PART 6
Chapter 14
"Mom, I don't like this place." whispered Ari to Nokama. Nokama had been guiding Ari and Ariel through the Dark Hunters' underground lair.
"Neither does your father." Nokama whispered back. "Just one more reason we have to free him quickly."
"Random question, Mom - how do you know the way?" asked Ariel.
Nokama froze, pulling her hydro blades from a pocket dimension with shaking hands. Then she snapped out of it - or so it seemed. Ari noticed Nokama gripped the handles so tightly that her knuckles turned sky blue. Something had happened down here that Nokama clearly didn't want to talk about. Ari noticed his mother's distress and elbowed his sister.
"Ow!" Ariel yelped. Her voice echoed throughout the subterranean space.
Ari braced himself for an attack any second, as his sister had given away their position. He cursed under his breath in Ancient Greek - hoping Nokama wouldn't pick it up. She didn't seem to, as her glowing orange eyes darted around for any signs of danger. Nothing yet. Focusing on her breath and heartbeat, the Water Toa tried to calm herself.
That was when a blood-red lightning bolt shot from above them! Nokama jumped in front of Ari and Ariel.
"You know what electricity does to water, right?" taunted a familiar voice.
"Nikanu! You're behind this!" Ariel summoned a wind and flew out from behind Nokama.
"Ariel, no!" cried Nokama. Too late. Ariel was already locked in combat. Nokama realized that this was the critical moment every parent faces, simultaneously dreading and hoping. The moment when a child has to endure their own trials - without their parents to help. She feared the worst, but could do nothing to stop her daughter from the test of fighting a Dark Hunter.
"Mom, we've got this!" Ariel shouted back. "Go find Dad!" Nokama looked back, said a quick prayer, and ran to find Matau.
The daughter of Air grappled with the son of Shadow. Ariel landed, spun around, and kicked Nikanu in the jaw. Nikanu flew backwards and almost hit the floor, but slowed his fall with a black mist. He landed on his feet, ready to fight again. He charged back at Ariel, who took to the air once more.
"Coward!" Nikanu shouted. "Fight like a real Toa, stay on the ground!"
"What does that make my father?" Ariel's amber eyes flashed with righteous indignation.
"Cross-wired and weak!" spat Nikanu. "How else would we have captured him?"
That did it for Ariel. Still in the air, she made circular blocks with her fists, twisting to one side and then the other to minimize the chances of Nikanu landing a hit. It formed a small whirlwind, throwing rocks in Nikanu's direction. Nikanu leapt out of the way and called upon the Shadow Blades. They turned into twin swords. They were moderately heavy and strong, forged with jagged edges to inflict more damage. Dark clouds crackling with blood-red lightning surrounded the blades of the swords. He blocked the rocks by crossing the blades to make shields.
"You know what I really hate?" asked Ari. He shot water into the cyclone to make it a waterspout. The twins focused their powers to hold it in place.
"What, that I successfully kidnapped your father?" snarked Nikanu.
"Nope." said Ari. "You."
Ari and Ariel made a motion like a baseball pitcher winding up, then threw the waterspout at Nikanu. The sheer force of their combined elements pulled him in, sucking the breath out of his lungs. Nikanu could feel his chest collapsing and his body being racked. In his dying moments, he sent one last telepathic message to his parents...
Niyani, my mother. Nidhiki, my father. You raised me to carry on the Dark Hunters' legacy. My body is dying, but my ghost will haunt Metru Nui for as long as the city stands. I will not fail our mission - whether in life or in death.
Ari and Ariel dropped the waterspout and saw something they hoped to never see again. Nikanu's body had ripped in two at the middle of his spine, while his legs and arms had been torn out of the sockets. The fiber-optic nerves were exposed, still sparking, only to be extinguished by the scarlet flood from the wounds. Internal organs spilled from his severed torso, trailing on the ground. Broken bones and snapped joints protruded from anywhere there was an opening.
Ari's face turned approximately the same green hue as Matau's armor. He felt the acid rising in his throat, but swallowed it back down.
"Come on." Ari grabbed Ariel's hand. "We have to find our parents."
Chapter 15
Nokama's eyes opened to an unwelcome sight. Her whole body was stripped of its armor, exposing the thin coating of blue metal that made up her skin. Underneath her was a metal table that might be used in a hospital for surgery. She tried to sit up and realized she couldn't - her wrists and ankles were restrained with chrome-plated shackles. Her hydro blades and armor were in a pile on the other side of the cave. She turned her head and saw Matau chained to a wall, spread-eagled. He was mostly armored, except for the hip plating. His aero slicers and hip plating were in the same heap as Nokama's hydro blades.
