The sound of dripping water was the only thing that could be heard in the dark caverns where a teen sat. He sat in a small cage, a bucket full of dirty water the only other thing inside it. He sighed as his ruby red eyes looked out into the blackness beyond the bars.

He had lost count of how long he had been in this place a long time ago. He lost all hope of ever being free again a long time ago as well. Every day was the same, he sat in his cell, a robot brought him food and refilled the water, then he slept till the next day began. Of course he couldn't really tell what time of day it was, he wasn't sure that he remembered what sunlight looked like anymore.

Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just kill himself. Surely then he would finally be free of this endless cycle, but for some reason he didn't. Perhaps he was scared that things would be worse after death, or maybe he still had hope that his friends where alive, and there was a chance that things could go back to the way they where before the takeover.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway, and red eyes shined out of the darkness as another robot (or was it the same one, he never could really tell the difference between them) brought him his food for the day.

He sighed and looked up to the single light bulb hanging above his head.

'If you guys are out there, I hope you haven't forgotten about me.'

~x~X~x~

The center of Ninjago City had been turned into a giant factory. There, many people where forced to work on the creation of the Overlord's robotic army. Among the slaves, where two teens. One was assigned to keep all the machines in working order, while the other made sure that everyone met their daily quota for the day. The latter was currently walking down a hallway, checking off a mental checklist of things that she had already completed. Many thought she was lucky to have the job given to her, but she didn't see it that way. She had to turn in a list of anyone who didn't get their work done on time, then was forced to watch as they where punished.

So far, everyone seemed to be on track today, which meant there might not be any punishments today. But given how much the nindroids enjoyed whipping people, probably not. She stopped in front of the main floor and watched as all the workers quickly did there jobs. They didn't make any mistakes, cause just one meant that you wouldn't have any food or water for the next two days. You'd also have to work overtime during that time period.

Seeing that everything was going smoothly, she wrote something down on a notepad she was carrying and continued on her way.

Else where in the factory, the other teen sat beneath one of the broken machines, working as quickly as he could to fix it. He was glad to have gotten a job doing what he loved, and in the same place where the love of his life worked as well. The others had always said he was lucky, but he never realized just how lucky he could be till the takeover.

Of course it was a curse at the same time. He didn't have a choice in the work he did, and neither did she. They where both trapped in this hell hole, and there didn't seem to be any way out.

He wiped his brow as he reconnected a few wires, then signaled to a nearby nindroid to start the machine. It whirred to life, now working perfectly. He then grabbed his tool kit, and went to do his daily check of the machines in the main room.

The teens passed each other in the hallway, and both gave a small smile. They might not of had their freedom anymore, but they still had each other.

~x~X~x~

'It's been so long, why does it still hurt so much?'

A teen sat alone in his camp. He was looking towards a small pond, thinking about what things where like before the takeover.

He could still remember the day when everything changed, the day when he could no longer be a part of a team.

The sound of the explosion that the rocket he failed to warn the others about made as it collided with the building. The sudden rush of emotions as he watched it burn to the ground and the Overlords robots went searching for their bodies.

He wasn't sure how he escaped, everything was a blur after that, but he did remember waking up in the mountains, wounded and weak. He knew he couldn't go back, there was nothing left, and he couldn't face the Overlord on his own.

He only had one job, and he had failed. His friends had cost with their lives. Now he just spent his time trying to survive. Survive from the nindroids, from the strange monsters that lurked in the place he now called home, and from the guilt that threatened to wash over him and drag him away.

Gripping the handle of his weapon, the teen stood up and walked into the thick foliage. Hunting helped to keep his mind off of all the terrible things that had happened, but he knew it was only a distraction. Soon enough, he would be back and the thoughts would circle around in his mind like a swarm of angry bees.

He wasn't sure how much more of this nightmare he could take.

~x~X~x~

"I believe I have found where Lloyd is located at," A nindroid stated as he looked over to his teammate," That accounts for three of the team, and I have also located the other elemental masters."

"Great, but what about... him?"

"I'm sorry, but no one has seen him since the incident. The information I gathered from the last nindroid to see him showed that he had been injured greatly, the chances that he survived are very small."

The teen gave a small sigh, then looked towards the screen," Any news on their families?"

"Ray and Maya are working in the southern section, while Ed and Edna are up north. Lou is located in the central factory."

"Good, we work on getting the elemental masters first, then we're getting the team back," The teen replied, determination written over all his features," I'm not going to lose any more of my family."