Okay, so I got six reviews for the Prologue, and all of them were positive. That's good...but I'm still not sure I should continue.
So that's why I've written this, it's the first chapter, and it shows how I plan to write the fic if I decide to continue. If reactions are good, then I'll start good and proper.
Basically you've got the introduction to the main characters, a few descriptions of the Rangers, and generally how the story's gonna play out.
So here it is, the first chapter, hope you enjoy, and please Review to let me know.
Enjoy.
001
THE PILOT
"It's not getting away from me this time. Watch and learn, Katara. This is how you catch a fish,"
The eighteen year old dark haired girl sighed as she rolled her eyes at her brother, leaning against the side of the Lumber as she watched the twenty year old slowly lower a line down the small shelf into the Australian waters below, one hand grabbing a remote control as he did so.
"I still don't see why you wanted me to bring this thing Sokka," she jerked her thumb over her shoulder at the ten foot tall Ranger she leaned against, "You know you're not going to catch more then we can carry,"
"It's not like you've ever caught anything bigger then a minnow,"
"Ah, but that's where your wrong dear sister of mine," the look in the boy's eye was almost maniacal as he peered over the edge into the dark waters below, "Just wait, soon, all this fish in this bay will be on our dinner plates. We'll never have to go hungry again!"
Katara gave her brother a strange look as he chuckled darkly to himself, before turning back to the Lumber while she waited for Sokka to finish whatever he was doing.
A Lumber Class was one of the more basic kinds of Ranger in the world. Simply put it had the appearance of a grey cockpit of a Harrier jump jet with matching arms and legs bolted onto it's side, it's name derived from it's heavy style of walking.
As with all Soviet Rangers, Solar panels adorned it's upper arms and the top of the cockpit, storing power as it sat quietly in afternoon sun, it's thrusters bolted to it's back, allowing it bursts of flight when needed, glinting in the light.
It wasn't much, but it was Katara's only link to the world beyond the Australian shores, and she loved it to pieces.
Another sigh escaped her lips as she hoisted herself into the the open cockpit, lying across the bare chair, leaning up against the open canopy as she lazily watched her brother's latest attempt to try and keep the village self sufficient, one hand subconsciously straightening her loose green vest and tight onyx shorts while the other idly twists the end of her long single braid between it's fingers.
It's peaceful here, so far from the war that plagues the main continents.
Australia is sparsely populated now, G.U.N.'s first strike having completely desecrated the population.
Only sparse pockets, like the small village that she and her brother hailed from, now survived, dotted across the outback.
A simple way could be told as to how sparse this small continent was now populated: Only she had the mechanical knowledge to successfully repair a Ranger.
And even then, her skills were mediocre at best.
BOOM!
The sudden explosion ripped Katara from her daydreams as she sat up with a start.
"What was that?" she stared around wildly, "Sokka? Did you here that? Sokka? Sokka!"
"Ugh…"
It didn't take her long to figure out what had happened.
Lying on his back, his breath coming out in deep pants, Sokka's open Hawaiian shirt and shorts clung to his body from the large amount of water that had recently been dumped on him. His usual pristine shoulder length hair, which he always kept in a pony tail at the back of his skull, now hung drably around his eyes, a fine layer of ash covering his tanned body as his tongue lolled out of his mouth.
"You idiot!" Katara sighed impatiently as she hopped down from the Lumber's Cockpit and ran to her brother's aid, "You absolute idiot! What the hell did you do?"
Sokka's crystal blue eyes rolled up to meet hers as she loomed over him angrily, her arms folded across her chest as she glared down at him expectantly.
A small sheepish smile crossed his features as he shrugged nonchalantly, "Dynamite,"
"Dy…Dynamite?" Katara felt her jaw drop, "You used dynamite to fish!? Are you crazy!?"
"I saw it in a movie once," the young man sat up as he grinned at his own genius, "I rigged some dynamite to an old ROV I found in Sydney while we were digging around for supplies last week. See, I figured if I got the dynamite to the bottom of the bay, we could just blow all the fish out of the water. It's ingenious!"
"It's nuts!" Sokka cried out in pain as his sister whacked him round the back of the head, "Where the hell did you get dynamite from anyway?"
"My little secret,"
An exasperated sigh escaped Katara's lips as she slumped down beside her brother, one hand pinching the bridge of her nose as he smirked at the amount of dead fish as it slowly floated to the surface.
"Ah stop being such a grumpy guts," he grinned as fished up the net beside him, hopping down onto the underwater shelf below and started to scoop up his catch into it, "Just think of all the great stuff you'll be able to cook with this lot! Fish pie, fish sandwiches, fish fingers…"
Katara felt her head drop to her knees as her brother continued to list the things he loved to eat.
There were times when she felt all Sokka ever thought about was his stomach.
Deep underwater, something stirred amidst the aftermath of Sokka's fishing experiment.
For one hundred years, the metal behemoth had travelled earth's oceans. Constantly moving, constantly avoiding detection from it's enemies.
It had to protect it's cargo after all.
But now, something had disturbed this hundred year flight.
That explosion had been too close for comfort, especially as the Behemoth had considered this bay to be such a safe haven.
Slowly but surely, more of the behemoth's systems restored themselves to full power after having spent so long running at minimal. And as onboard sensors tracked the best place to make for land, the behemoth decided it was time to awaken it's only passenger.
Captain Zechariah Sozin, more commonly known as Zuko by his closest friends and comrades, had never been the most patient of men.
As the son of the Führer, people expected the most from the twenty three, and as such, he expected himself to complete his objectives quickly.
Alas, two years was far from being quick.
Standing on the forward tip of the Light Ranger Sea Carrier Bismarck's Launch deck, the pale officer's amber eyes narrowed as he watched the Australian shoreline at a distance through standard binoculars.
A plume of water suddenly erupted along the coastline, easily twenty foot high, fanning out across the outcropping and thoroughly dousing the blast area in salt water.
Zuko however felt his eyebrows raise ant the large object that stood behind the blast, it's large gorilla like arms hanging slack by it's side.
