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The Southern Water Tribe – Morning
"What do you mean an invasion?!" Chief Hakoda's face had turned bright red and his eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets. Aang, Katara and Sokka sat inside the chieftain's tent, explaining the situation to the older man.
"It's true," Sokka said. "We saw that massive fleet with our own eyes."
Hakoda passed a hand over his brow. "This is a lot to take in. I mean, a hundred years of fighting has finally ended and you're telling me there's another war coming?"
Aang nodded. "This war is unlike anything we've ever faced before. This isn't about man's freedom from tyranny, it's about man's freedom to exist! Kahn and the Oni want to wipe us all out!"
"So we've been targeted for extinction?"
"Exactly. This fleet – it's just the beginning of the Oni's extermination of man."
"And what about the Earth Kingdom," Hakoda asked.
"That was an intricate part of Kahn's plan," Aang explained. "Kahn destroys the balance of the world, including the balance in humanity. Right now, the people of the Earth Kingdom are rioting in the streets. Pretty soon, they'll accept savagery – and in their madness they'll start turning on each other. The Earth Kingdom will tear itself apart. And the same thing's happening in the Fire Nation!"
"So then – this is the end of the world?"
"That's right," Sokka said. "The Apocalypse is upon us."
"That is, unless Aang defeats Kahn first," Katara cut in. "That's the only way to end this."
"Well what is he waiting for," Hakoda asked. "Aang, you should be out there trying to stop him!"
"He's tried," Sokka defended. "But Kahn's too tricky."
"But I have a feeling he's going to show up here," Aang declared. "He still needs to steal someone's Waterbending. I'm willing to bet my head that that's the whole purpose of this attack."
Hakoda sighed. "I guess that means we'll just have to face them head on."
"Oh yeah," Sokka said. "Just a few dozen crazed Water Tribers versus a hundred thousand vicious Oni warriors. Those are some real good odds."
"What would you have me do," Hakoda protested. "Just lie down and die? No, I will not let our culture disappear without a fight."
Sokka raised his hands. "Hey, I'm right there with you, dad. I was just saying is all…"
"What about the elderly and the sick," Katara asked.
Hakoda nodded. "They might be a liability – and I won't allow them to be put in any danger. I'm going to call for an evacuation. We're getting all of the civilians out of here."
"How," Sokka objected. "There's no way any of the evacuation boats are getting through that massive fleet!"
The chieftain raised his finger knowingly. "That's why we're not taking the normal evacuation route."
Katara's hand slid over her mouth. "You don't mean…?"
"Yes," Hakoda nodded. "I'm sending them through Fenrir's Channel."
"You can't do that," Katara shouted. "It's littered with icebergs, not to mention predators!"
"Katara, it'll be fine. While you were all away, we've been doing a lot of renovations here in the Tribe. Bato and I have done some heavy excavations of Fenrir's Channel. It's a perfectly safe escape route for our people now. Plus, the Oni don't know about it."
"I hope you're right."
Hakoda looked over to Aang. "How much time do you think we have until they reach our shores?"
"If I had to guess, I would say about two hours, tops."
"That doesn't give us a lot of time." He stood up. "We have much to do. We have to make sure the civilians get to safety, and we have to make sure that our defenses are ready."
Aang stood up. "Sokka and I will raise the defenses," he volunteered, his voice cracking.
Truthfully, Aang was nervous deep down. That was the biggest fleet he'd ever seen. Sure, they've been in some hopeless battles before, but this was entirely different. The Southern Water Tribe just did not have the manpower to go up against a force that size.
Iroh and the rest of the Order of the White Lotus had for some reason left about an hour ago. Iroh said to trust them, they had a plan, but Aang doubted that they would be able to pull off anything like the time they liberated Ba Sing Se from the Fire Nation. Or even when they liberated it again from Monk Guandao.
They were going to need a miracle this time.
***
The Oni Fleet – Afternoon
The Oni Admiral looked out at the vast expanses of his fleet and his seemingly limitless legions of troops.
Truth be told, he didn't know why they needed such a large force to take down such a small tribe of ignorant savages. This was overkill.
But the Admiral was not one to question the Anti-Avatar. His predecessor had made that mistake, and he was in no hurry to have his brains splattered across a wall too.
"Is everything ready for the attack?"
The Admiral turned around to see a grinning Kahn and Eena standing on his bridge. Great! His two favorite people in the whole wide world.
"All of the ships are in formation," he answered.
"Wonderful," Kahn said, folding his arms as he looked at the infinite fleet. There was a thrilled gleam in his eye. "Nothing will stop me from finally becoming master of all four elements."
The Oni Admiral rolled his eyes. All this just so that Kahn could become a Waterbender. It was ridiculous! Kahn could just as easily sneak in and steal someone's Waterbending without an army. This invasion was nothing more than an attempt to satisfy the Anti-Avatar's already inflated ego.
Everything was a big show for him.
