Chapter Eight: Zero, Zero
The Northern Outpost was a strange sight. Once the northernmost military base of the Fire Nation and the staging ground for Admiral Zhao's inglorious assault on the Northern Water Tribe, it had long been decommissioned and handed back over to the Earth Kingdom. Trouble was, they didn't know what to do with the place. It had sat empty of people and full of wartime Fire Nation furnishings for quite some time until, after much prodding and pleading, the site was handed over to the mechanist who resided in the Northern Air Temple—or, more accurately, his son, Teo, who had a passion for science and intended to use the place as a hub for his own research and development.
As Appa came soaring over the mountains, Aang frowned down at the collection of buildings nestled inside a cove, skirting the edge of a gravel beach. Some of the structures were weatherbeaten and dull, sinking into the ground, while others, like the massive airship hangar, glittered in their brand-new coats of paint. The airbender urged his sky bison to descend, and they landed just inside the compound. Aang hopped down as the rest of his friends slid off the saddle on the other side.
"Jeez, would you look at that!" shouted Sokka, letting out a long, slow whistle.
Aang rounded the furry white beast to see what all the hubbub was about, and he was not disappointed. Shoved diagonally into the mouth of the hangar was part of a ship. It was falling apart, clearly having seen action, but the name could just barely be made out: HMS Tinder.
"Oh, Spirits," Zuko whispered. "That's the ship Katara was on."
Sokka's jovial attitude immediately disintegrated. "What? Aang is he—"
"Yep," the airbender replied soberly, "That's the one."
Aang, Sokka, Toph, Zuko, and Suki moved closer to the wreckage, only to be stopped by a familiar face. "Is that Team Avatar I see?" Teo laughed, wheeling out from around the corner. The group exchanged pleasantries with their old friend and tried to bring him up to speed, though he stopped them early in the story, saying, "I've heard it all. The survivors made it here after the battle, and they're resting up before going back home."
Sokka perked up. "They're still here? Can we see them?"
"Of course, you can!" replied Teo, rolling ahead as he beckoned them forward. "We remade part of this building into a cross between hospital and barracks, so you'll have to follow me through."
Aang looked at the twisting mess of metal and machinery above him. He could now see that it was half of the ship's bow, held from the ceiling by sturdy, industrial cables. At least a dozen workers climbed around the surface, secured in safety harnesses, sawing off pieces and stowing them away in their pouches.
"Teo," began Zuko, "I hate to be a stick-in-the-mud, but that ship is Fire Nation property, and I don't appreciate you cutting it up. Where's the rest of it gone?"
"That is it. There wasn't any more," the young mechanist explained. "The Raiders sank the Tinder by blowing up the boiler and the engines with it. That atomized everything but the front left—the part furthest from the blast."
Aang bit the inside of his cheek, saying, "Let's move on, shall we?"
"It's not all bad news," Teo added. "A special friend is here, too."
"Who?" Toph wondered.
The scientist put on the breaks and dug around in his pocket, producing a shiny red apple. Without warning he tossed it straight up, but before it had even reached the height of its ascent it was snatched out of the air by a black-and-white blur.
"Momo!" cheered the airbender as the flying lemur skidded to a stop on the hangar floor and attacked his snack with intense voracity.
"The poor little guy was hiding on the ship when it blew, but he made it out okay," Teo told the group.
The team gathered around Momo and took turns squeezing the life out of him, which he was not pleased with, trying to weasel his way out of their grasps to finish his apple. The lemur finally was allowed to rest, curled around Aang's shoulders. The familiar spark of childish glee was back in the bender's eyes after having been absent for far too long. Unfortunately, the euphoria would be short-lived.
"These are the barracks," uttered Teo.
The back corner of the hangar had presumably been a place for the welders and engineers working on the numerous airships and vehicles to relax and unwind, but it had been overtaken by a whirlwind of medical and military supplies. A row of bunk beds had been erected, rubbing elbows with a couch covered in a white sheet stained red and a pile of discarded armor, clothing, bandages, and blankets on the carpet. Aang counted six people in total strewn about the place, most of them asleep, though one man was staring at them with wonder on his face.
"Fire Lord Zuko!" he gasped, wincing as he moved his wounded legs to sit at the edge of the bed, then struggled to his feet, saluting briskly. "It's an honor."
