A/N - Hey! So the first chapter is finally here!
Okay, so this chapter is mainly going to focus on the Toa. I've been making some changes to the story that I like more than the original, and you'll start to see them come through. As well, the movie Web of Shadows skips through a lot of plot to fit into ~90 minutes, which thanks to MM I'll be able to include here. More of the full story needs to be out there after all! And I do highly suggest reading his work if you already haven't. MM has posted the entire canon plot, spending years compiling every bit of the story; from comics to books to the games to even those short little videos. It's honestly really well done and he deserves a lot more credit for his work.
Again, I thank him for letting me refer to his work on the canon plot. He says that since it's all transcribed canon, it's free to use. At least he had said that to me. If any of you wish to use any of his transcribed work, you can PM him about it. Though I'm not sure if he's still online or not…
Also Raz, Talon, a little grammar error is the least of my concerns right now. Considering I had to deal with a month of illness during FINALS of all bloody things… it's a miracle that I've actually gotten this out as fast as I have. Also, how was THAT all you got out of the prologue?! I dropped like, what? A basket of plot bombs and you got nada? Oof…
…agh.
edit: my apologies talon. That was not my intent. I hope things go well for you.
Anyways, onto the chapter…
Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only my OC Emma and little portions of the plot. Credit to MakutaMutran for letting me use his novelizations of the overall canon as the basis for my plot (as in what's going on canonically). Also, don't own the movie 'Web of Shadows'. That's LEGO's. Please note that I have added some creative liberty to this chapter, so if it isn't in the canon in any way, it's MINE. No stealy.
"It hur's momma! It hur's!"
"I know sweetling… I know…"
A little Ta-Matorling cried as he lay on the ground, holding his head. "Momma make it s'op! Make it go'way!"
His mother gently rubbed his back, her lilac eyes filled with internal pain. "I can't sweetling… you just have to work through it…"
Eventually the pain in the Matorling's head faded, and he whimpered as his mother scooped him. "Momma it hur's…"
"I know sweetling… I know…" she cradled her son close, pressing foreheads gently with him. "But the Great Spirit has granted you with this unique ability to see the future…"
The Ta-Matorling whined, hiding his mask into his mother's chest. "Then why does it hur'…?"
"Oh Vakama…" His mother sat him up in her lap. "The Great Spirit's gifts often do come with drawbacks. In fact, your father was just the same with his gift."
"Papa?" The little Matorling looked up at his mother with wide eyes. "Papa had it too?"
His mother chuckled, kissing his head. "Well, he wasn't granted the gift of visions, but he had his own gift. He was the bravest, kindest, and the most wonderful male ever. Unlike many of the Ta-element, not once did he ever lose his temper." She chuckled softly, nuzzling her son lovingly. "In fact, he was the only one who never had any infamous 'Ta-Temper'."
"Wow…" Little Vakama then sighed, curling up. "I wish he was here…"
"I wish your father was here too, my little flame." His mother said softly, pressing her forehead against the top of his head as her eyes moistened. "He would love to hold you in his arms."
The child looked up at his mother, and saw the tears trickling down her mask. "Momma no cry…" he reached up and clumsily tried to wipe the tears away.
The Ga-Matoran chuckled softly, and nuzzled his head. "I love you so much my little flame."
Little Vakama smiled and nuzzled his mother back. "I love you too momma."
Vakama woke as a wave splashed his face, and his mind quickly registered the situation he was in. Coughing out what liquid protodermis was in his mouth, the Toa did his best to stay afloat despite the crashing storm overhead.
The Toa of Fire looked around desperately, trying to see if he could spot the others. A few pieces of debris crested a nearby wave as lightning flashed, and his stomach twisted as he realized they were from the transport. The wave suddenly crashed over him, and Vakama thrashed as he was thrown under the surface. A hand grasped his, almost making the Fire Toa instinctively gasp. He looked up, and felt a bit of relief seeing Nuju above him.
The Toa of Ice pulled him to the surface, where Vakama gasped for air, coughing out fluid. Another wave splashed over them, even as the two Toa grasped onto each other to not drift away.
"W-Where are the others?!" The Fire Toa gasped out, gripping his brother's shoulders in an almost death grip.
"I don't know!" Nuju's voice was panicked. His voice had never been panicked. "I lost sight when the ship went down!"
Vakama stifled a curse, before the two Toa were engulfed in another wave. When they surfaced, the Ice Toa shouted, "We need to get out of the sea!"
"We can't leave the oth- NUJU BEHIND YOU!"
Another wave came crashing down, pulling a large chunk of the Lhikan II's hull with it. The debris smashed into the two Toa, knocking Vakama senseless. When he came around, the Toa was horrified to see himself underwater, with Nuju nowhere in sight.
Thrashing, he struggled to the surface, his lungs starting to scream for air. Vakama managed to breach for a moment, barely grabbing a breath before another wave sent him under again.
Panic began to set in his heart. Was this it? Was this the end of them?
NO! Using all his strength Vakama fought to get to the surface. He refused to die today! Destiny can't end here!
The Toa of Fire breached the surface, gasping for air as lightning crackled overhead-
And his world went dark as something metallic slammed down on his head.
Onewa groaned as he came around, feeling the ground squish beneath him. Wait, ground?
LIfting his head from the mud, the Toa of Stone realized he was laying face first on a beach. For a moment, he was confused, before his memory came trickling back to him. Groaning, he rolled over and sat up, grimacing as his body ached, before looking around to see if he could try to find the others. If he ended up here, then the others hopefully did as well…
He started wiping the black muck off him, grimacing as it dripped off him in globs. A foul stench reached him, making the Toa almost gag. "Well… that stinks."
Wiping off as much mud as possible, Onewa slowly stood, looking around. Debris from the Lhikan II riddled the beach as far as he could see, and given he was here intact then the others had to be as well. Or so he hoped.
