Author's Note:

To the Guest: Thank youuuu! :D

Digging

Stockman watched the work area with deep satisfaction. Their tunnel was taking shape, and Bishop seemed to be at least somewhat satisfied with their progress.

Of course, Stockman understood that Bishop was eager to be done as soon as possible, but it was no reason to ask stupid questions like 'Why can't you dig faster?' like he had in the beginning.

As if Stockman wasn't already doing his best. It wasn't his fault if he didn't like the sand. That material was hard to bend - too evanescent - but apparently such a simple concept was beyond the grasp of a firebender like Bishop.

The tunnel Stockman was digging sank deep into the ground. Up to this point, workers from the oasis - supplied by Bradford - had been shoring up after him so the tunnel didn't collapse. This was no longer necessary. He had reached the rock layers, and here he was self-sufficient.

Stockman turned in the sand, his brand new wheelchair reacting smoothly to the move. It was an excellent replacement for the old one. It even had a new system to evacuate the sand, something that had been inspired by one of Donatello's remarks.

Stockman didn't resent the child anymore. Donatello was so clever and interested, and fascinating to watch at work. If only he wasn't so mad at Stockman, the earthbender believed he could have become very fond of that precocious boy. Maybe even show him what he knew about building machines.

Too bad the circumstances wouldn't allow that.

Stockman wheeled himself inside the tunnel. He would put in a few more hours of work before he rested in the tent near the work area, in the camp set up by Bishop so they would be as close as possible to the well.

Stockman had barely worked for half an hour before he felt a change in the Earth. In front of him, the wall wasn't made of rocks and minerals anymore; instead, it had the coldness and immutability of a material he couldn't bend.

"Ice," Stockman whispered, amazed in spite of himself.

Until then, he hadn't completely believed Bishop's tale. He had followed him because he paid well and showed adequate respect for Stockman's abilities. But now…

Now Stockman had reached a pocket of ice, deep inside the earth, and things had suddenly turned very real.

"They've dismissed the workers. It won't be long now."

Saki was once more pacing back and forth in his brother's study. He felt like a wild animal, forced to go through the niceties of diplomacy when time was running against them.

Since Bishop had settled in the well area, after Stockman's wheelchair had been repaired, Saki had been keeping an eye on the digging work through the trusted people he had managed to infiltrate inside the team working on the tunnel. At the same time, he was helping his brother rallying as many members of the council as they could. It was of the utmost importance that they managed to convince enough of them to dismiss Bradford as their leader.

"We've almost the majority we need."

Yoshi was quietly sitting, which somehow infuriated Saki even further.

"Almost is not good enough. We need it, and we need it now!"

Yoshi pressed his temples.

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

The lines of concern on his face made him look older than he was.

Saki sighed. He knew his brother was doing his best, and he also knew he was stressed out. Saki couldn't blame him for it. He didn't know how he would react if he was left without news of his daughter for months.

"There are people we haven't asked yet," he said.

"The ones who live in Bradford's town? It would be too obvious. Someone would alert him."

Saki shrugged. "We have to take that risk. I'll do it if you want. That way, any repercussions would be on me."

Yoshi raised an eyebrow. "Do you really think people will believe you were acting on your own?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Saki asked, offended that Yoshi would question his ability to take initiatives.

Yoshi raised his hands in a gesture of peace. "Just that people know we're working together. Nothing more."

"Hmm," Saki grumbled.

"Really, brother, you're way too easily offended," Yoshi complained, half-jokingly and half-serious.

"And don't you forget it." Saki crossed his arms and went to the window to look into the night. "There is way too much at stake for us not to do everything we can to stop Bishop."

He thought about his daughter, Karai, which he desperately wanted to protect. His daughter who was growing further apart from him.

Tang Shen had told him that Karai felt stressed out, and although Saki didn't question her word, he was certain there was more to it than that.

When this will be over, I'll spend time with her, he promised himself. I'll show her she can talk to me.

Yoshi's reply brought him back to present time.

"Fine. You're right. Tomorrow, you'll go to Bradford's town and ask the people who might be on our side. If they accept, we'll have the majority we need and put it to a vote the following morning."

