Back at home Zero was in his room reading while Korra was training with Tenzin outside, Korra had told Zero to set his going-out clothes nice and neat and made sure they're clean when he went out on the day he will go to the pier with Ju. Zero didn't understand why they had to be nice and ready for the pier, sure it was his only going-out clothes but why for that, they're just clothes.
Zero had read through the book, then used his powers to lift it away and have the next one from a pile of books that are in his room to come hovering to him. As the after noon approached a sky bison had come over the horizon carrying three passangers, Tenzin, Korra, and the rest of the family had spotted the flying giant heading to their home. Ikki and Meelo came running out of the house knowing very well who had just arrived to their home.
The sky bison landed softly on to the hard concrete floor, Tenzin, Korra, Jinora, and Pema carrying Rohan in her arms had joined Ikki and Meelo to welcome their guest, two of the passengers who were as old as Tenzin. There was a man with dark hair and a beard, and wore a red coat, the other was a women, her skin was dark like Korra's, she also wore similar blue clothing like Korra's, and they were helping the third passenger who was a much older women much like the second passenger and Korra, her skin is dark, but wrinkled, her hair was white as snow, and she had the softest smile you'll ever see.
"GRANDMA!" the children cheered and rushed into give their grandmother a hug, "it's so good to see all," the elderly women spoke holding her grandchildren in her arms, "hello mother, Bumi, Kya, it's very lovely to see you all," Tenzin greeted his older siblings and mother. "It's good to see you too little brother," Bumi teased and gave his younger brother a hug, "how are things Tenzin," Kya asked kindly patting Tenzin on the shoulder, "oh, lots had happen in the past few days-," "daddy are you going to tell them about Zero?" Ikki interupted her father, really excited to introduce the newest member of the family to the rest of her family members, "Zero? You're gonna tell us about a number Tenzin?" Bumi questioned not sure why they'll be talking about a number.
"No Bumi, Ikki's talking about the newest addition to our family," Pema aswered, "you changed Rohan's name to Zero, that's odd thing for you to do," Kya cutted-in, holding her youngest nephew, "no Aunt Kya, Zero is our new little brother dad and Korra brought him home a month ago," Jinora corrected, "you adopted a child Tenzin that is very kind of you, can we see him?" Katara spoke. "He's in his room reading, come I'll take you to him," Tenzin offered and the family followed.
Walking down the halls of the temple Kya decided to ask a question, "is he bender?" Kya asked, but Tenzin wasn't sure how to answer that, "yes and no, I'm not really sure how to describe his abilities," "what does that mean?" Bumi questioned, "you'll see," Korra added.
The group had made it to the door where Zero was at, "before we go in, I would like you to know to be prepared to what you'll might see behind this door," Katara took heed of her youngest child's words, but his siblings on the other hand weren't sure what he meant. Tenzin slid the door wide open to reveal a slow moving cyclone of books circling around the room ever so calmly, Bumi and Kya jaws dropped and their eyes widen, but their mother kept her cool and was looking up to the ceiling with the smile still present on her face.
"Zero, I thought you were passed from being on the ceiling," Pema questioned, Bumi and Kya looked up and to see a little boy sitting on the ceiling and reading a book, he looked over his shoulders to see his family standing at the door way, "I... Kinda missed it," Zero answered, "well come down and say hello to your aunt, uncle, and grandmother," said Tenzin. All the books formed a pile on the ground and Zero stood up and walked across the ceiling, down the wall, and came infront of his new relatives.
Zero stood dressed in the usally red and yellow air nomad robes, but the three noticed the color of the boy's hair is, Bumi and Kya stared at Zero with curiosity, but Katara looked at Zero with happiness seeing the joy within him grow stronger, even though he was a little shy. "So you're Zero, aren't you a cute one," Katara spoke and pinched both of his cheeks, Zero tried to wave off his new grandmother, "hahaha, and fussy one too." Kya pulled in her little brother closer and whispered to him, "how did he do all that? where did he come from?-" "why is hair so shiny?" both of the youngest siblings turned to see their oldest brother butting in, "what are you all talking about?" and the three siblings looked down to see Meelo eavesdropping on them, "maybe it's best we talk this over dinner," Pema suggested.
