The GAang had arrived at the Northern Air Temple. Teo was showing Katara and Aang around while Sokka went with the Mechanist.
"These lanterns are terrible. I can't see!" Sokka complained. He opened the top of his lantern only to find them filled with fireflies. "Why would you want to use fireflies for light?"
"Hey! Close that up! They'll get loose!" Sokka closed it, only one firefly able to escape. "Fireflies are a non-flammable light source."
"Cover your nose and hold your breath." The Mechanist said. Both plugged their noses. The mechanist opened an eye slot in the door, both looking inside a pitch-black room.
"Okay... So you brought me all the way down here to see an empty room."
"Wrong. It's filled to the brim with natural gas. Came across it my first time here. Unfortunately, I was carrying a torch at the time. Nearly blew my self and the whole place even more sky high! Thought my eyebrows would never grow back. Anyway, there's a vital problem that needs solving. From time to time, we have gas leaks. And they're nearly impossible to find." he said.
"So, this place is an explosion waiting to happen."
"Yes, until I figure out how to locate something I can't see, hear, smell, or touch."
The mechanist was drawing on a large piece of paper and Sokka was looking through shelves. Sokka dropped various things, including seven scrolls, four pieces of paper, a hard-boiled egg and a model of a hot air balloon.
"I said don't touch anything!" He walked over to help Sokka pick things up.
"Oh, don't worry. That experiment's old, and that egg was just part of last week's lunch."
"Ugh! Week old egg smell!" Sokka said, cringing.
"Quick, find that egg!"
"How can something so small that you can't even see it make such a big stink!?" Sokka wondered aloud. The Mechanist looked up.
"That's the solution to our problem!"
"Yeah..." Sokka said. Both turned toward each other. "If we put a whole of mess of rotten eggs in the cellar where the gas seeps up..."
"...The gas will mix with the smell of rotten eggs!"
"Then, if there's a leak..."
"...You'll smell rotten eggs! Then, you just follow your nose to the place where the smell is coming from..."
"And plug up the hole where the gas is escaping!" Both threw up their hands.
"You're a genius!" They exclaimed to each other. A glint in the corner made Sokka look to the corner of the room. A shiny piece of metal shone out from under a tarp.
"Hey, what's that?" Sokka asked, crawling for the tarp.
"Huh? Oh, I'm not su-" Sokka ripped off the tarp and the Mechanist nodded. "Ah, now I know."
"What is it?" Sokka asked, touching the metal. It looked like a mess of metal bits out of a potato sack. Sokka shifted the metal, and gasped. Shifting the metal heap revealed that the potato sack was a dress, and the metal was a girl. A metal girl. She was a silvery shade and had an odd design on her left cheek.
"That is an automaton." The mechanist said. He propped the metal girl against the wall and tapped her forehead. "Hey, wake up."
"Yes, sir." The girl said, eyes fluttering open. Her eyes were golden.
"I want you to perform." The Mechanist said. The automaton nodded.
"What shall I do?"
"Automatonic Electronic Harmonics." The Mechanist said. He looked to Sokka as they shifted to sit properly. "Watch this."
"Ever since the first time I opened my eyes, I've awakened to the same thing: Other automaton friends roughly built like me." She touched the broken automaton's next to her.
"The first time I opened my mouth to speak steam escaped to the air and black oil dripped from my lips and onto the ground." She placed a hand to her moving mouth before touching the ground where she sat.
"Well daylight struck a chord with my photo-receptors. Night greeted me with a sea of stars. Our eyes all flashed blues and greens through the night." She touched her eyes as one flashed blue, the other flashing green.
"It's just our Aaaaaaaaaah Automatonic Electronic Harmonics.
"People are soaring, always exploring, higher than they've ever been before. But we are still down here, feet on the ground near what will rise us up with the rest. Our thoughts are quixotic, stark and robotic, mechanical in nature all the time. And pulses are firing in our head wiring, guiding all our actions and beings.
