Nicki's Story
16
The door slammed closed and the ninja heard the distinctive turn of a lock. They were in their quarters…which weren't too shabby, apart from the fact that they were sealed in.
"Why do I feel like there's a thin line between 'hostility' and 'hospitality' in this place?" Kai muttered.
"Does everyone realize that we just trusted everything to Cole's conversation ability?! Cole?!" Jay was early to begin his tirade.
Kai sighed. "I mean…I'm sure he'll be fine…"
"Need I remind you this is COLE we are talking about?! The only problems the guy can solve are the ones that require PUNCHING THINGS!"
"That's not true." Zane spoke up. Everyone turned to him. "On occasion he employs bad singing…"
"OH GREAT. Maybe he can just SING the Baron into giving us answers." Jay griped, kicking a wall.
"This is not the time to lose ourselves, ninja." Wu spoke up, hands behind his back like the proper 12-year-old sensei that he was. "No matter how Cole is at handling himself, he has granted us an opportunity to dig up some answers ourselves while the baron is distracted."
"Heavy-Metal made it quite clear we were expected to stay here until…" Zane began, but Wu waved a hand.
"Perhaps I should have been clear that I do not intend to follow the Baron's orders," Wu said with a twinkle in his eye. Kai leaned over to whisper to Jay.
"You know…I always pictured him to be a lot more of a stick in the mud as a child…"
"Then I guess you were picturing wrong," the voice came from directly behind him, as Wu swatted Kai on the back of the head. He then jumped of the table he was standing on.
"Shall we?" he asked with a little smirk, gesturing to the door.
Kai rubbed his head ruefully.
"Gotta admit…he's still got it."
Dareth
The door to Lou's house was askew, and Dareth couldn't help but gulp. Who knew what he would find in there? He pushed it open slowly.
"Lou? You in here?" he called, trying to keep the quaver out of his voice.
The house was in quite the state—shattered glass, trophies, and pictures were scattered all over the floor. He heard a cough and saw a figure hunched on the floor on the side of the room. Dareth rushed over to him.
"Lou! Aw man…are you alright?" he asked, feeling unsure about what to do. Lou looked pretty haggard as he looked up at the Brown Ninja.
"Dareth?"
"At your service," he said, with a small smile. "Now, c'mon, we've got to get out of here…"
"What's the point?"
Dareth looked down in surprise. He had known Lou for a while—at one point he had even been the manager for the Royal Blacksmiths. He had never seen the performer like this; it was like the light had gone out of his eyes. He had no idea what to say to him.
Lou slowly and painfully sat up. He looked sadly at a crinkled picture in his hand.
"He deserved better…" he muttered. Dareth was a little lost, but he couldn't help feel the need to rush the performer. Who knew when Miss Crazy would return?
"Can you stand?" He asked, looking around for Lou's cane. He located it semi-hidden under a nearby side table. He fetched it quickly and helped Lou onto his feet.
"Ahhhh…my back." Lou winced and put a hand on the place where he had connected with the trophy table. He and Dareth shuffled towards the door at an agonizingly slow rate. Dareth began to panic a bit…how would they ever make it out of town at this pace?
Lou seemed to catch on to Dareth's apprehension. He stopped walking and sighed.
"It's no use, Dareth. I'm in no shape for running and hiding…you had best leave without me."
"No can do, Lou. A ninja never leaves another…well…friend behind."
Lou shook his head, brows furrowed.
"I'm afraid I'm not worth the trouble. Thanks to me, that monster is off terrorizing the last of my son's friends. I couldn't do anything to stop her…" He looked at the picture again, his face a mask of agony as his voice became distant. "I could never do anything…"
Dareth had a feeling that Lou wasn't just talking about stopping Harumi's efforts to ruin the funeral. He sighed and put a hand on Lou's shoulder.
"None of us could stop that deranged lady…but that doesn't mean that we should give up now. We can't quit…because…because…" Dareth looked around for inspiration, wishing he was better at pep talks. He spotted a picture on the ground and scooped it up enthusiastically.
