CHAPTER TEN- Unshakeable Bond
AFTER
Jay's hands shook as he read the note again. And again.
The words never changed.
Could Krux really have Cole? Or was it an empty threat? A trap? Jay didn't know. Couldn't know. Logic told him Cole should have been able to slip out of any prison that might try to hold him. He had his ghost tricks, and of course, the skills of his double life. But did logic mean anything anymore?
"I don't-" Jay looked up, but Clancee had gone. He was alone. "I don't know how I'm supposed to answer this . . . "
Jay shoved the note into his pocket. He couldn't stand looking at it for any longer.
He paced back and forth through the length of his cell. His mind whirred with thoughts. Not of them helpful, of course. When had they ever been?
You for Cole.
"I need to get to him. Right?" Jay leaned against the bars. He ran his fingers over them, wondering if he could use lightning to burst them apart. "He's done enough for me. Everyone's done enough for me."
Jay shut his eyes. After breaking out of the cell, then what? Burst through the walls of the precinct? Cause another blackout? Make a second wave of casualties?
Then there was the thought of strolling into OverCorp. It made Jay's knees feel weak. He didn't want anything to happen to Cole. He was sure that Cole's well-being was infinitely more valuable than his own. But, to put it simply, Jay was terrified.
He didn't want to die, didn't want to go back to the weird glass cage, didn't want his brain picked apart for hidden information. All Jay wanted was for everything to stop.
The problem was, it wouldn't stop, and it was never going to stop. This was his new reality, this was the world of After, and there was nothing to do but to play by the rules.
Me or Cole?
With his eyes still shut, Jay didn't notice the lights around him begin to flicker, until ultimately giving up completely. He didn't notice the pair of shadows that rushed forward, their dark eyes silently taking in their surroundings.
"Jay."
The sound of his name was barely above a whisper. Jay's reaction was far too loud by comparison. His eyes snapped open. "Hello? What?"
The squeaky hinges of his cell door swung open. Jay took a step back, his yelp of surprise quickly muffled by a forceful hand against his mouth. "I'd like to get out of here without making a fuss, if you don't mind."
Jay's racing heart momentarily shouted Cole! Before realizing that the voice was nothing like his boyfriend's. But it was familiar. And so was the voice that spoke next.
"I leave you for five minutes, and you get yourself arrested."
Nya! Jay shouted the name into Kai's hand. Jay shoved it aside. "Nya, what are you-"
"I hate having dragged her into this, so let's just get this done, yeah?" Kai shoved him forward, out of the cell. "Zane. What's the ETA on the power?"
Jay couldn't hear Zane's answer, as it came from the earpiece resting upon Kai's ear. Whatever the words, Kai wasn't too happy about them.
"Quick exit then. Stay close, Nya."
"I thought Jay was the priority here." Nya rolled her eyes, taking Jay's hand and pulling him along. They exited from the holding cells, and into the chaos that the precinct had become as officers scrambled to regain power. "So. Jay. How are you holding up since I last saw you?"
"Maybe I can answer that later?"
"Good point."
Kai stopped, forcing Nya to slam into his back. He nodded at something (Zane's words?) then looked back at them both. "Okay, kids. Time to hold your breath."
"Kids?" Jay scoffed. Kai pressed his hand against his mouth again.
"Hold your breath."
"Mmmk!"
Kai moved his hand away, and Jay did his best to stop breathing. Around them, officers began to slump to the floor, none too gently. Jay flinched each time they crashed against the ground.
With the path now clear, Kai led them forward again. They burst out of the police department, and into the untainted air of Ninjago City. Jay took a deep, dramatic breath. 'What- What was that? Are they okay?'
"It was only a sleeping gas, of course." Zane spoke, trotting toward them. Jay noticed the van from before. "It is not something I am keen on using, but we had to get you out quickly."
Nya jumped into the van, then tossed a blue zip up hoodie in Jay's direction. "Here. You'll need something to cover up your features. You've become quite the star. Everyone's looking for you."
Jay didn't hesitate. He slipped into Nya's gift, tossing up the hood to his auburn hair. He then followed his friend inside the van. "They've got Cole."
"What?" Kai said, as he stepped into the van. The moment he shut the door, Zane sped off into Ninjago's streets. "Who?"
"Krux." Jay shoved the paper forward, so Kai could read it.
"No way. How?"
"Vengestone." Zane said, matter-o-factly. "One of the skeletons had a pair of handcuffs made of the stuff. I had supposed they were for Jay but . . . they would work well on a ghost as well."
"Ghost? Cole? What?" Nya shook her head. "Um. Can I get a recap? Isn't Cole, you know, dead?"
It was a little comforting to see the wild confusion in Nya's eyes, Jay thought. At least someone had been just as in the dark as he'd been. "Cole's alive. Sort of. The vice-president of OverCorp wants my brain on a silver platter. Oh, and there's a time machine involved."
"Uh." Nya shook her head again. She opened her mouth. Then shut it.
"If they've got Cole . . . we have to get him back." Kai handed the note back to Jay, paying no mind to his sister's questions. "But we can't let Jay go anywhere near the place."
