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Out of Their Element


Master Inika

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Episode 1: The Dark Hunters’ New Recruit

 

“Out of my sight, weakling!” the Shadowed One ordered. Before him, a look of terror frozen on his face, was a tall, muscular Skakdi with a particularly interesting history: once the infamous commander of the Striking Muaka Army on Zakaz, he found victory upon victory on his home island a boring existence, and willingly exposed himself to Energized Protodermis in search of greater power. His gamble was successful, and his size and strength were increased, along with the acquisition of the Elemental Powers of Iron and Gravity. He also gained a double-bladed staff; one spearhead could fire lava, and the other acid. Armed with these fearsome new abilities, he conquered and pillaged his way from Zakaz to Odina, where he hoped to gain membership in the Dark Hunters.

 

Unfortunately, though, this Skakdi had proven susceptible to one of the Shadowed One’s most basic tools: a small, handheld device, which, when activated, caused immense pain in the mechanical components of any being’s biology. A Dark Hunter needed the fortitude to stand tall and unflinching even in the face of such power, and this Skakdi had not such fortitude.

 

Saying nothing, the Skakdi turned and shuffled out of the room, stopping at the doorway only to glance back, the same look of horror upon his mug.

 

“It seems the universe has no more warriors to offer my organization…” the Shadowed One purred, looking at the bits of armor and weaponry that littered the chamber floor. A dozen potential new Dark Hunters he had seen today, and not one of them could handle the power of his mechanical disruptor.

 

“Is there anyone else?” the Shadowed One bellowed into the darkness around him.

 

“Um, just me, Mr. Shadowed One, sir!” a strange voice answered.

 

“Step forth,” the Shadowed One ordered. Obediently, a figure came out of the shadows. His appearance was unlike any the Shadowed One had seen before. Shorter than a Toa and lacking any visible armor or Kanohi Mask of Power, the being wore over his flesh, which seemed to compose most of his exterior, an intricate uniform made of cloth, with a bright red garment around his neck, and in place of a weapon he held a nondescript brown container of some kind. The Shadowed One, though curious, doubted this being would be his next Dark Hunter. Still, as a formality, he asked, “What is your name, my visitor?”

 

“Roger Smith, sir,” the being said.

 

“I see,” the Shadowed One said. “Of what species are you? I haven’t yet encountered a being so… fleshy.”

 

“I am a human,” Roger answered.

 

The Shadowed One had never heard of this race before. Were they some new creation, born only recently in the laboratories of the Brotherhood of Makuta? If that was the case, this Roger Smith’s unimposing appearance surely hid some sort of grand power. The Shadowed One asked: “What qualifications have you to join my organization, Roger Smith?”

 

“Well, I spent 20 years in the Smith Law Firm, my father’s company. Don’t think it was just nepotism, though! The old man started me off a simple office clerk like everyone else, but I worked my way up to defense attorney. You’ll see my name quite a lot if you happen to frequent the Boston Law Review,” Roger said. He opened his container and took out a handful of papyrus. “I have a copy here, if you’re interested, along with my resume.”

 

“Silence!” the Shadowed One ordered. Was this pathetic lifeform’s power talking his enemies to death? The Shadowed One had heard enough. “Out of my presence, before I change my mind and vaporize you where you stand! Hurry on back to your homeland of… wherever it is you are from.”

 

“Oh,” Roger said, his eager smile quickly replaced with a disappointed frown. “Well, feel free to mention my name to anyone else looking for good, honest workers…” As Roger neared the exit to the torch-lit chamber, he muttered, “I guess if you’re curious, I was born and raised in Smalltown, Massachusetts, but I moved to Metru Nui just yesterday…”

 

“Wait!” the Shadowed One commanded, and the exit slammed shut before Roger could leave. “You live in Metru Nui?”

 

“I do,” Roger said, looking over his shoulder and trying the door a few times. “So, um, how do I get out of here?”

 

“Welcome to the Dark Hunters, Roger!” the Shadowed One said. As Roger’s smile returned, the Shadowed One knew he was taking a gamble, not unlike the Skakdi right before Roger. He knew nothing of this newcomer’s history, his powers, or where his true allegiances may lie. All he knew was he now had a direct connection to the City of Legends.

 

----

 

“So, honey, how was the job hunt?” Roger’s wife Claire Smith asked as she handed him his dinner. On his plate was a strange stew of odd-smelling vegetation. “I know Wednesday is supposed to be ‘meatloaf and mashed potatoes’ night, but I just couldn’t find any of our usual foods in this town. Just… weird mechanical things, and a few animals, but they’re more robot than meat.”

 

“Oh, if there’s anyone who can make that appetizing, it’s you, Claire,” Roger said, smiling lovingly at the beautiful woman. In this strange new neighborhood, nothing made him feel at home like the sight of his faithful wife of 20 years, in her pink floral-print apron and her hair and makeup done just the way she knew he liked it. “I actually found a job, too! I’m with a firm called the Dark Hunters. Maybe they’re an electrical company. I meant to ask more, but really, I’ll take what I can get at this point.”

 

“Ugh, I’ve told you a hundred times, Dad!” said Jake, Roger and Claire’s 8-year-old son, with an exasperated sigh. “The Dark Hunters are a band of vicious mercenaries, doing any job, no matter how dangerous, as long as the price is right! I have a whole guide about them, with fan-made creations from the contest and everything! But they first appeared in Comic 16, when Nidhiki and Krekka were hunting the Toa Metru.” A moment later, Jake excitedly muttered to himself, “Take Your Son to Work Day is going to be so cool this year.”

 

The two adults looked at their son in confusion before, desperate to talk about something other than the childish LEGO toys their son seemed obsessed with, turning to their daughter, 16-year-old Jessica, who was, as usual, on her phone.

 

“Jessica, how many times do I have to tell you? No texting at the dinner table!” Claire admonished.

 

“Whatever!” Jessica said, putting her hand up. “This town sucks anyway. I put on a lot of makeup today and wore high heels and everything, but none of the boys around here even looked at me! It’s like they aren’t even interested in dating or any super-important stuff like that. It sucks that we had to move! Brandon was totally going to ask me to prom, but since I’m gone that snobby cheerleader Veronica is totally going to try going with him, even though she told me she wanted to go with Chad, but everyone knows, like, she’s only pretending to like Chad so that no one suspects she really likes Brandon until she makes her move, because she’s crafty like that, you know? Like, you never know what she’s really up to until it’s, like, already too late.”

 

“Veronica sounds like a Vahki Keerakh!” Jake interjected. “They’re the Vahki of Ko-Metru. They find out where a lawbreaker is trying to escape to, and then get there first!”

 

“Darling,” Roger whispered to Claire, “when did our children stop speaking English?”

