Jay shakes against the ground as Lloyd approaches, propped on his elbows instead of his hands, which quiver in the air. At the sight, Lloyd rushes the rest of the way over and places a hand on Jay's back, and Jay shudders like he is going to collapse.
He doesn't, though Lloyd fears that Jay suffered severe injury when or after the blast knocked everyone back. Static sparks at Jay's hands, minute compared to their prior power, but worrying, since Jay looks up with a pinched expression.
It is the same face he makes when he is about to cry, but Lloyd suspects it has less to do with injury this time around. Lloyd swallows.
"Are you alright?" asks Lloyd.
A crash sounds somewhere to their left as an exhibit collapses. The Mechanic moves around the other end of the room, firing with a different, bulkier weapon than the ones he and his men were using before.
In the center of the room, Nya attacks while Pixal covers for her. Everyone else stays out of the way, ducked behind small, broken structures for cover.
"I'm fine," says Jay, "I'm—I'm so sorry, Lloyd. I'm so—"
"I know," says Lloyd, and he surveys the rest of his team.
While Nya and Pixal fight, Zane and Cole lie on the floor, with Cole half propped in Zane's arms. Cole watches the fight as though in a stupor, and Zane, while much more alert, still clutches at the damaged half of his face. They likely won't be able to help if they wanted to, which is fine by Lloyd.
He sighs. "Let's just…finish this."
He holds out a hand, but he is forced to grab Jay's forearm to haul him to his feet. When Jay tries his elemental powers, all they do is crackle. The wince that shocks through Jay isn't lost on Lloyd either, so he joins Pixal's side alone.
This time, it is he who doesn't look at Nya, instead steeling his gaze at their common enemy. He'll worry about that first.
He calls out an order, and they listen. With Nya and Pixal here, the fight is a quick one, and too soon, the Mechanic raises his hands in surrender when he realizes he has nowhere to go.
As he and the rest of his henchmen are taken into custody, the ninja are left standing in the museum. In the quiet, the occasional zap from Jay's still crackling hands and heavy breathing as they recover from their fight echo in an almost deafening sense. The silence is loud, and Lloyd stares at Nya, who tenses in the center of the room.
In that moment, all they do is look, though Nya keeps her gaze focused on a spot in the distance, arms stiff now that she isn't occupied with battle. Only Pixal stands directly at her side, with everyone else standing back.
Lloyd watches her with bated breath, waiting for her to speak. If she's waiting for their response—or judgement, maybe—she likely won't get it, since everyone appears too dumbstruck to form sentences.
They're either waiting on her or waiting on each other to say something. Many unspoken words hang in the air, among them apologies for their actions and inactions, assessments of their situation, and surprise.
Mostly surprise.
The silence stretches awkwardly long.
Zane's face sparks, and he brings a hand to his eye. "We've, uh…" he says, "Best we get help, then?"
The statement hits Lloyd with a jolt as he remembers the state of his team. He glances at Zane's face, Jay's hands, and Cole's blood, and he clenches his fist.
"Let's go," he says.
They have so many problems to deal with, but injury comes first and foremost, as it always does. He turns without sparing Nya another glance as he joins Zane's side in helping Cole to his feet.
While keeping her out of his line of sight makes him feel marginally better about this situation, he is all too aware of her presence as she follows them outside.
The hospital they arrive to is the same one that Kai died in, and this fact follows Lloyd as he roams the halls. He can't remember which room it was that he saw Kai for the last time, for they all look the same. He isn't looking for it, though, but he hates the possibility that he could've passed the room without knowing it.
Agitated, he wanders the halls, feeling as though they are full of ghosts, despite being busy with nurses and staff. It isn't Kai's ghost that makes him feel this way, but the ghosts of his team, and maybe the ghost of Lloyd, too. The ghosts of who they were on that day, of who they were before Kai died, wander these halls, and Lloyd finds himself looking over his shoulder a lot, half-expecting these ghosts to be trailing him, peering around corners and watching with sad eyes.
He hates it here.
The day leaves Lloyd with heavy bruising—a little heavier in some places—pretty much everywhere that is good at getting hit, but he will be fine. He told the doctor as much, but he is forced to stay a few hours before he is allowed to go home.
Lloyd doesn't stay put, and he searches for the rest of his team, who suffered worse than they should. Pixal busies herself with Zane as they repair the blasted half of his face and extract shards of shrapnel from his shoulder. Some of these had barely missed his central power cord, with the closest being just a centimeter away.
But he will be fine.
Both Pixal and Zane told this to Lloyd, and Lloyd repeats it in his mind as he looks for the rest of his friends.
Cole lies in a room with a head injury, relatively light compared to what could've been, and Lloyd is still trying to chase the image of the blood on Cole's face out of his thoughts. He will go home in a matter of days, and Lloyd has already begun counting down the minutes until that happens.
As for Jay, Lloyd hasn't been able to check in with him, yet. When he passes the room that Jay is being examined in, he spots Nya there and refuses to go in.