"…Because they never would." He finished, displaying the picture of the Ninja. Lou gazed at it for what seemed like a long time, and then his eyebrows knit in determination as he seemed to come to a decision. He began walking towards the door again, a bit faster than before. They got outside and Dareth began to realize that he didn't actually know where they should go. Was anywhere even safe anymore in this crazy city?
"Where to?" Lou was panting a little, the look on his face making it clear that he was in a lot of pain. Dareth tried to think on his feet.
"Uhh…well…"
His stalling was interrupted by the sound of an approaching air vehicle. His heart dropped; they were too late. Harumi had sent someone already. He got Lou behind a garbage bin and pulled on his brown ninja hood. By Joe, they weren't going to take this ninja down easily!
The ship breached the row of houses and Dareth struck a pose…
"And what is that supposed to be?"
It was Ronin, in REX. Dareth dropped his pose.
"What are you doing back here?"
Ronin landed his ship.
"Just get in here before I change my mind. There's no way you're going to survive out here on your own."
Dareth had a brief inner battle between taking the thief up on the life-saving offer and pretending like he could handle things on his own.
Aw, who am I kidding?
"Lou! The calvery's arrived!" He said, helping the performer to stand once again. They made their way over to REX. Ronin clenched his jaw as he saw the state Lou was in and helped Dareth get him on board.
Dareth waited until they were in the air to say anything.
"So…uh…why the sudden change of heart?"
Ronin didn't reply at first, and Dareth figured that they were in for another silent flight. But then Ronin spoke up.
"I can't do anything to help Nya now…however that turned out. But I guess I just finally realized that that didn't mean I shouldn't do anything."
Dareth nodded as if he understood perfectly. And he did…sort of.
"So what's the plan now?"
"We pick up the Walkers…and then we get the heck outta town. We're gonna have to disappear for a while…"
Lou was silent in the back of the ship. He knew that he wouldn't be able to perform in the concert after all, for a number of reasons. He rubbed his back subconsciously. He couldn't help but feel a sense of loss over that fact. He looked back down at the picture of Cole that was still in his hand. He folded it neatly and put it in his pocket to replace his pocket square, which had been lost at some point or another. He then put both hands on his cane and looked out the window.
The pilot was right. Just because he couldn't do something before…and just because he couldn't perform now…well, that didn't mean that he couldn't do anything. His eyes hardened as he watched the first whispers of sunrise peak up over the horizon.
Yes…this time he intended to do something.
17
Cole gave himself a quick pep-talk as the Baron ushered him into the room.
It's fine, Cole…you got this. I mean, as long as he doesn't have any of that truth tea, you'll be fine…Aw man, why did I have to bring that up? New plan, just talk as generically as possible and if all else fails, punch your way out of here.
The Baron motioned for him to sit on a comfortable seat, while he sat on the other side of a large metal desk.
"Tea?" he asked, offering Cole a cup.
"NO!"
The Baron paused mid-offer, looking confused.
"Errr….no…thanks. Just ate and all. Still full." He sat quickly and silently cursed himself for being so bad at this.
Even Jay would have been a better choice at this point.
The Baron put the cup of tea down, seeming to ignore Cole's erratic behavior.
"Now, I must admit there's quite a lot I would like to know…"
"There's actually a lot of questions we have as well…so, maybe we could like…take turns or something?"
The Baron looked both thoughtful and amused.
"Yes…I suppose that would only be fair. Would you like to go first?"
"Um…sure. I happened to notice you seem to use dragons for lots of different things…"
The Baron seemed excited by his observation. "Yes, brilliant, isn't it? You see, throughout time we and the dragons have had such a…strained relationship, you might say. But over the last fifty years or so, we have developed new ways to keep our scaly neighbors in check." He smiled, looking like he expected Cole to be impressed. The Earth ninja just felt nauseous, if anything.
"The best Oni are actually trained here at the Fortress to become Dragon Masters." He had stood and gone to stand by the wall, which was actually a large window.
Dragon Master? Isn't that who Wu said we're looking for? Cole looked up and noticed that Baron was gesturing for him to join him.
