Did the cliffhanger last chapter get ya? ;} Probably did, considering how long I've been gone. Don't worry, the next chapter WILL come out much sooner.

Review Replies:

FFF: I think we both have a habit of doing the exact opposite. :P

TheAmberShadow: Bad? Yes, yes it is. Yeah, and I did find that peculiar as well. How was the Overlord suddenly immune to Golden Power in Rebooted, when it was previously used to defeat him? Made no sense, so I made it make sense. :P

GLACIER: Yep. ;)

Rosa: It can only get worse before it gets better. And I'll have to check that out. ;)

Zena: I couldn't agree with you more.

Alexandria: I'm sorry, but I'm not accepting anymore OCs. In the sequel to this though (which will hopefully come out early next year), I will definitely add them in.

CrazyRedmanelion: I'm glad that you're enjoying! Sorry for the long wait!

Guest: Your wish is yours to keep. ;)

The Resistance was a lot bigger than Kai had thought.

In scale, The Resistance was GIGANTIC. With many, many building of every shape and size under its belt, just the headquarters alone was spread out over a span of at least two miles. A chain of structures all interconnected, some sturdier than others, but all still serving the same primary purpose; shelter. Shelter from the conditions, shelter from the outside world, and most importantly; shelter from the enemy. Like it or not, the Overlord was a serious threat. Lloyd had said so.

But had Ashlynn been mind-controlling Lloyd when he had said those exact words? Using his own native tongue? She had done the same to Kai, not just influencing his actions, but executing them. She had made Kai turn on his brothers, and his biological sister. His one and only sister, younger than him and his duty to protect her at all costs.

What if something had happened to her in Stiix? What if something had gone wrong? What if they needed their help but couldn't reach them? He had heard rumors of the city built over water having bad service with any type of communicational devices, especially cell phones due to its remote location. And water. Kai physically shuddered at the thought. Ugh. He hated it. It was fire's true weakness. It made him feel powerless.

And the fire ninja did not like feeling powerless. Not one bit. That was something he just couldn't stand. Something that caused his small capacity of whatever patience he had to diminish, which wasn't very much in the first place.

In front of him, Vivia kept up a brisk pace, passing by a variety of elemental masters. One a man with a burgundy turban wrapped around his head and floating in the air with both hands held up in a meditation position, and on the ground below was an elemental master who Kai couldn't quite see as they kept going up in gray wisps of smoke. There were a few others, including a bearded man holding a bo staff of sorts, somehow causing plants to sprout up from the cracked cement within zones where sunlight showed through the missing panels of the ceiling, and another a lonely man with an Afro strumming the strings on a sitar in one corner. Wow. Definitely an interesting gathering of people here.

As to answer Kai's internal questions before he had time to ask, Vivia slowed and pointed to the four elemental masters, who were each engaged in their own activities. "The one levitating is Gravis, master of gravity, Ash is the living smoke grenade, Bolobo is some sort of greenhouse magician, and then there's Jacob, master of sound. He is blind, and uses echolocation to get around," the mistress of darkness stated, a smile worn proud on her face. She gave the four a brief wave, and without even waiting for any of them to return it, continued along. There was far too much to cover in far too little time.

Yet Kai's mind was elsewhere, constantly drifting back to the mysterious redhead they had encountered in the first building they were taken to. Somewhere deep inside Kai was hoping they could return to the first warehouse they had visited, just to see Skylor once more. His thoughts always seemed to revolve around her unique beauty and her petite features, but most of all- her eyes. Oh, there weren't enough words to describe how beautiful her eyes were. They were such an amazing color, a deep forest green, toward the center a subtle shade or so darker, with tiny specks of brown here and there.

"Hello? Is lovey-dovey ready to return to reality yet?" The master of earth teased, effectively gaining the red ninja's full attention. Kai shot him a fiery glare, something he did best, and Cole chuckled.

"You're a hypocrite, you know that? A real hypocrite," Kai remarked, and Jay too struggled to stifle back his laughter. Cole nudged the both of them rather roughly.

"Alright, alright, I get it. Kai just needs a little wake-up call. Jay?" Cole looked to the redhead, but he was already on it. Without warning, the lightning master grabbed Kai's wrist and sent a jolt of electricity up his arm.

"Ow! What'd you do that for?!" the brunette snarled, reaching for Jay to teach him a lesson of his own, but the blue ninja was already too far out of range. Fists trembling, the master of fire tried his best to detain his fire, yet it still flickered from between his compressed fingers.

Not only did it cause Jay to keep his distance, it also brought upon unwanted attention. Vivia peered over her shoulder after catching a whiff of smoke, and least to say—she was not impressed. Snapping her fingers, she summoned a flame of her own—a darkness infused one at that—and flicked it back over her shoulder like a match. Before the ninja knew what was happening, they had already caught fire, and were flailing to put out the blaze. Vivia only cackled and their antics, yet paid them no heed nor offered any help. It was their own problem, and their own problem alone to deal with. She wouldn't meddle in their affairs.

