Nicki's Story

11

Lloyd watched his candle sail away. He was kneeling in the sand, water soaking through the cloth on his knees. For the first time, he found himself thinking of the departed realm. That's where his friends were now…right? Were they happy there? Could they see them all here on this beach, missing them? Did they…did they blame him too?

A noise interrupted his thoughts. It wasn't loud, but it didn't fit into the rest of the moment. He turned his head to look down the beach. Was that…a car?

His hands shook a bit as he tried to think of who it could be. It was just one car…and it was a lovely night for a moonlit beach ride. But as the car came closer his dread grew. He stood and pulled out a katana.

"We need to get off the beach. Now." His urgent voice cut through the silence that had settled over the group, popping their bubble of security. Misako gasped as she saw what he was looking at. Nya, Skylor, and P.I.X.A.L immediately assumed fighting positions. The Walker's and Dareth looked confused.

Ronin almost swore as he too caught sight of the oncoming vehicle. He recognized that cruiser.

"It's Harumi. Everyone get over to Rex!" But just then a lone motorcycle careened over the cliffs above Ronin's ship. Ultra Violet landed and skidded in the sand, blocking off the route to REX.

"Ho-ho, leaving the party so soon?" she cackled. She didn't attack, as if waiting for her associates.

Lloyd's mind raced. He had to get everyone out of here…but they were blocked in by Ultra Violet on one side and the ocean on the other. He looked over at Ronin, who seemed to be on the same track of mind as him. With a yell, Lloyd charged the insane purple biker.

"Everyone else, to me!" Ronin yelled, leading Ed and Edna on a route to REX as Ultra Violet and Lloyd clashed.

"You seem eager to roughhouse…" Ultra Violet mocked, blocking his attacks. "Normally I'd love to oblige, but you have a playdate set with someone else tonight and I don't think she'd be pleased if I scuff you up too much."

Nya, Skylor, and PIXAL watched the approaching car. Now pretty confident that Harumi was on board, Nya formed a large wave and sent it crashing into the black vehicle. The force wasn't enough to flip it, but it did slam the car into the cliff side. Nya began sprinting towards it.

Meanwhile Ronin and the Walkers had reached REX. Ronin was looking around for who else was left when more motorcycles began pouring over the cliff-side above him.

P.I.X.A.L

PIXAL and Skylor were headed to help Nya with the black vehicle, but the arrival of six other motorcyclists caused them to change targets. Two of the goons had ganged up on Misako, who had been trying to help Lloyd battle Utlra Violet. The historian dropped to dodge a punch and, while on the ground, used one leg to sweep the legs out from under the other biker. As he fell she sprang back up to continue her battle with the first goon. However, things became tricky as a third biker entered the mix. They circled Misako, chuckling nastily as she stood in fighter stance, looking back and forth between all of them. Suddenly a figure flipped into the circle with her.

"Looks like you could use some help…" Skylor said. Her hood was up and she narrowed her eyes at the bikers. Misako smiled in gratitude.

"Let's teach these thugs a lesson." she said.

Nearby, P.I.X.A.L had hopped on one of the motorcycles and was using it to chase down its owner. He was running with his head turned back to watch her…he didn't notice the string of flowers hanging in front of him. The decoration neatly clotheslined him. P.I.X.A.L jumped off the motorcycle and approached the fallen SoG member.

"It seems decorations can do more than just set the mood." P.I.X.A.L mused allowed. The biker stood and tried to attack but his ankle was caught in the string of flowers. P.I.X.A.L dodged a sloppy punch and grabbed the end of the string. Darting around him, it wasn't long before the thug was hopeless tangled.

'I would say we could continue, but it looks like you are a little tied up at the moment." P.I.X.A.L said. She took a moment to be secretly pleased at her ability to make a witty joke based on the situation; she felt like Zane would be proud. Then she looked around for her next target.

Dareth

Dareth looked at the motorcyclist who had landed closest to him.

"Now I must warn you…I have had extensive training with the late ninja" he said, pulling on his hood and striking a pose. The SoG member rolled his eyes and attacked. Surprisingly Dareth was able to block the first two swings, but the kick landed him on his back. The biker wound up a punch right as Ronin arrived and knocked him out of the way.

"Hey, Dareth, leave the fighting to the grown-ups" he growled, yanking Dareth to his feet and shoving him towards REX. "Now go get in the ship…you've caused enough damage."

"Excuse me?" Dareth drawled, eyebrow raised.

"You're obviously the reason they're here…so much for stealth," Ronin said as the biker attacked from behind. Ronin turned and decked him neatly in the face. "Hey ugly, trying to have a conversation here."

"Nobody followed me here, I'll have you know." Dareth said, glaring at the thief. "In fact…"

"Just get to the ship!" Ronin yelled, and Dareth clued in that the conversation was over. He ran over to join the Walker's in REX.

Nya

Nya had almost reached the car as Harumi exited it.

"YOU" Nya screamed as rage seemed to taint her very vision. This was the person to blame for the loss of her family and friends. Harumi turned with a mix of amusement and disgust.

"Aw, well if it isn't Nya…. the girl ninja." She said, as she blocked Nya's spear with a sword. "Then again…you're basically the only ninja nowadays, aren't you?" She pushed hard and Nya was forced to stumble backwards. She screamed another cry of rage but this time her attack was blocked by Mr. E. Harumi shook her head in mock disbelief.

