Author's Notes: This is what happens when I get sick and stay home from school. I start speculating about characters and unseen events in the Bionicle universe and eventually it turns into a story.
Disclaimer: I hereby swear I do not own Bionicle or LEGO or anything of that sort.
Rude Awakening
It was a rude awakening indeed.
Pain was the first thing that greeted Dume when he slowly rose back to consciousness. Usually stiff joints screamed in agony as he attempted to stretch.
"No! Turaga Dume, please, stay still for a moment."
A cool hand pressed gently on his shoulder and he compliantly fell back into the curled position. He moaned a bit and opened his eyes. At first, all he could see were two blurry shapes, one bright azure the other like embers. After blinking hard and running a hand over his face, they cleared a bit to reveal two faces, plus another one in the background.
"What . . . who are you? Where am I?" Dume asked, still trying to focus on the faces.
The one who had spoken first, the blue one, answered him. "You are in the Archives of Onu-Metru. As for who we are . . ." She sighed. "It's a long story. The only thing you need to know right now is that you're safe."
Dume's groggy mind struggled to understand. "Have I been kidnapped?"
"No!" the red one said, emphatically shaking his head. "Well . . . yes, but not by us! We found you here."
Turaga Dume shook his head, taking a look around him as he did so. He found there was only a square of the outside world in his view; the rest of it was shrouded in darkness.
"His vitals are fine. We should try to get him out now," said a voice, a different one. It was deep and reminded Dume of grinding gravel, but not in a bad way. Dume looked to find a black Toa standing behind the red and blue figures in the foreground.
Nodding, the blue Toa stood and offered Dume a hand. The Turaga hesitantly took it and with much difficulty, managed to climb out of the container. The air outside was cooler but fresh compared to the stale atmosphere inside the container. Dume looked to find it was a spherical shape made of thick metal with a sliding rectangular door in front. Still shaky, he was led to a large boulder to sit on by the crimson Toa. He gratefully sat down, muttered thanks, and inspected the Toa before him.
They were young Toa, that much was obvious, but no Toa he had ever seen before. Dume had at least heard of many of the Toa that lived around Metru Nui, and met many of them during the Dark Hunter War. But that had ended long ago and he could not remember sending for Toa in the meantime. So that left him wondering why they were here on Metru Nui. There was a Fire Toa, looking very anxious, a slim Water Toa, patiently waiting, and a large Earth Toa, inputting some things onto a data pad he held in his hand.
"You insist that I have not been captured, yet this obviously isn't my room in the Coliseum," he said, motioning with his staff around the dark tunnel they were in. "I have never seen you before in my life, yet you seem to know who I am. I would much appreciate an explanation."
The black and blue Toa looked to the Fire Toa, who reluctantly stepped forward. "Well, it's a very long story," he began.
"I have no pressing appointments, do you?"
The Fire Toa shook his head, the dim light from a single lightstone reflecting off his ruby Hau. "Maybe it would be easier if you told us what you last remember."
Dume frowned, searching in his memory for the last event he remembered. "There was a meeting with Toa Lhikan and the other Toa Mangai. It was just the regular monthly meeting, a time where the Toa could express any concerns or tell any announcements. Toa Naho was worried about some major cracks in many of the protodermis pipes. But Lhikan and the others had nothing to report, so the meeting was relatively short. The Toa left for their respective Metrus and I went to rest. I was in my personal chambers when . . ." The Turaga trailed off. "Then smoke. Black smoke came through my window. It-It started to choke me, I must have blacked out. The next thing I know, I'm here. Was there a fire?"
The three Toa shook their heads, taking this all in.
"I know when he's talking about," said the blue Toa. "One of the protodermis pipes was cracked right near my home and flooded my street. I had to live with Vhisola for several weeks. It must be close to eighteen months ago now. That was right before Turaga Dume, or Makuta I guess, sent Toa Naho and the other Toa Mangai on the mission they never came back from." She sounded slightly saddened and her eyes reflected the emotion.
