118
Each time Julien woke and realized he was still in Estyeer, he lost a little more hope. This last time, however, he discovered that he had lost a lot more than just hope in his continued imprisonment. He had known something was off from the moment he had opened his eyes, but it wasn't until he gained enough energy to look himself over that he realized what had been done to him.
He wanted to scream, or even cry. The familiarity of his own limbs had been compromised—the chrome arm attached at his right shoulder felt foreign and he wanted nothing more than to be rid of it. However, as he sat rigid in the hospital bed, his insides burning with suppressed emotion, all he could think about was Zerek's threat. He still didn't believe it possible to do what the android suggested—removing all emotion from a human mind. However, Julien had seen enough from Zerek that he wouldn't put it past the android to at least attempt it.
Julien struggled to sit up, the tears in his eyes making it difficult to see much else in the room. Zerek had started walking away, and as Julien used his good hand to wipe at his face, his vision cleared enough that he realized that he could see Colby lying on another hospital bed a few feet away. Zerek's orders to prepare for the procedure rang in the young scientist's ears, and he shook his head desperately.
"Please, Zerek...you could kill him!"
"Truzfully, I believe zere is more of a chance of nozing happening zan somezing zat extreme," the android argued before gesturing to some of his staff members. "In fact, zere is more at risk for ze oni subject zan ze Master of Vater."
Julien looked over at the gathering androids in labcoats and sunglasses, and he realized a few were wheeling over another bed next to Colby's. It contained an oni—a young man who was fidgeting groggily. The blood drained from Julien's face as he caught sight of the fear on the Oni's face as he woke up.
"Connect ze core to Mr. Valker," Zerek was instructing. "Ve vill see if ze core can be charged viz oni power and extract elemental power simultaneously. I vould also like to discover ze exact amount of oni lifeforce needed for an extraction. It vill allow me to know how much power I vill need to collect for ze impending extractions...and it may help extend ze life of my sole aura source until I can acquire further subjects." He rested his hand on the head of the young Oni, who flinched.
"What are you doing?" the Oni whimpered. A staff member began setting up a machine on a small table between the two hospital beds—Julien's machine. The young scientist shook his head in horror, but his reaction was nothing compared to the Oni's when he caught sight of the machine. Julien flinched at the boy's terrified cries as he fought against his restraints.
"No! I won't do it again!" the oni screamed, but Zerek ignored him completely as he studied the elemental master of water. Colby was unconscious from what Julien could see, and he had no idea if that fact would make it better or worse in the long run. One of the robotic staff members pulled off the side of the machine to expose the core while another attached long cords to the input ports where a battery would normally be positioned.
"You cannot do this! It is too experimental!" Julien begged. The android paid no attention to Julien's pleas, and he tried once again to push himself up. Out of habit, he tried using his right arm, but when the metallic arm twitched in response, Julien froze and turned his attention to the chrome limb. Horror mixed with a dark intrigue as the scientist stared at it, and when he tried once again, there was no mistaking the movement in the metal fingers.
"Ah...so it does seem to be functioning," Zerek mused, and Julien turned to see the android staring at him. While Julien tried to figure out whether the movement in the prosthetic was more sickening or fascinating, the emotionless scientist pulled out a tablet and pushed a few buttons. All at once, the metallic arm gained a life of its own, and Julien screamed outright as it pushed down on the bed, forcing his body upright. "Zat is vat you vere after, right?" Zerek asked as the arm moved to position Julien into a sitting position. The young scientist felt ready to vomit as he watched the limb connected to him move on its own, pain registering in the shoulder.
"Stop," he finally managed, the word choked in his throat with fear. "Whatever you are doing..."
"In zeorie, you vill eventually be able to control ze robotic arm as easily as you controlled your original arm...but it seems zat it vill take time for your strength to make it possible. In ze meantime, ze arm responds to coded commands as vell." Zerek gestured to the tablet, and Julien felt like the metal fingers on his forced prosthetic were closing around his throat, rather than propping him upright in bed. This is why he did it, he realized in horror as he stared at Zerek's emotionless expression. It is another way to control me...to keep me in line. I cannot even control my own body anymore...
"Subjects are ready," a monotone voice offered from by the beds, calling loudly enough to be heard over the Oni's continued pleas for release. Julien looked over, and he felt sick as he realized Colby's hand was forced up against the exposed core of chronosteel. On the other side, staff members held wires above the hands of the restrained oni. Julien found it hard to breathe, and Zerek smiled slowly as he met Julien's eye.
"I am glad you are avake and able to vitness your discoveries culminating in von history-defying moment," Zerek pointed out. "I could not have done all zis vithout you, Julien."
Julien's heart twisted, his voice filled with all the feeling he could muster. "Please..." he whispered, but Zerek ignored him as he turned to his staff members.
"Begin ze procedure."
"I vould definitely say your memories from Estyeer feel pieced togezer," Agatha mused. She typed into her laptop, glancing at the android sitting on the chair next to her hospital bed. The scientist felt strange, invading another person like this. She was used to plugging her high-tech research laptop into androids to access code, but this felt strange to her. Perhaps because it was hard to see the two androids as merely robots—they acted far to human for that. She found herself wanting to deep dive into their makeup—to discover what it was that made them so different from the androids she had seen and even created over the years. However, she pushed away her insatiable curiosity—this was not the time.
"That is what I think as well," P.I.X.A.L offered. The android was being very matter-of-fact about having cords plugged into her head, but every once in a while, Agatha swore she saw a glimmer of discomfort. The scientist had checked again and again to be sure that the connection wasn't painful in any way and had been assured it was not, leaving Agatha to wonder if it was just the invasion itself that was causing the android to be uncomfortable. It made sense, if Zane and P.I.X.A.L were sentient. After all, Agatha wouldn't really want people in her head.
"I am trying to find anyzing zat seems out of place, but it is difficult to ascertain vich of zese files vere here originally and vich were added. Whoever tampered viz your...um...mind, did a good job covering zeir tracks."
"Is there any trace of Julien in the memories?" Zane pressed. "If he was there, and Zerek was using him against us..."
"I haven't found anyzing," Agatha admitted. She continued flicking in and out of files, trying to find anything from the last forty-eight hours or so that she could use. After sifting through random bits of code, she discovered a message. She frowned, clicking on it.
