This one shot is a gift for Jeleego - Happy Birthday my friend 🥳. It is based off one of her theories (yes, I have her permission to use it - she just didn't know which one 😉). Honestly been wanting to write this story since I first saw the idea, so this was a good opportunity to get it done.
I usually don't write third person POV in combination with present tense, but I thought I'd give it a try.
I usually don't like to torture my characters either – I was initially aiming for a fluffy reunion – but then I realised that it would also involve some rather emotional and painful discoveries...
And finally, I've managed to also include yesterday's Flumptober prompt "Have we met before?"
Set after season 12, obviously. No canon with anything that comes after that and ignoring the weird forty-year time gap from Hands of Time btw.
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Would you like to exit Prime Empire?
"No worries. Take care."
Cole waves at the small family – two relieved parents reunited with their teenage boy – who make their way to the exit.
Another 'missing person' case closed. Not the first one but, Cole checks his watch, quite possibly the last one for the day if he's lucky. For him at least, as the Black Ninja's shift at the warehouse is almost finished. Hopefully, his replacement will for once be on time.
It's been 74 hours now since Unagami has agreed to release all those trapped inside Prime Empire, and people are still coming through the Manifestation Gate.
Immediately after a first group of prisoners had been freed – Cole and is teammates had been among those lucky ones, probably as a favour from the AI-turned-child to the Blue Ninja – the Ninjago City power network was hit by a massive surge, leading to the discovery that each un-cubing event releases a small burst of energy.
Milton Dyer and Unagami quickly made some modifications to the program to now have a more controlled process, releasing people from the energy cubes one by one now. With help from Zane and PIXAL, a device was also created to capture the surplus energy to keep the gate alive.
But, while the number of cubes is now slowly but steadily decreasing, there is still no end in sight.
The police have therefore set up a makeshift station in the old warehouse, to record everyone's details, with the help of the Ninja and other volunteers, and to help the freed prisoners reunite with their loved ones. Which, in some cases, has proved more difficult than in others.
Cole still vividly remembers how, just having been freed from his cubic prison, he was just standing in front of this seemingly never-ending glowing wall, shielding his eyes from the bright light it was emitting and wondering how in Ninjago Unamagi had managed to lure all those people into the game over the course of just a few days.
As it turned out, he actually hadn't.
From what they have gathered so far, at least five take-over attempts have happened over the last 30 years, all accompanied by a spike in unexplained disappearances and in power consumption. And all of them failed because the old game hardware simply couldn't cope with all that energy and overheated.
This of course means that it is not only Scott who has spent the last couple of years inside the game and now has to be reintegrated into their normal life. A rather challenging task, especially as in many cases, this normal life as they know it simply doesn't exist anymore: Loved ones have passed, partners have moved on, and children have grown up without them.
If rumours are true – which they generally are in Ninjago – a few players, mainly those who have made a new life in Prime Empire, have already decided to return there.
But then, there is also a not-so-small number of people who have spent many, many years inside an energy cubes, completely unaware of how much time has passed since they first got trapped.
Luckily, Cole has never had to deal with any of those cases, they are usually being taken care of by one of the psychologists on the team.
He usually gets the easiest ones – like the fifteen-year old who simply lost his way in the Forest of Discontent and spent the last few days wandering around Terra Karana (and who will probably be grounded and banned from all video games until at least his 18th birthday).
Speaking about wandering around... Cole stands up from his wobbly chair, arching his back as he stretches, and makes his way over to the snack table (generously provided by the local coffee shops) to grab a glass of orange juice and a couple of treats.
Just as he is about to take a bite from his muffin, a light buzzing sound indicates that the gate is being powered up, announcing another new arrival.
Alright, back to work now. This should really be his last one for the day. And hopefully another easy one.
But the confused on the young woman's – admittedly very pretty – face and her stiff movements suggest that she has spent quite some time inside the game and quite possibly even inside a cube.
The Earth Wielder quickly glances around, only to find all his colleagues are busy. Which means he needs to at least keep her occupied until someone else can take over from him.
He quickly drops his teats off at his desk before he slowly approaches the woman who is curiously inspecting the gate.
"Hi."
She spins to face him. "Oh, hi." She flashes him a bright smile, her blue eyes looking at him curiously. "What is this?" She gestures around.
Cole takes a moment to take in her appearance. She is fairly tall and slim, with blonde wavy hair, probably in her mid-twenties. And even prettier from close up.
