Chapter 21: Stranger Things

Pale alabaster fingers typed on the keyboards to have holographic menu displays surround her in an orb. Her hands brushed through her silver, metallic hair to straighten herself and began to trace her hands in her orb. Display images surrounded her as she turned on her heels and typed on the many holographic keyboards. She studied energy readings, server bugs for the game for Borg and Neuro that would needed to be fixed for the trapped players. Being an android, she was working on the clock for the safety of the players.

As she continued to work in her orb, something caught her attention to use her fingers to bring it closer to her and enlarged it to read. Her head was tilted as her lime green eyes studied the energy readings to the building of Borg's Industries to ponder and pulled open a new screen of the security cameras in the building. It was late at night, everyone working has gone home hours ago and yet the company shouldn't have this much of power being used at the moment. P.I.X.A.L studied the cameras to have her widen as she watched two individuals move through the lower levels of the building, they were dressed in hospital gowns with NeuroGears over their face. She closed the live feed and stepped out of her orb to rush to the elevator.

Her foot tapped nervously as she felt the elevator ascend to her creator's office and private suite and felt the compartment slowly stopped as she reached the top floor. Once the doors slid open, she raced across the office to reach Cyrus Borg as he rested his head on his desk. P.I.X.A.L could tell her creator was distressed with the amount of players trapped in his and Neuro's game because of the virus. But she calmly shook his shoulder to make his eyes snap and he quickly sat up in his wheelchair. "Oh P.I.X.A.L," Cyrus said, yawning. "Sorry I didn't mean to doze off. I had to deal with another press meeting and this stress is getting to me. You'd think Zane would've found the virus by now, but I don't know what's keeping him."

The android nodded to agree with him. But this wasn't the time. "I'm sorry sir," she said and grabbed the glass slate tablet to tap on the screen. A hologram displayed on the glass slate and she uploaded her findings. "But I working in the server room to ensure there had to be any bugs or patches to fix and this caught my eye that you needed to see." She handed him the tablet and replayed the video she recorded from the camera.

Curious, Cyrus grabbed his glasses to rest them on his nose and watched the video. He noticed the building's energy levels were high even after dark with everyone gone home. His brown eyes widen to the sight of two individuals in hospital gowns and both wore NeuroGear helmets. He shook his head to think he wasn't believing it and was more sleep deprieved, but the camera feed was still the same. "P.I.X.A.L, what camera is this from exactly?" he wondered as he turned to his assistant.

"I believe that is floor B6, sir." the android replied. "But that is an empty level until the contract for the enviromental science department has been approved. But I can't compute what two Ninjago Online players are doing out of the hospital and are actually moving. I thought the NeuroGear is suppose to cut off electricity from the brain and spinal cord to prevent players from moving."

"It's suppose to. Neuro worked on the device for months and this doesn't make sense. It's too late to call him, we'll have to wait until morning and show this to him."

"If you want, sir, I can go down to B6 to see the commotion and escort them back to the hospital."

"Please do, P.I.X.A.L." The man grabbed the wheels of his chair and pulled himself away from his desk and made his way to the room next to his office. "I'm going to retire for the night, even though I haven't slept well these past few months. But please do return and notify me that you had returned the players to the hospital." He watched the android nod and head for the elevator while he entered his suite to retire for the night.

The elevator slowly descended as the android leaned against the glass compartment. She gazed at the city skylights to smile as it marveled her. The Borg building may look empty for the night, but there was still activity happening outside of the building. She wanted to see what the city was like, but being an android she wondered if the citizens accepted her than what she is like. Even the times when she used to talk to Zane alone when he was stored away, he too wished he could see what the life in Ninjago is like. She had to wonder if she'll see him again and they could have a day together in Ninjago. The android shook her head to return her attention to the wandering players in the building as the city disappeared from her window and descended below ground and the doors slid open.

Darkness surrounded her as the lights were down without power as she glanced around. She pulled out the glass tablet to grant access into the light to try and turn them on, but the lights flickered to remain dark. She sighed as the energy levels from the floor were interferring them someway and illuminating her eyes to brighten the area as flashlights and began her search. The corridors were bare and empty as she moved her way through the vacant level and she could feel the presence of energy being used to quietly follow toward the source. And when she turned the corner, she stopped as she spotted the two hospital patients that were wandering around.

"Excuse me," she said to them. "You're trespassing on an abandon floor and must be escorted back to the hospital, players." They remained quiet and didn't move. She raised a brow as they didn't respond and had to wonder how they're still wearing their NeuroGears when they're not plugged into an ethernet outlet. Were they even playing the game? Curiously, she went up to the players to tap on the NeuroGear to see if they would respond if they were awake. But none of the two reacted to her presence and scanned them to see through their headpieces. She gasped as their eyes were closed and quickly scanned them to noticed their brainwaves were off the charts. "What's going on here?"

She lifted her head as the players' heads snapped upward and held an arm out to her. The android gasped to slowly back up as they advanced toward her and turned to run. Which caused her to drop her tablet in the process to shatter on impact. P.I.X.A.L glanced over her shoulder to see they were running methodically after her and quickly turned the corner and saw the elevator ahead of her to sprint harder. Once she reached it, she pressed the call button frantically to glance from the corner of her eye to watch the players were closing in on her and the doors slid open. She yelped as the burly player grabbed her arm to try and squirm from his iron grip and pushed him away to quickly step into the elevator before the doors closed and ascended to the top floor.

