Nicki's Story
41
The ninja were in a cell…apparently there would be no cozy\ room for this stay. They knew that the prison was no match for their powers, but it didn't stop the sense of foreboding as they heard the lock slide into place. They stood for a moment in stunned silence.
"Ok, who wants to explain to me what the heck just happened?!" Jay was off to an early start.
"You wanna know what just happened?!" Kai punched the nearby wall. "What just happened is that the Oni who I SAID NOT TO TRUST got us captured and hurt Cole!"
"Ok…but does anyone actually remember anything that happened between those two moments? Because I'm drawing a blank!" Jay yelled. One look at his friends and he knew that they were having the same memory problem as he was. Suddenly he looked at Zane.
"Wait, Zane! You're a nindroid…you would have everything on playback, wouldn't you?"
"If he was able to record what happened, he would have remembered what happened, stupid." Kai chastised. But Zane spoke up softly.
"There does seem to be a file…but…"
"Well hurry up and play it, metal man!" Jay needed things to start making sense before all the enigmatic crap made him lose his mind. He turned to face the nindroid, and for the first time noticed that Zane looked very disturbed. "Zane…what's up?"
Zane looked at the floor, trying to will the courage to open the file he had discovered. It had been buried under layers of anti-virus...that mixed with the dialogue that had occurred in the arena had already lead him to a devastating conclusion. The thought of what might be on the file made him sick…but he also needed to know the truth.
"You don't have to play it." Kai said, having picked up on Zane's uneasiness. "We already know what happened…"
"No. We do not know what happened." Zane said. "Not for sure." He clenched his jaw and began the file; it projected itself out of his eyes and onto the cell wall.
"See!? This is the prison, where Keyda set us up. Then the Baron captured us…" Kai said, as if the video had already proven his point.
"Why does the video have this weird red tint to it?" Jay pointed out. "I don't think…"
"Shut up, Jay." Kai said angrily. "You're the one who wanted to watch this."
The video continued with them being led to the room in the arena. They had apparently been there for a bit because nothing happened for a while. Jay made Zane fast forward. Suddenly, the doors opened.
"There's Cole…" Kai pointed out.
"Why is he looking at us like that?…" Jay questioned. Zane said nothing, but his heart sank as his suspicions were proving to be true.
"GUYS…IT'S ME!"
"Well, duh…honestly, he's such a boulder brain…did he think we wouldn't recognize him with a few scrapes and bruises?" Jay asked uneasily as the scene continued to unfold.
"…the hypnobrai incident…"
"Why is he mentioning that?" Kai asked. "Why bring that up?"
"Because we were under the Baron's mind control." Zane knew he was correct; it's why Cole was so afraid of them, and why he mentioned an event from their past involving mind control. It's why none of them could remember what had happened and why the tainted file had been attacked by his anti-virus-ware the second the mind-control had faded. Kai looked like he wanted to argue, but in the video Jay was attacking Cole.
"I never said any of that…" Jay said, guilt twisting inside. "Why on earth would I bring Nya up; that was years ago…"
"I almost hit him…" Kai said quietly. The video was making them all feel sick, but none of them could look away.
"Zane, you're crushing him!" Jay nearly screamed, but in the next second the camera was picking up flashing scenery as Zane went flying through the air. The perspective righted itself as Zane stood and the three of them headed to the corner where Cole was on the ground.
"I think we wake up soon…that's where Cole was when we woke up…" Kai said. At some point Keyda was going to come flying into this video as well...she had been attacking Cole when they had come to.
They watched in horror as Cole struggled to his feet and begged them to wake up. A blast from Zane froze him to the spot.
"This isn't right…." Kai said, as Jay began shaking next to him. Where was Keyda?
"Face it Cole…you're going to die here…you're going to die in this strange realm where nobody will even remember you."
Kai shook his head and turned to Zane.
"Zane…turn it off…"
"Just like nobody cares you're gone back home…"
"I said TURN IT OFF!" Kai said, closing his eyes and turning away. There was no way any of this had happened…he never would have said that. It was a lie…it had to be.
Zane wouldn't shut it down, though every part of him wanted to. His mind was begging him to look away….to destroy the video…but he couldn't. He had to know the truth.
In the video, their arms were powering up.
"WE AREN'T WAKING UP!" Jay was freaking out. Kai looked back at the screen just in time to see Cole's harrowed expression.
"….Please…"
"NO!" He and Jay screamed together as the video showed the attack hit Cole point blank, shattering the ice and throwing him back onto the dirt. He didn't move again. The three friends in the cell were numb with shock as the video continued playing. They heard a yell and something smash, and the red tint began fading from the video as Keyda flew past to get to Cole. Kai waited for her attack, but to their surprise it seemed like she was trying to wake him up.
"She's…she's crying…" Jay said softly. He had backed up into the wall and slid to the ground, still trembling. Suddenly, the video shut off; the file had reached its end. As the projector light faded, Zane stayed frozen in place.
He had pieced together what had happened before they ever watched the video…but he had wanted so desperately to have been wrong. The evidence had all been there but he didn't want to have to process…
He found himself flying to the ground as Kai stood over him, angrily.
"This is all your fault!"
"Kai, what are you doing?!" Jay tried to yell, but he was too close to throwing up.
"…My fault?" Zane blinked up at his friend, brows knit. He was still trying to process everything…he couldn't understand his friend's rage.