 

“Whatever!” Jessica said with a flip of her hair. “You guys don’t know anything about anything! Jake is the only one in this family who really understands me! I hate you guys! I’m going to my room!”

 

Without waiting for a response, Jessica stood up and marched off.

 

“Mom, why does Jessica get to leave dinner before she finishes?” Jake whined. “I’m full! Can I go play with my BIONICLE sets, now?”

 

“Sure,” Claire said, wanting this dinner to just end. “Put your dish in the dishwasher, though!”

 

Jake took his dishes into the kitchen, leaving only the stressed parents.

 

“Claire, how did we get here?” Roger asked with his face in his hands.

 

“I don’t know, but, every family goes through this when they move, right?” Claire answered. “I mean, sure, everyone else who lives around here is some kind of weird robot…”

 

“Mom!” Jake shouted. “For the last time, they are not robots, they are bio-mechanical beings!”

 

“Uh, right, son,” Claire said. She returned her attention to her husband and reassured, “Look, our kids will learn to adjust, and we will, too. Before we know it, we’ll feel just like we’re back in Smalltown. I mean, you found a job in just two days! That’s the Roger I know.” Claire gave him a surprise kiss on the cheek. “With a man of the house like you, we’re bound to do well no matter where we are.”

 

“Ugh, Mom kissed Dad! That’s so gross!” Jessica cried. “Aren't you guys, like, a million years old?”

 

“I thought you went to your room!” Claire shouted.

 

“You can't tell me what to do! I'm practically an adult!" Jessica shouted. "Whatever! Adults suck!"

 

Roger was surprised to find himself thinking that he couldn't wait to go back to work with the Dark Hunters. Still, as his children shouted about BIONICLE and makeup, he couldn't deny that he thought Claire was right, and they would do just fine in Metru Nui.

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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

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Episode 2: An Official Visit from Turaga Dume

 

Claire Smith was cleaning the family’s silverware when she heard a knock on the door. She opened it to see a red biomechanical creature, not unlike her friendly Matoran neighbors, but older-looking, with a staff in his hand.

 

“Good evening,” he said in a stately voice. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything. I am Turaga Dume, leader of Metru Nui.”

 

Jake immediately ran up to the old figure, his eyes wide with awe.

 

“It really is you!” he beamed. “Mom, Turaga Dume’s the coolest! He used to be a Toa of Fire, and was the leader of his own team! He even saved Lhikan when he was just a Matoran, and helped Lhikan become a Toa of Fire, too!”

 

“Oh, it seems we have quite the historian here,” Dume said with a light chuckle, patting the boy’s head.

 

Ignoring him, Jake turned to his mom and continued, “Nobody knows it, but this actually isn’t the real Turaga Dume, though. It’s the evil Makuta in disguise, and he’s secretly plotting to take control of the entire city!”

 

“Dume” nearly fainted from shock. As he stumbled to create an excuse for what this little boy was saying, his mother spoke first.

 

“You’ll have to excuse my son, Mr. Dume. He has a very activate imagination,” she said.

 

“Oh, um, yes!” Dume said, regaining his composure. “Of course. Well, I just wanted to welcome you to our neighborhood, and see how you’re settling in.”

 

“We’re doing well, thank you,” Claire said. “Jessica! Come down and say hello to our guest!”

 

Jessica came down the stairs from her room, flipped her hair, and said, “Maybe you can explain to me why nobody around here seems interested in dating.”

 

“Well, my dear, the Onu-Matoran are archivists, so they’re very interested in dating,” Dume said.

 

“No, like, romantic dating,” Jessica said. “You know, long walks on the beach, candlelit dinners, stuff like that?”

 

“Oh, that kind of dating!” Dume said. “Nobody in this universe does that.”

 

Nobody in this universe does that.

 

Nobody in this universe does that.

 

Jessica couldn’t help but scream as she ran back into her room. This had to be some terrible, awful nightmare. Nobody in this entire universe dated? How did they validate their social status? How did society keep from collapsing in on itself?

 

“Pardon her,” Claire said. “She’s very moody at her age. I remember when I was 16, and getting a boyfriend was all that mattered to me.”

 

“Ah, yes, 16,000 was quite an age for me, too,” Dume said. “Well, I just came by to make sure everything was going well. Let me know if you need anything!”

 

“We will. Come back anytime!” Claire said. She closed the door as Dume walked off.

 

A moment later, Roger Smith returned home to hear his daughter sobbing and his son ranting, “No, really, Mom! He’s going to force the entire Matoran population into these spheres to wipe their memories!” Roger, realizing nobody heard him open the door, slowly moved back outside and closed the door behind him.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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No romance in Bionicle: the teenage girl side.

Voicing your opinions with tact is the best way to keep a discussion from becoming an argument.
So far as I'm aware, it's pronounced like this: We're ee ah moo.
 

Check out my Creations:

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G1 Battle for Spherus Magna - G2 A Lingering Shadow


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G1 Fallen Guardian - G2 Shadows of Past and Future (The Legend Continues Entry) Head of Stone, Heart of Jungle


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  • 3 weeks later...

“Dume” nearly fainted from shock. As he stumbled to create an excuse for what this little boy was saying, his mother spoke first.

 

 

:superfunny:

 

This definitely has great potential. I love how the little boys know exactly who's who and what's going to happen. Although I wonder how much their presence here will affect what will happen. You've definitely captured my attention, I look forward to future chapters! :wakeup:

 

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Thank you for the feedback, guys! You're what keep me going. Hope you like the new episode!

 

Episode 3: An Unofficial Visit from Toa Lhikan

 

Jessica sighed deeply as she looked at the high school yearbook from her sophomore year, the last year she spent in the normal world. Oh, how she missed Smalltown High, its familiar sights, handsome football players, and other human beings. She even missed Mr. Johnson’s super-boring history class. She’d take learning about President Lincoln and the Tariff of 1812 over the Brotherhood of Mata Nui or whatever it was called.

 

At least her stupid parents were out on date night. She was so sick of hearing them talk about their life like it was “normal” or they had any place in this weird robot world. She was enrolled in an all-girl school now! In fact, the school seemed to be located in an all-girl part of the city! How was that even possible? There were a few male students, the really quiet white ones who always talked about “the future” and “reading the stars,” but they were all nerds.

 

Her reminiscing was interrupted by the sound of a knock at the front door. For a moment, she panicked, believing her parents were back and would catch her not watching her little brother like she was supposed to be. But it was too early, so she calmed down and shouted, “Jake, can you get the door?”

 

She heard the door open and Jake conversing with someone. Probably that stupid old Turaga Doom guy again.

