Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for a new update. Got nothing much to say as usual but let's see on what happened to Zane after the last chapter.
Chapter 13: On the Run
Being trapped and panicking were the only things Zane could do. Through the holographic screen of his H.U.D, he could see bits of debris falling into the ocean from what used to be his father's estate, slowly sinking down to join the rubble on the ocean floor. Lucky for him, he was only pinned to the concrete slab with the iron struts, the one that he'd fallen with, but due to the pressure of the water and the weight of the slab, he was having a hard time breaking free. Not even the enhanced strength of the suit was helping him, which was why he'd started panicking.
Many scenarios ran through the blonde teen's head as he tried to move his pinned limbs, but he kept returning to the same questions. Was his family safe? Was Iris safe? Were they being pursued by the Mandarin's re-enforcements? They could end up captured or. . . even killed. Either option worried him. Zane realized that he was the only one that could stop the Mandarin and hopefully save everyone. If only he could get out of the rubble.
"Sir, I suggest you relax and take a deep breath," the A.I. said. "I can be of assistance to you. A fair warning though: it's going to get wet." Zane thought about his words for a second, but decided he'd have to comply. If J.A.R.V.I.S had an idea, it was probably a good idea. He'd helped him out in tight situations before. Inhaling deeply to prevent water from entering his circuits and nodding, Zane held out his right hand.
The glove of the suit detached itself from his forearm and started to float, propelling itself with small thrusters. Zane immediately felt the salt water rushing into the suit, soaking his clothes until it reached his face. He watched as J.A.R.V.I.S turned the hand around to face him, and heard the whining of the pulse energy charging before it fired itself towards the weakest spot of the concrete slab. It loosened the metal struts around Zane. With that, the ice ninja was able to free himself, grabbing onto the hand of the suit and pulling himself out. "Hold on, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S said, and soon the thrusters of the hand were carrying Zane to the surface. It attached itself back to the suit's forearm while the thrusters on the suit reconfigured, giving him enough of a push to break the water's surface. He took flight, finally able to breathe as the water drained from the open feet and hands of the suit. "Sir, I detected two Spinjitzu vehicles fleeing from the wreckage. Shall we meet up with your teammates?"
The holographic screen showed Zane an enhanced view of the Ultra Sonic Raider and Rain racing down the road at high speed. He couldn't have been happier to know that his family escaped from the estate, but something seemed off. Why weren't they using the Bounty? When Zane studied the vehicles, only five images and names appeared on his H.U.D: Cole, Kai, Jay, Lucas, and Lloyd. He realized that they'd been the only ones to escape, leaving the girls and Sensei Wu in the hands of the Mandarin. He could go back and save them, but it'd probably lead him into a trap. No, he needed a plan. But before that he needed answers.
"No," Zane replied. "My mentor and some of my friends have been captured. If I go after the others, they'll try and protect me from the Mandarin. I need to keep myself away from them to ensure their safety. Right now, I need to know why the Mandarin is attacking different locations." Something dawned on him regarding the recent attacks, a theory of some sort. "Can you pull up any. . . thermal images from their recent attacks to see if the heat signatures are still there? I need to know something."
"Of course, sir," J.A.R.V.I.S replied, taking control of the suit and performing a wide thermal scan of Ninjago. In the H.U.D, Zane could see hot spots from the Mandarin attacks all over Ninjago. He thought he could see a pattern in the locations, but nothing really interested him. Zane scoffed. "I understand what you're seeking, sir, but even I can't piece anything together. What shall we do now?"
He was out of options now. There seemed to be no pattern in the ten hot spots displayed before him. He was on the run from his brother and the Mandarin. Not to mention the damage that his suit had succumbed to from the wreckage. It was causing him to have difficulty flying, an error warning flashing across the H.U.D. He had to find some place safe to hide before he sustained any more damage. But where? Then, it came to him. "We're going to where the most recent attack was and laying low," he said, turning the suit north. "I have a feeling I may find answers there, or clues as to why these attacks are happening. The Mandarin must have chosen these areas for a reason."
"As you wish, sir."
The flight seemed longer than he'd anticipated as he found himself surrounded by snowy grey clouds. Normally, he'd get there quicker, but the suit had been badly crippled by the debris at the estate. Zane thought it'd be best to go slow and try to avoid further damage, but it didn't help when he was blindly flying in the dark. He felt heavier, panic rising as he realized his thrusters had finally given out. As gravity took hold of him, he screamed, the sound echoing in the suit. He braced himself as he collided with the ground, bouncing up once before breaking through a tree and skidding to a halt. Groaning, Zane managed to flip himself onto his back.
