Susie grunted as she hit the ground with a thud. Straining against the ropes that bound her, she squirmed across the ground until she could face the door of the tent she had been thrown into. She caught a glimpse of the soldier that had brought her there as he casually turned away - as though he had no further concerns with her.
Susie's face creased in anger as she barked at the retreating figure. "Oh what, can't even be bothered to post a proper guard?! You really think I pose such little threat to you?!"
"...Susie?... Is that you?..."
Susie's ears perked at the sound of the hoarse, wilted voice. "Ty Lee?" She squirmed and writhed herself into a sitting position as quickly as she could (which is not quick when your hands are tied behind your back and your ankles are boud together.) and turned her gaze to the center pole that held the tent up. And what she saw made her gasp.
Sure enough, both Ty Lee and Mei had been tied to the pole. Thick coils of rope wound around their torsos and arms, firmly binding them in place. Their hair was disheveled and their skin was marred by several bruises. Ty Lee even sported a broken nose and a split lip.
Susie gasped. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you guys?"
Ty Lee's frown deepened upon hearing the question. A faint sob escaped her throat.
Seeing her friend's condition, Mei answered "After we ran into that platoon, Azula decided to show us just how disappointed she was with us."
"And it was going so well." Ty Lee croaked. "I thought by sharing everything I've learned over the past few weeks, everything I experienced, maybe I could get through to her… show her a better way. But then those soldiers appeared and she…" whatever else she was going to say was cut off by a sudden sob. Her head fell slack as tears seeped out of her eyes.
It pained Susie to see the usually cheerful girl so utterly broken.
She inhaled deeply, steeling her resolve. "Alright. Then let's get out of here!"
"How do you plan to do that?" Mei asked. It amazed Susie that even in such dire circumstances, she still spoke with the same bored monotone.
"We'll figure something out!" Susie declared, her eyes scanning the confines of the tent. "See, Azula made a critical error by not having me tied to any pole."
"She probably expects you won't live long enough to make an escape." Mei observed.
Susie put on a predatory grin. "Well, let's just prove her wrong!" With a jerk of her feet, a small rock, about the size of her palm, came sliding across the ground. With a little tricky maneuvering, she managed to lean over and scoop it up.
Outside, the sky made a sudden and dramatic shift from the deep indigo of twilight to the blazing, firey hues of red and orange. And in the midst of the sky, a bright, shining light appeared.
Azula gazed up at the light, a feral grin on her face. Turning to the mass of assembled soldiers before her, she cried out "BEHOLD! Sozin's comet has returned!" A boisterous cheer sounded out from the assembled troops. Azula continued "And with it's return, comes the dawning of a new age - an age where the Fire Nation will reign supreme!" The cheers rang out all the louder, with several soldiers shooting great billows of flame up into the air, revelling in the power the comet had granted them. "And with this," Azula held the teleporter aloft. "We will ensure that the Fire Nation will rule forever!" The loudest cheer of all followed this declaration. Soldiers whooped, hollered and hurrahed, rending the air with their self congratulatory cries.
"Now, only one thing remains." Azula said. With her mouth splitting into a wide, sinister grin, she turned to face her guest of honor and said "Tell me how it works."
"Go suck a lemon, PRINCESS!" Calvin snarled, leaning in as close as his bindings would allow.
Azula's eyes narrowed, though her grin remained in place. With a coy confidence, she strode over to the pole to which Calvin had been bound. "Look around you, boy. You are not in a position to be making such insolent remarks."
"Never stoped me before." Calvin quipped.
Azula let a snarl escape her lips. "Do you not realize that I hold your life in my hands?!"
"All the more reason not to give you any more satisfaction!" Calvin countered, sporting a spiteful smirk.
"You realize you're only delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later, I will figure out how to operate this thing - with, or without your help."
"Y'know what, go ahead! Tinker to your little black heart's content. Here's hopin' you don't break the thing in the process!"
Azula bit her lip, her fists clenched in frustration. Looming over the earthling, she said "With a single word, I could have your life ended. Irritate me enough, and I might just do it, myself!" she demonstrated by blasting a giant wave of azure flame right past him, scorching his side with unbearable heat. "Do as I say, and we won't have to resort to any such… unpleasantries."
"Oh please!" Calvin coughed. "After everything that's happened, there's no way in hell you'd let us leave this place alive!" Observing Azula's face carefully, Calvin noticed her eyebrows rise ever so slightly. It was a subtle movement, but it was enough to tell Calvin that he had hit the nail on the head. "And, if my death is a forgone conclusion, I'd say you're the one delaying the inevitable!"
Azula stared at him for a moment, her face flat and inscrutable. Finally, she said. "It need not be that way. I may yet be convinced to allow you and your little girlfriend to to live. I just need to know how it works. You could both leave this camp tonight with your lives!... All you have to do is tell me!"
