Disclaimer: I don't own Bionicle, only Kit.

In a dimension different from our own, on the island of Mata Nui, Matoran everywhere were going about their daily business. Ta-Matoran farmed the lava river that fed into their village, Ga-Matoran made flax and fished, Po-Matoran carved sculptures and structures, Le-Matoran romped around the trees of their jungle home, Ko-Matoran did their best to predict what would happen and when, and Onu-Matoran either dug more tunnels in the island's already complex and ever-growing underground tunnel system or mined for protodermis. All the while, Tahu surfed the lava breaks of Ta-Wahi, Gali swam in the waters of her domain, Pohatu socialized with his villagers when he wasn't out climbing Po-Wahi's sheer rock cliffs, Lewa soared through the sky, Kopaka contemplated on his favorite spot on Mount Ihu, and Onua helped the miners. Everyone was enjoying a rare event that occurred on the island—peace.

That's what things were like on the surface, but far below, deep within the bowels of the lone Mangaia volcano, trouble was brewing. Makuta was plotting, planning how to rid himself of a certain nuisance who went by the name of Kit. A screech rang through-out the vast, dark cavern. He turned to face the Nui Rama that was bound to the ground by tendrils of shadow. It struggled to free itself, but the tendrils held as fast as chains. A wicked smile formed on the dark spirit's mask and he gazed at the item in his hand. His plan involved using a method from the past, a method that wasn't as successful as he had hoped, but still, he figured it would prove useful long enough for what he had in mind. The Rama continued fighting to get away as he approached it. "Do not fear little Rahi, you are more useful to me alive than dead," he spoke in a mockingly soothing tone. "I am currently in need of your services for a little task." The Rama immediately noticed that the great form in front of it was leaning in and reaching out with something. Its instincts warning it of great danger, it doubled its efforts of escape, but to no avail. The cavern of the Mangaia exploded with a long, shrill, horrible screech. A screech of agony.

Meanwhile, atop a rocky bluff on the island's eastern shoreline, sat a lone figure. Eyes closed, crossed-legged, and floating about a foot off the ground, Gali meditated. The peaceful silence was soon broken by someone calling to her. Opening her eyes, she looked over her shoulder to discover Kit approaching. "Kit, what brings you here?" the Water Toa asked.

"Nothin' much. Just wondering what you were up to here."

"I like to come to places like this to meditate. Where it's nice and peaceful."

Kit nodded, seeing why the Water Spirit chose this spot. The view was quite amazing with a bright blue sea and a clear sky that stretched as far as the eye could see. Then she turned her attention back to Gali. "You know, I've been asking you to teach me how to do that." The Water Toa's mask beamed and she gestured for the girl to come join her.

"The trick is to clear your mind," Gali explained. "Focus your thoughts and keep your breathing steady."

Kit did as she was told. After she got a rhythm going in her breathing she worked on her thoughts. Five minutes passed, and Kit didn't feel like she made any progress whatsoever. "I somehow get the feeling that this isn't working, Gali."

"Don't rush it. Instead of searching for the understanding, let the understanding come to you."

'Riiiigght,' Kit said to herself, but resolved to try again.

More minutes passed and, just when she was about to doze off, a sound made her snap her eyes open. A sound that seemed to come from somewhere in the air. She was about to ask Gali if she heard it when she saw that the Water Toa already had her aqua axes out. Kit could feel her legs tensing, ready to react. "Look out!" Gali suddenly cried. She grabbed the girl and pitched them forward. Stealing a glance behind, Kit saw why. A stinger had embedded itself right where she and Gali were standing. She didn't need to see the source of the buzzing to know that they were now under attack by a Nui Rama. "Kit--" Gali began.

"I'm way ahead of you," said Kit as she stood up.

Then, summoning the power of the crystal she wore around her neck, in a flash of light, her regular clothes changed to her Toa armor suit. The buzzing got louder, a sign that the Rahi was approaching. Both Toa and human prepared themselves. Then, in a blur, the Rama flew towards them so fast, they barely managed to dodge its attack. After regaining her composure, Gali was about to summon her water powers when she noticed something on the Rama's face. A very disturbingly familiar something. It was a mask, and it was pitched and a sickly grey color. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Kit raising her arms, palms facing the Rahi. "Kit, don't," she called, but too little too late. A concentrated ball of light flew away from the young girl's hands into the sky. The Rama, however, managed to avoid it and buzzed back into the trees. Kit's eyes darted from one spot to another, trying to recognize any sign of the robotic insect's whereabouts. Curiously, its raucous buzzing decreased to a loud hum, though she and Gali were positive it couldn't be too far away. Carefully, they inched closer to each other.

