Chapter 29
Cole wasn't all sure his plan would work. And he wasn't all sure he wanted it to, either.
An internal countdown had persistently begun to click the moment they'd stepped into ECHO. How many breaths did he have left? How many more things would he be able to feel? He wasn't at all sure. He just knew they'd never be enough. He was not looking forward to being a ghost again.
But what other option was there? It wasn't as if they could let The Overlord win
Cole explained his plan to the others, ignoring the little selfish voice in the back of his mind that suggested they give up.
The Overlord would not let them get close. Even if they found a way to blind him, Cole had no doubt the entity had other ways to take in the world around him. Sneaking was out of the question. Or it would have been, if they hadn't happened to have a teammate that could flicker in and out of existence.
Lloyd's ability to see Cole worried him. He didn't know if it had all been due to the kid, or due to The Overlord himself. Still, it was worth a shot.
Kai and Nya worked together to create a thick mist. It allowed Cole to slip back into his ghostly figure without catching The Overlord's attention. Jay and Zane moved forward together. An android and a lightning rod. The perfect distraction.
Cole began to move. Although his steps were confident, fear rushed through him, expecting to be discovered at any moment.
He wasn't.
The Overlord lashed out, attacking Jay and Zane, lifting them off the ground with a victorious motion. Cole moved closer still. He was directly in The Overlord's line of sight now. But The Overlord's eyes could not see him.
Kai and Nya were next. Cole moved behind The Overlord. He would have to be fast. The moment he returned to his body, it wouldn't take long for him to be noticed.
"Enough games. I hope you see that there is nothing you can do against me."
Isn't there? Cole thought, flickering back into existence.
He willed his power to rush through him, then sent a wave of sharpened stone forward. With a confident smile, and a rush of adrenaline, he shouted the first thing that came to mind. "Boo!"
The stone destroyed the shadows. The others fell, The Overlord's power momentarily gone. They all stumbled to stand, their respective powers coating their arms.
"Now."
Together, they unleashed their abilities.
For a moment, the core resisted, remaining whole as the attack continued. Then, it began to shake, its light dimming and brightening at random intervals.
With an explosion that blew them all off their feet, the core broke apart.
When they landed atop ECHO, absolutely nothing happened.
Garmadon hopped down, his eyes scanning the empty roof. "Well. Not quite the welcome I was expecting."
"You said it," Ronin agreed, walking up beside him. "It's awfully quiet. And awfully . . . dark."
Ronin's words were true. Aside from the light that R.E.X.'s headlights offered, ECHO's building was shrouded in darkness. Garmadon tried the door. It opened without any sort of resistance. "Maybe the others found a way to get out. Maybe it's over."
"Maybe," Ronin said, without much conviction. "Or maybe it's a trap."
"Why would a trap be necessary? It's not like we're a threat."
"I like to think I'm a threat." Ronin shrugged, pretending to be offended as they trotted down the stairs. They reached the end, once against finding the door to the top floor unlocked. Ronin paused, staring at the sight before him before giving a low whistle. "Okay. Maybe I'm thinking it's not a trap."
The bodies of The Overlord's androids laid strewn about the floor. All powered down.
Ronin bent down to pick up one of the guns, studying it with satisfaction. "ECHO's been holding out on me."
Garmadon shook his head as Ronin offered him one of the weapons. "I'm not too comfortable handling that."
"Suit yourself," Ronin said, straightening. "Now what?"
"There are labs on this floor, and the floor beneath. I don't exactly know where The Overlord took the others. We should split up, see what we can find." Garmadon eyes shifted as he spoke. Where was Lloyd? What had happened? He was anxious for answers, and Ronin's relaxed attitude was beginning to rub him the wrong way. "You've got a way we can keep in touch?"
"Yeah. But I don't think splitting up is such a good idea. Things might seem okay but-"
Without letting Ronin finish, Garmadon took the small radio from his hand, then turned back toward the stairs.
It felt weird, wandering around the halls in ECHO. It was like stepping into the past. A different world altogether. He remembered fighting with Wu, always trying to upstage him, but never quite managing. Wu's brain had always been far more suited to science. Garmadon had despised being second best.
He remembered meeting Misako.
As he searched the building, his mind fell back to those blissful years, which now seemed extremely surreal. For a time, she had made him feel like he was enough. For a time, his rivalry with Wu hadn't mattered. For a time, Garmadon had been happy.
