"Okay, this is a terrible idea."

"Gee, what clued you in?" Kai shot his fellow ninja a glare, both of them laying on their stomachs in the sand to keep from being seen.

"Well, mostly the snakes." Jay glared back. "But also my suit is full of sand now."

"Can you two focus?" Cole snapped his fingers, drawing their attention away from each other. "We need to find a way past the sentries, and you two aren't helping."

"It's a shame none of us is the 'yellow' ninja." Zane commented. "We would blend right in."

"I think we'd have to be the 'tan' ninja." Jay grabbed a handful of sand, letting it sift through his gloved fingers. "But yeah, yellow is close enough."

The four were currently scouting out Ed and Edna's junkyard, which was well underway in its renovation into a serpentine base. Every random gadget they could think of had been turned into a Fangpyre weapon, many of which having been placed along the walls to keep an eye out for intruders.

Lloyd had warned them that while he knew their abilities, he had no idea what the Hypnobrai and Fangpyre were planning from here. They would have to stay on their toes. Lloyd had wisely chosen to stay behind this time, saying he'd just get in the way.

"We probably need some sort of distraction." Kai said slowly. "But how can we distract them without sacrificing one of us?"

"Yeah, if we get caught, it's all over." Jay shuddered. "And I'm not keen on eating mice for the rest of my life."

"Snakes have a wide and varied diet, Jay." Zane assured him. "And the Serpentine eat many of the same things humans do."

"That's not the point, Zane."

"Well," Cole suggested, "what about our golden weapons? Maybe one of us can drive around and keep them occupied."

"That sounds reasonable." Zane nodded. "I can use my motorcycle. I should have no trouble outrunning them."

"Are you sure?" Jay asked tentatively. "They have some vehicles of their own. And those were built by my parents, not something you want to mess around with."

"I'm quite confident that even if I cannot outrun them, Jay, I can out-maneuver them." Zane clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry." Jay sighed.

"Alright. Is that the plan, then?"

"Well, what do we do once they're distracted?" Kai asked. "We still don't know where the map even is."

"I guess we play it by ear." Cole gestured them forward. "Jay, you know this place. Lead the way." Nervously, Jay obeyed, lifting himself into a crouch and beginning to make his way towards the junkyard.

"Maybe we should've brought Lloyd." He mumbled as the others followed.

"Oh, Spinjitzu, no." Kai felt a spike of ire hit him at just the mention of Sensei's nephew. "This is the first time in days we've gotten a break from him. Honestly, I don't know how you can stand him." Kai's outburst had his brothers swiveling to look at him in surprise, and Kai blinked. "What?"

"You really dislike him that much?" Cole asked in surprise.

"Yeah, what did Lloyd ever do to you?" Jay chimed in.

"Uh, other than drop into our lives, claim to be a time traveler, and start ordering us around?" Kai threw his hands in the air. "He's the son of Lord Garmadon! For all we know, if he even is telling the truth, that pudgy little brat could be a failed villain from the future coming back to try to rewrite history in his favor!"

"First of all, if anything Lloyd looks rather malnourished." Zane pointed out. "And that is simply illogical. If he was a villain, why would he be trying to help us?"

"He released Pythor!" Kai snapped. "He insisted that we enter the tomb, which was clearly sealed up. And you really don't think it was intentional??" Cole opened his mouth, but Kai pushed on. "And don't you think it's weird how Pythor conveniently didn't hurt him? All he did was use him as a hostage so we couldn't stop him, then just let him go? Pythor could have run off with him if he'd wanted!"

"He wouldn't have been able to turn invisible," Jay pointed out, though his conviction was waning.

"Sensei has a soft spot for the brat because he's his nephew, but come on, guys, we're smarter than that." Kai crossed his arms. "He claims he's the green ninja, but he has no proof whatsoever. He can make grand claims about the future all he wants, and go 'I knew this would happen!' whenever something happens, but that doesn't mean anything without proof."

"And how do you explain him knowing things about us that we didn't know ourselves?" Zane shot back. "Such as my true nature?" Kai shrugged.

"Well, maybe he is a time traveler. And yeah, sure, he's pretty mature for being what, nine? But that doesn't mean he's a legendary hero, or that we should trust him."

"Kai." Cole cut him off, voice firm. "That's enough. It's clear you have a grudge-"

"I have reasonable doubt-!"

"It's clear you have a grudge." Cole repeated, speaking over him. "But we have more important things to worry about." Kai opened his mouth, but Cole cut him off with a gesture. "As the leader of this team, I'm making an executive decision for us to leave this conversation until after the mission. Am I understood?" Kai's mouth snapped shut, and he scowled.

"Understood."

"Good." Cole's posture relaxed slightly. "Now come on. We need to stay quiet, or we're-"

"Look!!" A shout had them swiveling around, and Kai blanched at the sight of a Hypnobrai warrior pointing at them. "Ninja!!"

"Oh, crud." Jay rocketed to his feet. "Scramble!" Immediately, Zane summoned his golden vehicle, speeding towards the gates of the junkyard and banking hard to spray sand into the sentries guarding it. He then sped away, baiting the serpentine after him as the other ninja sprinted for the outside walls.

"Back here!!" Cole hissed, sliding down below a small outcropping of the various metal pieces that made up the wall. Kai dropped down next to him, lips drawn tight as Cole gave him an irritated look.

"Guys, look!" Jay whispered, peering through a chink in the fence. Kai leaned over to look with him, and his eyes widened at the sight of the Hypnobrai general studying a worn-looking scroll.

"The map!" Kai hissed. "It must be!"

"And Skales has it." Cole muttered. "We won't be able to get it away from him without him seeing us."

