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: After this episode, I plan on doing another original chapter. And for this chapter, I plan to add a few differences in it.
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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, Toph 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…
"Appa is missing." Katara said when she thought of the Sky Bison when was had been captured by the Sandbenders. They managed to get a hold of him and dragged him away, "We hope to find him in Ba Sing Se."
"Professor Zei, head of Anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." The man introduced himself with a bow. Aang followed suit in respect. Professor Zei brought out a sketch of a large building while he said, "This library is said to contain a vast collection of knowledge…"
In the library, the group was in the planetarium and Sokka turned a series of dials. When they were turned to a certain date, the planetarium grew dark when the sun was hidden behind the moon. Sokka became excited about it, "Firebenders lose their bending during a solar eclipse!
"We've got to get this information to the Earth King at Ba Sing Se." Sokka said when they had a plan.
In the train station on the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, Jet looked over to Iroh who had a cup of hot tea. His eyes widened when he realized what Iroh was. After leaving Jet alone, Zuko and Tony saw what Iroh did and the former slapped his cup out of his hand. Iroh exclaimed, "Hey!"
"What are you doing firebending your tea?" Zuko questioned through gritted teeth. Tony was in agreement when he said, "We took great lengths to get into the city and you're gonna get us caught with this stunt if you're not careful."
"So the old man had a hot cup of tea? Big deal." Smellerbee questioned as they and the Rescue Team made their way to the train. But Jet knew what he saw when he glanced to the others, "He heated it himself." He looked ahead with a glare and said, "Those guys are Firebenders!"
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Book Two: Earth
Chapter Fifteen: City of Walls and Secrets
A new day came over the Outer Walls of Ba Sing Se and the group was once again on the move. A pair of General Sung's soldiers guided the team to a train station where they were able to gain access to the city via monorail. It wasn't long before they boarded the train and were on their way when the Earthbenders at the back started pushing the train forward. The team sat on both sides of the train and some were looking out the window and viewing the countryside between the Inner and Outer Walls of Ba Sing Se. On one side of the train was Toph, Clint, Sokka and Bruce while on the other was Aang, Steve, Katara and Thor. While most of the group was waiting and relaxing, Katara rubbed her shoulder before glancing to the front of the train and noticed something. She looked and became excited when she said, "Look, the Inner Wall!"
Everyone lifted their heads to see the train coming up on another gigantic wall. Katara looked to the others and said, "I can't believe that we finally made it to Ba Sing Se."
"It will feel a little good to be back." Clint said when he leaned against his seat. Katara chuckled when she added, "And we all made it in one piece too."
"Hey! Don't go and jinx it." Sokka said to shush her, surprising just about everyone in the train car. He sounded stupid when he said, "We could still be attacked by some giant, exploding Fire Nation spoon.
"And a teeny-tiny Hydra fork that paralyzes people to go with it. Or find out that the city's been submerged in an ocean full of large killer shrimp." He added and leaned back in his seat. Toph, who was petting a sleeping Momo, asked him, "Have you been hitting the cactus juice again?"
"It could be some kind of effect that hasn't fully drained from his system." Bruce said and scratched his chin. Sokka shrugged and said, "I'm just saying, weird stuff happens to us a lot."
"Speaking of weird." Steve said when he looked to the head of the train car. They all noticed an odd Earth Kingdom citizen with a corn cob in his mouth walking through. He was about to sit down when Clint raised his hand and said, "Beat it, pal."
The man seemed to take the hint and kept on walking. Momo chittered as they watched the man go. Aang glanced out the window of the train and became a little solemn. Katara, Steve and Thor noticed this and the Waterbender said, "Don't worry, Aang. We're going to find Appa."
"It's such a big city." Aang pointed out, feeling that it's not going to be that easy. Steve placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "There's a lot of us to help with the search."
"And he's a giant sky bison." Sokka made a point of his own when he joined them on their side of the train car. He shrugged when he asked, "Where could someone possibly hide him?"
"You're about to find out." Clint rolled his eyes as the train came to the entrance of the Inner Wall. It wasn't but a minute through the inner defenses of the city when they came to the other side. Those who had not been to the city before became surprised at the sheer size of the city.
"Oh." Sokka said, feeling pretty stupid at the moment. Katara then said, "And since Nat's not here to do it, I'll do it for her."
She lightly smacked him upside the back of the head. Sokka just looked to his sister with a slight glare. Steve looked to Clint and asked the archer of the Avengers, "How big is Ba Sing Se?"
"It may not be like the Big Apple." Clint said when he glanced out to the city down below. He glanced to them and said, "But this city is pretty large too."
"While not as big as Asgard, it is quite a marvel." Thor said, feeling that it was true. The Earthbender-powered monorail soon pulled into one of the many stations of Ba Sing Se. Once it came to a stop, they disembarked. As they stood viewing the city, Toph sighed while petting Momo who was slung over her shoulder, "Back in the big city. Great."
"Toph, I know that you're not too keen on places like this." Clint said, reassuring the girl. A confused Sokka then asked, "What is the problem with cities like this, huh? It's really amazing."
"It's just a bunch of walls and rules." Toph listed the downside of the city. She sounded sure of it when she said, "Just you wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days."
"Well, seeing as you have a few city goers, I think we might be able to pull through." Steve said with a smirk when he looked to the Blind Bandit. Clint then reminded, "And don't forget, we're only here long enough to look for Appa and get the Earth King's support. Once that's done, we'll plan our next move and be on the road again."
"Fine." Toph groaned, thinking that it couldn't get any worse. Aang walked to the edge of the station and brought out his bison whistle. He lifted it to his lips and blew. While it didn't make much sound, Aang hoped that Appa might be able to at least hear it. When he lowered it he promised his beloved sky bison, "I'm coming for you, buddy."
"Aang?" A voice asked from behind. He looked to see Katara, Steve, Thor and Bruce joined him and Aang said, "He's here. I can feel it."
"Must be a pretty strong feeling." Bruce jokingly said and earned a few glances from the other four. The bottom of the train scraped against the tracks when the Earthbenders got it moving again. When they were gone, Clint, Sokka and Toph all turned when a woman walked across the tracks towards them. She had an unusually large smile on her face and a light green dress and her hair tied back. When she joined them she greeted them, "Hello there. My name is Ju Dee."
"Hmm?" The others said and glanced back. They saw the woman and joined with the others when she said, "I have been given the great honor of showing the Avatar, the Avengers and their friends around Ba Sing Se."
"Uh, thank you." Steve said, finding her a bit odd. Bruce glanced over to Clint and saw that he had a look of suspicion about him. He knew that he would have to bring this up when he had the opportunity. Ju Dee then said, "Welcome to our wonderful city, everyone."
"Thank you for your hospitality." Thor nodded his appreciation. Ju Dee waved it off and said, "The pleasure is all mine. What with having a few celebrities within our fair city.
"Now, shall we get started?" She suggested while clasping her hands together. Sokka, becoming eager, nodded and held his bag close, "Yes. We have information about the Fire Nation Army that we need to deliver to the Earth King immediately."
"Great." Ju Dee said, making most of the group think that's where they were going. But they became confused when she said, "Let's begin our tour of Ba Sing Se, and the I shall show you to your new home here. I think that you'll like it very much."
She turned and walked away while Sokka looked to the others with a groan. Before anyone could stop him, the Water Tribe teen walked after Ju Dee and said, "Maybe you missed what I just said. We need to go and talk to the Earth King about the war. It's really important."
"You're in Ba Sing Se now, my friends. Everyone is safe here." Ju Dee said with her smile never wavering. She then turned and continued walking. While the others began to become a little suspicious about her acting casually when regarding the war, Clint's eyes narrowed as if he could tell that something wasn't right.
Ten minutes later…
The group had been brought to an ostrich-horse pulled wagon that had been refurbished to not only carry a larger number of passengers, but also be pulled by more than one ostrich-horse. The group was riding through one of the many sections of the city. While most of the group was sitting in a seat, Momo was hanging from a ceiling ornament. Gesturing to the area, Ju Dee informed, "This is the lower ring."
"What's that wall for?" Katara asked, looking to the wall that separated the lower ring from the middle ring. Ju Dee explained by saying, "Oh, Ba Sing Se has many walls."
"As Master Barton knows," She said and gestured to the archer, "there are the walls outside that protect us, and the inside walls help us maintain a sense of order."
"Maintaining an order of the classes so to speak." A not-too-happy Clint clarified and just about everyone knew what he was meaning. Ju Dee continued by saying, "This is where our newest arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and our artisans as well- people that tend to work with their hands."
"Basically the poor." Clint said, and it caused Ju Dee's smile to fall for a moment. It returned when she said, "But it's so quaint and lively here."
She, Katara, Bruce and Steve all glanced out the window when they noticed something. They happened to see a few guys with swords hanging out in an alley. The men noticed them and sent glares their way. The group did become a little nervous and Ju Dee did warn them, "You will want to watch your step around here though."
"Why do they have all these poor people blocked off in one part of the city?" Katara asked, raising a good question. Aang then spoke up by saying, "This is why I never came here before. I always heard that it was so different from the way that the monks taught us to live."
"All places have different ways of living." Clint said as they continued riding along.
