AN: I didn't like leaving you guys with that filler, so you're getting two chapters again today. Surprise! :)
And yes, the title is a Ninjago Movie reference. Fight me.
Lloyd kept his hood up as we ventured through the halls of the museum, avoiding eye-contact with any of the other visitors. Krux moved at a quick pace, forcing us to speed-walk to keep up. He was talking at rapid-fire speed, keeping up the Saunders facade, but I tuned the man out in favor of studying the various exhibits that we passed. I couldn't read any of the labels or plaques (I really needed to ask somebody to teach me Ninjargon), but the relics themselves were interesting to look at. There were statues of distinguished-looking people, old weapons and scrolls in glass cases, and elaborate paintings on the walls. I felt the strong desire to explore. I wondered if we could visit the Hall of Villainy after we rescued Sensei Garmadon, but then I remembered the exhibit didn't exist yet.
Eventually, we reached a door labeled Authorized Personnel Only. Pulling a ring of keys from his pocket, Krux muttered to himself as he sifted through them before he located the right one. With a victorious sound, he inserted the key and unlocked the door. He held the door open for us to pass through before following us into the room beyond.
"And this room is for the keeping of archived relics!" The curator said cheerfully, darting through the dusty crates and boxes as nimbly as a rat, "The Allied Armor is just in the back here; come come!"
Lloyd hurried after Krux, obviously eager to reach the armor and use it. I walked quickly to catch up as Krux led us toward the back of the room, and suspicion slowly began to flood my mind. This wasn't the room Morro had lured Lloyd into in the show; perhaps he had been lying when he said it was where he found the armor? I tried to convince myself it couldn't be Krux lying. He had no reason to believe I knew anything about him, nor had he any reason to hide the Allied Armor from us.
Finally, we came to a large, metal shelf stacked with crates and boxes. Krux hummed to himself as he searched the shelf, scanning labels. Finally, he let out a triumphant noise and pulled a particularly large crate off the shelf.
"This is it," He said, patting the box with satisfaction. Without a word, Lloyd walked over and located a groove along the top. With a sharp tug and a single grunt, he ripped the top off the box with a loud crack! My eyes popped open wide as Krux jumped back, obviously startled. Lloyd gave us a sheepish look.
"Sorry," He said, rubbing the back of his neck, "I still have a little super-strength left over from once having Earth powers. Not as strong as Cole, but it still gives a bit of boost in a pinch."
"Huh," I said thoughtfully to no one in particular, "That's actually really fascinating."
I didn't have time to dwell on the implications of this, however, as Lloyd reached into the box and slowly pulled out a hunk of blue metal. It was somewhat dusty from having been in storage for so long, but it was no less impressive. It was an elaborately detailed breastplate, decorated in flame-like designs and varying shades of blue. A large, white circle adorned the front piece, displaying some kind of dragonesque symbol. Or perhaps it was an eye, I thought as I reassessed the symbol. I wasn't sure. Maybe after we used it, I could do some actual research on the armor.
As Lloyd appraised the armor with interest, Krux gave something like a nervous chuckle.
"Gently, young Lloyd, gently," He scolded lightly, "Probably is best to look and not touch, yes? Agree?"
Lloyd didn't seem to hear at first, staring at the armor with a strange light in his eyes. I elbowed him gently, and this seemed to snap him out of his trance.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, of course," He said quickly once he registered Krux's words. Carefully, he set the armor in an empty place on the shelf, and Krux visibly relaxed. Apparently, he actually cared about the relics here. Considering his fervent love of the past, I supposed this made sense. Though I felt as reverent of the artifact as he did, I still felt the urge to touch the armor. I wanted to run my fingers over its smooth surface and turn it about in my hands to study it from every side. History was fascinating to me, and the history of another world was even more so.
As the three of us fell silent, staring at the armor, I suddenly felt a spike of worry. How were we supposed to use the armor with Krux watching? I knew he wouldn't approve and would definitely try to stop us if we made our intent known. That, and he wouldn't appreciate me lying to him. How could we get him out of the way long enough to summon Sensei Garmadon?
As if on cue, I heard the door to the room open, and a voice called, "Doctor Saunders? Your three' o' clock tour group is here."
"Ah, very good!" The man said, scurrying toward the exit. He paused just before he disappeared and glanced back, "You two stay out of trouble, yes? And clean up when you are finished."