"A Lumber Ranger?"
The Captain allowed the binoculars fall against his chest as he stared towards the tiny coastline, one hand subconsciously moving towards the scar that dominated the left side of his face.
A dark horizontal slash of red from his hair line to just above his upper lip carved into his face, narrowly missing his left eye; a memento of a battle gone bad, and a lasting reminder of why he had spent so long a time away from home.
"What is it my Nephew?" Zuko didn't take his eyes off the shoreline as the heavy set form of his Uncle Iroh stepped up beside him, the sixty year old elderly gentleman adjusting his dark uniform as he followed his relatives gaze, "What have you seen that has captured your interest so intensely?"
"What do you know about the weapons systems of standard Soviet Lumbers?"
"Lumbers?" The old man blinked, stroking his long beard in thought, "Basic Rangers. Design stolen from us of course. Not very powerful. They can be equipped with basic weaponry but aside from that…" he paused as he watched Zuko turn away from the shore ahead, on hand removing his brimmed hat as he ran his fingers through his short dark hair, "Oh no. Zuko I know that look. I know what your thinking, and there's no way that that is possible,"
"I just saw a plume of water over twenty feet high for no apparent reason," The Captain scowled as he set his hat back on his head, striding towards Bismarck's Island as he did so, "The only reason I can find is that Lumber. It's a long shot, but it might the break we've been looking for,"
"Or it might just be some of the locals messing around," Iroh struggled to keep up with his nephew's long strides, "We've been down this road before Zuko. Don't you remember that time south of Cuba? You were horribly embarrassed. I don't want you to get excited over nothing,"
Zuko said nothing until he reached the intercom, his voice sharp and to the point.
"Bridge this is Sozin. Set a course for Australia, but make sure we aren't seen by the local population. I want them caught off guard should we need to attack,"
He clicked the intercom off before he could receive an acknowledgment, turning to his uncle with the air of someone trying to talk sense to a five year old.
"This won't be anything like Cuba Uncle. The Australians are barbaric, they essentially live off the Union. We will have no trouble dealing with them if they are trying to hide what I seek,"
His scowl grew as he stared out towards their target, the Bismarck slowly turning as it began it's slow approach to the continent.
"Finally, my search is over,"
"Hey…do you hear that?" Katara's head perked up as a sound reached her ears, "Sokka, stop a minute. Can't you hear that?"
"Hm?" Sokka didn't look up from his work as he strained to reach a fish just out of arm's reach, "I don't hear anything. Come here little fishy, come here!"
Ignoring her brother's disturbing conversation with his future dinner, Katara closed her eyes as she pushed a few stray hairs away from her ears as she tried to blot out the world and focus on the noise.
The stranger thrumming sound now dominated her senses, now accompanied by another strange sound, like a motor boat engine starting underwater.
Suddenly her eyes flew open in a panic.
"Sokka!" she dived for the edge of the shelf, watch as her brother continued to struggle for the last of the fish, "Sokka I know where the sounds coming from! It's…"
"Gotcha!" Sokka pounced on the meat, his glee suddenly turning to confusion as the water started the froth and foam around him, "Hey, this shelf is bigger then I thought it was. Whoa!"
With a gurgled roar, the water around Sokka's feet seemed to melt away as a large grey block, easily thirty metres long, slowly emerged from the foaming liquid.
With a groan the entire mass began to slowly make it's way around the cliff line, poor Sokka now trying desperately not to slip off as Katara stared open mouthed at the whole event.
Shaking her self out of her revere, the young mechanic ran towards the Lumber as her brother now decided that screaming like a girl would solve everything, her hands automatically pushing the Ranger into action as she slammed down the canopy.
With a sickening lurch, the entire rig made good on it's name as it lumbered after the grey block as the mysterious object now seemed to grow in size as whatever was propelling it finally hit the shallows, the groaning sound now replaced by something that sounded like caterpillar tracks forcing their way through mud.
One metre. Two metres, five, ten, twelve, fifteen. Soon, the immense object had reached it's full height as it climbed up the beach. As the machine finally ground to a halt, all Katara could do was stare.
Seated upon four giant caterpillar treads, the giant block was actually segmented into two by a thin divider around ten metres from the front, the remaining twenty metres sloping a metre or two higher before levelling out to it's end.
The entire craft had no sharp edges along it's surface, every corner was rounded, the water slipping off the soft edges of the boxy trailer easily, droplets falling away from the cab's rounded arrow front.
The only bump along the craft's smooth surface was that of a strange bulb that stuck out sharply as the machine's front curved down to it's nose, a dark slit of a window the only view port on the entire rig, giving whoever happened to be inside a healthy 180 degree view of all in front of him or her.
There were no rivets, no giant bolts as far as she could see, and the entire machine seemed to shine silver as the last of the water was expelled from beneath the treads.
Finally, four large letters adorned the trailer's side, the white paint standing out starkly against the machine's silver hue.
A.V.A.T.
"Sokka?," The Lumber's movement had barely died with a hiss as Katara leapt from the cockpit into the soft sand, stumbling slightly as she squinted up into the sunlight, "Sokka you okay?"
A burbling groan was her reply as her groggy brother slipped into view from the top of the trailer. He grinned lopsidedly at her as he held out a clenched hand, the dead fish clamped safely within his fingers.
"Look Katara. I got it,"
With a squeak the twenty year old slid off the machine's surface, hitting the soft sand with the thump.
Katara smiled with amusement as her brother rubbed his head with agitation, the bump seeming to have knocked the sense back into him, before looking up at the vast machine.
"I wonder what this is?" She murmured as Sokka finally dragged himself to his feet, brushing off the sand that had collected on his soaked Hawaiian shirt, one hand rubbing slightly against the trailer's surface, "It feels so smooth. It's like no metal I've ever seen,"
"It's probably German," Sokka scowled as he grabbed his sister's hand, dragging the stunned girl towards her Lumber, "Maybe if we're real quiet, we can sneak back to the village and…"
With a violent hiss, a small section of the cab, around the same size as a door, suddenly expelled cold steam, the entire section slowly opening out to the world like a the door of a casket in an old horror movie.