Cole noticed her laughing, and felt his heart do a dip. My, did she have a lovely laugh. A slightly maniacal one at that, yet still pleasing to the ear. Something he wanted to hear many times to come. Though a a few blunt jabs to his shoulder drew him back to reality.

"Do you want me to put that out?" It was Kai who had asked, his clothing mildly burnt and charred black in some places. He had taken most of the damage, so it seemed.

"What?" Cole asked, dumbfounded by the question.

With and eye-roll, Kai bleakly gestured to his smoldering sweatshirt. "You're on fire."

"Oh- Wait, what?!" the black ninja immediately began to pat all over his body, straining to reach behind his back in places he normally couldn't touch. Desperately so, Kai waited until his brother had made a complete and total fool out of himself before stepping forward and putting it out himself.

"You guys are quite something…" Vivia mused from her standpoint a few feet ahead, her hands resting on her hips. "Definitely something…" she finished, watching as the fire master easily put out the last of the flames.

"Wha- Hey! You're the one that started us on fire in the first place!" Jay protested, pointing an accusatory index finger in her direction. The mistress of darkness, however, ignored him.

"Moving on!—"

"Master Vivia! There is trouble in Ninjago City Square!" an unfamiliar, feminine voice echoed throughout the compound, accompanied by the thudding of footsteps. Both the ninja's and Vivia's eyes traveled to the source of the sound, only to see a woman with long black hair and indigo eyes, a man with a peculiar, red sedge hat, Nya, and P.I.X.A.L running toward them.

Vivia's eyebrows knitted together, her arms moving from her hips and settling in a crossed position. "What? What do you mean, 'trouble?'"she called out to the four, who were slowing down to join them. Other elemental masters began to crowd around as well, all eager to hear the juicy news.

"Nindroids. Stone Warriors. And many of them," Violet rushed out, apprehensive and out of breath. "They were spotted less than two minutes ago, and it appears they are headed for Borg Industries. The reason why, though, is past me—"

"The Golden Armor. It's hidden there," Kai interrupted, his expression grave. "Lloyd mentioned something about the Overlord having knowledge of its location. If it's because of that, we have to act fast. Like, now."

"Hold up, the Overlord knows of the Armor's location?" Ronin spoke up, as flabbergasted as everyone else. "You're kidding me."

"I'm afraid not. What he's saying is true," P.I.X.A.L confirmed, entering the conversation. "Though I can't say that is the actual reason why his forces are invading the city. In fact, I could come up with a plethora of reasons. Perhaps this is just a scare?—"

"No, that's not how my father operates. This has to be the real deal," Vivia interjected, her gaze becoming dangerously thin. "That, or he's got something much bigger left up his sleeve. Either way, whatever it is can't be good."

"Vivia's right, we can't just sit by and let whatever his plan is happen. Something needs to be done now, today, not tomorrow or the next day. We must do all in our power in order to stop them, for better or for worse. I don't care who's with me or not, but I'm going out there," Kai scanned the masses, scoping out protestors with steady eyes. But when no one had the courage or audacity to talk back, he stated, "And none of you can stop me."

"C'mon guys, who here's the leader?" Came a voice from up above in the rafters, and everyone's gazes instantly shifted upward. It was none other than Skylor. Almost immediately, Kai's determined demeanor fell away, leaving him to stare up at her with his mouth open half-wide. Really? Now she decides to show up?

There came a drone of murmurs from each The Resistance members, yet it was clear what they had said. Vivia. Vivia was their leader, not Kai. He was just there as a guest, an affiliate, nothing more. There was no reason for them to listen to him—like they would anyways—but it was still worth a try

"See? So I say we listen to our leader," the redhead simply agreed, somersaulting from her perch and landing in a barrel-roll at the ninja's feet. Kai couldn't help but gawk down at her. Now who did she think she was? Kai was just making a suggestion, not challenging Vivia's authority.

But when Skylor smirked and winked up at him, it took all he had in order to contain himself. His blood began to boil, eyebrow beginning to twitch, yet he held it all in. Every. Last. Ounce. How easy it would be to blow-up right here and now, though that would only further prove her point.

And Kai did not want to do that either.

"So what's the plan? We've gotta do something," Jay broke in, his voice scratchy, seemingly nervous. Shaking her head, the mistress of darkness rightened herself—standing a little taller, clearing her throat—before diving straight into battle tactic. Her audience listened closely, absorbing every last detail as her strong, powerful voice resonated throughout the spacious warehouse.

Once she had finished prepping her army of elemental masters, who were now whooping and clapping each other on the back or doing something else or the sort, she turned back to the ninja. It had already been decided that they'd be taking up the forefront positions, each of them having a following of Resistance members. Ronin and Violet were to take to the skies, while Nya and P.I.X.A.L were assigned to the rooftops for scouting purposes. It was almost a flawless plan, something that Cole found shocking, as he couldn't believe how well Vivia could craft such a plan within the short amount of time it had taken her. In anticipation, he awaited her next few words.