It seemed to be a correspondence. We were not able to learn any new information about Julien or the others from Dr. Zerek or the MIRI. However, we have decided to extend our stay to help create more advanced drones that would better our ability to find those still missing. Network connection has been patchy, but you can expect to hear from us in the next few days.
Agatha read through it a few times before speaking. "Do you remember writing zis?"
"No," P.I.X.A.L admitted, no doubt able mentally see the message that Agatha had discovered. "But it does sound like something I would write."
"What is it?" Zane asked, coming over to study the laptop over Agatha's shoulder.
"It is a message to your companions, no doubt so zey vouldn't zink your lengthened stay strange," Agatha pointed out. "But technically, Zerek could have sent zis so zat he could continue vatever he vas doing at Estyeer vithout your colleagues vondering vat vas keeping you."
"I suppose that makes sense," Zane said softly. P.I.X.A.L was quiet, and Agatha wondered if she felt violated that her mind had been used to further Zerek's purposes. If in fact he is all zat people are saying he is, Agatha mused. It was hard for her to believe that her boss would be such a person...but she also couldn't help but think about how he wasn't necessarily a great person. It wasn't that she had ever seen him do something terribly wrong...but he had never gone out of his way to do anything right. He was always so emotionally disconnected from everything. Heck, she had known him for years—long enough to feel comfortable seeking his advice. But even then, she always felt like she had to approach everything logically. She had learned long ago, as had most of the scientists at the MIRI, that an attempt to form an emotional connection with the head of the company would be an attempt wasted.
Is he truly an android, capable of all ze horrors zey have said...how vould ve ever defeat him?
"Thank you for your time, but it seems that he has truly erased anything we could—" P.I.X.A.L started, reaching up to pull the cord from her head.
"Vait," Agatha urged, noticing something in the info summary connected to the correspondence she had found.
"What is it?" Zane urged.
"Ze correspondence...it vas sent using somezing I do not recognize. In ze message itself it mentions patchy netvorks, but ze netvork zat vas used to send zis is not somezing I recognize. Is EMF some kind of internal netvork you are able to send correspondence zrough?"
"I have never heard of it," Zane admitted. Agatha muttered to herself, studying the network. She tried to glean more information out of it, but there wasn't much more to find.
"Somezing Metallonian?" she muttered, pulling up an internet searchbar. "Vat netvork is EMF?"
The search proved fruitless, and finally, P.I.X.A.L spoke up. "I do remember there being little to no connection out in Estyeer," she pointed out. "I even thought about how hard it was going to be to try to send any messages to the others without any kind of internet data network."
"But zat is strange," Agatha mused. "Zerek has gone to Estyeer for his personal vork often in ze past, but he still corresponds viz us at ze MIRI during his business trips. It didn't seem like he vas disconnected from..." She trailed off, suddenly looking at the anagram with new light. "EMF...perhaps it is a specific netvork only used at Estyeer? Zat could be vat ze E is for. Estyeerian...somezing." The scientist's mind whirled, trying to make the connection. "Vait...at ze MIRI, Zerek alvays insisted zat ve back all of our vork onto a company mainframe. He could be doing ze same zing at Estyeer. EMF...Estyeer Main Frame."
"If he has a separated mainframe that only he could access, it would explain why he's the only one who seems able to send messages from Estyeer."
"It would also make sense that he's controlling his android staff through the mainframe—using it to communicate," P.I.X.A.L mused. "Cyrus Borg would install such mainframes into his various safehouses that his robot security drones would all be connected to."
"He's probably connected to it himself, if he's truly an android," Agatha realized distantly, her mind whirling. "Do you realize vat zis means?"
"What?" Zane prompted. Agatha looked up to meet his eye.
"If there was a way to access this mainframe...to...infect it, so to speak..." she let the suggestion trail off, but as the robots made eye contact, she knew they understood what she was saying.
"Do you think you could connect to it from here?" P.I.X.A.L asked. Agatha looked back at the data on her laptop, and her expression fell a little as she shook her head.
"Unfortunately, I have no vay to form ze connection. However, if ve are able to physically penetrate ze fortress and find a vay to connect to ze mainframe vonce inside..." she chewed her lip, studying P.I.X.A.L's mental data. "You've already been given access once—he must have been forced to connect you to it in order to send the message. Even if he's barred you from entry again, the fact that you've had access before will make it easier for you to hack into the system." Agatha hesitated in the midst of her planning. "But it would also mean that you would have to carry the virus, in order to infect the EMF with it." There was silence, and Agatha finally disconnected her laptop from the cords connected to P.I.X.A.L. "Perhaps it would be too risky a move."
"If we have a way that we could possibly cripple Zerek and his forces, I do not believe it would be too risky," P.I.X.A.L replied adamantly.
"But, P.I.X.A.L..." Zane tried.
"There are different kinds of viruses, Zane. Some are extremely volatile...while others merely freeze up a system. Even if I cannot carry anything that would destroy the mainframe for good without causing irreparable harm to me, we could invent something to at least slow him down and give the others a better chance at defeating him."
"But it would slow you down as well, until we could get back to rid your system of the virus," Zane pointed out. "You would not be able to function at full capacity either, and the battle could become intense once we infiltrate Estyeer."
P.I.X.A.L's expression hardened as she reached out to take her husband's hand. "Our son is on the line, Zane," she pointed out. "No risk is too great." Zane's expression crumpled, but P.I.X.A.L was turning to Agatha. "Would you be able to help us create a virus that we could use against Zerek and his forces?"
Agatha's heart pounded at the thought of willingly hurting the man she had looked up to for so many years. For a moment, she almost refused, but then she forced herself to think logically, not emotionally. The evidence was in the favor of these two androids and their friends, including Amber, who claimed to have just escaped from Zerek after being used and abused at his hands. And if Zerek had taught Agatha anything in her life, it was to push aside emotional response in favor of evidence.
How ironic.
"I vill do vat I can," she vowed at last, the mental image of a blonde scientist with a soft smile and goatee at the forefront of her mind.