"Busted!"
Katara suddenly felt her arm wrenched as Sokka took off at full speed towards the Lumber, physically tossing her into the cramped cockpit before slamming the canopy shut.
The last thing she saw as a long knee length boot step out of the mist before her brother sat on her.
Waving the last of the steam away from his face, Alistair sighed with relief as he felt the warm rays of the sun shine down on his pale face, his grey eyes gazing up into the blue sky as he pushed back his brimmed hat over his short black hair for a better look.
"I've been in cryosleep for far too long," he sighed as he adjusted the lapels of his mid thigh length belted onyx tunic, one hand smoothing down the creases in his matching trousers as he did so, "Sure is nice to see the sun though. Now…if I only knew where I was…what the?"
The twenty year old's eyebrows hiked up at the bizarre machine in front of him as he steeped down off the caterpillar track into the sand; something that looked like a cross breed of a jump jet and a mechanical gorilla.
"Wow," he frowned as he tentatively stepped towards the mech, "Guess I've been out of it longer then I thought. Hello?" He looked up and down the deserted beach, "Anyone lost a giant battlemech? Hello? Huh," he put a fist on his side indignantly, "Now who would leave perfectly good machinery out here by it's lonesome? I mean it's not like they're…ah,"
As he turned to face the immense machine once more, he swallowed thickly as a large thick hand came down level to his chest, a rather nasty looking welder flickering orange in it's hand.
"Heh, guess you're not so lonesome at all are you?" Alistair tugged nervously at his black tie as he looked nervously up towards the cockpit, raising his hat in what he hoped was a peaceful manner, "Top O' the morning to ya…or is it afternoon? Sorry, I'm kinda out of it at the moment,"
"HEIL SOZIN!" a distinctly male voice boomed over the machine's outer speakers, the system cracking at the sheer volume at which the voice was yelling.
The lieutenant blinked, "I beg your pardon?"
The voice became slow an deliberate, like it was talking to a small child, "Heil…Sozin?"
"Sokka what are you doing?" A new voice entered the fray, a decidable more effeminate one.
"Trying to find out if he's a Nationalist,"
"By yelling Heil Sozin at him!?"
"It could work,"
"Sokka, he's not exactly going to admit his a German if you've got a welder pointed at him and if you start shouting salutes! If anything he's gonna think you're insane!"
"Erm…if I might interject?" Alistair fumbled through his tunic's chest pockets he cast a wary eye at the cockpit, his hand finally clasping around a small leather-bound Identity card, opening the object and holding it up for the occupants of the machine to see as they fell silent, "I'm sorry to disappoint, but I'm not German. I'm Flight Lieutenant Alistair Samuel Aang, of the Royal Air Force's Black Core. Sorry, I'm a Brit, not a Nationalist,"
"You're British?"
"Katara, what are you doing!?"
The canopy of the cockpit opened with a hollow pop, a pair of curious blue eyes peeping through the gap.
"Yep," Aang smiled as he set the I.D. back into his chest pocket, "British through and through. Speaking of locations though, You couldn't tell me where I am could you?"
"Don't answer that!" the canopy suddenly shot open as a dark skinned young man, no older then himself, literally flew from the mech's innards, waving a rather odd looking side arm at the officer, "He might be a spy for G.U.N.. Don't tell him anything!"
"Erm…" Alistair rose an eyebrow with bemusement, "You do know that's a flare gun right?"
"Shut up!"
"Oh just ignore him," Katara sighed as she dropped down to the ground, catching the officer's attention, "He thinks anyone in uniform works for G.U.N.. Just ignore him and he'll eventually lose interest,"
"Katara," Sokka hissed as Alistair smiled slightly as she pushed a loose strap of her vest back onto her shoulder, "Don't talk nice nice with the enemy! He'll only use it against you!"
"Oh yes Sokka," Katara's voice was almost literally dripping with sarcasm, "Because all G.U.N. agents pose as RAF officers…with the emblems…at the hat…and even a realistic sounding accent?"
Alistair merely grinned as Sokka scowled, the young officer tipping his hat towards the suspicious man as though to emphasis Katara's words.
"Yeah…well I've never heard of the Black Core," The Hawaiian clad man folded his arms with disgruntlement, eyes still narrowed, "What is it anyway?"
"Well, I could tell you," Alistair smiled as he patted his side arm, "But then I'd have to kill you,"
"AH-HAH!" The flare gun was out again, it's owner jumping from foot to foot as though someone has set his soles on fire, "I KNEW IT! HE'S A SPY! HE'S A SPY! HE'S A…OUCH!" The flare gun landed with a soft thump in the sand as Katara calmly swatted her brother round the back of the head, the older sibling clutching his head as though it were about to explode.
"Like I said, just ignore him and he'll give up…eventually," Katara smirked as she stepped past her dramatic sibling, "To answer your question, You're in Australia, just south of Sydney. I'm Katara Agura and Mr. Paranoid behind me here is Sokka, my older brother. It's nice to meet you Lt. Aang,"
"It's just Aang," the officer smiled, "Or Alistair. I don't mind,"
"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick," Sokka gave the two people in front of him a sickly glare, before stumbling back towards the Lumber, "Giant swimming trucks, RAF Black Cores…I'm going home where stuff makes sense,"
"Well…I can give you a ride in the Avat if you like,"
"The Avat?"
"Yeah, Advanced Vehicular Armoured Transport. Avat," Alistair nodded back towards the machine behind him "It already has an Artillery Ranger in the back, but there'd be more then enough room for you and your…" he glanced up at the Lumber curiously, "machine,"
"Oh, that's a Ranger too," Katara frowned at her new friend's expression, "It's a Lumber. Typical Soviet mech. Haven't you seen them around?"
"Nope," Alistair raised an eyebrow, "I've been in Cryosleep for a while," he shrugged sheepishly, "Guess I've just been on ice longer then I thought,"
"So the Avat…it's like a mobile home?" Sokka gazed around the craft's cab, dumping his net load of fish in front of the Cryostasis chamber.
