Review Replies:
Erio99: Haha, Carrot being Nadakhan would certainly be a pretty big plot twist, but no, that's not who he is. And yes, Echo would be king of the cutie Olympics XD Also, thanks!
LucyBrick123: Yeah, I loved that part too! Cool, maybe we'll see each other ::D Thanks!
TheAmberShadow: Do not fear, all will be revealed with time. And thanks! I think there'll be a lot of fading in and out of memories in this, although now it'll mostly be in dreams. Co-re-ct! Carrot isn't even getting any money out of this :)
Ariza Luca: Who doesn't love da cookies?
DragonWhisperer762: Haha, sure! Also, feel free to freak out, I don't mind ::D
MagicQuill42: Yaaaaaaaaaaassssss
INFJwriter: Glad you liked it! I love Wu-father-figure. I'm thinking of writing a one-shot about it for Fathers Day this year, and maybe one with a Misako-mother-figure for Mothers day.
Chapter Nine:
Agony
They had been reluctant to leave Kai before he even woke up, so Lloyd, Nya and Misako agreed to stay behind. The front of the hospital was overflowing with news reporters, a helicopter circling the tall building in the air, the front doors guarded by two large brutes in black t-shirts.
Zane's jaw clenched in annoyance. He couldn't believe they'd go as far as to block the hospitals front entrance. What if there was an emergency? What if someone needed medical attention but couldn't get inside because of a bunch of obnoxious reporters wanted a juicy story?
News of the fire Ninja being put in hospital had spread faster than they'd thought possible, and that was saying something. It was all over the news, on the tips of every gossipers tongue, the main conversation at the dinner table. Crime rates were expected to increase over the next couple months, but Cole said he was certain they'd quickly be discouraged again.
Since the hospital was practically surrounded, Zane, Cole, Jay, Wu and the rookie- who'd introduced himself as Officer Conner- sneaked out the back and into the cop car.
Zane pulled his white baseball cap low over his face in a subtle attempt to hide his silver skin and glowing eyes, sinking in his seat from where he sat between Jay and Cole, who were doing similar things to avoid detection from the paparazzi just outside. Wu seemed to be napping in the front passenger seat.
However, they were quick to realize that attempting to hide their faces was unnecessary, because the reporters crowded in front of the hospital doors were too focused on trying to get past the two brutes and, hopefully, get a good picture of a certain injured ninja. Or any of the ninja, really.
"You know," Jay said, giving a quiet laugh, "It's kinda ironic, that Kai's been burnt and all. Y'know, 'cause he's the fire nin-"
"Yes, Jay, we're aware." Cole cut him off, sounding slightly annoyed. Jay's small smile fell immediately, and he went uncharacteristically quiet. Officer Conner glanced over his shoulder at them, but said nothing.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence. Finally, and yet all too soon, the police car came to a stop in front of the downtown police station. As though he hadn't even been resting his eyes, Wu opened the door and got out, ducking to avoid knocking his hat off. Apparently, Zane hadn't been the only one to think he was asleep, for Officer Conner's hand had frozen in midair, having been about to tap the sensei on the shoulder to wake him.
Zane slid out of the car after Jay, closing the door behind him. Officer Conner hesitated, then get out as well, opening his mouth to speak, but the nindroid was already halfway across the parking lot.
Behind him, he heard Wu thank the officer for the ride, and within moments he and his two other pupils were right behind him. Zane hardly glanced at them, pushing open the doors and marching right towards the front desk.
A man sat on a computer, looking terribly bored, head propped up on his fist and hat askew. He looked up at the sound of the doors opening, mouth twisting and brow furrowing in an annoyed scowl. "Look, what ever-"
Zane ignored him, quickly realizing that he would be of little help, and shoved open a door with his shoulder, starting to make his way down the hall.
"Hey!" the man exclaimed.
"Zane," said PIXAL, appearing to the side of his vision, "You must calm yourself."
