Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

’Well, that can’t be good’ That was the first thought Zane could muster as he read the red text that popped up on his HUD as he picked himself up after jumping from his motorbike

[Tracker Offline]

[Communications Systems Offline]

[Cloaking Disabled]

[Left Leg 87% Functionality]

Zane tried to ignore the dull ache spreading through the aforementioned limb, hoping he’d be able to repair it as soon as he learned what he needed to from Mr. E, he doesn’t have time to worry about it though as he hears his opponent start to stand as well but there was also a faint crackle that accompanied the action

The first thing he registered as Mr. E stood was that his arm had been entirely torn off suddenly Zane felt dizzy and sick as he processed the scene, but somehow the other didn't seem all that bothered, it was then that Zane noticed the sparking coming from the biker’s shoulder, the source of the crackling noise

Reaching down, Mr. E picked up the detached limb, examining it for just a moment before raising it to the injured shoulder before simply reconnecting it with a firm click

“You’re like me...,” Zane said slowly forming his sentence as his brain struggled to keep up with the new revelation “A Nindroid?”

Mr. E finished fixing his arm bringing the other back to the side, though a few stray sparks still snapped harshly in the silence which hinted that it wasn’t a permanent solution, while Zane was relieved he hadn't permanently crippled the general he now realized this meant he still had a fight to finish

Mr. E simply stood facing his enemy, remaining as stoic as before, helmet hiding every hint of emotion

“Are you The Quiet One?” Zane tried asking again, despite the absence of a reply the last few attempts at getting any answers, Mr. E certainly fit the description Zane would assume of someone named 'The Quiet One'

The Nindroid in front of him jerked his head to the side before returning back to staring at Zane with blank white eyes, a gesture that seemed to mimic the way a human would crack their neck to intimidate an opponent before beginning a fight, an unnecessary action for a mechanical being but Zane understood the meaning behind it

“Are you The Quiet One?!” He demanded again, growing tired of the one-sided interrogation which was getting him nowhere

A second later Mr. E was charging towards Zane, grabbing the bow off of his back Zane rapidly fired several arrows towards the other Nindroid, but Mr. E swatted them out of the air like there was no force behind them as he continued on his path towards Zane

Fear overtook Zane just for a moment he saw his reflection in Mr. E's visor and a his chest erupted with pain as his opponents fist met with the metal plating protecting all of his inner mechanics

With that well aimed punch the fight between the two Nindroids began on the edge of the canyon, Mr. E seemed to be focusing every bit of energy on disarming Zane, his bow was tossed over the edge shortly after Mr. E had resumed their battle, without his weapon Zane was forced into hand-to-hand combat

Up close Zane could clearly hear the mechanical whirring coming from Mr. E whenever he moved, every punch and kick highlighted by the sounds of gears and hydraulics, strange, how had Zane not noticed that sooner? Perhaps the fall did more damage to Mr. E than just to his arm?

Their fight lasted longer than Zane was expecting, the two Nindroids seemed to be almost equal in fighting capabilities, however it was clear that they both were becoming a little too damaged to continue fighting much longer, Zane was growing tired and a sharp ache had started to invade his chest where Mr. E had landed that heavy blow

Zane’s foot skidded slightly over the ledge, fear arcing across his power source as he took in the sheer drop down as he sent pebbles and rocks tumbling down the side, Mr. E started fighting harder, punches thrown faster and kicks sent ever stronger each one aimed to push him further towards the ledge, his goal of tossing Zane over into the canyon becoming obvious

Sparks shot through the air as two of them as they continued to fight and Zane couldn't tell if either was more injured than the other electricity spilling from both of them like a poor mimicry of blood but no less necessary for their mechanical life, pain lanced from every inch of him sharp spikes of it burrowing within his chest and leg, with another strong punch Zane felt his shoulder spark in agony, looking up he saw Mr. E approach slowly

“You don’t have to do this!” Zane tried to shout, his voice sounding more artificial than usual, his cry filled with static

Mr. E made an attempt to kick him over the edge, but in desperation Zane gripped the other Nindroid’s wrist, the force sent him over, mechanical heart stuttering as his feet were met with air rather than hard rock, panic kept his grip tight and Mr. E fell along with him

The canyon wasn't a straight drop down the rocks along the edge of the canyon slowing his fall but each one caused even more damage to his already heavily broken metal body, landing on the ground of the canyon Zane just barely managed to turn as moments after he landed another resounding crash came from his left

Static overtook most of his vision and his eyelids slowly inched closed but Zane fought to see the state of his opponent, the general's helmet visor had cracked leaving a ring of red glass shattered in a glittering array around the fallen nindroid, beneath the helmet Zane could now see gold eyes

If Zane hadn’t felt so out of it he might’ve been more shocked to see the fear that shone in them, not the anger he was so certain would be burning just as brightly as they had behind the glass, but Zane didn't have the strength to ponder the shift in his view of the other as he felt suddenly exhausted

Mr. E’s eyes sparked a small sense of familiarity, but before Zane could summon the energy to try to recall where that feeling came from, the static overtook his vision and his systems shut down

—————————————————————

[System Rebooting |||||||||||||||||||||—————————]

[Power Level 43%]

[Right Arm 79% Functionality]

[Ventilation System 82% Functionality]

[Left Leg 19% Functionality]

[Repair Time Estimate: 8:34:06]

[System Rebooting |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||——]

[Power Level 32%]

[Critical Damage to Power Source Detected: Immediate Repairs Required]

[System Rebooting |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||]

Zane’s eyes blinked open to a star filled sky, it was significantly later than he remembered it being when his emergency reboot had initiated, with a sudden spike of panic Zane looked around for Mr. E, with a mixture of relief and unease he noted that his opponent was laying in the same spot he’d fallen, the golden eyes that had been revealed by the broken visor were now closed

With a groan Zane sat up, he was greeted with two red alerts in the corner of his HUD as he did so

[Warning: Power Levels 29%]

[Permanent Shutdown in: 1:18:23]

A sudden spray of sparks from Zane’s chest accompanied the message, the dull radiating pain he'd been feeling since waking turning sharp and agonizing for a moment before receding back again, there was something wrong with his power source the pain shifted like the waves making it oh so hard to think every thought washed away as soon as it came by the ever present torture in his chest

