This is a look into the mind of Lewa, Toa of air, during his time wearing the Krana.
A note about the use of the term "Matoran" in this story: I'm not sure that the villagers had started calling themselves Matoran, instead of Tohunga, at the time depicted in this story. I think they had, though, and since the Maori take exception to the use of "Tohunga", I decided to err on the side of caution, so as not to offend anyone.


Lewa Controlled
(Rated PG for violence to oversized biomechanical mosquitoes.)
By Toa of Plastic


"Let us hope they do not gather us first. Farewell." With those words, Kopaka leaves, and soon the rest of us are on our way to our villages. As I reach Le-Wahi, I take to the trees, swinging on the vines as I so love to do. My Miru lets me make jumps from vine to vine that no Matoran could do. Turaga Matau and the villagers are brave and resourceful, but I still pray the Bohrok haven't reached Le-Koro. The Lehvak sound like they could do some serious damage. Vakama called them the most dangerous of all Bohrok.

I see a clearing up ahead, filled with green Bohrok. Blast! I'll have to make sure they don't notice me. I start to call on the Kanohi Huna, then a voice speaks. "Greetings, Lewa - Toa of Air." The words startle me so much that I let go of the vine I am holding, and am barely able to land on my feet. "We have been waiting for you." The voice is Matau's, but he is not wearing his Mahiki. He is wearing a Krana. Several villagers stand behind him, also with Krana, and behind them are the Lehvak I had seen. I also see how the Lehvak reached Le-Koro.They have felled a tree, which served as a ramp up to the village. I just have time to observe that Kongu and Tamaru do not seem to be among them, and then they are upon me.

The Lehvak - or perhaps the Krana controlling them - are clever. It is not the Bohrok who attack me, for they know I would fight that with all my power. It is my own people, and the Turaga of my own village, who leap at me, hold me down, and remove my mask. I struggle, of course, but I dare not swing my axe, or use my Pakari, for fear of injuring or even killing them. Perhaps, too, I am weakened from summoning that storm with Gali. I try to call upon the Komau, to counter the influence of their Krana, but my mask is gone before I am able to do so.

Then Matau steps up, and places something on my face. A Krana. It bonds itself to my face, though I am still able to breathe, and see. But my thoughts are not my own. A creature about as large as Matau, holding two small swords (or perhaps the blades are part of the creature), takes my Kanohi into the jungle, and I lose sight of it. I make note of the direction the creature travels in, and then a voice speaks to me. You will not need it any more. You are one of us now. The Krana. It's speaking to me, controlling me. It almost sounds, though, as though the Krana is merely a relay, and that the voice comes from another being, or perhaps even multiple beings. Perhaps it sounds that way because the Krana are linked mentally.

The battle between my mind and that of the Krana is brief, but fierce. At the end, I can still see what is going on, I still have my mind, but my body is not my own. It is the Krana's. I haven't felt this helpless since being under Makuta's control in the Rama hive. I only hope the villagers' minds are intact, somewhere behind the Krana they wear.

There is one benefit to the Krana. The things it tells me explain why the Matoran weren't attacked in Ta-Koro. I now know what the Bohrok want. The Bohrok, and the Krana, do not just want to destroy. They don't care about the Koro, or the Matoran, one way or the other. They want to remake Mata Nui, "restore" it. Restore it to the way it was in the "before time", whenever that was. Perhaps before Mata Nui and Makuta came to this island. I do wonder, though, why the Lehvak took enough notice of the Le-Matoran to force the Krana on them. Perhaps they made themselves more of an obstacle than the Ta-Matoran, or the Lehvak just needed the help.

The Lehvak start to work, expanding the clearing. The villagers help them. I help them with my axe, and my air powers. I notice several of the creatures with the swords scurrying about, carrying debris away, cutting down underbrush with their blades, carrying different breeds of Krana to the Lehvak. When I start to wonder about the creatures, I hear the voice of the swarms. Lehvak Va. They help us with smaller tasks, and transport Krana for us.That word "us" has the definite implication that the Le-Matoran & I are included.

As I help the Lehvak with their tasks, I get the sense someone is observing me. At the end of the second day, the voice speaks.You are different, more powerful. You could be put to more use than this simple work. A brief anger rises at those words. No one "puts me to use"! I am the Toa of Air! But the anger subsides as the Krana continues speaking to me. I begin to agree with it, which at once horrifies and pleases me. Under the Krana's control, I leave, to seek the other Toa. They are obstacles to the goal of the swarms. They must be... removed. As I start out towards Ta-Wahi, a voice deep within me cries out. No! The Toa are your friends, your brethren!

