Bluebird

The Casbah

Benny was surprised to learn that Ken and Lenny had stopped to speak with Metalbeard before even coming to see him in the hospital. They had negotiated their escape with the pirate captain, it seemed. Apparently they had taken quite a liking to him, and decided Benny would be safest with him. Benny wasn't too terribly offended by their overprotectiveness; he was rather coming to like the pirate himself.

Metalbeard's crew, on the other hand, were a different story. They weren't quite sure what to make of this arrangement. Word of his distaste for Master Builders had spread like wildfire through the crew, but then, he'd also saved their lives and displayed traits specific to Master Builders... They didn't know how to take that.

Benny wasn't really sure how to take himself, either. Between his newfound Master Builder skills and the revelation of his apparent immortality, it was a lot to wrap his head around. At least he could not think about the immortality thing for now; it would be a while before that started to affect him.

And he had Ken and Lenny with him, too, and Metalbeard seemed to be on his side. They couldn't go back to the hideout they had been using before; Bad Cop had done a real number on it, shortly after they'd left, apparently taking out his frustration on the Master Builders hiding there. It had been a massive stroke of luck that they'd left when they did.

"Guys, I really don't see why you're all so scared of him. I mean, what's so scary about him? I took out eight of his transports in like, six minutes. Piece of cake."

"Luck," Shifty snorted. "He was prepared for us; he wasn't prepared for you. But you can bet he'll have a plan in place for the next time he comes across you."

"You haven't really seen him in action," Mollie added. "I heard he actually fought a Master Builder, back when he was still on the normal police force in Bricksburg. Took him on in hand to hand combat and actually managed to cuff him! They couldn't hold him, of course- once those cuffs were off, there was nothing to stop him from escaping- but the fact that he even made the arrest in the first place is... It's incredible."

Benny frowned. "I'm actually supposed to believe this guy was able to take on a Master Builder in unarmed combat? I know how strong you guys are."

"He's got a terrifying temper too, very short fuse. Doesn't hesitate to cause mass destruction when he's pissed about something. That hideout in Ninjago? Not the first one he's demolished in one of his tantrums."

Benny glanced at his friends for confirmation. Ken shrugged. "That's what all the reports have said. It's gone."

"So where are we going, then?"

"Not to Pirate's Cove, I hope," Ken said, giving the captain a look.

"Nay, lad, I know he be searchin' for us there." Ken relaxed, glad they were on the same page.

"Think he'd think to look for us in Bricksburg?" Benny snickered.

"Hidin' right under Bad Cop's nose?" Metalbeard stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Tis a bold idea, lad, and it may work- for a short time."

"A short time is all we'll need to figure something else out."

It had taken a lot of work to hide the Sea Cow where she wouldn't be discovered, and then a painstaking trek across the city-realm to a safehouse in the 'bad' part of town. The three astronauts and Metalbeard's crew had changed their usual attire to better blend in as citizens of the city, but it had taken some improvisation to help Metalbeard. The astronauts had rigged up some 'proper' prosthetics for him, to hide his peg leg and hook, and the eyepatch and metal beard had to come off. He'd grumbled quite a bit about losing his namesake, for however brief a time. Benny couldn't stop giggling.

"Is it really that bad...?" the captain asked him.

"It's not bad, it's just-" Benny snorted. "I got so used to seeing you with it, you don't really look like you. It's weird."

"That's the point," Lenny said patiently. "As tall as he is, he stands out too much already. The more unrecognizable he is, the better." He nudged himself up off the ground to better reach, and tied Metalbeard's dreadlocks back. "I'm afraid this is going to have to come out too," he said, reaching for the large, brightly-colored feather at the captain's temple, and gasped when a hand clamped tightly around his wrist.

"Hey!" Ken protested. "What the hell?! It's just a feather, let him go!" Benny had simply frozen in shock.

"Don't ye touch that," Metalbeard snarled, tightening his grip. Lenny flinched, but kept his cool.

"Alright, I won't touch it," he soothed, and sighed in relief when the tight grip relented.

"Would you mind explaining what that was all about?" Ken growled, reaching for Lenny. The other astronaut snuggled close, rubbing at his wrist.

"Tis me own business."

"Fair enough," Lenny agreed, trying to keep the peace. "It's still going to have to come out though, it's too big an identifier." Metalbeard stared him down for a bit, then sighed and reached up to take it off. It got tucked inside his jacket pocket instead, close to his heart.

"All that fuss about a damn feather," Ken grumbled.

"It might be a cultural thing, Ken. At any rate, it obviously holds significant meaning for him. Leave him be."

Calm restored once more, they made their way through the city. There was a handful of other Master Builders there when they arrived. They looked like they'd been there for a while. "Hey, this is our hideout! Go find your own!"

"We won't be here long," Benny explained. "Just until we can find another place to lay low for a while."

Which... wasn't as easy as they'd hoped. Benny had suggested the Old West, which got nixed immediately. Metalbeard couldn't handle the thought of being so far from the ocean, surrounded by nothing but desert. Cape Space was Master Builder friendly, but likely to be as thoroughly combed as Pirate's Cove for the foreseeable future.

"Dino Island?"

"How about Middle Zealand?"

"Viking's Landing?"

"Pharaoh's Quest?"

"The Outlands," Benny tossed out as a joke. That got a round of horrified gasps, and he cackled.

"Ye might as well be askin' us to hide in the Forest," Metalbeard grumbled.

"Which probably wouldn't actually be a bad idea, it's the last place he'd look for us. If he ever did." He only got a round of disapproving stares. "Well come on you guys, we gotta figure out someplace," Benny huffed in response.

"Alright, alright..." The captain gave a long-suffering sigh. "Dino Island it be, then."