Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Avatar the Last Airbender or the Avengers (MCU), only the story. Avatar the Last Airbender and its characters belongs to Nickelodeon and Avengers belongs to Marvel. I apologize for any errors in grammar and/or if I was not accurate in reference to something.

A/N: Just one more chapter after this and we see who's the next Avenger.

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Katara: Water, Soldier, Mechanist, God, Earth, Fire, Spy, Archer, Monster, Air

(One by one, eight figures do something to show off their skills: the Waterbender weaves a stream of water from the ground, around him and then thrusts it towards the side, the soldier blocks an attack with his shield before throwing it, the mechanist has armor envelope him and then uses the repulsor on his hand to blast something on the side, the god holds a powerful hammer high to summon a bolt of lightning, the Earthbender kicks the ground bringing up a large rock before he kicks it away, the Firebender twists around as she summons fire from her foot before doing a high kick to the ground and makes the flames spread, the spy drops down from above and displays a few moves, the archer rolls across the ground and fires a few arrows, and finally the monster comes down from a jump and smashes his huge fists on the ground, the Airbender drops down and then with a circle of his arms he creates a blast of wind.)

Katara: Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked.

(Docked on a shore, five Fire Nation ships with the Hydra insignia released their soldiers. With a jump forward and a palm thrust, the firebenders released a wave of fire as the Hydra soldiers used their advanced technology.)

Katara: Only the Avatar, master of all four elements could stop them. But when the world needed him most, he vanished.

(The Avatar, a man with a crown on his head and dressed in robes stands on a pillar of stone as he bent the four elements of water, earth, fire and air to show his skill in the arts of bending. After releasing a powerful disk of wind, he disappears from existence.)

Katara: A hundred years passed and my brother and I discovered the new Avatar: an Airbender named Aang and met the team called the Avengers.

(The water tribe siblings find a young Airbender frozen in block of ice. After freeing him, they are then joined by heroes called Captain America, Ironman, Thor, Hulk, Clint, and Natasha.)

Katara: And although with the teams help and his airbending skills are great, hehas a lot to learn before he's ready to save anyone.

(At an Air Nomad path, Aang creates an air scooter and starts to have fun with it. But when he expands his circle a little bit, he runs right into a statue. He rolls over onto his back as all six of the Avengers then poke their heads from behind the statue to check on him.)

Katara: But I believe the Avengers and Aang can save the world.

(Aang, Steve, Katara, Tony, Thor, Bruce, Sokka, Clint and Natasha stand side by side, looking down at the world on a mountain's peak for a moment as the reader's view is turned upwards to the sun.)

Nickelodeon and Marvel

The Avenging Avatar

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Avatar Roku: Previously, on Avenging Avatar…

Pakku directed the group, "Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to the Earth Kingdom city of Omashu. There, you'll be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi."

A large royalty class Fire Navy ship sailed through the open waters to the Fire Nation colonies in the Earth Kingdom. A large group of Firebenders in royal class armor stood on deck before kneeling down when they saw the arrival of their leader. The large set of doors in the tower opened and four palanquin bearers carried it out into the light. They stopped before the ramp and lowered the palanquin down. Two walked in front of the palanquin and pulled back the drapes to reveal a young woman in royal Fire Nation armor sitting on a makeshift throne. The princess, Azula, stood up and stepped out of the palanquin. A group of individuals soon approached behind the palanquin and stood on both sides of the princess. Abomination, Rumlow and Scarlet Widow stood on Azula's left while the Destroyer Armor, the armored Justin Hammer and the bug suit pilot stood on her right. Two elderly women in Fire Nation robes also accompanied them by the princess' side.

"We have received some intel of mysterious strangers popping up in the Earth Kingdom." Fong informed. All six of them looked hopeful as he said, "There have been rumors about a beast near the Bang Grove Swamp. And of an archer near the Earth Kingdom capital. As for the third, there has been nothing."

At the Fire Nation town, the citizens were gathered to hear what their princess had to say. They looked with fear at the Hydra team standing behind the princess. She brought out a wanted poster while saying, "Anyone who harbors these traitors will face the wrath of the Fire Lord."

Sokka said, "We need to get going to Omashu."

Katara told the Nomads, "We need to find King Bumi so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe."

"Well, it sounds like you guys are heading to Omashu." Chong said. Chong then said, "There's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains."

"Peggy." Steve whispers as he starts to think about her. Natasha didn't say hers out loud, but was thinking of someone who had indeed touched her heart. Katara placed her hand over Aang's hand that was holding the candle. Aang looked to her with a smile and she back at him. As the flame started to go out, Aang and Katara leaned forward to kiss.

The badgermoles started to sway to the sounds of the music as they enjoyed it. Thor stood up and summoned Mjolnir back into his hand. With a smirk he said, "I think I know how we can get ourselves out now."

Then running up the hill Sokka glanced back, "Ladies and gentleman I present to you the Earth Kingdom city of O-" He stopped and his eyes became wide at what he saw, "Oh, no."

The rest of the group rushed to see what it was and gasped at the sight. The city of Omashu had been taken over by the Fire Nation and Hydra. Smoke billowed from all around the city and more bridges were being constructed. But the most worrying piece of the scene were the giant insignia of both the Fire Nation and Hydra on a flag over the front gate.

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Book Two: Earth

Chapter Three: Return to Omashu

The sun shone on the day even though their were clouds in the sky. But it wasn't the weather that would be a problem for the group. Instead, it was for the fact that the Fire Nation and Hydra had completely taken over the city of Omashu. Everything about the city had been changed. The stone walls had been covered by metal plating, smoke billowed out from different spots in the city, at least seven more bridges being built towards the city and there was a huge banner with the combined insignias of the Fire Nation and Hydra. The group looked at the desolate scene in dismay, but none more so than Aang. He still couldn't believe it as he said, "I just can't believe it, you guys." He turned to the group and said, "I know that the war has spread pretty far, but… Omashu always just seemed…" Aang glanced back to the city and said, "Untouchable."

"Up until now, or when they came, it was." Sokka said. It didn't even make him feel better as he said, "Now, Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left against them."

"This is just horrible." Katara said as she and Natasha walked up to Aang. Thor then thought of something, "You'd think that Fong would have known about the fall of Omashu." He looked to Sokka and Steve and asked, "So why didn't he at let us know?"

"Probably to try and take Aang to face the Fire Lord." Steve guessed, more than likely knowing that it was the most possible answer. Sokka then questioned, "If that's true, then those soldier's must have known something as well. Why didn't they say something?"

"That I don't know." Steve said with a shake of his head. Katara then said, "We can talk about it later, but right now, we have to get out of here and move on."

"No. I'm going in to find Bumi." Aang said, knowing otherwise. He started to walk towards the city and Natasha grabbed his arm, "Aang, you can't go in there."

"She's right, Aang." Sokka agreed. Then he said, "You don't even know if Bumi's still…"

"What? If he's still what, Sokka?" Aang asked when he turned to him, even know he knew what Sokka was trying to say. Sokka tried to put it kind words by saying, "Around."

"Though it would be sensible to simply put someone like Bumi down…" Thor started, "But from what you told me, your friend is much more resilient."

"And I know that you had your heart set on learning from Bumi," Katara said, knowing how much he wanted to learn from the old Earthbender. But she tried to make him face facts by saying, "But there are plenty of other people out there who can teach you Earthbending."

"I don't think that's what he's wanting to go in there for." Steve said, getting a certain feeling of what Aang was hoping for. Aang nodded and said, "Steve's right." He looked back to the city while saying, "This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding my friend."

Steve, Sokka, Thor, Natasha and Katara all looked to each other before nodding in agreement. Walking up to the Airbender, Thor placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. Aang looked to the Asgardian and Thor smiled as he said, "Then, we shall help you find Bumi."

"No man left behind." Steve said, remembering another last time he went into dangerous territory. Natasha, Sokka and Katara all nodded in agreement as well. Sokka then asked, "But how are we going to get in? It's not like we can go through the front gate like last time."

"Don't worry." Aang said, a half-smirk forming on his face. They all looked to the city again and Aang said, "I know of another way in."

The others looked to each other before turning to the bison.

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They had to fly around the mountains before flying low through the canyon around the city. Aang steered Appa close to the mountain just a hundred feet or so under the main bridge. They all saw where he was going, a large metal pipe with a lid sticking out of the rock wall. They dismounted from the bison when he was floating next to a stone walk way. The Water Tribe siblings and the heroes all wore cloaks to disguise themselves while Aang stuck to not wearing one. Sokka couldn't believe it as he questioned, "Seriously, a secret passage?"

Aang jumped up to the top of the metal pipe and started prying at it with his staff. Sokka then asked him, "Why didn't we just use this the last time we were here?"

"I think we're about to find out." Steve said as he and Thor moved the siblings out of the way. Aang was able to pull the lid off, and it and a ton of sewage water fell off the side of the path. Appa flew away to avoid getting the stuff on him and Sokka groaned at the smelly water. They all looked to Aang as the Airbender then asked, "Does that answer your question?"

"Well, in we go." Steve said and Aang jumped down. Aang took the lead into the pipe with Katara, Steve, Natasha, Thor and Sokka following behind. But the moment Sokka stepped in, the smell assaulted his nose and he shouted, "Ew!" He held his nose and said, "Gross!"

"If you think this is gross," Steve said from ahead of him, "just ask Tony what the inside of a space monster smelled like."

"Ugh." Sokka just groaned before climbing up after them. Aang used his staff to airbend a sphere to keep most of the gunk off of him, Katara used her waterbending to keep it off of her, Steve and Natasha while Thor spun Mjolnir in front of him and Momo. The only one who wasn't spared was Sokka as he kept getting splashed in the face and sputtered from the nasty water. They continued traveling upwards to the streets of Omashu.

Nighttime had fallen by the time the heroes found a manhole cover to the sewers. Aang, Thor and Steve worked together to push the manhole cover off. Pushing the cover up a little, Aang carefully climbed up to see if it was good to come up. He didn't see any one coming. Glancing down he quietly said, "Okay. We're clear."

Pushing the cover off, Aang used airbending to jump out of the sewer hole and ran back to help the others. He gripped Steven's arm before hoisting the super soldier out of the sewer. Thor came up after him and all three helped the girls out of the sewer. They moved away and Katara shrugged and said, "That really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"I know, right." Natasha said as they all dusted themselves a bit. Thor looked around and said, "Where did Sokka go?"