After surviving a cutthroat business program, a highly competitive professional field in which she had to sacrifice so much on the ladder to success, and a multitude of CEO positions, Matilda was well acquainted with stress. Of course, she kept it at arms-length. She liked to think she was more distant in her relationship with anxiety than she had even been with her ex-husband in her failed marriage. Stress was an obstacle to success...one that created hesitation and reactive fight-or-flight responses, not to mention wrinkles. So how was it, after being cool as a cucumber in a lifetime spent in what others might call high-stress environments, that she was now experiencing a type of anxiety she had never felt before?
Her phone call was ignored once again, and Matilda hung it up angrily. She tossed the phone away from her in disgust, and after a tense moment, rang for her butler. Yardston came quickly, and Matilda pressed a hand against her head. "Fetch me a glass of wine, would you?" she asked softly. Yardston nodded once, and the flustered woman leaned back on her sofa.
"Zerek, you fool," she muttered to herself, furious that the man could have created this kind of reaction within her. She had known no good could come from a business partnership. She was used to being the last word—the top of the dogpile. The one who decided when and where the buck stopped. But now she had to deal with a partner who was going off the rails. It is the lack of control that is getting to you, she told herself. The fact that you aren't used to not having the ultimate say. That is all.
An image came to mind, but Matilda forced the thought of the malnourished young man firmly from her mind. Yardston entered the room, and Matilda snatched the glass of wine with trembling fingers, taking a sip in an effort to calm her rebelling nerves. She waited for the bulter to leave, but instead, he leaned down to address her.
"There's a caller, ma'am."
She furrowed her brow. "What caller?"
"At the gate...a Miss Smith is rather adamant that she needs to speak with you."
Matilda's grip on the stem of her glass tightened, and Yardston must have seen the displeasure on her expression because he continued.
"Would you like me to call the police? She has made it clear she will not be told to leave."
"No...I'll go see what on earth she wants." Matilda tried to keep her tone light as she grudgingly set the wine glass down on a nearby coaster. "I would have thought we would be done with this silliness after the last conversation."
She kept her head held high as she headed for the intercom that would connect her to the gate outside. Her mind wanted to jump to a thousand different conclusions, but she forced her thoughts at bay—she had learned long ago that premature panic did no good at all.
Matilda reached the system and used a manicured nail to push firmly on the intercom button. "Miss Smith, I would hope you understand the repercussions of coming to harass me on my own property." She pulled back from the button, waiting for a reply. After a moment, one crackled through.
"I'm not on your property, Matilda. And you can drop the professional crap. Who do you think you're fooling, with your innocent act?"
Matilda wasn't sure where to go from there. Not knowing the exact reason this nosy redhead would have come back here, she couldn't properly defend herself. She would need to pry, without making it obvious.
"Look, I thought I made myself clear with your identical partners in crime," Matilda pointed out, sounding bored. "I have cooperated with the police to the best of my ability. Whatever you think about me, the law—"
"You were behind the disappearances, Matilda. If not directly, you were at least involved. And it won't be long that we prove it, now that they found your son."
Matilda felt a wave of cold wash over her. She was never one to hesitate, but in this moment, her finger lingered on the button as she desperately thought of something to say. In her silence, the young woman's judgmental voice continued to cut through.
"You think we don't realize how suspicious it is, that none of the survivors remember anything? How convenient it is that they keep popping up in the wilderness with no memories of how they got there. I've been a lawyer long enough to know BS when I see it."
"You said they found Marty?" Matilda spoke at last, wishing she could have kept the waver out of her voice. Maybe the waver is fine. More convincing...
"Like you didn't know," Ashley's voice was caustic. "You can act like you care all you want, but the fact that you haven't even bothered visiting him in the hospital tells a different story. The concerned-mother act you fed Mia and May during our visit was just another lie...just like it was three years ago."
"He's in the hospital? Which hospital?" Matilda felt a flash of anger, though there was also relief coursing through her. Zerek had done whatever strange science he used to remove incriminating memories, and had released her son at last.
"You're sick," Ashley accused. "It's all over the news. If you're even a fraction of the mother you claimed to be, you would have been watching for updates on your son like a hawk. Instead, you're playing dumb. Not a great move on your part—"
"Look," Matilda snapped, already scrolling through her phone. "I just found out my missing son is all right, and you're wasting my time trying to accuse me of...what exactly? I'm afraid you still haven't gotten to your point."
A few news articles came up, and Matilda clicked the first one quickly. She scanned the information and found it to be extremely limited. It seemed they weren't letting the press jump into the mess—no doubt her ex-husband had something to do with that. However, Matilda was able to discover that her son was being treated at the hospital in Bembay.
"The point is, you'd be better off coming clean, Matilda. We know you're involved, even if we don't know how, and sooner or later, your son IS going to remember what actually went down. When that happens, I know that we're going to learn exactly what kind of woman you are."
"Oh, please. You're projecting and trying to pin thin, circumstantial evidence on me at best." Matilda's interest in the current conversation was fading quickly as she typed out a navigation course for the hospital. "If you were any good as a lawyer, you'd realize that you cannot just bully people into confessing whatever you need to support your case. What you need is solid evidence, dear. Until then, you're just another trespasser who's delusional enough to think the law is on your side." She went to leave, but then pressed the speaker button one last time. "I suggest that you leave now, or my butler is going to call the police. I'd hate to add another dark mark to your professional record...as if assault wasn't bad enough three years ago, mmm?"
She didn't wait for a reply, moving away from the speaker. Yardston was standing nearby, and Matilda brushed her bangs from her eyes.
"If she isn't gone in the next minute, feel free to get the police involved," she said.
"Are you going somewhere, Ma'am?" Yardston asked as he watched her pull on a tasteful jacket. Matilda hesitated, her mind finally catching up with her. The red-headed harpy sounded very sure of herself, and in all honesty, Matilda didn't know the permanence of Zerek's little memory-erase trick. Would her time be better used in collecting assets and packing up to disappear once again?
Tread lightly, Matilda, she cautioned herself. If you leave, you won't be able to come back. You'll only prove to those snot-nosed wannabe detectives that you truly did have something to hide. Whatever decision is made, you must be all in—either leave now and leave blamelessness behind, or continue on the path you have already established and stick to your story.
"Ma'am? Should I prepare a car?"
"If you must," Matilda answered at last, grabbing a chic handbag from a hook. "I am headed to Bembay."
