Book Four:
Metal
Chapter Four:
The Space Station
It had been silent in the room for hours. Nothing broke this silence, say for occasional bleeps, clicks, and hums of machinery. It stayed from excitment a room like this, with nothing to do but watch something uncannily close to a disturbing mix between a bad episode of Survior and the History channel, you'd get pretty bored after a while...just sitting there, watching, with palm resting on your chin, which now felt a little too warm and moist; it took him hours just to find a chair in this accursed satillite - really, who builds a massive computer terminal with no chair? It had been different before this little project, different when he was actually out in the field, when he towered above every natural thing, when he dominated, and even when the good doctor was beaten by that little rodent time and time again, he still domninated. He never gave up, never quit and he never would. He'd have to die first, whether by age or by defeat; well, he wasn't dead yet and he hadn't been beaten yet either
But now, as he sat there in the chair, his legs almost numb, he nearly began to regret the latest, greatest and without a doubt most well thought out plan he had ever (and most likely ever will be) conceived. Over the past week he'd been here, he kept trying to find an excuse to get up and out of his seat. Sometimes, he'd check maintence on the computer logs, maybe got himself some water, try going to the rest room even when he didn't have to, or maybe he paced randomly.
There were actually many times he wanted to engage, but he'd observed these primitive people. They were by no means civilized, at least by his opinion, especially with their steam powered technology.
Steam power... so archaic... the doctor did, however, find the concept of "bending" the elements to one's will to be rather interesting. He was still in the process of determining whether this mystyrious art was a biological feature of the species or an incredibly ancient practice perfected over millenia. He had eventually tossed aside the idea that he might be able to perform the neccessary techniques himself; not that he would ever need to, not with a mind like his.
This peculiar civilization bared an erie resemblance to ancient China, Japan, and other old far eastern eras, though at the same time, possesed a capacity for modern western slang. They seemed to very spiritual, very rural, not relying on much science of any kind. And it wouldn't take a scientist of his intellect to figure out what would happen if they new of his presence...
They would probably scream, run, believing his robots to be some incarnation of their mythological beasts. They might actually try to defend themselves; it wouldn't be too hard to mount a resistance with that bending ability of theirs - this "avatar" could pose a serious inconveniance...
Or, perhaps they'll just submit to his technological wonders and worship him as a god...now, he admired the thought of that... then again, if the whole planet made a ruccus, the element of surprise would be a lost hope completely, shot down before it even started. No, not just yet
So he'd been patient, stalking these primates, getting close, but not too close, moving his stealthy droids exactly where he wanted them, when he wanted them. Of course, it wouldn't matter how much information on this new world he would gain if he never found that jewel: the very same jewel among six others that he had spent his young adult life searching for, and somehow managed to always slip from his grasp no matter how many times he caught a hold of them. Blasted mutant, thinks it can just break out from it's restraints and snatch the stone when he wasn't looking.
He'll find the beast, and even if he doesn't, there's still the equally genius backup plan the doctor was forced to cook up...
His thoughts were unexpectedly interrupted by the sound of the entrance door jerked upward via hydrolics, followed by the apparant footsteps of three light-weighted individuals and the distinct metallic stomping of an above medium-sized robot behind them, though he did not turn around, having a good idea what was behind him, making him grin even wider.
Doctor, the prisoners were caught attempting to escape the space station; they demanded to speak with the current director of the facilty. the Egg Fighter explaned.
" 'Space station' ?" Toph repeated,"You mean station... in SPACE!?"
Oh yeah, I got 'em right where I want 'em...
"Well, what do you know, I was just on the verge of thinking about you..." Dr. Eggman began slowly, revolving around and revealing himself to the fire, water, and earthbenders.
"MY SISTER'S IN OUTER WHERE?" Sokka exclaimed.
