Part Two

Nuju’s concentration was broken by the sound of metal against stone. At the noise he shot a glare at Onewa who barely seemed to notice.

Sitting with his back against the cell wall, he immersed himself in meditation pondering his brief existence as a Toa. He always loved to get lost in thought. There was a sacred peace there, alone in the palace of his own mind, where no one could seek him out. Everything made sense here. Everything was ordered. What Ko-Metru endeavored to accomplish with its peace and tranquility was meant to be an extension of the minds of its scholars.

CRACK!

The cacophony tore him from his mental sanctuary. He looked up in aggravation, seeing Onewa swing his tools against the wall, obliterating a large portion. In his home district, beings were actually punished for disturbing his studies. Now, Onewa was acting like he was back at his home, carving away to rhythm only he could hear.

“What are you doing?” Nuju asked pointedly.

Onewa’s arms slumped—from surprise, not fatigue. He looked at Nuju as if the latter had sprouted a second head. “Are you serious?” He looked at his work, then back at the white Toa. “Let’s think… Got it! I’m escaping,” he shot back. “Did you not hear my plan?”

Nuju didn’t respond.

Onewa turned back to his work. “I’ll carve an opening in the cell wall large enough for us to fit through. Once we make it through the architecture, Whenua’s drills can do the rest.”

Nuju looked over at Whenua who shrugged.

The Toa of Ice rolled his eyes but said nothing. In turn, the Toa of Stone swung his tools again. This time, however, the wall buckled and caved at his strength, and his tool tore the solid rock clean out. The tightly-packed earth tumbled through the opening.

“Alright, archivist—you’re up,” the Stone Toa said, backing away.

Whenua stood and started over. “Loud or quiet?”

“The Vahki probably heard that,” Onewa replied. “Loud.”

“Wait a moment,” Nuju said, quickly standing up. “You’re willing to let us tangle with Vahki again? Have you planned no further than this wall?”

“It’s the job of Ko-Matoran to waste time planning. Po-Matoran get things accomplished.”

“At least Ko-Matoran don’t lead us back where we started. Assuming we don’t end up worse off.”

“And what’s the alternative?” demanded Onewa, facing him. “Wait here for help? Help from our leader, Dume? Or our protectors, the Vahki?”

“The other Toa are still out there,” Nuju said.

Onewa stepped forward, challenging the Toa of Ice. “Yeah? Well we’re Toa in here, too. And I’m not going to sit around, waiting for someone else to come rescue me.” He held his Toa tools up between him and Nuju. “Not as long as I’ve got these.”

Nuju started to snap back at him, but managed to restrain himself. He looked away. “I can’t say I like our chances.”

“Then stay here,” Onewa said casually. He turned back to Whenua. “Do it.”

Whenua nodded, combining his drills into one even more powerful drill. Revving the tools, he set them into the earth of the prison wall, quickly carving a new tunnel onward. Onewa retracted his proto pitons before following Whenua into the tunnel.

Nuju started to take a step forward but stopped when he heard an alarm ring out on the other side of their cell door. He could hear the scuffling of feet as enforcers hurried to stop their break-out attempt. I like our options more than our chances, he thought to himself, icing over the door to buy time. And I dislike our options.

✴        ✴        ✴

Turaga Dume looked out over the city from the tower of the Coliseum. Beside him stood a Vahki Zadakh as a bodyguard, with a Vahki Rorzakh behind them as a messenger. The suns were beginning to darken and set over the City of Legends, casting long shadows and a vibrant red tint to cover the city.

“The time is drawing near,” the elder of the city thought aloud. “Three Toa are apprehended, but they will be restless. They will do everything in their power to escape… and too much lies in those vaults to risk letting that happen. Yet my forces are divided.”

Dume glanced up to the darkening sky, resolve burning in his aged eyes and hunched form. “And still three Toa plague me with their interference. They cannot be allowed to block the destiny of the Matoran.” The Turaga turned to look at the order enforcer. “You know what to do,” Dume said. “They will attempt to free their friends. They must not succeed.”

