Find the Power Final Poll

[Velox]

Find the Power Final Poll

 

Vote here for your favorite Find the Power story. Please MAKE SURE YOU READ ALL ENTRIES BEFORE VOTING.Voting begins now and will end on July 17th at 11:59 PM PST. The entry with the most votes will be the winner of the Find the Power theme and will then be either judged or polled against the winners of the other themes.

 

-----------------------------------

 

Choice #1:

 

"Legacy"

In a cave far beneath the surface, a spire of crystal glowed.

It pulsed slowly in the darkness, a rhythmic sigh of light that cast a pale green glow on the stone and dirt that surrounded it. Twenty thousand years had it pulsed, and twenty thousand more it was willing to, or twenty thousand after that.

A hammer swung out of the shadows and shattered it. A thousand fragments hung in the air, as though they were supported by the light that turned them to stars for that single instant, and then they clattered to the ground.

The hammer’s owner peered down into the remains of the spire, and a simple green keypad stared back up, its soft glow undeterred by the loss of its casing. “Show-off,” the jungle Agori muttered, and punched in a string of numbers that had not been used since the day his planet had turned to three.

Silently, ponderously, the back wall of the cave fell away, and beyond it he saw stacks of machines humming to themselves, carrying out the instructions of a bygone age. Vatomu stepped slowly inside, feeling all around him the energy of a peoples long lost.

At the far end of the passage, he found a dais of metal and stone, symbols and circuits etched into it and given life by the same green energy that danced all around him. He approached it silently, waiting for any sort of response.

One came.

The voice of the Great Being was soft and familiar, recorded long ago but somehow vibrant in a way that made him feel that if he turned he would see the creator before him, ceremonial robes and protosteel mask untouched by time or tempest.

If you have come this far, then I am long gone. I know not how, or when, but we have fallen.

The fact you gained entrance to this chamber is proof that you were a friend to us. I know not if you are Agori or Glatorian or Matoran or Toa, but you knew us.

I will not make false claims. The knowledge stored within here is powerful, but it is merely a fraction of what we learned. I ask that you take it, and build from it what you would.

Bring glory to your world.

A pedestal rose from the stone before him, a screen and keys sliding out from it.

Vatomu stood there a long time, his eyes closed, listening to the quiet buzz of the machines around him, breathing the air that had an edge to it that he hadn’t tasted in years. He thought of the voice that had spoken to him, of its owner, of choices he’d made and words they’d exchanged.

Smiling, he opened his eyes. “Was this your way of making amends, Telerus? Or was this what you wanted from the very beginning?”

There was no response. Sighing, he stepped forward to the controls and looked at them.

Then he raised the hammer high and brought it down, and again, and again, and when there was nothing left he turned to the still-crackling machines and continued his work, pounding and pounding until he felt certain the hammer would shatter, and when it finally did he reached into his pack and drew out another and turned to the next machine.

In time, there was a dying whirr, and the lights of the chamber faded away, leaving the Agori alone in the darkness. He stood there, panting; the tool slipped from his hand and clattered to the ground.

Shaking his head, he reached into his pack and pulled from it a torch doused in oil and a flint. A few strikes was all it took to illuminate the chamber once more. He smiled sadly at his handiwork. “Wherever you are now, you piece of dirt, I hope you can see this. And I hope it hurts you the way watching us die by the thousands never could.”

And then he turned and made for the surface. There was surviving to be done.

-------------------------------------

Choice #2:

"The Secret of Power"

“It was as if someone had taken rage and evil and given those qualities a body to walk around in.” – Legacy of Evil

