One Month Later

It had taken her weeks, but Gavla had finally managed to petition Ahkmou to grant her an audience. She had remained calm all the way through the tedious process, but now her nerves were alight. A part of her still didn't believe that she would be granted her request, but she would just have to keep trying until she found a method that would succeed.

Gavla walked through the enormous gates that led into the Coliseum, flanked by two Rahkshi keeping a watchful eye on her. Since the last remnants of open resistance had been stamped out, the Rahkshi had been growing more impatient and aggressive. They had begun attacking Matoran for minor transgressions, and a Matoran who even stared at a Rahkshi too long could find themselves being struck by a Rahkshi's fist - or worse. It was clear to most Matoran that the Rahkshi were not fit to act as the city's law enforcement, and that casualties would soon pile up. The Rahkshi, no longer allowed to fight, grew more aggressive and impatient each day.

As long as she wasn't the one facing the Rahkshi's wrath, Gavla didn't care.

After a long trek through countless halls decorated with grand carvings, she reached Ahkmou's throne. Gavla dropped to one knee, and after a moment, looked up at the being sitting before her. "Turaga Ahkmou," she said. "I have waited so long to speak to you."

"What is it you wish to ask of me?" he asked. Ahkmou was not, technically, a Turaga. He still had the body of a Matoran and had never been a Toa. However, as he was the ruler of Metru Nui in Makuta's stead, he had been granted the title.

"Please, Turaga, turn me back to a Shadow Matoran. I know you must have the power to do it."

"And why, my dear subject, would you wish to become a being of Shadow?"

"When I was in Karda Nui, I had the light taken away from me by the Makuta. Being a Shadow Matoran made me whole, made me part of something greater! But that was stolen from me, by the Toa - by Takanuva!" She practically spat the name.

Ahkmou said nothing for a moment. "What a surprising request. But it sounds like you have failed Makuta once before. How do I know you won't fail us again?"

"Seven Makuta challenged the Toa Nuva in Karda Nui, and not one of them survived," Gavla said, fury shining into her words. "One Matoran might not stand much of a chance against a Toa, but I swear, I will get my revenge on Takanuva."

Ahkmou adjusted his ceremonial robes. "Very well. I, of course, would be happy to grant this request for you. However…" he thought for a moment. "You must do a favor for me first. Prove your loyalty by bringing me the identities of one of the hidden resistance groups that have attempted to sabotage our Vahki production lines. If the knowledge you bring me leads to the capture of a resistance member - then I will grant you the power of shadow."

Gavla found herself filled with relief. "It is my pleasure to serve you, Turaga." She bowed once more before hurrying from the throne room, eager to carry out her first mission.


In the time the Toa had been living in this network of caves, it hadn't expanded significantly. As Toa were recruited, Onua and Nuparu carved out more living chambers for them. But outside of a few extra living and storage rooms, the underground chambers hadn't changed much. It was almost becoming like a new home for many of them. Almost.

Takanuva walked down a newly formed tunnel that he didn't remember being there that morning. So far, no new lightstones had been erected, so Takanuva used his powers to brighten the dark chamber. Although he couldn't see it, the sound of metal scraping dirt echoed throughout the cool passageway. After only a few steps, he rounded a corner and reached the end. Just as he suspected, he found Onua scraping and digging out the new chamber, his hands covered by metal claws he had fashioned for himself.

"Couldn't you just use your powers to make a new tunnel?" asked Takanuva. "And do we even need another one? It's not like we need any more space."

Onua's thrust a claw into the wall, pulling the earth apart, and pressing it into the sides of the new tunnel. After a moment, he answered. "This is for my own sake. Digging makes the world make sense. Digging puts me at ease."

"Are you still worried about Teridax?"

"I'm not worried about Teridax betraying us, if that's what you mean," answered Onua. "Vakama's prophecy said that we would meet a white-armored Makuta who would help us defeat our Makuta." Onua pulled a stone out of his way and went back to digging. "However, I am worried about the other Toa. Teridax does not reveal the details of his plan to prevent security leaks, so instead we wait and gather our forces. The other Toa grow impatient. They want to liberate our home and defeat Makuta, and over time, they begin to wonder whether Teridax has a plan at all. You seem to be the only one who trusts him completely."

"Yet another thing that sets me apart from everyone else," said Takanuva, bitterness seeping into his voice. "I named myself after the Toa Nuva, but I'm not one any more. You all fly around with your new armor, covering each other with your Nuva masks and finding new recruits. The Toa Mahri swim through our channels, attacking Skakdi ships. And I'm stuck here because I can't help any of you."