The teens were by this time heading back to the capitol city, realizing just how vulnerable it might be. The trip in total was clearly taking its toll on time itself, as the sun luminated the orange sky to Appa's right. Aang payed no mind to this, since he was by now aware the whole world was potentially in danger once more; he wasn't about to stop for any kind of rest.
"She has to be; I had that vision for a reason, and this is it," the Avatar explained, shaking his head,"I knew something was wrong; the universe just doesn't have a hole torn threw it and resew itself, it's never that easy..."
A breif silence followed.
"...Do you think she's okay? I mean, where ever Katara is right now, Azula's gotta be with her too," Suki broached.
"I don't think we're getting the full scope of this," Zuko started.
"Our sisters were kidnapped by a bunch of evil space monsters; what's not to get?!" Sokka replied.
"It's not just a bunch of monsters; we're talking about coordinated assaults capable of instantaneous transportation to any place on the planet. If the most impregnable fortress there is can be easily subdued in minutes by this entity, what's stopping it from crippling other installations; or even worse: an actual city?"
Another wave of cold for the group's spines.
"And the worst part is that we're probably the only ones who has any idea of what's going on," Suki noted,"As far as everyone else is concerned, they think it could have been an attack by an enemy nation; we need to find out who's responsible for all of this before another war breaks out."
Aang felt similar anguish. Of all the times and dates in the world, why did this event have to occur on his special day? It was obvious that these attacks were directed to him, which goaded the Avatar to speculate mentally what this otherworldly gathering would of gone for if, just if, the boy didn't have anyone close to go after...
"I suppose you're wondering who I am..." the scientist began, ascending from his chair.
The girls wished they had never demanded to talk to the one in charge of the station, each with their own unbelievable sight to behold: for Katara, the four enormous orbs encircleing the huge stem pillar which served as the main suport for the platform the doctor stood on seemed weird enough; Azula's poise was nonexistent the longer she gazed down at the pink and blue shards of holographic data swirling around below the platform; and while most people would assume that the Blind Bandit'd have little to be astonish about, in reality, the amount of shock Toph was experiencing towered over the combined bewilderment of the other two benders, as she alone could see in a very literal sense the raw power residing within the pillar behind the mysterious fat man. It was the same energy she felt much earlier, only this energy wasn't buzzing: it was flowing.
The doctor didn't seem to notice, having initiated his monologue that he had spent the whole afternoon rehursing, using the monitor as a mirror."I go by many names: Dr. Robotnik, Ivo Robotnik, Dr. Ivo Robotnik... Dr. Eggman...," he emphasized, as if that name sounded the most intimidating,"but you may refer to me as High Emperor EggBotnik Supreme, as I plan on taking over your world and everything you hold dear very soon."
It was this declaration that got the attention of the girls.
"The world?" Katara repeated.
"Yes, the world; the acoustics in this room are truly dreadful, aren't they?" he retorted, beyond acustomed to such reactions, curling his moustache.
"Y-You can't just take over the entire planet; who do you think you are?" Azula demanded.
"I think he thinks he's the guy with the giant space station..." Toph murmured.
"Right..."
"Oh, your more than right, little girl," he responded, "If you were taking a test, you would of gotten a B," Eggman congradulated the blind girl.
"Um, okay, what ever a 'bee' means..." Toph shrugged.
"True, I am the one with this station," although, it really wasn't entirely his, but ignorance was bliss," and to be quite honest, this planet doesn't have much to offer, say for few cheap magic tricks."
Azula had heard enough from the old man. "Listen to me, you pompous, overweight letch," she snapped, cutting in front of Katara,"your speaking to one of the greatest firebenders who ever lived. There's nothing cheap about it. Now, hiding behind these petty little machines..."
"I'm not hiding behind anything, you arrogant, pale-skinned harpy, as you can plainly see. If your such an exceptional fire 'bender', then what are you waiting for? Attack me. Melt my little machines like tin foil."
Azula hesitated...
