Chapter 2: New and Old Friends
Responses to Reviews:
AnonymousKataang: Well I'm glad that you like it so far. Action stories are my favorite to write because they're exciting and keep you on your toes. Hopefully this story is better than Stormborn, that would mean that I'm improving with every story. Yeah, you're right about the fic I deleted. I just thought I liked it, but I read over it and wasn't very satisfied with it, so I decided to delete it. Sorry if you liked it. Merry late Christmas to you, too! Thanks for reading and the review!
Guest: Thanks! I'm glad that you like it so far! Hopefully I can keep it up. Thanks for reading and the review!
Javier: I'm glad that you think that it's that good so far. I wish I could agree with you, but nothing I write ever seems... well, right. But thanks for reading and the review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Aang sharpened his blade as he waited patiently for Gyatso to arrive. It was the day he was to be sent out for his mission, and the day where he would start his hunt for this mysterious "Wave" agent who he was supposed to kill. Aang had no qualms about killing bad guys, but he was more reluctant to hunt down fellow agents, even if they weren't from the same agency as him. Though he supposed that this agent had earned it by attacking one of his own, making his reluctance disappear at that thought. After a few minutes of waiting, Gyatso finally arrived. "Good morning, Gyatso," Aang greeted him with a smile as he put his blade back into its sheath.
Gyatso smiled and walked over to him. "Good morning, Aang. Are you ready for your mission?"
"Absolutely," Aang grinned as he stood up and joined Gyatso as they walked down a hallway. "Though I've got to admit, I"m a little nervous."
"And why is that?" Gyatso asked curiously as they turned down into another hallway.
"Because it's my first mission as a full-fledged spy," Aang chuckled. "I just got made a spy yesterday and now I'm going on a mission that might affect the fate of the world."
Gyatso chuckled as well as they walked. "It would not be the first time," he pointed out. "You remember the man who tried to take over the world by holding the world leaders hostage?"
Aang laughed as he thought about it. "Yeah, I remember. I truly don't know what he was thinking. He had to have known that someone would come after him."
"Apparently not," Gyatso grinned and clapped his student on the shoulder. "He never saw you coming, did he?"
Aang grinned as well with a proud twinkle in his eyes. "Nope, he never did." They finally reached their destination as Aang was surprised to see some old friends. "Is that…"
The two people talking heard him and turned around to face him as a smile grew on his face. "Hey Aang," Zuko waved with a grin on his face while the girl gave him a smile.
"Zuko, Suki!" Aang laughed merrily and walked over to them to give them a hug, making Zuko grimace before he pulled away. "Wow, still not big on hugs, huh?"
Zuko shook his head. "Nope. I don't think I ever will be," he admitted, making Suki laugh before she gave him a hug which Zuko melted into.
""Not big on hugs, huh?" she teased as she pulled back, making Zuko feel a little disappointed that he was no longer holding her in his arms before he blushed heavily at her words. Aang grinned as he looked at his friends. It had been pretty obvious since he first met them that Zuko had a crush on her, but Suki was never clear how she felt about him in return. Whether that was on purpose or not, he didn't know, but he did know that she had a crush on him, which was both oddly gratifying that a beauty like her would like him and annoying at the same time due to his friend who's heart obviously belonged to her. Not wasting another moment, she pulled Aang into a hug and smiled, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. Although he had told her that they weren't meant to be, she still had feelings for him and would take every chance she could get to feel him close to her, much to Zuko's disliking.
It wasn't much longer before Zuko's jealousy spiked and he stepped between them, much to Aang's relief. "Well, we should go talk about the mission, right?" he asked Aang with a pointed look.
"Absolutely," Aang laughed as he put his arms around each of their shoulders with Gyatso right behind them. "Wait, you guys are joining me on my mission?" he asked excitedly.
Suki grinned and looked at him with a twinkle in her eye. "You bet. We wanted to be the first ones to help you on your first mission as an official spy."
"That and my father wanted to make sure that the Fire Agency got credit for helping save the world," Zuko added, making Suki slap him on the back of the head. "What was that for?" Zuko asked grumpily as he rubbed his injured head.