"More of a Mobile base," Aang smiled proudly as he shimmied up a ladder onto a catwalk above, "The Avat was designed to easily deploy Rangers, keep them supplied, as well as insure a four man crew was kept comfortable and safe from any attack. As such, it's equipped with all the essentials, and can travel through a variety of different terrains. All kinds of land, over water, under water…heck, I even managed to get it to fly a while ago,"
"Fly…right," Sokka didn't look convinced as he glanced around the cramped space, "I'll believe it when I see it,"
The cab itself was divided into three floors, the first floor in turn being divided into four smaller rooms, a cross corridor separating them and allowing access to the catwalk that ran around the sides and back of the area that made up the first floor via a ladder on the right, the Outer Entry Hatch on the left, and another entry hatch leading to the Ranger Bay at the aft. Inspection revealed these rooms to be divided into two bedrooms situated in Avat's nose (With the two bunks themselves embedded in the nose itself, as well as a fine wooden desk and chair with lamp and a pair of lockers in each), as well as a Kitchen and dining area in the bottom left corner, and a fully functional bathroom and shower in the bottom right. Above the catwalk, in it's own little bulb sat the cockpit, set atop the nose. Surprisingly, only one chair sat before the three banks of complicated control consoles (On up front, and one on each side), but there was still enough space for two or three people to stand comfortably behind the pilot.
The only thing that seemed out of place was the bizarre Cryostasis chamber that sat wedged between the two bunk rooms, wires trawling across the floor and temporary console set up in the narrow space seeming to indicate it wasn't supposed to be permanent.
"I stored the Lumber in the back," Katara's face was flushed with excitement and confusion as she gazed up towards the Cockpit as Alistair settled into the chair, "This place…it's incredible. The size of that Ranger is…huge! When did you say it was built?"
"Circa 1944," Aang was now focused on the controls as he brought the Avat online, "It's supposed to be top secret. But if the Soviets have the tech I guess it's not much of a secret anymore,"
"That can't be right…" Katara frowned as she came up the ladders until she was behind him, leaning on the cockpit chair, staring out into the wide ocean beyond, "This technology…it's far to advanced for something so early in Ranger development. What powers it? Solar? Ion?"
"I can't tell you,"
"Oh," her face fell, "Top secret huh?"
"No, I just don't know," Alistair grinned up at her sheepishly, "It's not really my Ranger. I'm just a courier. I was supposed to deliver it…somewhere…but I think I better find a way to contact my superiors first. You know, find out what's going on. I'll take you guys home first though,"
"You said this thing could fly," Sokka settled himself between the two bedrooms, his face thoroughly conveying his boredom as he braced his feet against the bulkhead, "So far, I'm not convinced,"
Alistair frowned as he flicked a couple of switches, several red lights blinking on his forward console as he reset each one.
"Avat's spent most of it's power keeping the Cryostasis chamber at full power. Looks like it's been doing it a while too. I think it'd be better to wait until I remove it from the power core before we do any flying. Can you show me on the map where you live?"
"Sure," Katara smiled as a holographic display jumped up in front of the two, the image rippling as she pressed a finger to a location south of Sydney along the coastline, "It's right here. Sokka insisted on building watchtowers, so you can't miss it,"
"O…kay," Alistair felt his cheeks heat up. Katara's vest was too loose for his liking. If she stretched any further foreward, he might just get a healthy look down her…"
"You okay?"
A wave of guilt and panic overcame the officer as his grey eyes locked with Katara's ocean blue ones, her orbs filled with surprising concern, "You look a little flushed,"
"Erm…" Aang swallowed thickly as he turned his attention towards the hill ahead, "Stasis sickness probably. I'll be fine. Let's get going shall we?"
A disgusted groan from the lower decks floated up to the cockpit as the Lieutenant grasped the control sticks on the cockpit Chair's armrest, one foot pressing down on the accelerator pedal as the Avat came to life.
With a giant wave of sand, the four caterpillar tracks clanked into motion and up the beach line, the deep grooves soon washed away by the incoming tide.
The Bridge was as silent as a tomb, just the way Zuko liked it, the only sounds being the soft beeping of the surrounding machinery, the Helmsman ahead muttering coordinates every now and then as the Bismarck continued into the dying rays of the sun.
"I'm going to bed," Iroh yawned dramatically as he walked by his nephew, the Captain staring ahead from his Command chair towards the oncoming horizon, his fingers steeped as he remained as still as a statue, "A man needs his rest after all," He lay a heavy hand on his relative's shoulder, "You should get some sleep too Zuko. Even if your right, and you've seen the Avatar, that doesn't mean you'll be able to catch it. The Courier has managed to keep it out of your father's reach, and even his father's reach. It's obvious that even if what you saw was what you seek, it would of merely been a mild slip up on his part. By the time we reach Australia, he will be long gone,"
"The Courier will be an old man by now," Zuko smirked darkly as the continent ahead grew larger in the forward view port, "Perhaps death is finally catching up to him, and he's getting sloppy. Whatever the reason, I will succeed where my father and grandfather failed. Soon Project A.V.A.T.A.R. will be mine…and father will finally allow me back home,"
The steady thrumming of Avat's engines far below was a soothing sound as Alistair let the immense machine continue onward on autopilot to it's destination, his mind mulling over the events off the day as he watched the last of the sun's rays disappear into the sea.
Lumbers. A new type of Ranger he'd never seen before. Had the Union been developing a similar technology? That was the only reason he could find for the machine that now sat in the Launch Bay. When he was a bit more awake, he'd run a chronometer check on the machine's systems, maybe that would help him find out exactly how long he'd been asleep in the Ice cube maker.
"Hey,"
The lieutenant rolled his head to one side as he turned the Cockpit chair towards the upper Launch Bay entry hatch, Katara rubbing the oil off her hands as she came towards him after finishing her work on her Lumber.