"Of course you wouldn't do anything. Because your scared. Your ignorant; you've know idea who your spewing threats at, or how long your life expectancy will be if you do something stupid, your highness."
Katara spoke up, but calmly, trying to lower the tension" Azula...maybe he's right, we don't know who he is or how we even got up here in the first place..."
"Oh, that's right! Here, I'll show you..." the scientist annouced, pacing back to the terminal and giddily typing away at the keyboard, reactivating all the lights and security cameras. The fire/waterbenders gazed in awe as multiple windows popped up on the large screen, revealing to the two the existence of huge battleships orbiting the station; hallways filled with all types of robots, most notibly the Artifcial Chaos, both patroling the satilite and sweeping away the demolished ones with over-sized brooms and grides; along with many more technologicly impossible features of the ARK, including the Eclipse Cannon.
"Frankly, I'd listen to your friend..." the doctor recommended.
Although Eggman was sure he was consistently ahead of these juvenile heathens, he was also aware of their martial skills; if they made a move, he wondered if he would be fast enough to react. Although he had no direct knowledge of the chemistry behind their elemental powers, Eggman guessed the firebender's power would probably be fueled by eccess radiation, such as the sun; and since this ship was technically powered by a massive nuclear fusion reactor - and since the Space Station wasn't too far from the sun - perhaps he would do well not to underestimate her. Nevertheless, he was armed, surrounded by mechanized body guards armed to the optics with high caliber weapons, and he was sure three girls would be successfully neutralized if they became hostile and made any attempts on his life.
On cue, the Egg Fighter stomped closer to the girls, slowly extending its long arm beyond the water and earthbender, intent on clamping its hand around the firebender's shoulder.
Noticing this, Azula quickly spun around and kicked out a plume in the same instant motion, forcing the girls behind her to drop to the floor again as the robot was blown to pieces by the unusualy large fireball.
Even the former princess slightly moved by her own display"...huh ...don't know my own strength... Come to think of it, I feel awfully energetic all of a sudden; like Ty Lee almost..." she smirked.
The vulnerable scientist swallowed. Perhaps leading the girls so close to the emeralds wasn't such a good idea...
"Now..." she continued, turning back to the doctor,"Why don't we have a little recap about that 'not hiding behind anything' comment..." she hissed, step by step.
"Well, I...er... technicly wasn't behind any-AHA!" he cried, whipping out another strange-looking contraption like a pistol.
The benders were frozen once again; only this time not from fear, just confusion.
"...is... Is that a chicken?" Azula inqiured, though she was close, as the device tightly gripped between Eggman's fingers bared a bizarre likeness to a pokedotted ostrich horse egg with a rooster's head for the barrel.
Regardless, the mad scientist simply grinned, pulling the trigger. The chicken head then opened its "beak", somehow producing a subtle sucking mechanism, which began to grow stronger and stronger until the firebender could just barely keep her footing.
"What? W-What is...wha... WHAAAaaaaa-!" Azula screamed, loosing her center of gravity and instantly devoured within the vacuum-like device.
The water and earth bender's jaws hung unhinged.
Eggman sighed with satisfaction, admiring his own raw genius."Well, that's that. Anyone else wanna stand up to Dr. Eggman?" he inquired, waving the gizmo around.
The two girls were shoved back into the room, the very same small room from which they first woke up, the door easily re-welded and repaired.
"I hope this conversation of ours has shown you three just how little your chances of escape truly are," Eggman announced, two Egg Gunners at his sides. The doctor then pulled the trigger once again, opening the beak and firing Azula out and in the room as well, the firebender comicly smacking into the wall and plopping on Toph's bed."And thank you again for choosing Hotel Eggman." the door descended shut.
The girls tried to collect their heads, so many thoughts and questions still remaining unanswered.
"...Well, at least we know where we are..." Katara remarked, no longer knowing her reason behind her optimism at this point.
"Yeah, that's easy for you to say..." Toph retorted,"you couldn't see the power that guy was controlling..."
