Dreams and Desires
Chapter 14
Sidelined
*I own nothing and any similarities with any other works are purely coincidental.
Cole stared down at the now deserted rooftop; dumbfounded by what had just happened. "My, my powers. They're gone!" he cried, in utter disbelief of the shocking turn of events. Having to spend the rest of his life without his Elemental Powers was just about the most frightening thing Cole could imagine; he just felt so limited and useless without them. Being the Master of Earth was a fundamental part of his identity, and without his powers, he just wasn't the same person.
Looking up from his bitter thoughts, Cole felt a sharp twinge of guilt and shame. Kai was still lying helplessly on the ground, barely conscious after how brutally he had been maimed. His friend needed urgent medical care, but Cole couldn't summon his Dragon anymore. Kai was too weak to move, and he had no way of safely leaving the roof. Airjitzu was far too risky, as there was no way he could sustain for it long enough to survive the hundred story fall unscathed. And simply waiting around, desperately praying for Jay to return, was just agonizing and demeaning for him.
"And where the hell are Nya and Zane?" Cole quietly asked himself. In the course of a single day, their team had been completely shattered. Nya, Zane, and Master Wu are all missing, Kai is practically dead, Jay jumped off a building, Lloyd turned on us, and now I'm left with no powers! he angrily whined.
He suddenly remembered that, yes, Jay had in fact jumped off of a one-hundred story building, and so he quickly ran over to the edge of the roof. Looking down from the top of Borg Tower, he couldn't see either of his friend's Elemental dragons, which was a very worrying sight. Cole thought he saw a faint blue speck, but it quickly vanished. In it's place he saw what looked like a tremor; some sort of small impact on the ground below. It was too far away to make out clearly, but the sight was still extremely perplexing to him. What was Jay doing?
The people down at ground level were just as confused; it almost looked like a speeding rocket had just crashed. The blue Elemental shield had struck the street with such ferocity that the entire pavement was unearthed, spewing large chunks of asphalt and gravel through the air. Falling over one hundred stories had built up a ridiculous amount of momentum, and the sudden stop had transferred all of that kinetic energy straight into the very foundation of the road. That simple impact led to an inordinate amount of property damage; the situation quickly spiraled out of control. Cars slammed into each other, and traffic was completely backed up for a large section of the city. Those fortunate enough not to crash looked out from their vehicles with immense fear and apprehension.
When all the dust had settled, two filthy carcasses could be seen lying motionless at the very epicenter of all the carnage. Their limp bodies were sprawled out in gruesome positions; their limbs twisted in unnatural and nauseating directions. A mix of dirty blood had begun to seep into the newly shaped pavement, spilling freely from the moribund pair. Ashen faced and drenched in soot, they looked more like chimney sweeps than ninja. The public was absolutely mortified when they discovered that Lloyd was one of the two martyrs. Ninjago's golden boy was on the brink of death.
Just months ago the entire city had seen him severely injured in a fight with his father, but here he was yet again; helplessly crippled and deformed before their very eyes. And to make matters worse, Jay, the Master of Lightning, was soon identified as the second victim; he was just as brutally injured as his counterpart. Hundreds of calls went out to emergency services, and everyone left watching the scene was rooted to the spot in utter terror. What villain could have done such a thing? Who in the realm was powerful and cruel enough to cause so much destruction?
It was a thought shared by many of the bystanders at the time, but none of them would have liked the answer. Because ironically enough, that person had been Lloyd.
She found herself standing in an enclosure; an open area free from the tall trees that normally marked Primeval's Eye. The jungle had opened up in order to greet a large stone structure; a massive Temple blocked by a grand waterfall. Each of the ninja were faced down by a criminal foe; they were flanked from every angle. Nya personally was staring down the very erratic and eccentric general Ultraviolet. All of her friends had their own adversaries to worry about, and in short, they were grossly outnumbered. The ninja just didn't stand much of a chance without their leader, who had been conspicuously missing for quite some time now.
"Where's Lloyd?" asked Kai, having grown tired of the awkward silence.
Harumi smirked at him, and responded tactly, "The Green Ninja can't help you know." It wasn't actually an answer, but his current whereabouts were just far too shocking for her to reveal them so easily. Lloyd would join them soon enough, and it would be so glorious to see the look on all of their faces when he arrived.
Nya was fuming. She cared about Lloyd, perhaps more than any of the others, and had always felt more personally responsible for him. They were the two youngest of the group, and Nya had been the only one to initially treat Lloyd with the same respect and kindness he now radiated on a daily basis. Lloyd was a genuinely good person, but none of the other ninja had seen that side of him at first. They only saw the son of Lord Garmadon; a troublesome brat who kept getting into trouble, and thus they had all treated him like absolute garbage. Nya however had seen through the facade, and had always been rather fond of Lloyd.
