Brother of Wind {Book 7: Hands of Time}

chapter 7

"Misako! At my side." Wu shouted as he sprung awake.
"Of course. As I always will be. And as you always will be for me." Misako said.
"What is it, Wu?"

"I haven't told anyone, but when I fought Acronix at the monastery, something...happened. Something bad."

. . .

Nya supervised Zane in the Samurai X cave.
"This is bad. I told everyone to go back to the Airjitzu Temple while I got you back online and still nothing." Nya walked to the computer.
"All I got left is trying a total system reboot." She pulled the switch. Zane started to twitch and then he jumped off the table.

"Nya!" Zane exclaimed. Nya smiled.
"Oh, I'm so glad you're--"

"That potato was a flange 41-823. A narwhal horn is too red as weather is greater than pudding. Fifty sheet auto doc feeder!" Zane exclaimed, walking past Nya. She directed Zane back to the table.
"Okay, Zane. Take it easy. That's it." She said.

"Banana curtain nine."

"Oh, come on! I've tried everything. What is going on in there?" She bonked Zane's head with a screwdriver. Three times.

"What is going on is I'm trying to unscramble Zane's neural pathways so we can go rescue Cyrus Borg." Pixal shouted in Zane's head.
"And you haven't tried everything. You need to realign Zane's neural inputs. Can you hear me? Hello--"

"Hello? Hot dog rainy day in seven." Zane said.

"Okay, maybe what you need is..." Nya thought.

"Don't say a new binary power core."

"A new binary power core! I'll be right back." Nya ran off.

"Wait, no! Don't leave!"

"Plate! Show! Clipboard!" Zane shouted instead.

. . .

"And at the monastery, Acronix hit me with what he called the Time Punch." Wu explained to Misako.
"Now I'm rapidly aging. I would estimate one day every hour. The effect is accelerating and will continue to do so until--"

"Master Wu?" Lloyd knocked on the door.

"Say nothing. The ninja must not be distracted at this crucial time." Wu whispered to Misako and then leaned back on the bed.
"They might be able to help you." Misako whispered back.

"May I enter?" Lloyd knocked again.
"My fate is inevitable, Misako. Like the sun rising in the east, like fall turning into winter..." Wu trailed off and closed his eyes.

"Master Wu?" Lloyd entered the room.
"How is he?" He asked.
"Still recovering." Misako replied.

"So little time, so many lessons! Fight with your back to the sun. Eight cups of water a day is a myth. You should have been there when I fought Acronix. But I-I--" Wu sprang up but then went back to sleep.

"He's right. I should have been at his side. I failed my Master. I will not make that mistake again." Lloyd said.

Morro stood outside, under the window of the room. He shook his head and went to spar. Kai was training with a bot and Jay was helping Cole with targets on his hands.
"Zane is down. Folks disappearing all over town, and we can't do a thing to help!" Cole punched.
"If we just knew why Acronix and Krux are taking people." Cole said.
"You know, my theory." Jay said.
"For the last time, they are not hostages." Cole said.
"How can you be sure?" Jay asked.
"No ransom note." Cole said.
"Maybe they're gonna hypnotize them into being an army?" Jay suggested.