Hey everyone, happy Friday, time for an update. And I even have an epic soundtrack for a specific part. Type up the link, watch?v=VedUXUoCY8o and when you see the mark, *, enjoy.
Chapter 17: The Chase
Luscious green fields filled acres of the campus ground. The warm autumn sun shined across the vintage, ivy-covered buildings. Students walked in and out of the buildings to make haste to their next lecture across the campus. But also in the distance was the sound of thunder of rain approaching. Looks like a normal day in college.
Cole averted his gaze around nervously with the hood of his black hoodie over his head to hide his identity. The news of him turning into the Hulk has spread throughout Ninjago like wildfire and from a news update has also framed him as a fugitive with his family. He had no doubt that Betty's father has him called, but he didn't want his family included as wanted criminals when they're the heroes against evil in Ninjago. What was his father even gonna think about his only son as the monster in the streets? What was he gonna do? What were they gonna do now?
"Hey it's alright." Betty's voice rang. Cole looked away to stare at the girl walking beside him as the two walk together to the biology department of the campus. So far they made it without any awareness of Cole's identity, but both know they'll make the plan complete. "My father wouldn't hear wind of your whereabouts and we'll be able to send Sterns the research. Just relax."
Cole sighed with a small smile. "I know I should, but I'm paranoid." he said. He kept looking over his shoulders has he had a suspicious feeling. "I mean I'm out in the open and people are bound to recognize me soon. I'm a wanted criminal now because of your father. I need to hear from the others if they had anything." He carefully pulled his hood back a little and reached up to press the black earpiece that was a communications device that Jay and Nya built to be able to reach each other in separate locations. The Ninja were instructed to follow the two undercover in case anything happened. "Report. Have you guys seen anything?" he asked.
...
Zane heard the earth ninja's request and looked up from playing a chess game with Nya and carefully shifted his eyes around with the samurai. Nothing suspicious yet. The ice ninja reached into the pockets of his sweatshirt to pull out his white earpiece and placed it next to his ear like it was a phone. "Nothing over by mine and Nya's location." he informed them. "We'll report if anything happens." and stowed his earpiece away and turned back to his game to blink in surprise to the chess pieces from Nya's side.
"Checkmate." the samurai smirked and crossed her arms over her red coat. Zane was stunned by her moves and smirked back. Rematch.
...
Kai and Jay stood in front of a sign that listed all the names of professors of the building in front of them. They both pretended to be college students looking for their next class, only they weren't. The lightning ninja used the glass panel as a reflective surface to peer what was behind him and Kai and saw nothing. He looked at Kai and reached up to his earpiece with the fire ninja following. "Nothing from us too." the Ninja of Lightning said. "You are A-Okay, Cole." He then thought of something. "Hey I just thought of a funny catchphrase for you whenever you change. How about Hulk smash? It's a got a ring to it."
Kai glared at him and smacked him upside the head to roll his eyes. "But we'll inform you if something turns up." he said. "Laurie, anything from you three?"
...
Laurie looked from the notebook in her hands to turn her gaze around in search for trouble and saw nothing. She looked at Lucas, who was playing with a Frisbee disc with Lloyd, while her brother was acting like he was a visitor to see his sister and cousin as they were students in disguise. The water ninja caught her gaze and shook his head that he and Lloyd haven't seen anything or anyone suspicious. The wind ninja looked around cautiously and placed her hand to her earpiece and pressed the silvery miniature tornado symbol to signify her as the Ninja of Wind. "The boys and I haven't seen anything yet but..." she paused and squinted her icy blue eyes at something in the parking lot.
She watched a truck pull up and armed men filed out with Blolasky leading. She gasped as the Forces found them and quickly pressed her earpiece. "Cole, they're..." She stopped as her piece began to sound static and died. She tried again and couldn't do anything. She figured they cut their reception now and dropped her notebook to run to her brother and cousin. "Lloyd! Lucas!"
...
Cole listened carefully to the wind ninja's voice, but then heard static. He tried again but nothing came. He shrugged his shoulder because he suspected the upcoming storm was cutting their reception. He'll need to talk to Jay to see if he can update them to have stronger receptions. He looked at Betty to smile and took his earpiece off his left ear and stopped. "Betty," he said and took her hands to place the black earpiece in them. "In case anything happens, I want you to take this. This little device has a distress beacon to inform the others where you're at. If something happens to me or you. Use it."
Betty looked at the small black device in her hand to nod and slipped it into her black dress pants. She shuffled around and pulled out the clear flash-drive and handed it to Cole. The earth ninja looked at her confused. "I'll give you the honor to send the data then." she smiled to see him smile as well. She looked up and over his shoulders to have her eyes widen as she saw the Forces with Blolasky filing in. "Cole, I don't know how but they found us." she warned him. "Run! Run now!"
Cole's amber eyes grew wide to gasp and quickly turned to see the small group run towards him. He had no idea how they found him, but he knew he was in trouble. He looked around to see them closing and saw Blolasky leading them with a smirk. Without hesitating, the black ninja ripped his hood off to show them his identity and took off sprinting.
Blolasky growled. "Get him cornered!" he barked and took off after him. Two Humvee jeeps roared behind them and pushed their way through two parked cars to drive on the grass while students ran away. Blolasky felt his speed increase to chase the Hulk until he watched him turn a hard right to a building that he knew was the library and didn't follow him, but decided to go around catching him at the exit.
...
Betty stood petrified as the Forces chased after Cole into the library and shouted at them to stop. But no matter how much she tried, they ignored her. She watched students run away from the chase and grew worried. Her plan to be unseen failed. How? "Betty!" Zane cried out. The raven-haired girl turned her head to see the Ninja running up to her. She ran over to them to have them all running away. "We need to hide somewhere safe and think of a way to help Cole." the white ninja said. The girl nodded and followed after them.