After five days of searching, and helping the Bohrok in other ways, I head back into the jungle. Suddenly, a small swarm of six Nui-Rama descends upon me. Obstacles. Remove them. For once, I don't mind at all obeying the Krana. These bugs kidnapped my whole village once. They even put an infected mask on me, and forced me to obey the will of Makuta. Dispatching them will be a pleasure.

A blast of air knocks them back, but they recover, and they swoop at me. A leap will get me above them. But I no longer have a Miru to help me with the leap, and I jump right into their path. I swing my axe as they surround me, and a Rama, suddenly missing a wing, crashes to the ground. I fall as well, but quickly get back to my feet. I make another jump, this one towards a nearby tree. A Rama comes at me, but I leap towards a hanging vine, and the Rahi crashes into the tree trunk. Two down, four to go. My vine swings toward two more Rama, and they both fly at me. As they get near, though, I create a sudden small whirlwind that sends them both reeling. I knock the masks off one of them, and it seems to lose interest in me, and flies off. Strange. Makuta is dead, but the infected masks still have some control over the Rahi.

The other Rama recovers, and the three remaining Rahi all come at me at once. All of a sudden, a ball-shaped object crashes into two of them, knocking them to the ground. Was that a rock? I follow its trajectory, and see a Lehvak standing there. The remaining Rama dives at this new threat. I start to follow, but then something crashes into me. A Nui-Kopen, perhaps even the same one that kept my mask in the Rama hive. We hit the ground together, and the Kopen swipes at me with its two front limbs. I block one, but the other one knocks my axe out of my hand. I lunge for it, as does the Kopen. The Rahi reaches the axe first, but screeches and drops it. The creature begins tearing at its eyes,then falls to the ground, and I see the Lehvak standing there.

I walk over to the fallen Nui-Kopen, and see that the whole front of the Rahi looks as if it has been eaten away by something. The Lehvak must have sprayed it with venom. I retrieve my axe, and the Lehvak disappears into the forest. I rest against a large root to regain my strength. Then a thought occurs to me. Are the other Toa looking for me, even as I am looking for them? Are they wondering where I could be?

The question is answered by a voice. "Lewa!?" I turn and see Onua standing there. A look of dismay mixed with horror crosses his face at the sight of the Krana on my face. Remove the obstacle. The Krana wants me to destroy him. I keep enough control to merely shove him away, into a tree. "NNNGMMM!" He grunts as he crashes into the tree. I take advantage of what control I still have to warn him of the danger I represent. "Onua, get away from here, please! Flee before I am forced to harm you!" He looks at me, flexes his claws, and replies, "I believe I have a better idea..."

Suddenly, he plunges his claws into the earth, and a shockwave knocks me back, almost off my feet. "Now let's try this again," he says. I put my axe directly in his face, and almost scream, "Leave while there's still time! I can feel the power building! Even your strength won't - " Then I break off and lower the axe. Something in his eyes... "I know. The Krana controls your body, Lewa, but not your will. If it is so strong that it can make you harm a friend, then go ahead; I will not defend myself. But I know you, Lewa. I have fought beside you, and I know you are stronger than this parasite! You are a Toa! Prove yourself worthy of the name!" With that, his claws grip my axe, and I feel him sharing his energy, and his resolve with me.

"My energies are yours, Toa of Air! Be free!" Images of the other Toa swim before my eyes. Gali, so wise and graceful; noble Kopaka; Tahu, hot-tempered, but extremely loyal to the rest of the Toa, and to his village; Pohatu, so reliable, and solid as the stone he controls; and Onua, who came to my rescue, and that of the Le-Koronans in the hive of the Nui-Rama, and who now braves extreme risk to help me. "Yes... Toa, my people, my friends! I will not harm Onua, creature! I will not!" I yell, as I summon every bit of willpower left in me, and rip the Krana from my face.

I slump to the ground, and Onua places his hand on my shoulder. "Easy. Here, you will need this." He hands me something I thought I might never see again, my Miru. "I took it away from a party of Lehvak Va. That is how I knew you were in danger." "More than danger," I say. "I know now, Onua. I know why the Bohrok are here!"