"Where do you think it could be?" asked Kit.

"I don't know," replied Gali. "But I don't like this."

Just then, she caught sight of something in the bushes. The Rama. There was little time to react. "Get back, Kit," Gali commanded as she shoved herself in front of the girl, taking the shot that was meant for her. The force of the hit was enough to send Kit over the edge; but, as luck would have it, she managed to grab hold of the cliff. Looking down, she could see the powerful waves pounding against the craggy rocks and sending up the spray she could just barely feel at the toes of her boots.

"Yikes," she said and hauled herself up.

She let out a concerned gasp when she spotted Gali's motionless form lying on the ground. Sprinting to the Toa, she gathered her in her arms. That was when she noticed the stinger in the Water Spirit's shoulder. As quickly as she could, she pulled the thing out. Gali grunted slightly, badly weakened but alive. After discarding the stinger, Kit gently set her friend back down. "Rest easy now, Gali," she said, the buzzing of the Nui Rama could be heard nearby. Her eyes narrowed as she walked toward it, "I'll handle this." The giant bug revealed itself again. Kit was about to attack when she noticed something different. This Nui Rama was wearing a mask on its face, a mask that she recalled reading about in the real world. 'Is that a--" she wondered, but the Rama's charge interrupted her thought. She tried to leap aside, just like before, but the side of the Rahi's head managed to clip her on the side. Kit was sent spinning right into a tree. She was unconscious before she even hit the ground.

Gali groaned as she struggled to open her eyes and get them to focus. 'What happened?' she thought. 'What's wrong with me?' Suddenly, she heard a screech and a Nui Rama flew over her. It was carrying Kit in its claws. "No, Kit," the Water Toa called out feebly and got up, only to have her legs fail her. She was now aware of how weak she was due to the Rahi's venom. She fully collapsed back to ground as the rest of her strength left her and she knew no more.

The Rama flew through the secret passage at the Kini Nui, the young human beginning to stir in its clutches. Before long, it reached its destination and gently placed the girl down. Then, it buzzed a little ways away from her and just hovered, as if waiting for more instructions. Meanwhile, Kit propped herself on an elbow as she worked to clear out the cobwebs in her head. It took a little while, but finally her eyes adjusted to the surrounding dark environment. Her nose wrinkled at the dank smell in the atmosphere and she noticed the green mist that drifted everywhere in the cavern, giving it a very eerie feeling. Seeing this scene before, she had a very strong idea of where she had to be and, almost immediately, she felt a sickening feeling of dread. "Kit," a deep, rumbling voice greeted from within the shadows. Kit felt like she practically jumped out of her skin; though she had heard the voice before, it still inexplicably seemed to fill her with fear and despair. She tried to discern where the villain was when she heard the creak of gears grinding together and the loud thump of a large footfall. The creaking and thumping repeated two more times and their volume seemed to increase in intensity before Kit realized it had to mean only one thing—he was coming at her. Too frightened to move, she stayed put, unsure if the shaking she felt throughout her body was her or if it was due to the Dark Spirit's pace. A few more steps, and there he was. Kit hardly dared to believe her eyes; she had always thought that this guy had to be quite a sight height-wise, but, still, imagining was nothing compared to actually seeing the real thing. Right before her stood a twenty foot tall, dark-magenta colored behemoth with sickly green splotches all over its armor—Makuta. His red eyes glowed with an evil mirth as he greeted, "Welcome to my lair." Kit didn't reply, her terror leaving her completely speechless and unable to react. She just stood where her feet planted her, staring at him with wide, fearful eyes.

In the meantime, Gali was regaining consciousness. Her eyes opened to find a familiar mask holding vigil over her. "Turaga Nokama," she said warily.

"Be at peace Toa Gali. You're safe now," the turaga of Ga-Koro assured her.

