4Beginning Editor's Note: I do not claim to own the Bionicle characters or the majority of these plot points. The material here is simply an edited and compiled version of original Bionicle material. Comics and video games etc. have been transcribed in novel form and fully integrated into one chronological read. The poetic liberties of novelization and editing are all I can claim.
Please follow/favorite/PM in order to show your support or interest, and use the forum I made to discuss any questions and feedback on this project. These five parts constitute material from the story year of 2004, constituting what I've called "Phase 03: Provenance." Enjoy!
Sequel to "Bionicle - Phase 03: Provenance - Part I: Utopian Mystery"
The following morning, Tahu Nuva still struggled to accept all that he had heard. Many a time he had listened to Turaga Vakama, elder of the village of Ta-Koro, tell a tale of past glories. But never such a story as this.
He had asked the Turaga to share with him and his fellow heroes a tale of Metru Nui. The Toa would soon be leading the Matoran villagers to this new island. They wished to be prepared for any danger that might await them there.
The tale Vakama told was a shocking one. He revealed that he and the other village elders had, long ago, been Matoran, living in a great city. Through a strange twist of fate, they were gifted with the power of Toa. Their destiny: to save their city from disaster.
"We believed Metru Nui to be a paradise," Vakama said. "But it was a city under siege. In the Time Before Time, the great city of Metru Nui faced disaster. A dark, twisted plant called the Morbuzakh threatened us and our city from every side, bringing down buildings and driving Matoran from their homes. If left unchecked, nothing would remain of the city we loved."
But how to save the city? The answer came to Vakama in a vision. The vision told him that the keys to saving Metru Nui were six legendary Great Disks, one hidden in each Metru. The Toa Metru had to seek out six Matoran who knew the hiding places of the Great Disks. But the only Matoran who could lead them to the disks secretly wanted the artifacts for themselves. These disks, when used together, could defeat the Morbuzakh. It seemed to be a simple task, and one that would surely prove to all in Metru Nui that these new Toa were worthy of being called heroes.
But the six Toa faced many dangers before the Matoran could even be found. Still unskilled in the use of their powers, they barely escaped traps that had been set along their way. It soon became clear that one of the Matoran was seeking to betray the others, and all of Metru Nui as well. It was at that point that Vakama had stopped speaking. Now the Toa had gathered again to hear more of his strange tale.
Gali Nuva, approached him quietly and laid a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ready to continue, Turaga?" she asked. "Should we wait for another time?"
Vakama shook his head. "No, Toa Gali. These secrets have been kept from you for far too long. The time has come to speak. But…it is not easy."
"You said that you felt sure one of the six Matoran was walking in shadow," Tahu said. "Why didn't you turn him over to the enforcers of order in Metru Nui—what did you call them?"
"Vahki," replied Vakama. "The Vahki may have seen us as more of a threat than the Matoran we were presenting. Furthermore, we had no choice. Those six Matoran were the only ones who knew the location of the Great Disks, and we had to have those disks. But we knew we must take precautions against betrayal."
"Tell us more, Turaga," said Pohatu. "Continue your story, please."
"Very well, Toa of Stone," said Vakama. "Now where was l? Oh, yes. With the six Matoran having been found, we Toa Metru were ready to begin searching for the Great Disks. Time was running out—with each day, the Morbuzakh grew bolder and more of the city was brought to ruin. It was decided that we would split into teams to search the city for the disks, bringing the Matoran with us." Vakama chuckled at the memory. "Of course, not everyone was happy about this idea…."
X X X
1,000 years ago…
"Next time, I'm picking the teams," grumbled Onewa, Toa Metru of Stone. He had been trudging along behind Vakama, Toa of Fire, and two of the Matoran for the better part of an hour. Around them, cracked and weathered stone held the hot buildings high, pipes carrying molten protodermis exited from walls and floors only to re-enter elsewhere, and vents in the walkway let pockets of steam and smoke rise into the air. He hadn't bothered to keep his unhappiness a secret.
Nuhrii said nothing. A Matoran from the Ta-Metru district, all his energies were focused on finding the disks. In his mind, he saw himself showered with praise for helping to save the city and maybe even having a Mask of Power named after him someday. Turaga Dume, elder of Metru Nui, might even want a Matoran of such courage as an advisor.
The other Matoran on the journey, Ahkmou, was a Po-Matoran carver. He turned back to look at Onewa and said, "Since when did Onewa follow the rules? Has becoming a Toa Metru made you soft? Leave these two fire-spitters behind and lets find the Great Disk ourselves."