Jay sits on a table in the far corner, turned away from the door and holding out his hands. Nya has hers clasped around one of them, and while Lloyd at first thinks it is a sign of whatever is going on in their relationship this week, Nya speaks and dashes the thought.
Hearing her voice makes something in his gut twist.
"Are you able to feel the pressure?" asks Nya, squeezing Jay's hand.
"Yeah," says Jay, "It's just—pins and needles, you know, but kind of hot. It isn't as bad as it was earlier."
He stares at Nya's face, but Nya looks at his hand.
"I don't know," she says, turning it over, "You must have really pushed yourself."
Lloyd almost snorts. Of course Jay pushed himself, because everyone pushed themselves, because Nya wasn't there to help. He waits by the door, trying not to eavesdrop but rocking on his heels as he waits for Nya to leave.
"I had to," says Jay, and he looks up from Nya's head, expression twisted into something Lloyd can't quite read.
"How bad was it before I got there?"
"We should have been able to handle it," says Jay, shaking his head.
From his spot, Lloyd silently agrees.
"But it was like—I don't know," says Jay, "I was angry. I'm still angry. I won't tell you what he said, but the Mechanic said something awful about—"
His eyes go wide, and he cuts himself off as he glances over Nya's face. If Nya is affected by the mention of her brother, she doesn't show it. Her expression doesn't change from its blank set, and she hums in reply.
She runs her thumb over Jay's knuckles before lowering his hand. She starts to let go, but swollen fingers squeeze tight, as much as they will allow, and she stays. It looks oddly intimate, so Lloyd turns away, pressing the back of his head against the wall as he watches the ceiling instead.
He isn't sure what exactly went wrong with Jay's hands, other than that the force of his elemental powers caused some kind of strain or damage upon expulsion. Truth be told, Lloyd is more concerned with how much injury Jay has suffered, rather than what kind.
He just wishes Nya would leave, for he can't walk in the room, otherwise.
"He was trying to get under your skin," says Nya, something wobbling in her tone, "it looks like they all were, from the start."
"It should get under my skin!" says Jay, "I won't sit by and let anybody—" he doesn't finish, just inhales.
It sounds shaky, and Lloyd is surprised that Jay hasn't cried yet, since he has sounded on the verge of tears all day.
Nya is quiet, and Lloyd turns to stare again. He can't help it, but he keeps staring, watching her actions and reactions. It is bizarre seeing her at all.
"Well," says Nya, in a voice so soft that Lloyd strains to hear it, "I don't think Kai would like it if you killed yourself over him."
"There is a lot that Kai wouldn't like," says Jay, tone sharp, "about how we've been handling ourselves since he's been gone."
He stares at Nya and shakes his hand, prompting her to look up.
"You've been gone for so long," says Jay, "Is this…is this you coming back?"
Nya swallows. "Would you have me?"
"Nya," Jay smiles for the first time all day, "Of course we will. Do you know how much we've been missing you?"
That is all Lloyd can stand to hear, so turns on his heel and marches away, deciding to check on Jay at another time. Maybe by then, Jay's hands will be back to normal, and Lloyd won't have to worry at all.
He hopes as much, squeezing his eyes shut as he flies through the halls. He finds the room that Cole is staying in and bursts in without so much as a knock, startling both his friend and his uncle, who sits in a chair beside Cole's bed.
With nowhere else to sit or go, Lloyd sits at the end of the bed, nudging aside Cole's feet.
A beat passes in wake of Lloyd's surprise.
Then, voice soft, Cole says, "You okay, buckaroo?"
"What are you asking me for?" says Lloyd.
It sounds harsh, and he takes a breath. He hates it here.
He tries again, "How are you? How's your head?"
"Tough as always," says Cole with an attempt at a smile.
He's tired. So is Lloyd, but they have so much work to do.
"Are you going to be alright?" asks Lloyd, though he already asked doctors and even Wu himself, earlier.
"I guess so," Cole sighs, looking at the ceiling, "We did terribly today."
"You were hurting," says Wu, face grim, "I almost regret sending you at all—"
"But we won," says Lloyd.
"We didn't win," says Cole, "not at first. If Nya and Pixal hadn't shown up—"
Lloyd frowns at his feet as he swings them back and forth.
"We might've been fine if you guys had listened to me more," says Lloyd, and he doesn't intend to sound as petulant as he does.
His uncle turns his gaze on Lloyd, ever scrutinizing. Lloyd wishes it would go away.
He is tired of being observed.
"We all could've listened to each other better," says Cole, "I don't know what was going on with Zane and Jay, but you weren't doing so hot yourself, pint-size."
Cole is right—as he usually is with these things.
"How did Nya know to be here?" asks Lloyd.
"I sent a message as you left," says Wu, "I didn't expect to hear from her, but she got into contact with Pixal."
Lloyd stares at his uncle for a long time. "What made you think she would come?"
Wu cocks his head. "I thought she would've wanted to help you."