"If you had just LISTENED TO ME…But no, you said that we should follow her into the fortress. You got us captured…." Kai's fists were flaming. Jay came up from behind and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"THAT'S ENOUGH, KAI! This isn't Zane's fault…"
"It is my fault." Zane's friend's looked down at him, and Kai's anger faded as he saw Zane's agonized expression. "I…I miscalculated…" he was shaking his head in horror. "I was built to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, but because of me…"
"Cole's fine…I'm sure he's gonna be fine." Jay cut him off with a terrified laugh. "Like he said, this is all just gonna be something we laugh about later…"
"That depends on how well you follow directions now."
They whirled around to see the Baron peering through the cell door window. Kai launched a fireball and the face disappeared, only to reappear a few moments later to tsk at them.
"You see, that is the exact behavior that will get your friend in trouble…"
"Where is he!?" Jay's hands danced with lightening as he glowered at the Baron.
"In a bad state, I'm afraid. It's amazing to me that you all seem to care so much." He smiled, entertained. "Just a little while ago you couldn't wait to tell him how worthless he was to all of you." He backed away as more attacks came through the window.
"We would have never said those things…" Kai's voice was dangerously low.
"Yes, perhaps not normally…but rage does have a way of loosening the tongue…"
The door shook with the impact of a joined elemental attack.
The Baron's voice became icy. "If you ever want to see him again alive…you will get ahold of yourselves immediately. I'm afraid you three still have a part to play…"
"You cannot control us anymore." Zane cut in. "Keyda destroyed your staff." It hadn't shown in the video…but based on his calculations and the Baron's expression, his knew his estimation had been correct.
"Yes…I must say that was a little hiccup in my design. But don't you all fret about it…I have something even more powerful in the making." He turned to go, and then paused as if remembering something. He turned and spoke in a voice as soft as venom.
"I am no fool…I know that my cells cannot keep you in with the powers you possess…and it is clear you outsiders value your heroism. I would assume you harbor fantasies of saving yourselves and your friend. But let me be clear to you; where he is you will never find him. Behave and you may see Cole again. However, should you chose to escape, you do so with the understanding that he never will." And with that, the prison door window slammed shut.
42
Cole continued walking, though he knew he wasn't actually getting anywhere. In front of him was black…behind him was black…everything was black. He groaned in frustration and wished that there was a wall nearby that he could pound, but whatever void he was in only seemed to have a floor. He noticed a glow of light and he glanced down at his arms as his earth punch faded. What?...
He experimented and realized he was able to complete a full earth punch. Had his powers returned to full strength then? It suddenly occurred to him that despite the thrashings he had been through in the last three days, he felt totally fine.
"Oh great. I'm dead." he said aloud, and his voice echoed in the void. But if he was dead he would be a ghost, right? And he didn't feel like a ghost. He should know.
No…but you aren't far off if we are being honest…
What…spooky voices? He whirled around to find the source, but he couldn't see anyone.
"Is this…the departed realm?"
No. Nor is it a physical world at all.
"Meaning…?"
This is your mind.
"We're in my head? Why is it so dark? Why couldn't we meet in like, the real world?"
I think we have already established that you aren't in the best shape in the real world…
Cole agreed with Jay…nothing was worse than cryptic answers.
"Oh yeah, that's really comforting, actually!" he yelled, his arms glowing as his temper rose. "It's probably got something to do with the fact that somehow the Baron captured ALL OF MY FRIENDS…Brainwashed them…and then made them attack me!"
His arms were bathing him in a shallow glow, but he still couldn't make out who the voice belonged to.
"The least you could do is SHOW YOURSELF!"
Light flooded in from behind him and he turned around. A brown dragon sat calmly, earthy green wings folded behind it. Cole sighed and his arms powered down.
"I should have known…"
Do you not seek the harness?
He looked back at the Dragon, incredulous.
"Are you kidding? I mean…yeah…technically I guess…but right now there are bigger problems that I'm dealing with! Like, being on the brink of death for instance. Or how my friends are in the real world being used by a power-hungry baron who's gonna make them do who knows what…and…" he stopped talking as his throat became tight.
Your friends did not mean what they said to you…
Apparently Dragons could read minds. Maybe it's because we're in my mind. He thought bitterly.
They were under…
"But they were right…weren't they?!" he interjected, voice breaking. "They were right about everything…"
Master of Earth…
Cole turned to glare at him. "There's only one reason they would risk coming back to this place: to get to me. And the Baron got them…who knows what he will do with them now?! And for how long? Jay was right…I left them behind and they had to come rescue me. I just wanted to keep everyone safe, but I should've known it wouldn't work because nothing I do ever works!"
The dragon just eyed him calmly as he continued his tirade.
"Do you want to know what happened the day I was in charge?! It only took one day of me leading and I got turned into a GHOST… and then I went back to face Yang and released villains that targeted my friends. I tried to save Keyda and just managed to ruin her life…and nearly ended it. I try to save my friends and made it so that they got turned into demonic puppets who didn't even recognize me…" he clenched his fists, unable to release the anger that was building up inside.
"No matter what I do…someone has to always clean up my mess. I'm careless…and clumsy...I can't do anything right. I couldn't be a performer, I'm failing as a ninja… me being an elemental master is more than just an accident; it's a joke. Maybe it is just better if everyone forgets me!" He slammed his arms into the ground and the blast echoed in the void. The ground itself seemed unaffected, however, and Cole found that extremely unsatisfying.
There was silence as he breathed heavily, aware of the dragon's eyes on the back of his head.
There is much you have forgotten yourself.
Cole whirled around, ready with a sarcastic reply, but the dragon was gone. The blackness had disappeared as well, replaced with the scene of a sun-lit home. He recognized it immediately—it was his father's house.
"1…2…3…1…2…3" a woman was counting behind him, her voice full of laughter. His throat caught as he turned.
"Mom?"
