Lloyd heard the army immediately charge after him, their footsteps seeming too loud and too close and they were gaining on him—

Lloyd's mind raced, an all consuming fear taking hold of him. He made a sharp right turn and then another, almost skidding, but managed to regain his footing.

Heart beating wildly, Lloyd glanced up at the trees, wondering if he could lose them in the treetops, but these trees were too small. He would be surrounded within minutes. He realized he would have to outrun them somehow.

Suddenly, another barrage of soldiers leaped out at him. They were probably backup. Lloyd swerved, feeling one of their swords slice into his arm and another on his leg. He stumbled briefly, throat tightening, but he was able to keep going out of sheer desperation.

Ten minutes later he stumbled out of trees, exiting the park, and was immediately met with the sound of rushing cars. His eyes widened at the sight of the busy street. Leaves crunched and branches swished behind him, and Lloyd heard the unmistakable sound of pounding footsteps. He almost froze in uncertainty, swallowing hard and blinking to get rid of the blur of tears from his eyes.

He bolted out into the street.

He flinched at the high pitched shriek of skidding cars, then almost yelped, swerving and stumbling, as one almost hit him. The car skidded to a stop inches away, bellowing a loud, hard blast of noise. Lloyd gasped in shock, tripping, before he continued running. Two more cars almost slammed into him, swerving madly, and he barely managed to avoid getting hit.

Then another approached him, going the opposite direction of the other three cars. Lloyd hurriedly leaped towards it, grabbing onto the edge and hauling himself up. Now I won't get hit by a car, at least… He quickly glanced back. The army and police had paused by the trees of the park, a couple of them barking out orders to the rest, all seeming to be in a raged, crazed frenzy—and glaring, yelling, at him. He swallowed, another wave of fear cascading over him and making his chest hurt even more. But at least he'd lost them—until he saw three police cars gaining on him, following the car he was currently perched on. He winced. Deciding to ditch the car, he stood, wobbling, and then leaped onto a different car, heading the opposite direction. The car raced past the three police cars, who swerved, skidding, as they tried to follow him.

Lloyd let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He swallowed the lump in his throat, bracing himself on the car as wind rushed past him, blowing his hair every which way and into his eyes. He quickly tried to move it. Then he gaped, his heart leaping. Five police cars and two army trucks had suddenly swerved into his path. He yelped as the car he was on almost instantly slammed to a stop, and suddenly, there was nothing but air under him. He gave another yelp as he hit the hard, cemented ground, his shoulder spiking up in fire-like burning pain. He rolled, then slammed hard into something else. He blinked for a moment, dazed, but then pushed himself to his feet, swaying as his head throbbed in pain. He glanced around to get his bearings, realizing he'd slammed into one of the police cars. He gripped his shoulder, wincing, and realizing it may have been dislocated.

He stumbled back from the car, then bolted, fleeing into an alleyway—he needed to find the wall. Where is it again? Panic flared through him. He suddenly felt lost, claustrophobic, and confused. Where was he?

He knew the Ninjago City Army and the police knew the city better than he did. Which was bad—he may run into a dead end, and they would have him cornered. Another jolt of terror swept through him, and he blinked again, harder this time.

Through his blurred vision, he suddenly spotted metal, rusted stairs leading up the side of the tan colored brick building next to him. He skidded to a halt, then bolted towards it, leaping up and grabbing the bottom edge. His fingers almost slipped, and he cried out in pain as his shoulder screamed at him. He grit his teeth, then pulled upwards, ignoring it. He dragged himself up, gasping as air suddenly seemed to evade his aching lungs. He stumbled haphazardly, then ran, two at a time, up the stairs. They creaked unnervingly under his feet. He glanced down below, seeing police officers and people from the army crowd below him, gesturing and barking orders to each other.

Then they started climbing onto the stairs, starting to follow him up.

