Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Legend of Korra
Mustang
He was standing on the front lines, eyeing the enemy forces positioned across from him on the edge of the desert. They technically hadn't crossed the border yet, and he had no intentions of provoking them. The Eastern Command army stood behind him, sweating in the desert heat as they waited for something to happen.
He turned to the face the generals assembled around him. "Gentlemen, the Fuhrer has ordered that we try everything possible to end this peacefully, but he's given us permission to use whatever force is necessary to protect our citizens and country. I'm going to go down in the middle and see if their commander will meet with me to talk. General Hayman, General Banner, you will accompany me. Bring a few of your men with you; they can carry the tent and some chairs." The general's saluted, then turned to issue instructions.
Shortly after, they had closed half the distance between the two armies and erected a small pavilion. Roy sat in one of the chairs, and the other stood empty for the Xingese representative. His two generals flanked him, standing at attention behind him, as they waited. Hawkeye and the other subordinates waited outside the tent behind them.
Eventually a small group separated itself from the Xing army and approached. The general entered the pavilion with two of his own commanders, and the remainder of the party waited outside. He seated himself in the empty chair. He looked to be a weathered man, experienced in life, with short black hair and a clean-shaven face.
Roy began by introducing himself, "I'm General Mustang."
The Xingese answered, "I'm General Hu. May I begin by saying this is some nasty business indeed."
"We're agreed on that count." He responded truthfully. "I'd like to do everything we can to settle this peacefully today."
"And I as well." Hu responded. "However, the allegations for which my army has been dispatched are quite egregious. You see, my prince sent me here because your nation is accused of murdering his dear brother, Chen."
"I can assure you, his passing was most unfortunate, and I can further say that it was not an Amestrian who killed him. You are placing the blame in the wrong place."
"You may as well have killed him. The lone survivor reported you allowed them passage into the portal after having laid a trap on the other side."
"That's false information. We had nothing to do with the spirit's presence on the other side and had no idea it would kill." It was true, he had been shocked when the spirit had actually taken a human life. For some reason, he'd thought the Avatar would have told it to be content with scaring and chasing.
"The circumstances could be debated for hours, the point remains that we are here. And here is what my prince wants. He demands unobstructed passage to and from the portal, for him and any other Xingese citizen that he designates. He also would like to kindly remind you that the portal is our birthright; we discovered it thousands of years ago and have simply come to reclaim what is rightfully ours. He also claims the right to avenge his brother by killing his murderer. If you refuse, we will be forced to claim these requests by force."
This wasn't looking good. "General Hu, surely your prince can understand that his demands are… extreme. I cannot give him passage, as that would surely anger the other clans of your country and bring their wrath down upon us. As for the birthright issue, I don't see how that's even a valid argument."
General Hu's nostrils flared. "It was our clan that discovered it, eons ago! The other clans followed and took advantage, and Yosono Kami's wrath destroyed them all! But he spared our clan. He promised to open the portal again someday for us, and that day has finally come! You have no right to stand in our way."
This was the first he was hearing about this 'Yosono Kami'. He'd of course done some research before showing up here, but he'd never heard that name before. He'd have to do some digging later. Regardless, he could see how passionate the General was about it; he truly believed in what he was saying.
Roy responded. "I'm afraid I can't turn control of the portal over to you based on a myth. I may be able to help your prince's desire to avenge his brother, though. We can find the perpetrator, and he may stand trial for his crimes." He didn't really believe they'd be able to give a spirit a trial, but they could try. Maybe he could somehow talk to the Avatar about it; to see what her opinion was or find out how laws and such worked in the spirit world.
Hu shook his head. "That is not enough. My prince needs entrance to the portal."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that." Roy knew this conversation was over. He was dreading the events that were about to unfold.
General Hu stood. "Then I'm afraid we have nothing more to discuss. I'm truly sorry we couldn't reach a better arrangement." He turned and left, and his escort followed.
Roy stood too. "Tear down the pavilion. We need to inform the army."
Upon returning to the army, he made two calls on the radio. The first was to Fuhrer Grumman. The second was to Havoc.
Ayana
Despite being exhausted, none of them slept well that night. Once, she swore she could hear a wolf howling and the sounds of distant fighting, but she couldn't be sure.
