District 1
13th floor of the Night Sky Tower, UCB's headquarters
23 days until Zero Hour
The Bureau of Unexplained Matters was established over 100 years ago when it became evident that the gray police cats were unable to solve the problems caused by the cunning, criminal rats. With the approval of the Minister of Security and the Prime of Ninjago, this new organization stood on equal footing with the police and began supporting them. However, it didn't take long for the two founders of the Bureau to become dissatisfied with mere support. They didn't want to be just another institution closely tied to the police, doing their dirty work.
The amendment quickly came into effect, and after just five years, BUM climbed one step higher in the government hierarchy, expanding the scope of its authority and territorial reach. Since then, the officers of the Bureau—later known as agents and inspectors of BUM, depending on their positions—abandoned the mundane task of catching common thieves and troublemakers. Instead, they focused on protecting important personalities, countering terrorist attacks, dismantling drug cartels, and keeping an eye on degenerates who wore sheep's clothing but never abandoned their criminal path.
Within a few decades of its founding, the Bureau had grown to cover the entire Island, with a main headquarters in each District. All of these headquarters, however, were located under the coordinates of the main unit situated in the heart of Ninjago City, in the first District. Command of this unit, at the age of only 25, was assumed by Zack Callean, the great-grandson of the BUM's founder.
And he quickly showed that his promotion from a mere sub-inspector was not due to family connections but his own hard work, perseverance, and, importantly in this line of work, cunning. In essence, the high efficiency of the entire institution was owed to young Callean, who kept everything in check. This allowed him to operate almost according to his own preferences, while remaining in the shadows, acting quietly so as not to antagonize the Ministry of Security, which had always been wary of their institution. And thus, the whole plan could be summarized under the title: Lloyd Garmadon—act without causing a fuss.
Initially, the Troublemaker Team's mission wasn't a major improvisation but rather a small one. Indeed, the team composition was chosen at a fairly accelerated pace, as informants were given only five days to gather all the necessary information about the new recruits. It wouldn't have been necessary, but the first team consisting of professionals was compromised when it turned out that the unit's commander was involved in the arrest of one person from Busterrix's gang. Thus, it fell to a former thief, a debt collector, two hackers, and an illegal smuggler, and only Callean himself knew the logic that held everything together to prevent the entire mission from collapsing.
"Nearly three days have passed since the Troublemakers ventured into the field," Megan Nakane, Zack's official right-hand and unofficial deputy, pointed out.
They were sitting in one of the conference rooms, accessible only to them, as it contained all the documents related to the mission, and the mission itself was known to only six people in the Bureau, including them.
Callean tore his gaze away from the panorama of a Ninjago City spreading out from the thirteenth floor of the Night Sky Tower. He looked meaningfully at the 24-year-old who sat comfortably with her legs on the table, eating yogurt for breakfast.
"Are you suggesting something?" he asked indifferently, taking a seat at the long table. He spread out papers and carefully placed a cup of hot coffee on the surface. It was only eight in the morning, and they had been at work for two hours already, even though no sane person worked on Saturdays unless they had to. Plain yogurt and strong black coffee were their starters for a not-so-good day.
Nakane, without moving from her spot, tossed the crumpled yogurt container toward the trash can but missed. She hissed under her breath but didn't bother to fix it. Instead, she sat up straight, resting her elbows on the table.
"Well, I don't know, there's just this strange silence in the air," she remarked.
"Don't weave such dark visions" he muttered, starting to review a report he knew by heart.
"Since when have you become such an optimist?" she laughed, approaching the trash can and adjusting her shot.
Deep down, however, she knew what motivated Callean, what motivated all of them. The reason was what they always tried to protect: society. Unnecessary panic surrounding a public figure like the Prime's son was the worst ignition point. That's why the Bureau operated in secrecy, even without the approval of the Ministry of Security, which, as the superior authority, oversaw all their missions at present.
They had experience in such missions; after all, they had protected important personalities before, including politicians and celebrities (the worst kind of clients). But this time, it was about someone more important—the heir to the Garmadon's fortune. The only heir.
Callean was aware that if anything went wrong, he would be held accountable, especially since he hadn't sought the approval of the superior authority to initiate the mission. But this mission was a kind of rebellion by the entire Bureau—they wanted to finally break free from the short leash on which the Ministry held them. A leash with a spiked collar. Because no matter what they did, the Ministry always found a reason to criticize them.
Megan Nakane had known Zack for quite a few years, but she had never been able to fully decipher what lay beneath that black hair. However, she knew that when the boss did something, he did it thoroughly and without unnecessary fuss. That's how he solidified his position as the Inspector of the First District BUM. That's why she agreed with him when he told her about his plan. Just one sentence convinced her, so accurate it was:
"If you want to drag a criminal onto your side and make them dance to your tune, threaten to take away the one thing most precious to them—their freedom."
A person cornered can do incredible things, let alone a criminal who only has two cards to play: cooperation and freedom or insubordination and imprisonment. Neither Callean nor Nakane anticipated any betrayal from the Troublemaker Team. They had been in contact with the criminal underworld for too long not to start thinking like criminals themselves. As a result, they also learned what was most precious to such individuals. And how effectively—and painfully—to take it away from them. That's why the Bureau had such a high success rate.
"I'm only unsure about one thing," Nakane began after they had spent several minutes in silence, lost in their own thoughts. She continued when Zack looked at her with his penetrating, blue eyes. She reciprocated with the same gaze. "After all this, will you truly give them their freedom?" she asked softly, leaning slightly forward.
Both of them had intense gazes, accustomed to delving deep into the minds of criminals to extract the necessary information. Nakane used that valuable skill to search for an answer in Callean's eyes.
Each of the Troublemakers had something weighing on their conscience, bigger and smaller sins. Most of their cases could be handled by regular police. However, it was the Bureau that held them in its grip. Would they allow them to just walk away after the mission was over? Or would they hand them over to the justice system and boost the crime clearance rate?
Zack was about to speak, but suddenly, the sound of an old smartphone, lying on top of a stack of papers, rang out. Megan jumped up and grabbed the device, a slight smile appearing on her lips, as if a piece of the weight on her heart had been lifted. Only the Troublemakers were supposed to contact that number to report on the mission's progress. And this was the first and most important call—it signaled that the BUM had approved their team and that Lloyd Garmadon's mission had officially begun.
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