A Tiny Problem
Author's Note:
Stryka: Welcome back to A Tiny Problem!
Cryo: Oh god, please don't be dead, Furno.
Stryka: Worried about your new friend?
Cryo: Yes! I hope that crack wasn't his spine!
Nidhiki: Eh, serves him right.
Furno: ...
Stryka: TheOneTrueDestiny does not own Bionicle or Hero Factory! He does own myself and Cryo.
The outside of the factory was a nightmare, covered in craters and immobile heroes. Nokama looked around, surveying the carnage. "What happened here?" she wondered.
"Dark Hunters happened here. Oh, ew!" The new girl clung to Nuju's arm. The Ice Toa looked at her, confused. "Dead bodies everywhere. Ew ew ew."
"All of these guys were Dark Hunters?" Onewa asked, edging around a still body.
"Guess not. Some of them don't have the Dark Hunter insignia on them. And some of these guys..." Nuju looked around, raking each body with his sharp vision, "some of them are from the Factory."
Matau breathed deeply. "Okay, so which way do we go from here?" he asked.
"To get back? We have to find one of those shuttle-things." the new girl said nervously. "I'll lead you there."
"What's wrong?" Nokama asked her.
"I hate dead things." the girl replied.
"Try not to look at them." Vakama said, trying to sound helpful. The girl managed to grin a bit, but it didn't last. "What's your name?"
"Stryka." the girl responded.
Whenua was at the back of the group, looking behind them every now and then. "What are we going to do about the other Dark Hunters?"
"They probably went to the shuttles as well." Stryka said.
"Sounds about right. Dark Hunters usually leave when they have what they want. But what were they here for in the first place?" Vakama asked.
"Beats me."
Back in the Factory, the remaining Heroes were watching Furno get wheeled off to the infirmary.
"Will he be alright?" Surge asked nervously. He hoped his friend wasn't too badly injured.
The medic looked at the group. "He's not in good condition. We think he might have fractured his spine." he explained.
"Is that bad?" Bulk asked, unsure if he wanted an answer.
"Probably. However, there is some hope. If it's just a couple ribs, corrective microsurgery will fix him in no time." the medic explained, trying to sound confident.
"There is another option." Merrik Fortis appeared from the crowd of repairmen and lower-tier Heroes. The Alpha Unit turned as one to look at him, surprised.
"What's that?" Evo asked.
"The 4.0 upgrades. Or didn't you notice Cryo's injuries have fixed up?" The Heroes turned to look at Cryo. His scratches had already scabbed over. Fortis smiled. "Furno's back should heal in a few hours if he gets the upgrade."
"That is, if it really is his back that's broken." The medic added.
"Okay... so, can he get that upgrade?"
"Sure! We just need his permission." The medic ran off after the immobile Furno.
"Maybe we should get the upgrades as well." Breez mused.
"Good call." Fortis said.
"Mr. Fortis, sir! We've just received notice from a pilot! The ones calling themselves the Dark Hunters have taken over his ship! They're forcing him to fly to Moon-A!" Fortis looked at his radio.
"I guess the upgrades better wait. Come on, guys." Evo motioned for the group to follow him. "Send Furno along as soon as possible!"
Fortis nodded. "Gotcha, Hero." he said.
"Is that the port?" Onewa asked, pointing at a line of ships, all marked with the Hero Factory insignia.
Stryka nodded. "Yup. All those things are shuttles."
As the Toa watched, one of the shuttles suddenly lifted off of the ground. "The Dark Hunters!" Whenua yelled. The group ran towards the shuttle, but it rotated, and flew upwards, out of sight.
"Damn! Wait, there are plenty more. Follow them!" The group piled into another shuttle.
"Can anyone fly this thing?" Nokama asked, looking at the control panel.
"Just sit back and enjoy the ride, folks!" Matau said, sitting down at the panel.
"Matau's flying?" Onewa asked, realizing what this meant. "It's not too late to get off, is it?"
Matau tested the controls. "I get the general idea, I think. If we're lucky, the controls here shouldn't be too different from the zeppelins back at Metru Nui."
"Just take off before I try to escape this death trap." Onewa snapped.
"As you wish!"
The Alpha Team arrived just in time to see the second ship launch into the air. "Oh, come on! We just missed them!" Surge said angrily.
"Well, we can't let them get away. Somebody go get us a pilot and we'll go after them!" Evo looked around at the other ships.
"Nice piloting, Matau. I'm impressed." Vakama said, looking out the window.
