I'm not sure what happened.
I seem to say that a lot. At least in my head.
Zane and I were walking to his house after hanging out at the Ninja Warehouse for a couple hours. I'd walked them through some spinjitzu moves and exercises. Uncle Wu had just watched, smiling fondly.
Afterward, he had approached me and asked if I had gotten all that from his book or his brother. I confessed to a little of both, but mostly his book. He had looked so happy at that. His eyes actually sparkle when he's happy, did you know?
He offered to show me some more advanced techniques. I agreed. It was... fun.
So I was walking along, thinking about my estranged uncle, and Zane and I passed a bookshop. Zane apologized, saying he promised to get something for Echo. I told him something to the point of no prob. I could wait a few minutes, no rush. He walked in.
Something grabbed me from behind and yanked me into an alley.
My head slammed against the alley wall. Ironically, probably the wall of the bookshop Zane was in. I was too dazed to fight back.
My vision was blurry, but I could make out a Serpentine looming above me. Blue, not purple. Short neck. Swirling eyes. Crap, I realized, that's a Hypnobrai. Better than Pythor, but certainly not safe. I quickly squeezed shut my eyes, remembering the last time I was under a Hypnobrai's thrall. Not fun.
"How are you ssstill alive?!" demanded the Serpentine, grabbing my shoulders and again slamming me against the wall. Ouch. It's easy to forget how much stronger than humans the Serpentine are. They don't even seem to notice.
"Pythor sssaid you were dead! That he gave you the poissson himssself! That he threw you off the roof! You should be dead!"
I didn't reply, struggling to catch my breath that had been knocked out of me. It didn't help that I didn't dare open my eyes to examine my surroundings.
"What kind of monssster are you?" the Serpentine demanded in a hiss, his hands coming up to wrap around my neck.
Crap. I grabbed his arms, trying to push him off of me. If he kept squeezing like that, I would either fall unconscious or be forced to open my eyes to scramble for an escape.
"Jussst open your eyesss, little monsssster. Tell me how you sssurvived..."
There was a swish and thunk sound that I was close to positive was a shuriken, but couldn't be certain without opening my eyes.
"He's not a monster! You are!"
Beauty and the Beast, Zane? Really? And I wasn't sure I liked who I was in that scenario.
The Serpentine just hissed and withdrew. I breathed out a sigh of relief as I heard him run away, but didn't dare open my eyes until I felt Zane's cold hands on my shoulders.
"Not that all Serpentine are monsters," continued Zane conversationally, as he not so surreptitiously took my pulse and examined the pupils of my now open eyes. "That would be prejudicial. Can you walk, Lloyd? You have some bruising on your head and throat, and probably your back, but I believe you escaped a concussion or any serious damage."
I took the hand he held out to help me up. Ouch. But not too bad.
Zane was watching me with that terribly kind look he has sometimes. A great big aching heart. I rushed to reassure him. "I'm okay, Zane. Thank you for stopping him." I glanced over and, sure enough, there was a shuriken embedded in the wall. "Nice throw."
"I have been practicing," he answered modestly. But his concerned eyes were locked on my face.
"What?" I finally asked.
"Surely you don't believe that?" he softly murmured.
Oh. I shrugged. The monster thing. Well, it's not exactly not true...
"Lloyd..." he began, and how a nindroid could look so heartbroken on another's behalf, I dunno.
"Look, I'm fine. Let's get going. Echo's probably waiting, right?"
He didn't reply, which means neither did he argue. He yanked his shuriken out of the wall and followed me out of the alley. We again continued towards his home.
~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~
Falcon was actually the first to greet them home, diving down from what Zane pointed out as his family's balcony as soon as they neared the entrance to Dr. Julien's building. It was rather spectacular, and Lloyd looked up in awe at the skyscraper. It was one of the smaller ones in Ninjago City, only about 25 stories high, but very elegant and modern. Lots of glass and clean lines.
Zane pet his bird and explained that his family lived in the penthouse. His father rented out all the floors except the top two. The one right below the penthouse was his father's personal laboratory.
Zane's mom greeted them in perfect Ninjagian when he pressed his hand to a panel by the front entrance. "Welcome home, Zane. I hope you had a good day at high school?" came a voice out of apparently nowhere. "And this must be your new friend. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lloyd Garmadon. My son speaks highly of you."
"Thank you, Mrs., um, Julien?"
A gentle twinkling laugh was the reply, and the doors swished open. "You may call me MOM or Zane's Mom, Lloyd. Whichever you prefer. Let me know if you need anything, dear."
They stepped into the foyer, and the voice seemed to follow them, though there were no visible speakers. Lloyd suspected the sound was also being directed to only them somehow, as the various working people rushing around seemed oblivious.
"You seem puzzled about something else however. May I enquire as to what?"
