The Stroke of Midnight
Captain Black drove Jackie and Jade straight to Uncle's shop, after he'd told his men to take Valmont and his enforcers straight to the jail cells in Section 13. It was tense silence the whole way back, even though Jade would normally have been bouncing in her seat and talking animatedly about what had happened and what she thought would happen when Jackie kicked the bad-guys butt. But now, she was uncharacteristically subdued, quiet, even nervous as she chewed her nails in a nervous habit, almost unaware of what she was doing. She just couldn't get the thoughts out of her head – thoughts of everything that had happened in Valmont's office. Jade had been more than ready to believe in the Shadowkhan, the magic talismans and everything. But only now was she just beginning to realise how serious the situation was becoming, that creature that had been a statue was unlike anything she had ever imagined. But not even these doubts made Jade question that she and Jackie would stop it, just like they stopped all the bad-guys. But then what about Valerie? It was these thoughts that made Jade so quiet, remembering her friend, normally so calm and cool, with a look of utter terror in her eyes. Jade couldn't help but picture the monster carrying her away to eat her – that's what dragons did in the stories, right? Eat pretty princesses? Whilst Valerie wasn't a princess, and her rather bookworm and nerdy personality even told how far from the truth that was; the images of Val being ripped apart and eaten was enough to make Jade feel sick.
They pulled up outside Uncle's shop, and everyone hurriedly exited the car. Uncle questioned which half Jackie was, still believing Jackie to be split into two personalities (which caused some confusion with Captain Black). After a little explaining, Uncle was pleased to see Jackie returned to normal, but then mortified to learn that the Talismans had all been taken. Jackie and Jade had then taken it in turns to tell Uncle what had happened, starting with the girls being kidnapped to the statue coming to life and Valerie's kidnapping. At the sound of the statue turning into a dragon, Uncle's eyes had widened but when he heard that it had taken Valerie, something had passed in the old man's face, and for the first time Jade thought she saw actual fear in the grizzled man's expression. Uncle had quickly pulled out a book, shifting through page after page in an attempt to find what he was looking for. Everyone waited in tense silence, but soon Uncle gave out a frustrated growl and snapped the book shut. He didn't turn around from his desk to face them as he looked up at the wall, clearly thinking to himself.
"Did the demon have any specific markings?" he asked, his tone and face very serious though he still didn't turn around. Captain Black's eyes widened in shock at the old man.
"Red eyes, great big claws, and razor sharp teeth isn't SPECIFIC ENOUGH FOR YOU?!" Captain Black's eyes were huge as Jade heard him raise his voice for the first time. Uncle growled in irritation as he slowly turned to face Captain Black with an expression that would have made any lesser man turn to stone.
"Thousands of Demon Sorcerers have existed throughout history!" Uncle yelled at the secret agent, anger and impatience clearly evident as he clenched his fists in front of him. "Each of them had different domains, different things it did with its victims! I need to find out who this one is so that I may find it and know what it wants with Valerie! But to do that, I need more information! A symbol, a name! Anything!"
"Chan!"
Everyone turned around at the deep and booming voice. Jade gasped as she saw Tohru standing in the shop, beaten up, bruised and bandaged: his scalp wrapped up, his arm in a cast and sling, his shoulders and chest equally bandaged. It was obvious the big man had taken a beating, and judging by the bruises along his flesh, it had been very recent. Jade didn't need to think very hard on what had given the usually tough-as-steel sumo such a beating.
"Go away!" Jackie said, angry and clearly not in the mood as he readied himself into a fighting stance. "We have no more Talismans!" Jade noticed Captain Black lift a hand towards the gun at his belt as well, Uncle also readying for battle. Tohru looked over them all, his eyes dark and unreadable as a tense silence filled the room, waiting to see what the large man would do.
"The demon's name," Tohru said, his voice very serious as he levelled his gaze on those before him. "Shendu."
Everyone gasped in surprise and confusion. Had Tohru just helped them? There was a beat of silence, but Tohru didn't seem inclined to explain himself further. Uncle was the first to step into action, snapping at everyone to go through every book shelf and pile of old tomes in the shop and look for a specific old book. Everyone then began to go to a different place and read through title after title, though Tohru was instructed by Uncle to sit in the back room and not do anything and wait in case he was needed further. Uncle told them all that they were looking for a specific book in ancient Chinese text, it would be leather bound, the pages old and worn, and the cover would be deep grey with five symbols on the front. Jade muttered to herself sarcastically how that information was very helpful indeed, especially since Uncle didn't know where the book was last placed and couldn't remember the title, as it had been an heirloom and he had never had much use for it before. Eventually, it was Captain Black who found the book, though Uncle quickly snatched it off of him and they all went to the back room. Uncle sat at his desk and rifled through the pages frantically, Tohru was sitting in a chair not too far off, and Jackie, Jade and Captain Black stood anxiously waiting behind Uncle. But it didn't take long before the old man found what he was looking for.
"Shendu was evil warlord of a vast kingdom," Uncle read aloud, voice calm but serious as he skimmed the pages of inscriptions and ancient illustrations. "He was imprisoned by his subjects in a rebellion led by the warrior Lo Pei, and the twelve talismans from which he drew his powers were scattered to the winds." Uncle turned to another page, this one more graphically detailed in its illustrations that showed a very close likeness of the dragon that Jade remembered. "He vowed to return one day, not only to resurrect his palace, but to conjure dragon minions to wreak his vengeance upon the descendants of those who rebelled against him…" Uncle trailed off, his eyes going wide and his face growing pale, and once again Jade saw that look of fear on his face that made her stomach turn with nerves. Uncle's next words were whispered in dawning horror that not even he could hide, his eyes glued to the page as if begging for it to be untrue. "By destroying… all of Asia…"
There was a very heavy silence as everyone took in what Uncle had just said, faces growing wide with horror. The silence was only broken as Jade gasped, the words finally penetrating her shocked shell and sank into her core, stabbing at her heart as an awful realisation hit her. Her mom and dad… in Hong Kong, waiting for her… about to die!
"Mom… Dad…" she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes as every ounce of reserve inside of her threatened to break and split apart. For an instant, she was not Jade the talisman hunter and crime fighter that she had always painted herself to be since she'd come to America to live with her uncle Jackie. Now she was a frightened little girl barely holding herself together as she wished that this was all a bad dream. She felt Jackie's hand on her shoulder, and she forced herself not to look up at his pitying face, knowing that if she did, the final strands of her resolve would break and she'd be no good to anyone.
"But Uncle…" Jackie's voice softly spoke a minute later, thankfully giving Jade something to focus on other than her panicking heart. "That still doesn't tell us what Shendu would want with Valerie,"
"Perhaps he took her as a hostage," Captain Black suggested. "In the case that anyone tries to stop him, he might use her as a shield so that we might hesitate,"
"Aiiiiyaaaah!" Uncle yelled as he spun in his chair to face Captain Black. "Look at what it did to Tohru!" the old man yelled as he pointed a crooked finger at the large and bandaged man. "Shendu is not concerned if we try to top him! He is empowered by all twelve talismans!"
"So then why did he take Valerie?" Jackie asked again.
"I… do not know." Uncle wavered, a look of uncertainty dawning on his features, something that Jade had previously thought could not happen. Uncle always had the answers to everything. He was never unsure!
"So where would the demon go after he flew off?" Captain Black asked.
"To his palace, of course!" Uncle snapped as if this was completely obvious. He then turned back to the book, studying one of the pages a little more closely for a few minutes before he turned back to the others. "Shendu's former palace is located near what is now Hong Kong," he told them. "His vengeance is to begin at the toll of midnight," Jade gasped again with renewed horror. "Ushering in the Chinese New Year,"
"Chinese New Year?" Captain Black asked as if to make sure he had heard correctly. "That gives us only a couple of days,"
"Less." Jackie said gravely as he turned to look at his friend. "Hong Kong is sixteen hours ahead of San Francisco,"
"We'll take Section 13's fastest transport," Black said with a look of determination in his eyes, turning away as if to exit and leave at that very moment.
