He looked to where they were coming from while Lloyd finished his climb and put the cover back.

"All these people are coming from the museum," Zane called over the screams, and Cole realized he was right.

"What are we waiting for?" Lloyd called, flipping his hood on. "Let's go!"

Cole followed, pulling his hood over his face as he ran. They pushed through the crowd pouring out of the museum. Once inside, they glanced around and saw Dareth trying to calm the many people who were still rushing out.

"Dareth!" Zane said.

Cole saw Dareth jump slightly before grinning at them. "Hey, guys!"

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked quickly.

"Robbery. Someone tripped the alarm and now-"

"Where?" Cole interrupted.

Dareth pointed. "In the New Ninjago City Technology Relics room."

Cole shot forward, hearing the footsteps of his companions following after. He saw the door and skidded to a halt, trying to open it. The knob didn't turn, and Cole growled as he realized it was locked. He backed up a few steps, then ran full speed into the door, stumbling slightly as he broke the door from its hinges and wincing as he felt splinters raining down around him. He was momentarily blinded by pain, and he thought, Oops, vengestone. Dummy. Once his vision cleared, Cole was startled to see Destiny in the room, along with another person that looked to be a teenager. The boy seemed only slightly startled to see him, and he grinned. Cole felt a dark flood of emotions run through him, and he launched himself at the boy, aiming a punch at his stomach. He braced himself for the impact, but found himself rushing through air. He turned quickly and saw that the boy had disappeared from the room completely, leaving Cole with a mind full of confusion. He shook his head and rushed over to Destiny, hesitating before gently touching her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine." She replied with a smile.

Cole leaned forward to rest his forehead against hers for a moment before pulling back. "How and when did you get here?"

"My father brought me here to listen to a lecture from a head specialist. When it finished the alarms started going and everyone went crazy. I got seperated from my father, and ended up in here," Destiny explained.

He sighed softly and held her hand. "Okay. Hopefully your dad is okay. Since we're here, did you want to go back to the monastery with us?"

"Sure, but why are you guys here?" She asked.

Cole glanced behind him in confusion and saw that Zane and Lloyd had come into the room and were watching him as though he might explode at any second. He stifled a sigh and an eyeroll, then looked back at Destiny. "We went down to the ancient tomb to get the Venomari antivenom."

"Venomari? Is that the type of poison in you?" Destiny asked, giving him a look of confusion.

As he replied, he looked into her unseeing eyes and felt a shudder of guilt run through him. "It's a type of Venomari," he answered her, pushing his guilt away for the time being. "Zane said it was mixed with something else, but the sample was too small to identify what the other thing was."

"Don't we have a book on that sort of thing at the monastery? I'm pretty sure I've seen it in the study.."

He frowned and glanced back at his companions. "Do we?"

Lloyd shrugged, but Zane answered, "Yes, we do."

Cole sighed. "And we haven't referred to this book before now why?"

"Does it look like we read?" Lloyd asked defensively. "We're always off training or something. We don't have time for books."

Cole was about to respond when Destiny asked, "Hey, uh, what room are we in?"

He looked at her and related with a sigh, "According to Dareth, the New Ninjago City Technology Relics room."

"Is there a display for a Perfect Match Machine?"

Cole felt a shudder pass through him as he glanced around, spotting the broken down machine inside of a broken display case. He glared at it for a moment before replying testily, "Yes, why?"

"I might have accidently broken the display case for it. Then the person in here said," She hesitated, then continued. "Um, nevermind about what he said. But the point is he sounded really happy I broke it, and I think he took something from there."

Cole frowned at her momentarily. Then he shook his head and carefully knelt down towards the machine, feeling his head beginning to pound. He poked around for a moment, then looked up at Zane. "Can you scan it?"

Zane nodded and came over, looking the machine over. "The motherboard is missing. And it appears to have been forcefully torn out of the system."

"Good riddance," Cole muttered, standing back up.

