CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR — DEALING WITH SNAKES
darkness shall rise — part two

"We have to hope you're right, Iris" — kai smith

SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED AT THE BANK; IRIS HAD HEARD IT FROM THE BORG BUILDING WHERE SHE WAS TAKING HER BREAK WITH LLOYD AND HAD BEGUN HIS TRAINING. But, of course, fate intervened and brought the Green Ninja's training to an early finish. Both cousins were annoyed at their lesson having been cut short as they knew Iris had to go and check it out. So, with the rest of her break, Iris decided to figure out what had happened. After all, it was Cole's place of work.

Lloyd returned back to their apartment as Iris made her way towards the bank. And she didn't need to be told what had happened: someone, or something, had robbed it.

As she approached the scene, she spotted Cole, Kai and Zane huddled together and then made a beeline for them. But where was Jay? Perhaps he was on the other side of the city and did not hear the commotion, Iris theorised. 

"Hey, boys." Smiled Iris as she announced her arrival.

They nodded in acknowledgement before Cole said. "Let's go. They're getting away."

Kai glanced around at their surroundings and then asked. "Which way did they go?" Iris too cast her eyes over the many ways the thieves could have run off in. So, she hoped Cole had some sort of lead.

"I overheard them saying something about taking the subway." Recalled the earth ninja.

"Nice catch, Cole."

Zane glanced between Cole and Iris and nodded his head at their words. "Good call, let's go!"

The four ninja turned away from the bank and started to run towards the subway. Iris felt herself move ahead of the ninja, sprinting in front of them. After all, without their golden weapons they lacked their elemental abilities — which she still had. So, it was up to her to protect her boys.

They were quickly a fair distance from the bank so they called out. "Ninja, go!" And as they spun their small tornados, they pulled their masks down over their heads and readied themselves for any fight that would come their way,

But as they disappeared into the city, Cole turned to the others and frowned beneath the fabric. "Has anyone seen Jay?"

They all shook their heads. Iris then replied. "I just thought he was still at work, that he didn't hear about what happened at the bank."

Kai sighed as they neared the subway entrance. "We have to hope you're right, Iris."

Unfortunately for Jay, she was wrong. But things were about to get better for the lightning ninja as the others were on their way.

THE FOUR NINJA DROPPED DOWN INTO THE SUBWAY AND AS THEY PEERED DOWN THE TUNNEL FROM ABOVE, THEY SPOTTED AN INCOMING ROW OF SUBWAY CARS HEADING FOR THEM. The quartet a knowing nod. Then, as the array of subway cars began to race past beneath them, the four ninja leapt down and landed on the metal roofs. Iris almost slipped as she landed rather awkwardly, but she quickly regained her balance and steadied herself.

Iris and the others dropped down onto their stomachs upon the subway car's roof to make it easier to stay on. Then they started to make their way to any sort of entrance to the car. Although Iris could most definitely teleport inside — despite it being a moving vehicle — she did not want to burst in without backup. The ninja had to do it together.

Cole groaned in annoyance and then questioned. "Isn't there an easier way to get inside?"

"Not without a ticket." Remarked Kai. Iris just rolled her eyes at him.

But before anyone could reply to the hothead of the team, something burst up through the roofing and grabbed Kai. Then, he was yanked through and out of sight. 

Iris blinked in shock as she stared at the open hole where Kai once was. In front of her, Zane said. "I believe Kai just found it."

They all peered down the burst-open metal, preparing to make their attack. Cole glanced between Zane and Iris and then the hole which Kai disappeared through. "Nindroids and ladies first."

"Oh, you're such a gentleman." 

Zane was the first to leap down the hole and then Iris was quick to follow. She landed at his side as Cole then too joined them inside the subway car. He had landed on Zane's back, the Nindroid holding his weight with ease. And then they all turned down the car to see Kai being held by the Serpentine generals themselves.

"Let me go, snake." He demanded as he tried to wriggle himself free.

