Another Time and Place

[Tarn]

(For more context, see my short story, A New Lease on Life. Sorry if the first chapter's a bit brief, and don't expect regular updates. Also note that the universe this all takes place in is very...different)

​CHAPTER ONE

The first thing Datrox Karvan realized upon entering a strange, new dimension, was that his feet weren't touching anything. In fact, as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight glistening off of the roofs of buildings below, he realized he was falling.
He had just stepped through a portal that, according to old friend and distinguished Admiral Tanaya Vantos, was safe. Not perfectly safe, but safe nonetheless.
It seemed, as Datrox had begun to piece together while also trying not to die, that someone, somewhere, had made a mistake. A mistake that had put the Toa of Fire in the air above what seemed to be Metru Nui, now sending him plummeting towards its streets. He searched himself in vain for something that could save him, cursing Vantos, Mata Nui, and any other mech or being that could have possibly put him in this situation. The only thing that could save him now was a stroke of pure luck. And luck, it seemed, was on his side today. A figure soared towards him, wrapped his arms around him, and placed him on the roof of a skyscraper. After taking back everything he thought earlier, and stumbling a bit as he got used to standing on solid ground again, he thanked the figure, who he now saw was a Toa of Air in green and grey armor. He wore a Kadin, explaining his flight capabilities.
"Karvan?"
The Toa of Fire nodded, confused.
"Datrox Karvan?"
The Toa of Air put his hand out, expecting Datrox to shake it.
"Kavi Morr. I'm with your away team," he said. Datrox didn't reciprocate the handshake. "Ah, yes, the Olmak heist," the Toa of Fire reminded himself, realizing that he was so preoccupied with not hitting the sidewalk at terminal velocity that he had almost forgotten why he was in another dimension in the first place. "Where's the other one?"
​Kavi withdrew his hand. "Other--oh, Nale? She's in Ga-Metru. We've been looking for you," the Toa of Air said, "didn't think you'd fall from the sky."
​Datrox faked a smile, clearly not seeing the humor in the situation. "We should probably get going," he suggested, "where are we now?"
​"Onu-Metru. Which, by the way, was the last place I was expecting to find a Toa of Fire." Kavi looked over his shoulder at the now-setting twin suns.
​"Take my hand."
​Datrox complied with some hesitation.
​"What are you--"
​The Toa of Air flew off, with a terrified Toa of Fire holding onto his hand for dear life.

​*****

​Soon, the two entered Ga-Metru, landing (somewhat) gently near a school. Datrox leaned against a wall, grasping his chest. "Never," he paused to gasp for air, "do that again."
​Kavi laughed. "You seem pretty easily frightened for a hardened galactic officer."
​The Toa of Fire stood up straight. "I deal with criminals and warlords. I'm used to it. Getting dragged through the sky by a mech I just met is different."
​Kavi shrugged, and started walking towards a liquid protodermis fountain. "Commander, he's here."
​A female Toa of Magnetism wearing a Kakama stepped out of a nearby alleyway. Datrox noted her chest and shoulder armor were emblazoned with intricate patterns, and that she had a rifle on her back.
"Karvan?"
​The Toa of Fire was beginning to hate the sound of his own name.
​"Datrox Karvan?"
​He nodded, deciding to ignore his feelings of deja vu.
​"Nale Vella. I've heard...things about you. Mostly good things, though." The Toa of Magnetism put her hand out. This time, Datrox shook it.
​"Commander Vella of Rode squad. I thought your name sounded familiar. I've heard mostly good things about you, too."
She smiled. "You can see why Vantos picked me to lead you two, then." Nale pulled out a pyramid-shaped device and sat it on the edge of the fountain. She pressed a button on the side and a holographic map appeared. "Now that you're here, Officer Karvan, we can begin the search for our target." The image of a being whose species could not be immediately identified appeared near the map. Datrox jumped slightly. He recognized him.
​He was the Dark Hunter who killed his Toa team.