After a quick scan, the ice ninja saw that the thrusters were shot and needed repairs, but he wasn't a mechanic like Jay. He sighed, knowing that Icele Village was a five mile walk and he couldn't abandon the suit. The Mandarin might find it and track him. Zane felt the suit retract from his face, chest, and limbs. He sat up in the snowy weather, the familiar cold of the Birchwood Forest surrounding him. It felt good to be in his element, The white ninja pulled himself to his feet, watching the suit close itself before he glanced around. He was in the middle of a snowy forest, stranded with the Iron Man suit, and had the Arc Reactor acting as a beacon. Zane sighed. "Okay. . . How hard can it be to carry a suit of metal?"
It was very hard, actually. The Ninja of Ice struggled to pull the metal exoskeleton through the fallen snow. He'd taken vines he'd found on the ground and tied them around them arm of the suit and his back. Like a sled dog he'd seen back in his old village. The suit was definitely a challenge for him to drag alone, but he knew he was close to his destination. He was looking forward to taking a break and getting some rest. Fighting the Mandarin's followers multiple times in one day could tire a nindroid out rather quickly. And his long lost brother wanted him dead, couldn't forget about that. Zane just couldn't catch a break.
The snow started to pelt the white ninja as he trekked his way through the now shin deep snow, pulling harder as the suit slowly sank. If the suit hadn't shut down on him, this would be a lot easier. If Sensei Wu was with him, he'd tell him that there aren't any shortcuts. He'd have to figure out his problems with his own potential strength. Zane knew he was on his own, what with his elemental brothers out defending themselves and his mentor protecting Laurie, Nya, and Iris from the Mandarin. He'd go back for them once he got a few more answers.
After walking another mile in the flurrying snow, Zane lifted his head and saw the faint lights of a town up ahead. He smiled to himself. He'd finally made it. "Icele Village," Zane muttered to himself, voice muffled by his mask, helping shield him from the wind and snow. He continued trekking through the snow until he found himself in a small neighborhood, deciding to hide himself in the nearest garage. It was late and he didn't want to disturb the residents or neighbors. Once he got to the large garage, he noticed the door wasn't locked. Zane pushed it open and felt warm air from a furnace. "Hello?" he called out, entering cautiously. But he heard no one respond. Good.
He dragged the damaged suit towards a set of crates, grunting as he lifted the suit onto one of the crates. Zane felt his body slipping into sleep mode from overworking himself. He stifled a yawn and stretched, rolling his tired arms and shoulders. As he walked across the room, which was looking more like a workshop than a garage, he pulled up a comfy chair and felt immediate relief when he finally sat. He simply closed his eyes, trying to pass out quickly. His circuits definitely needed it after today's events. Sleep overcame him.
"Be still or else," a voice, child-like, threatened.
Zane snorted in his sleep, eyes immediately opening at the sound of the voice. He was greeted by two pairs of deep green eyes with scarlet hair: one boy, one girl. The boy held up a plastic toy gun, which Zane recognized as a water gun. He wanted to raise his hands in defense as they glared at him, but Zane quickly realized he couldn't move them. He looked down, noticing his arms and legs had been taped to the arm rests and legs of the chair, respectively. The kids must have been really quiet for them to have done this without alerting his sixth sense. Bravo. Zane looked towards the window, noticing the sun was starting to set over the horizon. He blinked. Had he slept for an entire day? "What day is it?" he asked, also testing his bonds. The duct tape was holding steady.
"I said don't move or else," the boy growled, keeping the toy gun leveled at Zane and quickly pushing his thick, plastic glasses up to his nose. "Got it?"
"I mean you no harm," Zane stated calmly. Why were these children so tense? Sure, he was trespassing, but it was just for some rest and repairs to the suit. It wasn't necessary for them to tape him to a chair. "Look, I'm a good guy. I'm one of the ninja that protects Ninjago. Do you really need to tie me up like this?"
"If you're one of the ninja," the girl retorted, "then explain what that thing is over there." She gestured to the Iron Man suit across the workshop. "Talk or we'll spray you, Mandarin." She held up a roll of tape and tore off a strip.
All Zane could do was freeze, They thought he was with the Mandarin? Realization hit him hard. Of course they'd think he was a follower. The village had been attacked recently. They probably thought he was a straggler, hiding from the public. Zane wasn't his brother though. All he could do was smile softly. "That there is my friend," he replied gently. "He has helped me through many situations. Plus, if I wasn't a ninja. . ." He kicked his legs free of the tape and stood up, surprising the children before he performed Spinjitzu, showing that he'd completely freed himself from his bonds. "Then how am I able to do that? Only the Ninja can do that."
The children's jaws dropped. The boy lost his grip on the water gun and stood frozen. Zane chuckled, walking over and gingerly tapping their chins, motioning for them to close their mouths. "It is you," the girl gasped, moving to stand closer to her brother. "We thought you were one of those people that attacked our village, that you were hiding out before attacking again."
