Roots of Earth ~ A Ninjago Fanfiction

Chapter 92: True Brothers

Lloyd, Nya, Jay, Cole, and Liana were gathered atop a rocky hill that overlooked the dark quarry. It was there when they heard the commotion: people yelling, cats growling. There was a clash of metal against metal, and human voices began to scream.

Jay's eyes quirked above his half-mask. He turned to Lloyd. "That sounds like our cue."

Lloyd groaned, "Great. This wasn't the plan! It was supposed to be a stealth mission! First Zane and Little Leaf find a way to let us inside, then we'd—!"

"We don't have time to whine about the plan!" Cole exclaimed beside him. "We have to find a way to get inside!"

"But how?" Lloyd demanded. "There are still guards running around outside! If they slow us down, we could be too late!"

"We'd also be too late if we do nothing but stand up here arguing about what we should do!" Nya snapped.

"Oh, so you have an idea?" Cole retorted.

"No, but—!" she sputtered.

Jay broke in. "There're some skylights there!" He pointed to the rooftop of the largest warehouse; sure enough, when the other ninja peered through the darkness, they could make out a few pale, square shapes standing out against the black silhouette.

Before anyone could say anything, Jay leapt off of the cliffside with a loud whoop; a bright blue Airjitzu vortex appeared around him and lifted him into the sky. "Ninjaaa, go!"

Cole and Nya looked to Lloyd, who gave them a nod. Lloyd and Nya summoned their Airjitzu vortexes at the same time with echoing cries of "Ninjaaa—GO!" Meanwhile Cole took Liana's hand and asked her, "Ready?"

Without a word, Liana let him heft her into his arms. Hoping her weight wouldn't imbalance him, Cole ran off the ground and flew into the air behind his teammates; he and Liana were quickly enveloped in his dark gold and amber-colored Airjitzu vortex and thrust into the night sky.

Startled growls erupted below the ninja as they flew; several Moon Tribe warriors had caught sight of the flying figures and were gaping up at them in astonishment. Within seconds the ninja landed safely atop the roof of the warehouse—Jay first, jumping lightly to his feet. Lloyd and Nya were close behind with Cole and Liana bringing up the rear.

As Cole landed he stumbled, and Liana fell loose from his grip. She fell, and for a couple of horrifying seconds, she began to slide down the slanted roof. A small cry broke from her as she scrabbled desperately at the stone tiles.

Cole whirled around and snatched her by the wrists. He grunted as he heaved her back up and helped her to her feet. "You OK?"

Liana gasped for breath, looking shaken, but nodded. "Yeah."

Jay was already at the closest skylight. He spent a moment searching for the latch, then yanked the window open. When he did, he paused. "Hey." He looked up at his friends, eyebrows quirking. "Why didn't we just go this way in the first place?"

There was an uncomfortable silence.

Lloyd flushed beneath his mask. "Does it really matter at this point?"

Jay shrugged. As one, they all shouted "Ninjaaa-GO!" as they leapt through the skylight and Spinjitzued down into the building, even Liana. They landed together on the floor and looked around them.

It was chaos. Workers were scrambling like panicked ants in a crowded ant hill, screaming and shouting. Enormous cats were all running toward one direction, snarling loudly. The dim lighting added by flames of fire from the forges and boilers added to the confusion, making the scene hard to see. The ninja found themselves on a platform that allowed them to see the most of the dark, disorienting scene.