Chapter Twelve: A Bonus

At the end of the night, Cole knew exactly who he'd be working with on Pythor's mission. It wasn't very reassuring at all. Each and every one of them looked like they could tear anyone apart without hesitation and, to add insult to injury, Pythor had been watching Cole intently for the rest of the night with extreme suspicion.

After the battles in the Slither Pit had ended, they were herded back into the room the young spies had first found. The gang members spread throughout the area, each choosing to stand with their own selected group of friends. Kai leaned back against the wall, watching everyone interact with each other, wondering if they'd be able to stop Pythor's diabolical scheme. "So, now what? We just wait for Pythor to be ready to seal the deal? This feels so useless."

"Sometimes being a spy is all about patience," Zane said, shaking his head. "We cannot allow our impulses to control us."

Jay shot Zane a panicked look, his eyes shifting around left and right. "Um, Zane, please stop saying the 'S' word out loud. I'm pretty sure Pythor's already onto us."

"Jay's right," Cole stated. "We should try to keep who we are to ourselves as much as possible. We should probably try to blend in too. If we keep sticking together, we might attract more attention to ourselves."

"No, no, no." The blue-eyed man shook his head rapidly. "That's not what I meant at all. The last thing I want is to be alone. We need to stick together."

"Actually, I think the rock lover is right," Kai said, pushing himself off the wall. "Together, we're a bigger target. Separated, we might learn a thing or two."

"You just want to get yourself in trouble. . ." Jay mumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm serious, guys. Splitting up is a bad idea."

"Oh, come on. This isn't a horror movie." The mechanic rolled his eyes. "You're just-"

Cole forced himself to stand, flinching as his weight shifted to his wounded leg. "Stop bickering. We're going to split up in order to look less suspicious. We'll try our best to keep our eyes on each other, and we are not going to try and be heroes and do something idiotic and out of line."

Cole's grey eyes locked onto Kai's while he uttered the last bit of his instructions, and Kai scowled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do anything."

"Then it is settled. We shall all spend time away from each other," Zane said, choosing not to acknowledge Jay's softly vocalized disapproval. "We should try to come back together before Cole leaves, to give him support."

Cole nodded, placing a hand on the android's shoulder. "Yeah, thanks for that," he sighed, though his words were genuine. He didn't necessarily want to be alone on the night leading up to a possible catastrophe. Isolation left him with just his thoughts, and they weren't very good ones right now, but it was the only way to try and alleviate as much suspicion as possible. There was no point in jeopardizing the entirety of Ninjago just to hang around with his newly acquired friends. If he could even call them friends at this point. They still barely knew anything about each other. "I'll catch you guys later," Cole finished, slightly limping his way towards a slowly gathering crowd.

"Well. . . are we just suppose to wander around and try to make new friends then?" Jay hissed. "Yeah, let me just go introduce myself to the number of guys that look like they could kill me if they really wanted to."

"Technically, anyone could kill you if they really wished to," Zane interjected. "Their personal background and appearance does not necessarily factor in to their-"

"Forget it," the blue eyed man said, beginning to walk in the opposite direction Cole had. "I'll just go not make any new friends way over there where it'll be a little quieter." He waved his hand back before adjusting the beanie on his hand. "Just don't get mad when things go terribly wrong and I get to say 'told you so' later."

Kai narrowed his eyes and scoffed. "Don't worry," he muttered under his breath. "I'm not gonna let you have the satisfaction of saying 'told you so', Jay." With that, the brunet gave Zane a nod before shoving his hands into the conjoined pocket of his hoodie and stalking through the sprawling crowds of gang members.

He wandered around for a little bit, trying to get a feel for the people he had been surrounded by for the past few hours. Within the gang itself, there almost seemed to be subgroups. The more muscular, stronger guys seemed to hang around with each other. Probably swapping workout regiments, Kai chuckled to himself. Most of the brawlers seemed to hang around each other too, almost worshiping the guy that Cole had fought in the Slither Pit earlier. It's like he's their leader or something. Kai encountered a few subgroups that always spoke in hushed tones, practically spitting gossip at one another. Guess petty girls aren't the only venomous people in the world.

Wandering around the large, cavernous room was making Kai antsy. He hadn't run into any of the others during however long they'd decided to separate, but he was really getting the urge to explore a little further. They were in the sewers after all. There had to be branching pathways all over the place. Kai glanced around before settling on a darker patch of the wall opposite him. There weren't many gang members hanging out around the presumed opening either. Perfect. I can go exploring and I won't be accused of snooping.

