Onewa saw the ground rushing up toward him far too fast. Instinctively, he let his body go loose as he prepared for impact. He hit the muddy coastline of Le-Metru hard, skidding across the slick black slime of the beach before coming to a stop. So far…the Toa Metru's return to rescue the sleeping Matoran and evacuate them to the new island wasn't going well.

A small Rahi reptile skittered across the rubble-strewn shores of Le-Metru. Now and then, small fish would work their way this close to the city's edge and become trapped among the rocks, making them easy prey. The larger animals stayed away from the water, especially in a storm, so it was a safe place to find a meal. Something stirred in the muck. The reptile paused, eyes wide, waiting to see if it was dinner or some marine predator driven to shore by the violent seas. When Toa Onewa's head popped up out of the mud, the Rahi leapt in fright and raced off.

"Well, that…stunk," said the Toa of Stone. He pushed himself off the sand with a squelch, brushed the mud off of his shoulders, then shook his hands dry. "Yuck! When I get my hands on Matau…"

A second figure rose up, covered in mud and seaweed, looking like a creature even an archivist couldn't love. As it rose, its silhouette outlined against the pale light of the moon. Onewa let out an involuntary cry of surprise and struggled to free his proto pitons from the mud. The figure raised a muck-encrusted arm and scraped the mud from its face, revealing the familiar mask of the Toa of Ice. "It would appear there was an error in our transport," he said slowly. "Pilot error."

Matau's head and shoulders suddenly burst from a pile of rubble between the two Toa. He shot Nuju an upward look of annoyance. "Hey, don't blame me for the ship's hard-crash! I was only order-taking. Vakama was the one order-giving."

"No need to be critical, Matau."

All three Toa turned to see Nokama emerging from the surf. In her natural element, she was quite a striking figure. "Regardless of how gracefully," she continued softly, "we made it here. The important thing is that we are all here and all safe."

"Yeah, well…whatever," grumbled Matau, still irritated. His attempt to shrug was foiled by the rock and mud that surrounded him, keeping him pinned. "Could, uh, somebody dig me out of here?"

Whenua approached and used his earthshock drills to clear away some of the debris. Then he reached down, grabbed Matau's hand, and pulled the Toa of Air loose.

"Thanks," said Matau.

The Toa of Earth shrugged. "It's what I do," replied Whenua. "Good to see we are all intact."

The five Toa stood together, still a bit shaken from their experience. None of them brought up the fact that Vakama was missing, fearing that perhaps he was not just absent, but dead. Their unspoken questions were answered by his voice.

"Are we going to stand around all night, playing in the mud?" demanded Vakama, emerging from the darkened streets of the city. Vakama used his fire power to lighten the dark from a cliff above them. "Or are we going to rescue the Matoran?"

X X X

The little Rahi reptile ran as fast as its legs could carry it. It had seen many strange things since the great shadow fell on the city, but tall ones who spring from mud were something new and most unwelcome. So panicked was the tiny creature that it never stopped to think just where it was heading until it was too late.

It rounded a pile of shattered masonry at top speed and hit a thin, but strong, web head on. Its own struggles to free itself only entangled it more, until it hung helplessly waiting for its captor. After a few moments, the weaver of the web appeared. The black spider-creature eyed its catch with disdain. It had hoped for one of the larger Rahi who were running wild through the city. Instead, here was this miniscule, jabbering thing, barely worth wasting a cocoon on.

The reptile was panicked. It knew far too well what this creature was—it had seen the like all over Le-Metru. Bigger Rahi ran in terror from the spiders, but they never made it very far. Most wound up wrapped in webs, not quite dead, not quite alive.

Thinking quickly, the little creature decided that if it explained its trespass, maybe the spider would let it go. It spoke rapidly, relating how it was simply looking for a meal when these larger beings with two faces chased it.

The spider paused. The beings described sounded suspiciously like the ones Roodaka had demanded the hordes watch out for. Perhaps there would be some use for this Rahi besides just the usual. Roodaka might even reward the messenger that brought such news.

The Visorak spider plucked the squirming reptile from the web with its mandibles and began the long journey to the Coliseum.

X X X

Roodaka tapped her claws on the arm of her throne, deep in thought. Strictly speaking, of course, it was not her throne. It belonged to Sidorak, master of the Visorak hordes. But he was away, overseeing another hunt, which was fine with her. Sidorak was a skilled commander, and had his uses, but his company could be tiresome to say the least. She needed time to plan.

She and Sidorak were different species, but both under the same employer to rule the Visorak horde. Still, both were imposing—humanoid and a few feet taller than the average Toa, with Roodaka clad in dark and silver armor and Sidorak in mostly in scarlet and crimson hues. Now, Roodaka continued to think about the future and how to make it best for her.

Her peace was disrupted by a black Visorak called Oohnorak carrying a small Rahi in its jaws. The interruption irritated her, which did not bode well for her visitor. Visorak who annoyed Roodaka rarely lived to see another hunt. "It is too small to be tribute," she said, eyeing the struggling Rahi, "and too scrawny to be lunch. So I assume this sad, malodorous creature serves some other purpose? Some extremely important purpose?"

