by Tracey West
“What about Kai?” Cole asked.
A dark look crossed Jay’s face. “Last I heard, Master Chen is giving him the ‘special treatment.’”
“This doesn’t sound good,” Cole said. “We really need to get out of here!”
“Perhaps Jay can help Karlof with the problem with the Roto Jet,” Zane suggested.
“Let me at it!” Jay said. Jay’s parents, Ed and Edna, owned a junkyard. Jay had grown up learning how to fix all kinds of machines.
Jay turned to Neuro, who was working next to him. “Cover for me.”
Neuro nodded, and shifted his body to block Jay as the Ninja of Lightning joined Karlof at the noodle machine.
“What’s the problem, Metal Head?” Jay asked him.
“Karlof made of metal no more,” Karlof said with a sigh.
“Oh, right. Sorry,” said Jay.
“Problem is here,” Karlof said, pointing. “Cannot control fuel output to thrusters.”
Jay nodded. “Yeah, that can be tricky. My mom had a problem like that fixing a racing tractor once. She figured it out, though, by using a magnetized output flap. If you’ve got any iron or nickel that we can magnetize, I can make a switch that’ll do the trick.”
Karlof frowned. “Nothing magnetic.”
“Then we’ll just have to find something,” Jay said. “There’s got to be something in this place.”
He joined the line again. “I think I have a solution,” he told the others. “But we need some metal that’s magnetized — or a metal that can be magnetized, like iron or nickel.”
Zane raised his head. His eyes glowed as he scanned the room. They settled on a medallion — hanging from a chain around Zugu’s waist!
“There is the metal we need,” Zane said, nodding toward Zugu.
“So, what you’re saying is that the one piece of metal we need to escape is chained to a superstrong former sumo wrestler who’s guarding us?” Jay asked.
“Yes,” answered Zane.
“But that’s impossible!” Jay cried.
Cole sighed. “I’m never going to get any cake.”
How are we supposed to take on Zugu without our powers?” Jay asked.
“Actually, we figured something out since we’ve been down here,” Cole replied. “Even without our powers, we are not powerless.”
“Huh? You sound like Sensei Wu,” Jay said.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Cole replied. “And anyway, it just means that we can still get stuff done. Come on, we’re building a Roto Jet, aren’t we?”
“Okay, it’s just” — Jay gazed up at Zugu — “that guy looks like he could make noodles out of all of us.”
Neuro joined the conversation. “He acts scarier than he actually is,” said the Master of Mind. “Big guys like that are often making up for a lack of confidence.”
“And how do you know that, Nerdo?” Jay asked. “You can’t read minds anymore.”
“Ah, but you forget, I have read Zugu’s mind already.” Neuro tapped his forehead. He lowered his voice even more. “He worries that the other guards don’t respect him. Also, he misses his mommy.”
“This may be just the distraction that we need,” Zane remarked.
“So while Neuro messes with his mind, how are we supposed to get the medallion?” Jay asked. “We’d need to be invisible to do that.”
“Alas, that is true,” agreed Mr. Pale.
“Everyone is invisible in the shadows,” said Shade. “Although I still don’t know why I should help you guys. As far as I’m concerned, you’re all still competition.”
“Shade, there is no winning anymore, don’t you get it?” Cole asked. “Master Chen tricked us all. You’re in the same boat as all of us. We have to work together to stop Master Chen’s evil plan.”
Shade frowned. “I guess,” he said, and he looked thoughtful. “Powers or not, casting shadows is kind of my thing. I can figure out how to cast a shadow next to Zugu while Neuro distracts him.”
“Then I’ll step into the shadow and grab the medallion!” Mr. Pale said. “I learned to move quietly when I was invisible. Being invisible is no good if your opponent can hear you coming.”
“Then I believe we have a plan,” said Zane.
Neuro cleared his throat. “Stand back and watch the Master of Mind at work.”
Neuro bravely stepped off the work line.
“You! Back to work!” Zugu ordered.
“Of course,” Neuro said smoothly. “But why are you so tense? Surely you know you command authority. Your underlings treat you with proper respect, don’t they?”
Zugu frowned. “Of course they do! Wait — what do you mean? What did you hear?”
