Disclaimer: I don't own Ninjago
Cole and Zane traveled the rest of the night to Birchwood forest. The snow was coming down hard and the wind was picking up in speed. However, the cold went unnoticed by the ninja as they continued to travel in it. Suddenly, Zane stopped walking and looked at a large tree standing before him. Cole sensed something in the air and turned around. A large yellow robot rose from the snow and its eyes glowed red.
"Danger. Danger. Must destroy." The robot spoke in a monotonous voice.
The robot fired multiple blasts from its shoulder cannons and the ninja evaded them quickly. Zane jumped in the air and flung ice shards into the robot's chest. However, the robot was still functional. Cole ran up and punched the robot in the leg, but the robot just kicked Cole away. Zane blasts beams of ice from his hands that froze the robot solid. The robot melted from the ice in less than thirty seconds.
"Danger. Danger. Must destroy."
Cole whistled, and Zane looked over to him. Cole motioned towards another large tree and Zane nodded. Zane ran under the robot's legs and the robot followed him. As it followed, the robot began shooting at Zane. The Ninja of ice turned around and began throwing more ice blades into the robot, which kept walking towards him. Once next to the tree, Cole quickly pulled it from the roots and dropped it onto the robot, destroying it. Cole and Zane stood above it.
"Danger…" The robot said before it shut down.
Zane looked up and saw three more robots rise from the snow.
"Anytime now." Zane said as he looked up at a camera.
Inside the tree, someone pressed a button which made the robots go back into the snow. Zane and Cole walked back to the tree. The same person from before then hit another button and a door opened in front of them. They walked inside and followed the stairs that spiraled down deeper into the tree. As they walked, someone started to speak to them.
"Project Vengestone. I began it years ago in case the human race needed to neutralize the Ninja." They began, "In other words, Cole, in case we had to kill you."
Cole narrowed his eyes and kept walking down the stairs. Eventually, the Ninja made it to the bottom and Cole kicked the door open. They both saw a large lab filled with equipment, electronics, chemicals, the works for a scientist's laboratory. Cole and Zane looked around but weren't in awe. Cole because he was too angry now. Zane because he's been there already. They looked up and saw their host float down in a chair.
"Doctor." Zane greeted with a head bow.
"I apologize for my bluntness. Let's face it, you ninja may be a four-headed hydra, but there's only one head that truly counts." Julien said as he looked at Cole.
Julien was sitting in a floating chair because he had lost the use of his body long ago due to his amyotrophic lateral sclerosis which paralyzed him over the many decades, he's been alive. He could still use his head and speak as well as move his fingers slightly, but that's about it. He was a withered old man wearing a skintight white jumpsuit that matched his white hair.
"It's no surprise. You've hated us from day one." Cole said as he walked forward.
"I hated what you embody. Unassailable power's never to be trusted. Look at the way the government uses you and you them, while the world walks on egg shells. Eventually, you would have had to come to blows with Washington. The wonder is that it took this long." Julien said as Cole walked up to him.
"It's only happening because someone means it to. If you're pulling the strings, Julien…" Cole started.
"Again, you misread me. I never really cared for power. I walked away from it. What I coveted was knowledge…" Julien said.
Julien pressed a button on his chair and a larger holographic display of the solar system appeared all around them.
"I'm mapping the universe, revealing all its glorious mysteries. Including the mysteries of the multiverse." Julien said in awe.
"Multiverse?" Cole asked.
"Julien and others believe that there are more universes like ours. Similar in a few ways but still greatly different." Zane said.
"Exactly. Here, Cole, is our universe. And in this one, let's say you're a dancer. In this one, Zane's a college professor. In this one, Jay is never born. In this one Kai is an only child. In this one Nya is the master of fire. And so on and so forth." Julien said as multiple holographic images of earth appeared.
"Do you believe this, Hermano?" Cole asked.
"I do." Zane nodded.
"Zane discovered my secret many years ago and has helped in my research. And in a way, I have you to thank for it." Julien said.
"What do you mean?" Cole asked.
"I suppose you two can know now. Most of this is based on books discovered from Garmadon's personal collection which the army discovered after his death." Julien said.
"What?" Zane asked surprised.
"Those books were damaged in the monastery." Cole said
"No. Those books were some of his favorites though. We found his real collection hidden in Hiroshi's labyrinth. It was my idea. You were powerful enough without having that knowledge." Julien said.
"You bastard. You had no right. Those files are ours! They're our legacy!" Cole yelled.
"Yes, they are. Would you like to see your legacy?" Julien asked.
Julien tapped another button and Cole and Zane saw more images displayed. Images of Ninjago before their time. A time of elementals.
"People have been exposing themselves to the elements for eons, boys. Only a select few surviving the horrible process and gaining the powers of earth, ice, fire, or lightning as well as others such as water, gravity, sound, etc." Julien started.
Zane and Cole looked at the images.
They were ruthless and monsters, but none such as ruthless as Garmadon himself who absorbed the powers of…well I'm not sure. I call it darkness." Julien said.
Garmadon was shown using his powers in cruel ways like destroying villages and killing others.
"Master?" Cole asked.