"It's just our Aaaaaaaaaah Automatonic Electronic Harmonics.
"I am not an unimaginable thing. My thoughts are tangible, though they're full of springs." She placed a hand on her head, then on her metal chest. "I don't have the heart to send you untruthful words. My skin is cold to the touch and made from the earth.
"They say: Oh, oh it's so down, but baby it's sound makes your worries cease to pound And oh, maybe it's alright, 'cause baby it fights for some time just to be held tightAnd oh, maybe it's not wrong, 'cause it sings a lovely song one that drifts on for so long And oh, baby let's not lie, it's eyes are alive and pointed up shining light to the sky.
"It's just our Aaaaaaaaaah Automatonic Electronic Harmonics.
"Epic and so cool. Epic and so cool. Epic and so cool. Epic and so cool. Aaaaaaaaaah Automatonic Electronic Harmonics. Aaaaaaaaaah Automatonic Electronic Harmonics." And with that, the metal girl clicked a few times and powered down.
"Oh my spirits." Sokka said.
"Yes, well, her brothers aren't working as I hoped, but I haven't told her that ye-"
"You built a singing robot." Sokka said in awe.
"Well, yes, I did."
"Why?"
"Well, it was supposed to work as a spy to get background information about the Fire Nation. But it's not working! All it does is, well, sing all day!" The Mechanist huffed, obviously frustrated.
"She, it's a she. What's her name?" Sokka asked.
"A name? She doesn't have a name."
"I'll give her one then." Sokka decided. He looked over the metal girl and nodded. "Her name is Kin."
"'Kin'? Why Kin?"
"Because it means gold, and her eyes are gold."
"We'll just have to see if she likes it then." The Mechanist said. Sokka touched the metal girls face, intrigued by the network of scrap metal molded into her skin.
"Hey, Kin? Can you wake up please?" Sokka said, like he were talking to a frightened animal. He patted her cheek. "Kin?"
"Sir?" She said. "What are you saying, sir?"
"Kin. It's your name." Sokka said. Her metal eyes clicked wider.
"I have a name, sir?"
"Yes. I do too, and it isn't 'sir'. I'm Sokka."
"Sokka." She said, trying the word on her tongue. She then smiled. "Hello, Sokka."
"Do you like your name?" Sokka asked. Her face fell.
"I am not programmed to feel, Sokka." Kin said. "But if I could, I would love my name. It's very pretty."
"Why do you sing?" Sokka asked. Her face lit up.
"It makes me feel human! I like singing! My metal heart beats for music, Sokka!" She chirped. Sokka nodded.
"Right, okay, wel-" He was cut off as a bell rang. The Mechanist stood.
"Something's wrong. I've got to go!" He ran out the door and Sokka looked to Kin.
"Do you feel up to being human?"
"This is a nightmare..."
"You don't understand!" The Mechanist called. Sokka and Kin ran in and looked around. It was filled with Fire Nation weapons, tools and a red hot air balloon with the Fire Nation insignia on it.
"You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!" Aang exclaimed.
"You make weapons for the Fire Nation?!" Sokka yelped.
"Sir? What is going on?" Kin said, holding her hand together tightly.
"Explain all this! Now!"
"It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this, Teo. They were going to destroy everything! Burn it to the ground! I pleaded with them, I begged them to spare us! They asked what I had to offer. I offered... my services. You must understand. I did this for you!" The Mechanist pleaded. Teo looked away in shame, and his own automaton clickingly shook her head in disappointment. The mechanist left.
Kin leaned against the wall in the workshop. The Mechanist placed two eggs with smiley faces in his hot air balloon model, along with a candle to make it float. He looked rather depressed. He let go of the bottom and it started to float. Just then, the door opened and Aang and Teo were at the door.
"Young sirs?" Kin said.
"Soon." A candle popped once. "Very soon."
