Hello guys! I'm back!
First of all, thank you all so much for the feedback! I saw a few followers joining and it made my day :)
Thanks MightyShipper for leaving a comment last chapter! ^ ^
So, in this chapter, we'll see someone I'm sure we all miss, especially after the little thingy about Mr. E... Since this fanfiction is located in another timeline and season 6 never happened, I think you have half of an idea of who they might be... unless your memory is a little... rusty...
... okay, writing about Jay is corrupting me x_x
Enjoy! ^ ^
Of course choosing to go to bed without dinner made him woke up pretty hungry. Jay couldn't wait to have something under his teeth. It was weird that nobody woke him up. Maybe they forgot, things were pretty complicated after all. Or maybe they decided to give him a little of peace.
Or, they all decided to deal with themselves.
It looked like it, since there were only two people at the table.
Jay was a little confused. They were seven on that bounty, not an army but not even a couple of roommates.
Besides, breakfast was essential.
"Uhm, good morning?"
Lloyd raised his eyes. He passed the thirty seconds Jay didn't make his presence clear looking down at his pancakes. That guy went through so many things, but he usually showed himself as a pretty positive person.
Today was looking just great.
"Morning, Jay. Slept well?"
"Not bad." It was a lie. "There's a cool ninja suits sold out and I didn't know? Is this why the others are not here?" Wu probably already ordered something for them, he usually waited for a while. So much that he himself wearing a particular suit against a particular villain.
Weird coincidence.
Nya sighed.
"Apparently they have better things to do then have breakfast with us."
Lloyd smiled a little.
"Come on, that's not true, they are just busy, like Kai with sensei Wu. I think he woke up early for this session."
Jay furrowed his forehead.
"Session of what?"
The green ninja quickly lowered his gaze. Nya pointed at him.
"See? I'm trying to make him talk since we arrived, but apparently I'm not allowed to know what's happening with my brother!" She crossed her arms on her chest. She seemed really irritable lately. Like she was suddenly reminding everybody that yes, the hotheaded ninja shared her same blood.
Jay moved to the fridge.
"What about the others?"
"Zane left yesterday night, we have no idea where he went." Lloyd looked sad. "Really, I don't know what's happening to him. Since our visit to Borg he's not himself."
The blue ninja put two slices of bread in the toaster. He took some blueberry jam, butter and a handful of nuts. He poured some orange juice in a glass. Everything was so slow, every single movement. After yesterday drive, that was.
"What happened with Borg?"
"Nothing, in theory. I didn't exactly follow them, since they went working on a body for Pixal, so I don't really know. I just took a look at Borg's new telescope, since he told me the Golden Meteor was coming closer to the planet and it was observable." The green ninja finally started eating his pancakes. "It was actually pretty cool. You remember that comet, right?"
"The one we got almost stuck on for the rest of our lives? Pretty much."
"It looks like a golden star. It's nice. Don't know if it was worth it, since Zane is getting more and more distant and I don't even know why… Cole, on the other hand, went to the Kryptarium."
Jay felt instantly concerned. He sat down.
"Again?"
Nya nodded.
"And Misako is still working on the complement. So, for now, we're alone."
The toaster made a sound. Jay took the toasted, a little too much, slices, spreading the butter with a knife. He still felt sleepy. His mind was a little less noisy than yesterday, but not by much. He knew he needed to deal with everything, eventually. But at least he felt like talking. He needed to say something, anything. Freeing himself from some burden, anyone.
He looked at Lloyd. Yeah, he didn't know, and maybe it could be even a remedy for his worries.
"Lloyd?"
"Yeah?"
"I need to tell you something. I should tell everyone, but I prefer go for grades. You see… Ed and Edna are not my real parents." He kept spreading the butter, trying to not sound too involved. Didn't work, the toast broke in his hands.
The green ninja gave him a worried look.
"Man, it must be hard. How are you?"
"Eh, ups and downs. But I found out who's my dad, and… I think it's gonna make you pretty jealous." Jay smirked.
"Who is he?"
"Fritz Donegan!"
"Are you kidding me?!" Lloyd dropped his fork. "No, wait, Fritz Donegan A.K.A. Cliff Gordon? The actor of the movie?" Jay nodded proudly. "I can believe on of my best friends is my idol's son! This is so cool!" His eyes were shining, and an adorable surprised face. At least he didn't look gloomy anymore, mission accomplished.
Nya giggled.
"Your doomed, he's gonna ask for details about every time you meet him."
"Nya, you knew?!"
"I told you, I'm telling everybody one person at time. Cole was the first, since he was there when… well, now you know." Jay looked at the toast broken on the table, it was extremely burnt to be real. "I don't wanna keep it from me. Sharing makes me feel better." He put the bread back in the plate. Suddenly he wasn't that hungry anymore.
Lloyd gave him a concerned look.
"Did you have problem with him?"
"No, he's great and I like spending time with him… but the Walkers don't really accept the situation for now. Can't blame them, it's pretty hard for me too. I mean, now instead of them, I have a father I've known for two days and a mysterious mother I feel unnaturally connect with."
Nya softened her gaze.
"I know it's hard. If you need anything you just have to ask, okay?" Even if it was a bad period for everyone, she still was the coolest.
Jay smiled at her. He decided breakfast was over.
That meant morning training… with three people. It was weird. Lloyd grabbed the fork from the ground, Nya started to tap with her feet nervously. It was the first time in a while time was passing that slowly, especially during a meal.
The green ninja sighed.
"At this point we might as well commence on ourselves."
Jay nodded.
"Since Nya is here too, I wanted to try something new." The master of water gave him her attention. "Water is a great conductor for lightning. I was thinking that maybe, we could try and mix the two elements! Like making some electrified water globes or something!" He liked to think about new schemes. After discovering the other elemental masters, his brain was so amazed buy those possibilities that it was hard to sleep sometimes.
Lloyd smiled enthusiastic.
"It's a great idea, Jay!"
"Now that's a line you don't hear every day." Cole snickered, closing the door behind him. "But I like the idea too, combining elements sounds like a really good plan."
