It was a failsafe plan. A team of experienced ninja and elemental masters, instructed by an artificial intelligence with superior knowledge of the area and unrivaled strategic thinking, should be able to scour a small, forested peninsula for three magic gemstones, avoid potential traps, and take out any villain they might encounter in the process. Nothing could go wrong. Right?
Nothing did go wrong, really. But that was because nothing went as expected, either.
The ninja didn't dare to land inside the fence for fear of activating the alarm system. Instead, they hid in a strategic place from which Jay could direct a bolt of lightning at the nearest surveillance camera. The circuits of the device exploded with a satisfying crackle. Jay silently fist-bumped into the air, high-fived with Kai and took aim at the next component, when Pixal nudged him in the side.
"What is it?" he whispered, his face glowing. "Just a couple more, and then this section of the fence ... oh."
He fell silent when she projected a scan in front of him, which showed clearly that the entire security system was offline anyway.
Whoever resided here had completely lost their fear of unwanted visitors.
Lloyd hummed. "That was overkill, then. Let's go."
The ninja pulled their hoods down and climbed over the fence, still not quite believing their luck. They knew by now that the animals in the "wildlife sanctuary" were all robots, most likely equipped with spying eyes and inbuilt defense systems, and they could be hiding anywhere. Moving with utmost care and expecting an attack at any moment, the ninja crept noiselessly through the shrubs. They had trained for years to do exactly this, and Jay felt the back of his neck tingling with excitement. After the grief and worry of the past few days and the nerve-wracking hours in front of the computer, it was definitely a good sort of excitement. This was ninja business at its finest.
A twig crackled, and they all froze in their steps. Pixal, who followed the three boys effortlessly on her lynx paws, scanned the area and quickly gave the all-clear signal. It was only a small bird, a real one.
No fight, then, Jay thought and realized that he was secretly looking forward to some more action.
Faster than they'd thought, they reached the end of the forest and had an unobstructed view of the stables. The door of the building closest to them stood wide open, and Lloyd furrowed his brows. It looked like an invitation to nose around, which was unexpected.
Whoever was in charge of the stables felt that they had nothing to hide whatsoever.
Kai shrugged, glanced around, left the cover of the trees and swiftly ran towards the building where he crouched low in the shadow of the wall. Nothing else moved. The ninja left at the edge of the wood could hear nothing but their own breathing.
In fact, it was eerily quiet.
Lloyd turned to Pixal. "Are you coming with us?" he signed.
She hesitated, and Jay realized that this must be the very place where she and Zane had been ambushed and shut down! Her reluctance to follow Kai was understandable. Even though she easily moved through the woods without attracting attention, her sheer size would make it difficult for her to hide down there.
Jay patted the griffin's side reassuringly and motioned her to stay.
"We'll be back soon," he mouthed. Then he gave Lloyd the thumbs-up, and they quickly joined Kai at the large stable door.
"What took you so long?" the Master of Fire whispered impatiently. "This place is empty. Let's get a move on, they must be elsewhere!"
He was right. The boxes in the stable were deserted. When the ninja carefully turned round the corner, they stood in front of two large, equally empty aviaries. Their doors stood open as well.
This was getting creepy.
Jay uneasily shifted from one foot to the other. "Pixal showed me her memories from a few days ago," he muttered. "This place was teaming with robotic animals. Where can they be now? This deadly silence makes me nervous," he complained.
Kai shot him a glance and pointed at a shed behind the aviaries. "The workshop. That's where she saw the two stones, right?"
Jay nodded.
"Never mind the missing animals, then. Come on."
"Kai –," Lloyd began, but the Master of Fire had already turned his back on him.
"Ok, he's right, I guess," Lloyd shrugged. "Let's get this done with."
He and Jay followed their friend, who cautiously approached the workshop.
This door was closed.
Kai put his hand on the handle, while Jay and Lloyd took up a fighting stance.
"Ready," Lloyd nodded at him.
With one brisk movement, Kai tore the door open, and the three ninja stormed in. A few yards into the room, Lloyd slowed down, and Jay almost crashed into him, carried by his momentum. Kai spun around.
The place was deserted.
Not only that there was no living being inside; the tables and shelves, which had been covered with various tools and materials only days before, were completely empty.
"I can't believe it!" Jay burst out, pushing his hood up and shaking it back. "All the secrecy and ninja-ing for nothing. They ... they just cleared out! Took everything with them, and then they let us walk in just like that and make us look stupid. I bet they even vacuumed the floor!"
