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All That We've Lost


Voltex

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ALL THAT WE'VE LOST

[bY THE NUMBERS 3]

 

---[XII]---

 

A black and silver Matoran of Gravity, wearing a hooded black cloak, paced back and forth at the entrance of a stone cell. On the sole bed in the room, a female Av-Matoran sat, alternately watching the other Matoran or staring down at the floor. Their current positions were the results of hours of fruitless planning and speculation; there was little that they knew for sure.

 

One thing that they did know was that they were somehow occupying the memories of the Ba-Matoran - Voltex. While Voltex seemed to know exactly where they were (and thus had some clues as to what could possibly transpire), the Av-Matoran, known as Taka Nuvia, knew only that Voltex had referred to their current location as the “Dead Sea”. To her, it seemed to resemble the Pit, a secret jail that had become lost under the ocean. Voltex had confirmed that they were, in a way, one and the same; while the Dead Sea was also the Pit, the Pit was not the Dead Sea.

 

They had quickly decided that Voltex should figure out both a plan of action and a way to escape, since only he could remember his own memories. That left Taka Nuvia with little else to do.

 

So she had waited.

 

“I just don’t understand!” Voltex suddenly snapped, punching the wall. “I don’t know how we ended up here! How am I supposed to get us out?!”

 

“Maybe it would help if we stepped outside of this cell?” Taka Nuvia asked.

 

“Most of the place is flooded,” Voltex replied. “You heard the explosion. I can’t promise that we won’t either mutate or drown.”

 

“Anything is better than sitting in a jail cell made out of stone for all of eternity.”

 

The Ba-Matoran sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

 

Taka Nuvia stood and stretched as Voltex turned to the cell door, which he had wedged shut earlier. The Ba-Matoran pushed on it experimentally, but nothing happened. With a sigh, Taka Nuvia pushed him aside and leaned on the door, gripping it tightly before shoving it open with all her might. She stumbled out into the hall before catching her balance, leaning on the wall as she glanced to Voltex.

 

“You need to calm down,” she said, pointing to his arms. “You’re trembling. Panicking isn’t going to help us. I don’t know how bad these memories are, but you need to let them go.”

 

Her companion slowly raised his hands in front of his face, staring at them intently. The trembling intensified and he frowned, lowering them to his sides and clenching his fists. Taka Nuvia spared him one more concerned glance before she began to creep down the hall, Voltex mimicking her as he followed.

 

“So,” she said after a few minutes of silence. “What exactly… happened here?”

 

“We... were all under the rule of Xaeraz, most of us imprisoned for a multitude of crimes ranging from terrible to embarrassing,” Voltex began slowly, as though choosing his words carefully. “I myself was the Warden of the prison; the rest, including you, were prisoners of varying speciality.”

 

“Except I don’t remember this at all,” Taka Nuvia replied. “Is that because this is your memory?”

 

“Not exactly,” Voltex answered. “This is my memory, and my past; but for you… it’s your future. This hasn’t happened yet. And it won’t for a long, long time. It’s all a little bit muddled. I’m not exactly certain how far you’ve gone - or rather, how far back in the timeline I’ve gone.”

 

“So you remember everything that happened here?”

 

“No. I remember what I was involved with, which was quite a bit; but it’s those gaps in my memory - the bits of conversation I’ve forgotten, the events I wasn’t associated with - that I’m worried about,” Voltex explained. “As for what I do remember… hopefully we can get out of here before that happens.”

 

“Did you die?”

 

“I was shot,” the Ba-Matoran said by way of reply.

 

Taka Nuvia was about about to question her companion further - knowing who was supposed to show up and murder him would be nice to know - when she heard voices echoing from around the corner up ahead. She glanced back to Voltex, who shrugged and motioned for her to continue on; wishing she had something to defend herself with, the Av-Matoran complied, stopping at the corner and pressing herself against the wall, listening to what was being said:

 

“...so if we find the Final Prisoner, they’re dead,” a voice was saying, “and I can win. Plus maybe the regular prisoners, too? I’m not exactly sure.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” a second voice said.

 

“Wait,” Taka Nuvia whispered, turning back to Voltex. “That’s Ehks and Burnmad! But that’s not possible. They died - how are they here with us?”

 

“It’s not the real Ehks and Burnmad,” Voltex said quietly. “They’re my mental perceptions of them - my memories of them from this time period. Let’s hope they don’t spot us.”

 

“Are they enemies?”

 

“Not… exactly, per se. But….”

 

“What are you two doing here?” a new voice interrupted.