"You mean we'd been under the rule of Makuta for more than a year?" the ebony Toa said, shocked. "And no one noticed?"
"Lhikan did," the ember-colored Toa said, staring at the ground thoughtfully.
"What do you mean 'the mission they never came back from?' What mission? And what does Makuta have to do with this?" Dume asked. "And what do you mean 'more than a year?'"
There was an eerie silence that filled the tunnel until Dume thought he might have trouble breathing. Finally, the Fire Toa cleared his throat.
"Turaga Dume," he started. "The Toa Mangai are all dead. My name is Vakama, I used to do special Mask orders for you, if you remember. This is Toa Nokama, former teacher, and Toa Whenua, former Archivist. There are three other Toa Metru, currently elsewhere. Matau, who used to be a test driver in Le-Metru and is patrolling the area from the sky at the moment, Onewa, former carver who is guarding one end of the tunnel, and Nuju, who is guarding the other end and used to be a scholar in the Knowledge Towers of Ko-Metru."
Dume held up a shaking hand and Vakama obediently stopped talking. The Turaga remembered many of the mentioned names; Vakama was well known to him as was Whenua and Nuju. But as strange as it was to find the once-Matoran now 'Toa Metru,' the thing that shocked him most was the first sentence. "Toa . . . Vakama, I do not believe that is the beginning. Pray, tell me, how did Toa Lhikan and his team . . ." he trailed off. "Start at the beginning."
Vakama came closer and sat down on the stone floor, and the other two Toa sat down a bit behind him. "I guess it starts from where your memory leaves off. That black smoke you mentioned was Makuta. He trapped you in that sphere we found you in and impersonated you for many months. He sent the Toa Mangai on missions from which they never returned and cut off Metru Nui from the rest of the world. Eventually, only Toa Lhikan was left to protect Metru Nui. Meanwhile, an intelligent plant called the Morbuzakh had infested the Great Furnace and Dark Hunters entered the city. Around the time of the Great Contest Lhikan came to me and the others with packages that revealed themselves to be Toa Stones . . ."
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" . . . and that's why Matau, Onewa, and Nuju are guarding this place. Though Roodaka and Sidorak are no longer factors, the Visorak are still abundant and still pose a threat. Our friends, the Rahaga, are willing to guard you while we finish the ships and then you can come with us to Mata Nui." Vakama took a deep breath and let it out. It had taken quite a while to get through the story, interrupted by questions from Turaga Dume and once from Onewa who came to report the main Visorak body had been seen moving to the west of the tunnel. Matau had joined them about halfway through and was now also seated on the floor at Dume's feet.
Turaga Dume stroked his chin, taking and processing all the information. "How long until you take the Matoran to this island of yours?" he asked.
"We're almost done with the ships," replied Nokama. "We just need to put in the last few Matoran, go over the ships again to make sure they'll operate, and we'll be ready to go."
"It shouldn't be more than two days at the most," added Vakama.
"One thing I still don't understand; why did you wait this long to wake me?" asked Dume.
"We didn't; you started to wake up on your own," Nokama said. "We didn't know how to wake you. After we were turned back to Toa, we always had at least one Toa to guard your sphere until we could figure out what to do. Matau was down here watching you when you started to stir."
Whenua's deep laugh resonated around the tunnel. "He was freaked out. Came running to me about how there was a ghost in the tunnels."
"I did not!" protested the emerald Toa. "Besides, you're the one always talking about how many died in the Archives. I was just shocked-startled and came to inform you right away."
"Leaving me unprotected?" Dume asked, putting a steady gaze under the shifting Air Toa.
"Well, I wasn't gone long," he said in defense.
"Whenua was on his way down anyway to start his turn," Vakama assured him.
"Anyway, we checked your vital signs and sure enough, you were starting to wake up," continued Nokama, unperturbed by her brothers. "It's been maybe a day and half since then."