They all started looking about when something started climbing out of the sewer. The creature moaned and groaned as it walked towards them. All five were horrified to see such a thing. Steve reacted quickly by taking off his shield and chucked it at the thing. The creature shrieked in pain before Katara noticed a barrel of water. Using her waterbending, she threw a large amount of water at the thing. Sokka yelped as the water knocked the gunk off of him and knocked him into a few crates. Each of them were shocked to see that it was Sokka and looked to Steve. Steve ran up to him and offered his hand, "Sorry about that, Sokka."

"It's okay." Sokka said and took hold of his friend's hand. Thor and Aang decided to dry their friend off by unleashing a gust of wind at Sokka. Sokka yelped from the strong winds but it did the trick as the water disappeared, but not everything looked okay. Thor pointed to the teen and said, "Uh, Sokka."

Sokka had a bored look though he could feel something sticking to his skin. With a shriek he grabbed the little cephalopods by their heads. When they didn't come off he shouted, "They won't let go of me!

"Help!" Sokka screamed, making the others look about. Aang quickly tackled Sokka against a wall to make him stop screaming. The Airbender had a smile on his face as he knew what was on Sokka's face, "Stop making so much noise, Sokka. It's just a few purple pentapi."

"Pentapi?" Natasha asked the other three. But Katara, Steve and Thor all just shook their heads as they didn't understand right now either. Sokka whimpered when the pentapi started moving about on his face. Aang then lightly touched one of the pentapi's heads and lightly scratched it. The pentapi seemed to enjoy it as they closed their eyes and released their grip on Sokka's face. Seeing how it was done, Sokka moved to the one on his right cheek and lightly scratched the top of its head. Aang quickly removed the last one from Sokka's back as he rubbed his face. A shout made them all alert, "Hey, you!"

They looked down the street to see two Fire Nation guards, a Firebender and a soldier of Hydra walking towards them. Sokka and Katara moved in front of Aang and the Airbender quickly readied his disguise. Thor and Steve both calmly stood in the shadows of an alley while Nat remained with the children. The siblings then moved to where Aang could be seen but was now wearing his waistband as a makeshift hat. One of the soldiers then questioned, "What are you lot doing out past curfew?"

"Sorry." Katara apologized. Then she reassured, "We were just on our way home right now."

Though it seemed to pass by with the Fire Nation soldiers, the Hydra soldier didn't look entirely convinced. All six friends turned and started walking down the street. But the lead soldier noticed something about Sokka and said, "Wait a minute."

The four stopped walking and waited to see what he had to say. Steve and Thor placed a hand on their respective tools in case things went south for them. The soldier then asked, "What's the matter with him?"

"Uh…" Katara said and looked to the marks on her brother's neck. Nat looked too and then said, "Oh, that. We were just out to get some medicine for him."

"Yes." Katara quickly agreed and the four all turned around. Katara then said, "He has a case of the pentapox, sir."

The soldier walked up and looked as if to touch Sokka. But Natasha was quick to stop him and said, "I wouldn't do that, sir."

"It's highly contagious." Katara warned. The soldier pulled his finger back and looked to the teen. Sokka glanced at Katara, caught on with what she was saying and started acting the part. Raising his arms up in a feeble manner, Sokka then started moaning, "Oh, it's so awful, I'm dying."

"And deadly." Katara added as Sokka started taking shaky steps towards the soldiers. All the soldiers looked frightened to hear of the 'deadly' disease as the lead soldier sounded really fearful of it and then said, "Hey, I think that I've heard of this pentapox disease." He looked to the Firebender of the group and asked, "Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?"

The Firebender nodded and seemed to scare everyone of the four. The Hydra soldier raised his weapon, a small pistol, and said, "We should make sure that he can't spread his disease."

This caused the six to look a little worried about it. Natasha was able to come up with something. She held up her hands and said, "Don't do that." Gesturing to herself and Aang and Katara she said, "We told you that we got something to help him. But we need to get him out of here."

"You do that." The lead soldier said and they all backed fearfully away when Sokka got closer. The other Fire Nation soldier then said, "And we'll go and wash our hands…"

"And burn our clothes." The Hydra soldier added before they all turned and ran off when Sokka started coughing. Only when they were gone did he stop pretending to be sick. He looked back to the others as Aang held one of the pentapi in hand. He was giving it a grateful scratch and said, "Thank you, little sewer friend."

The pentapus released its grip with a grateful look. Sokka scratched his face as the marks slightly itched. Steve and Thor came out of hiding and the latter said to Sokka, "That was some pretty good acting."

"Well, you know, I try." Sokka said while rubbing the back of his neck. Aang placed the pentapi down in the hole before covering it back up. Steve started chuckling and said, "I didn't expect that Hydra soldier to believe that."

"That is true. With their training, he should have been able to see through it." Natasha said with a grin. Aang then said, "Now come on. We have a lot of ground to cover."

They all nodded in agreement before rushing off to try and find Bumi.

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Elsewhere, Azula's royal Fire Navy ship sat by the shore. Her forces had already made camp and awaited further orders. While those on the land kept an eye out for danger, the ones on the boat were attending to the princess and her entourage of allies. The two sisters once again sat on either side of the princess. They were discussing a plan as one sister said, "When tracking your brother and uncle, traveling with a royal procession may no longer be an option…"

"May no longer be wise." The other said in agreement. Then the two said in unison, "If you hope to keep the element of surprise."

"You're both right." Azula agreed with her advisors. She kept her cool, steely gaze as she admitted, "For this mission the royal procession is dead weight. If I want to be able to catch my prey, I need to be agile, nimble and able to move swiftly." She then knew what was necessary and said, "I need a small, elite team for this mission." Though a few with her now would do, she thought of others, "I think it's time to go and visit some old friends."

"And we will remain by your side, princess." The Scarlet Widow said as she and the team came before her. All six, even Abomination, bowed to the princess. Azula then said, "While I wouldn't mind bringing all of you with me, I'm afraid that only a few will able to accompany me for now."

"That's understandable, princess." Rumlow said while glancing at her from behind the mask. Azula then said, "I will take the Scarlet Widow and Rumlow. When I am in need or your assistance I will send word to you."

"Yes, your highness." Justin Hammer said from inside his armor. Azula smiled as she had nearly a complete team on her hands.

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Back in Omashu, the six friends had been searching for a few hours and they hadn't had any luck. They came by one of the many stairwells and ran up it. They hid behind some construction materials. They remained hidden as a pair of Firebenders walked by. When they were gone, Steve huffed and he said, "This is getting us nowhere. We've been searching for hours and haven't seen or heard anything about Bumi."

"And we can't stick around much longer." Katara pointed out. She then said, "Practically every turn we've taken has at least a Fire Nation or Hydra soldier patrolling the area."

"Where do you think they would be keeping Bumi, anyway?" Sokka asked, as everyone was wondering the same thing. Aang glanced about and said, "Somewhere he can't earthbend to break out. Somewhere made of metal."

"Well that narrows it down to just about everyone." Natasha said with a deadpanned look. Thor then said, "We might as well keep searching while we have time."

With nothing else better, the group hurried off again. Down a few levels, a group were walking by with torches lighting the way. Among the middle was a woman in a fancy Fire Nation dress holding a baby in white clothes and a teenage girl in a more gothic outfit. The teen looked sullen and said, "There really is no fathoming of the depths of my hatred for this cursed place."

"Mai," the woman, her mother, looked to her daughter said, "your father was appointed governor and was given this city by the Fire Lord." She tried to make it sound like it was better than it seemed, "We're like royalty here. Be happy and enjoy it."

Mai just sighed and tried to humor her mother as they walked. At a level high above both the group and the team, a third party was waiting. While they couldn't see the seven, they could see Mai's party walking by since the lamps gave away their position. Standing next to a boulder, an Earth Kingdom soldier glanced back and informed, "The targets are approaching, sir."

"Take them out." The commander said, no emotion behind the order. The soldier prepared to use his earthbending to push the rock over the edge.

Down below, her mother scowled at her when Mai said, "I thought that my life was a lot more boring in the Fire Nation," She glanced around at the city and said, "But this place is unbearably bleak." She glared in contempt as she said, "Nothing ever happens here."

She was about to get her wish as the Earthbender on the upper level took his stance with his hand held high. Then in one swift motion of bringing his hands together he sent the boulder rushing down the ramp.

On their level, the group were approaching the ramp when Steve asked, "Do you guys hear something?"

"Up there." Thor said and pointed to the ramp. They all gasped when they saw the boulder falling down the ramp. Aang looked down to the next platform and saw that they would be in the rock's path. Acting quickly, Aang took his staff in both hands and swung it. His airbending knocked the boulders off the path and created a huge dust cloud that shocked and alerted Mai, her family and their security. Mai narrowed her eyes to see who was up there. She could see Aang and Steve standing side by side and they looked down to the group. The guards pointed their lamp holders at them to defend the three. Thinking the worst, Mai's mother pointed to them and shouted, "It's the resistance!"

A smile formed on Mai's face as she thought that this would be fun. With a flick of her wrists and arrows were sent flying. Steve quickly pulled Aang out of the way and the arrows embedded themselves into the construction materials behind them. Steve then shouted, "Let's go!"

All six heroes started to run off while two of the Fire Nation soldiers climbed up the ladder with spears in hand. Thor and Katara quickly turned around and the former launched Mjolnir at the construction supplies. Both men backed away from the collapsing wreckage and Katara followed up by using a water whip to knock the two men off with one hit. They both screamed as they fell to the lower level. They turned and followed after the others while Mai quickly climbed up the ladder. She jumped over the wreckage and ran after the team. Mai then extended her right arm and sent more arrows flying at them. Katara saw the arrows coming and quickly formed an ice shield between her and the team and arrows embedded into the ice. Mai jumped over the wall of ice and continued chasing them. They passed under a few arches as they ran and Steve and Aang looked back. The two looked to each other before nodding. Steve twirled around and removed his shield before flinging it at the construction equipment. The shield impacted and bent the legs before Aang weakened it further with a slash of airbending from his staff. Thor and Katara ran past them as the supports started falling and the shield returned to Steve's hand. Seeing as she wasn't going to be able to get at them before the supports came down, she flung a double-sided dagger at the wall. The dagger bounced off the wall and changed its direction towards Aang. Steve put the arm with the shield between his friend and the weapon. The dagger bounced off before falling to the ground. The others stopped as well in case of a fight and looked to Mai. She let loose another volley of arrows at them. But before they could defend themselves, the ground beneath them gave way and they all yelled as they fell through. A piece of earth covered them up and the arrows embedded themselves into it instead.

