Dark Mirror

Dark Mirror is the winter 2008 podcast on Bioniclestory.com. It follows the adventures of Takanuva as he tries to get to the Toa Nuva in Karda Nui to deliver important information, and inadvertantly stumbles into a pocket dimension in which the Nui Stone-empowered Tuyet formed an alliance with Nidhiki and killed Lhikan, and formed a Toa empire, leaving the Brotherhood of Makuta and the Dark Hunters as the only hope to liberate the universe. .

Chapter 1
Plunging through the void between dimensions, Takanuva, Toa of Light, could hardly believe what had happened to him in the last day.

While patrolling the shores of Metru Nui, he had been attacked by a creature he later learned was a Shadow Leech, and barely survived. When he awoke, he discovered that his light had been partially drained, leaving him with the ability to fire light from his left hand and shadow from his right.

His rescuers turned out to be members of a secret organization called the Order of Mata Nui, who tasked him with a vital mission: he was to bring important information to the Toa Nuva in Karda Nui, and if he failed, the six Toa were surely doomed.

The fastest way to get him there was using the power of a Mask of Dimensional Gates, worn by reformed member Brutaka. But the mask was ever so slightly damaged, and the ride had already been a rough one.

A circle of light opened ahead of him. He plunged through it, hoping he had reached Karda Nui in time. Instead he landed flat on his mask in the familiar surroundings of the city of Metru Nui. Or was it familiar? The city was intact and beautiful as it had been when he’d left, but something was odd. There were statues of Toa everywhere: Tahu, Gali, and the others, but not in their Nuva forms as they had been before they transformed.

There were other statues too, of Toa Takanuva did not recognize, and looming over them all was a massive sculpture of a Kanohi mask, the Mask of Intangibility. How long have I been gone? wondered Takanuva. And who decided to redecorate?

He spotted a Matoran he knew well, Kapura, scurrying quickly through the street. Takanuva stepped in front of him and said, “Wait, friend! I don’t think I’ve ever seen you run before. What’s the hurry?”

Kapura looked up at him. There were shock and fear in the Matoran’s eyes, but no recognition. “Forgive me, great Toa!” he said so fast the words tumbled over themselves. “Was I not running fast enough? I promise I will try to do better!”

“Kapura, it’s me! It’s Takanuva! What’s come over you?”

“Nothing, nothing!” insisted Kapura. “All is well, great Toa! For how could it be anything else with such wise and benevolent leaders?”

“Alright, I’ve had about enough of this,” said Takanuva. “Where’s Turaga Vakama? Where are the Toa Mahri?”

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” insisted Kapura. “Let me pass, please, before–” The temperature suddenly dropped all around. The next moment, Kapura was locked in a foot-thick shell of ice from his neck down. The Matoran cried out from the intense cold.

Takanuva looked up, only to see Tahu and Kopaka standing nearby, frost still drifting from the sword of the Toa of Ice. “Tahu! Kopaka! Thank the Great Beings you’re here!” said Takanuva. “Something’s wrong with Kapura, maybe with the entire city!”

“The only thing wrong here, stranger, is you,” said Tahu. “Who are you? Why are you here? Where is your identity tablet?”

“I-I’m Takanuva! I live here! You know me, and I don’t know what an identity tablet is!”

Kopaka raised his sword and unleashed a hail of ice at the shocked Takanuva, knocking the Toa of Light to the ground. Standing over him, Kopaka held the point of his sword to Takanuva’s neck. “Well, Takanuva, if that is your name, you are now a prisoner of the Toa Empire, against which you have committed an act of war.”

Chapter 2
Tahu and Kopaka dragged a protesting Takanuva to the Coliseum. Vahki guardians saluted and stepped aside to let the Toa enter. Wordlessly, they hauled Takanuva through winding corridors, finally tossing him into a cold, dark cell.

"Make yourself comfortable." said Tahu. "Someone will be back for you when Toa Tuyet is ready to question you in a day, or a week."

"If this is some kind of a joke, it isn't funny anymore," said Takanuva, "what is going on around here?"

But Tahu and Kopaka had already walked away.

"What's going on, stranger, is that you came to the wrong place at the wrong time," said a weak voice behind Takanuva.

The Toa turned, surprised to find he was not alone. Hanging on the wall from chains around his wrists and ankles was a Matoran. Using the merest fraction of his light power, Takanuva illuminated the cell. He stumbled back against the cell door in shock. The imprisoned Matoran was none other than Takua - a fact that seemed impossible since Takanuva had been Takua before becoming a Toa.

"This is insane!" said Takanuva. "You're me - I mean, I'm you, how..."

"I see," said Takua, "you're not one of the smarter ones. You wouldn't happen to know how to pick a lock would you?"

