"That's a whole lotta baddies." Cole breathed as the Bounty surged towards Kryptarium Prison.
"How is Chen even alive?" Kai demanded, his voice hoarse from lack of sleep. "Wasn't he on the-"
"Yes. Yes he was."
They could only assume a handful of ways he had escaped, but that hardly mattered at this point.
"Well look it who it is!" A painfully shrill voice echoed over loud speaker from below. "The pesky ninja who destroyed all our lives!"
The crowds roared from below and Nya stopped the bounty.
"This is far as we go. We can't risk them apprehending the Bounty and using it against us."
"Thanks, sis." Kai sighed. "Here goes nothing..."
"What's going on out there?" Lloyd asked. Lord Garmadon gave him an unamused look.
"It doesn't matter."
Lloyd let out a half pained half frustrated groan. His friends needed him, and all he could do was lay around lifelessly with a gaping wound in his side and shoulder. He had to get out of here... yesterday.
"You're a very frustrated young man."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Lloyd replied angrily. "My father's one of Ninjago's biggest villains, I created another one; and no matter how much good I do, there's always something new! It never makes any difference."
"Then why defend this pathetic city at all? Why not let it die?"
"Because they don't deserve it. It's not their fault that villains crawl from the shadows to destroy everything they've worked hard to build."
"But why do you have to he the one to save them? There's plenty of others who'd do it."
"Because it's my responsibility."
"Oh please!" Garmadon sneered. "It's only your responsibility because you make it your responsibility. You served your dues to fate years ago. You should quit."
"I'm too stubborn to quit."
"You think this is a joke?"
"No. But you must joking if you think I'm going to just... listen to you!"
"There's truth in words and-"
"And I will never abandon my friends if I can help it."
Garmadon realized arguing was useless. Both father and son seemed set in their ways.
"I think I see something." Dareth announced, peering intently through his binoculars at the window of room 118 below.
"Let me see those." Skylor snatched the binoculars away from the brown ninja to see for herself.
A bearded man was standing in front of the window, plopping a hat on his head and leaning against the frame. He seemed to be studying the ground level. That's when he stepped away.
"Is he leaving?" Skylor wondered aloud.
"Yes." Neuro said. "I can sense his mind from here...Though my access is heavily restricted. It appears he is going to learn more of the prison break at Kryptarium at a local bar."
"Is he alone?"
"I don't believe so. As I said, I'm too far away to get specifics."
"Well what're we waitin' for?" Tox slapped her fist into an open palm. "We got an openin!'
"Let's wait for him to leave first."
They watched as the bearded man emerged from the alley way, presumably using a back door. He had a duffle bag slung across his shoulder as he quickly scurried down the street.
"Now's our chance!" Dareth grinned.
"But what if Garmadon is there? None of us are equipped in any way to fight him."
"It's a risk we have to take." Skylor declared firmly.
"What if we had a distraction?"
"What are you thinking, Tox?" It was rare for the master of poison to contribute helpfully to a plan as far as the actual planning process went... but she had her moments.
"Weeeell"
Garmadon sat sharpening his swords. After Lloyd had stripped him of his power, Garmadon had gone back to using solid steel blades. It wasn't quite efficient, but what choice did the dark lord really have?
Sensei Garmadon was in the secret room, with Lloyd. He bounced back and forth between his son and his real self; but once again, his evil counterpart had chosen to pretend as if the old sensei didn't exist. Which in reality, he didn't.
He and his son weren't talking either, but not because of anger... no... this was a more companionable silence. It gave them time to mull over each other's words... Enjoy each other's presence... But that was when Garmadon felt a strange tingle in the back of his skull, well... more the real Garmadon's skull.
Because Sensei Garmadon was literally a figment of the mind, what would have gone unnoticed to the dark lord, was painfully obvious to the sensei.
Lloyd noticed his father still and turn his head slightly.
"Dad?"
Sensei Garmadon raised a finger. "I can't help you escape, Lloyd... But I think I may be able to help your friends find you."
Lloyd looked startled at that, eyes widening slightly. "How?"
"The master of mind, Neuro. I sense him near by. He's using his powers."
"Can you get his attention?" There was hope in Lloyd's voice, though faint and somewhat wary.
Sensei Garmadon stared at the floor in concentration, a resolute look on his face."I can try."
"So you want me to be bait." It wasn't a question... everyone knew the answer.
"Think you can handle it?" Tox asked skeptically. She had a mighty low opinion of the self proclaimed grand master; because quite frankly, he was a screw up.
Dareth didn't see things that way though. "Absolutely. The brown ninja never backs down from anything! I'll give Garmadon the what for!"
Neuro rolled his eyes and turned to face the apartment complex, but froze mid step. Standing there on their roof was a ghostly apparition. Not just any ghostly apparition, but Sensei Garmadon.
"Hello, Neuro."
"Sensei Garmadon!"
"What?" Skylor, Tox, and Dareth all turned to see what Neuro was looking at, but saw nothing.
Sensei Garmadon spoke firmly, his eyes boring right into Neuro's. "I can't explain everything, but my evil... real... self currently has Lloyd. While I doubt he'd kill my son at this point, he's still debating it. Lloyd was critically injured, and the sooner you get to him, the better."
"Where are you?"
Skylor grabbed Neuro's shoulder worriedly, eyes narrow. "Who are you talking to?"
Garmadon acted as if Skylor hadn't spoken. "Room 118."
Scratching his chin, Neuro frowned. "But Pixal was there, and saw no sign of him. Where is he in room 118?."
"There's a secret hatch behind the bookshelf. You can activate the door by pulling Moby Dick off the shelf."
"What about your..."
"Bad self? A distraction should definitely be considered. Perhaps Dareth could be of help."
"Everyone seems to think so."
"I'll be of help anyway I can, but unfortunately I'm very useless as a hallucination."
"You've been helpful so far." Neuro shrugged with a nod. "Don't sell yourself short.
"I suppose that's encouraging to hear... Now I'll leave you to it. The sooner you get to my son, the better." Garmadon turned to leave, but paused. "By the way, Chen is-"
"We know. He attacked Kryptarium this morning. The ninja have gone to deal with him."
"Let us hope it's enough."
And rescue in the next chapter! Are you guys excited? Cause I am! As always stay tuned!
Bookkeeper2004: Talk to Sensei Wu? Eh maybe... That might be stretch. Sensei Garmadon is a hallucination that Lloyd can onlysee due to his shared mental link with Garmadon.
Candice The Heart-icuno: Yes! Season 10 really should have expanded on what happened to Garmadon. Though I'm also not gonna complain about the awesome arc in s11. I'm glad you're enjoying the fic. As for pairing, I usually avoid it unless it's canon. But to incorporate a ship, the story has to be revolving around those characters. Impass involves Lloyd and Garmadon, so touching heavily on Jay and Nya, or Kai and Skylor would be relatively pointless if not cringy... by the way, very depressing story, but it definitely fits.
Hypothetical Alien24: I'm glad you are getting such a kick out of Sensei G. I enjoy writing his sarcasm quite a bit.