Hearing a mechanical whine from beside him Zane's attention was turned back to the other Nindroid beside him, Mr. E’s eyes opened but they remained dim, there was no glow that usually accompanied mechanical sight

From the sharp inhale that Mr. E let out and the way his opponent shakily brought his hands up to his face Zane was pretty sure that something happened to his vision, he could hear the other’s breaths grow short and hurried, he could feel his code to protect whisper he should comfort the panicking general, to help fix the damage he had inflicted but his very presence would probably only serve to make things worse

’This probably won’t be fixed anytime soon’ Zane thought absently looking down at the sparking from his broken chest panel, he instantly felt terrible for thinking of his own injuries while he might’ve unintentionally blinded the nindroid next to him

A stab of pain radiated from his chest and Zane hissed back a strained whine

“Who’s there?!” A voice shouted, Zane startled to finally hear the voice of Mr. E but he was more concerned to hear just how much fear was laced in those 2 words, the nindroid jerked back and scrambled backwards until his back hit the wall of the canyon small sounds of pain muffled through the helmet

Zane opened his mouth to answer but, how was he suppose to respond? Anything he could think to say had the potential to only cause the other nindroid more distress

There was also some sort of faint ticking that split the silence, if Zane didn’t have a better sense of hearing than humans he probably wouldn’t have heard it at all

“I… Uhm, My name is Zane” He started, not sure if Mr. E knew his identity or not, he most likely did but introducing himself seemed like a good start just in case

However whatever response he was expecting from the other driod he certainly wasn't expecting a look of disgust to overtake Mr. E''s dimmed yellow eyes

“Are you hurt?” Zane asked carefully, wary of the sudden shift in Mr. E’s demeanour

Mr. E remained resolutely silent, just like before, except this time Zane could see the way the nindroid’s expression shifted from fear, to annoyance, to a sort of sadness, then to the anger Zane had expected

“We won’t get anywhere if you don’t tell me if you’re injured” Zane tried, he could see in Mr. E’s eyes that something was causing him pain, but the bot in question was continuing to stay stubbornly quiet

“I can help you if you just tell me what's wrong“

That caused a reaction, Mr. E's head shot up and he made a harsh derisive huff, which was at least something from the general even if Zane couldn't understand why his offer to help had elicited it

Zane was about to continue his insistence that Mr. E needed help when a spark of electricity reminded him that he wasn’t doing so great either, looking at the red numbers to the side of his HUD as he laid back down with a groan

[Warning: Power Levels 26%]

[Permanent Shutdown in: 1:05:31]

Silence fell over the two broken nindroids, the sounds of desert life at night only being broken by the occasional sound of sparking electricity, Zane knew if he didn’t do anything soon he was going to die here, but all he could do was look at the seconds tick down as he stared up into the sky

A loud sigh finally split the silence like a razor, Zane sat up surprised that Mr. E was still awake, it was rather hard to tell without and sort of glow and the general was very very quiet

“Are you hurt?” Mr. E’s voice echoed slightly against the walls of the canyon, it struck Zane in that moment how apprehensive the nindroid sounded rather than the irritated tone Zane would have expected from the general, it seemed as though Mr. E had come to a similar conclusion as Zane

We’re both as good as dead if we don’t work together

“You could say that” Zane responded quietly, it felt almost as if, if he spoke to loudly it would scare Mr. E back into silence, shifting slightly to look at Mr. E, Zane noticed the deep contemplative look that was written on the sliver of what Zane could see of his face

“How bad is it?”

Zane glanced at his HUD for the what had to be the millionth time in the last 10 minutes

“Shutdown in 1 hour”

Hearing himself say it out loud a weight seemed to settle in his gears, there was no way he’d be able to get back to Ninjago in an hour, much less get out of this canyon, he was sure his friends would be looking for him but his tracker was broken and the canyon was large

“Oh"

That was the only response for a while, Zane frowned and looked over again to the nindroid he’d been fighting only a few hours ago, it felt strange to now be worried about the other’s well being when they had been trying to kill each other earlier that day, or possibly the day before, depending on what time of night it was (emergency reboots tended to mess with Zane’s internal clock and calendar) 

The nindroid across from him was clearly dealing with some sort of mental debate, Zane could almost understand why he wore the helmet now, even only seeing his eyes Zane could tell he was very expressive, Mr. E looked up and Zane quickly averted his gaze despite the fact that the other’s eyes remained dulled

“I need-" the question was cut off before Zane could even process that Mr. E had spoken again

Zane hummed slightly wanting to prompt the other to continue but not knowing the right words to do so, Mr. E did not speak again

There was a part of Zane that wanted to know what request Mr. E had, but he also knew from experience that pushing the nindroid for answers wasn’t going to work, so instead Zane focused his attention on his sparking chest panel, he had to fix it if he was going to give himself more time

“You still haven’t told me if you were injured” Zane spoke, worry still nagging in the back of his head, if he was this bad off he couldn't be sure if the general was any better

Mr. E was quiet for a while and Zane was worried that he’d returned to his resolute silence before he responded, his voice once again striking Zane with how different he sounded than what he had been expecting from one of the leaders of the Sons of Garmadon

“I sustained some damage during our fight, I am not at risk of a shut down, but…” he paused and Zane could see the nindroids eyes flick from side to side for a moment as if he was hoping the rest of his sentence would remedy itself “I can’t see”

Zane had expected as much but it didn’t make hearing it feel any less emotionally jarring

“I could try to help-” Zane started to offer

“Just worry about yourself” Mr. E bit back immediately, turning towards Zane, so many confusing emotions written on that small sliver of his face, Zane could swear he heard a muttered end to the sentence but he couldn’t make it out as Mr. E turned his head back towards the canyon wall

Without much else to do Zane focused back onto fixing his power source before his clock ran out

—————————————————————

Echo’s POV

Echo had imagined meeting his brother again for a long time while he was in the lighthouse

At first he’d imagined a heartwarming scene where they’d both be glad to see each other and he’d finally have a family again, but as it became increasingly obvious that his brother wasn’t coming back for him the picture turned bitter

After he’d been found by Harumi and recruited into the Sons of Garmadon the only image he could come up with when he pictured Zane was the thought of his face when he realized he’d been bested by the brother he’d abandoned

Never had he imagine he’d be trapped in the bottom of a canyon without his eyesight while Zane was running out of time