Saki turned to look his brother in the eye. "And then we'll stop Bishop. No matter what the result of the vote is."

Yoshi met his gaze. "And then we'll stop Bishop."

Karai smiled, enjoying the warmth of the sunbeams on her face. She was lying on the rooftop of Angel's house, taking a break with Angel before they trained in Angel's room.

Angel wanted Karai to get better control of her element, so she would avoid getting burned again. Training accidents weren't uncommon amongst firebenders, but Karai wasn't supposed to be firebending.

Karai was certain Saki would forbid her to keep training if he learned about her gifts. Maybe he would expel Angel from her own training, too, and Karai wasn't having that either.

Karai absent-mindedly stroked the area around the burn on her right arm. It was prickling more than hurting now, but it still reminded her of how careless she had been.

She hadn't even prepared an adequate lie for her father!

But he had taken her by surprise. She hadn't expected him to be home, not when he was intent on patrolling the desert night and day.

Something must have happened. She wasn't sure what it was, and she hadn't dared to ask him about his whereabouts.

It wasn't because he wouldn't welcome her questions, far from it. She simply didn't want to give him the opportunity to ask about her own whereabouts.

"Did you know that your father went to see my mother this morning?" Angel suddenly asked.

Karai turned her head to look at the girl who had become one of her dearest friends. "Really?"

"Yes." Angel shifted to lean on her elbow. "I might have overheard their conversation by mistake."

Karai smirked. "By mistake?"

Angel winked at her. "Of course. Anyways, he was asking my mother about what she thought of Bishop and whether Bradford's reaction was the most appropriate."

Karai's eyes widened. "Do you mean…"

"Yes. He wanted to know whether she would vote against him, should they try to dismiss him."

Karai whistled. The last time one of the oasis' leaders had been dismissed by the council dated back to the last century.

"So my father is plotting against Bradford. He must hate it."

She sat down on the mat Angel had lent her, scattering the cushions in the process.

"I don't like it. The situation must be more dire than I thought."

"My mother didn't tell me what the council knew about Bishop's intent," Angel said. "And you?"

"My father didn't talk to me either. I thought Bishop wanted to study the well area, to learn our secrets, but..." She hesitated. "Do you think he would be stupid enough for… For…"

"I don't know," Angel whispered. "Do you?"

Karai was about to answer when she heard movement on the edge of the rooftop. Angel must have heard it too, because she turned around to look at the teenager who was jumping from the rooftop next to them.

He landed awkwardly in front of Angel, who sat down with a light frown.

"Hi."

Karai didn't recognize his voice, but she knew he was one of the new firebenders. Had things turned out differently, she would have been in his class.

"I don't think we've met, she said, straightening up. "Hi."

Angel made introductions, her voice too neutral not to awake Karai's suspicions. Karai made a mental note to ask her friend for all the juicy details later, when they would be alone.

"Karai, this is Spike. Spike, this is Karai. She's a friend."

Karai remembered the name. She had heard about Spike from Leonardo. He was that guy who was bullied by Bradford's son, Slash.

"Hi, Karai," Spike said nervously. "Angel? May I talk to you in private?"

Karai frowned slightly. Now that was rude.

"You can talk in front of Karai," Angel stated.

Karai appreciated that. It spared her the trouble of faking her departure and hiding below the edge of the rooftop to overhear.

Spike grimaced. "Are you sure? It's… It's about your mother.

Angel tensed almost imperceptibly. "Yes, I'm sure. What about my mom?"

Spike shifted from one foot to the other, the very picture of awkwardness. "It's… My mom told me… because she knows we were friends and…"

"Spit it out, Spike."

"Your mom… She should pay attention to her allegiances." Spike had dropped his voice. "Things are going to change with what's happening in the desert."

Now Karai felt furious. Was Spike referring to the visit her father had paid to Angel's mother? Did Spike not know Saki was Karai's father?

Apparently not.

Angel's face had darkened.

"Are you threatening us?"

Spike paled, and beads of sweat rolled down his temples. "No! Of course not! I just wanted you to know. My mother… She has inside information, you see? From… From Bradford."