Suki rolled her eyes. "That part wasn't necessary, Zuko. You could have just said what I said."
Zuko shrugged with a laugh, getting over his anger instantly as he stared into her teal eyes. "I was just trying to be honest," he replied with a smile, making her smile back for a second before she shook her head.
Aang grinned at his friends as they neared their destination. Though he hadn't seen them in a while, they hadn't changed at all since the last time they had been together. A thought came to mind as he looked at Suki. "How are you here right now, Suki? The Earthen Agency and Wind Agency don't get along," he asked in confusion.
"Well that's because I'm not with the Earthen Agency anymore," Suki admitted, catching Aang by surprise as he waited for her to explain. "It's a long story, but let's just say that the Agency and I don't agree anymore and I thought it would be best if I left."
Zuko snickered as he looked at her. "You thought it would be best if you left? From what I heard, you got kicked out for getting into too many fights with the other agents."
Suki huffed and crossed her arms angrily. "Well maybe if the men hadn't been such jerks and tried hitting on me constantly, then maybe I wouldn't have had to beat them up." Zuko's snickering finally stopped as anger poured over him. Knowing where this was going, Aang quickly steered the conversation in another direction.
"Well at any rate, I'm glad you guys are here," he told them with a smile. "It'll be nice having my friends to help me out."
"Yeah, we're glad to be here. Right Zuko?" she asked sweetly with a pointed look at him.
Zuko nodded quickly. "Yeah, we're glad to be here." He paused and looked to Aang with a grin. "After all, it's not every day that I get to see my best friend."
Aang grinned and clapped him on the back, making him wince in pain as he barely managed to hold in a yelp. "Yeah, I like that part of it too." Then a question popped into his mind as he turned to Suki. "If you're no longer with the Earthen Agency, then how are you here?" he asked in confusion.
Suki shrugged as they continued walking. "I'm more of a rogue agent, now. I can choose to fight with whoever I want to. I don't hold any loyalties except to my friends."
"What about your gadgets and weapons?" he asked curiously.
"I left them back at the agency," she shrugged. "It was the only way they would let me leave."
"We'll just have to make sure you have what you need before we set out then," Aang decided as they finally walked up to a room where loud mechanical noises emanated from it.
"Let me guess... Teo?" Zuko asked sarcastically, making Aang laugh as he nodded in response. "Shocker," he chuckled before Aang opened the door for them. As they walked in, they couldn't help but be amazed at the sight before them. "Wow, Teo and his father have been busy since the last time I was here."
Aang laughed with a little. "Yes they have. They've done well here since they left the Earthen Agency, and have created some of the most amazing things I've ever seen." Gyatso decided to take charge and walked up to the service counter before he hit a bell that made a loud ding! throughout the room, making everyone groan in annoyance as Teo came up the counter smeared in oil. "Hey guys! What do you need?" He looked over to Aang and smiled wider. "Congrats on making it to a full member of the agency, buddy!" he cheered as he walked around the counter and gave him a bro hug.
Aang laughed again and returned the hug before Teo went back to the counter. "Thanks man. I actually have my first mission today."
"Yes he does," Gyatso stepped in before anyone else could speak. "And because of that he is going to need some special tools for mission C37-8."
"C37-8…" Teo hummed thoughtfully as he pulled out his binder labeled "Missions and Gadgets". Opening it quickly, he perused through it until he found what he was looking for. "Ha! C37-8! Let me get this for you real quick."
"And while you're at it," Aang spoke up. "Suki here is going to need some gear as well, if you don't mind."
Teo grinned. "Of course. Let me see what I've got back here. I'm sure I'll have something to help her out." Without another word, e walked into the backroom and didn't come back out for several minutes until he returned with a large bin full of gadgets and weaponry. "This should have everything you will need for the mission. We'll start with Suki's stuff."
"What do you have for me?" she asked excitedly as she peeked into the bin, a golden stick catching her eye.
"For starters we'll give you your standard equipment," he told her as he handed her exactly what Aang had been given. When he handed her the phone, she looked at him in confusion.
"Can't people track our phones?" she asked in bewilderment, wondering why they would give her a phone. All spies knew that having a phone was like wearing a big target on your back with the words 'Shoot me! I want to die!'.
