Chapter 10

"Show me what you can do."

Zane nodded once, then kneeled, pressing his palm against the snowy ground. All around him, the snow hardened into ice. He allowed it to grow, covering a considerable amount of the forest.

"We could totally ice skate on that." Jay smiled, watching the android with awe.

"Do you know how to ice skate?" Cole countered.

Jay squinted his eyes, but refrained from responding.

"Your reach is impressive." Garmadon nodded, ignoring Jay's statement. "But must you use your hand? Are your feet not already planted on the ground?"

"They are. But the ice, I control it through my fingers." Zane explained.

"It is easier for you to control it through your fingers. It's logical." Garmadon countered. He then tapped his finger against his head. "But this is where the control really comes from."

Zane frowned.

"Instead of using your hands, work on using other parts of your body. That way, you won't necessarily need to touch something in order to freeze it. If you were to use your abilities in battle, they wouldn't prove themselves to be very useful if you needed to touch your opponent."

Zane nodded reluctantly. He shut his eyes, then willed ice to coat his fingers. As it did so, he mentally traced the power to its source. He was surprised to feel it pulsing within his mind.

From there, he focused on moving the ability toward his feet. He tried to think of the ground itself, using nothing but his ability to feel out his surroundings.

Behind him, Jay chuckled softly. Zane reopened his eyes. Looking down, he realized he had encased his own legs in ice. "Oh."

"Well. . . you've got the basic idea." There was a small smile in Garmadon's features, and Zane felt slightly embarrassed. "I can tell you're a fast learner. You'll get it in no time. Keep practicing.

"And you." Garmadon turned to Jay. The laughter instantly washed away from his eyes. "You've got a lot of control to learn."

"I've- I can- I don't need to touch things to zap them." Jay spoke quickly, nerves causing small sparks to bounce around his skin. "I can use lighting from the sky. Or I can-"

"Aim is not what I'm referring to." Garmadon cut off Jay's words swiftly. He reached down to grasp Jay's wrist, holding it up to bring the teen's attention to his sparking skin. "I'm referring to this. You emotions control your abilities more than you do."

"Oh." Jay frowned. He glared at the dancing electricity, which died down slowly.

"In the heat of battle, you will be feeling many things. And if you don't learn to keep your emotions separate from your abilities, you'll cause more harm than anything. To yourself, and to your teammates."

Jay nodded. Brief images of Kryptarium prison flashed through his mind. The destruction had been overwhelming.

"Work on that. Try to think of small things that upset you, while making sure that the lightning stays within you, and not around you. I know it might be difficult to invoke emotions onto your mind but. . . Get creative. You need to have a handle on this if we're ever going to free the others from ECHO."

Jay nodded. He moved away from the others, just to be safe. Cole followed him closely.

"And you, Lloyd."

Lloyd turned away from Jay and Cole, looking up toward his father. "Yeah?"

"What can you do?"

"Oh. Um." Lloyd's eyes shifted. As he searched for the right words, the voice spoke for him. "I can do a little of everything. But I'd rather not. The more I use. . . it, the stronger it . . it gets."

Lloyd wondered if this was true, or if it was only an excuse for his dad to have zero gauge in his abilities. He looked down after his lips stopped moving. When his father didn't say anything, Lloyd looked back up.

Garmadon's eyes were filled with a clear layer of suspicion. Lloyd's hopes soared, but he tried to keep his positive emotions from overflowing. Ultimately, his father gave a small nod. "Of course. That makes a lot of sense."

"So. . . what should we do, then?" Lloyd bounced on his heels. His eyes moved from Zane to Jay, wishing he could feel the same connection with his abilities as they did.

"Well. You've got a lot to explain. Don't think you aren't in trouble from running away from boarding school, and breaking into a prison."

Lloyd's mouth dropped open, and he frowned. "That's not fair!"

"Maybe. Maybe not." Garmadon shrugged, moving down to sit upon the cool snow. Lloyd remained standing. "Why don't you tell me the whole story."

Lloyd crossed his arms, making shapes in the snow with his foot. "Fine."

"Make me upset, then." Jay urged Cole to say something, while he kept his eyes shut.

"Your hair is kind of ugly."

Jay reopened his eyes, moving to glare at the ghost. "I'm serious, Cole."

"Well so am I." Cole snickered.

"You know what I mean." Jay rolled his eyes. "And my hair's nice enough. I like it."

"You've got no taste." Cole thought for a moment, then looked back at his friend. "And you're sure you want me to do this?"

"Well you heard Garmadon! And he's right too, I almost killed us all on our way back from Kryptarium, when I figured out you were missing. It was thanks to Kai I didn't." Jay bounced on his heels, eager to get started. "I always have to rely on someone else to bring me down. Well I won't always have someone else. Now. Make me upset."

"How do you feel about being adopted?"

