Kai walked into the kitchen, looking around. Jay and his sister were talking while making breakfast together. Zane was reading a book at the table while Cole and Sensei were discussing something. One person was missing though.
"Where's Lloyd, guys?" Kai asked.
"He's still asleep," Cole replied, turning to Kai.
"I just went to wake him up," Kai frowned. "He wasn't there."
"Perhaps he fell asleep outside," Sensei suggested. "I found him out there last night."
"I'll go look," Kai replied.
"I'll join you," Zane said.
Zane put down his book and followed Kai out of the kitchen.
"Do you think he's Ok?" Kai asked.
"I'm sure he's fine," Zane replied.
"I'm just worried with what happened yesterday, that he might have run off," Kai sighed.
"I doubt he would," Zane told him. "He would have left us a note or something to let us know he was alright."
Kai nodded. They stepped outside and looked around. There was no sign of the green ninja anywhere.
"Lloyd?" Kai called out to him. "Where are you?"
"I do not sense him here," Zane frowned.
"Is something else wrong?" Kai asked him, turning to see Zane's expression turn to worry.
"We must go talk to the others," Zane told him. "Something has gone wrong."
Kai nodded, suddenly extremely worried. They ran back inside, returning to the kitchen.
"Guys, Lloyd's not outside," Kai said.
"Where is he then?" Cole asked.
"I think he got kidnapped," Zane replied.
"What do you mean by you think he got kidnapped?" Jay asked, walking over to the group.
"I mean, after we got outside and saw he wasn't out there, I ran a scan for him around the Temple," Zane explained. "There was no signs of him anywhere. But there were signs of something."
"What?" Cole asked.
"Knockout gas," Zane said.
"Oh no," Nya gasped.
"If he didn't notice it, he would have blacked out by the time he did," Kai said.
"Do you guys really think Lloyd's been kidnapped?" Cole asked.
"I mean, what else could have happened to him?" Jay asked. "Zane said there were signs of knockout gas, there are no signs of Lloyd, and he was last seen outside. It all makes sense!"
"We have to find him," Kai said. "Who knows what danger he's in."
Lloyd slowly opened his eyes, drowsiness hitting him hard. He attempted to get to his feet, but only managed to his knees before toppling over. His world spun around him as he stared at the ceiling around him. He was so confused what was wrong with him. Why was he so dizzy and unsteady? Where was he anyways?
That's when he realized he wasn't in any room at the Temple. He was somewhere else. He let his world stop spinning before slowly sitting up. He felt slightly light headed, but nothing he couldn't handle. The room he was in had a tall ceiling, probably a good twenty feet above him. The walls were plain grey concrete with no windows. There were wooden crates all around him, stacked in piles of four or five in the corners of the room. Lloyd sat in the middle of the room. There was a door in front of him, no window in it either. Other than the small kerosene lamp in the corner, the room was dark.
Lloyd struggled, attempting to get to his feet a second time. He managed to stand for a second. The dizziness never cleared and he toppled over when he attempted to step forwards. A soft moan escaped his lips as he looked up. The door was spinning before him as he lied on the cement floor. He closed his eyes, resting his head on the floor.
'What's happening to me? Why can't I move? Why am I so dizzy?' he wondered.
Minutes passed and he didn't attempt to get up for a third time. He just lied on the cold floor in defeat. He knew something was wrong with him. He couldn't figure out what.
Then a soft creak echoed in the room. Lloyd opened his eyes as a flashlight shined over him and he saw a tall figure walk into the room. They picked up the lamp and walked towards Lloyd.
"How is the all powerful green ninja holding up?" they asked.
They set the lamp down next Lloyd. Lloyd looked up as they kneeled next him. They wore a black cloak with golden trimming and a golden chain across their neck. Underneath it, they wore a black shirt and pants. A strap ran from their right shoulder to the left side on their waist. Another ran around their waist. Along it were weapons such as daggers, throwing stars and sais. They had fingerless gloves that met with their sleeves and black combat boots. A sword sat on their right side in its sheath while they held the flashlight in their left hand. Their hood covered their face, keeping it hidden from Lloyd.
"What did you do to me?" Lloyd managed to mutter.
"We drugged you," they replied. "We couldn't have you escaping too easily. You have some valuable information according to our leader."
They reached under their cloak and pulled one of the daggers from their strap. Lloyd looked up at them, noticing the weapon in their hand. They set both their flashlight and the dagger down on the ground. They rolled Lloyd off his right side and onto his back. Lloyd turned and looked at them.
"What are you doing with me?" Lloyd asked quietly.
They didn't respond. They picked up the dagger and grabbed Lloyd's right arm at the wrist. Lloyd was too weak to pull it away.
"What are you doing with that?" Lloyd asked.
"Master wanted you marked with our symbol," they replied.
Lloyd flinched when the cold metal of the blade made contact with his skin. He looked down at his wrist as they placed several cuts on his wrist, creating the symbol for darkness. Lloyd held back whimpers of pain as they wiped the blade clean on their pants and slowly got up. They put away the dagger and picked up the flashlight.
"I'll be back for you again in a little while," they told him. "You'll stay put if you know what's good for you."
They turned and walked away. The door closed as silence fell around Lloyd again. The flame in the lamp flickered as Lloyd stared at it. He carefully sat up, feeling dizzy. It cleared as he stared at his wrist. Their voice echoed in his head over and over again. He knew it, he couldn't remember from where.
He had figured out multiple things though. He was being held captive somewhere. He knew something his captors wanted from him. He wouldn't be able to tell them whatever it was. He still didn't know that. He also knew now that there was a group of people out there, or at least two. A leader and the one that was just with him.
As for the one that was just with him, he knew them. He was sure of it. He could tell from their voice it was a girl. From her height, he guessed she was in her teen years. He couldn't see her face, but he knew that would have helped identify her a lot.
The thought of who she was kept Lloyd lost in his thoughts. He did know them, yet couldn't put a name to them. It was driving him insane.
His eyes stared at his wrist. The cuts weren't too deep or bleeding to badly. They stung, but only a little bit. He ran his fingers over it lightly, flinching and drawing them away. He sighed, dropping his arms to his sides and watching the flame in the lamp flickering.
But for Lloyd, he was hoping that the others had already realized he was missing and were coming for him. But there was one thing that couldn't leave his mind. One thing he couldn't stop thinking about. Something about the girl that was with him only moments before. Her aqua eyes in the flame's light.
