Chapter 2 - Looming Shadows
"Ms. Sato are you sure you want to-" I had to cut off the annoying engineer, who was trying to tell me that the new vehicle wasn't ready for testing, I'd given it a look over, it was fine.
"Yes, I'm sure, it should run just fine," it's not as if I'd get lost in the desert, what with the new compass; designed to remain unaffected by the Si Wong desert's magnetic abnormalities. "Besides, I think that this dune buggy is due for a field test." I climbed in, putting on a pair of goggles before inserting the key and bringing this little beauty to life.
I couldn't help but let out a sigh of contentment, listening to the engine do its thing. I looked straight ahead, hands on the wheel, and slammed my foot on the accelerator pedal.
The sudden screech of the tires on the ground as dune buggy sped out of the garage.
I always loved the sound of the engine running as I drove, especially in an open area where I could really floor it and push the engine; I'd always found it oddly relaxing, the world rushing past as my thoughts just seemed to drift off.
I was still reeling a bit from my meeting with the Grandmaster, I'd managed to get the deal and save the company with the new military contracts; but now, alone and enjoying an awesome new car, I couldn't help but wonder what this would lead to.
The company's image would undoubtedly take another blow, weapons manufacturing wasn't exactly a family friendly thing for a corporation. I tried to find another way, but this backroom deal and producing Mecha-tanks and planes for the united forces was the only recourse Da- My father, had left me. I really wanted to stop thinking about it. At least I'd get back to my training, all the work trying to save the company, I'd been getting rusty.
I took a deep breath as I tried to get my mind off of my psychotic parentage, which lead to an interesting thought concerning my Mother's dairy.
Had he know about what I'd found their? Did he know about Mother's connection to-
"Gah!" my train of thought was interrupted by a light shining right into my eyes, making me swerve for a moment before bring the dune buggy to a stop; my goggles may have protected my eyes from sand and the wind they weren't blacked out. "What the hell was that?" I asked myself for some reason.
Looking in the direction the blinding glare had come from, I tried to locate its source. I noticed a small flicker far off and some odd shape that seemed out of place against the endless sand of the desert, and it was moving... A person? In the middle of the desert? Could be anything, I should probably go check it out.
I noticed my usual contact as soon as I stepped into the little desert saloon, it was hard to miss that hat with the braid and glasses; nose in a book as always, that cover worked for him. He had a bottle with two glasses at his little table in the back, he was expecting me.
"I hear Thessia is lovely this time of year?" Did he have to use that old passphrase every time?
"I especially like their ice brandy." I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I gave the right response; I still hadn't figured out what that book he said he got it out of. Sitting down I poured myself a drink, I usually needed at least one when dealing with this guy.
"Nice to see you again Commander, oh sorry, Captain S-" Oh no, he wasn't going there.
"Don't even try it Yamada." I noticed the jerk smirking, even if he was still looking in his book.
"I haven't the slightest idea what you mean?" Like hell he didn't.
"We both know that with your connections you would've heard about my promotion getting axed." I took a swig of my drink, it was semi-decent, about as good as you could get in a dust hole like this, "Thanks to princey-poo-" My jerkass of a contact chuckled at my nickname for the dear young general.
"So I guess the insubordination rumour was true."
"Winning a sparring match does not count as insubordination, damn brat shouldn't be such a sore loser; If he really thought that nepotism was going to help him in a fight, he was more delusional than I thought." This got Yamada to outright laugh.
"I hope you didn't say that to General Iroh's face." I wasn't that much of an idiot
"I'm brazen, not stupid." I took another swig of my drink, this little conversation was starting to drag on, "Enough with the small talk, did you get the Intel?" That was the big question.
"Yeah, I got it, it was easy to track such a high profile murder in the underworld of Ba Sing Se." Yamada finally put the book down and turned to face me; I listened intently as his smirk vanished "It was even easier considering who the killer was, it seems his particular cell of the Fist of the Phoenix uprooted itself and relocated to a hidden base beneath the Si Wong rock, they also seem to have made an alliance with one of the sand bender tribes-" No way.
