A.N. So, like I said last chapter, you shouldn't expect for this to stay with just Ben 10 and Jackie Chan Adventures.
It will, of course, be primarily focused on those two (and more specifically on Ben and Jade), but this story is part of something larger as well, that I really do hope to expand more on.
Now, enjoy!
"Uuuugh, do we have to be here, Uncle Jackie?" Jade whined, as she, Jackie, Max, and Ben walked into a museum, Max carrying a camera. Ben, like Jade, looked like he didn't want to be here.
"It'll be educational," Jackie said, "Besides, I'm old friends with the director. He said he'll show us something special in the back, that they haven't brought out yet."
"I think it sounds like fun," Max said.
"Well you're probably old enough to remember what all this stuff was," Ben said, staring at an exhibit that showed ancient weapons, "Huh...well, I guess those are kinda cool..."
"Ah, Jackie!"
A rotund man with a British accent and tweed coat appeared, walking down the walkway, seeing the group, "And this must be your niece Jade I've heard so much about...And these are...?"
He turned looking to Max and Ben.
"Max Tennyson. I'm an old friend of Jackie's Uncle," Max said, holding out his hand, the other man shaking it, "And this is my grandson Ben."
Ben waved idly.
"Ah, another Max? I am Professor Maximillian Arturo," the man grinned, introducing himself, "Pleasure to meet you. Now, if you will all follow me..."
The director turned, leading the four further into the museum, passing by a man with a long brown coat.
Beep, beep, beep.
Ben frowned, wondering why his Omnitrix had beeped, but ignored it as it stopped, heading through a door marked 'Employees Only.' Prof. Arturo produced a key card, opening it for them.
The man in the brown coat grinned a little, looking towards the door and pulling out a gray cylindrical device, with a blue tip.
"Allonz-y..." he grinned, making his way towards the door.
"There is a legend...Thousands of years ago, there was a being who could travel through time and space...into other dimensions even. They say he was searching for something. Lost in time, he no longer knew when or even exactly what he was...They say he searched...but could not find. And this, the so called Hands of Armageddon, was his tool. His gateway into the various worlds...They say he waits, for another like himself, that lonely wanderer..."
Prof. Arturo grinned, holding his arms up dramatically, showing a large circular artifact, in the storage room of the museum, complete with what looked like dials and a design in the object.
"So can it call aliens or something?" Jade wondered, her interest momentarily piqued, "Cooooool."
"Well, legend says it is the way to call forth the 'Wandering God,'" Jackie said, "Like Prof. Arturo said. But it's nothing more then a stone artifact."
Ben paused, walking towards the stone, holding his left arm up.
"Don't touch!" Arturo said sharply, and Ben pulled back, his Omnitrix momentarily flashing purple, lost to the others.
"The thing is, it's not very useful," a new voice said, British accented, "There's next to no beings like the one trapped anymore."
The five turned, seeing a man with a blue suit, spiky brown hair, and a long brown coat walked towards them, hands in his pocket, looking almost jovial.
"And who are you?" Prof. Arturo demanded, glaring at the man. Jackie stiffened, worried it was some thief here to steal artifacts.
"John Smith," the man said, "Doctor John Smith. You can call me Doctor."
He pulled out a wallet, showing Arturo something in it. Arturo paused, then sighed, nodding his head, "Ah...alright then."
John Smith grinned, walking towards them, rubbing his hands together, looking at the others and the Hands of Armageddon. "Rather curious that they're called the 'Hands of Armageddon' when the legend doesn't mention the end of the world or anything like that."
"There is suppose to be more to the legend..." Jackie said, "But it's lost to us."
Max was frowning, staring at this Doctor. He seemed familiar to the old man...
"It's not entirely lost..." Smith said, "I happen to know a bit...It's called the Hands of Armageddon, because it can only be activated by the one who will destroy the world. Their hands must be placed on the artifact..."
"Well, it's a good thing then that the museum has a no touch policy," Jackie joked, Jade wondering why Arturo had seemed to accept this guy when shown a blank piece of paper.
"As it is..." Professor Arturo said, adjusting his jacket, "We should be going now."
"Well thank you again very much for letting us see this rare artifact," Jackie told Professor Arturo, heading back for the door.
"Yes, thank you," Max said, shaking the man's hand, who returned it with nod, "Come on Ben. You too Jade."
The two kids nodded, walking after the adults, Doctor Smith staring at the Hands of Armageddon, frowning at it.
He shook his head, then followed the others out, back into the main body of the museum.
"It was good to meet you all," Doctor Smith said to them, his brown eyes pausing on the Omnitrix on Ben's wrist. "That's an interesting watch you have there..."