Lloyd gaped, then started trying to go faster, resulting in him tripping on the stairs. He winced in pain but continued on, sucking in strained breaths.

He reached the top—then almost groaned. His legs suddenly felt shaky and weak, like he'd collapse from sheer exhaustion and adrenaline—ten policemen and five people from the army were waiting for him.

Lloyd backed away, but then remembered he was being pursued from below as well. He swallowed. He glanced behind him, seeing another building. His enemies started towards him, but slowly—they thought he was trapped.

He glanced down, breath catching as he realized how far the drop was. The army and police gathered below, ten of them still making their way towards him. They'd slowed as well—he realized they were trying to corner him.

He grit his teeth. He stepped onto the building's roof with the army and policemen, walking slowly towards them. They seemed to falter for a brief second, confused looks coming onto their faces, before they hardened again. They readied their swords—they thought he was going to attack them.

Lloyd suddenly whipped around, bolting towards the edge of the building where he'd just come from. He felt a brief feeling of hesitation—and then fear slammed into him. He didn't stop though—when he reached the edge, he leaped as hard and as far as he could, his arms flailing as he tried to maintain his balance in the air. He reached, almost blindly, for the rim of the next building, his heart leaping and his breath catching as his fingers almost slipped—

But then his grip tightened. He hung on for a second to just breath for a moment, then pulled, hauling himself up. He gasped, then stumbled to his feet, swaying. His leg burned, and he felt his pant leg stick to him, wet—with blood. He'd forgotten he'd gotten cut earlier. Though he'd have to deal with it later.

He ran along the building's roof, nearing the next building over—thankfully this one was closer. He made another daring leap, this time rolling on his shoulder—the good one—to ease the impact. He winced, then continued on, doing the same thing with the next building.

And then he skidded to a stop—he'd ran out of buildings. The next one over was much too far, and down below was a busy, car covered street. A few civilians walked down below.

Then he heard his pursuers. He glanced back, seeing that, somehow, about ten of the army men had followed him. They were approaching him, katanas drawn.

"You have nowhere to run, half breed," one of them spit, giving him a hardened, hateful glare.

They started towards him.

Lloyd backed away, swallowing—he was trapped. He glanced back, seeing he was at the edge now, his foot half off. The civilians down below had started to notice something was going on above them, and now they were glancing up, alarmed looks coming over their faces when they spotted him.

Lloyd grit his teeth. No! He wasn't about to give up, not yet. The wall had to be close. He glanced around—there had to be something. He looked off the side, down below—

That's when he spotted the window sills. The ledges were small, but maybe…

He didn't have a choice. He quickly knelt down, then let himself off the edge slowly, his foot brushing against the top sill. He put his weight down, but then the army was running towards him, seeing what he was doing.

"Hey!" One of them neared, waving his sword and trying to grab him—

Lloyd gasped, sliding down to the next sill—and then his fingers slipped. His breath caught, but then he grabbed the edge, his knuckles going white from the strain. His heart beat hard, now hurting as it thumped wildly. He resisted the urge to glance down, knowing it would make him dizzy and disoriented. He—much more carefully—climbed down to the next sill. The soldiers above him were shouting, one of them brandishing a knife.

It was suddenly being hurtled at his head. Lloyd's eyes widened, and he ducked, the knife whizzing past by just centimeters, brushing against his hair. He let out a breath, then continued down. He reached the last sill, seeing that police had gathered below, attempting to trap him. He swallowed, then tensed, gazing over them.

He leaped, his feet pushing hard off of the windowsill. The police were immediately trying to catch him, and Lloyd landed on the other side of them, ducking his head and rolling to ease the fall, then got up, sprinting into the road. Cars once again swerved madly, screeching, some of them coming to fast stops and others rolling onto sidewalks. Loud, sharp blasts once again assaulted him.