The following morning, the earthbenders loaded them onto an airship bound for Ba Sing Se. She'd tried to warn them their queen's life was in jeopardy, and tried telling them about Zaheer, but none of them would listen.
Her dolly was wheeled into a prison cell, with Asami and Ed being led in chains behind her. Their restraints were attached to hooks in the walls, and the guards left and locked the door behind them.
"I'd hoped the boys or Raashu would have saved us by now." Ayana lamented.
"I got a plan." Edward declared, and she saw a mischievous grin on his face. "I've still got this." He indicated his sleeve with his eyes.
"What, the laser? How are you going to press the button?" She asked him bluntly.
His face fell slightly. "I haven't got that far yet. Can you airbend and push it?"
"I can't bend anything without moving." He knew that; she shouldn't have to tell him. Maybe he was just desperate.
He tried stretching his hand over to the button, but it was too far to reach.
"I think I can reach it." Asami offered, so he twisted his arm, trying to get the button as close to her hand as possible. She stretched against the chains but couldn't quite reach.
"What about your feet?" Ayana suggested. Asami balanced herself on one foot, raising the other, and stretched her foot out to press the button.
The laser shot out with a low hum, and Ed quickly twisted his arm to aim it at Asami's chain. It severed easily, and the restraints fell to the floor. Now freed, Asami unstrapped Ayana, and then she metalbent Ed's chains off his wrists.
"Can you sense how many guards there are?" He asked.
"Just one. He's standing to the left of the door, down a ways."
He nodded, then moved toward the door. She was about to ask what he was planning but didn't get the chance. He raised his automail leg and kicked hard, sending the door flying from its hinges. He bolted out so quick that she blinked in surprise. She hurried out the door with Asami to find the guard knocked out on the floor and Ed retracting his blade.
"Nice one." She praised. "Let's find the bridge."
They hurried through the airship, and she was thankful that it had a similar layout to Asami's. They found the bridge easily, and she kicked the door down and blasted air at the occupants at the controls. She was able to knock out most of them on that one hit, and the ones she missed Ed and Asami took care of quickly.
Asami ran to the controls and moved the steering wheel, but nothing happened. "Uh, I think you might have gone a little overboard on the airbending."
"Sorry." She responded. "What can we do?" The airship had started to tilt down, losing altitude.
"I don't think we can do anything. The steering is broken!" Asami cried in frustration.
"Look out!" Ed pointed out the window. They were headed right for a sand dune.
"Hold on!" Ayana shouted as she airbent a shield around them.
Alphonse
Tied and gagged, he and the two brothers were captured by Zaheer and thrown into the back of a truck. They rode so long he lost track of time, and he couldn't get his hands positioned to clap. They must have figured out that's how he used alchemy, because they'd tied his arms to the sides of his body tightly enough that he couldn't move them at all. Mako and Bolin had been tied together, leaning against each other's backs with their arms tied between them.
Al was miserably uncomfortable, but was glad that at least Ayana, Asami and Ed were safe. They would come save them soon, he was sure of it.
But rescue never came, and they eventually arrived in a place he recognized. Ba Sing Se. Why was Zaheer bringing them here? To collect the bounty from the Earth Queen? Al was sure that wasn't it, surely a criminal like Zaheer didn't need money for anything. He'd just steal whatever he needed. There must be another reason.
They reached the Upper Ring and the truck finally rolled to a halt. The doors opened and the three eyed lady pulled him out. His legs had fallen asleep from the long ride, so he stumbled as he stood. She steadied him when he nearly fell over, but otherwise didn't help. Mako and Bolin were pulled out, too, and together they were forced into the Queen's palace.
They were thrown roughly to the floor at her feet in the throne room. She glared at them. "Ah, yes, I remember these three. We'll find a good home for you in prison." She sneered. Then she looked up at Zaheer and his group. "Now then. I hear you have some information for me. Where are my airbenders?"
Zaheer responded. "I'd be happy to tell you, once you hand the Avatar over to me."
"Who told you we have the Avatar?" The Queen demanded angrily.
