***Well, here we are. Chapter 9 will be posted right after this - it just needs editing. Also, sorry for 2,500 words of Lloyd's POV and 800 words of Zane's, but that's just what my brain wanted to throw up LOL

As for the song selection: It's all I could think of, given that Lloyd does some reminiscing about his past. It's by no means a perfect fit. It's fun to listen to, though, and it sort of works. So I thought, "Why not?" LOL***

***(Lloyd's POV)***

"So here's what we know." I eye Zane and Cole. Kai, Jay, and Nya are all out doing wedding stuff, but they should be back any time now. At least, I hope they will be – we've got our first big villain in months.

"Nadakhan is somehow involved with this whole power plant conspiracy," I go on. "Nya confirmed it was him, right?"

Zane nods. "You are correct."

"Then I say we find Nadakhan," I declare.

Cole coughs. "Um, I don't think he's going to be so easy to locate, Lloyd. He's a teleporting genie."

"He is actually a Djinn," Zane corrects him.

Cole shrugs. "Whatever. The point is, he's difficult to track down."

"Maybe my mom knows something about Djinns that would be useful?" I suggest. "We could always ask her. She gets back from teaching her college history courses in another hour or so."

"I do have access to limited information regarding Djinns," Zane pipes up. "And perhaps PIXAL can fill in the gaps in my knowledge. I can call her, if you would like."

I nod. "That's good thinking, Zane. Go ahead and put her on the phone."

Zane smiles and does as I ask.

Seliel raises an eyebrow. "So...none of you are more than a little surprised to be dealing with a magical being from another realm?"

Cole and I look at each other.

"Not really," he replies.

"Yeah," I agree. "I mean, we've faced magical snakes and my dark lord of a father. A few months back, we had to deal with a gang intent on stealing elemental powers. Adding a Djinn to the mix isn't really a surprise."

"Huh," Seliel muses. "I just think it's weird that you all face so many crazy threats all the time. You guys must be used to it, though."

We hear a rattling noise outside, signifying that Kai has arrived. Kai owns a car that belongs in a junkyard – it's pretty banged up. Skylor's offered to buy him a new set of wheels, but he's kind of attached to his vehicle now. I think it reminds him of Nya's early high school years, so he doesn't want to let it go.

He really is like a parent to her.

The door opens, and Kai's voice fills the monastery hall. "Sorry we're late. I was pacifying Skylor after leaving her at the bakery for an hour."

"Yeah, but you left me with her!" Jay complains as he, Nya, and Kai walk into the living area. "You think it's good for anyone to be around Skylor alone right now? She's crazy! And people already inherently hate me for being annoying!"

Nya huffs. "Stop downing yourself, Jay. You're not inherently annoying." She takes a seat right between Cole and me – far away from Jay.

***Music Cue***

But surprisingly close to me, which is new. I'm usually Nya's last choice for...anything.

Seliel extends her good leg from her position on the couch, toeing Nya in the side. "How'd cake-tasting go?"

Cole gets a hopeful look on his face. "Did you bring back anything?"

"One bad attitude," Kai chuckles, pointing to Nya. She rolls her eyes at him.

I clear my throat. "Okay, back to business. We're all going to split into groups and find this Djinn."

"Cole's staying here," Seliel announces. "He's my cripple friend now."

"Pfft," Nya snorts.

"He just got a concussion." Seliel gingerly pats the front of his head, avoiding his bruise. "He deserves a night off, don't you think?"

"That gives us an uneven number of people," I sigh. "We'll have to do a group of three and a group of two."

"PIXAL, would you be interested in coming?" Zane asks over the phone.

I frown, looking to Nya. "How did PIXAL do on the mission last night?"

"Not bad, but then, she stayed outside trying to get the alarm system off. She never got to come inside and work with us, since the factory building collapsed."

I cough. "Yeah. The police may or may not have called us, questioning if we had any knowledge about that."

"Wasn't my fault," Nya is quick to say, holding up her hands in surrender.

I chuckle. Not that there's anything funny about literally collapsing a factory where so many people have jobs, but...Nya and I used to interact like this all the time.

I guess it's a rueful laugh.

"Anyway," I continue, "I told the police that I wasn't with you all on your mission last night and didn't have any information. You'll want to talk to them soon, though – remember that we're working together with them on our current case."

"Yeah." She looks to Cole. "You know, since you're the cripple who's staying back tonight, you should totally call the police and explain why you destroyed a factory building."

"You're probably right. I want to help out with the mission in some way." He darts a quick glance at Jay.

