Author Notes: While the progression of the story roughly follows that of the show, many events are changed, arranged in a different order or omitted. This is fan fiction, after all.
Smoke filled the sky yet again in what people called New Ozai, after the Fire Lord whose armies conquered this sprawling city and installed a hopeless governor. Said governor was on his office balcony, calling for help as an explosion of the Fire Tank brigade's machine fuel left his office in rubble yet again. The Governor was relieved to hear that his wife and infant son were out shopping and missed the fireworks; a cog in his mind however turned, and he reasoned that the resistance had timed it to avoid hurting anyone not in uniform. Men were running around dousing or redirecting fire with bending while chasing what looked like two men in dark outfits through the alleyways of the former Omashu.
"Colonel, we're almost there!" one of the men yelled in between gasps for air as they outran darts and arrows in the narrow city streets.
"Wong, stay close!" the other one used Earthbending to deflect the latest shower of arrows. "We're here!" He jumped and a hole appeared in the ground through which both of them leapt in. Before the Fire Nation troops could follow, the hole sealed up as if it was never made, save for a round cylinder that was making ever-smaller circles as it lapped the center of the hole.
"BOMB!" the men scrambled as the device blew the ones closest to it completely apart, leaving behind only two pairs of charred boots and plenty of messes for the road cleaner crew to pick up tomorrow morning. The governor cursed his appointment again, putting another notch on paper notice nailed to the wooden wall of what was now the last part of his office.
"That's fifty attacks since we took over this hell-hole," the governor fire bended the paper into ash and howled at passers by. "And why haven't we found that old dustbin of a man they called King?"
"I told you before, you should have stayed in the capital with our daughter, it would be fine," his wife arrived below the balcony.
"Nag, nag, nag," the governor made a duck motion with his hand, obviously aimed at his wife. "You're the one that pushed me to get this promotion!" he whelped as a brick fell just an inch shy of his left foot and through the tattered floor.
The two assailants felt the vibrations of their explosive endeavors and smiled. The former Earth Kingdom explosives expert known only as Mr. Wong followed the former military leader of the city into its vast network of sewage and mail tunnels, their voices soon lost to any who tried to follow. Even the Chan's Commandoes who were stationed in New Ozai had no idea how to follow them with Earthbending, as the tunnels were almost all man-made and linked to the city's structural foundation. Closing or shifting them would result in the city simply sliding off the hill that it stood on and major embarrassment for all. Wong and Long slid off the tube they had jumped into, greeted by four similarly dressed men who helped them up.
"The office is broken again," Wong bowed to the four.
"They've got the message, I'm sure of that," the colonel dusted himself off. "I just wish the King wouldn't tell us to be so darn careful. I couldn't care less if it was a Fire Nation pensioner or a Fire Nation prison warden."
"The Fire Lord is smart; he put civvies in here to make sure people wouldn't retaliate. Word is, half of' em don't even wanna be here. They're leaving in wagonloads and sneakin' off home in secret," Wong caught an apple thrown by one of the others.
"People leave, and people come in," one of the men shook a fist. "They're treating it like they built the place. If we don't step it up no one will remember the city is even in the Earth Kingdom!"
"I serve the King of Omashu, Lord of the South," Colonel Long put his hand on his breast, "He always waits, even if it's also wearing thin on me as well. I wish he would be a bit more impatient."
"He says the right moment will come eventually," Wong patted Long on the back. "I can feel it somehow, in the Earth." The group eventually disappeared in to the darkness as water surged up pipes to combat the fires they had started or helped to start.
As sun rose over the Great Rock, some 100 miles away the Earth trembled slightly as the man who called himself King of the region lifted himself onto the face of the monolith. The buzzards looked at him but then looked away from the rather lean offering he was (from a meat point of view). The other guy who lived there was long off the menu, at least when they could see him with several dead family members testament to that. The animal beside the king also looked dangerous, although at the moment it merely licked itself and yawned.
"It's not too early, even for you, Bosco," Kuei tipped his glasses and raised several columns of earth. The bear groaned and fell on its back, collapsing the ground and making an earth whirlpool with its bending.
"You are acting like the Avatar at times, you know," Mitsu hovered over them both and gave the buzzards a menacing look. "We are going to Omashu in two hours, and all you can do is play?"
"No, Ishi he's showing me a new technique, look!" Kuei pointed to the growing cloud of dust that was Bosco break dancing.
"All I see is that bear goofing around," Mitsu crossed his arms.
