Kryptarium Prison, 11:05 PM
Nathan rested against the wall of his cell, waiting to see how Alex would pull this off. He knew the warden had assigned more guards to his hallway, so how was he going to get him out unnoticed? And how was Alex going to get out himself? The vengestone cuffs they wear do suppress their powers. Would he convince the guard to free him somehow? Though, Nathan still didn't understand why Alex was helping him and Sammie in the first place. He wants something, doesn't he? There's no other way he'd be helping us. What does he want from us though?
Nathan pondered his ideas on what the master of psion would want, ending up with nothing. The Realm Crystal is locked away in place even I don't know about, Pixal's system has been modified so she can't be hacked anymore, and I'm not pulling hair from anyone's head for DNA samples to make clones. So, what possibly could he want!? Money? Ronin's liquor bottle collection that oddly enough still sits in the Bounty? Fame? What is it!?
Suddenly, a knocking on his cell bars startled him, making him look over to see Alex leaning against the bars, giving a small wave. His fiery orange hair was pulled up into a small ponytail, his eyes showing the obvious, glowing pink glint. There wasn't a scratch on him and he noticed the the cuffs on his hands were nowhere to be found. Alex then stepped away from the bars and stared straight at them. Nathan watched as a pink glow radiated from the bars before they were pulled apart and floated into a neat pile on the floor. A smile came to the master of psion's face as Nathan gave a surprised look.
"No time to gawk, blue ninja. We gotta get out of here," the redhead reminded him as he got up. Nathan's mind instantly switched to the whereabouts of his teammate.
"Where's Sammie?" he asked, joining Alex in the hall. He immediately noticed all the guards were gone once he was out, finding no signs of them in the hallway or by the cells. What the heck? Where'd they go?
"She's not here," the master of psion informed him as he pulled a bobby pin from his hair and picked the lock to Nathan's cuffs. The master of water stared at him in disbelief.
"Did you check everywhere!? Maybe they moved her cell again," he asked, to which Alex nodded. With one more turn of the pin, the cuffs fell off Nathan's wrists and clattered on the floor. Nathan could feel his powers coming back, but his mind was on Sammie.
"Listen, I can take you to her last known cell and ask some of the savages staying nearby what happened but there's nothing else I can do. I don't know what happened," Alex offered, pushing the bobby pin back into his hair. Nathan sighed. There's no way she could have disappeared into thin air like that! Something's up here...
"Take me to her cell. I'll ask one of the nearby prisoners there," he ordered, to which Alex nodded. The master of psion then wrapped an arm around then master of water's chest and clasped one hand with the other, each hand's fingers having to touch the bottom of the other's palm. Within a split second, Nathan felt his feet rise off the floor for a minute before the scenery changed to a different hallway. Alex let go of him, brushing off his hands.
"Sorry if touching you made you uncomfortable, but someone can't teleport with me unless I do that," he informed him, turning to Sammie's empty cell. Nathan wasn't focused on that at the moment though, still being concerned on the whereabouts of his teammate. He walked up to the cell, peeking in.
"Sammie? Please tell me you're hiding from Alex or something!" he called, to which Alex snickered.
"I told you she's not in there, Natey," he reminded him, to which Nathan narrowed his eyes at the nickname. How often is this guy gonna call me Natey!? It's worse than the nicknames Hunter gives me! The master of water then turned away, walking to the cell across from hers. A bearded man sat inside it, smelling of ham and sweat. Nathan's nose crinkled at the smell.
"Hey, do you know what happened to the girl in that cell?" he asked the prisoner with confidence in his voice. He pointed at the cell across from them, to which the prisoner scratched his beard. He grunted.
"Some Aladdin-ass genie suddenly appeared in there a night or two ago, claimin' he would make her wildest dreams come true. So, she wished to get out of this place and they both disappeared without a trace. She owe you money or sumthin', bub?" the prisoner told him, revealing extremely decayed teeth as he spoke. Nathan froze at the mention of the "genie", a sick realization coming to mind. "Genie"? Disappeared without a trace!? Don't tell me...Nadakhan got to her...didn't he!?
"An actual genie!? They're real!?" Alex latched onto the cell bars, perching himself on them with a surprised face. The prisoner nodded, then his eyes widened.
"Hey...aren't you that one guy who pretended be a woman so you could steal food from No-Eyed Pete!?" he asked, to which Alex's eyes widened. Nathan raised an eyebrow.
"N-Nope! It wasn't it me! I-It was my identical twin brother...Rolex! Ha ha! Yeah! He's a real rascal!" the master of psion lied nervously. Nathan facepalmed as the prisoner stood up, glaring at Alex.
"I believe I'd be doing Pete a favor if I turned you into a pulp," the prisoner claimed as the redhead made a panicked squeak.
"B-but don't you listen to say what they say about Russians!? They turn men like you into men pretzels! I-I could bend you into a Gordian knot!" Alex claimed, looking nervous. The prisoner didn't seem phased. He immediately reached through the bars, grabbing for the redhead's shirt collar. He was too late though, as Alex jumped away immediately, squeaking again. "Come on, Nathan. Let's go. T-This guy isn't worth my time. We can find your girlfriend another time."