Ben paused, then simply shrugged, "Eh, I won it at a carnival..."
Max frowned, looking at this Doctor Smith once more. He did not know why this man seemed familiar.
"Well, let's go see the rest of the museum! There's a very educational exhibit over this way..." Jackie said, leading them off.
As they walked off, Doctor Smith produced a gray object, a blue light shining from it for just a second.
"So these things really are magic then, huh?" Ben said, looking at the talismans in Section Thirteen.
After having gone through the museum, Jade had convinced Ben to come see the Talismans once more. Not that it took much effort on her part. Ben was interested in them.
"Of course! Don't you remember me flying?" Jade grinned, grabbing the Rooster and Rabbit Talisman, "You just need these two! Though, well, you can fly with just the Rooster, technically, but if you really want speed, gotta have Rabbit here."
Ben nodded, grabbing the Ox, feeling it in his hands.
"My cousin had a charm. It was about the size of these things," Ben said, "It gave the user good luck."
He frowned, looking at the Talismans, "Gwen would love to study these things, I bet..."
Jade paused, then darted forward, placing the two Talismans back, just as the vault door began to open.
"Woah!" Ben yelled, nearly dropping the Ox, as Jade swiped it from him, putting it back on the security device.
"Come on," Jade said, grabbing Ben's arm and pulling him towards the vent they had climbed in, jumping in and crawling though. Ben was cramped, the vent barely big enough to allow the small Jade access.
As the vault opened, Captain Black stepped in, frowning. No one was there, and a quick check showed the Snake Talisman wasn't missing, nor were the others.
"Guess Jade wasn't here then..." Black sighed, shrugging.
Once through the vents and back outside, Jade and Ben sighed, Ben stretching to get some of the kinks out of his muscles.
"That vent is entirely too small," Ben muttered, "Next time we do that, I'm going Grey Matter."
"That's that little one, right? That's really smart?" Jade asked, having had Ben transform into his aliens before, so she could see them. She hadn't been able to see a few, simply due to the limitation of using her room or Uncle's shop.
"Yup," Ben nodded, as they headed down the street, towards Uncle's Shop, "He comes in handy now and then, but I definitely prefer Fourarms! He can really lay the smack down on bad guys."
Jade sighed, looking wistful, "I wish I had something like that. Then Jackie would have to let me help him fight bad guys!"
"Hey, it's not all fun and games!" Ben said, waving his finger, then paused, grinning, "Well, it's mostly fun, a lot...Though when you're up against someone really evil..."
Ben frowned, thinking of Vilgax. Jade frowned as well, visions of Shendu appearing in her head.
"Hey, stop her! Thief!"
Ben and Jade looked up, expecting to see some bad guy racing down the street, only to see a girl with a black ponytail not much older then them, in a blue hoodie and red beanie cap, holding a loaf of bread close to herself.
The girl rushed past them, Ben and Jade attempting to grab her arms and stop her, but she seemed to simply phase through the two, somehow avoiding their arms and kept running.
"That was weird," Jade said, as the two turned, the girl still running, ducking into an alleyway.
"Get out of the way you damn kids!" the adult who yelled earlier shouted, racing towards them. Ben grinned, then ran forward after the black haired girl, ducking into the alley that she had, Jade following close behind him.
"...Where'd she go?" Ben frowned, looking at the empty alley, a large wall blocking off any escape.
"...Bah, it was just a single loaf anyways...damn kid..." the adult frowned, seeing the empty alleyway and heading off.
Jade looked around at the alleyway, wondering where the girl had gone as well.
After a moment, Jade spun around, letting out a loud "hiyah!" and kicking at the air, her foot stopping at some invisible point in space.
Ben raised an eyebrow, about to ask her what she was doing, when the black haired girl appeared in front of the foot, her blue eyes wide.
"...How did you know I was here?" the girl asked, still clutching the loaf of bread tightly.
"Martial arts instincts!" Jade grinned, moving her foot back, "And why are you stealing food anyways?"
The girl sighed, glancing to the side, "I'm hungry...and I don't have any money."
"Don't you have a family?" Ben asked, looking concerned. Neither he nor Jade could let someone starve after all.
"It's...complicated..." the girl answered, rubbing the back of her head, "I have a, uhhh...cousin, but he's halfway across the country...and he's already done so much to help me before, I can't bother him again. Besides, he's not much older then me. He can't do anything to really help me without putting himself at a big risk, and I don't want to make him make that decision..."
Ben and Jade glanced towards each other, then nodded.
"Well then, we better get you something to eat!" Jade said, "Come on, my Uncle's shop isn't far from here, we'll get you something to eat there!"
The girl looked at the two, her eyes wide with surprise now, "Re-really? But why? You don't know me..."
