A Revengeful Return
A shot is heard; a body slumps in Zane's arms. "Father! No, please don't leave me! No!"
"I'm sorry I can't stay with you anymore, my son. I love you," Dr. Julien's hand slips from Zane's and he becomes cold, lifeless.
"No!" the ice ninja cries out his blue eyes opening widely and he gasps. He's back in the apartment where he and the others live in Ninjago city, in broad daylight. Ever since his father's abrupt death the flashbacks and certain dreams have haunted him, tormented him every waking moment, yet sleep does not bring any rest at all, for all of the evil images and memories become more vivid in the darkness. He glances around the room, containing his sleeping brothers, all in bunks, except Lloyd, who's in his own. The apartment has four bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and two bathrooms, though it's not much for nine individuals.
Zane gets out of the bottom bunk bed, with Cole sleeping above him, and goes to the window next to him. He peers through the foggy glass, seeing the everyday chaos of a large city, the only one in Ninjago, and a few cars in front of the grey apartment building that had a minor collision apparently. Zane can catch a glimpse of flashing blue and red fluorescent lights and hear the blare of the sirens of the police vehicles.
"Morning frosty," Jay greets Zane, climbing down the ladder of his bunk.
"Good morning," the ice ninja responds.
"Do you want to get some ice cream before the others wake up?" Jay lowers his voice with a mischievous grin.
"No we really should wait for-" Zane is interrupted by the lightning ninja.
"We'll get them some too."
"Okay," Zane smiles.
"So…what do you want to get?" Jay asks the ice ninja excitedly like a little boy and licks his bubble gum flavored ice cream.
"I'd rather not have any," Zane says softly before taking the cones for Kai and Lloyd in his hand while Jay takes Cole's and Nya's. Both exit the ice cream shop and their sneakers squeak on the wet sidewalk that had been raining not too long ago, and the crisp air refreshes the Ninja of Ice as he drinks in his rather noisy surroundings. A little Maltese is plodding on a pink leash behind a girl of about sixteen years of age on the asphalt. They cross onto the broken sidewalk, mostly destroyed by the Devourer not too long ago, and her white heels are not helping in the slightest degree. She trips in front of the ninja, splashing in a puddle that wets her frilly blue dress, and she merely wipes it down a bit before resuming a rather brisk walk. Zane thinks, I wonder how women can still look pretty after an attack with an enormous snake and the destruction of most of Ninjago?
Several other people cross the road, since they run no risk of getting hit by a car and amble behind the ninja, in a gloomy conversation about how the city still needs repairs and things like when the baseball and football games are going to come back. It's funny how people sometimes focus on irrelevant things when in a partially dire situation. The stone warriors are gone, but should the civilians not worry about running water and electricity first? Some shops are already open, but running water is not everywhere.
Zane's attention turns back to Jay, who is in a deep conversation, mostly to his own self, because the ice ninja hasn't been listening. "So what I was wondering was if you could teach me how to cook the old fashioned way. I want to have a fairly decent date with Nya tomorrow night."
"Certainly," Zane responds, staring at the sidewalk without much interest at anything in his world of grey. He no longer cares for things ever since what happened to his father except for…human lives.
A girl's scream brings him back to the present as the Maltese yaps at an alley, bereft of its owner. Zane and Jay instantly dart to where the dog is and glance to see kicking heels being pulled away into a junction, to the left, and another scream pierces the air that is suddenly cut short. "You go this way and I'll go around," Zane instructs Jay and bolts to the left, around the broken down pastry shop.
Zane pulls his white hood down and pulls out his elemental ice blade, rushing forward, and makes a turn to the left, meeting a difficult situation. A tall man in a black cloak that covers most of his body is holding a knife to the crying girl's throat. He holds her mouth with his other hand and she has her hands on his knife arm. Her blond hair is stained with a bit of blood from a superficial cut on her temple.
"Let the girl go," Zane demands, approaching the two very cautiously, being only twelve feet away. Jay comes up next to the ice ninja, his lightning blade drawn.
"Mind your own business ninja," a cold, metallic voice responds, pressing the knife harder against the girl's throat, drawing a bit of blood. The hostage shakes her head frantically, her blue eyes pleading for help.
"No way," Jay says, gripping his own weapon tighter with sweaty palms.
"Back off," the alleged man repeats.