Part One

As soon as Onewa, Nuju, and Whenua awoke, they could tell they were no longer in the Coliseum. They weren’t in a building at all, in fact, for they seemed to be moving. The walls were lined with empty racks and the doors on either end of the long cylindrical room were sealed shut.

“A Vahki transport,” Onewa muttered. Dimly he thought he recalled leaving the Coliseum and being directed inside. But he and the others had been under the influence of the Zadakh’s stun staff which left them vulnerable to the commands of the Vahki.

Whenua strained against his restraints, but to no avail. His whole body was bound, and he could gain no leverage.

“Look,” Nuju whispered.

Onewa and Whenua followed his gaze. Hidden at the top of one of the racks, utterly motionless, was a large hawk.

“Nivawk,” the Toa of Stone observed.

At its name, Dume’s pet hawk tilted its head. Taking two steps forward, it leaped off the racks, gliding over to one of the doors which it rapped with a claw. With a hiss the door slid open and a silhouette stepped inside, a shadow against the bright outside light. The door sealed shut, revealing a familiar frail form.

“Turaga Dume!” Onewa exclaimed.

“Are you going to stop stating the obvious?” Nuju snapped.

“Noble Turaga!” Whenua exclaimed, confusion, hurt, and betrayal in his voice. “I don’t understand — why have you ordered our capture? Do you not recognize us?”

The Turaga’s mouth pursed.

“The three of you bear… such a strong resemblance to Lhikan,” he murmured. “But your spirits are filled with such spite toward each other. What I saw in the Coliseum and now here… it is as I anticipated.”

“What are you talking about, Turaga?” Nuju asked, as calmly as he could manage.

“Six Toa destined to come into being, but who can say Lhikan chose wisely?” Dume continued, seemingly staring into space. He chuckled. “Perhaps he was deceived. But if the intention was for six argumentative, snide Toa to come about, then the right ones were chosen. And the will of Mata Nui was led astray.”

“Turaga?”

Dume stirred from his reveries and straightened. “For eighteen months the Morbuzakh have plagued this city. Matoran disappearing, the Toa assigned to guard this city… gone. Then six new ‘heroes’ swoop in at just the right time. As the leader of this city, you can imagine my concern.”

Onewa frowned. “Toa Lhikan—”

Dume raised his hand. “I have heard all about your recent escapades. Recovering the Great Disks, confronting the Morbuzakh, and chasing Rahi in the Archives. All tasks that Lhikan could have handled with ease were he here.”

The Toa sat in stunned silence. For a while, the only movement was Nivawk, who shifted on its perch. For a year and a half, the bird had remained ever at Dume’s side.

Onewa tried again. “But Lhikan—”

“What Lhikan would not have done is attempt to bribe me with disks. Fail to navigate the Sea of Protodermis. Run while the proper authorities attempt to apprehend him. These are the behaviors of Matoran, not Toa. But…” Again he cut Onewa off before he could speak. “Lhikan would have seen reason.”

The Turaga stepped over the prone Toa. “Work with me to capture the missing Toa. Help me bring them into custody and I will attempt to have your freedom restored.”

The three Toa were silent. The recent turn of events had happened so quickly that they could not have anticipated such an offer. Nor had they lingered much on the thought that the other three were still at large.

For Onewa, he found himself pondering the answer. No, he did not care to betray the other three, even if he held no great love for Vakama. But it would buy them time. Working with Dume would earn back the Turaga’s favor, and reassembling the team would allow them to regain their bearings and work with Dume in a calmer manner than their arrival at the Coliseum had.

Nuju, meanwhile, was not thinking about the offer. Dume’s words about Lhikan were still ringing in his head.

It was Whenua, then, who spoke first.

“No.”

“Whenua!” Onewa reacted. “Don’t you think—”

“I have thought,” Whenua countered. “Our team has done nothing that warrants imprisonment. Even if we cannot prove it right now, every action we have taken we have done out of noble intentions. We have not betrayed this city. We have not betrayed your trust, Turaga. And we will not betray our friends now.”

The Turaga’s red eyes bore into the Toa of Earth, and for a moment Whenua unconsciously shrank away, questioning if he had acted wisely.

But then Dume acquiesced.

“Your decision doesn’t have to be final, but you will not have long to change your mind. You three will remain in confinement until the other three have been captured, at which point I will decide your fate. Aid this city and the verdict will be generous. Oppose it and your actions will only support my suspicions.”

With those words, the Turaga stepped out, to the exterior of the transport where Nivawk waited perched. The large hawk grasped Dume, spread its wings, and soared off, Turaga in tow.

✴        ✴        ✴

The transport came to a stop, and the Toa were directed off, directed into an underground access point in a region of Po-Metru so remote even Onewa couldn't place it. The only living things they could see in any direction were a herd of Kikanalo grazing on the cliffs above.

In short form, the Toa were led in to their fate.