Red

When Garmadon awakened on a cold slab of stone, he knew he must be dead.

Silence. All around him, bathed in a grayish light. Apprehensive silence. He sat upright tentatively, feeling the cool rock beneath him. Smooth and dry. He looked down as he slid his feet to the floor, noting his attire. Sturdy sandals. A dark, comfortable one-piece garment, tied around the waist by a woven crimson rope. He was confused for a moment, but quickly remembered what had happened to his original clothes.

"Lloyd," he murmured, surprised by the bite in his voice. The single word echoed in the long cavern, weaker with each repeat. Lloyd…Lloyd…

He smoothed back his hair with a wrinkled hand and took a step forward. Then another. Where am I going? he wondered, glancing around. He knew this place by heart- the Underworld. His domain, once upon a time. When he'd been evil, poisoned by the Great Devourer. I can go anywhere, he decided at last, sighing heavily. I can travel the entire Underworld a thousand times, have a friendly chat over tea with every dead man down here. I have all of eternity, after all.

Tea. Bah. Garmadon kicked a loose pebble, growling loudly. Curse you, Wu. When I get my hands around your tea-loving, traitorous excuse for a neck, I'm gonna…

He clenched his hands, stifling his frustration. What was wrong with him? He breathed deeply, releasing the tension in his fingers. He needed to clear his head.

And so he walked from this large, empty cavern into the next, where he heard the splash of water. He knelt beside the pool- fed by an underground stream- and drank deeply. When he'd had his fill, he splashed his face, letting the cold water trickle down his collarbone. That was better. The bitterness was gone, at least for now. He sighed, planting his palms on the edge of the water.

There was a scratch and a hiss to his left, and he jerked his head up. A spykor hung from the cavern's ceiling, watching him with inquisitive eyes. Its eight legs quivered, excited, or perhaps terrified: there was a stranger in its home.

"You don't get many visitors out here, I'm sure," Garmadon said. The spider-like creature leaped at the sound of his voice and scrabbled into the stalactites, out of sight.

Well, then! I was just trying to be friendly, you overgrown…

Garmadon splashed his face again. Inhale. Exhale. Like Father taught you. Resist the bitterness. He smiled ruefully. The venom was gone from his body, of course, but the mantra from his childhood remained firm in his mind. Inhale. Exhale. Resist the bitterness.

Why bitterness? Garmadon remembered asking his father many years ago. Just call it what it is, Father: evil. I'm evil.

Because bitterness is the root of all evil, Garmadon. Believing you have been wronged, that you don't have all that you deserve. It makes you bitter. And bitter men say- and do- evil things.

The Great Devourer's venom is bitter poison, my son. But if you let the bitterness go, it will have no control over you. Now. Back to work. Inhale…

Garmadon closed his eyes, releasing his breath slowly through his nose. This isn't normal, he thought. I haven't felt this way since before I was healed of the venom. He inhaled, opening his eyes, staring at his reflection in the pool. Gray hair. A round face; gentle angles, like a pebble beaten smooth by the ocean surf.

Father always said I looked like Mother, he thought, hand hovering over the water. I wish I could have known her better. They… The blood drained from his face, and he jerked back, panting.

No… His hands scrambled for purchase on the rough ground, and he leaned over the pool again, face inches from the water. No…no, no…

His irises were red.

Jay lived for moments like this.

He crouched on the sidewalk in the shadow of a popular pizza joint downtown, cleverly named the Pizzaz Pizzeria. Try saying that five times fast. On the other side of the road was Kai, similarly positioned on the corner between a tourist shop and a high-end seafood restaurant. The fire ninja would have been completely invisible in the darkness, if not for the silver glint of his sword, held at his side.

The road was deserted at this late hour. Thank goodness, Jay thought, eyes on the windows of a barber shop further down the road- that's where Zane was hiding. We look pretty shady right now.

Heh. Shady. Like…it's dark out. Cole would appreciate that pun.

He shook his head. Focus. This is a serious mission. I can't mess it up. Rummaging in his pocket, he whipped out a picture, examining it for the gajillionth time: a mug shot of the guy they were waiting for, a crime boss who went by the name Chuck. A long scar ran down his face. Snakelike green eyes leered at the camera. He also had greased back, black hair. Greased. Who still did that?

Big crime bosses, apparently, thought Jay as he slid the picture back into his pocket. Nothing says Public Enemy Number One like looking like you just popped out of an old black and white film.

Jay caught movement in the corner of his eye, and he jerked his head up. Kai was running down the center of the deserted street. What in the…

Right. Jay, you knucklehead, Jay berated himself, looking out at the barber shop. A high-power flashlight was clicking on and off- Zane's signal that Chuck was in the building.

Jay followed Kai as fast as he could, heart pounding wildly in his chest. Stupid, stupid! He growled softly, a hand on his nunchucks in his belt. Timing is everything, Jay. When Zane gave the signal, you were supposed to run immediately. If this Chuck guy spots us, it's all over. Argh!