"My my…if this is how you treat your guests, than it's no wonder few people showed up to your party."

"You…are not…a guest." Nya panted, trying to fight her way through Mr. E to her family's murderer.

"Not a guest? But I have an invitation!" Harumi held the square card up. Nya was caught off guard at the sight of it. It explained how they were here…but who's…

It struck her like lightening. Dareth, Skylor, and the Walkers had all produced their invitations at their arrival. This card could only belong to one person.

Mr. E knocked her back but she spinjitzued around him. At first she felt furious…had Lou betrayed them?! But the fury twisted into nausea and she realized what had really probably happened.

"What did you…" she began, facing Harumi once again.

"Oh…don't worry about him Nya. Perhaps you should worry more about yourself…"

Mr. E was behind her and almost landed a direct blow, but a shurikan hit his arm and threw his attack off. He looked over to see P.I.X.A.L on the beach, eyes burning. She had heard of this nindroid…he was the one who had nearly destroyed Zane and planted a virus in his chest. Yes…she had unfinished business with this Mr. E.

Without the red nindroid to worry about, Nya flew at Harumi.

Lloyd

Lloyd may not have had his powers, but he was holding his own at hand-to-hand combat. Though, he did feel that Ultra Violet wasn't going full out on him either. They continued their dance in the middle of the beach, the purple villain chuckling maniacally. She seemed to be enjoying herself. Lloyd went to launch another attack when something in the distance caught his attention. Harumi seemed to have another victim…

"Nya…" he breathed in alarm. He couldn't lose her…not her too…

Ultra Violet took advantage of his distraction and grabbed him, picking him up off the ground.

"Perhaps you need to cool down a bit." With a surprising strength she hurled him into the sea.

Nya

Nya threw everything into her fight with Harumi. One second she was attacking with her spear, in another she was blasting water. But Harumi had obviously not wasted the chance to train in all those years she had spent in the palace. She blocked and dodged with incredible agility, always with the most patronizing look on her face. Nya's rage was also making her sloppy against the collected villain. She thrust her spear again with a yell, but Harumi moved slightly out of the way and her spear hit air. Taking advantage of the loss of balance this caused the Ninja, Harumi grabbed the spear and yanked Nya close before kicking her onto her back. Harumi held Nya's own weapon over her, ready to strike.

"Pity…looks like Lloyd is going to lose another friend tonight…" she whispered cruelly. "But at least you will be reunited with the rest of your ninja rejects…"

Nya felt desperately for something to block the attack. Suddenly, she found herself yanked into the air.

"Gotcha." Ronin said, his voice betraying relief. He had gotten REX in the air with the Walkers and Dareth on board. REX's arm had snatched Nya off the beach and was now depositing her into the cabin with the rest of the passengers.

"Wha…Ronin? You saved me…" Nya said. Ronin smiled, awaiting her thanks. Instead, she turned to look back at the beach.

"Wait, where are we going? We have to go back, Ronin!"

REX was speeding out over the ocean, and those remaining on the shore grew smaller.

"No chance."

"Ronin!"

"I'm sorry, Nya. But there's no compromise on this one. More biking goons are pouring onto that beach by the minute…if we didn't leave when we did than none of us were making it out of there.

Nya marched into the cockpit, glowering.

"We can't leave them behind Ronin! They're outnumbered…they'll never survive…"

Ronin continued to stare off ahead as he spoke.

"A few more of us against that army will hardly make a difference…if you go back now you'll never survive."

"So what now…we just run away?!"

"I told you before. Best course of action is to lie low and start a new…"

"A Ninja NEVER LEAVES ANO…"

"I'M NO NINJA."

Nya glared daggers at the thief in front of her. She couldn't believe that he would leave just like that….abandoning everyone to the likes of Harumi. Actually, she could believe it…and that fact almost made it worse.

Ronin refused to look at Nya, feeling the glare on the back of his neck. He had known that she wouldn't be happy…but he didn't really care if she was happy. He was more concerned that she was safe. With his back to her, he didn't notice her face relax as her eyes hardened with resolve. She turned and stormed out of the cockpit. Then, with one last look at Ronin, she water punched a nearby control panel. The cockpit doors shorted out and slammed shut, blocking the thief inside. He turned in surprise.

"Well…I still am." Nya said, responding to his earlier comment. She opened REX's side door.

"NO…Nya…DON'T DO THIS." Ronin had set REX on auto and was trying to force the cockpit doors open. "If you go back now there's no way you'll make it out of there…"

Nya ignored him, looking at Dareth. He and the Walkers were looking at her with both alarm and awe.

"Get him to go to Lou's, Dareth. I'm afraid he may need help."

Dareth saluted. "Aye, Aye, Nya."

She looked down at the black ocean beneath the ship.

"I am not coming back for you…" Ronin tried, having forced the door open a bit.

Nya bent her knees…

"For heaven's sake, somebody STOP her!"

She launched out of the ship, and dark waves swirled up to catch her.

12

As Cole flew through the air, he couldn't help feeling annoyed as he panicked. After surviving everything else up to this point, his current situation seemed like a random and anticlimactic way to go.

