142

"Millions of views! The footage already has millions of views!"

May's voice was triumphant, and her twin joined in from across the room.

"News anchors are eating this up. 'Marty V's plea: Unfounded bitterness of an abandoned youth, or the unmasking of Ninjago's newest villain?"' Mia read from her tablet.

Amber saw M. wince from his seat; despite the fact that his involvement in their plan had gone even better than they'd hoped, she knew that he was hurting. It made her insides twist with guilt; it was her idea to get him involved, after all.

"Hey…M?"

He glanced up and she reached out to touch his arm.

"I'm sorry. I know this isn't exactly easy for you…"

He blinked and finally sighed.

"Yeah…I mean, I wish it was actually. I wish that I could have just told it to her straight and spent the next few hours feeling on top of the world. But I just feel…"

He trailed off, not sure of the word.

"Sad. Embarassed… and guilty," she offered. He grimaced.

"Yeah…all that. I guess I don't have to explain how I feel to you, huh?"

Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see an older teen smiling down at him comfortingly.

"That took a lot of guts, M," Ashley offered. "Yeah, I could see why it probably doesn't feel great. But thanks to you, more people than ever are believing us that Theodynn deserves to be free. We've had more support over the past few hours than the last few days combined. I don't think it will be long before she's forced to release him. So…thanks…"

M. rubbed his head sheepishly, but Amber was glad to feel a bit of pride and relief mix in with his sadness at Ashley's words.

"No problem. I mean…I really, really wanted things to work out with my mom. But the things she's done are wrong. I had to do what I could…especially since a lot of the stuff that went wrong was because of me."

His face fell again, and Amber squeezed his arm.

"Everyone makes mistakes, M," she reminded quietly. "But not everyone is willing to fix them."

He didn't say anything, seeming to be lost in thought. Ashley was still standing nearby, looking at the teen, but when he didn't speak she glanced over at Amber. The Xinta just shrugged and Ashley nodded in understanding.

"If you need anything, let me know," she offered before heading over to where the others were. Amber watched her go and finally turned back to where M was staring at the floor with a hard to read expression.

"You know you're my best friend…right?"

It was strange. Six months ago, Amber wouldn't have thought she would apply the term friend to anyone outside her family…let alone best friend. But it came out so naturally now, and M. glanced up as she said it. He scanned her face and finally sighed.

"Not sure I still deserve to be."

"You were the first person at school who treated me normal, M. I mean, it took you awhile…"

He scoffed at the memory and she pressed on.

"…But you didn't give up on me. I…I wasn't sure I was even capable of making friends."

She paused as her eyes glanced up at the others in the room, who were talking and laughing and showing each other things on their screens.

"Thanks for proving me wrong," she finally finished, glancing back at M. He shrugged, but he was finally smiling a little.

"Anytime."


Keyda came out of the bathroom to see Cole still glued to Lou's old-fashioned television set. Someone was talking rapidly on the screen and Cole was watching with a pensive expression, his head resting in his hands. The Oni sat on the couch and slid an arm around his waist.

"President O'Keefe has promised a full statement by tomorrow morning, but at the moment she claims she has nothing to say," the news anchor was saying on screen. "Whether she doesn't believe her own son's words have enough merit to actually address them or because she needs time to come up with a believable rebuttal, one thing is for certain. The President of the NCST was visibly shaken after today's debate, and refused to answer any questions as she headed back to the NCST building here in Ninjago City."

"Have they said anything about Theo yet?" Keyda asked as the news anchor continued. Cole shook his head.

"Meanwhile, protestors continue to march in the streets, demanding that O'Keefe and other representatives give Oni the same rights that Ninjagoans have benefited from for so many years," the woman continued, and Keyda wished she was in the anchor's presence so she could shake her.

"But what about Theodynn!" the Oni demanded, hissing at the woman on screen. "Where is our son?"

"He's got to be at the NCST still," Cole murmured.

"Son!"

Keyda and Cole looked over at Lou, who had emerged from the kitchen with a telephone. Keyda's heart immediately pounded, thinking it would be word about Theo, but then the elderly performer continued.

"It's your friend Jay. He said everyone's headed to the temple to congratulate the kids and figure out the next course of action."

"To get Theo back?" Cole prompted, and Lou shrugged and put the question forward to the blue ninja on the other side of the line. After a moment Lou turned back.

"Yes. Apparently, Zane has done some algorithms or configurations or something, and he thinks that at the rate everything is going, Matilda will have no choice but to release Theo."

Keyda felt a rush of relief at that. She had no idea what algorithms or configurations were, but she wasn't sure she had ever encountered a time when Cole's ageless robot friend had been wrong. If he thought that Theo was close to freedom, then surely he was. Right?

"What do you think, Keyds?"

She blinked as she realized her husband was turning to her to make the decision. She nodded.

"Let's go. We need Theo back…and if we can figure out a way to do that with everyone, then we should get on it as soon as possible."


"Did you see her face in that interview?"

Amber watched as the adults milled around on the top floor of the temple. It had seemed like a pretty big room when it was just the teens in there for the past week or so, but with everyone it was a little cramped. She wondered if M. wanted to leave, but the teen stayed in his seat, basically forgotten in the corner. Across the room, Jay was slapping Mia's back.

"I mean, that video was vicious! And then that debate…man, I don't think there's any coming back from that!"

"We made the video," Mia agreed. "And yeah…it gets more savage every time I watch it. But we can't take credit for the debate. I didn't even know that was happening until Ashley told us about it."

"Well, Matilda was furious," Kai said, joining in as he stood near Ashley. For her part, the redhead was leaning up against the wall, seeming uncomfortable. Amber wondered if she was feeling similar to her and her parents—sure, putting Matilda in her place was great, but they still didn't have Theo. Until he was back with family, Amber wasn't sure that they could count any of this as a victory.

"She seemed quite irate," Zane agreed. "Perhaps she did not expect her son to take a stand against her."

Amber glanced back over at M and sighed. He didn't seem to hear the nindroid, however. Of course, Uncle Jay then spotted the teen and any hope of M. staying out of the limelight disappeared as the Master of Lightening headed over to where the Openheimer was sitting.

