Zane does a full physical on Cole, and gets Cole to recount all his head related symptoms since he was changed back. Zane doesn't find anything obvious as part of the physical, but Cole notices that he seems lost in thought.
"You have a theory? About what's causing the seizures?"
"I do." admits Zane.
"I'm just pushing myself too hard too quickly, right?" asks Cole. If that was all it was, it should be an easy enough fix. Especially now they didn't have villains trying to break the timeline forcing him to go on back to back missions.
Zane pauses, and Cole's heart plummets. "That is one possibility."
"And the others?" asks Cole quietly.
"More data is required." says Zane.
"Oh come on, it's my head! So spill."
"Have you heard of the placebo effect?" asks Zane.
Cole pauses. "Um, yeah, that's when you give someone fake medicine, they sometimes still get better because they think it will work?"
"Exactly. There is also something called the nocebo effect. If I tell you eating cake will make your head hurt, then maybe it will, even if it is not the true cause. It is better if I don't tell you my theory until I have more data."
Cole groans. "Fine. Whatever. Just, tell me if you figure it out."
"Of course. I will be monitoring you closely. For now I think it is best if you take it easy for a few days. Rest. Get plenty of sleep. Eat nutritional food."
"Fine." says Cole, who was planning on doing so anyway. The seizures were not fun. He was going to do everything he could to try and prevent any more.
Zane then goes to find Jay. Jay was outside training, trying to work through his neverending nervous energy. Nya and Kai still weren't back yet. Wu was missing, Cole was having seizures, and he had nothing useful that he could be doing. So he trained. Wanting to be ready for whatever is coming next. Needing to do something.
"Jay. I must speak with you." Zane walks over to him across the courtyard.
"Oh, Zane. How's Cole?" Jay runs over to meet him.
"He is fine for now. I've instructed him to rest." Jay's shoulders sag with relief. "But that is not why I have come to find you, Jay, will you accompany me to the lighthouse?"
Jay pauses for a moment, he had forgotten. He had forgotten that Echo was still trapped there. He brings a fist to his forehead. "Echo… Oh Zane, I'm so sorry. We should have gone back for him sooner!"
Zane reaches out a comforting hand to Jay's shoulder. "I am not mad. Logically I understand Echo has been there for years, and another few days, or weeks, are not going to make much of a difference. But now I know he is there, I must go. Will you accompany me?"
"Of course! Of course I will go with you! Ugh, I just wish Nya was back, but, I suppose we don't really need her for this… I'll go pack a bag, some food, water, weapons. Heh, heh, you never know right? Let's go. Let's do this."
Zane smiles, glad to see Jay so enthusiastic. He hadn't been sure how Jay was going to react to the request. "Thank you. I will inform Lloyd."
Zane goes to see Lloyd. He is in the library with Misako. They are going through the scrolls and books that Wu had started organising, but it still looked like a mess.
"Lloyd. Myself and Jay need to take a short trip to the lighthouse."
"The lighthouse?" Lloyd looks up from a scroll. With everything that had been revealed that day it was easy to forget that one small detail, Zane had a brother, a copy made by Dr. Julien, who was left trapped in the lighthouse. "Is now really the time? Wu is missing…" It wasn't that he didn't want Zane to go, just that his heart was so focused on Wu, on the pain left by his absence. It felt like the bigger problem, but he knew that was instinct, not a well thought out assessment.
"Do you have any leads?"
"Not yet." says Misako. "We're only just getting started."
Zane nods. "Then it is the perfect time. We will be back by the time you have any leads for Wu. And we can keep an eye out on our travels."
"And what about Cole?"
"I have completed my examination. He is to rest here for a couple of days. I do not believe he is in immediate danger, but I suggest you research the curse of this temple carefully, and do not let him leave here until I return."
Lloyd frowns, staring at Zane. "Don't let him leave? Why?"
"It is just a hunch, but every time his symptoms have worsened, he has been away from the temple for an extended period of time."
"And as soon as we bring him back, he gets better." Lloyd frowns at the implication. "So don't let him leave."
"Yes, and try not to tell him that is what you are doing."
Lloyd groans. "I thought we were done with secrets?"
"I just need a bit more data to confirm the hypothesis. Then I will tell him. I hope I am wrong about this." Zane sighs, he wishes Pixal was online so he could have someone else to help analyse the data.
"Fine." says Lloyd. "Go get your brother. Travel safe."
In the end they took Jay's boat, leaving the Destiny's Shadow in case Lloyd needed it.
"Since when have you had a boat?" asks Zane, admiring the lavish vessel.
Jay laughs nervously. "Since my father gave it to me."
