Author's Notes: Um… hi. Still sticking with short chapters, but you guys should see the kind of crap I was dishing out when I first joined. :P Personally, I think I've been improving.

Disclaimer: Stilldon't own Bionicle.

Kopaka observed the ongoing construction of Ko-Metru while talking to Pohatu.

"I'm really glad Tahu didn't choose me to go with him." declared the Toa Nuva of Stone, attempting to strike up a conversation.

"Um-hum…"

"Well, of course he didn't choose me; he knows I hate water."

Kopaka nodded absently and frowned.

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Of course."

Pohatu arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Riiiight. A Matoran of mine fell into a vat of protodermis and became a Rahkshi and now he's destroying Po-Metru and is coming towards Ko-Metru."

Kopaka was staring off into the distance. "That's nice."

Pohatu cocked his head. "What are you looking at?"

Kopaka pointed. "Are those Matoran playing kohlii on top of a tower?"

Pohatu blinked, squinting to get a better view. "Yep."

"They're supposed to be working. And that's not safe."

The Toa of Stone smiled grimly. "Well, I'm off. Seeya later."

"Sure…"

'

Pohatu sighed, turned, and walked away. He continued in the direction of Po-Metru, smiling when certain passing Ko-Matoran nodded at him before hurrying on. They weren't very talkative, but at least they acknowledged his presence. He returned their nods with a hearty wave.

But as the distance from him and the heart of Ko-Metru increased, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He was still in Ko-Metru territory, but just barely. There were no towers in sight.

He spun on himself, frowning. "Who's there?"

No reply of course, and even though he was probably just imagining things, he activated the Akaku Nuva. Reassured when he detected nothing, he walked on. He never noticed the two pairs of glowing red eyes that snapped open as soon as he turned his back.

&&&

Onua was drawn by the cries of the Matoran. He had run towards them as fast as he could, but having had to smash down many walls which were inconveniently blocking his path, he arrived a bit too late. Whenua would kill me for damaging the Archive walls like this.

Onepu was sitting in the middle of the tunnel, stammering. The Toa Nuva of Earth cringed; he had a feeling he wasn't going to like what the Onu-Matoran was going to tell him.

Nevertheless, he walked up to him and placed one knee on the floor so he was level with the Matoran. "What happened?" he asked grimly.

Onepu seemed to notice his presence for the first time, raising fear-stricken eyes to the Toa's Pakiri. "T-Toa Onua?"

Onua nodded patiently. "I'm here. What happened?" he repeated.

"T-The… They took Taipu!"

The Toa frowned. "Who's they?"

"They just came out of the shadows, the big slug-like things! They grabbed his mask first, and it changed colour! Then they dragged him away! I tried to stop them, but one of them bit me!"

Onua frowned and his green eyes widened. "No… Kraata… what are they doing here?" He stood up abruptly. "Where did they go?" he asked harshly. "Answer me!"

The Matoran seemed surprised by his harshness. He pointed down the tunnel.

Without saying another word, he attached his Quake Breakers to his feet and hurried in the direction of Onepu's finger.

&&&

Kopaka stood at the edge of a Knowledge Tower. He had an almost perfect view of the city from here. Everything was calm, just like it was supposed to be. A small smile appeared on the corner of his lips, but quickly disappeared as he spotted something approaching the city. His brow creased in alarm, and he activated his Akaku. I was a Kane-Ra! But the Rahi are supposed to be locked up in the archives! All of them!

He didn't have time to ponder though. He quickly executed a daredevil leap off the tower, to land on a lower one. He continued like this until he was at ground level, landing with a thud that startled many Ko-Matoran, most of whom were pondering something or the other.

He drew his skis from his back, threw them onto the floor, and got onto them. Shield in hand, he hurried towards the Rahi without a word to the confused Matoran. The Kane-Ra was approaching at considerable speed, leaving large footprints in the soft snow. I can't let it reach the towers!

The Rahi lowered its head, pointing a set of large red horn at the Toa menacingly. Any other time, Kopaka would've gladly stepped out of the way, except Ko-Metru was at stake here. He braced himself and let his Hau Nuva do its job. Still, the force generated by the impact pushed him back, and his mask faltered for a split second, which was all the Rahi needed. It charged.

Kopaka dodged its first strike nimbly, but it unexpectedly jerked its head to the side. One of the horns slammed into the Ice Toa's shield. Kopaka grunted in pain, almost dropping his shield. He cursed, and took his skis off his feet. Mata Nui, no Toa should ever be beaten by a Rahi! And certainly not Kopaka Nuva! He twirled his blades around, and one of them caught the Rahi's head. It reared back in pain, and that was when Kopaka saw it on one of its shoulders. He blinked, and the Kane-Ra took advantage of that moment to stretch out its neck angrily, and knock Kopaka a few Bios away, to land in the snow.

The Toa of Ice growled. Well, thank Mata Nui Tahu isn't here to see me losing to a Rahi… The Kane-Ra charged again. Fed up, Kopaka raised his sword hand and froze the legs of the beast to the ground, immobilizing it. He then sent a well aimed blast at the Rahi's shoulder, and the object detached from the Kane-Ra. It hit the surface of the snow.

Sighing, Kopaka got back onto his feet. Leaving the Rahi there, he walked towards the area where the object had landed.

There it was. Only half of it was sticking out of the snow, but there was no mistaking what it was. An infected Kanohi. Kopaka shook his head. Didn't Makuta try to pull this trick before? Yet, if there were infected Kanohi wouldn't that also mean Kraata? He frowned. Kopaka bent down for the mask, and brought it up so that it was level with his face. Empty eyes stared back at him menacingly. The Toa of Ice slung his swords over his back and walked back to Ko-Metru. He needed to chat with the Turaga.

&&&

Takanuva had volunteered to guard Ta-Metru in Tahu's absence. He was lava surfing, a sport he enjoyed as a Matoran. He swished left and right. He looked ahead of him. Yes, there was that steep area in the river of molten protodermis. He turned slightly, so that he was facing the drop perpendicularly. He bent his knees. It was closer now. Just as he felt himself beginning to fall, he leapt.

Airborne, he whooped. Then he felt the pull of gravity, and braced himself for impact. It came with a splash, and some of the protodermis singed his feet. He yelped, his center of gravity off balance. He adjusted it quickly, bending forwards. The lava surfboard tilted dangerously, and the Toa of Light was scared to move for a moment. Then everything calmed, as did the current of the river. He exhaled, and stood up straight again.

Every single one of his movements were watched by a too pairs of glowing red eyes, observing him. They were hidden just around the corner, ready to leap out and catch the young inexperienced Toa unawares. And their target was cruising straight into their hands.

Author's Notes: Eh…. it's sorta a cliffie. (sweatdrop) Heh.