Then his father had decided to let Wu lead the company. Even after years had passed, Garmadon found he still felt a wave of resentment toward it all.
Garmadon, Ronin's radio crackled. Garmadon stopped, pulling it toward his ear to listen to the man's words.
"I found Borg," Ronin said. "Seems like he's finally working for the right team. He's going to take me to the others. You should focus on finding your kid. I'll help them carry out their plan."
Okay, Garmadon's voice answered. You have to destroy ECHO's old CPU. It's in my father's old office, in the third floor.
"Got it." Ronin moved to put the radio back up, but Garmadon's words stopped him.
Wait!
"Yeah?"
Don't destroy it until I give you the signal. I have to make sure Lloyd's wearing one of Borg's bracelets before you do it. It should keep him safe.
"Sure." Ronin shrugged. "Anything else I can do for you since, apparently, I now take requests?"
Instead of responding, the line fizzled as it disconnected.
"The bracelets will keep Lloyd stable? Fascinating. They may yet prove useful for other things." Borg nodded to himself, shoving the weapons he had been holding in his lap, onto Ronin's hands. Ronin took them begrudgingly. Being helpful got annoying quick. "Well, come on, there's no time to lose. Pixal said Lloyd exited the lab where the others are. Hopefully Garmadon will find him, before The Overlord can do more damage."
"Uh-huh," Ronin said, not really listening.
Lloyd felt The Overlord return.
For a moment, it was as if they both stood at a standstill, not quite knowing which of the two wills was stronger. With a newfound sense of confidence, Lloyd fought to push the entity away.
"Not so strong now, huh?" Lloyd smirked, glad to still be capable of speaking up.
"Still strong enough," The Overlord growled back, using Lloyd's arms to rip the helmet from his head. "The game's not over yet."
Lloyd struggled, but then thought better of it. If he saved his strength, maybe he could make a move when it truly mattered. He had to figure out what The Overlord was up to first. "So what are we doing?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," The Overlord hissed in response, but Lloyd caught his thoughts anyway. Need to find it. Keep it safe. But how to get out? The image of a blocky CPU flashed in Lloyd's mind. He didn't know what to do with the information, but he set it aside regardless.
They ran into the hall. The eerily silent hall. All the androids Lloyd spotted as they moved were powered down. Without The Overlord's connection, they were no more than empty husks. Lloyd hadn't been too fond of them, but seeing them that way made him feel a pang of sadness. How many of the androids could have done something good, if they were given the chance?
"What will happen to the others?" Lloyd asked, mind flashing back to his friends. If The Overlord had returned from wherever they'd gone, why hadn't they?
"Not my concern."
"I feel like it is your concern. If you don't want them to stop you," Lloyd muttered. It was increasingly satisfying to be able to talk. And even more so, to be able to actually annoy The Overlord.
The Overlord stopped Lloyd's body. Lloyd was suddenly bombarded with The Overlord's own anxieties. Should he go back? Should he keep going? He should have found a way to stop them from returning to their bodies, but what if it was too late now, and they had awakened? In that case, it would be safer to keep going.
With the inner monologue taking over his focus, The Overlord's unfocused eyes missed the entrance of a final player in the equation.
Lloyd, however, was all too aware.
"Dad!"
Anything else I can do for you, since, apparently, I now take requests?
Garmadon opened his mouth to remind Ronin of the severity of the situation. Before he could do so, a faint sound reached his ears. Footsteps. Then, to accompany them, the voice Garmadon most wanted to hear.
Although he couldn't discern the words, he moved toward them, eager for answers. Even when the footsteps stopped, he had a fairly good idea of where to go. Garmadon rounded a corner, almost melting with relief as he spotted Lloyd in the opposite end of the hall.
For a second, Lloyd's eyes were void of any emotion. Garmadon slowed, wondering if The Overlord was still a threat. Then, his son's eyes widened with a smile. "Dad!"
"Lloyd!" Garmadon shouted back in response, running forward now. Instead of rushing to meet him, however, Lloyd stood still. Garmadon spotted the pools of darkness crowding around him, and managed to skid to a stop. "Lloyd?"
"Your son is nothing more than a voice," The Overlord growled at him, eyes flashing with a purple light. "Move out of our way, old man."
"You're weak," Garmadon said. "Where are the others?"