"What about any possible escape routes," Kahn asked.
"We've sent a small squad of boats to break away from the main force in case of such an eventuality. Don't worry; we've got them entirely boxed in."
This response sent a shiver up Eena's spine. The thought of wiping out fellow Waterbenders affected her. She wasn't comfortable with the idea.
However, this was the way things had to be, she rationalized. Kahn had convinced her that mankind had to be wiped out for the greater balance of the world. Then they could start over again with a new world, a fresh, untainted world. The two of them, along with their army of Oni, would create a new paradise on earth.
She and Kahn would be revered as gods.
And so Eena had consented to the massacre of her own people.
***
Southern Water Tribe – Afternoon
"Physiologically, I can't find anything wrong with him. By my reckoning, he should be up and about right now. But no, something else is wrong with him, and I don't think any matter of water healing will do any good."
That was Kanna's diagnosis.
Aang was visiting the old woman, or as Katara and Sokka affectionately called her, "Gran Gran", in her tent. On a cot lay the unmoving form of Monk Guandao.
Aang had brought the monk to Kanna out of reverence for all life – he wouldn't allow his worst enemy to die if he could find a way to help him.
But there was also another reason.
Aang was terrified of what would happen to him as a result of their bond should Guandao die. Would the bond just vanish? Guandao seemed to be under the impression that if one of them died, the bond would disappear.
But Aang had his doubts.
The bond had initially been between Gyatso and Guandao, and it survived after Gyatso's death. But now that the bond had become tainted, and stronger as well, Aang feared what would happen.
"So you can't help him," he asked.
Kanna shrugged. "I'll do what I can. No promises, though."
"Thanks," Aang said. He stood up from where he had been sitting. "Well, guess I better help Sokka and Hakoda prepare the defenses."
Kanna nodded. "Good luck, Aang. If anyone can save our people, it's you."
***
"Okay, first things first, we need to build up barriers on the shores here," Hakoda was explaining to several Waterbenders. They listened intently, while Pakku sighed and nodded, bored. Sokka stood next to his father, listening intently.
Aang joined them as the Waterbenders began raising walls of water, freezing them into solid ice barriers. "Those walls won't hold for long," Pakku warned.
"That's why it's imperative we get the civilians and the sick out of here," Hakoda said. He turned to Bato, his right hand man. "Are the escape boats set to leave yet?"
"Almost," Bato replied. "Within the next half hour they'll be ready to set sail."
Hakoda nodded. "We shouldn't release them all at once," he said. "We'll send the boats out two at a time – that way they should slip by the Oni unnoticed."
"I'll lead the group of ships out myself," Bato volunteered, before setting off.
Hakoda turned to his son. "Sokka, are you ready to rally the warriors?"
Sokka was practically bobbing around with excitement. "You bet!"
"What about you, Aang?"
The Avatar nodded. "I'll do what I can."
Then they set off together to go to war.
***
For years Fenrir's Channel had been known to the Southern Water Tribe as a place of death and destruction. It was a gauntlet of obstacles such as icebergs and violent currents. Very few dared to venture into its waters.
Recently, the area had been excavated under the orders of Chief Hakoda. Pakku and his Waterbenders carved a suitable path for boats out of the ice, removing the icebergs and redirecting the currents into new, smaller creeks and ponds that were offshoots of the main channel. And two canoes glided softly along the now still waters.
Bato sat in the front canoe. It was filled with civilians – women, children, the sick and the elderly. The other boat, a few feet behind them, was also packed with as many people as possible.
If these two initial boats made it through the channel, they would send the next pair of ships after them, and so on.
There was a nervous tension in the air and everyone was too nervous to speak. Sitting guard in the front and rear were a group of four Water Tribe Warriors. Not that Bato was expecting an attack, but he was taking no chances.
There was a nervous cough and Bato stirred a little. The deathly silence was disquieting to say the least. He exhaled slowly and continued paddling the canoe along. The sound of the small waves lapping around the hull was becoming increasingly more eerie.
One of the warriors moved next to Bato, his eyes scanning ahead. "It's too quiet," he said. "I don't like this. I'm getting a bad feeling."
"Don't turn yellow on me now."
"It's not that. It's just … we shouldn't be here. This channel's a death trap. If there are Oni waiting for us at the exit, we'll be blocked in."
"The Oni aren't aware that this channel exists."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I have to be," Bato replied grimly. "Because if I weren't, these people would panic. We can't have that. I have to be strong for them. And so do you."
The soldier eyed the small children, nervously huddled closely to their mothers. The fear could clearly be seen in their little eyes.
The soldier smiled reassuringly at them, trying to show them that there was nothing to fear.
And then his smile faltered into a look of horror and pain.
And the children began screaming.
Bato whirled around to catch the warrior in his arms. He saw the red spot quickly spreading across the man's shirt.
An arrow was sticking out of his back.
The children continued to scream.