119
Waiting was not something that Mia had ever been particularly good at, and it felt like that's all she had been doing this last week. She snapped her laptop closed, annoyed that she wanted nothing more than to escape to social media like she had done all her life but wasn't letting herself given the severity of the situation. As she looked up, she noticed May's distant expression as she sat on the couch in their hotel room.
"Are you upset that we haven't started storming the fortress yet?" Mia huffed. "Because I am. I don't get what we're waiting for."
"We're waiting on intel that can help. There's no point going on the offensive if we aren't prepared," May said softly, but she wasn't looking up to meet Mia's eye. The twin frowned, realizing that something seemed a little more off with her twin.
"Are you trying to figure out how it's going to go down?" Mia asked, coming over to sit next to her. "Because the way I see it, we're going to have to go all in as soon as possible. The longer we wait, the more—"
"The element of lightning should have never come to me," May blurted, interrupting her sister's train of thought.
Mia blinked. "What?"
May chewed her lip, and it occurred to Mia that her sister was close to tears. "I mean...I'm honored to have it, and everything...but the thought of going into battle when I can't even turn on a light switch without..." she trailed off, sighing heavily as she shook her head. "I know you probably don't want to hear this," she said softly. "I don't mean to add lemon juice to the wound where elemental powers are involved."
Mia didn't answer, having mixed feelings about the conversation. When she stayed quiet, May continued.
"I like being in control of things," she admitted. "Having things organized and laid out...being in control of my life and my choices. The element feels like one thing I can't control, so I've been ignoring it, but now I wish I hadn't because our brother is missing and we're going to have to actually fight and if I had taken Lloyd up on his offer to train me with my element, then I could actually do something to help but as it is..."
"No one could have predicted that this was going to happen," Mia cut in at last. "Colby going missing, some crazy person going after elements...any of it." She sighed heavily and looked over at her twin. "So you might not be some ninja pro like our parents were...but that doesn't mean that you're useless. At least you have something to use in this fight against the creep who took our brother."
"But I can't even control it!" May snapped, her expression contorting. "Every time I try, machines just go haywire."
"Well, maybe that is a good thing," Mia realized. "We're up against robots, right? And if we're up against robots, then having someone on the team who can make machines go haywire is a good thing."
May scoffed wetly, and Mia bumped her with her shoulder.
"Look, I won't lie and say I don't feel insanely jealous that you got an element and I didn't...but if there's anyone who can get an element as insane and unpredictable as lightning under control, it's you. I mean, you've always been the type of person to make order from chaos—I swear you used to untangle balls of yarn as a kid for fun. Plus, you can't tell me that you haven't at least experimented with your powers. I feel like it's impossible for you to have totally ignored them since you got them."
May smiled a little, though her brows were still knit in concern. "I've...kinda experimented. I never really trusted myself to, though. If I can't even blow dry my hair without short circuiting the whole house..."
"Show me what you got," Mia cut in. May looked up.
"Seriously?"
"Sure...I mean, we're supposed to be researching things that can help us take down this Zerek person. Why not utilize an element that will be more effective against robots than anything else we've got in our arsenal?"
"Um. Okay." May shifted on the couch, but then she was glancing between her hands and her sister. "Are you sure?"
"Are you afraid you're going to electrocute me or something? What's with all the hesitation?"
"I just...I didn't ever picture you being okay with me using them. At least, not after everything that happened with Colby and the element of water."
Mia frowned as she realized what her sister meant, and for a moment, she felt the familiar bitterness creep in. However, then she shook her head, shoving the feelings away. "I may still have some anger against the unfair universe stuff to work out...but for now, it can wait until we get our family back. Okay?"
May studied Mia, and her expression finally softened. "Okay."
"Good. Now, show me what you got."
M sat in his hospital room, trying not to hone in to the beeping sound of his own heart rate as he waited in the otherwise silent space. He kept glancing at the clock, trying to figure out how much longer he would have to wait. Had it been foolish for him to agree to this? Not even just agree, he pointed out. All Ashley wanted was your permission to use you and your knowledge against Matilda. You're the one who insisted on getting the full confrontation experience.
Maybe it was stupid for him to have asked for this—part of him was so exhausted that all he wanted to do was sleep and forget about everything else going on. However, he knew that nobody else was going to sit back and relax—not even Amber. His heart pounded as he thought about Amber going back into the fray. He had tried to convince her to stay out of it—to leave Zerek to professionals, like the police. But he knew that she and the others weren't going to listen. They were going to head off to save the world, just like they always did. Maybe that's why he insisted on taking part in this way—so he could feel like he was actually helping.
Or maybe he just really wanted to see the look on his mother's face when she realized what she had walked into.
"Mr. Openheimer?" It was a nurse, cracking open the door to smile at him. "You have a visitor."
"Okay." Despite his exhaustion, he pushed himself up into a sitting position. He prayed that Amber's parents would be able to distract his father long enough for M to have this conversation. If Marty IV walked in on them, he was going to blow a fuse. The police would be involved, if nothing else. And as much as M's mother deserved to be behind bars, he also knew there was a higher plan here.
The door opened wider just as M finished orienting himself. As Matilda O'Keefe walked into the room with her perfectly styled hair and tasteful outfit, M was glad that he had finally had the chance to shower and shave, so he could at least go into this conversation feeling like a person and not a feral animal.
Matilda only took a few steps before she stopped, and M tried not to stiffen as he watched her eyes flick over him. After a moment, he finally spoke. "You actually came." He couldn't quite keep the bitterness out of his voice, and he watched his mother's expression flicker.
"Marty." Her voice was surprisingly gentle as she came closer, and the nurse closed the door behind her.
"I'm really surprised you're here," he said honestly, leaning back on his pillows a little. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me."
Matilda glanced away, studying her manicure briefly before answering. "I know we've had our...differences. But you've been missing for over a week, and you look terrible. I mean, you've been hospitalized, for goodness sakes." She glanced up at him at last, her expression clouding. "Did you really think that I wouldn't come at least check up on you?"
M shrugged. "I dunno. I guess I wasn't sure how you would react to hearing about me, given how things went the last time we saw each other."
"Yes, well...I can hardly hold you accountable for everything that went down three years ago." Matilda took another step forward, moving to sit in the chair next to his bed.
