The Quiet One

10 | Building Trust

"Tonight, brothers, is the night. We're going to do it."

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd in front of me. If anyone entered the abandoned subway, they would have seen a ruthless biker gang led by a fifteen-year-old princess-- and they wouldn't be wrong. In one year, I had turned an inkling of an idea into a reality.

I leaped off the subway car I was standing on, smoothly landing in front of the Sons of Garmadon. "We have planned for years, slowly rising to power. We have been lurking, preparing, deceiving, and it finally is the time to change Ninjago!"

The gang whoops and hollers, echoing ominously through the subway. I had purposefully staked out our hideout to be in a place where any noise underground could not be detected above, and I was especially grateful for that then.

"Tomorrow, the Emperor will make a speech. I have convinced them to bring the Ninja to stay at the palace for extra security measures since they know that we are a threat. Once the Emperor finishes his speech, I need Luke and Nails-" I snapped my fingers and pointed at the bikers- "to pose as civilians. Nails will be the acting little brother to Luke or something. I don't care, figure it out. I need you to release a red balloon with our mark on it, and Luke, set off firecrackers. They will sound like gunshots, and by seeing our symbol, the Ninja will be scared. They will move to protect the Royal family, and trust will be gained both ways.

"In that case, I will find a way to sneak out with Lloyd Garmadon. You all know very well that I would never betray you all, so don't be alarmed when I pretend to not recognize and be against you. Just as a warning. I have become a very good actor.

"I want you to be around the city, stirring up a little bit of trouble in order to continue our steady march out of the shadows. My goal will be to gain all the Ninja's trust, especially Lloyd. The next day, I will bring UltraViolet to help me load the palace with Blast Sap." Most of the bikers gulped at the general's name, but I ignored them. Violet might be a psychopath, but she's a good fighter and willingly supports us, so who cares what her mental state might be?

"During the explosion, the entire palace will be eventually destroyed except the Temple of Resurrection, though that will come into play much later. There will be mass chaos, and during that time I will need all of you to help steal the Oni Mask of Deception.

"Mr. E has the Oni Mask of Vengeance, giving him an upper hand over the Ninja so he can steal the second mask. The entire Royal house save myself will be killed, taking away our threat to power!" I thrust a gloved fist into the air, and everyone cheered.

"Killow, Violet, and Mr. E know the rest of the plan by heart. I don't have time to go through the rest of it, so our generals will do so for us. For now, this is all you need to know.

"I will act as the docile princess until I must reveal myself, and until then, you must pretend you don't know who I truly am. I will communicate with the generals when I can, and you must obey their orders. Farewell, brothers, and tomorrow we will rise!"

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"As many of you know, my family has kept a private life. We aren't interested in meddling with current affairs. But as crime has risen, so has our concern. So it is time to step out of the shadows, and into the light."

The Emperor was making his speech to a growing crowd. Already bored, I found myself looking around for my henchmen. Sure enough, Luke Cunningham and Nails were casually standing towards the back of the crowd.

Easily, I spotted the six Ninja 'hidden' around the area. Pretending to not notice them, I continued to plaster on my fake smile and let my gaze wander over the crowd. My internal communicator for the S.O.G. accidentally picked up the Ninja's radio frequency. It was fuzzy and mostly static, but I heard some of what they were saying.