“Oh, it’s you again.” Liz scowled and turned away, letting the screen door almost hit Nick in the nose yet again. He was becoming entirely too acquainted with that action at this house.

“Liz…come on…I brought you something.” Nick let himself in, wondering how well his plan would go over. It wasn’t starting out well, that was for sure.

“So? You can’t buy my angry away.”

“I’m not trying to buy it away, Liz…”

Finally giving him the time of day, the imp turned back to him, hands firmly in place on her hips (he seemed to be evoking that little move quite often too) and waited for an explanation. “Then why’d you buy me something?”

“Because I saw it and knew you’d like it…how ‘bout if I just leave it here and you can get it when you’re not so angry with me.” He put the bag on the couch and smiled as Ben came in from the kitchen licking his fingers.

“Hey…you guys ready?”

“How many days are we staying there?”

“Just ‘til tomorrow. I still don’t feel right about messin’ up their vacation.”

“She invited us…” Ben found his bag in a corner of the dining room and started stuffing in shirts, shorts, underwear and trunks with little concern for the details. Startling both Nick and Liz, Ben called to his younger brother. “Jack! Get in here and pack!”

“Yeah, yeah…I’m comin’. Just grab a shirt and shorts…I don’t care. I’m wearing my trunks the whole time anyway.” Jack offered Nick a cursory smile and disappeared down the hall to his mother’s room.

“Goin’ swimmin’ again without me, huh?”

“Liz…we’re taking a long drive. When I get back…” exasperated with her stubbornness, he grabbed the bag from the couch and shoved it in her hands. “Will you just open this?”

“Fine.” She angrily opened the bag and sat on the couch slowly, seeing what was inside.

“Jak and Daxter? It’s a video game…and…a bathing suit!”

“When we get back we’ll make a date so you can come swimming, okay?”

“Yeah…okay. But you’re taking Ben and Jack. I won’t be able to figure this game out.”

“I’ll help you, Liz…” Kitty appeared from the hallway, still looking lovely. Her hair was clean and brushed, and her cheeks were still slightly sun kissed from their day at Nick’s pool. Maybe she was getting outside more. She just looked…together.

“You don’t know how to play.”

“Well, we’ll figure it out together.”

“It’s kind of like Final Fantasy for kids. Role playing and stuff.” Nick stood when the Jack returned, ready to hit the road. “Did you give your mom the number to the condo?”

“Yep. It’s on the frig. Let’s get out of here.”

“Oh wait! I found my Bionicle. I wanna take him.” Jack scurried onto the floor, crawling to his bed and grabbing a red plastic robotic thing before standing back up. “Okay, now I’m ready.”

“What the hell’s a Bionicle?”

“Oh God, Nick…don’t ask.” Ben was impatiently waiting at the door and definitely not happy his brother had brought this toy.

“Why not?”

“You’ll regret it…believe me.”

Nick looked into his rearview mirror to see Jack still playing and manipulating the strange toy, whispering to himself, making little boy noises from his imagination. He remembered. No critters like this one, but a boy could make a playmate out of just about anything.

“So Jack, you never told me…what is that thing you’re playing with?”

“Oh God, here we go…” Ben slid lower in his seat, and leaned his head on the door.

Nick shot a look of curious disgust to the teen and looked in the rear view mirror again waiting for Jack’s answer.

“It’s a Bionicle.”

“Yeah, you said that…what’s a Bionicle?”

“Bionicles are strange robotic creatures.”

He wasn’t a fount of information…what was Ben’s problem with this? “I see that, Jack…but…do you build them or something?”

“Yeah, they’re made by Lego and have all of these parts.”

“What makes ‘em so special?”

“A lot of them have some elemental powers at their command.”

Okay, now we’re getting somewhere. “Ah, that sounds cool. Where did they get the powers?”

