Chapter 9: After Every Darkness...
The Blue Spirits observed the two targets with intense rage. Three people had evaded them already. These two were going to attempt the same.
They weren't about to let that happen.
"Toph, get down. I'll hold them off…" Sokka said, although he didn't sound convincing. The blind girl shook her head.
"No, Sokka. I'm fighting too." Toph declared. She stood tall next to the water-tribe boy. Before he could argue, one Blue Spirit ran forward. Its drill pointed towards them.
A whirring noise sounded in Sokka's ears. He froze. Some animal instinct made him hesitate. The boy had survived so much these past few days, that he had developed a sense of forewarning.
"Get down Toph!" he screamed. Toph instantly fell to the ground, and Sokka covered her, which would hopefully be enough protection.
A missile fell from the sky and hit the Blue Spirit head-on. The earth around it was thrown to the sky. The night quickly turned bright, as if morning had come early.
Sokka was blinded by the explosion. All he could hear was an intense ringing in his ear. The remaining Blue Spirits tensed up. They were unharmed, but they saw what had happened to one of their brothers.
Numerous tanks, driven by elves, had arrived in the area. Ground troops carried machine guns and other hi-tech weapons.
Sokka, regaining his eyesight, looked up at the amazing scene. One elf walked over.
"Are you two alright?" he asked. Sokka picked up Toph, and they both nodded. He spoke again. "Where are you heading?"
"Our friends are waiting in the tunnel. We need to find them."
"Fine, but in the meantime, stay out of the way." The elf ran into the battle. Sokka and Toph took refuge by a destroyed building, where they were able to watch the fight.
More missiles fired, and more Blue Spirits crumbled. The elves seemed to have the upper hand. Bullets blasted towards the beasts, and they roared with fury.
Sokka noticed that one of the creatures started to glow. The other Blue Spirits followed its lead. The elves stopped, confused and terrified. One by one, the beasts jumped on top of each other, and the glowing gleamed brighter.
The figures melded into each other, and a larger figure was formed. Sokka nearly screamed.
The Blue Spirits had transformed into another large beast. They were now taller than the whole city.
"FIRE!" screamed an elf. The elves sprang into action and fired every weapon they had. The creature seemed to absorb everything that was thrown at it. It smashed its drill down, and crushed numerous tanks. The elves screamed and began to retreat.
"Aw……..crap!" Sokka cried. Toph felt the vibrations of the Blue Spirit, and, without thinking, began to run towards it.
"TOPH! GET BACK HERE!" The boy screamed at the top of his lungs. He ran after her. The blind girl latched onto the beast, and started climbing. What the hell was she thinking?
The elves noticed the girl climb the creature. Some force seemed to be propelling her up the beast with superhuman speed. They slowly walked back towards the battle…
Sokka jumped onto the Blue Spirit's leg and went after Toph. She was going to get herself killed.
The Blue Spirit noticed the girl at the last second. Toph had managed to get up to the monster's left eye. She brought her fist back, and punched it as hard as she could. The creature roared, and flailed its head. Toph was flung off instantly.
She fell at a fast rate. Sokka, hanging onto the beast's knee, reached out. He managed to grab Toph's wrist.
"Are you okay?" Sokka asked as he stared at the girl dreamily.
"Yeah, I think so. Thanks for catching me…"
"No problem." Sokka smiled. He pulled up Toph and held her tight as he slowly descended.
The Blue Spirit had been rendered helpless for only a matter of seconds, but that was enough. The elves had used that opportunity to shoot at its eyes. Missiles and bullets exploded upon contact with them.
"Sir, we have weakened it, but I don't think that's enough. We need to use our…….. 'heavy artillery.'"
"I believe you're right. Unleash the strongest bombs we have…."
Sokka and Toph fled into the tunnel. They had dealt with enough…..
Suki spotted the approaching war balloon.
"Uh, Bumi. What should we do about them?" she asked. Bumi looked at the two people controlling the balloon and smiled. The servant had managed to free the Earth King, and they were trying to save the day.
"Just leave them alone. They can't do much."
"When should we set off the bomb?"
"Once I activate the full throttle on this thing. We'll need to be as far away as possible…"
Bumi was about to activate the turbo on his balloon, when an enormous roar was heard below.
Suki, Bumi, the servant, and the Earth King looked towards the ground, and saw the elves launch missiles in the sky. They rained down upon the Blue Spirit.
The creature disappeared in the blast, seemingly decimated. Smoke covered the impact area completely.