"What happened?"

"Hahli and Maku found you on a cliff just a short walk to the north from here. You were unconscious and they found a Nui Rama stinger, so they sent word to me and I had you transported here for healing."

"Kit!" the Toa of Water gasped, memories of hers and Kit's attack flashing through her mind. She started to get up, but collapsed to her knees. Nokama steadied her.

"You must rest, Gali. You're still not yet up to full strength"

"Can't rest, Kit's in danger," struggled Gali as she tried to get back to her feet. "That Rama took Kit to Makuta. He has her." Nokama didn't bother to hide the fear in her eyes.

"Are you sure, Gali?"

"Yes, Nokama; the Rama was wearing an infected mask. I've got to summon the other Toa." Finally, the Water Toa managed to walk a few wobbly steps to the door.

"And what about you?" asked Nokama. "You're still not recovered from the Rama venom."

"I'll be alright," Gali assured. "I can feel my strength coming back to me."

And with that, the Toa of Water dove into the waters and swam her way towards Po-Koro, knowing that with his Mask of Speed, Pohatu would be able to gather the remaining Toa faster than she could hope to. Nokama's eyes followed the wake that trailed the Water Toa. "Be careful, Toa of Water."

Makuta turned his attention to the Nui Rama as if just realizing it was there. "Your usefulness to me has ended," he said and he struck the Rahi with a backslap of his hand. A loud crash echoed throughout the chamber when the winged Rahi collided into the wall, the impact dislodging the infected mask from its face. It fell to the ground with a dull thud and didn't move. Kit stared in shock at the sight of the fallen creature, fearful that Makuta actually killed it. However, its eyes blinked on and it shook its head. Its wings were beating in an instant and it was gone in a flash, thus allowing Makuta to return his attention on the young girl. "Miss me?"

"Miss you?" she asked, confused.

"Well, it has been a long time, hasn't it?" Makuta continued.

Kit was, to say the least, now more bewildered than ever. Still a little shaken, she got up to her feet as she braced herself against the wall behind her and said, "You must have a screw lose, pal. This is the first time I've ever actually seen you face-to-face."

In the blink of an eye, Makuta bent down so he was at eye level with the youth, a deep frown on his Krahkann. Kit, just as fast, instinctively flattened herself against the wall, breathing hard. Makuta's mask was mere inches away from her face and the glowing red eyes bored at her. "Do not try to play coy with me, Kit," he said in a dangerously low voice. "A thousand years may have passed, but I remember the day I first laid eyes on you like it only happened yesterday. At first, I thought you and your friends would be nothing more than minor pests. However, as it turned out, the both of you put together turned out to be much more of an annoyance than I calculated."

Makuta's reminiscing confused Kit even more, which showed on her face, whether he noticed or not, and caused more questions to form in her head. What was he talking about? Why did he think that they've crossed paths before? Her thoughts, however, were interrupted when Makuta's clawed hand grabbed her by the front of her shirt. And, slowly and with the sound of gears groaning, he rose up to full height. Kit kicked her legs as she dangled in midair, totally at the mercy of the giant. She struggled and pried to get out of the Makuta's grasp, but nothing worked. As he observed her, Makuta then felt something radiate from Kit—fear. Pure, stock terror. Although, the sensation itself was no stranger to him, what was was that he never felt it in the girl before, at least not at this magnitude. At first, he was puzzled, then a second later he allowed a wicked, satisfied sneer as he thought, 'She must have learned to fear me over the years.' "Now," he spoke, "it is time."

Bolt-like shadowy tendrils erupted from his hand and surrounded the girl. Though she didn't know how, it felt to her like somehow they were seeping into her brain, making her suffer agonizing feelings of pain, horror, and despair and experience her deepest, darkest fears. 'No, get away from me,' she said in her head as frightening glimpses of terrifying creatures and other forbidding images flashed through her mind. 'Keep away, leave me alone!' Kit, then, screamed at the very top of her lungs.

Tahu froze in his tracks, causing Lewa to bump into him and the other Toa to skid to a halt. The scream rang throughout the tunnel. "Kit," Gali said worriedly.

"Pohatu, use your Kakama and go ahead of us," Tahu ordered. "We'll meet up with you as fast we can."