"I wasn't actually talking about what happened three years ago in Ninjago City," M admitted, locking eyes with his mother. "I was more referring to when we ran into each other at your business partner's evil fortress, where he was holding me against my will, starving me, and torturing my friends."
Matilda froze, and M had to admit—the look on her face did actually make it worth it to have this conversation himself. The blood drained from the woman's face, her hand frozen on the chair she had started moving. M. kept his expression calm as he continued to meet her eye, and Matilda finally shook her head. "You..."
"Remember," M confirmed. "Everything."
Matilda broke eye contact at last as she swore. The interesting thing was that she was smiling—sort of. It was a bitter kind of grimace, and M watched her silently as she fidgeted.
"I take it that the police are on their way?" she finally asked, turning back to face him. "Or are they already here?"
M shrugged, and Matilda huffed, her fingernails tapping against her leg.
"Why?" she demanded at last, the anger clear in her barely-controlled tone. "Why send that red-headed rebel and lay this elaborate trap, hmm? Why not just send the police right to my house?"
"Because you won't be able to help us take down Zerek once you're arrested."
Matilda's expression flickered, finally settling on understanding. "I see," she murmured. "So what exactly is the bargain here, Marty? I supply info, and I get out of jail free?"
"No, you psychopath," M snorted as he leaned forward, and he was happy to see his mother flinch slightly at the dig. "After everything you did, do you really think—"
"That is unfair. Zerek—"
"You were there!" M shouted, losing his control just for a moment. "You saw what he was doing...heck, I wouldn't be surprised if the whole thing was your idea from the start!"
"Marty," Matilda snapped, her voice full of warning—the same way she used to sound when he was young and had done something terrible to displease her. Like wearing striped socks.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that. That is not my name, and I am not a child anymore," he snapped right back. "You helped him! He's killed people...he was going to kill me, and you just stood by and—"
"M."
He couldn't remember another time in his life his mother had actually used his preferred name. Hearing it come out of her mouth shocked him—almost as much as what looked like the glint of tears in her eyes. For a moment, he went quiet, and Matilda took a deep breath.
"What you have to understand is that the stuff happening at Estyeer—the stuff that happened to you—was never part of the plan. My plan, at least." She clenched her fists for a moment and then continued. "It was all supposed to be very simple. My business partner needed to research elemental power for some lucrative projects he had planned, and he asked me to help him procure an elemental master..."
"By procure, you mean kidnap," M pointed out coldly.
"I'll admit I may have gotten a little carried away," his mother admitted distantly. "But it was still supposed to be simple. I bring Zerek an elemental master, he runs a few tests, figures out how elemental power works, uses the knowledge in his machines and makes them unlike any others, we both get rich, and everything works out great. It wasn't until I was in the rabbit hole that I realized how far down it really went." She smoothed her jacket, once again avoiding his eye. "I honestly had no idea you were involved at all, until I ran into you that day."
M stared, not sure if he believed her and not sure if it even mattered if she was telling the truth. "You still did nothing," he said at last. "You could have gotten the police involved—you could have sold Zerek out. But you didn't...because you're a selfish monster who would rather protect yourself, at the cost of anything else."
Matilda inhaled sharply, still staring at the ground. He had never spoken to his mother like this in his life—even three years ago, he hadn't ever stooped to name-calling. However, it was hard to contain the urge to tell the woman across from him exactly what he thought. He waited for Matilda to chastise him, or turn the tables and point out his flaws. Maybe she would tell him how weak he was, or how it was his own fault that he had even gotten mixed up with Zerek.
"What now?" Matilda's voice had an edge of loss, and M was surprised when she finally sank down into the chair across from him. She looked up, her eyes piercing as she met his at last. "Did you trick me into coming just so you could give me a piece of your mind before I get arrested?"
"I told you why you're here," M pointed out, trying to mask his surprise that she wasn't going to give more of a fight. "You're going to help the others take down Zerek once and for all."
Matilda laughed once, though there was no humor to it. "He does deserve to be taken down a few notches...but I must admit that if I'm getting arrested regardless, I'd rather just get it all over with now." She leaned back in the chair. "What's the point of helping, if there's nothing in it for me?" M narrowed his eyes, and she shrugged unapologetically. "It's only worth it if there's a perk, M. Call it the selfish monster in me."
"We aren't going to let you skip out this time," M pointed out. "Whether it was your plan or not, you helped Zerek do some messed up stuff. There are going to be consequences for that—you aren't getting out of them."
"Then I suppose we should get the police in here right now," Matilda challenged. M held her gaze and finally snorted.
"Fine." He reached over and grabbed his phone. He wasn't surprised that his mother wasn't willing to cooperate—he had doubted that she would. But if it came down to her giving up what little intel she had about Zerek or actually having to face the consequences of her actions, he was more in favor of the latter. He began dialing, and suddenly his mother spoke up again.
"Wait."
He glanced up, hesitating in pushing the last button. Matilda's expression was hard to interpret, and for a moment, M felt a flash of fear. Was she going to do something to him to keep him from making the call? However, as his mother reached out to grab his arm, he realized the unfamiliar expression was actually defeat.
"Let's say I agree to 'help,' whatever that looks like. Even if you can't guarantee me complete exoneration, there's got to be something my cooperation would gain me."
M glanced back at his phone. "I don't know. I'm not sure we need your cooperation that badly."
"Then why even give me the option of helping?" Matilda asked coldly.
"Maybe I just wanted to see if you'd do the right thing," M pointed out sarcastically. Matilda narrowed her eyes before leaning back in her chair.
"Forty-eight hours."
"What?"
"I'll tell your little...friends everything I know about Zerek so they can attempt to take him down...but I want a forty-eight hour head start before you tip off law enforcement about my involvement."
M scoffed. "You could be halfway across the realm by then. No sale."
"I'm not going to stick my neck out against Zerek if I'm going to end up in a cell either way."
"And I'm not letting you slip away from the consequences all over again."
"Running from the law is no joke, Marty. It would be sacrifice enough to allow myself to be hunted like some common criminal. I'm not asking much, and you know it."
