Chapter 13
Lloyd stared at a calendar on the wall in the ninja's room and made an 'X' on the date of yesterday to signify that monday was over. The small ninja counted the days of the week from tuesday to friday and smiled excitedly on friday. In four days, including tuesday, Lloyd was close that on friday would be his birthday and he was quitting the age of being eleven to now being twelve. He began to think of the cake and presents he'll recieve, but then began to think of his cousin with the mirror and when all the piece were found, the Solstice Battle would happen on his birthday. With that now in his mind made Lloyd sigh and laid perpendicular on the mattress of his bed and stared at the planks on the bed above him.
The small ninja began to think of his dream last night on how his cousin was being controlled to put harm on him, even if he always protected him. And somehow right before Lucas plundged the knife into Lloyd's heart, the familiar melody played itself again and again in Lloyd's head as it was the same melody Lucas would play to him to help him break through his nightmares, also saved his cousin from putting harm to his little cousin. Lloyd began to think that maybe his cousin was near him to play the melody because Lloyd could hear it when he slept as Lucas played. Or maybe he just remembered the melody to help him sleep since Lucas left. And for an odd reason, Lloyd could've sworn he heard Lucas' voice in his dreams. Not only that he could've heard his cousin's voice in his dream, Lloyd still couldn't understand the chest pain he had when the ninja left the Bounty and told Nya about it, but she couldn't find anything wrong with him. Which made him more confused.
Lloyd heard the floorboards above him creak heavily and knew the ninja were back. He groaned because he has to train for the day especially when he's furious at all of them. He got out of his bed and slowly made his way through the vessel to reach the deck.
When Lloyd emerged from the inside of the Bounty, he could see the ninja walking as a group and lets a small gasp escape his lips as he saw Lucas in the middle of the group. Lloyd watched the ninja carry his cousin like they were pallbearers at a funeral to the center of the deck. He watched his uncle leave his room and stared in shock to see his son. Cole whispered something to Sensei and he thought it over and nodded in agreement and the ninja took his son into the ship with Lloyd watching them, confused and a little scared. Nya emerged the deck as the ninja walked past her with Lucas and asked Sensei what happened. Speaking in a inaudiable voice, Lloyd couldn't hear his uncle whisper something to Nya and the samurai glanced at the small child and nodded with Sensei and walked up the steps to the bridge. Lloyd was irritated that no-one was speaking up for him to hear what they were doing and nearly lost his balance as the Bounty was starting to gain altitude.
Lloyd watched the steps to see if the ninja would come up, but haven't. He began to panic for he doesn't know what they're going to do to his cousin after they think he destroyed their homes. He looked at his uncle as he stood near the ramp as if he was waiting to reach a destination.
"Uncle, what's going on?" Lloyd asked, "Where are they taking Lucas? And where are we going?"
Sensei looked at his nephew with a solemn look. "We are taking my son somewhere safe, but I need to make an errand."
Without hesitation, Lloyd quickly ran into the ship to see where they were taking his cousin. The small boy first barged into the shared bedroom and couldn't see his cousin asleep in his bed. Lloyd was starting to become more paranoid to not find his cousin in his bunk until he heard a door open from a different hallway and quickly ran to the source. Lloyd stopped and pressed his back against the wall to peek around the corner to peer down the hall that lead to the control room. The stealthy green ninja watched as they carried his unconscious cousin into the control room and Kai shutted the metal door behind them.
Lucas groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Once they were opened, all of what Lucas saw was darkness. His hazel grey eyes slowly adjusted to the dark and he found himself in a room. Lucas felt a headache beginning to swell to cause pain to his head and wanted to rub his temples to ease the pain, but couldn't move his arms. Lucas looked at his arms to realize they were tied behind his back and the rope dug into his wrists. He looked down to see rope was wrapped around his torso and legs and found himself sitting in a chair and began to struggle to see if he could loosen the bindings around his limbs. The teen stopped struggling as the rope wouldn't loosen for him and grunted that he couldn't use his sai's to cut the rope because they were taken from him.
"Where am I?" he said to himself.
A bright light shined directly above Lucas. The water ninja immediatly shutted his eyes to the intensity of the fluoresent bulb buzzing above him. Lucas squinted his eyes to slowly adjust them to the new light after being surrounded in darkness for a long period of time. Once they adjusted, Lucas could see four figures standing in front of him in the shadows and knew it was the ninja, his brothers. The water ninja remembered the fight he had against them for they were all angry towards him for believing he destroyed their homes and not the Serpentine. But they didn't believe him and Lucas didn't want to fight them and lost because he couldn't convince them.
