Chapter 6: Rising Heat
Trunks sat on a log, leaning forward on his sword while basking in the gentle heat of the bonfire, his eyes closed. Beside him, Aang, Katara, and Sokka, sat together to listen to the tale of an old man.
"So, my friendly travellers, when you walk beneath the clouds and catch a blur in the corner of your eye as it soars by at great speed, don't pass it off as a laughing Parrot-monkey! Look again, and you might just catch them! The mysterious group of Air walkers, laughing in the face of gravity!", he said.
The people around the fire applauded the story, as the man stood with his wool hat in his hands, getting a few coins. He went to approach Trunks, but was quickly dissuaded by the sight of his sword. "So Aang", Katara started. "Is that what it was like back then?".
The air nomad rubbed his head, giggling. "Sure, I mean I laugh at gravity all the time!", he said with a chuckle. The story teller stuck his cap out at Sokka, who looked up with meek embarrassment at the fact that he had no money to give. Holding out empty palms and pockets, the man walked away with a grumble.
"Cheapskates!", he muttered. Aang got up, following the man to ask about the stories.
"Hey, those airbender stories were great!", Aang complimented. Without acknowledging him, the storyteller put his hat out again, shaking it.
"Tell it to the hat!". Frantically, Aang searched his pockets for any loose change, but unsurprisingly he had nothing. Opening his mouth to apologise, the boy was suddenly cut off by a silver coin clinking onto the other coins in the hat.
"It was a good story", Trunks said. He got up and walked over to the man, who still eyed the half saiyan's sword as he placed it back in its sheath. "I'm guessing your grandfather told you that story often when you were a child".
Scrunching his face, the man shook his head. "What do you mean when I was child? Grandpa saw the Air walkers last week!". Instantly, Aang's eyes sparkled with childlike joy, as a smile spread across his face at the slightest chance of finding more Airbenders. He looked back at Katara, like a puppy, his eyes pleading for permission to go on a detour.
The next day, the gang took a detour from the path towards the north Pole, heading instead to the northern air temple on the hopes of finding the 'Air walkers'. They flew above the clouds, taking in the fresh morning air, and enjoying the cool breeze. Katara turned to Sokka, excitement in her face. "Do you think we'll actually find other Airbenders?", she asked.
Sokka continued sharpening his boomerang, glancing over at his sister. "You know what, after all the craziness we've seen, I wouldn't even be surprised", he replied.
Trunks sat behind Aang, calmly meditating, pondering over his predicament. He'd been in this world for over a month now, and he worried for the state of his own. "Mother, I hope you're OK", he thought. He was suddenly brought out if his mind by Aang's excited voice.
"Hey guys, look!", he yelled. Trunks looked at the large monastery-like building that sat atop the snowy mountain, squinting a little, as he could see what looked like gliders whizzing around. Looking over at the young Avatar, he expected to see a wide grin, but instead the boy's face fizzled into a disappointed frown.
"Wow! There really are Airbenders here!", Katara happily chirped. Trunks looked closer at the 'Air-walkers' and he could see it, just by comparing it to what Aang could do, that they weren't bending.
"I don't think there are Katara", Trunks said. The water tribe girl looked at him with a scrunched face, clearly confused since she could see them flying. "Look at the way they're moving; they're slowing down as they go, and look at the way they turn, it's harsh and rigid. They might be gliding, but it's nothing like what Aang does".
"He's right. There's no spirit in the way they're going!", Aang huffed. Trunks smiled at Aang, knowing how much it hurt to have hope snatched away. He was going to say it's okay, but from beneath Appa, a boy in a gliding chair zoomed upward, laughing the entire time.
"Uh, looks like they have some spirit to me", Sokka remarked. The kid looked behind him, locking eyes with Aang, who accepted the challenge with a smirk. Leaping off the sky bison, he unfolded his glider, quickly picking up speed to catch up with his challenger.
Trunks took Appa's reigns, watching as Aang twirled and danced around the kid, fully showing off his abilities with the glider. Soon, there were dozens of gliders around Appa, spooking him and causing Sokka to stumble. "Hey, you think you could get us to land, Trunks!? You know, before land gets to us!"
