The Panda and the Turtle (Book 1)

Chapter 10: Tai Lung Escapes

Meanwhile, back at Chor-Gom Prison, Tai Lung was glaring intently ahead as he used Zeng's feather to pick the lock, from the armor. When he succeeded, the accupuncture needles in the armor remove themselves from his body. He breathed out as he regained movement in his arms. All of a sudden, Tai Lung bursted free from his armor. The Commander ran to the ledge, with the goose right behind him.

"OH, NO!" Vachir shouted.

"What's happening?!" Zeng asked.

The goose looked over the edge and was horrified when he saw Tai Lung at the bottom of the pit. Tai Lung struggled with his shackles, attached to the huge boulders.

"To your battle stations! Go! Go! Go!" The Rhino guard said.

Tai Lung released a roar, which terrified Zeng.

"Fire crossbows!" Vachir ordered.

"Fire!" One Rhino ordered. "Fire!"

Tai Lung dodged several of the incoming spears and then moved himself so the next one broke him free of one of his shackles, much to the guards' horror. With his free paw, he ripped off the other one.

"Tai Lung is free!" Zeng exclaimed. "I must warn Shifu!"

Zeng attempted to flee, but the Commander grabbed his neck, that prevented him from leaving.

"You're not going anywhere, and neither is he!" Vachir said.

"Let go of me!" Zeng said.

"Bring it up!" Vachir said to the guards.

The winch turned and the elevator started to rise. A rhino guard tried to reach it, but just missed.

"Wait! Bring it back!" The rhino guard said.

The rhinos began to attack Tai Lung, as they fired spears at him, one of which he redirected into the crossbow, that destroyed it, and the rest he kicked back up into the walls, that created a makeshift staircase. He began making his way up the spears, toward the elevator.

"He's coming this way!" Zeng panicked.

"He won't get far." Vachir said. "Archers!"

As he leapt across the spears, Tai Lung caught the elevator and hid under it as the volley of arrows flew down past him. The guards cut the rope and the elevator crashed back down to the bottom of the pit. The guards celebrated for a second before Tai Lung swung up from the bottom of the elevator house and caught the guards by surprise. He grabbed the chain and jumped over the edge and swung around, that launched himself up to the next tier, as he disappeared into the shadows. Tai Lung landed on a bridge and fought his way through hundreds of guards, until he finally reached the top tier where the Commander, who was still clutching Zeng, and the rest of the rhino army await.

"We're dead." Zeng said. "So very, very dead."

"Not yet we're not." Vachir laughed. "Now!"

A archer fired a flaming arrow upward and set off charges on the ceiling. Massive stalactites crashed down and the bridge began to crumble. Tai Lung leapt across the crumbling debris and attempted one last huge jump towards the Commander. But he falled short, with his claws scraping and sparking against the rock wall. The Commander laughed maniacally. On his way down, Tai Lung looked up and saw a fuse burning down to the last group of explosives. He leapt across the raining debris up to the ceiling of the cavern. As he grabbed a hold of the dynamite, Tai Lung fell towards the army.

"Can we run now?" Zeng asked.

"Yes." Vachir sobbed in terror.

Tai Lung flung the dynamite and KA-THOOM! The door blasted open and Rhinos went flying everywhere. The goose hit the ground among them. He coughed out some smoke and was startled when the commander's horn prosthetic fell in front of him. Suddenly, Tai Lung's paw closed around his throat.

"URRRK!" Zeng meeped.

Tai Lung lifted Zeng and looked at him for a moment.

"I'm glad Shifu sent you." Tai Lung sighed. "I was beginning to think I'd been forgotten."

With a creepy tenderness, Tai Lung smoothed the goose's ruffled feathers. Then he leaned closer to Zeng.

"Fly back there and tell them...the real Dragon Warrior is coming home."

Zeng nodded in terror. Tai Lung threw the goose into the air and he fluttered off. Tai Lung watched as lightning stroke in the sky.