"Finding the demon is not enough," Uncle said grimly, causing Captain Black to pause and look at the old man who had come up to him. "One must have a means of… defeating it…" he trailed off as he stretched for a book on the top of the nearest pile, one whose cover he recognised. But the old man was too short, his fingers just scraping the edge. But then, Tohru leaned over and easily plucked the book from the pile, handing it soundlessly to Uncle. "Thank you," Uncle murmured gratefully, and Tohru blinked in surprise, as if he had not expected thanks. "I will come with you," Uncle said firmly.
"I will come… ah… too," Tohru grunted, though it was very clear that he was still in a lot of pain. Everyone looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"Erm… that's okay!" Jackie said quickly.
"Tohru, why help us?" Captain Black asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice as he eyed the larger man.
"I am told that Section 13 serves donuts on Thursdays," Tohru said with a small and sheepish smile. Captain Black glared at Jackie, who shrugged.
"I'm sorry, but you must stay," Uncle told Tohru as he walked up to the bigger man, having to crane his head back to look up into his face.
"No." Tohru answered defiantly. Uncle did not say a word, he only beckoned the man down towards him with a finger. Tohru obliged, thinking the old man to have something important to say that Tohru needed to lean down to hear. But as soon as he was within reach, Uncle reached up and slapped him upside the head with two fingers. "Ow!" Tohru flinched, though he was mainly surprised.
"You stay here!" Uncle snapped at him like a scolding parent. "Someone must watch the shop!" Tohru looked utterly confused but did not say anything further. "Good." Uncle said with a small smile as he turned back to Jackie and Captain Black. "Now, let me gather some things…"
"Uncle," Jackie murmured quietly as he pulled his elder aside as he exited the room. "Why are you so determined to come?"
"Demon has taken Uncle's shop-assistant," Uncle growled with a ferocity and venom that Jackie hadn't seen before. "Therefore he is going to get a piece of Uncle!"
"You think Valerie will be alright by the time we get there?" Jackie asked with a worried look.
"If the demon did not kill her or try to, as it did with you," Uncle said, his voice low and grave once more. "Then it must have some other purpose for her. But for what… I do not know…"
Shendu flew through the air, seeming to have more energy in his body then he knew what to spend it on, the constant contact with his Other attributing to that as he held her in his hand. Shendu was still immensely pleased with how everything had turned out: not only had Valerie been brought to him, but he had finally been released from his imprisonment after nine hundred long years, he had killed the meddlesome Jackie Chan and now he had his Other with him! She was now huddled against his fingers as he held her, clutching onto him as she curled herself into a ball and ducked her face against the ferocious winds created by his momentum using his super-speed. Her blonde hair was streaming behind her and her bound hands were hooked over his thumb as she clutched onto him for dear life as if she feared he might drop her.
But he could feel that she was exhausting herself, her body was battling his chi as it struggled to contain such magic inside of it, slowly going numb the longer they touched. Though Shendu felt better than he had in a long time, even before he had been imprisoned as a statue. The true power of his Other felt as if his demonic magic were full to the brim and near bursting. He felt like he could crush a mountain with but a finger, or that the most complex spells would be the simplest of tasks. So he was content to leave her in her state of inner turmoil, but he could tell that something else was wrong with her. Despite the fact that his fever warm palm encircled her thin waist and warmed her torso, her outer edges were growing too cold from the wind as they sped through the air. He could sense her dropping temperature in her legs and arms, but also her motion sickness from the fast speeds they were travelling at.
So, Shendu decided to set down. By this time they were out across the Pacific Ocean, and Shendu could see a small island rising out of the sea somewhere in the distance. He made towards it, just a simple little island barely big enough to hold any fauna. Despite the fact that Shendu felt the itch to get himself back to his former palace, to start his vengeance as he had been dreaming of for centuries, he knew that he still had plenty of time to reach china and so could afford the small stop. He halted in the air, Valerie giving out a weak moan as she was jostled. Shendu slowly lowered himself out of the air, and unceremoniously put the woman down.
Perhaps he wasn't as gentle or careful as he meant – it would do him no good if he damaged her now – for Valerie screamed as she fell from him hand, the sound cutting short with a cry of pain as she hit the ground with a thud. She rolled from the impact, cursing as she gasped and choked for breath, winded, her face screwed up in pain as she arched her back and hissed between her teeth. Shendu noticed the drop in his power as soon as her flesh left his hand, causing him to growl irritably. He landed with a tremendous 'THUD', the ground shaking slightly under his impact. And as if remembering that he was there, Valerie screeched, rolling onto her stomach as she attempted to push herself up onto her feet even with her hands still tied up in rope. But her feet were a little unsteady, and she only had to take a few steps before she wobbled and tripped. Shendu chuckled in amusement, and with more determination, the woman tried to crawl away, desperate to escape. Shendu had to ask himself how she honestly thought she would escape – what was the point? As amusing as this show was, it was wasting his time.
"Enough." He spoke curtly as he reached out and grasped the woman's leg in his claws and dragged her back towards him. Once again he felt the song in his veins as their chi's entwined and his power was suddenly doubled until he thought he would burst. It was not painful for him as it was for her, as he heard her hiss at the contact. To him it was just a momentary shock before his body quickly adjusted. When she was in front of him, he released her, and watched as she sagged, panting heavily as if she had just put her body through strenuous exercise. Shendu reached out with a claw and she flinched; but all he did was slice his razor-sharp talon through the ropes that bound her wrists. She paused, looking down at her hands as the ropes fell away from her. Shendu didn't see the point in tying her up when he could easily restrain her physically. Valerie rubbed at her sore wrists, looking up at him in confusion.
Good, he thought. All he needed to do was to get her to doubt, for once she doubted – whether it be his motives, her life, her world – she would then fall into temptation, and he would have her eating out of the palm of his hand. Or so the saying went. But then, the woman shook her head as she looked up at him with a determined scowl.
"If you're going to eat me then get on with it already!" she hissed venomously. Shendu had to admire her spirit, she was a feisty one, though he would expect no less from his Other. He didn't want a delicate flower, but he also wanted obedience. But all good things to those who wait, he reminded himself.
"If I wanted you dead, I could have done a thousand different things to end your mortal existence." He told her nonchalantly. "But I haven't. You're more use to me alive and healthy for where we're going,"
"Where are you taking me?!" she demanded icily.
"To my palace," Shendu replied with a sense of grandeur in his voice, remembering the magnificent construct he had had built all those centuries ago, where he had ruled China with an iron fist. Oh the glory days would soon return, he promised himself, his palace being the start. "It is there that we will remain as my plans are carried out,"
"So if you're not going to eat me, you're just going to keep me prisoner there?! You can't do that!" she yelled furiously.
"Oh, but I can," Shendu grinned at her, though there was no mirth in his voice as he made a point of showing his long fangs, his long forked tongue gliding over the tips threateningly. "As a Demon Sorcerer, I am knowledgeable to a lot of spells. Such as ones that can shorten a life… or extend it,"
"D-demon?" the human woman spluttered, eyes going wide and her face going pale. She leaned back away from him, her arms out behind her to help keep her balance. Shendu leaned closer the more she tried to edge away, advancing closer and closer until his breath ruffled her hair.
"There are more things in this world then you can ever imagine. Monsters lurking in the dark, shadows waiting to be unleashed; all the fairy tales you humans now tell yourselves to be myth, were once very real," he told her, deep voice slithering out to hiss at her. She didn't take her eyes off of him, and he met her stare openly. "They wait, lurking in the unseen corners, waiting until you turn your back and then –" he smashed his hand down onto the stone next to her, causing Valerie to scream as she jumped, lurching herself away from the tremor – and bringing her close to Shendu's face. She stopped herself before she could touch him, but he could see straight into her water-blue eyes, saw every emotion that flittered through her soul and he drew her in with his own gaze, keeping her in place as if she were in a trance. He took the time to notice how her delicate female body was so close, he resisted the urge to grin at how everything she was would soon be his. "– They'll strike. But of all the dangers, I am the most powerful, none dare resist the will of the great and powerful Shendu!"
