((Hi all! Sorry for the delay; I'm incredibly busy and I'd rather take the time to write properly than just throw a 500 word snippet out! If I don't upload in a week, I do apologise but I'll aim for the week after! Thank you for your patience!))
Ultimatum:
The screech of the wheels on the tarmac echoed through the air, making everyone in the vicinity flinch. The impact of the great plane on the surface sent shockwaves through the ground. The lion-turtle felt the weight. It was worth investigating.
The ground gave way before its mighty claws, the soil rolling aside as if it were merely air. The lion-turtle emerged slowly from the dirt, squinting in the bright sunlight. The plane in question was enormous, almost as big as itself, with rich green paint and Earth Kingdom symbols plastered all over. Royalty in Republic City?
The surrounding humans were all shouting in shock at the sight of the magnificent creature. Clearly, the flying machines were common to them but the sight of a lion-turtle apparently was not. He had been lying in wait beneath the earth of Republic City, listening to news of the Avatar. News had not been swift; indeed, it was only now that any sign of strange activity was beginning to show.
"Erm, excuse me?"
The lion-turtle looked down slowly. A little female human was stood before him, clutching a form of stuffed toy animal, gazing up at him with amazed eyes. She did not even stand as tall as half of one claw now. His size was growing daily and with it, his knowledge and power. "What is it, little-one?" he asked in the quietest voice he could muster.
"Are you here to help move the planes?" she asked, a smile on her face. What innocence, to believe that a lion-turtle was used for mere labour. When he shook his head slowly, she shrugged.
"Oh. Do you want to watch them land with me? I'm sure daddy won't mind!" she said in a cheerful voice, clearly not concerned with the size of him or the danger he could pose. It was fortunate indeed that the spirit Zhansha had been so ignorant; if he had sided with the spirits, this human child would be in great peril.
"HONEY, GET AWAY FROM THAT!" a man's voice shouted loudly. As the lion-turtle looked around, a man quickly ran up, scooped the girl up in his arms and jogged off with her. The child waved goodbye over her father's shoulder at the lion-turtle, who simply watched them go.
The large flying machine had moved. It was now further along the runway, out of the way of any departing planes. A door opened on the side, spilling artificial light out to fuse with the sun's rays. Why the humans insisted on artificial light as opposed to the orb in the sky confused him. They always seemed to make things they did not really need.
He watched carefully as a number of individuals stepped from the plane. They walked slowly down the steps and gathered as a group to discuss something. One of the figures looked familiar. The lion-turtle only knew one human well enough to recognise at a distance. Anik was across the airport grounds.
The lion-turtle began a steady walk over to them. In truth, he was much faster underground and on the surface, his bulk was a hindrance. Still, the group noticed his approach and ran to meet him. This was fortunate; his news was important.
"Whiri!" Anik shouted as he gave the lion-turtle's front leg a hug. "You're so big now!"
"Anik. It is good to see you again," the lion-turtle responded. The humans all looked surprised at his advanced articulation. "My name is not Whiri. My name is Krageah."
"Oh," Anik replied, looking slightly unimpressed. "I thought it'd be something really epic. I'll stick with Whiri."
"Ancient One," the Avatar said, bowing. The lion-turtle nodded back. "What are you doing here?"
"News, Avatar. The spirits are angry. They demand retribution for their deaths."
The Avatar frowned. "We know. We found the group responsible. They said they're trying to keep the peace like I do but they're just making things worse. Ancient One, you have to believe us, we're trying to stop them as best we can."
The lion-turtle nodded once again. "I know this, but the spirits do not. They are led by one named Zhansha."
Anik groaned. "That name again. Never met the guy but I dislike him already."
"Ancient One, who is Zhansha? I've found no reference to this name in any texts I've ever read," the Airbending female asked. He liked this one; she showed him great respect.
"A spirit furious with your species. His existence is ironic. You know of the effects spirit possession has?" he asked the Airbender, who nodded. "Physical changes and possibly death," she replied. The lion-turtle was impressed with the group's collective knowledge. He had been fairly sure that humanity were still ignorant as his forefathers had believed.
"Yet the spirit retains the body. Zhansha inhabited a human, long ago, but has not relinquished it. He is a hybrid now, as much human as he is spirit. His fury is a result of his chosen vessel."
"Vessel!?" the older male asked in outrage. "We're not vessels! We're people! You can't go round stealing bodies!"