"Sit down, please," Zuko said quickly, seeing the man's wobbling legs. "And I'm not technically Fire Lord right now, my uncle has—"
"I don't care. You're still my commander-in-chief whether you're wearing that crown or not. I'm Nizen, captain of that hunk of scrap," he replied stubbornly, gesturing to what remained of the HMS Tinder. "Or at least… I was."
Suki glanced around, asking, "Is this everyone that made it off?"
Nizen's knees finally gave out and he collapsed back onto his bed. "This is everyone. So, what can I do for you all? It's not every day a lowly ship captain meets Team Avatar."
Sokka silently gave himself a fist bump.
Zuko cleared his throat and said, "Well, Captain Nizen, we're searching for Katara, of the Southern Water Tribe, and since you were the last person to see her, we were hoping you would—"
"You were hoping I would know something?" he interrupted. "I don't know much more than what I put in that letter. All I can truly say is, the Southern Raiders are terrifying in number, in power, in efficiency… they're the marriage of piratical bloodthirst and wartime Fire Navy ruthlessness. They also made mention of some Admiral, but they never said his name."
"Do you have any idea where they were going?" Sokka questioned.
"In terms of location? No. But they were sailing southwest. Except for the guys who went after those Water Tribe skiffs headed north."
Suki snapped her fingers. "That's what Pakku wrote about."
"I'm afraid I don't know much else," Nizen admitted.
Zuko nodded. "You've been a big help already. We wouldn't have even known the specifics if you hadn't made it out of there."
The captain nodded. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Again, I'm not really Fire Lo—" Zuko began, only to be kicked in the shin by Toph.
"Just take the compliment, idiot," she huffed.
"So," Teo began, "was that much help?"
"I think we need to go see the Northern Water Tribe," Aang stated.
Sokka looked unsure. "You really think Pakku would have held back information?"
"As helpful as 'sailing southwest' was, we can't just fly aimlessly in that direction. We need a location."
"And why would Pakku know the location when this guy right in front of us saw the captain of the Raider ship with his own eyes?"
"It's the only other lead we have, Sokka!" exploded Aang.
"…I know, I know. I suppose that is the only other option we have right now."
Murmurs of agreement bounced around the group, until Teo interrupted, saying, "Great! You all can leave in the morning. We'll set up some beds for you. In the meantime: Sokka, I have some very exciting inventions to show you…"
/ / | \ \
One would think that after spending half a decade with the Avatar, flight would be underwhelming, but it was Suki's perennial pleasure to hop on the back of her favorite sky bison and take to the clouds. She chalked it up to a life of living on the outer rim of the Earth Kingdom, where rocks and mountains and trees were permanent, unmovable, and rooted things. She adored Kyoshi with every fiber of her being, but flight offered her a welcome, yet temporary, escape from those certainties of the ground.
It was the fresh memory of that, then, that kept her from eating away at herself from worry.
She wasn't just worried about Katara, her little sister in everything but name, being missing. Suki was worried about her other friends. Her fiancé hid his grief well after that initial outburst at the South Pole, but Sokka's usual jokey self had almost disappeared. And Aang… Aang was depressed. She could tell. He was perpetually angry, and he seemed desperate. His violent lashing out at Sokka had been entirely out of touch with his pacifist nature. But when he wasn't angry, he was quiet, never talking, just sitting at the front of Appa, alone. Everyone had noticed—she could tell—but no one brought it up, as if hoping the situation would rectify itself.
That's why she'd changed her mind about staying in the south, made the trek north on her own, and met up with the rest of the gang in some small town they'd miraculously both been in at the same time. Suki could hopefully give Sokka and Aang both someone to talk to.
That, and it was also all kinds of awkward staying with Hakoda and Kanna withoutSokka or Katara. But mostly the first thing.
Suki tiptoed out of the room she shared with her fiancé, pulling the door shut without a sound, though she doubted he could have heard the door slamming over his earth-shattering snores. As she'd suspected, the door to Aang's room hung open, and the bed inside was empty. Suki shook her head and turned to follow the hall down to the staircase leading up to the roof.
"Leave me alone," said a somber, familiar voice.
