From high above, Tahu Nuva eyed the three Makuta. He and his team had opted not to fly low over the swamp, where they might be spotted, but instead to go straight up and hide in the upper reaches of the mist. Now they had circled above and behind their foes and were poised for the attack. "Gali, you go right; Onua, left. I will target Krika," said Tahu, steel in his voice. "Hit them hard, and remember—we get one shot at this. So make it count."

Gali and Onua nodded. Then the three Toa Nuva went into power dives, screaming through the air toward a final clash with the Makuta.

X X X

By the time the Makuta picked up their first telepathic warning of the attack, it was too late. A fireball hurled by Tahu struck Krika in the arm, the pain making him drop his Nynrah blaster. The muddy earth opened to swallow Bitil. A sphere of water appeared around Gorast's head, catching her just after she exhaled and cutting off her air. Not in a particularly forgiving mood, Gali followed with a sniping blast from her own Nynrah Ghost blaster, catching the Makuta in a set of energy pincers.

Tahu wasn't going to give the Makuta time to recover. He led the Toa in another run, all three hurling whatever power they had at the enemy. Only by keeping the Makuta too off-balance to use their formidable powers did the Toa have any chance of victory.

Down below, Krika took stock of the situation and decided on a plan. He tracked Gali through the air and blasted her with shadow energy, almost knocking her out of the sky. The impact made her lose concentration and freed Gorast from the sphere. Krika shouted at Gorast to go free Bitil from his muddy trap.

Onua broke off to pursue Gorast while Tahu zeroed in on Krika. The Makuta turned intangible, letting the Toa's fire bolts pass right through him. Incredibly, Krika was actually laughing. "Tell me, Tahu, have you ever seen a Kavinika in battle with a Lohrak? It can end in one of two ways—either the Lohrak kills the Kavinika, or the Kavinika sinks its teeth into the Lohrak and slays it. What makes it amusing is that the organic tissue of a Lohrak is poisonous. The instant the Kavinika bites down…it dies."

"Is there a point to this story?" Tahu snarled, throwing his shield up just in time to blunt a blast of shadow energy.

"It's very simple," said Krika, passing unharmed through a ring of fire that had erupted around him. "Even if the Kavinika wins, it loses. You might well want to keep that lesson in mind."

Not far away, Gorast was finding it rough going. Every few steps, the earth erupted, sending a half-ton of mud flying into the air. Up ahead, Bitil had managed to scramble out of the mud pit and get into the air. He had Gali on the run, or so it seemed. At the last moment, she dropped, looped around, and hurled a water blast. Bitil barely managed to evade it, but in doing so, allowed her to gain altitude. Now she was using her launcher to create objects made of energy in the air, forcing Bitil to fly in an evasive pattern.

Still, the Makuta was not without resources of his own. Triggering his mask power, he summoned two duplicates of himself. They materialized behind Gali, swooping down and each seizing one of her arms. Together, they hurled her with tremendous force toward the swamp.

Onua spotted the flash of blue out of the corner of his eye. He whirled in midair and fired his weapon, creating a flexible platform made of energy above the swamp waters. Gali hit it hard, but it gave beneath her, lessening the damage. Onua followed it up with a hastily created land bridge linking the platform to the Codrex.

Spotting his distraction, Gorast attacked. She rocketed up from the ground and slammed into his torso. The land bridge instantly collapsed under Gali, but she had recovered enough to stay aloft. Meanwhile, Onua grappled with Gorast, who was trying to bring her light-draining abilities to bear. "Admit it, Toa," said Gorast. "You have always wished for a spirit as black as your armor."

"Actually, I do have a wish you could make come true," said the Toa Nuva of Earth. He reared back and struck a mighty blow, sending the Makuta spiraling downward. "A world without Makuta!"

Not far away, Tahu and Krika were locked in a duel, flame against shadow. Neither had managed to gain the upper hand. Although Tahu didn't show it, he was worried. The Toa's surprise attack hadn't been able to finish off the Makuta, and now the three of them were in for the fight of their lives.