Spike had uttered the name as if it was distasteful, and Karai wondered why.

"Oh, so your mom is on our new leader's good side, isn't she?" Angel said with irony.

Spike clenched his fists. "It's not my fault if she is! I just want you to be careful. Because… Because I care about you."

Angel bit her lip, obviously surprised by his outburst. "Sorry, Spike. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm just surprised."

"It's fine," Spike muttered, blushing as if he already regretted his reaction.

Karai took the opportunity to ask a not-so-innocent question.

"What's happening in the desert?"

She knew that as an official non-firebender, she wasn't supposed to know anything about what was supposedly in the desert. Or who.

But Spike merely shrugged. "I don't know."

Karai didn't think he was a good liar, so she was inclined to believe him.

"And what exactly is supposed to change?" Angel asked.

Spike's gaze went from her to Karai. "Draw your own conclusions," he whispered. "I'm just saying, it would be a good idea to make sure your families support Bradford." He bowed to the two girls. "See you later, Angel. Karai, it was a pleasure meeting you."

Then he left, and it was almost not like he was running away from them.

"Well, it looks like my father is not the only one scheming," Karai said after a shocked silence. "I think I should talk to him about it."

"Please don't mention your source," Angel said. "But yes. You should." She sighed. "I don't like this one bit. My mother wasn't happy when Bradford became leader; she said he was too concerned about his own good looks to do the job right."

Karai meditated on this until Angel stood up.

"How about we begin our training? I don't feel like resting anymore."

"With pleasure." Karai followed her inside and watched her draw the curtains so they wouldn't be watched.

Tonight, when her father would come home, she would talk to him about what Spike had just told them. This was too important not to be mentioned. His father had never been one to use diplomacy for very long, and she was afraid of what might happen to him if there were truly dissensions inside the oasis.

She needed to make sure he would be safe.

Stockman wiped the sweat on his forehead. It had been a hard day's work, but it had paid off.

He watched the block of ice in the center of the huge cavern he had just created. It was bigger than Stockman would have thought with its almost 200 feet in diameter, and formed a completely separate entity.

In time past, that water must have been connected to other groundwater tables, but Stockman had seen the marks of a great collapse that had cut this part of the underground from the rest.

"Excellent work, Stockman."

Stockman tried to smile at Bishop, who was right next to him, but this place was creeping him out so much that he only wanted to leave.

He was used to working in caves and mines, it was his whole life, but this… This was different.

It must be the ice. In the light of the lamps they had brought, it glowered slightly blue. Stockman couldn't see what was inside, if there was anything at all, but it still made his hair stand on end.

"Tomorrow, I'll begin melting it," Bishop said, watching the ice as if he owned it. "It'll probably take a few days. I don't want to rush things, not when I'm this close."

"Be careful," Stockman whispered in spite of himself. "That thing… I feel like it's evil."

Bishop laughed humorlessly.

"Don't worry about me."

He watched Stockman. "Go take some rest. You look terrible."

Stockman didn't need to be told twice, and he hurried to wheel himself to the surface.

He was no firebender, and no waterbender either. What happened beyond that point wouldn't be on him.

"It's done. Finally. Well done, brother."

Saki nodded. Going to Bradford's town had been fruitful. Now they had all the votes they needed to summon a council meeting. And not any time too soon if he believed what Karai had told him.

Apparently Bradford had ambitions of his own. Well, they were going to stop him, just like they would stop Bishop.

"Tomorrow is going to be an eventful day," Saki said. "Try to get some sleep."

Yoshi watched him with a deadpan expression. "You're sounding like my wife."

Saki patted Yoshi's shoulder. "That's because she's right, brother."

Mikey woke up with a start.

The last fragments of his nightmare were already vanishing. All that remained was a sensation of impending doom.

Mikey took a deep breath. The last days had been especially stressful for him. He loved his family to pieces, but in times like this it looked like everything was falling apart.

Leo was gone. Raph was gone. His father spent most of his time away from home, even if he had said he would be here more often after he wasn't leader anymore. And his mother was so worried Mikey didn't know what to do to comfort her.

