Hi guys, Kiwi here. Just a little prelude to tell you that there won't be a new chapter next week because TombRaiderNinja and I are actually going to be meeting each other. So we're gonna spend the time just chilling instead of writing. See you all in two weeks. :)


Chapter Four: First Step

Kai still felt the anger pulsing against his cheeks, the flush of battle still tainting his skin. He didn't want to give the man the satisfaction of proving him right twice in a day however, so he allowed his brown eyes to lower. Still, he couldn't help but utter a couple of final words.

"At least I can work on that," the failed mechanic hissed. "But you can't fix your aging bones."

"Why you-" Garmadon lunged forward, but Wu stepped in front of Kai, his staff raised. Cole and Jay exchanged surprised glances. They could have sworn Wu's hands had been empty before. And yet, the staff seemed as real as anything else in the room. Garmadon's rapid breathing softened, and he straightened his suit, pushing his greying hair back into place. "You won't live long in this world, hot-head."

Then, turning towards Wu, Garmadon hissed. "I shouldn't have trusted you with this. It's something I should do on my own."

Pushing Jay and Cole aside roughly, the man stepped out of the building with a confident stride. Wu sighed, shaking his head. "We have even less time than I thought. . . We must have you three trained before my brother decides to get himself killed."

"Okay, okay, okay." Jay waved his arms with each word, pushing Kai aside to face the old man. "I've got a lot of questions right now. Is it time for questions yet? Because I'm really confused. I mean, I'm totally digging this, but, I'm not exactly sure I know what this is."

Sensei Wu chuckled softly, nodding. "I like your eagerness, Jay. Despite my brother's words, I think your energy will be a great asset to the team. Now, let me give you a tour and I'll explain everything."

Cole walked up behind Kai and placed a hand on his shoulder, only to have Kai shrug it off almost instantly. "You okay there?" The words barely escaped Cole's lips before the mechanic just nodded in response. Grey eyes drifting towards Jay and Wu, deep in conversation, Cole continued his one sided conversation. "I'm still not sure what's going on here, but I'm not sure if I want a part in it."

Kai swallowed hard, keeping his gaze on the ground. The voices surrounding him were nothing more than a dull buzz in the back of his mind, but he tossed around Cole's words carefully, weighing them against everything the man named Garmadon had said. Misako will rip them to shreds. Who was this Misako person? Why did these brothers need their help? Clear focus and drive is needed in this line of work. What exactly were they getting themselves roped up in? Kai's heart was sinking faster every second, his veins feeling like they were flooding with ice. "I-I'm not sure if we're going to have a choice," the mechanic whispered, uncertain if Cole actually heard the response.

"There's always a choice, Kai."

The brunet turned around, lifting his eyes to meet those of Wu. "If you don't feel that you could complete what I'm going to ask of you, then you don't have to. This line of work calls for full commitment and I can assure you that it's not for everyone."

"Uh, speaking of that, I believe you said something about an explanation," Cole chimed in. "I think I'd like to hear that."

Wu nodded, transferring the staff he was still gripping to just his right hand, using it to aid his walking. "Of course. Forgive me, but sometimes I get a bit sidetracked. Please, follow me."

The aging man started down a hall that seemed to be swallowed up by darkness, but as the others followed closely behind, the ceiling fixtures above them flickered to life as they approached the boundaries of the light. Jay smiled widely, enjoying the theatrics as Wu continued their walk. Everything surrounding them was so new and innovative. Shiny tubes flowed from one machine to another, connecting everything in a network of metal. Computers lined the walls, people clothed in black typing away furiously, checking monitors splashed with images that the group couldn't discern from their distance. "So cool," Jay breathed, completely entranced.

"As I said when we entered, this is N.I.N.J.A.G.O," Wu said, keeping his gaze focused ahead, but swinging the staff in his hand back to give Jay a smack to the shoulder. "Please pay attention. I can feel your mind wandering."

"Great, this is Ninjago," Kai answered, trying his hardest to keep his eyes on his warped reflection in the tile beneath. The sheer magnitude of everything surrounding him called to him though, tantalizing his curiosity. "I'm pretty sure I already knew where I lived, Sensei, but thanks for clearing it up."

