I really, really did mean to get to the end of season one, I wanted to T-T But this is 10K words (which is already too long), and I had to end it somewhere before it became too much. So here's the first two thirds of Day of the Great Devourer! I forgot how close Nya and Lloyd come to almost dying, someone book Kai a vacation after this.
Also, a note that I should've whined about earlier - the fact that we don't have confirmed last names for the rest of the ninja is really, really annoying. Maybe it's because I'm just a sticker for having things exactly as canon as possible, but. It hurts, you guys. I'm going with the most popular names I've seen/the first ones I really ran into here, so you've got Cole Brookstone (which I like) and Kai and Nya Smith (which I like…less).
As always, thanks to all the wonderful people who've reviewed! You make me so happy, like I honestly can't describe how much I smile with I read them :D
Chapter 8: The Ninja Fight a Giant Death Snake, and Other Fun Family Bonding Ideas
It happens so fast. Like how it had felt when his mother had left him, or that time he'd broken his arm after being tripped, or when he'd gotten kicked out of Darkley's - one second everything is okay. The next second, nothing is.
His mom, his dad, and now Uncle Wu-
Lloyd's hands are shaking as he pulls against Cole's hold. The other ninja are still standing in open-mouthed horror, and Lloyd kinda wants to do the same. Because Pythor won. Pythor finally got what he wanted, and let the Great Devourer out.
And who let Pythor out?
Lloyd doesn't wanna think about that. He doesn't, he doesn't, it makes him sick to his stomach and he wants to throw up because he never, ever, ever wanted anything like this to happen, ever, he didn't mean to - he just wanted somebody to -
But now-
Uncle Wu was the first person to give Lloyd a chance. He was the only person who wanted to give him a second chance, he was the first person in his whole life that took Lloyd in without wanting something else, and now he's just - he's gone, just like that. Uncle Wu is d-
It's all Lloyd's fault. He's gonna throw up.
A wail is building up in his throat, matching the blurring tears in his eyes as he stands with the others, and he's two seconds from breaking down when Nya gives a sharp little inhale from inside the mech. Lloyd looks up at her just in time to see the horrified expression on her face give way to cold determination.
Before Lloyd can even blink, she wrenches Samurai X into action, scoops Lloyd up, and fires the mech to life. All she says is one short, terse order.
"Move!"
Lloyd barely has time to register that she's picked him up before she blasts them away, streaking back toward the Bounty. Lloyd feels a little like he's dreaming and a lot like he's sick, too stunned to do anything but hang limply in her grasp. He watches the guys grow smaller where they're still frozen in devastated shock, and Lloyd remembers something.
He'd had a teacher at Darkley's, one of the quieter ones - the scarier ones.
"Your other teachers will tell you to act on your anger," she had said. "To use your emotions to fuel your fight." Her lip had curled. "They're wrong. Emotions, in a time as perilous as battle, are your enemy. Love, despair, even anger and the unquenchable thirst for revenge I'm sure you're all dying to taste. They pull you down. They take away energy you could be focusing elsewhere. No one cares how you feel - your job is to train yourself not to care."
"And if you don't learn to do that - if you can't put your little feelings aside and do what needs to be done," she had glared at them. "You're going to get yourself killed."
Lloyd hated that teacher. He still hates her, she was cold and ugly and mean.
But in the split second that Nya lands them on the Bounty, yelling out tense commands, he realizes with a cold flash that his teacher is right.
Because Nya knows it too - the way she doesn't pause as she starts hauling the anchor up, the way her expression goes hard as she takes the wheel. They don't have time. Lloyd doesn't have time to break down into tears. He can't be sad about Uncle Wu right now, he can't be guilty right now, he can't let himself hide in the corner and cry like he wants to -
Because if he doesn't snap himself out of it, he's going to lose Kai and Nya and everyone else, too.
Lloyd swallows back the lump in his throat, and imagines himself taking every emotion he has and crumpling it into a tiny little ball. Then he throws that ball in the trash, shoving it deep down until it stops.
Steeling himself, he tries to listen to Nya instead, taking over pulling up the anchor for her. It's halfway up when movement out the window catches his eye. Kicking a nearby bucket over to stand on, Lloyd cranes his head up. He immediately feels like someone's dunked him in icy water.
The guys are sprinting across the desert sand, Jay just stumbling at the rear — and the biggest snake Lloyd's ever seen in his life is trailing right behind them.
The Great Devourer. Lloyd's eyes go huge. Seeing it in full is way worse. No wonder his dad hates this thing so much - it's the scariest thing Lloyd's ever seen.
"Lloyd!" Nya's strained yell cuts through his awe. "I said, fire up the engines!"
Lloyd shakes himself back with a jerk, hopping down and rushing over to the computer screens. He punches at the controls that start the ship up, and his stomach drops as the readings pop up. He doesn't know as much as Nya does about this stuff, but-
"There's no wind!" he cries to her. "And we only have reserve fuel!"
Nya looks back at the window, her eyes going wide. "Use it!" she yelps, prepping the engines.
Lloyd's halfway through diverting the extra fuel when the door kicks open - Lloyd jumps about a foot in the air before he remembers that the Devourer wouldn't use the door. It would just eat the ship whole. Kai stumbles in first, tripping over the floor as the others pile in behind him, white-faced and panting for breathe. Jay is the last in, somersaulting before crashing into the wall. He pushes himself back up, freezing at the display screen in terror.
"Uh, hate to tell you this, but objects in the mirror are closer than they appear!" he warns, tightly.
Lloyd glances back, and immediately wishes he hadn't - the Devourer is right there. He turns back to the controls, his leg bouncing in nervous energy. C'mon, stupid fuel, work work work-
Nya gives a grunt of frustration. "Workin' on it-"
She flips a switch, and the ship hums, wood vibrating beneath Lloyd's feet. "Blasters on full!" Nya cries - it's the only warning they get before the Bounty shoots forward, nearly sending Lloyd tumbling back with a yelp as his stomach gets left behind. They guys give similar shouts, but they quickly turn to cheers as the Devourer shrinks into the distance, left in their dust.
Kai whoops. "Take that, you stupid snake!"
The computer pings a warning, interrupting his cheer, and Lloyd frowns. That's weird, there shouldn't be anything that big beneath them-
Oh no.