"Yes, sir!" Lloyd said a bit too enthusiastically, while I smiled and nodded politely. Krux looked satisfied, and he soon vanished among the maze of crates. In a minute, we heard the door slam shut, leaving us alone in the storage room with the Allied Armor.
I was surprised Krux was willing to leave us alone, but again, I supposed he had no reason to suspect we were up to anything. The man's decades-old disguise had made him so confident that he actually trusted the Ninja; for now.
The second he was gone, I whipped my head to Lloyd, but he had already picked up the armor and was dusting it off.
"Let's see, how do I put it on..?" He muttered, turning the breastplate over in his hands. I took the armor from him, and after a moment of fiddling, managed to help him slip it over his head.
"Okay…" He said slowly, adjusting the armor over his chest, "Now what?"
I frowned, "Not sure. I think you just… think about who you want to summon."
Lloyd looked uncertain at my skeptical tone, but he obediently closed his eyes and bowed his head. For a second, nothing happened as the boy was silent, his brow furrowed in concentration. Then the armor slowly started to glow. I stepped back a couple of paces, watching in awe as the glow grew brighter and brighter. Lloyd let out a soft groan, and his legs began to shake. I wanted to hurry over and support him, but I wasn't sure if touching him was the best idea.
The boy fell to one knee as the armor seemed to vibrate on his body. The glow was starting to hurt my eyes, and I shielded them with my hand, but I didn't look away. The white-hot light shifted to green, and a shape began to emerge from the armor. A head, then shoulders, then a torso slowly pulled themselves from the armor on Lloyd's chest, which was a disturbing sight to say the least. In a moment, a human figure crumbled to the ground, and the armor abruptly stopped glowing.
Dead silence fell as Lloyd and I stared in shock at the green, faintly-transparent figure on the floor. For a split second, I feared I had messed something up. Then the figure shifted, groaning, and the man—ghost—lifted his head.
"L… Lloyd?" A weak voice spoke disbelievingly. It echoed in an odd way, but I still recognized it easily. My face split into a grin as Lloyd's eyes brimmed, and he let out a happy cry.
"Dad!"
He lurched forward, apparently intending to throw his arms around Garmadon, but he phased right through the man. Lloyd stumbled, looking down at his hands in shock before slowly turning to face his father. Garmadon looked equally startled, but there was an expression of joy and relief also spreading across his face.
"Son," He said, reaching a hand out, and Lloyd dropped to his knees, "It's really you…"
He reached for Lloyd's face, but the hand passed through the boy. Lloyd shivered, flinching back instinctively, but he quickly leaned back in.
"Dad, are you…" He hovered his fingers over Garmadon's shoulder tentatively, but they didn't appear to touch. He gave me a scared look, "Is he here? Why can't I touch him?"
I gave the boy an apologetic grimace, "I'm sorry, I should have thought to warn you. I wondered if this might happen. He was Cursed; he's a ghost. But he's here," Speaking to Garmadon, I added, "You'll be okay. You'll learn to manage your corporeality," I paused, "Is that a word?"
The man gave me a puzzled look, but he didn't say anything at first as he struggled to sit up. Lloyd tried to help, and this time, he actually managed to touch his father. Apparently, Garmadon was learning already. Once he was in a sitting position, he didn't release Lloyd's hand, as though afraid everything might disappear if he let go.
"I don't understand," He said, shaking his head before he locked Lloyd with a wondering gaze, "How did I get here? And who are you?"
He glanced at me, and I automatically smiled.
"I'm Abby," I said, "I met the Ninja recently. We're friends."
"This was all her idea, Dad," Lloyd said excitedly, gesturing to the Allied Armor, "She said this armor would be able to summon you from the Cursed Realm, and it worked."
"Well, I can't take full credit for the idea," I admitted, sitting down cross-legged so I was on the same level as the father and son, "I got it from this girl who wrote a story about you guys. In her story, one of her characters used the Allied Armor to summon Garmadon. I didn't see why it shouldn't work in real life."
"Whatever the case," Garmadon said, his eyes soft with gratitude, "I cannot thank you enough. When I banished myself, I never thought I would see Ninjago or my son again."
The look he gave Lloyd was so full of love that I felt my heart warm. Despite my mistakes with the Ninja, at least I had been able to do this one thing right.
AN: *side-eyes FFF; clears throat* SO ANYWAY-
Yeah, all credit to FirstFandomFangirl and OTTWCD for the Allied Armor loophole. I personally never would have thought of it. XD