#fdddfdsogohwrohos

[rosiehunterwolf]

For the Romping and the Roaring- Part 5

My submission for Day 5 of @serpentfever's Inhuman Event!

It's the last chapter of this fic, guys. I'm sad to see it go, it was such a fun time to write. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, it's been a really fun ride :,)

Link to read on ffn.net (Recommended if you are on mobile or haven't read the previous parts yet)

Preview:

“Kai,” Nya choked out, sounding like she was moments from passing out, “If they leave here without finding us, we die. You have to keep going, you have to be louder-” She broke off into a strangled scream, writhing as she tugged at the collar.

“Take that off and it’ll kill you,” Borg yelled.

Nya’s fingers darted away, and she choked on her sobs, saliva bubbling at her lips as she, with great difficulty, turned her gaze up to meet his. “Kai-”

No, no, no, he couldn’t do this, Borg would kill them, and then it would be all his fault-

His gaze met Borg’s, the man’s eyes livid with a ferocity ten times anything Kai had seen before. He knew for certain, in that moment, that Borg would kill them, slowly and painfully, if they didn’t get out of this.

Nya was right. If they didn’t escape now, they never would.

(Full chapter under the cut)

Prompts Used: Acceptance, Comfort, Safe (haha went all out on this one)

Word Count: 8,008

Rating: T

Trigger Warnings: Dehumanization, Torture, Attempted Murder, Mentions of Racism/Speciesism

Cole clicked the flashlight in his hands.

On. Off. On. Off.

Jay glanced over at him. “You okay?”

Cole sighed, setting the flashlight down. “I don’t know. I’m just scared. What if we’re too late?”

Jay was silent, adjusting his sling. “But maybe we’re not. If there’s even a chance they’re still alive, we need to take it.”

“Yeah, I know. I just am terrified of walking in there and finding them already gone.”

“Me too.”

The police car slowed to a halt, and Cole looked out the window.

They were here.

“You ready for this?” Grey asked them, turning around from the driver’s seat to look back at them.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Zane murmured, from where he sat in the passenger’s seat.

The four of them exited the car, and met up with the other police officers who were gathering outside of Borg Tower. As the officers headed through the doors, Cole paused. This was the place he had been trapped in for twenty-one years, his whole life up until a few weeks ago. Did he really dare go back inside?

He had to. His friends needed him. This was no time to get selfish.

Besides, they had a whole squadron of police protecting them. Borg wouldn’t be able to get them again.

Taking a deep breath, Cole stepped through the doors.

The scene around him resurfaced the memories he had been trying to bury. The employees bustling around, the sterile scent that hung in the air, and the thick, restricting white walls. He suddenly felt like he was coming back from one of his monthly outings again.

Jay stumbled backwards beside him, whining softly, and Zane put a hand on his shoulder.

“Remember why we’re here. As soon as we get them, we’ll leave.”

Jay swallowed, nodding, and the three of them trailed after the police officers.

All around them, people were sharply turning to look at them, panicked whispers among them. Although most of them had gazes on the cops, there were a fair amount of eyes on them too- some with shock and fear, but a few with sharp interest- those ones, Cole recognized as caretakers and trainers. One raised a walkie-talkie to her mouth and spoke into it. Cole bit his lip. They were surrounded. If Borg didn’t feel threatened by the police, then… well, they didn’t stand a chance.

The police Commissioner marched up to the front desk, her gaze expressionless. The poor young receptionist stared at her with wide, terrified, blue eyes.

“Can… Can I help you?”

“I need to speak with Dr. Issac Borg immediately.”

“Um, he’s not… he’s busy right now, ma’am. Is something… has something happened?” The girl was literally shaking by this point.

The Commissioner sighed, obviously realizing that she wasn’t going to be any help. “Get me the highest-up superior you have available right now.”

“Uh… yes, yes ma’am, I’ll be right back-” the girl practically bolted from her chair, scurrying into the back room.

As they waited, Zane elbowed him gently. Cole turned to him, expectant, but Zane just gave him the slightest shake of his head, tilting his head slightly towards something behind them.

Trying to look casual, Cole glanced back to see that several Borg security officers had entered the scene, subtly lurking among the crowd gawking at them.

Nudging Jay gently, so that he saw, too, he whispered, “Be ready.”

Jay gave him an incredulous look that probably said something along the lines of “are you crazy, we can’t take them all on by ourselves,” which was true, but what else were they going to do? Surrender? There wasn’t a way out, now, with a guard standing in front of the door, so running again wasn’t an option. Besides, they had come here for one reason, and Cole didn’t intend to leave until they had succeeded.

He just hoped the police would be enough to protect them.

The receptionist hurried back, a man in a suit storming after her.

“What is the meaning of this?” he barked at the Commissioner.

“Sir, we need to speak with Issac Borg now.”

“He’s not available at the moment.”

“Well, he better find a way to clear his schedule, because his corporation has been accused of some pretty serious crimes.”

The man’s eyes widened, before he quickly hid his shock in a scowl. “You can’t be coming in here without any warrant!”

“We can if we have a good enough reason!”

“Yeah? What kind of reason would that be- you!” he hissed as his gaze found Cole, Zane and Jay. “You little brats been telling lies about us again?”