Before he can call a warning, the Devourer bursts from the sand in front of them, its eyes flashing as it roars. Lloyd barely manages to strangle his scream by biting down hard on his cheek.
Jay doesn't even try, giving a strangled yelp. "Uh, I think it heard you."
Kai looks a little like he wants to start eating people whole. Nya doesn't pay attention to either of them, yanking the ship to the side and barely missing the Devourer's gaping jaws. Lloyd gives a tiny sigh of relief, before the adrenaline takes over again. They're nowhere near safe yet, the computer's annoying little alarms won't let him forget it. He glances at the back window, and immediately wishes he hadn't - the snake is still behind them, picking up speed as they race across the desert.
Lloyd swallows, turning his head back to the computers and chewing frantically on his lip, trying to ignore how his hands tremble as he keeps the fuel regulated. Just focus on that, don't look back, don't look back-
"Nya, we gotta go faster," Kai says, tightly. "That thing is gaining on us!"
-don't look back, don't look back-
"We're going as fast as we can!" Nya yells back, sounding more panicked than Lloyd's ever heard her. Lloyd's stomach somehow manages to drop further. If Nya and Kai are this scared...
"I'll try to make it to Scatter Canyon," Nya continues, setting a course for the rocky pillars Lloyd can just see looming the distance.
Zane glances at her, his voice anxious. "The probability of making it that far is less than eight percent!"
Nya grits her teeth, her grip on the wheel white-knuckled as she glares fiercely ahead. "Never tell me the odds!"
Cole slides next to Lloyd, his eyes focusing on the view screens. "It's coming in for another attack-" His eyes narrow. "Portside!"
Nya spins the wheel, sending them careening to the right. Lloyd stumbles back, losing his balance before Cole yanks him back to place. He has a second to notice that Cole's own hands aren't that steady, before something on the computer screens catches his eyes.
"We're losing speed!" he yelps, looking at Nya. "We'll drop to the ground pretty soon!"
Nya gives a muffled curse. "Throw everything overboard," she orders.
"What?"
Nya turns her head, glaring at them all. "We need to lose some weight!"
There's a brief smattering of muffled oh's, before the ninja make for the deck. Lloyd hesitates, but he decides to stay behind - his place is with Nya. He can't leave her without a copilot.
(Also, he really, really doesn't wanna go outside, where the Devourer can snap him up like a popcorn shrimp, or something.)
Lloyd keeps his eyes glued to the screens, trying to focus like Cole did. He squints, catching the slight shifting of sand below them. "Starboard!" he cries.
Nya gasps, spinning the wheel again - two seconds too late. There's a horrible screeching sound, and alarms start blaring, ringing loudly across the cabin as the ship suddenly jerks harshly before slowing down.
"Uh oh," Nya mutters. Lloyd watches with wide eyes as half of one of the rocket boosters goes flying off behind them, trailing sparks as it crashes to the ground, where it's immediately squished flat by the Devourer.
"That's…bad, right?" he swallows.
Nya shakes her head, watching the deck where the guys are chucking furniture over the railings with gusto. "If this works, we can do without," she says. "How's it going?"
Lloyd glances back at the fuel levels. His heart jumps as he watches them start slowly bouncing up. "It's working!" he calls back. And a good thing, too, because he's pretty sure he saw Jay chucking some of his stuff overboard - his sacrifice better be worth something.
"Good," Nya sighs in relief. "If they can just…"
Her voice trails off, and they both gape in horror at the view screen. Behind them, the Devourer has slowed down, its skin shifting and wriggling. Lloyd watches in half-fascinated, half-revolted dismay as the Devourer shakes its own skin off, scales and slime slaking away as it grows even bigger.
Lloyd's jaw drops. How is that fair?
"It gets larger the more it consumes," Nya murmurs. Her eyes widen. "Which means we're just making it bigger - stop throwing stuff off!"
The guys seem to have already come to the same conclusion, having halted tossing things overboard. Kai clings to the front of the deck, watching the Devourer's approach with Zane as Cole and Jay stumble back into the control room. Nya suddenly gives a breathless gasp of relief, and Lloyd suddenly realizes that the stone columns have gotten a lot closer.
"We made it to Scatter Canyon," she says, sounding winded. She spins the wheel, taking them into the narrow labyrinth of rocks. "Hold on!"
Lloyd grabs onto Cole, and not a moment too soon - the rocks narrow dangerously fast, and Nya's forced to zig-zag through the canyon at a terrifying speed, sending Jay sliding across the room with a cry. Lloyd glances at the deck, his eyes searching wildly for Kai. He breathes a tiny sigh of relief as he catches on the red figure, hunkered over next to Zane on the deck.
They all yelp as Nya yanks the ship to a harsh left, nearly knocking Cole over this time. Lloyd watches as she continues to fly them through the canyon, his eyes wide. Nya is crazy, he decides, as they barely slide through two rocks. Way cooler than Kai. Why doesn't she fly them like this more often? This is awesome!
Well, it would be if they weren't all about to get eaten. That's not awesome. That's really scary, and not in a fun way.
The Devourer is quickly lost to sight in the maze of rocks, left in the dust by Nya's piloting. Cole laughs, relieved. "Ha, we lost 'em!"
Sure enough, it seems they've finally left the Devourer behind, nothing around them but sharp rocks and sand. Lloyd breathes a sigh of relief, the barest hint of a smile breaking across his face as he looks over at Nya-
And then Lloyd learns that you should never, ever celebrate anything too soon in this group, because the Devourer explodes out of the sand in front of them, shooting straight up in a towering column of green scales that blocks their way.
Nya screams as it dives back down, its wide mouth and glinting fangs just barely missing the front of the Bounty. For a second, Lloyd thinks they might have escaped - but the the tail comes down right after, curved and sharp and right on target.
It hits the ship with an ear-splitting crack, and an entire engine is violently ripped off, immediately sending them into an uncontrollable spiral. Warning alarms erupt in the cabin, shrieking loudly as Nya tears herself from the wheel.
"Abandon ship!" she cries, already punching at her bracelet for the mech.
