"Sora. Sora, wake up."
"Mm?"
I forced an eye open. At least fifteen days had passed down here. I hadn't eaten at all and barely was allowed to drink. My bending was next to nothing. I could hardly move.
"Aang is coming. He needs to speak with you. Try to get your Spirit out of your body and I'll take you to him. Come on my little Spiritbender. You can do it."
With much effort and pain, I got myself into the meditative position, but I couldn't seem to get my Spirit out of my body.
"Sanura! I'm trapped!" I choked out, coughing dryly.
"I'll help you. Just give in to me, and I'll take care of the rest," she encouraged gently, her body already glowing. I closed my eyes, slumping against the wall for support. It only took her a moment to enter my body and free my trapped Spirit. Once I was free, I felt so much better. Sure, the physical weakness of my body was still felt, but my Spirit was still as strong as ever.
"All right. Let's go find Aang and tell him where you are," she said, now back to her Spirit size. "Climb on."
I hopped onto her back and she took flight. It was the first time I've seen the sun in days, and it was wonderful!
"Oh Sanura! I haven't felt the sun in so long!" I sighed holding my arms out wide, my ebony hair blowing back in the wind.
"I know. Soon you will feel it with your Physical body too, but first we have to find Aang to tell him where to go. If I'm not mistaken, he should be on the outskirts of the Earth Kingdom in a forest clearing."
I looked down at her. "That was a bit specific."
"I may or may not have told him where to meet us," she muttered, picking up speed slightly. I only rolled my eyes.
"There!" I pointed to the clearing where a white blob of fur sat resting. "That's Appa. Aang can't be far off."
Sanura swooped down low, quickly finding Aang a little ways off meditating.
"Ah! There!" I hopped off of Sanura's back, gently floating onto a branch. Just then Aang's arrows began to glow and his Spirit body separated from his Physical body.
"Good timing!" I called from my perch. He looked up, surprised.
"Sorami! Are you all right? What happened? Where are you? Are you hurt?"
"Whoa! Whoa! Slow down!"
I hopped down from my perch, landing softly beside him. He instantly threw his arms around my in a tight hug, nearly knocking me over.
"No matter how much I'd like to say I'm fine and that you have nothing to worry about, I just can't. Not anymore. The truth is, I'm suffering. I can barely move. I have lost my bending. Only you can save me."
Aang held me at arm's length, his eyes wide. "Tell me what happened, and then tell me how to save you."
I pursed my lips. "All right. Basically this guy broke in and said that if I didn't do what he said, you and the others would be killed. He told me that he had people stationed in the palace ready to kill you at his word. He took me to this underwater dome held up by at least thirty Waterbenders ready to kill anyone who comes to save me. That's what you are going up against. Now, as for where this dome is. Sanura will take us there to show you where it is. Before we go, though, you have to promise me something."
"That depends what it is," he replied cautiously.
"You have to promise that if things get bad that you get everyone out of there, whether it means leaving me or not."
"No way!"
"Aang, if you or any of your friends got hurt, I could never forgive myself. Please promise me," I begged. "Please promise so you can help me."
He sighed, giving in. "All right. I promise."
I sagged slightly in relief before whistling for Sanura. She landed a moment later.
"Let's go," she said gravely.
"This is… I don't even know what this is!" Aang exclaimed as we finally came across the bubble.
"Cold. Very cold," I murmured, shivering.
"Don't worry. We'll get you out," Aang said, conviction in his voice.
"'We'?" I asked. "Who else is with you?"
"Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, Haru, Teo and his father, The Duke, Pipsqueak, Huu, Tho, and Due," Aang drawled, ticking each name off with his fingers.
"All of those people…putting their lives at stake…for mine?" I murmured, starting to rethink this whole rescue operation.
"Trust me, they all know how to hold their own. Teo's father is a mechanic. His weapons are pretty advanced. I think we'll be all right," Aang replied nonchalantly. For some reason, a nagging feeling of dread just wouldn't leave my chest.
"So now you know where I am. What are your plans?" I asked as Sanura flew us back to the clearing where his Physical body was waiting.
"Well, the mechanic has submarines that we'll be using to get to the bubble. The Waterbenders of the group will create a fog on the inside to distract the lookouts. Those of us good with weapons will take them out, leaving only enough to hold up the bubble. That'll keep them distracted. The Earthbenders will make their way inside the building to bust you out. Then, once we have you, we'll get everyone inside and I'll destroy this place so whoever this man is can never hurt you again."
"That…is actually a pretty good plan," I admitted.
Then I doubled over in pain.
"Sorami? What's wrong?" Sanura asked, fear showing in her voice.
"I…I'm being…shocked!" I managed to say. "Ah!"
My Spirit body was forcefully yanked back into my Physical one, leaving me disoriented on top of in pain.
"There you are. Finally awake I see."
I opened my eyes, trying to see straight. There were two Firebenders in my cell, one being my captor.
"Grab her and bring her to her room," he ordered the other Firebender. I was completely limp when he picked me up. At least my eyesight was clearing up, though I'm not sure I wanted it to.
When he brought me through those steel doors, my nightmare came to life. I was strapped to the same steel table with the same steel chains. Those same needles were sitting on the table, though all were full.
"You're about to learn the definition of pain, Spiritbender," my captor said darkly. That's when his lacky stabbed the first needle into my arm.
My stomach clenched and I heaved, though only bile came up.
"Oh how terrible."
My blurry vision sought out the speaker, only finding his shadowy silhouette.
"The all-powerful Avatar, lying helpless before me." He came closer, chuckling."I've waited for so long, and now I will finally have you."
My sight began to focus now.
"I will finally have your power."
Finally I could see his face, but I couldn't bring myself to believe it.
"Eshan?" I whispered, hardly audible.
"I will finally have my revenge!"
I screamed in agony as a lightning bolt tore through my body.
His maniac cackling bounced off the walls around me. "You really thought that I would forgive you for murdering my father? How stupid can you be? He would have never murdered my mother. I can't believe you bought such a ridiculous story! Ever since that day I've suffered from illnesses. You've healed me twice before, but never recognized me. The second time you healed me, I hired men to track you and gather information on you. While they did that, I planned and built, preparing for this day."
Another shock ripped through me. My scream echoed throughout the room.
"You see, if I harm you enough, at some point you will begin to die. Your powers will start to seek out someone else, much like the reincarnation cycle of the Avatar. However, it won't go very far seeing that I've injected you with my DNA. It will actively seek me out. I will be all powerful!"
Another shock. I felt myself slip briefly into that abyss known as death, but I clung on, desperate to not let this happen.
"Hit her again!" he shouted. I slipped a little further, my grip weakening.
"Again!"
That was it. I felt it leaving me. I felt Death's cool caress begin to take over my body, shutting it down and putting me to sleep. Then I saw Aang. He was crying, broken. No. I couldn't give in. I won't give in! I fought back with everything I had, pushing Eshan back with a burst of spirit energy. It was too late, though. It really was gone. Not all of it, or I'd be dead, but most of it was gone.
He had succeeded.
He had won.
Say yay for snow days! I just had to get this written. Hopefully I took a few of you by surprise with this. If not...well I'll just have to try harder! Please let me know how I'm doing and if you're liking my story so far. I like the feedback!