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The old, rotting boards creaked under Samurai X's feet as they made their way through Stiix. Whispers filled the putrid air as the locals caught a glimpse of them, the new Samurai X. The mystery. Almost a myth entirely.
But they were very real, and nothing was going to stop them from completing their current mission.
They pushed their way into the shady shop far from the water and were greeted with an assortment of knick knacks and weapons. All stolen, they knew.
Ronin smiled from behind his counter, “Samurai X. I wasn't sure whether to believe it was actually you. You hero types don't tend to willingly make deals with me.”
“I wouldn't normally,” they admitted, “But this piece can't be found anywhere else.”
“You're right about that,” he nodded.
Samurai X looked around, taking in the goods that lined the shelves on the walls. They recognized more than a few of the pieces. “I've heard you've had a few buyers over the years, but never sold. Why?”
“Well, it's a one of a kind piece,” Ronin shrugged, “Gotta squeeze everything I can out of it.”
“I see. No one has met your standards, yet?”
“If you ask me,” he turned around, casually digging through his shelves, “It's pretty priceless. A completely unlimited powersource. Supposedly, it charged up Borg tower once. Plus it used to belong to the ice ninja before he went kablooey. I can't just sell it to anybody.”
“It is limited,” they corrected, “Being split in half, weakened it.”
Ronin raised a brow, “I see someone's done their homework.”
“I've been looking into this for quite some time,” they shrugged, “Wouldn't want you to inflate the price.”
Ronin turned back to the counter, placing a metal box on it.
Samurai X tilted their head, “So who would you sell it to?”
“Someone who's not gonna use it to power a noodle processor somewhere. That's for sure.”
“Well come on then,” they prompted, “Let's see it.”
Ronin smirked, typing in a passkey just out of the samurai's view. He turned the box around, showing it off.
Samurai X recognized the glow of it immediately. Something unnatural and cold, yet comforting all the same. It filled the air with a hum, just buzzing with energy ready to be released.
Zane’s powersource.
Well… half of it. The other was truly lost to the world. Which made this half all the more special.
Samurai X reached out to it, only for Ronin to abruptly snap the box shut.
“No touching.”
“I need to make sure it's the real thing,” they argued.
“Too bad. You know how many people would kill to get their hands on this thing? I ain't riskin’ you tryin’ to pull a fast one on me.”
“I should be just as wary of you as you are of me,” the samurai said with a tilt of their head.
“That you should,” Ronin chuckled, “But for the sake of good business, I think we can come to an agreement, can’t we? I’ve seen you out there. You're all law and order, so there’s no reason for this to be anything but a clean exchange.”
“I agree,” they nodded, “I’d rather not remain here longer than required. Let’s move this along.”
“Alright, samurai on a schedule,” Ronin raised his hands in surrender, “So just hand over half a mil and we’ll call it a night.”
Samurai X leaned forward, modulated voice deepening, “That was not the agreed upon price.”
“Prices change all the time,” Ronin shrugged with a sly grin, “‘sides, didn’t I just tell ya this thing is one of a kind?”
“Trust, I know it's worth much better than you do.”
“Then you should be fully prepared to fork over the funds needed to pay for it. Or are you tellin’ me Ninjago’s newest vigilante doesn’t get a paycheck?”
“I don’t need one,” they growled, “Unlike you, I don’t help people for monetary gain.”
“Sounds like a waste of labor,” Ronin huffed, “Kinda like how this conversation is goin’. So if you ain’t able to cover it, get outta my shop.”
“And what’s to stop me from placing you under arrest, dragging you back to Kryptarium and taking the piece for myself?”
“Are you threatin’ me now?”
“I’m merely reminding you of your extensive criminal record, Ronin,” they pulled back an inch, modulated voice suddenly turning more condescending, “You may be safe in Stiix, but not in the rest of Ninjago.”
“You’d have to catch me first,” he laughed, hands sliding discreetly under the counter, “I know you’re new around here, but even those ninja couldn’t keep me tied down. What makes you think you’re gonna have better luck?”
“You walk with a slight limp. I've seen you try to hide it.”
“It's fake,” Ronin scoffed, “Ain't you heard of lowering someone's guard.”
Samurai X caught his wrist as he swung suddenly, a blade in his hand. “Somehow, I don't believe that. Though, if you want to insist on your lie, I could break your leg for real.”
They leapt over the counter, pressure was gradually applied to his wrist as they twisted his hand away, pinching a nerve and causing him to drop it. They raised their foot, boot level with his knee.
“Or I could break your other leg. For symmetry.”