Jay gave him a surprised look.
"Weren't you at the Kryptarium?"
"First, acknowledge the fact that I approved one of your ideas, it's not something normal." Well, he wasn't wrong. "Second… I don't know, I feel like clearing my mind for a little. I would like to do something productive, like giving my support to your glass power!" He was smiling, at least. That unbreakable, confident curve on his face.
The blue ninja pouted.
"At least space power. Or void power, that's even cooler!"
"Whatever, glazier! Let's do it!" The master of earth ran with the others in the training area, looking more motivated than usual. Not that it wasn't evident why.
After all, Jay's power could save his dad.
He swallowed, walking as well. He didn't have to feel so pressured, really. They were trying new techniques, new special moves. Getting stronger meant be ready to face an eventual new menace, it didn't have to be about the void. As long as he was the master of lightning, it was enough.
Lloyd gave him and Nya a look.
"Okay, this starts with water. How about some of it?"
The master of water was already on action. She moved elegantly her arms, tracing imaginary figures on the air. Then, two dripping water globes appeared.
Cole smiled.
"Good. Now, better get them closer to Jay, you're not lightning-proof like him."
The sphere floated towards the master of lightning. They were getting less dripping as Nya was working on her power. He was sure they were gonna be completely still in no time.
His eyes went to one of his robot dummies.
"Cole, turn on one of them. Let's see if we can blow something up." He needed to know how much power they were going to create. Then, obviously, calibrate it to not kill anybody. Because yeah, he could easily send someone to the first Spinjtzu Master just by rubbing his feet on a carpet. Hard to forget.
The dummy made a switching sound, moving on his wheels towards the master of lightning. He was waiting for it, imagining the situation. The attack of the evil army of training tools, coming to get their revenge on them. He could see all of their armaments rioting, but their weapons still being by their side because of a strong loyalty towards the ninja. And of course, there was gonna be a big final battle against their ship, the Dark Bounty. Plot twists, a lot of fighting and catchphrases, and them looking at the dawn/sunset at the end.
Cole whistled loudly.
"Jay, come back to us, I know you're thinking about something else!"
How come he was so easy to read for him?
The dummy got close. Jay gave Nya a knowing look. The master of water nodded, throwing the globes towards the target. After all, the lightning just needed a second to be shot. Jay concentrated his power on his hand.
The water hit the robot… but no electricity.
Cole blinked.
"… I kinda hoped for a bigger boom."
"Jay, what happened?" Nya gave him a confused look.
Not as confused as the blue ninja himself. He looked at his own hand. He clearly felt the power inside him, moving towards his fingers. Then nothing. Like a sneeze that came back.
He shook his head.
"Maybe I got distracted, let's try again!" The spheres of water were floating. Another look. Another throw. The lightning was shot… strong even less than that old gag of the electric shaking hand. It was a joke.
Lloyd furrowed his forehead.
"What's going on?"
"I don't know, it stopped by itself! I swear it's not me!… maybe I need a higher voltage." Jay put his hand together. He gritted his teeth. His hand felt incredibly hot, but still not the blue lightnings he knew. His fingers started to feel numb.
Cole gave him a worried look.
"I don't think it's a good idea."
"Cole is right, let's just give up on this. It's probably not a good day!" Nya tried to put a hand on his shoulder, with a comforting smile. She instantly let out a shout. Her wet hand gave her a jolt.
The master of lightning lost the concentration.
"Nya, I'm sorry! I didn't…!" The grip of his power was lost.
The electricity exploded all of the sudden, extremely close to him. Jay felt a strong pressure on his face, especially on the right eyebrow. The ears were ringing. His body felt lighter. The corners of his vision started to fade. The others were around him. Maybe. He wasn't sure. He also wasn't feeling that great. His eyebrow was pulsing.
He felt dragged, it kinda felt nice. He felt the back of his head touching the wall. He raised his eyes. Cole was near, adjusting him to a sitting position. He smiled.
"How's going, Zaptrap?"
Jay blinked. He looked other the black ninja's shoulder. Nya and Lloyd were training. Did he space out? For how much? He didn't really care.
His eyebrow felt itchy.
"… did I shock myself?"
"More like a lightning exploded in your face. Maybe you should take it easy for a while, you are getting used to a new power too. It's probably a lot to take." The master of earth looked even more tired from this closely, and was still the one trying to be reassuring. Like he didn't have to think about his dad in prison.
Jay sighed. No lightning, and a weird element made of glass. Awesome day like always.
"Everything is pretty messed up." What if he waited for Cliff's response at his house? What if he didn't come to the junkyard? What if he asked Cliff to talk alone?
If… if… if…
What a pathetic syllable.
Cole got closer, his ghost shoulder brushed against his. It was really cold.
"What happened yesterday?"
Jay knew he was going to ask that. But unlike yesterday, he didn't feel nauseating about talking. Every single word unsaid was heavy in his stomach.
"Me and Cliff… we kinda had an argument."
"About what?"
It felt heavy talking. But not talking was worse.
"He… admitted that your presence disturbed him. I thought it was because you were a ghost, I got mad and ran away… don't give me that look, I know it was a stupid reaction! There's no need to rub it in!" He was waiting for the scolding, while his body was getting slowly less numb.
The master of earth blinked.
"… you basically ditched your father because you thought he hated me?"
"I told you not to…!"
"No, I mean! Jay, you defended me. You idolize him, but as soon as you thought he had something against me you stayed by my side. Honestly, I didn't expect that." He kinda blushed, that particular ghostly blush. "Thanks." That surprised him. Finally, in a good way.
The blue ninja smiled slightly. It felt better from that perspective.
"No problem."
"Whatelse?"
"Well, I noticed that it was weird not having you at home, so I went searching for you. You know that part. Then I discovered that Cliff went to my… to the Walkers." It was still hard knowing how to call them. "He feared I was gonna leave him and wanted to talk as soon as possible. At the junkyard… the atmosphere was horrible. Ed wasn't cracking jokes, Edna was furious. I never saw them behaving like that." He managed to get his knees against his chest, hugging them. "Cliff explained. Apparently, the last master of earth betrayed the alliance of the elements, along with other masters… he hurt my mother, the real one."