"I would almost call this a stalemate," said Krika. "Except, of course, that you are about to surrender and beg for mercy."

"You've been breathing too much swamp gas," Tahu replied, countering another bolt of shadow energy with a shield made of fire.

"The Codrex, Tahu," continued Krika. "Oh, we can't get in either, but Bitil is a master with energy fields. He tinkered with this one here and there. In a few minutes, it's going to implode and take the entire sphere and all its contents with it. And there will go your hope of awakening your precious Mata Nui."

Tahu had a moment of conflicting impulses. Part of him wanted to burn Krika down, while another part wondered if the Toa Nuva should surrender and hope to get a chance to undo whatever Bitil had done. But this was not the Tahu of even a year before. He had been through too much, learned too much—most especially he had learned not to let his own nature control him. The essence of fire was action, but action without thought was like a fire that burned unchecked—it left nothing but devastation in its wake. So, in the end, Tahu rejected both his ideas.

Instead, he smiled and said, "You're bluffing, Makuta. You would no more destroy the Codrex than I would pet a Rahkshi."

"Are you so sure?" asked Krika. "Do you really want to gamble the future of your universe based on nothing but your lack of trust in others? Why would I lie about such a beautiful act of destruction?"

"If you wanted it wrecked, you had plenty of time to do it before we even got down here," Tahu answered, dodging shadow blasts as he did so. "No, there's something you want in there, or it would be gone by now. What's more, I think you want us to get it for you."

Krika chuckled. "You are just a wealth of bad theories today, Tahu. Explain that one."

"Simple. The keystone we stole from your camp—you never would have left it unprotected unless you wanted us to have it. In fact, this has all been too easy from the start. It has 'Makuta trap' written all over it. And by the way, since you like the cold so much—have some on me." Tahu hovered in midair and began rapidly absorbing all the heat from around Krika. Sensing what was about to happen, Krika tried to turn intangible again. But Tahu was faster, and Krika began to ice over halfway between his solid and ghostly state.

"Very…good, Tahu," Krika said, his voice sounding hollow and far away. "Too easy…perhaps…but it is about to become much more difficult. Look behind you."

"Do you think I am really going to fall for that old trick?"

"No…I am counting on the fact you won't," answered Krika. "Since there really is something behind you…"

Against his better judgement, Tahu looked over his shoulder. Diving down toward him were Antroz, Chirox, and Vamprah, all of them ridden by their Kra-Matoran—Radiak, Kirop, and Gavla. All of a sudden, his team was badly outnumbered. This would have to be the first time a Makuta has told the truth, he said to himself. "Onua! Gali! Hunt cover!" he shouted.

It was useless, of course. Antroz's first blast of shadow energy shattered the ice forming around Krika. Vamprah flew to join Bitil, and the two closed in on Onua. Chirox hauled Gorast out of the mud, and the two circled Gali, arguing over who would make the kill. Tahu managed to land some fireballs on Antroz, but not to any great effect.

Now the six Makuta formed a V-shaped edge in the sky and bore down on the Toa Nuva, their attacks forming a solid wall of shadow energy. Tahu, Onua, and Gali were driven back until they were pinned down near the Codrex field. One more step backward and they would hit the protective energy around the sphere and be hurled straight toward the oncoming Makuta.

"Any ideas?" Onua asked Tahu.

"Yes," said the Toa of Fire. "We take as many of them with us as we can when we go."

The Makuta hovered in midair now. "It appears your theory that we need you alive is about to be proven wrong," said Krika. "Goodbye, Tahu."

Antroz raised his arm, shadow energy swirling around his claw. Just as it was set free in a devastating burst, a sphere of super-hard ice materialized around both shadow bolt and hand. Blocked, the energy fed back into Antroz, jolting him like an angry Avohkah.

"I hate goodbyes, personally," said Kopaka Nuva. He had plunged out of the mists above, flanked by Pohatu and Lewa. Not far behind came the Matoran villagers Solek, Tanma, and Photok.

