CHAPTER NINE

CLOSE CALL

AND A MOUNTAIN DIVIDES THEM APART

AS THE DAY PASSED THEM BY, Hiro became increasingly aware of how little time they had. The Ninja were surely near the Wind Farms Power Station, getting ready to complete their mission of shutting off all the power in Ninjago. That left little time for Hiro, Lloyd, and Garmadon to get to Nya's secret base — good on her for having one, but Hiro wondered what else she was hiding, and how cool the base really was — and get a car to help them travel as far as they could. Plus, there was a lingering question in Hiro's mind about whether or not one of Nya's inventions would work if the power got shut down, but he wasn't willing to voice his fear when they were already so close to the base.

At least, they would be close to the base, but they were going on foot. Lloyd had wanted to use his dragon, but Hiro had pointed out that he hadn't had enough sleep in a while to use it — low energy could lead to being distracted, which would lead to all three of them falling out of the sky should the dragon disappear. Reluctantly, Lloyd had agreed to go on foot.

Now they were hopelessly running out of time. Who knew how much further they had to go? It's not as if the Falcon could talk to them to answer that question.

By the time they finally reached the Sea of Sand — which, yeah, Hiro still hated the name. He wished it was called something else, like the Sea of Something-Easy-To-Cross, or Sea of Somewhere-That's-Not-That-Hot — the sun had already set, the night sky glittering with stars that Hiro hadn't seen for weeks since leaving the Island of Darkness. His mouth felt dryer than sandpaper and his stomach grumbled, but he wasn't yet willing to eat the food they'd stored for the journey, much less drink the scarce water they had decided to bring. They could have prepared better if everyone hadn't been on edge and wanting to get away from innocent civilians to save them from the Overlord, but this is what they were stuck with. It would have to do.

Hiro didn't know when he started to fall behind. They'd been running all day — barely any breaks, and when they were given one, they were too short to fully rest. At some point after entering the desert, his pace has slowed to a jog, then a speed-walk. The other two were a good few yards in front of him; Lloyd kept looking over his shoulder, sending Hiro worried glances that he didn't receive, too busy focusing on his breathing. He had no idea how the Ninja, or anyone else for that matter, managed to run for so long — he was ready to collapse into the sand and let the grains take him away. But Lloyd and Garmadon were effortlessly keeping in pace with each other as they headed for Nya's hideout.

Eventually, Lloyd slowed to a jog, falling behind to talk to Hiro. "You okay?" he asked, seeing that Hiro's eyes looked glazed over. Hiro shook himself from his daze, focusing on Lloyd's voice. He nodded quickly, but Lloyd looked unconvinced. "Are you sure?" he insisted, his pace turning into a walking speed. He didn't like how Hiro's skin looked paler than usual. "We can rest for the night. We've been moving all day, it's probably for the best," he offered.

"Don't put yourself in danger for me," Hiro told him, finally stopping. He put his hands on his knees, taking a few breaths, which only served to dry out his throat even more.

"That's kind of my job, isn't it?" Lloyd teased, coming to a stop. He was surprised to see that Hiro didn't look amused, which is when he knew that something was wrong. "Hiro—"

"Boys!" Garmadon called, catching both of their attention. He motioned to the left, where the entrance to a large cave sat, dark. Lloyd frowned, looking at his dad with a questioning gaze. "We will rest here," Garmadon announced. "We start again tomorrow. It's too dark to continue; we may be attacked by Dark Scarab Beetles if we try our luck in the dark." Hiro looked around the space, frowning. Sleeping in a cave didn't sound like the most appealing option, especially when they didn't know what was inhabiting it, but he supposed that with the only other choice being the sand, it was the best offer.

"Dark Scarab Beetles?" Hiro muttered to Lloyd, dragging his feet through the sand as they caught up with Garmadon.

"Huge beetles that bury under the sand," Lloyd explained. "The most common ones hunt in the daytime, but there's a rare breed that hunts at night. Don't worry, they live under the sand and don't like rocks, much less caves. It messes with their sight."

Hiro bit back a smile. "Come on, you just know that?"

Lloyd grinned. "There's a reason history was my best subject at Darkley's." He shrugged. "And I was a Bug Kid. I knew everything about every type of bug. I was planning to make a comic about it one day." Hiro didn't sense a hint of wistfulness in Lloyd's tone. "I gave up on it pretty quickly. I'm terrible at drawing." Ah, Hiro thought, trying not to laugh.

"What about the common beetle, than? What's to say we won't run into it tomorrow?" he asked, wanting Lloyd to keep talking about his interests.

"The Day Scarab Beetle? They're only found in the Desert of Doom," Lloyd told him. "Once the lines were drawn between the two types, the Dark ones immigrated to the Sea of Sand, as it's much cooler here at night — that's why they hunt when the sun goes down. The Day Beetles need heat to survive, and it's very rare that the Desert of Doom has a cold night. I think it happens once every six thousand years," Lloyd mused as they entered the cave, his voice echoing once they were inside. He lowered his volume. "So we'll be safe tomorrow."

Hiro frowned. "Desert of Doom? Sea of Sand? What's next, the Forest of Discontent?"

Lloyd chuckled. "Yeah, we have a way of naming things."

"Right, as if Island of Darkness and Desert of Doom didn't give that away," he teased. Lloyd elbowed him.

"If you two are done," Garmadon began, forcing their attention to him, "we need to start a fire." Hiro's eyes adjusted to the dark; he could see Garmadon looking toward Lloyd, who seemed to remember at that moment that he had fire powers. "There's some wood over here, I don't think we are the first to sleep in this cave."

Hiro and Lloyd got to work building a fire pit. The wood was scarce, but it would have to do for the night — and in the event that it got cold, he could always use the blanket in his backpack. Or maybe he could ask Lloyd if he wanted to sleep close by — he knew that body heat was a good way to stay warm. And it's not like they hadn't done it before, but Hiro thought it was better not to ask when Lloyd's dad was with them. How embarrassing would that be?

