What is the Black Jade? You're about to find out. Buckle up because there's a lot of information coming up in this chapter.
On another, totally unrelated note, guess who's learning how to drive? I am! Yay!
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter Twenty-One: Lovely Philosophy
"The Black Jade?" Both Aang and Mai repeated, equally flabbergasted. Jojo smirked and leaned more against the barred window of the prison door.
"Yeah, the rebellion was created to kick your butt." She waved a finger at Aang and he scowled at her.
"Calm down Aang," Mai said, quickly seeing the boy heat up. "So this is the rebellion that was in the Town of Tong Pi a few weeks ago?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right, though not all of us were there, only about fifty." Mai and Aang regarded her with heavy stares and she smiled. "We weren't looking for trouble," she assured them jokingly. "We were just scouting some new recruits."
"Tell us about this Black Jade, who runs it and what are you guys doing underground?" Aang demanded to know, for her knew she was stalling them.
"Whoa, whoa," Jojo laughed. "A little on the demanding side for someone's who's at my mercy." Aang grimaced, fire burning visibly in his palms. "Alright, don't worry, I'm on your side almighty Avatar." She bowed to him and he calmed, only slightly.
"Just tell us," Mai got to the point. Jojo turned, the back of her head facing them now.
"Ever heard of the white jade flower?" she started, when there was silence she went into detail. "A nasty flower that grows on the edges of the Earth Kingdom. If you eat it you'll get a rash so big it'll inflame your throat and you won't be able to breathe."
"What does that have to do with-?" Aang asked, but was cut off by her hand coming up beside her head.
"The black jade flower is ten times worse, it only grows a few odd, little places in the Earth Kingdom and when some crops are found they're either destroyed or boxed off as a health hazard. They say the aroma it gives off is the loveliest scent in the world but one whiff of the stuff and you're dead." Both Mai and Aang gulped. "If it's just one flower, you'll probably just pass out, maybe suffer some internal damage, but a whole field of them," she laughed bitterly. "Well, I think you know the rest."
"So you guys choose a deadly flower for your rebellion name, cute." Mai sighed, growing board and wishing Jojo would get to the point. "But we're still not getting it."
"Alright, alright, let me break it to you," Jojo cooperated. "The black jade is exactly like our tactic. Alone we're just someone with an idea…but together, in a field, we're deadly."
"So why are you telling us all this, since this rebellion is supposed to be against me?" Aang asked. He was glad someone was telling him these things, but he didn't understand, if she was working for the Black Jade, why would she be helping them?
"Great power knows where to stop, Arrows." She smirked using the same name she had called him at first. "You know all about that, don't you? Or else Ozai would be buried instead of lying up in jail feeling sorry for himself. I'm not pro-Fire Lord, no one around here is, but when I joined I thought this rebellion was all about justice, but it's morphed into something ugly and violent and…sickening."
"So if you're not with the Fire Lord," Mai concluded, "who are you working for?"
"The Black Jade is run by a man named Long Feng."
"Lon-Long Feng?" Aang babbled with eyes wider than Mai's by a long shot. "As in former head of the Dai Li Long Feng?" Jojo nodded.
"That would be correct, Arrows." She turned to face them. "After the Fire Nation Princess-"
"Azula," Mai intervened.
"Right, anyways, after the Fire Nation Princess kicked him to the curb as a ruler in Ba Sing Se Long Feng spent his long meaningless days at Lake Laogai plotting how he was going to get his need for power back. After Azula left the city with his Dai Li agents I guess the security on him slackened because he used his earth bending to break out and eventually took back control of Lake Laogai." She smirked. "But, he had to be quiet about it, stealthy, Joo Dee was running the city while he was gone and was completely under the whole, 'Azula's word is law' mode. Everyone in the city was fed up with the Fire Nation so when we heard Long Feng was making up a rebellion against the Fire Nation some of the citizens were quick to take refuge at Lake Laogai and at first it seemed great, we were getting ahead of the Fire Nation on some things and production was moving pretty swiftly."
"So then what happened?"
"Well after the war was over we all thought that the rebellion would end, but Long Feng insisted that his form of government was better, and that it would prevent any other wars from ever happening." She made eye contact with Aang. "He knew that everyone would go along with you and the Fire Lord so he told us that your form of government was flawed and that his way was the best, some people believed him and others didn't."