"Remember how I didn't care for her at first?" she started. "Then she won me over with all that girl talk, and we started to really get to know each other? Well now I hate her!" she spat. The conniving and duplicitous woman said nothing in response, only offering her another wicked and patronizing smile. Harumi was practically taunting her; mocking the hurtful betrayal she felt. And there was a knowing look in her eyes, a glint of cheeky arrogance that made Nya extremely worried for her friend.
"This can end one of two ways." Kai began, trying his hardest to sound intimidating to the Sons of Garmadon. It wasn't working at all, as he was just not as commanding of a leader as Lloyd was. "Either you hand the masks over peacefully-"
"I don't even have to know the rest of the choices." Jay cut in. "I like that one."
Harumi glared over at the jokester, finding herself quite annoyed by his interruption. She was growing tired of this pedantic, nonsensical conversation, and so her attention quickly turned back towards Kai. "Or what?"
"Or we'll have to get all Ninja up on ya!" he said enthusiastically, delivering the rather lame retort with far more assurance than it deserved.
"What does that even mean?" Harumi asked, genuinely confused by the horrendous comeback. Lloyd would never have said something so ridiculous and stupid. she thought.
Kai stared at her blankly for a few seconds before answering. "I don't know!" he honestly responded, still attempting to sound confident and commanding. And still failing miserably.
"I was improvising! Usually Lloyd does the talking. But he isn't here." Kai looked down, his courageous demeanor entirely overshadowed by concern he felt for his friend.
"But… Where is Lloyd!" he screamed.
"I'm here."
The ninja turned to see their leader languidly sauntering up from behind the Sons of Garmadon members. They were initially relieved by his arrival, but that feeling was replaced with one of apprehension and dread as he drew closer. He was grinning up at them, but it was a devious and shrewd smile etched across his face. He stopped short, taking the vacant spot at Harumi's side. He looked away from his friends, smiling longingly at his partner before taking her hand in his.
"Lloyd don't, Harumi is the Quiet One!" Nya cried, horrified by the sight of them together.
"Oh, I know." he answered. His voice was serene and peaceful, as if he was completely unfazed by everything that was going on around him. The ninja looked back at him with bewildered expressions; nonchalance and indifference was not like their friend at all. Lloyd was generally far more reserved and quiet. He only ever spoke up when he most needed to, which was usually just when he was leading the team. But that was about it in regards to Lloyd's demeanor, this middle ground had never existed. He had always been far too insecure, too unsure of himself to act so aloof and disinterested.
"Lloyd here," Harumi began, gesturing towards their former leader, "has joined our worthy cause and become the newest general of the Sons of Garmadon."
"No!" Nya cried, shocked that Harumi could have seduced Lloyd enough to corrupt his ethics and sense of morality. It didn't make sense, he was such a kind person. He could never have been turned, and certainly not so quickly. It just wasn't in his nature. "Lloyd, she's evil!"
"No she's not." he quickly replied. "Rumi's giving me the chance to see my father again, which is something I never thought would be possible. And…" He couldn't bring himself to say it, he was still too embarrassed and insecure of his feelings. Despite the cool and distant appearance he had so far maintained, Lloyd was still terrified that his friends were going to judge or make fun of him for his emotions.
"We're in love." Harumi replied, finishing Lloyd's thought for him. He quickly looked over at her, finding himself immeasurably relieved that she had been to express the thoughts he was too scared to admit. She smiled softly towards him, and he was immediately entranced by her gaze. "Yes." Lloyd quietly answered, staring fondly into her loving eyes. There was always a sparkle to them; her bright jade eyes were mesmerizing.
Her presence was very soothing to the awkward and self-conscious blond. Lloyd felt truly free and liberated when he was with Harumi; she was the only person he could actually be himself around. Being the Green Ninja was a lot of pressure, and it carried with it a tremendous responsibility that few could manage. His life was fraught with constant stress and anxiety, and it could be overwhelming at times. He had to constantly repress his true desires and feelings for the betterment of the realm, which was a rather bittersweet trade off. But Harumi had finally broken through his mask of stoic resolve, and in doing so she had brought out the best in Lloyd.
They truly were kindred spirits, the Jade Princess and the Green Ninja. And right now, Harumi had his undivided attention. Lloyd didn't care that he had betrayed his friends. He didn't care that he was directly disobeying his mandate to protect Ninjago. He didn't care that he had just joined a criminal biker gang. And he didn't care that they were all watching him.
Lloyd leaned in, cautiously and hesitantly moving towards his love. All of his worries and concerns melted away as she met his embrace; their lips locking in a fiery and passionate embrace. He had never felt so alive; so excited and enticed, in all his life.