“In the comics they say the great beings gave them the power and they sent them to the island of Mata-Nui. Six of them, um…wait, let me think…” Jack stopped and counted something off on his fingers, “actually 18 of them, can transform into different things by combining powers. Like the creatures called Tahunga can morph into this big powerful Tahunga. And the heroes of the legend are the Toa…”

Nick was already getting Ben’s issue. He was like a wind-up toy. Ask the right question and he was off. Nick gave Ben an apologetic glance and Ben responded with a mouthed, “I told you!”

“Sorry…” Turning his attention to the back seat, Nick realized Jack had never quit talking.

“…make a thing called a Toa Kedia. Another three…Lewa, Gali and Kapoka combine powers and make another Toa Kedia.”

“Do those guys have names too?”

“Yes, they both have names. The one with Tahu, Puhatu and Onua is Akmaima. And the other one is…” He knocked himself on his head with his fist, trying to remember, “shoot…I can’t remember his name. Anyway, the Traga, the leaders of each village….all 6 of them will combine powers. And the villains of the sets called Rahi, they have leaders that you can build by getting a Rahi set.”

Nick turned to Ben with the classic ‘ah-ha’ face. It was all clear now. Build a toy that needs more toys to make the story come true…a great way to make money.

“The new villains called Bohrok, they morph like the Toa.”

“Regretting it yet?”

“Not yet…this is cool.” Shaking his head as Ben smacked his head back onto the door, Nick decided to egg Jack on a bit more. If nothing else, it was funny to be pissing off Ben. “So, Jack, are these dudes powerful by themselves…without combining?”

“Yes, but really, they don’t control themselves. The things in their heads called Krena do.”

“Krena??? How did they get in their heads?”

Jack wiggled his fingers and lowered his voice to sound mysterious. “It’s unknown.”

“Of course…so what kinds of powers do these dudes have?”

“Bohrok?”

“Any of them.”

“Well, the Kohrak, they can freeze molten lava.”

“Why would you need to do that!?”

“Because they usually travel around Ta-Kora.”

Nick looks over to Ben and mouths, “Of course…”

Ben finally giggles and perks up, still nauseated at his brother’s obsession with this plastic toy.

“So, the Lehvak, they can squirt acid that will eat anything on Mata-Nui. And the Gahlok can squirt out water.” He leans up to Nick’s seat and whispers, “You may wonder why.”

“Hey, hey…sit back, bud…where’s your seat belt?”

“Right here…” Jack lifts the limply buckled belt to Nick’s view in the rearview mirror.

“Tighten that up, bucko…I don’t need 8 yr. old brain stains on my dash.”

“Jeez…okay, okay.” Jack tightened his belt and continued without losing a beat. “So, the Gahlok turn their enemies into water so they’re invincible to the enemy. Um, and uh, the Tohnak can burn anything in their path. And the Nohvok, they can bury tunnels under the ground.

“You mean dig tunnels?”

“Yeah, dig tunnels under the ground.”

“So, who’s their enemy?” Nick stuck his tongue out at Ben who was practically under the seat now having slid so far down with irritation at this entire conversation. It was going to be a long damned drive.

“Enemy of the Bohrok or the Toa?”

“Whoever. I’m confused.”

“Probably because of all these strange words…”

“Yeah…”

“The Bohrok’s enemies are everything on the Island of Mata-Nui except the other Bohrok. The Toa’s basically is the same thing.”

“So it’s a survival of the species sort of thing?”

“Now I’m confused.”

“Um…you’re just trying to save your own kind from each other.”

“Yeah, that’s about it.” Barely taking in another breath, Jack kept right on going and Ben was about to jump out. It was getting comical. “But more about the Toa. They will gather the krena from fallen Bohrok and use them to use their powers and get to the very heart of the swarm.”

“The swarm?”

“I mean the nest…they came out of nests and they gather up ones like them…become a swarm and attack the island. Kinda crazy. Anyway, 6 exoskeletons will increase the Toa’s power. And they’ll use the skeletons to increase power…”

“So, Ben…I signed you up for baseball. All three of you.”