"Someone took an entire yacht to the scrap yard?"
"No, no. My birth father."
"I did not realise you were in touch?"
Jay shrugs. "We're not. I got the boat as part of his estate." Jay starts to untie the ropes holding it to the dock.
"Oh." Zane immediately catches the implication. "I am sorry for your loss."
"Thanks, but it's fine. It's not like I knew him."
Zane examines Jay's mannerisms, the tone of his voice, the way he is keeping his body angled away from Zane. "Just because you did not know him, does not mean you will be unaffected by his death. You are allowed to feel whatever you are feeling. And I am here for you."
Jay finally looks over to meet Zane's eyes. Why had he thought no one would understand? Zane cut through his mental bullshit immediately. "Thanks Zane, I um, thanks."
Zane gives his shoulder a comforting squeeze before going to adjust the rigging.
They made good time to the lighthouse, reaching the island shortly before sundown. Jay fidgets, picking at his nails as the vessel approaches. He's not here. He's trapped in the teapot. Memories storm through his head. This was why he hadn't come yet, he wasn't sure if he could face it. When he had last been here he had been so hurt. Freshly freed from Misfortune's Keep. Cuts and bruises a plenty. And this was where the pirates found them, where he saw Nya get captured… Phantom pains bristle across his skin. But it was his fault Echo was still here, that no one had come for him sooner, so Jay needed to face this. Needed to do the right thing. Needed to be strong.
"Are you ok?" Zane's voice makes Jay jump a foot in the air.
Jay takes a deep breath seeing it is only Zane. "Ha, ha. Um, kinda? It's weird being back. It's, well, it's a lot. I-I'll be ok."
Zane nods. "There is no need to rush anything. Let me know if you need a moment."
Jay shakes his head. "The waiting is worse. Let's just get it over with."
They climb the stairs, Jay in the lead. Jay pauses near the top, putting out a hand, telling Zane to stop while he draws his weapon with his other hand.
"What is it?" whispers Zane, also drawing his weapon.
"The door is open." whispers Jay, eyes staring at it fearfully.
Zane relaxes his stance slightly. "So? Maybe Echo opened it?"
Jay shakes his head. "When we came it was shut. Echo is very shy. He doesn't like strangers, he hid in the basement, pretending he wasn't there. He definitely would have seen us coming, and if he did, he definitely would have shut the door."
Zane tenses up again. He had brought Jay because he knew more about the situation, about Echo, about what to expect. So he would be a fool not to trust his friend's instinct. "What do you think we should do?"
Jay is frozen in place, eyes blown wide, staring at the open door.
"Jay?"
Jay's mind sends him into full panic. Memories flooding back. Nadakhan cackling in the back of his mind. This isn't right. Something is wrong. Something is very wrong.
"Jay?"
Jay feels a touch on his elbow, and he swings around his flail, Zane catching it expertly on his own weapon.
"Zane?" Jay's eyes dart between Zane and the door.
"Take a moment." says Zane, not releasing the weapon.
"But what if he's here? What if something happened? What if he got out?" Jay's mind is screaming at him to flee.
"What if it is empty?" says Zane. "If someone didn't want us here, the door would be shut, barricaded, booby trapped."
Jay's breaths come quickly, but what Zane was saying made sense. "Echo." That was why they were here. He had abandoned Echo before, but not again. "We need to find him and leave."
Zane nods. "I'll go first." He pushes past Jay, releasing the weapon, and inches towards the door. Zane peeks inside carefully before pushing it slowly the rest of the way open, there is no reaction so he sneaks inside, examining the room, and checking behind the door. "Clear." he says and Jay slinks in behind him.
"The basement entry is over there. Oh, oh, no." Jay gestures to another open door.
"It is normally shut?" asks Zane. Jay nods.
Zane approaches carefully again, then enters the workshop. There are a few bits of scrap, and a broken mirror laying in the middle of the room, but it is surprisingly bare.
"No, no, no, no!" Jay enters the room, looking even more agitated. "This is all wrong! There was schematics, and tools, and Echo, and a little butter robot…" Jay stores his weapon, rummaging through the few objects remaining in the room, looking for another switch to reveal another secret chamber, because all that stuff had to be somewhere.
Zane stays by the door, eyeing the stairs leading up, growing increasingly concerned about Jay and the situation. "We need to check upstairs too." he states calmly.
Jay's hands are shaking and his breathing is too fast. He pulls out his weapon again. Zane looks him over. "You are welcome to wait here." he offers.
Jay immediately shakes his head. "We can't leave anyone alone, that's how he… argh. Let's just go."
