master Monks are gone."

"Ooh, speaking of them, I just replied to a letter that they sent us yesterday." Dojo said.

"Where are they?" Omi asked.

"Vegas." Dojo responded. "Chase Young is proving really elusive. Anyway, I've got to go to the vault to get my pen back. I must have dropped it while writing back to them."

"Well, don't bother them, okay?" Raimundo said. "I can handle this. We can handle this. And what we are going to do is let Hannibal Bean out and make him tell us everything he knows about what's going on with the Heyin side."

Kimiko, Omi, and Clay looked at one another. They had not yet told him about the new Wudai Quest that Master Fung had assigned them just before his departure. And throughout all of the turmoil of the past few days, they had not even gotten around to starting their rounds throughout the world to stop Typhon and Echidna from finding an ally. And with Omi and Kimiko still weak from the Mayun necklace's terrible spell, that task would be even harder than they had thought before.

Raimundo finished off the rest of his plate and got up to go into the Meditation Hall. As soon as he was gone, the other three Xiaolin dragons started whispering in low voices.

"We have to begin soon." Kimiko said. "Typhon and Echidna are probably calling the Heylin side about now."

"How're we gonna slip away from Raimundo? I don't think that Master Fung wants us distracting him with this quest or he would've told him." Clay said.

The three monks looked up and saw Raimundo and Hannibal Bean striding (well, Bean was shuffling more than striding) into the dining area.

"Hey, guys, he says he knows about that Crown we rescued yesterday. It might explain why Jack wanted it." Raimundo said.

"I guess it's worth a listen." Clay said. "Although I still don't trust him."

"I don't blame you, pardner." Bean said softly. "I used to be a real outlaw, didn't I?" He glanced around nervously, his eyes meeting the face of each of the Xiaolin warriors standing around him. "I hope my knowledge can be put to good use for once."

"Okay, spill the beans... uh... Bean." Kimiko commanded.

"Let's see... " Bean murmured. "Aw, there we go, now I remember. The Crown of Hope is actually a really powerful Shen Gong Wu that was made long ago by Dashi. It was designed, along with the Sword of the Storm, to contain the awesome powers of natural elements. But unlike the Sword, which held only weather's destructive power, the Crown holds the ability of nature to reshape the world. It's really supposed to be a powerful Wu, and if it were to fall into evil hands it would be... well... catastrophic."

"Thank heavens we have it hear in the vault." Omi said.

Just then, Dojo came running out of the vault. "The Crown of Hope!" He shouted. "It's gone."

Back at Jack Spicer's lair, the Dark Prince of the Universe was holding court, electronically, of course. He had purchased a throne chair that had once belonged to the Queen of some country or another and was sitting in it, his legs crossed in a languid pose. Perched atop his head was the magical Crown, polished to a shine but still unactivated. At his side was a bowl of pure water, made slightly muddy by the dark shapes swirling inexorably within. And before him were computer monitors, hovering and swivelling before him and bearing the faces of the mighty warriors of the Heylin.

"So, little Jackie's come back for another evil alliance, huh?" Katnappe said. "This'll be a laugh."

"Perhaps the small fish should not play where the sharks choose to roam." The ninja Tubbimura said, chortling.

Jack merely smirked. "I'm not a small fish. In fact, you guys are fish, the teeniest of them all."

"Heh," laughed Vlad. "You are big time boss man now, eh? Well, what do you have to be saying to us?"

"I just called to give you the deal of your lifetime. One last big score, for all the marbles. Because when the chips are down, and the umpire's about to count you out, you're going to want to be on the winning team, or else the game'll be over for you, and no dice." Jack said.

No one said anything for one... two... three...

"What!?" Katnappe demanded.

"I'm offering you the chance to surrender now and become my servants forever." Jack said.

All three of the villains burst out laughing.

"Did you hear that, fat boy?" Katnappe said between bursts of gut-busting laughter. "He wants us to surrender to him!"

"That is very amusing!" Tubbimura said, roaring with amusement. "You are a very amusing man, Jack Spicer."

"Maybe you should set your sights a lee-tle lower than us, hmm? Maybe take over day care center or something low-key like that and work your way up to maybe a supermarket or a mini-mall." Vlad suggested.