"This? It's called the Manifestation Gate." Cole explains, hoping she isn't looking for any technical details. "It's a portal between Prime Empire and Ninjago, and uhm-"
"This means I'm back in Ninjago?" She exclaims, relief lacing her voice. Ah, that's what she was asking.
"Yes." Cole confirms. "Not the fanciest part of it, but still Ninjago."
"Phew." She laughs. "I was starting to think I was never gonna get out of there... everyone kept telling me I'd have to beat the game, but then all I had to do was to lose all my three lives, and – boom – here I am."
Cole is still thinking about a good way to break the 'this is not how it works' message to her when she pipes up again. "Oh, I'm gonna be in so much trouble. I just should have listened - to my husband who told me to stay home and watch our baby, to my friends who told me not to go after this clue, to the friendly guide who just wanted to help me get through the first challenge – but of course I didn't." She looks at Cole. "People always tell me that I'm good at talking but really bad at listening." She snorts. "Aaaaand here I go again..."
"Don't worry, I am used to that. My best friend is just the same." Cole assures her.
"That's still no excuse for me to be rude though." The woman states. "You were looking as if you wanted to say something earlier."
Yes, but he still doesn't know how. So maybe he should start with something simpler, like-
"Can I take your details?" He blurts out.
The woman gives him an apologetic smile. "Sorry, sweetie, but you're a bit too young for me. Also, I'm married." She holds up her left hand with a platinum wedding band.
"No, no, it's just for your file." Cole blushes and points at his desk. "You see, we are keeping track of everyone who comes through this gate, to match them with our missing person records.
"Oh, sure." The woman giggles. "Silly me. I'm Libby – Libber Gordon, but everyone calls me Libby."
Cole doesn't think Libby's being silly. Guessing from her looks, she must simply be used to getting hit on by strangers of all ages.
"Please, take a seat. Can I get you anything to drink or for a snack?"
"Some water would be great, please." She requests. "My throat is a bit dry..."
"Sure." He nods. As the Earth Ninja walks over to the snack table to get the requested drink, he checks again if any of his colleagues are available now, but to no avail.
Cole sighs. No need to unnecessarily keep her waiting and prolong the inevitable, he'll better get it over with, just like rip- no, he reminds himself harshly, don't use these kinds of phrases. They never help.
"Here you are." He places the glass in front of the woman, then takes his own seat opposite her while Libby takes a little sip from her glass. "Ah, this is nice. Real water. Much better than digital water. Thank you, Officer-"
"I'm Cole." He introduces himself. "I'm not a police officer though, just helping out."
"It's nice to meet you, Cole." She smiles. "Always appreciate people who do their part for Ninjago. Or, as one of my friends tends to say – help and protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Cole furrows his bushy brow in confusion. This sounds oddly familiar...
"One of my brothers always says the same." He tells her.
"Brothers?" Libby questions. "Do you have a big family?"
"Four brothers and two sisters." He confirms. "We're not blood related though, but they're still my family. Speaking of which, you probably want to get home to your family, so let me just run your details through our database." He enters her name into the computer. "The server is a bit overloaded. A lot of people have come through the gate in recent days, and we had to re-open a lot of old cases as... uhm... some players were trapped in the game for... uhm... quite some time."
Better prepare her carefully for the possibility.
Libby's blue eyes widen in surprise. "Several people? Really? I knew about Scott, of course, but I thought everyone else was in there for just a few days."
"Unfortunately not." Cole tells her. "You're talking about Scott the mechanic, right?"
"Yes, have you met him?" Libby confirms. "Poor guy was in there for twelve whole years."
"Twelve? No, it was thirty years, actually." Cole automatically corrects her before he realises his mistake. "I mean-"
Thump.
He quickly jumps over his desk to find Libby has fallen off her chair.
"Th-thirty?" She questions, her eyes welling with tears. "Thi-this can't be right. B-because i-it would mean that I was also stuck in there for-" She swallows. "-eighteen years? B-but..."
"I-um... maybe this is just a misunderstanding." He is quick to assure her. "It might be a different Scott..."
Cole knows he doesn't sound convincing at all. So he just stops talking and silently holds out his hand to help her up.
When everyone is back in their seats, he checks the computer to find it is still searching, suggesting that it has not found a recent match. This is not looking good at all.
"Do you have any family you would like me to contact for you?" He asks.
"There's my husband, and my baby boy – well, if you're right the he's a young man by now." Libby replies.
