Hey everyone, happy Friday and time for a new update. I hope last week was amazing for all of you as Jay now was a villain to fight off like any superhero would. But let us see what the aftermath of the last night's events hold for our dear lightning ninja. Also, I have some news I wish to share at the end of the update. But for now, enjoy.
Chapter 17: Aftermath
Sunlight dawned across the clear skies of a new day. Far across in Ninjago City anchored a large ship on a building entitled Grand Master Sensei Dareth's Mojo Dojo. The glistening sun reflected the gold decor on the ship in golden lights masking the red hues of the ship. And the red dragon headpiece looked intimated, but the rising sun made it as if it was calm and less ferocious. But within the lower levels of the flying vessel, a porthole was opened with a teen of auburn hair resting his arms on the sill as he held his chest high to the greeting sun.
The auburn teen, Jay 2, stared deeply into the sun to feel his hazel eyes polarized into their sunglasses for being an android to adjust to the intensity to have clearer vision and not be blinded. He glanced down at his chest to lift his blue tee shirt that the real Jay had lend him to reveal his bare chest and pressed the soft spot on his lower ribs to hear a click sound. He gasped a breath as he felt his chest split in the middle and the two hatches swung open to reveal his wiring components and power source. But he paused at first as he felt unsure because the android couldn't fathom it as he didn't need a recharge to begin with. "What's wrong with me?" he wondered as he scanned into his databanks while his chest cavity closed itself while viewing his power levels; one-hundred percent.
And stayed like that all night.
The android searched for analyses on how he had full power from last night after he felt drained in the city when something was taking away his power. But it only affected him and not Zane though. How peculiar. The auburn teen began to recall last night's events to help solve his mystery to where his power levels were being taken and then recharged rather quickly. But the picture became clear as he could feel the electricity tingle in his body. He remembered, being in Jay's place, standing in front of a man named Maxwell Dillions or now known as Electro and he was talking with him until he stepped into a puddle to send out discharges and a rogue bolt had entered into his body to recharge him for a longer time to baffle him more. "Such power from one man." he mumbled to himself. "More powerful than anything. Even a solar recharge for me. How is he even alive then?"
No man alone can survive from voltage of electrocution, but Max-eh Electro had proven him wrong. The idea of him changing his name was going to take some time for it to rub onto him. What could've made him survive from it though and what were the possibilities of the ones changing him. Not straight on electrocution, but maybe something...alive. But what? "Maybe if I find out, I can recharge myself better than solar." he concluded. "Even during the winter season."
The sound of the door opening from the stairs made Jay 2 snap his head to the direction to wonder who was coming. If it was Jay, he would've used the secret knock to notify him, but if not, someone else coming. That made the android panic now. The soft sounds of footfalls echoed in the quiet basement to make the auburn stuttered to hide and quickly rushed over to hide under the stairs and slicked into the shadows; unseen. He dared not breathe, or at least quietly breathed to keep the vents in his throat to cool his body from overheating working upon him and watched as a set of feet in black socks then slim legs in black jeans made him hold a hand over his mouth to quiet himself. He heard something jiggle and soon a groan. "Jay and I really need to fix the lighting down here." a voice, female, groaned and soon the legs continued until Jay 2 saw a slender body in a red tank top and short raven hair. He saw it was Nya, the girl he couldn't remember.
He watched the girl in pure quietness as she reached to the bottom step and panned around if she was searching for something, hopefully not him, and stepped back more to hide in the shadow as the girl walked passed him. After a minute passed in his head, Jay 2 had his head peeking out to watch the girl as she was shuffling through boxes sprawled around her. He had to wonder more on why his databanks made him forget about her even though he was an android and couldn't fall in love with a human. But the more he stared at the raven haired girl's slender body and fair tanned skin, the more he began to feel...different. It didn't compute to him. He was an android, an exact copy of Jay after all, but still he felt rather odd toward her. Was this what humans called Love at first sight?
