Ninjago had industrialized in a very short amount of time. After the defeat of the Overlord, well, the Garmadon version anyway, Ninjago was left peaceful once again. Without the constant and annoying interruptions of Serpentine or Skulkin terrorizing the continent, Ninjago's minds were free to create.

And boy, did they create.

Within a year, construction had completed on the new Borg Tower, right where the Overlord had his fall. A little plaque was put up by the door in honor of the Green Ninja, but that was about all that was left of the old battleground. It wasn't exactly a pleasant memory for the people of Ninjago, anyway.

The androids had arrived quickly, with varying degrees of resistance. There were lines for housekeepers, construction workers, nurses, and even policemen, the prototypes passing inspections with flying colors. Soon, grievances were forgotten, and Ninjago welcomed the robotic helpers into their lives. That is, except for one family.

The ninja lived a relatively plain life. They had renovated Lloyd's old boarding school to remove any traces of what was a breeding ground for bullies and future criminals, and were attempting to turn its inhabitants into functional members of society. However, the little brats did next to nothing to expedite this process. The ninja were up to their necks in rambunctious schoolchildren and its subsequent stress, and it showed.

They woke up tired every morning, their meals consisted of little more than pasta and maybe some meatballs (if they were lucky), and Kai could've sworn he had found a few grey hairs. Jay hadn't touched an invention in months, Cole had given up on experimenting with his food, Nya had let whatever housework she was able to keep up with slip away, and Lloyd was never home, always whisked away to some ceremony he needed to attend. The three eldest ninja had barely any time to spend with each other, their more romantic, intimate life being thrown away in favor of keeping up with the little terrors. In short, the Bounty and its inhabitants were a disaster.

They had asked their mentor repeatedly for a housekeeping android, just *something* to cook some meals besides week-old pasta and buttered bread. Their Sensei, much to their disappointment, was stubborn in his dislike for androids, fearing that it would make his already slacking team even lazier. Any attempts of negotiating were futile, and the ninja had pretty much resigned themselves to falling behind on their chores forever.

That is, until Kai had enough. When it became clear to everyone that their Sensei wouldn't give in, he gathered the team together and laid out a plan. Save a little money each week, not too much, and perhaps use their status to convince Borg to give them a discount on a state-of-the-art android. Jay and Nya, being the tech nerds they were, agreed wholeheartedly, and Lloyd and Cole nodded along in desperation, the Earth Ninja more hesitant than the blonde. An email was drafted and sent, money was being stored in an old uniform box under Kai's bed, and the ninja resigned themselves to biding their time. That is, until Borg emailed back only a week later.

And just like that, the team had arrived at Borg Industries, having been invited by the man himself to see the latest technology under the guise of merely taking their day off to go into the city and relax as a crew. They were greeted by some of his staff, including some metal-skinned androids, and brought up in a glass elevator to one of the top floors, the doors opening with a dramatic swoosh as they were granted access into the personal laboratory.

Cyrus Borg was sitting in his wheelchair as always, but it was the figure massaging his shoulders that caught the ninja's eye. This android was different from the ones at the door. It looked almost human, save for the bright LED eyes and the visible seams in its skin. Its eyes scanned the ninja with a light flicker, pulsed once, and then returned to its creator with no hesitation.

"Ah, the ninja. Please, do come closer. I promise it won't bite," Borg beckoned, and they complied, Jay and Nya practically bursting at the seams with excitement. "I'm sure you're wondering who this marvelous being is behind me."

"Is this why you called us here?" Jay asked, and Cyrus nodded, resting a hand on his android's shoulder.

"This is ZN600, the sixth model of the ZN line. I call it Zane for short. Zane, would you mind going to greet our guests?"

The android nodded, and stepped away from its creator to approach the ninja. It stopped only a few feet away, bowing deeply before resuming its stiff posture.

"Greetings, I am model ZN600. You may call me Zane if you wish. I was created by Mr. Borg to serve as a living assistant, and thus is why my appearance is set to mimic a young adult of average stature."

"Very good Zane," Cyrus smirked dryly, rolling over to meet them as well. "Its social skills aren't too impressive, but they don't need to be given its task list. It can wash dishes, do laundry, organize any mess, and download thousands of recipes."

"Wait, you said ZN600, right? I thought only the 400s were available on the market. And they look nothing like this one!" Jay exclaimed, reaching out and gingerly touching the skin on Zane's collarbone, the android only blinking pleasantly.

"Ah, yes. The 500s were scrapped early on, but the changes were so vastly different that redoing all of the 500 documents would have been a waste of time," Cyrus grimaced, obviously remembering the events less than fondly. "As for Zane here, the reason its not on the market is because its the first of its kind, a prototype."

"So how much do you want for it?" Cole tilted his head, feeling wary about the whole situation, both about the price and the fact that this android looked so human.

"Considering you were the team that took down the Overlord in this very location, it would be my honor if you would test out Zane for me, free of charge."

"Free?" Nya raised an eyebrow, inspecting the android with a newfound curiosity. "What's the catch?"

"Well, I would certainly appreciate a report back every once in a while about how its doing, it has our most advanced software to date."

"So you're giving us an entire android, and all we have to do is give you status reports?" Jay asked, and Borg nodded. "Well, deal accepted!"

They walked home from the tower, Zane pleasantly staring straight ahead, footsteps barely audible as its Borg Industries-issued shoes lightly tapped against the pavement. Other than the shoes, it was wearing plain black dress pants and a white button down, strangely formal wear for a robot intended to do chores. Borg had given them a few necessities, such as refills for its hydraulic fluid, changes of clothes to better fit its job and other occasions, and a few cables for charging.

Cole rolled the cords through his fingers, glancing over at the android, whose gaze never wavered from the upcoming scenery.

"So," Cole began, and everyone turned their attention to him. "How are we going to explain to Sensei that we just happened to get an email from Mr. Borg and he just gave us a top-of-the-line cleaning bot?"

"Exactly like that," Kai nodded. "It was random. Definitely no planning on our part."

"If you say so," Cole mumbled, turning to the android. "So, any of us can just order you around?"

"I do need to have one primary owner, but as long as they give permission, yes," It blinked, its voice barely wavering in tone, staying steady at a smooth tenor.

"Who's that gonna be?" Nya asked, looking around at the others.

"Uh, I'd say either Sensei or Jay," Lloyd piped up, and Jay whipped around to look at him.

"Why me?"

"Well, you know the most about dealing with complicated robot stuff, right? It'd probably respond best if you tried to fix anything."

Jay nodded, very much liking the idea.

"Right, let's get that set up then."

The ninja pulled off to the side, the ZN600 standing still as Jay stood in front of it.

"So, uh, how do I do this?"

"I will start," Zane smiled softly, and raised the palm of its right hand to face the sky. Immediately, a projection sprung up, and Zane closed its eyes.

"First and last name?"

"Jay Walker."

The name appeared on the holographic screen, periwinkle letters contrasting against a deep blue background.

"Is the spelling correct?"

"Yes."

"What are your pronouns?"

"Uh, he/him."

"Pronouns registered. Date of birth?"

The rest of the questions continued on as such, Jay answering each one with his curiosity practically bursting at the seams. Finally, the questions ceased and its eyes opened, Zane flashing the same smile once more.

"Registration complete. Is there any particular title you would like me to address you as, Mr. Walker?"

"Just Jay is fine. You can call all of us by our first names."

"Registered," Zane's eyes pulsed a few times in processing, tucking the file away in whatever corner of its mind key profiles resided in.

"Alright," Jay breathed, tugging the android by its sleeve back onto the sidewalk. "Time to bring you home to meet Sensei, I guess."