Please Note: The following fanfic is set before the events of Dragon Rising. If anything happens in the show afterwards that contradicts this story, it should just be accepted as an alternate universe.

---

Synopsis: After being left behind twice, Echo Zane and Tai-D decide to leave the only home they’ve ever known to figure out where everyone went.

---

Echo Zane spent all his life in a lighthouse. All he had for company was Tai-D, another robot like him. Tai-D didn't talk but was more focused on repairing Echo Zane whenever he began to fall apart. Which was quite often due to the fact his father Dr. Julien made him out of spare parts. Most days, Echo would clean the lighthouse from top to bottom, hoping one day his father would return. His father never returned, but someone else came to the island. His name was Jay.
Jay had explained that he wanted to stay at the lighthouse to be close to his lover who was one with the sea. Not minding the new company, Echo Zane let him stay and assisted Jay with small tasks. He would quickly realize that, unlike Tai-D, Jay talked a lot. Wanting a moment of silence without coming across as rude, he brought out some canvases and encouraged Jay to paint. Jay still talked, but not as much as he focused on his paintings. This gave everyone something to do. Jay would paint, Echo Zane would organize the paints, and Tai-D would repair Echo Zane.

That was how it remained for years until a group of strangers came to the lighthouse. As Echo Zane’s instinct kicked into high gear he ran and hid. Minutes later he got out of his hiding spot in the corner as he heard the front door open and close. By the time Echo Zane arrived at the top of the lighthouse, all he could catch was the back of the strangers along with Jay leaving with them. Echo Zane watched as Jay disappeared in the distance, and wondered why he left without even saying goodbye. He turned around to notice Tai-D staring at him.
“Do you think he’ll come back?” Echo Zane asked.
Tai-D shrugged.
“Hmm? We should clean up the paint so it doesn’t dry out.”
Tai-D beeped and began to clean.

Late one night, Echo Zane was staring out to the sea and noticed several lanterns in the water floating towards the lighthouse. His curiosity peaked; he went downstairs to get a better look. Just before he could go outside, he noticed a bright blue light in the distance approaching the lighthouse. Not waiting to find out what it was, Echo Zane ran inside and hid. As Echo Zane hid, he could barely see a glowing blue figure entering the lighthouse and shouting Jay’s name. Echo Zane stayed hidden even as the glowing blue figure went upstairs shouting if anyone was there. A few minutes later, he heard the glowing blue figure leave then disappear into the endless sea.

The following morning while playing chess with Tai-D, the events of the previous night puzzled Echo Zane. Who was that? How did they know Jay? Staring at a self-portrait Jay made, Echo Zane began to wonder what was out there. Tai-D noticed Echo Zane’s gaze and beeped at him.
“Sorry. I just wonder why he left and never came back.” Echo Zane said, moving his knight.
Tai-D moved his piece and then looked up at Echo Zane.
“Oh, checkmate already? You always win against me.”
Tai-D spun around with his arms in the air.
“I wonder what’s out there? It must be something big since they never come back.”
Tai-D pointed at the endless water and began to jump up and down.
“What about the lighthouse? We can’t just leave it.”

Without making another sound Tai-D jumped off the table and motioned for Echo Zane to follow him. As they reached the bottom of the lighthouse Tai-D pointed at a stack of wooden planks and beeped.
“I suppose we can barricade the door and make a boat from the wood.” Echo Zane said.

For two days, Tai-D and Echo Zane built themselves a small wooden boat and tested it to ensure it wouldn't leak and could float. With the leftover wood, Echo Zane barricaded the door to the lighthouse hoping no intruders would get in. Once the door was barricaded, Echo Zane picked up Tai-D and placed him in the boat. Grabbing the paddle he carved, Echo Zane began rowing far into the endless sea.


As night fell, Echo Zane was forced to stop rowing as his arm fell off. Luckily, Tai-D was able to catch it before it fell into the water. Then Tai-D began the process of re-attaching Echo Zane's arm. However, just as Tai-D was about to finish they felt the boat rock back and forth, along with a bright light shining on them. Turning towards the light, the two noticed a large metal ship stop near their small wooden boat. They listened as people aboard the ship spoke to each other. Somehow, they knew his name. Then he heard a voice shout:
“Hang on Zane! We’re going to get you onboard.”

Truthfully, Echo Zane and Tai-D had no idea what was going on as they were lifted onto the ship, but Echo Zane was thankful he didn’t have to row anymore.
“What happened Zane? The whole crew could have sworn we saw you at Ninjago City earlier.” A man asked.
"Something big must have happened; look he's covered in rust, and his chest is visible." A woman said.

Echo Zane remained quiet, confused as to how all these strangers knew his name. Not to mention, wondered where Ninjago City was. The crew of the ship seemed worried at his lack of a response.
“Zane, can you talk?” A man asked.
“Y… yes.” Echo Zane said.
“Do you know what happened to you?”
Echo Zane tilted his head, unsure what they meant.
“That’s not good. Don’t worry Zane, we’ll contact the ninja. I’m sure they can fix ya.”
“Who are the ninja?”