"What happened to the people who didn't?"
"They were…taken care of. That's why I haven't mentioned anything about my thoughts on this whole deal." She sighed. "Anyway, to wrap up the story Long Feng and some of the other earth benders down here built an underground network of tunnels so we could all have a place to live and plan. Plus, if we needed to know anything about the surface we could pop up and come back down pretty much anywhere."
"How far do these tunnels run?" Mai asked. Jojo had mentioned the rebellion's start at Lake Laogai, but that was all the way near Ba Sing Se.
"The central hub where Long Feng is still under Lake Laogai."
"What? Are you telling me that these tunnels run all the way across the oceans from Ba Sing Se to here?"
"Yeah, we have a lot of followers, but we still need a lot more. I thought we had enough when the Dai Li agents came back crying about how Azula kicked them out, but the boss wants more." Aang groaned, rubbing his temples in agony.
"How are we supposed to stop a network, of people planning to end the government we haven't even finished establishing, all over the world?" Aang asked himself aloud. "I suppose we could infiltrate them?" He suggested after no one seemed to respond.
"That sounds effective." Jojo contributed, "but it won't work."
"Why not?"
"They already know you're prisoner here, Arrows, if you break out they'd know. Plus I'm pretty sure a bald kid traipsing around with blue arrows everywhere will get a lot of people's attention."
"Jojo's right, Aang." Mai said. "We've got to be smart about this, we have to get out. Even though the infiltrate is a good idea, they can't happen back to back."
"Then what are we supposed to do, Mai?"
"We break out, we go to the surface, find Zuko and the others, and plan a proper infiltrate, one that doesn't involve you and me just winging it." Aang scrunched his face together, in deep cogitation over what Mai had suggested before his face relaxed and he nodded firmly.
"But how are we supposed to make it to the surface with Dai Li agents swarming everywhere?"
"Uh, hello, I'm your inside woman." Jojo titled herself, smiling in self-satisfaction. "I can probably get you out easy." Aang favored her with a light hearted smile. He found it a light sprinkle of luck that after being trapped down there for a week they were guarded by someone who was willing to give up their safety to help them. "But not today." She told them. "We've got to make this look like you guys just bested me and I didn't just let you waltz out of here."
"Like you're really going to do?" Mai smirked and Jojo returned the glower.
"Yeah."
"Alright, well, what do you have in mind?" Jojo relaxed against the door, knowing she'd be there for a while.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Aang woke up with his a-game that morning. Breakfast was slid underneath the doors as they always were and the smell of whatever they were eating always woke him up. He ran his hand over his head, a light stubble already appearing after a week of not shaving. He nudged Mai who was sleep close by, mumbling something about Zuko to herself before her eyes fluttered open.
"Today's the day." He told her softly, voice horse and he took a swig of the lukewarm water on one of the two trays slid in. "You up for it?"
"Not in the slightest," she stretched and told him tiredly. "But I rather tiredly fight than sit here another day."
"I agree." Aang laughed. "I just hope I'll be of enough help to you, I feel really peaked, more than usually anyway."
Ever since they had been there Aang had come to the realization that they were drugging his food. Otherwise he would've been able to break out right then and there. The Dai Li agents had learned some new tricks, probably picking them up from Ty Lee while she stayed there, and used pressure points to take them down the first time. Aang might've been the Avatar but he still couldn't beat everyone every time, especially when they shut down his body's chi in less than five seconds.
The drugs in the food seemed to get stronger as the extra days went on, and he felt more and more tired. Plus, the claustrophobic cell he shared with Mai did nothing to lighten the mood or hi his condition. Mai was just relieved that her food, for the moment, seemed fine, or else they might not have had any chance of going through with their plan.
"You're not eating today either?" Once Aang had come to the drugging conclusion he didn't eat much, only when he felt he would literally faint unless something came in contact with his stomach. He was sure the water was equally contaminated, but he had to drink that, or else he would've died days ago. Aang shook his head to answer Mai's question. "You need to eat something, Aang, or you'll pass out as soon as you start bending."
"Maybe we should wait a few more days?" Aang suddenly asked, warily. He placed a hand to his forehead and leaned against the wall. Mai regarded him with a hand on his shoulder, he look up and smiled at her.