Cheers could be heard from the ground as elves celebrated their victory. The Earth King raised his hand in triumph. The servant sighed in relief; the beast was finally gone.
Suki and Bumi couldn't stop smiling.
A massive shriek emanated from the smoke. Elves screamed and ran for their lives. The Blue Spirit was far from dead, and it had jumped into the air.
The Earth King looked down and saw a drill heading directly towards the balloon.
"Holy shit!" he screamed. The balloon was hit, and it plummeted to the ground. Bumi laughed, but his balloon was also assaulted.
Both vessels crash landed on the roof of a smashed building. Its walls were decimated, and rubble continually fell. Any moment now, it would be reduced to nothing.
The Earth King lifted his head. The servant was lying face down. Blood spread out from under him.
He sat up, and saw Bumi lift Suki out from the rubble. She seemed to be barely conscious, and blood dripped from her forehead. She whispered something into Bumi's ear, and he nodded.
Bumi put Suki on the ground and walked over to the Earth King. Rage burned in his eyes.
"I have had enough of you!" he cried. He jumped in the air and punched at the king with intense force. The Earth King rolled away at the last moment, and stood back up.
Both kings, each one with the past face of their opponent, glared at each other. Only one would leave the city alive.
Suki had developed the perfect strategy for victory. An idea had sprung up in her mind as she saw the two combatants. She reached in her pocket and took out the surgical machine she had used on both men before.
Something in her mind told her that help was going to arrive soon for the Earth King. Being the trickster she was, she wanted to make this more interesting. She would make both men look like Bumi with scars on his face. When help arrived, they would be torn between which Bumi was the real one. They would kill one of the men, hoping that the Earth King remained alive. Each man had a 50-50 chance of surviving. How cliché.
Suki pressed a button, and the real Bumi fell and cringed in pain. The Earth King stared in horror at the man. His face seemed to be torn apart, and put together again; just like a jigsaw puzzle.
After a minute, he rose. His normal face was back, but scars covered it.
Both Bumis looked at each other; they were now mirror images of themselves. They circled around each other, waiting for the moment to strike.
One Bumi struck out with a right-side elbow attack, and then twisted his body around in a fast knee strike. The other Bumi dodged both blows and sliced his left foot in the air. He missed the other Bumi's neck by inches.
A Bumi quickly twisted around and lashed out with all his strength, his foot swinging towards his target. He only hit empty air. The other Bumi had sprung back and twisted, causing the kick to miss his abdomen by an inch.
The Bumi tried to follow through with a front jab, but the other one blocked the attack with his right arm. He retaliated with a blow to the side, and a Bumi was propelled to the ground. Red spots danced in front of his eyes.
Meanwhile, in the Earth Nation palace, Xin Fu got into his own balloon. He had seen the crash, and knew that the king was in trouble. He flew as fast as he could…
The fallen Bumi had stood up and reentered the battle. He lunged forward and lashed out at his opponent; a whirl of jabbing elbows, knees, and fists came before the other Bumi.
A right hook caught him on the side of the face and his whole head jerked around, a spasm of pain traveling down his neck and spine. The assaulting Bumi followed through with a side knee to the ribs. One Bumi hit the hard concrete of the building.
He got back on his feet, but he didn't stay there for long. The other Bumi kicked him in the stomach and followed through with a much-harder kick straight into the face. A flower of blood erupted into the sky.
A Bumi crashed down on his back and lay still. The other Bumi approached his fallen opponent……
Dim lights illuminated the path of the tunnel. Sokka held onto Toph's hand as tight as he could, afraid that she would disappear if he let go. An eerie silence filled the air.
About halfway through, Sokka spotted a figure that looked familiar. Toph felt the vibrations of the figure, and confirmed who it was.
"Aang?" she asked out loud. Upon hearing her question, Sokka ran towards the monk, who seemed to be all alone.
"Aang, are you okay?" Sokka asked cautiously. He placed his hand on Aang's shoulder.
Toph's eyes opened wide. Something felt different about the boy. His vibrations seemed dim; almost as if his heart had stopped. They felt familiar. She had definitely felt the dimness before.
"Uh, Sokka…." Toph cried softly. Aang's vibrations shared a similarity with the zombies that were invading the city. The worst must have occurred…
Before Sokka could respond, Aang's head slowly turned. His eyes had turned a deep red, and blood stained his face.