This was how Nokama knew the way through the lair. It had happened before, except Matau was the only prisoner. She had saved him right before Niyani had done the unthinkable. In that desperate moment, Matau had pledged his hearts to her again. Nokama remembered embracing Matau and not letting go.
Now, they were both prisoners. They were so close, but the chains kept them apart. Love had saved one captured Toa. But could it save two?
"Mom! Dad!"
Apparently, it could.
"We're getting you out of here." Ariel said as she went to work with lockpicks. Ari, meanwhile, tried to figure out how Nokama's restraints could be broken. There was a cipher pad on the side of the table. In all likelihood, the code would free Nokama. That is, if Ari knew the code.
"Hurry, Ari…" Nokama's voice shook.
"Don't worry, Mom." Ari set his face like iron as his hands glowed blue. A concentrated jet of water shot from his fingertips, shorting out the cipher pad. The restraints retracted into the table, freeing Nokama.
"Mom, put your armor on, nobody wants to see you like that." Ari turned away as Nokama retrieved her armor and tools.
Matau had one hand free and covered his eyes, but uncovered one of them. "Well, I do."
"Not the time!" Nokama snapped. That convinced Matau to cover his eyes again. Back in her armor and with her tools safe, Nokama carried over Matau's hip plating and put it back on him. "And keep it on," she whispered, "at least until we're safe." Ari and Ariel pretended to gag. Nokama blushed brilliant blue and finished with the lockpicks. Ariel gave Matau his aero slicers back.
"We did it!" All four entered a group hug, and prepared to leave the lair…
...and that was when part of the ceiling caved in.
Chapter 16
"Niyani?" Matau shook his head rapidly, as if trying to wake up from a nightmare. But it wasn't a nightmare.
"Just decided to drop in." Niyani's voice slithered through the dark space. Her heel spikes clicked across the stone floor as she stalked up to the Toa family.
"You might be bad, but your sense of humor is worse." Ariel shot back.
"Let's get a better look at you..." Niyani reached down and plucked Ariel off the ground. Ariel knew how to fly, but this was higher than she'd ever been. Blazing camouflage eyes met shining amber eyes. Matau couldn't watch his daughter suffer and possibly die. He put his aero slicers on his back and summoned a wind, lifting him between Niyani's face and Ariel's struggle. He hovered with his hands on his hips. "Set-put her down-ground, four-legged Rahi-breath!"
"Make me." Niyani retorted. Matau kicked Niyani on the wrist. She grasped at him - but in the process, let go of Ariel. Matau caught her in mid-air, then set her down again.
"Good save, Dad." Ariel was breathless.
"I'm a Toa-hero! Save-rescuing is my virtue-duty!" Matau puffed out his chest.
"Matau, Ariel, might want to get in the air for a while!" Ari warned. Matau and Ariel took off to the high ceiling of the cave, distracting Niyani as they zipped around her. Niyani swatted at the two like they were annoying flies, but couldn't hit them. It was getting tiring, but adrenaline kept them going. They watched as Ari and Nokama did something… unexpected.
Ari, meanwhile, stood back to back with Nokama. Their entire bodies glowed a bright blue. The element of Water was flowing between them and strengthening. "Now!" shouted Nokama. With their power combined, both mother and son caused an underground spring to erupt. It flooded the space and made hurricane-sized waves.
Niyani was up to her neck, fighting to keep her footing in the current. Her long spidery legs buckled. She sank under the tsunami, and breathed her last.
Chapter 17
Ari and Nokama let the current carry them through the lair's pathways. The force of the water had smashed a metal gate. Matau and Ariel flew through the broken gate. It led to a sloped shaft. The waters crashed up the path, and slid back down. All four were beginning to tire from the battle and ensuing escape… but then they saw sunlight through the top of the shaft. They couldn't give up now!
Matau rolled and dove like a flying ace, and grabbed Nokama from the waves. Ariel did the same with Ari. The surface was in sight… they could do this… they had to do this… and after what seemed like an eternity, they shot through the shaft and into the light. Ariel landed with two feet on the ground and set Ari down. Matau, on the other hand, miscalculated the landing and splashed down in a fountain with Nokama on top of him. He didn't particularly like swimming, but he didn't care. His beloved was with him...
"Love-dear…" he gasped. "You're so near-close…"
"Not now, Matau. Get out of there before you end up inhaling water..." Nokama stood up and helped Matau out of the fountain.
Ari looked away again. Ariel, on the other hand, made a quiet "aww!" sound.
Then the realization hit them. they had defeated two of Metru Nui's most dangerous enemies! The exhaustion of battle left, replaced with excitement. They all joined a group hug and jumped around like they had won a kohlii championship.
"We did it! We did it!"
The binary suns began to set, illuminating Metru Nui's skyline in regal hues. As the skies turned purple and red and gold, the Toa family returned to their home.