Jack's vision was blurry, unsettled, focusing one moment and shaking the next. Something was pressing against his head, scratching to get inside. A voice nudged to be heard, but he shook it away and tried to stand. He must've fallen, because suddenly Cinder was by his side, her blue eyes filled with worry. Where were the others? His head turned and he saw Stryker shouting at Hannibal, David facing Goliath. He tried to stand again, tried to get up to help. But something was shutting him down, grasping for a hold over his body.
Jack.
His eyes shot open.
Dad?
I'm counting on you, his father said. I'm counting on you.
Counting on him? To do what? Something in him knew, was keeping it hidden from him for some reason.
You can help them. You can do something. You just have to let me in.
Something flickered in his father's voice. Jack tried to turn to Cinder and tell her what was going on, but she wasn't there anymore. He turned and saw that she was shielding Stryker along with Zephyr and Cinder and the monks. They must've been in a heap of trouble if the monks were helping them.
Let me in son, his father repeated as Jack felt a little strength come back into his legs. Let me take over.
'Course Dad, Jack thought. It was a fleeting agreement, a reflexive decision, but as he staggered to his feet it became more than that. Just tell me what I need to do.
Two streaks of blue shot across his vision. He lifted his head and gaped at the Sapphire Dragon, fully grown, awakened from sleep. It stared at him with its glowing eyes, lightning blue, as it lowered its snout to his level. Jack tilted his head, unable to look away from the dragon. He'd felt such a pull before, in his dreams. But this was much stronger, almost impossible to ignore. And he had a feeling this would be the last time he dreamed of a cloud trying to control him.
Come to me...
Jack's eyes widened. His father's voice was mixing with another, deeper voice, a voice more ancient and ragged.
Come...to me...
There was another voice, one lighter, feminine almost. His eyes caught sight of the Denshi Bunny perched on the Dragon's shoulder before his vision shook and he knelt to the ground.
COME TO ME!
His father was no longer heard. He'd been tricked. The Shen Gong Wu had taken advantage of him, rendered him helpless, and now he could only watch as the Bunny hovered off the Dragon and started to glow. It wasn't gold, like usual, it was the same blue as the Dragon. Jack couldn't close his eyes against the glare, then his head shot up as the Sapphire Dragon reared back and opened its jowls wide.
The last thing he saw was black smoke shooting towards him.