Well I wanted to put his out New Years Eve or shortly after but I had to go and get sick and….well no update. But I'm better now and so here it is! And to the biggest fans of this story, Tukikage1213 and Realfanficts, here ya go! Enjoy all!

Chapter Eighteen

Rebirth pt.2

Hotaru's long time captive, Owens, sat in his laboratory prison working over notes and chemicals. Since his arrival, patches of his hair had grown noticeably greyer. His fingers moved beneath his glasses so that he could rub away weariness from his eyes. He took his hand away suddenly when he heard the sounds of his door being unlocked. Just as he expected, Hotaru was the one to enter but not in the manner he would have thought. Hotaru's feet carried only a miniscule amount of her weight while the rest of the burden was on Ring's senseless shoulders.

"Uhhh," mumbled the scientist. Ring gently placed her weakened mistress upon a bed off to the side. She then strode over to Owens, yanked him out of his chair, and dragged him over to Hotaru's side.

"You must begin the procedure, now."

"I…I can't."

"You will," said Ring in a monotone.

"The process is still unrefined; so many things could go wrong-Uhhh!" Ring clasped her hand around his throat. He felt her red diamond burn against his skin.

"She has not long to live, if you do not begin I will ensure that you remain alive throughout a few very excruciating weeks." Owens shook his head and looked down at Hotaru. The color was nearly drained from her face and her breathing was shallow.

"And…her host?"

"Expendable, your only concern is Hotaru."

Owens nodded sadly. "Very well." He drew a leather-bound folder from within his desk drawer. He flipped open the folder, using his arm as a temporary surface. "I will need all the electrical power this place can muster. In all likelihood, this experiment could cause a tremendous surge.

"Irrelevant," said Ring. "I will have the power rerouted to this room. In the meantime, you begin preparations and do not stop for any reason." Owens nodded silently. Ring turned in place and left for her task. Owens turned an unnerved stare down at Hotaru. Never when he was a student did he ever think that he would one day be performing an experiment of both scientific and supernatural means. How he wished he could have stopped himself from posting the theory in a journal, for it was through that medium that Hotaru noticed him and thus demanded his services.

----------

Mifune appeared to be taking Lee through a less known pathway for they needed to duck out of sight but once. Then again, Lee thought, perhaps Mifune was merely disallowing anybody to hinder them until the right moment. There was hardly any time to dwell on such thoughts, only Elm's family mattered at the moment. Unfortunately Lee still had no idea that Nayia, Elm, Katara, and Toph had made their incursion. Still he stayed behind Mifune with his hand upon the hilt of his sword to prevent any backstabbing treachery.

"This way," whispered the mercenary ronin. He led Lee around a corner and they came to a solid metal door. "It only appears barbaric, within is quite luxurious." Lee scoffed.

"No matter the amount of lavishness, a prison remains a prison. Take us in now." Mifune stepped forward and unlocked the cell door. In his exuberance to save his self imposed charges, Lee stepped forward into the finely furnished room. He stopped some distance inside when he saw that the room was entirely devoid of human life. Mifune took advantage of this and shoved him the rest of the way in. A portcullis similar to the one guarding the front entrance to the temple fell down, blocking Lee's path. The samurai griped the areas between the bars tightly.

"I am betrayed."

"No impertinence intended Lee, Ring believes you could prove a hindrance later and I agree." Mifune slammed the metal door shut. Lee cursed his lapse of judgment. He guessed that something other than Simon's coup was happening to warrant such extra caution from Ring.

Outside the cell, Mifune summoned the guards who had been hiding within the shadows. The gathered near Mifune who handed the keys off to one of them. "No one enters or leaves that room, understood? Good." He left before they could answer but it was understood all the same.

Simon stood within Hotaru's bed chambers, rearranging all manner of furnishings and decorations as he see fit. The first thing to go was, without surprise, any portraits or depictions of Hotaru. Without warning of her entry, Mockingbird suddenly burst into the room in a fast trot.

"Simon!" He turned in place.

"What is it?"

"Yue isn't with them!" Simon's face gradually fell into a grimace and then quickly moved on to incensed.

"What?"

"Yue is not with them," she repeated through her teeth. Simon slowly turned away from her and let his hands rest on a clock of crystal and sterling silver. After several pulsating minutes he swept his hand against the clock and shattered it against the wall. "I suppose this alters things."

"So it would seem," hissed Simon. "Why is she not here?"

"Surely it is not out of cowardice," snickered Mockingbird. Simon paced about and shook his head.