"Calm down," Bato tried to reassure them. "Don't be afraid." At the same time, he motioned for the other two soldiers to be on alert. They withdrew their bows and arrows, looking around fervently.
"Sir," one soldier said. "I can't see anyone!"
"Steady," Bato warned. "Stay on alert!" His eyes were squinted, looking slowly around. His heart was thudding furiously in his chest. Where had that arrow come from?
WHIZ!!!
With a loud thud, an arrow lodged itself deep into the hull of the boat. Bato continued looking around furiously. He squinted harder and saw two dark shapes slowly gliding towards them.
Boats!
But, that was impossible! Hardly anyone knew about Fenrir's Channel! How could the Oni?
And Bato then realized the trap that they were now in. They were now ensnared completely!
The two enormous Oni vessels flanked the two tiny canoes. As the escapees looked up, there were horrified to see rows upon rows of Oni troops lined up along the sides of the ships. They weren't wielding simple bows and arrows, like Bato's soldiers.
They were carrying crossbows. They would easily out speed the Water Tribe archers.
A high ranking Oni official appeared and raised his arm. Clenching his fist, he signaled to his men to open fire.
And as Bato looked deep into the glaring eyes of the Oni, he realized that there would be no mercy from these creatures. No mercy for the sick, no mercy for the elderly, no mercy even for the children. Their hearts were hard as stone.
Literally hundreds of arrows shot out simultaneously. The hulls of both ships were riddled with punctures, and water began gushing into them. The children were screaming and the adults desperately tried to calm them down. It was no use. The adults were just as terrified as their offspring.
Bato had no choice. When one is confronted with conflict, they always have a fight or flight response. They were trapped between the two warships, so flight was no option.
They would have to fight their way through.
"Fire," Bato shouted. The small group of archers returned fire. The Water Tribe troops were fewer in number, but they were far more accurate than the Oni. Their arrows hit their mark, and several Oni fell overboard, arrows sticking out of their bodies.
But what the Oni lacked in accuracy, they made up for in sheer numbers. A steady, continuous stream of arrows continued shooting out from the warships, riddling the canoes with more and more holes. The boats were already practically submerged, and the adults were hoisting their children up over their shoulders.
Bato was screaming orders to his men. Already, he was waste up in the freezing waters, and his teeth were clattering noisily.
He raised his bow up and prepared to take out the Oni commander.
And an arrow pierced his heart.
"Bato," one of the fellow soldiers shouted.
The brave warrior fell back into the water, a pool of blood surrounding him. The soldier rushed through the water, dodging the whizzing arrows flying just inches past his head. He reached Bato and pulled the wooden arrow straight out of his heart. He caressed the venerable man's head in his hands.
The light in Bato's brave eyes had gone out instantly. The soldier let out a cry of grief, before he too was struck with an arrow.
The rest of the escapees were swimming in opposite directions, trying frantically to get to shore. The Oni were not merciful.
What resulted was a massacre.
***
Hakoda was in his tent along with Sokka, Katara and Aang. The young monk sat fiddling with his staff nervously. Katara was sitting beside him, rubbing his shoulder soothingly.
Sokka and his father were applying war paint to their faces, getting ready for war. Hakoda had decked himself out with all kinds of concealed weapons like knives and such.
Sokka was sporting his club in one hand, and his space sword was slung over his shoulder.
Suddenly, the flap to the tent was sprung open, and a soldier came bursting in. His clothes were torn and his face was covered in blood.
"What happened," Hakoda asked, catching the man. He turned to his daughter. "Katara, go get Kanna right now!"
He sat the bleeding man down. "It … was … an ambush," he panted. "In Fenrir's Channel. So … many … arrows."
Hakoda immediately went into panic mode. "Wait, an ambush? How?!"
"I … don't know."
"Where there any survivors?"
The man was silent.
Hakoda gripped him fiercely and with determination he asked him again, "where there any survivors?!"
The man shook his head. He reached behind him and withdrew an item that he sadly placed in the chieftain's hands. Hakoda looked down and he felt like a hole had been drilled into his stomach.
It was Bato's machete.
The proud chieftain fell to his knees and allowed the tears to flow freely. Sokka came up behind him and placed his hand tentatively on his father's shoulder. Hakoda reached up and grasped Sokka's hand. He stood up, and father and son embraced.
Together, they mourned the loss of their good friend.
***
The soldier's wounds were severe. Kanna had said that it was miraculous that he had escaped the Oni at Fenrir's Channel, not to mention make it back here. The man would survive, but he would be crippled for the rest of his life.
Hakoda had given the order not to send anymore escape ships out in Fenrir's Channel. The only hope they had now was to defend the city as best they could.
Everyone doubted they would make it through the night.
Aang was taking it the hardest now. The Oni practically on their doorstep. In less than half an hour, the battle would begin. Aang was the only hope anyone had left.
He was getting tired of it.