"Becoming a Dragon Master has a tricky initiation process. Those who wish to join our ranks must go through several phases. The last phase is catching an actual dragon, independently."
Cole suddenly remembered something the Baron had said earlier.
"That girl, Keyda, was she going through initiation?"
The Baron sighed dramatically, as if the mention of Keyda brought up some bad memory.
"Ah yes. She passed her first few phases, but alas, she never was able to complete the final task. But considering that there was some accidental interference on your part, we did decide to give her another chance." Here he gestured down at something happening in a field below the window.
Upon closer inspection, the field was actually an arena, with an audience full of Oni yelling…it was hard to tell if they were cheering or booing. Cole was surprised to see that Keyda was in the middle of the arena, spear at the ready. It seemed something was about to happen, but Cole was distracted by what the Baron had mentioned earlier.
"So…Dragon Masters…sounds pretty great. There wouldn't happen to be one…like…chief Dragon Master, would there?"
The Baron looked intrigued by his question. "A chief Dragon master?"
"Yeah like, maybe one who was sort of the most…" Cole tried to find the words. "…masterly of the masters?"
I can literally hear Jay mocking me in my head.
The Baron narrowed his eyes, studying Cole more closely. The ninja tried to appear nonchalant and eventually the Baron smiled.
"I suppose there are legends of such a one… in fact, we took our title "Dragon Master" from these legends. THE Dragon Master is supposed to take the form of a great Golden Samurai…an interesting tale. I tend to focus on what is can be achieved right in front of me, rather than look too closely into legends and myths."
In the arena, something was happening; the large doors on one side were opening and something was emerging from the shadows…
"I believe it is now my turn to ask you a question…since you've had a few now yourself." The Baron said, causing Cole to turn away from the arena. He smiled, secretly hoping none of the questions were too difficult to answer generically.
"For a leader… I must say you aren't very confident…"
Well…looks like I'm not fooling anyone…
"Yeah, well…the truth is we don't really have a leader…we're just all brothers, you know…"
"Ah…brothers…I suppose that makes sense. I mean, you all look so much alike. Especially the tin man."
"Titanium."
"Pardon?"
"…um…nothing."
The Iron Baron just shook his head, still looking amused.
"I must say you are a confusing group. How does one create a living person out of metal? It seems so…curious."
"Well…he's made of technology, you know? Do you guys have technology in this realm?" the Baron looked at him blankly. "Um…it's like where you take metal and you build something that can move or accomplish certain tasks…" he trailed off. He had absolutely no idea how to explain technology to someone who had never seen it before. If only Zane was here…
"Hmm…we have something similar. Except we take objects and mesh them with Oni magic to accomplish certain tasks." He looked at his staff. "In the ancient times, the Oni had powerful magic that could create powerful relics…unfortunately we have lost many of those arts."
Cole thought of the Oni Masks and shuddered inwardly. The Baron continued.
"However, we have managed to pull off a spell or two." He looked down at the arena, and Cole realized that Keyda had been joined by a large maroon dragon. The dragon looked furious as it launched attack after attack at the dodging Oni.
"Woah, wait…she has to capture that thing?" Cole asked, and the Baron chuckled.
"No…she has to defeat the dragon if she wishes to become a dragon master."
Keyda seemed to be spending a lot of time on the defensive, while the dragon attacked again and again. It's eyes were blazing red.
"It looks so angry…" Cole muttered.
"Of course, a perfect example of what we were just talking about." The Baron smiled widely. "Most people would assume that a state of rage makes someone strong…but the opposite is actually true. The more enraged something is, the more vulnerable it becomes. And when something is vulnerable, it can be controlled." he gestured again at the dragon, which had almost taken off Keyda's leg. Cole turned in disbelief.
"Wait…you're making it do that? You're forcing it to fight?!"
"Well it would be a pretty easy task if she had to defeat a docile dragon…"
Cole couldn't believe it…the more he talked with this Iron Baron the more disgusted he became. True power didn't come from manipulation and control and making people fight to the death…everything about this place made a mockery of what he believed. The Iron Baron smiled again, but now his eyes flashed dangerously.