"Us too," said Pohatu. "In fact, we hate 'em so much we couldn't let three Makuta take off without us."

"Ever-cute idea, Antroz," chuckled Lewa. "Making your quick-retreat from above look like a planned attack on below. Did they teach you that at lying slime-sack school?"

On the ground, Tahu smiled. The Toa Nuva were still outpowered by the Makuta, but now the numbers were even—nine on nine. And he would gladly and boldly take his team of Toa against any enemy, any day of the week. "Well," he said to Onua and Gali. "Are we going to let those three show up late and have all the fun?"

"I'm up for a rematch," said Onua. "How about you, sister?"

Gali bumped armored fists with her two partners. "Let's get them."

The three Toa Nuva lifted off from the ground, soaring off into the final battle.

X X X

Takanuva's vision of the past concludes…

Gali hurled a water burst at an oncoming Avohkah. The creature struck the water dead-on and exploded with a bright flash of energy. Exhausted, the Toa of Water looked around, but there were no more of the sapient lightning bolts to be seen. The battle was finally over.

It had taken months, but the last of the Avohkah had been defeated. Whether they might return one day was unknown, but for now, the Toa's work in Karda Nui was done. And so, apparently, was that of the Matoran of Light, who were now occupied with packing up their possessions and preparing to leave this realm.

All, that is, except one Matoran, who stood gazing up at Gali with wide and wondering eyes. "Can I help you?" asked Gali, smiling gently.

"What you did…all of you…that was amazing!" said the Matoran. "How can I learn to do that? How can I become a Toa?"

Gali shook her head. "I wish I could tell you…but I don't know, myself. I'd like to think that the universe knows when it needs a hero, and simply finds a way to bring one into being."

The Matoran pondered her words for a while. Then he brightened, "Then I will just have to make sure I am around the next time a hero is needed! That shouldn't be too hard." The Matoran walked away, a new energy in his step. "Remember me, Toa Gali," he said over his shoulder. "You'll be hearing my name someday, whenever people talk about heroes—Takua!"

Gali laughed. She turned at the sound of others approaching and saw Tahu and the rest of the team. The Toa of Fire looked grim, even for him. "What's the matter?" she asked.

"Nothing," said Tahu, unconvincingly. "But we need to talk…and I need to show you all something." The Toa of Fire led them across the plain to the structure he had called the Codrex. A circular stone floated in empty air about five feet from the entrance. Lewa looked at it, curious, then reached up and plucked it from its invisible perch.

"Put that back!" snapped Kopaka.

"Why?" asked Lewa. "I just want to get a look at it."

The Toa of Ice started to respond, then visibly relaxed. "You know, you're right. But you'll have an easier time examining it inside the Codrex. Why don't you head on in?" Lewa gave a nod and started forward. He had only gone about two paces when he collided with an energy field and was sent flying. When he finally crashed to the earth, Kopaka was standing there. The Toa of Ice snatched the stone from him and said, "That's why." Then he marched back to the Codrex and put the stone back into the field.

The six Toa (including a chastened Lewa) approached the sphere. Tahu raised a hand and the entrance slid aside. Even Tahu and Kopaka, who knew what to expect from Helryx, were surprised by what they found. The interior was huge, dominated by machinery that none of the Toa could even begin to understand. One whole section was sealed off, and even then, the structure was bigger than any other the heroes had ever seen. Onua and Gali looked at complex devices with wonder, while Pohatu ran a hand along the stone wall that blocked access to the other section of the sphere. "I could probably bring this down," he said.

"It's not our concern," Tahu replied. "This is." The Toa of Fire tossed a fireburst toward the back wall. When it flared, the light given off illuminated six canisters standing side by side, each about nine feet high. "What are those?" asked Onua.

"They're called Toa canisters, for want of a better name," said Kopaka. "They are a means of transport. Quite remarkable, from what I have been told."

"Well…great," said Lewa. "It's got to be better than that dimension-hop we took to get here from Daxia. So where are we going?"

There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence, with Tahu and Kopaka waiting for the other to speak. Then the Toa of Fire said, "Nowhere."

