Lately Ninjago had gotten quiet again. No supervillains trying to take over the world, no evil masterplans they had to stop, even Lord Garmadon was nowhere to be seen. The citizens Nya had come across were peacefully chatting with each other as she had walked by alongside the team. Some people would call it boring, sure, but she liked the break. For a certain amount of time at least. And as long as they had other duties they could attend to. Even if it was something as simple as overseeing some rich dude's valuables during his move. Nya sighed. Of course, if one or two criminals would try to interrupt the transport she wouldn't mind either. It'd be better than listening to this rich dude's monolog about how important the safety of this cargo was. The sole reason of his being, the one thing he had pledged to give his life for, his most precious possession, etc. He sure seemed to have a lot of possessions in itself though. His entire entrance hall had been filled to the brim with shiny stuff that even the old imperial family would have been jealous of. And it hadn't gotten any better after he had led them out of the hall either. Attendants were scurrying through the halls like inhabitants of a beehive. Some were polishing ancient vases in the hallway and loading them into boxes, some were watering exotic plants in a giant botanic garden before hoisting them out of the room and some were carefully arranging a set of portraits by size while taking them off the wall and locking them into heavy-looking safes. The rich dude whose name Nya didn't really bother to remember only gave his workers an approving nod from time to time. At the same time various painted versions of his face stared back at them from most of the portraits, together with some similar looking faces, assumably ancestors. Only one of the portraits seemed to miss some parts. Not because they had been ripped off, it was more like the portrait wasn't finished yet. At the bottom of the frame a name was carved. You. Was that the rich dude's name? No, couldn't be. That would have rung a bell for her. But she couldn't ask either because the dude's waterfall of words hadn't stopped ever since his introduction. "So, I once again must ask you to pay utmost attention to the safe delivery of this package. Should I find only one hair as much as touched I will be forced to follow it up with consequences for you six", he repeated for the twentieth time as he stepped outside on the back of the villa. They were surrounded by walls even higher than the house itself. Only one road led towards the double gates of a barred fence that separated the property from the rest of Ninjago. And in the middle of said road there was a giant truck in which easily five caravans would have fit. Like one of those comedically long limousines but in truck-format. The other ninja seemed just as surprised as her. "What's in there? Some smuggled whale?", Cole snickered. As if personally offended the rich dude finally stopped both talking and walking. "I can assure you that no smuggled good could compare to what is in there. However, for the safety of the package I can not tell you. Only I and the transport are allowed to be informed of all the details", he declared loudly. "In fact we even installed a self-driving autopilot for this.""So the package is sentient". The deduction slipped Nya's lips, promptly earning her a glare from the rich dude. But instead of agreeing he only spat back: "That is none of your business." Zane stepped forward. "A more detailed description of the contents would allow us better protection. For example, if it is fragile or easily abductable", he argued. The rich dude gritted his teeth. "Yes, it is very fragile, obviously. Would I have asked anyone other than you - as the supposedly best for the job - if not. And as long as you do your job right it's not supposed to be even close to any kind of abduction, understood?""Damn, this guy has an even shorter thread of patience than you", Kai whispered half-loud in Nya's ear, which in return earned him a glare from both Nya and the rich dude. "Don't worry. We'll do our best to deliver the package to the front steps of your new home without fail", Lloyd tried to appease the rich dude quickly by stepping between his line of sight. "I sure hope so. And if you do succeed these bikes shall be yours alongside the reward." The rich dude snapped his fingers and six attendants appeared, everyone alongside a motorcycle that almost stole Jay's breath away. "It's the N1NJ460! The newest model on the market! And each in its own color", he almost squealed. "This job is amazing!" Nya chuckled while inspecting her own vehicle. The metal was still shining as if fresh out of the production, the leather untouched and the lights not even showing one crack. A visible contrast to how most of their bikes ended up looking like after a successful mission. Maybe P.I.X.A.L and her could even install some updates in them when they returned to the monastery. With a grin of anticipation she swung her leg over the saddle, her fingers wrapping perfectly around the two handles and the accelerator giving off that satisfying vroom of a starting motor. Maybe this job wasn't so bad after all. "Remember to be careful. Don't let any harm come to it. The future of this house lies on your shoulders!", he yelled after them as they slowly rolled out of gate together with the truck. One ninja was positioned on each end and two on both