Takanuva shook his head. If this was a dream or an illusion, it was a whopper. But just in case it wasn't, he fired a thin beam of laser-light from his left hand and sliced through Takua's chains. A quick move let him catch the Matoran before he fell to the stone floor.

"That's a new trick," said Takua, "so what are you in for?"

"I-I don't know," said Takanuva, "I'm not even sure where I am."

"Metru Nui, City of Legends." said Takua. "Of course, these days all the legends and <???> Toa crushed anyone who got in their way. Or, in my case, spent more time wandering than working. When the Vahki treatment didn't take, they put me here."

"I can't believe this." said Takanuva, "Tahu and Kopaka insane, or worse, Matoran jailed, and me sitting here talking to myself. Listen, where's Gali?"

"In Ga-Metru, of course," the Matoran replied. "She and Karzahni run the reeducation center."

"Listen, umm..." Takanuva paused, unable to bring himself to say the name 'Takua'. "What happened here? How did things get so crazy?"

"It was about 3,500 years ago now," said Takua, "Toa Tuyet tapped into the power of something called the Nui Stone, which gave her the power of maybe a hundred Toa. When Toa Lhikan tried to stop her, he got killed by her and his traitorous friend, Toa Nidhiki. And that's it. Tuyet took over Metru Nui and convinced the other Toa it was their destiny to smash anyone who posed a threat to the Great Spirit. That meant anyone from the Makuta, to the Dark Hunters, to Toa who didn't seem enthusiastic enough, and Matoran who didn't work quite hard enough."

Takanuva suddenly reached up and took off his mask of power. Before Takua could protest, he had placed it on top of the Matoran's mask. Nothing happened. Takua tore the Mask of Light off, saying, "What are you trying to do? Smother me?"

"Just testing a theory." said Takanuva, rising and putting his mask back on, "Come on, we're getting out of here."

"And go where?" asked Takua.

"We have a date in the Archives," the Toa of Light answered, "or rather, below them. And here's hoping Vakama's stories about what's down there, who's down there, were all true."

Chapter Three
"Where are we going," asked Takua."How did you take out those Vahki guards so fast? What's down here? Have you been down here before?"

"Would you be quiet!" Takanuva snapped.

He had never realised before just how annoying he was as a Matoran.

"There's no telling who, or what, is down here and I'd rather not have unexpected company."

In truth, it was more than Takua's chattering that was bothering Takanuva. In his universe, the Metru Nui Archives were filled with exhibits of Rahi beasts, carvings, tools and other things that Onu-Matoran and Ko-Matoran scholars might study. But in this strange world that he had stumbled upon, the Archives were more like a museum of conquest. A long dead and mounted Visorak stared from the shadows with glassy eyes. A collection of weaponry was nearby, each item identified with a small inscribed tablet. The staff of the Shadowed One, the Spear of Fusion, Zamor sphere launchers, Rhotuka launchers and more. Next to that was the most amazing sight of all: the Kanohi Mask of Shadows, the property of the leader of the Brotherhood of Makuta, now nailed to the wall like just another trophy. Moving further into the depths of the Archives, the Toa and Matoran came upon a group of stasis tubes. These were used to keep Rahi in suspended animation so they could be studied. At least that's what they had been used for in Takanuva's universe. In this dimension, he saw with shock that they served a quite different purpose. One tube stood apart from the others, the glow of a lightstone playing upon its face. Takanuva wiped the dust from the crystal and gasped: inside, trapped in stasis was Turaga Dume, ruler of Metru Nui.

"I can't believe this," Takanuva said, "Even Toa as mad as they are here would never do this."

"Dume talked too much," said Takua sadly, "and coming from me, that's saying something. When Toa Tuyet took over, he stood up and said that true Toa value justice and mercy, and she had neither in her heart. You had to admire him for it, all the way up to the moment when they hauled him off and stuck him in there."

Takanuva fired a beam of laser-light from his left hand, slicing open the crystal case. Takua grabbed his arm, trying to pull away.

"Are you crazy?! What if there are alarms? You can't do that!"

"I just did," said Takanuva, catching the falling Dume. Consciousness slowly returned to the Turaga, and when he saw Takanuva, he said, "Who are you?"

"I'm a... friend," Takanuva replied.

"You? A Toa? No Toa is my friend." said Dume.

"I don't have time to argue with you," said Takanuva, "Somewhere down here there is an intelligent Rahi called a Krahka, at least I hope she's here. We need to find her, something is very, very wrong in this world, and I'm going to need help if I'm going to make things right."

"Help is exactly what you need Toa," said a voice behind Takanuva.

He whirled to see the one figure he never expected. Takua and Dume both backed away in fear. Standing before them, was the leader of the Toa Empire, the wielder of the Nui Stone and the un-questioned ruler of the known universe, Toa Tuyet.

To be continued...