Oohnorak squeezed his mandibles a little tighter on the Rahi. His catch responded by babbling out the entire story again. Roodaka listened, bored at first, then gradually growing more interested when it became obvious who the little creature had encountered.

"So the Toa have returned, as I knew they would," she said softly. "They conquered Makuta, but they left without their prize, those wretched little Matoran. No one can ignore the spoils of victory, not even heroes. It was only a matter of time." She gestured to the Rahi. "Set the puny beast free."

The Visorak looked at her. Something about its attitude suggested it was actually considering questioning her order. Then, realizing what a fatal mistake that would be, it opened its jaws and let the reptile scamper away.

"Let it enjoy a few more hours of life," Roodaka said. "This city is ours. Where can it go? As for the Toa…" She rose, the dim light reflecting off her sleek, ebon form. "Find them. Now. And when they are found…you know what to do."

Roodaka watched the Visorak depart to carry out her commands, and allowed herself a smile. Fate had delivered right into her claws—the only thing she needed to complete her plans.

A message was sent through the strands of webbing that covered the city. Short and simple, it would bring a thousand creatures of the shadows after the Toa Metru: "the hunt has begun."

Now it was just a matter of time.

X X X

The Toa Metru walked through the quake-damaged Le-Metru. Their progress was slow. Most of the city's lightstones had gone dark, and those that still worked produced only dim illumination. The streets were strewn with rubble and strange plants had overgrown entire blocks. This, combined with the absence of any Matoran, created the impression of a dead city. Worst of all were the webs, a combination of thick and thin strands with the strength of solid metal that hampered all forward movement.

Whenua was up ahead, using his Mask of Night Vision to try and light the way, accompanied by Matau. Vakama and Nokama stayed close behind, with Onewa and Nuju on their flanks.

"Where were you? I mean, after we crashed," asked Nokama.

"Scouting," the Toa of Fire replied. "I wanted to make sure there was no immediate danger."

"You might have helped your brothers first. They could have been injured. I'm surprised you didn't think of that."

Vakama paused for a moment before replying. "l did. But if I went looking for them, and there was something lurking nearby, we might have been caught unaware. I made a decision to scout first, and seek later."

Nokama said nothing. They walked on in an uncomfortable silence for a while before she turned back to him. "You don't have to feel bad, you know."

"About what?"

"The wreck. Even if we had turned back earlier, we might still have been swept up in the storm. It wasn't your fault."

Vakama glanced at her, as if surprised she had brought it up. "l don't feel bad. We had to get back to Metru Nui. I wasn't going to let a little rain get in our way."

A little rain? Nokama shook her head. She had seen Vakama angry, frightened, confident, uncertain, and in a whole host of other moods, but this new attitude was beyond her. She wasn't sure whether to be irritated or worried by his recklessness.

As if sensing that she did not approve of his actions, Vakama stopped and looked her in the eyes. "Listen. Toa Lhikan was captured by the Dark Hunters because I could not help him. He gave me a mission—save the heart of the city, the Matoran—and I failed. He died taking a blast meant for me, because I wasn't good enough to stop Makuta before that." Vakama's eyes blazed. "l won't fail again. The Matoran will be saved, with the rest of you…or without you."

X X X

"Oh, no…Le-Metru…" Nokama breathed, looking around when they reached a part of the inner civilization.

"This is not Le-Metru," Matau repeated for the fifth time. He had been saying such since they entered the outer regions of the district. The Toa of Air looked around, marvelling at the broken glass, destroyed pillars and structural supports, and torn tapestries. "It is a bad thought-dream."

"I am sorry," said Whenua. "But it is real. And I am sure the rest of the city looks just as bad."

"Nothing could be as bad as this," Matau replied. "So many chutes broken…streets buckled…green-growth everywhere…buildings shattered…"

"I agree with Whenua, Matau," Nuju said. "It's not just Le-Metru—the whole city looks this bad."

Matau went back to looking around, making faces of disappointment and surprise. "If this is what happens when we win a fight…I hope we never lose one." He looked up, noticing the blanket of webbing that could be seen, creating a skeleton against the backdrop of the ever present mist. "What's with all that mist-fog? And all those webs?" Matau wondered.

"Less talk," Vakama ordered, as the group made their way in through the destroyed city. "Focus on the mission."

Matau's face cringed up in offense—this had been his home, and Vakama wouldn't even allow sympathy or curiosity about it? "Sorry. I thought we were here for a holiday slow-stroll," he said drearily, annoyed with Vakama's slow pace and newly fast mouth.

Vakama returned his glance at the head of the group and stopped walking. "Scout ahead, Matau—quietly for a change."

Matau frowned, and locked eyes with the Toa of Fire, holding the eye contact even as he walked by him. It was only broken when he was in front of him. "A little too much order-giving, if you ask me, fire-spitter," he muttered, despite following the orders.

"This city is more dangerous than when we left it," Whenua said, following the Toa of Air. "Wait here. I should go with him. We'll be back soon."