Welcome to Mata Nui.
For specific speech:
Protagonist's thoughts.
"Artificial Intelligence."
"Normal Dialogue."
Enjoy, my friends, as we walk into the world… of the Bionicle.
…ooOoo…
For freedom we rise
Learn to fly, reach the sky
Legend will carry you thousands of miles
Take a stand, hold the land
Make sure that everyone's ready to win
Find the speed, all you need
Team up for battle we fly
Fly
**Gravity Hurts, Niels Brinck/Tine Midtgaard, Cryoshell**
…ooOoo…
What is going on?
SYSTEMS ACTIVATING. LOADING SELENE AI. STANDBY…
PROCESSING…
001011010101
0100101
111100101
What's happening to me? I… I can't feel anything… can't hear anything… can't see…
BASE AI LOAD COMPLETE. INITIATING SENSORY PROTOCOL.
Ugh, my head… hurts…
SENSORY PROTOCOL COMPLETE.
ACTIVATING RETINA DISPLAY.
ACTIVATING OCULAR RECEPTORS.
ACTIVATING AUDITORY RECEPTORS.
ACTIVATING EQUILIBRIUM PROTOCOLS.
STANDBY.
Aaagghh!
ACTIVATION COMPLETE. SENSORY FILTERS DEACTIVATED.
And then all of a sudden, everything rushed in and I knew that I could both hear and see. The first thing I was aware of was the amount of sound surrounding me, as if there was a massive wind rushing into my ears and stealing away any semblance of my surroundings. I tried to open my eyes, but what little light there was – wherever I was – made me feel as if solid icicles were being driven through my eyes and into my brain. The second thing I noticed was that my body was encased in some kind of armored suit, but somehow, the thought didn't feel right, like it wasn't correct.
The third thing I noticed were the letters – they were floating right in front of my eyes!
ACTIVATING LIMBIC SYSTEMS.
A.R.M. PROTOCOLS ACTIVE.
L.E.G. PROTOCOLS ACTIVE.
ACTIVATING TACTILE RECEPTORS.
ACTIVATION COMPLETE. LIMBIC SENSORY FILTERS DEACTIVATED.
Another flash of pain in my head, but like before it was accompanied with rewards of its own. All of a sudden I could feel the wind blowing through and around my arms and legs as they flailed around, searching for ground that was not there-
The revelation made my eyes open, and when I looked around, I screamed in panic. Or tried to, since I couldn't hear my own voice.
VOCAL CORDS ACTIVATED.
There was nothing around me. Nothing, of course, meaning that I was free-falling through the air with no kind of resistance. The only way I knew that I was falling was because of how fast I was approaching the ground – but since when is earth gray-colored and with lightning traveling through it…?
I was too close to be able to answer my own question. I reflexively closed my eyes and threw my arms up to protect my head and neck, however ineffective it may have been. Suddenly, I felt cold, and the sound of wind was now amplified and accompanied by sharp cracks and snaps and flashes of light. Opening my eyes confirmed what I already knew – I was falling through a storm, and a heavy one at that. I sucked in a breath, amazed at the beauty of the raw power around me-
WARNING. FOREIGN ATMOSPHERE. TOXIC ELEMENTS DETECTED.
What the hell is with all these warnings!? I thoughts as my lungs started to burn, Where are the letters coming from!?
ACTIVATING REBREATHER SYSTEM.
ENGAGING HELMET.
Helmet…?
All of a sudden, I could feel something come out of my back and over my head, expanding over and around it until I was surrounded by darkness. Must be part of this suit, I thought.
RESPIRATOR ACTIVATED.
Air filtered into the helmet with a hiss, and I greedily started to breathe it in and out, coughing and gasping as the fresh air entered my lungs. Immediately my head no longer seemed to pound as much, and my lungs no longer seemed to burn. For the first time since I woke up, I felt… good. Surprisingly good. Relaxing, I stretched my arms and legs, and after a few moments I felt myself stabilize as I streamlined through the air.
SYNCHRONIZING RETINA AND HELMET DISPLAYS.
