Legends of Ninjago: Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine: Chapter 25 — Flight to the East

“Jay?”

“Dad! Heh heh, crazy bumping into you here!” Jay blurted, rushing up to the old man. Ed, meanwhile, stood perfectly still, looking Jay up and down with his mouth slightly gaping.

“You’re taller,” he said, noting the few inches that Jay now had on him. “When—how—you...?”

“It’s great to see you too, and we can catch up later, but right now you gotta hide us!” said Jay, gesturing to his friends. Ed took a moment to peer past his son and counted four extra kids, all around Jay’s age.

“Hide? Who—“ he started, but Jay cut him off.

“Dad! We need to hide! Now!”

“Right. This way, quickly!” Ed said, shaking his head and he started leading the way through the junkyard, slowly approaching the old, converted rv.

“Ed, honey, who was it?” said a familiar voice. Edna appeared around the next corner, walking down the steps of their funky home. She just about went into shock when she saw the gaggle of ninja running toward her. “Goodness gracious! Jay, honey!”

“Mom!” Jay cried, rushing up to her and giving her a big bear hug.

“Everyone inside!” Ed reminded him, not even leaving enough time for Edna to think about Jay’s new appearance. One after the other, they passed the threshold and found themselves in the small, retro-themed living room, complete with furniture made from recycled junk.

“Who...? Umm...” Edna stumbled, looking from Jay to Ed to Kai to Zane to Keaton to Nya and finally settling on, “I’ll go make some tea.”

“Explanation. Now,” Ed said, turning to his son and crossing his arms.

Jay took a deep breath and launched into it. “Wu got into some trouble, the IBI is after us, and we need to get to Haru as fast as possible! Also, these are my friends, and we all have elemental powers, that’s kinda how I got so tall, sorta—still not sure exactly how it happened, but, you asked, so...” He held his breath and waited for the inevitable freak out and mentally prepared a bunch of answers and explanations. But then, Ed asked,

“What kind of trouble is Wu in?” And he looked genuinely worried.

Jay wasn’t sure what to say. “We don’t really know for sure yet.”

“But the IBI seems to think that Wu kidnapped us,” Nya chimed in.

“Right, but I was hoping we’d get some answers when we got to Haru and talked to Wu ourselves, and... you’re taking this pretty well considering all the things I just said.” He tried to make it sound light-hearted, but there was an unmistakable splinter of suspicion in his voice. Jay watched his dad’s eyes suddenly change from focused and concerned, to darting around the room like a ping pong ball, and he started fidgeting with his wedding ring too—something he always did when he was nervous.

“Umm, well, you see...”

“Tea anyone?” Edna said, cutting off her husband. She came in holding a handmade, wooden tray covered in steeping tea cups, which she passed around to everyone.

“Right, well, we clearly need to get you kids to Haru, licketty-split, but you said the IBI is after you?” Ed continued, taking a sip of tea.

“Yeah, but don’t change the subject. Aren’t you the least bit shocked by all of this?” Jay asked, taking a step closer to his dad and squinting. Ed seemed to be at a loss for words and glanced at Edna more than once. “And I’m sure that any parent would raise an eyebrow at ‘elemental powers,’” he went on.

“Jay, we don’t have time for this!” Keaton suddenly said, stepping in between him and his dad. “We need to go!”

“I owe you an explanation, and you’ll get one, some day, but half-pint here is right,” said Ed. “You can’t stay here for very long. Why, the IBI will onto you quicker than a one dollar shave!”

“Thank you very much for your help,” Zane said, sounding the most professional out of everyone in the room. “We need transportation. I don’t suppose you happen to have something on hand that we could use?”

Edna looked thoughtful for a moment. “Honey, what about the, uhh...?”

“No no, it’s still in the shop,” Ed said, resting his stubbly chin in his hand. “They could use the...?”

“Bus? Oh, heavens, no! Not with how heavily monitored the stations are,” said Edna.

Jay was busy racking his brain too, when he noticed that someone was missing from their group. Nya was mysteriously absent, and he began twisting around to see if he could find her and stop her from stumbling over something potentially embarrassing.

“Hey guys,” Nya said from somewhere behind Jay. She was standing by one of the windows, looking out into the backyard. “What about that?”

“What about what?” Jay asked, coming over and searching for whatever she was pointing at. It didn’t take long for his eyes to land on his old jet pack sitting neatly in the grass.

“Didn’t you say you built a jet pack?” Nya looked to him expectantly, and Jay started to inwardly panic.