✴        ✴        ✴

Well, the alarm has been ringing for some time now,” Onewa managed to say between breaths. “And still no sign of Vahki on our tail… I think we can slow down.”

That was all he needed to say, for the other two slowed to a halt and doubled over, straining to catch their breaths.

Onewa tilted his head. “Oh, it wasn’t that bad.”

“‘What’s the plan?’ I said. ‘There is no plan,’ he said,” Nuju muttered. “‘We’ll just run for it,’ he said.”

“A stargazer and a zookeeper,” Onewa observed. “Not the most athletic types to get locked up with.”

“Well, if the Vahki are giving us some time,” Whenua interrupted, looking at the cell doors lining the hall, “let’s not squander their generosity.”

“What are you thinking?” Nuju asked.

“We’re in some sort of Vahki prison,” Whenua replied. “Either one they’ve secretly had for a while or one they recently came into possession of. And if we’re here, it stands to reason there are other things here.”

The three Toa immediately began throwing open cell doors, looking anything or anyone they could use to escape. They made some effort to be quiet, for whatever it was worth to them, but they nevertheless moved quickly. All three knew speed was of the essence.

Most of their efforts proved fruitless. Many of the cells were spread far apart, where no captive could possibly communicate with another. Aside from a few creatures resembling Kinloka and the small Kraatu rodents that permeated the facility, there was nothing to be seen.

But that quickly changed. Nuju was about to move on from one cell when he spotted something etched into the corner of one. Stepping inside, he leaned over to look.

Things I remember.

My name: Wrenah. My element: Water. My occupation: Smuggler (hah). What I smuggle: Can’t remember. How long I’ve been in here: Can’t remember. Do I have friends? What’s the world outside like? What year is it? Who’s in charge?

Can’t remember much from before I was detained. They keep making me and others crawl into these spheres. I don’t know how much time passes while I’m in there, but my mind feels fuzzier and fuzzier each time I get out. Everything is hazy and dim. I think I’ll try to fill the wall with a list of everything I remember, just in case. Hopefully the guards won’t notice.

The makeshift journal ended there. No other words could be seen on the wall.

Nuju found his eyes tracing Wrenah’s brief account a second and third time. He couldn’t determine why, but it gave him an unsettling feeling. He was immune to the cold, but he felt an icy chill now.

“Nuju, look what I found.”

The Toa of Ice started and whirled. Onewa was standing in the doorframe, holding a painted blue Ruru that had been broken in three pieces. “Looks like there were Matoran down here once. But how could one forget a Kanohi?”

Words caught in Nuju’s throat. Silently, he gestured to the writing on the wall. Onewa walked over and read it. With a shudder, he dropped the Kanohi mask.

“You don’t think—?”

Nuju gave him a glance that spoke clearer than words. He frowned and began to pace. “What would lead the Vahki to behave like this? Could the Dark Hunters have corrupted their drives?”

“Something has been wrong with this city for a very long time now,” Onewa replied. “The real question is, how has Dume not seen this happening all under his mask?”

Nuju stopped pacing. As a scientist, it was his job to have answers. If he didn’t have them, it was his job to look for them.

For the first time in his life, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

Whenua’s mask popped around the doorframe. “You guys are gonna love what I found.”

✴        ✴        ✴

“Kraawa.”

The three Toa stood before an imposing cell. Behind it they could see a stasis tube containing a powerful-looking beast.

“Don’t let their gentle nature or herbivorous diet fool you,” Whenua continued. “They absorb and grow when kinetic energy is used on them. If this is the same one that disappeared from the Archives collection several months ago, this used to be the size of a Knowledge Tower. They must have shrunk it down.”

“Keeping it where they could keep an eye on it,” Onewa guessed. “Think we’ll find any more of the Vahki’s Most Wanted if we keep looking?”

“A rogue gallery of Rahi and criminals,” Nuju shuddered. “All held where they wouldn’t be looked for… or missed.”

“The Kraawa is a Rahi more feared than most in the Archive collection,” Whenua concluded. “You don’t want to be around when one breaks free.”

He grinned slyly.

Nuju frowned. “Why do I get the feeling I’m about to be around when one breaks free?”