Chapter 13: Party Crasher

Violins played softly in a chorus that echoed throughout the large condominium complex. People filled the area, dressed formally as they mingled with one another. Inside, the complex had a warm glow from the chandeliers high above, against the dark sky of Ninjago outside the high windows. It was a beautiful night to spend in the city for those who were invited.

Chocolate brown eyes glanced around quickly. A teen with spiky brunet hair wore a tuxedo with a red vest. Kai felt nervous being in the same room with all of these people. Glancing over his shoulder he could see his friends, sister, and girlfriend looking just as uncomfortable and lost as him. They too were dressed formally in their trademark colors, but when Kai looked at Lucas and Sensei Wu, he noticed that they were calm and engaged in conversations with other guests. He sighed and turned toward his friends. "Exactly what are we doing here again?" Kai asked. "This feels odd. Plus I'm not so sure I'm liking this bow tie over the regular tie."

They all looked at each other and nodded. It was odd being at an elegant party. They hadn't been to one since they were honored for defeating the Great Devourer by the city. However, this time it was only Lucas and Sensei Wu being honored. "It's as Lucas said before, Kai," Zane answered. "It turns out that he is the heir to Ninjago City Tower. This party is to celebrate his return, the grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master."

"We get that," Jay said, "but why didn't Lucas tell us before? That's what makes this odd."

"Maybe it's because it was best to keep it a secret from us," Cole replied. "It probably didn't matter to Lucas because he cares more about being a Spinjitzu Master. If Sensei had known he would have kept it a secret too because it isn't his job to run a company, but to be our teacher."

Lloyd looked back and forth at everyone as they passed the conversation to one another. In reality he didn't care about the party, it was boring to him, probably because he hated wearing a tuxedo. He picked Lucas out of the moving crowd. Lucas had always been one for surprises, but hearing that he was the heir to Ninjago City Tower was a big one. It was almost like a comic he'd read about a hero finding out he was the heir to a kingdom. Of course, in the comic the hero's sibling had been a prisoner of the cruel leader since he was also an heir. It got Lloyd thinking. "So wait," he spoke up, "if Lucas is the heir, does that make me and Laurie heirs too?"

"Well," Laurie said, "not exactly. Imagine this: on top of our family tree is the First Spinjitzu Master, our grandfather. Below him are our father and Uncle. Then there's another tree, another grandfather, but he's only Lucas' grandfather. Then it climbs down to Lucas' mother and then himself while we're on the other side with our own mother. Based on family lineage we're not heirs to his grandfather's company." The wind ninja watched her brother's smile disappear. She probably ruined his night. "Don't worry. I'm sure Lucas would much rather be a ninja than run a company." Laurie chuckled as she watched a smile form on Lloyd's face again. "Do you still wonder why he kept it a secret?"

"Because. . . I didn't think you'd care," Lucas replied. The ninja turned as the water ninja walked toward them, a flushed a look on his face. He sighed as he met up with them. "Because I don't care about it either."

"Then why are we here?" Kai pried.

"Because I wanted to let everyone know that the Loa lineage was still alive and well," Lucas replied. "I thought it was necessary. At least I don't blabber about my uncle being an executive for Oscorp. I'd rather keep quiet to the public."

"First off, my Uncle Ben is one of the head scientists of genetics research," Jay retorted. "Second, I don't blab about it." He saw the grey ninja's smug grin and felt his ears burn as he took Nya's hand. "Come on, Nya, let's go dance." Jay led her away.

The grin remained plastered to Lucas' face as he watched the blue ninja disappear into the crowd. His hazel grey eyes spotted his father among the crowd and he drank a glass of sparkling cider.

"Care for a dance, Mr. Wu?" a soft voice asked politely.

Lucas turned and blinked as he made eye contact with the photojournalist covering for Gayle Gossip: Vicki Vale. The girl gave him a soft smile as he looked at her, puzzled. Lucas shook himself awake and looked back at his friends. They smiled and encouraged him. "Uh. . . sure," he replied, holding out his hand. Vicki took it and the two waved their way through the packed area to a small section reserved for people to enjoy a dance. The water ninja spotted Jay and Nya dancing to the music and followed his lead as they began to dance. "Isn't it usually the gentleman's job to ask the lady for a dance?"

The blonde haired girl stifled a laugh as she followed Lucas' movements. "I figured you needed a push to dance," she replied. "And, in all honesty, I thought you'd have two left feet. You're a natural though. I'm amazed."

"My mother taught me how to dance when I was a boy. It feels natural."

