Inside the Lab
Bara jolted awake to find that a woman had stuck a syringe in his chest. Whatever was inside was now in him. He also had a splitting head ache. He concentrated more on the woman and recognized her as Seph Sho.
"What did you just put in me? What's going on?" Bara asked confused.
Seph looked at him. "The future is going on Avatar Bara, and unlike those before me, I want you to be a part of it."
"What?" Bara asked. "Did you put what Kou gave you into me?"
"I am unfamiliar with the name Kou outside the news articles that have been circulating. A spirit did gift me with two important things." Seph alluded.
Bara was sweating as it was getting hard to breath. "What were those things."
"The first was a look into a world, like ours, except there were no Non-Benders. You know what that world was like? It was a world of peace. There were now wars. No Sozin, no one of his line, no Amon, no Unalaq, and no Red Lotus. That is what I'm striving for in our world. The elimination of Non-Benders." Seph began.
"There's no guarantee that what you were shown is real or that it even exists. If it were true, that world has never had Non-Benders. This world does. You plan on building a utopia on the death of so many? Non-Benders aren't exactly a small percentage of the world." Bara angrily stated.
Seph looked at her clip board. "You're managing to stay awake far longer than the experiments."
Bara growled. "Listen to me! You're just doing what Amon did, but to the other extreme. You can never eliminate Non-Benders just like you can't eliminate Benders. Both have the potential to birth the other."
"You should be passing out any minute now. When you come to, you'll see things my way." Seph declared before walking away.
Bara tried to struggle free as he slowly lost consciousness. In the corner of the room there was Jinora, in her spirit form, before she left the room passing through the door.
With Jinora
Jinora was now in front of the door and immediately ascended to the roof as Ling turned to look at it. She floated straight and entered a long hallway floating down it before coming to a fork.
She went right for a while and immediately phased into the wall as she saw three Dai Li agents. She floated through a few feet before phasing back onto the road and continuing. Jinora then had to ascend up until she came to the beginning of the fork.
Both ways were open. She continued on coming out a hole into the city and floating up looking around until she spotted the roof she and Opal had to be on in the distance. Jinora closed her eyes and returned.
With Hong Li
Hong Li had been running down the hallway for some time before he shot out his cables destroying rocks that were sent at him. He saw three Dai Li agents standing in his way.
"I'll make this simple. You either get out of my way, or I move you out of my way." Hong Li firmly stated.
They bent three rocks up.
Hong Li sent the cables out from his sides wrapping them around his waist. "Just remember, I gave you a choice."
With Mako and Sukka
They entered a chamber only for the tunnel to be closed behind them.
"Get ready." Mako stated getting into a Fire Bender's stance.
Four Dai Li appeared as Sukka drew her sword.
With Tenzin, Opal, and Jinora
Jinora returned and hopped to her feet.
"Jinora, what did you see?" Tenzin asked.
"It was Seph Sho. She's behind Bara's kidnapping." Jinora explained.
"You think Kura might also have a hand in this?" Opal asked.
Jinora shook her head. "I don't know, but Bara's in trouble. Seph injected him with something and she's planning on eradicating all Non-Benders claiming it'll lead to peace like a spirit once showed her."
"This is serious. Jinora, you take Opal and go after Bara. I'll go confront Miss Sho about what's going on in her city and be along as soon as I'm able." Tenzin ordered.
Jinora nodded. "Right, let's hurry."
Bara's Mind
Bara was walking along a long hallway looking at various doors labeled with key words that told him what they were about. There were doors labeled Korra, Mako, Bolin, Hong Li, and so on.
He knew that if her opened these doors they'd lead to more doors organized by earliest to newest. He also knew those doors would show him not only memories of or with that person, but also his thoughts about them at the time.
Bara punched the wall. "Damnit. None of these doors are the exit! I need to get out!"
His voice spoke, but it was distorted. "You need to get out." He whirled around to find himself only cloaked in a dark aura. "There is only one way to do that. Prevent me from taking over."
Bara asked, "What are you? What are you doing in my mind?"
The spirit was in deep contemplation. "You are much clearer minded than the others. This will be difficult. As for what I am? I'm the darkness that sleeps within you like all people have. I've just been given more power from another source."
"The stuff Seph injected me with." Bara stated.
"Bingo. Give the man a prize. That was dark energy gifted to her by Kou. To make it simple on you, for now, you can call me Baou." Baou stated.
"Okay, but what do you want? I presume you wouldn't show yourself to me if you could simply take over." Bara stated.
Baou smiled. "You are correct, and you also know fighting would be useless since we would be able to perfectly counter the other. That's the problem. This means the only way I'm getting control is if you agree to it. Usually someone agrees if they are shown their darkest memory. Maybe even a memory they think they've forgotten."