 

Taka Nuvia whirled around and took an involuntary step back, finding herself face to face with the Ta-Matoran Burnmad, who was glaring at them both. Ehks stood a little ways behind the Ta-Matoran, looking both surprised and nervous. A quick glance over to Voltex filled her with disappointment, realizing that the Ba-Matoran would be useless; he seemed to be paralyzed. With a sigh, she turned back to Burnmad.

 

“We’ve just been discussing recent events,” she said with a shrug, attempting to sound as though she knew what she was talking about. “We decided to ally together in hopes of escaping this.”

 

“Escaping?” Ehks asked before Burnmad could respond, stepping forward. “But… that’s like, impossible. You can’t escape a game.”

 

“Besides, I thought you were in Cell Block C,” Burnmad said, glaring at her. “As for him… what the heck is wrong with you, Voltex? Speak. Since when have you allied with Taka Nuvia and not us?”

 

“I think it’s perfectly fine if you continue to hold the conversation with me, thank you very much,” Taka Nuvia said sharply. “Now, we were just about to be on our way - will you help us, or will we be seeing each other later?”

 

Ehks slapped a hand over Burnmad’s mouth before the incensed Ta-Matoran could respond. “I’ll admit, I’m curious about this ‘escape plan’ of yours… I’m all for trying it, or at least watching you try it. I’ll come.”

 

Burnmad shoved Ehks away, glaring at the other Matoran and rolling his eyes before huffing. “Fine. I’ll come too, I suppose. Not like there’s much else to do around here.”

 

“Alright,” Taka Nuvia said, thinking quickly. “Um, lead the way, then. Take us to the deepest part of the Pit - the deepest of the flooded area. That’s where we need to go.”

 

“I know a route,” Ehks piped up. “Just follow me!”

 

With a grunt, Burnmad turned and followed the other Matoran as he began sprinting down the hall. Taka Nuvia paused, turning back to glance at Voltex briefly before following. His eyes were wide.

 

“Watch out for Burnmad,” the Ba-Matoran whispered.

 

They followed behind Ehks and Burnmad for so long that she completely lost track of how much time they had spent sneaking through the halls; when they reached the flooded section of the prison, she hesitated for only a second before plunging in, cringing as the mutagen in the water altered her physique and gills opened up in her neck. Once they had confirmed that all four would survive the depths, they continued on, until finally, Ehks led them to the edge of a cliff. As they staired down into the black abyss, the Av-Matoran could not help but shiver slightly, resisting the urge to step back. Even with the knowledge that she could swim back up if she fell, the view was terrifying.

 

“So what now?” Ehks asked, glancing over to her.

 

“I…” she trailed off, trying to think of a way to stall for time.

 

Unfortunately, she did not need one - it had already arrived.

 

“What might the four of you be doing?”

 

As she turned, Xaeraz slowly shook his head, disappointment evident in his gaze. His gaze shifted from one Matoran to the next, finally resting upon Voltex with something akin to suspicion before shaking his head.

 

“I’ll only ask you this one more time,” Xaeraz said, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. “What are you doing?”

 

“We were just teaming up together,” Taka Nuvia said, despite Voltex frantically shaking his head to her left. “You know, an alliance.”

 

“Is that so?” Xaeraz whispered, swimming up to her. “An alliance? When the roles shift every night?”

 

“I….”

 

“What she means to say is that we were hunting down the Final Prisoner,” Voltex interrupted, pushing Xaeraz away. “And we think we know who it is.”

 

“How truly… remarkable,” Xaeraz said slowly, wading back to where he had been standing before and observing them all with curiosity. “It is also truly unfortunate. You chose to execute Shadowhawk today, I believe. Do you know what role he plays?”

 

“Wait a moment,” Voltex said, his eyes going wide. The Ba-Matoran stepped back and nearly tumbled off of the edge; he reached out and Taka Nuvia grabbed his hand, pulling him back to his feet.

 

A dark form appeared high in the water above Xaeraz, slowly sinking towards them. Xaeraz glanced up at it and smiled lightly before returning his gaze to the four Matoran on the cliff edge. Taka Nuvia shivered again, glancing worriedly at Voltex; the Ba-Matoran was trembling once again.

 

“Your role ability does not save you during the day, Voltex,” Xaeraz drawled, as the figure hit the surface in a kneeled position behind him. “And as the Dark Hunter, Shadowhawk has targeted you.”