So often he was the one that everyone depended on. It was exhausting being the one person that everybody placed their hopes and dreams upon. He had faced so many difficult enemies before.
But Kahn was different.
Kahn was the evil side of the Avatar Spirit. And Aang highly doubted that he would be able to prevent him from mastering all four elements.
But still, he had to try.
If he could stop Kahn here, today, then maybe there was a chance for survival.
The next thing he knew, Katara was dragging him by the hand outside the limits of the village, into the snowy sub terrain.
"Where exactly are we going," he asked.
"Wait and see," she said. "We're going to need every advantage we can get."
That was when Aang saw it.
The old abandoned Fire Nation vessel that he and Katara had become imprisoned on together when they first met. They had accidentally set off a flare which had alerted Prince Zuko as to the whereabouts of the Avatar.
"What exactly are we doing here," he asked, agitated. "We should be preparing for the battle. In fact," he pointed out, "you shouldn't even be fighting! You're with child!"
"Oh, shut up," she replied. She dragged him aboard the boat.
Aang was immediately hit with the sense of déjà vu upon entering the decaying vessel. When he first met Katara, he was ignorant of any war, or violence or death. Those were cherished moments for him. The two of them innocently penguin sledding, laughing, joking.
They could never go back to those innocent times.
"Why are we here anyway?"
"Aang, we've fought countless Fire Navy ships in the past. They're filled with all kinds of death machines – what if we could use them for our advantage?" Her voice was becoming excited.
"I don't know if I like the sound of 'death machines'," he spurned.
"Well, you could just go into the Avatar State," she said.
Aang shuddered at the idea. He remembered what happened the last time he entered the Avatar State…
"I don't know," he said. "My bond with Guandao … it's still there Katara. I'm able to control myself now, but if I enter the Avatar State … I might lose control again."
"But Aang, it could be our only hope!"
"I know that! But at the same time, I'm afraid! What if I do something that I … regret?"
"Just think about it," she said. "In the meantime, let's get these things to Sokka."
***
"What the heck is this," Sokka demanded as Katara dropped a pile of junk at his feet.
"We were wondering if you could do anything with all this," she answered.
"What could I possibly do with junk?"
"This junk was stripped from that Fire Navy ship!"
"So?"
"So, maybe you could figure out how to use these things against the Oni!"
Sokka's eyes brightened at the prospect. "I could probably whip something up!"
"Good," Katara breathed. "Hopefully, that'll give us a slight advantage."
Shrugging, Aang exited the tent. "Where're you going," Katara asked.
"I need some time to think."
***
Never before had the Southern Water Tribe faced a crisis of this magnitude. Sure, in the past the Fire Nation had come and conducted raids, but this was different. The Fire Nation stole supplies and murdered whatever Waterbenders they could find, but they generally left the citizens well enough alone.
But not the Oni.
The Oni were coming to exterminate their entire civilization.
A general call had gone out throughout the village. Every male child big enough to wield a weapon was to go the armory to be fitted with armor and weaponry. Screaming children were torn from their screaming mother's arms and led away to fight.
Led away to most likely die.
Aang watched the whole scene play out before him as trembling young boys stood in line to be fitted with armor. Sokka was handing out weapons, and his face was paler than Aang had ever seen it.
Sokka knew that he was most likely sending these children to their deaths. Before they had met Aang, Sokka had "trained" these children in case of a Fire Nation raid, but he did it more for show than anything else.
"Be brave," he whispered to one sobbing child as he handed him a sword.
Aang knew that if he entered the Avatar State, he would be able to end this whole thing in an instant.
However, he was terrified of what might happen as a result of his bond with Monk Guandao.
But watching these trembling children going away to fight and die gave him new resolve.
He decided that once the fighting started, he would enter the Avatar State and end this once and for all.
Suddenly, a young girl came running up to him. "Avatar Aang! Avatar Aang!"
Smiling warmly, he kneeled down before her, patting her gently on the head. "What can I do for you," he asked.
"There's a lady asking for you. She says it's extremely important!"
"Where is this lady," he inquired kindly.
"In the medicine house."
"Thank you," he replied politely.
The medicine house? The lady is probably Kanna. Maybe there's an update on Monk Guandao's condition.
Aang made his way into the medical hut, where a few patients were sleeping soundly. Monk Guandao lay off to the side, still completely unconscious.
"Gran Gran," he called out. "Gran Gran?"
That was funny. The old woman didn't appear to be here.
And then he noticed someone moving in the shadows. "Gran Gran?"
"Guess again," came a cold voice. The figure stepped out of the shadows and Aang backed up defensively.
"You!"
Eena grinned wickedly. "Here I am, Avatar!"
"Where's Kanna," Aang yelled.
"She's with some of my men. I can see the fear in your eyes, but don't worry – she's been relatively unharmed."
"Relatively? If you hurt one hair on that woman's head -."
"Relax. The old woman – Kanna was her name? – still has a slight role to play in coming events."
