The Black-Hearted Ninja (The Dark Triangle #1)

Hard Work

Jay's P.O.V.

Lloyd is gone.

He died. I could hardly believe my eyes when I saw it. All I could do was feel the tears I knew would come out of my eyes. There was no crying  pillow to stop them this morning. Lloyd, my friend, is dead. Sure, he and I had our disagreements and our spats, but we're also best friends! Or, we were. I don't even know anymore. All I know is Cole killed Lloyd. And I couldn't stop it. Nya didn't stop it.

Nya.   

    She knows as well as I that the only way Cole will stop is if he kills me and has her. But Nya refuses to surrender. She says ninja never quit, well I say Cole's going to murder everyone if you don't accept the fact he just wants you.

I used to see only the good in Nya. She could do nothing wrong.

Boy, was I in for a shocker.

What is her problem? Is she so selfish that she won't save her own team? Even if it means also saving Ninjago?  Nya can do something about Cole, why doesn't she do it?

Maybe Lloyd's death finally zapped some sense into her.

       I can't think about this anymore. I will just scream. I need to do something, anything. Zane. I have to rebuild Zane.That's something to do, right? My workshop is just down the hall. Everyone is here in the living room but I can't stay. I stand straight up and without a world feel myself running out. No more people. Just machines. Gears. Wires. The only things that make sense.

    Somehow I find myself in front of the worktable, my hands shaking as I try to pick up my screwdriver. A sharp jolt of pain rushes through me and I know I've shocked myself again. Only a few more things and Zane will be fixed. Then Zane can fix this. I know it. He has to fix it. He has to. My head feels like it's floating-am I hyperventilating? Why can't I focus? What is wrong with me? Fix Zane. Fix Zane. Fix Zane. Cole killed Lloyd. Change the subject. Zane. Cole. Lloyd. Cole. Cole. Cole. Nya. Cole. Nya. Cole. Nya. Nya. Nya. Love, Cole. Nya.

"Jay."

Nya.

"Jay. Focus on my voice. What's wrong?"

I crack open my eyes to find myself in a fetal position, screwdriver still clenched tightly in my fist. The last few pieces of Zane still lay on the table above me. Nya stands about three feet away, her face still blotchy from crying  about Lloyd and filled with concern.

"Everything is wrong." I croak. I don't feel like saying anything else.

"Were you trying to finish rebuilding Zane?" I nod to that. How can someone so selfish have such a caring face? Why is she not with the others? What have they done with Lloyd?

"Come on. I'll help you. We need a voice of reason, don't you think?" Nya seems so normal that for a second I wonder if Lloyd dying was just another dream. But the stains of fresh blood on her clothes tell me otherwise. She takes several small steps over to me and holds out her hand. I'm not sure I want to take it. But the expression on Nya's face finally convinces me to allow her to help me up.

     Carefully, she pries the screwdriver out of my other hand. "Wrong size." She explains and takes a different one from the table. "Try this." I accept the screwdriver and feel the metal hit my palm. This does feel more-right. "Now, screw this bolt in here." I do as I am told, closing my eyes and listening to the satisfying squeak as the bolt finally falls into exactly the right place. "Adjust the position of the neck joints." Nya continues and guides my hands to the correct place. After that is done, my eyelids flicker open to see a completely reassembled Zane. "Just flip the switch." Nya's voice says. I open up Zane's control panel to find the one that says "power" and flick it on.

      Zane's eyes come to life, light filling them. His titanium body, one slumped over, quickly straightens up. "Greetings, friends." He says to us in his calm, clear voice.

"Cole killed Lloyd. Living room. Pixal. GO." Nya says. It's the only words she can manage.

Zane doesn't stay. As soon as he hears what she tells him, he's out the door, running to the living room to sort this whole thing out. Hopefully. Maybe. Just go, Titanium Ninja.

      I get the sensation of something wrapping around me and look to see that Nya has pulled me into a tight hug. I can feel warm droplets of water hitting my shoulder. She's crying, her body racked with sobs, and I realize she's barely been holding it together this whole time. She is selfish. She didn't save Lloyd. I should probably hate Nya for how she's been acting. Instead, I hug her back. We are both crying now, about anything, about everything.

"Why have you not surrendered?" I ask her through her curtain of hair.

"Because of this." Nya whispers back. "We still have a chance, I know it."

This time I don't argue. I just bury my face in Nya's soft raven hair and cry with her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nya's P.O.V.

Cole struck again.

"Why have you not surrendered?"  Jay asked me. I was pretty much bawling on him.

"Because of you!" I'd wanted to say. But I couldn't. So instead I said, "Because of this. We still have a chance, I know it."

Now our  chances are exponentially less.

Zane and Pixal, both rebuilt. Ready for action. Ready to track down Cole and help us end this once and for all. Lacking Kai's anger, Skylor's compassion, Jay's tendency for nervous breakdowns. Perhaps our only hope to getting out of this alive.

Are not alive anymore.

In Jay's workshop is where we find them. This time their bodies are still intact, not torn apart like the last time I came across them attacked. Now the only thing destroyed is their wires.

The multicolored wires are thrown across the floor, intermingled with gears, and machine parts, and tools.

The screwdriver Jay and I used to attach the final parts to Zane is stuck into the wall like a throwing dart. Painstakingly carved, presumably with the dull edge of the screwdriver, is another note.

I didn't want to destroy all of Jay's hard work! Although, killing them was fun. Pixal was first.  Zane screamed. Until I smashed his vocal processor. What would you do if I ripped Jay's heart out? Now that the robots are gone I won't have to wait much longer to find out. And by the way, I saw you cry. It was pitiful.

Love, Cole

Three dead. Really and truly dead.

It's confirmed: Cole is a heartless monster.

But didn't I know that all along?