"No, Yue is driven by several reasons all of which are mostly selfless. There is something else happening they we did not anticipate."

"Alright, so what? What do we do now?"

Simon considered the new scenario. "What every player does when the words 'check' reach his ears, we adapt. Take them alive?"

"All of them?"

"Yes, and kindly pay the good doctor one last visit." Mockingbird smiled hungrily. "With Julian still loose he will no doubt attempt to see Hotaru reborn. I don't think I need to remind you what will be in store for both of us if he is successful." Of course Mockingbird didn't need reminding, not with an imagination like Hotaru's looming over their shoulders.

Dozens of Hotaru's firebending guards, under the impression that Simon is acting on her behalf, moved to intercept the small group of invaders. Three of them, spears lowered and leading the way, were met with three razor sharp ice shards. Katara kept her liquid weapon flowing around her as though she had her own gravitational pull. Toph was happy to bring up the rear and dispatch with any who turned up on their tail. She whipped around to meet such a threat and crushed their pursuers with two rock pillars yanked up from beneath the floor tiles.

"If they weren't so loud it wouldn't be so easy!" They rounded another corner and Nayia was forced to immediately draw her short sword and cleave the neck of yet another firebending obstacle. She never woke up each morning hoping an opportunity to kill someone would come around. She cleaned her saber using a loose corner of his tunic then stood upright.

Katara stole a glance behind them then returned her attention to their guide. "Nayia, you sure you know where you're going?"

"Like I said, I didn't spend enough time here to know it by heart. But yes, I'm sure this is the way."

Elm abruptly shouted at Katara. "Katara down!" She instantly knelt down and he butterfly kicked his way directly over her and upon the guard who had almost unleashed a surprise attack on Katara. The guard recovered but Elm, spinning his staff around his neck, landed two more incapacitating hits on him. He retracted his staff and then offered a helping hand to Katara.

"Thanks," she said she was helped to her feet.

"They don't get much closer than that." No sooner did Elm swear by that statement than a spear suddenly flew past his head and stuck in the wall to his left. "WHOA!" Nayia tore a dagger from the guard she killed and threw it into Elm's would be assassin. He shook his head. "I stand corrected."

"Maybe we shouldn't stand around this," said Toph moving ahead. The other three silently agreed and so they pressed on. It wasn't long at all before the group ran straight into two of Nayia's students. They were talking to each other so excitedly that it took them a moment or two to realize who they'd just run into. Their faces brightened immediately.

"Sifu Nayia!" They exclaimed. They ran over to her and promptly knelt down humbly.

"Sifu?" asked Katara with a surprised ring to her voice.

"Long story," said Nayia. She took the arm of each student. "Please, rise." They stood up and it astonishing how they looked at the ninja. Their eyes were almost glassy and they housed unmistakable reverence.

"We've been wondering when you would return," one said.

"Your substitute is simply dreadful," said the other. "We've haven't learned anything new since you left."

"Well, no need to fret about that," said Nayia with an innocent laugh. Katara, Elm, and Toph watched them uneasily. The students then noticed Nayia's company and they grew tense. Nayia stole a glance behind her and waved at them. "Oh don't worry about them, they're friends." They accepted her word as gospel, of course. It was fortunate that they had met with Nayia's students so quickly, as that was precisely what she had been waiting for.

"Listen, I need the two of you to do something."

"Anything," they almost said in unison.

"Hotaru is in danger." Both of them instantly looked at one another with panic. "Two chevaliers have incited a rebellion against our goddess."

"T-That is not possible," said the student on Nayia's right. "They would never-"

"They would and they have," snapped Nayia. "You must alert the other students and tell them not to trust the guards either, fight hand to hand if you have to but we must see that Hotaru and her legacy survives."

"Yes Sifu!" They were ardent in their reply. After a speedy bow, they turned and ran off down the long hallway. Nayia waited until they were out of sight then gestured for the others follow her. Katara skipped up to Nayia's side.

"What was that?"

Nayia looked at her as they fast walked. "Change of plans."

Shandrey, still ever watchful in Regan's bathroom, sat back in a folding chair and sighed. She just finished watching Nayia inform two of her students that Mockingbird and Simon had betrayed Hotaru, just as they planned.

"So far, so good." One of her hands drifted to her stomach. She wondered what it would feel like when a tiny foot would inevitably kick her from the inside. What was weighing more heavily on her mind at the moment was the fact that they were still far from their quarry. More than once she found herself balancing her chin on her arm and wondering when Nayia would find Lee so she could see him.