"You saw what they did, PIXAL." he said, ignoring the shouting behind him. "This could be about Echo."
"But barging in like this will do you no good." PIXAL pointed out, "You're going to get in trouble."
"Zane!"
The nindroid blinked, turning around to see one of the doors open, and a certain smirking 'brown ninja' standing before him.
"Dareth? What are you doing here?" Zane asked. Dareth made his way over to him, slinging an arm over his shoulders and leading him towards the door.
"I arrived a couple minutes ago," he explained, "Heard the Serpentine sent us a video."
"We're not fighting the Serpentine, Dareth." said Zane. He faltered. "Well, at least I don't think they're involved. They call themselves Basilisk."
Dareth, however, didn't appear to be listening. "Yeah, yeah, okay, whatever you say. Are you the only one that came? How's Kai?"
They entered the room, which was lined with computer desks and maned by officers. If Zane recalled correctly, it was the same room that Nya and Jay had pretended to be officers in during the whole Djinn fiasco. Well, not that it actually happened anymore, since it's a different timeline and all.
"Jay, Cole and Sensei Wu are with me." Zane said, as Dareth led him to where Detective Simon, Tommy and the Police Commissioner stood around a computer, whispering loudly to each other. "Kai is... stable."
"That's good." Dareth said, "That's really, really good. Has he woken up yet?"
Zane shook his head. "Lloyd, Nya and Misako stayed behind incase he wakes up while we're away."
Dareth nodded, patting the nindroid on the back, "Don't worry, pal. We'll get the people who did this behind bars."
Before Zane could answer, the door opened again, allowing Officer Conner, Wu, Jay and Cole entry. The three police officers noticed them for the first time, Detective Simon jumping slightly when he spotted Zane and Dareth right next to him.
"Ah, you're here." said the commissioner, white moustache bristling slightly, "Good."
"So what's this about a video?" asked Cole, moving to stand next to Zane, glancing at him before turning back to the police. Zane had a feeling he'd want to have a talk later.
Detective Tommy tapped the commissioner on the shoulder, lowering his voice in a hopeless attempt to make the conversation private. "Uh, sir, are you sure we should show them?"
"Why shouldn't you show us it?" asked Jay, "I mean, you did kinda call us here."
"Well, at least don't show Julian." whispered Simon, although it sounded louder in the otherwise quiet room. Some of the officers stationed at their desks glanced over their computers at them.
"Julian?" echoed Jay, "Who's Julian?"
Zane's electric eyes narrowed. "Are you... talking about me?"
Jay blinked. "You're not called Julian."
"It's his surname, dumbbell." said Cole, "His dad was called Dr. Julian."
"Ohhh." A beat of silence. "Wait, dumbbell?"
"Why shouldn't I see the video?" asked Zane. Tommy and Simon looked at each other, then to the commissioner, who, after a moment, sighed.
"Come on," he said, pulling out a key and making his way over to a side door, "Let's have a bit of privacy."
Out of the corner of his eye, Zane saw quite a few officers snap back to their computers, having most likely been eavesdropping. He shared a look with Jay and Cole, who in turn turned to their sensei, who had a small frown on his wrinkled face. Perhaps it was just Zane, but it appeared he had aged a centaury. Dareth snatched a mug off one of the computer desks, taking a sip of it's contents and grimacing at the taste.
They followed Detectives Tommy and Simon after the commissioner, closing the door behind them. The commissioner flicked on the lights, revealing a mostly empty room, besides a couple chairs and switched off computers. It was more of a spare room than anything else, perhaps an office no one used anymore.
Simon switched on one of the computers, while Tommy blowed off the dust on the screen and keyboards. The commissioner fiddled with something in his jacket pocket, before pulling out a plastic bag. Inside was a small, thin, bright orange USB.
"This is disgusting." muttered Dareth, having still been sipping at the stolen drink. He shook his head, shoving the mug into Zane's hand, "You take it."
