Pink hair and a broken heart

Chapter 12. Insight

"But that far underground. Why would anyone go there?" Marci bites into a small strawberry cake. "It's too hard to get."

BOOM! Something big and explosive rattles the ground.

I look at the heads-up display in my helmet. I'm getting video of a lot of purple snakes invading. One has a mohawk and a scarred eye. "Have enough snakes, I guess you could do anything."

"What's the plan?" Marci stuffs a juicy strawberry in her mouth and gets a little on her chest.

"We let them get stuffed up down there. They don't know the cave like we do. If we divide them into pairs, we can take out one pair then use the service tunnels to get to the next baddie."

Marci pulls on her mask, "Sound perfect."

Arthur comes back and holds out a poster of me, "Could I get your signature?"

I smile under my mask and take the pen he offers, "Sure. Who do I make this out to?"

"Arthur Wright. With a w." He turns around and lets us use his back at a table, "Who's the new person?"

Marci deepens her voice and stands tall, "The name's Sapphire." Once I'm done she signs as well. "Let's go Phantom Ninja." She charges to the door.

"Stay inside," I tell him as I back run in pace with Marci, "Keep all doors locked."

Marci ducks behind a tree like I taught her to as I close the door to CJ's. We blend into the shadows despite the evening sun. We stop about two hundred yards from the closest mine. Marci gasps, "That's a lot of Anacondrai." She whispers.

"Stick to the plan," I whisper back. I spy an air vent a little further down, "Follow me."

{Location: East town.} (Dawn's POV)[Time: Many years ago]

Garmadon must be pulling my leg. He takes me to a loud town center. He sits on a pearly white fountain corner as I keep my guard up, "Please sit."

I keep standing, "I'm fine. I prefer to stand up under a crazy Master than sit."

"Fair point." He folds his arms. His eyes are green now with flickers of red, "So...Chen?"

"It's a long story." I look down. "I've just met someone who says I won't kill Wu. But if Chen finds out that I chickened out..."

"Chen's not that powerful." Garmadon snickers, "Think about it. He's on an island with his most important warriors are with him. The worst he can do is throw bad noodles at you."

I shake my head. People are starting to look and I don't think I'm the center of attention, "Ever hear of Mister Chen's noodle hut?"

"Heard. I haven't gotten to go in." Garmadon smirks in false logic. I wait until it dawns on him. "Oh," finally. "I guess we didn't forbid Chen from recruiting people."

"Oh wow, he put it together. Even I haven't done that." I fold my arms. I'd like to see how he's protecting me now.

"Guess I haven't been paying attention." He rubs the back of his head. I spot a flash of a wedding ring. Didn't Garmadon abandon Chen for a girl? What was her name? Minny? Meshell? Mary? No, Misako.

"Love can distract easily," I smirk as my mind brings up James for some reason.

"Yeah," He smirks. He's waiting for something. Is this a trap? "There's no need to be so tense."

"You try being sent to kill someone, then trying to figure out how not to." I roll my eyes.

The door to a truck stop open behind us, two tough looking guys watch us. Then Garmadon throws a punch at me.