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In another part of town, Zuko and Tony were both walking down a district. They had stayed the night in a community center of sorts and were now on their way to an apartment complex. They walked through a street and Tony noticed the look on the prince's face. He leaned to him and asked, "Why the long face, sourpuss?"
"Mm." Zuko groaned and shot the inventor of the Iron Man armor a comical looking displeased face. Tony lifted his hands in a calming manner and said, "Uh, never mind."
They were pulled away from that conversation when Iroh came walking up to them with a vase with a flower in it and a large smile on his face. The flowers in the pot were orange in color. While Tony gave the flowers a look, Zuko looked to his uncle with a questioning look. Iroh looked up to his nephew and explained the flowers, "I just wanted to make our place look really nice," He lightly nudged his nephew when he added, "in case someone brings home a lady friend."
"This city is a prison." Zuko disapproved as they kept walking. Tony and Iroh gave the teen a questioning look and he added, "I don't want to make a life here."
"Life happens wherever you are, whether you like it or not." Iroh argued, feeling that that was a good piece of wisdom. Tony looked to Iroh and said, "You have got to tell me if you write fortune cookies."
"What exactly is a fortune cookie?" Iroh asked and Tony chuckled as they kept on walking. Then shaking his head he said, "Now, come on, you two. I was able to find us some new jobs and we'll be starting this afternoon."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Tony asked and they hurried to the apartment.
Not too far behind, a familiar face stepped out from an alley and turned down the path that the three were taking. Jet glared as he watched them go and bitterly said, "Look at them. Firebenders living under everyone's noses. And probably holding a good man hostage to boot."
"I highly doubt that Tony's being held hostage." A voice from behind said. Jet looked back to see all his friends joining him. Smellerbee then spoke up by saying, "Jet, you say you saw a man with a hot cup of tea. It doesn't exactly prove that he's a Firebender."
"Yeah, he probably had Mr. Stark use something to heat up the tea." Peter shrugged, thinking that was it. But Jet disagreed by saying, "Peter, Tony was with me when the old guy heated it up."
"And what if he even is? Are we supposed to go and attack them? Just to get Tony away from them?" Smellerbee argued, making Jet looked to her. She then reminded him, "I thought that we were starting over." She looked to the others, "Changing our ways."
"And we are." Jet promised them and stepped out from the shadows of the building. Then he added, "When I get all the evidence that I need, I'll take it to the proper authorities and let them handle it.
"Okay?" He asked when he looked ack to the others. Everyone looked to each other and thought that it was the best that they were going to get.
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Back with the team, they had gone through the wall that separated the lower and middle rings of the city. Ju Dee gestured to this part and said, "This is the middle ring of Ba Sing Se.
"Home to the financial district, shops of all sorts and restaurants and the Ba Sing Se University." She informed with her grin never faltering. What she said got Sokka's attention and he turned to the woman, "Oh yeah, we met a professor from Ba Sing Se University.
"He took us all to an ancient underground library, where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the Earth King to hear!" Sokka shouted when he pushed Clint forward to get close to Ju Dee. But he and most of the others were surprised when all she said was, "Isn't history fascinating?'
"You know what else is about to be fascinating?" Clint asked, making everyone look to the archer. He then said, "The sound of Sokka gasping for air if he doesn't back up."
"Sorry." Sokka apologized and backed up to allow Clint to sit back. Ju Dee looked out from the carriage and said, "Oh, look. Here's one of the oldest buildings in the middle ring: Town Hall."
She got out and walked to the building. Sokka then looked to the others and quietly asked, "Is that woman deaf or something? She only seems to hear every other word that I say."
"It's called being 'handled'." Toph said, going back to her earlier words. She sat back and crossed her arms, "Get used to it."
"But I've happened to notice this with a few residence." Clint said when he looked to Ju Dee. Steve then asked, "You think that something's going on here?"
"I'll explain later." Clint promised as they got out to follow Ju Dee.
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Back in the lower ring, Jet was standing outside of a building. He making sure to look casual enough to avoid attention. But what he was doing was keeping an eye on the trio. They were currently inside the store. A tea shop to be more precise. When he was sure that no one was looking, Jet looked into the shop.
Inside the store, Tony, Iroh and Zuko were all standing near the counter of the shop. Standing before them was an old man with orange tinted glasses with a small mustache. The keeper of the shop looked between the three of them and said, "Well, the three of you look certainly look like official tea servers.
"How do you boys feel?" He asked with a grin. All three of them were wearing aprons that said 'Mr. Lee's Tea Shop' on the front. Zuko, with an unamused look, said, "Completely ridiculous."
"This is the last time we let your uncle pick our jobs." Tony commented with a bored look before they both all look to said uncle. Iroh was currently struggling to tie his apron and asked, "Uh, does this possibly come in a larger size?"
"I'll go and see if I've got some extra string in the back." Mr. Lee offered and picked up a steaming pot of tea. He poured three cups and handed each of them a cup, "Have some tea while you fellas wait."
The three graciously took the cups and Mr. Lee walked to the back to get Iroh some more string. While Tony and Zuko just held their cups, Iroh took a sip of his tea. He immediately regretted it and gagged from the foul taste that it left in his mouth. Tony and Zuko look to Iroh when he lowered the cup and complained, "This tea is nothing more than hot leaf juice."
"Uncle, that's what all tea is." Zuko pointed out to him while Iroh looked to his cup. Iroh was very hurt by what his nephew said, "How could a member of my own family say such a horrible thing."
"Says the guy whose niece is hunting him down." Tony remarked with a quirked brow. Iroh thought about what he was saying and couldn't help but agree with him. Tony then looked to the cup in his hand and said, "And it can't be all that bad."
He raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. But like Iroh he ended up regretting it as he too gagged from the horrible taste. He shuttered when he said, "Nope. That is not good tea."
Zuko just groaned from them making a big deal out of nothing. Iroh picked up the pot of tea on the table while setting his own cup down. With a curt nod he said, "We'll have to go and make some major changes to this place."
He walked to the open window. From the outside, Jet gasped when he saw Iroh approaching with the hot pot of tea. He quickly moved out of the way when Iroh dumped the contents of the pot out the window.
Jet looked about to see if anyone was watching him before he slipped into the alley beside the tea shop.
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After a small tour of the Middle Ring, the group's cart passed through another wall into the Upper Ring. This one had a lot less buildings and looked to be like that of a country club. Ju Dee then informed, "The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens.
"And your house isn't too far from where we are now." She told them. The group looked about the spacious area as they continued along.
They traveled a bit further before coming upon the most regal looking building in the entire city. Katara looked to Ju Dee and asked, "What's behind this wall?"
"The Earth King's royal palace." Both Ju Dee and Clint said at the same time. They looked to each other in surprise before Ju Dee's smile returned and she said, "Master Barton is correct."
"And the mean looking guys in the robes over there?" Sokka asked when he pointed to the entrance into the palace. They all looked to see a group of men wearing the same dark green robes standing at the entrance. They all looked to the cart with narrowed eyes. Ju Dee explained, "Those men there are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se."
"So like a secret police or something?" Bruce asked her. Ju Dee gave a light shrug when she said, "More or less.
"They are the guardians of all of our traditions." She added. Aang then asked a pretty blunt question, "Can we go and see the Earth King now?"
"Oh, no." Ju Dee chuckled from the question. Then she explained by saying, "One doesn't just go and pop in on the Earth King."
This just seemed to kill the mood for everyone in the carriage. But they didn't say anything as they continued the tour.
…
They rode around for a little while longer before coming to a stop at one of the houses in the Upper Ring. Ju Dee was the first to step out and said with her usual and unnaturally large smile, "Ah, here we are. Your new home away from home."
"Quite literal on that last part." Bruce commented with a quirked brow. The house wasn't too small nor was it big like some of the other houses in the district. Momo chittered as he flew about the place. Everyone looked about the place when a man ran up to Ju Dee and handed her a scroll. She took it and the man bowed before he walked away. Ju Dee unrolled the scroll and said, "It would appear to be more good news.
"Your request to meet with the Earth King is being processed, and it should be through in about a month. Much more quickly than usual." She informed them. This shocked the group as Sokka complained, "A month?"
"Six to eight weeks, actually." Ju Dee clarified, thinking that it didn't seem so long and gave a light laugh. The group moved inside of the house and Ju Dee said, "Isn't it nice in here?"
"Yeah, it's quite cozy." Bruce sarcastically said, feeling a little ticked off. Ju Dee was oblivious to the sarcasm and said, "I think that you will all really enjoy it here in Ba Sing Se."
"I think we'd be enjoying it a lot more if we weren't staying so long." Sokka disagreed with her. Then he asked, "Can't we see the Earth King a little sooner?"
"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world." Ju Dee said, never dropping her smile once. Sokka and most of the others adopted a look of skepticism when she added, "But he will see you as soon as time permits it."
"Well, if we're gonna be here for a month…" Aang spoke up and turned to look out the window. Momo woke up from his little cat nap when the Airbender said, "We might as well look for Appa or the others."
"Sounds like a plan." Steve agreed with him. Ju Dee bowed to them and said, "I'll be happy to escort you all anywhere in the city you would like to go."
