...


Heroic quests should start out with more dignity, Sano thought to himself as the van hit another bump and the loosely secured plastic bin smacked him in the back of the head again before sliding back into its place on the rattling shelf. The rear of a delivery van did not scream spiritual journey. Not that their spirit guide seemed to mind. In fact from within the confines of his disguise Yan looked fascinated with their accommodations, to the point that Kadat had to keep plucking packages out of his hands as the spirit appeared intent on opening every one of them to investigate their contents. The young man could not bring himself yet to openly criticize the terrifying figure, and so instead maintained a steady rumble of indistinct and undirected complaints about his family's company being liable for damages during shipping.

Ignoring that low-key conflict, Sano turned on his improvised box seat to look towards the heavily smoked window in the back door. Through it he could just barely make out the glare of headlights and the occasional lighted sign in the orange glow of the setting sun. Not being able to see out or have a phone to check for updates was driving him crazy as he imagined Lotus forces storming in every time they braked for a stoplight. Still he had to internally thank Kadat for taking charge of their covert journey out of the town. Luckily most of the local company drivers had long since gotten used to the corporate scion's son and his friend catching a lift, and wanting to stay out of eyesight for a trip across town was not overly out of character for the two of them, Sano had to admit.

Kadat had somehow managed to keep an easy smile on his face when he was talking to the driver and the other man had casually mentioned that the White Lotus seemed to be working with the local police to beef up security for the Fire Lord's visit tomorrow. Sano could not have managed, and indeed a flash of swirling lights and sirens passing them on the road left him frozen and tight knuckled long after it was clear they were not the target. Seeing their country turned against them was terrifying, and even Kadat who was hardly the most patriotic citizen could be heard to mutter an invective against the foreigners. Yan was in no mood to join in with the boys' nervous discussions. Now that he was on his way to his meeting point he seemed to no longer pay attention to his companions. Seemed. Those watery eyes were fake, but every now and then Sano caught them drifting across his face filled with some deep emotion that instantly vanished, perhaps imagined all along.

"Hey, this is weird," came the voice of the driver from the front of the van. "Lots of traffic up here and they've got one of those new floaty planes hanging over the gates to the Aerospace complex. Think they're doing an air-show for the Firelord tomorrow, or something?"

Sano was instantly on his feet, although his readiness to fight was tempered by a turn in the road slamming him back against one of the package racks. Kadat was smoother to an appropriate reaction.

"Huh, I guess so?" His face was blanched but he still managed to sound unconcerned. "Traffic, huh? You know what, we already took you off your route, how about we just jump out up here. We really only needed to be in the general area."

"What?" said the driver. "It's just like, woods by the road here. I thought you needed to go up to the Space Center?"

Sano spoke up, thinking quickly. "No, see, we just needed to get up in the hills. It's, um, an astronomy project thing. We would have to get away from the center's lights anyway. Because of stars."

The driver seemed confused, "Project? I thought you guys were graduating, like, tomorrow?"

Kadat made a face at Sano and forced a laugh, "Ha ha. You know Sano could always need a grade bump at the last minute. Ha ha."

"And wait, who's.."

"Teaching assistant!" yelled Sano. "Volunteer, um, you know, my grandpa helping out the class."

"I guess... I don't really want to just leave you out here by the..."

"Don't worry!" yelled Sano. "We're calling the rest of the group anyway and they have cars and they can..."

At this point Kadat gave up on this failed attempt at misdirection and dug into his pocket to pull out two fifty yuan notes. He leaned into the front of the van and the van came to a sudden stop.

In a flash they were hopping out while Kadat shared a fist bump with the driver who suddenly was very content with the situation.

"Hey, all right. You guys have good time! Say hi to some stars for me!", and then with a squeal of tires that made Kadat wince they were alone on at the edge of the forest listening the rumble of cars passing by.

"All right," Sano said, clapping his hands together for a show of action. "We've shown you how to get to the space center. So, Mr. Spirit, do you actually need to get inside or is there some...hey! Hold on a second!"

Yan was quickly trudging through the woods and bracken, somehow managing to keep his ratty robe from being entangled in the million bushes and branches that the two boys struggling to follow him found themselves constantly battling. No, the forest provided its spirit friend small hindrance, but soon the party came across an obstacle that would give even him pause.