Ben looked to Nick and giggled, still hearing Jack talking, totally oblivious that he was being ignored.

“….Then, the Toa combine forces and create a cell that even the mightiest of Bohrok can’t escape…”

“You did, huh? When does it start?”

“Couple of weeks. I can come to a few games, but you’re on your own for practices. I need to cut back on our time a bit.”

“…which is the queen of course. That’s how Exo comes.”

Turning his attention back to Jack, Nick picked up like he hadn’t missed a word. “Exo???”

“Exo-toa.”

“I’m afraid to ask…”

“It’s a power of Toa. Only it’s not normally how they transform with 3 and 3…this time all 6 combine into one mighty…”

“He doesn’t stop, does he?”

“Nope. I told you you’d regret it.”

“I should have listened.”

“Yep…so why do you have to cut back on our time?”

“I have to work more. Winding up my album and stuff…lots of crap to do.”

Glancing back at Jack, Nick shook his head as the boy continued…still unaware of his inattentive audience. “…this is Tahu. He’s the strongest of all of them. Wait…I didn’t tell you about the Toa’s special powers.”

“Okay, shoot.”

“Nick! God!”

“Shhh…at least he’s not singing.”

“Okay, you’ve got a point.”

“Tahu, this one…he’s the leader of the group. His special attack is to shoot lava out of his sword of flames.”

“You told me this one, didn’t you?”

“No, that was the Bohrok.”

“Oh, they have similar powers?”

“Yeah, and the Kapoka can freeze an entire avalanche with just one simple touch.” Jack whispers again, this time staying securely fastened in his seat. “Just log onto Bionicle.com and you can see that happen.”

“How do YOU do that…you don’t have a computer.”

“I go to the library and to my friends house…ANYway, Gali, she’s the only girl, she can make a huge ball of water by holding her hooks up like…”

Seeing Jack going visual with his discussion, Nick looks to Ben who has decided to dig into his backpack for some travel activity. A pad of paper and a pen. Some of his previous work slipped onto the floor.

“You draw?”

“Yep…all the time. Cartoons and stuff. Dragons…”

“Why didn’t I know this?”

“Cuz you never asked??? I dunno. I’ve got some of my stuff with me. I’ll show you at the condo.”

“Yeah. I’d like that. I do cartooning too. Or, I used to. Not so much anymore.”

“You’re kidding…you should start it back up. I love it.”

“Yeah, I should. Dear God, he’s not shut up yet.”

“Told you.”

“…you can see more of the special attacks by logging into Bionicle.com and click on ‘chronicle’, click on ‘movies’ and click on ‘the Toa defeat Makuta’ and ‘the Bohrok are revealed’.”

“Does he need water or something? Has he even taken a breath?”

“Yeah, he needs water…let’s stop.”

“Okay, Jack, I’m exhausted. Where is the Island of Mata…whatever?”

“Mata-Nui. Well, it used to be on earth…which was the only thing on earth. In the time before time. That doesn’t make any sense does it?”

“Yeah, in your imagination it does…”

“Yep. So, that’s Bionicles. Can we get me some more?”

“What!? You want more of these?”

“Yes! All my friends have every Toa and every Bohrok. Then there’s other stuff and the best one…the master builder set.”

“Good God…marketing at its finest.”

“Yup…I want ‘em all.”

“Well, there is that Lego store at Downtown Disney. Maybe on the way home we can stop, huh?”

“Wooohooo!!!!! I’ll pay you back, Nick…I promise.”

“I’ll tell you how you can pay me back.”

“How?”

“Be quiet for maybe…10 minutes.”

“He’ll never have another Bionicle. It’s impossible.”

“Shut up, Ben! I can be quiet for 10 minutes…hey, I didn’t tell you about the masks and what they mean!!”

“JACK!”