Seeing that they were gone, Mai gave a defeated sigh before turning to walk back to the group she was with. But before she fully walked away, Mai gave one more glance to the spot with narrowed eyes.

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Down below the streets of Omashu, Aang, Thor, Sokka, Steve, Katara, Natasha and Mom picked themselves up after the fall. When they looked up, they found themselves completely surrounded by the resistance fighters of Omashu. The commander took a step forward and looked at them with an emotionless expression. But he wasn't without hospitality and he said, "Greetings."

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Elsewhere, one's world could feel a bit upside down, especially if they were doing a hand stand. Which was exactly what Ty Lee, a young teenage girl in a pink performer's outfit and braided long hair, was doing. She stood upside down while balancing on her two index fingers. Ty Lee could see the usual on goings of where she was. Some were taking props to where they needed to be and others prepared the circus grounds. She was fully concentrating on what she was doing when something that wasn't a part of the circus entered her vision. She could see a young woman in royal Fire Nation armor, a woman in a blood red, skin tight outfit and red hair and a man in military looking clothes and a mask with a skull painted on. They stopped in front of her and the teenager between them asked, "Ty Lee, could that possible be you?"

"Azula!" Ty Lee excitedly said, recognizing her old friend. She righted herself and turned to face her friend. The happy girl turned to face them and bowed to them before getting up and rushing up to Azula. Rumlow was about to move but Scarlet Widow cast a glance to him. Ty Lee wrapped her arms around her friend, who returned it, and then said, "It is so good to see you again." She broke the hug and looked to the other two and she said, "And I see that you've made some new friends as well."

"Ty Lee, these are the Scarlet Widow and Agent Rumlow." Azula introduced them, which they nodded in respect, "And please, don't let us interrupt your…" Azula started, but couldn't find the words as to what Ty Lee had been doing, "whatever it was you were doing."

With a smile, Ty Lee returned to her practices by dropping down and flexing to where her legs were over here head. Azula then said, "So tell me, what is the daughter of a Fire Nation nobleman doing here?"

"Yeah, thought you'd be living it up." Rumlow added with a shrug. While Azula didn't want to admit it, she was appreciative that Rumlow was trying help. Azula then added, "Certainly out parents didn't send us to the Royal Fire Academy for Girls to end up in…" She looked around with a grimace as she lightly put it, "places like this."

They glanced to the side to see a few circus folk trying to get a platypus bear under control. But as they tugged on the rope, a pop sounded from underneath the bear and the platypus bear stood up. Everyone was surprised to see that the platypus bear had laid an egg. Rumlow then commented, "Now there's something that you don't see every day."

"Agreed." Scarlet Widow said with wide eyes. Azula's grimace remained for a second before she calmed herself. Looking back to Ty Lee she said, "I have a proposition for you, Ty Lee.

"We're hunting down a traitor." Azula explained when Ty Lee turned her focus back to her. The princess looked to her nails as she said, "You do remember my old fuddy-duddy uncle and tightly wound brother, don't you?"

"Oh, yeah. He was so funny. And Zuko wasn't that bad to be around either." Ty Lee chuckled as she had fixed her pose. Both feet were touching her head and her head rested in her hands. Azula inwardly rolled her eyes to the comments and lowered her hands and looked to her friend and then said, "I would be most honored if you were to join us on our mission."

"Oh, I, uh, would love to." Ty Lee said before righting herself up again. The acrobat was a little unsure of Azula's proposal. She stood tall and placed a hand over her heart and said, "But the truth is, Azula, I'm really happy here. I mean…" She expressed it with a smile and her bright mood as she said, "My aura has never been pinker since joining."

"We'll take your word for it." Azula said with a raised hand, not needing for her friend to say any more. Scarlet Widow then said, "Such a shame. Your skills would come in handy on the mission."

"But," Azula interjected, having a plan already in mind. She sighed and then said, "I wouldn't want you to give up the life you love just to please us."

Ty Lee was surprised by her friends words before a smile and a respectful bow was addressed. She then said, "Thank you, Azula."

"Come, you two." Azula said and turned away. Then she said, "We must be getting on our way."

"Yes, princess." The two agents of Hydra said before the three walked away. Ty Lee then returned to her practices by turning and holding her right leg up. But before they went too far, Azula stopped and so did the other two. The princess glanced back and said, "Of course, before we leave, we're going to catch your show."

This caused Ty Lee to gasp and lose her concentration, something that the three noticed. But Ty Lee regained her composure and her stance before saying, "Yeah. Sure. Of course."

Azula just smirked, knowing that she would soon push Ty Lee in the right direction. The three then walked off again. When they were out of earshot, Scarlet Widow glanced to Azula and said, "I see what you did back there."

"Let's just say, I know my way of getting the things I want." Was all Azula said of the situation. Rumlow started chuckling as they continued walking.

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Down underneath Omashu, the team had been escorted to a refugee camp of the city's citizens. They could see that a lot of people had come down to get away from the Fire Nation and Hydra. Looking about, there was one face that Aang didn't see. Aang looked to the commander and asked, "So, is King Bumi with you guys?"

This caused everyone to look to the Airbender. Aang then asked, "Is he leading the resistance?"

"Of course not." The commander said with anger, surprising the group. He then explained, "The day of the invasion, we had readied ourselves for battle with our enemies. We were prepared to defend our city, to fight for our lives and for our freedom or die for it, to-"

"We get it." Nat said with a deadpanned look. The commander got on with it and said, "But before we even had a chance to fight, King Bumi…" He gritted his teeth as he remembered that day, "Surrendered."

Thor, Sokka, Katara, Steve, Mom and Natasha all looked to Aang who had a sullen look. Steve then questioned, "What do you mean that Bumi surrendered?"

The commander then explained what happened, "On the day of the invasion of the Fire Nation and Hydra, I had asked King Bumi what he wanted us to do." His eyes narrowed as he said, "He looked me right in the eye and then said…

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(Flashback)

On a sunny day with only a few clouds, King Bumi and the commander stood on a wall of Omashu. The Fire Nation and Hydra were launching fire balls as they intended to take the city. The commander turned to his king and asked, "What should we do, sire?"

"I'm going to do…" King Bumi started with a straight face. But when he turned to the commander he then said with a crazed grin, "Nothing!"

The crazed king gave crazed laughter as fireballs continued to rain down on Omashu. The commander just glared at his king and didn't say another word.

(End of flashback)

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The commander then shook his head in anger as he remembered. Then he said, "It doesn't matter know about what happened. Fighting the Fire Nation and Hydra is our only path to freedom," Aang looked down as he couldn't believe it and the commander then said, "and our freedom is worth dying for."

"You do know that Bumi wouldn't do something without a reason." Natasha reminded him. The commander looked to her and she told him, "Don't you remember the last time this group was in Omashu?"

The three Omashu military men slightly nodded as they remembered. Natasha then said, "Bumi tested Aang because that was the purpose of it." She smiled as she stuck up for Bumi, "He always had a plan of some kind."

"And there is another path to freedom." Aang spoke up. They looked to him and Aang suggested, "You can all escape and leave Omashu." He then explained, "You're directing all of your energy to fighting the Fire Nation and Hydra, but you're badly outnumbered against them. You can't win if you continue to fight right now."

"And you never know when they'll find you. It's only a matter of time before they're able to find you somehow." Steve pointed out. Thor then added, "No one would call you cowards for wanting to leave."

"Now is the time to retreat so you all can live to fight another day." Aang said. But the commander didn't sound convinced and said, "You don't understand. They've taken our home from us and we have to fight them back at any cost."

"I don't know, Yon." The soldier next to him said. He shrugged as it made sense to him, "Living to fight another day is starting to sound pretty good to me right now."

"Yeah!" The third soldier said, "I'm with the Avatar and the Avengers on this one."

Yon looked down to the number of citizens of Omashu and knew that he needed to start thinking of their safety. With a sigh, Yon looked to the team and said, "Fine." Then he questioned, "But there are thousands of citizens that need to leave. How are we supposed to get them all out of the city at once?"

Sokka began to think for a moment when an idea came to him. He snapped his fingers as it sounded brilliant to him and said, "Suckers." They all looked to the Water Tribe teen with questioning looks and then he looked to them before he explained, "You're all about to come down with a really nasty case of pentapox."

His sister and friends all remembered their trick with the soldiers when they got into the city. Thor then said, "Sokka, you are a genius my friend."

"Yeah." Natasha agreed. Then she added, "This so tops your plan at the Fire Temple."

Sokka scowled at her while the others started snickering. Steve then said, "Let's hurry and get the pentapi that we need."

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It took a few hours to gather as many pentapi as they needed and soon had enough. The purple cephalopod floated in a bucket of water and one of the citizens grabbed one. The team helped place the pentapi on the citizens and then gave it a few minutes before removing them. Most of the pentapi came off with ease when they were rubbed on the head. But a few proved to be stubborn when they were just yanked off. The citizens looked amongst each other to make sure that they were covered in spots. The spot covered citizens stood before the team and Sokka took the lead by saying, "The marks from the pentapi will make you look sick, but you got to act like your sick, too. You got to sell it in order for it to work."

One of the citizens, an elderly old man with a cane, orange tinted glasses and a small moustache groaned as he walked by. Sokka wrapped an arm around a citizen and pointed to the old man while saying, "Now that's exactly what I'm talking about."

"Years of practice, True Believers." The old man said with a grin while tapping his can against a wooden right peg leg. The citizens of Omashu started to walk while Sokka said, "Okay, everyone, into sick formation."

Sokka and Katara started to follow after them, but Aang, Steve, Nat and Thor didn't. Momo chittered as he pulled on Aang's pants to tell him something. Katara noticed this and asked, "Guys, what are you doing? Aren't you guys coming with us?"

