A/N: Hi All! I'm alive! And with a new story! Here's just a little taste of the AU Ninja from another world, before the chaos starts and they are dragged into the Ninjago we know and love (Pre-Island Season). Hope you Enjoy!
Also, I am cross posting this on Ao3, where I may transition to uploading after this story.
Zane:
Zane missed his old life. Living in the lab in the Birchwood forest was amazing. He had everything he could ever want or need. His father and creator, Dr. Julien, was so kind to him. Of course, he was like a son to the doctor, so it made sense. He taught him to cook and clean and even allowed him to help with other inventions.
Then there was the falcon. His best friend and, in a way, his brother. They didn't look like the same species but were robots built by the same man. So Zane qualified that as his brother.
And then there was Gizmo, his father's assistant bot. Just a little robot that could move around the lab, get spare parts, and help with cleaning. Zane loved it when this little bot helped him, but he also learned it was funny to play pranks on it. Little Gizmo was quite sassy.
All that changed very quickly one day. Dr. Julien got sick. Zane tried to help him but couldn't heal his father, no matter what he tried. So he watched with Gizmo and the falcon as their creator passed before them. Zane knew it was inevitable, but he wished it wasn't the case.
There was a loud bang outside, followed by the rumbling of vehicles. Zane and Gizmo ran out, with Gizmo and the falcon following. They reached the door and opened it to see the Skulkin army surrounding their home. The falcon flew above them to get an overhead view.
"Is this the lab of Dr. Julien?" he asked.
"It was," Zane replied, not knowing who they were. "But he just passed."
"Doesn't matter," the skulkin replied, pushing past Zane into the lab.
Zane turned to follow but stopped when two boney hands grabbed him. He tried to pull free to prevent them from going inside, but another would stop him and pull him further away when he did get free.
Panic set in as he watched the skulkin pickup Gizmo, who whirled and beeped. He needed to protect the lab.
A voice inside shouted. A familiar one.
"Where's Zane! What have you done with him!"
"Father!" Zane shouted.
It couldn't be. But he knew that voice. That was his father's voice. But there was no way it could be. He just watched his father die.
"Stop fighting already," one skulkin next to him snapped.
He felt something sharp hit his side. He yelped before looking down as a sword pulled away from his side. A significant dent was left in his panel, and it hurt.
He hadn't felt pain like that before.
"Zane!"
The android looked up as his father ran to him, pulling him into a hug. The skulkins holding him released and stepped away.
"Father, how are you alive?" Zane asked, "I watched you pass."
"They revived me, but we have to go," Dr. Julien urged.
"You aren't going anywhere unless it's with us."
Zane turned, realizing they were surrounded. He saw the skulkin still holding Gizmo, and panic set in again.
"Gizmo, hold on, buddy," Zane called.
He ran to try to save the bot.
"Zane, watch out for-!"
Then there was nothing. All he could hear was white noise and faint static. All he felt was static, as if his whole body was short-circuiting.
Static and darkness were all he knew for a while. Something hit him and severely damaged his circuits and mechanics.
But that wasn't what he was worried about.
He was worried for his father. For Gizmo. The Falcon. Were they ok? Did the skulkin hurt them? What did the skulkin want with his father? How did they bring him back?
"Zane?"
Something was happening.
Zane finally managed to gain enough control to open his eyes.
His father stood over him, looking worried, which quickly changed to relief.
"Gizmo, get me a pair of pliers," Dr. Julien asked. He turned back to Zane, "Are you alright?"
Zane tried to respond but couldn't get any sound to come out.
"Voicebox must be damaged too," Dr. Julien sighed. "I don't think I have the parts for that right now. Just nod yes or no, ok?"
Zane nodded.
"Are you hurt? Do you feel any pain?"
Zane shook his head. Only to realize he couldn't feel much of anything. His father did say he was damaged, though, so maybe his sensors weren't working.
"Do you know what happened?"
Zane shook his head again.
A loud thud was heard nearby, and Dr. Julien shot up.
"I told you not to repair him until the vehicles were done!" a voice snapped.
"I need a second set of hands," Dr. Julien argued. "I need his help to do it."
"Fine, get him functioning, but if you spend too much time, we will destroy him."
A loud thud followed, and Dr. Julien sighed.
"I am so sorry, Zane," Dr. Julien mumbled. "I'll get you up and moving, but that's all we can do."
