The Inconvenience of Death Ch1

Impossible!

Many would have thought it, but they would, apparently, be wrong. Chase Young was indeed phenomenally strong, almost impossibly fast, and forever young, but he was not invulnerable. He could die. And he had.

It was not as bad as he had imagined. A moment of pain, a strange sensation of falling into thick gloop, and then...nothing but his mind. He no longer felt any physical sensations at all. He was nothing but a floating consciousness.

He had no idea what he looked like to others, since he had yet to encounter any reflective surfaces. Not that he was all that bothered by his new appearance. His mind was dominated by images of Hannibal’s smug face as he stole the life from his former pupil. His pride was screaming in agony and fury was burning through his, metaphorical, veins. He took what comfort he could in the fact that he’d been alone with Hannibal. No one had witnessed his defeat. He could fix this and no one would ever know.

No one but Hannibal, but he wouldn’t be around long enough to tell anyone.

He took a moment to channel his feelings of murderous rage into purpose and determination, and then set out to take one more hit to his pride before he could restore it.

88888888

Jack was leaning over an unidentifiable lump of machinery, both hands buried deep in its innards and tongue clamped between his teeth in concentration when the alarm went off. He jumped violently, somehow leaving the delicate machine undamaged, before dropping his tools and scooting over to his computer. The screen informed him that someone had breached the outer wall closest to his lair.

Oh brilliant. He was just in the mood to have his butt kicked.

Sighing in resignation, he half turned to face the door and whoever was about to come crashing through it, demanding his surrender and/or Wu.

After several minutes of silent waiting, he frowned. They were sure taking their time. Perhaps it was a false ala-

“Spicer!”

He jumped so violently that his last spasm seemed like a slight twitch in comparison. He whirled around, clutching at his frantically beating heart, and scrambled backwards, all in one awkward, flailing movement.

His mild panic attack threatened to turn into a full blown one as he took in the being before him. It was...Wuya gone seriously freaky. It had a mask like Wuya had when she was a ghost, but the markings were different, more intimidating and less clown like. It had the same semi transparent body, but it was green, not purple. And it had an aura of menace and death that Wuya liked to think she’d possessed, but never really had. This was the ghost of someone who was truly evil. The ghost of someone with...long, flowing hair and eyes like a lizard.

He sucked in a shocked breath and dropped his arms, which had been held up in front of him defensively, numbly to his sides.

“Ch-Chase?”

The ghost drifted slightly closer and let out a clearly irritated grunt. “Yes, Spicer, it is me. And if you’re quite finished ‘freaking out’, I....need your assistance.”

Jack gulped and nodded nervously. “O-Ok, what do you need help with?”

“....Please tell me that is a pathetic attempt at a joke.”

He blinked, and then finally engaged his brain. “Oh! Right, sorry. Stupid question.”

“Indeed, but I suppose I should not be surprised.” He ignored Jack’s indignant pout and drifted off towards the young genius’ Wu cabinet. “Do you have them?”

Jack scooted after him and tried to keep his voice steady. “I have the Serpent’s Tail, but the monks have the Reversing Mirror, as far as I know.”

Chase let out a frustrated growl and stopped so suddenly that Jack walked right through him.

“Gyaaaah! That was even worse than walking through Wuya!”

“Oh be quiet, you ninny! There’s no way that hurt you.”

“It didn’t hurt, but it’s just...it feels so incredibly gross, y’know?”

“No, I do not.”

“Well...it’s kinda like getting a bucketful of icy slime thrown in your face.”

“Spicer, I have never in my life had a bucket of icy slime thrown in my face, and I’m slightly confused as to why you’d think I had.”

“Oh, right, uh...ever fallen asleep in a bowl of cold custard?”

If he still had hands, he would have smacked the albino youth in the side of the head to silence him. As it was, all he could do was give him his best death glare and hope that was enough to stop the geyser of stupidity.

“Um.....so, yeah, I suppose I’d better think of a way to get the Reversing Mirror and...yeah...” He trailed off and went to sit in front of his computer and, mercifully, think quietly to himself.

88888888

After half an hour of planning, he’d fallen back on the basic create-a-diversion-and-grab-it-while-they’re-busy plan.

It was only while he was packing the last of the wires into his new Diversionbot that something occurred to him. Chase noticed the sudden slowing of Jack’s hands and frowned as well as someone with no eyebrows could. His mask-like face didn’t change at all.

“What is the problem Spicer?”

Jack blinked over at Chase as he snapped out of his musings. “Guh? Oh, uh...weeeeell, I just had a thought.”

“Gods help us all...” He rolled his eyes when Jack pouted again. “What is it?”