"His brother Wu, with the powers of light, tried to stop him, but failed. Wu exiled himself and hasn't been seen in Ninjago since." Julien said
They saw Wu and Garmadon fight.
"One day, Garmadon had a child named…" Julien said.
"Lloyd. He was hero though." Cole interrupted.
"He was. He fought back against his father and other cruel elemental masters, even killing a few of them. His power of the green, which I believe represents the planet, helped him immensely. One day, Garmadon was growing stronger because of the asteroid passing by made of darkness. Garmadon tried to absorb this power and accidentally caused the asteroid to come hurling towards Earth. Lloyd transcended into the Golden Ninja and sacrificed himself to save Earth and his father." Julien said.
Cole and Zane saw the images appear.
"Once he lost his son, Garmadon quickly changed his ways. He killed the remaining elemental masters and refused to use his powers again, eventually depleting them from his body. He trained many ninja during his life. Once they all died, he stopped teaching. Then you four received your powers and he trained you until his death." Julien finished.
The images went away. Cole and Zane were stunned.
"Garmadon was a scientist himself. Using these books and his own useful information he was, for a moment, the smartest man alive. His only problem? Stuck in a time limited by technology. These books also include unlimited energy, world peace, and basically what the world really needs right now. Including a way to stop you elementals." Julien said.
Zane and Cole looked at him before Julien showed them an image of a rock.
"It's called Vengestone. It negates the elements rendering them useless. Rocks crumble before it, ice melts quicker, water evaporates, fires go out, and lightning can't strike it or near it. I could go on, but you get the picture." Julien explained.
"Why did you keep this from us?" Cole asked.
"I was afraid you'd emulate your master. Better you should think he was a hero. But you're no hero, not really. You're just a rabid dog." Julien said.
"I want those books." Cole said.
"I made copies, the originals are with Chen. Maybe you could negotiate a deal, or take them by force, that tends to be your method. But I'd be careful. Project Vengestone worked. They can kill you now if they want." Julien said.
"All these years working with you and you never told me any of this. I want to know. Why!" Zane yelled.
"I was trying to protect you, Zane." Julien said.
Zane threw an ice shard into one of Julien's computers.
"Garmadon was my teacher. I trusted him, and I trusted you! Both of you lied to me. What were you trying to protect me from?" Zane asked with anger.
"Protect you from turning into that monster, Zane. I failed at protecting you once already, I couldn't fail again." Julien said sadly.
"What did you fail at?" Zane asked.
"From the disease that took your mother, that almost took you." Julien said as tears formed.
"W-What?" Zane asked.
Julien sighed.
"You're my son, Zane." Julien said as he floated closer to Zane.
"Santa mierda." Cole gasped.
"I dated your mother throughout college. I loved her so much, but one day she left me without a goodbye. I later found out that she died from a disease and gave birth to a child. A boy with light blonde hair. I could never find him, despite my years of searching. I gave up after twenty years. Then I read the students names in my classroom on year and you shared her last name. I wanted to tell you so much, but I didn't even know if you were mine." Julien began.
Zane listen to Julien and Cole stood next to his brother.
"I wanted to make sure before either of us got our hopes up. So, when you passed out in my lab the last day of school, I took some hair and had it tested." Julien said as he pressed a button.
An image of their DNA results appeared.
"It was a match. I wanted to tell you the next day and we could work on a cure for you together. Unfortunately, I was called away on business. And when I returned, I discovered from Cyrus what happened to you. I never saw you again until the news broadcast of the four ninjas with powers that saved a village from the serpentine." Julien said.
"I found out your secret years ago, Julien. Why didn't you tell me then, why now!" Zane yelled.
"I wish I told you sooner. But every time I look at you, I see your mother and I remember how I lost her. Then I see your pale face and I see how I lost you too." Julien said.
Zane lowered his head.
"Son…I'm here now." Julien smiled.
"I am not your son." Zane said coldly, pun intended indeed.
Julien frowned.
"Your son died in the cold. My family are the ninja and we have to stop whoever's behind this." Zane said as he walked towards the door.
Cole followed him and walked up the stairs. Julien lowered his head in sadness. Once outside, the snow and wind had finally stopped. Zane kept walking while Cole stopped. He turned his head to the camera.
"You should have been straight with us, Julien. Things could have been different. In some ways, I'm as much your creation as my master's. Cole said before walking off again.
Julien watched them both walk away in the snow. A white flash of light appeared behind Julien and he turned around. The red robot was floating with him in his lab. Julien squinted his eyes.
"Finally found me huh?" Julien asked.
The robot's hands caught fire and its eyes started to glow.
"Well? Come on then." Julien said defeated.
As Cole and Zane walked away, Julien's laboratory and the tree exploded in a large ball of fire. Cole and Zane quickly turned around and were shocked.
In a Ninjago Government facility, a screen flashed red before showing Julien's destroyed lab and Cole and Zane standing outside of it.
"NASA confirmed it, Mr. President. Julien's ship was destroyed, and his last visitors were Cole and Zane." Col. Dareth said into a phone.
"Then they've killed them all." Chen said.
"What do we do?" Dareth asked.
"We start Vengestone. Evacuate Ninjago City." Chen said.
Thanks RPM Shadow for your review!