"I know you're tired but you'll only get more exhausted the more we wait. I say we just get it over with." She stood, offer Aang a hand up and he stood as well, his ankles already feeling like they were going to snap.
"Raise and shine, are we bright eyed and peachy on this lovely break out morning?" Jojo came in, taking the shift of the night guard and jammed her head into the barred window on the cell door. Mai and Aang looked up at her with bushed expressions, and their overall appearance matched their looks. "Okay, maybe not?"
"Aang's feeling a little under the weather because of the food."
"Right," Jojo sighed, scratching the back of her head. "Sorry about that."
"Well at least you warned us before it got serious," Mai thanked. "But that doesn't help us now. Aang's starving and exhausted and we need to get out of here today."
"So have you considered putting this job off until you feel up to it?"
"Though about it, but his condition will only get worse." Jojo nodded slowly, holding the bars and leaning back.
"Looks like you guys are caught in a spider-fly's web, huh?"
"If you want to say that, I suppose I can just pull double weight?"
"Yeah, maybe, and I suggest you take Arrows to some kind of infirmary on your way to wherever you're going."
"I don't need an infirmary," Aang protest stubbornly, not even listening to the former conversation.
"Stay out of this Arrows, the women are talking." Jojo snipped at him and turned back to Mai. "So what do you say?"
After a slight pause Mai responded. "We'll have to do all we can, or else we might as well just wait." She looked over at Aang, he looked so tired and so fatigued, that she didn't have the heart to risk staying any more days. Mai had already considered waiting until, possibly, Zuko and the others found them, but no one else was an earth bender in their group and couldn't feel the vibrations like Aang could, plus, the chances of them even thinking about looking underground was slim. She sighed.
The only thing Jojo was able to do for them was unlock the cell door when the coast was absolutely clear, and let Mai and Aang out.
"Thanks for everything, Jojo." Mai thanked and Aang bowed the best he could. Jojo just perked up in a smile.
"Don't get all mushy on me, please," she sniffed. "You'll make me cry. Just kick those people's butts and come back for the real invasion." Mai nodded sternly and rushed her and Aang down the hallway. Jojo watched until they went around the corner and whistled around their open cell, before she lay down on the ground to make it looked like the Avatar and his accomplice had bested her.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
It took a little longer than expected for them to run through the labyrinth of the Black Jade before they found a suitable exit. Mai was sure it was near the entrance they had come in according to Jojo's knowledge of the place, but that was when they were stopped by three Dai Li agents and some of the other rebellion followers.
"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Mai mumbled to herself, though Aang heard and agreed. He wobbly put his body into a fighting stance, trying to run all the possibilities to beat these people without running out of energy completely.
Mai had already advanced on to the other rebellion followers since they were all carrying some kind of weapon and were obviously not benders, this signaling to Aang that she would handle them, so Aang moved towards the trio of Dai Li agents. They had him in the center of their circle in no time, but Aang paid no heed. He had beaten these people before, and this time he knew their capabilities to block his chi.
Just protect your center and don't let them come too close to your body. Any point of contact with them could be fatal.
Aang told himself while the pregnant pause between entering battle and starting battle took place. The center Dai Li agent moved towards Aang first and earth bended slabs of land at him from behind as to creep up on him. Aang could already tell what they were trying to do. He rode the waves of all the land being jerked at him and began to float above them slightly as if to throw them off their formation.
Aang noticed, after fighting them so many times, that their fighting style was concocted by being completely in sync. Just by his small move of riding the waves of the hits instead of jerking or even hitting them back threw the agents off, their formation was slurred and, even though it only took them a few seconds to get back, there was a hesitation. He smirked tiredly. Aang could tell all the jumping around he would have to be doing wouldn't be easy after the first couple times.
The agents advanced on him again, surfing on the land they raised up to corner him instead, but this time Aang air bended at them, throwing one of the agents off balance and left him toppling down to the ground and their formation was thrown off again.
One of them was quick, though, and came to Aang from behind after sinking into the ground further and popping up. Though, Aang was light-years ahead. The moment the Dai Li agent dug into the ground Aang could tell he was burrowing under there, and knew exactly when he spring up thinking he had the element of surprise. Aang turned and whipped him back into the nearby wall with a simple blast of air, doing the same thing, though with earth, for the other agent treading quietly behind.
