A/N: That last chapter was pretty stuffy and dark, huh? (Plus, sticking to the dialogue in the show was really restricting.) Honestly, I was just super nervous. I've loosened up a lot in this next chapter. Now it's just dark and slightly sarcastic!

Big thanks to everyone who read and/or reviewed the first chapter!

You can expect the chapters to be about this length from now on.

Guilt purged from his voice, but not from his mind, Kai said, "We're not coming home."

Static.

"Sorry, can yo-", from Nya's end of the line.

More static.

Kai hated modern technology. "I said, we're not coming home!" he huffed.

Silence.

"Jay, I don't see what's so great about Borg if he can't even design a radio, uh, thingy that works right!"

Jay gasped, feeling totally betrayed. "Cyrus Borg is a genius, Mr. Stone-Age! His communicator," Jay corrected, "works perfectly fine without interference. And that," Jay motioned to the hangry, green cyclone of alien beetles that was now approaching the rover, "is definitely interference."

"Get out of the rover!" Lloyd commanded. "It should distract them from us for, what? Thirty seconds? Everybody run!"

Zane ran. Everyone else floundered behind.

"Right, we're wearing freakin' space suits. Let me guess," Kai said, voice dripping with toxicity as he landed hard on his backside again. "Borg is a genius, but his suits only allow for things like agility if you pay a seperate fee of $19.99?" He glowered at Jay, who was perfectly executing a starfish imitation at the bottom of a small crater he had failed to see.

"Uh... guys?" Cole shrieked, "I'm pretty sure it's been thirty seconds."

The rover had been stripped down to nothing. The metal-eating parasites were still hungry. There was nothing in between them and the ninja.

"New plan!" Lloyd announced. "Kai, you stay with me and fight off these bugs! The rest of you need to track down the wrecked rovers from earlier. See if you can make some sort of device, gadget, anything to get us off this comet! We'll be waiting. Hurry!"

Zane, Cole and Jay nodded solemnly. They began to retrace their steps from earlier: Zane running faster than humanly possible, Cole and Jay going at a pace that could possibly beat a tortoise in a race if they got lucky.

Kai looked over at Lloyd, who was avoiding eye-contact. "Lloyd, why did you send the three of them off? They won't be able to build anything without someone to weld the pieces together."

Lloyd turned towards Kai, now feeling just as guilty as the fire ninja had only a few minutes ago. "Look, someone had to make the choice. Either we all die because we don't have enough firepower to beat these parasites or a few of us die to give the others a fighting chance." Lloyd locked eyes with Kai, his voice more confident now. "If I told any of them, they never would have left. I thought you would agree with me."

Kai smiled sadly. "We won't die, Lloyd. You really think I'm gonna let a few rogue beetles be the end of us? We beat the Serpentine. We beat your father. We mostly beat the Overlord," Kai gazed up at their home in the sky, then continued, "and Ninjago still needs saving. Ninja never quit!"

Returning Kai's melancholy smile, Lloyd replied, "You're right. We won't die."

With that, Lloyd and Kai were engulfed in a blanket of parasites.

As soon as the three ninja were out of earshot, Cole spoke up.

"Okay, since Lloyd just signed himself and Kai up for a suicide mission, we need to go back and rescue them. Forget about building a way off this thing. Ninja never leave another ninja behind."

"What do you suggest we do?" Zane questioned.

Cole grinned sheepishly, then said, "Cryptor's rover just got flipped, right? Other than a few scrapes and dents, it should work like new. If we could just move faster, we might be able to reach it in time to come back and rescue them..."

The earth ninja looked expectantly at Zane, waiting for him to catch on.

"Ah, perhaps I could carry you. Although, with the added weight of your spacesuits, I do not think I will be able to lift you both," Zane admitted. "Cole's augmented strength would prove quite useful. Would you mind waiting for us here, Jay?"

Jay cocked his eyebrow. "Would I mind waiting all alone on an alien-infested comet hurtling through space, in a clumsy spacesuit, with communications down and no way to contact anyone if I'm in danger?! What reason could I possibly have to be afraid?" Jay scoffed, trying to appear brave. "Go ahead, lovebirds," he said with disdain, shooing them off.

After picking Cole up bridal-style, Zane cautioned, "Do not wander off, Jay. It would be nearly impossible to locate you, should you get injured. We do not know the geography of this comet well enough to conduct a search party."

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for the reassurance. Just go! Kai and Lloyd are in danger and we're only wasting time," Jay grumbled.

He wished they wouldn't go. He didn't want to be alone here. This wasn't home. Home was so far away. His mother and father didn't even know where he was. They didn't know he was already as good as dead. Ed was probably working on some new contraption, with Edna taking notes. Maybe it was a gift for Jay. Despite how quirky and eccentric they were, Jay couldn't ask for better parents. They always made sure he had everything he could ever want, even if their budget didn't allow for it. He should have visited them more often. He should bave been a better son.

But by the time Jay shook these thoughts from his mind, Zane and Cole were gone.

Jay started sobbing. It didn't matter. No one could hear him.

Fear isn't a word, where I come from, he repeated in his head over and over again. Fear isn't a word, where I come from. Fear isn't a word, where I come from. Fear isn't a word, where I come from. Fear isn't a word. Fear isn't a word. Fear isn-

Fear.

"Ready, Zane? 1... 2... 3... Push!"

With a great amount of creaking and groaning from both the rover and the two ninja, it eventually flipped upright.

Cole walked around the rover, assessing the damage. "Hah! This bad boy can withstand anything," he exclaimed, slapping its roof.

Zane furrowed his eyebrows, puzzled. "A rover of the same design was not able to withstand the parasites, Cole. I believe your statement is incorrect."

"Huh? Oh, forget it. Let's go resc-", Cole started. "That's funny."

He was shaking violently, sweat collecting on his face. Zane rushed over to him. Cole promptly collapsed in his arms.

"It's like I just lifted a car single-handedly," Cole chuckled, trying to keep his concern out of his voice. "Thing is, I don't usually have trouble doing that."

Zane tensed, the gears in his brain turning at maximum speed. He stretched his arm out, attempting to summon a few shards of ice.

Nothing.

"Cole, are you able to stand? It is paramount that we return to Kai and Lloyd immediately. I suspect they are in dire need of our help."

No response.

Cole was limp in Zane's arms as the ice ninja staggered towards the rover.

"We will get out of this, Cole. I promise that to you on my life," Zane whispered while he gently laid Cole down in the seat next to his own. He leaned down and lightly kissed Cole's helmet, then looked up with new determination. "I promise that to all of you."

Zane gripped the accelerator tightly. It was all up to him now.

I know, I said I was only going to update once a week, but I really wanted to post this since I had it done. From now on, it will only be updated once a week.

So, what do you think? Are Kai and Lloyd going to be alright? What about poor Jay? What's going on back in Ninjago? How much oxygen do the ninja have left? One thing is for sure, time is running out.

But now you guys get to wait another week before I answer any of those questions. :D

Later, my dudes. ;)