Discovering Destiny

Time for another update! This time, we'll take a peek at life with the Walkers (which could make a good sitcom title), some more interactions while the ninja try sprucing up their base, & stick around for the big doozy at the end! Read on!

Chapter 34: Pimp My Base

Today may be the first time the Secret Ninja Force were looking forward to meeting up at the hideout for another reason besides training, chatting, or in Lloyd's case, building mechs. As boring as it was to keep reading that stupid Ninjology book, they were willing to put up with it until it's break time. Soon, the moment they've been waiting for arrived. From this day forth, the ninja's secret base will become more than a simple hideout. It'll become something of a safe haven where they can be free to be who they are, away from any prejudice and judgement from school peers and even family.

"What do you think we should add to the base?" Jay asked, examining the mostly empty space. He did like the idea of adding more things but he didn't think his teammates would like their stronghold to be filled with nothing but tools and gadgets only a tech geek like him would like.

"We could put up a TV," Kai suggested, "Ever since I joined the Secret Ninja Force, I missed a bunch of shows I usually like to watch."

"And it will also be an efficient way to be informed of Garmadon's attacks." Zane agreed.

"But that means we'll have to buy a new one. We won't be able to do that without our parents finding out." Luna pointed out.

"I have a bunch of TVs at my house. I could bring one of them over here if you want." Jay offered.

"Why would you have all that stuff?" Heather inquired the blue ninja.

"Whenever my parents buy a new TV, computer, phone, or any of that stuff, we save the old ones for spare parts. My family are inventors so we're always coming up with new gadgets and we usually end up needing some extra equipment.

"Wouldn't your old TVs be busted or too old to use?" Cole asked.

"And what if none of them are intact?" The cynical Lloyd still doubted the lightning ninja could bring a TV to the lair though no more than getting it to work.

"I could fix one up once I find a way to bring it here," Jay still insisted, "If my parents were able to find a way to make espresso with old socks, then I could give it a shot."

The other ninja and kunoichi had no idea what to make of the blue ninja's strange comparison. Some stories are better left unheard and this could very well be one of them.

"Looks like Jay's in charge of the TV. Now what else could we add to the base?" Iris turned to the rest of the ninja for ideas.

"As long as we could play games on the TV, I don't really know what else we could add to this place..." Lloyd replied.

"It's time to resume training." Master Wu popped up to remind his pupils of their main task.

Looks like any further plans for their base will have to wait...

In the Walker family household, it's nigh impossible to look anywhere without seeing a gadget of any sort, from the conventional to the unusual. The Walkers had an affinity for inventing things that went way back to the early days of Ninjago. Adding Jay's great-grandfather coming from the technologically advanced Parsa, the Walker family's penchant for engineering and machinery only became stronger.

Some would expect the Walker family to be wealthy but in contrast to their extensive knowledge and skills with machinery, their lineage never experienced any period of great wealth. They've always lived a humble lifestyle away from their inventions but that was how everyone in the family lived their lives and they couldn't have it any other way. Even Jay, while he still yearned to be part of the more socially adept cliques in school, wouldn't want to trade his modest home life for anything. Even if they can be embarrassing, he still loved his parents and wouldn't trade them for anyone else.

"So Jay, have you been doing any big projects lately?" Ed asked his son during dinner.

Jay now started to regret volunteering to bring a TV to the ninja's base. His parents were way smarter than everyone else in Ninjago City would believe. They could figure out things much faster than most people and they might discover his secret even before he knows it.

"Um… would it be okay if I take one of the old TV to the docks of the city?" Jay finally asked after many moments of nerve-wracking silence.

"Why would you be taking something like that to such a place?" Edna was aware of her family's strong association with inventing but couldn't help but wonder why her son made such specific details. Once he had his inventor side in him provoked, he would start working where he stood, no matter what.

The lightning ninja quivered, unsure how to answer without arousing his parents' suspicion.

"Uh… my friends… want to do some experiments… and they're gonna need a TV…" The timid boy said with frequent moments of silence between his words. He can already tell his parents were suspicious. He may be shy in public but with his parents, his mouth could go a mile a minute with no end in sight. If he had trouble talking to them, then something was wrong… very wrong…

"Jay..." Edna stared at her son with scrutinizing eyes… "Did you humiliate yourself at school? None of your pants were dirty when I put them in the laundry -"

"MOM!"