Mud slid down from off the top of his head, making a splat sound as it landed on his arm. Yuck! Shaking it off, the Stone Toa growled, "This is Matau's fault!" He grumbled, blaming his Air brother for the crash. "When I get my hands on him…"
A sound came from behind him. Turning, the Toa of Stone let out an involuntary yell and slipped trying to scramble back, instead crashing onto his rear, splashing up mud. A… thing was rising up from the muck, silhouetted by the light of the low hanging lone moon. Seaweed and muck seemed to ooze from it, a lone red eye staring at the startled Stone Toa.
The creature started to raise its arm, and Onewa scrambled to dig out his proto pitons. His terror rose as he struggled to free his tools from the muck, eyes wide as the creature lifted its arm up to its face…
The creature wiped the muck from its face, revealing the familiar Kanohi Matatu of one Toa Metru of Ice. "It would appear there was an error in our transport. Pilot error." Nuju stated slowly, a brow raised as he stared at the wide-eyed Toa of Stone.
Rubble shifted from nearby, and Matau popped his head out from the debris. "Hey! Don't blame me for the ship-capsize! I was only order-taking! Vakama was the one order-giving!" He struggled to free himself, grumbling, "I told him we shouldn't go into that crazy-storm…"
The sound of water splashing made everyone look towards the sea. The Toa of Water was emerging from the surf, looking remarkably untouched. She was supporting Whenua, who was completely drenched. "Regardless of how gracefully, we made it here." Nokama said softly, helping the Toa of Earth sit down. "What should be important is that we are all here and safe."
"Yeah, well… whatever." Matau scowled, remaining irritated. He struggled again, but the debris pinning him refused to budge. Then, the Air Toa blinked. "Wait, where is Vakama? Or Emma-friend?"
The other Toa looked at each other. "I recall grabbing onto Vakama not long after capsizing." Nuju spoke up, wiping mud from his armour. "But then something hit me and I woke up here."
"I don't remember much after hitting the water." Onewa added, grimacing as Nokama helped to wash the mud off him. "Just a lot of liquid protodermis and lightning."
"That is the same thing I recall." Whenua said softly from where he was sitting. "Up until Nokama pulled me from the sea."
The four male Toa turned to look at their sister for an answer, and saw her looking at the ground. "Nokama?" Nuju asked softly, stepping forwards seeing the complete change in demeanor.
"…I had her." She whispered softly. "I had Emma in my arms when we went down… I had her…" her legs shook before giving out, with Onewa barely catching her in time. "Sister!"
The Toa of Water stifled sobs. "W-We hit the wave… a-and she was r-ripped from me… I-I tried to find her… b-but…" she broke down, crying.
The male Toa looked at each other, before Matau spoke up from where he was trapped. "Well… Emma-friend survived a rough-current before, so…"
Nokama only sobbed again, and the Air Toa winced under the glare he received. He then started to struggle again, reminded of his trapped predicament. "Umm… a little help?"
Whenua let out a loud breath, before standing to his feet and coming over. Pulling out his earthshock drills, he started to break through the rubble, until Matau was able to wiggle his way out. "Thank you, brother."
"It's what I do." The Toa of Earth said softly, before looking up hearing footsteps approaching.
A figure emerged from the fog, revealing a surprisingly clean and calm Toa of Fire. "Are we going to stand around all night, playing in the mud, or-?"
He was cut off as mud splattered across his Kanohi. Nokama glared at him, before storming forwards. "This is your fault!" She snapped, slapping the Toa of Fire across the face. "We lost Emma because of you!"
The rest of the Toa were left stunned at the Toa of Water's outburst. Nokama just had tears streaming down her face, before she turned away. "I-I should've listened to her! She saw the signs of the storm! W-We never should've-! Oh Mata Nui!" She slid to her knees in the muck, crying loudly.
No one moved, before Matau approached slowly. He knelt next to his Toa sister, before wrapping his arms around her. "We'll find her sister… heart-promise."
Nokama just sobbed into the Toa of Air's shoulder, her pent up emotions crashing down on her. The other Toa gave Vakama cold glares, while the Fire Toa just stared, before he looked away.
The Toa of Water just continued to cry, her heart in so much pain. She felt like she had broken her promise to Emma, an innocent and scared child who needed her so much…
I'm sorry little one! I'm so sorry!
A few clicks passed, before Vakama stepped forwards. Ignoring the glares of the others, he knelt next to Nokama, resting a hand on her shoulder. "Sister… I am truly sorry. But we have to move forwards… the Matoran still need us."
Matau opened his mouth to snap at the Toa of Fire, only for the Toa of Water to softly speak. In truth, Nokama would've loved to scream at her brother in disagreement… but she also knew he was right. "Yes… we can't abandon them." She said softly, moving to stand. The two Toa helped to support their sister despite how ticked one brother was with the other, before the Toa all began to make their way into the city.
Progress through Le-Metru was slow. The combined quake and storm damage had littered the cracked, fractured streets with metallic rubble and vegetative debris. Any lightstones that still worked were cracked and weakly flickering, eerily lighting up the foggy mist that seemed to blanket every bio of the city. Strange plants had broken through any solid parts of the streets and through the smaller cracks, spreading up the rubble and ruins like twisting vines. But the creepiest part was the echoing silence that hung over them.
Le-Metru used to be the busiest Metru in the entire city. Whenua thought as he used his Mask of Night Vision to attempt to light the way. Now it is silent. It's as though no one has lived here in centuries instead of days…
Matau suddenly cursed from beside him. The Toa of Air pulled out one of his Aero Slicers and slashed through the webbing had stuck to his foot.
On their journey into the city, the Toa had encountered something none of them had been expecting. Giant green webs stretched between the buildings and rubble, as strong as solid metal, thick and thin, and sticky as industrial adhesive. Scattered across the webs were the corpses of small rahi, gruesomely torn apart. The webbing also stretched across some streets, hampering their path forwards.
"Icky-gross." Matau grumbled, shaking some web strands off his blade. "We're gone for an eight-day, and little spider-rahi go everywhere."
