Okay, so this is my first story on the site, although not my first story. I've gone through several different drafts, and proof-readers, but now it faces the ultimate test, going public. I hope to post a new chapter weekly.
I don't own Bionicle, including the locations and characters, except for Kratashi, Takena and Tala.
Chapter 1: The Rahkshi Toa
The Archives in Onu Metru were silent. In the dim glow, strange creatures could be seen, frozen in stasis. A few still had flickering lights illuminating them. And one was very, very slowly rotting, having died while in suspended animation. This section of the Archives had evidently been abandoned for many thousands of years, maybe even since before the Great Cataclysm. It was deep below Metru Nui, the Great City, deep within the 'Brain' of the Great Spirit. The entrance to the exhibit had collapsed some time before, sealing it. But something had come along, recently, and knocked a hole in the collapsing walls. A path had been cleared in the rubble, suggesting good use. Something was coming here, frequently. Had one of the exhibits escaped? It was perfectly possible. There were certainly a few shattered cases in here. One lay at the feet of a statue in the centre of the room. It was a truly bizarre artefact, a strange creature, its snakelike head drooping, as if in sleep, or deep meditation. At a first glance, it appeared like a Toa. But a second glance clearly showed this was not the case. It had a grotesque bulge on its back, reminiscent of a Rahkshi's 'hump' where the Kraata lurks. A row of spines ran up the back this oddity. It had long legs, and huge feet, again, more like a Rahkshi's than the more dainty feet of a Toa. And the head... it was the stuff of nightmares, snake-like and coal-black. The creature's eyes were... shut. Despite the surreal features of the carving, it had a certain lifelike quality about it. The artist had even gone to the trouble of installing a heartlight, which pulsed to a slow rhythm. The creature was covered in dark gunmetal grey armour, made from separate pieces of Protodermis and marked with several scratches and dents. Whoever had made it was clearly a carver of great prowess, although this masterpiece was treated rather badly after its creation. Damaged and stored far from the rest of the Archives. And who had rediscovered it? Footsteps suddenly breached the silence, soft at first, but getting louder and louder. Whoever it was definitely seemed to be heading for this secluded spot. And not trying too hard to keep quiet, either. As the footsteps came near, the statue's heartlight started flashing faster...
A Ta-Matoran walked into the chamber, carrying a large pile of red Kanoka Disks, but as it passed under the light over the entrance, it was revealed as something more. It, like the statue, had a snakelike, or maybe... Rahkshi-like, head. The Rahkshi-headed Matoran paused next to the statue, using the illuminating lights to read a tablet he had perched on top of the disks he was holding. He leaned casually on the statue's thigh as he did so. Then he fell over backwards, landing in a heap as something in the shadows behind him laughed.
"Don't lean on me, Tala."
"You could have just said. I thought you were a statue." The Matoran, Tala, grumbled, getting up and dusting himself off, turning to face the creature which he had been leaning on. "You're far too good at staying still. Seems to me you've spent far too long doing it."
"Toa rarely get to stay still, Tala." The creature sighed. "Not that they'd ever admit that's what they'd like to do." The two oddities were silent for a moment, but then Tala laughed.
"Good grief Kratashi, you sound like a Turaga."
"Shut up!"
"That's uncalled for!" Tala snapped.
"No, I hear something!" Kratashi hissed tensely.
"A Rahi?"
"Maybe... but there's something odd about it." Kratashi murmured.
"Then it's probably something bad."
"Probably. It's coming this way, whatever it is."
The two waited in the silent darkness, listening to the footsteps getting steadily nearer. They did indeed sound strange; there was a distinctive slapping sound after every step, like the being was wearing diving flippers. The sounds came steadily nearer, Kratashi thought he saw something moving in the darkness beyond the exhibit's entrance, and nearer, and nearer, until finally the terrible creature stepped into the dim chamber. And the two other occupants tried not to scream.
The creature was skeletal, yet projected an aura of power and confidence. It stood on two bony legs, ending in strange, extended feet. Webs of skin crossed the gap, through slits in the creature's armour, and the thing's feet did indeed resemble flippers. A jagged fin ran up its back. Its arms, sticklike, ended in large fins, but tapered to a point and armoured. They glinted, in the darkness. Blades... And the Rahi's head.... the jagged fin of the back ran up the neck, then curved over the crest of the creature's head, until it reached its snout. Two amber eyes glared from the mask, but were slightly blurry, as if looking through water. The creature was coloured a dark navy-blue, with traces of silver. It surveyed the chamber through slitted eyes. Hunting for something. Seemingly unable to find what it was looking for, it turned to leave the chamber, stepping back into the darkness beyond. After a few minutes of silence, Tala whispered "So, Kratashi, um... what was that?" then he yelled as the thing pounced from the shadows, landing in front of the two. For a moment, all three stared at each other, then Kratashi lashed out with his staffs. His opponent tumbled, and Kratashi thought he had successfully defeated it and moved forward, but it proved to be a bluff, as the creature lashed out with a flippered foot and knocked him to the floor. Before he could move again, the creature had a blade to his throat. Bending down, it carefully lifted his head so he was looking at it, and breathed
"How simple..." Kratashi was startled by the creature's speech, but also curious about the voice. There was something familiar there... "Are you for falling for that?" the creature cried, rolling its head with a sickening crack. "Do you know nothing? Still, if you hadn't I'd have gutted you there and then, you dim-witted De-Toa, you."
