Legends of Ninjago: Book 2: Rise of the Serpentine: Chapter 28 — A Chance

Cole sat quietly in his head, waiting for his next orders. Was it really worth the effort to fight anymore? After all, despite how much he tried to resist, Scales had used him to hypnotise Ann, and they were on their way to Greta Junction right now to show her off like a prancing show pony. He was disgusted by Scales and, more importantly, by himself. He couldn’t believe that Cole Becket had just rolled over and accepted his fate. But what else was there to do? Soon, Ninjago would fall, and his friends not long after. He hoped they were safe, wherever they were.

He turned around and saw Ann sitting in the passenger seat of the car behind them. The poor girl. She had been fighting so hard all this time, but even she wasn’t strong enough, and now she’d be suffering a fate just as bad or maybe even worse than his. Now, she didn’t even remember who he was. There was a part of him that didn’t mind her not remembering his many, many blunders, but... he wanted her to remember him... and maybe those blunders were a part of who he was. Maybe it was better if she knew who he was and didn’t like him rather than her not knowing him at all. But what did it matter in the end? They were both just pawns now.

They reached Greta Junction and stopped the cars. Scales got out first, rambling on and on and on with his speech while Cole patiently waited for his queue. It was scary how he was almost willingly going along with everything now, but he found it was easier to just comply rather than waste energy fighting. Fighting was so exhausting.

Scales signalled for him to come up now, and he verbally ordered Ann to do the same. Cole took a breath and stepped out into the cold so that he could stand up in front of the chief and all the other snakes and shout his allegiance to a tribe he wished was dead. Was it possible to literally die on the inside? Please let there be a way...

* * *

Kai stared down at the street, breathless. His stomach squirmed and he felt his throat grow tight as Cole and Ann began to shout, “Long live the Hypnobrai!” over and over again with the crowd of Serpentine. There had to be something he could do to save them—anything at all.

“Ann Jing!”

Kai’s head snapped to the source of the scream and he saw Keaton leaping out from her hiding place and running up to her sister, the wind at her back. Keaton had her arms wrapped around Ann in a mere two seconds, but she was left with nowhere else to go. After dragging Ann off the hood of the car, they were left standing on the front steps of a bistro, while half of the Hypnobrai army started closing in.

Something started moving next to Kai, and he had to reach out and stop Jay from jumping down there. They locked eyes and Kai said, “We can’t rush—“

“Keaton’s in danger!” Jay blurted, and he shook off Kai’s grip. With a single leap, Jay landed on the ground, his hands charged with blue electricity. “Get down!” he yelled at his young teammate. In a flash of light, a dozen snakes were writhing on the ground, electrocuted.

As Jay rushed in and scooped up the girls, Kai was left wondering what he should be doing.

“What’s going on down there?” Wu cried over the com links.

“There’s been a change in plan,” Kai replied, bracing himself. “We’re getting them back now.” If Wu made a reply, Kai couldn’t hear it over the wind in his ears as he created a fire blast that shot him straight to Cole. He ended up tackling his teammate and they fell to the asphalt in a painful heap.

“Attack!” a Serpentine shouted, and the whole street erupted into chaos. There were arrows being shot down from the rooftops, snakes and brainwashed soldiers running everywhere, with no discernible leader managing anything.

Kai got to his hands and knees just in time for Cole to hit him in the stomach with a piece of the road. There wasn’t any time for coherent thought, and so as Kai tumbled, he did his best to land on his feet and swallowed back the bile rising in his throat, as Cole was coming right at him, carrying another rock. His fire had no chance against earth, so what should he do? His hand instinctively shot to his side and he grabbed the handle of his katana, unsheathing it smoothly and dashing forward as low as his legs would allow. After narrowly avoiding being squished under Cole’s rock, he slid past him, cutting the skin on one of his legs. Cole gave out a nasty cry, and Kai looked down at his blade, dripping with blood.

* * *

Cole screamed inwardly and outwardly. The pain of his fresh wound was doubled by the searing mental nightmare which Scales was inflicting on him.

“ATTACK THE NINJA!!! ATTACK!!!” he intermittently yelled across Cole’s mind, and of course, Cole was helplessly at the will of his captor.

Oh, why did the team have to come back for him? At this point, it would have been better if they had left him for dead. Now he was going to have to fight Kai, and he was sure that Kai would never forgive him for it.

The urge to follow orders came over him again, and Cole found himself looking up at the second story of the building next to him and calling a large rock up from the ground.

“NOOO!!!” he shouted mentally. “KAI! RUN, YOU BIG IDIOT! PLEASE, RUN!!!”

* * *

Swallowing back more bile, Kai launched himself onto the windowsill of a second-story window and watched Cole clutch his leg.

