Outside Stiix City – night
Unknown to Zytron, Dr. X, the one he sought, was close by, atop the hill in the camp Ronin, Jay, and Nya had made. They too watched as a large blast engulfed Chang's house, and as the nindroids in the area were decimated.
"Man, that was effective," Jay whistled. "To think we kept that in our house for the past several months."
"No kidding," Ronin whistled. "Looks like it wiped the whole squad."
"Almost," Dr. X replied. "A few of them survived."
Ronin gazed through his binoculars. Sure enough, he saw nindroids moving about the wreckage, their search lights on and weapons at hand.
"That won't matter," Ronin nodded, lowering the binoculars.
"What are they up to," Nya asked.
"Nothing that concerns us," Ronin shrugged. "From what I can tell, they're retrieving the wounded and falling back to the cruiser. But I don't want to stay around and wait for them either. Come on. We're moving out."
"So, Dr. X, I have a question," Jay asked as they started off. "Who are these Retributionists? I mean, I know they're evil nindroids, but where'd they come from, and why haven't I heard about them till now?"
"Yes, I was wondering that too," Nya added. "The last time we dealt with evil nindroids was when the Overlord had returned. And I thought that we destroyed them then."
"According to public documentation, yes," Dr. X noted. "And I should know, for I was a photo processor in those days, without independent thought or free will. I documented every photo Borg ever released, as well as the thousands of photos and documents he concealed."
"But the nindroid hunt ended with the last ones dismantled in factories," Jay remarked.
"So, the public was told," Dr. X nodded. "But it wasn't entirely true, for a remnant of nindroid soldiers remained intact. They were deactivated, yes, but they remained nevertheless, buried underneath Borg Tower until…until they were stolen."
"Stolen? By who," Nya asked.
"By Ronin," Dr. X admitted.
"Ronin," Jay gasped.
"Thank you, Dr. X," Ronin swore, gritting his teeth.
"Ronin, why were you stealing from Borg, and for whom," Nya questioned, pushing her finger into Ronin's chest. "Don't tell me you were the one who kidnapped Zane and Pixel."
"Yes, Nya, it was me," Ronin sighed. "But I was greedier and more selfish back then, and I didn't care who I worked for then. Trust me. I despise that job today, but I did it nevertheless."
"So, it was Lord Chen who snatched them up," Jay sighed.
"Sort of," Dr. X nodded. "Zane, Pixel, the nindroids, and I were initially kidnapped under Clouse's orders, and then Zane and Pixel were repurposed to lure the elemental masters to the island. Clouse, however, used us for other purposes. He granted us all free will, then ordered the construction of a secret nindroid army, one large enough to conquer Ninjago in case Chen's plan failed.
"Because of you and your friends, though, Clouse and Chen perished with the Anacondrai cultists before we could be utilized. And for some time, we were useless, an accumulating strength with no enemy to fight. But then Zytron ascended to power."
"Zytron, who's he," Jay asked.
"Zytron is the leader of the Retributionists," Dr. X sighed. "He was a former nindroid commander in the Overlord's army, one of the guardians of the Overlord himself. But after the Overlord perished, he had become an equal, a commander with no command. He grew impatient with our plight, and he assumed command, promising purpose and power if we would submit to him.
"Seeing no other option, we submitted, and he soon formed what we call the Retributionists today. And at first, we were rogues who served no one, renegades seeking only one thing: revenge.
"And revenge we executed, first upon the remaining Anacondrai cultists scattered about Ninjago, for they had discarded us during their war. Every cultist we tracked down was silently eliminated, for Zytron dared not risk the involvement of the ninja."
"That's why the Anacondrai were no more," Nya nodded.
"Yes, but Zytron would not stop at that," Dr. X sighed. "He too, unfortunately, fell for the vision of dominion, and he sought to conquer Ninjago as well. Thus, he plunged us into war, first with the Serpentine, then the armies of Morro, then the Sky Pirates, and then the Vermillion."
"Wow, you guys fought the same enemies we did," Jay gasped. "To think we almost crossed paths several times."
"Yes, and for each enemy we fought, Zytron grew more ambitious," Dr. X noted. "Our success was limited, but he always desired more…and so resolved at last to execute his plan of conquest.
"But he failed. We all failed. For when the Vermillion collapsed, our existence was exposed, and when Ronin investigated, he learned of our plans. He sold the location of our base to Lloyd for pardons, and then Lloyd led Cole and Kai to attack."
"That was the best action I had seen since Morro," Ronin added. "The Retributionists fought hard, harder than anybody Lloyd had faced before. And they pinned us down a couple of times. But we won the day."
"Yes, you did," Dr. X recalled. "We fought with our lives, and that was the price we paid. They crushed our army to pieces, wiped out our machines, and destroyed the base we had called home. Then they purged the lot of us into the seas to drown and be forever forgotten."
"I do recall a briefing on this now," Nya remembered. "I was too busy overseeing repairs in Stiix to respond."
"Lloyd wiped us off the map," Dr. X sighed. "There was nothing else to retrieve. I myself survived, but so did Zytron. Despite the loss of his arms, he still functioned as leader, and he swore that day to pursue vengeance on the ninja. He, I, and the other five who were fortunate to be alive.
"And from the group of seven, we slowly reconstructed the base, then the production of men. As the Sons of Garmadon conquered Ninjago, we rebuilt, too weakened to assist. As the Oni descended, we rebuilt, too few to join them. Then, she came."
"Who came," Ronin asked.
"A lady, one with power, one with the same thirst for vengeance," Dr. X sighed. "She called herself Preeminence, and she asked for our allegiance and aid in her master plan. By then, we numbered at a thousand, too large to go unnoticed forever. So, Zytron agreed. We pledged allegiance to her, and in exchange, she concealed us from the ninja and quadrupled production. Today, they all work for her, all ten thousand men."
"Wait, did you say ten thousand," Jay gasped.
"Ten thousand," Nya repeated. "That's an army large enough to conquer Ninjago."
"Yes, but there are more pieces still to be laid, many of which I do not know," Dr. X warned.
"Then perhaps our search for the manufacturer of amber energizers will unveil more of this master plan," Nya said.
"I might know a source who can help," Dr. X offered. "Ronin, do you remember the old base you destroyed?"
"Yes," Ronin nodded.
"Well, last I checked, it was being converted in a parts manufacturing plant," Dr. X said.
"You suppose they might have the specs we need," Ronin winked. "I like it. Risky plan, but it'll save us the trouble of sniffing for clues ourselves. Any idea where it is?"
"By the Isle of Seven Dragons, behind the passes of Krakuk," Dr. X sighed.
"Then that's where we go," Nya nodded. "Ronin, lead the way."