M shrugged. "I could maybe talk everyone into giving you...mmm...five hours. Enough time to hop in your car and get a few cities ahead before—"
"I'm not telling those washed-up vigilantes anything for less than thirty-five hours of freedom before my likeness gets plastered on wanted posters all over the realm. You can't expect me to—"
"One day." M cut in, leaning forward as he stared coldly at his mother. She blinked in surprise, and he continued. "Everyone's getting together right now, literally as we speak. You go in there and tell them how to take down that evil robot partner of yours, and I'll see if I can convince them to give you twenty-four hours to see how far you can get. Can't promise they'll agree, but I'll pose it."
Matilda stared for a moment. "All right. Twenty-four hours," she agreed, but then her brow wrinkled. "Now, what's this about evil robots? Has Zerek got some other new toy he hasn't bothered telling me about?"
It was M's turn to stare. "No, I was talking about Zerek. He's an android—an A.I. He's the robot...and all those creepy, sunglass wearing goons of his."
Matilda looked so shocked, M had to seriously wonder if she hadn't known that crucial fact about her business partner. After a moment, she scoffed as she pushed herself to her feet. "Now...that explains quite a lot, actually," she muttered before turning to the door. "So, how does it work from here? Are all those wannabe heroes waiting outside this door to whisk me into some war bunker? Or can I impart my knowledge in more of a video-conference setting from the comfort of my own home?"
"Your first guess is probably most accurate," M said, leaning back on the pillows. He was suddenly exhausted, as if confronting his mother had sapped the last of his strength. For a moment, Matilda stared at him, and then she turned to leave.
"You'll tell them about our...arrangement, yes?" she asked as she reached the door.
"They already know—there's a bug in the room," M offered tiredly. "They heard everything."
Matilda smirked bitterly. "Of course they did," she muttered. She went to twist the handle, but then she was glancing back at him. He frowned, trying to hide how exhausted he was until she was finally gone. Her lips pursed as she studied him. "Are you still planning on taking over that school of your father's?"
M scowled. "I don't know what my plans are. I've been a little busy trying not to get killed by a sociopath to think much about my future lately."
Matilda raised an eyebrow. "I just wondered."
"Why?" M demanded before he could stop himself.
"I just think you'd be wasted sitting behind the desk at some frilly art school," she said with a shrug. "Call it a mother's intuition...but I think you have the makings of a CEO."
M stiffened, and she offered one last smile before opening the door and slipping out.
120
The conference room felt a little more professional than the lobby of the hotel, but Theo still couldn't help but look around at their forces and wonder if they really stood a chance. It wasn't that he doubted the people in the room as much as he had no idea what to expect from the android who—as of yet—hadn't reached out to pose any kind of deal or condition. Theo wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. If Zerek wasn't planning on using Rook and the others as bargaining chips, had he even bothered keeping them around?
"Matilda's on her way," Ashley said from her place on the conference table. Everyone glanced over at her, and the red-head's expression was grim.
"Are we sure this is a good idea?" Tolan asked from beside Theo. "I can't promise I'm not going to drive a katana through this woman the second I see her, if she's really the one who pulled all that crap all those years ago."
"I do wonder if it's worth it, getting Matilda involved," Cole agreed, and Theo turned to his father in surprise. The others in the room had already shared their own mixed feelings about working with the cruel businesswoman, but knowing his father was generally one to give people the benefit of the doubt, Theo was surprised to see the anger burning under the man's expression.
"At the very least, we can't possibly give her that head start she wanted. She deserves to be behind bars now," May said darkly.
"Look, we all heard her conversation with M," Ashley reminded with a sigh as she leaned forward. "If we want to turn her over to the police right now, then fine...but we all have to be in agreement."
"No." Theo pushed himself to his feet, and everyone glanced over at him. "Look...I hate Matilda as much as anyone, for obvious reasons. But we have to look at our situation logically. We don't know enough about Zerek, or Estyeer. If we go in and blow it, then we risk everyone's lives."
"And if we keep sitting around doing nothing, we risk everyone's lives!" Mia snapped.
"We can't go into this half-baked," Theo argued. "Making any kind of deal with Matilda makes my skin crawl, but if it can give us needed information for our infiltration, then I think it's worth it to give her that dumb head start she wanted.
The room went quiet, and Ashley pushed her hair from her face. "My parents are going to be here with her any second. Is everyone going to be able to keep themselves in check long enough for us to get what we need out of the woman? Or does anyone want to bow out of this meeting?"
"Is this supposed to be our big last meeting?" Mia demanded, looking around. "Zane and P.I.X.A.L aren't even here."
"They're working on something with Agatha," Ashley supplied.
"So, after we do get what we need from Matilda, are we allowed to give her a piece of our minds?" Nya demanded from where she was sulking with her twin daughters and husband on one end of the table. "Our better yet...a piece of our fists?"
"Don't touch her," Ashley warned. "No matter how tempting. In the end, it's only going to work in her favor when she finally does go to court."
"Isn't this whole situation going to work in her favor? Us making any kind of deal with a criminal..." Jay pointed out.
"This isn't about Matilda!" It was Amber who spoke up, and Theo turned to look at her. She was sitting next between her parents and Hershel and Myrah, and Theo realized she looked pale. However, her expression was determined as she fixed the others in the room with a firm look. "Zerek is the real threat. We'll deal with Matilda after we stop him...but if you knew what he was capable of, you'd all be doing whatever it took to stop him." Her voice choked off at the end, and Theo wondered again at what horrors his sister had been forced to witness. The rest of the room went quiet, and then there was the sound of the doorknob turning.
Theo and Amber took their seats again as the door opened. Skylor entered first, followed by a woman with strawberry-blonde roots in her platinum blonde hair. For a criminal who had been caught in the act, she carried herself well, her head held high as her designer stilettos clicked across the floor. Theo had thought he had been prepared, but at the sight of her, the ground rumbled. He noticed a few people glancing at him. Matilda herself stopped so she could frown at the floor as Kai closed the door.
"Odd," the woman mused, removing her sunglasses and clicking them shut as she looked back up at the others in the room. "So...this is the great army that's going to take down my erroneous business partner, hmm? Let's see what we have to work with."
She took a step forward, her gaze trailing over each of the people in the room in turn. She tapped her sunglasses on her hand, her expression heavy with disapproval.