The hatch of the Codrex slammed shut. Onua rushed to it and battered it with his enhanced strength, but it wouldn't budge. "Tahu, use your fire power—melt this thing!"

The Toa of Fire put his hand on Onua's shoulder and gently pulled him away from the hatch. "We're not leaving, brother…at least, not for a long time to come."

"What are you talking about?" asked Gali. "We're prisoners here?"

"Not prisoners," corrected Kopaka, "more like…emergency reserves. Remember what we were told? If Mata Nui should ever be struck down, it would be up to us to restore him to power. That is our goal and destiny."

"Terrific," said Pohatu. "Can't we keep busy until that happens, preferably someplace other than here?"

"Try to understand," said Tahu. "Someday, the fate of the entire universe may depend on what we do. And until that day comes, it's vital that we stay together and stay whole. If we were to be killed, there would be no one to do what had to be done."

"These canisters—they will keep us safely in slumber until we are needed," said Kopaka. "When the time is right, they will be launched and will take us where we need to go. We will emerge, armed with tools and masks to carry out our mission."

Pohatu touched one of the canisters. Its top began to rotate, finally opening with a hiss. The Toa of Stone grabbed the lip of the canister, hauled himself up, and peered inside. "Right. Not so much as a carving to read in there. I don't think so."

A tremor suddenly shook the Codrex. Kopaka looked at Tahu, alarmed. "So soon? Do you think the Matoran made it out?"

"I hope so," Tahu replied. "If not…"

Onua read the expression in the two Toa's eyes. "Wait a moment," he said. "There's more to this than what you've told us. The Avohkah were just the start, weren't they? There's worse coming."

Tahu turned away and walked to the hatch. He passed his hand over a portion of the wall and a segment of the hatch opened. The other Toa crowded around to see what looked like a massive storm of raw energy descending on Karda Nui. Already, the Matoran structures on the plain had been incinerated. The glare was so blinding Onua had to look away, but the others could not tear their eyes away from the sight. It was overwhelming in both its majesty and sheer horror.

A vast, swirling cloud of power hovered just above the ground, extending upward for as far as the eye could see. Spears of lightning flew from it in all directions. The heat emanating from the heart of the storm fused the sand of the plain to glass everywhere the Toa could see.

"It's…incredible," breathed Gali.

"It's devastating," corrected Lewa. "And we're right in its path!"

"When it reaches full power, no living thing will be able to survive out there," said Kopaka.

Tahu shut the gap in the hatch. "The Codrex can protect the equipment inside…but only the canisters will protect us. So it's your choice: get into them and wait for the day we are called, or take your chances with the storm." The Toa of Fire looked around the room. He was far from happy about the decision he was asking them to make. But he believed what Helryx had told him and Kopaka that day on Daxia. Without Mata Nui, there would be no universe, and millions, maybe billions of lives would be lost. Against that, he had to balance the freedom of six Toa. There really was no choice.

Pohatu was the first to make a move toward the canisters. "Well, I could use a nap," he grumbled as he climbed in. The lip sealed itself once he was safely inside.

One by one, Onua, Kopaka, and Gali followed suit. None looked happy, but at least they seemed to have resigned themselves to their fate. Onua paused before Tahu and said, "I can't say that I agree with everything that has been done…but I can guess the burden you and Kopaka have been carrying. Were I in your armor, perhaps I would have done the same."

Lewa, on the other hand, was in no mood to be forgiving. "You knew this storm was coming all along," he said angrily. "And you knew we wouldn't have time to follow the Matoran out of Karda Nui. You and I are going to have a long talk when we wake up again, Tahu—count on it."

But there would never be any long argument between Lewa and Tahu. The special mechanism that put the six Toa to sleep in their canisters would damage their memories as well. When, 100,000 years later, they found themselves on the shore of the island of Mata Nui, they would remember only a long and fitful sleep disturbed by dreams and nightmares. Gone would be all recollection of training on Daxia, meeting Helryx or Hydraxon, their adventures in Karda Nui, or the fate that forced them to give up millennia of their lives.