Maybe if I activate my earth punch and point my arms straight for the ground…

Under normal circumstances such a move would snap both arms and still result in a grisly demise…but he still didn't really know much about this strange power he had gained that night in Yang's temple. The ground was approaching quicker than he could think…he aimed both arms forward. It was possible his power could keep his arms from breaking…but it still seemed pretty risky…

Phroomp

He was literally yanked from his thoughts as something caught his foot, and his momentum slammed him into the rock formation he had been falling near. His arms exploded through it; a result of his still-activated earth punch. He began falling again as the rock formation crumbled.

He hit the ground hard, but not as hard as he would have without his mid-fall pause. He was too dazed to do much dodging, so when the shock finally wore off he realized how lucky he was that he hadn't been crushed by any falling rocks.

Oooooowwwwww

He winced as he pushed himself up; his arms seemed no worse for the wear but he was pretty sure he had bruised a rib and his ankle felt like it was on fire. He pulled himself into a sitting position and examined the rope on his ankle. Someone had stopped his fall, but who…?

"Well that was incredibly stupid."

He turned at the voice; it was unfamiliar…and female. So that ruled out the chance that it was one of his friends who had rescued him…

There was still a lot of dust in the air, so all he could make out was the outline of a person standing a few yards behind him. Out of habit he sprung to his feet and into a fighting stance, trying not to appear to be in as much pain as he was. The figure didn't even react.

"Do you know how long I've been tracking that dragon? Two weeks. TWO WEEKS. And then you had to go and mess up the catch, didn't you?"

Cole tried to think of something clever to say.

"Um…"

Wow, that was incredibly articulate, genius!

"And then you get yourself catapulted! And what's my thanks for trying to save your sorry hide? You blast the rock formation! I don't know who the heck you are but you've already become the biggest idiot I've ever met!"

Cole's brain finally caught up to him…though he couldn't help but feel like he was in a fight with Jay rather than a face-off with some mysterious stranger.

"Why on earth were you trying to catch a dragon? Sounds like that was your first mistake." He could almost make her out now…

"No, your first mistake was traveling with something shiny." She took a step closer. "Dragons love shiny things, Idiot."

Well…that explained why it grabbed Zane. They really were going to have to get his shape-changer fixed then. Pushing that thought aside, Cole felt rather annoyed with the girl in front of him; he was called enough things by his friends. He didn't particularly feel like letting some stranger insult him. He could finally make her out now; she was wearing black, with a tattered grey shawl. Her hair was black where it had tumbled out from her orange head scarf. Her face might have been pretty…if it didn't look like she was trying to murder him with her piercing orange eyes and she didn't have impossibly white skin. He frowned. Maybe the black sun doesn't actually do much tanning here in the realm of the…

"You're an Oni!" He blurted suddenly. She rolled her eyes.

"And you're an imbecile!" she snapped back. He noticed she had a long scar down the left side of her face. She pointed her spear at him. "Now that we got the obvious out of the way…what are you doing here?"

I don't like her.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to threaten people you don't know?" he tried to sound menacing. She raised one eyebrow.

"You mean…a guy with a gimpy ankle and half a brain? Oh, you're right. I am way out of my league here, aren't I?" She swung her spear and Cole dodged, wincing at the pain in his right ankle.

Yep…I really don't like her!

She swung again and he ducked, wishing he had some kind of weapon. While he was busy trying to locate one, she kicked him in his bad ankle and toppled him. As she swung her spear down he shot a bunch of dirt in her face.

"Well…there's always that!" me muttered, and found himself glad Jay and the other's weren't here to watch this embarrassing battle. He'd never hear the end of it.

"UGH…" she wiped an arm across her eyes. "How did you DO that?!"

Cole struggled to his feet while she came at him with an enraged volley of attacks. With his rib, ankle, and lack of weapon he wasn't really holding his own as well as he would have liked. The strange woman almost landed an attack when she found her hand suddenly blasted with ice, freezing it to her spear.

"WHAT the…"

"COLE!"

The Earth Ninja turned with a smile as he saw his friends running up. The girl had broken her hand free of ice, but didn't continue the attack. She knew she was outnumbered.

"Who are you people!?"

"I think that's a question you should answer!" Jay yelled back. "Along with why were you attacking our friend!?"

The ninja descended and for the first time the girl seemed a little nervous as her eyes flicked from face to face.

"Oh, is he a friend of yours then? Maybe you should be thanking me for saving his worthless life!"

"Oh yeah…that's really what it looked like you were doing…" Kai said, approaching angrily.

"Well why don't you ask him then?" her voice was hard but her body language betrayed a touch of fear.

Everyone glanced at Cole, who sighed.

"Well…technically I guess. But I wouldn't have even been in trouble if she hadn't shot the dragon down…"

"That was you?!" Jay yelled. "What the heck would you do that for?"

The girl looked both irate and confused by the ninja's response.

"Who's side are you on anyways? You realize that this is WAR…right?!"

"That's Enough!" Wu's voice broke through, and the authority in it sounded so much like his old self that, out of habit, the ninja immediately stood down with a "sorry sensei."

The girl looked from the small child to the colorfully dressed men, and back.

"You're joking…right?"

"I think we have all gotten off on the wrong foot." The small well-mannered child continued. "The truth is we came here by accident and have lost our way. The dragon grabbed our friends," here he gestured at Cole and Zane, "and we've been worried. The truth is we could use a little bit of help."

The girl stood down but her face continued to look extremely suspicious.

"What kind of help?"

