1Her head throbbed. She slowly faded into consciousness, immediately being faced with the dull pain that was still gripping her skull, and gently rubbed her temples as she came up into a sitting position. Vhisola's eyes shot open. She looked around for the harness, but it was nowhere to be seen.
She shook Ehrye, who was still passed out on the floor next to her. "Ehrye, wake up! Where's the harness, where's the…"
She stopped. Narrowing her eyes, she finished, "The Skrall."
Ehrye stirred. "Urgh, what…happened?"
"He stole it," Vhisola said.
Sitting up quickly, Ehrye surveyed the room. "He…he wouldn't! There's no way he—"
"He did! He knocked us out, took the harness, and left us here! Darn it, why did I turn my back on him?"
Vhisola got to her feet. Ehrye, however, sat where he was and mumbled to himself, "But…no, he…he wouldn't! We were getting along! There's no way Jagazya would…"
As the Ko-Matoran struggled to process what had happened, Vhisola looked through their supplies. Everything was accounted for—the only thing he had stolen was the device, it seemed. Not sure how to proceed, she staggered towards the door opposite the one they had come in through, and was glad to discover it didn't have any sort of lock. The room beyond wasn't as large as the 'museum', though it was a rather spacious cavern that had rough stone walls rather than proper covering. A desk and shelves lined with tablets and tools greeted her, as well as a few miscellaneous bits of metal and wiring that were strewn about the floor; she looked up at the wall to see a map of Spherus Magna, and squinted as she traced the distance from the Northern Frost to New Atero.
Maybe he thinks he'll only get rewarded if Nuhrii's allowed to take credit.
She froze up.
Or…did Nuhrii already know that this was Nuparu's lab? If he did, and he thought we might have second thoughts once realizing it, maybe…
Not wanting to go there, she simply shook her head.
No, it doesn't matter why the Skrall did it—I'll have no part of something this dishonest, so I'm going to stop him from hiding the truth. Plus, Nokama probably wouldn't even get her masks this way! But…I don't know how long we've been out, but there's no way we can beat him back, that much I'm sure of. We aren't as prepared as we were when we set out. We're going to need to find a different way, which probably means a slower way.
Vhisola slammed her fist on the desk. A pile of tablets shuddered at the impact, drawing her attention. Leaning, she glanced over them and found what appeared to be an inventory; she grabbed the top tablet and stepped back into the museum.
…I wonder if any of this stuff works?
Ehrye was still sitting where he had fallen. Sighing, Vhisola walked over to him and said, "I have an idea on how to get back to New Atero. Get up and help me."
Sluggishly, the Ko-Matoran rose to his feet. He gave Vhisola a sad look and asked, "Why would he do this?"
"I don't know. We'll ask him when we see him."
She started going over the inventory in greater detail, but soon realized Ehrye was just standing there, staring glumly at the floor. At first she felt angry, but then her feelings shifted.
"…I know you're upset," Vhisola said. She wasn't sure that was the best way to start, but she didn't have time to agonize over it too much.
"He said he was lonely," Ehrye said. "I thought maybe he just wanted friends, and I thought we were starting to become friends. I don't understand."
"Look, I don't either. But we can't stay here, Ehrye. He's going to get that thing to Nuhrii before we can get back, and unless we do get back before Nuhrii figures it out, Nuhrii's going to end up taking credit for Nuparu's invention. We agree that's bad, right?"
"Of course."
"So let's get moving. We might still be able to stop this, and we'll probably be able to catch the Skrall afterwards and ask him what he was thinking."
Ehrye didn't move.
"…Or you could just sulk here until you starve, your choice."
She walked down the line of displays, looking for something she had seen on the inventory. At the end of the row she found it: a large, round vehicle capable of fitting two, with a series of levers in the cockpit, six sharp legs on either side, long arms that ended in sharp pincers, and two small force blasters tucked next to the seats.
USSAL TANK
Setting down the tablet, Vhisola hopped inside and examined the controls. It took a minute, but she figured out how to start the contraption, and it shuddered as its legs lifted it just off the ground. She flicked another switch and a dome of thick metal snapped over the top of the cockpit, still giving her more than enough room to sit up straight and move around.
Nuparu, you really did have a knack for these types of things.
When she put the shell down, she found Ehrye standing just outside. He looked up at her, his face still drooped a bit, but with an undoubtedly resolute expression.
"I…is there anything else I should grab before we go?"
Vhisola made an effort to smile. "Pick up the tablet and get looking."
