Legends of Ninjago: Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine: Chapter 26 — Second-hand Hypnosis

“This is Gayle Gossip, live from Greta Junction, where benign myth has become nightmarish reality. As you can see down below me, the town is being invaded by the once-fictional Serpentine, while the Imperial Army moves in to—wait, something’s happening... it appears that an earthquake has suddenly struck the town... Vinny, are you getting this? This just in: it appears as though the first military push has failed, with half of the armed forces sent into Greta Junction being either immobilised, or joining the Serpentine. This is, indeed, a dark day for Ninjago. I’m just getting word now that an evacuation notice has been put into place effective immediately for all the residents of Sakura Valley, and authorities are advising people to leave in a calm and orderly fashion. What is it Vinny? Aah! Get away! Run, Vinny! Ru—nnghh... this just in: a message from Lloyd Garmadon. ‘You may think you’ve won—you may think you’re safe—but it’s time to wake up. The war is not over, no one is safe, and I, Lloyd Garmadon, will do what my father could not. I’m coming for you, Ninjago. The Serpentine are coming. So run as far as you want. We’ll find you. We’ll catch you. And one day, soon, Ninjago will enter a new dynasty. My dynasty—”

........................

“We seem to be having technical difficulties... we will check back in with Gayle later...”

Lloyd couldn’t help but smirk at the dingy television. His plan was going perfectly, and victory had never tasted sweeter. The battle was still going on outside—not for much longer, though, he was sure—and he had taken a few minutes to watch the chaos from here, in this half-destroyed tech shop. But now that he’d had his fun and seen his message delivered, it was time to rejoin the group.

The Fangpyres had proven to be a marvellous addition to the team, even if they constantly made him check over his shoulder. He hadn’t ever feared the Hypnobrai because their powers couldn’t work on him, but these guys? Again, the thought of being bitten in his sleep made him shudder. But battle was another story. They could turn just about anything into a snaky weapon of mass destruction: cars, bikes, tanks, people—anything they could sink their fangs into, almost like some kind of magic. The army didn’t stand a chance, especially with half of them being hypnotised.

Lloyd stepped outside again and saw his, now doubled, legion of mis-matched soldiers driving the Imperial Army completely out of town. They would be unstoppable now! No matter how many troops they sent, he could always Hypnotise them! And they couldn’t send missiles in, because then they’d be killing their own soldiers, not to mention civilian hostages. His plan was perfect! P-E-R-F-E-C-T, perfect!

‘How do you like that, father?’ said Lloyd in his head, looking up at the sky. ‘Am I a runt now? Huh? Wherever you are, I hope your suffering!’ He kept staring up at the sky, waiting for any kind of answer, but like most skies do, it remained still and indifferent. Just like his dad...

The earth beneath his feet rumbled again, and Lloyd knew that Cole was near. He had also been a welcome addition to the team, even if it did nag at his continence... just a little bit... barely... Scales was the one who hypnotised him, not Lloyd. Why should he care? He tried to tune out the thoughts as he summoned more dark energy and destroyed a bank, making a clear pathway to the money inside the vault, which the Serpentine leapt upon.

At least he didn’t have to worry about Ann anymore. She had been taken by the Second Legion to find a new, secure location to build their fortress. Splitting the two ninja up was also part of the reason Lloyd had suggested her removal, as well as giving them more time to think of what to do with her, aside from trying again and again to get into her head with hypnosis. Scales, of course, had suggested that the Fangpyres bite her, but no one seemed too eager to give the troublesome water ninja snake reflexes and strength. However, there was some discussion on whether or not they should bite Cole. Ultimately, the main plan came first, and they couldn’t afford unknown complications, so they put a pin in the idea and carried on; a decision that Lloyd was oddly comfortable with.

Within the hour, the fighting was over, and Lloyd had claimed the town. This would serve as the beginning of his rule; the first town over which he was king, and soon, he would be an emperor.

“Great work, Chief Slithraa!” he said, walking up to the snake himself. “Those guys didn’t stand a chance!”

“It’s-s-s a little early to be patting ours-s-selves-s-s on the back, don’t you think?” the chief replied. He barked some orders at a handful of soldiers and then continued, “Have you gotten word from Lieutenant Mezmo yet?”

“Nope. Do you think they’re okay?” Lloyd asked, folding his arms and looking over the partially destroyed town.

“They ought to be. I told them not to go too far,” Slithraa said, crossing his arms. Some fluffy, grey clouds were rolling in on a blustery gale, blowing leaves past Lloyd’s face.

