It has been days since Scott had saved Kai and the other survivors, and yet Kai was still skeptical about fully trusting him. Since then, Dareth and the others woke up and ate something. They were all getting their strength back up little by little. Nelson was the first one to latch onto Scott because of how much he reminded him of Vinny when they first met. Scott had an interesting personality, to say the least… As already stated, he was very similar to how Vinny used to be. The boy had amnesia, so he couldn’t remember anything before the shockwave. All he knew is that he woke up in the basement of a house on what looked like a private island. He woke up next to a busted arcade machine, and that was it. He lived off of whatever was in the house, but when there was nothing left, he used a boat to make it back to the mainland. Or at least, he claimed that. There was no way to tell if he was telling the truth or not, but his story seemed to check out. Another odd thing about him is that he acted like a kid from the 80s. He even said ‘radical’ at one point. Weird… but whatever. It was morning now, and Dareth’s eyes slowly fluttered open. He looked down at Nelson, who was cuddling with him, and smiled. The man slowly inched away from the child and quietly left the room; making sure not to wake him. Dareth dusted himself off as he walked out of the base entrance and looked around at the landscape. A fresh snow had fallen overnight, and the air was cold and brisk. The morning sunlight reflected off the freshly fallen snow, making it shine. Dareth took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to ignore the scary thoughts in his head. He closed his eyes and tried to let the chilling, fresh air calm him down. But the moment of peace was cut short by a blast of energy shot the ground by his feet. The brown ninja jumped back in fear as he frantically looked around for the source of the attack. Suddenly, a figure appeared out of nowhere and tackled him to the snow-covered ground. Dareth looked up at the blaster that was being held to his forehead in terror. He tries to be brave for everyone most of the time, but now he was shaking like a leaf. The figure pulled down his mask as his breath puffed through the cold air like smoke. “Who are you?” He growled.

Dareth swallowed hard. “I... um… D- Dareth.”

The man got off of him and glared. Just then Kai tackled HIM down. However, the attack only lasted a moment before they both recognized each other.

“Ronin?!”

“KAI?!?!!!”

The ninja jumped off the thief. “Kid! I’m so glad I found you! I went to the city and overheard some thugs saying they had killed you all, and knew they had to be lying! I came to look for you guys, and I was getting worried there for a moment. But I found ya! So, where are the others?”

Kai’s heart sank DEEP DOWN. Oh, First Spinjitzu Master…. He promised to protect Jay when last they talked, but now he was DEAD! How the hell was Kai supposed to explain to Ronin that the person he had saved and deeply cared for- someone he INTRUSTED TO HIM- was killed because of his dumb mistake?! That’s NOT an easy thing to do. But he knew he had to answer the question. Say something, ANYTHING! So, he took a deep breath and did just that. “Ronin… Th- those thugs weren’t exactly lying. They DID kill us. Well, everyone except for me and Nya. I’m so sorry… but……” Kai was so choked up that he couldn’t finish the sentence. What he could tell though, is that Ronin was NOT happy about this news. And rightfully so. If you spent years of your life caring and nourishing an injured bird you found- then you finally get the courage to let someone hold it, but they accidentally MURDER it… you would probably be pretty livid too. Dareth watched as Ronin tackled and pinned Kai to the ground. “You- WHAT?!”

“It- it wasn’t my fault, I swear it! It w- was the Time Twins and Harumi! They’re the ones who killed them! I tried to fight them and keep Jay safe, but I nearly died too. I tried SO HARD!!! I’m so sorry!...” Ronin’s scowl slowly dissolved as he watched Kai burst into tears in front of him. He looked like he was regretting every choice he had ever made in that very moment. The man let Kai go with a sorrowful sigh. Then, he turned to catch a glimpse of Nelson, who was peeking out from the base entrance. The thief paused as they made eye contact. Nelson was small, his hair was an absolute mess, he was skinny, and looked scared by him. Without much thought, he walked over and knelt down to get to his eye level. Nelson recoiled when Ronin reached out his hand, but noticed Kai nod, meaning that he wasn’t a threat. So, he let him get closer. Nelson heavily reminded Ronin of himself when he was younger. He had been severely abused by his father, and at age 9, he ran away. He lived on the streets for a while, and that time was torture. Seeing how disheveled and malnourished Nelson looked from living in the apocalypse for all this time, reminded him of that; and it broke his heart.

