Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Legend of Korra

Ayana

Everyone had gathered and they were finalizing the jailbreak plans when a knock on the door startled them. Tenzin stood and answered, and Police Chief Beifong entered.

Tenzin was taken aback. "Lin? What are you doing here?"

Chief Beifong ignored him and marched right up to Ayana. "I'm here to take you back to Republic City with me. We were unable to apprehend Zaheer and his friends, and we have no idea where they are. I'm not comfortable with this, and I want you back in the city where I can protect you."

"What? No, I can't leave!" She stood to face the Chief. "We have some airbenders to jailbreak! I'm not leaving them behind!" She glared at the Chief adamantly.

Beifong sighed. "Fine. I'll help you bust them out. But after that, we're headed right back to the city."

She didn't argue. At least the Chief was willing to help.

They waited until nightfall, then made their move. Asami and Beifong waited in their airships, ready for the getaway. Ayana sent Raashu and Sona with Asami. Everyone else crept quietly along the wall of the temple, staying in the shadows. They only came across two patrolling guards, and Tenzin dealt with them easily.

Sprinting across the courtyard, they entered the temple and located a stairway leading down. They hurried down the stairs while trying to keep their footsteps quiet. Pausing at the bottom, they waited for a few guards to walk by in the hallway beyond.

Once the guards were safely out of earshot, Tenzin whispered to the group. "Ayana, Bumi, Ed, Al, you're with me. We'll find the airbenders. The rest of you, find Kai. We'll meet back on the surface." Everyone nodded, and the two groups split up. She let Tenzin take the lead, and they descended another staircase and navigated several hallways before they found an area that looked like a prison. She stepped in front of Tenzin and led the group to the cell that she could sense had people inside. Al clapped his hands and the lock fell uselessly to the floor, and the door swung open.

There were several captives, and they all looked up at their entrance. One of them asked fearfully, "What's going on?"

She stepped forward. "I'm the Avatar. We're here to get you to safety."

"Everyone stay calm and quiet, and we'll get you out of here." Tenzin added.

The captives all stood immediately and followed them out the door. Ed and Al led them up the stairs while Bumi called in the airships. She and Tenzin brought up the rear, with Bumi slightly behind them after packing up the radio.

They found the stairs and climbed again but halted when Ed held his fist up. They waited, and she could hear footsteps fading away. When the coast was clear, Ed continued, and the group followed. They made it up and out without seeing any other guards.

As they hurried back out into the courtyard, she was starting to think that it had been too easy. She cursed herself for jinxing them as several earthbender guards jumped down from the building, blocking their escape. Several more ran in from the gate behind and took up positions behind their fellows. The group stopped; they were surrounded with nowhere to go.

The earthbenders parted to allow their Queen to march through, and she looked livid. "And just what do you think you're doing with my airbender army?"

"They're coming with us! You have no right to force them into an army!" Ayana yelled in response.

"They are Earth Kingdom citizens, and I am their Queen. I can do with them as I please, and taking them is an act of war." The Queen paused to let her words sink in. "If you take them, I will bear down on you with the entire force of my kingdom!"

She answered with a glare, then raised her hands, ready to bend.

The Queen angrily turned away and waved her hand. The earthbenders all moved together and shot earth shackles at them.

She was shocked when the airbenders stepped forward and, together, created a gale that deflected and shackles and pushed back against the soldiers. Recovering from the surprise, she extended her hands and added her wind to theirs.

A shadow above them caught her attention, and she glanced up briefly to see the airships had arrived. Beifong's black one was maneuvering to position its open ramp at the top of the temple behind them.

"Everyone climb!" Bumi shouted urgently.

The airbenders were glancing around apprehensively. She shouted to them, "Go! We'll hold them off!"

They nodded to her and, one by one, airbent themselves up the sides of the temple exterior and into the airship. The wind force began to die down significantly as they left, and the earthbenders were beginning to attack again. She heard Al clap and a wall appeared to her right, shielding a fleeing airbender. Soon it was only her and Tenzin left holding the air current, and together they let go, knowing it wasn't enough anymore.

"Let's go!" Tenzin shouted, and they turned toward the temple. Ed and Al were already halfway up, Al still clapping and shaking the ground or creating barriers. Poor Ed wasn't much help; he probably should have boarded the airship with the benders, but Beifong had pulled away when the last one had gotten aboard. Ayana and Tenzin airbent up next to them and continued to blast away the earthbender's attacks.