"A handful of washed-up renegades...some teenage anxiety...a healthy dose of chip-on-your-shoulder attitude..." her gaze lingered on Mia and May for a moment before moving on. "But we can't overlook the assortment of demons thrown in the mix." She wrinkled her nose as her gaze trailed over the oni side of the table, but when her gaze fell on Tolan, Theo didn't miss the way her eyes flicked up and down his figure. "Well, hello."
Theo managed to grab Tolan's shoulder as quickly as Tolan grabbed the hilt of his Katana. "Don't let her get to you," he muttered, but in speaking, he drew Matilda's attention. At last, her cold blue gaze settled on Theo, and her lips curled in a sneer.
"And of course, 'Mister Prove Himself' sitting at the head of the table. How quaint. Does that mean you're the one in charge here, or did you just run out of seats on the outskirts?"
For a moment, Theo was overcome with a flash of rage, and he knew his eyes were flashing as another rumble sent the walls creaking. Get ahold of yourself, he ordered. This isn't going to help. If you're going to make it to Colby, Julien, and Rook, you've got to get through this meeting.
At the thought of the chaotic, smirking woman, Theo found himself wondering what Rook would do in the current situation. He knew that she got angry just as much as anyone, but she was always so good at hiding it. How would she deal with someone who had mistreated her...who dared to walk into this kind of situation making cruel jokes?
A smile stretched across Theo's face at last, and Matilda's own smirk faltered slightly. Theo kept his voice calm and professional as he gestured to an empty seat on his right side. "Glad you could make it, Tildy," he pointed out. "Now, if you're done belittling everyone, we have a lot of things to discuss. As a semi-successful businesswoman, I would think you'd know what it's like working within a tight timeframe."
He could feel everyone staring at him, and Matilda raised an eyebrow. He held her gaze, still gesturing to the chair next to him as if he was confused at why she was hesitating so long. After a moment, the woman scoffed and headed over to the chair he was gesturing to, her nose still pointed in the air. The whole room seemed to be holding its breath as she took a seat, and Theo knew that there was more than one person currently imagining what it would be like to throttle the self-righteous criminal. However, as Theo saw how tense the woman was, he had a feeling she was just as well aware of it.
"Now, you're well aware of what we're trying to do," Theo pointed out, shoving the papers he had in front of him over to the woman. "So tell us—how are we going to take down this psychotic partner of yours?"
"You've got little doodled blueprints, how adorable," Matilda offered dryly as she used a single finger to pull Amber's drawing of Estyeer toward herself. "The spatial design is way off, just so you know...and you don't have quite everything here. If you give me few hours, I could probably put together a much better representation."
"We don't have a few hours," Theo pointed out flatly as he reached over. Matilda stiffened as he grew close, but rather than touch her, he merely jabbed at an area on the paper. "This hallway has the holding cells...is this where we're going to find everyone we're looking for?"
Matilda was quiet for a moment, drawing out her response. "That depends," she said at last. "Who are you looking for?"
"You witch!" Mia got to her feet, apparently unable to contain her fury any longer. "You know who we're looking for! What did you do with our brother? When I get my hands on you..."
"Mia—" Ashley started, but the Walker twin refused to back down.
"You lied right to us—all that crap about his art, when you're the one who dragged him off for this psycho robot to do who knows what—"
"Look, you're never going to defeat Zerek if you can't last five minutes without flying off the handle," Matilda pointed out coldly. Mia stiffened, and Theo watched as Nya, Jay, and May all began to stand as well.
"Stop it!" Theo snapped, eyeing the family. "The best way to help Colby right now is to get the most accurate information we can."
"And for the record, not everything I told you was a lie," Matilda sniffed, studying her nails. "I really did purchase that painting from that auction, you know."
The Walker family still looked ready to throw down, and Theo swore he could see sparks jumping from May's static-filled hair. Theo jabbed at the picture once again, his expression dark as he studied Matilda.
"Are Colby and the others being held in these holding cells, or not?"
Matilda's gaze flicked back to the paper for a moment before going back to her nails. "You have to realize that I don't really know what Zerek has done with all your little friends. All I know is where they were originally being held." A nude-painted nail lashed out, stabbing into the upper north-east corner of Amber's map. "There's a hospital wing here. Last I heard, that's where Zerek was holding Mr. Walker."
"A hospital wing?" Nya demanded. "What did you do to him?"
"He suffers from intense anxiety," Matilda offered calmly, though her expression had lost some of its haughtiness as she studied the map. "Zerek kept him under most of the time in an effort to keep him calm."
"You drugged my brother?!"
"Remember that I had nothing to do with anything after he reached Estyeer," Matilda snapped, looking up at the Walkers at last. "Zerek only wanted me to arrange a meeting, which I did. Everything after that—"
"You expect us to believe..."
"What about Julien?" Theo demanded, cutting into the argument. He was beginning to wish that they had just kept this meeting between him, Matilda, and a few others. However, with how much time they had already lost, they had thought it best to do everything together so they didn't have to waste any more time in reexplaining everything that was discovered. "Where is Zerek keeping Julien and the others?"
Matilda's expression crinkled. "I have no idea who 'Julien' is, you realize."
"He's a scientist," Ashley said, her own tone clipped. It was clear she was trying to keep her own anger under control as she fixed Matilda with a steely gaze. "He worked for Zerek's company before he disappeared."
Matilda tapped her chin. "A blonde fellow? With a tasteless soul patch?"
"That's him," Ashley agreed, though her expression darkened with Matilda's cruel description.
"I...honestly don't know where Zerek keeps his little assistant," Matilda looked down at the map, her lips pursed in thought. "He liked to keep him close at hand for all their various projects."
"Assistant?" Ashley murmured.
"That's what Zerek called him." It was Amber who spoke up, her expression horrified. "I forgot, but that's what he called Julien when he first brought us to Estyeer. I told him that Julien was never going to help him, but he seemed so sure..."
"So you have no idea where he would be?" Theo asked. Matilda shrugged.
"No definite knowledge, but this whole eastern wing is full of laboratories. If he's making the boy work for him, he's probably stuck somewhere over there. If not, then he might be in the holding cells. I suppose it's anyone's guess."
Theo wanted to shake the woman for acting like none of this mattered, but he restrained himself. He had a feeling that Matilda really didn't know, and roughing her up—as satisfying as it might be—wasn't going to change that fact.