"Why would anyone want part of a match machine?" Destiny asked.

Cole crossed his arms. "I don't know why they'd want it, but I have a pretty good idea as to why they'd never want to look at it ever again." He said sourly.

"Cole, chill out." Lloyd said. Cole gave a quiet hmph in response, but tried to calm his nerves.

"Uh, the boy that was in here knew my name." Destiny said after a moment.

"What?" Lloyd asked, confusion in his tone.

The Master of Earth looked at her, also confused. "Have you ever-" He broke off and then cleared his throat. "What do you mean? You didn't tell him, did you?"

"No!" Destiny said. She took a few steps away, and Cole watched her carefully as she stood still once again. "I was right here when I heard someone else breathing in the room. I asked who was there, and instead of an answer, I got thrown across the room, again. He said that I shouldn't be here, and then started taunting me. And when he was taunting me, he used my name."

Cole frowned. "That's strange. What kinds of taunts did he use?"

Destiny hesitated. "Well, just normal taunts really. I mean, I couldn't land a punch for the first few minutes, so he laughed when I missed. Although, when I broke the glass to the machine, he asked if I wanted to try it. Um, because there might be someone better out there."

Her voice grew softer as she spoke, but rage ignited in his chest. For a moment, he was debating responding, but then realized that all it would do was spark an argument between them, and Destiny didn't deserve that; he'd hurt her enough already. Instead, he spun around and stalked out of the room, hearing surprised mutters from behind him. A few seconds later, he heard footsteps following him and glanced behind to see Lloyd.

"Leave me alone," the Earth ninja growled at him.

"Not likely." Lloyd responded. "It's my turn to watch you. Plus, where are you going to go? With that vengestone you can't summon Slate. So, I'm your ride."

"With this vengestone and all the taking turns watching me, I became a prisoner!" Cole snapped at him. "Yes, I get it, I hurt one of our own team. I blinded her. I'd prefer just a little bit of sympathy though. Just a crumb."

"You are getting sympathy," Lloyd protested. "We know that it wasn't your fault. We get it, Cole. I know you probably feel like we don't trust you, but we do. We just don't trust whatever is inside you right now."

Cole sighed and felt his shoulders sag. "It hurts," he admitted after a minute.

"What does?" The blonde looked him over as though checking him for injury.

"It's not a physical hurt, other than my head. I forgot about the vengestone when I ran into the door. But it hurts to know that I hurt Destiny. And it hurts to think that there probably is someone out there better than me."

Lloyd sighed slightly. "It wouldn't matter to her, Cole. I've seen the way she looks at you. She really truly loves you, and nothing is going to change that."

He nodded and was about to respond when Zane caught his eye. He frowned, confused for a moment, until he saw Destiny slowly following the Nindroid. She paused at the entrance to the large room, as though she were scanning it, and then walked over and picked something up. Cole tilted his head as he saw that it was one of Sensei Wu's spare staffs, and he peered closer at her eyes. They still held the useless appearance, which confused Cole more, but he shook his head and took a few breaths as Destiny approached them.

"Who is that by Lloyd?" She asked, and Cole glanced over to see that Dareth had come up beside them.

"It's Dareth," he told her.

He waved at her, and Cole tried not to facepalm as he said, "I'm the brown ninja. Who are you?"

To his surprise, Destiny waved back with a smile. "I'm the purple ninja, Destiny. Pleased to meet you, Dareth."

"You added another girl?" Dareth asked the two males, shock in his voice. "Come on! I told you before that it ruins your image-"

Cole slapped a hand over his mouth as Lloyd said, "And I told you that our power comes from no one being more important than the others. Destiny and Nya are valued members of our team."

"Unfortunately for you, Dareth, I don't care much about image, and neither do the other ninja." Destiny told him with a laugh.

Cole smiled slightly when she laughed, and he released Dareth. "In any case, we've got to get going."

"Okay," Dareth replied. "Cole, you should work out more. You seem to be losing your touch."