There she was, looking just as healthy and beautiful as he remembered her. She was stooped over, laughing at a small child who was trying his hardest to dance with her.
"No, Cole…the waltz is a box, not a pretzel! Try counting with me…"
"Mom?!" Cole said it louder, but she couldn't hear him. It was like he was a ghost again.
Gee…thanks a lot, Dragon. This is making me feel loads better.
"Wel-come!"
Cole's mom stopped dancing and looked up at the door.
"Well, aren't you lucky, saved by the bell! Why don't you go finally put those toys in order in your bedroom while I see who it is?!" she said, giving him a little tickle. Child Cole squealed, against both the room-cleaning order and the tickling.
"Go on, you." She said with a laugh, and then turned to answer the door. Instead of scurrying to his room, however, little Cole snuck under a nearby table and peeked out from beneath the tablecloth. Their home rarely got any visitors…he wasn't about to miss this!
His mother opened the door and stiffened immediately. A man pushed himself into the doorway.
"Midas…what…what are you…"
The man was dressed in gray metals, his face scruffy and gaunt. He smiled at Cole's mother as he forced himself into their home. His eyes were wild, and little Cole shrank back.
"Hello, Bev. Can't a man visit his own sister?"
Bev glared at him, her shock at his visit turning to whispered anger.
"Midas, you can't be here… if Lou knew…."
"So I take it he's not home? Good. I never could stand that man." He walked around the room, seeming to be looking for something.
Little Cole glared from beneath the tablecloth. How dare this man talk about his father that way?
Bev planted herself in front of the man called Midas, blocking him from continuing to the rest of the house.
"Midas, you were banished for a reason. You need to leave…now."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Bev…" He tried to side-step her to get to the hallway behind her. She pushed back against him.
"You betrayed your friends…you betrayed Ninjago. You have no place here anymore. Get out of my home."
He looked at her with a pained expression.
"It's been a long 15 years, Bev. Is it so wrong for me to want to visit my family? To meet my nephew?"
Something in his tone caused Bev to shudder.
"Yes…you can't have anything to do with him…now leave."
Midas's face grew hard as he pushed her out of the way.
"I told you, I can't. Where is he, Bev?"
"He's not here!" She had grabbed his arm to pull him away, but he turned and grabbed her wrist and yanked her close.
"Oh, I know he's here…I heard you talking to him before I rang. Now why don't you call him down here to meet me?" His voice was low and soft; Cole shrank further behind the tablecloth. This man scared him.
She looked at his face and realization dawned on her.
"You're trying to give him that curse…" she nearly spat. "You're trying to make him like you!"
"I don't have any kids of my own Bev. Being banished for the last 15 years made sure of that."
She yanked her wrist out of his grasp, her voice rising.
"Find somebody else…you can't have Cole…"
"Cole? Is that what you named him?" He chuckled. "How fitting."
"I'll never let you pass your curse on to him!"
"It's not a curse, Beverly!" His voice was rising as well. "It's an Elemental Power. And I can't choose somebody else because the Element already chose him!"
"You're a LIAR… a liar and a Traitor!"
"Do you really think I would have come here otherwise?!" He grabbed both of her wrists, and was shaking her a little. Cole was frozen under the tablecloth. "You think I would risk my neck in this town where everyone could recognize me if the element hadn't been dragging me to this house ever since he was born 5 years ago?! It's the kid's destiny, Bev…."
She had started to cry. "I won't allow it…"
"What would you have him do? Become a little performer, huh? Tap dance the rest of his life away?! You can't deny him his destiny— the next generation of Elemental Masters is already coming forward. Even the Ice Master's found someone to…"
"That power ruined you Midas!" Tears continued to stream down her cheeks. "I will not let it ruin my son."
He just shook his head, eyes cold.
"Call him down here."
"No."
He let go of her wrists and stepped around her again.
"Then I'll go find him myself."
She threw herself at him with the fury of a mother, but she was no match for his strength. He shoved her away harder than he meant to and she slammed into the wall and then hit the floor.
"Leave my Mom Alone!" Cole's fear vanished as the enraged child flew out from under the tablecloth. Both Bev and Midas looked at him in shock.
Midas recovered first.
"Easy…easy partner…" he approached slowly, and Cole raised both fists.
"I'll…I'll fight you…." he said, trying to sound menacing.
"NO, Cole! Run!" Bev was still dazed from getting slammed into the wall, but she tried to get up and get to her son.
"I don't want to fight you, kid…" Midas spoke softly as he reached for him. Cole was scared…he wanted to flee but something kept him glued to the spot. "I just want to talk with you…"
His placed his hand gently on Cole's little head, and suddenly the child's eyes glazed over.
"Cole NO!"
Midas's eyes were closed as aura went out of him, travelling down his arm and into the small boy. After a few moments Cole collapsed into his mother's arms as she reached him too late. Midas's whole figure seemed to sag and he let out a haggard sigh.
"I'm sorry, Bev. But it had to be like this." He pulled himself up and headed for the door, seeming to be a much older man than the one who had arrived minutes before.
Bev cried and rocked her son, certain now that he was doomed to follow in the path of her brother. After a minute, Cole woke up and blinked up at her.
"Mom? Why are you crying?"
Bev closed her eyes and forced herself to calm down, hastily wiping a hand across her eyes.
"It's nothing… um….what do you remember last, honey?"
Cole's little face scrunched in concentration. "Um….we….were dancing?" He looked up at her again, trying to see if he was right. He wasn't sure why dancing would make his mother cry though. "Did I do it wrong?"
"No…no…of course not, honey." She gave him a shaky smile. "You were just fine."
He sat up and gave her a hug, and she held him closely.