"Wha-?" Kratashi gasped as the blade was withdrawn from his throat and he straightened up. "Who are you?"
"I am... a traveller. I've travelled from the stinking feet of the Great Spirit up to his brilliant brain... and then come down into this pit to find you." The creature glanced around the exhibit. "Not exactly home-sweet-home, is it?" she proceeded to collapse onto what had been serving as Kratashi's bed. "Still, you make a good bed. Haven't felt this comfy in ages."
"T-Takena?" Kratashi gasped, agog and yet feeling rather faint. "What happened?"
"Same as you, I suspect. Our charming friend Zabronix," Kratashi snorted. "wanted to try out her new swimming pool. As I was a Water Toa, she thought I'd be the best person. So she dropped me in the pool, actually dropped me, and then sealed me in... at first I thought I was going to drown, but then I found I could breath. Oh, and I had fins. It got worse over the next few days. I screamed alot, all sorts of curses and the like, until I realised there was no-one listening, and so I enacted a daring escape plan, which involved using these blades to chip away at the Protosteel seal of my prison. After about five hundred years, I managed to create a hole wide enough to escape through, and then I burst out and ran for it. Of course, there were guards waiting to stop me. Fifty Makuta, and about a million Rahkshi. I fought 'em all off and then swam for it, and I tracked you from island to island like a Kavinka after a good meal. Until I found you down here, after fighting off a load of escaped Muaka and walking into a room that tries to eat people. Dangerous that was, having one of them down here. Of course, it's not so dangerous any more. It's now less of a room, and more of... a box." There was silence after she had finished. Broken by Tala drawling, sarcasm loaded in every syllable,
"Riiiiiiiiiiight. And of course you fought off fifty Makuta, despite there not being that many. And of course that army of Rahkshi. And then swam all the way here, only to defeat a load of Muaka and the room that eats things."
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I did." Takena growled.
"Hmm, see, I came past the Muaka pens on my way down here earlier, and they were all locked up." Tala said. Takena froze and glared at him over her shoulder, fuming. Steam was in fact rising from her. Kratashi decided to intervene before his two friends killed each other.
"Takena always did tell a good story." He laughed nervously. He earned one of Takena's glares, though less intense, but it broke the tension. "So why were you looking for me?"
"Well..." Takena began, staring at Kratashi. "When I escaped, I found some old records of activities at the base. Look." After she said this, she revealed several scrolls of paper, tightly furled, which she laid out on a priceless stone table carved by a renowned artist. Who later conspired against his island with the Dark Hunters. "There's something here called the 'Rahkshi Enhancer Project', and then, here's me, under 'Mutagen Testing' and there's more, far too many more. But look at this. This is record of any modifications to the actual base. Under Basement Modifications..." Kratashi looked at the list.
"Seems to be some sort of dungeon..." Kratashi mused.
"Yes, that's right. But look at this bit here." Takena said, jabbing a fin at a line roughly two thirds of the way down the tome. Kratashi looked and read aloud:
"Article 16D, Kinetic Restrainers and Elemental Scanner Locks added to Cell A, Energy Extraction Rifles and Impact Crystal Launchers added to Basement Exits... what are all these?"
"Well," Tala replied, furrowing his brow in concentration before continuing, "Kinetic Restrainers take any kinetic force, as in any movement energy, physical blows, you know, and uses it to increase their bind strength. Generally used to prevent prisoners from breaking loose, or being broken loose. When you try to break them, they get stronger. And they're cast from Protosteel too. Pricey, very pricey. Only used for extra-powerful prisoners." Kratashi and Takena turned to gape at Tala, who looked at the floor, abashed. "What? I just know alot about technology!"
"So what about the other things?" Kratashi asked. Takena was staring at Tala as if he'd turned into a bright pink Makuta. "Takena isn't really very 'clued up' about this sort of thing." Kratashi said, by way of explanation.