"…and then, you know what he did? He waded back in just to smack it on the head."
A laugh rippled through the crowd. Hewkii paused for a moment, and then resumed, "He came back and said he felt much better, and I regretfully had to tell him that Hahli had already finished her job before we had even gotten there, so the whole thing was pointless anyway. Kongu was thrilled about that."
He glanced across the stage at a small pedestal, upon which sat several bouquets of flowers and a green Kanohi Zatth. On the other side of that sat the Turaga, their aides, and Hahli, who all looked different combinations of nostalgic and grief-stricken. Facing the crowd again, the Toa of Stone sighed, and a more solemn expression came to his face.
"Kongu was one of a kind. He didn't like to make a big deal of it, but he always took pride in what he did as a Toa, and he was dependable and honest right to the end. I'm…really going to miss him. I know we all will. So, thanks for everything you did to get us here, Kongu. You'll always be a part of New Atero."
Hewkii left the stage, and it wasn't long before everyone else started to slowly break up as well. Macku stopped the Toa to exchange a few words, and then went to Nokama's side, offering a hand to help her up. The Turaga glanced at her inquisitively. She shook her head.
"I can't believe she missed it," Nokama said. "I'm starting to worry about Vhisola, Macku. No one's seen her in days."
"She can take care of herself," Macku said. "I know she wouldn't have gone off at a time like this unless it was something important."
They walked out onto the street and waited while Nokama decided where she wanted to go. As this was happening, Macku spotted someone else approaching, and alerted Nokama to his presence as well.
"Turaga Nokama!" Nuhrii greeted. "I heard about your situation—it's very good to see you up and about!"
"Thank you, Nuhrii," Nokama said.
"Quite the ceremony, wasn't it? It's always tough when we lose someone from Mata Nui."
"You seem to be in a decent mood, though," Macku said flatly. "I guess you'll be selling plenty of Kanohi Zatth over the next few weeks?"
"You wound me, Macku. Besides, Zatth are troublesome to make. No, I'm sorry if I'm a bit too bright, it's just that I've started to make progress on a new project that's looking very lucrative. I can't say much just yet, but I hope you'll look forward to some spectacular news."
Nokama nodded absently.
"Turaga? Are you alright?"
"Oh, forgive me—I suppose I'm still distracted. Vhisola left the city without a word last week, and I haven't heard from her since. It's just so very unlike her."
Nuhrii frowned. "Ah…well, Turaga…I've recently heard something I thought I should pass on to you…"
Macku stepped forward. "Wait, did you hear something about Vhisola?"
"I'm afraid so," Nuhrii said. "You see, I was told—"
"What were you told?"
The mask maker jumped. Turning, he spotted Vhisola and Ehrye coming around the corner, and a look of shock and outright horror came over his face. Vhisola paused in mid-step when she saw this.
"You…"
Nuhrii turned and ran. Vhisola gave chase, shouting, "Stop him!"
Nokama and Macku called out to her, but she didn't respond. Nuhrii sprinted down the street and jumped over a passing cart, feeling the air move as a disk passed just over his head, and ducked down an alleyway in an attempt to lose his pursuer. He emerged onto another street and stopped to look around. A hand clasped his shoulder, and he shuddered.
"Hey, easy there," Hewkii said. "What's the trouble, Nuhrii?"
"Oh, Toa Hewkii! Sorry, but I really must—"
He was cut off by Vhisola's voice, shouting, "Hold him there!"
The Ta-Matoran managed to break free before Hewkii realized what she meant. The Toa asked, "Vhisola? What are you doing?"
"I'll explain later," she said as she wove around pedestrians. "Just stop Nuhrii!"
Hewkii hesitated. Just as Nuhrii was almost out of his field of vision, he activated his Kanohi Garai, increasing gravity on the Matoran just enough to make him fall—but not enough to hurt him. He immediately regretted it when Vhisola pounced on him.
"I was going to give you the benefit of the doubt," Vhisola said as she grappled with Nuhrii. "But you wouldn't be that scared to see me if it was all the Skrall's decision, would you? Nuhrii?!"
Hewkii rushed over and grabbed the two Matoran, pulling them apart and onto their feet. "Woah, woah, settle down, both of you! Tell me what's going on."
Vhisola whirled on him and said, "He tried to have me and Ehrye killed!"
Hewkii gaped.
"She…she's not in her right mind, Hewkii," Nuhrii said. "You know that. This is Vhisola—she's always had a few screws loose. You can't believe her."