As Kai stood only paces away from what, in fact, was what he had been hoping for, he stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel an unwanted gaze on his back. Flexing his still gloved hands inside his hoodie pocket, he glanced over his shoulder to see a man with dark blue hair watching him. The man's piercing gaze made Kai a little dizzy, but he tried to ignore it all, walking straight into the tunnel despite everything.

Liquid dripped from the ceiling slowly, splashing into puddles of what Kai could only hope was actually water. The smell had ceased being a problem quite some time ago. Begrudgingly, the mechanic had already gotten used to it. Steps echoing around him, Kai continued walking for what felt like forever. What if the tunnel just kept going? Would he wind up outside the boundaries of the city? Would the others ever find him? I'll turn back in a few more minutes, he told himself. I just want to make sure I don't miss anything important.

There was a growl that came from somewhere nearby, startling Kai. His muscles stiffened and his heart hammered away, making his chest ache painfully. It hadn't sounded like an animal though. No. Kai knew the sound very well. It reminded him of himself, getting frustrated with customers at the shop and just failing at keeping the frustration bottled up. But where exactly had it come from? Kai removed his hands from his pocket and rubbed the palms of his gloves together. Fire shot up, casting his own shadow across the now discernible ground. There was another, smaller pathway off to his left. It had been hidden in the darkness. Breathing deeply to try and shake his nerves, Kai decided to venture down it.

He held his hands a good ways out in front of him, palms to the ceiling. It was the only way for him to effectively see two feet in front of him. In less time than he had expected, Kai heard a familiar voice. He brought his hands together, squeezing them in anticipation, successfully dousing the flames. Creeping closer and trying to keep himself against the wall behind him as best as he could, Kai finally found himself nearing a room. It wasn't nearly as large as the central room that all of the other gang members seemed to treat as their hangout spot, but it wasn't remarkable tiny either.

And standing in front of a rather large monitor, was Pythor.

"All I'm asking is if you have it. You either have it, or you don't," he spat.

Kai strained his neck to see who Pythor was talking to. It looked like an older woman, greying hair pulled back in a braid that was draped over her left shoulder. Her red lips were pulled up in a smirk and she held a glint of mischief in her large, green eyes. "Of course I have it," she said, holding up a capsule that was all too familiar to Kai. He had to bite his tongue to keep himself from making any involuntary noises. "I always deliver on my promises. The exchange will happen as I've said, but only if you have the money that you've promised me. This stuff isn't cheap, as I'm sure you're aware, and I went through an awful lot of trouble getting my hands on it."

"Don't try to play me for a fool," Pythor scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "Your reputation proceeds you, Misako. It would have been easy for you to get your hands on it. No need to be dramatic."

Misako. Kai crouched against the wall now, trying to make himself as small as possible. Sure, Pythor had his back towards him, but what if the current number one enemy of N.I.N.J.A.G.O saw him sneaking about in the background? Calm down. She doesn't even know who you are. Even if she saw you, why would she assume you were working for N.I.N.J.A.G.O? Stop panicking, Kai. Spies don't panic.

"So, you do have the money that I asked for then?" Misako continued, her tone growing slightly darker.

Pythor faltered for a brief moment. "Well, you see, I don't actually have the total amount you had originally asked-"

"Then the deal's off," Misako interrupted. "I'm not really one for negotiating. The deal is off."

Kai felt relief wash over him. This was good news. If the deal was off, that was less pressure on Cole. They could leave soon and go back to N.I.N.J.A.G.O with a victory under their belts.

"Wait, please!" Pythor was begging now, his voice dripping with desperation. "I think I have something to give you in addition to the money I do have."

Misako raised an eyebrow. "What could you possibly have that you think I would want?"

"You could consider it. . . a bonus. I personally think it's much more valuable than money. Or, at least, I think you would see it that way."

Misako tilted her head, to show Pythor that she was listening. Kai backed away slowly, deciding to return instead of pushing his luck. He couldn't see the outside, but his tired body told him it was fairly late. He wasn't very sure on how the gang member's sleeping habits worked, but he hoped their desire to get some rest wasn't too far behind. He had to have a word with his team, had to let them know Misako was the one behind this complicated ordeal. As soon as he stepped out of the dark tunnel and into the big room he'd been in before, Kai spotted his blue-eyed teammate, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed.