The ship careens out of control, wood crunching and computers crashing to the floor where they spark and shatter. Smoke pours from the sparking remains of the engine, enveloping the deck in a dark haze as the ship spins wildly. Jay gives a cry of panic as he falls back, smashing through the window with a shatter of glass.
Lloyd is too terrified do anything but try to hold onto something, the ship's momentum sending him stumbling into the control panel. His head strikes against the side, and he gives a muffled yelp of pain, tripping to the floor. Lloyd blinks stars away, his head throbbing and swimming in dizziness and terror. Smoke is flooding into the cabin now, clouding the room and making his eyes smart. He coughs, trying to catch sight of Cole, or Nya, or anyone-
Lloyd's stomach drops in dread. He can't see anyone, even through the thickening smoke. Are they - are they dead? Did they get thrown out the window like Jay? Did they leave him beh-
Lloyd's heart seizes. They must've left him. They forgot him, and now Lloyd's stuck in the ship and he can't get out 'cause he just a stupid kid and he's gonna die-
Firm hands grab his shoulders, hauling him up. Lloyd gives a startled gasp, and Nya stares at him through her Samurai helmet, her eyes frightened but determined.
"C'mon, bud," she coughs through the smoke. "Let's get out of here."
Lloyd gives a cough - that is definitely not a sob, it's just the smoke - of relief and wraps his arms around Nya, letting her haul him out of the cabin. Nya kicks the door away, yelling into her bracelet as she does.
"I got him! We're blasting out in the mech, you guys get clear with the weapons!"
She pulls them down the hallway, stumbling up the steps as the ship bucks and turns, Lloyd's stomach a horrible mess of nerves and dizziness. Nya finally pulls them out into the open air, and Lloyd's heart soars as the Samurai X mech clanks down in front of them.
He suddenly goes weightless, the ground dropping away from beneath his feet, and he realizes with a start that Nya's picked him up, and is boosting him onto the arm of the mech. "Just hold on, okay?" she says hurriedly, guiding his hands around the large ones of the mech. "I'll make sure you don't slip loose, promise."
Lloyd obeys without question, clinging to the mech as Nya clambers in. There's a whirring sounds as it sputters to life, and Lloyd feels the hand around him tighten, pulling him firmly against the mech.
"And we're out!" Nya cries, blasting them off - and not a second too late. Lloyd watches as the ship falls away below his dangling feet, smoke enveloping the deck where they just stood.
He really needs to stop cutting things so close, he thinks, a bit dizzily.
Nya quickly pilots them after the guys, who Lloyd realizes with a surge of relief are all in their elemental vehicles, parked in the sand and watching wide-eyed. Nya sets them down just next to Kai, who's expression flashes in relief as he catches sight of them.
The relief dies in seconds. There's an awful, splintering crack, and they all watch in horror as the ship - their home - slams into the ground with a thundering crash, sand and dirt exploding out against the desert beneath it. The mast creaks and groans before collapsing, shredding the sails as it crunches against the remains of the ship.
Zane gives a shuddery intake of breath. Cole punches the dashboard of his vehicle, and Lloyd can hear Jay's heartbroken little no.
Kai doesn't say anything. His eyes look hundreds of miles away.
Lloyd's own vision suddenly blurs, and he wipes furiously at his eyes. They smart and burn, but it's not from the smoke this time. Lloyd's angry at himself, because he's not a baby, but - he can't help it. The Bounty is the only home he's ever really-
Was. It was the only real home he's ever known.
Lloyd sniffs miserably, clinging tighter to the mech. He's right back where he started, isn't he? Homeless again.
Well, he guesses they're all homeless, now.
The ground suddenly shakes beneath their feet, and Kai's head snaps up, his eyes alert. Cole is next to notice, calling out a warning as he turns.
"Get to cover!"
No one needs to be told twice. Nya follows tightly behind Kai as they all race toward one of the towering rocks, spotting the cave-like outcropping just nearby. The guys hop out of their vehicles as they reach it, Golden Weapons reappearing with a shower of multi-colored sparks as the vehicles disappear.
They've barely set foot in the cave when the Devourer bursts from the sand again, roaring loudly enough to make Lloyd's teeth rattle. He yelps, burying himself against the mech as Nya pulls them back further.
The Devourer slows, pausing over the ship. Lloyd watches in wide-eyed horror as it takes the ship in its gaping mouth, huge teeth glinting sharp as they bite down - and with a loud crack, the ship is snapped in half, wood splinters raining from the Devourer's jaws.
"No!" Cole and Kai scream, the others' voices joining theirs. Lloyd feels a surge of anger - their home was already destroyed, it didn't need to wreck it further!
Seemingly satisfied with this last insult, the Devourer's head rears again. They all hold their breath, holding perfectly still as it's glowing eyes turn toward them -
And then it dives back into the sand, disappearing from view as it rumbles beneath the desert, fading away.
Lloyd exhales with a gasp, his limbs feeling like jelly. That was the most intense thing he's ever seen - way worse than anything Gene ever told him about at school. Forget everything Lloyd thought, the real world apparently can be way scarier than Darkley's.
"It's gone," Cole breaths, practically collapsing on the sand. The others seem to deflate as well, Nya finally powering off the mech and hopping out, carefully helping Lloyd down. Her hands tremble as she sets him on the ground, and her face has gone an unnatural shade of white. So Lloyd lets her pull him close, keeping a protective hand on his shoulder, instead of shrugging her off.
It kinda helps, just a little.
"That…was too intense," Kai gasps as they walk over, tugging off his hood and wiping at the sweat that lines his forehead. Zane sinks to the ground next to him, looking utterly defeated.
"Our home," Jay whispers, staring at the ground in rattled shock.
The others don't look much better, despair written on everyone's expressions. Lloyd looks down at the sand, kicking angrily at it. He wants to yell - or maybe break down crying, if he wasn't in front of everyone - but he can't be a whiny little kid. He's the Green Ninja now. He's gotta act like an adult.
"Damn it," he mumbles.
Zane gives the single most offended gasp Lloyd's ever heard in his life.
Choke, Pythor Group Chat
Kai: i take back what i said when u were born
Kai: i want another sibling
Nya: did you teach him to swear?!
Kai: no but i wish i had
Kai: zane's FACE AHAHAHAHA
Nya: kai this is not funny!
