CHAPTER 6
Once the distance was appropriate in the quiet of the hospital, Cole greeted Kai.
"Kai! How is Skylor?" Kai waited until the group was right outside her room to answer.
"I'm not sure. All the information I got was how ridiculous it was that I was asleep next to her. After that, I was shooed out here. As far as the injury is concerned, they said that she seems fine, but I think... they gave her some medicine to sleep before running any of the more significant tests? I also don't know how bad that cut was on her leg. It was bleeding like crazy. I'm not exactly sure what they were doing as they buzzed around. Nya would have known, but I am far from the best nurse out of everyone. One of the first nurses to receive us here mentioned something about her exhausting physical energy as she summoned so much of Griffin's. Just now, she was asleep like they wanted, and I know I fell asleep too, honestly, but then she was awake and heaving over and over. I've never seen anyone act like that."
Some thought flickered in the back of Cole's mind, but he was unable to nab it as Lloyd shuddered.
"But she...hey, where's Nya?" Kai asked Jay, knowing that the two were never voluntarily separated.
"She stayed behind to help the fire crews and sent us ahead. She thought that she would be more helpful there than waiting on Skylor, especially when there are five of us here now. You know how she is. Hates to leave anything unfinished." He grinned a quirky smile at the thought of Nya, seemingly calmed down since whatever incident had occurred prior to them reaching Kai. The Master of Fire numbly nodded in agreement. About that time, a nurse appeared at his side.
"Excuse me sir, that is, Mr. Smith, that is, uhm, I apologize, I am not sure exactly what to call you?" the young lady stammered. Despite being exhausted, Kai found humor in the situation. So many different responses to him and his family. Seeking to calm her, he answered gently.
"Kai is fine, miss. It is certainly better than some of the other names that I have been called."
"Ah yes, of course." Straightening up now, she continued, although still a bit timidly. "Doctor Emilie is with Skylor now; we apologize for the wait in taking care of you beyond induction care. If you'll follow me, please." Kai nodded and gave a small wave to his team, who took it as a good time to excuse themselves and turn back in the direction of the waiting area. Entering the room for the third time that night, he was struck by just how exhausted Skylor looked in the hospital bed with the doctor by her side.
"Hello Mr. Smith, I apologize once again as I am sure my colleague has already for the wait that you and your girlfriend had to endure this evening. I feel terrible that two of our cities' heroes had to wait for service in our hospital." She continued, "We were able to run several tests while Skylor rested, and it appears to me that Ms. Shaanti suffered a vasovagal syncope this evening, which led to her loss of consciousness. We are slightly worried about concussion and did treat a cut that she received from that piece of debris you mentioned, Mr. Smith. It took a bit, and we are hopeful we got all the shards out, but please keep an eye on it for infection. There are also several stitches along her leg that will probably leave some minor scarring. She shouldn't put any pressure on it for a while to not stretch the sutures. She might be foggy for a bit because of some of the medication she is on." Kai could have realized that without Dr. Emilie pointing it out. His girlfriend was staring at her hands like they were purple. Maybe they were in her mind.
The doctor continued, "Her blood pressure and oxygen levels are back to normal, so if she so desires, Skylor can be released even yet tonight." Speaking for the first time since waking up, Skylor injected,
"Oh, believe me, she so desires." Kai tiredly grinned. Her humor was intact at least.
"I also wanted to apologize if you were incorrectly addressed at any point while you were here, Skylor. Not everyone saw the notes in your files that you go by Skylor Shaanti now and have formally changed your last name." The doctor took a pause, and Kai noticed a slight change in Skylor's expression. She was touched that at least one person noticed the change. Dr. Emilie then continued.
"I understand wanting to escape your past in a name. I am aware of the trauma you must have received from it as well. In any case, that is all I have to say. I will allow Nurse Makayla to take care of those exiting procedures for you; I hope all of you have as enjoyable of an evening as possible." Doctor Emilie bowed once to the couple and then exited the room. The same young nurse from prior stepped forward from where she had been observing the interactions and instructed them on leaving procedures. She assured them that it would not take long and that they could soon be on their way. Kai was relieved. With travel, he and Skylor had been awake nearly 24 hours straight- tonight's events certainly did not help. He was so ready for the quiet of the monastery.
Several blocks away, the fire crew stood staring at the piece of paper that had just been uncovered. Nya held it gently in her latex-covered hands, trying to keep it as intact and unmarred as possible. It was irreplaceable evidence in what was now a very undeniable case of arson.