Zane nodded.
This was not the life he wanted. Now, he was stuck in a lighthouse in the sea. The skulkin forced them to work, but if Dr. Julien refused, they'd hurt Zane more. It wasn't fair, but that was something Zane learned relatively quickly.
Life wasn't fair.
Cole:
"Do it again, Cole!"
Cole grinned as he stomped his feet. The ground beneath him and Vania shifted before a column of earth rose, crumbing as it formed into the shape of the princess. Vania laughed, running over and throwing her arms around Cole.
"It's amazing. Do something else!"
Cole's smile wavered before he shrugged Vania off. He sighed, stepping away from her.
"We should stop; your father gets upset if I use my powers too much."
"But Lilly says you should be practising," Vania frowned.
"I can practise while she's around."
Cole walked towards the door inside, pausing in the doorway. He turned around, staring at Vania as she stood in awe at the statue.
"Our parents are probably looking for us."
Vania's head snapped over to Cole before she rushed to the door. Cole let her in, following after.
They walked down the hall to the throne room, where Vania's father typically was. They walked in, finding him talking with a couple of his men.
"Vania, my sweet," Vangelis turned upon seeing the children. "And Cole, darling. How are you two today."
"Good," Vania smiled. "We were just out in the garden."
"That's wonderful, dear," Vangelis smiled. "Enjoying the nice weather?"
"It's amazing out," Cole nodded.
"Is that so," Vangelis hummed. "Perhaps you two would like to go to the market today. You can get what I need, then play around."
"Really?" Vania's eyes lit up.
"Of course, dear," he replied.
Vangelis walked over to a table and then handed his daughter the pouch of coins and a list.
"There is more than enough for you to get everything on that list, and you can share the rest to get something for yourselves, too," Vangelis smiled.
"Thank you, Dad," Vania grinned.
"And I know Cole could easily protect you both, but I will still send a few of my men on patrol in the market," Vangelis warned. "They won't be following you, but they will keep an eye on you. So if you have any issues, find one of them, alright?"
"Yes, sir," Cole nodded.
"Now, go have some fun and enjoy the nice day."
Jay:
"I'm going to rehearsal now, Mom!"
"Ok, just be careful and don't get into trouble!" his mom, Lynn, called. "And please text me if you're going to be out late. Your father and I will visit a friend and be out of the city tonight."
"Ok, I'll let you know where I'm at," Jay called, walking out the door.
Kai told him he would be in the city late and they could hang out. Jay would take him to the Noodle House and Arcade. He was excited to show his friend around the city.
But that was if he made it to rehearsal today.
"Main roads and avoid crowds," Jay repeatedly mumbled, pulling the hoodie of his sweater up as he walked.
Being the son of a major celebrity was nice sometimes, but not others. For example, he made many friends, but most people wanted to be around him for publicity. And the paparazzi were annoying.
Somehow, he got lucky to meet Kai.
Kai had similar interests to him: games, pizza, movies, and theatre. They were both tech hands at the local youth theatre club, which is how they met. Kai grew up in a small, isolated village, so he didn't know that Jay was even a celebrity when they met. When he found out, he was intimidated, but Jay convinced him to hang around.
Since then, they had been the best of friends. They'd hang out whenever they could. Kai would come into the City for training and then go to rehearsal. Sensei Garmadon watched over him, and he was nice, too. But when he would go home, Jay wouldn't hear from him for a while.
He had to make the best of his time with his friend.
Jay walked into the theatre house and quickly made his way backstage.
"Mr. Gordon, how are you today," their director greeted him.
"I'm good, and you know you can just call me Jay," Jay smiled.
"I know, dear," she chuckled. "Kai's already backstage working on some of the props and decor. You can help him."
Jay grinned, nodded and ran off to find Kai.
Nya:
Date night was her favourite. Not only did she get to hang out with Lloyd, the love of her life, but she got to do it with no parental interference. Not that her parents cared too much. They were happy she and her brother could socialize outside their small town. Lloyd's father was something else.
Garmadon was nice to her, yes, but he could be overbearing. It was not that bad; it was just annoying. Especially when they went on a date. Like, they were both 16 now. They knew how to be safe in public, and it's not like they didn't have sex ed in school.
