"WHERE IS HE?" Zuko's voice boomed through the ship.
Cowering before him was an officer,too scared to speak.
"Tell me!" Zuko slammed his fist down on the table.
The officer jumped, forcing himself to stand up straight as he spoke. "We, uh, we lost him, sir."
"LOST HIM?!" He screamed.
"You better go," Iroh whispered, allowing the officer to happily scurry away, before turning his attention back to Zuko. "Zuko, don't be too angry."
"TOO ANGRY? Uncle! He lost the monk boy. My last chance at restoring my honor," Zuko complained.
Iroh considered stopping him, but decided to allow his nephew let it out. That was for the best right now, seeing how it would have been nearly impossible for Iroh to calm him down otherwise. Iroh stepped in. "All is not lost, nephew," he said reassuringly. "We will comb the area and see if we can find him. There is a nearby village. We can always ask there if they've seen him."
"Fine!" Zuko replied. "Tell the captain to direct the ship towards the village, and send out some troops to search the area."
Iroh nodded before heading out to give the order, fine with acting as if Zuko came up with the idea himself.
Getting to the village took no time. It was made easier by their ship, a machine invented by Sozin's Industries.
Once, a long time ago, the world was covered in water. In fact, it used to be mainly water, but after years of tearing up the land and depleting the ocean, the world became only partially water. So, instead of building brand new ships, which would have cost more to make than to sell, Sozin's Industries decided to take their once proud ships and make them capable of traveling over land. For the time, it proved to be a wise investment, but now even those ships were becoming out of date.
Sozin's Industries had new ships, ones that were able to fly, but those were not available to a banished heir like Zuko. He was given the cheapest ship, one that had been out of commission for years. He didn't mind though, all he cared about was getting that boy back and being accepted by his father once more. And, if he was able to do it in an older ship, then it would only prove his worthiness to return all the more.
This was what was running through his mind as he looked out onto the tundra. In the distance, his men were at work looking for the prisoner. They were wearing protective suits, but just like his ship, they were outdated. They would do nothing to protect them from an attack. Once bitten, his men were goners. Luckily they were good at their jobs.
Zuko was proud of was his men. Despite his anger, it's the one thing he's felt good about. He held the record for fewest men lost on a mission. He didn't want to see anyone hurt or lose anyone to the Infection. It wasn't something he said out loud, but all his men knew. They felt safe with Zuko in this unsafe world, which is why, through all the yelling and rage, his men were happy to be by his side, a fact that Zuko was grateful for, seeing as how his father wanted nothing to do with him.
"Prince Zuko," his uncle called, "we are nearing the village."
Zuko said nothing in reply. Instead, he just stepped inside and put on warmer clothes. He had heard of the village before, so he knew that he had to prepare his body of the cold temperature, something he wasn't used to.
He lived in the heat. The Infected were not only unable to stand the cold, but the heat also did them in. Their bodies couldn't regulate temperature, so anything too hot or too cold meant death for them.
It also helped that Zuko grew up Caldera, the safest city in the world. Only the richest lived there, which meant his family and other higher ups in his father's company. It was a place safe from the outside world, a place where they ignored everyone else's problem and focused on the one thing that mattered most to them: money.
Thinking about it only angered Zuko, but he still wanted to return. He wanted to be accepted by his father once again. He just wanted his old life back.
The ship reached the village without any problems, and a call from his men informed him that the boy was nowhere to be found, but also that they were safe. The area appeared clear of all Infected. Good news. He ordered them to the snow where it was safe, and gave standing orders to head toward the village, which they all did without delay.
It had been just over a week since they lost the boy, so if he wasn't there, Zuko didn't know where else to look.
As he disembarked the ship, he was greeted by a small group of people. The once large tribe that thrived in this freezing temperature now looked pathetic. There was barely anyone around. Even still, none of them looked happy to see Zuko. As the heir to Sozin's Industries, the company that started this, he was not popular. Still, he held his head up high and acted like the royal he was, unmoved past the hatred he felt by these peasants before him.
"I am looking for a boy," he said in his most demanding voice. "He is around fifteen and has much paler skin. He also has tattoos on his head and hands: arrows. We know he's here, so if you give him to us, no harm will come to this village."