The last letters appeared in front of my eyes, but this time it looked like they were shadowed – and then I realized that the letters were being displayed on the inside of the helmet as well.
Handy – if that could get rid of the fucking letters!
RETINA DISPLAY DEACTIVATION? Y/N
"Yes, yes, yes!"
"Confirmed. Vocal warnings activated."
The electronic voice sounding in my ear startled me, but I was soon distracted by the helmet powering up and showing me my surroundings. Now that I could breathe, I couldn't help but look around in wonder. The storm surrounding me buffeted me with winds and raged around me with too-bright lightning, and it was beautiful. My mind followed every strike of its own accord, calculating its trajectory and the risk each one presented to me, and I was astounded by both my mind and the beauty I was observing.
Idly, I knew I was still falling, but for now, I was content.
"Warning – approaching below-nominal flight altitudes."
At that ominous warning, I burst through the cloud cover. Looking down and around, I realized that the storm was thicker than I thought – very little light got through the cloud cover, leaving my surroundings shrouded in darkness. Still, the storm did nothing to hide the sounds of water – a glance to earth confirmed that I was falling into an ocean. And at my rate of falling, the water would be as hard as concrete – meaning that there would be little to nothing left of me to pick up.
Now if I could only figure out what concrete was…
These are the times I really wish I could fly.
"Selene AI full activation now complete." The electronic voice was definitely female, I noted. It continued speaking, this time with more… feeling, I guess; before, it was just a robotic voice. "Flight Protocols activated – extending gliders, engaging repulsors now."
Don't ask me how, but at that moment I felt something come out of my back and extend. At the same time, I knew what to do – opening my hands and keeping my back and legs straight, I felt power surge into my legs, hands and back, and with a roar, I felt rather than saw fire shoot out of the bottom of my feet and through what I know realized were wings on my back.
I wanted to fly. So I did.
Angling away from the turbulent sea below me, I flew below the storm. The winds continued to buffet and throw me around, though now it was much stronger since I was resisting them. Still, I couldn't go like this forever.
Acting on a whim, I spoke.
"How long will I be able to keep flying?"
The voice surprised me by answering, "In current conditions, I estimate less than an three hours."
Wait a second… did it just say 'I'? As in, itself as a person? I frowned, pushing away all my questions on the voice itself, settling for a simple statement, "What do you know about the storm?"
"Current wind speeds determine the storm to be the equivalent of a Category 2 Hurricane. However, I do not know whether this is optimal weather to-"
"I don't care whether this is optimal weather or not! I just woke up from… whatever I was, in the middle of storm, inside some kind of suit, and with an annoying voice in my head!"
"May I note that it was you who wanted the vocal warnings instead of the retina display?"
"No, you may not!"
"Too late."
Great, I thought to myself, I have a voice with an attitude in my head. Could this get any worse?
"By your standards, yes, yes it can." I wasn't sure, but the voice sounded smug about it too.
Apparently, it can read my mind as well.
I sighed, "I'll deal with you later. For now, give me everything you got on the storm, will you?"
Immediately, my helmet display started to display all the data I requested on one side, not in the middle of the way but in place so that I could read it comfortably without having to glance at it too much. I frowned as I read.
"Ok, so wind speeds are at ninety-four miles per hour, and we're flying at…?" More data. "Eighty-six? Is that the fastest this thing can do?"
"Maximum flight speed puts you just above Mach 1 speed."
Holy shit! I thought, That's over 760 miles per hour!
I couldn't help but laugh, "How long can it be sustained?"
"Up to ten minutes, but I don't think-"
"At this moment, I could care less what you think! We need to get over this storm, and the only way to do that is by flying through it! Now how do I steer?"
The voice spoke again, but this time it sounded exasperated. "Very well. Directional thrusters are located in your palms."
Bringing my palms up to my face – a task in itself thanks to the storm – I noted that they were armored as well. There was a circular indentation in the center of each palm as well – I instinctively knew that these were the thrusters the voice was talking about. I nodded, aimed my hands towards the sea and spoke up, "Thank you. Now punch it!"
Nothing happened.
"Well?"
"I'm afraid I don't understand your directive. There is nothing to attack."