A breath of relief escaped from the android and she slid down against the glass wall to hug her knees. She didn't know what she just witnessed from those players that chased after her, but something felt off to her. Their NeuroGears weren't connect to an ethernet outlet and yet they look like they were still in the game even when the headpiece had an internal battery. But when scanning them, she noticed their brainwaves weren't neutral from the NeuroGear, they were high and off the charts. As if they were still in the game, but something in their NeuroGear was making them spike up. She had to inform Cyrus about this, but it'll have to be the next morning.

P.I.X.A.L had to admit, this was a strange thing happening.

Loud footfalls echoed in the stone corridors as a green clad player in ghastly armor made his way through the large complex. Behind him were three other players as they trailed behind him. They could see a bright light illuminated at the end of the corridor with loud players commuting at the end. A smirk of accomplishment crept on his face as he reached the end to stand on a balcony that overlooked the center of the Kyprtarium Prison with thousands of players gathered around. Some interacted with one another while others fought against others.

Morro glanced down at the players to keep his smirk remained on his face and glanced over his shoulder to watch another player drag Lloyd by his arms. The teen looked defeated as he let the player drag and dropped him to his knees and fell onto his chest as his arms couldn't catch him. A groan of pain escaped from his lips as he tried to get to his feet, but the player grabbed him by his shoulder to pull him to his feet. His emerald eyes glanced at Morro and hung his head as he didn't want to look at him.

The man smirked and turned to the crowd of players to silence them so he can address them. The center area grew silent and turned to Morro at the balcony. "The time of our imprisonment of this game is nearing to an end." he exclaimed. "We have been trapped in Ninjago Online for days, weeks, months. Wishing we can leave this game to see our families and friends and not fall victim to the Overlord to become his army. But now we have the key to escape this damn game once and for all. We have the one who caused us to become trapped in this game."

He grabbed Lloyd by his arm to throw him against the balcony railing to hear him gasp after slamming against the stone edge. The blonde teen cough and yelped as he felt his hair being grabbed to have his head lifted to see the crowd below him. "This is Lloyd Garmadon." he continued. "His family is well known in IRL and he and his sibling and cousin are the heirs to the Ninjago City Tower. But his grandfather and mine once worked together to form the company until he tossed him onto the streets and the Garmadon's and Wu's grew famously." His scowled him as Lloyd hung his head away from his glare. "But now that he's here, he is the key to help us get out of this. It must be obvious that Cyrus Borg and his family are working together to help everyone get out of the game, a perfect exchange then. If the Garmadon's want their brat back, he must be a good exchange to the Overlord."

The crowd gave out hushed comments of confusion to stare at him puzzled. But Morro held up a hand to keep them quiet. "What I'm saying is that we sacrifice him to the Overlord in exchange for our freedom!" he shouted. "If the Garmadons want him back, they would do anything to have him back into their welcoming arms. Once they found out I sacrificed him to the virus, they would do anything for me to bring him back and I will give him back only if they relinquish for my grandfather. The Overlord can deal with the other players, this will be our only chance to escape this game once and for all. Who's with me!?"

The crowd was silent to the plan of his and slowly began to clap and cheer to his plan. The thundering applause soon grew louder to have Morro smirk to the crowd. This was their chance to leave the game and let other players remain in the game. They would have their freedom and left the others to the Overlord. Lloyd, however, felt his stomach doing sommersaults to feel nervous and afraid of Morro; using him as a sacrifice in exchange for freedom. Morro's ultimate plan for revenge of his grandfather.

The raven haired man turned to the player in the shadows and tossed the teen aside. "Take him back to his cell and rebind him." he demanded. "By light of dawn, we'll have him ready to be killed by the Overlord himself. I'll make contact with him tonight."

"As you wish, Morro." a feminine player said and bowed in the shadows and grabbed Lloyd's arm. Instincts kicked into Lloyd and started to struggle against the player, but she had a tight grip on his arm to remain him in her grasp. Lloyd's heart was racing as he disappeared with the player and heard the roaring crowd in the distance.

The wind softly howled in his ears as he carefully climbed a mesa with his comrades climbing along side him. Nightfall had fallen, but they weren't concerned with the Dark Creatures as they had trekked through the Sea of Sands. They were close to their objective, they could feel it. Traveling day and night to reach Lloyd that was held captive in the prison of the game, unknown to the fate of what is happening to their friend. Kai was willingly ready to rescue the teen as he did have them team up in the begining, but to also protect him from Morro and his comrades.

The samurai finally reached the top of the mesa and turned to help the others. Their arms ached for the high climb and all turned to the ledge as they saw the bright light in the distance. They saw the octagonal stone structure inner and outer walls with guard towers posted along the walls. A tall tower stood in the center with a center building below it. Tapestries hung on the walls as the mark of a guild territory and flags hung onto ropes that stretched from the prison to the mesas that surrounded it. Torches and fire pits lit the structure to allow the four players to observe their surroundings as they studied it. Somewhere below them was their friend hidden inside and they intended to find him to repay him for his help forming them as a team.

"There's no going back now." said Kai, tighting his katana around his waist. "Somewhere is Lloyd, suffering under Morro's wrath because of bad blood with old rivalry in IRL. I for one want to get him out of there because he's the one who formed us together as a team. Time to repay him for that." He saw his friends smirk with a nod to nod along with them and removed his red headband. He drew in a deep breath to jump off the ledge and loop his headband around one of the ropes that connected to the prison and zipline to the outer wall. Jay and Cole used the shafts of their weapons while Zane used his cloak to help reach down safely. Once the spiky haired burnet retied the headband back around his head, he stared at a hatch on the roof and pulled it open to see darkness. "Here goes nothing." he muttered and jumped into the darkness with the others following.