M.I.A. Ch 14

When Xipher woke up, the world around him spun. He moaned and slowly sat up. He rubbed his head and tried to recall the last thing he remembered. Then his eyes widened and he stood up. Frantically, he spun around looking for the fortress and the Toa. To his confusion and dismay, they were nowhere to be found. He wasn't even anywhere near them. The two moons illuminated the night sky, revealing a nearby pond surrounded by shrubbery. And around the oasis was barren dessert.

When he stood up, he noticed right away something was amiss. His legs felt like they were twisted back and forth and his body slumped forward. He straightened his back, but he immediately began to tilt backwards. He flailed his arms and re-corrected himself, reverting back to his slumped position.

"Ugh," he moaned as he rubbed his head.

He then froze as he realized his mask was shaped funny. It was smooth and arced back with a near flat surface. What was more puzzling was he couldn't feel his middle finger. "What is this, some kind of joke?" he asked himself with irritation and then looked at his hand. Sure enough it was missing. Not only that, but his fingers were elongated and clawed, and his pinky finger was attached to the base of his hand, appearing as another thumb. The sight freaked him out. His eyes widened and he looked at his other hand. It had the same problems. He yelled in panic and ran for the pond. The water splashed as he took a few steps in. When the surface became still, it reflected his appearance, sharp and clear as a mirror. He stared, eyes wide open, at his reflection: A thin yet masculine build, a Rahkshi-like head with green ears sticking out right behind, and two rows of spikes along his back.

He shook his head in denial. "No, no, NO!" He looked at himself again, making sure he

wasn't hallucinating.

Then something moving in the water caught his eye. It was serpent-like, black and slithered over and under the surface. Overwhelmed with the shock of everything, he stepped backwards to get away from it. But his foot slipped in the mud. He yelped and fell,landing on his rear. He looked back into the water and saw his six toes sticking out of the water, as well as part of the snake coming out on to land. He kicked it back while trying to get on his feet.

He ran several yards before stopping to look back. The water was choppy with disturbed sediments mixing in and the serpent was nowhere to be seen. He bent over and took a sigh of relief. But he then noticed a dragline coming out of the pond. It trailed across the dirt and ended up right next to him. From the corner of his eye he could see the serpent's tail, and didn't dare move. But after a few seconds, a realization came to him. He looked over his shoulder and followed the body of the snake up until he found it wasn't a snake, but his tail. He screamed to the top of his lungs.

The scream quickly changed itself into a beastly screech. Startled, he placed his hands over his mouth, and whimpered like a dog. Slowly he took his hands off and looked at them one more time. He then spoke to himself in a trembling voice.

"Mata Nui, what happened to me?!"

Thoughts raced through his mind. He remembered the trapped Toa, and he was about to save them. Then there was a flash of green, followed with pain. Pure, excruciating pain. His face then lit up in realization.

"The Vortixx," he gasped. "Someone had the final component." He looked at himself again. "I must have merged with it."

If it was true, then by that Vortixx's definition, he was 'complete'. But he needed confirmation that he was, or wasn't, a finished product of their design. He scanned the landscape around him and found the tall, mountain peak that separated the island's industrial city from the rest of the land. From that peak he could backtrack his way to the fortress.

As he left, his ears turned towards the back and picked up a rustle. He froze and spun around. Two rows of spikes stuck out from behind a bush. He drew out his swords and discovered they were now three-pronged blades that strapped around his wrist and arm, giving the appearance of having incredibly long claws. Regardless of their change, he cautiously walked around the brush and found the white creature he saved crouched down. The muzzle was off and it stared at him with large, dilated eyes.

"You," he gasped. "You followed me?" He didn't expect it so say anything but, to his surprise, it spoke.

"I didn't," she replied in a soft and small voice. "I followed Vaptech. He found you and carried you here."

He looked at her, convinced it wasn't the truth. "And just who is Vaptech?"

The bush to his right shook and before he could turn to look, a figure jumped out and landed on him. He fell over and onto his back. The event took his breath away for a moment. When he recovered he looked straight into the eyes of the figure, which sat on his torso.

"That would be me," the being said with pride. "And you are?"