"It's like there was a time-dilation after we fled the city." Nokama spoke softly from the group's rear. "The city… it's as though it's been abandoned for millennia, like some of the ruins in Ga-Metru."
"I believe this could be a result of Vakama's use of the Mask of Time." Nuju stated from the flank. "And we were thrown forwards in time."
"That's where you're wrong brother." Everyone glanced over at Onewa, who picked up something from a stall. "Otherwise, this fruit would be dust instead of-" he grimaced as it splattered in his hand, "-rotten…"
Nokama quickly moved over to help him wash it off, the group stopping to wait for her to finish.
"You know, I have a quick-question." Matau spoke up after a bit. He turned to Vakama. "Where were you fire-spitter? We all wash up on the same beach-shore, yet you walk-trot from somewhere else."
The Toa of Fire shrugged. "I wanted to ensure the area was safe, so I scouted."
"You should've helped us first." Nokama said, her voice holding a biting tone. "Then maybe-!" She stopped herself, tears welling up in her eyes. After taking a breath, the Toa of Water continued. "We could've been seriously injured. When I woke up I was still in the sea, and I found Whenua clinging to a rock barely conscious, barely keeping his head above the surface. He was so close to shore as well… if I hadn't found him he could've drowned." She glared at her brother. "Matau was buried under rubble, and Onewa and Nuju could've suffocated in the mud. How could you not think of their safety?"
Vakama was silent for a moment, staring at his Toa sister, before slowly answering. "I did. However, if I had gone to them, and something was lurking nearby, we could've been caught unaware." He shrugged, "It seemed more reasonable to scout first for dangers before anything else."
Nokama bit back her response, and turned away from him. Onewa wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leading her towards Whenua. As they passed, the Toa of Stone glared at Vakama. "For a leader brother, you certainly seem to think less of us."
The Toa of Fire opened his mouth to retort, only to close it and narrow his eyes.
The other Toa just looked at each other, before the group slowly trickled back onto the path they had been on. An uncomfortable silence settled over the group as they walked, though Vakama ended up being at a bios length from the others.
The Toa of Fire clenched his fists. I wanted to ensure our safety! I already knew we had lost Emma; I didn't want anything else to take another of us away!
Shaking his head, Vakama picked up his pace, trying to get to the front of the group. I've already failed enough. I'm going to lead us through this whether they want it or not. I won't fail again. The Matoran will be rescued… even if I have to do it alone.
Matau stared at the ruins they were stopped by. "This is not Le-Metru." He said for the fifth time. Broken glass littered the streets of the innermost part of the district, broken pillars lay crumpled along walkways, and the tapestries that had hung between buildings were now torn and ruined. "It's a bad thought-dream."
Whenua rested a hand on his Toa brother's shoulder. "I am truly sorry. But this is reality." He gently squeezed in comfort. "I'm certain that the rest of the city is in a similar state."
"Nothing could be as horrid-bad as this." The Toa of Air replied, his orange eyes staring at the ruins with deep pain. "So many chutes broken, streets buckled… green-growth and sticky-webs everywhere…buildings shattered…"
"Whenua is right, Matau." Nuju said, getting the Toa of Air's attention. "It's not just Le-Metru; the whole city is going to be like this."
The Air Toa looked away, his eyes narrowing as he again looked at the devastation. "If this is what happens when we win a fight… I hope-pray we never lose one." He stepped forwards through the mist, only to scowl and curse as he nearly walked into some dangling webbing. "What is with all the mist fog-?! And the sticky-webs?!" He snapped, irritated.
"Less talk." Vakama ordered before anyone else could respond, pushing forwards to the front of the group. "Focus on the mission."
Matau almost snarled, deeply offended. This had been his home, and the fire-spitter wouldn't sympathize?! "Oh, I'm sorry." He growled, his tone dripping with sarcastic venom. "I thought we were here for a holiday slow-stroll."
The Fire Toa stopped in his tracks, and turned to face his brother Toa. "Scout ahead Matau." He ordered, his voice tight with restrained fury. "Quietly for a change."
The Toa of Air scowled, locking eyes with the other Toa, and holding eye contact even as he stormed past. It only broke once he was in the front. "A little too much order-giving fire-spitter." He snapped, before continuing into the mist.
"I'll go with him." Whenua said, moving forwards to follow. Vakama reached out to stop him, only for the Toa of Earth to grab his arm. "As you said, brother, this city is full of potential dangers." He let go and pushed past. "Wait here. We'll be back soon."
Vakama watched him vanish into the fog after Matau, his fists clenching tightly in repressed fury. Then, he whirled around and stormed away, wanting to find a private spot to cool off.
The other Toa watched him go. "He's been different since we arrived on that other island." Nokama said softly. "Like something is weighing on him."
"He probably blames himself for all this." Onewa crossed his arms. "Idiot. We all misunderstood Lhikan's message."
"No, it's more than that." The Water Toa disagreed. "But… I can't put my finger on it."
Nuju watched the Toa of Fire as he stared at some ruins, listening to his Toa brother and sister. Nokama is right. Something has changed in Vakama… for better or worse.
An awkward silence hung over the Toa of Earth and the Toa of Air as they made their way forwards through the ruined streets. Matau stopped to stare at the ruins of an apartment, before moving on.
"It can all be repaired." Whenua spoke up softly, ducking under a web. Seeing Matau so forlorn was alien. The Toa of Air was usually humorous and all jokes, even in times of conflict. "But while Vakama said that we have to leave for a fresh start, that doesn't mean we can't one day return and rebuild."
Matau paused, before looking back at his Toa brother. "The thought of trying to fix all… this-" he gestured to the ruins, "-does not bring happy-cheer. But neither does trying to ride Ussal carts through that mud-swamp on our new island-home."
Whenua blinked at his brother's answer, before looking around. "Be honest brother; what do you think of Vakama's visions?"
The Toa of Air shrugged. "They've been right, so far." He paused, before scowling. "Often enough that we might follow one's lead, even if he thought-made it up."
