Time & Again
Chapter 9 - We Must Be Devious, Cunning, Inventive... Too Bad We're Us
“Stop griping, Jack Spicer – walking is simple.”
Jack sneered at Omi. “Of course it is; that doesn’t make it any less boring, though!”
Omi, about to retort, paused. Finally, he said, “Yes… what you say is true. But walking does
enable us to see what we would ordinarily miss. Do you not truly see
the vibrancy of the blue sky? Feel the warmth of the sun? Feel the
breeze? Smell the grass and wildflowers?”
“Yes, I can see and feel all that – and the sun is going to kill me,” Jack bitched. “I’m an albino, Captain Oblivious; it means I’m sensitive to light! That’s why I’m covered up and why I’m wearing these goggles!”
Omi blinked. “It is not simply a bad fashion choice?”
Jack clenched his jaw. “Y’know, it’s difficult to think of you as the end result of millions of years of evolution.”
Omi glowered at him.
“Don’t you look at me in that tone of voice!”
Pouting, Omi looked away.
Several
feet ahead of them walked Guan and Jun-Han. The two warriors were
conversing in low tones, but it was obvious from the stiffness between
both of them that the conversation was not pleasant.
Jack
allowed his eyes to rest on Jun-Han. He admired the easy glide of the
older man’s stride and the ripple and sway of the long, glossy black
hair. The power and strength in the man’s frame was easily apparent,
though all he was doing was walking. Jack had always liked watching
Chase Young walk, or even move at all. Each move the deadly man made
was an economy of motion, yet was lyrical with grace—
Jack
hastily averted his gaze. As if he could sense he was being watched –
and he probably could, for all Jack knew – Jun-Han had turned to look
over his shoulder at him. He willed himself not to blush and resolutely
turned his gaze back to the would-be evil everlord.
Then Guan turned as well, saw Jack looking at them, and smiled. Reflexively, Jack offered a half-smile back.
The
calm that had been easing into Jun-Han’s face disappeared and he once
again faced forward, his demeanor radiating the chill of forced
indifference.
Guan’s expression drooped and he turned also to begin talking to Jun-Han again.
“I
think that if you smile at Master Monk Guan too much more, there will
be a very ugly incident,” Omi said quietly from beside Jack.
Jack frowned at the little monk. “Whaddya mean, Bald—uh, Omi?”
Omi
scowled, but let it go. “I mean that Jun-Han is very annoyed by the
favorable attention you are giving Master Monk Guan. Jun-Han is liable
to become grouchy over this.”
Jack sneered. “You’re saying he’s jealous? Oh, get real! Chase Young hates me!”
“Chase Young hates everyone,” Omi corrected. “But Jun-Han does not.”
The
taller teenager frowned as he pondered that bit of information. If what
Omi was saying was true, then this might be the catalyst needed to goad
Jun-Han over to the side of Evil. Then he grimaced, because he just
couldn’t stomach the thought of cuddling up to Guan. Yes, he wanted
Jun-Han to become Chase Young and advance the cause of Evil, but there
were some lengths he just wasn’t willing to go to in order to achieve
his goals.
Jack decided that if Omi were correct, and Jun-Han was in a snit, he’d better go coax the older man out of his pout.
Unfortunately, that’s when the monster chose to attack.
The
hiss was louder than a steam engine’s as the giant snake rose up out of
a hole in the ground to the left of the small group. The hole had been
covered over to look as though it were safe earth. The four of them had
been walking towards it, but Guan and Jun-Han had marginally altered
their course even as they talked; leading Jack and Omi past the patch,
and the two teenagers now realized they had done so and why.
Jack looked up and up and up and UP
at the gigantic snake and shuddered. He had no great fear of snakes –
not like his fear of spiders, anyway – but this thing was just a bit
bigger than full-sized Dojo, and that didn’t sit well at all with Jack.
His eyes wide, he took a few steps back and gasped, “Oh – my – aaaaaaaaaah! Why does this thing look so familiar?!”
Omi
tossed Jack the Monkey Staff, even as he pulled free the Orb of
Tornami, and snapped, “Do you not remember when we were all seeking the
Bird of Paradise?”