They remained frozen for a long moment, Valerie gazing wide eyed into his face, lip trembling, her skin pale and he could hear her heart fluttering. He then realised just how frightened she was, the tremors of her body indicating the deep fear she suddenly had, though her determination kept her from breaking down, even when face-to-face with the brutal reality of him being so near to her.
"But remain in my good graces, Valerie," he hissed out her name, watching as it seemed to snap her out of her spell and she fell back, once again trying to give herself some space from him as she crawled backwards. "And no harm shall befall you,"
"What do you want with me?" she whispered out, her voice suddenly losing its edge as she looked up at him carefully.
"You will give me the power I require to bring this pitiful world under the command of someone truly worthy of ruling it!" he told her, standing to his full height as he pointed a clawed finger at her.
"Forget it!" she snarled, suddenly rediscovering the fire inside of herself. "I don't know what it is you think I have, but whatever it is, I'm not giving you jack-sh–!"
"That is something not in your power to deny me," he told her, cutting her off, he didn't want to hear her pathetic curses. "For you are my Other,"
"What does that mean?" she raised a brow at him in curiosity but also suspicion.
"It means that we are two halves of the same coin, the yin and the yang to each other's own personalities, we compliment and conflict each other, together we are a perfect whole. We were made to fit each other."
"That doesn't explain what happens when you touch me!"
"Because we are meant to be one, when we are in contact, our chi's attempt to merge. You are made of good chi, where as I am not. Therefore your good chi flows into me to give me balance and my dark chi flows into you to do the same. This boosts both of our powers… though I being a Demon Sorcerer… the effects are much more pronounced in me," he smirked.
"But it only happens when we touch?" she asked cautiously, looking down at her hands in confusion.
"For now," he told her, unable to hide the grin that slowly spread across his face. "That will all change come the binding ceremony,"
"B-b-binding?!" she stuttered, her instincts telling her that there was danger.
"Yes…" Shendu purred out, excitement filling him at the thought of his plans. He might as well let her know of the situation, as their futures would soon be bound together for all of eternity. "Through blood, we will be bound together. Soon I won't have to touch you or even be near you, I will simply summon on our link and your power will be mine!"
"So, what?" she spat, growing bold once again. "You'll then leave me to rot in a dungeon somewhere?!"
"Oh no my dear," Shendu said with mock-innocence, for to him the truth of what he really planned to do with her was so much sweeter. "I promised you the world, did I not? In exchange for your eternal servitude to me, you will have a place above all other humans. I want you by my side as I rule this world, always close at hand."
"I… I don't understand…" she said edgily, though the way she tensed told him of how she very much suspected the truth but was in denial of it.
"I once thought to bestow the same gift on your ancient ancestor," he told her, for indeed, now that he was seeing her with real eyes, and he could feel her chi, he was almost certain that Valerie was a descendant of Lo Pei's lineage. "As her descendant and my Other, it would seem that you are more fitting for that role… as my bride."
"No…. NO!" she suddenly screamed, utter panic filling her eyes as she suddenly scrambled to her feet with such speed that Shendu was rather surprised. She ran from him, speed in her wiry limbs that he hadn't thought she could possess. She ran almost blindly towards the edge of the little island, and as she reached the edge, she seemed so desperate to escape him that she looked ready to jump into the ocean itself. She reached the edge of the little cliff, ready to dive –
Shendu snatched her out of the air, the pair of them having to pause at the contact that caused the power to flow back into their bodies once again. Shendu pulled her pack towards him, bringing her in front of his scaly face.
"There is no escape, Valerie," he hissed, a rumbling growl vibrating in his chest.
"Please… just let me go," she quietly begged him.
"Your future awaits, my dear. You mustn't miss it," he told her in a sickly sweet voice.
"Is this why you've been stalking me?" she asked, eyes wide with disgust. "How long have you been planning this?!"
"Ever since I met you, I knew that you were of great importance," he said, an idea coming to him as he turned on all of his demonic charm to the best of his ability, voice becoming like silk, his grip softening slightly, his eyes never leaving hers as the glow dimmed slightly. "Have you never thought you were different from others? I knew it, and I've always known it. Ever since that first touch, I felt the connection we were destined to share, even though it was muted through the flesh of another,"
"So you were the one who possessed Jade!" she muttered accusingly.
"A failed attempt at retrieving my talismans," he murmured a little bitterly. "But that is what started my interest in you. Since then I have learned your heart and know that it belongs to me. I know your darkest secrets, there is nothing that you can hide from me," a little white lie there but close enough to the truth to spin his charms upon her.
"But why keep coming into my dreams?" she asked, bewildered as to the answer.
"'I wanted to see you again, touch you, know who you were, see if I would find you identical with the ideal image of you which had remained with me and perhaps shatter my dream with the aid of reality.'" He quoted perfectly.
Valerie gasped, eyes going wide as if she thought he had just read something straight out of her mind. He saw the moment when she realised that he must have been watching her in her waking hours as well as her dreams.
"Whatever you may believe," Shendu continued, his soft words working their magic as he tried to play to her desires, the same as he had Valmont and countless others he had tempted. "Those dreams were real. Your trust, your longing for guidance, for protection from the cruelty of this world; it was all real. As were my promises to you… Give yourself to me, Valerie, trust me, obey me, and in return I will give you the world. No one will hurt you, for you would be a queen. I will be sure to provide for your every need, you will want for nothing, I will never harm you and you will suffer no more. And I know that you wanted that."
"Stop…" she moaned, sagging as she slumped her head as if in defeat. Shendu could almost taste his victory that he ploughed ahead, his voice spinning its own magic as it lured the woman into his waiting clutches.
"Think of it, Valerie," he pressed eagerly, knowing that now was the hand he needed to play his best cards, ones that would have her tumbling into his influence. "The world at your feet, humanity brought to order, their sins punished as they should be! You would help me make the perfect world. Under my rule, men like your father would never have died,"
"Stop it!" she suddenly screamed, tears stinging her eyes, and Shendu felt through their connection her chi flaring brightly with the raging storm of her emotions, which were only magnified thanks to the boost of their connection. "You're a demon – a liar! No! I won't listen!" she shouted as if she could drown him out, fixing tear filled but hateful eyes upon him. "I'll die first!"
"That is unacceptable." He snapped, patience wearing thin at his failed attempt to control her. No, his Other had a will of steel just like his own. "Now you will do as you're told, and things will go rather pleasantly for you. But resist, and I'll start my rain of conquest on everyone you've ever loved!"
"No…"she murmured, feeling through the connection how his dark chi flared threateningly. She shook her head desperately, tears gathering in her eyes as the gravity of her situation was made clear to her. "No, you can't!"
"Push me and I will." Shendu hissed, before standing, still holding the woman in his grip as a leer spread across his face as his eyes raked over her body. "Now come, my dear; the time for my revenge is close at hand, and once that is done, wedding bells will be close at hand,"
And he took off again, the woman limp in his hand, weeping in her despair.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN'T GO?!" Jade's voice thundered through Section 13. Jackie winced at the sheer volume of her voice, but decided to ignore her as he continued to pack. "Jackie!" she moaned. "I have to come with you! I'm an essential part of the J-Team… the cunning one?" she supplied a little sourly.
"Jade, this is not a movie." Jackie gently scolded the child beside him, his eyes beseeching her to listen to him, even if only just this once. "You know that this time it is too dangerous,"
Jade harrumphed to herself, crossing her arms over her chest grumpily. Jackie continued to pack, thinking the argument ended. But as he zipped up his bag, he noticed Jade in the seat at his desk, a frame in her hands. By leaning over to see, Jackie could see that the picture was of Jade laughing with her parents. A stab of guilt sliced through Jackie's heart; he knew this must be tough for Jade, and that she was scared, but more than anything he knew that he would never forgive himself if something happened to her. Tears gathered in Jade's eyes as she stared at the picture in her hands, and Jackie sighed as his stoic resolve broke.
