Well... I'll give you guys three guesses if I meant to post this fic two weeks ago. We need some kind of 'Are you sure you're clicking the right button?' pop-up for the post button

Ahem, anyways! I was working on some oneshots for DR season 1 in between like 11 other projects, and this idea popped into my head. It didn't really fit the theme of the other oneshots, but I ended up writing it out /
I have no idea how it didn't occur to me that Jay lost his memories when watching the Administration episode, but by the time I found out about it, this fic was already half written, so yeah... Then the teasers for Season 2 came out and I wanted to get this out before its release, so it could still use some polishing, but I hope you like it nonetheless.

I'll post the second part as soon as I get around to proofreading it.

Enjoy


Jay yelped and jerked the controls roughly to the side to avoid a flying noodle truck. The vehicle passed him by mere centimeters, and he quickly readjusted his mech and started looking around for other dangerous objects.

The world had, for lack of better word, gone absolute bonkers from one second to the next. They sky was the wrong color and showed all kids of weird illusions, gravity didn't seem to work properly anymore, and things and people that should be on the ground were flying all around the place. Jay and the other ninja had seen their fair share of crazy, but this... this was on a whole new level even for them.

He turned the mech around to check on the Bounty, where the rest of the ninja were doing their best to rescue as many as they could. He nearly screamed when he saw Lloyd swinging around the ship in a wide arch to grab a smaller orange figure that was caught in the gravitational crosswinds. He kept his mech steady until his little brother was safely back on board and only then went back to safeguarding the Bounty's path.

After cleaving a large shipping container, that was threatening to hit the Bounty, in half, he arched the mech around the ship to clear the next one, getting a glimpse of the kid Lloyd rescued in the process. He was watching him with sparkling eyes, and Jay couldn't help but preen under his obvious admiration.

"The Bounty is reaching its weight limit," came Pixal's voice over the intercom a moment later, "We will need to to deposit the rescued back on the ground before we can continue."

"Copy that. Lead us down, Jay."

Giving his confirmation, Jay guided the ship back to the ground and stood - or technically floated - guard while his friends helped everyone down.

The controls of his mech started beeping, alerting him to further decreasing atmospheric pressure, and he quickly adjusted the thrusters to counter it. Whatever was happening was getting worse.

He continued watching the pure chaos above and around him until Lloyd's orders came through.

"Good job, team. I think that's downtown done. Let's head closer to central now."

With a sigh, Jay tore his eyes away from the sky and led his mech in front of the Bounty again, clearing any debris that threatened to crash into it. Those lines in the sky seemed like they were getting brighter and more jumpy, and it was making his head hurt. They needed to get through this evacuation and find out what was causing this mess before he threw up what little he managed to have for breakfast.

Then, without any warning, the lines and illusions were all sucked inward into one bright point, which then disappeared, leaving only the strange colors behind. The howling winds stilled, the pressure leveled, and everything was suddenly almost unnaturally quiet, including their comms.

Tense seconds ticked by.

"Is it over-" Jay began asking, just as the sky exploded.

...

"...nother one...becoming more..."

"...e looks important...ould tell...think?"

"You know...Manager...ust send off...wherever..."

Jay groaned and covered his ears as the voices drifted in and out of his mind. He was tired and his ears hurt, damn it, couldn't they talk a little quieter?

The voices stopped and he sighed in relief and tried to snuggle deeper into his bed.

Wait...

There was no bed.

Was he standing?

"...never wake up... this isn't..."

"...security...can't do...impossible..."

"...no protocol...ot trained for this!"

The voices started again, more frantic this time. That tugged on something in his memory. Wasn't he just doing something where he saved people who sounded that frantic? Yes, he was, he was saving people from... something. And the sky was... weird and he and the others-

Jay's eyes shot open and he flailed his arms around as he tried to stay upright. He really was sleeping standing! How did he fall asleep? What happened? Where were the others? And where was he?

