A/n- Kid show logic keeps things squeaky clean, but from the glimpses we get of Jay on board Misfortune's Keep it's kinda obvious Jay was roughed up by the crew. There's the quick scene of Clancee giving Jay the eyepatch, and when Cole finds Jay on board, but both times Jay is more or less fine the next second. Unless you're Wolverine or Spider-Man, that's not how the body works (which given my career choice is just something I'm more personally aware of) This arc digs deeper into that and expounds on what's hinted at in "Days of Future Past"
As such this one has a PG-13 rating for violence and 'awkwardness'
Given how bad the last couple weeks had gone Jay shouldn't have been surprised it could get any worse:
•They'd missed getting to Clouse in time
•Wu and Misako disappeared
•The ninja were all framed and arrested
•They were given an impossible task to find a super secret island with one specific (and highly dangerous!) thing to have any hope of success
•Kai and Zane also disappeared.
However being restrained, gagged and held at hook point hadn't been on his radar for today's activities.
Jay's stomach dropped, as much from the changing atmospheric pressure as the horror of his circumstances, while he watched the island and his remaining friends grow smaller and smaller below him.
Nadakhan laughed coldly behind his ear. "Trust me neen-ja. Soon you will be begging to wish it all away."
Nausea churned dangerously in Jay's gut. It was only the tiniest pinprick of logic that reminded him puking into a gag would not go over well that kept him from heaving. Suffocation was not something he wanted to add to his list of current woes. That and retching would be sure to get him impaled by the hook still pressed into his throat.
Nadakhan and didn't speak the rest of the flight but Jay could feel the smugness emanating from him. It made Jay's skin crawl, but the worst part of it was he knew Nadakhan was right. If he had already been able to overtake Zane of all people, there was no way Jay could last long against him. His thoughts turned to Nya and the stricken look on her face as Nadakhan dragged Jay away. The look that said even if Jay had royally messed up, she still cared about him. Seeing that was more than enough to encourage Jay to fight on.
'For you Nya, I can do this. I have to.' Nadakhan already implied he intended to go back for the remaining ninja, but if Jay could keep his attention away from them maybe they would stay safe— and possibly come to his rescue. Though given the current circumstances that seemed hopeless.
Jay's ears popped and without moving Jay turned his attention outside the plane windows. He gave an involuntary start of surprise, the movement enough to draw blood, but for a moment Jay didn't even notice. There, floating high, high above the ground, were the missing parcels of land.
'What in the world!?' It wasn't enough they were dealing with a shapeshifting, manipulative, wish granting djinn, but he somehow had the power to raise huge portions of land and suspend them in midair. Captain Soto had massively undersold them the gravity– pun intended– of the situation.
Once the shock wore off pain flared near his throat. 'Wha...? Oh.' Blood trickled down his neck, causing a tickling sensation that Jay could do nothing about.
"Are you so excited for our fun to begin?" Nadakhan laughed, the sound cutting Jay to his core.
Jay didn't respond– it wasn't really like he could anyway– but his heart hammered in his chest. Just imagining what Nadakhan thought of as 'fun' didn't help his anxiety.
The engines slowed to a purr and with an accompanying lurch, the plane began its descent. Not bothering to wait for Flintlocke to finish taxiing the plane Nadakhan tightened his grip on Jay and 'poofed' again. Swallowing in a scream, Jay opened his eyes to see they were floating several feet above the Misfortune's Keep. That sight not at all comforting, Jay squeezed his eyes shut. Normally he didn't have anything against heights, but that was when he had use of his limbs and elemental power to keep from going splat.
"Welcome to your new home neen-ja."
Jay felt Nadakhan let go. It took a second for the sensation of falling to kick in, but when it did Jay's mind lodged on one thought; 'I'M GOING TO DIE!' Which, in all honesty if he'd thought it through, couldn't have been the case since Nadakhan wouldn't get to claim his final wish, but terror completely overrode any logic.
THUD!
Muffled screams of surprise and pain forced their way out from behind the gag. Sharp zings raced through every fiber of his being, overwhelming any other sense. Scoffing noises filtered into his brain, but Jay thought them a hallucination until something cold and heavy suddenly clamped over his right ankle. That stimuli didn't make any more sense with everything else going on, so Jay didn't have the presence of mind to try and get away.