"You can't give them more weapons." Aang said.
"If I don't give them what they want, they will destroy this place!" The model of the hot air balloon caught fire and crashed. The Mechanist put the fire out with a cloth.
"How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" Teo asked. "Speaking of which, who and what are you?"
"I am Kin. I am an automaton, designed by your father." Kin said, bowing politely while clicking and whirring.
"Why would he build you?"
"I need some time to think." The bell rung on his desk. "You need to leave! Go!"
"Then hide! Quickly!" The young boys hid behind some of his inventions. The Mechanist pulled a rope that opened a trapdoor, and a war minister from the Fire Nation was lifted into the room.
"You know better than to keep me waiting. Give me what you owe us so we can be on our way." The Mechanist looked down. "Well? Is there a problem?"
"No, right this way." He gestured toward the door.
"Wait." He said. He pointed at the metal girl, standing statue still near the Mechanist's desk. "What is that?"
"A present for my son." The Mechanist said. The minister nodded and was about to go out the door, but Aang airbent it shut. He jumped in front of the door.
"The deal's off."
"The avatar..."
"Aang, don't get involved!"
"If I don't get what I came here for, the Fire Nation will burn this place to rubble!" The war minister threatened.
"Get out of here!" He slapped him in the face with an air swipe. "You're leaving empty-handed!"
"Then the destruction of this temple [Pointing at Aang.] will be on your head!" He left through the trap door and Aang airbent it shut.
They stood at the bridge, talking.
"This is bad." Teo said.
"Very bad!" Sokka agreed.
"Aang, what are we going to do? How can we possibly keep them all away?"
"I'll tell you how. We have something they don't. Air power. We control the sky. That's something the Fire Nation can't do. We can win!"
"I want to help." The Mechanist said, appearing by the door.
"Good. We'll need it."
"I want to help too." Kin spoke up.
"Kin, you aren't built fo-" He trailed off as Kin held up her arm and it shifted into a chainsaw. "Did you do that?"
"I may not have a brain, sir, but I'm not stupid." Kin smirked. "Not even close."
Everyone was outside, waiting for the Fire Nation to show up.
"They're coming!" A young girl called.
"Are we ready?" Teo said.
"Yes. But where's Sokka with the war balloon?"
"We'll have to start without it." people readied their flying machines for take off.
"Wait!" Kin said. They looked to her. "Let me go first. They cannot hurt me."
"But, you could short out."
"That's the thing, Avatar Aang." Kin grinned. "I am close to human. And with the environment, I look like one too."
"Kin!" Katara said as she began down the cliff. Kin ran down and at the Fire Nation troops climbing the cliff path.
"Little girl, get out of the way!" One yelled. She stepped forward. "What's wrong with her?"
"Sir, you've got to help me." Kin pleaded, grabbing a Fire Nation soldier uniform.
"Uh, what's wrong?" He asked. Kin changed her arm to a sword and plunged it into his chest.
"You are." She snarled.
"That thing isn't human!"
"Take it down!"
"Teo, now!" Kin yelled to the cliff. Kin ran through the ranks, killing as she went. The people began the assault as their gliders flew off into the air. They were attacked by the various bombs thrown at them. The gliders flew over the Fire Nation troops dropping bombs below.
"Take them out of the sky. Now!" A soldier yelled. Kin stabbed and tsked as he fell over.
"Bad bad man." She said. She looked over her shoulder as a man tried attacking her. The sword bounced harmlessly off her skin. She raised her metallic eyebrow.
"Um. Ow?" She said. She then rolled her eyes and swung her sword, sending his head rolling. The soldiers nearby screamed and ran.
"We've got them on the run! We need more slime!" Aang yelled. Kin waved as he passed over, stabbing a man with her free arm.