The Toa of Earth had to stop, and looked at his brother Toa as though he developed a second head. Had Matau just suggested that the entire journey and finding of the island, then the decision of their move there… had been the result of Vakama lying? But why? What would Vakama have hoped to gain from leading them away from their home? To a strange and uncharted island outside their universe?
The problem with questions, Whenua realized, is that they are impossible to forget once they've been asked. If you cannot forget them, then you have to find the answers for them… even if you would rather not.
The Earth Toa was almost grateful for the rustling noise that came from somewhere off to the right. There, the strange vegetation grew thickly, almost choking the street.
It rustled again.
Something was in there.
Whenua signaled silently to Matau with his hand to circle to the right; to try and flush out the creature. Once out in the open, the Toa of Earth could use his Kanohi to blind the rahi until it could be subdued.
The Air Toa had taken barely four steps into the tall grass when he let out a curse. Unlike most of the prominent webbing between the buildings, which was hard and brittle, this webbing was fresh and extremely sticky, to the point he was stuck fast. He tried to cut through it, but it was thicker than the other webs he'd stepped in, making it harder to slice.
The rustling grew closer, making Matau realize that his movements had attracted the attention of the unknown rahi. Unfortunately, what rose from the grasses was not a rahi, but instead three Vahki Rorzahk in four-legged mode. The optics of the Vahki flashed scarlet upon seeing the tangled Toa, and as one they shifted to two-legged mode, raising their stun staffs.
Matau gulped, suddenly realizing just how much of a dire situation he was in. The Vahki moved to surround him.
"Surrender, intruder. Or perish."
The Toa of Air's jaw dropped. Did the Vahki just… speak?!
The sight of the stun staffs lighting up brought Matau back to the situation he was trapped in. Desperately he tried to figure out how to escape the web, and dodge the blasts that were very likely about to fire his way.
"Surrender, intruder." The Rorzahk repeated, their voices harsh and mechanical, yet also riddled with static. It was disturbing to say the least, though more so that the Vahki were even talking at all. The mechanical enforcers had been programmed to communicate between each other via ultrasonics, never an understandable language. The Toa of Air never bothered to pay attention to why… but now he wished he had.
The Vahki moved closer, only to pause at the sound of Whenua's earthshock drills revving. Two quickly broke from formation, moving to investigate.
Matau felt his heart leap into his throat. "Vahki! Watch out!"
The third Rorzahk unleashed a blast from its stun staff, which the Air Toa was barely able to duck his head out of the way in time. The bolt instead struck the web he was trapped on, incinerating a large portion of it.
Matau nearly wet himself. Vahki stun staffs were not supposed to be able to do that! Last he knew they had been designed to not cause property damage or injure Matoran. Had Makuta somehow altered that while he had been in control?! Were they malfunctioning?!
A blast sounded off somewhere to his left, where the other two Vahki had gone. The Toa of Air heard Whenua's grunt followed by the thud of a body collapsing. He swallowed thickly. The other Toa may be following after the two of them any moment, but there was no guarantee. Worse, they would walk right into a Vahki trap.
Just like I did. Matau thought bitterly, pulling on the webbing. The bolt had weakened the remaining web, though not by much. It'll have to be enough!
The Toa of Air threw himself forwards as though he was going to fall into a somersault. The force of the movement caused some of the webbing to rip away from his back, while his aero slicers cut through more.
That's when pain exploded in his chest and shoulder as twin blasts struck him, sending Matau flying through the web hard enough to tear his body from it. He crashed into a clearing a few bios back, finally lose, but his vision creeping with darkness along the edges as he barely clung to consciousness.
In the meantime, Whenua was having his own problems. Despite Matau;s warning shout, the two Vahki Rorzahk had caught him by surprise with impacts from their stun staffs. Now the two robots were standing over him, their creepy robotic voices demanding the Toa of Earth decide between surrender, or a sudden halt to his life processes.
Whenua grunted. "How about a third option: neither!" With that he tapped into his elemental power, forcing the earth below to bend to his will. Two pillars of black earth shot up, one under each Vahki, sending the enforcers flying into the air. Taking the chance, the Earth Toa scrambled to his feet and booked it, letting the earth pillars crumble behind him. He knew that he didn't have much time before the Vahki recovered from the sudden airlift to revert to their flight mode and pursue, but that would hopefully still be enough time for him to race back to warn the others.
Twin crashes came from behind him, and Whenua turned his head. He nearly stopped, startled, upon seeing the two sparking remains of the machines, before forcing himself to continue. Even still, his mind raced; Why did they not recover and enter flight mode?
Pushing the thought from his mind for the time, he vanished into the fog. He may have bought himself time, but Matau may already have run out of his.
Unbeknownst to the Toa of Earth, the mangled bodies of the two Vahki began to move. Parts twisting and bending, the "corpses" reshaped themselves, reforming broken beyond repair limbs into pristine condition, and pulling together the shattered shells into a smooth and solid shape.
The optics of the Vahki lit up as they rose in four-legged mode, listening for the sounds of intruders. Hearing the rapid yet fading thuds of distant feet, the Rorzahk began to move in the direction Whenua had fled.
Corrupted data flashed across their heads up displays. Metru Nui needed to be kept free of disorder. Living creatures brought disorder.
There would be no disorder… if there was nothing left alive.
Whenua vaulted over some rubble, only to curse as he crashed into something green on the other side, which yelped. The two ended up in a heap, before the Toa of Earth heard a familiar groan. "M-Matau?"
"Present…" the Toa of Air croaked, winded from where he was pinned under his brother Toa. "You… are heavy…"
Whenua grimaced before pulling himself up, then helping his brother up. "I thought the Vahki had you."
"It did… until I used this." Matau tapped his Kanohi. "Shapeshifted to look like strange-weird vegetation." He shivered a little remembering how weird it felt. "Let me catch my breath and get the crazed-Vahki off my back."
"At least you got away." The Toa of Earth said, wrapping the Air Toa's arm around his shoulders to support him. "But we need to warn the others."
