Chapter 14

Suki walked to her large closet and opened the door before wandering inside. It looked like any rich kid's wardrobe; if you were a girl anyway. Dresses, organized by color, occupied the top rail, with pants on the bottom rung, also color coordinated. T-shirts and tank tops hung on the opposite rail, above the shorts and skirts. Shoes were lined up on the floor of the space. Since it had stopped raining, it was safe enough to drive to Suki's place, which wasn't too far from Sokka and Katara's place. Their dad was still asleep, so Katara left a note saying they went to Suki's house and that they would be back soon.

Like Suki's bedroom, it was different shades of green, the carpet was plush as if the wardrobe was hardly ever used. At the end of the isle were old boxes, each one taped shut. It was these that Suki went to.

Grabbing a pair of scissors on top of one of the boxes, she cut the tape on all of them and opened the lids. Inside was a bunch of machinery that looked brand new and unused. The teenagers gathered around to take a look. There were sleek walkie talkies, GPS units, and plenty of other equipment that was unrecognizable. It looked like the kind of stuff spies would use in movies and television shows. What would a teenager be doing with stuff like this?

Suki told them to bring the boxes out into the room. There were four boxes in all. Katara and Toph carried one, Aang, Sokka, and Suki each carried their own. Once the boxes were laid out, Suki brought the equipment out as she explained what they were and each of their functions.

"This is a walkie talkie, and of course the function is obvious. The only difference is that they are designed to be hidden under clothing, and their signals are stronger than the average." She placed them down and brought out what looked a black high tech laptop, only smaller. "This one is my favorite. My father called it 'The Tracker 2.0'. It can access any satellite from around the world, depending on where you are. It can track anyone within 3000 miles. All you have to do is take these chips," she said as she showed them square shaped microchips inside a small silver case, "and place them on their clothes. It has a special linen magnet that can stick to any kind of fabric in the world. They also have a cloaking device of their own, so they can blend into the color of the fabric."

She placed them down before moving back to the box, pulling out a fat silver disk. "This can scan the area where it was landed at and create a map layout on command. It will then send a very powerful signal to the computer. The hard drive from the computer can copy the floors and cellars from the pictures that are sent to it. The Viewer has an automatic camera attached to it, so we can watch from the screen." She pressed a small button and the disk grew six spindly legs like a rare species of spider. It landed on Suki's palm and the top of the bug popped open to take the form as some kind of camera or scanner.

"Once it's in the room, a button will be pressed on the keyboard by the person watching, and it stops and scans the room thoroughly and sends a map, before moving on."

Pressing the button again on the underbelly, the insect transformed into a disk again and she put it down. She then brought out something that looked like a palm-sized silver marble, like the kind people would use in an arcade game, but with a kind of neat dent in it. "Can any of you guess what this is?" Suki asked, smirking. She passed it around, knowing that they would have no clue as to what it was. Aang grabbed it first and showed Katara. They stared at it, communicating with their thoughts before shrugging and passing it to Toph, who felt it and fingered the indentation without pressing it. She passed it to Sokka who immediately started pummeling it. He tried squishing it, throwing it on the carpet, and rolling it between his hands before giving it back to his girlfriend.

He threw his hands up. "I GIVE UP!" he exclaimed. "What the heck is it? I bet it's nothing more than a ball." He crossed his arms and muttered to himself.

Suki had been trying to hold her laughter; but they finally burst out. It took a little while before she finally calmed down enough to speak. "You guys are so clueless!" She shook her head before showing them the ball again. "This isn't some metallic ball that can be used for a game. This..." She pressed her thumb in the dent. For a few seconds nothing happened; then there was a small click and the sphere came to life. The ball split down the middle, the indentation on one side; smooth metal on the other. But then a secret clip popped out of the smooth side while some kind of wire showed in the split. In less than 2 seconds the ball had transformed into...

"Again, I ask: WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Sokka exclaimed.