The Constrictai turned when he saw the ninja trio's arrival. "Welcome to the part—"

He was cut off as Kai elbowed the snake in the face which distracted the general long enough for him to attempt to escape. It didn't work.

Then the Venomari general slithered towards them and raised his staff up and outwards in their direction. "Care for a drink?" Iris knew what that meant and took a step back as the Venomari shot a spray of its venom directly at them.

Cole ducked out of the way so the attack directly hit Zane. They were blasted back by the impact with the Nindroid toppling on top of the earth ninja. Iris just stumbled, being knocked by them as they fell. But, fortunately, she managed to remain on her feet. 

As he pushed himself up, Zane spared a glance at Iris. And beneath him, Cole apologised. "Sorry about that."

But, of course, Zane was polite on the matter. "That's quite all right. Venom can't hurt—" He was cut off as the Fangpyre general swung his staff across Zane's face. Iris winced and felt a protective anger rise inside her as she watched Zane let out a small noise of pain. "But that stings a little."

Iris formed an ball of energy in her palm and flung it at the serpent. He was thrown backwards slightly but managed to retain his balance. Now that made her anger grow.

Zane took the next strike. "Let me have this dance, snake." He seized the Serpentine by the waist and threw him down the carriage. 

"One down, two to go."

But then the Fangpyre general got up and hit back against the ninja in front of him. Cole staggered backwards, heading closer to Kai and the other snakes as the red general fought against him. The Venomari made a beeline for Iris and Zane. After exchanging a look and a nod, the ice and space ninja raised their hands and prepared for a fight.

"These Serpentine are harder to defeat without our weapons." Kai groaned from within the Constrictai's tight grip.

The balance had certainly shifted between the ninja and their adversaries. Without the elemental weapons of Spinjitzu, they were now put at a disadvantage against skilled Serpentine generals. Iris wasn't sure what they could do to re-balance the scales (pun intended).

Cole grunted in pain as he battled the general advancing towards him. "Keep fighting." He told them just as Iris kicked the Venomari general in the back. "We won't let these fools get away with this."

With a powerful punch, the Fangpyre general was sent hurtling against the carriage. The window smashed behind their heads, the glass falling into the tunnel. It seemed Cole was gaining the upper hand in his fight.

"Get away?" Chuckled one of the two Fangpyre heads with a menacing tone. "We aren't trying to get away." Oh no, when an enemy wasn't trying to get away from them, that meant they had bigger plans. And that wasn't good. "We're just trying to distract you long enough so Scales can kidnap Lloyd."

No, they couldn't. Iris felt her heart race inside her chest as fear started to rise within. She could not let them get her cousin. He was hers to protect. 

But, he was alone. She had told him to go back to the apartment. She had left him.

The other red head turned towards Cole as they slithered towards him. "We could care less about the money." He scoffed through his fangs. "We just wanted the boy. Who's the fool now?"

Evil laughter filled the subway carriage. But despite that, Iris couldn't help but smirk.

"The fool is still you!" She sneered. The snakes then turned to her, perplexed. "You forget, Generals. You're dealing with the Master of Space. And I will save my cousin."

The boys cheered around her as Iris stood strong. She focused all her energy on one thing — one person. Then, with a yellow puff of smoke, Iris Wu left the carriage and was whisked off across Ninjago City.

IRIS MANAGED TO MAKE IT TO THE NINJA'S NEW APARTMENT. She appeared in the living room in another puff of smoke to find Lloyd sat on the sofa playing video games. He immediately dropped the controller when he saw her arrival. After all, he knew she would not have made an entrance like that unless things were serious.

A breathless pant escaped her lips, having grown tired from the large jump she had just accomplished. Lloyd got to his feet to approach his cousin with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright, Iris?"

"We—We have to go, Lloyd." She told him as she grabbed him by the green sleeve and tried to pull him towards the exit. "Scales is coming." 

"Too late."

His voice made Iris turn to discover he was right. Standing on a window cleaner rig was Scales. And he was staring right at them.

