The cell was dirty and slimy, and a horrible stench hung around them. There were no benches or beds or even straw. Just hard floor and even harder bars.
Cole was currently being interrogated—the first of them all—and no one spoke a word, but they were all thinking the same thing: what was Cole enduring? And what would await them when it was their turn?
There were two guards stationed by the cell door, so Kai made sure to be very quiet when he asked, “Why don’t we use our powers to escape?”
“And go where?” Ann whispered. “They’d just capture us again.” She shifted on the ground and curled into a tight ball, her face turned toward the darkness.
“But shouldn’t we try something? There’s gotta be at least one thing we can do?” Jay asked, looking around hoping someone had an idea. The overwhelming quiet seemed to solidify the hopelessness of the situation.
“If there was, we’d already be doing it,” Ann said quietly.
Kai let his head tilt back and hit the wall he was leaning against. Was this really how everything was going to end? All the time they spent collecting the weapons, fighting Garmadon, riding a dragon... and now this? Everything was such a mess. If Nya wasn’t by his side now, he would never had trusted Wu in the first place.
The silence was becoming unbearable, and then a heavy door opened somewhere down the outside hall. Kai looked up and his chest tightened when he saw Cole being dragged forward by two Skulkens. He didn’t seem to be conscious, which set off a whole new set of worries.
When the cell door opened, almost everyone moved closer to take Cole and lay him down gently before the Skulkens threw him to the ground.
Kai only caught a glimpse of whatever they had done to their earth ninja when one of the soldiers said, “Take the scrawny one.” The two guards marched up to Jay and lifted him up off the floor by his chains and then they all walked out of sight, the cell door slamming shut behind them.
“He’s not in good shape,” Ann was saying, and Kai looked back over to the group surrounding Cole. “See, the burn marks here... here... and over here. And those are bruises...”
“I thought they were just supposed to interrogate us,” said Nya, clearly very scared.
“This is war. No one ‘just interrogates,’” Ann explained, in an annoyed sort of way. As if she couldn’t believe she needed to state the obvious. “Torture is always expected.” And she went back to leaning against the wall.
“Is there anything we can do for him?” Zane asked.
Ann sighed. “This,” she said, and she summoned several blobs of water that covered Cole’s burned skin and kept them in constant motion.
The silence returned.
Everyone was simply waiting for the next minute, hoping that it would be shorter than the last, while the thought of what Jay must have been suffering swirled vividly in their minds.
When the doors opened again, they could hear Jay’s voice, soft and groaning, growing louder as they approached. When he finally came into view, they could all see many, many cuts and bruises and other such bloody wounds all over Jay’s body; his shozoku was mostly undone, and hung loosely around his frame, revealing even more damaged skin.
Nya was the first to catch him when the Skulkens tossed him back into the cell, and Zane and Keaton helped him over to where Ann was sitting so she could clean his wounds.
“You’re becoming a regular nurse,” Nya remarked to Ann, trying to lighten the mood a little, but the comment was not appreciated. Ann merely gave her a side glance that was very clearly not happy.
Kai suddenly felt something hard grasp his upper arm, then he was being pulled to his feet.
“Come on, human scum,” the Skulken who was holding him said.
“Kai!” Nya cried. She hurried toward him, but by the time she had made it to the door, he was already on the other side. She grasped the metal bars and tears filled her eyes.
“Don’t worry,” Kai reassured her, as she became farther and farther away. “I’ll be fine.” He wished his voice hadn’t caught as he said it, but even if it hadn’t, he knew that nothing would stop his sister from worrying.
They half dragged Kai down the dark hallway and then passed two heavy door, decorated in blood rubies and ivory. On the other side was a fairly wide room, lit with more purple fire and teeming with all sorts of strange and terrifying devices. They stopped somewhere in the middle of it all and a third Skulken appeared.
“Is this the one with the Fire Keromine?” The third skeleton asked.
“Yes,” the soldier on Kai’s left said. “And he’s a fairly feisty one, too.”
The third Skulken smiled. “That’s good. The feistier they are, the more they squirm.”