How long Jay lay there, he didn't know. When the pain finally subsided enough for Jay to open his eyes it still took another minute for the disorientation to wear off enough to actually see his surroundings.
He lay on his stomach, nose pressed into a hard floor. His arms were still wrenched behind him, coarse fibers digging into his wrists. Taking a couple deep breaths Jay gathered the remnants of his strength and carefully rolled to his side, a soft clinking noise accompanying the movement. Weathered wood sat inches from his face. Blearily he glanced around and realized he was in a wooden room– a room without a door.
The noises came again and Jay trailed his eyes down his body to see a length of chain connecting a shackle from his ankle to a large metal ball. Jay's stomach churned at the sight, the dull gray an entirely all too familiar shade. Just to test it Jay concentrated, as best his aching body would allow, on his lightning.
Nothing.
'Of course he'd have vengestone on hand too. Where is everyone getting this stuff?' Jay glared at the metal. There went his meager plan of burning off the ropes holding his arms in place. That left struggling with them the old fashioned way. Slowly Jay worked his torso upright, the effort making his head swim. When he finally reached a sitting position he slumped against the wall trying to catch his breath around the gag.
After a minute or so he was fairly confident he'd stay conscious. Then, gritting his teeth, Jay pulled at the ropes. It only took two tugs for his ribs to scream in protest. Panting heavily through his nose, Jay resumed his position on the wall just as a shadow fell across him. Jay looked up and immediately closed his eyes. Apparently this was not a true room. The so-called roof was only a criss crossing of metal bars, open to the sky above it. That explained the excessive falling sensation.
The figure scoffed– 'Flintlocke.'– "Struggle all you want ninja. You're not leaving any time soon."
His presence left and it was all Jay could do to keep from smacking his head against the wall in frustration. But the throbbing in his head, torso, and a particular strong spike in his left ankle highly discouraged any further pain infliction.
'This is insane! He's insane! He can't keep me here like this! And what about the others? They're stuck on the island now. Why did Nadakhan leave them?'
That question was a double edged sword. Part of him couldn't help but be thankful his friends were spared his current predicament. But he had never been alone in such a pickle before. Still the question begged why kidnap (capture? did it count as a kidnapping?) only him. This wasn't making any sense.
'Was I taken just out of spite because I started wishing and didn't finish? True there wasn't much room in the airplane but still...' He gave another tug at the rope with the same results. Sighing in resignation Jay gave up trying to free his hands and turned his attention to the gag. The tape stuck firmly to his face but if he could find an edge that'd rolled a little... Working his shoulders Jay rubbed at his cheek. Another futile effort.
Groaning angrily Jay muttered incoherently behind the gag. 'This sucks.' That about summed it up. He carefully leaned back against the wall. The position was not the most comfortable with his hands tied behind him, but he'd dealt with this kind of discomfort before and could again. For how long though, was the question. Jay closed his eyes trying to keep himself grounded. Freaking out in a crisis was his specialty, even if he could handle himself just fine. But this... this was a nightmare he felt had only just begun.
'What am I going to do? What is Nadakhan going to do to me?' Jay shuddered at the thought. If the last hour was anything to go by it wasn't going to be good. 'And what did he do to everyone who's gone missing?'
Sure Jay hadn't used his third wish yet, but he seriously doubted Wu and Misako being in a position where they'd voluntarily 'wish it all away'– whatever that meant. Was that code for dying? 'No!' He couldn't allow himself to think that. It wouldn't make much sense since Nadakhan appeared to need their power for... something. But Chen also found a way to strip the elemental masters' powers. Could Nadakhan have a similar method that would allow him to dispose of them if he wanted without them wishing...? Yet if that were the case why take him prisoner, and not the others on the island? Jay's already troubled thoughts spun crazily without any certainty to grab hold of.
With only his thoughts to keep him company the hours dragged by. Sounds from people moving about on deck filtered into his prison, but no one came near the grate. While Jay was thankful for the reprieve, it didn't lessen the anxiety building within him. Nadakhan was waiting for something– or just trying to toy with his emotions. As 'nice' as it would be, Jay highly doubted the plan's entirety involved leaving him here.
That plan became even less appealing when Jay's bladder began to protest the situation too. Tightening his jaw Jay tried to ignore it for as long as he could. However it came to a point he couldn't any longer. Thankful to still be wearing his gi, whose bottoms functioned similar to that of sweatpants, he forced himself into action before he could talk himself out of it.