Surprisingly, what she said then had nothing to do with their battle plan. "If you guys don't mind me asking, where is the green ninja? I thought for sure he'd be accompanying you three," Vivia asked, her visage one of concern. Cole's brows furrowed in mild puzzlement. Why would she be concerned? Did she know something that they didn't?

"He had other places to be," Kai answered quickly, already done with this discussion. Huh. So now Kai was beating around the bush. He didn't completely trust her either, from the looks of it. No surprise there. The red ninja was always a skeptic.

But Vivia wasn't taking no for an answer. "And those places would be?"

"None of your business," Kai snapped, before putting his feet heel-before-toe and swiveling in the opposite direction. Cole and Jay gaped at their brother as he stormed out of the room, off and gone around the corner. What was he doing now? She hadn't given them their groups yet.

Vivia groaned, scrubbing a hand down her face. "Is he always this difficult?" she questioned hopelessly, seeking out the attention of the remaining two ninja.

Cole perked up, realizing that she was talking to them. "Unfortunately, yes," he responded, but sheepishly so. What? Since when was he sheepish? He was the earth ninja for crying out loud! Rock-solid! Unwavering! Not sheepish!

"I'll go get him," Nya—wait, no—Skylor was the one that had spoken, not the Samurai. Why was she offering to get him?

Vivia's unamused gaze moved to Skylor's. "Hurry along, then. Go on, time is at the essence," she waved off the redhead, who took her urgency as a sign to leave.

"So who's Karloff partnered with?" Came a gruff voice, presumably Karloff himself.

"Cole. You're partnered with Karloff, as well as Shade, Bolobo, and Tokikita," Vivia replied curtly, averting her attention to the blue ninja. "Jay, you're with Chamille, Jacob, Gravis, and speedster Turner. Kai's supposed to be with smoke-grenade Ash, Skylor, Neuro, and Crystal when he gets back here. I'll also be in charge of a group of my own, consisting of Michi Tetsuhara, master of crystals, and everyone else that wasn't called. Understood? Because if not you're getting left behind," the mistress of darkness stated, hands planted firmly on her hips. Nobody dared to object, except for the latter.

"May you excuse me for asking, but what about your sister Ashlynn? Will she be joining us in battle?" Michi Tetsuhara—a girl with long white hair and cool blue eyes—asked from the back, raising her hand in order to be seen past the rest of the assembly.

A pained expression crossed Vivia's features, immediately replaced by that of a wry smile. "N-No, not this time. She has better places to be."

Cole frowned. Perhaps Kai was getting at something. Maybe Vivia really was two-faced. Or maybe there was another reason behind her strange behavior.

But he didn't have time to get to the bottom of that one. Before Cole knew what was happening, he was already surrounded by his groupmates, who were already getting acquainted with one another before going out on the scene.

Yet he couldn't help but wonder what was truly going on. Nothing made sense anymore.

Not even his own emotions.

NinjaChief547

Kai wasn't happy. Not at all. He was fuming. Burning on the inside. A fire caged within his soul.

And he did not like it. Not one bit. The urge to punch something—was nearly uncontrollable. It took all he had to hold it in. His will, his mind, heart and soul. Everything he had.

Ultimately, he knew it'd be futile. He'd have to let it out somehow, lest he lose his temper and potentially lash out and the wrong person. Ever since Ashlynn's mind-control, he'd become more irritable. His temper—unpredictable. He was a loose cannon, and anyone caught in the crossfire…let's just say it wouldn't end very well for them.

Sighing, the master of fire leaned against the wall behind him, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyesockets. He just needed to break something, he'd decided. Nothing more. Then the anger would go away, right?

"Your jets cooled yet, Mr. hot-pants?"

Nope. Not a chance.

Kai fought the urge to swing at the person who had interrupted him, but something internally stopped him. He knew that voice.

"Not the talkative type, I see—"

"Oh, I can talk," Kai removed his hands, on the very last straw. "I am perfectly capable of speaking, thank you very much—"

"Now you hold it right there, mister. I didn't come here to get my head bitten off. I came here to fetch the master of fire," Skylor stated firmly, yet took a moment to scan him up and down. "By the way, do you know where I can find him? Because you are most certainly not him."

The red ninja scoffed harshly, his amber gaze meeting hers of hazel green. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Now hurry up. The others are waiting," Skylor gestured over her shoulder toward the doorway, and Kai frowned. "Well, what are you waiting for? You yourself said that we can't just sit around and hope for the best. I'm on your team, as well as Ash, Neuro, and Crystal. The faster you get there, the more time we have for introductions. Otherwise I will gladly take over—"

"Fine," Kai narrowed his eyes, then pushed himself away from the wall. "But don't you get in my way," he shot her a deadly glare as he passed by, heading for the exit.

"Oh trust me—I won't. I'm more worried about you," Skylor replied sarcastically, starting after him. Soon they were gone, the light pitter-patter of their footsteps falling into rhythm as they moved further and further away.

It was most certainly going to be a long day.

Oh crap. Looks like the ninja have a problem of their own to deal with.

NinjaChief547...

OUT!