“We have been given strong evidence to believe they’re not lying-”

Cole’s attention was snapped from the Commissioner’s argument with the man when Jay gave a startled shriek from behind him. He whipped around to see that a Borg security officer had wrapped his arm around Jay.

Hissing, Cole lunged forward and kicked him in the shin. The officer pulled back with a sharp cry.

Cole pulled Jay closer to him, holding a fist up towards the guard. “Don’t you dare touch him again.”

The guard scowled, reaching towards him. “I’m gonna have to ask you to step away from-”

Cole shoved his arm away and punched him in the shoulder. The guard lunged for Jay again, and Cole darted in front of him, raising an arm-

His feet were swept out from under him as the guard tripped him, and he fell to the ground, his chin slamming against it and causing him to accidentally bite down on his lip, busting it open.

“Cole!” Zane cried, and as Cole quickly struggled to his feet, his friend streaked past him and punched the guard in the face. He turned away, gasping, but the rest of the guards quickly advanced on them.

“Stop!” Grey snapped. “Fighting us will do no good. You will face consequences for disobeying officers of the law.”

“Not if we win,” a security guard snapped.

“You are outnumbered, and are fighting a losing battle-”

“Uh, Grey?” Jay interrupted in a soft voice.

“What?”

Jay pointed behind him, and everyone followed his finger to see a squadron of security officers hurrying towards them.

Cole swallowed. This wasn’t going to be an easy fight.

The two groups just stared at each other tensely for a few moments. Both sides had hands resting on their guns, although no one dared to shoot. Cole held his breath. Maybe they could-

Ducking low, Cole spun around suddenly and kicked the legs of the guard with the gun aimed at his head, sending him to the ground before he could pull the trigger.

Cole stared at him in disbelief. He had almost died.

Apparently his movement had been all that was needed to start the fight. Shouts broke out around them as the blue of the police uniforms clashed against the gray of Borg Security. Cole, Jay, and Zane backed up against each other.

Guards were going after the police, keeping them busy, but more were heading towards the three of them, alongside a couple trainers, holding chains and ropes in their hands. Cole backed away, growling, and, immediately, Zane transformed into a falcon and soared past their heads, swooping at them with outstretched talons as he passed.

Several guards turned to deal with Zane, but it wasn’t all of them. Many were still heading towards Cole and Jay. They were going to have to fight.

“Cole, what do I do,” Jay whimpered. “My arm’s still injured. How can I fight like this?”

“Follow my lead, you’ll do fine. And stay close to me, I’ll protect you.”

As Cole covered Jay’s injured side, the two fought in sync, striking down the guards as they approached. Their most dangerous ploy was still their guns, but, even with his injured arm, Jay’s speed was knocking them out of their hands before they could shoot.

It was only a matter of time before he missed one, though. And the longer they kept fighting, the greater those chances were.

As he continued to fight the guards, Cole found himself using his strength in a way he never had before- fierce, accurate, unrestrained. He had wanted to try out these battle moves for so long, but now that he actually was… even though these were the same people who had hurt and kidnapped his friends, Cole wasn’t enjoying this nearly as much as he thought he would.

Maybe it was the thought of what it would be like if the tables were turned. His strength, Jay’s speed, Zane’s cunning and elusive flying, all working for Borg- it was a scary thought.

He wasn’t a fighting machine. None of them were. Just because they had these special abilities, didn’t mean that they should be used, like tools. Cole didn’t want to spend a life beating up other people, no matter whose team he was on. He just wanted to have a good, long, happy life with his family.

And if he wanted that, he reminded himself, he was going to have to fight one more time. Kai, Nya and Lloyd were somewhere in this building, scared and upset and counting on them. He had to press on, for their sakes. It would only be after they were reunited that they could find peace.

By this point, many guards were lying on the floor, some still struggling to their feet, while others didn’t get up. There were police officers on the ground too, but not as many. They were close. Just a few more guards, and-

“Cole…” Jay whispered.

Cole whipped towards him, feeling dawning horror spread through his body as he caught sight of what Jay was warning him about.

More guards were advancing on them, these ones equipped in heavier armor. The initial benefit of the element of surprise had worn off, with these guards having time to prepare after their colleagues had warned them.

The falcon flapped over their heads, and Zane reappeared with a flash, panting as he fell into a battle stance on Jay’s other side.

Cole himself was also growing tired. How long could they keep this up?

As the fresh wave of guards came upon them, Cole drew closer to his teammates. “Pull together, gang. Whatever happens next, we’re not going down without a fight.”

---

Thump. Thump.

Kai groaned softly at the sounds, putting his arms over his head and trying to bury his face deeper into the mattress.

Thump.

“Kai,” Nya whispered, “Do you hear that?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you think’s going on?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

Lloyd yelped suddenly, and Kai sat up, looking over at him. He was sitting on his bed, head tilted and ears rotating.

“What is it, bud?” Nya asked.

“Someone’s here.”

“Who?”

Kai waved a hand, shushing her, and pricked his own ears. But after so long cooped up in this little room, his senses felt muffled. He could detect that the thumping noises were coming from somewhere above them, but that was all he could hear.