"Maybe…" called an out-of-breath voice, "you'll…believe me…"
Ehrye jogged up to the scene. He stopped and doubled over, gasping for air, and Hewkii said, "Okay…Ehrye? Is this true?"
"Well…I think?" Ehrye said. "W-What I mean is…no, just let me start from the beginning."
"He doesn't know what he's talking about either!" Nuhrii said, trying to struggle free. Hewkii kept hold of him. "Just look at him, he's been out in the sun too long! I'm sure he doesn't even know what he's saying."
Ehrye stood up and looked Hewkii in the eye. "Hewkii, please let me explain. Last week, Nuhrii contracted me and Vhisola to travel to the Northern Frost to retrieve something for him. He'd learned of a hidden lab and a device stored inside it—he told us it belonged to the Great Beings, and we didn't think twice. Well, I didn't, at least. But when we got there, we found out that the lab actually belonged to Nuparu."
"I'm not entirely sure I follow," Hewkii said. "What does this have to do with him trying to have you killed?"
Ehrye fidgeted a bit as he went on, "We…at first, when he mentioned this to us, he said that he wanted to take credit for inventing this technology, and…I said that I was fine with that so long as I was mentioned as helping him do it." Looking back up, he loudly said, "But I didn't know it was Nuparu's! As soon as we figured it out, I knew I didn't want to take credit for it—I'd never want to do that to Nuparu!"
"Okay, okay, but still…"
"Ehrye, calm down," Vhisola butted in. "Hewkii. Nuhrii wanted credit for the invention, and we changed our minds about letting him do it. He also hired a Skrall to go with us, and when things changed, the Skrall knocked us out and made off with the device. When we got back just now, Nuhrii looked awfully unhappy to see us, which I suspect means he knew the lab was Nuparu's in the first place and ordered the Skrall to kill us if we had second thoughts after realizing that."
Hewkii thought for a moment. "…You're making some assumptions, aren't you?"
Vhisola glared at Nuhrii, who wasn't doing a very good job of hiding how uncomfortable he was. It was around then that Macku and Nokama caught up.
"Vhisola!" Nokama said. "What's going on? You disappear for days, and when you do show up again you chase down another Matoran?"
Despite the situation, Vhisola couldn't help but feel herself shrink a little at Nokama's scolding. "Turaga, I assure you I can explain everything. For right now…Hewkii. If you search Nuhrii's shop, you'll find a device designed to fit over the head, with dials down the sides, and a piece of tablet identifying it as something that can enable Matoran to use Kanohi powers."
Nuhrii turned to Hewkii. "You can't do that! You need permission before you can just search my workplace like that!"
Hewkii looked over his shoulder at Nokama. "Well, we do have one of New Atero's leaders right here."
All eyes turned to Nokama. The Turaga gave a hard look to Vhisola; the Ga-Matoran felt like she would break under that gaze, but she swallowed hard and kept her composure.
"Turaga," she said, her voice shakier than she would have liked. "I wouldn't make up something like this. Please trust me."
Nokama sighed. Glancing to Macku, she said, "Technically, you still have my authority…but if you want my recommendation, I think we should do as Vhisola asks."
Macku nodded to Hewkii. Nuhrii started to shake, and said, "A…a-alright, I have the device, but the rest is nonsense! There's no way you can prove any of that!"
"Sure there is," Ehrye said. "You've got Kanohi Rode in stock, don't you?"
Nuhrii fell silent. When Hewkii tried to gently push him forward, however, he shouted and tried to rush at Ehrye, with the Toa just barely catching him in time.
"You wanted this too, didn't you?! This was your one chance to finally be someone important and not just another drone! And you decided to just throw it all away? For someone who's already dead?!"
Ehrye scowled, though it looked a little unnatural on him. "Nuparu was someone I knew. Well, sort of. He's someone who used to be more on my level than the Great Beings ever were—someone who it was actually possible for me to hurt. And that made me realize that it would've hurt him, if he were still alive…that I'd be hurting someone if I went through with stealing their work. He might not be here anymore, but does that really make it any better? I want notoriety, but…I don't want to be someone who would trample on a good person's memory."
"You're an idiot!" Nuhrii snapped. "And that stupid Skrall—he said he killed you! How much did you pay him to let you off the hook? And then why'd you come back anyway?!"
"I knew it," Vhisola said. She glanced at Hewkii and added, "I think this should prove my case well enough?"
Stone-faced, Hewkii nodded and let go of Vhisola. "Come on, Nuhrii."