"You're just full of surprises," she commended. "An heir to a company and a dancer. A teen like you probably has more secrets."

A smirk played on the grey ninja's lips as they danced. Sure, he had secrets, but they were supposed to be. He wasn't going to tell Vicki that he was the masked vigilante. "Secrets are secrets after all," he stated, "but you sure love to pry."

Vicki smiled. "What can I say? It's my specialty." Her smile remained on her lips as she leaned her face close to Lucas' ear. "Be wary though," she whispered. "Exposing yourself as the company heir could lead to consequences for you and your family. Be on your guard. A storm is coming." She pulled away and looked at him in the eye. Lucas nodded as he gazed around at his cousins, father, and friends. She was right.

Far across the lobby the elevator rang as someone entered from below. The usher turned his head to the sound and straightened his suit jacket, standing in front of the doors to greet the guest. The doors slid open. His eyes went wide at the sight of a gun aimed at his head. The armed man motioned for the usher to move aside and he did, just as the gun fired up towards the ceiling. Music stopped abruptly and everyone grew silent as the man with pale skin and styled green hair entered the room with men behind him.

"Everyone, everyone, relax," the man, Joker, announced as he walked around. Guests slowly moved away from him. He only chuckled. "Relax, I'm not here to hurt anyone. And I'm sorry for being late. My invite must have gotten lost in the mail." He walked over to a table and snatched hors d'oeuvres off a platter while taking a sip of champagne. "Tonight we're your honorary guests and entertainment, so I hope you're wearing your party pants."

Lucas couldn't believe what he saw. Joker was here, but what were his intentions? Was he going to harm people? Or was he trying to lure out Batman? The grey ninja noticed his family was all together across the room. As he looked over his shoulder he noticed there was no one behind him. Lucas drew in a deep breath and exhaled while stepping back, a misty mirage of himself stood in his place as he slipped away.

"Now then, who here wants to play a game?" the green haired man pried. "It's a simple game, really. I call it, 'Lure the Bat' and it requires a party full of people." He gazed around while sipping on his drink. It was too easy.

"You're a joke," a man said, glaring at Joker through his glasses while resting his hands on the wheels of his wheelchair. "People like you don't scare us that easily. The city has seen far worse villains than you."

Joker turned his head towards the rude guest and tossed his champagne glass aside. It shattered against the marble floor. He walked toward the wheelchair bound man and stood over him. "It's always rude not to smile," Joker said, hovering his left hand over his mouth. The crude tattoo smile was sinister and he lowered it. "But you should be afraid." Joker placed his gun against the man's temple, ruffling his long black hair. "Because I am no joke and I don't like it when people disrespect the prince of crime."

"Leave him alone!" a voice called out. The room fell silent as all eyes trained on a girl with red hair. Laurie glanced around nervously, her heart pounding with anxiety. Why had she called Joker out? It was on impulse, she couldn't help herself if someone was in danger.

Joker gazed at the girl and saw the bravery in her eyes. He snickered and removed the gun from the man's head, storing it in his coat. He walked over to Laurie and studied her, as well as the group that accompanied her. A smile played on his lips. "Well aren't you a bold girl," he said. "So much fire. I guess that's what happens when you're a ninja." He shrugged as she glared at him, but he offered his hand anyway. "Care to dance?"

"I don't think so, pal," Kai interjected. "She's taken."

"I wasn't asking you," Joker retorted, grabbing Laurie's wrist and wrenching her away.

"Hey! Let go of my sister," Lloyd demanded, taking a step.

Joker quickly pulled out his weapon and aimed it at the boy. The green ninja froze. Instinctively, Laurie pulled herself free from Joker and stood in front of her little brother. "Don't hurt him," she begged. "He's just a kid."

Snickering, Joker stored the gun back in his coat. "Silly girl," he mused, "I wasn't going to. I'm just playing." He grabbed her arm again and pulled her back toward him. Laurie squirmed in the crazed man's grip and cringed as he played with her hair. "Such luscious and vibrant locks, like a person's blood. Red hair. Pale skin. Why. . . you could be my queen of crime. Like. . . a harlequin." He felt a hard punch make contact with his face and he stumbled back, laughing. "Oh, you've got some fight in you. I like that."

"Then you'll like me," a deep voice said.

A flash of black ran past the man's eyes. There was another punch and Joker stumbled farther back. Hushed whispers filled the room and Joker recovered from his daze, smiling as he stared at the figure in black armor and a pointed cowl. "So you are real," he acknowledged. "I thought you were just a rumor, like me."