"I believe it's my turn once more. Now, I really am interested to learn where you're from…"
Cole swallowed, still not sure if he should tell this guy that they were from Ninjago; it just felt like a bad idea.
"Well…it's a realm that's pretty different from this one. I mean there are trees and an endless sea and towns…just your average realm, I guess."
"I see. And how was it you found yourself here?" his voice was still even, but it had seemed to gain some kind of underlying sharpness.
"It was an accident. We were in a tight spot and the next thing you know, we had crash landed here." Not technically a lie… The Baron nodded, but his smile had disappeared.
"You see, that is the part of your story that doesn't make a lot of sense to me. We don't get many visitors to this realm because the only ones who can make the connection to it are Dragons and Oni. In order for you to have gotten here, you would have to have an Oni with you…"
"Um…well, isn't that strange?" Cole began backing away slightly…the Baron's eyes were flashing again and he had a feeling things were going to go south soon. "Can't say why we got here, really. I mean, I'm not an Oni…so it doesn't really make much sense, huh?" The Baron looked like he was peering into his soul.
"No…I suppose you are not an Oni. Though there does seem to be something..." He narrowed his eyes as if there was something about Cole he couldn't place. Cole, on the other hand, was getting pretty creeped out. He took a few more steps away from the Baron.
"Well I did spend part of my life as a ghost…so maybe that's what you're picking up on." He took another step for good measure. The Baron looked more confused.
"…What…?"
"Long story."
The Baron seemed to shake himself to get back to his point. His voice took on a menacing tone.
"At any rate, I must say I am eager to talk with the rest of your friends…perhaps we will get to the bottom of this mystery after all."
That kinda sounded like a threat…
Suddenly, the door to the office flew open. It was Heavy Metal.
"Baron, sir! The colorful men have disappeared from their quarters! We are on the search now, but I felt like you should be aware…"
Irritation flashed across the Baron's face, but he smoothed it out quickly.
"Well…I'm sure they haven't gotten far. Besides," here he turned to Cole. "I'm sure they wouldn't leave without their friend here, would they?"
Ok…that one was definitely a threat. Looks like now's a good time to punch my way out of here.
Heavy Metal slammed the door and barricaded it, before he and the Iron Baron began approaching him slowly. He figured he could fight his way to the door and then through the door… but from the sounds in the hallway it seemed like there were reinforcements out that way. His back hit the window and he sighed, realizing that he had one crazy option left.
"It's been a real pleasure, Mr. Iron Baron, sir. But I think that I should probably go find my friends now before they get into too much trouble." And with that, he turned and punched through the glass window, falling into the arena below.
18
Jay crept down the hallway, keeping a lookout for things that looked like…well…
"Hey, what is it we're supposed to be looking for again?" he called, and suddenly found himself falling to the ground.
"OOF…who tripped me?" he whispered angrily, looking around. None of his companions were near him.
"Are you alright, Jay?" Wu's voice came up ahead, where he had been leading the group. His face was a perfect dead panned mask of concern. Too perfect…
"Tell me somebody saw him trip me? There had to be witnesses…" Zane helped him to his feet and shrugged.
"I'm afraid I was not paying attention…it really did just look like you tripped."
"We don't really have time for your paranoia right now, Jay," Kai cut in. "We're on the lookout for…um…"
"For clues about the Dragon Master." Wu was suddenly beside them all.
Jay groaned dramatically.
"Everything in this place has some kind of tie to dragons! Dragon scales, Dragon skulls, mounted dragon horns…how are we supposed to know where to find things about the Dragon Master?"
Just then, the group heard footsteps and the four ninja jumped and flipped into various hiding places as two guards walked down a perpendicular hallway.
"Yeah, after she failed initiation, the Baron said there'd be a Dragon Master battle instead! Hurry up, or we'll miss it."
The ninja waited until they couldn't hear the echoing of the footsteps anymore and crept from their hiding places.
"Well…what do you know? Dragon Master battle sounds like a good place to start looking." Kai said, peering around the corner in the direction the guards had gone. Suddenly, Heavy Metal's voice began echoing through the halls.