The commissioner opened the bag and pulled out the USB, plugging it into the computer. After a moment, the file popped up, and Simon clicked on the only thing there: a video.
It went into full screen automatically, but didn't play. From what could be seen, the shot was of a dimly lit room with someone standing in front of the camera, wearing some sort of mask. Simon looked to the commissioner hesitantly, as though half-expecting him to change his mind. But the police commissioner gave him a firm nod, and Simon reluctantly turned back to the video, clicking the play button.
Now that the play symbol was out of the way, Zane could see the man properly. His face was hidden behind a green snake mask covered in silver markings, crimson lenses over his eyes. He was standing next to something, wriggling and struggling upon a table, but Zane was having difficulty figuring out what it was.
"You didn't follow our instructions." said the man, voice slightly muffled, picking up what appeared to be a drill, "So perhaps this will make you think twice."
A faint, familiar ticking came from the speakers, and the thing on the table spoke. "W-Wait, what are-"
The mug slipped between Zane's fingers, smashing at his feet in a spray of shards and cold coffee, as the voice of his little brother was cut off, and the room was filled with the whirring of a drill and screaming.
There were people at the lighthouse.
He could hear them as he slowly made his way up the stairs, careful to avoid the boards the creaked. He could hear Gizmo zooming about doing chores, the clatter of eating utensils on plates and bowls, and the smell of freshly cooked food.
"Okay," one said, swallowing food, as he came to a stop near the top of the stairs, "Here's a crazy one. What if you wished to resurrect the Devourer? Then we sick it on Nadakhan!"
There was the sound of crinkling plastic, and something being poured. "Can't do that either," another person said, mouth full, "Can't wish to do harm, can't wish for more wishes, and you can't wish for..." he gave a small laugh, almost sheepishly, "Love."
Slowly, Zane peeked his head out, fogged yellow eyes curious, but narrowed in weariness. The second one, who was wearing blue, continued.
"Which is how I got us into this mess." Gizmo bleeped, spotting Zane on the stairs, and started making his way towards him, "All due to one little glimpse into the future, showing us together..."
A sigh, barely caught over Gizmo's hushed beeping. "Our friends gone, our world torn apart... look at us, th-this is all my fault."
"Jay..."
"I guess we really do end up together." the boy continued, "Just, ha, not as I'd envisioned it."
"Stop."
"I know, I know-"
Gizmo gave him a sharp bonk on the head, and Zane scowled at him in return, rubbing where he'd been hit. The little bot continued bleeping at him, and Zane glanced back towards the two newcomers, clockwork heart leaping into his throat when he realized they were looking in his direction.
He dashed down the stairs just as they leaped from their seats, the girl shouting something he couldn't decipher. Zane didn't bother to be quiet, for his rapidly ticking heart would have given him away anyhow, rusted feet slamming against the steps.
Two pairs of feet started pounding after him, and Zane had just enough time to flip the latch and slip into the basement, ignoring the screws that had come undone and clattered on the floor.
The walls slammed together behind him, and he slid down the walkway, head snapping left and right. Eyes landing on the bookcase (which was filled mostly with gears and other parts), he leaped behind it.
Only a few moments later, he heard the doorway open again, followed by the whir of Gizmo's wheels and two pairs of feet. "Looks like a bunch of stuff from Zane's fathers old lab."
Covering a hand over his ticking heart, Zane edged further into his little hiding space- and accidentally knocked over a small stack of boxes, sending screws and old tools clattering loudly onto the floor.
One of the newcomers gave a startled yelp, jumping behind the other, "You're right! We're not alone!"
"-Help him, you son of a bitch! Just-"
He heard Gizmo come closer, as well as the newcomers backing away. "I thought you were supposed to be protecting me?"
"I thought you were over that!"
Gizmo came up beside him, holding up one of the screws that had fallen off. Zane gave him a grateful smile, taking the screw, although the smile quickly fell when one of the newcomers spoke.