Al felt the brothers, who were leaning against his back, stiffen. He turned his head as far as he could to look at Mako's face out of the corner of his eye. He had surprise and fear in his eyes. I guess that's why they haven't rescued us yet.
Zaheer was saying, "How I know isn't important, but if I found out, so will others. And that could put you in a difficult position. If you imprison the Avatar and the other nations find out, they will turn against you and demand her freedom. However, if you turn her over to me, no one will ever need to know, and you can get your airbenders back without interference."
The Queen paused, assessing his words. "What do you plan do to with the Avatar? Should I decide to grant your request, of course."
"All I can say is I have business with her. But she won't bother you again, I can assure you of that." Zaheer replied in a sinister tone. Al and Mako exchanged another look.
The Queen studied Zaheer, tapping her fingers on her throne. Finally she smiled. "I find these terms acceptable. Gun, escort them to the antechamber to wait for the Avatar's arrival. As for you three," She looked down at them again and locked eyes with him. "Throw them in the dungeons."
Edward
Asami popped the emergency hatch in the roof, and together they climbed out on top of the wreckage. The airship was half buried in the sand, but it looked mostly intact.
"Do you think we can repair it?" Ayana asked Asami. She looked and sounded guilty for causing the crash.
"I'm not sure. We'd have to dig it out so I can get a good look." She replied.
Some of the earthbenders were climbing out of the hatch now. One of them informed everyone, "I just came from the engine room, and its full of sand. I don't think we'll be able to fire the engines up."
The captain approached them. "Don't worry, I radioed Ba Sing Se before we went down. Someone will come searching for us, we just have to wait."
"I'm not waiting." Ayana said sternly. "We need to move. If we all work together, maybe we can repair the ship and get out of here."
"Avatar, may I remind you that you are our captives. It's our duty to get you to the Earth Queen. I can't allow you to leave."
"Did that sand dune just move?" Asami interrupted and pointed out into the desert. Ed looked but didn't see anything.
"It was probably just a mirage. The desert will play tricks on you." The captain assured her. But then Ed saw the sand move, too, and he didn't think it was a mirage. A large dune was moving with incredible speed, snaking its way around as it wandered closer.
"Well, do you want to help us fix the ship, or become lunch for whatever that thing is?" Ayana pointed at the moving sand hump with her other hand on her hip.
The crew didn't argue after that, so Ayana blasted the sand away from the front of the ship to unbury it from the dune. The group climbed down off the top and viewed the ship from the ground, assessing the damage and discussing a plan of attack.
They'd just settled on a strategy when out of nowhere the sand monster jumped up into the air. Opening its jaws, it smashed the airship in half and dragged most of the wreckage down beneath the dunes.
"It's a sand shark!" Ayana yelled, and without further ado, she turned tail and fled.
Ed was shocked; she never ran from anything. Except maybe spiders. But the earthbenders and Asami were booking it, too, so he sprinted after them. He heard the shark surface again, and heard it growling as it landed behind them. The impact created a wave of sand and knocked everyone from their feet. They all climbed back up quickly, but it looked like the shark had disappeared. For now.
"What are we going to do?" One of the crewmembers cried in despair. "All our supplies were on that ship! Now we're stranded in the desert with no food and no water. We're going to die!"
"Calm down!" The captain commanded. "There's still a rescue ship coming, we just have to wait."
"I told you, we can't wait." Ayana insisted. She looked over at him and Asami. "Let's see if we can patch together a sand sailer or something."
Alphonse
Mako and Bolin were thrown in one cell, and he was locked in the one across from them. Zaheer must have told them to prevent him from clapping, because his hands were restrained in shackles with a large bar between the wrists, preventing his hands from touching. It reminded him of the time he, Ed and Ayana had been locked up in Fort Briggs. Ayana had firebent their restraints off them that time…
"Hey, Mako! Do you think you could firebend these off? Then I could use alchemy and get us out of here."
Mako stuck his face between the bars and examined his shackles. "Not from here, I can't. That metal's thick, it would take a fine flame for a long period of time to cut through it. Sorry."
Well, it was worth a shot.
Mako turned to his brother. "We have to get out of here before Zaheer gets his hands on Ayana! Bolin, I know you can bend metal. I believe in you, bro!"
