Cole and Lloyd patrolled the darkened part of the city, away from where they'd found the Serpenteel lair. As much as they would have liked to have done something about the base under the city, they were outnumbered even if they called upon the rest of the team—not that that was saying anything, that call would increase their numbers from two to a whopping five— point being, there was nothing they could do about the Serpenteels.
So for now, they did what they could to ensure that the residents without power were as calm and comfortable as possible.
"How do you think the others are doing?" Cole asked, handing a spare blanket to a citizen whose house had depended on electric heat.
As if to answer, Lloyd's phone buzzed in his pocket. Lloyd showed the screen to Cole, revealing Pixal's icon. "Let's find out."
The two stepped away from the main street as Lloyd put it on speaker for Cole to hear.
"Hi, Pixal."
"Hello, Lloyd. Is Cole there with you?"
"He's right here; you're on speaker."
"Excellent. Nya and I think we may have found a solution to powering the machine."
"Great!"
"If we were able to take all of the energy powering the city for the duration of the storm, it would be just enough to get by."
Lloyd beamed at the phone, then realized Pixal couldn't see and elaborated, "That's awesome, you two! Great work."
"There is one small hitch, though. In order to do this, we would need to obtain all of the power in the city at once. There are four output points, one of which has been compromised, hence the power outage. We need to be able to access the other three, all at once."
Cole leaned towards the phone. "And we do that… how?"
"Fortunately, it is not a difficult task. All we need to do is run heavy-duty cables between the points to join them. Nya and I are tied up with assembling the machine, so I was hoping we could entrust you with running the cables— there are plenty of tunnels underground where you could lay them so as to not interfere with traffic or risk their damage."
"Can do, Pix."
"Excellent. I shall send you the location of each one."
Lloyd received a text from Pixal bearing the coordinates of the supposed output points. He held the phone out for Cole to see. "Looks like we're going back underground."
Cole groaned.
Pixal and Nya worked on separate parts of the mechanism. Nya currently assembled wires and circuit boards into the heart of the machine while Pixal welded some metal plates onto the already-completed chassis.
They had chosen opposite parts of the Samurai X cave to work. The only sounds exchanged between the two were electronic buzzing and the whooshing of Pixal's blowtorch.
Theoretically, Pixal didn't really need the welding mask she wore. Her robotic eyes would not strain from too much exposure to the light. Still, she found that the weight settled on the front of her face guided her to look down at her work and keep focused, which she found was a better alternative than to consider other matters. She allowed her sensors to overanalyze her work, even keeping track of irrelevant data about the metal. She knew she only needed a few of the diagrams that were currently pulled up on her interior visual monitors to make her work adequate, but more of them meant more distractions she had from the buzzing in the back of her memory core. Besides, the extra focus meant that her welding technique neared absolute perfection, even taking a margin of error into consideration.
Despite all of this, all it took to break her focus was a soft chime from a distant monitor, and Pixal threw the blowtorch and mask on the ground, not even checking back to see if the blowtorch was still lit as she bolted across the cave.
Nya's head snapped up as Pixal flew past. "What is it?"
Pixal started tapping at the cave's main monitor before she'd even fully come to a stop, looking over detailed analyses as quickly as the computer would report them to her. "The scan is complete. We have a full diagnostic on Zane's condition."
Nya stopped behind Pixal and turned to their statuesque friend.
Zane lay in the same place as ever, still displaying that frozen face of shock. A face that once stared wide-eyed, pleading, at someone who was once his friend, but now stared at nothing at all. That friend was gone.
"This doesn't make sense," Pixal murmured.
Nya stepped closer and joined her in examining the monitor. "What doesn't?"
"His circuitry… it's hardly damaged at all. None of his main operative systems are even broken; just a little burnt out, but not even completely. None of them."
"So that's good, right?"
Pixal turned to her. "Not necessarily. His wires can be replaced, but if they're not damaged, then that means-" She furrowed her brow. "But it says that none of his wires or circuits were damaged. What went wrong with him?"
Nya hummed. "What about his power source? If that was jostled enough to cut power, then the rest of him wouldn't function. Maybe there's an error there."
"Let's see." Pixal closed out some tabs and navigated through others until she found the file labeled powering.
When Pixal opened the file, all that popped up was a big, blank image with a red caution triangle and question mark on it.
"Seems like that's our problem."
Pixal abandoned the computer in favor of the counter Zane rested upon. She propped her palms on the ledge and gazed down at his frozen being, the light of her eyes going soft and dull.