"If they'll believe us." Matau scoffed. "I barely do myself!" He winced in pain as he moved, pain flaring from his injuries. "And I saw-heard it!"
Whenua only nodded in response, and together the two limped towards where the others hopefully still were.
"Vahki that talk?"
Nuju's disbelief wasn't exactly invalid, though the two injured Toa felt otherwise. Their return, battered and bruised, had startled the rest of the Toa Metru, and after Nokama had them sit to treat their wounds the Toa of Air started to explain what had happened to them.
Unfortunately, Matau's claim was correct. "It's true." The Toa of Air said, grimacing as his Toa sister patched a nasty scrape on his arm. "It spoke."
The Toa of Ice only shook his head. "I think the strain is getting to you Matau. Vahki don't talk, let alone fire destructive blasts."
"Normally I'd concur," Whenua spoke up from where he was holding some ice to his side, "but I saw it myself. They spoke, and were more than ready to kill us."
"But they didn't." Vakama spoke up, making everyone look at him. "And we don't have time to worry about Vahki." He ignored some glares sent his way. "We have Matoran to save. If they get in our way, we will deal with them then."
"If they get in our way?" Matau snapped, pushing Nokama aside. "They weren't throwing a happy-surprise Naming Day for us back there!" He stormed towards his fire brother, ready to give him a piece of his mind, only to be stopped by a brown armoured arm.
"Matau, relax." Onewa said, for once being the one trying to de-escalate. "Brother, did you or Whenua notice anything different about the Vahki?" He asked, trying to steer the Toa of Air away from a fight. "What about how they looked?"
Matau scowled, and shook his head in response. Whenua frowned from where he sat, looking at the ground. "Wait… there was something." He looked up at his Toa siblings. "I hardly noticed at the time, but thinking back… there were marks on their skull casings. Looked like scorch marks."
Onewa's eyes widened, before he turned to Matau. "Where is the Central Task Force Hive for Le-Metru?"
The Toa of Air blinked, confused. "Near the Moto-Hub… Why?"
He was startled as the Stone Toa grabbed his arm and started to drag him along. "We need to go. I think I know what happened here." Onewa stopped and turned to the others, ignoring Matau's confused look. "And if I'm right…" he looked the Toa of Fire dead in the eye, "Vakama, getting the Matoran out of Metru Nui just became much more difficult… and dangerous."
With that he resumed his trek, pulling a now protesting Matau behind him. The others looked at each other, before following. All except Vakama, who tried to protest. But he was left standing there, and with an angry sigh the Toa of Fire followed after. So much for being the leader…
As the Toa Metru approached the Moto-Hub, Matau did his best not to look at it, though looking at the surroundings was not much better. When he had still been a Matoran, he had spent almost all his spare time there, watching the assemblers work or testing new vehicles on the track. Then, he had applied for permanent work, leaving his job as an Ussal Cart Driver to be a full-time test pilot. Then his days had been half at the Moto-Hub test track, and half in an infirmary.
Now, looking at the building, the Toa of Air only saw ruins. A portion of the domed roof had caved in, while vines and creepers covered what outside walls. The surrounding grounds were littered with both rubble and vehicle parts, vegetation cracking through the pavement. It was as though it had been abandoned for centuries and not days…
For the first time, Matau considered that maybe the Matoran were lucky to have slept through all this.
"Best not to think about it." Nokama murmured softly, as if she had read his mind. "I am hoping we won't have to go to Ga-Metru at all." Her eyes were blank… "I dread seeing what has become of my school and the…the Great Temple."
The Toa of Air said nothing. He had already decided to limit his flying as much as possible. The less I see of the 'new' Metru Nui, the better.
"Over here!" Onewa whisper-shouted. Matau and Nokama hurried to join the others at the remains of the Vahki Le-Metru Subdivision Hive. Whenua tore the metal door off its hinges, making a loud metallic screech that sent what few avian rahi around scattering into the air. The other Toa quickly braced for a possible attack, be it from within the hive or outside of it.
Nothing sprang out at them. With the others guarding his back, Whenua used his mask to illuminate the interior of the Vahki Hive. It was a tangled mess of wires leading to and from power cradles. When not on patrol, the Vahki rested in these frames and were recharged with energy from the power plant.
"Shine the light over here." Onewa said as he began rummaging through the debris, making his way inside the hive now that the coast was clear. "My first clue that something happened here was when you said you could understand what the Vahki were saying."
"That's right." Whenua nodded, helping his brother lift up a large piece of the ceiling that had come down. "Everyone knows Vahki don't speak Matoran-Standard."
"Correction: everyone outside of Po-Metru thinks they know that." The Toa of Stone stated, moving over to a console buried under the remains of some Vahki. "Remember, an Onu-Matoran may have designed the Vahki, but Po-Matoran built them." The Toa of Stone fished a charred Vahki head and arm out of the rubble. "Blown to pieces. I bet that happened to a lot of them. Otherwise, the city would be overrun already."
He tossed the robot head to Whenua, who fumbled trying to not drop it, not having expected the toss. "Vahki always spoke Matoran. They just spoke it at such a high pitch and fast speed that no one could understand them." The Toa of Stone scowled seeing that the console was completely fried, and moved towards the cradles. "When you said they were making sense, I knew something had happened that affected their speech centers, and maybe the rest of them too."
Onewa bent down, grabbed one of the power cradles, and with a mighty heave of Stone Toa strength, tore it loose. He dragged it out of the hive and dropped it at the feet of the other Toa, Whenua coming out after him with the Vahki head. The metal frame of the power cradle was scorched and partially melted. "There. When Makuta overloaded the power plant, the feedback shot through the hives." He pointed to the nodes where Vahki would plug themselves in, which had massive scorch marks around them. The most visible ones were around where the robotic enforcer's head would rest. "Most of the Vahki were destroyed by the surge, likely the ones that had almost a full charge, which overloaded them. The ones who weren't were able to absorb the energy surge and were…" he hesitated a moment, "changed."