"Yup, that's a fence." Kadat volunteered.

Said fence was over six meters tall, almost certainly electrified, and very clearly displayed an appreciation of you staying on your side of it. The spirit stood at the edge of the forest before the fence and had once again sank into his sagging, wilting willow posture. Sano began to think about how Yan had acted after every occasion on which he revealed himself from his human disguise. The hunger with which the spirit had looked at Aunt Jin's healing session. Yan was tired, and growing more so after every time he exposed himself to the physical world.

"I mean I suppose they don't want anyone stealing the rockets or such, which makes sense." Kadat said, examining the huge metal construction. "A good use of tax dollars in general even if it is giving us problems right now." He looked over at their escorted spiritual comrade, who was standing still in the clearing between the forest and the fence. "When they were planning your meeting here, they didn't tell you any specific back entrance or code or...? No I am assuming by your ignoring me that they did not. All right, well, we can solve this."

Sano quietly walked over to where Yan stood in that strange stillness of spiritual exhaustion. He had not asked for help, but Sano remembered the sudden urgency with which Yan demanded he accompany him after he witnessed Aunt Jin's healing session. He raised his hands to the spirit's back and Yan turned to look at him. But the spirit said nothing, still choked by his pride. Despite the strangeness of their situation and the sure knowledge of how far he was in over his head Sano could not help but smile as he ignited his palms. This at least was familiar.

Kadat, oblivious to this drama, was examining one part of the dark fence. "Sano, could you give me a light for just a second over here?" In the sudden glimmer of energizing firelight he nodded. "Yeah, that looks like part of the alarm system. Seeing as I don't want any soldiers or White Lotus showing up here as soon as we touch wire, if we are thinking of getting through here we will need to..."

He trailed off as the spirit strode over to where Kadat was standing, now upright and once more bristling with hidden power. Then a dark and lengthy arm was thrust forward, phasing into matter of the electronics which abruptly let loose a dying gasp of sparks. The ambient electrical hum was extinguished and the old man in the robe and hat leapt vertically into the air, vanishing into the night.

Kadat blinked. "Well I suppose that is one way in." On the other side the shadowy figure thumped back to earth. Kadat turned to his friend, "How about us?"

Sano pursed his mouth at this sudden ungrateful abandonment. "I could try cutting through myself, but I am worried about someone seeing that bright a light. Could you get enough water around here to set yourself up?"

"I am not sure, but maybe I could ice up a ring in the wire and you could add some flash heat and we could alternate to...oop!"

Yan had waited on the far side, but once the two boys were thoroughly engrossed in their arguing they both felt a thump behind them and two arms gripped them across the chest. And then they were flying again like so many sacks of flour. After impact on the other side Kadat tried to steady his knees, however they seemed intent on doing their own thing. "Hmmm, yes. I guess that works." He managed to get out as he resisted falling down on the grass. "I do not like that."

Sano clapped his back. "Yo, we're behind again. I would prefer to stick with the only person who knows why we are trespassing on government land."

"Yeah, I would rather we not completely trust our fate to a crazy non-human thing." Kadat said as they rushed towards one of the many out-flung buildings of the vast complex. In the administrative buildings towards the front light spilled out of many windows but further on the structures morphed to massive hanger-like cubes of windowless metal. "He barely seems to know what century it is, let alone be privy to high level state negotiations. We're counting on this guy keeping us out of the Boiling Rock?"

"The White Lotus is right outside their gates and we can tell them how their director was kidnapped." Sano replied, catching up to the robed figure they were following. "Not even counting whatever spirit and government stuff is going on we are far down their list of worries." He began to smile, "Hell, if we manage to expose a Lotus kidnapping on Fire Nation soil, we might even be national heroes! And whatever, Yan's contact is how I see us getting out of this mess."

Kadat did not seem so optimistic. "Yeah, 'bout that. Mr. Spirit sir man, where exactly are we heading? Because I think those last three turns took us in a circle and I am just waiting to run into some guards."

"I can feel it," came the reply. "The rend is close." The voice was deep and hungry and in the shadows and subtle moonlight the disguise of humanity might as well not have been there.

"All right, perfect. That is not at all unsettling," Kadat said, resigned to his lack of control but continuing to peer suspiciously at dark corners.