 

“Jessica, Toa Lhikan wants to talk to you!” her brother shouted.

 

“I’m busy!” she shouted back. Just as she grabbed her soda to take another sip, though, she found it was empty. She sighed even deeper, closed her yearbook, and went downstairs to find her brother talking to a gorgeous man who literally looked like a knight in shining red and gold armor. Suddenly, Brandon was the last thing on her mind, pushed out by this beautiful stranger. And she was standing right in front of him in just a nightgown and her pink bunny slippers.

 

“Jake!” she seethed angrily through clenched teeth. “Why didn’t you tell me there was a boy here to see me?”

 

“I did!” her brother insisted.

 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to barge in unannounced,” the man said. “My name is Lhikan. I am a Toa of Fire and protector of Metru Nui.”

 

“Oh, not at all!” Jessica said, trying her best to sound cutesy. This was so embarrassing, though. She didn’t have her makeup on or anything. “So, um, Likian…”

 

He laughed lightly and said, “You can call me Lhii.”

 

“Oh, um, okay, Lee,” she said, trying her best to giggle sexily. “My parents aren’t home. They’re on a date.”

 

Lhikan looked at her quizzically. “What’s a date?”

 

“How about I show you?” Jessica beamed. “You’ll love it.”

 

Lhikan smiled pleasantly. “Well, all right, I’m not due back to the Coliseum for another hour. Does Jake join us on our date? He has quite the knowledge of our fair city.”

 

Jessica had to stop herself from gagging. She loved her little brother more than anything else, but every time he got involved with her boyfriends in Smalltown, it never ended well. Thinking quickly, she looked her little brother intensely in the eyes while saying to Lhikan, “He won’t be able to, I’m afraid. He’ll be in his room all night, playing with LEGOs and reading comics.”

 

“But Jessica, Mom told me it was my turn to do the dishes tonight.”

 

“Don’t you worry about that, little bro!” she said, giving him a wink. “I’ll take care of those dishes, after my lovely date with Lee of course, before Mom and Dad get home!”

 

“Wow, thanks Jessica!” Jake said, and a moment later he sped off to his room with the speed of a Kakama-wearer.

 

“Now, where were we?” Jessica asked sultrily, shifting her gaze to Lhikan and fluttering her eyelashes.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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Hmm Lhikan doesn't strike me as one who pays social calls... unless he's just popping in to officially greet the new arrivals. Looks like he got more than he bargained for. :lol:

 

Poor Jessica, it's hard going to an all girl/nerd school (I'd think the Archivists would be around too though? :huh: ). Luckily she's found a boy to flirt with. Hope she's not too disappointed when he becomes a Turaga *coughspoilerscough* :lookaround:

 

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Hmm Lhikan doesn't strike me as one who pays social calls... unless he's just popping in to officially greet the new arrivals. Looks like he got more than he bargained for. :lol:

 

Poor Jessica, it's hard going to an all girl/nerd school (I'd think the Archivists would be around too though? :huh: ). Luckily she's found a boy to flirt with. Hope she's not too disappointed when he becomes a Turaga *coughspoilerscough* :lookaround:

 

Thanks for the comments. :) According to BS01, it's just Ga-Matoran and occasional Ko-Matoran at Ga-Metru schools. Onu-Matoran would make sense, though.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

Click here to visit my library!

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Hmm Lhikan doesn't strike me as one who pays social calls... unless he's just popping in to officially greet the new arrivals. Looks like he got more than he bargained for. :lol:

 

Poor Jessica, it's hard going to an all girl/nerd school (I'd think the Archivists would be around too though? :huh: ). Luckily she's found a boy to flirt with. Hope she's not too disappointed when he becomes a Turaga *coughspoilerscough* :lookaround:

 

Thanks for the comments. :) According to BS01, it's just Ga-Matoran and occasional Ko-Matoran at Ga-Metru schools. Onu-Matoran would make sense, though.

 

Yeah, especially given what happened to poor Subterranean...

 

Sorry Jessica, but I'm pretty sure if Lhikan's going to date anyone it's going to be Naho.

  • Upvote 1

Voicing your opinions with tact is the best way to keep a discussion from becoming an argument.
So far as I'm aware, it's pronounced like this: We're ee ah moo.
 

Check out my Creations:

Epics

G1 Battle for Spherus Magna - G2 A Lingering Shadow


Short Stories

G1 Fallen Guardian - G2 Shadows of Past and Future (The Legend Continues Entry) Head of Stone, Heart of Jungle


MOCs

Mask Hoarder, Desert Scourge

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Episode 4: Date Night

 

“Honey, are you sure this is safe?” Claire asked her husband fearfully.

 

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” Roger assured her. “All the locals do this for fun.”

 

“All right!” their lava surfing coach, Jaller, shouted. “Watch and learn!”

 

The two humans and assembled Ta-Matoran watched Jaller run along the lava shore, throw his lavaboard, and jump on, surfing along the length of the shore before coming to a stop.

 

“Now you all try,” he said.

 

As everyone took a running stance and readied their boards, Jaller added, “Be careful, though. If you mess up and fall into the lava, your mechanical components will only protect you for fifteen seconds before your organic tissue is burned to a crisp.”

 

As the other Ta-Matoran carefully imitated Jaller’s motions and began lava surfing, Claire and Roger looked at each other with a shared look of worry.

 

“On second thought, maybe lava surfing isn’t for us,” Roger conceded.

 

In Le-Metru, the couple tried their backup date idea: a relaxing ride through the Moto-Hub, on a cart pulled by an Ussal Crab and his Le-Matoran rider.

 

“We so often-little receive travel-tourists,” their Le-Matoran guide said as he turned the crab around another corner. “What do you think of our pleasant-fair city?”

 

“Oh, it’s very nice, thank you,” Claire responded.

 

Their guide was about to reply when another Ussal rider abruptly moved in front of them. The Le-Matoran whipped his Ussal and surged forward, scuttling past the other rider, causing the couple to almost fall out of their seats. “Watch where you’re quick-going, Muaka-brained Brakas-face!” He turned to the couple and said, “Sorry about that, you have to stay ever-vigilant with Le-Metru traffic!”

 

Claire started to say, “Oh, it’s quite alright.”

 

“Hey, friend-brother, I’ve got quick-news for you, you don’t all-own the road!” the Le-Matoran shouted. “How about you leave some ride-space for the rest of us, huh?” Then, he turned to Claire and said, “I’m sorry, what was that?”

 

“This is our stop,” Roger said firmly, and took his wife by the hand and led her out of Le-Metru.

 

In Onu-Metru, their date seemed to take a turn for the best.

 

“This is nice. A room all to ourselves, just you and me,” Claire said.