P.I.X.A.L

The battle between P.I.X.A.L and Mr. E was a silent one. Who was this strange masked nindroid? Was that even his real name, or simply a play on the word "mystery?" Whoever he was, he was a skilled fighter and P.I.X.A.L found it hard to keep up with his speed. She remembered calling Zane outdated all those years ago…perhaps now it was she who couldn't keep up with modern technology.

She ducked another swing and tried to find an opening, but he was once again too quick for her. She flipped backwards, putting some space between them so she could better assess her options. Suddenly, she became aware of the precarious situation happening a few yards away; Harumi had Nya on the ground, spear raised. P.I.X.A.L froze, unable to compute a solution quickly enough to save her friend. She felt panic rise…

An airship zoomed dangerously close overhead. It was REX, and P.I.X.A.L watched with relief as Ronin rescued Nya and deposited her into the ship. But instead of engaging in battle, REX began a course away from the beach, over the ocean. P.I.X.A.L's resolve fell. The thief was leaving, abandoning them; Misako had been right about him after all.

More people poured onto the beach. P.I.X.A.L soon found herself encircled by SoG members on bikes. Mr. E looked on with his same unreadable expression. As she looked around she saw that Skylor and Misako were also surrounded by bikers. P.I.X.A.L assumed a fighting stance and frowned. The statistics for their survival were not favorable.

13

Harumi was infuriated, having had another moment of satisfaction snatched from her. She calmed herself, remembering who her real target was.

"Where is he?!" She snapped at Mr. E. He gestured down the beach to Ultra Violet, who was laughing at something out in the sea. Harumi sauntered away, gliding by the robot girl, Lloyd's mother, and the other hooded figure. Each was surrounded. If she didn't have more pressing matters on her hands, she would try to uncover who that hooded figure was; the robot girl she knew about, but the person standing defiantly next to Misako was a mystery. Ah, well. She could always come back to it in a few minutes.

As she reached Ultra Violet, she saw Lloyd pulling himself out of the ocean and onto the beach.

"Now, now, Violet. It looks like you've been playing rough…"

"Not at all boss…he just needed a refreshing dip."

Lloyd wiped salt water out of his eyes, still on his knees. Waves continued to lap at him while he took a look around. There were way more bikers than he remembered. He noticed Harumi a few yards away, but…

"Where's Nya?" Lloyd tried to yell, but he had swallowed some salt water and his voice came out hoarse. He shakily got to his feet as Harumi strolled closer.

"Ah, there you are Lloyd. I was wondering if you had left the party early. You do seem to have a nasty habit of doing that…"

"Where's Nya?!" he repeated . Harumi gave him a look of false pity; he wanted to strangle her.

"Oh Lloyd…I would tell you, but do you really think you can handle any more tragedy?"

He caught on to her insinuation and dread mixed with the seawater in his stomach. It had a really nauseating effect and he found himself trying not to retch.

Oh Nya…not you too…

He couldn't break down now. Not in front of Harumi…that was what she wanted. He tried to shut off his emotions and assess the situation logically; she was holding a sword, and he had lost his katana when he had hit the water. His options weren't looking good, but he clenched his fists anyways. He wasn't going down without a fight.

"The time has co…"

"When will it be enough, Harumi!?" He yelled, cutting her off. She narrowed her eyes as he continued.

"When you kill everyone I care about? When you kill me?! Then will you be happy?"

"I will NEVER be happy!" She screamed, pointing her sword at him. "Thanks to YOU. Any chance I had at happiness died with my parents!"

"You're wrong, Harumi. You'll never be happy…but it's because you chose that life for yourself."

She screamed and attacked. He dodged out of the way. He had no weapon…but his mind caught on a memory of his father from long ago; the art of the silent fist. He wasn't sure how long it would work against Harumi-or if it would work at all-but he didn't really have many options. She continued to swing and lunge as he twisted out of the way time and time again.

"It won't work Lloyd…this time you won't escape your punishment." she growled as another blow missed its mark. "You'll never make it off this beach."

"We'll see…" he said, trying to sound confident. But deep down he knew she was right. They were hopelessly outnumbered…he couldn't even see anyone else because of all the thugs driving around. He hoped that no one else had been hurt.

They were fighting close to the water, and every few seconds waves would soak their feet. Lloyd stepped aside as Harumi stabbed at his shoulder. But his dodge was marred as his left foot hit an unseen obstacle under the wave. He fell, splashing into the water as it pulled away back into the sea.

Harumi turned triumphantly as Lloyd struggled in the wet sand, trying to regain standing position.

"There's no parachute for you this time…"

"BOSS! Look OUT!"

Harumi looked back at Ultra Violet, unsure why she would interrupt the crescendo of her revenge. Lloyd used the distraction to scramble away from Harumi. That's when they both noticed that everyone on the beach was looking at horror at something behind both of them.

Harumi turned to see an enormous wall of water…no doubt in seconds that intrusive water ninja would send it crashing down on them all. She quickly turned to end Lloyd before that happened…but he was already running up the beach and away from the giant wave.

"NO!" She screamed as the water descended upon them.

Dareth

It took Dareth a little while to muster up the courage to talk to Ronin. No offense to the guy, but he did have an intimidating way about him...especially when he was angry. He had gotten the cockpit doors open seconds after Nya's leap, watching her fall with an unreadable expression. Afterwards he had gone back into the cockpit without saying a word to anybody.

Dareth stood and looked over at Ed and Edna.

