***Sorry, I just couldn't resist the song selection ;)
Two chapters and an epilogue left. What will happen next? I should have the next chapter posted Wednesday, then the final one and epilogue on Thursday!***
***(Lloyd's POV)***
"He should be here, according to my GPS," Nya frowns.
"He must still be underground," I reason. "We'll have to get in the earth drill with Cole. Is Wu back from his daily tea run? We need him on the line."
"On it." She calls him up.
I slow the bike and put it in park, disguising it behind a grove of trees. Cole shouldn't be far behind us.
"I've got Wu," Nya announces, holding out her phone.
I speak into it. "Garmadon's been located underground, Master Wu. Nya and I are here now, and Cole's on the way. Zane and Kai might be a few minutes."
"Wait until you're all together to go down there," Wu orders. "It's too dangerous to go it alone."
"Roger that. What would you like me to do about Nya? It's her first mission."
The line crackles. "Have her operate the communications system, and only pull her for fighting if you really need her."
Her eyes register what he says, and her face morphs with fury. "What?"
I see the earth drill in the distance. "We're doing what's best for you and the team," I explain, my voice void of sympathy. When I go into leadership mode, I don't really express my personal feelings.
"I can help!" she argues.
"Yes, you can. All jobs are important, and you will help by running the line of communications. You lack the proper experience with your element for combat right now. Plus, you'd complicate things if you got injured and the rest of us had to go back for you. And it's not like we have Jay here to watch your every move. We might not even know if something happened to you."
She stomps her foot, but I place a hand on her shoulder. "Nya, your day will come, but it isn't now."
She looks like she wants to continue the fight, but finally, she relents. "Fine," she sighs. "I'll run communications and tracking. But next time, you're letting me in on the action."
I pat her shoulder. "We'll see."
"Get in," Cole yells, pulling up.
The two of us rush to the earth drill and crawl inside.
"Set up a conference call," I command Nya. "Get Kai and Zane on the line."
"I've got you covered."
"Good. Cole, can you tell how far under the surface he is?"
"Twenty yards," he says. "Wait. Nineteen...seventeen...he's traveling upward, and fast!"
I rush to the controls, forcing the machine into reverse.
"We're falling back," Nya informs Wu. "Just until the others arrive. Kai, Zane, what's your estimated time of arrival?" She listens for a moment.
"Two minutes for Zane, five for Kai," she yells. "How much time do you think we have before we're spotted?"
"I'd say about half a minute. We can't move fast enough!" I slam on the gas, and both Nya and I jerk backwards.
"Sit down already!" Cole orders us.
"And...he's breaking the surface!" Nya growls.
"All right, then we're going under!" I exclaim. "Cole, you have to drill down below!"
The vehicle lurches forward as he adjusts the drill and I hit the gas once more.
Nya topples forward. "Stop moving so abruptly! How am I supposed to communicate if this vehicle shakes as much as the U.S.S. Enterprise in Star Trek?"
"Now's not the time!" I shout. Darkness envelops the earth drill as we travel further underground.
"What's Garmadon's current position?" I ask, continuing to burrow into the dirt.
"It appears he's...following us," Cole realizes.
"Zane made it to our location!" Nya says.
"Good. Tell him to try to freeze Garmadon's vehicle before he catches up to us." I feel the burden on the drill ease, and I realize we must've made it to open ground.
"There must be a mine shaft down here," I muse. "Cole, turn on the lights. We need to see how deep it is."
He flips on the vehicle's lights, and I see the drop is short – about three feet.
"Brace for impact. Keep your tongues inside your mouths." I hit the gas, and we fall down the few feet to the bottom of the shaft.
Nya groans. "Ow! Next time, when you tell us to 'brace for impact', maybe give me a moment to find a seat!"
"No time. How's Zane doing?"
She repeats the question. "He couldn't get the vehicle frozen in time," she reports. "He should be down here with us any moment."
As though on cue, the tip of another drill pokes through the dirt.
I curse. "Time to get out of here, or he'll fall on us!" I throw the vehicle in drive, but the mud down here slows our trek.
"He's about to fall through," Cole warns.
"I'm trying to make some progress here, but it's not working!" I yell. "Cole, use your powers to slow his descent!"
"I'll have to pop the hatch to do that." He hits a button, and the top opens. He pushes his torso through.
"Kai will be here in two minutes, tops," Nya updates us. "Do you have a plan? There's no way we're avoiding a fight now."
"At the moment, the plan is not dying! Cole, how's it coming up there?"