Jack nodded and said, “Oh, yeah! But that thing was all skin and bones – literally!”
“That is because it was dead,” Omi replied, bracing for battle. “It is currently alive!”
“And miles away from the Land of Nowhere!” Jack added, but he activated the Monkey Staff, knowing he’d need the extra agility.
Guan
and Jun-Han went leaping high into the air just then, intent on drawing
the giant snake’s attention, their spears ready for battle, and the
snake turned on them.
Jack and Omi looked at each other, nodded silently, and then leaped into action themselves.
The
four of them worked effectively together; interchanging roles as
Attackers and Bait seamlessly, although Jack and Omi stayed mostly in
the role of Bait, allowing Guan and Jun-Han to attack the snake.
Unfortunately, the snake’s scales and hide were exceptionally tough,
and the warrior’s spears were barely making a dent. They tried to go
for the beast’s eyes, but the Snake was too smart for that trick and
dodged all incoming attacks that might truly have hurt it.
Omi
growled under his breath as he watched Jun-Han and Guan leap out of the
way of another strike from the snake’s big, poisonous fangs. Despite
the prowess of three warriors and Jack’s ability to run away
exceptionally well, the four of them were making no progress while the
snake was getting closer and closer to wiping them out. Though it went
against his very grain to do so, Omi knew that sometimes running away
was the smarter option.
While Jun-Han and Guan once again made
an attack against the snake and Jack fell back to stand by Omi, the
little monk reached into his tunic sleeve and pulled out—
“The
Silver Manta Ray?!” Jack bellowed angrily, his sharp monkey fangs
bared. “All this time we’ve been hiking along and you’ve had the Silver
Manta Ray?”
“For emergency purposes only!” Omi snapped back.
“I’d say this qualifies!” Jack snarled. “Open her up, peewee!”
Omi
gave Jack a very angry look, but he threw the Silver Manta Ray into the
air, calling its name. In a flash of light, the Shen-Gong-Wu grew to
its larger size and the canopy opened up as it hovered an inch or so
off the ground.
The snake, attracted by the light, turned and lunged for the two youths.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!”
both Jack and Omi screamed, and they leaped up and scrambled into the
cockpit; Jack, dropping the Monkey Staff to take the controls, drove
the Silver Manta Ray forward under the incoming attack.
“GET IN!” Jack bellowed as the Ray flew towards Jun-Han and Guan.
Rather than argue, the two warriors leaped up and forward and landed in the seats behind Omi and Jack.
Omi
closed the canopy and Jack flew the Silver Manta Ray straight up into
the sky; narrowly dodging the next attack from the snake.
“Wh-what is this?” Guan asked through gritted teeth, holding onto the back of Omi’s seat with a white-knuckled grip.
“Another
Shen-Gong-Wu called the Silver Manta Ray,” Omi replied, speaking very
quickly. “Grab the straps by your left shoulders, pull them across your
body, and slide them into the clasp by your right hips!”
Hurriedly, Jun-Han and Guan did as ordered and realized the straps were meant to hold them in place.
Jack
leveled the Silver Manta Ray onto a more horizontal setting and then
tilted the transport so they could all look through the canopy and down
to the ground where the snake lay coiled.
“Then we are safe!”
Jun-Han crowed, grinning as he leaned forward slightly to see past
Jack’s shoulder. “Despite its length, the snake will not be able to
reach us up here!”
“Except for one tiny little problem,” Jack growled as he tightened his grip on the controls.
“What’s that?” Omi asked, confused.
On
the ground below, the snake let out an enraged snarl, flexed its body,
and abruptly, giant leathery wings like those of a bat’s spread out
from its body.
“The snake can fly, too,” Jack replied, and he
turned the Silver Manta Ray so that it was heading away from the snake
and pushed the throttle as far as it would go, increasing their speed.
“That hardly seems fair,” Guan rumbled, craning his neck in an attempt to peer out the side window to see behind them.
Jack
made no reply; he was too busy concentrating on flying the Ray in a
“bob and weave” pattern that, so far, was keeping them from becoming
the snake’s lunch as the giant beast missed every time it lunged at
them.
