Chapter Text
It was another day in the life of evil genius Jack Spicer, another day of defeat and humiliation! He should of known better than to trust that moron Vlad or get involved with a evil plant of all things! Though the evil genius himself currently stomping through a dense remote part of China while being followed by several Jackbots.
"Ever since I started to hunt for the Sheng Gong Wu it's been nothing but defeat, after defeat, after defeat!" Jack snapped to himself kicking at a tree before wincing as he let out a cry, "Ouchie!" And started to hop up and down while holding his foot with a grimace scowling.
As for what brought a evil genius like himself out here in the wilds of China, well to forget his recent and latest humiliation, he'd decided to distract himself with a project he'd had in mind for a while in building a new evil lair for himself.
That way he could operate without worrying about the Xiaolin Losers or any other jerks from the Heylin side dropping in on him without notice, or trying to steal his Wu!
And just the thought of all those losers and jerks caused Jack to let out a low growl of anger. He'd won plenty of showdown, and gotten his hands on a number of Wu, even humiliated the Xiaolin Losers a good few times too!
Yes the wu he usually takes is usually stolen back by the Losers, with a side of him getting a nasty beating, but the fact he got his hands on the Wu in the first place while making them look like idiots has to count for something! Right?
Jack thought as he stopped hopping on one foot, "And don't even get me started on Wuya.." He grunted out loud to himself and some of his near by floating Jackbots, "Backstabbing witch left me again and is probably kissing Chase Young's boots now."
He let out a scoff, "and she has the nerve to call me pathetic!" He exclaimed out in frustration running his hand through his hair, "I don't even know why I took her back! I already proved I didn't need her once I created the Wu-Detector.." Jack said pushing through some foliage, "O-kay yes it only detects Wu, it doesn't have the knowledge that Wuya has but still.."
He admitted reluctantly, "that's just one small downside and I could easily figure out what any Wu I find does without Wuya help.." He said with a dark scowl pushing deeper into the forest while not paying attention to where he was going, "and I will! I'll show Wuya, i'll show the xiaolin losers, i'll show all those jerks who think they're better than me even though they gave up at first loss!"
Jack growled thinking of Katnappe, Tubbimura, Vlad, Cyclops all his so called evil allies at one point or another, but just disappointments! "And I'll evil show Chase Young!"
He declared grandly with a smug grin, "i'll show them who the superior evil genius is, and it'll be Jack Spicer who's on top of the world baby! Than i'll get the respect and glory I deservaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
His rant turned into a high pitched some might even call it girly scream as he tripped and found himself rolling down a hill straight into a small open hole that lead down to a dark chasm, "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" And as his scream echoed out (With Jack temporarily forgetting about his heli-pak in fear/shock) the jackbots above ground exchange looks.
Jack's high-pitched scream was abruptly cut off by a muffled "Oof!" as he landed in a mound of dirt and roots at the bottom of the dark abyss. For a moment, everything was a jumble of limbs and a disorienting darkness. "Ugh... where am I?" he groaned, pushing himself up into a sitting position. His eyes, slowly adjusting to the gloom, opened wide as he took in the structure before him.
This wasn't a natural cave. The wall before him was hewn stone, smooth and unnaturally symmetrical. In the center, carved in sinister detail, was a huge, fanged serpent's face, its hollow eyes seeming to stare directly into Jack's soul. A chill, not entirely unpleasant to his evil-genius sensibilities, ran down his spine. This was ancient. This was powerful. This was the perfect place for a lair!
"Jackbots!" he shouted toward the opening far above him. "Get down here and make yourself useful!"
Within seconds, several of his loyal robots floated down, their red lights illuminating the gloomy space. They illuminated the carved snake face, revealing a thin crack running along its perimeter. It was a door.
"Jackpot!" Jack exclaimed, rubbing his hands together in glee. "A prefabricated underground base! And with such wicked decor! Open it!"