"You should know where you're at Lucas." said Zane.
Lucas turned his head around to search the room better. He turned his head to the right and saw the walls were lined with shut down computer monitors and the surrounding walls behind him were filled with diodes and a cabinet full of weapons. Lucas figured it out that he was in the control room of the Bounty. And suspected that the cabinet of weapons was empty so he couldn't escape the ropes. "The Bounty, that's where." he finally spoke to them. He sniffed the air as it smelled salty throught the cracks on the boards of the walls and heard water crashing below their feet. He also figured it out that they moved the Bounty to keep him away from Ninjago. "And in the ocean."
Lucas continued to struggle from the ropes more, but no avail as they felt like they were getting tighter as he struggled. The teen wished he had his sai's with him to free himself, but were taken away from him. Or wished there was a puddle of water to help him cut the ropes and free himself from before, as he still felt their presense nearby to control water, but there wasn't a puddle near him. "Where are my sai's?" he asked question after question. And Lucas then remembered he had the Twilight Mirror in his belt from the fight at his home. "And the mirror? Where's the mirror!?"
"Your sai's and the mirror are here." Cole replied, "But in a safe distance from you."
"Where is my father?" Lucas asked, "If he saw for what you four have done to his son, he'll make you do chores for a month."
"Well here's a newsflash for you Lucas, he's not here." Jay replied, "He left to get more Remembrance Tea and he agreed with us to do this to you."
Lucas was stunned for his father allowing them to tie him up and have him as a prisoner. But why did he leave for Remembrance Tea? The last time Lucas had the tea, it brought him out of his rage against his father and made him remember who he was. The Ninja of Water, who was blinded by rage, but the Master of Water, not the Green Ninja. "Remembrance Tea is not going to work this time." he tells them, "I know who I am now. I am Lucas James Wu. Son of Sensei Wu. Spinjitzu Master of Water and wielder of the Sai's of Water."
"Also apprentice to Lord Garmadon and destroyer of homes." Kai added and stepped out of the shadows to reveal himself under the light and the others followed suit.
Lucas could see their gazes as they were still angry at him, even though they won the fight at the dojo. "I may be his apprentice." he said, "But I'm not the one whose destroying your homes. It's the Serpentine, they're the ones whose doing it not me."
"Shut up Lucas, you're lying!" Jay snapped, "The Serpentine were no where to be seen. We only saw your tracks and not theirs."
"Why would I destroy your homes if I still care for my brothers. The Serpentine are the ones that are making you weak. It was the Hypnobrai that destroyed Zane's home. It was the Venomari that burnt down Kai's village. It was the Constrictai that was dressed in dark grey robes that broke into Cole's home and put harm to his father. And it was the Fangprye that destroyed Jay's home. Don't you see what they are doing? They are all blaming it on me so you guys would be distracted on me while they plan to kidnap Lloyd behind your backs."
"Why would they plan to kidnap Lloyd?" Zane asked, "Or is this make-up story to make us turn the other cheek on you."
"I'm not making this up." Lucas replied, "The Serpentine plan to kidnap my cousin to hold him hostage to my uncle. They have their hatred to him and want to rule Ninjago to have revenge on us for sealing them in their tombs. You should have your hatred towards them, not me. I'm even mad at the Serpentine for destroying my home."
"I am not believing a single word from you, Lucas!" Cole barked, "My father told me that a figure in dark grey clothing broke in and you could've killed him. I'm just glad to know he's alive."
"You should be grateful to know that I'm not the one whose doing this!" Lucas raised his voice back, "Haven't you four forgotten that Lloyd and I saved you all from evil and I chosed to leave to save my father and your sister, Kai, from death? Not to mention I did it to keep you guys from surrendering to my uncle and to keep Lloyd safe."
"Maybe you did to choose to leave." said Kai and stood face to face with the water ninja. "Or maybe you decided to leave willingly to have more power. And we used to think of you as a fallen brother, but now an enemy to us."
Lucas narrowed his eyes and stitched his eyebrows together in anger. He curled his lips in a snarl for them not believing him when he's been telling the truth. He wanted to get up from his chair and break the fire ninja's nose for he saying he was now an enemy and not a brother to them. But alas, the water ninja couldn't move his arms for they were crossed behind his back, tied up.
"If I was ever willingly to leave you guys, I would've left a long time ago." said Lucas, "I would have still kidnapped my cousin for my uncle. I could've done it when we were fighting in the alley. I could've done it when I was on the Bounty last night and I could've killed you all in your sleep. But I didn't."