She spotted Sona hovering near Asami's airship. Putting her fingers to her lips, she whistled loudly, and the sky bison immediately responded. As she flew by, all four of them jumped to the saddle. Ayana moved to her head and grabbed the reigns to direct her toward the airships.

"What about the others?" Al shouted up to her. She looked back and observed Mako, Bolin, Kai and Jinora running in the courtyard, and the earthbenders were blasting them with relentless attacks.

She pulled the reins to turn Sona around and flew back towards them. She watched Bolin earthbend beneath their feet, sending them flying high into the air. She raced to intercept, and Sona successfully caught them in her saddle. They turned and left the courtyard, and Ba Sing Se, behind.

She joined everyone else in the saddle once they were under way since Sona knew to follow the two airships. They needed to get as far away from the city as possible, so she knew it was going to be a long night. Everyone settled in for the journey, hunching down out of the wind or curling up, attempting to sleep. She sat next to Ed, with Al on his other side.

Al asked her. "Aren't you worried about the Queen? She thinks we declared war on her."

"She thinks I declared war on her. Not you. Don't worry, Al, it's not your problem to worry about."

"You're still not concerned about it?" He sounded skeptical.

She was a little apprehensive that she would end up paying for it in the future. But that didn't matter. They'd needed to free the captives, that's all there was to it. "Maybe a little. But it'll be fine. Besides, I think I have bigger things to worry about. Like Zaheer."

She didn't sleep well that night. The ride was uncomfortable, even with Ed's body keeping her warm as they cuddled up together. Eventually the sky began to lighten, and it was enough for Asami, who's airship was in the lead, to find a landing area big enough for both aircraft. The ships settled onto the ground and everyone disembarked. Tenzin rallied the freed airbenders together and was speaking to them while everyone else milled around in a separate group.

"What's the plan?" Beifong asked in a grouchy voice. She probably didn't sleep much, either.

"Well... you want me to go to Republic City with you, right?" She already knew the answer but figured she'd ask anyway.

The Chief crossed her arms. "That's right."

"Then I'll go with you. Tenzin is travelling to the Northern Air Temple, and he's taking any of the airbenders who are willing to go. Any who don't can come to the city with us and find a place for themselves there."

Tenzin approached and delivered the news that all the airbenders wanted to go with him. His eyes held tears of joy, which he was trying his hardest to hide from everyone. Her heart sang with the news. They were finally making some headway on reestablishing the Air Nation.

The party split into two groups. Tenzin took the airbenders, including Kai, Jinora, and Bumi onto Asami's airship and left for the Temple, with Sona following from the air. Ayana, Asami, Bolin, Mako, Ed, Al, and Raashu all boarded Beifong's ship and departed for Republic City.

Edward

They flew for a few hours before receiving a radio call about a new airbender location. It was a city called Zaofu, and he overheard someone call it the Metal Clan. Maybe it's the main production city for the country's metals. The police chief wasn't happy about it, but Ayana finally convinced her to detour to go find the airbender. After changing course, they flew for another few hours before landing in a field near a large river to take a break and refill the airship's water tanks.

Asami had finalized her design on his sword sleeve, and he was very impressed with the end result. He was dying to try it out. When they landed, he sprinted down the ramp, having already strapped it onto his arm, and pointed at his friends following him. "Who wants to spar me? I want to give this thing a try!"

"I will." Asami surprised him by volunteering. They walked away from the airship. Al, Ayana and the two bender brothers followed and found spots to sit in the grass. He strode away a little further then turned to face Asami. He reached over and pushed the button with his left hand, and the blade popped out instantly. He moved it experimentally a few times, making sure the straps were tight enough. Asami stood patiently, letting him make the first move when he was ready. He adjusted one of the straps, then raised the blade as he charged.

She dodged and swung her leg up in a kick. He moved his blade and blocked with its flat back, aware that he didn't want to injure her. He pushed her leg away and swung the blade upwards, feeling it bite though the air easily. Punching with his left, she grabbed his fist in a block and landed her own punch, right in the jaw. It wasn't a hard blow, but it jarred him.

They continued for a while, not really fighting all out, allowing him to get a good feel and test the blade in different swings and positions. Asami finally called it quits and asked him as they walked back to the others. "Why is your left leg so much harder than your right? Your strikes are heavier."