Hooks flew through the clouds nearly hitting Appa and latching onto the cliff. Tanks scaled the cliffs via the chains. Aang saw this and managed to remove one hook. The tank fell before sending out another hook. Gliders continued to fly dropping bombs in an attempt to slow the tanks down. Aang landed and airbent the tanks away. The tanks flipped over and readjusted themselves before continuing on.
"Those things are unstoppable!" Katara said to Teo.
"I think I know how they work. I remember my dad tinkering with the counterbalancing system. Something to do with water. Works great, huh?" Teo said.
"Water? Can you get me close to one?"
"No problem!"
Aang fended off firebending blasts. Katara landed next to him. Katara froze multiple tanks with waterbending. Aang defended Katara from fire blasts before Appa dropped in front and knocked the tanks away. Katara and Aang climbed up his tail. Aang and Katara looked down at the oncoming force.
Kin stood on the temple balcony with Katara, Aang and Teo.
"We're out of bombs!"
"Come on Sokka. Where's that war balloon?" Katara said.
"There." Kin said. She launched a hook at the war balloon as it appeared behind Katara. She shot up and climbed into the basket. The soldiers and tanks advanced forward with war balloon above.
"Hey, why aren't they shooting at us?"
"The insignia! They think we're on their side." The Mechanist said.
"Then I guess they won't see this coming." Sokka sliced the rope attached to a large bomb.
"Bombs away!" Kin shifted her arm into a sword and helped Sokka free the bombs. Soldiers were washed away by slime. The bombs stopped some of soldiers and tanks. Sokka and mechanist looked down.
"Oh no, that was the last one." Sokka said. The tanks began to scale the cliffs.
"Wait a second. You smell that?"
"Rotten eggs!" The was a large crevice in the ground below. "There! That's where the gas is escaping."
Sokka began levering the engine away from the bottom of the balloon in an attempt to get it free.
"What are you doing? That's our fuel source." The Mechanist said.
"It's the only bomb we've got." Sokka said.
"Move." Kin said. She gripped the loose engine and hefted it up, throwing it over the side with ease. The engine dropped to the crevice below. They waited... and waited... and waited... An explosion went off and the temple was blocked from view as smoke went everywhere. The smoke dissipated. Empty chains hung off the cliffs, no tanks in sight.
"We're going down!" Sokka yelled. Kin shot her hook at the balcony and looked to the men.
"Hold on." She said. They grabbed her and she jumped out of the basket. They zipped at the balcony and they landed safely on the balcony wit grunts.
"You know what? I'm really glad you guys all live here now." Aang picked up a hermit crab. "I realized, it's like the hermit crab. Maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other."
"That means a lot, coming from you."
"Aang you were right about air power. As long as we've got the skies, we'll have the Fire Nation on the run." Sokka said.
"Are you guys leaving?" Teo asked. They nodded and went to mount Appa.
"Wait!" The Mechanist said. The GAang looked back to the man. "Take Kin with you."
"What?"
"But sir, you made me to-"
"Well it obviously didn't work." The Mechanist snapped.
"Really, you don't need to." Katara insisted.
"I want you to take her." The Mechanist said. "Please, as a token of our gratitude."
"Well, that depends if she wants to come." Sokka said. They turned to the silver skinned automaton, who stared between the Mechanist and he GAang, specifically Sokka, in shock.
"I... can go?" She asked. "It's my choice?"
"It's your decision." Sokka said. Kin hesitated, looking between Sokka and the Mechanist.
"I... I want to see the world... I want to go with you." She said, looking to the GAang. Sokka, Aang, and Katara smiled, as did Teo and the Mechanist.
"Welcomed to the group."
Okay, so I have been listening to a LOT of Steam Powered Giraffe. Said band is a trio of robots who sing songs after fighting in a war. Interestingly odd, I know. But they're awesome. Anyways, they're the one's who wrote that song I put in here. The song's called Automatonic Electronic Harmonics. It's awesome, you have to look it up.
Disclaimer: I don't own A:TLA, just Kin.
So, what'd you think?