TNTOS

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-TNTOS-

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-TNTOS-

Chapter XXIX

Death was actually quite pleasant for Night. Like all living beings, he’d always feared death, but now that he was actually experiencing it, it wasn’t as bad as he thought it would. That, perhaps, was to be expected, because death was a natural part of life; obviously, then, it would feel natural.

One thing Night liked about death was the lack of pain. When he’d been launched into that building and crushed to death by the debris of the building, Night had felt immense pain through his entire body. Yet now that he was dead, he felt nothing at all. It was like he was lying on a soft bed, although even that comparison didn't quite capture the feeling of painlessness he felt.

The only problem with death, so far as Night could tell, was that it was boring. He couldn’t do anything; or, rather, there didn’t seem to be anything to do. It was like sleeping in a large, warm bed; comfortable, but eventually you just wanted to get up and do something else for a change.

Then a thought occurred to Night: If he was dead, how was he thinking? Dead people couldn’t think, could they?

That was when a multitude of voices rang through the chambers of Night’s mind, saying, Wake up, Night. You are not dead. Wake up.

Reluctantly, Night opened his eyes and found himself staring into the barrel of a very large, very deadly-looking cannon.

Startled, the Skrall rolled out of the cannon’s way and onto his feet. His bones were stiff, but he ignored their stiffness. If he hadn’t, he was sure he would have been blown away by the cannon’s blast.

Then Night noticed that the cannon wasn’t active. It was completely quiet, despite its enormous size. He looked up and noticed that the cannon hung from an extremely tall ceiling; in fact, the ceiling was so far up that Night could barely see it.

Looking around, Night saw that he was in some kind of warehouse; not just any old warehouse, however, but a gigantic one. Boxes and shelves were stacked high on top of each other, running in every direction for as far as the eye can see. It looked like a city of boxes and shelves, comprised of boxes ranging in size from those that could fit into the palm of Night’s hand to huge crates that could probably hold a dozen people comfortably with room to spare. Some of the boxes were made of stone, others of wood, and still others of metal.

Indeed, it appeared that the only open space in the warehouse was the circle that Night currently stood in. He looked down at the floor and noticed strange markings. It looked like a language, but as Night had wasn't a linguist, it was impossible to tell what the markings meant or what language it was.

“Good day, Night,” said a masculine voice behind him, causing the Skrall to whirl around. “We were wondering when you’d wake up.”

Night saw two beings about three bio away from him. One of them was a tall Gadarian wearing black armor that was unmistakably of Skrall origin. The Gadarian carried a sword at his side and had what was definitely a robotic arm. It was impossible to determine the Gadarian’s tribe due to his Skrall armor.

The other being was a Toa of Psionics sitting on one of the crates. Night had no trouble recognizing Toa Kiriah, although her armor was slightly blackened. Despite that, she looked fine for someone who’d been blown to bits.

“Kiriah?” said Night in astonishment. “What are you . . . I thought Asroth blew you up.”

Kiriah shrugged. “She almost did, but at the last moment the Almighty Ones saved me. They opened a portal and I fell through it and ended up here. That was still too close for my liking, however.”

Night remembered Kiriah mentioning the Almighty Ones before, but he didn’t dwell on it. He focused on the black-armored Gadarian instead and said, “And who are you? Why are you wearing Skrall armor if you’re clearly not a Skrall?”

The Gadarian glanced at his armor and then back up at Night. “My name is Jetrupi, although you may call me Jet for short. As for how I got this armor, well, that is a long story that I'll have to tell you about later. We have more important issues to discuss right now.”

Night looked around the warehouse again and said, “Where are we? Are we . . . is this the afterlife?”

“Not exactly,” said Jet, shaking his head. “Outside these walls, evil souls are tortured for their crimes, but in here, we’re all alive and well.”

“What do you mean? Where are we? How’d we get here? Why am I still alive when I was crushed to death?”

“You were saved by the Almighty Ones, just like Kiriah and me,” said Jet, gesturing at himself and the Toa. “They then brought you here, where they’ve been working nonstop to heal your broken body, just as they did to me.”

Again, Night looked around. “I don’t see these ‘Almighty Ones’ anywhere. Are you trying to trick me or something?”

“The Almighty Ones never physically show themselves,” said Jet, shaking his head. “They’re . . . well, they’re a bit shy, I think.”

“Shy?” said Night. “Who are the Almighty Ones, anyway? I’ve never even heard of them before. Why’d they save me?”

Jet opened his mouth to answer, but then something like a powerful gale swept through the room. Yet it was not wind exactly, but more like the presence of multiple beings at once. The presence was almost enough to drive Night to his knees, but he held his ground. No one was going to force him to bow if he didn't want to.

We are the Almighty Ones, said a multitude of voices in Night’s head. We were once mere mortals long, long ago, but when we exposed ourselves to energized protodermis . . . we gained power and tragedy far beyond that of any other being in our universe. That is who we are.

This time, Night didn’t look around, for he now knew he wouldn’t be able to see them. “Why’d you save my life?”

Because we saw a potential ally in you, Night, said the Almighty Ones. You, Kiriah, and Jetrupi are some of the only beings aware of Atuje’s plan and who his minions are. Therefore we ask that you work with us to stop Atuje and his Echoes before it’s too late.

“Too late?” said Night. “What do you mean?”

“Are you talking about the Door?” said Kiriah, who apparently also could hear the Almighty Ones.

It is too late to stop that, Kiriah, said the Almighty Ones. As we speak, the Kra-Matoran are leaving Wyoko and beginning their conquest of your Spherus Magna. Not only that, but Masqouth has given another speech to the Skrall and Skakdi, urging them to rebel against the Republic and ally with the Kra-Matoran. And thus far, his speech has met with overwhelming approval from both peoples.

“What are the Kra-Matoran?” said Night. “And why is it such a bad thing if the Skrall rebel against the Republic? They deserve their freedom after being enslaved for so long.”

We do not disagree with that, Night, said the Almighty Ones. The problem is that Masqouth does not genuinely care about your people’s suffering and enslavement. His sole desire is to see millions and millions of people die. By encouraging your people to rebel, he is hoping to add multitudes to the bloodshed that is inevitable in the coming war.

“That son of a gun,” Night growled. “When you put it that way, then I’d like to introduce him to my fist.”

“I have a question,” said Jetrupi. “Why is Masqouth doing this? Almighty Ones, you’ve been keeping us in the dark long enough. You know a lot more than you’re letting on. So why are Atuje and Masqouth working together to cause so much pain and death? What do they hope to gain from it?”

At first, there was no response, although Night could still feel the Almighty Ones’ presence. He didn’t know if they were ignoring the question or maybe thinking about how to answer it. Not that it mattered to Night. All he wanted to do was go after Masqouth. False messiahs didn’t deserve the kind of honor that Masqouth received from Night’s people.

Finally, the Almighty Ones said, It is our fault that Atuje is doing this. It is our fault that Masqouth is working for Atuje. And it is our fault that the Kra-Matoran are now rampaging through your world, bringing chaos and suffering wherever they go. And for all of that, we deeply apologize, even though we know our apologies are absolutely worthless considering how deliberately we set up events so that they would inevitably turn in this direction.

“How is any of this your fault?” said Kiriah in astonishment. “I don’t think anyone could have seen this coming.”

None of you could have, perhaps, but we should have, said the Almighty Ones. To explain it, we will have to start at the beginning, eons and eons ago. That is where this all really started; that is where we failed to put in sufficient safeguards to keep something like this from happening. Let us show you.

All of a sudden, Night found himself floating in an empty, inky blackness. He looked around and saw Jetrupi and Kiriah also floating nearby. How he saw them, he didn’t know, for there was no light in this place and his night vision wasn’t active. All he knew was that he was gazing, not into actual darkness, but an abyss, a great abyss that actually frightened him, though he tried to hide it.

Long, long ago, we Almighty Ones were once the Great Beings of our own Spherus Magna, in a universe separate from yours, said the Almighty Ones, their voices echoing throughout the void. When the Core War erupted, we attempted to stop it, but nothing we did worked. So we gathered a sample of the substance you know as energized protodermis and exposed ourselves to it. Destiny dictated that we ascend our original forms and become more than mortals but less than gods. Yet we used our newfound power not to save life, but to destroy it, to destroy every living thing in our universe. That was a terrible mistake.

Night glanced at Jetrupi and Kiriah, but they looked like they already knew this. Considering that they seemed to have known the Almighty Ones longer than he, Night supposed that wasn’t surprising.

Most beings would have given up in despair by that point; in fact, one of us broke from the collective and killed himself because he couldn’t handle our collective grief, said the Almighty Ones. But the rest of us still had hope. We believed that we could recreate life, even though there was none left in our universe. We decided to create new beings, new life that would replace the life we so carelessly eliminated in our own universe.

Without warning, the inky blackness disappeared, replaced by a laboratory of immense size. Actually, it looked more like a workshop, for there were tools and hardware scattered on many tables. Yet that wasn’t what caught Night’s eye. What caught his attention was the being lying on a stone slab in the center of the room, a being in black armor that he recognized all too well: Masqouth.

Masqouth’s eyes were closed and he didn’t move. Night wondered if the false messiah was dead when Masqouth’s eyes suddenly flung open and he sat up. Masqouth put one hand on his head, but then looked at his hand in astonishment, like he’d never seen it before.

Our first attempt at creating new life was Masqouth, said the Almighty Ones. Because we did not yet know how to reproduce organic tissue, we made him entirely robotic. We did, however, figure out how to program real emotions into him, although we do not think his programming was ever quite as complicated as that of an organic being, despite our best attempts to replicate real emotions.

Masqouth looked around the workshop with child-like curiosity in his eyes. He spotted something on a table, a simple mallet, and flung his legs over the side of the slab. He slid off the table and stood unsteadily, balancing against the rock slab with one of his hands. He looked apprehensive, as if he wasn’t sure if it was safe to walk, but soon his curiosity overrode whatever fear he had, causing him to take a couple of steps toward the table where the mallet was.

On his third step, however, Masqouth wobbled and tripped. He fell onto the floor with a startlingly loud crash.

He lay there on the ground for a moment, evidently in shock, but soon Masqouth’s shock gave way to a strange sound that Night recognized as crying. There were no tears running down Masqouth’s face, but the sobbing noises that came from his mouth were unmistakably cries of shock. Night was vividly reminded of his own childhood, when he had accidentally tripped and cried, too, but he quickly suppressed the memory. He didn't want to empathize with Masqouth.

Then, without warning, the door on the other end of the room opened. Masqouth was still crying, evidently not aware of the opened door. Nor did he see the five beings that entered, the five beings that immediately noticed the downed Masqouth and walked over -- or rather, floated over, for their feet did not touch the ground -- to him immediately.

These newcomers looked odd to Night. They were hunched over like his grandfather and wore long, gray, hooded cloaks that obscured their faces and bodies entirely. Only their hands, which appeared old and withered, could be seen.

Soon the five beings reached and surrounded Masqouth. Masqouth looked up at them with curiosity. He still sobbed every now and then, although it was clear that his sadness was melting away in the face of the curiosity he felt toward these new arrivals.

“There, there,” said the five beings as one. “Don’t cry, young one. Here, let us help you up.”

One of the five beings bent over and held out a hand. Masqouth just looked at the outstretched hand for a moment before grabbing it. Then the being gently lifted Masqouth to his feet. At first, Masqouth appeared alarmed at standing up, but he soon relaxed, although he didn’t let go of that being’s hand.

“Did you hurt yourself?” said the beings. “Are you in pain?”

Masqouth shook his head and, for the first time, spoke. “Who . . . who are . . . who are you?”

“We . . .” the five beings trailed off, as if unsure what to call themselves. “We are your parents.”

“Parents?” said Masqouth, tilting his head to the side. “Does that mean you love me?”

“Yes, it does,” said the beings.

“Then what is my name?” said Masqouth. “Do I have one?”

“Your name is Masqouth,” said the beings. “It is an old word that means ‘the echo that lives.’ For you are an echo of life, Masqouth, an echo that will transform into the music of hope.”

It was clear that Masqouth didn’t understand what that meant, but he nodded anyway. Then he looked at the table where the mallet was and said, “I want that.”

“Why don’t you get it yourself?” the beings suggested gently.

Masqouth looked alarmed again. “But . . . but if I walk, I’ll just fall again and hurt myself.”

“You won’t,” said the five beings. “Not if we are guiding you, you won’t. Just try.”

At first, Masqouth appeared doubtful of their words, but then he nodded again. Soon the beings were guiding Masqouth to the table. He walked slowly and carefully, even while holding one of their hands, the memory of his first fall still at the forefront of his mind.

But he eventually made it to the table without a fall and picked up the mallet, causing the five beings to praise him. Masqouth smiled shyly, perhaps not yet used to such praise. He then studied the hammer, swinging it occasionally, while the five beings merely watched him with pride.

What you are currently viewing are Masqouth’s first moments of life, said the Almighty Ones. Those five beings who encouraged him to do things for himself are us. And yes, we did think of him as our son, even though he was not biologically-related to us.

It amazed Night to see Masqouth acting so innocent. Kiriah and Jet also looked amazed, like they couldn’t believe their eyes.

You are wondering where things went wrong, perhaps, said the Almighty Ones. The fact is, during the first few months of Masqouth’s life, things were peaceful and wonderful. We taught him many things, but did not think to build another being like him. As scientists, we wanted to be aware of whatever mistakes we may have made with our experiment -- no, our son -- before we made another. It was perhaps wise we were cautious, for the next thing we are about to show you will change your opinion of Masqouth completely.

The scene with the Almighty Ones gathered around Masqouth faded away and was replaced just as quickly by a scene of a village burning. The fire was so realistic that Night feared for a moment that he would be burned, before reminding himself that this was a memory of the fire and not the actual fire.

Houses were burning, people were screaming, and the air was filled with smoke, making it difficult to see things. Night did see a Matoran-like creature with wings running back and forth through the flames, evidently trying to find a way out of the circle of fire it was trapped in. It apparently couldn’t fly, for its left wing was broken and hung limply off its back.

Without warning, a being in black armor stepped out of the flames. It was Masqouth, whose appearance caused the winged Matoran-like creature to stop dead in its tracks.

“I thought I heard someone over here,” said Masqouth with a grin on his face. “Why don’t you come here and let me take away your life?”

The Matoran-like creature shrieked and, without the slightest hesitation, leaped into the flames. It screamed loudly as the fire ate away at its skin, melting its armor and burning out its eyeballs. The sight was so horrible that even Night, who in his time as a Dark Hunter had seen many gruesome things, almost looked away, but he forced himself to watch the rest of the scene, no matter how horrible it was.

Masqouth merely watched the being burn with a disappointed look on his face. “Oh, well. I guess what matters is, that he’s dead, even though I didn’t get to kill him. There are probably more villagers around here, anyway, so I’d better go find and kill them. Then I’ll be just like my parents!”

Masqouth jumped back into the flames with a laugh and the scene vanished, replaced with the same inky black darkness from before.

“That . . . was horrible,” said Kiriah, her eyes wide. “Why was he slaughtering innocent villagers? What did they do to him?”

They did nothing to him, Kiriah, except live, said the Almighty Ones, their tone bitter. You see, as part of Masqouth’s education, we taught him about our past. How we came to gain our powers, as well as how we destroyed all life in our universe. In our defense, we impressed upon him the evilness of our crimes and warned him that he should never do it. Indeed, we thought he couldn’t do it, for he was the only living being in our universe besides ourselves. As we are far more powerful than Masqouth, we didn’t think he’d ever be tempted to take the life of another living being, especially because he loved us so much.

“So what went wrong?” said Jet. “What caused Masqouth to go from a wide-eyed, innocent newborn to the mass murderer you just showed us?”

His love for us, of course, said the Almighty Ones. Like all children who idolize their parents, his greatest desire was to be just like us. He couldn’t match us in terms of sheer power and he knew his knowledge and understanding of the universe was never going to be as vast or expansive as ours. So he did the next best thing: Find another universe and try to kill everyone in it, just like we did in ours.

“Your ‘son’ is a psycho,” said Night, shaking his head. “And that’s coming from an ex-Dark Hunter. He makes the Shadowed One look like a hero.”

Please let us finish, said the Almighty Ones. We’d given Masqouth the ability to dimension-hop, you see, because we eventually wanted to send him to other universes to teach him how to interact with other beings. One day, however, he left without telling us and went to a universe that was once known as Heratone, but which is now called Wyoko.

“What is Wyoko, anyway?” said Night. “I have never heard of that place.”

To summarize, Wyoko is a land of shadow, the Almighty Ones explained. A type of pocket dimension, connected to and dependent on this one. It's very different from your dimension, though some of its wildlife is similar to the kind you know of.

“Could you please continue with the story, rather than spout exposition?” said Jet. “Night, we’ll fill you in on Wyoko later. For now, we need to know the rest of the Almighty Ones' tale.”

Something about his question being dismissed by a Gadarian in Skrall armor annoyed Night, but he didn't get a chance to respond, for the next moment the Almighty Ones continued their story:

Wyoko was once a beautiful place, with a shining sun, green grass, plenty of food and water for all of its inhabitants, and no life-threatening diseases of any kind. It was not a utopia, but it was a good place to live, as far as we could tell.

But you see, Wyoko was not an unprotected land, despite being peaceful. It had a ruler, a being who had christened himself the King of Life. You know him as Atuje, the being who took our son and several other beings and promised them whatever it is they wanted if they would aid him in unleashing the Kra-Matoran

“Atuje, eh?” said Jet. “What did he do? Send armies to crush Masqouth?”

No, said the Almighty Ones. He did the exact opposite: In order to protect his kingdom from this unknown threat, Atuje personally confronted Masqouth and very nearly succeeded in killing him, for Atuje’s power is as far above Masqouth’s as a Skopio’s strength is above a dust darter's.

The inky blackness was replaced with a new scene. This one showed Masqouth lying on the ground of an immense, wide open field. He looked almost dead, for his legs were twisted, his face was dented, parts of his armor had been ripped off or bashed in, and the fingers on his left hand were smashed. The only way Night knew that Masqouth was still alive was because the Echo’s heartlight still shone, although it was slightly cracked.

Towering over the fallen Masqouth was a titan of immense proportions. He wore armor colored with a blend of various shades of green and brown, with spikes running down his arms. His legs looked thick and strong, while he carried a large metal club in his right hand. His face resembled a lion's, while his eyes were as blue as the ocean on a clear day.

That is Atuje, said the Almighty Ones. Or, rather, that was Atuje, years and years ago when he was still in his prime. As you can no doubt tell, he had just finished giving our son the beating of a lifetime and was about to finish him off.

“Again, who are you?” said Atuje, his voice like a tornado. “Where did you come from? Are there more of you? Are you a scout of an army that is coming to invade and conquer my land? Tell me!”

How Atuje expected a being in such a poor state to utter even one word mystified Night. Perhaps Atuje was simply unreasonable, like every other authority figure Night had ever known.

As Masqouth didn't speak, Atuje merely shrugged his massive shoulders and raised his club. “It doesn't matter. If more of you come, they will meet the same fate as you. Now pray to whatever gods you believe in, invader, for my club shall be the last thing you ever see.”

With that, Atuje brought his club down on Masqouth. At the last second, Masqouth abruptly disappeared. Atuje’s club smashed into the ground, creating a small crater that sent cracks into the earth around it.

“What?” said Atuje as he pulled his club out of the ground. “Where did he go?”

Atuje looked around until he spotted Masqouth lying several feet away from him. This time, however, Masqouth wasn’t alone, for there stood five cloaked, hooded beings standing around Masqouth like bodyguards.

“Who are you?” said Atuje, pointing at them. “And why did you save that murderer? Are you not aware of the crimes he has committed, the people he has killed?”

“We are the Almighty Ones,” the beings replied. “And he is our son. We will discipline him as we see fit.”

“You shall not,” said Atuje, shaking his head. “In this past week alone, I have seen more loss of life than I have in all of my years on the throne of this kingdom. I can only assume that you must have sent him here, though why, I do not know.”

“We did not send him here,” said the Almighty Ones. “He came here without us knowing. We do not condone his actions in the slightest.”

“Then give him to me and allow me to finish him,” said Atuje, holding out a hand. “Under the laws of my realm, murderers earn the death penalty. Your son murdered hundreds of innocent beings, hundreds of my subjects, and that earns him the death penalty beyond all reasonable doubt.”

“But he is not an inhabitant of your realm,” said the Almighty Ones, their tone cold. “Neither are we. Your laws do not apply to us.”

“Will you take his life away from him?” Atuje questioned. “It is the only kind of justice that my people will accept. Someone must die in order to fulfill the demands of justice and that someone is your son.”

“Killing Masqouth will not bring back your people, King of Life,” said the Almighty Ones. “It will do no one good. Again, let us-“

Atuje swung his club and fired a bolt of some kind of sizzling energy at them. It merely bounced off an invisible shield that protected the Almighty Ones, although the bolt hit the shield with such force that it actually created a crack in the barrier.

“Then fight me,” said Atuje, raising his club above his head. “If I win, I get your son.”

“We are not going to fight you,” said the Almighty Ones. “Nor will we agree to your conditions. How many times must we repeat ourselves until you understand that Masqouth is not governed by your laws?’

With a growl, Atuje said, “Then you may die with your son,” and ran at them.

He reached the Almighty Ones quickly and brought his club down on them. The club struck the barrier so hard that it caused it to shatter, but the Almighty Ones and Masqouth disappeared immediately, reappearing a couple of bio away from the King of Life, outside of his reach.

“If a fight is what you want, Atuje,” said the Almighty Ones, “then a fight is what you will get.”

The Almighty Ones floated off the ground and flew toward Atuje, who ran at them yelling. When they collided, the scene dissipated, leaving Night, Kiriah, and Jet floating in empty blackness once again.

Upon retrospect, we realize we should never have engaged Atuje in battle, said the Almighty Ones. It would have been wiser to leave Wyoko and return to our universe with Masqouth when we had the chance. We were angry at Atuje, however, angry at how he beat our son to within an inch of his life. Our rational minds were overtaken by emotion again; the same kind of emotion that clouded our thinking when we annihilated all life in our universe.

“What happened next?” Jet asked.

That is what we are about to show you, said the Almighty Ones.

This time, it felt like Night was plunged into the next scene. They were now looking at the top of a castle, where storm clouds and smoke gathered like a swarm of bees. Within this cloud of smoke and lightning were the Almighty Ones and Atuje, standing on opposite ends of the tower.

Atuje's armor was torn in several places, his right arm hung limply at his side, and there was a long cut running down the side of his face, still bleeding fresh blood. In addition, Atuje was on his knees, breathing heavily as he looked with hatred upon his enemies.

The Almighty Ones looked a little better than Atuje, for only their robes appeared to be ripped in certain spots, revealing gray flesh that was scratched but not bleeding. Despite that, they appeared shaken up; maybe they weren't used to fighting.

“We suggest that you give up now, Atuje,” said the Almighty Ones. “If you do, we will spare your life, take Masqouth, and never return. We are offering you mercy.”

Atuje spit blood out of his mouth and said, “Mercy? No. Justice must be served. My people demand it.”

“Sometimes, justice is not always the right answer,” said the Almighty Ones. “Sometimes, all ‘justice’ does is create more ill will and evil. Perhaps you should think of extending mercy to people, Atuje, rather than revenge.”

“He killed hundreds of my people,” said Atuje. “Justice is the only appropriate response. How dare you speak to me of mercy when it was your own son who showed none to my innocent subjects!”

“We apologize for that,” said the Almighty Ones. “Again, we suggest that you give up. Your body is weakened. There is no way you can rationally expect to continue fighting us. If you do, we will be forced to kill you, and your people will have no king to guide them in the long recovery effort that your land is about to face.”

Atuje breathed heavily and fell face-first onto the tower floor. “As if you . . . you villains cared about my land or my people.”

It was hard to tell what the Almighty Ones were thinking until they said, “There is no further point in us fighting you. We have won. Good bye.”

The Almighty Ones turned around as a dimensional portal opened not far from them. Atuje still lay on the floor as his heavy breathing subsided and his body moved no more.

And as soon as the last breath escaped Atuje's body, his corpse turned completely black like a silhouette. And the next moment, it exploded.

It wasn’t a normal explosion, however. There were no flames and shrapnel here. What appeared to be deeper than black darkness shot up from Atuje’s body and into the sky. The darkness started spreading all across the expanse rapidly, like a gigantic storm cloud that had appeared out of nowhere.

The Almighty Ones looked and, alarmed, flew toward the portal. The darkness was at their heels and probably would have consumed them had they not gotten an extra dose of speed just in the nick of time, allowing them to leap through the portal. The portal closed at the exact moment they passed through it, thus preventing the darkness from following them through.

The darkness from Atuje’s body soon covered the whole scene until Night, Kiriah, and Jet were looking at nothing but blackness again.

“What . . . what was that?” said Kiriah, her eyes wide. “What did we just see?”

Even we are not sure what Atuje did there, said the Almighty Ones. We suspect that it was a last minute attack that he had been saving in the event he failed to kill us. Atuje was a being of immense power; he was not known as the King of Life for nothing. Though he expended much of his own power in his battle against us, he still had an immense amount of it leftover, which he tried to unleash on us in one final explosion. It obviously did not succeed.

“I don’t understand,” said Night. “If Atuje sacrificed himself to kill you all, how he is still alive today? And why is Masqouth working for him if he tried to kill him? None of it makes sense.”

Our story is not yet finished, Night, said the Almighty Ones. Allow us to continue uninterrupted. It is crucial that you three know this history, for without it, it is impossible to understand why Atuje is doing what he is doing.