Wrangling the reigns, Trunks managed to get Appa to land on a clearing where the other gliders were watching the show. "Go Teo, show that bald kid!", a young child cheered. Climbing off Appa, Trunks looked up at Aang, who was now putting on a proper show.
The airbender turned his glider parallel to a wall, releasing it as he formed an air scooter, zooming across the wall before flipping back to his glider. "Whoa, that was nice!", Teo exclaimed. A cheeky smile spread across Aang's face, knowing his opponent could match. "But, can you do this?"
Teo reached behind him, removing the cork from a ceramic tube tied to his glider, releasing a plume if grey smoke. Tugging and pushing on the leaver by his side, the boy moved with precision and finesse, creating a picture in the sky.
Sokka burst into laughter, pointing at the cartoon of Aang's face that was drawn. "The kids good, that I've gotta say", he chuckled. Trunks smiled, peering off the ledge, and then looking back at the two kids flying.
He turned to Katara, facing her with his arms crossed. "So, Katara, want to see something cool?", he said. She quirked a brow, looking at him confused.
"Uhm, sure.", she replied. "What are y-". Her breath hitched, as she watched Trunks let himself fall back off the edge of the mountain. "Trunks!". Her scream got everyone's attention, as they all watched Trunks disappear below the clouds.
"I've got him!", Aang shouted. He dived down towards Trunks, hoping to catch him before he was too far down. Squinting his eyes at the rushing air, he could see the half saiyan falling, but with a smile on his face. With an abrupt turn, Trunks looked up at Aang with a grin, flames blasting from his hands and feet.
Instantly, Trunks zoomed up past the airbender, a stream of glowing flame under his feet. "You look surprised?", he shouted. Aang quickly swooped up, watching as Trunks flew around with a natural fluidity, completely in his element. The half saiyan was able to pull manoeuvres they couldn't imagine, tight turns and instant stops, even staying stationary in the air.
Teo, and the people watching from below, however did not look as amused. Trunks touched down on the stone floor, the villagers immediately recoiling, as Teo landed between him and the crowd. "What is a Firebender doing here!?", Teo yelled. The half saiyan looked around, shocked at the fear in people's eyes.
"Guys it's okay, you can trust Trunks", Aang told them. "He's a friend".
"Why would we just take your word for it?".
"Because he's the Avatar", Katara said. Eyes widened, Teo scanned Aang up and down trying to verify the claim. The airbender simply flashed a goofy smile.
"Wait. The arrow, the glider, the moves! You are an airbender; you really are the Avatar!", he gawked. He turned to Trunks, bowing his head as much as he could from the confines of his mobility chair. "Sorry about that, we haven't had the best experiences with Fire nation here but, if you're with the Avatar, we can trust you".
Trunks smiled, bowing back. "No hard feelings, I know how it is", he replied. The look of terror in the people's eyes disappeared, replaced with excitement and awe at being able to meet the Avatar.
Abruptly, Sokka came forward, looking at the contraption Teo was using to fly. "Wow! This stuff is awesome!", he said. "It must've been made by a genius!".
"You think this is cool, wait till you see the other stuff my dad made", he laughed. "Come on! Follow me".
The boy led them through a series of hallways, the smell of burning coal and the sound of clanking metal growing ever stronger the deeper they walked. Entering into the main hall, they saw it was laden with dozens of pipes and mechanical parts, bursts of steam nearly blinding them. "Wow!", Sokka exclaimed again.
Trunks placed his hand on the pulley system, impressed at how relatively advanced the craftsmanship was, though unfortunately it was leagues below what would be needed to repair his time machine. "It'll be a while before I get home", he thought.
"This is unbelievable", Aang remarked. There was an underlying anger to his words, which only became more evident as he scanned the room.
Teo smiled, taking it as a compliment. "Yeah, it's pretty great!", he said.
Aang scrunched his face, looking at how the pipes ran through the ancient artwork of his people. "No, just unbelievable". He walked towards the spot covered mantle peace at the head of the hall, the pristine water that once pooled beneath it now replaced with sludgy by-products. "They've desecrated everything".
Katara noticed the Bitterness in his voice, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure there must be some. place that's still the same Aang", she assured. "Come on, let's look around". Eager to leave the soot and steam filled room, he walked outside with everyone else.