"You go get em, son." Ed said encouragingly, while Edna shooed him with her hands. Dareth nodded nervously before putting on his best tough face. He marched into the cockpit. Ronin didn't even bother turning around.

"One word, and I'll throw you from the ship."

There's that intimidation factor, Dareth thought with a gulp. This was going to be harder than he thought. He almost turned and walked back out of the cockpit, but something stopped him.

Nya had trusted him to do this. She was counting on him, a fellow ninja, to complete this assignment! And by Joe, a Ninja never quits, no matter how intimidating someone was! He spun back around to face the thief.

"Now look here, Ronin."

Ronin stood, REX once again on auto, and turned to Dareth. The brown ninja began backing slowly out of the cockpit as Ronin approached menacingly.

"Um…you see…we have to…"

"We? I need you to get something through your head right now. There is no we…just me saving your neck for the last time before I drop you off in some forsaken place and get the heck outta town…alone."

"Well then…uh…that's not very…"

"Very what? Heroic? Courageous? Hate to break it to you, but I'm no hero. I'm a vagabond who works best solo and every time I seem to forget that it never works out well for me. Capiche? Now SIT DOWN," here Dareth dropped unto a bench that he had been backed into, "and SHUT UP. Or there will be very real consequences."

Ed and Edna looked like the wanted to help, but it was clear that Mr. Ronin was in a very bad mood and they just couldn't think of a gosh-darn thing to say.

Dareth watched as Ronin turned his back to him to get back to the cockpit. Normally he would just give up, but he felt something deep within him that refused to be bullied into submission this time.

"Fine, you work best alone and what-have-you. But when you drop me off in some forsaken place, can that forsaken place be near Lou the performer? Because Nya trusted me to help him, and unlike you I don't feel like disappointing her."

The punch was harder than Dareth was expecting. When the stars cleared out of his vision he realized that he was on the ground with Edna trying to help him. Ed was standing, facing Ronin. He had his Dad voice on.

"Now, Mr. Ronin, we can see you're upset. Why don't you just let us all off where the gentleman said and we'll be outta your hair. Then you can go off gallivanting wherever you like and just forget all about us, eh? What do ya say?"

Ronin clenched his jaw, trying to keep his anger and annoyance in check.

"Sounds good to me. But the rest of the trip better be silent. Understand?" With that he stormed back into the cockpit.

14

The pale girl didn't look totally sold on Wu's plan. Or even a little sold.

"And why should I agree to take you anywhere? You are obviously not from around here and I doubt the Baron would like me bringing strangers with unknown plans waltzing into his fortress."

"You work for a Baron who lives in a fortress," Zane repeated. "For someone who doesn't want to help us you sure are giving out a lot of information."

She rolled her eyes in response. "If I thought for a minute you inane clowns had any chance of getting there on your own, I would have tried my hardest to be discreet."

Jay leaned over to Cole.

"Wow…she sure isn't lacking on social graces, is she?"

Cole scoffed. "You have no idea."

"So as much fun it's been to meet you all, your perky costumes are giving me a headache and I'm afraid I have to be going now." she continued, turning. Kai was blocking her path.

"Look. We can do this the easy way or the hard way…"

Jay face-palmed.

"Honestly Kai, you have got to revamp your catch-phrases!" the blue ninja complained. Kai looked a little flustered, but the Oni cut off his reply.

"Really, as much as I would love to stay and see how this all turns out…" the girl was side-stepping Kai when a voice echoed across the terrain that froze her in her tracks.

"KEYDA"

The Oni girl cringed and turned. "Great…just great."

The group turned as well to see something moving towards them, kicking up dirt and dust into the air. The ninja immediately assumed fighting positions but Wu told them to stand down.

"Is that…a dragon?" Jay asked. It did appear to be exactly that, with a few people standing on its back as it charged across the ground.

Cole looked over at the Oni girl and noticed that she had become very uncomfortable. Whoever was coming their way, she seemed to know them.

The dragon appeared to be wingless and it scurried across the ground like a salamander would. Chains bound its mouth and looped up in one figure's hands like reins. The people on its back were pale wearing black clothes with metal accents; more Oni. One was carrying a large staff topped with a horned circle. He wore a top-hat and carried himself with an important air. His companion's entire face was covered by some kind of metal mask that made it hard to make out any kind of expression. He pulled back on the reins, halting the dragon a few yards from the group.

"Keyda!" The staff-man spoke, his tone filled with false concern. "We've been looking everywhere for you! It appears you were unable to fully execute the initiation trials…but" here he looked at the group of colorful individuals, "it seems you have met some new…friends? Who are they?"

He sounded patronizing…Cole decided rather quickly that he didn't like the guy. The girl…Keyda…looked like she wasn't sure what to say.

"I don't really know, Baron sir. I had basically completed my last trial when these crayons came out of nowhere and got in the way." Here she glared at Cole, who glared right back.

"Now, it's not sporting-like to blame others for one's own failures…" the Baron chided, causing Keyda's mouth to drop in defense. An idea struck Cole rather suddenly.

"I'm afraid she's right, sir." He chimed up. Suddenly everyone's eyes were on him, including his friends…who were looking at him like he was crazy. "Uh…we did get in the way…accidentally, of course." The Baron looked amused.

"And who might you be?" he asked. Cole thought for a moment about using his pseudo-name—Rocky Dangerbuff—but he realized that Keyda had already heard his real name.