"We don't need a babysitter." Toph disagreed, not wanting to deal with Ju Dee anymore. She got up from her seat and started walking for the door. But Ju Dee seemed to want to help when she said, "Oh, I won't get in the way.
"And to leave you all alone would make me a bad host." She stepped in front of Toph and the Earthbender stopped in her tracks. Toph then turned her head to Clint and said, "Clint's been in the city too. He could act as our guide."
All eyes fell to the archer of the group and he suddenly began to grow a little nervous. Bruce quirked a brow and asked, "Clint?"
"Well, the truth is…" Barton said while sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Then he revealed, "I've only spent most of my time in the Upper and Middle Rings before getting hired to be Toph's bodyguard."
This earned groans from the rest of the group. Ju Dee didn't seem to mind when she said, "Now then, shall we get started. Where will we begin?"
…
After a few minutes of traveling, the group was once again in the Lower Ring. They were standing in one of the pet shops. It was loud from all the sounds of the animals in cages and pens around them. And while the team was at the counter with the owner, Momo was taking the treats left out for the birds. He grabbed a handful of seeds before shoving them into his mouth. Momo didn't stick around long when a squawking came from above. Momo jumped out of the way when a hybrid animal of a cat and a bird came flapping down. The cat-bird screeched at Momo before digging into the seeds itself. The lemur ran about while the group had asked the shop keeper a few questions. But the man shook his head, "I'm sorry, but I haven't heard anything about a flying bison in the city.
"I didn't even know that there were any still around." He added. Aang then asked him, "If someone wanted to sell a stolen animal without anyone knowing about it, where would they go to do it?"
"Where's the black market?! Who runs it?" Sokka asked with narrowed eyes. He tried to force it out of the man by saying, "Come on, you know."
Thor placed a hand on his shoulder to calm the teen down. Sokka then stood straight again and they waited for the man to answer. The man started to sweat as he did know the answer, but he also knew that he would get into big trouble. His gaze fell on Ju Dee who was shaking her head while smiling. Trying to calm himself, the shop keeper looked to the group and said, "That would be illegal."
However, from the corner of his eye, Thor noticed Ju Dee's head movement. The sound of chittering and squawking drew the man's attention away. And he didn't like what he was seeing when he said, "You'll have to leave now. Your lemur is harassing my Sparrowkeets."
Everyone looked to see that Momo had once again gotten into some feed and the birds didn't take kindly to it. They tried to peck at him while Momo tried to swat them away. Luckily for the lemur, Bruce walked up and grabbed the lemur like he would grab a cat before looking to the shop keeper and said, "Sorry about that, sir."
With no other reason to stay, the group left the pet shop. When they were gone, the man breathed a sigh of relief.
…
It was later in the afternoon when the group had gone into the Middle Ring and made their way towards the university. They parked the carriage just outside the grounds of the university and strolled about. They came across one of the many students of the university and asked him a few questions. The student tried to think before saying, "I've never seen any Sandbenders or Nomads around here.
"You should go and ask Professor Zei. He's the one who teaches the class on desert cultures." He advised while pushing his glasses back. Knowing that asking that professor was out of the question, Sokka then asked, "Right. And which of your professors could go and ask about the war with the Fire Nation and Hydra?"
Like the pet shop owner, the student suddenly began to grow nervous about what to say when he went, "Uh…"
He glanced to Ju Dee who leaned forward and shook her head again while her big smile was in place. This time, both Steve and Thor happened to notice before she straightened up when Sokka turned to her. The student then said, "I don't really know." He looked to the ground when he said, "I'm not a political science student."
The sound of a bell made everyone look up. The student began really worried when he rose to his feet, "I have to get to class now."
But he hadn't taken but a few steps when he tripped and dropped what he had in his arms. The student quickly scrambled to pick up his things before continuing towards the university building. The group watched him go before and Ju Dee waved goodbye.
…
The group returned to their home in the city with dejected looks on their faces. They turned to Ju Dee as she prepared to leave with the majority having crossed arms. While they all stood outside of the house, Ju Dee said, "Well, I'm so sorry that no one has seen any sign of your bison.
"Why don't the lot of you go and get some rest." She suggested. Ju Dee tried to make them feel better by saying, "Someone will be over with dinner later today."
"Thanks anyway, Ju Dee." Clint nodded and the carriage took off. When she was gone, Sokka looked to Steve and asked, "How come you didn't ask her about Tony's whereabouts?"
"Mostly for the fact that we might not have been able to get anywhere with her." Steve said, finding Ju Dee and the city a bit odd. They all noticed something across the street. Another house, a different looking house, stood across from their home. But they were looking at someone peeking from the window in the door. The person behind the door slid away from the opening. The group looked to each other Sokka suggested, "Let's see what our nosy neighbor thinks."
The others nodded and followed after the teen. They walked across the street towards the door of their neighbor's home. Walking right up to the door, Sokka knocked on the wood a couple of times and they waited to see if the owner of the home would answer. A face appeared behind the window and a man slid open the door. The man was wearing a green uniform and a thin grey mustache and eyebrows. He looked over the group and said in awe, "You must be the Avatar and the Avengers.
"I heard that you all were in town." He said while a mixture of looks came from the group. The man introduced himself, "My name is Pong."
"Nice to meet you, Pong." Aang returned with a smile. Pong then asked the four Avengers, "They say that you're all from another world. Is that true?"
"It is." Thor nodded and it seemed to excite the man. Pong then said, "My brother Lee is going to be so jealous that he didn't get to meet you guys. He's working in his tea shop in the Lower Ring."
"Ok, formalities aside, we want to ask you some questions." Sokka interjected. Pong shrugged and said, "Okay, what do you want to know?"
"So, Pong, what's going on with this city?" Sokka asked, not beating around the bush. He continued with the questions, "Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war or anything outside of the walls?"
"War? Scared?" Pong asked, growing nervous as he looked about. He shook his head, "I don't know what you mean?"
"I can feel you shaking." Toph said, sensing the vibrations from the trembling man. Thor asked him, "Why are you so nervous?"
"Look, I'm just a minor government official." Pong said, trying to ease the tension. He glanced about to see if anyone was looking and said, "My brother and I have waited three years to get this house. And we'd rather not get into any trouble."
"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked, making everyone more and more confused. Pong then shushed ad warned them, "Listen very closely, you can't go around mentioning the war here."
"I think we got that." Bruce said, feeling that they had been in the same situation before. Then he asked the frightened Pong, "Any other piece of advice?"
"Yes…" Pong said and took another glance around. Then he swiped his arm and gave one last warning, "Whatever you all do, stay away from the Dai Lee."
With nothing else to say, Pong shut the door to his home. The group looked to each other before heading back over to their place. When they were behind closed doors, Steve looked to Clint and asked, "Okay, Clint. What's on your mind?"
"Well, not meaning to restate the obvious, but there is something really odd going on here." Clint said. Thor nodded and said, "Aye, that we got after being here for only today."
"All I can say about this is that there's some odd reason that no one's talking about what's happening outside the walls." Bruce said as he thought about it. Then he said, "Let's review about what we know…
"Not only do people not talk about the war and all that happen outside of the wall, there's something that I don't trust about Ju Dee or what we saw of the Dai Lee." Bruce added. Steve looked to the Gamma scientist and asked, "Think that the Dai Lee's somehow connected to it all?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I it's possible." Bruce said as he rubbed his chin to think about it. Clint shook his head, "Maybe we do need to wait a few days. Just to see what we can find."
"Agreed." The others nodded, thinking it was for the best.
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Down in the Lower Ring, night had quickly come over the portion of the city. Tony, Zuko and Iroh had retired for the day and gone back to their apartment. While Tony and Zuko were trying to relax after a hard day's work, Iroh stood by a stove.
From the shadows on the roof across from their apartment, Jet was watching from behind some clothing set out to dry. But he wasn't alone this time as he had managed to convince Sam and Rhodey to come with him. Sam looked to Jet and whispered, "You do realize that this is all sorts of wrong right?
"I mean, what if someone sees us?" He questioned, only to be shushed by the teen. Jet looked to him and quietly said, "Someone will see us if we keep chattering like hog monkeys."
They were interrupted when they heard Iroh ask, "Would you boys like a pot of tea?"
"We've been working in a tea shop all day." Zuko argued, having had enough of the stuff for one day. Jet narrowed his eyes as he continued to watch them. He turned on his cot when he bitterly said, "I'm sick of tea."
"Sick of tea?" Iroh questioned, sounding as if it were so offensive. He turned to his nephew and said, "That's like being sick of breathing."
"I think that's mostly only in your case." Tony said, earning a few quiet chuckles from the two with Jet. Iroh then asked, "Would you like some?"
"Eh, maybe a cup or two." Tony shrugged, thinking it wouldn't be too bad. Iroh turned back to the pot and began to look for something. When he couldn't find what he was looking for he looked between the two and asked, "Have either of you seen or spark rocks to heat up the water?"
"Nope." Both Tony and Zuko said at the same time. From his hiding spot, Jet smirked when he said, "They're not there.
"You'll have to firebend, old man." He lifted a couple of green colored rocks in his right hand. Both Rhodey and Sam happened to notice this and became wide-eyed and worried about it.
There was a knock coming from the apartment door and Iroh turned to go and answer it. Jet's eyes narrowed again when he asked, "Where are you going?"