...
Cole ran down the stone hallways in full sprint and could hear his watch beeping by his cardio run. He needed a place to rest and lower his heart rate. But that may be difficult since he's being chased. He looked over his shoulders to see the soldiers were far behind him and took a left to run down another hallway and then spotted a set of stairs. Perfect. he thought and ran up the stairs till he was on the fourth floor and ran down the rows of bookcases and quickly hid behind one to slump down to breathe for a break.
He pulled back his sleeve to see his watch with the heartbeat over a hundred and eighty beats per minute and took deep breaths rapidly and thought about his mountain like Lucas had taught him. He felt himself being calm and looked through the corner to see if anyone was following him or coming up the stairs and had an idea and pulled the flash-drive out. The black ninja looked at it to think that if he was captured, they would steal the data and he won't be cured. But his idea could prevent that from happening and ripped the lanyard off the device. He inhaled deep breaths and closed his eyes as he shoved it down his throat while ignoring the gag reflex of vomiting and swallowed and shuddered. He took deep breaths to calm down and heard soldiers coming closer and looked out of the corner. Now run! he commanded to himself and started to run away again.
Time was up.
"There he is!" a soldier shouted as he was in the lead and watched the Hulk run off. Cole gasped and exited the library with them behind. "Half of you take the third floor and go around to block him."
...
Inside an armorized truck, Ross watched from a monitor from a soldier's camera to catch a glimpse of the target running. Soon the Hulk will be captured and can't escape. "Sir," Haruko said to grab his attention. "Blolasky said he's cutting the target off by cornering him in the library and field."
The general smirked. He has him now. He reached up to a microphone and pressed a button. "Blolasky, wait." he ordered. "We got him."
...
Blolasky heard the command and stopped running in the open field outside the library. He looked over his shoulder to see his team running up to him and slowing down to breathe heavily as they finally stopped. He had forgotten that the Nanomeds in him increased his speed to be faster than most soldiers. He kept looking around to see more soldiers and jeep surrounding the building and smirked as they have the Hulk trapped. "Good luck trying to escape now." he smirked.
...
The Ninja watched from the tree line as the Forces surrounded around the library to capture Cole. Again. They were all worried and became more worried if they accidently triggered his anger to unleash the Hulk. What were they gonna do? "What are we gonna do?" Jay exclaimed. "They're gonna capture Cole and us for helping him escape. We're in huge trouble."
Betty looked at the Ninja worriedly as them and back at the library. What were they gonna do now? If Cole was captured, they'll find the flash-drive they'll need for her research and the cure. She heard the sound of a deep hum from an engine behind them and turned around to see the six-wheeled armored truck to feel her blood boil. She knew he was in there. She slowly walked away from the Ninja and started to run to him. Zane looked over his right to see Betty was gone and heading towards a vehicle. "Elizabeth!" he called out to her.
The youngest scientist ignored him and saw them running after her and kept running to the vehicle with few tears running down her cheeks. When she finally reached the vehicle, she quickly stood in front of it with her body stretched out. "Stop!" she screamed out and the vehicle stopped with the Ninja beside her. "I know you're in there! But you got to stop this right now! You don't know what you're doing to him." her voice cracking with fewer tears than before. "DAD!"
...
"Sir, we got an interference happening outside." said Haruko. "Looks like a blockade."
Ross sighed as he knew what was blocking the truck. He watched the cameras to see his daughter circle around the back and moved himself through the cramped space to pull a latch and the door swung down as a set of steps to see his daughter and the Ninja in front of him. "Hello Betty." he said and stepped out.
"Please stop." Betty begged. "You don't know what he's capable of. He could harm hundreds if you trigger him. Stop it."
"Betty," her father said and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "We're here to prevent that from happening. There is no way that'll happen. Now get in the truck."
"Sir, the Hulk is in the overpass." a soldier said through the earpiece. "I repeat the Hulk in in the overpass!"
The general quickly walked around the truck to see a glass-domed hallway on the second floor of the library and saw the Hulk running across it. "This was the chance now and quickly grabbed his radio. "Block him and gas him!" he shouted the command.
...
*Cole ran down the glass hallway to see soldiers in front of him and stopped as they sealed the doors shut. He looked over his shoulders to see the other doors were locked; trapped. He looked at the open field and saw his family and Betty, all scared. He then looked down to see two more soldiers run up and fired two small handheld cannon-like guns. Glass shattered as two cans bounced around and slowly leaked gas. Cole quickly knew what it was and removed his hoodie and placed it over his mouth and nose to filter the gas.
Betty was scared to see this happening to Cole and started running to him. Ross saw what was happening and turned to the two soldiers by his side. "Stop her." he demanded and they ran after her. Betty felt something grab her arm to see a soldier grabbing her and threw her elbow towards his face and heard cartilage break and yelps from him and ran. The soldier held his nose and kept chasing after her with his comrade and both tackled her to stop her from reaching Cole.
Cole watched what was happening and took a deep breath and pressed himself against the glass. He could hear the watch was dangerously beeping and stitched his bushy brows together. They were making him angry and could see his reflection to see his amber eyes turn bright green. He knew he was gonna change now. He growled to hear his watch reach its point and gasped to disappear through the smoke. All was silent and the Ninja and Betty were scared.
Suddenly a hand slammed onto the glass to make a spider web pattern with the fingers changing and fading to green. It was happening.
Duh-duh-duhh. I did it again. Left you all in a huge cliffhanger. This should be good for Cole now. Mwhahaha. I even thought the soundtrack for the last part was epic for this small happening. XD I hoped you enjoyed this chapter and see you all next week and have a wonderful weekend. :)