"THE COLORED OUTSIDERS HAVE ESCAPED….THEY MUST BE FOUND AT ALL COST. I WANT EVERY AVAILABLE ONI SCOURING THE AREA…
"It appears that we should hurry." Zane said, and the four ninja ran quickly in the direction the guards had gone. So quickly, in fact, that they caught up with them.
"Hey! It's those colorful guys!" one guard said, trying to land a blow on Kai. Within seconds, the two were unconscious and the group was on their way again.
"Great…we have no idea where this battle is actually being held…" Kai complained. "How do we know if we're going in the right direction?"
A loud dragon roar echoed down the hall.
"I'd say that's a pretty good sign." Jay replied.
Survivors
Five SoG members were reaching the outskirts of the city as the first rays of sun broke the mountains in the distance. As they rode through town they had to pass the taped-off wreckage that had occurred from the Colossi's battle with the Destiny's Bounty. Almost subconsciously, three of the motorcycles stopped as their riders gazed at the wreckage. The other two pulled to a stop as well.
"We really should keep moving." Skylor said, her voice muffled in the stolen SoG mask. Nya and Lloyd tore their eyes from the scene and started their bikes back up. However, the third figure dismounted.
"P.I.X! What are you doing?" Nya hissed, but P.I.X.A.L didn't seem to hear her. She had noticed something a few yards away, half-buried in rubble. She ran quickly to retrieve it and made her way back to her stolen bike. Nya's heart tightened when she saw what it was.
Zane's bow was a bit mangled, but P.I.X.A.L felt confident that she could fix it. She wanted a part of him with her…even if it was just this. She had never tried archery but was suddenly determined to learn.
The group made their way downtown. Lloyd knew that they were well disguised, but he still couldn't help feeling like they were incredibly vulnerable here in the middle of the city. It had been P.I.X.A.L's idea to gather discarded SoG items from off the beach and use them to make their escape. The rest of the SoG had hardly noticed; they were too busy looking for something.
Coming to the city itself felt like a risky move, but Skylor said that she had somewhere where they could hide out that would be a little bit better than the caves by the sea. Besides, Harumi would probably scour that whole area now.
They continued to follow Skylor until she came to a sudden stop. The others stopped as well, looking around.
"Isn't this…your restaurant?" Misako asked. Skylor grinned, a little sheepishly.
"Now… I know that awhile ago I promised that I'd stick to the noddle business from now on…but sometimes a girl has got to have her secrets."
P.I.X.A.L and Nya shared a look; they could relate. Skylor led them to the back of the restaurant and looked around before pushing aside a large trash bin and exposing some crude graffiti. With a few deft presses, the area around the graffiti moved like a door, revealing a set of stairs. She led the group down below her restaurant.
"Wow, I love it!" Nya said, looking around the spacious room. In the center there were all kinds of training supplies. Along the walls were cases holding a broad selection of weapons. There seemed to be entrances to smaller rooms along the wall.
"I've been working on creating my own dojo." Skylor said, seeming both proud and embarrassed. "I was going to specialize in teaching children who discovered they had elemental powers, because, you know, I used to be good with a variety of those. You can all sleep in the different boarding rooms, and train out here. I can make sure you're supplied with enough food. "
"Very impressive," P.I.X.A.L said, looking at the cases of weapons.
"Are you sure you're going to be ok, still running your restaurant and everything?" Lloyd asked, concerned. "Harumi could target…"
"I had my hood on the whole time, Lloyd. I seriously doubt any of the SoG—Harumi included—knows who I am." she smiled. "It will seem more suspicious if I suddenly close my restaurant down. But that has always just been a cover anyways—you can bet that I'm going to be training down here just as hard as the rest of you."
"We're very grateful for your help." Misako said. Nya threw a spear at one of the targets in the center of the room, hitting bulls-eye.
"This sure beats cave rocks," she remarked. Then she turned to Lloyd.
"So what's the plan?" The others looked at him too, expectantly. He frowned in concentration.