Dume nodded. "Then I guess I owe you my gratitude."
At this, all the Toa started to shift uncomfortably. Matau mumbled something about 'not that big of a deal' and Whenua murmured something about 'duty' but Vakama was the only one to speak out loud. "There's no need, Turaga. Seeing as the city was almost destroyed under our watch, there's very little you have to thank us for."
For the first time since waking up, Dume smiled. "Toa Vakama, you still haven't learned what Turaga Lhikan was trying to tell you. Metru Nui is a bunch of buildings on a bit of land. So what if it crumbles? A Toa's job is to make sure the Matoran are safe and from what you tell me, you have done a most excellent job."
The Toa Metru looked at each other, a little unsure of what to say.
"Of course," Dume continued, "it would have been nice if you had saved the Matoran without causing half the city to fall, but seeing as you were against almost unimaginable odds, you didn't do too badly for young Toa."
Toa Matau smiled, puffed up his chest, and looked as if he were about to say something, but Whenua put a large hand over the green Toa's mouth.
"Vakama, rise," Dume instructed, hoisting himself to his feet.
Vakama's eyes went wide and he threw a nervous glance at Nokama, but stood.
Turaga Dume cleared his throat and began. "Vakama, leader of the Toa Metru, I, Turaga Dume of Metru Nui, hereby thank you on behalf of the Matoran population. You and your fellow Toa's heroic deeds will be recorded and put up in the Coliseum to be remembered for all time. (When the Coliseum is fixed, that is,)" he mumbled, then continued with a louder voice. "So, by the power invested in me by the Great Spirit Mata Nui, I hereby proclaim you and your fellow Toa the Toa Metru, protectors of the City of Legends." The Turaga very lightly tapped Vakama once on each shoulder with his staff, producing a small tink sound as his staff made contact with the armor.
Usually, this ceremony would have taken place in the arena of the Coliseum, with the Matoran gathered for the event. Cheers would have shaken the ground and the air would have been littered with streamers of every color. The event would have been broadcasted on the large screens all over the city and the proclamation sent out to the surrounding islands. Dume remembered doing this same procedure with Toa Lhikan and his fellow Toa.
For a moment, Dume's eyes misted over as the scene played over in his mind, more vivid than the present. It was a bright sunny day, the suns shining down with such brilliance that the very ground seemed golden. Lhikan and the others were so young then, and they looked just as nervous and excited as Vakama was now, yet each wore a smile that seemed too big for their masks. Their armor shone like the suns and when they waved, every Matoran yelled in thanks for the brave heroes who had saved them from the Kanohi dragon.
In the present, the only light came from the lightstone on the floor, dim and cold. There was no audience and the Toa's armor was dented and dirty from use. The city lay in ruins around them and was infected by vicious, spider-like Rahi. But despite all this, there was still a sense of joy and pride that came from the young Toa that stood before a much older Turaga.
"You are worthy successors of the Toa Mangai," Dume finished.
At this the Toa Metru beamed. "Thank you," Vakama said. "You . . . you don't know what that means to us."
"Well, I only say that it's about time," Matau said, rather loudly it seemed. "After being called false-imposters, turning into Hordika, and—" Once again, Whenua calmly placed a hand over the Air Toa's mouth. Matau struggled and finally managed to shove away the large ebony hand. "Fine, I get the hint-message," he said grudgingly.
There was suddenly a shrill whistle from one end of the passage, followed by an odd series of clicks. Turaga Dume jumped but the Toa seemed unsurprised.
"That's Nuju," Nokama softly explained as Vakama went to greet the white Toa. "He's been talking like that as a reminder of our time as Hordika."
"I think he's just doing that so he doesn't have to speak-talk to us more than he has to," Matau said.
"That too," Whenua agreed.