Neuro moved toward him. “Nothing specific. But I can see it in your face. You worry about what others think of you.”
“How did you — I mean, no! I’m not worried about that!” Zugu insisted.
“It’s okay,” Neuro said in his calm, steady voice. “You are, after all, a very large and strong man. But do you worry that people respect you just for your muscle and not for your mind?”
Neuro’s questions seemed to have caught Zugu off guard. The large sumo warrior nodded. “I have ideas,” he said. “Lots of ideas. But Master Chen never listens to them.”
Neuro rested his chin in his hand. “Oh, what kind of ideas?”
“Well, I came up with the idea for Sushi Sundays,” Zugu said. “It would be really good for morale. Who doesn’t love sushi?”
“Good question,” said Neuro. “Please tell me more.”
While Neuro had Zugu’s full attention, Shade got busy. First he looked up, studying the lights hanging from the ceiling. Then he grabbed a noodle box.
“Here we go,” he said.
He held the box above his head, blocking the light from one of the lamps. It cast a large, dark shadow in front of Mr. Pale.
Mr. Pale swiftly moved into the shadow, inching closer to Zugu. Shade walked a few steps to the right and placed a second box in front of another light. Now the shadow fell directly behind Zugu.
Mr. Pale stepped into the shadow. With a trembling hand, he unhooked the medallion from Zugu’s chain.
Zugu frowned. “Is there a bug flying around or something?” he asked.
“No, no,” said Neuro. “That’s just what happens when you get in touch with your inner feelings. You become more sensitive to the changes around you.”
Mr. Pale quietly slipped away. He got back on the work line and gave the medallion to Jay. Then Jay ducked under the sheet of the noodle machine to help Karlof.
Meanwhile, Neuro kept talking to Zugu.
“You’re doing a great job here, Mr. Zugu,” Neuro said. “Your mommy would be proud of you.”
A tear formed in Zugu’s eye, and he wiped it away. Then he got angry.
“I don’t like being sad,” he said. “Get back to work!”
“You’re making great progress,” Neuro said as he backed away. “We should schedule another session sometime soon.”
“NOW!” ordered Zugu.
Neuro quickly got back on the work line.
“Very well done,” Zane congratulated him.
“Of course,” Neuro said. “Now I hope Karlof can get that jet working.”
“Me, too,” said Cole. He looked up at Zugu. The sumo warrior had headed up the balcony and was deep in conversation with another guard. After a moment, he nodded and stomped down the stairs to the work line.
“Jay, hurry up!” Cole whispered. “Zugu’s coming.”
Cole and Zane ducked out of the way so Zugu wouldn’t see them. Karlof stepped out from under the sheet. He bravely blocked Zugu’s path.
“Please, almost done,” Karlof said. “Soon noodle machine will be firing on all cylinders.”
“No, make it work now,” Zugu demanded. “Master Chen wants noodles for the big ceremony.”
“What ceremony?” Turner asked.
“You haven’t heard?” Zugu laughed menacingly. “Chen cap
tured Sensei Garmadon and that spy girl. He is feeding them to the snake. And he defeated the Green Ninja. Now no one in Ninjago can stop us. Ha-ha!”
Cole looked at Zane.
“We’re too late!” Cole whispered.
Underneath the sheet, Jay frantically worked to get the jet powered up.
Zugu was still laughing. “Look on the bright side,” he said. “At least all your jobs just became permanent. Ha-ha-ha!”
He reached for the sheet over the machine. “Give me that sheet!” he demanded.
Karlof blocked him again.
“There are a few minor kinks,” Karlof said.
Zugu pushed Karlof aside. He pulled off the sheet — and found himself face-to-face with the multi-barrel of the Roto Jet!
“That’s not a noodle machine!” Zugu yelled.
“That’s the kink!” Karlof told him. Then he looked up. “Now!”
Cole and Zane jumped out of hiding. Cole landed right in the seat of the Roto Jet. Ready or not, it was go time!
“Cole?!” Zugu thundered. “He’s here?”
“I would get out of the way if I were you,” Zane said.