Never had he imagined he'd feel so guilty

Echo wanted nothing more than to be able to just get up and leave, return to his position as part of the Sons of Garmadon, as he’d planned to do after taking care of Zane, get back to what his life had become after being saved by Harumi

He wanted to go back to not feeling anything

Not feeling guilt

Not feeling fear

Not feeling betrayed

Echo was brought out of his reverie by Zane letting out another sharp hiss of pain as something small and metal clattered against the rocks and Echo figured he was trying to fix whatever damage threatening to end his life in an hour

There was that guilt again

Sure he felt justified in his anger but he never wanted to cause his brother this much pain, maybe if he could just find out why his brother had abandoned him after he’d helped fight that djinn he could resolve the resentment that kept boiling in his chest

“I need-” The words left before he could think on them a moment longer but he quickly shut his mouth, it wasn't worth it, he should just end this now and stop thinking about his past

A soft hum came from his right but Echo refused to acknowledge it despite the faint voice in his head urging him to ask the question that had hung over his life like a heavy rain, that he'd been trying to answer himself for years but still didn't know

I need to know-

No, this was stupid, he wasn’t going to like the answer to this question no matter what he was told, there was nothing his brother could say to make Echo believe that there was any justifying leaving him in that lighthouse alone again

There was a tense silence that followed, Echo hated not being able to see what was going on, he felt so helpless, he had grown used to feeling so in control as ‘Mr. E’ but right now he was just ‘Echo Zane’ just a rusted replacement for an old inventor’s true son, never being able to measure up to the real one

“You still haven’t told me if you were injured”

Echo really hoped his brother didn't notice him flinch at the sudden question, he really did not like being without his vision he couldn't tell what was happening and each new sound caused his clockwork heart to start ticking faster

It took him a moment longer to decide on what to say, they were still enemies and revealing any weakness would only serve to put him at a disadvantage

But it wasn't like Zane was in any better condition...

 “I sustained some damage during our fight, I am not at risk of a shut down, but…”

He didn’t want to finish the sentence, he just couldn’t, it was probably obvious by this point though, Echo tried once again to look around willing his vision to restore itself before he had to admit his vulnerability “I can’t see”

“I could try to help-”

Echo’s head snapped in the direction his brother’s voice came from, it was far too late for help the only thing that stopped him from lashing out at his brother was the fact that his identity still remained hidden, and he wasn’t about to reveal himself, Harumi had been clear what would happen to him if he ever took off the helmet

“Just worry about yourself” was the phrase he settled on, but he couldn’t help but add ”It’s all father ever worried about anyways” in a hiss afterwards

There was no reply after that, Echo wasn’t sure if Zane had heard the whispered comment, and his inability to see was making it rather difficult to read his brother

He heard movement in front of him and had a feeling Zane was standing up, Echo could almost feel his gears stutter in his chest, he’d definitely heard him, but before Echo could try to explain he heard a startled gasp from his brother

He wanted to ask what it was, was there some threat that Echo couldn’t see? Had help arrived? But as a dull thud sounded in front of him Echo’s heart only ticked louder, his voice remaining silent

But as moments passed and he didn't hear anything from his brother fear started to creep it's way up his throat

“Z-Zane?” He called tentatively, hating the way his voice hitched, he's not worried for Zane, he is simply worried that if his brother were to...

Then he would be alone and blind and his chances of getting out of the canyon would decrease drastically

He was only worried about himself and Echo just wished the guilt settling in his chest would get the memo

“Still here…” Zane’s voice returned, though Echo could hear it was strained and the long silence hadn't inspired confidence

“Care to fill me in?” Echo said, allowing some of Mr. E’s mirth into the words to convey his displeasure of being unaware of what was going on around him

“My leg-“ Zane began, voice crackling slightly “It’s pretty damaged, but I need to fix the damage dealt to my power source before-...”

His brother trailed off and Echo wasn't going to make him finish the sentence, there was a silence that spread for a while as both nindroids had a silent battle of who would act first

“Okay fine, what do you need me to do?” Echo said with a sigh that came out more like a huff through what was left of his helmet

“I- What?”

“You can’t move, I can’t see, and once you’re down I’m not going to last much longer, so what do you need me to do to make sure you don’t die on me?” Echo said this all with annoyance in his voice and an air of indifference in hopes to mask the worry he was certain he wasn't successfully hiding

“I need to get over to the crashed bikes, I think there might be something I can use” Zane said finally

Echo carefully braced himself against the wall and stood, shakily reaching out towards the sound of Zane’s voice, his brother grabbed his hand and Echo pulled him up

Zane leaned against him and Echo tried not to be startled by just how much of his brother's weight he had to support

They carefully started stepping forwards, Echo trying his best to assist his brother as Zane guided him towards where Echo assumed the fallen bikes still lay, the smell of smoke slowly beginning to grow each slow step

What his brother was trying to obtain from the wreckage was beyond Echo’s knowledge and he didn’t feel much like asking at the moment

“Wait-“ Zane started, but it was too late, Echo realized what the warning was as his foot struck the edge of what he was assuming was part of one of the motor bikes and he tripped, almost pulling Zane to the ground with him but the other nindroid had had the time to stop

“A little more forewarning next time?” Echo said with a groan as he picked himself up, feeling for Zane’s arm again, he could swear several things in his chest wasn't where they were supposed to be anymore after all the damage he'd sustained recenty but he didn't have the energy to even try fixing himself like this, and there was no way he was asking his brother for anything

“Sorry…” Zane mumbled, Echo’s concern shifted from himself to his brother, who's voice was quieter than it should’ve been “My reactions have been a little delayed since my power levels dropped below 20%”

Only Echo's years of practised silence kept him from reacting, how had Zane's power levels dropped so quickly, they had just walked maybe 25 feet

“Just wait here a second” Zane said, disappearing from Echo’s side, Echo remained standing as still as he could manage where he was, certain that if he were to take a step in any direction all he’d accomplish would be tripping over some unseen scrap again

Echo heard Zane rummaging through the wreck as he waited, hoping everything was alright, he wasn’t sure what he could do if Zane didn’t find whatever he was looking for to fix his power source

“I found it!” Zane’s voice came from somewhere behind him, still too quiet for how loud the exclamation was surely intended to be

Echo found himself relax slightly and was glad for his helmet to hide whatever expression of relief he was making

Zane returned to Echo’s side, leaning even more heavily on the other nindroid than before and Echo had to bite back a comment about how much he was expected to help out here, there was silence before Zane finally spoke again

“Any idea how we get out of here?”

