Chapter 3, late... sorry about this. Most of the chapters will be late, as the next month is a busy one for me. After that, I'll try to get these out quicker. But I digress. Here is the first of a two part piece of sorts, Fire and Ice. Not sure about the icy bit yet. But hey, we'll see. It'll involve Lariska, anyway.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bionicle, or Varia, or any of the other Toa Mangaia. Varia and the non-canon identities of the Toa Mangaia belong to Rusty Red Raptor, and the original concept belongs to Lego.
Chapter 3: Fire...
Lumen stood amid the burning ruins of the city, laughing. He had effortlessly destroyed those foolish 'Toa-heroes' and their city, an impressive feat even for himself. And this was just the start. Soon the entire world would fall before him, and at last he would have completed his destiny, to destroy everything, everywhere, time and space, nothing would be spared from his destructive quest. He was completely devoid of empathy for the fallen fighters. Shadows had no warmth. Something stirred and called out for help. A Matoran. Lumen raised his gun and fired at yet another Matoran... no wait, it was him? He was looking up at the sky, dying... no he was standing amid his conquest... a howling wind roared around him as he closed his eyes... and Toa Lumen was blown off his feet, into an all-consuming darkness that tore at his soul...
Lumen's eyes sprang open, and his first thought was relief. He was alive. Living, breathing. His second was to wonder where on earth he was. Then he remembered that he was in the Dark Hunter war. Which he'd kind of agreed to fight in. He shuddered as the dream came back to him clearly. What was that? It looked like Metru Nui... and then he'd killed himself? He'd been so cold... and yet to determined to bring flaming death to the world. What was that? A vision of his future? But he'd killed himself... as a Matoran. So that was impossible. So what did it mean? Was he headed for a time-destroying bender, or was it a metaphor? Whatever it was, he certainly didn't like it. And yet he recognised the feelings. The inner flame that urged him, every second of every day, to give in to Chaos. Perhaps that was the metaphor? That he was killing what was left of his former self? Or perhaps a warning. But from whom? Lumen buried his head in his hands, utterly confused. He needed to get out, think it over, and try to calm his frayed nerves. But he had no such opportunity as Tennis the Plasma Toa clattered nosily into the chamber, attempting to balance a tall stack of tablets, his 'weapons' and, on the very top, his breakfast. The pile teetered back and forth, then lost its protracted battle with gravity and toppled, showering Lumen with tablets, a pair of tennis rackets and a tube of Bula-paste. Lumen used his Crast to repel the hail, but unfortunately embedded it in the chamber wall, along with Tennis himself. Apparently unperturbed by being slammed into a wall, dusted himself off and retrieved his Bula Paste. "That mask's got quite a kick." He said approvingly. "Must be useful having a mask like that in combat."
"Yes, it is. But doesn't being nearly imbedded in a wall bother you?" Lumen asked, as he attempted to make the wall relinquish the tablets, with mixed success.
"Meh, you should have seen what Varia did to me after I asked her out on a dare." Tennis chuckled, pointing at his back. "Cost me a fortune to get a new armour and replacement spine." Lumen shuddered and prayed that the jovial Toa was kidding about the spine.
"Oh, that reminds me; we're supposed to go on patrol with Lhikan and Varia today."
"What?" Lumen cried, whirling round to face the Toa. "Why us?" Could they be suspicious? They had every right to be...
"Well, Lhikan and Varia want to go out on patrol, and since you're new in town, they figured they might as well take you on a routine run."
"Right, right." Lumen replied, his heartlight's flashing easing. He had to stop being so paranoid. Then again, he knew full well that there were many good reasons for a being to be paranoid, his kind among them.
He and Tennis jogged over to one of the entrance gates where Lhikan and Varia were talking, waiting for them to arrive. Lhikan's blades were glowing again, warming the air around them in the chilly morning air.
"There you are." He said. "We're going to be patrolling in Ga-Metru today, near the laboratories. It's currently under our control, but there have been several reports of increased Dark Hunter activity in the area. It's always better to check..."