Might as well go with the truth then.

"I'm Cole."

"Ah, well, it's very nice to meet you, Cole. I take it you're the leader in this…charming group of individuals?"

Cole felt a bit stuck…if anyone was the leader at this point it was probably Wu, but claiming that the group of young adults was following a child around probably wouldn't help their image at this point.

"Yeah…something like that." he said, ignoring the indignant sound that came from Jay's direction.

"Now…I must say it is entirely intriguing to find you here…you must understand that we don't get many visitors in the Realm of the Oni and there are few people I haven't met. I can only assume you've just arrived, and it must have been a rocky landing." he looked pointedly at the tears and rips in the ninja's clothing. "Where was it you said you were from?"

"Er…the truth is, we're actually looking for a way back home." How much should he reveal to this guy? He didn't really trust him, but earlier it seemed like Wu had wanted to get to some kind of Oni civilization and it felt like this was probably their chance to do just that.

"Maybe we could talk about it more after we get something to eat?!" Jay interrupted, clutching a grumbling stomach. Cole found himself surprised that it had taken Jay this long to say anything. The Baron laughed.

"Of course! You must accompany me to my fortress and get a proper meal. And then we shall talk more." He winked at Cole, who felt uneasy. They had no idea who they could and couldn't trust here…the whole situation seemed really fragile.

"Do you really think that is wise, Iron Baron?" It was the first time that metal-face had said anything, and his voice was distant and echo-y from behind the mask. The Baron put an arm on his companion's shoulder.

"Come now, Heavy-Metal, these poor men are lost, starving, and far from home. The least we can do is show them a little Dragon-Master hospitality!" his voice was jovial, but his eyes glittered darkly. "Come now, we'll lead the way!" And with that the green salamander-dragon was darting away through the formations.

"Hurry, ninja. We don't want to lose them." Wu said as his pupils hesitated. He lifted his arms to Cole, who sighed and hoisted him onto his back. "This is just as hard on me as it is on you," the sensei explained, though his tone seemed to betray otherwise. Cole went to take a step forward and nearly fell; in all the excitement he had forgotten about his ankle.

"Are you alright, Cole?" Zane asked, concerned. Cole straightened up.

"Yeah…I think I just twisted my ankle earlier…I should be fine." His nindroid friend didn't look convinced and insisted on carrying Wu to at least take the extra pressure off of Cole. They started to move again, Cole limping as quickly as he could so he wouldn't hold the group back.

Jay punched Cole on the arm as the friends headed out.

"Wow, way to take command there, leader…"

"All scenarios considered, it probably was for the best, Jay." Zane chimed in. The blue ninja rolled his eyes and found a new target.

"So…Keyda… looks like we're all getting to go to the fortress after all!" he called out to the Oni. She had seemed really tense during the whole encounter with the Baron and now looked more sullen than usual. She sped up her walking speed to get away from the Master of lightening.

"Honestly, after meeting the Baron, it's clear where you get your hospitality from…"

She whirled to face him.

"Oh yes, soon enough you will have a nice dose of Iron Baron's hospitality. But when you do, don't be looking to me to save you." She turned away and continued her speed walk.

Jay's response died in his throat… he got a feeling that this girl wasn't messing with him.

"Well…that was cheery." Kai said before turned to Wu. "Still want to go to the fortress?"

"Sometimes truth can only be found in the most unlikely of places." the child replied thoughtfully. Kai took comfort in the fact that Wu didn't seem too worried about the situation, though once again his answer didn't make a lot of sense.

"Well, then, fortress here we come."

Survivors

Upon seeing the wall of water, the members of SoG seemed a little torn between staying with their boss or running for their lives. It was hard to decide if impending doom scared them more than the former Quiet One. Skylor, Misako, and P.I.X.A.L, on the other hand, had no such qualms.

"Get to higher ground!" Misako yelled, and she and Skylor flipped over the circle of bikers without much interference. They ran for the cliffs.

P.I.X.A.L made it out of her circle of baddies as well, but then someone grabbed her arm and stopped her retreat. It was Mr. E. She turned expecting a fight, but he didn't move. He just…stared at her. Feeling disturbed, she kicked him off of her and resumed her escape towards higher ground.

Their flight had triggered a similar reaction in many of the SoG members, who began biking away from the scene. But it was too late.

Water quickly flooded the beach, sucking people from their bikes and ramming the vehicles into the cliffside or down the beach. P.I.X.A.L jumped up and grabbed a tree branch as the water hit her, nearly ripping her off. As her head breached the surface and the water level lowered she pulled herself up into the tree. Misako and Skylor had reached the cliffs and were part-way up but the water was high enough that it hit them hard. Skylor had a good grip but Misako's hands slipped.

P.I.X.A.L ripped off a string of flowers in the tree and threw it to Misako. By some miracle the historian was able to grab it and avoid being swept away by the current.

Further down the beach, Lloyd was having a harder time. He hadn't been close to anything to grab onto when the wave hit. He spun out of control underwater, making sure to keep his mouth closed; he didn't really feel like swallowing any more seawater. He tried to gain some kind of control, but the salt stung his eyes and everything was just a chaotic mix of dark water and sand.

Ah man, the cliffs! I'm gonna hit the cliffs!