Dume gave them all an odd look. None of them seemed particularly aware that this behavior was not normal for a Toa, but then, thought Dume, this wasn't a normal team. Vakama came back and Nuju went away without even a glance at the rest of his teammates.
"Nuju said that the Rahaga have returned with Keetongu and that they'd like to meet Turaga Dume whenever he's ready."
"I had something I wanted to ask Gaaki about, so if you don't mind, I'm going to head back up to the surface," Nokama announced.
Whenua came over to Vakama and placed a large hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to head further into the tunnels. Bomonga wanted me to get some records for the Rahaga before we left."
"What for?" Matau asked.
"Even the Rahaga don't know everything about the Rahi on this island. Since I know where the records are located, I said I'd find some for them. Want to help me?" he asked, smiling. "There aren't many Archivists who died in that area and there have only been a couple of reports of ghosts."
Matau looked startled, then plastered on a smile. "No thanks, you can keep your musty, dusty old records to yourself." He then bounced over to Nokama's side, grinning broadly. "Wait for me, sister! I'm going with you. I need some fresh air."
Whenua chuckled. "I'll be going now," he said.
"Alright, but be careful," Vakama warned, even as Whenua started to head for the shadows.
The Earth Toa's laugh answered. "Don't worry, I'm an Archivist, remember? No need to warn me; I know what's down here." With that, Whenua's Mask started to glow brighter than even the lightstone was. But soon the shadows swallowed even that as the Toa turned down a side passage and out of sight.
The tunnel went quiet and only Vakama and Dume were left in the area of light.
"Shall we head to the surface as well?" offered Vakama, bending over and picking up the lightstone.
"In a moment. I would like to have a word with you, Toa Vakama."
Vakama waited patiently for the Turaga to begin.
"Your fellow Toa seem to think that I will be accompanying you to Mata Nui."
"You're . . . not?" asked Vakama, trying to hide his surprise.
Dume shook his head. "As I have explained, your duty is to the Matoran, but mine is to this city. I cannot leave it while a bit of it still stands at least."
"But what about the Matoran? They need a Turaga," the Fire Toa protested.
The Turaga reminded himself that Vakama was still young. "They need a leader and you, Vakama, have proven yourself more than worthy. Besides . . ." He took a deep breath. "I . . . don't think I could face the Matoran again so soon. Your story has . . . awakened me to the fact that the Matoran wouldn't trust me, and perhaps they shouldn't. It was my face that told the Matoran not to worry and to gather at the Coliseum to be put into the spheres. It was under my mask Makuta hid and sent the Toa Mangai to their deaths."
Vakama watched as Dume's distress was made clear. It was a rude awakening for the young Toa. To him, Turaga Dume had always been an imperial figure, above emotions and yet, here he was, just a small, old Turaga who stood in a dark tunnel. His hand was slightly trembling as he gripped his staff and his eyes were shining with tears.
"They didn't deserve to die like that," Dume whispered hoarsely. "They were fine, brave Toa. To be sent into an ambush, to be picked off one by one like that . . . It was because they trusted me that they died in such a way."
It was then Vakama realized how much Turaga Dume must have cared for the Toa Mangai. He searched through his mind for something to say when he remembered something.
"There's . . . one tiny part of our story I left out, Turaga," Vakama said, a bit lightly. "Turaga Lhikan and I had a bit of time to ourselves while on the way to the Coliseum after we all met up in the tunnels. While on the Vahki transport we talked about a lot of meaningless stuff and some important stuff, but there's one thing that should interest you. He told me this: he doesn't blame you."
Turaga Dume smiled. "Thank you, Vakama. That means . . . a lot to me."
The ruby Toa nodded. "Now, how about we go see the Rahaga? I have the feeling you'll all get along quite well."
"Yes, even better if they have food. I'm starving."
A/N: Yep, just another rambling story brought to you by yours truly. I promise, I am working on other more meaningful(?) stories. Now it's time for me to shamelessly ask for reviews! I always love to hear what you think!