Kai swallowed hard and felt his knees turn to jello, along with a flurry of other tangled up emotions, but mostly he was terrified beyond all reason.
The three soldiers brought him over to a large tub filled with water, and that’s when Kai truly began to panic. He found himself digging in his heels and trying to wrestle out of his captors’ firm hold, to which the Skulkens replied by yanking him forward and punching him in the stomach.
“Relax, boy. We’ll only hurt you if you don’t give us what we want,” said the third soldier.
“No!” Kai shouted, sending ribbons of flame shooting out from his hands, loosening the Skulkens’ grip on him long enough for him break free. For a moment, he was on the floor, trying to scramble away, but they grabbed him again and dragged him over to the tub. First, they tightened the chains connected to his wrists, which were connected to his waist cuff. So in short, his hands were clasped to his sides. Then, they picked him up and plopped him down in the water, letting it soak up to his shoulders as they got in next to him on either side. There was some sort of chain at the bottom of the tub which they attacked to his ankle cuffs, so he wasn’t going anywhere.
“That should keep those pesky flames under control,” said one Skulken.
His two escorts still had their hands firmly on him, prepared to.... Kai didn’t want to finish the thought.
“Now, let’s start with a simple question. How did you get down here?” asked the third one. He walked slowly around the tub, letting the eerie light rise and fall off of his face.
Kai tried to be brave, and with every ounce of strength he could find in his trembling body, he replied, “I... I-I’m not... entirely sure...” he looked down at the water for a moment and then continued. “Th-there was a dragon... he brought us here.”
“A dragon?” The Skulken sneered.
“We saw dragons, Kurai,” said the soldier on Kai’s right. “One at every temple.”
“Which temple?” Kurai asked.
“Fire,” Kai replied quickly.
The Skulkens all nodded to each other. Kai breathed a small sigh of relief. He was doing well so far. Or, at the very least, they hadn’t actually tortured him yet.
“And where in the Underworld did you arrive on said ‘dragon?’” Kurai continued.
“Um... in a... big clearing... there wasn’t much around,” Kai answered, keeping his eyes on Kurai as he paced around the tub.
“Who was with you?”
“Ann, Zane—“
“Confound it all! Do I look like I care about your pathetic friends’ names?!”
“There were... three others.”
Kai watched Kurai carefully, hoping that he wouldn’t make him mad again. He seemed satisfied with his answer, and proceeded with the interrogation.
“How are you affiliated with Master Wu?”
Kai wasn’t sure how to answer. This didn’t seem like the kind of thing Wu would want them to know.
“Answer the question!” Kurai yelled, and Kai could feel the hands of the other two soldiers tightening.
“I—I... I was recruited!” he blurted. That seemed to get their attention. “Master Wu... needed me to... to...” he felt the Skulkens stare at him intensely, and he knew that if he didn’t speak up soon... “He needed me to help get the... Sword of Fire.” After a quick glance around the room, he added, “Because of my... Kero...mine?”
Kurai’s frown deepened, but he looked more lost in thought than angry. Again, Kai let out a silent sigh.
“Now, since you brought up your Keromine, where exactly did you get it from?” Kurai asked, coming in front of him and leaning in closely.
Now Kai knew he was doomed. If their confrontation with the king was any indication, the Skulkens apparently didn’t believe that people could be born with elemental powers. How was he supposed to answer? After a moment of trying to come up with a convincing lie, he finally just admitted that he knew nothing about how these powers worked, and Kurai would undoubtedly see right through him.
“I...” he started and prepared for the worst. “I was born with it.”
Kurai's stare was icier than the Frozen Wastelands. He grabbed Kai by his shirt and growled, “Humans don’t have elemental powers."
“Well, maybe you don’t know everything about humans?” Kai asked, regretting the words the moment hey left his big mouth.
“King Samukai has lived for thousands of years! He knows all! Including your kind. King Samukai has said that what you speak of is impossible!”