"Probably doing a more sensible thing than you just did." Rhodey said. All three became shocked when they heard a familiar voice say, "How's it going, Master Splinter?"
"Mr. Wilson." They heard Iroh greet. Iroh then asked, "Would you care for a cup of jasmine tea?"
"Oh, no thanks." Wade politely declined. What he said next seemed to tick Jet off a little, "But I was just passing by when I heard that you were having trouble getting started with your delicious beverage."
"Indeed." Iroh nodded and looked a little down. He hung his head when he said, "Our spark rocks seem to have gone missing."
"Ah, turn that frown upside down. I have just the thing." Wade offered when he pulled out a set of spark rocks of his own. Iroh smiled when the Merc with the mouth handed them to him and said, "Thank you. You had just what I needed."
"Have a good evening, Professor I." Wade said before leaving. Iroh closed the door and turned to the other two. With a smile he said, "What a nice man. I'll have to remember to repay him."
"Could always make a pot or two for him." Tony shrugged and that made Iroh think a lot about it. Iroh walked over to the tea pot and started flicking the spark rocks together. A flame soon appeared under the pot.
On the roof behind their hiding spots, Jet, Sam and Rhodey all quickly made their way off the roof. When they made it back down to the ground, Jet started to make his way back to their own place and felt like he and Wade would need to have a talk. Sam and Rhodey looked to each other before hurrying after the teen.
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In the Upper Ring that evening, a man with a stack of papers walked up to the team's home before placing the papers in a mail box of sorts. But as the man continued on to deliver more papers, he didn't notice someone walking up to the home behind him. When the mailman was a good distance from the house, the mysterious figure placed something among the papers before turning to leave. He looked about before making a getaway.
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Back in the Lower Ring and a different apartment complex, Jet violently slid the door open. The Freedom Fighters and the Rescue Group looked to the teen and could tell that he didn't look too happy. Peter came a little closer and asked, "How'd your walk go, you guys?"
"It wasn't much of a walk." Sam shook his head. Jet walked around the wall crawler and said, "We were scouting Tony and the Firebender's place."
A gasp came from the door and everyone looked to see Wade standing at the door. The Merc with the mouth started shaking his head and said, "Lying to children. Shame on you, Jet."
"You know that most of us here aren't really children, right?" Smellerbee asked him. Wade just shrugged and Jet walked up to the mutate and said, "Why were you at the apartment?"
"Just wanted to say hi to our boating buddies." Wade said and walked around the teen. Jet gritted his teeth and turned to him when he said, "Dang it, Wade. I was trying to get proof."
"Right?" Sam sarcastically said and all eyes turned to him. He then asked, "Does getting proof require you to break in and steal?"
"You did what?" A good number of the crowd questioned him. Jet shook his head and Smellerbee said, "Jet, this is so the opposite of trying to start over."
"And it's not something that you'd do." Peter agreed with her. Jet looked between them all and said, "Look. I'm just doing what I can to rid the city of firebending scum, alright."
He walked past everyone and headed to his room. He slammed the door behind him and everyone jumped from the harsh sound. Sam looked to Rhodey and said, "He's going to do something drastic. I know he is."
"Then we better be there to stop him when he does." Rhodey suggested, knowing that Jet was going to liable get himself into trouble.
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The next morning in the Upper Ring, a new day came over the city. Katara came out with a yawn and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She looked to her left and happened to notice the stack of papers in the mail box. Taking the papers out, Katara looked over them and became excited. She rushed back into the house and said, "Guys! I've got it!"
"Hm?" The others asked and looked to the Waterbender. They were all just taking it easy as Toph and Clint sat on a couple of pillows, Aang sat on the railing of an elevated platform, Sokka sitting upside down with his feet against the wall and Thor, Steve and Bruce sitting on the stairs with the Asgardian tossing his hammer up into the air. Katara unrolled the papers and said, "I know how we're going to see the Earth King ahead of time."
"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked while having her head in her hand. She mimicked Ju Dee by saying, "One doesn't just go popping in on the Earth King."
She regained her bored look while Clint chuckled from the impersonation. Katara unrolled the papers and said, "The Earth King is having a party at the royal palace for his pet bear."
"You mean platypus bear?" Aang asked from his spot. Katara shook her head and looked to the papers again, "No, it just says bear on here."
"Certainly you mean his pet skunk bear." Sokka inquired when he looked to his sister. Toph then asked, "Or his armadillo bear?"
"Gopher bear?" Aang wondered aloud. But Katara just said, "It just says his pet bear."
"This place is really weird." Toph commented while Steve, Bruce and Clint all started laughing a bit. They looked to the three and Bruce said, "Believe it or not, we have 'just bears' where we're from."
"I know of what you're talking about, yes." Thor agreed with a nod. Steve then said, "Okay, we have an opportunity. Let's find a way to use it."
"Well, the palace will be packed." Katara said as she thought that a party would be. Then she suggested, "We could try to sneak in with the crowd."
"It won't work." Toph disagreed and laid back on her pillow. While most of the others gave her a quirked brow, Clint was in agreement when he said, "Toph's right. This is gonna be one those fancy parties."
"And no offense to you simple country folk but a real society crowd would spot you guys a mile away." Toph casually said while picking up one of the treats of a dish and eating one. She pointed towards the Asgardian and said, "Thor might be the best one to sneak in though. Seeing how he's been to fancy parties." Then gesturing to Katara she said, "You've got no manners."
"Tony or Nat could find a way definitely get us in." Bruce sighed, wishing that either one was with them. Katara looked to Toph about an earlier comment and placed her hands on her hips when she said, "And excuse me, but we have no manners?" Pointing to Toph she said, "You're not exactly Lady Fancy Fingers yourself."
Her point was proven when Toph belched and looked at her with a slight scowl. But Toph was able to defend herself by saying, "I learned proper society behavior and chose to leave it behind me.
"You never learned anything." She added while throwing her snack away and scratched her belly. Then she started picking nose when she finished, "And frankly, it's a little too late to start."
She flicked a booger away while Clint made a that's-just-gross comment. It was met by a raspberry from Toph. Sokka, who had rolled over to sit up, interjected by saying, "Aha, but you and Thor learned it. Maybe you could teach us."
"Yeah, I'm in the middle of mastering the elements." Aang agreed from his spot on the railing. He stood up when he said, "How hard can manners be?"
He pulled one of the curtains down and wrapped it around him like a robe. He looked to each of them and said in a fancy sounding voice and peeked when he looked to them, "Good evening Mr. Sokka and Ms. Katara of the Water Tribe. The noble Avengers who hail from other worlds.
"Lord Momo, of the Momo Dynasty." He finished to the lemur who was hiding underneath blanket. The lemur poked his head out from blanket with a curious look. Momo seemed to like what Aang was saying and bowed when Aang added, "Your Momoness."
"Avatar Aang, how do you do. Go on." Sokka greeted as he started playing along. He wrapped another curtain around himself. Thor got into it when he held his cape in a regal fashion and held up his free fist when said, "Hail to merry time with good friends."
Aang bowed in respect to them and not wanting to be out done, Sokka followed suit. Thor followed their example and bowed in return. The three soon got a little competitive and started bowing multiple times. Then they all leaned backwards and threw their heads forward. It caused major pain to both Aang and Sokka's heads when Thor's head collided against theirs. Both boys fell to the ground with a groan and Thor looked to them a little nervously and offered, "Apologies, my friends."
"Katara might be able to pull if off…" Toph said when she got up and walked over to the Waterbender. They all looked to Aang and Sokka when she said, "But you two, Steve and Bruce might be lucky enough to able to pass as busboys."
"But I feel so fancy." Sokka said and rubbed the back of his head. It was met with Toph flinging another booger at him and it hit him on the forehead. Bruce looked to Katara and asked, "Anything else in those stack of papers?"
"Um." Katara said and looked through it all. She found something and said, "Here's something for Clint."
The archer stood up and took what Katara handed it to him. Clint then said, "I looks like I have been invited to the party.
"And it says that I can bring one guest with me." He said when he looked it over. Clint then said, "So, I guess a couple of us don't have to blend in with the crowd."
"Wait." Katara said when she looked again. Then she said, "There's also something for Thor."
"Hm?" Thor said and Katara handed it to him. Thor looked at it before saying, "Uh, I'm not sure if I can make this out."
Clint and Katara looked over it with him and they both became surprised. Katara then said, "You've also been invited to the party."
"Oh, really?" Thor asked as he looked it over, even though he couldn't read it. Thor then asked, " Does it say anything else?"
"You too can bring a plus one." Katara said when she looked through it. Steve then said, "All right, you four have a way in. That just leaves the rest of us."
"The four of us can go through the front entrance and find a side door to let you all through." Clint suggested and they all seemed to agree with that idea. Steve then said, "The four of you should get ready. The party's only in a few hours."
"And we have a lot of prepping to do." Toph added and let out a sigh of aggravation. Clint placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and said, "Hey, don't worry. We'll both be suffering tonight."
It didn't seem to make her feel any better as the four left to get ready for the party.
…
While the four were spending most of the day getting ready, the other four were trying to keep their selves entertained until it was time to go. While Steve and Bruce watched, Sokka and Aang were both playing a game like rock-paper-scissors against each other. They both threw down their hands and they both shouted, "Earth/Fire!"
