BIONICLE Legends: Invasion
Chapter 11
Written by Jeff Douglas
Above Mahri Nui
Brutaka struggled against the powerful grip of a giant squid, straining to escape his captor. But the squid was relentless, and even the titanic figure was helpless against the squid’s might. It was too tight a grip in an environment he was unused to fighting in. To make matters worse, as his breath sped and more of the mutagen was pumped into his lungs, he could feel his body becoming something foreign.
As Brutaka realized his last moments were upon him, his mind drifted to the Order of Mata Nui, which was no doubt monitoring his death. Perhaps they were laughing at him even now. So many of his old comrades scorning him for giving up the faith.
Yet Axonn, wouldn’t laugh. Nor would he have forgotten already. Still, it was doubtful he cared what happened to Brutaka. They had been best friends for so many millennia, yet Brutaka had ruined everything in less than a month. Where was his old friend now?
A wave of panic washed over him. This is no way to die.
Struggling again against the restraint, employing every power he could against the monster, he summoned every last reserve of strength to fight against the giant squid. But it was to no avail. He cried out, hitting the beast with his hands and shouting, even though he knew it was pointless.
Behind his mask, his eyes clouded with salt water that did not originate from the sea.
Mata Nui help me…
Stars dotted his vision, and he could feel his body numbing. But then he felt something else.
There!
As the squid slowed to turn and devour its victim, his grip slackened slightly. A sudden well of energy surged forth and he kicked free of the squid. Before the Giant Squid could turn to seize him again, Brutaka launched a series of energy blasts that forced the squid away, and a well-directed electric surge struck the squid and ended it.
The Great Spirit saved me!
No, he realized. It had just been dumb chance and luck. And Brutaka’s insurmountable skill. The squid hadn’t stood a chance.
Or was it?
He turned in the direction he had come. Instinct demanded that he rejoin the Barraki in fighting for the Kanohi Ignika — even now, Carapar and the others were tearing rubble from the mouth of the cave. But this was quickly replaced by another realization. Now that he knew what was truly taking place with Mata Nui, he couldn’t help but reevaluate his reason for desiring the mask. Mata Nui was not only unconscious, but he was dying. Perhaps this was why he had seen no signs of him since the Great Cataclysm.
But even if Mata Nui was dying, there was something else that was very much alive. Indeed, it lived on… Between the Matoran Resistance, the Toa Nuva, the Toa Inika, and Axonn. Surviving the Piraka and Brutaka himself.
Hope refused to die.
The odds were stacked against Mata Nui. None could logically deny it. But it was still something he would have to ponder. So many heroes fighting and dying for a lost cause. They didn’t stand a chance by themselves. But perhaps with Brutaka’s help…
Turning in the opposite direction as the Barraki, he swam into the ocean depths.
✴ ✴ ✴
The six Piraka hurried down the Cord, pursuing as best they could the distant sounds of life. Their movement was awkward — their mutations were advancing rapidly, and their breaths were increasingly pained. They did not know what was happening, but if the air itself was turning poisonous, even the magnificent array of skill that their years of experience granted them would be useless. They would die here, helpless to change their fate.
As they ran, Hakann noticed Zaktan’s sickly cloud rush past the Piraka and then reform into the diminishing figure of their leader. Taken by surprise, the Piraka slowed their progress, but Reidak started to shove past him.
“Stop running,” Zaktan ordered.
“And give the other Toa more of a head start?” Reidak demanded.
“It may be difficult for you, Reidak, but let’s think about this intelligently,” Zaktan snapped. “When we learned of Voya Nui, the realization of the undersea city of Mahri Nui came with it — for a reason. No doubt the Mask of Life heads there now, with the Toa Inika in fast pursuit.”
“And we must get there before they realize it,” Reidak said, again trying to move past. But Zaktan stopped him again.
“Silence, Reidak, I want to hear this,” Thok snapped.
“The carvings we found, the old maps of Voya Nui,” Zaktan said. “We know the Matoran still live beneath in the realm of Mahri Nui. Whether the Toa will seek to lead those Matoran back to Voya Nui is probable, but even if they don’t, if they recover the Mask of Life, they will be forced to travel back up the Cord when they do.”
“So we wait,” Avak nodded, smashing his fist into his fingerless hand. “We prepare a welcome home party.”
“What about Vezon!” Vezok snapped.
“Shut up, Vezok.”
“And if they don’t?” Hakann asked dubiously. “What if the Toa fail in their task?”
A hollow smile stretched across Zaktan’s features.
“Then this is where we shall wait and watch as the world burns around us.”
✴ ✴ ✴
Jaller sighed, his face impassive. Desperate for a moment of respite, the Toa Inika had paused in their descent to catch their breath. It seemed there had been nothing except running and fighting since departing Metru Nui. And now they had fought the Master of Shadows himself.
