Part 2

Lightning forked across the sky, visible in the open crater of the giant volcano. Tybus looked on, and soon the accompanying thunder crashed, reverberating against the inside of the volcano walls. Mere moments later, heavy rain began pouring into the volcano, splashing against his slick armor.

At the same time, he felt a slight tremor ripple through the volcano. This was followed by a second, slightly more violent tremor.

To harness the natural order, he reflected. To control the nature of an island and to bend it against the living. What power. A thrill ran through him resembling that which had just excited the dormant volcano. I will wake the sleeping giant. I will bend its form to my will.

He turned and descended into one of the stone veins through which magma had once flowed, not so long ago when the island was first formed. Tybus made his way through the winding passage, arriving at a makeshift prison. Inside, several soldiers clad in thick armor and gas masks had formed a circle within a large glass dome. At the center of the circle was a large Rahi. One of the soldiers prodded it with a charged weapon, and the Rahi yelped. A dark purple gas emanated from its armor plates which the other soldiers captured in zamor spheres that turned the same dark purple. Beside them was a table with light purple zamors.

Tybus rapped the glass dome and one of the soldiers turned to him.

“Do we have enough?”

The soldier nodded. “Very nearly, sir. The extraction is almost complete.”

“Pass me one of the distilled zamors.”

The soldier went to the table and brought one of the light purple zamors to Tybus who unsealed the door and took it before locking it again. Tybus moved past the dome to a series of cages where Matoran prisoners looked up at him in horror.

“Let no one ever deny the beauty of Rahi,” he told them. “Have you learned what this is yet?”

The Matoran shook their heads.

“That Rahi over there is the Mind Kestrel,” he said. “When threatened, it unleashes a virus that can alter the mind of those around it… at least, those who weren’t meant to be sapient.”

Tybus unceremoniously tossed the zamor sphere through the bars at one of the Matoran. The Matoran was stunned for a moment as the sphere released its contents. Then her eyes glazed over and she stood completely still.

“No!” a cry tore from the throat of the Ta-Matoran beside her. “What did you do?”

“No need to worry… yet, anyway,” Tybus shrugged. “It is distilled to the smallest fraction of its power. When diminished like this, its effects can manifest in a number of ways. Eliminating a target's higher mental functions. Making a target more susceptible to suggestion. Filling a target's mind with a single overriding command. Others too.”

The Ta-Matoran shook the Ce-Matoran vigorously, struggling to wake her up inside. Idly, Tybus wondered how the virus’ powers would affect a creature of psionics, one so in tune with her mind.

“You grieve for her,” Tybus observed, more to himself than anyone else. “A deep and profound emotion that is born of the fond experiences you two shared. But that happiness… it all leads to grief and loss. Why would you wish it upon yourselves? Why would you wish to know love when it only hurts? Why live a life of depression when you could be freed from it and the like? I and those like me were born with this burden, but you were free of it. You became like us, knowing joy and sadness. Why would you desire it? …It is a fruit of knowledge you were not meant to taste.”

The Matoran was beside himself. He tried to respond, but he choked on the words. Tybus grinned.

“The effects are temporary… for now. You will see her again as you know her. When the time comes to make it permanent, both of you will experience it at the same time.”

“Great one!” came a voice behind Tybus. Shokdon was hurrying past the glass dome. “The device is loaded onto the volcano. Our final checks have been successful — did you feel the—”

“The tremors!” Tybus smiled. “I did feel them. Give the team my congratulations. What about the deepsea team?”

“Still nothing.”

Tybus nodded. “Well, we can’t move forward in the rain anyway, and no one here has weather powers. We’ll wait until tomorrow when it has cleared.”

✴        ✴        ✴

The effect was immediate.

No sooner had Trakka shoved Brutaka into a large cave than the three who’d been sitting there jumped in surprise.

“Guess who it is,” Trakka growled.

“Brutaka!” Mekrani exclaimed.

Grraka sat upright. Wracko’s eyes narrowed.

“You’re alive.”

“Has a new friend, too,” Noxis said, shoving Axonn to the center. For a moment, he considered whirling and knocking him flat, but thought better of it. Brutaka had made a point of not resisting, and Axonn was curious why.

“Let me see that ax,” Wracko gestured.

Noxis moved cautiously to the side and passed Axonn’s axe to Wracko who took it and turned it over in his hands.