Aang laughed as he shook his head. "That's what I thought when I got mine, but it's not a phone. It's just made to look that way," he explained.
"Oh," she said in understanding before she put the stuff in her jacket pockets and returned her attention to Teo. "What else do you have for me?" Teo rummaged around in the bin before he pulled out the golden stick that she had been eyeing and a pistol. "You're giving me a gun and a stick?" she asked in disbelief.
Teo snickered and shook his head. "This isn't just a stick," he promised before he grabbed it and flicked it open, revealing a melee fan with the symbol of the Wind Agency in the middle. "This is a combat weapon. Not only can it be used for defense, when it's in 'stick mode' as you call it, it's made out of a very strong metal and can easily smash in skulls."
Suki grinned as she took it from Teo. "Awesome. I can't wait to try it out. What else have you got for me?" she asked sweetly, hoping he would give her more stuff to use.
He thought about it for a moment before an idea came to mind. Quickly running into the backroom, he came back a minute later with what appeared to be a golden top knot hairpin. "You really expect me to wear that?" she asked in disbelief.
"It's not what you think," he promised before he put it on himself. Before Zuko could make fun of him, he pressed a button on the top of the hair pin and disappeared before their eyes, making everyone but Gyatso gasp in amazement before he returned to being visible. "See? It might look stupid, but it has a purpose," he promised as he handed it to her.
"Hey!" Zuko complained. "At least half of my Agency's people wear top knots! It doesn't look stupid!" he argued a little angrily.
Teo raised his hands in the air in a placating gesture. "Okay, okay! I was just kidding, man! Chill!" Zuko seemed to calm down before he muttered to himself, "Nope, still looks stupid," earning laughs from Suki, Aang, and Gyatso.
"What was that?" Zuko asked, having no clue what Teo had said.
"Nothing!" Teo gave him a big smile before returning his attention to the bin. "And for you, Zuko, the Agency wanted me to give you this as a gesture of goodwill for joining on the mission." He pulled out a couple of bracers and handed it to a confused looking Zuko.
"What are these for?" he asked in bewilderment as he looked closely at them. "I've already got armor, I'm good."
Teo shook his head. "This isn't just armor," he promised as he took one from Zuko and pointed to a button on the side of it with a fire symbol on it. "See this button here?" Zuko nodded in response as he looked closer at it. "When you press that button, not only will it amplify your powers, it will allow you to do some new maneuvers that should come in handy."
"Like what?" Zuko wondered as he put the bracers on and admired them in the light. Pressing the button, he concentrated some fire into it and was amazed as he held a fire whip in his hands. "Awesome," he grinned before he let it go.
"That's just the start," Teo promised with a grin before he turned his attention to Aang. "And now for you. This stuff isn't as fun, but will be needed for your mission." He took out a USB and handed it to Aang.
"A USB?" Aang questioned with a puzzled look.
Teo nodded. "Yep. You're going to need this for when you go on your mission. This USB is synced to our database, so once you plug it into their main computer, our systems will receive the information that the USB will take."
"Okay, that makes sense," Aang nodded as he put it in his pocket. "What else have you got for me?"
Rummaging through the bin, Teo grinned and handed Aang what appeared to be a small pistol that could fit in his hand "This is has several uses," Teo explained as he handed him some ammunition in a box. Aang looked closely at it and was surprised to see one section say 'mind control darts".
"Mind control darts?" he asked in surprise as he looked back up to his friend.
Teo grinned with a shrug. "Yeah. My father and I figured out a way to temporarily allow you to control your enemies. One dart buys you an hour of time by injecting a serum that puts the victim into a sort of hypnotic stance. They'll do whatever you ask of them before the serum's affect runs out."
"Cool," Aang smiled and put the pistol in the pocket on the inside of the jacket with the ammunition next to it. "Anything else I might need?"