He grunts. "Been better. Are we in the clear yet?"
"Almost. Once we're safe and in an appropriate location, we need to drill back up."
"Roger that." He makes another grunting noise. "Just hurry."
"Zane's trying to freeze Garmadon's vehicle in place," Nya says. "He may be able to secure it in the hole it's made."
"That's good thinking. How much time does he need to do that?"
"Fifteen seconds," she replies.
"Fifteen more seconds, Cole," I call.
"I'm...counting...on it!"
"Ten," Nya swallows. "Just a few more, and we're in the clear!"
Cole's body trembles. "Better...hope...so!"
"Five...four...three...two...one!"
Cole releases an exhausted sigh, falling on his back. I cringe, waiting for the impact...
But nothing happens.
"He's trapped!" I shout, full of relief. "My father's trapped. With the equipment on this drill, we can pull out his vehicle once we make it to the surface."
Nya bends beside Cole. "Are you okay?" she demands.
He moans. "I will be. I just need a rest."
That's when we feel the whole earth drill lurch.
"Um...is that supposed to happen?" Nya questions warily.
"No," I frown. "Cole, has this been going on lately? You know, your car suddenly jerking to either side?"
"No."
The whole thing moves again, and I see movement in the headlights.
"Uh...guys?" Nya says.
"What?"
"I think we've got trouble. See, there's a masked figure in – "
A spine-tingling crunch fills the earth drill.
I hit the gas, but the vehicle doesn't move. The wheels churn against the dirt, and mud splatters on the windshield, but it's no use.
That's when the ugliest face I've ever seen appears in the windshield.
"We've got company!"
***(Harumi's POV)***
Three minutes earlier
I cling to my seatbelt. "Are you trying to kill your son?" I cry. "You're drilling almost right on top of them!"
Garmadon cackles. "I'm not going to kill them. Ask the elemental master of lightning – nobody dies in a kid's show. Well, except...oh, never mind." He slams his foot on the gas.
Ultraviolet laughs. "Those ninja are going down – literally!" She clutches her stomach like that stupid joke is the funniest thing she's ever heard.
"We're breaking ground," Garmadon grins. "Just a few moments, and we'll land right on top of them. I can't wait to – "
A dark hood appears from the top of the ninja's vehicle, and suddenly, our descent is slowed.
Ultraviolet screams in annoyance. "Seriously? It's not fair they get to use elemental powers to stop us!"
Garmadon pushes the gas pedal to the floor, but we don't move.
"Those pesky ninja," he seethes. "But look, the master of earth is weakening. Maybe a minute more, and he won't be able to hold us off."
I turn, staring out the back windshield into the blue sky far above. "Maybe he won't be able to stop us, but the master of ice will!"
"What?" Garmadon turns his eyes to the back of the vehicle.
Ice begins forming a slab across the glass.
"They're trapping us," I realize.
"Trapping us?" Ultraviolet exclaims. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!"
Garmadon snarls. "We need to get underground faster!"
I chew my lip. I don't want to hurt Lloyd.
But then, I can't get caught, or he'll know I was working with Garmadon. He'll never forgive me.
I finally find my voice. "Ultraviolet, I need a mask."
"You need a – "
Her eyes brighten. "Of course." She fishes around in the sack she brought with her, then retrieves the purple mask she wore when we ran from the police.
"This is the mask of hatred," she smirks. "Have fun."
I inhale deeply. This is for my future. This is a way for me to make positive steps in my life, right? For Lloyd? My real parents?
***Music Cue***
I slide it over my face, then feel pure rage grip my heart. I tremble at the feeling at first, but as it grows stronger, so do I.
I see images of all the wrong done me in life – with my parents dying, my "friends" deserting me, the ninja team having powers and a seemingly perfect life.
"I'm going out," I declare, my voice taking on an unusually deep quality. I slam my fist into the side of our drill, and the metal crumples like a sheet of paper.
I slip through the opening I've made and sneak to the outside of the ninja's vehicle. I see the master of earth collapse inside, and I know Garmadon and Ultraviolet are iced in. They're probably trying to get the drill out as we speak.
I strike the side of the ninja's SUV, and the vehicle groans. I rush around to different contact points, bashing in doors and popping a tire. The ninja won't be going anywhere.
They don't deserve to.
Huh. I guess this mask makes me stronger, in a way. It rids me of emotions that would hinder my fighting ability.
That's when I hear someone sliding out the top of the vehicle. I turn to see a figure garbed in green.
Lloyd.
"Stand down," he orders, "or we'll attack."