He stopped and reached down to pull up his pantleg up to reveal the automail. She gasped and fell to her knees to run her hands around the metal. He was starting to think that Asami and Winry would make really good friends, if they ever had the chance to meet.

"Wow, I've never seen anything like this!" She marveled. "If you don't mind me asking, what happened?"

"I do mind, actually." He tried to say it in a nice way, and he thought he succeeded. She didn't look offended as she nodded. But she still had stars in her eyes as she examined the automail.

Mako stood, and he had a playful gleam in his eyes as he glanced at Ayana. "Wanna go? I want to try that lightning redirect you taught me."

Her eyes widened. "What? Lightning's dangerous, it could kill you!"

"I can handle it." Mako moved to stand in front of her and stuck his hand down to pull her to her feet.

She sighed deeply as she accepted his hand. "For the record, I'm not a fan of this. Whatever you do, don't let the lightning pass through your heart." Mako nodded excitedly, and they walked away and warmed up with a few firebends at each other.

Asami had pulled a screwdriver from who-knew-where and dragged Ed's arm over to her lap. "I noticed this panel seemed a little loose, and this gear has some slop to it, it was clinking the whole time…" She was saying as she worked.

He wasn't really listening; he was watching the two firebenders go at it. Ayana shouted a warning, then shot a small bolt of lightning at Mako. He reached out and tried to absorb it but was instead knocked backwards as the strike landed. Ayana waited as he pulled himself to his feet, cursing. Asami had paused her work at the sound of thunder, as had Bolin and Al, who had both been playing with Pabu.

"Again!" Mako shouted as he raised his arms again. Ayana shot another small bolt, and again he flew backwards.

Asami turned her attention back to his sleeve, and Bolin and Al were playing with the fire ferret again. Mako tried several times to catch the lightning, but each time he was shocked and sent sprawling to the ground instead. Ed could tell he was getting frustrated, but he kept insisting he wanted to keep at it.

Ayana stopped. "Mako, lightning requires…"

"I know!" He interrupted, yelling in his frustration. He took a deep, calming breath and closed his eyes, trying to get his emotions under control. When he opened them again, Ed thought he looked more focused and less angry. "Again." He instructed firmly.

Ayana circled her hands, electricity forming as she moved, then pointed at Mako. The bolt flew fast, but Mako was ready with both hands extended. Ed watched as this time, the firebender didn't get knocked over. He'd successfully absorbed the lighting. His body flashed as he held it, and his face was screwed up in concentration.

"Release it!" Ayana hollered fearfully. Mako seemed to be struggling as he tried to move his arms. With a pained yell, he threw his hand up and shot the bolt straight into the sky. He looked satisfied as he gazed at his hands.

"Nicely done." Ayana congratulated him.

The police chief shouted over to them. "Break's over! Let's get moving!"

Asami pulled the sleeve off Ed's arm and promised him she'd give it back when she was done with a few more adjustments. They all followed her back onto the airship, which swiftly left the ground.

Ayana

After boarding the airship everyone dispersed to go their own separate ways. She found her feet taking to one of the observation decks and she sat to enjoy the view of the world going by below her. She was elated that she'd been able to teach Mako something new, but hoped he'd never have to use it anywhere.

She sat by herself for a while, but eventually Al joined her, and they watched together as the sun began to set. Keeping her gaze outside, she asked him, "I've been wondering, but haven't had the chance to ask." She saw Al look at her out of the corner of her eye. "What made you guys decide to come here? It couldn't have been an easy decision, leaving everything you knew like that."

Al looked back out the window. "It wasn't that hard of a decision, really. We've spent so much of our past away from home, that the idea of another trip didn't bother us."

"Well… I'm happy you're here." She admitted softly. "I asked Ed how long you guys were planning on staying, and he said you hadn't discussed it. I know how hard it is to be away from home, to be completely separated from your world. Whenever you guys want to go back, just say the word and we'll get you there, okay?"

"Thanks. But I don't think either of us are planning on leaving for a while." He grinned at her. "Exploring a new world is great! Now I know how you felt, back when you were dropped into Amestris. There are so many similarities, yet there's also a lot of differences. I've noticed there's no guns here."

"Never really had a need for them. Armies and law enforcement are all made up of benders. I didn't even know what a gun was until Hawkeye pointed hers at me, back on the day we met."

They talked for a little longer before deciding to find out where Ed had wandered off to.