It's the end of the week! Thank god, that I had some time to pre-write some chapters because otherwise due to this really busy week, I wouldn't be able to keep posting. Monday is kinda doomsday for me. I got my three hardest classes tests and they are all on that day.
As the bounty neared the Wailing Alps, Jay started to shiver.
"It's getting really cold," Jay said, between chattering teeth.
"Boys," Nya said, "We need you down below."
They ran downstairs, to the bottom of the bounty, where they saw four mechs lined up against the wall.
"Without your mechs," Nya said, "you won't survive the harsh conditions. I also have installed headsets into your hoods for easy communication. Try it out."
"Tell me, Lloyd," Jay said, "How are you doing?"
"Fine," Lloyd said, "it comes through quite clearly."
"Remember," Ronin said, being helpful for once, "once you get to the top of the peak, you only have one shot to shoot into the blind man's eye. Don't miss."
"I don't know, guys," Cole said, "You had time to practice, maybe I should sit this one out."
"Don't even think about it!" Jay shouted, causing everyone to wince from the feedback of his mikes. "You may be a ghost, but you're still part of this team."
"And," Lloyd added, "If it weren't for you getting the first clue, we wouldn't even be here."
"So what are you going to do?" Nya prompted, "Are ya in? Or out?"
Cole focused on his hands and grabbed onto the controls of the mech, his hands solidifying. "Open the door of the hatch," Cole smiled.
"Okay," Ronin said, pulling down on a switch.
The sides of the bottom of the bounty dropped open, leaving the ninja looking down a dizzying drop.
"Wooooh!" Jay yelled, always enthralled with heights, "Haha, is anyone else getting a tingly feeling?"
"Ya," Kai said, "frostbite."
"Remind me again how you are afraid of attics," Lloyd asked Jay.
"Hey!" Jay exclaimed.
"Drop 'em!" Ronin called.
Nya pushed another button and the locks that held the mechs to the side of the wall, unlatched, leaving them free to jump.
Jay almost immediately jumped off, with a shrug Lloyd followed him, and then the others.
"Whoooo!" Jay yelled, plummeting towards the earth.
"AHHHHHHH!" Screamed Cole, who was spinning in the air.
All three landed, looking up a Cole who was barreling towards the earth. Cole landed face down in the snow, with a loud boom, causing all to wince.
"Cole?" Lloyd called, "Are you okay?"
Jay and Kai reached down and helped pull Cole's mech up.
"Ah, gotta work on that landing," Cole said. "You sure you want me along?" Cole asked having doubts. "I can hardly control my new body, let alone this piece of metal."
"Hey," Jay said, "We all have our bad days, well pick you up so next time you can return the favor."
"Jay is right," Lloyd said, "The only way that we'll be getting up this mountain is if we are a team."
"This isn't about who's a ninja, a Nindroid, or even a ghost. Above all else, we're brothers." Kai said. "And as iron sharpens iron," Kai said, putting a twist of Sensei Yang's words, "brother sharpens brother."
"Next thing you know," Jay laughed, "Kai will be wandering around his own temple as that."
"Alright brothers," Cole said, "Let's do this."
They continued to climb up the Wailing Alphs.
"The blind man's eye will be passing the peak in T minus 4 hours." P.I.X.A.L. said, looking off the radar.
P.I.X.A.L. had been incorporated into the bounty at her request. She had wanted to do something besides look at a wall. "Had been of time to do that in the hard-drive," She had said.
"Great," Nya said, turning to her on the monitor. "Then if there isn't any trouble, they should be able to get their in time."
"Just out of curiosity," Ronin asked, leaning on a wall, "why is it they call it the Wailing Alps."
"Because when the unnaturally strong wind gusts blow through the canyon, it creates a Wailing Sound." Sensei Wu said, not look up from his cup of tea.
"They say that some gusts are strong enough to blow someone clear off the mountain," Misako added.
"Hah," Ronin said, watching the ninja climb up the mountain, "No trouble at all."
"So," Nya said, turning back to P.I.X.A.L. "just a question, you don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but what was it like with Zane when Morro possessed him."
"No, no." P.I.X.A.L. said, "I don't mind talking about it." She thought for a moment and then started talking again. "Have you ever broken something?"
"Ya," Nya said, trying to follow where P.I.X.A.L. was going.