A half dozen energy bolts suddenly sizzled through the air around the Toa Metru. The heroes scattered as the blasts tore holes in the hive ruins. Right on the heels of the attack came the sight of three Nuurakh and three Keerakh closing in on the location, staffs humming with destructive energies.
The Toa were forced to take shelter by the wall of the Moto-Hub, hiding behind debris. Vakama raised his disk launcher and Nuju his crystal spikes, ready to jump out to defend themselves. Matau quickly shoved himself between them and forced their weapons down. "No!" He snapped. "I don't want Le-Metru damage-scarred worse than it already has been! Hide in the Moto-Hub. I have an idea."
Running and hiding didn't sit well with any of the Toa of Air's comrades. But one of the most important parts of being a Toa was respecting the rights of another when in his Metru. This was Matau's home, so it had to be his choice. Silently, the other five heroes vanished through a crack in the Moto-Hub wall.
The Toa of Air triggered the power of his Mask of Shapeshifting, transforming himself into a duplicate of a Vahki Rorzakh. He was careful to make sure that the scorch marks Whenua had spotted were in the right place. Once the shapeshifting was done, he stepped boldly out to face the oncoming order enforcers.
The lead Nuurakh looked him up and down. "Hive and subsection." It queried.
Matau thought fast. "Um, there is no time to waste on protocol. The intruders have escaped!"
"Hive and subsection." The Vahki repeated, raising its staff a little.
"I can tell you which hive and subsection I will be going to next: yours, to report you for incompetence." Matau replied, feeling a little smug internally as the Vahki glanced at each other. So he continued, "They were headed for Ta-Metru. If we hurry, we can run them down."
One of the Keerakh stepped forward. "They were here? You saw them?"
"Yes."
"And you let them escape?"
Too late Matau realized he had walked into a trap. "Well, not really…you see, they were already…"
The Keerakh turned to the Nuurakh, totally ignoring Matau. "A properly functioning Vahki does not allow a lawbreaker to escape. That unit is therefore not functioning properly. I recommend that its processes be completely shut down until repairs can be made."
The Nuurahkh nodded. All six Vahki raised their staffs, aimed them at the Vahki/Matau, and prepared to execute their new command.
Matau barely stifled a gulp. Uh-oh…
Inside the Moto-Hub, the rest of the Toa Metru walked carefully among the debris. Whenua had shut down his mask power so that the bright light would not attract the attention of any more Vahki, leaving them in the dark. Onewa stumbled on a piece of pipe and almost fell, slamming his foot into something hard in the process. "Rahi bones!" He cursed, fumbling to find a solid object to lean on as he held his throbbing foot with the other hand. "I'm guessing this place was a mess before the quake."
Nuju glanced over in his general direction. "When did Po-Matoran start caring about neatness?" He asked, using his scope to avoid hitting his head on some broken pipes hanging from the ceiling. Vakama was not so lucky, and cursed as he smacked his forehead into one.
"When I started tripping over somebody else's junk." Onewa snapped back, his voice rich in sarcasm. "What's taking Matau so long?" He hissed, finally finding something to lean against while he nursed his foot.
"He's probably in command of the squad by now." Whenua chuckled, his eyes adapted to the darkness, allowing him to avoid the debris. "And leading them to…" The Toa of Earth's voice trailed off as he stopped in his tracks.
Nokama turned around to look at him, having been in the lead. She could barely see Whenua's outline in what dim lighting there was. He was facing the wall, examining something she could not make out. "What is it?" The Toa of Water asked, making her way back to him.
"Look for yourself." Whenua said, shining a narrow beam of light onto the metal wall with his Kanohi. Hanging from the ceiling was another web, but this one had an added feature that they had not seen before. A partially torn cocoon was nestled in the center of the web. An empty cocoon.
"What do you think that held?" Vakama asked as he came up, rubbing the bump on his forehead with a grimace.
"l don't know. But whatever it was, it got out," Whenua answered quietly, his voice tight. "And I would hazard a guess it is in here with us."
Matau did his best to ignore the weaponized staffs pointed at him. It had been his decision to send the Toa Metru into the Moto-Hub, while he stayed here to lure the Vahki away. If it hadn't worked, well, at least he could still buy time for his friends to escape. I wonder if this form would immediately shift-change from Vahki to Toa if I was unconscious or dead. He half hoped so; otherwise, the Vahki might decide to disassemble their "malfunctioning" target right on the spot.
The Vahki prepared to launch their energy bolts. Matau waited, eyes open, refusing to give them the satisfaction of showing any fear. Something suddenly caught his eye in the distant darkness. He couldn't make it out clearly, but it seemed to be spinning through the air at a high altitude. As he watched, it dropped rapidly, heading straight for the Vahki.
The object whirled in front of the order enforcers, striking each of their staffs in turn. Wherever it hit, it burned through the tools like acid, shearing them in half.
What was that? Matau wondered, watching the spinning object soar away. And how can I get my hands on one?
The Vahki whirled and immediately went into a defensive posture. Their optical receptors scanned the area, searching for whoever dared to interfere with their operations. The Air Toa took advantage of their distraction to slip away into the Moto-Hub, abandoning his Vahki-persona.
High above, the hard, cold eyes of the green spider-like creatures watched events unfold. The Vahki would move off to search for easier prey, while the Toa huddled in the Moto-Hub, foolishly believing themselves to be safe.
One of the creatures unleashed a second whirling sphere of energy, this time burning through an overhanging beam on the face of the Moto-Hub. It crashed to the ground, bringing a ton of masonry with it, blocking the entrance through which the six heroes of Metru Nui had passed. Once that was done, a new signal was sent through the steel-like strands that shrouded the city, a summons not to be disobeyed.
And the end of the Toa came crawling, crawling across a thousand webs, a vast moving shadow that engulfed all in its path. Rahi fled at the sight, streaming out of Le-Metru in a blind panic. Those who could not run burrowed beneath the wreckage of a ruined city and shivered in the darkness, one thought holding their hearts in a grip of fear: The Visorak, the stealers of life, were on the march once more.