"Oh! Um, sorry, Zane's Mom. I just didn't think you spoke Ninjagian? And was wondering if you have a body? No offense!"
That twinkling laugh came again. "I am Dr. Julien's first successful artificial intelligence, Lloyd. He dubbed me his Motherboard Operating Matrix, or MOM. I operate this building, as well as care for the needs of my family. You could say that this building is my body."
"Mooom..." whined Zane, looking absolutely mortified. He set his hand on a pad by the elevator, which opened much as the front doors had. They stepped inside and the doors closed behind them. The voice followed them, somehow being thrown to sound like she was right next to them. Could it be coming from Falcon or Zane? No, much more likely the directional speakers were just skillfully hidden in the ceiling and walls.
"Hush, child! Don't be rude! Your friend has legitimate questions that require logical answers!" the voice scolded. "As for what you've probably overheard from my conversations with Zane over cellular telephone, I prefer to speak Binary when communicating with my children. It is my mother tongue, after all, and it would be tragic for them to lose such an intricate part of our culture!"
"We are human," grumbled Zane. "Perfectly normal human boys."
"It's a shame my boys spurn their mother's heritage!" announced MOM heatedly. "Are you ASHAMED of me, Zane?! Your own mother?!"
Zane shouted something in Binary (apparently it wasn't dial-up static) at the ceiling, startling Falcon, who screeched and flapped his wings.
The reply was also in Binary, and Lloyd had no idea whether he should be embarrassed or what at this odd version of a family argument. The racket was also quite painful to the ears.
He settled for coughing into his first.
"Are you alright?!" Zane and his MOM both asked at the same time, identical worry in each of their voices. Even Falcon joined in, hopping from Zane's shoulder to Lloyd's head and peering at him intently.
"I'll get you some water as soon as we get to our floor," said Zane, patting Lloyd's back.
"I'll run checks to make sure the water is of the highest purification possible! As well as check the air filters and adjust the fans!" worried MOM. "It is unthinkable for a guest to be anything but absolutely comfortable!"
Who knew a fake cough would work so well? Their argument seemed forgotten.
The elevator dinged and the doors swished open, revealing a very traditional Eastern Ninjagian living space, an interesting contrast with the building's modern exterior. Lloyd copied Zane and took off his sneakers, setting them on the shoe shelf at the entrance and putting on the provided house slippers. He looked around as Zane got him a glass of water.
Tatami mats covered the floors of the bedrooms and main living areas. There were no chairs, only cushions, and all the tables were set at an appropriate height for people kneeling or sitting on the ground. Beautiful hand blown glass sculptures and hand molded ceramic vases and bowls decorated the rooms. Plants of all sorts were just everywhere - in the center of nearly every table, at least one corner of every room, clustered on the balcony, hung from the ceiling in front of the windows.
"The herbs in the kitchen and vegetables on the balcony are Zane's," explained MOM, noticing the direction of Lloyd's attention. "The medicinal plants and bonsai are Dr. Julien's, and everything else is Echo's."
Echo had unusual taste, varying from beautiful roses and lush ferns to the most ugly cacti you could imagine.
"Of course I'm the one stuck watering them all!" sighed MOM.
"She's the one that insisted on the timer," whispered Zane rebelliously to Lloyd, rolling his eyes.
"Zane! I heard that!" barked MOM.
Before they could devolve into another argument, Lloyd quickly jumped in.
"Everything is so beautiful, Zane's Mom! I just love it!"
"Oh, you are such a dear, Lloyd Garmadon! Thank you very much. Please, make yourself at home. Zane, give him a tour now."
Zane rolled his eyes and, after taking the empty glass back to the kitchen sink, gestured Lloyd to follow him to his own room. It was small and fairly bare, with only a small desk, complete with laptop and printer, some potted flowers, and a small tv and video game console. He opened a paper sliding door and pulled out a couple bedrolls and pillows.
"Are you okay with a bedroll, Lloyd? If not, Cole and Jay keep sleeping bags here for when they stay over. My mom says the bedrolls are better, but I have no idea what she's basing that opinion on. She can't hear us in here, by the way. Father insisted, for privacy."
"I've slept on rocks and in garbage," commented Lloyd casually, not thinking about his answer too much as he looked around in curiosity. "A bedroll is perfectly fine!"
"When did you ever-?" began Zane, but he cut himself off. "I apologize. I do not wish for you to see me as nosy, but I am concerned."
Lloyd blinked and realized what he'd just revealed. He blushed. "Oh! Um, no big deal, Zane. This isn't the first time I've run away, is all. I just meant I can sleep pretty much anywhere."
"Oh..." murmured Zane sadly, obviously picturing a miniature Lloyd wandering around all alone. Since that image was probably still better than Lloyd fleeing for his life from angry Serpentine, Lloyd tried to change the subject.
"Where's Echo? Is he not back from school yet?"
