Metru Nui Comics

2004 - BIONICLE Comic 19: Enemies of Metru Nui

Adapted by Michael Larson. Edited by Jeff Douglas.

His name was Vakama—he was a Toa Metru, with all the strength, speed, and power that title carried with it.

He was also plunging to his doom.

Toa were known for their wisdom and good advice. If anyone were to ask him for some right now, Vakama knew what wisdom he would impart: If someone walks up to you, hands you a Toa stone, and tells you the city is depending on you…

Don’t walk. Run.

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Their chute had taken them only a short distance from the Coliseum before they arrived in Le-Metru. They exited at the first station they came to. Being close to the Coliseum, it wasn’t as busy as other stations farther away. But there were some fearful Matoran who had seen the Turaga Dume’s televised address from the Coliseum, and before long the Vahki were hot on their tail.

Matau quickly led the three out of the building, going up to the top floor and then the roof of the tower to get a better vantage point and plan. But they weren’t safe there, either.

Wise Toa Proverb #2: You can always find a Vahki when you don’t want one.

“Vahki Bordakh!” Matau called, spotting the flying order enforcers hovering overhead. “They must have been here-called by the Matoran!” Stun blasts rained down on their small platform. Matau danced rapidly to avoid being hit while Nokama elegantly flipped and somersaulted. Vakama stole a moment to store his Kanoka Disk Launcher onto his back, but that moment would cost him.

For despite Nokama’s agility, one stun blast managed to make it through, hitting her in the back. Her knees buckled and her arms raised in a struggle to resist the hypnotic mental effects, but it didn’t last long. “Unnnghhh!” she struggled, before succumbing.

The Toa of Water suddenly stopped dodging and walked over to the Toa of Fire, roughly shoving him off the edge. “There!” she called to the blue Vahki overhead. “Grab him! He’s a threat to Turaga Dume and the city!”

“No!” Vakama gasped as he tumbled helplessly off the roof of the chute control tower.

Matau recovered from his surprise, but it was too late. More stun blasts shot at the roof, and though he’d take any risk to save a fellow Toa-hero’s life, he would do no good to Vakama if he wound up like Nokama.

“Nokamaaaaa!” Vakama cried, his voice receding into the distance as he fell.

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All this and more had flashed through Vakama’s mind as he fell, not that there was much else he could do.

If I hadn’t exhausted my flame powers fighting the Morbuzakh and Krahka, I could gain a few seconds by melting through the street.

He threw a glance toward the ground where he saw some eager figures. More Bordakh. And I doubt they brought a net.

All at once, he felt a well of fear, frustration, and anger well up inside him. Mata Nui, I must have become a Toa for a reason… I must have a destiny to fulfill. It cannot end like this! There must be some way to save myself—some way—

There was a loud FOOOSH behind him as what sounded like a jet powered up. He looked over his shoulders, trying to see what was happening. “What—?”

In doing so, he unwittingly angled himself upward, and he felt himself shoot forward and up, away from the ground. To his shock, he realized it was his Toa Kanoka Disk launcher, still fitted on his back from the fight up above. The tool was no ordinary disk launcher, in fact; the mechanical wings on either side contained hidden jets. Fire spewed out, turning the weapon into a rocket pack.

“Yes!” he exclaimed.

Now in full control of his direction, Vakama aimed back to the tower and increased the power, speeding back up to the top. It’s my disk launcher! I must have triggered its power with my thoughts, he realized. Wait until I show the others!

Two stun blasts flew by, reminding Vakama that he wasn’t alone.

But first…

The Toa of Fire pulled out two Kanoka from his pack and swooped down toward the ground forces below, hurling the disks toward the targets. His aim was not as effective as a launcher, but it the disks struck home. As soon as both Kanoka hit, the Vahki shrank down to an inconsequential size.

…I will make my problems smaller ones, he thought as he flew back up.

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That was something Matau wished he could do, too.

Far above Vakama, he and Nokama had been exchanging blows after Vakama’s fall, but where he was holding back to avoid hurting his friend, she seemed to have no concern for his physical wellbeing, much less his emotional one. Seizing his arm, she flipped him over her shoulder and pinned him to the ground. “Traitor!” she shouted at him. “The Vahki will know how to deal with you!”

Under her, Matau still struggled, then saw an opening. He thrust up with his torso, earning enough space to bring his legs between them.

“I know I said I wanted to be near-close to you, Nokama, but not this near-close! Get off!” he yelled, pushing with his legs and forcefully throwing the Toa of Water backwards.

Then he realized his mistake: the kick sent her flipping over the edge of the tower. Scrambling over to the edge, Matau grabbed her foot and braced, preventing her from tumbling to her doom. With his other hand, he held one of his aero slicers up as a shield against the onslaught of Vahki stun blasts overhead.