Cole widened his eyes. Suddenly he looked deeply ashamed.
"Jay, I'm so sorry…"
"Don't be. He is he, you are you. You're different from him, I know that. Everything is fine." The blue ninja managed to calm him down. It was a victory.
The black ninja sighed in relief.
"Something else?"
"… Edna slapped Cliff." He looked at him in shock. "She started screaming at him, insulting him and saying that he was superficial, a terrible person. She kept asking how come from someone like him came someone like me." Jay's eyes started to pinch. "She said he didn't deserve me, that he was… she… it was horrible, Cole! She was shouting and crying, I didn't even know she could react like that!" His arms tightened around his knees. "Ed asked me to let calm things down and to not come there for a while. I know it's the right thing to do, but it's… frustrating, not being able to go to the place you used to call home." He wasn't crying. Yet, his words felt like tears and he was tired and drained. It was only morning, and it felt night.
A strong arm circled his shoulders.
"Hey, things will get better. Slowly, everything will have a place in your life. You just need to believe in it, as much as I do. We'll get through this bad moment together, okay?"
The blue ninja sighed. His heart felt lighter. Talking things through was really the best medicine for him. He could just hope that, from now on, the road was going to be a downhill.
Cliff looked up from the plate again. Jay started to count at the sixth time, every thirty seconds, so… three good minutes spent controlling the situation. He probably noticed his son wasn't completely comfortable with the curious meal in front of him. Cliff said it was some sort of dish from his childhood, something about the stomach of a… goat?
It wasn't that bad at tasting, but the thought of whatever was in it made him lose his appetite.
The blue ninja was pinching it with the fork, fearing it could turn back to life.
"Uhm, thanks again for the autographs." For Lloyd and himself, of course. It was weird asking your own father to sign a couple of ninja masks? Hopefully not too much.
Cliff gave him a nervous smile.
"Too fancy?"
"No! No no, it's fine!" They were sitting on a long dinner table, and their meals were served on silverware. Not rich at all.
His father sighed.
"I'll order pizza."
Jay dropped his head on the table he was so relieved.
"First Spinjitzu Master, thanks!" Fortunately, they both laughed.
Minutes later, faster than any pizza guy Jay had ever encountered – himself included –, they were on the sofa with a slice of pepperoni pizza in their hands. A delicious pizza, with unruly cheese, thin crust and tasty pepperoni. The blue ninja needed to ask who his trusted pizzeria was. And if it was covered in gold.
It was easier to let his father look at him, especially after yesterday ride. He was elegant, but with a hidden crazy side.
"How are you today?"
Jay smiled at him.
"Better, thanks." He put his slice back to the cardboard after one bite. "Can I ask you a kinda delicate question? I'm not mad, I just wanna know."
Cliff seemed worried.
"Of course. Ask away."
"When you found out who I was, why didn't you try to meet me? Why did you wait for me to find you?" Edna's angry words were screaming in his memory. So many questions ignored for fear. But not now. He needed to know.
Cliff sighed. Again, that lost look.
"… time went by, and I didn't know where you or Lynn were. I waited for her to come back, but she never did. When, after many years, a blue ninja with lightning powers appeared, I started to understand. And it felt terrible. She decided to give up you because she feared I wasn't going to be a good father." He eyes were lucid. "Right now, I'm asking myself if she was right. After all, I ruined a family to have mine back."
Jay felt sorry for him. Not even angry. He was just a man that felt lost and inadequate. His love didn't give him an occasion to prove himself and left him alone to deal with his misery.
It sounded awfully familiar.
"Where do you think she is, now?"
"I have no idea. I just hope she's safe and sound."
"Yeah…" Jay needed to change the subject, and there was something he wanted to do. "You said my real name should've been Jason, right?" Cliff nodded. "It's not such a great change from my actual name. So, if you like, you can go on and use it. I think we should get used to the situation. And I could call you… dad." It came out. Not without difficulties, but there was a feeling behind.
Cliff's gaze was tinted with surprise.
"… Jason." He smiled. "I would like that. So, how is everything going? We didn't talk much yesterday, but I was going to ask you about that creature… they were talking about it on the news."
Jay nodded.
"We have some theories, stuff about the great battle of Ninjago. I don't know if you know that…"
"Of course I do. Lynn was an historical expert, besides being a cryptographer. It was the least I had to do to get to know and impress her. Sorry I interrupted, Jason, please continue." It sounded weird. Not in a bad way, but it was going to take a while to get used to it.
Jay shrugged.
"Well, we discovered another prophesy. Some kind of "complement", and I'm part of it. There's a symbol that means void or something, connected to the power I unlocked recently." Cliff's eyes went stiff for a second. "What?"
He shook his head.
"I'm not sure. Please, continue."
"There's not much to say. Theoretically, I might be able to purify the creature. But until we get what's written on those scrolls, we're stuck. There's nothing to do. And I can't pretend to read ancient language as easily as I read your comics, but I hate doing nothing! It feels like I'm spending a bunch of time just being useless! And if that wasn't irritating enough, today my power wasn't working as I wanted!"
Cliff looked surprised.
"Really?"
"I got hit by my own thunder!"
"I was wondering why you had one eyebrow shorter than the other…"
Jay covered it, embarrassed.
"Cole, what the heck! Tell me before I go out!"
"But regarding the prophecy… I was thinking, I'm not an expert, but Lynn used to study a lot her own element. She was fascinated about the reaction of the lightning itself and she liked doing researches, thinking about her future successors. She had a lot of journals, all handwritten. Maybe they could help you."
Jay frowned.
"The scroll was talking about the void, not the lightning…"
-Maybe you're right, but instead of doing nothing. I could try and search something useful into them. Besides, the symbol was blue, so it must had something to do with you regardless, right?" He was indeed a smart man. "I just want to be useful, you know."
Jay smiled, feeling too lucky to think.
"Thanks. It sure is better than nothing."
"I think so as well. Or at least I hope so. The least I can do to try to be a part of your life again, is giving you a hand. I know it's not much." Cliff sighed. "I'm sorry, Jason."