"So, you plan on showing me my time with the Red Lotus before Yu, my father, and first mother saved me." Bara concluded.
"You are on a roll." Baou happily stated. "I know what you're going to ask next, so let me tell you. If you do not submit to me after this, then there's no way I can take over. Kou's power leaves me, and you go on as the one in control."
"I presume your telling me this because I have no choice in seeing this long-suppressed memory." Bara stated.
In response, everything vanished replaced with a screen taking up one side of the wall. Everything else became a glass wall trapping Bara as the memory began to play. All of a sudden it all came back to him. The fear, anger, and despair.
A Cave, 18 Years Ago
A young Bara hid under a bed frightened with tears in his eyes. Bruises adorned his small body.
"Get out from under there." Zaheer ordered.
"No, y-you're mean! I won't! I want my mommy!" Bara screamed back.
"Come on son, you need to continue your lessons." Ghazan firmly stated.
Bara shouted. "I won't! Mommy never treats me like you!"
Then the water arm came, like it always did, grabbing him by his leg and pulling him out from under the bed.
"You two need to learn how to control this brat. It's been 2 months now, and it's the same thing every day after his first few lessons." Ming-Hua stated.
Bara moved his arms and bent a rock one fifth his size at the woman, but Ghazan bent the rock away from her and Ming-Hua slammed him into the ground causing him to cough up blood.
"You ungrateful brat…" Ming-Hua began before Zaheer put his arm on her shoulder.
"Ming-Hua, that is too far even if you were supposed to be training the boy. We are trying to make a proper Avatar not kill him." Zaheer stated.
Ming-Hua sighed. "Like I said. Learn to control the brat or I'll do it myself."
She walked away.
Zaheer closed his eyes. "Ghazan, take your son and get him patched up. We'll begin his training again in a week."
Bara got to his feet and tried running only to fall as his chest hurt a lot.
"Understood." Ghazan stated.
"Stay away from me!" Bara screamed as he flung his arms bending a large amount of earth at his father.
Ghazan smashed it down and picked Bara up carrying him out of the room.
3 Month's Later…
Bara was slammed into the wall of the cave by Cheng. He fell to the ground only able to get to his knees. At this point, he only felt anger because crying wasn't getting him anywhere. He only did that at night to get to sleep.
"There you go kid. Make it fun for me." Cheng happily stated. "Get back up and come at me."
He glared at the Metal Bender before falling to the ground and passing out.
Cheng sighed. "I thought we almost had another round." He walked out of the room leaving Bara. "Ah well, maybe in a few more months you can provide some fun for me."
Bara soon woke up to find Li waiting for him with a loaf of bread and a jug of water. He sat it before the kid and Bara glared at it.
"I don't want your food." Bara declared as his stomach growled.
Li shrugged and picked the items up. "Then don't eat and starve. My opinion of you is neutral meaning I don't care what happens to you. I'm only supposed to train you how to Lightning Bend anyway."
Ghazan appeared and took the bread shoving into Bara's mouth forcing him to eat. "Li, we're supposed to keep him alive."
Li simply said. "Must have slipped my mind. I'll be sure to remember it next time."
The Lightning Bender walked away.
Ghazan turned his attention to Bara. "You will keep your strength up yourself, or I will feed you every one of your meals to ensure you live. It's your pick."
Bara took the bread out of his mouth and glared at his father. "Fine. Do whatever you want to me. It won't matter. I know you are all bad, and I'll use what you teach me to break free and return to mom."
He walked away leaving his father alone.
Two Months Later…
Bara walked into one of the rooms finding Zaheer waiting for him. "What do you want? I'm not supposed to train for another hour."
"Sit down. I wish to explain the importance of your role." Zaheer began.
Bara growled. "I don't care. If being the Avatar is the reason I'm here. The reason you torture me, then I wish I never was the Avatar. I don't care what you have to say about it either.
I've had to grow up fast, and I know the difference between people like my mom and uncle and you and my dad. Your entire group is filled with nothing but horrible people who only treat each other well.
I'm just some weapon to you. Know this, you're only training me to kill and my anger is turned towards all of you. I will kill every one of you and escape." He walked away. "That's a promise."
Zaheer was in deep contemplation after he left.
Four Months Later…
Bara shot fire with all his anger at Cheng never letting up and dodging the stones that he could. That wasn't many, and he was quickly hit into a wall. He got back to his feet and continued his assault.
Cheng easily blocked his blast. "That's the way. You've become a lot better kid."
"Shut up!" Bara yelled.
Cheng shot a rock at Bara slamming him into the wall and knocking him out. He then left the room. Bara soon came to and just sat there looking the moonlight that shone through the cracks in the celling.