"Your mother and father will be safe," he promised her as he leaned down to be eye level with her, offering a small smile. "I will see to it."
"And I will see to it that HE sees to it," Uncle chimed in loudly, and Jackie groaned as the moment was broken.
"But what about Val?" Jade asked.
"We'll get her back Jade, don't worry," Jackie told her softly, ruffling her hair affectionately as he and Uncle left Jackie and Jade's personal room and went to meet with Captain Black. As he exited, Jackie noticed the two guards standing outside the door, and paused momentarily to speak with them. "Don't let your guard down," he told them. "Jade is… cunning," he said quickly, finding no other way to describe his troublesome niece.
Just under an hour later, Jackie and Uncle had boarded Section 13's fastest jet, and with Captain Black and a troupe of his best agents they sped through the skies towards Hong Kong. Jackie was mainly silent, as was Captain Black, both reflecting on the fight to come in their own ways. They both knew that there was no room for error here. And as for Uncle… he was very quick to act odd, sealing himself in the lavatory right after the plane levelled out in the air after take-off. Now half way through the flight, and he still had not emerged, and one of the agent's was pounding furiously on the door as he hopped from foot to foot to hold in the contents of his bladder.
"Go away!" Uncle yelled through the door. "I am busy!"
"Err…" The agent said hesitantly. "You've been in the lavatory since take off,"
Uncle slapped open the sliding door to glare at the agent, surprising everyone with the amount of bubbling vials filled with different coloured liquids stacked behind him, as well as the books in his lap.
"That is right!" he shouted, pointing to the vials as if that were proof enough. "Laboratory!" he then held up a finger to the agent, cutting him off from speaking again. "Do you want Jackie to defeat the evil demon? Yes? Then GO AWAY! Let Uncle work!" He shouted and slammed the door shut once again.
Not far behind the Section 13 jet however, another plane flew swiftly at speed, though not enough to catch up yet able to keep an eye at a safe distance. Valmont sat in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled, brooding in silence. After being imprisoned, Valmont had inquired to his guards and tricked them into giving him the location of where Captain Black was instead of interrogating his coveted Dark Hand prisoners: Hong Kong. Valmont had quickly escaped with his men, and now they had his fastest plane taking them to their sort after prize: a rather large paycheck in the form of a lost treasure. Whether Shendu willed it or no, he would pay up for the services he hired.
But unbeknownst to the Dark Hand, they had a little stow-away. For deep in the cargo hold of their plane, wrapped in many thick blankets to combat the cold, huddled Jade, shivering as she kept her flashlight on to illuminate the dark and creepy space. For her, escaping Section 13 had been easy, she'd broken in a few times before without any problem at all, so getting out was child's play. But it was whilst on her way out that she had overheard agent's talking urgently about Valmont's escape, and it was at that moment that Jade had heard Valmont's voice come from the air ducts. Jade had quickly followed them, overhearing that they were headed to Hong Kong also. It was perfect! She'd snuck aboard their plane, and now waited patiently for them to arrive at their destination, her eyes wandering to the picture of her parents, her heart aching to know that they were safe.
"Don't worry mom and dad," she whispered to the picture. "I'm coming."
Jackie, Captain Black and the agents of Section 13 walked crisply through the wilderness of the hills outside Hong Kong, led by Uncle as he seemed to know where he was going. As the sun set and the late night hours ticked by, Jackie grew increasingly anxious, as did everyone else, as midnight approached ever closer. Finally, as they crested a hill adorned with the trees of the surrounding forest that overlooked a flat and wide valley devoid of trees, Uncle raised his arms with a look of triumph on his old face.
"The palace!" he exclaimed prophetically. Everyone was silent as they looked out in confusion on the valley. There was nothing in sight. Not even a cabin in the woods or even an old ruin where a palace might once have stood. There was simply nothing.
"Where?" Captain Black asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"Here!" Uncle said, gesturing to the flat valley below. "Where the inscriptions indicated!"
"Look," Uncle Black sighed with frustration as he checked his watch. "It's almost midnight, we –"
Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to rumble, causing everyone to yell in surprise as they were all nearly tripped by the furious tremors in the ground. And then, in the valley below, the ground split apart, bubbling and spewing as something sprung from the ground. Rising rapidly, entire buildings came up from the earth, intact and whole as if they had been buried beneath the ground and were now revealed like a dust cloth pulled back from furniture. A giant palace soon stood in the valley, its yellow walls and red roofs a great structure of engineering and architecture, it looked like something straight out of medieval china. The palace was square in shape around a large courtyard at its centre that made up its grand size. As everyone looked upon it, they gasped and gazed in amazement, Captain Black most of all.
"Never question the inscriptions…" Uncle said snootily.
And then, from high above them, a bronze and green blur streaked through the sky at high speeds heading for the valley and the palace below. And out of the sky, dropped none other than Shendu. The massive humanoid dragon landed in the middle of the courtyard, allowing everyone to get a good look at his back, even if from afar. The Agents whispered amongst themselves, fear and disbelief evident in their voices as they looked upon the beast that they were meant to be facing. But the only way Uncle showed concern or even a hint of fear, was when his eyes twitched as he stared down upon the demon in the courtyard. Jackie held up his set of binoculars, as did everyone else in order to better see what was happening.
Jackie felt his stomach lurch with relief as he saw that in Shendu's hand was Valerie, very much alive and seemingly okay. She looked exhausted and limp but otherwise whole. Shendu walked towards the stone steps that led to the main doors of his palace, for on either side of the steps was a statue of the Chinese Fu-dog. Jackie saw Shendu's mouth move as he said something, but obviously Jackie couldn't hear. Shendu then placed a now struggling Valerie to sit between the front legs of the Fu-dog statue, and then the dragon pointed his finger at the stone creature. There was a flash of light, and the statue began to move, although clunky and jerky in its movements, before it encircled its forepaws around Valerie and keeping her still as it restrained her. And then it moved no more. Seemingly satisfied that his prey was under control, Shendu turned away from Valerie and seemed to face the empty air in front of him. Then, reaching out a claw, Shendu seemed to cut the air, a bright light appearing where he touched. The air seemed to split apart as Shendu created a red hole as if he had ripped apart the plains of reality itself. Jackie watched in amazement as the portal extended, the swirling red mass within it glowing brightly.
"What is Shendu doing, Uncle?" Jackie asked quietly as he lowered his binoculars to lean closer to Uncle.
"Releasing his dragon minions…" Uncle murmured in a serious voice.
Shendu raised his arms into the air, roaring loudly, and the portal grew ever wider still, now enough that if he gazed through his binoculars, Jackie could see the legion of glowing red eyes within it. Seemingly having enough of the spectacle, Captain Black turned to his men as they quickly pulled out parts from their bags and began to assemble weapons. In no time at all, they had high grade rocket launching guns ready and armed, a look of deadly determination on their faces.
"Let's turn up the heat," Captain Black muttered, and his men murmured their agreement as they all armed their weapons, looking through the scopes to locate their target. They would have fired – if Uncle had not thrown himself in their way.
"No!" he said quickly as he threw up his arms in front of the weapons. "Shendu is immortal!" Captain Black, whilst extremely confused, put aside his weapon, narrowing his eyes on the old man. Uncle held up a bottle of green liquid as his explanation. "Magic must defeat magic…"
Captain Black looked over at Jackie, who looked just as confused as him. The other man shrugged, and Black groaned as he turned back to his men, telling them to stand down – for now.
"Jackie," Uncle said as he approached his nephew. "This balm will enable you to penetrate Shendu's demon shell and remove the talismans."
"Remove?" Jackie asked nervously as Uncle snatched at his hands to hold them out, palms facing up. "All twelve?"