"Yuk it up all you want!" Jack yelled back at them. "I was just giving you a chance to maybe make your way out of this in one piece. I guess you don't mind being thrown in a dungeon for all eternity when I make my new kingdom. That's okay. I don't care anyway. Nyah nyah nyah!"

With a push of a button, he shut down the screens. "I'll show them! I'll show the whole world!" Jack said to his strange advisor lurking within the water.

'I am sure you will, Your Highness.' The voice said.

"Good! Good! Now, can I activate the Crown?" Jack said, He took off the Wu and began polishing it with his new red cape.

'Soon.'

"How soon?" Jack Spicer demanded.

'Once you travel to the ancestral seat of your kingdom and sit atop the true throne of evil, THEN you may activate the Crown.'

"Well, where is that? Come on, I need details and I need 'em fast!"

'Go to Hawk Rock, and all will be clear!'

Jack strapped his helipack over his cloak and slipped the Crown into his pant's pocket. It wouldn't do for him to lose it now, not when he was this close to conquering everything.

"You! You did this!" Clay shouted, pointing at Hannibal Bean.

The legume raised his tendrils cautiously, his eyes wide with alarm. "I've reformed! I've changed my ways! Don't pin this one on me."

"Calm down, Clay!" Raimundo said. "It couldn't have been him. He's been in full view of at least one of us ever since he crossed through the portal."

"Spicer." Kimiko asserted. "It had to have been Jack Spicer. How did he figure out where it was?"

Clay suddenly turned red. "He... uh... he may have picked my brain a bit, with one of them newfangled robots that he's been usin' lately." He stared down at his boots, then quickly looked up at the others. "I swear I didn't tell him, though. I kept my brain empty and my lips sealed."

"Ugh!" Raimundo groaned. "Fantastic. We've lost the most powerful Shen Gong Wu since the Arcana to Jack Spicer. Who knows who he's probably given it to. For all we know, Wuya or Chase Young or some other villain we haven't even met yet is sailing towards us to blow Master Guan's temple to smithereens." He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. "What are we going to do, you guys?"

"We could divide ourselves into teams." Clay said. "There are five of us--,"

"Six." Bean said.

"Six of us," Clay gritted his teeth. "We can leave one or two back here to defend the Temple while the others fan out and comb the area for Jack."

"Good idea." Kimiko said. "Jack probably has it in his safe, if he hasn't sold it yet."

"I will travel to Jack Spicer's lair." Omi said. "I know the combination!"

"1-2-3, Omi." Raimundo retorted. "Everyone knows the combination. I mean, it's Jack." He turned to look at the others. "Still, Omi can go to the lair. Now that his Transforming Bot's wrecked -- again -- his security is definitely pretty weak. One monk can take out the Jack-bots still lying around."

"I'll go to the mountains, to see if anyone's approaching from there." Clay said.

"I'll run backup with Dojo." Kimiko said. "If anyone needs help, just fire your element into the air."

"And I guess Bean and I will be guarding the Temple." Raimundo said.

"That's right." Bean replied.

"From Spicer, or from you?" Clay muttered, but Bean didn't seem to hear.

Those who were leaving went to the vault to choose their Shen Gong Wu carefully. Omi felt comfortable with the old stand-by, his Orb of Tornami. Kimiko let Dojo fly her around and brought only the Eye of Dashi. Clay, after the battle against Jack, decided to travel heavy, taking with him the Fist of Tebigong and the Cannon Blaster ("A guy can't be too careful anymore" he had said, huffing and puffing as he loaded the Cannon into the trunk of the Silver Manta Ray).

"So... " Bean said as he watched Omi, Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo depart. "Do you play air hockey?"

Raimundo held up a ball and two paddles, which he had apparently been carrying around him the whole time. "You're on."

Author's Note: Yeah, they haven't learned their lesson yet. They're splitting up again, and this time into smaller groups than before. Hey, maybe they still have a shot, right? I took the liberty of placing Hawk Rock, which is an actual place from the show, in the mysterious 'mountains' region that Clay will be guarding. If he's lucky, he might get a rematch one-on-one without any of Jack's robots interfering. But since when has he been lucky... ?