Inhaling a deep breath, the auburn teen slowly stepped himself from the stairs to slowly creep over to the girl carefully. In his head, he started to calculate the possible scenarios of him introducing himself to her, but many can cause him to slip and expose himself to scare her. What was it that the humans called it? Nerves with real butterflies flying in their stomachs? How odd that insects flutter inside people's stomachs. But surprisingly no butterflies were in his components to make him feel odd. But he still felt odd when his eyes scanned her to where he was sure the insects would be fluttering. What was it then? "H-Hey Nya," he stuttered to speak when it sounded like a mouse squeak.
The girl was started to jump from the squeaky voice to quickly turn on her toes, but soon slowly relaxed her beating heart to sigh with a smile. Oh she should've known. "Geez Jay, you really got me there." she playfully smiled to the unknown android. But Jay 2 had to wonder what she meant Got her. Nya had to giggle more to his blank stare to pull him closer and pecked his cheek to smile to him softly. "But I guess I can give you that since Halloween is coming around. So what brings you down here as well? Halloween decorations?"
The kiss. It felt surprising to the auburn android. He never had a kiss before and his first was new to him. Like a bunch of fireworks bursting into the sky to warm the synthetic liquid in his body that helps keep his circuits and diodes cooled, but they were rising in temperatures. Was this what love was like and was there more to know. He could see why the real Jay loves her. The android quickly realized he was silent to respond to pull himself back to reality to stutter. "Uh...ye-yeah." he hastily replied. "I'm looking for those and some parts to repair me-I mean my gadgets." Smooth, very smooth. Almost expose yourself as an android, great.
A stifle giggle mused the large room to make Nya giggle more to the blue ninja's stuttering. Classic Jay to stutter when with her, but still proves himself better when being together. And she smiled more when he smiled back and quickly turn and picked up a box labeled with Halloween decorations. "Well then," she simply smiled. "Grab a box and we'll start getting this ship all festive."
"Uh... Okay..." Jay 2 said quietly and grabbed a box to follow the girl, but stopped at the foot of the stairwell. He knew he couldn't leave the basement when Jay was still around. If the Ninja saw two Jay's, his Spiderman secret would be exposed. He just knew the lightning ninja was Spiderman. Based from when he talked to him last night after Jay explained everything to him. Plus if he knew Jay was out, he would've used a secret knock to notify him to come out and impersonate him. "Uh...hang on." he paused to think of a fib quickly. "I think I see another box and will bring both up."
The raven haired girl stopped on the top step to peer over her shoulder to the auburn teen below. She could've sworn they had two boxes throughout the entire vessel, but shrugged as it meant more decorations could be applied. "Alright," she said and disappeared in the hall. "See you on the deck then." As she walked down the wooden corridors, Nya had to start wondering what has gotten into Jay lately. Blank stares then love-struck and clueless when talking. Not the typical Jay. And his face felt rather different to her when she kissed it. Not warm and soft on his cheek, but cold and stiff. How odd, right?
"Hey Nya." a cheerful squeaky voice greeted the samurai.
The voice startled the samurai to cause her to drop the box, but quick arms caught the box before she could and quickly recovered her posture and lifted her head to who it was. And the voice made it obvious to her and greeting her twice, made her puzzled. She turned her head to the door of the basement and turned back to the doorway of an empty room to be greeted with hazel eyes, Jay's even. "Wow...great reflexes, Jay." she greeted back and took her box of decorations back. "But...where did you come from and where's your box of decorations?"
Come from? Box of decorations? he wondered. The only place where they stored stuff was...the basement! A flash of panic entered his eyes. Oh crud, Jay 2! he mumbled quietly to himself. Hope he stayed hidden. He stuttered to think of a reply and heard a soft whisper to peer over Nya's shoulders to see Jay 2 poking his head out and held up a box to point at it quickly. To that, he quickly fired his webs behind her back to catch the box to pull it over to them and land by their feet and freed the webs to ball it into his fists to hide it from her before she could ask about the sound. "Uh...right here." he lied to point at in relief. The raven haired girl quickly glanced at her feet to blink at the box and turned back to the teen. "And...How I got up here quick was well...I'm the lightning ninja after all. So I'm the fastest at anything. Nothing else. Hehe..."