"They're fine," Lloyd responded. "They did something! The Overlord's trying to find some old computer thing. I don't know what he-"
"Silence," The Overlord hissed, and all softness was suddenly erased from Lloyd's expression. His posture became defensive, shadows crawling up and around his skin. "You've helped me before, Garmadon. Why don't you lend me a hand once more? You've seen what I can do. You will not regret remaining on my good side.
"Ninjago treated you poorly. Surely you could do with a bit of revenge?"
"I don't want revenge," Garmadon replied, surprised to find it was the truth. "I want my son."
"Wrong answer."
The shadows shot forward, digging into Garmadon's mind.
"Lloyd's gone. No doubt The Overlord is still in his body. We need to get moving."
Cole spoke with confidence, helping the others out of the crystal capsules. Pixal had been kind enough to unlock them, but after the battle against The Overlord, they were all having a little trouble staying on their feet without support.
Their powers were weakening. Kai could feel it.
"Let's go find the weapons then," he said, trying hard not to think too hard about what he was losing.
"You mean these?"
The sudden voice startled them all. They turned to the door, automatically jumping into a defensive stance, elemental powers brewing at their fingertips.
But it was only Ronin, accompanied by Borg. He tossed the weapons in their direction. Kai's eyes narrowed as he bent to pick one up. "Yeah. These. What are you doing here?"
"Saving Ninjago, what about yourself?"
Kai rolled his eyes. He turned to Borg instead. "We need to find he office of Garmadon's dad."
"Yes. Yes, of course." Borg's eyes flickered to the machines for a moment, before he turned back into the hall. "And those weapons will truly destroy The Overlord? I can't imagine things would go well for any of us if we do not end this right here."
"That's the idea," Nya said.
"Well, let's hope it all goes well. Pixal, power up the elevators please."
Yes, sir, Pixal answered. The light above the elevator flickered to life. Seconds later, the doors slid open.
"Alright kids." Ronin waved them forward. "Let's go kill a demon."
Garmadon could feel The Overlord probing around in his mind.
Every memory The Overlord approached turned bitter. His mistakes outshone all other things, imprinting in his mind the fact that everything had been his fault.
Ninjago would fall apart because of the bitterness that had led him to free The Overlord. He'd ruined the kids' lives, forcing them to go through many things they shouldn't have ever been a part of. He should have tried harder to stop Wu, to stop ECHO. His actions had left Lloyd to fend for himself.
Garmadon tried to take a step back. Tried to break away from the darkened reflection of his actions. Instead, his weakened legs folded beneath him. Garmadon fell to his knees.
All those years inside Kryptarium. You grew acceptant. You did nothing. Garmadon was surprised to hear his own voice hissing in his mind, and not The Overlord's. You could have worked with your brother. But your silly grudge kept you from opening up.
You lost everything. Your son. Your wife. And what did you do about it?
This world would have been better off without you.
Garmadon's mind rushed back to the moment things had fallen apart. The Overlord's power followed him to the memory.
"You've never even given me a chance!" Garmadon shouted at a man's back. His father. "Why is Wu getting everything? I could do things better than he ever would."
"You will still help your brother. You can work together." His father's voice was calm. Always so, frustratingly calm. Garmadon despised it
"No. ECHO is supposed to be mine." Garmadon flinched at how childlike his words sounded, but he refused to take them back. He whirled around and ran.
The memory halted when he arrived at his father's old office. Garmadon felt The Overlord's presence slither away.
"Not much of a challenge." The Overlord scowled.
He began to walk past Garmadon, more confident now, in his success. The radio fizzled to life. The Overlord stopped, frowning down at it. All set here, Garmadon. You just give us the word.
"Who is that?" The Overlord pouted.
Instead of responding, Garmadon's hand shot up, gripping Lloyd's hand. He slipped the metal bracelet into his son's thin wrist.
"A lot of this is my fault, I'll agree, but as long as there's something I can do to help my son, I'm not throwing in the towel." Garmadon reached for the small radio Ronin had given him. "You guys are good to go. Let's end this."
Let's end this.
Garmadon's voice resounded clearly around the old office. With a nod, they all raised their weapons, aiming them at the old, half-forgotten CPU. A connection sparked as they aimed, each line of energy shining with a different color.
Jay's eyes flickered over to Cole. His friend had a determined expression on his face. That, and he'd begun to flicker in and out of existence. Cole had been right. By destroying The Overlord, he was destroying himself.
Well. Not if Jay could help it.