"Yeah, I've got one more thing for you here," he said as he grabbed two objects from the bin and set them before him. They appeared ordinary, only being two squares with the symbol of the agency on them. "These are your two new best friends that aren't human," Teo joked, making everyone laugh before he pressed a button and the squares transformed into a mechanical German shepherd and a hawk. "Though they start out in this form, they can shift to whatever you might need." He turned to the robotic animals. "Switch from dog to lion, please," he requested to the one on the left. The robot did as it was told and turned into a small lion, roaring a little as it shook it's mechanical tail.
"Wow," Suki breathed as she walked up to it and stroked its head, making the robot turn back into a dog and pant happily as she pet it. "It's amazing. It looks so realistic."
Teo smirked proudly. "Yeah, that's what me and my dad were going for." He turned to Aang. "They both have several uses. For instance, the first one here," he gestured to the dog Suki was still petting, "can change into any kind of land roaming animal you want. And your other buddy here," he patted the hawk on the head who nuzzled into his hand, "can change into any flying animal you want."
"Even a dragon?" Zuko asked excitedly.
"Yup," Teo laughed at Zuko's excitement. "Like I said, pretty much anything that can fly." He looked back at Aang. "They can fight, climb, sneak around, record, and can even pick off enemies if you tell them too."
Aang grinned and walked up to his new 'pets'. "Awesome. I think I'll call you… Appa," he told the dog who barked in response, "and I'll call you… Momo," he decided while the hawk chirped and nuzzled into him.
Gyatso smiled at his ward. Even if Aang was never going to have a normal life, he would at least get to have the pets he had wanted from when he was younger. Even if they were made of metal and were automated. "Good work, Teo," he complimented him as he admired his handiwork. "You and your father have served us well. Thank you both," he bowed to him.
"It's our pleasure sir," Teo bowed back to him before Gyatso returned his attention to his charge.
"Come, Aang. We must send you on your way. The sooner we know what we're dealing with, the sooner we can put this nonsense to rest," he told him as he led the way out of the room. Suki and Zuko followed him out while Aang stayed behind for a moment.
"Thanks Teo! See you later!" he gave him a quick bro hug before he ran out after his friends with his new pets right behind him. Running to catch up, he finally reached them as they made their way to the agency hanger. Gyatso led the way towards a small jet that was being prepped for them. As they reached it, a man jumped out of it and walked over to Gyatso.
"It's ready for takeoff, sir. It should be in great condition for the mission."
Gyatso nodded to him with a smile. "Thank you, Jin Ju. You may go back to training. I will be there shortly." Jin Ju nodded and walked away, though not without leaving a small cloud of gas behind, making the four of them gag on the stench.
"Why does he always have gas?" Aang complained as he pinched his nose and tried his best not to succumb to the smell.
Gyatso shook his head in disgust. "I wish I knew," he sighed before the smell had cleared enough for them to breathe normally. Knowing it was time, he turned to his ward. "It is time for you to go, but remember what I taught you."
"Of course," Aang smiled and bowed to him before giving him a hug which Gyatso returned with a smile.
"Good luck out there, my pupil." He turned to Suki and Zuko. "Take care of him," he requested politely.
"We will, sir," she smiled with a glance at Aang. "He'll be well taken care of. Right Zuko?" Zuko, who had been busy petting the hawk who had perched on his shoulder, did not hear her words. Rolling her eyes, she flicked Zuko on the back of his head as he snapped back to attention.
"Yes! He'll be just fine," he promised with a small glare in Suki's direction. Suki just smirked and started walking into the jet with Zuko behind her while Aang gave Gyatso one last bow of respect.
"Wish us luck!" Aang yelled over the loud noise of the jet starting up before he hopped into it and set their course.
Zuko looked at him from the back seat as Aang and Suki took the pilot and co-pilot seats. "So where are we going?" he asked curiously.
Aang grinned as he looked back at him. "We're going to an island in the Caribbean. It's called the Island of Misfortune."
Katara looked out of her window as she waited for her brother to come and get her. They had decided it would be best if they left early in the morning, knowing that would be the most opportune time to head out for the mission. This was annoying to her, however, as neither she nor her brother were early risers, which likely was the reason he was running late. As she waited, she mused over what had transpired the night before. Though her fears had lessened, they were still there. This new agent was unlike anything she had seen before, and she just hoped that Sokka was right and that they could explain what happened and maybe even renegotiate the alliance between the two factions. She knew it wasn't likely, but if there was anything she had learned from he deceased mother, it was how to hold on to hope even in the bleakest of times.
