The Smoking Mirror

Chapter 1: Jade's New Team

Darkness was everywhere. Darkness sapped all light from the air. It intensified the silence and enhanced the scent of old dried blood. Blood that had been spilt ages ago but had never been cleaned up. There was no way back. Going backwards leaded to an empty void. The only solidity was forward, ancient stone barred passage to the left or right and yet it vanished into nothingness went passed. Onwards and onwards the tunnel led, deeper down into the black stone.

A sudden splash and a wetness indicated the path had ended. There was a deep pool spanning out before. There was no way to tell how deep the water was as the depths could not be seen. Impassable stone still barred going around the pool and emptiness made going back impossible.

Peering down into the pool should have been fruitless as there was no light to illuminate anything. And yet that perfectly still water was a black mirror showing a reflection. A reflection of a young Chinese girl with black tresses going down to her chin and golden brown eyes. She wore an orange hooded jacket, blue jeans, and red sneakers. The girl stared back in confusion before the image altered. Her clothes had turn black and dark grey, her skin was a pale blue, and her eyes glowed a demonic red. The girl grinned evilly as she waved her hand. Then she reached out and pulled. A splash and suddenly the freezing chill of water was everywhere and the demonic girl was still pulling down deeper into the dark abyss.

Jade lurched up with a gasp. She panted a bit as her vision adjust to the brightness of morning. With a sigh, she muttered a soothing chant in Cantonese as she banished the fear of the nightmare from her mind. Soon she was calm as could be, the memory of the bad dream still present but not overpowering.

With a yawn, she got out of bed. As soon as she was standing, she stretched, waking up her muscles. Then she walked into her bathroom. She took one look in the mirror and muttered, "Stupid bedhead." She picked up a brush and started smoothing out the messy hair. After that, she rubbed the last bit of sand from her eyes. "At least this mirror can't cause me any trouble," she said to herself. She didn't know what made her subconscious dredge up her memory of the Queen of the Shadowkhan, but dreams were unpredictable. To be honest, the greater puzzle in her dream was seeing herself in that old outfit she hadn't worn in 9 years.

As she brushed her teeth, she heard a knock on the door. "Jade, are you nearly finished in there?" said a female voice, "We're doing paintball today and you're not gonna have breakfast if you don't hurry it up."

Jade spat into the sink before saying, "We've still got plenty of time, Maggie. We won't be starting for…" She glanced at her watch and said, "Another hour. Plenty of time to get breakfast."

"Yeah, but you won't be fully in the zone in time," said Maggie's voice, "You're gonna get splattered fast and I don't want my side to look like a bunch of slackers."

"I can get my game on as quickly as you can," said Jade as she turned off the faucet, "Besides, we've got Edna on our side. We're gonna get the most points for sure."

"Not this time," said Maggie's voice, "There's been a player switch. Apparently we're getting a bit too 'boys vs girls' with our team so they made us trade Edna for Geoff."

Jade frowned and said, "Geoff? But he's a lousy shot."

"I think that was the point," said Maggie's voice, "So hurry it up in there."

After Maggie left and Jade finished her other toiletries, she went back into her room and started looking through her clothes for the most disposable. Sure, there was a paint removal spell, but Uncle and Tohru tended to get annoyed if they're asked for it too often and Jimmy's spell didn't get all the stains out all the time. She considered a black t-shirt before deciding she'd rather not wear anything dark after that nightmare. But it did make her nostalgic enough to choose an orange T-shirt and jeans. She grabbed her most worn shoes which had enough different colors of paint splatters to make it hard to tell what color it was originally. For some reason, Jimmy's spells didn't have a firm effect on shoes and Uncle didn't think magic was worth spending on shoes. Tohru might have offered, but Uncle's disapproving look still had a strong grip even if Tohru was a graduated chi wizard.

After she got dressed, Jade walked out her bedroom door and came face-to-bust with Maggie. Maggie was a year older and nearly a whole head over Jade with ruby red hair that went all the way to her hips. She didn't have the famous green-eyed combo, but her sapphire blue eyes contrasted nicely. Like Jade, she was wearing casual wear, namely jeans shorts, open-toed shoes, and a vermillion tank top that showed off the sizeable bust that was nearly level with Jade's head.