Aang shook his head and then told her, "Not now. First we're going to look for Bumi."

'Plus, we're bound to be recognized if we try to go in through the front gates." Steve pointed out. Natasha then said, "With the four of us searching the city, then we're more liable to find him."

"We'll join up with you as soon as we can." Thor said before the three Avengers took off. Aang was about to go looking when Momo jumped onto his shoulders and lightly pulled the Airbender's lip while chittering, indicating that he was hungry. Aang grabbed the lemur by the scruff and pulled him off while saying, "Sorry, Momo. I'll have to feed you later."

Setting the lemur onto the ground, Aang then jumped into the air to begin his search. He used his airbending to jump from roof to roof. Katara just watched the four go with saddened faces. She felt a presence behind her and looked to see the old man with the glasses and the peg leg standing there. The old man gave her a kind smile and said, "Don't worry about your friends, dearie. They'll be fine."

"I guess." Katara said before following him and her brother to get everyone out.

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It was midday at the wall Omashu and the guards of both the Fire Nation and Hydra stood guard with spears or rifles. One Fire Nation soldier heard something and asked a Hydra soldier, "Do you hear something?"

"Now that you mention it." The Hydra soldier said and they all looked inwards to the city. They saw many of the citizens of Omashu covered in red spots coming towards them. Then looking to their right they saw even more citizens with red spots coming right at them. They were even worried when one citizen fell to the ground. They screamed when that person got back up and backed away. They all stood on guard as the sick looking people came walking closer. As they came closer to the soldiers, Sokka and Katara had put their cloaks back on to at least blend in. They all gave loud groans and reached their arms forward. Some of the soldiers covered their mouths to try and protect themselves, but they were all consumed by fear. A commander then shouted, "Plague! Plague!"

They all started moving back to the wall to avoid being touched by the ill. One Fire Nation soldier stood on top of the wall and repeatedly hit the warning gong.

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Up in the governor's house, the governor and his family looked over the balcony to see what was going on. The governor then turned to the soldiers behind him and questioned, "What in the world is going on down there?"

"I saw some kids yesterday who were sick with pentapox, sir. It must have spread throughout the city" The Fire Nation soldier told him. The Hydra soldier then said, "I've only been here for a month and I still don't know much."

"Pentapox?" The governor said and stroked his chin while ignoring the Hydra soldier's comment. It did somewhat sound familiar to him and he said, "Hmm, I'm pretty sure that I have heard of that disease."

"Oh, this is terrible." Mai's mother said, feeling sorry for those 'infected'. The Hydra soldier then ordered, "Should we put them down, sir."

"No." The governor shook his head. Then he explained, "Though using your weapons would keep the infected from touching the clean, the clean would have to touch the infected to get rid of the bodies."

"Oh, right." The Hydra soldier said as he thought about it. The Fire Nation soldier then asked, "Then what should we do, sir?"

"Carefully drive them all out of the city. But don't let anyone get touched." The governor ordered. He smacked his fist against the railing as he said, "We have to rid the city of this disease the best way possible."

The two soldiers bowed before leaving to carry out their orders. An unimpressed Mai was holding a bowl of snacks and offered them to her father, "Fire Flakes, Dad?"

The governor just glared at his eldest child and her aloofness. Mai's mother once again shook her head of the situation and hugged her husband while saying, "Oh, how awful."

Their youngest, not understanding the situation, became bored before getting up and waddling back into the house.

\_|_/

Steve carefully ran through the streets of the city while keeping a look out. The super soldier figured that they might be keeping Bumi with a lot of guards. Steve wished that he had a map of Omashu, it might help in trying to find an outside prison since there was a dungeon. He stopped running when he heard the sound of footsteps approaching and hid behind a wall. Glancing around the corner he saw a few Fire Nation soldiers walking by and chatting to each other. He could hear what they were saying as one soldier said to the others, "Can't believe that most of the city's been infected with pentapox."

"I know, right." Another soldier said, making Steve grin since the plan was working. When they were gone, he came out of his hiding spot and started running again.

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Thor was carefully making his way through another section of the city in his search. And as he walked, he repeated what the others told him, "Old, an Earthbender and kind of crazy. Old, an Earthbender and kind of crazy. Old, an Earthbender and kind of crazy."

He glanced up at the construction site up at the top and wondered if they were keeping Bumi there. Thor was about to go up there and check it out, but the sound of approaching footsteps broke him from his thoughts. Thor quickly turned down an alley away from the construction site.

\_|_/

Natasha made her way across the roof tops and moved in the shadows to avoid detection. As she passed by the governor's house, she looked down to the front gate and saw that they were starting to open the gates for them. Nat was about to keep going when she saw figure on the balcony of the governor's house. Quickly hiding behind the wall of a house, Nat peaked around it and saw the girl from the previous night standing there with two other people. The girl started turning her head in Natasha's direction and the spy quickly moved back. Deciding to take another route, Nat carefully made her way up the mountain.

\_|_/

Aang ran through one of the many streets of Omashu before using his airbending to jump to the roof. He zigzagged as he made his way up and landed before landing on a railing and carefully walked a few steps before jumping off again. He landed on a roof and the sound of something being turned and grunting made him look around. Aang looked over the side of a building and could see Flopsy pushing a wheel. Aang leapt down form the building and happily said, "Flopsy!"

The gorilla goat looked back to see Aang standing there and became happy himself. But when Flopsy tried running to Aang, his collar and chain stopped him from getting close. Aang lowered his arms and Flopsy stopped struggling. Aang knew what to do and jumped over the gorilla goat's head. Landing on the wheel, Aang started used his free hand to bend the water out of Flopsy's water tray and splashed it onto the chain that bound Flopsy to the wheel before motioning with his hand to freeze it. A large chunk of ice formed around the lock before Aang lifted his staff and smashed it against the frozen lock with a single swing. A grateful Flopsy grabbed Aang into his arms and hugged him. The gorilla goat gave the Airbender a grateful lick and Aang chuckled. Then he said, "Come on, Flopsy." The gorilla goat set him down and Aang climbed onto Flopsy's back while saying, "You've got to help me and my friends find Bumi."

When he sat behind the gorilla goat's head, Aang said the usual command, "Yip, yip."

But Flopsy didn't understand the phrase and just sat there. Aang noticed that they weren't moving and said, "Oh. I guess that doesn't work with you." Then he said, "Let's go."

That got Flopsy moving and the gorilla goat started running off into the city. Aang and Flopsy ran through the streets to try and look for their missing friend.

\_|_/

Elsewhere, over the city, a hungry Momo flew over the governor's house when a particular scent caught his fancy. The lemur maneuvered his body before landing on one of the many balconies of the house. The lemur hopped onto a bench before looking in through a window as he could tell that he was close to the source of the smell. He looked about the room and saw that it was a child's play room and heard the sounds of a child while a stuff toy was being tossed into the air. But when he looked to his left, Momo started drooling when he saw bowls of food siting on the table. The lemur bound from the window and to the table before leaping up. Sitting by the bowl of Fire Flakes, the lemur started to dig in. Momo spat out the really spicy bits.

The bits landed on the floor behind the child who looked back when more bits fell to the floor. He crawled towards them when more bits fell onto the floor and turned to his left. The baby saw a black and white thing dangling under the table and started to crawl towards it. The curious baby stopped a few inches from the thing as it and placed a finger to his mouth. Then reaching his hands out, the baby grasped it.

Momo gasped and then shrieked when he was yanked off the table. The lemur landed on his front. Momo screeched and tried to run away, but a laughing baby held onto his tail. Momo was able to a few steps in before the baby fell forward and let his tail go. The lemur leapt out of the window and jumped onto the railing. Momo ran to the corner and stopped to take a breath from the frightening experience. But the sound of giggling made him look back to see the toddler walking on the railing. Momo became shocked and frightened as the baby came closer. Momo jumped off the railing when the baby reached for him and flew off while the baby fell off before sliding down the roofing. The little boy squealed with joy before flying off.

Steve ran by just as the squealing baby sailed over his head. The super soldier looked up to see what it was but didn't see a thing. He then kept running through the streets.

The baby landed in a passing cart full of Fire Flakes as it sped down a chute. Momo soon flew over that cart and landed on the Fire Flakes. The cart continued to slide down the chute as Momo at. But his meal was once again ruined when the baby poked his head out and crawled out of the Fire Flakes. Momo looked back to see the baby coming towards him.

As she ran under one of the arches of the chute, Natasha looked up when she heard the sound of a baby squealing. But when she looked up, she only saw Momo on a chart. With a groan she questioned, "Just what is that lemur doing? Honestly, he's just as bad as Sokka sometimes."

The baby had once again grabbed onto Momo's tail and the lemur started screeching again. The lemur let out a cry of pain when the baby started nibbling on his tail and took off into the air. The baby squealed as he was pulled into the air. Momo desperately tried to free his tail but was stuck while the cart kept sliding. Only when the cart dropped down a ramp did the two start moving again, but they started falling to the ground.

Thor was close to the gates in his search when he heard Momo screeches and the baby's squeals. He looked around a corner and his eyes grew wide when he saw the lemur with a baby. The baby landed butt first on the ground and he and Momo tumbled a bit before the baby's butt crushed the lemur under him. Momo screeched as he fought to free himself. The sound groaning made both Momo and the baby look up to see the spot covered citizens of Omashu walking towards the gate. Seeing the baby distracted, Momo was able to free himself and scampered for the door. The baby got up and chased after Momo. Thor was about to go and stop the baby when he saw a few Fire Nation and Hydra soldiers guarding the entrance. Thor then shrugged and said, "I'm sure one of them will see him."

And with that, he turned the other way and continued on his search. But if he had stayed watching a little longer, he would have watched the citizens, Momo and the baby making their way out of the city.

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Night time had fallen over the circus and the show was about to begin. Sitting in a box for her majesty, Azula sat in the middle with Scarlet Widow and Rumlow flanking her. They watched as a couple of people in dragon costumes moved about while someone else beat a set of drums. When the dragons had moved out of the way, the ring master smiled and looked to his audience as he said, "We are deeply honored to have the Fire Lord's daughter, the Scarlet Widow and Agent Rumlow at our humble circus.

"And do tell us if there's anything that we can do to make the show more enjoyable." He told them. Azula smiled and said, "I will."