They both turned their gazes to Lloyd, watching anxiously as he adjusted his ears, trying to pinpoint the sounds.

“I think people are yelling,” he murmured after a moment. “Maybe fighting.”

“Why would they be-” Nya’s voice cut off abruptly, her eyes widening as her gaze met Kai’s. “You don’t think-”

Kai felt his breath catch in his throat. Was it possible? Was it really possible that someone had come to rescue them?

Kai jerked to his feet, immediately falling down as his legs gave out beneath him. He gripped the bars, panting.

“If someone’s here, they're never going to find us down here,” he whined.

“We can’t let them leave without finding us,” Nya insisted. “This could be our only chance. We can’t pass it up.”

“What are we going to do? There’s nothing down here to help us, no way out-”

“Make noise! If Cole, Jay, and Zane are with them, then- well, none of them have as good hearing as you two do, but if we’re loud enough, maybe-”

“They can follow the sounds! Genius, Nya!”

“The compliments can wait. We have to hurry!” Turning to the wall, Nya began to pound on it. “Help!” she screamed. “Jay! Zane! Cole! Somebody! We’re down here!”

Kai joined her, screaming even though his throat was dry and raw, grabbing the door of the cage and rattling it so that the brassy sound echoed through the room. Even Lloyd began to help, screeching and chirping loudly.

There was a jiggling near the door at the far end, and Kai whipped his head towards it hopefully. It had worked! Their friends were here to save them!

Borg burst through the door, storming into the room as two trainers firmly locked the door again behind him.

Kai shrunk back fearfully as the tall man seized the bars of his cage, spitting down on him as he spoke.

“Shut up! Shut up, the lot of you! What do you think you’re doing? I am this close to getting everything I want, and I’m not going to let you pests take it from me! Is that clear?”

Kai met his gaze, the man’s dark eyes glinting with malice. He knew Borg meant it when he said he would stop them- he had never purposely not made good on a threat before.

What they were doing wasn’t working. If they wanted to be rescued, they were going to have to do something else, and fast.

Kai jerked away from the bars, throwing back his head and roaring. The sound echoed through the room, loud and fierce and desperate.

“Stop him!” Borg cried, and electricity jolted through him as the collar was turned on. They didn’t waste any time on the lower settings, the pain coming in so fierce and quick that Kai lost his footing. His voice faltered for a moment, but he kept on. He couldn’t stop. The moment he gave up, they died.

“He’s not going to listen to that, don’t you see?” Borg snapped. “He’ll die if it means they get to go free! You have to turn on theirs, too!”

Shrieks of pain sounded from the cells behind him, and Kai whipped around to see Lloyd and Nya crumpling to the floor.

He stopped roaring, darting to the bars, but Nya screamed at him. “Don’t stop, Kai, we can take it!”

With a reluctant glance over at them, Kai roared again, his throat aching. Come on, guys, where are you?!

The pain shot up abruptly, and Nya’s scream ripped through the air, broken and nightmarish. Lloyd’s cut off altogether, and Kai whipped his head towards him to see that he was lying limp on the ground, convulsing like he was having a seizure.

“Stop!” Kai screamed, “They’re not as strong as me, you’re going to kill them!”

“Then you better be quiet,” Borg demanded.

“Kai,” Nya choked out, sounding like she was moments from passing out, “If they leave here without finding us, we die. You have to keep going, you have to be louder-” She broke off into a strangled scream, writhing as she tugged at the collar.

“Take that off and it’ll kill you,” Borg yelled.

Nya’s fingers darted away, and she choked on her sobs, saliva bubbling at her lips as she, with great difficulty, turned her gaze up to meet his. “Kai-”

No, no, no, he couldn’t do this, Borg would kill them, and then it would be all his fault-

His gaze met Borg’s, the man’s eyes livid with a ferocity ten times anything Kai had seen before. He knew for certain, in that moment, that Borg would kill them, slowly and painfully, if they didn’t get out of this.

Nya was right. If they didn’t escape now, they never would.

He just hoped she was right about her and Lloyd’s abilities to take the pain, as well.

Kai roared, roared like he never had before, even as tears blurred his vision, even as he fell to the ground. He couldn’t stop. He was stronger than Borg’s stupid gadgets.

“Why isn’t it working!” A female voice cried, one of the trainers. “You said he would stop if we shocked the others!”

“Why won’t you stop,” Borg hollered. “Lloyd’s already out, Nya not far behind! I thought you loved them, why are you doing this to them?”

Kai’s heart skipped a beat, and he mustered the strength to crane his neck in Lloyd’s direction. The boy was unconscious on the ground, completely still except for the slight vibration of the electricity.

Kai squeezed his eyes shut, forcing himself to look away. No! That was what Borg wanted, to make him think he was the one doing this to them. It was Borg who was responisble, not him. None of this was Kai’s fault.

“This isn’t working,” Borg spat. “He’s not going to stop. Turn it up, all the way.”

“Sir, are you sure? That’ll-”

“I know perfectly well what it’ll do. If it’s the only way to shut him up, so be it.”

Before Kai could even register their words, indescribable agony shot through his body, and his roar broke off, replaced with a bloodcurdling scream.