Suki shook her head, chuckling. "This, my dear boyfriend, is called 'The Lifter'. It can lift weights up to 400 pounds.' She pulled the clasp attached to the wire and pulled it. The wire was a bit thicker than a fishing line. "This is steel mesh, compacted tightly, interwoven, almost completely unbreakable. The only way it would break is if the object weighs over the limit." She looked at Sokka with mirth in her eyes. "Which gives me a little concern about you, Sokka, since you eat so much."

The Gang laughed at that as Sokka said indignantly, "I'm not that heavy! I have actually lost a few pounds, thank you very much." This only the teens laugh harder.

Suki shook her head before continuing as her friends calmed down. "The clip on the end here is magnetized. It can locate any metal, even if it's buried in wood. This brings me to the next item." Placing the Lifter down after turning it back to normal, the girl reached in and grabbed a kind of screen. It was black like the laptop, again brand new or unused. It was a GPS, sleek and hard, but very light. "This GPS is the highest technology known to man. It works like a regular GPS, but faster and has more features than any other ever sold on the market." She turned it on. Immediately a blue screen glowed an odd symbol on it. It looked like an eagle with its wings outspread as if it were flying. It had a hexagon surrounding it like a barrier. Then they saw controls on the screen with features they have never seen on other GPS's.

"This little device can not only find places, but it can also sense metal of any kind, alert you if there is someone else there by using the heat locater, acts as a tracker for the chips in case the computer is too far away, and it can record any sound if it seems suspicious." As she had been talking, she showed them how the little device works. With the heat radar though, when pointed to Aang and Katara, it showed that their hearts were beating the same. Suki thought it was weird, but didn't think too long on it. They were soul mates after all.

After showing them that, Suki brought out what seems to be a regular tube of toothpaste. Her friends looked at it blankly before Suki explained. "This looks like any other normal toothpaste people would buy at some store. But this little tube, nothing fancy like the rest of these gadgets, is probably one of the most powerful substances on this planet." She brought out a piece of scrap metal with some holes in that looked to be burned. Then opening the tube and squeezing a bit onto her finger she said, "Harmless on skin; but..." And she rubbed the tiny drop onto the metal. For a moment nothing happened; then there was a sizzling sound and smoke rose from the piece of scrap. Then the next thing they know there was a massive hole in the metal. The thing was at least an inch thick; how could paste cut through it like butter?

Suki said, "I'm not sure what kind of chemical it is, but it's very strong as you can see, or smell." She had directed that to Toph before she finished her demonstrations. "That's pretty much everything. These tools should help us if we're going to stop these people." There was silence for a few moments, everyone reeling from the information they had just received.

Then Toph said, "This is all fine and dandy and all that junk. But I do have one question. Or two. Where did you get all this stuff? And how do you know so much about them?"

Everyone looked at her. She knew she would have to tell them, despite the promise she had made to her father. So clearing her throat, Suki said, "I can only tell you as long as you promise to keep your mouths shut." There was a murmur of agreement and the girl took a deep breath before saying, "My dad didn't just own an electronics company. He was working for a secret agency." Everyone's eyes became as big as saucers. "My dad was a spy and technician. He had these created when he was part of a secret company called M16. That's how I know about these things. He literally taught me everything there was to know about spying if I was ever needed. He gave these as a kind of present for completing my training. That was about a month ago."

The Gang was speechless. Who knew a friend of theirs knew about a big secret operation? After a few more moments of awed silence and gaping mouths, Toph said, "Wooooow. That is really cool!" There was agreement before they started questioning the older girl, excited.

After a few minutes of interrogation, everyone went downstairs to eat. Suki's mom had left as soon as they came through the front door of the house, saying she had to go to the store. So when they got downstairs it was as quiet and still as a stone. Suki and Katara went into the kitchen to make some Cheese & Shells while Sokka, Aang and Toph sat at the table.

Aang had insisted on helping, but Katara had said, "We got it, Aang. There's nothing dangerous about making mac and cheese." So here he sat, feeling jittery and jumpy. He couldn't stand the fact that Katara was right there but not by his side. It made him feel strange. In the kitchen, with gleaming countertops the color of seashells, a giant silver double door refrigerator, and wooden cupboards in every other available space, along with a chrome sink and white dishwasher, Katara was feeling the same thing. It almost seemed like her heart and spirit are yearning for their other half. She couldn't blame them. It did feel wrong in a way to be away from him, no matter the distance.

