The following morning, Scars walks over to Seymour, who was leaning by the elevator. "You were supposed to take over for Ultra Violet." He said.
"Why should I listen to you?" Seymour asked.
"Because, I'm your general, I have perfect hearing, and you need to do your assigned bizzo."
"I want to be ready for when the time comes. So I can finally kill Borg."
"You'll have your fair go. But, only when you're called. So, don't knock back, go to the office."
"I don't want to babysit the Ninja. You do it."
"Fine then, you dropkick fag." He walks away. "Enjoy roaming through the empty hallways." He sarcastically called out and Seymour gives him the bird.
In the office, Ultra Violet was circling around Geoff as he was sleeping, and was unresponsive to her talking. "I bet that hurt a lot, eh, boy?" She asked, referring to his new blindness, but he doesn't respond as he was still asleep.
12 Years Earlier
A 10 year old shirtless Geoff is kneeling as he faced some cultist members, who were chanting. "And now, let our new student, Geoffrey Arcturus Clouse, bear the mark of the Anacondrai." Chen said as Textilis and Eyezor grab hold of Geoff before a member came up behind him, with a bowl and paintbrush, got out a bit of purple paint, and started painting his back, causing him to yell from the paint's sting.
"It hurts!" He yelled.
Present
Getting impatient with his ignorance, Ultra Violet lifts his head, resulting in him opening his mouth as he was woken up. "You know something, Sanders." She said. "Out with it."
Geoff scoffed. "'The wind rushes through my hair, whistling its shrillness in my ear.'" Geoff replied, quoting a poetry. "'The thunder gives a deafening boom, echoing inside my skull. It never ends, the crashing of water on rocks. Like war soldiers in battle, the waves cry out. Desperately wanting to be rid of such pandemonium. I'm unsure of the havoc it's caused, with all the loudness it brings. Everything is on hyperdrive, my ears even more so. Now the wind is coming much faster, causing me to lose all sense of direction. The high pitch of an alarm is off in the distance, still trying to resonate above all the turmoil. Suddenly, everything stops and I'm left to wonder where it all went. No noise, no thrashing of the trees, complete silence, trance like even. It's over. I'm free.'" (A/N: Through Blind Eyes by Elizabeth Anderson)
Ultra soon laughed. "You may know a little poetry, but it will never help you out of this situation."
"I can bite you again, you know." He sarcastically spoke. Ultra Violet then growled before getting her pistol out and aimed at her head. "Kill me, and you'll have to explain to Emperor Garmadon. Maybe even kill you, just like Mr. E."
She soon points to his groin as the door soon opened with Scars coming in. "Ultra Violet, it's time." He said.
"Where's Seymour?" She asked.
"That mug racked off. Didn't want to watch the Yellow Ninja. Now I have to do it."
"Well, time flies when you listen to poetry." Ultra Violet holsters her gun.
"That all he could yabber about?"
"Afraid so. Time to hunt down another traitor." She soon turned back to him. "If you hear a single bit of poetry from him, cut his balls off." And with that threat acknowledged, she walked out. Scars soon got out his phone before looking at it and Geoff.
At the base of The Green Light, Lloyd was coming out of a room, yawning as he did so. "Morning." Caine said as he came over to him with some recently squeezed orange juice, which he took, and immediately scowled.
"No one bothered to wake me up?" He asked.
"You and the others look like you needed it."
"You practically ate half of our supplies!" Tox was heard yelling as they turn to see her arguing with Cirrus, who was eating a dark chocolate muffin, as they walk past them.
"Newsflash, pregnancy cravings." She replied, stopping to turn around and face her.
"Cravings aren't gonna help all of us out here! We all have to eat."
"And I'm eating for two. I guess you'll never get to experience it at all."
Tox immediately growled before Skylor soon came up to them, moving in front of Tox. "Stop it, Tox." She said. "Don't get her hormones all worked up. Besides, we've already sent some people out to get some more food."
"Whatever." Tox replied before she walked away as Cirrus soon blew a raspberry at her before finishing the muffin while walking away.