Aang had his hand like a rock while Sokka moved his like it were flames. It seems that Aang won the round as Sokka groaned in defeat. The Water Tribe teen braced himself as Aang flicked him in the forehead. Sokka cried out in pain from the small blow and Bruce asked, "Okay, what is the point of this game?"
But before an answer could be given, the doors slid open to reveal Toph and Katara ready to go. They both wore light colored dresses with big sleeves, had their hair tied up underneath some head ornaments with flowers in them and held green fans with yellow border. They had applied eye shadow, cheek powder and lipstick to their facial features. Both girls started giggling from how girly they were feeling. Aang was absolutely stunned and a blush appeared when he said, "Wow, you look beautiful."
Sokka, seeing an opportunity, got his revenge when he sneakily raised his hand and flicked Aang in the side of the head. Bruce was quick to call a foul, "Hey, no flicking outside the game."
Katara opened her mouth to say something for the compliment, Toph stopped her by moving her fan in front of her friend. Toph then said, "Don't talk to the commoners, Katara. First rule of society."
Thor and Clint both walked into the room with themselves prepared for the party. While Thor had tied his hair back to keep it out of his face, he and Clint were both wearing dark green outfits to help blend in with the party goers. Steve looked to them and asked, "Everyone remember the plan?"
"We'll get in the party and then find a way to let the four of you in through a side gate." Katara nodded and the four headed out. Steve, Aang, Bruce and Sokka watched them go before noticing Momo walking past them. They looked down to see Momo still wearing the blanket as a robe. The four looked to each other and shrugged.
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Elsewhere in the Lower Ring, business was starting to boom at Mr. Lee's Tea Shop as another customer walked in through the door. From across the street, Jet watched as the man closed the door behind him. He narrowed his eyes as he was really tired of waiting to prove that Zuko and Iroh were Firebenders. He was about to go in when he felt a hand grab him by the shoulder. He looked back to see all his friends standing there with worried faces. Smellerbee was the first to say, "Jet, we really need to talk."
"Okay, what? 'Cause I could really use some help here." Jet said, even though he had an idea of what they were going to say. Peter said, "Yeah, dude. You need help." He shook his head when he added, "But not with this."
"This is deranged!" Wade comically shouted in Jet's ear while flailing his arms up and down. Jet dug his finger in his ear to get the ringing to stop. Wade then said, "Seriously, this is like, Ben Affleck's Batman getting too dark kind of messed up."
"Aside from that." Johnny said as he pulled Wade away. Eddie then said, "We've been talking, man."
"And we're all in agreement." Logan added his two cents in. Smellerbee then said, "And we think that you're becoming too obsessed with this. It's not healthy, at all."
"Oh, really?" Jet asked, feeling like they were turning against him. He looked to each of them and asked, "So you all think this?"
While Longshot placed a hand on Smellerbee's shoulder to show he was with her, the others nodded in agreement. Smellerbee once again reminded why they had come to the city, "We came here to Ba Sing Se to make a fresh start…" She gestured to the seven and said, "And to help them find their friends.
"But you just won't let this go, even though there's no real proof to support it." She gestured to the tea shop. Jet argued by saying, "Well, maybe if you guys would help me out trying to find the proof."
"Jet, you have got to stop this." Smellerbee pleaded, not liking the road that Jet was taking. Jet then argued back, "Maybe you've forgotten why we needed to start over. Maybe you've forgotten about the Fire Nation have left us all homeless. How they're still trying to take over the world." He began to get really mad when he added, "How they wiped out all of our families. All the people that we loved."
"We haven't forgotten any of that." Sam disagreed with him. But he shook his head, "But we feel that you can't just go around and making accusations like this."
Jet seemed to be registering his words for a moment, but his glare returned and he shook his head. With a scoff he said, "If you guys don't want to help me, then I'll go and get the evidence on my own."
With that, he stormed off towards the tea shop. Smellerbee called after him, "Jet! Wait!"
But Jet didn't stop and turn around to look back. He just headed right for the door. Behind him, the others just looked to each other with worried looks on their faces.
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Inside the tea shop, Iroh poured a cup for a constable and his comrade. One of them had a smile when he complimented, "This is the best tea in the whole city."
"The secret ingredient," Iroh said when he stopped pouring and carefully waved the pot around, "is love."
With that said, Iroh headed back to the counter at the back of the room. Both Tony and Zuko looked up from where they were working and the latter gave his uncle an odd look. While Tony chuckled from Zuko's reaction, Zuko just shook his head. Iroh and Mr. Lee looked and saw that everyone was really enjoying their tea and the hospitality that came with it. Mr. Lee looked to Iroh and said, "I think you're due for a raise."
"Seems like Iroh's making his way into the world, wouldn't you say?" Tony asked Zuko when he stopped next to the teen. Zuko looked to his uncle and saw the smile on the older man's face. Though he wouldn't say it, Zuko was really happy for his uncle, even if he didn't feel anything inside of him at the moment.
Everyone was startled when the front door was roughly slid open. A voice came from the darkness, "I'm tired of waiting." Tony, Zuko and Iroh were all greatly surprised to see Jet walk and point at them, "Those two at the back are Firebenders!
"And they're holding him hostage." He added when he pointed to Tony. Everyone became worried and moved out of the way when Jet took out his hook swords and prepared himself. Tony, Iroh and Zuko all looked to each other with nervous looks before looking back at Jet.
"I know they're Firebenders!" Jet said and pointed one of his swords at Iroh and Zuko. He pointed back at Iroh and said, "I saw the old man heating his tea."
While worried at first, everyone looked to each other with skeptical looks. One of the constables stated an obvious fact, "He works in a tea shop."
"Kid, you need to calm down." Tony said and raised his hands up in a nonthreatening motion. But Jet wasn't going to be swayed when he insisted, "He's a Firebender. They both are. I'm telling you all.
"And I'm gonna save you from them." He added with narrowed eyes. One of the constables saw that the situation was starting to get out of hand and ordered when he and his comrade stood up, "Drop your swords, boy- nice and easy."
"You might want to listen to them." Tony insisted, feeling the need to call upon his suit. But Jet didn't comply when looked to the two Firebenders and said, "You'll have to defend yourselves. Then everyone will know the truth." He crossed his blades and came forward with a smirk, "Go ahead and show everyone what you can do."
The constable was about to draw his weapon when Zuko beat him to the punch. He placed his hand on the swords' hilt and questioned, "You want a show?
"I'll give you a show." He promised as he turned the blade in his hands before separating them into two blades. The two looked at each other intensely before Zuko quickly used his right foot to bring one of the tables in front of him before kicking it at Jet. Jet jumped up and slashed both blades through the sliding table and then swung them at Zuko. Zuko was able to block both blades before jumping onto another table and turning to face Jet.
Jet slashed the table holding Zuko up and it immediately broke into two. Zuko did his best to keep his balance on the teetering half of the table and had to jump when Jet sliced into it. Zuko lunged his swords down when he landed and it made Jet jump back to avoid being stabbed by the Dao Swords. He landed a good distance away before running towards Zuko. The both swung their swords and came together in a clash that rang through the shop.
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In the Upper Ring and at the Earth King's palace, people were beginning to arrive for the party for the Earth King's bear. Exiting from a carriage was Toph, Clint, Katara and Thor. The four headed right for the line and moved with it as they waited entry into the party. When they made it to the front, both Thor and Clint showed the guard their invitations. The guard nodded, "Welcome back, Master Barton.
"And an honor to meet you, Prince Thor." He nodded to the Asgardian. He looked to the young girls and said, "I suppose that these are your plus ones."
"Indeed." Both Clint and Thor said at the same time. The guard then gestured for them to go ahead on in. When they walked past the guards, Katara looked them and said, "I can hardly believe that we got in."
"Well, we still have to get to the party and then find his majesty." Clint reminded. Toph then threw in, "But before that, we have to let the other four in."
"I think I see a potential problem." Thor said when he saw a man walking up to them. A man in regal green clothes, braided hair and a thin mustache and beard walked up to them. The man had a grin on his face and said, "Master Barton. Welcome back."
"Hello, Long Feng." Clint greeted back. Long Feng then said, "I'm so glad that you could attend the Earth King's party.
"Your time away from us may have been brief, but the Earth King did miss you a great deal." He added. Clint nodded his appreciation and Long Feng looked over the archer's friends. When he looked to Thor, he seemed a little worried for a split second, but kept his composure when he asked, "If I may ask, this is one of your friends that you were talking about, yes?"
"Yes, this is Thor Odinson." Clint gestured to the Asgardian. Thor nodded and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"I assume that you have run into the rest of your long-lost friends, yes?" Long Feng asked of the two. Both Avengers nodded and Long Feng's eyes looked to the two girls with them and asked, "And who might these two young ladies be?"
"I'm Jua Mai," Katara introduced herself before glancing at Toph, "and this is…
"Dum." She quickly came up with. Toph seemed to catch on to what Katara was saying and grabbed her hair where it was tied to the ornament and gave it a yank. Katara winced in pain from the action and Clint easily grabbed Toph's hand to pull it away. Long Feng then offered, "Shall we go into the party together?"