Cole rolled his eyes as Dareth walked away, and he sighed. Lloyd put a hand on his shoulder momentarily before heading out. Cole followed, glancing back to make sure Destiny was okay on her own, and she seemed to be managing just fine. When they got outside, Cole waited as Zane and Lloyd summoned their dragons.

"Destiny, you can ride with me on Frostbite," Zane offered.

"Which one is yours?" she asked, nodding at the Nindroid.

"The one on the left."

Cole watched as she walked towards Frostbite and hopped on, only releasing his breath when he saw that she was secure.

"Cole, come on." Lloyd called to him, and he sighed and jumped up onto Vitality's back. The dragons took off, and Cole couldn't help wishing that he could summon his own beloved dragon to ride himself.

When they got back to the monastery, Cole was the first to drop back to the ground. He went over to the storage unit they had set up and opened it, pulling out the package he'd received from Creatures, Beasts, and Beyond and turned. Destiny was standing with the other two ninja, and he walked over to them quickly. "Zane, can you go and let Sensei know we're back? I want to test something. And you can start working on the antivenom."

The Nindroid nodded and left them, while Lloyd watched him curiously.

"Destiny, can you summon Morpheus, please?"

It took a moment, but Cole smiled when her dragon appeared. Destiny brushed past him and Lloyd and pet her dragon. Cole watched them sadly for a moment, wishing he could even summon his own companion.

After a few seconds, he pulled out one of the dried lizards he still had and walked over to Destiny, holding it out to her. "Here, feed him this." She took it and held it out to her dragon. He snapped it up and let out a happy snort. Cole let out a laugh and said, a hint of sadness in his voice, "Those are Slate's favorite. Dried lizards. I'll order extra next time for Morpheus if you'd like."

Destiny's expression changed lightning fast, and she wiped her hand off while exclaiming, "Ew! Um, yes please. Morpheus really likes them."

He nodded. "You can have the rest of them." He sighed a bit and reached out, petting Morpheus snout gently. "I can't give them to Slate right now."

"Oh?" Destiny sounded confused. "Why not?"

He glanced at her, then remembered that she couldn't see and facepalmed, murmuring, "Ugh, I'm such a dummy." He raised his voice and continued. "Yeah, I'm not allowed to use my powers. Vengestone shackle. In case I lose it again."

"I guess that makes sense. I'm sorry though, Cole." Destiny said.

"It's okay. I'd rather be locked in a vengestone bracelet than hurt you or anyone else." He told her, although he knew he'd rather be healthy than anything else.

"Cole, Sensei said my powers could help me see, and they are. So don't worry about me. I'm fine."

"Is that why you're walking on your own and stuff?" He asked, then continued. "That's cool, Destiny. But even if you are fine, I'm still going to worry. And I don't think your dad's going to forgive me as easily as you."

"My dad will come around. I'm his only child, so he's a little protective." She told him with a sigh. "And in my mind, there wasn't anything I needed to forgive you for."

He smiled slightly. He was about to say something when he heard the voice start muttering in his mind, and he tilted his head to listen. What are you doing? He asked it, confused.

Just rearranging my collection, it answered. First memory all the way to the most recent one. You sure got all hot and bothered by that Perfect Match Machine, huh?

Cole growled slightly.

I'm just stating the facts. It sure was a big part of your life.

Why would you know that? Cole thought fiercely. The voice didn't respond, and Cole was snapped out of his thoughts when Morpheus suddenly disappeared. He blinked at Destiny, embarrassment flooding him as he mumbled, "I drifted, didn't I? Sorry."

"Yes. It was that thing again, wasn't it?" Destiny responded.

"Yeah." Cole huffed. "It was muttering on about memories and then asked me about the Perfect Match Machine."

"You did get really irritated at it." She said with a shake of her head.

Cole sighed and nodded. "I know. That's how I started dating Nya, though," he admitted.

"So that machine brings back a bad memory?" she asked cautiously.