Limping to a far corner Jay finagled himself into the best position he could, considering the circumstances. It didn't exactly make the cut and several minutes later Jay sat back in his original corner with somewhat damp clothes, face burning red even though none of his captors were there to witness his shame. Being left alone was fine, but not to the point it resulted in him being treated like a caged animal.
'It's probably all part of Nadakhan's plan.' Jay thought miserably. Even being enslaved by Chen wasn't this degrading. 'I really don't need another sadistic mega villain after me.'
A little late for that.
So left with the choices of panicking or blocking out the situation, Jay closed his eyes. The sun had long since passed its zenith and darkness crept over the hold. His shoulders and wrists ached, the tape pulled painfully at his face whenever he moved and he was growing desperately thirsty. And he could do nothing about any of it. Eventually, somehow (i.e. flat out exhaustion), Jay managed to fall asleep.
Ice cold water jolted Jay awake a few short hours later. Jay gave an involuntary gasp of surprise that immediately turned into a groan of pain as the tape pulled out his face. Blinking open his eyes, a blurry figure stood over him with a– now empty– bucket. It took a second to make out the Doubloon's face– 'or is it faces?'.
The man jerked his hand and impatiently motioned upward. Jay's fuzzy brain struggled to register what Doubloon meant. Huffing in exasperation the man didn't say anything–'Could he?' Jay wondered idly– but yanked Jay's arm, and by extension the rest of him, upward.
'Rude much?' Jay grumbled internally as he fought to regain his balance. His left ankle was definitely sprained and didn't want to hold much– if any– of his weight. 'What...?' A hook descended from the deck and Doubloon grabbed it. He spun Jay around. 'Oh, no.' Jay barely had time to think before he felt the hook loop around the rope on his wrists. Seconds later he was jerked upward again. Only this was fifty times more painful.
Muffled cries forced their way out as his strained arms bore his weight, plus the ball and chain. Slowly, so slowly, Jay's body inched toward the deck. His head and hands scraped the wooden panels but Jay barely noticed them over the screaming in his shoulders. Black dots enveloped his vision and Jay half wondered if he momentarily blacked out when he suddenly found himself crumpled on the deck, staring up into the blue sky. A harsh kick to the side caused Jay to curl tighter into himself in a feeble attempt to protect his ribs.
"Get up." The irritated voice of Flintlocke ordered.
Breathing heavily Jay rolled to his side and pulled his torso upright. From there he managed to get his knees under him. Glaring at the plank floor Jay paused to catch his balance and heard Flintlocke snort.
"That's what I thought."
Jay seethed but didn't look up. A thump came from behind him and Jay glanced over his shoulder to see Doubloon standing on deck. He walked over to Jay and, for the third time in as many minutes, grabbed Jay's arm yanking him all the way to his feet eliciting another cry from Jay. The movement stressed his shoulders to the point Jay was afraid one or both would be dislocated with any further manhandling. Past ninjaing injuries had included such and Jay didn't want a repeat experience.
Before he could finish gathering his wits, Nadakhan 'poofed' in front of the group. Jay flinched backwards, inadvertently brushing against Doubloon, who in turn shoved him toward Nadakhan. 'He should come with a warning bell.' Jay rolled his eyes.
"Good morning neen-ja. Sleep well?" Jay grit his teeth behind the gag, anger clearing the fuzzy effects of pain. "No? Maybe I should let you tell me yourself."
Fast as a blink he grabbed Jay's collar and yanked him close. With one of his hands he reached down and ripped the tape from Jay's face.
"Ow!" Jay couldn't help but yelp. He stumbled back out of the djinn's grip. As he did his left ankle caved under his weight. Jay barely saved himself from face planting on to the deck.
Nadakhan smirked at Jay's discomfort. "I see. Are you ready to wish it all away?"
Jay glared back. "You'd better go back to chasing the Avatar because it's not going to happen."
Though he didn't understand the reference, Nadahkan could tell the words were some sort of insult. "Alright then."
The djinn nodded to someone over Jay's shoulder. Jay tensed seconds before someone grabbed his wrists. Before he could wonder what was going to happen a blade sliced through the ropes. Jay winced at the sudden release of pressure in his shoulders. His muscles ached in protest but Jay gingerly brought his arms to their rightful position in front of him. Pins and needles traveled the length of his arm as blood filtered back into place. The returning sensation brought a new throbbing in his wrists where the ropes had cut into his skin. With stiff fingers Jay gently massaged the area, all the while watching Nadakhan.
