Soon we're all on review. General Cryptor, our brave leader, stalks down the line, telling us our mission.

"Keep your eyes out for ninja," he booms in his deep, echoing voice. "The Overlord says they are sure to be coming."

So we really are going to see action now. I stand up straight and try not to daydream; I have to be ready, and tough, and strong, and . . .

General Cryptor has stopped right in front of me.

"Look at you," he booms gruffly, sounding amused. "Last one off the factory line. Ran out of metal, hmm?"

I nod a little, trying to look convincingly tough, but he only chuckles and pats me on the head.

"I will call you 'Mindroid'," he announces, and my heart—or whatever I have in place of one—sinks straight down to the bottom of the tower. There's a strange warmth in my face—I think my processors are overheating. It feels awful.

I probably shouldn't. It's probably against the rules. But I suddenly get so mad, I can't help but stand right up straight and tell General Cryptor just what I think of that nickname—and it doesn't matter anyway, because I sound like a broken car alarm and everyone bursts out laughing. As we turn and move out to our guard stations, I can hear the others' laughter still rattling behind me and feel my face burning.

Oh, they'll see. So what if I'm small? I'm—I'm just as good as them! I'll prove it! They'll be sorry they laughed then. When I become the greatest Nindroid hero ever, they'll all be scrambling to say that they believed in me all along, and I'll just say—

I'll just squeak like a little idiot. Oh . . . what's the use?

I'm not about to tag along with the others like a little kid, so I wander around the outskirts of the balcony, peering up and down and all around, keeping a sharp eye out for the ninja and muttering angrily to myself in little warbles. The storm is loud enough that maybe nobody will hear me.

. . . But there is something that I hear. Some of the other Nindroids are nearby, talking together, but I can hear another sound mixed in with the crack of lightning and roar of thunder. Voices. Human ones.

I turn around and listen closer. The voices seem to be coming from inside the tower, in the room where the substation core is kept! But nobody's supposed to be there. It must be—

Oh no. I feel my one eye fly open wide. How did they get in without us noticing?! We have to act fast! Without even thinking, I whip out my sword and brandish it, ready to fight.

One of the other Nindroids hears the swish of metal and whirls around. He understands at once.

"Ninja!"

We fall into line and circle around to the door of the power room. I'm at the front. I'm actually leading the line into battle against the ninja! Me! Wow.

General Cryptor comes stalking up to see what the fuss is, and everyone else snaps back into a respectful row, as if they were on review. But I'm the one who found the ninja, so I'm the one who's gotta tell General Cryptor! I'm so excited, I don't even care that I'm making a fool of myself, pointing at the door and whistling and burbling a mile a minute. They're in there! They're in there! Don't you get it? We've gotta—

General Cryptor just shoves me aside roughly, and the floor hurts more than it should.

"Knock, Knock," he booms sarcastically, preparing to bash the door in. Meanwhile, all I can do is stumble to my feet, hot with rage. It was me who found the ninja. And it's about time I got due freakin' credit.

Suddenly there's a metallic clang just inches away from me. I whirl around, and there's that traitor: PIXAL.

All of us Nindroids roar with fury—she has a lot of nerve, showing her face here now! What is she trying to do, help those filthy ninja again? General Cryptor fires a beam of energy at her, but she dodges the ensuing fireball. I have to dodge too, because I'm so close to her—but I can already hear alarms going off inside the building, triggered by the ruckus. Blast it! The ninja will know we're onto them now!

Everyone charges for PIXAL. I jump aside so as not to get trampled, but while I'm trying to fight my way to the front and get her, I notice the door to the power room suddenly sliding open. Wha—why would the ninja—?

No time to ask questions. Time to show them what I can do! I lunge for the open doorway—and nearly get bowled over by a taller white form, darting out of the door. Startled, I stumble and more or less fall on my face through the open doorway, hearing it slam behind me.

I'm inside! I sit up and look around, momentarily puzzled, then spring to my feet and grab my sword. They're here, I'm here. Just me. My secret dream is actually coming true, and I'm ready to fight.

"Aww, great!" groans one of them, his voice strange and malformed like all organics'. "Now they come in Fun Size!"

Ohhhhh, that does it.

I can hear a lot of fighting going on outside. The white form must have been one of the ninja fleeing. Well nevermind him, I'm going to take down these three and the girl, all by myself. I'm not scared—I was built to do this! Seizing my sword, I begin to whirl around, swinging the deadly blade in wide arcs, forcing the ninja to back up against the clear barrier protecting the power core.

"Hack it with the Techno Blade!" shouts the one in the red suit. One of his friends tries, but I just whack aside the twirling nanchuks with my sword, no problem. Ha! Take that!

"I'm trying!" protests the nanchuk-wielder, and his annoyance is the best thing I've heard in my life. "Gotta hand it to the little runt—he doesn't know when to quit!"

I freeze. That's the one word that no Nindroid will ever tolerate.

"QUIT?"

The ninja stare at me for a moment. Heck, I'm a little surprised too. I spoke! I really truly spoke, for the first time ever! Maybe something got rearranged when General Cryptor pushed me, or when I fell through the door . . . ?

But this is not the time to get excited. I fire off a bolt of energy from my bionic eye, ready to destroy this ninja for daring to tell me to quit.

He dodges. They always do, the scum. Instead, my energy beam strikes the barrier protecting the core. That . . . may not have been a good idea . . .

Without warning, the red one suddenly jumps in to replace his friend.

"Hey, half-pint!" he calls mockingly. "Over here!"

Yeah, maybe not very smart of me, but I fire again. Right now, I'm too angry to think of anything but destroying these ninja—and I will destroy them. I will. There's a sudden commotion behind me, and I hear a swarm of other Nindroids charging into the room. They must have opened the door!

No. No, they will not take this moment away from me. I might never get another chance like this!

I keep firing, but now all the others are attacking too. The ninja leap back and forth, bouncing around each other and shifting rapidly from place to place, dodging streams of laser fire.

Well, they can't dodge forever. If this keeps up, I really am going to lose my moment. This could be my last chance, my last chance to prove myself. I can't lose it.

So I leap. I spring right from the front of the battle line, and aim a kick straight at the blue ninja's head. This is it . . . my big chance . . .

He dodges.

The world seems to fall out from around me. I hear a smashing sound, and feel my body strike a barrier and pass through. I turn, ready to keep fighting . . .

And then I realize I'm standing inside the core. I must have crashed through the weakened protective barrier around it, because now the beam of unimaginable energy that keeps all of Ninjago running is shining down on me like a searing blue spotlight.

It hurts. It hurts. It hurts so much. It's lifting me, tearing me, spinning me around, ripping me apart, pouring more energy into me than even a city could ever use. I can't . . . I can't take this . . .

I almost scream. Almost. But suddenly, everything seems to stop. My body hangs suspended in the beam of energy, my eye flies open wide, and I see the other Nindroids staring at me in horror. They won't see me be weak. Never. I swallow hard and stutter out a strangled "Uh-oh"—and then my body is blown to atoms.