CHAPTER TWELVE
WEAKNESS

HOME IS WHERE THE PANIC OCCURS

HIRO FOUND IT HARD TO BREATH WHEN HE STEPPED ONTO THE ISLAND AGAIN. Of all the places he thought he'd go in his life, he never thought the Island of Darkness was going to be one of them — the island was part of a past life, something Hiro left behind when he left the first time. Stepping onto the beach again felt like a punch to the gut, and he still feels vaguely sick, like he's going to puke. It's partly his fault, of course — he's the one who refused to stay behind, not wanting to leave Lloyd's side. He's the one who got onto the plane and let himself be taken to the island, but now that he's here, in subtle pain — God bless pain killers — and at Lloyd's side, he kind of wishes he'd stayed behind this time.

Lloyd stood in the middle of the Temple of Light, ready to give up his Golden Power and give the others their Elemental Powers back. Hiro had to take a step away, sitting outside — away from Garmadon and Wu, who were speaking in harsh, quiet voices to each other, arguing about something. Hiro pulled his knees close to his chest, resting his chin on his knees as he looks out over the island, taking in the sight of his old home. It hadn't changed much, but the chill Hiro usually felt in the air is gone now — cast away with his father.

It's the most safe Hiro has ever felt on the island.

"Hey, kid!" Jay called out, running over. Hiro sighed, taking a deep breath before he turned to look up at Jay. "Shake my hand," the blue ninja ordered, sticking out his hand. Hiro could see faint lines of electricity traveling up and down his fingers, intensified by the black glove that covered his hand. Hiro scowled, looking between Jay's eyes and his hand. "Come on, it'll be fun!"

"I'm not an idiot," Hiro told him, turning back to water the sky as the clouds drifted in front of the sun. "Go bother Kai."

Jay frowned, retracting his hand. He took a seat beside Hiro hesitantly. "You okay?" he asked, crossing his legs underneath him and putting his hands in his lap, a sign of peace. Hiro glanced at him wearily, wondering if this was just a trick for Jay to shock him, but he doesn't use his powers to hold Jay in place, wanting to see if he could trust the loudest Ninja with something as simple as not touching him without permission. "You've been kinda . . . off since we got here. I mean you're always off, but this is different," Jay noted.

Hiro rolled his eyes. "'Off.' Yeah, might be because I nearly died here," he muttered. Jay winced.

"Well, yeah, but don't you feel how different the island is?" Jay asked. Hiro shrugged. "When we first got here, I had such a bad feeling, you know? Like we were doomed. The island looked so nice and welcoming, but I knew it was a trap, that something very evil was going to happen here. And I was right, I guess, because of the Overlord and everything, but something good also happened." Jay smiled brightly at him. Hiro frowned. "We got to meet you, stupid!" Jay said, exasperated.

Hiro frowned. "Are you just being nice to me because I got hurt?" he asked suspiciously.

Jay's smile fell away. "Well, maybe, but— I mean— hey, we're starting to realize how important you are to the team, okay? We probably wouldn't be half as strong as we are now without you, and, like, I don't think Lloyd would be motivated to save the day if he didn't have you at his side. So yeah, maybe I'm being nice because you got hurt, but I like to see it more as me appreciating my friend," he explained, tilting his head to the side.

Hiro stared at him, not processing the words. Right. All of a sudden the team cared, because they almost lost him? Because he almost died? He didn't believe it for a second. This had to be a trick.

Jay held up his hands. "Fine, fine, you don't have to believe me. But it's true. Ask Zane. Or Lloyd. They'd never lie to you."

No. But they'd worry, Hiro thought.

He sighed, turning his gaze back onto the island. He needed to get out of here.

Hiro stood, brushing off his pants. "Distract them."

Jay looked up at him, brows furrowed. "What?" he asked, getting to his feet. "Where are you going?"

Hiro shrugged. "You said it yourself. The island is different. I want to see how much it's changed." He crossed his arms, turning to face Jay, looking up at him. "So distract them. Zane and Lloyd, they'll worry about me. Kai will think I'm doing something evil. Keep them off my back and I'll meet you all back at the plane," he explained.

Jay frowned. "But—"

"Jay. We're friends. You said so yourself." Jay nodded hesitantly. "So do me this favor. Please." The word felt gross coming from Hiro's mouth, but it seemed to do the trick. Jay finally sighed, nodding with more confidence this time. "Thank you." Hiro looked down the mountain, grimacing. "See you in a bit."