Lee stood before the portcullis and metal door. His felt around in various places, looking for anything that felt weak or prone to shifting. His fingers finally fell upon a small dent slightly off center. He smiled humbly and stepped back several paces. Concentrating on his target he brought his hands together and began gathering a substantial force of mental energy. Using his hands he focused the sheer volume his telekinesis into an invisible rod and released it. The force hit the dent with pinpoint accuracy and both barriers were blown offer their hinges.

An unfortunate guard who had been standing directly in front of the door wound up unceremoniously flattened against the opposite wall. The survivors rushed in to subdue their prisoner but some quick swordplay relegated them to the past tense. Lee dashed out of the empty cell, looking to his left and right. The path he and Mifune took was a winding one thus he would have to rely on his intuition to guide him further. It wasn't as though it would be for the first time. Just as he chose a direction, Lee saw every light around him suddenly die. He quickly rounded a corner. All the way down the halls lights were failing, one right after the other. He wondered if they knew he had escaped. 'No time to dwell on that', he thought. Taking hold of his sheathed sword, the samurai sped down the corridor.

Very slowly, a door leading into the main gathering hall was cracked open. Nayia peeked through the small opening to make sure the coast was clear. The hall was dark, lit only with candles, empty and quiet. She nodded at her friends and one at a time they slipped inside. The room was so large and the ceiling was so high, that its current state set a fairly creepy atmosphere.

"Okay," said Nayia. "If by some miracle Hotaru has managed to stay alive through this, she'll have had Owens begin the ritual. So we need to find him." Behind them, Mockingbird pushed the door shut with a loud snap. Instinctively they all spun around and readied themselves. Elm held his staff in both hands and stared at her.

"Tanya."

"Carl."

"Nice place you got here," said Toph. The vampiress said nothing. "Very Fire Nation."

"Where is Yue?" asked Mockingbird sharply. They all glanced at one another. "Where is she?"

"You mean Shandrey?" said Nayia. "Couldn't make it."

Mockingbird quickly rounded on Nayia. "You're students have begun attacking the temple guards." Nayia beamed, now being quite proud of her pupils. "Just what do you think you are doing by seeding a dissension of your own?!"

"Change of plans," said Nayia.

"You were told to forget Hotaru!" Mockingbird was growing more and more livid with passing second.

"Changed out minds, we decided that as long as we were here we might disregard what you told us to do and instead do what we want to do." Mockingbird snapped a furious glare at Elm. Leaning on staff, he merely shrugged with a smile. The vampiress looked up toward the ceiling and chuckled.

"You simply can't find reliable partners these days." Her hand then reached into her robes and tossed a phial of white liquid at their feet. As soon as it broke a puff of smoke filled the air around them causing them to cough and hack. The smoke soon cleared and they looked at Mockingbird perplexed.

Katara shifted her eyes. "What was that supposed to-" Suddenly she realized that she couldn't move a muscle. Like four oak trees they fell to the floor and remained motionless. Toph, finding it hard to breath, blew a strand of hair out of her face.

"Well this is great."

"I can't move," breathed Katara.

"Nope!" sang Mockingbird. "And you won't be able to for another two hours, plenty of time I think. Oh and you might want to brace yourselves, I'm told massive nausea is one of the more prominent side effects." Nayia, lying stock still on her side, prayed that Shandrey wasn't watching at this moment.

-----

All four of them were taken over the shoulder of a silent and armored guard and brought to, what was now declared, Simon's throne room. The throne room needed no light bulbs to illuminate it, as the massive Fire Nation insignia in the wall burned brightly. Simon silently watched as Nayia, Katara, Elm, and Toph were each placed in an armchair and secured with a copious amount of rope. Mockingbird circled the small line of chairs, inspecting the guard's work.

"Check the bindings, twice." She ordered. Toph made no effort to hide her groan. The slightest movement from the blind bandit was more than she needed to cause significant damage. At Simon's hand gesture two guards stepped out while two remained on either side of the room's entrance.

"I must extend my congratulations," he said. "I never thought people of your sort could ever be prone to betrayal." Mockingbird happily relaxed herself into Elm's unwilling lap. "Then again it seems it would have been folly not to assume you would try something."

"All we want is our friends and Hotaru," said Katara. "You've taken over, what does it matter to you whether or not she's alive?" Simon drummed his fingers against the armrest of the throne.