Kai closed his eyes and prayed for deliverance. “Therefore, you are lying.” Kurai looked extremely frustrated, and Kai suddenly wondered if he’d had this conversation with Cole and Jay. “I will give you one last chance, mortal. From where did you steal this power?”
There was no way out now. “I promise, I’m telling the truth! Apparently I was born with it!”
“Apparently?!” Kurai repeated.
“Well—I didn’t know I had powers until Master Wu showed up!”
“And you expect me to believe that?!”
Suddenly, Kai was being pulled back. He barely had time to breathe before he was submerged. His head hit the hard bottom, and water filled his nose and ears. He wanted to scream, and he tried to get back up to the surface, but then the soldiers just pushed down harder. His chest was hurting and the more he panicked, the worse it got. Just when he thought he couldn’t bare the suffocation any longer, they jerked him up and he gulped down a massive breath of air, along with a few sputtering coughs. He couldn’t see anything with the water and his hair in his eyes, and he barely heard Kurai’s next question.
“Don’t lie to me, human. Tell me where your powers came from! The Sword of Fire? Some other ancient relic? Black magic? The Corridor of Elders? Speak!”
“I swear, I don’t know! Please, you have to believe me!” Kai cried, shakier than ever.
Then it was back into the ice cold darkness.
“No, please!”
* * *
Kai was barely still awake when his two Skulken escorts dragged him out of the torture chamber soaking wet. Mostly, he was just happy to be breathing steadily again. He felt so tired, and his throat felt like sandpaper from all the screaming and coughing.... and then there was the water dripping all over him, making him shiver in the cold of the Underworld.
Nya was waiting for him back in the cell, and caught him before he collapsed in a wet heap.
“What did they do to you?” she asked, laying him down next her.
Kai was too tired, and his voice was too thrashed, to form anything even close to a response.
“Probably some tamer form of water boarding...” Ann said from somewhere across the room.
The last thing Kai heard after that was the sound of Keaton begging the guards not to take her, Ann’s strong voice piercing the silence, metal clanging, and then the cell door closing. He wondered if Keaton knew a lot more secrets than the rest of them, given that she was working directly with Wu, and he prayed that they wouldn’t hurt her too badly. But if they did, he hoped she would have the strength to resist.
He faded in and out of consciousness, at times caught between dreams and reality, never quite knowing which was which. Sometimes, when the dreams settled, and darkness was all that he could see, it suddenly began to grow thick and cold and wet, and he couldn’t breathe, and he needed air. Then his body would jolt, and he regained a bit of conscious thought. He would feel the dry air, the warmth of his sister, and breathe deeply through his nose. Then he would return to sleep, hoping that this time he might stay asleep.
* * *
Kai began to fall deeper and deeper under the water, darkness took over, the cold seeped into his skin, his lungs cried out in agony, and he jolted awake again. This time, however, he stayed awake.
The cell was quiet, and everyone was accounted for, although they all had some form of injury. Keaton looked badly bruised, and her left arm hung at an odd angle. Zane had several burns and what looked like dents in his skin. Ann and Nya were both barefoot and also had burn marks all over their bodies, and Ann was hard at work trying to sooth the many wounds around her, including her own.
Kai wasn’t dripping anymore, but he was still very damp. That, combined with the chilly air, left his teeth chattering, but when he lit some flames to keep warm, half of everyone in the room flinched, so he kept it to a minimum.
“So this is where it ends?” asked Kai, his voice still very hoarse. “We’re just gonna sit here... in pain... moping?”
“Well, what did you expect? A perfect adventure? With a neat, happy ending, tied up with a ribbon?” Ann said sarcastically.
“Ann, please. Just stop,” said Jay quietly. She looked at him and softened a bit, turning back toward her corner. “We don’t need another reminder that we’re...”
“Doomed, I think is the word you’re looking for,” Cole said, leaning forward a bit. He sighed loudly. “How did everything go so wrong?”
“Well, let’s see, we managed to jump headfirst into the heart of enemy territory with no plan whatsoever,” Jay summarised, revitalising what was left of his humour.
“That about sums it up,” said Zane solemnly.
