Hiya! I've got another fanfic for you! This one is a sorta sequel of my other multi-chapter fanfic, Shadows of Amethyst. If you haven't checked it out, you don't have to, but totally do if you like this one! Anyway, I don't plan to make much references in this one, and I will explain them when I do so...it's not like you absolutely have to read SoA to get this fanfic. Anyway, that's enough author's note!
"Did you find him yet?" Jay's voice asks through the commlinks, smug and a little louder than he has to be, the double meaning "I told you so" behind his words.
"Or her," Nya points out, the eyeroll tangible even through the commlinks. I shudder at the thought of being in close range of an eyeroll like that. If looks could kill…
"Right…uh, did you find the…person, yet?" Jay corrects himself.
"No, no," I admit, wincing as the too-loud laughter throws itself across the connection. I'm almost tempted to take the thing out, but I'd rather deal with Jay than an angry Wu and Lloyd. They've made it clear that if our commlinks aren't on or we aren't answering, then the others are to assume the worst.
Master Wu's planned something that can only be called condensed pain for whoever breaks this, and I know Lloyd enough to know that he has a side to the entree.
"Want to call it quits?" Jay asks. Of course he wants me to quit. That way he wins the bet.
"In your dreams," I snort before rising from my crouch. It's clear that the robber, or robbers aren't going to be here. But then, where? Where have they gone? Where would they hit next? This fit their M.O. This would be exactly what they're looking for.
For the past few days, the biggest banks in Ninjago City have been hit by robberies. The only thing that the police have managed to figure out was that this was the doing of a single group or to use the Commissioner's words, a single "entity." They did the same thing, in and out right before closing time, with the least amount of eyewitnesses as possible, with ninja-like stealth, and leaving us with only that much to work off of. They had asked us to help with the investigation, alongside with their detectives.
Not that I'm complaining. It's a nice break from training, actually putting what we're doing in training to use, that is.
And of course, we had set up a bet. Whoever gets the furthest in this case wins the title "Ultimate Sleuth." It took P.I.X.A.L. about two seconds to figure out the bet and have (more like force) Zane to promise he wouldn't have any part in this bet. I'm not exactly sure why…
But either way, I am not letting Jay win. I am not dealing with the bragging that will come from it. Actually, if I really think about it, the only one that I could deal with bragging about winning it (mostly because theirs will be minimal) would have been Lloyd and Zane. Since Zane can't (but he can help, which probably will cause more problems than help), I'm more determined to win. I'm not dealing with the others.
A sudden movement in the corner of my eye snaps me to attention, my vision instantly turning sharp and focused. The cause is a group of three individuals, wearing all black. But that's not the weirdest thing about them. They're not wearing black hoodies or a black gi. No, it's like a mix between a full bodysuit and a bunch of rags. A mix between modern (well, Ninjago City modern) and ancient (again, Ninjago City ancient). One of them glances my way and I duck out of their sight, peering over the edge of the roof after a few seconds. They didn't see me. They're still doing what they were doing, which is picking a lock.
An old fashioned padlock. I vaguely remember Zane telling us how absurdly easy it is to pick a lock. So why would a bank as big as this one only use a lock? It doesn't make any sense.
Or maybe Ninjago City has gotten to the point where it relies on us too much. Maybe that's why it has some low-tech protections. They think we'll be able to stop every robber. And while we certainly do our best, I doubt that will ever come true. No person can catch everyone or Ninjag aren't perfect.
Suddenly, the lock falls to the ground, landing with a loud thud. At least one of the robbers wince, head turning wildly, to make sure they haven't been caught.
Too late for that, I think, You already got a Ninja on your tail.
They don't hear. Of course they don't. That was a thought. But still. It makes me grin at the thought of it. They're paranoid, at least one of them is, but they haven't noticed me yet. Good. Then this should be quick. And then I'll show Jay who's the "Ultimate Sleuth."
They swing the door open. It's quiet, its hinges freshly oiled. They must think they caught a lucky break. The thought makes my grin stretch even wider. They still don't know I'm here.
I start to move to the getaway vehicle waiting in the alley.
Seriously, what happened to the police? How did they get this close without being detected, besides making the mistake of having a M.O.? They must be lucky or professional or both.
It happens too fast for me to comprehend what happens. One moment their hands were empty. The next, they each carried two bulging bags.
How the…–
The vehicle's engine starts, jumping me into action. I run to the edge of the building, flipping off of it and landing on the hood of the car. The robbers' eyes widen, one flailing their arms around like floppy fish out of water, smacking another robber. He hits the driver, actually, whose eyes narrow at me instead of barking at his companion and he floors it. With me on the vehicle.
The hood of the car is ripped out from underneath me, sending me flying to the ground. The breath whooshes out me as I hit the ground and immediately pop back up. This gives them a headstart.
Nope. Not going to get away. Not on my watch.
I start running before my body catches up with me, muscles burning until my breath actually returns. I'm not letting them get away. At least four banks have been hit and a lot of people lost a lot of money. They need it back. These criminals are not getting away, not matter how well trained they are.
I just have to get to my bike, the Rock Cycle, which is only about a few yards away at this point. Why did I park it so far away? Why didn't I think there would be a car chase? There's always a car chase in stuff like this!
I leap onto the Rock Cycle and start it up, racing after the black car that's not quite a van but not quite a car either. It's certainly not a minivan either.
Whatever, it doesn't matter what it is. I just need to catch up with it. And I'm making progress, avoiding civilian vehicles, careful not to get into a wreck. I can't afford losing the Rock Cycle. Not right now, anyway.
The robbers certainly don't have that reservation, though. They race past, speeding (well, I mean, of course they're speeding, they're in a car chase, after all) at least fifty over the speed limit. In a highly populated area. What in the name of everything on this green planet are they thinking? Is something wrong in their brains or are they really that desperate to get away?