Matau heard the crash behind him and assumed the Vahki were venting their anger at his disappearance. He moved rapidly through the corridors of the Moto-Hub, searching for the other Toa. As badly damaged as it was, the building was an old friend to the Toa of Air and he could easily navigate it even in darkness.
The voices of the other Toa drifted down from up above. They had evidently traveled in the direction of the test track. Matau found a ladder and began to climb. The sound of his armored feet striking the rungs roused a creature who slumbered in darkness. Red eyes snapped open. Focusing immediately on the stranger in its new lair. Its long body uncoiled even as leathern wings unfolded to their full span. It launched itself into the air and began to silently follow the one which disturbed its slumber.
Despite the severe damage done to the city, the Le-Metru test track had remained relatively intact. Its original construction had included layers and layers of reinforced solid protodermis, proof against even some of the spectacular crashes Matau had been part of. Vakama doubted that even the Vahki's newfound powers could have pierced the walls.
Whenua had brought the remains of the cocoon with him and was examining it carefully. It was unlike any substance he had seen before, thin and delicate yet incredibly strong. It took effort to even tear one of the strands. He triggered one of his earthshock drills at low speed and reached inside to see how easily he could make a hole in the webbing.
The Toa of Earth suddenly grunted in pain and dropped the damaged cocoon on the ground. Whenua looked down at his hand, mystified.
"What's the matter?" Nuju asked.
"Something in that mass of webbing stung me," Whenua answered, holding out his hand. "Look."
The white Toa extended his telescopic lense. Yes, there was a small wound visible. The Toa of Ice retrieved the cocoon and inspected the interior. "Barbs." He said after a moment. "The inside of the cocoon is lined with them." Nuju reached inside and very gently snapped one of the sharp strands of webbing off. A drop of copper colored fluid was pooled inside the barb.
The Toa of Earth frowned, rubbing where he had been scratched. "What is that? Some new kind of energized protodermis?"
Nuju peered intently at the liquid. "No. The color and consistency are all wrong. I think this is something organic… some kind of venom, perhaps."
Venom. The word echoed in Whenua's mind. A memory was struggling to come to light. It had first been awakened by Onewa's use of the word "Visorak" while his mind was enthralled by a strange creature in the tunnels between Metru Nui and the island above. Then, when the Toa arrived in the city to find it shrouded by webs, the feeling grew stronger. Somehow, in some way, the Toa of Earth knew what all this meant, but the knowledge was just beyond his reach. "What do you think made this cocoon?" The archivist asked, wincing a little as the wound stung.
"I don't know." Nuju answered, already walking toward the others. "l don't know far too many things, like what this venom does, how many cocoons there may be, and what they are being used for. But I think our future might depend on finding out."
Whenua scowled, a snarl on his lips, but he forced his anger down and followed after. Absently, he continued to rub his wounded hand, unaware of the pulse of eerie green that came from within the cut.
Matau was almost at the top of the ladder. The entrance to the test track was not far away. He was anxious to tell the Toa all about the spinning object he had seen that could cut through Vahki tools. Something like that might be a real help when it came time to rescue the Matoran from the Coliseum.
He stopped in mid-climb. Something was at the top of the ladder. Something that hadn't just been there. It was a dark shape, with two arms and two legs but no defined features. Grasping the sides of the ladder, it was crawling down headfirst toward Matau.
Quick-climbing, but not very big. The Toa thought. Maybe I can scare it off, instead of having a hard-fight. "Clear the way." Matau said loudly. "I am a Toa-hero on a mission. Very powerful, very angry!"
The dark figure paused. Then it slowly and deliberately raised a fist, before slamming it against the wall. An explosion of sound erupted in the chamber, tearing the startled Air Toa loose from the ladder and sending him plunging to the floor far below.
The other Toa Metru raced down the corridor. Nuju's theory on the cocoon had been forgotten as soon as the sonic shock struck the building. They rounded a corner to find a dark, nebulous figure waiting for them.
The Toa of Ice called on the power of his Mask of Telekinesis and hurled a piece of masonry over the creature's head as a warning. To his surprise, the entity hurled itself into the air and allowed the stone to strike it. The impact triggered another sonic explosion, this one hurling the Toa Metru backward and slamming them against the walls.
"That's what I like about Metru Nui." Onewa muttered sarcastically. "Always something new." The Toa of Stone summoned a ring of rock to surround their adversary. It took only split seconds to bind the being in stone. Onewa expected it to rage or scream, but the figure's response was a simple shrug. When its substance struck the rock, the newly made prison shattered into fragments that buried themselves in the floor, walls and ceiling. The Toa barely ducked the stones in time, though their bodies rattled from the shockwave.
"Nice try." Whenua grumbled, shaking some of the dust off.
"Not nice enough." The Toa of Stone replied. "It's still standing, isn't it? Still…" Onewa went silent. The Toa of Earth knew that usually meant his brother was hatching a plan, usually one that involved insane risk and almost no chance of success. Those were the Stone Toa's favorite kinds of plans.
"Stay here." The Toa of Stone said finally. "I will be back soon. Keep this thing busy, but whatever you do, don't strike it."
"And what are you going to be doing while we are inviting our friend to play Akilini?" Vakama asked.
"I have an idea," Onewa answered, already running and leaping over the creature. "But it needs Matau to work."
"Oh, I see." Whenua commented to himself, watching his brother go while keeping the creature in his peripheral. "l was worried there for a moment, but you have an idea that needs Matau to work. That changes everything."
"You're not worried now?" Nokama asked.
"No. Now I'm terrified."
Onewa ran at top speed down the corridor, ignoring the sounds of battle behind him. When he reached a ladder that led below, he dropped to his knees to peer down into the darkness. He suddenly wished he had thought to ask Whenua to swap masks. "Matau!" He yelled, wondering if his brother was down there.
He soon got his answer. "Onewa?" The Toa of Air's voice weakly rose from below. "Where are the others?"