“There’s no way either of us would be able to climb those rocks, I may not be able to see them at the moment but I have a good idea of what they looked like” Echo said bitterly after a moment of thinking, once again feeling the sheer annoyance that he directed at his lack of sight

“Maybe if we search we can find a path out” Zane suggested

Echo wanted to object, hoping deep down that Killow would show up again to rescue him from this pit, but it’d been clear from the moment he’d told Echo to take Zane by himself that he wasn’t coming back for him, and he doubted Ultra Violet cared

Harumi might, but she would be too occupied by her current mission

He just nodded and tried not to think about the questions that pressed only heavier on his mind as Zane directed him away from the bikes and into the canyon

—————————————————————

The two nindroids walked with a quiet tension building between them, both relying heavily on the other, Zane leaning on Echo for support and Echo needing Zane to lead them

There were a million unasked questions that hung in the air between them but neither wanted to be the one to break the fragile truce they had formed by pressing too hard, if either of them left the other their survival chances diminished

Not that Zane had a good track record of not leaving Echo behind, and he couldn't say he trusted his brother, but he was at least going to use him to get out of here then never think of this day again

Echo's foot hit another rock and he stumbled forwards a few steps, Zane's hand tightening on his wrist and pulling him back up before he face planted again, he was so absolutely sick of getting jostled about like a ragdoll, maybe he should just get it over with and see if Zane could do anything to fix his vision

No, no he was not letting anyone near his circuitry again, much less that close to his head, an involuntary shiver ran down Echo's spine as unbidden memories played through his head, without anything to distract himself he could only feel the sensation of phantom hands moving through his chest

"Mr. E?" came Zane's voice in a questioning tone as Echo's pace slowed, he needed to sit down, he needed to think, he needed out of this canyon and out of his own head

He needed answers, he needed to be fixed

Echo reached up to his helmet, running his hands carefully along it's sleek smooth edges occasionally marred by scratches and dents he'd gathered during his series of misfortunes

He really really didn't want to do this, once Zane knew who he was everything about this situation would change and Echo wouldn't be able to go on without answers and if Harumi or any of the Sons of Garmadon found out…, but if they were going to survive he needed to do this, however much the thought of taking off this helmet made him nervous

He brought his hands to either side of the helmet and pulled it over his head, feeling it's familiar weight in his hands rather than over his head felt so very wrong, and absolutely terrifying

There was silence and Echo wished for the millionth time that he could see again, what emotion would be painted across his brothers face, guilt? hurt? anger? surprise?

—————————————————————

Zane’s POV

Zane was confused

He was looking at himself, but older maybe? Mr. E taking off his helmet had been a surprise but after Zane had taken in the copper metal, the familiar face plate, the intense look Mr. E seemed to be trying to aim at him but was off by a few inches all Zane felt was confused

“Are you going to say something?” Mr. E said, clearly growing quickly tired of Zane’s absence of a response, brows furrowed and hands clenched tight on the helmet, that same muffled ticking Zane had heard before rung out among the rocks around them

“Do... uhm... should I-...” asking the other if he was supposed to know him felt like a poor choice, but the general was clearly waiting for some form of reaction, and trying to grasp any possible idea while pushing past the painful buzzing in his head was harder than he was prepared for "Were you part of Cryptor's army?"

Zane knew instantly he had got it wrong as Mr. E's expression turned cold and Zane felt himself freeze in the intensity of the unseeing glare

“You actually forgot about me” He said quietly but no less biting, Zane could hear an anger building up behind his words, if he didn’t do something quick this could evolve into another fight, and while Mr. E might not be able to see Zane still wasn't at any sort of advantage “You left me at that lighthouse and forgot I ever even existed?!”

“Lighthouse? I-... I'm sorry I don't know what...” Zane said, desperation filling his already broken voice, he couldn't seem to finish any of his thoughts, pain making it too hard to speak much less find the right words to calm the other nindroid down

With a frustrated growl Mr. E shoved Zane off his shoulder, Zane scrambled to carry his own weight but the sudden pressure placed on his left leg caused a fresh spike of pain to run through it and he fell to the ground with a cry, electrical buzzing and static all he could hear until he managed to pick himself up, however still unable to stand

“I don’t know who you are! E, I’m certain if I knew you I’d be able to recall but-“ Zane shut up as the general's fierce eyes finally found the right spot and despite the fact that Zane knew he couldn't see him it still felt as if the nindroid was staring at his very soul before placing the helmet back onto his head, once again covering everything but his eyes which, though still dark, shone with malice

“You called me Echo” Called the other nindroid bitterly as he turned and continued walking, hand placed firmly on the edge of the canyon wall and fist clenching tightly every time he tripped over the rocks or his own feet

Mr. E turned a corner and before Zane could muster the strength to call out for him he had already disappeared around the next bend in the canyon

Struggling to his feet Zane placed an unsteady hand against a boulder and pushed himself upright, it was obvious he wouldn’t get far without Mr. E... Echo and, if the way he was stumbling as he walked was any indication, the general wouldn’t get too far without him

He was glad that the conversation hadn’t ended in a physical altercation but being left alone was almost just as dooming for Zane’s dwindling time, he’d fixed the damage to his power source, but the power loss was already irreversible

His eyes flicked to the timer counting down, while the fix had given him more time than before, even just moving caused his power to drop ever lower

[Permanent Shutdown in: 4:37:24]

Zane tried to stand, biting back a groan as he did, the pain radiating through his leg doing it's best to stop him, just as he finally managed to stand at his full height a jolt of agony ran through him and he fell to his knees again

Before he could go after Mr. E he’d need to take care of his leg, perhaps if he had something that could act as a splint, looking around however there was obviously a distinct lack of wood or branches that could be used, he did however have strong metal arrows

Grabbing at his quiver of arrows Zane pulled it from his back awkwardly with his left hand, as his right sustained a fair amount of damage during the fight, the arrows alone may have been sturdy but not enough to support any weight, Zane pulled a roll of electrical tape from on of the pouches on his belt, he kept it in case he needed to repair any wires but it would work to fasten a few arrows together to reinforce their strength