The ring master then signaled for the acts to come out. One by one the acts came and though they were a bit stunning to watch, the three were waiting for one act in particular. It soon came as Ty Lee soon climbed up to the tightrope and there was a balancing device already there. The acrobat was able to nimbly climb on and soon did a handstand on only one hand with her other limbs spread out. Very carefully she was able to switch hands before doing the pose again. Azula was really impressed by the display, "Incredible." Without looking to the ring master she asked, "Do you think that she'll fall?"

"Of course not." The ring master confidently said, since he had worked well with Ty Lee for a while. Scarlet Widow then whispered, "Ask him about the net."

"My thoughts exactly." Azula said with a smirk. Looking to the ring master she then asked, "Then wouldn't it make the show more interesting if you removed the net?"

The ring master looked to the princess with a worried look and said, "Well, uh, the thing is the performers…"

"What? You don't trust that she'll be fine?" Rumlow asked him. The ring master then said, "No, no. I do, I do. It's just that…"

"You're right, you're right." Azula said, deciding not to. She shook her head and said, "That kind of stunt has been done before."

They then turned their attention back to the performance. Azula then suggested, "Ooh, I know. Set the net on fire."

"Of course, Princess." The ring master said before moving to the net. When he was but a few feet from the net, the ring master gathered flame into his hand before shooting it at the net. The entire net became alive with fire as every inch was covered. The heat from the flames was starting to make a nervous Ty Lee start to sweat. But she continued the show by moving her position around. The ring master had returned next to the royal box and was just as equally nervous as his acrobat. Azula then complimented, "Brilliant, just brilliant."

"I'll say." Scarlet Widow agreed. Rumlow then said, "I am so in love with her right now."

"What?" Both girls questioned to him with odd stares. But Rumlow looked away and said, "Nothing."

Azula sighed before turning to the ring master again and asked, "Say, what kind of dangerous animals do you have here? That would be something interesting to see."

"Well," The ring master said as he looked to the princess, "our circus boasts the most exotic assortment of…"

"Release them all." Azula ordered, shocking the ring master. But he complied by signaling one of the stage hands. A moment later, a nervous looking Ty Lee grew even more worried as a lot of animals came rushing into the tent. Soon animals, growled, trumpeted or screeched in the tent as smoke started to billow out into the night sky.

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It was nearing sunset when Aang and Flopsy made it to the rendezvous point where the former said he would meet the three Avengers. The Avatar and the gorilla goat remained in the shadows when they heard someone running on the roof and looked up. They saw a figure leap off a roof before landing in the middle of the path. Aang smiled and said, "Good to see you, Nat."

"Likewise, kid." Natasha said as she stood at her full height. A familiar voice from to the side said, "Judging that Bumi isn't with either of you, I'd say that you didn't have any luck either."

They looked to see Steve making his way towards them. Natasha and Aang both shook their heads. But Aang smiled and said, "I did find Flopsy."

The gorilla goat gave a tail wag as he rushed up to Steve. The super soldier was a little confused when Flopsy picked him up and hugged him with happiness too. Steve then said, "I'm surprised that you like me, since you once threw me into a wall."

"Forgive and forget, Steve." Natasha said as Flopsy gave the super soldier a huge lick to the face. Steve just chuckled and wiped the drool off of him while Flopsy set him down. A sudden crash of a hammer in the middle of the path spooked all four of them. Aang, Flopsy, Natasha and Steve all looked to see Thor making his way down the path. The Asgardian had a look of disappointment on his face that told that he didn't find anything out either. Aang was disappointed too, but then he said, "I know of another way out of the city. It'll be big enough for all of us."

"Then lead the way." Steve said. Aang turned down a street and motioned for the others to follow. Flopsy and the three Avengers didn't hesitate and ran after the Airbender.

\_|_/

It was a few hours later when Sokka, Katara and the refugees of Omashu had gathered in a small valley just a few miles outside of Omashu. They had made a good few campfires to keep them warm. Katara and Sokka sat with the commander and a few other soldiers as they waited for their friends. They heard the sound of whimpering made them look to see Aang, Steve, Thor, Natasha and Flopsy depressingly make their way into the camp. Katara and Sokka got up to see what was wrong. Aang shook his head and said, "We searched everywhere in the city. No Bumi."

Katara wrapped her arms around her friend and Steve and Natasha placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulders. A soft moan from behind him made Sokka turn around to the face of Flopsy. But instead of feeling scared, the Water Tribe teen just hugged the gorilla goat's face with compassion. Thor then walked over and rubbed the side of Appa's head. The bison looked to the Asgardian and Thor asked, "What? Everyone else is trying to be supportive."

The commander walked over and informed them, "We've got a small problem. We just did a head count."

"Oh, no." Katara said, thinking that the plan didn't go very well. Then she asked, "Did someone get left behind?"

"No. All the citizens of Omashu are counted for. But…" The commander said. He turned and pointed, "Somehow we have an extra."

They looked and gasped in surprise to what they saw. The little baby was clinging to Momo as the lemur walked. All six friends had shocked faces before Natasha said, "Oh, boy."

\_|_/

At the governor's house, most of the entire family was in a state of panic when they learned that their son was missing. Mai's mother sat in a chair and wept while Mai attempted to console her. Weapons weren't the only thing that she was carrying as she pulled out a hanky and offered it to her upset mother. Her mother took it and blew her nose. The governor shook his head and gritted his teeth as he said, "So, the resistance has kidnapped my son. Everything is so clever, so tricky, just like their King Bumi."

"And I'm starting to guess that the resistance faked the whole pentapox breakout sir to use as a distraction." A Hydra soldier said. The governor nodded and said, "And you're more than likely right about it."

"So, what do you want to do, sir?" A Fire Nation soldier asked. The governor looked to them before looking to the mountains were the citizens of Omashu had fled. Then with a sigh, he said, "I'm going to do something that neither the Fire Lord nor the Red Skull would truly approve of. But I must if I am to get Tom-Tom back."

\_|_/

Back at the circus, the animals had all been rounded up and any damages were in the midst of repairs. But Ty Lee and a few of the performers had been excused to their dressing rooms. Ty Lee had a package of black petaled flowers in her hands and set them on the dresser. She looked into a mirror before gazing back at Azula, Rumlow and Scarlet Widow. The princess then complimented, "What an exquisite performance, Ty Lee."

"It was a sight to behold. And I commend you on holding out your own." The Scarlet Widow complimented. Ty Lee blushed at the compliment and looked to Rumlow. The masked soldier didn't say anything as he looked away while giving a thumbs up. Azula then said, "I can't wait to see how you'll top yourself in tomorrow's show."

"I'm sorry, Azula." Ty Lee said as she had been giving it a lot of thought. The acrobat shook her head and said, "But unfortunately, there won't be a show tomorrow. At least not for me."

"Really?" Azula said with a slight smile. The other two knew that Ty Lee was convinced to join. Ty Lee removed her flame tiara and said, "The universe is giving me some strong hints that it's time for a career change."

Turning to her childhood friend and acquaintances, Ty Lee then bowed with her fist in her palm and said, "I want to join you guys on your mission."

Azula smiled to this as she had gained an extra member of her team. Ty Lee then said, "I just need to inform the ring master of this."

"Of course." Azula said as she understood. Then she ordered, "Rumlow, be a dear and escort Ty Lee to the ring master."

Rumlow was slightly caught off guard by this request. But complied as the two started walking side by side. Ty Lee smiled as she slipped her arm around his as they continued walking. Rumlow only sighed as they continued walking.

\_|_/

The team, beasts and refugees all continued to sit by the campfire and think amongst themselves. The baby continued to chase after Momo while the lemur was terrified of the baby. But the lemur ran away and the baby stopped when he saw something lying on the ground. Sitting down, he picked up Sokka's club and started chewing on it. But Sokka carefully took it out of the baby's mouth while scolding, "No! Bad Fire Nation baby!"

The little boy started crying at having his toy taken away and Katara slapped her brother upside the head. She placed her hands on her hips and Sokka gave in, "Oh, all right."

He handed the club back to the baby and the child stopped crying. The boy started giggling as he took the club and started chewing again. Thor looked to Steve and suggested, "Perhaps you could let the child play with your shield make it a ride for him."

"Only if he gets to try your hammer first." Steve said with his arms crossed. Katara then leaned down and hugged the little baby and said, "Oh, you're just so cute."

She started kissing on the little boy's cheek. Natasha started giggling when something fowl hit her nose. She pinched it and said, "Yeah, but he sure can make a big stink."

Everyone else smelled it too and cringed. Katara handed the baby over to Steve and said, "Now this is a job for Captain America."

"What?" Steve questioned as she put the baby into his arms. He cringed from the smell and then sighed before getting up. Natasha got up too and said, "I'll help."

"Thank you." Steve said as the three left the campfire. Yon then said, "And though that boy may be cute now, but he'll join the Fire Nation army when he's older. Then he'll be a killer and you won't think that he's so cute then."

"Did that really look like the face of a killer to you?" Katara questioned while glancing in the three's direction. Yon didn't say anything but mostly continued to think it. Thor then said, "Just because one is born into something does not mean that they will become something." Then he shrugged and said, "Take my brother Loki for example. Though he was born a Frost Giant of Jotunheim, an enemy to both Asgard and Midgard, he turned out to be a real hero in the end."

Yon looked to Thor and thought a little about his words, but didn't talk much about it. They were all caught off guard when they heard Steve shout, "Watch out!"

"He's able to get distance!" Natasha shouted in disgust. Yon, Thor and the kids all cringed. The two rejoined them a moment later and Steve said, "Not one word."

"Okay." Thor, Aang, Katara and Sokka all said, understanding the situation. The sound of a screech all made them look in the direction of the city. A messenger hawk came flying through the mountains before landing on a rock not too far from them. Yon was a little surprised when he said, "A messenger hawk from the city."

"I wonder what it's brought us." Steve said while Aang walked over to the bird. He gently reached around the bird and opened its scroll holder. Pulling out a piece of paper, Aang unrolled it to see what it said. Natasha then asked, "So?"

"It's a message from the Fire Nation governor in Omashu." Aang told them. Then he said, "He thinks that we kidnapped his son during the evacuation."

