Metru Nui Comics
2005 - BIONICLE Comic 27: Fractures
Adapted by Michael Larson. Edited by Jeff Douglas.
Whenua, Vakama, Nuju, Onewa, and Norik ventured through the ruins of the city, moving in the direction of the Visorak gate that Nokama and Matau had been sent to scout.
“Matau and Nokama should have been back by now,” Whenua was telling Vakama.
“I know.”
Whenua shook his head. “You should have never sent them to scout the Visorak alone.”
“I know.”
“Could have waited until Nuju and I were free to help…” Whenua continued.
“I know.”
“If you want my opinion—”
Vakama whirled on the Toa of Earth, grabbing him by the throat and cutting him off. The Toa of Fire lifted him high into the air, leaving Whenua kicking and grasping at Vakama’s arm. “I don’t!” the Toa Hordika of Fire snarled.
“Vakama! Put him down!” Nuju snapped.
Vakama looked at the Toa of Ice for a long second. Then he released Whenua. The Toa of Earth fell to his hands and knees, gasping, rasping, and coughing. Vakama said nothing, just kept moving.
Nuju shook his head. “What’s gotten into him?”
“The same thing that will claim you all, in time…” Norik said softly. “The rage of the Hordika.”
Nuju looked at Onewa, “Let’s hope Matau and Nokama are having an easier time of it.”
✴ ✴ ✴
The Toa Hordika of Air and Water were clinging to the bottom of the golden Keelerak-shaped battle ram. Visorak of all kinds slowly pulled the ram toward the furnace of the building, which stood with an opening a hundred feet high.
“Got any bright ideas?” Nokama asked.
“You never seem to like my ideas,” Matau answered.
Nokama pointed to the entrance of the furnace they were nearing, where only white-hot tongues of flame were visible. “Well, your last one got us a one-way ticket to our own barbecue.”
Matau’s eyes narrowed as he charged an air spinner. “I might have a thought or two. Hang on!”
Rather than directing the Rhotuka to the air, Matau launched it down to the ground.
“Matau!” Nokama gasped as the battering ram was suddenly lifted into the air. A towering cyclone erupted underneath the battering ram and created violently spiraling winds, sending the heavy ram and Toa Hordika flying. “Matau!” Nokama shouted as they flew out of control.
“Yeah, I know!” the Toa of Air grinned. “Great idea-plan, isn’t it?”
Nokama could see Visorak attached to the ram by their chains, helplessly along for the ride. “There are still Visorak hanging on to the battle ram!” she shouted.
“Then they made a bad career choice,” Matau replied. A moment later, battle ram, Toa, and Visorak blew straight through the wall of the stronghold, soaring into the skies of Metru Nui.
✴ ✴ ✴
Nuju struggled shoved Vakama and Whenua apart. “We don’t have time to fight among ourselves! We have to find the others,” he snapped.
Onewa pointed up as a large shadow fell on them. “Um, guys? Course, I could be wrong… but I think they found us!”
“Scatter!” Whenua shouted. The Toa Hordika ran for cover as a giant projectile crashed into the ground, flattening a nearby building. Debris and dust exploded everywhere.
As the air was settling and the rumbling died, the team stepped carefully out of their hiding places to observe the crash site. Nuju shook his head, stunned. “No one could have lived through that.”
“No one but us Toa-heroes!”
The wreckage fell to the side, revealing Matau. “A last-second spinner and just enough of an air cushion—”
Another metal frame fell to the side, uncovering Nokama. “Plus landing on me—ouch!” the Toa of Water grumbled.
“—and here we are!” finished Matau proudly.
As the Toa stepped out of the crater, Nokama tried kicking the ground with her foot. “Too bad that one Visorak wasn’t so lucky,” she muttered. “I’ll never get all of him scraped off my feet.”
The four Toa Hordika and Norik gathered around the pair. “Things are getting much dark-worse in the city,” Matau reported grimly. “The Visorak are quick-speeding up their conquest, capturing Rahi in their cocoons, and turning them into monsters. Worse, when they run out of Rahi… who’s to stop them from starting on the sleeping Matoran?”
“Us,” Nuju said.
Onewa jumped onto a jagged piece of pavement. From there he could see to the center of the city. “One quick, hard strike—hit them where they live. The Coliseum!”
Whenua took in the sight of the Coliseum’s spires against the sky. “Won’t be easy getting in there. They will have every approach guarded, even underground.”
“You need a diversion,” Rahaga Norik suggested, speaking up. “Ages ago, when I was Toa Norik, we mounted a raid on a heavily guarded Brotherhood of Makuta fortress. My job was to distract the Visorak guards on the south wall.” He smiled, remembering the iconic dark green and purple colors of the castle like it was yesterday. “Do mighty hunters hide behind stone walls?” he remembered shouting. “You couldn’t catch fireflyers in your web, Visorak!”
“They didn’t understand the words, but they recognized the tone. And they reacted just the way I hoped…” Swarms of Visorak had poured over the edge of the wall, racing straight for the Toa Hagah of Fire. “…running right into our trap,”
At the time, a large stone had been leaned on its edge, suspended by only a single cable. As Norik had run past, he had used a bolt of fire to burn through the rope. The timing was perfect and the stone had fallen, crushing the Visorak guards.
“So intent were they on their pursuit, they never thought they might be the ones being hunted today.” Norik leaned on his staff, grinning. “Those were the days…”
Vakama shoved past the Rahaga and stormed into the night. “Thanks for the sleeptime tale,” he snarled. “If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s someone who does nothing but share stories all day long.”
Norik looked on as the Toa Hordika of Fire marched into the darkness, leaving the Rahaga and the other five Toa behind. Already, Vakama had learned much wisdom he could share around Amaja circles, and already he had been through an adventure worthy of any Chronicler’s library. But Norik had witnessed heroes becoming villains.
How will your story end, Vakama, when your tale is done? the Rahaga wondered.
✴ ✴ ✴
On one of the many high platforms of the Coliseum, the rulers of the Visorak horde gazed out over their captive city. “I dislike having the Toa loose out there. It’s like having a disobedient Visorak I can’t feed to the Zivon,” Sidorak frowned.
The viceroy stood at his side, her eyes sweeping the fog of the city. “Patience, my king. If I know the Toa, they are out there even now, planning and plotting…”
Roodaka stepped forward, placing her claws on the railing and leaning over her city. “Long before they became Hordika, they were prisoners of their own natures—trapped by the role of ‘hero'. They will come to us because they have no choice. Could they be Toa and do anything less?”
Her eyes narrowed.
“They will come to us… and we will destroy them.”