Ninjago: Negative

15 - In the shadows

The lilac ninja ripped off her damaged communicator-earrings. 

"Well, the others are still caught up in the action," Jupiter said in a hoarse voice. "They still have to get everyone to safety and make sure the hall is clear." She threw the broken jewellery into the industrial trash bin behind the huge wall of the building. 

"Shouldn't we head back to that old guy?" Hector asked, stretching his arms behind his head. 

"You mean Master Wu?" Jupiter looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "I would but going back to the Bounty or even the Monastery would make us an easier target - the bad guys would be expecting us there. We just need to go somewhere where they can't find us." 

She took a look at the trophy under the city's synthetic lights- the Orb of Distrust kinda looked like a smaller version of a black bowling ball. It was shiny and heavy but didn't appear like anything that valuable.

"Let's get out of here." She mumbled. 

For a long time, Hector and Jupiter walked with their minor injuries down the late-night alleyways of Ninjago City. Hopefully, they wouldn't run into any of the Reassembled Sons of Garmadon... if that's what one would call them. The ninja and the boy agreed to head to one of Ninjago City's quietest districts, near the outskirts of the loud bright metropolis. Ambling down a main street, they had sparked conversation to fill the cold silence between them. 

"I'm pretty sure I'd make a great elemental master - how does 'Master of Knives' sound?" Hector proclaimed light-heartedly. Jupiter chortled quietly. 

"Sounds like a one-way ticket for a murder charge. But the idea does sound kinda cool." She replied, kicking stones down the bumpy pavement. A pause followed, then she asked a question. 

"I wanted to bring this up for a while but..." 

"What?" He said.

 They stopped by the fence of a decaying concrete building, abandoned and set up for demolition. Around them the streets were quieter, with just a few civilians perched on balconies and porches, laughing with their friends and family into the night with drinks in hand. A calm breeze blew - with most of the city skyscrapers located behind them in the centre of town, the sky was much more visible. A cloudy canvas displaying a limited number of stars. 

Jupiter took a breath and fiddled with the trophy's engraving. The Orion Award, it was printed. 

"...Are you still pissed at Lloyd because of what happened between us?" her voice quietened. 

Hector was silent for a second, but soon scoffed in dismissal. 

"Wha--No. We...Why would you think that?" A chuckle merged in with his response. 

"You don't think I haven't noticed you two's mutual dislike, do you?" She raised an unimpressed eyebrow. The teenage boy was lost for words. He scratched the back of his neck - a bruise he hadn't acknowledged was forming there.

"Even during the last little adventure with the team, you two seemed to have a...strained relationship.." She continued. "Hector, if there's something you need to explain to me, there's no better time than right now. These are my friends we're talking about." 

His eyes lowered to the ground in embarrassment. He sighed.

"It's just...the fact that you chose him over me...kinda hurt. I mean, we knew each other since we were, what, eleven?" His eyes glowed with disappointment and heartbreak. "And even then, I liked you. A lot. I guess I felt sorta..." 

"Betrayed?" Jupiter finished his sentence with a soft voice. "I...I always knew, Hector." She leaned against the sturdy fence a few steps away. "But I suppose I wasn't ready for that awkwardness that'd come once you start being all romantic with a friend you've known for ages." The lilac ninja hugged the slightly tattered trophy and looked away. 

Silence. 

Then he stepped towards her. 

"...Would you be up for that awkwardness right now?" His low voice said hesitantly. A glare of surprise returned from Jupiter's face. 

"Besides, I didn't exactly get a chance to compliment you tonight, anyway." The boy continued, going over to stand against the fence with her. He brushed a humble hand threw his unruly black hair. "That kimono suits you well." 

"Thanks." She suppressed a bashful smile. Even though it was ripped, torn and stained, her lilac kimono with silver details blew with the gentle wind. 

Without any warning, Hector leaned towards her with hands in his pockets and kissed her lips softly. Jupiter froze, shock overriding her body but it soon melted into warmth. She felt herself loosen up and allowed his hands to wrap around her waist. Seconds passed before he pulled away from her, gazing into her eyes lustfully. 

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" He joked softly, with an irresistable smirk plastered on his face. 

Jupiter couldn't help but smile at his remark, a hand still around his neck and the other clasping the artefact. 

At that very moment, a muffled ring emanated from Hector's pockets. His phone.

"Hey, maybe it's the others - they've probably found a place to regroup." Jupiter told him, focussing back on the reason why they were far from the city. 

The phone continued ringing in his pocket. His eyes wavered behind the metal fence. A hint of concern grew inside the master of stardust. 

"Aren't you going to pick it up?" She asked him, tilting her head slightly. 

"Ah. Yeah." He said in a quiet voice. He hesitantly shoved a hand in his pocket whilst his other hand remained holding her hip. Jupiter watched him sheepishly pull out a small burner phone, a total opposite of the device she saw him using back outside the crime scene.

Hector avoided eye-contact and glared at the small poorly-lit screen to see the caller ID. The boy's face fell. Jupiter's suspicion grew but she didn't want to trust it. 

"I thought you had the newest Borg phone...why do you...who would you be calling on a burner phone..?" She squinted at him slightly, gently forcing his hands off her waist. Everyone knew that burner phones were mostly just used for drug dealing or similar sorts of trouble.

"Look--I--It isn't what you think-" He stuttered, looking around the quiet street warily. In a flash, he pulled out a pair of dark handcuffs from his pocket and swiftly chained the girl's wrists to the metal fence behind them. 

"Hector, what are you--!" 

He desperately grabbed the trophy from her and stepped back quickly. Jupiter attempted to separate herself from the fence, but the vengestone cuffs were tough. The rumbling of a vehicle grew louder and louder as it pulled up on the road. Hector's face was painted with guilt; he secured the trophy under his arm and walked towards the large black van that stopped by the metal fence. 

Hector turned around one last time. "This will all make sense when it's over, I promise." 

Angry tears pricked at Jupiter's eyes; she watched the van's doors open and her friend dive inside. The wicked smirks on Ultraviolet, Killow and Fugidove's faces appeared momentarily from inside the vehicle. As she watched them recklessly drive away, she was overcome with all sorts of emotions. 

Her wrists ached from the vengestone; it blocked her elemental powers from working. 

"How could he... this whole time, he was with them!" She thought to herself. She had let her guard down for a friend she thought she could trust but instead, he got away. 

He got away with the Orb of Distrust.