Chapter Fourteen: Cold Shoulder

"Oh man, oh man, oh man." Jay shook his head over and over, "We lost connection. Did you hear that shot? He's dead, he's dead and we're next. We're so dead. This was the worst idea ever. I should've said no. Should've. Now we're dead, and he died and-"

Kai slammed his hand against Jay's mouth, forcing the blue-eyed man into silence. "We're not dead. Not yet. And we won't be dead, if we get out of here. Also, he's not dead. He can't be dead. We just need to get back to headquarters and. . ."

And what, Kai? Admit defeat? The man cringed. He could already hear Garmadon's mocking laughter.

"And inform Wu of what has occurred," Zane nodded, finishing Kai's sentence. "It is our best bet. He will know what to do next. And Neuro will know exactly where Cole has been taken, if he isn't de-"

"Don't say it," Kai hissed, shaking his head. "No one is dead. Let's just . . . go back."

Jay nodded, slowly pushing away the red ninja's hand. "Okay. Go back. We can do that."

He started walking forward slowly, happy that Zane picked up the pace and was now taking the lead. Sure, it wouldn't have taken long for Jay himself to navigate his way out of the sewers, but he was happy he didn't have to. In fact, he wasn't sure if he would have been able to consciously remember the correct paths to take. His mind felt scrambled, his hands shaking. They were all spies now. They were the good guys. Nothing bad ever happened to the good guys in the movies. Heroes always made it out unscathed in the end. And now Cole was. . . he was probably. . .

"Hey, motormouth," Kai whispered from behind, nudging Jay's back lightly with an elbow. "You mind picking up the pace before the real threat shows up to take us out?" Jay wanted to turn around and shove Kai. He was being so inconsiderate, but the more the mechanic rambled on about moving faster, the clearer it became that he was feeling just as anxious as Jay was. There was a slight waver in his voice that betrayed his callous facade. Jay just nodded in silence, willing his legs to move faster, which wasn't very hard. He usually walked at a quicker pace, but the Cole situation was messing with his head.

"Do you. . . do you really think he's okay?" Jay hadn't even realized the thought had physically escaped his lips, breaking the otherwise silent, stagnant air of the sewers.

Zane didn't turn around when he answered him, but his voice was clear and honest. "I don't know."

Swallowing hard against the ever growing lump in his throat, Jay continued forward, keeping his blue eyes focused on the ground. He didn't want to think about it anymore, but Cole was all he could think about at the moment. Sure, none of them had known each other for that long, but they were all in this mess together. They were a team. Maybe if I hadn't talked so much to Cole, he wouldn't have been caught. Jay's chest felt heavy with guilt and concern. Maybe if. . .

"There was nothing any of us could've done," Kai spoke up, eerily disputing Jay's thoughts. "If Cole's dead then. . . he's dead and there's nothing we could have done to stop it. But he's probably not. . . he isn't dead. He just can't be. You saw Cole in the Slither Pit. He can take care of himself. I'm sure he's okay. And we're gonna go get him back." The mechanic gave Jay a hard pat on the back as they finally approached a ladder that led back up to the surface. "So try not to worry and let's just get outta here before we end up in a bad situation."

Jay nodded, climbing up and out behind Zane. The fresh air was a nice change from the suffocating sewer smell, and both Kai and Jay took deep breaths. It eased the blue ninja's nerves slightly, just enough for his body to stop shaking. Zane did not stop, however, stalking through the alley and out onto the street. The other two recruits followed, quickening their pace once they were out in the open.

Every car that zoomed down the street made them flinch, and every set of footsteps made them cower against the shadows. But none of them turned out to be Misako, or any of her henchmen.

"We got lucky," Kai sighed, feeling his heart rate slowly return to normal as they walked into the N.I.N.J.A.G.O headquarters.

"I don't count losing Cole as lucky," Jay pointed out, shaking his head. "We need to tell Wu, fast. Maybe we can rescue him. Do we even know where Misako's hideout is?"

"Garmadon is aware of its location," Zane replied. "As you might remember, he attempted to break in not too long ago."

"And failed." Jay shivered. "I mean, Garmadon is. . . Garmadon. And we're us. How are we supposed to succeed where he didn't?"

"He's an old man," Kai scowled. "We'll be able to get Cole back, no problem."

Jay shrugged, not entirely convinced. Zane led them into Neuro's small office, where both Wu and Garmadon where already waiting. Kai felt a flash of anger surge through him. Garmadon was sure to poke fun at their failure, reminding them of how inadequate they were.

"So, you have returned," Wu smiled. "A bit sooner than I had expected. I suppose you prevented Pythor from reaching the virus?"

Kai chuckled. "Well, I mean, it didn't sound like he got it. So yes, I supposed we did prevent it."

Garmadon raised an eyebrow, "And where's the fourth team member?"

"Oh man, oh man, oh man." Jay shook his head violently, "They got Cole. Misako showed up, and she, she was the one with the virus, except she didn't want to give it up, and then we heard a shot, right before the earpiece went dead. I just. . . we don't know who is dead, we don't know where Cole is, and. . . "

"So you failed," Garmadon smiled, satisfied. "I told you, Wu. This was a mistake. I just need to-"

"You?" Kai snapped. "Last thing I remember was you scurrying in here after trying to rescue your son. You're no better."

Garmadon felt his muscles tighten, irritating the injury that he'd received from Misako's henchman. "I'd watch your tongue if I were you, boy," the agent spat, closing the distance between himself and Kai faster than anyone would have expected. Garmadon wasn't about to let a mere child call him out and pass judgment on him. "I don't think you have the right to talk to me about losing someone. I've been working in this line of work since before you were born."

Jay placed a nervous hand on Kai's shoulder, squeezing it lightly. Kai shrugged his friend off and straightened his posture. The anger and guilt flooding his veins was strong enough to override his sense of restraint. "Well then, a mistake like this was bound to happen since we're new. I'm sure you weren't perfect when you started either."

"Kai. . ." Zane said, his voice stern and somber. The mechanic was taken aback by the android's tone. He was always serious, but Zane actually sounded very worried.

"You're right," Wu spoke up, looking to try and mediate the situation. "Garmadon made mistakes when he first started. Rookie mistakes like alerting passing security guards to his presence, not bringing enough ammo for weapons, and accidentally allowing civilians to become entangled in messy situations." He sneaked a quick glance at Garmadon who stared daggers. "Don't act like you've always been perfect, brother. You know it's true."

Garmadon was seething inside. His failures were his to know alone. The smirk that was growing on Kai's face bored a hole through his soul. "Are you going to get your friend back or not, hothead?" The man challenged, wondering if the kid would be smart enough to know that he couldn't handle it.

Pulling on his gloves, Kai stared Garmadon straight in the eyes. "Not only are we gonna get Cole back from your crazy wife, but we're gonna pick your son up on the way out too."

Jay shook his head, trying to get Kai to stop while he was ahead. "Let's not promise more than we can deliver. . ." the blue-eyed man said. "We're playing with lives here, Kai."

"Yes, Kai, listen to your friend," Garmadon laughed. "At least he seems to have some common sense. By the time you get to Misako's hideout, your teammate will already be dead."

Refusing to listen to any more of Garmadon's words, Kai turned on his heel and started storming out, but not before he stopped and cocked his head to the side. "Then consider your son as good as dead too." With that, the mechanic left the room, the automatic doors shutting softly behind him.