A bit of a longer chapter for the lack of uploads this weekend. I've just been too busy with everything from school, to skating, and family. Enjoy!
Kai collapsed on the ground. He had run until he couldn't run anymore. He pulled himself up and rested on the stump of an old tree, panting and looking around. He didn't know where he was, what time it was, or how far from everyone he was. He just knew he was alone again.

"You got away."

Or so he thought. He jumped, getting to his feet and looking around.

"Who's there?" he called out.

"Don't stress too much, boy," the voice said. "I'm only here to help."

A figure appeared in front of Kai, and he yelped, stumbling, tripping and falling to the ground.

"Don't recognize me?" he asked.

"No, who are you?" Kai frowned.

He laughed, grinning.

"The guy who saved your butt, and your friends," he grinned.

"What?" Kai questioned.

Then, right in front of his own eyes, he changed into Dash. Then he turned back to himself.

"That was you!" Kai shouted.

"It's always been me," he grinned. "I've been following you this whole time. I've been helping you escape, helping keep you safe. Although at one point, I wanted to leave you for the rats."
Kai slowly got to his feet.

"Who are you?" Kai questioned.
"Name's Tylor," he nodded. "Now, hurry up, we have places to go."
"Why should I come with you exactly?" Kai asked, crossing his arms.

"Because if you don't, I can easily take you to the Overlord and get the prize that's on your head right now," Tylor smirked.

"You're evil," Kai glared.

"Not evil, I just don't like you," Tylor retorted.

Tylor started walking and Kai ran after him.

"Wait, if you could just turn me over for the money, why are you choosing to help me?" Kai asked as he caught up to the young dark haired boy.

"Because the love of my life wants you," he muttered. "That's the only reason. She wants to meet you and talk to you. She says we should be helping you, but I seriously doubt that."

"Who is she?" Kai asked.

"Like you need to know," Tylor frowned.

"Alright, where are we going then?" Kai asked.

"You never shut up," Tylor grumbled.

Kai rolled his eyes and decided to walk in silence for a while. He was trying to figure out where they were, and where they were heading. Just in case he had to run at some point. After several minutes of silence, they came across an opening in the forest. Tylor stopped, looking up at the sky. He turned on the spot, staring at the stars. Kai frowned as Tylor turned and started walking in another direction. He realized Tylor was just going to keep walking with or without him. Kai looked around, trying to come up with something.

With one last glance at Tylor, Kai booked it back into the forest. Unfortunately, as soon as he turned, Tylor noticed.

"Hey! Come back here!" Tylor shouted.

Kai stumbled over a tree root, pushing past the bushes and low lying branches. He could hear Tylor chasing him. Kai grabbed onto a tree branch, flipping over it and landing on top of it. He held his breath as Tylor ran past him. Kai jumped back down onto the ground, and ran in the other direction. He made it to the clearing he originally ran from, and slid to a halt. In front of him was a young girl with brown hair braided over her shoulder, hanging out of her hood that covered her face. Kai took a couple steps away from her as her smile twisted into a frown.

"Don't run, ninja," she jeered. "We only want to help.

Kai spun around and collided with another person. He rubbed his head, and looked up to see another boy with short black hair staring down at him. Kai gulped scrambling backwards on the ground until he ran into the girl.

"What do you want with me?" Kai asked.

Kai glance behind the boy when the bushes started moving. He watched Tylor emerge, shaken up.

"I'm sorry, I lost him," Tylor muttered with his head down.

When Tylor looked up and saw Kai between the two others, he sighed.

"Your lucky we came when we did," the girl hissed. "Otherwise you would have lost him, and Master would have had our heads."

Tylor quickly nodded,running over to the others.

"Master?" Kai muttered.

Kai felt two arms wrap under his arms and around his chest as he was pulled to his feet. He looked between the three people, worried.

"Alright, let's get back to base then," the girl said.

"What if he tries to run again, June?" the other boy asked.

Kai felt June tighten her grasp of his arm, casting a glare at the fire ninja.

"He won't if he knows what's good for him," she uttered.

Kai gulped as he was forced to walk forwards. He looked between the three surrounding him, trying to figure out if they were good or bad. He noticed Tylor and the other boy talking quietly to each other, and then looked back at June. She glanced at him, then looked ahead of them again.

"Don't worry, we don't want to hurt you," she whispered. "We're only going to help you. We want our world back to normal, and everyone back just as much as you do. Trust me."

There was one issue with what she said. One thing he just couldn't do. Trust her. He didn't trust anyone.

Cole sighed, running his fingers through Dash's hair. She slept softly, her head resting in his lap. Zack was cuddled up against her, her arms around him snuggly. Nya's head rest of his shoulder, her sleep a bit deeper than Dash's. Tears stained the water ninja's cheeks, seeing that she had cried for hours after Kai disappeared. Even though Ali had told them he had run off, they didn't know if he bumped into Jay or Zane while running. No one knew if he was safe from harm, or if he was captured yet again.