The raving mask maker was dragged off, while Vhisola thanked Ehrye, Macku, and Nokama for backing her up. Nokama looked like she wanted to say something, but she waited until she sat down on the nearest bench.
"So this was what suddenly came up?" she asked Vhisola.
Vhisola hung her head. "I'm sorry, Turaga. When I found out about the device I had to leave right away, and…well, I figured you might not even notice I was gone."
"She noticed alright," Macku said.
Vhisola turned to her, but she didn't add anything. When she faced Nokama again, the Turaga was looking off in another direction, apparently preparing to say something.
"...I was quite worried," she finally said. "Worried for your safety, of course—you've never done anything like this before, and that was strange. But I did mean it when I said I was happy to know I could still count on you. And then, you just vanish. I began to wonder if you really had given up on me."
Vhisola's eyes shot wide, and she said, "I…I would never! Turaga Nokama, I…I'm so sorry, I didn't think that would…no, I'd never give up on you!"
"Well what's she supposed to think when you run off like that in her time of need?" Macku asked. "Really, Vhisola, why did you want this thing so badly? Feel like trying out some Kanohi?"
"No, I…"
She hesitated. Stepping in, Ehrye said, "It was for the Turaga."
"Ehrye…"
"She figured the device could also help a Turaga use Great Kanohi again, so she went after it. Well, not before haggling over how many Great Masks Nuhrii would make Nokama for free and how cheap she could get them after that. Plus she was really hesitant to leave you in the first place—I think the only reason she decided to do it was because I…I told her it wouldn't be a big deal." He bowed in embarrassment. "So, if anything, it's my fault. I'm sorry."
Nokama stared at Vhisola, who couldn't bring herself to meet her gaze. A long, heavy silence surrounded them, until Nokama stood up, came towards Vhisola, and lifted her face. The Turaga was smiling.
"And I owe you an apology as well," she said softly. "I should've known better than to doubt you. You went to such extreme lengths for something you thought would help me…and here I am, complaining that you did. I'm so sorry, Vhisola."
Vhisola blinked rapidly. "Uh…n-no, it's alright, Turaga! I should've explained myself before I left! I just, well, I didn't know, that you would really…I mean…and I didn't know if it would even work, and I didn't want to seem like…well…"
Nokama pulled Vhisola in and embraced her. After being stunned briefly, Vhisola slowly raised her arms to embrace her back.
"Hey," Ehrye said to Macku, "have you heard of any Skrall being seen around the city the past day or so?"
Macku raised an eyebrow. "Skrall?"
"One of them went with us. Nuhrii said it was for protection, but I guess it was really to keep an eye on us, but in the end he…kinda chose something in the middle…" He shook his head. "He delivered the device to Nuhrii, that much I'm sure of. He must be nearby still."
"I haven't heard of anything, but I don't usually handle the scouting reports. I'm going back to city hall later—I'll check over them and let you know what I find."
"Thank you."
Nokama released Vhisola and went to sit back down. "So, I think I missed a bit of the explanation you gave Hewkii. Would you care to tell me the whole story?"
Vhisola nodded excitedly. Sitting down next to Nokama, she started to relate the tale.
A lone Skrall sat on a rocky outcropping a few miles east of New Atero, his weapons piled in the sand next to him. He faced away from the city, arms crossed and gaze low, and tried to make sense of his own thoughts. The sound of footsteps drew his attention.
Vhisola, Ehrye, and Nokama approached. The Skrall winced and turned away.
"I was hoping you two would be smart and go somewhere else," he said. "…Kind of expected you wouldn't, though."
The Matoran and Turaga stopped a short distance away. Vhisola said, "We know everything. Nuhrii told you to kill us if we decided to be honest about Nuparu's work…so why didn't you?"
"My arm was stunned, remember? I meant to kill you, I just messed up."
"When a Skrall wants something dead, it dies, right?"
The Skrall growled. "…Are you complaining? I decided I didn't want to kill you. Just take it."
"I need to know how to take it."
He didn't answer.
"Come here. We have something to show you."
Reluctantly, the Skrall jumped down from his seat and walked over to them. "Alright, wh—"
Vhisola leapt up and punched him in the face.
"—at?!"
The Skrall staggered backward, stunned by the sudden blow. Vhisola cracked her knuckles and said, "You still hit us pretty hard. And you were planning to kill us at first. So how about we call it even now?"
