Ninjago City police station
Skylor sighed. This entire investigation was going nowhere…fast. At first, they had tracked down the location of the shot that killed Ambassador Nina, collecting samples of evidence left behind. None of the samples, though, revealed anything more than the weapon used, a long-range custom sniper rifle not on the market.
"Nothing. Absolutely nothing," Skylor sighed.
"No kidding," the police commissioner said. "We've scanned and scrutinized everything on this table, but nothing adds up."
"Whoever killed Nina covered his tracks well," Skylor noted. "He left few bullet shells, let alone any pieces of hardware."
"No one can hide forever," the commissioner quipped. "The villain will always reveal himself in due time."
Just then, another officer burst into the room, his face red and short of breath.
"What is it, deputy," the commissioner asked.
"We lost contact with two of our squad cars," the deputy breathed.
"Dispatch a search team," the commissioner said. "You know the procedure."
"Wait," Skylor interrupted. "Deputy, where were the squad cars when they last reported in?"
"They were on the south side, investigating tips concerning a brawl inside Dareth's restaurant," the deputy answered.
"I'm be right over," Skylor said. "Dispatch a swat team to meet me at the restaurant."
"Brawls happen all the time over there," the commissioner said as the deputy exited. "You sure this one is different?"
"I just need something to do," Skylor shrugged as she grabbed her katana.
Laughy's (Dareth's Bar)
"Another drink," Jael sighed, holding out a tip to the bartender.
"Why so upset," Salvo questioned as he slurped down a bottle of brandy. "We whipped the snake thugs out of this place, didn't we?"
"That's just it," Jael sighed. "My master wanted me to create chaos for the ninja, to ensure that they're distracted while she retrieves the energizer. Yet here we are, wasting resources to fight war against the snakes I swore to befriend."
"Those cave dwelling relics don't stand a chance against us," Salvo laughed. "They'll think twice once we steamroll them underground again. Just give me the command, and I'll use all our resources to strike them all down."
"Do that, and you'll attract the attention of the ninja," Jael sighed. "And if the ninjas get involved, Preeminence's plan, and the vengeance of the Retributionists, will all be for naught. No, we withhold our full strength and stall until Preeminence gives the order for Phase 2."
"We cannot afford to stall much longer," Salvo sighed. "As we speak, Dr. X roams free, Kigaru grows stronger, and the police get closer to cracking the case."
"You doubt that I can hold it all together," Jael snorted.
"Well, no," Salvo gulped.
"Then stop panicking. Zytron will eliminate Dr. X for us, and Pythor will soon have Kigaru back under lock and key."
"But what about the police?"
"They're as close as the north pole is from the south pole."
"More like they're converging at the equator," Skylor quipped, stepping into the room.
"Skylor," Jael grumbled. "The former master of amber."
"Save your breath," Skylor rolled her eyes. "Better spent on interrogation than puny insults."
"What are you doing here," Salvo questioned.
"Same as you, to drown my pathetic existence in a bottle of brandy," Skylor winked. "One for the house, Dareth."
"Thank goodness, ninja," Dareth smiled, whipping out a bottle of brandy. "I miss you guys."
"Same, Dareth," Skylor said as she sat down next to Jael. "Now, you know how I like it."
"Viper's whipping on the way," Dareth winked, shaking the bottle full of cocktail mixes.
"What's your game," Jael questioned.
"Oh, no games," Skylor winked. "You see, I'm dead bored, bored of having nothing to do. So, I come here…to spark life into these dry bones."
"I didn't take you to be a drunkard," Salvo remarked.
"Oh, I know my limits," Skylor laughed. "Only a shot or two each trip. Anything more and I'd be dazed on the ground in a heartbeat, murmuring karaoke till sunrise."
"I don't drink, usually," Jael sighed, rolling her glass around her fingers. "It upsets my stomach too much. Haven't done it for over a year, actually, but I figure tonight my vow is toast."
"Don't be too hard on yourself," Skylor gulped as she sipped on her glass. "There's a season for everything, even depression."
"I'm not depressed," Jael sighed. "It's…it's just that I don't…"
"Want to fail whomever it is you're serving," Skylor finished.
"How did you guess," Jael questioned, frowning as she spoke.
"Been there, seen that," Skylor sighed.
"Really? I thought ninja didn't deal with failure, with depression," Jael questioned.
"Until a few years ago, I served Lord Chen, my father, with unwavering devotion. I assisted him in everything – the expansion of his noddle company, the growth of his underground crime network, the mobilization of Anacondrai cultists. I even undertook missions for him, like working with Ronin to kidnap Zane and Pixel.