Calvin stared back at her, his brow creased. His jaw moved about, as if chewing on her words. Then, after a weary sigh, he said "Alright,... I'll tell you…"
"Yes?" Azula said, leaning closer.
"I'll tell you…"
Yesss?..." she leaned closer, still.
"I'll tell you which orifice you can shove it up!"
Down in the audience of soldiers, General Izo gave a disappointed shake of his head. "There he goes, running his mouth off again… The very thing that got him in trouble the first time."
Off to the side, Colonel Mongke turned to look at him. "You've… delt with this kid, before?"
"Indeed." Izo nodded. "I first encountered them when my platoon was doing marching exercises. Even then his flippant disregard for authority was on full display."
Mongke blinked. "And you just… let him go?"
"At the time, I had no grounds to keep them incarcerated. But I assure you, had I known then the chaos they would cause, I'd have kept them locked up under heavy surveillance."
"Oh? What sort of chaos?" Mongke asked, amused.
Izo shook his head, his face looking like he had tasted something unpleasant. "Just… things kept happening when they were around! Inexplicable things! Things I have no ready explanation for!"
Mongke gave a thoughtful hum. "You said something about a first time?"
"Oh yes… I didn't see this for myself, but Princess Azula apparently had a run-in with them before leaving on her mission to bring in her traitorous uncle. That boy showed her the same disrespect he is now. Consequently, the princess banished them all."
"So, sort of a karmic retribution, huh?" Mongke mused. "... Think she'll manage to break him, this time?"
"Oh, without a doubt." Izo promptly answered. "They're sorely outnumbered with nowhere to run. She just needs keep on him. He'll break soon enough."
"Yeah? How much you willing to bet?"
Izo narrowed his eyes at the colonel in a condescending way before turning his head back toward the princess and her captive.
Then, out of the corner of his mouth, he said "Five silver pieces."
Hobbes stalked around the perimeter of the camp. Before him stood a veritable sea of armored bodies. And at the front of it all, he could just make out the figure of Calvin tied to a stake while Azula interrogated him. Hobbes had never felt such dispair before. His best friend was almost certainly going to die tonight, and he was powerless to stop it. He could try to get to Calvin, but he would be cut down before he even got close - even without the comet's power, the soldiers were just too much for him.
Still he pressed on. If he could scout out just one point of weakness, one gap in the mass, then maybe he could -
[YOU!]
Hobbes whipped his head around at the sudden call. His eyes bulged open and his ears flattened against his skull when he saw the surly komodo rhino stomping toward him - the ground shuddering with every step the beast took. He timidly backed away from the irate monster, wracking his brain to think what he could have possibly done to make the rhino so mad at him.
Then Hobbes saw the rhino's snout. And on it - just visible in the comet's searing light - four faint lines, running from one nostril to the other… Scratch marks that Hobbes, himself, had inflicted.
Hobbes gulped. He looked up with a new found fear as the rhino charged.
Back in the camp, there was a sudden wave among the congregation of soldiers as they all turned to look toward the horizon. Far off in the distance, a fleet of Fire Nation airships flew in line high above the landscape. Then, from the prow of the leading ship, a great stream of brilliant orange flame shot to the ground, casting up huge clouds of debris and burning everything in its path to cinders. Once the lead ship had started, every ship following sot out great blazing streams as well. The earth below was bombarded by an enormous flaming curtain of death that left only destruction in its wake.
It had started. The old world was being burned away to make way for the Fire Nation's glorious new future.
The soldiers in the camp roared with pride, sending cheers and whistles up into the night air. A few of the more sentimental ones openly wept.
Azula took in the sight with a vicious smile on her face. Turning back to her captive, she said "You see that, boy? It's only a matter of time before the Earth Kingdom is annihilated! The Avatar and his friends - all their work has been for naught." Then, leaning in close, she whispered "Victory is as good as ours. Now, what do you have to say about that?!"
Calvin regarded her a moment, then belted out "It's the end of the world as we know it!... Iiit's the END of the world as we know it!... It's the end of the world as we KNOW it! And I feel FIIINE!"
Azula gawked at the blond earthling, blinking confusedly at the alien words. Even a few of the soldiers close enough to hear were giving each other curious looks.
Narrowing her eyes contemptuously, snarled at her prisoner "Do you have any idea what I've had to sacrifice by being here?!" she gestured to the fleet of airships. "Do you see that?! That was my plan! MY idea! By all rights, I should be at my father's side -"
"That's assuming he'd let you!" Calvin interrupted
Azula faltered - caught off guard by the statement. "And just what is that supposed to mean?" she hissed.
Calvin put on an infuriating smirk and replied. "Well, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't your old man usurp the throne from his brother?" Emboldened by the sight of Azula's jaw going slack, he pressed on. "Tell me, princess, if you had been there, what makes you so sure yer daddy wouldn't stick with some meaningless participation award, then leave you behind?!"