"Really, Maggie?" asked Jade, "You're going to be wearing that during paintball?"

"Overalls chafe," said Maggie, "And you know it's a lot better to be able to move freely."

"Just tell me you're not going to be trying use it to distract the other team," said Jade.

"Hey, it's always worked before," said Maggie.

"Well, Edna's gonna be on the other team this time and she'll just use the chance to paint across your collarbone," said Jade before peering a bit closer and saying, "Speaking of which, I think you need to hit the tanning salon soon. Your freckles are starting to show."

Maggie stared down at her chest before sighing and saying, "Yeah, they are. You Chinese are so lucky. You just turn bronze out in the sun instead of becoming mottled with freckles."

"Freckles aren't that bad," said Jade.

"Unless you've got so many it looks like you're struck with some kind of pox," said Maggie, "You sure there isn't some spell to just wipe the extra ones?"

"You know what Uncle says," said Jade.

"Magic should not be used for vanity," said both women at the same time.

"You think Jimmy could whip something up some time?" asked Maggie.

"You remember the last time he tried?" asked Jade, "You ended up green for a week like some kind of space chick."

"Yeah, if there hadn't been a sci-fi convention that week, I never would have forgiven him," said Maggie, "So are we gonna get breakfast or what?"

"Lead the way," said Jade.

A short time later, the two teams had gathered at the shooting range. Jade sized up their completion. There was good old Jimmy, Tohru's apprentice and the team's wizard. Technically, he didn't need to be part of the shooting practice considering his field of training, but improving his aim was important. Carl, on the other hand, was the tech brains of the team. As such, he was the wiriest of the guys, though being a slight bit shorter than Jimmy made his thinness a bit less noticeable. Jade suspected that he might have a bit of Native American in even though his hair was brown and not black, but she wasn't quite certain how to ask without making it seemed awkward.

Typically, the other team's ranks was filled out by the towering muscular Geoff, but this time, it was Edna who was standing among them. This hadn't crossed out Carl out as the shortest member of the other team as Edna was close enough to his height. Edna was what one would call a Goth, what with her dyed blue hair, her indigo lipstick, eyeshadow, and nail polish, and her extensive tattoos on arms, legs, and back. However, she was a lot sweeter than she looked, unless it involve her sharpshooting skills, then she was all business.

Geoff, who was now on their side, was the physical opposite of Edna. He was the most massive member of the team, being a whole head taller than Jimmy and heavily muscled. Edna's blue hair and brown eyes were reversed with Geoff's brown hair and blue eyes. It was no surprise that this virtual giant was a major football player before joining Section 13 and he proved he was just as fast with vehicles as he was with running. Despite his intimidating size, he was a bit of a joker. The success of his pranks were a bit erratic as some people were able to anticipate his jokes before they came.

"So, ready to finally lose a match for once?" said Carl teasingly.

"Just because we swapped one player doesn't mean we're gonna lose," said Maggie.

"It does if you've swapped your best player for the worst," said Edna smugly.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," protested Geoff.

"No offense, Geoff, but long-ranged is kinda the opposite of your best form," said Jimmy, "I mean, you can bull through anything with the best of them. But when it comes to distant targets…"

"A big rock can hit as hard a paintball," said Geoff annoyed.

"Too bad there aren't any rocks to throw in there," said Carl smugly.

"Oh, we'll see about that," said Geoff.

"Anyways, you guys are forgetting about our skill," said Jade, "Geoff's not the one you have to worry about."

"Don't worry, I won't forget you," said Edna, "I'm gonna put you two through the ringer."

Section 13's paintball training room was a state of the art one befitting a training room for the US's special agents. There were two floors, the second one most a catwalk for snipers. The ground floor had light but sturdy blocks to move around for cover.

"This is it guys," Maggie said to her team as soon as the teams were set up. "Geoff you draw the enemy's fire since you're a lousy shot. Jade you cover us from the catwalk. I'll throw the grenade."