The blue ninja shook his head.
"It's a lot, really. Thanks… dad."
Cliff hugged him. And Jay pretended he wasn't just holding a stranger. He pretended he didn't have a thousand and more worries in his head. He pretended the situation wasn't as bad as it was. That he deserved a little moment with his real dad. When he fell into all those illusions, he felt a little better. Even if the sadness was still pounding on the back of his mind.
He opened his eyes.
Cliff looked shocked.
"Your eyes…"
"Oh? Oh." Jay let go of him. He probably had those neon bulbs on his face. It was because he felt peaceful? But the first time he panicked.
He didn't get it. Cliff looked fascinated though.
"Is this a reaction of the void you were talking about? It's… peculiar."
"Yeah, even if I still have no idea how I'm using it. But there should be a barrier of something, like the other times… wait! I need to tell sensei about it, before I forget!" Jay started to get up. "I'll call him right away, give me aOUCH!" He hit something with his head, falling back on the sofa.
"Jason!"
Jay put a hand on his pulsing head.
"Did I hit some…?" He widened his eyes.
There was a globe, floating in midair. It looked like it was made from the same material as the domes he summoned in the last days. But it was as big as a gist, stuck in the air like it had been fixed with a nail.
Cliff blinked.
"What is it?"
"I'm not sure, this is new. I can make glass globes now? I really am a glazier." Jay tried to touch it. He took it without problem. It really looked like glass, it was lucid and perfect. Kinda a piece of art. Appeared in the living room of his biological father.
Ninjago just loved to surprise him.
Before Cliff could ask any question, the phone ringed. He went in the other room to answer.
Jay was looking at the globe. It was transparent, but also kinda opaque. Like him in this period, observant just for a couple of minutes before becoming blind. It suited him. It was a part of that power? It was bizarre, also a little invading.
Definitely his style.
He thought about how to make it disappear. As soon as he did that, the ball shrank. It fitted perfectly under his jacket, near Cliff's handkerchief. He put it there.
"Uhm, Jason?" His father's voice sounded a little weird from the other room.
"Yes?"
"Zane is the master of ice, one of your friend, isn't he?"
Jay furrowed his forehead.
"Yeah, why?"
"He's at the phone. He said he want to talk to you."
He froze. The titanium ninja knew that he was at Cliff Gordon's villa!? How? He was a nindroid, yeah, but he wasn't a psychic, he didn't have future vision… right? There were supposed to be limits to someone's abilities, geez.
He ran to the phone. His father gave it to him, leaving him alone.
"Hello? Zane?"
"-How do you reattach a nindroid's arm with a screwdriver and some screws?-"
Jay blinked.
"What? Hold on, how did you even know I was here?"
He felt an impatient sigh.
"-It is not important right now, just answer the question please.-"
Of course, he had thousands of questions. Of course, he could hardly keep his mouth shut. But of course, the titanium ninja rarely lost his composure, so it didn't sound wise to press.
"It depends, how did it unplug?"
"-It dropped, I believe. It dropped, right?-" It sounded like there was someone else with him. "-Yeah, it appears it fell by itself. So, how do I fix it?-"
Was he talking to another nindroid? Jay knew Cyrus Borg was starting to produce them for self-defense, but it didn't sound like Zane was at his tower. The blue ninja could vaguely hear the sound of the waves, maybe even the tingling of metal.
Now he was getting curious.
"I'm not sure, if it fell then maybe some parts are too rusty. You should probably replace it."
"-But I have no idea what pieces I need! And I can't leave now!-"
"You want me to come? I could…"
"-No!-" Zane's sudden outburst made him jump. "-I mean, I do not… maybe?-"
Curiosity left, now it was just concerning. The titanium ninja wasn't talking anymore. Like he was suddenly off. But the call was continuing.
The blue ninja waited for a while. Then sighed.
"I can't help you much if I don't know what the problem is."
"-… fine. Come to the lighthouse.-"
"The one we found your father in?"
The call ended.
Cliff appeared shortly after, the cardboard of the pizza in his hands.
"I'm gonna heat it up a little. What did your friend need?"
"He has a problem. I don't know, I just need to go right now, I think it's important." Jay lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry I'm leaving again."
Cliff shrugged with a smile.
"I guess it's the exciting life of a ninja. Meanwhile I'll have a look into Lynn's diaries. Be careful, Jason."
Jay nodded.
It was pretty far, the lighthouse prison. Especially since the master of lightning went to the bounty to grab his tools before soaring. It took three hours – not uninterrupted of course, he was still a human being, even if he could charge his phone without wires –, trying his best to ignore the surroundings. He really had a hard time focusing whenever he met some interesting details – "oh look, a funny looking fish!" –, it was something he needed to work on. He kinda wondered if that was the reason why the void appeared so randomly.
He arrived to the little island… and he felt distracted right before landing. He fell on his face, spitting some sands. The lighthouse was old and mushy, just how he remembered it. Not his usual holiday destination.
He went on the stairs. He couldn't hear anything from the outside, the sea was pretty noisy. It felt like there was going to be a storm pretty soon.
He opened the door.
"I'm here!" He got in, bring his toolbox with it.
There wasn't much light, there were few windows. The sky was pretty cloudy. The stairs were even dustier than last time. He could smell wet sand everywhere. Every step creaked under his foot. As he got higher, he started to hear voices.
"I am Zane, built to protect those who cannot protect themselves!"
"Yes, you said it already, now please do not move!"
Jay hesitated. For a moment, he believed he heard Zane's voice, but in two versions.
Did he spend too much time over the ocean? Was sea air really good for health?
"I sense negative vibrations coming from your processor, brother."
"How? You have a steam engine! You have so much rust you can hardly move! And do not address me like that, I am not your brother!"
He could hear rusty movements. Metal sounds. Screwdriving. Very familiar noises for him. Almost. They were all pretty approximate and not expert.
He finally got to the top.
"I'm here, Zane… and Zane?"