"I can assure you that I'm not," the ice ninja mused. He smiled softly, walking over to the Iron Man suit to inspect it. Nothing missing. Good. He turned back to the kids behind him. "My name is Zane by the way. I'm the ice ninja. What are your names?"
"My name is Aaron Jai," the boy replied, "but people call me AJ for short. This is my twin sister Arianna, or Ari for short. It's nice to meet you, Zane. But what is that?"
Twins? The nindroid really looked at them. It was true. The girl seemed smaller than the boy, but he could see it. "Well, nice to meet you AJ and Ari," he said, turning to the suit. "Well, this is one of my father's oldest inventions. He called it the Iron Man suit. It's a metal exosuit made of titanium allow for maximum protection. It flies via thrusters on its back and feet and is equipped with various weapons. Personally, I enjoy the energy pulses from the hands."
The twins were amazed. Why would a ninja have such a thing? AJ walked over to the suit, inspecting it and tapping on it. The sound echoed through the hollowness of the suit and he smiled. "It's pretty cool," he said, "but it looks like it sustained a lot of damage from a fight. Especially the thrusters. Judging by the ruined metal around the shoulder blades, it looks like some wires have been snagged. They look like they can be fixed though."
Surprised, Zane just stared at the scarlet haired boy. It was amazing for a kid that looked younger than Lloyd to know so much about mechanics. "Are you an inventor or mechanic? At such a young age?" he inquired.
"Yeah," AJ said, flipping a light switch and illuminating the entire workshop. "I invent and create my own kinds of stuff, but sometimes they don't turn out too well if I don't have the right parts."
All the Ninja of Ice could do was smile. It reminded him of the stories Jay told about growing up in the junkyard. "Impressive," he said, illuminating his eyes to see the date on an internal calendar. It had been a single day since the attacks. He was worried about his brothers, wondered if they were still safe. More importantly, he was worried for his mentor and the girls that'd been taken hostage by the Mandarin, especially Iris. What are you playing at, Xander? he wondered.
"I don't really care for it. That's all boy stuff," Ari remarked, watching as her brother stuck her tongue out at him. She huffed in return before focusing on Zane. "But what are you doing all the way up here? Why aren't you with the other ninja? And. . . what's wrong with your chest?"
Immediately, Zane's hand shot towards his chest, trying to hide his heart. But it was no use. "It's nothing," he sighed. "I'm a nindroid, a robot that my father created." He removed his gi and lifted his undershirt, opening his chest compartment to show the twins all the switches and wires that lay within him. They gasped in amazement as he closed the hatch and threw his gi back on. "This thing on my chest is actually my heart, or Arc Reactor. My father made it to power me, but it is not suppose to be exposed. And, I am here alone without my team because. . ." Zane paused for a moment. He didn't want to scare the kids by telling them he was being targeted by the Mandarin. "We were separated and I told them I would be here, looking for clues about the recent attacks." He smiled as he watched their green eyes glisten with hope. "We're going to stop them, but I need answers. I just don't know where to start looking first."
Their smiles grew wide. The ninja was here to stop the Mandarin! They quickly glanced at each other as if they were reading each other's thoughts. "We can help you with that!" the twins said, ecstatic.
Zane's face fell into a mask of concern. They willingly wanted to help him? But, they could end up getting into trouble, or worse. "I'm sorry, but. . .what about your parents?" he inquired. "They. . . uh. . . they probably don't want you out when it's dark. I can do this alone. I want you two getting into any trouble."
"Our parents are running some errands. They'll be back in a few hours," AJ replied. "We're bored, and it's our dream to help out the Ninja! For starters. . ." He and his sister bolted from the workshop, leaving the ice ninja confused. A couple of minutes later they returned with a bundle of clothes. "You can borrow come of our cousin's clothes. They're hand-me-downs for when I grow into them." Smiling, they both handed him the clothes.
Zane studied the clothes he'd been given and tossed them next to the Iron Man suit before unfolding them. He'd been given a black t-shirt and a white sweatshirt that had black stripes wrapped around the shoulders and down the arms. He shrugged. It made him think of Yin and Yang. He could use the sweatshirt to hide his heart from the public. In addition to the tops, he was given denim jeans and regular sneakers. Inhaling, Zane performed Spinjitzu before stopping, dressed in the new clothes. He folded his ninja attire and placed it next to the Iron Man suit. Zipping up the sweatshirt to cover his heart, he turned towards the twins and smiled softly. "All right then. Let's head out."
Hmm... What is Zane bound to find? Find out next time. Also with next week being the Thanksgiving holiday, I may not post the next update, depends really. But I will post it the week after Thanksgiving if I do come to that decision. So see you all around.