Sano was also suspicious. Kadat was right, they should have run into guards. This complex was a really big deal and there should definitely be security. He turned his head towards the slight glow of the front gate glimmering over the rooftops. Were they all out front to deal with the Lotus? Sano began to feel a knot in his stomach. He now wished he could see any evidence of normal watchmen. What if he was overestimating what the Lotus would dare, even here at a major government facility?

"There!" came Kadat's whispered exclamation. "Look at that!"

Ahead was a long covered corridor connecting buildings across the campus and behind its lighted windows people in white coats were dashing with frantic energy. Something was going on and it had these scientists worried.

"Ahhh," came the deep rumbling breath from the sprit behind the mask. "I have found it."

Now the three of them were running, and though the humans were hopelessly outpaced Kadat was still asking questions. He pointed at one of the few illuminated buildings. "Wait, what are they even doing over here? That huge power plant looks like it is running but this place got that electrical Chi-engine a few years ago. How much power can they need?"

"Freeze right where you are!"

Ah, here were the guards. Guards in full power armor who had the fake old man stalled in front of them and now had Sano and Kadat in their sights as well. He really had to learn to watch what he was wishing for.

"This is a secure government facility, identify yourself!"

Sano was feeling increasingly uncomfortable, especially with more soldiers running out of the building and pointing dramatic looking weapons at them and so he slowly shied into the shadow of their spirit ally. The fact that this spirit was quietly laughing did not provide ease but it was better than staring directly down the barrel of an inferno-beam. Barely.

"Identify yourself!"

The old man mask spoke quietly and clearly, lips twisted into a smile. He recited, "Zuko's dream, Izumi's hope, Iroh's regret, Aza's despair. Now they find resolution."

The soldiers seemed surprised, those whose faces were not hidden behind armor. There was some almost heard chatter of radio communication. For a moment Sano was certain they were going to be incinerated but then the hulking figures parted to show clear access to the door behind them. Yan strode forward, baring now proud and regal as the king he seemed to think he was. Sano and Kadat had no choice but to follow. Behind them an escort of soldiers closed in in a manner reminiscent of either an honor guard or an execution. Kadat whispered to his friend, "This building was labeled 'Rocket Assembly Hanger A-something'. What is the spirit doing with rockets? He didn't even know what a rocket was!"

It was then that a final set of doors was flung open and the old man in the straw hat and dirty robe strode into a cavernous hanger, gleaming sterile white and bustling with scientists and automated machines. The space stretched further than a city block, and dominating all of it was some vast piece of machinery like an enormous ring of pipe, with a pyramid of struts and electrics occupying the center. And atop it all, a platform sat in prominence. Massive cables ran across the floor to connect it to the black monolith of a large Chi-engine nearby but appeared ready to go to space.

"Yeah, that doesn't look like a rocket."


Commander Bo of the White Lotus scowled at the barricade line manned by Fire Nation soldiers in front of the main administrative building of the Aerospace complex. The facility guard had been on high alert before his team had touched down in front of it, alertness that was now focused entirely on his men. And they were not budging. He had tried to be gentle; to ease his way in with a story of a security issue at the northern tribe engine triggering a global round of Chi-engine inspections. He had played up the role of a weary government employee just trying to appease an unreasonable boss through a half-hearted show of effort. He had even shown the documents signed by the Director of Aerospace Research that made an inspection all nice and permissible, ignoring the amount of duress that had made those signatures possible. And he had been refused.

It was all very polite and there had been a great back and forth of Fire Nation soldiers having to go find a certain superior and that superior was not in tonight and a substitute had to be woken and they might not be answering their phone. All very reasonable and all clearly translating to a threat to shoot any Lotus agent that took one more step towards the main compound. Commander Bo left Agent Lüfeng to continue the dance with the soldier in charge as he made his way back to below where their two transports hung ominously in the air. He activated his helmet's faceplate, cutting off any chance of eavesdropping and was about to give the order to prepare to move in with force when a faint ambient sound suddenly became amplified in his ear-speakers. Darting outside the parking lot gate he looked around. There had been helicopters in the sky all day as part of the local preparation for their official visit from the head of state tomorrow, but now an awful lot of them were heading for him. He swore quietly as his heads-up display annotated the distance and speed of the approaching rumble. He was about to turn back and give his forces the attack order anyway when something else caught his eye. There were lights on the ground as well. Lots of lights. The flashing red of police and a long stream of headlights racing the curving valley with a speed that meant a cleared roadway.

