Two-faced

Chapter 13

Guess who actually held her promise! Yeah, I'm uploading this half an hour before midnight, but look, have some mercy with the overworked creator. Anyway, enough of me, and enjoy the chapter!
————-—[told you it's not over]————-

They'd been sitting there for, as far as Lloyd could tell, two hours. The ropes keeping them in place had begun to slice into their skin painfully. Lloyd had lost hope of getting rescued anytime soon.

"Dad?" he asked, his voice cutting through the silence.

"Yeah?" came the answer. Garmadon's voice sounded quieter than ever.

"Who are these men?" Lloyd had enough of the piercing silence.

"...I don't know..." By the way he hesitated, Lloyd could tell that his father was lying.

"Dad, it's not like I can't tell when you're lying. Just tell me. It's better than having nothing to do."

His father didn't answer at first, then he sighed. "Lloyd, listen, I—" He was cut off by the heavy steel door of the basement opening, and the two hooded men keeping them captive.

The heavy steel door clanged open, revealing the two hooded figures who had been guarding them. Lloyd and Garmadon squinted against the sudden influx of light from the doorway. The hooded men stepped inside, their faces obscured in shadows.

"Your mother will be joining us soon," one of the captors said, his voice a cold whisper.

Garmadon's eyes widened in alarm. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

The man ignored him, turning to his partner. "Make sure she is secured in the other room."

Lloyd's heart pounded in his chest. "Coco? What's going on?"

The captor sneered at him. "You'll find out soon enough, boy."

They shut the door behind them, leaving Lloyd and Garmadon in darkness once more. Minutes felt like hours as they waited, the silence only broken by the distant sounds of footsteps and the occasional murmur from outside the door.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the door to the basement opened again. Two hooded figures dragged Coco into the room, her hands bound. She stumbled as they pushed her forward, but quickly regained her footing, shooting a worried glance at Lloyd and Garmadon.

"Coco!" Lloyd exclaimed, struggling against his bonds.

One of the hooded men approached, his expression hidden in the shadows. "Your mother is here. Now we can begin."

"She's not my mother," Lloyd snapped. "She's my stepmother."

The man ignored him, turning to Coco. "Sit." he commanded.

Coco complied, lowering herself to the floor with as much dignity as she could muster. She looked at Lloyd, her eyes full of concern.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

Lloyd nodded, though his heart was racing. "Yeah, I'm fine. But what's going on? Why are they doing this?"

The hooded man who seemed to be in charge stepped forward, his voice a menacing whisper. "We need to understand your powers, boy. The power of the Green Ninja."

Lloyd frowned, utterly confused. "Powers? What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb." the man snarled. "We know you have them. We just need to understand how they work and what they are."

Lloyd shook his head. "I don't have any powers."

The man sighed, as if disappointed. "Very well. If you won't cooperate, we'll find other ways to make you talk."