It was brought to my attention that I called Zane's dad Julius instead of Julien. my apologies. I told my brother Julius was wrong but no...I just had to listen to him. Screw sibling advice.
This is the first piece of writing I've ever done in my life. Seriously, I did the first two chapters of this story in October, then I did NaNoWriMo in December.
I picked up this story again after that, and was not surprised to find that my writing style had improved greatly after the 57,000 words of the 'NaNo novel' that I still haven't finished, LOL.
Update: I just finished rewriting this first chapter, just to make it flow better. It still needs more work, but is slightly more readable than before. I still need to work on fixing the next few chapters...a process that will take me several days. Please, just be patient with me.
Thanks to all of you who actually made it past the first few chapters, and ended up favoriting this story in the end!
Darkness, cold, and pain. Pain? That was something the Overlord had not experienced in many thousands of years. Not pain like this. Not since... He shuddered. Not since the first fight, with the Ultimate Spinjitsu Master, thousands of years before.
And that small boy with the injured leg had now hurt him even worse than the first Spinjitsu Master. How is it possible, he wondered, that this boy, grandson of the first Ninja, was able to defeat me, injured and incompetent? He silenced his thoughts and collected his wits. He had been here before, in this world called Between. The Land Of Shadows... He let out a shudder, memories of his time here returning.
He could get out, but only in spirit. His body would no longer be of any use in Ninjago.
He let out a long hiss. "He...will...pay..." He had to get out of here, and escape this broken body. He slowly made his way to the portal in the Mountain of Madness. It could take years, but he did not care. There would be no healing here. His body had been broken forever, and he now had to find a new one to take its place. "They...will...pay..."
"Hand me that red wire, would you Zane?" A quiet voice asked.
"Of course, Father," Zane replied.
"Thank you." He took it gratefully in his delicate, wrinkled fingers.
Zane nodded and turned back to his work. They had been at this project for months. Even though he had enjoyed the challenge it brought him, he was glad that it was almost over. "It will be a true masterpiece when you have completed it, father," he smiled into his father's deep set brown eyes. "You have truly outdone yourself."
The elderly man chuckled, crows feet forming around his eyes. "No greater than you, my son," he turned to the incomplete android and inserted the red wire into a panel. "Now come on, stop flattering me and get to work. I'm too old to do this myself, you know."
Zane glanced out the window at the morning sun peeking through the window, lighting up their shop. He turned and looked at the work that had made up the bulk of the morning, and most of the year. He turned back to his father, a thought coming into his mind. "Have you decided on his name yet?"
The elderly man peered through his spectacles, trying to adjust his eyes. "Perhaps," he said, considering the question a moment. "How about Cyrus?" He adjusted his glasses. "Oh, hand me that screwdriver, will you?"
Zane was silent a moment, thinking about the name long and hard. "It sounds perfect, father." He grabbed the long, mildly cold handle of the screwdriver. It was amazing, really, how he could feel things. His father was a wonderful inventor.
Zane looked at the inside of the machine. Soon, he thought, I won't be the only cyborg around here. I sense things will be different around here after that.
He recalled the day he first flipped his memory switch, about a year ago. The flood of memories that had followed. Cooking with his father, playing with his fellow robot friend, the falcon his father had made for him as a birthday present for his tenth birthday. How he had watched his father grow old and weak, and how helpless he had felt.
He remembered his father flip 'off' his memory switch. How his memory went blank for years, and how empty he had felt. Without a purpose, without a history. How everyone shunned him, because he was different. The struggle to find his identity, and to fill himself up, and to end his desperation and ever-growing growing emptiness inside his mind.
Everyone told him that he had amnesia. They had said that someday he would remember his past, and so he had waited patiently for years on end. During that hard time, he had met his best friends, partners and supporters. He had certainly needed support when he found his memory switch again. When all those memories of his early life came back like a flash flood, filling him up again, ending the desperation and emptiness.
Zane chuckled absently. The look on his friends faces when he opened his chest. How Jay was the only one who knew how to make him feel comfortable, knowing that he was, as Jay had so affectionately called him, a Nindriod. That he was special, not strange. Different, but not wrong. How they had called him their brother, even though he was not truly human. The way Jay had laughed when he flipped his humor switch 'on.' It had been awkward, but strangely comforting.