"All right. What about the Oni?" Theo pointed to the middle area that Amber had labeled as 'village.' "How many of them are being kept there?"
Matilda turned to look at Theo at last. "You can't possibly be hoping to extract all of these people."
"How many oni are at Estyeer?" Theo repeated his tone firm. Matilda rolled her eyes.
"I have no idea—I refused to go into that filthy village."
"But he keeps all the Oni there?" Theo pressed.
"Where is he holding Raiyn?" Myrah added, no longer able to keep quiet. Matilda's expression flickered with confusion as she looked over at the Oni.
"What, now you believe Zerek controls the weather? As if it wasn't enough that—"
"Raiyn is a child," Theo corrected. "An Oni who was stolen from our realm over a week ago—right around when Amber and M disappeared. Did Zerek put him with the other Oni?"
At the mention of her son, Matilda's expression grew distant. At last she shrugged. "I have no idea."
"He's four years old!" Myrah yelled. "Is he there or not?"
"You have to know more about him," Hershel added angrily. "If you were working closely with this Zerek person, then you would know."
"Four years old," Matilda mused, and she studied the two Oni sitting across from her more intently. "There was one...a young child that Zerek was keeping in his office. I didn't understand why he was keeping some little Oni brat in a kennel like a pet, but Zerek insisted that the child was his secret weapon when I asked him about it."
Myrah and Hershel blanched, and Theo was suddenly reminded of the horrible dream he had about Raiyn all those days ago. The child had been trapped in that awkward cage, whimpering from behind vengestone bars.
"What does he want with Raiyn?" Theo demanded, his stomach twisting.
"What does he want with anyone?" Matilda countered, throwing her hands up in defeat. "I have no idea what's going on in that man's mind. I used to think he was a genius, but now I'm convinced he's insane—"
"What does he have to gain by keeping a child locked in his office?" Theo repeated.
"He seemed to think it was special. I didn't really press him on the matter. I was too busy chewing him out for holding my son captive."
The room went quiet, and Mia finally broke it. "Yeah, right," she muttered, and Matilda's eyes glinted with anger as she glanced over at the Walkers.
"Do you know of anyone else Zerek's holding captive in Estyeer?" Theo asked.
"He never mentioned anyone else," Matilda offered. "But he wasn't exactly an open communicator."
"Then what can you tell us about the security of the facility?"
"Now, these are the kinds of questions I was expecting to be asked. Took you long enough to get there," Matilda said patronizingly before pushing herself to her feet. She held her head high, taking charge of the room with her stance and tone alone. "Listen up, you rag-tag team of freaks—you're up against a state-of-the-art security system. I'm talking multiple check-points to even approach the laboratory. There's only one road in and out, and the terrain from the other directions is rough and monitored heavily by security drones. You're going to need a pretty thought-out frontal attack if you even hope to get close to the main laboratory. But even after reaching it, the facility itself has a multitude of other protections—guards, lockdown points in between each of the hallways, and an arsenal that I'm not even fully aware of."
"There's gas," Amber said, her expression contorting. "It's what he used to try to stop me and M from escaping. His robots aren't affected by it, but it made us groggy and weak."
Matilda's gaze flicked over to the Xinta, and she cleared her throat. "Yes, well, that does sound like something Zerek would do. So as far as resources go, you're going to need weapons, gasmasks, a few digital skeleton keys to get through locked-down checkpoints...and that's only if you can make it through the drones and security points to even reach the fortress itself."
Theo glanced at the Walker twins. "You got that?" he asked. Mia and May blinked before grudgingly pulling out their phone and tablet to start researching.
"What weapons can you use against robots?" Jay muttered. "I mean, once upon a time, we had keyblades for this sort of thing."
"We've got a few things up our sleeve for the robots, Dad," Mia assured as she glanced over at her father. "And last I heard, so does Agatha."
"It's getting into the fortress that's going to be the hardest part," Kai mused, but Theo shook his head.
"I don't know that Zerek will try that hard to keep us out," he argued. "At least, not those of us that he's wanting to get ahold of."
"So, you are aware that you're a target," Matilda mused. Theo glanced over at the business woman, who was studying him aloofly. "He talked about all the little element-holders, you know...but he's been especially excited about taking you apart."
Theo's blood ran cold, and he could practically see the anger coming off of Tolan and his family. However, despite his dread, he managed to meet Matilda's eye calmly.
"That's fine," he said at last. "I feel the same way about him." Matilda's expression flickered, and Theo turned away to face the twins. "How long would it take to gather the materials we need?"
"I'm having a little trouble locating gasmasks nearby...but there are a few mines close, and we might be able to go and acquire a few from there," May pointed out.
"Last I heard, the police commissioner from Ninjago City is here in Metallonia with a small force—I guess they came to support P.I.X and Zane. If we go to them, we could probably get a few tasers to use as well," Mia added. "I think electricity is going to be our best weapon against robots."
"So how long will it take to get all of that?"
The twins made eye contact before glancing back. "Give us two hours," May finally said. Theo nodded slowly, his mind picking over the plan he had started putting together over the last day.
"Fine. You guys can go now—the sooner we have the stuff we need, the better," he pointed out. The twins looked a little shocked at being excused, but after fixing them with a long look, they seemed to realize he was serious. They glanced at their parents, who stood as well.
"We'll go along," Jay offered.
"Anything else we might need?" Nya asked, glancing at the others in the room.
"I'll text you if we think of other things," Ashley offered.
"I'm gonna need a gun." Everyone froze at Theo's comment, glancing back at him. He kept his expression as neutral as possible, but he could see Amber squinting suspiciously.
"A taser is going to be more effective than a gun against robots, Theo," Mia pointed out.
"I know. Just trust me."
The Walker family glanced at each other but finally sighed. "Anyone else want a gun?" Mia asked sarcastically. "Like that will be easy to convince police to give us. Asking for tasers is going to be hard enough."
Tolan leaned over toward Theo. "What's a gun?"
"Not something you need," Theo assured before turning back to Matilda. "Now, you've been so helpful so far, Tildy... but you're not quite off the hook just yet."
Matilda narrowed her eyes at the nickname, and Theo leaned back in his chair as he held her gaze.
"Tell me everything you know about Zerek."