“Continue, then,” said Jet. “We will listen.”

Thank you, said the Almighty Ones. Now when Atuje’s body exploded, his attack didn’t destroy us. As all of that power simply couldn’t vanish into thin air; it had to go somewhere. Logically, then, it spread all over the land of Heratone. It killed or mutated every living being that lived there, including all of Atuje’s subjects, the Sawori people. It transformed the land into Wyoko, a land of darkness and despair, and it has been that way ever since.

Night tried to imagine what a land of darkness would look like. Even with his affinity for shadow, his own mental image disturbed him. He did not want to see what the actual Wyoko looked like.

Shortly after that, we repaired Masqouth, said the Almighty Ones. We debated fiercely among ourselves what to do with him, how to discipline him, and where we had gone wrong. Eventually, we agreed to put him into stasis for an indefinite period of time. We couldn’t explain to his childish mind why he was being put away, for he did not -- and still does not -- understand what he did that was wrong.

The inky blackness evaporated this time, showing Masqouth lying in a stasis tube in the middle of what looked like a forest. His eyes were closed and his hands were crossed over his chest, like he was sleeping soundly. Night noticed that he was wearing his distinctive white robes now.

We could not bring ourselves to destroy or reprogram him, even though both choices would have been logical, said the Almighty Ones. So we placed him in stasis, thinking that we would awaken him at a later date. We then vowed after that never to experiment with making life again. We refocused our efforts on restoring life in our own universe through different methods, such as the Time Stone, as you very well know, Kiriah.

“What does the Time Stone have to do with any of this?” said Night, looking at Kiriah.

Kiriah shrugged. “That’s another long story that we don’t have time for right now. I’ll explain it to you later.”

For a long time, we believed Atuje was dead and that Masqouth was to remain in stasis perhaps forever, the Almighty Ones continued. Thus, we busied ourselves with studying the multiverse until just recently, when Masqouth appeared in your universe along with his four Echoes. At this point, we have to delve into the world of speculation, for the events we are about to describe to you we did not personally witness but have determined based on evidence, research, and logic.

“In other words, you made an educated guess,” said Night.

That is one way of putting it, said the Almighty Ones. Anyway, as far as we could tell, when Atuje ‘died,’ he did not actually die. He lost his body thanks to his final attack on us, but his spirit survived. Again, we do not know how or why this happened, but Atuje’s spirit sealed itself in Wyoko, deep underneath the earth, where it most likely went into hibernation for thousands of years, hidden from everyone.

Night shook his head. He had heard tales of spirits lurking in caverns deep beneath the earth, clawing at the walls of their prisons in an attempt to get free. He had never believed the stories due to their ridiculousness, but if what the Almighty Ones theorized was true, then maybe there was some truth to those tales, at least in other universes.

We suspect that at some point Atuje woke up, said the Almighty Ones. He must have then realized his body was gone and that we were still alive. He most likely vowed to get revenge on us, not just for himself, but for the people Masqouth killed as well, for he saw us as responsible for those deaths, too.

We think Atuje’s first choice was our former servant, Toa Darranas. He contacted Darranas and asked Darranas to open our warehouse in an attempt to gain whatever weapons or power we might be hiding. We think Atuje believed that he could use our own power against us, although thanks to Kiriah and Isarot, Darranas was killed and Atuje’s plan thwarted.

Night glanced at Kiriah. “Let me guess, another story we don't have time to get into right now?”

Kiriah nodded sheepishly. “Er, yeah.”

Night sighed. “Proceed, Almighty Ones.”

After that, we think Atuje went to sleep again, said the Almighty Ones. It was probably a self-induced sleep, for he did not want us finding out it had been him who had employed Darranas. He woke up again some years ago, probably when he thought it was safe, and then looked around for a new herald to act as his hand in his quest for revenge. We think he found Masqouth; how, we cannot say, although it is patently obvious that he did.

Atuje then woke up Masqouth and somehow convinced him to work for him. Again, we don’t know for sure, but we think Atuje manipulated Masqouth’s memories so that Masqouth wouldn’t remember that Atuje had almost killed him the last time they had met. He probably convinced Masqouth that he, Masqouth, could be just like us; which is to say, Masqouth would be allowed to kill as many people as he pleased so long as he did what Atuje told him to.

“That seems dumb,” said Night. “Why would you hire a guy you tried to kill? Even if Atuje manipulated his memories, it still seems like a risk to me.”

Actually, it was probably Atuje’s most brilliant move yet, said the Almighty Ones. This time, instead of working behind the scenes, Atuje sent us a message. He told us that we are not to directly interfere with his plan or else he would kill Masqouth. As we still care deeply for Masqouth -- even after all these years -- his threat worked to keep us in line. After all, we are the only beings who can stop Atuje, but if we try, he will not hesitate to kill our son.

“You're willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of innocent beings just to keep your son safe?” said Night. “For Almighty Ones, you sure are pathetic ones.”

Do not criticize us until you have walked a mile in our armor, Night, the Almighty Ones said. What if your grandfather, for instance, was under threat of death if you didn’t comply with your enemy’s demands? Would you recklessly sacrifice the one being you love more than any other just because you think it’s the right thing to do?

“The situations aren’t similar,” said Night. “You’re shirking your responsibility. Besides, can’t you repair Masqouth, if necessary? He is a robot, after all.”

He is far more than just a robot to us, said the Almighty Ones. Masqouth is our son. Even if we could repair him, he would not be the same. We could not rightfully call him Masqouth. He would be a different person even if we used the same coding to reprogram him.

Night opened his mouth to say that their whining and excuse-making was getting on his nerves, but Kiriah quickly said, “Just drop it, Night. The Almighty Ones are like this a lot. Don’t worry about them.”

You would be wise to listen to Kiriah, said the Almighty Ones to Night. She speaks wisdom.

Night just folded his arms, but didn’t say anything. They spoke cowardly and he didn’t like cowards, but he also didn’t like picking fights he couldn’t win. As the Almighty Ones were probably never going to admit he was right, Night decided to drop the matter.

The only ways we have been able to intervene at all has been through Jetrupi and Kiriah, said the Almighty Ones. Even then, we are wary. Atuje was vague about what he meant by intervene, so we we think he could kill Masqouth any day now. That is why, Jetrupi, we sent you back to Kiriah after you left her. We could not risk putting Masqouth in harm’s way if you tried to interrupt his plan on your own.

“I see,” said Jetrupi, although his tone was far from understandable. He gestured at his stomach and said, “Well, we know how well that worked out, don't we?”

Ignoring Jetrupi, the Almighty Ones said, We have thus far managed to intervene in ways Atuje has not yet linked to us. But when he inevitably learns that you all are still alive, he will know that we have disregarded his warnings. After that, who knows what he will do? It might be too risky to send you three back to your dimension, perhaps even pointless now that the Kra-Matoran are free again.

“So?” said Kiriah. “Atuje’s minions have already tried to kill us. And anyway, if he kills Masqouth, then he’ll have nothing to use against you guys, right? He still needs something to blackmail you with. So honestly, I doubt he’ll kill Masqouth until he decides it makes sense to.”

Your point is valid, said the Almighty Ones. We suppose, then, that the next step is to send you three back home. You should track down and stop Masqouth and the other Echoes, which in turn will result in Atuje’s fall. Atuje’s resurrection -- which is most likely his final goal -- is not yet at hand, so we think there is still time for you three to stop it.

“I wish you’d told us all of this from the very beginning,” said Jetrupi. “But now that I know this, I want to go back and stop Atuje’s plan. After Niralo almost killed me . . . well, I should think my motives are obvious.”

“I’m going back, too,” said Kiriah. “Atuje’s plan has plunged my world into chaos and war. I have to stop him. All three of us do.”

“Who said anything about the three of us?” said Night, looking at Kiriah. “I have no compelling reason to work for a bunch of mysterious entities that are too cowardly to do the right thing even at the cost of the thing they most love. I want to go back home and sock Masqouth in the face, of course, but why should I help you guys when I can do it all by myself?”

He almost killed you earlier, the Almighty Ones pointed out. And, if we are not mistaken, it was Wavica, one of his friends, who killed Heavyweight, your best friend. And let us not forget that they kidnapped Kafor, too, who is another one of your friends, is she not?

Night blinked. “Heavyweight . . . is dead?”

“Oh, that’s right,” said Kiriah, slapping her forehead. “We forgot to tell you that. I’m sorry, Night, but it’s true. Wavica killed her. I wasn’t there when it happened, but the Almighty Ones told me.”

“That . . . that can’t be,” said Night. “She can’t be dead . . .”

If you wish, we could show you her corpse, said the Almighty Ones. We ask only that you take into account what she would want you to do, if she were still alive today.

“She would . . .” Night’s voice trailed off briefly before picking up again. “Okay. I’ll work with you guys to take down Masqouth. We have similar goals, so I guess it makes sense for us to team up. At least until Atuje and Masqouth are defeated, anyway.”

All right, then, said the Almighty Ones. Because you lack weapons, we will allow you to take whatever weapons from this warehouse that you want. After you are geared up and ready to go, we will send you back home. There you will find Masqouth and the Echoes and stop him.

Night didn’t know what the others were thinking, but he felt anticipation rising in his chest. He was going to avenge Heavyweight and himself. He doubted the Almighty Ones would let him kill Masqouth, but if the opportunity presented itself to him, he would take it without hesitation.

 

-

Continued in In the End, which can be found here

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-TNTOS-

Chapter XXVIII

Jeran looked up as a dimensional portal opened a few feet away from him. He stood up when he saw Masqouth, Wavica, and a battered Asroth step through the portal, with an unconscious orange and white Skakdi slung over Masqouth’s shoulder.

“You succeeded?” said Jeran as they approached him. “How did the fight go?”

“It went great,” said Masqouth with a smile. “We killed all of them except for Kafor. She’s a little unconscious, but she’s going to be just fine.”

Jeran nodded and then noticed the gaping hole in Masqouth’s abdomen, as well as Asroth’s blackened armor. “I see the battle didn’t go entirely well . . .”

“All that matters is that we killed them,” said Asroth in her usual no-nonsense voice. “They didn’t stand a chance against us.”

“It’s time for us to open it,” said Wavica, gesturing at the Door. “No one can stop us now.”

“Agreed,” said Jeran. “Let’s get the Toa. Masqouth, can you use your mask to control them?”

“Of course,” said Masqouth, nodding. “But what should we do about Kafor? We can’t just leave her lying around.”

Jeran glanced at the Skakdi and said, “Let’s chain her up with the Toa. She’ll stay there until Atuje gives us further orders regarding what to do with her.”

The four Echoes walked over to the other side of the chamber where the unconscious Toa were. As the Toa needed to be awake for the plan to work, Jeran created a barely perceptible sound that was nonetheless at the right frequency to wake them. The next moment, all five Toa were shaking their heads, yawning, and looking around in confusion.

“Where are we?” said Toa Laomos. “I’ve never seen this place before.”

“What’s that huge door over there?” said Toa Kanderias. “Is this some kind of dream?”

“It’s not a dream,” said Masqouth as he deposited Kafor onto the ground. “It’s as good as a dream, of course, but it is by no means an actual dream. It’s reality.”

Akuna blinked several times when she spotted the Door. Comprehension dawned on her face as she recognized it.

“No way,” said Akuna, her voice low. “You aren’t going to . . . you can’t be trying to . . .”

“They are, Akuna,” said Chimoy, who was looking at Jeran. “They going to use us to open the Door and free the Kra-Matoran once again.”

Jeran didn’t make eye contact with Chimoy as the Toa of Iron spoke.

“Yes, that’s our plan,” said Masqouth, nodding in agreement. “And you five are going to help whether you want to or not.”

“You can’t make us do anything,” said Niham, shaking her head. “You can’t force Toa to use their elemental powers.”

“Under normal circumstances, yes, you’re right,” said Masqouth as his mask changed shape. “But these are not normal circumstances. They’re fun circumstances.”

Masqouth’s mask was now in the shape of the Mask of Mind Control, which told Jeran all he needed to know about Masqouth’s next move.

“Now you might want to relax your minds a bit while I do this,” said Masqouth as his mask glowed briefly. “It will be that much easier on you five if you do.”

All five of the Toa groaned and struggled against their bonds, but none of them were prepared for an assault on their minds. It was especially painful for Jeran to watch Chimoy fight, but in the end, all five Toa ceased their struggling. Masqouth’s will had conquered theirs and they would now do whatever he ordered.

Jeran, Wavica, and Asroth quickly unchained the five Toa, who stood up in perfect unison. All of the Toa wore the same blank expression. The sight unnerved Jeran, but he tried not to look at the other Toa as he walked with them toward the Door. They stopped several bio away from it, standing in a perfect line side by side.

“Now on the count of three,” said Masqouth, “you will fire your elemental powers simultaneously at the Door. One . . . two . . . three!”

All of the Toa, Jeran included, raised their right arms and fired a beam of their own element. Lightning, plasma, gravity, sonics, plant life, and iron all flew toward the Toa seal on the Door. When they struck at exactly the same time, the Toa seal vanished and the thick sheet of protodermis dissolved immediately. The Door now stood naked, its light shining significantly lesser brighter than it had moments ago.

The next instant, the Doors heaved forward once or twice. It sounded like someone was battering the Door on the other side, hitting it again and again with a large siege engine. The Door still held despite the battering it took, but even it couldn’t hold for long without the Toa seal and proto cage that had acted as its double lock.

A few seconds later, the Door swung open. On the other side of the doorway, Jeran saw thousands upon thousands of Kra-Matoran armed to the teeth, riding or following war vehicles. The huge army of shadow began marching out of the doorway into the tunnel, but not before Jeran and the other Toa ran out of the way to avoid being crushed by the oncoming army.

They stood next to Masqouth, Wavica, and Asroth on the far wall, watching as the Kra-Matoran made their way up the tunnel toward the exit.

“It’s finally happening,” said Masqouth, his arms folded behind his back. “I just can’t believe it. The Kra-Matoran are free and people will die and I will be just like my parents. It’s amazing.”

Jeran didn’t look at Masqouth, nor did he speak. ‘Amazing’ was the last word he’d use to describe this. To him, this was nothing more than an ominous hint of what life on Spherus Magna would be like in the days to come. He just hoped Atuje would uphold his end of the bargain quickly.

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Sad to see it go, but I've already got all my fanfics backed up, anyway, so I'm going to be okay.

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XXVII

Kiriah leaped to the side, narrowly avoiding Asroth’s thick, deadly whip. But the Echo seemed to anticipate that, for she twisted her whip and the tail end of it slapped Kiriah in the shoulder, cutting through her armor and organic tissue like a knife.

Gritting her teeth, Kiriah glanced at the wound and said, “How did you do that?”

Asroth cracked her whip and said, “This whip has shards of glass, metal, and wood strewn throughout it. Very useful for ripping an enemy apart, I've found.”

The whip went flying at Kiriah again, but this time she swung her sword and cut through it. The half she cut off fell to the ground, while Asroth dropped the other half in surprise. Taking advantage of the opening, Kiriah dashed forward and slashed at the Echo, but Asroth raised her arms just in the nick of time.

The clang of Kiriah’s sword against Asroth’s forearms echoed through the alley. Kiriah’s eyes widened at the sight of her sword, which was not piercing Asroth’s arms at all.

“Forearm guards,” Asroth said with a grin to Kiriah. “Guess you didn’t see that coming, did you?”

With little effort, Asroth pushed back, sending Kiriah stumbling backwards. The Echo then threw a punch at Kiriah, which the Toa just barely managed to block with her sword. This time, Kiriah let out a yelp of surprise when she saw the crack the punch had made in her blade.

Asroth smirked. “Did you really think my hands wouldn't be armored, too?”

Without warning, Asroth slammed her free fist into Kiriah’s stomach. The blow sent Kiriah staggering backwards, although she didn’t drop her sword. Cracked though it may be, her crescent blade was her only weapon and she wasn’t going to give it up that easily.

Still, that blow to her stomach had knocked a lot of her breath out of her. The extra armor on Asroth’s hands must have been thicker than she thought if the horrible pain in her abdomen was a clue.

Asroth shook her fist as she walked toward Kiriah, saying, “I hit you a little too hard that time, I think, because I ended up hurting my own fist. Not that it matters. I’m still going to rip you apart.”

Kiriah spotted a trash can behind Asroth. Without thinking, she used her telekinesis to yank the trash can forward so it went flying, garbage and all, toward the Echo.

Asroth whirled around as the garbage went flying toward her. Before it hit her, Asroth opened her mouth and let out a loud scream that made the can to explode, causing its contents to go all over her and covering the Echo with filth.

As Asroth was distracted by the garbage, Kiriah readied her sword and sprinted forward. She slashed at Asroth’s back, finally landing a blow, cutting through the Echo’s armor and causing her to groan in pain. But then Asroth whirled around and -- still blinded by the stinky garbage -- slammed one of her fists into Kiriah’s face.

Stars flashed in Kiriah’s eyes as she hit the ground. Even though she’d been punched by Asroth once before, it didn’t occur to Kiriah until right now just how hard the Echo could punch. It felt like Kiriah’s skull had cracked open, although the only thing she felt was a trickle of blood dripping down the side of her face.

Shaking her head, Kiriah looked up at Asroth, who still appeared to be distracted by the contents of the trash can.

Kiriah stumbled to her feet. Her head was still ringing, but she managed to concentrate long enough to focus her telekinesis on Asroth’s right arm. She imagined it snapping and the next moment, a loud snap pierced the air and Asroth was on the ground, yelling in pain as she gripped her now-limp right arm.

“Dang it,” Asroth said through gritted teeth. “I thought Toa were supposed to be merciful.”

“We are,” said Kiriah, putting one hand on her head. “I haven’t killed you, have I? But I have beaten you. If you value the use of your left arm, I suggest you give up.”

Teeth bared, Asroth said, “Never. Try some of this!”

Somehow Asroth had gotten what looked like a black grenade in her left hand. It took Kiriah a moment to realize, too late, that it was a Thornax grenade, a type of grenade powerful enough to blow up a small house.

Asroth ripped off the grenade's pin with her mouth and hurled the explosive directly at Kiriah. It was coming too fast; there was no way to dodge or deflect it.

When it was within a few inches of Kiriah’s face, the bomb exploded.

-

A few minutes before the bomb went off . . .

When the battle started, Kafor did the first thing she always did, the thing she was best at, whenever she found herself in situations that could end badly for her: She ran.

Her first instinct was to head down one of the many alleyways branching off from this one. She had no particular destination in mind, for she didn’t know Zisar nearly as well as New Atero. All she wanted to do was lose Masqouth and his amazons; thus, she cared little about her destination.

So Kafor immediately made for the alley closest to her, but almost as soon as she took a step in that direction, Masqouth appeared there with his arms across his chest. His sudden appearance threw Kafor off, causing her to instinctively fire laser beams at him.

Masqouth’s Kanohi changed shape into that of the Hau, the symbol of the New Atero Republic, and Kafor’s lasers bounced off the shield generated by the mask.

“Now, now,” said Masqouth as his mask changed shape yet again, this time into a shape she was unfamiliar with. “You shouldn’t run away like that. We came here specifically to get you and kill Kiriah. Asroth already has Kiriah covered and Wavica has your other two friends busy, so it looks like it’s just you and me, Kafor. How fun!”

“My definition of ‘fun’ is running away from you and hiding in Zisar’s slums,” said Kafor as she took a step back. “So if you want to have fun, why don’t you leave me alone?”

“Because the King wants you,” said Masqouth. “We don’t have to fight, you know. If you’d just come over to me, I won’t need to hurt you to capture you.”

He held out a hand the entire time he said this. There was something in his voice that melted Kafor’s skepticism. Why should she run away from Masqouth? He was, after all, clearly a kind, gentle soul. He would never do anything to harm her. The real problem was Kafor’s own reluctance to trust him, a reluctance which was quickly defrosting the more she thought about his offer.

So Kafor took a step forward, but as soon as she did, a shadow bolt went flying over her shoulder and struck Masqouth in the chest. The bolt struck him hard enough to knock the revolutionary flat off his feet.

Kafor shook her head, trying to clear her cloudy mind. “What was that?”

“That was Masqouth using the Mask of Charisma,” said a voice behind her. “I’ve seen it before. It’s a deadly mask.”

Kafor glanced over her shoulder and saw Night approaching. Puzzled, she looked around the alley until she spotted Wavica and Heavyweight still trading blows.

“What are you doing here?” said Kafor. “Doesn’t Heavyweight need your help?”

“She can take care of herself,” said Night when he reached her. “I know you’re not much of a fighter, so I came to help you.”

“That’s so sweet,” said Kafor, rolling her eyes. Then she glanced at Masqouth’s prone body and said, “Well, maybe it wasn’t so sweet to kill Masqouth like that. Seriously, he’s got a freaking hole in his-“

Masqouth stirred. He slowly sat up and then rose to his feet. His robes were now all covered in the grime and filth of the street, but that wasn’t the most notable part about his form. It was the hole in his chest, the one Night had created, which revealed wires and gears but absolutely no blood or organs whatsoever. Not even the slightest bit of organic tissue was visible amid the complicated mess of wires and gears.

Masqouth glanced down at the gaping hole and said, “Oh, look what you did now. You made a big hole in my chest. That’s going to take forever to fix.”

“You’re . . . you’re not biomechanical?” said Kafor.

Masqouth looked back up, still wearing that same goofy smile. “Nope. I’m totally mechanical. There’s absolutely no organic tissue in me whatsoever. If there was, I would be dead right now.”

“Even if you’re a robot, we can still trash you,” said Night. “I’ve dealt with many robots in my time as a Dark Hunter and they all suffered the same fate when they got in my way.”

“Hmm, well, I’m not a normal robot, if that’s what you’re thinking,” said Masqouth. “After all, most robots aren’t as fun as I am, not even half. So how’s about I show you my true power?”

Masqouth’s mask shape-shifted again, this time into the form of the Mask of Speed. He dashed toward them at lightning fast speed, causing Night and Kafor to separate to avoid him. That didn’t stop the Echo leader from snatching Night’s weapons from his hands as he passed by, thus leaving the Skrall weaponless.

Masqouth stopped about a dozen feet away from them, carrying both of Night's weapons in his hands.

“As I'm not too good with weapons, I don't think these are necessary,” said Masqouth.

He threw the shield to the ground and stomped on it, breaking it in half. Then he snapped the sword over his knee and threw both halves away as he said, “I think we're about even now, Night.”

“Even?” said Night as he ran toward Masqouth. “Sorry, but just because we both lack weapons doesn't mean we're even.”

Night jumped over Kafor’s head -- which she caused her to duck to avoid blocking his path -- and landed in front of Masqouth. As soon as his feet touched the street, shadow energy enveloped Night’s arms, sharpening out to a fine point over his hands.

The Skrall slashed at Masqouth, but he blocked it with his right arm. There was a slight sizzle as Night’s dark energy burned through Masqouth’s sleeve, although the heat of the darkness didn’t appear to harm Masqouth at all.

Night attempted to run his other shadow arm straight through Masqouth’s exposed abdomen, which failed when Masqouth jumped backwards. The surprise dodge caused Night to stumble forward right into a kick from Masqouth. That stunning blow almost sent Night staggering backwards into Kafor, but she stepped out of the way just in time to avoid him.

Shaking his head, Night just barely managed to raise his arms to block two punches from Masqouth. Kafor had to take several steps back to avoid getting tangled in their fist fight, which was starting to get fierce. Both Masqouth and Night appeared to be talented at fisticuffs, for they blocked each other's blows with ease.

Kafor thought this could be her chance to escape. Night, Heavyweight, and Kiriah were distracting Masqouth and his cronies. She could probably slip away without anyone noticing and then disappear, never to be found again.

Before she could put that plan into action, however, Kafor heard a large explosion behind her. She instinctively hit the ground, thinking some kind of large bomb had just gone off, but when she wasn’t enveloped in flames she glanced over her shoulder in the direction of the explosion.

She saw a blackened crater in the street; not a big one by any means, but it was a crater nonetheless. The street around the crater was also blackened and there were no living beings around it save for Asroth, who lay on the ground curled in a ball, as if she’d been riding out the worst of the explosion.

Oddly enough, Asroth was giggling like a madman, saying over and over, “I killed her . . . I killed her . . . I killed her . . .”

It took Kafor a moment to realize who ‘her’ was, but that wasn’t the worst of it. The next moment, Night went flying over her head and smashed into a nearby building, crashing through the wall from which he did not emerge.

Startled, Kafor scrambled to her feet and saw Masqouth standing triumphantly. His mask looked different again, long and insect-like now, although it was impossible to identify the Kanohi.

“Curious to know what this is?” said Masqouth, upon seeing Kafor’s surprised expression. “It’s called the Kanohi Crast, the Mask of Repulsion. Night was distracted by the explosion, so I took advantage of the situation and repulsed him with my mask. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was dead; he hit that building quite hard.”

Kiriah and Night . . . they were both dead. Kafor almost panicked before she reminded herself that Heavyweight at least was still in the game. So she still had a chance.

A scream of pain caused Kafor’s head to whip towards Heavyweight and Wavica’s fight. Her heart failed her as she saw Heavyweight lying on the street with Wavica on top, holding the Vortixx’s neck in such a way that if Heavyweight moved it she would die instantly.

“That’s what happens when you allow yourself to be distracted,” Wavica said to Heavyweight. “Really would have thought you were smarter than that.”

Wavica twisted Heavyweight’s neck so fast Kafor didn’t even see it. Heavyweight ceased struggling immediately, her body limp underneath Wavica, who stood up and looked over at Masqouth and Kafor with a grin on her face.