Kai’s brain stopped thinking. His limbs seized up, his vision blurred as colorful spots danced in his eyes. The only thing that registered was pain.

What was this, he felt like his body was being ripped inside out, surely this couldn’t just be electrocution, he felt like he was going to be shaken to pieces-

Something, through the haze of pain, seemed to grab at his attention. He… he was meant to be doing something, he was meant to be-

My friends. They’re here, just above me.

Fighting back the scream, fighting back the froth in his mouth, he roared.

Slow, weak, at first, but quickly, it got louder, stronger, more powerful. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, fueling him and the roar to be louder than ever before.

But his body was faltering, failing, and Kai fought to keep consciousness, fought to keep roaring-

“Stop it, Borg! You're going to kill him!” The scream sounded warped and faint, as if Kai was underwater. He thought it was Nya, maybe.

Was she right? Was he dying? He didn’t know what dying was like, but he had thought it wouldn’t hurt this much.

And there was no relief, no end. No break, just constant, agonizing pain.

Without stopping his roar, Kai began to cry. He just wanted this to end, to be over.

Where was Jay? With his lightning fast speed, he could knock the remote out of Borg’s hand. Or Zane, who could swoop in, steal the keys, and get him out of this wretched cage. And Cole, who could lift him up with strong arms, and carry him far, far away from here and make sure he was safe.

He just wanted to be safe.

Kai choked on his sob. Where were they? He needed them, he needed his family, he just needed-

To his horror, Kai realized his voice was giving out, his roar dying in his throat. No, no, no they were so close, they couldn’t- he couldn’t-

Oh gosh, he needed that remote. He needed that remote or he was going to die-

He knew he couldn’t get it from Borg, but he didn’t care, he just needed to stop it. Lurching to his feet, they immediately gave way beneath him. Kai tried desperately to recover his balance, instead tripping over his own foot and falling, his head slamming against the ground.

Nya’s screams were the last thing he heard before his world was pitched into black.

---

Jay whipped around as Cole and Officer Grey walked up to him and Zane.

“Anything?” he asked breathlessly, hoping that his voice didn’t sound as desperate as he felt.

Cole shook his head. “Nothing. There’s no sign of them anywhere.”

“They have to be here,” Jay wailed. “The security guard said so, back at the jail! And they fought so hard to keep us from entering!”

“Tell me about it,” Gray muttered, shaking his head as he cradled his injured arm. “It wasn’t easy to take them all out. They were definitely defending something.”

“But we’ve looked everywhere,” Cole snapped, sounding close to tears, “and they’re not here! We can’t have gone through all of this and they’re just gone!”

“Maybe Borg moved them,” Zane proposed. “Maybe he found out we were coming and took them somewhere else.”

“But how?” Jay whined. “How would he have found out soon enough to get them away safely?”

Grey put a hand on his shoulder. “We won’t give up. We’ll send out search parties, put rewards on their heads. Both Nya and Lloyd are eligible for an AMBER alert, as well.”

“But what if it’s too late?” Jay whimpered. “What if they’re gone? I just wanted to come here and see them, we’ve never been apart this long, and now I don’t even know if they’re alive-”

“Jay, shh!”

He jerked his head towards Cole, hurt- but his friend wasn’t even looking at him, his gaze glued on Zane.

Zane’s head was tilted, staring off at nothing as the feather tufts near his ears shifted slightly, angling back and forth. His brow was furrowed in concentration.

“Everyone, quiet!” Cole cried, gesturing to the police scattered around the room, most of whom were tying up and chaining the Borg security guards.

The room seemed to hold its breath as the three hybrids froze, ears perking as they listened for the sound Zane had heard.

There- a muffled sound, something familiar, sort of like a yell, but louder, wilder, kind of like a-

“It’s Kai!” Cole cried. “I can hear him roaring!” “It’s coming from below us!” Zane squawked. “There must be some sort of basement down there!”

“There’s no basement in Borg Tower,” Jay protested.

“How else do you explain this? The sound’s definitely coming from below us.”

“Borg must’ve been keeping it a secret,” Cole agreed. “Which means the entrance is probably hidden, too.”

“But where? Why wouldn’t anyone have found it when we were looking for them?”

“It’s over there,” Zane said suddenly, pointing towards the elevators on the far wall.

Jay blinked at him. “What?”

“That elevator. It always had that out-of-order sign on it when we came down here for our outings. No one ever went to fix it. It has to be there.”

“Great thinking, Zane,” Cole told him, and the three of them, along with Grey and a handful of other police officers, rushed over.

“It looks like there’s some sort of panel here,” Zane observed. “For a passcode, most likely.”

“Well, we don’t know it, and we don’t have time to figure it out,” Jay barked. “Cole, you think you can get this door open?”

Cole eyed it uncertainly. “I dunno, maybe if I had something to push on…” He turned to the police officers. “Do any of you have a crowbar?”

“No, but maybe you could use a baton,” Grey offered, handing Cole the metal rod.

Cole wedged the end of it in between the elevator doors, then shoved on the rod. They held their breath, waiting, until a screech of metal sounded, and the doors pried open a couple inches. The police officers quickly grabbed the doors and, together, pulled them back.