Nya: he's like 9!
Kai: GOLD
Nya: kai our home is DESTROYED STOP LAUGHING
Nya: DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH OF MY LIFE JUST WENT DOWN THE DRAIN
Nya: i spent WEEKS ON THAT SHIP
Kai changed the chat name to Snakes, Why Did It Have To Be Snakes
Nya: STOP
Kai: bc indiana jones would hate this
Nya: i hate you
Kai's brief flash of good humor ends pretty quickly. Because as great as it was listening to Cole try to lecture Lloyd for thirty minutes straight on appropriate language, they're also so, completely screwed.
Or hooped, as Jay keeps frantically babbling about.
Kai can't hold it against Jay, though, even if he is wildly tempted to shove him five feet deep into one of the junk piles nearby. Nervous chatter is just how Jay deals with the looming threat of death.
Kai, on the other hand, feels miraculously optimistic. Even considering how everything is absolutely, down the drain, up-the-creek-without-a-paddle terrible right now, Kai's feeling pretty good about things.
Maybe he had too much coffee this morning. Maybe he used up all his aggressively-angsty pessimism with the whole true potential thing, so all he's got left to run off of is upbeat, positive energy. Or maybe he really is an adrenaline junkie, the kind that gets a high off of near-death experiences, and Nya was actually right.
Whatever the reason, Kai finds himself stepping up just as the others threaten to crash into despair. Which is warranted, for sure - Kai's not that far away himself from doing the same. Sensei Wu is gone. It's gonna hurt like heck when he really processes that, but he doesn't have the time to now. Someone's gotta take down the Devourer, and someone's gotta make sure they're working together the best they can.
And Sensei Wu taught them never to give up. He left them to protect Ninjago, and Kai isn't going to let his sensei's faith go in vain. Not when he owes him this much.
So Kai sucks it up, delivers what's probably the best speech he's ever gonna be able to come up with on the spot (again, adrenaline does wonders) and manages to get his team energized enough to make it to the Walkers and come up with half a plan.
Naturally, it fails.
"That was way too close," Cole hisses, as he pulls Zane from the partially-crushed Ultrasonic Raider, fussing over his missing faceplate. "We almost lost you!"
"But you didn't," Zane says, waving Cole off as he clambers to his feet. "And I am fine. It's…annoying from a cosmetic stance, that's all."
Cole frowns. "Cosmetic? Zane, no one cares about that-"
"You look like one of those killer robots from those old scary movies!" Lloyd pipes up. "It's cool!"
Cole makes a sound that's somewhere between a laugh and a groan, cringing. Nya runs a hand down her face and sighs, sounding wearily despairing.
Zane just gives Lloyd a bemused smile. "Thank you…I guess."
Kai suppresses a snort. Zane probably has no idea what Lloyd is talking about, but at least the anxious look on his face is fading. He glances at the Ultrasonic Raider, honestly kind of impressed that it mostly survived the Devourer's attack. They did cut it too close, to his dismay. Kai knew that using the recording of Sensei's flute was a long shot, but…he had hoped. Nothing's ever gone easy for them before though, so why should it now?
"Perfect," Jay snaps, sounding much more irritated as he pulls himself out of the Raider. "Now that was a total failure."
"Not a total failure," Kai insists, remembering what he'd spotted. "Did you guys notice on its head? It has a weak spot!"
Jay gives him a dirty look, and - yup, the hysteria is already building.
"Oh, great, let me make a note of that!" Jay says, miming dramatic writing on his hand with a manic intensity. "Giant snake, has a wee itty bitty weak spot that'll be totally impossible to get at because that thing is too ridiculously huge to do anything to stop it!"
Jay finishes his rant, panting, and they all stare at him. Cole looks mildly impressed.
Nya, not so much. "Are you done?" she asks.
Jay sighs, his arms dropping to fists at his side. He takes a long, aggravated breath, before biting out a tight "Yes."
Nya crosses her arms, jerking her head to where the Devourer retreated. "Because things just got worse. Look!"
They all follow Nya's pointed finger. Kai can still see the Devourer as it slithers away from them at impossible speeds, its mammoth body seeming only to grow larger as it races across the desert toward-
Oh, Kai thinks, his stomach dropping. Things just got a lot worse.
"It's heading toward Ninjago City," Zane exclaims, his eyes going wide.
Jay falters, his face paling. "That's…that's where my parents are."
"So is everybody else!" Cole says, stress lining his expression.
Kai feels sick, thinking of just how many people live in Ninjago City. "If it consumes the biggest city in all of Ninjago, there will be no stopping it," he says, almost blankly.
Lloyd takes a shuddery breath, drawing closer to Nya. "We can - we can stop it though, right?" he says, his voice impossibly small. "I mean, there has to - there has to be a way, right?"
Kai looks at Cole. The silence is deafening. Jay wraps his arms around himself, and Zane looks at the ground.
Kai finally looks up at Lloyd. The kid's face is stark white, his red eyes watery where they stand out darker than usual. He's biting his lip furiously, and Kai feels his heart twist as he finally pins down the emotion he's seeing there - guilt.
Kai swallows. Lloyd can't blame himself for this. He can't, it's not his fault - it's not his fault Pythor's crazy. It's not his fault he had nowhere left to go but chasing after what was supposed to be a myth. It's not his fault Kai didn't just take him back to his uncle in the first place, didn't stop this whole thing before it started-
Kai closes his eyes. It doesn't matter anymore. There's no time for the blame game now. The Devourer is out, and that's that. It doesn't matter who's fault it is, it's not gonna change anything.
What is gonna change things is what they decide to do next.
"Lloyd's right," he says. The others' heads snap to him, and Lloyd looks up slowly. "Sensei Wu told us to do whatever it takes to stop the Devourer, right? Well, we're still here. And we haven't stopped it yet."
Cole nods slowly. "This isn't over," he says, sounding steadier. "We've still got a fight to get to."
"The Ultrasonic Raider isn't completely destroyed," Zane says. "By my calculations, if we can get it running, it shouldn't put us too far behind the Great Devourer."
"We can still stop it," Nya says, her voice determined. "We can make it sorry it ever messed with us."