 

“Um, honey, I think we’re being watched,” Roger replied. He pointed up to the group of Onu-Matoran archivists fervently taking notes.

 

“Very interesting!” one of the archivists said. “Our new exhibits seemed to have realized they are being held captive.”

 

After escaping the Archives, the couple found themselves in a Ko-Metru Knowledge Tower. There were no dangerous lava flows, crazy drivers, or archivists trying to keep them locked up “for science.” It seemed a perfectly pleasant, if quiet, metru.

 

“Hey, Roger—”

 

“Shh!” all the Ko-Matoran said, holding their fingers to their mouths for a moment before returning to their studies.

 

“Claire, I—”

 

“Shh!” the Ko-Matoran went again.

 

Their next attempted date spot was Po-Metru.

 

“Hey, Claire, I’ve got an idea,” Roger said.

 

“What is it?” she replied.

 

Roger went up to one of the statues, took out a small pocket knife, and began chiseling into the base. Claire looked on with a puzzled expression until Roger revealed what he had written:

 

R+C

 

“Aww!” Claire said. “That’s so sweet! Thank you!”

 

Not a moment late, a crack shot up from the carved initials, and split into more and more cracks running along the length of the statue. When the whole of the statue was engulfed in fractures, the entire thing collapsed onto the ground, attracting the attention of the many Po-Matoran nearby.

 

“My masterpiece!” Hafu cried out in terror, grabbing the sides of his mask in panic.

 

Roger put his arms on Claire’s shoulders and quickly guided her out of the metru, saying, “This way, hurry! Eyes down. Don’t let them see our faces. We were never here.”

 

Beside the bay in Ga-Metru, sitting on the dock with their legs over the water, Roger kept an arm around his wife.

 

“I’m sorry our date night didn’t work out,” Roger said with a sigh.

 

“It’s okay,” Claire replied. “It’s not too bad right now. Beautiful night, two lovely moons in the sky, the sound of the ocean. I’d say things are perfect right now.”

 

“Yeah, I guess they are,” Roger said. “It’s too perfect,” he bluntly declared a moment later. “I don’t like it.”

 

“Me neither. It’s boring,” Claire agreed “Let’s go home. Maybe the kids had a better night than we did.”

 

They returned to their new home to find a Toa of Fire attempting escape their daughter’s grasp, his Kanohi Mask of Power coated in lipstick marks.

 

“Help me! Please!” the Toa of Fire cried. “She’s insane! Get her off of me!”

 

The couple watched in shock as the Toa finally freed himself with a small burst of fire, and ran past them out into the city.

 

“You’ll never make a fire that burns hotter than my love for you, Lee!” their daughter cried out. “You can’t run from me forever! I’ll find you and everyone will be jealous of our love!”

 

“Stay away from me!” the Toa shouted as he vanished across a corner.

 

“Jessica, you don’t get it!” their son Jake cried. “Greg Farshtey decanonized romance! I don’t like it either, but it’s just the way things are!”

 

“You don’t understand, little brother! Real love conquers all!” Jessica shouted with a mad laugh. “Oh, Mom and Dad. Hi.”

 

“Um, hi,” Roger said.

 

“Jake, did you do the dishes like I told you to?” Claire asked. In response, Jake just looked to Jessica, who gasped in realization that dirty dishes were still piled into the sink.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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This is something I never would've dreamed of making, and probably wouldn't have ever expected to work. Maybe the beauty of this lies in the differences between 2004 Metru Nui life and the typical American lifestyle, which allow for constant humor and a slightly sporadic but surprisingly believable story. I could see myself in Jake's shoes, 110%.

 

Looking forward to reading more of this. Keep up the great work!

The long awaited third season of TA:OT is finally here!!

 

 

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“My masterpiece!” Hafu cried out in terror, grabbing the sides of his mask in panic.

:OMG:  :smilehafu:

:superfunny:  :popcorn:

 

Also, poor Lee... I'm sure he'd rather fight an army of Dark Hunters than have to deal with Jessica any day. Although... why didn't he just use his Hau?

 

Because the Hau only works against attacks you see coming. ;) Glad you liked the episode.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

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“My masterpiece!” Hafu cried out in terror, grabbing the sides of his mask in panic.

:OMG:  :smilehafu:

:superfunny:  :popcorn:

 

Also, poor Lee... I'm sure he'd rather fight an army of Dark Hunters than have to deal with Jessica any day. Although... why didn't he just use his Hau?

 

Because the Hau only works against attacks you see coming. ;) Glad you liked the episode.

 

Good point! Although now that I reread it, I have one nit-pick. I think Hafu would cry out in horror at his masterpiece being destroyed, not necessarily terror. Terror seems to imply that his life is in danger, but then I'm no grammar expert :P

 

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“My masterpiece!” Hafu cried out in terror, grabbing the sides of his mask in panic.

:OMG:  :smilehafu:

:superfunny:  :popcorn:

 

Also, poor Lee... I'm sure he'd rather fight an army of Dark Hunters than have to deal with Jessica any day. Although... why didn't he just use his Hau?

 

Because the Hau only works against attacks you see coming. ;) Glad you liked the episode.

 

Good point! Although now that I reread it, I have one nit-pick. I think Hafu would cry out in horror at his masterpiece being destroyed, not necessarily terror. Terror seems to imply that his life is in danger, but then I'm no grammar expert :P

 

I just did a quick Wikipedia search, and there is a distinction. Terror is how you feel leading up to seeing something scary, and horror is what you feel after seeing it, so you're right, it should be horror. It's a pretty subtle distinction, though.

 

In regards to your definition, I'd say that Hafu's carving is his life.

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Episode 5: Roger Makes Some Changes

 

The Dark Hunter Amphibax marched into the Shadowed One’s throne room and dropped the spoils of his mission, a handful of precious gemstones, on the chamber floor. They clattered loudly, echoing throughout the vast room.

 

“Amphibax!” the Shadowed One snapped. “You are to show proper respect to your leader. Pick those up right now or it’ll cost you your other hand!”

 

“Fine! Anything to keep me from having to go on another mission with the new guy,” Amphibax growled as he stalked out. A moment later, Dark Hunter Roger Smith poked his head in through the doorway.

 

“Roger, Amphibax was the fourth Dark Hunter I’ve assigned you to!” the Shadowed One raged. “Why can’t you work with any of my other operatives?”

 

“I’m sorry, sir. I don’t know what’s going on. I got along with everyone back at the law firm,” Roger explained. “Maybe we just don’t have that much in common. I mean, I like football, and the others around here just like, well, decapitation. I like apple pie, they like genocide. There’s not a lot of common ground.”

 

“I’ll find you a new partner later,” the Shadowed One said with a sigh. “Help me take these stones to the treasure room.”