Run. That was what Kafor's mind was telling her to do. She had to run and get out of here before they caught her. Everyone was dead and Kafor didn't think she could hold her own against Masqouth and his cronies. She had to run. Now.

Kafor took a step backwards, but almost as soon as she did, she found it impossible to move back any further. Her legs and feet locked up; no matter how hard she struggled, she couldn’t move even one inch.

“What did you do?” Kafor said to Masqouth. “Is this some strange power from your mask?”

“No,” said Masqouth, shaking his head. “I mean, sure, I would have done that, but I didn't. Someone else did.”

“That would be me,” said a voice that seemed to come from nowhere. “I, King Atuje, the King of Life and leader of the Echoes.”

Kafor blinked, which didn’t reflect the fear that was building up inside her. “I’ve never heard of the King of Life before.”

“Few have,” said Atuje. “As for who I am, that is not information you need to know. What you do need to know is that you are mine and will be my slave for as long as I see fit.”

“How are you controlling me?” said Kafor. “It’s not mind control, so what is it?”

“I’m controlling your body, of course,” said Atuje. “I have complete control over your muscular and nervous systems, which essentially makes you my puppet.”

“Well, I don’t like it,” said Kafor. “It’s uncomfortable. You really should think about making this whole body control thing nicer on your victims, you know.”

“Your wisecracking does not amuse me, Kafor,” said Atuje. “So I ask that you sleep. I will awake you when I have need of you.”

Against her will, Kafor felt her consciousness rapidly slipping out of her grasp, like sand through fingers. In a few seconds, everything went black for Kafor and she could hear no more, feel no more, smell no more, and taste no more. Before she drifted into unconsciousness, however, Kafor wondered just how bad things were going to get with no one around to stop Atuje and his Echoes. She also wondered who could possibly save her when everyone who could was dead.

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-TNTOS-

Chapter XXVI

Ten minutes earlier . . .

Jeran stood with his arms crossed behind his back, occasionally shifting his weight but otherwise standing perfectly still. His eyes scanned the huge, faintly glowing blue wall of solid protodermis, which was almost too opaque to see through. He could see the faint outline of a huge Door behind it, although even if he couldn’t his mind would have supplied a mental image of that Door, for he had seen it many times in his life, though every day he wished he had never set eyes upon it.

He turned away from the Door, trying to block the memories his mind associated with it. It didn’t work. In his mind’s eye he could see the Shodios, the evil Toa of Shadow that ruled the Kra-Matoran, slaughtering his friends in the most brutal ways possible, ways that he did not even want to think about because they were so horrible.

The memories caused Jeran to look toward the east wall of the immense cavern he stood in. Chained to the wall were four Toa. Two of those Toa were this universe’s Akuna and Chimoy, who were still alive and well. They were currently unconscious, but the mere fact that they were alive at all almost overwhelmed Jeran emotionally. It was like seeing his friends come back from the dead, even though in this universe neither Akuna nor Chimoy had died before.

Of course, they had been kidnapped for the sole purpose of opening the Door, a thought which disturbed Jeran greatly no matter how he tried to justify it.

On one hand, Atuje had promised to destroy the entire Kra-Matoran tribe once they had outlived their usefulness. That would certainly be enough to satisfy Jeran's need for revenge; indeed, it might be the only way to satisfy his vengeful desires.

On the other hand . . . he was freeing the Kra-Matoran, the one group of people he hated more than any other. He was giving them exactly what they wanted. Once the Door was opened, the Kra-Matoran could restart their conquest of the world, just as they tried to do so many years ago at the beginning of the old universe. They would create pain and death and chaos on their way to rule Spherus Magna, especially if they allied with the Skakdi and Skrall, as they undoubtedly would once Masqouth gave his public support for the Kra-Matoran.

The sound of a dimensional portal opening caused Jeran to look toward the west wall. Wavica and Asroth stepped out of the portal, both looking a little out of breath, with Wavica carrying an unconscious Toa of the Green over her shoulder. As Wavica trudged over to the wall where the Toa were chained up, Jeran walked over to Asroth, who had seated herself on a rock.

“Where were you two?” said Jeran as he approached his ally. “You were gone for hours. Did you succeed in killing the Toa of Shadow? And who is that Toa of the Green?”

“Things didn’t quite go as planned,” said Asroth, shaking her head. “When we got to Oggak’s apartment, we were taken by surprise by the Toa. Turns out Oggak and her boyfriend are members of some secret organization called the Will of Angonce. They took me and Wavica to their base in the sky and tried to interrogate us.”

“The Will of Angonce?” said Jeran, tilting his head. “I have never heard of that organization before.”

“Like I said, they’re secret,” said Asroth. Then her tone became grim. “They’ve been keeping an eye on us, Jeran. All of us. They know what we’re trying to do. They know Masqouth isn’t the messiah he’s pretending to be. They just needed Wavica and me to confirm their theories.”

“Well, it’s not all bad,” said Jeran, stretching his arms. “I mean, you escaped, right? And now it looks like we have all the correct Toa elements necessary to open the Door. It’s too late for them to stop us now.”

“Maybe, but I got a feeling those Will guys are going to give us Karzahni sooner or later,” said Asroth. “Anyway, Atuje intervened and saved us. We then kidnapped Niham – that Toa that Wavica was lugging around on her shoulder like a bag of flour -- and we returned directly here.”

“The plan is practically finished,” said Jeran. “It's not like they can do anything to stop us now, right?”

“I don’t know,” said Asroth. “It just bothers me that they apparently knew all about us before we even knew they existed.”

Before Jeran could respond to that, another dimensional portal opened a few feet away from them. Masqouth walked out of it with a book under his arm and a big smile on his face.

“Hey, Jeran, look what the mayor of Zisar just gave to me,” said Masqouth as he held up the book. “It’s a rare collection of Zarsk’s early poems. It’s one of the rarest books in the world, according to the mayor, and he said I could have it. Isn’t that amazing?”

“What are you doing here, Masqouth?” said Jeran, turning to face the leader. “How did you know Wavica and Asroth had returned?”

“Atuje told me,” said Masqouth as he put the book back under his arm. “He told me they’d returned with Niham and that I needed to be at the Door as soon as possible. So here I am.”

Then Masqouth looked around and said, “Say, where’s Niralo? I thought for sure he’d be here. Wavica, Asroth, do you know where he is?”

Wavica, who had by now finished chaining up Niham, shook her head. “No. We expected to find him here when we got back.”

“I bet he’s taking his sweet time,” said Asroth, rolling her eyes. “You know how he likes to play with his prey before he brutally murders it.”

“Niralo is no more,” said an ancient voice, one that caused the four Echoes to start. “And that is but one of the issues I need to discuss with you today.”

Before the startled eyes of the Echoes, a pillar of earth rose from the ground. It was a thick one, about the size of a Toa, and quickly grew arms on either side of its body. A simple face -- with two eyes, a line for a mouth, and a crude nose -- formed at the top of it, where its head was supposed to be.

The resulting creation was a strange-looking doll that made Niralo look handsome.

“Atuje, is that you?” said Masqouth in surprise. “You look like a toy.”

“This is but a temporary form, Masqouth,” said Atuje, his voice speaking from the doll’s line mouth. “Because we are so close my former domain, I am able to communicate with you in a much more direct way than previously. This is all I can currently do at the moment. That is why it is rather simplistic.”

Atuje’s explanation made sense, but Jeran still felt put off by the doll. He elected to ignore its strangeness, at least for now.

“Your Highness, you said Niralo is no more,” said Wavica. “What did you mean by that?”

“I meant exactly what I said,” said Atuje. “But to put it in more explicit terms: Niralo is dead.”

“What? How?” said Masqouth, dropping the book as his hands flew to his mouth. “That’s impossible. Niralo was the toughest of us all. You must be mistaken.”

“I’m not mistaken, Masqouth,” said Atuje, shaking his head, causing dirt to fly from it. “He was killed by an inhabitant of the universe where Jetrupi and Toa Kiriah were. He was distracted when it happened, which allowed his enemy to creep up behind him and snap his neck.”

“You mean you didn’t save him, my lord?” said Jeran.

“I was not there when it happened,” said Atuje, folding his arms. “I was busy keeping an eye on Masqouth. I only chose to check a little while ago, to see how Niralo was progressing, but now he has progressed no further. He is gone.”

“What about Jetrupi and Kiriah?” said Jeran. “Did he at least kill them?”

“I do not know where Jetrupi is,” said Atuje. “As for Kiriah, she is still alive and is actually back in this dimension; specifically, she is in Zisar.”

“What’s she trying to do?” said Asroth, her head propped up in her hands.

“She’s looking for Masqouth,” Atuje replied. “She knows what we’re trying to do. She thinks if she can defeat Masqouth, then the plan will fail.”

“She’s after me?” said Masqouth, his hands balled into fists. “Let me at her. I’ll teach that fool for killing Niralo. I know she didn’t do it, but I bet she helped somehow.”

“Don’t go running off just yet, Masqouth,” said Atuje, raising an earthen hand. “There is another issue: Kafor the Seer, the Skakdi Niralo tried but failed to capture just before his death.”

“What about her, my lord?” said Jeran. “Should we not open the Door right away, seeing as we now have all six of the Toa necessary to do so?”

“The Door -- and by extension, the Kra-Matoran -- can wait for now,” said Atuje, gesturing at the Door. “Right now, I need you to capture the Seer. Her ability to see into the future could prove problematic, so she needs to be captured.”

“Where is she?” said Wavica. “Tell us and we will go after her right away, Your Majesty.”

“She is in Zisar,” said Atuje. “In fact, she is actually with Toa Kiriah right now. She is also traveling with a Skrall called Night and a Vortixx called Heavyweight. They are both dangerous.”

Masqouth straightened up. “Well. That’s convenient. We should all go immediately.”

“Not all of you,” said Atuje, shaking his head. “Jeran, you must stay here. In the event that Masqouth, Wavica, and Asroth fail, I want you to open the Door. You are our only Toa of Sonics, so we can’t afford to lose you.”

Jeran nodded. “As you command, my lord.”

“Good,” said Atuje. “Now Masqouth, Wavica, Asroth, I will send you directly to where you need to be. I want you to kill Kiriah and kidnap Kafor. As for the Skrall and Vortixx, do as you wish with them.”

A dimensional portal opened nearby. Jeran wished Masqouth and the other two Echoes luck as they stepped through the portal and disappeared, leaving the Toa of Sonics alone in the tunnel with Atuje and the other Toa.

Jeran turned to Atuje’s earthen body and said, “Lord Atuje, can you tell me when you plan to . . . destroy the Kra-Matoran . . .”

The earthen doll was still. Jeran cautiously tapped it on the head, but it didn't move or make any noise. It appeared that Atuje's soul had abandoned it, but where it had gone, he didn't know.

Sighing, Jeran sat down on the rock where Asroth had been sitting before she left. It looked like he was going to have to wait, which didn’t actually bother him much, for he wasn’t in a hurry to release the Kra-Matoran. He just wanted to know when he was going to get his revenge.

-

Currently . . .

Masqouth and the two strangers leaped down from the top of the building. Or, rather, Masqouth flew to the street on the back of the winged Tetakian, while the other one jumped from fire escape to fire escape on her way down until all three reached street level, directly opposite Night and the others. Masqouth dismounted from the winged Tetakian's back and made his way to the front of the group.

“What are you doing here?” said Night, holding up his sword. “How did you know we were here?”

A grin crossed Masqouth’s face as he held out a hand. “Oh, we just want that Skakdi you have right there. The one that can see the future.”

“Me?” said Kafor. “Sorry, but I’m not up for sale.”

Kiriah drew her sword and pointed it at Masqouth as she said, “So it looks like the Almighty Ones were right. You really are up to no good.”

Night had no idea who these ‘Almighty Ones’ Kiriah spoke of were, but apparently Masqouth did, for his eyes widened and he said, “Wait, you know my parents?”

For a moment, Kiriah almost dropped her sword. “Your parents? What are you talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter,” said the winged Tetakian as she raised her gauntleted hands. “Our mission is to kill you, Toa Kiriah, and kidnap Kafor.”

“What about us?” said Night, gesturing at himself and Heavyweight. “Or are we too unimportant for you to even notice?”

“Our master said we could deal with you two as we saw fit,” said the winged Tetakian. “As I'm afraid politely asking you to leave won't work, we will probably have to kill you two with Kiriah.”

“Yeah,” said Masqouth, who seemed to have regained his composure. “You killed Niralo. For that, you must pay.”

“Niralo?” Kafor repeated. “I seem to remember someone by that name, but . . .”

“It was that brute who broke into the Shadowed One’s Fortress back on New Odina,” said Night as he raised his shield. “I had no idea he was working for Masqouth, but I guess there are a lot of things I don’t know.”

“You will soon know nothing, Night,” said the winged Tetakian. “You will nothing except for my name: Wavica.”

The second being cracked her whip and said, “Call me Asroth. I'll try to kill you quickly.”

Night took a battle stance. “I don't know what is going on here, but I do know this: I am not going to sit here and let you kill me. I am a Skrall and Skrall do not back down from a challenge.”

Masqouth shrugged. “You just have to do things the hard way, don’t you? We’ll just have to make this fight quick and to the point, then.”

Review Topic

Chapter XXV

As Kiriah led them through the dark back alleys of Zisar, it became rapidly clear to Kafor that the Toa of Psionics had never been to Zisar before and had been lying about knowing of a safe place for them to spend the night. More than once Kiriah stopped at a fork, pretending to be thinking hard about where the inn was when in fact she was obviously looking for something else.

Of course, from the beginning Kafor hadn’t believed a word of Kiriah’s story about the inn. Kiriah was far too innocent to know anything about dirty, old inns in downtown Zisar, a part of the city notorious for its corruption and crime. The only problem was that Kafor didn’t know where Kiriah was trying to take them or what Kiriah’s true motives were, but ultimately it didn’t matter.

It didn’t matter because Kafor had recognized Kiriah as the Toa of Psionics from the vision she’d had back in the Airfield. She had argued for Kiriah’s admission into their group because Kafor had a feeling that the Toa was going to save her life some day soon, not because she liked Kiriah or anything.

She glanced at Night and Heavyweight. Both ex-Dark Hunters wore impassive faces, which would have made it hard to tell what they were thinking if Kafor didn’t notice how tightly they held their weapons. They obviously weren’t as swayed by Kafor's earlier arguments as she had believed. As long as they didn’t actually attack Kiriah, though, Kafor didn’t mind.

Kiriah stopped at another fork. She looked down both paths, but didn’t seem to know which way they should go. From what Kafor could see, both paths looked roughly the same; abandoned alleyways, with garbage and waste strewn across the street that smelled terrible.

“What’s the matter, Toa?” said Night. “Have you forgotten where the inn is?”

“Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve been here,” said Kiriah, turning around to face him. “So forgive me if my memory isn’t exactly perfect.”

“There is probably nothing wrong with your memory,” said Night, pointing his sword at her chest. “The problem, I think, is that this ‘inn’ you speak of doesn’t exist.”

Kiriah’s hands balled into fists, apparently unconsciously. “What do you mean? Of course it exists.”

“No, it doesn’t,” said Night, shaking his head. “If it did, we wouldn’t have been walking in circles for ten minutes, as we’ve been doing. No, I think you’re trying to take us somewhere else, trying to trick us for some reason.”

“I think the same thing,” said Heavyweight, raising her tri-claw. “It’s obvious to any thinking person that you’re just trying to fool us. We’re not going to walk into whatever trap you have set. We’re not stupid.”

At first, Kafor expected Kiriah to deny this, but then Kiriah said, “Well, you got me there. I’m not taking you to a super secret inn where no one will be able to find you. But I’m not leading you into a trap, either.”

“Then where are you leading us?” said Night. “Tell me quickly before I run my sword through your chest.”

Kiriah scratched the back of her head as she said, “It’s kind of hard to explain, but . . . I’m leading you guys to the Zisar Luxury Hotel. That’s why we’ve been wandering around for ten minutes; I don’t know where it is, so I’ve been trying to find it.”

“That’s not a tiny inn hidden in the city’s alleys,” said Heavyweight. “That’s the biggest, most expensive, and most well-known hotel in the entire city. You were trying to trick us.”

“But it’s for a good reason!” said Kiriah, holding up her hands. “I’m not going to hurt you or anything. I need your help.”

“Need our help?” said Night. “If you lied to us once, we have no reason to listen to you further.”

“Please,” said Kiriah. “I didn’t mean any harm. Just listen to my story. You can decide if I’m telling the truth or not after that.”

For a moment, Kafor thought Night was going to attack the Toa anyway. He certainly looked like he would, for the tip of his blade was only a few inches from Kiriah’s chest.

But then the Skrall nodded reluctantly and lowered his sword as he said, “All right. Make it quick.”

So Kiriah quickly recounted a brief yet bizarre story to Kafor, Night, and Heavyweight. She explained to them that Masqouth was apparently evil and trying to stir up rebellion among the Skrall and Skakdi while at the same time attempting to open some ‘Door’ that was in the old universe. It was obvious to Kafor that Kiriah was leaving out a lot of the details, but as Night did not appear particularly patient, it was perhaps not surprising that the Toa was forced to be concise.

“Nasis told me Masqouth is in the Zisar Luxury Hotel,” Kiriah finished. “So I decided to go there. I was just about to go there, in fact, when you guys showed up at Nasis’s apartment. As I needed allies, I decided to convince you to come with me without you really knowing it.”

“Your story is far-fetched,” said Night. “And why do you think we would ever help you? If you had to deceive us in order to get us to come this far, why do you think we’d willingly help you once we actually got there?”

“Because it’s our destiny,” said Kafor. “That’s why.”

The others looked at Kafor with a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“What?” said Heavyweight. “What do you mean, ‘it’s our destiny’?”

“I mean what I said,” said Kafor. “It is our destiny to confront Masqouth and fight him. It’s clear to me now.”

“How do you know that?” said Night. “No one knows their destiny, if destiny even exists.”

“Because . . .” Kafor tried to think of a way to explain her visions. “Because I’m a Seer, Night, and I saw all of us in a vision fighting Masqouth together.”

“That’s right,” said Night. “You can ‘see’ the future, you have ‘visions.’ That’s what the Shadowed One always told us Dark Hunters, which I’ve always suspected is one of the reasons he wanted you.”

“You sound skeptical.”

“Of course I’m skeptical,” said Night. “This entire thing is bogus. A Toa of Psionics tricks us into going to defeat a revolutionary who may or may not be from this universe and then you suddenly assert, without proof, that we must go along with it because it is our destiny. So yes, Kafor, I am skeptical of many things, not just your alleged ability to see the future.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s our destiny or not,” said Kiriah. “Look, I’m sorry for not being upfront with you, but we’ve got to stop him. If Masqouth succeeds, many people on this planet will suffer, not just the Toa and Matoran. Don’t you all have family and friends that you care about?”

“Hmm, not really,” said Kafor, shaking her head. “There is Barc, but I’m sure he’ll be just fine. Personally I’d rather we not fight Masqouth, but seeing as that is our destiny-“

“There is no destiny!” said Night, kicking a nearby can away. “We are not destined to fight Masqouth. You’re both delusional, crazy, insane, and-“

“And accurate, if our appearance here means anything,” said a high-pitched voice above them.

The party of four immediately looked up a nearby building for the source of the voice. Kafor spotted three beings standing on the edge of the roof of the closest building. Two she didn’t recognize, but the third, the one standing in the middle, wearing white robes that billowed in the wind . . . her heart almost failed her at the sight of him.

Masqouth grinned as he looked down on Kafor and her allies. “Well, it’s nice to see you all, but now, it’s time to die.”

Review Topic

Chapter XXIV

Night hurled a shadow bolt at Litho, which the Toa of Air dodged with ease. She fired an air blast at Heavyweight, forcing the ex-Dark Hunter to move before she could be blown away by the blast’s force.

“Why are you two so slow?” said Litho as she aimed her air-blaster at Night again. “Is it past your bedtime already?”

Night bit back a retort he felt coming to his lips. As much as he hated to admit it, Litho was right. He and Heavyweight were slower than usual, which he realized was a combination of their fight with the Shadowed One and his loyalists and the hours-long trip from the Northern Frost to Zisar in the Knight’s Wish. They hadn’t had time to rest up yet, while Litho had had more than enough time to recover from their previous fight with her back in New Atero.

Still, that didn’t mean Night or Heavyweight was going to give up. They had not just escaped one Nui Rama nest only to wind up in the center of another. With Night’s long list of crimes, he realized he was probably going to be executed if Litho captured him and turned him over to the government. Heavyweight might also get executed, for her list of crimes had to be at least as long as his, considering the two were partners and had worked together on many of the same missions over the years.

It was with this thought in mind that Night ran at Litho and slashed at her with his sword, but the nimble bounty hunter just back-flipped out of the way. Heavyweight also rushed forward and swung her tri-claw at Litho. This time, it actually hit the Toa of Air, but Litho recovered quickly and used a blast of wind to send herself flying into the air.

Litho landed several feet away from the ex-Dark Hunters, rubbing the side of her face where Heavyweight had hit her.

“Good hit,” said Litho. “But I can hit harder.”

Litho raised her air-blaster again, but then two laser beams flew out of nowhere and struck her weapon. The impact of the beams knocked the air-blaster out of her hands, sending the now-smoking weapon skittering underneath one of the airships out of Litho’s reach.

“Who did that?” said Litho, looking in the direction the lasers had come from. “Show yourself or I'll make you show yourself.”

Thanks to his night vision, Night could see Kafor standing in the darkness of the airships. He was surprised to see her here, for he had assumed she had ran away, but he didn’t question it. His met hers and she nodded, which Night took as a sign to attack.

The Skrall ran at Litho as fast as he could in his tired state. Litho noticed him coming, but too late, for he slammed his shield into her face and then hit her across the mask with the flat of his blade. The two blows were enough to knock her to the ground hard and, although she tried to get up, she couldn’t.

“Dang it!” Litho cried out. “Why can't I get up?”

“Because gravity doesn’t like you very much, Litho,” said Heavyweight, who had walked up to Night and the downed Toa. “Struggle all you want, you’re never going to get out.”

Litho let out a string of extremely foul curse words, although they didn’t faze Night in the slightest, for he had heard much worse insults during his time as a Dark Hunter. As Litho’s voice annoyed him, he kicked her in the side of the head, instantly knocking the Toa of Air out.

Then Night glanced at Kafor, who had now walked out of the shadows of the airships and into the light of the runway. “Why did you come back?”

Kafor shrugged. “Because you two are my bestest friends in the whole wide world, of course. I have no others.”

“Cut the jokes,” Heavyweight snapped. “We all know that you’re a selfish little cretin. Why would you come back for us if it meant risking your life?”

“I am rather selfish for risking my life to save yours, aren’t I?” said Kafor, scratching the back of her head. “I just thought I would survive a little while longer if I had a scary Skrall and an ugly Vortixx hanging around me.”

Night didn’t know if Kafor was telling the truth or not; at any rate, she had saved them, so he said, “Then let’s head into the city. I don’t know how long Litho is going to remain unconscious.”

“Why don’t you just kill her?” said Kafor, glancing at the Toa. “She’s just going to come after you again anyway. Even if you go into hiding, she’s going to spend her whole life tracking you two down, I bet.”

“That’s because, Kafor, I do not kill an unconscious opponent,” Night said. “Unlike you, I do have some honor left in me.”

“Sure, sure,” said Kafor, nodding. “I was just asking if you were going to do it.”

Kafor fired two eye beams at Litho. The beams struck through the Toa of Air’s heartlight, shattering it instantly and killing her just as quickly.

Night looked at Kafor with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. “So you were planning to kill her all along, then.”

“More or less,” Kafor replied. “You can’t get anywhere in life if you’re always looking over your shoulder for the guy trying to kill you.”

Night and Heavyweight glanced at each other. He decided that they were going to need to keep a closer eye on Kafor than before. If she was so quick and willing to kill someone she considered a threat, there was no telling what she might do if she thought Night and Heavyweight were dangerous to her life. It gave Night yet another reason to want to split from her as soon as possible.

“I have an idea of where we can go until tomorrow,” said Kafor. “I have a friend in Zisar who might be willing to let us stay in his apartment for the night. If I remember correctly, his apartment isn’t too far from here, so why don’t we go together?”

“Can we trust this . . . friend?” said Night.

“Of course we can,” said Kafor. “I haven't talked to him in a while, but he's a kindhearted fellow who I am sure would not turn away an old friend and her two bestest friends in the whole world.”

Again, Night and Heavyweight exchanged a look.

“All right,” said Heavyweight, folding her arms. “We haven't rested in over a day anyway. Lead the way, Kafor.”

-

It took ten minutes for Kiriah and Nasis to reach the latter's apartment. Along the way, the two Toa didn’t talk because Kiriah insisted that the information she was going to tell Nasis was too dangerous to speak of in public. She had no idea what the Zisarian Skakdi might do if they overheard someone criticizing Masqouth, though if that brown Skakdi from earlier was any indication, there was a good chance they could get violent and nasty.

Upon entering Nasis's apartment and taking a seat on his couch, Kiriah explained, as briefly as she could, what she had learned about Masqouth. She also gave him a condensed version of her adventures in Jet's dimension.

Nasis listened quietly the entire time, although Kiriah could tell he was thinking, for the little chunk of metal he always carried with him was constantly changing its form. It eventually became a miniature statue of Masqouth, though lacking color or detail.

When Kiriah finished, Nasis placed the little Masqouth statue on the couch’s end table and looked at it. “So Masqouth is trying to open this Door and unleash an army of evil Matoran onto Spherus Magna?”