 

In the blink of an eye - far faster than anyone should have been able to move while underwater - the dark figure reached out an arm; water rippled from the end of it in a straight line towards Voltex, but Taka Nuvia could not see anything else. All that she could make of who she assumed was Shadowhawk was a pair of glowing red eyes.

 

“Why… do I even try…?” Voltex gasped, stumbling back.

 

She glanced back to the Ba-Matoran, horror rising inside when she noticed the red cloud spilling from Voltex’s chest. She threw her arms out in an attempt to pull him back, but missed; Voltex fell towards the abyss, his body sinking into the depths. Taka Nuvia turned back to face the others; the dark form of Shadowhawk had vanished.

 

What would happen if she remained here inside a memory? What would happen if Voltex died?

 

She did not want to find out. Without a word, she dove over the edge, ignoring the startled cries of Ehks and Burnmad as she spiralled through the water towards Voltex, reaching the Ba-Matoran as the shadows of the abyss overtook them. She could no longer see.

 

---[XIII]---

 

Water was lapping at her knees, washing over her lower legs every few seconds before receding again. She could feel sand underneath her; could feel the heat of the sun beating down upon her. She could breath. Slowly, she opened her eyes, narrowing them against the harsh light as her eyes adjusted, raising her head to glance around.

 

Where was she?

 

The Av-Matoran slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting upon a beach; it seemed to stretch around the entire (admittedly rather small) island. In the center stood a massive, gray tower, stretching into the sky; beside it was something that looked suspiciously similar to a space shuttle.

 

What kind of place is this? she wondered.

 

A groan from behind reminded her that she was not alone - she glanced over to the sound and recognized the form of Voltex, lying flat on his back several feet further inland. She stood up, brushing sand off of her armor, and trudged over to the Ba-Matoran, crouching beside him and inspecting his chest. There was no hint that he had ever been shot, except for a bloodstain upon his armor.

 

“Hey, you awake?” she asked softly.

 

The Ba-Matoran shot up into a sitting position, startling Taka Nuvia enough to send her sprawling back into the sand. She watched in shock as Voltex violently coughed, hacking up blood that splattered onto the sand before him. Once the Ba-Matoran had stopped, he wiped his mouth and rubbed his hand in the sand, grimacing and glancing towards her.

 

“My bad,” he said weakly. “I guess I’m not in very good shape.”

 

“You… you just… but there’s no wound,” she stuttered.

 

Curiosity flickered in the Ba-Matoran’s eyes as he glanced down at his chest, inspecting it as closely as he could before grunting. “You’re right… I’m definitely not in good shape, though - not if I’m coughing up blood.”

 

“What happened, exactly?” she asked.

 

“I’m not sure,” he said. “Shadowhawk shot me….”

 

“He looked strange,” Taka Nuvia commented. “Just a form of pure darkness, and his eyes… they looked like Makuta’s.”

 

“Yeah…” Voltex said quietly, trailing off before continuing: “Remember, we’re travelling through my memories; that was one of the worst, that moment. All of the negative emotions I felt then, I’ve felt numerous times in my encounters with Makuta; so while it might have looked like Makuta… I think it was just my negative emotions towards that particular memory manifesting themselves as such. We shouldn’t have too much to worry about. Aside from the fact that I appear to still be dying in some sort of capacity.”

 

“So where are we now?” Taka Nuvia asked. “All I see is that tower and a space ship.”

 

The Ba-Matoran glanced at her, confused, before his gaze followed where her arm was pointed and he nodded in affirmation. “That’s the Tower of Trepidation… and the Mafia Execution Space Program’s first launch. MESP for short, although that’s contested.”

 

“What’s MESP?”

 

“Exactly what I said,” Voltex replied, coughing as he stood to his feet. “Come on - we’d better head over and see what’s up. Whatever our exit is, I have a feeling it’s located in the Tower; and I can explain everything to you on the way over.”

 

As they approached the Tower, Taka Nuvia tried to process everything as Voltex followed up on his promise.

 

“This one went well for me, mostly,” he explained. “At the beginning… I’m not sure how exactly we did it or how it started, but we decided to execute Voxumo by sending him into space. It might have been the first time anybody truly supported their own execution - he was rather eager for it, I recall. Anyway, we shouldn’t have too much of a problem here… the only allies I really had in this game were TBK and Blade. Well, they were the only allies that stuck around, at any rate. And I only really ran into trouble when….”

 

The Ba-Matoran fell silent. They continued trekking towards the Tower in that manner for several minutes before Taka Nuvia felt the need to speak up.

 

“When?” she prompted.