Once the pit was built, Lloyd summoned a flame, which lit up the cave and hurt Hiro's eyes to look at. Lloyd set the wood on fire, and soon a small blaze began in the middle of the cave, warming Hiro from head to toe. He sat down, facing the entrance of the cave; Garmadon sat to his right, Lloyd to his left, both of them facing each other over the fire. Hiro gave in and dug through his backpack, taking a granola bar from the bottom and beginning to chew it. The three of them sat in silence, and slowly an awkward air filled the room. Hiro sighed, wishing they had something like a board game to play to pass the time. Then again, at the rate he kept blinking and trying to keep himself awake, he figured he wouldn't be able to last a round of anything, much less a game.

"I'm going to bed," Hiro announced, laying on the ground. After a moment, he turned over to his side, back to other two, and placed his hand under his head as a makeshift pillow. His eyes fluttered close, a minutes later he found himself being pulled into the oblivion of sleep. His hearing grew fuzzy, and his thoughts followed soon after, his breathing evening out to deep, slow breaths. He could feel his consciousness slipping away, mind going blank. One more minute . . .

". . . He's asleep," Lloyd said softly, bringing Hiro back to reality.

"How do you know?"

"It usually took him around ten minutes to fall asleep when we were traveling," Lloyd said casually as Hiro opened his eyes. Leave it to Lloyd to be a minute off. "And I think he'd tell us to shut up if he wasn't asleep right now." Garmadon chuckled, but there was hardly any amusement in his voice. ". . . What's your problem with him?" Lloyd asked tersely, voice soft but stern. Hiro quickly closed his eyes and pretend to be asleep. They were seriously going to have this argument now, when the subject of their talk was only a few feet away?

"What do you mean?" Garmadon asked, feigning innocence. After a moment, he sighed. Hiro would love to see the look Lloyd was giving him. "I'm reluctant to trust him, son. I know that you think he's your best friend, and I respect that, but I can't help but worry if he has complete control over his powers. And—" He sighed. "There's another thing. What is to happen if The Overlord is able to control Avashiro? If what Wu told me is true, and his body was intended for The Overlord to take control of, then who is to say that The Overlord couldn't control him?"

"First, Hiro has complete control over his powers," Lloyd fumed, keeping his voice quiet. "If I thought he was dangerous, I wouldn't have let you come with us."

"But you would allow yourself to be alone with him?"

Hiro pursed his lips at the silence. " . . . Of course I would," Lloyd claimed genuinely. "He's my friend. I trust him. And I know that if he couldn't control himself, I could help."

"You put too much faith in him," Garmadon critiqued. "And you haven't addressed my other concern."

"You sound just like everyone else!" Lloyd snapped. He took a deep breath, quickly quieting. Hiro frowned. Everyone else?

"Maybe everyone else is right," Garmadon told him gently. "He's The O—"

"No," Lloyd cut in, harsh. "You should like everyone else when they told me I would be good enough simply because I was your son. Do you know how hard it was as a kid, having people tell me that you were evil and that I should never be like you, only to tell me I was not worthy of anything when I tried to be good?" His voice cracked at the end. Hiro took a deep breath, trying not to reveal that he was listening, even as he desperately wished to comfort Lloyd in that moment.

For a while, Lloyd and Garmadon were quiet. Hiro could probably cut the tension in the air with a knife.

"I will . . . leave you for a while," Garmadon finally said, sounding like he was standing. "I apologize." The sound of footsteps walking toward the cave entrance could be heard. Hiro let out the smallest breath he could, not realizing that he'd been holding it in.

After a few moments, Lloyd sighed. "You can talk, Hiro."

Hiro winced. He sat up, turning to face Lloyd, who was staring at the fire with a distant expression. "You . . . didn't have to do that."

Lloyd shrugged. "I know." He almost smiled, looking at Hiro out of the corner of his eyes. "But you're my best friend."

"He's your dad," Hiro countered softly, trying to ignore the fact that Lloyd had said best friend.

"And sometimes he needs to be reminded that being a dad means being there for me in the first place." Hiro had never heard Lloyd's voice sound so bitter. He stood, brushing dirt off himself as he walked toward Lloyd. He sat down on the floor, looking up at Lloyd, who refused to look at him. "It's just—" Lloyd's breath hitched. "He wasn't there while I was growing up. After he came back — like, really came back, after the Final Battle, I mean — I thought that we would get to bond. But then he and my mom left during the after party and my only contact with them was through letters. Why does he get to be a parent now when I can't be a kid?"

The words hung in the air. Lloyd didn't say get to be, he said can't. After everything he had gone through, he still wasn't allowed to be a kid. He had to be a hero. Then he had to be a celebrity. And then he had to be a hero again, a savior for a city that idolized a bunch of teenagers and never gave them a break and let them be themselves. Even their Sensei put them to work — a bunch of 15-18-year-olds working as professors at a boarding school. And what's been made of Lloyd, one of the youngest on the team, but a golden attraction meant for everyone's amusement but his own?

Add that to the list of things that made Hiro angry.

"Lloyd," he said seriously. Lloyd met his gaze. "When this is all over — and it will be over, okay? When everything is right again and you get to be a kid . . . we're going to disappear for a week. And you're going to catch up on all your favorite comics. No distractions, no awards, no being a hero. Just junk food and comic books."

Lloyd almost smiled. "Promise?"

Hiro held up his pinky. After a moment, Lloyd completed the promise.

"Promise," Hiro agreed, smiling. He turned away and let his hand drop, the smile slipping front his face.

Who is to say that The Overlord couldn't control him?

The words echoed around Hiro's brain for the rest of their journey.