Kai exchanges a tight, small smile with her. He looks over at Lloyd, who's staring at him with eyes that look a little less lost.
"We're not giving up," Kai says. "We've still got a chance. Ninja never quit, right?"
Lloyd gives a small, shaky nod. "Ninja never quit," he says, quietly.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Cole says, pulling his mask back up. "Let's get moving! Nya, Jay, think the Raider'll hold up?"
"Well, considering you just tornado-ed it to life out of a bunch of junk," Nya says, squinting at the damage. "But yeah, it looks like it'll stick together. What do you think, Jay?"
Jay takes a moment to respond, his jaw clenched tight. "Um, yeah, it looks - it looks like it'll be fine," he says, his voice too quiet. Kai exchanges a glance with Cole.
"Nya, are you good to keep Lloyd safe?" Cole says, as Kai snags Zane by the elbow, heading over to Jay.
"Yeah, of course - c'mon kid, let's see if I can clear enough room to fit us both in the mech. I don't like leaving you out in the open when I'm flying us around."
Kai comes up next to Jay, bumping him lightly in the shoulder. "Hey," he says. "You okay?"
Jay shakes his head, looking away. "I'm just - I'm dumb."
"I can assure you Jay, you are not dumb," Zane says, gently. "If you're scared, it's perfectly natural-"
"It's not that," Jay bursts out. He exhales, looking down. "People are gonna get hurt," he says quietly, his voice anxious. "And we couldn't - we couldn't stop it, they're gonna get hurt and it's on us."
Kai's stomach sinks. He's been trying not to think too much about that, but…
"We can't change that," he says, tightly. He looks at Jay, meeting his eyes. "But we can stop it from getting worse. We can put ourselves in the line of fire instead of them. And we can do everything we can to end that thing."
"But what if…" Jay looks down, running a finger over the edge of his weapons. "Kai, what if we can't stop it? What if we're just another set of casualties?"
Kai steels himself, his expression set. "Then heck, we can die knowing we did everything we could. But I'm not abandoning Ninjago," he says, looking over to where Nya is fiddling with the mech, letting Lloyd clamber up the sides. "I'm not abandoning our people."
Cole lets out a breath. "Kai's right," he says. "We signed up for this, we're gonna follow it through." He looks at Jay, and his eyes soften. "But hey, we're gonna be fine, okay?"
Jay nods weakly, and Zane speaks up. "We will watch out for each other. Brothers need to have each other's back, right?"
Kai smiles at Zane, before turning back to Jay. "C'mon, Zaptrap, we can't do this without someone telling lame jokes in the background."
Jay rolls his eyes, and gives a watery smile. "You guys just have an uncultivated sense of humor."
Cole snorts. "Yeah, unlike your junkyard-cultivated one."
Jay shoves Cole lightly, shaking his head. He takes a deep breath, a determined light sparking in his eyes. "You're right. And my parents are in the city," he says. "I'm gonna make that stupid snake regret ever coming near them."
"That's the spirit," Kai grins, clapping Jay on the shoulder. "We've got each other. That's all we need."
"When did you get so corny?" Cole says, grinning. Kai stomps on his foot.
"I'm trying to be optimistic here. You guys reduced me to this, acting all woe-is-me, moping in despair, we're all gonna die, ooh-"
"We get it!" Cole says, rubbing his foot.
"Can we actually start chasing it down?" Zane cuts in, with a weary sigh.
"Yeah, let's fire this baby up!" Jay says, brightness restored, hopping back in the Ultrasonic Raider and shoving off the rest of the broken debris. "Who's ready to break every speed limit in Ninjago?"
"As long as you're not the one driving," Cole says, hopping in behind him. Kai pauses to help Zane in, double-checking the back. It's not ideal, and Zane's gonna be a bit squished, but they'll fit.
Kai looks up at Nya, who's just finishing off her patch repairs on the Samurai X mech. Lloyd is kicking absently at the sand beside her, but he darts over to Kai when he sees him looking.
"Ready for this, green machine?" Kai says, reaching down to tug Lloyd's ninja hood into place. Lloyd's eyebrows furrow, and he pushes the hood back up. "Pretty big stuff for your first official mission."
"Nah, this? Snakes are way old news for the mighty Green Ninja," Lloyd says, and Kai is heartened to hear some of the bratty spunkiness back in his voice.
"Well, I hope it's not too boring for you," Kai says. "'Cause we're about to make short work of this snake. Go on ahead with Nya, okay?"
Lloyd nods, but he hesitates, shifting nervously from leg to leg. He's got his mask pulled up, so Kai can't read his expression, but he can see that his eyebrows are pinched.
"Lloyd?"
"Um…" Lloyd looks away, twisting the edge of his gi in his hands. "Be…be careful, okay?" he finally says, so quietly that Kai almost misses it. "…please."
Kai's expression softens. Whatever happened to the brat who swore eternal revenge against him? This kid's turning into the worst sweetheart Kai's ever seen faster than he can blink.
"Promise," Kai says. "We'll get out of this just fine." He meets Nya's eyes as she walks up. "We all will."
Nya nods, patting Lloyd on the shoulder. "Time to go," she says, inclining her head toward the mech. Lloyd gives Kai one last anxious look, glancing over at the other guys where they're in the Raider, before he runs off, hopping up into the mech.
Nya pins Kai with a look. "You better keep that promise," she mutters, punching him weakly in the shoulder. "Okay? Don't…don't take any dumb risks."
Kai raises his eyebrows. "How else am I supposed to win?"
Nya glares at him. Kai winces. "Uh, yeah, sorry. Bad time to joke. No dumb risks. Promise."
Nya nods, her expression tightening into a forced smile. "Good," she says. "We'll - we'll have your back."
For a second, it looks as if she's about to hug him, but decides against it last minute, turning for the mech. Kai frowns at her back.
"H-hey, the no dumb risks goes for you too!" he calls after her.
"Promise!" Nya calls back, her crossed fingers raised visibly in the air.
Snakes, Why Did It Have To Be Snakes Group Chat
Kai: for real u better stay safe
Nya: duh
Nya: i've got the demon spawn with me
Kai: good
Nya: but if it comes to saving someone else
Kai: that won't happen
Kai: we're gonna be fine
Nya: kai
Kai: just wait
Kai: everything's gonna work out fine
In a surprisingly orderly move, the Devourer enters through the subway, so by the time they reach the city, it's already torn up entire streets.
