Befriending the Criminal

He Likes to Chew Gum

"Why do we have to do this?" Jay whispered to Lloyd. He bit the inside of his cheek when he caught Garmadon looking at him from the corner of his eyes. Jay moved away from Lloyd and bowed his head, still feeling Garmadon's stare.

"Because, Jay, while Cole was here, I came to the conclusion that you two would be the right fit for the job." They followed Garmadon around the wall and were soon about to enter the room of prisoners. "Besides, you two fight for good, right? You're on our side, so why not give the new fellow a look at what that's like? Hm?" He stopped in front of a cell and tapped on the glass, poking his head at the prisoner inside.

"What do you want, Garmadon?" The man inside hissed. He bared his pointed teeth at Jay and Lloyd, a smug grin creeping up his face when he noticed the fear in Jay's eyes.

Garmadon shook his head. "Just checking up on our guests, that's all. How are you Pythor?"

"Never better," he lied and raised his newspaper to cover his face.

Chief Garmadon scoffed and continued walking, the other two following closely behind. They finally arrived at Cole's cell, which was just smack in the middle of the row. The dark haired teenager was lying on his back on the fair bed with one foot up, a wad of gum in his mouth, the chewing motion clear for Garmadon, Lloyd, and Jay to see.

All too suddenly, Cole tilted his head towards them, blowing the gum. He sat up on the bed and glared at Garmadon, not acknowledging the other two faces. Garmadon pulled out a ring of keys and held them close to his thigh.

"Congratulations, Brookstone," he started, "you're free to go."

Cole chuckled darkly. "You're joking."

Jay shivered at that voice.

It sounded cold, bitter, and raspy, sending him bad vibes.

Not only did that scare him, but his eye caught the full metallic arm that was in replace of Cole's fleshed right one. A slick, jet black arm with bright blinking blue lights. It also struck him curious as to how Cole lost his arm in the first place. He gulped, trying hard to keep a brave face.

"Am I?" Garmadon held the keys up high for Cole to see and began to unlock his cell door. Cole's eyes widened and the gum popped. Green eyes made their way back to Garmadon.

"What's the catch?"

"Ooh, you sure are smart, Brookstone," Garmadon chuckled, fixing the hat that sat on his head. He pushed Jay and Lloyd forward, just at the cell entrance. "Meet your new roommates."

Cole's head lowered as he looked between the two and his hair fell over his eyes, making him appear shady. "Lloyd Garmadon, right? I've seen you around whenever you come to visit." He stared at Lloyd's hoodie. "You like green a lot, huh." Lloyd ignored that. Cole then looked to Jay, raising a brow.

"Oh, gosh," Jay squeaked, sinking behind Lloyd.

Cole scoffed in response. "And who are you?"

"J-Jay Walker," he swallowed, fisting a handful of Lloyd's hoodie. Lloyd groaned and shook Jay off, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Jay Walker? Were you born a jaywalker or what?"

Garmadon pointed a finger at Cole. "You are going to be under the custody of these two for the next three to four months. Don't push it."

Cole stood up and stalked to the end of what had been his home for the past eight months, hand on his hip and just inches away from Jay's face. Jay's knees bent and he sunk down lower. Cole popped another bubble and chuckled. "So, Jay Walker?"