Try as he might, he couldn't get Garmadon's idea out of his head. He could be as snide as possible, as hateful as he could be, but he couldn't shake the thought from his mind. What if Garmadon was right? What if his father had some sort of weird control over him? There hadn't been any signs of it — after all, Hiro hadn't been controlled in the Final Battle. Then again, his father had made many mistakes during the Battle — what if he made sure he never made them again? This time would be different. Would that lead to a different power, a power over Hiro, able to make him a puppet to destroy his friends?

Hiro couldn't imagine letting himself be controlled. But if he didn't have a choice, that meant his imagination was just that.

His body was never meant to be his own.

They were running through an area surrounded by mountains; the tops were flat, and the sides had worn down lines that looked like veins, criss-crossing each other. The Falcon cawed, flying ahead of them as Hiro, Lloyd, and Garmadon ran through the sand. Hiro found himself sinking more than once, but he pulled himself forward, determined not to be left behind. The air was hotter than it had been the day before — they'd come in at night, he remembered, when it wasn't as dry and hot. He'd already discarded his jacket and put it in his backpack; he was starting to think that wearing all black wasn't the best idea when they were headed into a desert.

Garmadon and Lloyd ran side-by-side, speaking with each other. Hiro assumed they were making amends from last night, and had decided to hang back far enough so that he wouldn't hear their conversation — and totally not because he couldn't keep up with their consistent pace.

The Falcon finally came to a stop, landing on top of the skeleton of a long-dead animal. Hiro stopped a few feet away, grimacing at the site of the bones — they were perfectly put together, not spread out. Something big had died here, and had never been found — except, it seems, by Nya, who had placed the Samurai X symbol on one of the bones. If Lloyd hadn't pointed it out, Hiro never would have noticed it. Hiro assumed that was the point — secret base, secret button to open it.

Lloyd pushed the button. The ground rumbled beneath their feet, and slowly the head of the skeleton opened, the top of the mouth opening to reveal a secret passage far down into the ground. Hiro moved to the entrance, looking down into the darkness lit only by a few blue and white lights near the floor. Stairs were the only way down — at least they wouldn't have to go up the stairs.

With a shrug, Hiro began heading inside. He heard Lloyd and Garmadon following behind him. The Falcon cawed again as they descended lower into the darkness.

A few minutes later, Hiro reached a door. It automatically opened, allowing the trio inside the main part of the base.

The narrow stairwell opened into a large room that seemed to be carved into a mountain. To the sides, five different rocks remained level with the path, showing off several of Nya's different Samurai X inventions; besides that, the rock had been carved away, leaving a far drop down below. A long pathway was lit up in front of them, leading to a few large computers and a large invention covered by a massive red cloth. In the very back, a large exit door stood tall and proud, an easy escape plan for them — or another entrance, in case the front one couldn't be accessed. Hiro looked around in amazement, squinting against the soft blue and white light.

"How did Nya have time to build all this? Maybe I should've been a Samurai instead," Lloyd mused.

"How is she getting WiFi down here?" Hiro added, seeing that the computers were on and running perfectly. Forget that — how much was her electric bill?

Garmadon moved forward and took the cloth off the invention, revealing a small vehicle. The inside was large enough to fit two people, and the back had another seat for someone to man the weapons on the back. The gold on the wheels and the front of the car shined brightly. Hiro wondered if this car had ever seen the light of day, and if it was even ready to be used. Nya hadn't said otherwise. Hiro hoped that meant it was good to go.

"Why must everything have so many weapons?" Garmadon complained, scowling at the vehicle.

"Says the man who had four arms to posses the Golden Weapons," Lloyd teased.

Garmadon chuckled. "I deserved that," he muttered.

Hiro approached the computers. On one monitor was a large map of Ninjago; no threats were shown, but Hiro assumed that the map just hadn't been updated recently. On the other screen were the blueprints to another Samurai X suit. On a sticky note pasted onto the second monitor were the words Proto Sam-X, with a little drawing of a car. Hiro assumed that was the name of the vehicle they were planning to take. "So what's the plan?" he asked, turning to face the other two. "Just drive?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Do you have a better one?" he asked, genuinely curious.

Hiro shook his head. "Not this time. But I think we should think this through. We need food, water, places to sleep — not to mention finding a place to refuel when this thing runs out of gas," he added, nodding to the Proto Sam-X.

"If we keep to the main road, we'll probably find places to refuel," Lloyd suggested. "And places to eat and sleep."

"That's a large probably, son," Garmadon retorted. "What does the map show?"

Hiro turned back to the monitor with the map. After a moment, he stepped back. "Um, I still haven't used a computer yet. So this is up to you, Lloyd."

Lloyd moved forward. Hiro caught the grin on his face. "That's a lesson for later," he said. He began typing on the keyboard. A few moments later, the map zoomed in onto a road. Lloyd moved the image along the road carefully. "Here," he said, zooming in closer. "There's a gas station about five hours away. We could make it," he assured, turning back to them. "And with a gas station comes snacks."

"And with snacks comes no money," Hiro muttered.

"It will have to do," Garmadon agreed. "Now reset the map. If this place is found, we don't want to be the next discovery."

Once they were ready to go, Garmadon sat in the front of the car, clearly the driver. Which left the weapons spot or the backseat available. Hiro didn't know which was worse — the backseat, where he would have to be in closed quarters with Garmadon, or the weapons seat, where Hiro would have to hold on for dear life, as there didn't seem to be a seatbelt.

Lloyd caught the conflicted look on his face. "Take the back," he muttered. He offered a reassuring smile. "Just don't talk to each other."

"There isn't a seatbelt where you're sitting," Hiro protested.

Lloyd shrugged. "I can handle it," he promised. "Come on."

Reluctantly, Hiro climbed into the back seat. The glass top of the car came down. He could turn around just enough to see Lloyd getting into the weapons seat. Hiro drew his knees closer to him so he didn't accidently kick the back of Garmadon's seat. Hiro wondered what Nya was thinking when she made a vehicle this small.