“Whadaya make of this?” Trakka asked, tossing Mekrani Brutaka’s blade.

“I see he finally replaced his ugly warhammer,” Mekrani remarked, running her finger along the blade.

“Hey,” Brutaka reacted, glancing at Axonn. “I liked that hammer.”

Axonn smiled slightly, then happened to catch the gaze of Grraka who was glowering in his direction. After glaring back at him, to no effect, Axonn leaned over to Brutaka. “Who are these people?” he murmured.

“Not now,” Brutaka muttered.

Wracko looked up. “We haven’t met yet,” he told Axonn. “I and my team serve the Makuta. Your friend here was an old friend of ours… until he ‘died.’”

“What was it like?” Noxis cut in sardonically. “Was the Red Realm all they make it out to be? Were you attended by heavenly Kestora?”

“Don’t mock it,” Mekrani frowned. “Resurrection is real.”

“Riiiiiiiiiiight.”

“Dude, how do you explain Onu-Mutant from Spiriah’s department being dead for five hours?”

“Anyway,” Wracko cut in. “Resurrection beliefs aside… the fact remains… One of my oldest friends had the audacity to rise from the dead and not tell the rest of us hi.”

Brutaka winced. “I’ve wanted to come back. You have no idea how badly I wanted to see you.”

“You know, some years back, the Brotherhood hired a sentry,” Wracko continued. “A four-legged fellow, used to work as a captain of a guard on a southern island. Told me once about one of the most extraordinary sights he’d ever witnessed—three warriors, two silver and one gold—who had united his island in a day. And you know what? His description of the gold warrior matched you to a tee. He even said the gold warrior called himself ‘Brutaka.’”

Brutaka started to say something, then thought better of it.

“I dismissed it,” Wracko continued. “I told everyone it was a complete coincidence. Perhaps it was a double or a clone. Perhaps it was someone you had once inspired. The real Brutaka, I said, was dead.”

“I wasn't dead,” Brutaka admitted. “I became a mercenary, and this is my partner, Axonn. But my current employers made me vow never to—”

Wracko raised a hand. “Enough.”

“No—Wracko, they said I could never—”

“I said ‘enough.’”

“Wracko, I swear I—”

“Forget it, Brutaka.” Wracko said coldly. “We already mourned you.”

✴        ✴        ✴

At the heart of the island, the great volcano stirred.

The tireless efforts of Tybus’ followers had not been in vain, and the dormant volcano had been harnessed. A device had been mounted and a trigger had been set. And as pressure built, the mountain shuttered.

✴        ✴        ✴

The whole cavern shook, shaking dirt and small stones free from the ceiling. Those present looked up, but the team from Destral appeared mostly unconcerned.

Axonn and Brutaka sat back-to-back, bound in what was proving to be extremely effective rope. As Axonn covertly flexed his mighty strength against it, he couldn’t help but watch as four of the five member team discussed the new pair among themselves. Of them, only the green-armored Grraka stood apart, keeping watch over the prisoners. There was also a strange bipedal Rahi called the Nahtarki which was dozing in the corner.

“A very odd reception,” Axonn remarked. “I think they didn’t know if they should embrace you or kill you.”

No response.

Axonn looked at him as best he could with the corner of his eyes.

Brutaka wasn’t moving.

Axonn twisted, then craned his neck to look at his partner. Brutaka was slumping, his eyes looking at the ground. He didn’t even seem to be trying to escape.

“Talk to me,” Axonn frowned, sitting back.

Brutaka sighed.

“It’s my old team, Axonn.”

“I… kinda figured that.”

“When the Ord… er… …ly—when the orderly sought me out for our current employer, I didn’t even have the option to tell them goodbye. Like so many other… agents in our line of work, I had to fake my own death.”

“Seems like it worked,” Axonn observed, glancing at them.

He thought about this for a moment.

“Who’s who?” he added.

Brutaka’s head fell back as he looked at the ceiling. For a moment, Axonn wondered if he was going to answer the question at all, but then he heard his partner begin.

“See that fellow in the red armor and the mask with the mouthguard? That’s Trakka. You’ll never meet a more capable hunter. Know why? He can get in the mind of a Rahi, can think just like one. His instincts are only matched by his strong code of honor, and he refuses to kill anything that he had fun tracking. His mask is the Mask of Stasis, and he carries the broadsword in the corner.”