Suki broke her out of her reverie. "I see you and Aang are pretty serious." The younger girl whipped her head in Suki's direction to see her smiling with a gleam in her eyes. Katara could feel her face burning from bashfulness. It made Suki laugh before she said, "Do you think you guys will be together for a long time?"

Katara thought about that for a few moments before she smiled and said, "I hope so, Suki. There isn't another guy like him. No one makes me feel safer or secure than him. There's something good and unselfish about him. I've known from the moment I looked into his silver eyes that things would change. His heart is my heart. And my soul is his. It's the best feeling in the world."

Awe covered the older girl's face as she listened. Then she glanced into the dining room at her boyfriend and sighed dreamily. "I know what you mean," she murmured. "That's how I feel around Sokka. I don't know what I would do without him."

Both girls smiled dreamily as they thought of their other halves. A lot has happened to the teenagers within a month. They were closer to each other than most friends and families. As they were in dreamland, the water over boiled and Suki lifted the pot as Katara turned the heat down. Then they laughed and went back to cooking. When they were done, Katara and Suki served the food and the girls took their spots by their boyfriends. They ate in comfortable silence. Katara decided to keep what she and Suki said to herself. Good thing Aang promised to stay out of her head. And even if he did try to pry, she could block her thoughts.

Then Sokka decided to break the silence with, "We need to figure out how we're going to find these people." His friends didn't need to ask whom he was referring to. The Black Mamba killers. Suddenly the atmosphere became charged with tension.

They all thought deeply before Suki said, "The only we can find them is to locate a member, attach the camouflage chip to his or her shirt, and track them with the computer. But the question is, who?" The Gang thought about it. Who could be part of this money grubby gang? All their minds became blank because they couldn't think of anyone. They looked at each other, at a loss now. Then a ray hope shines upon them as Toph thought of something. This was rare in itself because she hardly wants to think; but this could help them. What did they have to lose?

So she said smiled a bit and said, "I think I know how to find them." Everyone looked at her. Toph smirked and continued. "I just remembered something. Back at the party when you guys fought, and from the mall attack, I noticed that there was a pattern in the fighting. The snake guys have this graceful movement, very much like Jet and his gang. So what I was thinking was: what if we placed the chips on them and see where they lead us? You never know, they might be the ring leaders. And if not, if they're really just bullies, then we would have start over." Her friends thought about that. It sounded pretty good. It's the best lead they have.

Then something clicked inside Aang's brain. His eyes widened as he said, "Toph's right." His friends turned to him and he gulped. "I never forget how people fight if I watch. Almost two years ago, it was a month after I turned fourteen, when I fought that man, he had the same moves as... as Jet. That can't be a coincidence. I think we should go with Toph's idea. He and his gang might lead us to the hideout." They all considered. Aang was right: it couldn't be a coincidence. These attacks haven't been random; they were too organized, too planned out.

So with these thoughts firmly tucked into place, Sokka said, "Let's call Zuko and Mai. They have the right to know." Then he looked at the clock and saw it was 10:00 at night and said, "Let's do that tomorrow. We have school. We're going to need our strength. Right now we should go home and get some sleep." He stood up as everyone else did. He walked over to his girlfriend and kissed her as he said a quick goodnight. Toph decided to stay after being convinced by Suki that Lin wouldn't mind having her.

The drive home was silent as Sokka wound his way along the quiet streets. Aang and Katara was sitting in the back, holding each other close. Then Aang asked, "Hey, Sokka; do you think you could drop me off at my house? I need to make sure Gyatso is okay." All Sokka did was nod. Normally he would argue about how they would have to pass his and Katara's place to get there. But under the circumstances, he thought it be better grant Aang's request. So driving pass his place, Sokka took the ten minute drive to his friend's instead.