[Tarn]

CHAPTER TWO

​Admiral Tanaya Vantos stood aboard the bridge of the Ignika as it floated above Spherus Magna, impatiently tapping his foot.
​"Anything?"
​"No, sir."
He awaited a transmission from Datrox, confirming his successful dimensional jump. He had expected it to be sooner, but as the time passed, he began to wonder if they had sent the Toa of Fire to the wrong dimension--or worse, killed him. A beep from a nearby terminal allowed him to breath a sigh of relief.
​"It's Officer Karvan, sir," a crewmember said. "Put him on speaker," Vantos requested.
"Uh, he's a bit upset, sir. He's using a lot of expletives."
​Vantos sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Put him on direct line with me, I'll speak with him."
​The crewmember complied.
​"Datrox, how--"
​The Toa of Water winced as much shouting went directly into his audio receptor.
​"Why didn't you tell me?!"
"Tell you what?" Vantos asked, already knowing the answer. "The being who stole the Olmak," Datrox began, "he's the one who murdered my squad. Why didn't you tell me?"
​"It would've compromised the mission," Vantos attempted to explain, "you would've been more focused on killing him than retrieving the Olmak, and you know the Toa Code--"
​"Forget the Toa code," Datrox interrupted, "he's a killer, and now he has one of the most powerful masks in the multiverse."
"We can't let personal conflicts come into this," Vantos replied, moving to a different room after seeing the suspicious looks the crew was giving him, "that's what happened last time. That's what got you in the brig of the Ignika. And now--"
​"--now it's why I'm here, in another dimension, with two mechs I've never met."
A female voice could be heard over the commlink. "Officer Karvan?"
​"Speak of the devil," the Toa of Fire said before cutting off the transmission.

​*****

​"What's wrong?" Nale asked. "Nothing," Datrox answered. He had excused himself and stepped around the corner of the school to speak with Vantos.
​"Really? We heard lots of shouting. And swearing."
​"I tripped."
​Commander Vella looked over her shoulder at Kavi Morr, clearly not believing the Toa of Fire. "Right, anyways..." she turned back to the map, and pointed at the section depicting Po-Metru. "According to a few loose-jawed Matoran, a being matching our target's description was seen near here carrying the Olmak."
​"How did they know it was the Olmak?" Datrox asked. "This is another dimension and all."
​"They didn't. They just called it a, 'weird-looking mask.' From what me and Officer Morr have gathered, the Olmak doesn't exist here, and dimensional travel is unheard of."
​"So that means," Kavi interjected, "that we need to keep hush-hush about being interdimensional travelers. We don't want to influence this place, positively or otherwise."
​Datrox nodded. "Got it. So then, how do we deal with the Dark Hunter?"
​"We never--"
​"Admiral Vantos filled me in. He didn't tell you...?"
​Nale shook her head.
That Brakas, Datrox thought.
​"Moving on," Nale said, "from what we know about the target is that he's from a dying species, one that only exists in certain dimensions. No one here would recognize him. Which means..."
Datrox cut in. "...he can be anything he wants."

​*****

​"You're a traveler wanting to get into Po-Metru?"
​A tall, bulky figure with antler-like protrusions on his head nodded. The Po-Matoran guard tilted his head.
​"You're from Stelt, ya say? Don't look like any Steltian I've seen. What are you looking for in an industrial area?"
​"I assure you," the figure, whose voice was surprisingly smooth, began, "I am a Steltian citizen, merely visiting this Metru to see a...friend."
​The guard wasn't convinced. "What's that mask ya got there?"
​He pointed at a Kanohi the figure was carrying, which had two blade-like extensions on its sides that curved forward slightly.
​"It's a...vehicle."
Before the guard could question why the outsider used that word to describe the object, a large blade was driven through his chest. As his heartlight faded, he could only watch as the Dark Hunter Idlyx Haeve carried his Olmak into Po-Metru.

