Chapter 7: Forewarning
BlueTiger321: All right, folks. It's time for the next chapter to be underway. The Storm Hawks and the Gaang are getting close to their destination. Read on and see how it goes.
The Condor continued to fly through the skies towards the Earth Kingdom while everyone remained out on the runway. The previous battle with the Raptors had been victorious, but Aerrow saw it was very despondent on Aang for having used that kind of power. He could see the boy sobbing while he embraced Katara and was thankful it didn't result in something more devastating.
Aang and Katara finally broke apart while wiping away their tears. Out of concern, Aerrow asked, "Aang, are you all right?"
The Avatar nodded his head, saying, "I'm fine. I'm just glad you're all safe."
Sokka, Toph and Zuko got off the Skimmers while Mai jumped down from Appa, walking over to Aang. A smile formed on his face as he saw he was surrounded by the people who cared about him. The group then formed a hug around each other as a sign of their friendship.
Aerrow was happy to see Aang was being comforted, but he was also curious to know about the boy's power. "What happened back there, Aang?" he asked.
"Yeah," said Junko. "You were all... glowy and stuff."
The Avatar's group broke apart to face the Storm Hawks. Katara stepped forth and said, "Aang was in the Avatar State."
"Avatar State?" Piper said confusingly.
"It's when I gain all the abilities and knowledge from my past reincarnations," replied Aang. "Sometimes, it's triggered when I'm in a deep emotional state or when I open all my Chakras. I saw Katara was in trouble and that's what made me use it."
"Well we would've been sitting ducks if it wasn't for you, Aang" said Aerrow. "Thank you."
"That was way too cool, dude!" said Finn. "I mean, you took care of the Raptors like they were nothing. If you use it against the Cyclonians then we'll give 'em a royal butt-whooping!"
"No," said Aang. "I can't be in the Avatar State all the time."
"Why's that?" asked Junko.
The boy Avatar looked down at his feet and replied, "I may be at my strongest, but there's also a downside. If I end up getting killed while I'm in the Avatar State, then the regeneration cycle will be destroyed... and the Avatar will no longer exist."
"Yeah, but think of how we could stop the Cyclonians with your power," said Finn.
Aerrow could see that Aang's lower lip was trembling and his eyebrows arched down as if he was in anger. "That's enough, Finn," said the Sky Knight.
The sharpshooter ignored the order and continued his rant, saying, "Not even Cyclonis could stand up against you and we'd be able to go back to Atmos without her and her lackeys."
Aang looked up at Finn while shouting furiously, "You don't get it! I don't go into the Avatar State if it isn't needed! And I don't want it to justify anyone close to me getting hurt!" The boy turned around and used his glider to get back onto Appa where they both soared away from the Condor.
Everyone on the runway looked at Aang flying in front of the ship with concerned expressions. When it was done, Finn looked around to see everyone glaring at him in anger.
"Was it something I said?" wondered Finn.
"Honestly, Finn," said Piper. "How can you be so insensitive?"
"You saw how emotional Aang was being so you should've dropped it!" said Katara.
Toph walked over to the marksman and said, "Just when I thought you couldn't be any more of a lunkhead..." She proceeded by punching Finn in his arm, to which the teen yelped in pain and rubbed the sore spot.
"What did I do?" Finn asked confusedly. "All I said was—"
"Finn," Aerrow interjected, "don't make it worse on yourself."
Aerrow, Piper and Junko drove their Skimmers back into the hangar bay while the others walked off in a huff, leaving Finn by himself on the runway. The blonde sharpshooter looked on with a depressed expression frozen on his face. All his friends were now mad at him for something he didn't fully understand, and he continued to be that way as he rode his Skimmer back into the hangar bay as well.
* * *
The Raptors flew through the skies after their defeat against the Storm Hawks. They had never encountered people using bending arts before so they paid the price for underestimating their adversaries.
Repton was the one who was the most angered over it. He snarled as he led his brothers back the way they came for he knew Master Cyclonis wouldn't tolerate any kind of failure.
Spitz looked out over the skies and saw a familiar object coming towards them, but something else was passing underneath it in the ocean. "Look bossss," he said. "Sssome shipsss are joined withhh the Cccycloniansss."
Repton shook his head in disbelief. He and his brothers weren't around the Cyclonians for a while since Cyclonis forced them to continue finding the dimension stone and to finish off the Storm Hawks for Repton's disobedience earlier. The Raptor leader figured these were probably the armies the Cyclonian ruler was going to attain. Either way, he headed back into the Cyclonian battle cruiser with his brothers.
The Raptors had now docked their Bone Wings in the airship's hangar bay and made their way to the bridge. There they met Master Cyclonis along with Dark Ace, Ravess, Snipe and several Talons at the controls.