"You sure put her in her place!" the ninja was saying, and M. glanced up as he realized Jay was talking to him. M. reddened, but Jay didn't seem to notice as he slapped the teen on the back.

"She didn't even know what to say! You sent her into the retreat…holed up in that NCST as she tries to figure out some comeback…"

"Which is why we have gathered," Zane reminded. "No doubt Matilda will retaliate. We need to be ready for that."

Jay waved a hand.

"Retaliate how? All of her little "proofs" and "evidences" have gone up in smoke! Now everyone knows that she's a liar hungry for power. No way anyone will vote for her now!"

He gave M. another hearty back-pat, and the teen cleared his throat as he went to stand.

"I…should probably go," he admitted, and Amber frowned as she headed over.

"You gonna be ok?"

M. gave her a smile and a shrug.

"I mean…I don't know. I hope so?"

He rubbed the back of his neck and sighed when he saw her concerned expression.

"It needed to be done. I'll get over it. Now I just have to go face the wrath of my dad and then maybe…"

"Wrath? I thought he gave you permission…"

His smile became sheepish.

"Well…to go to the debate. And maybe talk to my mother. Not really the whole get-dragged-out-by-security fiasco. Lots of good I did to the Openheimer name there."

Amber folded her arms.

"Openheimers don't give up, remember? I think you did your legacy proud."

He scoffed without humor.

"Thanks, Amber."

"I do not think your father will be angry with you."

They glanced over as Julien Cyrus spoke up. He had been plugged into his various monitors for the past few hours, oblivious to everything else going on. But now he glanced over and M. frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"A news anchor managed to land an interview with him about thirty minutes ago. He backed up everything you said about both Matilda and the Oni…"

"What?"

M. was shocked as he came over, peering at the screens.

"Are you sure it was my dad?"

"Marty Openheimer IV, head of the Marty Openheimer School of Performing Arts," Julien said dryly, as if offended M. doubted him. He pulled up an interview, and M. watched a perky news reporter interview his father in the same office he had spent so many uncomfortable meals.

"Matilda is your ex-wife, correct?"

"That's right. She left me and my son seven years ago."

"Your son mentioned that he had no contact with Ms. O'Keefe until recently…"

"She told me when she left that she didn't want me contacting her about him. M and I were to have no expectations of her…in her words, she was leaving to take her place in the world, and we were holding her back."

M's eyes were filling with tears, and his feelings were such a jumble that Amber couldn't even tell what exactly it was in the interview that was affecting him so badly. The interview continued, with the reporter asking about how Matilda came back into contact and if the other things M. had said were true.

"The incident your son mentioned about the sea caves. That happened a week ago, and I'm still not really sure about the details. Could you enlighten our viewers on what exactly went down?"

Marty IV was silent as he stared at his desk, seemingly lost in thought. When he didn't reply, the reporter prompted further.

"Your son mentioned that it was his fault and that the Oni saved him and his friends. But we received conflicting reports that suggested that it was the Oni who had put them in danger to begin with…"

"No father likes to dwell on days when his child was in danger. Or at least…they shouldn't. I can't ascertain who's fault it was truly; from the descriptions, it was nothing more than children's mischief. They went to explore sea caves without a lot of thought to the consequences. But based on my son's testimony and those of the other children involved…" he paused and cleared his throat. "They are in agreement that Amber—the Oni student—did indeed save their lives by transporting them out of the caves, and that the incident was not her fault."

"And that transporting landed her in the hospital?"

Marty IV nodded.

"I called the ambulance myself. When the children appeared at the school, she was in bad shape. I'm not sure why…something about overexertion, perhaps."

"And is it true that her parents were the ones who found your son?"

Marty cleared his throat again, and M. was scanning the screen with a look of disbelief.

"I specifically enlisted their help, in the hope that they would possess some skill that would put them above Ninjagoan police force when it came to tracking M. Together we managed to follow my son's trail and get him home safe where he belonged. He was camped out in a mountain cave, and he had sustained injuries from a significant fall when we managed to locate him. That is why he was in the hospital."

"It must have been a hard time for you," the reporter acknowledged, and Amber could see the headmaster gripping the edge of his desk with white knuckles.

"You have no idea."

M. swallowed painfully, and Amber looked between the screen and her friend as the interview started to wrap up. When her friend didn't say anything, she cleared her throat.

"That was good of him…setting the record straight like that," she managed. He blinked and looked over at her. After a moment he wiped at his face and coughed as if that would help hide the emotion in his voice.

"Yeah. I guess."

"It gave your side of the story legitimacy, having someone else back it up," Julien agreed. "It seems the world is cautious to believe the words of children or teenagers. This has already done a lot of good in changing people's opinions about Matilda."

"There will still be those who believe her radical views…who want her kind of world," P.I.X.A.L noted as she came up to join the conversation. "But thankfully, based on your father's and my surveys and data collection, such people seem to be in the minority now."

"Data collection?"

Julien turned to frown at his mother.

"How long have you been collecting data?"

She had a hint of a smile.

"Surely you did not think we would leave everything up to you and your friends, Julien. Your father and I have been keeping a close eye on the situation all week."

He just shook his head.

"So…you did not trust us to be able to do this."

"On the contrary. You have all proven to be highly capable."

Amber had been listening to Julien and P.I.X.A.L's conversation, but she turned and realized that M. was gone. She felt a lurch and headed to the door. She caught him heading down the stairs.

"M!"

He jumped a little and then turned, giving her a sheepish look.

"Sorry…I just think I'd better head back now."

"Right. That's fine…I mean…"

She shrugged, feeling stupid for chasing him down.

"You've done a lot, M. You should head home now. I'll see you…"

She trailed off, and they were both suddenly hit with the realization that they weren't sure when they would next be able to see each other. There was no guarantee that Amber's family would even be allowed to stay in Ninjago, let alone whether she could go back to the school after all of this was finally over.

"Don't leave Ninjago without saying goodbye…ok?" M. finally blurted, and she blinked.