The Serpentine knocked against the glass, almost asking as if he could enter. So, Iris pushed Lloyd behind her slowly backed away towards the door. She kept her eyes glued to Scales, alert for any sudden movements. Lloyd peered over her shoulder, staring in fear at the snake that once helped keep him prisoner.

"Hello, little boy." Scales said with a devilish grin.

Iris would not let Scales harm Lloyd ever again. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him ever again.

They reached the door, but as Lloyd pressed the buttons to open it, the door remained locked. Panic surged up inside the cousins as their way out was blocked. Iris couldn't teleport with someone else yet. So, she couldn't get Lloyd out of there.

She knew she would have to fight off Scales until that stupid high-tech door unlocked. Hopefully, it would be soon. Because, she wasn't sure how long she could hold out on her own after her energy being depleted from the jump.

"I know!" Cried Lloyd as he tugged on the handle. But the lock seemed to reiterate that was in indeed locked. "I want it open!"

From the time they had taken to try to get the door open, Scales had used his staff to cut open a hole in the glass. A hole big enough for him to get in. Now Iris had a snake to fend off.

"Stay behind me, Lloyd." She told him as she grabbed her katana from the side and brandished it out in front of them both.

"What do you want with me?" Inquired a fearful Lloyd.

Scales slithered towards them and Iris pushed Lloyd as far back as possible as he made his advance. "You seem to be the only thing your Father cares about." So, they didn't know about Loralyn? Good. They had to keep it that way. "But with you as my hostage, he'll have no other choice but to let me lead the Serpentine!" He exclaimed.

A fierce look appeared on Iris' face as she glared down the snake. "You'll have to go through me before you get to him."

"I like the challenge." Smirked Scales. "Let's train."

 Iris raised her katana and was about to bring it down for an attack when her Father's voice echoed through the door. "Hello? What's going on in there?"

"Help!" Cried Lloyd.

Iris did not take her eyes off Scales as she shouted. "Father! We could use some assistance!" 

With that signal, Sensei Wu and Nya burst through the door. They instantly launched themselves at Scales, pushing him back and away from Iris and Lloyd. Now, it was three against one. Even Scales seemed to realise the odds were against him. 

Lloyd was placed safely behind the trio as they began to push the Serpentine general back. They worked together, exchanging turns to strike a blow until Scales was defeated. Once he was down, Lloyd was safe and that was what mattered the most. 

The fate of Ninjago rested on the young shoulders of her cousin. They couldn't let any harm come to him.

Defeated, Scales remained where he was as Nya tied up the Serpentine so that he would not escape. Iris knew the others were most likely still in the subway and were probably worried about Lloyd, and her. They would have to swap stories when they returned.

"We need to lock this snake up." Nya told them.

Sensei Wu nodded in agreement. "Yes, I believe we do, Nya." He glanced around at the people in the room. "And I believe I know where."

THEY DROPPED SCALES OFF AT THE LOCAL PRISON WHERE HE COULDN'T GET INTO ANY TROUBLE. Iris knew the ninja would most likely be on their way back by the time they returned to the apartment building. So, she prepared what she was going to tell them about what had just occurred.

The quartet returned up the lift to the apartment which was now safe from Serpentine attacks. They would have to be more careful now. Honestly, Iris wasn't sure how they found out where they lived. But it now meant the apartment wasn't safe.

As the lift opened up to their floor, they could hear the voices of the ninja echoing through the walls. Thank her Grandfather they were alright, Iris sighed in relied. She didn't like the fact she had to leave them alone — especially without their golden weapons — but Lloyd was the priority. She knew they understood that.

They slowed when they heard Cole's voice from within the apartment. "Losing Lloyd is by far our greatest loss."

"But it could be your greatest lesson." Iris' Father remarked as they all stepped foot into the apartment.

"Lloyd!"

The ninja all dashed towards the young boy clad in green with beaming smiles of relief on their faces. They were just so glad to see him well. Iris just smiled contently as she watched her boys. She was very proud of them.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Zane glancing at her too in relief. A small blush formed on her lips and she turned away. 

"You're okay."