"Jaul, can you run to the rig again and grab a plastic bag? Then someone called the Commissioner back to the scene. He's going to want to see this." Nya was scanning the message again, and her eyes narrowed as the full weight of the words settled in her mind. Faces began to flash through her mind as the letter was taken and carefully placed in a bag Greg had produced. Misako, Ed, Edna, Lou, Vania, Ronin, Dareth, Scott, The Police Commissioner, P.I.X.A.L's father, Griffin, Karloff, her parents…. The list kept going and going. All those people would have to be warned. All those people who would need protection. A villain that would need to be defeated. It made her head spin, and she tried not to be overwhelmed as the list in her head of things she needed to do filed before her eyes.
Clenching her fists, she came back to reality as her ring pinched her skin. While Jay had gotten her a traditional engagement ring in addition to the beautifully carved symbolic medallion, she currently wore a rubber-style ring that was much better for everyday life. Jay had understood and even suggested it when she mentioned how scared she was of something happening to the actual ring. They both knew this was their life, and the simple ring reminded her of that. Now there was nothing to do but fight again. She needed to leave. She needed to go and go now. Turning to the Fire Chief, she opened her mouth but didn't get the words out before he spoke.
"Go. I know you have things to do. We're done here anyway, and we will make sure that the Police Chief gets the evidence. Find your team." Nya nodded firmly to him, then quickly hugged the older man, who recoiled for a second, then stiffly patted her back.
"Kick their butt, Master of Water." With that, he stepped back, bowed, and started towards the rest of his crew gathered at the truck. Nya took a deep breath, calmed her mind and her element, and summoned her dragon which burst into creation. The beast shot into the sky without any characteristic flips or water sprays. Tonight, the Water Dragon was a tight form with longer horns and claws than normal. Most of the public who glanced up to see a dragon scream overhead wondered who had ticked off the elemental master. But several sets of eyes glanced up from the sky with subtle smiles as the dragon flew overhead. They had smelled the smoke and seen the news reports, but the departure of the Water Ninja from the direction of the fire was additional great news. A phone rang on a deserted street corner, and a female voice answered tersely.
"Yes, Alaric, I'm far away now. Don't worry about it, okay? Everything is under control. The ninja got the message, I just saw the water lizard fly overhead; I guess the girl was the one who stayed on the fire. Now our fun can really begin."
CHAPTER 7
Shortly after Skylor had been checked out of the hospital, Kai helped her hop to the elevator that would take them to the helipad on top of the building. Saving the city multiple times gained you a few special opportunities. Besides, Skylor was in no shape to climb the rope ladders to Bounty. Cole had herded the rest of the ninjas out of the hospital the traditional way and picked up the Bounty from where it was anchored across the street. He also made a mental note to ask the commissioner about permissions with that. There had been an awful lot of parking for the massive flying ship without expressed permission recently. Calling to the team, Lloyd ordered Zane to steer and Jay to power. He rolled up the ladder and raised the anchor from the street, then guided Zane around the lower obstacles on the buildings as the ship rose to the helipad on the hospital.
On said helipad, Kai and Skylor stood with an older security guard who had accompanied Kai and Skylor to the top of the building just to make sure nothing crazy went down. The man shuffled his feet and cleared his throat as the wind swirled around the roof.
"You know. I owe you a "thank you" from several years ago. I guess I never thought I would get to make it, so I kind of forgot about it until you all appeared in the hospital tonight. Of course, my apology really needs to go to the only one of you who wasn't here tonight." Kai turned to the man with a curious expression on his face. Nya? The ninjas received many gifts and donations in gratitude, but it was often people their own age or younger that screamed adorations at them. This was new.
"My daughter lives in Stixx." Something in Kai's mind clicked. Ahh. Now things were lining up.
"In fact, we both did when she was growing up, but I moved to the city for work when she got married. I had spent my whole life in that little village on the water. I wanted to make a change somewhere different. I guess it's kind of sad that this is the farthest I have gotten." The man sighed and then continued.
"Anyways, when all that nonsense with Morro was going on, her twins were pretty little, and I had just visited and met them for the first time earlier that year. She called me scared out of her mind, yelling something about a boat and her husband having one of the twins and thinking he was on a boat but... I had never felt so powerless in my life. I couldn't even protect my own daughter." He swiped at his eyes.