Jay peered over the edge. There was no elevator inside, just the shaft. Pointing to something in the wall, he remarked, “I bet that’s a sort of staircase that pulls out when someone puts in the password. But since we didn’t…” he stared at the elevator cable, swallowing.

A police officer shone her flashlight down. “It’s not that far, I’d guess about forty feet. We can climb down the cable.”

“Let’s go,” Cole grunted, not even wasting any time as he reached out and started descending.

“I can’t go,” Jay yelped, waving at his arm in the sling. “Or do you expect me to do it with one arm?”

“Do you forget I can fly?” Zane smiled. “I’ll carry you down.”

“I’ll stay here,” Grey told them. “I don’t think my arm is safe enough for climbing, either, and I don’t want Zane to have to stop and come back for me.”

“Alright,” Jay nodded. “If all goes well, we’ll be back soon. With our friends.”

“Good luck.”

“Thanks.”

“Ready, Jay?”

“I guess,” he sighed, and Zane picked him up before jumping down the shaft.

Jay bit back a scream as they fell, and Zane spread his wings, catching their fall and allowing them to flutter safely to the ground.

The officers switched on their flashlights, revealing a long hallway with several doors on either side.

“Seriously?” Cole groaned. “We don’t have time to search all of these!”

“You forgot, you’ve got me!” Jay reminded him. Breathing in the air around them deeply, he let the scents around them wash over him.

Lloyd’s scent was immediately apparent, and Jay felt his tail wag.

“You smell them?” Cole asked.

“Yes. It’s weird, Lloyd’s scent seems to be out in the hallway too, while Kai and Nya’s are staler. But they’re all originating from over there.” He pointed to the door at the end of the hallway.

They hurried towards the door. Jay’s heart was pounding in his chest. What would they find behind it?

Cole jiggled the handle. “It’s locked.”

“Here,” one cop said, holding up a battering ram. He and another cop held onto it, slamming it against the door- wham after wham after wham- until it finally burst open.

The group filed into the pitch black room, many clicking on their flashlights. The light reflected against metal bars making up prison cells.

“Don’t take another step.”

Jay froze.

Issac Borg was standing in the room, a gun pointed at them.

“Borg,” Cole growled, his voice dripping with so much venom that Borg actually faltered for a moment- which was all the time Jay needed to dart forward, knocking the gun from his hand.

“Surrender!” the Commissioner barked. “You have nowhere to run. Hands in the air!”

Borg blinked at her, fury in his eyes, but as he glanced around at the police officers closing in on him, on Jay, Cole, and Zane’s smoldering gazes, and his only weapon trapped firmly under Jay’s foot, he scowled, raising his hands above his head. Handcuffs were clicked on as the police hauled him back.

“Who else is in here with you?”

Borg was silent.

The Commissioner shook him. “I said, who else is here?”

“Two of my employees,” he growled. The flashlight was shone on two caretakers, who slowly lifted their hands up as the police rushed over to them. “And… the prisoners.”

Jay felt his heart skip a beat. Borrowing one of the flashlights from the officers, he jogged down the hallway, shining the light into cell after cell, each one empty, until-

Jay froze.

The girl scrambled back from the beam of his flashlight, hissing. Jay blinked at her. She was so different from the last time he had seen her- long, black hair a tangled mess, eyes wide and scared, a gaping cut on her forehead, crusted with dried blood, and her movements skittish and jolting- but there was no denying it was her.

“Nya!” he cried, rushing forward to the cell, yanking on the door.

Nya’s bared teeth unclenched slightly as recognition flitted across her gaze.

“...Jay?”

“I’m here! We’re here to rescue you!”

To his surprise, moisture welled in her eyes. “Stoppit, go away,” she mumbled, crawling into the corner.

“Nya? What’s wrong?”

She pulled her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. “This isn’t real. I’m imagining you. This is a dream.”

“No! It’s not! I’m really here!” Desperately, Jay yanked harder on the door. “Ugh! Just open, already!”

A police officer came up behind him. “We got the keys from Borg,” she told him, handing him the one to Nya’s cell. “It’s the only way you’re getting through.”

Jay shoved the key into the lock, nearly dropping it in his haste. The door swung open, and he hurried in, the officer close behind him.

“Jay!” Nya screamed, scrambling back into the corner and pressing herself against the wall. “Behind you!”

“Nya, it’s okay,” he soothed, crouching down next to her. He reached for her hand, but she flinched away, and he hung back, giving her space. “The police are on our side. They’re not going to hurt you.”

“They want to kill us,” Nya gasped, her eyes wild. “Borg said-” “Borg was lying,” Jay said. “As usual. They’re here to help us. If it weren’t for them, we would’ve never been able to find our way to you.”

Nya fell silent, watching the female officer with wide eyes. The officer’s gaze was gentle and sad. “It’s alright, honey. I just want to help you out.”

Nya took a slow breath, nodding, and the officer leaned forward, using the keys to unlock her cuffs and the chain around her ankle. Nya moved her arms around, looking at them carefully in a way that made Jay’s heart want to break. She had been down here way too long. They all had.