"Right," the Toa of Stone saluted, and disappeared down the tunnel in a blur of motion.

In less than a minute, Pohatu found his way to the Mangaia. Seeing Kit in Makuta's grasp, he instantly went into action. He rammed into the giant with all of his might, taking him totally by surprise and causing him to let go of the kid. Then, he turned around and caught her before she hit the ground. "Are you alright, Kit?" he asked as he gently set her down.

"Yeah," the girl replied, "thanks."

"A noble effort, Toa," Makuta mused at the two. "But, you and your brothers and sister, whom I have no doubt are on their way, are fools to have come down here."

'Speaking of the others, I hope they get here soon,' Pohatu thought as he placed himself between Kit and Makuta. 'I may be the strongest of the Toa, but there's no way I can handle this guy all on my own.'

Makuta made his move and lunged toward the Toa. Pohatu, however, grabbed Kit, who yelped in surprise, and was gone in a flash. In less than half a second, they reappeared behind him. Makuta turned and lunged again, and again Pohatu dodged, and again. Unfortunately, the evil one somehow anticipated the Stone Toa's moves, and stuck his foot in Pohatu's path. Though he saw the foot coming, the Toa of Stone couldn't stop in time and over they went. The young girl slipped out of his grasp and they both tumbled across the floor until they came to a skidding halt. Groaning, they began to get up.

"Got to work on the brakes," Pohatu mumbled.

"No kidding," Kit said as she rubbed her shoulder.

Hearing Makuta approach them, Pohatu was about to shield Kit again when a burst of fire entered the cavern. Makuta backed away from the two, blinded by the light of the flames. The girl glanced at the entrance, bewildered, when she saw a red form spring toward the giant—Tahu. Sword raised, he prepared to bring his weapon down upon his sworn enemy as he descended. Makuta, however, managed to spot the attack coming and defended himself. With a slight shove, he threw Tahu away from him, who flipped and lithely landed beside his brothers, sister, and Kit. "You two ok?" he turned to Pohatu and Kit.

The Toa of Stone nodded as the girl replied, "Let me just say I've had better days."

Feeling a cold hand on her shoulder, Kit looked up at Kopaka. "We'll keep him busy. Run for the tunnel when you spot your chance and meet us outside," instructed the Ice Toa. The girl nodded with barely a moment's hesitation and braced herself.

"Foolish Toa," addressed Makuta with a hint of irritation in his voice. "This 'meeting' concerns no one but me and the child." Gali stole a questioning look at Kit, who simply shrugged in response. "Therefore, if you could be so kind," Makuta continued, "you will now leave both this place and the girl."

"We'll gladly leave your lair, but not without Kit," was Tahu's firm reply, and the other Toa concurred with slight nods of their heads.

"Then, consider your doom sealed," and he conjured up his staff of darkness.

The Toa's muscles tensed, ready for action. Kit's muscles tensed as well, and her legs were ready to run at a moment's notice. As one, the Toa charged and leapt. Makuta, however, intercepted them, knocking them to the ground. Onua was the first to get on his feet and attacked Makuta with one of his quakebreakers, grazing the villain's shoulder armor enough to make him wince. Within moments the other Toa were joining their brother, attacking their enemy with both their tools and elemental powers. Meanwhile, seeing that Makuta was distracted, Kit dashed down the tunnel. 'Boy, will I be glad to get out of here,' she thought as she ran.

Back at the Mangai, Makuta was still being marauded by the Toa. When his gaze happened to fall upon where he last saw the girl, he saw that she was gone. His eyes searched the cavern, but she was nowhere to be seen. For a brief moment, he felt rage that the Toa had distracted him and thought about doing away with the little pests and using his shadow powers to locate her. After all, wherever there were shadows, so was he. But then, he came up with a better idea. "Onua. Pohatu. Now!" he heard Tahu shout, and the next thing Makuta knew, the two Toa rammed into him from opposite sides, bringing him down hard. For a few tense minutes, the Toa stared at the fallen figure, trying to determine if they could leave him long enough to meet Kit outside. "C'mon," Tahu snorted. "Let's get out of here."

The Toa were almost to the tunnel entrance when they heard a voice say, "Not so fast, Toa."