He winced, veering away from a car that raced passed inches from his heels. A car suddenly sped right in front of him and Lloyd flailed his arms wildly, stumbling back to avoid getting hit. He blinked, trying to get his bearings back, then bolted forward, hearing the polices' footsteps starting to near him. He avoided a few more cars, finally reaching the other side, and entered another alley. His pursuers, he realized, were now gaining on him. He swerved quickly, turning into another unfamiliar alleyway, this one seeming smaller in size, more constricted.

It wasn't long before he wasn't sure how many alleys he'd taken to. He was lost. And it soon become abundantly clear. He skidded to a halt, seeing that there was a building in his way. He swallowed, eyes widening. He glanced back, hearing their footsteps nearing him—

He couldn't turn back. They were too close.

He turned back to the building. He desperately looked around, trying to find some way out, but there were none of those wire things going across, no windowsills—he was trapped. Possibly for real this time.

Lloyd's stomach clenched. Tears gathered in his eyes, and he blinked the sting away, his mind racing, trying to think—

He wondered were Cole, Kai, Zane, Nya, and Jay were. Most likely still in the park, reeling over his stinging betrayal, over the lies, the hurt he'd caused—

He swallowed, quickly swiping at his eyes. It would be fine. They were humans, anyway. He should have known better. This was all his fault.

He sucked in a strangled breath. He could hear his enemies getting closer, could hear their shouts, their threats—soon they'd reach him.

And then he'd be handed over to the Emperor to decide his fate. And then, executed—painfully.

Twenty minutes earlier:

Kai watched, along with his friends, as the police and the army bolted after Lloyd, hard on his heels. Anger suddenly boiled in his gut. He growled, whipping around. "I can't believe this!" He kicked a random pebble, sending it flying. His fists clenched. "All this time, and we never knew!"

"I can't believe I'm still alive…" Jay fidgeted, looking pale.

"Well, this explains why something was off about him…" Nya grumbled, looking away.

"Yeah, no kidding!" Kai crossed his arms. "I can't believe we never suspected a thing!"

"Uh, actually, I did suggest that he was a half breed when we had first met him…" Jay ducked his head, his hands twiddling nervously.

Kai and Nya ignored him.

Cole hadn't said anything yet, but Kai—and everyone else—could all tell that he was furious. Kai didn't really blame him, knowing what had happened to his mom. Another wave of anger rushed over him—at Lloyd. How could he have lied to them?! How could he have deceived them?! Why hadn't Kai seen it sooner?! How could he have been so stu—

"I'm going to help him."

Kai glanced up. "What?"

Zane had a determined, hard look on his face. He turned, starting to walk away.

Wait, was he—

"Wait, what?! Have you lost your mind?!" Jay bolted after him.

Kai found himself agreeing."Yeah, Zane! And you're supposed to be the smart one!"

"Why would you want to help a half breed?" Cole growled, eyes narrow and hard. His voice was laced with anger and sharp, hurt betrayal.

Kai swallowed, once again feeling a pang for his friend—he'd been the one most wanting to help Lloyd. This probably hurt him more than the rest of them.

Zane suddenly whipped around, fury in his eyes.

Kai started—and out of the corner of his eye he saw his sister and Jay start as well. Zane was usually calm and collected, and rarely, if ever, showed anger.

"Have you all forgotten that this is our friend you're talking about? Not some random half breed?" Zane's voice was hard as ice, his glare cutting into them.

Kai shifted, glancing at his friends. Cole was glaring at Zane. Jay was looking away, along with Nya—though he caught a look of guilt, shame, and some confusion in their eyes.

Zane continued, his stare now on Kai. "Don't you remember that time Lloyd saved you from the quicksand?"

Kai opened his mouth, then closed it. He swallowed at the reminder, glancing away, and shifted uncomfortably. "Well, yeah, but it was probably just a cover up…"

Zane turned his gaze back to everyone else. "Why would Lloyd become a ninja in the first place if he was evil?"

They all exchanged glances, except for Cole, who narrowed his eyes at Zane.

