Chapter 9
The two Toa awoke the next morning to Tyler's mom telling them that there was bacon and eggs for breakfast. They hurried downstairs to find that the other Toa were there, including Takanuva. All eight of the Toa ate breakfast and talked with one another until the last of them was finished eating. Keith then announced that they would be going to the Great Furnace in Ta-Metru to spend the day learning from the Matoran-Toa how to make masks with powers, without using Kanoka disks.
Tyler and Emma rushed upstairs to grab their weapons before leaving.
"You seem to be feeling better today, Emma." Tyler commented while she packed up a small knapsack with a journal and some sketches.
"Yeah. Telling you my feelings last night really took a weight off of my shoulders." She smiled at her best friend.
"What are those sketches of?" The Toa of Light asked.
"These?" She pointed to her sketchbooks. "These are various masks that I've designed over the years. You know that I like to draw, don't you?"
"Yes. I just didn't realize how often you drew." He replied
Emma slung her knapsack over her shoulder and walked down the stairs. Tyler led her out the front door where the other Toa were waiting. They left Tyler's house and headed toward the ruins of Ta-Metru. Tyler walked alongside Emma, his hand in hers, as they were led away from the peaceful ruins of the City of Water.
Takanuva led the way, knowing the safest paths through the city. He watched his surroundings closely, hoping, in vain, that Makuta didn't know his whereabouts. Knowing that he was being cautious, there was no talking. They soon reached there destination without incident.
- - - - -
Keith pulled out a small tool that looked very worn and aged. It glowed dimly when Keith pressed a button on it, but other than that and putting out some heat, the Human Toa knew nothing about what they were about to do. Takanuva, Kolana and Takano pulled out similar tools and led the Toa deep into the rubble. The heat began to build as they went farther out into the rubble field until Takano eventually had to absorb some of it so that the Human Toa didn't pass out.
"Normally," Keith said "People wouldn't even be able to make it this far into the rubble field."
"Matoran couldn't either." Takanuva added quietly.
Finally they stopped and gathered around a small well of molten protodermis.
"The last pure protodermis well" Kolana spoke solemnly, as if in mourning for the dead civilization.
"It's all right, Granddaughter." Takanuva comforted his descendant. "There is an ancient prophecy about the Fall and the Return. It says that the matoran civilization will fall and rise up again as a Kanohi Dragon from its ashes."
"But, Toa Takanuva," Takano asked, "I thought that the prophecy was referring the Great Rescue and rebuilding of Metru-Nui."
"No, no. Metru-Nui was the starting point for all of this. It was Makuta's first step to power."
Tyler stopped paying attention to the argument and let his thoughts wander. He was remembering the story of the Great Rescue, in the time of the Toa Metru. Matoran had either been killed or put into stasis when Makuta took over. Though they were rescued, the Toa Metru couldn't save them fast enough to save their memories.
"Tyler, you okay?" Kylana asked the young Toa of Light snapping him back to reality.
"Yeah," He replied, "Just daydreaming."
"Well, pay attention. We're getting ready to start." She told him as she handed him one of the strange tools.
They soon began to create the masks. Emma passed around her sketchbook for the others to see and choose a design. Takanuva then explained how to put power into the protodermis in order to make the mask work. He also helped them make one mask for each of them called an Inika, after the Toa Inika, which contained all six Toa Inika powers.
When they were finished they tried out their two masks to make sure that they worked. Emma's new mask, a mask of healing, helped heal the various injuries that the Toa got from practicing their new mask powers. Her old mask also helped, as it was a mask of quick repair, used for repairing the injuries to their biomechanical parts. The other Toa made the Kanohi that the Toa Metru used, only with Emma's designs.
It soon became evening, and the Toa began to head home. They had just left the ruins of the Great Furnace when a rumbling came from behind them.
The Toa quickly turned around and witnessed an event that Toa Takanuva didn't even think was possible. Out of the ruins burst a giant dragon, its body covered in what looked like Kanohi Masks.
"Mata-Nui!!" Takano exclaimed, "Th-The Kanohi Dragon!"
"Toa, fall back, and watch as I banish this monster to the Pit." Takanuva shouted over the Dragon's booming roar.
"NO!" Kolana yelled as she tackled the ancient Toa of Light. "If we are to fully bring about the Return, we must leave everything from our time intact."
"Kolana, that beast is a threat to the world!" Takanuva said as he pushed the Toa of Ice off of him.
"Both of you stop!" A youthful feminine voice spoke calmly, echoing through the group of Toa's heads. "Toa are not supposed to fight each other, but the great evils that invade the world."
"Who said that?! Show yourself!" Keith growled at the voice. The giant Kanohi Dragon dove down to the level of the Toa and carefully landed in front of them.
"I already have." She simply replied.
"What kind of trickery is this?" Keith spoke with a voice full of anger. "Who is using a Mahiki?"
"No one is using any sort of mask, Toa of Stone." The Kanohi Dragon said. "I am a descendant of the Kanohi Dragon that a Toa Team had once thought to have driven from the City of Legends."
"Impossible. I know for a fact that Toa Lhikan truly drove your ancestor away." Takano stated.
"Toa Lhikan didn't drive my ancestor away, but provided her a home under the Great Furnace. He directly disobeyed the orders Turaga Dume gave him to drive her away from the city."
As the other Toa and the Kanohi Dragon talked their argument out, Tyler and Emma began to head home. They followed the path that the group of Toa had taken earlier that day. It was getting dark, so Tyler had to activate his powers to make it possible for he and Emma to see.
"Tyler?" Emma said as they crossed the bridge between Ta-Metru and Ga-Metru. "What are we supposed to do about Officer Glade? We know that she's going to attack again, but how are we going to learn when?"
"I can't answer that, Emma." Tyler replied.
They kept walking until they were home. The two Toa greeted their parents before going up the stairs and heading into Emma's room. Before entering, Tyler made a mental note of how uneasy his parents and Emma's mom were. Emma opened her door and walked in. Tyler was about to follow her when a single gunshot went off in her room. The Toa of Light rushed in, ready to blast whoever fired the gun into the next world. Before he could do anything, a dark figure jumped out of the open window to the street below.