The only thing that sucked was that Kai had to tag along for the ride. Luckily, it was only until they got into the city. Kai would leave them after that. Nya had no idea what he did, but the odds were something with Garmadon. As far as Nya knew, he never stopped training at his Dojo.
A faint honk echoed outside the tiny house.
"Kai! Nya! Lloyd's here!" Maya called from downstairs.
"Coming!" Nya called back.
She turned and grabbed her jacket and purse before leaving her room. She ran downstairs, past her father and to the front door.
"Where are you going all dressed up?" Ray called.
"Lloyd and I are having a date night, remember?" Nya turned to him.
"Of course we do, dear," Maya smiled. "It's all you've been talking about."
"Yes, have fun," Ray nodded.
Nya turned and opened the door, seeing Lloyd walking up to the house.
"Hey, Nya," Lloyd smiled. "You look amazing."
"Thanks," Nya smiled, doing a little spin in her blue dress.
"Is Kai coming?" Lloyd asked.
"Unfortunately," Nya huffed.
"Your brother needs to get out too," Maya scolded her daughter. "You know he isn't social like you. Now be nice."
Nya groaned but nodded.
"I'll go get him then," Nya mumbled, walking back into the house and to her brother's room.
Kai was lying on his bed, reading a book without a care in the world.
"Come on, Kai! We're going to be late!"
Kai:
"Come on, Kai. We're going to be late."
Kai jumped, now noticing his sister in the doorway.
"Late to what?" Kai grumbled.
"My date?" Nya replied, annoyed.
Kai huffed as Nya continued trying to rush him. Lloyd was meeting them so they could head to the city. Nya and Lloyd were going on yet another date, and Maya deemed it necessary for him to go too.
Although he would like to be anywhere but there.
A car horn echoed as Kai walked out the door. Seeing Lloyd behind the wheel, Nya was already climbing into the front seat.
"At least I have rehearsal tonight," Kai mumbled quietly.
He climbed into the back seat. He could hear Lloyd and Nya about the restaurant and the movie they planned to see. Kai could care less, ignoring and focusing on the tangled mess of his earbuds. After unknotting them, he popped them in and started his playlist. He blankly stared out the window at the fast-passing scenery outside.
At least if they were going to be out late, he could spend more time with Jay after rehearsal. That was a plus.
The ride was uneventful, and Kai was relieved that neither of the two up front tried to start a conversation with him when they arrived.
"Be back at 10, or we are leaving without you," Nya called to Kai as the two walked away.
Kai rolled his eyes, setting a timer on his watch for 9. There would be plenty of time to get back to the car.
Then he set off for the theatre. Rehearsal started at 3, but he would be there well before that. It was just after 2, and it only took a few minutes to walk over.
He walked over and let himself in. He passed everyone, nodding to a few actors warming up before returning backstage. He checked in and checked to see what he was doing today. Luckily, it was working on props and scenery with Jay and a few others. Looked like Antonia and Nelson. Two younger kids who were just starting. Antonia loved talking, and Jay would always joke with her. Nelson was quieter but still nice to be around.
Kai disappeared into the back to work on the props. He found his way to the room and started setting up. When someone called him from the hallway, he pulled out the paint and brushes and laid out the tarp.
"Kai?"
He spun around, seeing the director.
"You're early," she chuckled. "Didn't mean to spook ya, though. Just wanted to let you know Antonia and Nelson aren't coming today, so it will just be you and Jay."
Kai nodded. That would be nice for a change. Just him and Jay and a ton of paint.
What could go wrong?
Lloyd:
"Be back at 10, or we are leaving without you," Nya called to Kai as she and Lloyd walked off.
"We aren't actually leaving without him," Lloyd replied.
"Why not," Nya grumbled.
"Oh, I don't know," Lloyd pondered jokingly, "maybe because your parents would kill me if we left him alone in the city, and then we wouldn't be able to see each other anymore."
Nya huffed, "fine."
Lloyd chuckled as Nya pulled on her jacket before slinging her purse over her shoulder.
"So, what are we doing?" she asked.
"Well, I figured we could go to the mall for a few hours, do some browsing, then we have dinner reservations at 5 and movie tickets for 7," Lloyd smiled.
"Nice," Nya grinned. "I love how you always have this planned out. Do you know how amazing you are?"
"You tell me all the time, babe," Lloyd chuckled. "Now, let's go do some shopping."