Azula's expression quickly changed from shock to outrage. "H-how dare you! My father would never do that to me! I'm not a failure, like Zuko!"
"You suuure?..." Calvin goaded. "Now, to me, your old man seems like the type who would want the final victory to be his, and his alone."
"You shouldn't speak so flippantly about things you don't know." Azula growled.
"Here's what I know!" Calvin said. "Your dad stole his brother's crown, then burned his own son's face and exiled him - just for speaking out of turn! I'd say family's not real high in his priorities!"
Azula seized Calvin's face, forcing him to look at her. "Do you have a death wish?!" she snarled.
"Well, considering the alternative is listening to you prattle on…" Calvin countered.
Azula breathed heavily, her rage building with each breath. "I don't hink you understand the gravity of the situation. Can you not see just how precarious your circumstance is? For you and your -" It was then her face slackened. Her eyes widened as a sudden realization swept over her. "Perhaps I've been going about this the wrong way."
Calvin looked at her shrewdly. "What're you getting at?"
"Neither threats nor bargains have managed to sway you. Your obstinance is simply too great." she said with an uncannily cool demeanor. "But I wonder how resilient your little friend is." she tilted her head toward the tent where Susie was taken.
"Don't bother!" Calvin said, his voice hitching a bit. "She doesn't know how to use it, either!"
Azula smirked, confident she had him, now. "Even if that's the case, perhaps seeing her suffer might loosen your tongue a little." She heard Calvin gulp; it was the first pleasing sound she had heard out of him all night. "Or, you could simply tell how to work your machine, and we won't have to involve her in all this… unsavory business."
For a long moment, Calvin just gaped at Azula. His eyes darted all about as he deliberated on the matter.
Finally, his head slumped forward, a tired sigh seeping out. "Y'know… I really don't give a rat-snake's tail about any of this! This whole stupid war - just some obstacle to avoid. All the people we've met along the way - they mean nothing to me! Just ships passing in the night! I don't care about whatever they might be going through; whether they live or die, it makes no difference to me. In fact, there is only one human on this entire planet I do care about. The only one I would willingly sacrifice for."
Azula's smirk widened. She had him, now.
"But you know what? She does care! All those people? Their lives matter to her! She cares if they live or die! She cares about their wellbeing! She cares if the war is won! And if I sold out all those people, traded their lives away just to spare her a little pain,... she would never forgive me! So do you WORST, princess! I have NOTHING to lose!"
Azula stood there, breathing heavily. Her fist clenched so tight her fingernails dug into her palm. "Very well, then." she said in a deathly soft voice. "Keep your secrets, you lowborn, worthless wretch." Blue flames suddenly sprang from her fist. "Take them to your GRAVE!" She swung her fist back as the flames intensified, growing large enough to engulf Calvin's entire body
But before she could finish the motion, an orange streak blazed past. It raced right between the two figures, causing them to look after it in shock.
Calvin turned his head back around - and managed to get out half a swear word before an angry komodo rhino plowed through the pole to which he was bound.
"Come on!... Come ON!" Susie grunted as she passed the stone over her bindings once more.
With a bit of bending, she had managed to give the stone a shapened edge. Now she was attempting to use her bending to cut through her bindings - a task made all the more difficult by the fact that her hands were tied. The fact that she couldn't see what she was doing compounded the problem further. (The growing number of cuts on her wrists served as a testament to the difficulty of the task.)
She let out a loud gasp as the rock nicked her again, before she let her body slump onto the hardened dirt floor. She felt heat rise in her face as her anger grew. Anger at Azula, anger at the Fire Nation, anger at her and Calvin's mistreatment, anger at the entire miserable situation. With a great shriek of frustration amd rage, she hammered her feet to the ground with an almighty slam.
"Just give it a rest, Susie…" Ty Lee's weary, haggered voice said. "It's no use…"
"No use?..." Susie hissed. "I've watched you two fight off an entire elite squad of earthbenders! Are you seriously gonna give up now?!"
"We weren't exactly tied up when we did that." Ty Lee moaned.
"We weren't working against Azula, either." Mei added.
Azula. The very mention of her name caused Susie's rage to spike. "So that's it?!" she snarled. "Has that WITCH got you so cowed that you've just decided to accept your fate?!" she emphasized her question by stamping her feet into the floor again.
"Ummm, Susie?..." Ty Lee said, her voice suddenly not sounding so downtrodden.
"Well, you shouldn't!" Susie continued. "You two gave your all for her and this is how she repays you?!"
"Susie…"
"You were her friends! She shouldn't be treating you like common criminals!"
"Yeah, but Susie -"
"And you're just going to sit there and take it?! After what she's done to you, you don't owe her any more loyalty!"
"Suuusie!"