"So glad you could re-join us, Repton," said Cyclonis in a monotonous tone. "If you're here then you obviously have something to report."
"I do," replied the Raptor leader. "We met up with the Storm Hawks and some others. We tried to take them down, but then one kid blew us away using some... strange wind powers."
Cyclonis looked at her fingernails as if uninterested in the news. "That would probably be the Avatar," she said.
Repton arched his eyebrow and said, "What in blazes is an Avatar?"
"Nothing you need to concern yourself with. All you need to know is you should defeat him and the Storm Hawks if you should run into them again."
"What?!" Repton shouted in protest. "That boy nearly tore us to shreds and you expect us to fight him again?!"
Cyclonis narrowed her eyes and said, "Don't make me repeat myself, especially after you've defied me once already."
The Raptor leader stepped back and set his face in a snarl, knowing full well what would happen if he were to tell off Cyclonis again. The other Raptors all looked on with worried expressions as they saw their boss was receding.
"Now then," said Cyclonis. "Is there anything else you wish to say?"
"As a matter of fact, there is," replied Repton. "Why are those ships following us?"
"Those ships belong to Azula. I help her take over her kingdom and eventually the world and she will help us find the dimension stone. After that, she can do whatever she wants with this world once it's hers to command."
Ravess stepped up to Master Cyclonis and said, "How are those ships able to match our speed if they're travelling by sea?"
"I had some extra power crystals with me," replied Cyclonis, "so I figured it would help Azula in getting the job done faster." The Cyclonian ruler finished off with a short chuckle.
"At this rate, we'll reach the mainland in much shorter time," said Dark Ace.
"Yeah, but the Storm Hawks still have a head start," said Snipe.
"We'll deal with the Storm Hawks in due time," said Cyclonis. "Right now, let's focus on the task at hand."
Everyone in the bridge gazed out over the skies as the Cyclonian battle cruiser made its way toward the Earth Kingdom. A great battle was about to come, and they knew they would have the advantage in numbers against the Storm Hawks.
Below the airship, the Fire Nation ships made their way over the ocean. The ship taking the lead was the largest and above the deck was where Azula stood while practicing her firebending. Instead of her black armour, she was now clothed in a dark red vest and skirt over her red shirt and pants. Her unique blue flames shot out every time she extended her hands and feet.
The newly acclaimed Fire Lord then struck a pose by holding out her right hand and foot downward to finish her training, sending a wave of blue flames out over the ocean. Azula stood up while the large Fire Nation flag – a red background with a black flame in the centre – flapped against the wind behind her.
A soldier then came out onto the deck to address Azula. The girl didn't turn around but merely shifted her eyes to notice someone approaching her.
"What have you to say?" said Azula in a demanding tone.
"The ships are all moving along with the ship in the sky, Fire Lord," replied the soldier. Inside, the soldier felt like he wanted to vomit for having to call Azula the Fire Lord.
"Good. Those crystals we received from Cyclonis are making us travel faster than usual. How much longer until we reach Ba Sing Se?"
"At this rate, we should be there in about two days."
"Excellent. You are dismissed."
The soldier turned around to walk away from Azula when he was suddenly stopped when she called out to him.
"Wait," she said. The soldier was now face-to-face with Azula, and he could see she smirked at him while her yellow eyes had malicious intent behind them. "I don't think I need to remind you that you serve under me now. My brother may have filled your head with new ideals, but you are now mine to command. And as such, I expect you to follow my orders without hesitation. Do I make myself clear?"
The soldier nodded his head and replied, "Yes, Fire Lord."
"Good..." said Azula.
The solider walked away, making sure to keep his narrowed eyes away from the wicked girl. Having been forced to serve under Azula was hard enough for him already and he didn't need to be reminded of it, especially after what she threatened to do if he didn't obey.
Azula looked out over the sprawling ocean as she thought it would soon be her ocean as well once her great-grandfather's vision – her vision – would become a reality.
* * *
The Condor was now flying over land while the sun was now setting. It had taken a while, but the ship had now reached the Earth Kingdom with the help from Aang leading the way on Appa. Now they were tasked with reaching the capital, Ba Sing Se, in time to warn the Earth King about Azula and the Cyclonians.
In the ship, Finn walked through the hallway while moping. Everyone had gotten angry with him for something he said to Aang. The marksman didn't intend on hurting Aang's feelings when he said all those things. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw Aerrow coming towards him.
"Finn, I need you to clean the halls," said the Sky Knight.
"Oh great," Finn said sarcastically. "Is this my punishment for making you all mad at me?"
Aerrow had an odd look on his face when Finn said that. "No," he said. "Are you still going on about what happened? I'm only saying this because it needs to be done and you're the only one who doesn't have anything to do. But if you're still worried about that, then you should apologise to Aang."