 

It was Roger’s first time in the treasure room. Kanohi Masks of Power and weapons of all kind lined the walls, beautiful statues no doubt stolen from their creators watched over the rest of the booty, and small artifacts of all kinds littered the floor.

 

“You keep all of this just lying here?” Roger asked in disbelief. “Haven’t you ever heard of reinvesting your savings? If you took just half of this and put it into a compound interest account, you could double its value in less than six months!”

 

“How dare you question—Wait, did you say double?” the Shadowed One asked.

 

“Triple, even, if the stock exchange is kind!” Roger said tantalizingly.

 

The Shadowed One called a meeting of all Dark Hunters present on Odina. He took Roger to the center of the room and declared:

 

“Attention Dark Hunters, from this day forth, Roger Smith is in charge of allocation of all spoils of our missions. Booty will still be presented to me, and I will give it to Roger for him to reinvest. With his help, we will become richer than ever before!”

 

The room applauded Roger, who smiled proudly, as the Shadowed One continued:

 

“If Roger fails to turn over a profit, is caught stealing any treasure, or ever attempts to leave the island, he is to be executed on sight.”

 

As the Dark Hunter crowd dispersed, Roger followed the Shadowed One, shocked.

 

“Sir, I can’t live here! I have a family back in Metru Nui!”

 

The Shadowed One’s eyes went wide as he remembered one of his original reasons for allowing Roger to join at all. “That’s right, you do live in Metru Nui, don’t you?” The Shadowed One called all of his Hunters back and made a second announcement: “Tomorrow evening, we’re having a little company dinner, hosted by Roger Smith! If he wants to get off this island, that is.”

 

Roger gulped. Even back at the law firm, he’d never been trusted with hosting the company dinner before.

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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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Wooohoo! New chapter! :D

 

Hahaha poor Roger... well he'll go down in history in the Dark Hunter ranks for sure! He should meet up with the Recorder, they'd get along methinks.

 

Hmm a Dark Hunter dinner hosted at Metru Nui... this promises to be interesting.

 

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  • 1 month later...

Episode 6: Company Dinner of Doom

 

The Dark Hunter fleet approached Metru Nui from the south. Roger Smith watched from the shore as one boat took form, followed by another, then another, until the length of the entire horizon was occupied by nearing vessels.

 

Roger took a deep breath. He glanced back at his modest home, which he and his family had spent all day preparing for the dinner. The children were off with Toa Lhikan and Turaga Dume, and his wife was standing in her finest dress by the door. She smiled warmly to him. Only she could calm his raging nerves with a simple look of reassurance.

 

The Dark Hunter fleet arrived. Roger bowed as the Shadowed One approached and said, “Welcome, sir. I hope you’ll find everything to your liking.”

 

“I hope so as well, Roger,” the Shadowed One replied. “What sort of weapons have you acquired for us?”

 

Roger’s face went white. “Weapons, sir?” he asked uneasily. He thought he’d covered everything: the doilies had been set, his wife cooked her world-famous lasagna (finding the ingredients hadn’t been easy), and he had practiced all his best work-related conversations, from the weather to local sports. But weapons?

 

“Don’t tell me you haven’t stocked up weapons for us!” his leader said. “Did you expect us to sack Metru Nui using our own swords and axes? How unprofessional!”

 

Roger was speechless when his wife, Claire, ran forward, holding her dress as she did. “Of course we have weapons!” she shouted as the neared. “All kinds of weapons! Right this way!”

 

As the Dark Hunters moved toward the Smith home, Roger looked to his wife in panic. “What are you doing?” he asked.

 

“Relax, honey,” Claire whispered back to him while touching his shoulder. “Just trust me.”

 

The couple returned to their house just ahead of the Dark Hunters. The Shadowed One, much to Roger’s disappointment, made no comment on the carefully-placed doilies, simply demanding to see the weapons.

 

“Oh, hush, you!” Claire chided. “We’re going to sit down and have a nice dinner, then you’ll get your weapons and can do whatever you want to Metru Nui.”

 

“What is this foolish insolence?” the Shadowed One roared. “Do you know who I am? Do you know how many have fallen before my awesome might?”

 

“That’s enough of this nonsense, Mr. Shadowed One,” Claire said with the same resolve she spoke to her children with when they didn’t want to go to bed. “Sit down and enjoy this lasagna I made or there’ll be no dessert.”

 

“You thoughtless fool!” the Shadowed One cried in anger. “You know not what wrath you are inviting upon yourself! One more insubordinate word, and—”

 

“Um, Miss Smith?” Eliminator, killer of other Dark Hunters who failed their missions, said quietly. “What is for dessert?”

 

“Apple pie a la mode,” she answered. As she did, the assembled Dark Hunters quickly took their places at the table, their loyalties effectively purchased by the promise of scrumptious, gooey apple pie topped with refreshing, cold ice cream.

 

“Can I put my apple pie in the microwave first?” Vanisher asked.

 

“Oh, that’s a good idea, so then the warm pie and the ice cream just melt in to each other!” Devastator agreed. “How about whipped cream?”

 

Roger and the Shadowed One watched in disbelief as the Dark Hunters politely passed each other pieces of lasagna and began calmly eating.

 

“This is delicious, Miss Smith!” Triglax praised. “I haven’t had good home-cooked food in so long.”

 

Roger accepted the situation before his befuddled boss and took a seat next to his wife, who put a piece of lasagna on his plate. “Well, sir, um, please join us,” he invited.

 

The Shadowed One reluctantly began looking for a chair, only to find there were none left. “Where am I supposed to sit?” he complained.

 

“Sorry, I guess I planned one chair too few,” Claire said. “Roger, go get him one of the fold-up chairs from the garage.”

 

“But I don’t want to sit in a fold-up chair!” he said. “I am the leader of this organization!”

 

“Quiet down! You’ll sit on whatever chair we give you and eat your lasagna!” Claire said louder. As the Shadowed One prepared to vaporize her with his disintegrator eyebeams, she gave him a nasty scowl that forced him to back down and wait for Roger to return with his chair. When he did and the Shadowed One finally sat down and began eating his lasagna, he had to admit it was pretty good.

 

As the dinner seemed to be going much better than Roger expected, he turned to his wife and said quietly, “Thanks for all of this. Now tell me, where did you find weapons?”

 

Claire whispered back to him, “Oh, I don’t actually have any weapons. Now finish eating and go find some! I’ll stall for as long as I can.”