"But I'll tell you what! I, for one, am not gonna take this! I'm getting us out of this tent, if it's the last thing I DO!"
"SUSIE!" Ty Lee shrieked.
"WHAT?!" Susie shrieked back.
"The floor is lava." Mei stated.
Susie blinked in confusion. She looked down and gasped. Sure enough, the dirt at her feet had melted into a steaming, bubbling pool of glowing orange sludge.
"Susie!" ty Lee cried in wonder. "You never told me you could make lava!"
"That, that's never happened before." Susie said in awe. Looking to the two bound girls, she said "Are you sure I did this?"
"It first appeared when you went on your little tirade." Mai said. "And it got bigger every time you stamped your feet."
"Wow." Susie looked down, marveling at what she had done. Suddenly, an idea struck her. "Wait, that's it! That's how we're getting out of here!"
"That doesn't sound safe." Mei said.
"No, it'll work. You'll see!" Susie assured. "Just… need to…" With a bit of squirming, she managed to turn herself around to the point where she could stretch her legs out over the boiling liquid. Wincing as the fervent heat scorched the back of her legs, she lowered her feet until the rope binding them caught ablaze. As the rope burned, Susie spread her legs with all the force she could muster. Then, finally, there was a loud snap as the rope fell away.
Susie quickly rolled away from the lava and staggered to her feet. "Okay, at least I can stand again. Now,... let's see if I can actually bend this stuff."
With a little experimental prodding, Susie found that bending lava wasn't all that different to normal eathbending. So, hoping for the best, she sent a small wave of lava straight toward the center pole - right onto the ropes binding the two Fire Nation girls. Instantly, the rope caught alight. After a couple minutes, the bindings fell away; Ty Lee and Mei were free.
As soon as she found herself free, Ty Lee picked up the rock Susie had discarded. Then, after a quick bit of sawing, the bindings on Susie's wrists were successfully cut off.
Susie winced as she felt the swelling and blood on her wrists. But gritting through the pain, she said "Alright, let's go!"
"My weapons were confiscated when I was captured." Mei said. "I need to get them back if I'm going to be any use getting out of here."
Ty Lee went to stand by her friend. "I'll go with her." she told Susie. "You go get to Calvin."
Susie was not prepared for the mayhem that met her as she dashed out the tent flap. All over the field soldiers were running frantically and shouting as they went. She scarcely had time to wonder what had caused this disarray when a large striped figure flew by. "Hobbes?..." she wondered, before jumping back with a startled yelp as a rhino came out of nowhere, thundering after the fleeing tiger. Susie gawked in bewilderment as the rhino relentlessly chased after Hobbes
A group of soldiers came running toward the racing animals in a reckless attempt to apprehend them. But when they got close, Hobbes nimbly weaved between the men's legs, leading the rhino to bulldoze through them - effortlessly tossing the soldiers aside in its single minded pursuit of the fleeing cat.
Crouching low to the ground, Susie carefully made her way toward the center of the camp - where she reasoned Calvin would most likely be.
She made her way as quietly as she could. (Not difficult, given the cacophonous levels of shouting and general chaos buzzing through the camp.) Occasionally, she would have to flatten herself to the ground to avoid being noticed by the odd soldier, or being hit by flying debris - or rhino-tossed soldiers.
As she neared the center of the camp, Susie heard Colonel Mongke's voice shout "Vachir, get your beast under control! The rest of you fan out and try to mitigate the damage!... And you, have my five silver ready when this is all over!"
She then heard General Izo's voice reply "But this was an interruption! This doesn't determine one way or the other -"
"It COUNTS!" Mongke insisted.
Susie then heard a series of pattering footsteps as the men all dispersed. "Calvin!" she dared to call out. "Calvin, where are you?!" Rising to her feet, Susie ran about the camp, calling Calvin's name as she went. "Come on, Calvin! We've got to go!"
From somewhere behind her, Susie heard Calvin's voice yell "At the risk of sounding clichéd, I'm a little tied up right now!"
Susie turned around to see a huge pole laying on the ground. And near its shattered base, a long length of rope had been wound around several times. And on the other side of the pole, she could just make out a figure struggling against the bonds.
She zipped over and fell to her knees before her bound friend. "Don't worry, I'll get you out of here!"
"Take yer time." Calvin quipped. "Don't rush on my account." After saying that, he felt an odd sensation behind him. "Susie, what're you doing?! Why's it so hot back there all of a sudden?!" Susie gave no response. Instead, all Calvin heard was a faint crackling sound, then a loud snapping sound, and suddenly the ropes around him fell slack.
Calvin scrambled to his feet, turning to face Susie. He then caught a glimpse at the ground and gawked as he saw a glowing orange pool at the very spot where the ropes had touched the ground. He looked at Susie in befuddlement. "So,... you can make lava now?!"
Susie gave a feeble shrug. "Apparently."