"Y-You're in the Administration."

"Huh?"

He looked around groggily, only now realising he said his questions out loud. His vision was blurry, but he could just about make out two human-shaped figures standing in front of him.

"You were stuck in the nothingspace between former realms and were brought here on accident. We were about to send you back to your realm when... H-how in the world did you wake up?"

"In the... where? Back to my- What do you mean former realms? Who are you people?"

His vision slowly cleared up and he was starting to see where he was. It was a large, nearly empty space with no windows, like a giant hangar. The only truly prominent thing in it was the portal at the end of the conveyor belt he was on. Through the portal he could see tall, snow-capped mountains, large ice caps, and the outline of a familiar village in the distance.

It looked like... the Never-realm. Was that where they were going to send him? Were these people mental?!

"The supervisor is on his way here," one of the two people in front of him continued (Jay still couldn't quite tell which), "No one has ever woken up before Realm reassignment before. This is a case that needs to be documented! New rules will be drafted and then approved, and workarounds will be established to make sure this doesn't happen again."

"W-What?" Jay tried to process what the man just said, but then gave it up. It wasn't important right now, he could figure it all out once he was back with the others. Once he made sure that they were safe.

"Look, I don't care about any of that, I just want to go home. Can't you just send me back to my realm - or wherever really? I need to find my friends."

"I-I don't think that's possible," the other person, who was apparently a woman, said, "No one has ever woken up before. We don't have protocol for this, so... you'll probably have to stay here until you have the proper paperwork required for realm reassignment of a conscious individual."

Jay blinked in confusion. He had to have what?

...

Jay groaned and dropped his controller as the screen in front of him flashed with the demoralising 'Game Over' message. He'd seen it more times in the past months than he was willing to admit and it was eating away at the remains of his sanity.

He reached over and turned off the console before slumping back in his seat and looking around.

Even as Manager of the Department of Reassignment, his office wasn't anything grand, but he managed to sneak in a pretty decent video game console, an old couch, and a small portable fridge from the Department of Interdimensionally Lost Items. It wasn't anywhere near what he had back home, but he made do.

Still, something was missing, something he would gladly give up everything he build here for, even though he would never admit it.

His team - his family - wasn't here.

He hadn't seen the other ninja in what was probably years, ever since that accursed Merge threw him into this First-Master-forsaken realm. He didn't know what happened to the others, didn't even know if they were alive until recently, but he was willing to bet his predicament was one of the unluckiest.

Not only was he stuck in the nothingspace between the former realms for who knows how long, after he woke up in the Administration - which apparently had never happened before or since - he was no longer eligible for realm reassignment. No, now he needed a whole lot of their favourite thing - paperwork.

Seriously? Jay's mind cried whenever he thought about it, He was Jay Walker! The lightning ninja, most chaotic of their team! And they wanted him to do paperwork?

For anyone but Zane, the amount of forms that needed filling out meant they would get out as seniors, if at all.

And so he was stuck here.

He ended up unintentionally, becoming part of the department, after he nearly lost his voice while yelling at the department staff for every stupid guess on where to send the Merge refugees, as people like him were called.

Now he found himself doing something he never thought he would - slowly climbing the corporate ladder in hopes of getting himself a special punch card, the only way to get home.

Surprisingly, he wasn't doing that bad, in fact, he almost began settling into this new normal. Until a few days ago.

As he was in his room finishing up the newest game he snagged for himself, three ninja rushed through the Administration, leaving chaos in their wake. Even with their new gi's, one look at the security recordings was enough for Jay to recognise Zane and Lloyd. His friends were alive and so close! One of them was right there, in his very department!

...Except that particular ninja wasn't one of his friends. He was a kid Jay had never seen before, wearing an orange gi.

And seeing him brought up the first shred of doubt.

To be honest, it... kind of hurt. All the thoughts about possibly being replaced were becoming unbearable. He often found himself wondering whether the others had already been found, and whether anyone was even still looking for him. Whether they even needed him with this new ninja...