"I don't know just yet…but I meant what I said to Harumi that night. Together, we will defeat her and my father." He looked at the women in the room with him. Each was a capable and incredible asset. And more than that, each was a real friend. For the first time in days Lloyd gave a genuine smile.
"She'll never know what hit her."
Harumi
Harumi opened her eyes to find daylight streaking across the sky. It took her a moment to remember where she was, but the call of nearby seagulls reminded her. She bolted upright, and then winced as the motion caused her head to pound.
That inane water Ninja…I will destroy her.
She looked around the beach. It seemed she had been swept alone to some concealed cove. She got to her feet; time to track down those imbeciles she called allies. She looked down and noticed a sodden little tea candle, its wick and wax half burned out. She guessed its purpose and crushed it with her foot.
I will destroy them all.
19
Cole landed right on top of the enraged dragon.
"Oh, perfect…" he muttered, hanging on for dear life. Further down the arena, Keyda was looking up with disbelief.
"You have got to be JOKING… are you bound and determined to get in my way?" She leapt forward to attack the dragon while it was distracted by Cole. The Dragon whipped around, sending Cole flying into her attack. Soon they were both splayed out in the dirt.
"We…really should stop meeting like this…" Cole sat up with a wince. Keyda screamed in frustration and tried to attack him, but realized that she was missing her spear. She looked around and saw that it was on the other side of a very irate reptile.
"Don't you realize what happens to me if I fail this test?!" She whispered angrily, trying not to catch the attention of the dragon. Cole had the same goal as he slowly got to his feet started backing away.
"Well…if it has anything to do with that Iron Baron fellow, it's probably not pleasant."
She glared at him.
"Oh, you think?"
"KEYDA" a voice boomed down. Cole sighed.
"Well, speak of the devil."
"You now have a new final task…defeat the outsider, and you will have passed initiation." The Baron continued.
Cole watched Keyda turn with a look of murder in her eyes. He put both hands up in defense.
"Now…let's not be hasty…"
She screamed and launched into a hands-on attack. He blocked her attacks and was able to land a blow and knock her off her feet.
"Look…I'm not your enemy, ok? I'm just trying to get my friends and get out of here…"
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." She was up and coming in for another attack.
"Well…I'm afraid that I'm probably going to do it anyway." He kicked her hard in her next attack and sent her flying. His ankle was feeling a bit better now, which he figured was probably good considering that the Dragon had caught sight of him.
He ran to the outer wall with the Dragon and the Oni on his tale. The Dragon was faster.
Cole did a quick dodge to the side as the Dragon lost control and slammed headfirst into the wall. The Oni in that part of the stand screamed as the whole section shuddered from the impact. The dragon shook its head, seemingly dazed.
"Cole?! What the heck are you doing in the Dragon Master Battle?" Jay's voice cut above the noise, and Cole looked over to see his friends come out of the door the dragon had entered from earlier.
"The outsiders! GET THEM!" Heavy Metal's voice boomed, and Oni began swarming out of the stands to get to the ninja.
"No time to explain…let's just say it's time to get out of here," Cole said, running over. Wu looked pensive as he observed the general chaos, seeming to form a plan.
"Everyone, to the dragon!" he called suddenly. Cole shook his head.
"No way…that dragon has rage like you would not believe…" he started, but then he noticed that the dragon's eyes were no longer blazing red.
"Huh…must have knocked the anger right out of him…"
"Cole! HURRY!" Jay yelled, and the black ninja realized that the rest of his friends were nearly to the dragon. He started running, punching a few Oni on his way, when he caught something coming at him from the corner of his eye. He ducked just in time and Keyda's swing missed its mark. She seemed to have found her spear.
"I really can't let you leave." She panted, positioning herself in between him and the dragon. "So I guess this is…"
"Look out!" Cole warned, but it was too late. The Dragon's tail whipped through the hordes of Oni and nailed Keyda in the side, sending her flying. She hit the wall and was knocked out cold.
"NOW Cole! GET OVER HERE NOW!"
Cole went to run to the dragon, but he hesitated and looked at the Oni girl lying in the dirt. He couldn't get what she had said earlier out of his mind.