"You twisted, crazy -."
"Now Avatar, don't go hurting my feelings like that." She pretended to pout.
"You're going to pay for all the harm you've done!" Aang moved to attack, when suddenly he felt a splitting pain in the back of his head. His vision swam, and he fell to his knees. He saw a grinning Oni, holding a large club, standing over him.
And then Aang blacked out completely.
The Oni raised his club to finish him off.
"Wait," Eena called. The Oni looked at her, annoyed.
"What for," he demanded.
"The Avatar is to remain out of the fight, but Kahn still wants him left alive. He still has plans for him."
"So what do we do with him?"
"Leave him here. He'll awake soon enough, by which time we'll be long gone."
She moved to stand over the unconscious Guandao and snorted. "Is this really the infamous 'Monk Guandao.'? He doesn't look so threatening. To think that he held the world by the throat just a few short months ago is laughable indeed. He couldn't even stand up to my master. But nevertheless, my master still has plans for him as well."
She snapped her fingers, and the Oni grabbed the comatose monk out of the bed and carried him off.
Guandao was the first piece of leverage Kahn planned to use during his final battle with the Avatar.
And the second would come soon enough.
She followed after the Oni, leaving an unconscious Aang to lie in the middle of the medicine hut.
Away from the battle.
***
The Water Tribe watched in terror as the Oni fleet made contact with the shore. Line after line of Oni troops marched on their village, and the ice wall would only last so long.
Sokka was beginning to become exasperated. Aang was completely gone. Without him, there was positively no hope at all of winning this battle. What was that nutty kid up to this time?
Already the Oni were beginning to tear down the wall. The Waterbenders struggled to fix the damaged areas, but there were just too many Oni.
Sokka stood in the lead of the Water Tribe's makeshift army, made up of all shapes, sizes and ages. He gulped. Some of his men were seasoned warriors who could hold their own in battle.
The rest were just children.
He hoped Aang showed up soon.
He was joined by his father, Pakku and Katara.
"Where's Aang," Katara asked.
"I've been asking that myself," Sokka responded. "He better show up soon, or it's curtains for us all."
"Aang will show up," Katara said without a doubt. "He's never let us down before. He won't let us down now."
"You'd better be right," Sokka said as he watched a giant crack begin to appear in the ice.
There was a sudden squawk as a messenger hawk appeared. "Oh great," Sokka yelled. "Those things never bring good news!"
"It's for Pakku," Katara said looking at it.
Scowling, Pakku took the note and read it.
Dear Pakku,
We have your precious wife Kanna. If you want to see her alive again, you'll come to the abandoned Fire Navy Vessel in ten minutes. We have ordered our Oni to halt the attack. If you don't comply, the Oni have orders to break through and massacre every last man, woman and child. Come quickly; it would be unfortunate if dear Kanna has an accident because of your lateness.
Growling, Pakku crushed the letter in his fist. He looked through the ice wall to see that the Oni were indeed halting their attack. They were just standing there blankly.
He whirled around and headed off in the direction of the Fire Navy Vessel. Katara rushed to catch up with him.
"This doesn't concern you, Katara," Pakku said sternly, not looking at her.
"My Gran Gran's been captured, and it doesn't concern me? You've got to be kidding!"
Pakku rolled his eyes. "I should've known you'd be this stubborn. You were always difficult. You went against my entire culture at the North Pole to learn Waterbending."
"I wasn't going to take no for an answer then, and I'm not about to take no for an answer now!"
The duo made their way back to the abandoned Fire Navy ship. Waiting outside were a dozen or so Oni. They had Gran Gran, who was bound and gagged. Pakku moved to grab her, but he was stopped as one of the Oni placed a machete to her throat.
Kahn appeared from behind the Oni, a calm smirk on his face. "So this is the great master Pakku, is it? I've heard so much about you!"
"Yea? Well I've heard a lot about you too! What kind of sissy are you, going around stealing other people's bending?!"
A dangerous look appeared on the Anti-Avatar's face, before he quickly replaced it with a cruel smile. "Such harsh words – especially from the mouth of a man whose wife's fate is in my hands."
He gently caressed Kanna's cheek with his fingers.
"Don't touch her," Pakku growled.
Suddenly, Kahn gripped the old woman's chin and forced her to look directly at Pakku. "Look at your wife," the Anti-Avatar sneered. "Doesn't she look so afraid?"
"Leave her alone!"
"My, she looks terrified!" Smoke appeared from his hand and Kanna cried out behind her gag as he began slowly burning her face.
"I SAID LEAVE HER ALONE!!!" Pakku fired a jet of water at the Anti-Avatar, who responded by raising an earthy barrier, blocking out the attack.
"Not really a smart move on your part," Kahn taunted. He lowered his hands, grinning devilishly. "So here's the deal," he explained. "I'm only one element away from becoming a full blown Avatar. You're going to give me exactly what I need. You're going to allow me to drain your Waterbending, and Kanna goes scott free."