"Yeah." Lloyd kicked away a lonely pencil with a broken tip, the only sign that someone had been working here at some point in the past. "This is really frustrating."
Kai, who was randomly opening one empty drawer after the other, looked around, no less annoyed than the other two. "There's another door."
Without major precautions this time, the ninja entered the back room. It had been abandoned in the same clean and tidy state as the front part of the workshop.
"Nothing," Kai huffed. "No trace of the dragon gem."
"Which reminds me," Lloyd switched on his communicator, "I wonder how our friends are getting along."
It took some time until they received a signal, and it was interrupted by static noise. Eventually, Cole's voice came through.
"Lloyd? Yeah, I can hear you, but not very well. And I don't have much time, really."
"Did you find the Ridgebacks?" Kai asked.
Cole gave a dry laugh that sounded like a bark through the communicator. "Oh, yes. Couldn't miss them. There are many. Closer to our part of the country than we expected. They're not in a good mood. And they're flying fast."
"So where are you?"
Cole promptly gave them the coordinates; he must be standing right next to the screen of the Bounty's navigation system.
Lloyd interrupted him. "We don't have a map. I rather meant ..."
"Why do you ask, then?" Cole gave back, sounding somewhat annoyed. "Well, in simple terms, the dragons are flying in a straight line towards the center of Ninjago City, and at their current speed will arrive there in about one hour and twelve minutes."
Jay gasped and exchanged a glance with Kai, who looked startled as well.
"Anything you can do to slow them down?" Lloyd asked.
"What do you think we're trying to do?" Cole retorted angrily. "The weather got really nice and dry while we were flying north, but of course the dragons liked that, too. So Nya called a massive front of rain clouds back, and she and Zane are working their butts off to create a hailstorm. It's difficult to maintain, though. The Bounty's on autopilot, Nya directs the rain around us, and Zane flies back and forth to freeze the droplets, because those Ridgebacks don't mind water at all. The ice makes them angry, but they don't dare to fly right through it. Not yet. You better destroy that gem as soon as possible, I don't know how long we're going to hold out!"
"We ... we haven't found it yet," Lloyd admitted.
"Then you better hurry up. Ahhh ..." Cole broke off, and they heard a heavy thump as something must have crashed into him.
"Cole? You're ok?" Jay asked, concerned.
"More or less," came the reply after a few seconds. "They start to attack the ship. And ... oh, no!" The communicators went silent for a moment.
"They hit Zane again," Cole's voice was back. "Gotta help him."
A last crackle in their earpieces indicated that Cole had cut the connection.
"Dang it." Kai clenched his fists. "And we can't do anything to help them."
"Let's go back to Pixal," Lloyd suggested, "and consult with her."
When they arrived at the spot where they had left the griffin, she was nowhere to be seen.
"Not that as well!" Kai groaned. "Do you think anyone came here and attacked her while we were down there?"
Lloyd shook his head. "No signs of a fight."
Jay glanced at him. "No. But perhaps ..." He dropped his gaze and stared at his feet. "I know what happened. I installed an earpiece in one of her ears. She heard that whole conversation before."
Lloyd uttered a swear word that would normally have earned him more than a reproachful look from his older brothers. "This would explain why she didn't wait for us. Her Samurai programming kicking in."
"Do you think she's flying towards the Bounty to help them?" Kai asked, aghast.
"No," Jay replied. "She knows it would take her far too long. I rather think ..."
He turned towards a small path along the edge of the wood. "Come with me. There's a manor house at the other end of the estate. She hasn't been inside, there was only an aerial view of that building in her memory cache. But it must be over there."
They ran until the forest ended and then right through the middle of a field, this time completely disregarding any caution. Speed was most important now. When they arrived at the little hill opposite the house, they found the griffin in the cover of a shrub.
"Here you are," Jay panted. "We were worried."
Pixal didn't react. Her tail twitched nervously while she finished her survey of the house and gardens. Then, she projected her scan in front of the ninja.
Jay glanced at the map that showed buildings as well as electronic devices and biometric signatures.
"A solid wall around the inner garden, with a cast-iron door. There's also a garage with a couple of large motorbikes. Traps ..." He frowned briefly. "Negative. I can see surveillance cameras, but they're offline. Nothing compared to Milton Dyer's island."
"Sounds good," Kai stated. "What are these?" He pointed at some moving orange dots.
"A few small animals on the lawn," Jay replied. "Live ones, probably rabbits. We can disregard them. But this," he pointed at a room on the second floor, "is interesting."