"Right. Well, Elemental Scanner Locks basically will only open to a being with the programmed Element." Tala continued. "They're guarded by almost unbreakable codes and protocols to ensure no one changes them. Once they're programmed, that's it, they're impossible to open. Unless you match the required element. Most likely shadow in this case. Now, Extraction Rifles, they act like the staff of a Vohrak. I assume you know how those work."
"Yes, one of them kept me restrained, until they cut it up to stick bits of it on me." Kratashi said quietly, his eyes dark.
"Sorry. Anyway, they act like them, draining power until they reach a finite point and overload. Or get fired. If it was me, I'd have them set to absorb a certain amount before firing at the target, on a repeating cycle."
"And the Impact Crystal Launchers?" Kratashi asked.
"Well, they shoot Knowledge Crystals, yes, the same type used to create the Ko-Metru Knowledge Towers. They encase the target in a mini-Knowledge Tower. Containing an escapee."
"Whoever they've got in there must have been really strong then." Kratashi said.
"Yes, that's what I thought." Takena said. "Well, obviously I didn't know exactly what all those weapons were, but they were obviously to keep someone with a lot of power contained."
"So?" Kratashi queried.
"Pokan! The modifications were made around that time, it could be! Who else do we know who's that strong! And if he's there, the others could be too!"
"Perhaps..." Kratashi said uncertainly. "But if we're wrong, we'll be making a suicidal journey across the Makutaverse, which if we survive will lead us to an empty prison."
"What! I came all this way for you to say you're not coming!"
"Can we at least sleep on it?" Kratashi implored.
"But the sooner we go, the sooner we can rescue Pokan and the others." Takena whined.
"I... I just don't want to make the same mistake as last time." This time, Kratashi had struck a chord with Takena, who faltered, her mouth open to deliver a response. Then she shook her head.
"You're right, but... I just don't want to wait any longer to-"
"Actually, we do need to go now."
"What!"
"Pardon?"
"Well," Tala said slowly, as if choosing his words carefully. "This 'Zabronix' is a Makuta, correct?"
"Yes, I told you that before, remember?" Kratashi replied cautiously. Takena merely nodded.
"Indeed. So, Terridax will be looking for them. He won't want competition." Tala told them, as if it was obvious. "And once he finds them and their base..."
"Oh, Mata Nui... He'll kill them all." Kratashi gasped.
"Not if I get there first." Takena snarled.
"So we really have no time at all." Tala replied matter-of-factly.
"Well, no, but... hang on, why hasn't he done it already?" Kratashi asked.
"He might have done. I have no idea. But remember, a universe is a highly complex thing. I doubt Terridax has quite got the hang of controlling it yet. That's what all the Rahkshi are for, I suspect."
"Then let's GO!" Takena yelled. "Come on, we're on borrowed time as it is!"
"But, we might be too late. We'd be making a suicidal trip across the Makutaverse, only to find an empty fortress! And that's if we even get that far!" Takena turned to him, and laughed cruelly.
"You, Kratashi, are a Toa. Of the Southern Lands, where the most terrible villains of the universe fear to tread. We'll get that far." And without another look, she stalked out of the chamber. Tala looked at Kratashi.
"You're going."
"I suppose so..." Kratashi said uncertainly.
"I wasn't asking." Tala replied firmly, as he grabbed their few possessions and dropped them into a large backpack. Then he marched swiftly out of the chamber, Kratashi following in his wake. But before he left, Kratashi paused at the door, and looked back fondly at his current home.
"Goodbye." He whispered, before running after Tala. One way or another, he wasn't coming back.
Later, the group were attempting to navigate 'the Deep', the abandoned lower levels of the Archives. It was easy to get lost, even if you spent your whole life wandering those tunnels. Then again, your life down there could be quite short. Tala and Kratashi knew quite alot about the Deep, but in the darkness it was easy to take a wrong turn. And run into something deadly... But for the moment, the group seemed to be doing well, as Kratashi pressed his hand against a pad set into the wall next to a door, causing it to open. The threesome stepped through it, and found themselves face to face with a Rahkshi.
After a second, they realised the truth. It was a suit of Rahkshi Armour, the front-piece to a long hall. They stepped into it, and saw many more Rahkshi lining the edges of the hallway. "What is this place?" Kratashi breathed, as though talking to loudly might cause the armour to come alive.
"All these suits of armour... they must be exhibits." Tala said, stooping to read the label of a nearby specimen. "Donated by the Brotherhood of Makuta... that must be before they turned bad." The continued walking down the chamber, before they came to several large stasis Tubes. Within them were...
"Kraata!" Kratashi cried. He looked along the row of Stasis Tubes. "There must be a Kraata of every kind here!"
"Wait, these Kraata are still alive." Tala said. "They're in Stasis."
"So?" Takena asked. But Kratashi understood.