"Maybe..." Jay mused. "One of us could catch his attention?"

"In the middle of their base?" Kai protested. "We'd be turned into snakes and hypnotized."

"Well, for the Hypnobrai we just need to avoid looking them in the eyes." Jay said matter-of-factly. "And how hard can it be to not get bitten?"

"You're right, Jay." Cole clapped him on the shoulder. "Better get going." Jay opened his mouth, then shut it.

"Hey," Kai nudged his brothers, pointing through the gap to where a crane truck was sitting near their side of the junkyard, a wrecking ball hanging from the end of the boom. "I bet that would make a good distraction."

"If we can get to it, yeah." Cole mused. "If I go for it, will you get the map from Skales?"

"We'll do our best." Jay pounded his fist into his palm, and Kai nodded.

"We've got this, Cole."

"Alright." Cole straightened up, snaking his way along the fence until he found an area a bit shorter than the rest. When he'd done so, he vaulted over it, vanishing onto the other side. Kai and Jay watched through the gap as he crept over to the crane, then slipped into the cab, straightening up in the driver's seat and sending the machine whirring to life.

"Come on," Kai hissed as the remaining snakes began to shout. Hurrying over to where Cole had gotten through, Kai and Jay slipped over the fence and found a hiding place just inside. As they watched, Cole turned the truck around, swinging the wrecking ball haphazardly back and forth. Alarmed, the Hypnobrai general slithered away and headed for Jay's parents' trailer.

"This way!" Jay scurried after him, sticking behind piles of junk to keep from being spotted. Kai followed. They probably didn't need to worry too much, he figured, since Cole was keeping their attention on him.

As they neared the trailer, Skales emerged again, empty handed. Jay and Kai exchanged a glance. He must have left the map inside.

"Get rid of him, you fools!!" Skales cried, slithering back towards the battle as the wrecking ball sent an unlucky serpentine flying. As soon as his back was turned, Kai and Jay bolted for the trailer, drawing their weapons as Kai yanked the door open and immediately came face to face with Pythor.

The Anacondrai froze, stunned, where his hand hung just above the map. Kai and Jay froze with him, momentarily dumbfounded, before Kai regained his wits and lunged at the snake.

"I say!" Pythor exclaimed, grabbing Kai's wrist in a vice-like grip. "What a funny coincidence, seeing you here!"

"Funny's not the word I would use." Jay charged up his nunchucks, but Kai cut him off, yelling,

"Jay, get the map out of here! We can't let him get it!"

Jay shot him an incredulous look, but obeyed, and Pythor was too slow to stop him as he snatched the map off the table and bolted from the trailer.

"How very brave of you." Pythor sneered, grip tightening on Kai's wrist until his sword was forced from his hand. "To leave yourself alone with me. Quite the hero, aren't you?"

"Yeah." Kai gritted out, struggling to free his hand. "Kinda what being a ninja is about."

"And what exactly does Lord Garmadon want with the Map of Dens, anyway?" Jerking to the side, Pythor hurled Kai against the trailer's wall, ripping a cry from the ninja's throat as he hit the wall.

"He wants you not to get at it!" Kai scrabbled for his sword with his good hand, but Pythor flicked it away with the tip of his tail.

"Curious." Grabbing Kai's wrist again, Pythor dragged him off the floor, lifting Kai up to eye level and studying him with beady eyes. Kai grimaced, kicking at him, but his strikes did nothing against the serpentine's thick hide. "I suppose your friends are too busy to come and help you." He hissed, forked tongue flickering out of his mouth as he did so. "It's been an awful long time since I had a decent meal." Kai's eyes shot open wide, and he kicked with renewed vigor.

A huge crash jarred his entire world, and Pythor was forced to release Kai as the trailer was knocked over on its' side.

Kai grunted as he slammed into the wall - which was now the floor - and got his good arm underneath him, pushing himself up and leaping for the open door above him. He managed to drag himself out with one hand, only to topple off of the creaking trailer and fall into the sand below with a thump.

"Sorry!" Came a shout from Cole. Kai just groaned, watching as the wrecking ball swung overhead.

"Kai!!" Jay crashed to his knees beside him. "What are you lying around for? Are you okay?? There's snakes everywhere, c'mon!!" Kai tucked his throbbing arm against the front of his gi, pushing himself to his feet and looking around. Sure enough, even though most of the serpentine were focused on stopping Cole, a good number of them had set their sights on Kai.

"We gotta hurry." Kai gritted out. "Pythor's here, he could be invisible. Where's the map?"

"I have it." Jay patted a fold of his gi. "Now c'mon, let's go meet up with Zane- wait, where's your sword?"

Before Kai could answer, Jay was ripped away from him, lifted up in the air by an invisible force as he grasped at his neck. A moment later, he was hurled away, slamming down on his back in the sand - leaving the Map of Dens hanging in the air.

"Finally!" Pythor faded back into view, fangs gleaming as he grinned at his prize. Kai staggered back a step, and the anacondrai general twisted his neck to look down at him. "Not going to play hero again?" He scoffed. "Ah, typical."

"Look!!" Pythor and Kai both turned at the shout to find a fangpyre warrior pointing at them. "An anacondrai!" In the fellow moments, the ninja were all but ignored as the serpentine launched themselves at Pythor.

"Come on!" Kai looked back, stunned, just before Cole slipped an arm around his back and dragged him towards the exit. Jay was picking himself up, and fell into step beside them as they fled the junkyard, all but ignored by the snakes as they attacked Pythor.

"Cole!" Zane's motorcycle skidded to a stop in front of them. "Kai, Jay! What happened? Did you get the map?"

"No." Kai shook his head, heart slowly sinking. "And we lost the Sword of Fire."