"Not if you are cunning like Jade," Uncle commented as he pulled out the cork in the bottle. Jackie scowled at the remark. "Certain talismans offer Shendu not firepower, but sustenance. For example: without the reanimation that the Rat Talisman provides, Shendu would revert back to being a statue."
And then, Uncle poured the potion onto Jackie's hands, his skin instantly absorbing the liquid and his hands began to glow with a bright green aura. Both Jackie and Captain Black looked down on his hands with awe. Jackie reached out to grab the bottle of the remaining potion, knowing that he might need some later if this fight went on for longer than necessary.
So now, whether he liked it or not, he was going talisman hunting.
Valerie struggled against her bonds, but it was no use, the stone which now kept her prisoner was unrelenting, and she couldn't even wriggle her arms free. If ever she had thought to escape when she needed to save her own life from being cut short, she knew for definite that she needed to escape now so as not to become the devil's wife! The thought still utterly shocked and repulsed her: marriage?! To that thing?! For a moment she almost wished it wanted to eat her or lock her up somewhere just to feed off of the power they shared – which still confused the hell out of Valerie. But no, it was just her luck that a demon-dragon wanted to slap her in a white dress and walk her down the aisle and perform some sort of blood rite. Valerie whimpered at the thought, fear making her heart clench to a painful degree. She was utterly terrified by what Shendu wanted from her, so alien was he and this world of magic, demons, blood-rituals and world conquest from her normal life that it all seemed like she was living in a dream. And yet the longer she didn't wake up the longer she realised that this was the true reality, and that only made her more hysterical in her attempts to break free. But she was trapped, and it broke her heart to know it. If she didn't do as Shendu wanted, he would kill everyone she loved.
Shendu watched the portal in front of him, almost not paying her any attention though he was easily within reach of her. He rumbled in anticipation, and Valerie knew that something was close at hand, though she didn't know what. Shendu had had this portal open for nearly ten minutes now, and she couldn't help but wonder: what was he waiting for?
"Soon, my warriors…" Shendu murmured to the eyes that swirled within the portal's red heart. "Midnight draws near…" He said, as if answering Valerie's silent question.
She continued to struggle – not really trying to escape, but merely for the purpose of defiance. She would not just sit idly by whilst Armageddon came knocking on the world's door. Valerie was under no disillusions that she could stop Shendu; she could barely control herself whenever he touched her and the power within them both grew to almost uncontainable levels. But she had to do SOMETHING! But it was then, that Valerie noticed someone sneaking over the wall of the palace and into the courtyard. Valerie's heart stopped, her breath stilled and her movements froze as she gazed upon the last person she ever expected to see. Jackie! He was here, he was alive, he was coming to get her! Such joy filled her soul that she began to struggle again, this time more furiously, desperately, anything to just have a shot at freedom. Jackie crept up behind Shendu, and motioned to her to be quiet. Valerie nodded, watching him with a franticly beating heart as he snuck closer and closer to Shendu. Jackie seemed to take a steadying breath, looking at his hands – which Valerie only just now noticed were glowing – before he leapt into the air.
With a grunt, Jackie landed on Shendu's back, and Valerie was almost sickened yet amazed to see that his arms went straight into Shendu's body – right up to the elbows. Instantly, Shendu tensed, spinning and trying to see over his back, roaring loudly in surprise. Jackie seemed to be digging for something as he quickly moved his hands about inside Shendu before retracting his arms. But by this time, Shendu had recovered his composure, and furiously lurched his body forward, causing Jackie to cry out as he was pitched to the side, enough for Shendu to quickly swing his arm back and batter Jackie off of him with a nasty-sounding 'thud'. Jackie grunted in pain but still flipped through the air and landed across the courtyard in a crouch, something clutched in his hand. Valerie strained to see what it was, watching with bated breath as Shendu stalked towards his prey.
"The sheep talisman?" Jackie asked himself, raising a brow.
"How many lives do you possess?!" Shendu asked in furious shock. And Valerie had to agree, it was amazing how Jackie seemed to always save himself from situations that would kill ANYONE else.
"Sheep, sheep, sheep – Valerie which one was – ARGH!" Jackie was cut off as he cried out as Shendu shot at him with a blast of his heat beam eyes. Jackie tried to jump in time, the ground beneath his feet exploding from the force of the blast Shendu shot at him. As Jackie sailed through the air, he hit the ground hard as he rolled. Valerie blinked, and tried to wrack her brains for the answer.
"Sheep… Err – Oh! Jackie! The sheep is astr–" Valerie cried out, trying to get him to answer, but she realised with a sickening feeling that Jackie wasn't moving. "Jackie!"
"He's out cold," Black put down his binoculars as he turned to his agents, all of them arming their weapons again. "Men…" Captain Black then looked through his scope as he aimed for the dragon.
"Aiiyaaa! No!" Uncle shouted as he once again threw himself in front of the gun. "Magic must defeat magic!"
Black groaned as he lowered his weapon, hearing his men disengage their weapons also.
"Uncle, we need to stop that thing – if the fight gets too close one more time, then magic is gonna have to kiss high explosive's ass."
Valerie watched with growing horror as Shendu leaned down to crouch over Jackie, partially blocking her view of him, though she prayed to whatever gods existed that he was not dead – please don't let him be dead! She then heard the most uncomforting noises as Shendu's body rumbled with hunger. She heard him sniff loudly, and an appreciative hum escaped him.
"Hmmm, fresh meat!" he said with a grin in his voice. At his words, Valerie's eyes widened as she fought to keep her stomach in her gut.
"NO!" she screamed fiercely, the cry piercing and cutting across the courtyard. Shendu paused as he winced at the sound, half turning to look at her.
"You may save him if you accept my offer, Valerie," the smirk on his face made her shudder.
But before she could answer, Jackie suddenly sprung up from the ground, making Valerie grin in relief as she realised he was certainly not dead! Jackie ran underneath Shendu, who snarled in surprise. Jackie ducked his hands into Shendu's belly before the demon could rear away from him, and ran straight out between his legs across the courtyard. Valerie saw that he had another talisman in hand.
"My talismans!" Shendu snarled as he turned and raced after Jackie with surprising speed for a creature of his size and weight – and he wasn't even using the rabbit talisman. He swiped at Jackie, who flipped and jumped to avoid the hits, and with a frustrated growl, Shendu stood tall and blasted another heat-beam eye blast at Jackie. Jackie barely managed to throw himself out of the way in time, sliding along the floor in front of Valerie as he pointed his new talisman at Shendu. A blast of fire shot from Jackie's hand, striking Shendu in the chest. Shendu howled with pain as he was thrown off of his feet and slammed into the wall behind him across the courtyard. Smoke rose around him, concealing him from view, though neither Jackie nor Valerie heard anything from him.
"Jackie!" Valerie said urgently, though a relieved grin was plastered on her face. As if just remember she was there, Jackie spun to face her, eyes going wide at seeing her trapped.
"Lean back," he ordered as he aimed the talisman towards her. Valerie was understandably nervous around the dragon-talisman from her last experience with it, though she did as Jackie asked and leaned as far back as she could. A blast of heat shot from Jackie's hand, striking the stone paws that trapped Valerie and making them blast apart. Valerie shrieked, flinching, though she felt no immediate pain. But when she opened her eyes – she was free! She grinned as she looked down at Jackie who came quickly towards her and held out his hands as he helped her down. "I'm so glad you're safe,"
It was then that they heard a threatening growl, causing Valerie to nearly shriek with fear as she and Jackie spun to look at the other side of the courtyard, where the smoke was clearing to reveal a still alive Shendu, crouched on one knee… with a gaping hole in his chest. Valerie wanted to vomit, though she could see no blood or gore, it was just a large hole – though still nauseating to think of a hole in someone's chest. Valerie and Jackie then watched in both horror and awe as Shendu's flesh, muscle, bone, organs and skin began to knit themselves back together, and the hole in the dragon's chest quickly shrank until it was gone completely. Shendu stood to his full height, the moon framing his head behind him as he smirked down at the pair.