Jay cringed. He should have known that was what Cole would go for. It was a good question. One he didn't necessarily have an answer to yet, but one that definitely sent his feelings into disarray.

It put so much out of place. And with his mind already jumbled beyond recognition half the time, it was the little things that truly kept him together. He shut his eyes again, already feeling the wild energy crackling beneath his skin.

He took a slow breath. It made his head ache, to hold everything in place. Yet, although his hands shook with effort, the lightning remained inside. "I don't know. I mean. They're still my parents. They're always going to be my parents. It just feels. . . weird. I wish they'd told me. But I guess they were going to, when they thought I was ready."

Jay repeated the words in his head, They're still my parents. They're always going to be my parents.

When he reopened his eyes, Cole was smiling at him. Jay smiled back, feeling the tension slowly dissipate. "Congrats. You didn't explode."

"Thank you." Jay bowed dramatically. " I guess it's a start. But I can't really ask everyone to drop everything in the middle of a fight, just so I can get ahold of myself."

"True, but like you said, it's a start."

Jay turned to study the others. Zane was still focused on keeping himself from freezing, and Lloyd was pacing around Garmadon, hands moving wildly as he spoke. No one was paying attention to them. He turned back to Cole. "And how are you? You know. . . now that you know about your mom?"

Cole shrugged. "It doesn't matter. It's not like I have an actual memory of her, anyway."

"Cole. . ." Jay frowned. "We'll figure your story out. I promise. Maybe if I start getting better at controlling the lightning, I'll be able to remember how we met. I bet that'll give us plenty of clues!"

"Maybe." Cole said. "But I'll still be a ghost."

They spent most of the day outside, going back to the lab only when the sky began to darken. After assuring himself that the door was properly locked, Garmadon relaxed, and the others followed his example.

The lab, being a bit more spacious than Dareth's cramped living room, proved to be a comfortable place to rest.

In the morning, they were met with a rude awakening. A shrill, high pitch sound echoed throughout. Garmadon's eyes snapped open, while Jay and Lloyd fumbled into wakefulness.

All at once, every blank monitor within Dr. Julien's lab flashed to life.

Garmadon turned to face the one nearest to him, eyes tightening with a sharp frown. The forest outside seemed as tranquil as ever. His eyes flickered to a different monitor. There. A flash of movement. Nearly invisible. Whoever was there knew how to camouflage well.

Garmadon scowled to himself, cursing inwardly for not recalling there was yet another person who knew of the lab.

"We have to go." He stated plainly, but even as he did, Garmadon knew there wouldn't be enough time. He turned to look at his son. "We have to get you out."

"Me?" Lloyd stood slowly, eyes running through the monitors. "What's going on?"

"Yeah." Jay nodded. The sudden pulse of electricity traveling through the lab put him on edge. "What the heck happened?"

"Someone's close by." Garmadon turned to a different monitor. The flickering shape was moving closer. Soon enough, it would be upon them. "It's Julien's security system."

"Whoa." Jay's eyes wandered, following the invisible rivers of electricity. "And it still works? It's got to have been ages since someone last set foot here. I wonder what kind of-"

Garmadon tuned Jay's voice out, mind moving through the possibilities. Whatever happened, he couldn't let Lloyd set foot in ECHO. If his suspicions were correct about the voice in his son's mind. . .

"There's another way out. You have to take it. I'll slow our little friend down." Garmadon nodded to himself as he spoke, guiding them further into the lab. Relaying on his memory, he found a small switch hidden within one of the shelves. It swung outward, revealing a path of deep darkness. "Whatever happens, you must keep Lloyd safe."

"I will stay behind with you." Zane stated. "It will buy more time."

Garmadon wanted to protest, but he knew he was in no position to turn down help. He nodded to Zane briefly, before looking down at Lloyd. He kneeled, embracing the small child with a quick embrace. "Don't worry Lloyd. I'll find you again. I promise."

"I. . ." Lloyd wanted to shout and pout in protest, but the shaky look of worry from his father's eyes kept him still. "Okay."

"I love you, alright?" Garmadon gave his son another hug.

"I love you too." Lloyd did his best not to cry. When they broke away, Garmadon stood. He looked at Jay, gaze unwavering now.

"Keep him safe. No matter what."

Jay couldn't respond. So he nodded sheepishly instead. Garmadon ushered them into the passage, shutting the door behind them. Then he turned to Zane.

"If you do not mind me asking, who is out there?"

"An old acquaintance. I should have known Wu would send him after us." Garmadon began to trot up the stairs. Zane followed closely. "His name is Ronin. He helped us get the others out of ECHO."

"If he helped, is he not on our side?"

"He's on his own side, and no one else's. Wu must have offered him a considerable sum of money."