“Yeah—I mean—I did, but—you see—I didn’t actually—because I couldn’t find a...” Jay trailed off as his eyes landed on Keaton a few feet away. “...fuel source. Nya, you’re a genius!”

“Hey, Kai, did you hear that?” Nya asked, leaning over to see his face.

“Hmm? Oh, sorry, I couldn’t hear anything over the sound of your hubris,” Kai said with annoying amount of casualness.

Meanwhile, Jay was rushing up to his parents, saying, “Mom, Dad, do your still have my old prototypes?”

“In the workshop,” Edna said with a smile.

“I love you!” Jay cried before bolting out the front door and galloping over to the wooden shed on the other side of the dirt courtyard. He grabbed the old pack, slung them over his shoulder, and bounded back inside the house with a wild, excited feeling pounding in his chest. “Okay, everyone grab a pack! Here’s what we’re gonna do: now, these things can’t really fly on their own, but, Keaton! Can you create a breeze that will carry us all?” Keaton looked down at the odd contraption in her hands and bit her lip, not saying anything. “They all have wings, so they’ll catch the air better,” Jay went on, trying to help her understand his plan better. “Can you do it?”

Keaton looked up at him, then she looked around the room and tightened her jaw. “I’ll do my best,” she said confidently.

“So let me get this straight; we’re flying out in these?” Kai asked, frowning at his pack.

“I know! They totally clash with your outfit,” Nya quipped. “You simply can’t be seen in it!” Jay laughed a bit and felt his cheeks grow a little warmer.

“No, we will be seen in them, won’t we?” Kai asked, looking around the room for support. “I mean, isn’t it kinda... out in the open?”

Ed gave a thoughtful hum. “You know, I think I have just the thing...”

Everyone stared after him as he left the room and rummaged through a closet somewhere. When he returned, he was holding a big bundle of feathery fabric.

“Oh no! No, Dad! No!” Jay whined in anguish. “You can’t be serious!”

“What? What is it?” Nya asked, totally lost.

Ed unfurled one of the bundles and revealed a grey, feathery pigeon costume that looked like it had been hand made.

“Do you remember these, Jay?” Ed asked, shaking the costume a little, and letting two or three fake feathers fall to the ground.

“How could I forget...” Jay mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Oh, you were so cute in the pageant, honey,” Edna smiled. “Remember that little dance you—“

“Mom!” Jay cried suddenly, hoping to cut her off before she mortified him on front of Nya.

“You know, on second thought, I think I’ll just walk to Haru...” said Kai, and the others looked like they just might join him.

“Mmmm, Ed, honey, it was a good idea, but I don’t think some paper feathers will fool anybody,” Edna said, laying a hand on her husband’s shoulder.

Ed sighed. “Worth a shot.”

“But some disguises would be a good idea. Do you have anything in black?” Keaton asked.

* * *

A few minutes later, the ninja were outside, wrapped up in tight, black fabric, loaded up with supplies, and wearing Jay’s prototype jet packs. While the others were still working out how to hold their glider wings, Jay was walking over to his parents for the fifth time.

“So...” he started, smiling a little. “It’s been a while, huh?”

“We’ve missed you,” said Edna, trying not to tear up. “And worried about you, of course. We’re just glad to know you’re okay.”

“Thanks for everything,” Jay went on, feeling a lump form in his throat. “I promise, I won’t let all your help go to waste. We’ll sort this whole mess out.”

“See that you do, and give Wu my regards,” Ed said, giving his son one final hug ‘goodbye.’

“See you later,” was Jay could say. He stepped back to the group and brushed some water from his eyes as he pulled down his jerryrigged mask. “Okay, everyone, like I showed you. Wings up!” Everyone acted in unison, unfurling their various gliders. “Let’s go!” Then, everyone started running up one of the mounds of garbage. “Now, Keaton!”

Keaton took a shaky breath and then blasted them with so much force that she looked like she might pull a muscle or something. She kicked up a cloud of dust that got in everyone’s eyes and Jay had to close his mouth before his tongue got all sandy, but his wings did catch the air, and he began to feel his feet hover up and down above the ground.

“Come on, Keaton! You can do it!” Nya shouted somewhere in the dust cloud.

Another gust of wind shot up underneath them and just as they were about to run out of room, Jay his body lift up into the air, totally supported by his wings. For a moment, he was worried that they’d fall, but they kept climbing, up up up, one gust after another, never stopping. Before long, the junkyard was already starting to look small. As he stared back at his parents—barely visible in the dust—he smiled and promised that he’d be back soon.