An alarm clock soon goes off as Lloyd, Skylor and Caine look up to see someone up on the catwalk, trying to turn it off before they roll off of it with a yelp, landing in front of them, turning the clock off at the same time. "Ouch." Caine said.
"That's gonna leave a mark." Skylor sarcastically said before walking away.
The person soon got up, revealing to be Blake, as he rubs his bandaged wrist before looking at the clock in his hand. "Why are you guys up early?" He asked.
"It's not early, Blake." Lloyd replied. "It's 8:30."
"Damn, this clock's on the wrong time."
"Lloyd, Blake, come here, quick!" Cirrus called out, and they immediately head over to where she, Spider, Patrice, Dareth and Misako were watching puppets of the mailman and Ultra Violet being moved about, as if a chase was happening, as ululating from Ultra Violet herself was heard before she laughs, and tosses the puppets away, immediately standing up on a chair.
"The mailman doesn't deliver, so find him, and return to sender!" She said before crouching down to get something. "Today's jackpot could be yours..." She soon laughed again.
"Every day, pick off our friends." Karlof said as he came up to them. "Pick, pick, pick."
"Uh, as long as it's not me." Dareth replied.
"That really got us annoying, so that's why almost every time that happens, I transmit my messages out to the people." Patrice said as Lloyd sees Skylor and Powder pass by, coming up to Nya.
"Looks bigger than your other builds." He said. "What are you making?"
"Since we're outnumbered, we're upping the armour and firepower." Nya replied.
"Thanks to some feedback from Skylor, I feel like it's really taking shape." Maggie said as she came out from underneath it.
"But it's so bulky." Lloyd replied. "We'll be sitting ducks in that thing."
"It's a work in progress." Skylor said. "She'll be ready."
"Karlof." Mistaké called out, and everyone turns to her. "Do you think I can get your help with Lloyd's training?"
"Oh, it would be my pleasure." Karlof replied, banging his fist together.
"Go easy on me." Lloyd said. "I'm powerless."
"Uh, actually, it won't be you facing Karlof, but Dareth." Mistaké replied as she came over to them.
"Me?" Dareth asked. "I mean..." He soon started to stutter. "All right. Hey, heh. About time." He chuckles.
"But he isn't an Elemental Master." Blake said, pointing out to him.
"Neither is Lloyd." Mistaké replied, hitting him with her cane, inadvertently hitting his broken wrist, causing him to groan and hiss. "Sorry, I forgot it was broken." She soon turned to Lloyd. "Power takes many forms beyond what is physical." They soon move over to an improvised fighting ring in the middle of the base as Mistaké guides Dareth to it. "The power of persuasion, the power of numbers." She soon held her cane out to Lloyd while Karlof went into the ring. "The power to lead, which Patrice passed on to you."
"Don't forget Power of Metal." Karlof said before slamming his fists together, grows a little bigger, and turns grey.
"Oh, shit." Dareth said as he came into the ring. "You're gonna be a tough nut to crack."
Lloyd turns to Mistaké, who notices him. "Don't look at me." She scolded.
"Lead him, son." Misako said.
"Anybody up for some popcorn?" Sean asked, bring out boxes of popcorn.
Spider holds out his hand to fire a shot of Web, grabbing a box, and pulls it back to grab it. Blake takes a box as well. "This'll be fun." He said, putting a popcorn in his mouth.
Sean then passed the popcorn to Maggie, Tox, Griffin and Shade as Mistaké notices. "Why would you have popcorn at a time like this?" She asked.
"I don't know." Blake shrugged as he put some popcorn in his mouth.
"You can do this, Dareth." Lloyd said to him while declining some popcorn passed to him.
"With the Power of Brown, you're about to go down." He said before posing as a bear. "Brown bear." He drops down to his hands and growled, gets back up, and moves about, amusing some of the spectators while confusing Karlof at the same time. "Spiky penguin." He starts moving around like a penguin, and imitates like one. But as he did so, Karlof punches him, sending him flying into the ropes, shakes while holding them, and falls onto his back, earning snickers from some of the members.
"Uh, lucky punch. Come on, shake it off." Dareth gets up and breathes heavily. "He's bigger, so use your speed."