"Maggie, I'm team leader, I give the orders," said Jade.

"But that's the plan you already came up for us," said Maggie.

"I know, but I wanted to say it," said Jade.

"Good point," Maggie said.

Meanwhile Edna, Carl and Jimmy were discussing their strategy as well. "Ok, I go up topside and paint them from above," said Edna.

"We'll clean up down here, get at the ones out of your sight," said Jimmy.

"Shouldn't be too hard. Geoff's easy to hit," said Carl.

"But he could be a diversion and Maggie is cunning," Edna said.

"Either way we should be careful," Jimmy spoke.

Soon the teams met in the field and the match was about to begin.

"Ok, Geoff, get the barricade ready, I'm going up," said Jade as she headed up the stairs. Edna was also moving upstairs.

"Got it Jade," Geoff said getting the barricade ready. Maggie was also moving into position to execute the plan.

As Jade and Edna got up to their spots, Jade called, "Don't think you're gonna win just because we switched teams."

"Oh, I don't think, I know," said Edna before tagging Jade a few times.

Meanwhile Geoff was providing the distraction as Carl was attempting to shoot at him and surprisingly Geoff was proving to be very evasive. "All those years of football really paid off," Geoff said.

"He'll have to tire out at some point," said Carl, "Then we'll paint him like a blank canvas and- Oh crud, he's coming right at us." This remark was from the fact that Geoff was charging across the room while holding a block in front of him for cover.

Meanwhile Maggie was using the distraction to get the grenade ready. After setting in the time, she threw it at Jimmy and Carl. "Fire in the hole," said Maggie as the grenade clicked at their feet.

"Grenade!" yelped Jimmy as he and Carl tried to get away from it. There was a small boom and paint splattered everywhere nearby. "Ok, I have to admit, that was impressive," said Carl.

"What did you expect from Maggie?" Jimmy asked. "She's as cunning as Jade."

Meanwhile Edna and Jade were shooting at each other from above. Their competitiveness made them forget almost all about the match below.

"C'mon, hold still," muttered Edna as she tried to get a fix on Jade. Jade continued evading till she got an opening before firing on Edna. "Oh come on!" snapped Edna before opening fire at Jade.

Jade dodged but then a shot hit her in the leg. "Oh, now it's on," said Jade as she fired back.

Edna dodged the first few shots but a couple hit her shirt. "Seriously?" Edna asked, "That was my oldest shirt."

"That's why we wear the less-worn clothes for these matches," said Jade, "Besides, the stains will come out eventually."

"Not soon enough," snapped Edna before firing rapidly at Jade and forcing her to duck, though not before she got tagged a few times.

"Oh, so Edna wants to play hardball, does she?" said Jade before loading a more special paintball into her shooter. She quickly got up and shot at Edna, aiming at her collar. The paintball hit its mark but instead of simply dotting her, it splattered, throwing enough paint upwards to get on Edna's face.

"Oh, you…" growled Edna before shooting at Jade. This time, Jade got several splurts of paint in her hair and several hits on her chest.

Jade ducked down again and rubbed her chest. "Ow, that really smarts," she winced.

"Ha! Not so cocky now, are you?" snapped Edna triumphantly.

"Uh, girls, if you're too busy, could we get some cover fire down here?" called Carl.

"Yeah, you're supposed to shoot at all of the other team, not just each other," said Maggie.

Edna blushed a bit before giving an annoyed glare at Jade. "You've occupied my attention long enough," she said, "Now I need to give those guys the painting they deserve."

"Bet I'll get more paint on your guys than you will on mine," said Jade.

"You're on," said Edna before the two started shooting downwards.

Quite some time later, the timer buzzed, signaling the end of the match. Usually, the boys' team would have been heavily splattered with paint compared to the girls' team. The exchange of Edna and Geoff tipped the balance quite a bit considering their respective marksman skills. But Jade keeping Edna occupied so long and Maggie's trick with the paint grenade kept Edna's side from dominating the match. In the end, the score was so murky that both sides decided it would be easier to call it a tie.