Jay, who didn't help out with last night's mission or the meeting with the police.

To be fair, I didn't go on last night's mission, either. I was so upset about my whole conversation with Harumi, I pulled a stupid and turned off my phone. I wanted to be left alone for a while, so I drove backroads.

I ended up stopping at a cliff overlooking the beach. When we dated last year, Harumi and I went there a lot.

In all honesty, it was someplace we could make out. Harumi's parents wouldn't have left me alone with her – they were always distrustful of teenaged guys. And it's not like I could bring Rumi back to the monastery, since no one on the team liked her.

It was probably better that she didn't learn all of our team secrets, anyway.

Kai coughs across from me. "Green leader? What do you have in mind for our mission tonight?"

'Green leader' was always Nya's name for me. Not anymore, though.

I sigh, snapping out of my thoughts. "Uh, Zane...are you sure it's the best idea for us to bring PIXAL on our mission? She's inexperienced."

"PIXAL knows all Zane's fighting moves," Cole puts in. "Apparently, he downloaded part of his brain to hers or something."

Zane coughs. "I did not 'download my brain to hers', in the sense that you mean. Mr. Borg – "

I cut him off. "Wait, wait, wait. You – brain – girl?" I guess Zane is okay with PIXAL seeing inside his head.

"That did not make sense, Lloyd," Zane frowns.

"None of this does," Kai sighs, reclining his arms behind his head and leaning back against the couch. "Can we cut to the chase here?"

"I just want to make sure PIXAL will be okay coming with us," I defend myself. "Hey, does Skylor want to come? She's been with us on missions before." And she's a pretty doggone good fighter.

Kai bites his lip in an unusual act of nervousness. "Skylor's got a lot on her plate right now, what with running her own business and our upcoming wedding. You really don't want to mess with her right now."

"He's right," Jay advocates. "I should know." He shoots Kai a look.

Kai shrugs. "You brought your own car, Jay. You could've just driven away."

"Hey, she's the reason I get to be your best man, apparently. I'm kind of indebted to her." He sighs. "I almost wish I wasn't anymore."

I shake my head. "That's enough, guys." Ah, the antics of this team. I don't know what I'd do without them.

"Who are our groups for the mission, Lloyd?" Zane inquires.

"I'm pairing up with Nya," Jay volunteers.

She levels him with a look. "Jay, you don't want to be paired with me right now."

"That's all I want." He shakes his head. "Nya, I have to protect you. I – "

"I don't need a protector," she scoffs. "I don't need anyone!"

"I'm going with you, whether you want me to or not," Jay insists.

She's about to argue, but I speak up. "Nya, how about you and Jay come with me, while PIXAL, Zane, and Kai pair up?" I have no problem being Nya's third wheel. I don't want Jay getting distracted and making this mission about Nya, when it's really about the people of Ninjago.

"Fine!" Jay huffs, glaring at me. "Just as long as I can keep her safe."

"I don't need a caretaker!" she growls.

"We know that, Nya," I pacify her. "Okay. Where do we find Nadakhan?"

"Ronin's?" Nya suggests. "Those two have done business before with the Sons of Garmadon."

"Good thought," I support her. "Where else?"

"The library would be an excellent location for research," Zane puts in.

"All right. Great thinking, guys – I say Zane's group heads for the library, while the rest of us go to Stiix and pay Ronin a visit."

"The library?" Kai groans.

"Suck it up, literature hater," Nya laughs. "All right, let's head out."

Nya, Jay, and I take the Earth Drill, while Zane and Kai take the Ultra Stealth Raider to pick up PIXAL.

The ride to Stiix is unusually quiet. With Jay around, we should at least have some happy background chatter, but I think he's sulking because Nya's mad at him.

We reach Stiix in around two and a half hours. By the time we arrive, the sun is beginning to set, and Ronin's shop says it's closed.

Nya, however, wiggles the doorknob to get inside. When it doesn't budge, she pounds on the door. "Ronin!" she yells.

Not a sound from inside.

She bangs on the door again. "Ronin, get your stupid butt – "

"I don't think that tactic's going to work, Nya," I laugh softly.

Jay pulls her out of the way. "Allow me." He grabs the doorknob and yanks, then yells at an unholy decibel, "Ronin!"

Nya crosses her arms and raises an eyebrow at him. "Well, if he didn't hear that, then he's gone deaf since we last saw each other."

The door bursts open, revealing a frustrated, unshaven face. "What the – why are you here?"