"Course not, stupid."

He smiled.

"Alright. Um…I'll stay updated with the news or whatever. If you need my help again, just let me know?"

"Same for you," she said, and he nodded. There was an awkward pause, and Amber suddenly found herself wondering if this would be the appropriate time for a goodbye hug. She still wasn't good at the whole hugging thing, but it felt like the right spot…

M. had already turned to go by then, however, and so she just sighed as she watched him go. After a minute she headed back up to the stuffy room, lost in thought.


"…Three weeks community service, which I feel was a little harsh, considering that it was just one vandalizing incident…" Jay was saying. Nya scoffed.

"We're lucky it wasn't more! I love that kid, but honestly…spray painting in the broad daylight? It's like I've taught him nothing."

"You have vandalized buildings before, then?" Zane prompted with a twinkle in his eye. Nya blinked and looked over and then shrugged.

"Eh…nothing too crazy. And…nothing I got caught for."

Amber smiled a little at that. Nearby, Ashley's phone was ringing. She checked caller ID and winced, and she brushed past Amber as she answered it.

"Will? Hey…yeah, sorry. Like I said, it's been a hectic week…"

"I was doing some research online, and I'm pretty sure that Matilda can't push back your trial for trespassing or whatever it is that she's holding you for," Kai was saying to Cole. Mia rolled her eyes.

"Ash already looked into that, Uncle Kai. Didn't you read that email we sent out that explained everything?"

The Master of Fire scowled at his niece.

"Well…that was part of the research process," he muttered. Cole cut in, trying to get Kai to finish his thought.

"You think that law enforcement will back us up on that?"

"At the moment, Matilda's able to push the trial back because Oni aren't technically covered by the Ninjagoan laws," Skylor explained, putting an arm around her husband. "But what we've realized is that you are a Ninjago citizen, Cole. You may not live here anymore, but you fall under that law. Because your trial has to be within the month, and because you all committed the crime together, we were realizing that we have a pretty good case for forcing the Ninjagoan legal system to follow proper protocol."

"But she could still stretch it out for two or three weeks," Keyda cut in bitterly. Out of everyone in the room, she seemed the least impressed with what the teenagers had accomplished. Or it just seemed that way; Amber could sense her mother's feelings well enough to know that she was just desperate to get Theo back. The ninja fell silent at her point and the Oni's eyes flashed.

"Who knows what she'll do to him in that time! Especially now that we've backed her into a corner…"

"Legally, there is nothing she could do. If she does anything to Theodynn, she would only be destroying her reputation more," Zane pointed out carefully.

"Yeah; her best bet would be to play nice with us and piece together what reputation she can still muster," Jay scoffed. "Like Zane said, there's nothing…"

"I would not speak so soon."

Julien Cyrus's tone was intense, and the chatter in the room died as they all turned to see him scowling at his screens. He turned when he realized he had their attention, his expression grim.

"The NCST building is on fire."


Marty massaged his temples, his seemingly permanent scowl furrowing his brow. Three more calls for interviews. He had his secretary put them all off until further notice…but he wasn't sure he was comfortable speaking that much about this problem. He gave his statement. Wasn't that good enough for the other reporters to go off of?

The door to his office clicked open and he looked up to tell whoever it was to get out. He paused, however, as his son entered.

"M," he said distantly. In his mind, the scenes from the debate debacle flashed in his mind and he clenched his jaw as he prepared to point out to his son exactly how many lines he had crossed. Before he could get the words out, however, M. had crossed the room. Then, in a gesture completely unexpected based on how his son had been treating him the last few days, M. hugged his father.

Marty IV was stunned to silence, his reprimand dying in his throat. M. for his part said nothing; he just buried his face into the headmaster's shoulder and clung to him in a silent sort of truce. After the shock of the moment wore off, Marty wrapped his arms around his son. He didn't know what to do, so they just embraced in silence. For the first time in years, it seemed neither Openheimer had anything to say.

143

Everyone stared at Julien in disbelief. It didn't help that his tone did not seem to match the severity of his announcement.

"It…what?" Kai finally managed, and Julien stood with a scowl as he gestured to his screens.

"It is on fire! We have to do something!"

"Theo."

It was just a whisper, but everyone turned to Keyda as they realized what this meant.

"Dragons," Jay blurted. "Dragons will be fastest…"

"Transporting will be fastest!" Amber argued, her eyes flashing as her heart pounded, but to her surprise it was her father who turned her idea down.

"You and Keyda haven't ever been there…you know it's tricky transporting where you've never been. We'll get there fast on my elemental dragon…c'mon."

He was out the door in moments, and the rest of the room quickly filed out to head to the burning building. Even Julien Cyrus left his computers, the live footage of the building filled with flames and billowing smoke still playing on one of his screens.


"And…Viola."

Officer Curtis rubbed his face as Colby pulled his hands back, the final card of his card tower balancing perfectly.

"That's pretty good," the officer admitted, and Colby shrugged.

"It's all about balance…" he started, but suddenly the police station door flew open and a gust of wind toppled the card tower in seconds. Colby blinked as his masterpiece of the last fifteen minutes disintegrated, but Officer Curtis was more concerned with the panting officer at the door.

"Jones! What's…."

"The NCST building's on fire! I tried calling the chief but our calls aren't going through…"

Officer Curtis's expression became serious, and he stood as he began issuing orders.

"I'll let him know, you get those bozos in the rec room and head down. Fire department's already there?"

Jones nodded and ran off and Curtis dialed the commissioner's office. Meanwhile, Colby's eyes were wide as he thought of the repercussions of the sudden news. The NCST building?! As far as they knew, Theo was still in there. Had the Oni started the fire? Or was it something far more malicious? He realized that the debate must have been today, since Dani mentioned she had been protesting it when she had been brought in earlier. He hadn't heard how it all went, but it seemed that was no longer the biggest concern his ninja family had right now.

"Right, Chief. I'll head there now."

"You're going?" Colby asked as Officer Curtis hung up the phone he was talking on and stood. The greying man nodded.