Jay pushes past Zane and sprints up the stairs. He wants to find Echo and Tai-D stuck on the top floor, but knows that doesn't make sense. Zane's right, it's probably empty. They need to check the full lighthouse, and the sooner they can check, the sooner they can leave. Jay's mind is still screaming: this is a trap. But he has had a lot of practice ignoring his own inner alarms, so pushes on defiantly, taking the steps two at a time. Proving that this wasn't then, when Nya had needed to support him on the way up, hangover pounding through his head. He was stronger now, he could do this. He wasn't hurt, and he wasn't weak.
Jay reaches the trap door, pausing to let Zane catch up before throwing it open. They both jump through, weapons bared, as the door falls with a thunk to the floor.
Wind whistles through the dusty room, as a dozen seagulls take flight.
After being startled by the birds, Jay is momentarily relieved at not having found a gaggle of heavily armed pirates, but then he catches a glimpse of Zane's face, which could only be described as rage.
"My brother is not here." states Zane, lowering his weapon slightly as he examines broken shards of crockery, amongst the loose feathers on the bird poop covered floor.
"This doesn't make any sense…" babbles Jay. "He's supposed to be here… I, um, where would he even go? This is all my fault…" he takes a sharp inhale as he falls to his knees. "I should have told you sooner… I did this… I… you probably think I made the whole thing up…"
Zane's arms are suddenly on his shoulders. "You did not do this, and I believe you. You would not lie about something like this."
Jay feels tears clinging to his eyes. "But, you're mad?" says Jay shakily.
Zane pulls back slightly. "Furious."
"At me?" Jay's voice cracks, along with his sense of self worth.
Zane shakes his head. "My father. He should have told me about Echo. Echo never should have been alone here in the first place. When we were here the first time, when I saw the schematics, I should have noticed they were different, but I missed it, I missed him." Zane pauses, looking out the window, a couple of seagulls had come back to the window sill to examine the invaders of their new home. "At the very least, when my father was sick, when he knew he was dying, he should have told me then. Why did he not tell me I had a brother? He cared about me, called me his greatest creation. But Echo was made to be just like me, and he left him here." Zane clenches his fists. "If I was not good enough, if I was broken, would he have left me too?" It had been a long time since Zane had felt so alone, so helpless. Echo wasn't here. Pixal was still offline. He was growing increasingly concerned that her program was permanently damaged. His father was gone, Wu was missing, and now his brother had vanished. "I do not know what to do."
"Maybe there's clues?" says Jay, in between some attempts at deep breathing.
Zane still had his friends. He lets out a deep sigh, and then turns his attention back to Jay, obviously stuck in some sort of panic spiral. "Yes, we will look for clues, but first you need to take a moment. No one is here, we have all the time in the world. I will not leave you alone. Tell me what you need."
"I need Nadakhan to get out of my fucking head!" laments Jay as he leans against the wall. His body screaming at him about danger that did not exist. Or did it? "It doesn't make sense… No one else knew he was here… no one except…" Jay stops breathing for a moment realising that Nadakhan knew.
"Jay, you need to breathe." Zane clutches at his shoulder again. It was too tight, it hurt, reminding him of other unwelcome touches.
"Get off, just get offa me." Jay jerks away, sliding along the wall.
"Did you bring your meds?" asks Zane.
Jay scoffs. "Of course not! They're terrible."
Zane sighs. He should have anticipated that, checked Jay's packing. What could he do to help Jay without them? Cole and Lloyd were so much better at this than he was. "Jay, you need to breathe." he reiterates.
Jay's breathing was not improving. Too fast. Too shallow. It felt like he was swimming in an ocean of fear. Nadakhan knew Echo was here. Nadakhan wants to get me alone. Nadakhan can shape shift. Nadakhan has drugged me before… why else would Zane want me to take my meds? Why else would he suggest we come here alone? Why else would Echo be missing?
A cold hand on his arm pulls attention away from his thoughts. "I said get off me!" Jay reflexively forces out a strong bolt of lightning towards the unwanted touch.
Zane falls away from Jay, right arm hanging limply at his side, pain flaring briefly before he cuts off the circuit. Smaller sparks of lightning coil around Jay, his hair puffing up more than usual, fuelled by the static charge. Ok. Touch definitely isn't helping. Space it is. Zane backs towards the trapdoor. "Jay, it is just me. Zane. Please, I need you to calm down."
To Zane's dismay, Jay stands up, and takes a fighting stance, glaring right at him, eyes full of desperate hatred. "You're not Zane. You really thought this would work? You can't fool me!"