The first Dai Li agents he had whipped was now regaining his bearings and Aang decided it was time to pin them down enough so they wouldn't move for enough time for him and Mai to get out. He already ruled out shackling them down with earth, since that was their element. And his lack of water ruled out ice shackles, too. Looking around he saw Mai, easily taking care of the poor rebellion followers who actually though they had a chance. While running and alluding the Dai Li's throws and raises for a small time he knew that Mai would be able to bind them down enough since he knew the Dai Li certainly couldn't metal bend.
Aang brought the scarp over to Mai's side of the battle, and while jumping on some earth he was riding on, he fire bended the last of the rebellion followers against the wall and pinned her down with some earth. She struggled and squirmed and Mai just smiled in his direction. Her and Aang shared a gaze for a moment in which Aang let her known he needed to help to finish this off. His movements were getting slower. He had one moment during the beginning of the battle in which he thought he could just go into the Avatar State, but doing it while being as weak as he was never a good idea, it would drain him too much, and just entering the Avatar State that early in the game and blasting everyone around wouldn't do any good to the fact that he was trying to end the rebellion as peacefully as possible.
Mai nodded to his silent request and ran over to the Dai Li agents who were sharing a routine dance with Aang in which he blasted them back and they came back to get blasted again with either fire or air once again. Mai ripped out some of her steel braces from her waist line and swung them open waiting for Aang to fire bend another one of the Dai Li agents back while floating in the air for a moment after riding the wave of their previous hit. When the agent hit the wall Mai threw the first two braces around the man's wrist. Though, as soon as one was bound Mai found another coming right up behind her. She mingled with him for a small moment before gently slicing his arm with a blade, causing him to hesitate and Mai jabbed under his arm with her shoulder, sending him back and she pinned him again the wall as well.
Aang was doing just fine with the last agent, cornering him with a ring of fire and gusted him into the wall powerfully. Mai pulled out two more braces and signaled Aang to stop blowing so she could brace him down as well.
Aang exhaled heavily, wobbling down to the ground a little before Mai caught him.
"You alright there?" She asked. He looked up at her, face sweaty and relieved and all the more exhausted, but he smiled at her.
"I…will be once we get out of here." He told her and Mai whipped her head up, cutting her eyes over to the pinned Dai Li agents. They were pinned pretty deep but they would find a way fairly soon, and she didn't want to stay for that.
"You're right let's go," she said while helping Aang up and going up the nearby staircase. "We don't want them to break out while we're still here, or to be here when other help comes."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Suki gagged while she came out of the tent that night to burrow through the food supply. Looking for Mai and Aang and having no luck finding the rebellion had them staying away from the airship longer than they had hoped, and their food supply was running low. She groaned and just took some bread, hopping that would be enough.
Zuko was coming back into camp while Suki shuffled, and she looked up at him with a crumb sullied face and a mouth full of bread.
"Eating this late again?" Zuko joked haphazardly. He hadn't been in greatest of moods since Mai and Aang disappeared. Suki could relate, though, being away from Sokka was hard enough, and she was suffering the same fate Aang was with no being able to send the letter she wrote to him.
"I'm sure they'll turn up soon." Suki assured him, swallowing before continuing. "Just be positive and I'm sure we'll find them any day now." Zuko smiled the best he could at her. He wasn't exactly in the frame of mind for reason, but Suki was just trying to help. Plus, he didn't want to be the one to topple Suki over the edge. She was getting very irritable.
"Alright, alright, positive Zuko it is."
"Zuko! Suki!" They heard a voice call, and they both turned to see Mai dragging Aang along the felids. It had been sunset when Mai and Aang got up above, and they had been wandering all of hours of the night. They knew when they spotted a lone camp fire that it must've been them.
"Mai, Aang, you guys are okay!" Both Zuko called in joy.
"See?" Suki quipped. "I told you." Zuko just rolled his eyes and immediately took Mai in his arms and Suki did the same for Aang.
"You look terrible, Aang." Suki noticed when she censored his tired frame after saying how happy she was that he was okay.
"Than just imagine how I feel." Aang told her a little bitterly. He was exhausted and not particularly in the mood for anything but a decent sleep on something comfortable. Suki sensed this and lead him over to an empty patch where she volunteered to pitch his tent for him. He didn't have to think twice to suspect that Mai and Zuko would be heading in their tent as soon as possible after everyone saw that Mai and Aang were back safely.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Underground?" Zuko exclaimed. "Why didn't I think of that?"