Edited April 12, 2016 by Pat Lee

[Tarn]

CHAPTER THREE

​Suspicious glares were cast as Idlyx Haeve calmly marched through Po-Metru. Although many passersby knew he didn't belong, he didn't exactly look someone you wanted to bother, so they kept to themselves. Obviously, visitors from other islands wasn't unheard of, but Idlyx was different. There was something off about him. The odd mask he carried around didn't help.
​The glares stopped once he was on the outskirts of the Metru. He headed into a nearby canyon, looking for something. That something was a place--a cavern. Which there were quite a few of in Po-Metru, but this one was different. It was important to the plans that the Dark Hunter had, ones that escaped the knowledge of the team that had been sent to stop him, and who were getting into far more than they expected.

​*****

"I'm not getting in that."
​Datrox stood before the entrance of one of the islands many chute systems.
"It's the fastest way of getting there," Nale said. Datrox pointed at Kavi. "Can't he just carry us?"
​"Mask powers don't last forever," the Toa of Air began, "and I am not carrying two full-sized Toa with me."
​"But maybe if you just--"
​"Officer Karvan," Nale interrupted, "just get in the chute."
​T​he Toa of Fire sighed. "Fine, and just call me Datrox. Just because we don't know each other well doesn't mean you have to be so formal. We're a Toa team."
​"I'll respectfully disagree, Officer Karvan." Nale followed this by shoving Datrox into the chute. Kavi jumped in with him, laughing, with Nale not too far behind. Soon, the three found themselves in Po-Metru, with Datrox coming out and landing on his face. Kavi helped him up. "Man, you look like you just saw Tren Krom."
​A shaken Toa of Fire pushed his teammate away. "Sh-shut up. I'm fine."
​He took two steps before stumbling and almost falling on his face again.
​"...or not."

​*****

​Before the three had even begun their search for the Olmak thief, they discovered the dead body of a Po-Matoran guard, surrounded by local law enforcement. They passed on by, not wanting to draw their attention. "Looks like he already got in," Nale said, "but what is he even doing here?"
​"Maybe he likes nice statues," Datrox joked, admiring the workmanship of the Metru's inhabitants. A fairly tall one in the distance caught his attention--it was outside the Metru, and stood alone near some canyons. "There's lots of caves here. Maybe he's hiding."
He looked past the statue. The Toa of Fire remembered something he had read years ago as he surveyed the landscape.
​"Or he's looking for something."
​He remembered what Vantos said about a cataclysm that had occurred in other dimensions. That the Dark Hunter might be trying to cause one here. It all started to piece together in his head.
​"Or someone."
​Datrox rushed past Nale and Kavi. "What is it?" the latter asked, quickening his pace. "What's the fastest way to get around the Metru?" Datrox asked, slowing down a bit. Nale caught up with him. "Why do you ask?"
​"Because I think I just figured out our Olmak thief's plan."

​*****

​To the untrained eye, there was nothing out of the ordinary about the cavern wall.
​To the trained eye, it held the key to multiversal domination. ​The Dark Hunter found a hidden switch and activated it, watching with glee as the wall moved, and opened, revealing itself to be a door. And on the other side...
...was the lair of Makuta Teridax.

[Tarn]

CHAPTER FOUR

​The lair was quiet.
The place that once gave shelter to one of the most powerful beings in the universe was like a grave. The only sound that could be heard was that of the false wall closing behind the Dark Hunter. Something crawled along the floor; Idlyx crushed it under his foot. He searched for any sign of the Makuta of Metru Nui, of his idol--he found none, besides vials of some green substance, and the red, carapace-like body of some sort of machine. He roared in anger.
​Teridax was gone.

​*****

​"Are we too late?"
Datrox's words were barely audible over his kikanalo's stomping. After failing to procure an actual vehicle, they settled for the next best thing: a nearby herd of the rahi.
​"We'll know once we actually find this place," Nale shouted, "is there any sort of marker? I doubt even Makuta himself would just leave the location of his base to memory."
​"Lair, not base," Datrox corrected, "and yes, actually. it's--"
​His kikanalo stopped, clearly not happy about being the Toa of Fire's steed, and bucked him off. He landed in front of a spire-like stone near a cave entrance. A small symbol was etched into it--a Kraahkan. Datrox dusted himself off.
​"It's uh, that."