A grin spread slowly across Jack’s face. “You have no physical body.”

“Oh, well done Spicer, that is incredibly perceptive of you. I’m impressed you figured it out so quickly.”

“No, no, no. I mean, you have no physical body. You can’t do anything to me. You can’t hit me, you can’t throw me and you can’t even throw things at me. The worst you can do is yell and maybe float through my head a few times.”

Chase’s glare turned icy. He didn’t like where this was going. “What’s your point?”

“It’s quite simple really.” He set down his screwdriver, sat on a nearby stool, and folded his arms casually. “Why should I help you? Why not leave things the way they are now instead of restoring a foot that spends half it’s time colliding with my butt?”

“Thank you for the colourful imagery. And to answer your question, you will help me because you will suffer horribly if you do not. I am much more resourceful than Wuya, I assure you.”

“Pfft. If that were true, you wouldn’t have come to me for help.”

“I had no choice! No one else would...” He trailed off and growled in irritation.

“My point exactly. No one else is willing to help you. They all know they’re better off with you the way you are now. And you know they know that.”

“Spicer...” Chase warned, his voice low and filled with the promise of pain.

Jack sighed and stood up again. “Dude, relax. I’m not saying I’m going to absolutely refuse to help you. I just wanna get something out of it. I’m sure you can understand that.”

The only answer he got was another growl.

“Oh come on Chase, I’m not being unreasonable!”

The disembodied warlord went through the motions of taking a deep breath, even though the air around him stayed completely untouched, and forced himself to calm down. “Very well Spicer, what is it you want?”

A victorious grin lit up Jack’s face as he plunked himself back down on the stool again. “It’s pretty simple, actually. I want you to give me your word of honour that, when you get your body back, you’ll take me on as your apprentice.”

Chase opened his mouth to respond, but Jack cut him off before he could speak.

“And I mean you’ll take me on straight away, not in, like, twenty years or something. And no accepting me and then booting me out a week later. I want to be your permanent apprentice.”

Dammit. “...Is that it?”

Jack nodded.

“...Very well. It seems I have no choice but to agree to your terms.” He spoke through gritted teeth and comforted himself with the fact that Spicer hadn’t said anything about not brutalizing him at every available opportunity.

Jack’s grin got even larger, and it looked for a moment like he was going to jump up and down in glee. “Cool! Ok then, let’s get this over with.”

“For once, that it is a good idea.”

“...You know, you’re really mean.”

“And you are incredibly dense. I’m evil, you nitwit, of course I’m mean! Now move!”

Jack muttered something inaudible then stomped up the stairs to get outside so he could activate his helipack. Chase lingered for a moment to do some muttering of his own, and then floated after his most unwelcome apprentice.

88888888

It was during the flight to the temple that it finally occurred to Jack to ask what had caused Chase to end up this way.

“That is none of your concern.” Was the irritated response he received to his inquiry.

But he couldn’t stop thinking about it now. Someone had actually killed Chase. He wouldn’t have thought that was possible. Not once had he imagined it happening. Who could have done such a thing? Surely not the monks. Kimiko and Raimundo would perhaps do it if they could, but Omi and Clay would undoubtedly stop them. Wuya then? No, she was too much of a coward. She would flee long before the fight got that serious. That only really left Hannibal. He couldn’t think of anyone else strong enough to do it.

He glanced across at Chase, floating beside him and glaring at everything, and wondered how it had happened. Hopefully, he hadn’t suffered too badly. The thought of Chase in pain was almost unbearable.

Despite his actions earlier, he’d always intended to help him, no matter what. He’d do anything for Chase. It was always worth seeing if he could get something out of it though, hence the bargaining.

And then he had the most chilling thought so far. What if Chase hadn’t become a ghost? Not everyone did, after all. What if he’d just...died, and that was that. He tried to imagine a world without Chase and found that he couldn’t, it was just...wrong. It was in that moment that he realised just how much his feelings for Chase had grown.

The love of an accident prone teenager was probably the last thing the powerful warlord wanted. He barely even tolerated him as an acquaintance. But it felt good to finally think what he realised he’d been feeling for quite some time. He was in love with Chase.

Oh god he thought desperately, if he ever finds out, he’ll kill me...

“Spicer, is there any particular reason you keep drifting towards me? We’re going to veer off course if you don’t stop it.”

Chase’s cold voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he realised that they were indeed off course. He corrected their direction, then grinned apologetically at his grumpy companion. “Sorry, I was thinking.”

Chase snorted. “Well, since it seems thinking takes every bit of your concentration, perhaps you should refrain from doing it for a while?”

Jack squeaked indignantly and proceeded to sulk the rest of the way to the temple.

88888888