"You cannot harm me, Chan," he told them mockingly. "The Horse is the healer,"
And then, Shendu was nothing more but a blur of green and bronze as he shot forward towards them. Before either Valerie or Jackie could do anything in their surprise, Shendu rammed into them, forcing them apart as he struck right between them. Valerie was sent tumbling a little to Shendu's left, though she was winded but not seriously hurt. Jackie however was battered across the courtyard, grunting and crying out in pain as he struck the ground again and again as he rolled and tumbled. He landed just in front of the portal, groaning as he sat himself up with a glare at Shendu.
"And the Rabbit is speed…" Jackie muttered.
Something poked its muzzle through the opening in the portal, roaring as it tried to get through, huge with large sharp teeth and slobbering jaws that snapped for meat. Jackie screamed as he turned and scooted back away from the awful creatures behind him, that were begging for release.
"That tears it!" Black cursed with a scowl, his patience obviously at an end.
"You cannot shoot!" Uncle snapped at the man. "They will not harm Shendu! And Jackie and Valerie are still down there!"
"We've got good aim," Black said a little defensively. "And I may be starting to believe in your mumbo-jumbo, but I still believe that the laws of physics apply here: add an explosive to something, it will blow up." He then turned his back on the old man to stare strictly at his agents. They nodded and all of them took up their positions.
Uncle hurriedly put on his binoculars to look down into the palace courtyard as Captain Black and his men each fired their rockets onto their target. The scream and trail of smoke they emitted was loud enough to grab the demon's attention as he paused in his task to look in the direction of the incoming rockets. The first rockets to strike came perilously close to Valerie, who was not far from Shendu. She screamed, curling herself into a ball so as not to make a bigger target of herself as she covered her head. Hearing her cries, Shendu used the power of the speed talisman to get himself in front of her, shielding her with his own body as he crouched over her. Rockets rained down around them, exploding with loud crashes and flashes of smoke and fire. When the dust cloud cleared, Shendu appeared, hole and alive, not a scratch on him. As he straightened to stand, Uncle was relieved to see that Valerie was perfectly alright, even as she looked up at the demon standing above her with shock and confusion. The dragon bared his fangs angrily as he looked up at the hill, Uncle getting a chill down his spine as Shendu seemed to look right into his eyes through his binoculars.
Uncle only had a moment to shout out a warning as he saw a familiar glow in Shendu's eyes. Quickly, at Uncle's warning, they all fell to the ground, covering their heads as a heat-beam blast came shooting towards them, causing trees that had been standing behind them to explode loudly, raining splinters down around them. None of them moved as they expected more fire, though where they were on the ground was out of sight from where Shendu was in the courtyard of his palace. When a moment passed and nothing more seemed to happen, they all shakily stood as they looked down to see that Shendu had returned to fighting Jackie.
"Men! Get ready to fire ag–" Captain Black was about to say to his men with more battle-determination. But suddenly, Uncle's hand was upon his shoulder, and a loud 'crack' sound was heard. Captain Black went rigid, freezing in place, before he slumped to the ground, eyes rolling in his head as he fell to the floor unconscious.
"Who else wants a piece of Uncle?" Uncle challenged as he raised a fist, bending his other fingers to the secret agents as if daring them to try.
If anything could have made Valerie more confused, it was when Shendu had raced to her side and protected her whilst rockets rained down around them. Valerie had laid curled in a ball, shaking in fear of dying in an explosion, but had stopped when nothing seemed to happen, looking up to see a wall of scales crouched over her, a growl coming from its chest as he curled its arms around her position, creating a protective cocoon around her. Valerie's eyes had widened, and she stared up in confused awe as Shendu had then risen up and blasted the source of where the attack had come from. But then, just like that, he'd left her, chasing after Jackie in order to try and squash him. Not a word was said to her, it happened as if it should be second nature. Valerie wanted to feel grateful, but that felt like she was siding with him – which she most certainly was not! But what confused her was why Shendu would bother at all; he was meant to be a demon-sorcerer, a creature of evil, so why save her?
Before she could think on it anymore, Valerie heard the distinct and unmistakable sounds of a plain engine, and looked up in time to see a sort of plain/helicopter-hybrid machine land in the far corner of the courtyard. It was almost out of sight and Jackie and Shendu were too preoccupied trying to destroy each other to notice. Valerie stiffly climbed to her feet, watching the plain warily as she saw its door open and four familiar figures walked out. Valerie wanted to spit on the ground as she saw Valmont exit the plain followed by his goons as they smugly walked towards the ramparts of the palace walls, heading towards the main body of the building. But then, from the underbelly of the aircraft, Valerie spied a hatch open, and out popped a familiar little head of black hair.
"JADE?!" Valerie's mouth fell open and almost hit the floor in her shock. The little girl turned at the sound of her voice as she hopped out of the plain, grinning when she saw her.
"Val!" she shouted in relief and joy, running towards her as she threw her arms around her, hugging her waist tightly. "You're okay!"
"Jade!" Valerie said a little breathlessly, the events of the night quickly catching up with her until she thought she would collapse with fatigue. "W-what are you doing here?!"
"You didn't think I was just going to sit by whilst Shendu tried to conquer the world, right?" Jade raised a challenging eyebrow that almost made her look very much like a grown-up. Valerie spluttered in confusion and indignation.
"Yes, but it's too dangerous! Why aren't you with Uncle? Why did you come here with the Dark Ha–" she was cut off when Jackie went running towards a wall, Shendu racing after him with the speed of the rabbit talisman. "Never mind! Talk later!" Valerie said quickly as she pulled Jade out of the way. Jackie recognised that he was about to rammed, and jumped up and ran his feet up the wall. He managed to get just high enough that as Shendu came smashing into the wall to try and catch him, his claws and teeth barely missed Jackie's back. Jackie pushed away from the wall, flipping through the air as he rolled down Shendu's back, plunging his hands into the dragon's back again as he went, and landed safely on the ground. Jackie looked down at the talisman in his hand, and Valerie thought she saw a blue shine to it.
"Monkey?!" Jackie asked in frustration as he stared at his hand. "I was hoping for –" at that moment, Shendu pulled his face out of the wall and turned with a vicious growl towards Jackie. "– RABBIT!" Jackie shouted as he instinctively pointed the talisman towards Shendu.
Valerie had not been present when Jade and Jackie had gone on their trip to find the Monkey Talisman. And although she knew what it did – through Jade's endless gossip and bragging about the adventure – she was still surprised by what happened next. A blue light shot from Jackie's hand hitting Shendu though he tried to duck away from the magic. A blue glow enveloped the huge dragon, changing him and warping him, and in the blink of an eye, he was gone, and in his place something plopped to the ground. Valerie had to blink in order to make sure she was seeing things clearly. Standing in the exact same spot where Shendu had been, was a little green and bronze bunny rabbit, with long ears, red eyes, scraggily whiskers and tattoos on its brows. It was just a little round ball of fur, the epitome of non-dangerous. Valerie couldn't help it; for as she stared at the little green bunny, a feeling overcame her that made a small smile spread across her face. It was an instinctive girly thing that she had once thought herself incapable of feeling – as most of the plastic girls in high school had constantly reminded her that she was too dorky to be a real girl.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwww!" she murmured, holding her hands in front of her face to hide her slightly amused smile. It was rather funny to think that Shendu, the monstrous dragon set to bring the end of the world, was now a cute and adorable little BUNNY!
"It's not a normal loveable bunny!" Jackie said sternly as he scowled at her.
"But he does look positively adorable…" Valerie murmured as she tried to hide her growing grin. Bunny-Shendu turned his head to look at her, and Valerie was caught by surprise at the withering glare her sent her way. Unfortunately, this made Valerie's already girly-adorable-radar-instinct grow out of control, and she struggled to hide her little giggles. She wondered briefly if the events of the night had destroyed her sanity.