​*****

​The cavern was like a maze. Pathways leading into more pathways, leading into dead ends and drop-offs into darkness. Datrox hoped that Idlyx had gotten lost in the network, and that they would run across him at any moment and end this. Kavi raised his arm, motioning for the Toa of Fire and Nale to stop.
​"Does that look right to you?"
​They stood before a nearly featureless rock wall. At first glance, it seemed to be a natural part of the cave system, but on closer inspection it seemed...off.
​"That has to be it," Nale said. "How do we get in, though?" Datrox asked, studying the area around the wall. If there was a way of opening it, it was nowhere near as visible as the symbol outside. "Like this," Kavi said, before producing a strong enough wind current that the false wall was pushed open. Before the Toa of Air could quip about an all-powerful Makuta making the door to his secret hideout so weak, the figure of Idlyx Haeve caught Datrox's eye.
​"You!"
The Dark Hunter turned to face them.
​"You're too late. We're all too late."
​Datrox rushed at Idlyx. He opened a portal and leapt inside of it, teleporting away before he could be caught. The Toa of Fire punched a wall.
​"We were so close! He was right--"
The pain in Datrox's fist made him pause and crouch, groaning and making sure he didn't break anything.
​"What did he mean by we were 'too late?'" Nale thought aloud. "He means that we're too late to stop him from doing whatever he was going to do with Teridax," Datrox said, clutching his hand. "But he couldn't have," Nale began, "look at this place. It's abandoned, and has been that way for sometime. Our target was alone when we got here, too."
​"Then," Kavi interjected, "that leaves us with only one question. Since we know he exists in this dimension, but there still hasn't been a cataclysm..."
​He picked up one of the vials that littered the floor and stared into the green substance contained within.
"...where's Teridax?"

[Tarn]

CHAPTER FIVE

​He paced. He stopped. He paced again. He scratched that spot on his mask that always itched, but it had no effect. He counted the walls of his cell. Still four, he thought, as if it would change someday.
​This was the day-to-day life of the Makuta of Metru Nui, Teridax.
His cell was not a simple, protosteel-plated walls, barred windows-type deal; in it, time flowed differently. Inside, what were seconds were minutes and what were minutes seemed like hours, and so on. He didn't know how long it had been since he had attempted to overthrow the Great Spirit (it was months, to be clear, but inside it felt like a century). He didn't know what was going outside his cell, as there was no visible entrance, no windows. Four walls, as he counted, all of them white and featureless, blending with the floor to create an empty void broken by a simple cot. He sat on it. He scratched his mask again. He counted the walls.
This time, there were three.

​*****

"So this is why everything seems so...calm here."
​Nale Vella stood before Teridax's slow cell, flanked by Datrox and Kavi. The warden of the prison (called Tuyet Penitentiary, a name Datrox found odd) had allowed them to enter the max security section of the building under the false pretense that they were law enforcement wanting to check in on the place. The one-sided window they stared through was barely acknowledged by the cell's sole occupant, who saw it as a mirror on his end.
​"They stuck him in here? Why didn't anyone else just think to put him in prison?" Datrox said, "Ah, but no, gotta stick him in a crystal, let some Vortixx crack it open."
​"In the prime dimension it took a Toa team to put him down. Who did it here?" Kavi asked. "Presumably," Nale began, stepping closer to the cell, "things went down much like they did there, only the Toa stopped him before he could knock the Great Spirit off-course and didn't just incapacitate him."
​"They changed his mask," Datrox said. The Makuta wore a Huna in place of his Kraahkan. It had an infected look to it--a feature that had spread to the rest of his armor.
​"So...just like our dimension?" Kavi asked. Nale nodded. "It seems we aren't so far from home as we thought," she said. "All we need to do now is find Idlyx and keep him from--"
​Nale was cut off by the sound of the warden's body slamming against Teridax's cell. All three Toa turned to see the Olmak thief himself, a large sword in hand.
​"Stand aside. The Makuta is mine."

​*****

​A loud bang. The mirror turned back to white.
Four walls, he counted once more, as it had changed. Interestingly enough, the itch was gone.