Argh…I know I'm gonna regret this.
He sprinted to where Keyda was and hoisted her over his shoulder before taking off towards the dragon once again.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Jay screamed, incredulous. Kai and Zane looked equally baffled.
"Don't worry about it!" Cole snapped back as he leapt on the back of the dragon. "Just get us out of here!"
Wu patted the neck of the dragon, and the dragon opened its wings and took off into the air. They headed right for the ceiling.
"TURN! TUUUURN!" Jay screamed, but the dragon seemed bound and determined.
"Looks like this place is about to become an open air theater," Kai muttered as they all braced themselves for the impact. Fire exploded from the dragon and they soared through the hole it had melted and into the night sky.
Baron
The Baron watched the dragon soar through the ceiling with an unreadable expression. Heavy Metal was doing some heavy breathing, due to both his own anger and his fear at the Baron's impending reaction.
The Baron was quiet, seemingly deep in thought. Without a word to Heavy Metal, he turned and walked out of his office. The people he passed in the hallways darted out of his way with looks of fear, but he didn't pay them any heed. He eventually reached the door that opened into a staircase and he made his way down, grabbing and lighting a torch on his way. In the underbelly of the fortress, the torchlight danced across pictures painted on the walls. The Oni had always had a tradition of keeping pictorial histories, and there were enough drawings here to give a historian a lifetime of work. But Iron Baron was looking for one account in particular, and didn't pay any heed to the pictures he passed.
At the end of the long hallway, there was a large painting depicting something from centuries ago. He lifted his torch for a better look.
A majestic white Dragon made up one half of a circle, with a crouching Oni completing the other half. In the middle a small boy smiled. A small boy, who, the Baron couldn't help noticing, looked incredibly similar to the one he had just witnessed steer a dragon through his arena ceiling. A slow grin spread across his face.
"Well well…doesn't this make things interesting…."
20
Lou was beginning to feel useless. He hadn't been without his performance group since…well, since as long as he could remember. But after his connection with the Ninja had been revealed to Harumi, he had become a target for that madwoman. He had no idea what the ninja had ever done to her…but apparently it was bad enough to wipe them and anyone who even cared about them off the face of Ninjago.
But without his performing group, he had no direction, no purpose. He had tried writing songs to calm his nerves…but the gruff pilot—who he had learned was named Ronin—had put a stop to that.
Some people just do not understand true art! He thought, sullenly. He watched as Dareth passed by for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had been pacing the length of the cave they were in for the past 30 minutes or so.
"Hmm…what if we…" Dareth began as Lou sighed. The poor chap had been coming up with crazy ideas ever since they had come here, trying to figure out a way to defeat Lord Garmadon.
"I believe I told you to shut up," came the unforgiving reply from across the cave. Ronin was underneath some kind of vehicle. "Try her again, Ed." he said, talking to the older man sitting in the vehicle's driver's seat.
"Okie Doke," Ed twisted something or other and the vehicle hummed with life. Ronin pushed himself out from under the vehicle and wiped his hands on a filthy towel.
"Well, that's another one up and running at least."
Lou huffed in annoyance.
"Please, do tell me again why we're hiding out in this…this tech-cave place?"
Ronin looked at the performer, annoyed. Lou was beginning to think that there were few times that the man didn't look annoyed.
"Nya's old Samurai-X cave is the most hidden location I know about at the moment. We should be safe from Harumi and her goons here. At least for the time being."
Lou thumped his cane on the floor impatiently.
"Yes, yes, and that's all fine and good. But when are we going to do something?"
Ronin patted the newly restored vehicle.
"We are doing something. Nya and the rest of them have made it clear that they're bent on some suicide quest against Garmadon and Harumi. I don't know where they are at the moment, but I figure that sooner or later they'll be grateful for a bit of machinery to help them out." He looked around at the different machines in the cave. "Doesn't look like she's been here in a while." he mused, mainly to himself now. "None of these vehicles are running at full caliber."
