Chapter Text
The first thing Koko did when she saw Lloyd was squeeze him in a tight hug. “My poor sweet baby… you nearly gave me a heart attack!” Releasing the hug, she pulled away and looked him over, holding onto his shoulders. “Two incidents in two days is enough. You’re not allowed to leave the house…”
Her voice trailed off, and it took Lloyd a few seconds to realize why until he felt something wet slide down his chin. A dam of shared emotions that he hadn’t even realized was building up finally broke and tears began pouring down his cheeks. “I’m so sorry…” He hesitated, his breathing shuddery and erratic, and he found himself being pulled into another hug. The two of them sat there for quite some time, Lloyd trembling with an occasional sob and Koko massaging his scalp with her fingertips as she held him close. “You don’t… I’m not…” He tried to tell her but the words stuck in his throat, burning like an unquenchable fire.
“Shhhh, we can talk later.” The woman gave his head a little scratch and gently smoothed his hair down. “First, let’s just focus on getting that leg of yours patched up, okay?” After he wordlessly nodded, she began carefully helping him out of the mech before looking up at the cockpit. “Fire Ninja, you’re coming too. I don’t think your teammate would appreciate you bleeding out all over her mech.”
Kai mumbled something about just getting comfortable, but followed them down to the ground where they made their way to a makeshift triage and treatment area set up by Garmadon and some of his medics. The warlord himself was fussing over a cot with a mountain of pillows and a stuffed teddy bear, and as Koko helped Lloyd down onto the rough surface, she and Garmadon eyed each other, having a silent conversation that Lloyd could only guess the contents of.
After a few seconds, Garmadon turned away and left to bark orders at some of his soldiers while a medic came and examined him. “Your ankle is pretty swollen, but I don’t feel anything broken or out of place, which is mostly a good thing. Unfortunately that doesn’t necessarily mean there isn’t a hairline fracture. I can give you a temporary splint right now, but to do any x-rays or casting I’d need to get you inside.” The woman gave a tentative look to Koko, who nodded briefly.
After the splint was applied, a couple shark soldiers picked up the cot and followed the medic into the volcano. The trip to the medbay was…an experience, to say the least. Garmadon had found out what was going on and kept trying to help carry the cot, while Koko shooed him away. After his fourth try, she pulled him aside and Lloyd could hear her trying to explain something to him as they continued on.
“So weird.”
Other Lloyd hummed in agreement. ‘Definitely. And kinda creepy, coming from him. My own father is my worst enemy and he’s trying to play helicopter dad.’ He let out a small awkward laugh as pricks of amusement and sadness hit. ‘Sounds like the name of a bad web novel or something.’
Eventually Koko rejoined the train, and they finished the journey without issue. When they finally entered the room, Lloyd couldn’t help but stare at how enormous the room was. There was a separate room at the end that housed the radiology equipment, but everything else was in this one room. There were hospital beds, IV poles, phlebotomy machines, and many other things that he couldn’t even name. One of the soldiers apparently saw his surprise, because the voice behind him suddenly spoke. “Lord Garmadon is surprisingly particular about the health and wellness of his troops. As he likes to say, ‘There’s a huge difference between being undead and being almost dead, and if you’re almost dead then you’re no good to me.’ Though sometimes I think he wishes he had his Skulkin army back…”
Despite his counterpart’s questions about what Skulkin were, Lloyd decided to not comment as the medic assigned him to a bed that was as far away from the other shark army patients as possible. “Garmadon’s orders. He wants to, ah…” She dug a piece of paper out of her pocket and uncrumpled it, reading the words straight off the page. “‘Keep him as far away from those potty-mouthed bad influences as he can get.’”
Lloyd shrugged as he was transferred from the cot to the hospital bed. “It’s not the weirdest thing that’s happened today.” He absentmindedly grabbed the forgotten teddy bear, letting the texture of the fur occupy him while the soldiers took the cot away and the medic went to grab some other doctors to prep the x-ray machine.
“That was your father’s very first gift to you.”
At the sudden comment, he turned toward Koko, who had a sad nostalgia to her smile as she continued. “He was so excited before you were born, wanting everything in the world for you. Watching him run around like a headless chicken while getting your room just right was dizzying sometimes, but it was a sweet gesture.” He could feel the conflicting emotions of his counterpart as a small laugh escaped the woman. “And then when you finally came, he didn’t know what to do with you. He wore mittens for the first month whenever he held you because he was so scared that you would shatter at the slightest touch. Seeing you two together like that was so precious…”
His cheeks burned with guilt as he listened to the story, each moment of admiration from Koko a brick of shame piled onto his heart. As soon as there was a break in the story he made a decision. “…actually, I need to tell you something.” He swallowed, trying to wet his dry mouth, and took a deep breath. “I’m not your son.”