Climbing down a tall mountain without a mech would have been difficult for anyone else. But Hiro wasn't anyone else — he had powers. When he was sure he was out of sight of anyone who might worry for him, Hiro got a running start and jumped off the mountain, eyes shut tight. His fear of heights still paralyzed him with fear, but he knew it was the fastest way to get off the mountain. He placed his hands against his chest, taking a deep breath and focusing. From behind his eyes, he was able to make out a bright purple glow. Hiro's didn't open his eyes, knowing seeing how high up he was would only hurt him. He straightened his arms at his sides, focusing on making the power less intense — enough to keep him in the air, but weak enough to make him descend to the ground at a slower pace.

When he felt his feet touch the ground, Hiro opened his eyes, letting the power disappear.

The island was eerily silent, but it didn't feel bad, to put it simply. The silence didn't scare Hiro, not like it used to. It was almost peaceful in a way, knowing that if he walked in the direction of his father's old camp, he wouldn't have to fear seeing his father. Out on an island in the middle of nowhere, with no Wi-Fi signal and no technology within hundreds of miles, Hiro knew that the digital imprint of his father would not be able to hurt him on the island.

The island was his.

Hiro moved in the direction of where he remembered the camp to be, keeping his hands in his pockets. There were bugs in the plants and birds in the trees, but Hiro felt alone. He knew that the team realistically wasn't that far away, at least for now — but when Hiro got to the camp? If something happened there, would they be able to get to him in time, save him?

Would they want to?

The camp was completely empty, almost destroyed. The decaying wood that formed a fence around the perimeter of the camp was nearly falling over; weeds and vines snaked their way up the fence, as well as the place where the Ultimate Weapon had been created. Hiro pulled his jacket tighter around himself, a shiver running down his spine.

Something darted out of the corner of his eye and Hiro spun around, arms held up, only to see nothing there. He frowned, lowering his arms only slightly, spinning around in a circle. This place may no longer be under the control of something evil, but that didn't make the bad feeling disappear. It was like this one specific spot on the island would always be covered in darkness, despite more traumatizing memories happening somewhere else on the island for Hiro.

Avashiro.

Hiro whirled around, taking a few steps back.

There was nothing there.

He was alone.

There was nothing there.

He was alone.

His back hit the fence and he slid down, his hands covering his face, breathing fast. His chest felt tight, his skin hot, his mind numb. He couldn't do this, he shouldn't be here, what if his father never truly left? What if there was something even more sinister here, watching him? What if he couldn't catch his breath, suffocated right here, alone, scared—

What if—

What if—

What if—

"Shiro?"

Hiro looked up quickly, his arms coming in front of him to form an X shape, like a shield. After a moment of silence, he lowered his arms, shoulders tensed, and saw Cole standing above him a few feet away, arms raised in a show of peace. Hiro swallowed thickly, embarrassment making his face burn, and lowered his arms the rest of the way, wrapping them around his knees. He hid his face in his knees, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"Can I sit with you?" Cole asked gently. Hiro nodded. He heard Cole getting closer and a second later the Earth Ninja sat beside him. "I'm not going to ask if you're okay, it's pretty clear that you're going through something right now. Do you need space or a hug?" he asked carefully.

". . . I don't know."

"You can ask for a hug, Shiro. I won't tell anyone," Cole said.

Hiro squeezed his eyes shut. "No, I— I don't— I don't want a hug," he rasped.

". . . I didn't ask if you wanted one, Shiro. Do you need one?"

Hiro broke, a sob escaping his mouth as he shuddered. Cole wrapped his arms around him, pulling Hiro close to his side. He put a hand in Hiro's hair, gently stroking Hiro's hair as the boy cried in his arms, falling apart after so many weeks of stress and fear and anger. Cole stayed silent, letting Hiro get it all out, hoping that none of their teammates would come looking for them. It was a rare show of emotion from Hiro, and Cole knew that if he was caught like this by anyone else, he would make sure never to ask for help in dealing with his emotions. Cole was worried for the boy. He was a only a kid.

Eventually, Hiro's sobs quieted to sniffles, and then nothing. Cole held the shaking teenager in his arms protectively, shifting around so he was almost cradling Hiro against him. "It's okay. You're okay," Cole muttered, rubbing Hiro's shoulder. "You're safe with us, you know. You aren't an outsider. You're one of us."