"So, wait, you mean you sensed that energy from earlier?"
"No, I saw it; not sensed, saw, with my eyes," the blind girl tried to explain, a look of shock naturaly appearing on the waterbender's face,"And whatever I saw, I just hope the Avatar State is just as powerful, or else the world won't be celebrating peace for long..."
Meanwhile, at the capitol...
The Fire Lord sighed."Alright, I apologize for the inconveinient time of this meeting, but this extremely important..."
"Wait a second," General Tung interrupted,"if this is an official meeting, then why isn't your throne lit with the royal flames..."
"I don't care about the STUPID FLAMES!" Zuko snapped, silencing the seasoned veteran.
"If it's a meeting, then why am I here?" Mai complained.
"BECAUSE-" the monarch haulted, providing himself time to regain his composure; a situation such this required a collected mind,"...because this is that important; the world is at stake, again, and you need to hear this too..." he sternly explained.
"Please proceed, your majesty," Chief Hakoda urged, his son, future daughter in law, the Avatar, and two Earth Kingdom officials remaining quiet.
Zuko took another breath before speaking."Earlier this morning, the Boiling Rock, the most heavily fortified prison complex in the Fire Nation, was stormed and devistated by a band of inhuman, mechanical creatures. Sometime this afternoon, Cheif Hakoda's daughter, Katara, was kidnapped by a single creature of similar anatomy, both events transpiring in mere minutes, disappearing as quickly and mysteriously as they arrived. At first I went ahead and assumed this an attack directed at my nation exclusively, but now I see their target is far broader than one faction; which is why I've assembled you here," he explained,"I'm requesting that you depart to send warnings to the other capitols effective immediately. We don't know where these beings are going to strike next, so it would be a neccessary precaution to have your leaders reinforce their most valuable cites and strongholds in the case of an impending attack. I'm especially concerned with-er... concerned for key cities such as Omashu and the Nothern Water Tribe; if these incidents prove to be the prelude to another conflict, the best case scenario would have these locations prepared..."
"WAIT!... WAIT!" cried an awfully familiar voice as a servant skidded into the room with an object.
The young Fire Lord groaned."Don't tell me: all those cities have fallen too, right?" he replied, fed up with politics.
The servant once again endeavored to catch his breath."...This... item was... found... on the... stairway to... the palace..." he explained, laying the large object before the group and propping his upper half against his knees.
The Avatar gained a skeptical expression."So the first thing you decide to do was carry it all the way to the meeting room? What if it's a bomb!?"
The servant thought hard for a moment, and leaned back down to pick the brown cube-shaped object back up.
"Wait a minute!" Sokka stopped,"that's not a bomb, it's a cardboard box."
"A...cardboard box?" Mai repeated.
"Yeah, see, Teo's dad invented it; it's supposed to be a cheaper, more efficient way of delivering stuff," Sokka explained.
"...Which would suggest it's from the inventor himself," Suki added.
The servant cleared his throat."Um... Did I forget to mention that I saw a small, metallic, floating creature flying away when I found it?"
All eyes were on the nameless man.
"...right, I...suppose I should be leaving now..." he mumbled, slowly tip-toeing out through the curtain.
Zuko turned to Aang, the closest sitting to the box."It must be a message; open it."
Naturally hesitant, the Air Nomad scooted closer and attempted to open the box, clearly struggling to do so.
"What's wrong?" Bato asked.
"I-grh-can't open it, it's sealed with somekind of adhesive material..." the boy grunted,"Anybody got a sharp object?"
At this query, Zuko produced one of his broadswords, Hakoda and Bato took out their bone machetes, the Earth Kindom generals raised their battle knives, and Suki unsheathed her nunjuto.
"I miss my sword..." Sokka mumbled glumly.
Aang took the nunjuto, and carefully split apart the mysterious adhesive (which was actually just a strip of duct tape), opening the package.
