Clear Night

Aang adored walking among the gardens of the palace in the morning of the week. It calmed him. For a few moments, every single nightmare that he was facing seemed dispelled, forgotten among the beauty of nature. For a few moments he would rest on the soft grass, listen to the flowing water of the stream, and watch as the flowers of the trees slowly let their petals drop the the ground.

Momo usually was out with him, floating among the trees and flying beyond the walls. For seven days, Aang never watched as Momo flew away, never watched as he flew past a man, completely still, coated in armor, that was completely foreign to all but only the most veteran of royal guards.

"Alright, alright, sit down so we can get the initial uniform briefing done.

"One pair of armored combat boots. Proper wear and fit is that they are tight around the foot, extending to mid calf. If these are too high or loose, we can have them replaced. As always,blouse your pants into them. Your pants are a modified Fire Nation design, with a slightly heavier weave. Four pairs of socks are also standard issue. Those should be changed at least daily.

"These loops you see around your knee are for your knee pads straps. You feed them through like so. Do not wear them too tight. They should fit snugly, but the padding is there for a reason. If you cant feel your toes, something is too tight. The same goes for your cuisses.

"As with all other armor parts, the metal should not shine, but should not show visible signs of rust. Keep them as they appear now. Shiny uniforms may look nice, but they are less practical and require more precious time cleaning.

"Protection of the crucial arteries in the legs is provided by your cuisses, made of a similar riveted metal plates and leather strap design as your knee pads. We've tried to design them to inhibit your movement as little as possible while still being protective of the vital arteries. Minor stab wounds and shrapnel related injuries are lessened, but they do not make you immortal. If you ever see bright red blood spurting out of any wound, especially a leg wound, stop what you are doing, get to cover, and immediately apply a tourniquet.

"Belts are to be displayed over your top, showing you unit insignia on the belt buckle. Your buckle will be stamped some time within three days.

"Your top is made up of the same fabric as your pants. It should have a tunic like feel, stretching down to you mid calf.

"Here is your first layer armor made up an proven leather and wire weave that provides some level of flexibility toward your abdomen while lessening injuries. Above that is your second layer armor, your breastplate. It should extend to just slightly below your ribs. Although it weighs roughly double that of a similar Fire Nation armor design, it is significantly more protective. Its tested alloys have been proven to protect against any blade crafted to this day, and shouldn't become dented against roughly a rock the size of an average person's head being thrown at roughly average speeds of Earthbending moves. I wish I could have removed the shoulder armor and redesigned it. Fire Nation officials refused to allow that to be different. Impractical spike or an even more impractical helmet they said. I chose the spikes.

"Elbow pads are of nearly identical design to as the knee pads. As expected, sleeves are to be bloused, and tucked into the bracers. Your bracers are more heavily armored than Fire Nation counterparts, made out of the same riveted metal design. Gloves are of standard design. Try to keep your fingers safe.

"Here is your gas mask. As the standard Fire Nation design denotes its use for industrial purposes only, our combat designs are significantly more heavily armored. Do not perceive that as a chance to take more risks. Significant Earthbending will still crack your head open quite quickly, armored or not. The mask will protect you from shrapnel and glancing blows only. That and gas. Although our standard model is bulky, it provides protection against nearly double the amount of chemical and biological agents than that of Fire Nation designs. Filters can be replaced easily by turning here and pulling. Also, you have minor amplifiers, here and here. They make communication possible, although you still will have to speak clearly.

"Due to a few current incidents, all armor has been treated with a flame retardant substance. A lot of Fire Nation Soldiers are unfamiliar with us. In combat they may see you as an unfriendly. Defend yourself, but do not attack them directly.

"Now that the awful mandated briefing is out of the way, welcome to my personal guards. I look forward to your escort soon. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Aang watched as Momo flew toward him, perching on his shoulder for a quick second. Something seemed odd. Momo seemed a bit twitchy, glancing around and flying off as quickly as he came.

Slowly, Momo turned to a silhouette in the sky, a single black dot among the clouds. They were completely still. A day without wind, without anything to pull the leaves off the trees or petals of the flowers. The water in the ponds was still, with the turtle-ducks being off in some other pond. He was alone in the gardens, with nobody around.

He closed is eyes.

Aang was wrong. He had thought that he was alone. He was never alone.

Aang exhaled.

Thump.

Something had landed in the grass near him, something oddly heavy, and metallic. Opening his eyes, he took a step toward it, not even thinking about the thrower.

Thump. Thump.

Two more things had landed nearby him. Aang froze, halfway realizing the truth about what was happening.

Ssssssss...

The smoke seemed to come from everywhere: gray smoke that seemed to be coming from the ground itself. Gray smoke that surrounded him, filling the air. His eyes burned, watering continuously, his skin felt like somebody had lit him on fire.

He inhaled.

His lungs burned. It felt like he had breathed in fire,burning his lungs continuously.

He started coughing. A constant hacking cough, like his lungs were trying to leave his body. But, they wouldn't. He just kept coughing, assured that he was about to die.

Yet, slowly through the sound of his own coughing, he could hear more thumping, rhythmic thumping. Somebody was moving toward him, somebody heavy.

He looked up, staring through watering and blurred eyes at whoever was walking toward him.

Through the smoke appeared metal armor: something Aang had never seen a design like: riveted metal, a design without beauty, industrial, a weapon of war at its worst. A gas mask stared back at him, one with tinted lenses to utterly deny any trace of the man wearing it.

"When do you plan to leave this place?" the man said as he continued to walk toward Aang. The ground seemed to quake with his every step.

"My master is not as patient as she used to be. Leave before I use something more than tear gas on your friends."

Aang felt the man's fist pound into his chest, throwing him to the ground, away from the gas, lying powerlessly on the ground.

He kept coughing, his lungs finally taking their first breaths of real air. His sight was clearing, enough to see the man of metal running toward him, ready to strike anew.

Such power the man had, to move so fast with such weight. A mere second, that was how long the man was running. A mere second for the man to be practically atop the Avatar, ready to strike anew. A mere second for Aang to close his hand and prepare as the man attempted to pin him.

His hand thrust outward.

There was silence as the the man flew backwards. A single second of silence, as Aang's Earthbending crumbled. A single second for the man to see the strike. Then he slammed against the ground, his breastplate immaculate.

It sounded like a tank had been thrown, ripping the ground apart with its weight.

Aang could hear him slowly rising to its feet, a sound of metal bending and rivets popping. He couldn't see it, he was running, fleeing the man that he had never seen before, but that brought the same primal fear that he hadn't felt since he had faced Ozai.