"Fighting up above, and we need you." The Toa of Stone answered, squinting to try and see how far down his Toa brother was. "Are you hurt?"
"Hang-clinging to what's left of the ladder." Came the shaky reply. "Sore-hurt, but alive."
"Can you fly?"
"Straight down, maybe." Well, at least Matau's head was intact, if the sarcasm was anything to go by.
Onewa dug the end of one of his proto pitons into the floor and lowered himself down the hole. He had a general idea of where the Air Toa was now. Extending his piton as far as he could, he stretched the other one down toward his fellow Toa. "Grab on!"
A click later, after his tool had vanished into the shadows, he felt a tug on the piton. Bracing himself, the Toa of Stone said, "Let go of the ladder, brother. I've got you." The next moment, Onewa was suddenly supporting the weight of a Toa as Matau swung free in the darkness. Slowly, painfully, the Stone Toa hauled himself and the Toa of Air back to the floor above. "Come on, brother," he said, supporting Matau against his side as he stood them up, "we'll talk on the way!"
By the time the two made it back to the other Toa, Matau understood the plan. It had come to Onewa when he recalled Vakama's confrontation with the fire creature, but this idea was even more dangerous than that encounter had been. One mistake and any or all of the Toa would be dead, along with anything living around them.
The other Toa Metru had not fared well in their absence. The strange creature had apparently grown tired of waiting for an attack and had begun hurling portions of its substance at its enemies. When they struck, it was like standing in the middle of a thunder cloud during a storm. The barrage of sound kept the Toa off-balance and on the defensive, as well as leaving ears ringing badly.
Onewa and Matau took up positions behind the creature. "Nuju, I need you and Onewa to make airtight walls on both ends of the corridor. Now!" The Toa of Air shouted, hoping that his brother could hear him.
Thankfully, Nuju nodded. Mustering their elemental powers, the Toa of Ice joined the Toa of Stone in crafting ice and stone walls behind both their group and their enemy. When they were done, the Toa Metru were sealed in a small portion of the hallway with the nebulous figure, which was twisting, trying to see what had happened.
"Matau?" Onewa asked, tensing as the creature started to form more of its stuff in its hands. It was getting ready to try and blast a way out.
"l know, I know. Don't hurry-rush me." The Toa of Air closed his eyes and concentrated, stretching his hands out. Vakama had been able to draw heat and fire into himself, so that meant Matau should be able to do the same with air. But he could already tell it was going to be harder than he had imagined, especially with his head still ringing from the earlier explosion that had left him dangling.
By now, both Nuju and Vakama had figured out what Onewa had in mind. "Hold your breath," the Toa of Fire said to the other Toa, "and whatever you do, don't open your mouths."
Whenua had a response in mind, but a sharp look from Nokama convinced him to keep it to himself. He took a deep breath and kept a wary eye on the dark figure, who was becoming agitated. If it unleashed another sonic boom in this confined space, they would be scraping the Toa off the walls if they were lucky.
Matau summoned more and more of his power, grinding his teeth from the strain. He had long ago passed his limit, but his task was not yet done. If even a single molecule of air remained in the room, Onewa's plan would fail.
When the Air Toa's instincts told him the space was at last airless, he opened his eyes and nodded to Onewa. The Toa of Stone gestured to Nuju, who hurled a stream of solid ice at the dark being. The Toa quickly braced themselves for another explosion of sound.
Ice struck the gleaming surface of the strange being. But this time, there was no sonic attack in response. Instead, the foe shattered like dark crystal and melted away, leaving no trace of itself behind.
Matau didn't wait for Onewa's signal. He unleashed a hurricane wind so powerful that it blew down one of the stone and ice walls and knocked the others over. Then he collapsed to his knees, exhausted.
"What just happened?" Nokama asked after a moment, sitting up.
"Sound." Onewa grunted, wiping dust off his mask. "The creature was made of sound. Strike it and you set off a sonic explosion."
"So Matau created a vacuum." Nuju continued, rubbing his sore head. "If there is no air, there is no sound. We could strike him without being struck in return."
"Amazing…" The Toa of Water murmured as Whenua helped her to her feet. "Is there any end to the new dangers we will find here?" She then asked, concerned. First a creature of fire, now a creature of sound… what else could be lurking in the ruins?
"A better question is, did this thing come from the cocoon we found?" Whenua questioned, looking around.
"l don't think so. But I would prefer not to meet the original contents in a confined space," Nuju replied, shaking dust off himself as he stood. "Let's get out of this place."
"Hard-ground entrance is blocked." Matau said as Onewa helped him up. "We will have to use the test track emergency hatch. It's a short high-climb from here."
The Toa Metru then headed for the test track, limping as their bodies recovered from the recent battle. None of them looked back, preferring for the moment not to know if something was gaining on them.
If they had, they would've seen venomous red eyes watching from the darkness.
As they walked, Nokama worriedly looked through the cracks in the walls, trying to see the outside. The ringing in her head was clearing, and as it did, her mind wandered. Worry filled her about their missing member.
Emma… Was the young human alive? Did she wash up on Metru Nui? …Did something find her…?
The Toa of Water closed her eyes, leaning against Whenua as her brother helped support her. A tear fell… Please Mata Nui… watch over her… protect her…
…Please…
While the Toa Metru made their way through the ruins of Metru Nui, a lone form lay prone on one of the beaches, waves lapping around her legs. Her clothes were ripped and soaked through, and she lay unconscious.
Nearby, something crept closer, venom dripping from its maw.
A/N - And that's it for now. As for the next chapter, I'm debating between going to stick with the Toa, go to my OC, or have a mix of the two. Let me know what you think I should do (I could really use some help!)
Now it may be a while before I update again. Uni takes priority right now, so I can have a stable career to support myself. Good news on that front: I passed my first half of calculus! Now I just need to pass the second half and I can have almost everything needed to graduate. But I need another year/term to get courses for certification… yay.
Next Chapter: (Depends on what it contains)