"Guys," Brock hollered at the lost ninja. "It's this way."
"What type of place are we going to?" Kai questioned, having walked past the upper decks and the unused offices there. Cole shrugged at him, he was clueless too.
"I don't know but I figure somewhere more secure, considering who he's working for."
"He's not working for him, Cole. Jay's been mind controlled to do his bidding. There's no paid work involved."
"I know that, green bean," Cole grumbled under his breath. "I was thinking aloud."
Foolishly, Cole thought the same as Kai. That maybe this meeting was going to be in an office, as before.
After all, it was where their last cross-examination took place and every other one after that. But this place they were being led to had travelled past all the offices and now they were in the underbelly of the helicarrier.
Travelling through the metal bulkheads that supported this colossal flying ship from the inside. The group carried on, right into the hull that signified the bottom of the ship.
"Whatever you do, don't touch the glass," Jack Rollins warned. "The cell is rigged to drop if the occupant is deemed too dangerous."
"Wouldn't that kill them though?" Lloyd queried, clearly confused as to why Jay needed to be in such a thing. He wasn't as dangerous as Loki, by any stretch.
"Where is this taking place? Cole asked, confused by what was being uttered audibly. He continued following the two STRIKE guys who led him and his team to the so-called place this short interrogation was due to take place in. "I take it that it's not gonna be in an office somewhere?"
"Nope, too risky for this fella," Brock said. "Too much metal around."
Yeah okay, Cole had to agree that it would probably be a bad thing if Jay went off on one in here. The whole room would be electrified in a matter of seconds in what would be classed as a giant lightning conductor.
All that was down here was storage, engines and that huge hulking thing in front of them. Below that was a few thousand feet of nothingness just the polluted air from New York city that was, at this moment covered in a thick smattering of clouds.
At first appearances, the cell resembled a waterless aquarium. And the size of it. It looked family sized, meant for something much bigger.
Well. Cole thought to himself as he took in the massive size of this cell. This isn't any place I've been before, at least on this ship.
It was partially true. The last helicarrier they'd all boarded prior to this had been hit not too long after from an attack by the Hawk AKA Agent Clint Barton. This had meant that the previous helicarrier had to limp back to the Triskelion in Washington DC. That one also had a large hole in place as to where this containment cell was currently located. Indicating that there had once been a cell there before.
According to Agent Hill, there was a cell and the one in question had contained Loki, but the sneaky sod had outwitted his brother to come to his aid and in doing so, he had fallen for the deception, hook line and sinker. Thor had found himself trapped as the cell hurtled towards a rural part of New York.
No wonder the big guy with his hammer and red cloak looked so ticked off up on the bridge. He'd escaped, relatively unscathed save for a sore ego.
Cole, noted Zane looking at the impressive engineering on display. It was hard not to notice as there were four large yellow coloured hydraulic arms that held the circular pen in place at individual links. The whole thing seemed to be controlled and secured by a small standing control panel, located a few feet from the cell in question.
Walking around the corner into the main containment area. All eyes fell on the solitary occupant inside.
He was in a sorry state, hunkering on the floor with a confused expression on his battered face.
"Here's bluebird," Rollins smirked. "The injuries, haa. He came in with em."
Brock bit his lip and looked away.
Cole narrowed his eyes at Rollins statement, disbelieving of it. He took in Jay's appearance. Sure Jay had fought them all a little over four hours ago and some of the bruising was beginning to show. But there were new injuries apparent, fresh ones. Specifically, ones that looked like they had just happened. And judging by the haphazard stitching on his temple, Jay might have done his own first aid too.
Yeah, he had to admit to himself that Jay looked bad. Not out of shape per se, but ill and worn out.
Has he even slept? Eaten? Showered?
Cole checked his watch for the time. They only had five minutes before SHIELD were due to come back.
Only problem, his watch was going haywire. When wasn't it? Honestly, Cole had no idea why he was still wearing it. The second and minute hand were floating around freely on the face of the watch and the hour hand was moving as fast as the second hand would have done. He knew he'd been down in the dojo for approximately two hours and the med wing one hour before that. All he'd been given was pain meds and a cold compress for his cheekbone.
He didn't know what to say in response to how his best friend looked. All words had dried up in his mouth.
"JAY," Nya shouted. "What have you done to him?" She spat. Looking sideways at the two STRIKE men who were retreating.
There was blood on the cell floor. Not a huge amount, just something to give the room a little more colour considering it was a gray and glass interior. There wasn't even a toilet, just a lowered platform, obviously meant for sitting and not much else. The blood made a welcome colour change because Jay seemed to be playing with it. With his own blood, when it trickled down from his head.
Instinctively, Jay rubbed at the bloody rivulet and it smeared on his fingers. From there, he wiped it on the floor to add to the ever-increasing amount of smeared red blood.