“No one deserves to suffer in this hell. That’s why I saved Jay.” Started Ronin as he turned to the fire ninja. “He was too young to die; and certainly not in pain like how he was. I saved him because I saw a glimmer of fight still in his eyes. The same fight that kept me alive when I was young. He might be gone, but I suppose that shouldn’t change how I swore to fight on.” Dareth walked over to Ronin and Nelson, bringing the child in for a hug. Kai nodded as he and Ronin grabbed each other’s hands as a sign of respect and agreement.
“All right then,” Kai started. “Welcome to the resistance.” The group stared at the fallen city in the distance with a look of bravery.

************

2 weeks later, Jay and the other ninja were hanging out in the front yard of the island, on the temples entrance steps. They looked out over the ocean, watching fish jump out of the water. The lightning ninja sighed. “Well, at least the fish are happy. I doubt they realized anything has changed. Must be nice.”

Zane looked up to the sky. “Indeed. I understand that it’s been such a long time, but I still wake up sometimes and hope that this was all a dream.”

“I miss the way it used to be too, but what’s done is done, and we can’t fix that. We just have to accept that we failed. And I know it’s kind of boring just being trapped on this island, but the evil that’s out there isn’t something we can handle. We stay here to stay alive.” Reminded Lloyd. He was trying to be a responsible leader, but he had to admit that he missed the world before the apocalypse. Zane turned to the others.

“I suppose Lloyd is correct. If staying here means staying safe, then I will gladly do so. I am a nindroid, so I fear what will happen if I were to die. I am not sure if I will be able to join you in the Departed Realm when my time comes. That is a thought that constantly scares me.”

Cole smiled at him. “Nindroid or not, you definitely have a soul. And I guarantee that I will personally beat up whoever is running the place if it means you get let in with us.”

The titanium ninja chuckled nervously. “Um... thank you Cole. That is most appreciated.”

Just then, a large beam of light shot up into the sky in the distance. It looked absolutely massive, and it broke through the entire cloud layer, creating a hole in the cloudy sky. Then the light faded away. Lloyd looked across the ocean to the spot it came from. “Ninjago City…” He whispered.

The team jumped to their feet. “The Time Twins! They must be up to something terrible!” Called Cole.

Jay let out an irritated groan. “EVERY TIME!!! We really can’t have nice things, can we? Is this what a dog that keeps be returning to the shelter feels like? You think ya finally found a home to be safe at, and just as you get comfortable- BAM! Back on death row…”

“Well, that was certainly an interesting analogy.” Commented Zane. “So Lloyd? You’re the leader; what is your call?”

The green ninja stared intently in the distance, then turned to his friends. “Well, what was it we took an oath for? Protecting the city and lands beyond? What do say we fulfill that purpose?”

The ninja all looked at each other and then back at Lloyd. “As iron sharpens iron-…” Stated Cole as he put his hand out for the group to do the same. The others placed their hands on top each other’s and nodded. “Brother sharpens brother.” The rest finished. They all turned to the direction of the city with a fire of determination in their eyes. Especially Jay.

“For our family.”

    *******************************

Moments ago at Scott’s base-

The loudest explosion that Kai or Nya had ever heard broke out from the direction of the city. Nya panicked as she ran out ahead of her brother and saw an enormous pillar of light shooting up from the city. The other survivors joined her and gawked up at it. “What the hell is that?!” cursed Ronin.
Nya growled. “The Time Twins! What are they up to?!”

“Whatever it is, it’s not a good thing.” Sighed Scott. He was sitting on the roof of the hideout already, looking out towards the city. He was in a pretty chill pose for what just happened. He gazed down at the group as Kai stood in front of them like he was about to give the most inspirational speech ever. “We gotta go see what they’re up to.”

“What?! Do you WANT to get shot the heart with a buckshot?!” Questioned Gayle. Though the image that gave her was graphic, Nya admitted that she had a point. The red ninja looked up at Scott who was still laying kicked back on the roof. “We’re sneaking into the city. And you’re coming with us.”
Scott looked down like Kai was talking crazy. “EXCUSE me?! I’m not a ninja!”

“No, but you ARE technically a member of the SOG. You don’t need to sneak around if they already know you.”

The boy glared down at him. “An honorary member! And only because that Harumi chick saved my life! I don’t just waltz into their territory for fun, hotshot. I happen to cherish my intact organs, thank you very much.”
Nelson, who to be honest, had been waiting his entire life for this moment, ran to Kai’s side ecstatically. He pulled his purple ninja mask over his face and posed next to Kai with pride. Dareth rolled his eyes and smiled. “Fine. I guess it’d be dangerous to let you two go alone, so the all-mighty brown ninja shall accompany you.” After that, Nya and Ronin agreed to tag along as well. Gayle sighed as she walked inside.