They split - the guys take the Devourer, and Nya and Lloyd take off to help the civilians. It's the safer job, she knows that's why they gave it to her, and it doesn't really sting, but-
Nya doesn't know if she can face seeing another person hurt.
"Here, grab my hand," she says, reaching down to another person trapped in what's left of the subway station. "I'll help pull you out, just hold on-"
She grunts, and with a brief struggle, she helps pull the frightened man to the surface, only half-hearing his gasped thanks. He's got a nasty cut on his forehead, but he doesn't seem to be hurt any worse. Nya points him in the direction of shelter, reminding him to check in at the medical tent just in case. She's not sure he really hears any of it, though. He looks like every other person Nya's helped so far - confused, dazed, and terrified.
She exhales wearily, watching a woman help her friend limp toward the medical tents haphazardly set up nearby. Nya wipes beads of sweat from her forehead, turning back for her mech. She gives silent thanks that she left Lloyd in there, where he won't see any of-
Nya's stomach drops. Lloyd isn't in the mech.
She curses under her breath, frantically scanning the streets. Of all the times to be a bratty little rebel - she told him to stay there, it's not safe, and she doesn't want...she doesn't want him to see this. Her eyes catch on a bright splash of green, and her heart stutters in relief as she rushes over to the medical tent he's stashed himself in the corner of.
"Lloyd," she hisses, as she shoulders past a medic. "I told you to-"
Nya stops, her voice trailing off. Lloyd is sitting cross-legged on the ground, talking to a tiny wisp of a girl with a garish orange shock blanket draped over her shoulders. The girl looks a few years younger than him, her dark hair coated in dust and dirt, scrapes littering her freckled cheek and forehead. She's smiling, though - a little shakily, maybe, but enough to laugh at whatever Lloyd's saying.
Nya lets her breath out weakly. "Lloyd," she says, more gently this time, as she approaches them. "Hey bud, we gotta move."
Lloyd looks up at her, his eyes unreadable. "Okay," he says, pushing himself off the floor. He turns back to the girl. "It was nice to meet you. I hope everything ends up okay."
"Thanks," the girl says, quietly. "I like your outfit."
Lloyd nods goodbye to her, then turns to follow Nya, pushing past the crowds of people and emergency medics. Nya feels a hand slip into hers as they walk toward the mech, squeezing tightly. She squeezes back, her heart aching.
"There are so many people," Lloyd finally whispers, his voice tiny. "They're all hurt."
Nya bites her lip. "They're gonna be fine, Lloyd. The medics here are great. We got them to safety, and no one was - I mean, that's what matters now."
"All these people," Lloyd continues shakily, as if he hadn't heard her. "They're counting on us. If we don't - Nya, we gotta win."
Nya says nothing, fighting back the sick surge of anxious fear at his words. She tries to find her anger instead, pushing back the swell of panic. This isn't anything like she'd imagined. When she'd wanted to help the people of Ninjago, when she'd wanted to fight for her family - she had never imagined that they'd be the last line of defense.
But they are. The only thing standing between the Great Devourer and the destruction of Ninjago is them, a bunch of kids with powers they barely understand themselves, and it's not fair, it's not fair at all, that hundreds of people's lives are depending on them-
Nya takes deep breath.
People's lives are depending on them. So suck it up and pull yourself together, she tells herself, fiercely.
"We're gonna win," Nya tells Lloyd, tightly. "So let's get back in the mech and keep looking out for people, okay?"
Lloyd nods, looking the tiniest bit assured, and he hops up in the mech, squeezing next to Nya as she powers it up. The radio flickers back on, and Nya feels a flash of relief as the guys' voices filter through, strong and clear. She can't quite piece together exactly what's going on, but they seem to be doing alright so far. It sounds like their true potentials actually were as important as they were going on about, with all the yelling of fire! and ice! and lightning! they're doing.
Nya focuses back on her own task, taking the mech further into the city, over the path of destruction and the screaming crowds of people still fleeing. She continues scanning for stragglers, half-listening to the guys on the radio as she makes sure no one's left behind out in the open.
Cole's voice suddenly bursts out loudly, panicked. "No - that's one of my dad's friends from his group! He's gotta be here too!"
"We'll find him, just keep fighting!" Nya responds, mentally praying that Cole stays where he is, with his team that needs him. She pulls the mech into a sharp turn, sending them hovering back over the fleeing crowds, her eyes searching the screaming people. "Lloyd," she says, nudging him. "Look for a bunch'a guys in suits, one with darker hair-"
"Like those guys?"
Nya follows Lloyd's pointed finger, and double-takes - she's not as familiar with him as the other guys are, but she's seen pictures. That's Cole's dad, alright.
"Exactly those guys, way to go," Nya breathes, bringing the mech down. "Cole, we found him, he's fine."
Cole gasps his thanks over the line before a loud explosion interrupts him, followed by a yelp from Jay. Nya bites her lip, her knuckles white as she clutches the controls.
They're fine. They're gonna be fine. Everything's gonna be fine-
"Mr. Brookstone!" she calls out to him as they near, the crowds around them parting as they pause their screaming to stare at the mech in awe. Cole father squints up at her, as if trying to pinpoint why on earth a teenaged girl dressed as a samurai is yelling at him (if Nya had to guess).
"I'm Nya Smith," she says, jumping out of the mech and lifting her helmet visor. "I'm Cole's friend, my brother is-"
"Kai, yes, I know him," Mr. Brookstone says, rushing over to her. His eyes are creased in worry. "Cole, do you - is he-"
"He's with the other guys, they're trying to - he's fine," Nya stammers. "He sent me to make sure you're safe."
Mr. Brookstone shakes his head. "I'm on my way to a shelter now, I'm perfectly fine. But you-" He goes quiet, his eyes widening further as he studies her face. "You're just a child," he murmurs.
Nya bristles. "I'm a samurai," she says, tightly. "I've fought beside Cole and everything. I know what I'm doing."