"Have to make sure things don't get outta control. Chief can't make it down, so we need another senior officer down there."

"You're a senior officer?"

Curtis gave him a dry look and Colby swallowed.

"I mean…makes sense," he tried, and Curtis just scoffed.

"Stay here, kid. You can straighten paperclips or something."

But Colby had already followed him to the door.

"No, let me come!"

"No can do…"

"Please!" he begged, his eyes as wide as he could make them. "My friend is being held in the NCST! That's why I vandalized the building in the first place…I can't just sit here for who knows how long wondering what's happening!"

Curtis fixed him with a long look, and Colby pressed harder, using the expression that generally made Nya back down and give him whatever he wanted.

"I promise I wouldn't get in the way. I could be a runner, or carry stuff….I could help!"

Curtis finally sighed heavily, narrowing his eyes.

"You gotta do everything I say," Curtis finally said, and Colby's expression broke into a smile.

"Aye-aye, Captain!"


There were barricades blocking the public from getting too close to the buildings, but it didn't stop they ninja. They pushed past the public and police alike. They were stopped once or twice, but upon being told that it was "official ninja business," people generally backed down. It seemed that Ninjago hadn't quite forgotten their colorful protectors of the past after all.

Ambulances became visible as they reached the building, and Cole and Keyda went straight there.

"The Oni…our son was being held here. Were they able to get him out?" Cole demanded, but the poor EMTs didn't have any answers. All around there were people in smoke-stained business casual, coughing and being checked over. But there was no pale teen.

"He must still be inside…" Keyda said with horror, and then she was headed towards the door.

"Keyds!" Cole said, grabbing her arm. She turned and he shook his head.

"You can't go in there…"

As if to punctuate his warning, several more windows blew out in the building, fire pouring from them. The rest of the ninja and their children were still questioning firemen, police officers, and hospital workers as they tried to find someone who would know where Theo was. But even the NCST workers were at a loss.

"I'm not sure where President O'Keefe moved him," one woman confessed, while a man added "The fire came outta nowhere. There are still people in there! You're ninja, aren't you? You gotta find them!"

Nya and Jay made eye contact and Nya immediately went over to join the firemen, who were using giant hoses to try and take down the fire.

"What's happened?!"

Amber had been staring at the blistering flames and towers of smoke with icy horror when she heard the panicked yell. She turned to see Ashely running up, followed by a lanky boy with floppy hair.

"Woah…" the stranger said, his eyebrows raising up above his rectangular glasses. Ashley looked both livid and terrified.

"Is Theo still in there?" she demanded, but no one had an answer for her.

"I have to go in!" Keyda was yelling, trying to pull out of her husband's grasp. Nya and Zane were doing what they could to take down the flames, and Amber was trying to decide if she could make it past everyone to go running into the front door.

"Where were they keeping him?" she finally demanded, turning to Ashley. The redhead's expression crumpled.

"I…I don't know. It was the fourth floor, but then they moved him! I don't know where he is now."

Suddenly, another group of figures came running out of the smoky front door, coughing and hacking. The first few people Amber didn't recognize, but the woman in the ruined red suit and sooty hair she knew all too well. Her eyes burned with hatred as more medical staff ran over to help those who just managed to escape. Amber followed; she couldn't help herself. She hardly noticed the redhead and her hesitant friend following close behind.

"Matilda!" she yelled, and the woman blinked blearily as she looked up at them. The medical staff told Amber and Ashley to get back. But by now, Cole and Keyda and the other ninja had noticed as well and they all were making their way over. If anyone knew where Theo was, Matilda did.

"Where's my brother?!" she demanded, her eyes flashing.

"Please, these people need medical attention," one of the EMT's reminded exasperatedly, but Amber ignored her.

"Where is he?!"

"The Oni…" Matilda remembered, as if in a daze. "He must have been the one to do this…."

Amber was filled with a sudden wrath. But she was surprised when Ashely spoke up before she had a chance to. The redhead stepped closer to the NCST president as she yelled.

"You liar!"

"He's the only one it could have been," Matilda argued as the EMT guided her to one of the many ambulances. "We returned here after the debate…we removed his shackles in a show of faith, if indeed we had been too hard on the Oni, as the protestors believed. Turns out he was just as dangerous as we had assumed…"

"Theo would never have done this!" Amber yelled, her eyes flashing. News reporters who had leaked in through the barrier were filming now, having found a story just as juicy as the roaring fire behind them. "He would never hurt people!"

"Protect him all you want," Matilda said, and then coughed into her arm. "This kind of massive destruction has Oni written all over it. He'll be locked up for life for this. I should have…"

The rest of her statement was cut off as Ashley punched the NCST President soundly in the face. For a few moments, everyone was frozen with shock, and then the group exploded into movement. Ashely's mystery friend grabbed her before she could do anything else while the EMT yelled at them to get away from the injured before she had them all arrested while Matilda milked the moment for the cameras for all it was worth. She held her face, coughing in a fit while the EMT got an oxygen mask ready. It was a impressive act, to be sure…but even the pitiful coughing and gasping couldn't mask the smugness Amber felt wafting off of Matilda. It made the Xinta's blood boil, and she would have done a lot worse than a punch if the EMT hadn't rushed the President into the ambulance, slamming the door closed in finality.

"Ash…calm down…" the tall teen was saying, but Ashley was trying to pull from his grasp.

"She's a liar! She said that she would make us pay…but this is too far. She's done something to him, and it's my fault!" the redhead yelled.

Skylor and Kai had reached her now, and while the Master of Fire looked unsure of what to do, Skylor pulled her daughter into an immediate embrace. Ashley was stiff for a moment, but then she dissolved into tears in her mother's hold. Amber watched in surprise; she had never seen the confident, self-assured redhead like this before. The lanky boy seemed just as uncertain, and nearby Kai was giving the boy a narrow-eyed look. But before Amber could analyze the interaction further, she heard her father yell.

"Keyda don't!"

Amber whirled around to see her mother disappear into the smoke, and her heart pounded. She immediately bolted after her mother, but then her father's strong arms were wrapping around her, stopping her dead.