What followed was a spectacular aerial ballet as the snake
attempted to catch them, but Jack looped and spiraled and dived and
rolled the Silver Manta Ray away from every attack; deftly evading each
attempt to deliver a death crunch from the massive jaws.
“Most
excellent flying, Jack Spicer!” Omi yelled with a grin as the Silver
Manta Ray flipped upside down at Jack’s command. The four of them could
now see the earth “above” them, as well as the snake that, after having
missed its latest lunge at them, had crashed face-first into the side
of a mountain.
“I heartily agree!” Jun-Han added, grinning hugely himself. Despite the extreme danger they were all in, he was having a lot of fun.
Guan, who had a slightly greenish tinge to his face, said nothing.
“Yeah, that’s great, glad you’re all happy,” Jack groused. “But that snake is gonna get lucky sooner or later. Omi, are there any weapons on this thing?”
Omi
nodded, leaned forward, and flicked a switch on the center console.
Instantly, a subtle vibration began thrumming through the Ray. “These
are electrical weapons, like the Eye of Dashi.”
“That’s it?” Jack grumbled.
“The Silver Manta Ray is primarily a transport, not an attack vessel,” Omi replied primly.
“Freakin’
monks and their inability to take the initiative,” Jack spat. “Fine, if
electrical weapons are all we have, it’s time to get creative.”
“And
how do you—“ Jun-Han stopped speaking as Jack abruptly sent the Ray
into a barrel roll to avoid another snake attack; waiting until the Ray
had leveled out again to finish with: “—plan to do that?”
“Electricity on its own is painful enough,” said Jack. “But electricity combined with water…”
“…makes it even more painful!” Omi said with a smirk as he caught on. “Get us into attack position, Jack Spicer – I shall do the rest!”
“What are you going to do?” Jun-Han asked, curious.
“Make
that snake regret ever tangling with us!” Jack growled, and he flipped
the Silver Manta Ray around, down, and then back up to hover level with
the snake as it came flying straight at them.
Omi flipped the
lever that opened the canopy, unsnapped his seatbelt, and then leaped
out of the cockpit to balance on the nose of the Silver Manta Ray.
Focusing only on his need to harness his element and not the
fact that a violent, messy death was rushing towards him at high speed,
Omi concentrated and a ball of water began forming in front of him,
spinning fast and tight around itself.
“Wudai Neptune Water!”
Omi shouted, and he pushed out with his hands, directing the water
blast that arced out away from him, directly into the face of the snake.
The
snake shuddered as it was effectively halted in its proverbial tracks;
thrashing to escape the deluge of water it was being drenched with.
“Okay,
that’s enough!” Jack said after nearly a minute of the Wudai attack,
and Omi instantly let go of his element and leaped back into the
cockpit, the canopy closing tight behind him.
The snake shook
its head fiercely, flinging water everywhere. Once it regained its
orientation, its wings spread wider and it let out an indignant shriek
of rage as it prepared to lunge again.
Jack reached out and slammed his hand down on the firing button of the electrical weapon.
From
below the nose of the Silver Manta Ray, two slender appendages began to
glow and then shot forth streamers of high voltage electricity. The
energy slammed directly into the waterlogged snake and the water acted
as it was supposed to, becoming a perfect conduit for the electricity.
The
snake thrashed and howled and twitched and shuddered as it was
enveloped in the glow of electricity; every cell and nerve seeming to
feel like it were on fire as pain flooded through the beast until,
finally, its’ heart gave out under the strain and it fell to the earth,
dead before it hit the ground.
“Oh, yeah!” both Jack and Omi
cheered, and they high-fived each other; putting aside their rivalry
for a few moments to bask in the glow of triumph.
“Excellent,”
Jun-Han murmured, looking down at the snake, still twitching in its
death throes due to the electrical charge in its body.
“If the danger is over,” said Guan quietly, “may we now set down on solid earth again?”
“Yeah
– when we get to wherever it is that we were going originally,” Jack
said with a smirk. “We’ve got swift transport and we’re making use of
it.”
