Set in Stone (Ninjago x Male reader)

Dead Man's Squall

Yes this is my third update of the week. I wrote four chapter of Set In Stone, and since I have some extra waiting, why not just upload some now? Especially since now there's only about two weeks until I gotta lock into my studies.

Anyways bros and hoes I copy pasted some of my old notes from like 2024 into this and modified them a bit, can you believe it? I had that stuff in my notes for a while, ya'll. Anyways, you know what happened to Zane, so I'm skimming over that at the start, this chapter is long enough as is.

After picking up Cole by the central train station, where they were passing by anyway, they headed to the coordinates Zane had sent before connection cut off.

It was already dark out, but Zane hadn't reached out, not once, after that. The team watched both sides of the bounty, flying over the dessert, trying to find him. Any sign of him.

"That's-" (y/n) suddenly let out. "That's Zane's bow!"

The other gathered around and stopped the Bounty, looking where he was pointing. Under the spotlight was in fact Zane's bow, and not far, his bike, already roughed up besides having been it's first ride ever.

"There he is!" Kai let out, pointing to where he could just barely see Zane's arm. The group turned the spotlight over right away, and the team gasped.

"Zane!" The nindroid's faceplate was loose, colored wires peeking through. He was totally shut down.

Nya, Cole, Lloyd and Jay went down to get him while Kai and (y/n) stayed aboard to keep the spotlight on.

"Pixal, lower the gurney!" Lloyd's voice called, and instantly the gurney installed to the ship started lowering. "Zane's in bad shape."

(y/n) had to cover his mouth, he was both frowning with worry, but also with anger.

"Deep breaths, buddy." Kai pat his shoulders, though it was hard to believe he was talking to (y/n) when he looked just as shocked. He was probably speaking to himself, rather than the Wind ninja. Even more so as the gurney, with Zane on it, was being raised.

He looked even more beat up close up. The metal was fully cracked at his head, close to his hairline. Kai and (y/n) helped Pixal set Zane hooked up to an observing system in a room under the deck.

The others arrived a moment later, having set Zane's things they had gathered from the canyon  over to the side. "How bad is it?"

"He has extensive damage to all systems." Pixal said matter of factly, but then sighed. It was rare of Pixal, she wasn't one to show her emotions like this. "His neural net and cognitive cores suffered severe failures."

"Can you save him?" Nya asked, full of worry. Harumi had sneaked into the doorway, but didn't come in, probably fearing of intruding. But Lloyd noticed her, and carefully invited her in by holding her hand, for just a second.

"I've diverted power to critical life functions, but Zane will have to do most of the work. He must reconfigure his system and reboot himself." Pixal added.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Harumi asked, very quiet.

"We have to keep moving or the Sons of Garmadon will find us." Lloyd said grimly. "They'll do anything to get their hands on the baby."

The mood shifted, and everyone turned to Cole doubtfully.

"I just don't get how a baby can be a key." Kai huffed, earning a stern look from Cole.

"I don't either, but that's what they said." He stated confidently, punctuating his words. "They called him the key to the third mask."

"If Cole's right, we need to disappear." Lloyd continued, though he but a bit of weight on the word, 'if'. "Get as far away from Ninjago City as we can."