"Sure," grunted Onewa. "And maybe walk into another trap. Don't think I've forgotten how hard it was to catch you, Ahkmou. I trust you about as far as I could throw the Great Temple."
Vakama was tempted to tell the bickering Po-Metru natives to be quiet, but that would probably just make things worse. Maybe it had been a mistake using Kanoka disks to choose the teams. But they were easy to find, since every Matoran used disks for sport, and the three-digit codes on them offered a simple way to decide. The two lowest codes worked together, the two highest, and so on. It was just bad luck he had wound up with Onewa. They just could not seem to get along.
They had crossed the border of Ta-Metru a short while ago. Nokama, Toa Metru of Water, had found a series of clues to the locations of the Great Disks carved on the wall of the Great Temple. According to the inscription, finding the Ta-Metru disk required "embracing the root of fire." Vakama and Nuhrii both knew what that meant, but neither wanted to speak about it out loud.
Onewa and Ahkmou looked around, uncomfortably. Their home Metru was known for its wide, flat expanses where massive sculptures were carved and stored. Ta-Metru, on the other hand, was a land of fire, where molten rivers of protodermis were forged into masks, tools, and other objects. Buildings crowded in close and all of them reflected the red glow of the furnaces. The sound of crafters' tools striking in unison and the hiss of cooling masks seemed to come from every side.
"I need a rest," said Ahkmou. "My feet are tired."
"Mine too," said Nuhrii. "Why couldn't we just take the transport chutes?"
Vakama frowned. He had insisted that they travel on foot, and Onewa had agreed. Taking the chutes would make it too easy for one or both Matoran to jump out midway and disappear into the streets and alleyways. "All right. But stay together and stay here."
The two Matoran sat down. Vakama walked away, expecting Onewa to keep an eye on them, but the Toa Metru of Stone followed him. "Do you know where we're going? What is this 'root of fire'?"
Vakama gestured toward the buildings that surrounded them. "Well, you know about the Great Furnace in Ta-Metru, and all the smaller furnaces and forges here. The flames that feed them come from fire pits…the 'roots' of the fire. They are flame geysers that act as the source of all fire in Ta-Metru. They are highly dangerous places."
"Let me guess. Climbing down into one is against the law in Ta-Metru, so we're going to have Vahki Nuurakh squads to worry about."
"Probably."
All Vahki were equipped with Kanoka disks and special stun staffs with stun blasts to protect Matoran from basic threats, Rahi, and law-breakers. Operating from central task force hives in each Metru, the Vahki ensured that Rahi rampages were contained and Matoran did not wander away from their jobs. The Vahki were always around to look after the Matoran, whether they liked it or not.
Swift and fearless, Nuurakh were the red-armored Ta-Metru law enforcers, designed to withstand the extreme heat of the Metru. Nuurakh were specially equipped with Staffs of Command, which made their target follow any simple order. That order would fill the Matoran's mind with one overriding directive, which the affected being would then obey until the stun wore off hours later. Though they defended Matoran from Rahi, some would say Nuurakh even behaved like Rahi—they preferred to hunt from ambush, surrounding their target before they could react: surprise, surround, capture. But if they could not find who they were searching for, they were known to turn on each other. Other Vahki have even had to be called in to break up their fights.
"You had better be right about all this," Onewa said. "Or it's the last time I'm trusting you, fire-spitter."
Vakama felt anger rising in him, and this time didn't try to fight it off. "Do you have a better plan? These six disks are the only thing that can save Metru Nui. Unless we find them, the whole place is going to fall to the—Morbuzakh!"
The Toa Metru of Fire pointed over Onewa's shoulder, but his warning came too late. A twisted Morbuzakh vine snaked out of a chute and wrapped itself around Onewa, lifting the startled Toa into the air.
"My arms are pinned!" the Toa Metru of Stone shouted. "l can't get free!"
"Hang on! I'll save you!" Vakama said, thrusting a disk into his disk launcher.
"Hang on? Hang on to what!?"
The Morbuzakh was dragging Onewa toward the chute. Once inside, it would be too late to free him.
Vakama aimed carefully and launched his disk at the vine. When it struck, it sent bitter cold along the length of the plant, freezing it solid. With the pressure gone, Onewa was able to wriggle free. He hit the ground and looked from the vine to Vakama.
"Yeah, well," he muttered. "l could have done that myself…somehow." He idly swung his fist and shattered the frozen plant into a thousand icy shards.
