"Kuriam, what on earth are we doing here," Mr. X yelled.
Mr. X and Kuriam were sitting at a table in a crowded seaside restaurant, watching as huge swarms of people gathered for the annual seafood festival. Kuriam had just devoured two platters of shrimp, while Mr. X picked at some salmon covered in Cajun seasoning.
"Kuriam, this is no place to meet," Mr. X repeated.
"Don't blame me," Kuriam shrugged. "She told us to meet her here."
"Why is Laisha even here," Mr. X sighed. "She should be at home base, carrying out the master's wishes, not here in Ninjago City fighting elemental masters over a stupid map."
"I agree," Kuriam nodded. "But this could be another order too, you know."
"Yeah, yeah, I figured," Mr. X nodded. "Well, if it isn't her at last."
Laisha, concealed in a cloak, strolled over to them from the docks, her face grim and her eyes narrowed. She plopped down next to them, then ordered a platter of salmon.
"Thanks for meeting on short notice," Laisha sighed.
"No problem," Kuriam replied carelessly. "We had time to kill anyway."
"Before your meeting with this Rocky fellow," Laisha clarified.
"Right," Mr. X agreed. "Now then, why are you here?"
"The Master sent me," Laisha answered.
"Is something the matter," Kuriam asked. "Did we do something wrong?"
"No, Kuriam," Laisha laughed. "You aren't on the hook, yet. Master sent me to hunt down Morro."
"The ghost ninja who controls wind," Kuriam asked. "Isn't he dead or something?"
"Master thinks he's alive, and that he spied on one of your meetings in Jamanakai Village," Laisha sighed. "I'm here to hunt him down and if necessary kill him."
"Then why this skirmish," Mr. X asked. "If you're hunting down Morro, then why waste your energy and a fire shuriken on this Uloe character?"
"She struck me as suspicious, so I followed her to the Serpentine village," Laisha answered. "There, I learned through their conversation that they had a map of the Order of Silence."
"The Order of what," Kuriam asked.
"The Order of Silence," Laisha answered. "Ancient cultists who tried to gift themselves elemental powers but were stopped by the Serpentine and the Master of Amber. The map leads to their temple and to a portal to the Realm of Silence."
"So what," Mr. X shrugged. "It doesn't have anything to do with our hunt for the time claws."
"The time claws are important, but the map is phase 2 of our plans," Laisha swore. "Without that map, we cannot achieve our ultimate goal."
"Okay, okay, we'll keep an eye out for this Uloe character," Mr. X sighed.
"By snakes," Kuriam suddenly exclaimed. "Look at the TV!"
"Quit it, Kuriam," Mr. X retorted. "We're discussing business, not stupid commercials."
"No, look," Kuriam pleaded. "There's ninja on the screen."
Mr. X and Laisha turned around, staring up at the TV screen in the main lobby. On the screen, news reporter Gayle Gossip reported on the Ninja, showing pictures of them as she talked.
"Thanks to Dareth's new book, Secrets of the Ninja, we no longer have to wonder how the famed ninja live their everyday lives," Gayle Gossip said. "Reviewers across Ninjago have rated the book as 'the best read since Ronin's diary was leaked to the public', calling it the 'highlight of the century' and the 'ultimate guide to the ninja'. And there certainly aren't any more secrets with these Ninja. For instance, rumor has it that rough-and-tough Rocky Dangerbuff is actually Cole the earth ninja…"
"By snakes," Kuriam gasped. "Rocky Dangerbuff is a fraud!"
"Cursed that liar," Mr. X swore. "He duped us. He and his friends are probably trying to trap us."
"Yes, but we can salvage a victory," Laisha winked. "Keep your appointment with the ninja, but this time, lure them into the control room. I'll finish them off there."
"You sure you're up for this," Kuriam asked.
"Why not," Laisha smiled. "After all, they don't know I have fire, invisibility, and wind shurikens at my disposal. They'll be sitting ducks when I attack."
Later that night, Kuriam paces the abandoned Vermillion base, guarding the front entrance as he waits for the guests. He glances out over the swamp, swiping at a swam of flies hovering nearby.
"Disgusting," he spat. "Who'd build a base out in this swamp? This place reeks. Whoever those Time brothers were, they sure had no sense of smell."