"Whoever you are, come out!"
Zane's heart ticked loudly, and he took a shaky breath. They hadn't hurt Gizmo, so why would they hurt him?
He stuck his head out. "I am Zane. Built to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Zane stepped out from behind the shelf, blinking in response to the newcomers shocked expressions. A small, disbelieving smile spread across the blue one's lips.
"Zane?"
He cocked his head to the side, wondering how he knew his name. The blue one turned to the girl, realization dawning on his face.
"When Zane's father was trapped here, he must have built a replacement Zane!"
"Great." groaned the girl, "Another knight in rusted armour."
"-Will you stop shouting, boy- ?!"
"Rusted, maybe." said blue, "But can he still protect?"
At that, Zane kicked out, spinning around- only to trip over his own feet and fall flat on his back. The two newcomers winced, stepping closer.
"Built to protect what?" asked the girl, "Himself?"
Gizmo beeped, another screw in hand, waving a clawed hand at the two. The blue one shrugged.
"Who knows? But if the two of us can't figure out my wish," they both looked down at Zane, who still lay on the floor. "Maybe a new perspective might help."
Screaming. Begging. Sobbing. It all echoed through his head, like a broken record on repeat, tearing at his power source like razor sharp claws. His hands trembled, shiny fingers almost like ten blurs, shoulders shaking and electric blue eyes shiny with tears.
He was sitting out in the hall, back pressed against the wall, knees drawn up to his chest and head buried in his arms. His breathing came out in ragged gasps, tear tracks staining titanium cheeks, throat tight with held back sobs.
The video was twenty minutes long. He'd ran out after five minutes.
They tortured his Echo.
PIXAL had tried multiple times to comfort him, but soon fell silent when she obtained no response. But she didn't disappear, instead staying on his screen, in an attempt to let him know he's not alone.
Zane appreciated the gesture.
If only Echo had someone with him too.
Footsteps. Zane forced himself to remain quiet, although he didn't raise his head. They came to a stop in front of him, and for a long moment, neither of them did anything. Then someone sat next to him, arm brushing against his own. They were too chubby to be one of his siblings, or even an officer, and Zane finally forced himself to peek out from his arms to see who it was.
To his surprise, it was Dareth. His usual smirk was gone, his shoulders oddly slumped, face uncharacteristically glum. He wasn't looking at Zane, just staring at the wall across from them, not saying anything. Zane rested his chin on his arms, wiping at his nose with his sleeve, starting to stare at the wall as well.
Silence. Distantly, he could hear officers bustling about, but none came close to their hallway. He wondered where the others were.
"I'm sorry."
The sudden apology startled him, and Zane blinked, turning to Dareth with a confused frown. The man was still staring at the wall. "For what?"
Dareth shrugged, finally turning to look at the nindroid, lips twitching in a sad smile, "For, ah, for frightening the little dude. When we first met."
Zane blinked at him slowly, looking down at his knees. "I don't believe he's one to hold grudges."
"Yeah, but..." Dareth shrugged, "Nevermind. Are you... okay?"
"I'm fine." the nindroid said, glaring at the floor, more tears springing to his eyes. Dareth was silent.
He was fine.
Echo wasn't.
"Zane! There you are!"
The titanium droid looked up at the shout, just in time to be tackled by a blue blur. The force almost knocked him right into Dareth, who was able to scramble away just in time, and a pair of arms wrapped around his torso and squeezed.
"I'm sorry." Jay blurted, face mostly buried in Zane's shoulder, who was startled to find that part of his white hoodie starting to dampen, "I'm so, so, so sorry, Zane, this is all my fault-"
"Jay." said Zane, voice quiet, arms snaking around his brother to return the hug, although not as tight, "I do not blame you."