“Higher, Keaton!” Zane urged.

They kept sailing upward, which turned out to be very smart, because not only were they less likely to be spotted, but the winds were much stronger up here. Keaton had a far easier time harnessing that power, rather than just creating it all on her own, and even though she was still gasping for air, she seemed less strained.

Jay looked down at the teeny tiny trees far below and felt positively giddy. His invention had worked! Well, kinda. Okay, so it wasn’t really the invention, but the packs had come in handy! The point was: something he made was useful! Not to mention the little, insignificant fact that THEY WERE FLYING!!! It was the most amazing feeling ever! He could see practically everything from up here and then some! It did, however, become very apparent that his dangling legs were not helping with the aerodynamics. Mental note: build a placeholder for the legs and feet.

It was difficult to talk to anyone with all the wind in their ears, and so any time something important was going on, Keaton would move herself closer to relay each message across the group. Mostly, she talked to Nya, who kept pointing them in the correct direction.

Jay looked back at Ninjago City—growing smaller by the second—and could hardly believe that only just that morning they had been prisoners of the IBI. It really felt like they were starting to get good at this whole “ninja” thing.

Then, after quite some time of feeling his face going numb from the frigid wind, Jay realised that they were starting to descend, and he scanned the ground, eagerly searching for Haru. It seemed to be a mountain town, nicely secluded in the eastern side of Ninjago. Keaton brought them down slowly to an open field and Jay tried to land on his feet, but they were so sore from the flight that they crumpled like paper and he fell on his face in the tall grass.

“We made it!” Nya cried, pulling her mask down and jumping for joy. “We actually made it!”

“Don’t celebrate just yet,” Zane cautioned, and as the last person—Kai—came t

mumbling down from the sky, everyone quieted, staring off in one particular direction. After a while they could make out the distinct “wee-woo” of a police siren.

“Does anyone know if it’s legal to hang glide out here?” Keaton asked, sounding exhausted.

“Well we’re not gonna stick around to find out,” said Zane, scooping Keaton up and running in the opposite direction. Jay following him immediately, Nya and Kai at his heels.

Luckily for them, they were running downhill, toward the east coast, but they did have to barrel through a fair amount of trees and boulders before they finally found a small cave that could hide them. They all squeezed inside and felt their lungs burn and their feet ache.

“Do you hear anything?” Jay asked, but Zane shushed him. The only sounds outside were birds, the wind, and now that Jay thought about it, there was the faintest lapping of ocean waves in the distance.

Then, crunch, crunch, crunch. Someone was walking through the leaves. Was it an animal? It could be an animal. Maybe that was it, yeah. It kept getting closer and closer. Maybe it smelled them? Jay closed his eyes and crossed his fingers. He didn’t know what they’d do if it really was a person. Fight them, probably, but then they’d have to used their powers, and basically all of the elements present were fairly... you know... deadly. Oh, please let it be an animal. Please, please, please.

The stranger was practically right on top of them now, and Jay’s visaion was suddenly redirected to Zane who was giving him a hand signal. Right! Wu’s training! What was Zane trying to say? Umm... fish? No, that wasn’t right. Tree... person... sun? Rock? Fish... no, no, no, none of that was right! Oh! Why hadn’t he been paying closer attention? Jay gave a confused shrug and Zane looked frustrated, so he just pointed to himself, Kai, and Jay and then he pointed outside of the cave before ending with punching his fist into his palm. Oh. Okay.

Zane held up his hand and counted the seconds.

One...

Two...

Three!

The three boys dropped their packs and leapt out of the cave, screaming and flailing an elemental attack into the air, only for them to stop cold when they saw that, oh so familiar, coolie hat.

“Now what kind of welcome is that?”

“Sensei Wu!!!” the three of them cried.

The old man was walking toward them, smiling, while Nya and Keaton came rushing out of the cave themselves.

“I’m so glad that you’re alright,” Wu was saying, clasping Jay’s shoulder proudly.

“Wu!” Keaton called, running up to her Sensei and wrapping him in a big hug. “The Serpentine have Ann and Cole!” Her big, pleading eyes looked up Wu in desperation, and in turn, Wu’s expression became stone cold.

“This way,” was all he said.

He took them deeper into the wilderness—far from any prying eyes—and they set up a small camp in a thin wood near the beach. It was well secluded by sheer cliffs in almost every direction, almost making it a cove. Wu had them all sit down in a circle on the dirty ground.