The tension among the members was unbearable as the Avatar peared into the cardboard cube.
"...Well?" Zuko inquired.
"Uhhh..." was pretty much the only response the loss-for-words Avatar could generate as he stared down at a box full of little greenish-white bits of fluff. However, unbeknownst to the boy, the fluff was there to ensure the safety of the item beneath...
It was then the most unexpected thing took place: a reflective black dome immediately emerged out from the fluff, causing the member's bodies to tighten with surprise. I was then that an an even more unexpected thing took place: a thin, blue, transparent wall of light shot out of the small dome which spanned a ninety-degree angle, from the entrance up to the ceiling. The wall rotated around the room, scanning the members who each cringed in their own fashion as it passed them, and eventually stopping on a silver piece as it landed on its intended target: Aang.
The wall began to shrink and shrink all the way down to a small, red beam pointing to the young Avatar's forehead, instantly cutting off afterwards.
And it was finally then that the definate most unexpected occurance in the room took place: a white glowing circle appeared at the crown of the dome, where it projected a far less concentrated light, a three dimensional image manifesting out of it...and there he was, a holographic projection of Dr. Eggman, sitting on his chair with his fingers folded.
"Well well," the doctor began, unfolding his fingers, "we meet at last, Avatar Aang..."
The group was bombarded with raw shock.
"...It's a ghost! Run for your lives!" cried one of the Earth Kingdom nobles, both of them darting from their seats and out of the room screaming.
"...morons..." Mai muttered, indifferent to the very end.
"Who are you, and why have you attacked my country!" the Fire Lord demanded, rising from his seat.
"Oh, I'm just a humble inventor looking to setup shop in a new area. In this case: the entire planet."
"So you're the cause behind the unversal disturbance I've been sensing?" Aang got up,"Was it you who sent that machine to destroy Makapu?"
"I don't recall; but if I had, you certainly wouldn't be hear to ask..." he replied boastfully.
"You're kidding me, right?" Mai inquired,"This is the guy everyone's heading for the hills over? He looks like a giant..."
"...A giant, talking egg; yes, I get that..." the doctor finished half-heartedly.
"You sure he looks like an egg?" Bato inquired,"The way that gut of his lurches out, it makes'em seem more like a rotten pear..."
It was this observation that sent the doctor off the edge."mmpt-d'I wouldn't be making up insults if I were you!" he snapped, throwing his finger toward the warrior's face, "You may have the gall, but I have the girls," he announced, fiddleing with the keyboardand opening a holographic surveilence window of the room containing said girls for the members to see.
"Katara!" impulsively cried the Air Nomad.
"Don't bother with that; they can't hear you," he stated flatly," don't worry yourselves though, I'm taking good care of them; in fact, I'll be sure to feed them when we're done...eventually..."
"I believe I asked you who you are..." Zuko restarted.
"Oh, right, where'd my manners go?" he cleared his throat,"They call me...Dr. Eggman."
The whisping curtain offered the only sound in the room.
"I know, you're all parylized by my awsomeness," the doctor continued, taking the akward silence the wrong way,"but I assure you, I am but a man, no different than any of you here...save for my vastly superior intellect that, in comparison with yours, makes this entire inhabitance look like raving neanderthals which, by default, would catagorize myself into a higher level of evolution in general," he explained as if a matter of fact.
As Eggman praised himself, Sokka turned his attention to the screen, concerned for his baby sister. She was just sitting on a bed, supporting her chin on her palms; the waterbender's expression had a severe lack of hope. The warrior noticed to her left another bed with an unfamiliar girl lying on it - he presumed that was Azula - she was clearly unconscous. His pupils retreated to the other side of the room, where they crossed over another bed that looked like it lossed a fight with a fireball, Wonder where that came from, he thought. It was then that Sokka realized his eyes passed something on the way to the scorched mattress; they quickly swung back to Katara, just now seeing a third, smaller girl on the right of his sister, mimicking her position.