"I KNOW," the lion-turtle responded in his normal voice. It boomed through the area and the humans all jumped, clearly startled. "The spirits do not care. Zhansha is inciting rebellion amongst his kind. You must stop these humans but you must also stop these spirits, without angering either species."
The Avatar stared at him, mouth wide open. "How!?" he asked in an incredulous voice.
"True peace is earned through struggle and strife, yet always rests with those who deserve it," the lion-turtle said wisely, before turning away. "I will continue to observe your actions, Avatar. You are tasked with preventing any more harm to humans and spirits alike," it said over one shoulder. Within four gigantic sweeps of its titanic forearms, the lion-turtle had vanished in a small mountain of dirt and rock.
The group watched it go, surprised by the entire conversation.
"Aw, it's good to see Whiri again, ain't it?" Anik said with a big smile on his face.
The streets of Republic City were bustling and as busy as ever. The citizens had no idea of the possible impending war which could erupt at any moment. If the tension built anymore, the dam would break and the tide of war would flow over the unsuspecting citizens of Republic City.
This thought kept running through Jahn's mind as they walked through the city. He was quietly proud, in truth, that he'd been aware of the threat earlier than anyone else. The Red Lotus had caused so much carnage simply because he had been innocent and unaware. The Spirit Eaters no longer had the element of surprise. Even so, the damage they had already wrought had already disrupted the fragile peace created from the destruction of the Red Lotus. The spirits had clearly suffered losses; how long had this been going on? Yet again, another group creating chaos for a number of years before Jahn had even revealed his identity.
"Jahn, I'll meet you at the Temple!" Jinora shouted from behind him. The Avatar turned to see her detach the wings on her suit and leap into the air, disappearing from view as the people around all gazed up in awe. Experienced Airbenders were always a sight to behold, no matter the frequency of them in the city these days.
"She seems eager…" Kazon noted, watching as she soared off into the sky.
"She's just looking forward to seeing her family," Tilia pointed out, pushing Kazon lightly with a frown on her face.
"Aren't they at the Eastern Air Temple?" Anik asked, looking round quickly, clearly watching for something.
Jahn shook his head. "You think Jinora would come back here if her daughter is halfway across the world?"
Anik shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. If she wanted to help us, she might choose duty over family," he said in a tone which was so nonchalant that it made Jahn stop in his tracks. He hadn't considered that; Jahn was ready to do whatever to stop the chaos but the others all had responsibilities and family to consider. The fact they literally had his back made him feel rather emotional.
"Jahn? You cool?" Anik asked, looking concerned. "Ha, ice pun. Snow joke though. Eh, eh?" he winked at the others, waiting for a response.
Jahn was too deep in thought to even groan at Anik's terrible jokes. The group all seemed more cheerful now they were back in Republic City. For Jahn, it was a stark reminder of everything he regretted in his life.
"So we'll meet there yeah?"
"Hm?" he mumbled, finally paying attention.
Kazon's eyebrow was raised. "I said, Anik and I will detour around the next block to try and find out anything about the Spirit Eaters. If we can work out where they are, we can protect the air spirit without any fighting at all."
Jahn nodded. "Yeah, good idea. We'll see you in ten minutes then." The pair move off down a side street and Tilia nudged his arm slightly. "You ok?"
"I—I don't know. It's all escalated so fast, yet again. The Red Lotus came out of nowhere and now this; if we don't stop the Spirit Eaters, they'll destroy more spirits and they'll respond in kind. It's down to us to stop years of suffering. How do we cope with that pressure?" he asked, running a hand through his hair stressfully.
Her felt small fingers slip through his on his free hand and clench. Tilia's hand was tiny and warm and reassuring. She smiled up at him, cutting through his angst immediately. "We'll be fine," she said resolutely and Jahn knew he believed her. Her hand squeezed his once more and then the warmth vanished as she pulled away. "Come on, let's find this giant dragon spirit," she chuckled in an amused tone.
The Avatar grinned in spite of himself. There was no point worrying; what will happen will happen. Still, one thought refused to be banished from his mind so easily. He followed Tilia, brushing past random faces in the crowd, until he caught up with the Metalbender. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure!"
"You ever think that the Spirit Eaters might have a point? Not in killing spirits, but life would be a lot easier if there were other people around the world that could help prevent these kind of things…"
Tilia turned and frowned in confusion. "You mean like the Airbenders?"
Jahn rolled his eyes. "They're a big help, sure, but I mean someone with the same kind of power as me. To stop the very worst people."
"Power corrupts, Jahn. That's something Asami used to say. If you gave that power to people, no matter how pure their intentions, it'd always lead to more misery."