All of these thoughts coursed through his head in a moment. All the things they had been through since then made his head spin. There was now no enemy, with Garmadon now working with, and not against the ninja. The Overlord was unable to return in Ninjago in his true form ever again, crippled forever. He smiled absent-mindedly. Yes, things are certainly better now.
"Zane?" Julien's voice called him out of the trance.
Zane jumped. "What? O-oh, yes, sorry father." He leapt up and went to help Julien work. "Is it almost done now?" He asked.
"I believe so," Julien said. "You finish with that panel there, while I download the AI program onto Cyrus from the main computer." He stood up and weaved around the mess of cords that went from the new robot to the main computer.
He felt as youthful as ever, now that he was able to live a more active lifestyle. The little island he had lived on for years did not provide him with much opportunity for a good jog. "Are you excited about your birthday today, Zane?" He asked his creation, smiling at the thought of Zane's birthday. The day that he first flipped his Nindriod's power switch, and the day he had decided he was not alone anymore, and that he finally, after all those years, had a son.
"Yes, father." His son answered as he moved to where his father was working and examined the android's control panel. A touch screen... So different from the older system inside himself, but he was the first of his father's androids. Of course they were going to get more advanced with time.
Julien stood up and went to the computer. "Why don't you go meet up with your friends?" Julius suggested, "This project is almost done. I will finish it, then follow you, okay?"
"Yes, father," Zane said as he pulled on his boots and called his falcon. "Farewell." The bird hopped from its perch in a corner and glided to its master's side as he ran out the door, landing expertly on the white sleeved arm.
Zane breathed in the brisk air as it swirled around him. The other four ninja said they would meet him up in Jamanakai Village. He smiled as he thought about them. He never got tired of seeing his dearest friends and brothers. He let his mind wander as he continued to run tirelessly up the road leading to the mountains, his falcon now flying above him.
Julien pressed the button with a feeling of finality. "Done," he said with finality as he stood up and unplugged the wires from Cyrus' main control panel. "I can turn it on with Zane later," he said to himself. "I'm sure he would not want to miss it."
He chuckled as he walked toward the door that led to his private workspace. The door squeaked in protest as he turned the handle and pushed it open. He chuckled again, obviously in an excellent mood as he walked into the room and found the switch next to the door. The strong light from the ceiling fixture revealed a dirty workspace cluttered with tools. He never cleaned in here, and hadn't let Zane come in since he had first started his secret project.
He walked to the opposite wall and pulled a key from his pocket, then inserted it into a small gap in the wall. The secret door opened, revealing more tools, dust, and a large box.
Dr. Julien looked at the box, wiping away the thin layer of dust that had gathered. He let out a long whistle and a large robot rolled silently out of a corner in the main room and carried the big box to his blue car.
He directed the bot back to the house. "Thanks, HL1," he said.
The HL1 bot whirred and beeped in return, then rolled back into the house. After locking the door, Julien started the car and began the short drive to Jamonakai village.
It really was an invigorating run. Zane loved nothing more than jogging with his first friend during his free time in the cold mountains. Sometimes he would run for hours without resting.
After about three hours, he arrived in the village. He was to meet the ninja in the town square, next to the fountain, at noon. His internal clock told him that he was several minutes early, so he went to the local well to get a drink and cool off a bit. Quite a coincidence, he thought to himself, that I arrived but a few minutes early.
Zane looked around him and called his robotic falcon to his arm. "It truly is a beautiful day, my friend." He said as he walked back to the fountain. He had just reached it when a familiar voice sounded out behind him.
"Surprise," The voice was undeniably excited and jubilant. "Happy Birthday, Zane!"
Lloyd, of course, Zane thought. He was only about 14 years old, but stronger and taller than most men twice his age.
As Zane turned around to give him a friendly smile, he realized that if anybody was to complain about their early life, Lloyd had more right to than most. He was the son of the former dark Lord Garmadon, and had a mother who abandoned him at an early age. His father had dumped him off at a boarding school at an early age. He had decided that he grew up, he would become just like his father instead of following the guidance of his uncle, Garmadon's brother, Sensei Wu.
After a long chain of mistakes, including unleashing the serpentine, he finally accepted the care of his uncle, and later realized that he was the prophesied Green Ninja. So he was forced to 'grow up' early because of the responsibility he now had. On top of that, in a battle with the grundle, there was an 'aging tea' which would turn the grundle into dust and bones. Lloyd had no choice but to use it. And while the trundle had been defeated, The tea sped up Lloyd's aging process by several years, making his body look not as a twelve year old's should, but as a twenty-five year old. So he had been forced to mature quickly, in a matter of minutes. It was painful, but Lloyd had done his best not to complain. The hormones, Zane was sure, must have been overwhelming at first.