"And if they were donated by the Brotherhood, then they could be reactivated!" Kratashi said, alarmed, picturing all these Rahkshi surging from the depths of the Archives, purging every hiding place of Matoran resistance.
"We should destroy them!" Takena cried, a little too eagerly.
"Wait! We can't just go smashing this stuff up! We're deep within the brain of Makuta here. He's bound to notice if we do." Tala replied sharply. Kratashi relaxed slightly, but he was still worried about what would happen if those Rahkshi got free. They walked quickly down the rows of Rahkshi Armour, until they came to a part of the chamber that had collapsed. Climbing over the rocks, Kratashi noticed something.
"Look!" he cried, pointing beneath him. The others looked over, and as Kratashi yanked away another rock, they saw another Rahkshi, the spiked back torn open by something.
"Looks like Laser damage." Tala said.
"Looks like a Laser Vision Rahkshi." Kratashi replied.
"Then we have a serious problem." Takena told them. "See, I can see another suit of Laser Vision Rahkshi Armour over there, and at a guess, I'd say the Laser Vision Kraata has 'escaped' from its Rahkshi. So where is it now?"
"Is it possible?" Tala whispered cautiously. Kratashi nodded, apparently unable to speak, and glanced towards the Laser Vision Rahkshi suit. It remained motionless, its eyes blank and vacant.
Then, a movement! Did its left arm just twitch? Takena did not consider the possibility that she had imagined it. She instead followed her training and ingrained instinct: Take out the Rahkshi. She leapt, blades flashing as she flew towards the Rahkshi armour. She landed a bio short of her target and lashed out with her blades. She was fast... but not fast enough. The Rahkshi's eyes burned red before blasting her incoming blade with energy, the impact sending her reeling and howling, her blade charred. Kratashi caught a glimpse of burned flesh through a hole scorched into the blade, before Takena used the momentum from the shot to spin into the Rahkshi and deliver a slashing cut to the Rahkshi's 'face'. The Rahkshi zipped forward, knocking her to the floor before she could follow it up. Looking her in the eyes, it got ready to finish the job. But it had forgotten someone, who reminded it by shaking it to the core with a Sonic Pulse. It whirled round to face Kratashi, who was pale beneath his armour and shook almost as much as the Rahkshi, who then found itself staring at the ceiling as Takena swivelled and knocked its feet out from under it. It fired another beam of laser light, but this soared way off target, past the fighters and down the length of the chamber, illuminated by the dust stirred up by the Toa walking through earlier. Kratashi heard something shatter, but he couldn't see what it was this far away. So he instead resumed the fight with the Rahkshi. Now it was engaging in a hand-to-hand with Takena, who was putting up a pretty good fight, her wiry frame stronger than it appeared. But the Rahkshi was getting ready to fire again, and Takena seemed oblivious to the danger... Kratashi was about to shout a warning when water sprang from her blades in a torrent that forced the Rahkshi back into a wall, while Takena walked closer, continuing to push with her summoned water blast. Eventually, she got within striking distance, and instantly the flow ceased. Now came the final blow. Her arms, and fin-blades, came up and sliced the Rahkshi from top to bottom, and Kratashi gasped as the armour simply fell apart. Takena had never been that strong before... of course she was a powerful warrior, but this was something else. But there was a much more important issue right now... A Shadow Kraata!
For a moment, Kratashi panicked. Shadow Kraata were the most powerful, and dangerous, of all. But then he saw there was no need to worry. Takena had the foul being caught on her right blade, squirming as something dribbled down the blade. It repulsed him so much he backed away, and bumped into Tala. Turning to face him, Kratashi saw Tala was facing away from him, his eyes the size of widgets. Kratashi would have asked what was wrong, but he already knew. He could hear them in the darkness. Coming ever nearer, the hissing, the footsteps... And now he could see them, emerging from the darkness. Rahkshi. At least twenty of them were coming closer, and he could hear even more. "Ta-Ta-Takena..."
"What?" she asked, jumping onto the pile of rubble, and seeing them coming closer. Her eyes darted across the tableau of Rahkshi, analysing the situation. Kratashi meanwhile, was looking upwards, at where the ceiling had collapsed. He could see cracks in the more stable parts of the ceiling too. Clearly the whole lot was just waiting to be knocked down. He also noticed the Rahkshi stirring, raising staffs, preparing to take out the hapless trio. And finally, he could just make out Takena from the corner of his eyes, shifting her weight, squatting slightly as if preparing to jump. He realised what they were all about to do, what would happen, and responded accordingly to stop it. Firing of a Sonic Boom, which shook the already unstable ceiling. It collapsed instantly on them, Toa, Matoran and Rahkshi alike. And once the dust had settled, all was still.