"A person," Lloyd stated. "Alone. They don't move. Sitting at a desk?"
"Yeah, perhaps," Jay agreed. He turned to the griffin. "What would we do without you, Pixal. This works great!"
Kai drew virtual lines on the map. "Here. We climb over the wall. Then we split up. There are several skylights, one of them must be accessible. The other two try the windows and back door. Pixal, can you detect any sign of something resembling the dragon gem?"
She shook her head.
"Then we meet on the second floor. That person may be able to help us," he said grimly.
"I hope so," Lloyd muttered. "We have no better plan. Pixal, you're connected to our communicators. Could you hoot or something if you detect any suspicious activity?"
He turned to the others. "Let's go."
The ninja pulled their hoods down. They were so well attuned that no more words were necessary. In a matter of minutes, they had taken up their positions. Lloyd found the back door unlocked, and Kai and Jay climbed up the wall of the house. When Jay had hoisted himself onto the windowsill of that room on the second floor, Kai's red gi disappeared over the edge of the roof.
Jay peered inside the room. It was dimly lit, but he could see rows of bookshelves, tasteful antique wall closets, and a large wooden desk equipped with everything that was required in a modern office. The office chair had been pushed back, and the person who had been working at the desk stood in the back of the room, partly hidden by the open door of a closet. Jay nodded, contented. They had come to the right room; Lloyd would, by now, have reached the hallway on the second floor. Sure enough, Jay saw the door of the room opening a tiny crack. Kai must have seen it, too, from his place at the skylight. The communicators crackled, and Jay and Lloyd heard the voice of the Master of Fire loud and clear: "Everyone in position? Ninja, go!"
Lloyd stormed into the room, Jay jumped over the windowsill, and Kai swiftly lowered himself down from the skylight. Whoever was the owner of this manor and the estate where the dragon gem had been brought and the nindroids had been assaulted – they were cornered.
She calmly turned round and tossed her long, golden hair back. Her eyebrows rose in an expression of marked surprise until they became visible above the rim of her large designer glasses; unusual eyebrows with peculiar notches. A moment later, her face had turned into a mask of arrogant elegance again.
"The ... the minister of foreign affairs!" Lloyd stammered.
"The ninja!" she said in a tone that mimicked Lloyd's surprise, but Jay couldn't help feeling that she was mocking them.
"What are you doing here?" Kai demanded.
"I could ask you the same," she retorted. "This is my house. It has a door bell, but I cannot recall you using it. My visitors do not usually sneak through the back door and jump through windows. In fact, they do not usually arrive unannounced at all, because meetings should be scheduled with my secretary." Her tone became more and more strident as she spoke.
Lloyd indicated a slight bow. "My apologies. We were certain that ..."
Jay couldn't contain himself anymore. This didn't make sense; it was impossible that they had been wrong.
"The dragon gem!" he burst out. "It must be here! The stolen necklace was in the workshop down there, and so was the dagger! We must find and destroy it, because it makes those Ridgebacks go crazy, and our friends are in danger, the dragons will wreak havoc on everything that gets in their way unless we can ..."
The minister held up her hand, and Jay, slightly out of breath, automatically bowed to her authority and fell silent.
"I have no idea what you are talking about," the minister stated and nonchalantly walked towards her armchair. "If you want to explain it to me, make it short. I'd like to remind you that I have rather urgent matters to attend to today."
Jay took a deep breath and saw Kai opening his mouth, then closing it again. They both knew better than to speak now. It was Lloyd's turn.
"We have come to warn you," Lloyd began, and Jay couldn't help admiring the green ninja's presence of mind. This was a rather good opening.
"We suspect that an ancient magical spell has been activated and calls the dragons of Shintaro to our country. It seems to be connected to a certain jewel; only if the jewel is destroyed, Ninjago will be safe again. Some evidence points to the jewel being hidden on this estate, and we would like to ask you for permission to search for it."
Kai nodded approvingly. Once again, Lloyd had found the right words.
The minister, however, seemed not to think so.
"This is ridiculous," she said simply. "A spell! A jewel! How on Earth should it have come here?" She waved a hand dismissively and sat down behind her desk.
"You are right about the dragons, however," she continued. "They are indeed attacking us, and when the Queen of Shintaro had the audacity to deny that she sent her dragon army to destroy us, her peaceful neighbors, I gave her an ultimatum. The moment one of her dragons lands in the City of Ninjago, we will retaliate. Our armed forces are moving to their positions right now. I expect the strikeback to begin in less than an hour."