The first thing Aang noticed when he and his friends walked in was the fireplace. A glowing red fire warmed the interior with its heat. There were two leather chairs, fake leather of course, with a bald man sitting in one of them, watching the flames as though they were telling a story. Gyatso seemed older, more tired.

Aang approached slowly, half afraid of scaring him, and placed a hand on his shoulder as he said, "Gyatso?" The old man jumped and turned around to face his nephew's concern coated gray eyes. He released his breath as his heart slowed. Then he opened his arms and Aang went in them without hesitation. They sat on the chair, comforted. It felt like centuries since Aang had been in his arms.

The son of his heart meant everything to him. He looked exactly like his father; Gyatso's brother, Alan. But he had more of his mother's personality. Maria had the protective and caring heart. They both did, but Aang took to his mother more. When his parents were killed, something changed within the boy that he was holding in his arms. He became more protective, more grown up. No child should have to endure what he did. It was like the world had planted its weight on his shoulders.

Sokka and Katara had been standing there, wondering what to do. Should they leave or should they stay? Their question was answered when Aang stood up to sit in the other chair and stretched his hand out to her. Katara grabbed his hand and he pulled her down next to him.

Gyatso gestured to Sokka to sit with him and boy reluctantly sat down. There was something almost mystic about this older man, like he had seen many lives. There was a quiet determination and calmness about him that it seemed to slip right into Sokka's soul.

Katara was looking at her boyfriend, who was watching the flames dance. His eyes reflecting the flames, they seem to become wiser, older than his almost sixteen years of life, like he had had many past lives. She looked into the flames as well, and could have sworn she saw something dancing in them. There seemed to be two figures in the flames. One man and one woman. They seemed old fashioned, like the time during the dragons. They seem to be dancing.

The spell was broken when Aang spoke to her in her mind. 'Katara? I want you to stay with me here.' Katara, startled, looked at him to see pleading eyes boring into her own.

She hesitated; then thought 'Why can't you come back to our house?' She wondered if this had anything to do with his uncle.

'Because I don't want to leave Gyatso alone. I'm worried about him.' The boy looked at his uncle with concern. The older man was watching the fire while talking quietly to Sokka. The older teen seemed intrigued about something; no doubt the stories that Gyatso was telling. Gyatso used to tell him stories of the old days. There were so many details it was like Gyatso had been there.

Then he turned back to his soul mate. 'I want to be there for him. Something's changed. But I don't want to leave your side either. I couldn't stand it. Please, stay with me. We'll bring you to school. Just don't leave.'

His eyes told her that he was telling the truth. To be honest, Katara wouldn't be able to stand the separation either. They had been through too much to be apart now.

So looking into his eyes she thought to him 'I'll stay. But only if it's okay with my dad and your uncle.' After she thought that, Sokka's cell phone rang, interrupting Gyatso and breaking the spell they were all put under. Sokka answered the phone with a hello and waited.

Then he lowered the phone and said, "It's dad. He's wondering when we'll be home."

Katara held out her hand and said, "Let me talk to him. I have to ask him something." Sokka handed the over and Katara walked away as Aang asked his uncle and Sokka if Katara could stay.

It took a bit of convincing for the both of them. Gyatso had agreed wholeheartedly while Sokka complained a bit. Katara talked her dad, saying that she would be home tomorrow after school. Aang told her that his uncle would be happy to have her here and that he would drive them to school and back home, which she relayed to her father. The next thing they knew, Aang and Katara were cuddled up on his bed, talking quietly and laughing softly. Katara was wearing one of Aang's deceased aunt PJ's. She had tried to refuse, but both Aang and Gyatso encouraged her that it was fine. Aunt Carolina must have been one small woman because the PJ's fit. The purple silk felt like water on her skin. She wondered why they kept it, so she asked that very question.

"Because Gyatso wanted to remember her. She was killed when I was very young. Purple was her favorite color. After she was killed in a robbery raid at a jewelry store, for trying to defend it, Gyatso was never the same. He wanted to remember everything about her. They loved each other very much."

Katara frowned sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, Aang. It must have been hard; losing your aunt, and then your parents."