Due to the structural damage done to his leg he hoped that this would work similar as it did for humans, although he knew there were many differences between their physiology and his construction, but as Zane stood, hand pressed firmly against the canyon wall for support and tested the splint by shifting some weight onto his left leg he was relieved to not feel the tremendous spike of pain he’d been half-expecting

However without anything to use as a viable crutch Zane was confined to the sides of the canyon, looking over at what was likely just a couple meters but felt like a mountain between this side of the canyon and the other Zane felt sick, in order to get to Mr. E, Zane would have to get across the gap without anything or anyone to take the burden off his injured leg and it wasn't as if his low power was doing him any favours

Zane took one shaky step forward away from his source of stability and into the empty space between him and the only other person who knew where he was, someone he apparently knew but didn't remember

His chest ached at the recollection of Mr. E's expression as he realized he'd been forgotten (or maybe that was still his barely functioning power core), to know that it was once again his fault, but Zane was certain he would have remembered if he knew the other nindroid, sure he forgot some things after waking up on Chen's island and had his entire childhood wiped from his very mind, but he'd had all those blanks filled by his friends after the tournament and after flipping his memory switch back he'd remembered everything and had a perfect memory of that time ever since

But he didn't recall anyone who looked like Echo, the closest he could get was Cryptor and his army of 'perfected' clones, but beneath the additions and alterations they were still based on Zane's design, so it seemed logical that if Mr. E was some form of copy...

Zane took another step into the expanse that seemed to much larger than it should even have the possibility to be

But that wasn't the case, the other droid had seemed very upset about Zane's guess, so he must know him from somewhere else, thinking back Zane tried to recall that feeling of familiarity, of deja vu, that he'd felt the first time he'd seen Echo's eyes

Another step, the fiery pain burning across his leg as he pressed down, but Zane refused to fall or stumble, if he collapsed now he wasn't going to be getting back up

Thinking was just too hard, but if he stopped focusing on Mr. E, if he stopped focusing on his thoughts, he'd be forced to acknowledge the agony searing through his body every shaky step, so instead he pushed through the fog in his head and tried again to place those foggy golden eyes in his memory

Step

Maybe Echo was someone he saved in the past?

Step

No, the general didn't come across as someone who'd want to be remembered for being rescued

Step

The Overlord returned and possessing one of the fallen nindroids

Shiver, step

That didn't seem right, the Overlord was a proud kind of guy and would've revealed himself by now, and Zane was fairly certain he was gone for good after...

Step

Zane was running out of theories fast, he remembered every moment of his life, there was simply no time he could recall meeting Echo

As he looked up Zane saw he was only a few feet from the wall and he stumbled the rest of the way unable to bear his own weight a moment longer, collapsing against the large column of rock and breathing hard

He'd made it across but his trek was still unfinished, as Zane glanced down the corner Mr. E had disappeared around he found nothing to greet him but more stone

With a sigh Zane took his next step

It took a lot of walking, which was growing more and more painful the longer he continued even with the support of the solid canyon wall but as he rounded a corner of rock Zane saw something on the ground a distance away

As he ran (or rather, hobbled as fast as he could without falling flat on his face) towards the shape, it became clear that the figure sprawled out on the ground was Mr. E

Zane tried not to feel too panicked at the nindroid’s lack of movement but in their predicament not panicking was harder to do than it should be

“E? Uhm… Echo?” Zane said as he reached his side, there was no reply and with a crackle of electricity from his own chest he was reminded he had to calm down, getting worked up and panicked would use more power

Gripping the general's arm Zane pushed him onto his back, something metal clanked and Zane winced hoping that he hadn't made anything worse

Nothing seemed outwardly wrong with the nindroid and Zane didn't see any oil on the ground from a leak he wouldn't be able to see in the all black outfit, he stopped himself from taking off Mr. E's jacket to inspect the damage further not certain if that would be crossing some boundary

Zane knelt beside Echo for a few more moments debating the best course of action, if something was really wrong Zane would have to make repairs, but there was also a good chance the other had simply tripped and hit his head just hard enough to initiate an emergency reboot

Trying his best to gently carry Mr. E over to the side of the canyon without jostling him too much Zane sat with his back pressed against the cold stone, hoping the nindroid was alright, Zane wasn’t sure how he would react if he woke up to Zane trying to do any repairs

And he couldn’t risk startling the other nindroid and sparking a fight

Just… please don’t die...

—————————————————————

Echo’s POV

This was a mistake, Echo knew from the moment that he’d gone off on his own that he’d messed up, but he couldn’t help it, he’d felt such a bitter resentment against his brother when he found out that he hadn’t just left him behind but had actually forgotten him

Oh Echo's back where he belongs, there's no point even worrying if he's alright, no point in remembering him, after all what do we need with a broken copy...

Harumi had been right about them

He could feel pressure building up in his chest as he stumbled around, tripping over rocks, any sounds sent his clockwork heart ticking, he was always thankful for the thick bikers jacket he wore to cover the sound but it did little more than muffle it at the moment

Despite his efforts to calm down the pressure kept rising, he needed to cool down, if he didn’t he’d run out of water and that would admittedly be very very bad in his current dilemma

He couldn’t see anything, for all he knew he was one step away from another long drop from a ledge, a sharp loud tick cracked the air before returning to it's normal, if not slightly faster, rhythm

But even this was better than staying with someone who’d left him behind and then gone on to forget about him entirely, like he was just a tool to help stop that genie before leaving him in his solitude for another who knows how long until he was needed again

Sure maybe he should’ve stayed and let Zane explain himself, after all it seemed unlikely that a nindroid like him would simply ‘forget’, but maybe it was meant to be a poorly constructed excuse

Too wrapped up in his thoughts Echo stopped paying attention to the wall that served as his only guide, the edge of the canyon had abruptly turned and before Echo could regain his balance he was sent toppling over onto the ground

He was thankful for the helmet he was wearing, right now his vision was functioning at around 14% any more heavy hits to the head and he wasn’t sure how he’d fix himself up again, but the fall still hurt incredibly so

He made to push himself off when he felt a familiar looseness in his arm, he knew it hadn’t been fully fixed after it’d come off when he’d leapt from his bike but he’d hoped it’d do until he returned to the Sons of Garmadon