"But ..." Jay said.
"Queen Vania never ..." Kai began angrily.
"You cannot ..." Lloyd started to argue.
They all fell silent when the minister held up her hand again. She had a very commanding nature.
"I kindly ask you to leave now," she said with slight emphasis on the 'kindly'. "You understand that in such a crisis, I cannot be bothered to deal with ancient magic," she said mockingly.
Lloyd raised his head, determined to speak, but he was given no chance. The minister's face darkened.
"You have trespassed upon my grounds and house," she said sharply. "If you do not leave now, I will have you sued for domestic disturbance."
The ninja knew when a change of plan was needed. Lloyd nodded, and a minute later, they had left the house, this time using the front door.
Kai, seething with anger, cursed under his breath.
"I cannot believe she threw us out like that!" Jay exclaimed. "She should have been grateful. We told her about the only option to ... unless ..." He broke off and gasped.
Lloyd glanced back at the house and nodded grimly. "Unless she's the one who had planned this all along."
Kai looked up. "Really? Stir up the Shintaran dragons only to cast the blame on the sky folk and provoke political turmoil?"
"... which would greatly strengthen her position, because she knows exactly that the secluded, peace-loving sky folk stand no chance against the armies of Ninjago," Jay concluded, reminiscent of his brief exchange with Nya a few days ago. "It makes sense. But it's disgusting."
"Totally," Lloyd agreed. He knitted his brows. "I can't quite tell why, but I feel I've seen her before."
"Of course you've seen her before." Jay gave a bitter laugh. "She's on the news all the time."
"That's not what I meant." Lloyd shook his head. "I can't quite pinpoint it, but I must have met her in an entirely different context. When did she appear in public for the first time? A little more than a year ago? They all admired her, calling her the new political shooting star, but they kept glossing over the fact that her background is … murky, to put it bluntly. And today, when I saw her for the first time in casual attire and without her elaborate make-up, I really thought …" He broke off, lost in thought.
"Lloyd, you and my sis are easily the ones on our team who know most about politics, but we'll have to put off the investigation of the minister's CV for a bit," Kai intervened. "May I remind you that we have less than an hour left to prevent a war?"
Lloyd snapped out of his musings, and the three ninja hastened to return to Pixal. She listened attentively to their account, growing increasingly restless. When they had finished, she got up and began to pace back and forth while the ninja discussed the options they had left.
"... and we still don't know how the gem really works!" Jay thought aloud. "It shouldn't be possible to restore its power if the individual parts aren't in one place."
Pixal suddenly paused and pricked up her ears. She sat down in front of the ninja.
"Yes, Pix, what is it?" Lloyd asked and glanced at the map of Ninjago she projected in front of him.
"Look," Kai said. "She shows us the position of the dragons and the Bounty. She must have heard Cole giving us the coordinates."
Pixal gave a slight nod and drew a line from the dragons to Ninjago City.
"Yeah, that's what Cole said," Jay agreed. "They're flying in a straight line to the city and ... hey! You're right! The peninsula isn't on their way. They're bypassing us. Which means the dragon gem isn't here after all!"
She nodded again, blinked, and brought up another picture with rooms and hallways and moving dots.
It shouldn't have been funny, not in a situation like this, but Jay snickered despite himself. "Pixal, really. We're not here to play one of those old maze-chase games!"
She clicked her beak in annoyance, and Lloyd gave him a stern look. "Don't be silly, Jay. I'm sure she wants to show us something serious."
"Oh, yes," Kai said slowly, watching the moving dots with interest. "Guys, I know how they did it. The dragon gem is complete."
"What?" Jay almost choked on his spit.
"Look." Kai pointed at the map. "This is the museum with the Shintaro exhibition. Lloyd, remember that we told Zane and Pixal this morning what it looked like? We also mentioned the gerbils. Now look at those moving dots. Pixal realized that the gerbils didn't need to steal the fourth gem – they just brought the other three in, once they had them all!"
Lloyd clapped his hand against his forehead. "That's why the casket looked as if it had never been touched! Of course we didn't look inside, because it's in a glass cabinet. But the gerbils could have gnawed their way through the pedestal and sneaked in from underneath!"
"Quick!" Kai exclaimed. "Call Misako. She's our last hope. She's at the museum now, and she can open the cabinet and the casket."
Lloyd nodded, already dialing his mother's number. "Yes. If Pix is right, we have one last chance."