Vakama turned and headed back toward where the Matoran waited. "You can have the next one then. Maybe if you grumble at it, it will go away."
"Hasn't worked with you," replied Onewa.
Vakama didn't answer. The spot where they had left Nuhrii and Ahkmou was empty. He felt a sinking feeling inside. If the two of them had vanished….
"There!" yelled Onewa. He pointed toward the two Matoran, who were fleeing in the direction of Po-Metru. The Toa of Stone whirled his proto-piton tool above his head and made a perfect throw, the cable wrapping around Ahkmou's legs. Smiling, Onewa began reeling in the Po-Matoran.
"Nice," said Vakama. "But here's an easier way." He took out a teleportation disk, checked its third-digit code to make sure it was low-power, and then hurled it from his launcher. It struck Nuhrii a glancing blow and the Ta-Matoran disappeared. An instant later, he popped back into existence right in front of the two Toa.
"I guess you weren't that tired after all," said Vakama. "So let's keep moving."
X X X
"So have you ever visited these fire pits before?" Onewa asked.
"No," Vakama said softly. "Matoran must receive special permission from Turaga Dume to go there, because the unpredictable geysers are highly dangerous. Even mask makers are not allowed near them. The risk is too great."
"Scorched Matoran, right?"
"Not only that," said Vakama. "Due to its importance, the entire area is fenced in and heavily guarded by Vahki patrols. If anything happened to the flames in those pits, production in Ta-Metru would come to a halt." Seeing the lack of reaction on Onewa's face, he added, "That means there would be nothing for the Po-Matoran to carve."
They were working their way slowly toward the center of the city, trying to keep off the busier avenues. Onewa insisted the two Matoran stay close, while he himself kept scanning the alleys. Vakama did not need to ask why. They both could sense they were being followed.
At one point, just after they rounded a corner, Onewa gestured for them to flatten against the wall. They waited a long moment, but no one went by except the occasional Matoran. Finally, Onewa peered around the edge of the building and shook his head. "Not there."
"Who do you think it is?" asked Ahkmou.
"Guess," answered Onewa. A four-legged creature named Nidhiki had been chasing Ahkmou when Onewa found him. The same powerful being had been responsible for sabotage and traps encountered by the other Toa Metru in their search for the Matoran. Whoever he was, he did not want the Toa finding the Great Disks.
"Maybe we should get off the street," Vakama suggested. "We can take a shortcut through—"
"The protodermis reclamation furnace," Nuhrii finished. "The rear exit would bring us out near the fire pits."
"Lead the way," said Onewa. "All these fires, flames, and furnaces look alike to me."
X X X
The protodermis reclamation furnace was relatively small as Ta-Metru furnaces went, but its fires were just as hot and had plenty to burn. Damaged masks, tools and other items were sent here from the reclamation yard to be melted down. The resulting liquid protodermis was then fed through special channels back to the forges, where it could be used again. What went into the furnace was little more than garbage, but what came out might become something wonderful in the hands of a skilled crafter.
Its function made it ideal for use as a shortcut to the fire pits. For one thing, the place ran itself. Few, if any, Matoran actually worked there, so the building would most likely be empty. The Nuurakh, Ta-Metru Vahki squads, did not bother patrolling in the area. After all, who would want to steal trash?
Vakama led the way as they slipped into the side entrance. The only light inside came from the fire in the furnace. The building consisted of a wide catwalk that ran along all four sides and looked down upon a long chute. The chute ran through the center of the building, carrying items directly from the yards to the flames. The air inside was heavy with smoke and the smell of melting protodermis.
Onewa walked to the edge of the catwalk and peered down. He had never seen anything like this. In his home district of Po-Metru, goods arrived already shaped, and carvers added the finishing touches. Watching masks and tools move slowly through a chute toward destruction was incredible, and even a little frightening.
Vakama joined him. "Sometimes I am not sure I like this place."
"Why not?"
"It keeps us from learning from our mistakes. We just melt them down and make them go away."
"Toa! Watch out!"
Neither Vakama nor Onewa had time to react to Nuhrii's shout. Twin blasts of energy struck them, sending them tumbling over the catwalk and through the energized walls of the chute. They hit hard and lay there, stunned, as the chute moved them closer and closer to the white-hot flames.
Nidhiki stepped out of the shadows. The two Matoran had run away, but there would be time to find them later. For now, he wanted to enjoy his victory over the two Toa Metru. He looked down at the unmoving forms of Vakama and Onewa, his dark laughter mingling with the crackling of the flames.