"That's a pretty interesting concept, and it makes a lot of sense," Ren added. "What do you propose to do about this, Aang?"
"Mai and I broke out to get you guys. Plus, staying down there while we were tired and completely in the dark about the Black Jade wasn't the smartest idea. We're going to plan a proper invasion so we have a better chance of taking care of this problem as quietly as possible."
"Right," Anci agreed. "The last thing we need is another war behind a bunch of people scurrying around underground like badger-moles."
"I'm beginning to have second thoughts, though." Mai said, looking down. "The Black Jade seems to be a pretty structured society, and its run by Long Feng," everyone gasped at the sound of his name, "he's a hard obstacle to overcome, himself. I've never been able to crack through his train of thought, and I'm pretty sure Ty Lee hasn't either."
"Nope," Ty Lee confirmed. "The only person who could get over him was…" she trialed, knowing everyone else knew the answer.
There was a pause, and Zuko decided to say what he knew was on everyone's minds.
"I think I'm crazy but I have an idea." He said.
"What?" Aang asked.
"Mai's right about Long Feng, he's a complex character and I'm sure he's already been anticipating our involvement in his operation for a long time."
"You're right," Ren concurred. "He's probably thought of a thousand different scenarios to deal with all of you."
"So what were you thinking, Zuko?" Aang asked again.
"Well," Zuko started hesitantly. "We all agree that besting Long Feng will be a difficult task, but I think it'll be less difficult if we had someone who had already got ahead of him before."
Another pause.
"We need to get Azula."
I'm seriously loving this. For those of you who thought Azula was running the rebellion you were wrong, she's not. And now Aang and the others want her help? But, the last time Zuko and Toph checked she wasn't at her health institute.
The hunt for Azula is on, and trust me it will not disappoint. FWR's about to turn into uncharted territory, so buckle up.
One more thing, as for Suki I'm just going to let everyone think what they want. This is too big a question to just haphazardly answer yes or no.
Review Responses:
Kamen Rider Vega: hope this chapter cleared up the Dai Li bested them, but they kicked their butts this time. Plus, I must agree, the story is getting interesting.
rawrtastic: Thank you, hoped you liked this chapter.
Winnow: Yeah they drugged him pretty good, they had been waiting for the Avatar to come and knew exactly what to do from the get go if they captured him. And, yes, there is a trading card game. It's not as popular as Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh cards but the artwork on them is amazing, you should check it out there's a page for it on Distant Horizon.
Bookworm-Next-Door: I'll try to work on that "show and not tell" thing you were working on with the next chapter, but hopefully this one was good as well. And I feel like I'm starting to understand Mai's character more, she's definitely opening up more, emotionally, because of her romance with Zuko, but in the end she'll always be Mai, right?
jellydonut14: I've always wanted to use Jojo for something, and now I finally have an excuse, she'll be coming back in this story as a main character soon.
Private LL Church: I suppose maybe it was a little bit rushed, but I'm trying to keep the story going, I feel like dragging Mai and Aang talking to Jojo about the Black Jade for a few chapters would've been overdoing it.
Scarlett Masquerade: I'm not at liberty to say anything about Suki not being or being pregnant. But I'm glad you reviewed how's the tenth grade treatin` ya?
Kimjuni2: Yeah, the Zuko kissing his pillow was actually the first idea that gave me a reason to have both Mai and Aang disappear, obviously it evolved from that to something more but it's funny how big plots can come from such small ideas.
Gryffindor620: Interesting it is, and it's only going to get better now that Azula's coming into the picture.
Twilightwolf14: …and you have one, and another one will come next week. Yay updates!
FLASOK: Yay, you reviewed again! I don't exactly know what to call the Toph/Yugei ship, since it's not official I don't think anyone will give it a proper shipping name, but you never know, right? Kataang will soon return, in fact there's some in the next chapter.
Katsumara: Well if Aang was really away from Katara for that long, especially since they're dating, he would definitely write her as much as possible. And the rebellion underground idea, I thought of in the shower, actually. Weird huh? I was just like: "hmm, I don't want to have another plain old rebellion…so what if they were up in some trees… no, wait, underground!" And the Black Jade was born!
I got a lot of reviews this time, thanks a ton guys!