Nya had never felt so disgusted and appalled in all her life.
She woke with a start, breaking herself free from the extremely murky and confusing memory. The dream had been so vivid, so strikingly dramatic and animated. It was quite possibly the most frightening nightmare she had ever experienced; losing Lloyd once again to that villainous vixen was still one of her greatest fears. Harumi had been a very skilled seductress, a cunning and resourceful harlot. Lloyd had fallen for her act, as had the rest of them, but Harumi was gone now. There was no reason for Nya to be worried about the horse-faced bitch anymore, but the feelings of concern and anxiety still lingered within her.
Nya pushed the disturbing vision from her mind, and she tiredly stood up. There was a sharp pain in her head, and she instinctively reached a hand up to steady herself. She was very much out of it; it was a sensation not unlike how one might wake after a night of heavy drinking. There was something she was missing, but she couldn't place it. When she finally looked around and noticed where she had been resting, Nya found herself even more confused.
"When did I get locked in a cell?" Nya asked sleepily, her words slurring slightly as her brain tried desperately to get a grip on reality. The last thing she remembered was going to sleep after a day searching for Lloyd, and then, nothing. It was as if she had been drugged, and the thought was worrying to her. Looking around the imprisonment she suddenly saw that Zane was lying near her, but the other ninja were nowhere to be found. He was powered down and leaning against the far wall from her; he had been purposefully placed to obscure the large hole Lloyd had left in the eastern wall, and it worked like a charm. Nya had missed her first chance to escape, and the mistake would be force her to endure catastrophic torture.
She slowly trudged over to the cell bars and peered out into the accompanying room. The building may have been constructed out of crude stone and other very basic materials, but it appeared to be furnished better than most basic apartments. It was truly a sight to behold; the quarters were lavish and over the top in every possible regard. "Someone has expensive tastes." she muttered, an air of loathing present in her voice. Nya had never liked the upper class of Ninjago; she found them to be extremely stuck up and snobby. They were always condescending and vain, overly concerned with matters of little importance. But it seemed that in this specific case, Nya had to be begrudgingly thankful for her rather affluent captor. The Master of Dreams had accidentally left their television running, and it had conveniently been set to Ninjago's top-notch news center. She would at the very least be able to stay informed while stuck in the stingy cell.
"This is NGTV reporter Gayle Gossip here, and we have another startling update about the Green Ninja." Nya perked up at the announcement, straining her ears to hear the full details of the story. Has someone finally tracked down Lloyd? she wondered, hoping that the search for her friend had concluded. Lloyd had indeed been located, but evidently she should have been a bit more careful with what she asked for. Nya's wish was hers to keep, and she was completely unprepared for the horrific news she was about to receive.
"According to eyewitness reports," Gayle began, trying her hardest to hold back the sadness in her voice, "a blue ball of energy struck the street, landing on the doorstep of Borg Tower. Apparently, the impact ripped at the pavement, and in doing so caused a large amount of damage to both our citizens and the landscape of our city." She looked out from the chopper, motioning for the camera to focus on the scene below her.
"It seems that all of the destruction was inadvertently caused by two of our favorite ninja, Lloyd Garmadon and Jay Walker. Lloyd had been previously seen meditating atop the skyscraper, and as unfortunate as it may be, it appears that the pair most likely plummeted over a hundred stories before they landed on the ground below us. They appear to be alive, but the fall has left them both in critical condition, and we can only pray that they will get sufficient medical attention before it is too late." Gayle remarked, her tone grim and somber.
"NO!" Nya screamed, her voice echoing loudly off the stone walls and ceiling. Tears flooded down her cheek, beginning to complete obscure and cloud her vision. And she had no way to control herself, for her Elemental Mastery over water was evidently nullified by the vengestone bars. The image on the screen had completely torn her to shreds; seeing her boyfriend and best friend so mutilated was just heart-wrenching. It was worse than anything she could have imagined, far surpassing the nightmare she had experienced just before. The strange dream was nothing compared to this; it was just so tragic to see the two of the people she cared most about practically on death's door. And Nya was completely unaware that Kai had been maimed nearly as badly; that her boyfriend, brother, and best friend were all in critical condition.
She collapsed to the ground, overwhelmed by the tremendous wave of pain and grief she felt. It was nauseating to even think about them dying, and she soon found herself profusely vomiting. The contents of her stomach were spewed across the cell, and they quickly leaked out into the adjacent room as well. The spotless flat was soon covered with rotten, tainted food; the area had suddenly warped into a physical expression of her anguish and torment.
Nya had never felt so sick in all her life.
That was a rather morbid chapter. You know, I think the story is finally turning into to the real angsty tragedy that I wanted to write. I don't know whether or not it will stay this dark, but I wouldn't count on a super cheery ending if I were you.