Xipher pushed Vaptech off and stood up, dusting himself. "Toa Xipher," he replied flatly. "Er, at least I was a Toa." He looked at the two identical beings. "And from the looks of it I'm guessing you didn't always look like that."

Vaptech got back on his feet. "You're right." He pointed to the white stranger. "This here is, uh, well she doesn't have a name exactly. Mostly because she can't remember it, or anything else for that matter."

"It's true." she whimpered. Her ears and spikes went down. "I don't remember anything up until the last few days."

Xipher had a sorry look on his face, but then it lit up as he recalled something. "You know, while searching through the fortress I found a tablet referring you as 'White Saber'. Perhaps you could use that until you get your memories back."

She tilted her head to the side. "Saber will do." she said softly.

He then looked at Vaptech. "So, what about you?"

"Like you, I was a Toa a while back, but after doing the same gig for a few thousand years, I got bored. So I asked the Vortixx if they could do something for me. Pretty soon I volunteered for an experiment. While I resent them for keeping me captive, I'm pleased with the results." he smiled as he looked at himself.

Xipher was flabbergasted. "You actually like this?!"

"Well yeah," he replied casually. "With no one to recognize me, I can live my own life now."

Xipher's spikes went down. "But you're a Toa," he said bitterly. "You have a duty to your people. Are you really going to abandoned them?!"

"Like you?"

Xipher's eyes widened. "Hey!" he said with resentment, "I left my people so I could find answers to a substance that may be related with what I've become. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going back to find a way to reverse this." He then stormed off.

Vaptech ran in front of him and put his hands on his chest. "Woah big guy, you do not want to go back there. That place has gotten a little… 'messy'."

Xipher gave a dirty look and pushed him aside. "I don't care," he spat "So long as get what I came for."

Vaptech and Saber exchanged glances and then followed him.

The soft glow of dawn slowly illuminated the forest. Xipher knew he was getting close. He could smell the smoke. As the smell got stronger he picked up his pace. Soon he made it out into a large clearing, where the fortress stood on other side. Smoke bellowed out as it layin ruins.

The scene took his breath away. "No," he gasped. He went into a full sprint.

"Xipher, wait!" pleaded Saber.

He didn't listen. When he reached the fortress he searched around for anything intact. All he found was rubble.

He shook his head. "It's gone," he whispered in disbelief. "It's all gone."

Vaptech and Saber caught up to him.

"Told you," panted Vaptech. "Two Toa snuck in last night-"

"Wait," interrupted Xipher. "Toa? Aren't they your brothers?"

Vaptech gave him a confused stare. "No."

"Bu- But you were a Toa if ice."

Vaptech raised an index finger. "Actually, I was a Toa of Sonics. The color change was part of the request." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, they were looking for this 'Toa of ice' but didn't find him. So they just set me and a whole bunch of other Rahi free. However, since the Rahi were experiments, some of them were not quite 'stable'. They somehow managed to help tear the whole place down. If you're looking for something in there, it's probably destroyed."

Xipher's mouth gapped open and he starred at the wreckage. It took him a moment to recollect his thoughts. "Do you know how you became this?" he asked softly.

"Sorry," Vaptech's voice showed sincerity. "They took the liberty of making sure their process remained a secret."

Xipher then faced Vaptech. "Did you at least see who or what changed me?"

Vaptech's spikes went down. "No."

Xipher slowly shook his head." No," he whispered in sorrow. "I can't be trapped like this. I just can't"

"That must have been a horrifying experience." Sam said softly.

Xipher's spikes folded downwards. "It was." He paused. "But afterwards I felt… angry; angry that I couldn't save those Toa, and angry with who or what had done this to me."

Sam leaned back a little and tilted her head. "Did you ever find the people responsible?"

He dropped his head and replied weakly. "No. I searched for weeks; each dead end became more irritating than the last, until I finally gave up."

"So then what did you do afterwards?"

He was silent for a moment and stared at the fire. "I went home."

Scott had his back leaned against the hut, where Oscar finished bandaging Daniel. The combining sound of heavy rain and Daniel's moaning brought an ambiance of misery to the area. He tried to mentally shut it out, but being drenched and cold, it proved futile. Oscar walked out and Scott stood up in attention.

"How is he?" he asked with worry.