Wait a sec...is that...?
"Is that Toph?" he asked aloud.
"Pardon?"
Sokka pointed to the screen."Look, it's Toph; you captured Toph too?"
Everyone followed, including Eggman."Why, yes I did; kind of odd how quiet she is, I assumed most earthbenders were loud-mouthed buffoons..." he speculated
"Oh my gosh, Toph too?" asked Suki,"Why are you imprisoning these girls? What did the world do to you?"
"Firstly, it's what I'm going to do to the world you should be concerned about," Eggman retorted, "As for girls, they're mainly for incentive purposes..."
" 'Incentive' ?" Zuko repeated, "If you're as almighty as you've convinced the staff of the Boiling Rock to be, what exactly would someone like you gain from prodding so-called 'inferior beings' with a petty threat?" the Fire Lord inquired.
"I was hoping it could be more of a negotiation, really..."
"You mean like a trade?" Hakoda asked,"Why? What could we have to offer to a man who can be at mutiple points on the planet in a single day?"
The doctor grinned so wide, his moustache was elavated."Ah, but that's why we're all here, isn't it?"
The doctor gazed sinisterly at the anxious holograms surrounding the bridge to the exit. He got up and paced across the pathway as he spoke. "You see," he began,"When I first made it to your world but a week ago, an unfornate 'accident' lead me to lose a very precious artifact of mine; one of seven, actually: an ivory jewel, that glows like the brightest lanturn," the scientist explained, the holographic Sokka taking a double-take,"It plummeted away from my humble abode all the way down to this planet, where it landed somewhere in this region."
"I'm sure there are plenty of diamonds like that in the Earth Kingdom..." Zuko suggested, his hologram near the entrance.
"None that glow white..." Suki replied.
"Exactly,this jewel is incalculably special," Eggman said,"and I feel that my plans of invasion would be too bounded without it."
"Okay..." Aang exhaled,"So, if we find this jewel of yours, you'd be willing to exchange Katara, Azula, and Toph for it?"
"Sounds reasonable enough," Eggman replied.
"Now wait a blinkin' second!" Bato intervened,"You can't expect us to believe that this stone is simply a lucky charm you like to carry around; otherwise, you wouldn't have threatened us by kidnapping these girls."
"In case you've forgotten, Bato, one of those girls happens to be mine," Hakoda reminded.
"He's right, though," the Fire Lord explained,"If the mere presence of this item could change our fate that easily, it's nowhere near worth three girls...no matter how close they are..." his voice cracked at the last part.
The room seemed to lose temperature as he finished.
"So...you're all sure about this assement?"
"Hold on..." Aang stopped,"I'm the Avatar here, I still haven't made up my mind yet," he declared sternly.
"Of course, we forgot the most important opinion of all," Eggman apologized,"So, what's going to go, Avatar Aang: a jewel that can convert thoughts into pure power, or some girl you may or may not be engaged to one day?"
The boy's edged stare turn dull in seconds: Eggman never mention the properties of the artifact...
The doctor sighed."I see the choice is too conflicting for you..." the gravity defying hologram pretend-grimaced, pacing back to his chair, taking his seat and crossing his legs,"Tell you what: how about I come down tomorrow with your women where we can meet in person, say...the Black Cliffs?" he suggested, looking at a digitally rendered atlas,"We'll just stay there until about noon, and if I don't see you anywhere, well, I'll just leave and...well, you'll probably never see them again...but no pressure though; you don't have to give it if to me you don't want to..." he patronized.
The Avatar looked away.
"Nice to know we've reached an aggreement," Eggman affirmed, making the decision for him,"I'll see you tomorrow...or not, it's your choice..."
"Wait!" Aang exclaimed, snapping back to his senses.
The hologram cut off.
The doctor arose from his seat a second time, stretching.