Kai looked around the room again. No. This wasn’t right. This isn’t how he was going down.
“I’m not gonna roll over and accept this,” he said, and everyone looked up at him. “I refuse. I don’t care if I die, at least I’ll die fighting instead of drooling on the floor.” He slowly got up on his shaky legs and looked around at his comrades. “We literally went from the frozen tip of the world to the inside of a volcano. We are elemental masters, for crying out loud! Why are we just sitting around?”
“We’re outmatched, Kai,” Zane said, standing up. “We can’t win this one.” He walked over and was about to lay a hand on Kai’s shoulder, but Kai slapped it away.
“You don‘t know that,” he retaliated. “All we need is a plan.”
“What did you have in mind?” Nya asked, joining him.
Kai nervously glanced over his shoulder at the guards outside. “All right, huddle up,” he said, urging everyone into the furthest corner of the cell. Surprisingly, no one resisted, but hardly any of them looked very hopeful.
“Okay, so we need an objective. If we’re already here, we might as well go big and go for the Golden Weapons,” said Kai.
“And how are we supposed to find them? We didn’t exactly bringing a Gold Weapon detector,” Cole pointed out.
“All we need to do is find out where the weapons are being held,” Kai explained.
“They would have to be in the most secure place in the Underworld,” Ann said, looking a little intrigued. “And possibly very near Garmadon.”
“And this place is like a maze! We’ll never find them,” Cole pointed out.
“Maybe we will,” Kai countered. Now he had everybody’s attention. “You know how, when you held the weapon, it felt like it had thoughts?” He paused and waited for Jay, Cole, and Zane to nod, which they did, except for Zane who seemed a little confused. “And could you hear those thoughts from a distance?” Again, they nodded. “So all we need to do is find this... call, or whatever, the weapons are sending out and follow it.”
“That could work,” said Zane, a little unsure.
“But, uh, I think you all are missing one very important detail,” Jay piped up. “The weapons are out there,” he gestured beyond the cell bars, “and we’re in here.”
“Jay, come on, we have a guy who can literally hurl boulders. I don’t think the bars should be much trouble,” but as Kai said it, he looked over to Cole who didn’t seem all that thrilled about the idea. “What?”
Cole shifted uncomfortably. “Well, you see, there doesn’t seem to be any earth in this place. I have no idea what any of this stuff is made out of.”
“So?”
“So, I’m used to just controlling the earth around me. I’ve never actually created any before. I don’t even know if I can,” Cole said
“Minor detail,” Kai shrugged. “We can figure it out.”
“Okay, well, how do we get to the weapons without getting caught again?” Jay asked, looking extremely unenthused about the idea.
“How about we actually be ninjas for a change?” said Kai with a grin.
The seven of them continued to talk about their plan for a few more minutes until one of the guards looked over and saw the, huddled together.
“Hey!” he shouted. “Are you whelps scheming? King Samukai demands no scheming! Stop at once!”
The ninja looked up at him, then looked at each other, smiled, and kept on talking.
“Are you IGNORING ME!?” the guard shrieked. “Stop this AT. ONCE! By order of... me!” He stuck his head through the bars and when the ninja kept on ignoring him, he opened the door and marched inside.
“Chopov, no!” said the other guard. “Wait for me!”
Once the two of them were inside, all the ninja leapt upon them and they were knocked unconscious in a matter of seconds. Ann stripped them of their armour while Jay and Nya gathered some black and white sludge from around the cell.
“I don’t know what this is, but I’m gonna pretend it’s not something gross,” Nya squealed as she began to smear it all over Zane’s face to make him look more like a Skulkin. He and Cole were chosen to wear the disguises because they had the biggest builds, similar to the real skeleton soldiers, and after their makeshift makeup was applied, Ann helped them into the armour.
“This is a great plan,” Kai remarked.
“But what about Chopov and the other guy?” Keaton asked. Everyone turned to look at the two guards asleep on the floor.
“Here, I’ve got an idea,” said Jay as he approached them. He took a bunch of mud from the walls and floor and smothered their bones with it to make them look like they had actual bodies, then found some grass-like stuff, slapped it over their heads, and called it good. “Tada!” he exclaimed when he was done.