It looked hopeless like he had well and truly lost his mind. Cole didn't want to think it, but...was this Jay giving up?
It was only a deep invigorating sigh from Jay that broke Cole from his deeply depressing thoughts.
"Oh this," Jay mumbled. Pointing to his shoulder and his head. "This is nothing, just a little rough treatment from SHIELD," He replied as if it was a regular occurrence. Cole wished to the first spinjitzu master again that this wasn't a routine thing for Jay.
Jay's hollow eyes were gazing into Nya's own, trying to work her out. To remember something, to understand why she was looking at him like that.
And despite her obvious sadness and Jay's nonchalance. Cole watched as Kai become annoyed with how blase Jay was being.
Honestly, what could Kai do? Nothing. It wasn't like SHIELD would be letting him leave anytime soon so maybe Kai would be able to air his anger at some point. Not that it would help. The Firestarter seemed adamant that Jay knew what he was doing.
"Jay, are ya alright?" Cole asked, kneeling down as close as he could in front of the circular prison cell. "Bro?" He added, hoping to jog his memory somewhat.
"Mmhhmm, yup."
Cole edged nearer, staying away from the glass as forewarned. He lowered his voice as before and took on a sympathetic stance, a different tactic. "Y-you look pretty bad."
Jay looked down when Cole spoke, his gaze intermittently looking upwards at the female. Even though Kai was scowling at him, he kept glancing at her.
This was so unlike him. It wasn't right. Where was the talkative blue dude who didn't know when to shut up? Or the jokester that laughed at his own puns more than anyone else did?
"Y-you need medical attention, Jay," Cole said, voice almost a whisper as he gnawed at his knuckles. Willing his brother to remember something...anything. "You realise you're b-bleeding?"
Cole figured Jay knew that small fact. It was on his hands, on the floor and a very small portion of the red stuff was on the glass cell that Jay had more than likely collided with upon being placed in here. "I'm worried about you, we all are."
Jay lifted his gaze and stared Cole down with a haunting look. The same expression he gave earlier when Cole had revived him.
Shuddering when he saw them for himself. When exactly had that happened? "What's with your eyes?" Cole enquired.
Are they contact lenses? Has Jay's eyesight deteriorated since being here that Loki made him wear contacts? Did he not realise his eyes had changed colour?
He couldn't remember Jay mentioning anything about having bad sight before all of this. Jay never wore glasses, except for sunnies.
"I was bleeding because someone stabbed me." Came his monotonous response. "And there's nothing wrong with my eyes," He stated defiantly.
Wow, Cole was definitely taken aback by the attitude. It was the same as earlier so nothing had changed in that respect.
"If you don't like them, quit staring."
"Jay, It's not that." Cole said.
Please, I'm just trying to talk.
"Cole, I don't like this." Lloyd murmured under his breath, looking at Jay.
"He came here of his own accord," Kai said, leaning in and holding Nya, despite her wanting to get up and kneel as close as she could get to the cell. "What's the betting that he hasn't come alone?"
"It's a risk, I'm willing to take in that case," Cole replied. "Besides, between us, this ship has got plenty of trained personnel, ready to take on any threat that Loki might throw at them. It sure as hell isn't going to be brought on by him, alone in here, is it?"
"Well, he could, Cole. This could all be a setup," Kai was quick to state. "Remember Loki's bargain?"
"What are we supposed to do?" Cole shrugged. "He's obviously here to talk to us and yeah possibly, he might have a plan up his sleeve or a ploy to see us fail."
"I'm thinking the latter," Kai muttered.
"You would, Kai," Cole grumbled in response. "Look, the thing is, we're kinda doubting him because he's been brained to think like Loki. What if he still remembers little bits about us and he came here just to, y'know talk?"
It was perfectly plausible. Jay wasn't shouting expletives in his cell or asking to be let out. This was compliance at its best, Jay was docile, seated and somewhat dazed, unable to do much, other than talk and hold basic conversation. Most of which seemed to be laced with anger and a sense of betrayal.
He did give some thought to what Kai and Lloyd had uttered. How could he not? He dreaded it if it were true. Because truthfully, being up here on this ship was akin to being a sitting target. Sure the Helicarrier had cloaking capabilities which meant it couldn't be seen from the ground but somehow Jay had sensed it.
"How do you know me, my name?" He asked. Breaking the conversation in half between the arguing teammates outside of the cell. "You seem to recognise me, yet I've got no recollection, of you." His unnatural eyes darted to the side.
It was the sign of a very obvious lie.
Cole sighed when he realised that Loki had already begun to alter Jay's appearance, his once beautiful sapphire eyes which buzzed with electricity were now devoid of such, there was no joy there. Instead, a haunting unnatural purple similar to red eyes except not as scary...it was apparent to Cole that Jay had no idea.
The black ninja was heartbroken, had he already lost him to Loki?