A motorcade. An official government delegation now minutes away from where he was about to order a break-in at a government facility. Sighing, Commander Bo retracted his faceplate and stood down his agents. He would have to talk this one out, with only until morning before the absence of the missing Director and police officers would be noticed. Until the Fire Lord landed. And there was a hostile spirit loose on the island with two witnesses to a botched rendition. Fun night. Now they just to get out of it alive.


Amala shrank back, her foot scraping across the dirty cement of the damp alley. Before her the masked figure of Amon stretched out its hand, eyes gleaming blue out of the rigid white face under that hood. The storm's humidity conspired with her fear to turn the air she breathed into a thick suffocating substance. She could feel it sliding into her lungs. The deep voice crackling with electronic distortion rose again, addressing her with ominous pleasure, "Lets get you dealt with quickly."

In some distracted part of her mind Amala was proud she did not completely freeze in terror. Her first reflex brought her palms thrust out before her and she felt the Chi-paths heat up as a blast of wind rushed forward past her shoulders. She was rewarded by seeing her attacker tumble backwards down the alley. Then she made to flee, not ready to let anyone have the second strike. She was screaming shrilly while she did this but in her defense it had been a tough few days.

"What the hell are you doing!"

Amala halted as she span and almost lost her balance from the sudden canceling of angular momentum. This voice was not the deep growl of the historic villain. It was a woman's, and one who sounded more offended than dangerous. Turning back she saw the white mask rocking on the alley floor and a young woman leveraging herself off the ground. She was spitting out profanity that Amala had never heard before in such density but she did not look threatening. Or rather, as Amala took in the other woman's angry face below the green-streaked hair, she looked threatening now but Amala still suspected she had over reacted.

"What is your deal, you psycho!? Yo! Hey! Earth to crazy girl! What was up with that?"

Amala found herself mumbling as adrenaline gradually gave way to surging embarrassment, "Um, well, the mask...and the robot voice...I thought..."

The other woman paused in the process of picking up said mask and turned back to Amala, eyebrow raised in incredulous disbelief. "Wha...? Wait. Did, you...No you did NOT...Ha ha ha!" She burst out laughing. "What, did you think robo-Amon burst out of the Hall of Histmatronics at Verriworld? Ha! Oh that is great!"

Amala was feeling quite embarrassed herself but she felt this display of mockery was too much. "Hey!" She rejoined, "I'm not the one who was creeping up on people wearing voice distorting masks in dark alleys! And with all that 'Lets get rid of her quickly' stuff!"

The lanky girl in the hooded sweatshirt walked over and looked down to meet Amala's carefully mustered indignation. She flicked a finger upwards, pointing at the sky. "Its been raining all day genius, so I'd rather not get drenched dawdling back behind the bar helping some twit with IDs. Thus 'quickly'. And the mask with is for managing a low profile. A girl's got to watch out in this. 'Corse it helps when people don't start bending for no freaking reason."

Amala inhaled to continue the argument, but she noticed that for one; the other woman loomed over her by quite a bit, and those artfully ripped jeans might have a few more rips than they did before Amala had sent her tumbling against cement. As did the sweatshirt. So she changed her tactic, "I'm...I'm sorry for freaking out like that. Are you ok?"

The woman waved her hand dismissively, showing scuffed fingerless gloves. "Yeah, the gloves saved my palms, though I might have a few bruises on my elbow and hip." She put a hand to her side and winced. "Oh, yep. Ah. You know what, lets get inside. Chang can just suck it about conducting my business on the premises, I've had enough of this back ally crap."

Amala followed her back down the alley mostly due to a loss of emotional equilibrium. The other girl pushed her hood back showing short cropped black hair that hung long in the front to display a bright green streak. Then she looked up with a grimace when a fat splash of water dripped down off the fire-escape. At the heavy metal security door through which she had exited, the girl rolled up her mask and thrust it into an inner pocket before banging loudly on the door.

Bang* bang* bang* "Its me!" When this did not produce an instantaneous response she slammed her fist against it again and louder. "Tian! Open up or so help me when I get in there...!"