 

“Oh, right,” Voltex said, coughing again. “The dead… never exactly died, here. They were able to vote and shift focus of the executions… and it happened to me. I was swarmed by every single dead Matoran that I had seen killed.”

 

“...oh.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

They fell into silence for the rest of the journey, reaching the Tower of Trepidation just in time to witness the space shuttle blast off to the cheers of every single Matoran down below. Within moments the crowd had surged back into the Tower, pulling both Taka Nuvia and Voltex inside with them. The Av-Matoran frowned as she was jostled around, until the crowd dispersed once more. She spotted Voltex and made her way over, where he was conversing with a Matoran that she recognized.

 

“Hey Taka,” said TBK, before turning his attentions back to Voltex. “Anyway, yeah - nobody knows it yet, but I’m… actually kind of dead.”

 

“That’s entirely useless,” Voltex said.

 

“Maybe not,” TBK said, shrugging. “I’m actually a Matoran of Light… and with this thing here, all you need to do is reach the top of the Tower and you’ll become a Toa. Of light.”

 

“...are you sure?” Voltex asked, before breaking off into another spout of coughing.

 

“Are you okay?” TBK asked.

 

“Not really,” Voltex gasped. “I’m dying. Give it to her.”

 

“Only you can use it, though!” TBK protested.

 

“I’ll give it to him when the time comes,” Taka Nuvia said, holding out her hand. “What is it?”

 

TBK dropped the object in her hand. “A specialized Toa Stone - designed to turn him into the new Toa of Light. Wait….”

 

His eyes narrowed as he stared at her. “You… you’re not supposed to be here… why are you here?”

 

“Pardon me?”

 

“It’s fine,” Voltex said, stepping between them. “TBK, just go do whatever it is you need to in order to die.”

 

The look on TBK’s face vanished, and he nodded, scurrying away. Taka Nuvia stared after him for a moment in confusion before facing Voltex again. “What was that all about?”

 

“I’m not entirely sure,” the Ba-Matoran said, looking both uncomfortable and uncertain, “but you were never in this particular game… you being here is obviously screwing with my memory. We should try and get to the top of the Tower before anything goes wrong… or events start happening out of order.”

 

She followed Voltex as he led the way to the stairs that led upwards, noting that the Ba-Matoran was trembling once again.

 

They reached the top of the Tower without incident, where Voltex immediately moved to split away from her. “I’m gonna find a Suva, you find us an exit,” he said.

 

“Not so fast,” a voice rumbled from the far side of the room.

 

Both Matoran paused, turning to face the sound; a pair of glowing red eyes was all that could be seen. The eyes seemed to grow larger and larger; but then the throne of stone came into view, and Taka Nuvia realized that they were merely getting closer. Seated upon the throne, which floated several inches in the air, was a being that, for all intents and purposes, appeared to be a near-exact copy of Voltex; except where Voltex was black and silver, the figure on the throne wore corrupted, rusted armor.

 

“Tell me…” the figure began, leaning forward, a sadistic smile visible. “How has your journey been so far?”

 

“Makuta,” Voltex growled.

 

Not the response I was looking for,” Makuta said, disappointment lacing his tone. “Perhaps your companion is more verbal with her thoughts? I dare say that’s all she’s useful for. After all, they are your memories, are they not?”

 

“I am not useless,” Taka Nuvia snapped. “Just wait - you made a mistake in tossing me aside like a broken pencil, Makuta. You will regret it.”

 

Makuta laughed - a dark, ominous sound. “Still bitter, are we? Very well - prove your usefulness. Survive what is about to come… and see if I don’t just kill you for the fun of it if you do.”

 

The throne vanished back into the shadows. Makuta was gone, for now.

 

Voltex stepped back, leaning against the wall and coughing again. Taka Nuvia turned to him, forcing her frustration from the confrontation with Makuta down - it would do them no good. “How are you?” she asked.

 

“Getting worse,” Voltex said hoarsely. “Um… am I shaking again, or is it the Tower?”

 

She concentrated for a moment before feeling the vibrations in the floor and shaking her head. “It’s the Tower.”

 

“We don’t have much time,” Voltex said, fumbling with the Toa Stone. “There’s gotta be a way to activate this.”

 

“You can’t just activate a Toa Stone,” Taka Nuvia replied. “Think for a moment, Voltex. How did we escape the sea?”

 

“By me getting shot! But it obviously carried over to this memory, and that means I can’t just keep dying to help us escape each level,” Voltex said frantically. “There must be another way! If we can activate the Toa Stone, I can kill anyone who tries to touch us.”