[Tarn]

CHAPTER SIX

​Datrox's obsidian blade clashed with Idlyx's sword.
​"You are in my way," the latter said, beginning to overpower the Toa of Fire, "and when something is in my way I do something about it."
 ​Datrox unleashed a burst of fire on Idlyx, causing him to stumble into a wall. "Would appreciate some help here!"
​Nale drew her rifle, switched to automatic mode and began firing on the Dark Hunter. "Just push him back," she shouted, "keep him from the cell."
"Fools," Idlyx said, raising his arm to block a few rounds from Nale's rifle. He touched the Olmak and suddenly warped out of the way, before appearing behind Datrox and delivering a two-fist punch to the back of his head. "How does he do that?" Kavi asked, using his element to push Idlyx into a wall and pin him. Nale began firing on the Dark Hunter again. Datrox got to his feet. Good question, he thought, he's able to tap into the mask's power by just making contact with it.
​Idlyx teleported again, and attempted to strike Nale--only to be hit in the face by the butt of her rifle, stunning him. The Toa of Magnetism proceeded to use her element to tighten the Dark Hunter's armor, causing him to drop the Olmak in pain. "Kavi!"
​The Toa of Air slid past Idlyx and grabbed the mask.
"Just b-because I don't have it...doesn't m-mean I can't free him..."
Datrox cocked an eyebrow. "What do you--"
​Before he could finish, the door to Teridax's cell opened. The Toa of Fire realized that Idlyx was standing right next to a terminal that controlled it.
​Karzahni.
​The Makuta of Metru Nui stepped out, and looked the group standing before him over.
​Datrox had a feeling this wasn't going to end well.

​*****

Teridax stepped out of Tuyet penitentiary, the bodies of prison staff who had attempted to stop him scattered about behind him, and started up at the twin suns. It had been centuries since he had seen the outside world--or at least felt like it had.
 ​He began making his way into the city, casually batting aside guards as they came his way.
​"Ah, Metru Nui. My old domain. It's been so long...it's time I reminded you who controls this city."

​*****

​The body of Datrox Karvan lay unmoving in front of the empty slow cell. Nale attempted to stir him while Kavi was trying to figure out what to do with Idlyx, whose arm had been ripped off before his body was flung into the cell. The Makuta was able to take them all on at the same time, and even tried to kill the zealot who freed him, she thought.
​What chance, then, did they have?

[Tarn]

CHAPTER SEVEN

​"Answers. Now."
Commander Nale Vella stood over Idlyx Haeve, who she and her colleagues and restrained to the best of their abilities despite the Dark Hunter's missing limb.
​"He gave me nothing, why should I give you anything?"
​The Toa of Magnetism resisted the urge to kick him in the face.
"Tell us why you could use the Olmak. Tell us why you came here--why you freed Teridax."
​Idlyx smiled. "You're wasting your time," he said, "the longer you sit here and interrogate me the more people he will kill. The more blood on your hands." The Dark Hunter leaned closer to Nale. "Are you just going to let him destroy this world? The first time he tried to put the Great Spirit to sleep--this time, he'll do worse. And there's nothing--" A recuperating Datrox delivered the kick to the face Nale wanted so bad. Despite being injured by Makuta during his breakout, the Toa of Fire's adrenaline seemed to be holding him together. "That was just to get him to shut up."
​"Thanks," Nale said, turning away from Idlyx. "Alright, then. Our priorities have changed. Our new target...is Makuta Teridax."

​*****

​There was panic in the streets of Ga-Metru as the Makuta of Metru-Nui made his way through it.
"I mean you no harm," he said, walking past a group of Ga-Matoran. "Actually..."
​He turned and unleashed a shadow hand, engulfing them.
"...I mean a lot of harm."
His armor morphed, and became bulkier.
​"Ah, this shall do. Once I re-acquire my mask I'll rid myself of this nonsense body."
He continued on, before disappearing into a cloud of shadow.