"Of course." Zane agreed. "We can stop at my house. He can hide there, until we get Cole back."
"Okay. Yeah. Okay." Kai nodded. "Nya, you can stay and keep an eye on him."
"Seriously? I can help, Kai. No offense, but every one of your plans for getting Jay back sucked. If it wasn't for me-"
"And me." Zane added.
"-and Zane, you'd have wound up inside a holding cell, too."
"Would not." Kai huffed.
"Statistically speaking, you would-"
"Zane. Shut up. Just drive."
"I'm going." Nya said, determined to have the final say. "And you can't stop me."
"Whatever."
Jay listened in silence. He looked down at the note in his hands. You or Cole. He had a terrible feeling that, if anyone other than him showed up, things wouldn't be pretty. But he knew that trying to convince Kai or Zane to let him go, they wouldn't listen.
So Jay kept quiet. He excused himself when they arrived at Zane's place, a nice suburban home just on the edge of the city (Not what he'd expected) claiming that he needed to lay down. They let him go.
As Jay climbed up the stairs to the room Zane had directed him to, his mind was jumbled. Possibilities, emotions, fears, they all swirled around in his mind. Through it all, there was only one thing he was certain about.
He had to be the one to get to Cole.
BEFORE
For a moment, time did not exist.
Cole would never be able to really explain to himself what had happened. Sometimes, he'd remember flashing through everything that had ever been, or ever would be, part of his life. Other times, he only recalled a pressing darkness.
The only constant through each memory, was the feeling of Jay's hand in his own. A tight grip.
Cole did not know how they had made it back out of the machine. He remembered Jay being taken away by a man with a weird eyepatch. He remembered his father yelling. He remembered a long conversation with a blonde-haired woman.
Years passed, and although Cole never forgot, he slowly let his thoughts be occupied by other things. By the time of his Nineteenth birthday, Cole hardly thought about Jay at all.
Then, the accident.
Cole was not a reckless driver. But on that particular night, his mind had been full, and his foot upon the accelerator, heavy. They rain had only made things worse. Cole had not see the read light, had not seen the other cars, not until it was too late.
Death had come in the blink of an eye.
Despite the things Cole had said to Jay, the one that had pulled him back from death had not been Garmadon.
The truth? Jay himself had kept Cole from dying. A connection had been forged as they'd both spun through the malfunctioning time machine. Cole's life had been tied to Jay, and he had not been allowed to cross over. Just like his own grip years before, life would not let go.
Cole somehow managed to get used to his ghostly abilities. It was then that Garmadon approached him. Cole had accepted the job quickly, after seeing Jay's file upon the man's desk.
"You need to make sure he stays safe. Not only from those who would do him harm, but from himself, as well." Garmadon's words. Cole had listened intently. But he hadn't known how painful the order would become.
In the time machine, Cole had pulled Jay back from the hands of time. He'd kept him safe. And now, life would hold him accountable for that choice.
The first time Jay had died, it had been jarring.
Not that any of the times that came after were any better. But that first night, at the concert, was one Cole would never be able to erase.
With his senses severely overstimulated, the snapping electricity within Jay's body had tore him apart. Not only him, but most of the people inside the small venue too. Cole had seen it all unfold, kept safe from the blast by his instinct to shift his body into that of a ghost.
Cole couldn't believe it. He'd failed. His very first day on the job, and he'd been too late.
Then, the clock began to rewind . . .
Everything flashed backward in the time it took Cole to process what was happening. Jay was, once again, unharmed. But Cole could tell everything was seconds away from unfolding again.
Shoving confusion aside, Cole rushed forward, cooing kind words into Jay's ear and leading him outside, away from the danger he was putting himself in. And . . . things had changed. The shift had been an almost physical sensation, as Cole successfully pulled Jay away from a terrible end.
For two years, things had been good. Then, Krux had found them.
And no matter what Cole did, he couldn't keep Jay alive.
Death, rewind, death, rewind. Cole tried everything, but nothing was enough. He was constantly flung further and further back in time. But even when Cole tried to teach Jay the skills he'd need to stay alive, it wouldn't work.
In the end, Cole realized that the only way out of the morbid time loop, was for Jay to learn to use his electric abilities. But with Cole holding his hand, Jay had never given so much as a spark.
So, Cole did the only thing he could think of.
He let go.
AFTER
Jay slid the window open.
The second floor of Zane's house was a lot closer to the ground than Cole's had been. But there was no easy way to climb down. The only path open to him, was to jump.
Well. Wouldn't be the first time.
Jay leaned over the windowsill. After letting out a small breath, he let himself drop. He landed with a thud that seemed to him the loudest sound ever made. He stayed crouching down over the grass, ignoring the burning feeling spreading around his ankles. There was no sign anyone had heard his escape.
He'd made it.
Part of him, was disappointed. Part of him wanted to be stopped. Yes, he wanted to save Cole. But he also wanted to be dragged back into the house, scolded, and safely tucked back into bed.
"Choice made, Jay." He whispered to himself, pulling up his blue hood.