Amala was ready to run from this outburst but as soon as the door clunked open the girl was all smiles again and she grabbed Amala's wrist to pull her in. A large, thick man occupied most of the space behind the doorway which seemed to be in some back corner of the bar. The man very big, and clearly strong under the fat he carried but with round cheeks that pressed his eyes into smiling slits. "Hey girl, you done already? Oh, and who's this...I thought that Chang said..."

Amala breezed past this doorkeeper under the firm pull on her arm of her new acquaintance, only to be smushed against her when the tall girl abruptly stopped. "Yeah, it's miserable outside so you and Chang can both stuff it, boy-o." She sounded mean but she was smiling at someone was clearly her friend. "Sit the hell back down man, and let me worry 'bout me. Come on college girl." Amala could only give Tian a sheepish wave of her fingers before the hold on her wrist yanked again and she was moving off.

It was not until she had been pressed down at a table in the corner that Amala's mind caught up to her quick-beating heart and recognized what she had heard. She said, "Ab, er, mmh. Um." Then she took a breath and tried again with actual words. "I didn't actually say anything about attending any particular college or even that...so I don't..."

"Lady, your socks have Global Univeristy crests on them. It wasn't the biggest leap." By now the girl looked less threatening and even a little comforting. After the constant fear of Lotus agents everywhere it was nice to find someone whose attitude towards her was at worst deprecating amusement. The forger examined Amala, "Actually, do you need some water or something? You look like...well you look like me but you weren't just blasted down an alley by a crazy airbender so I assume that your bad day has been going on a little longer than mine."

Amala looked down at her blouse which was wrinkled and stained from being slept in and at her skirt where despite her efforts dirt from the train station had gotten ground into the fabric. She remembered the awkward weight of her backpack as it wedged against the chair and awkwardly squirmed to free herself from it. As she did, something of the sum total of her recent days came crashing past her defenses and she felt ready to cry from the exhaustion barely kept at bay by the stress in her veins. She could feel herself losing her composure.

"Woah, woah. Hey now, we don't need..." The other woman leaned in across the table and awkwardly made to grab her hand before drawing back. "Its...ok. I mean I don't know that its ok because you've got your own situation that I...Yeah, we need something more than water. Chang!" She cast around for something to comment on other than the tears welling up in her companion's eyes. "My name's Huamei, what's yours?" she said, and then she grimaced.

Amala felt the wave of despair ease pass and pulled herself together, reassuring her new friend as someone came to plonk two bottles down on the table. Amala took a polite sip before responding, "Huamei is a pretty name. Mine is Amala."

"Yeah, I was actually trying to get away from pretty names. Haven't really gone by it in two years but here we are. I tend to just go by Green, at least in my circles. So what about you," she said, trying to break out of her babbling into a brusk business tone. "What actually brought you to need my services? You know the drinking age is sixteen here, right?"

"Yes, I know. I actually need...well I need to get over to Republic City but I don't have my passport and I can't...really go back and get it."

"Yikes, fleeing across international lines. Not that I'm judging." Green said, throwing up her hands in exaggerated ambiance. "So what, you drop out of school? Or you chasing after to be with the boy the parents don't approve of?"

Amala paused before she hazarded an answer, "More of the first one?" But in the brief silence she had heard something from the screen that was blaring up in one far corner of the room. "What did that just say? Where is the Avatar going?" she said in a sudden panic.

Green was confused, but dutifully looked over at the news program being displayed. She squinted to make out the crawling text and said, "What? Um, I think it says she's flying up to the North Pole for some...something. Why? What about it..." She trailed off and hints clicked together in her brain.

Amala saw this happening and tried to think up some distraction but she was continually coming to discover that her skills in spy-craft were decidedly lacking. So all she managed was an mumbled exclamation of "Uuhherr..." while pointing at a random wall before Green broke in.

"Wait, are you on the run from..." Green leaned back in her chair and pushed her bottle away before rocking back forward as she resumed speaking in a whisper. "Did you get in trouble with the freaking Avatar and the White Lotus? How did you even..."

Amala leaned in too, frantic to get off this topic of conversation while there were other ears in the bar. "No. I mean, I really don't want to get into the specifics of what...my situation. I just really need something which will get me over the border into the UR."