Bolin looked defeated. "You know I can't. I've tried, and tried, but I can never do it. Not even a little."
Mako looked confident. "You just haven't had the right motivation until now. This is your time! You have to get us out of here so we can save Ayana!"
Bolin perked up. "Okay, you're right! Here I go!" He extended his hands to the bars and tried his best to bend the metal. Al was hoping this was it, he was going to do it this time.
But nothing happened. Bolin fell to his knees dramatically. "I can't do it. I can't metalbend."
Al tried not to show his disappointment. "Don't worry, Bolin. We'll get out of here somehow. Maybe Ed and Asami will come for us." Ed's laser would be really handy right now. But he and Asami had been with Ayana, so did that mean the Queen had captured them, too? He hoped not.
Several hours passed. He was sitting on his cot leaning against the wall, half asleep, when he was jarred awake by a loud voice echoing from a speaker somewhere. He recognized the voice; it was Zaheer. "Attention citizens of Ba Sing Se. I have an important announcement. Moments ago, the Earth Queen was brought down by a group of revolutionaries, including myself. I will not tell you my name, because it's not important. I'm not here to take control of the Earth Kingdom. I think you've had enough of leaders telling you what to do. It's time for you to find your own paths. No longer will you be oppressed by tyrants. From here on out, you're free. I deliver Ba Sing Se back into the hands of the people!"
The prisoners were silent as they absorbed the words. The Queen was dead? Zaheer killed her! Why? Was he planning to kill Ayana, too? Is that why he wanted her?
No, that couldn't be right. He would have killed her that night in Zaofu if that was true. There had to be another reason he wanted her.
He was drawn out of his thoughts by the other prisoners yelling for freedom, cheering the Queen's death. Mako was trying to convince Bolin to try metalbending again. Al just sat still, not knowing what to do. He watched, disinterested, as Bolin tried again to open the cells, and was shocked when they all opened, excluding his and theirs. The rest of the prisoners cheered and ran out of the prison.
"I did it! Not for us, but for everyone else!" Bolin was elated.
"I don't think that was you." Mako had his head in his hand in frustration.
They heard footsteps approaching, and Zaheer appeared. Mako instantly threw a fireball, but Zaheer dodged and blasted the brothers with air, sending them to the back of their cell. He merely glanced over his shoulder at Al as he jumped up from the bed and stuck his face between the bars.
"I'm going to set you free, but first we need to talk. I need you to deliver a message to the Avatar."
Edward
It wasn't pretty, but it would work. They'd been able to scrap together enough materials to make a couple skis, attach it to a makeshift platform, and erect a pole with a sail. They'd worked quickly, since the shifting sand of the shark prowling nearby was good motivation. Now they stood admiring their creation, assessing if it needed anything else before they left.
"I think it looks good." Asami decided, and he and Ayana nodded. "All aboard!"
The earthbenders joined them on the platform. Ayana took up a position behind the sail and began airbending into it. It took some time to pick up speed, but eventually they were hurtling across the dunes. Unfortunately, the sand shark must have heard or sensed their movement, because as Ed looked back, he saw the thing chasing them.
"Ayana! Might want to speed up!" He shouted at her.
"I'm bending as fast as I can!" She shouted back.
Asami had her hands on the large paddle trailing behind them, which she used to steer. She looked back and saw the shark jump, jaws open, and swerved out of the way. The earthbenders yelled as they were thrown sideways, but at least the shark missed.
"Asami!" Ed shouted at her in warning as the shark jumped again, and she veered just in the nick of time. The impact from the creature's dive was close enough to send the sailer skidding sideways for a bit, but thankfully it didn't flip. He sat watching, waiting for the next attack. The shark chased them under the sand for a bit to catch back up, and then jumped, baring his teeth with his maw opened wide.
Ed aimed and shot his laser. He wasn't sure where exactly it impacted, he only knew it had hit. The shark made a whining noise as it closed its mouth and landed, disappearing under the sand. Luckily, he didn't return this time.
"Nice going!" Ayana shouted at him.
They rode on for a ways. It was hard to tell how far they'd gone, since everything looked the same.
