Chapter 3: First Night
2/11/11 Jackie Chan Adventures tech tree 1 week left
Winslow was the same old same old. Class, listen to this teacher, ignore this one cause Glady can barely explain his class, go through the day as normal.
I just got back from my appointment with my physical therapist, she declared that I was physically fit.
After I created the Tarakudo's Mask the first I do is practice the skills granted by the mask, I use telekinetic power to lift objects my living room, then I shapeshifting to Jackie Chan, Mr. Glady, and Taylor,
It was awkward changing it different gender, and in this mask, I possess great strength and am a skilled martial artist.
Yesterday I practice if I can travel to Shadow Realm The realm is an empty, red, or black void filled with an eery, mist-like sky.
My thoughts were interrupted as the sound of the bell rang out.
"Don't forget, guys, to do your homework," exclaimed rapidly Mr. Gladly.
As I reached my locker. I grabbed the needed textbook for the next class from it.
"Hebert, are you perhaps missing something," I heard a smug-filled voice in the hallway.
"Why are you just standing there, are you high from the drugs, or did you finally become brain dead," another voice chimed in.
I walk there as I saw two members belonging to the trio with grins plastered over their faces and a small glee coming from their eyes as they verbally abuse Taylor and here comes Sophia.
"Poor little Hebert do you need help for a rehab treatment or something," said a smug-filled tone, that I now recognized as Sophia as she wave the textbook and homework.
"We could help you know as it is our duty as role model students," exclaimed the second voice that, belonged to Emma.
I glanced at Taylor and saw that she was... not in distress. Not that much, anyway.
I mean, she was projecting meekness, that was for sure, but beyond that... her spine was straight, her gaze was low, but her eyes were completely hard and shining. Her hands were clenched around the straps of her backpack, but to restrain herself.
And, perhaps the most telling - at least for me, seeing that knew her - detail of this whole situation: there WASN'T a single bug in the whole place.
Still, it didn't sit well with me leaving her in that situation: Leaving someone in the hand of what were bullies...
I snatched the textbook and homework from Sophia.
"Move." my voice was rumbling and deep like the aforementioned storm was coming from inside me. Sophia snarled something and turned towards me, before stopping in her tracks when she saw my expression.
"You..." Her voice stopped after the first word, mainly because I had answered with a rumbling snarl that could rival a wild beast.
"Hess. I couldn't care less. Of whatever crap you are spouting. With the hole, you call a mouth. Either move. Or be moved."
I release dark Chi's killing intent directly to them as they are trembling with fear.
Then they hastily walk away from us then I reached Taylor while she walked away from whatever was gonna happen back there.
"Thank you for saving me again" Taylor shyly said.
"Your welcome, I just don't like bullies, say we spent lunch on the roof talking our problems."
"OK" she answered
On the rooftop, we awkwardly sit apart eating our lunchbox.
"Taylor?"
"Yeah?" Her answer seemed only partially distracted. I knew that she was giving me her attention, while, at the same time, giving herself enough distance that she could claim to not have heard and granting herself a way to escape the conversation.
"Why is Hess so fixed on you? As well as the redhead?" I almost winced. It was a sensitive topic.
Taylor.. Taylor looked like she had lost all of her energy.
"Want the truth? I don't know." I blinked at that, but she kept talking without my prompting.
"I just know that one day, a year and a half ago, when I returned from Summer Camp, Emma - the redhead - was completely different. I don't know what happened, but Sophia was there and she..." She stopped for a moment. Then, she steeled herself.
And she talked. For one hour, maybe more, she talked and talked.
She went through what was, without a doubt, torture. Psychological, physical, emotional. Torture. And the school did nothing.
After she had finished, I felt the need to... share my own experience in this new life. It wasn't if I was honest, worse than her own. It was better by far.
On the other hand, her past alone could become a squick film with only half a year, so it wasn't that high of a bar to compare the two.
Still, our discussion was something that changed things between us. There was a bigger understanding of each other, a better connection.
Three days apart to practice my skills, the Mantis Tribe create my ninja costume couple with the Tarakudo mask I look like edgy and I also gathered information about the gangs and their warehouse my target tonight was the area claimed by the Merchants as they attacked dozen of cars in the main street.
The Merchants were considered, by all the other gangs, to be pathetic. They were drug peddlers and addicts, united only for the sake of self-preservation and the force of will of their leader, Skidmark. He, along with Squealer and Mush, was the main reason why no one had rolled up the gang of stoners in less than a week. Rumors on PHO said that they had a new member as well. A Case-53, one of the so-called 'monster capes, called Trainwreck a tinker I guess Coil had him infiltrate the merchants.
I rose from the shadow of a ventilation unit on top of a building overlooking Main Street.
I could see the burning remnants of over a dozen cars, still and unmoving people and other people hurriedly moving through the wreckage, trying to help or to just getaway. I could also see, further down, the metal monstrosity responsible for all of this -- the twisted, clunky, lovechild of a tank and a train.
Squealer had been busy.
"If it starts to make noise, then I want you to bring it to the Shadow realm immediately," I told the Ninja Shadowkhan. It sketched a quick bow and then slipped down into the Shadow Realm.
I turned to look at the Squealer's tinker contraption. It was the size of a small train but looked outfitted for war, with bright, glowing caterpillar tracks that keep it floating a few feet above the street. Various guns had been bolted haphazardly on the top of the contraption, each manned by a Merchant.
There were more Merchants down on the street, forcing people out of their cars and herding them towards Squealer's tinker contraption.
I hated them.
'If it wasn't for them, then that would never have happened I have a family in this new World.' I thought angrily, eyes prickling.
I didn't want to think about that. I couldn't think about that.
"Go."