Nya pushes her way past Jay and inside Ronin's shop. "Ronin, what are you up to with Nadakhan?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," he says, following her inside. Jay's right behind her, and I'm the last to go in.

The shop is dark, lit only by the setting sun. Ronin stands with his hands on his hips as Nya riffles through the contents on his desk.

"You're not going to find what you're looking for there," he monotones.

"Then tell me!" she exclaims.

Jay places his hands on her shoulders, giving her a gentle rub. She melts at the touch, but pulls away from him.

"I was just trying to help," he says softly, hurt written all over his voice.

She shakes her head. "Thanks, Jay, but...we're not on a touchy-feely level." She coughs. "Okay, Ronin...we're bargaining here. I have a little money on me."

"A little money won't get you the information you want," Ronin deadpans.

"I brought a few of Wu's teas," I put in.

"No!" Nya says adamantly. "He sold those to the Sons of Garmadon last time, and he ended up using Reali-tea to knock me out!"

"He knocked you out?!" Jay exclaims.

"Yes, Jay. How else do you think the Sons of Garmadon captured us?" She rolls her eyes.

Jay steps in front of her protectively. "Ronin, you'd better tell us what you know, or – "

I place a hand on his arm. "Jay, let Nya handle this. She's better at bargaining than us."

Jay scowls at me. "You don't know the half of what Ronin's done to us, so butt out."

Nya presses her fingers to her temples. "Please, just shut up for a moment. I can't even think right now. Okay, Ronin, tell us what you know about Nadakhan's recent interest in electrical activity."

"I don't know anything."

"Yes, you do."

"How much are you paying?"

"Fifty."

He sputters. "No way."

"Look, this is a really important favor, okay?"

"I don't do favors."

I set a box of tea down on his desk. "Add this into the deal."

Nya rips it off the desk and chucks it at me. "Are you nuts? Wu's teas are, like, crazy powerful!"

"So is Nadakhan. He can teleport and...who knows what else." I set the tea back on the desk.

Ronin examines the box. "Not bad. I might be able to work with this." He chews his bottom lip. "All I can tell you is that Nadakhan's just a bounty hunter like me. Sure, he has plans for world domination – who doesn't these days? – but he's getting paid to help out in the crime you're investigating."

Jay slams a fist on Ronin's desk. "That's all you're giving us?"

I tap his shoulder. "Easy, buddy. It's – "

"We haven't been 'buddies' for a long time, Lloyd," he bites out. "Ronin, for once in your life, don't you feel bad about lying to us? Nya's talked about you before like a friend, and you come back to bite us every time."

"Jay, calm down," I order him. "You need to – "

He grabs Ronin's shirt collar. "No, Lloyd! He's the reason my birth mom died! His lies never seem to hurt him, but they sure as heck hurt everyone in the crossfire!"

I grab his elbows to pull him back. "Now's not the time to – "

He wrestles against me and...manages to break free.

Jay has gotten stronger since February.

He comes at Ronin again, but Nya grabs his elbow, tenderly stroking his hand. "Let him go, Jay. We still need Ronin for information."

"He barely told us anything!" he argues. However, he stops advancing to look down at her.

"He told us plenty. He told us it's not Nadakhan we're really looking for." She steps away from him and looks to Ronin. "You said he's just a bounty hunter?"

"Yeah, but not one like me. Nadakhan only works for one side – the anti-ninja side."

"You two seem to have a lot in common," Jay spits.

Ronin raises an eyebrow. "Eesh. A little bitter, don't you think?"

Jay grasps for words. "I – you – you killed my mom!" Lightning crackles at his fingertips as he aims right at Ronin. The bounty hunter barely ducks out of the way as Jay shoots a bolt of electricity right at the wall.

Nya grabs him by the shoulders. "No, Jay! I know you want revenge, but putting Ronin in the hospital is unethical and counterintuitive. You promised Master Wu you'd fight with honor if he trained you, and we might still need Ronin for information!"

He growls, trying to zap his target again, but Nya sprays him in the face with water. He stumbles backwards, coughing.

When he finally regains his breath, he cries, "You used your powers on me?! I thought you didn't do that to your friends!"

"And I thought you could listen to reason!" She grabs his hands. "Come on, Jay. You need to leave." She drags him outside.

I smile sheepishly at Ronin. "I think...I'd better go check on those two."

He raises his eyebrows. "That might be a good idea, kid. And tell Nya she still owes me money, and that I'll be holding her to that bargain we made."