"... Cool." Calvin chriped. "Now, let's get Hobbes!"
Let it not be said that Hobbes couldn't think on his feet. While the Rhino chasing after him was a definite peril, it had also proven a perfect tool. Thanks to the hulking brute, Hobbes had managed to not only rescue Calvin from imminent danger, but also thrown the assembled soldiers into complete disarray.
But now he had a problem; the rhino was showing no signs of tiring, whereas he definitely was.
During the course of this chase, Hobbes had found that the rhino had difficulty making sharp turns. Whenever he felt the beast's steaming breath on his tail, Hobbes would vere off to the side, giving him a moments reprive as the raving behemoth scrambled to change course. This gave Hobbes an idea that could easily be considered insane - but then, he was a bit pressed for options.
Hobbes made another sharp turn - only this time, he circled around, then ran straight toward the rhino's flank before jumping onto its back and digging his claws into the scaly hide.
When the rhino realized what Hobbes had done, it was furious. It started bucking wildly, rushing and pawing and stamping the ground in an effort to throw the cat off its back. But no matter how hard or how wildly the rhino bucked and tossed, Hobbes' claws held firm.
Of course, if the rhino had simply decided to roll over, then Hobbes would pretty much be done for. But then, this animal was a combination of a rhinoceros and a lizard - neither of which are well known for their strategic thinking.
Suddenly, the rhino's bucking abruptly stopped and Hobbed felt as if he'd fallen a considerable distance. Looking down, he saw the rhino's legs had sunken into the earth, immobilized.
"HOOOOOBBES!"
Turning at the call, Hobbes saw Calvin and Susie across the distance, looking at him eagerly. Seeing both humans up and free of their bonds, Hobbes leapt off the still fuming rhino and made his way to them - skirting the bodies of several unconscious and semiconscious soldiers on the way. He leaped at the humans, wrapping an arm around each of them and chuffing in relieved joy.
"Alright, eeeasy there." Calvin said,regaining his balance from the impact.
After a silent moment, Calvin broke the embrace, saying "C'mon, let's get out of here!"
"What about Ty Lee and Mei?!" Susie yelled. "We can't leave without them!"
"Where are they?!" Calvin yelled, sounding frustrated.
"Getting Mei's weapons! They said they'd meet us, unless… unless something happened to them…"
"Alright, fine!" Calvin growled. "Let's go find them - THEN let's get out of here!"
"You little punks aren't going anywhere!" The three earthlings whipped around to see Colonel Mongke glaring them down from across the way. Flanking his sides were the other Rough Rhinos all holding their weapons at the ready.
"You really wanna fight us, colonel?" Calvin asked.
"Only if you resist." the colonel answered with a vicious grin that told the earthlings he really wanted them to resist.
Calvin grinned back. "Y'know what, good. I've been hoping to get a rematch with you."
"Really?" Mongke smirked. "You think you've improved enough to best me after only a few weeks?!"
"Whaddya say we find out?!"
The colonel shook his head. "In my downtime I'd take you up on that offer. Unfortunately, we have a job to do." He gave a sharp nod to the archer who drew his bow and let loose.
A second before the arrow struck, a wall of earth rose before the teens, blocking the projectile. The wall then came down as a shockwave rippled through the ground, knocking the Rough Rhinos off balance.
The archer regained his footing just in time to see a gaping maw filled with huge pointed teeth barreling straight toward him.
Colonel Mongke heard a yelp of surprise beside him. He turned to see the children's striped beast had knocked Vachir to the ground, pinning the archer underneath it. But before he could react, a sound like crackling flames mixed with rushing wind met his ears. He turned to see the yellow haired boy coming toward them - firing great jets of flame out of his feet to propel him forward at an alarming rate. Planting his feet, the colonel launched an enormous fireball at the oncoming teen. But with a rush and a roar, Calvin veered to the side and zipped right past Mongke and Yeh-Lu.
Mongke smirked as Calvin slid to a halt. "Veeery clever, kid. But it'll take more than that to -"
"Hey buddy, look down." Calvin interrupted.
Mongke was confused for a second before realizing the comment wasn't directed toward him, but to Yeh-Lu. The masked bombardier looked down at his belt where his explosives were stored. He then startled when he saw that several fuzes had been lit and were quickly burning. Yeh-Lu madly scrambled to get his belt undone. He managed to throw it away mere seconds before the whole thing exploded.
After recuperating from the shockwave, an astonished Mongke turned his gaze back to Calvin - who grinned back at him with infuriating smugness. "Yeh-Lu, with me." Mongke growled. "Kahchi, Ogodei, get the girl!"
Susie steeled herself as the man with the polearm and the man with the chain ran toward her. As they ran, Susie hurled a barrage of rocks at them, pelting the men relentlessly. But for every stone that struck true, another was parried. And through it all, the men never faltered in their advance.
