Chapter 25 - Don't Think
The tiles on the floor were opaque, Zane's reflection in them appearing extremely clouded. His footsteps sounded muted as he traversed the long hallway, leaving his companions behind in his wake. The serpent that currently led the attack against them was cunning. The android could vaguely recall mention of him in his personal database. Skales. Pythor held a high regard for him, as far as Zane could remember. Outsmarting him would not be an easy task.
Ice. The answer to their problem was ice, but he had not conjured any since they had been back at the Temple of Light. Zane hoped that he could find the strength within him to conjure another barrier. It would be the quickest and most efficient way to take out Skales and procure the staff. The villagers needed him. His friends needed him. Ninjago needed him.
For anyone else, the pressure would have been almost unbearable: having the weight of a nation crashing down on their shoulders for even a brief moment. Zane was poised and knew that he had a duty to fulfill. Nothing more, nothing less. Lit torches clung to the walls as the android happened upon a sleek looking staircase that spiraled up towards the floor above. Step after step, he steadily made his way upwards, his bare hand gliding effortlessly along the gleaming handrail to his right. When the floor finally leveled off, Zane scanned the area ahead of him for any sign of danger, but found nothing except the heat signature of a specific individual behind a pair of ornate doors.
Skales.
Zane relaxed his body, releasing his mind from the usual numbers and calculations. Mathematical odds and plans weren't going to save him now. No, formulating a strategy in a battle with this Serpentine would need seconds, and seconds were all Skales would need to destroy Zane completely. He would need to...go with his gut feeling. Zane had liked that phrase. At first he hadn't understood it, as he was always trying to find a rational answer to everything. Always looking for the plain truth, instead of daring to take a look at what lay between the lines.
But he'd been spending the last few minutes turning the phrase over and over, looking through a new pair of eyes. Eyes that his new friendship with the others had created. This 'gut feeling' meant trusting his instincts. It told Zane that he shouldn't think, but act. It told him to trust himself.
The nindroid nodded. He could do this.
Without any further hestitation, he pushed open the door, stepping into the grand throne room. And there, in the very center, stood Skales. Waiting.
The Serpentine smiled, "Ah, did you lose your companions to the cold-blooded hands of the villagers? Or did you perhaps decided to run away in order to re-join with the Serpentine? Maybe the machinery inside you has finally figured out that all of you are doomed to lose."
"Neither of those answers are correct. If you had spent more time studying who you are up against, you would know we are not so easily defeated. You would know betraying my friends is the last thing I would do," Zane shook his head, stepping closer. "Here I thought, perhaps, you were of a higher intellect then all the past Serpentine. I now see I was mistaken."
Skales hissed, slithering closer, his red eyes glowing brighter. "You won't defy us for long. You're a machine. Do you really believe you have any free will? You belong to the Serpentine, and you always will."
He did belong to the Serpentine. His loyalties had always aligned with Pythor's. He had been manufactured for the sole purpose of helping the Serpentine maintain order in the country. A true machine of war. Zane shook all those thoughts from his head. That had been him, but something had changed. The smallest gesture of selflessness, of kindess, had somehow affected him. Zane knew deep down that if he could actively make the decision to help those that he was supposed to arrest, then there had to be free will within him.
"You are wrong," the android said, taking a small step back to accommodate Skales' advances. "I may be a machine, but I belong to no one. I am Zane and I have the will to choose to protect the people that reside in Ninjago from the fear and tyranny that I had been too blind to see." He was a protector. He had been chosen by the Creator to fight for freedom and there was no way that he was going to push any of that aside just because a serpent told him to. "You can say what you wish, but I will never go back to the Serpentine. I will no longer serve Emperor Pythor. Until my circuits stop working, I will continue to defy the likes of you and the Serpentine empire." Zane narrowed his eyes, finally feeling the strength he had been reaching for.
Skales gave a throaty chuckle as he looked upon the mechanical soldier that Pythor had been so adament about having made. The emperor had never anticipated insubordination like this, but perhaps Skales could fix Pythor's toy. All he needed was a little bit of time and the android's undivided attention. "You say that now, but you may start to see things our way once more, soon enough..."
The dark shapes within Skales eyes began to swirl. Zane began to feel less and less in control of his body. His muscles relaxed, and the adrenaline that had filled him not too long ago had gone. Quickly, the nindroid shut his eyes. He needed to remember that Skales was part of the Hypnobrai tribe. If Zane became distracted for too long, he could easily be turned into an empty monster, just like the villagers.
Zane refused to be used against his friends.
"Closing your eyes?" Skales chuckled, although there was a bit of annoyance in his tone. "That'll only make you vulnerable."
To prove his point, Skales whipped his tail forward, striking Zane's legs. The nindroid felt no pain, but he lost his balance, crashing to the ground with a dull thud. Not only that, but Zane seemed to have lost control of his left leg. He could no longer feel it. Something had been disconnected, and there was no Jay here to fix it.
The nindroid risked a small peek. Skales eyes were still swirling and glowing, and he had slithered closer. Instantly, Zane felt the uncomfortable sensation of his will beginning to peel away from him. He's right. I am a machine, made to serve the empire. It is my true purpose. These games with rebels need to come to an end
No.
Zane shut his eyes quickly, recovering himself. Trust your instincts, Zane. This is not a battle you can win by studying your opponent. You must feel your opponent.
The nindroid focused, rolling to the left just as Skales whipped his tail once again. Zane dodged the attack, and he allowed a small smile to rise on his lips. He had trusted his so called 'gut feeling'. And it had worked!
"You can't hold out for long in that condition," he heard the Hypnobrai tease. Zane inhaled deeply, trying to prevent himself from getting distracted by anything. Acting quickly was the only way to spar against an enemy that he could not see. Poised on his one good leg, the android jumped backwards as he heard the sound of Skales' tail sliding along the tiled floor towards him. As his foot once more made contact with the ground, he could not help but grin again.