Whirling around, they saw Makuta was back on his feet, battered but alive. In his right hand, he held Pohatu by the throat. The Stone Toa clutched the hand, as if trying to pry it off and his legs were kicking empty air.

In the tunnel, Kit stopped in her tracks and turned to face the direction from which she came. For some reason, in the back of her mind, she had this strange feeling that she had to go back. Shaking her head, she turned back around and got ready to start running toward the exit. But, for some reason, she couldn't. Turning the other way, she gazed into the darkness. She took one step forward, then another, and another. As if her legs had gained a mind of their own, her pace slowly quickened until she broke into a full run.

"Pohatu!" Onua gasped, and he prepared to go help his friend.

"Stop!" Makuta commanded, and the Toa of Earth paused. "Any of you take one step closer or try anything with your powers, and I break his neck."

With great reluctance, the Toa stayed themselves; they all knew Makuta was more than capable of carrying out his threat. Then, Makuta grabbed Pohatu's climbing claws and threw them to the ground.

"You will now throw down your weapons and surrender."

"Guys, don't," Pohatu called in a slightly strangled voice. "Don't worry about me, just get out of here."

The Toa looked at each other, unsure of what to do, and then they looked at Tahu. The Toa of Fire wrestled with the options in his mind. They couldn't stay, yet they couldn't leave Pohatu either. Finally, with a dejected bow of his head, he came to a decision.

"We're not going to risk your safety, brother," he said firmly, and he threw his magma swords on top of the climbing claws.

The other Toa nodded in full support of their leader's choice and added their weapons to the pile. Pohatu was about to plead again to his brothers and sister to save themselves, but Makuta tightened his grip on his neck, choking him. The Stone Toa started gasping and kicked his legs harder as Makuta reveled in seeing and feeling the helpless Toa struggle in his grasp.

"Stop it!" a voice echoed, and Kit barged her way through Kopaka and Gali. She ran as close to Makuta as she dared and stopped. "Let the Toa go, Makuta. I'm the one you want."

"Kit, no!" exclaimed Tahu.

As one moment passed, a moment that felt like forever, Kit began to fear the worst. Finally, and thankfully, Makuta flung Pohatu away with a toss of his wrist. The Toa of Stone collided into Onua and Tahu, who gently set him down as he began to cough for air, one hand to his throat. Seeing that her friend was going to be ok, Kit turned her attention back to Makuta who smiled. He knew she would come back for the Toa if she knew they were in danger. He reached down to grab her and the girl stood her ground, shaking. Just when his hand was about to envelope her, Kopaka aimed his ice powers at it, freezing it. As Makuta backed away a few steps in surprise, Kit looked back to see the group running to reclaim their tools and ran back to join them.

"Any suggestions?" she asked.

"We fight our way out," answered Tahu as he brandished his swords.

Makuta had just now somehow managed to get the ice to thaw and looked very annoyed at the Toa. "In that case," said Kit. "Something tells me I'd better slip into something more 'comfortable'."

She let loose a flash of light, blinding both the Makuta and the Toa. When the light cleared, Makuta found himself looking at the human youth in her Toa armor suit. Onua tried using his earth powers to stumble up Makuta, but the giant rode with it. Pohatu took his turn, attempting to land a hard kick on him; however the Makuta simply grabbed his leg and threw him to the ground. The fight continued on like this, with the Toa not gaining the slightest advantage. "Everyone, combine your powers," Tahu ordered.

The Toa focused their powers on Makuta and struck him full force. Despite the pain that assailed his body, Makuta managed to stay up. "Kit," said Onua. "We could use some extra oomph, if you know what I mean?"

"Huh?" Kit asked as if she just snapped out of a trance. "Oh, right."

She folded her hands on top of each other and placed them on the right side of her waist, her wrists joined together, where an energy ball formed. Then, extending her arms out, her power was added to the Toa's. Heat, cold, earth, stone, water, air, and something else he couldn't quite recognize; Makuta couldn't make heads or tails of which force ended and another began. Unable to hold his ground any longer, he was forced back, crashing into the wall behind him, and just laid there. After they spent a few minutes staring at the dazed form, Kit asked, "Does this mean we can leave now?"