"But my dad—" Hiro's voice cracked. Cole closed his eyes.

"You aren't evil, Shiro. You're a kid. You deserve to have your own legacy."

"I don't—"

"You deserve kindness," Cole continued. "You deserve people who understand you. I'm sorry we haven't been able to do that, and I know apologies are hard for you to accept, but I want you to know that we're trying. We want you around, Shiro. You aren't just a powerful player. You're part of this team, whether you're a Ninja or independent or have different ideals. You're one of us, Shiro."

Hiro shuddered, shaking his head weakly. "Please don't— don't tell anyone, they can't know I'm weak, they can't— Lloyd can't—"

"Hey, hey," Cole said. "You aren't weak, Shiro. Crying isn't weak." He sighed. "I won't tell anyone, okay? But you aren't weak for crying. That's not how this works."

"But— but I—" Hiro shook his head. Cole waited patiently. ". . . Thank you," he whispered, voice horse and tired. Cole nodded.

"Of course." He looked up at the sky, noticing how late it was getting. "We need to go soon," he warned. "Take whatever time you need, but it's getting late and the team will start looking for us soon." Hiro nodded. He took a few more minutes to compose himself, sitting in silence with Cole. It took him a few minutes of preparation to pull himself from Cole's arms, quickly wiping his eyes to get rid of any stray tears. Cole stood and offered his hands to Hiro, pulling the boy to his feet when given the chance.

Hiro wrapped his arms around himself. "You won't tell?"

Cole frowned. "No. But I think you should talk to Lloyd." He wrapped an arm around Hiro's shoulders, leading him back toward the beach. "Come on, let's go home."

Home.

Hiro had a home.

( BIRTHRIGHT — REBOOTED )

Two days later, Hiro turned in circles in his chair, sighing boredly as he watched Zane type at the computer. Being trapped in Borg Tower wasn't exactly the most exciting thing to do that day, especially when Lloyd was out in the world looking for any sign of the Overlord or the Nindroids. Forced to stay in the tower, healing from his stab wound — and forced to be near the man who had caused it.

Logically, Hiro knew he shouldn't be upset with Wu. The man had been under the control of the Overlord and would never have thought to hurt Hiro while he was 'awake,' or however you were meant to say it. But that still didn't change the fact that Hiro was stuck in Borg Tower because he shouldn't put strain on his body and I don't want to hear it, Hiro, you need to rest. It also didn't change the fact that Hiro had chosen the seat furthest away from Wu while still being close enough to see what Zane and Pixal were working on.

Hiro stopped spinning in his chair only when he thought he was going to puke. Unfortunately, the elevator doors opened and Hiro laid eyes on Garmadon, which just made the sick feeling rise up again. He scowled, turning to face Pixal as Garmadon approached the group.

"Any update on the search?" Garmadon asked.

"Our cameras haven't picked up any trace of Pythor or Borg, but the Ninja are in the field where we don't have eyes," Wu informed.

"No sign of Nindroids in the Toxic Bogs." Hiro perked up at the sound of Lloyd's voice, leaning forward to get a better look at him on the computer. Pixal sighed, pushing Hiro back into his chair. Hiro crossed his arms, sitting back with a scowl, but he had to admit that not leaning forward made his wound hurt less.

"Lloyd, while you're out there, do you have time to search the Glacier Barrens?" Wu asked.

"Hey, I may not be able to move mountains anymore, but I can still cover ground. Over and out," Lloyd said. The sound of him racing away on his motorcycle reached Hiro's ears and Hiro sighed, wishing he could have been on the bike with Lloyd. He hated sitting still, not being out in the field, especially because the threat was still out there and Lloyd was by himself.

"Project Arcturus?" Garmadon's voice made Hiro spin around in his chair, seeing the board that Garmadon was looking at. There was a drawn image of the Overlord halfway through the metamorphosis when he had taken over Garmadon's body; below that, a picture of a camp fire surrounded by a diamond; to the left of that, an image of Pythor; to the right, the word ARCTURUS? written out; finally, to the left of that and at the bottom of the board, a drawn image of a Nindroid. All the pictures were connected by a red string.

Wu approached Garmadon, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Two days ago, Zane and Pixal intercepted a coded message. Something with the codename Project Arcturus," he explained.