"For me, yes. It was the start of my fights with Jay, and the reinforcement of my fears." Cole told her.

She looked ready to reply when movement caught his attention, and he looked to see Sensei Wu. "Cole, what are you dawdling for? Come inside. The antivenom will be done in a few minutes."

The Master of Earth nodded and glanced at Destiny. "Are you coming?"

She shook her head. "I need to try and find my dad. But I hope the antivenom will work." She held out the extra staff. "Would you give this to Sensei Wu? I don't need to borrow it anymore."

He nodded and took it from her. Before she could withdraw her hand, he clutched it and brought it up to his face, kissing it quickly. "Okay. Love you."

She smiled and replied, "Love you too."

He grinned back at her and then turned to head inside. Lloyd and Wu followed him. When they reached the mission room, Zane was with Pixal. When he and his two companions entered the room, Pixal smiled and brought a cup over to him. "Here. Drink this and then rest. It will work faster and better if you're asleep."

Cole nodded and took the cup, drinking it down quickly and then grimacing at the taste. Then, he was escorted by Lloyd to the guest room he'd woken up in. The teen stopped outside of his door while Cole went in and laid down on the bed. It was easier than he thought it would be to fall asleep.

When he woke up, it was later in the day than he expected. The room was flooded with sunlight, so he assumed it was a few hours after dawn. He stretched and stood, crossing the room and opening the door. Jay was standing watch outside and gave him a smile when he stepped out of the room.

"How do you feel, Cole?" The Master of Lightning asked.

"Rested." He answered. "Other than that, not very different."

Jay nodded. "Destiny was in the training yard earlier. Want to see her?"

He smiled. "Yeah. Maybe while I'm out there I could actually train a little. It's been too long."

His friend chuckled, then said, "Oh, by the way, your dad wanted to know if you'd gotten the letter he'd sent."

Cole blinked in surprise, remembering the two letters he'd gotten. "I got it. I just forgot to read it. I will in a little while. Right now I want to see Destiny."

Jay nodded and led him out. Unlike the other ninja, who walked right beside him, Jay kept a more natural distance between them. They emerged into the training yard together, and Cole looked around. He smiled when he spotted his girlfriend, who was sitting on a bench. He walked towards her and then sat. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "Morning," he said to her.

"You mean good afternoon. Most everyone has been going to get lunch." She told him, hugging him back. "How are you feeling? I'm sorry I didn't come check on you earlier."

He smiled. "Don't worry about it. I was sleeping. I feel well rested. Other than that there isn't much of a difference that I've noticed."

"Well, at least you're not worse. I'm glad you got some sleep." She released him, and he nodded. She set a pole against the bench, and Cole smiled as he recognized Kai's symbol on the hilt.

"Want to train with me?" He asked, and realized that he wasn't just well rested. He felt restless, his muscles itching for some action. "It's been awhile since my last session.."

She smiled and replied, "Sure!"

He grinned slightly and stood with a stretch. "Go easy on me," he chuckled. "I don't have any powers."

"I don't think that should be a problem. Although, I really should be the one saying it, since you can see fully."

He nodded, slight guilt pushing into his mind. "I go easy on you anyways. You're my girlfriend."

"How dare you! Now I'll never know if I can actually beat you!"

He winced and laughed as she swatted him. "I was joking! You've beaten me fair and square tons of times."

"Mhm." She grinned and stood, walking a short distance away.

One spar later, he was collapsed on his back in a puff of dirt, gazing up at the face of his girlfriend. "You've got to stop winning so much," he told her.

She pulled her hair back, smiling. "Maybe, or maybe not."

He felt affection for her swell in his heart. "Have any plans for today?"

"No, why?" She reached out her hand.

Cole took it and got to his feet with her help, replying, "Want to go for a walk?"

"Sounds like fun," she answered.

He smiled and glanced over at Jay, who was sitting the short distance away on the bench. "Jay, come on."

His friend smiled and stood, walking over. "Where are we going?"