"You mustn't," Katara protested. "Kahn doesn't just drain bending – he's going to drain your life!"
Pakku grit his teeth and a bead of sweat trickled down his face.
"Well that's up to him. If he favors his own life over that of his wife's, well then, I can surely do away with her easily." A ball of flame appeared in Kahn's hand and he moved it perilously close to the old woman's face. "Well?"
"You're a despicable person," Katara shrieked. "Using a little old lady this way!"
Pakku raised his hand for Katara to remain silent. He stood there, and for the first time, Katara saw a look of fear on her master's face.
"Time is running out," Kahn warned, moving the flaming ball closer to Kanna. He intensified the heat, and the flame turned a searing blue.
Kanna was struggling to say something behind her gag. Apparently, she was trying to tell her husband to save himself, that she wasn't worth it. But she was worth it to him.
Pakku lowered his head, defeated. "You win."
"I knew you would see reason," Kahn said joyously. He moved for Pakku.
"No," Katara yelled. "I won't let you!" She moved to attack Kahn, only to find that she was unable to move.
She looked to her side to see Eena Bloodbending her. "You … you're just evil," she said, defeated. "For some people there's hope. But there's just no hope for any of you!"
Eena forced Katara to her knees, and the young girl could only watch the heartbreaking scene play out before her. Pakku willingly surrendering himself to the Anti-Avatar.
Kanna was screaming bloody murder behind her gag.
Kahn was as triumphant as ever. He had been waiting for this moment for his entire existence. Finally, the time had come.
Pakku offered no resistance as Kahn placed his fingers on the old man's head and neckline. And there were two beams of light.
Pakku's was blue.
Kahn's was an intense red.
And Kahn's soul overpowered Pakku's. The old man didn't even fight back.
Pakku was enveloped by the malicious red light. There was a horrible gagging noise, and finally the light faded away.
The Waterbending Master lay on the ground in a heap. Katara couldn't even bear to look at him. She knew what his emaciated corpse would look like.
Kanna, meanwhile, had passed out at the sight.
And the Anti-Avatar was laughing with mirth. He waved his hand and a pile of snow levitated into the air. He melted it down to liquid, and then streamed the water around his body.
It was all over for everyone.
Kahn had now become master of all four elements.
There was nothing anyone could do.
And Aang was nowhere to be seen.
After relishing his newfound power for a few moments, Kahn passed a glance at Kanna. He waved his hand. "She no longer serves any use to me. You may release her."
"Wouldn't it be easier to just finish her off," one Oni voiced.
"Yes, but then who would tell the Avatar about the death of Master Pakku and the capture of his wife?"
"C-capture," Katara protested.
"Of course." He kneeled down in front of her, so that they were face to face. "You're the final piece of leverage I need when I face the Avatar."
While everyone had been talking, Katara had been busy trying to move her one finger. It was quite a struggle, but Eena couldn't hope to contain her forever.
With great difficultly, she was able to twitch her index finger ever so slightly.
That was all that was needed.
A sudden rush of snow struck Eena. In that moment of confusion, she had lost her grip on Katara, and the young girl rushed to her feet.
Kahn was mightily impressed. "I like how you managed to break free of dear Eena's Bloodbending," he nodded.
He turned to Eena. "I trust you'll have no problem subduing her, right?"
"Not at all," Eena replied.
"Good," Kahn replied, walking away. "I have business elsewhere. Oh, and Eena – try not to overdo it this time. I want her alive if you don't mind."
"Not at all."
Kahn and his Oni briskly walked away.
Katara and Eena stared each other down. "I've seen your moves before," the water witch commented. "Very impressive – with some practice, you could become as great a master as me."
"I wouldn't want to be anything like you," Katara replied disgusted. "You're a monster."
Eena looked Katara straight in the eyes. Katara couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was something familiar about those eyes.
And Katara and Eena finally squared off.
***
Sokka gulped. He was now alone, leading this fight. Hakoda had left a few moments before. Gran Gran was in trouble, and Hakoda wasn't going to allow anything to happen to his mother. He told Sokka he would be right back.
But now the Oni had resumed their attempts to tear down the ice wall.
And they were becoming alarmingly successful.
And they finally breached through.
Sokka turned around. "Be brave, men."
Hordes of Oni flooded in through the breach, and Sokka's makeshift army clashed with them.
The young warrior hoped Aang would show up soon. Sokka had been successful in converting some of the flares from the abandoned ship into weapons and all he needed was some fire. Aang would have been able to ignite the weapons, turning them into miniature bombs.
But with Aang nowhere to be found, that idea had to be scrapped.
Sokka lashed out with his boomerang, knocking one Oni out. The weapon returned to his hand, and in an instant, he hand unsheathed his space sword and was engaged in epic combat against two Oni swordsmen at the same time.
Around him, Water Tribe soldiers were falling.