“Yes,” said Kiriah, nodding fervently. “I know it sounds crazy, but-“

“Kiriah, that is crazy,” said Nasis, shaking his head. “I know you're a truthful person, but forgive me if I have a hard time believing your story.”

“You’re gonna have to if you want to save Spherus Magna,” said Kiriah. “Just tell me where Masqouth is. I’m going to confront him myself, by myself if necessary.”

“Last I heard, he’s checked in at the Zisar Luxury Hotel downtown,” said Nasis. “But he’s always on the move, too, so he is probably somewhere else in the city right now. I don’t know where, though.”

“Then I’ll just have to go there and wait for him to return,” Kiriah decided. “He’s a monster who needs to be stopped.”

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to help you, Kiri,” said Nasis. “Getting into the Hotel isn’t easy,because it has high-tech security systems and many security guards, even more so now that Masqouth is staying there.”

“I’m sure I’ll figure something out,” said Kiriah. “If the Almighty Ones told me to do it, then I can probably do it.”

“The Almighty Ones don’t sound like entirely trustworthy beings to me,” said Nasis, reclining in the couch. “I mean, why haven’t they defeated Masqouth themselves if they’re so powerful? Why do they have to rely on you to stop Masqouth?” He paused, and then added, “No offense, Kiriah. Just saying.”

“I don’t know,” said Kiriah, her hands folded across her lap. “All they told me was that they couldn’t directly intervene in this case. It’s something I have to do myself.”

“Frankly, I don’t see any reason to trust supposedly almighty beings who have to rely on mortals to do the work that they could easily do themselves,” said Nasis, rolling his eyes. “Maybe you should rethink-“

The doorbell rang at that moment, causing both Toa to look at the door. It rang again just a few seconds later and kept ringing over and over again.

“Are you expecting anybody?” Kiriah asked.

Nasis shook his head. “No. I don’t know who it could be. Can you use your telepathy to find out who it is?”

Kiriah looked at the door. “Not with that door in the way I can’t. The range of my powers is limited by my range of vision, so with that door in the way I can’t read the mind of whoever is ringing the bell.”

“Then I’ll go check out who it is,” said Nasis as he stood up. “Hang on. I’ll be back in a minute.”

He walked over to the door and peered through the peephole. For a moment, Nasis didn’t do anything except make an annoyed grunt.

Then he cracked open the door slightly and said exasperatedly, “What do you want?”

“Nasis, old friend,” said a sneaky, feminine voice that Kiriah didn’t recognize. “Long time no see. I just came by to see how my favorite Toa of Iron is doing.”

“Who are your armed friends, then?” said Nasis. “Whenever I visit an old friend, I don’t usually bring along a Skrall and a Vortixx who look like they've just gotten out of the army.”

“They’re just my friends, Nasis,” said the voice through the cracked door. “You see, we were just kicked out of our hotel, so we need somewhere to stay for the night. As you’re my friend, I thought you’d be gracious enough to let us stay in your apartment until morning.”

“Friend?” said Nasis. “We’ve never been friends. We’re barely even acquaintances. Your flattery doesn’t work on me.”

“Did I mention I also came for the golden armor you promised me?” said the voice. “You never gave it to me.”

Nasis sighed. “Kafor, that was fifty-thousand years ago. I never got around to making the armor because Teridax took over the universe a week later and I and the other Toa Tanjo joined the rebellion. I thought you’d forgotten about that.”

“I never forget payments, Nasis,” said the voice called Kafor. “Of course, I’ll forget all about the golden armor if you just give me and my friends a place to stay for the night. I’ll never bring up the golden armor ever again if you do that.”

“Sorry, but I don’t see any reason to accommodate you,” said Nasis. “If you really cared about the golden armor, you would have come to me after the death of the old universe. As it is, I didn’t even know you were still alive until tonight, so-“

“Just let us in,” said another voice, this one harsher and masculine. “Or we’ll force our way in ourselves.”

“Let’s keep it civil here, Skrall,” said Kafor, her voice tinged with nervousness. “We’re not savages, after all, so let’s act like civilized beings here.”

“Civilized beings don’t come to ex-business clients in the middle of the night looking for some place to stay for free,” Nasis replied. “Look, there are a lot of cheap inns around here that you can stay in for the night. I have no room in my apartment for you three.”

“But we don’t have any money,” Kafor said. “Besides, we’re perfectly willing to sleep on the floor if necessary. Surely you must have soft shag carpeting.”

“It’s marble,” said Nasis. “My bedroom has carpeting, but I’m not going to let any of you sleep in there with me.”

“Nasis, you’re a Toa,” said Kafor, her voice pleading. “Toa are supposed to look out for the helpless. We’re helpless, you know.”

“You don’t look helpless to me,” said Nasis, shaking his head. “The fact that you are all armed makes you look like the kind of people who prey on helpless people, in fact. So maybe I should just close the door right now and send you on your-“

Without warning, the door was shoved forward and Nasis stumbled backwards from the blow. Standing in the doorway were three beings; a Vortixx carrying a tri-claw, a Skrall with a battered shield, and an orange and white Skakdi that Kiriah believed was Kafor. The Skrall was holding the door open with one hand; he had clearly forced open the door.

“We are coming in and that is final,” said the Skrall. “We will leave first thing in the morning, if that’s what you want us to do, but we're not staying in the streets tonight.”

Something about the Skrall’s appearance stirred a memory in Kiriah’s mind. Without thinking, she did a quick mental sweep of the three newcomers and gasped as she learned their identities.

Standing up, Kiriah pointed at the Skrall and said, “Nasis, that Skrall is Night, the infamous Dark Hunter. And the Vortixx is Heavyweight, his partner.”

“What?” said Nasis, looking at Night and the other two with shock. “What are-“

Heavyweight reacted quickly. She snapped her fingers and without warning both Nasis and Kiriah flew to the ceiling. They crashed against it and were unable to move, which gave Night, Heavyweight, and Kafor time to enter the apartment completely and close the door behind them.

“Kafor, what the Karzahni are you doing with Dark Hunters?” said Nasis. “I thought they were trying to kill you!”

“Yes, well, these two are now proud ex-Dark Hunters,” Kafor said, gesturing at Night and Heavyweight. “By the way, did you not want to let us in because you had your girlfriend over?”

“Kiriah is not my girlfriend,” Nasis said. “The reason I didn’t want to let you in, Kafor, was because I didn’t like you or your friends. And what do you mean they’re ex-Dark Hunters, anyway?”

“That means exactly what you think it means, Nasis,” said Kafor. “They’re-“

“We aren’t Dark Hunters anymore,” Night interrupted. “We’re on our own now. We pay no allegiance to the Shadowed One or any of his minions.”

Kiriah struggled to get to the ground, but even though she could move her limbs, she was still stuck to the ceiling. “What did you do to my body? How come I can’t get down?”

"Gravity is no longer anchoring you to the floor, Toa,” said Heavyweight, leaning against one of the walls. “You two aren't coming down until I say so.”

“You can’t keep us up here forever,” said Nasis. “You’re going to have to sleep eventually and then-“

“We’ll find some rope and tie you two up,” said Night. “Or maybe let you drop and let the impact knock you out. You’re in no position to threaten us, Toa.”

Kafor shrugged. “I’m sorry, Nasis, but . . . well, actually, I’m not sorry at all. My only regret right now is that you didn’t get around to making that golden armor for me. I will probably never get it now, since I plan to go back into hiding soon, but it would have been nice to get it just the same.”

Kiriah ceased struggling now because she knew it was impossible to fight against the lack of gravity as long as Heavyweight controlled it. So Kiriah tried to think of other ways to get her and Nasis down, although it seemed like every idea she came up with ended with her and Nasis falling flat on their faces and getting knocked out by the impact. That could be an even worse situation than their current one, because as it was they were at least still conscious.

Just as Kiriah was about to give up hope, a multitude of voices in her head whispered, Go with them. They are your allies.

Before Kiriah could figure out where the voices came from, they were gone instantly. That frustrated her, especially because their message was so cryptic. What did the voices mean by ‘them’? Were they referring to Kafor, Night, and Heavyweight? If so, why would Kiriah ever want to go with them, even if they weren’t Dark Hunters anymore?

It was then that a picture popped in Kiriah’s mind; it was very brief, but Kiriah did see it long enough to comprehend its meaning. It was a picture of Masqouth, who stood in front of what looked like a giant door, a wicked grin on his face as he ran his fingers along its smooth, shiny surface.

Masqouth was close to opening the Door. That meant Kiriah had to get down now, but the only question was, how? It wasn’t like Heavyweight was going to let her down if she asked nicely.

So Kiriah said, in her most authoritative, no-nonsense voice, “Let me down. Now.”

“Why should we?” said Kafor, looking up at the Toa of Psionics. “You didn’t even say please. Of course, even if you had, we wouldn’t let you down. No, you’re good exactly where you are.”

“Guess we’ll have to do this the hard way, then,” said Kiriah.

Although her body was stuck to the ceiling, Kiriah’s mind was free. So she looked at Heavyweight and unleashed a small mental attack on her; not enough to permanently damage the Vortixx’s mind, but enough to break her concentration.

It worked. Heavyweight's hands flew to her her head as Kiriah and Nasis fell. Thankfully, it wasn’t a long fall from the ceiling to the floor, but Kiriah and Nasis both made sure to land on their feet anyway. As soon as they reached the ground, Night hurled two shadow bolts at them, but Nasis created a large, thick metal shield that deflected the shadow bolts, causing them to hit the walls where they left smoking craters.

Then Kiriah used her telekinesis to disarm Night and Heavyweight, yanking their weapons out of their hands and throwing them to the far side of the room. She then used her telekinesis to knock Night off his feet, giving Nasis enough time to conjure thick shackles around the Skrall’s arms and legs. The Toa of Iron also conjured thick chains that ensnared Heavyweight, causing her to fall over with a thud.

Kafor took a step back toward the door, saying, “Hmm, perhaps we should have seen that coming. I forgot you were a Toa of Psionics.”

Nasis ran over to Kafor and slammed her against a wall. Then he threw her to the floor and pinned her there with his foot, but Kafor didn’t move. She just stared up at Kiriah, as though expecting to die.

“You’ve got me,” said Kafor. “What are you going to do to us now?”

“We’re going to call the police,” said Nasis. “Kiriah, go to the phone com and tell them-“

“No, Nasis,” said Kiriah, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, but I’m not going to call the police on these three.”

Nasis looked at her in disbelief. “Are you serious? You haven't forgotten what they did already, have you?"

“Nasis, I’ve got more important things to do right now,” said Kiriah. “I’m going to let these three go and then I’m going with them.”

“Going with us?” said Night, who struggled against the chains Nasis had bound him with. “Why would we ever let someone like you travel with us?”

“Because . . .” Kiriah took a deep breath. “Because I know a better place you three can stay than in here. There’s an inn where you can stay until tomorrow. If you stay here, you have to worry about Nasis breaking out and calling the police. I’m going to make it much harder for the police to find you, if you'll only come with me.”

“Kiriah, what are you saying?” said Nasis. “Don’t you realize you’re volunteering to help two criminals and Kafor?”

Kiriah shook her head. “I don’t care. I’ve got places to be, a world to save, and no time to waste.”

“We’re not going to let you come with us,” said Night, who was no longer fighting against his bonds. “We have no need of a Toa like you, especially because we have no reason to trust you.”

“Actually, I think she should come along with us.”

It took Kiriah a moment to realize that it was Kafor who had said that. Both Night and Heavyweight looked at the Skakdi in surprise.

“Why?” said Night. “Why let this Toa of Psionics come with us? We don't know if we can trust her.”

“Having a Toa of Psionics on our side might be useful,” said Kafor, scratching her chin. “With her powers, she could detect any nearby Dark Hunters and alert us of them well before they even know we're there. She could even teach us how to protect our minds, which would surely be worth whatever trouble she might give us.”

“What if she tries to betray us?” said Heavyweight. “Or led us into a trap?”

“We can take her,” said Kafor, rolling her eyes. “She’s not that strong. True, she did surprise us this time, but if we just keep our guard up, we can probably kill her before she even knows she’s dead.”

Kiriah really didn’t like this whole discussion of who kills who, but she didn’t dare to interrupt. For whatever reason, Kafor wanted Kiriah to join them, so Kiriah had to keep her mouth shut so she wouldn’t accidentally screw it up by saying something stupid.

“Besides, letting her join us is the only way we’re getting out of this situation with our freedom intact,” said Kafor. “Unless you want to spend the rest of your lives behind bars, although seeing as that is the one place the Dark Hunters don't have any agents, maybe we’ll actually be safer there than on the outside.”

Night and Heavyweight seemed to be thinking about those words. It took all of Kiriah’s willpower not to read their minds, for she did not want them to think she was invading their privacy, which would surely destroy whatever little trust they may have had in her now. She just had to wait for them to speak like a non-telepathic person would.

Finally, Night said, “All right. She can join us. But if she does . . .”

His voice trailed off there, to be picked up by Heavyweight, who said, “If she does trick us, then we will blame it on you, Kafor. And if she tries to attack us, we have every right to use lethal force against her.”

“Sure,” said Kafor. Then she looked up at Kiriah and said, “What do you think, Kiriah? These are probably the best conditions you can hope to get, so-“

“I accept,” said Kiriah abruptly. “All of those conditions; I accept them.”

“Kiriah!” said Nasis. “Don’t go with them. You’re just going to get in a Karzahni of a lot of trouble.”

“I’m sorry, Nasis, but this is what I need to do,” said Kiriah. “I’ll try to be gentle.”

Without further hesitation, Kiriah reached out with her powers and touched Nasis’s mind. She immediately turned his mind off or, to put it another way, knocked him out. The Toa of Iron immediately fell backwards onto the floor of his apartment, his eyes closed and his body still.

Kafor immediately stood up, brushing herself off as she said, “Well, Kiriah, I didn’t think you had it in you to do that. Thought you were a goody two-shoes. Perhaps I was mistaken.”

“Enough of the chit-chat,” said Night. “Free me and Heavyweight. We have to get out of here. The neighbors might have heard the fighting. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of them called the police just to be safe.”

A few minutes later, Night and Heavyweight were free of their bonds. The group briefly discussed what to do with Nasis, but decided to just leave him on the floor, as he was unconscious and not currently a problem. Kafor wanted to kick him in the mask one last time before they left, but Kiriah managed to convince her not to do that.

“You said you know a better place we can stay for the night,” said Night to Kiriah. “Where is it?”

“I’ll take you there,” said Kiriah. “It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I remember the general route.”

“Lead the way, then,” said Kafor, gesturing at the door. “We will follow right behind you. We’ve got your back.”

Kiriah perfectly understood that ‘We’ve got your back’ meant that they were going to take her down if they whiffed even a hint of deception or trickery on her part. Still, Kiriah nodded and led her three new allies out of the apartment, wondering how they would react when they learned what their true destination was: The Zisar Luxury Hotel in downtown Zisar, where Masqouth was.

Review Topic

Chapter XXIII

Niham sat behind the one-way mirror, her feet propped up on the desk she sat behind as she, Makuta Teridax, and Oggak watched as Riorc, a Will agent, interrogated Wavica and Asroth. The interrogator had been working for hours already, trying to get the Echoes to talk, but so far neither of them had said anything the organization hadn't already known through their own intelligence-gathering.

Of course, Niham hadn’t been here for the entire interrogation session. She first had been taken to her temporary room, where she was told to stay until they gave her permission to leave. Niham didn’t really want to stay put, however, and managed to convince Oggak to convince Teridax to let her come out and watch the interrogation. It was probably her detective instincts at work, but Niham felt she had every right to know the location of the three Toa these two Echoes had thus far kidnapped.

Riorc slammed both of his large hands on the table before the two Echoes. “I'm going to ask one more time: Where are Kanderias, Laomos, and Akuna? What did you do with them?”

Wavica said nothing while Asroth said, “And I am going to say again, go jump off a cliff. We aren’t going to tell you anything you want to know. The location of those Toa is a secret we’re going to take to the grave.”

“To the grave, eh?” said Riorc in frustration. “How would you like it if I shoved this spear down your throat?”

Riorc gestured at a deadly-looking spear leaning against a nearby wall.

“You wouldn’t do that,” said Wavica calmly. “If you did, you’d kill us and so never learn what you want to learn.”

Riorc growled. “Maybe I should bring in Knife-Fingers.”

Niham glanced at Teridax. “Who is Knife-Fingers?”

“I will tell you later,” said Teridax, without looking at her.

“We don’t care who you bring in,” said Asroth. “We aren’t going to talk. And we are going to escape.”

At that, Riorc smirked. “Escape? You’re in a high-level security fortress constantly upgraded with the best, most up-to-date security systems on the planet. It has the best guards you could find anywhere and the entire thing is floating hundreds of feet in the sky, which means a very long drop if you decide to jump. Don’t kid yourselves. You're just pathetic.”

“Your imagination must be extremely poor if you think we’d try to break out of this fortress the predictable way,” Wavica replied. “That would be suicide.”

“And, pray tell, how do you intend to break out?” said Riorc, crossing his thin arms. “Going to use your dimension-hopping powers? I doubt it, myself, as you seem to need your arms free to be able to use your abilities. Or do you think some of your friends will save you?”

Asroth smirked. “You’re spot on, moron. We’re just waiting for the cavalry to arrive.”

“The cavalry?” said Riorc with a snort. “No one knows you’re up here besides us. You are rather naïve if you think-“

Without warning, Riorc’s neck twisted so fast Niham only heard it happen and the next minute the agent’s prone body fell to the floor. At the same time, Asroth and Wavica’s bonds loosened around them and fell off and the two Echoes stood up triumphantly.

“What the Karzahni?” said Teridax as he, Niham, and Oggak jumped to their feet. “What just happened? How did they do that?”

The next moment, something like water began filling the room. Or, at least, it felt like water was filling the room, for Niham did not see or feel any water, nor did she hear it rushing in. It took her a second to realize that it wasn't water she felt, but the presence of some unfathomably powerful being entering the chamber.

The being’s presence sent her to her knees, bumping her face against the desk on the way down. At her side, Teridax and Oggak had also been brought to their knees, though they still struggled hard against the presence that overwhelming them all. The sound of shattering glass attracted Niham’s attention to the one-way mirror, which Wavica and Asroth jumped through, landing in front of Niham and the two Will agents.

“What . . . kind of power is this?” Teridax growled, straining out every word. “Let us go.”

“Sorry, Makuta, but no can do,” said Asroth, shaking her head. “This isn’t our doing, even though I would love to be doing it to you. It’s our King, who cares very much about our wellbeing, right, Wavica?”

“He certainly does,” said Wavica, nodding.

It was then that a voice spoke. It was an ancient voice, one which reminded Niham of nature, of the swaying of trees in the wind, of birds chirping, of animals roaming through the wilderness, stepping on fallen twigs and leaves, of waterfalls and rushing streams; of life itself, in other words.

“Waste no more time blasting them, Wavica, Asroth,” said the voice. “Grab the Toa of the Green and depart. There is but one last phase in the plan before the Door can be opened, so waste no more time here.”

“Yes, sir,” said Asroth. “Can I smack these other two around for a bit before we go, though?”

“No,” said the voice. “You cannot waste any more time. The next phase will require all of you Echoes together; otherwise, it cannot work.”

“Who are you?” Teridax demanded, looking around. “Where are you speaking from? What is your name?”

“Who I am is none of your business, Makuta of Light,” said the voice. “I do find it remarkable, however, that my Echoes aren’t the only non-inhabitants of this universe. I will spare your life and the life of the Toa of Shadow, I think, because there is nothing you can do to stop me now; plus, I am adverse to pointless killing.”

“The Will of Angonce will track you down and kill you,” said Teridax between gritted teeth. “This I swear.”

“It won’t matter,” said the voice. “Now please rest for a while. I promise your rest will only be temporary.”

Without warning, Oggak and Teridax hit the floor face-first. Niham’s first thought was that they were both dead, but when she remembered the voice’s promise of not killing them, she relaxed a little, although not entirely, for she was now at the mercy of Asroth, Wavica, and their King, whoever he was.

“Niham, you, too, will have to sleep,” said the voice. “That way, you will not be able to resist my Echoes, who will take you where you need to be.”

Panic filled Niham’s being as her mind began to shut off. She tried to fight it, but it was absolutely no use whatsoever. She could feel her consciousness slipping away by the second until she could feel it no longer.

-

Kiriah found herself standing on top of a building in Zisar, trying to recover from the dimension-hopping trip she’d taken to get here. Below, Skakdi of all colors and spine designs walked the streets, drove vehicles, and went about their business. The huge telescreens mounted on some of the skyscrapers showed clips of Masqouth’s speeches; a bold move, in Kiriah’s opinion, for the clips were edited together in a way that made it sound as though Masqouth were promoting Skakdi nationalism.

Kiriah would have to go down into the streets eventually and find Masqouth. This would be hard, partly because Kiriah had never visited Zisar before (and so therefore was unfamiliar with its layout), and partly because Kiriah didn’t know where Masqouth was at the moment. She only knew three things about Zisar; that it was the capital of New Zakaz; that it had the largest Skakdi population in all of Spherus Magna; and that it was a really big city in spite of the violent and unpredictable nature of the Skakdi.

Deciding she would ask someone where Masqouth was staying, Kiriah took the fire escape down the side of the building and into a dark alley where a she found a red Skakdi sleeping, probably homeless. She immediately left the alley and emerged onto the busy street, looking this way and that for anyone who looked knowledgeable about famous people living in Zisar.

She decided upon a brown Skakdi who was walking by, whose shoulder she tapped. He looked at her and said, rather gruffly, “What?”

“Hello,” said Kiriah in as sweet a voice as she could muster. “Could you tell me where Masqouth is staying? I’m not from around here, you see, and-“

“Why should I tell you that?” said the Skakdi indignantly. “I know your kind. You’re a New Atero agent looking to take Masqouth down. Well, I’m not going to help you with that. New Atero is going to fall and a new century will dawn for the Skakdi! Down with New Atero!”

The Skakdi stomped off as he chanted, “Down with New Atero!” over and over again, although no one seemed to pay him any attention. Whether it was because the vast majority of the people on the street agreed with him or didn't care about what he was saying, Kiriah didn’t know. All she knew was that she was confused by the way the Skakdi had treated her.

Just then, a familiar voice behind her said, “Kiriah, is that you?”

Kiriah spun around and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Toa Nasis, Toa of Iron and former leader of the Toa Tanjo, making his way toward her through the crowd. It took only a few seconds for Nasis to reach Kiriah, by which time Kiriah had retreated to the stoop of a nearby building to keep out of street traffic.

“Hey, Kiriah, what are you doing in Zisar?” said Nasis as he sat down next to her on the stoop. “It’s been years since we last saw each other. How are things in New Tanjo Nui?”

“They’re fine,” said Kiriah, somewhat distractedly. “What are you doing in Zisar? I thought you were living in New Atero.”

“I’ve got a job here in Zisar now,” said Nasis. “I’m one of the city’s resident building inspectors. Any time someone builds a new building in this city or decides to renovate an old one, the government sends me in to inspect it during and after construction.”

“Why would you want to live in Zisar?” said Kiriah, glancing at the passing Skakdi. “The Skakdi just seem so . . . unfriendly.”

Nasis chuckled. “Eh, you get used to it after a while. Unfriendliness is how they relate to each other and to foreigners. But there’s definitely some real bitterness toward Toa, which makes it hard to live here, but hey, the pay is good.”

“So I take it Masqouth’s message has been resonating with the people?” said Kiriah.

“Yes,” said Nasis, nodding. “Everyone loves him. The only people who don’t are my bosses. Personally, I don’t care about Masqouth. Just seems like all talk and no walk to me; after all, anyone can rile up a crowd.”

Kiriah nodded. She was trying to decide whether to tell Nasis what she was doing in Zisar when the Toa of Iron said, “By the way, Kiri, you still haven’t told me what you’re doing all the way out here.”

“It’s complicated.”

“You can tell me,” said Nasis. “I’m all ears.”

“Look, is there anywhere private we can go where people won’t hear us?” said Kiriah, glancing at the passersby. “It’s really secret and I don’t want anyone hearing it who shouldn’t.”

“Well, I was just on my way back to my apartment,” said Nasis. “It’s about a block from here. The walls are pretty thick, so we won’t have to worry about eavesdroppers.”

“Good,” said Kiriah. “Then let’s go.”

Review Topic

Chapter XXII

“Impossible,” said Chimoy, visibly shaken. “You can’t be Nonzra. You are not Nonzra. You’re just lying, trying to throw me off. You can’t fool me.”

Jeran’s shoulders sagged. “I guess you’re right that, though I am Nonzra, I am also not Nonzra. Both statements are true.”

“No, they’re not,” said Chimoy, shaking his head. “You’re not Nonzra. Nonzra died in my arms fifty thousand years ago, after I and the other Toa Shika locked the Door for good. His very last act was an act of heroism. Don’t desecrate his memory by pretending to be him!”

“How can I desecrate my own memory, Chimoy?” said Jeran, gesturing at himself. “As intelligent as you are, I can tell that you don’t quite grasp what I mean when I say that I am Nonzra and that I am not Nonzra. Would you allow me to explain?”

“Fine,” Chimoy snapped. “But don’t expect me to believe one word of it. I know you’re just trying to freak me out and it’s not working.”

“Freaking you out isn’t my intention, Chimoy, but I will continue,” said Jeran. “Now Chimoy, you know about alternate universes, correct?”

Chimoy nodded. “I’ve heard about them, although I haven’t studied them myself. Why?”

“As you know, a new alternate universe springs into existence whenever a decision is made in another universe,” said Jeran. “These new universes resemble the universe from which they sprang except in one significant detail, which usually changes the course of history in that universe.”