"That would be a delight, yes." Toph agreed and the five walked in together. When they went in through to the entrance, they saw many people milling about the room. There was a grand buffet table and sitting on one end of the table was a large brown bear. Said bear was currently tearing through all the treats. As he drooled while eating a piece of meat, an older gentleman with a small mustache and beard and orange tinted glasses complained, "Ah, he's taking all the good stuff."
"Quiet!" Another guest berated the old man. He seemed a little ticked off when he said, "You don't know what I had to do to get seats this close to the bear."
They became a little startled when the bear slapped the piece of meat into the old man's face before jumping onto the table and digging into another dish of meat. The meat the bear had slapped into the old man's face slipped off of him and left a surprised look on his face. The bear growled as he continued eating.
The four looked about and Katara asked Long Feng, "So, what exactly is it that you do, sir?"
"Please, call me Long Feng." He offered with a grin. Then he said, "And I'm the cultural minister to the Earth King."
"Quite the celebration isn't it." Thor said as he looked about. Long Feng nodded, "It's beautiful isn't it."
"It certainly is." Katara agreed while looking about the place. Long Feng looked to the two Avengers and asked, "I don't suppose that any of the others are here tonight, are they?"
"Unfortunately not." Clint shook his head. He looked about and asked, "Is the Earth King around?"
"He'll be here shortly, I assure you." Long Feng promised. Looking to the three he said, "You know, Master Barton here became good friends with the Earth King."
"Really?" All three asked and looked to Clint. Clint nodded and said, "Yeah, when I landed right within the palace garden, the Earth King was actually quite fascinated by someone from another universe."
"Oh, let's save all that for later, shall we?" Long Feng said. Then he offered, "Perhaps I can show you around."
"Well we-" Clint started to say. But Long Feng cut him off by saying, "Don't worry, it'll be a quick tour."
He walked off and the other three looked to each other. They had uneasy looks on their faces as they knew that this could hinder the mission. But they followed after Long Feng anyway to avoid raising suspicion.
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Waiting outside of the palace, the four were hiding behind a bush just outside one of the side doors to the palace. They had been waiting for a few good minutes and were starting to get worried about the others. They moved around a statue and Aang asked, "Where are they?"
"They probably got held up." Bruce stated the obvious. Sokka looked down to him and said, "Gee, ya think?"
"Don't test me." Bruce said when he glanced up. Steve then shushed them, "Quiet. Let's get under some cover."
They moved behind the statue and started thinking of a new plan. Sokka then said, "Okay, I just came up with a backup plan in case this should happen."
"Hope it's better than some of your other ideas." Bruce commented and Sokka looked to him with a scowl. Sokka then picked Momo up when said, "We dress Momo up like a ghost, okay?
"He flies by the guards to create a distraction, and then we blast a hole in the wall…" He continued while waving Momo around. Bruce face palmed and said, "That's your brilliant idea. This is more like a high school prank."
"What's high school again?" Sokka asked with a really confused look. Steve then said to them, "Focus. We need to figure out a way to get in."
"Or, we can go in with these guys." Aang said when he looked past the statue. Everyone looked around to see a cart with supplies pull up. Aang then remembered, "Toph did say that we could all pass off as busboys."
"That could work." Steve nodded, thinking it was a great plan. Sokka, a little bummed out that they weren't going with his plan, agreed, "Okay, but remember that Momo ghost plan. I think that it could be a winner."
The other three gave him deadpanned looks before they lowered themselves and a chittering Momo behind the statue.
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Back in the Lower Ring, Zuko lunged for Jet, but the teen was ready as he dropped down on his back and kicked Zuko over his head. He was sent hurtling for the door.
Outside of the tea shop, the others could hear the sounds of fighting and became a little worried. Wade looked to the others and sounded hopeful when he said, "I'm sure it's going much better than it sounds."
"Wade, it doesn't not sound like it's going well." Logan disagreed. He was proven right when Zuko crashed through the door and rolled in the street with a grunt. The group gasped when they saw Jet inside the building with his blades drawn. Zuko groaned as he picked himself back up and looked to see Jet rushing out the door. Zuko quickly stood back up and used the guards of his blades to block a strike from Jet. The two struggled against each other and Jet said with a smirk to try and goad him, "You must be getting really tired of using those swords. Why don't you go ahead and firebend at me?"
"You push me, I'll push back harder." Zuko narrowed his eyes and indeed started pushing Jet back. From the door, Iroh and Tony watched in worry with the other people in the tea shop. Iroh tried to plead with Jet, "Please, son. You're confused and don't know what you're doing."
"You do know that this is because of what happened, right?" Tony asked through gritted teeth. Iroh sighed as he knew that Tony was indeed right. He was greatly surprised when he felt the inventor pat him on the back and Tony said, "But don't worry. I'm going to help him out."
The two continued exchanging swipes between each other, but was always countered or avoided. Jet was able to hook one of Zuko's swords with his own before using his other blade to pull him closer. When they were but a few inches from each other, the leader of the Freedom Fighters headbutted Zuko pretty hard. As Zuko fell to the ground, Jet antagonized him again, "I bet you wish he'd come to help you out with a little with a little fire blast right about now."
Zuko groaned as he reached up with a hand to feel his head. He looked up and gasped when Jet came at him with his swords brought together and swung at him. Tony was nearly too late to reach Zuko, but suddenly a chain wrapped around the end of the swinging blade and held it back. Jet looked back to see Johnny using his strength to hold him back. Jet's attention was brought back when Tony rushed up and said, "You're the one who needs help, kid."
Tony tackled right into Jet and it sent them both to the ground. In a fit of rage, Jet kicked Tony off of him and with a strong yank he was able to pull his sword free. Johnny stumbled forward and Jet quickly got back up. He rushed towards Zuko who was just picking himself back up and prepared to swing again. But this time, it was Wade who intervened by blocking the hook swords with his katanas. Jet angrily exclaimed, "You too?"
"You're not acting rationally, kid." Wade shot back and was met with a harsh knee to the gut. The merc with the mouth fell over and fell to the ground while Jet rushed forward. Tony picked up a piece of wood and stood side by side with Zuko as they prepared for Jet's next attack.
Jet linked his swords together and tried swinging at Zuko again, but the Firebender not only pushed Tony out of the way, but also jumped into the air. With a downward motion of his sword, Zuko prevented Jet from bringing both swords back. Jet growled as he brought one blade back and prepared to defend himself. He looked to the Firebender when Zuko angrily questioned, "Got any smart remarks now?"
"Stop and walk away, Jet." Tony said, trying to calm him down. Jet's eyes narrowed when he said, "Not gonna happen."
He tried to lunge for the two, but Tony knocked the blade back with a swing of his stick. Jet quickly backed up when Zuko swung his sword, but only ended up cutting Jet's piece of grass when he leaned backwards. When he straightened up again he spit the cleaved piece of grass before jumping away. He landed on a well and looked to the crowds. Pointing to Zuko he said, "You all see this? The Fire Nation is trying to silence me.
"And he's turned some of my friends against me." He added when he looked to both Johnny and Wade. But with a shake of his head he readied his weapon, "But it'll never happen again."
He leaned back and hook his remaining blade on the roof of the well before using it to propel himself at Tony and Zuko. But a feral growl made them all look to see Logan rushing in and tackling into Jet as he flew. Both men crashed to the ground with Logan moving to try and hold Jet down. But he was met with a fist to the face and fell back. Jet stood to get back up, but he was put into a full nelson by Eddie who had managed to sneak up behind him. Eddie lowered his voice when he said, "I wouldn't try anything. Thanks to Venom, you won't be able to escape from my grasp."
"We'll see about that." Jet shot back. He saw a piece of metal and strained when he moved the tip of his hook sword against and pulled down. The sound may not have been grating to Venom in the least, but it was enough to make Eddie lose his grip on the teen. With a hard bash to the nose, Jet was able to escape from Eddie's hold before going at Zuko again. Both swordsmen swung their blades at each other again.
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Back at the Earth King's party, the four had made it into the party. They managed to acquire outfits from the supply cart outside and were tending to the guests. Aang had managed to hide Momo under his hat. The four were standing back-to-back as they looked about for the others and the Earth King. Aang filled someone's cup while Bruce, Sokka and Steve all catered to the crowds. When he finished with the guest, Aang looked about and asked, "Where are Toph, Clint, Thor and Katara?"
"I'm not sure. This is a really big place." Steve said as he looked about. Sokka, thinking about the mission for the moment, then said, "Forget about them for the moment. Just keep an eye out for the king."
"There's no reason why we can't do both, Sokka." Bruce argued as they all looked about the room. Steve was quick to say, "Easy, fellas. We can do both at the same time."
"But how will we know what he looks like?" Aang said while Momo lifted his tail into Sokka's face. The teen found it annoying and grabbed it, making Momo silently squeal. Sokka then said, "You know, royal, flowing robe, lots of fancy jewelry."
"You pretty much described everyone in here." Steve said and Sokka realized that he was right. A familiar voice caught their attention, "Another crab puff, please."
While Sokka moved to cater to her whims, the others noticed Toph standing next to them with her fan held up to her face. Aang was delighted when he said, "You found us."