The Skrall stared at her. Then, he threw back his head and laughed. "That's why I just couldn't bring myself to kill you two. Somehow I ended up liking you. Alright, fine, we're even." He turned to Ehrye, who still wouldn't look him in the eye. "…What about you?"
"M…me getting even was not telling you she was going to do that," Ehrye said. "Though, I'd still like an apology."
The Skrall sighed. Scratching his head, he said, "…Fine, I'm sorry. Okay? Don't take it personal, I've tried to kill lots of people. And…" He paused for a few moments. "I really…really just couldn't stand wandering around anymore. I wanted a way out, and Nuhrii was offering me one. I didn't put much more thought into it at first, not until I met you two, and you turned out to be decent company. But, it wasn't right. You don't have to forgive me. I'd get it if you didn't."
Nokama came forward next. "I'm a bit angry with you myself. But…despite it all, you did keep these two safe, and for that you have my gratitude. I wanted to tell you that face to face."
"You came out here just to say that?" the Skrall asked.
Nokama shook her head and reached into the bag she carried. "No, there's more."
"Turns out I was right," Ehrye said, finally looking at the Skrall. "They do need a name."
Nokama withdrew a stack of papers and began going through them. Vhisola handed her a pen, and the Skrall said, "A name? Wait…you mean…?"
"I have the authority to name you a citizen of New Atero," Nokama said. "…Well, I'm on leave still, but Macku couldn't be here right now. So, we'll need you to sign in a few places, as soon as you settle on whatever name you want."
The Skrall waved his hands. "Hang on! After all that, you're really okay with letting me become a citizen? How can you trust me?"
"Not sure we do," Vhisola said. "But, we figure we'd rather have you with us than against us. Another expedition to the lab is being planned, a much larger one, and they'll need protection—but since it's an official outing, they can't exactly hire an outlaw."
"I've got more work for you after that, if you're interested," Ehrye said. "Thinking back, I realized that a lot of Rahi have gone through radical changes in behavior since migrating to Spherus Magna, and no one's really observed any of that or how they've interacted with the native fauna. I still want a name for myself…and I think buckling down and doing some good old fashioned research is the only way I'm really going to earn it. But, I'm still not very good at defending myself."
The Skrall looked from Ehrye, to Vhisola, to Nokama, to the papers. "Is this…really okay?"
"Debatable, but friends pull favors for each other," Ehrye said, smiling. "We're friends, aren't we?"
The Skrall grinned slowly. "Heh…you know, I still can't write in Matoran."
"That's fine," Nokama said, "I can translate it later for the official record. Now then: a name?"
After thinking briefly, the Skrall turned to Ehrye and asked, "What was that thing you suggested before? About fighting scorpions?"
Ehrye lit up. "Jagazya!"
He nodded. "Doesn't sound terrible. Okay, then…call me Jagazya."
Nokama held the papers out, pointing at numerous places where signatures were needed. As Jagazya filled them in, Ehrye hopped over to his side and started chattering about his plans to join the new expedition to help catalogue Nuparu's work, and how excited he was to get started. Vhisola took a step back to watch them.
A Skrall living in New Atero. Not something anyone ever expected, but…maybe breaking this boundary can be the start of something.
She glanced at Nokama: she was still a bit shaky, but it was obvious she was getting her strength back.
Breaking boundaries, overcoming our limits…it's worth trying, at least. Sure, there are some limits we might never actually overcome, but…
Nokama looked up at her and smiled. She smiled back.
But, even then…those who love us will show us that there's still plenty we can accomplish, and that those boundaries aren't so limiting after all. There's always more we can do. Right, Turaga Nokama?
Notes:
Kongu's memorial seemed the best way to have everyone I needed in the same place, but I'll admit, I…got a little sad writing it.
A few scrapped ideas to reinforce that stuff happened during the timeskip: some of the Mata Nui Turaga having died, Hahli being a Turaga, and Hewkii having only one arm. But why toss all that in at the last moment? Who would've cared? Maybe next time.
I also originally ended the scene after Ehrye mentioned the Kanohi Rode, with Nuhrii being led away looking nervous, but we really needed everything that comes after that point, I don't think the story would feel complete without the summation of Ehrye's arc and the affirmation that Vhisola really is special to Nokama. So now I guess every Vhisola story I write has to have Nokama hugging her in the final part? That's the pattern that's developing, at least.
In any event, that's that! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you had a good time! Not entirely sure what's next for me, but I have a few ideas both Bionicle and otherwise, so certainly something is on the way.
Until then!