The water-tribe boy screamed, and he backed away. Aang was now a zombie. He feared what had happened to Katara and Zuko.
In a flash, hundreds of zombies crawled out of holes in the walls. Sokka turned around, hoping to retreat, but came face to face with numerous other fiends.
"Hang on, Toph…." He called out. Sokka grabbed Toph and carried her on his shoulders. She shrieked as she was lifted off of the ground.
"What are you doing?" she asked, struggling to get back to the ground.
"I need you to trust me, Toph."
"……I trust you more than anyone, Sokka…."
"Great. Now hang on!" Sokka shouted as he took out his axe. Carrying it in his left hand, and supporting Toph with his right, he ran forward. He flailed his hand around like crazy, slicing through numerous zombies. He finally made it to Aang, but he froze upon seeing the boy.
Even though Aang was a zombie, Sokka couldn't bring himself to kill the boy. Aang was his friend. The water-tribe boy had already been forced to murder Jet. He couldn't possibly live with the knowledge that he killed two of his friends.
A swoosh sounded, and the zombie fell. An arrow had been lodged in his brain.
Sokka looked ahead and glimpsed a man holding a bow and a quiver of arrows. The man had a small head and a gray beard. A serious look was implanted on his face.
"Are you two alright?" he asked. Sokka and Toph nodded. The man sighed in relief. "Good; I feared that I was too late…"
"Who are you?" Sokka asked. The man smiled and turned away.
"Your friends are waiting for you in the train. A boy immune to the zombie virus and a girl are there. You'd better hurry. They might leave you behind!"
Sokka's heart leapt as he heard this. Katara and Zuko must be okay!
"Thank you. Is the way to the train safe?" Sokka asked. The man nodded, and the boy began to walk away.
"You both were operated on by that machine, weren't you?" The man said suddenly. Sokka turned towards him.
"Uh, yeah. What's the problem?"
"Two of those were created. You have one; the girl with the white makeup has the other…."
Sokka knew who he meant. Suki must have taken one of the machines from the crazed doctor. That's why he had been so hostile…..
The man spoke again. "These machines hold magnificent power; too much power. Sure, they give you world-changing abilities, but they also reduce your life force. I can sense that you two only have two months to live. You must gain the other machine and smash them both together. Only then will the power vanish, and your souls will be saved."
"How…..do you know this?"
"I was the one who created the machines. Fearing their power, I foolishly gave them to some doctor. I told him that they would change the world for the better. I lied in order to get them away from me. I am such a coward…." The man then looked towards the ground.
Sokka looked over the man, not knowing what to think. It was because of him that the water-tribe boy was still alive. Of course, the man also said that he and Toph would be dead in two months...
The man looked back at Sokka.
"I promise you; I will help you and your friends as much as I can. Now, leave this damned city! There is no hope for it…" The man shouted. He started to run down the tunnel, but quickly turned around.
"Remember, Sokka: 'Ba'ad az ar tariki, roshani ast.'" With that final word, the man with the small head and gray beard ran deeper into the tunnel, shooting anything that moved.
Sokka was perplexed. What did that statement mean? And how did the man know his name?
He shook his head and carried Toph towards the train. They were finally home free…
Xin Fu approached the building and saw that two figures, both looking like King Bumi, were locked into a fight. One of them was knocked over, and the other one prepared to finish them off.
The servant had previously told him that King Bumi had switched places with the Earth King. Some machine had surgically altered both of their appearances. Maybe, that same machine had been used once again. How else could there be two Bumis?
Xin Fu landed and jumped out of his balloon. The servant was bleeding, and some girl was lying down on the other side of the building. He ran towards the fight.
"Freeze!" Xin Fu shouted. The assaulting Bumi looked at the man. The Bumi on the ground didn't seem to hear him.
"Xin Fu! About time you showed up! Help me finish this fiend." The standing Bumi said. Xin Fu went into battle stance.
"How can I be sure that you're not the real Bumi?"
"Well……I am winning the fight. The good guy always wins. It's a cliché!" The Bumi said. Xin Fu stepped closer.
"I SAID, 'How can I be sure that you're not the real Bumi?'"
The man didn't answer. He didn't know what to say. Suddenly, he lifted his head and smiled. It was a huge grin.
"I know how much I pay you to work for me." The Bumi said. Suddenly, something flashed into his mind. He blinked, and looked around. What had happened?
"How much do you pay me?"
"…..Uh……5 gold pieces a day, right?"