"Had to admit, I thought our side would be coming up top this time," said Jimmy.

"I still think you got a bit too close to cheating," grumbled Carl.

"Fighting differently than you isn't against the rules," said Maggie smugly.

"You guys may have had the skills, but we got the strategy," said Jade, "Anyways, thinking outside of the box is what we're supposed to do. The bad guys aren't just gonna stand still and act like targets while shooting at us automatically. We need to be able to think around them."

"What bad guys?" asked Jimmy, "Jade, we've been training for months and going through all kind possible scenarios, but we haven't seen any action at all."

"We're the anti-magic group," said Edna, "We're supposed to deploy against the forces of darkness when they show up."

"Are you sure there are any forces of darkness?" asked Geoff. The others gave him an odd look. "I mean, I believe in magic, seen plenty of examples of it. But from what I've heard, Jade's family wiped out all of the big bads a long time ago. Doesn't seem to be anyone left for us to go after."

"There ought to be something coming at some point," said Jade, "I mean, there hasn't been any big darkness bosses coming up since Daolon got himself trapped in the Shadow Realm 8 years ago, but there ought to be something coming. Lu Dongbin said that magic would be making itself more apparent over the years."

"I still don't swallow all that 'Dawn of the Dragon' and 'Jade Vanguard' stuff," said Maggie, "I mean, spells and potions are one thing, but I still can't believe that all of the old gods and demons are gonna return in 3 years."

"Yeah, there hasn't been much to back up that prophecy than an old scroll which we're not even allowed to look at," said Carl.

"Well, I think there might be something," said Jade, "I had a dream last night."

"A dream? Dreams don't tell the future, they tell the past," said Geoff, "Like my dream about riding a giant flying squirrel and blasting space spiders with a hi-tech potato gun."

This earned Geoff yet another odd look. "What part of the past was that telling?" asked Carl.

"About an hour before I went to sleep and ate that bucket of buffalo wings," said Geoff. There was a collective groan from the others.

"Look, can we change and shower now?" asked Edna, "I'd like to get these stains out before they permanently set in."

"Ok, meet you guys up at lunch," said Jimmy as the boys and girls went to their respective locker rooms.

Jade may no longer be the little girl she used to be, but like most Asian women, she didn't get too much in height and curves department. Not to say that she didn't get possess a desirable waspish waist with generous hips to make an hourglass shape. And while her leaner build made it easier for her to use martial arts, it sometimes frustrated her that all her teammates were taller than her and, in Maggie's case, were curvier than her.

As such, showering in the locker room was discomforting for Jade. Perhaps it was because her high school wasn't a boarding school with a communal shower like Maggie and Edna went to. Of course they had a proper enough sense of modesty and keep their eyes level most of the time. But Jade still felt a bit of inadequacy whenever she glanced at the other girls, particularly Maggie.

"Guys, do you think we actually aren't going anywhere?" asked Jade, "That we're just wasting time with training we're not going to be using?"

"Like you said, no big evil threats have shown up," said Edna, "I mean it's not like we can go out there and start picking fights."

"We can't?" asked Maggie. The other girls gave her a look. "What? There are plenty of crooks we can bring down."

"Yeah, but none of them using dark magic," said Jade.

"Well, I don't see why we can't go after a couple, for the field experience," said Edna.

"Yeah, but Jackie's gonna say 'it's too dangerous' and gonna keep us from going," said Jade.

"How is fighting demons less dangerous?" asked Maggie, "Just because they don't use guns?"

"And since when have you ever let Jackie tell you 'no' stop you from going?" asked Edna.

"Since I became an official agent and can get fired for getting out of line," said Jade. The other girls gave her disbelieving looks. "Ok, I know that's not my style and Captain Black can allow it, but he can't cover for me every time and you know what his bosses are like."

"Yeah, they barely acknowledge magic to be real, let alone a threat," said Edna, "But surely there's gotta be less high-risk missions for us to do."

"And if there aren't, there are other things we could do," said Maggie, "Like go clubbing."