His mother had shown up later and helped guide them to the Dark Island, where his father and the Overlord were on the island building their secret weapon to control Ninjago. Lloyd, with the help of his team, eventually defeated the Overlord, and Garmadon's body was freed from the Great Devourer poison that made him turn evil so long ago.
It may not always seem like it, but Lloyd would take his job seriously when 'seriousness' was due. But quite frankly, he'd always be a prankster. Two-minute puberty won't change your personality...too much...
"Hello, Lloyd, where are the others?" Zane asked with a warm smile.
A disappointed look shot across Lloyd's face. "Awww, come on," he groaned, "can't I ever shake you? "
"No, you can't Lloyd. And we're right here." Cole said as he came to a stop at Zane's side, Jay and Kai behind him. "The Destiny's Bounty is just outside of town waiting. We can begin the walk there whenever. How are you doing, Pinky?" He gave his friend an embrace that suggested that they had not seen each other in months instead of just two nights ago.
Zane smiled and returned the embrace. "Fine, and how are you, dragon breath?"
"Great," Cole said. "I beat Jay's video game record this morning." He shot a playful glance in Jay's direction. "Boy, that felt good!"
"Yeah, to you," Jay retorted, "I worked hard for that high score. And you just walked right in and beat it. Who do you think you are, you pile of stubble?" He added jokingly.
"Better at video games than you, that's what!" Kai laughed.
"Brothers," Zane laughed. "It is so good to see you all. My father will be joining later, he is finishing up a project we've been working on for months."
"Show-off," Kai poked at his arm. "You're just trying to make a point of saying that you've been more productive than us today." He laughed again.
"Perhaps," said Zane, a twinkle in his cyan blue eyes. "Shall we begin the trek to the Bounty?
"You bet," Lloyd said. "I've got some extra energy to burn."
"You've always got extra energy." Jay said. "Honestly, Lloyd, I don't think you will ever truly grow up."
"I did, too." Lloyd retorted good-naturedly. "And many years faster than you did."
"Which is not very fair in my opinion," Cole snorted.
"Fair?" Lloyd raised one eyebrow at him mischievously. "Fair is not a word-"
"Save it," Jay held up a hand.
Lloyd crossed his arms and pretended to be offended.
"Come on," Kai said. "Plenty of time to talk on the way to the Bounty."
Pain. Still, the pain. His body was, in a way, frozen. It could not heal, could not deteriorate. The Overlord was relieved when he had finally spotted the portal. Now the pain would end. Now, he would have his revenge.
He could now cross over into Ninjago. Without his body, of course. He had to go in spirit. He crawled over the edge of the cliff and into the shaft of light.
"...They...will...pay..." His voice still held the malicious tone it had two years ago, when he first went Between.
The bluish light engulfed him, and a sense of weightlessness came over him. Then suddenly the pain was gone. It was so sudden he gasped. The gasp quickly turned to a sigh of relief as the surroundings began to change around him. The bluish-black that he had become accustomed to melded into a bright, unbearably bright light. Ninjago City, he thought.
He looked around him. Being invisible to the eyes of man, he could float through town undetected. A building surrounded by trees caught his eye. The sign on the front of the two story structure read Ninjago Robotics Shop. He floated over and peeked through a window, his suspicions proving true as he spotted one of the ninja inside.
The white one, working with his father on an android. A plan began forming in his mind. He would need to be patient, but soon, he would have a body again. A smaller, albeit weaker body, but a body nonetheless. He watched the white ninja leave with his falcon.
A few moments later, the old man loaded up a large box in the back of his truck with the help of a small robot. The old man drove away, and the Overlord followed.
The five ninja reached the Bounty in about fifteen minutes. Their flying ship was parked in the lake. Lloyd called to his dragon. The huge, four headed beast appeared out of the surrounding trees and landed in front of him, and they all climbed onto its back and flew to the ship. Once they were right above it, they all jumped off, landing neatly on the deck. The dragon flew back to shore and disappeared.
"Hey, guys," a feminine voice welcomed them. "And happy birthday, Zane."
"Thank you, Nya." The Nindriod answered with a smile.