From behind him, he could hear soft, awkward footsteps. Hahli was still limping from Makuta’s final desperate blast earlier.
“Jaller, look at these strange lightstones I can add to my collection. If I could only locate a nice satchel, I would have a good collection of items by now.”
The Toa of Fire smiled somberly, but he said nothing. Hahli sighed.
“He probably isn’t dead, you know,” her voice said.
“I said that, didn’t I?”
“You did. Which is why I don’t understand why you’re kicking yourself. We don’t have to worry about the darkness within us today.” She laughed hollowly. “He may have used all his powers to face us, but he’s suffered far more at the hands of others. We know that such raw force is necessary to even have a hope of stopping him. I’m beginning to think nothing can kill him at all.”
“One day,” Jaller murmured. “When Mata Nui awakens, he will extract justice upon Makuta. We just have to get there…”
Hahli nodded.
Jaller fell back into silence, so the Toa of Water turned to leave. As she was about to step out, however, her brother spoke.
“Hahli, do you remember the conversation we had earlier? About destiny?”
She nodded, turning. It felt like so long ago, but it hadn’t been. Or had it?
“I think… I think I’m getting a better idea of why we were chosen. All this time, I’ve been trying to determine what set us apart as Matoran to become Toa… Why are some Matoran forced to become Krana and some become Zyglak — why would Mata Nui allow for either fate? Sure not all of them may not have been the most moral Matoran… but surely they weren’t evil like the leaders of the Matoran Civil War. Those six deserved to become monsters, for that’s what they truly were. But the Zyglak… what’s the difference between the Matoran who become Toa and those who become Zyglak or Krana?”
The Toa of Water felt a chill run up her spine.
“We’ve certainly been told that it’s destiny,” Jaller sighed. “But I think there’s something more. The red mutant was right — I think I remember it now. We were shaped by the Matoran Civil War. We participated in the violence. We defied Mata Nui, and while the war leaders were banished, the rest of us escaped punishment.”
“What are you saying, Jaller?”
Jaller stood. “I’m saying I think I know why we’ve been charged with this mission. We were never punished then, but the reckoning has come all the same. We failed Mata Nui once, and our actions as Matoran nearly led to his death then. Now the Great Spirit is near death again. It’s our chance to make things right.”
Hahli nodded, understanding what he was saying.
“It’s why the Toa Nuva weren’t meant to save his life.”
“Indeed,” Jaller agreed, sitting down to ponder again.
Hahli frowned, turning to leave again. At the last minute, she turned and faced Jaller again.
“Remember, Jaller. There’s a reason the six leaders were taken to the Pit. We might have stopped serving the Great Spirit, but we never defied him like they did. Mata Nui thought we were worthy of being given a second chance — more even than our brothers and sisters in Metru Nui. Nobody will stop us from proving ourselves worthy of that.”
Jaller nodded, smiling slightly. Realizing she’d helped as much as she could, Hahli sighed and limped back to the others, leaving the Toa of Fire to ponder. She was right, he knew, but the words of the mutants had still shaken so much of what he had taken for granted. The Inika had been tasked with saving the life of Mata Nui, a task he’d received with great honor at first. But now there were so many possibilities. Could it be that the reason they’d been destined to undertake this quest was because they were the only real Toa with the warrior instincts and inner darkness to accomplish it? To descend into the shadows to accomplish what had to be done?
Jaller shook his head. He would not let such musings get in the way of their mission. Like Hahli had said, the Toa would prove worthy of this second chance. There would be a lot to ask the Turaga when he got back to Metru Nui, but such mysteries would only get in the way now. After all, had not Vakama himself taught him the consequences of overthinking fate? Taking a deep breath, Jaller willed his worries to disperse.
And yet… Only one mystery persisted.
Once again, Matoro was the outlier. Jaller was increasingly conscious of a divide opening between the rest of the team and the Toa of Ice. Matoro was the only Matoran of Metru Nui who hadn’t been actively involved in the Matoran Civil War in any serious capacity. Instead, he had remained as he always had, studying the nature of biology and sentience within the Archives, and his close relationship with the Onu-Matoran had helped to bring the war to a close. After all, it had been Matoro’s fixation with life that had led Nuju to choose him in translating his birdspeak, resulting a chasm between him and the rest of the Matoran.
Once again, he had been set apart from the rest of the Inika, and if Jaller found it distressing, he could only imagine how Matoro could feel.
Jaller’s thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of clanging far above them. Kongu raced down toward him, his expression saying everything.
“Get ready. The Zyglak have caught-found us again, and they don’t look happy.”
Bracing himself, Jaller prepared for anything at all.