A/N: And here we go! Main plot on Earth coming right up! I couldn't get the combat sequence satisfactorily right so I just cut it out from here. Hope you still enjoy.

7: So We Meet Again

"What were you thinking, you dumb ape!"

"I said I was sorry! It's not my fault I fell asleep in class." Alex said defensively.

"You were practically giving sound effects to the poem in Literature class. Pity it wasn't about a roaring lion," Jerome jibed.

"You're mean, Jerry. And no, I'm not hooking myself up on coffee like you."

Jerome smirked at this as he raised said scalding-hot coffee to his lips. His friend refused to drink bean juice. Said it was too addictive, much like smoking. He paid for that decision in an hour standing outside the principal's office during lunch. Lucky for him, the teacher forgot said principal was sick.

Suddenly Jerome stopped short and stood stock still. Think caused Alex to bump into him.

"It's him." Jerome simply stated when Alex began to complain.

Alex was about to shoot off a dozen questions, some regarding his friend's lack of details and the average word count in his sentences, when he saw what Jerome was talking about.

Across the street and running towards an unknown destination was the mysterious giant who beat up the head of the Alpha Falcons, with his cloak billowing behind him.

Toa Haavok was in a hurry. He needed to lose the being tailing him. Of all the possible crises that could occur, it had to have been an escaped Makuta. As far as his knowledge was concerned, the humans hadn't built 9-foot-tall robots with Kanohi Masks of Charisma and foot-long claws for feet.

When he saw a robotic being with wings sitting hunched on the roof of a skyscraper, he knew he had found his target. Helryx's message was rather ambiguous, but now it made perfect sense. If she said "Makuta", his attention would be solely focused on detecting the known forms of a Makuta, allowing said being to evade him by shape shifting into something else.

He tried to slowly sneak away, blending into the crowd, when disaster struck. The Makuta saw him. The duo looked eyes for a moment, and then the Makuta's jaws began to form into a smile.

It was a known fact that when a Makuta smiles at you, you run— run as if all Karzahni were at your heels—and hope to Mata Nui he doesn't catch you. That was what he was doing right now.

Suddenly, a figure crashed down on top of him with an inhuman screech. Reacting on instincts honed from centuries of battle, he grabbed his attacker and flipped him over his shoulder one-handedly, his other hand reaching for his concealed Toa tool.

However, he hesitated when he saw who it was.

Standing tall in front of him was none other than Karl Schwartz, leader of the Alpha Falcons. However, now he was nearly a foot taller and had an evil glint in his eye.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this for, Toa," the former bully hissed as he drew a mean 2 foot blade that had an otherworldly feel to it.

"What in the nine circles of hell was that!?" Jerome shouted as Karl did a backflip of the wall to land behind the giant stranger.

As the strange figure drew a wicked blade resembling a pickaxe from the depths of his cloak, Karl slashed down with his weird sword, slicing the stranger's cloak open, showing the mechanical armour he wore.

Hoarsely, Alex whispered, "I'll get the police. My home's right at the end of the street."

Jerome's only response was a nod.

Haavok was caught off guard. This human was faster and more skilled than when he last fought him, not to mention the aura of shadow now surrounding him. It would be like fighting a Zyglak with brains. Not a very good predicament to find oneself in.

Readying his pickaxe, he prepared to parry whatever move the gangster would throw at him, simultaneously reaching out to his mind with his powers of Psionics. What he saw in there made him recoil in disgust.

"You're a slave of Makuta Krendez!" the Guardian exclaimed.

"Yes. He's such a deliciously evil master," the augmented human hissed in reply.

Using his magnetic powers, Haavok snatched the blade out of his hand and unleashed a mental scream of epic proportions into the mind of his opponent. Karl went down onto his knees, covering his ears and bellowing in agony.

What happened next stunned both Jerome and Haavok.

Karl vomited out a dead kraata slug, which immediately started to shrivel up in the sunlight. A few seconds later, Karl's voice snapped Haavok out of it.

"He imprisoned my soul. Made… made me do unspeakably foul acts. Made me… made me personally… infect every one of m-my gang members. They're-they're all ab-abominations." A clearly traumatised Karl spoke out, then, barely audibly, "Like me…"

Suddenly, one of the gang members stepped out of his hiding spot; USP held level and aimed at Haavok's head.

"You've disappointed the Master, Karl. It is time to terminate you." At the signal, over a dozen more gangsters emerged from the shadows, all armed with a variety of weapons, one or two with guns.

Haavok managed to overcome the shock, hauling a shaking Karl to his feet and shoving his blade back into his hands, "There is yet time to make amends, young one. Defend yourself, and try not to kill too many of your friends."

Jerome, upon seeing what was happening, faced a dilemma. He could run and hide, since one of the Falcons looked like he saw him, or he could run over and help. Run, help. Run, help.

Swearing to himself, Jerome drew his switchblade he kept for self-defence and ran into a building one gun-toting gangster decided to take cover in. Besides, he thought, I owe that guy.

Lifting his virgin blade high, he gave it its first taste of blood as he sunk it into the gangster's kneecap, causing said individual to cry out in pain and drop to the floor, his weapon clattering to the floor.

Quickly, almost faster than one could blink, Jerome grabbed the gun and barrel-whipped his target across the temple. Stunned, he fell into unconsciousness. Jumping out of a window and onto a crate, he revealed himself to the surprised factions.

"Mind if I help?" he asked Haavok.

A/N: It's true! Never stay near a smiling Makuta (at least one not from The Melding)! Anyways, hope you enjoy the little cliffhanger I left instead of an epic conclusion to a firefight! Ciao!

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