"Hey," he smiled slightly as she lent against cockpit ladder, her tired eyes gazing up thoughtfully at him as she leaned her chin on top of her arms, "What's up? You seem preoccupied about something,"
"I was just thinking," her features creased into a frown, as though apprehensive to ask what was on her mind, "You keep saying that the Black Core is a top secret squadron of the RAF right? I was just wondering, if you or any of your comrades were part of Project A.V.A.T.A.R.."
If Aang felt tense, he didn't show it.
"Project A.V.A.T.A.R. was something for the big brass," he smiled good naturedly, "I was the youngest of the Black Core, I wouldn't of known anything anyway. Didn't even know anyone who knew anyone who knew about that Project, except the name of course,"
"Oh," Katara's face fell, "Well, thanks for being honest with me. Mind if I steal a bunk?"
"As long as you don't get the sheets dirty. I still have to deliver this thing in perfect condition remember. I'll wake you up when we reach your home,"
"Alright. Well…goodnight then,"
"Night Katara. Sweet dreams,"
It was only when he finally heard a bunk room clank shut did he turn his gaze to the small view screen embedded in the left hand console. Flicking a switch, he stared into it as the darkened image of the larger Ranger laying in the centre of the darkened Launch Bay sprung to the screen, the small blotch of Katara's Lumber sitting quietly in one of the ten smaller launch racks, as though it had been specially designed for it.
"Honesty," he muttered quietly, as though afraid someone would hear him, a single finger tapping his watch carefully, "Not a good policy in my business,"
It seemed so peaceful as Avat emerged from the waters that surrounded Atlantic Base and into the night sky. The sea was like a sheet of glass, with only the stars to light his path.
Alistair sighed as he stretched lazily in the Cockpit chair, one hand scratching the back of his neck as he gazed with half lidded eyes at the holographic display before him.
Pacific Base was a few days away (Quite a feat, considering Avat's weight.), until then, it was just a case of letting the machine's (He wasn't exactly sure if it was a boat, a plane or a truck) autopilot do it's job, and avoiding any German patrols in the meantime.
In other words…a babysitting job.
That's when he saw it.
At first he thought that it was daybreak, before he realised the light came from the north west, not the east.
Then he saw the column.
It shone from the horizon up into the stars above. A giant pillar of white light, as though someone had cracked the sky asunder, revealing a doorway to some alien dimension.
Then, the light faded.
And the wave came.
A wall of water, easily thousands of feet high rushed across the ocean at the speed of sound, the stunned pilot only able to watch in horror before the mega-tsunami completely engulfed his vision.
With a thunderous crash, the wave swallowed Avat within it's confines, the entire machine tumbling back down into the depths of the Atlantic, the sheer force sending Alistair flying from his chair to the deck below.
Closing his eyes tight, the officer curled into a ball as his world continued to spin again and again. He was going to die, he just knew it. He could feel it in his bones as equipment and other various items crashed around him. He was going to die, and there was nothing he could do about it.
And then, everything stopped.
There was no noise, save for a faint rumbling in the background, the world stopped spinning, and a new, friendly light seemed come from above.
Opening his eyes, Aang's grey orbs widened at the sight before him.
A woman.
A woman who seemed clad in robes made of light, her milky pale skin and long waist length golden hair shining it it's aura as she smiled down at him, the young man feeling his fears ebb away as he gazed into her deep blue eyes.
She held out a hand to him, he gladly took it.
"Am I dead?" he asked.
The woman shook her head wordlessly
"Are you an angel?"
Again, another shake of her head.
Slowly, she lead him towards the Cryostasis Chamber, her feet almost gliding effortlessly across the floor as fallen equipment righted itself, all that had been wrecked in the impact returned to it's original place and state.
Carefully, she guided Aang into the vertical container, kissing him gently on the forehead before closing the glass door.
"Your time has not yet come Alistair," he voice was almost musical as the Chamber seemed to activate on it's own, "There will come a time when the World will look to you at it's most desperate time of need, but first humanity needs to make it's mistakes so it may learn from them.
When you awake, continue on your journey. Discover that which was hidden from you, then seek out my friend, the Immortal Wanderer. When he feels the time is right, he will aid you in your destiny,"
"I…" The officer's head started to spin again as the Chamber began to take effect, "I don't…understand,"
As darkness clouded his mind, his blood turning to ice, the woman smiled, her final words filling his senses as the world went black,
"In time Alistair, you will,"
"Alistair? Alistair? Alistair are you up yet?"
Aang groaned as he pushed himself out of the world of dreams, his bleary eyes taking in his surroundings as Katara continued to pound on the door.
Around half the size of one of Avat's Bunker rooms (Which weren't exactly large to begin with), the room contained very little in the way of luxuries.
A Spartan bed, sink and wardrobe were the only objects in the room, the bare concrete floor devoid of any carpeting what so ever, the wallpaper peeling in places to reveal a patchwork of metal and mortar that mad up the houses of the village.
"Alright, Alright I'm up already," The officer held his head as he tried to clear it, "What's the emergency?"
"No emergency," Alistair glanced at his watch. Katara seemed awfully perky for seven o clock in the morning, "It's just I want to introduce you properly to the other villagers. Everyone's waiting. Are you decent?"
"Erm…" A quick check under the thin covers revealed he was wearing nothing but underwear, "Just give me a minute,"
His energy suddenly renewed, the pilot lost no time pulling on his trousers and shirt, the door creaking slightly as Katara shyly put her head around it.
"You ready yet?"
"I said give me a minute," Aang gave her a nonplussed look as he pulled on his socks, his tie hanging loosely around his neck, "Geez, is it so important that I get to meet everyone?"
"Not really," Katara stepped into the room, her fists on her jean clad thighs as a sly smile crossed her lips, "But they are kinda waiting,"
Alistair sighed as finished doing up his tie and reached for his boots. At least she was wearing more modest clothing this morning; just a pair of jeans and a simple emerald green t-shirt, dirt white trainers covering her white socked feet.
"Fine, fine, I'm ready,"
"Great," Katara grinned as she took hold of his hand, practically dragging him out of the shoddy room, barely giving him time to grab his hat and coat from behind the door, "Come on, everyone's down in the town centre,"
When the Avat had first pulled up at the outer wall of Katara and Sokka's village, Alistair had sworn they had made a mistake and had arrived at a local junkyard.