"We've been needing a new cabin boy. Thank you kindly for volunteering. Clancee!" Nadakhan barked toward the cowering Serpentine. "Fetch the mop."
Jay couldn't help raise an eyebrow at that. 'Really? A mop?' Clancee stumbled over and handed it to Nadakhan.
Grinning wickedly Nadakhan took the mop and immediately swung it in Jay's direction. Too surprised– and stiff– to react Jay only watched stupidly as the handle came toward him. The next thing he knew, Jay lay on the deck with his ribs pounding mercilessly.
"Cabin boys don't look the captain in the eye." Jay was pretty sure he hadn't but that didn't matter. Nadakhan was just making his point. "Get. Up."
That sounded like it was a favorite phrase. Either that or putting Jay in a position where he was on the ground. At that moment Jay leaned toward the latter. However this time Jay wasn't sure he could get up. Another harsh blow came to his ribs. Crying out, Jay threw his arms around his sides.
"I won't tell you a second time."
"Well maybe if you gave me half a second I'd be able to!" Jay muttered, but despite everything within him screaming for a reprieve, Jay shakily rose to a crouched position putting all his weight on his right side.
Given the awkward balancing act he couldn't pull himself all the way up. Nadakhan threw the mop at Jay. It smacked him in the side but with less force than the last time, rolling just out of arm's reach. With trembling hands Jay reached for it, and by leaning heavily against the pole, was able to rise to his full height.
"I expect this deck to be clean within the hour, if not..." Nadakhan let his threat hang in the air.
Jay looked around the ship. The Misfortune's Keep was at least twice the size of the Bounty. It would be a miracle to complete a third of the deck in that amount of time, especially considering Jay had just spent a night constrained in a cell hold, was pretty confident he was concussed, and hadn't had anything to eat or drink in almost twenty-four hours. But it wasn't like he had much of a choice if he wanted to avoid getting smacked again. So slowly, painfully, Jay began to push the mop back and forth across the deck.
His shoulders sent bolts of pain down his arms with every movement, not appreciating the labor so soon after getting their normal blood flow back. Yet Jay blocked the pain from his thoughts, pouring himself into getting the task done. Maybe if he finished they'd leave him alone long enough to regain control over his motor functions.
That goal was not helped by the fact the crew intentionally tried to make things that much more difficult for him. Flintlocke and Monkey Wrench in particular walked by several times, purposefully walking into him and one time even 'tripping' over the chain, making Jay lose his balance and tumble to the deck. The mop clattered from his hands.
"I know you can see me just fine!" Jay spat out at Flintlocke's retreating form.
The man spun toward Jay, probably about to hit him, when Monkey Wrench ran over hooting and hollering. Listening for a moment Flintlocke's mouth turned down in disgust but he nodded, turning from Jay without a backward glance.
Jay reclaimed the mop and let out a tiny sigh of relief. That'd been close. However, this was getting old. Fast. But not to the point that he was going to 'wish it all away.' Jay frowned, he still needed to figure out what that meant– preferably in a way that didn't include more bruises. The crew was making it very clear he existed on a lower plane then them and he doubted questions would be welcomed. Only one way to test it though.
Clancee walked by with his own mop. From what little Jay'd seen, Clancee wasn't highly thought of by the crew either. Maybe that'd work to his advantage.
"What–" Jay's voice came out harsh and raspy. "What's the deal with everyone around here?"
Clancee looked around, as if he didn't want it to be him Jay was talking to. "I-I really c-can't be-be talkin' to y-you." Still he did another visual sweep before moving closer to Jay.
In stuttering sentences he began to list the various crew members and how they joined Nadakhan on Misfortune's Keep. While a pounding headache interfered with Jay's ability to concentrate, he was able to get the jist that most of the crew hadn't started out because they actually wanted to be here. Though that didn't seem to be the case anymore, judging from Flintlocke and Monkey Wrench's cruel tricks. Still, though, the crew's background information wasn't all Jay cared about. Waiting until he didn't see anyone terribly close Jay interrupted Clancee and asked the question burning in his mind.
"What does Nadakhan mean when he says to wish it all away?"
"Wh-when you w-wish it away the captain trap-traps you."
"What do you mea–?"