Confused now. That's all how the samurai felt right now with his story to double take a glance to the door to the basement and then Jay to raise a thin brow. She could've sworn he was in the basement, but was now in the hall with him. She couldn't comprehend it now. "Uh... Okay..." she said, skeptically and hefted her box and started heading out. "I'll see you on the deck. Again." She heard him reply but ignored it. "Could've sworn he was in the basement."
As the auburn teen watched the girl of his dreams leave, Jay quickly transverse over to the basement door to meet up with Jay 2. He could see the calm and content look plastered on his face against his slight panic look. "You didn't expose yourself to her!?" he whispered in panic to his copy android. "Because they can't know you exist as a robot and I'm Spiderman. We'd be hooped if she or all of them found out."
The android simply shook his head in reply to make Jay relax more to know the answer. "I can rest assure you that I didn't expose both of our secrets." he stated while leaning against the doorway, arms crossed in satisfaction. "You're still Jay and the hidden Spiderman and I'm you, but as an android. However, I finally got to see Nya since I couldn't remember her from my databanks and I can see why you love her. She even kissed me. On the cheek. It felt...amazing."
Jay was stunned and quiet to the words of his girlfriend kissing other guys, let alone it was his doppelganger. Well...except when it was his evil doppelganger while he was held up Darkley's, but that's beside the point. Nobody kisses or gets kissed by his girl. Instead, he merely smiled. "Good. Very good, Jay 2." he said. "So I'm not going out as Spiderman yet, but you'll know when." He simply showed by tapping on the wooden wall four times. "Now if you'll excuse me," he continued and walked over to scoop the box up. "I got a ship to decorate now. Why don't you...figure out more of our foe? Electro. There has to be something new about him."
Silence came from the android. That's all Jay heard from him. And by the glint in his mechanical eyes, he looked hurt almost. Or angered. On what thought? But instead of complaining, the android simply nodded with his brows stitched slightly. "As you wish, Jay." he grumbled and turned to disappear to the basement.
Jay stared at him puzzled to his slight attitude to wonder. Was he a little jealous that he wasn't going to help Nya with decorations or something? But he couldn't risked his secret being exposed and letting more than one Jay wander off. Or was it that he was blaming him sarcastically for getting him into a small mess? He may have stolen him to make him an exact copy, but he can't see what he's thinking. Sighing, the blue ninja shifted the box in his arms to turn the corner and walked down the series of corridors until he reached the stairs to the main deck.
His hazel eyes were greeted by the bright morning autumn sun to wince a little but soon adjusted to the light to deeply breathe in the cool air. It felt reinvigorating to create tiny bumps on his bare arms as he favored the fall season as his favorite. Most would prefer summer or spring, or in Zane's case, winter. But to him, autumn was what he loves, the changing of the seasons in the leaves and cooling temperatures. That's what made him enjoy the season more than most others. The lightning ninja breathed in another breath of October air to smile softly. "Ahh...Fall, the changing of seasons and my favorite." he complimented. "Not to mention Halloween is coming." He glanced around the deck to find Nya in the center to smile more and met up with her.
As the two fished out the large varieties of Halloween decorations, Jay could see that they had almost everything to make their home a haunted ghost ship. Skeletons, spiders, fake gravestones, you name it. All except for the pieces of items missing. To which, he heard the raven haired girl groan a little. "What happened to my spider webs?" she wondered to dig more into the box, but couldn't find them. "What am I going to do now without them? Pretty sure the stores will be sold out even."
A smile played on Jay's lips to stifle a giggle. Oh don't worry, the ship will have its spider webs. But not store bought brand even. "Don't worry, Nya," he mused. "I got it covered. Don't worry." His spider senses tingled to look over his shoulder to smile as his friends were gathering on deck. "Hey guys, want to help us set up the Halloween decorations? Plenty to go around to pitch in."
The air became still to the lightning ninja as he was receiving a small glint of annoyance in the earth ninja's amber eyes to figure he stepped on a mine or something because of his childish antics. He'll admit he can be childish from time to time, but it's his nature. Funny, annoying a bit, how could you blame him on that. Not to mention it was nearing to his... Not-So-Much-Considered-A-Holiday Halloween. He had to be excited for it.