"I have to find Theo! I have to go with Mom!" she spat, trying to rip out of his grasp.

"Amber, stop."

"LET GO! Xinta don't get hurt….HE NEEDS ME!"

"Amber!"

Her father very rarely yelled at her. In that moment, it snapped her out of her sudden desperation to protect both her mother and brother as she turned. She realized her father was terrified, tears swimming in his eyes.

"I will not lose you!" he was saying, and his fear and desperation washed over her. Her own eyes stung with tears and she shook her head.

"I could save them…I could…"

"No. Everyone who runs into that building now is another life being risked…"

"You do stuff like this all the time!" she yelled at him. But her resolve was fading as her father stared her down.

"We do not know where Theo is being held," a voice pointed out haltingly near her. She turned to see Julien Cyrus looking uncomfortable as he cleared his throat. "My parents are doing a full scan of the building. If Theo is still in there, they will be able to locate him."

"It'll be too late!" Amber said, the tears finally falling. "It'll be too late…"

She broke down into sobs and her father held her close as they waited in anxious terror for their family members to make it out of the building.


Smoke. Theo sat up from his place leaning against the wall, frowning. That's what the smell was, right? Like a blacksmith…or a campfire. Why would he be smelling smoke?

He clenched his jaw, but after the smell lingered for a few minutes he finally risked lighting one hand with aura. His small cell was flooded with watery purple light. His discarded shackles laid on the ground where he had thrown them after finally getting them off. His wrists were raw and bleeding in several places, and they stung now as he moved from his cot. He glanced around the cell and found a security camera quickly. He glared at it, as if daring those watching on the other side to do something about the fact he didn't have shackles on anymore. It's not like he was leaving; he just needed to get those stupid cuffs off before his hands fell off. He remembered Ashley's warnings about keeping up appearances all too clearly…but hey, he was in the dark anyways. Could they even see him well enough to know that his shackles were off?

However, as the smoke smell began to increase, he couldn't help but feel like he had bigger problems than the stupid camera anyways. He frowned as he looked out of thick glass doorway. He had never been able to see anything in the dark, but now he could make out the hallway on the other side. Concrete, piping…where was he?

A waft of something drifted past and he frowned. That had to be smoke…and that was not a good sign.

After hesitating a minute more he finally sighed.

"Sorry, Ashley," he muttered, and with a quick blast, the hinges on the door broke into pieces. He pushed his way through, and coughed as he realized how much stronger the smoke smell was now that he wasn't in a basically sealed-off chamber.

"What in ancient's name?" he muttered. He could flash out of here, easily enough. But he wasn't even sure what was happening, and he didn't want to put everyone in worse trouble if he flashed out and escaped over someone burning something in the cafeteria or something. Did this place even have a cafeteria?

He picked his way down the corridor, and he began hearing two distinct voices.

"It's all just flame up there! Leave the fire doors closed!"

"We have to try; we sit down here and we'll die anyway from the smoke, won't we? There's only one way in and out of the basement and these stairs are it!"

"What the heck even happened? Why did the fire alarms not go off?"

"We're in the basement, stupid! It's unfinished; we don't even got running water down here yet!"

Sounded like it was a little worse than someone burning dinner, then. Theo turned the corner and the two voices finally had faces. Both men were holding flashlights as they argued, but at the sudden purple light they turned and squinted.

"It's the Oni!" one said, his voice betraying both fear and shock. The other basically growled at Theo, and the teen recognized his meaty handler in a second. The Oni put his hands up, not liking the look in Earl's eye.

"Woah now, Earl…"

"What did you do, you freak?!" The guard bellowed, and Theo narrowed his eyes.

"Me?! I've been sitting in a cell!How could I have started a fire upstairs!?"

"Your cuffs are off and you're outta your cell. Who knows what horrible mischief you've been up to…"

Earl was approaching now, and Theo recognized all too well the desperate and angry look in his eye. It was the look dragons got when they felt backed into a corner. The bodyguard was going to attack. Not the smartest of options, really….but then again the three of them were trapped in a dark, dungeon-like basement with little chance of escape, as far as the two Ninjagoans knew. Earl probably wasn't really in the most logical kind of mindset.

Theo dodged easily as Early swung a meaty fist, shaking his head.

"Look, fighting is going to do nobody good right now," he tried, but Earl was past listening. He was scared and he was angry and apparently that was all he was able to comprehend at the moment. A few more swings and Theo was backed up against the wall. The smoke was getting heavier now, and Theo coughed as he became angry.

"Alright," he finally snapped. "I tried the nice way."

Earl lurched for his throat and Theo twisted in a way that allowed him to both dodge the attack as well as deliver a merciless elbow to Earl's ribs. The man yelled in anger, but Theo had already moved again. A few swift punches later and the man was out cold, sinking to the ground. The Oni grimaced as he shook out his fist.

"See Dad? I could totally handle a Pit fight," he muttered to himself. He turned to see Earl's friend backed into the wall, staring at him with fearful uncertainty.

"Pll…please, don't hurt me," the man finally begged. Theo frowned.

"I'm not going to," he assured irritatedly. "Only reason I had to hurt Earl here is because this blockhead doesn't listen to common sense. Maybe that's why Matilda chose him to watch me all day."

He glanced at the door to the stairs, but there was smoke billowing through the cracks and he shook his head.

"Looks like that exit isn't an option…" he mentioned, and the fearful man glanced over.

"It's the only exit from the basement," he pointed out miserably. "We don't even have windows down here…nothing."

"What a stupid design," Theo muttered dryly, bending down to move Earl into sitting position.

"It was done on purpose, so that if…"

The man trailed off, sounding all too much like someone who decided they had said too much. Theo frowned as he turned.

"So that if what?"

The man cleared his throat.

"So that if we ever housed, you know, dangerous criminals down here, we would only have to barricade the one entrance and they'd still be locked down."

Theo let that sink in. After a moment he scoffed angrily.

"Well, you and Earl must have done something pretty dangerous then," he pointed out dryly. "They've barricaded you in here pretty well."

The man reddened, but Theo was already gesturing for him to come over.