"What's your husband's name?" Cole enquires.
The blonde's face lights up. "Cliff." She says, looking absolutely starstruck. "Cliff Gordon."
Cole's eyes widen. "You mean like Cliff Gordon, the movie star?"
"Well, he wasn't a star yet when I last saw him," Libby smiles sadly, "just a very talented but struggling actor, so I'm glad he's achieved his goal. Tell me, how is he?"
"Uhm..." Cole hesitates.
"I-it's okay if he's moved on. He must have thought that I'm..." Her voice trails off.
Cole places his hand on hers. "I-I'm really sorry, but he passed away two or three years ago."
"Oh," Libby's free hand flies to her mouth. "Wha-what about the boy?"
"I honestly didn't know he had any children..." Cole replies. "But I'm not that familiar with his background. I had no clue he was married either. And maybe Cliff raised him away from the public eye." He quickly adds.
Highly unlikely considering the media landscape in Ninjago, but no need to crush this poor woman's hopes all at once. If only Jay or Lloyd were here, they might know. They are obsessed with Starfarers. And they're much better at comforting people as well. But they're not here.
"Maybe." Libby echoes, not very hopefully though.
A little bing disrupts the awkward silence, the computer confirming that a Mrs Libber Gordon was indeed reported missing by her husband in 2002. Declared dead two years later. Her birthday suggests that she was 25 when she went missing. Everything fits.
Unfortunately.
"Is there anyone else I could contact for you?" Cole offers after giving her the news.
"I-I don't know. Neither of us had any family." Libby says. "M-maybe Wu – or Garm. They might know what happened...
"Sensei Wu always knows." Cole states, having to remind himself not to add 'he has a long white beard'. Libby might not appreciate Jay's sense of humour in this situation.
She seems interested in his comment though. "You know him?"
"I'm one of his students, the Master-"
"-of Earth." Libby finishes for him. "You're Cole Brookstone, Lilly's son. How could I have missed that? You look just like her."
"You-you know my mum?" Isn't he the one supposed to answer her questions, but instead he's asking just as many.
"She's a good friend of mine. We, me and my family, visited her just a week ago... and eighteen years, apparently. You were there." She smiles sadly. "A little bit smaller, of course. We were joking that you and my son would grow up being best friends." She sighs. "How is your mum?"
Cole's face falls. He doesn't have to say anything, his expression gives it all away.
"No, this can't be." Libby buries her face in her hands as she bursts out in tears. "Everyone's just gone. How could I be so stupid?"
Cole awkwardly approaches her. He gently places his hand on her shaking shoulder.
"I-I am sorry." He says. "I-I'm really bad at this..."
No, Cole's not great with words. But in an inofficial poll among the team, he was once voted to give the best hugs. So, he simply does what he does best, he crouches down to her height, pulls her into a hug and lets her cry into his broad chest.
"Thank you." Libby mumbles as she finally pulls away, her eyes red and his shirt soaked with tears.
"You're welcome. Here." He hands her a tissue and a chocolate bar from his desk. "I-I'm gonna call my teammates to pick us up and take you to Sensei Wu, okay? Don't- uhm..."
Libby forces at smile. "Don't worry, I won't go anywhere."
Cole grabs his phone and steps away from his desk. He isn't sure what his teammates are doing – and where – so he dials the number of the monastery, hoping for anyone to pick up.
"Hello?" To his surprise, it's Nya who answers the call.
"Nya? I need your help, please." Cole gets straight to the point. "Are you busy right now?"
"I was doing some upgrades on the Bounty." She explains. "Everything alright?"
"Not exactly. I need someone to pick us up here please."
"Us?" Nya wonders. "What happened?"
"Yeah, you see, there is this woman. She was trapped inside Prime Empire for eighteen years and-"
"Eighteen years?" Nya cries. "That's the second-longest - after Scott - we've had so far."
"Yes, and it seems that all her family is... uhm... gone. She doesn't have anyone left. But she knows Sensei Wu, and she knew my mum, so-"
"Calm down, Cole." Nya tells him. "You're close to Jay mode."
"I know." Cole runs his hand through his black hair, taking a slow deep breath. "It's just... you know how I suck at this..."
"You didn't tell her 'that's just the way the cookie crumbles', right?"
Cole feels his face heat up. Best friend or not, one day, he will have to kill Jay for his big mouth.
"I didn't."
"Good." Nya states. "I'll be there in a minute. Might as well take the Bounty on a test flight."
