Unintentional

Chapter 16: Coming and Going

"BADAR!" Gaia screamed. "WHERE IS THE BROWN NINJA?" The former goddess stormed down the stairs, almost slamming into the wall as she jumped onto a landing. She banged on one of the three doors, screaming as she pounded furiously on the wood. Badar stumbled out of the small room and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 

"Yes?" he said in an annoyed voice. "If you aren't careful, you're gonna knock my room off the tree." Indeed, the treehouse-like room was shaking ominously, threatening to drop two hundred feet to the cold hard ground. 

"WHERE IS THE BROWN NINJA? HE WAS HERE LAST NIGHT! WHAT DID YOU DO WITH HIM?"Gaia was too mad to admonish Badar for his rude tone. 

"I didn't do anything to him!" the man cried. "He probably escaped. I don't think he could've gotten very far, though. That guy looks like he hasn't hit the gym in a decade." 

"FIND HIM!" Gaia shrieked. She was breathing heavily and there was sweat trickling down her face. Her beautiful brown hair was a mess; some strands were stuck to her face while others branched off her head like Medusa's hair. 

"Okay, okay." Badar ran his fingers through his black hair, trying to look more presentable than his master. He scrambled down the stairs as Gaia stared daggers at him. After spiraling down for more than a minute, Badar had a realization. He looked up at Gaia, a smile spreading on his face.

"I think the ninja took him," Badar called. "They must've brought him to their monastery, to make sure he didn't say anything."

"How would the ninja know he was a god when he himself didn't?" Gaia yelled, leaning over the rail to look at her second-in-command. 

"He obviously isn't the sharpest knife the in drawer," Badar replied. "He doesn't pick up on a lot of important things. Then again, neither do you." Badar whispered the last part, a scowl replacing his smile.  

"Well then, change of plans," Gaia called, oblivious to Badar's frustration. "I'm going to the monastery to get him back. You stay here and make sure no one else tries to foil my plans." 

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"Get in!" Skylor shouted. She swerved at the last second, barely missing the cherry blossom tree standing next to Pixal. The nindroid hopped in next to Skylor, buckling her seatbelt as the master of amber took her foot off the brakes. 

"Gayle, Vinny, Dareth, you there?" Skylor asked as she turned onto another street, going triple the speed limit.

"We're here," Vinny said through Pixal's communication device. "Right above you." Pixal looked up. Sure enough, an NGTV news helicopter roared above the city, flying unsteadily. 

"See anything suspicious?" Pixal asked.

"No, not yet."

"Wu, how are you doing?" Pixal asked, turning to her second device.

"It's all good," he replied. Everyone had been astonished when Wu volunteered to pilot the second helicopter. It was unclear to them how and when he learned to fly, but time was of the essence, and no one asked any questions. 

Well, no one said anything to Wu because they were too busy bombarding Dareth with questions. Much to everyone's surprise, the "brown ninja" had revealed that he could fly a helicopter. Skylor didn't believe it for a second. She claimed Dareth couldn't ride a bike, let alone pilot a helicopter. But he'd insisted, and Pixal had told the master of amber to drop it. 

Skylor glanced up, raising her eyebrows. She leaned towards Pixal, who turned off her mic.

"Did you know he could fly so well?" Skylor whispered.

"No," Pixal admitted. "Maybe his karate skills are his only flaw." Skylor smirked and sped past a red light.

It was a great day to drive through Ninjago. The sky was clear and the air was warm. People bustled around in t-shirts and dresses, talking as though they didn't have a care in the world. The soft breeze heightened the summery sensation, and for some reason, Pixal loved the feeling of Skylor's ponytail flapping against her shoulder. 

Ninjago City emitted an energy that Skylor and Pixal would never be able to describe. It felt like home. Being city girls, they knew the joy of waking up to the honking of cars and chatter of people. Not everyone was suited for the city life, but they were. 

Skylor had never cared much for her father's island. There weren't enough people. Well technically, there were a lot of people, but all of them were boring. And they were dumb as heck. Once, she asked one of the guys what he liked to do for fun. He replied, "I like breathing. And going to the bathroom." Working at the noodle shop allowed her to interact with all sorts of interesting customers, most of which were quite friendly, and Skylor loved every moment of it. 

Pixal had lived in Ninjago City all her life. Cyrus Borg had occasionally let her walk around the city without supervision. During those times, Pixal would sneak into bars to listen to people talk. She would savor the sound of glasses clinking together and the roaring laughter of the bartender. After that, she would get involved in a fight to practicing her hand-to-hand combat skills. It wasn't the best thing she could've been doing, but Pixal knew it built character. 

"I'm landing," Wu said calmly. "Meet you there in 30 seconds."

"Copy that," Pixal replied, flicking on her mic again. Skylor spun the steering wheel like it was a combination lock, turning onto half a dozen roads in a matter of seconds. Pixal held onto her seat with one hand, casually glancing over her shoulder to make sure no one was following them. 

Pixal hit the ground running as soon as Skylor pressed down on the brakes. There was no time to waste. The ninja needed to know what they were facing. 

Pixal and Skylor climbed into Wu's helicopter and flew off towards the one place that would have answers. Shintaro. 

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Gaia had finally reached the monastery. Or at least the mountain the monastery sat on. She stared at the stairs leading up to the gate and groaned.

"Wu must be getting back in shape," she muttered. Gaia began taking the steps two at a time, glaring at the ground the whole time.

"I'm coming, Wu. And you aren't going anywhere." 

*A/N Hope you liked this chapter :D*