Aang sat at the edge of the roof, his arms wrapped around the guard rail, letting his legs dangle over the rocks below. When he turned, his gray eyes caught the glint of the moon, and they stuck out like two spotlights on a darkened stage. "Oh," he added, "I thought you were Zuko. What are you doing up here, Suki?"
The Kyoshi Warrior looked around nervously, then said, "I wanted to talk to you."
"Here we go again," Aang moaned, turning back to face the ocean. "I don't want to talk."
"I know you don't want to," she sighed, sitting down beside him. "But it's not healthy to keep this bottled up inside you. When my father died—"
"Suki, I don't want to talk," he reiterated. The two of them were quiet, until Aang finally said, "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me. It's just… people keep trying to talk to me like I'm an idiot. Like I've never been sad before. I'm the last of my people! I started a century-long war! I'm used to tragedy! It's been my entire life so far."
"That's not true."
"It may as well be."
"You're not being fair to yourself. You've had your dark spots, but everyone has dark spots—some darker than others," Suki added, seeing his hesitant expression. "But you're not alone, and you don't have to facethis alone."
Aang frowned, uncertain.
"You can't face this alone. It'll destroy you," Suki intoned, looking him in those cold, gray eyes.
"I… I know. It's already… I… sometimes, recently, I can't waterbend."
The Kyoshi Warrior furrowed her brow. "What?"
"When I was with Zuko at the Ceremony of Transition, when those Raiders attacked and the Royal Guard revolted, I tried to bend this water, and I just couldn't do it. I can still waterbend now if I really, really concentrate, but in the heat of the moment… I'm not sure if I'll be able to do it."
Suki nodded, glancing down at her lap. "Well, since I'm not a bender, I'm not sure I can be of much use to you there, but when I was training back on Kyoshi, and emotion and stress and distraught clouded my mind, I'd just try to clear my head while I trained. I'd separate my life from my body, and that's what lets me keep a straight face in any battle, no matter how emotionally distressing."
"That's some idea," Aang said after a long while.
"Yeah, it's—"
"I'm gonna go try it," he interjected, sliding under the rails and falling into the inky black darkness towards the sounds of waves crashing on a stony shore.
Suki sighed again and banged her forehead into the rail. That didn't go well, she thought.
/ / | \ \
Upon arriving at Agna Qel'a, the capital of the North, anyone unfamiliar with the way the place worked would have never suspected anything was off. Sokka was anything but unfamiliar. He'd been to the Northern Water Tribe more times than he could count, though he always insisted that Suki come along, too. Her being there was the only way he could keep the moon off his mind. In any case, Sokka always could tell when the North Pole was on high alert.
This was one of those times.
"They aren't kidding around," he remarked, pointing out the extra watchtowers on the shore and the dozens of footmen patrolling the city walls to the others.
"The attacks must have scared them," Zuko added. "With good reason."
"Can we just hurry up? I can't see with these damn shoes on my feet!" Toph urged, having been forced into snow boots by Aang and Sokka so that her toes wouldn't turn purple and fall off in the ice.
"You want a hand?" offered the airbender.
"I can do this myself, thank you!"
"…You want my staff to feel around with?"
Toph turned up her nose at him, then, in a huff, snatched the outstretched staff out of his hands. "This means nothing," she warned, poking him in the chest with it.
Team Avatar navigated the complex system of sidewalks, bridges, and canals that made up the city's network of streets. There weren't many people out and about, despite the sun being high in the sky, but those that roamed from building to building were sure to greet the group of heroes. Some of them paused to congratulate Sokka and Suki, her crudely-carved-but-endearing betrothal necklace displayed proudly at her throat. By the time they reached the bottom of the wide staircase leading to the palace, Sokka felt like he'd already suffered through an entire wedding reception.
"I hate this place," the tribesman groaned.
"I'll second that," threw in Zuko.
"Hear, hear!" proclaimed Toph, accidentally smacking Suki upside the head with Aang's staff.
They trudged up to the palace courtyard, where, much to their pleasant surprise, Master Pakku stood waiting, his hands clasped behind his back.
"Hope we didn't leave you out in the cold," shivered Sokka.
Signs of a distant smile tugged at his lips, but Pakku steeled himself and said, "We figured you would show up eventually. Come inside, we have much to discuss."
"That doesn't sound good."