“They’ll be back, you know,” Lloyd said simply.

“We’ll be ready for them.” Slithraa glowered at the humans passing by in front of him and Lloyd took an uneasy breath. “Come. Where is-s-s this-s-s ‘city hall’ you s-s-spoke of?”

* * *

Admiral Scales greatly enjoyed seeing humans suffer. They were so small, so fragile, and so pathetic. It made his blood boil, however, the fact that they had the audacity to act as though they had trapped the Serpentine underground when it had been the Elemental Masters of ages passed, but the best part was how quickly they had forgotten. That was probably what stung the most. No, correction, Lloyd Garmadon is what stung the most. A spoiled little brat like him in league with the chief? It was outrageous! He was beneath the Serpentine!

“Admiral, we’ve s-s-secured this-s-s quadrant,” a soldier said, slithering up to him.

“Very good. Station patrols and stand guard. Keep the humans close,” Scales added as he began to turn around. The soldier nodded and went to fulfil his commander’s orders. Ahh, there was nothing quite like the ability to move each and every piece of the chess board at will. Which reminded him... “Cole? Where are you?” he called out with his mind link.

There was short delay, and then a weary voice called back, “I’m... at the northern side of town...”

“Come back immediately and guard the chief and mys-s-self.” Scales would never tell Cole to protect Lloyd, of course, and no one ever needed to know about it. Some might call it petty, but he thought it was a fitting slight against one such as Lloyd. He was, after all, a particularly annoying human boy.

“Yes, Sir,” Cole called back in his dreary tone.

Crushing Cole’s fighting spirit may have been necessary to conquer his mind, but Scales did hate how absolutely depressing it had made the boy. Thank goodness he didn’t need to enter his mind nearly as often, because he really did despise that place. So much needless angst and self-centred thought! Teenagers... He had forgotten how seldom young people see the bigger picture.

Scales slithered over to the city hall where the chiefs would be meeting and Cole caught up to him along the way, still very dismal and depressed. He entered the main foyer and found everyone—including Lloyd—gathered around a large table, having a very important discussion.

“My Lord, the town in s-s-secure,” Scales reported, his chest welling up with pride.

“Very good, Admiral,” said Slithraa, and he waved Scales over. “We were jus-s-st debating on who should go and check up on Lieutenant Mezmo.”

“Yes, but what about—“

“—our limited numbers?” Chief Fangtom spoke up. Listening to him never got any easier. “We must send someone to—“

“—find reinforcements.”

“I agree!” Lloyd piped up as Scales took his place at the table. “Which of the Serpentine tombs is closest to us?”

Chief Slithraa pulled out a scroll and inspected it thoroughly. “Hmmm,” he said, after a while.

“What—“

“—is it?” asked Fangtom.

“The Anacondrai,” was all Slithraa said. The chiefs exchanged worried looks and Scales knew exactly what they must be thinking.

“What? Who’re the Anacondrai?” Lloyd asked, interrupting the very serious moment.

“Ha!” Scales barked, unable to contain himself. “Even the younges-s-st of children should know that!”

“Contain yours-s-self!” Chief Slithraa ordered, and Scales backed down. He turned back to Lloyd and said, “The Anacondrai are the mos-s-st ancient of the S-s-serpentine, and the mo-s-st cunning. They were mas-s-sters-s-s of concealment, kings-s-s of manipulation, and dis-s-sgus-s-stingly s-s-savage. S-s-surely you’ve heard of the S-s-serpentine war?” Lloyd nodded. “It was-s-s their doing.” Scales watched Lloyd as his tiny, human eyes widened ever so slightly. Oh, the things this imp didn’t know... it was enough to put a smirk on Scales’ lips.

“So... you don’t think it’s smart to break em’ out?” Lloyd asked.

“Not particularly, no,” Slithraa answered. “But... the final two—the Venomari and the Constrictai—res-s-side all the way in the heart of the Acid S-s-swamps-s-s at the S-s-southern-mos-s-st tip of the island, and the peak of the Mountain of a Million S-s-steps-s-s.”

“It could take—“

“—weeks to reach them both,” Fangtom said, taking a turn to look over the map.

“And we don’t have weeks...” Lloyd summarised. A heavy cloud of concentration descended on the group, and everyone had their eyes glued to that cursed map.

Chief Slithraa gave a depressed sigh and rubbed his face. “It would s-s-seem that we have no choice.” He turned to everyone and said, “Dis-s-spatch a s-s-squadron to the S-s-sea of S-s-sand, and Lloyd, I would like you to go with them.”