"Clancee! Why are you talkin' to this lowlife!"
Clancee and Jay both jumped at Flintlocke's bellow. Neither had noticed his return to the deck.
"J-just tellin' him a-about the going's o-on sir." Jay noticed Clancee didn't quite meet Flintlocke's gaze.
In the blink of an eye Jay's legs were swept out from under him and a pistol poised inches from his chest. Jay froze, hardly daring to breathe, his eyes locked on the barrel.
"Listen here, cabin boy," Flintlocke spat out the title, "You don't be talkin' to the crew. That's not your place, ya hear me?"
Nodding woodenly Jay didn't move another muscle until Flintlocke backed out of his face. Still the pistol didn't completely lower until Jay resumed the assigned task. Grunting in approval Flintlocke watched for several more minutes before making his way to the bridge. Even though after that demonstration Jay had no plans to continue their conversation, Clancee decided to make himself useful on the other side of the ship. Jay didn't blame him.
Without a watch Jay wasn't sure how much time passed but he had just made it to the far side of the deck when Nadakhan came out from his quarters. His sharp eyes swept the deck and Jay could tell he was disappointed to see Jay's progress.
"Since you've finished the bilge room needs to be cleaned."
Without giving Jay a chance to answer Nadakhan shoved him below deck. For a resurrected/patchwork creation there had been a lot of work poured into the ship. Too bad they couldn't put their talent into something constructive, like helping people. Jay's slightly positive feelings toward the ship ended when they reached the bilge room.
This was where happiness came to die. Rusty water sloshed around with every movement. Red and green... things climbed up the walls in lumpy deposits. The air smelled like sour diesel fuel, a feat Jay hadn't thought possible. And it was very dark.
Having lived on the Bounty for the better part of several years, Jay wasn't unfamiliar with the less than desirable places that could be found on a vessel, but it looked like this room had been purposefully neglected. 'Dude's got serious issues.' Jay grimaced.
"Finish this by evening." Tossing another bucket and what looked like a paint scraper in Jay's direction, Nadakhan disappeared in an orange cloud.
"Self important jerk." Jay muttered. This deadline wasn't much better than the earlier one.
But Jay got to work scrubbing, scraping, mopping and the like. The day dragged on and with each passing hour he could feel his meager strength slipping away. He still hadn't been given anything to eat or drink. It came to the point Jay was seriously eyeing the brackish water beneath him when footsteps, accompanied with repeating thunks, sounded down the hall.
Clancee poked his green snout in the room and, to Jay's relief, carried in a cup and what looked like something that sort of resembled bread. "C-captain didn't want y-you fainting away just y-yet. H-he said you c-can't wish that w-way."
"How thoughtful of him." Jay commented dryly.
"He-he really is."
'Note to self; Clancee doesn't understand sarcasm.' Still Jay was thankful for the small offering. Drinking the bilge water... Jay shuddered at the thought of what might be in there and that he'd been seriously contemplating it anyway. The scant amount wasn't enough to fill the hole in his stomach but it took the edge off and with renewed vigor returned to scraping the walls. 'I don't care what he does but Nadakhan is not going to get me to use my last wish.'
Easier said than done.
The next two days passed in a similar exhausting fashion. His ankle still twinged here and there but by avoiding any more falls Jay was fairly certain it would be fine. A feat slightly difficult to obtain when Nadakhan kept Jay working on one task or another from dawn 'til dark, even to the point of redundancy, to try and weaken Jay's resolve. During the day Jay kept his face impassive, ignoring the taunts and irritants thrown at him by the crew members. At night though, when most everyone on board had fallen asleep, Jay silently stared at the stars wondering if Cole, Lloyd and Nya had managed to escape. Thinking of Nya hurt, but at the same time it gave him the drive to meet the next challenge.
And he would need all the strength he could get.
The next morning passed rather uneventfully. Nadakhan ordered him to mop the main deck again. It was becoming an increasingly used tactic but Jay didn't necessarily mind since it kept him in the open air. The extreme downside came at the presence of more people trying to make Jay miserable. At one point Dogshank plowed right into Jay, pretending she "didn't see him down there."
The force knocked Jay to the deck. Scrambling up, Jay closed his eyes and took a deep breath to keep from lashing out at her. He opened them, only to jump back a pace when he saw he was nose to nose with Nadakhan. As if that wasn't enough of a surprise he carried a three foot sword, the hilt encrusted with a humongous jewel, and its point poised inches from Jay's neck. He froze as the captain tisked mockingly as he looked over Jay's work.