To his credit, it was an easy mistake to make.
The entire Village was no more then a cluster of crudely built houses arranged in a circle with a rag tag square wall separating it from the dry plains that surrounded it, misshapen shaped watch towers hastily constructed at each corner.
Everything within was made from different parts of various metals and bricks of different houses and machines, as though someone had been given the tools and resources to construct the village, but not the instruction manual, and thus had just pieced it together as best they could.
In amidst this crudely constructed hamlet, two dozen people, all women of various ages and young children, stood huddled amidst the dirt, all eyes cast warily towards the bungalow Alistair had spent the night as he was dragged out into the morning sunlight by Katara, a yawning Sokka trudging in their wake.
"Alistair, allow me to introduce you to the village," Katara smiled widely as she threw her hand to the apprehensive crowd, "Entire village, this is Flight Lieutenant Alistair Samuel Aang, of the Royal Air Force's Black Core,"
The silence was almost deafening. The people just stared at him as he slung his tunic of his shoulders, the sheer tenseness in the air causing the young officer to take a step back as several of the women pulled their children closer to them.
"Do I have something on my face?" he muttered to Katara, who herself looked less then impressed at the cold welcome, "Why are they all staring at me like that?"
"Because no one has seen a man from the British Isles in over one hundred years, be him RAF or otherwise," an old woman growled, stepping forward defensively from the crowd, "As far as we knew, they were all but extinct. Then you and that metal monstrosity," she jerked her head towards Avat, which sat dominatingly near the Villages main entrance at the north side, "find your way into my Grandkid's sights, and here you are,"
"Extinct?"
"Alistair, this is my Grandmother," Katara hurriedly introduced her relative, as though dodging the issue she had brought up. The pilot smiled as he offered his hand to the old woman, the aging lady casting the limb a wary gaze until it dropped heavily back to his side.
"Just call me Gran Gran," she shrugged, "Everyone else does,"
"O…kay…" Aang slowly fitted his cap over his hair, a general feeling of being unwanted creeping through his veins, "Sure, I can do that,"
"So…that Ranger you got locked up in Avat," Sokka leaned an elbow against the officer's shoulder, "Where'd you get it? The Union? The U.S.? Maybe even…Germany?"
"Erm…I can't really tell you anything about it," Alistair brushed Sokka's arm off him, taking a few steps away from the suspicious young man as he cast him a cautious glance, "I'm probably gonna get in a lot of trouble for letting you all see Avat. It's supposed to be top secret,"
"Damm!" Sokka snapped his fingers angrily to himself as he hunched away from the bemused pilot, "Thought that might work!" He sighed dramatically as he turned back to his guest, "Well, if you're a Ranger pilot, that must mean you're a Ranger Mechanic too,"
"Well…I know a bit," Aang smiled helplessly, "Just enough to get me by if I needed to fix anything on my journey,"
"Great," Sokka's voice was now completely deadpan, "You're a mechanic, Katara's a mechanic, together you can just waste time 'til the sun goes down,"
"You're a Ranger Mechanic?" Alistair glanced at his new friend with surprise, Katara lowering her head as her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, "That's…wow…All the mechanics I know are like billions of years old!" he threw his arms wide for emphasis, "But you…wow,"
"I'm not a full Ranger mechanic," Katara rubbed her right arm, her face going a deeper scarlet, "I still need to train more really,"
"Really? That's cool I guess," Alistair could sense awkward tension between them, his grey eyes turning back to Gran Gran, the pilot acutely aware of the scrutinising gaze Katara's brother was giving him, "I thank you for your…erm…hospitality. You know with the room for the night and all that. I can't offer much as payment, but if you want, you can have the Cryostais Chamber if you like. It won't freeze dry people any more, not enough power for some reason, but it'll still make a decent freezer,"
Gran Gran seemed genuinely surprised at the offer, "That is kind of you. Sokka, why don't you help the Lieutenant remove the chamber from his ship? Katara, Come now, you have chores to do,"
The young girl started to protest, but in the end relented under her grandmother's piercing gaze.
Alistair frowned. There was a tenseness within these people that he didn't like, as though they were constantly on edge.
He would have to ask Katara about it later. Now, he turned towards Avat as Sokka pushed him towards his machine, a hand moving to remove the small credit card sized remote from his pocket, his mind settling towards the task at hand.
"What's wrong with you!?" Katara stared at her grandmother angrily, "Why are you giving Alistair the cold shoulder? And what was that talk about extinction and all that?"
"I don't want you getting to close to this stranger Katara," Gran Gran cast her gaze beyond her granddaughter's shoulder towards the dark open maw that was the Avat's cabin entry hatch, her light grey eyebrows hiking up slightly as she watched Sokka dive and yelp as bits of Cryostasis chamber came flying out of the blackness, only to whimper pitifully as the cylinder itself suddenly flew out of the gloom and crushing him against the sand, before turning her gaze back to youngest relation, "Don't you understand that it is better that we insure his stay with us to be as brief as possible?"
"But Gran Gran, he said he knows about Ranger mechanics. We could of actually stumbled across a man who knows more about these machines then anyone else. Heck, he could probably teach a few more of us about the Rangers, then think of what we could accomplish. We could request more Lumbers from the Union, maybe even restore Sydney to it's former glory, maybe even…"
"You're pinning too many hopes on one man Katara," Gran Gran's voice was hard as steel, "And that's all he is: One man," she glanced over her Granddaughter's shoulder again with a scowl, "And a childish one at that,"
Katara glanced over her shoulder with confusion, a smile quickly falling on her lips as her eyes laid upon the scene behind her.
Standing in a ring of the children, Aang haphazardly juggled various gears and gizmos between his hands, his tongue between his teeth in concentration as the youngest members of their small clan clapped and laughed as he started chucking the objects between his legs and behind his back, never stopping and constantly keeping them above the ground.