Cole continued to give his friend an annoyed look but turned away to sigh a bit. Almost every day, he and the others have to put up with his childish ways. He's like Lloyd, but taller. "Really Jay," he sighed. "Now is the time to be like a child to set up decorations?" There was a long pause from Jay but ignored it. "Right now, we don't have time for that. We're ninjas and don't have time for holidays when we have to keep Ninjago safe. Not to mention we got a new foe to fight off along with our new enemy, Spiderman. You almost got electrocuted last night, remember."
You don't know half of it. he grumbled. I did get electrocuted by him. And my arm still tingles. You're lucky I saved Lucas and Lloyd on time. He was glad to not lash out at the leader to roll his eyes. "Whatever." he scowled. "You're lucky that Spiderman did save us from getting crushed. Also if Lucas hadn't thrown that stupid icicle at Electro, none of that would've happened and Spiderman and I would've helped him with his problems."
"I have to agree with Jay on that statement." Zane rebutted. That made Jay smile a little to know he was on his side and not against him. "Everything was going according to plan and our friend was just scared. But remember that he's after our other friend and not us. We'll need to be on our guard though if Spiderman loses." Well scratch that, he was against Spiderman as well.
Jay had to sigh to that and slammed his right palm to his forehead to pull it down against his skin to be a little frustrated that they were all against him as the hero. He scoffed a little to turn away and continued to pull out more decorations. "Sounds like music to my ears, Zane." he heard Kai joke to grumble. "But how can we even still fight against someone who has powers like Jay? We'd be toasted if we make a mistake."
"Who cares?" Lloyd chastised while adjusting himself on Lucas' back. "All I care right now is that Halloween is coming and I need help making my Halloween costume. Lucas, can you please help me make a realistic Spiderman costume? I need help and want to be him for Halloween. Please?"
A sigh escaped from the grey ninja to softly smile at his cousin playfully. A little amusement to him. "We'll talk about it later, Lloyd." he smiled and gently nudged him off. "Why don't you keep yourself occupied and help with decorations. And if you quit asking me about your costume, we'll work on it later then. Deal?"
A smile grew on the green ninja's face to make him laugh a little to nod his head rapidly, excited. "Deal!" he squealed to his plan and rushed over to Jay and Nya to start pulling out pumpkin carving kits and polyester lit up pumpkins for the window sills. "You think we can carve out pumpkins today while we're at it?! Please!?"
The lightning ninja and samurai laughed lightly to the boy's excitement to smile with him. How could they say No to that smiling face? "We'll see, Lloyd." Jay mused. "But I'm sure that will be a definite yes since not even Cole could resist carving a pumpkin. You should've seen him last year after your dad escaped from the Underworld. He was really determined to out carve us from his pumpkin. But Zane showed him."
"I heard that, Jay!" Cole exclaimed. "And I will show Zane I can out carve him!"
"Bring it, Cole!" the blue ninja chastised to laugh along with Lloyd and began to untangle some strings of orange lights like you would see on a Christmas tree, but for more to Halloween. As he picked the tangled knots, he couldn't help but turned to Lloyd to smile at him. "So you really want to be like me-I mean Spiderman for Halloween?" he asked while being relieved to recover himself. "Why the sudden change from being Fritz Donnegan?"
He gulped a bit as Lloyd gave him an odd look from his slip of the tongue to hope he didn't raise suspicion to him or anyone around him. He'd be hooped. "Uh...okay then..." the blonde haired boy said, oddly. "But anyway, yeah I want to be Spiderman for Halloween. He's just the greatest. But I want it to be real like his suit. I'll wear spandex if I have to. I just want it to be like his and hopefully win first place at the costume contest at the comic book store. Plus...I don't have the material for my Starfarer costume."
A chuckle played the Ninja of Lightning's throat to know his number one fan was determine to become anything like him for Halloween. Even if he had to wear lycra for his costume. What a trooper. "That's alright, Lloyd." he said and freed the last knot. "That's really cool though. Wish I came up with that earlier. But you beat me to it. I can't decide what to do now."