"Cole…I need you to promise me something…"
"Ok."
She pulled him back and looked him in the eyes. He returned her look with seriousness rare in a five year old.
"You have a good heart Cole…promise me…promise me you will always listen to it. No matter what goes on around you, I need you to always fight to do the right thing."
He searched her face, his small mind unable to figure out where this was stemming from. But he nodded solemnly.
"Ok, Mom." She pulled him into a hug again as the scene faded. Cole was once again left in the void of blackness, feeling like he had just been blindsided.
You were chosen, Cole…you and all of your friends. There are no accidents where Elemental Powers are involved.
The dragon had returned, but Cole didn't turn around to look at him.
"What was the point of showing me that?" He asked coldly. "So I could know that I was destined to be a failure, just like my Uncle?"
Despite your mother's fears…elemental powers are not a curse. It is not the power that corrupts, but greed. Think about the Element of Earth…
"What about it?"
It is a unique element. It can be broken, crushed, torn apart….but at the end of the day it is still earth. People take it for granted, but that doesn't make it any less necessary.
"Gotta love ambiguous metaphors" Cole muttered. He felt like he was talking to Wu.
Midas grew tired of being broken down…he didn't understand a fundamental principal of earth; it is when it is broken that things can grow within it. He didn't like being taken for granted; he was desperate for prestige and Chen had promised to give it to him.
"So…what I'm hearing is that failing is apparently great and my Uncle was an Idiot." Cole said, annoyed. "Still not feeling a whole lot better…"
You were chosen to break the chain your Uncle began. You have not failed; true failure only comes when you turn against what is right, or when you give up. Of course…those could be seen as the same thing. You have a good heart Cole…you need to use it. Your friends need you.
He finally turned to look at the dragon.
"And if I mess it all up again?"
Then you brush yourself off. And you never quit.
He closed his eyes, lost in thought. He finally sighed.
"Alright. I mean, I can hardly mess things up any worse. Let's do this."
The dragon had a twinkle in its eye.
Are you willing to…
"Pay the price? Thought you'd never ask."
43
The Theater Group had been able to keep the S.O.G off the stage, and Ed finally suggested that they turn it back into a bus to make it easier to get away if and when Ronin ever came back. The junkyard owner waited in the Driver's seat while Dareth and Lou moved S.O.G bikes out of their get-away path.
"Ooo, I think I see him!" Edna called out. She had found a wrench and was making herself busy by loosening key components of some of the motorcycles. She figured if they needed a quick get-away, it would help to not have a bunch bikes available for the chase.
Ronin came bursting out of the doors, the four teenagers close behind.
"START THE ENGINE!" the thief roared, and Ed quickly turned the key. Dareth, Lou, and Edna jumped into the bus and helped pull the five renegades in as Ed started moving the large automobile. The S.O.G had started pouring out of the building, heading for them.
"Where on earth did you get this?" Nya asked, studying the bus skeptically. She took in the large "NINJAGO'S BEST TRAVELING THEATER" sign. "Ronin…did you rob a circus or something?"
"I don't really feel like talking about it," Ronin growled, looking out the window at the bikers that had started the chase. "Besides, it looks like we have more pressing problems…"
"We're never going to make it to the Samauri X cave if we can't shake them," Lloyd pointed out, watching the approaching bikes from another window. He blinked in surprise as several of the bikes seemed to suddenly fall apart, the riders tumbling on the road.
"Well, Ronin, I guess it's time we reveal our little surprise, eh?" Ed called from the front of the bus. Dareth looked at the thief, who was removing his mask and cape.
"Surprise? What surprise?"
"This one." Ronin pulled a few levers and a section of each side of the bus lifted up to reveal seats attached to large laser guns. Dareth looked out the window in amazement.
"WOAH! When did you have time to do that? I call dibs on one of em!"
Lou looked a little disgusted. "You had guns on here this whole time? Why not use them back in Jamaniki village?"
"Ed hadn't finished configuring them. Besides, you were the one who said not to blow our cover…'the show must go on' or something like that…"
"Wait, you guys were in Jamaniki village?" Nya cut in, trying to wrap her head around everything. She was choosing to just ignore the random costume that Dareth was still wearing.
"Did you see my…did you see Lord Garmadon?" Lloyd wanted to know. Ronin shrugged.
"No…not in person. Just that giant purple landmass and a bunch of S.O.G goons, really. They left the villagers alone after you gave yourself up."
Lloyd nodded absently. Where was his father? No one had seen him since…
"WAHOOO!" Everyone looked over to see Dareth in one of the seats, having a hey-day as he blasted at the oncoming bikers. Ed took a swift turn and the brown ninja nearly flew out of his seat.
"SEATBELT, Dareth!" Ronin called in disgust out the window. He shook his head and turned back to the group. "So, anyone want to get out there and help him?"
"OH yeah!" Nya called. She climbed up a ladder to the roof exit of the bus and made her way to the other seat. Soon she had joined Dareth in attacking the relentless bikers.
After boarding the bus, P.I.X.A.L had taken a seat on one of the benches, looking at the ground. Now that they had made it out of the tower, the guilt had hit ten-fold. How could she have left Borg there? Surely there had to have been some way to get him out safely. She swallowed as the scene played from her memory; chaos consisting of robots and goons seemed to slow as the inventor toppled from his wheelchair…
"You ok?" Skylor took a seat next to P.I.X.A.L, but the android didn't look up.
They sat in silence for a few minutes and Skylor listened to the conversations going on around them.
"Logically, there was no way we could have gotten him out…"
The redhead looked over as P.I.X.A.L began talking, eyes still on the ground.