Onua took a deep breath and turned to face Takanuva. "Takanuva, we all respect you. You may not have a Nuva mask or adaptive armor, but you're an important member of our team. You managed to stop more Rahkshi than any of us. Your uniqueness is your strength."

"It just feels like I'm never out there with the rest of you," the Toa of Light complained. "I'm always on my own, defending Metru Nui or this dank cave, while the rest of you fight Skakdi or gather more Toa."

"Right now, I think everyone feels a little useless," answered Onua. "Your time will come, Takanuva. Just be patient."


It didn't take long for Gavla to find the hints of a resistance group. It was obvious who the members were - a handful of differently-colored Matoran heading into Ta-Metru every other afternoon stood out. It was all too easy for her to follow one Le-Matoran through the Metru until he walked up into the entrance of a building. Forge 77, read the sign above the doorway.

Gavla began staking out the building, watching from across the street. Matoran from various districts, entering a single forge after most workers had gone home. The Rahkshi were far too dim-witted as law enforcers to be able to notice this sort of suspicious activity, and so as long as Matoran appeared to be hurrying off to work or home, they wouldn't be stopped.

Gavla could report this to Ahkmou, but it would look more favorably on her if she could give him more details. Solid details. So she waited.

A Ta-Matoran walked past her, staring curiously at the blue-armored Matoran loitering in the district of fire. The moron probably thought she was a Ga-Matoran. Still, Gavla thought it would be best not to allow attention to be drawn to herself. Like all Matoran of Light, she could change the color of her armor at will. She glanced around to make sure no-one was watching, before shifting the way light bent around her body. After a moment, parts of her armor shifted from deep blue to red.

Then, she waited some more.

The evening air turned cold as the twin suns winked out. The smoke from the Great Furnace was barely visible in the night sky, but its flames lit up buildings in the far distance. Gavla huddled up under the entrance of a nearby building, where the embers from the fire pits inside licked her with warmth. Of all the districts in the city, Ta-Metru remained the most well lit after dark.

Finally, Matoran began to leave Forge 77 in twos and threes, without bothering with a word of goodbye to each other. Each group headed back towards a nearby chute station that would take them back to their home district. Finally, she caught sight of the Le-Matoran she had followed in. He left with a Ta-Matoran she had never seen before.

Gavla ran to catch up to them, allowing her armor to shift back to her preferred blues. The two Matoran held an amazingly slow pace, and she caught up easily.

"Excuse me," she asked, "Can you direct me to the nearest chute station?"

"Of course, watermaiden!" replied the Le-Matoran. "I head to Le-Metru myself. Chute-station you need on our way. Now, quick-follow!"

This Matoran's chutespeak was even worse than most of the inhabitants of Le-Metru. How his companion put up with it was beyond Gavla. "Thank you, friend," she said, trying to project a tone of cheerfulness as she followed next to him. "By the way, my name is Gavla. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I am Tamaru of Le-Metru!" he replied. "Highfly chutesman, windrunner mechanic! Friend here is Kapura!"

Kapura nodded but said nothing. Tamaru raced on about a dozen different topics, his thick dialect making it difficult for Gavla to keep up. But none of that mattered. She had their names, and soon, Ahkmou would have them as well.


Gavla took her report to Ahkmou the next day. To her surprise, when she approached his throne she didn't see a Matoran sitting in it, but a Toa of Stone.

Akhmou's voice came from behind the black mask of the tall Toa. "Gavla, what news do you bring me?"

Gavla quickly replied. "I've found the names of two members of a resistance group, Turaga."

"Excellent work. I will dispatch the first of my new Vahki to capture them."

Gavla was surprised again when a creature scuttled forward on two legs and two blades. No, this was no creature - this was a machine.

"The first of the new Vahki enforcers," explained Ahkmou. "It wasn't hard for us to find the plans for them. They will find your new friends and bring them to me. All you need to do is give me their meeting location…"


Tahu had just finished directing the Toa Mahri on another mission to disrupt Skakdi ships. The Toa Mahri worked well together and had proven themselves a match against some of the most formidable Skakdi before. Now, as they coordinated attacks from beneath the waves, they were able to dominate sea-going foes without having to confront them directly. Shipping lanes were regularly disrupted, and the Skakdi were struggling to keep up or send their forces further South.

The Toa Mahri left the room, heading toward the tunnels that Gali and Onua had prepared that led into the ocean. These tunnels allowed the Toa to come and go from their hidden underground base without Makuta and his forces being able to watch. So far, they had remained hidden.