"Hey, you need help," Ben said, shrugging, "And I help people. I'm kinda a hero, you know."
The girl smiled, then nodded her head, "My name is Danielle...You can call me Dani though."
"I'm Jade! And hero-boy here is Ben," Jade said, introducing the two, "Now come on!"
"Ai ahhhhhh, why does Uncle have the willies?"
Uncle shivered, sitting up in his seat at his shop, Tohru sweeping up the store.
"Maybe the seventh portal has been found?" Tohru wondered, looking concerned, "But we are still waiting on the final ingredient for the locator spell..."
"No...it's something else...Something coming here!" Uncle said, producing his blow fish and pointing it at the door, the handle beginning to wobble and move, indicating someone trying to get inside.
"It's coming!" Uncle yelled, Tohru tensing as the door opened, Jade staring at the blow fish in her face.
"...Hi Uncle..." Jade said simply, Uncle raising an eyebrow and stepping back, as Jade, Ben, and Dani entered the shop.
"Who is this?" Uncle asked, staring at the girl, "She gives Uncle the willies..."
Jade froze, turning to Dani now. She had turned invisible earlier after all.
"You're not a demon, are you?" Jade asked bluntly.
Uncle then whacked Jade upside the head with two fingers.
"Can you not remember? Demon can not enter store without an express invitation!" Uncle said, then whacked Jade again, "Did you say she could come in?"
"...Actually no," Ben said, speaking up, "She just opened the door and we all stepped inside..."
Uncle frowned now, narrowing his eyes at Dani, who looked nervous.
"Then you are not demon," Uncle decided, "But I must make sure! Do not move from spot!"
Uncle moved into the backroom of his shop, rifling through several books, then returning with one, along with a few ingredients.
"A reveal spell will show us," Uncle said, Dani looking more nervous.
"Wa-wait!" Dani said, "You don't need to do that. I'll tell you what I am..."
Dani sighed, stepping forward and closing her eyes. Two rings of light appeared around her middle, one moving up, the other down, changing her appearance into a black and white outfit with a stylized 'D' symbol on her chest, her hair changing from black to white, her blue eyes becoming a glowing green.
"...I'm half ghost..." Dani said, glancing to the side, "See?"
"Awesome!" both Ben and Jade said at the same time, startling Uncle.
"...Really...?" Dani said, surprised, "Most of the time people are afraid..."
"Psh, you're not scary," Jade said, waving her hand idly. "Besides, I've seen lots of weird things."
"Same here," Ben said, "Besides, I turn into aliens with this." He held up the Omnitrix, and Dani let out a breath, finding herself relaxed, changing back to her human half.
"Uncle is still wary about letting strange girl in store..." Uncle said, waving his blow fish at the preteens.
"Come on Uncle, she needs something to eat...She's all by herself," Jade said, "We should help her..."
"Here, have these," Tohru said, producing a box of cookies, handing it to Dani, whose eyes lit up, grabbing the box and opening them unceremoniously, munching the sweet objects within.
"See, even Tohru wants to help her," Jade said.
Uncle sighed, "I will call Jackie and talk to him about this..."
He turned to head towards the phone, Dani letting out a sudden chill, a whisp of breath coming from her mouth.
"Oh no..." Dani said, eyes widening, as a blast of energy hit the front door, Ben, Jade, and Dani being thrown forward from the attack, the door falling downwards.
"Surrender the girl," a figure in armor said, green energy resembling hair coming from his head, several weapons and gizmos around his figure.
"Skulker..." Dani said, then narrowed her eyes, light appearing around her again, changing back to her ghost half, green energy swirling in her hands.
"I would careful if I were you," Skulker said, shaking his finger, then pointing at Dani's feet. The girl looked down and shrieked, green goo pooling around her feet, then becoming reabsorbed into her after she stopped charging her green energy. "You're at the end of your rope..."
"I'm not though!" Ben said, "Let's see how you handle Cannonbolt!"
He activated his Omnitrix, changing in a flash of green light, becoming a light green creature with large bat-like ears on his face, his body covered with many different eyes.
"Hey, I said Cannonbolt, not Eye Guy!" Ben scowled, then shrugged, deciding to go with it, holding up his hands, several eyes coming together, firing a burst of energy at Skulker, throwing him back into the street.
"Be careful!" Dani yelled, as Uncle scowled, holding his blow fish up.
"Hey, who is that guy?" Jade asked, grabbing Dani's arm, "And what was up with your feet?"
Dani paused, then sighed, knowing she had to spill, "That's Skulker...he's a hunter, and a ghost. My...father is trying to capture me...And I can't let him!"