“Now, tell me everything,” he said gravely.

“We went after Jay and Zane like you said,” Keaton started. “And we found them right next to—“

“A secret base the Serpentine were building!” Jay blurted. Wu seemed genuinely surprised. “We wouldn’t have found it without...”

“A falcon,” said Zane. “It led us there.” Wu stopped stroking his beard and seemed genuinely puzzled for a moment.

“We have no idea what its all about either,” Jay explained, reclining on a large rock.

“Anyway, there were scouts everywhere, so we were stuck for a while until...” Keaton trailed off as she turned to Kai, who would have to end the story, because what happened next was a mystery to them all.

Kai sighed and said, “We were en route to their location, tracking them through the woods... but then... something happened. Cole changed for a second... all of a sudden, he was shouting and... and he knocked over a tree. I... I have no idea what...”

“Go on,” Wu encouraged after he was silent for a while.

“After that, the Serpentine found us. We were chased all the way to the secret base where we met up with everyone else. We got everyone together, Keaton brought the whole place down, and then...” Kai stopped swallowed hard.

“Something bad happened to Cole,” Keaton said. Wu’s eyes had never seemed wider. “He... his eyes turned red.”

“And he attacked us,” Jay chimed in, still feeling the gnarly bruises Cole had given him. When no one else continued the report, Jay decided to finish. “Ann stayed behind to hold him off, and we went back to the monastery to get you. And then immediately got arrested by the IBI.”

Wu breathed in deeply through his old, hairy nose, and he stroked his bearded chin. The situation seemed very grim, indeed.

“But speaking of the IBI,” Kai suddenly said. “What’s going on with them? Why did they arrest us? Aren’t you, like, some sort of military leader?”

“Ex-military,” Wu corrected. “I retired and became an advisor decades ago, but now even that title has been stripped from me.” He took another breath before starting his story. “It would seem... that I have not been completely honest with you kids. Training you to be ninja... it was never involved in the military. It was all me. My mission. My training. My misuse of Imperial property and resources. I used my status and connections to get weapons and vehicles under the table to help me in my mission to defeat my brother, and to train you kids. I should have known that it would catch up with me sooner or later.

“The military found out a few days ago what I had been doing, and word reached the royal family within the hour. If it hadn’t been for that, you and Cole would’ve been facing far worse punishment for sneaking out,” he said, looking at Kai. “Yes, I know what you did. I also know that you broke into Dr. Lee’s office. That was very foolish, Kai. You could have killed yourself.” Kai’s head hung low, and Wu continued with the story. “But that’s ultimately why I sent you away. I was hoping you would be away long enough that the IBI wouldn’t find you, but, you returned far quicker than I expected. When they came to the monastery, I had already smuggled out as many crucial items and belongings as I could—the Golden Weapons, chief among them—however, I will admit, Young Nya did slip my mind. I saw the IBI take you in, so I set in motion a plan to free you.”

“So, the lights going out?” Jay asked.

“The guards not searching the truck?” Said Nya.

“All of it was you?” Keaton finished.

“With a little help from an inside man.” Wu smiled for a moment, but then it faded. “No doubt they questioned you about me.” He waited for all of them to nod, and then he heaved one last sigh. “Look at it from their perspective: an ex-military legend is found sneaking away supplies and recourses, and upon investigation, he has in his company, three missing children and one completely unregistered little girl. They absolutely suspect that I kidnapped you, however, I am sure that they still cannot puzzle out my motivations.”

Jay slowly nodded and mulled over this new information. It was an awful lot to swallow, what with their Sensei apparently being less than truthful. However, Jay started to get the feeling that Kai would be somehow satisfied with all of this, since he was the one who went rummaging in Wu’s office all those weeks ago. Wu started talking again.

“But now, you kids will be hunted down, and it is my fault. If any of you wishes to leave, I will not stop you.”

Well, Jay sure wasn’t gonna leave. He had just flown halfway across Ninjago for Wu, not to mention the fact that Cole was still in danger. Oh, and Ann, too. And the whole island was at risk with the Serpentine still on the loose and life as they know it could end forever. He was sure that everyone else felt the same way, and sure enough, a whole minute passed of nobody saying anything, and Wu started chuckling.

“You kids always surprise me... All right, then. From now on, your identity must be kept secret. We cannot allow any more incidents like this. That means, doing everything you can to not get captured, even when it costs you a mission. Understood?” They all nodded. “Our next order of business: Ann and Cole. I think they’ve been held captive long enough, don’t you?”