“....I’m confused, what exactly are they?” Nya asked.
“Wha—they’re Cole and Zane,” Jay explained.
“Oh!”
“I can kinda see it.”
“I guess that makes sense.”
“My hair doesn’t look like that.”
“Guys. Let’s go, we’re wasting time,” Ann pointed out.
“Uh, right! Right.. let’s go!” said Cole and he puffed out his chest and began to lead the way.
Now that they had the guards’ keys, they were also able to remove Cole and Zane’s chains, but the plan was to make it look like they were escorting the others as prisoners, so unfortunately Ann, Keaton, Nya, Jay, and Kai all still had their chains firmly attached. They locked the cell behind them and started down the hallway—down the other direction for a change—and everyone felt some relief wash over them. And then the panic returned the moment they had to pass by other Skulkins.
“Keep your heads down,” Ann muttered to the others. “And Keaton, stay close to me. Don’t move your arm too much.”
Cole was in the lead while Zane brought up the rear, making it look like they had the “prisoners” right where they wanted them. None of the other soldiers seemed to be suspicious, and walked right passed them, but that didn’t stop Kai from sneaking a peak around every once in a while. Each Skulkin they passed seemed to be looking at them, inspecting them, judging them. How long would it be before they realised that Zane and Cole were only in disguises?
“Hey, Chopov!” One Skulkin squeaked at Cole as he passed by. “Where are you taking these low-lives? Someplace horrible, right?”
Cole seemed to panic for a minute, and then tried to do his best impersonation of Chopov as he could. “Uh—yes! Super scary but definitely non-lethal!” he cried in a weird, raspy voice. “But still bad enough to make these mortals wet their tiny pants!”
Kai looked up and frowned. Okay maybe this was a bad idea... he thought.
“Ha! Tiny pants! Good one, Chopov!” the other Skelton laughed, and then carried on. “See you at the resurrection ritual!”
“Yeah, see you... at that thing!” Cole replied, and then hurriedly tried to move on.
“Oh, and Chopov, be on the look out. Apparently there’s another intruder on the loose!”
Cole nodded. “Will do!”
“Dude, worst impersonation ever,” Jay whispered.
“Give me a break, I was never very good at improv,” Cole countered. “And stop talking! You’re a prisoner of war, not a talk show host.”
“Both of you, shut! Remember what we’re trying to do,” Ann hissed. “Can you hear the... ‘call?’”
Kai closed his eyes and tried to listen very carefully, but all he heard was the clinking armour and chains. He tried to be more in touch with his element. He began to warm his skin (mostly because he was cold) and tried to... he wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, but it felt right, so he trusted his instincts.
“I’m here” he seemed to be saying, and waited for any kind of response. Perhaps they were too far away?
...k...kai...
Kai opened his eyes. Was that it? He didn’t want to lose it, so he closed his eyes again.
...Kai....uren....gregar....ig....grrrr.....
It sounded like complete gibberish, but it was the same gibberish that had come from the sword, so he followed it.
“Guys, turn left, down this hallway,” said Kai after a while.
“Are you sure?” Ann asked.
“I... I think I hear something, too,” said Cole, and they turned left.
This was the faintest they’d ever heard the voices, but even though they were in some other language and terribly quiet, it seemed to be laying out a path for them to follow.
They turned left, they turned right, went over bridges, big open spaces, tiny, dark tunnels, and finally they came to a tunnel so dark that even Kai’s fire didn’t reach very far.
“Wait,” Kai said suddenly. He listened again for the voice.
Uren gregarigrr, orgarni ogkurg un GROCK!
The voice was so loud now, and he could feel its presence so acutely that he was sure it was only a few feet away.
Suddenly, a warm yellow light appeared in front of them, in the long shape... of a sword. Followed by a familiar, old voice.
“What in the name of The First Spinjitsu Master are you doing here!”
good thing I found chapter 20 and 22 on fanfiction.net.... great story!! :-)