"The string of energy binding us to her can be severed, effectively freeing us. However we would still remain connected in a way. The only way we will ever truly be free is with her demise. There is no other way."

"And what then?" asked Nayia. "You'll just leave us alone?"

"No, we will take up Hotaru's quest and seize the Force of Balance for ourselves. The Fire Nation shall return but under my rule. Hotaru has been alive for far too long to know the modern world as I do."

"You know what I don't understand?" said Elm out of the blue. Mockingbird rested her head on top of his.

"Hmmm? What's that honey?" He rolled his eyes then fixed them back on Simon.

"It takes something big to shake the loyalty of zealot. How did you go from seeing her walk on water to hating her?" Simon hesitated. True, he had come to know Hotaru for who and what she really was. However that didn't change the fact that a piece of his heart still yearned for her. In all truth, he looked upon his epiphany with regret. After all, ignorance is bliss. The chevalier rose and stepped down to their level. With his hands folded behind his back he began to slowly pace.

"It was a sudden realization that hit me. Over time I began to take a closer look everything around me. It constantly puzzled me why a goddess would need to transfer herself from one new body after the other. If she could be hurt then she could be killed, and she could be killed then she was not a goddess."

"What goddess would be frightened by mortality," said Katara. "Sound about right?"

"I couldn't escape my damned logic, which in turn led me to investigate the matter further through scrolls of the days of the Fire Nation." He produced small bursts of flame from his fingertips. "She beguiled my ancestors with smart tricks and words of honey. Never again will I bow to a false god."

"Okay fine, but how do you intend to sever the link between you and Hotaru?" asked Nayia. Mockingbird and Simon exchanged knowing smirks. He walked up behind the throne and produced a leather-bound book. He brought it closer and Nayia's mouth slacked open. It was entirely devoid of any title but it did have a silver and gold etching of the sun and moon. The two etchings mingled together as one. Of the three eyeing Nayia curiously, only Elm understood why she was staring at the book as though it was a rattlesnake.

Shandrey's hand covered her gaping mouth as she leaned over the edge of the sink. The insides of her stomach did a horrible lurch. It simply couldn't be. That book was supposed to have been lost or destroyed. The mere sight of it was simply too unbelievable as well as horrible for words.

"No…."

Nayia moved her neck about uneasily. "W-Where did you get that?"

"Mockingbird and I have been planning this for many months now. Another chevalier was involved but sadly he lost his head to that irksome samurai. Anyway, I had long been studying ancient magic in hopes of finding a way to free us. Well I found one." He opened the book and thumbed through the pages. "Written thousands of years ago in Hotaru's own hand, she will provide us with the keys to our shackles. Now if that isn't poetic justice then I don't what is."

"You still haven't really answered her question," said Katara. Simon nodded with a smile.

"That is true. It was not an easy task to be sure; but we are a determined bunch." His face took on a look of reminisce.

----------

It was difficult, keeping our searches secret from Hotaru. There was always the danger that she could simply draw herself to our life forces and in turn surmise what we were up to. But it would seem Hotaru's complete trust in us was her undoing. Our search was not necessarily random, we began by retracing the steps of the last know owner. The trail eventually led to Southern Iceland; the ruins of a castle believed to be the home of a powerful vampire and his witch.

Both Simon and Mockingbird moved about a large courtyard looking over charred remains and broken pieces of stone. Mockingbird kicked away a burnt piece of wood, scaring away the animals living beneath it.

"Ends of the Earth I see, look at the state of this place. How we supposed to find a book in this mess?"

"Very carefully," replied Simon. His companion was not really known for her patience. The more time she spent trudging around in the garbage and debris of the castle the more she desired to sink her teeth into Simon's neck.

The firebender chevalier sifted around through the ash at his feet. If it wasn't here then he would simply wait patiently for a moment when Hotaru's guard would be down. He hoped he wouldn't have to resort to that as it was sure to be tiresomely difficult. His hands, now stained black by the charred dirt, found something submerged in the dark sand. Slowly, he lifted the rectangular object out of the ashes and rose from his kneel. With a gentle shake, the dirt slid off the book revealing the sun and moon crest. Simon called Mockingbird to his side to show off their prize.

"This?"

"Yes," said Simon. "This will grant us our freedom."

"But neither of us has ever used magic before? How are we to know the proper way to execute the incantation?"