Her eyes saddened as she remembered her mother. Even though she didn't regret the life of a spy, she wished her mother hadn't joined. Then maybe she would still be alive. Katara shook her head at these thoughts. No matter how much she would miss her mother, she knew that she died as she lived, protecting the ones she cared about, and that would just have to be enough. On the bright side of things, Katara had never felt more alive as when she went out on missions. She had always been a fighter. Even when she was young, before her grandfather had talked her mother into joining the agency, she was always getting into trouble with her brother. Usually that involved dealing with school bullies. She laughed as she remembered how they had taken down the school bully back in third grade. Sokka, who had dubbed himself as 'The Plan Guy', had decided that the best way to get him to stop was to scare him. His plan was simple yet complex, as it required many moving pieces at once. Although it worked, Katara couldn't help but chuckle at the look on Sokka's face when his plan didn't go quite as he expected it to, resulting in him going home with a wedgie. Despite an unforeseen "tragedy" as he called it, the rest of the plan had gone well and the bully ended up moving to another school, starting a long line of victories for them that led to where they were then. And now she had another mission, one that she would not allow to end her streak of victories, even if it meant her death.
"Are you ready?"
She snapped out of her thoughts to see her brother peeking his head through her front door before she nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."
"Come on. We need to go meet our new teammate," Sokka chuckled as he motioned for her to follow. Taking a deep breath, she put on her jacket and made sure she had what she needed for the mission. Once she was absolutely sure, she followed him as he led the way out to the main planning room where a few agents were conversing.
As they walked in, her father smiled and gestured for them to sit in the chairs next to him. "Come on in, guys. We were just getting acquainted." They took their seats and waited for him to speak. "This here is Toph Bei Fong, the top agent of the Earthen Agency."
"Sup," Toph nodded to them in greeting. Sokka drooled a little as he looked at her, but quickly snapped back to reality as his sister's laughs at his stupidity rang throughout the room.
"Hi. I'm Katara, and this is my dumb brother Sokka," she smirked at her brother after finally settling down, earning a glare from him before he returned to normal.
Toph snorted with a grin. "Good to know. I'll have to keep that in mind when we're fighting bad guys," she laughed. Katara laughed as well and looked closer at the new girl when she noticed what looked like film over her eyes. "Are you…"
"Blind?" she asked with a sigh. "Yeah, I'm blind. But I can see by using my Earthbending, so I'm not totally blind as long as I'm on Earth or metal."
Sokka's eyes widened in surprise. "You can metal bend?" he asked in disbelief.
Toph smirked proudly. "Yes I can. I invented it and am currently the only one in the world that knows how to do it. And I don't plan on teaching anyone else unless I'm sure that they can handle it," she replied in a warning tone.
"Noted," Katara laughed a little. "Well you won't have to worry about us asking, because neither of us are Earthbenders."
Toph blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Right. I forgot about that."
Hakoda chuckled and retook the attention of the group. "Okay then. Well now that you guys are introduced, we should get down to business." They were all silent as a screen was wheeled over to the table for them to see. "This mission isn't going to be like any mission you've been on before," he warned them. "This one could potentially mean the end of the world if we're not careful, so please don't do anything to set it off," he almost begged.
Sokka rolled his eyes. "We won't do that, dad. At least I won't," he grinned at Katara who scoffed and crossed her arms at him.
"How many times do I have to tell you, it was-"
"An accident. Yeah, I know. I heard it the first fifty times," Sokka rolled his eyes once again. "Doesn't change the fact that the most dangerous agency in the world is going to be gunning for us now."
Hakoda finally stepped in, knowing it would only get worse if he let it continue. "Enough, you two. There's no point assigning blame right now. It won't do us any good." Sokka let out a long sigh and nodded in acceptance. "Good. Now, we're going to be sending you to an island in the Carribean called Isla de Degracia."