"No half breed is good. They'reallevil!" Cole's fists clenched, the burning hatred clear in his tone. His dark, rage-filled—and hurt—gaze bore into Zane, who of course, didn't even flinch.

Zane shook his head. He didn't want to lose a friend, but the hatred towards the half breeds had gone far enough. It had to end. "I'm sorry, Cole, but you are wrong. Lloyd has never once tried to harm us or intentionally betray us. And remember that Lloyd had always tried to keep his distance from everyone at school. We were the ones who approached him. We were the ones who invited him to our homes, and to the arcade, and to the mall. I believe that Lloyd tried to keep his distance for a reason, and that reason was that he was too afraid of humans to try and make friends with any of them. And now, I can see that he was probably right… If you all accepted me, then why not him, too?"

There was silence for a few seconds, and they all glanced at each other.

Zane walked off, saying, "If any of you change your minds, then come with me and help Lloyd."

They all exchanged another glance.

"Wait, Zane!" Nya hurried after him. "I'll come."

Zane glanced at her, then nodded, a small smile appearing on his face.

"Wait, what?! Nya!" Kai bolted after them.

Jay looked at Cole, then at the rest of them. Making up his mind, he ran after Zane as well.

"Oh, sure! Go help a half breed! See what it gets you!" Cole hollered after them, staying put.

Current time:

Lloyd shifted his feet, swallowing again. He stared up at the building standing in his way, trying to find a way out—

And then an idea came to him. It may not work, but…he had no other options right now. He backed away, taking in a slow, controlled breath, and eyed the top—the rim—of the building. He ignited his power in his hands, feeling the soft glow, and then— He ran, then leaped as high as he could go. He blasted his power towards the ground and he instantly shot up. The sudden feeling of weightlessness threatened to disorient him, to lose his concentration, but he kept his gaze firmly fixed. He neared the rim—

And then his power flickered. Lloyd gasped, feeling his momentum suddenly slow, and he grabbed wildly for the building's edge, his fingers brushing it—

He was falling. The sharp, all-consuming pure panic bolted through him like lightning.

No—

No!

In a last, pure-adrenaline attempt, he blasted his power downwards as hard as he could, hearing his pursuers voices suddenly sound much too close, they were right below him—

He shot up again, not as hard, but just maybe— He grabbed the rim, his fingers clenching down tightly, turning white. He cried out in pain as his hurt shoulder screamed at him again, and he quickly blinked the tears back.

"Hey! There he is!"

Lloyd swallowed, his throat going dry at the hostile voice. He dragged himself up, his energy almost completely sapped dry now. Gasping, he pushed himself to his feet, staggering. He glanced up, ignoring the voices below, trying to find—

The wall! He almost laughed. A small, relived smile crept onto his face. He could make it! He was so close—

"Surrender, half breed!"

He ignored the voice, running with the last of his energy, leaping to the building over—but then the rim of the wall became clearer. He stumbled, almost face-planting, and gaped.

The wall was covered in guards. He was trapped. There was no way out. His breath caught in his throat, his breath suddenly coming in sharp gasps—

No—

He was pretty sure the guards had noticed him now. Their weapons were ready, facing him.

Lloyd realized he was trapped.

In the city.

With nowhere to hide.

And a bunch of hostile guards, soldiers, and police after him.

He swallowed, the despair crashing over him. Tears stung his eyes once more, and he tried to blink them away again, but a few slipped down his face. He quickly wiped them away—he couldn't give up now. His parents would be worried sick about him, he needed to get home—

He turned, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. He ran to the building's edge, away from the wall and the side he'd just come from, and found some stairs in the side. He started down the rusted steps, the metal creaking and making more noise than Lloyd would have liked.

He reached the bottom a few minutes later, and he jumped to the ground, his legs almost buckling beneath him.

He bolted down another alley, stumbling, and heard his pursuers footsteps immediately on his tail once more.