Maybe expecting something would had been a good idea, for softening the surprise. Because seeing his titanium friend working on a copy of him, rustier and less stressed, busy smiling peacefully with the expressivity of a less developed nindroid, made the blue ninja reevaluate his life.
For a moment. He did saw a giant demonic snake swallowing his sensei.
Zane gave him an eye after checking on his twin's arm. The art fell, again apparently, and the robot gizmo quickly grabbed it. It was the droid that had purred tea on the blue ninja's pants once.
Jay never had clean underwear in that voyage.
The master of ice gave him a stern look.
"It took you a lot."
"Well, it's at least three hours to…"
"It does not matter. Fix it. Be quick, please." It was curious seeing Zane this pissed off. He was being pretty rush, while still trying his best to be polite. Even if those shining light blue eyes were screaming without words.
The blue ninja was so impressed he didn't even feel offended.
He got closer to the table where the other Zane was lied down. He looked younger than Zane, even if way more ruined. He had the same traits as the other nindroid. But he had honey color eyes and a different mechanism on the chest, with a big watch.
His shining irises went to him. He looked genuinely curious.
"Hi, I am Zane."
The master of ice sighed.
"No, you are not. Be quiet, for a moment."
Jay didn't really know how to feel. The all situation was a fertile land for a billion of questions. But he was there for helping, after all. He put a hand on the "patient"' chest. Touching them, the rusty parts were even worse.
"The metal looks pretty bad. He has a vapor engine… he needs water to work but being near the sea it's probably too much. Let's see what we can to." He took the lost arm from gizmo, studying the connecting part. As he suspected, many gears were in a really bad shape. He needed to change or clean them. He took pliers and started to put screws and gears on the table.
The clone smiled at him.
"What is your name?"
Jay couldn't help but smile. He looked like a kid, a little bro of his favorite nindroid. But that one had the biggest pout on his face, he didn't want to rub it in.
"I'm Jay. Nice to meet you… uhm…" They had the same voice, but the clone's was a little high pitched. "… Echo Zane. How's that?" The blue ninja looked at the titanium one.
He looked completely uninterested.
"I don't care about the name."
Jay decided not to press further.
He grabbed a rag and a little bottle. White vinegar. His fath… Ed, taught him that it helped getting rid of rust. Jay soaked the cloth and started to clean. It was really persistent, but it seemed to get better. The gears looked newer. Some of them were unusable, even without rust. He hoped he had enough spare parts. He could only use the ones he grabbed from the bounty.
Because the junkyard was off limits in that period.
Back with the pliers, he carefully but the gears back. He used some new screws for the mechanism, putting the arm back together. He thought about his mother's puzzle.
He smiled.
"It should be good. Okay, Echo Zane. Try to move it."
Echo jumped on his feet, putting up some extremely clumsy moves of martial arts. But the arm held, even when he turned around full speed.
He smiled at him.
"Thank you, Jay."
Jay couldn't help a little squeak. He was adorable. The blue ninja already liked him.
"It's nothing, I'm used to this kind of things! But you have a lot of pieces that might get worse if you stay here, so you need to change them." He turned to Zane. "You want me to get them? It's gonna take a while, and you know how I am with concentration, but… Zane? Are you okay?" He waved in front of the nindroid's eyes.
He narrowed his gaze.
"It was telling something, before the arm fell. Why it's not talking anymore?"
Jay shuddered. It felt really cold the way he was referring to the rusty robot.
"… didn't he talk right now?"
Suddenly Zane grabbed his shoulders.
"Not with its voice! With my creator's! It was talking with my father's voice, it was a registration! Then the arm fell and it stopped! You fixed, why it's not working anymore? Tell me, please!" He looked blind. And sad. And desperate. Like he did nothing but trying to resolve that problem until now.
Jay gasped a little.
"Registration? I don't know, I should probably search into his circuits."
"Do it, then! If it is what is needed, then do it!"
He blinked. He felt the tension building up in his stomach.
"I'm not a hacker, I would have to, like, open his head and…"
"I said I don't care! I don't care about what happens to them!"
"Why? Ouch, not so hard." He flinched. The master of ice's grasp on his was getting stronger. Too strong. Like a metal press.
Zane tightened his eyes.
"It's like them, all of them! The juggernaut, gizmo… me… he built them! But I don't know if he did it for the reason I thought! I don't know!" His hands were shaking.
But he didn't let go.
Jay felt his shoulders creaking. He tried to let him go.
"Zane, stop it!"
"Everything he did…"
Now it felt painful.
"Let go, now!"
"He did it for reasons… maybe, the wrong reasons."
Then, it was insufferable.
"You're hurting me! Stop!" One hand let go, the other tightened even more. "STOP IT!" Jay gave him a little shock. It was the best he could do at the moment. He fell sit, holding his shoulder. He gritted his teeth.
"… Jay?" Zane widened his eyes in horror.
The blue ninja gave him am angry look.
"What is wrong with you? You almost…" He got furious with the same speed as he stopped. He couldn't, not when the robot looked so lost.
The titanium ninja walked backwards slowly, until he got against the opposite wall. He slowly drifted in a sitting position, never getting his eyes off Jay's. He let out a little sob, closing his eyes in shame.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
Jay softened his gaze. He slowly got up, still holding his shoulder. It hurt, but it was probably just gonna leave a little bruise. He sat next to him.
"Hey, don't make that face. You know I can't get mad when you do that." He tried to smile, but the nindroid wasn't looking at him.
"… I hoped I was doing good at not getting overwhelmed. I thought, if I found a solution, I wouldn't feel this bad anymore. But I am far from resolving this. I guess I'm not as human as I thought I was." Saying that gave his face even a sadder look.
But kinder. And that, was the droid the blue ninja knew. Jay let go of the hurt part. It was painful only when he moved it. He got closer.
"That's actually the opposite, you know. People sucks at hiding emotions. Besides, don't act like you're all supernatural, you are no different from any of us. If someone is really bad at hiding something is me! Like, you got me at my real dad's house like it was nothing! That is being bad at hiding, my friend!" He smiled, then he noticed Zane's eyes on him. "… what?"