 

“Or we can just not waste time,” she snapped.

 

The Ba-Matoran hesitated before sighing. “What’s the plan, then?”

 

“You throw that stone at the wall and we jump out through the hole it leaves behind,” she said. “The power contained inside will cause it to explode on impact.”

 

“Do Toa Stones work like that?” Voltex asked, glancing down at the crystal in his hand skeptically.

 

Yes. Now throw it!”

Voltex gripped the crystal tightly in his hand and then whipped it at the nearest wall. The Toa Stone exploded on impact, blasting both of them backwards and blowing a massive hole in the wall; the chamber they were in was immediately lit up by the sun. Not wasting any time, Taka Nuvia hauled Voltex to his feet as the Ba-Matoran began to cough even more violently than before, dragging him to the hole and tossing him through. She paused for a moment, glancing back just in time to see the first few Matoran entering the room from below - and then she was falling through the air.

 

TO BE CONTINUED.

 

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ALL THAT WE'VE LOST

 

---[XIV]---

 

The next time she woke up, it was to the sound of a seemingly endless, hacking cough, and frantic whispers that she could not pinpoint. She was lying on a cold, linoleum floor; whether that was where she had appeared or where she had been transported, she did not know.

 

Pushing herself to her feet, she opened her eyes and glanced around - she was in some sort of store. Behind the counter, two Matoran paused in their silent argument, turning to face her - one wore a mask, hiding their identity, but the other was clearly Burnmad.

 

Watch out for Burnmad.

 

“You’re awake,” Burnmad said, surprised. “Maybe you can give us some answers?”

 

“That depends on the questions,” she said, stepping up to the counter.

 

“Well, first off… what happened to him?” Burnmad asked, gesturing to the floor behind the counter.

 

Taka Nuvia leaned over the counter, catching a glimpse of Voltex - blood was leaking out of his chest, and as she stared at him, he burst into another bout of that hacking cough, as though he were trying to cough out his own throat. Grimacing, she stepped back, glancing up to look at Burnmad and the Store Owner again.

 

“I’m not sure,” she said. “Where did you find us?”

 

“You were late for our, uh, meeting,” Burnmad responded, with a glance at the Store Owner. “Where… we were… discussing stuff. So I went looking for you and found you with him-”

 

Here, he paused to point down at Voltex before continuing, “-facefirst in the dirt just outside of town. We would have thought you tried to kill him, except… there weren’t any weapons around, and the damage to him all seems to be internal. Plus, we agreed that… yeah. Anyway, that’s my side. What’s yours?”

 

“I need the tallest building in town,” she said. “Where is it?”

 

“It’s… this one,” the Store Owner said, sounding confused. “Two floors high. I mean, that Box I had could grant a single wish, so if you wanted a taller building, you could get one, but… I sold it a few nights back.”

 

“The most idiotic thing you ever did,” Burnmad muttered.

 

“Where is the Box now?” Taka Nuvia asked, ignoring Burnmad.

 

“I can’t say for sure,” the Store Owner said with a shrug, before glancing down at Voltex. “I sold it to him. He’d know.”

 

Taka Nuvia hopped over the counter, shoving Burnmad away before the now infuriated Ta-Matoran could start kicking the Matoran of Gravity lying on the floor. With a small sigh, she grabbed Voltex’s left arm and slung it over her shoulders, lifting the Ba-Matoran up with difficulty, staggering a little as she tried to maintain her balance.

 

“Give me a hand,” she ordered.

 

The Store Owner hurriedly complied, wrapping Voltex’s right arm over their shoulders and hoisting the Ba-Matoran up from the other side. As they turned to leave, Voltex stirred, slowly opening his eyes and coughing weakly.

 

“What’s… what’s going on?” he asked hoarsely.

 

“You bought a Box that we need to find,” Taka Nuvia said. “Where is it, Voltex?”

 

“A box?”

 

“An important box,” she said.

 

“The Secret Box,” the Store Owner said helpfully, as they edged out of the store, with Burnmad trailing directly behind them.

 

“...Dapper?” Voltex asked, his eyes shutting again. “Is that you?”

 

The Store Owner flinched, but continued on, gulping before replying. “Um… yes, perhaps. I sold you a Secret Box recently, Voltex. We are in need of it.”

 

“Bought it… to keep away from Burn and… traitors…” Voltex murmured. “Hid behind the store….”

 

Taka Nuvia shared a glance with the Store Owner - Dapper? - and they turned, trekking around to the back of the store, half-carrying and half-dragging Voltex with them, who still remained mostly out of it. She knew without looking that Burnmad still followed behind them, although for now there was nothing that she could do.