“Are you implying that you came from one of those other universes?”

“Yes, I am,” said Jeran as he wiped the water off his face. “You know that in this universe, the Toa Shika escaped Wyoko and locked the Door, thus saving the day. The only member of the Toa Shika who didn’t survive their adventure into the tapestry of evil was Nonzra, although he lived long enough to help create the Toa seal that to this day keeps the Kra-Matoran from escaping their banishment and imprisonment.”

“I know this already,” said Chimoy. “I was there. I saw it all happen firsthand. And I repeat, you are not Nonzra because Nonzra is dead.”

“Allow me to finish,” said Jeran. “An alternate universe arose from this one, from the battle that led to the Toa Shika winning victoriously over the Kra-Matoran. In that alternate universe, all of the Toa Shika are killed and the Kra-Matoran escape Wyoko. Only one of the Toa Shika survives, survives with hatred in his heart and a desire for revenge: Toa Nonzra, Toa of Sonics.”

“Wait a minute,” said Chimoy, putting one hand over his mouth. “You aren’t telling me-“

“Yes, I am, Chimoy,” said Jeran, nodding. “I am that Nonzra, the only one who survived the slaughter of his friends and teammates. In that universe, you died in my arms in vain, for the Kra-Matoran escaped and went on to ravage the rest of the universe. I vowed to avenge you and the others one day, Chimoy. And that day is nearly here.”

“By the Great Beings,” said Chimoy. “How did you get here, then, if what you say is true?”

“Masqouth found me,” said Jeran. “He came to my universe a little while ago in search of people to recruit to his cause. He found me and convinced me to join him. He told me I could get revenge if I just followed him and his master, the King of Life. I agreed, even though our plan involves freeing the Kra-Matoran once again.”

“What?” said Chimoy in shock. “If you hate the Kra-Matoran so much, why are you going to help free them again?”

Jeran stomped his foot and said, “Don’t you understand? The King of Life promised to wipe out the entire Kra-Matoran tribe once they left Wyoko. At this point, I don’t care if they ravage this universe. All I care about is seeing them destroyed, and if I must free them in order to do that, then so be it.”

“You’re crazy,” said Chimoy. “I don’t know who the King of Life is or what the details of his plan are, but it’s clear to me that you’re insane.”

“Insane? Hardly,” said Jeran. “I’m quite sane. I don’t like helping the Kra-Matoran any more than you would, Chimoy, but if this is the only way to ensure their eventual destruction, then I must do it.”

“Revenge isn’t a noble emotion, Jeran,” said Chimoy, holding out one hand. “You need to let go of your anger, let go of your-“

“Let go?” Jeran repeated with a hollow laugh. “Did you forget the part where, in my universe, they killed you and the other Toa Shika? Or the part in this universe, where they kill me? I’m sorry, Chimoy, but I don’t care if revenge is a ‘noble’ emotion or not. It is my emotion and I shall decide what to do with it.”

“If you unleash the Kra-Matoran onto Spherus Magna, you’re going to cause the deaths of many innocent people,” said Chimoy. “Do you want that on your conscience?”

“That’s not my problem,” said Jeran. “Who the Kra-Matoran kill or harm is none of my business. What matters is that I have been promised vengeance. And vengeance is all I need.”

Chimoy shook his head sadly. “I can see you’re not going to look at things logically, then. All I can do is try to stop you before your plan goes any further.”

“You won’t be able to stop me, Chimoy,” said Jeran. “But I can stop you.”

Jeran clapped his hands together, sending a sound blast at Chimoy that struck the Toa of Iron directly in the face. The blow sent Chimoy crashing to the street so hard that it knocked him out instantly, just as Jeran had planned.

Panting, Jeran walked over to the unconscious Chimoy and looked down at him. Though Jeran regretted attacking his old friend, it was the only way he could get Chimoy to come with him, the only way he could get his revenge. Yet that hardly assuaged his guilt, which he now tried to ignore.

Jeran raised one hand and a dimensional portal opened a few feet away from him. With Chimoy slung over his shoulder, Jeran stepped through the portal, knowing that the plan’s fulfillment was near.

-

“We’re entering Zisar airspace,” said Night. “Buckle in because we’re about to land.”

Kafor, who had been sleeping, awoke abruptly. Shaking her head, she looked out the window at the large city, its lights shining brightly in the dark of the night. It had been years since Kafor had been in Zisar, so she felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. There were surely Dark Hunters in Zisar, after all, although whether they knew about Rex’s death yet, Kafor didn’t know.

A voice spoke over the intercom, saying, “This is Zisar Airfield Control Tower One. State your registration number.”

“This is number seven one three five,” Night replied. “Request for a landing in the Airfield.”

“Request approved, seven one three five,” said the voice. “Fly to the east end of the field, away from the city. There is space over there for an airship of your size.”

“Thank you,” said Night as he clicked the intercom off.

Puzzled, Kafor asked, “So what, was the air control officer too dumb to realize he’s letting an internationally wanted criminal land in the Airfield?”

“No,” said Night, shaking his head. “I just used the flight identification number of another, friendlier airship, so he assumed I was someone else.”

“And what might that friendlier airship be, per chance?” said Kafor.

“That is not something you need to know right now,” said Night. “Suffice to say he probably thinks we’re a lot more important than we really are.”

Kafor didn’t know what that meant and she wouldn’t get to know, either, for Night brought in the Knight’s Wish for a landing on the eastern end of the Airfield, as directed by the flight control officer. It was extremely dark at this end of the Airfield, the only illumination being the lights along the runway. Night didn’t have any trouble safely landing the ship, though, perhaps because there wasn't the worst blizzard in the world blinding him.

The trio quickly departed from the Knight’s Wish. Night gave it one last look before they turned to go into the city, which Kafor took as a last sentimental gesture. After all, it was doubtful Night was going to keep it much longer, for he planned to sell it to someone in Zisar, which meant this might be the last time he’d see it.

“So where’s our first stop?” said Kafor as they walked past the rows of parked airships. “Are we going to the theater?”

“We’re going to the black market,” said Night without looking at her. “Have to find a buyer for the Knight’s Wish.”

“Why’d you even think we’d be going to the theater, anyway?” said Heavyweight, looking at Kafor.

Kafor shrugged. “Oh, I was hoping I’d get to see one last play before, you know, we have to go into hiding for the rest of our lives. I heard The Tragedy of the Ghost King has been playing recently and according to the critics it’s supposed to be quite good.”

“We’re not going to see any plays,” said Night flatly. “At least, Heavyweight and I aren’t. You can if you want, but we have more important things to do.”

“Well, then I guess this is where we part,” said Kafor. “Once we reach Zisar’s city limits, I-“

Night immediately threw out both arms, stopping Heavyweight and Kafor. When Kafor looked at Night in indignation, she noticed that he was tense and his eyes were focused on something she couldn’t see.

“What’s the matter?” said Kafor. “Did you hear something go bump?”

“It’s not that,” said Night, shaking his head. “I thought I saw someone hiding among the airships. No, I know I saw someone hiding among the airships.”

Kafor squinted in the darkness. “I don’t see anything but airships, myself.”

“Nor do I,” said Heavyweight. “But Night, you must see something with your night vision, right?”

“Right,” said Night, nodding. “Only problem is, the person I saw disappeared. They must be hiding behind an airship or something because I can't-“

A powerful gust of wind slammed into the trio, knocking all three of them off their feet. The blow dazed Kafor, whose head seemed to spin for a while before she shook it and regained her bearings.

“What was that?” said Kafor as she got back to her feet. “A tornado?”

“Not quite, Skakdi,” said an arrogant, feminine voice from somewhere within the shadows. “But close enough.”

Kafor looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw a Toa of Air standing on one of the airships. The Toa of Air carried a large air-blaster, which she hefted with ease. With her recognizable Mask of Stone, Kafor knew who the Toa was immediately.

“Litho,” said Night, looking up at the bounty hunter. “How did you know we’d be here?”

Litho smiled and aimed her air-blaster at them. “Oh, I didn’t. I was just coming back to my airship after another successful hunt when I heard some people talking. Not knowing who they were, I hid and, coincidence beyond coincidence, I found out that they were you three. Destiny must have brought us together again so I can bring all three of you to justice.”

“All three of us?” said Kafor. “Hey, I’m just a civilian that these Dark Hunters here kidnapped.”

“Kafor!” Night snapped.

“It’s true,” said Kafor with a shrug. “I have done absolutely nothing wrong in my entire life. Destiny is a cruel mistress to place me into the hands of these criminals.”

“It didn’t sound like you were kidnapped to me,” said Litho. “In fact, based on the conversation you were having with them, it sounded an awful lot like they were your allies.”

“But you saw Night kidnap me earlier,” said Kafor. “So you know I'm their prisoner.”

“How do I know you weren't secretly working for him?” said Litho. “Seems awfully convenient that, just as I was about to capture one of the most infamous criminals in the world, he takes a 'hostage' who is quite willing to go along with him.”

“Look, you don't understand,” said Kafor, raising her hands. “He was-”

“You can explain it to me after I take you to jail, Skakdi,” said Litho. “I don’t know what kind of crimes you’re wanted for, but I’m sure the prison warden will be more than willing to tell me when I drag you to Zisar City Prison with your two Dark Hunter buddies.”

“And here I thought Toa were a reasonable bunch,” Kafor sighed. “Oh, well. You’re not going to capture us anyway.”

“Yes, I am!” said Litho, stomping her foot. “Do you know the kind of embarrassment I suffered when everyone learned I failed to catch you? A homeless Matoran found me in a trash can, recognized me, and then told everyone he knew that the great Toa Litho was sleeping in trash cans. In trash cans.”

Heavyweight smirked. “Maybe you shouldn’t sleep in trash cans, then.”

“You did that, didn’t you?” said Litho, aiming her air-blaster at Heavyweight. “Get ready for the butt-kicking of a lifetime, you moron.”

Litho pulled the trigger and unleashed another burst of wind from her blaster. Heavyweight and Night scattered before it hit them. So did Kafor, even though she wasn’t in the way of the air blast. All she wanted to do was make it into Zisar and hide where Litho could never find her. Night and Heavyweight could fend for themselves.

As she rolled underneath an airship, guilt gnawed at Kafor’s conscience. After all, it had been due to Night and Heavyweight that she’d managed to escape New Odina. Abandoning them to a mad bounty hunter like that made her feel bad, even if they could take care of Litho themselves.

On the other hand, it was because of them that she had gone to New Odina in the first place, which helped assuage her guilt quite a bit.

Ignoring the sounds of battle, Kafor crawled toward the other side of the airship. Once she reached it, she crawled out from underneath, stood up, and didn’t look back. It really didn’t matter to her who won, whether Litho or Night and Heavyweight. If the tide turned in Litho’s favor, Kafor wanted to be as far away from the battle as she possibly could.

Before she started toward the city, Kafor had a splitting headache that actually sent her to her knees. Her eyes focused in and out, and it was impossible to see anything. She recognized this as something she hadn’t experienced in a while: a vision.

For as long as Kafor could remember, she had been having brief visions of the future. They were usually vague and only made sense after the fact, which was partly why Kafor didn’t enjoy them very much.

Because of those visions, she’d always been something of an outcast even among her fellow Skakdi. No one ever believed her when she said she could see the future; in fact, the only person who ever took her visions seriously was Barc, which was part of the reason Kafor had always come to his bar. She had nowhere else to go.

It had been a long time since Kafor's last vision. Indeed, the last one had been such a long time ago that Kafor had thought maybe her visions had left her. She had even begun speculating that her lack of visions meant maybe a time of peace was coming, for her visions almost always preceded some terrible event, such as the Great Cataclysm or the death of the old universe, for instance. They rarely ever showed anything nice.

Of course, she shouldn’t have been so naïve. The part of her brain that gave her visions was active again and now she found herself standing on top of a skyscraper in a city that looked like Zisar. The only difference was that everything was blurry and gray, which Kafor found odd because her visions were usually clear and in color. Whether this meant anything or not, Kafor didn’t know.

That was when she noticed something in the alley below. She saw herself being held at knife point by a being that looked remarkably like Masqouth; in fact, upon closer inspection, Kafor realized that that being was Masqouth. The revolutionary was holding a knife against Vision Kafor’s throat, which caused the real Kafor to put one hand on her throat reflexively.

She and Masqouth weren’t alone in the alleyway, however. There was Night, Heavyweight, and a Toa of Psionics whose mask rang a bell in Kafor's mind, even though the Toa's identity was still a mystery to her. Their weapons were aimed at Masqouth, but with his knife at Vision Kafor's throat, it seemed unlikely that they would attack.

“Now lower your weapons, my friends,” said Masqouth in a low voice. “Or we’ll see what color blood Skakdi bleed.”

Night, Heavyweight, and the Toa of Psionics reluctantly lowered their weapons. At the same time, Kafor saw Vision Kafor’s eyes meet Night’s.

“Good,” said Masqouth, his grip relaxing on Kafor slightly. “Now if you will-“

Without warning, Vision Kafor elbowed Masqouth, forcing him to let her go. Kafor cheered on her vision self, who then punched Masqouth in the face. Masqouth stumbled backwards, shaking his head, as Night hurled a shadow bolt at him, although the revolutionary managed to duck and avoid it. At the same time, another knife fell out of Masqouth’s sleeve into his hand and he dashed at Vision Kafor, aiming the knife’s tip directly at her heart.

That was when the vision abruptly ended. Kafor blinked several times and looked around. She was still in the Airfield, surrounded by airships, on her knees with her hands on her head.

That vision made no sense to Kafor, even though she recognized its legitimacy. She, Night, and Heavyweight were already in Zisar and so, to her knowledge, was Masqouth. Yet why was Masqouth threatening her life and who was the Toa of Psionics? For that matter, why were they fighting him at all?

But Kafor recognized that, despite its unexplained oddities, her vision was going to come true at some point, probably very soon. She considered not going to Zisar; however, that would mean traveling in the dark through the mostly barren county of New Zakaz, which was crawling with sand bats, Skopios, and various other not-so-friendly creatures, not to mention she would have to deal with the occasional bandit as well. It would be smarter to go to Zisar and risk the vision’s fulfillment than to go into the wilderness and die a horrible death there.

That meant, of course, that she’d have to go back and help Night and Heavyweight defeat Litho. Which definitely would put her in harm’s way, but as she knew she was going to need the two if she was going to survive the vision’s fulfillment, she really had no choice.

Sighing, Kafor crawled underneath the airship again, crawling closer and closer to the sounds of battle, already reluctantly planning how she was going to help her abandoned allies.

Review Topic

I cannot wait to see it. It looks freaking awesome.

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XXI

With her head hurting, her shoulder bleeding, and her legs refusing to move, Kiriah was sure she was going to die. The makeshift bandage Stronius had tied around her shoulder didn’t do much more than stem the flow of blood. As it was, Kiriah was afraid she’d develop an infection, which could be fatal if left untreated.

It occurred to Kiriah, as she lay there in pain, that she wore a Mask of Healing. Then she reminded herself that she could not use the Mask of Healing's power on herself, meaning she needed another Kanohi-user to use its power on her. As there did not appear to be any Kanohi-users around besides herself, Kiriah figured her time was almost up.

She lifted her head and looked down the incline. Stronius was still trading blows with Niralo. The two hit each other so savagely that Kiriah was surprised they were both still standing. Even with his tail slashing and striking, Niralo appeared evenly matched with the monk, who blocked and dodged his opponent’s blows while striking where he saw an opening in Niralo’s defenses.

Perhaps Stronius would defeat Niralo after all, although it didn’t matter one way or the other. As long as Kiriah lacked the medical attention her shoulder needed, she was probably going to die regardless of the fight's winner.

Just as Kiriah closed her eyes, she felt something like a powerful gust of wind sweep her in its embrace. At the same time, she could tell that it was not wind at all; rather, it was the collective presence of a group of beings Kiriah had only met once before but who she knew well just the same.

The Almighty Ones, Kiriah thought. What are you doing here?

We have come to save your life, Kiriah, said the Almighty Ones. We will heal your shoulder and your body. When you regain consciousness, you should be as good as new.

Hold on, said Kiriah. That’s great and all, but why did you choose just now to intervene? Can’t you use your powers to kill Niralo or at least help Stronius beat him?

That would be an . . . unwise move on our part, said the Almighty Ones. We are not allowed to intervene, at least directly. Even this much is dangerous . . .if he knew that we were saving you there’s no telling what he might do to . . .

He? Who’s he? Kiriah said. What are you talking about, you aren’t allowed to intervene? It's not like you guys have a boss, right?

We have good reasons for doing what we do, Toa Kiriah, said the Almighty Ones, their tone almost angry. We simply don’t have the time to tell you. Now let us heal you. You and Stronius can defeat Niralo on your own. You don’t need our help.

Kiriah knew better than to interrogate the Almighty Ones about subjects they didn't want to talk about, but she still had another question to ask: How is Jet? Is he still alive?

We are still searching for him, said the Almighty Ones. We don’t know where he ended up or if he is still alive. But that’s all we can say for now. Good bye, Kiriah. We hope you succeed.

Hey, don’t leave yet, Kiriah protested. You still haven’t answered my other-

Before we go, we leave you with one last order, said the Almighty Ones, interrupting Kiriah. After you defeat Niralo, return to your dimension immediately. You must find Masqouth and stop him before it is too late. That is all.

A second later, Kiriah opened her eyes and gasped, as though she’d been holding her head underwater too long. It took her a second to realize that she no longer felt the pain in her shoulder. Looking to her right, Kiriah ripped the makeshift bandage off her shoulder and saw that the wound was healed and closed. Even the blood had been cleaned off it, although the armor was still broken.

In addition to that, the rest of her body felt energized and rested, like she’d just taken a good nap. Kiriah hesitantly sat up, but she didn’t feel any pain from the movement. She realized that the Almighty Ones really had healed her. They did a far better job of healing her than Kiriah ever did when healing other people with her mask, for it didn't even feel like she had been healed.

Amazed, Kiriah rolled her shoulders and then stood up. She glanced downhill and saw Stronius and Niralo fighting. She knew she had to help Stronius somehow, but it would be tricky, as the two combatants fought so closely to each other that throwing some large object at Niralo might also hit Stronius. So she decided upon a different approach.

Activating her telekinesis, Kiriah focused on Niralo’s tail, specifically on the tip, and then yanked it hard. At the same time, the tip of Niralo’s tail snapped off, which didn’t cause any bleeding, but did make Niralo glanced over his shoulder in shock before Stronius slammed both fists into the Echo’s face.

The blow sent Niralo stumbling backwards onto the ground. In an instant, Stronius was on top pf him, but Niralo immediately shoved the Skrall off, sending Stronius tumbling away. The Echo got back to his feet and then looked up the incline at Kiriah, baring his teeth in anger.

“You!” said Niralo, pointing up at Kiriah. “How the Karzahni are you still alive?”

“I have friends,” said Kiriah. “But I really wouldn’t worry about me if I were you. You have a rather angry monk to deal with, I think.”

Niralo turned around too late. Stronius ran at him and grabbed the Echo’s head. In one smooth motion, Stronius twisted Niralo’s head until a loud ‘snap’ shot through the air. Then Stronius shoved Niralo’s prone body backwards, causing it to crash to the ground like a rock. It did not move.

Panting, Stronius looked up at Kiriah, but before he could say anything, he fell face-first onto the ground.

Alarmed, Kiriah ran down the incline without thinking. Thankfully, she made it to the bottom without tripping and, running around Niralo’s corpse, she bent down next to Stronius and rolled the Skrall onto his back.

Up close, Stronius looked absolutely terrible. His robes were completely torn apart in several places; the few bits that still clung to his body were a dirty brown rather than a pure white. One of his eyes was black, while his chest armor was dented in several places. And one of his arms was scratched up pretty badly. He was still alive, though, for Kiriah could hear him breathing.

“Stronius, wake up,” said Kiriah, shaking the Skrall. “Come on, wake up. Don’t you die on me.”

Stronius’s eyes flickered open and he looked at Kiriah. He coughed a couple of times before saying, “We make a good team.”

Kiriah chuckled. “Yeah, I guess so. Now let me heal you with my Mask of Healing. Try to describe to me your injuries, if you know them, and I’ll do my best to heal them.”

Stronius was surprisingly thorough with his descriptions of his injured body parts. In spite of his appearance, however, Stronius wasn’t quite as badly wounded as Kiriah had thought. The few major injuries he did sustain, such as a broken ribcage, Kiriah managed to fix at least well enough that it would suffice until he got back to the monastery, where he could get some actual medical attention if necessary.

Once he was healed, Stronius stood up and looked down at Niralo’s corpse.

“Kiriah, who was that being and why did he want to kill you?” said Stronius as Kiriah rose. “What did you do to harm him?”

Kiriah also looked at Niralo and said, “He was the guy who tried to kill me and Jet when you and your fellow monks found us in the jungle. Can’t tell you much more than that, I’m afraid.”

Stronius nodded. “I understand. You’re not from this dimension, are you?”

“What?” said Kiriah. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean that you did not come from this dimension, Toa Kiriah,” said Stronius, shaking his head. “Nor did this being who tried to kill you, for that matter. Both of you came from somewhere else for reasons I do not know. Is that correct?”

Kiriah’s first instinct was to lie and tell him he was wrong, but after all they’d been through together, she realized lying to Stronius would be the wrong thing to do here.

So she said, “You’re spot on. I’m not from this dimension. That’s why I seemed ignorant of this world. I really had no idea about anything regarding this dimension except that Jet was from here.”

“I thought that might be so,” said Stronius. “And when I saw Jetrupi’s reluctance to talk about where he met you and where he got his ability to open dimensional portals, well, I thought that had to be the case. The fact that you are a good Toa and not a murderous one is almost enough in itself to prove you are not from here.”

“I guess I can’t ask you to keep this a secret, can I?” said Kiriah. “I don’t think the people here need to know that I’m not a native of this dimension, so . . .”

“Your secret is safe with me,” Stronius said. “Nor will I question you about why you are here in the first place. By the way, is Annona finally gone? I was not awake to see that.”

“Yes,” said Kiriah, nodding. “Jet sent her to another dimension.”

Stronius glanced around the area and said, “But where is Jetrupi? Why was he not fighting Niralo with you?”

Kiriah glanced at the spot where Jet had been standing. The sight of Jet held above Niralo’s head, with Niralo’s tail sticking through his stomach, was still burned in her mind’s eye.

“I don’t know,” Kiriah admitted. “Someday, I'm going to find him. For now, I have to get going.”

“You are going home?”

“Yes,” said Kiriah. “I have to return to my dimension. I have important work to do there, so this is good bye.”

Stronius bowed his head. “Good bye, Toa Kiriah. May the earth grant you success whether you are in this dimension or another.”

“Thanks,” said Kiriah. “Oh, by the way, protect Sahmad, Chalybs, and Telluris. They’re still unconscious. When they wake up, tell them Annona is gone and that you guys have to return to the monastery before it gets too dark.”

“That we shall, Kiriah, that we shall,” said Stronius. He hesitated, and then said, “Is it true, what Jet said, that even if Annona is gone, my fellow monks will still die? That there is no way to restore their dreams at all?”

Kiriah looked down uncomfortably. “Well, I don’t know. I think Jet was telling the truth. That means . . .”

“I must prepare for a month of mourning, then,” said Stronius with a sigh. “And Abbot Tuma . . . never mind. My troubles are my own, Kiriah, and there is nothing you can do now to alleviate them. Go home and never look back.”

Kiriah wanted desperately to help the monks somehow, but she knew Stronius spoke the truth. There was nothing that even she, a Toa of Psionics, could do to restore a person’s ability to dream once it was gone. All of the dreamless monks would eventually die, a thought which disturbed her greatly.

So Kiriah nodded, opened a dimensional portal, and stepped through it, though not before she wondered one last time whether Jet still lived or not. It was a problem the Almighty Ones would solve, she thought, while she had to stop Masqouth. And in order to do that she needed to go to the city of Zisar, the capital of New Zakaz and current residence of that false messiah.

-

Jeran pulled his hood over his head and moved closer to one of the buildings he hid near. It had started to rain in New Atero a few hours ago, and it rained hard, making it difficult to see much, although Jeran could still see Chimoy's apartment building.

In contrast to Asroth and Wavica, Jeran didn’t go directly to wherever Chimoy currently happened to be. He looked up Chimoy's address and staked himself on the street opposite it, in a darkened alleyway between two buildings. He knew Chimoy would have to return sometime, and when he did, Jeran would attack and kidnap the Toa of Iron.

The only problem with this method was that Jeran thus far had had to wait in the rain for several hours. He was soaking wet and his cloak clung to his body like a second layer of skin. It made movement awkward, but Jeran ignored it. If necessary, he could discard the robe; after all, the only reason he wore it was to prevent Masqouth from being implicated in this crime, for if someone saw Jeran, they would no doubt tell the police and that could snowball very quickly.

Just then, a bus came puttering down the street. Jeran sank deeper into the shadows of the alleyway as the bus halted at a bus stop. The only passenger to get off this bus was a Toa of Iron, Chimoy, who waited until the bus moved on before attempting to cross the street to his apartment.

Jeran raised his hands, intending to unleash a concentrated blast of sound that would knock Chimoy out without his prey even being aware of it. This was intentional, for Jeran did not wish to harm his old friend, at least not badly, anyway.

It was at that moment that Jeran heard the swooping of wings above. Puzzled, he looked up just in time to see something large flying toward him.

Alarmed, Jeran jumped backwards, skidding across the wet pavement as the winged thing crashed down where he’d been standing just a few seconds ago. When the winged being stood, Jeran got a good look at him.

