*the 2 days later*

Nya's POV

"Ugh!" I groan, slamming my fist against the counter next to the computer we hooked the machine up to. Today, we finished the machine, so we hooked it up to the computer to try to get into PIXAL's system. Instead of working, we keep getting an error message on the computer. "We've been troubleshooting for an hour, and everything we did did absolutely nothing."

"According to my scan, we built the machine void of errors. It is unknown to me what could be wrong," Zane says. I clench my jaw, glaring at the machine.

"What if I..." Jay places his hand on the machine and sends a small electrical current through the machine in case it doesn't have enough energy. Nothing happens. "Darn."

"We've tried everything. This dumb machine won't work," I rage, clearly exasperated.

"We can't just not use it. I mean yeah, there are other options, lots of other options, but not all will work. Besides, this one is the safest by far. What if we... no.... what about...nope not that either," Jay paces back and forth behind me.

"If this attempt is futile, there are always other avenues we ca..." Zane starts.

"No, we've worked so hard on this. We can't give up now," I say, examining the machine even more.

"My ma always said that the best way to work was on a full stomach," Jay says,"and I'm absolutely starving. We should eat some food and come back."

"I am not opposed."

"Nya?"

"I'm going to stay here," I tell him, determined. "I can figure it out."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Alright. Do you want me to bring you back something?" he asks softly.

"Something small, please. I'm not that hungry."

"Alright. I'll bring you something when I come back. Text me if you want anything specific," he places a chaste kiss on my cheek. Jay and Zane walk out, and I hear Jay's voice die down as they reach the kitchen.

With the newfound silence, not that I don't enjoy the sound of Jay's voice, I can focus more on the machine. I check the wiring for an obvious mistake, such as when I didn't line the wires up with the right adaptors when I first talked to Jay. There's no mistake. I try to flip switches on and off, but I keep getting the same error message.

When I'm about to crawl under the machine, I hear the door close from the adjacent room and some footsteps.

"I can't believe you just did that," Misako says, and I can envision her crossing her arms.

"I did not do anything wrong," Garmadon counters.

"You were pressuring him! It's his choice, not yours," at that, I know I should stop listening, but I can't help but pay even more attention.

"I'm also his older brother. I want to help him. He...he's in denial, as am I, but I know that we must..."

"You must do nothing," Misako tells him sternly. "You might be one of their Sensei's now, but Wu has been with these boys for years. He loves them like they're his own sons. When he's ready to tell them, he will."

"He'll never be ready to tell them. That's what I was trying to explain to him. He needs to do it soon. They deserve to know."

"Have you seen this place? Zane, Jay, and Nya are pulling their hair out at that machine. Lloyd and Cole come back everyday worn out and nearly fall asleep as soon as they hit their beds. Kai has been off with the enemy trying to persuade her to come to our side. The last thing any of them need is this."

"None of us want this, but they're nearly adults. They can handle it."

"They're children, Garmadon. Imagine how Lloyd will react."

"It's impossible to hide it. They'll find out eventually."

"That eventually should be no time soon."

"We don't have that time, you and I both know that," Garmadon says. A heavy silence fills the hallway.

"How does a master tell their students that they're dying?" Misako asks, and I feel the air escape my lungs. The abnormal absence of Wu, the random trips away from the Bounty, the odd behavior, all of it. Wu has been going to the doctor. He's dying.

The wrench I'm holding slips out of my hand and hits the ground hard. It startles me, making me jump. Suddenly, their voices stop. I go to pick up the wrench when Misako opens the door. She gives me a polite smile.

"Nya, I thought you were in the kitchen having lunch with the boys," she says, no suspicion in her voice at all.

"I couldn't. I know we're close to fixing this machine," I say, avoiding referencing the conversation I just overheard.

"You're a sweet girl, Nya. You care a lot," she tells me sincerely.

"Thank you."

"And if you ever need to talk to someone about something these boys won't understand," she gestures around us,"I'm here."

"Thank you. That means a lot."

"Are you sure you don't want lunch?"

"Jay is bringing me back something," I explain, making her nod.

"That's good. Well, I'll let you keep working. I hope you can figure it out."

She leaves the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts and this damn machine.

---

Cole's POV

"Remember, Mara has the police under her control. If they see us, they'll try to capture us," Lloyd tells me as we stand on top of the police station.

"Then why are we going in there, exactly?" I ask skeptically.

"We need the file on Ciara for when they get the machine up and running. We'll upload them to the machine and send them to PIXAL. She's logical, so she'll immediately switch with hard evidence," he explains. "Jay and Nya said that there's a room full of files in there. There's a box dedicated to Ciara. We need to find it and go. I was hoping you could carry it."

"Cause of my super strength?"

"Yeah," Lloyd says, smoothing out his police disguise. We couldn't get much in such short notice, but hopefully it'll help. It's less obvious that wearing our gi. "Now, let's go." Lloyd opens the vent that leads through the building, and the two of us hop in.

We slowly crawl through the vents. Lloyd can get through faster since he's smaller and more agile, while my shoulders feel trapped in this little metal cage. The two of us crawl for several minutes before exiting the vent into the bathroom. When the two of us exit the same stall, an officer just looks at us and shrugs before walking out.

Without any words, the two of us slip out of the bathroom, walking with our heads down to try to find the room. The police station is bustling on the top floor, with people pushing through each other to try to reach one of five different rooms. Apparently, the police force has divided into fifths, each one dedicated to catching one of us, not including Kai because he's technically in their custody.

Lloyd and I walk in the opposite direction and enter an empty elevator, clicking the third floor button. We wait for the elevator to ding before we enter the empty floor.

"Aren't we in luck?"