Nelson ran to the door and called in to her. “Aw, come on Gayle!... PLEASE… We need you on the team!”
Just then, she came rushing out in a clearly homemade ninja uniform. It was the same shade of pink as her old reporter jacket, and she looked infinitely proud of herself for making it. Nelson’s eyes filled with stars as he witnessed her costume. He jumped up and down and exclaimed how amazing he thought her outfit was. She of course, very much enjoyed the praise and admission. That left one more person. The group looked up at Scott with determination, except Nelson, who gave him puppy eyes. Whichever one of the looks it was that broke him, nobody knew- but he gave in and reluctantly agreed to join them. A little while later, they arrived at the city. They hid in the shadows while they watched carefully for any suspicious activity. Well, to be honest, when a place is run by an apocalyptic biker gang, all activities are technically suspicious. The group hid on the roof of a building looking down at a few SOG members acting like the savages they were. Nya groaned. “Is it just me, or does this place smell even worse than it did before?”

“Well, if we're being honest, there ARE thousands of dead bodies buried in that old parking lot only a block down.” Pointed out Dareth.

“I think she meant to imply that the SOG members haven't taken in a shower and over 4 years, and are stinking up the place.” Corrected Gayle.

“Guys, focus!” whisper yelled Kai. “We’re here to find out what made that light!” Nelson repeated Kai’s statement back to them with a smug grin. He was clearly trying to be a teachers pet in this situation. Just then, they all heard a ruckus coming from the street below. The group of 4 thugs had gotten into a fight about something, and were now beating the living crud out of each other. Kai instinctively grabbed everyone and pulled them back away from the ledge in fear of being spotted. A motorcycle could be heard speeding toward their direction, and when it got right near the fight zone, the violent shouts stopped. It was instead replaced by psychotic laughter. A familiar laugh… Ultra Violet. They all slowly peaked back over the edge to find Ultra Violet had rammed into them with her motorcycle, and they were all knocked unconscious on the ground. Mr. E and Killow pulled up next to her, with the nindroid telling her that she had serious problems, but he liked it. Killow agreed with a full belly laugh, then said something that caught Kai and Nya’s attention.

“Come on you guys, in only 2 hours, the quiet one will meet with us and FINALLY tell us the plan!”

Kai perked up with intrigue. “The plan?! I knew it! I knew there was something really big and awful going on here!”

Nelson looked up at his hero with a determined expression. “We gotta infiltrate that meeting and find out what’s going on!”

The fire ninja nodded. “Right. But if we want to pull this off, we need to be ready for anything, got that?” The group all agreed to the proposal.

“Well, they said 2 hours- I think we should use that extra time to get back to base and gather a few more weapons and stuff. Ya know, be ready for anything?” Ronin recommended. Everyone agreed that Ronin had a point, so they snuck away and headed back to the hideout. As they approached, Gayle noticed something in the sky. “Um… Guys-… What is THAT?!”

The others turned their eyes to the sky and all reacted in shock. A few colorful, glowing dots in the distance. Coming closer. Kai shooed everyone inside as they approached. He stood near the entrance, fists ablaze, ready to rain hell on whatever the potential threat was. Just then, the green dot flickered and went out. All the other dots swooped down to the ground like they were trying to catch something. But soon, all the dots disappeared. Kai ran towards the crash sight to investigate. He ran through the sandy snow for a while until he found a bit of a drop off, and heard something. Something that sounded like- talking. He slowly looked down into the crater and completely froze.
Cole dusted himself off as he helped his brothers up. “I am SO SORRY guys!” Apologized Lloyd. “There’s a reason we don’t use our dragons anymore. Whatever's going on with our powers is majorly affecting them too.”

“Case and point- they all disappear while we’re still riding them 80 plus feet in the air…” Jay said in a tone that mixed sarcasm with irritation. Zane asked if everyone was alright and they reassured him that they were fine. Lloyd looked out of the crater. “All right. So, the plan is to get to the city and…..” He trailed off as he and Kai made eye contact. The ninja were all completely frozen and at a loss for words. The silence lasted for a moment more, before Kai finally managed to squeeze a few words out.
“G- guys, look… I know the mission I’m about to go on is practically suicide, but do you think you can wait a little longer to drag me into the afterlife with you?”

Zane tilted his head in confusion. “I… do not understand. We are not apparitions; we are all alive. But- you…”

The red ninja slid down into the crater and slowly walked towards what he was sure was the ghosts of his friends. “No. That- that’s not possible. I saw-.. I mean, I- all of you-…”

“Died?” Cole said softly. “Dude, you’re the one that the house fell on! If anything, you’re the one whose a ghost!”

The green ninja inspected his friend with a sorrowful look. “Kai… you don’t look so good. You look like you’ve lost a lot of weight.”