"Hey, I'm not as bad a pilot as the rumours say." Matau said, chuckling. "Pretty cool, eh Nokama?"
Nokama nodded. "Okay, I'll admit that it's kinda cool."
"That's fine and all, but tell me when we're done." Whenua was currently curled up in a miserable ball at the other end of the ship.
"Oh, come on!" Stryka tried to pull the Earth Toa to his feet. "What's wrong with flying?"
"What isn't wrong with it?" Onewa responded. The Stone Toa sat beside Whenua, looking rather queasy.
"Exactly." Whenua agreed.
"Flight-o-phobes." Matau said, laughing.
"Oh, shut up." Whenua snapped.
"Hey, look! I can see stars!" Vakama gasped, spellbound.
"Not helping!" Onewa sounding even more sick.
Stryka sat down in between the two. "It's okay. You can hold my hands if you want." she said, trying to sound helpful.
"Thanks." A hand appeared from Whenua's curled up form.
Nokama looked back and forth among the stars. "Amazing. Do you know where we're going?"
"Just following the blip on the radar. That's the ship with the Dark Hunters on it." Matau said. He sounded very calm.
"Very good, Matau." Vakama said.
Nuju was examining the consoles. "You adapt quickly, Matau." he said, putting a hand on a meter. "This thing is nothing like a speeder or zeppelin."
"Ah, the control scheme is basic. Pull up to go down, pull down to go up, and left and right are the same." Matau said, not looking away from the console. "That's all you really need to know to fly. Landing's different, but I'll figure that out later."
"Good, good." Nuju said, sounding a tad bit nervous.
"Hey, what does "auto-pilot" do?" Matau asked, pulling the lever.
Instantly, the controls locked up. "Auto-pilot engaged," a voice from the control panel said, "destination; Moon-A. Please sit back, and enjoy the ride."
Matau shrugged. "Guess my talents are no longer needed," he said.
"Alright, guys. Sorry to do this so quickly, but I've got another plan." Vakama said quickly.
"Really? Let's hear it." Whenua mumbled, not moving from his spot against the wall.
"Well, we're going to follow the Dark Hunters. If they return to their base, we'll be able to lead the "Heroes" right to them." Vakama said. "That's the basic version, anyway."
"Okay. Let's do that. Tell me again when we've landed." Onewa replied.
"Will do."
The ship continued to slide along, towards Moon-A and the new dangers that awaited.
"Welcome back, Tuyet." Von Nebula froze. Tuyet can somehow opened a portal directly to the dark one's home.
"Makuta Teridax." Tuyet said, smirking. "Nice to be back. Thought you had forgot about me."
"Oh, please." Makuta sounded smug. "Why would I forget about you, Tuyet? That Nui Stone in your body is incredibly useful, for more reasons that one."
"I hope you realize you're going to get what's been coming to you now." Tuyet said. With a flick of her wrist, she tossed a wave of fire at Makuta. Von Nebula's jaw dropped. He was about to open a portal, but he didn't need to. Makuta waved a hand, and the flames died instantly.
"What the-" Tuyet froze mid-sentence. Shivers ran along her spine. Von Nebula looked at her, confused.
"Fear, Tuyet. I stopped you. Or did you forget that I am the master of all forty-two krata powers?" Makuta said, sneering. "I didn't survive this long by being weaker than people like you. Now listen. You're going to join my forces. You won't even think of backstabbing me. If you do..." the dark clad being made a slashing motion across his throat, "the consequences will not be pretty."
Tuyet nodded. "Got it. Man, you've gotten creepy since last time I saw you." She muttered.
"Now... Von Nebula, was it?"
"Yes, milord?" Von Nebula stammered as Makuta turned his menacing eyes on him.
"As of today, you are a member of my personal guard." Makuta's voice betrayed a hint of humour. "You are more than welcome to tour Destral, if you wish. And one other thing."
"Yes, milord?" Von Nebula repeated. The being in front of him sounded a little less threatening now.
"If you catch one of the creatures with this insignia..." Makuta waved a hand, and a glowing symbol hovered out of the darkness. No, not a symbol. Von Nebula's eyes narrowed. That was a Quaza core, ripped from the chest of a Hero.
"... bring them to me. Alive."
Stryka: And the end of Chapter Seven! And Makuta enters the picture.
Cryo: Makuta? That's bad, right?
Von Nebula: Very.
Stryka: How did-
Von Nebula: Portals. Thank you all for reading. Tune in next time to see what happens when the two groups eventually reach Aqua Magna.
Stryka: Oh, come on, another guest?
Von Nebula: See you next time!