He could still do this. All he needed now was the opportunity to set up an ice barrier and trick Skales into staring at it. That was all much easier said than done though.
Eyes closed and ears focused, Zane held his hands out in front of him, trying to harness the inner strength he had felt so strongly earlier. He could do anything he set his mind to, and right now he needed some ice. The tips of his fingers felt much colder and the sensation traveled down his fingers, settling heavily in his palms. Almost there.
Something hard pounded against Zane's chest and he felt his breath explode from his body as he slid back along the floor. The power he had felt so strongly faded instantaneously, hindering his spirits slightly. Before he could even get back on to his good leg, or get a better bearing on his blind surroundings, Skales' tail smacked him up against the wall of the room. Zane felt his body rattle from the contact and he slumped down, still trying to get back up and fight. He needed to get back up. Everyone was counting on him...
"Did you hear that?" Jay asked, his eyes immediately traveling to the ceiling as he held his breath and just listened. "It...it sounded like something falling really hard."
Kai still had his back up against one of the doors that they had come through, his breathing finally steady. "It's probably just the sounds of the people outside trying to get in here and kill us," the blacksmith said, rolling his eyes. He had to give the villagers some credit. They were absolutely relentless in their single mindedness. He could feel the harsh vibrations of fists pounding on the other side of the doors. If the Hypnobrai were smart, then their defenses would definitely hold up against a mob of angry humans.
The puppeteer shook his head. "No, no. You didn't hear it? I dunno, it sounded really bad to me." There was an uncomfortable feeling that buzzed around Jay like an insect and he just could not shake it. Maybe he was just being paranoid. "Aren't we supposed to be looking for the staff to help all those people?"
Lloyd spoke up now, shaking his head. "The book said that a Hypnobrai's reflection is its weakness. Zane can use his ice powers to make a mirror of sorts. He can beat the leader and get the staff, no worries."
"No," Jay shook his head rapidly. "Something's wrong. Zane needs our help."
Without any further explanation, the puppeteer turned and ran, trying his best to find the throne room. All he had to do was try to follow the sound. Even if the others didn't believe him, Jay knew he was needed.
Cole groaned, watching as Jay disappeared down the maze of hallways. The merchant couldn't let him go alone. "Dammit, Jay..." Cole hissed under his breath, stepping away from the doors and running after him.
Lloyd looked up at Kai, his green eyes then shifting to the shuddering doorway. The threat of the villagers seemed much more real now that the muscled merchant had left. "What if the door doesn't hold? Maybe...maybe we should follow the others. I don't like being separated."
Kai shook his head. "The door has to hold. And if we go with them we'll just get in the way."
"I..." Lloyd bit his lip, then finally nodded. "You're right."
The Golden Master sat down, his back leaning against the door, the pounding of the villagers rattling through his body. Kai slowly slid down the door himself, sitting besides Lloyd as the villagers continued their attempt to break through.
The merchant narrowed his eyes as he continued down the hallway, eyes scanning ahead. Jay seemed impossibly fast. He had already lost sight of him. As Cole happened upon a dead end, he let out a forced, ragged breath of frustration. The only other place that Jay could have gone was up. Taking the stairs two at a time, Cole hastily ascended to the next floor, almost tripping over the final stair as he finally made it. A pair of doors sitting directly in front of the merchant closed and he gave a small smile. It was the only place Jay could have gone.
Pushing open the doors, Cole was greeted by almost pure emptiness. In the corner of the large room, he caught sight of two familiar figures. "Jay..." the merchant sighed, feeling a mixture of relief and anger now that he had finally caught up to the puppeteer. Cole could see his friend kneeling beside Zane, looking at the android's leg, but his eyes were immediately drawn to something else much more important.
The Hypnobrai staff in Zane's possession.
"I was right," the auburn haired man smiled to himself, though his words addressed Cole. "Zane needed us."
Cole ran up to them, his eyes glued onto the staff. "You did it. But, how?"
"It was simple," Zane shrugged, as Jay began to work on the nindroid's circuits. "He let his guard down once I had fallen. All I had to do was protect myself with a barrier of ice. He ran away after that, but not without leaving us with just what we need."
Cole shook his head, disbelief running through him. "Wow. You're amazing, Zane, you know that right?"
The nindroid smiled slightly, a light of happiness highlighting his features. Cole began to pace around as Jay continued to fix Zane, his eyes traveling all throughout the room. The Serpentine had to be here somewhere, right? He hadn't ran out, or Cole would have seen him. So the leader was still here. Watching. Waiting for the perfect moment to attack maybe, but...they had the staff. That gave them some protection, didn't it?
A brief slithering sound called to Cole. His grey eyes scanned the room, locking onto a pair of crimson ones.
Ah, so there you are, Cole thought, feeling a bit better. At least they wouldn't be surprised now if the Hypnobrai were to try anything crazy.
Suddenly, the Serpentine's eyes began to glow. Cole felt lightheaded, as if his consciousness was being pulled away from his body. Take the staff, a voice said. A voice that wasn't quite his own. Take the staff.
"Hey, Cole!" Jay shouted. "We're ready to go now!"
The puppeteer's loud voice broke the brief connection between Serpentine and man. Cole shook his head, the mutinous thoughts slipping away from his mind. Skales retreated further into the darkness, not wanting to be seen, as the group of rebels walked out of the throne room.
Skales wasn't upset at all. Maybe they had taken his staff. Maybe he'd been humiliated by a stupid piece of rusting metal, but now he had the one card he needed to win.
He had Cole's mind in his grasp, ready to be used at his leisure.