"Don't forget what happens to traitors, Vakama. You are too valuable to kill."

It was this stern warning that echoed in the Fire Hordika's mind as he absently wandered the web-strewn halls of the Coliseum, his eyes a yellowy-green color – betraying the conflict between his sanity and his inner Hordika - , and his expression grim. The muffled screaming he'd heard a while back was worrying him greatly, making him wonder which of his former comrades the victim was. Top make matters more unsettling to him, half of him wanted to investigate, and the other half was adamant about staying as far from the cell block as possible.

"Go on, Vakama," one voice urged him. "one of your friends is hurt; they need you."

"Lady Roodaka will kill you if you do." The other argued. "don't be stupid!"

"What if it was Nokama?"

"Who cares? Your life is worth more than hers."

"Go!"

"Don't do it!"

Vakama moaned quietly as he closed his eyes and let the two voices bicker for a while. So far, both had given good arguments, or at least a good enough argument to keep the Hordika wandering aimlessly. Eventually, he opened his eyes again and continued to meander down the hall, half paying attention to where he was going, and half distracted by the constant argument that echoed over and over in his skull. After a little while, however, he realized where in the Coliseum he was; the corridor leading to the holding cells.

Once again, his sanity spoke out. "Take a look, see who got hurt."

"No." Argued his feral side. "Mistress Roodaka would kill you if you defected again."

"Just take a look," his sanity pleaded. "they might really need someone to talk to. Maybe you could help them."

"forget it!" The Hordika part snarled. "You're worth more than all of them combined!"

Vakama gripped his head with his hands, trying to quiet his two personalities down. One seemed to back off after a little while. However, the other just seemed to shout even louder, and within a mater of moments, Vakama caved in, taking off down the hall at a run, his mind desperately trying to figure out who had been dragged in.

His frantic search lead him to find Mihkoro, presently coiled up in a corner of his cell with Jaller huddled up beside him, seeming scared. When Mihkoro first saw Vakama there, a menacing hiss-like noise escaped his lips, though he quieted himself when he saw that Vakama's eyes weren't reflecting his feral side. "Vakama?" He asked quietly, his expression somewhat hopeful. "Are you… reasonable right now? Or are you just here to laugh?"

Vakama shook his head as he took hold of the cell's bars. "I'm not here to laugh." He replied grimly, highly concerned about the fact that his brother was now a Hordika. "Are you okay, other than the obvious?"

"I'm far from it." Mihkoro replied with a frown. "My son's a captive, my wife and team are dead, and I'm a monstrosity who can't even tell my son that everything is going to be okay without probably becoming a liar." He then sighed, carefully brushing some of his hair out of his face. "What about you? How's your sanity holding out?"

Vakama cringed slightly at his brother's response, knowing that the Great Temple had only been attacked because of information that he himself had given to Roodaka, albeit unwillingly. Shaking his focus away from this, he replied, his tone grim, yet holding traces of faint hope. "I think it's getting stronger. I've been having an easier time finding myself, and I think it'll only get easier from now on."

Mihkoro thought this information over carefully, and something in his eyes seemed to say that he was about to ask Vakama to do something potentially dangerous. "If that's the case," he replied finally. "I need you to do me a favour. A really big one."

Vakama grimaced, seeming uneasy now as he shifted his weight uncomfortably and responded. "Is this potentially going to kill me?"

Going by the grim, faintly amused half-smile that Mihkoro gave him, death was a definite risk. "Isn't dying just an occupational hazard now?" The snake Hordika asked rhetorically. He then shook his head. "I need you to take Jaller and get out of here. Go into hiding, find the other Toa Metru… just do whatever it takes to keep my son safe."

Vakama blinked once. "You'd be coming too, wouldn't you?" He asked, dreading the answer.

"No." Mihkoro replied, seeming saddened by his own response. "I told Roodaka that I would give my freedom up for Jaller's life. So far she hasn't hurt him, but I don't trust her at all. Please Vakama; get him out of here."

Jaller looked up at his mutated father with alarm. "But Dad, what about you? You can't stay, you just can't!"

Mihkoro carefully and gently hugged his son. "Shh… it'll be okay, Jaller. Your uncle will take good care of you, and I'll find my own way out in time." He then looked at Vakama, his gaze showing traces of desperation. "Please, Vakama, get him out before Roodaka does something to him."

The red Hordika grimaced as he listened, though without really giving himself time to think about it, he nodded, starting to unlock the cell door. "I'll do what I can, Mihkoro. Just… be careful, okay?"

The Dark Hordika gave a half-hearted chuckle. "I'll see what can be done, Vakama. There's not a great deal that I can pull off, but at least Jaller will be safer with you than he will in here."

Vakama gave a small nod as he finished unlocking the cell door and pushed it open. Quickly crossing the distance between the doorway and his brother, Vakama crouched down so he was at eye level with the last two members of his family, his gaze showing his unease and fear in regard to what he was about to do. Jaller held onto his father nervously at first, though after a little while he let go and allowed Vakama to pick him up. After giving a small grim nod to Mihkoro, the red Hordika stood up, shifting so Jaller was on his back before leaving the cell, locking it, and hurrying down the hallway, his senses all on high alert for any indication that something or someone was moving in on them.

They were around halfway to the nearest exit when the sound of screeching Visorak echoed from behind them, a sure-fire indication that Vakama's treachery had been discovered. T he Hordika sped up as Jaller held on tighter, and it wasn't hard to tell that the boy was terrified. Vakama grimaced, a faint and low growl rumbling in his throat as his Hordika side began to try and take over.

"You'll need my help if you want to get out of this alive." His feral side said in his mind.

"I need to get out of this with more than my own life." His sanity snarled. "So back off."

"Is the pup really worth that much to you?" Ferality questioned, sounding faintly amused. "He's so small, so utterly hopeless unless someone is constantly watching him. He'd be good bait."

That ticked Vakama off, and his sanity hissed venomously. "Would you give him up so willingly if he was your own son? Or would you try to protect him with everything you had?"

Going by the fact that his Hordika side didn't retort, Vakama decided that the conversation was over, and as such re-focussed on the task at hand, speeding up even more as he went around a corner, narrowly managing to dodge as several spinners hurtled past, cracking loudly when they hit the wall. 'That was far too close.' Vakama thought grimly. 'I just hope we can get away before all our luck runs out!'

That was when his Hordika side showed up again, smashing its way into control before Vakama even had a chance to fight back. "Hold on tighter, kid!" He ordered, speeding up even more as Jaller's hold turned into a deathly tight grip. Satisfied with this, the now feral Hordika veered off the course that Vakama had originally been taking, now heading straight for a window. "Hide your face!" Without slowing at all, Vakama felt his nephew bury his face as best he could, just in time for the Hordika to jump at the window, utterly shattering it and landing on several thick webs that'd been woven together like a large, taught-pulled cable. Balancing just right, the Hordika slid down it almost as though he were using his feet to rail grind, only jumping to the next web string when he heard the whirring of an oncoming Rhotuka. Using his new landing spot like a trampoline, the Hordika vaulted to a more loose strand, grabbing onto it and slashing it apart so he could swing down lower, repeating this until he reached the Coliseum wall.

Several Visorak were moving in to greet him already, all charging at once. However, by the time they'd even reached where he'd been, the Hordika had already leapt off the wall, landing on the other side and hurtling off out of sight. Vakama and Jaller had escaped.