(A/N) FIRST: Even if you've already read the last chapter, read it again, because there has been a minor edit in dialogue.

SECOND: I'm going to tell you now that this chapter does NOT end the same way it did in the first version! It has DOUBLED in size due to the new ending! Okay now, enjoy!

Conclusion

The Neverender Ends

It didn't take too long for the scientists working on me to figure out that I still remembered my past. They threw me into a cell. I was in there for hours until finally they let me out, saying they had a job for me. They took me to a room on an upper floor: the room that they had put Heather in. They told me I was to take care of her, then they locked the door. When I asked Heather why I had to do this task, she replied that she was going to have a baby. I was scared, because I had no idea how to deal with this situation. But I was stuck with it.

I did what I could, but I was mostly in the dark because I was only an eight-year-old. It only got worse when Heather fell ill shortly before she was due. She was taken away to the medical sector, and I was all alone. A week later, she came back with a baby boy in her arms, but she looked weaker than ever. She was dying. Days passed, and she got worse and worse. A week after she had returned, she asked me to come close. She told me she was going to die very soon, and that there was something I needed to know before that happened.

She told me that I had to take care of her son. That even though I was young, I was the only one who could do it. She told me to raise him in the way of the Ninja. To teach him right from wrong.

"And," she whispered, "make sure he meets his father one day."

That was her last wish before she died with baby Lex in her arms.

I thought I could not fulfill it. How could I? I was a kid in a sinister agency that would never let me go anywhere they didn't tell me to go. But I kept the promise to raise him to be a good person. I couldn't let the Black Dragons teach him to be another one of them.

"As he grew older, it became apparent that he wasn't a normal child. On the upside, he was brilliant. On the downside, he was selectively mute. To this day, Lex still only talks to me."

Sensei Lloyd was silent. He was slowly coming to the shocking conclusion. If his wife, Heather, had been pregnant with Lex, then that meant...

"Lex is my son?" Lloyd breathed.

"Haven't you noticed? Lex's blonde hair is starting to curl like yours. I was trying to brush his hair straight the other day and it just kept curling back up again."

"This also explains what happened to the platform," the teacher thought out loud. "Only Energy can cause something like that to break." He paused for a moment. "May I... see him?"

Drew got up and left to find Lex. He found him doing exactly what Drew had predicted: writing math all over the walls. "Hey little buddy," he greeted.

"Hello, Drew." Lex would only talk to him when they were alone. The boy had a soft, smooth voice that radiated childhood innocence.

"Sensei wants to see you," Drew informed him.

Lex stiffened. His hand stopped writing. "Now?" he asked, his voice anxious. He hated social interaction. It was part of his selective mutism.

"I'll be there with you," Drew told him, hoping the boy would consent.

Lex dropped the marker and followed Drew out. When they arrived below deck, Lloyd looked at the young boy like he had never seen him before. Indeed, it was the first time he was seeing the kid knowing that he was looking at one of his own.

There was silence as father approached son for the first time. The teacher lowered himself to be at eye level with Lex.

"Now I remember," he said, trying to choke back tears, "Heather and I had agreed if Violet turned out to be a boy, we would name him Lex."

Surprising both Drew and Lloyd, the seven-year-old suddenly stepped forward and clung to his father in a long-awaited hug. Lloyd returned the gesture, unable to hold back the tears in his eyes.

Well, it looks like I've finally done what I promised to do! Drew thought happily. He was finally free. He decided to celebrate his freedom with the rest of the team. Knowing them, they probably already were. He climbed the stairs to the second floor of the boat. When he got to the top, his suspicions were confirmed. The former agents were partying with soda of all kind in every flavor.

"Drew! C'mon! Join the party!" Reed called to his friend, confirming his suspicions. Drew walked over with a smirk resembling his father's and took the bottle of root beer Emma gave him.

"To rogue agents!" he toasted.

"To rogue agents!" the others echoed. They drank the sugary liquid, celebrating this one victory before they would have to return to the serious life. But this time, they would be living it because they wanted to, not because they had to.

It's good to be back home, Drew thought with a smile.

They had no idea what was going on in the land they had just left...

All was relatively quiet in the city of Stixx. Ronin was putting away some more stolen goods when there was suddenly a blast from down the docks. He poked his head out the window.

"What the heck?"

People in black uniforms were flooding the town. As soon as Ronin saw that they were carrying guns, he ran into the secret bunker where he always kept Rex. He heard pounding footsteps above him and voices shouting to come out wherever he was hiding. But they'd never find him, he was sure of that. And besides, the ninja would come and take care of this.

Wouldn't they?

The people of Jamonikai Village had been enjoying a period of peace lately. The shopkeepers were all closing up their stores when suddenly through the gates came what appeared to be a group of people dressed all in black. They were carrying something...

Weapons.

The people ran for their homes, but the doors were broken down by the intruders. The people were gathered into the town square of the village. One of the people in the uniforms stepped onto the ledge of the fountain.

"Ninjago's democracy falls today," he shouted for all to hear. "You are now under the rule of the Black Dragons. You will remain perfectly safe, as long as you follow our every rule. Fail to abide by our laws, and you will suffer severe consequences, no matter how small the crime. First rule: There is a new curfew. You will stay in your homes until 6:00 a.m. and will return to them by 6:00 p.m. Second rule: communication is under close watch. Any suspicious phone calls, mail, emails, or any other type of message will be investigated and could result in arrest. Third rule..."