"That doesn't sound right." Natasha said. She looked to Yon and asked, "How come none of your people noticed that baby when they were going out of the city?"

"A bigger question is…" Thor said. They looked to him and asked, "Why did those of the Fire Nation or Hydra not spot the boy when he waddled out of the city."

"Wait, you saw him leaving the city?" Steve asked his friend. Thor nodded and questioned, "Why didn't you say something when Yon first told us about the kid?"

"I honestly thought that one of our enemies would stop the child before he got out." Thor said. Steve, Natasha, Sokka and Katara all groaned to this. The super soldier then looked to Aang and asked, "What else does the note say?"

"It says that he's willing to make a trade." Aang informed. Katara then asked, "You guys don't think?"

"It may be." Natasha said as they waited. Aang looked over the scroll and said, "He says he wants his son back," He became really surprised when he read aloud, "and we can have King Bumi."

"It's a trade that may be too good to pass up." Thor said. Steve then asked, "Does it have a time and a place?"

"Uh, hang on." Aang said as he looked over the note. Then he said, "On the middle peak, at the construction site near the top. The doors will be open. At noon."

"Yeah, that doesn't sound too ominous." Natasha commented and looked to the fire. Aang then said, "I know that it doesn't seem like much of a good idea, but it could be our best chance of getting Bumi out."

"Then what's the plan?" Yon asked. Steve then said, "The five of us, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Natasha and myself, will go into Omashu with our disguises on. We meet with the governor and make the trade. If things should go awry, then Sokka will signal Appa with the bison whistle."

"Are you sure that some of us and Thor shouldn't come with you?" Yon asked, feeling concerned about this plan. Natasha shook her head and then said, "If we come in with a good number of people, the governor could see it as an invasion to take back Omashu."

"We'll keep this a five-man operation." Sokka said. Katara then suggested, "Then we had better get some rest tomorrow."

With the game plan in mind, the group went to lay down to rest for the next day.

\_|_/

The night quickly passed by and a new dawn came again over Omashu. Aang was the first to rise and pick up the boy. The Airbender walked to the edge of the cliff and gazed out to the city of Omashu as the sun rose over the eastern peaks. He heard the four starting to join him and Sokka pointed out, "You guys do realize that we're more than likely walking right into a trap, right?"

"I don't think so." Aang shook his head. Looking down to the boy in his arms he said, "I think that the governor just wants his son back as much as we want Bumi." He smiled and said, "It's a new day. I have a good feeling about this."

"And we're right behind you." Steve said with a supportive smile. Thor then asked, "Why do you feel that it's best that I not come?"

"You and Appa coming in if there's trouble is plan B." Natasha explained. Then she said, "We know that you'd rather be on the frontlines with us, but you and Appa are our best bet to getting out if there's trouble."

"I somewhat see your logic with that." Thor said as he and Appa stood off to the side. Aang looked to the two and said, "We'll be back soon."

"Or we'll call you." Katara said before the six made their way to Omashu.

\_|_/

The doors had indeed been left open for the group to bring the baby, but they weren't the first ones to go through. The moment that the Fire Nation and Hydra soldiers saw, Rumlow, the Scarlet Widow, Ty Lee, the Imperial Firebenders and the royal palanquin come through they quickly made way. The group made their way to the governor's house where Mai was waiting to greet their guests. The Imperial Firebenders set the palanquin down and Princess Azula stepped out. Her, Ty Lee, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow walked up to the gloomy teen. Mai then bowed before the princess and said, "Please tell me that you're here to kill me."

"Wow, that's a little dark." Rumlow commented. But when Mai looked to Azula she gave a small smile to indicate that she was just joking. The two laughed a bit from this. Azula then embraced her old friend and said, "It's great to see you again, Mai."

"You too." Mai said as she returned the embrace. When Azula took a step back, Mai was a little surprised to see Ty Lee run up to her and hug her as well. Though somewhat happy to see her friend, Mai was confused and asked, "I thought you ran off and joined the circus, Ty Lee. You said that it was your calling."

"Well," Ty Lee said as she broke the hug, "Azula came calling a little louder."

"My friends and I have a mission." Azula said as she moved between the two. She looked to the two girls, while placing a hand on the two's shoulders and said, "And I need all of you to help me accomplish it."

"Count me in." Mai quickly said. She glared at the city while she said, "Anything to get me out of this stupid place." But then she informed, "But first my family and I have a small problem to take care of."

"What kind of problem?" The Scarlet Widow questioned. Mai then gestured to the governor's house and said, "Come on, I'll explain it to you on the way."

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After leading the four inside and explaining what was happening, Mai brought them to her father. The governor had prepared a special seat for the princess. A couple of Imperial Firebenders, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow stood on both sides of the princess while Ty Lee, Mai and her family sat before Azula on pillows. The governor then said, "I apologize, Princess Azula. But you've come to Omashu at a difficult time." His next words seemed to make his wife sad, even though she didn't show it, "At noon, we're going to trade with the resistance to get Tom-Tom back."

"Yes," Azula said, understanding the situation perfectly. She sounded sympathetic since it was about Mai's brother, "We are so sorry to hear about your son's disappearance."

She then folded her hands together and put one leg over the other as she questioned, "But really, what did you expect by just letting all of the citizens of the city leave?" The princess rose from her seat and looked angry as she said, "My father has entrusted you with this city, and now you're making a mess of things."

"Forgive me, Princes." The governor said before bowing with his face parallel to the ground. His wife, daughter and Ty Lee all bowed to her as Azula, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow stepped off the platform. Azula then ordered, "You and your wife stay here." Glancing to their daughter she said, "Mai will handle the hostage trade, so you don't have a chance to mess it up either."

Then placing her hands on her hips, Azula made one more declaration, "And there is no more Omashu. I'm renaming it in honor of our allies. And I'm sure that my father would approve. I will call it the city of Hydra."

"As you wish, Princess." The governor said with another bow of his head. Glancing to her friends and allies Azula then said, "Let's go."

"Yes, Princess Azula." The four said before following her out of the room.

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Noon had come as the sun had reached the position over Omashu. The group had made it into the city without any opposition from the Fire Nation or Hydra. When they had reached the construction site at the peak of the mountain, Aang, Katara, Sokka with Tom-Tom in his arms, Steve and Natasha all stood on the left side of the statue. They each had stern looks on their faces, even though they couldn't see Steve's or Nat's since their faces were covered. Natasha glanced to her right and said, "The Fire Nation really loves their Fire Lord, huh?"

"I'll say." Steve agreed. But Sokka then warned, "Someone's coming."

They all looked ahead to see the teen from two nights ago walking up a flight of stairs. But she wasn't alone this time and it wasn't Fire Nation or Hydra soldiers with her. Flanking the teen on her left was another teen in royal looking Fire Nation armor and a Fire Nation Insignia tied in her hair. The teen on her right looked to be an acrobat mixed in with a ballerina and had her hair tied in a long braid. But the two other faces were some that only Steve and Natasha recognized since their battle with them was still fresh in their minds, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow. The five all moved in unison with each other. Steve leaned to Aang and said, "Be careful, two of them are some of Hydra's top fighters."

"Really?" Aang asked. Natasha nodded and said, "So keep on your guard. You never know what'll happen."

"Right." The kids all nodded. Mai, Azula, Ty Lee, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow all stopped a good distance from them. Mai then signaled with her hand and the team looked up to see a crane near the top of the construction site start to lower something. The sound of crazed laughing made them smile to see that it was Bumi. Though he had a hole for his face and neck, the rest of his body was trapped within a metal coffin and was suspended on long wire. Bumi glanced around and nonchalantly said, "Hi, everybody."

Aang smiled in relief to see that Bumi was alright. When the coffin thudded behind Mai's group, the teen then asked, "You got my little brother?"

"He's here." Aang reassured and Sokka took a step closer. Though she didn't show it, Mai was relieved to see that her brother was alright. Sokka looked a little tried while Tom-Tom played with the teens lip and Aang said, "We're ready to make the trade."

"I'm sorry." Princess Azula cut in, making the Aang's group look to her with questioning looks. She then said, "But a though has just occurred to me." Looking to her friend she then asked, "Do you mind if I-"

"Of course not, Princess Azula." Mai said and looked to her friend. The sound of their being a princess and not just a prince made the team a little nervous. Azula then asked, "We're about to trade a two-year-old boy for a king-" She looked to Bumi and guessed, "A powerful earthbending king?"

"Mm-hmm." Bumi nodded with a smile. Both groups knew what she was talking about as she continued, making it seem so obvious, "It just doesn't seem like much of a fair trade, does it?"

Mai thought about her friend's words before glancing over to her brother. The baby cooed while being in Sokka's arms. The gloomy teen knew what her friend was saying, both political and nonpolitical. So deciding to play along, Mai then said, "You're right."

The five friends trying to get Bumi back tensed up, knowing that the deal went south. Azula smiled as she knew that her plan would work to their favor. Mai then took a step forward and said, "The deal's off."

Then she signaled the crane again and it started to lift Bumi into the air. Bumi then said, "See you all later, gators!"

Aang's group looked with mixed looks of anger and shocked. Rumlow then glanced to Azula and said, "The two kids in blue look a little familiar, Princess."

"Oh, how so?" Azula asked before getting a good look at them. She slowed down as she said, "Only that… they're of… Water Tribe origins."

"Just like the reports from Fire Nation and Hydra scouts alike." Scarlet Widow said. She smirked and said, "Said to be the Avatar and the Avenger's companions."

The former king of Omashu let out a crazed laugh as he went higher. Aang shouted up to his rising friend, "Bumi!"

"Aang, wait!" Steve said but was unheard as the Airbender took off running. Azula smirked as she leapt forward and with a circular motion of her arms she sent a wave of fire towards Aang. But the Airbender was able to jump high over it, surprising her and her friends and allies. Aang was able to bounce off the construction supports and opened his glider to fly up to his trapped friend but the wind blew his disguise off. He quickly grabbed onto the cloth before it flew away, but it was too late. Azula was really surprised to see the one person her brother was supposed to find, "The Avatar!"

"And the Avengers." Rumlow said as he looked to the other four. Aang continued to fly up to Bumi while Steve and Natasha took off their hoods. Steve glanced to his friends and said, "So much for our disguises."