Nathan blushed at the mention of Sammie as being his girlfriend, but he didn't have time to protest as Alex wrapped an arm around him again, the scenery changing as he clasped his hands. This time they landed in the muddy landscape outside of the prison, the dirt caking itself between Nathan's toes as he landed. Alex let go of him and stepped back for a minute before wincing, the pink glow in his eyes disappearing once he opened them.
"S-stay here. I forgot something," he told Nathan before disappearing again. The master of water raised an eyebrow, wondering what possibly he could have forgotten. His mind then returned to his thoughts on Sammie's disappearance, anger beginning to boil inside him. What the heck is Nadakhan's deal!? Why is he going around abducting us!? I mean, come on! First Sensei, then Misako, then Lilly, now Sammie! Who's next? Me? Hunter!? Lloyd!? He kicked a clod of dirt in frustration, huffing. Why us!?
Suddenly, he heard Alex reappear, panting as though he had run a marathon. Nathan turned to face him, noticing he was holding a pair of blades, some folded clothes, and his sais. It didn't look like he bothered to grab the master of water's gi.
"Sorry, a cop spotted me while I was grabbing this stuff so I couldn't grab your ninja outfit thing. You'll be fine though. I'm sure you can do that magical girl thing your friends do," the master of psion told him, handing him his sais. Nathan still didn't understand why he was doing thing. He was so used to seeing him as some overly-prideful psychopath. Now he just seemed like some crazy hobo who just helped him out of prison. What's with the sudden change?
"Um, Alex?" Nathan spoke up as the master of psion checked the pockets of his red and black jacket. He looked up, brushing orange hair out of his face. The master of water went on. "Why are you helping me? I thought you hated me. I thought you hated all my friends."
The redhead was silent for a moment, not responding for a minute as he dug into his pockets. He then looked up at Nathan, his expression neutral. "You wouldn't have lasted a week in that place so I decided to spare you, as well as myself. Is there a problem with that?" he told him, turning back to his jacket.
"Not really...I'm just used to seeing you trying to murder all of us. I just wondered why you had a change of heart all of the sudden..." Nathan told him. Alex sighed and mumbled something under his breath that the master of water couldn't hear.
"Well, may I remind you that there is a catch to all this too," he told Nathan, to which he nodded, "...Please let me come along with you. I really have no one to go to right now, and I promise I won't try to stab anyone. Besides, this whole thing with the genie sounds interesting and I want in on it."
Nathan thought for a moment, unsure. This is the guy who killed that red haired guy Lilly knew and Karma's mom. Do I really want him coming along with me? Sure...his teleportation could come in handy, but what if he tries something? I know I can't trust him. Though, he got me out of here and would have freed Sammie too. He looks pretty sincere about it as well. What would my friends think though?
"It's fine if you say no. I can understand why," Alex spoke again, looking a bit guilty. Nathan shook his head.
"No, I'll let you come along. On one condition though," he accepted, the master of psion's eyes widening, "Just promise to never speak to me again after this whole ordeal is over."
Alex hesitated a moment, then nodded. "It's a deal," he agreed, "Now we should probably get out of here before the police figure out I'm not running around in the halls."
Nathan nodded, then turned and spun, allowing his spinjitzu tornado to surround him for a few seconds before stopping slowly. Once he stopped, he looked down at his outfit, noticing it was an Airjitzu gi. He was surprised, wondering when he actually did Airjitzu. Then, the memory of the night he and Sammie were recaptured came to mind. He felt like jumping for joy. This is the first time I've unlocked something before Hunter has! Hah, I won't always be the last one!
He smiled to himself for a minute before summoning his dragon and mounting it.
"I figure the team's somewhere in Ninjago City, so we'll meet there, alright?" he told him. Alex nodded, but didn't do anything. Nathan raised an eyebrow. Doesn't he know how to summon a dragon? Or can't he just teleport? "Um, aren't you going to teleport or something?"
"Just like you, my powers have a limit. I start to grow tired from having to use them for a long time. Considering I had to teleport maybe thirty times in the past two ours, pull your cell apart, and make sure the guards would be out of the way, you can imagine I'm fatigued," Alex informed him, still panting from running. Nathan could understand, but wasn't so keen on letting him sit on the back. He sighed.
"Fine, get on the back," the master of water told him, to which Alex nodded. He waited until he was sure he was on the back, then flew off, gripping the reins of his dragon tightly in frustration. I'll freakin' fight everyone. That dumbass warden. That stupid Djinn. All of them. Those dumb cops probably separated Sammie and I just so Nadakhan could abduct one of us! He gripped the reins tighter, rage filling his thoughts. I just wanted to solve this all then get back to living the good life, dammit! What did we even do to provoke Nadakhan!? Oh, wait! Let me guess! We did absolutely freaking nothing and he just picked on us because he wanted to see us fall apart! Ha, ha! That joke's getting REALLY old now!