Zane barely dodges Jay's next attack, diving through the trapdoor as lightning shoots from Jay's hands. He had been expecting some level of trauma response by bringing Jay here, but he hadn't anticipated this. He should have, Jay had attacked Kai previously. But he had been doing better, at least he seemed to be. "Please! Jay! I don't want to hurt you!" Zane yells loudly enough for Jay to hear, while backing down one flight of stairs.
Jay starts making his way down the stairs after Zane, lightning still coursing through his body. "Ha! You don't want to hurt me? YOU FUCKING RAPED ME!" Zane ducks as a lightning bolt chars the wall where his head had just been. "And now you lure me here, dressing up as my friend?! What have you done with him? WHERE IS ZANE?!"
Well it was nice to know that Jay still cared about him, despite the multiple recent attempts on his life. "I am right here! Nadakhan is trapped in the teapot. You trapped him, remember? No one can find it!"
"I won't let you trick me again!"
Talking Jay down was looking less and less likely. Zane continues his retreat, ducking out the front door and locking the door in place with ice using his one remaining good hand. Surely Jay's paranoia will fade? How could he neutralise Jay without hurting him? Lightning was a terrible match up for Zane, being a nindroid many of his components were easily damaged by an electrical overload, his limp right arm reminding him of this. Zane looks down towards the beach, but instead climbs around the corner of the lighthouse, hiding out of sight of the doorway.
The ice doesn't slow Jay by much, shattering as his flail bursts through. "I'll show you what I'm capable of without that blasted vengestone cuff!" Jay screams a declaration to the entire island, arcing electricity dancing dangerously close to Zane's hiding spot.
Zane lets out a sigh of relief as Jay starts making his way towards the beach, assuming Zane is hiding amongst the rocks. He waits until Jay is almost at the bottom before leaping out of his hiding spot and blasting his friend with ice, freezing him solid all the way up to his neck.
Jay cries out in alarm, lightning coiling around him, but the ice holds firm. "How-how are you doing that without the djinn blade?"
"I am not Nadakhan! It is me, Zane!" Zane makes his way down the stairs, carefully keeping a safe distance between him and Jay's rouge electricity.
Jay continues to struggle, squirming within the ice. Lightning flashes and the ice starts to crack. Zane directs his powers towards Jay once more, repairing the cracks, and fortifying his prison. "Let me out! Let me out!" squeals Jay.
"I will gladly release you once you calm down and stop attacking me." Zane moves to a location where Jay can see him.
"No, no. Please, don't take me back… I can't go back!" Jay's struggling starts to slow, lightning flickering lower and lower, energy being diverted to keeping his body warm.
"They really hurt you up there?" asks Zane gently, face crestfallen as he remembers Jay's earlier revelation. "I am so sorry. I should have been there, I should have stopped them."
Jay stops running his mouth and turns to examine Zane, seeing his limp arm, the deep sadness in his eyes. Nadakhan wouldn't apologise… if Nadakhan had me like this he would be taunting me, gloating, reminding me how weak I am… If I hurt Nadakhan's arm like that, he would have broken mine by now… which meant… Jay pulls his eyes closed, forcing his brain to slow the fuck down and think. "Zane?" he croaks, opening his eyes once more, regret and shame coursing through him.
"Yes Jay. I am here." Zane takes a step closer as Jay's lightning fizzles out completely.
Jay's panic over facing Nadakhan starts to fade and he realises he is cold. Really cold. Body trembling as he allows his head to fall to one side. "Zane… I'm so sorry… please… get me out of here." Tears form in the corners of his eyes, and he still can't breathe right, chest having limited space to move inside the ice.
Zane nods. "Ok. To get you out I'm going to break the ice, ok?"
Jay nods eagerly. "Ok. Just get me out."
"It might hurt a little, I'm going to kick you, ok?"
"Ok." Jay's teeth start to chatter.
Zane takes a step back, and then executes a roundhouse kick directly into Jay's chest. Jay grunts at the impact. The ice cracks, but doesn't shatter. "Can you break out?" Asks Zane. Jay squirms, then shakes his head. "Ok. I'll try again on your back."
Jay nods, wanting it over with. Wanting badly to be out of this cold suffocating prison. Zane walks around outside of his line of sight. Jay listens closely to each footstep so he knows when to expect the blow. There is a mighty crack as a weight collides with his back, and Jay finds himself stumbling forward, large chunks of ice falling around him. He was out! He was free! He was dizzy…
Zane rushes over to Jay, the sudden rise in temperature causing his blood pressure to plummet, and is barely able to catch him before he faints. Zane guides him down gently onto the sand with his one good arm, dragging him a little to get away from the ice.