Lucas, clad in the armor, glared at the green haired man and remained silent. He ignored the hushed whispers about his alias, but when he observed his surroundings he noticed Joker's crew slowly advancing toward him. "Leave now," Lucas demanded. "We don't want anyone to get hurt."

"Correction," Joker said. "It's not these people I want to hurt. It's you I want to hurt, because you bothered my business. I have a bone to pick with you." He charged toward Batman and threw a punch, but his arm was caught and force hit his chest as he slouched to the ground.

Soon after, the remaining crew members surrounded the brunet. In retaliation, Lucas defended himself while fending them off. Then his brothers joined in to help even out the odds. Lloyd watched with anticipation as everyone fought, but his sister kept him back. The night was more exciting than he could have imagined. Lloyd's eyes drifted toward the Joker and he watched the man get to his feet and stomp his foot. A blade sprouted from the tip of his shoe. Lloyd gasped. "Look out!"

Lucas heard his cousin's shout and noticed Joker was in front of him. He tried to block the man's kick, but yelped in pain as the hidden knife caught him in the side. Lucas pushed Joker back and noticed the other assailants had been rendered unconscious. His breathing was ragged and heavy as he pressed his hand against the wound and saw the blood. Fox hadn't been kidding about weak spots in the armor. Joker noticed Batman was distracted and quickly snatched Lloyd away from his sister. Lucas heard his cousin scream as he looked over and saw a gun against the boy's head. "Let him go!" he bellowed.

"I will when you remove your mask and show everyone who you are," Joker countered. He removed the gun from Lloyd's head and fired it at the window. He then dragged Lloyd to the ledge and held him out the window by his coat.

Lucas narrowed his hazel grey eyes. He could see the fear gleaming in his cousin's emerald eyes. Joker had the gun trained on him and his friends, keeping them at bay. "Let him go," Lucas demanded again.

Joker laughed. "Very poor choice of words, Bats." He released his grip on the boy's coat and let him fall. Lucas gasped and charged past Joker, diving out the window. The green haired man laughed harder and ran to the elevator to escape.

Outside Lucas made contact with the slanted glass roof and slid on his chest as soon as he spotted Lloyd. The green ninja cried for help as he tried to climb and stop himself from falling, but he neared the edge of the roof. The grey ninja reached out for his cousin as he too neared the edge and they fell down to the street below. The wind howled in their ears and the brunet clutched his cousin tightly while reaching for his cape. "It's all right," he shouted. "I've got you!" Lucas finally grabbed a hold of his cape.

An electric current rushed from his palm and the cape sprung to life, becoming rigid, but only half of his cape activated. The two felt themselves lift as their velocity reduced and they spun down. Lloyd screamed and Lucas tried to comfort him. He wanted to his elemental power to help them reach the ground safely, but he didn't want to expose his secret identity. They both landed on top of a car.

Pain erupted through Lucas' back and he grunted. He was going to be sore for a couple of days and he left a dent in the roof of the car. He just knew it. Lucas groggily turned his head and looked at his cousin who rested on his chest, the cape covering him like a protective blanket. "You okay?" he asked. The green ninja was shaken, but he nodded and rolled over, staring at the night sky.

They both sighed.

"Thank you," Lloyd said, his voice cracked from shock. His eyes drifted down to Batman's laceration. "Here, let me help you with that." He grabbed part of Batman's cape and drenched it with water from his hands before laying it against the wound. Batman winced. Lloyd closed his eyes to clear his head and concentrated.

Lucas watched with anticipation. He'd been told before that his cousin had performed healing on his own. Now he had the chance to see it with his own eyes. A blue light glowed from the wet cloth and the water ninja grunted as he felt the liquid reach his wound. A minute passed and the glow slowly died as the green ninja removed the cape to inspect the wound. Lucas gazed at his side and smiled as he saw the clear skin where the laceration had been. His cousin had done an amazing job. "Thank you," he said to Lloyd as he climbed down the roof. "Stay here. Your friends should be here soon to get you." Lucas grabbed the grappling gun from his belt and fired it into the darkness, disappearing.

Lloyd was alone with witnesses from the party surrounding him.

The boy kept his gaze locked on the man that had saved him as he vanished. He ignored the people around his asking about his well-being. Batman had felt. . . familiar to him. The way the man he quickly saved him and then comforted him afterwards. His eyes looked familiar too. Almost like. . .

Lloyd shook the thought from his head. He was probably just imagining things. It didn't matter now. He was alive and just wanted to go home.

This had just been another rough night.