 

“There it is,” Dapper said, nodding towards a small gray cube roughly the same size as the average Matoran’s head sitting on the ground.

 

“Voltex, you need to wake up,” Taka Nuvia said, shaking the Ba-Matoran. “I don’t care how much pain you’re in - you need to wake up so that we can activate this box.”

 

With a weak cough, Voltex opened his eyes again; both Taka Nuvia and Dapper let him go, and the Ba-Matoran immediately pitched forward, falling to his hands and knees, wheezing. With clenched fists, Voltex shook off Dapper’s offer of help, bracing himself against the wall with one hand as he stood to his feet, gripping the Box tightly in the other. He turned to face them, leaning against the store, and held the Box up. He opened his mouth to speak -

 

-BANG!-

 

-and then his eyes went wide, the Box falling out of his grasp as he clutched at his stomach with his free hand, where blood was now pouring out. The Ba-Matoran convulsed as he slowly sagged, trailing blood behind him on the wall as he slid to the ground, gasping for breath as he convulsed.

 

“But I-I don’t-I don’t die,” he wheezed in between breaths. “I don’t-”

 

As if in slow motion, both Dapper and Taka Nuvia were thrown aside by Burnmad as the Ta-Matoran stepped forward, replacing the gun in its holster while he leaned down and grabbed the Box. Standing tall, Burnmad smirked down at them.

 

“That was a very good ruse, Taka!” he said. “I almost believed that you were honestly on his side! Now, what was it that you wanted? A tower? Allow me.”

 

The ground beneath them shuddered as Burnmad activated the Box, before shooting up into the sky, supported underneath by a thick metal column. The wind whipped at Taka Nuvia’s face as they rose hundreds of feet into the air, before coming to a sudden halt. To her left, Voltex slumped forward to lie face-first in the dirt. To her right, Dapper slowly stood to his feet on wobbling legs. After waiting for a few seconds to make sure that the ground would remain firm beneath her, Taka Nuvia also stood, breaking Burnmad’s reverie.

 

“Well isn’t that amazing,” the Ta-Matoran breathed, glancing first to her and then to Dapper. “You know, I’m rather disappointed. We knew you were the Store Owner, Dapper, but for it to be Voltex who purchased the box? Color me surprised. And here I was, thinking that he was my ally.”

 

“Well, you’ve already shot Voltex,” Dapper said weakly, holding his hands out in surrender. “So, you don’t have to kill me yet, right? You can keep me-”

 

-BANG!-

 

“-alive?” Burnmad finished for the Store Owner with a dark chuckle. “No. I don’t believe the rules really apply anymore.”

 

The Store Owner slowly lowered his gaze to the bullet hole in his chest before his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell off the edge. Burnmad laughed before turning to Taka Nuvia with a sadistic grin.

 

“Well done,” he said. “I wonder what else we can get out of this box?”

 

Taka Nuvia glanced down at Voltex, who was weakly stirring.

 

There’s no way that this is happening how it did in the real world, she thought. Voltex must be losing his mind.

 

Of course, there was only one way to escape - and Burnmad had, thankfully, provided it for them, albeit unknowingly. Ignoring the Ta-Matoran’s question, Taka Nuvia stepped towards Voltex, intending to push him off the edge.

 

“Now wait just a second,” Burnmad said from behind her.

 

It would have been impossible to miss the click of the gun being reloaded.

 

“...what?” she asked, slowly turning back to face him.

 

“I want to watch him bleed out until he’s dead,” Burnmad said quietly, the gun trained on her. “He betrayed me… and he always punishes those who betray him. I think he should get a taste of his own medicine. As for you… well… now that I have this box, I don’t really need you anymore, do I? You’re expendable.”

 

She narrowed her eyes. “Oh really?”

 

Ducking down, she swung her legs into Burnmad, tripping the Ta-Matoran. As he fell, she wrenched the gun from his grip and pushed herself back to her feet, lunging over to Voltex and shoving him off the edge. As the Ba-Matoran hurtled out of sight, Burnmad tackled her from behind. She threw him off and whirled around, firing a bullet directly into his right eye. As the Ta-Matoran hit the ground with a thud, she leaped backwards, gun still in hand, and started to fall.

 

---[XV]---

 

Even when she opened her eyes, nothing could be seen except for the black and silver Ba-Matoran lying beside her - and even he seemed to be fading into the shadows. Or were they fading into him? She could not tell.

 

It is coming.