Knowing full where where these thoughts would take him, Jay shook them off and got to his feet. After making sure the door was locked, he pulled out a very beaten-up training dummy and his trusty kusarigama, both of which he managed to keep hidden from security so far. Weapon permits were a whole other kind of crazy in the Administration, but that didn't mean he would let himself get out of shape.

He'd already added quite a few new dents to the dummy when frantic pounding at his door made him jump.

"Just a second!" he called, nearly tripping over his own feet as he hurried to hide his training equipment and smooth down his clothes.

When he finally opened the door, he found two field agents - a human and a purple hypnobrai - standing there.

"Agent Walker?" Jay nodded, trying not to roll his eyes. Who else would be in his office? "The manager of the Department of Security is asking for you."

"Why?" he asked cautiously, his mind immediately going to his friends.

"He didn't say," was the hypnobrai's curt response before he motioned for him to follow them.

With a small shrug, Jay did so, somewhat thankful that for once he resorted to hiding his weapon in his jacket.

The destruction his friends caused during their visit was still obvious. Jay felt pride swell in his chest as he walked past overturned cubicles stuck in ice that wouldn't melt, and machines that refused to function properly and sparkled with green energy. It was good to know his brothers made up for his portion of chaos while he was gone.

Thanks to that, by the time he and his escort reached the office of the manager of Department of Security, his mood had at least slightly improved.

The manager of that department, agent Nile Brooks, was a burly merlopian with a large burn scar over his eyes, breath that smelled of fish, and an overall attitude that made Jay wonder when he was going to reveal himself as the mastermind of some evil scheme. Now he was staring at Jay with the look of someone who was dealing with something bothersome and very clearly below him.

"Agent Walker, are you aware of the intruders that recently infiltrated the Administration?"

Jay glanced behind him at the large wall of ice lining the corridor they came through.

"I may have heard a thing or two."

"Well, because of the damages they caused, our department has their hands full. We are short-staffed, and getting more reports about violations than ever. The most recent one is about a group of people attempting to reconstruct a weapon capable of creating MergeQuakes through the usage of unstable technology originating from our realm. These people..."

Jay started zoning out as Brooks continued droning on and on about MergeQuakes, conspiracies, empresses, and whatnot. Why did he summon him here if all he wanted to do was vent? He had more important things to do, like literally anything else.

Come to think of it, was this what he was like to the other ninja? Nah, couldn't be. He was way more interesting.

"...So, in short, we are putting together a team to investigate and possibly detain the group. But as I mentioned, we are short-staffed, and do not have enough available agents to put together a team per department regulation. And somehow..."

Brooks trailed off with a long-suffering sigh that regained him Jay's attention.

"Somehow you are the most qualified person to fill the missing spot," Brooks groaned, gesturing to the group of three agents standing to the side.

Jay's wayward thoughts screeched to a halt.

"Wait... so you're saying... I can go outside? Like, outside outside?"

Looking like he would rather sever his own hand, Brooks nodded.

"Of course if you refuse, the offer will be further handed down to the next most qualified person and-"

"No!" Jay quickly cut him off, "No no, I want to go! I will go!"

Brooks' expression soured further, but Jay had already turned away from him and practically skipped towards the other agents. He was almost bouncing with excitement, feeling like he was about to explode. All he had to do was wait for them to be outside, and then he could take these three out no problem, and he'd be free! It was going to be easy!

"Not so fast, Walker," Brooks' voice froze him in place after just two steps. Someone grabbed his hand, and Jay hissed in surprise as something cold was closed around his wrist. Looking down, he found a strange metal band there. A small light on the side blinked and turned green.

Jay examined it with a frown. It wasn't vengestone - he could still clearly feel his powers - and it wasn't really restricting his movement either, so he had no idea what it was for.