The Merchants had just started to herd their hostages aboard Squealer's tinker contraption when the ground beneath them started to darken. It took them a moment to notice what was going on -- the danger they were in -- but by then it was already too late.
The Merchants on top of Squealer's tinker contraption turned their cannons towards the darkest patch of ground. Ninja Shadowkhan rose from their own shadows just as they pulled the triggers, grabbing them from behind and then pulling their struggling, screaming, forms down into the Shadow Realm.
Bright white light streamed out of the cannons to fly toward and explode against the darkened patches of the street. The ground blew apart in short-lived rains of flaming asphalt.
The ground darkened once more as the Merchants -- drawn by the muffled screams of their teammates -- turned towards the top of Squealer's tinker contraption. The Merchants stared at it for a moment, seemingly unable to comprehend what they were seeing.
Sumo Shadowkhan waded out of the flames like black demons. The Merchants opened fire on them with their weapons and the Sumo Shadowkhan made no move to dodge. The bullets slowed them further still, but bounced off their skin rather than actually harm them.
Skidmark wore a skintight blue costume and a mask covered the top half of his face. The lower half was dark-skinned, with badly chapped lips and teeth that looked more like shelled pistachio nuts than anything else. He stepped out from the midst of his followers and raised a hand towards the Sumo Shadowkhan.
"Piss Off Knob Heads" Skidmark shouted as he form a force field around him.
The ground in front of the Sumo Shadowkhan also brightened.
Skidmark had the ability to create deflector fields -- force fields that pushed things through itself or pushed things away -- but it was weak. It took time and multiple layers to do something truly impressive, but even just one field was enough to further slow the Sumo Shadowkhan.
The Sumo Shadowkhan stopped as the patch underneath them grew brighter before they found themselves slowly forced back. The Merchants cheered at this -- invigorated by the display -- and started to fire with more enthusiasm.
Bat Shadowkhan landed on the roof of Squealer's tinker contraption and allowed the Leech Shadowkhan that had been clinging onto them to climb off before taking off into the air once more. The Bat Shadowkhan flew around the battlefield three times and then came to a stop in the middle of it.
Four Mantis Shadowkhan rose in the middle of the Merchants' defensive line as the Leech Shadowkhan bit down. Skidmark stiffened and then screamed bloody murder before he fell forward to land on his face.
Mantis Shadowkhan lashed out with their scythe-like arms, reaping those Merchants closest to them even as they tried to flee. Two more Mantis Shadowkhan emerged to block their path and herd them, much as they had herded their hostages, back towards the front of Squealer's tinker contraption.
Four Samurai Shadowkhan emerged from the interior of the tinker contraption with a cursing, struggling blonde woman held in between them. Squealer had put up quite a fight -- the Samurai Shadowkhan had multiple chips and tears in their armor -- but had lost.
The Samurai Shadowkhan threw Squealer towards the other Merchants and she landed roughly, scrapping her uncovered knees on the asphalt. She cursed and then looked up only to scream as she caught sight of Skidmark.
The Merchants started to look around -- desperately searching for some potential escape route -- only to find their panic growing when they realized that there was no escape route. The Shadowkhan had surrounded them, taking out their weapons and their capes. They had taken control of Squealer's tinker contraption.
There was a loud smack of flesh against flesh before one of the Sumo Shadowkhan practically flew backward, knocking over two of its brethren before something grabbed its foot. The Sumo Shadowkhan found itself being spun around for a few moments until it was suddenly let go. It flew towards one of the Mantis Shadowkhan and knocked it down before it had a chance to react.
Glory Girl wore a white one-piece dress that came to mid-thigh (with shorts underneath) and over-the-shoulder cape, high boots, and a golden tiara with spikes radiating from it, vaguely reminiscent of the sun's rays or the statue of liberty.
Glory Girl looked at the Shadowkhan for a moment before she suddenly flew forward. Bat Shadowkhan rose to meet her, but she barreled through them without a second thought and they fell from the sky. She landed hard on one of Mantis Shadowkhan's arm-like scythes as it raised them to defend itself and then kicked off, knocking it back.
The Mantis Shadowkhan recovered quickly and brought its arms up to block Glory Girl's next attack which made her frown. Its legs quivered and its arms shook -- Glory Girl smiled and broke through its weakened defense with enough force to destroy it.
Wisps of shadow surrounded Glory Girl as she turned her attention back to the rest of the Shadowkhan. If she hadn't had it before, she had their complete and undivided attention now.
I switch places with the Sumo ShadowKhan that got punched through a bridge, as Glory Girl flies at me with another first out to hit me in the face. I caught her fist, she was shocked to see a new face rather than the one she punch earlier.
"Stop we are not the enemy, I just neutralized the merchant before you came," I shouted and anger as I look some of the merchants who escaped at least Skidmark and Squealer got caught and the tinker tech tank had been sent to the shadow realm.
I chase some of them but others are already escaping.
"Hey!"
I turned to look in the direction of the shout and just as quickly turned around again. I didn't want to talk to her right now. Not after --
I had barely managed to make it a few feet when I felt her grab onto my shoulder and stop me. "Hey. I know that you don't want to talk to me right now, but -- "
"You're right," I interrupted. "I don't want to talk to you. I had them right where I wanted them. If you hadn't interfered, then I would still have them. But, you did." I ignored that niggling feeling that told me I shouldn't be doing this, too angry to care. "You attacked my Shadowkhan. You allowed the Merchants to escape."
"I didn't know. I didn't know that those -- those 'Shadowkhan' were good guys! From what I saw, it looked like the 'Shadowkhan' had already killed Skidmark and were about to start killing the rest of the people there and you look like a villain to me!"
"Tsk Skidmark is not dead he was only unconscious goodbye." I instantly enter the shadow realm as I don't want to make another scene with Glory Girl.
what a terrible first night
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