sides. Lloyd was making sure nothing could attack from the front, Nya watching out for their backs. That went well for an astounding amount of time. She had expected problems the moment they were out of the villa's sight. But no. Nothing happened. One minute, two minutes, ten minutes, thirty minutes. Nothing. Was that dude just over-exaggerating? Were they really about to get new vehicles that didn't turn into scrap for Jay's parent's junkyard after only one mission? Unfortunately and unbeknownst to her, not if karma had any say in it. They were just about to turn into a less busy road as Lloyd's voice sounded through the headpiece: "Zane, there's a suspicious ticking coming from the driver's cab. Think you can scan-" BOOM The next instant everything disappeared in an explosion of red, orange and yellow. Instinctively Nya closed her eyes, throwing one arm in front of her eyes to protect them from the light. However, with her sense of balance being just as thrown off guard as her the steering wheel swung around dangerously as she tried navigating it with only one free arm. At the same time the boom disoriented her ears, almost instantly causing that annoying never-ending beep to echo through them. She registered the yelps of her teammates and even her own only from a distance as she slithered over the road - too late to hit the brakes. Then she felt it. The stinging of asphalt scrubbing against her skin at high speed. The burning of her skin on the places where the protective leather didn't reach. The hard bang with which her helmet hit the floor. White stars immediately insisted to cloud her sight at the dull impact. As she slowly drifted off into darkness her eyes fluttered closed... only to be forced open again by pure will! She couldn't afford fainting right now! Being the one to drive the furthest away from the driver's cab the explosion probably hit her the least. Which meant she had to make sure no one else was life-threateningly injured. She winced as a sting shot through her head as she looked up. A sting that was quickly forgotten as she took in the sight before her with widened eyes. The truck had toppled over, landing head-first in a roadside ditch. Its sides were still smoking and two of its tires were burst open. Directly next to it were Zane and Kai - both unconscious but seemingly alive - a shattered wall of ice as only proof of Zane's attempt to save them both from the entire weight of the truck. On the truck's other side were Cole and Jay. A mound of earth still raking over the two just as unconscious figures which had shielded them from most of the flying parts. And then there was Lloyd. That damn idiot. Visibly limping, blood from a head wound dripping down his forehead and scratches decorating his worn-out appearance. Still he somehow had managed to reach the back of the truck and was now struggling with opening the loading area. Seeing their leader being his usual self-neglecting heroic self, Nya gritted her teeth, slowly pushed herself up into a standing position. Her legs were still shaky from the adrenaline overflow and she could feel blood running down both her knees and arms. But it was nowhere as bad as Lloyd. Determined not to let him carry the burden alone she limped over to him. Wordlessly she gripping the edge of the stubborn metal and began pulling. There was no communication between them. They were both too exhausted and close to collapsing but just knowing that something - may it be human, animal or whatever other individual - was still trapped in there, possibly scared for their life made it impossible for any of them to quit. Finally something creaked. Desperately Nya put even more of her weight into it. The two pulled and pulled until the wall finally gave in and created a hole big enough for one of them to slip through. Still breathing heavily and uncharacteristically pale, Lloyd already sat a foot inside. That man was way too self-sacrificial for his own good. Softly but with the necessary firmness Nya pushed him to the side. "I'll take care of it", she managed to get out - her words not allowing any backtalk, even now. With that she disappeared into the truck. Once again darkness surrounded her. Only the smell of overheated light bulbs that filled the air proved of once existing lighting. Thanks to the light shining through the hole she was able to even identify parts of the interior though. A bed, a desk, a couch. It was furnished like a normal living room. A very long but thin living room. At normal light and if the furniture hadn't been thrown around during the traffic accident it must have been a really nice thing to look at or live in. Which also proved her deduction as correct. With the addition that they hadn't only guarded an individual but another human. A human she could only hope wasn't abducted yet. If so there would have to be another entrance after all. Maybe the truck just had a malfunction? Either way she had to find that person quickly. Her eyes searched through the rubble. There! Something had moved! Back there where the light from the entrance almost couldn't reach anymore. As quickly as her limping legs allowed it she walked toward it. The closer she got the more humanoid the form became. Until she stopped right in front of it and realization dawned upon her. Nya's eyes that were slowly adjusting to the dark allowed her the sight of a face she had seen merely an hour before. The unfinished picture from the paintings. You.