Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, and I'm starting to put these automatically.
Race Against Time
"Come on!" shouted Tahu, jumping out of the hole. "We don't have much time!"
"You'll never reach the tower in time!" shrieked Macku. "Without Pohatu's Mask of Speed, there's no way."
Tahu looked in the crater at Pohatu, the Toa of Stone barely had enough energy left to stand, let alone run.
Why did everyone have to point everything out? He already had enough problems like this making it look like he had everything in control, when he had no idea of what to do.
"Onua," he said, trying to start from something. "Take the Puneko, I have the feeling we'll need it."
Onua nodded and rushed to the place where the Puneko had been thrown to by the explosion. Tahu looked at the other Toa. Hadn't Gali had a Kakama Nuva back on Mata Nui? But it didn't really matter. Even if she still had it, it would have only given speed to her now.
Think, Tahu think, he ordered himself. Even with a mask of speed, they'd all be going at different speeds, as two of them were Matoran and only one a Toa Nuva. So what they really needed was a shortcut.
"Hewkii," he asked. "What's the shortest way to the tower?"
"Uh, the only cleaned road I think," answered the Po-Matoran.
"Way too long," muttered Tahu.
"Why did they repair only one anyway?" grumbled Pohatu. "They had years to do that! What did they do in this time?"
"Leehar," was Kopaka's answer. "They planned everything perfectly."
-So that's what they did in this time- said Hoti innocently.
"Quiet!" snapped Tahu. "I'm trying to remem..." he stopped, eyes pointing towards the Tower.
"Lewa," he asked quietly. "You don't happen to remember any secret shortcut, do you?"
Hahli, Macku, Jaller and Hewkii looked at each other, Tahu had obviously gone crazy. How could Lewa remember anything?
"Yeah, I do. Fire-spitter," said Lewa. "But it happens to go through the archives, easy to wrong-turn."
"And if Onua helped you?"
"We'd have to hope it didn't cave-in," answered the green Toa with a shrug..
"Take us there."
XXXXX
Matau turned away from the murmuring crowd, feeling questioning looks on his back. They had all the right to want answers, he wanted some himself. But there was going to be time for that later, when the Toa Nuva darktime would have come to an end.
Toa darktime, he thought shuddering. How wrong it sounded. He remembered when they had been Toa, then it had just been one of Makuta's evil plans, making everyone think they were traitors. Now it was really happening, and Makuta was behind all again.
"Matau," said Whenua, "Are you coming?"
Huh? Coming where? He followed Whenua to a silent corner, the other Turaga were already there.
"Listen," said Whenua. "A second ago I felt something strange in the ground... I think it came from Po-Metru."
"Do you think the Metru is in danger?" asked Onewa worriedly.
"I don't know," said Whenua. "Auno says it was an earthquake, but..."
"Come on, let's go!" called Utahop angrily. "The Toa could be here any second!"
The Turaga hurried to reach the Toa Leehar. Once there, the six Toa immediately took them under their protection, escorting them to the Tower. Matau looked up at the huge building, and now that he saw it against the fast-rising twin suns, it didn't seem nearly as welcoming as before.
XXXXX
"Here it is," said Lewa, pulling up a huge stone with difficulty. Onua rushed to his side to help them.
They were inside a half-destroyed house, one of those that hadn't been rebuilt. Even Pohatu was there, he had insisted to at least see where the entrance was.
Once there, Lewa had run two times around the room, then walked to a bunch of ruins and removed a couple of stones, revealing a small hole in the ground, barely large enough for one of them to go through. Tahu stepped forwards and bent down, staring into the hole, trying to make out what was down there, but all he could see was blackness.
"Okay," he said. "Pohatu, Macku, Jaller, Hahli and Hewkii stay here and warn everyone they can about the Leehar... be careful though, they think we're traitors working for Makuta. Everyone else comes with me to the tower... unless you've got a better idea?"
When no one answered, Tahu stood up, took a deep breath and jumped into the hole, falling into the darkness. Down and down...