Cole pressed the trigger on the Roto Jet. Karlof had used water pipes to make the weapons barrels, and he had stocked the pipes with hundreds of metal bolts.
Chuga-chuga-chuga! Zugu jumped out of the way as Cole unleashed a barrage of bolts! He aimed them at the metal balcony.
Crash! The balcony collapsed, sending the guards flying. The workers cheered.
Cole stared at the trigger in his hand. Who knew the jet would have so much power?
“Whoa! Whoa! Easy, tiger,” Jay warned.
Zugu stood up and dusted off the rubble. At the same time, they heard a thundering sound as a new wave of guards stampeded into the factory.
“Over there!” Turner yelled, pointing.
The jet was facing the wrong way — but luckily, it was on the wheeled worktable. The Elemental Masters all grabbed hold of the table, swiveling it around. Cole unleashed another warning barrage of bolts in the direction of the guards. They swiftly dove for cover.
The workers cheered again.
“When will it fly?” Cole yelled.
Karlof grabbed his tools and leaped onto the back of the jet.
“It’ll fly when it’ll fly! No sooner!” he yelled.
“On the other side!” Jay warned.
The workers spun the table around once again. A wave of guards came running in.
Chuga-chuga-chuga! Cole sent a spray of bolts at them. They leaped out of the way.
“We’ll run out of bolts trying to fend them off,” Cole said. He was starting to sweat. “Make her fly, Karlof, or get her out of here!”
“No problem,” Karlof said. “Push red button.”
Cole looked down at the dashboard in front of him. A big red button stared up at him, and he pressed it.
Boom! A missile fired from the jet, blowing a huge hole in the wall!
“Woo-hoo!” the workers cheered. Bolobo, Neuro, Tox, and all the others began to roll the jet toward the hole.
Cole shook his head. What was the point of making an escape vehicle if it had to be pushed around? “This is why you don’t make jets underground, Karlof!” he cried.
“The power of positive thinking!” Jay reminded him.
Cole frowned and kept the multi-barrel trained on the guards so they wouldn’t follow.
“So, where are we going?” Turner asked.
Cole remembered Zugu’s words. Chen captured Sensei Garmadon and that spy girl. He is feeding them to the snake.
“Stay to the right!” he yelled. “We’ve got a date with a snake!”
Behind him, Karlof turned pale.
“Not there. Karlof go anywhere but there,” he said.
“We’ve got to save Sensei Garmadon and Nya!” Cole cried. “Push faster, everybody!”
Grunting, the workers pushed the jet down the hallway. Zane was busy scanning his blueprints.
“Cole, over there.” He pointed to a wall. “It’s a shortcut to the dungeons!”
Cole pulled the trigger. “Got it!”
Chuga-chuga-chuga! Cole blasted a hole in the stone! Through it, he could see Sensei Garmadon and Nya chained to the wall. And Clouse’s giant purple snake slithered toward them, hissing!
Cole squinted, aiming.
Ping! He blasted Nya’s chains, freeing her.
Ping! Now Sensei Garmadon was free!
Chuga-chuga-chuga! He blasted the ceiling above the giant snake. It collapsed, showering debris on the snake’s head. The blow knocked the serpent out cold.
Amazed, Sensei Garmadon and Nya looked at their free hands. Then they looked at Cole and the Roto Jet.
“Well, hello, Master of Earth,” Sensei Garmadon said with a smile.
Jay popped out from behind the jet. “Don’t forget Master of Lightning.”
Nya ran to them with open arms. Jay and Cole both opened their arms to hug her — but she ran right past them. She wrapped Zane in a hug.
“Zane, you’re back!” she cried.
Zane’s head swiveled around to look at his back. “What? What is on my back?”
Nya laughed. Then she spotted a Fang Blade on the floor. She quickly picked it up and slid it under her belt.
“We’ve got to hurry,” she said. “Master Chen has Lloyd. Once he absorbs Lloyd’s powers, he will cast the spell.”
“What kind of spell?” Cole asked.
“A spell to transform all of his Anacondrai worshippers into actual Anacondrai,” Sensei Garmadon explained. “He is creating an unstoppable army. Ninjago will never survive.”
Everyone gasped. Cole turned to look at Karlof behind him.