Oscar adjusted his helmet and answered sternly. "Hard to say. He made it through the operation, but we'll have to keep a close eye on his recovery." He paused. "Has Saber finished Xipher's backstory?"

"I'd say she's only scratched the surface. Just waiting for you to join in."

The two walked to a nearby hut and went in. There was hardly any room for them since everyone was inside and listening to Saber. A small flashlight in the center substituted for a fire.

When they had sat down Josh spoke. "I'd take it the family reunion didn't go smoothly?"

Saber nodded. "There was a brief fight between us and his brothers. They mistook us for monsters. If Xipher hadn't called out to his sister, it could've escalated."

Naromia stared at Xipher with her mouth gapped open. Her sword slipped out of her hand and fell to the ground. "Xipher?" she gasped. "Is that really you?"

Xipher lowered his head and nodded. "It's me."

She stepped forward and gently placed her hands along his cheek. "What happened to you?"

He slowly looked up, but didn't make eye contact with her. "I 'found' the answers I was looking for."

Naromia poured a cup full of a hot, orange drink. She handed it to Xipher, who blew the steam away before taking a sip. Saber and Vaptech sat next to him, perched on his bed, while the Turaga and Toa sat in a semicircle around them.

The Toa of water took her drink and sat down across from Xipher. "Why didn't you tell us before you came back?"

"I- I didn't want you to worry. I hoped to have cured myself, but my searches turned up fruitless."

"So then why comeback at all?" asked Terun.

Naromia gave Terun a cold look.

Xipher's spikes went down and his face lit up with a slight amount of embarrassment. "There was nowhere else to go. Besides, who else would accept a mutant other than his brothers?"

The Toa, except for Naromia, exchanged looks. Xipher noticed and his ears went down, while his tail curled around his legs.

Terun then spoke. "Our concern is whether or not you've gotten your 'anger' issue under control."

Xipher rubbed the back of his neck. "Well uh, mostly."

Terun crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "Like the incident in the Tren Krom peninsula?"

Xipher's eyes widened. "You know about it?"

The Toa of ice spoke up. "News travels fast."

Xipher tensed up. "I promise, it's been getting better. I've taken anger management lessons and-"

"You beat a Toa into unconsciousness." snapped Terun.

"Okay, so I've slipped up once in a while, but it's not as bad as you think."

"I'm not willing to take that chance."

Saber butted in. "We've been with him for the last few weeks. He hasn't shown any aggression."

"You probably haven't ticked him off." muttered the Turaga.

Xipher growled at him. "That's a low one." he spat.

Naromia then stood up. "Brothers, please." she scolded. "Let's at least give him a chance."

The Toa were silent for a moment.

Then the Turaga spoke. "You have a week to prove me wrong." He then walked out the hut.

One by one everyone left until only Xipher and Naromia remained.

"So," said the Toa of water, "How do you plan on convincing him?"

He stared at the ground. "I don't know." he replied lightly. "To be honest, what Saber said isn't exactly true."

She tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

"Vaptech and I followed a lead. The Vortixx wouldn't cooperate, so I threw him across the alley, and let's just say I really underestimated my strength."

She frowned. "Xipher."

"I know, but please understand. I was very upset over what had happened to me."

"But if you haven't reversed that serum, then why did you come back?"

Xipher began to feel uneasy. "I already told you all."

Her tone became strict. "I want the real answer."

He let out a long sigh. "Because I missed you." he uttered quietly and looked away.

Naromia was taken back by the answer.

"I don't know why, but I just wanted to see you again." He then curled himself into a ball, with tail wrapped tightly around his legs. "I didn't want to tell the others this because- well,"

She cracked a small smile. "I understand." She then walked up and put her hand on his shoulder. "But I wish you'd called for help. I would've come over and-"

Xipher cut her off. "I didn't want you to get hurt if something went wrong." He looked at himself. "And obviously something did."

"Yes, but it may not have happened if I was there to help."

Xipher thought about it and realized she was right. He took a long sigh.

"Hey, don't be too hard on yourself. No one could've predicted this. What matters now is how you're going to get through it all. And here's my advice: Don't do it alone."

"Look out!" cried Xipher.

Naromia did a backflip in time to miss a blow from a Nui-Jaga's tail. The scorpion-like creature retracted its tail and tried to sting her again.

