"Prepare the device."
"Understood."
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After a full day of travel, Hydraxon's group drew ever closer to their destination. The restored Metru Nui bore a great resemblance to its former self. Many buildings had been rebuilt, while others were regenerated. The colossal machinery had stirred once again, alongside most of the islands that, together, composed the great Robot. And yet, not all had been granted the same grace: Destral, Odina, Visorak, Zakaz, Xia, and Stelt had been left in ruin, or more precisely, left incomplete.
No one truly understood why such a decision had been made, as those islands were once vital cogs in the functioning of the whole. Nor was it clear why returning to the Robot was deemed so essential in the first place.
Throughout the journey, Vhisola remained lost in thought. It felt unnatural to return to military service, to be swept once more into the currents of war at the behest of the Order, or perhaps even of Dume himself. The return to the ancient Matoran Universe seemed like a measure designed to shield the faithful of Helryx from the claws of the so-called Outer Lands.
And yet… it wasn't enough. Something was still left unfinished.
"We'll arrive in less than half a day..." Hydraxon estimated aloud.
Vhisola did not respond. The haze of mystery that surrounded the warrior grated at her.
"I know you have many questions, Matoran. I only ask for patience. Soon, you'll understand more."
But she paid no heed to his words. A memory resurfaced, a trauma. After many months of serving the Order, what began as simple errands for Helryx had grown into something else. She and her companions had climbed into the upper echelons of the Three Virtues Army, undertaking covert operations of great importance during the Second Core War: espionage and clandestine pacts with militia stationed across the reformed Spherus Magna. Five ordinary Matoran, guarded by Ruhnga sentinels, were rewarded not with riches, but something worse: a hunger. A drug that brought no pleasure, only an ever-deepening thirst... for truth. Like waking from a dream and begging someone to tell you what happened while you slept. That was Helryx's plan.
The past, forgotten during the long sleep in stasis pods after the Great Cataclysm, was slowly being unearthed. Especially when the five reunited and spoke of it. They were no longer simple Matoran. They were small machines, eagerly awaiting their next dose, not of knowledge, but of memory.
"How many are left? I mean... in the Order?" Vhisola asked after a long pause.
The answer came swift and cold, as if to banish all doubt: "Your summoning has nothing to do with replacing fallen members. Of that, be sure."
* * *
It wasn't long after those words that a towering figure interrupted their path. His biomechanical physique could have intimidated even a raging Muaka. Yet the Ruhnga guards did not flinch. They knew exactly who he was: Tobduk.
One of the few who had returned to the Order's fold after the forced migrations into the Robot's hollow innards.
"Brother, what news do you bring?" asked Hydraxon, bowing his head slightly in greeting.
The warrior from Nynrah had not yet noticed Vhisola, so deep was he in thought.
"They've breached the left flank. Just months ago, they struck Onu-Metru. We had to fall back into a fortress... From there, we pushed them out, and..." he trailed off.
His eyes met Vhisola's. Whatever he was about to say was forgotten. "So, you've found her..."
"Yes. But she knows nothing yet. The First Toa will explain everything."
"She better. You do recall what happened to Helryx when we returned. Damn her and her daily fits... even now, she screams madness in the halls of the Colosse-"
"If you don't mind," Hydraxon interrupted harshly, his tone sharp despite Tobduk's imposing presence. "We'll speak of this later!"
It was the first time a member of the Order had silenced someone like Tobduk. Under other circumstances, the warrior of Nynrah might have erupted with the fury of thirty Toa Tahu combined. But this time... he held back. Vhisola took careful note of that...
Only a few hours remained until they reached the Colosseum. The path ahead was choked with unsettling vegetation, far removed from the vibrant flora once native to the Robot's interior. It seemed even nature, perhaps even life itself, had been irrevocably altered.
The two Order agents walked ahead, whispering in hushed tones, occasionally glancing toward the Ga-Matoran. Vhisola knew there was no point in further questions. Perhaps if she edged closer, she might catch more of their words.
But suddenly, a Ruhnga soldier raised a hand. Everyone stopped. Silence.
Something stirred in the underbrush, silencing even the melodic cries of the Gukko birds. Vhisola froze, uncertain.
They stood exposed beneath one of the three hundred triumphal arches scattered across the waterfalls of Protodermis in Ga-Metru. The cascades painted the air with shimmering rainbows, an idyllic scene, until one color warped.
An energy blast zipped past Vhisola.
She raised her disk launcher instinctively.
Too late. The beam struck a Ruhnga's head, which burst in a spray of biomechanical gore.
From the mist and color, more emerged. Too many. It was impossible to see clearly.
"Parenga!" shouted Hydraxon, panic in his voice, a rare sound from one who had faced Makuta before. "Tobduk! Take the chosen one! Find Jerbraz's first tunnel! We'll cover you!"
And for once, Tobduk asked something strange:
"Can you hold them?"
"GO, TOBDUK, GO!" he answered while firing with his new blaster.
In a storm of crossfire, they fled.
Tobduk's grip on her arm was iron, almost painful. The forest roared with fleeing Rahi, shrieking as if hunted. But nothing slowed Tobduk, until his face darkened.
"Wait! We need to go ba—" Vhisola began.
But then she saw it.
Half of Tobduk's back was gone—eaten away by enemy fire, his armor breached, his muscles burned.
She was untouched. But he...
He showed no pain. Even as blood dripped from his mouth, his mind was elsewhere.
"SHUT UP! Don't you dare speak, you pitiful spark of Protodermis!" he roared, agony behind every word, masking the grief of those left behind. "You think a band of mad mercenaries can best us? Then you've forgotten our strength, Matoran! Hydraxon will join us... I know he will... We must keep moving. The others are waiting at the Colosseum. We can't let them wait!"
"B-But Tobduk... y-you're..."
"LEAVE IT! COUGH! COUGH! Move!"