Watch the clip for the 4 episode special, I was ****ing hyperventilating by the end, I'm so excited! :)
CHEESEPUFF fg: That happens sometimes, it's annoying. But thanks for doing it again :)
RandomDragon2.0: Yeah, they're starting to get their act together, finally. And Wu's recovered, so he can whip them into shape! :)
MasterofCupcakes: Thanks, I tried to make it as cute and sad as I could :) I think they were always going to return to the team before ditching, maybe wait a few days, but now they're stuck in again!
Cerenda: Yeah, that kind of got lost in the stream of things, but they're about to be found! :) Those are good ideas for her, I may use one later on :) That's strange, because they're the three I don't really know that well. I like 21st century ninja and day of the departed.
Lots of you wanted me to put Harumi in this, so I'll see what I can do :)
"Sooo, what do these Elemental Tasers look like exactly?" Skylor asked Griffin, who sighed. This was the fifth of the girl's annoying questions so far. Griffin had always liked Skylor, but to be honest right now, she was being more annoying than Jay, more annoying than himself!
"Oh look, we're here!" He exclaimed, trying to make her shut up.
"So, what does it look like?" Skylor repeated. "Just curious!" When Griffin gave her a 'look'.
"No one knows." Zane said, coming up behind them. "Only Wu and Garmadon and their father. If you were that curious, you should have asked before we left."
Skylor rolled her eyes. "So we're here then." She said, changing the subject. "Where exactly is here?"
Griffin pointed. Ninjago City was built against a tall rise of mountains, the desert on two sides, forest on another, and some very tall and sloping mountains that framed a fifth of it in shadow, like it was doing now.
"It's up there?" Zane asked, a note of nerves in his voice. Griffin checked the map and nodded.
"Uh hu. Brace yourselves kids, we've got a lot of climbing to do!"
...
It seemed a strange arrangement at first. Two of the gang's strongest members and one of it's most ferocious fighters, only she was recently stilled over the news of her boyfriend's death, but nevertheless, in a team.
But Cole had figured it out. This area of the city was most likely to contain Skulkin. He was the strongest of the teenagers and their best fighter now Kai was gone. Shade was easily the most capable and strong willed of the adults and it seemed sensible for an old friend to be consoling Chamille. Cole admired how this scheme had been put together. He had thought the grouping was random, but Wu and Dareth had obviously thought about it a lot. Skylor seemed rather excitable and may be able to stray the less level headed Griffin Turner from task, but they made a very good team, so what better arrangement than to send the most serious of the teens to accompany them. And Jay and Nya got on very well, but Nya was still inexperienced, and Tox was a professional. And two women would likely put Jay in his place. Yep, very clever on their part.
Shade stopped to check the map.
"OK, according to this, Cole should be stood on it." He said. Cole looked down on instinct. Nothing there.
"Which means it should be buried." Chamille stated. Shade nodded.
"But unless this path has been replaced any time in the past ten years, which it hasn't, this stone is far too thick to dig through.
"Which means..." Cole trailed off as the realisation hit him. "No!"
"Yes." Shade said grimly. All three of them turned to look at a grate, ten yards down, which lead into the city's sewage.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
...
"So that is Borg tower." Jay stated. "AWESOME!" The other two looked at him. "What? I happen to be a huge fan!"
"Remember, we're here for the Taser, not an autograph." Tox reminded him, and Jay rolled his eyes.
"Whatever you say, boss."
Nya stifled a laugh. Jay was growing on her spectacularly fast. They had chatted a bit on the way here, and he had seemed kind of embarrassed to admit he had been raised on a junk yard. Nya had quickly consoled him with stories of her childhood, raised in poverty, always cared for by her older brother. She tried not to tear up.
"Damn, Kai didn't tell us much, just that his parents abandoned him and his sister when he was young. You sure had it worse than I did!"
Jay always seemed to know what to say to take her mind off Kai's death. He had that certain excitable magic about him that was so different from Kai's fierce protectiveness, though it was evident he would take care of her just the same. Too bad though. Nya needed to take care of herself for a bit.
"So, how will we get inside?" She asked Tox, who squinted at the entrance. The three of them were concealed behind trash cans, observing the entrance. "There's security cameras everywhere!"
"I suppose we'll have to smuggle ourselves in."
"Oh yeah!" Jay grinned. "Disguise time!"
A bus pulled up outside the tower. A security guard came up to them.
"Sorry mate, can't park here."
"Come on, it's a school trip. I got two dozen nightmares of teenagers in the back of this and they're driving me nuts."