"You sure that's a good idea?" He doesn't have the best memories of half-fixed ships...
"Don't worry, she's fine. I'm already done with the repairs, it's just tidying up now. But I can leave that until later. Sensei's golden rule does not apply to emergencies so might as well make the most of it. And I'll bring Kai, he's running late for his shift."
Yes, that explains why his replacement isn't here yet.
"And I'll call Jay if he wants a lift home. He's in town, hanging out with Milton and Finn."
"Who's Finn?" Cole wonders.
"Oh, Unagami wanted a new name. One that's not a working title. And now that someone's completed the game, he doesn't feel unfinished anymore."
"So, he came up with Finn?"
"It was Jay's idea." Nya says proudly. "I think it fits. It's cute."
Cole struggles to agree with this description of the artificial intelligence, especially having just once again witnessed the pain Unagami's desire for revenge has caused. But Finn seems to be really trying to make amends, so he decides not to comment on it.
"I'll text you when we're close." Nya disconnects the call.
Cole pockets the phone and walks back to his workstation. Libby has finished the chocolate bar, and some colour has returned to her lightly freckled cheeks.
"My friend is on her way here, she'll take us to the Monastery."
"Thanks." Libby smiles weakly. "Glad I don't have to walk up those five thousand steps."
"Four thousand six hundred and seventy-two." Cole corrects automatically – again. "Sorry." He adds sheepishly.
"No, you're good." Libby giggles. "Lilly does – well, used to do – the same. You're so much like her." He expression darkens. "How?"
"Lung Cancer." Cole explains. "She got sick when I was eight, but she held out for another two years."
"She was always a fighter." Libby remarks. "Your friend who's picking us up, are they an Elemental Master as well?"
"Yes." Cole confirms. "Nya's the Master of Water."
"Nya." Libby smiles. "She must be Maya's daughter then. Last time we talkes she said she told me she was pregnant again. Is she-"
"She's fine." Cole quickly assures her. Finally some good news. "Her and Ray both are."
"Do they still live in Ignacia?"
"Yes, at the Four weapons." Cole confirms, carefully omitting the fact that the blacksmith couple only returned to their home about a year ago, having spent thirteen years as prisoners themselves. "I can ask Nya to contact them for you."
"That would be great, thank you. I would love to see some familiar faces. But no rush. First, I want to find out about what happened to my baby."
"Sure." Cold nods. "So, what happened to you?"
"People kept disappearing, and all clues were leading us to an old workshop. My friend – Lilly – she told me to be careful, that we shouldn't rush into anything, especially as I was technically still on maternity leave, but I was so bored. Sure, I loved my husband and my new baby, but I wanted something exciting to do. Do you know this feeling when you are just desperate for a fight?"
Cole nods. All too well.
"When I first entered Prime Empire, all seemed cool." Libby continues. "I loved it. And everyone loved me. But then I learned that, in order to get home to my family, in would need to find the three Key-Tanas. The first one was in Terra Karana."
"The Maze of the Red Dragon." Cole supplies.
"Yes. I met this guide, Okino, he was really nice, but he was way too careful and everything was going far too slow for me." She sighs. "Long story short, I didn't listen, lost my three lives and got cubed. Next thing I know I'm here – and eighteen years have passed."
Cole's phone buzzes. I'm almost there. No space to land. Can you bring her up?
"Nya is on her way. Let me just finish up my station, okay?"
He shuts down the computer and takes all the empty chocolate wrappings and muffin cases – have I eaten all of those today? – to the bin and puts the dirty coffee cups into the basket.
"Let's go."
The sun is already going down when, for the first time in eighteen years, Libby steps into the streets of Ninjago City. She is nonetheless blinded by the sight.
"Wow." She gasps. "I thought your computer was cute, and the phone was cordless and all... but this..."
Her reaction is not too dissimilar to the Smiths' after their return. But then, it's not too dissimilar to Cole's own reaction each time he comes here. Ninjago City keeps changing – or rather getting rebuilt – constantly.
"You'll have an even better view from up there." He points at the Bounty that is hovering right above the warehouse, Nya waving at them from the deck as a red clad figure is climbing down the rope ladder.
Cole would rather avoid that one though.
"Do you get motion sick easily?" He thus asks Libby.
"Not really." She shrugs. "But... it's obviously been a while. Although, if I do, I haven't eaten anything in years, literally, except for a chocolate bar."