"Ahhh...I wonder if I should've told them about that whole Metal Sonic-thing..." he pondered, resting his knuckle on his hip, stroking his chin in contemplation,"...Dah, I'm sure they'll figure it out..." he blew it away, walking for the door intent on getting some dinner.
The air was saturated with cold, metaphysical silence. It was as if the blindsided members had gone deaf for lack of will, especially Aang.
Being the closest to the greif-stricken Avatar, Suki layed her gloved hand on his shoulder in an attempt to brighten the room."It's alright. We'll find a way; you always do," she lulled.
Unfortunately for the young captian, this compassionate gesture was most likely the first and greatest mistake the elite fighter had ever commited, as the boy's tattoos sprung to life with light. Suki backed away as the Avatar's collective power awoke, the air swirling around him.
Sokka's eyes bugged out."EVERYBODY TAKE COVER!"
Not enough time to exit the room, the rest of the members dashed behind the pillars and braced themselves as the berserk Avatar, whaling out countless voices at once, brought down a tumult of air upon the alien device, creating a shockwave spanning the area of the chamber itself... silence followed...
The group peeked around nervously to see if his episode had ended. They saw a still boy kneeling on the floor, his head hung low. Beside him, the atlas was scraped white halfway, the Fire Lord's throne was gone, and it was quite the understatement to say the candles were blown out, as the side of the pillars receiving Aang's breif rath were pressed inward slightly.
Aang stared down at the impression in the floor where a no longer existent mechanism once lay. He turned to his friends."...I totally lost it, didn't I?" he asked quietly.
"...kinda'..." Sokka peeped.
The boy made an exhale somewhere between a sigh and a grunt."It's like he doesn't even want the thing; like all this chaos he's been causing is just one convoluted birthday present..."
"He probably thinks we've already found it," speculated Hakoda.
"Yeah but, should we actually give it to him? According to him, this jewel turns thoughts into power, and he seems to want it badly..." dicussed Suki.
"Is the kid done with his moodswing? I had my ears covered..." Mai popped out.
"He also implied he had six more," reminded Zuko,"I guess that's how he was able to traverse across the world so easily..." he deduced, walking over to a broken piece of the device and picking it up, staring into the blurred reflection,"Armies, weapons, all sorts of monsters and natural disasters conjured up by a mere mental adjustment. If one could make that happen..." he stopped; the Fire Lord didn't even want to think of what celestial nightmare would be realized if this madman attained all seven...
Sokka seemed to be getting more nausious, supporting his body with the pillar he hid behind.
"He mentioned something about 'our world'...like, he wasn't even born on this planet..." Aang recalled.
"Perhaps he wasn't," suggested Bato,"I mean think about it, this guy doesn't seem like he's from around here, or anywhere for that matter..."
"If there's anything modern astronomy has taught us," the Fire Lord began,"the universe is a lot bigger than our fathers thought it was; like the sun, for example: man used to think the sun revolves around us; the exact opposite is true. We're going to have to widen our gaze a bit if we can ever hope to think on his level."
"But how would we do that?" the warrior inquired,"How could we do it? If we're all just a bunch of animals compared to this guy, how would we ever be able to find the jewel in the first place? We don't even know what the blasted rock looks like!"
"I do..."
The whole room was silent once more,all of the members turning their attention to the ominus and most unexpected source all: Sokka, his free hand tighten to a fist, facing down with his eyes shut.
"What did you say?" Aang inquired, forcing his already distraught brain to not just hope, but assume he was just hearing things. The Air Nomad would rather it be he himself gone insane rather than so much as conceive the concept of his best friend since Appa, actually withholding a revelation of universal proportions from the only individual who could hope to mend such a catastrophe.
But it was true, It was nobody's imagination; the voice belonged to Sokka, who seemed just tormented as he raised his head to speak further, but masked it with the deepest look of determination the Water Tribe teen's worn since the Battle of Wulong Forest.
"I know because...I know the one who can find it..."