As loving as they were, Jay's parents had the unfortunate habit of always embarrassing their son, even when they were home. Their son's freckled face was redder than Garmadon's eyes while he sank into his seat. However, he still has yet to answer their questions.

"What exactly are you planning to do?" Ed asked again.

"I-it's something my friends really want to do… and I just want to help out..." Jay replied sheepishly.

"But why would you be doing experiments at the docks?" His parents continued questioning him.

"My friends happen to like doing their thing there. Kinda like how you sometimes go to the beach and collect seashells, Mom." Their son pointed out.

"You do have a point..." Edna relented for a moment.

"You know us Walkers can never turn down an opportunity to come up with something original out of things many people would call useless. We still haven't taken anything out of the last TV and I think it could still work. Even if your friends know what they're doing, they're lucky to have a friend like you." Ed also seemed to accept his son's answer.

"You're really gonna help bring it to the docks?" Jay was surprised by his parents' acceptance.

"Sure. I have plenty of time tomorrow. Now what time should I bring it over?" Ed offered.

"I'd say the sooner, the better."

"Then we'll take it there first thing in the morning."

Jay sighed in relief, his secret safe (for the moment). He was truly grateful that tomorrow is a Saturday.

It was morning at the docks when Jay and his father arrived and unloaded their previous TV from the family's gaudy car.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Ed asked, wanting to make sure his son and his friends knew what they were getting themselves into. The Walker family understood much better than anyone else that one can only come so far through much trial and error. It naturally came with being inventors.

"Don't worry," His son answered, "As long as it won't be as disastrous as that time I attempted to bake that Mother's Day cake in the drying machine, I can handle this."

"Good luck and don't set any of your clothes on fire!" Ed drove off but not without passing up one last chance to embarrass his son.

"DAD!"

Even with his dad gone, Jay still had someone else to help him...

"Hello, friend." Zane literally slid up next to the blue ninja, startling him.

"Don't do that!" Jay cried.

"I have come to offer assistance as you had asked me to this morning." The android stepped in to help his teammate.

The pair carefully carried the TV all the way to the ninja's base. Fortunately, the warehouse had more than a few electrical outlets inside and the plug managed to fit. Jay turned on the TV with the remote control he was grateful his father also brought to the docks. The screen was a bit fuzzy but the young Walker wasn't new to working with TVs.

"Zane, fetch me some tools. We got a lot of work to do." Jay goaded his teammate to prepare for what may be one of his biggest engineering feats yet.

Along with Zane, who shared the extensive knowledge and wisdom of his father, Jay went straight to work on the TV. The blue ninja's timid disposition seemingly vanished and in the shy boy's place was a brilliant inventor in the making, working to make his ideas become a reality. Even the often naive Zane caught on to how different Jay behaved when he was concentrating on any type of work that involved machines and technology. The way this part of the blue ninja emerged was not dissimilar to lightning flashing every now and then during a dark storm. Master Wu's wisdom seemed to grant him with the ability to see what can't be seen by the naked eye. Maybe Jay does have potential to be a ninja...

Luna enjoyed spending her weekends walking Lorelei through the streets of Ninjago City. Sometimes, she would get caught up in her sense of satisfaction that she ended up walking for hours. Maybe she should be thankful those training sessions improved her stamina, even if she's still far from becoming a master of the sai.

Even if it wasn't time for the ninja to train yet, there was something else that lured the purple kunoichi to their hideout. Varjo stayed near the warehouse ever since the ninja found her and while Master Wu never voiced any approval of having her around, he didn't seem to have anything against it either. He seemed to have simply come to terms with it and at least Varjo was never a bother. All the ninja have fed the stray dog some food they had lying around their houses but it was mostly Luna and Zane who took care of Varjo, not that they were complaining. Luna, being a dog person, had a bit of a soft spot for the scruffy critter.

This will be the first time Lorelei and Varjo meet. She was aware of how risky it was. Some dogs were friendly and others… not so much. Lorelei never had any issues with aggression but it wasn't often she got up close and personal with other dogs.

Lorelei's ears flattened with caution as she sniffed the strange dog. Varjo crouched in submission and let the German Shepherd inspect her. The two dogs thoroughly sniffed one another and not once did Lorelei show any signs of hostility. She kept her distance after sniffing Varjo but didn't growl and Luna sighed with relief.