Their numbers were dropping fast and if something didn't happen soon, they were doomed.
***
Katara and Eena were engaged in epic combat.
Eena had been too overconfident of her abilities at first, but as the battle wore on, it was becoming evident that Katara was her equal.
So the mad witch gritted her teeth and unleashed a furious flurry of water attacks.
Katara created a barrier with the snow to shield her, and then retaliated by surrounding herself with water tentacles which lashed out in all directions.
Eena rolled out of the way of several attacks, and then counterattacked by hurling a spear made of ice. Using her tentacles, Katara knocked it aside.
And Eena saw the opening in her enemy's defenses and she moved in.
She blasted Katara back with a jet of water, and then froze it on her right arm, preventing her from moving it.
Using her free hand, Katara caused the ice to melt form her arm, but that minute distraction was all the time that Eena needed. Katara suddenly saw two spinning frozen discs headed straight for her. The edges were thin enough to act as blades that could easily take her head off.
Suddenly, a figure leapt from nowhere, taking Katara out of the way of the spinning discs of death. Katara looked up to see the figure sprawled on top of her.
"Dad?"
"Miss me," Hakoda joked.
Father and daughter stood up and entered combat stances.
Eena was hardly impressed with this new addition.
Hakoda, however, had a look of complete shock on his face. It was like he had seen a ghost.
"It can't be …" he breathed.
***
Things were not going well at all for Sokka and his army. The Oni were just too many and the Water Tribe was being beaten back easily.
Sokka had fought manly hopeless battles before. He especially remembered that final battle at Ba Sing Se against Monk Guandao's army of Airbenders. It had seemed hopeless then too.
But then Team Avatar was together.
And Aang had been able to save the day.
It looked like Aang had abandoned them this time.
Suddenly, he saw a flash of fire. Huh. How odd. He didn't recall seeing any Firebenders around.
There was another flash of fire, and several Oni backed up.
"Yea, that's the way to do it, Sparky!"
That voice. Could it be …?
Sokka whirled around and his heart skipped a beat.
It was Toph and Zuko!
***
"Dad, what's wrong," Katara asked. "You look horrified beyond all reason."
Hakoda didn't seem to respond. Katara turned her head and barely had time to react to one of Eena's attacks.
Well, her father was a lost cause, so it was now just between her and the water witch. Eena's attacks were becoming more furious and aggressive, and Katara was beginning to lose her hold in a flash.
Eena created a block of ice, and then began shaping dozens of jagged icicles from it, which she hurled at the younger girl. Katara raised a sheet of ice as a shield. It blocked most of the smaller icicles, but some of the bigger, heavier ones tore through and struck Katara in several places. She moaned as she looked down at her bloody wounds.
And Eena was just warming up.
***
"What? When did you guys get here," a shocked Sokka asked, blocking an incoming attack.
"Come on, Snoozles," Toph called out. She was wearing specially designed snow shoes that allowed her to feel some tension of the ground beneath the snow. She was pummeling an Oni into submission. "I wasn't going to miss any of this action!"
"Besides," Zuko said, pouring fire from his hands. "Did you really think we would just abandon our best friends to die?!"
Sokka's eyes watered. "Really? You consider me one of your best friends?!"
"Listen, can we talk about this later when we're not fighting off a gazillion monsters," Toph snapped.
"Oh, right," he replied. "That is, if we make it through the day!"
Zuko chuckled. "Did you really think we'd come alone!"
Suddenly, Iroh, Bumi, Jeong Jeong, Cabbage Man and several other members of the Order of the White Lotus appeared.
"But that's still not enough," Sokka protested, knocking another Oni troop over.
Iroh raised his finger. "Which is why we brought reinforcements."
Suddenly, dozens of black clad figures appeared seemingly out of nowhere and moved into the battle. Sokka recognized these guys.
It was the army of the Sun Tzu!
________________________________________________________________________
The Sun Tzu had been Monk Guandao's army of personal assassins and warriors. They were extremely stealthy, appearing out of nowhere when you would least expect it. They were skilled assassins, murdering countless people that posed a threat to Guandao's plans for world domination over many decades.
But all that changed after Aang defeated Guandao at Ba Sing Se. As the gang helped clean up the battlefield outside of Ba Sing Se, the Sun Tzu appeared before Aang.
To his surprise, they kneeled obediently before the young Avatar. "We are yours to command, master."
Aang had been completely taken aback. "Master?"
"Well, yes," the lead Sun Tzu informed him. "By defeating our former master, you take his place. You are the leader of the Sun Tzu now, Avatar Aang."
"I don't know," Aang replied, scratching his head.
"Think of it this way, Aang," Katara spoke up. "You can use them for good now!"
"That's true. They are master of stealth – I bet I could put them to use as informants for me!"
"Whatever you wish of us master," the lead Sun Tzu bowed.