"And you were able to blend into the crowds so well in that getup." Bruce added with a chuckle. Toph stated for a matter-of-fact, "I'd know all your little footsteps anywhere.
"Especially theirs." Toph added when she pointed to both Steve and Bruce. Bruce looked to the super soldier and said, "I don't know how to respond to that."
"Just leave it." Steve shook his head. Katara and the other two Avengers quickly joined them. Aang blushed again when he saw her in the dress. Sokka looked to his sister and said, "Thanks for letting us in, you guys."
"Sorry about that." Katara quickly offered. Clint took over by saying, "We ran into someone I know from the city."
"And where is he now?" Sokka asked when he looked about. They all glanced about and saw that Long Feng was gone. Clint then shrugged, "Maybe he had some important business to take care of."
They were all startled when a familiar face moved through the crowd. Ju Dee walked right up to them and they were all surprised to see that she didn't have a smile on her face when she asked, "What are you all doing here?
"You have to leave immediately or we'll all be in terrible trouble." She urged them to go. Katara argued, "But Clint and Thor had invitations to the party."
"And they were allowed to bring plus ones with them." Toph added. Ju Dee tried to usher them out, but Sokka stopped her by holding his tray like a shield to hold her back. Then he said, "And we're not leaving until we see the king."
"You don't understand. You must go." Ju Dee urged them again. Clint walked between them and asked, "Ju Dee what's going on? If there's something wrong you can tell us."
"I just need you to go. Please!" She shouted and accidentally shoved Clint backwards. Clint ended up stumbling into Sokka he bumped into Aang who accidentally threw the drink from his jug. The contents landed on a nearby woman and everyone gasped when she screamed when she became drenched. The woman gasped when she turned to Aang and he quickly offered, "Sorry! Sorry!
"Don't scream." He said before throwing his hands and a foot forward and released a blast of air at her. The move made his had with Momo in it go flying. It dried the woman off, but also ended up messing up her makeup, her hair and her dress. Aang gave a sheepish smile when he saw that he had made it a little worse. But luckily, the woman didn't seem too upset when she recognized him, "The Avatar. Oh, I didn't know that the Avatar was going to be here."
It seemed to draw a lot of attention as the party goers looked over at Aang. Ju Dee's face turned to complete horror to see that they had indeed been discovered. While Aang glanced about all the attention on him, Momo quickly crawled under the hat again and scurried away. The woman he had accidentally drenched happened to notice a couple of figures standing behind Aang and said, "Oh, look. It's Master Barton."
"Master Barton?" Some of the attendants asked and looked to the archer. Others asked, "Does that mean the rest of the Avengers are here as well?"
An idea popping up, Sokka leaned to the four Avengers and said, "Help Aang entertain the crowds. Me and the girls will try to find the Earth King."
"Just find a way to let us know." Steve nodded, thinking that it was a pretty decent plan. Meanwhile, Aang gave a sheepish grin and waved to the crowd while Bruce walked over to him and said, "We need to keep their attention for a bit while Sokka, Katara and Toph go and look for the Earth King."
"Got it." Aang nodded. Turning to the crowds he said, "Watch this everybody."
With some help from his Airbending, Aang jumped out of the disguise and lightly landed on the table where the Earth King's bear was sitting. With a couple of downward movement of his left arm, Aang brought the liquid from the guests' cups into air and formed a swirling ball of colors in the air before balancing on a jug in the middle of the table. The crowds started cheering from this and even the bear seemed to be impressed by it.
Meanwhile, some of the guests were talking to Clint who also introduced them to the other three Avengers. One guest walked up to Steve and asked, "Were you really frozen in ice?"
"For nearly seventy-five years, ma'am." Steve nodded to confirm this. The guest and some others were greatly surprised by this. Another guest walked up to Thor and Bruce and asked, "I'm forgetting. Which of the two of you is stronger?"
"Uh…" Bruce and Thor said while glancing at each other. While they were entertaining the crowds, the three kids went their separate ways to try and look for the Earth King. However, they failed to notice someone walking up to Ju Dee and suddenly leading her away. Ju Dee had a greatly fearful face as she walked with the person.
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Back in the Lower Ring, Zuko and Jet were still going at it. Zuko swung his remaining sword and Jet was able to block it. The two kept swinging at each other before ending up back-to-back. Their swords clanged together each time they turned to strike. This went on for a few swings before the two parted ways. Jet then got a little sneaky by sticking the end of his sword into the ground before flinging dust at Zuko. Zuko shielded his eyes from the dirty assault but it left him open to an attack. With a growl, Jet rushed forward and prepared to swing when Peter literally jumped onto the scene. With some nimble reflexes he was able to kick Jet's hand back. Peter tried talking to him by saying, "Jet, please. You've got to stop."
"Get out of the way." Jet said and managed to grab Peter's arm with the hook of his sword. With a pretty good twist of his body, Jet sent Peter flying into the wall of a building and the younger teen slumped to the ground.
The crowds all gasped to this and even Jet seemed to calm down a little when he noticed their reactions. He looked over to where he had thrown Peter and saw the younger boy sit up with a groan and rub his head. Everyone's attention was stolen when a couple of Dai Lee agents walked onto the scene. They remained calm when one ordered, "Drop your weapons. All of you."
"Arrest them. They're Firebenders!" Jet shouted when he pointed to Zuko. Iroh was quick to come to the defense by saying, "This poor boy's greatly confused. We're just simple refugees."
"This young man went and wrecked my tea shop." Mr. Lee said and pointed to Jet. Then he grumbled, "And I missed the party at the palace for nothing."
"Luckily, your body double was able to take your place." Wade said, earning some odd looks from everyone. Mr. Lee shook his head before continuing, "And he assaulted my employees plus a few who were trying to stop the violence."
"It's true, sir. We both saw the whole thing go down." The constable who Zuko had taken his swords from said. He looked to Jet with a glare and said, "This crazed kid went and attacked the finest tea maker in the whole city."
"Oh, that's very sweet." Iroh said as a blush appeared on his face. Tony glanced to the bashful man and said, "Now's not the time."
Having heard enough, the two Dai Lee agents walked up to Jet. The one on the teen's right said, "Come with us, son."
"And let's be civil about it." The one on his left added. But Jet didn't feel like being civil as he swung his remaining weapon at the one on his right. But the Dai Lee agent caught the hook sword in a glove made of rocks. The agent twisted Jet's arm to make him drop the sword while his comrade moved in to take Jet's arms and move them behind his back. They used earthbending to form cuffs on Jet's wrists and then moved to take him away. Jet struggled and said, "You guys don't understand! They're Fire Nation! They're working with Hydra!
"You have to believe me!" He shouted before being tossed into a waiting wagon. While most of the crowd was departing, Zuko, Tony, Iroh and the Rescue Team watched as the doors closed on an angry Jet and the cart moved off. From the back, Smellerbee, Longshot, Sam and Rhodey moved through the crowds. Eddie and Logan helped Peter onto his feet and they walked with Wade and Johnny to head back to the apartment.
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Back at the Earth King's party, Aang and the Avengers were still entertaining the guests while Sokka, Toph and Katara were still searching for the Earth King. Suddenly, a gong rang loudly and everyone looked to see a palanquin being carried into the room. From what could see, a man in regal clothing sat stoically as he was carried through the crowds. Sokka, who had happened to be still playing the part of a busboy, slipped through the crowds and saw the palanquin. Some of the soldiers moved into a formation to protect the king while the guards carrying the palanquin set it down on a platform before moving into formation with the other guards. Sokka looked back and yelled to the others, "Guys! I found the Earth King!"
Aang, Steve, Thor, Clint and Bruce all looked to see the palanquin. While Steve, Thor and Clint carefully moved through the crowds, Aang and Bruce were tending to the pet bear as it appeared to be in distress. The bear was making gasping sounds and Bruce said, "I'll try the Heimlich maneuver!"
"Will that even work on a bear?" Aang asked with worry. But Bruce didn't wait to find out as he went behind the bear and started the procedure. After a few good compressions, a bone suddenly came flying out of the bears mouth and landed on the table, grossing a few party goers. The bear turned to Bruce with a growl, making everyone nervous, considering what could happen. But it turned out to be the opposite when the bear started licking Bruce on the cheek.
It was then that Aang turned and looked to see the palanquin. He looked to Bruce and said, "The Earth King."
"Huh?" Bruce asked and looked. They then noticed Sokka and the other Avengers trying to make their way to his majesty. Aang quickly formed an Air Scooter underneath him and quickly moved down the table. He had a big smile when he said, "Greetings, your majesty!"
Some of the attendants quickly moved some dishes out of the way. They breathed a sigh of relief from averting a near disaster. Bruce started to move around the table when a Dai Lee agent came around and carefully grasped his shoulder. Bruce looked and gasped when he saw who it was. The Dai Lee agent said, "Please follow me, sir."
Bruce wasn't given much of a choice as he was led away from the party. The bear turned his head and seemed sad to see Bruce leave.
The palanquin was suddenly lifted off of the platform and was carried out of the room. While most of the guards followed after, a few stayed behind to meet with the Avatar. Sokka carefully moved to follow after the palanquin, but was quickly stopped by two Dai Lee agents. He struggled in their grip, "Let me go."