"It's almost amusing how even the simplest of creatures can learn to see each other for who they are while some humans never do." An elderly voice interrupted the scene.

Luna was taken by surprise by the voice of her mentor. At the entrance of the warehouse was Master Wu seated in a meditative position with a cup of tea in hand.

"M-Master Wu…!" The kunoichi of sound felt her heart nearly fly out of her chest.

"It will be a long time before you must return here as the kunoichi of sound. What brings you here for the moment?"

The shy girl hesitated, having no idea how to answer. She felt compelled to come here and her duties as a member of the Secret Ninja Force had nothing to do with it. This was the first time she came here for her own reasons, even if it was still for the sake of another…

"You don't need to respond," Wu somehow knew that Luna couldn't think of an answer, "You may not think it now but you are more than even you believe you are."

"N-no… I don't really have much going for me..."

"Your hopes and dreams are all yours but they are not all of you. There are other things you like, good and bad habits, and opinions over serious topics. All those are an important part of the real you. Your ambitions could change but not who you truly are. You also have more potential than you think. Being a kunoichi may help you find it."

Despite training for what could be months, Luna still had doubt in her heart if becoming the kunoichi of sound was the right decision to make. Master Wu sensed her ambivalence and understood her. He made decisions he can never back out on and those he still regrets to this day. Luna may need a lot of help but her mentor was willing to give it to her. He's been through a lot and training a bunch of teens won't be much compared to many of the things he had seen. Sometimes, the seemingly impossible have come to pass and he was ready for anything...

It was yet another day at Ninjago High for the ninja, which still gave them a lot of opportunities to get to know more about one another, such as today.

"Cole and Heather, you two shall work together as a pair." Mr. Borg paired the earth ninja and kunoichi of nature together for today's experiment over the various reactions of certain chemicals to heat."

Heather didn't mind working with Cole but she guessed that was because she didn't know a whole lot about him. All she knew about the laid-back young man was that he enjoyed music… very loud music. She considered starting a conversation but didn't want to be rude while the earth ninja didn't seem all that interested in doing the same, listening to some soft rock with his headphones.

"Are you two having any trouble?" Mr. Borg questioned the pair, noticing that they were doing nothing but stand around.

"N-not at all..." Heather had to answer for both of them. Luckily, it brought Cole out of his trance.

Once Cole was focused on any task, he won't stop until it's done. He always did, even before he heard of the Secret Ninja Force. He passed the one of the test tubes to Heather, who still seemed annoyed at him for some reason. She held one of the vials over the Bunsen burner but nothing happened. Several moments passed and still nothing. Heather furrowed her brow and clicked her tongue in frustration.

"Heather." Cole interrupted her task.

"What?" The kunoichi of nature hissed at her teammate with aggravation.

"You forgot to turn on the Bunsen burner." The earth ninja pointed at the tool which was off, not one bit unnerved by his partner's growing vexation.

The flower-loving girl felt her face go red with embarrassment. She had a bad habit of forgetting even the most important steps whenever she lost her cool, as well as losing it over such trivial matters. She had a surprisingly short temper for someone with a reputation for being polite and demure. She may not be as bad as Kai (or she hoped she was) but she knew she could use some work on controlling her emotions but like everything else, it's easier said than done. At least Cole seemed to have patience as his face never showed any signs of frustration or disapproval.

"Heather, we gotta write everything in the experiment down." Cole had to remind the teal kunoichi of reality yet again.

After seeing how Kai gets, Cole took Heather's temperamental quirks in stride. He did want to help her just like with everybody else. Right now, it seemed like he had to keep his teammate from letting her temper get the better of her and keep her mind focused on their task. After all, it's the solid earth that keeps trees and any kind of plants rooted to the ground. What this could mean for Heather and Cole, they had yet to truly understand, even though it matches up with the way the earth ninja had to deal with his teammate's temper. Time will tell if their elements' connection will mean anything for them...

Garmadon fumed in his office. He already (literally) fired more than a few General #1 failures. It seems that no matter what kind of mission he gave the Shark Army, they just can't do it. They may be pawns for the main baddie but he still expected them to have at least some competence in their duties. What he wanted besides conquering Ninjago was simple.

The dark lord knew he can't be around forever. No one can. Should something ever happen to him, he may need someone to carry out his legacy and he already found the right person. He knew who will be the one to succeed him the moment he first laid eyes on that person. The memory of holding him for the very first time was still fresh on his mind.