"But…I still feel like I should have done more. I should have stayed there with him, at least…"
Skylor wasn't sure what to say. She didn't actually know P.I.X.A.L all that well; in fact, all she really knew about her was that her father had taken her apart deep below their island fortress. Somehow, the ninja had gotten P.I.X.A.L out, but Skylor had never really met her personally until that night on the beach. How exactly does one comfort a robot?
"We couldn't have gotten out of there without him." Skylor tried. "He knew the risks…he was willing to do it so you could get out safe. And you did…"
"But what is the point of staying safe if it just means that others have to get hurt?" P.I.X.A.L asked, suddenly frustrated. She had already lost Zane…and now she had lost Borg too. Both times there was something more she could have done to help, but she had failed.
"Ok…less chatting, more attacking. We gotta lose the S.O.G if we're ever gonna make it out of here alive." Ronin cut in. P.I.X.A.L stood immediately, never one to turn down an opportunity to be useful. Skylor watched her head to a window and pull out her bow. The redhead sighed and pulled out her crossbow. She was grateful to be part of a team again…a team for good. But she also couldn't help but feel that she didn't quite belong; she didn't have any of the background that the rest of the team did. She looked around the bus at the older adults who were working with the ninja that they had known and been teamed up with for years. What kind of background did she have? One time she had helped the ninja defeat her father, but all she seemed to be able to offer besides that was a place to sleep and train and some good food. She huffed in annoyance and shot the tires of the approaching motorcyclists, causing the riders to flip off onto the concrete. Now she couldn't offer any of those things anymore.
Ed made a few more crazy turns before they were out of the city entirely. More S.O.G were following as they drove down the long, desert road, including an angry looking Killow in his large bike and a deranged-as-ever Ultra Violet.
"All this blasting is getting us nowhere," Lou said, irritated as he watched the S.O.G leaders gain on the bus. "We need to think outside of the box…"
"Well, what do you suggest, twinkle-toes?" Ronin asked grumpily as he threw ninja darts out the window.
Up in her seat, a lightbulb went off in Nya's mind.
"MR. WALKER!" she yelled, and the junkyard owner stuck his head out the driving seat window.
"What is it, Nya?" he called back. She turned to look at him.
"Turn right up here! Onto the dirt path!"
Ed was a little confused at the request, but he didn't question it.
"Okie-Dokie!" He called, veering right. They headed down a dirt path with rock formations on either side. The bikes turned a few seconds later. Ronin furrowed his brow inside the bus; he hoped Nya knew what she was doing- otherwise she could get them trapped in here.
"Man, I hope this works…" Nya muttered, and then closed her eyes and focused her elemental power. Seconds later she opened them and yelled as she fired two blasts of water at the ground, directly behind the back wheels of the bus. Soon there was a long stretch of water-logged dirt behind them; the S.O.G yelled out and cursed as their bikes hit the mud. Some of the bikes were able to sluggishly move forward, but most spun out in the muck Nya had created.
"Get out of the way!" Killow bellowed, his own bike unable to get through the bikes piling up in front of him. He revved his own engine harder, but only succeeded in burying his bike further in the mud. He glared at the back of the disappearing bus. "We'll follow them on foot!"
Keyda
Keyda sat against the wall of her prison, her head buried in her arms. She breathed slowly, trying to reconnect with the apathy and numbness that she had lived in for years.
But she couldn't do it. Every time she closed her eyes, he was right there. It was infuriating.
"…If there's anything that I can do…"
"You can die a slow and painful death."
Her head snapped up and she pounded it with her fists.
"Forget him Keyda…FORGET."
But she couldn't…memories from the last few days were drowning her. The look on Zane's face as he talked about their home. The small child winking as she laughed. The way they could all be so happy as they sat together around a fire in the middle of nowhere while the Baron plotted their death.
And the Idiot…he was everywhere. Getting thrown from a dragon…rubbing his hand through his hair…Yelling…smiling…screaming…laughing. Lying in the dirt…not breathing.
"I DON'T CARE! I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE!" the aura of hatred continued to flow off of her as she shook her head violently against the barrage.
She HATED him…she hated him because he had done this to her. She hated him because when she thought of him something inside felt broken. Everything was his fault….Everything.
But deep down she knew that it wasn't her life that had been ruined the day their paths had crossed. The Baron would have ruined her life regardless. No…it turned out it was Cole who would lose everything because of her…
The Aura continued to pour off of her as she shook and yelled. As much hate as she felt towards him, it was nothing compared to the hate she felt for herself.
44
"Maybe we could have Zane do a hologram of me while I escape and look for Cole, and the Baron would never know…" Jay tried, determined to find a solution to their problem.
"That would never work, and you know it. FACE it Jay, there's nothing we can do. We don't know where he is and it isn't worth the risk…" Kai was sitting on the wall, annoyed with having to watch his friend pace.
"Well, here I thought ninja never quit…"
"Well I for one don't want to be the reason that Cole has to be put through anything else…"
"Just sitting here doing nothing sure isn't helping him either!" Jay argued. "Tell him Zane!"
Zane was sitting with his eyes closed in the corner of the cell. He had been like that for a while and didn't even seem to notice his fighting friends.
"You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves…"
"C'mon…you're a nindroid; you can override this!"
"You spoke of brotherhood…DOES THIS LOOK LIKE BROTHERHOOD TO YOU?"
Jay looked at his nindroid friend and sighed. "Earth to Zane…now is not the time for a nap!"
Zane finally opened his eyes. "I was not napping." His expression looked haunted.
"Look Zane…it's like Wu always says." Jay tried. "We cannot change the past, but we do need to get cracking down on a plan for the future…"
Zane looked up and his expression caused Jay to trail off.