Nokama, however, failed to appreciate his skill. “Let me go!” she howled from below, fighting and straining against his one-handed grip.

But Matau held fast. “Not until you are Nokama, Toa of Water, again,” he said resolutely, dodging her kick. He grimaced as he felt his grip slipping. That better be soon…because I can’t…hang on…much longer…

Right at that moment, the Toa of Water shoved off from the building, breaking free of his grip. Rolling to look over the edge to see her plunge, Matau gasped in sheer terror, “Nokama!”

“Nooooooo!” she shouted the long way down. “Oof!”

She landed hard between two red outstretched arms, even as her trajectory abruptly reversed. “Hold on tight, Nokama,” Vakama grunted, twisting in midair to accommodate her weight.

Nokama, rubbed her head. “Vakama, what… what happened? The last thing I remember—”

“The shock of your fall must have broken the Bordakh’s hold on you,” Vakama frowned. He looked back up, still seeing the Toa of Air holding his own against the attack. “We have to get Matau and get away from here.”

✴        ✴        ✴

But Matau had already seen what had transpired below and already prepared and timed his escape plan.

Time to quick-leave!

Just as another barrage of stun blasts came down, the spry Toa of Air leapt off the tower, sliding into the chute that ran directly through it. The Vahki above pursued him in.

Matau looked over his shoulder. Maybe I can lead these Vahki away from the others. As he turned back forward, something else had come within view. But what is that in the far-distance?

The walls of the chute appeared to be shattered open as the liquid protodermis ahead spilled into thin air. The closer he got, the better he saw why.

Vahki Vorzakh! They’ve shatter-wrecked the tube!

Matau’s features tightened in determination. It will take more than that to stop a Toa-hero. He leaned into the chute’s current, increasing his speed. The Vahki behind him did so, too, adopting their aerial form once again to move unobstructed through the magnetic current. Matau brandished his swords and sliced them through the top of the chute. These Vahki are good at the fast-chase… but how good are they at stopping?

Just before reaching the destroyed segment, Matau’s swords caught on the bracket of a chute support ring. The force of his swords striking the support, combined with his large forward momentum swung his legs upward. His feet kicked out of the chute, the rest of his body following. The Toa completed an acrobatic backwards flip, exiting the chute and landing on the top of the outside protodermic support ring. Looking below his perch into the chute, Matau watched the Vahki hurtled onward toward the broken portion.

Hmmmm. Not nearly so ever-quick at that, he thought, watching the three squad members zoom out of the device like launched Kanoka, colliding with the Vahki that had shattered the chute open. The two squads fell a long distance before “landing” with a lack of grace and a surplus of noise. Smiling at the scene, Matau turned to regroup with Nokama and Vakama once again.

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Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua marched deep into subterranean tunnels to an unknown destination. Around them were four Vahki Rorzakh, marching nearby and herding them to their arrival point. To Whenua’s surprise, the Rorzakh had not confiscated their Toa tools. But if Vahki could be said to be cocky, then the Rorzakh certainly fit that profile.

In as low a voice as he could manage, Onewa whispered, “When I give the word, we make a break for the surface.”

“Bad idea, Onewa,” Whenua murmured. “In all of their history, the Rorzakh have never failed to capture a runner.”

“I don’t see you coming up with any better ideas, librarian!” Onewa snapped.

Whenua was about to respond when he felt a light tap on his back. He turned to see what it was, but nothing was behind him except the Vahki.

“The past won’t matter if we don’t have a future, Whenua.” Nuju frowned, staring at one of the lightstones overhead as it flickered dimly. Matoran clearly did not maintain these tunnels. Perhaps that could be useful. There could be any number of broken pipes or collapsed walls along their path. He’d take anything at this point.

Then he saw it.

“There is a side passage up ahead,” he hissed. The patrol was quickly nearing the break-off. “I suggest we take it—Now!”

The three Toa exploded past their escorts, darting into the passage and racing as fast as their powerful legs could carry them.

There was only one problem with running: Vahki really love to chase.

As soon as the Toa branched off to the left, the two Rorzakh behind pursued, while the two that had been in front turned around, transforming into quadrupedal forms for speed.

The three Toa Metru dashed around the shadowy maze for what felt like hours. Fortunately for them, Vahki were equipped to pursue Matoran — hunting Toa was altogether new to them.

When they gauged themselves to be safe, Whenua cautiously peered around a corner. “They are still searching, but they don’t know where we are,” he gasped breathlessly. “I see Rorzakh down this corridor.” He nodded behind them in a different direction. “We will have to go left.”

Once again, the Toa worked their way through the maze of catacombs, cautious to avoid detection. As the group descended another empty tunnel, Onewa frowned, “Is it just me, or does this seem too easy? They should have caught us or given up by now.”

“Rorzakh don’t give up. Ever,” the Toa of Earth shook his head. He stopped abruptly. “I hear them off to the left. Go right up here.”