Suddenly, Nya was launching herself into his arms, sobbing into his shoulder. He hugged her back, fiercely, stroking her hair and whispering that he would never let her go again.

When Nya finally pulled back, wiping at her eyes, she caught sight of his sling. “What happened to your arm?”

He waved her off. “Ah, it’s no big deal. I’m fine.”

She frowned, sniffing, looking as if she was about to question him further, but, this close, Jay could see the exact moment the color drained from her face.

“What?!”

“Kai.” The murmur was barely off of her lips before she was racing out of the cell, and Jay hurried after her.

In the cell across from hers, a police officer was pulling the door open, and Nya darted past him, skidding to a halt inside and falling to her knees next to a figure on the floor.

Jay felt his stomach drop.

By the time Jay reached her side, she had Kai cradled in her arms, weeping over him as she brushed sweaty strands of hair out of his eyes.

Jay watched his friend’s face in horror. It was pale, expressionless, unmoving. Even in sleep, Kai had always been restless, but now, he was absolutely still.

“What happened to him,” Zane cried, running over to them and dropping down next to Kai. Jay whimpered, leaning over to angle his ear above Kai’s mouth. He caught the sound of his breathing, but it was shallow and uneven.

“They… electrocuted us.” Nya’s fingers traced the collar around her neck, shuddering. “We heard you fighting, and he tried calling out for help, so Borg turned it up…”

Jay felt fury flash through him. “Let’s get that stupid thing off of you,” he growled, reaching for the collar-

“No!” Nya yelped, flinching back. “You can’t take it off, it’ll… it’ll kill me.”

“It’s okay, Nya,” Zane assured her, rubbing his fingers across the back of her hand gently. “We powered down the system. It won’t hurt you anymore.”

Nya swallowed, her fingers reaching for the buckle. She hesitated, looking up at Zane. He nodded reassuringly, although there was a pained sadness in his eyes.

Nya clicked the buckle, and the collar fell to the floor.

“We need to get him to the hospital, right away,” Zane insisted, using the key to unlock his chains, then hoisting Kai up into his arms. “He’s still alive, but barely. We don’t have much time.”

“Neither of them do,” Cole grunted from outside the cell, and Jay’s gaze darted to his arms.

Lloyd laid there, limp and pale. Cuts decorated his body, dried blood crusting on his clothes. Jay tried not to gag at the bloodied, mangled leg that Cole was carefully supporting. What had Borg been doing to them?

It was then that it hit him- really hit him- how close they had come to losing their friends.

And they still weren’t out of hot water yet- Kai and Lloyd needed to get to the hospital, fast. He wasn’t about to come all this way to save them only to lose them again, anyway.

“C’mon,” he called to Nya, letting her put her arm around his shoulder so that he could support her as she walked. “Let’s get you all out of here.”

---

“Ha! A plus two, take that, Cole!”

“What if I stack it?”

“What? Jay, now I have to draw four and Cole’s going to win!”

“I didn’t know he had that card, Nya! If you’re so smart, why don’t you stop him?”

“I can’t, nitwit, because you played that reverse card a few turns ago!”

“How was I supposed to know-” he cut off, sucking in his breath. “Zane! Did you seriously just give me a plus four? I know you have yellow cards!”

“Yes, but I’m pretty certain that Cole does as well. I needed to change the color.”

“Choose wisely, feathers.”

“...Blue.”

“No! He’s smiling, change it back-”

“I can’t, that’s against the rules-”

“He said blue, zaptrap, so zip it-”

Kai groaned, blinking awake at all the noise. He sat up slowly, rubbing at his eyes. What kind of weird dream was this, Cole, Jay and Zane were-

Here.

Kai’s heart skipped a beat. They were here, across the room from his bed, sitting at a little fold-out table, throwing Uno cards at each other and laughing so hard they couldn’t breathe. Nya was with them too, bandages wrapped around her head as she ducked a card from Jay. Lloyd, who was lying on the bed behind them, bandage-ridden and an IV snaking along his arm, snatched the card out of the air, giggling triumphantly.

“...guys?”

Five gazes whipped towards him, the room going quiet.

“Kai!” Nya cried, practically leaping over her chair and running over his bedside, throwing her arms around him. “You’re awake!”

He squeezed her back, his brain still trying to catch up with him. “What… what happened? Where are we?”

“You’re in the hospital,” she murmured, pulling back, although she didn’t let go of his hand. “That damn collar almost killed you.”

Instinctively, Kai’s hand darted to his neck, but there was nothing there. It was gone. “I don’t understand, I…”

“You saved us, Kai. It worked! The others were above us with the police officers, and Zane heard you. If it weren’t for you, we’d be dead by now.”

“I… he…” Kai stopped, swallowing. He turned his gaze to the others, who were gathering behind Nya. Cole was helping Lloyd pull his IV pole over so that he could come see Kai, too.

“He’s gone, Kai,” Zane assured. “The police arrested him. Borg Industries is under lockdown as the employees are being questioned to figure out who was involved.”

Jay reached out, putting a hand on top of his. “It’s okay, Kai. You’re safe now. We’re here.”