"Looks like you missed a spot." The blade flashed as Nadakhan flipped the bucket over, soaking Jay's gi in the process.
Gripping the handle to keep himself from attempting to punch the djinn, Jay glared at him– though his focus remained on the man's goatee rather than his eyes. "You're not going to make me say it."
Nadakhan grinned. "What? That you want to end this misery? I promised you that by the time I'm done you'll be begging me to wish it all away."
Ignoring the icy tendrils of fear clenching his heart Jay chose to hold onto hope. "My friends will come for me. When they do you'll be the one begging for mercy."
Nadakhan laughed and caressed the blade in his hand. "I expect them to come, and more over I hope they do. The more of you my Djinn Blade collects the stronger I become." Jay gaped in horror at the blade– were his friends murdered with that weapon? Wait, no. Clancee said something about trapping right? Nadakhan was too focused on the sword to notice Jay's internal struggle. "With their help Djinjago will be the most feared of all the realms! Care to say hello?" Nadakhan drew back his arm and threw the sword toward Jay. It embedded itself into the deck, barely missing Jay's toes.
This close to the sword Jay heard haunting wails rise from within the jewel. Several were voices he recognized. While his dread didn't decrease something within Jay loosened a little. The missing members of the ninja clan weren't dead.
"Wish it away and this will all be over." Nadakhan circled Jay's frozen form. "You can join your friends and forget all about this."
Backpedaling a pace Jay set his jaw. "If it weren't for this stupid vengestone you'd be eating lightning right now! A ninja never quits and I am not about to just hand over my city to the likes of you!"
Instead of getting angry Nadakhan stared at Jay as if he were a puppy that just did something amusing. "I can see why she used to like you." Jay's breathing accelerated. This was not where he expected their conversation to go. "There's a backbone in you after all, but I know what your bravado hides. You know you're scared– weak." Nadakhan taunted. "So when your best friend liked the same girl you backed off. And you'll just watch when I do the same." He laughed coldly and reclaimed his sword.
Jay angrily shook his head. "I don't know where you're getting your information from but Cole and I settled our differences. And even if Nya did still like him she's free to make her own choices." The cracking in his voice weakened the force of his words but he continued, "I would be fine if she were with Cole," –'Liar.' His thoughts taunted,– "who I trust and respect, rather than a slime ball like you. Not that you ever have a chance."
For whatever reason that struck a chord Jay's earlier comments hadn't. Nadakhan's face darkened and Jay suddenly found the tip of the sword pressed into his chest. "I promise you this, neen-ja, on my ship You. Will. Break."
Jay couldn't deny the trembling in his knees but that didn't mean he was about to back down, especially with Nya now on the line. He glared back. "Try me."
"Flintlocke!" Nadakhan bellowed, all the while keeping his gaze on Jay. "When he's finished with the deck have him scrub the hull."
Jay paled. 'That's a new one.' He could see the surprise on Flintlocke's face too.
"Alright Cap'n." The first mate answered doubtfully.
Twenty minutes later Jay found himself dangling from a flimsy rope bridge holding a fat brush in his hand. Gripping tightly at the rope Jay's breath caught as he swayed in the breeze. 'Don't look down.' The last thing he needed was to fall. His right ankle ached from the ball dangling several feet below him.
"You're not afraid, are you, funny man?"
Jay looked up to see Nadakhan and Flintlocke watching him. Forcing a smirk on his face Jay shouted up, "I love it."
Nadakhan growled. "We'll see, neen-ja."
He walked away, out of Jay's line of sight. As he worked Jay noticed Flintlocke kept his eyes on him. The man's face was impassive so Jay wasn't sure if he was just inspecting the scrubbing quality or making sure Jay didn't fall to a watery grave.
'It could be worse.' Jay tried to cheer himself up. 'The boat could actually be in the water rather than the air.' Though if it was in the ocean below a fall off the side wouldn't kill him...
The sun disappeared behind the horizon before Flintlocke gave the order to pull Jay up. His arms ached furiously from scrubbing and his hands were cracked and bleeding from holding the rope so tight. Bruises littered his knees and elbows where the wind smacked him against the hull, and blood trickled from his ankle where the shackle dug into his skin. He couldn't have pulled himself up if he tried.