From across the room, Jeong Lee, a postman in Ninjago, spoke up. "I think I may have made a discovery!" he announced, having been assigned to figuring out the meaning of Project Arcturus by rearranging letter-tiles into different words. Hiro raised his eyebrows, turning in his chair and pushing himself off the desk, rolling across the room and coming to sit beside the table. Wu and Garmadon hurried over. Hiro leaned against the table, looking at the letters. Lee rearranged them. "'Carrot Cup Juster,'" he said proudly, motioning to the tiles.

"What's a 'juster?'" Wu asked.

"I don't know. Yet," Lee admitted.

"Keep looking, I don't think that's it," Wu sighed, heading to a computer across the room with Garmadon. Hiro rolled his eyes, pushing himself away from the table and going back to Pixal and Zane. He laid his arms on the desk, resting his head on his arms. Pixal flashed him a sympathetic smile that Hiro couldn't muster the energy to return. For the next few seconds, it was quiet, and Hiro thought he could let himself go to sleep at the desk, even though the position wasn't exactly comfortable.

But then an alarm started beeping and Hiro shot up, pushing himself a few inches away from the desk. His eyes snapped to the flashing red light beside the largest computer in the room, rubbing his eyes with a scowl on his face. "Our facial recognition software picked up someone," Pixal announced. Hiro moved back to the desk, sitting beside Pixal and looking over at Zane's computer as Wu and Garmadon came back to the desk. The image on Zane's computer zoomed in on someone driving purple and black car — the face of a Nindroid appeared to the right of the screen.

"Cryptor," Wu confirmed.

Hiro frowned. "That looks like any of the Nindroids," he protested. "How do we know it's Cryptor?"

"Our facial recognition software confirms it's him," Pixal pointed out.

Hiro sat back, humming sarcastically. "Oh, yeah, sure. Let's trust the computer," he muttered. "It's not like technology can be wrong these days."

"My analysis can only presume they're using Borg to build something," Zane said, frowning.

"But what?" Pixal asked.

"We need to know where those trucks are headed," Wu said. "Find me the nearest ninja," he ordered. Zane immediately began typing on his computer, trying to contact Cole and Jay, who had left the tower with Nya about thirty minutes before. Hiro sighed, tilting his head to the side boredly as he waited for one of them to pick up the call to action. He could have gone right then and no time would be wasted waiting for someone to pick up the call, but no, he was too weak and needed to heal, or whatever he'd been told.

Zane sighed. "They're not picking up," he said. "Kai is the nearest in proximity."

"And he should be able to get there quickly in the Prototype X-1," Pixal pointed out.

"Good, but tell him not to engage. We can't let them know they're being followed," Wu said.

As Pixal began trying to get ahold of Kai, Hiro stood up, finally getting out of the chair after three hours. He grimaced at the pain that traveled up his side, placing his hand against the wound as he walked out of the room, heading into one of the many hallways of Borg Tower. He yawned, leaning against the wall and sliding down against it until he was sitting on the floor. He pulled his jacket tighter around himself, blinking tiredly as he stared at the floor beneath his feet. When was the last time he'd slept?

It had been two days since he broke down in Cole's arms, and the memory of being so weak in front of someone he, what, admired? Hated? No, he didn't hate Cole, not anymore, but he didn't know how to classify the relationship. It made him feel embarrassed, his face burning as he remembered that he actually liked the feeling of someone holding him, comforting him through a panic attack. That's what Cole had called it, while walking Hiro back to the plane. You had a panic attack, Shiro. It's not unusual, we all have them, everyone on the team. I've even seen Sensei Wu having them. It's response to anxiety, or trauma. You have both.

The door opened beside him. Hiro glanced up tiredly, finding that Zane was looking down at him. He frowned at the Ninja of Ice, sitting up straight when Zane came to sit in front of him. Why was everyone approaching him now, being worried? It wouldn't just be because he had nearly died, right? No, he'd nearly died before without them caring, so why now? Why did they are about him now? Had Cole said something? That must be it, Cole had said something, he had betrayed Hiro's trust, everyone knew about his panic attack, everyone was pitying him, everyone was—

"When's the last time you slept, Shiro?" Zane asked, frowning at him. "Your vitals say it's been over forty-eight hours."

Hiro scowled at him. "Don't read my vitals, that's weird."

"On the contrary. It's to prove my theory about how much rest you're getting. You're healing from a stab wound, Shiro. The sooner you take some time for yourself and rest, the sooner you can get back into the field. I know that's what you want," Zane explained. Hiro huffed, looking away. "Please, Shiro. Lloyd is very worried about you. He almost didn't leave the tower today because he knew you wouldn't take care of yourself. I tried my best to sooth his worries, but you're making that very difficult." Zane smiled at his attempt at humor, but Hiro didn't find his words funny.

