"What about Alfie?"

What about Alfie?

What about Alfie?

What about Alfie?

"Nya? What about Alife?" Zane asked again, seeming not to notice her breaking. Jay however picked up on it, clasping her hand tightly.

"Nya? What's going on?" Nya's face stared ahead, her eyes as wide as saucers, as if she wasn't even with them anymore.

However, it was the case for Nya, not being able to respond, the name scaring her senseless.

"Nya?" Jay's voice rang out through her head, Nya wanting nothing but to respond and give him reassurance that she was okay. However, her mind was working against her, leaving her unable to respond or move.

Block the name out,

BLOCK THE NAME OUT!

Her mind suddenly came to, grabbing onto Jay and sobbing. Jay instinctively wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder. It took a few minutes, but Nya's cries turned into sniffles, and then into her laying her head on his shoulder, humming to herself.

"Nya darling," Jay interjected, "I am sorry to be of a bother, but is there any chance I can know what is going on?"

Nya looked back at Zane, almost asking him a question without asking. Zane gave her a nod.

Nya sighed, and dragged Jay to the grassy top where they were making out mere minutes ago, and sat them both down.

Hesitantly, Nya looked at Jay, before starting.

"This world, the world around us Jay. I am afraid that it is not real." This shook him, questioning her. He let out a small laugh, the ridiculousness of the situation amusing him, making him think it was a joke.

"Not real? Of course it is real, I mean look at the view of the city!" Looking over at the dense population, the buildings, and everything, admiring the world. The absolute real world. However, Nya didn't even smile back at him.

"It isn't a lie Jay. I am not lying. This world is not real. This world is a computer simulated digital universe simulating the world, the other people. Even you. However, the unique programming of the world is keeping you from figuring out the truth. Preventing you from asking the important questions about here."

"Which is?" Jay asked, hesitant. He wasn't fully convinced, but allowed Nya to explain. Nya took a sigh, then continued.

"I guess the best place to start, would be at the beginning..."

____________________

[Not long ago....]

Cradling Alfie, she sat in her and Jay's room of the Bounty, contemplating the past few days.

Nadakhan and the Pirates, eradicated.

The monastery, destroyed.

Jay. Her Jay. Gone.

There wasn't even enough of him to bury, only the tattered remains of his gi, and one badge.

His lightning badge. Somehow mostly intact. The one she chose for him, as well as the smiley face one.

Nya now wears the badge on her gi, ensuring that she keeps a bit of him with her at all times.

However, it still wasn't enough for her. She still wanted him back, she still wanted to feel his touch, hear his words, see him in all of his beauty. Now gone, stripped from her, never to come back.

Now, she spends most of her days in their room, hugging Alfie, ensuring that she doesn't let him out of her sight, not wanting to lose him too.

However, the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into a month, and the rest of the ninja were starting to worry about her. Concerned for her welfare.

Knocking on her door, Kai waited. A few seconds later, it opened, with Nya on the other side, in a dressing gown.

"Yes?" She asked with no patience. Kai hesitated.

"You have been locked in your room for ages. You need to come out!" He pleaded to her, practically on her knees, figurterly. Nya just let out a sigh.

"I'm not coming out Kai. I have to protect Alfie."

"Nya. This isn't healthy. You need to come out!" He complained. Nya just got angry.

"I said no Kai. N-O!" She slammed the door, leaving Kai slipping a bit, before regaining his composure, knocking on the door.

No answer.

He knocked again.

Still no answer.

Kai groaned.

"What will it take for us to get you out of that room!" He yelled, walking away, not expecting anything back.

"I just want Jay back!" She cried out, Kai could hear her crying but he knew Nya would kick him out the second he went in there.

However, the thought stuck in her mind.

She just wants Jay back...

Nya's 23rd birthday, and she was still in her room, taking care of three month old Alfie. The others kept bringing her food and drinks, for the both of them, but other than that, she didn't have much contact with the outside world. However, she did watch tv shows a lot, watching as the world moved on, while she still couldn't.

However, instead of getting the food like normal, she instead got a letter at her door. Picking it up, she opened it curiously having a look at the writing.

Nya

Meet us at the Samurai X cave.

We have a way for you to be with Jay.

-Kai

Looking at the letter again, trying to see if there was a typo in what she saw but... no. It was the exact words written.

Grabbing up Alfie, she opened the bedroom door, peering out of her cabin. Concluding it was safe, she made her way out onto the deck of the Bounty, taking the steps down to the console of the Samurai X cave. Although the monastery was destroyed, the cave stayed relatively in good shape.

At the desk, Nya saw Kai, Zane and Pixal. Kai immediately came over, hugging her. Nya leaned into it, also making sure that Alfie was not squished.

"It is glad that you are outside of the room Nya." Kai said, relieved. "I can take care of Alfie for a bit while you have a look at what we prepared you?" Nya hesitated, before handing Alfie to Kai, Kai cuddling him.

"Look how big you have grown!" Nya laughed, before guilt laced her. Kai noticed.

"Hey, it wasn't your fault. I don't blame you. Now, go see what they have to show you." Nya nodded, walking over to them, for once in a while smiling inside.

"What is it?" Nya said, hopefulness lacing her tongue. Zane and Pixal looked up from the computer, smiling at her.

"Hello Nya! Nice to see you! We have been setting up a AI version of Jay, programmed to be so realistic." Pixal enquired, setting a few keys up.

Zane however, walked over to her, bringing her to a different room in the cave, which was white in design, with a chair and a headset in the middle, and a computer at the side.

"This headset plugs directly into your brain, allowing you to enter the digiverse. Like how us four did to take out the overlord. However, this one is more stable, simulating a real world, and real people inside, including Jay." Zane explained, while Nya looked over the contraption.