Most importantly, it had eliminated one important fact from their minds: the knowledge that, when Mata Nui awoke once more, the storm would return. And when it did, every living thing in Karda Nui would be turned to ash.

X X X

Takanuva shook his head, trying to make sense of all the images that had flashed through his mind. One in particular had seared itself into his consciousness—the energy storm that had torn through Karda Nui when Mata Nui awoke for the very first time.

He opened his eyes to see Helryx and Krakua nearby. Krakua held the Krana-Kraata hybrid in his hand. "Now you know," said Helryx. "We were aware the Toa Nuva would lose part of their memory in the time they spent in the Toa canisters, the better to keep our existence a secret. But we could not foresee how complete the loss would be. They are in Karda Nui now, with no idea that if they succeed in their mission…they and the Av-Matoran there will all die."

"So there's no hope? I can't believe that!" said Takanuva.

"Of course there's hope," snapped Helryx. "Why do you think we brought you here? You are a Toa of Light—try not to be quite so dim. The key to the Toa Nuva's survival can be found inside the Codrex, but they must have the knowledge you hold to be able to use it wisely. You must get to Karda Nui and warn them."

"If your organization is so powerful, why can't one of your members carry this message?" asked Takanuva.

Helryx nodded. "We have members of great power, true. But none with your ability—the mastery of Light itself. Only you can battle the Makuta on even terms…while we launch an attack of our own on the Makuta base at Destral."

Takanuva could guess what that meant. If the Order of Mata Nui attacked the Brotherhood, the resulting war might do what Mata Nui's death had not: wreck the universe. But he sensed there was something more to the situation and his silence showed it.

Helryx looked away and spoke again. "Recent events have led the Makuta to suspect our existence. Already one of our members, Botar, has been killed—slain by a Makuta. If his mental shield was somehow breached, the enemy may be tracking our other agents even now. But one Toa, alone, might be able to make it to Karda Nui."

There was no choice, of course. If this was all some kind of a trick, Takanuva had no doubt he had the power to make this Helryx pay. And if it wasn't…the lives of the six beings he admired most were in grave danger. "I'll go," said the Toa of Light. "But what about the Toa Mahri? Will someone be here to help them defend the city in my absence?"

"Oh," said Helryx, smiling. "I don't think that will be a problem."

Takanuva turned to see an armored titan enter the room, dragging another along behind him. He was tall and strong, but looked as if he had been through a war. Both his armor and mask were damaged. But that wasn't what struck Takanuva as most strange. Rather, it was the complex breathing apparatus he wore—could this being not breathe air?

"Meet Brutaka," Helryx continued, "an Order of Mata Nui member with a somewhat less than sterling record…still, desperate times. He tracked down the Dark Hunter that lead you into the shadow leech attack and has been assigned to more missions in preparation for coming events."

"And this is Dweller," Brutaka said, kicking his white-armored captive across the floor. "A Dark Hunter planted here long ago to keep an eye on the city—and to kill you, Toa. He has a way of getting inside your head…but I decided to be nice and let him keep his own."

"Wait a minute, I've heard of you from the Toa Mahri," said Takanuva. "You betrayed your oath to the Order and almost killed two teams of Toa. It took your own partner to put you down." He turned to Helryx. "This is your idea of help for Metru Nui? His kind?"

"We all make mistakes, and while I am most aware of Brutaka's decisions, he did recently complete a mission that reinstated him into the Order of Mata Nui as a…probationary member. I do trust him again…not much, but to the extent that I can. I have faith in my other operatives to keep Metru Nui prepared." Helryx's expression turned dark. "But…understand something, Takanuva. We are in a war. Maybe we have been since the day the Brotherhood struck down Mata Nui. And in a war, you don't always get to choose your allies or test them first to make sure they are good and pure enough. I would recruit Dark Hunters and Pit prisoners if I thought it would bring the Makuta down."

"And what kind of universe would that leave you with?" asked Takanuva.