“But what about—?” Lloyd protested, but the chief was firm.

“We can handle things-s-s here. If you are win over whatever trus-s-st the Anacondrai have left, you will need to be there when the tomb is-s-s opened.”

“But—“

“No! You leave at firs-s-st light. Better yet, immediately!” Slithraa rolled the scroll up again and dismissed the young boy who stomped out of the hall in a rage, breaking things as he went.

“I’m glad we finally got rid of him,” Scales said, smirking some more.

“Hold your tongue, Admiral!” Slithraa snapped. “We do owe him a debt of gratitude for releas-s-sing us-s-s.”

“Of cours-s-s, your highness-s-s,” Scales relented, giving a deep bow for good measure. When the chief gave another sigh, he added, “You s-s-seem worn through, My Chief. Perhaps-s-s a lie down would—“

“No,” said Slithraa, rising to his full height. “I will tend to the s-s-situation here. You will head out and find Lieutenant Mezmo. I expect a full report on his work.”

“As-s-s you wish,” Scales said with another bow. Cole trailed behind him as he slithered out of the hall and into the street. His hands were still rolled into fists as he went, ready to punch the first person he saw. One day the chief would see that he had been wrong about humans and Lloyd Garmadon, but by then it would be too late. The Hypnobrai needed someone strong and young leading the charge. Someone who didn’t make deals with inferior beings.

All of a sudden, foreign thoughts began drifting toward Scales’ brain. Thoughts about Ann Jing of all things. He rounded on Cole and told him to keep a lid on his mental blabber. Honestly, if he had to hear one more word about Ann Jing Haruto, he’d pull his own teeth out.

Scales’ mission would be a solo one (unless you counted Cole, which Scales didn’t) and he left a half an hour later, following the same path which Lieutenant Mezmo had trodden down just yesterday.

This whole plan was stupid. Why take over Ninjago when they could simply eradicate the humans and repopulate the surface completely with Serpentine!? Restore Ninjago to its former glory! To the days of epic temples, coliseums, and palaces! He would give anything to see his ancestor’s home, immaculate and untouched by human filth. All he had now were the stories passed down from his grandparents, now buried below the ground, their wisdom lost to time. Surely they would not sit by while a human slept in their midst.

Scales looked around the thin woods which was completely empty except for the two of them and felt a twinge of boredom. “Cole, you feel the s-s-same, right?” he asked, gesturing toward him with a little flourish.

“Absolutely,” Cole replied.

Scales frowned. His voice sounded hollow and fake.

With a pulse from his eyes, Cole suddenly brightened and said, “I completely agree! You’re so smart, Scales!”

“I am, aren’t I?” Scales said, lifting his chin a little and boasting a huge smile. At least Cole was good for keeping company. But... he sighed. Even he didn’t like the sour taste that using Cole left in the back of his mouth. Perhaps he’d been hanging around Lloyd too much.

At any rate, the remainder of the walk was boring at best and gruelling at worst, but by day’s end, Scales had found Lieutenant Mezmo and his legion. They were camped out roughly two miles away from Greta Junction in an abandoned coal mine, (and trust me, the irony was not lost on anyone). The unique tunnels offered plenty of escape routes, shelter, and discretion—in other words, it was perfect for a secret base. Scales barged in and demanded a status report from Mezmo himself.

“Yes-s-s, quite right,” Mezmo rambled as he began showing the Admiral around the new hideout. “As-s-s you can s-s-see, we’re hard at work expanding the tunnels-s-s and digging s-s-secret es-s-scape routes-s-s, should we ever need them.” Ever single snake they saw was busting their tails trying to transform the underground lair with shovels and pick axes, and whenever Scales walked passed, they seemed to double their efforts. “The mine has-s-s many levels-s-s, however we cannot progress-s-s pas-s-sed the second, or we ris-s-sk bringing down everything,” Mezmo continued. He directed them to a shaft that felt warmer and darker, and it let out into a practically deserted area beneath the top floor.

As he went, particularly enjoying the comfort of the warm den, Scales spotted two Hypnobrai standing guard by another tunnel and asked, “What are thos-s-se two doing here?”

“Oh, uh, they’re guarding the prisoner,” said Mezmo.

“Really...” Scales said, tilting his head ever so slightly. “You’ve done a great job, Mezmo, I shall report back to Chief S-s-slithraa that things-s-s are going well. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” He headed for the little cave up ahead, followed closely by Cole, of course, but Mezmo came after him as well.