"What's that mean, boss man?" Toph raised her hand as she kicked up her feet on the table, much to Katara's disgust as she saw she wasn't wearing shoes or even socks.
"In English it means 'Island of Misfortune," he explained, causing the three agents eyes to widen as they heard the unusual name. "And it is not named without reason." Pressing a button on his remote, pictures of the island getting hit by several hurricanes through time were displayed. "Those who have lived on this island usually moved elsewhere within a month. The only ones who stay are the ones who are smart enough to keep a bunker should a hurricane hit."
"And this is where we have to go?" Sokka asked in annoyance. "Of course a bad guy would want to keep a cursed island as his headquarters," he grumbled before he allowed his father to continue.
Hakoda laughed a little at his son and shook his head. "Yes, it does seem weird that they would pick such a place, but nonetheless, this is where they were reported to have been. Your mission for now is to go into their main building in the center of the island and find what information you can on whatever they're planning. Once we know what we're dealing with, then we'll make a plan to stop them."
"Well that seems simple enough," Katara thought aloud as she looked closer at the pictures and noticed something weird. Was she just picturing it or… did that picture show a stormcloud coming out of a building?
"Unfortunately it's not as simple as it seems," Hakoda gave her an apologetic look as he changed the picture again and showed that the center of the island was surrounded by soldiers and weapons, making Katara and Sokka nervous as they noticed everything from gunmen to rocket launchers.
"What?" Toph asked in confusion as she felt their fear cause their hearts to pound rapidly through the metal table. "You guys are going to have to tell me what's on the screen."
Sokka looked at her in confusion, already forgetting her blindness. "Why's that?"
Toph sighed and smacked her head a little. "Wow, your sister really wasn't kidding about you being dumb," she shook her head at him. He turned and glared at his sister who smirked and shrugged before Toph continued, "I'm blind, genius. I can't see what's on the screen."
"Oh," he said in realization as he blushed in embarrassment. "Right. Well where we're going has a lot of soldiers and defenses that we'll need to get past if we want to get to the center."
Toph grinned and cracked her knuckles. "Well then we'll just blow up their defenses and walk right in. No problem," she replied with a punch to his shoulder, making him wince as he rubbed it silently.
"It's not going to be that easy," Katara argued. "Even if we wanted to use that much firepower, we can't just destroy everything and charge in there. If we make a wrong move, they could accelerate whatever they're planning and we wouldn't have enough time to be able to stop it. If we want to do this successfully, then we'll have to sneak in and get the information."
Toph rolled her eyes and let out a long sigh. "Fine, whatever," she grumbled, clearly disappointed at not being able to have the fun she wanted.
"Sorry Miss Bei Fong, but Katara's right," Hakoda told her with an apologetic smile. "If this mission is to succeed, no one can know that we are there. Especially if the Winds are going in as well," he mused.
"Yeah, what are we going to do about the Winds?" Sokka questioned seriously. "It's not their fault that someone broke our alliance. Should we attack them if we see them?"
Hakoda shook his head. "No, I don't want to do anything to upset them anymore than they already are. In fact, once this has all settled down, I'm going to see if I can't explain what happened and hopefully revive our alliance. If you do come across any Winds, don't attack unless they attack you first. That way we can plead it as self-defense when we try to communicate with them again."
Katara was reminded of the letter she had received during the night and wondered if she should tell her father about it, but decided against it. He already had enough on his plate, he didn't need to worry about his daughter possibly getting killed by the Winds' top agent. "Okay, sounds like a plan," she finally said after a few moments of silence. "We should probably get going."
"Do you have all of your gear?" Hakoda asked seriously. Katara nodded. "Are you absolutely sure? You have your weapons, your guns, and your-"
"Yes dad," Katara laughed a little at his worry for them. "Don't worry, I've made sure that we have what we need."
Hakoda shook his head with a sad smile. "I can't help it. I'm a father. My job is to worry over you guys and do everything I can to make sure you come back alive."
Katara sighed and was reminded of her own potential death. "I know, but we'll be fine," she told him, unsure herself whether that was true or not. Even if it wasn't, she wouldn't tell him otherwise. Like her, her father understood that anything could happen on a mission, so if she did die, he wouldn't be too surprised.
