"Sir, everything has been set perfectly. The values match the reference points."
"Good. Now, we must simply wait for their arrival. I only hope they make it in time…"
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The sun was about to set. Life on Metru Nui was once again ready to retreat into itself, as it always did when the two eyes of the former Great Spirit watched the relentless passage of night from above. Silent. Atmospheric. Cold. With gunfire echoing at first light. A grim sign that the long-promised peace of the First Toa had yet to take form truly.
Tobduk and Vhisola had left behind the convoy meant to escort them to the gates of the Coliseum hours earlier. Not even a Ruhnga patrol crossed their path. Their forces were needed elsewhere, at more critical pressure points. It was as if the two fugitives were being allowed to pass freely as they entered the abandoned market district of Po-Metru, once a thriving hub now buried in time.
"Damn it!" cursed a wounded Tobduk. "At this rate, we won't make it. We'll have to use Jerbraz's channels, just like Hydraxon sai—"
"Wait!" interrupted Vhisola, a few steps behind him. She had grown tired of waiting for answers that perhaps would never come, not with these sudden attacks erupting around them. "I can't take it anymore! I want to know! I need to know what's going on! Who were those people, and what do we have to do with them?! What does the Order want from me?! I'm just a teacher!"
Tobduk didn't turn around. He answered with his back still facing her, a tone of cold superiority in his voice. "You reject your past, Ga-Matoran? And you collapse into hysteria over that alone? Look at me, Vhisola. Look at these wounds. I feel no pain, because I know something far greater looms over us. Tears are meaningless now, especially after what we saw in the last Global War. If you truly want to know, that's where they were born: the Parenga. A militia forged in defiance of Dume and Helryx. They reject the decisions of the past, especially the reactivation of the Great Robot."
Vhisola was quiet for a moment, her mind turning over the pieces while the shadows of Po-Metru's buildings melted into the night. "So the note I received weeks ago…"
"Exactly. They infiltrated Mata-Metru. And now, with their numbers dwindling, they're reaching out secretly, inviting others to turn against the Order."
"So they're… terrorist fanatics?"
"In a sense. We still don't know who founded them. Clues lead beyond Mata-Metru, but only the military is allowed to go outside the city. Us agents, like the last remaining Toa, are bound to protect the Matoran and investigate from within, unless Helryx changes her mind."
"But… I don't understand, warrior of Nynrah. Why would anyone oppose the noble will of the Order? What did we do wrong in the last war? Were the supplies and care not enough? Have Matoran and Agori truly united only through hatred, not through the teachings of Mata Nui?"
Tobduk smirked, faintly. "Now I understand why she chose you, little one. Even without realizing it, you still see yourself as one of us. Perhaps Helryx is right."
Vhisola was confused by his smile, so unusual from someone like Tobduk.
"Come. We'll take this path. Follow me."
"W-Wait!" she cried, tugging his finger. It was all she could reach, so small compared to the Order agent. "Your wounds… shouldn't we treat them?"
"Stop worrying about the life of a mere pawn," he replied, almost in resignation. "It's pointless now… Let's go. Perhaps I'll find a moment's rest..."
They entered a narrow street between seemingly abandoned dwellings. Tobduk paused often, winded by his injuries. Vhisola begged him to accept some treatment, to prevent necrotic apoptosis in his organic circuits, but he would not listen.
Eventually, they reached two identical buildings. Tobduk pressed a proto-tile hidden at just the right height, and a secret path revealed itself. The citizens of Po-Metru had begun retreating from the market, knowing what happened to those caught violating curfew. The atmosphere was eerily reminiscent of Teridax's regime, when he wore Dume's mask.
But Helryx did not impose her rule out of tyranny. As she often proclaimed, she intended to protect the children of the Ignika, as she called them, from a meaningless civil war.
"This way will be faster," Tobduk said. "But tell no one of this passage beneath Mata-Metru."
"I won't. But how... how do you even know about this place?"
"Jerbraz. He led a group of Huna-wielding Toa across the city, searching for ancient chambers left in the Robot's skull, hoping the Great Creators had left knowledge behind."
Then Tobduk muttered a troubling thought aloud. "Still... how is it that in tens of thousands of years, no one—no one—ever found these tunnels? I'm starting to believe someone... or something... is behind the Ignika."
"The Ignika?"