Edited by Master Inika
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"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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Well written as usual! :D There seems to be a failure of communication on Shadowed One's part, you'd think he'd bring Roger more up to speed since he seems to expect so much from him. :rolleyes: Shadowed One needs to be careful, Darkness might do him in if he continues to let himself be cowed by Claire... :vampire:

 

Apple pie a la mode? :drool: I'd put my evil plans on hold for that stuff. How much lasagna did she make? She's not feeding the entire organization is she? :P

 

Ah well, probably too many questions, but great chapter! I'm very eager to see how it all turns out!

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  • 3 weeks later...

I've gotta say I love this and I can't wait to read more. The whole idea behind this story is great, but I think the best part was having Roger join up with the Dark Hunters. I eagerly await both Roger's search for the weapons and Claire keeping everyone occupied.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Nothing beats a slice of lasagna and/or apple pie a la mode.

I'm quite liking where this is going, and I can't wait to see how the likely fight between Roger and the Dark Hunters for weapons plays out. Keep up the good work.

EDIT: Claire is savage.

Edited by MetaStriker
The long awaited third season of TA:OT is finally here!!

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Episode 7: Weapons Order

 

The small boat gifted to the Smith family by Turaga Dume sailed past grand warships of the Brotherhood of Makuta as Roger Smith and his son Jake entered the territorial waters of Xia.

 

“Son, I hope you know what you’re doing,” Roger said fearfully, looking up at the massive boats that cast a shadow over theirs as they passed.

 

“Of course, Dad,” his son said. “We’re picking up some weapons for your boss and his friends.”

 

Somehow, his son’s optimism allowed Roger himself to calm down. The two arrived and tied their boat to the docks before walking up to the nearest vendor. Roger looked with amazement at the dangerous-looking tools that decorated the outside of his shack.

 

“Are you going to stand there staring all day or buy something?” the owner, a red-armored giant, asked impatiently.

 

“We’d like a batch of Kanoka Disks and Rhotuka Spinner, the deadlier the better, a pair of Catcher Claws, a pair of Whirling Shields, and throw in a few Herding Blades,” Jake said matter-of-factly.

 

The dealer leaned over his counter to look at Jake. “That’s a tall order for such a tiny being,” he growled with contempt. “How do you plan to pay for all these weapons of war?”

 

“Well, sir, we have a generous stipend of 50 widgets–” Roger began, hoping to draw the attention away from his son before being interrupted. As he did, he failed to notice Jake wandering off.

 

“Widgets? Ha!” the dealer cried. “We don’t accept those Matoran bartering chips here. You’ll need something a little more… worthwhile.”

 

“Well, um… That’s all we have!” Roger exclaimed.

 

The dealer narrowed his gaze on Roger. His two glowing eyes flickered out-of-synch, as if twitching in madness. “You have a lot of nerve coming to our island and dictating to us the terms of business!”

 

“How about Steltian sulins?” Jake asked, raising up a small bag of coins.

 

“Hmm…” the dealer said, eyeing the bag. “Could always use me a few more sulins. But the exchange rate is not very favorable right now. You’ll need a lot more than that for all you’re asking for.”

 

“How about kilosulins?” Jake asked, dropping it on the counter and allowing a few of the gold coins to fall into view. “I’ll give you 2,000 for a dozen disks, a dozen spinners, the claws, the shields, and three blades.”

 

“You think I don’t know the value of my own wares?” the dealer spat. “Five thousand, not a millisulin less!”

 

“Take the deal!” Roger whispered to his boy.

 

“No, Dad,” Jake whispered back. “We’ll look more suspicious if we don’t haggle.” Jake shifted his attention back to the red giant and said, “Three thousand, since I’m feeling generous.”

 

“You insult me with your stingy offer! Four thousand!”

 

“Three thousand. No more, no less.”

 

The dealer looked for a long moment at the little boy. “Three thousand,” he said finally.

 

Jake gave the dealer half of his coins and he and his father hauled the weapons off.

 

“I’m proud of you, son. I trusted you, and it paid off. Now let’s get this stuff back to the boat,” Roger said, eager to leave the island.

 

“No can do, Dad,” Jake said. “I sold our boat for those coins.”

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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Stingy. What a word.

 

Nice plot twist. I guess Roger and Jake won't be getting lasagna for a long time. I'll admit that I was a little confused why Roger was leaving to get the weapons but I get it now. It'll definitely be interesting to see how they get out of this mess :P

The long awaited third season of TA:OT is finally here!!

 

 

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  • 3 years later...

[How quickly the time goes by. I've been working to muster the drive to get this story restarted for a while now. Without further ado, I present the much delayed next installment of Out of Their Element!]

            Episode 8: The Smiths’ Darkest Hour

            Claire’s home, already on the smaller side housing a family of four, appeared comically tiny containing the assortment of brigands and cutthroats that went about making small talk and commenting on her immaculately placed family photographs. She had always been too much of a lady to ask unnecessary questions about her husband’s line of work, but something about these men, especially their leader who insisted on being called “the Shadowed One,” set off red flags in her head.

 

            “Claire,” she whispered to her daughter, “go to Turaga Dume and tell him the Dark Hunters are here.”

 

            “I don’t want to,” Jessica whined. “Then I have to get on that weird blimp thing, and it takes forever!”

 

            Claire would have to think fast to get around her daughter’s teenage moodiness. “Did I say Turaga Dume?” she asked, feigning fatigue. “I meant to say, tell Toa Lhikan.”

 

            Claire, needing no further convincing, darted for the front door. However, the Shadowed One intercepted her before she could escape the house.

 

            “Where are you off to in such a rush?” he asked with a sinister smile.

 

            “It’s none of your business, Shadowed Weirdo!” she said.

 

            “So feisty, like an untamed Shallow Cat,” he purred, running a cold metal claw down her cheek. “Far be it from me to allow my hostess’s daughter to wander this dangerous city without an escort.”

 

            The Shadowed One summoned an orange-eyed giant, whom he introduced as Mimic, and told him he was not to let Claire out of his sight. Seeing no other choice, Claire accepted the chaperone, already forming in her mind a plan to ditch him later.

 

            ----

 

            Kio away, Roger and Jake slowly made their way back home aboard a tiny dinghy, an even smaller and less seaworthy vessel than the already modest one they left Metru Nui aboard. The father and son were struggling to keep the vessel on course through the harsh waters when the father spotted a landmass in the distance.

 

            “Land ho!” he cried with joy, wasting no time redirecting the boat’s trajectory.

 

            “No, Dad! Wait!” Jake shouted, but it was too late. The current carried the dinghy to shore, smashing it against the rocks. The father leapt from the destroyed boat and began kissing the ground. “Oh, Metru Nui!” he sang joyfully. “Metru Nui, I never thought I’d be so glad to see you.”

 

            “Dad?” Jake called. “This isn’t Metru Nui.”