"Sure." I rush out after my teammates, hoping they're not in the middle of some sparring match.

Nya's voice escalates from outside. "I know he hurt you, but you always told me that I shouldn't retaliate at people I was angry with. Remember how Harumi nailed me in the head with a lunch tray that one time? You dragged me away before I could take her on!"

"That's not the same thing! We were at school, and you could've gotten in trouble!"

"It is the same thing! We still need Ronin for information! And by the looks of it, you were going to do a lot more damage to him than I was going to do to Harumi!"

"He killed my mom! Does no one understand that?!"

"I do," Nya reassures him. "But that doesn't mean you have to kill him!"

"I wasn't going to kill Ronin."

I shove my way out the door. "You were going to put him in the hospital, that's for sure." I rub my forehead. "Jay, Nya and I have been talking..."

"What do you two have in common anymore?" He shoots Nya a betrayed look.

Nya looks to me, then to him. "Jay...I think maybe you need some time off the team. I mean, with the enemy we're facing, we're obviously going to be dealing with electricity, so this wouldn't be permanent or anything, but..." She swallows. "You're letting yourself get too emotional on missions."

"You let yourself get too emotional with the whole lunch tray thing!"

"True." She shakes her head. "But this is a cycle with you, Jay. On all our practice missions, and now with Ronin, you've surrendered yourself to your feelings no matter the cost. You need some time off. As I said, we'll call you in when it's important – your element could be key to defeating this threat – but a few weeks off would do you well."

"Nya, I – "

"Please." She gives his fingers a squeeze. "After finals tomorrow, I think you should move out of the monastery and go live with your parents for a few weeks. Maybe visit your birth dad – you've met him a few times."

"But Nya, I have to protect you!" he sniffles.

"I can take – "

"I know, I know! But you don't understand. I'm just so worried that you're going to get injured or worse, and I won't be there to stop it!"

"Maybe that's not your job, huh?" She elbows him. "I promise we'll call when we need your help, Jay."

"I..." He looks down at her, all argument in his expression fading to glumness.

That's when he turns to me, his eyes pained and angry. "This is all your fault."

***(Zane's POV)***

"How does the library look from your angle, Kai?" I ask.

"It looks like a bunch of stupid books," he sighs over his speaker phone.

We're currently observing the Ninjago City Library. The staff let us in after-hours as long as we promised to clean up whatever messes we made.

Given that one of our teammates destroyed a factory with his bare hands, I do not know that we can keep that promise.

"What about you, PIXAL?" I inquire. "Have you located any pertinent information?"

"I did manage to find something," she muses over the line. "Would you mind joining me in the library's conference room?"

"Of course, PIXAL. Kai, would you continue looking through the history section?"

"I'll continue looking at the back of my eyelids," he yawns. "Libraries are so boring."

"I do not understand why you don't – "

"Interesting," PIXAL muses. "Zane, I believe someone was looking at this book recently. Someone with – "

My phone beeps, and I look down.

The call must have dropped.

"Kai? Are you still there?" I ask.

"Yeah," he replies. "I think your girlfriend might've hung up, though."

"I believe you are correct. I shall attempt to call her again."

"Be my guest."

I dial PIXAL's number, but it goes to voicemail.

The human emotion of panic grips me, and I run the rest of the way to the conference room. Perhaps PIXAL's phone died? I am sure nothing vile could have happened while the library is closed. Kai, PIXAL, and I are the only ones here.

Yes, I'm confident she's fine.

The conference room's door opens with a creak, and I see the lights are switched off.

Odd.

"PIXAL?" I ask. "PIXAL, are you in here?"

No response.

"PIXAL?"

Something sparks in the corner, and I fumble along the wall for the light switch. "PIXAL?!"

The lights flicker, then come on.

And I see her in a heap in the corner.

"PIXAL!" I exclaim. I run for her, examining her face. "PIXAL, are you all right?"

But I already know the answer to that question, and it's a deafeningly silent 'no'.

We have to get back to Borg Industries.

***Someone can feel free to type "you monster" here. Poor PIXAL.

But you know, I said back in "Compatible" that eventually, Zane wouldn't be the only one who needed rescuing (I mean, seriously, the guy needed saving three or four different times LOL). I hate it when relationships are written like that - when one partner is always in danger, and the other one always has to come to the rescue. Plus, what happened to PIXAL fits better with the storyline than if it happened to Zane, so...yeah.

Anyway, your next chapter is angsty Jaya. A lot of this story is angsty Jaya XD***