 

Voltex shot awake with a look of alarm in his eyes, panting, his chest heaving. As if they were one, both Matoran’s gazes lowered to his chest and stomach - both were bloodstained.

 

“How bad?” she asked quietly.

 

He took a deep, shuddering breath before coughing up blood. “It’s hard to breathe. Everything hurts… everything burns.”

 

“We need to get out of your memories, out of your head,” she said. “You’re losing your mind. What is this place? Some manifestation of your nightmares?”

 

“In a way,” Voltex said hoarsely. “This is the Nightmare… Lloyd’s Nightmare. This is my memory of that Nightmare… which makes this infinitely worse.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because everyone has a unique worst Nightmare, their own worst fear,” Voltex whispered, coughing up blood once again. “Lloyd’s worst Nightmare would terrify him, but its effect would, naturally, be lost on me - but we never got far into it. He vanished… I’ve always assumed that he was consumed by it. Toying with your greatest fear is never wise. But we never found out exactly what his Nightmare was….”

 

The Ba-Matoran trailed off into a series of coughs; blood vanished into the darkness almost as fast as he coughed it out.

 

“...as I was saying,” he paused again to try and take another breath, but shakily stopped before it turned into another fit. “We never found out what Lloyd’s Nightmare was. Which means whatever is here with us… wherever we are… it’s my worst fear. It’s the one thing that I am truly afraid of.”

 

“And what is that?” Taka Nuvia asked.

 

“Myself.”

 

The voice did not come from Voltex - or at least, not the Voltex that she was speaking to. Taka Nuvia slowly turned to face the speaker, helping the injured Voltex to his feet as she came face to face with - Voltex.

 

“Wait…” she said. “Makuta?”

 

The other Voltex scowled; somewhere in the shadows, a hulking form stirred. “No. I fear myself… with this.”

 

While the Voltex next to her clawed at her arm and she pulled, trying to keep him on his feet, the other Voltex brought a very familiar Staff into view, gazing at it with admiration before returning his attention to them.

 

“The Staff of Unlimited Power,” the other Voltex drawled, “all mine at last. With it in hand, I could rule Mafia forever; host forever more! With it, I can control everyone! I can take over everything! I could consume universes! I can control time and space! Eternity, at the tip of my fingers! Ultimate power in the palm of my hand!”

 

He chuckled darkly, his voice lowering into a deadly whisper. “It is all… mine.”

 

“What are you?” Taka Nuvia asked, attempting to step back - only to be stopped by the injured Voltex, who clung onto her even more, trying to catch his breath.

 

“He’s me,” said the injured Voltex. “Me if my gambit before Makuta interfered had succeeded. Me if I had survived that battle… he is me, if I had reached my goal of Ultimate Power.”

 

“Your greatest fear is a ‘what if’?”

 

“My greatest fear is that I still want that power,” the injured Voltex responded, breaking into another coughing fit. “If… if you handed me the Staff of Unlimited Power now… I would still… I would do anything.”

 

“And our greatest weakness,” said the other Voltex, “is that we will not claim that power! But now… now, I hold it all. Unlike him.

 

The last word was spat directly at the injured Voltex, who lowered his gaze to the ground, sagging. Taka Nuvia could feel the hopelessness and despair beginning to consume him; she lifted him higher, standing firm. She would not die here in the mind of some insane, power-hungry Matoran.

 

“But that’s not the only thing we fear, is it?” the other Voltex taunted. “I’m not even your greatest fear! Just like always, you lie. Time and time again. You lie to your enemies, to your friend, to yourself. What is our greatest fear? It’s not really that we will get that power….”

 

A hulking form stepped into view behind the other Voltex, the ground shaking with each step they took. The other Voltex grinned, casually tossing the Staff of Unlimited Power into the air; the hulking form caught it with ease, a sinister grin lighting up upon their face as they leaned into view.

 

“What is our greatest fear?” the other Voltex asked, his voice rising into a yell. “WHAT IS IT?!”

 

“It’s…” the injured Voltex’s gaze flickered up to the menacing titan before flicking back to the ground. “Makuta. Makuta taking the Staff because I could no longer stop him.”

 

“Because you could no longer stop him?” the other Voltex asked, sneering. “Or because you no longer wanted to stop him?”

 

“Wanted,” the injured Voltex whispered. “Because I no longer wanted to stop him.”

 

Laughter echoed through Taka Nuvia’s mind - a familiar laugh. That of Makuta. The hulking titan grinned, as two shimmering blue portals opened; one on her left and one on her right. Voltex fell; she let him drop to his knees. Makuta idly twirled the staff as the other Voltex laughed.