"Do you mean clubbing like 'night clubs' or actually hitting things with clubs?" asked Jade.

"Let me guess, you'd prefer the second one," said Edna dryly.

"Jade, why don't you try the dating scene? You might actually enjoy it," said Maggie.

"As if there are going to be any interesting guys," said Jade.

"By interesting, you mean a demon in disguise?" teased Maggie.

"Oh, it was only one time," said Jade, "Once, Drago did not count."

"You set your standards way too high," said Edna, "You're only interested in guys if they're the cool kind of 'bad' or if they're magic."

"So not true," said Jade.

"Oh yeah? Way I heard it, the only guy you 'officially' went out with in high school was one of those biker posers," said Maggie.

"I'd hardly call that 'going out'," said Jade, "That guy was such a poser. Like I'd be seen holding hands with him. And why am I on the hot seat? Why aren't you grilling each other?"

"Because I'm still cruising for a new guy and Edna won't get up the courage to talk to-"

"Hey! That's confidential!" snapped Edna.

"And I'm not being told about it?" asked Jade.

"Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead," said Edna. The other girls gave her a disturbed look. "It's just an expression, coined by Ben Franklin actually. It's not like I'd actually kill you…unless you push me."

"Ok, ok, backing off," said Jade, "Look, let's go ask Captain Black if there are any missions he has for us, just for the field experience."

"Fine with me," said Maggie.

"No harm in asking," said Edna before saying, "By the way, Maggie, you're starting to pale again."

"I know, I know, I have to start tanning soon, you don't have to tell me," said Maggie.

Once the girls had dried off and dressed, they went to Captain Black's office. He hasn't changed much over the years asides from the beard. He looked up as the girls walked in. "Ah, Jade, is there something I can help you with?" he asked.

"Uh, Captain Black, you know we've training a lot to be the anti-magic troop, right?" asked Edna.

"The first troop," said Captain Black, "As soon as you've shown how well your team works, I'll be able to get the funding for setting up more troops."

"That's just it, we haven't been able to show how well our team work," said Maggie, "We've been training for months and not one blip of dark magic has menaced the world."

"And we are getting plenty of training, we've actually gotten any experience," said Jade, "It wouldn't help a lot if when our first magic fight comes, we haven't clicked together enough to put up a good fight."

"I suppose that's true," said Captain Black.

"So we were wondering if there's some low-level mission we could do to build up our experience," said Jade.

"Yes, I suppose I could arrange that," said Captain Black before looking at a paper on his desk, "But then who will I give this magic-involved mission to?"

"What? Really? You're not just pulling our legs?" asked Edna.

"Well, it's mainly based on preliminary knowledge, but enough sources agree that there is a significant chance of magical involvement," said Black, "Of course, if you're not up to it yet, we can postpone. It's not immediate danger, as far as we can tell."

"Sounds like it's low level enough that we can do it without getting ourselves killed," said Maggie.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a sec," said Jade, "We need the guys to agree too."

"Uh, do not recall the whole 'chomping at the bit' thing from before?" asked Maggie, "They'd be more than eager to go on a real mission."

"I was actually about to call you all to offer this," said Black, "Just had so much papers to go through first."

"Ok, we'll meet back here once you've told the boys so you can debrief us," said Edna.

"We're finally getting on a mission, I say this calls for a celebration," said Maggie excitedly.

"We'll celebrate when you complete your mission," said Black, "Now go get some lunch and we'll meet back in about an hour."

The other girls were all a-giggle and Jade could just barely keep herself from joining in. After all this long time, she was going to do her first official mission as a secret agent.

There's the first chapter of a new story. It has little connection to my other stories except that it takes place 9 years after Null Chi, so Jade would be 21 in this story. Jimmy is from the final/penultimate episode in the series, the one that featured Jade's future self's second appearance. The other members of her team are based off of characters made by D.J. Scales, who has a hand in writing this story. This story might take a while to pick up speed and will probably not be updated too regularly, but when it is getting exciting, I'm hoping it will have earned its place in the Project: Dark Jade archive. Keep an eye out for another chapter and please review.