Trying to get up anyways Echo felt a sudden shift in his chest as whatever gears had been knocked around moved and he felt an agonizing grinding as one of them caught on something it definitely shouldn't have causing him to collapse to the ground again

His vision was starting to darken and Echo tried to tug desperately at the zipper of his jacket, but his hands felt numb

He shouldn't have left Zane, he should have just accepted he was going to have to wait to be fixed, he shouldn't have revealed anything to the white ninja

How pathetic this all was, he should be a leader, someone people looked up to, but here he was at the bottom of a chasm, nearly blind, crippled and in more pain than he could ever recall feeling before

Was he going to die here? Because he hadn't heeded Harumi's warning, because he just wanted answers

He didn’t notice his eyes closing until the small amount of blurred light faded from his dimmed vision, he suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired, faintly he could hear part of his mind shouting at him not to give up, not to surrender to the growing exhaustion but it was far too quiet and the approaching darkness far too inviting

—————————————————————

Echo’s eyes opened, or at least he was fairly certain they did, it was night again, Echo knew from the distinct lack of light, he noticed with a note of alarm that he was sitting against the wall of the canyon instead of laying where he was before

“Echo? Are you awake?” Zane’s voice came from his right

He felt a twinge of annoyance at the use of that name, he shouldn’t have told it to Zane before he’d gone off on his own but it felt like an act of defiance at the time, now it just seemed childish

“You don't get to call me that anymore”

Echo knew how dumb it was to say that after practically shoving his name in his brother’s face, thinking back it was probably to see if Zane was just faking forgetting who he was, but now he was certain, there was no sense of familiarity with the name

Not that it was his actual name anyways, it was just what the ninja in blue had called him after they’d met the first time, not that he cared much for what the blue ninja said about him

Replacement

But in the time since that encounter Echo hadn’t been content calling himself ‘Zane’ anymore and Echo was the only other name he was known by so it stuck, but in the time since he’d made the name his own

Then Harumi had told him he didn't need either name anymore

He wasn't Zane and he refused to just be an echo of him any longer either

“Would you rather I keep calling you Mr. E then?” Zane asked, seemingly unbothered by Echo’s indignation

“I’d rather you didn’t speak to me at all” Echo retorted, feeling his hands clench with his anger

Zane didn’t respond for a while and Echo almost felt hopeful that he'd gotten Zane to drop the whole identity topic but then his brother shifted a little closer and started again

“Look, I know that what I said back there hurt you but I swear to you, unless someone tampered with my memory I would not forget you…”

When Echo didn’t respond Zane seemed to take it as an opportunity to continue

“Can you tell me what happened? Maybe if I know more of the story I can help”

Nope no, no, he was not going to be doing that thank you very much, that part of his past was one he did not want to look back on, much less try to tell to his brother, his enemy

He tried to give Zane a 'drop it' expression but he wasn't sure how well he was pulling it off

"Let's just get moving okay" Echo put his helmet back on, the familiar feeling of it's protective bulk calming him down

He tried to stand, very extremely done with this, all of this, as soon as he got his feet under him they felt far too uncoordinated and he pressed his hand firm against the canyon wall

"Careful!" Echo felt Zane's hand land on his uninjured shoulder along with the warning "You weren't in great shape when I found you, and I haven't done anything to fix whatever caused you to..."

Echo shrugged his brother's hand off, glaring over his shoulder in the general direction he believed Zane to be

"I'll be fine" Echo said, despite being quite certain he would not in fact be fine, but he wasn't about to let Zane help him, he was still mad

"No Ech-... Mr. .... Uhm... No you won't" Zane said, seeming to realize halfway through his words that Echo had not given him a preferred name to be referenced by "You're shaking, and I can't walk anymore"

Echo froze "what are you saying..."

"I'm saying we can't keep going, we're stuck here until someone finds us"

He wanted to argue that they had to keep moving, that the chances were far too low of being found at this point, but Zane probably already knew the chances, it was probably all he thought about while waiting for Echo to wake up

"You are certain?" Echo mumbled

It took a moment and he heard Zane shift slightly before a small hum of affirmation hung in the quiet

He felt the weight of Zane's hand on his shoulder again and let it pull him back to the ground, surprised how much relief he felt as his legs were no longer holding him up

Zane didn't say anything and Echo was glad for the quiet to let him gather his fraying thoughts

He wasn't dead, that was good, he wasn't sure how he had been fixed since Zane claimed he hadn't done any repairs which Echo was skeptical about but glad for if it wasn't a lie

But he was still stuck with his brother at the bottom of a gorge in the middle of a desert, with hardly any hope of being found that was bad

They were both damaged, far too much for either of them to fix, they could die here and still not be found for at least another few days

Suddenly Echo wasn't so happy with the silence

“So uh... where did you want me to start?...” He said before he could think through what he was saying

A quiet questioning hum from his right was all the reply he got

"You wanted to know what happened, so that you could 'remember' me"

Echo made his tone clear that he still wasn't entirely buying that Zane didn't recall him at all

Zane seemed to wake up a little more at that, Echo heard shuffling as his brother likely sat up a bit straighter

“It’s... well, it's your story, just, uh... tell me what you think I need to know" a pause "I won’t force you to say anything more than that”

“Yeah okay... just… give me a minute…” Echo mumbled

Echo found himself taking a deep breath, even though it was unnecessary, the action calmed him slightly, over his time with the Sons of Garmadon he’d felt himself adopt a few human quirks, whether to allow himself to blend in more or just to mimic those around him he couldn’t be sure

Silence stretched for a little while and Echo felt himself infinitely grateful that Zane didn’t say anything, after what felt like forever but was probably just a few moments Echo started

“I was created by Dr. Julien as well…” he said quietly, he heard Zane shifting, he’d probably already figured it out from their similar designs but Echo felt it had to be said “…When he was in the Lighthouse”

“But that would’ve meant-…” Zane trailed off probably thinking of the implications of that "You were... And he..., why?"

Echo wasn't sure which question he was asking, Why had he been left behind, why had be been created in the first place, there were lots of questions Zane could be asking

And none that Echo had any answers for

Truth is he’d probably asked himself that same questions far too many times and still had no answer to give, the questions only lead to more pain

“After he… left… I had no way out of there, at first I hoped he would return but, well, he didn’t” Echo was working hard to keep his emotions in check, he wouldn’t show weakness, not in front of his brother, not in front of anybody, not anymore

Zane wouldn’t mind, he won’t care if you’re weak

“After a while I gave up hoping, then those two ninja showed up”

“Ninja? Which two?”

