Mirror Mirror
Kuzon the Ko-Matoran shuffled through the thronging crowd in Ta-Metru, drawing strange looks from his Ta-Matoran compatriots, but he did not care. His mind shot light-years ahead of those buzzing around him, racing in an enlightened state of limbo.The night before, Kuzon and his fellow scientists, Ahn and Cela, had achieved a breakthrough in the project. Although pumped with excitement, the trio agreed to postpone further research until the next morning.When Kuzon arrived at the lab, Ahn and Cela were already there, goggles strapped on, faces exuberant. Ahn bore a bleak smile, but for the Po-Matoran that was positively ecstatic.The lab was small, but not cramped, covered in wires that all led to a full length mirror resting on the far wall. It had two tables, one of which was laden with a massive computer. Odd bits of technology and data sheets were scattered on the other. Next to the mirror was a desk, the only clean and organized spot in the room. A smaller computer rested upon it, used to control the project.“About time you made it,” Ahn chided slowly. “We’ve been waiting for over an hour.”“Ahn, grab the modifier, would you?” Cela murmured as she pored over a fresh batch of papers. After a moment, the Ga-Matoran glanced up in annoyance and saw her lab mate. “Oh, Kuzon!” She tossed the papers aside and rushed to him, squeezing him tightly. When she pulled away, her face was aglow. “Are you ready to try it?”“You bet I am!” Kuzon cried. He tore off his pack and threw it into a corner of the tiny room.-
That night, back in his home Knowledge Tower, Kuzon could barely contain his excitement. The project outpaced anything the group had worked on before, incredible for such an experimental technology. As he lay on his cot, he laced his fingers behind his head and stared at the ceiling with a dreamy smile, occasionally rubbing a crack at the bottom of his mask.A slight scuffle snapped him out of his reverie. Kuzon leapt off his cot and crouched defensively. The groundbreaking technology he toiled on was bound to attract sinister attention, and he had been expecting an attack for some time.The scientist crept to a wall, removed a slim blade from a secret compartment, and slipped out of his room, weapon at the ready. He carefully picked his way through the frozen hall outside, avoiding windows and keeping near to the ground. Whenever he spotted a dark figure, a scream of terror nearly erupted from his mouth like a geyser, but only slumbering Ice Bats caused his distress.Constant coldness gnawed at Kuzon’s stomach and spiked like ice through his heart. His mind whirled with demonic fantasies. Who was here? Did they have a weapon? Were they watching him? Shadows became ghouls as Kuzon scoured his floor of the Knowledge Tower for evidence of an intruder.Another scuffle. Kuzon spun toward the source of the noise and dashed toward it, blade held high. He burst through his bedroom door bellowing.Glass shattered as a dark figure bounded from Kuzon’s cot and burst through the window. Without enough time to aim, Kuzon hurled his knife in the general direction of the phantom and was rewarded with a cry of pain. His blood chilled like ice water. The shout was . . . familiar.The figure fell out the window. Kuzon gasped in surprise and dashed to the pane, but the figure had vanished into the frosty night. He had to have flown.Kuzon sighed and left his room, shaking. Some stargazing would help him calm down. As he rounded the corner, a primordial roar slammed his eardrums and a blast of solidified air threw him off his feet. His room and the surrounding stone erupted in a savage explosion and was engulfed in a hellish inferno. A dervish of crimson flame and acrid smoke spun and swirled in the hall.For a moment, Kuzon’s body froze uncontrollably. But then a plan struck his mind as if someone had planted it there. He raced down the Knowledge Tower and took the fastest tram to Ta-Metru.-
Kuzon hurriedly flipped several switches on and adjusted a set of dials, all the while muttering darkly under his breath. He worked as swiftly and precisely as possible, and for once he was glad that the lab was so small. Everything he needed was within reach.‘I’ll stop him before he can kill Ahn or Cela,’ he thought hysterically. ‘And no one will know.’He strode to the computer next to the mirror. A few nimble keystrokes, and the machine hummed to life, the glass rippling like disturbed water.Kuzon snatched his pack and a new knife, and took a step toward the mirror. His foot neared the fluctuating portal and a brilliant blade protruded from his chest. Kuzon toppled backward, eyes rolling back into his head.Behind him, the assassin lowered his hand with a sigh of relief. He reached up and reassuringly rubbed a large crack at the bottom of his mask as he examined the body of the Ko-Matoran."That went well," he murmured.Edited by Zero Makuta, Apr 24 2012 - 08:17 PM.
~ZM