He took a step toward his friend, careful not to break the connection between his weapon and the aged machine.
Jay slipped his hand into his pocket, feeling for the bracelet. His bracelet. The real one, not the fake version he'd built to trick Garmadon. He tried not to feel too guilty. Lloyd would probably be just fine. Cole, on the other hand. . .
Jay was not going to let him fade.
Something wasn't right.
Lloyd fell back. Garmadon caught him, holding his shivering body close. The darkness around them shuddered, growing larger then shrinking into itself at a steady rhythm.
"Lloyd?" Garmadon asked. Lloyd didn't respond. His eyes were now shut, but there was movement beneath his eyelids. Garmadon's eyes moved to the bracelet, to the thing that was supposed to keep his son safe. It was slipping, doing nothing to prevent anything.
Garmadon nudged it further up Lloyd's arm. It made no difference at all.
"Isn't that-"
Jay didn't let Cole finish the question. He put the bracelet around his friend's wrist. Instantly, Cole's body returned to itself.
"Jay." Cole shook his head, but with one hand still in the weapon, he could not remove the bracelet. "This was supposed to be for Lloyd. Why did you-"
"Someone had to make the selfish decision for you." Jay shouted back, over the sound of crackling energy. "I don't regret it, either."
Before Cole could protest further, the machine before them broke apart.
Lloyd didn't know where he was.
Maybe he wasn't anywhere. It felt like he wasn't anywhere. He could see his own body, but apart from that, everything was shrouded in darkness.
The darkness itself didn't feel bad, at the very least. Its presence was somehow soothing, and Lloyd felt safer than he had in a long, long time. Which was good. He'd had more than enough of being in danger.
He took a couple of steps forward. The sound of his footsteps seemed familiar. Maybe he was somewhere after all.
"Darkley's?" Lloyd asked himself. The empty space sounded very much like the attic where everything had wound up falling downhill. Where The Overlord had shown the extent of its abilities for the very first time.
The moment that thought entered Lloyd's mind, the world around him defined itself. It was the attic. Sunlight drifted in through the sole window, giving the place a soothing feeling of warmth. A man sat by the window, his features shrouded in shadows that seemed to come from nowhere in particular.
"Oh. Hello?" Lloyd asked, frowning at the figure. "Who are you?"
"Ah, you would not recognize me, would you? I believe we did not quite have the chance to meet."
Lloyd frowned at the answer that was no answer at all. It reminded him too much of The Overlord's own dismissive responses.
"Well, to put it simply, I'm your grandfather." The man turned to face him. His features seemed both familiar, and not. "And I'm here to ask a very big favor of you."
"Oh. Well. Okay?"
"You did very well at dealing with The Overlord. I have to say, I'm extremely proud."
"Why?" Lloyd frowned. "He won. In the end. I couldn't do anything about it."
"Truly?" His grandfather seemed to find Lloyd's statement funny. "You kept him in check for as long as you could. You inspired the others to rise up and fight. You gave your father the strength he needed to keep going. You did much more than you think Lloyd."
Lloyd couldn't say he agreed. Sure, he'd brought the others together, but they had still been the ones to end what his weakness had started. If it had ended at all. "Wait. Is it over? Is The Overlord gone? Is everyone okay? Why am I here?"
"So many questions. And I don't quite have time to answer them all. So I will stick to what is important." His grandfather looked back out the window. "The Overlord has left your body, yes. You are free. But he is not gone for good. You see, Lloyd, light and darkness will always co-exist. The Overlord will never truly leave. Not as long as there are those who lean into the more negative aspects of humanity.
"That's where the favor I want to ask of you comes in."
Lloyd waited.
"I need you to do your best to fight against people's darkness. It is a never ending battle, but you are more than familiar with that concept, aren't you?"
Lloyd nodded. Having The Overlord inside his mind had teached him what it was to constantly fight back.
"You must make sure to give the people of Ninjago hope. You have a very powerful light inside of you, Lloyd. You must share it with others, and never let it fade. In that way, The Overlord will never be able to fully return."
Lloyd didn't know if he really understood, but either way, he nodded.
"I know you will do good." The room around them began to fade again. "Never forget, you are far more powerful than you realize."
"I won't." Lloyd spoke up at last. His voice sounded different to him, somehow. Deeper. Older? Before Lloyd could come up with a proper answer, he was pulled back into a gentle darkness.