"No!" Xin Fu screamed. He looked down at the Bumi on the ground. He was frowning at the other man. He started to speak.
"This man is truly sad. He thinks he could fool a smart man like you, Xin Fu. The real answer is…..nothing. I do not pay you for your services. But, after today, I will make sure you get paid five gold pieces every hour!" The Bumi on the ground said. His frown implanted itself into Xin Fu's mind.
The man knew that King Bumi barely ever frowned. He was always seen with a big, stupid grin on his face. The Bumi who was standing was currently smiling in an odd fashion. Xin Fu knew who his enemy was.
He picked up the injured Bumi and placed him gently on his feet. He then launched himself forward and slammed the assaulting Bumi in the face. He grabbed the man by the neck and dragged him to the edge of the building.
"Let…….me……go…….you imbecile!" The Bumi snarled. Another flash zapped through his mind. He started snorting; an obvious sign that this was Bumi.
"Go to hell!" Xin Fu screamed. Lifting the Bumi off of his feet by his neck, he tossed him off the building with an incredible force. The man smashed into the ground, and was no more. The king was defeated.
Suki slowly stood up and snuck into Xin Fu's balloon. She prepared to take off.
A Bumi, who had to be the Earth King, patted Xin Fu on the shoulder.
"I don't know how to thank you, Xin Fu. For a moment, I thought you were going to kill me."
"Oh, please. There's no way I would mistake you for that fiend." Both men started laughing, and they walked towards the balloon.
The servant, lying in a puddle of blood, lifted his head. He saw Xin Fu walking off with a man who looked like King Bumi. He sighed in relief. The Earth King had survived the crash.
He stood up and ran after them. Before he could catch up, though, he spotted someone in the balloon. Suki was hiding in it. She was going to assassinate them!
"GUYS! BUMI'S GIRL IS IN THERE!" He screamed. Both men looked at him. Bumi, who had to be the Earth King, grinned.
"I knew her plan would work." He said. He laughed maniacally, snorting like crazy.
The servant's blood ran cold. That wasn't the Earth King…
"WATCH OUT!" The servant cried. Xin Fu started to leave Bumi's side, but he was too late. King Bumi stabbed the man in the back with a katana. The light left Xin Fu's eyes. He realized, in the last moments of his life, that he had murdered the Earth King. Bumi had won. A tear fell from his eye, and he wheezed as the sword left his body. He collapsed and lay still.
The servant, without thinking, sprinted for Bumi. The man laughed and kicked him. The servant went flying.
"Let's get out of here." Bumi said. He jumped into the balloon, and he and Suki left the ground.
The girl smiled to herself. Her plan had worked. The surgical alteration had fooled Xin Fu. She also discovered another ability the machine had.
It could transfer thoughts and traits between people. She had made the Earth King forget the answer to the question about Xin Fu's earnings, and gave it to Bumi instead. She had also managed to make the Earth King snort right before he was hurtled off the building….
What else could this machine do? Only time would tell….
The servant stood up and sobbed. Everything had gone wrong. He had failed to protect the king.
He had failed to save the world.
The building started to shake violently. Before he knew it, it collapsed right under his feet. He fell into unconsciousness….
A strange man with a small head and gray beard emerged out of the tunnel. He carried an empty quiver. He had run out of ammo.
He came upon the rubble of a destroyed building and found a man dressed in royal garb. He must be one of the Dai Li, the Earth King's servants.
He picked him up and glimpsed another body. King Bumi lay in a small crater formed in the ground. The man shook his head; that must be the Earth King. He had been defeated. He had been destroyed, just like this city would soon be.
Carrying the servant's unconscious body, the man ran back into the tunnels and climbed into the sewers………..
Katara heard footsteps emanating from the tunnels. She feared that more zombies were closing in.
"Zuko, do you hear that?" She asked softly. He nodded, but said nothing.
Two figures approached the train. Katara screamed, but fell silent when her eyes came upon their faces.
"You're alive!" she cried in disbelief as she saw Sokka and Toph. Zuko let them in, and they sat down. Sokka sighed in relief. He had made it through the city. He was alive.
"Where's Jet?" Zuko asked softly. Sokka frowned and looked away.
"Jet's…gone. He………left the city." Sokka said, thinking of what to say at this moment. Jet had told him to keep his death a secret.
"He escaped!?" Zuko asked. His eyes sparkled. Sokka nodded; a grim expression on his face. Zuko didn't see the look, and he smiled to himself. He knew that he would see Jet again….