"Okay," Hakoda agreed reluctantly before he stood up and gestured for them to follow. "Come on. We should get you to your jet." They all nodded and followed him to the hangar where a single jet waited for them.
"Wait a minute," Toph argued with a defiant look. "I'm not a flyer and how can we fly this big hunk of metal if we're underwater?" she asked seriously as she 'looked' at each of them.
Hakoda chuckled before he gave her a reassuring pat on the back. "Don't worry about it, Miss Bei Fong. You'll hardly even notice you're in the air. As for your second question-" he was cut off as the hangar doors opened to reveal blue skies above them. "Our headquarters are capable of going up and down, so the building is above water right now."
"Isn't that risky?" Sokka asked curiously as he looked above them at some passing clouds.
"Only if we're exposed for long periods of time, so I would suggest that you all get going," Hakoda shrugged before he pulled them in for a hug. "I love you kiddos. Be safe out there."
Katara was reluctant, but knowing that saying anything else would only make him more worried, she replied, "Don't worry dad, we'll be fine."
"I know," Hakoda smiled sadly and kissed her head and ruffled Sokka's hair. "Now go be the best spies in the world. And call me once you get there!" he yelled to them after stepping out of range of the jet. They nodded and waved goodbye as Sokka helped Toph into the jet while Katara took control. Smiling sadly one last time at her father, she waved and took off into the sky, hoping that it wouldn't be the last time she saw him.
"How long is it going to take to get there?" Sokka asked curiously as he sat in the co-pilot seat and looked at the map that was scanning for other vehicles.
Katara smiled a little, trying to keep a positive attitude as she flew to what might be her death. "It won't be long. With how fast this thing goes, we'll be there within an hour. Why don't you get some sleep? We'll be up all night trying to set up a base to use."
Sokka groaned a little as he remembered what they had to do. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he grumbled and let out a yawn. "Let me know if you need help with anything." Without another word, he went to the back of the jet and slumped down on the couch next to Toph who had also passed out, likely from boredom,, Katara assumed. Sighing slightly, she laughed a little as she saw Sokka was already snoring. That was a good sign. It meant Sokka wasn't too scared. Not as scared as she was, anyway. But if there was one thing Katara knew, it was that there was no room for fear on this mission, so she pushed it down and continued flying towards the island that could be her grave.
"Are we there yet?" Zuko complained as he continued staring out the window bored out of his mind. They had been flying for hours, and he didn't know how much more of it he could take.
Aang laughed a little. Normally people would get mad at someone who asked that question a thousand times, but he was the rare exception. He just found it amusing. "We're almost there, Zuko. A few more minutes and we'll land and set up a base for us to stay while we're on the island."
Suki, who had been trying her best to hold in her anger of Zuko asking that question a thousand times finally snapped. "And if I hear you ask that question one more time, I'm going to shave your head. Got it?" Zuko's eyes widened in surprise before he nodded quickly. "Good," she smirked before she looked back out her window and admired the sunset.
Zuko smiled as he looked at her through the jet's mirror. Even though she could sometimes have a temper, that was just one of the many things he loved about her. She wasn't like any girl he had met before, and it killed him not to know how she felt about him. Now's not exactly the time to be thinking about that, he chided himself before he resumed looking out his window. He gasped a little as he saw another jet with the Water Agency symbol on it. "Um, Aang?"
Aang looked back at him. "Yeah, buddy?"
"We might have a problem here. Aren't the Water Agents your enemies now, too?"
"Yeah..." Aang said in confusion before he put it on auto pilot and moved over to where Zuko was. Following his gaze, he gasped and looked back at Zuko. "That's who I'm supposed to take down."
"Enemy spotted," the jet spoke in the speakers surrounding them. "Operational machine gun at the ready." A machine gun stuck out of the jet's right side with the controls right in front of Zuko as it popped out of the floor.
Zuko grinned as he took the controls. "Let's just take them out right now. That way we only have one problem to worry about while we're there."
"Zuko, no! We could kill other Agents! I'm only after one!" Aang yelled, but it was too late. Zuko had already fired on the unsuspecting twins and the sleeping Earthbender as a blast of pure energy took out their left wing.