"Have a test of it." Zane said, going to the computer to start it up, "Just remember that once you are in the world, you will have to think of leaving it to actually leave."

Nya sat down in the chair, letting Zane strap her in.

"Are you sure it is safe?" She questioned/

"Certainly. Are you ready?" She nodded her head.

"Alright, starting the machine now."

"Establishing Contact" she heard the machine say in a robotic voice, before a second speech sounded. "Establishment successful"

"Going in in 5"

"4"

"3"

"2---2222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222"

"11111111=*&£^"*$R"*_)(&"(("^$(!*&^"$&*"

Zero.

Opening her eyes. Nya looked around, expecting to see the room with Zane. Instead, she was in a hallway of a school. A high school to be exact.

The bell of the hour alerting her to the amount of students which were coming down the hallway. Looking down, she noticed how she looked younger, likely the same age as them, and wearing a leather jacket with a striped shirt on.

Ducking into a classroom, which had the words "WORKSHOP" planted on the door. She looked around, noticing a project that had her name on.

"Hey, I didn't know you were going to be here!"

Looking up slowly, she saw him. The person who she had lost not that long ago, and yet felt like forever.

Jay.

And that is how the story started. But not how it ended.

I was asked to stay on it only a few hours at a time, and for a few weeks that worked. With me coming off at a normal time. However, as the weeks went on, I stayed on longer and longer, staying with Jay, enjoying our time together, until one day, I just didn't take it off anymore.

And this is how we ended up here.

________________________

Jay hugged her tighter, while Nya just broke again, crying in his arms, while Jay contemplated the knowledge given to him. Zane, who had been standing nearby while Nya told the tale, decided to pop up with some more information.

"We have been monitoring your adventures together. Nya here has been a lot more daring, because she always knew that the world around her wasn't real. Nya may be daring, but she wouldn't jump off a crane just to make out in the air." Jay had to put it straight. It was unusual of her to do that, and thought she was crazy when she even pulled the stunt.

"Also, the perception of time wasn't straight with us, as the machine didn't let us see all of your days, due to the time here being much faster than our reality, we only caught four consecutive points in your timeline. One was inside the school canteen during lunchtime, one was on the crane, and the parachute ride, one was at the back of the school, in a forestry section while doing a PE day, and one was inside the cafe. We managed to get a few tiny snippets of your life, however those are the main points that we managed to contract from your time here."

The more Jay thought about the statements, the more that they made sense, and he had to realise that what he was being told, was true.

The world, a fake

The people he knew, a lie

Himself, nothing but a copy of the original, a fake. A digital render of a man once alive. A man who had a child with the girl he loved, who died a heroic death against a person who had tormented the both of them.

"You alright there Jay?" Zane sat down beside them putting his hand on his back. Jay shrugged, looking out to the city.

"How would one cope knowing that their entire existence is a lie." He said, his voice slightly cold.

"I have been there, and it wasn't fun. But I embraced it, instead of going mad. It's just something I had to get used to."

Nya's tears dried, hugging into Jay.

"How long have I been here Zane?" She asked.

Zane stopped, calculating.

"In this world, I would say around a year. Outside however, you have been gone for two months." She sat up, eyes widened.

"Two Months!?!? That cannot be right!" She argued. Zane shook his head.

"Alfie has been without me for two months?!?!" Zane gave a sad smile, nodding.

"He has been crying out for you. Every day. We try to help him as best as we can, but we cannot replace the need for the want to be with his mother..." Nya felt awful. As she was prancing around with a digital version of what she lost, she had neglected what she had gained in reality.

She was a horrible mother.

Before she had time to dwell on the fact, a radio started sparking nearby, edmitting noises.

"...Z....aNe....."

"...............Z.......4N3............."

"...C..aN.... Yoooooooooo............u-..... H34r me-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.......?"

Running over, Zane adjusted the frequency of the radio, adjusting the dials on it.

"Zane. Come in. Zane. Can you hear me?" Zane pulled out a microphone, and plugged it into the radio.

"We can hear you Pixal" He called out. The side went silent, before a noise came though again.

"I can hear you Zane. Have you found Nya yet?"

"I have, yes. How are the servers holding up?"

"Not good Zane. You have to hurry! The system is on the brink of overloading!" Jay perked up

"System? What is the System?" He questioned.

________________________

"The systems that this digiverse runs on!" Zane came through the screen, Pixal analysing the machine, Zane's body still limp beside her, while Nya's was still hooked up to the machine.

The machine was normally content, had been for ages, however due to Nya staying there, the machine had started to become unstable, unable to process everything inside the system.

"The system that this entire simulated world relies on Jay." She heard the screen talk again, Zane explaining the system. However, she got up, running over to the systems and attempting to cool it once again, however, all it did was slow the effects.

Pressing on the microphone button, she talked to them. "Sorry to interrupt, but Nya, you have to come out. The machine won't be able to handle it all."

_____________________

Nya looked down at the ground, taking the whole situation at hand, then looked around the world that she had made her home over the last year, remembering the versions of Kai, Zane, Lloyd, Cole, and finally Jay, who she had gotten accustomed to, and didn't want to leave behind.

She remembered all the places that they had gone together.

"Something on your mind?" Jay asked, trying to stare out to the same place she was.

"Just thinking... I realise you can see the crane from our adventure over here." Pointing at it, she marveled in the adventures they had. Giving a small chuckle, her voice saddened.

"An entire year of being here, and yet I have missed out a lot in reality."

Jay just pulled her closer, admiring the stars.

"You know, I may just be a projection of another, but I am still here for you"

Nya sighed, leaning in slightly. However, there was one question on her mind, staring out, admiring the beauty of this version of Ninjago City.

"So... what happens now?"