The exit door opened for them. A large ramp led out of the cave. The Proto Sam-X gently hummed as they began heading out into the desert. Up ahead, a large part of the mountain opened upward, revealing a secret final door they had to go through. Beyond that, there was a large gap between two bits of land, and a large ramp that allowed the car to cross over. Hiro closed his eyes as the feeling of weightlessness returned once more, having figured he was over that feeling once it was decided that Lloyd couldn't use his dragon. The car landed safly on the other side, and soon Hiro relaxed as the journey finally became easier.

There was a radio in the car. Garmadon had turned the music to a station of classical, ballroom type of tunes. Hiro angled his body so he was sitting sideways, back pressed against one side of the car; he stretched out his right leg and kept his left one tucked in, as that was all the room he had. He'd switch later — for now, he tried to focus on the ride.

They had a long road ahead of them.

( BIRTHRIGHT — REBOOTED )

The night sky buzzed with a million bugs, which hummed in tune with the hooting of owls. They'd left the main road after refueling, heading onto a side road made out of dirt. On each side of the path was a small stream. Higher up, they were surrounded by bushes that stacked on top of each other, each layer smaller than the last and each gap filled with clear blue water. Even taller were the dark brown mountains, hard to make out in the light of the full moon. It was clear that, while a dirt road, the place was well-kept — the power lines more than made up for the lack of asphalt.

Lloyd and Hiro sat beside one of the streams, Lloyd drinking the water from it. Garmadon remained in the car, the music turned off for now. The quiet was comforting — Hiro could hear the wind over the sound of the owls and bugs. His eyes were closed, knees pulled to his chest with his arms resting on them. He laid his chin on his hands, trying to remember the last time he'd felt a moment this peaceful. Had it been with Zane, back in the Valley of Mountains? He'd felt a moment of serenity, sure, but that was when he had woken up before realizing that Zane had been missing. Before that . . . he wasn't sure. Life had been consistently on the move.

Hiro opened his eyes, turning his head to look at Lloyd. "You shouldn't be drinking that," Hiro said, the second time in ten minutes. Lloyd sat up, wiping his mouth. He gave Hiro a look. "I'm just saying. Who knows what's in that water?" He wrinkled his nose at the thought. Lloyd sat back, chuckling.

"You're so strange," Lloyd noted. Hiro pursed his lips. knowing that Lloyd wasn't making fun of him. ". . . Thank you for being peaceful with my dad."

Hiro shrugged. "Did you two make up? You seemed to be joking with him back at the cave."

Lloyd nodded. "Yeah, we did. He's going to be nicer." Hiro looked away. Lloyd sighed. "I'm not fighting your battles, Hiro. This is my own battle. He's my dad, my responsibility." Hiro looked back at him, reluctantly nodding in agreement. "Are you sure you don't want any water? It's a long drive."

"I would rather die than drink from a stream on the side of a dirt road," Hiro deadpanned. "But I guess if I did, I'd die anyway. It's a win-win."

Lloyd snorted, shaking his head as he looked back at the water. Hiro grinned. He felt that if he told that joke to anyone else, he'd only get concerned looks — but Lloyd understood the humor perfectly well. Another win.

Lloyd leaned forward further, squinting at the water suspiciously. Hiro frowned, moving forward so he could see what Lloyd was looking at. In the reflection of the water, a silver and purple shape appeared, two red dots on the front. Hiro couldn't make out what it was, but front Lloyd's gasp, he couldn't guess it was anything good.

He felt himself being pulled up by Lloyd. They began running back toward the Proto Sam-X. Hiro spared a glance up to the sky; his heart dropped at the sight of a massive mechanical dragon flying toward them, eyes a blazing red of fury. Hiro jumped into his seat as the glass roof began to close, Lloyd quickly getting into the weapons seat behind him. The dragon began flying closer, letting out a roar; Garmadon was muttering under his breath, trying to get the car to start. Hiro scowled, knowing he couldn't do much, and turned to tell Lloyd to run. Instead, Lloyd sent a burst of power through the car, making it start. Hiro almost felt sick by the way the car suddenly turned and began racing away from the dragon. Once glance back told Hiro that it was no use — the dragon was gaining on them.

Lloyd ground, voice muffled by the glass. "He's gaining on us!" he exclaimed.

"Well maybe this thing has an afterburner!" Garmadon mused, hitting one of the buttons in front of him. Afterburner? Hiro thought as he turned in time to see Lloyd's chair turn around and a blast of blue hit the dragon, sending it off course. Garmadon sighed. "Curse these weapons," he muttered as Lloyd's chair turned back around.

Hiro laid his eyes on the dragon, which began to fly side-by-side with them, only higher in the air. He held his hands up in front of him, closing his eyes so he could put more of his energy into the power. For a second, he felt zapped of all his strength, and he realized that being able to control such a large piece of metal through thick glass was going to be practically impossible — the interference mixed with the massive structure of the threat was going to require energy that Hiro wouldn't have in his lifetime. Still, he tried, the thought of Lloyd getting hurt fueling his desperation and anger. But he still couldn't do it.

"It's not working!" Hiro exclaimed in frustration, not expecting an answer. "The dragon is too big!"

"Then stop trying!" Garmadon scolded. "You'll hurt yourself! You're no use to Lloyd dead!"

Hiro's inhaled sharply, glaring at his hands. He squared his shoulders. There was something insulting about someone who hated him being worried about his health, and Hiro wasn't about to let himself be insulted, not matter how true Garmadon's words were. "No, but I would be pretty useful to you when I'm dead, right?"

The words hung in the air as the two stared at each other. If Hiro wasn't mistaken, he could have sworn he saw a flash of guilt behind Garmadon's eyes. But before he could be sure, Garmadon turned his eyes back onto the road, a silent permission for Hiro to continue trying despite his own advice. Hiro raised his hands, forcing all his energy into his powers. He let it slowly wrap around the dragon, trying desperately to get it off course, or at least stop it from getting to Lloyd. He could feel himself growing weary, his bones becoming heavy as his energy drained away. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his thoughts together. One slip up could mean disaster.