At his confused look, Brooks laughed.

"It's a class F security wristband. You don't technically have the authorisation to be outside, so as per protocol, you have to wear one of these. You try to run or leave your assigned team, and this will alert us while also injecting you with a small dose of paralysing venom. And don't even think of taking it off. Agent Kolarr will be watching you the whole time."

Jay gave him a jerky nod while screaming on the inside. Of course it couldn't be that easy. When was anything the ninja did ever easy?

Slightly deflated, he joined the other agents and received his punch card. The thing he'd been trying to get was finally in his hands, and he couldn't even use it for his escape!

Focus, Jay! he scolded himself, You'll find a way out of this! You're a ninja, and ninja never quit! Ninja never quit!

With that mantra in his mind, he stepped forward and watched as a blue portal formed in the air in front of him and the other agents, growing larger until it was bigger than him. Despite his predicament, he felt a warm spark of excitement in his chest.

Security wristband or not, he was getting one step closer to home.

The portal rippled around him as he stepped through it, Agent Kolarr practically breathing down his neck.

Warm wind brushed his cheek for the first time in years, and Jay took a long, deep breath. The air smelled of ash and ripe fruit he couldn't name, but more than anything, it smelled alive. No smell of papers, ink, or constantly running AC, no constant sounds of machines and fans. He was outside!

When he opened his eyes, the land around him was somewhat barren. It kind of reminded him of the realm of oni and dragons, except for the large patches of short, hard grass, and small lava lakes dotting it. After seeing only cubicles for years, even this relative wasteland looked absolutely beautiful.

When he was done taking everything in, Jay finally noticed the group of people standing in front of him and the other agents. They were wearing armor he didn't recognise, mostly gold with red and black undertones, complete with impractically large shoulder pads, and comical, lampshade-like hats, which did little to hide the strange masks underneath.

The only one that looked different was a woman with white hair flowing to the right side of her face and linear tattoos covering the left side. She was wearing a gown that looked almost like something a royal would wear, and even more impractical-looking shoulder pads than the others. Unlike the others, who were all wielding strange winged staffs, she seemed unarmed.

When the group noticed their arrival, they immediately jumped to attention, assuming battle stances that spoke volumes of the varying degree of their training. Most of them left Jay unimpressed, but he noticed a handful that stood out, mainly one that had a medal stuck to his chestplate. A general maybe?

The leader of Jay's team, a skulkin agent he didn't know, stepped forward, but instead of going to the woman or the general-looking soldier, who in Jay's opinion were very clearly the leaders, he went to the soldier closest to them.

"Alright, listen up!" he called, glancing at the notepad in his hand with a bored expression, "We have recieved reports that your group is reconstructing an unauthorised, potentially dangerous weapon. Do you have any authorisation for such actions?"

"I, uh, I don't-" the soldier stuttered, but was interrupted by another member of Jay's team, who was apparently trying to play Good cop, Bad cop.

"Stop avoiding the question and answer while we are still acting in accordance with Suspect regulation 415B."

"Hey, lay off him!" another of the soldiers stood next to her companion, "We only joined this thing yesterday! We don't know anything."

Jay could see Kolarr's eyes narrow and his hand moved closer to his weapon as he watched the fight escalate. He decided to take his chance and sidled up to the woman, carefully keeping an eye on Kolarr's movements.

"Psst! Hey! I need your help."

The woman turned to him with a scowl and looked him over. Jay got the immediate impression that she thought herself above everyone else, but he had to try nonetheless. This was quite possibly his only chance to make a move.

"Listen, you probably don't know me, but I need you to find someone who knows the ninja."

The woman's expression shifted, and for a moment, Jay though that except surprise, he could see barely contained anger.

"Why do you need to contact the ninja?

Jay's felt his hope ignite like the most beautiful flame.