Lloyd and I start to search each room, looking for the boxes, but we're just met with interrogation rooms. There's more than I'd expect, all of them having similar white interiors with a table in the middle. As Lloyd and I are checking another room, I hear a familiar voice from outside of the room.

"Even longer? You've already pushed it off several days," Seliel says from the other hallway. I quickly close the door and pull Lloyd towards me.

"What was..." Lloyd starts, and I quickly place my finger over my lips to signal that he needs to be quiet.

"If it's been this long, and he still hasn't brought you to an elemental master, I think he's just trying to waste your time," Seliel tells whoever is on the phone with her. My attention is drawn to her conversation. "Skylor, you told me that Kai is showing you to other elementals several days ago, yet you still don't have any. I think you should come back. I can't stall Mother much longer."

My eyes widen. I thought they already had Kai in their possession at the palace because of how long he's been gone, but apparently, he's been doing something right. Either he's tricking Skylor or Skylor is lying to Seliel about what they're doing.

"Since you already have him all depowered with the vengestone, one of us could always come out and...no? Why not?" there's a pause in the conversation. "We have no leads. The only lead we have literally is Kai who we might be able to get information from. Things are so slow over here that Auntie sent me to the police station to monitor these guys. They have no brains I swear... alright, if you say so. Just be careful, please."

I close my eyes and hope she keeps talking. Hopefully, she'll give something away that will help us.

"How have you been holding up? I know last time we were in the realm, Kai had a...profound effect on you," Seliel asks, and I hear her lean up against the wall on the other side of us. "Yeah, I know how you feel, but you need to not cave in. It's tempting, very tempting, but we were told it would be before we went in. It was so much easier then though..." Seliel suddenly stops talking. "I told you about the cake thing, right?... yeah, he was standing there and I just, I couldn't even try to capture him. It just felt wrong, and then I had to lie to PIX and Chamille, and I felt so bad."

Lloyd looks at with a small smile on his face,"It's working," he mouths.

"I know, it was so much easier when we thought they were evil, but now that I know they're not evil, just misguided, it makes things so much harder. Plus, we don't know what'll happen when Mother gets her hands on them. Of course she can't kill them cause of their powers, but who's to say she won't torture them? It's just...it's hard...yeah, you should probably get back in the car. I need to get back to managing these imbeciles. I miss you, Sky. Stay safe."

Lloyd and I stay still as we hear footsteps retreat down the hall. Once we hear the elevator bing and close, the two of us leave the room quietly. Two doors down from the room we were hiding in, we reach the room with files. We search them systematically, so we don't have to backtrack, and when we find a large box with Ciara written in big, bold letters across the top, I know we've found it. We open it to check that it's the box we want, and it is.

With the box in my hands, we leave the room. Instead of going back into the crowded floor, we go into the bathroom on this empty floor and go through that vent instead. I pull it closed behind me, and the two of us crawl back up, helping each other up the steep parts, and reach where we came in from.

"We got it, we really got it," I smile.

"You're right, but we're not in the clear yet, though. We need to get through the city," he tells me, and I sigh, realizing he's right. Since the Bounty can't get too close to the city, Lloyd and I can't just hop onto it and leave. Instead, we took a shabby car from the Walker's scrap yard and let Jay touch it up. Now, it's our undercover vehicle that they have no idea we have.

The only downside is that since the streets are flooded with stone warriors, we have to park it in the large parking structure where people can easily see us. We've been wearing disguises, but eventually, someone will catch on.

The two of us head to the parking structure via rooftop. The city is scarily quiet, our footsteps being the only thing I can hear. It's clear that the stone warriors just swept this street.

The silence is disrupted from a yell in the distance. "Lloyd! Lloyd! Please Lloyd, please! Help!"

Lloyd stops cold in his tracks, causing me to nearly run into him. "Rumi?"

"Lloyd, we need to go," I urge him.

"I need to get her. She's in danger, Cole," he says and without a second thought, he takes off in a sprint towards the sound of her voice. Sighing, I follow him, the box still in my hands. As we run, her voice gets louder and louder, until we can look down and see her standing in an alleyway. Without a second thought, Lloyd finds his way down to her. I stay up her to make sure no one ambushes him.

"Rumi," Lloyd says, his voice cracking. When she sees him, she runs towards him, wrapping her arms firmly around him. She's a mess. Her hair is tangled, her white hair disheveled in her bun. From here, I can see some cuts and bruises, but nothing looks too major. Her dress is ripped in several places.

"Lloyd," she cries into his shoulder, gripping onto him tightly. He has one hand on her back and the other holding the back of her head comfortingly. "I-I..."

"Shhhh... I've been so worried about you. You weren't picking up, and I...I thought something bad happened to you," he kisses her forehead before resting his head on top of hers.

"When...when they took the palace, they killed both of my parents in front of me. They made me watch. They kept me alive as a last resort to get you to come. They tortured me. Their leader, Mara I think, she would randomly choke me with her powers for fun, and the purple haired one gave me this," she points to her black eye. "I was finally able to escape last night, and I've been searching the city for you. I knew I was loud, but I had to find you."

"You're safe now Rumi, you're safe now. Come on, we'll take you back to the Bounty and get you cleaned up."

A/N uh oh, Rumi with the ninja, that's not good. Also, Wu...that's tough

I've been obliterated with homework this week. I'm sorry that the update was slow, but hey, it was faster than the last one.

Also, I got inspiration for a new story, and I'm in love with it. It's primarily Jaya (so much that I might make it a Jaya story) but if I write it, it'll have other ships too. It's a cool concept.

Thoughts on the chapter?

Thank you guys so much you're awesome