Then he spotted the bright lights off in the distance. He picked up a painted javelin-shaped stick, then tossed it into the air. It flew in front of a large window, where Mr. X was waiting with Laisha behind him.
"There's the signal," Mr. X remarked. "They're near."
"Good," Laisha smiled. "Go down and meet them. I will hide up here."
Mr. X strolled down the stairs to the front door, then waited while the ninja parked a borrowed Borg sportscar on a patch of dry ground. Cole, Zane, and Uloe then approached Kuriam, who bowed and blushed at the sight of Uloe.
"Um, hello, ma'am," he stammered, trying hard not to call her by name. "What…what is your name?"
"Uloe," Uloe answered.
"A pleasure to…meet…um," Kuriam stammered.
"Stop stammering you fool," Mr. X retorted, opening the door. "Thank you, Miss Uloe, for visiting with us in your spare time."
"The pleasure is mine," Uloe smiled. "Come now. We have matters to discuss."
"Right this way," Mr. X nodded.
Mr. X led the ninja and Uloe into the base, then signaled for Kuriam to shut the door behind them.
"Why are you shutting the door," Cole asked.
"Well, Mr. Rocky," Mr. X replied. "We don't want eavesdroppers sneaking in here, do we? Come. The conference room is up these stairs."
Mr. X led them into the control room, making sure to be the last to enter. When they were situated around the table, Mr. X excused himself.
"I will fetch some drinks," he lied.
Mr. X exited, shutting the door behind him. Uloe then glanced around them. What once was the Time Brothers' command center was now little more than a junkyard. All sorts of broken contraptions and wires lied everywhere, and no lighting seemed to be intact. Even the table they were sitting at had a broken leg, as well as two cracks on the tabletop.
"What a dump," Cole whistled. "This place sure needs refurnishing."
"No one has used this place since the Iron Doom's departure," Zane noted. "I do suppose, however, that thieves and trespassers have scrounged through here since."
"Whatever the case, focus on the mission," Uloe whispered. "We're here to trap Mr. X and steal his hard drive."
"Tell me why we're stealing his hard drive again," Cole asked.
"Mr. X's hard drive contains memory files of everything he's seen or heard," Uloe explained. "If we hook his hard drive to the Borg system, then we can see everything he has stored away, including the location of their base and maybe the identity of this Master they serve."
"So, you have a trap as well," a voice answered.
Uloe jumped, then stared into the darkness. The other ninja glanced around, startled by the unidentified voice. They could see no one else in the room, just piles of junk and themselves.
"Show yourself," Cole ordered, jumping into a fighting stance.
"As you wish," the voice laughed.
Before their eyes, Laisha appeared, emerging from a state of invisibility. In one hand, she held the shuriken of invisibility. In the other, she wielded the fire whip. She glanced at Uloe, then laughed.
"You again," she chuckled. "We keep running into each other, don't we, Uloe?"
"You know her," Cole questioned.
"I'm afraid so," Uloe sighed. "She attacked me in the Serpentine village, if you were paying attention when I told Ronin. I should have known better than to risk coming here."
"You'll pay for your mistake," Laisha chuckled.
"Not on my watch," Cole boomed. "You see, you fought Uloe earlier alone, but she's got the muscle and the brains with her this time. Think you can fight all three of us?"
"Not alone, I can't," Laisha smiled, "but let's even the odds a little, shall we?"
Laisha threw the shuriken of invisibility, then smacked it into the ground with her fire whip. Large puffs of smoke escaped the shuriken, then the shuriken started glowing bright orange. Two blobs of magma poured out of the shuriken on each side, rising higher as they took a human form. At Laisha's height, they stopped, with two suits of armor wrapping round their body. Two fire swords also appeared, and two hollow eyes emerged.
"I present the Magma Guards, protectors of the Invisible Fire," Laisha laughed. "Go have your fun, boys."
The two magma guards surged forward, their swords swinging toward Cole. Cole ducked, then rolled away as the swords struck the table. Then Zane fired two salvos of ice, freezing the arms of the magma guards.
"Try some ice on for size," Zane quipped.
The magma guards stared at the ice, then growled. Magma soaked their arms, melting the ice instantly and breaking its grip. Then they snarled and flung balls of magma at Zane. Zane narrowly missed them, jumping behind a pile of junk for cover.