Getting to OverCorp wasn't difficult. The walk felt good. Movement helped clear and focus his mind. The clarity brought up a lot of questions he didn't necessarily want the answer to. (Will Krux's machine kill me? What will he do if he does build a time machine? Is Cole still alright?) But it did make his hands stop shaking. So, pros and cons. Pros and cons.
As he walked, Jay kept his gaze lowered. He was infamous, after all.
OverCorp loomed into his path sooner than he would have liked. The sun hadn't yet completely lowered. It through long, ominous shadows into Jay's path.
What am I supposed to do, once I'm inside? Jay wondered. Just go up to the front desk and say, 'Oh, hey, I'm here to trade for my dead boyfriend. Ha. Long story!'?
As the automatic doors slid open, Jay realized there was no need to worry. He quickly spotted Clancee. He was fiddling with something in his hands, and leaning against one of the back walls of the building.
Jay approached. The thing in the serpetine's fingers was a very unorganized Rubik's cube. Jay wondered how long Clancee had been forced to wait.
"Y-you came!" The snake smiled as Jay got closer, looking far too nice for someone working under Krux. "I was- I was starting to get a little worried."
"I'm here." Jay said. "So, now what?"
"Ah, come- come with me." Clancee waved him forward, still twisting the cube. He stopped before an elevator, calling it up with a special key. The doors opened, and they stepped inside.
Jay's hands were beginning to shake again. He looked at the cube with longing. "You want help with that?"
"Oh?" Clancee looked up, instantly interested. "You c-c-can fix it?"
"Used to be one of my favorite things to fidge with." Jay said, taking the cube as Clancee offered it. "It's really not too difficult. I mean, there's different things you need to do every time but . . . the basics are the same, you know?"
Clancee stared, wide eyed and admiring, as Jay spun the colors into place. Right before the elevator stopped, he'd finished. Clancee broke out into excited applause. "Wow! Th-that's very impressive."
"Thanks." Won't help me save myself though.
The moment the elevator doors re-opened, Jay felt nauseous. The floor they'd stopped in, was filled with glass cages. Just like the one that had almost killed him before. And they weren't empty.
As Clancee led him forward, Jay took in everything. More skeletons, more snakes, and even ghosts, further reaffirming Zane's theory on vengestone.
At the end of everything, was a door. Clancee led him inside, and Jay recognized the office from before. Monitors lit the half-darkened room. Krux sat before them, frowning at the screen while clicking on the keyboard with unnecessary force.
Jay's attention was pulled to the glass cage. His body sagged with relief. "Cole."
He seemed to be okay. Clearly upset at Jay's presence, but okay.
Krux turned in his chair, motioning for Clancee to lock the door. Jay could have cared less. He rushed forward, pressing his hands against the glass. "You're okay!"
"Hardly." Cole said, moving closer too. "What are you doing here, Jay?"
"Are you kidding? You really think I'd leave you?"
"No." Cole admitted. "But I did hope."
"You're an idiot."
"Lovely reunion." Krux mocked. Jay felt two strong sets of arms pull him back. He felt the slither of shifting scales against his skin. It was the dumb snake warriors again. "Too bad I'm in a bit of a hurry. I'm actually hoping for a reunion of my own.
"And now that Cole's out of commission, well, there will be no more unexpected interruptions." The door to the glass cage slid open. Jay was thrown inside, leaving him dazed as he landed on the floor. Cole rushed to his side.
The door shut again. Trapping them both.
"You- You said, you said you'd trade. Me for Cole, remember?" Jay protested, shoving Cole aside to stand. He banged his fist against the glass.
"Oh. Sure. That was a lie, of course. I can't risk having him ruin everything again." Krux shrugged. "Not sure how the extraction process will affect him. But I don't really care."
"No!" Jay banged his fists against the glass again. "You said."
His lightning. Where was his lightning? He could easily destroy the cage, the room, the building. But there was nothing inside him. Then he remembered. The Vengestone. "No!"
Krux was no longer paying him any mind. Instead, his eyes were glued to a machine, half hidden in the shadows of the room. A ring of metal, with a small control panel beside it. "Clancee. Begin."
"B-b-but the other-"
"Clancee!"
"Y-yes, Cap'n."
This time, the pain wasn't a slow build up. It his Jay full force, causing him to crumple. Somehow, he kept himself from screaming.
Cole's arms caught him. He seemed to be unaffected. There was a frown on his features, but it was of worry, not pain. Good. Good.
"Dammit, Jay. Why did you come? I can't- I can't keep doing this." Cole was shaking. Really shaking. Jay wished he could say something heroic, or comforting, but the only thing that slid through his lips was a whimper. The room around Cole's face began to darken.
More words were coming out of his boyfriend's mouth, but Jay could no longer make them make sense. His brain felt frazzled, memories merging with the present as pain drove him away from consciousness. He'd seen that machine before. Hadn't he?
Hadn't he?
The question was the last coherent thought Jay was able to form, before his mind gave up completely, shoving him into a darkness that somehow seemed to spin.