"Yeah? Well maybe I would have preferred if he stayed. Why didn't you go?" he asked, just to be a brat.

"I'm not at full power, Shiro," Zane said simply. "To go into battle, I would have to be with Pixal, and she is not made to fight. Even if she was, it is easier to do these missions with one Ninja instead of two." He smiled. "But I guess you and Lloyd will always stick together, even when it isn't easy," he noted. Hiro eyed him, wondering what he was implying.

". . . I'm not a Ninja," Hiro reminded him.

Zane smiled sadly. "Right. But you're part of this team."

Hiro hated that he couldn't argue against that.

"Please get some sleep, Shiro. I'm sure we can find a place for you that isn't loud," Zane suggested. Hiro shrugged. In truth, some sleep sounded great. Exhaustion weighed down every atom in his body. But Lloyd was gone, there was trouble, and Hiro didn't want to miss out on the important information.

"I'll sleep when I'm dead."

"If you don't sleep, I fear that time may come sooner than later," Zane said, almost jokingly. Hiro smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He wasn't surprised to find that he was nearly about to fall asleep then and there, as uncomfortable as the position would be when he woke up. Zane was right. He always was, of course, and Hiro hated it. "Please, Shiro. Rest. You may not be fully human, but you shouldn't push the limits of your body. You don't know what the consequences will be."

Exhaustion tugged at his bones, weighing him down.

Hiro wanted to go to sleep.

"Zane! Avashiro!" Pixal called, appearing at the door. For a robot, she sure looked panicked. "We have an emergency!"

Hiro and Zane got up quickly, getting back into the room. Pixal and Zane went back to the computer, getting prepared to send a signal for Cole and Jay; Hiro sat back down in his chair, then caught Wu's eye. Wu motioned for him to come closer. With a bit of hesitance Hiro complained, rolling over in the chair and coming to a stop in front of Wu and Garmadon, arms crossed. "What?" he prompted, tilting his head.

"Show some respect," Garmadon reprimanded.

Hiro turned his gaze onto Garmadon. He sunk down in his chair further, then looked back at Wu. "What's up?" he corrected. Garmadon sighed.

"There's bad news for you, Avashiro," Wu said gently. Hiro frowned, inclining his head as permission to continue. "We sent Kai after Cryptor, as you know. He was captured by Pythor." Hiro's eyes widened slightly. He wasn't Kai's biggest fan, but he shifted uncomfortably as he remembered the pain of being stabbed under Pythor's orders. As much as he and Kai were at odds, he hoped that Kai was given better treatment. Still, Hiro didn't see why this was bad news specifically for him. "That's not all, I'm afraid. The Overlord is back."

Hiro's heart dropped. "What?" he asked, sitting up straighter.

"Your father—"

"The Overlord is back," Wu cut in, shooting Garmadon a look. "He has Kai."

Hiro was going to be sick.

"He—" Hiro's chest tightened, making it hard to breath. "He's back? How? I thought— when the thing went down— didn't you say—" It was hard to breath.

Wu frowned. "Avashiro?" he asked gently, but all Hiro could see was Wu stabbing a knife into his side, blood, so much blood—

"You said he was gone, you said I wouldn't have to— that he was—" Hiro stood up. He was lightheaded. He couldn't breath. "How is he—?" He put a hand on the front of his shirt, gripping the fabric. He missed the concerned look Garmadon and Wu shared, missed the way Zane was reaching out to calm him down. Cole. Cole was good at calming him down, he knew what Hiro needed— but Cole wasn't there, it was just Zane, Pixal, Garmadon, Wu— where was Lloyd? Was Lloyd safe? What if he was hurt, what if Hiro hadn't been there to save him, what if—

"Shiro, Shiro, breath," Zane instructed, putting his hands on Hiro's shoulders to steady him. "Can you breath for me?"

"It hurts," Hiro whimpered, his side feeling like it was being torn open from how fast he was breathing. He was breathing, he was taking in air, he was letting it go, but he was still so lightheaded and it felt like he couldn't breath, everything was blurry, he was so tired—

"Hey, sorry I'm late, traffic—"

Lloyd?

"Hiro?"