When they finally got close, the men split - forcing her to fight on two fronts. Ogodei charged her, swinging his metal whip at a blinding speed. Thinking quickly, Susie raised an earthen pillar right in the flailing chain's path. As soon as the chain had coiled around, Susie folded the pillar over itself, effectively locking the chain in place. She then jumped to the side as Kahchi plunged his polearm into the ground where she had just been. With a stamp of her foot, Susie closed the earth around the weapon's metal head.
With both her opponents momentarily disarmed, Susie spared a glance to see Calvin exchanging blows with the colonel while Hobbes had abandoned the archer (who appeared to be unconscious and who's bowstring appeared to have been snapped.) and was now harassing the bombardier who was doing his best to avoid the tiger's claws.
The sight gave Susie a spark of hope; but it quickly faded when she cast her eyes around the field to see that several of the soldiers who had been knocked out during the rhino's rampage were beginning to rouse themselves.
A quick rush of air was all the warning Susie got before Kahchi's polearm slammed into the ground where she had just been. The man had managed to wrench his weapon out of the ground and was on the attack again. It was a grim reminder to the girl not to lose focus - they needed to take these guys out, regroup with Ty Lee and Mei and get out of here before any reenforcements arrived.
Right after she had that thought, a pair of rough hands grabbed her from behind - looping under her arms and grabbing her behind the head. It looked like Ogodei had given up trying to get his own weapon free.
Reacting on pure instinct, Susie bended the earth beneath Ogodei's feet - causing the man to do a very painful split. Fortunately, it was enough to loosen his grip on her, allowing her to squirm free. But of course, she still had Kahchi to deal with. She rolled aside to avoid another strike.
It was then she got an idea. Jumping and rolling whenever the man sliced at her, she methodically put herself into position right in front of the pillar she had erected earlier. Kahchi swung his polearm at her once more; and when she ducked, the polearm's head embedded itself into the pillar's side.
Then Susie struck. The pillar began to glow as intense heat built up within it. The pillar then melted into a puddle of steaming lava - taking the chain and polearm with it, disarming her opponents much more effectively.
Kahchi pulled out the shaft of his weapon - both him and Ogodei looking agog at the burning end where the head had once been. "That was my favorite guan dao, you little twerp!"
Ogodei punched his fist into his palm, approaching her menacingly. "You're gonna regret that, little girl! Just you wait, I'll -" At that point, he faltered. Looking down, he saw a long blade had punctured through his pant leg and into the earth behind him. As he reached down to pull it out, a second blade flew through his shirt sleeve - forcing him to the ground.
Before any of them could process this, a pink blur landed behind Kahchi and struck him with a rapid series of punches, causing him to fall limp.
Susie turned to look at Ty Lee and Mei. "Welcome back, guys." she said. "Run into any trouble?"
Ty Lee shrugged. "Not really. With all the mayhem going on, there was only one guy left guarding the place."
"And he was too busy gawking at the chaos to notice us until it was too late." Mei supplemented.
"Well, I'm glad to have you back." Susie said. "Now let's finish this fight and get out of here!"
Mongke grunted in frustrated fatigue. What was with this kid?! He'd been little challenge the first time they had faught, but now he was somehow able to evade the majority of Mongke's strikes. Mongke would lash out with a jet of flame and the boy would duck, jump or roll out of the way. He would then use his flame jets to zip around to Mongke's other side to lash out an attack of his own.
And while the boy would attack from one side, that accursed beast would harass him from the other. Yes, though Yeh-Lu had done his best to fend the creature off, (even without his explosives) it was just too strong. Once the beast had managed to get ahold of Yeh-Lu, it had forced him to the ground and battered his head with its huge paws until the bombardier had stopped moving.
Vachir had been taken out of the fight at the very beginning and Ogodei and Kahchi were still taking care of the girl. Mongke irritably wished they'd hurry up and give him a hand. Honestly, how could one teenaged girl give two grown men such a hard time?!
No sooner had Mongke made that thought than the earth beneath his feet suddenly gave way. His chin slammed into the ground with enough force to send his eyes rolling. As he tried to blink the spots out of his vision, he saw the beast's terrible paw sailing straight toward his face. Then he saw no more.
Calvin looked up as Hobbes knocked the colonel unconscious to see Susie, Ty Lee and Mei jogging up to meet them. "Well, gang's all here?" he asked. "Good, let's bolt!"
The group ran across the field as fast as they could. Unfortunately, they didn't make it far before they found a line of bedraggled, pummeled and very angry soldiers blocking their path. The teens quickly turned-tail and ran the other way - only to find more soldiers closing in. It quickly became apparent that they were surrounded.
In an act of desperation, Susie slammed her fists onto the ground. In an instant, a steaming pool of lava formed before her. Exerting all her will, Susie forced the lava to spread out, first to the right, then to the left. Soon enough, she had encompassed herself and her friends in a smoldering ring of molten earth.