A loud CRACK made Kai jump, and he craned his neck to find an arrow stuck into the brick building just above his head. He immediately leapt to the next cill, then the next, dodging the arrows the invisible sniper kept shooting. But then, something hit the building so hard that he fell to the ground and tumbled for a decent ways. A boulder had completely smashed one of the windows, showering the street with broken glass and bits of brick.

Kai was on his feet again in no time, but Cole was still on his heels. There was nothing else he could do, so Kai started running through the crowded street, jumping over flaming cars, and seeing Ann and Keaton fly by every so often, caught in a battle of their own.

All it took was one second for Kai to trip, and suddenly, Cole’s arms were wrapped around him. They were laying on the ground, wrestling, and Kai was clawing at Cole’s beefy arms and kicking him in any way he could think of. This was definitely familiar, Kai thought, and just then, his solution came to him. Closing his eyes, he let the heat swell. Sure enough, before too long, Cole was forced to let go of him, and Kai scrambled away, holding tightly to his katana.

It was here, as he stared back at his friend rising from the ground, Kai saw something: all the flames around him were pulsing in time to his breathing. It was more difficult for Kai to feel “in his element” when it was so hard to come by it in nature, but now, he was surrounded with it. He needed to use it!

He closed his eyes and sheathed his katana, letting the flames grow wild. Cole was limping, Kai noticed, as he started running at him with two boulders flying through the air behind him. Kai simply fire-jumped and flipped over the earth ninja, landing (a little less than gracefully) out of harm’s way. Before Cole had a second to think, Kai had his foot in his back, pushing him to the ground. With Kai’s weight holding him still for a bit, he grabbed Cole by the hair and shouted,

“Cole! Snap out of it!”

* * *

In his head, Cole didn’t know what to think or feel except despair. It came over him in waves and he thought that he might burst from the agony of it. All he wanted was for Kai to not get any more hurt than he already was, but more and more ideas kept popping into his head: new ways he could take Kai down.

“STOP!!” he yelled at himself. He wished his brain would switch off! He didn’t want to be awake anymore! “STOP! STOP! STOP!” he went on, trying his best to keep the flow of his thoughts blank, but his orders were clear: attack the ninja, and nothing could stop him from obeying. Nothing.

* * *

Cole grunted, and then moved his torso just enough that his head wasn’t in the way of the solid rock which he sent flying into Kai’s face. Kai was seeing stars for a good few seconds, but he kept his eyes open. Cole was getting up now, and it was time for close-quarters combat.

Cole took the initiative and tried landing a few blows with his fists, but Kai managed to keep up with them and dodged as well as he could. Kai returned a few punches of his own, as well as a kick which ultimately was a stupid idea, because Cole was able to catch his ankle and threw him like a rag doll. Into one of the cars he went, feeling his back begin to ache. That was it! Cole was gonna get it now!

Kai summoned the fire around him and screamed as he shot out a fire beam that would have killed a normal man, but Cole had a stone wall up long before the fire hit him.

“Cole!” Kai shouted over the noise. “Fight it! Whatever it is, fight it! I don’t want to hurt you!”

* * *

Cole looked up at the massive screen in his head. Did Kai really mean that? Did he? Or was he just saying anything he needed to to get Cole to wake up? Not that it would work, since the hypnosis couldn’t possibly be undone that easily. No. It was hopeless. The chains on his hands would be there forever...

“THAT’S RIGHT. KAI WOULD NEVER SAY SOMETHING SO GENUINE. HE MUST BE LYING,” Scales’ voice crooned.

* * *

Kai started running at the stone wall, letting his beam get shorter and shorter, until he was close enough to jump the wall. On the other side, he found Cole bracing himself, and Kai let loose a wild kick to the head which sent him reeling. “That snake guy is messing with your head! Do you hear me?! He’s a freak! We’re friends!”

* * *

Cole stared back at the chains holding him in his head. He had come close to breaking out before... was it possible? Kai was right about one thing: Scales was a freak, but were they friends? Were they really? Did he mean it when he said that? He thought back on all the times they had fought with each other, but then... he remembered a time when they had gotten along. The battle in the Underworld... their many dinners together joking about stupid stuff... playing video games together when Wu wasn’t looking... and suddenly—miraculously—Cole thought of something new for the first time in three days: he was fed up fighting with people. It was time he fought for people. Scales wouldn’t like it, but then again, who cared what Scales thought anyway? He was shocked with himself! When had Scales’ thoughts and opinions ever mattered to him? It was like he was suddenly waking up from a long sleep, and he liked it.

