Connection Lost – Chapter 14

Detention

AN: Not to judge you, dear readers, but the only person who gave feedback was the ONE person I said didn't need to. I'm starting to think you don't care...Want to prove me wrong? There's a box at the bottom called "review".

With that out of the way... lets get going.

When those Namtarians surrendered, Kai had felt hope rekindle. The he had seen Julien with that Wafai lady, and as quickly as it had come, it was snuffed out. It wasn't until they were being led into a ship that Kai bothered taking stock of their wounds. And noticing they were still a man short. Jay was nowhere to be seen, and Kai was helpless to find him. Then they boarded the ship. Under normal circumstances, he'd think it was actually quite a fine ship, but he knew what it was to him. A prison.

After they were led to their cells, a single (and Kai noted keenly, completely unarmed) Namtarian searched them modestly for weapons. Finding none, he ordered them sent to their respective cells, which were lucky enough (sort of) to be in the same hall. That meant they could communicate. It meant they could prepare. Armed solely with that knowledge, Kai thought that they would still have a chance, even if it was a small one. It wasn't like they never faced overwhelming odds before. But he worried about Jay...

Pain. Pain and cold. Pain, cold, and loneliness. Or maybe Cold lonely pain? I guess the order doesn't matter, since I'm dead all the same. I mean, I don't know WHERE it came from, or HOW it hit me, but I'm obviously dead.

I guess I should pay my respects...

I'm sorry Sensei Wu. Despite all your training, and your awesome beard, you couldn't teach a joker to wise up.

I'm sorry Lloyd, your best (not to mention coolest) teacher got too cocky.

I'm sorry Kai, but at least now you can get the highest score.

I'm sorry Cole, because now there's more chili to go around. Actually, scratch that, I love ya' but your chili sucks, and I'll never have to eat it again now!

I'm sorry Misako. I hardly knew ya'. Really. I mean, did we ever have a good talk? Too late now, I guess.

I'm sorry... No! I'm not going to give up. Nya would NEVER give up!

And with that final thought, Jay shot up out of his bed, only to find himself in a strange room, beside a strange bed, and surrounded by strange people. He was puzzled for a moment, but then the realization struck him. He was a prisoner, and his friends were all the same, or... actually... the same sounds best. Sort of.

They were all staring at him though. Staring with a worse look than Cole after he tells a bad joke. Could... could they have thought he was dead? Just then, the door opened, and in walked a figure Jay was hoping to not see again. That woman... whatever her name was. And someone else. Someone charging towards him as fast as his old bones would allow.

Doctor Julien embraced his friend, before quickly remembering the wound he still bore. Easing Jay away, he explained that Jay had suffered a serious injury, but thanks to the immeasurable aid of these "fine young medics" Jay would make a full recovery. Then, almost as an afterthought, Julien added, "...probably before we reach our destination, too." Jay was, yet again, puzzled, but before he could ask what Julien meant, he and Wafai left for some other room. The medics insisted (rather forcibly) that Jay couldn't leave yet. Jay decided not to ask which place they meant.

[Loading: Virus Scanner]

[Virus Scanner loaded. Running.]

[No malicious items detected in Location: Denial]

[Loading video: Departure (memory file)]

[Video loaded.]

[WARNING: Running a memory file will shut down AI-Zane.]

[Proceed?] Yes|No

Zane hesitated. The memory wasn't too large, but he discovered while inspecting it that it was a different format than his memories from Ninjago. He wasn't sure what to make of that, but it made him... hesitant, all the same. Though there wasn't much else to do right now, being locked in a cell.

Zane instructed the file to open, and within a second, his world went black.

"Doctor Julien, I simply must ask..." Wafai began. Julien suspected he knew what was coming next. 'Why would you leave the glorious nation of Namtar, on it's precipice of glory? Why would you forsake your upbringing and move to this backwater land?' He hoped Wafai wouldn't ask. He hoped for the wrong thing.

"...where is your child?" she finished inquisitively.

"My... wha...?" Julien was speechless.

"Your child." She repeated, before adding, "borne not from flesh and blood, as all natural children, but from your laboratory! It is considered the pinnacle of your career, and I simply must see it!"

"Oh. I...ah... Mhm..." Julien stalled, not wanting to compromise Zane, "I... it broke."

"It... broke?" She repeated flatly. Then she looked at Julien. With all the intensity befitting a fierce queen, Wafai bore into Julien, before coming to a conclusion. She said, almost dejectedly, "You're lying."

Julien was horrified. In his mind, he couldn't help but imagine the things they would do to his Zane. Each was worst than the last, but they kept flooding into his mind, a torrent of pain and sorrow. Then Wafai cleared her throat, and Julien was snapped back to the present. He could barely muster a "...what?", his heart was racing so quickly.

Wafai, failing to conceal her confusion, repeated what she said before. Julien insisted he certainly was not, and that she would be hard pressed to find something that clearly doesn't exist. She looked again at Julien, then closed her eyes and sighed. Opening them again, and giving Julien another examination, she turned, and as she walked briskly away, she called back, "From the stories I heard, the great Doctor Julien was a man of integrity. It seems the legends were wrong."

Julien couldn't help but feel guilt. It reminded him far too much of the last time he lied to a Namtarian... It had sent his life belly-up. And he remembered all to clearly, even through all the time he spent suppressing them, how it nearly sent him "belly-up". He shuddered.

The Ninja were captured, as was his brother, Garmadon. They had been taken aboard a hostile ship, with undeniable similarities to their own. Their friend, Dr. Julien, appears to be in league with what he calls the "Namtarians", and, while reasonable to their captives the Ninja, they seem less friendly towards Ninjago as a whole. Whether this was Julien's work or not remains to be seen, but Wu had faith in their friend. He just hoped the others would have the same faith in Julien.

Because of their unfavorable position right now, Wu determined that they needed a plan. He quickly determined that the only way to safely do so was to get the Ninja back together, and to do that, he would need to think of something, and do it quickly.

He knew that if they weren't together when the ship took off, their chances were all but gone. Someone approached, and Wu seized the chance. He cleared his throat, and called out to the figure...

AN: Wu seemed as good as any to end this chapter with, so... Yeah.

Lots of authors seem to do a "Next time" and I think I'll try that for a few chapters. If it makes the experience more (or less) enjoyable... There's still a "review" button.

This doesn't really concern anyone (but me), but switching to Open Office was a good idea. So much less error.