Jun-Han turned and gripped Guan’s shoulder. Smiling, he said, “Meditate for a while, my friend; that should keep you centered.”
Guan
offered a wan smile, but nodded and closed his eyes. A few moments
later, his breathing evened out and his body settled into preternatural
stillness.
“Take us west,” Jun-Han ordered, and Jack obligingly
banked the Silver Manta Ray in the specified direction and drove the
vehicle forward through the air.
They flew for a while, until
the sun began setting. Finally, Jun-Han ordered Jack to land the Ray at
the edge of a rather large forest. Jack did so and the four of them
exited the vehicle once they were on the ground. After shrinking the
Ray down to its dormant state, Omi hid it inside his tunic once again.
“Now what?” asked Jack.
“Now, we enter the forest,” Guan informed him, and he began leading the way into the woods.
“What’s in there?” Jack asked, walking beside Jun-Han while Omi, his little legs moving fast, hurried to catch up with Guan.
“Safety,”
Jun-Han answered wryly. “We shall walk from now on, but we still need a
place to sleep. This forest is not noted for having monsters in it; we
will be able to sleep somewhat peacefully.”
“Somewhat.”
“Yes.
Unfortunately, bandits are still a possibility, but easy enough to
guard against. Our tiger instincts will warn us of danger.”
Jack groaned at the mention of ‘tiger instincts’ but what he said was, “Why are we doing this, anyway?”
“What do you mean?”
“All this walking around – is there a reason for it, or do you just like taking the scenic route?”
Jun-Han
grinned. “From what I have gathered with all of your griping over the
last few days, you do not walk anywhere unless there is no other
choice. I wonder, then, how you stay so thin.”
Jack smirked.
“Fast metabolism.” At Jun-Han’s questioning look, he clarified with:
“My body burns energy faster than most people’s bodies do.”
Jun-Han
nodded. “That makes sense. To answer your question, however… we wander
so that we may travel the world; see what new discoveries are waiting
for us; and conquer evil should it show its face.”
Jack thought
quickly and then said, “Yeah, but how long is that going to last?
Another twenty, thirty years, tops? Then you’ll get slowed down by old
age, or some villain will get lucky because you’re past your prime, and
before you know it, you’re barely even a footnote in the annals of
history.”
Jun-Han frowned and made no comment.
“As it is,
everyone at that village was talking about Guan. Guan this, Guan that…
practically figure Guan orders the sun to rise and set each day.
Anytime someone brought up your name – which wasn’t often – it was
swiftly followed up with the equivalent of ‘Yeah, that’s nice, but did
you hear what Guan did?’”
Jun-Han’s expression darkened slightly.
Deciding to push his luck, Jack added airily, “Of course, all the kids my age were talking about how beautiful Guan is.”
Jun-Han aimed a sharp look at Jack. “You think he is beautiful?”
“Hey,
their words, not mine. But I suppose I can understand where they’re
coming from. I mean, there’s this young guy – tall and nothing but
solid muscle. And those broad shoulders and all that smooth skin… of
course, his nice-nice attitude gets on my nerves, but he doesn’t
necessarily need to be talking.”
Jack very carefully did not
admit that Guan’s largeness was off-putting to him; as was the lack of
long, luxurious black hair, and a menacing voice, and really, the
absence of anything Chase Young.
Jun-Han shuddered at the powerful wave of jealousy that rippled through him as he listened to Spicer talk about Guan.
“Well,” he said tightly, “I suppose that matters to some people.”
Jack
shrugged and stared straight ahead at Guan’s back. “I guess so. Pretty
looks are easy to find everywhere, though. I don’t think folks would
make such a fuss over him if he didn’t have those mad fighting skills.”
“Angry? Guan does not easily get angry; not even when fighting.”
Jack
shook his head. “In this case, ‘mad’ is slang for ‘awesome’. Y’know…
amazing, breath-taking, tremendous? Awe-inspiring, even.”
Jun-Han’s jealousy burned just a bit hotter.
Deciding
that he’d said enough, Jack remained silent as he followed Guan and Omi
through the forest as the sunlight faded from the sky overhead.