I felt like palming my face. "I'm sorry, would you like something more official, like 'activate directional thrusters'?"
"Activating now."
With a jolt, I felt fire erupted from my palms as well, and I felt myself angling upwards towards the storm once more. So that's how that works…
I tried to make my voice sound authoritative, "Accelerate speed to Mach 1!"
"Accelerating."
Another jolt, and the world seemed to go by faster. A small meter appeared in a corner my display, showing my rate of acceleration and current speed. The storm around me seemed to be reluctant to allow me to fly in a straight line, jostling and pushing me in all directions but the one I wanted to go, but the suit pushed through. I was shaking, my speed was increasing, I was almost at Mach 1, and I could see light through the clouds-
CRACK!
Lightning struck, and the voice spoke again as I felt the fire going through my legs and arms stop. "Warning – electrical disturbance detected. Electrical systems temporarily disabled." The voice paused, "This was a bad idea."
At that, I burst through the cloud cover. "Relax," I said (though the irony that I was telling a female robotic voice to relax didn't escape me), "at least up here, I can glide on the warmer wind currents."
Silence as I started to curve back towards the storm.
"Right?"
"I'm afraid your wings are meant solely as stabilizers only, and are not capable of gliding."
I blinked.
"Well, shit," was all I could say as I fell back into the clouds once more, this time without any way to stop myself from crashing into the sea.
…ooOoo…
"Activate the repulsors!"
"System is currently rebooting."
"Well reboot it faster!"
"I'm afraid that that is not possible."
"Well you better make it possible, because otherwise we're going to hit that water too fast and die!"
"We could deploy a parachute-"
"I'M IN A GODSDAMMED STORM, ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!?"
"You flatter me, but I am merely an Artificial Intelligence, and thus do not have a mind to begin with. The gesture is appreciated, however."
"UGH!"
After I continued falling for a few moments, I sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I snapped. It's just-"
"You woke up in a stressful situation with no prior knowledge of the events to occur, and you vented your frustration through anger."
"Er… yeah. By the way, you wouldn't know anything about that, right? Or anything to do with my lack of memory?"
"I'm sorry, sir," said the voice, and I was surprised at the fact that the voice truly did sound sorry, "I was activated the moment that you were no longer unconscious. I have no prior knowledge to these events."
I sighed, "I thought so. Thanks anyways." I hesitated before voicing my next question, "Before we die, what's your name? Calling you 'the voice' sounds…weird."
The voice hesitated, "I do not have a pre-assigned name, but records state for me to be known as Project Selene."
I smiled despite myself, "Selene… that's a nice name. I'm…" I frowned for a moment before my name popped into my head, and my smile widened, "My name… is Augustus. Augustus Johnson. And none of this 'sir' crap! Makes me feel old!"
The voice, no, Selene, actually chuckled. The nerve! "Very well… Augustus. It is a pleasure to meet you as well."
As we plummeted to our death, man and machine smiled at each other, both knowing the other was doing so.
And then, we burst through the cloud cover a second time. I looked around, in awe of my surroundings despite the fact that they would spell my eminent death. In the distance, I saw a ship bobbing up and down in the waves. Would they see me fall? I wondered, Will they find pieces of my broken body, floating in the ocean?
"No they will not!" Selene spoke, her tone triumphant, "System reboot complete, engaging repulsors!"
I grinned, curving my body as I felt what I now knew were the repulsors ignite once more. And in the nick of time too – I just barely skimmed the surface of the water, which I noticed had a silver sheen to it.
"Whoo-hoo!" I cried, "Selene, you are awesome!" I laughed in exhilaration as I started to pull up from the water-
Only to hit a massive wave head-on, go through it, skip over the water and the ship I had seen, and start to sink as another wave fell over me.
"And you, Augustus," said Selene, sounding exasperated, "are a terrible pilot."
"Oy, it's not my fault that that wave just happened to be there!" I said as I tried to swim upwards – a task that was becoming impossible due to the currents and the weight of the suit.
"Of course not, but it is your fault that you didn't pull away in time."
I paused. "Ok, fine, I'll give you that one. Now why are we still sinking? Doesn't this suit have some sort of, I don't know, submarine mode or something?"