"Jay, we are your brothers, we came to rescue you." Zane intoned. "Can you remember the electrical disturbance on the Bounty?" He added, reminding him of the reason he was stranded here. He thought it might help jog his memory but carried on trying to buy his team some extra time because he knew SHIELD would be up any minute for further interrogation.
"You're right though, I came here of my own free will, to talk," Jay mumbled, eyes drawn towards her again. "This cell has speakers, an amplifier and a microphone. I can hear you even if you whisper." He sighed. "Anyway, I realise that Loki may have altered my mind. Explaining why I can't. . ." He looked away, tearing his gaze from everyone. "remember. . .anything."
"Jay?" Cole mumbled, pleading for his best friend to turn and face him.
His back was inclined. Head resting in his hands, Jay was fighting something while he played with the spilt blood. "But in order to protect you from further harm, I'll be accepting his offer."
"His offer?" Cole repeated, face paling.
Loki offered him something.
This was preposterous to Cole. How could Jay think this was a good idea? Sure it was chivalrous but did Jay really have a death wish? Had he honestly thought it through? Why did Cole have the feeling that Loki had kept certain details from him...Like being treated like a piece of shit for all eternity by someone who had a chip on their shoulder.
"WHAT?" Cole's voice boomed, fists banging on the glass showing the sheer desperation of his actions. "No, you can't. Jay, this is a really bad idea."
It's suicide.
"Jay," Lloyd said, edging closer, pulling Cole's hands from the containment cell to avoid setting off the security fail-safe. "I don't mind trading myself. We have a plan, after all, to get you out of this." Lloyd's face was just as anxious as Cole's. "No one needs to do or say anything rash?!"
It's too late for that.
His head snapped up at the sound of heavy footfalls. "I-I have no choice." Jay's shoulders slumped. "He sorta controls me." Seeing the men before the team of ninja had, he turned around on his hands and knees to look Cole in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I realise, we might have had a history together, which I can't really remember, but, I have a feeling this is the only way."
"Jay," Cole bit his lip, hand placed on the glass to feel the warmth of his friend's hand slipping away. "Come on, we'll figure this out."
"Forgive me," Jay said under his breath, hearing the door to his cell being opened.
"No, wait," Cole banged on the glass, cringing as one mechanical arm shuddered with the strain. "Please, wait."
The SHIELD agents had Jay restrained and subdued. STRIKE personnel armed and flanking as they walked past the team of wretched ninja.
"I'm sorry C-Cole, it's for the best."
Like hell is it for the best. . . We'll come up with a plan Jay, we'll get you back.
And then he was gone, taken to another part of the ship to be questioned before being handed over to the relevant authorities for trial and imprisonment.
Zane's keen hearing had picked up the sounds of a zip line and the faint clang of a grappling hook, but he could not see one from his vantage point.
"Guys? We gotta do something." Cole said, facepalming. "Jay remembered my name, he's remembering us."
"You sure it wasn't because Lloyd was calling your name and Jay might've heard you?"
"I know, Cole. And that's good, but we're running out of time with this." Lloyd replied, ignoring Kai's remark. "He'll be here interrogated for an unknown duration FSM knows what else. I doubt they'll let him go, what if Loki gets him?"
Cole shrugged, he wanted to believe that Jay was remembering.
"Well," Nya piped up, shuffling from Kai's embrace. "What choice have we got? We've got to agree to this trade, we don't have to fully go through with it, we just need a subterfuge, something to fool him into believing he's got what he wants."
"It's too risky, without telling SHEILD what we're doing. You realise we'll be on our own?" Kai whispered.
"I miss him," She said, looking into her brother's eyes. "I miss Jay."
Now he was getting misty eyed too. "We all do, Nya," he whispered. "All of us, even cold-hearted, hot-tempered me," He smiled down at his sister and her plastered nose. Wishing he could take away her pain, physical and emotional.
Lloyd came over to soothe her as best he could. "Nya," He said, stroking her hair and pulling her into a loose embrace, all the while feeling her trembling. "We'll get him back. You just gotta have some faith in us. Honestly, everything will work out for the best, I promise."
"Don't you guys find it strange that Jay said he'd accept Loki's offer?" Kai said, monotonously. "When he's very obviously not gonna be seeing the light of day?"
"What are you getting at?" Cole narrowed his eyes.
"That, wire over there," Kai pointed at a swinging thin rope. "It wasn't there earlier. I don't think he knew, or maybe he did. . . Like I said, this could have been a setup."
Cole had wandered over to the rope in question, Looking up through the railings to see a grappling hook attached to the nearest bulkhead. Whom ever owned this rope certainly seemed experienced in its use. It had the remnants of a pulley attached, The type that would be used to propel the user to a different location at speed. "We're not alone then, come on guys, we need to come up with a plan for tomorrow."