Cole then attempted to kick one of the guards, only to strike the breastplate and scorch his foot. Hobbling in pain, Cole joined Zane behind the junk, pinned down as the magma guards fired magma balls that splattered above them.
Meanwhile, Laisha directly attacked Uloe, striking at her with the fire whip. Uloe, more alert this time, dodged every blow, then landed a kick on Laisha's chest. Laisha tumbled into the ground, crushing a pile of cans and scattering them about. Uloe pounced on top of her, grabbing ahold of Laisha's arms.
"Game over," Uloe said. "Surrender now, and we'll spare your life."
"Ninja never quit," Laisha quipped, "and neither do their enemies."
Laisha grabbed the shuriken of wind, then struck Uloe in the leg. A stream of wind shot forward, flinging Uloe across the room into the table. Then Laisha jumped to her feet, turning toward the pinned-down ninja. She started walking toward them, spinning the shuriken of wind to hold Uloe back with a wind funnel.
"Cole, we can't sit here forever," Zane gasped. "They'll melt us for sure."
"What do you expect me to do," Cole panicked.
"Use your powers," Zane answered.
"But I'll knock the whole building down," Cole replied.
"Hit the floorboards below," Zane suggested.
"Oh, you're right," Cole nodded.
Cole glanced up at Laisha, who smiled and started to fling her fire whip. Then Cole punched the floor with his fist. Everyone fell flat on their backs, and the building shook violently, causing the floor to collapse underneath Cole and Zane. They fell through the ceiling to the next floor, leaving Laisha, the magma guards, and Uloe above them.
"Quick thinking, Zane," Cole nodded. "But Uloe's still up there."
"She can take care of herself," Kuriam answered.
Kuriam charged at Cole, attempting to throw an uppercut into his left shoulder. Cole sidestepped, then punched Kuriam's back as he flew by. Kuriam crashed into the ground, immediately going unconscious upon impact.
"Don't mess with the muscle," Cole quipped.
"Cole, we need to leave," Zane interrupted. "The building could collapse on top of us if we stay."
"But what about Uloe," Cole asked.
"Uloe will meet us soon," Zane promised.
As Cole and Zane escaped, Laisha marched toward a weakened Uloe, covered in fire and armed with the shuriken of wind. She stopped right before Uloe, hovering over her like a predator does its prey.
"Your friends are gone," Laisha smiled. "And I still have mine. You're done for, Uloe."
"Oh, I'm not done," Uloe quipped. "In fact, I've only begun!"
Uloe jumped to her feet, then started spinning in rapid circles. A tornado of lightning formed around her, creating a Spinjitzu funnel that sparked and radiated in Laisha's face. Laisha stepped backwards, her eyes wide and her legs frozen in place. Then Uloe rose into the air, her entire body absorbing all the lightning around her.
"Who are you," Laisha gasped.
"You know who I am," Uloe quipped.
Uloe froze in place, then let out a breath of air. Large bolts of lightning exploded everywhere, striking every inch of air, building, and flesh within its radius. Both magma guards dissolved instantly, while Laisha, Mr. X, and Kuriam shook violently and then rocketed out of the building into the Ninjago sea a few miles away. Then the Vermillion base collapsed, creating a cloud of smoke that engulfed Cole and Zane as they sped away in the sportscar.
"Stop the car," Cole ordered.
Zane applied the brakes, bringing the car to a screeching stop.
"What is it, Cole," Zane asked.
"That cloud of smoke," Cole coughed. "Something happened at the Vermillion Base. Turn around."
Zane and Cole raced over to the Vermillion base, then jumped out of the car.
"This base is toast," Cole sighed. "I told you my powers were too much for this rust bolt."
"Not you, Cole," Zane replied. "Look."
In the center of the base, Uloe sat in meditation, the base ruins circling around her. Blue tea leaves fluttered everywhere, blanketing the ground and getting snuck in Cole's nose. Cole sneezed, then raced over to Uloe.
"Uloe, are you okay," he asked.
"I'm fine, Cole," Uloe smiled. "Not a scratch."
"What happened," Zane asked.
"I'll explain later," Uloe smiled. "For now, grab these three shurikens. We must inform Ronin and Lloyd about the strength of our enemy."