After a while of walking, Aang's eyes lit up with joy, as they stumbled across an open hall surrounded by doors. "It's nice to see one part of the temple as it was!", he said with glee. They looked up at the grand statue of a guru, his image perfectly carved into the stone, only a few cracks riddling the monument.
Quirking his ears, Trunks could hear a faint rumbling in the distance, growing in intensity. After a few moments, he could feel the vibrations under his boot, quickly yanking Aang and Katara behind him out of instinct. The head of the statue was smashed off the wall, which the half saiyan swatted away with a kick, as a giant wrecking ball revealed itself.
A thin, scraggy, man walked in through the rubble coughing. "What the doodle! Don't you kids know to stay away from construct sites?", he rebuked. "Hurry along, we have to make space for the bathhouse!". The young air nomad was livid.
"Do you have any idea what you just did!? You destroyed something sacred, for a stupid bathhouse!", he screamed. Trunks stepped forward a little, feeling Aang's energy spike as he shouted, and was worried the boy might go into the avatar state.
"Well, the people are beginning to stink".
"THIS WHOLE PLACE STINKS!". Aang slammed his glider into the ground, sending a pressure wave forward, and shattering the wrecking ball into fragments. "This is a sacred place, you can't desecrate it like this, I've seen how it was when the monks were here!"
"Monks?", the man muttered. "But, you're twelve?". Teo rolled up next to him, pulling him down by his shirt sleeve, and whispering to him.
"Dad, he's the Avatar!", he told him. "He used to come here a hundred years ago". The man's eyes widened on shock, before he felt guilt in his stomach, seeing Aang's furious expression.
"What are you even doing here!? Who said you could do all this!?", Aang demanded to know. Teo's father sighed, looking up to the sky as though recalling a faded memory.
"We've been here for a long time, not a hundred years, but still quite long. It all started ten years ago when the fire navy attacked our town, leaving nothing but ashes where we once used to live, badly injuring Teo and killing his mother", he explained.
Trunks and Katara both felt empathy for the man, remembering the destruction of their homes and death of their loved ones. "However, in my despair, I found this place! A marvellous sanctum, with images of flying people sprawled along the walls, yet with no one living within them. Better yet, I found these amazing flying contraptions, and thought I could give my son and everyone else a new life. A life in the skies, away from any danger".
The man turned away, looking down at the villagers running around amongst the pipework. "We were in the process of improving what was left, evolving, just as nature does", he said.
"Nature knows when to stop", Aang refuted.
"I suppose that's true, but progress just has a way of getting away from us". The man lowered his head, taking a deep remorseful breath, until suddenly bouncing back up at the sound of a crackling pops. "Would you look at the time!".
"Oh wow, you've created a clock!", Trunks remarked. "I'm guessing you've put some kind of reactive powder in different segments of the candle, that way you can guess what time of day it is through the number of pops".
"Oh, looks like we have another inventive mind here! Correct you are my boy, though I don't know where you've got this word 'clock' from".
Trunks smiled, appreciating the compliment. "I picked up some traits from my mother, she was an inventor herself."
"Any who, let's get to work. Come on!". Teo's father began to head off, Sokka following after him, as Aang and katara went with Teo towards the gliding spots. Interested in what the inventor had to show, Trunks accompanied Sokka, who was happy to have him along.
Teo's father lead the two of them down a spiralling set of stone steps, with a dim glowing lantern in his hand, giving another to Sokka. "These lanterns are terrible! Why are you using fireflies for light anyway?", he said, lifting the lid. Before any could fly out, Trunks pressed the lid down.
"They'll get out", he said. "I'm assuming the reason you're not using traditional lanterns is the presence of some kind of flammable gas, right?". The older man nodded with a smile, as he reached the door at the bottom of the stairs.
Prodding the sealing foam that was pressed against the sides and bottom of the door, he beckoned the two to look through the peak hole. "Look inside", he told them. The pair looked into the room, which was nearly pitch black, aside from the faint bit of light that got in from the hole.
"It's empty?", Sokka muttered. Meanwhile Trunks quickly moved his head away, the methane from the room causing his nose to tingle as, due to his sharper saiyan senses, he could smell what was otherwise an odourless gas to humans. To him it felt a bit like getting mint in your nose.