It was yet another attack in a long line of attacks. The Toa were used to getting to the heart of a conflict, to decisively defeating their foes - not these long wars of attrition, of denying resources and supply lines. It felt like they were floundering uselessly, and he hoped they would soon be able to take the fight to Makuta.

Tahu stepped out of the briefing room, and saw Pohatu leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

Pohatu pushed off the wall and stepped towards him. "We're still just harassing the Skakdi, aren't we?"

Tahu strode onwards through the tunnels. "Like Teridax has said, we need to prevent Makuta from organizing an even larger army." He had already explained this to Pohatu numerous times, but he tried to calmly lay it out yet again.

"Tahu, why are we still waiting? We haven't located any other Toa groups in over a fortnight. We're just biding our time until Makuta can finally crush us."

The two walked into another corridor. A Toa of Sonics - Krakua, who Hewkii had recruited, brushed past them.

"Teridax is waiting for the right time to strike," answered Tahu. "You saw what Makuta's forces look like. We lost Metru Nui once, and I don't want to go back until we're ready."

"How much more ready do you want to be?" asked Pohatu. "We aren't gaining any more Toa, Skakdi are escorting new Vahki to Stelt, Rahkshi are heading South, and we're doing nothing. Teridax told us he could stop Makuta, but it seems like we're just sitting back while he builds his Empire."

Tahu's eyes narrowed. He couldn't admit it to the other Toa, but he'd been having the same doubts. All the same, the only chance that they had at victory was with a large, united force, and his patience with Pohatu was running thin. He clenched his fists, but tried to force himself to remain calm. "Pohatu, I believe in our Unity. As a group, I know we can take Metru Nui back. Can we still achieve it without Teridax?"

"Sometimes I can't straight-believe that we'd be taking orders from a Makuta," came a familiar voice from behind them.

Tahu turned around to see Lewa approaching. "Is this our Unity?" asked the Toa of Air. "To blind-follow a leader of shadow? Is Makuta just leading us in circles, ensuring we never return to our home?"

"Vakama told us that we'd meet Teridax! Vakama foresaw this! I wouldn't have trusted Teridax if Vakama didn't tell me to with his last words!" Molten fury poured through his words and he could feel his temperature rising to extreme levels. The moisture around his feet sizzled as it turned to steam.

"Is that all we do?" asked Pohatu, an edge of frustration in his voice. "Follow prophecies blindly? Tahu, the Chronicler's updated the Wall of History, and it says we've already done that once! We were told that we were to awaken Mata Nui, but now we don't know where he is or if he's even alive. We gave Makuta all the power he ever wanted! We destroyed our old home, we lost our new one, and we failed to protect the Matoran." Pohatu sighed. "And now we're taking orders from someone who looks and sounds just like Makuta. Seems like we're just playing into Makuta's hands again."

"I won't forsake Vakama's last prophecy over a hunch!" cried Tahu.

"Then get Teridax to deep-explain his plan to you," said Lewa. "Give us something to believe in."

Tahu suppressed the desire to lash out. He needed to build a foundation of trust for his team to work with, or else they really would fall apart. The last thing he needed was Pohatu or Lewa walking out of the group. With a deep breath, he tried to regain his calm. "I'll see what I can do," he grumbled, as he stormed off to find Teridax.


Gavla had waited impatiently at the Great Temple, where Ahkmou promised he would meet her. When she returned home today, she had found a tablet with instructions to come to the temple at once. She had hardly finished reading it when she rushed over to the nearest chute station.

It felt like it had been hours since she had reached the Temple, but Ahkmou still hadn't arrived. She double-checked the instructions, but she had followed them perfectly. She suspected that he was making her wait just to show that he could. It wasn't like his Vahki enforcers would have any trouble catching a band of Matoran. If the information she gave didn't lead to their capture... no. Her information was good. Ahkmou would be here. She would soon be a Shadow Matoran again. Gavla was certain of it. She kept herself busy herself by exploring the Temple, inspecting the Toa Suva, and wandering the halls, trying anything to make the time go just a little bit quicker and to keep her mind from going to those frightful thoughts.

After an age she finally heard approaching footsteps and the clanking of machinery. Tamaru and Kapura followed two Vahki without a hint of resistance. Like Ahkmou said, the Vahki Nuurakh can command anyone to do their will, thought Gavla. Two more Vahki kept a watchful eye behind the two Matoran. Ahkmou stepped in after them, followed by another pair of Vahki.

"Is this it?" asked Gavla. "I gave you their meeting location. Why didn't you capture the entire group?"