The staff now cracked the mechanic on the shoulder, causing him to grimace and rub his injury. "Not Ninjago," Wu continued. "N.I.N.J.A.G.O. The National Intelligence Network for Justice Against Grievous Offenders. We're an independent organization founded by my father to help keep the nation at peace while staying out of the public eye. Sometimes ignorance is bliss, and the people of Ninjago can't be bothered with the dangers or evil that lurk just outside of their sight. It would be too overwhelming. That's where we come in. We use our means of surveillance to find new recruits, take them in, train them, and send them into the field to continue our work."

"N.I.N.J.A.G.O has seen its fair share of hard times. Back when my father was still in charge of everything, he almost lost the organization to an up and coming rogue faction, Codename Overlord. The struggle lasted for a while, but my father managed to subdue the traitors before deciding to retire and hand the reins over to me."

Cole crossed his arms over his chest. "So you're spies."

"It sounds so boring when you say it like that," Wu sighed. "But, yes, we are spies, more or less. And we actually aren't in desperate need for any new faces to add to our ranks. Unfortunately. . ."

This is what you're doing to save my son? Bringing in pathetic newbies? Something clicked in Kai's mind. Everything was starting to make a bit more sense. "Your brother, the one who insulted us, he said something about us. . . saving his son?"

"Indeed," Wu nodded. "And you must forgive him. He is not in the best of moods."

"I could tell," Kai grumbled.

"Now, before I can fully answer your questions, you must answer mine." The man stopped walking, turning to face the three young men. "Are you willing to take on N.I.N.J.A.G.O's training? Once you have started, there will be no going back. This is no walk in the park. It is all, or nothing."

"Yeah!" Jay shouted without hesitation, his smile wide. "Of course I want to join, are you kidding? Who wouldn't?"

Wu smiled, nodding his head towards the blue eyed man. Then he turned towards Cole and Kai, the question glinting upon his features. Cole shuffled awkwardly, looking everywhere but at Wu himself. This spy business. . . It seemed too. . . surreal. If he agreed to this, every moment of his life would be spent on edge, constantly running, no longer shielded from the land's true darkness. Then again, something like this would be the one thing he needed to put his strength and stamina to good use. The old man's brother had been right. There was no doubt that Cole was talented, but he lacked purpose. He had no path. But maybe this could be something he could follow.

Besides, he knew it was the right thing to do.

"I'm in," he stated, finally making eye contact with Wu. The man acknowledged his words then turned towards Kai.

"Join?" Kai allowed the word to roll off his tongue, thinking everything over. It all seemed crazy. And dangerous. Why should he risk his life while everyone else was allowed to walk around in blissful ignorance? Why should he be the one to take on the hard work, while everyone else sat back?

The thought of the auto shop popped into his head. Nya's disappointed sighs as he failed at fixing a car once again. The customers, with their endless complaints and their shrill, annoying voices. The day to day routine, which left him with nothing but desire for more.

"I'll do it," Kai finally said, running his hand through his spiked brown hair. "But I hope I don't have to train under grumpy pants."

"Oh, no, no," Wu shook his head, then chuckled to himself as he imagined his brother attempting to train the new recruits.

"You then?" Jay suggested, shivering with excitement.

"Not me, no," Wu said. "I simply overview N.I.N.J.A.G.O's operations. But don't worry, your trainer is every bit as capable as me."

The three men exchanged glances, each of their eyebrows raised in question.

"Well, come along now!" The old man turned around, and continued to walk further down the hall. "Time for you to meet Agent Zane."

"Wait, now that we've basically agreed to work for you blindly, can we actually have more questions answered?" Kai stood with his arms crossed, not exactly regretting the decision he'd made, but feeling very anxious about it. "You said you weren't in need of new recruits, yet you managed to get us all together in one place so you could tell us you need us. And it has something to do with this 'Misako' and your brother's son."

"Misako? I have that name in my database, but there is no information filed under it. Could you possibly share what you know about Misako?"

Kai jumped at the sound of the new and unexpected voice, stumbling backwards into Jay who gave a yelp of surprise. Cole rolled his eyes and placed a hand on the blue eyed man's back to steady him before scrutinizing the new addition to the group. The man before them had fair blond hair and cobalt colored eyes. He was clothed in black attire similar to that of the other few people the group had seen around the facility, except for the white cuffs of his shirt. The small smile on his face seemed genuine, but Cole raised an eyebrow. It felt as if the guy wasn't all there, but he shook the feeling away. "No one knows anything about. . . uh. . . Misako."