Katara's eyes started to droop as the hum of the plane made her feel drowsy. Just as sleep was about to claim her, loud alarms started going off in the speakers. Sokka snapped to attention as he looked around wildly with tired eyes. "What's going on?!" he yelled over the noise of the alarms.
With the alarms waking her back up, Katara quickly looked at the map and saw another ship to their left. "Uh oh," she muttered to herself before a large blast rocked their jet. Looking to her left, she saw half of the left wing being incinerated from enemy fire. "We're going down!" she yelled over the alarms as the plane pitched forward and started spiraling.
"What's all this racket?!" Toph complained as she finally woke up.
Katara, knowing what had to be done, got up quickly and grabbed their stuff. "Sokka, grab Toph and a parachute! We're going to have to jump out of here!"
Toph's eyes widened in shock and a noticeable amount of fear. "You said what now?!" she shrieked before Sokka picked her up and slung the parachute pack on his back. "I'm not going anywhere!" she refused adamantly as she kicked and fought.
Sokka rolled his eyes. "Would you rather die?" he asked sarcastically over the rippling wind as the jet flew closer and closer to the island.
"Yes!" she yelled back honestly with heavy fear in her voice. Sokka just sighed and shook his head before he looked over to Katara.
"We're gonna need to jump out of here at the same time so we don't get smacked into the ground, okay?" she yelled to him as the jet got closer to the island. Sokka nodded in response as they walked over to the emergency hatch at the back of the jet. Pressing a button, the hangar door opened as the plane kept spiraling. The only thing that kept Katara and Sokka from being knocked out of it was the metallic feature of their combat boots that allowed them to stick to the metal floors. "Are you ready?" she yelled over the deafening roar of the wind. Sokka again nodded in response. After waiting a few moments for the jet to line up just right, Katara shouted, "JUMP!" before jumping herself with Sokka right behind her. As they fell, she couldn't help but admire the beauty of the island. If they weren't in danger for their lives, she likely would have taken a picture of it.
"Pull your chute, now!" Sokka yelled. Katara nodded and did as she was told, their chutes opening in perfect sync as they fell towards the deep waters below them. Sighing a little in relief, Katara looked again at the island. For a cursed island, it sure doesn't look cursed, she thought as she gazed upon the lush center of land. After a few more minutes of their slowed descent, they landed in the water just off the shores.
Toph spit some water out of her mouth as they all resurfaced. "Never do that again," she warned Sokka with a finger against his chest. Sokka nodded quickly, again forgetting that she was blind. Assuming he nodded, she looked down before quickly kissing his cheek, making him blush heavily as he struggled to keep them both afloat. "That was for saving me."
"No problem," he laughed nervously before he composed himself and repeated in a fake deep voice, "No problem."
Toph just laughed and punched him in the arm, making him wince as he struggled to hold in a yelp. "Come on. We should get to land so we don't drown out here."
"She's right. Let's get onto land and get as far away from here as possible," Katara agreed as she moved some of her wet hair out of her eyes. "The ones who shot us down will probably look near the wreckage for us. The sooner we're out of sight, the sooner we don't have to worry about being attacked. At least for now," she amended. Sokka nodded in response as they swam back to shore, enjoying the feeling of solid ground beneath their feet when they finally reached land.
"Oh sweet Earth," Toph laughed gleefully as she flopped onto the ground and made a sand angel. "How I've missed you."
Katara laughed a little. "I'm glad we're on the ground too, but we need to get going. You can make all the sand angels you want once we're out of here."
Toph sighed and got up reluctantly. "Fine. Let's just get going."
"Where are we going?" Sokka asked as he moved over to grab their stuff.
"We're going to the East part of the island," Katara responded as she pulled out a soggy map from her jacket pocket. "There's plenty of cover there for us to make our base so that no one will be able to find it."
"Okay, let's get going then," Sokka shrugged and allowed Katara to lead the way. As they walked, Katara looked up in the sky and saw the other jet that had shot them down. She just hoped that they would at least wait to set up their base before they came after her. Then maybe she could have enough time to figure out a way to save her own life.