"Our lucky day." Azula said with a smirk before rushing into the construction site. She used her blue flames to cut through a cord and was quickly yanked up through the levels of the construction site. Aang finally reached Bumi as he was continued to be lifted. The Airbender landed on top of the metal container and looked down to his trapped friend. The crazed king glanced up and asked, "Aang, is that you up there? Where did you come from?"

"Hang on, Bumi. We're going to get you out of here." Aang reassured before taking in a deep breath. Then he started to blow cold air on the chain so it would freeze. Ice started forming on the chain as he continued to blow the cold air. The ice continued to grow with each breath.

Down below, Mai, Ty Lee, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow all rushed towards the team. The Scarlet Widow motioned to Ty Lee and the acrobat seemed to understand before disappearing under the floor. Steve removed his shield and pulled down on his helmet while saying, "Here they come. Stay sharp and be careful."

"No problem." The Water Tribe teen said while moving to the back of the group. Steve, Natasha and Katara formed a defensive line while the Waterbender then said, "We've got to get the baby out of here." Glancing back she said, "Sokka, call Thor and Appa!"

"Way ahead of you guys." Sokka said as he started blowing on the bison whistle. He looked at the baby in shock when Tom-Tom took the whistle away. Sokka then held tightly to the baby before they all started running to keep the kid safe. But as he ran past a spot with a hole, Ty Lee's fist shout out and struck him in the heel. Katara and the two Avengers gasped to see Sokka fall, but the teen was able to keep the baby off the ground while sliding across the wood. Sokka cried out as they nearly went over the edge, but sighed in relief when they didn't.

Ty Lee came flipping out from underneath the construction and ran right towards Sokka while doing a few tricks as well. Nat acted quickly before firing her stingers at the acrobat. Ty Lee grunted in pain when they hit her in the leg. Katara turned around just as both Mai and the Scarlet Widow fired daggers and stingers of their own. The Waterbender used a slashing motion to bring three boards of wood between them and the weapons. Then with a push from the water, Katara sent the boards flying towards their foes. Mai, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow ducked down to avoid being hit. But it gave Katara time to turn around and launch a tendril of water at Ty Lee. The acrobat was able to remove the stinger from her leg and toss it before Katara's water tendril wrapped around her ankle. Ty Lee gasped as she was sent crashing into the ground. Steve then shouted to Sokka, "Go! Now!"

Sokka ran to the edge of the construction platform and used a ladder to drop to the next level. And as he ran to meet up with Appa and Thor, Sokka hoped that his friends could hold out for a little while. When he looked back he screamed when he saw the girl in the acrobat's costume following after him.

Bumi's container was still going up as Aang continued to blow cold air on the chain. Needing to talk to his friend, Bumi then said, "Aang, stop your blowing for a minute. I need to tell-"

He didn't get a chance to finish when some of the construction levels next to them crashed. Princess Azula came flying towards them with her hands high above her head and then kicked out with her right foot with a yell. A large blue fireball was sent right towards the two friends. A shocked Aang acted quickly and raised his staff while Bumi said, "Now hold on just a-"

Bumi started yelling when Aang slashed through the chain with his staff and the two fell and avoided the fireball. Azula landed on one of the poles as the two continued to fall to the ground. The metal container started to move around as they fell and Aang landed on the front side of the container. Quickly using his free right hand, he sent a blast of air that cushioned their fall when they landed on one of the many ramps of Omashu. The container landed on the sphere of air before beginning to slid down the chute. From her perch, Azula watched them go with a glare before leaping down and looking for a way to follow them. She found the ramp and a cart already waiting. Not wasting a second, Azula started sliding after the Avatar and King Bumi. She was able to direct the cart down a different path after them. The others on the ground floor of the construction site had seen them go down and Steve shouted, "Aang!"

"We've got bigger things to worry about, Steve!" Nat reminded him as they started squaring off against the enemy team.

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Aang started laughing as the ride was kind of fun for him. He glanced down and said, "It's just like old times, isn't it, Bumi?"

"Aang, I really need to talk to you." Bumi shouted so Aang could hear him over the metal grating. But Aang had misinterpreted what his friend was saying and shouted, "It's good to see you too!"

But the sound of grating coming from their left made Aang look to the chute next to them. He gasped when he saw the Fire Nation princess gaining ground on them. Azula then launched two shots at them. A surprised Bumi watched as Aang lifted his staff and spun it really fast to deflect the shots. Azula launched a few more shots but they were easily put out by Aang's staff spinning. The two carts began to pull away from each other and Azula stopped her attack. But the two friends' troubles were just getting started when the two tracks conjoined.

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Up on the construction platform, most of the team was engaging the enemy team. Cap blocked a few knives flung from Mai's wrist before lashing out with his fist which she was able to avoid. Katara threw a water whip that made the Scarlet Widow jump back and shatter more of the wooden boards. Natasha and Rumlow entered their fight by throwing or dodging fists or feet thrown their way.

"Pretty neat shield you got there." Mai sarcastically said while moving out the way of a kick. Then she glared as she threw her hand forward and said, "Its bright colors hurt my eyes."

"It inspires the idea of freedom." Captain America while raising the shield to block the arrows at point blank range. Then he reached out and was able to grab hold of her wrist before twisting and causing Mai to stumble past him. She looked back with a gasp as he came at her with his shield raised.

The Scarlet Widow was able to move out of the way when Katara tried using her water whip to force her back but ended up hitting the boards instead. The enemy of the Black Widow then mocked, "Your movements are too slow, young Waterbender. You'll never hit me."

"Who says I was really aiming for you." Katara countered which got the Scarlet Widow to think. The enemy spy looked down to see that Katara had been telling the truth. The wooden floor started to give out and she jumped back. But it left her open to Katara sending a large wave of water at her. The enemy spy cried out as she was knocked off her feet. Katara smirked as she ran for the Scarlet Widow with her water raised again.

Nat fell onto her back after a punch to the face from Rumlow. The agent of Hydra stood over her and raised up a fist to bring down, but Natasha was able to move her head out of the way when it came down. Rumlow was able to wrench it free, but Natasha used it to sock Rumlow in the face and it made him stagger backwards. The Hydra agent then said, "Now I can see why my partner might have difficulty against you."

"I was always her better." Nat said with a shrug. Rumlow then said, "Funny, that's what she's always saying too."

"I'd like to see her try." The Black Widow commented before doing a somersault towards him before launching herself. She twisted to where her feet connected against his chest before kicking off and made the mercenary stumble back. When she landed, Nat turned with both arms extended and fired a few more of her stingers at Rumlow. Crossbones cried out in agony as he was electrocuted and dropped down on one knee. Rumlow was able to quickly remove the stinger as Natasha came running at him again and lashed out a fist.

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On the chute track, Aang and Bumi were still being chased by Princess Azula. When she seemed to be getting closer, Aang unleashed a huge blast of wind from his left hand. Azula saw the attack coming and with a quick motion of her hands, she was able to spear through it like if it was only a breeze. Azula smirked before sending another blue ball of fire at Aang. Aang yelled and ducked before using his staff and Airbending to make them go much faster. Aang and Bumi were able to gain a little distance from Azula when they came under some wooden beams. Lookin up at them, Aang suddenly got an idea and swung his staff out. His airbending caused the beams between Azula and them to fall to the ground. Azula's cart went right into the dust cloud and the sounds of crashing could be heard. Her cart slid out of the dust and it appeared to be empty. Aang gave a sigh of relief that it was over. But he couldn't be anymore wrong when Azula jumped back onto her feet and screamed in terror. Azula then unleashed another huge blast of fire and Aang dropped down on the container as the flames passed over him and Bumi.

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Back at the construction site, the fight was going more into the heroes favor as they pushed Mai, Rumlow and the Scarlet Widow back. They had decided to switch opponents and now Katara faced off against Mai, Captain America was fighting Rumlow and Natasha fought the Scarlet Widow. Katara threw a whip of water towards Mai, but she was able to fall back while still standing and shot an arrow from her leg. A weirded out Katara was able to retract the water in time and made an ice wall. Mai ran towards the Waterbender and threw her arm forward. But Katara was able to get the drop on her by melting the wall and throwing the water forward. Mai gasped when the water froze over her hand and tried to break it with a chop.

Cap landed a punch to Rumlow's face and the agent of Hydra staggered back. Rumlow was able to find his footing and charged at the super soldier. Captain America blocked a punch before twisting on one leg and landing a kick to Rumlow's head. Rumlow tumbled on the ground as a few fragments of his mask fell to the ground. Rumlow could feel the air against his face and looked to Cap with a glare. With a shout, the agent of Hydra ran towards Cap again.

The Black and Scarlet Widows were evenly matched against each other as they threw or blocked a strike. When they separated for a moment, Natasha got in a quick jab, "Rumlow told me that you say that your better than me. I have yet to see it."

"I seemed to always be your better in the Red Room." The Scarlet Widow countered. Then she smirked and said, "Even more so when you left, like a coward."

"I'm not the one teaming up with an organization that should have died with a red-faced sociopath." Natasha retorted. The Scarlet Widow then said, "And yet your organization hardly existed at all."

Natasha glared at her enemy and the Scarlet Widow glared back. The two ran at each other before throwing a fist.

Ty Lee had returned after losing Sokka and the baby. She knew that Mai wouldn't be too happy about it, but she knew that there were bigger problems to worry about. She made her way up some supports and when she reached the top, the acrobat gasped when she saw that her friends were having trouble. Leaping from one post to the next, Ty Lee first went after the Waterbender. With a small jab to Katara's left shoulder, Katara yelled in pain while Ty Lee moved as quick as a snake before hitting the other side of shoulder. Then ducking underneath the frozen water, and finished with a third jab to Katara's right shoulder. Ty Lee moved away as Katara's ice melted in front of her.

Cap glanced back to Katara as the melted ice fell to ground. But before he could move, the super soldier grunted when he felt Ty Lee repeat the same three strikes on him. His arms, especially the one with his shield, became slightly heavy and a little hard to move. He looked up to Rumlow as the agent of Hydra ran at him with a yell.

Ty Lee moved to Natasha after the two spies once again broke apart. The acrobat landed a strike on Nat's left arm before her elbow, and two on her shoulders. Nat's arm became like Cap's and was hard to lift. The Scarlet Widow smirked as she did a cartwheel before kicking Nat in the gut with both feet.