Green rubbed the bridge of her nose, and looked ready to break out a long list of questions before rethinking and waving the thought away. "All right, you need to get into the UR. Well you don't really need a passport for that, which is good because I do not nearly have the equipment or knowhow to do that. But there's so much flow between Haru and Fongcheng they barely make an attempt at customs. Well I think I can help you out with a simple ID. I'll need to grab my stuff so hold on." She got up and made her way to a door that seemed to lead to the back rooms. While doing so she yelled at the bartender, "Chang! I'm going to the back to get my bag and warm up the printer!"

Amala felt uncomfortable waiting at the table for Green to return. The girl, though intimidating, appeared genuinely concerned with helping her. She was also resisting pressing more questions than Amala could answer which she was thankful for. She couldn't risk involving people; the New Age Movement wouldn't help protect any nonmember that Amala put in danger. Of course if she could not contact them then they could do nothing to protect her either. But there were little things she could do to be nice, like paying for those drinks.

She made her way up to the bar, where Chang treated her to a chilly reception and a careful hand watching anything she could knock over. Amala muttered something about paying for the drinks and was rewarded with a corresponding mutter and a gesture to a little slab with the bill on its screen. The news was still playing above and the newscaster was speculating about the Avatar's rapid departure and what events could be talking place in the north that would lead to this break from protocol. She had almost forgotten the cheque when Chang tapped meaningfully on the counter. Still engrossed for any mention of her actions at the University she slid a credit card out of her cardholder to tap down so Chang would not be forced to interact with her anymore.

Suddenly Green was at her shoulder carrying a black messenger bag, saying "Ok, I got my design computer so we can start working on...why are you up here?"

Amala started, flustered by the sudden appearance "Oh! I was just looking up at the, um...I paid for the drinks." She smiled, trying to seem more cool and in control than she really felt she was.

Green replied generously, "You didn't need to do that. You are going to be paying me enough anyway so...Wait." What little color there was blanched out of her pale face and she groaned. "Tell me that is not your credit card there. Tell me you, you stole that or something."

Amala was confused, "What? No..." Then it hit her. It had been pure habit. Habit learned when she was not on the run from the largest global intelligence network in history with its ears to every electronic transaction on earth. "I didn't mean...I have to go!"

Green pressed her fists to the side of her head in frustration. Then she took a breath and said, "So it was serious enough for you to think they flagged your cards. Great. Well once they start running your name this is going to show up and at least tell them you're in the city. But its ok, we all make mistakes." She shot out a hand to grab Amala's collar as the shorter girl tried to make for the door. "Admirable instincts now, but you are vastly overestimating the cops response time. This's not the time to go panicking. You got an off the books place to stay in the city?" She read Amala's face in a second, "Of course you don't. Sigh. All right, I've got a place you can crash while I do your ID work. Just calm the hell down!"

Amala was clutching her backpack to her chest as her beating heart felt like it was going to leap out. "You don't understand! I need to move now!" She remembered the frantic chase across the university campus and felt her leg muscles working in anticipation.

Green regarded her wearily, "Yeah, and we're doing that. Just might be good to actually know where you are going to." She carefully released her grip on the collar and watched to see if Amala was going to bolt again. "And once we do I think I will have earned an explanation of what in the world you actually did. I would have heard if you assassinated an Air Guru." She laughed as she gently guided Amala out the front door with a palm against her back.

Out under the dark ceiling of clouds dimly lit with the orange backwash of the city's glow Amala felt a renewed sense of being watched. The buzzing chop of a helicopter somewhere above sent her twitching violently. Green seemed less concerned.

"I'm guessing choppers were less common in your neighborhood growing up." She said with a grin as Amala shrank back under the building's overhang. "Relax and look around, and imagine how often that sound gets heard here."

That was when the middle of the street was shattered by the crash of something the size of a car dropping out of the sky. On cue, thunder began to roll in the distance as the storm prepared to come onstage for its encore performance and wind whipped around the metal legs unfolding around the hulking mechanical meteor. Amala could hear Green swearing profusely but she was drowned out as red electric eyes flashed into life and a synthesized voice rolled out.

"Amala Xi, Prepare For Apprehension."

-Continued-

(Author's note: All of the main cast has not been introduced. Yay! Also, Huamei's nickname is Green because in the planning stage of this story the central characters were all named primary colors. Green is the only one who remained to this stage and I was too lazy to come up with a new nickname. It is insights like these that I wonder if I should be sharing with you. Oh well!)