As the dragon veered right to get to Lloyd, Hiro jerked his hands roughly. The dragon missed Lloyd entirely, nearly crashing into the ground with how fast it moved. It roared; the sound echoed in Hiro's head, practically vibrating the ground beneath the car. His concentration finally broke as he realized that his nose was bleeding heavily, the result of too much strain. He knew Lloyd could see him, and was probably worried about how much pressure he was putting on himself. He didn't care — for a moment, Lloyd was safe.

The dragon got on course again, flying behind them as it tried to catch up to the head start Hiro had gotten for them. Hiro tried to swallow back his fear, but between Lloyd being vulnerable, being trapped in a small car with no way out, and having little to no energy to use his powers, he couldn't stop feeling helpless. They were trapped.

Then, just as Hiro closed his eyes, he felt like the air had changed. He hadn't noticed it before, but the air had been electrified, constantly buzzing. He'd noticed it the first time he'd settled in Ninjago City, after the Final Battle, but he'd gotten used to it hours later, the buzzing fading to the back of his mind. Now, though, it was completely gone, leaving the loudest of silences in its wake. Hiro opened his eyes as the car slowed to a stop, wondering if they were already out of gas, only to see a dark shadow fly overhead. He looked up, seeing the dragon crash into the road ahead, sending up a cloud of debris and dust. He almost smiled when Lloyd and Garmadon began cheering, realizing that they were in the clear.

The sun was rising when the roof of the car finally opened. Hiro pulled himself out, though quickly regretted it when he practically fell out of the car, stumbling as he was brought down into the dirt. He clenched his fists into the ground, feeling the dirt coat his hands. He was reminded of his first memory outside the prison of darkness, which seemed so long ago but was only a few weeks — sand getting beneath his nails, only this time it was dirt, and he was far from the island. He'd been amazed that he was alive back then — he was still amazed now.

"Hiro," he heard someone said, and then Lloyd was in front of him, helping him to his feet. "Are you okay?" Hiro could barely hear him over the ringing in his ears, but he managed to stand with Lloyd's help. "Hiro?"

"Are you okay?" Hiro asked, putting his hands on Lloyd's shoulders to study him. Lloyd blinked, looking mildly surprised. His face was dusted in a red blush as he nodded.

"Hiro," he said softly, reaching out to brush something under Hiro's nose. His thumb came away red. "You're hurt," he noted.

Hiro wiped under his nose. "It's just blood."

"You need to be more careful."

"Okay," Hiro sighed, seeing that Lloyd looked relatively unhurt. "I need to sit down," he muttered, promptly sitting down in the dirt again, pulling his knees to his chest so he could rest his head between them. He missed the way Lloyd frowned, clearly wondering how he could help his friend. Garmadon came around the car to them.

"Do you think it's safe to go back?" Lloyd asked, sitting down to put a hand on Hiro's shoulder. Hiro almost leaned into the touch but caught himself, managing to stay still. He didn't understand the feeling — Lloyd was never shy about touching Hiro, and Hiro had never felt weird about it before. But now he felt his stomach turn at the contact, and his ears burned. He was thankful his face was hidden because he didn't know how he would be able to explain why he was blushing.

"They may have turned off the power, but they still need to reboot the system. Until we know the Overlord is gone for good, we need to keep moving," Garmadon said, his tone clear — we need to move now, not later. "We'll have to go on foot." Hiro closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't sure if he could do that, but he knew Lloyd would chose to stay behind if Hiro did, and that could lead to more trouble for them down the road. He wasn't going to let Lloyd get hurt because of him.

Hiro took a deep breath, looking up and blinking away the spots in front of his eyes. "He's right," he said, looking at Lloyd, who still looked doubtful. "Just because there isn't power doesn't mean there's no threat. We need to go."

"You can barely stand, Hiro," Lloyd protested. "We can rest. No power means that the threat is put off for now."

"I can walk," Hiro assured. Lloyd frowned as he watched Hiro get to his feet. Hiro managed to stand, but it was clear he was shaking a bit; he leaned against the car for support and refused to meet anyone's eyes, trying to put on a show of confidence. He heard Garmadon sigh.

"We can rest for an hour," he finally relented. Hiro glanced at him, confused, but he wasn't going to be the one to argue.

"Come on," Lloyd encouraged, taking his hand and leading him to the river again.

There was that feeling again. What was going on?

( BIRTHRIGHT — REBOOTED )

Garmadon always knew his son had a knack for trouble.

From the moment Lloyd was born, Garmadon had one thought — this boy is going to cause chaos. Back when he'd been infected with the Devourer's venom, that thought had been a relief; his son, his legacy, causing trouble throughout Ninjago. It was everything he could have asked for. When he was banished the the Underworld — Lloyd had been about four, and despite Misako teaching him how to be good, Garmadon had been secretly teaching him how to be evil, just like his father — he hoped that Lloyd would continue to bring chaos where he went, whether that meant a tantrum in the middle of the store or a well-timed scream while talking to a stranger.

And then he'd come back to Ninjago to rescue Lloyd from the Serpentine, because his son had caused more trouble than even Garmadon could keep up with. Garmadon had fought the Serpentine — hell, he'd been one of the ones to lock them away, and even long before that he had fought alongside Wu to defeat Aspheera. Garmadon knew the dangers of the Serpentine, and he wished he had been around to teach Lloyd to fear them as well. His son had caused trouble, but at the cost of getting hurt, and Garmadon didn't think that was worth it at all.

But then Lloyd was revealed to be the Green Ninja, and all the time he'd spent causing chaos was for nothing. He was destined to be good, just as he was destined to defeat the Dark Lord (and for a while, just like everyone else, Garmadon had thought that that meant him). But his destiny only caused trouble for Garmadon, so he supposed, now, that it had come full circle. After the Overlord's defeat, he had thought that Lloyd's trouble-causing days were over — and then Avashiro, the son of the Overlord, had found his way into Lloyd's life, and Lloyd had accepted him without a second thought.