Power . . . Some work their whole lives for it. Some never find it. Some hunger for it. Some lust after it. I need it. I was destined for it. I was shaped and prepared all my life for it. I am only alive because I it is my destiny to become it. Power and I are as one. We are meant to be. Power . . . It gives life. It takes it. It moves mountains or it destroys them. It controls the world. Someday, so will I. I knew what power was since before I can remember. I was once a slave, domineered like all the rest of the lowlife, mortified and humiliated and beat into raw, submissive fear. Every slave knows the existence of power; it is what oppresses them, it is what forces them to their work each day. It is the force they fear. But from the first I recognized power for what it truly is. Strength. The strength I needed to become more than I was. I realized power has always been what I need. I fought for it. I worked and slaved for it. Every day in the mine I worked harder and grew stronger. Because, oh yes, power only comes to those who work for it. And I hunted it. I fought. I killed as many slavedriver as I could get my hands on. If a slave got in my way I would kill him, too. If a Stone Rat crawled by under my feet, I crushed it beneath my heel. That’s strength. That’s power. I was punished—oh! Karzahni! was I punished! I was lashed, and beaten, and starved, and chained, and they worked me harder than ever. Every punishment imaginable, and unimaginable, was inflicted on me in those days. But I never gave up. I always fought back. That’s power. The other slaves began to fear me. Even the slavedrivers feared me. They punished me because they feared my strength and my power. That’s when the Dark Hunters found me, and that’s why they “took me in.” No. I took them in. I took power into my heart and I was never letting it go. I had never tasted true power. I could still do nothing more than dream of it. I wanted more. I needed more. I trained. I fought. I fought harder every day, and I grew stronger. I gained respect and fear. I only needed one thing more. Power. So I seized it. I failed. I will never fail again. I might have died. I should have died. But I didn’t. I gained more power. That was my destiny. It is my destiny still. And now I’ve found it. From the most unlikely source, I’ve found it. Some fool of a Makuta, Tridax or Teridax or one of them, I don’t care which, left his plans lying around. Pure luck that I stumbled upon them. Luck? No. Destiny. This Makuta’s plan may be clever, but that doesn’t make him any less a fool. I was meant to discover his secrets. Power is my destiny. Not his. I will work for it. I will fight for it. It will be mine. My precious power . . . it is meant to be mine! I am Zaktan! I have found the power I need . . . -------------------------------------

Choice #3:

"Choices and the World"

He stumbled into the chamber, falling to his knees at the entrance, overwhelmed by the power residing within. A light shone on him, and he looked at it almost in awe.

Before him on a pillar rested a golden Kanohi, the Ignika itself. Was it truly glowing, or was that merely the immense power flowing from it? It seemed to him that in another moment the power would overwhelm him, destroying the intruder of its sanctuary - but then it retreated into itself, merely resting before him. He could till sense its presence, but now it seemed...inviting? Hesitantly, the Toa reached out and touched it.

Instantly, his mind was flooded with images and sensations - so many, many memories of things now gone. Its creation, the tests of its power, all its experiences of the Great Beings and their doings around it - things alien, breathtaking to the Toa passed into his mind in an instant, up to the moment the mask had been left in its chamber. It showed him all its purpose and its power, and then stopped.

Then he felt a clear thought from it. Its purpose was to save the Toa's world. But it knew nothing of that world, and it was curious. In exchange for its memories, it wanted the Toa to share his own. Then it would accomplish its destiny and his.

Very well, he thought. A small enough price to pay for the life of the universe.

He opened up his memories. First came his days as a Matoran, in his little village surrounded by the wilderness. Tending the village herd of Mukau. Solitary walks in the forest. Friendly conversations in the square. Calm, peaceful memories filled with contentment and appreciation of the beauties of the world.

Then he was made a Toa, and things changed. His village did not need him, so he began traveling. Wandering, helping anyone he could, never settling down. He had begun to see more of the world then, but those were lonely memories, and he was glad they only spanned a few years.After that, he met Jovan, a Toa of Magnetism, and his team, and was invited to join them. Traveling and adventure as a group; protecting the Matoran and each other from all dangers; forging bonds that could never be broken. That filled a thousand years, and he showed it all - every joy, every fear, every sorrow- until he reached their present mission.

It was during the Civil War in Metru Nui that the world began changing. Plant life was dying, Rahi were decreasing and weakening. And then the stars began fading. Fear. Everyone afraid, afraid because the world is going wrong and they can't fix it. Even Jovan shows it.

And Jovan had decided to do something about it, researching, tracking down rumors, legends...anything their team could find. The team called together, told for the first time about the Ignika. Hope. Finally, something to be done to save the world.

Traveling to the site of the legend. Searching for any sort of clue - and then running into Axonn and Brutaka. Being told the whole, complete truth -being told one of the team would die.

The Toa relived all the battles and traps as they descended the stairs, every one. Finding the Chamber of Life. At last. At last the power that will save our world is found. But...which one of us will it take? Let it be me, don't let it be me let it be me don't let it be-

And then they felt the power, reaching out, evaluating them, and it settled on the Toa.

It's me.

The Toa left his memories, reaching the present. Is that enough, Kanohi Ignika? He asked. Are you satisfied with my world?