"Why?" the NCST worker asked, clearly wary. Theo sighed. The little patience he had left after the last week was basically gone.

"Because we have to get out of here and we sure can't go up the stairs. We have to transport."

"Transport how?"

Theo turned to glare at him as he nelt on the ground with Earl. The smoke was getting to him now, not to mention the fact that he hadn't eaten anything all day.

"I'm transporting out of here," he clarified icily. "You can either come with me and Earl, or you can sit here and get barbecued!"

Had he been in a better mood, Theo might have picked up on how much he sounded like Tolan when he got pushed past his patience limit. As it was, however, it was all he could do to speak in soft, clipped tones rather than just yelling at the idiot hemming and hawing across the room.

"You're taking Earl?"

The worker sounded surprised, and Theo rolled his eyes.

"No, I'm just going to knock him out and leave him here to die," he said sarcastically. "Are you coming or not?!"

The man swallowed, and he glanced towards the doorway one last time. Then he made his way over and Theo sighed in both relief and irritation. His eyes and hands glowed purple as he made sure he had a firm grip on his passed-out guard.

"Grab my arm," he ordered the other man, and the worker swallowed one last time before doing so. Aura winds mixed with the smoke around them as Theo closed his eyes. He tried to picture his grandfather's house—a good, standard transporting location. But as he coughed again as smoke stung his eyes, all he could think about was his family. Specifically Amber…it had been so long since he had seen her. Ashely said she was alright, but what if she wasn't? What if he couldn't do this, and he never saw her again?

He coughed again, and he noted that the aural storm was wearing him out faster than it usually did. He wondered if it was from his lack of energy from not having eaten anything, or if wearing vengestone for a week straight had some kind of consequence. Either way, he had to grit his teeth in order to get the transport to work. The last thing he pictured before they flashed out was his sister.

Please be ok.

144

It was all smoke and flame, and it was all Keyda could do to press forward in the stifling heat. She couldn't even cross the lobby….how was she going to find Theo if she couldn't even cross the lobby?! She had made it down one of the halls, but she was struggling to find the stairs with all the smoke and haze around. It was so hard to breathe…

She coughed as her eyes blazed. Should she try transporting? But she didn't even know where Theo was.

A hand grabbed her arm and she jerked as she turned. A figure wearing a thick, heavy suit was staring at her.

"It's not safe!" a voice echoed from behind the thick mask, and she glowered at the man.

"My son…" she started to yell, but then she began coughing hard. The world was beginning to spin as she ripped out of the man's grasp, pushing forward in the acrid, stinging smoke. The stairs…she could find the stairs. She would find the stairs and then she would find Theo…

She wasn't aware of the suited form reaching her as the world went black.


The pop was almost lost to the chaos outside, but Amber recognized the sound immediately. Her head flew up from where it was resting on her father's shoulder, her eyes immediately scanning the crowd. But even though the others stationed around didn't seem to notice the sound, they were definitely aware of the flash.

News reporters turned and had their cameras on in a moment, and those nearest Amber jumped back. And then he was there…Theo. In the flesh.

The shock wore off as Amber finally managed to pull from her father's embrace.

"THEO!" she yelled, and he blinked as she barreled into him. There were two men with him, and EMTs made their way over to the three figures.

"Ams…" he murmured, hugging her back. She was crying openly, and suddenly the two siblings were swamped with people. Cole embraced them both, but the other ninja kids and their parents were also crowding around, trying to get Theo's attention, trying to see if he was alright.

"You people need to move!" one of the EMTs snapped angrily, but it took a few more minutes for the law enforcement to finally break them up enough to reach those in need of help. News reporters were crowding now as well, getting shots of Theo hugging his sister, rapidly talking about what they had just witnessed.

Amber pulled away.

"How'd you get out?" she finally managed, and he raised an eyebrow. It was clear that he was exhausted, and Amber wondered why he would be so tired.

"C'mon, Ams…I may not be as powerful as you but I'm not helpless. The only reason I was in there so long before is cuz I didn't wanna cause trouble by escaping. But when the whole building was on fire, I figured I had a good excuse."

She glared at him as he tried to make a joke, and then her eyes came to rest on his wrists. Her stomach lurched.

"Tay…what happened to your wrists?"

He glanced down and winced.

"Um…"

"Keyda!"

They looked up as their father suddenly yelled. Turning, they saw what it was that was panicking their father.

A firefighter was tenderly carrying a pale figure from out of the building, and Cole had run to her in seconds. Medical staff were close behind; no doubt they were trying to beat him to the Oni so they could at least have a chance to treat her before she was swarmed by this ever-present crowd.

Amber felt Theo's horror and fear mix with his own.

"What happened to mom?" he demanded, and she shook her head.

"She…she went in to look for you."

"Into that?!"

Smoke was still pouring out of the building, and Firefighters had begun a new barrier cutting off access to the doomed NCST structure for good.

Cole reached Keyda and shook his head.

"Oh, Keyds…."

"Smoke inhalation…we need to get her on oxygen as soon as possible," an EMT ordered, and Cole resisted the urge to take his wife from the fireman, allowing him to place Keyda on the gurney that had been wheeled over for her. The medical team quickly pulled on the oxygen mask, and Cole followed close behind as they began loading her into one of the last ambulances left.

"I'm her husband…I'm coming too," he stated. He didn't meet any resistance. He turned and made eye contact with Theo and Amber as the doors of the medical vehicle began to close, and for a moment Amber could see her father's expression flicker with uncertainty. No doubt he was trying to decide which of his family members needed him more. She and Theo stood, ready to head over to their parents so they could go along, but then someone grabbed Theo's arm.

"We need to get those arms bandaged up, son…and check you for any problems," the EMT stated kindly, and he swallowed.

"My mom…."

"Your health is our concern right now, lad. We aren't cutting corners on anyone who came out of that building, you hear? Now, follow me to the medical station."

By now the ambulance housing Amber's parents had pulled away, the sirens blaring as it headed towards the hospital. The Xinta shuddered; she and her family ended up going there far too often for her taste. She hoped they wouldn't drag Theo there too; from what she could see, her brother was fine. Apart from his bleeding wrists and grogginess.