His first thought was that it was Wavica, but then he noticed that this winged being was far bulkier than Wavica, not to mention he appeared to be male. The winged being’s armor was black and gold and he carried what looked like four swords around his waist; no surprise, for he also had four arms in addition to his four wings.

The winged being’s red eyes glared at Jeran, which made him realized that he had to get the Karzahni out of there if he wanted to live another day.

So Jeran unleashed a sonic blast at the street, which sent up a dust cloud that obscured the winged titan’s vision. Then Jeran turned and ran down the dark, wet alleyway as fast as he could without tripping. He intended to lose his pursuer, whoever he was, in the alleyways of the city and then circle back to Chimoy’s apartment and finish the job.

The Echo made several twists and turns through the alleys, always reminding himself which way he’d came so he could return to kidnap Chimoy. Every now and then Jeran looked over his shoulder to see if his pursuer was following him, but it appeared he had finally lost the winged titan, for he was nowhere to be seen.

Just as Jeran decided to circle back, he slammed into something thick and hard and fell backwards onto the ground, sliding across the wet street as he did so. Shaking his head, Jeran looked up, wondering if he’d perhaps accidentally run into a wall when he saw the winged titan standing in front of him, all four swords drawn.

“I wouldn’t recommend running if I were you, Jeran,” said the winged titan as he raised his four swords. “My species loves a good hunt and I am no different. It would be better for you to stay here and fight than run like a coward.”

“Who are you and how do you know my name?” said Jeran as he scrambled to his feet. “I’ve never seen you before.”

“My name is Angex,” said the winged titan. “As for how I know your name . . . you’re a celebrity, just like your master, Masqouth. Not as big as Masqouth, perhaps, but I have seen you on the news and so recognize your ugly face quite well.”

“What do you want, an autograph?” said Jeran, unlimbering his scythe. “Or are you just going to kidnap me like any good insane fan boy?”

“I’m hardly what you’d call a fan boy, Jeran,” said Angex, shaking his head. “Actually, I’m really here to kill you where you stand, in the name of order and justice.”

“Order and justice?” said Jeran. “That’s what you call murder in this dimension?”

“It’s not quite as simple as that, Jeran,” said Angex. “My superiors know about you and your master, Masqouth. I was given the task of protecting Toa Chimoy should an Echo ever decide to kidnap him. Really didn’t expect to see any action, but I’m not complaining now.”

Jeran’s eyes widened. “How do you know we’ve been kidnapping Toa?”

“How we know that is none of your business,” said Angex. “Just rest assured that we know exactly what you and your friends are up to. We don’t know why you are doing it or what you hope to gain from such a foolish task, but we don’t need to know any of that in order to stop you morons from causing much death and suffering.”

“Well, even if you know our plan, there’s nothing you can do to stop it,” said Jeran. “We are only a couple of steps away from completing the plan. Killing me won’t change anything.”

Angex shrugged. “It may not, but it has been a while since my blades tasted the blood of an enemy. So die.”

Without warning, Angex dashed forward, moving so fast and so smoothly that it looked like he was gliding across the pavement. Jeran just barely managed to jump out of the way of the incoming giant, who slid to a stop at the other end of the alley.

“You move fast for a deformed one,” said Angex. “Let’s try that again.”

Again, Angex dashed forward, but this time Jeran was ready. He raised his scythe and unleashed a blast of sound at Angex, but to the Echo’s surprise, the sound blast bounced off his enemy’s armor. This caused Jeran to jump once more to the side to avoid being diced into pieces. He hit the street and rolled away from Angex, who again stopped and turned to face Jeran.

“Did you like that?” said Angex, gesturing at his armor with one of his swords. “It’s soundproof armor. It deflects intense sound blasts like a mirror. So, unless you have some other tricks up your sleeve, I’m afraid this is going to be the last rainy day you’ll ever see.”

Jeran threw off his wet coat, for it was weighing him down, and then held his scythe in a battle position again. “You’re right. Sound isn’t the only trick up my sleeve.”

The Echo spun his scythe in a circle in front of him and then stopped. At first, Angex just stared at Jeran before he said, “Where did you go? How did you turn invisible?”

Smirking, Jeran began slowly making his way around Angex. It was not invisibility that hid him from the warrior’s eye; rather, it was the power of illusion that King Atuje had granted Jeran that made it look as though he’d disappeared. There was no way Angex could know about that until it was too late.

Once Jeran had circled around Angex, he looked for an opening in his enemy’s well-armored back. Noticing a thin chink in the warrior’s armor, Jeran immediately drove his scythe into it as hard as he could.

Angex roared in pain and stumbled forward. His sudden movement snapped the scythe head off the scythe itself, leaving Jeran with nothing but a long metal pole in his hands. It didn’t matter, though, because Angex could not reach the blade lodged in his back, no matter how hard he tried.

Then Angex fell to his hands and knees, the blood flowing out of the wound on his back to his abdomen and dripping into the street. He looked up at Jeran, his eyes full of anger and hate.

“You tricky little snake,” said Angex, breathing heavily. “Illusions, was it?”

Jeran nodded. “Yes. A useful ability for easily fooling brutes like you.”

Angex breathed hard and said, “Well, looks like you got me. But I’m not down yet.”

With a grunt. Angex tried to rise, but immediately fell back to his hands and knees. Jeran tsked several times as he folded his arms.

“Yes, Angex, I believe you are going down,” said Jeran. “But allow me to finish you off quickly to spare you some pain.”

Jeran raised his hands and unleashed a sound blast at the top of a nearby building. The blast blew off a chunk of the building’s roof, sending tons of debris falling onto Angex, who was too weak to move out of the way. Soon Angex was buried beneath the debris, his blood spreading out from underneath the rock, mixing with the rain water on the street to make an ugly color.

With that out of the way, Jeran turned around, ready to make his way back through New Atero’s winding streets to Chimoy’s apartment. But then Jeran stopped cold when he saw someone else standing in the alley, someone he had not expected to see here.

It was Toa Chimoy, carrying an umbrella that was no longer necessary, for the rain had stopped a few minutes ago. In the light of the street lamps the Toa of Iron appeared puzzled as he looked at Jeran and the buried Angex.

“What are you doing here?” said Jeran, taking a step back, unable to take his eyes off Chimoy. “How did you know we were back here?”

“I heard fighting,” said Chimoy. “Because it was so close to my apartment, I came to see if I could help. I’ve already called the police, however, so they should be here any minute now.”

“Were you intending to intervene at some point, Chimoy?” said Jeran. “Or were you just going to watch?”

Chimoy frowned. “How do you know my name? We’ve never met before.”

Jeran bit his lower lip. “Yes, we have, Chimoy, although it was a long, long time ago, in another world, and I look quite different now. We were once the best of friends, closer than brothers, but no longer.”

“But I don’t remember ever being best friends with anyone like you,” said Chimoy, shaking his head. “I recognize you from the telescreen, though. You are Masqouth’s servant, aren’t you?”

“That’s essentially what I am now, yes,” said Jeran, nodding. “But you honestly don’t recognize me, Chimoy? I know Masqouth made me look different, but I thought you at least would have recognized me.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know you,” said Chimoy as he folded his umbrella up. “You must have me mistaken for someone else.”

Jeran looked into Chimoy’s eyes and said, “You really don’t remember the guy that you loved, do you?”

Chimoy’s eyes widened, and this time, he took a step back. “No way. You aren’t . . . you can’t be . . . he’s dead . . . died years and years ago . . .”

“But I am him, Chimoy,” said Jeran, spreading his arms wide. “I am Toa Nonzra, the last surviving member of the Toa Shika and your former best friend and crush.”

Review Topic

Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Going through Subspace Emissary mode, mostly 'cause I haven't played it myself yet.

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XX

Oggak returned to the apartment quickly, or so it seemed to Niham, who spent much of the time keeping an eye on Wavica and Asroth, although the two kidnappers had ceased struggling a while ago.

The Toa of Shadow didn’t return alone, however. She brought with her, via shadow travel, a tall, muscular being who called himself Tobduk, and a male Vortixx named Canja. The two agents hefted Wavica and Asroth over their shoulders and then disappeared with Oggak again, who took them back via shadow travel.

Then Oggak returned a second time and grabbed Niham and Jokao’s wrists -- which she assured Niham was necessary for shadow travel -- and then shadow traveled once again.

Shadow travel was unlike anything Niham had experienced before. It felt like she was flying, but she couldn’t see anything. She couldn’t even see Jokao, who was next to her, or Oggak, who was in front of her, the darkness was that thick. She could still feel them both, as well as what felt like the wind, although as far as she could tell, they were not flying in the sky.

A second later, Niham landed on her feet. The abrupt stop caused her to fall to her knees, while Oggak and Jokao remained standing. Shaking the dizziness out of her head, Niham looked around at the area they’d emerged in, although it took her eyes a while to adjust to the sudden lights. When they did, Niham could not believe what she saw.

They were standing on a plateau at the top of a metal stairway, above what looked like an enormous airship hanger. There were dozens of different airships arrayed in neat lines below. Some were small and sleek, obviously designed for perhaps one or two travelers, while others were large and equipped with huge cannons, like warships. Who they were planning to go to war against, Niham honestly didn’t want to know.

She shifted her gaze to the right and saw clouds outside the huge, thick windows. Though it was dark out, she could still see the clouds that were against the windows, which made her wonder how high up they were. She also heard what sounded like huge chopper blades outside, although she didn’t know what that might mean.

“Where . . . where are we?” said Niham as she staggered to her feet, looking around in astonishment. “Is this some kind of airship hanger?”

“It’s not merely an airship hanger, Niham, although that’s part of it,” said Oggak as she stepped forward and gestured around the whole place. “Welcome to the Soaring Titan, the world’s only flying fortress.”

Niham looked at Oggak in disbelief. “A flying fortress? Impossible. You’re pulling my leg.”

“She’s telling the truth, Niham,” said Jokao. “We are in the sky, not supported by the earth or mountains or anything fortresses are usually built on, and we are in a fortress. It was hard for me to believe when I first came here, too, but it’s the real deal all right.”

“How high in the air are we?” said Niham as she leaned over the railing, looking at the airships below.

“Seventeen kio, I believe,” said Oggak. “Its height varies depending on the weather, but seventeen is the usual.”

“Seventeen kio?” said Niham, looking at Oggak in horror. “How does something this big not fall to the earth and kill everyone in it?”

“It was designed by only the best engineers from both the old universe and Spherus Magna,” said Oggak, putting one hand on the railing. “And it is equipped with a dozen different failsafe features that automatically activate should the main engines ever fail. It’s safe.”

“How big is it?” said Niham, looking up at the ceiling, which she figured had to be several stories high at least.

“It’s about four-hundred fifty bio high and six-hundred seventy-five bio long,” said Oggak. “Why do you ask?”

“How the Karzahni does something this big go unnoticed by the rest of the world?” said Niham. “It's not like it's a small thing, if your measurements are right.”

“It has an invisibility shield,” said Jokao. “No one can see it unless you’re standing inside it or right on top of it. In addition, thanks to its advanced radar systems, it's always capable of moving out of the way of incoming air traffic.”

“This is incredible,” said Niham, shaking her head. “Beyond incredible, in fact. Who owns this place?”

“It is not who, Toa Niham, but what,” said a deep, guttural voice behind her. “And that ‘what’ is the Will of Angonce.”

Niham whirled around and saw a giant, white-armored being standing in front of the doorway. He was quite regal in appearance, with gold armor that reflected the lights beautifully. He carried a large warhammer on his back, but that wasn’t what caught Niham's attention. Her eyes were drawn to the titan’s Kanohi mask, which -- terrifyingly enough -- resembled the Mask of Shadows.

“Who is this guy?” said Niham, drawing her Kanoka disk launcher out and aiming it at the newcomer. “And why is he wearing the Mask of Shadows?”

“Please put your weapon away, Niham,” said the being, before either Jokao or Oggak could say anything. “I am your friend, even though I may wear a mask that is a symbol of evil in your universe.”

“In my universe?” said Niham. “Okay, now you’re just talking nonsense. I’m not ‘friends’ with anyone who wears the mask of the most evil being of all time.”

“Niham, calm down,” said Oggak, raising her hands. “He’s not evil. It’s just . . . where he comes from, the Mask of Shadows is not quite as infamous as it is here.”

Niham looked at Oggak in disbelief. “’Where he comes from’? Every living being on Spherus Magna today knows that the Mask of Shadows was Makuta Teridax’s mask. He has no excuse to be wearing that and also claim to be on the side of good; it’s impossible, a contradiction.”

“Perhaps this will clear some things up,” said the giant, pointing at himself. “I am Makuta Teridax, the leader of the Will of Angonce, an organization dedicated to-“

Without even thinking, Niham pulled the trigger on her disk launcher, sending a Kanoka flying straight and true toward the being who claimed to be Teridax. The Makuta merely raised his hand and the disk stopped in midair before snapping in two, its halves falling to the ground with a clang.

“There’s no way you can be Teridax,” said Niham, rage filling her veins. “Teridax died fifty thousand years ago, when Mata Nui pushed him into the path of the Bota Magna moon. It incinerated his essence entirely. You must be an imposter.”

“Not an imposter, no,” said Teridax, shaking his head. “More like a mirror, if you will. A glimpse of what your Teridax could have been had he been strong enough to resist the lure of darkness.”

“Oggak, Jokao, what’s the meaning of this?” said Niham, looking between the two Toa. “Why are you working for some guy who thinks he’s Teridax? Have you lost your minds, too?”

“Let me explain,” said Teridax, his otherwise calm voice tinged with a hint of annoyance. “Tell me, Toa Niham, are you at all familiar with the concept of alternate universes?”

Niham bit her lower lip and said, “I’m no physicist, but I’ve heard of alternate universes, yes. Why does it matter?”

“Because I come from one of those alternate universes, Niham,” said Teridax. “Where I come from, the Shattering never happened, the Element Lords were defeated, the Core War ended peacefully, and the Makuta never became evil. I was the leader of those good Makuta and I believed I would always stay in that universe to the very end of my life.”

Niham glanced at Jokao and Oggak again. “Is what he says true?”

“Yes,” said Oggak, nodding. “All of it is true.”

Skeptical, Niham looked back at Teridax and said, “So if you’re from another universe, why are you here? Why aren’t you in your universe where you belong?”

“I was just getting to that,” said Teridax. “Fifty-thousand years ago by this universe’s count, two Matoran, a Ko-Matoran named Mazeka and a Matoran of Shadow named Vultraz, arrived from this universe into my own. The Great Beings of my universe were interested in how your Vultraz became evil, so in exchange for the secrets of his corruption, they allowed Mazeka to take one person from my universe back with him here in order to maintain the balance between dimensions. And Mazeka chose me.”

“That’s ridiculous,” said Niham. “It can’t be true.”

“But it is,” said Teridax. “I can even bring Mazeka out here to confirm my story, if you wish. He’s a bit older now, but his memory is still good and will agree with every point of my story. Do you wish to speak with him, Niham?”

“No,” Niham said, shaking her head. “I guess you’re telling the truth. You don’t have much reason to lie to me, do you?”

“None at all,” said Teridax, folding his hands behind his back. “Especially as you are probably going to have to stay here for a while, at least until we can find out exactly what Masqouth is up to.”

“So who are you guys?” said Niham, looking at Oggak and Jokao again. “What is this organization you guys are members of? What do you do? When was it formed? How I've never heard of it until now?”

“We’ll let Teridax explain,” said Oggak, nodding at the Makuta. “He's a founding member, so he knows its history better than we do.”

“Okay, then, Makuta,” said Niham, looking up at Teridax. “Tell me, what is this organization called?”

“It’s called the Will of Angonce,” said Teridax. “It is thus named because it is an organization dedicated to following the dictates of the only Great Being still dwelling on Spherus Magna, Angonce.”

“You mean not all of the Great Beings left the planet after all?” said Niham. “Where is Angonce?”

“That is information you are not allowed to know,” said Teridax. “Only a handful of Will agents know Angonce’s location, of which I am one, but we have all vowed to keep it secret. Angonce does not wish to make his location known to every being on Spherus Magna, for not everyone has a great love of the Great Beings, if you understand what I mean.”

“So . . . you’re kind of like the Order of Mata Nui, then,” said Niham, scratching the back of her head. “Right?”

“Similar,” said Teridax, nodding. “In fact, many Order agents went on to join the Will when it was formed. Tobduk, whom I’m sure you have already met, was one such former Order agent turned Will agent. There are several others as well.”

“But I thought the Order had disbanded years ago,” said Niham. “I mean, it didn’t have a purpose anymore, did it? Because Mata Nui was gone, there wasn’t any reason for the organization to stay together.”

“There is always a need for both the light and the shadow, Niham,” said Teridax as he walked up to the railing of the platform. “Like the Order, we operate in the shadows, doing things Toa normally cannot and should not do. We keep an eye on all threats, real and potential, all over Spherus Magna, which is how you came to be involved in all of this, Niham.”

Niham blinked. “What do you mean?”

Teridax turned to look at her and said, “You know that Wavica and Asroth work for Masqouth, yes?”

“That’s what Oggak said,” said Niham doubtfully. “And Wavica did seem to say something along those lines, but . . .”

“It’s true,” said Teridax. “You see, Masqouth is a threat to Spherus Magna. Though he shows a charismatic, sympathetic character to the public, we know that he has nothing but malicious intent for everyone on this planet. If his plan succeeds, many people will die.”

“Well, what is his plan, then?” said Niham, folding her arms. “That is, assuming it's not top secret or anything.”

“I thought you had it figured out by now, Niham,” said Teridax. “Remember what you came to speak with Oggak about earlier?”

Niham thought about it for a moment before saying, “Yes, I remember. I thought Wavica might have been trying to kidnap the six Toa needed to open the Door. And now that I think about it, I also remember Wavica admitting to us that that was their plan.”

Then Niham glanced at Oggak and said, “Why’d you lie to me and say they had nothing to do with it when I first told you the idea, Oggak?”

“It was to keep you safe,” said Oggak. “I didn’t know that they would come in and attack us during our conversation. I wanted to throw you off-track so you wouldn’t get hurt. I’m sorry I lied to you.”

“Yes, that's nice,” said Teridax, somewhat dismissively. “The important part is that we now have, according to Oggak, a direct confession from one of the Echoes about Masqouth’s ultimate plan. Not only that, but we have two of the Echoes working under Masqouth, which I am sure has harmed his operations.”

“I’m still confused, though,” said Niham. “What does Masqouth have to do with any of this? I thought he was just a revolutionary or something.”

“To be frank, Niham, not even we know exactly where Masqouth came from nor why he is doing this,” Teridax admitted, stroking his chin. “We think he might want to combine the Skrall, Skakdi, and Kra-Matoran together to form a powerful army to conquer Spherus Magna, but it is just a theory at the moment. All we know for sure is that he is the mastermind behind this plot to open the Door.”

“How do you know that?” said Niham. “Did Masqouth just send you a letter politely explaining his plan to you or-?”

“A voice told me so,” said Teridax. “Actually, it was several voices that told me so.”

Niham looked at Jokao and Oggak incredulously. She wanted to ask, Is this guy really all that there in the head? but as she wasn’t sure how Teridax would react to that, she could only hope Oggak and Jokao got her point.

“I am not crazy,” said Teridax in an unconvincing voice. “Really.”

Scratching the back of her head, Niham said, “I don’t know about your universe, Teridax, but here, in this universe, people who hear unexplainable voices in their heads are generally considered crazy.”

“That is true in my universe as well,” said Teridax. “But please hear me out. It will make sense if I explain it.”

“Okay,” said Niham skeptically. “I'm listening.”

“It was several weeks ago, around the same time Masqouth first appeared, that I heard the voices,” said Teridax. “At first, like you, I was skeptical of these voices, even fearful, wondering if I was losing my sanity. But they assured me that they were the voices of real beings that existed outside myself and so gave me some information I could not overlook: The time and location of a secret meeting between Masqouth and his Echoes, taking place in New Roxtus the following day.

“So I sent an agent to that location at the specified time and there we learned that Masqouth was indeed up to no good. It was a short meeting, I believe, and our agent didn’t learn much except about the Toa kidnappings, which was why we didn’t know for sure if the Echoes were planning to open the Door until today. What mattered to me was that the voices were correct about the time and location of the meeting, meaning that I wasn’t crazy after all.”

Niham looked at the other Toa. “Is this true?”

“Yes,” said Oggak. “Even the voices are probably real; after all, none of our field agents even knew Masqouth had anyone working for him besides the one called Jeran. We have no records of any agents sending in reports about discovering the time and location of the meeting, either.”

“I still do not know who the voices belonged to,” said Teridax, shaking his head. “I even asked Angonce, but he told me that he didn’t know anything about the voices, either.”

“This day is getting stranger and stranger,” said Niham. “What are you going to do with Wavica and Asroth now that you have them?”

“We are currently interrogating them even as we speak,” said Teridax. “Or rather, our interrogators are. They are trying to get Wavica and Asroth to tell us everything they know about Masqouth. I don't know how successful they have been so far.”

“What am I going to do?” said Niham. “Are you going to send me back to New Atero?”

“No,” said Teridax, again shaking his head. “It's too dangerous to be alone. Masqouth might send another Echo to kidnap you once he realizes Wavica and Asroth have been captured. Thus, you are going to stay up here until we stop Masqouth.”

“But I have a detective agency to run,” Niham protested. “And what about Ruby? If Masqouth is as bad as you say he is, what if he tries to kidnap or hurt Ruby to make me come after him?”

“I have already sent an agent to secure Rubella,” said Teridax. “Besides, Masqouth does not seem to play that way. It is possible that he might decide to kidnap another Toa of the Green, which is why I’ve sent several of our agents to watch over all known Toa of the Green and to protect them if they are ever under threat of kidnapping.”

“Then what’s your next step?” said Niham. “Are you going to go after Masqouth or-?”

“We first are going to try to get as much information out of Wavica and Asroth as possible, as our interrogators are already doing,” said Teridax. “We need to think carefully about how we're going to stop him.”

“You already know Masqouth is trying to open the Door, though,” said Niham. “One of the Echoes even confessed to it. Why wait?”

“Because, Niham, Masqouth is still seen as a hero to most of the Skrall, Skakdi, and even those outside of the two species,” said Teridax as he leaned against the railing. “If we kidnapped or killed him, it would probably result in many people looking for him. And because we prefer to keep our existence a secret, we aren’t going to strike. Rather, once we have sufficient evidence of his plans, we will anonymously give this information to the government, who will take care of Masqouth in their own way without anyone knowing it was us.”

“That will still result in problems, though, won’t it?” said Niham. “I mean, surely it will cause some Skrall and Skakdi to rebel against the government?”

“That’s a necessary evil we can’t prevent,” said Teridax with a sigh. “The government is used to Skrall and Skakdi rebellions. In all likelihood, they’ll just crush whatever rebellions crop up until they settle down again, as they have done in the past. All in all, I think this will work out just fine for us.”

Niham bit her lower lip. The callous way Teridax spoke of the government crushing rebellions made her feel uncomfortable. She often felt this way when she thought about the ways that the New Atero government controlled the Skrall and Skakdi, but she always reminded herself that the Skrall and Skakdi had it coming, considering how awful they’d been to Matoran and Agori in the past. She still tried to avoid thinking about it whenever possible, however, because of the guilt it inspired in her.

“Do you have any other questions, Niham?” said Teridax.

Niham shook her head. “No, I think I understand the situation pretty well now.”

“Then come with me,” said Teridax as he walked toward the door. “I will show you to your room, where you will be staying until Masqouth is no longer a threat.”

Niham followed with Jokao and Oggak by her side. Despite what she’d said, Niham’s brain was still taking some time to piece all of this information together in a coherent way. Secret organizations, Great Beings, mysterious voices, Echoes trying to open an ancient door . . . all of it was almost too much for even her inquisitive mind to handle. Perhaps it would all make sense to her later, after she had time to think about it.

Review Topic

Chapter XIX

After Rex's death, Kafor thought that, with Night and Heavyweight at her side, it would be easy to slip out of New Odina and back into hiding again. Surely her two ex-Dark Hunter allies would be able to come up with some plan to get her out of the Dark Hunter base without being seen.

Of course, that was before three well-armed Dark Hunters entered the room, who aimed their deadly-looking guns at Kafor and her allies. She wondered if destiny was just trying to make life harder for her.

The first Dark Hunter, a burly Gadarian, said, “You three killed the Shadowed One. You’re gonna die.”

Before any of the new arrivals could attack, however, Heavyweight snapped her fingers and they smashed into the floor face-first. Kafor realized Heavyweight must have increased their gravity, which appeared to have knocked them out, because they did not even stir.

“Quickly, let’s get out of here,” said Night. “If we wait any longer, someone is going to find us.”

“Hold on a minute,” said Kafor, holding up her cuffed hands. “Would one of you be so kind as to remove my handcuffs? No reason to keep me prisoner anymore, after all.”

“She has a point,” said Heavyweight. “I’ll take them off.”

Heavyweight put one hand on the energy cuffs and pulled. They immediately dissipated, causing Kafor to rub her wrists, which was something she hadn’t been able to do for at least a day.

“Okay, now let’s go,” said Night, turning toward the door.

“But we need weapons first,” Kafor reminded him. “We’ll need something to defend ourselves with, just in case we run into any trouble.”

“Again, she has a point,” said Heavyweight. “Besides, Night, you did drop your weapons, so you should probably-“

“Okay!” said Night, throwing his hands up. “Then let's get our weapons and go. We are not sticking around here any longer than that, for there is no telling if more Dark Hunters are coming.”