Zane places his hand over Jay's chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat and uneven breaths. Jay starts to stir, so Zane removes his hand, giving him space. Jay's eyes flutter open as he pulls his hands into his chest, wrapping himself up as he trembles from the cold. "Wh-what?" He stammers.
"You fainted." explains Zane. "How are you feeling?"
Jay pushes himself up into a seated position. He wraps his arms around his legs, resting his head on his knees. He feels utterly ashamed. Shit, I did it again. I hurt my friends.
"Jay?"
Jay lifts his head slightly. "How am I feeling? Zane, what about you? Look what I did to your arm!"
"I am fine. It does not hurt and can be easily repaired when we return to the temple. You on the other hand… is it becoming easier to breathe?"
Zane was looking at him with such concern. Why doesn't he hate me? Jay nods timidly while taking some deep breaths. It was becoming easier now the ice was gone.
"Good. Next we need to get you warmed up. Wait here."
Zane stands up, and Jay grabs at his pants, clinging to the fabric. "No. Don't-don't leave me here. You can't be alone."
Zane lets out a small sigh, and then offers his good arm to Jay. "Then you'll just have to come with me."
Jay takes his arm and Zane pulls him up onto his feet. They wait a few seconds to make sure Jay isn't going to faint again, before heading back onto the yacht, Jay trailing two steps behind Zane, shivering as he walks.
Zane leads him into the cabin, retrieving a blanket from under one of the seats. "Here." He offers it to Jay, who gladly wraps it around his shoulders and plops down into the corner seat so he can lean on the wall. Zane takes a seat too, but chooses a location that still gives Jay a bit of space. Jay stares blankly ahead, dried tear tracks on his face. After a minute he pulls his legs up into the blanket, but otherwise remains frozen in place.
"Jay… I am sorry. I should not have asked you to come here."
Jay shakes his head. "No. We-we needed to come. And you shouldn't have to do this alone. I-I couldn't let you go alone." His eyes drift over to the chess set, folded up and tucked away on a shelf. "It was right here that Nadakhan trapped you. There was an electrical storm, you had to go below deck, I shouldn't have let you go alone, but I was busy protecting the boat from lightning strikes… I-I wasn't going to let you go alone. Not again."
"I could have brought someone else."
Jay lets out a sigh. Here he was proving once again that he was the least useful ninja. Can't even search an empty lighthouse without creating a catastrophe. "I thought I was doing better." he mutters, eyes drifting down from their place on the wall.
"So did I." says Zane. "But it is nothing to be ashamed about, these sorts of things take time."
"Heh, apparently it's not something you just get over…" agrees Jay begrudgingly, remembering Nya's words to him after almost unaliving her brother.
"Jay…" Zane hesitates. He doesn't want to hurt Jay by bringing this up, but he knows it could hurt him more if he doesn't. "Have you told anyone else that Nadakhan raped you?"
A bolt of fear makes its way through Jay's chest, he turns away from Zane taking in a stuttering breath, leaning his head on the wall with a light thump. Of all the stupid things I could have said! And now Zane knew, which was the last thing he wanted. "I-I'm not sure it even happened." Jay stammers the lie he tells himself. The lie he once believed. But ever since the dream it was like his mind was actively searching his memories for anything to confirm it, and well, the search had not been fruitless. He remembered the hands, he remembered the pain, and oh how he remembered the shame. Feeling completely helpless, completely violated. Even if it was just a memory planted by Nadakhan, well that was a violation in and of itself.
"You sounded pretty sure when you were yelling at me." states Zane, as gently as he possibly could. Watching Jay carefully for any reaction. He lets out a sigh. "Look, I am not trying to make you talk about it if you do not want to, I just need to know if I am the first one you have told? If you are getting any other support?"
Jay is silent for a moment, fidgeting with his hands under the blanket. "Nya knows." he whispers the words.
Zane nods. "Good. Well, not good," he sighs, "but I am glad you have not kept it bottled up all this time. No one should have to carry that burden, especially not alone."
Tears cling to Jay's eyes as he bites his lip. "Ok, but, can we please stop talking about it already?" His voice is shakey, another example of his weakness.
"If that is what you want. But when we get back, I will help you find a therapist."
Jay pulls the blanket further up, covering most of his face. He knows he should have been seeing one already, but it just felt so pathetic. He couldn't ignore it any longer, not if he was hurting people, not if he was losing touch with what was real, and what was just a fearful trick of his mind. His power wasn't one where he could risk not being in control. All it would take was one brief flash, one moment of poor judgement, and once more he could hold a dying teammate in his arms. "I thought I was getting better." The words are muffled through the blanket.
"You will." says Zane. "I know you will. You are strong. You have survived so much already."