“AAAAAGGGHH!!!” he mentally screamed, pulling against his chains. He didn’t know if it was possible to break free like this, but he was sure gonna try. For Kai’s sake. He didn’t want to fight him any more. He didn’t want to fight any more! And Scales was going to hear all about it! “COME ON!!!” he shouted, and the links started to stretch and warp. “I’M GETTING OUT!!! I’M LEAVING!!” He was getting so close, now! So, so close!

“AAAAAAAGHHH!!” he shrieked as he was hit with the red energy.

“HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU, COLE? YOU CAN’T ESCAPE, SO STOP TRYING.”

Cole fell down and curled into a fetal position on the floor. Scales was near. He was always near. Always in his head. Always.

* * *

Kai rushed in with his katana, making a cut in Cole’s other leg, which sent him to his knees. Cole turned on him with a scream and shot another rock, but Kai was wise to his tricks by now and dodged easily. Without a second thought, he hit Cole in the head with the butt of his blade handle and he fell on his hands. “This isn’t personal!” Well, that comment sure didn’t help anything. Still, no matter what Kai said, it didn’t seem to be making a difference, which was a very bad sign. What if Cole really was lost forever? And what if it was all Kai’s fault?

Suddenly, oxygen wasn’t flowing through Kai’s throat anymore, and he dropped his sword. His hands reached up to his neck where he felt something cold and scaly wrapped around it. He couldn’t breathe, and he tried to scream, but it came out like a horrible, muffled screech.

“Good work, Cole,” someone said behind Kai. “Now—AAAAH!” The scaly tail unwound itself once it felt how hot Kai’s neck could be, but Kai wasn’t in a position to keep defending himself like this. He dropped to the ground, coughing and hacking, worried that his throat would never heal. He turned and looked up at the snake who appeared almost red in the face. “Why you little pes-s-st!” he cried, raising a spear.

“Burn to a crisp, you lizard freak!” was all Kai could think to yell as he unleashed a wave of flames. The snake made a horrible wailing sound and slithered away as fast as possible, still smoking.

“You filthy little human! You will regret this!!” the snake cried as he disappeared into the night.

Although it was far from quiet or peaceful, there was a gap in the fighting, so Kai rushed over to Cole who was still on his hands and knees.

Coughing a few more times, Kai said, “Cole, you alright?” Cole didn’t move. “Cole, please, show me some sign you can hear me!” He shook the older boy a few times, hoping to wake him up or something, but nothing happened.

* * *

Scales had been sent off screaming, and Cole found himself without new orders. His mind was mercifully quiet, save for his own thoughts which were still trying to hurt Kai. But Cole wasn’t sure if there was anything left in him—if he could fight for another minute. Scales may be preoccupied, but his orders still held firm. Even when his spirits were high, he couldn’t break the chains. What point was there in trying again? Would he just get hurt over and over and over until the day he finally died? The next wave of despair came, knocking Cole down even harder than before.

* * *

“I can’t!” Cole suddenly shouted, right before he landed another punch to Kai’s head. Kai couldn’t see a single thing for an uncomfortable amount of time, then when his vision came back, all he saw was Cole standing over him, trembling. “I can’t get him out of my head!” he cried, his fists bared. He shot another rock down at Kai, who scooted away just in time. “Please! Go!” Down came another rock, and Kai yanked his feet away mere seconds before they were smashed. “I don’t want to hurt you!”

“Well, I’m not leaving my brother behind!” Kai shouted as loudly as he could. He shot himself up into the air again, but Cole just kept on lobbing boulder after boulder after boulder. Kai flew in between them, fire-jumping from one rock to the next, before launching a wave of flame which Cole had to protect himself against. “Do you hear me!? I’m not leaving you, Cole!” Kai landed and forced his aching legs to run at full speed. As soon as Cole was in the open again, he grabbed him and jumped into the night sky. Cole shoved and punched, but Kai returned the favour as they began to free fall back to earth. “No matter how long it takes! If I have to drag you back! I’m not leaving you! Wake up!!!”

Just a few yards from impact, Kai grabbed Cole by the scruff of his shirt and began to spin him around as hard as he could, pushing himself forward with his flames. Then, releasing the breath he’d been holding, Kai threw Cole down the street, letting him tumble for a decent amount of time. Kai also accidentally sent himself flying in the opposite direction, though not nearly as hard.

* * *

Cole’s head went black for a glorious three seconds, but when everything came back online, he was still firmly tethered. He looked to the giant screen once more, and saw the flaming, shattered landscape of Main Street, with Kai at the center of it all. He wanted nothing more than to embrace him, and tell him that he was honoured to be his friend—to be his brother. He wanted to apologise for all the pain and worry he had caused. He wanted to make things right!