The Jackbots obeyed, extending various metallic appendages to pry the stone door open, to no avail. Jack impatiently noticed some kind of lever and pulled it down. A screech echoed in the stillness of the tomb, as the heavy slab began to give way. The air emanating from within was stale and laden with a musky, reptilian odor.
When the door opened wide enough, Jack, with his characteristic lack of patience, pushed his robots aside. "Step aside, you scrap metal! The evil genius goes in first!"
He stepped into the darkness, the Jackbots following close behind like a cohort of mechanical fireflies. The interior opened into a vast cavern. Pillars carved in the shape of coiling snakes rose to an invisible ceiling, and everywhere, in alcoves and on ledges, lay coiled humanoid figures. They were covered in dust and cobwebs, motionless as statues.
"That's amazing..." Jack whispered, marveling. "Is that some kind of ancient army?"
His voice echoed in the silence, and that sound seemed to pulse through the chamber. A low hiss answered, and then another, and another. From the shadows, two points of bright red light ignited, focusing on Jack. Slowly, a figure uncoiled and slithered forward. It was a humanoid serpent-creature, nearly two meters tall, with patterned blue and gray skin and a hood that flared like a cobra's. In its hand, it held a golden staff topped with a hypnotic serpent emblem.
Jack flinched. These weren't statues!
The Hypnobrai general, Skales, hissed, his forked tongue flicking out to test the air. "An intruder? After sooooo many years?"
Behind him, dozens of other Hypnobrai warriors began to awaken, their red eyes glowing in the darkness, a chorus of hisses filling the tomb.
"Wow!" Jack exclaimed, taking a step back. "A bunch of snake-guys!" Listen, you lizards with legs, I'm just looking for a new place to live, so if you don't mind..."
Skales ignored him. He raised his staff, and his eyes began to swirl in a hypnotic blue and yellow pattern. "Look my eyesss... You will enter a trance... You will obey General Sssskalesss..."
A swirling beam of energy shot from the snake general's eyes, heading straight for Jack's face. Panic gripped the self-proclaimed evil genius. He was finished! Defeated again, this time by a lizard with mind-control issues! No! He refused!
In an act of pure desperation, Jack rummaged in the pockets of his trench coat. He had to have something! A Wu! Any Wu! His fingers closed around a smooth, round object. The Reversing Mirror! He'd picked it up after their last confrontation, completely forgetting about it.
Without a second's thought, he yanked it out. Jack instinctively lifted it, just as the hypnotic beam was about to hit him.
The beam slammed into the mirror's reflective surface. For a split second, it seemed to be absorbed before the Reversing Mirror lived up to its name. The hypnotic beam, now with its colors reversed, shot out toward its owner.
Skales didn't have time to react. The reversing beam struck him squarely in the eyes. The hypnotic spiral in his own pupils flickered, shattered, and then reformed, but this time, it reflected the reversed pattern. He stood completely still, the staff falling from his hands with a thud.
The other Hypnobrai stopped hissing, confusedby their leader's repentant silence.
Jack lowered the mirror, breathing heavily. "Did...did it work?"
Slowly, Skales raised his head. His eyes, now swirling with inverted colors, fixed on Jack with a new, unwavering focus. He glided forward, bowed, and knelt before the stunned evil genius.
"I am ssss at yourss commandss... master," Skales hissed, his voice devoid of its former arrogance and filled with slavish devotion.
Jack blinked. Then a slow, enormous, smug grin spread across his face. He looked at the kneeling Hypnobrai general, then at the hundreds of snake warriors who were now staring at their subjugated leader with a mixture of fear and confusion. He laughed. At first, it was a chuckle, but it quickly turned into a maniacal, triumphant cackle that echoed throughout the tomb.
"I'll show you! I'll show you all!" he cackled. "Wuya, Chase, the Xiaolin Losers! Jack Spicer doesn't just have a wicked new lair, he's got an army! And he's going to be on top of the world, baby!"