The Toa of water dodged and summoned a jet of water at the creature through her sword. "Where did they all come from?" she panted. "I thought they were desert Rahi."

Xipher grunted as he spun around, holding another Nui-Jaga by the tail. He let go and it flew over the battlefield. "Guess they decided it was nicer here." he teased.

"Well it's nice of them to visit." Terun shouted sarcastically. "But it's time to send them on their way." He thrust his sword into the ground and sent a wall of fire in front of two charging Nui-Jagas.

They slid to a stop and turned around. Xipher had his back turned towards his team as he dealt with another Nui-Jaga. He stepped to the side, avoiding a strike from its stinger. As it drew back its tail, Xipher grabbed it and gave a hard pull. Metal screeched as he tore the tail off. The Rahi screeched wildly and scurried away. He gave a quick snort at the Rahi and then heard his sister cry out. He spun around and saw her on the ground, with one hand on her side as she crawled away from an approaching Nui-Jaga.

It thrust its stinger at her. She barely moved out of the way as it dug into the ground.

Naromia continued to dodge as she crawled, but Xipher saw she was having difficulty. Another strike got her right in the arm. She yelled in pain and covered the wound. Xipher felt scared and at the same time upset. That feeling soon turned to anger. Out of instinct he took a large breath of air, planted his feet firmly on the ground and roared. The loud, bellowing sound echoed through the forest and caused everyone to stop.

The Nui-Jaga that threatened Naromia halted mid-attack and stared at Xipher. Seeing that it worked, he roared again. It was enough to deter nearly all the Nui-Jaga, except for the one attacking Naromia. Xipher's spikes sprang up and rattled as he ran at the Rahi, letting out another roar on his way.

This time the Rahi turned around and ran, but Xipher refused to let it leave. He grabbed it by the tail and pulled it backwards before drawing out his blades and stabbing it on the back. The Rahi let out a powerful screech and squirmed violently before slowly dying. After a few deep breathes, Xipher heard his sister call out.

"Xipher?" she asked.

He could hear a hint of fear in her voice. His eyes widened and slowly he turned around. Sure enough, she looked a little pale. He then looked over to Terun, who's expression showed more disbelief than worry.

"What in Mata Nui's name was that?!" Terun spat.

Xipher hunched forward with spikes and ears facing down, while his tail curled around him. "I-I don't know." he muttered. "That's never happened before."

Terun still looked skeptical. "Xipher, this is not the kind of behavior you promised. The constant growling and hissing you made all week was one thing, but roaring like an ash bear? Then you killed a Rahi when it was no longer a threat! It's unacceptable."

Xipher choked. "But-"

Terun brought his hand up and cut him off. "I'm sorry, but you need to leave and don't come back until you actually find a cure for yourself."

Naromia looked at the Toa of fire with a heart-broken look. "Brother."

Terun shook his head. There was no changing his mind. She let out a sigh and proceeded to stand up. Partway up she hissed and fell back down. Her brothers rushed to her side.

"Sister, what's wrong?" asked Terun.

"Nothing." she bluffed. "Just a few scratches."

Xipher squinted his eyes. "Their venom." he hissed, "you look like you took a large dose."

Terun pulled out a small sack and searched its contents. "I have something that can help." he held out a golf-ball-sized bulb-like root and handed it to her. "However I don't think it'll be enough."

Xipher noticed its scent right away. It was bitter and irritated his nostrils. As she ate it he took a few steps back to get away from the smell. However, he could still get small whiffs of it and walked farther away. He hated his heightened senses. He could hear people talking behind his back even when far away. The chirping birds were even worse, letting off sounds at a pitch that annoyed him. But what he hated most was his acute sense of smell.

He could smell virtually everything he couldn't have smelled before: a rotting Rahi several miles away, distinct odors given off by his brothers, and most notably trails. In fact it was his sense of smell that alerted him to the Nui-Jaga's presence in the first place.

He suddenly stopped mid-thought. An idea came to him and he brought his head low to the ground and began to take several, rapid whiffs of air as he walked around the area. Terun noticed and gave him a funny look.

"What are you doing?"

"Trying something out." Soon he picked up a faint smell.