A small quiet cheer came from the small ninja to make Jay glance up to see him pump his fist in the air to chuckle lightly. He sure made his day. But he'll be Spiderman no doubt. But can't wait to see how his costume will be though. How committed was he willingly to go full out on his costume to be like his suit he had to wonder. Oh well, he'll wait and see.
The lightning ninja smiled in accomplishment as he, Nya, and Lloyd finally had the last of the decorations sorted out and piled. And with the sun slowly rising for the morning, he knew he had a long and fun day to make the ship become the Haunted Bounty. But before he could grab his first pick of decorating, an alarm blared across the deck to make him jerk his head around to watch his friends become alert to the alarm as they knew the call. It was an emergency. To which he scoffed to the floor. "Killjoy, ya hear!" he cried. "Killjoy!"
"Quit pouting like a kid, Jay." Cole stated and sheathed his scythe to the holster on his back. "We got a mission here. And hopefully one we can do before Spiderman ruins it. We've got to regain our thunder here."
Jay sighed to the stubborn earth ninja and his team about his secret hero alias to grumble a bit. Whatever, he'll beat them to it. But something came to him to make him wonder on a possible hypothesis. If it was Electro, he could probably talk to him more if he wasn't Spiderman after last night. And he would appreciate it to not be shocked again. Something blue flashed in the corner of his eyes to see Jay 2 in his spare armorized suit, hidden by the doorway from spectators. He tapped his fingers on his leg to signify him to wait and saw him nod. "Uh...right." he agreed. "Hang on, I left my nunchucks in our room. I'll grab them real quick and catch up with you."
The Ninja turned to each other puzzled to his voice acting oddly and shrugged. "Fine Jay, but no lollygagging." Cole instructed him. "We're on a race here. Also, Lloyd, you're staying and no complaining. Got it?"
Jay heard the blonde haired boy sigh and scoff the floor as his fun on the action was ruined as he met with Jay 2 inside the ship. He could see how excited he was for a mission to help out since Spiderman was going to be there, but he hated to do this. "I'm sorry but I need you to stay, okay?" he said. "I want to give our brothers a fighting chance without Spiderman and if it was Electro, I want to be there and not be Spiderman if he wants me dead. I think it'll be safer and there's something more in him than just wanting Spiderman dead. I promise you next time, you'll take my place. Just for now, wait."
Silence came from the android, but he nodded as he calculated the outcome in his algorithms. If Electro was also there, he wouldn't be able to listen to him if Spiderman was there also. The chances would be minimum then. Best to stay low then. "Sounds like a logical plan then." he agreed and handed Jay his nunchucks. "But do you think you can convince Electro to not cause this from going further than it has? The possibilities of the team fighting him unlike you would be futile. They're dealing with an enemy that's like us, I mean, you from the powers. What chances are there then?"
Good question. The auburn teen had to agree with his copy on the chances. With an enemy that harnesses electricity like it was lightning, they would be like fighting another Jay but evil for destruction. What are the outcomes then? Sighing, he had to shrug. "I don't know exactly." he admitted and spun into his armorized suit. "But I'll take the chance. For now, I'll see about it." and turned on his toes to race out of the ship.
Many scenarios ran through both Jay's as they parted. What were the outcomes if it was Electro causing the emergency? Was it him even him or someone else? Those possibilities were endless. Not to mention if Electro was willingly capable to reasoning after last night even if it was Spiderman or the blue ninjas' fault. Either way, Jay was bound to anything to stop this man.
Oh who can the threat be? Electro? Garmadon? Who knows but that's the fun of suspense I love to do to you, my readers, and love to hear your answers in the reviews. So anyway, I won't be able to update next week as I am going on vacation with my family for a week and we're going to Florida! Yes! So I'll be relaxing in Orlando with my family and won't have any time for updates as I'll be in Universal Studios and maybe Daytona Beach. But anyway, I hope you all understand and I'll post my Friday update when I get back. But anyway, thanks for reading the update, leave a review if you wish to, and have a great weekend and I'll see you all when I get back. :)