"But it's my fault Echo got captured." Jay groaned, "I'm the one that lost him! And now he's been taken captive and tortured and god, Zane, he could be dead-"
"You're right." Zane cut him off, pulling Jay away to look him in the face, hands on his shoulders, both their cheeks stained with tears, "You're right, you are the one that lost Echo. He could be dead. But it was Basilisk that took him." he reached down, grasping Jay's hand in his own, "And it is Basilisk who shall pay."
Jay looked down, unconvinced. He sniffed, wiping away his tears with his free hand. "I'm still sorry."
"Maybe." Zane sighed, "But we'll make sure they're sorry too."
The blue ninja sniffed again, sending him a watery smile that Zane was quick to return. Behind them, Dareth awkwardly cleared his throat.
"Well, ah, what're we gonna do about it, then?" he asked, "I mean, no way we're just going to sit around moping, am I right?"
"You know what, Dareth?" said Zane, standing, pulling Jay up with him, "You're right. Where are the others?"
"Sensei Wu was talking to the commissioner." Jay explained, wiping the last of his tears away, "Cole and I split up to look for you."
"Let's get back to the hospital," Zane said, starting to lead the way down the hall, "Call Seamus, too."
They were gone.
The one in blue had seemingly vanished. The girl had been taken down fighting, and she kicked and clawed and yelled even as she was dragged away. He, however, was left, useless, a pile of junk, on the stairs, desperately yelling for them to leave her alone. A pirate gave him a harsh kick to the forehead as he passed.
He dragged himself up the rest of the stairs, painfully slowly, Gizmo bringing up his fallen parts one by one so he could repair him, an invisible stone tangled in his circuits.
Echo-Zane pulled himself up onto the table, Gizmo hopping up onto a chair to be level with him, pulling out various different tools. He'd repaired the rusty droid enough to have no need for blueprints anymore.
He laid still for at least an hour, probably more, shifting ony slightly ever now and then, allowing the smaller bot to do his work. After what seemed to be an age, Gizmo pulled back, and Echo-Zane slowly clambered off the table, flexing and twisting to make sure everything was in working order.
There was a quiet creak, and his head snapped towards the window, fogged yellow eyes widening when they met with the blue newcomer's, who smiled at him, gestured for him to follow.
Breaking into a faceplate splitting grin, Echo-Zane saluted, the stone that had been stuck in his circuits for the past couple hours magically vanishing.
He came back.
"- Echo!"
He gasped, eyes snapping open, pain vibrating through his entire body and momentarily blinding him. He choked, trying to breathe, gasping and panting, heart ticking, and dear god it hurt.
Hands, trembling, scrambling and tugging away snapped wires and shattered gears, flicking a broken switch. The pain ebbed away, slowly, until it was a dull agony that settled in his exoskeleton. The ticking remained.
A groan vibrated from his throat, one he immediately regretted as a terrible stab of pain erupted just above his left eye, tearing through his chest and up his throat. If he'd had the ability to, he was certain he would have thrown up by now.
Something was shoved to his lips, and a thick, cool liquid was poured down his throat. He drank greedily, the familiar taste of oil on his tongue, but the cup was taken away before he could have his fill.
A whimper passed his lips, and he forced his eyes to open, every breath he took sending pain up his entire body.
"Easy." said Kaze, kneeling next to him. At the back of his mind, Echo realized that he looked worse than usual. He was paler, the bags under his eyes more pronounced, as though he'd been recently sick. He was shaking, although relief danced in his tiered eyes. "It's okay."
The urge to cry built up at the back of Echo's throat, but he held it back, knowing that it would only make the pan worse. An odd noise escaped his throat, a mix between a whimper, a groan and a suppressed sob, sending a jolt of agony up his body.
"I-I-I," Echo gasped, oil that had spilled from his mouth trailing down his chin and cheeks, some reaching his ears. Everything hurt. "I-I wa-wan' 'a-ane."
"What?" asked Kaze, leaning closer, "What did you say?"
A sob shook Echo's body, quickly followed by a pained cry as agony flared, "Z-Z-uhne!"