"Maybe he is," the young woman turned around completely to gaze upon the mysterious pilot as he caught his objects in one hand, bowing low as his audience's clapping echoed around the walls of the village, "But I have a good feeling about him Gran Gran. I think…he'll do this place a whole world of good,"
The Endurance Class Ranger was said to have been what made the G.U.N. the greatest nation in the world.
A sixteen foot tall mech, the machine was designed to live up to it's name. Every emerald green line was sharp and sleek, from it's bulky legs and arms to it's squared off head, Endurance stood for everything the G.U.N. armed forces prided it's self for; strength, uniform and superiority.
But today, for Zuko anyway, these machines were merely targets.
As Captain of the ship, not to mention the only son of the Führer, Zuko didn't have to have to use such a common mech.
His own personal Ranger, the Dominance, was of a far more superior quality.
Using designs taken from the computers of a captured U.S.A.C. base, the Dominance was the last reminder of the life Zuko once had.
Twenty metres tall, the blood red mech was far more human-like in appearance then the pair of Endurances before it, to the point it was almost gaunt. Twin cannons sat quietly in their inactive state on either shoulder, giving the Ranger the appearance of featherless wings, one thin skeletal hand resting on the large sword that hung by it's side.
Zuko smirked as he gazed at his objectives from his seat in the cockpit set into the Ranger's chest, his view coming from the main camera set into Dominance's angular head; a simple V shape of onyx where it's eyes should be, completing the mech's intended resemblance to that of a ninja.
Suddenly, the Endurances attacked, each pulling out a pair of Automatic machine guns from their holsters, rubber practice bullets scattering across the Bismarck's Launch Deck as Zuko drew his Mech's sword, setting the Ranger into a defensive position as the practice artillery bounced off his shining grey blade.
Using it's crouched position, the Dominance leapt into a high arch over it's "enemies", the entire ship rocking under the force of the take off, the vessel veering to the opposite side as the Ranger came down between the Endurances, green paint flying off in all directions as the blade of the sword impacted against the head of one of the Captain's "Foes".
"No!" Iroh stood up from his position in the shadow of Bismarck's Island, his eyes dark and scowling as he watched Dominance walk steadily towards him, the radio in his hand held close to his wrinkle lips, "A battle is never won by brute strength alone. You must use a Ranger as though it were a mere extension of your own body, otherwise you can never use it to it's fullest potential. Now do it again, and this time get it right!"
With a mechanical roar the Dominance suddenly swung round to face the nervous pilots behind him, the right hand cannon sliding sleekly into place with a heavy click as the Ranger fell to one knee.
A resounding boom echoed across Bismarck's launch deck as a single shell exploded from the cannon's tip, catching one of the poor Endurance's directly in it's chest, the resilient metal crumpling under the force of impact as the entire mech was catapulted across the deck, screeching to a halt bare inches from the ship's side, the pilot groggily removing himself from the cockpit as smoke poured from the Ranger's reactors.
Iroh appeared unmoved however as a portion of Dominance's chest segmented and slid smoothly downwards, allowing his Nephew to angrily jump down unto the smooth deck, advancing with fists clenched as a large spent casing was ejected from the smoking cannon above.
"You've had me drilling this sequence all day!" The Captain scowled darkly, "You will teach me the next set now. I'm more then ready,"
"No, you are just impatient," The elderly man folded his arms across his chest as he watched his nephew steam, "Even after two years of vigorous training, you have still yet to master basic Ranger combat. Now drill it again!"
"All our captured records indicate that A.V.A.T.A.R. is the most powerful Ranger ever created, even by today's standards," It took all of Zuko's willpower to restrain himself from grabbing his Uncle by the lapels of his uniform, "It wouldn't matter if the Courier was twenty years old or a hundred and twenty. All our greatest minds agree that this one Ranger would be able to outlast any of our machines. If that's the case, I'll need more then basic moves to defeat him. Now. Teach me the advanced set. Don't make me order you,"
Iroh's eyes narrowed, but he didn't reply for several moments.
"Very well, I will do as you ask Zechariah," the Captain flinched at his full name, "But take it from this old war veteran: You will not succeed if you rely on strength alone,"
Katara sighed as she hesitantly stepped into the gloom of the storage shack where Aang worked, her eyebrows hiking up with amusement as she noticed the tie, tunic and hat hung loosely over a nearby rack, a pair of black clad legs and feet sticking out awkwardly from the nearby Solar Battery Maintenance hatch.
All around the cramped room, various wires and cables had been shoved haphazardly against the walls as Alistair worked on connecting the Cryostasis Chamber to the Solar battery , the cylinder itself emitting a soft blue glow as the sound of squeaking and clanking came from the innards of the hatch.
She had to talk to him. The guy seemed oblivious to everything that seemed so…normal to her. Surely he'd know about the British Isles incident? So why did she feel like she was trying to break the news of the death of a close relative to him?
"Should be up and running soon,"
The tanned woman jumped as Alistair's hollow voice echoed from within the Solar Battery, the pilot grinning up at her as he pulled himself out of the gloom.
"It's actually a lot harder then I thought it'd be," he smiled as he wiped the grim off his hands with a nearby rag, "You're systems Were a bit tricky to hook up, It's not a technology I'm familiar with, but I managed it in the end. Perfectly safe,"
"That's…great," Katara tried to smile, but only managed a small half one, "Thanks Alistair. I'm sure the village greatly…appreciates the work you've done,"
"Huh, I wish they'd show it a bit more," Aang scowled as he tossed the rag onto a nearby crate, "Everyone keeps looking at me funny…and then there's that comment from your Gran…something about Brits being extinct,"
"Yeah about that…" Katara bit her lip as the officer rolled down the sleeves of his shirt, "Alistair…when were you born?"
"What has that got to do with your family's reaction to me?"
"Everything!" the young girl hesitated at her outburst, her eyes cast down at the floor as he looked at her with bemusement, "I mean…can I just have a look at your ID card again? I couldn't see it very well the first time round,"
"Sure," Alistair shrugged as he reached for his tunic's chest pocket, producing the leather clad object as he slung the coat over his shoulders, "Not much too it though,"
Taking the small ID hesitantly from his pale fingers, Katara waited until the officer had gone a little way away to properly get dressed, before opening the object, a part of her mind reluctant to even read the small lettering printed beside the black and white photograph.