"Nope! The room is filled with natural gas, though my main headache is the fact that it's leaking out of the room". Sokka prodded the sealing, slowly realised what the leaks meant.
"This place is an explosion waiting to happen! One wrong spark and this place goes sky high". Sokka stepped away from the door, feeling somewhat uneasy being so close to something that could literally blow his head off.
"That's correct", the older man said. "So until I'm able to patch up leaks of a substance I can't see, smell, or feel, we're all in constant danger!". Sokka and Trunks passed glances to each other, uneased by the nonchalant manner the man was taking about the threat of imminent death.
The three then headed up to the man's workshop, spotting Katara gliding alongside Teo and Aang as they climbed to the tower the room was located in. "Hey Sokka, don't you want to try flying like that?", Trunks asked.
The water tribe boy scoffed, turning away the window. "Oh no, I'm staying in the ground! Getting on Appa is enough flight for me!", he said. The half saiyan chuckled, patting his back. "Anyway, I'm more interested in what the Mechanist has to show".
"Mechanist? Hey, that's a good nickname, why haven't I got one?". Trunks feigned jealousy, getting a cheeky smirk from Sokka.
"How about The mystery boy? I mean seriously dude, we still don't know a lot about you. You show up one day, flying and catching whales, then you say you can't, and now you can Firebend!?", he remarked. "Like come on, what's the deal?".
Trunks scratched his head, thinking about how to explain it all. "To be honest, I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you guys, without you thinking I'm insane. I'll tell you all when the time is right". Sokka scrunched his face, the curiosity in him only growing from the vague answer.
"Here we are, my workshop!", the Mechanist announced, opening the door. Inside, the room was messy and unkempt, papers and prototype pieces scattered all across the small space. Stepping in, Sokka and Trunks looked around, inspecting the gadgets and schematics around them.
The Mechanist scuttled around his desk searching for something, pulling out various bits and pieces, before placing what he looked for on the table. "Look at this little invention of mine". The object was a crude demonstration of a hot air balloon made of paper, impressive for the technology they had, but Trunks could see the immediate flaw. As the man lit a candle inside, it rose without signs of stopping, until he held it still with a string .
"Wow, that's amazing!", Sokka remarked. "Are you trying to make this full sized?"
"Yes, but there's an issue", he replied. He pulled the string down, bringing the small figurine back to his hand, snuffing out the flame. "Once it's up, it'll just keep going up! I haven't found a way to properly control it". Trunks grabbed the figure, to quickly for the man to react, and grabbed a pencil.
"Trunks, what are you doing?". The half saiyan waved him off, carefully etching something on the paper skin of the balloon, making sure not to pierce it. After a couple of moments, he had drawn a small circle atop the figure and cut it out to create a flap, attaching a bit of string to the makeshift lid.
"This is what you needed to control the height", he said. Lighting the flame, he released the balloon into the air, letting it rise as usual towards the ceiling. However, before it made contact, he tugged on the lid string to open the flap, watching as the balloon descended.
The older man put his hand on his head, nearly screaming 'eureka!'. "My boy! You're a genius! How on earth did you come up with that?", the Mechanist marvelled. Trunks shrugged his shoulders, putting down the pencil in his hand.
"It's not to difficult. The hot air is what makes the balloon rise, so the simple answer is to let it out at some points to make the balloon sink". Trunks grabbed the hot air balloon, blowing out the flame, and placing it down. "Why the need for this though? With your gliders, you've got mostly sustained flight, plus a hot air balloon consumes a lot of fuel".
The mechanist stumbled for a second with his words, as if trying to come up with an explanation on the spot. "Oh, you know, just invention for the sake of invention!". Not giving a chance for further questions, the man quickly moved to note down the alterations in his log, but was cut off by the sound of a bell.
The Mechanist's eyes widened, the colour draining from his face. "Oh no", he whispered in panicked tones. Bolting out of the room, the man ran as though his life depended on it, while Trunks and Sokka followed closely behind.
They kept running behind him, past the courtyard and glider, all the way into the old parts of the temple. The old airbender lock had been opened, and Aang stood inside with Teo, his face contorted with anger and disgust.