Mr. Brookstone blinks, his eyes swimming with an emotion Nya can't figure out. "I-I suppose you all do," he says, sounding every bit like he doesn't believe it for a second. But he seems to let it go, his eyes hardening. "Then you be careful, and when you see Cole, can you...can you tell him..."
"I'll make sure he's fine," Nya promises. "We've got it under control-"
"Nya?"
She whips her head around at Lloyd's voice, small and scared as it is. He holds the radio out to her, wordlessly.
Nya freezes. The guys' voices are growing more panicked over the radio, a thunderous crashing sound echoing over the static-
The voices turn to screaming.
Mr. Brookstone goes pale. "Cole."
Nya doesn't waste a second. Hopping back in the mech, she fires it up, barely pausing to check the systems. Diverting all extra fuel to the blasters, she sends the mech hurtling toward the city square, her teeth clenched tightly. Lloyd clings to the side silently, his face pale but his jaw set. Nya grits her teeth tighter as she wills the mech to go faster, faster, come on-
They shoot out over the city square just in time to see the Devourer coiling up for another strike. The guys are sprawled on the ground, a civilian camera crew cowering behind them. Nya's mind races, and she catches sight of a lamp post. She can't defeat the Devourer with a single attack - but if she can stop those jaws from devouring just a little longer-
Nya redirects the mech, tearing the lamppost from the ground with an awful shriek of metal. "Hold on!" she yells to Lloyd, as she takes them up over the Devourer's mouth. She has one brief second to wonder what the heck she's doing before she dives down, shoving the lamppost horizontally into the Devourer's mouth until it tightens firmly in place.
Lloyd cries out in fear as the snake roars, and sweat builds on Nya's forehead as the pole creaks, the metal buckling slightly - before it settles back into place, snagged between the glistening fangs. The Devourer's jaw clenches and unclenches, unable to dislodge the pole as the mech holds tightly to it.
Jay's triumphant voice echoes over the radio. "Samurai to the rescue!" he cheers. "Again!"
Nya gives a breathless laugh, trading a wide-eyed grin with Lloyd.
"It smells worse than Cole's chili!" Lloyd complains, as a waft of hot air from the Devourer's throat sweeps over them, leaving Nya coughing.
"Hey!" Cole yelps, indignant.
Nya snorts, preparing to lock the pole in place and get them out of here-
-when the Devourer suddenly gives a keening shriek, and violently throws its head around, banging Nya and Lloyd against the side of the mech as she momentarily looses her grip on the controls. Nya gives a strained cry as the Devourer crashes its head against a building, rattling the mech and raining glass and debris down on them. Lloyd yelps, burying his head into Nya's side.
Nya curses, shaking her head and clearing her vision as she grabs for the controls again. Without pausing, she flicks the rocket boosters on full. There's a brief whir, followed immediately by a horrible, rattling moan, before the engines clatter into silence.
Nya's blood turns to ice. Oh no, no no no, not now-
"Nya?" Lloyd says, his voice small as he clings to her. "What's-"
The Devourer swings its head again, and they both scream as the lamppost slips further into the Devourer's throat, the mech swinging dangerously. Nya adjusts the grip on the pole, clinging to it as tightly as possible.
"Get outta there, sis!" Kai's voice sounds panicked over the radio, doubtless worried out of his mind.
"I can't!" Nya cries, panic making her vision swim. She punches at the rocket boosters again, hitting the button repeatedly. No, no, it can't have taken this much damage, she built it better than this-
The mech creaks, and the tiny alarm starts blaring. Nya's stomach plummets. "I'm stuck!" she shrieks. "Kai, I can't-"
The lamppost suddenly cracks, bending in the middle, and Lloyd and Nya both scream in terror.
"Nya! Lloyd! NO!"
Kai's scream rings in her ears over the radio. Nya fights back panicked tears, every ounce of her telling her to scream back to him for help. Kai can't save her this time - she's gotta get them out of this, the pole's about to crack, she's gotta do something-
Lloyd suddenly goes utterly still next to her, and she hears him give a sharp intake of breath.
"Dregon," he whispers.
Still struggling desperately with the controls, Nya can only give a tight "What?" as she tries to keep them from slipping down the Devourer's throat.
"Dregon," Lloyd says, sounding awe-struck. "It's a dregon."
"A wha-"
The pole snaps, and Nya screams as the mech plummets, sharp teeth closing over them-
-an enormous shape, glinting claws and snow-white wings, a roar that matches the Devourer's-
A four-headed dragon crashes into the Devourer's throat, sending the mech tumbling out of its mouth as the Devourer screams.
At her wit's end, it's all Nya can do but clench the controls tightly and try not to shut her eyes as the mech is crashed around wildly - just catching at the edge of the Devourer's spiked head, leaving them dangling over the city as it flails.
Nya gives a gasping shout that's half-relief, half-frustration. They missed being eaten by literal inches, but they're still stuck on this stupid snake, how are they still alive-
Lloyd, miraculously, isn't panicking at all, his hand that clings to her limp as he stands frozen, staring at the dragon with what may as well be stars in his eyes.
We're still alive, Nya tells herself. Keep it that way.
She yanks the panel in front of her off, tossing it savagely away as she starts pulling out wires. It might not be too late to jumpstart the engine, if the rest of the mech can hold together for a little longer. The others clamor below, their voices enthused as they filter through her radio.
"Rocky!" Cole is exclaiming, sounding overjoyed. "Our dragons are back!"
"It appears dragons go through a metamorphosis when they reach adulthood," Zane says, and Nya has to bite back a hysterical laugh as she pulls more wires out. Still lecturing, even now. "They too have found their true potential."
"Ha, well they couldn't have come at a better time!" Cole cheers. "Go get 'em, Rocky!"
Nya's hands suddenly still. Wait, if this is their elemental dragon-
"Wait, no-!" she yelps, too late. She barely manages to wrap her arms around Lloyd, pulling them both down and crouching at the bottom of the mech before flames erupt around them. The Devourer shrieks, and the smell of something burning reaches Nya's nose. She almost gags, pulling Lloyd tighter to her and closing her eyes. Lloyd clutches at her, trembling as the flames finally grow less.
Thank everything she fire-proofed the mech.
"Kai!" she shrieks into the radio, as soon as the flames have died off. "We're still on the stupid snake!"