Surely the Ninja would put a stop to this!

Villages, towns, and cities fell one by one to the Black Dragon conquering force. Before long they reached Ninjago City. A team of agents marched in the doors of Borg Tower.

After Cyrus Borg had retired from his job as head of his company, he had moved on to politics and had worked his way up to the head of the country. But as he looked out his office window at the chaos ensuing below, he couldn't help but worry that this might be the end of his career. Hundreds of agents flooded the streets, forcing people out of buildings and onto the streets. Helicopters flew through the air with searchlights, looking for anyone trying to escape. Screams and shouts filled the night air.

Can this get any worse? he thought grimly.

He just had to jinx it.

As if on cue, the door to the elevator opened, revealing two men in the same all-black uniform as the army of criminals below, and another man in a black suit and tie. He had wispy grey hair, a medium skin tone, sharp facial features and grey eyes that seemed to stare into Borg's soul.

"Hello, Mr. Borg," he greeted cheerfully, despite the terror presently going on outside. "I'm afraid my name is classified information, but that is besides the point. I am here to tell you that you are now under Black Dragon rule."

"I demand you leave this office and take your army out of this city at once!" Borg commanded, acting braver than he really was right now. "If you fail to do this, I will be forced to call the Ninja!"

The old man before him laughed. This can't be good, Borg thought nervously.

"Oh, Mr. Borg. That won't be happening. You see, the Ninja are extinct."

"WHAT?!"

"Yes. Their monastery and everyone in it was destroyed two hours ago."

"No..."

"Yes, Mr. Borg. I'm afraid there is no hope of resistance to our new rule. Now we normally don't do this, but we are giving you the luxury of a choice."

"A...choice?"

"Yes. Door number one is you can keep your office, but you will be under the supreme leader of our organization."

"You mean I'll be your pawn?"

"That's quite an informal way to put it, now isn't it? Door number two is you will be removed from office, put in prison, and the people of Ninjago will be forced to suffer for your mistake. If you're lucky. You could have a worse fate. I won't say what that fate is, because I don't think you want to know."

Borg gulped. He could either submit to the new regime and remain safe, or he could refuse, causing him along with everyone else to be at the mercy of the Black Dragons. He hung his head. What could he do? He wanted to do the right thing and refuse to be a pawn of these horrible people, but if he did...

Ninjago would fall.

"I...I accept," he managed to croak out.

The man in the suit smiled. "Excellent. I don't believe you'll regret your decision, Mr. Borg. Just sign right here and we'll be done." With a shaking hand, Borg signed the paper and handed it back to the man. With that, the three agents left the office, leaving Borg to wallow in his shame.

On the roof of the paddleboat, Agent I checked his phone for any messages. He'd been waiting for the agency to contact him for at least an hour. When it finally beeped, he opened up the message and smiled.

Thanks for warning me about the ambush. We've finally taken over the country now.

-Vladomir

Agent I began to type his response.

No problem. Should I continue my mission as before?

-Agent I

When the response came in, the smile turned into a devilish grin.

Yes. And make sure you give regular reports. Hail to the Dragon.

-Vladomir

This was exactly what Agent I wanted. He knew he had to keep Vladomir alive in order for the plan to work. That was key. He also knew that in order to put phase two of his plan into action, he'd need to keep following the Ninja. They were critical pieces in his giant game of chess. It was still early in the game, yes, too early to make any big moves yet. Taking out the king was very far into the future. For now, though, Agent I would keep moving his little pawns across the board, slowly inching his way toward victory.

Lloyd broke out of his hug with Lex. He stood up slowly, leaning on his staff for support. He had felt a great disturbance in the balance, like all of Ninjago had...

fallen.

Lloyd swallowed hard. He looked down at his son, who in turn looked up at him with wide eyes. Had he felt it too?

"Lex," he choked, "I'm afraid we can't do anything. Not now. One day, maybe. But not today."

When that day would come, though, was once again up to destiny.

(A/N) Yes. Now we transition to the slightly darker part 2. A confusing maze with twists and turns, ups and downs, with no idea of where the exit is.

Sorry about that part with Borg giving in. He just seems like that type of guy who has trouble figuring out what the right path to take is when under threat. Take the digital overlord for example. We never saw Borg give in to him, but we can imagine that he did so to protect his position. I like to think that he's not necessarily selfish, he has good intentions, but he panics when he's put into a situation that seems to have only one way out, and as a result makes bad decisions that he later regrets.

Since this is the last chapter in Part 1, I'm going to thank everyone who has supported me during both the first and second versions! Thanks to ninjagirl99204, JudithArt, woodswolf, GarmadonJr, Trinitymistressofhealing, BlackNBlue39, Arima Lucari, Princess Bunny, iluvninjagoTNSBFWgirl, and the M.C. Cake Reviewer (yes, I'm still calling you that :D)for supporting version 1! And thanks to NerdyJD, lovesgod12, and AwesomeAuthor13 for supporting this one!

One last thing: I am still accepting OCs. If you want one of your OCs in the story, give me a name, basic description of appearance, a Meyers-Briggs personality type (if not applicable, just give me a personality with strengths and weaknesses), their element, weapon, and color if they have them, their age, and a past event or two. I really like to know my characters before I start.

Well, I guess that's all, so goodbye and see you later! I have a few prequels planned, so stay tuned!