The mask was...intrigued. There was so much in his world, so much good and evil mixed, so much life. And he sensed it also found him intriguing. It had seen throughout his memories that he had a strong fear of death, and yet here he was asking to use it. He knew the consequences...

He flinched. Yes.It's because of my world. I love it too much to want to leave it, but I also love it too much to let it die. Dying is my best choice, but still a bad one. He paused. Does that satisfy you?

The mask decided that it did. The Toa was granted permission to use its power for his beloved world.

-------------------------------------

Choice #4:

"Power Source"

 

Onua rose slowly, feeling the power of his mask flood his limbs as he pushed himself upright. The Pakari had always granted him strength far beyond the normal limits of any being, and even now it continued to do so. In fact, rather than being damaged in any way by… by whatever had just happened, it seemed to have grown in power, if that were possible – he felt as though he could lift the island itself as easily as any of the others could a pebble.

 

He called upon the power of the Miru—

 

He cleared his throat. The power of the Miru—

 

Nothing. So their little bath had destroyed his other masks? Quickly he reached out for his Akaku – nothing. Hau – nope. Kakama – still no. Kaukau? There wasn’t any way to test it here, but he expected the result would be the same.

 

He glanced down at himself for the first time. His form was bulkier, stronger, more powerful even than it had been before, which was certainly saying something. Sleek silver armor covered his body, accentuating every rippling muscle. He tapped the plating on his forearm softly – he doubted anything would be getting through that within the next millennium or three.

 

He examined the hand he’d just used. Minutes ago, powerful claws would have erupted from his fingers at a thought, but this, too, had changed. Simply a hand, he thought, flexing his fingers. How could he protect his koro without—

 

Slowly, instinctively, his hands drifted to his back and were greeted by cold, hard metal. He withdrew the weapons, examining them. Some kind of complex machinery – a long shaft fitted with a belt and dozens of sharp metal blades. Maybe he could…

 

The weapons roared to life, the blades dissolving into a blur and reappearing moments later as he mentally shut them off. Certainly these would be far more efficient at tunneling through the earth than his claws had been. And with practice, they would be deadly in combat.

 

He finally looked up, taking in the dark cavern. His fellow Toa were, like him, mesmerized by their new forms. Tahu had gotten his hands on some new blades, blades which were now engulfed in fire and whirling about in a flurry of flashy maneuvers. Pohatu was repeatedly vanishing and reappearing in another corner of the cavern before Onua could register he’d moved at all. Lewa, like Tahu, had been engrossed by his new weapons, a pair of swords that he was clearly more than eager to learn to use. Kopaka was simply leaning against a wall, looking on in disapproval – typical.

 

Gali had focused her attention on something else. She stood at the center of the cavern, gazing at an object that seemed to hover in the air. It was a cube, a cube carved with odd symbols and glowing with blue light. Onua made his way toward it cautiously, both apprehensive about the object before him and worried that Pohatu might not be watching where he was going and run him over.

 

Within a few moments the rest of the Toa had gathered. Lewa was the first to speak.

 

“So, uh… what’s the deal with the glow-bright cube-thing?”

 

No one had an answer. They stood in silence for a few moments before Kopaka extended his arm.

 

“Wait,” Tahu interjected. “We have no idea what—”

 

The Ice Toa silenced their leader with a glare as cold as his homeland and snapped his arm forward, his hand tapping the cube and then retreating to its place at his side.

 

A brilliant flash of light flooded the cavern and the Toa backed up as one, Lewa aiming his new blades at the cube. Tahu angled his for Kopaka, a curse on his lips. Ah, priorities.

 

A moment later the light had cleared, and, oddly, the cube seemed to be missing a side. A side, Onua realized suddenly, that Kopaka held in his hand.

 

“What—” Pohatu began.

 

Kopaka cut him off. “It’s cold,” he said, gazing at the square of stone. “Cold even to me. It houses power.” He looked up. “My power.”

 

Immediately Tahu stepped forward, touching the cube and claiming a piece as his own. The remaining Toa followed suit, Onua stepping forward last. Reluctantly, he grabbed the only side left. What Kopaka said was true – he could feel his own power emanating from the symbol in his hands. Should something like this really be removed from its proper place?

 

But he said nothing.

 

-------------------------------------

 

[Velox]

Polling period over; topic closed. Final polls should be up tomorrow, hopefully.