"A most impressive trick," Called out a voice from the throng of soldiers. "But it will ultimately be for naught."
The group then gasped as Azula stepped foreward… She looked horrendous! When the rhino had first charged through the camp, the pole Calvin was tied to had acted as a buffer between him and the rampaging beast. Azula, on the other hand, had taken the full brunt of the impact. She now stood bruised, bloodied and disheveled. Her hair, once so painstakingly combed so straight and neat, now resembled and matted rats nest where blood had stuck it to her face and a windswept tumbleweed where it hadn't. She stood hunched over, her right hand clutching her left side. She moved with a bad limp, leaning on General Izo for support. She noticeably winced with every step she took. Her left hand still clutched the teleporter - clinging so tightly to it as though it were a lifeline.
General Izo then addressed the cornered teens. "I offer you one last chance, children. You can surrender quietly, or we can put an end to this bloody conflict once and for all."
"I don't think you're in a real good position to demand surrender!" Calvin called back (much to everyone else's chagrin.) "After this whole debacle, none of you look like you could put up much of a fight! Just look at your princess, she's practically dead on her feet!"
"And you are hardly in a better situation!" Izo countered. "You are outnumbered and outclassed! Even with the beating we've taken, the morale of the Fire Nation's impending victory will be enough to carry us through to -" he trailed off when he noticed that one by one the soldiers were turning their heads toward the sky.
Soon, everyone present had their attention to the sky. Off in the distance, one of the airships had broken formation. It rose above the others until its prow was level with the tops of the the air foils of the other ships. The rogue airship then turned until it was facing across its fellows. It then drove across the line, its bow tearing great gashes into the envelopes of the other airships. One by one, the fleet dropped out of the sky. And with each ship that fell, the curtain of fire dissipated until it had stopped completely.
Calvin gave a whooping cheer as he turned back to face Izo. "How's that for morale, general?!"
Izo scowled at the insolent teen. "An inconvenience, nothing more. We will still claim victory in this war." Pointing to the position of Sozin's Comet, he continued "As long as that comet is in the sky, there is no force on earth that can stop us!"
The moment he said those words, Sozin's Comet exploded. A dazzling white starburst spread across the sky. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, it was gone. Without the comet, the sky's angry red wash faded back into the inky blue of night.
The assembled soldiers stared agog at what had just transpired. Sozin's Comet, their trump card, their hope for unquestionable victory that had carried them through these past hundred years of war and strife… was just… gone.
"... What… Have… You… DONE?!" Izo snarled, turning back to face the teens.
"Oh, come ON!" Calvin retorted. "You can't possibly think we had anything to do with that!"
"Do you take me for a FOOL?!" Izo demanded. "Every time something strange happens, you are always there! EVERY TIME! How do you explain that?! Well, it's time to put an end to this madness once and for ALL! Seize them!"
"NO!" Azula shrieked, startling everyone immediately around her. "We are done with these criminals and traitors! There will be no deals! There will be no clemency! There will be no prisoners!... Kill them!... Kill them ALL!"
After taking a second to recover from the princess's outburst, the soldiers turned their attention back to the renegade teens. And as one, they advanced.
Seeing the soldiers approaching, Calvin raised his fists, bursts of flame flickering over his knuckles. Hobbes crouched to the ground, his muscles coiled, ready to spring. Susie planted her feet, ready to rock the earth beneath her. Ty Lee bent her legs, in anticipation to leap into action. And Mei smoothly slid a blade into each hand, ready to launch at whoever may attack.
The five friends all glanced at one another - all knowing full well that this would be their last stand.
"LOOK!"
No one knew who first made the call. But once it had sounded, it couldn't be ignored. Like a ripple through a pond, everyone present turned their gazes upward. There, up in the sky, exactly where Sozin's Comet had been, a new star had appeared - shining brighter and bigger than any other star in the sky.
And it appeared to be getting bigger.
Closer and closer the light came, growing bigger and bigger the closer it got. As it approached, a faint whirring noise could be heard over the air.
Calvin was the first to realize. It was no star, they were headlights!
Indeed, the light tilted, and two bright beams stretched out across the land. As it came closer, the whirring intensified, first to a rumble, then to a roar.
Then it came over the treeline, and those assembled were shocked when they saw it. A strange machine, sleek and silver. Too small to be an airship, too fast to be a war balloon. It had no envelope nor anything to keep it aloft - yet inexplicably, it stayed in the air.
"What IS that thing?!" Ty Lee practically screamed, voice ringing with panic.
"It's a spaceship." Calvin answered with an unsettling calm.
"What's it doing HERE?!" Mei demanded.
Calvin shrugged. "They probably came back for their -" His face suddenly fell. "Oh CRUUUD!"