Bosco suddenly appeared about twenty feet in the air, howling as he spun uncontrollably down , landing on the two brothers with a thump. Behind him was a spiral of earth that had somehow collapsed into a whirlpool-like hole.
"Check that out, Bosco's Cannonball!" Kuei lifted the bear off him.
"With rocks to follow!" Mitsu batted away the earth that followed the bear's descent with his titanium rod. "I think it needs a bit of work, that one."
The bear laughed and shunted a boulder in the direction of the panicking buzzards who scattered, angrily cawing at them.
"The Sand Bender caravan is here," Mitsu shielded his eyes from the sun, spotting a peculiar pattern in the wind. After a few moments a troop of Ostrich Horses made their way towards the ruins of the town, several dusty robed men silently filing towards the place where the door to the great library once lay. Mitsu had earlier summoned them with a special flare, used only when the Rock was in great danger. The Sand Benders looked around and saw no danger at all in the morning sun, besides the usual risk of dehydration and the temptation of cactus juice.
"You have summoned us, Rock Warden?" the leader called out.
"Yes I have," Mitsu flew down to greet him. "We are seeking the town of Omashu, where the Fire Nation has set its feet upon our heads."
"'We' is too much for one man to say. Who else comes with you?"
"The King of the Earth under Heaven and his companion," Mitsu pointed to Kuei, who stood on the edge of the rock, tipping his feet like a boy on his first swim. Clearing his throat Mitsu said it louder, "THE KING OF EARTH UNDER HEAVEN!" Kuei straightened up and gave a nervous wave.
"We do not have much love for those in Ba Sing Se," the Sand Bender bowed his head. "But at least they oppose the Fire Nation, who raids us when they can find us. We are with you, Rock Warden. The King will have his transport to Omashu, as silent as possible."
Mitsu waved to his brother to come down, with Kuei and Bosco tumbling down the Great Rock in a mess of Earthbending and clumsiness. The Ostrich Horses pulled up, ignorant of the status of their riders.
"What happened to the glass bending?" Mitsu let his brother get up on his own.
"Master used to say that it was because I was always fragile. I guess I don't feel fragile at the moment," he shrugged. A panel opened and the Desert Warrior came out, Kuei pulling it with his Earthbending.
The Sand Benders gave them clothes and cloaks to disguise themselves as they went, though Omashu was not as far from the Rock as Ba Sing Se was, being an eastern city where the desert was its narrowest from the center. They arrived at the city limits in no fewer than three days, standing over the last dune before the desert gave way to plain rock and the City of Two Lovers, an ubiquitous hill with red banners and smoke wafting up into the sky.
"What happened there?" Kuei shielded his eyes.
"There is a resistance to the rule of Ozai here," the Sand Bender restrained his Ostrich Horse. "There have been explosions almost daily since Bumi was usurped. The people have largely left , but the resistance is bitter yet honorable."
"Thank you, desert lord," said Mitsu, using a common term of respect in the Song Yi. "I hope your Pasha is well, I have not heard from him since Ba Sing Se."
"Of that I cannot say, for he commands a different part of my tribe. I know this, young Warden; he does not surrender or submit easily even if he does not fight openly. Farewell, we cannot enter the city with you as they now demand passes and tolls we are loath to pay, yet require for our trade."
The Sand Benders left the Desert Warrior alone, its three occupants putting on Fire Nation uniforms and helmets. Kuei and Bosco rolled the vehicle slowly towards the gate of the city, ready for the slightest hint of trouble.
"The plan's working, I think," Kuei whispered to his brother as he pushed the vehicle forward with his feet.
"Infiltration is not what I like; I prefer to just barge in. Wearing these traitors' uniforms only makes it worse."
The guard at the gate held his hand out, looking through the driver's peephole at Mitsu, whose helmet had a slight dint.
"What company are you from? What's with that guy in the back?" he pointed at Bosco.
"We're a detachment of commandoes under Admiral Chan, we are Earthbenders. That guy is just a little too big for this kind of thing, but the captain wanted him on the team."
"What are you doing away from your squad?"
"We're scouts," Kuei looked out his port. "We're looking for fugitives from Ba Sing Se."
"They couldn't have gotten this far," the guard fingered his spear. His uniform indicated that he was not a Firebender, but one couldn't tell these days with all the sub-factions within that proud army. "So what, you guys are lost or something? And where's your Firebender?"
"As you can see, we encountered some pretty good Earthbenders back there," Kuei tapped the damage on the Desert Warrior. "They got him!" Kuei looked away from the guard crying mock tears.