“Excuse me?!”
Realizing how bad that sounded, he fumbled his words as he tried to backpedal a bit. “Nonono, I’m not disowning you or anything! What I mean is, I am Lloyd Garmadon, just…not your Lloyd Garmadon.”
Koko’s frown softened ever-so-slightly as she looked him straight in the eyes. “Explain.”
And explain he did. He told her about the Tornado of Creation and his conversation with his grandfather, making sure to gloss over the Green Ninja-related details of this world. He described freaking out and running away, getting caught by Harumi, and discovering Other Lloyd before ending up there on the island.
When he finished, the ginger-haired woman was silent for several moments as a strange look grew on her face. “So the forgotten memories…“
“They were never mine to remember in the first place.”
Her eyes became glassy as tears started collecting in the corners. “…I was scared. I worried so much, and yet you were the answer all along.” She sat on the bed next to him, her armor clanking lightly at the movement. “It was at the two week mark that your uncle and I got a call from the doctor. He told us that because of the severity of the injury, a two week coma was expected, but the longer you- he went with no signs of improvement… the chances of recovery would go down significantly. I was so scared that my baby wouldn’t make it.” A tear finally rolled down her cheek and she quickly dabbed it away, taking a deep shuddery breath. “And then a few days later, you woke up. Not the usual gradual progression, just straight into consciousness. You were awake, you were responding to questions, and that was almost just as scary as before, because I had no idea what had changed. After Wu’s visit, he told me he sensed a strong but strange new element working in you. I assume you have an elemental power of your own?”
Lloyd nodded. “I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s some combination of energy and the four elements of creation—fire, ice, earth, and lightning.”
“Whatever it is, I’m quite sure it’s responsible for your quick release from the hospital. Lloyd has always healed quicker than most, but a near-full recovery only a week and a half after coming out of a coma that long is unheard of.” Taking one of his hands into her own, she squeezed it tight. “You saved my son’s life, and I am extremely grateful.”
He…had saved Lloyd?
They will need you.
The First Spinjitzu Master’s words echoed in his mind. The people here—his counterpart’s family, his friends, Other Lloyd himself—had Lloyd to thank for his recovery.
“I… I don’t know what to say…”
Koko smiled and squeezed his hand one more time before letting go. “Then don’t say anything, and just let me show my appreciation.” Slowly, she opened her arms. “May I?”
He nodded and was immediately enveloped in a warm hug. He let himself relax into it as he returned the gesture, and he felt warmth and gratitude spread through him from the inside also.
‘Thank you.’
They sat there for several seconds before Koko pulled away, a thoughtful look on her face. “Do you have any way to go home? I’m sure your family is worried sick about you too.”
Lloyd hung his head dejectedly. “There’s the Realm Crystal, but I don’t even know if I can go home… Even if my body somehow isn’t dead over there, I wouldn’t know how to leave this one.”
Just then, the medic came out of the radiology room and began heading their way. The orange-haired woman patted his shoulder and stood from the bed. “We’ll continue this conversation later. After all, we haven’t addressed the whole Green Ninja thing yet.” His counterpart’s nervous anxiety settled in the pit of his stomach as she left the room, and he could only hope for Other Lloyd’s sake that the conversation would go well.
The medic came over and helped him off the bed, handing him a pair of crutches to help him walk. They made their way to the side room and another medic assisted him onto the exam table, fitting him with a radiation-protectant apron while a doctor adjusted the x-ray machine. After listening to an explanation of the process, Lloyd was left there to sit as the machine took its pictures.
At some point during the procedure, Cole entered the medbay with a very irate Ghost Ninja slung over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, and Lloyd could only imagine the obscenities Morro was screaming at the earth ninja. They were soon followed by Zane, a bandaged up Kai, Nya, and then finally Jay. Cole ended up plopping the wind master on a bed nearby, and then he and Zane physically restrained the man with practiced ease while a medic gathered up some small tools.
‘I wish he wouldn’t be so stupid about letting us help him,’ Other Lloyd muttered in frustration. ‘Wu says he’s been like that since he was a kid. Stupid “accepting help is a sign of weakness” mentality.’