NAME: ALISTAIR SAMUEL AANG
SERVICE: HIS MAJESTY'S ROYAL AIR FORCE
RANK: FLIGHT LIEUTENANT
SQUADRON: BLACK CORE-AIR DEPARTMENT
DOB: FEBRUARY TWENTY-FIRST 1925
IDENTITY NUMBER: 796019571-21
Katara's eyes hovered over the date of birth as she bit her lip hard.
1925. That meant that either Aang's ID card had a rather serious typo, or that he was really…"
"Everything in order?" Alistair smiled good naturally as he approached her, his fingers fiddling to straighten his tie as he came to a stop before her. The smile quickly vanished however into a look of concern as he took in her uneasy features, "You okay?"
"No," she shook her head, "No I'm not," suddenly a deterred look came across her face, grabbing his hand as she dragged the stunned officer out of the shack with surprising strength, "Come one, we need to go for a walk. I have to show you something,"
"Oh my god…,"
Alistair could only stare at the horrific scene before him, the officer taking all of his willpower to vomit as Katara stood grimly beside him.
Before them lay the ruins of Port Jackson, the natural harbour that led to the city of Sydney.
Across all sides, the once great city showed signs of heavy bombardment. Once magnificent buildings now lay devastated the sky line a jagged display of crumbling mortar and demolished structures. Several walls of the Fort Macquarie Tram Depot having caved in under violent bombardment, most of the Sydney Harbour bridge had collapsed into the bay.
Across the vast expanse of dirty water, small islands of rusting warships dotted the filthy body of liquid, both of classes belonging to Australian and German navies alike.
The world around seemed silent to Aang, as though nature had decided to abandon the site, letting the once great city rot as a memorial to whatever fateful battle had been fought here.
Only the sound of a frayed flag, flapping in the wind, caught the officer's attention. It flew high, almost proud, from the pole of a nearby K-Class cruiser, beached on the embankment below on it's side, a large gash running the length of it's bow.
Blood red in colour, save for a single circle of white in it's centre, Alistair's eyes narrowed as he glared at the hated symbol of the German Unified Nation; a former nazi swastika, with it's outer arms curved inwards to create a broken circle.
"This can't be right," the officer murmured as he rubbed a hand over his face, "This can't be real,"
"I know this is a lot to take in," Katara's hand felt warm against his shoulder, "But Alistair, I have to ask: how long do you think you were in the Cryosleep chamber?"
"I…I don't know," Aang's hand went to the top of his head, his fingers sifting through his dark hair under his hat as he refused to take his eyes of the scene of destruction before him, "A few weeks…maybe a few years with the Union Rangers and all…"
"I think it was closer to a hundred years,"
The officer turned to his friend in alarm, "I know that's not possible,"
"What other explanation is there?" the tanned girl held up his own ID card to his face in desperation to make him understand, "Your ID say you were born in 1925. It's now 2045. Alistair…you were born a hundred and twenty years ago. You want more proof? How about the fact that this battlefield has tormented my village since Gran Gran was a little girl? You can't make up memories like that,"
"But a hundred years…" Aang slowly took his ID from her, his gaze slowly going from the card to the remains of the city, "No one's ever spent that long in Cryosleep before…"
His eyes narrowing slightly, the officer made his way determinately down the slope towards the Cruiser, Katara left stunned as he slipped down the sandy incline.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"I need information. German technology was amazingly advanced, far more then ours…maybe there's some record aboard…"
"Alistair no!" Aang glared at the young woman as she ran down after him, "You can't go in there. There might be all kinds of traps and such,"
"Katara, if I've been out of the loop for over a hundred years, this might my only sure chance of getting the information I need,"
"But we don't know what kind of security measures G.U.N. have on their ships. It might be rigged to explode for all we know!"
"Don't you understand?" Aang glowered at her as they approached the hull of the wreck, "I've been on ice for a hundred years. There are just some things that you can't tell me, like why G.U.N. suddenly decided to attack Australia. I have to know. I have to see it with my own eyes,"
"But Alistair…"
"But nothing!" A hollow clang echoed across the silent bay as Aang's fist impacted against the side of the ship, "I have to know! This changes everything! This…"
His voice suddenly died as a second loud thump resonated from within the hull.
One thump became to thumps, and another. Gears started to churn within the vast ship as the two young adults backed away slowly, steam slowly venting from the rear compartments.
With a sudden roar a signal flare shot high into the air, the beacon exploding in a blast of white light, causing Katara to shield her eyes as Alistair squinted up at the burning object.
"That's not good,"
"Captain Sozin!" the scarred commander looked up from his thoughts as the Helmsman's voice cried across the Bridge, "Look sir! Across to Sydney!"
His binoculars in hand, Zuko scanned the coastline his crewmen had indicated too, his eyes widening as he watched signal flare arch gracefully through the air, his eyes travelling down to the ground form whence it had come.
Two figures stood blotched from the distance between them and the ship, the Captain squinting in an attempt to at least try and see any indication of who it might be.
Seeing the dark uniform adorning the body of one of the figures, his first thought was an officer of the G.U.N. Navy. No Nationalist activity had been recorded in or around Australia since the Day of Blood. Perhaps an officer had been stranded there for some reason.
Then another thought ran through his mind, a name of a secret organisation that plagued the stolen record of a Hundred years ago.
A group known as: Black Core.
"Wake my Uncle," he barked at a nearby soldier, "Tell him we've found the Courier!"
The officer nodded hurriedly as he scuttled away , the Captain once more scanning the coastline, a small triumphant smile crossing his pale lips as he focused on a small structure not to far away from the flare: a run down sort of village, with a ragged wall and misshapen watchtowers.
"Also," The solider turned to look at the Captain as he reached the doorway, "Tell him I've found where that rat has been hiding,"