He looked back toward the ship, which was positioning itself directly above where Azula stood. It now hovered in the air, making a WUMM WUMM WUMM sound. Then, from out of its underbelly, a brilliant beam of blue light shot to the ground. Just as Calvin feared, the beam made a direct hit on Azula. The Fire Nation princess then began to float up, up and up toward the waiting ship.
She screamed at the gathered soldiers, demanding they get her down. But the men were petrified with fear.
Calvin quickly grabbed Susie and turned her to face him. "Susie! Quick, launch us into that beam!"
"WHAT?!" Susie gawked at him.
"Use your bending!" Calvin elaborated. "You need to get us into that beam! Quick, we can't let Azula get away!"
"Have you lost you MIND?!" Susie snapped
Grabbing her shoulders, Calvin looked her in the eyes and said "Susie, please, just trust me!"
Seeing the earnestness in his eyes, Susie could only hope that Calvin knew what he was doing. "Everyone, get ready!"
Mei looked at her aghast. "You're not REALLY going to-"
Before she could finish, the ground beneath them suddenly shot forward, jettisoning the five of them through the air, heading straight toward the blue light.
Calvin could see that while Susie's aim was true, he would need to adjust his angle for what he needed to do. So when everyone else flew past the apex of their arch, he took a deep breath and four jets of fire sprang out of both hands and both feet. He flew upward, straight toward Azula - and more specifically, toward the teleporter still clutched in her hand.
"Gimme that!" Calvin yelled when he caught up to Azula, grabbing at the teleporter.
Azula looked at him, agast. "Unhand me at once!" She snarled. "Who do you think you are, laying hands on royalty?!"
"Oh, shut UP!" Calvin yelled, giving her a hard and fast backhand. The shock of it was enough to get Azula to release her grip. Calvin snatched the teleporter with a victorious laugh.
Azula clutched at her chin where Calvin's blow had landed. Looking up at him in seething anger, she screamed. "Why you worthless, lowborn peasant! How dare you strike a princess!"
"Told you before, witch, you ain't my princess!" As a final insult, Calvin placed his foot over Azula's face and kicked off, rising higher through the blue beam, up through a hatch on the ship's underside, and into the interior of the ship.
There he waited as first Azula, then Mei, Susie, Ty Lee and finally Hobbes rose into the ship as well.
Once all were aboard, the hatch beneath them closed with a hiss. The blue light then dispersed and six bodies fell to the floor in a heap.
Rising to their feet, they found themselves in a long chamber, sleek and silver, just like the outside of the ship. Here and there were what they could only guess were containers of some sort - all firmly attached to the floor and walls and all shut tight. At one end of the chamber there stood a single door. It, too was firmly shut.
"What… What is this place?..." Ty Lee wondered aloud as her eye wandered around the room in awe.
"If I had to guess, I'd say it looks like some kinda… cargo bay." Susie replied.
"Whatever its purpose, it will now serve as your tomb!" Azula declared, staring them all down. "I'll be taking that device back, now." she said to Calvin, eyes narrowed.
"Over my dead body!" Calvin refuted, pulling the teleporter closer to his chest.
Azula gave a wicked smirk. "That's the idea."
Then, with a roar, Azula whipped her fist back as blue flames erupted from it. Calvin responded with a roar of his own, orange flames sprouting from his own fist.
Before either blow could land, a loud siren resounded throughout the chamber. The blaring klaxon was accompanied by a red light that flashed in tandem with ear-splitting noise, bathing the entire chamber in a sickening red wash.
Then, a panel in the wall beside the dueling firebenders opened up. Calvin and Azula turned with curious looks to the opening. At which point a pressurized stream of a white bubbly substance shot out at them, spewing its contents all over the hapless firebenders.
When it all finally gave out, the fires had been extinguished and Calvin and Azula were covered head to toe in foamy white glop.
Mei gawked at the two, blinking in surprise. Ty Lee put a hand to her mouth, attempting to conceal her amusement. Susie did the same, though had a much harder time pretending not to laugh. Hobbes didn't even bother to hide it as he started making chuffing noises that sounded uncannily like laughter.
But all that abruptly died when the door at the end of the chamber suddenly opened. "Which of you imbeciles set off the fire alarm?!" a voice on the other side demanded.
Susie's mouth fell open when she saw the… thing the voice belonged to. Ty Lee let out a loud gasp as her eyes bugged open. Mei slipped into a fighting stance, brandishing her blades toward the thing.
Calvin simply sniped. "Nice to see you to, Galaxoid."
A/N: Okay, so hands up! How many of you actually remembered that Galaxoid and Nebular were involved in this plot? It's okay if you didn't, it was a while since they were last mentioned.
At any rate, that's another chapter down and two more to go. How crazy is that?! Anyway, thank you for reading, I hope you've enjoyed. Until next time, so long!