The master of ice looked confused. It wasn't normal for him.
"Your… real dad? Mr. Walker is not your father?"
Jay gulped.
"You didn't know? How did you call me, then?"
"I traced you from you receiver, then I searched the number of the owner of that place. I thought I called a bar or something." The titanium ninja softened his gaze. "Apparently, I am not the only one that found out unpleasant truths. Are you okay?"
Jay nodded, smiling a little.
"It was hard at first, but now I'm managing. What happened to you?"
Zane swallowed.
"It might sound unfair, but I'd rather not to talk about it."
"Hey, yesterday I didn't want to talk about it to anyone, it's normal! Just today I feel like telling you guys!" The blue ninja smiled. "I really like my real dad. He's Cliff Gordon, you know? The actor of my favorite movies! And he's so kind, polite and he never presses me about the situation. We didn't get along from the start, but I like spending time with him." He hoped to distract him, to make him think about something that didn't hurt him.
Luckily, the titanium ninja seemed interested.
"It sounds splendid." He smiled weakly. "Do you know something about your mother as well?"
The master of lightning nodded, a little sadly.
"Apparently, she was the one that left me at the Walkers and then just never came back to my father. But she sounds… so cool from what my real dad says about her! She was a cryptographer and really fond of labyrinths and puzzles. She liked to live free, without fear to risk. I wish to know her, maybe I will one day. Maybe… she's still out there, somewhere." He realized it was the first time he expressed that thought out loud. It gave him a warm feeling in his chest.
He really wanted to meet his mom.
He spaced out again. It was a constant, lately.
The master of ice had shining eyes. It was always amazing how he was the most controlled of all of them, and yet he had that kind of empathy. Gizmo got closer, petting his leg. Echo sat down next to his brother, still smiling.
They stayed silent for a moment. The waves were getting quieter out there.
Then Zane looked at him.
"How do you stay so hopeful? I mean, you barely know them. They left you for most of your life, even if you feel like you'll always be connected with them." He wasn't looking at him anymore. "How do you know if there really is a bond?"
Jay shrugged.
"Maybe I'm being naïve, like Cole said. But I want to believe it. Hoping I have a family I'm part of. I see a different legacy, I want to know as much as possible. Maybe I won't like everything, but it's normal, right? You can't like everything about your family!" He laughed a little. Inside, he was thinking about the Walkers. They were still part of him.
The titanium ninja looked at him conflicted.
He lowered his head.
"… thanks for fixing Echo."
Jay smiled softly.
"No problem. You know, you don't have to keep stuff for yourself if you don't want to. Things are easier when we work as a team, it took a while but eventually sensei got us to learn that!" He got up. "Are you gonna be okay, Zane?" He didn't know what he was hiding. But at least he looked like he gave him a little shock.
Eheh, shock
The master of ice nodded, without looking at him.
The blue ninja hoped it was enough. He looked at Echo Zane, looking at his brother like the worried sibling he seemed, and gizmo, grabbing another fallen gear from the ground.
He thought that, at least, his pal was in good company.
"Fire strike, go!"
"Stop using the same attack, it's not fair!" Jay was doing his best, but his character in the game was not as fast as himself. "Just two more missions in campaign mode and I'll raise my level! Then we'll see who's the hot stuff here!"
The master of fire snickered, pressing rapidly on the controller.
"Do that, but for now I'm winning! Ha!"
"Go Kai, you can do it!"
"Lloyd, no favoritism!"
"Oh no, it's not that, Kai thinks I bring good luck. He wants to see if he wins if I cheer for him, so next time Cole tries to beat all of his scores again he'll show him." The green ninja shrugged. He sat on the armrest of the sofa, watching the two of them killing each other at Fist to Face III.
Jay furrowed his eyebrow, while his avatar activated his special attack.
"Didn't you do it, and then blame Cole?"
"That's right. It's Kai that doesn't remember."
"Wait, what?" One distraction and the red ninja's character got killed. "Ah, darn it!"
Jay snickered.
"I guess you have no future as a lucky charm, Lloyd."
"I'll accept that. Where's Zane? Isn't it his turn to cook?"
"I don't think he'll show up for a while…"
Kai gave him a surprised look, while starting a new battle.
"You know where he is?"
Jay hesitated. He didn't have to lie, the master of ice didn't ask him that, but it didn't feel right. He wanted to leave him be for a while.
"He's just a little busy, we shouldn't force him."
"If you say so… ha!" As soon as the round started Kai's avatar strike immediately. "Come on, Motor Mouth! If you don't give your best, destroying you it's not fun!"
"Ha ha, like I would give you the satisfaction!" Jay got back into the game. "Take this! Lightning Slide! I bet you didn't see that coming!… and now I'm not the one who's not giving his best. Seriously, do something." His character wasn't moving anymore. "Did you stop trying on purpose?… Kai…?"
The controller fell. Kai groaned in pain, holding his head. His forehead was sweaty and his eyelids extremely tightened.
Lloyd gasped, approaching him immediately.
"Another migraine?"
"N-No, I think it's… I think…" The master of fire shouted. "Call sensei! Hurry!" He was hardly breathing. His skin was pale, like he was going to faint.
Lloyd was holding his shoulder. He didn't look like he wanted to leave.
Jay finally awake from the surprise, getting up.
"I'll call him, you stay here!" He immediately speeded towards the master's room. His heartbeat was frantic. And he had no idea why it was happening. It looked like a common pattern lately.
He opened the door without knocking. Wu and Misako were on their knees, looking at the scrolls.
Sensei Wu gave him a confused look.
"Jay, what…?"
"Something's wrong with Kai!" The blue ninja felt like he didn't know to add anything else.
In fact, the master widened his eyes. His older features got accentuated by a deep concerned. He jumped towards the door, almost knocking the master of lightning down in the process. His quick steps got away in the distance.
Jay tried to follow him, but Misako grabbed him from the wrist.
"He's not in danger, you don't have to worry."
He gave her a look.
"You know what's going on?"
"Not all the details, but you need to trust them. They know the situation and they are the only one that can deal with it. Wu and Kai know what they are doing."