"You know them? Oh thank the First Master! They're my team! You have to get this to them so they know where to find me," he rambled, simultaneously pressing his punch card and name tag in her hand. He hoped that since Lloyd and Zane had already visited the Administration, they would realise what this meant.

The woman glanced down at the things, but didn't seem to pay them much attention otherwise. She was looking him over as if she was searching him for something. Jay fidgeted nervously, hand unconsciously drifting closer to his weapon.

"I think we can do better than that," she finally said.

Snapping her fingers, she got the attention of a the soldier that looked like the general and pointed to the three agents that came with Jay. They were still distracted with interrogating the other two soldiers, who had by now been joined by a third.

The general immediately understood and nodded. He motioned for two of his men closest to him and together they started advancing on the agents, careful to stay in their blind spot.

Oblivious to this, the skulkin agent droned on, "Well, since you have no authorisation and aren't under any of the Administration's programs, we'll have to take you in. We're going to need your dimension of origin, sanctification details, and-"

He didn't finish, as at that moment, the three soldiers each stabbed their staffs into his and his fellow agents backs. The ends of the weapons crackled with electricity, and the three started writhing under the voltage before they fell to the ground. None of them moved again.

Jay automatically slid into a battle-ready stance, fingers brushing against the handle of his kusarigama. He noticed the woman was watching him and that she smiled. The expression sent a shiver down his back. Something about her was deeply sinister, but she did just try to help him...

Carefully, he walked to the agents and nudged Kolarr with his foot to see if he was still alive. The man twitched slightly, but otherwise didn't react. In his peripheral, Jay could see the woman approach one of the soldiers and take the staff he was holding. People from other realms were weird...

"Whoa! I... didn't expect that, but hey, if it works."

He turned to his security wristband and with one strong pull ripped it off. Something beeped in agent Kolarr's belt, but not even that roused him. A small needle extended from the wristband, barely missing Jay's fingers, and he quickly threw it away and turned to the woman, a wide smile on across his face.

He was free! He could go home!

"Thank you! You have no idea how many times I've wanted to do that... Well, less gruesomely I guess, but still, those guys are a pain. I was in that place for so long and didn't even know if the others were alive until a few days ago. I am so lucky to have been sent to you guys."

He approached her and offered her his hand.

"I'm Jay, the lightning ninja."

"Queen Beatrix," she said, gripping the offered hand with a malicious grin, "your worst nightmare."

As Jay's confusion and slight alarm flared, she jutted the electrostaff forward and into his stomach. Electricity crackled between them, and Jay gasped and stumbled backwards in surprise as it entered his body. It was an extremely high voltage, enough to knock even someone as large as Kolarr out, so it took a few seconds for it to merge with his powers.

When he could stand straight again, he stumbled a few steps back and looked up. Beatrix's face was the definition of surprise.

"Hey! What the heck was that for?" he yelped, gingerly feeling along his midsection.

"But... how did..." Beatrix stuttered, looking between him and the staff.

"Uh, I'm the master of lightning? I just told you," he said incredulously, producing a ball of lightning in his palm for emphasis. All the soldiers tensed while Beatrix took a seemingly unconscious step back, putting even more space between them.

"So what was that about? Is this like a strange custom in whatever dimension you're from? And what did you mean by my worst-"

His words were cut off by the pommel of a sword that cracked across his temple. His eyes went wide and a dazed "Oh, right..." escaped his lips when he finally understood, before he toppled to the ground.

As his vision shifted, he could see the probably-general from before standing behind him, holding the sword that knocked him out. Although his mask fully hid his face, judging by his shaking hands, he wasn't entirely happy by what he just did.

Before he fully blacked out, Jay heard the woman snap at the general, "Took you long enough! And what are you imbeciles waiting for? Restrain him before he wakes up!"

Footsteps sounded around him as the soldiers hurried to fulfill her orders, but Jay couldn't see them anymore. The woman's voice, full of glee, followed him into the darkness.

"You! Get ready! You're going to deliver the ninja a little message."