"One full of beings still free to make their own mistakes," answered Brutaka.

Takanuva said nothing, simply looked from Brutaka to Helryx, unsure of which one he disliked more at the moment. Krakua finally spoke up, trying to break up the tension. "Ahem…Brutaka will be your means of transport to Karda Nui, using the dimensional travel power of his mask. It's faster than going by Toa canister, if a little more dangerous."

Takanuva looked again at Brutaka's mask. There were hairline cracks in a number of places. It was amazing it was still functioning at all. But there was no turning back now. "I'd have to be insane to trust him," said the Toa of Light.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" asked Helryx, offering her hand. "You have to be insane to be a Toa at all. It's the first requirement for the job."

After a long moment, Takanuva reached out and shook her hand. Maybe she was right, he conceded. Maybe in a time of crisis, the old rules don't apply—and maybe being a hero was a lot more complicated than he thought. "Take this," said Krakua. The object he offered Takanuva was, of all things, a sundial—one like any Matoran might use to tell the time of day. "You may need it."

Takanuva took it even as Brutaka triggered the power of his mask. A hole opened in space, its edges ragged and distorted, and its size fluctuating wildly. Taking a deep breath, Takanuva plunged into it, to begin the strangest journey of his life.

"Do you think he'll make it?" asked Krakua as the hole disappeared with an audible pop.

"He has to," answered Helryx. "If I am right, the Makuta have much bigger plans than just controlling Karda Nui—and we may need the Toa Nuva, if we hope to stop them. He has to get them out of the core before the energy storm consumes them all."

"Should we have told him the rest?" Krakua asked, obviously a little uncomfortable with what had not been shared.

"About what is going to happen to him? And what his true destiny might be?" Helryx gave a bitter laugh. "No, Krakua. If we are wrong, then it would all be for nothing. And if we are right…simply telling him the truth might well drive him mad."

Helryx, Brutaka and Krakua left the chamber then, to begin the long walk from the Archives to the surface of Metru Nui. Each knew what was about to happen: an all-out conflict between the forces of the Order of Mata Nui and the Brotherhood of Makuta. They walked slowly towards the light high above, sure in the knowledge that what they were about to do would change the universe forever…or destroy it.

X X X

Makuta Teridax, leader of the Brotherhood, originator of the Plan, was at the moment far from Karda Nui. He was in a part of the universe even he had never visited before, though it lived in more than a few legends. Vast and complex, even he had never seen anything quite like it.

Getting here had not been easy. He existed only as a free-floating cloud of energy, having abandoned his last body in the depths of the Pit. As it turned out, that was the only thing that had saved him. The defenses of this place—and there were many—were intended to deal with intruders in physical form. The weaponry, while formidable, could not destroy a being that was pure power unleashed.

He knew right now the rest of the Brotherhood would be in combat with the Toa Nuva in Karda Nui. The odds favored the Makuta in that fight, but odds were meaningless when it came to Toa. Despite the raw power, ruthlessness, and brutality of their enemies—perhaps even because of it—he had no doubt the Toa would find some way to achieve their destiny in awakening the Great Spirit.

In fact, thought Makuta Teridax with a smile, you might even say I'm counting on it.

He had never been a believer in unity or duty, those virtues the Matoran clung to like drowning stone clings to driftwood. But the third one they cherished, destiny? Ah, yes, he believed in destiny. And it is time for mine to be achieved, he thought, hovering before the carving of a Kanohi Hau, the typical symbol of the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Isn't that right, dear brother? Yes, there are schemes within schemes, falsehoods layered upon deceptions, and imaginings so dark only I can see their shadows…and it is time at last to share them with the universe.

Without wasting another moment, the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta set about his final task.

To be continued in "Bionicle - Phase 07: Ignition - Part III: Just Like Never"...

(Black Hearts was compiled from the books Legends #9-10: Shadows in the Sky, and Swamp of Secrets; the story serial Federation of Fear; and the decanonized series Memoirs of the Dead, containing The Teacher by Tikiturbo)