"Stop crying, you sissy. You can park your vehicle in the bays where the Earth Kingdom Army used to keep their Ostrich Horses. They let them out after the Pentapox outbreak!" the guard gripped his face with his palm, making a funny face. "And take a shower, you in the back! You stink like buzzard poop!"
The guard gave a signal to a man up on the battlements, and soon the gate groaned open, Fire Nation men heaving and grunting where Earthbenders would simply wave a hand. Kuei and Bosco looked at each other and grinned, doing just that and sending twelve men face first into the wall.
"Damn those commandoes!" one of them wailed as he looked at his crumpled helmet. "They think they're the elite or something?"
The city was not like Ba Sing Se at all, or even as Kuei remembered it. The buildings were roughly the same size, the only thing separating them being their placement on the hill. There was a palace up on the side of the hill emblazoned with Fire Nation graffiti and its trademark red flags. What caught Mitsu and Kuei' s eye were several burnt out buildings and pockmarked roads, as well as rocks that were sticking out of roofs and towers. Two soldiers called out to the Desert Warrior, pointing to the 'garage' in a corner of the city. A few children ran past them, curious as to the ATV's presence in the town. There was little sign of anyone apart from Fire Nation soldiery and the odd civilian, nothing like the Omashu of old which was made famous for its chute delivery system and laughing children. According to rumor, the whole town would play a prank on a guest if the King allowed it.
"Looks dead quiet," Kuei looked out the side port.
"Looks dead," Mitsu looked straight ahead as a soldier directed them to turn into a bay seemingly converted for vehicles like the Desert Warrior type. There were indeed two or three other ATVs in the bay, though there was no sign of more Commandoes meant to drive them.
"Hey, welcome to New Ozai," the guiding soldier made the fist in palm salute. "I'm Private Lee, I have been ordered to take you to your lodgings…or the hospital? What happened to that guy?" Lee looked at the heavily disguised Bosco.
"He's a specially trained animal," Mitsu unveiled Bosco's terrified face. "Admiral Chan's personal project. We took him out for a spin with the company and now he's scared as sand paper." Mitsu laughed and put the mask back on Bosco.
"Some project, eh?" Lee pretended to leap at the bear and laughed as well. "That guy, he's always doing weird things."
"Like what?" Kuei held Bosco's hand as they walked towards the barracks.
"Projects, I mean. No offence, but at least you guys are actual soldiers. That guy's been using machines like that desert rider there, the air ships, that big drill that attacked Ba Sing Se back then, and who knows what. The Governor is not really welcoming of him here. But what does he know, he's a civvie politician!" Lee opened the door to the barracks and pointed to three beds, two of them being in a bunk. Lee then saluted and closed the door.
"I call bottom!" Kuei leapt towards the beds. Bosco leapt for the top bunk but found himself floating through the air and dropped on the lone bed.
"No pets in bed," Mitsu grinned, laying on the thin mattress as he floated over it.
"What now? Are we still on track?" Kuei looked at the pouting Bosco, who overflowed his bed by two feet.
"We have to find the resistance. I need you two to listen to the earth; they should be underneath us by quite some distance."
"How do you know that?" Kuei took off his spectacles.
"From what I know and from what Aang told me, Bumi and his ancestors kept a network of tunnels down there for all sorts of reasons from mail to plumbing to just plain amusement. Now I need you to listen to the earth while I fish for information from the local yokels. We start tomorrow, we should rest for now. Start practicing listening to the earth."
"Okay, I guess," Kuei lay quietly in his bed, letting his mind wander as he began to sink into sleep. As his eyes closed he felt his skin tingle underneath his clothes, waves washing over him. The frame of the bed soon came to him, a soft red shape with Mitsu' s outline showing, though his face was not clear to Kuei. As he relaxed Bosco's bed came up in 'view', washing over his huge frame including his bones. More came to him as the building's foundations came into his consciousness, a huge red structure. It was much unlike the Dream Chair, where a large chunk was seemingly dropped onto his brain. This took much less effort, although Kuei did not understand some of the things he saw. His vision deepened to the first level of the basement, where Fire Nation troops performed martial arts drills and repaired their weapons. The Earth hummed beneath him, willing him to look deeper.
Kuei dropped his foot onto the ground and his 'sight' increased in potency, covering more pipes and tunnels dotted with rats and spider bats. It suddenly became too much for him and he dropped to sleep. Before he finally slipped away, he could have sworn he felt something else…
"Ah, so someone else has mastered that too," a smile appeared in the darkness.