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As former servants of Guandao, the gang had been on the wrong side of the Sun Tzu quite often, and they knew their skills as warriors all too well. However, it felt good that this time, their former enemies were now on their side.
And the Sun Tzu were showing their worth in combat by going toe to toe with the battle hardened Oni.
But it still wasn't enough to the win the battle.
Even with the addition of the Sun Tzu to their ranks, they were still hopelessly outnumbered as more and more Oni flooded into the battlefield.
***
Katara was beginning to tire out. She was physically, emotionally and spiritually drained. Preparing for the battle and witnessing the murder of her beloved master had exhausted her greatly.
Eena seemed as fresh as ever.
"Are you ready to give up," the witch asked.
Katara was panting. "Never." She fired a jet of water, which Eena parried.
"Why can't you just come quietly?!"
"You can't you just leave the world alone?!"
Eena put her hands on her hips. "I've grown very tired of dealing with you. If you won't come willingly, I'll make you come!" And Eena raised her fingers and both Katara and Hakoda went rigid.
"What's … happening," the chieftain asked uncertainly.
"Bloodbending," was Katara's curt reply.
"Oh."
Father and daughter were now completely helpless. "I should've done this from the start," Eena scolded herself. "But, battling them was just too much fun." She grinned maliciously at the pair. "Come on, you two."
And she forced the defeated pair to march.
***
SPLASH!!!
Aang awoke with a start as he felt himself drenched with cold water. He looked up to find Kanna standing over him with a bucket of ice water.
Her eyes were tearstained and Aang immediately knew something was wrong. "What's going on," he asked.
"Pakku is dead."
"What?!" No! Pakku had been Aang's first teacher and he held a significant place in Aang's heart. To hear that he was dead destroyed a part of him on the inside.
Kanna nodded. "Kahn is now the master of all four elements. I regained consciousness just moments ago. When I awoke, Katara was gone."
"Gone?! You don't think -."
The old woman nodded. "Yes. She's been taken by the Anti-Avatar along with her father! And Guandao as well."
And that was the last straw for Aang. Kanna backed up as the ground began trembling. Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed white, and a sphere of air surrounded him. The rooftop of the hut was blown clean off, and Aang levitated into the air.
***
The Oni were quickly overwhelming the heroes. Everyone fought valiantly, but their efforts were in vain. Without Aang, it was absolutely hopeless.
But Sokka was determined to go down fighting. If this was to be the end of the Southern Water Tribe, it would be a memorable end!
And the Oni stopped fighting to glance skyward. Everyone else followed their gaze.
Sokka felt a tear trickle down his cheek. "It's Aang!"
The Avatar had full control over the Avatar State. With a mere flick of his wrist, hundreds of Oni warriors were blasted backwards.
The Oni fired arrows at him with their crossbows, but the Avatar deflected them with a gust of wind. Many of the arrows rained back down to the ground, causing the Oni to scatter.
The Oni were trembling now. They knew the damage the Avatar could cause, and their master Kahn was nowhere to be seen.
So, they did what any sensible Oni would do.
They got the heck out of there.
They rushed out from the Southern Water Tribe faster than you can say "Sokka's ponytail," and they scampered aboard their warships.
Aang was half tempted to sink all of their ships right then and there, but then he realized that Katara might have been on one of them. He couldn't risk it.
Besides, bond or no bond, he was no cold blooded killer. The Oni were retreating and he was going to let them.
There had been enough needless bloodshed today.
And Aang exited the Avatar State and plummeted to the ground. Zuko rushed forward and caught him.
Aang slowly gazed at his rescuer's face, and a small smile formed on his lips. "Zuko …," he said weakly. He closed his eyes and exhaled the words "I'm sorry."
The battle had been won, and the Southern Water Tribe had been spared, but in the end, Kahn had gotten what he really wanted.
The Anti-Avatar was now master of all four elements, and the final struggle for humanity's existence was almost upon them.
And now the stakes had been raised immensely.
***
Oni Ship – Prison – Evening
Katara and her father sat hopelessly in a prison cell aboard the Oni flagship. Katara had been weeping for hours over the loss of Pakku.
Meanwhile, from what she could hear, the Avatar had chased the Oni out of the Southern Water Tribe. That brought her some measure of comfort, knowing that her people lived to fight another day.
But there was something else troubling her.
When Katara had been fighting Eena, her father's reaction to the water witch had been quite unusual. It almost seemed like he knew her from somewhere.
Come to think of it, she seemed very familiar to Katara as well.
So she decided to question her father about it.
"You're going to think I'm completely insane," was his answer.
"Try me," she replied. "We've seen a lot of insane stuff lately, so I'll believe anything."
"Okay," Hakoda chuckled. "Brace yourself because this is a real doozy."
"Tell me," she pressed.
"Okay. I don't know how it's possible …"
"Yea?"
"But … somehow I think … I think that Eena … is your mother!"
And Katara was completely floored.
"What?!"
***
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