Onua stared as his brother disappeared inside the blackness, and waited for the sound of the impact against the ground to come. It didn't take much, after a one or two seconds, he heard a clear 'thud', and then Tahu's call that they could come. The ground probably wasn't so far away, since if he looked hard, he could spot Tahu's form moving around on the ground.
One by one, the other Toa jumped in. Then, Onua and Lewa on the lead, they ran down the tunnel and towards the Tower.
XXXXX
Uhat opened the door of the Tower, letting the Turaga walk in. Now he only had to close the door and kill the Turaga. No one would have seen them, and even if someone had, he wouldn't have lived to tell the tale. All he had to do was close the door. His companions were ready. All he had to do was close the door. Nokama looked at him, waiting.
It was so easy, he just had to extend his arm and push the door until it closed with a soft clunk. But his arm wouldn't obey him. Why?
He met Akapok's eyes, cold blue eyes, that were waiting just for the right moment. The right moment to strike. Slowly, he started closing the door...
"Turaga Nokama!" called a female's voice. Nokama's head turned to look outside the door, spotting a Ga-Matoran with smart eyes.
"What is it, Kotu?" she asked, sighing. Kotu stopped, seemingly to catch breath, but really, she was just trying to find a good excuse, so that her friends had more time.
"I... uh..."
"Listen girl," said Utahop suddenly. "We can't waste any time here, we have to bring the Turaga to safety and then come back down and protect you from your so-called protectors. So, if it isn't anything important..."
"I saw a ghost in the Ga-Metru temple!" she screamed suddenly. Great, she couldn't have found a worse excuse.
The Toa Leehar looked at each other before bursting in laugher.
"It's true!" she cried. "He just came out of nowhere and went down the stairs to the secret room!"
No the Toa Leehar weren't laughing anymore. Kotu smiled. Much better.
"Did you follow it?" asked Uhat.
"Yes, and guess what I found? Another Ihar! A white one. He said his name was Sirkul!"
"He said it?" asked Nokama. Kotu did have the Mask of Translation, but being a Matoran she couldn't use it. So how could he have said it?
"Yes, he used some kind of telepathic powers... or so he said later on, after I had tended to him."
"You WHAT?" shrieked Utahop. Kotu backed away.
"He was in such bad conditions..."
"Listen Kotu," said Ilag. "I know you did what you thought was best, but those Rahi are dangerous. They work for Makuta!"
"No they don't!" protested Kotu. Big mistake. Utahop's eyes narrowed from behind the Turagas' backs.
"We'll talk about this later," he said. "Just stay here, and we'll come back after we'll have finished with the Turaga."
Only Kotu caught the menace in his voice. She tried to think of something else, but Uhat had already closed the door. The Ga-Matoran heard the sound of something being locked.
XXXXX
"Frell!" shouted Lewa, banging his fist against the wall of huge stones. This had been exactly what he'd been afraid of. The ceiling had fallen after that stupid earthquake, blocking the last few bios of the passage. There wasn't enough time to run back, and without Pohatu it would have taken too much to move those boulders.
Even so Onua was already at work, trying to move the stones out of the way, but even with his Pakari, he couldn't do much. They were never going to make it in time.
Lewa saw two glowing green points in the darkness, Nairof's cat eyes, jumping from a spot to another. Lewa asked himself what the black cat was looking for. He soon found out.
-There's a passage up here!- called Nairof. -Quick! Follow me!-
Four pairs of different colored eyes ran up something and disappeared inside the darkness. Tahu followed and felt around, but he could only feel rocks. Just big, heavy...
Just then one of his hands struck air, feeling around, he could make out the edges, and found out that it was way too small for a Toa Nuva.
"Kopaka! Takua! You two go first!"
"Scared?" sneered Kopaka. Tahu looked around for him, and saw two deep blue eyes go through the darkness in front of him, and then disappear. It looked as if they were swallowed by the darkness. Tahu shook that thought out of his head and turned around.