It didn’t take Night long to retrieve his sword and shield, while Kafor took the only weapon she thought fit her: Rex’s staff. It was hard prying it from Rex’s cold, dead hands, but eventually she succeeded and rejoined Night and Heavyweight, both looking at her with a mixture of shock and annoyance.

“If any Dark Hunters see you carrying that, Kafor, they’re going to want to kill you,” said Night.

“The Dark Hunters already want me dead, Night,” said Kafor as she lay the staff on her shoulder. “This is just to protect me in case any of them move beyond the ‘want me dead’ phase and onto the ‘actively trying to kill me’ phase.”

“Whatever,” said Night, shaking his head. “We don’t have much time to waste. Let’s move.”

The trio dashed out the open door. Heavyweight was in the lead because she had the general layout of the Fortress memorized. It still took them an awful long time to find the exit, however, although that may have been Kafor’s nervousness making everything seem slower than she liked.

Eventually, they burst out of the Fortress and into what could best be described as a blizzard. The snow was so thick that Kafor could barely see fifty feet in front of her, but she did manage to spy the guards turning in surprise to face them.

Before any of the guards could react, Heavyweight raised her arms and the guards went flying straight up into the air. Then the trio sprinted forward, except this time with Night in the lead. Just as they passed underneath the guards, Heavyweight’s arms fell to her sides and the guards crashed to the ground. Whether they were still conscious or not, Kafor didn’t know, for she was too busy keeping up with Night to stop and look.

Bitingly-cold wind ripped at their faces, while their eyes were blinded by the sheer amount of snow blowing through the air. The streets of New Odina were thankfully not frozen, but they were extremely cold just the same, which made running on them a pain.

“Where are we going?” Kafor yelled over the howling wind.

“To the Airship Yards!” Night replied. “We’re going to take the Knight’s Wish out of New Odina!”

Kafor wanted to ask where they were going to fly to, but the intensity of the wind made yelling even more of a chore than it usually was, so she decided to save her question for once they were safely inside the Knight's Wish. She figured Night had an idea, so for now she just had to run.

It felt like they ran for hours through the unforgiving snowstorm, yet they didn’t stop or slow down. Fortunately, they didn’t run into any Dark Hunters; they were all probably inside the buildings keeping warm and safe.

She wondered how Night could tell where they were going in this storm. There was so much snow flying that Kafor could barely see her own hands, much less the Airship Yards. Perhaps Night had the route memorized, although it seemed more likely to her that he was just making a guess.

In a surprisingly short time, the trio arrived at the gate to the Airship Yards. Night knocked hard on the guard tower window, but it didn’t open. Not surprising; considering how terrible the weather was, Kafor figured the Gatekeeper was staying inside somewhere, maybe even had orders not to let any airships leave New Odina during such terrible weather.

“He’s not home,” Night yelled at Heavyweight and Kafor, for that was the only way they could hear him even when standing close to him. “What do we do now?”

“Let me open the gate,” said Heavyweight. “Step back.”

Night and Kafor quickly stepped back as Heavyweight snapped her fingers. With a loud creaking noise that sounded like its gears were breaking, the gate went up slowly and awkwardly until it was well above their heads. Then Night and Kafor dashed underneath it, followed closely by Heavyweight, who, once they had all safely passed under it, allowed the gate to drop behind them with a loud bang that was quickly devoured by the howling winds.

The trio ran down the aisle between the airships until Night skidded to a stop, forcing Kafor and Heavyweight to stop as well.

“Here it is!” said Night, pointing at a partially snow-covered black airship. “Quickly, jump in!”

Night jumped onto the Knight’s Wish’s left wing and kicked open the cockpit. He immediately jumped into the pilot seat, while Kafor and Heavyweight climbed into the second and third seats, respectively. As soon as they were all inside, the cockpit's glass dome lowered quickly, protecting them from the snow and wind.

It was icy cold inside the Knight’s Wish, almost worse than outside. But as soon as Night revved up the engine, hot air flowed out of the vents in the front, quickly filling the small space and warming everyone up.

“He started that up quick,” Kafor said. “I thought the engine was frozen.”

“All Dark Hunter airships are equipped with insulated engines,” said Heavyweight behind her. “It keeps them from freezing even when the engine isn’t on. Which is good for us, because I’m pretty sure it’s not going to take long before every Dark Hunter in this place knows we killed the Shadowed One.”

Kafor nodded and looked out the windshield. The snow was still coming hard and fast, which made it difficult if not impossible to see anything. “So, Night, how do you intend to fly through a storm like this?”

“I’ve been in worse storms before,” said Night as he flipped switches and looked at monitors. “Besides, all we need to do is get over the walls. The storm will probably be lighter if we can do that.”

“Walls?” said Kafor curiously. “This place is protected by walls?”

“Yes,” said Heavyweight. “Not weak, stone walls, though. Big, skyscraper-high walls made entirely out of ice, which are at least a mile thick and even higher than that.”

Kafor glanced over her shoulder at the Vortixx. “You’re pulling my leg.”

“It’s true,” said Night. “New Odina is located in the center of three mountains that are linked together by huge ice walls, like a triangle. We have to fly over them whenever we want to go to or from New Odina.”

“Who made the walls?” said Kafor. “Did a team of Toa of Ice suddenly go rogue and join the Dark Hunters or something?”

“The walls were there when the Shadowed One founded New Odina,” said Heavyweight. “In fact, the Shadowed One chose this place as the location of New Odina precisely because the walls offer such good protection. No one knows who made the walls or why, though.”

“How come this is the first time I’ve ever heard of these walls?” said Kafor. “Doesn’t seem like something you could keep secret for a very long time.”

“This place also happens to be home to some of the worst blizzards in the world,” said Night, gesturing outside. “As you can no doubt tell. Hence, few outside the Dark Hunters have seen these walls and even fewer know they hide New Odina. Now shut up because we’re about to fly and I need to concentrate unless you want to see those walls up close.”

The Knight’s Wish began rising. As it did so, Heavyweight said, “You might be able to see the walls if we fly over them close enough.”

“How will we know if we are going to fly over them or if we’re going to crash into them?” said Kafor. “You can’t see anything in this storm.”

“That’s the point,” said Night without looking at her. “I’m going to fly as high as I possibly can to avoid crashing into the walls. It’ll be hard in this storm, though, because the higher you go the harsher the storm gets and the lower your visibility becomes.”

“You know,” said Kafor, looking out at the blizzard. “Maybe we should have stayed in New Odina until the storm blew over. Could have left later when crashing into giant ice walls wouldn't have been such a realistic possibility.”

“If we stayed in New Odina for even a few more hours, we’d have been screwed,” said Night. “The loyalists would have probably put guards in the Airship Yards and made it impossible for anyone to come or go and would have eventually captured us. We made the wiser choice in leaving now.”

The Knight’s Wish turned to what might have been the south (Kafor's sense of direction was off in this storm) and then shot off in that direction. As it flew, it gradually rose higher and higher into the sky, but just as Night predicted, the higher it got, the harsher the storm became.

The winds battered the airship, sending it veering this way or that. More than once Kafor bumped her head against the cockpit due to turbulence, while other times she found herself grabbing her seat for dear life. Night and Heavyweight didn’t appear afraid, although whether that was because they were used to this kind of weather or that was how they showed their nerves, she didn’t know.

The snow slammed against the windshield like a sledgehammer, but thankfully the cockpit held. Whatever it was made out of, Kafor was glad that it was strong enough to withstand the snow and wind.

Several times during the flight, Kafor found herself praying to Mata Nui and the Great Beings. It was a foolish thing to do, of course, partly because Kafor was not religious and partly because Mata Nui hadn't been seen in fifty-thousand years and no one even knew where the Great Beings were. Still, she prayed to them anyway, even though she fully expected the Knight’s Wish to crash into the giant ice walls Night and Heavyweight had told her about.

Just as Kafor was regretting all of the things she’d never done in her life, the airship jolted and she heard something like metal scraping against ice before the sound suddenly stopped. At the same time, the snow became thinner and the winds’ pounding on the airship weakened, though they were still strong.

“We did it!” said Heavyweight. “We made it over the walls! We’re alive!”

Kafor let out a sigh of relief. “Whew. What was that sound I heard anyway? The metal scraping against the ice?”

“That was probably the bottom of the Knight’s Wish scraping against the very top of the ice walls,” said Night without looking at her. “It was hard to calculate in this storm how high I had to go, but it looks like we just made it.”

Kafor’s eyes widened at the thought of how close they’d came to crashing into the walls. “So, does that mean the ship is damaged, then?”

“I won’t know until we land somewhere where I can check it out,” said Night. “And I know exactly where to go to do that: New Atero.”

“New Atero?” said Kafor in surprise. “Why are we going there? Aren’t you a wanted criminal?”

“I’m planning on selling the Knight’s Wish there, for there is a good black market,” said Night. “Then I’ll use the money to go into hiding and support my grandfather until the Dark Hunters stop looking for us.”

“I'm going into hiding, too,” said Heavyweight. “We’re going to have to split up. It’ll be harder for the Dark Hunters to find us if we’re scattered over Spherus Magna like sand on a beach.”

“Exactly,” said Night, nodding. “You should probably hide as well, Kafor.”

“Don’t worry about me,” said Kafor, leaning back in her seat. “Running and hiding are what I do best.”

“Good,” said Night. “We should reach New Atero in a few hours, so both of you should take advantage of this time to figure out where you want to hide.”

Kafor nodded and then looked out the window at the snow and the mountains. Part of her mind was already thinking of possible hiding places in the most obscure reaches of Spherus Magna, but another part of her was sick of running and hiding. She wanted to do something with her life before she kicked the bucket and running and hiding didn’t count as ‘doing something’ in her opinion.

The only problem was, Kafor knew she couldn't do anything important as long as the Dark Hunters wanted her dead. So she was forced to reconsider her old hiding places again, even though now she looked at them with much more disdain than she had previously.

Review Topic

I agree with everyone else. BZP has slowed down and gotten far more casual. I remember back in the day there used to be at least one complaint topic a month, sometimes even once a week, and you can bet your Bionicles that every one of those topics would end in a flame war of some kind. Even when they didn't, I always felt they were more harmful than helpful.

 

Nowadays, I haven't seen a true complaint topic in quite a while. And on the rare occasions that I do see complaints, they are usually far less melodramatic than the complaints of old. In fact, I often find myself in agreement with them.

 

While it would be nice if BZP were a bit more active, I'm quite glad people don't get into flame wars as often as they originally did anymore. They were always my least favorite aspect of BZP, so quite glad to see that they have nearly died out.

 

-TNTOS-

Happy b-day, Dimensioneer !

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XVIII

Upon exiting the monastery, Kiriah introduced Sahmad, Chalybs, and Telluris to Jet while also explaining to them the real source of the dream plague. The three Iron Tribe members all volunteered to battle Annona too and nothing Kiriah said could persuade them to return to Ferrum. Sahmad in particular had a strong desire to kill Annona, so she and Jet allowed them to tag along on the journey.

So the final group going into the Heart of the Mountains was Kiriah, Jetrupi, Stronius, Sahmad, Chalybs, and Telluris. Yomar initially wanted to go too, but Stronius reminded her that she was the next in the monks’ hierarchy and that the monks and Sisters needed her leadership and guidance. So she stayed, but not before blessing the group by praying for them, a gesture which Kiriah didn’t think was necessary but appreciated anyway. Remembering what Jet had told her about Annona’s power, she thought they needed all the help they could get.

They debated bringing along more monks, but Jet insisted that they had more than enough people in their party and that the sane monks needed to stay in the monastery to help take care of their suffering brethren. How six normal beings were supposed to take on a dream-eating entity of unknown power on their own, Kiriah didn't know, although Jet seemed confident that they could do it.

Their destination was the Heart of the Mountains, a mostly unexplored region that was impossible to colonize due to its hostility toward civilized life. Supposedly there were golems lurking in the Heart that attacked anyone who intruded upon their territory, although even Stronius didn’t know if that was true or just a rumor. Regardless, they all knew that they needed to penetrate the Heart, for according to Jet that was most likely where Annona was hidden.

Stronius led the group, for he had traveled to the Heart a few times in the past and so knew it better than anyone else in the party. Behind him was Telluris, followed closely by Sahmad and Chalybs, while Kiriah and Jet brought up the rear. All of the party members were equipped with the weapons they had brought with them, save for Stronius, who apparently thought that his fists were all the weapons he was going to need against Annona.

They took a little used path into the Heart, although soon the path itself disappeared and they found themselves walking over unstable, rocky ground. Because they had to keep their wits about themselves, lest they fall to their deaths, it gave Kiriah an opportunity to talk to Jet privately without the others eavesdropping.

“Jet,” said Kiriah as they made their way along the rocky surface. “Why did you come back to this dimension? I thought you didn’t want to help the monks.”

At first, Jet said nothing, which Kiriah assumed meant he was ignoring her. Then he said, “The Almighty Ones told me to go back and help you.”

“The Almighty Ones?” said Kiriah. “Why? Did they think I needed help?”

“They didn’t tell me why,” said Jet, kicking a rock out of their path. “They did seem to think that you needed my help, but I could tell that they weren’t being entirely honest with me.”

Kiriah and Jet walked around a boulder in their path. “What do you mean?”

“I mean it was clear to me that the Almighty Ones had a different motive for ordering me to return to this place,” said Jet, gesturing at the Mountains. “I inferred that they wanted me out of the way, as though they thought I was going to cause unnecessary trouble.”

“Odd,” said Kiriah. “Do they happen to have any other servants I don’t know about?”

“As far as I know, I am their only servant,” said Jet, shaking his head. “If there’s anyone else, the Almighty Ones have told me nothing about him or her.”

“So they haven’t sent someone else to deal with Masqouth, then,” said Kiriah. “Why tell us about Masqouth if they aren’t doing anything about him? It doesn’t make sense.”

“Again, I don’t know,” said Jet with a shrug. “It’s even stranger, for it was the Almighty Ones who had stressed upon the urgency of stopping him. Yet instead of sending you or me to deal with it, they want us both here. Some days, I wish they weren't so opaque.”

Kiriah nodded. “Agreed. After this, if we survive, we should go and talk to the Almighty Ones and get them to tell us what the Karzahni is going on.”

“I doubt they’d tell us anything,” said Jet. “But as I’ve never been one to follow authority unquestioningly, that sounds right up my alley.”

“Yeah,” said Kiriah. “The only thing I’m worried about is Annona. You said even the Great Beings couldn’t defeat her. So how are we going to stop her?”

Jet stepped over a rock and said, “Don’t worry, Kiriah. I have a plan. It’ll be risky, but should work.”

“How risky is it?” said Kiriah, tilting her head to the side.

Jet looked at her and said, “It’s the kind of risky that can get you banished to another dimension if it doesn’t work. In other words, very risky.”

“Do you mind telling me about your plan or are you just going to speak cryptically about it?”

“I’ll tell you and the others when we find Annona’s cave,” said Jet. “Okay?”

Kiriah didn’t like that, but shrugged anyway and said, “Sure. I guess I can wait a little while to find out what might banish you to another dimension.”

Jet actually smiled at that, but said nothing further as the party journeyed deeper into the Heart. They walked for what felt like hours and the suns overhead were starting to sink beyond the Mountains’ peaks. Kiriah wasn’t a mountain-dweller, but even she realized how dark it would get once the suns set behind the Mountains. It would become night time fast, meaning Kiriah and the others had to get a move on if they were going to find Annona before it got dark.

They saw no wildlife on their journey. Or, at least, no living wildlife, for more than once they came up the dead carcass of some animal, usually a large mountain goat, although at least once they found the corpse of a huge beast that appeared to be made out of rock. Stronius thought it was a dead golem, although as the golem had no wounds they all wondered what could have killed it. Jet suggested it might have been a victim of Annona's dream-eating spree, which the others agreed was the most probable cause of death.

Finally, they came upon a small, bowl-shaped clearing. By now, the sun had nearly dipped behind the Mountains, making it look like twilight, even though it felt like late afternoon. In the early twilight, the group saw a cavern mouth at the other end of the clearing; a rather large one, covered at the base with huge, thick boulders.

“That’s Annona’s cave,” said Jet, pointing at the cavern mouth. “She’s in there somewhere, probably eating someone’s dreams even as we speak.”

“What’s our plan?” said Chalybs, looking up at Jet. “Do we charge the cave and fight Annona inside or-?”

“No,” said Jet, shaking his head. “That would be suicide. We’re going to lure her out and fight her in the open.”

“Fight her in the open?” said Stronius. “Well, I suppose that makes more sense than fighting her inside a cramped cave at least.”

“By the way,” said Jet, almost as an afterthought. “We won’t be able to beat her with our weapons.”

“Won’t be able to beat her with our weapons?” said Sahmad in surprise. “Then why the heck did we bring any along in the first place? Are you trying to kill us all?”

“On the contrary, none of us will die,” Jet replied. “We can’t defeat Annona in combat, at least with swords, axes, and other melee weapons. But we can get rid of her in another, more effective manner.”

“And how is that?” said Sahmad. “We’re listening.”

Jet pointed behind them, causing everyone to look. At first, Kiriah saw nothing but rocks and dirt, but the next moment a dimensional portal opened. Its abrupt appearance caused everyone else to start, but then Jet lowered his hand and the portal disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

“What . . . what was that?” said Sahmad, his eyes still locked on the spot where the portal had opened.

“That was a dimensional portal,” said Jet. “I can create those.”

“How?” said Stronius, glancing at Jet. “Where did you get such-“

“Where I got that power is not really important at the moment,” said Jet. “My plan is to banish Annona to another dimension using that power. If it works, she will never return to this dimension again and both the monks and the Iron Tribe will survive.”

“Amazing,” said Chalybs. “I don’t understand all this talk about dimensions, but if it’s going to rid our world of Annona for good, then I’m all for it.”

The others all agreed that the plan was good. So Jet said, “I’ll go down by myself into the clearing and lure her out. You guys stay up here. If anything goes wrong, run down and help me.”

“We will,” said Kiriah, nodding. “Good luck, Jet. Don’t get killed.”

“Even though you are an apostate, Jet, I pray that the earth will protect you,” said Stronius, bowing his head.

“Thanks,” said Jet to Stronius, although his tone was indifferent at best.

Then Jet unsheathed his sword and walked down into the clearing. He reached it within seconds and soon was walking toward the cavern mouth without hesitation or fear.

Then Jet stopped about halfway between the incline and the cave and bent over. He picked up a large rock, weighed it in his hand, and then hurled it over the tops of the boulders into the cave itself. The sound of the rock landing in the cave echoed from the cavern mouth before fading away.

“Annona! Come out and face me!” said Jet, raising his sword. “Or are you too cowardly to fight a mere mortal?”

There was no response. Kiriah started wondering if they’d found the wrong cave when, without warning, a long, red tentacle covered with hooks shot out of the cavern mouth toward Jet. It probably would have grabbed him and dragged him in had Jet not slashed at it with his sword, cutting it in half and causing the rest of the tentacle to retreat back into the cavern just as quickly as it had come out.

“Sorry, Annona, but we’re playing by my rules, not yours,” said Jet as he kicked the decapitated tentacle away. “Come out and play or I go home and tell everyone that the great Annona is afraid of getting poked by a mere mortal.”

Again, there was no response. This time, Kiriah knew it wasn’t because they’d found the wrong cave, but rather because Annona was thinking of how to respond to Jet. The suspense was hard to bear, so to be safe Kiriah and the others didn’t relax their guard.

The next moment, Kiriah felt something like a sledge hammer hit her mind. The mental blow was enough to send Kiriah to her knees, but thankfully her natural mental barrier had kept her from being knocked out entirely, which she was sure was the intended effect of the attack.

Unfortunately, the others were not so lucky. Stronius, Sahmad, Chalybs, and Telluris lay on the ground next to her, unconscious from that devastating mental attack. Worried, Kiriah went over their minds and sensed damage, but not irreparable damage. It was clear that whoever had attacked them was aiming to cripple rather than kill, although that didn’t reassure Kiriah much, for anyone with that kind of mental power was a threat regardless of intent.

She then looked at Jet. He was still standing, but it was clear by the way he stood unnaturally straight that he was just barely hanging in there from that attack. It was probably thanks to his mental barrier that he hadn’t collapsed like Stronius and the Iron Tribe members, although Annona’s attack -- who else could have done that? -- had definitely weakened him.

Then a small light appeared in the cave mouth. It grew brighter and larger as it came closer, so bright that Kiriah couldn’t look directly at it without her eyes hurting. Soon the light reached the cave mouth and began pushing the boulders that blocked its path out of the way with its red tentacles.

After it had pushed away enough of them, the light moved out of the cave mouth until it stood (or floated, as it didn’t have any legs that Kiriah could see) just outside its home. Jet didn’t look straight into it, but he held his ground just the same.

“Well, maybe you’re not such a coward after all, Annona,” said Jet. “You finally decided to come out and play. Well done.”

“You are an arrogant little fool, Gadarian,” Annona hissed from inside the ball of light. “You really just want to die, don’t you?”

“Dying is not on my agenda today,” said Jet. “You will be the one meeting your end, Annona, not me.”

Annona laughed. “Can you read destiny and know when someone is to die or when someone is to live? You are bluffing, trying to scare me so I will run away.”

“If you want to run away, I will not think any less of you,” said Jet, folding his arms. “Really, everyone gets scared every now and then, so it's perfectly understandable if you-”

With a growl, Annona sent at least four of her tentacles flying toward Jet. At the same time, Jet raised his hand and a dimensional portal exploded into existence in front of him. Annona’s tentacles went into the portal and Annona tried to withdraw them, but it was clear that the portal had powerful sucking power, for Annona started getting dragged into it inch by inch.

“No!” Annona roared as her free tentacles flailed about. “This can’t be happening! Where are you sending me?”

“Someplace where you will never be a threat to anyone, Annona,” Jet replied. “Someplace where you will die.”

Panicking, Annona’s free tentacles wrapped themselves around everything within her reach: boulders, the ground, nearby rock formations, but none of it held tight. All of it was either sucked into the portal, too, or broke from the sheer force of Annona’s grip.

“I still hunger!” said Annona, now only a few feet from the portal. “I need to satisfy my hunger! I need to!”

“Keep talking, Annona,” said Jet, sheathing his sword and folding his arms again. “Not everyone gets the opportunity to think over their last words, after all.”

Kiriah could not believe what she was seeing. Jet’s plan was actually working. In fact, it was working so perfectly that Kiriah doubted anything could go wrong now.

Just as Kiriah was figuring out how she was going to congratulate Jet, a strong gust of wind blew behind her, almost throwing her off her feet. Surprised, Kiriah glanced over her shoulder, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary until she heard someone scream.

Alarmed, Kiriah looked back down into the clearing. By now, Annona had almost completely passed through the portal; however, Jet was in danger. A large, black-armored being with a scorpion tail held Jet over his head, the tip of his tail sticking straight through Jet’s stomach. Kiriah’s heart failed her at the sight.

It was Niralo, but that didn’t make any sense. How could Niralo know that they had survived his previous attack on them? That was impossible.

“I don’t know for sure how you survived, Jetrupi,” said Niralo, his loud, arrogant voice carrying up from the clearing. “But it’s pretty clear to me that I didn’t do a good job killing you when I had the chance. So this time, I’m going to make sure you don’t survive. Good bye.”

Niralo wrenched Jet off his spear-tipped tail, causing the Gadarian to scream in pain yet again. Then Niralo hurled Jet at the portal. Both Jet and Annona passed through the portal completely at the exact same time, causing the portal to disappear with a loud popping noise.

“Jetrupi!” Kiriah yelled. “No! Jetrupi!”

Then Niralo turned around and looked up at Kiriah, a smirk on his face. Before Kiriah could act, Niralo disappeared and reappeared in front of the Toa like he’d teleported. He then punched Kiriah in the gut, sending her crashing to the ground hard. He pinned her with his right foot and sent his tail straight into her shoulder, its sharp point shredding through her armor and tissue, causing her to cry out in pain.

“Now, now,” said Niralo, his voice mocking. “Your tone is irritating the Karzahni out of me.”

“How . . . did you know . . . we survived?” Kiriah said, panting.

“That’s for me to know and you to never find out,” said Niralo. “Now how does this feel?”

His tail jerked to the right, tearing across Kiriah’s shoulder. She had to bite her lower lip to keep from screaming in pain, which she barely succeeded in doing. It didn’t help that she noticed Jet’s blood on Niralo’s face, which added to the horror of the moment.

“Had to kill Jetrupi immediately, you know,” said Niralo. “He’s far more annoying than you. So I’m just going to play with you a little until I get tired of your obvious attempts to be brave in the face of pain, okay?”

Kiriah spat in his face and said, “Go . . . to . . . Karzahni . . . you monster . . .”

Niralo wiped the spit off his face and said, “Now, now, that’s not very polite, Toa. How’s about I teach you some manners?”

Before Niralo could carry out his threat, two thick arms wrapped around the Echo’s waist from behind and lifted. Shocked, Niralo did nothing as he was lifted off his feet. His tail was ripped out of Kiriah's shoulder as he was raised, which caused the open wound to bleed and hurt like Karzahni, but at least the stinger wasn't in there anymore.

Kiriah looked up and saw Stronius holding a stunned-looking Niralo above his head. The monk’s once-white robes were now covered in dirt, but that didn’t make the monk look any less fearsome than he did now.

With a grunt, Stronius threw Niralo down into the clearing. The Echo hit the incline and went rolling all the way down, bumping into or over rocks on his way to the bottom. He was going so fast that he couldn’t control himself until he crashed into a boulder and stopped. He did not get up.

Stronius bent over Kiriah and, looking at her shoulder wound, asked, “How badly does it hurt?”