"But I thought the last time you saw the ninja, they were surrounded on a beach…" Lou cut in, not sure why the thief was choosing to be so optimistic now when optimism clearly wasn't one of his natural sentiments.
"Trust me, if they were dead, we would have heard about it." Ronin cut him off.
Dareth looked at Lou and shrugged.
"He's right about that one. In this instance, I guess that no news really is good news. I just hope that wherever those poor ninja are, they're doing alright."
Survivors
Lloyd took a large bite of his noodle bowl and groaned in delight. Skylor really did know quality food! He looked up at Nya and P.I.X.A.L, who were still on the training ground.
"Hey, why not take a break? Skylor sent some more grub." He called out. Nya blasted a wooden dummy with water.
"Nah…not hungry."
"Not even for a puffy pot-sticker?" he asked invitingly, waving one at her with his chopsticks.
Nya shook her head, smiling at her friend's antics. The smile soon fell however; puffy pot stickers reminded her of Dareth, and for the umpteenth time she found herself wondering if they made it out ok or not. Had they gone back for Lou? Had Ronin actually helped them, or dumped them all off somewhere? She blasted another target. She hated that she didn't know anything…and that she was stuck down here instead of off somewhere doing something. She was grateful for Skylor's dojo and the safety it provided, but she was beginning to get some serious cabin fever.
"Perhaps it would be wise to take a break." P.I.X.A.L chimed in, lowering her bow. It was actually Zane's old bow, newly refurbished, and the robot Samurai was becoming quite skilled with it.
"Listen to the robot, Nya. She knows what she's talking about." Lloyd called. Nya sighed in mock annoyance.
"Well, fine…if you're all gonna gang up on me." she marched over and snatched Lloyd's noodle bowl out of his hand.
"Wha…hey! There's enough here for you to have your own, you know!" he said, trying to grab it back. Nya held it out of reach and began to eat it.
"Mmmm, you were right, this was worth the break."
Misako watched them from across the room, smiling. She was glad to see that everyone was basically back to their old selves. After the tragedy from a week or so earlier, she wasn't sure if they were going to make it through grieving with their friendship still intact. It was good to see them joke around now.
"And what are you laughing at, Mom?" Lloyd called out, catching her smirk.
"Oh, nothing…" she replied, as she continued her task. "There, finished! What do you think?"
The three friends walked over to the wall Misako had been working on. Posted across the wall were pictures of Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay, and Wu that the historian had scrounged up from who knows where. Some were of them separately, but many were group pictures taken across the years.
Misako noticed that the three teens didn't say anything, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. She smiled sadly.
"I've always felt that pictures give places a homie feel. Besides, I thought we could always use the reminder of what we're fighting for."
"Makes sense." Nya said, voice breaking a bit. Lloyd touched a group picture in the center of the collection; it was taken when he was still just a kid. He clenched his jaw at how happy they all looked. Misako saw their expressions and sighed.
"Maybe it's a bit too soon…"
"Not at all." Nya cut in, trying to give a smile. "I think it's great."
"Like you said…a good reminder." Lloyd added.
"I think it looks awesome." Skylor's voice chimed in from behind. Everyone turned to greet her.
"What is this for, Skylor?" P.I.X.A.L asked, moving to help the red-head with the heavy-looking box she was carrying. Skylor grinned in reply.
"Well, I figured it must be frustrating to be in this underground bunker with no eyes to the outside. So I've spent the last week collecting parts to build a computer system down here. That is," here she looked at Nya and P.I.X.A.L. "If you think you guys are up for it."
"Are you kidding? It'll be nice to finally do something with purpose down here!" Nya said, eagerly rifling through the box.
"And it will be beneficial to be able to observe the outside world." P.I.X.A.L added. Lloyd just shook his head and grinned.
"You know, as long as you ladies have got that under control, I think I have some unfinished business with the buffet Skylor brought down earlier…" he said, wandering back to the food. Nya grabbed his arm.
"Oh, no you don't. The sooner we get this up and running, the sooner we can start making plans for what we're really gonna be doing." Lloyd couldn't help but notice that she had a very persuasive argument.
"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's get this thing up and running."
20