Kai's cheering suddenly cuts off into strangled, violent cursing, and Nya tries to cover Lloyd's ears - before she remembers he probably knows all those words anyways, little punk.
The dragon comes in for another strike, and it's all Nya can do but wrap herself around Lloyd and scream as it crashes the Devourer against another building, sending the mech rattling and screeching before it finally knocks them loose, leaving them to plummet to the ground.
The controls spark, as if to mock her. Nya, done with her mech, done with this snake, done with this whole horrible stupid day, decides to just keep screaming, hoping against hope that the mech will keep them from the worst of the fall instead of them both dying horribly-
-oof. Nya is inches from getting an up close and personal view of the pavement before the dragon snatches them, pulling them up half a second before they hit the ground. Lloyd shrieks, and Nya can't tell whether it's from terror or-
"This is awesome!"
-joy, it's joy, the demon spawn is worse than Kai.
The dragon lets them down with a loud clank, and they bounce twice across the ground before finally skidding to a stop with an ear-aching creak of gears and metal. Nya wants to curl up in a ball and never move again. Lloyd is giggling.
Nya finally shakes her head, coming back to herself just before Cole straight-up tears the front of the mech off, sending her and Lloyd to spill straight into Kai's arms.
"Thank freaking everything, oh my god, you can't ever do that again, I swear-"
Kai's frantic babbling echoes oddly in Nya's ears as he frets over them both, and she blinks, trying to get the world to stop spinning.
"We're fi-ine," Nya says dizzily, patting Kai on the shoulder. Lloyd is already on his feet, wobbling awkwardly as he stands next to Cole, pointing frantically at the dragon.
"He's ours!" Cole tells him. "Zane says we should call him the Ultradragon now, and - actually, should we be saying they? Since it's got four heads now…"
Nya tunes him out, letting Kai help her to her feet as she peels the samurai mask from her face. "I'm fine, really," she says, giving him a shaky smile. She looks up, watching as the snake circles around a building before shrieking, ducking for cover as the Ultradragon swoops at it, teeth flashing.
Cole laughs, triumphantly. "Could dragons get any cooler? Seriously."
Kai rolls his eyes, but he's grinning too. "Yes!" he cheers, as the Devourer flees underground. "It's running away!"
Having lost its prey, the Ultradragon curves a graceful arc in the air, swooping down toward them. Nya can't help but gape at it, feeling a little like Lloyd. It's beautiful, strong and powerful - with the dragon, surely they stand a chance against the-
The Devourer erupts from the ground in front of them, it's momentum carrying it up - where it slams into the Ultradragon with a powerful strike, knocking the dragon to the ground with a thundering crack.
"No!"
The cry is echoed by them all as they rush toward the fallen dragon. Cole is there first, his expression panicked as he puts a hand on one of the heads.
"You're fine," he's saying tightly. "You're fine, boy, c'mon-"
Nya stares. The Ultradragon gives a low moan, clearly too injured to fight. She swallows. "What now?"
They fall silent, screams and sirens echoing loudly around them, punctuated by the Devourer's roar and the sounds of destruction. The guys look at each other. They're all disheveled, their uniforms rumpled and askew, covered in dirt and dust. Nya can see a bead of blood streaking down from Kai's forehead, an ugly bruise forming on Jay's cheek - Cole's holding his left arm awkwardly, and Zane's still missing half his face-
Nya's heart drops. They're not gonna be enough, are they.
Kai's hands tighten into fists, and he takes a breath. Lloyd, who's been quiet so far, suddenly straightens, inhaling sharply.
"…dad?" he whispers, with barely-repressed hope.
Nya whirls around. Sure enough, standing across the street from them, is Garmadon.
Kai's gonna love this, she thinks, half-hysterically.
Lloyd does, at least. "You came back!" he cries, overjoyed. The guys look as floored as she is, trading cautious glances, unsure.
In contrast, Garmadon seems like he knows exactly what he's doing. "Give me the weapons," he says after glancing at Lloyd, his voice firm. "I am the only one who can handle the power of all four weapons at once. It's the only thing that will defeat the Devourer."
They all blink. Nya's head spins - they can't give him the Golden Weapons, can they? Isn't that Rule Number One for them?
"Uh," Jay cuts back, clearly thinking the same thing. "I thought we were supposed to do everything in our power not to let him possess the weapons."
Zane shakes his head, looking up from the panel on his arm. "I've run every other scenario through my servers," he says, regretfully. "It appears to be the only way."
Of course it is. Nya looks at Kai. He looks past her, watching the Devourer as it crashes through another row of cars, sending more people screaming.
Do they have a choice?
Garmadon grits his teeth. "Give me the weapons," he says, beseechingly. Lloyd's eyes are wide, and he looks at Kai. Her brother's eyes are screwed shut, his jaw working tightly.
"Kai?" Zane says, quietly.
"Only I can destroy it!" Garmadon snaps, at the end of his patience. "Or prepare to watch-"
"Quit your yammering and just do it!" Kai tosses him the Fire Sword, his eyes hard. He sighs. "When you get the chance to make the blow, it has a weak spot near its forehead."
Lloyd beams.
Nya wonders if hell has frozen over yet.
The guys are quick to follow Kai, handing their own weapons over, albeit reluctantly.
"Uh, I don't think this needs to be said," Jay says. "But we're gonna need these back."
Garmadon gives a snort of laughter, his eyes glinting. "I'll do my part. You just make sure he stays in one spot." He laughs again, which is very disconcerting and not reassuring in the slightest, before running off, weapons held high.
Jay sputters. "Stays in one spot? Stays in one spot, how are we supposed to do that?"
Kai straightens, his chin held high. Nya blinks. He looks older than she's ever seen him, his stance steady, his eyes determined. Her brother looks like a ninja.
"Don't forget," he says, looking at his brothers with a small grin. "We're ninja."
Snakes, Why Did It Have To Be Snakes Group Chat
Nya: i stg if you die i'm gonna kill you
Kai: ur the one who almost got eaten
Kai: keep lloyd safe, and u stay safe
Kai: i'll be fine
Kai: i've got like
Kai: weeks of pent up aggression thanks to garmadon
Kai: like heck i'm gonna let him show me up