The ninja were stunned to know about him. They were more surprised that he was aboard on the Bounty last night and the security system didn't even warn them about a intruder on board.
"Lucas, is it all true?" a voice asked.
Lucas looked past between Cole and Jay to see his cousin stepping out of the shadows. He wondered how long he's been listening to the whole conversation and could tell he looked hurt from his green eyes. Lucas knew he just shot an arrow of sorrow into his cousin's heart and felt pity for him to hear about it.
"Not all of it is true, Lloyd." Lucas said to his cousin. "I never destroyed their homes and I would never leave you alone if I wanted to and put harm on you. I love you as my cousin and I would always protect you, even with my life. You have to trust me. Convince them that I'm innocent. Follow your heart."
Lloyd looked at Lucas and his eyes began to sting with tears. He always thought of his cousin being forced to leave and the others thought it was different. But now hearing his cousin was on board last night and if he truely left willingly, he would've still kidnapped him like in the past. Lloyd began to slowly doubt himself on his cousin's choice, but still cared for him, and walked out of the room.
"Lloyd? Lloyd?" Lucas called to his cousin as he closed the metal door. Lucas glared back at his brothers and felt anger in his body. "What have you done to him!?"
"We didn't do a thing." Cole replied, "You did it because you left him all alone."
Lucas now felt the arrow of sorrow pierce his heart. He was speechless and felt like he was hollow on the inside. Tears began to form in his hazel grey eyes and rolled down his cheeks. "No. No. There's no way I could've done it." he said with the tears choking his throat. "I did it to protect him."
The ninja were whipsering a low tone for Lucas to not hear. Once they were done discussing, they all turned to the heart-broken water ninja. "The people have spoken, Lucas." said Cole, "We are holding you here until your master gives up the battle." and all left the room and left Lucas in darkness.
Lloyd was hugging his legs and buried his head into his knees as he sat on the floor near the control room. His eyes were releasing the small salty tears drop down his cheeks and the drops absorbed onto his knees as he cried his eyes out. He was speechless. He knows his cousin would always protect him, even with his own life. But when he found out that Lucas was on the Bounty last night, he was happy to know it was him that sang the flute melody to him to break through his nightmare. But he was also heartbroken to know if his cousin was ever willingly to leave him all alone, he would've been kidnapped like in the past when he discovered he had a cousin. To that, Lloyd doesn't know now if he thought of Lucas left on his choice or was forced.
The boy dressed in green lifted his head as he heard the metal door open and the four elemental ninjas walk out of the control room and left his cousin in darkness. Lloyd turned his head as the ninja walked past him and out of the hall that lead to the control room and turned his head back and could hear soft cries through the metal door. He stood up reached to the knob with a gloved hand, but then stopped and turned away.
Then suddenly the pain in Lloyd's left breast muscle began to appear itself and he slumped to the floor. The kid ninja thrashed his body around in agony as the pain was like fire in his chest and wanted to scream out in pain, but his throat was chocked by his tears. The fire in his chest began to decrease as the pain was slowly passing and Lloyd laid on the ground to breathe. After a few minutes have passed, Lloyd felt weak as he feebly tried to stand up. Once he was on his feet, the green ninja tiredly walked back to the bedroom and hugged the wall as he kept losing his balance on the way. Once he turned the knob of the bedroom, Lloyd stumbled over to a dresser and pulled out small green sweatpants and a green shirt and quickly changed into them and then laid down on his bed and fell into a dreamless slumber.
"Master Garmadon," a voice hissed, "Our spiesss have informed usss that your apprentice hasss been captured by the ninja. And they have the mirror."
The dark lord slammed his four fists on the oak table in frustration. His apprentice had the confidence to retrieve the fifth shard for the mirror, but failed. Now with Lucas captured, Garmadon's plan to rule Ninjago were ruined. And yet, the four-armed figure had a feeling about his apprentice. Was it faith? Hope? Assurance? Garmadon didn't know, but felt that one of the three was spreading through his body and cold, black heart.
"Sshould we ssend an attack squad to resuce him and the mirror?" andother voice hissed, "And destroy the ninja in the process."
Garmadon glared at the four Serpentine generals with his crimson eyes and looked out of his window. He still felt the feeling that Lucas may somehow escape the ninja and return with the mirror. And he couldn't allow the Serpentine to attack the ninja with them harming his son in the process.
"Negative." he replied, "I have faith in my apprentice to return with the mirror before the Solstice Battle. So I shall wait for him to return. But I have an assignment for you four."