 

            “What do you mean?” Roger said. He looked up, and only then did he realize that the distinctive skyline of Metru Nui was not present. What he did see, however, was a horizon of rocky outcroppings punctuated by bizarre architecture that hurt his eyes to look at for too long. The sky was purple, the clouds scattered about it were green and black, and the atmosphere itself above the land seemed darker and more twisted than it had seemed just minutes earlier. “Where… Where are we?” he begged his son.

 

            “This is Karzahni,” Jake answered. “But it has another name: the Land of the Abandoned.”

 

            ----

 

            Jessica had not actually been to the Coliseum before this point, but she recognized its distinctive shape from all of her little brother’s BIONICLE building instructions. Getting away from Mimic had been difficult enough, and it was only a matter of time until he tracked her back down. She ran inside, wondering how she would convince Lee to give her another chance after their less than enviable first date. Then, she recalled the other problem regarding her mom and the Dark Hunters, and against her better judgment decided she might mention that first.

 

            What she was not expecting was the situation she ran into: the central arena in a state of pandemonium. Crowds of those little people--Matorians, or something like that--filled the stands while Turaga Dume watched the chaos unfold below him. A small handful of beings the same size and build as Lee were fighting the order enforcement robots, the Vahki, as a whirlpool of sorts whizzed in the midst of it all. Jessica pressed her body against the hallway as another of the Lee-sized beings--the Toa--fell into the swirling whirlwind. Three of the beings, one red, one green and one blue, rushed past her. Seeing no better option, she gave chase and reached them outside the Coliseum.

 

            “Wait!” she called out. The green one was the first to turn and notice her.

 

            “Who in the wide-world are you?” he asked. He readied his dangerous-looking blades. “And, if you’re looking for a hard-fight, you’ve found yourself the right Toa-heroes.”

 

            Claire stopped in her tracks and raised her hands.

 

            “Matau, wait,” the blue one said. “Are you in trouble? You don’t look like a Vahki or Dark Hunter.”

 

            “Them! Yes!” she cried. She struggled to get the right words. “The Dark Hunters! They’re at my house, having dinner with my mom, and they’re getting weapons!”

 

            “More Hunters?!” the red one lamented, sounding as if he were going to faint. Even Jessica thought he seemed like a drama queen.

 

            “Then that settles it,” the blue one said. “We help her. Take us to the Hunters, friend.”

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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  • 3 weeks later...

            Episode 9: The Truth
            Time had lost any semblance of meaning for Roger Smith. How long had he spent wandering the bizarre and unsettling landscape of Karzahni? Months? Years? He was grateful that he had his son Jake as a guide. The boy seemed to know everything there was to know about the otherworldly island.

            Jake was flipping anxiously through the pages of BIONICLE: World by Greg Farshtey. He had thus far been able to avoid the Dust Falls and the canyons where Karzahni’s Manas dwelt, but finding a way off the island without facing any other dangers would be difficult.

            “We could find the Tunnel of Darkness, which leads straight back to Metru Nui,” he pondered out loud. “But then again, it is full of darkness.”

            “I just want to get out of here!” Roger cried. It was at that moment Roger realized something. “The weapons,” he cried in horror. “Son, where are all the weapons we bought? We came all this way, and now we don’t even have the weapons!”

            “Dad, chill!” Jake said. He opened his palm, which he was holding miniaturized versions of an assortment of dangerous tools in the middle of. “I used our Kanoka Disk of Shrinking to make them easier to carry. I have a Disk of Enlarging back home to make them full-size again.”

            “Oh, you wonderful child!” Roger said.

            “Only, we need to think of a plan for when we get back,” Jake said. “We can’t actually hand all these tools over to the Dark Hunters. They’ll destroy the city. We need to find some Toa to bring back with us.”

            ----

            Toa Vakama, Toa Nokama, Toa Matau and Human Jessica ducked down behind a stone slab. Energy blasts from the Dark Hunters Mimic and Tracker threatened to vaporize their hiding spot--and them along with it.

            “Surrender, Toa, if you know what’s good for you!” Tracker roared.

            “I’m not doing this because I want to,” Mimic cried out. “But just the same, we must return to the Shadowed One.”

            That comment resonated with something deep in the teenage girl’s mind. Jessica wracked her brain for meaning. She poked her head out to get another good look at Mimic. His body was massive and alien-looking, but there was something… off about him. Amateurish. Unrefined. Not bad or ugly, but he didn’t look like he fully belonged. Neither did her ally, now that she thought about it.

            That was it! They were Dark Hunters. On every family road trip, Jake bored the family to tears by reciting, page by page, the BIONICLE Dark Hunter guide he got for Christmas. They were fan-made characters that won a contest. There were so many of them, though… How could she ever recall which ones the two attacking her were?

            A memory came back to her. One of the Dark Hunters had a friend, but he lost her, and he only served the Hunters because he wanted to find her again. She couldn’t quite remember if it was one of the two attacking her, but it might be the first one, Mimic. She took a deep breath and stepped out from her hiding spot.

            “Jessica, no!” Nokama cried.

            “It’s okay, Nokama. I know what I’m doing,” Jessica said calmly. She walked out to face the two giants.

            “Mimic!” she called out. “I know you miss someone.”

            Mimic lowered his weapon uneasily.

            “Don’t listen to her, brother!” Tracker called out, firing another blast. It took a focused gust of air from Matau to divert the attack.

            “I know what happened,” Jessica said, wracking her brain for more details. Jake must have spent hours reading verbatim from that book. He had to have something useful to her current situation. Then, finally, with great difficulty, the memories came. “I know what really happened to her. It was the Shadowed One who kidnapped her!”

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

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  • 1 month later...

He's alive! :D

It's good to see you continue this, I honestly had forgotten about it since 2017 (lots has happened since then...)

Thanks for putting out new chapters, there have been epics (and comedies) that I've followed in the past that were never completed and it always made me sad, and wonder how it would have ended.

Great couple of chapters as usual, it's still very entertaining to read. :)

 

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  • 6 months later...

Episode 10: The Battle for Metru Nui

Poison had just finished his second serving of apple pie a la mode. Vengeance committed to memory the name of the department store where Claire Smith had purchased her drapes, intent on ordering some for his cell on Odina upon his return. Darkness licked from his bladed fingers the residue of melted ice cream. Finally, the Shadowed One rose.

"Enough!" he roared. "The time of waiting has reached its conclusion. The time for action has come. We will march on the Coliseum. We have no need for more weapons, we are Dark Hunters! We have powers and skills beyond those lowly Matoran, their laughable Vahki or that pathetic lone Toa of Fire. Come!"

Primal sighed. "But I wasn't finished with my--"

"COME!"