Another wave of anger washed over her as she thought about everything Matilda had done. Arresting her family…keeping Theo prisoner. No doubt his cuffs were what had rubbed him raw to the point of bleeding. All the lies that woman had spread, the hatred. That stupid interview…the stupid debate. And after being unmasked so the world could see who she was, that horrible woman had done this! The building behind them continued to burn, and Amber stared at it with loathing. She had no doubt Matilda was behind this; her feelings had given her away. So many lives she had endangered…and for what? To have the final say?! To punish them all for daring to defy her?!

"Amber!"

She turned in surprise to see Colby running up, followed by an older police officer. The boy's eyes went over to the pale figure at the medical station and he pointing a thumb over his shoulder.

"They got Theo out!" he said, his voice and feelings betraying relief. Amber nodded.

"He got himself out. He's fine…but my mom tried to go in after him…"

The boy's freckled face immediately clouded with worry.

"She still in there?"

"No. They got her out…but she's headed to the hospital."

She was so tired all of a sudden. The noise and smell and people around her was too much; all she wanted to do was curl up on a bed at her grandfathers with her family nearby. Her eyes filled with tears again as utter exhaustion washed over her. Colby frowned.

"You ok?"

"Colby!"

The twins had caught sight of him and headed over. Their parents were still trying to help the firefighters mitigate the fire as best as they could, and Mia and May had watched the whole debacle feeling irritated by their own uselessness.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be doing community service."

"I came with the police," Colby explained, pointing to the elderly officer who was busy talking to some of the EMTs and firefighters. "It's been a great day, you know. Art may be my passion, but maybe someday I'll go into law enforcement. Become "Officer Colby."

His sisters just stared at him.

"Seriously?" May finally asked, and he chuckled sheepishly.

"No, probably not. But I think it makes Officer Curtis feel good when I say stuff like that."

"Amber!"

She turned as yet another person vied for her attention. It was Kai; he wasn't proving to be much help in the situation, as fighting fire with fire was a cliché for a reason. He came over and offered the Xinta a small smile.

"Just got off the phone with your father. He asked me to take you and Theo to your grandfather's house. He and your mom will meet you there as soon as she's back on her feet…"

"Is she alright?" the Xinta blurted, and Kai nodded.

"She breathed in a lot of smoke, but it sounded like she's stable. Go get Theo and let him know, ok?"

Amber almost put up more of a fight, but then she caught herself. Why should she put up a fight? The sooner they could get out of here and somewhere quiet, where she could actually think and get some sleep, the better. She turned to go collect her brother.


"Deep breath for me."

Theo tried to oblige as another kind woman wrapped his wrists with clean bandages. She tutted to herself.

"What happened here?"

"The handcuffs were too small," he said quietly, and the two doctors made eye contact.

"Theo!"

He turned, but before he could even see who it was, Ashley was wrapping him in a hug. The Oni immediately flushed.

"Ash…" he managed stupidly.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea she was going to move you…and then after everything, she dared to do this. It's because I pushed her. I underestimated how far she would be willing to go…"

"It's fine, Ash," he tried, clearing his throat. "It wasn't your fault."

"What happened to your wrists?" she demanded. Suddenly, her expression lit up with understanding and horror. "Is this from the cuffs?"

He shrugged, though he couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice as he replied.

"I told you I had to get them off…they were too small in the first place."

She looked sick, and Theo glanced away, suddenly uncomfortable. As he did so, he caught sight of a lanky form hovering behind the redhead. The guy gave a wave and offered a hand.

"Hey, you must be Theodynn. I've heard a lot about you," he said. Theo accepted the handshake numbly.

"Um…yeah. And, you are…."

Ashley seemed to snap out of her self-deprecation and cleared her throat.

"Oh, yeah…this is Will. He's…"

"I'm her boyfriend," the guy said comfortably, smiling as he put an arm around Ashley's shoulders. The redhead blushed, but then smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah," she agreed. Theo just stared at them both with a blank expression.

"Oh."

"Theo, Uncle Kai's taking us back to grandpa's."

Theo blinked and turned to see Amber had materialized at his side. He was still a little dazed, and she frowned.

"Theo?"

"Ok, sounds good," he finally managed, his mind catching up with him. Suddenly, he was overcome with the desire to do just that. No doubt his grandfather would make them something to eat, and even though he had only spent a week in that cell, it felt like years since he had last been in that house.

"Then let's go," Amber prompted. Theo turned to the EMTs, but they had finished their diagnostic. One nodded at him.

"You don't seem to have any significant problems that we would need to help you with," she admitted, and he stood to leave. He tried not to look at Ashely or her boyfriend Will as he did so. In fact, he tried to shove the whole matter to the back of his mind. His parents were still in the hospital. He had no idea where Matilda was. He didn't even know whether the law would let him stay free or if someone would be trying to force him back into a cell within a few hours. He didn't have time to stew over this Will character; he had enough to think about.


Cole got off the phone with his father and sighed. He made it into the arm chair next to the hospital bed, dropping heavily. The heart rate monitor continued to beep, and he reached over and grabbed Keyda's hand. She stirred, blinking awake as she looked over at him.

"I fell asleep again," she realized groggily, and he smiled at her.

"It's fine, Keyds. Get some rest."

Her brow furrowed as she sat up.

"I hate the hospital," she groused. "Why did you bring me here?"

But then Cole was pushing her back down into bed, gently but firmly.

"Lay. Down."

She blinked at his tone, and finally obliged.

"I'm fine," she tried, and he shook his head.

"They said you inhaled a lot of smoke. The building didn't have much oxygen when you ran in there and you passed out in a matter of minutes. We're going to sleep here tonight to make sure you don't have any complications."

Keyda scoffed.

"We've both been through worse than smoke," she tried, but Cole gave her a firm look as he brought her hand up to his face.

"It was dangerous, Keyds. You could have died in there. If that fireman hadn't followed you in…"

"You do dangerous things all the time; you have no room to talk to me about…"

"Amber almost followed you in there."