"Nor does it sound bad."
Obviously, the entire palace that the Royal Family of the Northern Water Tribe lived in wasn't made of packed snow and blocks of ice. As one made their way closer and closer to the core, imported materials like wood, stone, and even metal began appearing in the architecture, until the snow was entirely replaced. The Great Hall that lay deep within the building was an artistic marvel, something Sokka could tell just by crossing the threshold. He was wonderstruck, staring up at the arched ceiling, the rafters and columns around the space carved from the trunks of mighty trees felled in the Earth Kingdom a long time ago, something Momo seemed to appreciate as he zipped up to investigate. A spectacular mural bled down from the roof to the walls, depicting the full moon hanging over a beautiful, tropical, seaside settlement with the spirits Tui and La superimposed over the scene. The town, Sokka thought, was eerily familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on why. Everyone—except Toph—was in awe.
"I thought this place was just ice!" gaped Zuko.
"Most of it is, but the oldest parts are more permanent than just frozen water," Pakku exposited.
"Our ancestors certainly knew how to build, didn't they?"
Everyone swiveled to see Chief Arnook gliding towards them, his robes aflutter on a nonexistent wind. His appearance was both regal and reserved, showing his high status and closeness to the everyman. Team Avatar immediately bowed, which Arnook nodded at before making a beeline to Zuko, grabbing his hand and shaking vigorously. "It isn't every day the Fire Lord visits the North Pole. I apologize for our lack of a warm welcome."
"This is warm enough for me," Zuko replied. "Though, technically, my uncle—"
"Is Fire Lord?" Arnook cut in. "Yes, we received the correspondence. We also received another letter I'm sure you'll all be interested in, but— by the phases of the moon, is that the Avatar with you as well?"
The chief cut past Sokka and Suki to shake hands with Aang as well, before bowing himself. "Every visit you make to Agna Qel'a, I find it impossible to not thank you for your great service to our nation and the world."
"Thanks. But, um, what were you saying about a letter…?" the teenager pressed, being unusually direct.
Arnook's eyes lit up in recognition, and he frowned. "Right. That. Master Pakku, could you retrieve the scroll from that table?"
The waterbender bowed, then did as he was directed, returning with a large piece of parchment rolled up around a small wooden rod and handing it off to the chief. He rolled it open, and Sokka thought he stared right in his eyes before clearing his thread and beginning, "To the Capitals of the Three Nations and the Great Cities of the World: Though this letter is addressed to you, it is not meant for you. It is meant for the Avatar. Warrior, by this point you must know us. We are the nightmare that haunts your mind. We have made the unthinkable happen, and we invite you to try to undo it. That which you hold most dear can be found in a secret place, lost even to time itself. Only the moon knows its location, for this place resides within its expansive domain.
Oorah!
Find us.
The Raiders."
Everyone was quiet for a moment, until Toph piped up, "Where did they send that to?"
"Everywhere, it seems," Arnook shrugged. "They wanted to be heard. These are the same people that stole your sister, Sokka?"
"Huh?" the tribesman slurred, jolted from his thoughts. "Yeah, the Raiders took Katara."
"If they want us to find them, why don't they just tell us where they are?" Aang shouted.
"They sent a copy of this letter to every major settlement around the world. I doubt they wanted their exact coordinates broadcasted to every single nation and their armies," reasoned Suki.
"So it's a riddle, then," stated Zuko. "A riddle we have to work out for ourselves."
"Great, a puzzle. I hate puzzles," Toph grumbled, crossing her arms.
Aang took the scroll from Chief Arnook and walked over to the giant table at the center of the room, taking a seat at its head. "Too bad, Toph. Stop moaning. We have work to do."
Several hours later, the buzz of excitement that the reading of the letter had created had all but fizzled out. The information given was simply too vague, something everyone agreed on, though Aang feverishly read and reread the message every few minutes.
"They have Katara in a secret place. Where?" he muttered.
"That is the question, isn't it," Toph chided.
"Maybe we should get Arnook or Pakku back out here," offered Zuko.
"What, and ask them the same six questions again?" Suki scoffed.
"There has to be something we haven't tried."
"The Raiders are probably just taunting us," Toph uttered. "Why would they want to give themselves away?"