Aang took a deep breath. "It was hard." Then he laughed softly. "I remember when I was younger, Aunt C and I would bake cookies, and I end up with more flour on me than in the dough. Afterward, she would give me a quick bath as the cookies baked. Then we would eat them and watch a movie of my choice." Then his smile faded. "The last time we did that was a week before she passed on."

Hugging him, Katara murmured, "I'm sorry that happened. If I could turn back the clock, I would have tried to stop that." Aang held her closely and didn't respond. They stayed that way for a while. It was almost midnight, but the couple couldn't sleep. Gyatso had gone to bed early. The house was quiet, nothing moved, no sound was made.

Then Katara broke the silence. "The last time I had with my mother was when we went to New York. I always wanted to see the Empire State Building. My mom bought two round trip tickets for us. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. That happened a month before she died." Aang looked at her with deep sadness. He touched her cheek and she closed her eyes.

He kissed her forehead and mumbled, "I'm sorry. But you want to know something?" She lifted her head and looked at him. "Our parents may not be here physically. But they're here." He touched her heart. "That's the one place where they will live forever. They will always protect us. As long as we remember them, they will never be truly gone."

Katara had tears streaming down her face. She wiped them away before saying, "You're right. As long as we believe in them, they'll always be with us." She snuggled into his arms. "I just wish there was a way I could prevent any more deaths happening to us." Then a thought struck her and she sat up, startling Aang, looking right at him. "Teach me how to fight!"

Aang stared at her, sure he had heard her wrong. "What?" he said dumbly.

Katara rolled her eyes. "I want you to teach me how to fight. That way I can be more useful."

There was doubt on Aang's face. "I don't know, Katara. I mean, it took me years to get to where I am now. And I'm not a master yet. I'm not sure where you would end up."

Katara felt a flash of anger, and through the link, Aang felt it. The last thing he wanted to do was anger her. "It's because I'm a girl, isn't it?" Her voice was calm, but the undertone of anger was as visible as looking through a glass.

Aang shook his head. "No, Katara; that's not it. It's just that... the training is intense, even for a beginner. It isn't because you're a girl, Katara: it's because it's dangerous. I don't want you to get hurt."

That seemed reasonable enough, but Katara wasn't about to be blown off. "But Aang, I need to at least learn how to defend myself if there's trouble. Remember Jet? If I don't learn defense, he could get me. You won't always be around, Aang. Please; teach me. I want to fight. I want to protect people. I'm tired of sitting on the sidelines while the rest of you are out there risking your necks. If we want to win this war, you'll need all the help you can get. I think you should teach Sokka something too. And Toph. They need defense too. Maybe Zuko, Mai and Suki can give a few pointers too. Come on, please?"

Aang sat there in contemplative silence. He had to admit, Katara had a point. They were going to need all the help they could get. And the comment about Jet was enough to emphasize her point. And despite the urge to protect her and his friends, Aang knew she was right. He wasn't around all the time. He could not be in two places at once. Despite Toph's blindness, he knew she could defend herself if she had something to work with. Sokka may be the plan guy, but he could fight if it was necessary. And the only three black belts could help him with teaching.

So he sighed and said, "Alright." Katara looked surprised, then bewildered as he continued. "I'll teach you what I know. You're right; we're going to need as much help as we can get." Then he grinned. "We'll start training after school tomorrow if the other's accept it."

Katara laughed and hugged him so hard his eyes almost came out of his head. "Thank you Aang!" she squealed. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

Aang laughed a little and gently pushed her away to look in her shining eyes. "Okay, Kat. You got what you wanted. But you need to keep quiet. Gyatso's sleeping." He looked at the clock to see it was 12:13 in the morning. "And that is exactly what we need to be doing right now. If we're to train, we'll need our rest." With that said, the couple snuggled under the blanket and held each other. They shared a loving kiss before lying down for the night.

Before unconsciousness overtook them, Katara thought 'I love you.'

Aang smiled and thought back 'I love you too.' And they slept, the outside world forgotten in the realm of dreams.