"His dad will be arriving shortly, so don't take off yet." Cole said. He was the self-proclaimed leader of their team, and was used to giving the others orders.
"Aye aye, cap'n," Nya said in good spirits, twirling a strand of hair in her fingers. "Now let's get the cake and ice cream out and have a party. Cole, could you..." He was gone.
"Where did he go?" Kai asked, bewildered.
Lloyd pointed toward the kitchen, a rueful smile puckering at his lips. "He heard the four letter word, Nya."
"Okay, no more explanation needed there," Zane stated. "Now let's get in there and see if there's any cake-or more importantly, ice cream, left." They went to the kitchen and, to their surprise, Sensei was sitting at the table eating cake with Cole as if there was no tomorrow.
"Hello." Sensei Wu greeted them, his mouth full of cake.
Lloyd, of course, went to the rescue and saved six pieces. He handed out the slices of cake as they all exchanged greetings with their master.
"Greetings, Sensei." Zane said. "And if you will all excuse me, I shall go and eat the ice cream."
"Yeah," Cole said, "go get that ice-wait, no. Actually, don't...too late." He groaned as the Nindroid disappeared from view.
Jay looked at Cole, bewildered. "And where did he go?"
Kai rolled his eyes. "where do you think, Jay?" He laughed. "Lloyd, run and rescue the ice cream, would you?"
"Sure thing," Lloyd turned to walk out.
Kai grinned at the golden ninja's back. "Thanks."
Lloyd turned to face them. "You're not welcome, you lazy slob." He tried to make a straight face, but failed miserably. Everyone in the room started laughing, but Lloyd did not mind. They were laughing with him, not at him. He ran to catch up with Zane.
"Hey, Zane!" Lloyd said as he came to a stop next to the big chest freezer. "You know, other people want ice cream too."
"My apologies, Lloyd." Zane replied, reaching onto the chest freezer. "Let us go back to the others and share this treat."
Lloyd was confused. Why were the others concerned about him eating all the ice cream? Cerainly the android could not eat all that ice cream himself. There was too much of it.
"Come and help, Lloyd. I can't carry it all myself."
Lloyd sighed. Zane...his abnormal love of ice cream was somewhat humorous. Like Cole and his love of cake.
Lloyd balanced a stack of a large variety of the cold desserts, and Zane grabbed another stack. They walked back into the kitchen together moments later.
"Zane," Jay was standing next to the window, observing something on the shore. "Looks like your dad is here. We should go out and fly him in."
Cole joined him at the window. "Look at that box," he whistled. "I wonder if that's your gift, Zane."
"Let's go." Kai was already running out the door, beckoning for the to follow.
Lloyd called the dragon and they all flew back to the shore of the lake.
"Greetings, father," Zane jumped off the dragon first and embraced Julien. It could not have been an hour since they had last seen each other, but neither of them cared. Zane was a man who loved warm embraces.
"Hello, son," Julien smiled. "I finished the project," he looked at Cole. "Can you get that box and bring it inside? And please be gentle with it."
"Consider it done, Doctor." Cole bowed dramatically. "Come on, you guys. I'm pretty curious to see what this is." Another thought occurred to him. "And Kai, can you put the ice cream back in the freezer? We won't be able to eat it for a while longer."
"Ice cream?" Julien said, smiling excitedly. "The gift can wait, let's get some desserts first." And with that he jumped onto the dragon with a speed no one knew he possessed.
"I know where Zane's love of cold, creamy desserts came from now..." Kai said, making everyone chuckle.
They all flew back, with Cole holding the huge box in front of him. They landed and the dragon flew off again.
Julien ran to the kitchen wordlessly.
"Come, brothers," Zane said, "before he eats all the desert." He followed his father to the kitchen.
"Yeah, Zane? I'm not sure that's possible. There's a lot of it in there." Lloyd tried to reason.
"Lloyd..." Jay began with a chuckle, "That's why we got so much. You remember last year, right?"
Of course they all remembered. Who could forget?
So the four ninja followed quickly. Between the inseparable pair, they just might eat it all before anyone else could get to it...
The Overlord had shadowed the old man the whole way to the Bounty.
As soon as the blue car had stopped, all the ninja flew out to greet him on their dragon. He watched them exchange words with the man, then they had all jumped back on the dragon and went back to the ship.
Still, the Overlord followed.
Please, keep reading. This is only the beginning of a journey that will become quite interesting. This party may have a rude ending...;)