Lloyd always did accept trouble. Now that Garmadon was himself again, he supposed it was time to rescind that behavior.

"We underestimate the importance of balance. When it's there, we're at peace. When something is off, everything falls," Garmadon explained, placing a rock on top of the pile that Lloyd was already holding on his back. The pile was swinging from side to side as Lloyd tried to balance it. Avashiro sat on the mountain pathway a few feet away, looking up at the sky. He'd declined to join the lesson. "Ninjago is no different. It put too much faith in technology, allowing the Overlord to return, and because of your friends, now the world is without power. When one relies on something too much, we become weak, vulnerable, imbalanced. In order to find your Full Potential and unlock your true power, you must find your own balance," he finished.

Lloyd grunted. "I'm already the Golden Ninja, how much more power do I need?" he complained.

Garmadon sighed. This was exactly what he was afraid of, Lloyd relying too much on his power. "You've only scratched the surface! You have the potential to move mountains, the power of the First Spinjitzu Master!" he said, placing smaller rocks on top of the pile.

"The Ninja destroyed the power substation, essentially destroying the Overlord and his Nindroids. Why can't we go back?" Lloyd asked.

"Essentially?" Garmadon mocked. "Until the Overlord is fully erased from the system, we must not go back, but forward!" he exclaimed as he picked up a large, 10-pound rock. He placed it on the top of the pile. It balanced for only a moment before Lloyd fell, the rocks falling around him. Out of the corner of his eye, Garmadon saw Avashiro sit up, looking down at Lloyd with a frown. He held a hand out in front of him, then seemed to think better of it. Good — at least he knew when to use his power and when to hold back.

"If you can't move mountains, I guess we'll have to move over mountains," Garmadon said. Lloyd stood, spinning around to get the rocks away from him. He looked up at Garmadon, squinting at the sunlight.

"Oh yeah?" Lloyd challenged. Garmadon jumped down beside him.

"And this next one looks particularly steep," he said, looking up at the pathway.

They began their journey once more. Lloyd helped Avashiro to his feet as they passed by and the two boys fell into step side-by-side, Garmadon leading them further away from the city. He caught bits of their conversation — something about a man named Fritz Donnegan, before the the conversation moved on to the city and the Ninja — as they walked. He tried his best to ignore them — he wasn't interested in the affairs of two teenagers, even if one of them was his son and the other was the heir of darkness. They were kids — he had other things to worry about, like how they were going to cross the broken bridge they were coming across.

They were so high in the mountains that the fog concealed the long drop below, though Garmadon knew that one misstep could be the end of their journey.

Avashiro approached the edge, frowning as he looked down. "There's no way I can even get myself over this," he muttered, probably not expecting anyone to hear him. Garmadon sighed — when were these boys going to realize that they couldn't always be the heroes?

"Hey! Who needs bridges when you can manifest a Golden Dragon to—" Lloyd began.

Garmadon quickly cut in. "You rely too much on your Golden Power," he scolded, irritated to see that Lloyd was still smiling, as if he wasn't understanding the teachings. "Let this be a lesson. Center yourself and move the mountain with your mind," he ordered.

"What? Move that? Are you kidding?" Lloyd demanded, turning and walking away.

"Lloyd," Avashiro called out, making Lloyd stop and turn around. "Come on, listen to what he has to say before you complain," he teased. Garmadon was surprised to see Lloyd smile at that; if anyone else had said it, Garmadon figured Lloyd would get snippy with them, reverting back to the childish behavior from when he was a kid and wasn't getting his way. But because it was Avashiro, Lloyd didn't seem too bothered with the light joking.

A thought began to brew in Garmadon's mind, the pieces connecting. He nearly missed Lloyd beginning to make a bridge out of rocks, only coming out of his thoughts when the rocks exploded outward, sending Lloyd back into him; they both fell to the ground. Lloyd was quick to get up, and Garmadon already knew he was looking for Avashiro, who had dove for the ground the moment the rocks had broken apart. He looked unhurt — they all did. It was a very narrow escape.

Still, Lloyd rushed to help him up. He frowned. "This is pointless," he announced, turning to Garmadon.

"Lloyd," Avashiro warned.

"It is!" Lloyd insisted, "especially when I can do this!" He jumped in the air, summoning his Golden Dragon. The dragon roared, making a golden bridge with its power. Lloyd jumped down onto the bridge. "I'm not the First Spinjitzu Master, and I never wanted to be. I'm the Golden Ninja!" he said, turning and beginning to walk away. Avashiro sighed, quickly following after him.

Garmadon sighed, running a hand over his face tiredly. "I know," he muttered. "I was once like this too."

They carried on.

The day was hot as they traveled over the mountains, being careful not to slip down the sides. Most of the ground was firm, able to hold them through their journey, but a few times they almost lost Lloyd, who was bounding ahead without a care in the world. Garmadon wondered if his son thought this was some sort of vacation — ever since the power had gone out, Lloyd had been more carefree, probably thinking that the threat was over. He didn't blame Lloyd for thinking so, but he wished his son would see sense; they were still traveling for a reason, not to have fun. So long as the Overlord Virus wasn't wiped out, Lloyd would always be in danger, even without power to fund the Overlord's evil plans.

In the few breaks they took, Garmadon caught Avashiro and Lloyd sharing secret looks that he didn't understand. It was as if the two boys had their own language, sometimes speaking so quietly that Garmadon couldn't hear them. Though he hadn't cared before, he did now — he was still thinking, trying to figure out what he was picking up on. He was older now, he realized with dread — he didn't understand the youths of today.

Finally, as the sun began lowering in the sky, turning the brightness of noon to the soft hue of the evening, they reached the base of a mountain.

"We must go over the mountain to continue."

"You've got to be fucking with me," Avashiro said bluntly. Lloyd elbowed him, shooting him a look.