"You don't understand. I went against my programming. I should have been able to override the effects…I never should have reached the point…"
"Well, news flash Zane, we all hurt Cole, Ok? We all were forced to do something that we never would have done otherwise…" Kai interjected, standing up. Zane cut him off.
"But I'm a NINDROID…I should have been able to…"
"Oh, of course…it makes perfect sense that Jay and I would be so easily overpowered and made to do something awful to our friend… but a nindroid like yourself…" Kai spat back.
"That is not what I mean!" Zane had stood now as well, and he was getting angry. Jay threw himself between his two friends.
"THIS IS GETTING US NOWHERE!" He yelled, looking back and forth at them. "You know we are losing it when I HAVE TO BE THE VOICE OF REASON!"
A huge crash sounded suddenly, echoing all around them. The three ninja froze mid quarrel, looking around.
"What the heck…" Kai muttered. They heard a dragon roar.
Oni rushed past the cell, and seconds later the ninja could hear crashes and yells as they collided with whatever was headed their way.
Jay looked at Zane.
"Friend…or…"
The cell door exploded, taking a big chunk of the wall as well. The ninja leapt out of the way and a dragon pulled itself into the cell. They recognized it almost immediately.
"Cole's elemental dragon! Hey, do you know how we can find…" Jay's question trailed off as the dragon turned and the ninja caught sight of the figure draped over the partially-golden harness.
"COLE!" They all yelled at once and rushed to help their friend. Cole's eyes opened a bit as they pulled him down and looked him over. His eyes focused and he sighed in relief when he saw their concerned and not-red eyes.
"Thank goodness…" he murmured.
An awkward silence fell as the excitement at finding Cole was replaced by an overall feeling of shame.
"Look, Cole…" Kai started, but Cole waved him off as he painfully tried to get to his feet.
"You can all grovel for my forgiveness later…" he stumbled and Jay and Zane grabbed his arms to support him. "Right now we all need to get out of here."
"Yeah, you're telling me…that Baron has something up his sleeve and I don't want to be around to find out." Jay said. Cole shook his head.
"Maybe…but mainly we just need to get back to Dragon Haven…my dragon is saying that because we attacked the fortress in an effort to break out…"
"…We have ushered in the start of the final battle." Zane finished, remembering what his friends had heard from their dragons. Cole nodded. Suddenly, Jay remembered something.
"Wait, COLE, we have to tell you about Keyda…"
Cole's expression grew more pained. "I'm not really in the mood Jay…"
"BUT SHE…"
"Jay, Please…" Cole held his head like it hurt. "Can we just get out of here?" Jay looked over at Zane and Kai, who also felt like Cole should probably be caught up on everything that had gone down. But they could also hear the next wave of Oni crashing down the dungeon steps.
"Everyone on." Kai ordered, and the four ninja were able to climb aboard the dragon. Rather than go back out into the hall, the Dragon unleashed a blast that ripped through the roof of the cell. As it flew through the falling rocks it released another blast that took them through the wall and out into the night air.
Baron
The Baron had been having a pretty good day up until the explosion. He was collecting a steady stream of Pure Hatred from broken-hearted Keyda, he was confident that he had the elemental outsiders right where he wanted them, not to mention he had destroyed any chance of the Dragon Master legend from coming true with the death of one of its four key people.
"I don't see why we don't just kill the rest of them outsiders." Heavy Metal said next to him. The Baron frowned slightly; he didn't appreciate his second in command trying to have his own ideas.
"It's true that we have been reconnected with the power of Hatred…but I'm not willing to merely bet on that alone in our battle with the dragons. The power of the Elements… as long as we have the outsiders, we can use them and turn the Dragon's greatest power against themselves."
"Ahhhh…" Heavy Metal tried to sound like he understood, but it was quite clear he didn't. How irritating it was to be surrounded by fools.
The explosion hit and seemed to rock the entire fortress. Now what on earth could that be….
A sudden thought hit the Baron, and he felt his fists clench.
"What exactly did you do with the outsider?" He turned to Heavy Metal, who was still looking shocked at the sound of the explosion.
"Heh? Oh, him. Figured I'd feed him to the beast in the catacombs…"
The Baron's fists clenched tighter.
"You mean to tell me that you threw an Elemental Master in with the Elemental Dragon that we have been keeping prisoner…"
Heavy Metal could tell he had done something wrong by the Baron's tone. He was starting to panic.
"Err…you know, he was dead so…"
"You're sure?"
"Uh…"
More banging and explosions could be heard below them.
"You're absolutely positive that he was dead..."
Heavy Metal didn't know what to say. The Baron turned to him, eyes looking cold and dead.
"I'm afraid you have thrown a great deal of my plans off, Heavy Metal…"
The masked Oni held both arms up in defense as the Baron pulled out a sword.
"Now…now wait…"
The ground below them disintegrated as the Earth Dragon exploded into the room. Heavy Metal screamed as he fell but the Baron was able to dodge out of the way. He turned as he landed just in time to see four figures on the back of the dragon as it blasted through the wall and into the night. And they all seemed very, very much alive.
Wu
Wu was laying on the rock, trying to keep himself busy. It had been more than a day since the ninja left…which he tried to tell himself didn't mean anything. They were probably off looking for the last dragons now; that was surely what was taking so long.
Suddenly, something passed through the cavern, causing him to sit up and all the Dragons to roar to attention.
"What was that?" It felt like an explosion…but rather than something that was seen or heard, the disturbance was simply felt. The Elder Dragon looked at him, expression grim.
The Final Battle has begun.