Like a bloodhound, he followed the scent until the odor got to its strongest point. He immediately began to dig. A few inches down he found was he was looking for: the exact same root, nearly the size of a peach. He pulled it out and cleaned the dirt off as he walked over and then handed it to Naromia.

She smiled. "Thank you brother." And then ate the bitter root. Within a few minutes she was well enough to stand on her feet, but still required help walking.

Terun and Xipher got on each side and held her up by her arm as they made their way back to the village. Once at the village, the two brought Naromia to her hut and laid her down for rest. Saber, Vaptech and the other Toa waited for them outside.

"So, how did it go?" asked Vaptech.

"I wouldn't exactly call it a success." said Terun. "Xipher's condition is far worse than what he claims it to be."

Xipher faced him with surprise. "That's not true. I already told you, I didn't know I could do any of that. Please just let it slide. You know at heart I'm still a Toa."

Terun faced him with a bitter look. "You're a Hordika, that's what you are."

Xipher took a step back, appalled, and then retaliated in anger. "How dare you!"

Saber and Vaptech immediately grabbed him by the arms as he tried to swing a punch at him. The other Toa stood between him and Terun.

"Watch it Xipher." the Toa of fire spat. "Keep acting like this and people will call you by a different name: Manas."

Xipher stopped struggling and stared at his brother with wide eyes. When Saber and Vaptech began to release their grip he shrugged them off and slumped his way back to his hut.

Xipher was in the middle of packing his belongings when he heard a light knock on the door. He looked over his shoulder and saw Naromia at the entrance. She had cloth bandages wrapped around her arm and waist.

"Brother?" she asked gently.

He stared at her for a moment and then turned his attention back to packing.

She didn't let this deter her and spoke up. "I'm sorry, I tried to talk them out of it but they won't budge.

"I know." he said flatly. "I appreciate you trying though." There was a long period of silence.

"What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going back to Xia. Hopefully I'll find a cure and be a Toa again."

He went over to the other side of the hut to retrieve something, but she stepped in his path. "I'm going with you this time." she said firmly.

"Naromia." he groaned.

She snapped back. "I'm serious. If you leave, you'll be longing to come back and see me." She then grinned. "Besides, I got approval from Terun."

Xipher looked at her with surprise. "Even grouchy, you-know-who?"

She nodded.

"But why?"

The Toa of water shrugged. "He thinks I can keep you at a certain level of composure."

"Saber can do a decent job at that." he snickered.

Norma let out a smirk. "Well then, I guess you don't need me after all." She turned around and was about to walk away.

Xipher stretched an arm out to her. "Wait," he rushed.

She turned around with eyebrows cocked and a smile on her face.

His spikes went down and he let out a quick sigh. "Okay, you can come. But if you end up looking like me then-"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine." she smiled. "Now I'm going to get my things. We'll be meeting over at the pass okay?"

As she left Xipher cried out. "Wait."

She stopped and looked over her shoulder.

Xipher stiffened up. "About earlier today… Do you think Terun is right about me? Could I really become a-" he paused. "Monster?"

She frowned. "Xipher, don't say that. You're nothing like a monster."

"How so?"

She faced herself towards him and put a finger on her chin. "Well, you're caring, you go out of your way to protect the Matoran and while you've inherited some Rahi-like characteristics, you still have the heart of a Toa. It just takes a while for people to notice."

"Thanks" he said quietly.

She nodded and then left.

Xipher went back to packing and while he did so he pondered over what she said. She was right about one thing: he cared too much about people, especially Naromia. But he would never admit it. Still, the odd sounds and animal-like behavior was something to be concerned over. But if these things don't cross the line between Toa and beast then what does? He shook his head at the thought.

"No, that would never happen." he muttered to himself. His nose then caught whiff of something. It was a new scent, accompanied by several similar scents. It was a large group. He could make out nearly fifteen different individuals, but just who or what they belong to was unknown.

Xipher stepped outside to investigate. The wind carried the scent from the village.

A high-pitched screech ripped through the forest. Xipher flinched and looked around for

the source. Screams came from the village while flames erupted out of some of the homes.

Xipher's eyes widened.

"No." he gasped, before running to the aid of his village, and more, importantly his sister