"Jay!" Kai trotted forward, nudging the man with his foot. Jay began to tip over to the side, before flailing into consciousness. He shook his head, looking up at Kai with a confused frown.

"I thought we were laying low and far away from each other?" Jay rubbed his eyes. "Not kicking each other around when we're trying to sleep."

"And I thought we were supposed to blend in, not act like loners in the corner of the room."

"Okay, so I'm not good at making friends. So what?" Jay shrugged, stretching out his arms before standing. "It's not like I want to make friends."

"That doesn't matter anyway," Kai shook his head. "We need to get the others. You'll all want to hear what I stumbled upon."

"Oh, did you injure yourself in the process?"

Kai and Jay turned away from each other, towards the sound of the voice that had suddenly joined the conversation. It was Zane, looking as if he had been standing there the entire time, the smallest of smiles pulling at the corners of his mouth. Kai shook his head. "What? No, no, no. I didn't hurt myself. Why? And how long have you been. . . you weren't there when I walked over here, like, two seconds ago."

Zane shook his head. "No, I just noticed you walking up to Jay, so I assumed it was the time to regroup. And I heard you say that you stumbled, Kai. Did you injure yourself? Do you need any first aid?"

The mechanic inhaled deeply, having a hard time deciding if he should be angry with the android for always taking everything so literal, or if he should laugh at how ridiculous Zane sounded sometimes. "No, I'm not hurt," he settled on, trying to keep his temper in check. "I didn't actually stumble into anything, I just overheard something that you guys may be interested in." He paused for a moment, letting the eerie quiet of the sewers ring in his ears. "Misako is behind all of this. She's the one that set up the deal with Pythor. She's the one that has the virus thing Pythor needs. We're even closer to getting that kid back than we thought we were."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jay said, a mixture of amazement and fear in his blue eyes. "Pythor is working with Misako? How do you know this? How do you even know it's actually her?"

"I'm pretty sure that when someone is addressed by their name, then it's them," Kai scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I got a pretty good look at her, so I'm sure Zane can confirm if it's actually her or not. You've got to have some files of her past involvement with N.I.N.J.A.G.O in your database, right?" Zane gave Kai a quick nod, and the mechanic smiled before delving back into his explanation. He felt proud of himself. He'd been the one to discover something vital. The quicker they saved the kid, the faster he'd be able to go back to the shop and see Nya. "Anyway, the deal is with Misako. Pythor was suppose to give her some money for the virus, but it seemed like he didn't have enough. Misako was going to call the whole thing off, but Pythor offered up something else as collateral, in addition to the money that he does have."

Jay mulled over Kai's words and bobbed his head. "Alright, I believe you. So, what did Pythor say he was gonna give her?"

The cocky smirk faded from Kai's face faster than a lightning strike. "I. . . uh, I didn't actually hang around long enough to hear what he was gonna give her."

Jay gave Kai a smack on the back of his head. "What's the matter with you?" he hissed in a hushed tone. "You gather all this information and then you don't even have the one piece that could tie most of it together? What if it's a weapon or something? Like an actual weapon. We don't want this woman to get more firepower or anything. Wu's brother already told us she's gonna be hard enough to deal with."

"Perhaps it is not a weapon," Zane interrupted, looking deep in thought. "Pythor has his own spies that lurk around Ninjago. Hardly anything happens without his knowledge. If he is working with Misako, as Kai says, then perhaps Pythor has managed to dig up some dirt on Garmadon, giving her even more leverage over him. Of course, holding his son hostage seems to be good enough leverage in of itself."

Kai felt his muscles tighten. "Yeah! That could be it! I know Pythor said that whatever it was 'much more valuable than money'. Or, at least, that she'd probably find it really valuable. It's got to be some kind of inside information." He was feeling pumped, adrenaline flooding his veins. Too bad they couldn't just go and kick Misako's butt now. They had to lay low for a little while and just let Cole. . . "Oh no, we need to tell Cole about this too! We've got to tell him that he needs to keep his eyes peeled and ears listening. We've gotta find out what Pythor is gonna tell Misako in exchange for the virus."