"Yes, Lhikan, we all know how you feel about being sure." Varia snapped. "So, rookies, pay attention and do as we tell you."
Later still, the four were walking through Ga-Metru, which was deserted. They'd taken a detour through the backstreets to avoid passing through Dark Hunter territory, and the journey had been a dull one. But suddenly Lhikan held up a hand for silence. "Can you hear that?" he asked. They listened, and Lumen heard a sound that somehow managed to pull at his heartwires. Screaming Matoran.
Elsewhere, five beings lurked in the shadows, watching the Ga-Matoran go about their business. For now. Their leader, a red and grey creature, smiled as he prepared for the attack. He nodded to his comrades, an assortment of criminals from across the universe. Tyrant watched a Matoran shiver as she felt a chill deeper than the innocent cold of the morning. Tyrant had stolen the heat from the area, in readiness for his attack. He yelled a war cry and launched himself into the open, soaring forward on a wave of heat, his squad behind him, and the screams of the Matoran mixing with their orders from the Shadowed One. Betrayal, murder and destruction. Just another day for the Dark Hunters.
Lhikan led the charge, with Varia hot on his heels, as they rushed into the Ga-Metru plaza, which was instantly ignited as Tyrant saw them. "You're too late, Toa! Ga-Metru belongs to the dark Hunters! Try to attack, and my 'friends' will strike you down before you move a bio. And then who will protect your precious Matoran as they burn?" Lhikan and Varia swapped desperate looks. If what the hunter said was true, then they were in deep trouble. Lumen, meanwhile, leaned over to Tennis and whispered "Make a distraction."
"What?" Tennis said. "If I try anything, we'll all be killed!"
"Then use your brains and distract him without a big explosion." Lumen replied, before closing his eyes and tuning out the situation.
"Hey, Tyrant!" Tyrant whirled round at the sound of the name, wondering who dared…
"Yeah, you!" Tennis continued, feeling terrified. "I gotta know; why are you doing this? What do you gain from siding with the Dark Hunters?"
"Power. More power, to bring my subjects under control…"
"Ah-hah! So you've lost control over your little tinpot dictatorship." Tennis yelled, seizing the lead. "You need help from the Dark Hunters! Losing your touch, are we?"
"Far from it, little Toa. I am the master of my land, where no shadow is free from my control. Look up corruption and deceit in the dictionary, and there you'll find me!"
"Ooh, shouldn't have said that." Lumen said, snapping his eyes open and leaping forward. "Because I'm calling your bluff." And with that, he stepped forward.
At once, four Dark Hunters attacked from around the area, but Lumen was ready for them, as he had found them in the shadows. But he had somehow missed the first, who launched himself from a side alley, screaming. Lumen felt the scream crash over him, a piercing, insistent screech that seemed to shatter his armour, his mask, his mind... shattering it and unveiling whatever was beneath. The sound rose to a roar of the wind, then dissipated, and he returned to reality...
He shook his head, trying to clear it of the sound, and then looked round to see what the others were doing. Varia and Lhikan were fighting three at once, Varia pinning them to the floor and Lhikan roasting them. But they seemed oddly sluggish. In fact, he felt really drowsy…
"So when will you discover the truth?" Tyrant asked. "The reason for your defeat?"
"St-stealing our body heat… c-cooling us until w-we can no l-longer f-function…" Varia snarled, attempting to pin him, missing and staggering. Tennis made a desperate strike with his arm, but the Plasma blast sailed way over the creature's head. His head twitched as he attempted to move it as his joints froze up. Lumen too could feel the cold. He could hear a soft dripping and sizzling… his eyes were drawn to a pipe running above their heads, where the plasma beam had struck home, and the steady drip of molten metal to the pavement below. And then he realized the true intent of Tennis's head movement, passed off as a reflex.
"Oh, you're good." He whispered, as he watched the metal rapidly being eaten away, until at last… a torrent of oil fell onto the 'tyrant' as the pipes collapsed, and the already warmed up oil instantly ignited upon contact with the creature. He writhed as the burning liquid spread, and he rolled around, trying to extinguish the flames. Meanwhile, Lhikan, Lumen and Varia returned to the fight, only to find their combatants had fled. Which just left Tyrant… the being absorbed the flames in a flash of light, his eyes blazing with a rage even hotter than the fires that had scorched his armour.