He slipped into the doorway of the barber shop behind Kai- they had unlocked the door about fifteen minutes ago for this reason. He examined the place in a single sweep, watching for any movement.

There was a soft tap of metal against glass. Kai and Jay turned their heads simultaneously. Saw a dark silhouette crouched under the window.

Zane. His eyes glowed softly as he stood, approaching them silently. "Our suspect's in the back room," he whispered, confirming Jay's earlier suspicion. "Kai, I don't know about this…"

"What's wrong?" Kai asked, frowning. "You were all for the plan earlier."

"I know. But…something changed. The moment Chuck unlocked the back door, I felt something. I don't think it's safe anymore."

"Listen, buddy," Jay breathed, a hand on Zane's cold metal arm. "We can't call this off just 'cause you've got some jitters. We'll see this through to the end and put Chuck behind bars for good."

"But-"

"When Ninjago City's safe, we can argue all we want," Kai said, running his thumb along the edge of his sword. "But we've come too far to turn back now."

"He's right, Zane," Jay said. "Let's do this."

Hesitantly, Zane nodded. He set a hand over his pocket- where he kept his knives and shurikens. In the back room Jay heard some shuffling. A thump. There was definitely someone in there.

Kai held up three fingers. Then two. One. Finally he balled his hand into a fist, and they charged as one, using spinjitsu to break the door down.

"What- Hey! What's going on?" Bewildered green eyes stared at the three intruders.

"What's going on?" Kai repeated, approaching the man with his sword raised. "We're taking you in, Chuck. That's what. Are you gonna come quietly, or do you wanna fight?"

The man Chuck backed up, shakily holding up his hands. "Seriously, you guys. What's going on?"

Zane raised a hand, signaling for Kai to stand down. "You don't know?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

"Umm...no?" Chuck swallowed. "I was just coming back to the shop 'cause I forgot my keys. I own this place."

"A likely story," Kai scoffed. "Come on Zane. Tie him up."

In the moment that Zane hesitated, the shelf behind Chuck began to glow green. Before Jay had time to warn the others, it tipped, boxes and other miscellaneous items toppling down on Chuck. The man cried out in surprise and pain, hands guarding his head. The three ninja stepped back to avoid getting hit by the wreckage.

"Heh. Sorry I'm late, guys," the shelf said, a green mist rising from it. "What did I miss?"

Jay paid the shelf no mind, instead pulling the mug shot from his pocket. "It was the wrong guy," he murmured.

The mist fled the shelf, materializing into a man. "What?" Cole asked, his greenish features creased in a confused frown. He examined the picture, as did Zane and Kai. Then he glanced at their perpetrator, unconscious under the fallen shelf.

"I could have sworn this was him," Jay said. "Look. His hair's even greased back."

"He could be Chuck's brother," Kai agreed. "But this is definitely not Chuck. He doesn't have that scar."

"I don't understand," Zane said, touching the man's face. "He's not wearing makeup. There's no scar."

"But our informant said that Chuck would be here tonight," Kai said.

"Maybe this really is Chuck's brother," Jay suggested.

"No," Cole said. "I could have sworn Nya said Chuck had no relatives in the city. Maybe we-"

"Guys," Nya spoke into their coms. "I just received another anonymous tip from our guy. He says the building's rigged to blow. If you're still in there, get out!"

"Let's go," Zane said, rushing to rescue not-Chuck. Jay and Kai followed.

"What's going on?" Cole asked.

Jay paused. Right. Cole can't use a com as a ghost.

"The building's gonna explode," Kai said simply, helping Zane lift the shelf. Jay carefully pulled the trapped man free, and his teammates let the shelf fall again.

Without a word Cole possessed the back door and opened it for his companions. "Let's make sure no one else is around when this building explodes- if it even will. Then we'll head back to the Bounty. We need to talk to Nya and discuss what just happened."

"And then what?" Kai asked as he and Jay hurriedly carried the man from the building.

Cole slammed the door shut, then left it to sprint beside Zane in human form. His face was grim. "And then we track down the guy responsible for this mess."

Man, my heart's beating super fast, I am so excited. This story is going to be awesome.

So! Kind of like Overlord's Revenge, this is a headcannon fic for what I predict will happen in the upcoming season. Sans pirates. Ugh. Unless they're played by Colin O'Donoghue, I hate pirates. So this fic will blessedly be talking parrot and peg-leg free.

Also, this fic will have a lighter plot! It'll still be intense, but it will definitely won't be drifting into almost M-rated waters like True Grit. So, hooray for that...

Coming up soon: Pixane and Jaya fluff. Perhaps Kailor, if people request it. And, of course, Ronin will make an appearance. Kira Vulpes got me more excited for that guy's character than I thought I would be. And Morro! Gosh, I wish I could just tell you all that I have planned. XD

A quick shoutout to Kira- without her, this story probably wouldn't have ever been written. She came up with maybe half of the summary as well. Gosh, Kira, I can't say thank you enough for all your help.

(::) Here's some cookies. Have a good day!