Perhaps that wasn't the best change of topic, since Zane frowned slightly.
"Echo doesn't go to school..." he hesitantly began. "He has some... health issues that prevent him from functioning in a school environment. Father is hopeful for the future, however. But for now, he works with father in his lab during the day. They will join us in about half an hour."
Lloyd set down his backpack and helped Zane set up the bedrolls. Zane seemed hesitant, opening his mouth but closing it again multiple times.
"You don't have to dance around the issue," finally said Lloyd quietly. "I know about, well..." He reached over and gently knocked on Zane's shoulder. The sound was definitely metallic. "And with your mom, talking about your 'heritage'? Yeah." The flash of fear in Zane's eyes was all too familiar. "I won't tell anyone," whispered Lloyd.
"No, no," began Zane, sitting on one of the bedrolls. He took a deep breath. "I actually wanted to tell you. If I was afraid of you knowing, I never would have invited you over, Lloyd. It's just..."
Lloyd smiled gently at Zane's admission, taking a seat facing his friend on the opposite bedroll. "It's scary. Letting others know too much about who... about 'what' you are."
Zane blinked, and frowned slightly. He slowly reached over and pressed on his chest just so. The whole front was a panel and swung open, revealing all sorts of circuitry and mechanics. After a couple seconds, Zane shyly shut the panel.
"But I'm still a normal teenager," insisted Zane, almost desperately. "I go to school and fight with my mom and play with my little brother and hang out with my friends. I like video games and surfing the Net and designing mechs. What I'm literally made of... does it actually matter?"
The question was rhetorical, but Lloyd had to answer. "Of course not, Zane. You're totally still my friend. I would never call you weird or anything."
"Not a monster?" asked Zane softly, slowly glancing up to make eye contact with his suddenly petrified friend.
"Lloyd, you are certainly more human that me. If I am not a monster, how could you be?" he asked, voice aching with pity and empathy and a desperate attempt to appeal to basic logic and reason.
Lloyd gulped and looked away. After a second, he sighed. "Those bruises I got earlier, Zane. How long should they take to heal?"
Zane blinked. "One to two weeks, and they should be-"
Lloyd took off his shirt and turned around, revealing his unmarked back.
Zane said nothing, but after a second Lloyd jumped as he felt Zane's cold hands. Zane also lifted his hair to check his neck and the back of his head.
"You are completely healed. In less than an hour. Is this what you meant?"
Lloyd nervously pulled his shirt back on and turned around.
"Don't tell anyone," he asked nervously. "I... I don't know if it's from my dad or what. He claims his father was the First Spinjitzu Master, and I've never heard anyone dispute him, but it just sounds so ridiculous. But I've... I should be dead, Zane. Many times over. And if he wasn't telling another lie... what are we? What am I?"
Zane just pulled him tight into a hug. Lloyd returned it.
After a minute, Zane recited: "Monster. Noun. Any animal or human grotesquely deviating from the normal shape, behavior, or character. And/or, a person who excites horror by wickedness, cruelty, etc."
Lloyd sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Got me there. Doesn't sound like either one of us."
"We may not biologically be entirely, if at all, human," whispered Zane. "But we are certainly not grotesque, wicked, or cruel. We are still just... just normal teenagers. Just like Jay, Cole, Kai, and Nya."
Lloyd swallowed. Things were getting a bit too honest for his comfort. "So, you said you like video games? Want to play something until your dad and Echo get home?"
Zane nodded and pulled out two controllers.
Even if they didn't comment any more on the subject, it was clear they were both thinking the same thing. It was nice not to be alone. They would both guard the other's secret with their life. Because even though they verbally agreed it didn't matter, they both knew...
It did.
~~ ! Go Ninja Go ! ~~
Author's Notes: Hope everyone enjoyed! I loved giving Zane a turn to be the hero! And our favorite Nindroid has got such a big heart, even with his own issues, he just HAS to comfort Lloyd over this 'monster' thing. I also had so much fun with MOM and Zane's relationship with her! Don't worry - we'll get a scene with Echo and Dr. Julien. It's just been pushed back to next chapter is all.
Next week we'll get that scene with Dr. Julien and Echo, but most of the chapter will be a sequence of something pretty critical to the story that happened in the past. Approximately, ooh, fourteen years or so ago. Let me know what your guesses are, though really it's not that hard! Your hint is it's mostly Koko-centered, but Lloyd is certainly our little star. And yep, I have actually referred to this very event in a previous chapter.
Special thanks to Sunny Lighter for being all around amazing!
Thanks also to my amazing reviewers from last chapter! This time the honors go to: Watcher321, Carrie2sky, Dyphen, Beaner97, Pitch'snieceanddaughterofMew, Sunny Lighter, EMPFangirl02, Silvermags, and Bookkeeper2004! I was extra productive this past week - got out two and a half new chapters! - and I totally give the credit to you guys!