"You know when you break something and sometimes you can't move other parts of your body, usually your fingers?" P.I.X.A.L. continued. "It was kinda like that. Where no matter where you want to make something happen, it just doesn't. By the way, I am going to make a bunch of analogies, as I don't expect you to know what it's like to be a robot."
Nya nodded, following along, leaning on the panel.
"Well, it was like that." P.I.X.A.L. said, "When he first possessed Zane, there was about 5 seconds where no-one held the controls. But then Morro took over and pushed Zane out of control, so it was almost like he was a side program."
"Like you?" Nya wondered, "No offense," She quickly added.
"None taken." P.I.X.A.L. said, "I am not a side program. I can do things and control things too. But Zane can't do anything but watch, and try to override Morro. It's like when you are playing video games and someone takes the controller from you. You can try to take it back, but overall they are still the one controlling the game character."
"But I'm worried." P.I.X.A.L. said, fiddling with her cyber hands, "I afraid that without me, Morro might start to wear down Zane."
"I hope Zane's ok." Nya said, "But he's a strong guy."
"Thanks," P.I.X.A.L. smiled.
"Anytime, girl friend." Nya winked.
"I think I am starting to get the hang of it," Cole called back to his teammates.
"So this Sword of Sanctuary, you think you can really see all of your opponents attacks? If we had that kind of power, even Morro wouldn't be able to stop us." Jay pondered.
"But if Morro got his hands on it," Kai shuttered, "then nothing would stop him. Which is why cannot fail."
They continued climbing up the hill, mostly in silence, each lost in his own thoughts, until Kai asked, "Cole, how much longer till we get to the top?"
"Is going to be a long way," Cole said, looking up.
"Oh look!" Jay called, "a little goat!"
"That's not a goat." Kai said, stopping too, "Don't you remember we rode one of those, it's a yak."
"It's got horns, it's a goat," Jay argued.
"Even giraffes have horns." Kai said, "It's not a goat, it's a yak."
"A Yak?" Jay questioned, "No way, maybe it's a cow."
"I'm about to have a cow," Kai said.
Cole looked down at imprints in the snow.
"Look tracks." He said.
"Maybe another yak," Kai said.
"or a cow," Jay added.
"These tracks are fresh," Cole said, bending down to get a better look at them. "And they look like mechanical. I don't think we are the first ones to come here today."
"Do you think it was Morro?" Kai asked, worried they would have to fight him on the mountain.
"Who else is crazy enough to be at this altitude?" Lloyd said.
"Uh, us," Jay answered.
"If he's ahead of us," Cole said, "We're bound to cross paths."
A wailing started echoing along the raven, and a snow started to blow everywhere.
"What's that sound?" Cole asked.
"The winds are starting to blow!" Jay called, "Anchor down!"
All the mech drove one of their metal weapons into the earth, as the wailing grew louder and lower.
"Hold on everyone!" Kai yelled to his brothers.
No sooner had he said that, did an avalanche knock them partly down the mountain.
"Ah!" Cole yelled, slipping towards the cliff of the mountain. "I can't hold on."
Lloyd turned and with a push of a button, shot an anchor, which caught Cole's mech.
"Whef, that was close." Cole said, looking down, "I owe you one."
"Come on," Kai called, "There's still a lot of mountain to go."
Morro glanced down the mountain, sure that the ninja would arrive at any moment. He saw little specs of Blue, green, black, and red.
"So they're following us." He said, alerting his ghost friends.
"We're too far ahead." Soul Archer assured him. "They'll never catch us."
"What is it, Morro?" Bansha asked, hearing him growl.
Morro didn't answer, just continued to look down at the ninja.
"Look," Ghoultar said, "You should just abandon Zane's body, we ghosts aren't affected by these conditions, we would be so much faster. The preeminent would want us…"
"The Preeminent is no here!" Morro interrupted, "I am. And need I remind you that only a spinjitsu master can find the tomb, if I leave Zane's body now, the sword would be useless. I need to have Zane's body!"
Bansha growled out of Morro's earshot, but stay quiet.
"Our master sent me to find the tomb." Morro continued, "So until she's free, you serve me! Understand?!"
"Yes, Morro." All three ghosts chimed.
"At least let me slow them down." Bansha pleaded. "You summoned us for a reason."
"Very well," Morro said, turning back up the mountain, "Send them a message, something they'll hear loud and clear."
Bansha flew to the edge of the cliff, and let out an ear-splitting screech, which vibrated around the mountain, and started an avalanche.