He tried to brace himself, but he didn't have any sense of direction and couldn't even be sure where the cliffs were. His shoulder slammed into something solid, knocking the air from his lungs

There they are he thought numbly, trying not to panic at the lack of oxygen. But then the water finally started ebbing away. He gasped for air and soon was hacking salt water out of his system on the wet sand. He felt like he had been through a washing machine and then had his insides wrung out to dry. After catching his breath, he looked around the moonlit shore.

People were scattered in the sand like beach debris, many of them groaning or hacking as well. He knew that now was their chance to get out of here, but he didn't know where anyone was. Suddenly he caught sight of a figure lying in the sand with a dark ponytail.

He scrambled to his feet and shakily made his way towards the figure, collapsing next to her and turning her over. She blinked up at him, looking utterly exhausted. He almost cried with relief and pulled her into a hug, the awkwardness between them seemingly forgotten.

"Lloyd..." she started, but he cut her off.

"I thought you were dead."

The emotion in his statement caused tears to prick her eyes. She hugged him back, tightly.

"Nya…I'm so sorry…" here his voice broke, and she realized he was crying. "This is all my fault…our friends…Harumi…this attack…"

"NO, Lloyd." she pulled back, looking him in the eye with intensity that belied her exhaustion. "This is not your fault. You cannot blame yourself for this."

"But…"

"This is Harumi's fault…all of it. Don't you think we know that?"

The feelings that had been threatening to drown Lloyd for days began to recede, replaced with a feeling of cautious hope. They didn't blame him? …Really?

Nya looked around.

"I wish we had more time to talk about this, but now would be a great time to disappear. We have to find the others." Lloyd was snapped back to the present, and nodded his agreement.

S.O.G

In another place on the beach, Ultra Violet had taken command.

"NOBODY leaves until we find the boss, got that?!" She yelled at a few sodden bikers.

"But what about the Ninja…"

"Finding the boss is our first priority…" Violet gave him a look to dare him to disagree. He didn't; nobody would disagree with this crazy chick unless they had a death wish.

"Uh…Aye Aye!" He said, and they began combing the beach for the quiet one.

15

The Fortress stuck out like a sore thumb in the barren landscape. It was large and metal and looked harsh in its position in more toothy formations. Jay whistled slowly.

"Well…the Iron Baron has impressive digs, I'll give him that."

It wasn't long before the group had reached the entryway to the fortress. It was blocked off by a heavy-duty Portcullis, and the Baron gave a whistle to the gatekeeper. The portcullis slowly raised and the Baron gestured that the ninja should go inside.

Zane repositioned Wu on his back. He was finding it hard to keep him from slipping off; his metal body didn't really provide the friction needed. He looked over and noticed a few dragons chained to a large wheel; it seemed that was how they raised and lowered the portcullis. He frowned; it was clear how the Oni felt about the Dragons in this realm, and it went against what he felt was right. However, there was nothing he could do at the moment without placing them all in a hazardous situation, so he kept quiet.

The Baron seemed eager to show everything off to his new guests. Another Oni…possibly a servant…had come and lead his salamander-dragon away while he pointed at different things with his staff. The ninja were finding it hard to concentrate on his lecture on the history of this artifact or that bit of architecture. Jay's stomach wasn't the only one complaining, and the Baron soon laughed and gave up on his tour.

"Yes, I suppose it would only be fair to take you straight to the dining hall."

The food provided wasn't exactly like home, but everyone had to admit it was much better than whatever strange lumps Zane had been able to scrounge. They buckled into the meal gratefully.

The Baron couldn't help but wonder how the blue man was even breathing as he shoved food down his throat. The rest of them were hardly any better. Still, he managed to smile politely.

"It seems you are enjoying your meal." he said, and got a few satisfied grunts in return. Delightful. Only the child didn't seem to be stuffing his face, choosing instead to sip cup after cup of tea with the best manners in the group. Strange…

Keyda had barely touched her meal at all, choosing not to make eye contact with anyone. The Iron Baron wasn't sure what he was going to do with her… he had expected her to fail initiation, of course…but then she had discovered this strange group. Perhaps she would finally be of use to him…

After a while the torrent of eating seemed to slow.

"Yep…that was satisfying" Jay commented, rubbing his stomach. He wasn't sure what to think about this Iron Baron guy…but he did seem to make a mean buffet. His friends sat back with satisfied sighs of their own. The Baron got to his feet.

"I'm so glad that you've enjoyed your meal. Perhaps now it is time that we could take the time to chat…"

The ninja immediately became wary, glancing at Wu. How much should they say to this guy?

"Um…I'm not sure…" Jay started, but the Baron waved his hand to cut him off, smiling.

"Oh, of course. It seems silly for me to keep all of you from a well earned rest…perhaps we should just talk leader to leader, eh Cole?" The black ninja blanched. He had spoken up before to help get them to this point…but to be honest diplomatic speaking was not one of his strong points.

Well done, boulder brain. You should have just told him Wu was in charge in the first place!

The Baron was already moving, seemingly unshaken by Cole's lack of response.

"I'm sure Keyda would be more than happy to show you to my quarters. And the rest of you can follow Heavy-Metal to where you will be staying…"

"Oh, we'd hate to impose…we weren't planning on…" Kai spoke up, feeling a little unnerved by the way the Baron was looking at all of them.