They formed stone cuffs around his wrists before leading him out of the room. A few other Dai Lee agents went to round up the rest. One moved from behind a column before launching his rock gloves forward. They caught Toph by the shoulder and mouth before yanking her back with a muffled yelp. Katara looked before getting nabbed the same way. Thor and Steve were both met by Dai Lee agents and were gestured to follow after them. Even Clint was taken by surprise when a couple of agents came up on both sides of him. They led him and the others out of the room. Not even Momo was safe as he crawled through the room. A Dai Lee agent happened to notice the lemur in the hat and picked the hat off of Momo. The lemur chittered in surprise to have been found out.
The table had been cleared of guests when Aang had reached the end on his Air Scooter. But as he looked to be friendly when he raised his arms into the air, Long Feng stepped between the guards and said, "Avatar, it is a great honor to meet you in person.
"I am Long Feng, grand secretariat of Ba Sing Se, and am the head of the Dai Lee. I'm also an acquaintance of your friend Clint Barton." He introduced himself with a bow. Then he said, "I'd like to have a talk with you.
"All of your friends will be waiting for us in the library." He added before turning to walk in that direction. Aang jumped off the table and followed after the man.
…
It wasn't long before the group was reunited in the library. Those with cuffs had them removed by agents and rubbed their sore wrists. When the doors closed behind the departing agents, Sokka questioned, "Why won't you let us talk to the Earth King? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation and Hydra."
"The Earth King has no time to get involved with the political squabbles and the day-to-day minutia of military activities." Long Feng responded as he took a seat before a green flamed fire. Aang argued by saying, "This could be the most important thing he's ever heard."
"What's most important to his Royal Majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of all of Ba Sing Se." Long Feng disagreed, not willing to be swayed. Then with a wave of his hand he said, "All of his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters.
"And it's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military." He added with a bit of pride in his voice. Katara then guessed aloud, "So the king is just a figurehead."
"He's your puppet!" Toph angrily put in her two cents. But Long Feng disagreed with that and made the king sound better by saying, "Oh, no, no! His Majesty is an icon, a god to his people.
"He sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war." He shook his head. Then he looked to the Avengers and added, "Nor with the fact of armies from other worlds."
"But the situation is escalating enough to where he will need to be involved." Steve argued with Long Feng. The Earth King's right-hand man looked to the super soldier and Steve said, "With the inclusion of Hydra on their side, the Fire Nation is liable to overtake Ba Sing Se one day. And that day could come very soon."
"And we found out about a solar eclipse that could leave the Fire Nation defenseless." Sokka started to say while taking a step forward. Then he suggested, "You could lead an invasion…"
"Enough!" Long Feng sternly said when he stood up. This surprised the group and they lightly glared when he said, "I don't want to hear about your ridiculous plan."
"And why is that exactly?" Clint said and crossed his arms. Long Feng then explained by saying, "It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls."
"Which explains why people weren't willing to talk." Bruce deduced when he thought about it. Long Feng nodded and went on, "Constant news of an escalating war would throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."
"And when the escalating war reaches the outside of the Inner Wall?" Steve asked him. Long Feng quirked a brow when Steve said, "Like I said before. The war is coming to you, whether you talk about it or not."
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As the talk with Long Feng was happening, the cart that had taken Jet away had come to its destination. A couple of Dai Lee agents dragged the bound teen through barely lit corridors before coming to a room with a single chair in it. They placed Jet against the seat before bending the rock gloves into restraints that bound Jet's arms and legs to the seat. Jet looked to them and said, "You have to believe me! They're Firebenders! They won't stop until they and Hydra win the war! They'll take over the city!"
One of the agents Earthbended a few stones against his head before making him rest it against the back of the chair. One of them said, "Calm down. You're a lot safer now."
Jet watched as a metal ring suddenly appeared in front of him and a single Dai Lee agent stood in the middle of it. A torch suddenly moved from behind the agent and went around the ring. Jet shielded his eyes from the intense light as it went by.
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In the Earth King's library, Long Feng continued by saying, "If were to fully get involved with the war, our economy would be ruined. Our peaceful way of life, our traditions, they would all disappear in the blink of an eye."
His words didn't sit well with any of them as a few crossed their arms. Thor then accused, "So you're just wanting to delay the inevitable then."
"What?" Long Feng questioned the Asgardian. Thor nodded to Steve and said, "Like my friend here says, it's going to come to a halt in Ba Sing Se if our enemies do end up winning the war. But some of it can be preserved if you were to take action."
"So you say." Long Feng said, believing otherwise.
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Back in the dark room where he was being held, Jet closed his eyes when the light came around again. The Dai Lee agent then said, "There's no war here in Ba Sing Se."
"What are you talking about?" Jet questioned, the words sounding ridiculous to him. Then he asked, "Where do you think all of the refugees are coming from? You can't just hide it."
Jet suddenly found his eyes following the lantern, drawn to the light as it went by.
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In the royal library, Long Feng believed it to be just when he said, "In silencing the talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains an orderly utopia-" He grinned when added, "The last one on Earth."
"But it isn't peaceful." Clint shook his head. Steve agreed by saying, "You're ruling through intimidation and fear. Holding these people in a threatening manner.
"It makes you no better than the people that the refugees are trying to escape from." Long Feng narrowed his eyes from that.
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The Dai Lee agents had covered Jet's mouth with stones to prevent him from talking. All he could do now was look to the agent in front of him and the lantern that went around the ring. Jet squinted his eyes when the lantern came around before opening them again. The agent then said, "There is no war within the walls of Ba Sing Se.
"Here, we are safe." His words seemed to be gaining a hold on Jet. The teen's eyes widened when the agent said, "Here, we are free."
Jet's pupils shrank as the mind control set in.
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In the library, everyone was giving Long Feng angry looks at what he had said. Katara disagreed with the man by saying, "You can't keep the truth from all of these people."
"They have the right to know what's going on." Bruce supported Katara's words. Long Feng didn't seem to be swayed with the not-so-happy look on his face. Aang stepped forward and said, "I'll tell them. I'll make sure that everyone in the city knows!"
"And it's going to be quite hard to discredit someone as the Avatar, yes?" Thor said, thinking that they had a hold on Long Feng. But the head of the Dai Lee disagreed by saying, "Until now, you all have been treated as our honored guests.
"But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Lee agents." He warned them. He glanced to Bruce and said, "Especially with a dangerous beast like yourself."
"What?" Bruce asked and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Steve and Thor. Clint caught on by saying, "You'd use the Dai Lee to try and find dirt on us. To make it seem-"
"Like you're only here to make trouble, yes." Long Feng confirmed with a grin. Long Feng then turned towards the fire and continued his warning, "If any of you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city.
"And by any means necessary." He added when he glanced back to the group. Then he said, "I understand that you've been looking for your bison and your friends.
"It would be quite a shame if you were unable to complete your quests." He added, making everyone narrow their eyes to it. Long Feng returned to his seat and said, "Now Ju Dee will show you back to your home."
The doors opened and someone walked in. But the group was greatly surprised to see that it was not the Ju Dee that they knew, but a different woman entirely. She was wearing the same dress as the other woman, but her face was different and had shorter hair. The woman said with a big smile, "Come with me, please."
"What happened to Ju Dee?" Katara asked, wondering what happened to the other woman. But the woman insisted who she was by saying, "I'm Ju Dee. I'll be your host as long as you are within our wonderful city."
She bowed in respect with that wide grin never faltering. The group looked to each other with worried looks.
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Back in the Lower Ring, the remaining Freedom Fighters and the Rescue Team had returned to their apartment. Peter looked to them and asked, "What do you think they'll do with him?"
"Jail time, would be the least horrible thing." Eddie said. He shuddered when he started to say, "But the worst would be-"
"It doesn't matter what the worst could be." Smellerbee interjected. Then she insisted, "We got to find Jet."
"But will he come willingly if they let him go?" Johnny asked and it raised a good question. Then he reminded, "I hate to be the one to make us remember, but he was more than willing to fight against all of us."
"He wasn't in his right mind." Rhodey defended the teen. But Logan was quick to argue, "He'll see us as traitors now."
"He's liable to forgive. We just need to find him ad talk to him." Smellerbee shrugged, hoping that it was possible. Peter looked to Sam and Rhodey and said, "It's your call, you guys."
Sam and Rhodey looked to each other. Sam then said, "I know that our mission is to find the Avengers." He shook his head, "But I don't think I can leave Jet like this."
"While I am about focusing on the mission…" Rhodey started to say. He knew that he'd never forgive himself when he said, "But we agreed to stand beside Jet through this."
"What about you guys?" Sam asked the five that came with them. Logan, Eddie, Wade, Johnny and Peter looked to each other and they all seemed to be thinking the same thing. They all nodded in agreement and Johnny said, "We're in. We'll help look for Jet."
"Then we better think of something." Smellerbee said as she looked out the window into the big city, "We've got a lot of ground to cover."
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This story's dedication to:
Stan Lee: 1922 – 2018
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Author's Note: Well, all of that happened. Next is the tales of Ba Sing Se, and oh, man, am I going to enjoy doing all of those. And after that, I plan to make one more original chapter for Book Two. And it's going to be something that you won't see coming. 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.