He sighed. They were talking about their official hothead and master "there's something I should've told you a long time ago". But they did have a clearer mind together. And Lloyd was there too. He could calm down. He sat down, a little disoriented. He looked around. It was full of papers, completely foreign for him.
The thought of a prophecy with himself included had felt like a dream in the past, when they were fighting over who was going to be the green ninja. Right now, it was mostly unnerving.
"How's going here?"
Misako sighed gloomily.
"I wish I could say good, but most of these scripts are really complicated. Even for someone who spent all his life studying them. This one, for example." She pointed at it. "Needs to be read like it's written in a circle, I realized that only this morning. And there's still the language to translate." She looked extremely tired. The glasses were slipping on her sweaty nose.
Jay felt a little tense. He never really talked to her that much, at least not alone. He admired her, she was accultured and strong. And she was a mother.
A mother…
"Can I ask you a question, Misako?"
"Sure thing, Jay."
"When you find out Lloyd was going to become the green ninja… did you, like, immediately think of abandoning him?" He didn't want to be rude, but he needed another point of view.
Misako sighed.
"I discovered it a little after Garmadon's banishment in the Underworld. The truth is, I spent two years trying to find an alternative solution… and there's a reason why I left him at Darkley's Boarding School for Bad Boys. It might sound stupid and wrong… but I hoped for him to become like his father at that time."
Jay widened his eyes.
"Like, the evil Lord Garmadon? Why?"
"They couldn't fight, if they were on the same side. On the good's or bad's, they loved each other, I was sure of this. I thought it was going to be enough to prevent the final battle." Misako lowered her eyes. "It was my last resort, and after that I realized I was being naïve, and focused on studying the prophecy. I just didn't want my son and my husband fighting each other. I wanted them to be happy." She shivered a little.
The blue ninja looked at her worried.
"You're okay? Ah, it was really inopportune, wasn't it? I'm so sorry!"
"Don't worry." Misako smiled at him. "I know you. All of you, at this point. I know destiny choose well for Lloyd. It found people that made him feel home again. It's the best a mother could hope."
Jay nodded. She was caring. She could make mistakes, like any other person, but she never stopped loving her son. And somehow, they managed to find each other again. But when Jay thought about Lynn, he felt weird. Because she sounded amazing, and yet she abandoned him just for an argument with her husband. Was she really that superficial?
Misako was looking at him.
He spaced out. It was so frequent lately.
"Ah! I just asked out of curiosity, eh."
"It seems like you all have many secrets in this period. Could it be that your strange behavior is somehow connected to yours?"
"Strange? Who, me? Maybe a bit, but not always! After all strange means particular, which means original! A real original person who can do inventing, model building, cooking, writing poetry…" He really couldn't stop his tongue by his own. -Sure, I'm not good with ancient languages like you and Lynn, but at least I'm good with machines! It's not the same, I know, but it means I'm also kinda smart, I hope, I thi…!"
"How do you know that name?"
That venomous tone was enough to interrupt him, though. Not only that, Misako's eyes were on fire. Every trait of her face was tense.
The blue ninja tried to play it cool. Two people for a day was enough.
"Well, she was… something's wrong?"
The archeologist had dark eyes. She was probably one of the sweetest and polite woman he had ever met, simply maternal. With that silent fury he never saw her.
She looked him, and it felt like being stabbed.
"Tell me how do you know that name!" Her voice was full of anger.
The master of lightning held his breath. He didn't like those eyes, her tone, the situation. He knew she needed to know the truth eventually, like sensei and the others. But that didn't seem the right moment. He had a bad feeling about it.
"She… she was a cryptographer, right? I wanted to help, her name just came out."
Misako glared at him with intensity. In that moment Jay kinda understood how a woman like that caught the interest of the king of shadows. Then she sighed tiredly. The fury was still there, but it was like the flame got smaller.
"I don't wanna hear that name. Ever again."
The silence was miserable. Jay felt his own heartbeat pulsing in his head. He could barely hear Kai, Lloyd and Wu talking in the other room.
"You know her?… an old friend?"
Misako softened her gaze. She smiled weakly.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to react so harshly. It's not your fault, after all she was indeed the best in her job. You wanna know more? Maybe you'll realize why it's better not go looking for her name. Or why I don't wanna hear about her." She sounded so sure about it.
Jay felt nervous. He knew he wasn't going to like it.
He nodded anyway.
"So, who is Lynn?"
"As you said, she was a cryptographer. The reason why we worked together for so long, sharing our dreams of being studiers. It's the way we met and why we spent so much time together. But that's not it. She was my friend, no, my only and best friend." She sighed. "It's probably not surprising when I say that me frequenting Garmadon, the evil son of the first Spinjitzu Master, didn't exactly got me many friends. He wasn't bad at that time, but he still had those fits of rage that scared everyone. But Lynn wasn't scared, or to be precise, she knew people weren't bad just because they knew Garmadon. Most important, she trusted me and my judgement. And I trusted her. So much." Her face got dark again. He looked more ashamed than angry.
The blue ninja swallowed. He wasn't sure he wanted to know. But he needed to know, it was the perfect occasion to find out more.
"What happened, then?"
Misako looked at him straight in the eyes. Her fingers tightened around on of the scrolls, almost ripping it off.
"We used to keep all our work in a little storehouse, into a forest, because she was extremely paranoid and she always wanted to keep it away from others. Her father was a really protective person, he didn't want his daughter to have too many interactions, so she didn't want to rick to provoke his wraith. It was our treasure. The work of a lifetime. And she… she destroyed it. Years of research burnt down, about the Overlord, about the green ninja, about you guys. All lost." Her hands here shaking. "She told me it was pointless, that we lost our lives over something that wasn't supposed to be discovered. She said it didn't matter. We argued a lot, because no matter what I said to her, for her all the time spent to know the secrets of Ninjago… our bond… wasn't important anymore. She said goodbye, and I don't see her since then."
Jay felt sick. He swallowed.
"Did… she try to contact you again?"