*****

​The three Toa exited the prison.
​"By the Great Spirit," Kavi (who was still carrying the stolen Olmak) exclaimed at the sight of all the bodies littering the area. "Don't worry," Datrox said, "looks like most of them are just unconscious. Seems like he's in a rush."
​"But for what?" Nale asked. "What else?" Kavi interjected. "His mask. There's a reason they took it away from him."
​"He's got quite the headstart," Datrox said, "how are we gonna catch up?"
​Kavi smiled.
"Don't do that," the Toa of Fire said.
​"What?" he said, still smiling.
​"That. I know what you're thinking and--"
​Before Datrox could finish, Kavi grabbed him and Nale and immediately jetted off into the sky.

Edited May 12, 2016 by Tarn of the DJD

[Tarn]

CHAPTER EIGHT

​"See anything?"
​"No."
"Your eyes are closed, Datrox."
​The trio glided over Ga-Metru, Kavi doing his best to keep his arms wrapped around the two other Toa. "No sign of him," Nale said, "he must've left the area."
​"That fast?" Datrox asked, his eyes remaining firmly shut.
​"He's a Makuta, who knows what kind of powers he's got under his sleeve," Nale replied. "Set us down, Officer Morr."
​The Toa of Air complied, landing on a nearby rooftop. "Thank the Spirit," he said, stretching his arms, "I was this close to dropping you guys."
​"That's not funny," Datrox said, glaring at the Le-Toa.
​"Moving on," Nale began, looking out over the Metru, "we need to figure out where Teridax could've gone." She pulled out the pyramid-shaped device again, and sat it down. She activated it and the map from before appeared, but this time with a small red square with an exclamation point in the corner. The Toa of Magnetism tapped it, and the image of Admiral Vantos filled the screen.
​"Officers," he said.
​"Admiral," Nale replied. "What is it?"
 ​"Oh, I just wanted to see how things were going," he said, shrugging. "Ah, and ask how you let Makuta friggin' Teridax escape a slow cell and wreak havoc on the city."
Nale cleared her throat. "Yes, that. I assure you we've got the situation under con--"
​"Please don't tell me you're about to say you have this under control. Because my interdimensional spy team says that you most definitely do not."
Datrox stepped forward. "It was the Olmak thief, Tanaya," he said, "he freed the Makuta. We let our guard down and--"
​"--and nothing, Karvan." Vantos interrupted, putting his hand up for emphasis. "You failed. You all failed your mission. I'm sending a clean-up crew to fix your mistake, and when you get back to our dimension you will be punished accordingly." He looked to Nale. "Commander, your title has been revoked for now. We'll discuss whether this change will be permanent when you return."
​The Toa of Magnetism was shocked. Datrox realized he had never seen her like that before.
​"Sir, that's--"
"No more, Vella. Oh, and Datrox?"
​He looked back to the Toa of Fire.
​"Don't call me Tanaya."
​The feed cut out, and the screen shut off.
​"Wow," Kavi said, crossing his arms, "what a Brakas."
"I can't believe this..." Nale said, turning away from her partners. "He can't do this to me..."
​Datrox wanted to say something to her, but worried he'd just make things worse. He couldn't even say Vantos was wrong--they had failed. They weren't able to stop Idlyx in time, and now they had a much bigger problem on their hands.
​One they could handle.
​"Wait," he said. Nale turned back to him. "This is our mess. We can take care of it ourselves, just like we planned to in the first place."
​"Uh, didn't you hear?" Kavi asked, "We're supposed to head back to our dimension and get frickin' court-martialed or something."
​"Who says we have to listen to him?"
​"I'm sorry," Kavi said, un-crossing his arms and placing them on his hips, "but isn't not listening what got you thrown in jail?"
​"It was a ship's brig," Datrox corrected him, "not a jail. And yes, but that was because I wanted to do the right thing and I wasn't allowed to. We want to do the right thing, don't we?"
​"Yes," Nale spoke up.
​"Then get your weapons ready, shut off your comms and follow me: we're going to stop Makuta Teridax."

Edited June 8, 2016 by Tarn of the DJD