Simon refused to be hindered by defeatist thoughts. "We will find a way Tanya. That is unless you want to remain a lackey for the rest of your immortal life." He of course knew which buttons to push in order to rekindle her anger. Her eyes shifted between him and the book.

"Fine."

----------

"That was mere months ago," said Simon pacing behind the bound heroes. "And now that we have been studying the complexities behind this manuscript we will hold a ceremony of our own. We will celebrate the day we cast away our fetters and stained this hall with the blood of our deceiver."

"Which goes back to why we told you to disregard Hotaru and just retrieve your friends," said Mockingbird. She looked back down at Elm. "And I thought you were better at following orders than this." She finally slid out of his lap, letting her hand caress his cheek as she moved.

"Now what of the doctor?" Simon asked Mockingbird.

"In his lab, but Ring has placed a barrier before it."

"Damn that drone," he cursed. "We can bring them down together, and then Hotaru can meet her fate in the presence of all her enemies. Then we shall see just how much Yue values the lives of her friends, a hefty randsom is always welcomed."

"Not…Carl," said the vampiress. Elm sighed despondently. Simon regarded her oddly. "I want him as my prize, simple as that." Simon shook his head; he hardly had the tolerance at the moment to debate her.

"Very well, he's yours. Now come on." The pair of usurpers took their leave, Mockingbird hung back momentarily to blow Carl a suggestive kiss. The four prisoners then sat in silence for a moment. Nayia sat somewhat limply in her chair.

"Well……suggestions anyone?" Elm let his head rest against the top of his chair. Toph sat holding a gruff and grumpy grimace.

"I hate all of you."

They all turned their heads curiously at the sound of stones scrapping against one another. They homed in on the sound and saw a hidden passage opening. From the dark depths Julian emerged.

"Julian!" exclaimed Nayia. He stood up on his feet and jogged over to them. He carried a small knife, presumably to cut their bindings, but when he reached them he paused. Nayia looked at him expectantly. "You gonna cut us free?"

"That would be nice of you," said Toph.

Julian stared at Nayia seriously. "You remain a loyal chevalier of Hotaru?" Nayia's eyes grew somber.

"Julian, I would be lying if I said yes. But I can promise you that we're not here to kill her."

"Save her actually," added Elm. Julian was still extremely hesitant. He trained his gaze away from the small blade in his hands and back up to Nayia. Her eyes pleaded with him to allow them the tiniest shred of trust. Toph was moments away from threatening him with a little "encouragement" when Julian finally stepped forward and severed the ropes holding Nayia's arms at bay. She hopped out of her chair and they stared at one another with almost misty eyes.

"Thank you." She assisted him in freeing Katara, Toph, and Elm. Katara brought their weapons back and passed them out to the owners. "Now, I'm guessing this place suddenly lost power because they're performing Hotaru's ritual."

"Indeed yes," replied Julian. "Ring has barred the way into Owens' lab but we can still enter."

"Why didn't Simon know about the tunnel?" asked Katara nodding at Julian's entry.

"There are many things about this temple he is ignorant to, clearly the mark of an unfaithful."

"Clearly," whispered Katara. It was time to leave before their captors discovered their absence. Julian led them through the small passage, which they had to bend on all fours to enter. They needed not worry about shutting the passage behind them as Toph rightly sealed it.

Amyah and Jasper sat under the watch of several armored guards. They had been taken out of their comfortable cells and placed in one of metal and stone. The two siblings sat next to each other quietly while the completely masked guards kept a close watch over them. Jasper folded his arms and cleared his throat.

"You think you guys could not…stare at us like this?" They remained silent. "It's a little creepy."

"Don't think they speak English," whispered Amyah.

"Ohhh I'm sure he does, that Fire Nation flamer." The guard titled his head. "Uh oh, looks like he understands perfectly." Amyah turned her gaze from her brother. She focused entirely on the guard, or rather any of the guards. Her fists clenched and unclenched in readiness. Without warning, the sharp point of a shiny blade pierced both layers of one of the guard's armor. He fell flat on his stomach, much to his companions' confusion. The children darted their eyes ahead and saw Lee sprinting toward them. He leapt forward without effort, landed upon the fallen guard and retrieved his sword from him. Like a breeze with sharp breath Lee cut down those closest to him. Amyah jumped up and grabbed hold of a guard attempting to spear Lee. Instantly the masked guard felt his leg break and a frighteningly painful sensation flow through him. Lee yanked his sword from the last sentry then he and Jasper watched as Amyah quickly pulled her hand away from him.

"Probably wise not to be too near to him," she said. "The black plague is a little contagious."