Harumi
Harumi pressed one hand against her temples, trying to stave off the headache that was forming.
"Don't worry…we'll find them!" Killow was saying from the other side of her Borg Watch, but she hung up on him without answering. How exactly does an army of bikers lose an entire tour bus?!
She sat back in her throne, eyeing the mess in her room with disgust. Robots still littered the ground and discarded weapons were strewn around as well.
Every time she caught those ninja, they managed to slip through the cracks. Just a few weeks ago they had stamped out half the force in one fell swoop…so why was it so hard to dig out the last of these weeds?
She took a deep breath and stood. She passed a large mirror on the way to the door. It had gotten hit in the fighting and she paused briefly to look at her multiple-reflection in the cracked glass. She smoothed her hair down and straightened her tunic and then left the room. As she traveled down the hallway, she tried to think of what she would say. Ever since they had taken over the city, Garmadon had locked himself in a room within the tower and said that he was not to be disturbed. She hadn't minded too much at first…she was confident in her ability to lead everyone on her own. Sure, she dropped his name now and again to really strike fear into people, but the truth was she was basically running everything without any input from the evil one.
After the day's troubles, however, she found herself rather irritated. Why should she have to do everything herself while she had a Lord of Darkness and Evil on her side? She had reached his door, which had purple aura spilling out the bottom of it. That much was usual….she raised an eyebrow. What was he even doing in there?
She debated whether to knock. If it was anybody else she would have breezed right in…but this was Lord Garmadon. Surely there was some kind of protocol here…
"Stop loitering by my door and just come in already." A voice called from inside. Harumi felt herself flush but as she entered her body language portrayed nothing but calm collection. Lord Garmadon was sitting in the middle of the room, seeming to be meditating. Purple aura poured off of him.
"What do you want?" He asked, eyes closed in concentration. His tone was nothing but respectful and Harumi relaxed a bit.
"My Lord…it's been two weeks since you destroyed the ninja…I was wondering if there was another phase to your plan…"
"Of course there is." the Dark One's eyes remained closed. Harumi waited for him to continue but he remained silent. She frowned.
"And…do you not think you should share it with me?" she asked coolly, keeping her voice as respectful as ever. He sighed and opened his eyes, fixing the Empress with a crimson stare.
"Of course…I've been meaning to." his eyes suddenly seemed to be staring at something distant and he growled.
"How is he not gone already? It's been two weeks… no one should be able to survive there for two weeks…"
Harumi was puzzled by this. "Who, my Lord? Are you speaking of Lloyd?" But the Evil Emperor had closed his eyes once again, muttering to himself as if lost in another world. Harumi wanted to scream in frustration, but she calmed herself. She turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. If Lord Garmadon had a plan, she knew better than to question him. She would just have to be patient. Her fists clenched as she walked away; she supposed she was used to that.
45
The explosion threw Keyda onto her side. She looked around, but the room she was in was unharmed. Where had that come from?
A few minutes later the Baron entered the room. She looked at him in surprise; for the first time, he looked a bit…disgruntled.
"What was that?" she asked, her tone letting him know she thought he was the lowest form of scum on the earth. He merely gave her his customary smug smile, straightening his top hat.
"Nothing for you to worry about, of course."
Something was definitely up. He hurried to the end of the device and pulled out the container of purple material. His expression turned downright jovial as he saw that it had been filled.
"Ah…at last, something that went right." He said, almost caressing the small cylinder.
"What is that?"
The Baron looked up with a twinkle in his eye.
"This, Keyda, is concentrated Hatred. It seems you have produced plenty, and just in time too."
"What are you talking about?"
The Baron was removing his gloves as he placed the cylinder on a nearby table.
"The final battle is upon us it seems. With this on our side, we will soon prevail." He opened the container long enough to toss his gloves in, then sealed it once again. He began a small chant, and Keyda watched in disgusted curiosity as the purple seemed to be absorbed into the gloves. Soon there was nothing left in the container but the two small garments. The Baron opened the lid once again and fished them out, pulling them onto his hands with a gasp. Keyda watched in horror as the Baron turned and bruise-colored orbs swirled around his hands.
"Oh yes…these will do nicely… and so much more convenient than a staff…" He went and replaced the cylinder at the end of the machine and then went to leave. At the last minute he turned back to look at Keyda.
"Oh, Keyda…if only I could trust you more. I would take you with me; such a powerful team we would make. But I am afraid I lack all confidence in the likely hood that you would obey me, so instead you must stay here. Try not to have too much fun…alright?"
He was gone before she even had the chance to reply.
Misako
"I hope this works…" Misako muttered to herself, uncapping the vial she had brought with her. She was in the mask containment room, having her own battle of sorts with the clearstone cases while the others went to face off with Harumi. There was no way she was going to make it out of here lugging three heavy stone boxes; she was going to have to break in and get the masks themselves.
Nya had come up with a good plan…but Misako still hadn't been too sold on the idea. It seemed extremely risky, but Harumi had forced their hand.
She ran her hand along the clearstone case. It was the hardest material in Ninjago…she wondered how on earth Harumi had gotten ahold of so much of it. It was clear that these Masks were still needed for some unknown purpose; the self-proclaimed Empress had put in a lot of effort to protect them. However, even the strongest material had weaknesses.
The historian turned her attention to the edges of the box, where the slabs of clearstone were held together with a strong metal. She may not have a way to destroy the clearstone, but that edging she could do something about. She carefully poured the contents of the vial onto the metal edging on the three different cases. She waited a few minutes as the acid ate threw the metal, throwing off noxious fumes as it spit and hissed. Then she went in with a dagger, carefully prying off enough warped edging to remove one of the clearstone sides on each of the boxes. She took out the masks, studying each closely with a historian's eye to make sure they weren't fake. Luckily, it seemed that they were the real deal and she put each into her sack.