Echo didn't recognize the tone of voice Zane was using but it caused him to shiver ever so slightly

"I uh... the lightning and water ninjas, I didn't get formal introductions and I didn't care to learn or remember their names after I was rescued by The Quiet One"

Zane was silent, Echo appreciated that he wasn't interrupting or pushing to story but wished that Zane would say something so Echo could read his emotions

“There was some big fight going on, I don't know many of the details the blue ninja only told us what we needed to know to help"

"We?" It was the only word Zane spoke and he sounded a little dazed as he did

"There was like uh... 5 others, as far as I knew we were meant to be like 'replacement Ninja'" Echo scowled at the reminder of all he was to the lightning ninja, he was only ever a replacement, it's no surprise he was abandoned, he really shouldn't have been surprised

"Oh"

"Something happened to the rest of you, you were trapped in a sword or something..."

It was hard trying to remember all the details, he didn't like remembering the day he'd been let out of the lighthouse, it only made the fact he was stuck there feel worse

"Anyways after the blue ninja got you all out you went to face the djinn, I think, on your own and the rest of us were sent to make sure that the citizens of Ninjago were safe"

He felt his hands clench as he was getting to his least favourite part of the story

"There were these floating islands, the djinn's doing, and as he was defeated they came crashing down on the city, I remembered seeing one heading tow..."

Echo wasn't sure he was ready for that part of the story yet, and Zane had told him he didn't have to share all the details

"Anyways I woke up in the lighthouse, never saw any of you again" He knew his voice was too hard, he practically spit the sentence out, he heard metal creaking and he loosened the death grip he had on his hands

Echo felt Zane rest his hand on top of his, Echo was glad Zane didn’t try to say anything, not defending his friend’s choice, nor telling him they were right to do so, he’d been expecting something of the like, it’s what Harumi said would happen

“And then?” Zane asked, he didn’t seem to be pushing, just giving Echo an opportunity to continue

“I’d guess that about a year and a half after that I was first found by The Quiet One and then a while later I joined the Sons of Garmadon…” Echo’s sentence trailed off, he had been avoiding thinking too much about Harumi and the others, specifically because practically everything he had done since landing in this godforsaken crevice might get him killed

He wasn't supposed to speak, he wasn't supposed to work with a ninja, and he especially wasn't supposed to reveal who he was

Echo curled tighter in on himself as his mind wandered to the Sons of Garmadon, he knew they were dangerous, he hadn't wanted to stay with them, just long enough to have his revenge, just long enough to prove to everyone that he was more than just a replacement

But they had made it clear that leaving wasn't an option

"Hey, are you alright?" Zane's voice was soft but Echo still jumped at the question

"I'm fine" He answered far too quickly, he knew he wasn't, he knew Zane knew he wasn't, but he also knew that the other nindroid was currently not going to push him on it

The hand holding his tightened ever so slightly, but whether it was meant to be comforting or just an unconscious reaction Echo couldn't tell

"Harumi... she's... she's still on your ship right?" The question almost refused to leave Echo's mouth, he felt light headed as he managed to stumble over the words

Zane was quiet for a moment, Echo could almost picture his face scrunching in thought and confusion at the sudden change of topic

“Yes, why?”

“She’s the... Quiet One”

Echo would have tried to sound a little less brash but he was honestly extremely tired right now and hadn't done this much talking in years, he honestly could not muster the energy to give Zane the whole run down

That energy was currently being used to try to fend off the impending panic over not only revealing his own identity but The Quiet One's as well, all in one night

The hand on his left, leaving Echo feeling entirely ungrounded

"What?..."

“The leader of the Sons of Garmadon, The Quiet One, that’s Harumi”

Echo had become very good at reading people during his time with Harumi, she taught him the power of being able to tell what a person is thinking by just the slightest change in their voice or face, it was why he wore his helmet

Or at least one reason why

However, without his eyesight he was limited in how well he could read Zane, only taking note of changes in the tone and pitch of his voice without being able to see the expressions that followed

“I see…” Was all Zane said, his voice was cold, Echo suddenly felt unsettled sitting next to his brother, there was a silence that followed, as if Zane was trying to figure out what kind of response he should give or if those two words would be enough to convey all he was thinking

It wasn't

Echo had no idea what his brother thought, about any of it, his past, the present, whatever the miserable future held

Echo bumped his knuckles against each other, he felt so disconnected from the conversation despite being half of it, his mind had long since stopped focusing, the black far too easy to slip into memories with nothing to ground him in the moment, nothing but the cold ground under him

Silence

Silence

Silence, it was always that silence that he couldn't stand any longer

"Say something damn it!" Echo bit out, the quiet hiss loud enough in the suffocating silence to almost seem like a shout

When Zane didn't immediately respond Echo's anger flared red again, he couldn't keep trying to read the situation when there was nothing, this was worse than the lighthouse, at least that nothing came with a view of his torment

"I'm tired of playing a guessing game over here! I- I just... I can't keep-! TALK TO ME!" Echo's outburst left him tripping over his thoughts, he didn't even know why he was getting so worked up over this, he just needed to be in control, he needed to know what was happening around him, he needed to know what was happening to him, he had to know if he was safe, he needed to be safe

"Alright, okay, it's okay" why did his brother's voice have to be so calm, Echo was so not okay right now, he could hear loud ticking all around him echoing off the stone "You're going to be okay, I was... I just needed some time to process"

"Just, please... talk to me?" Echo said, trying to ignore the hitch in his voice and hoping Zane would do the same

The hand returned and Echo hated how comforting the weight felt, how he immediately felt more connected, like he wasn't drowning in memories and fears

"Alright, so..." Zane started, giving a slight quiet laugh before continuing "Where did you want me to start?"