“Admiral? Is-s-s there s-s-something I can help you with?” he asked, ringing his hands.

“No, not particularly,” Scales replied, his eyes dead set on the scene in front of him.

The little room the guards were supervising was scarcely bigger than a closet, and in the center of that room, tied to a stalagmite, was Ann Jing. She was blindfolded and covered in sweat, but she remained cross-legged and was breathing steadily.

“Has-s-s she caus-s-sed any more trouble for you?” Scales asked, still not turning toward the Lieutenant.

“Uh, no, actually. We’ve had to keep an eye on her day and night, though,” said Mezmo. “Uh, jus-s-st in cas-s-se, of cours-s-se.”

The gears in Scales’ head were turning again, and he just couldn’t help himself when he remembered that the Chief himself couldn’t break into her head. Obviously, a sneakier tactic was necessary for one such as her. What would his fellow Hypnobrai have to say after he hypnotised two Elemental Masters?

“Leave us,” Scales said abruptly.

“Sir?” Mezmo asked.

“Now,” Scales pressed, and the Lieutenant slithered away in a hurry. After he was sure that he was alone, he turned around said to Cole, “Watch over the prisoner.” He made some room and Cole walked forward to untie Ann’s blindfold. Scales made sure to hide himself as much as possible so that she wouldn’t put up her defences and held his breath as he attempted his fiendishly clever—but also completely made-up—new technique.

“Cole?” Ann asked. She instinctively looked around, probably looking for Scales, so he slunk further into the shadows. “Why’re you here?”

Now for Cole’s response. It would need to be something casual and believable.

“I’ve got a new job,” said Cole. She seemed to buy it and visibly relaxed a little.

Okay, now! Plan “Ann-filtration” was a go! Scales put all his effort into this one-in-a-million move, turning on his hypnosis and trying to channel it through Cole and onto Ann. He had never heard of anyone else ever attempting this, so it was a total shot in the dark.

Ann looked Cole straight in the eye and squinted. Was it working?

“Cole?” she asked again. “What... wait...” She blinked several times, as if she was trying to shake something off, but she always wound up back at his eyes. Come on! Just a little bit more!

Finally, with a soft grunt, her head drooped and her body sagged, proving that she was, at the very least, under his influence. And then... nothing. Why wasn’t he inside her mind? Was Cole inside her mind?

“Cole, are you ins-s-side her mind?” he asked, just for good measure.

“No,” Cole replied.

“...no...” Ann said, a little delayed, but almost as if she were fully conscious.

Scales shoved Cole aside instantly and took a closer look at her. Her eyes weren’t swirling like most victims’ would, and she didn’t seem to respond to anything Scales did. He lifted her head by the chin, and she didn’t so much as blink. He prodded her arms and she didn’t flinch. What was this? Hmmm....

“Ann, can you hear me?” Scales asked after a moment.

“...yes...” she replied in the same dry tone.

“Hmmm... what is-s-s your full name?” he went on, watching her closely.

“...Ann-Jing... Lilith... Haruto...”

“Ha! Fas-s-scinating!” Scales hadn’t intended for this, but it was hypnosis nonetheless. Now, the tricky part was not goofing up while still trying to find out how to use this to his advantage. “Umm... can you... look at the ceiling?”

Ann slowly lifted her head and watched the roof of the cave lazily.

“Alright lower you head,” Scales said, trying to think something else. He needed something useful! Right now she was just a zombie of a person—more of a body to throw at the enemy than anything else. He gave a low growl and wished he could just reach into head and force her into submission like he had with so many others. “Forget it,” he mumbled after a while, deciding to take a break.

“...what would you like me to forget?” Ann suddenly asked.

Scales froze. He could do that? A whole new world of possibilities seemed to open up right in front of him, just begging for him to exploit them.

“I would like you to forget... everything! Everything about your old life!” Scales was still wondering if this was possible, or even a good idea, but the reward would be so worth it. “Your parents-s-s, your family, your friends-s-s, where you us-s-sed to live, forget it all! It never happened.”

“...it...never...happened?” Ann seemed confused but compliant thus far. He hoped that he wasn’t losing her.

“Yes-s-s. Here is-s-s all you need to know: your name is Ann Jing. You serve me, Admiral Scales.”

“...my name is Ann Jing... I serve Admiral Scales...”

“You are mighty warrior and a fierce s-s-supporter of the Hypnobrai clan.”