Lloyd frowns before glancing away. "How can you say that after all this?"
He glares at his shoes, swinging them hard enough to make Cole's bed creak.
Wu is quiet, then says, "She is your family, Lloyd. She has proven time and time again that she will be there for you."
"But she hasn't been!" says Lloyd, "I'm surprised she came back at all!"
He drops off the bed and stands at the window, watching the rain. It is so dark now, all he can see are droplets rolling across the glass, illuminated by distant streetlights below.
"You're mad," says Cole.
"Aren't you?" asks Lloyd.
He hopes it doesn't show in his voice, but he wishes that Cole was angry, too. He wishes that his entire team were angry, though that doesn't seem to be the case. Lloyd doesn't want to be alone on this.
"I'm sorry," he blurts as the silence behind him stretches, "I know I should be happy, but—" he swallows, trying to articulate his feelings about this, "she left, and now she's back, no explanation."
"Does she need one?" asks Wu.
Lloyd hears Cole mutter something to Wu before saying to Lloyd, "I understand, Lloyd. A part of me doesn't know how to feel about it, either."
He follows the statement with a strange, almost laugh-like sound, and a knot in Lloyd's chest loosens.
Then Cole says, "Heck, if Kai walked through that door right now, I might be a little angry with him, too."
This confession shocks Lloyd. He turns on the spot, eyes wide. "You would be mad at Kai?"
Cole twitches in surprise at the reaction, uncomfortable under Lloyd's gaze. "Well—no, but—" he thinks, "I wouldn't be mad at Kai, I guess, but when I look at how painful our time has been without him, I might be angry over all that grief."
He meets Lloyd's eyes, and Lloyd can't even look away, caught up in disbelief.
Cole waits for Lloyd's response, and despite his speechlessness, Lloyd huffs. The comparison isn't even remotely the same. He is mad at Nya, plain and simple.
Before anything else is said, a knock sounds at the door. Pixal pokes her head in, offering a small smile as she enters.
"I hope I'm not interrupting," she says, unaware of how welcome her interruption is, at least for Lloyd, "but I have a preliminary report for today's events I'd like to share."
As much as Lloyd wants to put this day behind him and leave it, he would rather listen to this report than return to the current conversation. He steps forward.
"Go ahead," he says, "I want to know how this happened."
Pixal nods.
"The Mechanic has been operating an underground weapons market that he has slowly been growing over the last few months," she says, "Today's…demonstration I believe was part of an effort to acquire stockpiles and supplies previously inaccessible to them without aid of the advanced tech. These weapons gave them the power they needed to stand a fighting chance against whatever resistance they might encounter. I think that is why they were so bold. Today's attack could have had the secondary purpose of flexing on the Mechanic's forces."
"Flexing?" says Lloyd.
"They were trying to agitate us?" says Cole.
"Not us, perhaps," says Pixal, lips pursed as she thinks, "This was a highly publicized attack, and assuming its success, which they gambled for, they could have lined up a lot of buyers while also eliminating one of their biggest threats."
Her eyes dart between them. Lloyd swallows around his grief and tries not to think about how this gamble almost became a reality. If Pixal and Nya hadn't—
Lloyd closes his eyes, refusing to finish the thought. Wu eyes him curiously.
"There were other attempted break-ins across the city, both before and following the Mechanic's surrender," says Pixal, "They made themselves scarce after word got out of his defeat, but this suggests the scope of the operation is larger than we thought. Authorities were able to give me a few leads on where they base themselves, but I suspect we'll be clearing them out for the next several months, at least."
Lloyd sighs. "Sounds like a lot."
"It will be," says Pixal, "I don't know how soon these groups will try anything after the Mechanic's defeat, but we're onto them now. If we can take care of these separate branches, we will be plenty able to shut them down."
She sounds almost optimistic, but Pixal doesn't do that sort of thing. This means that she is confident in her assessment, but Lloyd thinks of her earliest statements and wilts.
"If we had just gone after them in the beginning—" Lloyd starts.
"Lloyd," Wu cuts in, leaning forward as he speaks, "I'm going to stop you there."
"But if we—" says Lloyd.
"No one could have asked you to fight so soon after losing someone important to you. To all of us," says Wu, "You are not at fault for this."
"Regardless of what has already happened," says Pixal, "We have a plan now. We will beat this."
She smiles as she says so, and Lloyd hangs onto that smile. Then he looks at his uncle, who gives him a similar, reassuring expression.
Right. Lloyd nods. He must focus on what he has.
His team has the numbers now to at least match the rest of the Mechanic's forces. What comes next is how they are going to learn to work together again.
The task is daunting, not just now that Nya has thrown herself back in the mix. He'll have to resolve whatever is between them now in order to go forward, and he isn't sure how to go about it. He still feels heated knowing Nya will be traveling home with them, despite wanting this for so long.
As he sits there, staring out the window, he thinks over Cole's words and wonders if he would hate Kai if he came back, too. The thought keeps him quiet for the rest of the day.
Thank you for reading!