Zuko's officers held up their guns at the unspoken command, aiming at the villagers, but they were unmoved. "We've seen no boy" an older woman called out from the crowd.
Her respond infuriated Zuko. He had to be there, Zuko refused to believe otherwise. If he wasn't, then the boy was lost forever, which meant Zuko could never return home, and that was something Zuko refused to to allow to happen..
The banished heir reached for his own gun and shot a bullet that whistled by the woman's ear. "Do not lie to me!" he snapped.
The woman was unfazed by the bullet that could have taken her life. "I am not lying," she replied in her calm, yet stern voice. "You're the first newcomer we've had in years, Prince Zuko."
The way she said his name was like it was the most disgusting thing ever to be mutter, and it stung. However, it didn't stop Zuko. "Grab the child," he ordered. An officer obeyed readily.
The young boy screamed in fear as he was pulled away from his family.
"Tell me where the boy is now, or else we have a new test subject."
The word sent fear through the group. It was ten years ago, but the memory of their family members returning to the apartment complex after being test subjects was still fresh in their minds.
"Don't!" Katara shouted as she stepped forward. "Don't hurt him."
Zuko looked at the girl, noticing right away where her hand were: on her gun. "I wouldn't do that." He hissed.
"Katara…" Sokka stepped forward, pulling Katara back. He looked at her, and though it was only for a moment, she could see the fear in his eyes.
No. Not just fear. Sokka was terrified, which in turn scared Katara, causing her to step back.
"Good girl. Listen to the boy."
"We told you we don't know where this boy is, now let the kid go." There was no fear in Sokka's voice as he spoke. He really was the chief now.
"Take him on board." Zuko ordered, ignoring Sokka.
"Wait…" A weak voice broke through the crowd.
"Aang- no!" Katara whispered.
"Dammit." Sokka growled as he watched Aang step forward.
Recently, Aang had finally awoken from his much needed rest, and when he did, he told Sokka and Katara everything. He told them how there was an antibody in his blood that was able to fight against the virus, one that protected him from becoming one of the Infected. It was hard to believe, but they had no other choice. After all, both Sokka and Katara saw him get bitten, and yet there he was, perfectly fine.
Aang went on to tell them about how Zuko had found him and was going to bring him back to Caldera to become a test subject. Originally, he was alright with the idea, but after overhearing the guards mention he was going to be killed once they reached the city, Aang knew he had to get away. He didn't trust this company with his blood.
Amazingly enough, Sokka agreed with Aang. He didn't trust Sozin's Industries, so there was no way he would give them the cure.
"If we want to get rid of the Infected, we have to give it to a company we can trust." Sokka's words still echoed in the back of Aang's mind.
This might not be the company they trust, but it was his only choice. He wasn't going to let these people suffer for him.
"I'm here." He exclaimed once more.
Zuko stared at the boy before giving his officer the go ahead to let the other boy go. As the boy ran back to his mother, Aang stepped forward. "I'm right here, and I'll go with you if you leave these people alone," he said.
Katara wanted to say something, but Sokka held her back.
"Fine." Zuko replied. "Take him... and harm no one else."
The officers followed orders once more and lead Aang onto the ship. Before he was completely out of sight, he turned and gave Katara a smile, thanking her for her help.
Katara watched at their last hope boarded the ship, followed by Zuko, who told the village they should consider themselves lucky. Tears filled her eyes and the ship moved away, and as it did, she turned towards Sokka. "How could you?" She screamed at him as he walked away. "How could you let them take him?!"
"Aang wanted to go," Sokka explained.
"Because he had no other choice!" She retorted.
Sokka didn't reply. He was lost in his own little world as he gathered their hunting supplies. It only annoyed Katara more. "How could you even think about hunting right now? We just lost Aang!"
Sokka pushed her gun against her. "Would you quit your crying?" He said. "If we're gonna save your little boyfriend, then I need you at the top of your game."
His words surprised her. The anger disappeared completely, joy replacing it.
"Oh Sokka!" She sang out, pulling her brother into a hug.
"Alright! You love me. Got it. Now come on, we don't have a lot of time," he said as he pushed her away. "They may have a big ship, but we know this land better than anyone. Let's go get Aang back."