Her wisdom was incredible, given her age. When he compared the likes of Kuvu to Tilia, he could see vast differences. Maybe the environment they grew up in helped to forge two very different people. Either way, he was incredibly fond of both of them.
"I know. This group is clearly not the right group to assist with that, but maybe there IS a way to make a team or something…" Jahn pondered.
"Like Team Avatar?" Tilia winked at him. She seemed the happiest of them all to be back. Then again, this was her home more than anyone.
Before Jahn could respond, a number of individuals spread across the street quickly and blocked it. Civilians around all moved out of the way quickly as the uniformed figures all stood resolutely, blocking their path.
Jahn stepped forward, wary of attack. "What do you want?" he asked them, before noticing the insignia on their chests. Two of the officers parted and Chief Mako stepped towards them, looking both formal and yet slightly haggard. His uniform was ever so slightly dirtied and torn on one hem. He bowed slightly as he stood before them, seemingly pleased at their arrival.
"Chief Mako, nice to see you again. I'm glad you're here; we need help protecting a spirit—" Jahn began, before Mako waved him silent. It was a stark contrast from the polite bow and it had the desired effect.
"Sorry, Jahn, but there's more going on than you know. We can discuss your journey later; we already know of the incident at the Northern Water Tribe. Chief Eska is already stabilising the place; it seems as though everyone was too amazed at her sudden appearance to really panic any longer. She's probably just as creepy as ever…" the Chief murmured, trailing off. "Anyway, we've got a situation here. Over the last few days, we've experienced a number of attacks. We're currently dealing with the latest but we could do with your help. You have perfect timing."
Jahn sighed. "Mako, I'm sorry but we've got something really important. Can't the police handle this?"
Mako shrugged. "We're spread thin. The attacks are infrequent and seem to be focused on causing maximum property damage. It's starting to wear us down; if you can assist with this one, we can make sure other plots aren't...being…plotted," he finished awkwardly, looking rather uncomfortable with his poor articulation.
"Of course we'll help. What's the problem?" Tilia said at Jahn's side. He looked at the girl, who appeared deadly serious. Jahn was impressed with her new found confidence, yet apprehensive of the time delay this would pose. They couldn't save everyone.
The same old problem. The Spirit Eaters' mantra floated through his mind once again. It was tempting.
"There's an explosive device attached to the base of a building four blocks from-excuse me, do you mind?" Mako said rather heatedly to a passer-by, who was stood around eavesdropping. The woman stood and looked at Mako with no embarrassment whatsoever. When the Chief raised his arms hopelessly, the woman stepped sideways and slowly shuffled out of sight, watching them with wide eyes the entire time.
"This city is crazy…" Jahn chuckled.
"It is, but it's my home. I'm not going to sit and watch it blow up," Tilia said, pushing past them both.
Mako looked at Jahn with a curious expression. Jahn shrugged in response. "Don't look at me. She's the boss."
The building in question was an impressive office building, stretching many floors into the sky. It was one of the newer builds in the older section of the city; Republic City had expanded outwards after the battle with Kuvira all those years ago but progress did not stop. That included improvements to the existing parts of the city too.
A police cordon stretched around the entire structure, preventing anyone from coming close. Officers were keeping a curious crowd at bay but seemed reluctant to approach the main door to the building. From windows high above, people were craning out to look down on the events below.
Thus, the arrival of Avatar Jahn created quite a stir. Cameras began to flash and the crowd began to shout as Jahn and Tilia pushed through into the plaza. An officer approached, saluting as they neared. "Avatar, Sir! The device is inside the lobby. We're not sure who planted it but if it goes off, the building comes down."
"So why haven't you gone in and disarmed it? And where did Mako go?" Jahn asked, looking around.
The officer scratched her head. "Erm, the Chief will have had to oversee the other operations around the city. We..uh, we don't let him on the field. He's too valuable but he can be quite eager to jump into the action."
Tilia laughed lightly. Jahn could understand that, from what he'd been told about the Chief. He'd been one of Korra's most loyal friends for that exact reason. "And the reason you haven't stopped this is…?"
"You'll see when you go in, Avatar. It requires…well…you."
Jahn frowned. He looked sideways at Tilia, ready to warn her away, but she nodded and made for the building. Jahn knew better than to argue but he was worried. If the police couldn't handle this then maybe it was spiritual in nature?