The train began to roll out of the city. Everyone looked behind and saw the Blue Spirit, still alive and kicking, swiping at buildings.
Toph and Sokka decided against telling Katara and Zuko about the grim news they heard. In two months, they would be dead, unless they managed to reclaim the other machine Suki had. They felt that it would be better to keep everything they learned a secret.
Toph walked into another cabin of the train. Sokka, wondering what was wrong, followed her.
"You okay?" he asked. He put his hand on her shoulder.
"Yeah. I'm just tired. A lot happened these past hours." Toph replied. She smiled softly at the water-tribe boy, causing his heart to flutter.
"I know what you mean…" he said quietly. Suddenly, he found himself face-to-face with the blind girl. They both blushed as their lips met.
After a moment, they both leaned out of the kiss. Sokka stared into Toph's blurred eyes. He felt at peace with himself.
"Toph, I love you." He said. His eyes remained closed on the girl. Her cheeks turned beet red, and she smiled.
I love you too, Sokka." She declared. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they kissed yet again.
The water-tribe boy felt like he was at the top of the world. He now had the girl of his dreams. Nothing could ruin this moment.
The sun began to rise over the city. Daylight slowly flooded Ba Sing Se. Hope seemed to be revived.
In the balloon, Bumi pressed a button. He was far enough away from the city. Now was the time to finish it all.
Suki looked at him and smiled. Ba Sing Se would now be no more. Next up; the world…
In the palace, a large object emerged from the throne. It was dome-shaped, and the letter "A" was implanted on the side. A timer, located beneath the palace, began counting down. '10…….9……..8…….7…….6……5….'
Sokka, with his arm over Toph's shoulder, walked back into the cabin that held Katara and Zuko.
Zuko had fallen asleep, his head on Katara's lap. She stroked his hair in a comforting way. The boy had gone through so much.
Sokka and Toph took their seats. The blind girl cuddled against the water-tribe boy, and for the first time in days, he was happy. Sure, he had no idea what struggles waited for him in the future, but right now, he could care less. He would find a way to deal with them, and everything would work out in the end.
Sokka cuddled along with Toph, and started to close his eyes. A proverb flashed into his mind: "After every darkness, there is a light."
The water-tribe boy believed that he had found the light it mentioned. The darkness was now a part of the past.
He was wrong. The darkness still surrounded him.
Sokka's journey was far from over…
Katara looked back towards the city. For a single moment, everything seemed serene. The Blue Spirit could not be seen. Nothing moved. Only the noise of the train could be heard.
Toph slowly lifted her head, which was now facing Ba Sing Se.
Sokka suddenly gasped. His animal instinct was sensing something massive...
A bright, white light emerged from the center of the city. Katara screamed. Zuko woke up almost instantly. He glimpsed the white light approaching at an alarming rate.
The light made no noise at all, even as it consumed everything in sight.
"What's that?" Toph asked. Sokka glimpsed at her and shivered. Her eyes had lost their fogginess. She looked up at him with perfectly-green eyes. "Is that you, Sokka?" she asked. She saw a boy with a ponytail and hair on his cheeks. He looked cute.
"Toph...can you...see?" he asked in horror. The girl nodded slowly, but then gasped. Her eyes began to fog back up again. For a brief moment, Toph lost her blindness. Sokka knew it had something to do with the surgical machine's side-effects...
Sokka held the girl tight. The light would reach the train in less than ten seconds. He kissed Toph's head. He was determined to keep her safe.
Whatever was going to happen, Sokka would be prepared. Nothing could defeat him...
Katara could not look away. The impeding light looked beautiful...in an eerie way. She prayed that all of her friends would remain safe.
"This is the worst New Year's ever." She moaned to herself. The light consumed the train, and the four friends found themselves lifted off of the ground. No one could make sense of anything anymore.
Everyone jerked in their seats. Their bodies flailed about in the train. There was no longer up or down; just absolute chaos.
They were now falling. Where to, they did not know.
Falling, falling, falling……
Under Lake Laogai, a large figure stepped out of the vita-chamber, which had yet to be closed. He wore all red, and had a large, snowy white beard. He had failed once before. It would not happen again.
The ceiling above him shook. It was as if some massive bomb had gone off in the city. Oh well, that didn't matter. All that mattered was that he got revenge.
The fat man found the exit to the underground facility he was in. This was going to be fun….
Upon emerging from the lake, the man gave out a jolly laugh.
"Ho, Ho, Ho…."