"These two will be all we need," Ahkmou replied. "When their allies discover their fate, they will be far too fearful to even think about taking up arms against us!"

Ultimately, Gavla decided she didn't particularly care what Ahkmou did or didn't do. "So you will finally give me that which you promised me?"

"Of course, my friend!" said Ahkmou. "But first, I have another gift for you." He presented a stone to her.

"A stone?" asked Gavla, incredulously.

"Place it in the Suva," urged Ahkmou.

Gavla pushed away her doubts and approached the Great Suva. A slot on the side of it opened up. Trembling, she placed the stone inside.

A bright light shone from the Suva, engulfing Gavla within. She felt her body changing, shifting, growing. As the light faded away, she glanced down at her body. Her arms were bulkier, the ground was further away than she was used to. She towered over the Matoran, she was eye-level with the Vahki.

She had become a Toa.

"What have you done?" cried Gavla, turning to Ahkmou. "This is the opposite of what we agreed upon! I'm a Toa of Light, not a being of Shadow!"

"Just have a little patience, Gavla." Ahkmou pulled out a mask from his satchel and replaced the one he wore with it. Although his new mask looked less sinister than his last one, it held an appearance of power. "Makuta arranged to have a few of these transported here from Destral - along with some other curiosities."

"A mask of hunger," Gavla whispered. She was intimately familiar with this mask's powers and abilities, and a part of her hoped that Ahkmou might grant the mask to her once he was done using it.

The mask of hunger began to glow, and she felt the familiar sensation of her light being drained. Her moral inhibitions vanished and the last traces of her lingering sense of guilt faded away.

"Yes!" she gasped, feeling the cold rush of shadow grip her heartlight. Her armor didn't change color, her body didn't feel different - at least, no different than she already felt in her new, larger form. But she felt a connection that she was worried might have been lost forever. She knew she was valuable, she was needed.

She would be Makuta's enforcer.

A flurry of movement from the Vahki drew her attention. The two Matoran became a blur of motion, vanishing before their eyes. Vahki scurried around, trying to follow them - but the Matoran moved so quickly that they could never have hoped to be successful.

"It seems our friends are more capable than I thought," said Ahkmou, seemingly unbothered by the event. "Not to worry. Both were hands of the Turaga on Mata Nui. We know who they are, who their likely associates would be, and we have instilled fear in their organization. The Vahki will be on the lookout for them and their friends, and if they appear, we will destroy them."


Tahu didn't waste time trying to find Teridax. He walked swiftly through the damp cave network, checking each room for any sign of the Light Makuta. The Toa were growing impatient, and Tahu needed to get some answers before his team began to fracture.

He found the Teridax in a briefing room, staring at a map of their universe carved into the wall.

"Teridax," said Tahu, trying to hide the frustration in his voice. "I need to ask, why are we wasting more time attacking Skakdi ships instead of retaking Metru Nui?"

Teridax turned face to Tahu. "We're stopping Makuta amassing more forces," he explained, radiating a calm demeanor. "He's trying to bring more of the aggressive forces under his control, so he can wipe out those that oppose him. We are preventing him from taking total control of the Universe."

"We're not holding Makuta back at all!" Tahu was almost shouting. "He's captured Stelt, and we're seeing Skakdi escorting newly made Vahki! Rahkshi have reached the Southern Continent now, and every day, their forces grow stronger! You told us that you could stop Makuta. What are we waiting for?"

"Tahu. We must wait until the appropriate time," Teridax kept his voice level and calm. "We must wait until he is distracted, divide his attention, and launch an attack ourselves. Otherwise, Makuta will be able to stop us with a simple thought."

Tahu grimaced. They had all heard this before, but Teridax hadn't trusted anyone with the details of his plan. "You want to work together with us, but you've given us no information on your tactics. How can my team continue to trust you, if you cannot trust us?"

"I must remain vigilant. If word of my plan reached Makuta, all hope of its success would be lost. If he captured any Toa, he would delude them into giving up the details. Giving you more information than what you need is an unnecessary risk."

Tahu grabbed Teridax's arm. "You know, Teridax, you look just like Makuta. You claim to be better, but I wonder whether you really are the resistance leader you claim to be, or if you're just tying us up while Makuta closes his fist around the Universe."

Slowly, Teridax twisted his left hand to break Tahu's grip, staring into his eyes with a dangerous look. Without warning, the cavern shook and Tahu had to step back to keep his balance.

Teridax began to ignore Tahu, listening to the rumbling earth. "Your wish is granted, Tahu. Makuta is on the move. Gather everyone in the central chamber!"