"Perhaps for the same reason the Lehvak are charging us," Onua says, as a swarm of Lehvak comes crashing through the trees. "But not to worry - I brought friends." Something else emerges from the forest, something that at first looks like a larger Bohrok. But then I see Matoran seated in them, and ask Onua, "What are those things?" "The Matoran," Onua answers, "have learned that the Bohrok do not truly live. They are artificial life - biomechanical creations." We watch as the Matoran surround the Lehvak, then arms that look to be spring-loaded shoot out from the vehicles, knocking the Lehvaks' Krana out. "The Matoran salvaged parts from fallen Bohrok to build the Boxor vehicles."

"They will need them. When I wore the Krana, I could hear the voices of the swarm. We must act now, Onua, or nothing will be left of Mata Nui!" Quickly, I tell him of what the voices told me. "But first, we must help my villagers. Le-Koro was attacked and taken over by the Lehvak." Onua smiles. "Nuparu and his Boxors will be able to liberate Le-Koro." An Onu-Matoran with an orange Pakari jumps out of the lead Boxor, and walks over to Onua. Another Matoran joins him, one I know. Takua the Chronicler. "Lewa, meet Nuparu. He built the first Boxor. Nuparu, Lewa and I must join the other Toa. It will be up to your Boxors to free the Le-Matoran from the influence of the Krana." The two Matoran nod, and head back to the Boxors. "Your scriber is going to be busy, I'll wager," I hear Nuparu say to Takua, who responds, "It always is."

"Come, Lewa. We must join the other Toa. Kopaka and Tahu have made an important discovery of their own about the Bohrok, and the other Toa are waiting for us. Don't bother with those Krana, I've managed to collect quite a few while tracking you down." With a last look at the discarded Krana, and in particular one Za, I turn, and join Onua as he walks out of the forest.



Thanks to:
GregF for writing the comics this is based on, and for much of the dialogue.
GaliGee for the "Lehvak ramp" idea, and for inspiring me to finish this.

- ToP

This post has been edited by Toa of Plastic: Jul 24 2003, 03:00 AM

This is a great story! Very descriptive! I really like it!

Yeah, you wrote it very well! I like it.

What a great story! Its very well said , like its "the story between the comics".

QUOTE (IceMan9 @ Jul 11 2003, 10:24 PM)

What a great story! Its very well said , like its "the story between the comics".

Thanks for the compliment. That's exactly what I was shooting for. I wanted to explore what happened to Lewa when we couldn't see him.

Great Story Toa Of Plastic, do you need help on the drawings? Then you can turn into a comic book!!!

wow thats good its like the comic but more descriptive and in my opinion better great job

That was a great fic! I loved it! It was much better than what the comic had. XD!

man you posted this four minutes after me ...Same story topic... Accept yours has so much more depth....

Pat, this is already a comic book. (Except for the Nui-Rama fight, I made that up.) Issues 4-6, to be exact.

KToE, yours wasn't bad. I'm just long-winded, I guess. But actually, mine was up 5 days before yours.

- ToP

Hey, ToP, this is great! Can I paste this into my story?

But seriously... excellent physical and emotional descriptions. And the Rama fight in the middle gives it a fun twist. You really capture well what Lewa must be going through as the sinister thing takes over his body, and the horror he feels at watching it comply with their strange purposes. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of the storyline, to me. Clenching your jaw and leveling a blast of elemental power at a foe is one kind of heroism... but summoning every ounce of your will to resist domination by evil is quite another. Beautifully written and very enjoyable to read!

Sure, GG, you can paste it in, so long as you give me credit!
Thanks for the praise. And if you're wondering what I meant when I credited you for inspiring me to finish this story, let me explain. The first part of this story, up to the part where Lewa sets out to find the other Toa, had been sitting on my hard drive for some weeks. I had become sort of stuck; I wanted to explore where Lewa had been during those times we couldn't see him in the comics, but I couldn't think of anything. After rereading your interview with Kongu and Tamaru, I decided to come up with something if it killed me, and thought up the encounter with the Nui-Rama.
The Rama encounter also gave me the opportunity to draw some parallels between the Krana and the infected Kanohi. I also wanted to try my hand at writing a battle scene. (And I realized after I posted it that one of the Rahi is unaccounted for at the end of the battle, unless the Lehvak it was going for discouraged it.)

- ToP (who is still a little stunned that GG called his story "beautifully written")

Cool, nice story/.

