RHYS

Rhys sipped up the last drops of his tea.

The noise of the Dragon Clan defending themselves had disappeared. Now it was quiet. The battle was over.

Rhys had commanded the villagers to let the Protectors of Ninjago leave with the children. After all, they only wanted one child. Taking the bus was simply the easiest means to that end. Under normal circumstances, Rhys wouldn't have needed to borrow anyone from Ninjago. But that boy had something they couldn't find in Okuura.

Had Doctor Kirk not insisted that this trial would lead to success, Rhys would not have agreed to a kidnapping. There was no need to garner the attention of Ninjago. He did not want Ninjago to know The Dragon Clan existed. And he wished for nothing more than for him to lose the knowledge that Ninjago existed as well.

Rhys gazed down at his scrolls scattered on his desk. If only he could interpret the incantation.

He still remembered wrapping his fingers around the ancient scroll for the first time. It was at his inauguration as Chief of Okuura and the Dragon Clan. His appointment to power meant it was now his responsibility to bring his family home. A feat taken up by countless generations of Chiefs before him. A feat that has yet to be achieved. When he held the scroll in his hands, he felt the generational burden press down on his shoulders. Would he lead his people home? Or die a failure like every other Chief of the Dragon Clan.

After years of experiments, Rhys was coming to believe that there was no way home...

He gazed at the three symbols on the scroll: a crystal, a flower, and a tornado. For years his ancestors have been working to decode these symbols. And the only unknown meaning was the tornado. What was the missing ingredient? What was the key?

Rhys rubbed his temples. If Doctor Kirk failed him again, he'd have to send the Dragon Clan into hiding. Forcing them to wait for another generation -at least- to continue their research.

Rhys rose to his feet. He picked up his teacup from the desk. He crossed the room to his kitchen. His modest one-room home was big enough for him. As Chief, the people offered him the biggest house in Okuura. Rhys refused. He wanted to be with his brethren. He was, first and foremost, a citizen of The Dragon Clan. His power was secondary to that fact.

Rhys poured another cup of tea, hoping the aroma would clear his head.

He had to shut down the trials. How was he going to break the news to Doctor Kirk? That man was stubborn. But so was Rhys. The only reason they were able to work together is due to their mutual respect for each other. They both admired the other's passion. They both gave up everything so that they might bring their Clan home.

Suddenly, his home door swung open. Soren burst in. Soren was a young man who showed great potential. Rhys took him under his wing, hoping that Soren would one day be his predecessor as Chief.

Soren paused. He bent over trying to find his breath.

"Chief Moses," he said, between gasps for air. Soren pushed back a few loose strands of his dark hair. He stood upright, becoming taller than Rhys again.

"Brother, what is it?" Rhys said. Soren was usually a stoic man. But he was exuding enthusiasm. Or rather, he was smiling.

"Doctor Kirk had a successful trial!"

"He what?" Rhys dropped his tea. The cup shattered onto the floor.

"The ninja stole the specimen. But it worked!"

Rhys laughed. Instead of cleaning up the tea and ceramic fragments across the floor, Rhys stepped over the mess. He had more important matters to attend to than cleaning. He put his hands on Soren's shoulder.

"Tell all our brothers and sisters of this news!"

"Chief Moses, shouldn't we wait until you speak to Doctor Kirk?" Soren said. His smile dropped revealing Soren's typical detached expression.

"This isn't about victory. It's about the hope of victory. Go!" Rhys felt hope slip from him in the long years of unsuccessful trials. And he was an optimist. His fellow Clan members needed the encouragement. All their labour was about to reap a harvest.

Soren nodded and left.

Rhys put on his peacoat, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and walked to The Dragon Clan's Compound. He felt the buzz of excitement bubble up in his beloved Okuura as he walked through the streets. After all these years, the Dragon Clan had hope.

Rhys navigated his daily route. From the heart of the village to the gate, and further still, to Doctor Kirk's lab inside the compound.

He entered the lab. The window that looked over the Experimental Room revealed a messy situation. A few of his Okuura brethren were trying to fix a burnt fusebox.

Doctor Kirk was sitting at a computer in his lab. Rhys didn't know much about technology. But he knew that Doctor Kirk's computer ran the entire experiment. It controlled the machine they used in an attempt to trigger a transformation. It had logs of every experiment they have ever undertaken. It even had access to every security camera in the village.

"Brother," Rhys said as he approached, "Soren told me the good news."

Doctor Kirk glanced at Rhys, noticing his presence for the first time.

"Yes yes," Doctor Kirk said, sounding distracted, "Once we have power, we can see exactly what we did right."

Doctor Kirk was the only reason the village had power in the first place. He found an abandoned Power Plant nearby Okuura. He hooked up all the electricity needs. He ran all the wires through the tunnels under the village. However, they did not have access to good material commonly used in Ninjago. Thus, power failure was typical. Their technology was out-of-date. An issue that only bothered Doctor Kirk.

Rhys tried to recall what this trial's key was. Doctor Kirk was sure he cracked the meaning of the drawing on the scroll. But Rhys couldn't remember what Doctor Kirk had claimed it to be.

The screen buzzed, coming back to life. The men in the Experimental Room attempted to close the old circuit box (that door was hardly effective).

"Ah, let's see what caused our success," Doctor Kirk said. He fiddled with his computer until the video footage from the trial appeared on his screen.

The playback began. It started with tying the child to the chair. The boy received the serum, made from the Dragon Flower. Nothing happened.

The machine powered up. It sent shocks, trying to trigger the desired outcome. Nothing happened. And nothing continued the happen.

"This is the time we received news of the arrival of the ninja," Doctor Kirk said, pointing to the time on the screen. Nothing happened.

"I thought the trial was a success," Rhys said.

"For once, practice patience, Chief Moses," Doctor Kirk said.

The footage became interesting upon a blue figure entering the frame. He dropped from the roof. He shot lightning into the fusebox, causing a fire. Electricity sparked out from the power system. It waved through the computer causing the picture to flicker. But Rhys could see the electricity running through the wires. And into the boy.

The figure freed him and they escaped through the roof. Then the picture cut out completely.

Doctor Kirk tapped on his keyboard until new camera footage appeared. This camera was watching the hall to the garage. An air duct crashed to the floor. The blue figure, a girl, and a dragon fell to the ground. Doctor Kirk paused the playback.

"I fear that intelligence was not a factor in this trial," Doctor Kirk said.

"No, I think not," Rhys agreed, "Who was that figure?"

"The Blue Ninja, Master of Lightning," Doctor Kirk said.

"An Elemental Master? Of course! We never did find the Master of Lightning," Rhys said. He solved the riddle. He found the key.

"Doctor Kirk, do you still have your Elemental Tracker?"

"It's in storage," Doctor Kirk said.

"Get it operational," Rhys said, "Soren and I will organize a strike. We'll need to find a few pilots considering our visitors arrived by air."

"We have three planes in the hanger," Doctor Kirk said, "I last inspected them a month ago. They're safe to fly."

"Brother, I believe I see the light at the end of the tunnel," Rhys said, putting his hand on Doctor Kirk's shoulder.

"There is still research to be done," Doctor Kirk said cautiously.

"And it will be done," Rhys said.

But first, he needed to find the Master of Lightning.