A hand rested on hers, and she raised her eyes to find Nya giving her an encouraging smile, though her sensors analyzed the water ninja's expression as a little forced.
Nya's voice flowed like cool water over a burn. "Why don't we take a look?"
Pixal responded with a solemn nod, reaching across the table to press lightly on the rim of Zane's chest compartment, making it pop out on its hinge. She inched the compartment open like he was made of glass.
The girls' eyes settled on the cavity that would house Zane's power source, and they shared a gasp.
Pixal blinked. "It's gone."
"Jay…"
It took only a few moments for Pixal to reach a decision. She rounded the counter and sat on its edge, pulling her own chest compartment open. "Power him."
Nya started. "What?"
"I have half of his heart. He will function perfectly fine with it."
Nya stared, dumbfounded, at the glowing semicircle in Pixal's chest, then met her gaze. "Are you sure?"
"Of course I am sure."
"Pix, you're valuable to this team. The machine- I can't build it alone."
"Zane is a perfectly competent mechanic."
"And what about everything else you bring to the table? You fought Jay twice; you know more about his state than anyone else. Zane only fought Jay… half of a time."
"But you were right earlier," Pixal said. "Zane does know what it is like to believe himself justified to harm other members of this team."
Nya's eyebrows knitted together. "Pix, I was mad. I'm sorry I-"
Pixal cut her off with a wave of her hand. "No. You were correct. Although of no fault of his own, Zane has turned against this team before. Which means he also knows what it is like to come back and be reaccepted into the team."
Nya held a hand over her mouth. "Pixal…"
"It is not an immense sacrifice. If Zane has need of my services, he can simply transfer the source back over to me."
"You know he'd never stand for this. He'll only be conscious for long enough to hear about what you did for him, and then he'll ask me to transfer the power back over to you."
Pixal hummed. "That may be so. But at least inform him of our current situation and get his opinion on our course of action. Even if only one of us can function at a time, I refuse to be the one carrying the power until he has said what he needs to. At very least, he must have a voice." She returned her focus to his face, and cupped his hand in hers. "He has always done the same for me."
Nya nodded and knelt by Pixal, getting a close look at the power source and its surrounding machinery. She examined it from several different angles before standing up straight, letting Pixal see her grimace.
"What is it?"
"I'm sorry." Nya rubbed the back of her neck. "I think your power sources are… incompatible."
Pixal started. "What? They are one and the same."
"Yeah, but you were made by Borg tech. Its systems function a little differently. You may have been powered by the same power source that Zane gave you at first, but it looks like your inner machinery has adapted itself and the source to interface better. In other words, your power source won't work for him anymore."
Robotic hands clenched into fists.
"...Pix?"
"He's going to be okay," Pixal said. "At least we know that much. We just need to get his power source back." She glared at Nya as if daring her to disagree. "And Jay has it."
Kai sighed and kicked a loose pebble. He watched it as it tumbled across the park path and flopped down on the grass.
The fire ninja sighed and sunk further into his slouch on the bench, his head propped in his hands.
The sun peeked out from behind the clouds, casting the shadow of the giant figure behind Kai onto the ground in front of him where he couldn't avoid it.
Kai didn't really know if he'd subconsciously chosen this park on purpose, or if he had merely wandered here on his quest to find some way to keep the people happy. He turned to face the looming figure head-on, squinting against the sun behind its head.
The titanium statue had dulled a little with time, moss creeping around its featureless face.
The statue didn't do Zane justice, not even a little bit. Even with the heroic stance, the featureless face gazing off into the distance never sat right with Kai.
The statue was a symbol of respect, or at least it was supposed to be, but it felt mocking. It was just a chunk of metal in a humanoid form; something more than a few people had considered Zane to be.
Something Zane was reduced to now.
The statue was too crude and too formal all at once.
Expressionless, it carried a certain determined authority about it.
Zane was anything but authoritative. He was kind, caring, loving. He was a friend.
Still, Kai found himself drawn to it like a moth to a flame. He didn't have to settle right in front of the statue, and yet he found himself perched on the nearest bench.
"I'm sorry, Zane," Kai said. "I should have done something."
Flaws and all, there was something to be said about the statue. The balance in familiarity and variations allowed Kai to speak openly, as if he could talk to his friend but never let the full weight of what he was saying settle on Zane's shoulders.
"Maybe if I'd just been more… together, I could have done something before Jay hurt you… before anyone hurt Jay." His shoulders slumped. "I don't even know what to do next. The others are all out there, getting things done, and they left me behind to do… nothing." He chuckled dryly. "I mean, I always wanted some time to take it easy, but not in the middle of a crisis. Not when I could be helping. It's like they think I can't do anything else."