The three Toa did as Whenua directed, dashing into a doorway on the right. But the sight that greeted them was just as unwelcome.

“Dead end,” muttered Nuju, disappointed. “We had better—”

SLAM!

Whenua, Onewa, and Nuju whirled to see the cell door locking behind them. “It’s a trap!” Onewa shouted, too late. “This ‘room’ is a prison cell! You got us locked up, Archivist!”

Nuju frowned in frustration. “They knew where we were all the time. The Rorzakh must have used their Staffs of Presence on one of us—”

Whenua said nothing. But at once he recalled the light tap he had felt on his back.

“They were able to monitor our movements all the time,” Nuju finished. “Everything we said and plotted, while one of us was their unwitting eyes and ears.”

Onewa held his hands up, letting his proto pitons dangle. “We still have our Toa tools!” he reminded the others. “We will break out and—”

“And do what? And go where?” asked Nuju, looking through a small barred window on the door. It was just large enough that he could see the glowing bright-green eyes of at least four Rorzakh on the other side. “Dume has called us traitors… the whole city is against us… the Matoran we want to protect are calling for our capture.”

Nuju’s gaze fell to the floor in morose pondering. “Maybe the Turaga was right,” he said to his quiet companions. “Maybe we are just imposters… Matoran pretending to be Toa.”

✴        ✴        ✴

Matau led the other two Toa toward a nearby airship hangar. Vorzakh could already been seen far behind them investigating, calculating trajectories and scanning the area to track the Toa.

At the sound of a hovercraft’s engines starting up, Matau glanced over. An airship had just completed its final pre-takeoff check and was close to departure.

Perfect.

The Toa of Air led Vakama and Nokama in a dash to the ship. “They will be close-watching the chutes and the streets,” Matau explained. “They will never think to look above their heads!” When they got to the pointed, elliptically shaped ship, Matau pushed a control that opened a rear storage hatch. “We will quick-hide among the cargo,” he said as he beckoned and pulled Vakama and Nokama aboard the craft. “Hurry, get in!”

✴        ✴        ✴

In the cockpit, the Le-Matoran pilots triggered the vast network of levitation disks to make the ship rise. The aerial craft powered up and ascended into the air, its leg-like landing gear folding and stowing into the hull on the way. It kept ascending to its designated altitude high above the city. Then it spun and hovered off toward its destination.

✴        ✴        ✴

One main cargo space dominated the interior of the airship the Toa had found themselves in. Up and down the curved walls of the hull, one could see the metallic protodermis frame supporting the mesh-like exterior which lended the airship its light weight.

The three Toa quickly made their way along a catwalk lining the interior of the hull. To their right was no railing, just an expansive view of stacks and stacks of boxes and compartments.

“Perhaps if the Vahki manage to find Toa Lhikan, Turaga Dume will realize we are innocent,” Nokama was saying.

“Perhaps,” Vakama mused darkly. “Unless Dume already knows where Lhikan is.”

Nokama frowned. “What are you saying?”

“Less loud-talk, more quick-walk!” Matau hissed. He triggered a switch in the wall, causing a small door to slide open. Inside was a staircase leading down. “In here!” he directed.

The three emerged on the floor of the cargo hold. Here tall rectangular storage units stood for transport. Judging from their size and physical restraints, Vakama guessed that they were carrying Po-Metru works.

“We will stay deep-hidden until the ship lands,” Matau added.

“Fine,” Nokama agreed. She turned back to the Toa of Fire “Vakama, explain what you said. What do you know?”

“Something simply feels wrong,” Vakama said, thinking hard about all the details and facts floating around this betrayal. “First the Morbuzakh, then so many Matoran disappearing. What if the two aren’t connected?”

“Uhh, hello?” Matau muttered, waving his hand in front of Vakama’s mask. “They were obviously clear-related. The Morbuzakh was grab-snatching Matoran!”

“That’s what we thought, but…” Vakama waved his hand dismissively. “What if the Morbuzakh plant’s attacks were a cover for something else? Something Toa Lhikan suspected, but didn’t have time to prove.”

“And he was captured by the Dark Hunters before he could share it,” Nokama added.

“Right in front of the fire-spitter’s eyes, too,” Matau frowned. “Now we have to ever-flee from Vahki all over the city. So much for being Toa-heroes!”

Vakama looked away, his fists balled. When he spoke, the restraint was clear in his expression and tone. “But we are still free, Matau. Maybe it’s our destiny to find Toa Lhikan so he can solve this mystery.” He looked up at the walls of the garage and the storage units behind Matau and Nokama. “At least we have time to think and plan.”

Shadows along the wall stirred and shifted. Pairs of red eyes opened, and their owners moved, creeping slowly and silently over the cargo boxes.

“After all,” Vakama continued, “what could threaten us here?”