The man's face fell and he took a step backwards, falling into line beside Wu. "My apologies then. I did not mean to frighten you either."

Wu gave a large grin, patting the man on his back hard. "Showing up when you're needed, as always," he said before addressing his new recruits. "This here is Agent Zane. He's one of our top operatives in training combat and scenarios. He's been working with N.I.N.J.A.G.O for quite a long time now. And, since he decided to come to us, I'll tell you what you need to know now because I won't have to explain myself twice."

"Took you long enough. . ." Kai muttered under his breath, receiving an elbow in the rib from Jay.

"My brother had been an agent in our organization for quite some time. We grew up in this world of secrets and conspiracies. We were molded from a very young age to become what our father always wanted us to be. And Garmadon was the best there was, even more so after our father decided to retire. But even those trained in the arts of combat and stealth cannot hide their true selves forever. Garmadon fell in love, with a civilian, during a routine perimeter sweep."

"That's so sweet," Jay interrupted, his eyes wide. "Love is such a beautiful thing. . ."

Wu closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his fingers and inhaling deeply. "Yes, beautiful. Anyway, Garmadon wanted to start distancing himself from N.I.N.J.A.G.O because he feared losing the love of his life. But, commitments are commitments. He knew he couldn't stop living the life he'd always known, so Garmadon did what he thought would be best. He brought his lover into our world. Trained her himself. Took her on missions with him. They were a great team, the best actually. Until she found that she was with child."

Cole cracked a smirk. "Looks like they were a great team in more ways than just spying. . ." Jay was sent into a fit of giggles, the sound echoing loudly in the room.

Trying his hardest to ignore the outbursts of his new recruits, Wu continued on. "As soon as Garmadon discovered this, he immediately decided that he wanted to pull out of his espionage based lifestyle. He wanted his child to have a choice, something we were never given as kids. If his child ever decided that N.I.N.J.A.G.O was something they were interested in, Garmadon wouldn't hold them back from it. Unfortunately, his now wife, didn't feel the same way about it. She viewed the child as more of a weapon, a way to destroy anyone that ever opposed the agency. That she and Garmadon would train it to be a killing machine. Knowing this, shortly after their baby boy, Lloyd, was born, Garmadon filed for divorce and gained sole custody of the child."

"When does everything turn sour?" Kai asked, looking irrefutably bored by this point. "You wouldn't need us if everything ended with a happily ever after."

"I am getting to that point! Can you three let me talk, please?" Wu regretted raising his voice, but his patience was beginning to wear thin. "Sorry, just please don't interrupt anymore. We're almost done. Both Garmadon and his former flame fell off of our radar for a while, until I noticed unexpected movement the other night. I called to warn Garmadon about the possible threat, and I assume he handled it as best as he could, but the whole confrontation ended in disaster. And Misako took Lloyd."

"Oh! So Misako was the girl your brother loved!" Jay nodded, proud of himself for finally understanding. "I got it now!"

Cole nodded in understanding. "And you need us to help you with this because. . .?"

"Misako knows every one of our agents all too well," Wu explained. "Sending those she fought alongside to fight against her would be futile. Sending someone new, someone she knows nothing of, would be our best plan of action."

"Although that is a brilliant plan," Zane nodded his head in respect, before continuing his statement. "I do not see how new recruits would be capable of defeating one such as Misako. The possibilities of-"

"Not now, Zane," Wu raised his hand, asking for silence. He then looked towards the others. "You will receive the best training. You have the greatest potential I have seen in a couple of years, and I truly do believe you will be able to defeat her. As Kai was so intent on pointing out earlier, we are aging. You three, however, are just now scratching the surface of your potential. I have no doubt that you'll be able to bring victory to N.I.N.J.A.G.O."

"Yeah!" Jay nodded enthusiastically. He felt a bit shaky at the thought of facing this 'Misako' woman, but at the thought of training, all worry was wiped from his mind. His eyes once again wandered around, and he felt excitement tingle at the tips of his fingers each time he spotted a cool gadget. They were everywhere, and the blue-eyed man couldn't wait to learn about them all.

"Well, now that we've all agreed," the old man said. "How about I show you to your sleeping quarters?"