Before, his mournful thoughts had been directed toward himself, created a loathsome pit of self pity, but now, he could think of nothing else but Kai. Somehow, it gave him the last bit of strength he needed. Before he knew it, he was up on his feet, pushing against the chains yet again.

“Come on...” he mumbled, keeping his eyes locked on Kai. “Come on!” He pushed his feet against the ground as hard as they would go, and the cuffs dug into his wrists with a burning, shooting, agonising pain. “COME ON!!!” he screamed, and he felt his own head rattle.

Then, the red energy came, and—

“NOO!!!” Cole screamed, and he felt his body clench and wince, but he didn’t let his knees buckle or his legs falter. The longer he stood, the longer the energy attacked, but still he pressed on, pushing past his limits, one step at a time, and little by little, the chain links stretched to their limit as well.

The screen was so close now, he could touch it if his hands were free!

“STOP THIS AT ONCE, COLE!” Scales shouted. “YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO BREAK FREE! KAI WILL NEVER BE YOUR FRIEND! ANN WILL NEVER LOVE YOU! YOUR FATHER WILL ALWAYS BE ASHAMED OF YOU!”

“You... YOU DON’T KNOW WHO I AM!!!” Cole screamed with every ounce and fibre he had left in his trembling body, and with that last surge of willpower, he shoved his head through the screen. “GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!”

Cole blinked. He was seeing everything through his own eyes again. Scales’ voice was still rattling around inside of him somewhere, and red rimmed his vision, but his body was his own.

He watched Kai walk over, and this time he vowed that he wouldn’t get up. He stiffened his arms and legs, forcing them to stay still. No matter what new order Scales gave, he wouldn’t listen this time.

* * *

Kai’s head was buzzing and his lungs felt like they had been shredded, but he forced himself to his feet one more time. Trudging over to where Cole was laying, he picked up his idle katana and pointed it at his big brother.

“No more fighting,” he said, wiping some blood from his torn lip. Cole looked up at him, surprised, but didn’t make a move. Kai knew there was one more thing he needed to say, and he swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. For everything. I acted like a world-class butt... it’s my fault this happened, not yours. Please, just... come home.”

Cole felt his body and mind jolt, as if he had just let go of a ten ton elephant. Or... as if he had let go of the chains he had been holding onto this whole time. He blinked again, and it was because he wanted to. He breathed in and smelled the smoke because he wanted to. He laid down and felt the hard, gravely ground beneath him and there was no one telling him to stop anymore. He was... free.

In that moment, something magical happened. Cole looked right at Kai, his eyes returning to their normal brown colour, his forehead furrowed, as if he was about to cry, and he said these two words, “Thank you.”

One, tiny tear slipping through his closed eyes and Kai could see so much stress leaving his body. He actually smiled and let his sword drop to the ground, bending over to help Cole get to his feet. He wrapped his arms around him, first trying to support him, and then, hugging him.

“Are you really here?” Kai asked.

“I’m here,” said Cole, breathless. “I’m really here.” He was in pain, he was bleeding, the town was on fire, there were Serpentine still running around, but he was alive again, and from now on, he’d stay outside of his head.

Kai lifted Cole up and the two quickly let go of one another. “This doesn’t mean that I like you, you know,” Kai said, rubbing his stomach.

Cole smiled and laughed—a genuine, hearty laugh! He had forgotten how good that felt! How wonderful it was to be back in his own body again! “I don’t like you much, either,” he said, wiping away a second tear. Not a tear of sadness, but of joy.

Suddenly, his legs began to wobble, their strength drained from the two fresh cuts, but Kai swooped in and saved Cole from another fall.

“Do you think we’ll ever get along?” Kai asked as he helped Cole over to a dark street, away from all the commotion.

“Nah, not a chance,” Cole replied, unable to wipe the smile from his face. He looked down and payed attention to every step his feet took, loving how he could feel every movement. Real life suddenly felt like the sweetest of dreams, but the best kind of all, because he wouldn’t be waking up from it any time soon. “So what’s the plan? Where’s Sensei Wu?” Cole asked after a minute.

Kai gave another sputtering cough and said, “He’s waiting for us.”

“What about the others?” Cole continued. “Oh! Ann’s been hypnotised too!”

“Yeah, no duh, Captain Obvious—“

“No!” Cole cried, suddenly feeling very worried. “This is different! She’s had her memory wiped.” Kai stopped walking and stared at him. “I don’t know if there’s still an ‘Ann Jing’ to bring back.”

After a second to process this new information, Kai reached up to his ear, but the com link was gone. He growled and assumed that it must have fallen out during the fight.

“Come on,” he said. “We’ve gotta get to Sensei Wu ASAP!”