QUOTE (GaliGee @ Aug 3 2003, 02:37 PM)

But seriously... excellent physical and emotional descriptions. And the Rama fight in the middle gives it a fun twist. You really capture well what Lewa must be going through as the sinister thing takes over his body, and the horror he feels at watching it comply with their strange purposes. This is one of the most fascinating aspects of the storyline, to me. Clenching your jaw and leveling a blast of elemental power at a foe is one kind of heroism... but summoning every ounce of your will to resist domination by evil is quite another. Beautifully written and very enjoyable to read!

I agree completely with you, GaliGee. Beautifully written.
It's great, I like the way you used loads of description and a clever use of the present tense.
I especially like this part:

QUOTE

Then Matau steps up, and places something on my face. A Krana. It bonds itself to my face, though I am still able to breathe, and see. But my thoughts are not my own. A creature about as large as Matau, holding two small swords (or perhaps the blades are part of the creature), takes my Kanohi into the jungle, and I lose sight of it. I make note of the direction the creature travels in, and then a voice speaks to me. You will not need it any more. You are one of us now. The Krana. It's speaking to me, controlling me. It almost sounds, though, as though the Krana is merely a relay, and that the voice comes from another being, or perhaps even multiple beings. Perhaps it sounds that way because the Krana are linked mentally. The battle between my mind and that of the Krana is brief, but fierce. At the end, I can still see what is going on, I still have my mind, but my body is not my own. It is the Krana's. I haven't felt this helpless since being under Makuta's control in the Rama hive. I only hope the villagers' minds are intact, somewhere behind the Krana they wear.

Oh... It's so cool, the dawning comprehension that Lewa discovers when his Kanohi, his last hope is ripped away from him.
He can't do anything to save himself. This has to be one of the best short stories I've read. So much emotion!
It's just SOOOOOOOO good! Keep it up!
I'd like to see more of these, perhaps the feelings Lewa experiences under the influence of the Infected Kanohi, when he tries to 'remove' Onua again. [Why is it always Lewa who gets infected? Perhaps his wisecracks and jokes are his undoing. And he always fights Onua. Why can't it be Kopaka? Or Pohatu?]
Anyway, great short story. Keep it up and don't stop!

Oh, jeeze! That was fasinating

i like it for 2 reasons. it tells about lewa's story, and it also talks about what happens when a creature is taken by a krana. killing 2 nui rama with one stone.

Thanks for the kind words, everybody.

K_M, I've always liked first-person present tense. It really lets you get into the mind of a character. And I'd like to know why Onua always saves Lewa, too. Maybe after he pulled that Muaka through the ground in Comic 3, he decided to follow Lewa around, to keep him out of trouble!

T_H, two Rama with one stone, eh? Maybe I should have put that in!

- ToP

This post has been edited by Exo-Toa of Plastic: Jun 13 2004, 04:37 AM

This is wonderful! You have a good use of the first person, and the present tense. It's tough to use present tense, and I would know.If I say anything else, though, I'll be repeating someone else. I don't like that. Anyway, keep writing!

-Jaraki

Thisis a good story. Well written and thought out. Congragulations.

Thats a Great story, I was always wondering what happend to Lewa in that comic

Off Topic: do you pronounce Lewa Lee-wa or Lea-wa

That is a very long short story!Good work keep it up!
Off topic:My 200 post!That was quick...

This post has been edited by Necromancer: Oct 4 2003, 11:14 AM

that was pretty good i like how it was between the comics like a side story.

Thanks for the praise.

Jaraki, I don't find first person/present tense that difficult. I'm fairly good at getting into the mind of someone (at least someone I can identify with), and that lends itself to FP/PT.

TKI, I used to pronounce it Lee-wa, but now I usually use Lea-wa.

And congrats on your 200th, Necromancer.

- ToP

Very nicely done. Your story uses words to convey what the comic couldn't. The "voice of the swarms" that speaks to Lewa and Lewa's mixed feelings on his unwilling kinship with the Bohrok paint an excellent picture of what it means to be kranaed. (Kranaaed? Krana'd? Krannaed?) When you write like this, you're more than entitled to borrow some dialog and plot from the comic. I agree with K_M. I'd like to see how Lewa's mind works while he's wearing an infected mask.

no other story tedlls it at lewas point of view that is why i like it

Great story! but its not very short so i think it should be in Epics.