The Oni fell quiet at that. They sat in tense silence for a minute or so, and then Keyda sighed heavily.

"I can't stay here, Cole. I know you said Theo's fine, but I need to see him. We need to get home."

"They're with my Pop right now, no doubt getting ready to go to sleep for the night. We'll see them in the morning."

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I want to see him now!"

"I know."

He kissed her hand and then rubbed it with his thumb.

"But I can't risk you being sick with something. You need to stay here in bed, breathing in that oxygen. Then in the morning we will go to my father's house and see the kids, alright?"

She stared up at the ceiling, obviously still irritated with him.

"And then we'll go home," she said decidedly, and Cole paused at her tone. "We're taking the kids and going back to our realm."

"Keyds…"

"They went too far! Taking Theo, saying all those horrible things…if they want a realm without Oni, then we'll give it to them. They don't deserve to have our family come here. I can keep them far safer in my realm."

"Keyda, if we leave then we wouldn't be able to come back."

"Then maybe we don't come back."

Cole was silent as he studied her, trying to decide if this was her anger talking or a serious threat.

"They'd never see their cousins again, Keyds. Amber would never get to…"

"Who are the Ninjagoans to tell us what to do?! How dare they think that they could lock us up and attack us and we would just let them. We did let them…we tried to play their game and keep the peace and my son almost died. I'm not letting anyone in this realm dictate what we do ever again."

"We can't become what she's tried to make us seem…"

"Why?"

She finally turned to glare at him.

"We have never done anything to anyone in this realm…in fact, we've saved it. And yet they treat us like freaks…criminals. Even before this horrible woman got involved, people stare and make comments and those dance people were always so horrible to you. We're more powerful than anyone in this realm, we shouldn't be catering to them. Not when they put our family's lives on the line."

Cole was silent. He finally reached out to run a hand through her hair, looking incredibly sad.

"Get some sleep, Keyds," he murmured.

"We're going home," she insisted. "As soon as we get the kids, we're going back to our realm."

"If we do that, then she wins," he murmured. "She's trying to force us to do something like this. We're close, Keyda. We just have to make it through the trial, and then we…"

"But what if they decide to take Theo away again? Or him and Amber? And if they decide to lock us up?! Are you just going to roll over and take it, even though you know we've done nothing wrong!?"

"They won't decide that."

"You don't know that they won't!"

"But if we…"

"I won't take the chance!"

Her eyes flashed as she pushed herself up to look at him severely.

"I'm not taking any more chances," she repeated. "We're going home tomorrow. Goodness knows we've been away from the realm long enough. Jaqah and Ret must be going crazy."

Cole was silent again as he leaned back in his chair.

"Alright?" she prompted, but he looked like he was conflicted. Keyda's eyes flashed again. "Cole?"

"If you want to take the kids home tomorrow, then I won't stop you. They've been through a lot."

She scanned his face as he finally looked back up at her.

"But I'm not coming home until after the trial."

A gust of aura wind ran around the room, rustling the curtains and various tubes.

"Don't do this," she said, her voice calm despite the winds gusting. He rubbed his face wearily.

"Keyds…"

"You're coming home with the rest of us, Cole. We aren't dividing up…not after everything that's happened."

"I can't leave, not when it's going to make everything worse…"

"Ancients Cole!" she yelled, but his resolve didn't change.

"This realm has my father…all our friends," he said softly. "I have to fight for the chance to come here freely…"

"We will come here freely," Keyda snapped, swinging her legs off the bed so she could face him straight on with narrowed eyes. "We are the ruling family of an entire realm. They will respect us when we visit from now on, because we are not going to be pushed around again. From now on, if people in this realm attack me without cause, I will attack back. It's my right as a Ruler when provoked without cause."

"Keyda!"

"She took Theo," she reminded through clenched teeth. "And she left him in a burning building to die. I should have gone and gotten him the second she took him. But instead we held back, remained helpless and jumped through hoops made of words and empty promises and threats and while we were trying to be so careful not to offend anyone our son almost died!"

"He got out, Keyds. He knew to get himself out when it escalated too far. But we can't just enforce our side with an iron fist. I want to believe there is still a way to get through this without it becoming a war," Cole argued. "If we use force, then this will never be somewhere where our children are accepted…"

"I'm tired of catering to others!" the Oni insisted, grabbing her husband's hands. "Our children shouldn't have to worry about what other people are going to think. They shouldn't have to change who they are or jump through hoops to be accepted!"

He sighed.

"That's not what I meant," he tried carefully. "It's just…in every realm, there are rules. And if we trample the rules in this one…"

"You trampled the rules in my realm," she snapped. "And it led to something better. Maybe these rules need to be destroyed. Maybe this realm needs to learn to respect outsiders, rather than fear them and target them!"

"I know we've had to jump through a lot of hoops," he said. "I know what they did to Theo. And it's wrong…all of it. But that's why we have to do the trial; it will mean more to them if we prove them wrong using their methods than if we force them to accept us using force…"

"I am not putting my family through anything more," Keyda said, her voice clipped. "Theo has been through enough; I'm taking him home. No one in this realm will touch him again."

"You don't understand what they'll say if we leave, Keyds. It will make it so much harder to come back in the future. Our connections with everyone here…" he trailed off before continuing softly. "This realm was my first home, remember."

"But it isn't anymore!" she hissed angrily, frustrated that she couldn't get through to him. "The first realm is our home now…or have you forgotten that as well?!"

It had been her anger talking…the pent-up emotions of a mother who had spent a week being useless against the monsters that plagued her family. But she regretted her words as soon as she saw Cole's face. Her rage cooled quickly with the icy remorse and she glanced down.

"I didn't mean that," she murmured, the fight leaving her. He squeezed her hand in reply, but he didn't look at her either.

"Get some sleep," he finally repeated, and tears stung her eyes.

"I just want our family to be safe, Cole. I just don't want anything else to happen…"

"We'll talk about it in the morning," he cut in, glancing up at her again. "Please, Keyds…get some rest."

27