They stepped out into the open, and the door shut automatically. The air before them shimmered briefly, before revealing a man and a large machine. The man smiled brightly, giving them both a friendly wave. "Garmadon! It's been a while, hasn't it? How do you like the camouflage? A gift from your brother. He's pretty generous."

"That's not the word I'd personally use to describe him." Garmadon scowled. "Ronin, you've helped us before. Any chance you'll want to do that again?"

"Sorry old man. Job's a job."

Garmadon nodded. "I figured you'd say that."

"Never hurts to ask," Ronin shrugged. "Now it's my turn to ask a question. How about we head back to ECHO peacefully? No need to exert yourself."

Instead of responding, Garmadon gave Zane a small signal. Zane focused his skills as he'd done before, directing the snow beneath Ronin's feet to turn into a prison of ice. Ronin's eyes widened as the numbing sensation spread up his legs.

"That's new." Ronin gave a small unconcerned chuckle, before using the strength of his legs to break free. "You another of Wu's crazy experiments, kid?"

"No." Zane responded. He willed his abilities to sharpen, reaching for Ronin again. Ronin spotted the brief flicker of purpose in Zane's eyes. He leaped back, clinging onto one of the wings of his strange vehicle.

"He didn't mention anything about you at all." Ronin reached behind his back, bringing forth the tranquilizer gun. "I've got to admit, you've got some impressive skills. But I doubt you have any of the experience."

"Maybe not, but I do." Ronin swiveled at the voice, a few seconds too late. Garmadon had snuck up behind him, landing a heavy kick against his side. Ronin tumbled int the snow, where Zane acted quickly, encasing the him in ice. The man struggled, but Zane had learned quickly, creating more and more layers of the cold weapon to make escape impossible.

"Two against one, that's hardly fair." There was a light bit of sweat over Ronin's skin, but his expression remained confidently mocking. "But I think I know how to even out the odds."

Ronin whistled a distinct melody, and his vehicle shuddered to life. Zane and Garmadon both turned their attention toward it. "R.E.X., Fire."

Two missiles shot from the front of the vehicle simultaneously. Both Zane and Garmadon got thrown back, their flight stopping roughly against thick tree trunks. The ice holding Ronin in place cracked, and he twisted himself back into freedom.

The blast sparked bits of flames throughout the forest. Although some burned weakly, dampened by the temperature, others grew in strength, fueled by the dry branches. Smoke quickly enveloped the three figures.

"Are you insane?" Garmadon coughed, waving the smoke away form himself. "Zane, put the fire out!"

Zane couldn't spot Garmadon, but the man's words reached him without trouble. His eyes quickly locked onto the sources of the flame, and he used snow and ice to leech the life from them. Only the smoke remained.

Garmadon's coughs continued, and tears blurred his eyes. With effort, he spotted the shape of Ronin's vehicle. He listened intently, trying to focus on the sounds around him. The only consolation was that if Garmadon couldn't see, then neither could Ronin.

A sudden pain grew in his neck. Garmadon's hand shot toward the source, fingers tightening around a dart. As he recognized it, his eyelids grew heavier than what he could handle. He spotted Ronin approaching him, a pair of goggles over his eyes.

I hate technology. Garmadon thought. He struggled to utter a warning for Zane, but his consciousness left him before he could do so.

No more than a couple of feet away, Zane heard the sound of Garmadon's body hitting the snowy ground. He turned to it, just in time to spot a small dart flying towards him. Zane did nothing to evade it. The dart bounced off his metal skin, landing harmlessly upon the snow.

"What in the. . ." Zane twisted toward the voice, spotting Ronin's figure against the dissipating smoke. "This is going to cost Wu extra. Just what are you."

"I am Zane." The android replied. Ronin trotted backwards, working to avoid Zane's ever-reaching ice.

"Zane. You know, that does sound familiar." Ronin nodded to himself, mind moving quickly as he thought of a plan. "Ah. Right. Julien's little toy."

The ice reached Ronin's legs. Zane continued to strengthened it as he moved closer, allowing it to climb up to the man's waist. "You knew him, then?"

"Who didn't?" Ronin shrugged. Zane's curiosity prevented him from questioning Ronin's relaxed pose. "That old man was something else. Brilliant indeed. He helped me build my R.E.X., actually. Two machines by built by Julien's hand. You must have a lot in common, huh?"

Zane's eyes turned to Ronin's machine briefly. Yet another piece of his creator.

"Makes you wonder. . ." Ronin smiled slyly. Then he gave a loud, clear shout. "R.E.X! hack!"

"Hack?" Zane frowned. Or at least, he meant to. A numbing sensation had suddenly spread throughout every inch of him. He couldn't move. Fear gripped him, as a distinctly alien presence oozed into his mind.

Darkness flooded Zane's eyes, and a strange combination of letters and numbers flickered across the blackness of his vision. Then, for the first time since awakening in Birchwood forest, Zane lost all sense of himself.