"I was a mess at work; the rest of the men just let me sit at the television all day, took my own patrols and everything. They knew my family was in that blasted city. Then your sister and your team showed up. I owe the lives of my daughter, my son-in-law, and my twin grandsons to her. And I just wanted to tell you that. I don't know if I'll ever get to see you again." Moved by the man's emotion, Kai reached out his free hand for a shake. He had snaked an arm around his girlfriend's waist, and she lightly leaned on him, not registering the conversation, resulting in only one free hand for Kai.
"I'm Kai Smith, sir. It's nice to meet you. Thank you for telling me about your daughter and grandsons. It means a lot to us to hear from the people we love. The people we protect." The guard shook the offered hand.
"I'm Troy. Troy Framer. It was nice to meet you, Kai. I think I'll head back down now. I trust you guys more than I trust myself. I only follow orders. I hope she feels better soon." nodding to Skylor, who was now fully drifting off as she leaned against Kai.
Although, of course, Skylor Shannti didn't need his help. At least that is what she had claimed earlier, but she didn't argue as one wiggly step toward the lowering ramp of the Bounty was noticed by "The Overprotective Kai" TM, and she was being carried across the ramp to the Bounty and right down to the bunk room, where he deposited his now irritated girlfriend on his bed. Zane was holding the ship steady for Skylor's boarding, then waited until Cole and Jay pulled the ramp off the Helipad. Satisfied the ninja had everything under control, Lloyd waved to the guard that stood at the top of the double doors back into the building as watched Cole and Jay secure the ramp in place on the deck and locked in the removable section of railing.
No one was ever going to fall off the Bounty again if they had anything to say about it. Zane gently steered away from the buildings and gained elevation quickly to both muffle the sound and the wind that the ship's giant dual engines created. There was enough disturbance in this area of the city for one week, let alone one night. He set a gentle course that would mean arrival at the Monastery in about forty minutes once they cleared the city limits. There was no reason to push the engines again. In fact, he was probably going to have to dive into the ship's mechanics later. He was slightly worried they had burned out some connections on their fast arrival. Slower was much safer.
Below deck, an irritated Master of Amber glared at Kai.
"I told you I could walk. Next thing you know, there will be headlines detailing how I had to be carried out of the hospital following the deserved collapse of the restaurant. You know there are still people who come in ticked off and believing that I run a business from my father's criminal funding?" Kai just rolled down the sheets on his bed, set her down, and wordlessly began to unlace her sneakers as she rambled on.
"...these people don't even know me; they just stroll in bent on ruining everything associated with the Chen name because of my father's past and the things I have legally distanced myself from. I have a court order, you know that..." Kai listened in but knew she wouldn't remember anything she was saying by the time she woke up. Her mind was just running on a faulty autopilot, and she had completely exhausted her elemental core. That took a lot out of any of them.
The chatterbox Jay became less emotional and silent, Cole wouldn't eat anything and would become incredibly dizzy, Lloyd shut down and slept for days, Nya would become so stiff she could hardly move, her joints and muscles absent of their normal flex and strength.
Personally, Kai would hate the feeling of water. He hated feeling powerless anyways, so when he had exhausted his core, the feeling doubled. If he was ever submerged in water after his core was exhausted, he fought off panic attacks, which is only something he had ever admitted to Nya. Once after his core was exhausted fighting on the Island, Nya found him wrapped in a towel and shaking violently outside of the shower, unable to put himself under the water's stream. She had wordlessly understood and wet a washcloth, which she toweled him down with. He had certainly done it enough times when she was little. As his sister helped him, he started talking, and she let him get everything off his chest.
Each member of the team fought their own demons, and each dealt with them in different ways. But a family never had to fight alone, and that was what had gotten the ninja through the hardest times in their lives.
But this was the first time he had ever seen Skylor's core exhausted, and apparently, her normal stoic attitude disappeared into a rambling outburst of all of the things she normally kept inside. Currently, she was voicing her opinions on the new dessert wheel that was coming in next week. He guessed it wasn't registering that not even the original existed anymore, and the second wouldn't be installed as she had planned out months ago.
"I don't know why I ever listened to Cole. It's hard enough cleaning one wheel at the end of the night; how am I going to split staff to clean another? And it isn't going to be easy making sure both wheels are stocked. You had better keep him far away from it until I have trustworthy distributors..." At that, Kai chuckled and leaned down to kiss her on the forehead.