Axonn had actually been watching Trakka. The red-armored hunter didn’t appear to be looking in their direction, but the more Axonn studied him, the more certain he was that the hunter was watching them from the corner of his eyes. If they made a break for it, Trakka would see it happen and pursue them without hesitation.

“That one,” Brutaka said, now nodding, “That one in the blue armor is Noxis. A spy that can get behind any enemy lines without being detected. A master of chemical agents, poisons, toxins, venoms… you get the idea. But he insists on always doing things properly, by the book… he’s all about precision, and if you want to improvise, you usually have to deal with him. Wears the Mask of Air Purification, and carries the injector blade.”

Axonn looked at the blue spy, whose expression was impenetrable, quite impossible to read. A solid mask had been put on, but it was not his Kanohi. He had a perfect game face.

“Then you have Mekrani,” Brutaka now said. “In white. She literally puts everything together. She fixes equipment, engineers new contraptions, and prepares the explosives. Can destroy or dismantle anything just as easily as she can put it together. She’s the main strategist, though she’ll often get lost in the clouds playing out scenarios or building things in her head. Wears the Mask of Ranged Communication and carries what she describes as a long spearhead—don’t ask what that means.”

Axonn looked at the strategist who was leaning back with her arms behind her head. Occasionally she would glance in their direction, but this was infrequent.

Of the four who were talking quietly, this only left one individual.

“And the one with black armor?”

“Wracko. The leader and mediator of the team, skilled diplomat. Lets the others talk until he has made a decision, and once he does, it’s final. But… don’t let his calm demeanor here fool you. He’s crazy. Once combat breaks loose and he’s decided he’s done everything he can to resolve it, he’ll throw himself into combat like a madman. Run in, blow up the place, and leave, strewing mayhem in his wake. Helicopter blades with a Mask of Pacification.”

“Huh…”

“And last, but… well, maybe also the least, is Grraka,” Brutaka finished with a slight grin, gesturing to the green-armored guard standing over them. “He has a heart of gold, not that you would guess.”

“Bug off,” Grraka growled.

“See?” Brutaka chuckled. “You’ll be hard-pressed to get more than two words out of him. Mostly grunts and growls, and has titanic strength. But he’s got a keen eye for beauty, and is an artist of every medium. He’s got the halberd and the Mask of Quick Learning.”

The ghost of a smile seemed to pass over Grraka’s face, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.

“And what’s that?” asked Axonn nodding to the Nahtarki.

“The Nahtarki. I only encountered it once… but it seems to recognize me.”

“The Nahtarki remembers you well, Brutaka,” said Mekrani, walking over with the other three. “Without it, we might not have found you.” Looking at Axonn, she added, “It is the Brotherhood’s most capable sensor Rahi. With it we hope to find a more valuable pet of theirs, the subject of our mission.”

Mekrani fell silent, looking at Wracko. Wracko nodded.

“We have reached a decision,” she continued. “We will keep you two bound here while we carry out our operation. They aren’t the best binds, but… on such short notice, they’ll hold during that time.”

“They were tempted to let you free,” hissed Noxis, “for old time’s sake. But if you have joined these islanders, it’s too much of a risk.”

“You’re lucky,” remarked Trakka.

Brutaka’s gaze hadn’t left Wracko, who had said nothing.

“Please let us go,” urged Axonn, trying to throw a glance over his shoulder at Brutaka. “These islanders, they’re a cult. We don’t know what their plan is, but — I know him. Their leader is extremely capable.”

“The Brotherhood doesn’t involve itself in foreign affairs,” Trakka said on Wracko’s behalf. “Destral keeps to itself.”

“Don’t know why it doesn’t,” Mekrani murmured, staring into space. “If anyone has the resources for it, they do.”

“Makuta are scientists,” Trakka replied. “Not warriors. If anyone is to police the universe, it must be the Toa.”

“Imagine… the full force of Destral pouring forth under the banner and authority of the Makuta,” continued Mekrani, lost in her imagination. “What a sight that would be… A superpower if only it chooses to be…”

“Mekrani.”

“Hmm? Oh,” Mekrani stirred.

“You will stay here. It is decided,” growled Wracko. “We are here for our Rahi and our Rahi only. By the time you break free we will be gone.” He looked at the other four. “Let’s go.”