Kai felt his vision blur, and launched himself into their arms, sobbing. Arms wrapped around him- Jay, Zane, Nya, Cole, and even Lloyd’s little fingers gripping him somewhere in there. For the first time in a week, Kai let himself relax, melting into their warm, safe embraces.

He didn’t know what was going to happen next. He didn’t know what they were going to do, or what challenges still laid ahead of them. But he knew that everything was going to be alright, because they were together again.

---

Epilogue

“Nya, come on, we’re going to be late!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” She ran out of the hallway, slipping the pack of crayons and the notebook into the green backpack he was holding. “It’s not my fault you guys didn’t do this last night when you got home from work!”

“Fist to Face 3 just came out yesterday, are you kidding? Jay and I preordered that months ahead of time, you couldn’t expect us not to play it!”

“You didn’t have to spend five hours doing it! And on the last day of summer, no less! Zane, how’s that lunch coming?”

“All ready!” The falcon hybrid hurried over, slipping the Starfarer lunch box into the backpack. Pointing a finger at Lloyd, he reminded, “Don’t eat that until lunch time, okay? If you eat it all in the first five minutes of class, you’re not going to have anything to eat for lunch.”

Lloyd hardly seemed to hear him, bouncing excitedly on his feet as Kai zipped up the bag and slipped it onto his shoulders.

Lloyd scurried for the door, tripping over his own shoelaces, only saved by Jay, snatching the back of his hood in the nick of time, as Cole intercepted Lloyd and tied his shoes before he could escape Jay’s grasp.

“Don’t worry,” Kai laughed, clapping a hand on Zane’s shoulder. “I think he’s going to be just fine.”

“I know. It’s just hard. He hasn’t been on his own since…”

“Hey, Nya and I did some research. This is a really good school, okay? He’s gonna do good here. And it’s super close, so if anything goes wrong, we’ll be right there. If this isn’t the place for him, nowhere is. We can’t spend our lives hiding, Zane. That chapter of our lives is over.”

He smiled at him. “It is, isn’t it?”

A purr budded in Kai’s chest. “We’re our own people now.”

It had been nearly a year since they had been freed from Borg. Charges had been pressed, and Borg Industries had been shut down for months, until it had been bought under new ownership and rebranded as Julien Industries.

As for them, the Ninjago City Government had provided them with a house and had offered jobs to Cole, Zane, and Kai, and they alternated shifts so that someone could always be with Lloyd. Jay and Nya had enrolled at the local high school, and had been working hard to catch up with their peers. Fortunately, both of them were very bright and planned on pursuing careers in mechanics and engineering. Kai, Cole, and Zane were taking night classes, as well, so that they could eventually work their way up to a job that they were more passionate about.

Through it all, though, they always made sure to have family time every day, where they would just relax, play games, and laugh. It was a life far different than anything Kai had experienced before, and took some adjusting- but he wasn’t complaining. For the first time ever, there was no weight on their chests, no doors locking them in. They were free.

“Are you two coming?” Nya hissed at them, her, Cole, Jay, and Lloyd already halfway out the door. “We’re going to be late for Lloyd’s first day of school, don’t make me leave you behind!”

“Hold on, we’re not missing that,” Kai cried, running after her before she could close the door. He felt a warmth in his chest as he passed the hat rack without grabbing anything. They had nothing to hide anymore.

They caught up with the others a little ways down the sidewalk, and Kai cracked a grin as he saw Lloyd, skipping alongside Cole, holding his hand and babbling about something that sounded like Starfarer- the kid had been obsessed with the show recently, there had been a fair number of tantrums trying to get him to stop for bedtime. Jay and Nya walked a few paces behind them, Nya holding out a homework sheet as the two argued over one of the problems, Zane hurrying over to help them before it got too heated.

Kai bounded over to Lloyd and grabbed his other hand, smiling down at him. “You excited for your first day of school, Lloydster?”

“I can’t wait!” he yelped. “Nya says I’m gonna do so many things! I’m gonna color, play with toys, meet friends- she says they even have play-doh! I only got to use that once before, and it’s really squishy-”

Kai glanced up as Lloyd rambled on, catching sight of a couple walking on the other side of the road who was staring at them, whispering to one another as they pointed at the long tail unfurling from under Lloyd’s coat, swishing behind him happily.

Kai sharply turned his gaze forward again, making a point of flicking his tail as he walked on.

Life wasn’t perfect, now. Since their story had traveled the news, and they had stopped hiding who they were, many citizens were uneasy around them in public. And when one of them snapped playfully at each other, or yelled too loud, it was often enough to send people scurrying away. He would be lying if he had said there hadn’t been a few awkward confrontations from some particularly bold citizens, but… it didn’t bother him as much as he would’ve thought. What these people were doing to him was still a hundred times better than anything Borg had ever done. Kai had done everything he could to be kind and welcoming to people, and if they still weren’t going to accept him and the others just because they were different… well, that was on them, not him.

Besides, no one had ever promised that their life was going to be all cupcakes and rainbows now that Borg wasn’t a threat to them anymore. Life was never like that- it was messy, and that was just part of the fun. He and his family were safe and happy now, and that was the only thing Kai really cared about.

When they arrived at Lloyd’s school a few minutes later, they walked to the classroom Lloyd had been assigned, the boy watching the students laughing and chatting around them with wide eyes.