"It's the Chinese zodiac hit parade," Jade murmured quietly so that only Valerie could hear.
"I will admit, he is cute…" Jackie murmured, though he couldn't hide his grin. Shendu returned to glaring at Jackie, and a second later, a powerful eye-blast burst from his eyes, causing Jackie to shriek as he barely managed to get out of the way in time. Instantly, Valerie felt her giddiness leave her, especially when she saw Shendu vanish out of thin air. "Invisibility!" Jackie gasped, looking around as if he could spot his hidden enemy.
A moment later, Jackie cried out and shook his hand, where Valerie saw teeth marks in his flesh as he shook his hand in the air. The Monkey Talisman left Jackie's hand, and floated in the air as it was carried back to where Shendu had stood. A second later bunny-Shendu reappeared, floating in mid-air. There was a flash of blue light, and the shape of the rabbit warped and changed, until Shendu stood there again, his hulking and threatening dragon form towering over everyone. He seemed to be in a particularly bad mood as he scowled at Jackie furiously.
"Monkey see, monkey do!" he snarled, pointing the talisman power towards Jackie. A blue light shot towards Jackie, who threw himself out of the way, leaving a statue on the far wall behind him to change into monkey. Jackie ducked underneath Shendu's legs, even as the demon tried to stamp on him as he passed; the man's hands disappearing into Shendu's knee and plucking another talisman as he went. Shendu turned and with a roar he shot another eye-blast at Jackie, who jumped out of the way and leapt towards Shendu! Valerie was about to scream out for him to stop, when Jackie's leg kicked into Shendu's chest, and the dragon let out a cry of pain as he was suddenly knocked back, landing on the ground hard. He groaned as he didn't seem to be getting up.
Jackie landed next to Valerie with a triumphant grin on his face. Looking down at the talisman he had snagged, Valerie peeking a look as well: the Ox.
"The strength talisman," Jade said with a grin. "Good one,"
"I know Jade… BWA!" Jackie shrieked as he flinched away from her as if she were a ghost, eyes going wide and jaw falling open. "Jade! How did you –?!"
"Your hands!" Jade exclaimed, ignoring her uncle's clearly worried and shocked questions. It took her all of a second to figure out – even when Valerie had not even bothered to try and work out the how's in this new and crazy world she had been pulled into. "I get it! That must be some Uncle magic –"
"JACKIE! LOOK OUT!" Valerie screamed as she saw something move out of the corner of her eye. She went to lunge for her friend, but before either she or Jackie could do anything, a clawed hand snatched at Jackie, clamping around his body harshly before yanking him into the air.
"ARGH! TALK LATER!" Jackie shouted down to the two girls.
Valerie watched in helpless horror as Jackie used the strength of the Ox Talisman to struggle in Shendu's grasp, managing to force the dragon's fingers open in order to drop to the ground. But before he could move away, Shendu snatched at Jackie's hands, one in each of his own. A tug-of-war ensued between the pair, as Jackie tried to pull his hands free, though Shendu's unrelenting grip kept pulling him back.
"The playing field is… almost even… Shendu!" Jackie grunted out as he struggled to speak.
"You may have the Ox," Shendu taunted with a smug smirk. "But relative to me, all that makes you is a very strong mouse."
Shendu then let go of Jackie, causing the man to lurch backwards, his unbalance allowing Shendu to lunge quickly, claws wrapping around Jackie once again and hoisting him into the air. Shendu held Jackie upside down by his ankles, shaking him as all the talismans that Jackie had collected fell from his pockets, along with other items. In that one moment, Valerie felt whatever hope had inhabited her heart leave her, and the cold grip of despair took its place.
"No!" Jade said, shaking her head as she looked up at her beloved uncle helplessly. "Mom, dad… all of Asia… are counting on you!" They then both heard a loud 'clank' as a cracked bottle of a bright green liquid came rolling towards them, from where it had fallen from Jackie's pocket. Jade picked it up, a look of determination coming onto her face as she looked from the bottle to Jackie. "… And me!"
"Wait! Jade!" Valerie said quickly, understanding what the girl might have realised as she looked from the contents in the bottle, to the strange glowing aura around Jackie's hands. Valerie snatched at Jade, halting the child before she went running off into battle. "You'll die before you can even get close!"
"But we have to help Jackie!" Jade said defiantly, desperately.
"I know! Listen!" Valerie said, a feeling of urgency inside of her as she knelt down and grasped the girl's arms as she stared into her eyes. "Shendu will pull you off before you can get away – you can't move fast enough like Jackie! So I'm going to run up and touch Shendu. When I do, there will only be a small second opportunity for you to get away, Shendu will be too overcome in that split second. You need to get out and don't hesitate – do you understand?!"
"Yes." The girl said firmly, a serious look on her face that reminded Valerie of just how young she was, making her doubt her plan. She shouldn't be involving a child! But she had no other choice…
"Then let's do it." she murmured, as she stood, and Jade quickly opened the bottle to pour its contents onto her hands.
Valerie looked up in time to see Shendu holding Jackie up towards the portal, his claws clamped around the human's middle in an unrelenting grip as the man struggled. Without any of the talismans, Jackie was practically helpless. From the depths of the red haze in the portal multiple pairs of eyes loomed as snarling dragon heads poked through, trying to push their way through and snap at Jackie as Shendu held him like bait.
"Pity you will not live to see my reign over your world," Shendu said smugly, his eyes fixed on Jackie, even as Valerie and Jade crept up behind him. "But you shall be the first to visit theirs." Shendu murmured in a sadistic tone, as he leant forward, Jackie squirming as he was pushed towards the snarling and snapping heads that fought for his blood.
"Now!" Valerie hissed.
Shendu heard the noise and half turned, unprepared for the little girl who came sailing through the air and latched onto his back, plunging her hands inbetween his shoulder blades. Shendu roared in surprise, twisting to try and reach the girl, dropping Jackie in the process. Before his claws could graze the girl as she rummaged, Valerie struck. She lunged forward, hands grasping at the dragon's legs as she touched the flesh just below his knee. Instantly, Valerie felt her essence –what Shendu had called her Chi – respond to the dragon's as their powers combined with an explosive crash inside of them. Both Valerie and Shendu gasped in shock, for each time it seemed the clash of their powers was more powerful than before, as if her and Shendu's Chi were growing impatient with not being melded together. Valerie felt her body fit to burst, the raw power contained within her almost enough to make her scream with pain. She and Shendu were frozen in shock, but she knew that he would recover much quicker than her, and then he would have the upper hand on them all.
But as if noticing the momentary shock in Shendu, Jackie leapt back up towards the demon, latching onto his chest. The force was enough to knock Shendu back a step, breaking the contact between him and Valerie. Valerie felt all of her energy leave her as she sagged to the ground, struggling to regain her breath as if she had just run a marathon.
"Little Jade Horner…" Jade murmured as she leapt down from Shendu's back to safety a second after Valerie had told her to in their 'plan'. "Pulled out a dog!"
"Rat!" Jackie shouted triumphantly as he too jumped back from Shendu, holding the prize talisman in his hand.
"NO!" Shendu shrieked with panic as his red eyes went impossibly wide, and he thrashed his body as if he could prevent what was happening to him. He was lifted into the air, a light shining from the centre of his chest that quickly engulfed him. Like with the monkey talisman, his body warped and shifted as his scales turned to stone and his body was twisted backwards onto itself. There was another blinding flash of light, causing Valerie to shield her eyes from the blast, but a moment later it disappeared, and as she looked again, the dragon was gone, and in its place lay the Chinese-dragon statue of Shendu. There was a roar, causing Valerie to look up as a dragon poked its head through the portal, which was beginning to shrink. The dragon fought as if it could physically hold the portal open, but it was a losing battle, and eventually even that was gone, and the portal vanished as if it had never been there.