Tears fell from his eyes and he put his knees up to his chest. "I swear, I'll kill every last one of them."
Zaheer walked away from the doorway.
One Month Later
Bara's injuries had not tended to like they normally would have been. In fact, every member of the Red Lotus had been especially brutal towards him. He wasn't stupid. As horrible as they are, they'd been effective in teaching him more than Bending.
He walked into the usual training room finding all the lotus members waiting for him. "If you're going to kill me, then do it. I'm in no shape to fight back, and at this point, death would be a mercy."
No one said anything as Ming-Hua picked Bara up and kept him trapped in a ball of water. "Most kids would dream of becoming a guard to a king or saving the world like a hero. I just dream of death as my only release from my suffering."
Bara passed out inside the water.
Bara's Mind
The Earth Avatar brought his knees to his chest as tears flowed from his eyes. His mind completely conflicted and thrown into chaos from the memories. "I don't want to be the Avatar. I want to be the Avatar… I'm gifted. This is a curse… I want to live… I dream of dying."
Baou entered the room with a smile. "I take it you give up." Bara nodded. "I need a verbal response."
Bara was about to speak until he felt a warm hand on his shoulder and Baou was sealed inside a block of ice. He looked up and found Aang smiling warmly while Kuruk who the one who'd imprisoned.
Bara hung his head. "You both knew about this. You had to have and never told me or showed me. You never intended to."
Aang nodded, "You're right. You were doing fine without confronting this that we thought it best you never see it."
Bara shook his head. "I did, and I wish I hadn't. What do I do now? What am I supposed to do now?"
The screen started up again as Aang said, "Your past was awful. Filled with pain that no child should ever have to bear. You need to remember that your life isn't defined by those events."
"It's defined by what you've made of it now. The people you've surrounded yourself with since." Kuruk finished.
Bara looked up at the screen and images of everyone flashed from events of his past. He saw his dad teaching him Earth Bending. He saw his times with Su, her family, and Hong Li whether it be training or spending time with them.
He saw his teas with Master Zuko and his victories with Yu and Iroh. He saw his first-time meeting Korra. His time with Tenzin and his family. His time with his mother in Republic City.
The matches he, Mako, Bolin, and Korra won together, and the celebrations after. He saw the moment he declared his love for Korra at one of her lowest points. He saw himself and his friends at the festival. After they defeated Unalaq.
On their journey to find the Air Benders. He saw the fun he, Iroh, and Kai made in the darkness. His reunion with his friends. All these memories came flooding back to him until it stopped on his first mother.
She had blue eyes like his and long brown hair. She was well built from training and he remembered that he wanted to be a guard of Omashu just like her. A Metal Bender just like her. New Tears feel from Bara's eyes, but they were of warmth as Kuruk let Baou go.
Baou stood up and he was angry. "Are you just going to buy into what they've said. You've life has still been filled with strive. What about Amon, Unalaq, and the Red Lotus? What about…"
Bara got up and punched Baou in the face silencing him. "I'll admit, you almost had me, but no more. I want Kou's power out, and I want you to return to where you belong. If you don't, then I'll beat you down until you agree."
Baou stood glaring. "I wasn't lying before." He began to vanish. "You didn't give in, so I must vanish."
He was gone, and Bara was back in his mind. He ran over and hugged both Aang and Kuruk.
"Thank you. You guys helped me remember what's important." Bara stated happily.
The two Avatars smiled.
"This may have gone beyond guidance, just a bit, but it had to be done." Kuruk stated.
They pulled apart and Aang said, "We'll always be there when you need us."
They vanished and so did Bara.
Lelouch of Zero: New city with new people, I'm instantly suspicious of everyone. I love the concept of Roku city, while I would never live in an underwater city willingly, I think the idea alone is really cool.
Lelouch of Zero: I'm glad I'm not COMPLETELY paranoid, just wish I was wrong. I know it wasn't that long for the audience but I actually found Cheng to be rather interesting, so it's good and bad to see him return.
Quillion9000: It's not all that unbelievable that he'd return considering he knows how to insulate himself from dying due to electric shock.
Savoxgut: yay for me, hehe, good at least once I was right, I still have to ask myself, who has Seph prepared for Bara?
Quillion9000: She tried to change him, but clearly it didn't work.
Dark Green Demon: Now more than ever I wonder what is the objective to achieve here. I hope the team can arrive on time
Quillion9000: They didn't, but luckily Bara has past lives to call upon.
Dark Blue Wing: Cheng is back !? Is he the same Cheng? If so, wow, I did not see it coming, it really was those two, damn, what is it they're planning for Bara?
Quillion9000: Both same and not the same considering what he went through.