Lloyd sighed. "I wasn't going to be," He then glanced up at his cousin and his Uncle. "until Iris, Nya and Sensei shows up at the last moment."

An exasperate Nya threw up her arms as she looked at the boys. "I go away for a day and everything falls apart." She then moved to gaze at her best friend. "It would've been worse if you didn't have Iris."

As the red ninja stepped forwards, he explained. "I guess you could say we learned we don't need all the fancy stuff, we just need each other." 

A proud smile crossed Iris's face at his words. They were certainly very wise. "Well said, Kai." She nodded in approval.

"You want us to help you clean up?"

Kai just smiled. "Well, we are a team." 

Sensei Wu glanced back at the Samurai. "Nya, I think it's time for another road trip." 

An idea passed through Iris's head and by the look on Cole's face, he was devising a plan also. "Wait." Iris spoke up, gaining their attention. "I believe I have a better idea."

THEY LEARNT ON THE WAY TO IRIS'S IDEA THAT THE ONE COLE HAD WAS TO RETURN TO THE TERRIBLE ONE-ROOM APARTMENT THEY HAD SEEN BEFORE. Fortunately for them all, Iris had a better idea. The other ninja collectively decided to quit their jobs, but Iris did not. With the money they had previously saved (including the money they would have used to pay for a place before the jobs) and Iris's salary, she managed to acquire a decent place for them to live. 

It was a two bedroom apartment — one bedroom for the boys and the other for Iris and Nya — which had a decent sized living room and a separate kitchen and bathroom. Her Father already insisted he would sleep in the living room, which Iris didn't object to. This apartment was certainly not as luxurious as the one they had first stayed in, but it was miles better than the one they would have had to resort to.

Sure, Iris would be away from the ninja. But Cyrus was generous with her hours and she could teleport away at a moment's notice if there was any trouble. It was the smartest play that she was the one to keep her job. And her job paid much better than any of the ninja's temporary occupations.

They were all in love with their new place. And were grateful to Iris that they still had some sort of comfort.

"We wouldn't have this place without you, Iris." 

The other ninja nodded in agreement. "Yeah, thank you."

Iris just smiled at her ninja. "You're welcome. Just remember: just because my boss is understanding with this whole ninja thing, it doesn't mean you can ask me to come out all the time." She informed them and the boys showed looks of understanding. "I do have to work so we can stay here."

"Thank you, Iris." Her Father said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "This place is wonderful."

"Yeah." Agreed Jay as he put down the box he had been carrying in. "I really didn't want to go back to that one place Patty Keys showed us." He shivered at the thought. "And it's great that we get to stay in Ninjago City for a little whole."

Zane then turned to his brothers and said. "And now, without the distractions, we can put all of our energy into training Lloyd."

"Who's there?"

They all turned to see Lloyd, carrying a box so big he couldn't see over it. Iris just chuckled before going over to relieve her cousin of the large box. It was very heavy so Iris was impressed Lloyd had done so well on his own.

"I know the Serpentine Generals got away," Kai sighed with disappointment. Then he glanced to Iris and her Father. "but you never told us — whatever happened to Scales?"

The two Wu's glanced at each other with matching smirks of triumph on their faces.

"Oh, he found a home too, but it's not quite as roomy as here."

With Scales imprisoned, the Generals were a snake down. But from what Scales said, they still had something to fear because it seemed her Uncle had taken control of the Serpentine armies. Now that could spell catastrophe. They just had to hope her Uncle didn't cause too much trouble before Lloyd was ready.

Because all of Ninjago would depend on him.

END OF SEASON 2 EPISODE 1!!! We've officially begun act two!

Not quite sure on this chapter tbh. I do love Iris and her boys so much but I came back to writing this after a hiatus so not quite back into the Ninjago-mode yet. Will be soon though. 

So excited for what's to come!!! Don't forget to check out my writer wife's (dorkiest_nerd) story 'People Breaking' which will make a proper appearance mid season two! Katie is amazing and so is her story, so go check it out!!!

Thank you for reading!!!

Sincerely Rosie aka Winter326