"Language," Garmadon reminded him. "Let's go."

"Yeah, yeah," Avashiro muttered.

They began climbing the mountain. Despite his weariness toward Avashiro, Garmadon worried that they boy wouldn't be able to keep up with him and Lloyd. They'd been walking all day, after all, and no one had had any sleep after the dragon incident; Avashiro had nearly drained himself of his energy after moving the dragon off course. But he was able to climb, falling a little behind once they'd made good measure on the mountain, but still able to keep up. Garmadon caught Lloyd throwing worried glances down the side of the cliff, checking on Avashiro. Garmadon hoped he wouldn't be too distracted.

Garmadon winced as a misstep from Lloyd sent a few rocks tumbling down the mountain, some of them bouncing off his face. Lloyd chuckled, coming to a stop. "Wish you still had four hands? It would've come in handy," he joked, breathing heavily from the strain of climbing.

Garmadon sighed. "You potential is great. Not your sense of humor."

Lloyd laughed lightly. "Still won't let me use the Golden Dragon?"

Garmadon shook his head. "Still won't," he confirmed, beginning to climb again. He stopped when he was side-by-side with Lloyd. "If you want to harness the power of the First Spinjitzu Master, you must focus on your balance and find your center." It felt like his words were going in one ear and our the other; had Lloyd always been this bad of a listener, or was it a teenager thing? Garmadon had been the worst as a teen, but he'd had an excuse. Though he supposed Lloyd did as well, considering everything he'd gone through. Still, he had hoped that Lloyd would begin to see the importance in his lessons. He wasn't giving them just to be boring.

He began climbing again. He was surprised to find that Avashiro was at the top of the mountain — granted, the boy was laying down, clearly trying to catch his breath, so he couldn't have been up there for long. He must've snuck by when Garmadon and Lloyd were talking, which only added to Garmadon's concern — anyone who could climb a mountain so quietly could probably sneak around anywhere without getting caught. It didn't make him feel confident in Avashiro's trustworthiness, but he bit back a comment, remembering his discussion with Lloyd the day before.

He had never seen Lloyd so protective.

"Uh, Dad?" Lloyd called out, pulling Garmadon from his thoughts. Garmadon approached the edge of the cliff, looking down. Lloyd stood beside a large next, looking at a blue bird — clearly a baby, but still half Lloyd's height. Garmadon's eyes widened.

"A ravture youngling!" he exclaimed gravely. "Don't touch him! It needs to learn to fly on its own," he warned, voice taking on a slight edge of panic." Keep climbing. Slowly." Lloyd backed away from the next, beginning to climb the rocks again. Avashiro came to stand beside Garmadon, looking worried. Garmadon saw the ravture moving closer to Lloyd, but didn't have enough time to yell for Lloyd to stop before the ravture fell and Lloyd jumped to catch it. "What have you done? It's going to know someone has touched its young!" Garmadon exclaimed. Avashiro muttered something under his breath and began climbing down to Lloyd without another thought.

"It? Who?" Lloyd questioned, still holding the bird. A squawk came from behind them; Garmadon turned, frowning as he saw the father of the ravture approaching. "He was going to fall. I was trying to help!" Lloyd exclaimed.

"Unless you speak ravture, there's no use trying to explain," Garmadon told him. He made his way down to the two boys. "Hurry! We need to climb to shelter!" he ordered, looking around. On the other side of the mountain was a small alcove, barely visible. "There!" he said, pointing to it. Without waiting for them to respond, he began making his way toward the shelter, climbing sideways along the mountain.

"Lloyd, put the bird down!" Avashiro groaned. Garmadon turned his head in time to see the father ravture fly over them; Lloyd nearly tossed the baby over the side of the nest in his haste to get away. "Not like that!" Avashiro scolded as Lloyd caught the bird again.

"You're not gonna fall on my watch!" Lloyd promised the bird.

"Your compassion is not helping!" Garmadon exclaimed. He saw the father ravture headed for him and yelped, letting go of the rock just as its claws slammed into the stone. He fell down the side of the cliff, then slowed in mid-air. He managed to grasp onto a small edge and looked up to see Avashiro's hand reaching out toward him. For some reason, Avashiro had decided to save him — Garmadon had no idea why, considering it was obvious neither of them liked each other.

Lloyd and Avashiro made their way down the side of the mountain, Lloyd still holding that damn bird. Lloyd held out one of his hands, forming a green energy ball with his fist.

"No!" Garmadon scolded. "Do not use your power as a crutch! It will only weaken you!" Lloyd didn't respond — though he did look frustrated — as he turned his head, spotting something. Garmadon followed his gaze and saw that the father ravture was circling back to attack Garmadon again. Before he could even hope to get away, the ravture had him in its claws, the sharp talons digging into his body. He knew better than to struggle — it would only ensure that he was pierced by the nails. He heard Lloyd cry out, and a moment later he was weightless, falling below the clouds after Lloyd had used an energy ball against the ravture.

Was this how he died?

He still had so many regrets.

As he fell, the sound of a large rumbling filled his ears, like a mountain was falling. He closed his eyes, not wanting to see how long he had to fall. When his back slammed into something hard, his first thought was That was a short fall. He could still hear the rumbling, only this time he felt the vibrations. He opened his eyes and found himself rising toward the sky, a mountain under his back. The sides of the mountain were caving in, forming a hand. Lloyd was moving a mountain. He'd finally learned a lesson.

"You just moved a mountain, Son," Garmadon said, amazed.

Avashiro muttered something to Lloyd, which made Lloyd grin. Garmadon briefly wondered what it was; he seemed to be wondering what was happening between them a lot. But instead of commenting, his eyes shifted the the baby ravture, who was stumbling on the edge of the cliff. A moment later, it fell; Lloyd and Avashiro both yelled out, Avashiro quickly holding out his hands while Lloyd began trying to move another mountain (when had they both gotten attached to the baby bird?). But a moment later, the ravture began to fly on its own, thankfully not relying on anyone to save it.