"He wants to come opening night for it and sit at the first table the wheel touches." Tired and somewhat drugged, horror spread across Skylor's face, to which Kai quickly ended his joke. "I'm kidding, Sky. He won't come anywhere near it. I'll tie him to the mast of the Bounty and force-feed him kale and spinach if he does." At that, she tried to smile, but sleep was winning the fight over her consciousness, and her words slurred as her head hit the pillow. The rocking of a flying ship and hospital drugs were a special combination.
"Thass a good idea; make sure Jay has Pixx's camer.." Annnnddd, she's out. Kai thought satisfactorily as he rolled the comforter back over her sleeping form and set her shoes by the bunk ladder as he snuck out into the hallway and made his way up the deck. The whole incident had brought back memories of tucking Nya in when they were kids. They had been alone since they were 7 and 9, so he had learned a few tricks over the years. It was rough, sure, but Kai wouldn't trade the bond or the time for anything in all Ninjago. Plus, it had resulted in some fun fires.
Even before finding out his elemental heritage, Kai always enjoyed the fire in the blacksmith shop- and wielding it as a weapon. People were dangerous when they thought a house might be empty. Speaking of which... he held up a hand and summoned a bit of flicker for light as he walked. The element danced off of the weapons and pictures that lined the hall of the ship and cast a slightly eerie glow on the ceiling and floor. A floorboard creaked, and Kai wheeled around as both hands fully burst into flames. A startled Jay whisper-yelled in one breath,
"No, Kai, it's me, your brother who really doesn't want to get burnt to a -!"
"Geez, Jay! A little warning next time would be great! I could have hurt you!" The flames were quickly extinguished, and the hallway grew dark once more.
"I was just coming down to grab something from the kitchen. You want anything?"
"Is sleep on the menu?"
"Not this menu buddy. Why don't you go take a powernap?"
"Can't." came a quick reply. "Sky's in my bed."
"Take Zane's bed. He's driving and was ready to go for his patrol anyways. He's awake for the day." Oh yeah. The day. It's going to be morning now soon, even though it feels like midnight. Kai sighed.
"Nah, I can't mess up his perfectly folded sheets. I'll head for the couch in the meeting room. Besides, I'm still all sooty. I'll just stain them, and we both know that won't be good. Speaking of which, is the washer on board fixed yet?"
"I don't know. P.I.X was fooling with it when the fire came in."
"P.I.X?" Kai questioned. "Why not you? Riddle me this, Jay, how is it that we've been a team with a lightning ninja who was raised in a junkyard for almost nine years, and yet all of our appliances that run on electricity are always broken?"
Choosing the route of sarcasm, the mentioned Lightning Ninja responded. "Well, this time it was because Lloyd left two throwing knives in his chest sleeve. That doesn't play with the inside of the washer nicely, no matter how much you ask. So, take this one up with the green bean. And don't sleep on the couch, Kai. Take my bed. I'm up for the day too. And yes, before you ask, the sheets are clean and-" noticing a look from Kai- "GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER! "
"Just kidding, Jay. That couch is comfortable anyways. And you have the next patrol with Cole at midday. Master Wu said to take the Bounty last night, and you both will definitely take powernaps. I'm not going to make your bed filthy with soot. About the washer-" He shrugged, then continued.
"Whatever. As long as it doesn't have to come out of the bills, whatever. Could you tell the guys that Skylor is asleep, and I hope to join her as soon as I get out of this gi?" The pair reached the end of the hall, and the stairs and light finally reached their features.
"I could so easily make a joke right now." Glare incoming: target Blue Ninja. Switching tones quickly and genuinely, Jay continued.
"But I'm not going to. It feels wrong, even before your glare. The truth is, we're all worried about her. Skylor's one of the strong ones. The girls always are. I mean, we're messes. Emotionally, physically, mathematically..."
"I get it, Jay. I'm going to check on her one more time; then I really am going to go to sleep. Will you apologize to Zane for me?"
Jay shot a quizzical look in Kai's direction, not unlaced with a touch of nervous energy.
"Whyyyyyy exactly?"
"Because there's going to be a lot of soot on the floor of the laundry room once this gi comes off."
"AHHHHI've heard enough. Leaving now! Don't start stripping!" With that, Jay slapped his hands over his eyes and took off up the stairs. And almost immediately fell flat on his face.