“No!” barked Brutaka suddenly, with such force that it startled everyone present. “Axonn,” he said, turning. “Give them your mask of truth.”

“But—”

“Just do it.”

Axonn reached up and pulled the mask from his face. Wracko frowned, but with a glance at Brutaka, he obligingly reached for it.

“It could be a trick—” breathed Noxis. “May be a trick Rode—”

Wracko’s hand hesitated… then took the mask anyway. Pulling his mask from his face, he replaced it with the Rode which glowed to life. He looked at Mekrani. “Tell me, as a mechanic… What is the name of your special building technique?”

“Constraction.”

“What building system do you hate?”

“Bricks.”

“Seems to be working,” Wracko observed, looking back at the prisoners.

“Axonn is right,” Brutaka said. “The cult here… we have to stop them. If left unchecked—”

The island shook again. Slivers of cracks ran the length of the roof.

“These earthquakes, this volcano—none of this is natural,” Brutaka continued. “Team… when I left you, I took on a role of something higher… a higher order than the Brotherhood scientists. I troubleshoot for a group that stops fear-mongers in their tracks, those who would wreak terror and destruction across the universe. And the general running this island… scares even my order.”

Mekrani, Trakka, Noxis, and even Grraka looked at Wracko. The black-clad warrior was silent, but the Rode gave a grave expression.

“This leader,” Wracko said, “What’s he planning?”

“We don’t know… yet. But my friend here has history with him.”

The team exchanged glances, and Mekrani pulled the other four aside to whisper something.

“You have got to stop giving away Order secrets to non-operatives,” Axonn hissed. “It was one thing with me—I was ex-Hand—but—”

“Trust me,” Brutaka replied. “And trust them.”

“And trust the Order to station us far away when this is all over,” Axonn muttered. “Somewhere remote and lonely, where you can say anything you want because there’s no one you could possibly give any secrets to.”

“And waste all our talents? Waste their best troubleshooters?” Brutaka winked. “They wouldn’t dare.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Axonn muttered. “They never did forgive you for that Tahtorak thing.”

✴        ✴        ✴

While the rest of the team discussed the pair, one of their members had been almost completely distracted. And as his teammates spoke, Noxis realized he was finding it difficult to focus at all on Brutaka, Brutaka’s new friend, or even the mission. So he excused himself.

Actually, as Noxis stepped outside the cave, he found himself surprised at how little he minded seeing Brutaka again. Official procedure might require them to bring him back to Destral, sure, but everything could probably be sorted out. No, strangely he didn’t take Brutaka’s reappearance nearly as hard as Wracko and Trakka evidently had. Deep down, Brutaka always had a good reason for the things he did, and surely he did for this too. And the others knew this—it’s why Brutaka wasn’t dead yet.

No, Noxis found his attention squarely focused on the island itself. Since their arrival here, something had seemed… off… to him. Something was in the air.

He looked around. It was still lightly raining, so he couldn’t tell nearly as well as he otherwise would have. But this… was it a toxin? He stepped outside the protection of the cave and concentrated. There wasn’t a known toxin he couldn’t place. He felt a slight buzz in his mind. A neurotoxin? But this didn’t have all the properties of a toxin, no… Nor was it quite a virus.

Logically, he would guess it had something to do with the Rahi they were sent to retrieve… the Mind Kestrel. Rumor had it that when it was frightened, it emitted certain pheromones that interfered with a predator’s neurological processes. There had to be something there.

But… to fill a whole island with its fumes…

All at once, Noxis found himself trembling. Something was wrong, something was very wrong. Axonn had described these islanders as a cult… Whatever they were doing—

Axonn is right.

Noxis backed inside the cave. Just then, the island roared again, and the foundations shook and quaked. The volcano rumbled, and as Noxis craned to see it, he saw smoke rising from the rim—that hadn’t been there before…

“What are they doing?” Noxis breathed.

✴        ✴        ✴

“Say we believe you,” Wracko frowned. “How long do we have?”

“Less than a day by our estimation,” Brutaka said quickly. “Whatever it is, our intelligence suggests it’s going to happen soon.”

“What’s your plan for dealing with this ‘cult’?”

“Climb the mountain, look over the rim, and ask them if they’ll let us blow up their secret base. Shouldn’t be too hard since it’s a volcano.”