 

“Look at you, so pathetic,” the other Voltex snarled, approaching the portal on her left. “When I take your spot in Mafia… they shall all rue the day that they did not make us their ruler.”

 

Taka Nuvia stepped forward, blocking the other Voltex from the portal. He paused, as if noticing her for the first time, momentarily seeming confused. He shook it off quickly, glaring at her.

 

“What do you want?” he asked challengingly.

 

“If you won’t face your fears, then fine,” Taka Nuvia said quietly, directing it to the Voltex slumped on his knees, staring at the ground. “But I’m not going to sit here idly like a coward and let Makuta win.”

 

She drew the gun,

 

-BANG!-

 

The other Voltex snarled with rage as the bullet drilled through his chest. He opened his mouth, about to speak-

 

-BANG!-

 

-when the next shot went through his throat. The other Voltex collapsed to the ground and convulsed once before lying still in a pool of his own blood. A little bit of life seemed to return to the Voltex that was on his knees; blinking his eyes as if just waking up, he pushed himself to his feet with a groan, staggering until Taka Nuvia reached out and steadied him.

 

Well, well, well… the voice of Makuta echoed in their minds. Perhaps I shall give one of you the privelege of returning to Mafia after all. But I’m afraid you cannot stop me from consuming a new universe.

 

“Yes we can,” Taka Nuvia spat, turning to Voltex. “We can stop him. That is not a question - I am telling you. Face your fear - confront him. See that he is not the threat you think he is. Make him disappear.”

 

“I don’t-” Voltex broke off, coughing. “I don’t know how.”

 

“Yes you do,” she said firmly. “We’re in your mind, Voltex. It’s easy - you just have to erase him.”

 

Makuta paused, worry flickering across his face. Voltex, having glanced up, smirked weakly. With Taka Nuvia’s help, the Ba-Matoran slowly stood taller.

 

You can do it, she thought. Wipe him from existence. Forever.

 

“I…” Voltex trailed off, coughing again. Blood dripped down his chin. “I’m not afraid of you.”

 

YES YOU ARE! Makuta roared, backing away.

 

“No,” Voltex said. “You’re not real. You don’t exist. You never have existed. You never will exist. You are weak. You’re weaker than I am. You can be killed with a single bullet. And when you die here, you’re gone. Because you do not exist.

 

Taka Nuvia raised the gun one final time and fired. The bullet flew straight and true, drilling into the menacing titan’s chest. Makuta made a single sound of protest before collapsing - and his massive body burst into wisps of shadow before it hit the ground. Voltex slumped to the ground weakly, collapsing onto his side. She threw the gun away and kneeled beside him.

 

“Need to close those portals....” he said weakly. “Need to go through… can’t close them.”

 

“You go back to Mafia,” Taka Nuvia said. “Once you get back there, you’ll heal. You can recover and survive. I’m sure I can take on whatever puny threat is in that other universe he opened up.”

 

Voltex looked like he was going to protest, but he was interrupted by another bout of coughing - noticeably weaker than before.

 

“You can’t fight this,” Taka Nuvia said, picking the Ba-Matoran up and carrying him towards the portal that the other Voltex had tried to enter. “You’re dying - you don’t stand a chance in an unknown environment. You heal - and maybe somehow, someday, I’ll find my way back.”

 

“If you… find me…” Voltex whispered. “Tell him… his greatest fear.”

 

“I will,” she lied.

 

Before the Ba-Matoran could protest again, she threw him into the portal; it fizzled shut behind him. Knowing that she did not have much time, she turned and immediately sprinted into the other portal, before Voltex could wake up and kill her along with his Nightmares.

 

---[unknown]---

 

She re-appeared at the top of a circular rising set of stairs in a circular chamber, with white walls, a white floor, and a white, domed ceiling several feet in the air. Slowly, she walked down the stairs, stopping a few feet away from a door that slid open with a hiss, revealing a familiar looking Matoran clad in all-white armor. The door slid shut again as the Matoran stepped inside, gazing at her with something in between amusement and curiosity.

 

This definitely isn’t Mafia, she thought.

 

“Why hello there,” the Matoran said, a sinister smile flickering to life on his face. “What might your name be?”

 

“I’m Taka Nuvia,” she said.

 

“Well, Taka Nuvia, I’m sure that we have much to discuss…” the Matoran replied, a glint in his eye. “Welcome - my name is Turaga White One.”

The End.

 

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Edited by Voltex Oblige
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