"Then we won't," Jade said, nodding her head, as Ben continued fighting Skulker, Uncle firing chi blasts from his blow fish at the ghost as well.
"Apprentice, call Jackie!" Uncle yelled as he ducked an ecto blast from the ghost hunter.
"As for my feet...Well...I'm kind of a clone of someone..." Dani said, looking worried again.
"Who?"
"Remember that cousin I talked about?" Dani asked. Jade paused, then nodded, understanding, "Exactly. And I'm not entirely stable."
Jade paused, then grinned, grabbing Dani.
"Come with me then! I think I know something that just might help," Jade said, as they hurried outside.
"Do you really think you can run from the greatest ghost hunter ever?" Skulker yelled, as he spotted them, suddenly being blasted back from a beam of ice from Ben as Eye Guy.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao, Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao..." Uncle began to chant, pointing his blow fish at Skulker, "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao..."
With Skulker distracted, Jade and Dani disappeared into the streets, racing off.
Uncle finished his spell, grinning as swirling green energy appeared by Skulker, pulling the ghost in with tremendous force.
"What in the..." Skulker began, as he was dragged through, disappearing with a flash.
"Who else wants a piece of Uncle?" Uncle said, waving the fish, "And change back from that demon!"
"It's not a demon, it's an alien," Ben said, the Omnitrix symbol on his belt suddenly blinking red, changing him back in a matter of seconds with a flash of red light. "...How did you...? Never mind..."
"I have called Jackie, Master," Tohru said, looking at the demolished front door and minor property damage.
"You took too long!" Uncle yelled, whacking Tohru with two fingers, "Now call repair man to fix Uncle's door! And where did Jade and the ghost girl go...?"
"Well this place is cool," Dani said, as she and Jade entered the vault in Section 13, Jade making her way to the talismans, hopping upwards to grab one. "Do you really think these talismans can help me?"
"Well, this one in particular," Jade said, showing the girl the Horse Talisman, "It heals people. Hopefully it'll help you!"
"Jade!"
Jade and Dani jumped, turning as a figure in a red turtleneck sweater and bald head appeared at the entrance of the vault.
"What are you doing bringing in someone here? You know that's against protocol," Captain Black said, frowning, "This is a serious breach..."
"But Captain Black, she needs our help!" Jade protested, "A bad guy is trying to capture her! He attacked Uncle's shop earlier. You can call and ask him."
Captain Black frowned, then pulled out his cell phone, dialing a number. He talked to whoever answered, which was apparently Uncle, as both Jade and Dani could hear the old Chinese man yelling over the phone.
"Fine then..." Black sighed, hanging up, "It seems something is happening. I'll try a few of my contacts and see what I can find. She can stay here with you and Jackie for now."
"Thanks Captain Black! I knew I could count on you," Jade said, giving the man a thumbs up.
Black sighed, shaking his head, "Next time Jade, just ask me."
Night was falling, a few hours after Ben and Jade had met the mysterious ghost girl Dani.
Captain Black slumped back in his seat, frowning as he listened to his superior over the phone.
"As it is Black, we can confirm that this girl is being sought after. We can't be sure, but we think it was put out by Vlad Masters..."
"Vlad Masters? The same guy who runs Dlav?" Black said, eyes widening.
"Correct. We can't be sure, and we haven't been able to get anything on this guy. He's got a lot of friends...and we just can't find any hard evidence," the voice over the phone said, "I've talked to our boss, and I'm being told the girl is too be kept under Section 13 watch."
"Sir, she's a little girl, she can't be cooped up here," Black said, "Isn't there something else we can do?"
"We are. As of now, she's your responsibility," his superior told him, "We'll get you all the information tomorrow, but suffice to say she's going to be your niece."
"My what?" Black said, "But sir-"
"It's out of my hands. We're also getting it ready for her to go to the same school that your agent Chan's niece goes to," his superior said, "Along with that Tennyson kid."
"Why does he matter?" Black wondered.
"If you have to ask, you shouldn't know," the voice answered, "I'll just say the kid's grandfather is someone you can trust."
Black sighed, shaking his head to try and clear his mind.
"But why? I mean...most of my own superiors, were, well..." Black trailed off, not sure if he should mention the M word.
"You mean your reports about magic?" the voice on the other end said, chuckling, "Things are changing Captain Black. We'll get back to you when we have more information."
The other end hung up, and Captain Black placed his phone back in the receiver, leaning forward.
"I guess I better call Jackie..."
A.N. Muhahahaha!
And sorry for the late update! Hopefully the next chapter will be out sooner!
Also, keep an eye out for two new stories that should hopefully start up before the end of the month, Tales of New York, and Gunless On Gunsmoke.