“Karlof, why isn’t this thing off the ground yet?” he asked.
“Two hands can only work so fast,” Karlof said as he tinkered with the turbine engines.
“Well, you’re gonna fix it, Karlof, ’cause you know why?” Cole asked, and he smiled as Karlof looked up at him.
“Positive thinking!” they both said at once.
In another part of the underground tunnels, inside Master Chen’s Anacondrai Temple, things were happening fast.
Kai held Master Chen’s Staff of Elements. Both he and Lloyd had been captured and stripped of their powers. But in a swift sneak attack, Kai had knocked the staff away from Chen and used its incredible power to beat back his guards! Now the crystal on the end of the Staff of Elements glowed ominously. It contained the powers of all the captured Elemental Masters — including Lloyd’s Green Ninja powers!
Across the chamber, Lloyd sat slumped, drained, on the stone floor.
Kai turned to him. Taking the staff from Chen should have been a good thing. Except its evil had possessed Kai. He moved toward Lloyd.
“Kai, it holds too much power! Destroy it!” Lloyd pleaded.
Kai glared at Lloyd. He spoke in a low, strange voice.
“No one is taking my staff!” he growled. “Just a little longer. You had all that power, and now it’s my turn!”
Master Chen and his Anacondrai worshippers watched.
“Yes,” Master Chen gloated. “Embrace the power …”
Suddenly, Kai shook his head. His voice sounded normal again. “What am I saying?” But the evil took hold, and his voice got deep. “Nothing I don’t already feel! I should have been the Green Ninja!”
Kai pointed the staff at Lloyd. It flared brightly, and the temple began to tremble. Dust started to fall from the ceiling.
“No, Kai, don’t!” Lloyd warned.
Roooooaaaaaaaaaar!
The thundering sound of engines filled the temple as the Roto Jet crashed up through the floor! Karlof and Cole sat in the jet’s pilot seats.
“Karlof said he would fix!” Karlof said proudly.
The jet hovered in the temple. One of the wings knocked over Kai, and the Staff of Elements fell from his hands.
“Did anyone order some kung pao?” Cole asked over the roar of the eng
ines.
The Elemental Masters and freed noodle workers spilled through the hole. They began to clash with the Anacondrai worshippers. Jay, Sensei Garmadon, and Nya joined them. And last but not least, came Zane!
His titanium body gleamed as he grabbed a worshipper by the legs and swung him around.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam! Zane used the one worshipper to knock down four more worshippers!
Lloyd’s eyes lit up. “Zane! Good to see you again, buddy!”
“And it’s good to be back,” said Zane.
Kai sat up, feeling dazed and confused. But the evil power of the staff had left him. He felt like himself again.
Furious, Master Chen lunged for the Staff of Elements at Kai’s feet. But before he could reach it …
Shiiiing! Nya expertly hurled a Fang Blade through the air, straight at the crystal.
SMASH! The crystal shattered into a thousand pieces!
“No!” cried Master Chen.
Instantly, brilliant beams of light shot forth from the fractured crystal. Each beam contained an elemental power. And with a blinding flash, each power returned to its Elemental Master.
Wham! Kai got his fire power.
Wham! Jay got his lightning power.
Wham! Wham! Wham! Earth, ice, poison, shadow, nature … One by one, all of the Elemental Masters got their powers back.
WHAM! In an extra-powerful burst, Karlof got his metal power back. Instantaneously, his whole body turned into metal. Karlof grinned. He clenched his giant metal fist.
“Now bad guys in big trouble,” he growled.
Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, and Lloyd formed a circle. They each raised their right hands high.
“Ninjaaaaaago!” they cheered.
When they saw the Elemental Masters all powered up, the Anacondrai worshippers dropped their weapons and surrendered.
The ninja had done it. They had won!
“It always brings tears to my eyes when I see the old gang back together,” Nya said.
“We did it!” the Elemental Masters cheered, hugging and celebrating their newly returned powers.
But as the ninja and their friends whooped in celebration, Sensei Garmadon sensed something was wrong. He scanned the room. The Anacondrai worshippers had surrendered … but Master Chen and Clouse were nowhere to be seen.