Cole looked up, seeing Ali staring at the small fire before them. She was the only other one awake. Nicki and Roy were cuddled, sleeping quietly against a tree stump.
"What can we do?" Ali muttered to herself.

Cole reached for Dash's jacket, pulling it towards him. He moved slowly, trying not to disturb the sleeping people around him, as he slid the jacket under Dash's head, replacing it for his lap. Luckily, she never woke. Cole turned and slowly laid Nya's head next to Dash's as he pushed himself to his feet. He slipped over to sit next to Ali.

"We've messed up in multiple ways," Cole sighed. "We just have to keep pushing forwards. Even if it's not making much progress, we have to do something."

"But there is so much that we don't know," Ali whispered softly. "With our situation, it would be one wrong move, and we're done for."
"We've already made several wrong moves," Cole muttered. "One costing us an ally and a teammate."

Ali bit her lip, then closed her eyes and shook her head.

"You should get some sleep," she told the earth ninja.

"I can't," Cole sighed.

"Because your a target?" Ali asked.

Cole simply nodded. With the group having no clue to Kai's location, the risk of losing Cole to the Overlord was even greater than before. If they lost him, whether or not if he had Kai, they would never get him back. At least, not in his current state.

"I just can't sleep knowing that my team is the way it is," Cole sighed. "Kai is broken, running around with no hope in finding him, Zane being hacked and controlled the way he is, and Jay, my best friend. I never, ever, wanted to see him in that state. And to know it will never be seen as the Overlord that did everything to everyone, even the people of Ninjago, but someone who was a hero."

Cole shook his head, sighing softly. His eyes landed on Nya.

"I know she saw him," he whispered softly. "She's been through the most pain, seen the worst out of everyone. She's seen how the people are being treated, how broken her brother is, what the Overlord's done with the love of her life."

Ali nodded, listening. Everyone was hurting and being torn apart.

"My life flashed before my eyes back there," Cole continued. "When they had me tied up. I was helpless, weakened, useless. I could even see Kai considering leaving me in their clutches."

"He did that?" Ali asked.

"What?" Cole questioned.

"Was he the one who exploded to light?" Ali asked him.

"I think so," Cole frowned. "Why?"

"We need to find him," Ali stood up.

"Wait, where are you going?" Cole cried out.

Everyone jumped, waking up and becoming alert of their surroundings. Cole jumped to his feet, staring at Ali as she ran into the forest.

"You can't just leave us!" Cole shouted.

"I need to find Kai!" Ali shouted at him. "If he's able to access the other two elements in him, he's not only a danger to himself, but all of Ninjago as we know it."

Cole growled, then sprinted after the running girl. He couldn't hear anyone running after him, but his heart was heavily pounding in his ears. He onlys stopped when someone screamed behind him. He spun around, a look of horror on his face as he recognized the source of the scream. He started back in the direction he came from, pushing himself past everything in his path.

As he approached the source of the scream, he stumbled and tripped of a tree root sticking out of the ground. He started to push himself up of the ground, but froze on his knees. His eyes went wide, his heart stopping and his breath catching in his throat. His blue eyes friend towered over him, a wicked grin on his face.

"So, you came back for them after all," he taunted.

Cole scrambled backwards, colliding with a tree. He managed to glance behind Jay to see everyone trapped and tied up with Zane pointing a sword at them. Right as Cole turned back to Jay, the former blue ninja grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Cole gulped, trying to pull free, but even with his super strength, he was unable to escape the new robotic grasp of his best friend.

"Jay, please, snap out of it," Cole pleaded, knowing it was useless. "This isn't you!"
Cole froze as Jay yanked him close, their faces inches apart.

"This is me, Cole," Jay smirked. "Everything that happens, everything I do, is all me."

Cole's face turned from horror to sorrow when his friend said that. Jay stepped back, allowing Cole a moment to comprehend what he was just told. Luck for Cole, it also allowed Ali a moment to attack and tackle Jay to the ground. Cole's expression changed to shock instantly, staring at Jay and Ali struggling to pin the other to the ground.

"Zane! I need back up!" Jay shouted.

Cole's eyes flicked up as Zane snapped something at the rest of Cole's friends, before turning in his direction.

"Cole! Run!" Ali shouted.

"But what about everyone else!" Cole cried.

"You need to get away from here!" Ali snapped at him. "You know they want you more than anyone else here! Just go!"
Cole looked up as Zane pushed closer to him. With no seconds thoughts, he took one last glance at Dash, tied up and trying to comfort a crying Zack, before turning and sprinting deeper into the forest. Hopefully, he would be able to get away safely, and find someone to help him.