"Onua, Lewa, Gali!" he called. "You three are smaller than me, see if you can go through."
Onua didn't make it, even then, when he wasn't a Nuva yet, he had too large shoulders. Lewa, having slimmer ones, made it through with some difficulties, and Gali just scampered though with no problems at all.
"How did you do that?" asked Onua. He saw the outlines of Gali's shape shrug.
"Slimmer shoulders, I'm a girl, remember?"
"I'm not so sure..." grumbled Lewa.
"Okay," said Tahu. "You go forwards, try to stop the Leehar. We'll come later."
"How?" asked Takua.
"I don't know, just think of something!" he called. But Gali and Lewa had already scooped up the two Matoran and were running down the passage.
XXXXX
The Turaga were walking slowly up the stairs. Way too slowly. Utahop fought the urge to grab them and throw them into the highest room. The one where they had seen the Toa Nuva for the first time, and where he had recognized the thief.
Finally, they had reached the second door. Lhikan took out a key and unlocked it. Then, one by one the Turaga slowly walked inside, each of them catching the Toa Leehar's eye. Lhikan in front, Nokama last. Once they were inside, the Toa Leehar followed. Uhat was the last. His job was to close the door, but his mind was in another place, in another time...
"Are you coming?" hissed Awel. "It's part of our smart-plan, remember? We have to pretend we lock-close ourselves up here, to trick the Toa!"
Uhat woke up of his daydreaming and walked inside, silently closing the door behind him. Then, when the Turaga weren't looking, he turned the key and locked it.
XXXXX
The remaining Toa, Matoran and Ihar jumped out of a crack inside what had been the coliseum. Back when the island had been a city, it had been beneath one of the seats.
Quick, quick quick!- called Thau. -We don't have much time!-
Lewa and Gali put down the two Matoran to get a better sprint. In a few seconds, they had reached the door of the Tower, together with Thau, Kishro and Kal. Kotu was waiting in front of it.
"You must act fast! The Turaga are in there with those monsters! I tried to hold them up but..." she started.
"Yes, yes, you were great," said Gali, trying to open the door. "But it's locked!"
"Well just open it!" asked Lewa. Kotu looked at him.
"But she just said it's locked!"
"How?" asked Gali. "Even if I had something to stuff in there I wouldn't have hands to use it! All I have are these stupid, useless hoo..."
She stopped, looking at her hooks, and slowly, a smile spread on her face. Lewa stared at her.
"Whoa! Now that's crazy!"
Gali ignored him and stuffed the end of her left hook inside the lock, fumbling with it for a while and then turning her arm between creaking sounds. Waves of pain rushed up her arm, and she was afraid the tip of her hook would break, even though she knew it was highly unlikely. But it worked. Kotu stared at the door with wide eyes.
"Mata Nui!" she whispered. But Gali, Lewa and the three Ihar were already running up the stairs. The desperation on their faces showed how little hope they had to get there in time.
XXXXX
The Turaga all had their back turned upon them, staring at the heap of Toa Tools in a corner of the room. The tools of the Toa Nuva. It was now or never. Awel turned his Katana blades into a Rahkshi staff, and advanced slowly, trying not to make a sound. Next to him, the others were doing the same.
Now he was just behind Turaga Nuju, he'd be the first to try his poison.
Awel raised his staff, ready to strike the Turaga of Ko-Koro.
So, thanks to the two that reviewed. This story is coming to an end, after chapters of running around on Miko Nui. there's more: I'm starting to have strange ideas, including of writing the story of the thief and co. But I'll only do it if five or more ask for it. And if you're asking yourself why i posted two chapter together, it's because my windows keyboard wasn't working properly, so I had to use another one (one made for a macintosh), and I never figured out how to write the on that one.
Anyway, thanks to:
Regrem Erutaerc: Not really better and better, i still dont have any tahu/gali. bzzhackthinkingaboutcoughitbzot
starainbow: don't worrylight not gone, light not gone, light not gone, light not gone... Mom: Time to turn off the light! Light gone. -.-
