NIGHT OF FATE
The shadows seemed to dance as the dim light flickered. Row after row of candles they emanated a fiery glow, which seemed to be set in a circular pattern in the room. At the centre of the circle was a hovering form, legs folded inward and arms in front. His palms were clasped together and close to his armoured body.
This was the hovering form of none other than Yoketron, the great Cyber-Ninja Master.
He waited in the empty dojo, meditating. The edges of his white and gold armour gleamed in the candle light, with the rest left in shadow. Only the tiny illuminations of his lowered optics glowed beneath his helmet, his aged faceplate relaxed and mind in deep thought…
Behind the master ninja, a candle went out abruptly. A strong wind suddenly blew, and all around the candles died out.
"It seems I have a visitor…"
Yoketron lifted his head and slowly began to descend until softly touching the ground. Tilting his head up slightly, he opened his optics and stared at the doorway that stood before him. He arose, leaping over the row of candles in front of him, then landing gracefully onto the other side. He walked down the quiet hall, which was well lit down each corridor by a florescent glow. As he continued further, one by one the lights behind flickered out…
He soon turned into the next room, but not before noticing the hall that he had come from. It was dark, and from what he could see, no one was there, though he wasn't about to let his guard down.
The Old Master looked around at the holoforms of his former pupils. It was not exactly sure why he came here again, but perhaps, fate told him to…
Just then, the lights inside began to flicker, until finally going out completely and leaving the lone ninja with only the holoforms glowing. Yoketron, however, was not perturbed by the sudden darkness. Standing there steadfast and unflinching for whom he had been "waiting" for.
"…I did not expect to find you back here."
A dark form landed heavily from a rafter above and charged from behind the standing Yoketron. As the attacker was about to strike, the swift ninja turned around and blocked his arm just in time. That didn't stop the attacker from swinging his leg around toward Yoketron's midsection. Quickly he jumped back, avoiding the kick. Looking at the attacker, his optics brimming red, from a visage masked in shadow, Yoketron's expression became stern.
"Why have you come!" He hollered at the dark form. The attacker however, only smirked under the glow from a nearby holoform.
"To pay a visit…maybe ask for—"
"If it is for forgiveness, then you are sadly mistaken!" Yoketron paused for a moment, and stared back hard at the former student. From what could be seen, the intruder had lowered his optics away from his Old Master's stare.
"…I will ask again…" This time lifting up his stare to the ninja-bot. The tension within the room built up as Yoketron made his response.
"And I will refuse. You were a disgraceful student that cared for nothing more than to take from others, be it through reckless violence… Your presence here, only confirms that I made the right decision…" Yoketron stood across from the dark form, both remained motionless as the same tension began to boil.
The ninja lowered his stare away from the other. "I am sorry, Lockdown, but—"
"YOU'RE sorry!" Now he was outraged.
Lockdown lunged forward, unwilling to accept any pity from his former Sensei. He went at Yoketron with a cross punch, which Yoketron easily avoided, who then grabbed Lockdown's arm and flung him the other way. Lockdown bashed into one of the holoforms, but soon got up and tried again at the ninja. Each time Yoketron dodged his attack, sometimes getting a few close calls, but at each interval in between always finding an open spot to grab the foolish attacker and throw him to the wall. Thusly damaging each holoform in the room, making it completely dark.
After the last trial-and-error tactic, Lockdown reluctantly fell to one knee. Every part of him badly bent up and damaged, yet not enough to make him want to stop. Yoketron, however, was still standing though worn a bit. He could not understand Lockdown's resilience, and while he would have admired that quality in a student of his, this former student had no reason for such.
Before approaching the seemingly weakened 'bot, Yoketron noticed that the secret passage to the protoforms was still open from where Prowl had left it. The Old Master then looked back at Lockdown, who was still knelt at the floor. He figured it would be best to close the passageway door before anymore intrusions were to occur. He began to focus processor-over-matter and move the metal doors to the crystal orb at the centre, and properly close it. Meanwhile, Lockdown began fingering a large metal shard broken off from one of the holoform stands. Yoketron didn't notice but Lockdown managed to get back to his stabilizing servos. With a glare filled of hatred, he flung the shard at an incredible speed toward the unsuspecting Yoketron. Before the ninja had time to deflect it, the shard pierced sharply into the back of his armour, breaking him out of his concentration. As he swerved around in slight disorientation, Lockdown had snuck behind quick enough to lay on one hard roundhouse kick, sending his former Master to crash into the centre orb. Yoketron yelled in pain as the pieces of crystal pierced through the back of his armour after crashing down. He struggled to get back up, but was forced back down by the weight of Lockdown's stabilizing servo. The tides had turned. The wise Cyber-Ninja, renowned for his great skill, and battle experience, was now sprawled on the floor as his 'opponent' reveled in watching him suffer.
"What's the matter…Old Sensei?" Lockdown put all of his force onto Yoketron's chassis. The shard pushed in further, and the agonized ninja did all he could to hold back from the pain, but what slipped through was a crackling groan. Lockdown smirked proudly.
"That's right, feel sorry….All that self-righteous pity you had ain't gonna save you now…"
Yoketron struggled, until finally looking up to the crimson optics glaring menacingly at him.
"Y-you, you didn't…" he coughed up some purple fluid. "…You didn't let me finish. I'm sorry, Lockdown, but what you should understand is…it is not only the student that fails…" He was silent for a moment.
"…It is also the teacher that fails the student..."
The red optics widened.
"I…have failed you, my pupil…" The fading ninja gasped out. Lockdown stood there, the weight of his stabilizing servo still pressing against his former master, his expression unchanged…..until finally, he kneeled next to Yoketron's side.
"Yeah…You did." He clenched his servo and with one hit, punched out the Cyber-Ninja. In the optics of Yoketron, everything went black…
-/-
Ninja's Note: …I made this for a friend who needed help conceptualizing how Yoketron may have perished by Lockdown's hands in the episode revealing Prowl's past. This was written I believe in… 2009? I find this to be a bit old, so tell me what you think.