"Yes. Since Helryx got her hands on that rotting Kanohi, she's changed. She knows too much. It must be the Mask of Life that showed her these passages. They're buried a hundred bios below the surface. How could we have known about them? There's no record anywhere."
"And… during the robot's reconstruction? No one noticed anything?"
"Jerbraz claims he discovered them. The others follow him without question. But the truth is… Matoran hands didn't rebuild the robot. But perhaps I'm saying too much…"
Vhisola lit her small torch and led the way through the dark tunnel. Tobduk's words felt carefully chosen: some truths were not meant to be spoken, not until Helryx herself deemed it time.
Minutes later, they reached a tunnel that resembled a Testing Track, where a Ruhnga waited atop a transport vehicle. The Order's experiments had reshaped former Matoran into living weapons. All former combat units like Vahki or Bohrok had been dismantled before the Second Core War began. The fall of Miserix, the last surviving Makuta, weakened beyond recovery after the final duel of the two Robots, had triggered it all. With few Toa left, and rising threats from Skrall, Skakdi, and Bone Hunters, many Matoran volunteered to defend the outer regions. The Unity War forced the Order to abandon its Agori members, who, due to their lower mechanical content, were spared from alteration.
During the journey, Vhisola noted the decay around them. Only a few Le- and Po-Matoran had helped in reconstructing these structures. Their findings were relayed to a special tower in southwest Ko-Metru. But once the Parenga arrived, Order operatives were confined to an overstructure, built by Artakha, to prevent insurrection. Curiosity often walks hand in hand with death...
As they neared a junction, the Ruhnga turned sharply into a side tunnel. In the dim light, Vhisola saw two figures. One held a small Avohkii in their hand.
"Thank the stars… just in time," Tobduk murmured.
A Korero and a hooded figure waited. The latter matched Vhisola's height. The Rahi guardian of the Order released the small figure.
"Perfect timing, Rahi. You spared me the effort," Tobduk said.
Vhisola didn't need introductions. "Orkahm?"
"I'm not surprised you're here, my friend," the Le-Matoran said, removing his hood with a faint smile.
"What do you mean?"
"It's obvious. We've all been summoned by the Order. I only wonder why the noble Toa Mahri didn't come for us themselves…"
"That is strange," Vhisola added, eyeing Tobduk for answers, who looked away.
"Let's move," he said. "We've lost enough time already."
Suddenly, a bright light tore down the sixth main tunnel. A Ruhnga soldier appeared, rushing toward Tobduk. He was bleeding, missing a forearm.
"What happened?! Where's Hydraxon?!" Tobduk barked after recognizing the soldier's insignia.
"Sir... t-the terrorist strike at the Protodermis Falls... many were lost. Hydraxon is... missing."
Tobduk's eyes widened. "What do you mean, missing?!"
The soldier's breath was heavy. "I... I lost contact with the others and..."
Tobduk trembled. Rage boiled beneath his skin. He stared into the void, clenched his eyes shut, and finally said: "I... understand. I'll search for Hydraxon myself."
"Wait, what about us?! How do we reach the Coliseum safely?!" cried Vhisola.
Tobduk knelt, facing her at eye level. His expression was unexpectedly calm. "Hydraxon is the one I trust most. He's saved me more than once, risking everything. I know this is dangerous, but I believe in you. You may not be Toa, but you still have strength. Be brave. Stay united. Follow the light of the Great Spirit... if it's remained..."
Orkahm placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll make it."
"You must be kidding, Orkahm!" Vhisola snapped. "If Helryx sent not a Toa, but an Order agent, it must be serious! How dare he abandon us as if—"
"Enough, Vhisola." Orkahm calmed her. "You'd do the same for me. True friendship outweighs commands. You may go now, agent."
"Understood," Tobduk said, finally at peace.
But before departing: "I just hope that if you manage to save Hydraxon… you'll at least have the courage to apologize while torturing yourself before Helryx..."
Those words froze Tobduk. He wanted to curse Orkahm in every language he knew. But the grip of time and fate made him reconsider. One wrong move against a chosen of the Order could destroy him. And perhaps even Hydraxon would pay the price.
"Very well. I'll take the wounded Ruhnga. You two head to Exit 012 through the main tunnel. You'll be just hours from the Coliseum. Follow the northeast path, and be there before dawn."
"It will be done," Orkahm answered.