"Please, I can explain!", the mechanist tried to say. "It's not what it looks like". Trunks looked around the room, which was dimly lit by a multitude of candles, giving the room a red hue. Various machines and weaponry lay scattered around, and it was blatantly obvious what had been going on.
"You're working for the fire nation!", Aang screamed. Teo stared at his father in disbelief, his eyes practically begging to hear its not true, hoping for an explanation.
The mechanist closed his eyes, looking down to the floor. "It was years ago. The fire nation found us, threatening to tear everything down if we had nothing to provide. You have to understand, I had no money, no resources, all I had was my mind and inventions", he said sullenly.
Tears welled up in Teo's eyes, as it dawned on him that his father's work was playing part in the murder of thousands. The man turned around, heading back to his workshop, his shameful secret now open. Teo wheeled off into the hallways to go outside, hoping the air would clear his mind.
Trunks and Aang headed to the mechanist's room, wanting to talk the man out of his deal with the fire nation, however the moment they entered a bell sounded. The man tried to push them into a corner, but the half saiyan refused to budge, as a man cloaked in red rose from the trap door.
The moment the man laid eyes on Trunks he recognised his description from the reports, knowing him as the deserters pupil. "So, you're harbouring the Fire Nation's enemies!?", he said to the Mechanist. "Hand him over, along with what you owe, and we may just let this place stand unburnt!".
Before Teo's father could open his mouth to answer, Trunks slammed his fist into the emissary's face, knocking him to the floor. "You won't receive anything from this place anymore!", Trunks declared. Quickly, the man hurried to descend the trap door, his loosened hair frayed across his face as the wooden platform went down.
Taking fire in his hand, the half saiyan moved to burn the rope, aiming to drop the emissary of the mountain. As he began to burn it, Aang hurriedly blew out the fire with a gust of air. "What are you doing! He'll die!", Aang yelled.
"That's the point! If he reaches their base camp, he'll tell them we're here, and then we'll have a massive army at the doorstep!. It's strategically better for us to make it so he doesn't go back".
"I told you Trunks, we don't kill!"
"No, you don't! Don't push your rules on-", Trunks was cut off by the sound of the rope stopping. "Damn it, he's already down". He looked at Aang with frustrated eyes, shaking his head and growling, before walking out. They needed to prepare for an assault.
Grouping up, everyone discussed how to deal with an approaching army. Aang pointed out their advantage of flight and the high ground, as they decided aerial defence would be their main tool. To supplement the defence, the mechanist offered to finish his hot air balloon to full scale, providing a bolstered aerial offence.
After a couple of hours, the temple's defences were prepared, and the sound of stamping footsteps echoed up the mountain path. "They're here", Aang said. "Looks like the balloon is going to join us later, we'll have to hold them off for now". Trunks nodded, leaping off the side of the mountain with fire streaming from his feet.
The gliders launched bombs at the on coming soldiers, blowing them away, as they were helpless to retaliate. Trunks hovered in the air, releasing a wave of fire to melt the snow above, washing the fire benders off the side of the cliff. Watching the men fall, he heard something rumbling beneath down below, almost akin to a tractor or roller-coaster.
"What is that?", he muttered, squinting his eyes. Narrowly missing his shoulder, a metal hook shot out jamming into the cliff side, knocking him off balance and into the snow. As the chain whirred, it pulled up a giant metal vessel, which spewed out fire from a small window on its front. "They have Tanks!?".
Aang tried to unhook the chains holding them up, sending them falling off the cliff face, but the tanks were persistent. Even as the tanks fell, they were able to fire another hook to begin their climb again, all the while blasting fire. They were practically impervious to all the bombs they threw, only being slowed down slightly by Katara's bending.
The tanks closed around Aang, Katara, and Trunks, pushing them back against a wall. Gushing fire from his fists, the half saiyan could only stop them firing, but they still advanced to crush them. When they were mere moments away from being squashed, the tanks were swept away from a torrent of slime from the sky. "Took them long enough", Aang remarked.