Zane was gone, moving out of the way as Lloyd ran over. He took Zane's place, putting his hands on Hiro's shoulders, looking Hiro in the eyes. Hiro was trembling, he couldn't think, Lloyd was safe, blood, Lloyd, breathing, tight, Lloyd—

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Lloyd said, carefully bringing Hiro in for a hug. Hiro practically fell into his arms, shaking; Lloyd wrapped himself around Hiro protectively, an arm around Hiro's back and a hand against the back of Hiro's head. He shot the others a look, wondering what the hell was going on. Zane smiled sadly, glad that his friends had found each other, but sad that one of them was suffering in a way that he couldn't empathize with.

"Come on," Lloyd murmured, untangling himself from Hiro. "Let's go outside, yeah? Come on." He lead Hiro out of the room and into the hallway, holding Hiro close to his side.

As soon as they were out in the hallway, Lloyd's arms were around him once more, holding Hiro close to his chest. Hiro buried his face into the front of Lloyd's uniform, taking a deep breath. Lloyd rubbed soothing circles into his back, murmuring under his breath, words Hiro couldn't understand through the haze in his mind. Every few seconds a shuddering sob would escape his mouth, and then he was shaking again, trying to calm down so he didn't look so weak, but he couldn't seem to calm himself.

Lloyd led them over to the wall beside the door. He let go of Hiro for a moment to sit down, then pulled Hiro down to him, pulling Hiro against his chest. Hiro weakly gripped the front of Lloyd's uniform, taking small breaths and trying to even them out.

"My dad— the Overlord, he's back," Hiro whispered. "And he has Kai." Lloyd tightened his grip around Hiro protectively.

"We'll take him down again."

"I'm— I'm scared, Lloyd."

"I know. I'm scared, too." He smiled down at Hiro. Hiro looked up at him, blinking tiredly. He was exhausted. "But with you by my side, it's not so scary, yeah? We'll keep each other safe." Hiro nodded, lowering his gaze. His eyes fluttered shut, and by the time he realized that he was drifting off to sleep, he was already gone.

Lloyd sighed. He shifted to get a better grip on Hiro, then picked him up, heading back into the control room. Four pairs of eyes turned to look at him, holding a sleeping Hiro against his chest. Zane frowned. "Pixal, is there anything Shiro can sleep on?" he asked, looking at her. Pixal nodded, hurrying from the room to get a cot from the medical center. Lloyd adjusted his grip on Hiro to make sure he didn't accidently drop the other boy. "Did he tell you what happened?"

"The Overlord is back and he has Kai," Lloyd echoed. Zane nodded. Lloyd looked at his uncle and father. "Why would you tell him that when he hasn't slept in two days?" he asked.

Wu frowned. "I wasn't aware that he hadn't," he admitted. "But either way, Avashiro had the right to know. I should have been more delicate, but if we kept that information from him, he would have been angry, Lloyd." Lloyd sighed, knowing his uncle was right.

Pixal came back with the cot. She and Zane set it up in a corner of the room, placing a blanket and pillow down on top. Lloyd carefully laid Hiro down, making it so Hiro wasn't laying on his injured side, before covering Hiro with the extra blanket. He sat on the edge of the cot for a moment, watching Hiro carefully, before getting up and heading toward the team, who was gathered around a square table in the middle of the room. He sighed, running a hand over his face.

"He will be okay, Lloyd," Pixal reassured. "Perhaps after this is all over, it will be good to get him into therapy."

"Shiro isn't really the type to go to therapy," Zane told her softly.

"I think we all need therapy," Lloyd muttered, turning to look over his shoulder to check on Hiro again. He turned back to the table. "So what are we waiting for?"

"Cole, Jay, and Nya," Garmadon informed him. Lloyd nodded.

A few minutes later, the elevator dinged; the doors opened, revealing Jay, Cole, and Nya, the latter of which was holding hands with . . . a small robot? Lloyd thought he might recognize the bot from the movie theater in the city, but why would Nya have it with her?

The four raced into the room. "We got here as fast as we could," Nya said.

"But my name is Robo Usher 3000," the robot said, drawing everyone's attention. It tugged on Nya's hand for her to let go. After a moment, Nya sighed, letting go of the robot's hand. The robot went back to the elevator and left, leaving Lloyd very confused and mildly irritated, because they didn't have time for this — whatever was going on between Jay, Cole, and Nya needed to be resolved quickly.