"Whatever," said Finn. The blonde sharpshooter walked past Aerrow to get started on his chore.
Finn was now in a different hallway with a mop in his hands. He dunked it into a bucket of soapy water and began to clean the floor. Grunting while he worked, he still couldn't shake the feeling about what he should say to Aang. The only problem was he didn't know for what he was apologising. The teenage boy was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't see someone stand in his way while he mopped. It was only after he accidentally bumped into the figure. Finn then looked up to see Sokka standing there.
"Oh, hey Sokka," said Finn. "You still mad at me?"
"No," replied the Water Tribe boy. "I just came to see how you were doing."
Finn dunked his mop back into the bucket and said, "I'm still a little confused. I mean, I must've said something to really tick off Aang. But the thing is I don't know what's goin' on with him." The marksman then continued to clean the floor.
Sokka looked down while he rubbed his arm. He knew he would have to tell him the truth if things between Aang and Finn were going to be patched up. He brought his head back up and said, "I probably know what made Aang upset."
Finn stopped his work and looked back at Sokka with his face set into curiosity.
"Don't tell him I said this," explained Sokka, "but during our journeys, Aang had confronted many things that impacted him greatly and forced him to go into the Avatar State. Some of them include finding out his fellow monks had all been killed, learning that Appa had been captured, and watching an Earth Kingdom general hurt Katara so he could use Aang's power to fight the Fire Nation.
"I guess when you said all those things; Aang must've recollected those bad memories and it sent him over the edge."
Finn's eyes were now wide open in shock. Now he truly understood why Aang lashed out at him, and he also saw the boy had gone through some difficult situations.
"Whoa," said Finn. "It must've been really hard on him. And when I said we should use his power for fighting, I didn't even consider his feelings." The marksman then slapped his hand to his forehead. "I am such a jerk."
At that moment, the intercom turned on and projected Aerrow's voice. "Everyone, come to the bridge," he said.
Finn and Sokka heard the request, so the blonde sharpshooter put the mop back into the bucket and both boys ran over to the bridge.
Everyone onboard was now present, including Iroh as he had now recovered from his injury and was now wearing his shirt and robe again.
"We're coming close to what looks like a big city," said Stork.
Everyone looked out the window to see a large stone wall that stretched out over the land. Within it were miles of farmland until it reached another stone wall in the centre. Behind that wall stood a large city. High above the buildings was a rail system where various trams passed by as a means of transportation for the populace. The city itself was divided into three separate rings, and the state of the buildings denoted that each ring was a section for people to live in depending on economic status.
Katara looked out and said, "That's Ba Sing Se."
Aerrow was simply marvelled by the city's size and the number of buildings within the walls. "It's gigantic!" he said.
"I don't think any terra comes close to being that big," said Piper.
"I never thought I'd wind up here again," said Toph.
"Aang will lead us to the palace," said Zuko. "We can plead our case to the Earth King once we see him."
Stork followed Aang down towards the upper ring of Ba Sing Se, which is the place for upper class people and where the palace was located. All along the city the citizens could see the Condor flying through the sky. They all stood up in wonder to see something like it and unsure of what it was or where it was headed.
Aang had now brought Appa down once they reached their destination, and the Condor followed. The sky bison and the Storm Hawks' ship landed on the ground right outside of a large gate. It had a brown exterior adorned with golden coverings on green backgrounds around the walls. The ground had a long path covered by green and golden lines on each side and lamps leading up to the walls. The gate had three entryways; two small ones on the sides and a large on in the centre.
Aang landed safely on the ground and waited for his friends to appear from the ship. The ramp in the middle then extended and everyone onboard exited. The Storm Hawks were now wearing their armour to make themselves look more presentable.
Once everyone was accounted for, they all walked up to the main gate. Two Earth Kingdom soldiers approached them to see who was coming to the palace.
"Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko," said one of the soldiers. "May I ask what the purpose of your visit is?"
"We've come here to deliver an urgent message to the Earth King," replied Aang.
"And who are these people travelling with you?" asked the other soldier.
"These are our companions," replied Zuko.
The soldiers looked over, and were taken back to see Junko, Stork and Radarr. The Wallop merely waved his hand at them while the Merb stared back at them blankly and the furry co-pilot chirped as he jumped onto Aerrow's shoulders.
Seeing no threat in any of them, the first soldier said, "Very well. You may enter."
The group followed the soldiers through the entrance. After going through the gates, they all came upon the outside court, which was a wide space of stone flooring. At the far end of the court stood the main hall situated at the top of a flight of steps. It was a large, red building with many layers of golden rooftops and stone pillars to support them.
As they made their way to the building, Finn thought this was his opportunity to apologise to Aang for his wrongdoing.
"Hey, Aang?" said Finn.
Aang heard the voice and kept on walking while keeping his eyes forward. "What is it?" he said in a flat tone.