"Maybe they want to be found," Suki said hopefully, tracing a line with her finger across the massive world map splayed out across the table.
"Pfft. Sure, if that's true, I'll eat my champion's belt."
Zuko sighed, "I still think it has to do with the Air Temples. The moon's domain is the sky."
"That's impossible. I've been to all of the uninhabited Air Temples recently. There was no sign of anyone living in any of them," Aang responded.
Toph wrinkled her nose. "The only other option is, what, go to outer space? Somehow I doubt the Raiders built a rocket."
Sokka was slung over the arms of a chair, lolling his head as he stared at the Great Hall's mural upside down, out of ideas and out of energy. Then, suddenly, his brain whirred to life as he reexamined the painting. Breathlessly, he exclaimed, "Wait a minute—what if the moon's domain isn't the sky or space? What if it's the ocean?"
"The ocean?" gasped Aang.
"Yeah! Think about it: the moon's gravity is what creates the tides. The moon's domain isn't where it is, it's where it has control!"
"That… actually makes some sense, Sokka," said Toph.
"I'm not just the meat and sarcasm guy, you know. I'm also the detective," he said proudly.
"But what does the rest of the letter mean? That's great progress, but we're not much closer to the location," Suki argued.
"Yeah, what are we supposed to do, check every island from here to the South Pole?" wondered Aang.
"Nope! Because I know exactly where they're keeping Katara!" Sokka declared, jumping to his feet and pointing at the mural with a pen. "I knew from the moment I walked in here that I'd seen that village before. But I only realized where I'd seen it just now."
By this point, the rest of the group was hanging onto his every word like a vine over quicksand.
"When we were kids, my dad used to put Katara and I to bed every night with a story. There were a lot of them, but my absolute favorite was the tale of the Lost Empire. It was a swashbuckling adventure, a vibrant retelling of some crusty old legend about an old city run by an old sect of the Water Tribe. But the seaside metropolis they described and the pictures in the book were identical to that mural! Ladies and gentlemen, we are not looking for an island! We are looking for the Lost City of Aegium, capital of the fallen Aquatic Empire!"
"…Keep dreaming, waterboy," Toph remarked.
"That seems a little unlikely, Sokka," opined Suki.
The tribesman smirked and wagged his finger. "No, no—that's not all. That letter ends with the phrase, 'Oorah!' That isn't a Fire Nation phrase, is it, Zuko?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Exactly. It's a Water Tribe saying. But it's not a modern one. It's old. Really old. Ancient, even. Legend has it that it was the battle cry of the navy of the Aquatic Empire, from the days it ruled the waves and the world. When literally translated from the ancient language they likely spoke, it means, 'For the Empire'. And as you know, the Water Tribes haven't had empires in a very, very long time."
"Why did you become Mister Encyclopedia all of a sudden?" the earthbender pondered.
"I had a lot of time to read after Dad left for war," he said sheepishly.
"And really, you're hedging our bets on a probably-mangled translation of an ancient word?" frowned Toph. "And that still doesn't answer where these people are. The city is lost, isn't it? We're back at square one."
Sokka shook his head. "Au contraire, my dear student. The city might be lost, but there are countless theories as to where it might be. The most compelling of which ties into the other name of the Aquatic Empire: the Central Water Tribe. Located precisely here!" he pronounced, slapping the pen down on the middle of the map. "Coordinates zero, zero."
She was unimpressed. "Zero, zero? Riddle me this, genius, if everyone knows where it is, how come no one has ever confirmed its existence?"
"Because, Toph, there's a lot of water to move to get to the bottom of the ocean, and you'd have to somehow keep a fresh oxygen supply coming down from the surface, too. You'd need an exceptionally powerful waterbender to do all that. Avatar powerful."
All eyes fell upon Aang, who stared back uncomfortably.
"Your call, Twinkletoes," said Toph, propping her bare feet up on the polished mahogany. "I think it's all a wild goose chase meant to waste our time, but hey, what do I know? I'm not in charge here."
The last airbender hesitated, unsure of himself. Risking precious time while hunting down Sokka's far-fetched lead seemed unwise, but then again, it was their only lead. And they couldn't very well search the entire world for hide or hair of the Southern Raiders.
"I say we do it," Aang announced. "Let's go to zero, zero."