AN: This is the third and final ending/second alternate ending to my story "Measure of a Man." It's the hurt-and-comfort-heavy ending with a side of, uh, really awful medical experimentation? Yeah, a big ol' heaping of that. Like, I almost upped the rating on this. If you haven't read "Measure of a Man" or don't want to read about concentrated hurt and comfort, you probably don't want to read this, but it's up to you. Also, it's a multi-part ending, almost as long as the original "Measure of a Man" fic itself, so don't be off-put by the abruptness of the end of this chapter, there's more to come. This chapter's title is from "Welcome to the Black Parade" by My Chemical Romance, which I don't own. Enjoy!

"Azizi Julien!" Judge Manthus declared.

The room exploded with shouts of desperation and self-satisfaction.

"I've won! I've won!" Azizi yelled, hopping up out of her chair. The line of people sitting behind her stood up and crowded around her, offering their congratulations.

"No!" Lloyd protested at the same time. "This isn't right, it isn't right!"

"You're wrong!" Jay said outright.

"You can't!" Nya said at the top of her lungs simultaneously.

"I'm not finished!" Judge Manthus said loudly over the chaos.

The room quieted for the most part.

For a moment, the ninja team dared to hope. Could their impression be wrong? Could the judge's words be twisted? Could things turn around so late in the trial?

"The court finds in favor of Azizi Julien. Zane Julien is not human, and as such it is not a person in the eyes of the law and has none of the rights and claims that go along with the title of person. It cannot be allowed to continue to operate on its own. To follow inheritance laws, it will be placed under the ownership of Azizi Julien and will obey her commands for as long as it functions. This will include being studied by her team in whatever ways they decide are best, up to and including being dismantled. The ninja will relinquish the nindroid immediately and any of its belongings within one week. This concludes the court's decision," Judge Manthus explained. Unceremoniously, he stepped down from the bench and exited the room.

The ninja team sat in shocked silence. "No" was apparently the answer to all three of their hopeful questions.

Azizi strutted over to the defense side of the courtroom and, tailed by her three witnesses, stopped right in front of Zane, who was frozen in his seat. She looked him up and down, an aggressively predatory smile on her face. "Well? What are you waiting for? Come on, robot, we've got places to be and experiments to do."

Kai jumped up out of his chair, protesting, "Zane isn't going anywhere with you!"

"Not if we can help it," Jay vowed, standing up protectively.

Azizi smiled wider. "Oh, but you can't help it. Your nindroid is mine, and there's nothing you can do about it."

"We can fight you," Cole said casually, rising to his feet.

"I hope you're ready to face the full force of the ninja," Lloyd promised, getting up and into a fighting stance.

"And the samurai," Nya said sweetly, jumping up.

"No."

Surprisingly, the "no" did not come from Azizi deciding that she didn't want to tangle with the ninja team.

Instead, it came from Zane.

"No," Zane said again, shaking his head as he stood. "It is not worth it. I am not worth it."

"You are too worth it," Nya said firmly. "What, do you think we researched for and worked toward this trial for the fun of it? We're here for you."

"Right now, you need to be there for Ninjago. What do you think will happen if you disobey Judge Manthus and attack Azizi for doing what she is now entitled to do?" Zane asked.

"We'll all get arrested or something," Lloyd realized, but he continued holding his fighting stance anyway.

"Exactly. And then what will happen if another evil rises? Or what will become of Sensei's plan to create an academy for the betterment of Ninjago's children's futures? And what will become of each of you?" Zane pointed out. Slowly, he walked around the defense desk to come to a stop beside Azizi. "You should not stop this, no matter how much I wish you would."

"And you can't stop it either," Azizi said smugly. "I'll admit you have a good chance of making it out of the room and even out of the courthouse with my property, but the police will be on your trail immediately, and sooner rather than later the nindroid will be in my possession with the unfortunate side effect of all of you being in jail. I must say, you have been worthy adversaries, but it's time to quit."

"A ninja never quits," Kai told her, the hatred on his face bleeding thickly into his tone.

"So do not quit, but find other ways to do this," Zane urged them. "Please. Do not risk yourselves for me. There is nothing you can do right now."

"Nothing you can do. Sounds about right to me," Azizi simpered, placing a hand heavily on Zane's shoulder.

Zane flinched, but he didn't twist away. Instead, he bowed his head and let her be.

"We won't give up on you," Lloyd told Zane, his voice cracking slightly on the word "you." "I promise."

"Thank you, brother," Zane said simply before turning to Azizi. "I am ready."

"Good," Azizi drawled, and she removed her hand from his shoulder and began walking away toward where her allies were gathering by the door, calling back, "Come on, nindroid! Onward!"

Zane gave his friends and family one last long look. Then he turned and walked away, following Azizi without looking back.

"Should I even call you 'nindroid?'" Azizi pondered as she opened the door to began letting her colleagues out. "After all, you're no longer a ninja. Wouldn't 'robot' fit better?"

"I prefer 'nindroid,'" Zane said steadily, still not looking back.

Azizi laughed as she grabbed Zane by the arm and pulled him out the door. "Ah, but you see, your preferences no longer matter. 'Robot' it is then!"

The door slammed behind Azizi and Zane with a loud thud.

"...We lost," Cole said quietly. He sat down heavily. "We lost the case. We lost Zane."

"Not for long," Nya said determinedly. "We may have lost the trial, but there's still something we can do. There's always something we can do."

"What?" Jay asked desperately.

"Appeal. We appeal to a higher court. We go all the way up to the Ninjago Supreme Court, and we see what they think of Judge Manthus's decision," Nya stated. She turned to the line of people still sitting behind the defense desk in shocked silence. "And we're going to need all the help we can get to do so. We're going to need you guys."

"I'm in," Dareth said immediately, jumping up. "Azizi Julien better watch out, because the brown ninja is on the case!"

"Well, I'm not sure how much help we'll be, but Edna and I will do whatever we can," Ed promised. "Edna-"

"Already making several notes," Edna told him happily.

"We'll rally the public," Lou said, gesturing to himself and the other Royal Blacksmiths. "I'm sure the majority of Ninjago is already on your side, and there's nothing like a few rousing battle ballads to get the rest of them convinced!"

"I'll start searching through scrolls for anything that might help us," Misako offered.

"And I'll help you," Garmadon added, looking at his wife.

"We can do this. We will do this," Wu told his students reassuringly.

Nya nodded, although whether it was to convince herself or her friends was uncertain. "We can and will."