Koko claimed that because of his reputation, their son was bullied for practically his entire life. When he first heard what was happening to his one and only child, he felt a deep rage unlike any other. Sure, he was short-tempered and there were a lot of things that set him off like his his parents' son's pesky antics and the Shark Army's recent string of failures but the outrage he experienced the moment Koko told him of their son being bullied went beyond the anger that was already present within his soul.

'If we stayed together, then Luh-Loyd would've never been bullied...' Just when Garmadon's thoughts drifted towards his son, something else popped up in his head. It was an idea similar to his ambitions to conquer Ninjago but with another aspect added, much like adding a surprise ingredient to a recipe.

'No… This is different...'

The dark lord was struck with a brief fixation on not conquering Ninjago…

For a moment, he saw himself actually destroying the city and all its inhabitants out of revenge.

But revenge for what?

Was it for Lloyd… or for himself?

Garmadon may be determined to take over Ninjago City but he never had any real love for its people… aside from Koko, but that's all in the past. Luh-Loyd was now the only person in the city with even the slightest bit of value to him. As the only person to share the dark lord's blood besides that creepy old man his ignorant parents seemed to favor, only Luh-Loyd has what it takes to be considered a worthy successor… that is if he can bring him into his ranks. If what Koko said about him being bullied had any truth to it, then that's another reason for him to leave the city behind and join his father. But the main problem is how he can contact his son and convince him to join him.

He was in no mood to go out in public after that incident with Koko. He could still hack into the city's TV networks but it just won't be the same if everyone can see him. But there was still something else he could hack into and find a way to contact Luh-Loyd with little interference. He may have to do some things he didn't want to do but they won't take much away from his ultimate goal. He knew what his next move will be…

"Shark Army Tech Division, I have new orders for you." Lord Garmadon commanded...

The ninja were back to thinking of other things to add to their hideout. Jay and Zane were busy fixing the TV as their teammates were still thinking about what else they'll need.

"Sitting on the ground or these crappy cushions is so uncomfortable!" Aria complained.

"Once that TV is done, I would like to play some video games." Iris added.

'Jump up, kick back, whip around, and spin!'

'The Weekend Whip' started playing and no, it was not from that embarrassing video. Lloyd's ringtone was going off, catching the young ninja off guard. He took out his phone and never expected hi mother to call him at this hour. She somehow knew that her son wouldn't want to be bothered whenever he was out doing 'school projects' with his few friends. The green ninja grew concerned that something unsavory must've happened and his mind quickly drifted to his mother's safety.

"Mom! Did something happen?" The green ninja ran outside the base before answering in a flash.

"Lloyd, you haven't had any suspicious calls have you?" Koko asked from the device.

"Uh… no? Why?"

Back home, Koko hesitated for a moment. She knew this was the last thing her son would ever want to hear. Still, he had every right to know. He will find out the truth, even if she's been hiding it for years.

"It's about your father."

Lloyd's heart stopped at that very moment. His whole world black out, everyone and everything wiped out from existence in his mind. His mind was lost to a whirlwind of thoughts, emotions, and feelings. Among them he felt shock, anger, hatred, and… hope…?

The green ninja was even more disturbed by this sudden belief that he could finally find acceptance, except that he didn't want that from a terrible person, someone as terrible as… his father…

"W-what about him…?" The green-eyed outcast asked before he even realized it.

"He somehow managed to hack into the cellular network and got my number. He most likely got your number through mine. I'm sorry." Koko lamented.

Now everything Lloyd knew had fallen apart. His father had plenty of opportunities to give up his evil ambitions or at least check on his son and it's only now did he seem to plan to make any contact with him. That part of him that yearned for his father was still there but it was overwhelmed by his rage. If Garmadon truly cared for him, then why did he wait until now to have any presence in his life?

'How dare he show up now?'

Lloyd's fist shook and threatened the break his phone. There were many different things he wanted to do, particularly chucking his device into the ocean. His turmoil left him to do little else but stand there and let his rage fester. Even the other ninja knew they'll have to avoid him if want to keep their heads.

Lloyd stared at his phone and can only think of doing one thing…

Just when you think this story's just gonna drag, there's drama lurking right around the corner! Stay tuned as we see how Lloyd will take all this & what happened to Koko at the time.