"I don't think now's the time for water to boil," he heard Alex say suddenly. Nathan was utterly confused on what he meant until he looked down and saw his dragon beginning to fade. Crap! He gripped the reins again, trying to calm himself down as he braced for impact. The feeling of the reins in hand disappeared and he closed his eyes, awaiting the feeling of the hard, muddy ground...but it never came.
He opened his eyes, seeing that he wasn't falling, but floating. He turned himself around, spotting Alex and noticing that he was using his telekenesis to hold the both of them up. Exhaustion was evident on his face.
"Hurry up and resummon your dragon! I don't know how much longer I can hold both of us up!" the master of psion shouted to him, grunting as he held the both of them up. Nathan nodded, focusing and resummoning the large, blue creature. Alex held them in the air for a second longer before exhaling and letting both of them fall onto the dragon. He sighed.
"God! Do you know how heavy you are, Nathan!?" Alex complained as Nathan grabbed the reins of his dragon. The master of water narrowed his eyes.
"Are you sure the heavy one isn't you?" he muttered under his breath. The dragon moved forward, flying towards the City as Nathan heard Alex fall asleep behind him. Determination was evident in the boy's face as he flew, his motivation to find his friends and stop the Djinn keeping him awake.
I'm coming for you, Nadakhan.
The Donnegan Estate, Unknown Location, 4:35pm
After finding that Kai was truly gone, we retreated to what Jay claimed to be his home. I couldn't help but have feelings of disbelief that this was his home though. First of all, didn't Jay say he lived in a junkyard? Second, why didn't we know of this? Third, I know I've seen this home on that one TV show that showcases celebrity homes. Fourth, I get that we're famous and all but where did Jay get all this money!? I didn't really pay much mind to this though, as my mind will still buzzing on things from before. I had apologized to Zane for my disrespect at the prison and my insensitivity to what happened to him, to which he accepted, and for some reason on the way here my mind started questioning Lloyd and I's relationship again. I mean, wouldn't our relationship seem...odd? My birthday's next month and I'll be turning 20, but he won't be 16 until July. Won't people find that odd? Especially if we publicize our relationship? I don't want to be seen as a weirdo, but what's so wrong? Why am I so scared of this? Why am I afraid of showing our relationship to the public? Our friends approve of it. Is it because I'm afraid of receiving hate like Lilly and Sammie had? Or is it because I'm afraid something will separate us? That something will change one of us and we won't see each other the same anymore? I'm not sure. I just wish I could live without this constant anxiety and paranoia.
I followed everyone into Jay's "home", marveling at the assorted trophies and expensive vases that were showcased before the large staircase. It was getting harder for me to believe this was his, but why am I so judgmental? The master of lightning cleared his throat, interrupting my thoughts.
"Welcome to my humble abode," he smiled, looking nervous as we all looked at the inside. Everyone else seemed to be in awe. I, instead, was paying attention to Zane's metallic falcon pet. I wish I was that good with birds.
Jay then led us into a living room where a large automaton-like statue of Fritz Donnegan sat by the doorway, proudly spouting his famous catchphrase: "Fear isn't a word where I come from!" The statue caught Lloyd's attention immediately, though it left me slightly impressed. I've always liked other celebrities more than him. I heard that Fritz was a bit of a player.
"So, how did you come across this place again?" Lloyd questioned Jay as he admired the statue. I noticed that Jay immediately became much more nervous.
"I...saved up. Ha, yeah. I saved up and now I got all this...tada!" he stuttered, showing off the living room. I didn't really buy it.
"We're probably unknowingly breaking into some rich guy's home or something," Cass whispered to me, joining the Doubt Club. Her theory could be true.
"It's also my secret hideout! T-though it could be our secret hideout," Jay continued, his ears beginning to turn red beneath his hair. It blended in with his hair though, which made it so no one but I could notice. Very suspicious. The statue began to talk again, to which Jay ran over and shook it, the voice suddenly shortcircuiting as the master of lighting laughed nervously. My suspicion grew. I heard Lloyd sigh.
"First we lost Wu, then Misako, then Lilly, and now Kai! Better yet, we don't even know Nathan and Sammie's status. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starting to see a pattern," he said, his smile turning into a frown. I was genuinely surprised he called his mother by her first name. I then saw Zane walk up.
"Whenever one of them is left alone, it seems they disappear," he observed, casting a worried glance at the boy.
"Yeah, and considering that they probably split Nathan and Sammie up at the prison, Nadaflan probably got to them already!" Hunter added, obviously upset.
"Then we all need to stick together from here on out!" Nya suggested, before turning to Jay, "Now, we need to find out what's in that lantern. Jay, hit the lights!"
The master of lightning instantly looked nervous again. "Lights?" he mumbled to himself, looking around. It's clear he doesn't know where anything is here. I sighed, deciding to zone out for a short bit, knowing this would probably take a while.
Let's just hope Nadakhan is taking a five-day break.