"The Overlord is back. And he has Kai," Zane informed the now-trio. The three gasped, echoing the Overlord's name before coming to stand at the table, where several photos were laid out. Cole looked around the people at the table, frowning.

"Where's Shiro?" he asked, concerned.

Lloyd moved aside, turning to look at Hiro's sleeping form. "Resting. He had a panic attack."

"Again?" Cole questioned sadly. Lloyd's brows furrowed as he turned to face Cole again. Cole sighed. "Back at the island? He had one, too. He asked me not to tell anyone."

"So?" Lloyd demanded. "You should've! He needs help!"

"Lloyd," Cole scolded. "He begged me not to tell anyone. Especially you." Lloyd frowned, hurt by that. He was the one who never judged Hiro, and now Hiro was trying to keep things from him? "I'm sorry I didn't say anything, but he placed trust in me. If I broke his trust, I would never be able to get it back. You know this." Lloyd sighed, knowing Cole was right. It didn't make him any less frustrated, though. "Continue. Sensei," Cole said, nodding to the older man.

Sensei Wu nodded. "We know they plan to launch Project Arcturus tonight. But we need to figure out what it is in order to save him," Wu explained. Lloyd studied the pictures on the table, his frown increasing. "Think. Think . . . the answer must be right in front of us," Sensei Wu murmured.

"The Overlord's dire wish is to become the Golden Master. Maybe that has something to do with it?" Lloyd suggested, subconsciously tensing his shoulders as he remembered the feeling of his power being drained from him. He was lucky to survive.

"Good, Lloyd," Wu praised, "but what sense does all of this make? What is Project Arcturus?"

"I've run very combination of these clues through my database to see how they're connected, but there is no correlation," Pixal announced, turning away from her computer to face the ground across the room.

Zane's eyes widened. "Maybe there's a reason why it's not in your database," he said, in a tone that made Lloyd believe Zane had an idea.

"But everything in ninjago history has been recorded inside me," Pixal insisted.

"Not everything. Do you remember when we followed Garmadon back in time?" he asked, looking at the group. Nya, Cole, and Jay nodded.

What? "Uh, we did?" Lloyd questioned, not having a clue what Zane was talking about. As far as he knew, the only time travel he had gone through was when he was turned into the older kid that he was now. He didn't remember any other instance of time traveling.

"You don't remember, Lloyd, because when we returned to the present, it had been altered by what we had done in the past," he explained. Lloyd frowned, even more lost.

"I remember because I was there," Garmadon confirmed. "You used the Golden Weapons to destroy my Mega Weapon." Mega Weapon? Lloyd thought. "But when they collided, they were shot into—"

"Space," Sensei Wu finished, having approached the large computer monitor in the room. He stared at the screen of a constellation system as the group approached behind him.

"Since Lloyd gave away his power, the Overlord's going after the only thing that can turn him into the Golden Master: the Golden Weapons," Nya guessed.

"Quick, where do the Serpentine study the stars?" Garmadon asked.

Zane rushed to his computer, sitting down and typing something out. He turned back to the group. "The ancient city of Ouroboros," he informed them. Lloyd felt a prick of anxiety, remembering what it was like to be held at that city as a child, when the Serpentine had kidnapped him, and then again when the Great Devourer had been unleashed. He wasn't fond of the city.

"We must go there at once," Garmadon instructed.

"How do you know Nindroids will be there?" Sensei Wu questioned.

"Faith."

The team got ready, collecting weapons and getting set to head out. Lloyd looked over at Hiro hesitantly; Hiro was curled up in the cot, arms wrapped around himself under the blanket. Even sleeping, he looked worried, brows pinched together, body lightly shaking. Lloyd ran a hand through his hair, considering what to do.

Cole approached, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Come on," he said softly.

"He won't be happy about this," Lloyd pointed out.

"Lloyd, even if he was running on a normal amount of sleep and hadn't been stabbed, he wouldn't get to come. As long as his dad is alive, Shiro is a liability. We can't let those two near each other." Lloyd nodded in understanding. "Come on. Let's go save our brother."

Lloyd nodded. He gave one last reluctant look to Hiro, then followed Jay, Zane, and Cole into the elevator.

( BIRTHRIGHT — REBOOTED )

It wasn't the cold that woke Hiro, nor the chattering voices that surrounded the room, everyone speaking to each other as if he wasn't trying to sleep. No, it was the distinct feeling that something was wrong that made Hiro sit up, coming back to reality from the land of dreams.