"Suit?"
"Yeah, I- wait, what's that?"
There was something in the water. It looked humanoid as it swam towards me, but there was something strange about the whole picture – it looked like it was being pulled by something towards me. I couldn't see anything else than that, however.
"Selene, what do you see?"
"Infrared scanners detect an energy field surrounding the creature. The more accurate image I can provide is through nocturnal vision."
"Turn it on."
My display flickered, and I couldn't help but gasp at the sight of the thing. It was most definitely an advanced robot of some kind, judging from all the circuitry running through the legs, arms and chest. I also got the feeling that the robot was female, but I didn't think that that would make it any less lethal if it decided to attack. It was lightly armored, with a chest plate, shoulder pads and a mask. The robot was also grabbing onto what looked like manta rays – except manta rays never allowed anything to grab onto their stingers.
"Selene…" I gulped, "What is that?"
Silence.
"I do not know, Augustus," Selene answered, "Protocols dictate that we observe for any threatening actions or movements before attempting to attack ourselves."
"I agree."
Just then, the robot reached me, and it slung one of its… things onto its back, where it seemed to shrink before disappearing. I didn't ponder it, however, as at that moment the robot grabbed my forearm with its now-free hand. A moment later we were zooming upwards to a large shadow – the ship I had skipped over earlier. As we broke through the water surface near the ship, someone – or something – reached out and pulled me out. As I lay there, facedown on the deck, the same someone reached out to pull the robot from the water, but there was no need – it burst out of the water on its own and landed on the deck.
Selene, can they hear us talk?
"I have taken the liberty of muting your speaker temporarily. As to me, only you, and you alone can hear me speak."
Unmute me, then.
"Acknowledged."
As the robot approached, I started to stand, but the robot reached out and put its hand on my shoulder. It spoke – or at least it tried to; whatever language it was speaking was nothing like I had ever heard before in my life. At least I managed to determine that the robot was designed to be female – its tone of voice confirmed it.
Ignoring the robot, I stood up, wobbling slightly on unsteady feet, only to fall on my butt again because of the boat's rocking.
"Be careful, Augustus. You're not used to your new body."
New body?
Looking up, I realized that the robot was still speaking, so I held up my hand.
"I'm sorry, but I don't understand a single word of you're saying."
The robot seemed surprised at that. It turned to its companion, and I realized that it too was a robot. They were very alike, but they had their differences – my savior was slimmer and distinctly (designed to be) female, but its companion had broader shoulders, had a different mask – the female's looked like a faceplate, while the other's was more angular and wrapped around the face – and looked like it was painted in a different color.
Then, my savior turned back to me as its mask started to glow with an azure hue.
"Can you understand me now?"
I blinked in pleasant surprise. "Perfectly!" I said, "Handy trick you got there."
I got the feeling that the robot was smiling, even though the only evidence of it speaking was some light appearing in a triangular indentation where the mouth would be. Still, its eyes… they actually were expressive in a similar way to a human's. Organic masks, perhaps…?
"The Kanohi Rau is the Mask of Translation," it said. "It grants me the power to communicate with any species, even animals. I'm Nokama, by the way, Toa of Water. That's Vakama; he's a Toa of Fire," she added, nodding at her companion. That said, Nokama extended her hand to me.
Taking it, it- she pulled me up with surprising strength. "Thanks," I told her, "I'm Augustus. Thanks for pulling me out – I didn't realize that I can't swim."
"You didn't realize?" asked Nokama, amusement and curiosity coloring her voice.
I held out my hands, "I don't remember much of anything, actually. I woke up a few minutes ago falling above the storm." I paused, "That being said, I don't know much of anything in general, actually. Where am we? And what's a Toa? Hell, what are you? What am I, for that matter?"
Nokama's mask furrowed, and I realized she was frowning. "To answer your first question, we're in the middle of the Silver Sea of Protodermis, headed to the ancient city of Metru Nui. Your other questions… give me a minute."
Abruptly, the glow surrounding her mask dissipated, and she turned back to her companion, speaking rapidly and gesturing at me.