"The Tournament of Elements changed my perspective. I merely wanted to see my father succeed. I didn't mean to touch Kai, or to befriend the other competitors. Once I did, though, the scales lifted from my eyes; all my father sought was power, power and vengeance at the expense of everything. To him, even I was expendable. So, I resisted with the others, and for the first time, I discovered what true friendship meant.
"That didn't help me after my father died. Like storm waves battering a lighthouse, guilt and regret plagued me. What if I had followed my father instead of deserting him? What if I could have redeemed him? What if I had defeated Chen within his palace, before the tournament? Or when he was trying to invade Ninjago? Countless nights, I tossed and turned, always waking up in a pool of sweat and tears."
"What did you do," Jael asked.
"I tried every medicine prescribed, every cure available, to no avail," Skylor sighed. "I can't tell you how many nights I took extra pills yet woke up vomiting and hallucinating in my bed. Then, when that failed, I started drinking, first a little but later a lot more than I ever imagined. Turns out, though, that only amplified the hallucinations, and soon my nightmares started appearing 3-D.
"Fifty nights, I lived like this, till I finally broke. That night, I couldn't sleep, so I tried to take a walk. Then, without warning, a raging fit consumed me, and I started attacking everything in sight."
"So, that explains the headline, 'Rogue Ninja Wreaks Havoc', that I read a few years back," Jael whistled. "The paper clearly missed out on a huge scoop."
"My rampage prompted the ninja to intervene," Skylor sighed. "And what a firefight that was. I nearly killed Kai and Jay in my fit of rage twice, and I almost severed Cole's arm. Then, Nya doused me in a wave of water, and I don't remember anything after that.
"Next thing I knew, I was at the monastery, and Master Wu was nursing me back to health. And over the next few weeks, he fed me wisdom and console, and I finally beat the depression away. The nightmare still haunts me occasionally, but I can say with joy that today I am cured of my depression."
"What a powerful story," Jael sighed. "Unfortunately, it will be your last."
"Pardon me," Skylor sighed, suddenly frowning.
"You're about to die," Jael winked. "This amber blast I'm about to shoot will kill you instantly."
Jael lifted her hand, pointing its palm toward Skylor. For a brief second, Skylor ducked, but then, as Jael's hand continued to shake without a spark of energy, she smiled. Skylor then started laughing, while Jael started grumbling and swearing at her arm.
"Why won't it work," Jael grumbled.
"Girl, you suck at lying," Skylor laughed, pushing Jael's arm down. "You let me rabble on about my ugly past, but trust me, I know a faker when I see one. Tell me, you've been charging that up how long? Two hours? That's why you drove everyone out. You think you can use my power against me."
"It gives you power," Jael remarked. "Why can't it do the same for me?"
"Ever learned how to harness power," Skylor winked. "It takes a little bit to get used to. Besides, amber is a power of absorption; you can't do nothing till you've touched someone with a different element. But don't ask me for pointers. I don't sell those so easily."
Skylor flipped backward, letting herself fall off toward the ground. At the same time, she flipped up the legs of her stool, smacking Jael square in the face with the legs. Jael recoiled toward Salvo, spilling into his lap and knocking him down off his stool too. Dareth then tossed to Skylor the finished viper's whipping bottle.
"Easy, Skylor," Dareth sighed. "They whipped the Serpentine in this bar up a few minutes ago."
"Wait, Serpentine," Skylor questioned.
Jael swung another stool into Skylor, knocking her over the bar into Dareth's startled lap.
"First lesson," Jael hissed. "Never turn your back on a fight till you've finished it. Come on, Salvo. We're out of here."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Salvo nodded, scrambling to exit the building by the back door.
"We're not done yet," Skylor sighed, struggling to get up.
"Oh, no, this is just the beginning," Jael smiled. "You just inspired me to a new purpose: conquering the city. Have fun with that."
Jael slammed the back door shut. At the same time, the swat team soldiers burst into the bar, immediately locking down the place and securing every inch of abandoned ground. PIXAL, in her Samurai X garb, and Zane entered next, beelining toward Skylor and Dareth.
"Zane, nice to see you," Skylor smiled weakly.
"Skylor, Dareth, a pleasure to see you both alive," Zane smiled. "Are you both alright?"
"The brown ninja never takes a beating," Dareth quipped. "Can't say the same for my bar."
"We'll pay for damages," Samurai X said.
"Skylor, we heard your conversation with Jael," Zane sighed. "You…you were open more than I suspected."
"A bit too open," Skylor spat, standing up. "I let my guard down, and she slipped away. We could have ended this here, but we let her escape instead."
"Don't worry," Zane soothed. "It wasn't your fault. I arrived too late to assist you."
"It won't happen again," Skylor said. "Jael swore that she would conquer the city. I want to find out how she plans on doing it."