"How many times have you shot it, now?" Asami asked.
He thought about it, counting in his head. "I think four? Maybe five?"
She nodded. "We should probably change the battery soon. I don't know exactly how many shots you get with one, but I'll bet it's getting low."
The captain shouted from the front of the sailer and pointed in front of them and to the left. "I think I see a small town up ahead! I hope it's not a mirage!"
Ed peered between the dunes and spotted it. Asami must have been able to see it, too, because she turned right for it. Hopefully, three people seeing the same thing meant it wasn't an illusion.
Thankfully, it was very much real as they approached. Ayana slowed her bending, the sailer skidded to a stop, and everyone jumped off. He was extremely thankful they had found civilization again. This desert sucks; his automail was already uncomfortably hot and he wasn't sure he'd be able to handle the heat for much longer.
The captain approached Ayana. "I don't know the details of the conflict between you and the Queen, but I think it's above my paygrade." He held his hand out and Ayana shook it. "Thank you for saving us." He and his crew turned and left them to enter the town.
Ayana and Asami moved to follow them, and he was about to turn, too, but something caught his eye. He paused midstep, thinking he must be seeing things.
"Is that a real dragon over there?" He pointed at it. It was large and red, with two massive horns protruding from its head.
"Yeah, that's Druk. Lord Zuko must be here." Ayana answered nonchalantly.
He followed them into town, shaking his head. In all his life, he never imagined he'd see a real, live dragon. Al was going to be so jealous when he told him.
They entered the only restaurant in town to find Chief Beifong sitting with an elderly man dressed in red robes. He had a massive burn mark on the left side of his face. Ed tried to be polite and not stare at it.
"Thanks for ditching me at Zaofu." Beifong greeted them. Her voice was dripping in sarcasm and annoyance.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Ayana apologized as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand in guilt. "How did you know where to find us?"
"I am a detective, you know." She spat.
The scared man stood. "It's nice to see you again, Avatar Ayana."
"And you, too, Lord Zuko." She replied formally.
"Have you heard about the Earth Queen?" He asked.
They exchanged glances among themselves. "No, what about her?" Ayana finally asked.
Just then the announcer on the radio began speaking, and they listened intently. "Again, if you're just joining us, the reign of the Earth Queen has come to an abrupt and violent end. Ba Sing Se has descended into chaos as rioters and looters have overrun the palace…."
"The Red Lotus." Ayana growled.
"What's that?" Beifong asked.
"The name of the group that's been trying to capture me, and just took out the Queen." She answered. "This isn't good. They're going after the leaders of the world, because they believe that governments and rulers shouldn't exist."
Beifong and Zuko looked shocked. Zuko responded slowly, "If that's true, then I should return to the Fire Nation. I need to protect my daughter."
They all paused as they heard familiar voices outside. "Al!" Ed called as he rushed through the door. He found his brother standing outside with Mako, Bolin, and about twenty other people he didn't recognize. Al called back and raced to meet him.
"Brother! I'm so happy to see you're okay!" Al cried.
"How'd you guys find us? What happened after we left you at the inn?"
Mako and Bolin approached, and the rest of the group from inside the restaurant joined them. "We got captured by Zaheer and taken to the Earth Queen. We were there when he took her out." Al answered.
"What, really?" Ayana asked in surprise.
"Yeah. He only let us go because he wanted us to deliver a message to you." Mako cut in. "He's headed to the Northern Air Temple right now. He says he's going to wipe out the entire Air Nation unless you turn yourself over to him."
No one responded for a long minute. Finally, Ayana spoke, "We need to radio Tenzin and warn him."
"Our radio's broken on our airship." Bolin informed her.
"I have a portable one in the jeep, but the signal won't reach that far. We need to find a place with a strong transmitter. Zaofu will have one." Beifong supplied.
"Let's go, we can radio Su on the way there." Ayana decided, and she had a hint of urgency in her voice.
Together, the group hurried out of the village to board the airship Mako, Bolin, and Al had apparently stolen to escape Ba Sing Se. Ed watched Lord Zuko bid farewell to Ayana before climbing up onto his dragon and departing. He elbowed Al and pointed, and heard his gasp at the sight of a real dragon.