"High school? I got told it was kindergarten coming today!" The man groaned. "Nevertheless, can't drop 'em off here. Park round the block."
The bus drove off.
"You know what." Tox gave a sly smile. "I may just have an idea."
...
Zane was breathless from the climbing, but knew they were nowhere near their destination. The map was leading them right to the top, the snowiest, steepest peaks, damn it Kai's parents! Right now, they had only climbed a quarter, and it was already dangerous.
"You think they couldn't have put the damn thing a little closer to home?" Skylor panted as she arrived next to Zane who was waiting for the others to catch up. "I mean, I'm freezing!"
"Cold doesn't bother me." Zane said stiffly. "It's the heat I'm not too fond of."
"The cold never bothered me anyway!" Skylor sang. (why Frozen why?!) "Where's Griffin got to though?" She leaned over the peak where they were resting. "Hey Griffin, you alright down there?" She called.
"Could be worse!" Griffin joked from ten feet below them. "But really, I think we should turn back. Come back with better gear and more people."
"No way!" Skylor and Zane said at once.
"We've come so far, and I'm not going back without that weapon!" Skylor exclaimed.
"Plus we're not too far from the Taser anyway." Zane said hopefully. "As we adjust, the climb will get easier and will seem less cold."
"Is that a fact."
"I think I read it somewhere." Zane knew exactly where he had read it, a book that contained no sense whatsoever. What they were doing was mad, but like Skylor, Zane wasn't going back to base without the Taser.
"You kids are insane!" Griffin exclaimed. "Well wait there, I'm just com- argh!" He gave a yelp and disappeared.
...
"Shit shit shit." Chamille muttered. "I am freaking covered in shit."
"The more you talk about it, the worse the situation seems to get." Shade muttered. "Just shut up."
"Yeah, I can literally feel the infections crawling up my legs." Cole muttered as the three of them waded through the stinking sewage, thigh deep. He tried not to think about all the germs he could get from what went down a toilet. And the smell, oh gosh, T-shirt over his nose and mouth was failing him. Cole shut his eyes (it was so dark it didn't really matter much) and thought of the deodorant can the three boys shared, so low on it's sweet smelling liquid. And the leaky old shower in the bathroom that never ran hot water for more than five seconds. And the kitchen, with it's mould growing on the ceiling, but nevertheless, the smell of Nya's fresh bread could always shine through. The bread was disgusting. But all that seemed like paradise now.
"OK, taser should be around here somewhere." Shade stopped them, pulling out a flashlight. He flicked it on. "Keep your eyes peeled."
Cole looked up, not wanting to see the source of the disgusting smell. His mouth opened wide and the T-shirt fell back around his neck. "Erm, guys."
They followed his gaze.
"No." Shade said flatly.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!"
A walkway ran from one end of the sewage tunnel to the other, well within reach, not something to eat dinner off, but it seemed like a bed in a five star hotel compared to their current path. But that wasn't all. A light switch. And worse of all, a ventilation system.
They looked at each other.
"Not a word about this to anyone." Shade said, and they all nodded in agreement.
...
The school trip headed into the building and the three nodded at each other. Jay and Nya had snuck onto the bus and stolen some spare garments of spare uniform, while Tox had neatened herself up the best she could and they had hidden their jackets in their bags. The three of them approached the security guard at the door.
"Hey, sorry, lagged behind the rest of the group." Tox smiled in the polite and flustered way a teacher might. "William here," She clamped her hand on Jay's shoulder, who tried to look sincere. "Left his mobile on the bus, and we had to go get it."
The security guard frowned. "I thought there was only meant to be twenty four kids today."
"Oh the number got changed, a few spots opened up. Didn't you hear?"
The guard sighed, but his shift was almost up and he wanted to go catch a movie with some of his mates. "OK, whatever babe. In you go."
"Thank you." Tox smiled, and ushered the kids inside, pretending to have a go at Jay. But they smiled, and followed the school group down a corridor, but broke off the moment they saw a lift.
"And up we go." Jay muttered. "Good work people."
"Thanks. I wasn't sure that would work!" Tox exclaimed as they pressed the button for the lift. The lift dinged as it arrived and they stepped forwards. Surely it couldn't be this easy, could it?
Of course it couldn't. Because there was already someone inside.
I was gonna finish this properly with the completion of their missions, but I thought, hey, what the heck, let's give those readers another delightful little cliffhanger ;)
But anyway, I'm back, my little brother gave us all colds and the weather was AWFUL on the way back, but I survived and I return. Hope you enjoyed :)