The assembled Hunters reluctantly left Claire's house and headed toward the Coliseum, leaving the frazzled housewife alone. All she could do was wait and hope that help was on its way. Jake always said something in times like this, and it only seemed appropriate for her to echo him:

"Mata Nui protect us."

----

Claire led Vakama, Nokama and Matau through the halls of the Coliseum. They found Turaga Dume in his office, flanked on either side by a Vahki.

"So, the false Toa have returned," he said calmly. "Surrender now and perhaps I'll--"

"We don't have time for this!" Vakama cried. "An army of Dark Hunters is headed right for us!"

There were many excuses the villain was expecting the young Toa to make, but that was not one of them. If he was telling the truth...

"They can't," Dume said, more to himself than anyone else. "It's too soon." He turned to the Vahki on his right. "Summon every Vahki unit in the city. Either we turn all that aggregate power on the Dark Hunter army approaching us... or on these liars if no army arrives."

----

It was a rare sight on Metru Nui: all six metru devoid of Vahki. All squads had been recalled to the Coliseum, which they ringed in a defensive perimeter. If Dume knew the Shadowed One, he would not be approaching in a straight line. The Dark Hunters struck where and when they were least expected.

In the chaos, Claire had managed to slip through and reunite with Jessica. The mother and daughter embraced.

"Did Dad and Jake make it back yet?" Claire asked desperately.

"No," Jessica said. "It looks like we're on our own. We have six Toa and those robots, but that's nothing compared to the Hunters. We tried to tell Turaga Dume, but he wouldn't listen."

They approached from the east: hundreds upon hundreds of armored beings, every shape and size, all of them looking ready for a fight. The Vahki prepared for combat, but the first wave of Dark Hunters made quick work of the first wave of Vahki. Even the mechanical minds encased within clockwork in the remaining Vahki's heads could calculate that there was little hope the rest of them would fare any better.

"What we need is a miracle," Jessica said.

"Did somebody say miracle?"

The voice was young, coming from the opposite side of the Coliseum. All looked, and there was Jake, and beside him Roger, and coming up behind the father and son, Toa. First a handful, then a dozen, then a few dozen, then a few hundred.

Without words, the epic battle erupted. Rays of plasma melted through spiked armor. Bolts of ice froze enemies solid. Protosteel shields deflected blasts of fire. Gale-force gusts of wind blew towering giants to the ground. Elemental blasts of every kind flew in every direction. Blades, sword, axes and spears rained upon every area of the Coliseum.

As both armies slowly lost troops, the Smith family, together with Turaga Dume, watched the action unfold from the top of the Coliseum's central tower.

"That's it," Roger said. "This has gone on long enough. I'm ending this."

"But how?" Claire said, clinging to her husband.

Roger looked back at her and smiled. "Don't worry, honey. I've got a plan."

He stepped out and shouted to the warring crowd: "Everyone stop!"

Roger was so puny and insignificant that the combatants were too curious to ignore him. What was this short, squishy being going to say that could change the course of so great a battle?

The man said nothing, simply held up an item he had hidden away in his pocket. Most in the crowd failed to recognize it, but the Shadowed One did.

"No," the creature said. "Impossible!"

"Yes," Roger declared. "I hold in my hand a device capable of causing extreme pain in any biomechanical being's mechanical components. Just one press of a button, and this battlefield turns into a living Karzahni for all of you." He looked back with a smile at his family. "All of you with mechanical components, that is."

"You wouldn't dare!" the Shadowed One roared. "You would hurt your newfound allies as well as us."

"I'll do whatever I must to protect my family," Roger countered. "Unless you'd like to see if I'm bluffing, order every Dark Hunter off of Metru Nui."

The Shadowed One weighed his options. Roger knew not the capabilities of the weapon he held. He could kill the Shadowed One purely by accident if he turned it on. A retreat, even one dishonorable as this, allowed for the possibility of revenge. The Hunters would do as they always had: return to the comfortable safety of darkness and await their next opportunity.

"We accept your terms, Roger... for now," the Shadowed One snarled.

----

Not a moment after the final Dark Hunter boarded his boat, the terrified Matoran controllers pushed it out and it rejoined the fleet headed back to Odina.

"By the way, Roger," the Shadowed One bellowed back to the shore from his boat, "you're fired."

So there was peace, and with it the great challenge of rebuilding.

"To repair all this damage will take years," Dume grieved. For a moment, his voice darkened. "I sought to rule a city of legends, not a city of rubble." His eyed widened as he realized he said that out loud. "Um, I mean..."

"Oh, give it a rest, Makuta," Claire said. "We've all been listening to Jake. Even I know you're really a bad guy hatching some sort of sinister plot."

An old, frail Toa in a tattered cloak approached. Her hands and feet were blue, but little else could be seen of her. "Follow me, please," she said in a raspy voice, wise and battle-hardened. No one was sure if they recognized her from the great conflict. The Smith family followed her.

"I am Toa Helryx," she said once they were away from the crowd. "I am--"

"You're the first Toa!" Jake explained. "You lead the Order of Mata Nui. You do the jobs regular Toa can't. You're so cool you even get to break the Toa Code!"

"Um... yes, I am," she said. "Anyway, you don't belong here. It's going to be hard enough for my organization to make sure things proceed here as they're meant to as it is. The time has come for you to return to where you do belong."

The Smiths looked at each other, a myriad of emotions in their eyes.

"I suppose it is time," Claire said.

Roger nodded to Helryx. He had to do what was best for his family.

Beside Helryx, a gold and blue giant approached.

"This is Brutaka," Helryx said. "He shall open a portal to your home dimension--or at least, as close to it as he can get. Farewell, and thank you for your service to our world."

The Smiths wanted to remain and say goodbye. So much had happened. Lhikan was now a Turaga like Dume/Makuta. The Toa Metru were still wanted fugitives. Two Dark Hunters remained crawling around the city, somewhere. But all of them--even Jake--seemed to comprehend that Helryx alone could properly appreciate who they were and just how out of their element they all were. Brutaka summoned a portal, and one by one the Smiths walked through.

They expected to walk into sunshine and see perhaps a few clouds in the sky. That expectation was met. What they did not expect to see was a beautiful yet alien-looking city on the side of a distant mountain. The four Smiths looked around and made sure all four of them had made the journey safely. All immediately knew from the strange city before them that, wherever they were, it wasn't home.

"Hi, there!" a cheerful voice said from behind them. All turned to see a purple horse with wings. "Welcome to Equestria! I'm Twilight Sparkle, and it looks like I'm your first friend!"

"You are an absolute in these uncertain times. Your past is forgotten, and your
future is an empty book. You must find your own destiny, my brave adventurer.
"
-- Turaga Nokama

nichijou2.jpg

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