At the dinner table the whole family was eating, but Kya and Bumi were eyeing Zero with interest, even though Zero was getting a bit annoyed, "don't stare at him, he doesn't like that," Jinora advised her aunt and uncle, "sorry" Bumi apologiesed, "you don't speak much, do you kid," Kya stated and with that Zero shook his head in compliance. "So where did you find this little guy anyhow?" Bumi stepped in, "well, Zero was found by a bus boy in a back alley behind a restraurant a few weeks ago," Korra answered. "he made quite an... "introduction."
"What does that mean?" Kya questioned, "for starters he sent the bus boy flying through the air," Korra answered and Kya turned to Zero because of his size and age, but to what she just saw him do in his room made her think otherwise, "and when I first saw him he was just emotionlessly sitting on a table, in a bloody jacket, with his eyes wide open and staring omious at the floor, he was kinda scary," she added.
Katara decided to speak up to see what is the boy's mindset was, hearing the situation the boy has been through, "excuse me Zero, but can I see you closely for a moment?" everyone turned to the oldest at the dinner table as to why, Zero didn't question her and just did what she said. The two leaned in closer to each other, Katara read the aura that Zero gave off, she felt all sorts of feeling within him and they seem to conflict with one another, joy, sadness, anger, and fear they were all there.
However somthing else was there, it was weaker, but not because it was weak. No. It's because it was further away, far away, but it's getting closer and it's not alone. It was a strange dark aura and they were calling out to him, screaming his name, saying "it's not over" or "you can't hide forever". Zero was oblivious to them, or maybe he did know and he just didn't care. Katara saw how unmoved he was to the dark spirts cursing out to him, katara only assumed that he was done running, he was just too tired, "you are strong, you just don't know it yet," Katara spoke softly Zero looked at her unsure how to feel, "you still have much to learn." No said a word or uttered a sound, the two just went back to eating and pretended that it didn't happen and the rest of the family did the same.
"Don't you have any siblings Zero?" Kya brought up, "no," Zero said quickly, "so you didn't have anyone else? that's sad to hear," Kya commented thinking how it might've been in Zero's shoes. Jinora rose an eyebow for Zero seem to left out his three original clones, but she guessed that maybe it will be awkward to explain since the three actually view him as their father instead of their brother, but nevertheless Jinora decided to take a jab.
"but Zero what about your... Twins?" she asked hoping for him to say something about Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie, but Zero thought she was talking about the other clones, which seemed to make him mad. "I hate them," Zero sneered of the thought of them, "they always degraded me. Thinking they're superior," hearing the words come out of his mouth made Jinora realize she should've been more clearer to him.
"But they your siblings you can't-," "stop aunt Kya maybe I should've been more clearer to all you," Jinora stepped in before thing got heated, "the twins aren't realy Zero's siblings, they're more like his kids then brothers." Kya tried to comprehend what her niece is trying to say, "you have kids? you got busy did ya kid," Bumi spoke, giving Zero a sly look which in turn made him confused. Kya playfully rolled her eyes and decided to drop the sibling thing, "don't mind him, let's just get back to dinner, can you pass me the that," Kya pointed to the plate full of sweet buns. Zero lifted the plate in the air, then levitated it towards Kya, she stared at the floating plate just hovering infront of her, and grabbed hold of it, "thank you," Kya said.
"Hey I thought we weren't suppose to use our bending at the table?" Ikki questioned and everybody turned to Tenzin, "... I'll let pass," he concluded and kids pouted on the free pass Zero received.
All of the kids except for Jinora were sent off straight to bed without protest, leaving the grown ups in the dining room, "so how can this child do all of that?" Kya questioned, "Zero told us he can controll matter with his mind, moving objects with just a thought," Jinora infromed them. "He also told me he can manipulate the molecules in his body to make himself stronger," Korra added picking up plates. "So a child with the ability to manipulate anything he sees with nothing more than his mind, no techniques, no movement, nothing," Bumi pondered deeply.
Hearing her older brother say all those thing made Kya chuckle, "oh, c'mon how powerful can the kid be?" and eveyone glanced at each other, "he lifted the statue of Avatar Aang in the air," Korra told Kya which widden her eyes. Bumi however started laughing, "hahahaa, I heard of that, people thought it's because they done something to "anger" dad, hahahaaa."