The inside of the building was dark, despite the sunny weather outside. A light flickered towards the back of the lobby, illuminating the main desk in flashes of light. They did not need to look far for the device, however. It was strapped to the front of the desk, blinking red lights at them through the dark. These lights were almost invisible, however, behind the glow of something which covered it.
Jahn approached carefully, watching the device as he drew nearer. The cover was a strange, semi-translucent material which stretched all over the explosive, emitting a strange purple aura which practically screamed 'spirit business.'
"Ah. Yeah, no wonder they couldn't get this off," Jahn said, poking it delicately.
"The spirits put this here? Why?" Tilia asked, upset at the concept.
Jahn shook his head. "No, the explosive is human. Look at the wires underneath. The spirits might have tried to contain it but I guess they didn't consider the desk isn't as strong as their abilities…"
Tilia sighed. "So how do we do this? What if it goes off?"
Jahn didn't respond. Instead, he focused on steadying his breathing and felt Raava's power surge inside him. If he wasn't careful, the Avatar State would overwhelm him and that would cause even more carnage. When he placed his hand upon the cover, it rippled as though alive. It responded to his Avatar spirit, clearly recognising its own kind. It began to glow brighter until it was almost impossible to look at directly. In a split second, the cover had vanished into wisps of energy in the air.
"Now for the hard part," Jahn said with a quick grin. He was almost shaking; he'd done everything in his control to rein his Avatar powers in so even using them slightly made him scared beyond belief. With Tilia so close, he'd rather juggle the explosive device with Airbending than subject her to his wrath.
"Actually, you've done the hard part. I know what that meant to you," Tilia said gently, placing a hand on Jahn's shoulder reassuringly. He smiled, grateful for her support.
The device suddenly clicked and began to whir. They looked at it sharply as a high-pitched beeping echoed throughout the lobby. Someone had activated it.
"Oh crap! We need to get everyone out of here now!" Jahn yelled, pulling at Tilia's arm as he jumped away from the desk. When she didn't move, he stood incredulously as she simply smiled. "Tilia, what?"
"Like I said, hard part done. I've got this," she said confidently. She cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders. She began to move her right hand in the air, making sharp pointing signs at varying angles. Her hand barely moved from the spot she held it at, aside from turning rapidly. After a few horribly tense seconds, she made a clicking noise with her tongue. "Aaaand, unlocked," she said smugly.
When she closed her palm and opened it rapidly, the device burst from the desk and hung in the air for literally half a second. Jahn watched in amazement as the explosive seemed to explode…but into tiny metal pieces, not fire. Every possible component of the device unscrewed, unlatched and unhinged from each other until every single piece floated in the air before them, a perfect layout for a homemade explosive device.
"You really ARE good with technology…" Jahn said in wonder.
Tilia shrugged. "Yeah, Asami showed me a lot. Anything can be undone and put back together. That bit there," she said, pointing at a small tube of liquid, "is the bit that makes it go boom. You might want to take it to give to the police."
Jahn did exactly that, handling it gently. Once he did, the rest of the device clattered to the floor, echoing loudly around them. Grinning, they made for the building's door and emerged into the sunlight.
The crowd went wild.
Jahn and Tilia ignored them, however, and walked directly to the nearby police officers. Jahn handed the liquid vial over to the female officer from earlier, who stared at it as though it were a mooselion cub about to bite her as she carried it away.
"Excuse me!" Jahn shouted another officer over, who strode over quickly. "Please tell Chief Mako that I require his presence on Air Temple Island as soon as possible," he said in a formal manner, hoping to impress enough that the message would be passed on.
Before the officer could respond, however, a high pitched screech tore through the air around them, making them all flinch. Silence descended on the busy plaza as all the radios in the vicinity burst into life. Static was the only sound for an entire minute. Jahn felt extremely uneasy. Were the attackers angry at their success?
"Humans…"
The voice was alien, strange to the ear. A spirit's voice, mangled by anger and hate.
"Humans. You continue to kill our kind, to attack places precious to us. This incident is one of many, stretching back years and years. If you continue to do this, then the spirits will respond with violence. You are animals and your acts prove your true nature. I give you this ultimatum, to warn you all that the spirits will not take these acts of aggression lightly, and if any human dares enter the Spirit World, they shall be shown no mercy. Give up those humans who kill us for power. If you don't, then the spirits will declare war on your pitiful world."
The radios all crackled and returned to static. Jahn and Tilia glanced at each other in shock. "They've crossed the line," he said angrily. "We need to stop this from escalating any further. We need to get to Qi-lóng and finish this."