"You can't beat me with burns, you ignorant Stone Apes! You will never win this war!"
"No one makes a monkey out of me!" Varia snapped back, activating her power over gravity to reduce him to that of about, oh, the weight of a tennis ball? She mimed hitting a ball with a racket, and Tennis caught the hint, readying for a serve.
"Hey, Tyrant?" he cried, and Tyrant looked down at him, ready to strike. But Tennis had raised his racket, and was ready to swing. "It's game, set..." he smashed the dictator with a forehand serve, sending him flying through the air... "and match!" he cheered, as his adversary splashed down into the sea in a spray of Protodermis. "Good game Varia, we should play doubles more often." He said, clanking fists with her. Varia nodded.
"Yep, it was fun. But I don't think I could compete with that serve." She joked, causing Tennis to blush under his armour.
During this exchange of Tennis Talk, Lhikan had been extinguishing the remaining flames and rescuing trapped Matoran, with assistance from Lumen and his Kanohi Crast to remove rubble. They'd pulled several Matoran free already, but as Lumen took a step forward, he found himself stepping into nothing. Reeling backwards and landing hard on the rubble, he gaped into the hole below him, where a portion of the lab had collapsed into the tunnels below. Chemicals poured into the hole. Lhikan spotted it, and leaned over to look into its depths. "Anyone down there?" Lumen asked. Lhikan looked into the hole, trying to detect the heat signature of a trapped being. He found something, but it looked like a Rahi. "Just a Rahi beast. Come on, we may need reinforcements if the Hunters want this part of the city."
"Right..." Lumen said, turning away from the pit and walking away. But as he did so, he could have sworn he heard someone cry out from within...
They arrived back at the coliseum to find a crowd starting to gather, surrounding some hidden object within. Without a moment's hesitation, Lhikan forced his way through the crowd, to stand beside a Toa of air wearing a Volitak. Lumen realised with a jolt that this was Nidhiki, the traitor. Already he could feel the shadows within him, and the frightened being that cowered in the corner, constantly looking over his shoulder for the day that his shadow would claim him. Lumen could sympathise with that. On the other hand, even Lumen wouldn't have dreamed of betraying the city. Lhikan spoke, bringing Lumen back to reality with a jolt. "What happened?" he asked, apparently to the thing at his feet, which turned out to be a Toa, his armour shredded and twisted into scraps, torn open like tinned food, exposing ravaged tissue beneath. He might live, but he'd never use that arm again.
"D-D-Dark... Hunter... in the Archives... too many... and... oh Mata Nui... and..." the Toa shuddered, his eyes rolled back and he keeled over and lay still. Someone was screaming for a medic, but it was obvious that he was dead. Lumen felt a stab of pity for the Toa, but swiftly moved on to the warning he'd tried to give them before he'd died. And the wounds. This poor being hadn't just been attacked. He'd been shredded; something had relentlessly torn him open. And hidden among the frenzied blows was something more... Lumen narrowed his eyes, searching for that last piece of the puzzle, it was staring him right in the Kanohi, he just knew it... but it was Tennis who found it.
"Look at that." He said, pointing at the deceased being's chest. The others looked, those at the back craning their necks to see. Lightning cracked across the sky, throwing it into sharp relief, a single, deep slit that ran straight through the being's heartlight and down his chest, crossed by a similar line that ran horizontally through the heartlight. This was no accident. Curiously, the cuts stopped at the borders of the circular chest decoration on the armour, reinforced to protect the vital organs, forming a rudimentary Matoran 'T'. The medic had now arrived and taken stock of the situation. Instead, she began to perform a quick post-mortem, at Lhikan's behest.