“Couldn’t happen even if you wanted,” Mekrani shook her head. “I did a quick survey. The volcano is reinforced with a protosteel alloy.”

“Typical.”

“Alternatively, we’ll pick off their guards until they notice something. Then when they all come out to look, sneak in.”

“What sort of plan is that?” Mekrani made a face.

“An average Brutaka plan,” Axonn sighed.

“We know,” Noxis nodded. “Mata Nui always loved Brutaka. His half-baked plans should have gotten us flattened a thousand times over.”

“Sounds about right,” Axonn sighed.

“There were only going to be two of us,” Brutaka shrugged. “It’s not like we had an… ‘impossible mission’ strike force.” He smiled knowingly, looking at each team member in turn.

“We get it,” Wracko sighed. “‘Impossible mission,’ eh?”

“I’ve missed it,” Brutaka shrugged.

Mekrani looked at Wracko. “Feint on the gate, then make for the observation posts?”

“That could work.”

“Alright,” Mekrani said, getting on her knees and sketching a rough map of the island in the dirt. “We’ll distract them by blowing up the gate and staging an attack there. While they’re distrac—”

“NO!” Grraka barked so suddenly that everyone jumped. It was only the second time Axonn had heard him speak.

“—we’ll break into… huh?” asked Mekrani.

Grraka folded his arms. “No attack on the gate. …It’s too beautiful.”

“Great,” Mekrani said to the others. “We will not blow it up because Grraka thinks it’s beautiful. We will go the long way without any big diversions, risking our lives climbing to the rim while they eat bula berries and watch.”

Grraka nodded, satisfied.

“Everyone, monitor your cognition,” Noxis piped up. “The Rahi is generating astronomical quantities of pheromones. Pay particular attention to any tingling sensation in your head. If you inhale enough, or a particularly concentrated dose, there may be permanent mental damage.”

“Great to know, Noxis.” Wracko crouched beside Mekrani and began drawing in the dirt himself. “First priority is the Rahi. Then,” he looked at Axonn and Brutaka, “if this ‘cult’ looks like it’s up to something, we’ll cause some damage on our way out. They put boats in the water when we were arriving, so they’re probably expecting visitors.” He looked at Mekrani who nodded.

“The observation posts are great for seeing the ocean and much of the island on a normal day, but don’t have a good angle on the slopes directly below them,” the tactician continued. She pointed to her illustration of the mountain. “Trakka and Noxis will have to take out the guards below them. Then Grraka and Wracko will scale the slopes while Trakka and Noxis watch from below.”

“Great,” Wracko nodded. “Grraka will grab the Rahi while I guard our escape. On my signal, we head out. If the Mind Kestrel proves uncooperative, Noxis, I want you to join us in the volcano while Trakka holds the position.”

“Shouldn’t be too difficult,” Noxis nodded. “The guards should be straightforward. There are some experienced members, but many seem to be inexperienced volunteers.”

“Don’t underestimate the experienced members,” Axonn piped up from where he was still bound. “They’re trained by some of the best.”

Wracko looked at him with a slight smile.

“So are we.”

“I’ve had a taste of their capabilities,” Trakka grinned wolfishly. “Most dangerous game.”

“Your job won’t quite be how you picture it,” said Wracko. He looked at Trakka with a keen glance. Trakka looked at him with slight confusion, but a mutual understanding seemed to pass between them.

“Do you want me in the volcano with you?” Mekrani asked Wracko.

“No,” Wracko shook his head. “We can’t risk having our communication severed. Keep an eye on everything, but as soon as Grraka and I are in, cut a path to the boat.”

“Understood.”

“Everyone clear?” Wracko looked around.

“As mud,” Trakka winked.

“We’ll see,” Noxis shifted anxiously.

Grraka grunted.

“See Brutaka?” Wracko smiled, standing up. “We learned to improvise.”

“Some aren’t happy about it though,” Noxis mumbled.

“What about us?” asked Axonn. “You’ll need our help.”

“Yes,” Brutaka added distantly. “You’ll need us.”

Wracko fixed Brutaka with a strange look. But he shook his head.

“You two will stay here. If what you say proves correct, Mekrani will come free you.”

“Guess we’ll just stay here, then,” Brutaka said wryly.