The blonde sharpshooter scratched the back of his head, saying, "Listen, about earlier..." Finn was having trouble finding the right words, but he breathed in and gave it his best effort. "I... didn't mean to upset you about what I said. I wasn't thinking about how you felt, and that was wrong. I'm sorry."
Aang then stopped in his tracks when he noticed the sincerity in Finn's words. He turned around to face him, and the others all stopped as well to see what was happening.
"So what do you say?" asked Finn. "Are we still friends?"
The Avatar smiled as he looked up at the Storm Hawks' marksman. He proceeded by giving him a light slap on his arm and said, "Definitely."
Finn gave a smile back to Aang, and the others were glad to see the two of them make up. Once it was done, the group continued walking through the court towards the main hall. They all made their way up the steps and finally reached the entrance.
The Earth Kingdom soldiers guided them all into the Throne Room. It was decorated with stone pillars standing on the sides and green curtains lining the back wall. The floor was covered with brown marble on the sides while green and yellow marble lead up to the throne.
The Storm Hawks stood in awe at the magnificence of this room and felt the same sensation from seeing the Throne Room in the Fire Nation palace.
The soldiers then bowed before the person sitting on the throne, and everyone else followed the example out of respect. There on the throne was a man in his mid-twenties dressed in a green and yellow robe, and brown shoes. His green eyes were complimented with glasses over his nose while his black hair was tied into a braid that hung over his back. On his head was a crown made of green cloth and the Earth Kingdom's symbol fashioned in gold in the centre. His accessories included a small green cloak, a green-beaded necklace and a golden belt buckle shaped like the Earth Kingdom's symbol.
Sitting next to this man was a large, brown bear. It growled before lying down and rested its head on its massive paws.
One of the soldiers then said, "Your Majesty, the Avatar, Fire Lord Zuko and their companions wish to speak with you. They claim they have an urgent message for you."
It was obvious to Aerrow and his team they were now in the presence of the Earth King.
"Very well," said the Earth King in a soft voice. "I will speak with them."
The soldiers bowed before their ruler and left the Throne Room so the others could have their privacy.
Aang stepped forward and said, "Thank you Your Majesty for seeing us on such short notice."
"I am glad to see you all once again," said the Earth King. His attention was now on the Storm Hawks. "Who are these people who have joined you?"
"They are the Storm Hawks. They're people from another world who have accidentally come here along with their enemies."
Zuko took over and said, "Your Majesty, the enemies of the Storm Hawks have helped Azula take over the throne to my kingdom and are now heading here to try and make our world under her rule. We've come here to request for your assistance."
The Earth King pondered the situation. He understood how grave it was, but was also curious to hear the testimony from these new people. His gaze went back over to the Storm Hawks and he asked, "Which one of you is the leader?"
"That would be me, Your Majesty," said Aerrow as he stepped forward.
The Earth King looked at the Sky Knight and saw he looked to be a person of good character. "Tell me," he said. "Are your enemies a considerable threat?"
"Yes. We've dealt with them many times, but we've always managed to stop their ambitions."
"Will you be willing to aid us even though you are not from this world?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. We are partly responsible for coming here, and so we will lend our strength to make sure your world is safe and we'll be able to take our enemies back with us to our world." The Storm Hawks all nodded in response with their leader to show their willingness.
The Earth King paused for a moment, thinking about Aerrow's words. As he was taking in all the information, he could see the serious looks on everyone's faces. He knew they were all trustful people and they wouldn't mislead him about something like this. He then stood up from his throne and everyone waited for him to give his response.
"In light on these new events," said the Earth King, "it is with great prudence that we should stop this catastrophe as quickly as possible; therefore, I give you all my word that you have the Earth Kingdom's full support."
Everyone smiled upon hearing the Earth King's decision. Now they would have their own allies to stave off Azula's army and the Cyclonians.
"I shall pass the order on to my generals to fortify our defences when our enemies have arrived," said the Earth King. "You are all free to remain here in the palace when that time comes."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Zuko. "With our combined forces, we will be able to stop another war from happening."
"Yes," said Aerrow. "All that remains is to find the only way we can get back home."
Back on the Condor, a device in Piper's room was emitting a beeping sound while a bright light was flashing randomly. It acted as though something nearby was setting off its function.
* * *
BlueTiger321: Ooooh... I wonder what that last part could mean.
Piper: Don't spoil it! That's supposed to happen in the next chapter.
Finn: What?! I want to know what it is now!
Piper: Well too bad, Finn. It's not gonna happen.
Finn: *groans* Why do you always have to wreck everyone's fun?
BlueTiger321: Well folks, stay tuned for the next chapter where we find out the mystery behind the device's beeping. So, until next time...
Piper and Finn: Read and review!