Either way, careful or not, I manage to catch up to them, the tip of their car barely an inch ahead of mine. The driver glances at me, then tries to ram the car into the Rock Cycle. I have to slow down and drift to the left to avoid it, almost running into a civilian's car. Luckily, I don't collide with them. Thank goodness.
My relief instantly turns back to seriousness. I need to catch up with them. Quickly.
And that's exactly what I do.
We're back where we were a few seconds ago (well, probably minutes, but it's hard to tell time in stuff like this), and the driver tries the same trick again. This time, however, he slows with me and keeps trying to ram into me. So, instead I speed up to avoid the car.
Wrong move.
The robbers' car speeds up behind me, to hit me from behind.
Seriously, what is wrong with these people? An accident, even for me, will slow them done. Don't they know that where there's one Ninja there's another?
I speed up even more to avoid it, then drift to the side and slow down, so we're neck and neck. I'm on the other side of the car now, on the passenger's side instead of the driver's side. And this time, I don't wait for them to try to ram into me. Time to meet crazy with crazy.
I jump off the Rock Cycle and onto the door. The robber on sitting shotgun, the paranoid one, yelps and shouts something at the driver. He glances back, at the Rock Cyle, whose autopilot is making it slow down and dirft to the sidewalk. I smirk and open the car door, clinging the other door and stepping onto the little step right by the car seat. The robber gulps and tries to push me off but instead, I grab his hands and pull him off, throwing him to the sidewalk about seven feet away. He lands with an oof, instantly unconscious, and probably will have a massive bruise pretty soon. But that's what you get for robbing banks. You have to deal with the Ninja.
The robbers in the back instantly try to get me out, but it's no use, because I quickly climb in and close the door.
"Now it's just you and me," I tell the driver before reaching for the wheel.
He grunts and tries to shake off my hands while keeping control of the vehicle. But he didn't count on my super-strength. I easily wrench his hands off the wheel, lift him out of his seat, and fling him in the back, landing on his fellow robbers. Four total, one unconscious in the streets of Ninjago City, where hopefully someone will call the cops on him, and three in the car that I gain control over as I slip into the seat and avert the car from certain doom.
I didn't count on them being willing to jump out of a moving vehicle, to open the back and jump out. I also didn't count on them actually leaving the whole point of their little crime spree.
Before I'm able to pull over or turn around, they're long gone. I sigh and pull over, parking in some small, kinda shady parking lot, and slap the steering wheel.
They got away…and now they can rob some other bank or some other poor, hapless old lady. I groan in frustration. There's no way Jay's going to let this go. I actually had them in the palm of my hand and they got away!
I sigh again as I get out and pull out the bags they had left behind. I check the bags, making sure they aren't decoys in case my assumption that they didn't take anything with them is wrong. At least one bag is missing, but the others were full of stuff. Mostly money, but I spot some jewelry or other items people put in deposit boxes. I sigh for the third time. At least I saved some people from possibly losing their family heirlooms or whatever.
Then I spot it. And I drop the bag, coins spilling out, it joining them.
Purple crystal among the bronze of coins. Glowing almost. A purple crystal that can make you sick if you look at it for too long…the same kind of crystal that the Overlord used to cover Ninjago and infect its people.
But they were all destroyed! They disappeared the moment the Overlord did! Just a few months ago. Lloyd had defeated him. He can't be so soon! Master Wu said that it took ages for the Overlord to come back after a defeat. Even last time he had to wait for the darkness in Ninjago to rise before he could rise to power. It's only been a few months.
Sirens snap me back to reality. I look up just in time to see three or four squad cars pull into the parking lot.
Too late, I think bitterly, before stopping myself. It wasn't their fault that they got away, although that probably made it easier for them to get away. Still not their fault, though. It's none of our faults except for the criminals'. Doesn't matter. We'll catch them next time.
"Oh, hello, Cole. Sorry we took so long getting out here. We had some…dispatchment problems," the Commissioner says, glancing at the two officers who seem to follow him like shadows.
"It's fine," I say, sounding calmer than I feel.
"We'll get these back to the bank. I heard that was some chase," the Commissioner says.
I shrug. "It felt too short, to be honest. And they still got away…."
"You saved these from being stolen," the Commissioner points out, gesturing to the bags.
"I guess…oh, speaking of the stuff, can I take a picture of that?" I point to the crystal and continue, "That just looks familiar."
The Commissioner peers at the crystal and nods. "It does, doesn't it?" He doesn't mention the whole situation with the Overlord just a few months ago. It's still fresh in everyone's minds. And quite a few people prefer to not talk about it.
I snap a picture just before the Commissioner's men take it away, placing it back in the bag and into the mover vehicle.
My eyes are glued to the phone screen, with its spider-web-y cracks littering its screen protector. It's miraculous that it's survived this long, something I'm more than thankful for. Especially right now, because I need the others to see this. I need someone who's more familiar with it to tell me that these are it, even though we've been around them for the same time. OK, maybe someone with better memory than me. Someone who'll be able to think about what this most likely means.
My fingers hover over Lloyd's contact before I pull them away. Not Lloyd. He's still shaken over what happened, over what he might have done because of the Overlord, of what he had to do. And not Kai, either. As much as he pretends otherwise, he still gets nightmares. My mind flashes with the only person that might not panic or refuse to help me (Jay, obviously, would refuse to help me) and I click on their contact and send the picture.
Zane responds in about thirty seconds:
Where did you find that?
Heehee, I gave the people on the Fandom a choice between this and two other fanfics and that line was probably what sold them. Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are looking forward to the next! As always, let me know how I did!