Valerie picked herself up, something drawing her towards the statue as she stiffly climbed to her feet and stumbled forward, Jackie and Jade at her side. A part of her was curious to see if it was really over, and she wondered if the statue was just a statue now, but as she came to stand in front of it where it lay on the ground, the red eyes glowed as they looked up at her and her companions threateningly.
"I will have my revenge!" Shendu raged at them in that serpentine hissing voice of his statue form. "If it takes another nine hundred years!" he spat. Valerie felt a cold shiver run down her spine.
"Tch," Jade muttered dismissively as she looked down upon Shendu with cold hatred. "No Rat means you're just a statue," she then stooped to the ground and picked up the dragon talisman from where it had fallen from Jackie's pocket earlier. She held it up, pointing it face down so that Shendu could see it. "And no dog means you're not immortal…"
"Jade – Wait!" Valerie shouted, holding out a hand to stop –
A spout of fire erupted from the talisman, and struck Shendu in the face. The fire consumed the statue for a moment, before exploding with a loud crash, and Valerie could have sworn she heard Shendu scream as his body was shattered into a million different pieces. Jackie, Jade and Valerie threw themselves to the ground to avoid the flames, and when they looked up… Shendu was no more. Everyone sighed, allowing a moment of respite to catch up to their weary bones… when suddenly, Valerie felt the ground begin to shake. Jade shrieked, Jackie gasped and Valerie almost screamed as she struggled to keep her balance. Quickly looking around, Valerie saw that the palace was beginning to crumple, roofs falling, walls shattering, as if an earthquake were erupting beneath their feet. The palace turned to ash and sand and ruin around them, and instantly Jackie picked Jade up and carried her under one arm whilst also grabbing Valerie's hand with the other and dragging her behind him as he ran towards the gates of the palace and to freedom away from the dangerously falling palace.
"But the Talismans –" Jade shouted over the roar of crumbling stone.
"Never mind!" Jackie shouted back. Valerie was too exhausted to say anything as she focused all of her energy into simply running. They only just managed to shoulder their way through the disintegrating gates and didn't stop running as Jackie lead them towards the hill, where Valerie remembered the rocket-fire coming from, and where she supposed help was waiting.
The agents were cheering in triumph as they looked down onto the now empty valley, both Shendu and his palace completely gone; even Uncle had a small smile on his face as he had his hands on his hips. From his feet, he heard a small groan, and looked down briefly to see Captain Black coming back to consciousness, rubbing his neck as he groaned.
"What happened?" He asked groggily. Uncle ignored him, and turned towards the secret agents with a knowing and almost smug smile.
"See? What have we learned?" he asked patronisingly.
"Magic must defeat magic…" the agents replied in unison in groaning monotones.
It was then that they heard grunts, and Captain Black and several agents went to the edge of the hill to see Jackie, Valerie and Jade climbing up, and the agents quickly held out their hands to help them. The three warriors collapsed onto the ground once they were pulled onto the top of the hill, completely exhausted and panting for breath. Wearily, Jackie climbed to his feet, smiling with relief that it was finally over… They all heard a far off screech, and everyone turned in time to see that from the distant lights of Hong Kong, fireworks were shooting into the air, exploding in a rainbow of colours that illuminated the night.
"Happy New Year Jade," Jackie said softly with a warm smile for his niece. "And Happy New Year Valerie and Uncle – OW!" Jackie yelped as Uncle slapped him with two fingers. Hard.
"You destroyed the demon?!" Uncle shouted, seemingly completely and utterly furious that Jackie was quite taken aback by his ferocity. "Yin and Yang?! Now the world is out of balance! Nobody told you to destroy the demon!"
"Jade did it." Jackie said quickly, eyes wide as he pointed a finger at his niece, seemingly willing to do anything to escape his uncle's fury.
"Uncle, why is this so important?" Valerie asked as she stiffly pushed herself to sit up on the ground. "I would think you would be happy – no more evil Shendu to plague the world,"
"No! Now there is a void," Uncle said gravely, his eyes speaking of true fear in their ancient depths. "For a new stronger evil to fill…"
Valerie sighed in exasperation, looking away, and then noticed Jade standing alone as she looked up at the exploding fireworks, a sad look on her face. A well of pity swelled within Valerie, and she stood to her feet wobbly as she quickly elbowed Jackie to get his attention. Upon noticing his niece in such a lonely state, Jackie hesitantly approached her.
"You should visit your parents…" Jackie said slowly, a little awkwardly.
"After everything that's happened, I guess you would want to," Valerie tried to supply, but trailed off when she saw the miserable look in Jade's eyes.
"They… might want me to stay with them…" she murmured softly, brokenly.
"Would that be so awful?" Jackie asked.
"Depends on where home is…" Valerie whispered as a sense of realisation struck her as she looked onto Jade's tear filled eyes.
Valmont arose from the pile of ash and dust, fury and anger filling him completely. He had been SO CLOSE! He'd had the treasure of Ching Xi Hung in his very fingers, more gold around him then he could have ever possibly imagined! And then, out of nowhere it had all began to crack and turn to ash on his fingers. He and his thugs had barely managed to get out of there before being buried alive, though they still managed to escape completely filthy and with nothing to show for their efforts.
"I know how much the treasure meant to ya Big V," came Finn's breathy voice, causing Valmont to turn and sneer at the grinning man. "But how about a consolation prize…" Finn then indicated with his hand… little sparkling specks in the ash.
Well, Valmont thought as a grin spread across his face. Perhaps they had something to show for it after all…
Only a few days later, and Valerie was utterly relieved to be back in San Francisco, though she took a very well earned week off from work as she spent it reviving her energies. But it wasn't long before she was back in the shop, breathing in a huge lungful of dusty air… just like home!
"Uncle! Valerie!" she heard Jackie exclaim happily as he came walking in through the door not long after her.
"Jackie!" Valerie beamed, throwing her arms around him in a fierce hug. She hadn't even realised how much she missed everyone… or what she owed them after everything that had happened. Jackie hugged her back, laughing softly.
"Jackie! Valerie!" They heard Uncle exclaim as well, and turned to look at him, before noticing that he was not alone. "Give Tohru a hug," the old man pointed to the sumo who was now without bandages, and holding a feather duster in one hand.
"Don't." Tohru grunted with a held up hand to stop them. Valerie grinned. Apparently, Captain Black had managed to sweet talk some high-up officials in the justice system into letting Tohru go free without charge as the big-man was more than willing to co-operate and talk about key Dark Hand operations across the world, as well as where they were getting most of their money and illegal activities. So it looked like Tohru was going to stay.
"This… will take some getting used to…" Jackie said slowly as he watched Tohru squeeze into the kitchen. And then, Jackie sighed, a crestfallen look coming over his features. "Listen… Jade not being around…" he trailed off sadly.
"We all miss her," Valerie said softly, a pang of grief striking through her.
"I know…" Tohru sighed, surprising everyone.
"Ah! That reminds me!" Uncle said suddenly with a slight smile. "A letter from Jade's parents arrived yesterday," he then fished through his desk until he retrieved the piece of paper. "They are very pleased with how much she has learned in America…"
Valerie then heard a car pulling up outside, and curiously turned to look… and a beaming smile overtook her face as she saw who was now standing in the doorway.
"One MORE thing!" Jade said loudly in a very Uncle-like manner. Jackie gasped and turned around with a smile of his own. "They're SO pleased, they want me to hang here for another year!" she shouted excitedly as she ran into the shop and threw herself at Jackie, jumping onto his chest and tackling him to the ground as she folded her arms around him.
"It's good to have you home Jade!" Valerie smiled as she knelt down to hug the pair, Jade turning to hug the older woman back.
"It's good to be home!"
Author's Note: So That is probably the LONGEST chapter I've written ever. I would have cut it in half, but I wanted to keep the pace up - plus I didn't know where to cut it :P Oh well, I hope you all enjoyed it anyway.
And this will be the last chapter I post before Christmas - But don't worry! I will update after New Year with the next chapter when I take a bite into Season 2 ;) So until then, please review, and have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!