"No. And I really hoped she would've had. But nothing, and when I went searching for her she was just gone. She never got to tell me the real reason, if there is a real reason… I never saw her again, and she never searched for me. I thought she was my friend… but she sabotaged our work, she lied about us being close. I don't think I'll ever be able to forgive her."
The blue ninja couldn't talk anymore. His throat was burning. All he could think of was his mother, the smart, energetic woman, destroying her best friend's efforts. Destroying the trust of such an important person for her. His head was spinning. He heard too many good things about her. Too many. They couldn't stay with the bad ones.
The door opened.
"He should be fine no… Jay?" The master kneeled near him, worried.
The master of lightning held his head. The corners of his vision were fading. He felt sick. He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. Having hysterical reactions. Screaming. Exaggerating. He didn't want to be himself.
Everything came together in a precise scheme. A best friend's trust betrayed.
He and Cole.
What if betraying was genetical? Was he… like the worst of his mom?
He felt his hand shivering. He gulped, and a blue spark exploded on his palm. He felt his skin burning and he screamed. It burnt. His fingers felt like they were on fire.
"Jay!" Kai was immediately in front of him. "Are you okay?"
Jay had no idea what to say. He just held his wrist with the other hand.
Lloyd helped him to get up. The blue ninja didn't see them coming in, but he didn't care. His head hurt. His chest too.
Master Wu seemed worried.
"Calm down, Jay. Lloyd told me about your problems at controlling your powers lately, so be careful and don't overuse it. Sometimes the best decision is to wait." He looked at the other two ninja. "Please, take him to medicate."
The master of lightning swallowed. Splendid, now the control, one of his specialty, was simply gone. He grabbed Kai's shoulder with his good hand, while letting Lloyd holding him on the other side. He looked at Misako one last time. She seemed lost. They both went deep in a different past. None of them found that pleasant.
They left the room. The hallway was desert. Where were everybody? The annoying voices, the loud noises? The color? Where was the place he so desperately needed right now?
He got carried to the sofa. His hand went numb. He didn't even look at it, it just hurt.
Lloyd sat on his right, looking concerned.
"It doesn't look bad, you know?" He got closer, massaging his shoulder. It felt nice. No matter the situation, the green ninja knew how to comfort all of them just by being there.
The red ninja sat on his other side with some bandages. He took his hand without saying a word, examining it. His eyes were focused, determinate, but mostly kind. It was strangely natural the delicacy he showed sometimes towards all of them. Just for his family.
But he was also a little pale.
Jay cleared his voice. He felt a little better.
"How about you, Kai?"
The master of fire gulped, like he noticed him only now.
"What?"
"Are you okay?"
"I… I don't know. Maybe not. Maybe it's worse that I thought, I mean, I'm not even sure what's happening to me." He looked confused. Not enough to look fragile, it wouldn't be like him. But he was afraid. That was real.
The green ninja sighed worried.
"Sensei Wu says we don't have to be so worried, but…"
So, Lloyd was into that situation too? Jay looked at Kai.
He sighed tiredly.
"In these days sensei is helping me with… a thing that started to happen to me recently. Nothing dangerous, it just started." He started to bandaging his hand. "For now I can't really give out details, not because I don't want to, it's more like I have no idea why and what it's happening. But hopefully something good will come out of these things."
Jay was surprised by that perfect bandaging. It didn't even hurt anymore.
"You think you'll find out something that might help us?"
"I hope so. I hate being useless! At least you are part of the complement or something! While all the others are hiding things. They never tell us everything, they always feel the need to keep things for themselves!" Kai sighed, relaxing on the sofa. "Maybe I'm just overthinking. It's the first time we have no idea where we are going for. It's really annoying." He was slowly closing his eyes. After a couple of seconds, he wasn't talking anymore.
The blue ninja tried to enjoy the position as well. With the master of fire by his side he felt a nice warmness over his body. He was tired too. He pushed his dragon to the limit. He could barely keep his eyes open. He didn't want to skip dinner again. But his limbs weren't answering anymore. Lloyd was already asleep; his head was on his shoulder. Looking closer, he looked really exhausted as well. Apparently, he did have a hard time, like all of them apparently.
The master of lightning closed his eyes. His receiver vibrated. He opened them.
"Hello?"
"-Jason? Is this a bad time? I just wanted to know how it went.-"
He bit his tongue. He ditched Cliff without explanation, of course he got him worried. Now he felt guilty. But knowing he really cared was nice.
He turned down the volume of the call, to not waking up the others.
-Everything's good, it was a mechanical problem. Daily administration for me.-.
"-I'll have to get used to your ninja life. I know you handled yourself since now, but I saw the enemies you fought. It's still pretty terrifying.-"
Jay smiled.
-I have friends that got my back. Don't worry so much.-.
"-I'll try. I wanted to tell you that I'm gonna work on Lynn's journals soon. I want to stay on them at least for a day, so if I start tomorrow the next day I should have something for you… at least I hope so.-" There was a paper noise in the background, a really clumsy one.
They probably had the same propension for history.
-Thanks for the help.-.
"-It's the least I can do.-"
-It's not, you're doing so much and we know each other just for three days. Here it's pretty hard. I thought things were going to get better soon. But thinking about you by my side makes me feel a little better.-. He closed his eyes. His dad's voice was nice.
"-It's good to hear it. I'll keep you updated.-"
-Dad?-.
"-Yes?-"
He could ask about Misako, the sabotage, the situation. But he couldn't. He closed his mouth. His stomach burnt for the unsaid words. But even so he didn't let them out.
-… never mind.-.
"-Oh, okay. Goodnight, Jason.-"
-Goodnight.-. The call ended. He felt better.
Maybe he could take a nap. Just one. Besides, none of the two sleepyheads near him were going to wake up soon. He closed his eyes. Hoping Misako still had some good memories of his mother. Hoping Zane would come back soon. Hoping Nya wasn't in a bad mood anymore. Hoping, really hoping that Cole could have at least a moment of serenity. Even a little one.
Maybe they were going to wake him up, end everything was going to be fine.
He really wanted to believe it. His mind drifted away, towards the void.
…
…
…
That day, nobody woke him up.