“...I am a mighty warrior... and a fierce supporter of the Hypnobrai clan...”

“You would do anything to help us-s-s take over Ninjago.”

“...I would... do anything... to help you take over Ninjago.”

“Yes-s-s. Umm... what else? Oh, right, you are a Master of Water.”

“I am a Master of Water...”

“Aaaand, you des-s-spis-s-se Mas-s-ster Wu! You hate the Emperor! You loath Wu’s-s-s s-s-students-s-s! You s-s-serve only the Hypnobrai!”

“I despise Master Wu... I hate the the Emperor... I loath Wu’s students... I serve only the Hypnobrai.”

“Yes-s-s! Yes-s-s! You will do whatever I s-s-say without question!”

“I will do whatever you say without question.”

“Mmm... I should really make that one stick a bit more...” Scales muttered, worried about her betraying him. He need her to form an attachment to him of some kind. Something believable... oh! He had it! Even though saying the words to a human was rather humiliating. “I, Scales... a... adopted you... when you were very young.”

“You, Scales, adopted me when I was very young.” Ann’s voice was becoming stronger now. Was that a good thing?

“I—ugh—raised you like one of my own and trained you in the art of combat.”

“You raised me like one of your own and trained me in the art of combat.”

He hoped he never had to say that ever again. Now, was that enough embellishment? Or did he need to take this the extra mile? Well, there were a few other details she should probably know.

“Lloyd Garmadon is an ally, but we don’t like him,” he said bitterly.

“Lloyd Garmadon is an ally, but I hate him.”

Scales noticed her whole demeanour change at the mention of the little brat’s name. Did she loath the boy as much as Scales did? Perhaps they would get along after all.

“Very good!” he cried, and he slithered real close to deliver the final blow. “Now, will you follow me into battle, s-s-soldier?”

“...I will... father.”

Scales felt his whole body seize up and cringe in the worst way possible. “Never call me that ever again,” he growled.

“...Yes sir,” Ann replied.

This was perfect! That is, if she really meant all of the things she said. Scales sighed. This new form of hypnosis felt very flaky and unreliable so far, but, it was a step in the right direction. Now the real question was: how to make more responsive? He couldn’t afford to be holding her hand and feeding her instructions constantly—that would be way too much hassle.

For the moment, however, he didn’t have a lot of options, so he tenderly untied the girl and then clapped his hands, saying, “Alright, get up!”

She suddenly blinked hard and looked around, rubbing her arms where the ropes had been. “What... where...?” she stammered, perfectly disoriented. Whatever Scales had done, it had miraculously brought her back to the world of conscious thought.

“It’s alright,” Scales said quickly, putting on an air of forced tenderness. “I’m here.” All the while in his head he was praying that all those things he said had stuck.

“Scales?” Ann asked, looking up at him. She furrowed her eyebrows and Scales was worried she’d know exactly who he was and blast him with water or something. But to his delight, she said, “How did I get here, Sir?”

After hiding a quick sigh, he quickly answered, “This-s-s is-s-s the abandoned coal mine we’ll be us-s-sing for our s-s-secret bas-s-se. We were ins-s-specting it together and there happened to be a cave in. Are you alright?” He wanted to gag so badly, but he forced himself through it for the greater good of his scheme. He could do this!

“I’m fine,” Ann replied. “Just... a little confused...” She touched her head and felt the scar which Scales had left a few days ago. Ha ha! An avalanche was the perfect cover!

“You’d better go to the medic and have that looked at,” Scales went on, taking her by the shoulder and guiding her out of the little cave.

Cole was waiting outside with the two guards and when Ann saw him she suddenly stopped and stared. Oh no! He had forgotten to mention Cole! What would she think of him? Would she remember?

Ann suddenly summonsed a water whip and stood, ready to attack Cole. “Intruder!” she shouted.

“Woah! Calm down!” Scales said firmly, putting himself between the two.

“But... I remember him attacking me! He’s one of Wu’s students!” Ann said, seeming more confused by the minute.

Scales breathed out and gave a slight chuckle. “He’s-s-s with us-s-s, now. I’ve got him hypnotis-s-sed.”

He watched as Ann stepped closer to Cole, slowly letting her guard down as she saw his swirling, red eyes. She waved her fingers in front of his face and he didn’t respond.

“S-s-see? Now, to the medic,” Scales urged, and Ann didn’t retaliate. She remained on edge for a while after, glancing back at Cole every so often, and Scales had to keep himself from grinning the biggest, smuggest grin of his entire life. He had done it. She was his now.