“It hurts like Karzahni,” Kiriah replied. “But thanks for saving me.”

Stronius nodded. “No problem. Who is that guy, anyway?”

“Long story short, he’s the guy who poisoned me and Jet before you guys found us in the jungle,” said Kiriah. “So-“

A loud, angry groan cut her off, causing Kiriah and Stronius to look down into the clearing. Niralo was sitting up, holding his head in his hands. His armor was all scratched up and dented now, but it seemed unlikely that that would be enough to discourage him from attacking them once he recovered.

“I’ll go deal with him,” said Stronius. “But first . . .”

Stronius ripped off a portion of his robes and then tightly wrapped it around Kiriah’s shoulder wound. The wound still burned, but he managed to stop the bleeding, at least.

“Just take it easy while I deal with him,” said Stronius as he stood up. “Okay?”

Kiriah nodded. “Okay.”

Then Stronius ran down the incline, his hands balled into fists, while Kiriah lay there, trying to do her best not to dwell on the fact that, unless she got medical attention soon, she was probably going to die.

Review Topic

The best response I can give to this news is, "So what?"

 

Really. Minifigs getting angrier faces or having more weapons just doesn't register on my radar of "dangerous things that could potentially promote immorality/violence." Maybe it's because I don't know much about child psychology or because I am a Bionicle fan (you know, the toyline where everyone and their dog has a weapon of some sort?), so I have no idea what effects, if any, this trend might have on the kids who are playing with these sets. I would like to read Bartneck's paper before coming to any final judgments, but until then, I will remain apathetic and probably forget about this news until August.

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XVII

As late as it was, Niham knew Oggakia would be up. Being a Toa of Shadow, Oggakia -- or, as her friends called her, Oggak -- was a night bird. She had to have the answers Niham was seeking or at least be able to point her in the right direction, anyway.

Niham took the midnight bus to Oggak’s apartment, which was located several blocks down from Niham and Ruby’s apartment building. Leaving Ruby behind with that bump on her head made Niham feel uneasy, but Ruby had assured her that she was going to be okay. She’d even given Niham a good luck kiss before the detective left, which definitely made Niham feel more confident.

Thankfully, the bus had few stops tonight and soon Niham found herself standing in front of Oggak’s apartment door. She knocked on it rapidly and for a moment nothing happened. Then the door cracked open and an old, feminine voice asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s me,” said Niham, pointing at herself. “Toa Niham. Don’t you remember me, Oggak? I was on Shika Nui back in the old universe.”

The door closed immediately and Niham heard what sounded like locks being unlocked. The next moment, the door opened fully, revealing a tall, elderly Toa in black and red armor standing in the doorway. Though it had been many years since Niham had last seen the Toa of Shadow, she still recognized Oggak and her Mask of Dreams, even though both had clearly aged.

“Niham, how have you been?” said Oggak as she bumped fists with the detective. “Please come in. Jokao is asleep, so try to be quiet.”

“Okay,” said Niham as she entered. “I just came by because I had some questions to ask and some news to deliver.”

Oggak locked the door behind Niham and then turned to face her. “What kind of news?”

“Akuna has been kidnapped.”

Oggak’s eyes widened. “What? When did this happen?”

“Let’s sit down in your living room,” said Niham. “I’ll fill you in there.”

Once they’d seated themselves on Oggak’s couch, Niham told the Toa of Shadow about her investigation and the kidnappings. As Niham expected, Oggak was silent the entire time, although it was clear she was listening intently to Niham’s every word.

“And when the lights came back on, Akuna was nowhere to be seen,” Niham finished. “I have no idea where she is, although I do have an inkling of who kidnapped her.”

“That’s horrible,” said Oggak, her head in her hands. “Who do you think kidnapped her?”

“The same person who kidnapped Laomos and Kanderias,” said Niham. “In other words, a winged Tetakian whose name I don’t know.”

“Why did you tell me this?” said Oggak, looking at Niham. “Akuna is my friend, of course, but what do I have to do with the investigation?”

“Well, I have a theory as to what the kidnapper might be trying to do,” said Niham cautiously. “I think you might be able to confirm it, which is why I came to speak with you.”

“What is it?” said Oggak. “Can you tell me?”

“My theory is that the kidnapper is trying to open the Door,” said Niham. “She’s trying to kidnap the six Toa necessary to break the Toa seal and unleash the Kra-Matoran. That’s what I think.”

Oggak looked unconvinced. “And what evidence do you base this theory on, Niham?”

“Look at the facts,” said Niham. “A Toa of Gravity, a Toa of Plasma, and a Toa of Lightning have all been kidnapped by the same person. That’s half of the elements needed to break the Toa seal locking the Door. Yes, I know it’s not the best theory, but it’s the only one that links the kidnappings together that makes any sense.”

“Well, I doubt your theory,” said Oggak. “Even if that’s the kidnapper’s agenda, the old universe is dead. When Teridax crashed onto Bara Magna, the impact caved in the tunnel to the Door. It’s true that Shika Nui’s dome is one of the few that wasn’t stripped down for parts, but your kidnapper would first need to dig through the rubble to get to the Door, which would take both a long time and a lot of people working together to get it done.”

“But what if they did that already?” said Niham. “This is, of course, just a theory, but-“

“That’s just it, Niham,” said Oggak, shaking her head. “It’s just a theory. My people will never be free again. Most people today don’t even know of the Door’s existence, much less how to open it. There is most likely another explanation you just haven’t thought of yet.”

“Maybe you’re right,” said Niham, frowning. “It just seems weird that someone would kidnap half of the Toa needed to open the Door. Maybe it's just a coincidence.”

Oggak folded her arms and said, “Well, I suggest you go home for the night, Niham. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more help, but I doubt the Kra-Matoran and the Door have anything to do with these kidnappings.”

Niham sighed and reclined in the couch. “You’re right. I knew it was a shaky theory, but I had to test it. I’m at wits’ end here. I don’t know who the kidnapper is, what she wants, or anything about her except that she is a Tetakian with wings. Unless I get another break soon, I don’t think I’ll be able to figure this out.”

“Be careful what you wish for, detective,” said a harsh, feminine voice.

Niham and Oggak both jumped to their feet and looked toward the hallway. Standing there were two beings; one -- the winged Tetakian -- Niham recognized, the other -- who wore yellow and gray armor and to a certain extent resembled a Toa -- she didn’t. She also noticed that the second being held Toa Jokao, Oggak’s partner and friend, at knife point, twisting one of his arms behind his back.

“Jokao,” said Oggak, taking a step forward.

“Unless you want to see your boyfriend’s blood run free, don’t take another step forward,” said the second being. “I’m very good with knives, so don’t think I’m bluffing.”

Niham pointed at the winged Tetakian and said, “You. You’re the one who kidnapped Kanderias, Laomos, and Akuna. How’d you two get in here?”

“That is our little secret,” the Tetakian answered. “What matters currently is that Oggakia is going to let us kill her, while you will be coming with us, Niham, so we may complete our plan.”

“What if I don’t want to go along with you?” said Niham.

“Then things will get rather rough around here,” said the second being. “And by ‘rough’ I mean we’ll kill your friends in front of your eyes and beat you until you're a cripple.”

“Let Jokao go,” said Oggak. “If it’s me you want . . .”

“No, Oggak, don’t,” said Jokao, shaking his head. “They’re killers. They’ll just kill us both if you give yourself up.”

“Honestly, we’re not that bad,” said the Tetakian. “Our leader only ordered us to kill Oggakia. Jokao doesn’t have to die, but we will kill him if either of you makes a move.”

“What is your plan anyway?” said Niham. “Why do you want me?”

“I suppose, because you’re going to be a part of it anyway, we might as well tell you,” said the Tetakian. “Our plan is to open the Door and unleash the Kra-Matoran upon Spherus Magna. Simple as that.”

“I knew it,” said Niham, snapping her fingers. She glanced at Oggak and said, “See? I told you so.”

To Niham’s surprise, however, Oggak looked like it was her theory that had just been confirmed, not Niham's. “So it really was your plan all along, then. Glad to hear you’ve finally admitted it.”

“Excuse me?” said the Tetakian. “Finally admitted it? You didn’t even know of our existence before this.”

This time, Oggak smirked. “That’s what you think. I guess it never occurred to you that there might have been someone watching you the entire time, just waiting for the right moment to act.”

“Impossible,” said the Tetakian. “You’re bluffing. The only person who has come this close to figuring out our plan is Niham, and she is about to be put in a position where she won’t be able to tell anyone else about it until it's too late. You’re just trying to freak us out.”

Oggak shook her head. “No bluffing here, although I am good at it, I’ll admit. I just didn’t know I’d be the one to get the confession straight from your mouths, Wavica, Asroth.”

The two beings looked shocked to hear those names.

“How . . . how do you know our names?” the Tetakian demanded. “No one on this planet even knows we’re here, except for Masqouth and our other allies. So how-“

“I belong to a certain organization that keeps a careful eye on people like Masqouth,” said Oggak. “So careful an eye that no one even knows we’re watching them. Even the government doesn’t know we exist, Wavica.”

The Tetakian, who was apparently named Wavica, shook her head. “You’re lying. Completely, utterly lying.”

“I’d be lying if I agreed with you,” said Oggak, pointing at herself. “Now I recommend you let Jokao go or you will have the full wrath of the organization upon you.”

“What does Masqouth have to do with this?” said Niham, looking from Oggak to Wavica and back again. “I’m confused.”

“They work for Masqouth,” said Oggak, gesturing at Wavica and Asroth. “He sent them here to kidnap you and kill me, which is all part of his plan. They’re called Echoes and they’re not friendly.”

Ignoring Niham and Oggak’s conversation, Wavica pointed at the two Toa and said, “Even if you are a member of this secret organization you speak of, you’re still in no position to threaten us. If you don’t stand down, we’ll kill Jokao where he stands.”

Oggak shrugged. “You can think that, if you wish, but it’s not quite accurate.”

Without warning, Jokao slumped in Asroth’s arms. This caught the Echo off-guard, who accidentally dropped her knife in an attempt to redouble her grip on him.

That turned out to be a mistake on Asroth’s part, for Oggak acted quickly, hurling a shadow bolt directly at the Echo. The shadow bolt hit Asroth in the face, causing her to drop Jokao and stumbled backwards onto the floor, stunned.

Without hesitation, Niham conjured thick vines out of thin air and sent them flying at Wavica. The vines wrapped around her quickly and tightened at a single thought from Niham. The Echo struggled to break free, but succeeded only in falling forward flat on her face, for Niham had made sure that these vines were thicker than normal.

Then Oggak snapped her fingers and shadow chains appeared around Asroth, who was still stunned from the Toa of Shadow’s previous attack. Asroth shook her head and struggled against the bonds, but as with Wavica, she was incapable of breaking free.

Wavica rolled over onto her back and said, “Dang it! What happened?”

“I’ll let Jokao explain,” said Oggak, gesturing at the apparently unconscious Toa of Fire. “He should wake up any second now.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jokao stirred. His eyes flickered open and he sat up, shaking his head. He then looked at Wavica and Asroth before standing up on his artificial legs, a satisfied smile on his face.

“Looks like it worked, Oggak,” said Jokao, patting her on the shoulder. “As usual.”

“I don’t get it,” said Niham. “What happened? Did you fake a fainting?”

“No,” said Jokao, shaking his head. “I wear the Mask of Spirit. All I did was active the mask and sent my spirit out of my body. Thus, with no spirit to control it, my body fell over, which distracted Asroth and Wavica long enough for you two to jump into action.”

“It’s a trick we’ve developed over the years,” said Oggak. “He suggested it first.”

“So what are we going to do with Wavica and Asroth now?” said Niham, glancing at the two bound Echoes. “Are we going to hand them over to the police?”

Oggak shook her head. “No. The police wouldn’t be able to do a thing about them. We’re going to take them to my organization . . . or I should say our organization, seeing as Jokao is also a member.”

“You’re going to have to explain this all to me sometime,” said Niham. “Like maybe now?”

“Not now,” said Oggak. “Later, when we’re in a more secure area. You’ll have to come with us, since these two aren’t the only Echoes under Masqouth’s command.”

“Okay,” said Niham, nodding. “But . . . where are we going, anyway?”

“You'll know when we get there,” said Oggak. “Anyway, right now we’re going to need help transporting these two from the city to the base. I’ll head there myself via shadow travel.”

“Shadow travel?” repeated Niham. “What’s that?”

“It’s hard to explain,” said Oggak, scratching the back of her head. “In simplest terms, shadow travel is like teleporting, except I am traveling through shadow rather than my body turning into molecules and reforming where I want to go. I can only go to places where there is shadow.”

“Okay,” said Niham. “So you’re just going to go there and back?”

“Yes,” said Oggak. “You and Jokao need to keep an eye on Wavica and Asroth. Once I’m out of range, the shadow chains around Asroth will dissipate, so I suggest tying her up with some of your vines, like you did with Wavica.”

Niham waved one of her hands toward Asroth and several thick vines, identical to the ones wrapped around Wavica, bound the Echo. Asroth growled, but said nothing; after all, it wasn’t like there was anything she could say to convince Niham to let them go.

“I better get going, then,” said Oggak. “I’ll be back soon, Jokao.”

She and Jokao kissed. Then the Toa of Shadow stepped into a shadowy corner of the living room and the next moment was gone. Her sudden disappearance caused Niham to rub her eyes to make sure they were still working, and when she looked again, Oggak was still gone.

“Why do I have a feeling I’m in over my head?” said Niham, leaning against the couch. “Like, way, way in over my head.”

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I'm a bit late to the party, but happy b-day anyway, Katie . Hope you had a good one.

 

-TNTOS-

Chapter XVI

 

“Oh, Jeran, look at all of these nice gifts those kind people gave us!” said Masqouth as he and Jeran entered their apartment, their arms full of presents. “A book of poetry by Zarsk, a small statue replica of the famous warlord Nektann, a golden sword capable of phasing through solid objects . . . so many good things that I just don’t know what we’re going to do with them all!”

 

Jeran, who carried the bulk of the gifts, couldn’t speak due to the combined weight of the items. He just rolled his eyes and deposited the objects on the table in the middle of the living room, causing the table to creak underneath the weight of all the presents. At some point Jeran was going to have to organize it all, but they’d had such a long day today that the Echo decided to put off organizing the gifts until later.

 

Masqouth immediately sat on the couch, depositing the few items he had chosen to carry. The added weight of the new objects caused the table to creak again, worrying Jeran that it might break.

 

“Wasn’t it great how many people wanted me to heal them?” said Masqouth, looking at Jeran as the Echo sat down next to him. “It’s a shame most of them are probably going to die, but if that will make me just like my parents, then it is a price I’m happily willing to pay.”

 

Jeran was reminded of his conversation with Atuje earlier, in which Atuje had told Jeran that the identity of Masqouth’s parents was not information he needed to know. Still, Jeran couldn’t help but wonder what kind of parents were apparently mass killers, nor why Masqouth saw that as something worth emulating rather than avoiding.

 

At that moment, a dimensional portal abruptly opened on the other side of the room. Puzzled, Jeran and Masqouth watched as Niralo fell out of the portal and landed on the carpet. It took Jeran a moment to realize that Niralo was bleeding horribly due to a open wound in his stomach, which explained why he was lying on the carpet in an increasingly widening pool of blood.

 

Masqouth seemed to understand the situation far quicker than Jeran, for he stood up and ran over to Niralo without hesitation. His mask changed shape until it resembled the Ignika and then Masqouth bent over Niralo, who was moaning in pain.

 

“Just hold on, Niralo,” said Masqouth as he placed his hands on Niralo’s wound. “The pain will all be over in a second. Just stay still and . . .”

 

A flash of light emitted from Masqouth’s hands and the next moment Niralo ceased moaning. The speedster glanced at his stomach, which was now fully repaired and closed, although his body was still covered with dried blood. The carpet was also stained with his bodily fluids, making Jeran hope that room service wasn't into gossip or questioning.

 

“Thanks,” Niralo said as he sat up, looking at Masqouth. “I thought I was going to die.”

 

“No problem,” said Masqouth, patting Niralo on the shoulder. “So how did you get harmed like that, anyway?”

 

Jeran, getting up from the couch, asked, “And where is that Seer you were supposed to kidnap?”

 

“It was the Shadowed One,” Niralo said with a cough. “Old man stabbed me in the gut. Would have died if I hadn’t escaped via dimension-hopping. I was trying to get the Seer, but decided I valued my life a bit more than capturing some ugly Skakdi.”

 

“Then you ought to go back immediately,” said Masqouth as he stood up. “Remember, Atuje gave you that mission. You can’t just give up, not until the Seer is captured or dead.”

 

Niralo stood up shakily. “Yeah, I was planning on going back, you see, but then I got a message from the King telling me to stay put here for a while.”

 

“What?” said Jeran, walking over to them. “Why would Atuje tell you that?”

 

“Heck if I know,” said Niralo with a shrug. “Figured he was calling a meeting or something.”

 

“Well, that’s silly,” said Masqouth, shaking his head. “Because Wavica and Asroth aren’t here, so-“

 

Just as those words left his mouth, two more dimensional portals opened. From out of them came Wavica and Asroth, both looking partly curious, partly annoyed.

 

“Oh, Wavica, Asroth!” said Masqouth, spreading his arms wide. “Welcome back. Did you get all the Toa we need?”

 

“I got my Toa,” said Wavica. “You know, Jeran, your friend?”

 

Jeran didn’t move from his spot. “You didn’t . . . harm her badly, did you?”

 

“Just knocked her out, that’s all,” said Wavica. “It was her friends who got the worst of it.”

 

“I didn’t get my Toa,” said Asroth, shaking her head. “I was about to, but then Atuje called me and told me to come back here.”

 

“Really?” said Wavica, looking at her fellow Echo. “Atuje also ordered me to return.”

 

“Same here,” said Niralo, pointing at himself. “That, and I was bleeding to death, but I mostly returned because I wanted to.”

 

“Atuje didn't tell me or Jeran about any meeting, though,” said Masqouth as he stroked his chin. “Which is weird because Atuje always keeps us informed, so I'm not sure why he'd keep us in the dark about-”

 

Masqouth's sentence was cut short as something unseen swept through the room all around them. The force of the invisible ‘water,’ for want of a better word, sent them all to their knees, except for Masqouth, who still stood, looking around the room for the source of this 'water.' Jeran knew, of course, that Masqouth would never find the source of it, for what they felt was the presence of the King of Life himself, King Atuje.

 

“It is good to see that you all are here,” said Atuje, his voice coming from seemingly everything. “You all obeyed my commands to gather in this apartment. Excellent.”

 

“What is it that you wish to speak with us about, Atuje?” said Masqouth, who was staring at nothing. “We are all here and we are all listening.”

 

“New developments have arisen that I did not foresee and which could possibly complicate my plan,” Atuje replied. “But first, let’s get the eavesdropper out of the way, shall we? Masqouth, open the door.”

 

A curious expression passed over Masqouth’s face as he walked over to the apartment's door. The other Echoes turned their heads to watch -- the only parts of their bodies that they had any control over at the moment -- as Masqouth unlocked the door and opened it. He stood in the doorway for a minute before saying, “Well, hello. What’s your name? How’s about you come inside?”

 

Puzzled, Jeran wondered who Masqouth was talking to when a Toa walked in. Or, rather, marched in, for his legs moved up and down awkwardly, like a puppet being manipulated by a puppeteer. Based on his gold and white color scheme, it was obvious that the Toa was a Toa of Light, although Jeran didn’t recognize him at all.

 

The Toa of Light walked until he was in the center of the Echoes’ view. Masqouth quickly closed and locked the door and then followed after the Toa of Light, stopping next to the couch. The Echo sat down on one of the couch’s arms, his hands folded across his lap as he looked at the Toa of Light.

 

“Meet Marana,” said Atuje, his voice cold. “He is a spy sent by New Atero to follow Masqouth in order to dig up dirt on him.”

 

“How did we never notice him before?” said Jeran. “And what are you doing to him, my lord?”

 

“Just controlling his nerves,” said Atuje. “As for how you never noticed him, he is a Toa of Light. He bent light around himself to effectively become invisible. He has been trailing you for only a few days now and to my knowledge hasn’t learned of me or our plan; however, he is a threat to our operations just the same and so therefore cannot be allowed to live.”

 

A loud ‘crack’ broke the air as Marana collapsed into a heap, knocking his skull on the corner of the table. He did not get back up.

 

“It is regrettable that I had to do that,” said Atuje. “But without death, life cannot be, so death is sometimes necessary.”

 

“I would have killed him if you’d asked me, Lord Atuje,” said Masqouth, raising a hand. “I could even have broken his neck like you did.”

 

“Thank you for the offer, Masqouth, but it is done,” said Atuje. “Besides, that is not all I have called you for tonight. There is much that we need to discuss, important things that we cannot ignore unless we wish to doom all hopes of success for the plan.”

 

Masqouth got on his knees beside the others. “We are listening, my lord.”

 

“Now,” said Atuje, “the first thing I would like to discuss is Toa Kiriah and Jetrupi.”

 

Niralo grinned. “I killed them already. I injected them with my venom. They’re probably nothing more than lifeless sacks of meat and metal right now.”

 

“Actually, they’re still alive,” said Atuje. “Both of them.”

 

All of the Echoes looked looked at one another in alarm. Niralo in particular looked shocked, his mouth hanging open and his eyes bulging.

 

“What?” said Niralo. “No way. You must be mistaken or something.”

 

“I made no mistake here, Niralo,” said Atuje. “They survived your attack, thanks to some of Jetrupi’s friends, and they’re going to come back here very soon.”

 

“If they come back here, we’re all screwed,” said Niralo. “Atuje, let me go after them and finish the job I started.”

 

“That is precisely what I am ordering you to do now, Niralo,” said Atuje. “Go back to that dimension where you attacked Kiriah and Jetrupi and slay them both. Do not come back without their heads.”

 

“Yes, my lord,” said Niralo, nodding. “Your will be done.”

 

“There is another situation that we need to discuss as well,” said Atuje. “I am sure you all remember Toa Niham, yes? The Toa detective who has been investigating the recent kidnappings we are behind?”

 

“Yeah, I remember her,” said Wavica. “I just saw her, in fact, when I kidnapped Akuna. What about her, my lord?”

 

“She’s on our trail,” said Atuje. “By that I mean she is close to finding out what we are up to. And if she gathers enough evidence, she will present it to the authorities, which will give them an excuse to arrest Masqouth, which, as you all know, would ruin my plan.”

 

“What will we do, Your Highness?” said Asroth. “Do you want us to kill her?”

 

“No,” said Atuje. “Kidnap her, as you have thus far done with the other Toa. She is a Toa of the Green, one of the elements we need to open the Door. Thus, one of you needs to track her down and kidnap her. That way, no one will know of our plan until it is too late to stop it.”

 

“I will go after her, my lord,” said Wavica, raising one hand. “I already have an idea of her fighting abilities. I will capture her.”

 

“Excellent, Wavica,” said Atuje. “Then that is your mission.”

 

“What about the Toa of Iron, my lord?” said Jeran. “We still don’t have him yet.”

 

“Asroth will go after Toa Chimoy,” said Atuje. “That is what you were doing previously, yes, Asroth?”

 

“Yep,” said Asroth, nodding. “I-“

 

“I want to do it.”

 

All of the Echoes looked at Jeran, who had with some effort managed to raise one hand. Jeran could feel Atuje’s presence singling him out, which felt like being dumped in boiling water, although even that simile didn’t quite capture how it felt.

 

“Did you just volunteer to go after the Toa of Iron?” said Atuje, though he didn't sound surprised. “Did we hear you right, Jeran?”

 

“Yes, my lord,” said Jeran. “I want to capture Chimoy. Asroth can take my place as Masqouth’s servant/bodyguard.”

 

“Atuje already told me to do it, moron,” Asroth snapped. “So why don’t you just stay here like a good little-“

 

“Actually, I believe Jeran’s suggestion is interesting,” Atuje interrupted. “Why do you want to do it, Jeran? Would you be willing to explain it to us all?”

 

Jeran licked his lips nervously before saying, “Well, I know Chimoy. I have a better idea of his fighting skills and tactics than anyone else in this room. I believe my chances of capturing him are greater than Asroth’s.”

 

“Well,” said Atuje. “Your point is made. Jeran, you shall go after Chimoy, while Asroth, you go with Wavica after Niham.”

 

“My lord, I don’t need help capturing one Toa,” said Wavica. “It’s going to be a very simple mission.”

 

“It’s not going to be as easy as you think,” said Atuje. “Niham is going to speak with Toa Oggakia, an experienced Toa of Shadow. You might not be able to take on two Toa at once, so I believe you will need a partner.”

 

“Well, at least I get to do something exciting,” said Asroth. “Better than babysitting Masqouth all day, at any rate.”

 

“Oh, does that mean I’m going to be by myself?” said Masqouth, standing up. “Am I? Huh? Am I?”

 

“Physically you will,” said Atuje. “But I will be keeping a watch over you, Masqouth. Thus, if you get in trouble or are threatened, I will do my best to intervene and rescue you.”

 

“Does that mean I don’t have to return to my apartment every night if I don’t want to?” said Masqouth.

 

“No,” said Atuje. “Actually, it means you will stay here in your apartment for now, at least until Niham, Kiriah, and Jetrupi are dealt with.”

 

“Aw,” said Masqouth, his eyes downcast. “And here I thought I’d be able to stay out as long as I wanted.”

 

“You cannot always have what you want, Masqouth,” said Atuje. “And with that, I believe this meeting has come to a close. The end is nigh and we must prepare accordingly.”

 

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