INVISIBLE STRING | ZANE

16 | operation rescue lloyd

Fire sword brandished out in front of him, Kai ignited the metal and instantly the magma around them glowed with energy. "Kai, no!" Iris cried out as she felt the unstable ground beneath her start to quake. 

"Kai, the weapon is compromising our safety." 

They were now all in the centre of the volcano, surrounded by the scalding magma. Constrictai used their burrowing abilities to tear holes in the ground, causing magma to spew like a faucet all around them. Not good. And Pythor was getting away with the Fangblade AND Lloyd.

"They're making the volcano unstable." Realised Zane as he watched the snakes continue to tear their way through the ground.

"Any minute this place is gonna blow. We have to get out of here."

Both Iris and Garmadon had different priorities. The latter pushed past the lightning ninja as he focused his view on the boy trapped in the cage. "Not without my son." And in that moment, Lloyd finally caught sight of the entire rescue time and saw who was with them. 

"Dad!"

His scream was enough for Garmadon to leap into action. He threw himself into the air and sent himself flying towards the stone steps that led outside. First he seized the nearest sword and then started to fight his way up the serpent covered staircase to get to his son. Biting her lip nervously, Iris's hands reached out for the two people nearest to her: her Father and Zane. Both accepted her hands without a word. 

Iris wanted to scream when Pythor had the snakes drop her cousin's cage into the lava pit below. Fortunately, the cage caught on a ledge but the lava was rising so he wouldn't have long. They had to get him out of there. And fast. But before Iris could teleport to his side, Garmadon had torn his way through the advancing Serpentine to get to the metal pole attached to the cage. 

Just in the nick of time, he swung the cage up and out of the fire, narrowly missing Lloyd as the bottom of the cage had completed melted off. A sigh of relief passed all the ninja's lips as Lloyd was rescued. And the moment was just made sweeter when the rebellious kid embraced his Father in a long overdue hug. But no matter how sweet it was, it wasn't the time.

The volcano was about to explode.

They all started to scale the wall and up to a way out when Kai sprinted up the stairs. "The Fangblade's mine!" The yellow ninja's eyes widened in fear as she turned over her shoulder to watch Kai head straight for Pythor. His idea that he was meant to be the Green Ninja was going to put him and possibly someone else on danger. He had to stop.

"Come back," Cole called out to him, "it's too dangerous. The whole place is gonna explode!"

"We can fight this fight another day." Iris shouted across the volcano.

But either the fire ninja didn't hear her or he was choosing to ignore her. "Then I better be quick."

As Kai used his sword to prevent Pythor from taking the Fangblade, the others — including Lloyd — had scaled the stone wall. She quickly embraced her young cousin in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay, Monty."

"I knew you'd come back for me." 

Moving back to offer the small boy a smile, she asked. "I said I would get you out and I did." Lloyd just leaned forwards again and restarted their hug. This was nice.

Jay stared across the volcano at Kai and yelled over to him. "Leave it, Kai! It's not worth your life!" His words caused Lloyd to move away from Iris curiously as he looked to see what was going on. But Kai refused to go.

Magma was rising exponentially fast at this point yet the fire ninja refused to leave the blade behind. Lloyd frowned as he turned to everyone. "But what about Kai? Kai!"