"Hey, uh, i-it's okay." Kaze stuttered, his hands hesitantly hovering over the broken droid, "I, oh god, uh..."
"Wow. So it is true."
The ghost, the one from before, appeared on the edge of Echo's vision. His face was one of surprise, hands clasped behind his back, looking from the broken droid to the kneeling man next to him.
"What do you want, Clouse?" Kaze snapped, his glare boring holes into the ghost's head, "Here to mock us again?"
Clouse laughed. "No, no, I just came to see if the rumours were true. You really did repair him."
Kaze's jaw clenched, his glare hardening. "I did what I could. No thanks to you."
Another sob shook Echo's body, and he cried out again, clenching his eyes shut. "'A-'Ane!"
"Is he... crying?"
"Of course he's crying!" Kaze snapped, "You tore him a-fucking-part! Look at him! He's barely functioning!"
For a long moment, there was silence, broken only by Echo's ragged breaths, ticking heart and quiet whimpers. A comforting hand rested on his forehead.
"I'm surprised you care about him."
"That's none of your business."
"Maybe not." a pause. "It's like a child."
"He." Kaze corrected sharply, "And he is."
Silence again. Echo let out a quiet cry.
Sighing. "Here. Perhaps it will make it feel better."
"What is it?"
"Something that could possible help. Now are you going to take it or not?"
"You don't."
A pause. Kaze took something.
"Why are you helping?"
"Certainly not for you. Although, I suppose it's nice to spite your leader every now and again." Footsteps, moving away. A heavy door opened, and then closed, quickly followed by the quiet click of a lock.
Kaze broke the silence. "I hate that guy."
Echo forced his eyes open, cracking a small smile. Through blurry vision, he saw Kaze kneeling next to him, frowning at a vial in his hands. Then he looked at Echo, hesitantly, who grimaced as another jolt of agony rippled through him.
Kaze sighed. "Okay." He reached out, fingers curling around the vial's cork, and for a moment, he just stared at it, face uncertain. Then he twisted it, popping it open. Purple steam floated out the top.
He looked down at Echo, then at the vial. He took a deep breath. "Okay. I guess we're doing this."
Slowly, gently, he lifted Echo's head, who whimpered as pain shot up his neck. Muttering an apology, Kaze lifted the vial to Echo's lips, but not close enough for him to drink.
"Are you... sure you should drink this?" asked Kaze. Echo looked from the vial to Kaze, taking a deep, ragged breath, wincing as his chest spiked.
"I trus' you." he muttered, ticking quieting ever so slightly. Kaze's eyes widened, mouth opening. After a second, he snapped it shut, looking down at the vial hesitantly.
"Alright." he was starting to shake again, "Alright."
The vial was placed to Echo's lips. Kaze locked eyes with Echo, biting his lip, and then poured the contents down the broken droid's throat.
It was cool, and tasted like milk. Within moments, the vial was emptied, and Kaze sat it aside. A tense silence descended upon the room.
"How... do you feel?" Kaze asked. Echo gave a small cough, wincing.
"I-I think I'm o-" his eyes rolled into the back of his head, body slumping, and the last thing he saw was Kaze's eyes widening in horror.
The ticking went silent.
Fun fact! Officer Conner was named after the cop LEGO figurine in the Ninjago Prison Set I got for my birthday.
Anyhow, Echo's finally properly woke up! Although the flashbacks will continue, but not all of them will be about Echo *wink wink.* Zane and the rest of the non-injured Ninja are on the move, and Kai is still bedridden, but he should be waking up in the next chapter or so.
What did Clouse give Echo? What does Zane have in mind? What will happen to Kai? Who is Basilisk and the White Women? Who is Kaze and Carrot? How is Soren bringing back the dead? How does Carrot remember Skybound? How did he find Nadakhan's teapot? Who is the violet-eyed women he's kept in contact with? Who else has Soren brought back? Is someone going to die?
Let me know your theories in the reviews!