“Fuck you!” Ronin spat, swinging his fist at them. Samurai X was unfazed as his fist collided with the jaw of their mask. A crunch and a pop was heard and he reared back, curling his hand toward himself.
“What the fuck are you?”
“I don't see how that's any of your business,” they spun him around fully, pinning his good arm behind his back. “You're not going to get one over on me. I know you, Ronin. I know your patterns.”
Ronin laughed, “Well, if I had known we'd be getting to know each other so well, I'd’ve insisted on dinner.”
“You don't get to know me.” They grabbed a fistful of hair, cracking his forehead against the countertop.
They let him drop to the floor, whiplash draining the fight out of him.
He brought a hand up to his forehead, unsurprised to find red on his fingers as he pulled it back, “Yer defin’ly not… tha las' Sam'rai X…”
“No, I am not,” they replied coldly, turning back to the box on the table, making quick work of the electronic locks and dashing any hopes Ronin had of keeping his hands on it.
He laughed. This was a losing battle all along, but damn him, if he wasn’t going to get the last laugh.
Samurai X tucked the powersource into a pocket under their armor, “Do not worry. I will be using it for its intended purpose.”
They knelt down in front of him, studying him intently. They pulled out a clean cloth and some antiseptic, placing them firmly in his hands. “You’ll likely need some stitches and I’ve no doubt that you have someone here to give you first aid. Be sure to drink plenty of water.” With that, they stood to leave him behind.
“You savior types are always so annoyin'… android,” Ronin spat.
“Congratulations,” they turned back to him, “You've learned more about me than the ninja. Consider that your payment.” And they slammed the door behind them.
Once back in the Samurai-X cave, Pixal finally allowed her thoughts to stray.
She unlatched the helmet from her head, throwing it off of her and took a moment to herself. She didn’t get quiet moments to herself that often. If she wasn’t aiding the ninja from the computer, she was on the streets as Samurai X. It was a busy lifestyle.
But here, in the safety of the Samurai X-cave, Pixal was allowed to do neither. And after the altercation in Stiix, she’d rather not think of her responsibilities for the moment.
She started removing her armor, fingers trembling at the thought of what she has. She’d finally done it. After all these years, it was finally hers once again.
With the chestplate removed, Pixal opened her interior compartment and felt overwhelmed emotion. Cradling it in her palms, she let out a dry sob.
Zane’s heart was a relic from a past life, one they’d never go back to, yet she cherished all the same.
It’s what gave her life in the first place.
It was her piece of Zane that she could take with her no matter how far apart they were. For the moments when he was so close, and yet she could not close the distance. And during times like this, when she was overwhelmed and needed him, yet could not reach out.
She’d never let anyone take it away from her again.
With fumbling fingers, she opened the compartment in her chest. It was a new addition, the design of which had been taken straight from Zane’s blueprints. She’d added it without even knowing if it would be filled, and took immense satisfaction knowing that it would finally be complete.
The heart piece was fitted into place with relative ease, the exterior casing closing over it to forever keep it safe. She had other batteries inside of her, long lasting ones designed by her father. But none fulfilled her quite like this one.
For the first time since she built this body, she truly felt alive.
She couldn’t help it, she giggled like a child. Emotions that had long since dulled over the years were reintroduced into her systems. She wrapped her arms around herself and fell back onto the floor. It was the happiest she’d been in this cold, empty cave.
But the moments alone couldn’t last.
“Pixal,” Zane’s voice buzzed in her ear, “Kai is provoking multiple hostiles outside of Lauffy’s. Please alert Nya or Lloyd to ready the medbay. I sense this is not going to go as well as he believes it will.”
Unable to hide the grin in her voice, she responded, “Understood. Would you prefer to give the lecture this time or should I?”
Instead of answering her inquiry, he said, “You sound happier. Has anything changed?”
“Of course not,” she lied, “I just can’t seem to rid myself of the feeling.”
“I’m glad,” and she could hear the smile in his voice too, “I had feared you… Nevermind. I don’t want to spoil your good mood. Leave the lecture to me, I’d hate for you and Kai to get into a shouting match again.”
“If he’d actually bother to listen to instructions–”
“Not another word of it, love,” Zane chuckled, “I shall reconvene with you once we’ve made it back to the Bounty.”
“I’ll await your arrival,” Pixal hummed, cutting off communications. Moments later, her system notified her of a bar fight breaking out at Lauffy’s. She pushed herself up from the floor with a fond shake of her head.
Her work was never done, but with the distantly familiar feeling of Zane’s heart connecting to her systems, Pixal got to it with renewed vigor.