Selene, what do you think? Should we trust them?
"I believe we have no choice in the matter. I do not know what or where this Metru Nui is, or what a Toa is. However, I do know that we would not survive the trip if we were to attempt to leave, especially since we do not have any maps of any kind to guide us."
You're right, of course. Oh, Nokama's back.
As Nokama's mask started to glow once more, I fidgeted, wondering what she would ask me.
I never could've expected the question that came from her lips.
"Do you know…" she asked, "What a Bionicle is?"
…ooOoo…
Later that night, I was looking at my robotic hands with undisguised wonder, turning them around and trying to look at them from different angles.
Ok, say it again.
Selene's sigh echoed inside my helmet. "Most of your limbs have been replaced by bio-mechanical replacement organs. Both of your arms and legs have been replaced, as well as parts of both your shoulders. Your chest has been reinforced by hybrid skin, your spinal cord is encased in a specially made titanium alloy, and your ribs can sustain three times the weight of an elephant; from current information, this was done so that your body could actually sustain the weight of all your augmentations and enhancements.
"However, it seems that they are… changing."
What do you mean?
"Before our abrupt awakening, your limbs were made out of a titanium alloy and dermal hybrid metal that was not rejected by your body – at least not immediately. Given a few weeks' time, you would have probably been faced with rejection symptoms such as headaches, excessive bleeding where your enhancements are located, internal bleeding, nausea, high fevers, rapid putrefying-"
I winced. Get to the point!
"Pardon me. As I was saying, it seems that our contact, however brief it may have been, with the unidentified liquid has reacted with the materials of your extremities; a visible example of this is color: before, your limbs were black – now, the external armor pieces are silver, as is your helmet, while the internal armor is yellow. As of now, they are more… natural, I suppose would be the word. Your human body – little that there is at this point – no longer seems to exhibit rejection symptoms."
I winced again at her choice of words, but pressed on. What else has been replaced? I asked.
"Your mind has not been unaffected – part of your brain has been replaced as well, though this is more for me, I suppose you could say; my memory banks are stored in this area. Your heart has been upgraded – part of it is still organic, the rest enhanced. The retinas in your eyes have been replaced for electron-sensitive hybrid retinas."
Meaning?
"Meaning that you should be able to have partial visibility through solid objects, as well as a longer viewing distance."
I grit my teeth. Anything else?
Selene paused. "Augustus, your heart rate has started accelerating, and adrenaline production seems to be increasing, which are nominal responses for-"
Anger?
"Among other things. May I ask-"
"NO YOU MAY NOT!"
"May not what?"
I jumped, looking at the owner of the voice. It was Nokama, who was looking at me in surprise and wariness.
"Er… nothing, nothing. Just, uh, talking- er, shouting… to uh, myself?"
Nokama nodded slowly, but didn't seem to believe me. "Of course," was all she said, moving away from my bunk towards the others, who were also looking at me with strange expressions.
I sighed. "Sorry," I said, "'Just haven't had the best of days, you know?"
Nokama looked back at me, mask glowing. "I know, and don't worry. We'll figure something out." One of the others spoke to her in their strange language, and after a moment, she turned back to me. "They're wondering what you want to do next. Is there anywhere we can leave you…?"
I frowned. "I actually hadn't thought that far ahead." I looked down at my hands, "There's so much I don't know…"
Vakama stood. He started to speak, but of course, since I didn't understand, Nokama translated for him. "Vakama says that you're welcome to journey with us to Metru Nui, but if you prefer, we could drop you off at the closest port island."
I stayed silent for a moment, thinking the decision over.
Augustus? Selene asked, but I ignored her. "I'll stay with you," I said, "I mean, you've been helpful to me so far and all, and I really don't want to a burden or anything like that- no, please, hear me out," I added, seeing Nokama's almost-interruption. "I truly have no idea what you're planning on doing when you get to this 'Metru Nui,' but I can tell from the general mood that it's big, which means that you guys never planned for an extra passenger."
I waited for Nokama to finish translating what I said, and then I continued. "That being said, I'm willing to pay for my passage, so to speak. Unfortunately, I don't have any form of payment except one – work. So here's what I propose: You take me wherever it is you're going, and I'll help you accomplish it, no matter the cost."