Arising from behind the temple, Sokka and the mechanist appeared, hauling massive sacks of slime. Trunks ascended, landing inside, and patted his friend on the back. "Good idea keeping the insignia, they must not realise you're about to slime them from the sky!", he laughed. Cutting the ropes, they dropped the three sacks, washing the enemies away with a thick wave of goo.
Trunks grabbed on to a rope, leaning off the side of the balloon, as he bathed the sludge covered soldiers in fire. Unknown to him, the substance was an oil based mixture, and rapidly spread his flames across the battle field. The screams of burning soldiers bounced through the mountain, however the thump of more soldiers marching seemed to overpower it.
"They're still coming!", the mechanist yelled. "We don't have anymore bombs!". Sokka looked panicked, trying to figure out what to do. Trunks considered trying to solar flare the army, just to slow them down long enough to come up with a plan , but was distracted by his nose suddenly starting to tingle.
"Wait, my nose is tingling?", he said in silent realisation. Sticking his head out of the balloon, he saw a large crevasse in the side of the mountain, and took a deep breath through his nose. He crumpled it, scrubbing his face, as the feeling of a sneeze arose. "Yep, that's definitely methane".
Trunks turned to Sokka, telling him his plan. "Listen, you need to get out of here! I've got a plan to take out the rest of the army in one move, but it's a little risky, so you need to go!", he ordered.
"What do you mean a little risky exactly?", Sokka replied. "What are you going to do by yourself exactly, burn the mountain down!?".
"Yes!". Not allowing for any discussion, The half saiyan leapt out of the balloon, nose diving inside the crevasse at high speed. Sokka's eyes nearly burst out of his head as he saw the half saiyan jump, completely stunned, until he remembered what Trunks told him. As quick as he could, he began to retreat.
With Aang and Katara, everyone watched as the purple haired Firebender dropped like a bullet, wondering just what the hell he was doing. As he dipped below the point they could see, deep into the crevasse, Fire nation soldiers continued their thundering advance.
Aang squinted his eyes, seeing a single glimmer In the distance from where Trunks went down, before he felt the sudden change in air pressure. "Everyone! Get do-", he tried to warn, cut off by the explosion.
Fire bellowed from every nook and cranny of the mountain, blowing away any soldiers near them, sending them hurtling off the mountain side. The earth shook and cracked, swallowing infantry and tanks like a hungry beast, as it felt like Trunks had started an earthquake.
Thick black smoke filled the air, but the silence it brought was even heavier, as they all waited to see what remained. Slowly clearing, they could see with narrowed eyes, they had won the battle. Chains dangled from the mountain, the tanks attached to them now fallen, and not a single soldier could be seen.
The air walkers began to cheer and celebrate, however the gang couldn't take their eyes of the crevasse, waiting to see Trunks come out. "Aang, you have to go find him!", Katara said. Her mind told her that no one could survive being at the centre of that, but she pushed the morbid thought aside, just hoping he was fine.
"Find who?", a voice said behind them. "Me?". Turning around, they were met with a soot covered Trunks, who was coughing up black dust with every breath. "It was close, that explosion nearly propelled me behind the mountain!".
The water tribe girl ran to hug him, as did Aang, getting covered in soot themselves. "I'm so glad you're oka-a-a achoo!", Aang sneezed from the dust, blowing it all off them. "Pardon me, I meant to say I'm glad you're okay". The three burst into laughter, as the watched Sokka land the balloon.
He ran out, punching Trunks softly on the arm. "You crazy idiot! You nearly gave me a heart attack!", he yelled. The half saiyan grinned, softly punching him back with a chuckle, before turning to the balloon.
"Hey, Mechanist, don't let Fire nation get hold of this. They shouldn't come here anymore, I'm pretty sure the blast made this place completely inaccessible, but just be more careful. Flight is a game changer in the war", he explained.
Aang chimed in, smiling as he looked at the balloon. "I guess good did come out of you all coming here and taking over then. It may not be the same as the monks, but you've all kept a little bit of Airbending alive, and created something that could change the path of this war. So thank you!".
Meanwhile, as the gang celebrated atop the mountain , a group of remaining soldiers huddled around their commander at the bottom, limping and burned. The commander hastily etched a letter with his seal, wrapping it up, and handing it to the single infantry man left. "Ride fast soldier, the fire lord must know about this new weapon!", he ordered