And more than anything, he didn't like that the adults told them so little about what they were up to.

Even Karai and Angel had apparently completely forgotten about them and about their mission to find out what had happened to Leo.

Oh, how Mikey missed the times when they were all happy together. Where was Leo now? And Raph?

Tears formed in his eyes.

"Mikey?" Donnie asked, his sleepy voice still carrying his concern for his twin.

"Donnie?" Mikey whispered. "Do you think Raph will come home soon? Do you think he'll have found Leo?"

Mikey heard Donnie move, then his mattress dipped and Donnie's familiar arms wrapped around him.

"Of course he will," Donnie whispered in Mikey's ear, his faith absolute. "He promised."

Mikey sighed as he cuddled against his twin.

"It's just… I'm tired of waiting. I want them back. Now."

"Me too." Donnie rubbed his nose against Mikey's cheek to tickle him and make him chuckle. "Now go back to sleep."

A few seconds later, it became obvious that Donnie had taken his own advice to heart.

Mikey hugged Donnie tighter and tried to do the same. He really tried, but he couldn't.

There was something in the air. He could feel it.

Hun had led his caravan to a resting area for the night. He had taken to the road in the morning; it was the perfect cover for what he had in mind.

Despite the fact he had helped search for Leonardo with the others, people in the oasis hadn't really opened up to him. Still, he was hearing rumors; rumors that said the digging was going well.

Hun had waited until everyone else was settled before slipping away. He had a good idea where to look for. Indeed, when he had helped look for Leonardo into the desert, there had been one area he had never been allowed to go to.

It wasn't a coincidence if he had led his caravan very close to it.

Hun sighed. It wasn't that far away from the normal caravan route. He had traveled right next to it many times without even knowing it.

He thought about the first time he had come to the oasis. He had followed an ancient map, one that mentioned a frozen treasure buried under the sand of the desert, one that held powers beyond a man's comprehension. The map had been wrong, though, and he had arrived to the wrong side of the oasis.

Tonight will make up for that time.

Hun was walking silently. The moon was almost full in the sky, and it wasn't hard to see where he was going; a definite advantage.

When he saw the first guards, he made a detour to avoid their patrol, all the time hiding behind the dunes. It only led him to more guards, though, and he grimaced.

He expected the digging site to be well-guarded, but this was more than he had expected. He didn't like having to use his trump card so soon.

His hand slid inside his jacket. Years ago, when he was still a mere grave robber, he had been hired by a rogue tribe with an unpronounceable name to gather items of power.

Last time, they had trusted him with a powerful weapon, one of a kind Hun had never seen or heard of before. It could spew fire on its own. They called it a gun, and had seemed reluctant to give it to him; but Hun knew how to be convincing. He was on to something in the oasis, he knew it.

And their greed had outweighed their caution.

Hun weighed up the gun. He had already tried it a few times, but not as much as he would have liked to. He hadn't wanted to arouse suspicion.

He chose the setting that allowed paralyzing people - no matter what his detractors thought, he didn't kill for pleasure - and aimed at one of the two guards in his sights.

Hun was lying right behind the top of a dune, allowing him to be very close to the guards; it made up for his approximate aim.

The gun fired without a sound. The guard collapsed in the sand, and Hun quickly fired on the second guard before they could raise the alarm.

Then he ran to the work site as silently as he could. In the distance, he could see the shapes of tents; obviously the diggers' camp.

The tunnel opening he was interested in was not very far from him, though. They must have wanted to keep a safe distance.

He had to shoot two more guards before he could run inside it.

The tunnel itself was deserted, and Hun quickly arrived to a gigantic cavern. It seemed impossible that the workers would manage to dig that much in only a few days; it must be the work of an earthbender.

In the center of that cavern, the giant cocoon of ice seemed to be calling him.

Hun grinned. Finally, he had found it. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew it was a source of power unlike any other; a treasure he must possess.

He had no doubt that it would happen before the night ended.

Hun changed the setting on his gun so it would emit a ray of burning light and began melting the ice.