Suddenly, an alarm went off and she dropped the sack as she jumped with fright. Were they onto her, then? She could hear S.O.G running through the halls, but none of them seemed to be coming in here. She realized with a start that they must be heading to the throne room. She fought the urge to run there herself; though she considered herself a pretty good fighter, it was more important to get the masks out of the tower so that the whole plan wouldn't be for nothing. She just had to hope the teens could get themselves out of this mess. With any luck they already had.
With all the S.O.G heading to the throne room, she found that it wasn't too difficult to slip out of the tower. She took a back door and tried to look as inconspicuous as possible as she headed back to Skylor's restaurant. As she walked she tried to push down the worry that was building up inside. They were fine. They were well trained…they could take care of themselves. Lloyd didn't need his mother rushing to his side to make everything better anymore.
Not that she had ever really been the rushing-to-his-side kind of mother, she thought guiltily. She found herself reflecting on her past as she walked with her head down through the streets of Ninjago City. She had always had a love of adventure, something that had drawn her to both her career choice and two remarkable brothers. Through the whirlwind of their young adult life, she had made a choice that had affected the rest of her life. She supposed that she thought she could change him. That perhaps she could be the key to undoing what had been done to him…that they could have a happy marriage and a happy family and achieve a good life despite everything against them.
She had actually thought that she had achieved that dream when Lloyd was born. Garmadon might have had evil running through his veins…but even all the love he had for her almost paled to the love he had for his son. She remembered the look on his face when he held Lloyd for the first time; there was so much happiness and fatherly pride that Misako had been sure that everything would work itself out perfectly.
However, in the end it wasn't enough. Everything was fine for a while…but then Garmadon's father passed away. It was as if his death had removed some barrier and the evil was suddenly allowed to run rampant within her husband. He went downhill very quickly and it wasn't long before Garmadon left his little family. That was when her dream had died. She heard later that he had gone to steal the golden weapons from Wu, and had gotten banished to the Underworld. She didn't allow herself to fall apart, however; she needed to stay strong to raise their son, whether he was around for it or not.
But the older Lloyd got, the more Misako picked up on something that didn't seem quite right. She wasn't sure what exactly it was that made her finally realize that her little son was going to be the Green Ninja. But once the idea took hold, she realized what that consequences would be for her already broken family.
Misako had reached the restaurant and went around the back, as if she were heading to dump the sack into the large trash bin. Instead, she moved the bin and entered the secret doorway down into the dojo. Nya still hadn't contacted her; the historian frowned. What could be taking so long?
She remembered the day she had dropped Lloyd off at the boarding school. He was so young at the time. She handed him over to the headmaster and touched his face one last time.
"I'll be back soon, Lloyd. You be a good boy now." Then she had turned and left him there.
She had meant to be back soon…she had only planned on being gone for a year or two. But the research had taken so much longer and year after year she convinced herself that he was doing just fine at the boarding school. She could have left him with Wu…she knew that he would have taken good care of him. But ever since she had chosen Garmadon, Wu had become incredibly distant. She supposed it made sense why. Besides, her plan was to do everything she could to stop Lloyd from becoming the Green Ninja and having to fight his father. She knew the second that Wu realized who her son was really meant to be he would start training him for his destiny.
The next thing she knew her little boy was all grown up, and had discovered his destiny despite everything she had done to try to prevent it. Misako walked over to the picture wall in the dojo, looking at her son with all of his friends and family. She sighed sadly, thinking of the life he had lead. Some people's children seemed to grow up too fast…and then there was her son, who was literally forced to age quickly to face a destiny he had never asked for. Some people's children are left fatherless…and then there was her son, who had to watch his father be destroyed or corrupted countless times. Some people's children had their hearts broken for the first time…and then there was her son, who had his heart shattered by a psychopath who not only played with his feelings but killed his closest friends while forcing him to watch.
She sat heavily, the worry and guilt catching up with her. This was not the life that she wanted for Lloyd…but she had always believed that one could make the best of any situation. She had never given into doubt or fear…instead she had tried to live her life in a "the past is in the past" sort of way. But at times like these she couldn't help but wonder if at the end of the day, if her son would ever have any semblance of a happy life…
"Misako! Come in!"
Nya's voice cut in through her communicator, pulling Misako from her thoughts.
"Yes…yes I'm here. Did you all make it out ok?"
"We're fine…I mean…there were a few bumps in the road but we're good now. We are on our way to the Samauri X cave. Can you meet us there with the masks?"
"Of course…but why the…?"
"Skylor's identity has been compromised. The restaurant is no longer safe; in fact, you should stay as far away from it as possible…"
Misako grabbed the sack and headed for the exit. She looked around in the ally for any sign of S.O.G, but it seemed like the only members of the gang here were the ones inside, happily enjoying some well cooked food.
"Alright, I'll see you soon." she said quietly into her communicator.
"Be careful Misako…the desert is crawling with S.O.G."
Misako approached one of the bikes in front of the store and pulled the helmet on with a smile.
"Then I guess I'll just have to blend in…."
Baron
The Iron Baron boarded a Dragon and was pleased when its rider seemed terrified. With no Heavy Metal, he would have had to pilot his own dragon. Oni Ancients forbid he would have to stoop that low.
He was pleased to find that the hate magic could also be used to amplify his voice. He truly detested yelling…it was terribly undignified.
"The Final Battle has Begun…we possess the means of breaking the enchantment on Dragon Haven. Oni….ON to VICTORY!"
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