“Yeah, well, what can I say? It’s the apocalypse. What do you want from me?” the red ninja ran to his friends with tears streaming down his face and they all went in for a big group hug. The emotional reunion lasted for a while as they all expressed how happy they were to see each other again. They both explained their side of the story, and the realization immediately hit Kai. “Oh, First Spinjitzu Master! The others! Come on guys! I’ll explain on the way, but the Time Twins are up to something awful!” The reunited group raced through the snowy landscape towards Scott’s secret base. When they arrived, the reunion between Jay and Nya was even more emotional than the time a few months prior. And the ninja were introduced to Scott and mourned Clutch. Ronin joyfully tackled Jay in a hug, which was rather out of character, but his emotions took over, and he seemed to regret nothing.
"I missed you kiddo!"

Jay chuckled sort of uncomfortably. "Yeah, I missed you too."

Scott, Dareth, Gayle, Nelson, Ronin, and Kai explained what they had overheard in the city, then explained their plan. The ninja all seemed to agree that there was definitely something fishy going on, and of course, they all decided to help.

Soon, the time came that the supposed meeting was going to take place, and the group was all there on a roof, waiting for any sign of it. It was only a few minutes until Mr. E, Ultra Violet, and Killow pulled up on one of the only empty streets. They hopped off their bikes and started theorizing what the plan was going to be. Not too long after, someone else joined them. Harumi and Vinny. Nelson looked on with tears in his eyes. “Oh, Vinny…” He winced at the sight of his former brother in the Time Twin uniform, and even sporting green face paint to look more like them. It hurt to look at. Vinny and Harumi stood next to each other as equals. The white-haired girl finally spoke up.

“I understand that you’ve been waiting to hear the plan for a while now, and I’m here to happily inform you that we’re aloud to tell you.”

The ninja all leaned in closer with anticipation.

“Acronix and Krux have a wonderful surprise for you all, and they figured it would be best to show you than let us try to explain it.” Vinny said as he motioned to Borg Tower at the end of the street behind them. A loud rumble began to erupt from the ground, creating a mini earthquake. The ninja and their friends all held onto the building for dear life, while trying not to yell and blow their cover. They watched as something giant burst through the ground in a cloud of dust. Jay’s heart sank as the dust began to clear. “Is the- that-?!”

The giant thing pulled itself out of the hole completely and began walking towards them. The humongous thing looked all too familiar...
It’s horns, and claws, and terrible glowing red eyes!!!

It was a robotic Doom!

Killow, Ultra Violet, and even Mr. E looked up at in in fear. Vinny smirked at them like an evil master mind that wasn’t inches away from being crushed by a robot demon.
“I proudly introduce… IRON DOOM!!”

“With this- we can go back in time to before Doom destroyed our world! Using this, we can destroy the real Doom. Everybody will be so grateful, they’ll have no choice but to crown us HEROES! And eventually-... their leaders!!!” Harumi laughed like a super villain at the end of the sentence.

Vinny joined in. “The best part is, no one will be able to stop us!”

The ninja all looked at each other with terror in their eyes. They couldn’t let them get away with this!

Ultra Violet snickered. “Oh! So THAT’S why you kidnapped that Cyrus Borg guy! They made him build this!”

The quiet one nodded. “And don’t worry about him interfering. Krux already disposed of him.”

Nya gasped in disbelief. 'NO!'

THEY KILLED CYRUS BORG?!?!! Oh, that was IT! The Time Twins are SO going to get it now!
Kai gave Lloyd the ‘I’m going to do it’ look. The green ninja tensed up and shook his head ‘NO’ violently, but Kai was already standing up in a fiery aura. “I’m done hiding. It’s time to stand up and fight like we should have done in the first place.”

Scott took a step back. “Dude, if you give away our cover, then we’re ALL going down. Don’t you DARE do it!” He whisper yelled.

“Kai, the plan was to find out what they were up to and possibly stop them; I understand that. But that was before we knew they had THAT!” Zane reasoned. Or, at least tried to.

Kai wasn’t having it. He jumped off the roof and used his katakana to zip-line down the power line that connected the two sides of the street. He jumped at just the right moment, and landed with a clang on top of Iron Doom’s head. The villains all turned to see him standing there. Their expressions were a mix of stunned and maximum irritation. The ninja looked down at them all in a angry fiery aura, then pointed at them with his sword.

“This. Ends. NOW.” He growled.

-----------------‐--------------------

Author's note:

It looks like things are about to get serious, huh?
How did you like this chapter?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

Next time is certainly gonna make you feel something. That's all I'm going say.