"But you must." The Baron interrupted, eyes flashing. "I can't in good conscious let you leave without being fully rested. And there are some questions I would like answers to." With that, he left the room. Heavy-Metal had been standing next to the door during the meal and now pushed it open, gesturing to the ninja that it was time to go.

It didn't seem like there was room for negotiation on this one. The group stood and headed to the door. Keyda grabbed Cole's arm as he went to join his friends.

"Where are you going, stupid? Didn't you hear the Baron?" her voice was dull, despite her biting words. "You're coming with me."

The pair exited the room out of a different door, neither one pleased about the situation. They walked in silence for the first few minutes, Cole limping and trying to keep up with Keyda's hurried pace. The silence was awkward, but he couldn't think of anything to say to her. Besides…he was sure she would shoot down any attempts at conversation with more insults.

To his surprise, she spoke first.

"Tell him what he wants to know. He might even let you all leave if you do."

"I'd like to see him keep us here…" it was all he could think to say. She paused and looked at him.

"You really are stupid…aren't you?"

There it is.

She continued. "The Iron Baron gets what he wants. Always. Lucky for you he is going for the cordiality route first…but mark my words; if you don't tell him what he wants to know, he will make your life a living…"

"Got it." Cole cut in as his stomach flipped around. Maybe he had eaten too much after all. He thought about what the Oni girl had said and realized with a shock that behind all the insults, Keyda actually did seem sincere about warning him.

"Well…this is it." She said, and he looked up to see an ornate metal door. His stomach flipped again. "Good luck." She turned to leave.

"Hey…Keyda?" Cole surprised himself by stopping her. She turned, eyebrow raised as if expecting an insult.

"Um…I never did say thank you. For…you know…saving my life earlier." She looked as shocked as he felt, and after a sort of nod-shrug, she turned and left him standing at the door.

Feeling stupid, Cole turned back to the door and raised his hand to knock.

Ronin

Ronin waited as the Walker's exited REX, which was parked in the outskirts of Ninjago City. Dareth had basically leapt from the ship the second it had touched down…it seemed he was eager to go help his friend. Or maybe he was just nervous about what Ronin would do if he stayed on REX for even a second longer than necessary.

Ronin had calmed down during the flight and even felt the need to say something to the Walker's before taking off.

"So who is this guy again?" he asked the couple. Ed looked up from where he was helping Edna descend.

"Well, you know, I think Nya said it was Lou…so that would mean it was Cole's father…I've only met him a couple of times but he seemed like a decent enough fellow."

"He's a performer." Edna added, as if that explained something in and of itself. But Ronin wasn't really listening—he was lost in a train of thought.

"Cole's dad…" he muttered. Wasn't that guy on the invite list? If he remembered right, Nya was the one to go see him. As far as he knew she had, though she hadn't really mentioned it. But Ronin couldn't remember him making an appearance at the funeral…

"Well, thanks for the lift, Mr. Ronin. I expect you'd like to be headed on your way now." Ed interrupted his thoughts.

"Er, yeah." He went to go back to the cockpit, but turned to give the Walker's one last look.

"You guys take care of yourselves, alright?" He added. Ed gave a smile and a wave. Ronin wondered if they even stood a chance out here…

Not my problem he reminded himself as he sat down in the driver's seat and lifted REX back into the sky. As he flew over the countryside, his earlier train of thought came back to him.

Dareth mentioned that Nya had said that this guy may be in some sort of trouble.

The pieces began clicking into place in Ronin's mind until he had come to the realization that maybe Harumi's appearance hadn't been the Brown Idiot's fault after all.

Knowing Harumi…this Lou fella is probably in a bad state.

He shook himself, trying to get back to the same apathetic attitude that he normally thrived in. But his brain just would not stop.

He thought of the message that was playing on repeat all over Ninjago city…the one that warned that those accused of helping the Ninja would be very, very sorry. He had gotten a few people off the beach and out of immediate danger, but that didn't mean they were off the hook. Harumi would track them down; she was relentless and Ronin had a feeling that she wouldn't stop until all Ninja sympathizers were put behind bars or worse.

He knew the Walkers well enough to know that they would head right back to the Junkyard. They wouldn't feel the need to hide or disappear...despite their genius in engineering, the couple could be hopelessly naïve. To them, the world was relatively the same as it always had been, it was just now they were missing their son. Dareth would go who-knows-where, trying to be discreet. But he was about as subtle as a bull in a china shop…it wouldn't take much effort for the SoG to track him down. Harumi wouldn't stop until everyone at that funeral was taken care of. Ronin knew she'd be back for Lou too…if she hadn't already…

STOP it Ronin. You were at that funeral too…and she's gonna be after you for it. Stop thinking about other people and focus on the most important thing: getting yourself out of here.

Why was he finding it so hard to forget about everyone else? It was true what he had said to Dareth; every time he tried to do something for someone it didn't work out well for him. Take this funeral, for instance. He tried to do something nice and now he was the target of an insane sociopath.

A wave of bitterness descended as he thought of Nya. He had tried to help her…but she had made it clear that she didn't want his help. Now she was…well, who knows what had happened to her. Or anyone left on that beach.

He pulled REX to a sudden halt. He felt frustrated, angry, irritated…and yes, maybe even a little hurt. But below it all there was something else.

Was that…a sense of responsibility?!

"I know I'm going to regret this." he muttered. Before he could think better of it, he flipped REX around and headed back to the outskirts he had just left.

26