The titanium statue offered no response.
Sinking into his own folded arms, Kai sighed again. "If you were here, you'd have the answer to everything, wouldn't you?"
"Mommy, Mommy, look! It's the Red Ninja!"
Usually, Kai would have jumped at the opportunity to sign an autograph and show off some tricks. Today, he wished he was invisible.
"Let's move along, Timmy. It looks like he has things on his mind. Being a ninja must be very stressful."
Kai started. He was supposed to be reassuring the people and making them think nothing was wrong, not giving them more reason to believe that things were.
He leapt up and stood on the bench. "Did someone say Red Ninja?"
A little boy in a hoodie, presumably Timmy, gasped and bounced up and down while his mother shook her head with a smile.
Kai jumped and flipped in the air before landing gracefully by Timmy's side and kneeling to be his height. "Now, Timmy, your mother is right. Being a ninja is hard work. But you know what? We'll get through just fine. Do you know whyyyyyy?"
Timmy locked onto him with star-filled eyes. "Why?"
"Because we have the help of junior ninjas such as yourself."
Timmy giggled and stomped little feet.
Kai held out a hand. "Uh-oh! It seems as if my fire powers will not start! I could sure use some help! Can you say, FIYAH?"
"FIYAH!"
Kai ignited his hand, shooting a jet of flames into the air before little Timmy's very awestruck eyes.
"Woooooah!"
"Very good, junior! I appreciate your help, good citizen."
Timmy saluted and launched into what Kai assumed was supposed to be a mock fight, complete with his own sound effects.
His mother mouthed her thanks, then turned to her son. "What do we say to the Red Ninja?"
"Thank youuuuu!"
With that, the very happy boy and his mother departed, the youngster imitating an invisible fight all the way.
Kai watched them go with a smile. At least he could help someone.
His smile faded. If only he could do the same for Jay.
When he turned to return to the bench, he found that a small, scattered crowd had gathered, and caught whispers of his title being exchanged amongst the onlookers.
"It's the Red Ninja!"
"The fire ninja- did you see him use his powers, sweetie?"
"He's got to be the coolest ninja- no, no I know that Zane is technically the coolest, I'm just saying- It's an expression, Carl!"
"Has anyone heard from the Blue or Titanium Ninjas lately? I haven't seen them…"
"Yeah, you're right, where are the lightning and ice ninjas? Lightning ninja would really be helpful with this power outage…"
"...Titanium Ninja? And the Blue Ninja…"
"-electric powers, you know?"
"-I haven't seen them in the last few posts-"
Kai's shoulders tensed. His eyes darted back and forth, chasing whispers of his missing friends' names.
"Sir?" A man stepped forward. "We haven't really heard much from the ice or lightning ninjas lately. Is everything okay with them?"
"Yeah, where are they?"
"Tell us about the ninjas!"
Kai chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, Zane and Jay? Well, uh…" he rubbed the back of his neck. "Zane- Zane is keeping to himself a lot these days because… he… has a new mech that he's working on! He gets very lost in his work, you know. He's been cooped up at the temple for days. And Jay is right there, helping…"
Kai caught sight of a few suspicious glances, and a mutter of, "Heh, really nice, convenient cover."
"Helpinnnng… me throw a big party! Yeah, Jay and I are gonna be at the arcade later today, just, y'know, having fun, being normal, cool stuff. Cool, non-aggressive, fun quality time stuff. Ordinary… things. He's totally gonna be there." His eyes darted to the side for a split second.
"Is anyone allowed to come and meet you two?" Asked a voice from behind him.
"Oh, absolutely!" Kai whirled around. "Anyone can just walk through the doors of the arcade this evening and meet… the lightning… ninja."
Kai had to fight to keep his smile plastered on his lips, coming face-to-face with Gayle Gossip herself, and Vinnie right beside her, who was filming the whole thing.
Live.
To every TV in Ninjago City.
Gayle slid into the frame and slung her arm around Kai's shoulders as if they were close friends. "You hear that, folks? The Red and Blue ninjas will be appearing to the public tonight at the arcade!"
Kai focused everything he had into smiling at the camera when every part of him just felt like screaming. "Heh, heh. Great."
The window to the electronics store rattled as Jay's fist struck it over and over again. He glared past his own disheveled reflection at the wall of televisions, each displaying Kai's smiling face moving in sync with the rest like some sort of sick, coordinated dance.
"The Red and Blue ninjas will be appearing to the public tonight at the arcade!"