I laugh from my belly. He has no idea the power I possess.
"Green ninja, you should be the one standing down. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
"I don't care. We will defeat you, regardless."
The ninja in black pops his head out the hatch. "He's right."
I pry a piece off the earth drill and hurl it in their direction – not to strike them, but to warn them.
But if they strike, I will show no mercy.
Lloyd ducks out of the way, then forms a ball of green power between his hands. "You've given me no choice."
"I'm unconcerned."
He shoots a power blast my way, but I dodge it with a quick step to the side. He grunts and forms another energy orb.
"What's the matter, green ninja?" I taunt. "You don't usually miss."
"Who the heck are you?" he yells, launching more power at me. I roll out of the way, chuckling.
I hear the earth ninja climb out the rest of the way, and I smirk. "Aww, now I have to decide which one of you to kill first." Well, not kill, kill, but it sounds scary.
Wearing this mask, letting my bitter emotions overtake me...it feels good.
Both try to fire at me at once, but I leap on top of their vehicle.
"Missed me again?" I exclaim. "It must be a bad day for you guys. I'm sorry." I wrench the hatch door off their vehicle. "But I'm not sorry enough to avoid doing this!"
I hurl the piece of metal at them, and they barely jump out of the way. It just catches on Lloyd's arm, pinning him to the mine shaft's wall. He cries out in pain.
Something buried inside me panics, but I focus my emotions on the task at hand. I grab another piece off the earth drill and chuck it at the earth ninja. He manages to barely lurch out of the way.
"Getting harder to run away from me?" I smile. "I thought you would've been a better fight than this. Huh. I'm disappointed."
I feel something wet hit my bottom, and I whirl around.
I see a ninja in gray, and she's obviously female. It has to be Nya.
"You thought we would've been a better fight?" she asks. "I thought a big guy like you would've learned not to pee his pants!"
Rage swirls through me, and I roll off the ship. I grip the drill and yank it off the rest of the vehicle, then pitch it at Nya.
She drops below the vehicle before it can hit her. The piece does, however, hit the top of the mine shaft.
Earth crumbles and rains down on us, and the black-clothed ninja raises his hands in the air, stopping the flow.
"Watch where you're throwing things!" he huffs. "This mine shaft is abandoned! It could very easily collapse on us, and we'd be stuck!"
"Then watch your insults!" I rage.
"No more bathroom humor, guys," Cole orders.
I feel my shoes get soaked, and I look down to see Nya poking her head out from under the earth drill.
"Hey," she provokes me. "Sorry to ruin a perfectly good pair of shoes."
I scoff, running at her. She rolls back under the car.
I feel energy envelop my legs, and I cry out in pain. I look up to see Lloyd weakly aiming at me with his arm that isn't trapped.
He...he's shooting at me. I know he doesn't recognize me, and that he thinks I'm an evil monster, and that I'm distracting them from Garmadon and Ultraviolet, but...it still hurts. It shouldn't, but it does.
I see Cole's shoulders try to buckle.
"This place is coming down!" he bites out.
Nya rushes from under the vehicle, sprinting for Lloyd. She desperately tries to pry his arm from under the metal chunk.
It's metal I put there.
I sigh. Even with the mask of hatred, I'm still weak. I couldn't care less about any of the other ninja, but Lloyd...could I ever hate him?
Yes.
No!
I use my enhanced strength to pull the metal away from his arm. "Get under your vehicle!"
"What are you doing?" he asks, his voice a little dazed.
"I said, get under there!" I shove him beneath the SUV.
Nearby dirt comes shaking down from the ceiling. I watch as Nya grab's Cole's arm, guiding him underneath while he tries to keep the place from collapsing.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asks.
I turn to see Lloyd poking his head out.
"Get under here with us," he says weakly. "You'll die out here."
I watch as Garmadon and Ultraviolet's vehicle shakes loose, toppling down to crush the trunk of the ninja's safe place.
"I can't hold it for a minute more!" Cole grunts. "I have to release my power on the ceiling, just so I can keep any dirt from flowing under here when it collapses. Is everybody ready?"
"Get under, Lloyd!" Nya pulls him back underneath.
I swallow, running for Garmadon and Ultraviolet. I can't stay with the ninja. They'll figure out who I am.
That's when everything comes crumbling down, and I'm pushed to the ground by dirt, rocks, broken wood...
I squint my eyes shut, fully prepared to die. Well, I'm actually totally unprepared. I need to make things right with so many people – my parents, namely.
But if nobody loved me anyway, maybe it's okayto die with unfinished business.