"Great." Cole sighs. "Hold on to me, okay?"
He uses his Airjitzu to propel them up.
"Whoa." Libby gasps in amazement as they land on deck. "That was like Spinjitzu, just with flying."
Wait, she knows Spinjitzu. She also knows Wu and Maya and Ray and his mother. Does that mean she-
"Welcome on board the Destiny's Bounty." Nya interrupts his thought. "I'm Captain Nya and-" Her jaw drops. "And you're Libby Gordon."
The woman furrows her brow in confusion. "Have we met before?"
"Well, we have, but you thought I was my mum. That's not the point though. I know who you are, or rather who-" She cuts herself off, obviously struggling to find the right words.
"What's going on here?" Cole wonders.
"Excuse us please." Nya pulls Cole to the side.
"Do you know who that is?" She whisper-yells at him.
"You've just said it. Libby Gordon, the wife of Cliff Gordon."
"No, don't you rem-" She slams her hand against her forehead. "Argh, of course. You can't know. You don't remember, and we never told you."
"Never told me what?"
"It's complicated." Nya blushes. "But... when Libby told you her story, you never asked her if she was an Elemental Master, or what her son's name is?"
"You know I suck at this." Cole protests loudly. "But... you mean her son's an Elemental Master as well. Maybe one we met at Chen's Tournament?"
"You know my baby?" Libby asks, having overheard the last part of their conversation.
"Yes." Nya smiles at Libby. "And no." She tells Cole.
She then turns back to the blonde woman, taking her hands into hers. "Libby, we know your son, he is alive and very well."
"Thank you." Libby whispers, almost inaudibly.
"He-" Nya blushes as her hand involuntarily flies to the amulet that's hidden under her gi. "-he's a great guy. He was adopted – I don't know the exact details of how that came to happen and it's not my story to tell anyway – but they're absolutely lovely people."
"Tha-that's a relief." Libby mumbles.
"But that's not all." Nya continues. "As you've probably guessed, he's inherited your powers. He's one of our teammates and – he's going to be here soon."
"Nya, what's going on?" Cole demands as Libby silently stares at them, lost for words.
"A few years ago, we found out that Ed and Edna aren't Jay's biological parents." The water Ninja explains. "His birth father is Cliff Gordon, and his mother-" She smiles at Libby.
Cole takes another look at her. Of course, the similarities are striking once you know what to look for. The nose, the freckled cheeks, and most of all the sapphire eyes – Sensei Wu even mentioned that those are a dominant trait associated with the Lightning element – how could he have missed that?
"My baby will be here?" Libby whispers.
"Yes." Nya smiles. "He- oof." The girl gasps as the woman pulls her in a suffocating hug.
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." She repeats.
"Uh, no problem." Nya chokes out. "C-could you please le-let me breathe."
"Sorry," Her boyfriend's mother pulls away. She sheepishly runs her hand through her hair, an all too familiar gesture, even though hers is much longer. "You-you said he's called Jay?"
"We know him as Jay Walker." Nya mentally slaps herself, seeing Libby flinch at the other last name. "What do you call him?" She is quick to ask.
"We named him Clifford Jason Gordon, after his dad and grandfather. I called him CJ, but-" she sighs as she plops down on the wooden deck. "just Jay is fine as well I guess..."
"Whoohoo." A yell cuts into the silence, accompanied by a loud roar, causing Libby to jump up again.
"What was that?" She shrieks.
"Just another day in Ninjago." Nya grins. "Look up."
Both Cole and Libby follow her advice, only to find a majestic blue creature dropping down towards them in a spiral dive. Just before it crashes into the ship, it spreads its scaly wings to pull out of the dive. As it glides over the deck, a blue clad can be seen sitting on the dragons back, waving at the group.
"Show-off." Cole mumbles.
"Libby," Nya announces dramatically. "Meet your son."
The dragon flies a few more turns, loops, and other manoeuvres, all watched in amazement by the former Master of Lightning and the current Master of Water.
Finally, the dragon slows down to fly back to the Bounty. Instead of landing on the flying ship though, it stops to hover above the deck. The rider – Jay – gives it a pat on his back before he jumps off onto the ship.
"Isn't he great?" He asks excitedly as he runs towards the small group. "Milton has changed the code so that the Dragon could respawn. And we-"
He stops, both in his run and mid-sentence, and his eyes widen in – surprise? shock? realisation? excitement? pure happiness? a bit of everything?
"M-mum?" He croaks.