"He'd lost a lot of blood, and suffered extensive deep cuts. He's suffered major trauma, he took quite a beating... oh Mata Nui, look at this!" the young medic had lifted him up, revealing a shocking injury. His back armour had been forced inwards, a deep crater in the metal, which mercifully hid the inevitable spinal trauma. How he'd managed to get back to the coliseum was a mystery. "It's wet...?" the medic said, her hands coming back from the wound with condensing droplets of water. She looked up at Lhikan, looking helpless and confused. This was beyond her training. If she'd been lucky enough to have any. Some of the more fragile members of the assembled crowd had retired to the relative shelter of their quarters. Lhikan looked to Varia, Nidhiki and several other Toa who Lumen recognised as high-ranking commanders in the Dark Hunter wars.
"Meeting in the council chambers, all of you." He then called to Tennis and Lumen. "You two, come with me, I'll debrief you after the meeting. But first... remove his body. Meadie will show you where to go." Meadie, the medic, stood up, brushing away tears, and led Lumen and Tennis, doing their best to look professional, away from the grisly scene in the coliseum.
Lumen and Tennis slipped into the council chambers to find the gathered Toa Mangaia in full swing. "If the Dark Hunters have the Archives, then they could appear anywhere in the city!" Lhikan said, fearful.
"We should send in a strike team, flush 'em out." Nidhiki shouted, but Varia snapped
"You may have a death wish, Nidhiki, but the rest of us feel our lives are too precious to throw away on a suicidal, pointless quest. Or do you want to end up like that unfortunate who came back here to prevent us making that mistake?"
"I agree with Varia, we can't risk lives in unknown territory." Izor chipped in, approving nods following his statement. Trir, a Toa of Gravity, but thankfully for Lumen's concepts of normality, a male, added
"I believe the most sensible thing to do would be to send in team to assess the situation, and then they can return to the surface with the information necessary to launch an assault to reclaim the archives." Muttered agreements followed this, and Nidhiki threw up his hands.
"Alright, alright, I know when I'm beat. We'll go with Trir's idea. But who will go on this team? Personally, I am more than prepared to-"
"I will go." Lhikan said, cutting across him in a tone that bridged no argument. Despite that...
"But you're our leader! We need you to remain above the surface, it's too dangerous..." Kadier cried, alarmed. "Sir, I know you want to help, but really, you'd serve better up here..." Kadier's voice petered out under the harsh gaze of Lhikan.
"I repeat: I will lead the team. I think we would do well to remember that I was appointed because of my skills in the field as well as in command. We must face the facts: We are facing a very dangerous mission in unknown territory, and therefore we need to be at our best. Having been chosen as the best fighter here, I see no reason for me not to go on this mission. I have the best chance of success, and this is one of the most important missions of the war." Not a single hint of arrogance past his lips during this speech. "It is my duty, as it has been since I was chosen to lead the Toa Army, to lead from the front, and that is what I intend to do, as is my duty. And if I fail, then it is my destiny." No one questioned his decision from then on.
"So..." Nidhiki continued, hiding his shock under bluster. "Who will join you on this expedition?"
"I will." Varia replied. "Because unlike you, I'll be able to complete the mission before someone kills me. You can't afford to make any mistakes in this war."
"Who else?" Lhikan asked.
"Me." Lumen said, stepping from the shadows.
"You?" Varia asked sceptically. "Why on earth should we let you come?"
"Let's just say... I have prior experience with the dark." Lumen replied, having no intention in flat-out revealing he was a Toa of Shadow. Because that never went down well.
"What do you think this is? A peacetime stroll through a museum?" Varia demanded.
"Far from it. Perhaps it's you who thinks that. You need me." Lumen retorted.
"Oh really? Well prove it, hotshot. Take the night patrol." Varia responded, smirking.
"The night patrol?" Lumen asked.
"Yes. You and me, patrolling the block tonight. Impress me, and I'll let you come along." Varia replied. Lumen nodded, as the two Toa glared at one another from across the table.
"Then I can promise that this'll be a night to remember."
Okay, and so we set the scene… Apologies to Rusty Red Raptor if I have misportrayed her characters, just let me know and I'll make sure those mistakes aren't repeated. Also, so as to give something back to the world, anyone who wishes to use my OCs is welcome to ask.