The classroom itself was filled with young kids, some looking as excited as Lloyd, others hiding behind their parents. Some were even bawling. Lloyd gripped his hand slightly tighter as they walked, but he didn’t shy away from his classmates.

As Zane and Cole went to speak with the teacher, Nya grabbed Lloyd by the face and kissed him all over. Lloyd squealed as he tried to pull out of her grasp, although there was a purr rumbling in his throat.

“You have a great day, alright bean? Behave well, and be nice to the other kids. Zane will be here to pick you up after school.”

“After dinner,” Jay added, “We’ll go out for ice cream and you can tell us all about your day!” Lloyd perked. “I’m gonna have the best day ever!”

Nya laughed. “I hope so, bud. You deserve it.”

“Lloyd,” he asked, pointing at the cubbies on the far wall, “should we go find your cubby?”

Lloyd hurried over, Kai following, as he checked each label printed above them. “Here,” he pointed, a little ways down, “Lloyd Garmadon. This one’s yours, bud.”

As he helped Lloyd out of his jacket and began to put his things in the cubby, Lloyd squealed, darting away from him. Kai whipped around to see that he had thrown his arms around a little girl, who was hugging him back tightly, a huge grin on her face.

“Lloyd, what…”

“It’s Raina! From the mall!”

Kai looked closer at the little girl and saw that Lloyd was right, it was the girl he had been playing with at the mall last year, before all the chaos with Borg had happened. Kai had thought they would never see her again.

“She’s in your class? How crazy!” “Raina, what are you doing, bring your coat over-” The woman walking up behind her, who he recognized as Jessica, Raina’s mother, froze as she saw Lloyd. Her gaze darted up to Kai, and their eyes met.

“You… you’re the ones we saw that day, aren’t you…” her voice trailed off, gaze flicking from Lloyd’s long ears to their tails.

Kai shuffled closer to Lloyd, placing a hand on his shoulder.

But the woman’s face broke into a tentative smile. “I can’t believe it, I had thought you would never call!”

“Yeah…” Kai’s gaze dropped, and he ruffled Lloyd’s hair gently. “We kind of had… other things to worry about. In all the chaos, I kind of forgot about everything, and I also had to get rid of my phone-”

“Oh honey, you don’t need to make excuses. It’s alright, I saw… I saw everything on the news…”

Kai felt moisture welling in his eyes, and turned his head, blinking hard. They had watched the news, too, for those first few nights, hoping to get some closure on the Borg case- but the pictures, the videos they had shown, had brought back unpleasant memories, and they had quickly stopped watching after that.

To his horror, he realized he was crying now, and quickly tried to wipe at the tears dripping down his cheeks.

Suddenly, Jessica was hugging him. Kai gasped slightly, caught off guard for a moment, before returning the embrace, allowing himself to cry into her shoulder.

In a way, it was humiliating. There he was, a young man, crying and clinging to a woman who was hardly more than an acquaintance of his, in front of a room full of five-year-olds.

But on the other hand, it felt good to be held. He had spent so long being the one holding others up, and… it was nice to be on the receiving end of that, for once.

It had been a year since Borg, and his emotional wounds were healing. But the scars were still there. Some days, more than others, but… they never truly went away.

“Sorry,” Kai sniffled when he finally pulled away, wiping at his eyes.

“You have no reason to be sorry,” she told him gently. “No one should ever have to endure what you did, especially not someone as young as you are. Sometimes, we just need a really good hug.”

“Thanks.” He smiled warmly at her. “Lloyd and Raina will have to meet up sometime.”

“For sure,” she agreed.

“Where are you gonna sit?” Lloyd asked Raina. “We should sit at the same table!”

“Let’s go over here,” the girl cried, grabbing his hand and dragging him away.

Jessica laughed. “We definitely will.”

As Kai walked over to the others, who were getting ready to leave, Nya shot him a glance. “You okay, bro?”

“I’m fine. Are we ready to go?”

“Wait! Don’t leave yet!”

He turned to see Lloyd running towards him, and the boy launched himself into his arms. Kai laughed, hugging him back tightly.

“I’m gonna miss you,” he mumbled.

“Me too. But you know what? You’re gonna have so much fun here with Raina, that it’ll be time to go home before you know it, and then we’re going to have an awesome night of ice cream, Starfarer, and videogames.”

Lloyd smiled, burying his face in Kai’s shirt. “I like when things are like this.”

“Me too, bud. We all do.”

The others crouched down around them, hugging Lloyd too, so that the boy was sandwiched in between them, causing him to squeak in surprise.

Everyone laughed, and they hugged him tighter. A warm, tingly feeling spread through Kai’s chest, and, right then, despite everything they had been through, he felt like the luckiest person on the planet.

As they unfurled from the hug, the feeling still remained in Kai’s chest. As they walked out of the room, the school, even as they took their separate ways for work and school, the feeling never went away.

It was the feeling of love. Undeniable, unbreakable love.

Because no matter what happened, from here on out- as they all grew up, as life changed in the turbulent matter that it did- one thing was always going to remain the same, and that was the love they had for each other.

Family was forever, and Kai’s family was the best one there was.