Both her and Cap were knocked into Katara from the blows and all three fell to the ground. Katara was the one to get back and tried to recall her waterbending by making a circular motion with her arms. The water lifted a little before falling back down. The four smirked as Mai then taunted while reaching into her over shirt, "How are you going to fight or protect your friends without you bending?"

Then with a flick of her wrist she brought out a dagger that extended itself. All three friends gasped at the sight of the weapon. Mai raised her arm to throw it, but a boomerang knocked it out of her hand. Katara, Natasha and Captain America all looked up to see Sokka flying in on Appa with Thor flying right behind them. Sokka caught his boomerang as he said, "We seem to manage."

Thor landed on Appa's saddle before flinging Mjolnir at the four. Mai, Ty Lee, the Scarlet Widow and Rumlow jumped out of the way when Mjolnir crashed into the wooden floor. The hammer then lifted out of the ground before returning to the wielders hand. Sokka then steered Appa to land between his friends and the enemy. The bison turned as he landed before slamming his tail against the ground. All four cried out as they were hurled across the construction site. They slid across the ground. Thor leapt down from the bison's saddle and ran over to help his friends. Helping the two Avenger's up first, he noticed that the shield looked a little heavy in Cap's arms. Thor then asked, "What happened to you three?"

"I don't know." Cap said as they walked to the saddle. Natasha shook her head and then said, "But we can talk about it later."

"Aye." Thor agreed as they quickly walked back to the tail. Thor then helped Katara into the saddle from the side. When all three were aboard the bison, Thor then asked, "We need to find friends Aang and Bumi."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sokka questioned before flicking the reins. Thor then quickly spun Mjolnir really fast before flying off after them. As they flew through the air, Katara noticed something going by really fast on the tracks and shouted, "There goes Aang!"

"We can catch up to him." Sokka said before steering Appa in the right direction.

Down below, Azula threw her hands forward and sent two streams of fire at the two. Aang was able to swat the flames away as Appa flew alongside them. Noticing his friends, Aang then shouted to the trapped king, "Hang on tight, Bumi! Our ride's here!"

Appa tried to get in close, but Azula sent balls of fire at him and Sokka had to keep clear of them. The blue fireballs went right past them when they dodged the attacks. Aang used his staff to knock the metal container off of the track, but it was a bit too much as they sailed over their friends' heads. Everyone tried to make a grab for the container, but it went over the other side of the bison. Bumi yelled as they started falling again. Aang tried to keep his grip on the container and it looked like they would hit the ground below. But a quick hit from Mjolnir on the top right corner caused the container to spin and fall onto another track. Bumi grunted when they landed but yelled again when they fell onto the track underneath that track. They started sliding again but were once again followed by Azula.

With a circular motion of her hands, Azula created a large wheel of fire before shoving it at them. The flaming wheel of fire came barreling towards them and Bumi saw that he and Aang were in some serious trouble. Lifting his chin, Bumi grunted as he was able to create a barrier of stone between them and the wheel of fire. The wheel slammed into the fire and dissipated while they continued to slide away. Azula gasped when she saw the obstacle and jumped before the cart crashed into the rock. She landed on the track and used her feet to stop her from sliding. The princess watched them go with a glare, knowing that this could be both an opportunity and a problem for her, her father and their allies.

With the danger now over, a shocked Aang looked down to Bumi's head and questioned, "You could earthbend? All along?"

"Well, they didn't cover my face." Bumi pointed out before once again lifting his chin with a grunt. Another formation of rocks appeared at the bottom of the chute and Aang jumped off as the container was standing up right on the rock. Aang landed on the ground and turned to his friend, so confused. Placing a hand against his bald head he questioned, "I just don't understand it, Bumi. Why didn't you free yourself if you could the entire time? Why did you surrender to the Fire Nation and Hydra when Omashu was invaded? What's the matter with you, Bumi?"

"Listen to me, Aang." Bumi said as he could explain. Then he said, "There are options in fighting that are called 'jing'. And it is a choice of how you can direct your energy."

"I know, I know." Aang said as he understood what his friend was talking about. Then he used his fingers to count as he said, "There's positive jing for when you're attacking and negative jing for when you're retreating."

"And neutral jing for when you do nothing." Bumi added with a grin. This surprised Aang as he lifted a third finger and asked, "There are three jings?"

"Well, technically, there are up to eighty-five." Bumi said as he knew that there were more varieties. But with a shake of his head he then smiled and said, "But for now, let's just focus on the third jing."

Aang listened closely and said, "Neutral jing as the key to earthbending. It involves listening and waiting for the right moment to strike."

"That's the reason why you surrendered then, isn't it?" Aang asked, getting the feeling that was the reason. Bumi nodded and said, "Yes. And it's the reason why I can't leave now."

Though he didn't like it, Aang understood his friend's decision. Looking down and turning away from Bumi he regrettably said, "I guess I need to find someone else to teach me earthbending, huh?"

"Your teacher, will be someone who has completely mastered neutral jing." Bumi informed him. Then the crazed king then told his friend, "You need to find someone who listens and waits before striking."

"Okay." Aang nodded. Then he glanced back to Bumi and said, "I just wish…"

"I know, Aang." Bumi nodded, completely understanding his friend. Then he said, "But you are in completely capable hands. Your friends will be able to help you."

Aang was suddenly surprised when Momo landed on his shoulder and the lemur seemed happy to see him as well. The lemur chittered while Aang petted his ear and said, "Hey there, Momo."

"Momo here's mastered quite a few jings himself." Bumi said with a grin. Momo looked to the crazed king and screeched at him. Bumi then said, "Good-by, Aang. I will see you all again when the time is right."

Then throwing his head back, Bumi let out a crazed laugh as his coffin fell against the ramp and used his earthbending to push himself back up. Aang watched Bumi go with a sad look, but the sound of Appa groaning made him look back to see Appa and his friends waiting for him. Deciding to high tail it out of there, Aang ran to Appa with Momo hanging on. Jumping into the saddle, Aang sat down as Sokka gave a flick of the reins to get them out of there.

"So, where did you put the baby?" Katara asked her brother. Sokka grinned and said, "Don't worry. I left him with Yon."

"Really?" Natasha asked from the saddle. Then she said, "Yon was willing to take care of a Fire Nation baby?"

"After convincing him he was on board." Sokka told them. Steve then asked, "So what now."

"We'll need to find someone else to teach me earthbending." Aang said as he looked back to Omashu. Then he said with a grin, "But maybe we could go looking for the other Avengers as well."

"Sounds good to us." Thor said as he flew by. Katara then said, "But first there's something we have got to take care of."

"Right." All five said as they knew what she meant. Appa continued to fly from the city as the group knew that their troubles were growing.

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After telling the governor that they were unable to recover their son, Azula then told them that Mai would be leaving with her for a mission. While the governor and his wife wanted to object after the fiasco with the trade. But he knew that he couldn't argue with the Fire Lord's daughter. So now the team was starting to leave out of Omashu. Mai looked to Azula in the palanquin and said, "So, we're going to be tracking down your brother and uncle, huh, Azula?"

"It'll be very interesting to be seeing Zuko again." Ty Lee said with a grin. Then she looked to her friend on her right and asked, "Won't it, Mai."

Mai did look away as a smile crept on her face. The Scarlet Widow then said, "Don't forget, that it's not just them that we're hunting."

The two girls looked to her. Azula was in agreement and said, "She's right. We have more targets now."

"And with those three by their side," Rumlow added, "there's no telling when and where they'll meet up with Stark, Agent Barton or Banner."

"Then we need to send word for the others to come on board." Azula decided. Her eyes narrowed as she thought of their next encounter with the heroes, or her brother and uncle.

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Later that evening, Aang had flown back into Omashu with the baby strapped to him. Aang silently dropped down onto the roof and looked over the side. He could see that the governor and his wife were all alone on the balcony. The two were sad that Mai had left the city, but even sadder at the thought of never seeing their son again. Silently dropping down from the roof, Aang landed behind the two. The baby cooed when he saw his parents and reached for them. Aang smiled as he removed the baby from the sling and set him on the ground. The baby then waddled over to his parents while Aang quickly, yet silently, jumped back onto the roof. The governor and his wife heard the sounds of giggling behind them. Looking back, they gasped in happiness to see their son waddling up to them. His mother ran to him and said, "Tom-Tom!"

Both parents were soon hugging their son as they were joyous to have him back safe and sound. Aang watched the scene with a smile before sneaking off into the shadows before opening his glider to fly away.

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When he rejoined the others at one of the peaks close to Omashu, he found his friends all waiting for him. Yon walked up to them and said, "You all can stay in our camp for the night and continue on your way in the morning."

"Thank you, Yon." Aang said with a bow of his head. The commander gave a slight smile before it fell again and walked away. Steve then said, "Okay. We really need to talk, you guys."

"Okay." Sokka said as the kids and the Avengers all gathered around. Steve then said, "The next time that we run into those guys, we need to be really careful."

"Steve's right." Natasha agreed. Then she said, "The Fire Nation princess seems to have a small, if not bigger, team on her side as well."

"More than likely those that we fought before coming here are all on this world as well." Thor guessed. Aang then asked, "So, what can we do to prepare?"

"Well, like you suggested." Steve started, "We find the other Avengers, and we find you an Earthbending teacher. That way we have a bit more of an edge against them."

"And once you have mastered all four, you could be a force to be truly reckoned with." Thor added while giving the boy a brotherly slap on the arm. Aang grimaced in pain from it and rubbed his arm. Sokka then said, "Well, that swamp that General Fong told us about shouldn't be that far from Omashu. And he did say that there were reports of someone or something strange going on there."

"Then that's we'll head." Steve said with a nod. Then he looked to the others and asked, "That sound good with you?"

Aang, Katara, Sokka, Natasha and Thor all nodded in agreement. Steve then said, "Let's get some rest. We have a long journey ahead of us."

The group then moved to sleep for the night.

\_|_/

Author's Note: Well, this chapter took a while to finish, but it's done. It might be a while before chapters 4 and 5 come out since I've got a lot to work on. But I will get them done for you. I look forward to reading your reviews. Be sure to leave a comment either about if I've done something wrong or if you want something specifically to happen. See you next time.