This caused everyone to stare horrified at Echo Zane. Feeling overwhelmed with all the strangers focused on him, Echo Zane picked up Tai-D and ran to the interior of the ship. He ran until he found a broom closet and hid inside. The two kept quiet, even as they heard multiple footsteps run past the broom closet shouting at each other to find Zane.
“We should have stayed at the lighthouse.” Echo Zane whispered.
Tai-D leaned into Echo Zane and hugged him.
“Ships have to return to land at some point, right? Maybe we can sneak off and go back to the lighthouse.”
Tai-D beeped quietly.
“Okay listen closely to if the ship ports.”

A few hours later, Tai-D poked at Echo Zane. The ship had stopped moving, meaning now was the time to sneak off. Echo Zane picked up Tai-D and climbed the pipes of the ceiling. This allowed them to make their way to the deck without being noticed. However, they were almost discovered as bolts began to fall from Echo Zane.

As the two made it to the deck, Echo Zane peered his head around the corner. That’s when he noticed the man from earlier talking to a man with a badge:
“We found Zane in the middle of the sea at around 10:00 PM. We tried to help him but he ran off. We think he’s still on the ship but we couldn’t find him.”
“No worries, we’ll take a look for him. The commissioner is working to contact the ninja.” The man with a badge said.

The man with a badge began to walk onto the ship, and Echo Zane took a step back to stay out of sight. Then when Echo Zane noticed the man with a badge go below deck, he made a run for it. He could hear many people shouting his name as he ran. It wasn’t until he could feel his leg becoming loose that he was forced to stop in an alleyway. Only after he took a seat behind a garbage bin did he notice Tai-D with a pile of loose parts.
“Thank you for catching those, my friend.”
Tai-D beeped and began to rebuild Echo Zane.


The ninja were in the relaxation room watching TV when they heard the phone ring. They all looked at it for a moment, before Lloyd got up to answer.
“Hello?” Lloyd asked.
“Oh thank goodness.” The commissioner said on the other side of the phone.
“What’s going on?”
“We need you to come to the docs right away. Some fishers found Zane in a boat in the middle of the sea.”
Lloyd said nothing but stared at Zane who was sitting on the couch with everyone else.
"According to the crew he was covered in rust and didn't remember who he was. They tried to help him, but he got frightened very easily and ran off. I have my officers looking for him now but- “
“Zane’s here at the monastery.”
"Really? That's a relief. Hopefully you can get him all fixed up. I'll call off the search."

Before Lloyd could question what the commissioner meant by Zane being covered in rust, he heard the call disconnect. Putting down the phone, he turned to face all the other ninja who wondered about the phone call.
“Why did you mention I was at the monastery?” Zane asked.
“The commissioner called to say some fishing crew found you in the middle of the ocean,” Lloyd said.
“What?”
"Yeah, and that you were covered in rust. They said they tried to approach you, and you ran off. I told them you were here, so he hung up."

As he was telling the ninja about the conversation, Lloyd noticed Jay and Nya both shift uncomfortably.
“We need to go to the docs now!” Nya shouted.
“Why? Zane’s right here.” Lloyd said.
"You're right, someone else needs our help."

Without another word, Jay and Nya rushed towards the docs, with the other ninja following behind them.
“We don’t even know if that’s him Nya,” Jay said.
“Do you know another droid that looks like Zane and is covered in rust?” Nya protested.
“Well no, but you didn't see him when you went to the lighthouse."
"I didn't. Yet, he was probably hiding. Remember the first time we met him."
“But-”
“But nothing Jay. You told me he was at the lighthouse when you were uh... missing me. So, what if he decided to leave the lighthouse.”
“Why would he leave the lighthouse now? He’s been there for years.”
"I don't know. That's what we need to find out."

They pulled up to the docs and parked their vehicle, with the ninja pulling up right behind them. Upon speaking to the fishing crew, Nya began to give instructions to everyone:
“Search the area. He answers to Zane or Echo Zane. Let Jay or I know if you see him. Clear?”
“But Zane’s right there?” One of the fishermen said.
"I know that, but we need to find Echo Zane."
Though everyone was still confused, they began searching the docs shouting Zane’s name.

Once everyone was divided into groups, Zane decided to approach Jay and Nya to get some answers.
“What do you know of this Echo Zane?” Zane asked.
“He’s uh well very much like you but covered in rust,” Jay said.
“What other information can you provide? I can tell there’s more.”
“There is. We promise we’ll tell you everything once we find him. K Zane?”
Zane nodded and began searching for this other Zane.

---

Fun fact: This story started being written in a Word document on November 26th 2023.

Part 2: https://www.planetminecraft.com/blog/lego-ninjago-falling-apart-part-2-echo-zane-and-zane/

Skins used in the story:
Jay: https://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/lego-ninjago-golden-armour-jay-crystalized-season-16-hd/
Nya: https://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/lego-ninjago-samurai-x-nya-crystalized-season-16-hd/
Echo Zane: https://www.planetminecraft.com/skin/lego-ninjago-echo-zane-skybound-season-6-hd/