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Test tubes

It's been six weeks.

Six weeks since Jay said he was going on a walk.

Six weeks since Jay didn't come back from that walk.

Six weeks since they realized someone had taken the blue ninja of lighting.

And they finally had a single lead that turned out to be complete and utter, bullshit.

"I can't believe they gave us a false lead!" Cole seethed, kicking one of the many loose cables that laid across the ground.

The info they got was a tip about a secret lab in an old shop that had strange power surges from it. They immediately jumped at it, assuming if there was any strange activity and power phenomena, then it had something to do with Jay.

But now, they were standing in this lab, that looked like it had been abandoned for weeks, and there was nothing here.

Kai ran his hand along an old piece of equipment covered in dust.

"Well we should at least keep looking, in case they left anything behind" Zane reminded.

"Uhhh guys? I- I think I found something they left behind."

"What now Kai?" Cole looked over to see the ninja of fire now backing away from the machine he had run his hand across.

"I think there's something inside of that thing" Kai whispered.

"Are you sure? It's pretty dark in here Kai."

"Well then turn on the lights and make it less dark because I swear to the FSM I saw something in there Cole!"

"Jeez, fine, okay drama king. Zane have you seen a power switch anywhere?"

"I saw one near the entrance."

Cole trudged over to the switch making sure not to trip over cables (why were there so many cables?) eventually reaching it.

This wouldn't be an issue if Jay was here. He thought bitterly.

Full disclosure, the ninja of earth hadn't been doing great ever since his best friend had been kidnapped.

Something about him and Jay just, clicked.

Earth and lighting were opposites on almost every level, earth can't hurt lighting the same way lighting can only scorch the earth.

But when they meet properly, they give each other strength.

Their hosts were the same way to each other.

Each ninja had to embody their element.

That's why they were able to control them, that's why they were the hosts of the elements.

Cole was earth, earth was steady and stable and many perceived it as caring and tender. But also hid strength and wrath that it could unleash when it saw fit. It grounded the other elements giving an anchor for others to grow off of.

That was Earth, that was Cole.

The lights didn't turn on when he hit the switch but something else sure did.

A loud whirring noise came from the tube that Kai had been talking about when he flipped the switch.

Soon teal blue  flickered to life and illuminated outlining a figure.

It was hard to see any features because of the dust but to their confusion the silhouette was human.

Joining Kai and Zane beside it Cole swiped the dust away with his hand sloppily.

He immediately fell backwards, landing hard on the floor after looking inside.

After all...

It isn't every day you sweep dust off a test tube to find your six-weeks-missing best friend inside asleep.