"I'M fInE!" he called as he dashed the rest of the way up the stairs. Despite the cheesiness of Jay's actions, Kai appreciated that he was trying to cheer him up. Jay was many things and pressed many buttons, and tested many nerves, but he was also a great guy to have around when you needed him. He felt a rush of gratitude towards his brothers. Each was critical in helping Skylor tonight. With that final thought, he turned back toward the bottom of the ship and headed for the team bunk room to check on Skylor one more time as he had told Jay he would.
A few quick steps into the room confirmed his suspicion. Skylor was still sound asleep, and he leaned down to pick up and kiss the hand that had fallen off the bed. She shifted in sleep, and he laid the hand down beside her. She shifted again and snuggled closer into his pillow. That action cemented a promise in Kai's mind, which he spoke aloud at a barely audible level.
"I'm going to find out why this happened Sky. I promise."
Jay returned to the bridge just as Cole and Zane finished setting up the cruise controls that would carry them back to the monastery without obstacle. They were now seated across from each other at a square table opposite the main scanner, which showed any threat or obstacle that might pop up in their path.
"Jay! We just finished up our round from earlier today. Lloyd has returned below deck for some housekeeping matter. Would you like to play in the next one?" Zane asked politely.
"Aww man! Are you guys playing poker again? I hate that game, it's no fun!" he whined as he flopped on one of the unoccupied and cushioned benches in between the two ninjas.
"Do you mean it's no fun because you are no good at it, or because you can't easily cheat at it?" Cole asked Jay. "Because we both happen to enjoy it a lot. It's a real card game, Jay. With odds and risk and logic. And it takes a lot longer than your games. We definitely won't finish this round by the time we get back."
A scoff came from below the tabletop. "Are you implying that GoFish and UNO are not real card games? Nya and I could whip your butt at UNO."
Cole and Zane shared a knowing look, then the nindroid spoke again.
"You are welcome to play, Jay. We do, however, completely understand if your reluctance to play is due to your recorded struggles with this pastime." Two eyes, one slashed eyebrow, freckles, and a brown curly mop of hair appeared at the edge of the table, staring at his brothers. The tabletop muttered, "What struggles, Zane?"
Another plotting look was shared. "Simply your unique ability to lose almost a dozen games of poker in a row to either myself, Cole, or Lloyd." Jay internally cursed. Stinking Lloyd. That game wasn't even fair. How on earth did the youngest one of them all somehow happen to have the best casino hands of them all. The bean probably snuck around Ninjago's casinos, stealing and playing the innocent card when he was a little brat. Figures.
"Alright, that's it you tin can!" He playfully announced the challenge. "I am willing to bet one week of courtyard cleaning duty that I will beat you this round! Round 13 will be my finest hour!" Cole waggled his eyebrows. "What about if you beat both me and Zane? We each take a week for you. But- if you lose to use both, you have to take both of our next weeks." Jay considered the offer, then looked at Zane. "Do I want to know my statistics? I know you have them pulled up in there."
Zane shot him a withering look, then shook his head. "I do not think that would be wise for your decision-making." A final huff came from under the table, then the rest of the Master of Lightning's torso appeared.
"Bring it on! The finest hour of Jay Walker approaches!" Zane just chuckled and shuffled the cards.
An exhausted Nya caught only the last statement and laughed as she approached. She stood behind Jay and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Your finest hour will always be Prime Empire, babe. No card game will top that." Jay smirked in agreement and leaned back into her.
"You guys are really screwed now. I've got back up!" Cole looked up at Nya.
"Welcome back. I didn't even hear your dragon land. But - you do realize we're playing poker, right?" A certain look crossed her face, and she squeezed on the bench next to Zane.
"What's up Tinman? Have I mentioned you're my favorite brother nindriod recently?" She joked as she laid her head on his shoulder.
"While I appreciate your sentiment Nya, I have to remind you that I am the only nindroid who could be a brother on this ship. Therefore, I must be your favorite by default. You are my favorite sister as well, considering that the only other females on the team are Kai's girlfriend, who isn't an active part of the team, P.I.X.A.L, who is my partner, and Misako, who is much too old to be considered a sister to me."
"Can't argue with a nindriod!" dual voices chirped from the other side of the table.
"But anyways, Nya, were you done at the scene? What was the final report?" A grimace crossed her face, and she sighed as a partial answer to Cole's inquiry.
"We need to get back to the Monastery and talk to Wu. We've got another maniac on the loose."