Flintlocke didn't say anything as he led Jay to his cell, but instead of tossing him down Flintlocke wrapped a rope around Jay's shoulders and lowered him down. When he reached the bottom Jay slipped out and all but collapsed onto the floor.
This sucked. Jay wrapped his arms gingerly around his ribs. He was so tired, so sore ... and so alone. Sure the Serpentine briefly captured him solo back in the day, but they'd quickly ditched him in the subway tunnels where the rest of the ninja found him. This was so much worse.
Jay didn't do all alone well. Well, he could do it. Living in a desert didn't really leave much in the way of neighbors growing up, but he'd always had his parents. 'Adopted parents.' Jay winced at that subconscious thought. 'No.' He told himself fiercely. 'Even if Ma didn't give birth to me she and Dad are my parents.' And really right now was not the best time to try and flesh out philosophical questions about who he was. Getting out of here without being sucked into the shiny sword was a much more pressing issue.
Jay rested his chin on his arms. His stomach rumbled and Jay tried to ignore it, but being hungry was not something he was used to. Growing up at the junkyard might not have been the most affluent of places but they never went without food.
'I can't give in. That's what they want.' So he wouldn't. He couldn't. But he couldn't deny the resolve to hold on weakened a little each day. 'Come on guys, where are you?'
Instead of a mop Jay was handed a toothbrush when they hauled him up the next morning. 'Oh great.'
"One hour." Flintlocke shoved Jay across the deck.
'Yeah, that's not gonna happen.' So with a growing dread Jay set about the task. Making it with a mop in that time frame had been difficult enough, especially as his strength deteriorated. Nadakhan was just setting him up to fail. And that couldn't mean anything good.
An hour later not even a fourth of the deck had been cleaned. Jay knelt on the rough wood, pushing the stupid toothbrush as fast as he could. A shadow appeared over him and Jay involuntarily froze. He gripped the toothbrush and tried to force his heart rate to steady. A crack split the air seconds before something struck Jay's unprotected back.
Jay lurched forward, his back stinging. Another strike came and Jay scrambled to the side and swung around. Nadakhan floated over him, holding a long leather whip in his right hands. For a moment Jay sat there in shock at seeing a literal whip hanging over his head. Before he could articulate another thought, the whip flashed again, this time striking Jay's side. A cry of pain pierced the deck.
"You were told to have the whole deck cleaned. It's expected you obey your captain!" Nadakhan tisked.
"You don't look like Wu to me!" The words were out before Jay realized he'd said them. There was a moment of stunned silence.
"Did you really just talk back to the captain?" Nadakhan roared.
'Why is he talking in third person?' Jay barely had time to wonder before Nadakhan raised his hand again. The blue ninja could only cower on the floor attempting to hold in his screams as the lash fell again, and again, and again.
Several tortuous minutes later Nadakhan let the whip fall limply at his side. He hovered above Jay's crumpled form looking coldly into his eyes.
"You will know your place. And soon you will wish it away."
"My... place is... with my family." Jay weakly spat out blood. 'Huh, must have bit my tongue.' "Half of... whom you stole... from us! And if it's... not with them... it's protecting them!
Jay expected another lash for the outburst but instead Nadakhan started laughing. "Protecting them? They didn't even try to help you back at the island!"
That statement threw Jay for a loop. That– that wasn't completely false. Neither of the guys attempted to bring down the plane or fly up to it with airjitzu or their dragons. Although it would be difficult to manifest such after being chased by a giant venomous spider and fighting half of Nadakhan's crew. They didn't– they didn't try to get rid of him... right? 'Ok, no. No, no, no, no, no. We have been through way too much together for them to even think about that. No matter how stupid I was.' Jay had to hold on to that, otherwise...
His thoughts broke off with another strike to the side. A yelp strangled out of his throat.
"You're on your own. And you will fall."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jay's trembling legs barely held him upright. After Nadakhan's earlier demonstration he'd been given the mop back and told to "clean the place." At least he didn't have to clean up his own blood with a toothbrush. The wind picked up and Jay winced as it not only blew through the cuts on his shirt, but also dragged his shirt against the open wounds on his torso.
Holding the mop stick firmly to keep from falling, Jay slowly erased the evidence of Nadakhan's brutality. He didn't care now about speed. The rules had changed.