"I think he's powerful than that," Jinora spoke up, "one night when I projected my spiritual form to help him, I was transported into his memories, I guess somehow he pulled my spirit form into his mind." Everyone listen closer hearing what was told, "when I was in his mind I saw many weird things, I saw multiple copies of Zero walking around, these strange devices all over making strange noises, and saw Zero just tied up, locked in a room with no windows or anything. He looked so sad, I saw them drag him out, strapped him on a bed, so they can cut him open, and they didn't even care," Jinora told everyone and they all tried to comperhend what Zero might have been through.
"How can these people do such a thing?" Pema asked thinking how one can treat a child as such, "this might tell us," Jinora provided holding out a small rectangular device in her hand, "what is it?" Korra questioned as the object was placed on the table. " It's some sorta phonograph," Jinora informed them, "but it's so small," Korra commented, "it doesn't have a hand crank, how do you play it?" Kya asked.
"I just pressed this button to play it, I'm pretty sure the people I saw in Zero's memories use this to take notes, listen," Jinora press down on the recorder with a triangle and the device started to play.
"This is Prof. Folly: Log date 146; we have gotten much needed information on subject: Zero from the D.N.A. samples we have taken. We've extracted hair, blood, skin, teeth, parts of the brain, we've even taken certain organs out. It always annoyed me that this little freak is still alive after the operation... But you learn something new everyday, like for instance that the subject's healing has gotten more proficient. We tested how good his healing can do, we've removed a vertebrae from the cervical area to see he if he can walk away from it, and surprisingly he pulled through. Maybe there's money to be made here," the recorder went to static for a short moment until the voice returned.
"Prof. Folly: Log date 147; we're receiving strange reading around the compound lately and we're pretty sure who's causing it. There seem to be large reading of... Whatever the heck it is, all we know is that one of the staff saw some... Portal. A portal to another reality, are you kidding me; we've done further testing and we've concluded that the subject is showing possibility of being a fifth dimensional being... HOW THE HECK IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE! NOW WE GOTTA COME UP OF WAY TO KEEP HIM FROM RUNNING OFF TO LA LA LAND OR GOD KNOWS WHERE! ugh! I hope the clones can't conjure up any portals or we will be in big trouble,"
The recording then seized playing and Jinora put the device away leaving the room silent , "man that guy sounded angry," Bumi spoke on the harsh tone of the Professor, "a fifth dimensional being? what the heck is that?" Korra asked, "have been paying attention to the man is saying, he said that Zero can conjure up portals to a different reality," Jinora reminded her, "so Zero isn't from this world, but what are these... Clone that this man spoke of?" Kya asked.
"As far that I know a clone is an exact genetic copy of one's self made with the original's D.N.A.," Jinora added trying to explain as clear as possible, "so how many are there?" Kya continued, "none Jinora told us Zero killed them all," Korra told making Bumi's and Kya's eyes widen, "all of them? didn't think the kid had it in him," Bumi commented, "he said he had no other option, he had to do it, and not all of them are dead the first three are still alive," Jinora told her uncle.
While everyone were having their discussion Katara contemplated of what is to come a growing darkness that is crying for revenge and how Zero is not even trying to do anything, like he's given up. Katara stood up from her spot, "well I'm going to turn in for the night," "okay, good night mother," Tenzin said.
Katara walked down the halls, but she wasn't heading to her room she came up to a door and gave it a knock, the door slid open, Katara entered the room seeing Zero organizing all the books in his room in alphabetical order pretty much turning his room into a library. Katara looked around the room seeing columns of book everywhere, "where's your bed?' she asked. Zero approached a group of books stacked into a pyramid, he removed on tiny little book, causing the pyramid to crumble, and revealing his bed behind it.
"huh, you love reading more than Jinora," Zero shook his head, "I must ask you child... Are you afriad?" Zero shook his head again knowing what she's talking about, "but. Too tired to run anymore. I'm scared," Zero told Katara how he felt. Katara knelt down to Zero and held his shoulders, "you're stronger than you think child. You've beat them once have you?" Katara asked and with that Zero shook his head, "than you can do it again, I believe you can," Zero smiled nice to hear those words.
"Now go to sleep, you have training tomorrow," Katara told Zero and was off to bed.