Echo couldn't help but breathe out a short airy huff at the familiar words, gripping Zane's hand as he thought about how to respond, did he really care where

"Just start wherever feels right"

—————————————————————

Zane’s POV

Zane took a deep breath as he thought about how much that had been revealed so quickly and he just didn't have enough power left to process it all as fast as he needed to, he glanced towards the numbers on his HUD that he'd been watching so anxiously the past day

[Power Level 17%]

[Low Power Mode Recommended]

[Permanent Shutdown in 2:57:23]

His shutdown timer had gone up immediately after he fixed himself as the estimated power loss returned to normal levels but he'd been just barely able keep himself at a point where he wouldn't be forced into Low Power Mode automatically, sleeping when he could, not moving too much, not speaking unless it's necessary

Apparently that was something more necessary than he had assumed, he could still see Echo taking in shallow breaths from beside him and how his hands were shaking in his

"Just start wherever feels right"

Alright, where should he begin, he wanted to start with Harumi to make sure his friends would be safe, but Echo probably needed him to address the past hat had been dug back up before moving on to the future

Just as Zane opened his mouth to start he heard a voice, familiar but unexpected from his right

"Step away from the Nindroid!"

Zane looked up in surprise, he hadn’t even noticed someone had approached, as he turned in surprise he saw Samurai X standing a little ways away with one of their swords drawn towards Echo

It took Zane a moment too long to realize that Echo was still wearing his helmet, the only part of his face visible being his eyes

“No no! It’s fine” Zane said, standing up quickly, holding his hands out in a placating gesture, maybe too quickly as his vision flickered and he stumbled placing too much weight on his injured leg and he couldn't help the small sound of pain that escaped his mouth as he did

"Zane!" Samurai X's voice sounded strangely worried, not that Zane thought that the Samurai didn't care but he just wasn't expecting the level of care and concern his name was said with

The Samurai moved forward, as if to help steady Zane before remembering how large the mech was and pausing mid motion

“What’s going on?” Zane heard Echo whisper from the ground, his brother seemed like he was trying for bitter annoyance but he wasn't quite masking the fear that lanced through it and the way his hands creaked ever so slightly as he gripped them together a little too tightly

The sword rose again as Samurai X seemed to break from their worry and remember that Mr. E was still sitting on the ground next to Zane

"Hey, it's alright, I'm... he's not going to hurt me anymore" Zane said, panic flashing through his circuits as Samurai X's attention returned to Echo, he raised his hand and let it rest on the dull edge of the katana, bringing it down, grateful when the Samurai didn't resist the action though they didn't sheath it

The mech shifted between looking at Zane and his brother, and Zane really hoped that he had managed to calm things down for the moment, taking a second to breathe and cool down the rising heat in his chest as well as take the strain off his power core

"Zane, talk to me" Echo's voice was quiet but hard, intent on reminding Zane that he didn't like being unaware of what was going on

Holding his hand up for one moment to reassure the Samurai that he was not in danger and that everything was okay, after the mech backed up ever so slightly he took the opportunity to turn back to Echo

"Samurai X just showed up, we're gonna be okay"

Zane decided not to mention the large sword aimed at Echo’s face, he had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well, he looked up to see the mech adjusting their grip on the sword, it was hard to tell intent through the mask but Zane hoped it was out of uncertainty and not suspicion

“Are you certain he will not harm you?”

“I am certain, please just trust me” Zane said, breathing a sigh of relief as Samurai X finally sheathed the katana after a moment of tense silence

“How did you know we needed help anyways?” Zane asked now that the Samurai was not preparing to kill his brother, he'd been wondering how on earth they had found him much less knew he was in danger in the first place, not that he wasn’t grateful, but… “As far as I am aware the Ninja had no way of contacting you”

“That’s…” The altered voice of Samurai X responded slowly “…a long story, I promise I’ll explain later”

The words were simple but for some reason Zane sensed that there was a lot more to them than he could understand at the moment

“I’ve contacted your friends on the Bounty, they will be coming to this location shortly, they have been searching for you all night...”

Zane now recognized the muffled ticking that rose above the sound of Samurai X's mech shifting as they paused

"I am sorry I cannot stay, I am needed elsewhere, are you-..., do... you trust him?"

"I do" Zane answered confidently, sitting back down next to Echo

Samurai X simply nodded and the whine of the jets on their mech preceded their departure, the night once again fell silent aside from the quiet ticking from beside him

"We're going to be okay" Zane repeated hoping Echo's hands would stop shaking "My friends are coming for us"

"For you"

Zane shifted at the response, unable to find anything to say in return, instead he bumped his hand against Echo's in an offer, he had seemed to take comfort in holding it before and Zane just wanted his brother to be able to calm down a bit before everything to come

Echo took the offered hand, pulling it a little closer to his chest as he curled in on himself, Zane wished he had the right words to say, he had never felt so uncertain in his speech before, always able to fall back on programmed responses if all else failed, but he wasn't sure he had ever encountered a situation like this before

"I'm not going anywhere without you" Zane said softly and the ticking slowed before once again being too muffled to hear, Zane hoped that meant his words helped Echo in some way

They stayed like that for a while, but unlike every other moment before Zane didn't feel tension in the air that needed to be resolved, he could almost feel his eyes drifting shut again

"Zane?"

He hummed in reply, opening his eyes and turning towards his brother

"What are we going to do when they get here?"

Zane hadn't thought about that, he figured he could just tell the ninja that Mr. E wasn't a threat any longer just as he had Samurai X, it wasn't like they wouldn't understand, then Echo could choose when he felt comfortable talking to them about the whole djinn thing, or whatever he wanted to share

"Well if you don't want to tell the ninja who you are I think we could just-"

"No, I meant... what about Harumi"

Right, oh hell, how had he forgotten about that, he had been so worried about it a moment ago, he really wasn't running at full capacity right now, he had gotten so distracted he had forgotten about that particular reveal

"I... am not sure" Zane said hating that he didn't have any clue how to help

"I don't want to have to... I don't want her to know I told you"

Echo was shaking ever so slightly, Zane wouldn't have noticed if his brother didn't still have his hand held tight

"We still have some time to figure something out" Zane wanted to say something more, a promise to keep him safe, an assurance everything would be okay, but he couldn't help but worry that it wouldn't and he didn't want to lie to Echo

Echo just nodded slowly and they both fell silent, Zane thinking of various ways to solve their current problem and he assumed Echo was most likely doing the same, so lost in thought he almost missed it when his brother spoke again

"I trust you too"

It was so quiet Zane almost didn't catch the words but as he realized what his brother said he tightened his grip ever so slightly, he just wanted to hold on a little longer, he had lost Echo once, he still couldn't remember how or when and he wasn't going to let it happen again

No matter who he had to face