Nokama's expression seemed to be sad as she answered, "You don't really have to do this-"
"But I want to!"
Nokama held up a hand, "I understand what you mean. Which is why I shall give you a counter-deal."
I bit my lip, something that I knew Nokama would not be able to see from behind my helmet. "Go on," I eventually said.
Nokama seemed to smile. "Our task is, as you said, something big. But even so, we are not the kind of people to refuse help to those who need it. Your help would be much appreciated, it's true, but it is not a task for you. Therefore, instead, you help us get to Metru Nui safely, and I teach you the Bionicle language. If you wish to leave afterwards, then we won't stop you."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "That's still not acceptable. You're still doing too much for me!"
"Then we postpone your payment for another time," she said, "It that agreeable?"
I sighed. "Bionicle linguistic lessons for a boat passage. Fine, I'll take it."
Nokama's eyes crinkled – I was right, she was smiling! – and she turned back to Vakama, speaking rapidly in their strange language. A few minutes later, Vakama and I bumped our fists, red and silver clashing with sparks against the other as our deal was sealed.
…ooOoo…
After that, I was introduced to the rest of the crew. They were six in total, all of them robotic, and all of them with their own personalities and ways of thinking and so alive-
I digress.
Leading the whole group was Vakama. From what Nokama was telling me, he was a Toa of Fire, which was fitting, because once we were under some good light I could see that his armor was red-colored. After explaining to me the whole 'our-masks-have-super-powers' thing, she explained that Vakama's Mask Power was invisibility, something that made me wary of him.
Nokama explained that there was no second-in-command, but that the closest thing to that position was filled by her, and after a few minutes of speaking with her I could see why. The blue-colored Toa of Water was calm, cool, and collected, always thinking before speaking, and after observing her interact with the others, I could tell that she was the reason that the whole group seemed to work together well. There was also a certain kind of shyness and admiration when she was speaking about Vakama, but I wasn't going to comment on anything without any more information.
The others were Whenua, Onewa, Matau, and Nuju, the Toa's of Earth, Stone, Wind and Ice, respectively. While Vakama lead the group and Nokama was the peacekeeper, so to speak, it wasn't as if the other four were grunts. Each of them had their own talents that made them important, in or out of battle, and their personalities were not of the 'roll-over-me' kind. Matau, for example, was extremely proud and vain, or so Nokama told me, and while he listened to Vakama, there seemed to be a kind of reluctance in him as well. The shape-shifting Toa of Wind was also very… mischievous, I suppose you could say.
Whenua and Nuju were the… nerds of the group, for lack of a better word. Nokama told me that Whenua had a vast knowledge relating to the mechanics and the creatures, called Rahi, of this world, while Nuju was of the more spiritual kind of knowledge, spending at least an hour each night gazing at the stars. It was a point of conflict between the two, Nokama told me, because while Nuju believed in finding the answers one seeks in the future, Whenua searched for them in the past.
And their mask powers? Whenua's Kanohi Ruru (what was with these names?) had partial x-ray vision and full night vision (coupled with being the local light source – Matau's words, not mine), and Nuju's Kanohi Matatu had full-powered Telekinesis.
Finally, there was Onewa. Interestingly, for an individual whose Mask Power gave them Mental Control over another, he seemed… reluctant to use his Kanohi or even mention it. He was not a dominant kind of person; quite the contrary, the Toa of Stone was quiet and humble, and his words had an edge of wisdom to them. When Onewa spoke, everyone listened.
This was the group that took me in. These were the people, not robots, that decided to help me, a human teenager (Selene told me that much) with no memory of his past whatsoever and an extreme issue with anger management. They were Bionicle, and even so they did a deed a common human wouldn't, especially without expecting anything in return. The thought alone made me smile at my good fortune. I knew that each one of them was trustworthy, and they would never betray me. Hopefully, they would stand at my side and allow me to stand at theirs.
Because hopefully, I could call these beings friends.
Or as Vakama said, Brothers and Sister.
…ooOoo…
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