Lee shifted his eyes between them. "Right, you two must come with me now."

"No argument here," said Jasper. "Sooner we get out of this hellhole the better."

Owens worked tirelessly over his computer and written notes. Beside him, Hotaru lay motionless yet still breathing. Liquids of all and any sorts flowed through tubes on a table along the opposite wall. Time was running very short for the recently dethroned firebender. She grew so weak that Owens was forced to start her on life-support.

What Owens didn't know at that moment was Julian was leading everyone into that very room by way of the temple's hidden tunnels. As soon as the passage doorway began opening Owens was startled out of his work. His hand roughly reached for a revolver which he cocked and pointed at the door. It was fortunate that the doctor was a cautious man for he held his shot instead of simply firing upon seeing a head emerge. Julian stepped out followed by Nayia, then Elm, and finally Katara and Toph. Owens smiled broadly and set the gun back down on the desk.

"Carl, are you a sight for sore eyes."

"Professor," replied Elm with an equal grin. They shook hands and Elm picked up the weapon. He shook his head. "Glad to see you're still the same."

"I don't like to take chances with people's lives." They turn away from each other and see that everyone else has crowded around Hotaru. Elm and Owens join them. Katara looked down at the silent sorceress with mixed feelings.

"She almost looks innocent," Katara whispered.

"As innocent as someone near death can be," said Elm. Toph said nothing. She didn't care to comment on things she had long ago made up her mind about. Nayia looked to Owens.

"Can you really do this?"

"With reasonable certainty, yes. Although I have to say I have been uneasy about whole thing. I mean, I'm a researcher not a soothsayer."

"We have much confidence in you," said Nayia.

"I….I don't understand," said Owens. "You actually want me to preserve Hotaru."

"Well seeing how it's also my wife in jeopardy," said Elm.

"Right, of course, Carl I didn't mean anything by it other than……she's Hotaru."

Katara nodded. "We know, but there's a good reason for keeping her alive." All heads then turned toward the door. The barrier on the other side had been dropped and the locks undone. Ring walked inside.

"How are things progressing?"

"On schedule," replied Owens. She immediately noticed Nayia, Katara, Toph, and Elm. Owens was quick to come to their rescue. "Its okay, they mean Hotaru no harm." Ring appeared satisfied for the moment.

"The power you require has been rerouted to this room as needed, you will begin immediately." Owens nodded. "And I know they pose no threat to my goddess, for I have found Mifune's charge." Ring stepped aside and Lee and Elm's children moved inside the lab.

"DAD!" The two shouted upon seeing Elm. He ran forward and met them halfway. He hugged them both tightly, hardly wanting to let go. Lee and Nayia both greeted each other much the same way. It was strange how infrequent they saw one another but met again in the same manner each time. Lee walked up to Owens and picked up the revolver.

"It is a risky thing to threaten someone with a firearm that is not loaded." Owens smiled and nodded.

"Like I said, I don't like to take chances with people's lives. Was the weight that noticeable?"

"It was an act of unmitigated gall," said Lee.

"Sadly."

"Not at all," said Lee with a smile. "I admire gall."

Elm the held the side of Jasper's head. "You been looking after your sister?"

The boy nodded offhandedly. "Honestly, other way around….but yeah." Elm chuckled then stood back up. Both Amyah and Jasper then saw the form of their mother. They unhurriedly stepped toward her. "Is she…"
"Not yet," answered Owens. He felt Ring's hand take hold of his arm and pull him over to his work.

"There is no time for talk, perform the ritual now."

"Alright! Alright…." Owens sat down and went back to work. "It will take a little over an hour."

"Simon and Mockingbird will defiantly try to make things difficult before then," said Nayia.

"They will fail," said Ring emotionlessly.

"Well in the off chance that they do," replied Nayia.

"We must protect this room at all costs," said Lee. "Those who can fight will join me." Amyah and Jasper began following them. "Those who should not…." Both he and Elm rounded them. "…Will remain here."

"Not cool," said Jasper. Amyah wore a similar expression. Owens clicked on several instruments, starting up the necessary machines. Ring remained behind to ensure that Owens didn't decide, for any reason, to sabotage Hotaru's lifeline. With Lee in the lead, Katara, Nayia, Elm, and Toph made their way outside, unsure if they would return alive.

Yes, this big event in the story is divided into three parts. Surprise! Besides, I like making two and three parters. Trust me it's worth it in the long run. Laters!