One minuscule advantage to the ordeal was the crew wasn't paying him much attention now. Several days of malnutrition and now a decent beating could knock the wind from anyone's sails. Though to be honest Jay didn't think he could try anything anyway.
But speaking of no one watching him... Jay glanced around. He stood in the stern of the ship. Flintlock was talking to Doubloon at the helm, maybe ten yards in front of him. They stood next to a table holding some paper and – 'Was that a quill? Who uses those anymore?'– and a corked bottle. As a kid Jay heard stories of messages in a bottle floating up to shore. He looked over the side of the ship. The Misfortune's Keep was moored on an island but the ocean lay hundreds of feet below the ship... but that didn't mean anything would get to his friends... It might be a pipe dream, but if Jay could send a message and let them know what was going on and what that monster wanted, the ninja might be better prepared to deal with him.
Jay kept an eye on the table. After a minute the two pirates walked off leaving the table unguarded. As unobtrusively as possible Jay mopped his way to the table. Giving a furtive glance around Jay dropped the mop, flipped whatever schematic was on the table over, and frantically started to write.
If found give to the ninja.
Djinn wants to absorb power. Don't wish and don't wish it away! We're floating in the sky. He wants Nya most idk why. PLEASE STAY AWAY.
That last line hurt to write, but it would hurt a lot more if Nadakhan actually managed to get his grubby hands on her. Better for Jay to be here than anyone else– especially Nya. It was already his fault for much of this mess.
Focus on finishing what we started on island.
Angry voices came from behind. That'd have to do. Jay hurriedly rolled up paper, not noticing blood from his cracked hands splattered about the paper. Hastily he shoved the message in the bottle and corked it.
"Where is he?" Nadakhan's voice rose over the sounds of the ship.
Jay shuddered. 'It's now or never.' Taking a deep breath to steady himself Jay picked up the ball. Suddenly very thankful for Master Wu's variety of training methods, he slipped over the edge of the ship, landing on a mooring line. His balance might not be as good as Lloyd's, but even he could cross a tightrope. 'Just pretend the rope isn't floating a mile above the ground.' Jay gulped but didn't have time to dwell on that fact when shouts came from behind him.
Not bothering to look over his shoulder Jay sprinted the rest of the way to the island. Screaming sounded above him and Jay looked up to see Clancee flying through the air. The poor Serpentine landed heavily in front of Jay, a mop still in his hand. Shaking his head Clancee jumped to his feet and swung wildly in Jay's direction. Easily dodging it Jay gave a quick kick to Clancee's middle, trying not to hurt him too badly since he'd been the only one to show any kindness to Jay the last few days.
Dogshank's deep throated roar and Monkey Wrench's jabbering sounded close behind. So Jay ran. A spiderweb of rope connected most of the islands. If he could get far enough away maybe he could commandeer one of the smaller pirate ships...
Doubloon lept in front of him, a bow staff in hand. 'Or maybe not.' He could still try. Doubloon raced toward him. Jay backpedaled, sliding down a mooring line to a chunk of concrete twenty yards below. Quickly he raced to where the line secured the islands to each other and popped it loose, cutting off Doubloon's route to him.
The next land piece was within leaping distance, though much, much smaller than any of the islands around. Not taking the time to contemplate why that might be Jay jumped on it. He turned around to see Doubloon smirking cruelly. 'Thaaaaat's not a good sign.'
Wind whipped hard almost throwing Jay off his perch. He spun around to see the Misfortune's Keep floating several yards away, Flintlocke's pistols trained directly on him.
"You seem to have landed on a sky mine." Jay looked down and with a sinking feeling realized Nadakhan spoke the truth. "One shot from Flintlocke and you'll be blown to kingdom come."
Jay sighed from the depth of his soul. He was cornered. While he wasn't good to anyone dead, at this point Nadakhan could always go after another of the ninja.
"Okay." Jay's voice cracked. This wasn't going to be pretty. "I- I surrender."
Letting the bottle slip from his grasp to the waters below, Jay raised his hands into the air.
Nadakhan poofed over and grabbed Jay's collar, pulling him close. "Bad move, neen-ja."
Teleporting back to the Misfortune he threw Jay to the ground. Jay lay in a crumpled heap, resigned to his fate.
"Insubordination will not be tolerated." Nadakhan's whip materialized into his hand.
As Nadakhan raised his arm, Jay closed his eyes.
a/n- this one was born from a comment by zap_trap on Wattpad