"Just for a walk." Cole answered. Destiny shuffled over to the bench and picked up the pole, then came back over. He smiled at her and then headed out of the monastery.

About halfway through their walk, the voice started pestering him nonstop, and Cole tried everything to keep his focus and shut it out. Worry wormed into his stomach. Shouldn't the voice be gone?

Sucks, doesn't it? Well, we don't always get what we want. But you, you'll get what you deserve. The voice replied, sending shivers down his back.

"Uh, Destiny.." he said quickly. "I need you to leave."

"What? Is something wrong?" she looked at him, concerned.

"Listen to me. The voice is back and I don't want to hurt you. Please go, I don't feel right."

Jay pulled Destiny away from him, and Cole sat down on the ground, feeling shudders pass through his body. He heard a pair of footsteps running back towards the monastery and glanced up to see that both Jay and Destiny had both gone. A few moments later he felt the familiar pain in his arm and his body numbing to his control. He stood and started walking on the path that led back towards the monastery. When he reached the gates, they were wide open, and Lloyd and Kai were standing there, looking like they had expected him.

Jay must have told them, he thought, relieved.

Silence! The voice screeched, louder than his own thoughts. Cole grinned and rushed towards Lloyd. The blonde dodged to the side and stuck his foot out, tripping Cole as he passed by. He grunted as he hit the ground, rolling over quickly and starting to stand. Lloyd slammed his hands down on his chest, however, pushing Cole flat on his back. He struggled wildly, but Kai also joined in holding him down. Despite the rage he felt in his chest (which wasn't his), he could have started crying from relief. If he was held down until the fit passed, then he couldn't hurt anyone.

It didn't take as long for it to pass, but that was likely due to how much whatever was inside him was making him struggle. Cole knew it was useless; Lloyd by himself was stronger than him when he was at full strength, and he had vengestone on his wrist. He was exhausting quickly, and eventually his muscles relaxed. His chest rose and fell rapidly as he tried to get his breath back, and Lloyd looked at him suspiciously.

"Cole?" The blonde asked.

"Yeah.." he responded breathlessly. "I'm back. And you're hurting my shoulders."

Lloyd relaxed his grip and Cole sat up. Kai took a step back as well. Cole sighed and rolled his shoulders, feeling soreness spreading. "Thanks," he mumbled to Lloyd. He was downcast and upset that the antivenom hadn't worked.

"No problem." Lloyd replied.

Cole stood carefully. He glanced over and saw Destiny and Jay walking towards them. Cole felt guilt in his stomach; he wished that he wasn't a danger to her, as well as his other friends.

"Are you okay?" Destiny asked.

"I'm fine." He sighed. He noticed that she had a book in her hands, and asked, "What's that?"

"It's that book of poisons I told you about." She answered. "There's a page in here that Zane needs to see. It might have something to do with why you're not responding to the antidote."

Cole brightened a bit. "What are we waiting for? He's probably in the missions room with Pix."

"Cole, if the book is right, then by taking antivenom your symptoms should accelerate. So, um.." Destiny trailed off.

He realized what she meant and felt his shoulders droop. "Oh. Okay. That's okay. You go ahead. Hopefully they can help."

She turned and left, and Cole sighed slightly. He looked to Jay and motioned for him to follow him. His friend nodded, and Cole wove his way through the monastery back to the guest room he'd been quarantined in. He closed the door behind him, knowing that Jay would take guard outside. Cole slumped onto his bed, exhaustion tugging his muscles. He laid down and fell into an uneasy sleep.

In his dreams, he was running from an unseeable enemy, the voice telling him which way to go. Cole ignored the voice, not trusting it. The farther he ran, the hotter he got. He grew more and more uncomfortable, and he woke up sweating. He'd kicked his blankets off of himself in his dream, and Cole glanced quickly around the room. He sighed and dropped his head back on the pillow.

Rest while you can, the voice said, deceptively soothingly. You'll be mine soon.