"Stay close, stay low, and stay as silent as possible." Cole muttered to himself again and again as he fidgeted with a minuscule ear piece Zane had given to him. The flat, metallic disc fit right behind a flap of cartilage in his ear. It was completely obscured from view, but sat close enough to the ear canal so he could hear his teammates talking. Leaning his head to the left over so slightly, Cole cleared his throat. "Testing, testing," he whispered. "Can you guys hear me?"

There was the oddly soothing sound of white noise, followed by a screech of feedback. Cole jumped involuntarily, his heart racing. "Yeah, we can hear you," came Jay's voice. "Sorry about that, I was trying to figure out how to turn the stupid mic on."

"Well, thanks for blasting my ear drum," the rock climber spat softly. Once he was actually out with Pythor and the others, he'd have to keep his talking to a minimum. The microphone attached to the upper collar of his shirt was really only in place to allow the others to listen in on Pythor and Misako. "I'm pretty sure the others are gonna start showing up soon. This is the exit that Pythor told us to meet at." No sooner had the words escaped Cole's lips, when the muscular man that had won the second Slither Pit showed up. The rock climber fell silent.

"Just remember to activate the tracking device in your sleeve before you go," Zane said. Cole gave a slight nod in response, realizing afterwards that no one was going to see him answering. "Once you activate it, I will be able to track your movements. When you finally arrive at the rendezvous point, click the tracker again and it will lock in that location, making it easier for us to find you."

"And who are you suppose to be?" Cole raised his head, trying to keep himself calm. He was a thug, not a spy. His cover was still intact. "I asked who you are, shorty."

Cole scoffed at the man in front of him. "Shorty? I'm taller than you. . ." His voice trailed off as he failed to come up with an insulting nickname for the man before him. He was going to settle on Spiky, because of the way the man's black hair spiked up into orange tips, but he decided against it. That name wasn't clever enough. "The name's, uh. . ." He was drawing a blank. He didn't want to use his real name. But what could he-

"Your name's Boris," Jay said in his ear. "Just go with it. Trust me."

"Boris," Cole repeated, trying to act like he hadn't just trailed off with his sentence yet again. "And you are?"

"Boris? Jay, really? What kind of name is that?" Kai yelled. "Are you kidding me?"

Cole could hear Jay chuckling, probably at his expense. "Oh, come on. You know, like an ouroboris? Pretty clever, right?"

"Are you heckling people again, Skalidor?" Cole looked past the muscular man to see two more people approaching. The one that had spoken was taller than he was, his dark blue hair trailing his shoulders. "Just because you wanted Fangtom to be the one to come along with us, doesn't mean you get to bully the one who defeated him." The man gave a toothy grin, striding past Skalidor, who Cole assumed was the muscular man. "I'm sorry that I overheard your conversation, but you said your name was Boris?" The man extended a pale hand and Cole shook it forcefully. "They call me Skales. Looking forward to working with you today."

"Same here," Cole said, his gaze fixing on Skales' eyes. They were an unsettling shade of red. Probably colored contacts.

"And then this here is my friend Acidicus," Skales continued, gesturing for the man who had walked in with him to come closer. Cole could see his skin was lightly tanned, and he had a few piercings on his eyebrows that complimented the gauges in his ears. Acidicus didn't say anything, just opting to give Cole a nod before running a hand through his dark green hair. "So, Boris, I haven't really seen you around here much," Skales said, adjusting the long blue and yellow overcoat that adorned his thin frame. "Who do you usually hang around with?"

Cole felt his breath shake for a moment as he tried to devise an acceptable answer in his head. "Well, I usually pal around with-"

"Ah, everyone's here on time! How perfect," rang a cheerful voice. Pythor clapped his hands together as he strode across the room quickly. "Now we can leave and actually be punctual with the client for once. You know she doesn't like to be kept waiting and today isn't the day to get on her bad side. So, shall we go?" For a brief moment, his eyes met Cole's and the rock climber saw of glint of joy reflected in the man's gaze. He really was happy to be getting his hands on the awful virus. "Alright then, tut tut, no dilly-dallying. We're off to get our weapon."

The group slowly made their way to a ladder underneath the nearest manhole cover. Cole allowed the others to go ahead of him so he could bring up the rear like he had planned. "Jay, remind me to kill you when I get back," he whispered as he climbed up the ladder.

"Oh lighten up, Boris, and go get that deadly biological weapon from the deranged kidnapper already."