This gave Dareth an idea. "Speed, like a cheetah." He starts moving up to Karlof, acting like one. "Dareth, be nimble. Dareth, be quick. Dareth jumped over the-"
Karlof punches him again, sending him flying into a post, and causing everyone to cringe, Misako and Cirrus cover their eyes. "Oh, that's gonna leave a mark." Maggie said.
"Lead." Mistaké tells the pouting Lloyd.
He soon came up to Dareth as he slid down. "Ninja never quit." He said. "Get up." Dareth soon gets up while whimpering as Karlof soon charged at him while roaring.
Dareth started to run around the ring, screaming as Karlof chases him, amusing most of the members. "Fish!" He yelled. "Slippery like a fish!" He screams as he comes across a post, jumps onto it, and grabs hold of it while breathing heavily, and Karlof amusingly looked at him. "I-I'm sorry, Lloyd, I- Oh, damn it. I let you down."
"I can't fight everyone's fights."
"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear that." Mistaké said to him.
"I said, I can't fight everyone's-" This soon got him thinking. "How do I lead The Green Light?"
"By finding your voice." She nudges him. "The more you inspire, the more others will inspire you." She turns to the TV that was back to showing Ultra Violet. "And you better find your voice soon, because today, you will be taking back the airwaves."
"Airwaves?" Lloyd asked.
"The people of Ninjago think you're gone." Mistaké soon turns the TV off. "Show them you're not." She soon walked away as everyone looked at each other.
"You heard her. Let's get a plan together."
Knocking was soon heard, alerting everyone before they turn to the steel shutter, in shock. Tox immediately turned to a nearby officer. "Were you followed?" She asked.
"No, I made a furrow scavenger hunt." He replied.
Immediately disbelieving him, Tox turned to Lloyd. "He was followed!"
Slowly but surely, Lloyd moves towards the door next to the shutter, only for an envelope to show up, slid underneath the door. A little suspicious, Lloyd opened the door to see a figure with a biker helmet running away. "Hey, stop!" He yelled.
The figure gets on a motorbike before starting it and takes off. "Shit!" He muttered before heading back inside.
He moves over to Nya, who was holding the envelope, and everyone was crowded around her. "He got away." He then looked at the envelope. "What is it?"
"I don't know." She said. "It doesn't have a name on it."
"Probably a warning." Misako replied before Lloyd took the envelope, opens it, and gets out a note.
"'Your friend is alive.'" He said, reading the note, surprising everyone while Blake took the envelope.
"This has got to be a trick." Cirrus said, taking the note. "We heard the gunshot. He's dead."
"Wait, there's something else in here." Blake replied, getting out a photo before becoming completely shocked.
"What is it?" Maggie asked, concerned about her boyfriend.
"Proof of life. And something else. Do you want to see it?"
"Just show me the damn photo!"
Reluctantly, Blake turned the photo around to show them. Everyone was soon in complete shock. It was a photo of Geoff, sitting in a chair, hands cuffed behind his back, gi torn and bloody in many places, bandages over his eyes, and glass all over his surroundings. "Ponytail of the First Spinjitzu Master!" Dareth said.
"He is alive." Lloyd said before they all notice the injures on him.
"Oh, no." Maggie said to herself, immediately putting a hand over her mouth out of shock. "His eyes. Geoff." Maggie soon sheds a tear as Lloyd soon embraced her for her to cry into his shoulder.
"We will free him." He tells her.
"I'll go put his name on the 'Captured' wall." Caine said as he soon walked over to it.
"Your friend Geoff is alive." Mistaké said. "That should give you some hope."
"We have to rescue him." Blake said.
"Not today."
"What?" Lloyd asked, completely shocked.
"Your objective remains the same. Find your voice." Lloyd looks at the photo again before nodding.
A few minutes later, some of the members were loading up some weapons as Misako came up to them. "I don't think the guns are a good idea." She said.
"Only as a precaution." Patrice replied, pulling back the slide of a Beretta 8000 Cougar, checks inside it, lets it retract, and holds it out to Misako, who places her hand on it to lower it as Lloyd then came up to them, and takes it.
"I may not like these kind of toys, but I still need to defend myself." He said before putting it in his waistband.