He rubbed his eyes tiredly, trying to take in his surroundings. He was sitting on a cot in a corner of the control room, his feet against the window. He pulled his legs under him, looking out the window curiously. The city lights lit up the night sky, obscuring any hope of seeing the stars. Besides that, the florescent lights of the control room made him squint, barely able to focus because it was all so loud and so bright.

"Shiro?" Nya asked. Hiro turned his head to face her. She smiled, coming to stand by the cot. "Hey, glad you're awake. Up for a ride?"

"What's going on?" he asked, voice rough. He winced. She helped him get to his feet.

"After the Overlord captured Kai, the others went to go save him. They went to an ancient Serpentine city. We figured out that Project Arcturus is a rocket ship designed to go into space to get the Golden Weapons." She studied his expression, seeing if he was understanding. He wasn't, but he nodded along anyway. "The Ninja left a few minutes ago. Pixal, Sensei Wu, Sensei Garmadon and I were just getting ready to follow."

"I'll go with you," he confirmed, turning his head to cough into his elbow. Nya nodded.

"Come on, there's water in the car. You can ride with Pixal and Wu, I'm riding with Garmadon," she explained. He nodded, moving sluggishly after her, a little dazed. Nya paused, linking her elbow with his and moving him along. "Pixal, do we have any water?" she asked, getting the attention of the robot.

Pixal nodded, motioning to a case of water bottles underneath the desk. She grabbed one and handed it to Nya, who opened it before giving it to Hiro. Hiro pretended not to notice the help, knowing he would have been too weak to open it himself.

He was a little too weak a lot recently, wasn't he?

Wu approached, frowning as he looked over Hiro. Hiro leaned against Nya, avoiding the man's gaze. "Are you sure you're well enough for this, Avashiro? You barely slept for an hour. Maybe it would be best to stay behind, just this once," he suggested gently.

"Not while Lloyd is in danger," Hiro immediately protested, his voice a little softer now that he'd had some water. "Let's go."

Nya and Wu shared a look.

The ride was long and quiet. Though what remained of the team spoke through ear pieces that each member had, Hiro had tuned them out by the time they were halfway out of the city, curled up in the backseat of the Proto Sam-X. His eyes fluttered shut and snapped open every few minutes, Hiro sometimes having to pinch himself just to stay awake. Everything was still so loud, even though the team was relatively quiet, everyone hoping that the Ninja had been on time to save Kai and stop whatever Project Arcturus was.

Hiro could barely keep his thoughts in order. Every passing light made him shut his eyes and have to take a deep breath. Things were overwhelming, he was going to end up crying if he wasn't careful, and since he'd already had a breakdown in front of everyone earlier, he wasn't too keen on it happening again.

"Are you alright, Avashiro?" Pixal asked without turning to face him. "You can sleep on the way, it'll be a long drive."

"I'm fine," he murmured, pressing his face against the seat to stop the pounding in his skull.

"By my calculations, you say that a lot for someone who is not fine," Pixal noted. Hiro didn't respond.

He managed to keep his eyes open long enough to realize that they'd reached the desert. He sat up straighter, wondering if this was the same desert that he, Lloyd, and Garmadon had traveled through. Deserts overall just gave him bad feelings now.

There was a light in the distance, bright, fire-fueled, and growing smaller even as the team approached. Pixal and Nya pulled the vehicles to a stop. Everyone looked up at the rocket as it left Earth, heading for space — and, somehow, the Golden Weapons.

"They're too late," Nya said softly.

"I'm reading Zane's signal aboard that rocket ship, along with four other lifeforms," Pixal announced. Hiro felt his heart sink, but he couldn't process the information. Everything was making his head spin — every color, shape, sound. The rocket was loud, so bright, he was going to pass out—

"You wanted them to take risks. To see how far they'd go. Is this what you had in mind?" Garmadon demanded of Wu, his voice rising. Hiro's ears were ringing. "How far? How far must they go?"

Hiro leaned his head against the back of Pixal's seat, holding in shuddering sobs.

Everything was so overwhelming.

He couldn't breath.

He couldn't think.

It hurt. It hurt so bad, and he couldn't do anything about it.

Pixal turned around, taking his earpiece out of his eat and finally giving him absolute silence. Hiro raised his head, his gaze tracking the rocket that held that only person he wanted to see at that moment, the only one who could calm his racing heart.

Come home, Hiro thought, staring up at the rocket. Come home to me.