Garmadon smiled at Lloyd. "Looks like you're not the only one that's grown up." Lloyd chuckled, looking down at the ravture as it flew up to him and Avashiro.

A few minutes later, the three stood on the other side of the mountain, away from the ravtures. Lloyd closed his eyes and focused, moving the mountain so a staircase formed, headed down the mountain. Garmadon was surprised that they had managed to make it over the mountain before they day ended; sure, sunset was approaching, but with the staircase they'd be able to reach the ground by nightfall, before the cold air set in. Soon they'd be able to rest, and even Garmadon could admit that he was looking forward to a break. He wasn't young enough for so much excitement.

Garmadon took the lead. Lloyd stayed in the middle, and Avashiro in the back. As they climbed down, a wild jungle came into view. An idea struck Garmadon, but before he could voice it, a light cawing filled the air, and a moment later Zane's Falcon landed on the stairs in front of them. Lloyd stepped forward, brightening. "Hey, the Ninja sent a message!" he exclaimed, clearly excited to hear from his friends. The Falcon's eye turned from yellow to blue, and a moment later a holographic projection of Nya appeared.

"Lloyd, Shiro, we've got some bad news. We've had a run in with a mysterious someone who has found a new way to power Nindroids," Nya informed. Garmadon sighed, staying silent. Of course — this was why they couldn't return to the city. The threat wouldn't be over until the Overlord was destroyed.

Nya disappeared, replaced by Jay. "And he turned Sensei Wu evil. He had a black beard!" the Blue Ninja cried out. Garmadon's brows furrowed. His brother, Wu, evil? That didn't seem remotely possible. His brother had always been the good one, even before Garmadon was bit. Naive, yes; too trusting, absolutely. Not evil? Never.

"We have a suspicion this person may have stolen the hard drive containing the Overlord and has reawakened him!" Nya continued, reappearing. So the news just got worse, didn't it?

Kai appeared next. "And now that the hard drive has gone missing, we can't reboot the system. Our Techno Blades are useless!" he stated, scowling.

"But the stranger left a clue," Nya said. A moment later, the image of a scale came into view. "A white scale. That's right, we think he may be Serpentine. We're headed to New Ninjago City to get to the bottom of this," she continued. She came back into view. "We thought you should know so you can keep your distance. Hope you're faring better than we are. We'll stay in contact if we learn anything new. Over and out." Her image disappeared.

Lloyd sighed. "Serpentine?" he asked, looking at Garmadon and Avashiro.

Avashiro frowned. "I thought the Serpentine haven't been a problem for a while," he mused.

Lloyd shrugged. "They haven't attacked the city. But if this was a plan, I think there would have been more clues. If it's just the one scale, what if it's just one snake?" His brows furrowed. "Maybe we should go back. I'm the one that released the Serpentine. If this is them, it's my fault," he said.

"We must not go back, but forward," Garmadon corrected. He motioned to the jungle below them. "Hiroshi's Labyrinth: miles of jungle so dense, all who enter are never found. We must not rest," he insisted.

Lloyd looked doubtful. Still, he said, "Okay. Let's get lost."

"This seems like the worst plan," Avashiro noted. And yet he walked with them down the stairs, clearly not wanting to be left behind — or to leave Lloyd behind.

The day dragged on. Eventually, the sun finally set, and the night sky — dotted with a million stars and a full moon to light their way — blanketed Ninjago. They reached the base of the mountain a few hours after nightfall., and Garmadon couldn't be more thankful that they could now rest. Unfortunately, it seemed like the boys had different plans, despite the fact that they had to be just as tired as him. It had been a long day, and yet . . .

Avashiro muttered something to Lloyd. Lloyd laughed, and a moment later they both took off, racing for the treeline. Garmadon's brows furrowed as he tried to put the pieces together — the secret looks, the shared smiles, the light laughter they both let out around each other . . . .

The thought finally processed: Lloyd had a crush.

Garmadon didn't know how he hadn't realized it before, but now it was painfully obvious. Everytime Avashiro so much as glanced at him, Lloyd would get flustered, and his concentration slipped more than a few times. And the way that Avashiro was able to change Lloyd's attitude just by saying his name . . . Lloyd was head-over-heels. Garmadon didn't know what to do — he'd never dealt with Lloyd having a crush before, much less on a boy (not that Garmadon thought that particular fact mattered, of course, though it did change the way Garmadon would have to explain . . . things, should Lloyd ask), and certainly not on the son of the Overlord.

Crap. Lloyd had a crush on the son of the Overlord.

And given the way Avashiro looked at Lloyd — with pure adoration, like Lloyd was the only person on the planet — gave Garmadon enough confidence to say that the feelings were mutual.

"What are you thinking?" Lloyd asked, startling Garmadon. He frowned at his son. "You look concerned," the blond noted.

"It's not important," Garmadon assured. If he knew these boys, then he could confidently say that they were both as oblivious as New Ninjago City was to the threat of the Overlord. Telling them that they liked each other wouldn't be good for anyone — Garmadon feared it would only make the trip more awkward. As much as he was weary of Avashiro, he didn't want to be the one to drive a wedge between Lloyd and his best friend; he could only imagine the teenage angst that would come with the separation.

"Really? Seems pretty important. Care to share with the rest of the class?" Avashiro asked, crossing his arms. Garmadon felt that he deserved the sarcastic bite hidden inside the boy's tone, but it didn't make him feel any less irritated. He supposed that's what he got, given his behavior toward Avashiro and Lloyd's friendship.

"It doesn't pertain to our survival or the Ninja's mission," Garmadon insisted.

The two boys shared a look. They shrugged at the same time and moved on. Garmadon sighed — so much for getting Lloyd to recognize that Avashiro may be a threat. His son was going to view everything through rose-tinted glasses; all the red flags were just going to look like flags.

And there was nothing Garmadon could say to convince him to take off the glasses.