The blond frowned in response. If he was going to be stuck here, he’d have to learn to get used to Morro, familiar and unfamiliar traits alike, and that pride and self-reliance were unfortunately very familiar traits.
He didn’t want to think about staying, but without a way to split themselves there wasn’t really any other choice. He couldn’t just selfishly steal Other Lloyd away from his mom.
…though that didn’t mean he couldn’t visit his own world sometimes, right? It would definitely freak everyone out the first time, but at least he would get to see his family again. Maybe he could convince them to visit here every once in a while when they weren’t too busy.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the machine finishing its job, and soon the doctor came out to explain the results.
The good news was that there were no breaks or fractures. Unfortunately, it was still a pretty bad sprain and he would need to wear a boot for a while. His counterpart expressed relief at the injury not being any worse, which he fully agreed with.
He was helped back to his bed in the medbay so a medic could wrap his ankle. Morro ended up being on the bed right next to his and was currently pouting, grumbling under his breath while a terrified medic sewed up a pretty nasty gash on his upper arm.
‘So much for being the role model.’
The comment caused Lloyd to turn his attention to the man. With the ninja mask on, his piercing gray-green eyes were like daggers, and he couldn’t help but feel pity for the man treating him.
Seeing his gaze, Morro’s fury shifted and snapped to him. “What’re you looking at?”
His expression turned sheepish as he averted his eyes, smoothing out a random wrinkle on his pants as a distraction while his own medic applied a compression bandage. “Oh, uhh… nothing, he just said, ‘so much for being the role model.’” He couldn’t bring himself to look back at Morro. Being a middleman was awkward enough without having to deal with being stared at like a small animal being hunted as prey.
However, apparently that was a familiar phrase to Morro, because his voice softened considerably as he turned his head away. “…shut up, bean sprout.”
Gasps and confused hums escaped the other ninja at the use of the nickname. “Wait a sec, does that mean-“
Kai nudged the blue ninja, wincing when he jostled his injury too much. “Later.” He subtly gestured to the two medics who, to their credit, were more focused on treating their patients quickly and getting away from the Ghost Ninja than listening in on conversation. “How’s the ankle?”
“Just a sprain, nothing too serious. It’ll probably be better in a few days anyway.” The woman finished wrapping his leg and showed him how to strap on the walking boot, then quickly left to the other side of the large room. There was a period of awkward silence as Morro’s medic finished up bandaging the wound, but soon he too made his escape and the ninja were left alone.
After making sure there were no personnel lurking close enough to hear them, Zane looked at Lloyd and picked up where Jay started. “Morro called you bean sprout, but you told us you were not our Lloyd. What does that mean?”
All eyes were on him then, and he let out a deep breath. “Your Lloyd never left. He was trapped behind a weird barrier that didn’t let us interact until Harumi drugged me, but he’s still in here.”
“You were DRUGGED?!?” Kai and Morro both exclaimed at the same time, then glared at each other.
“Happens more often than you’d think.” Honestly, it was a fact of life at this point.
The wind and fire ninjas, however, did not share that sentiment. “Kid, that’s messed up.”
The conversation moved on and he explained how they met and the way their coexistence worked as best as he knew.
“So let me get this straight. Lloyd is stuck in your head. And you, Monty, are just kinda holding his body for him because he needed extra time to recover or something?” Lloyd nodded and Nya blew out a whistle. “That’s… wow. Can he hear us?”
Pausing to give his counterpart time to respond, he nodded again. “He says he can, and that it’s really weird ‘cause it’s kinda like he’s watching real life happen on TV.”
Hesitantly, Jay spoke up while fiddling with the ends of his obi belt. “…what does he think about this whole thing?”
He was silent, letting Other Lloyd gather his thoughts. ‘I guess at first I was confused and kinda thought it was a dream? Someone else was living as me and I didn’t have to worry about the city for a bit. But then when we finally met face-to-face… I dunno, the novelty had worn off I guess and I was just upset and thought you were lying about everything.’ A myriad of emotions rolled through him as he relayed the words. ‘I know it’s not your fault, and I’ll be patient until we get things figured out, but I do hope we can get you home soon.’
“We’ll find a way, I promise. Even if I have to somehow pay another visit to the First Spinjitzu Master, I’m going to make things right.” Lloyd yawned, exhaustion suddenly crashing over him like a wave. “But right now, I just want to go crash in bed for a day or two.”
Several others echoed their agreement, and equipped with the walking boot and crutches, Lloyd made his way with the others to the exit.