"Sand benders?" the Fist of the Phoenix working with a group of earth benders? Didn't make sense.
"They're earth benders that speciali-" I cut off his explanation.
"I know what sand benders are Yamada, I was surprised because of the obviously bizarre alliance." Yamada may be good at getting information but could be a really condescending jerkass on occasion.
"I don't have anything concrete on that front, pun not intended, but my best guess would be 'desperate times equal desperate measures'. " I gave a small nod, agreeing with Yamada as he paused for a moment to take a sip of his drink, first time since I got here, "But I managed to contact a rival tribe who know about a hidden entrance and are willing to give a single person a lift there," I raised my eyebrow at the insinuation as Yamada's smirk returned, "I assumed that you would be needing transportation." I snorted in amusement, starting to smirk myself, before picking up my glass.
"Just tell me where and when to meet him." I took a last swig from my glass, finishing what was in there.
"Her." Pleasant surprise.
"Oh, good to know that I'll have another girl to talk to, no offense Yamada but I have standards." We both smirked as I put my glass down, my free hand slipping a wad of bills across the unseen side of the table.
"A pleasure doing business with you as always commander."
"Are you okay?!" I can't believe that I just stumbled across a girl passed out in the middle of desert, I really hope she isn't dead. I grabbed a canteen of water as the buggy came to a stop before jumping out to get to the girl as fast as I could.
I knelt down to roll her over off of her face, taking off her goggles, her eyes were still shut. I noticed she had a canteen on her, empty. I gently cupped her head as I tried to rouse her, still hoping she wasn't dead.
"Hey, come on wake up..." still nothing; I grabbed my own canteen, maybe a little water would bring her around. A good idea it seemed as the water sloshing inside seemed to get a tried groan out of her. I noticed her eyes start to flutter open, that was a relief "Good, you're not dead, do you nee-" I didn't get the chance to finish my sentence as the girl suddenly dove forward.
"Water!" she screamed and grabbed my canteen, opening it and gulping down as much as she could, and she could gulp down quite a bit. As in the whole canteen, in one breath. After finishing off the canteen she started to draw in as much air as she could into her depleted lungs, it seemed that she still hadn't noticed me still kneeling right next to her.
"Umm, hi?" the girl perked up and turned to me, giving me a chance to take a proper look at her features, I took note of her light brown hair and blue eyes, bit of an odd hairstyle too, double ponytails.
"Oh, yes." she quickly rearranged herself so that she was likewise kneeling whilst facing me, handing the canteen back to me with a slight bow. "Thank you for the water." her voice had a certain perkiness to it, despite having been passed out in the middle of the desert.
"You're...welcome..." this girl's behaviour continued to perplex me, this was hardly an everyday experience and she was just so casual about it "I didn't get your name..." I sort of trailed off, still unsure how to react.
"Oh!" I recoiled a bit as she shot up, smiling a large thankful smile, "I'm so sorry that was rude of me," she extend her arm for a handshake ",my name is Arika, Arika Yumemiya, nice to meet you..." it seemed to be her turn to trail off, averting her eyes with a pondering look on her face.
"Sato."
"Huh?"
"Asami Sato, " I took her hand and shook it, "Nice to meet you too, Arika Yumemiya." Arika returned to her large smile as I returned her sentiment before asking the obvious question "How did you wind up in the middle of the desert?" Not many reasons to be out here.
"Oh, I was trying to get Mist Palms so I could take an airship to Republic City." That makes some sense I guess.
"Okay, but where did you come from?" She probably just need to skim across the edge of the dissert but got lost, that seemed the most likely.
"Full moon bay." Wait- what?
"Full moon bay?" I raised an eyebrow with my question which was met with a cheerful nod, "As in, 'south of the Serpent's Pass'?" another nod, "As in, on the opposite side of the desert?" yet another cheerful smiling nod.
This girl had almost managed to make it across the entire Si Wong desert, on foot and all on her on. Whoa.
I was about to ask how she'd pulled off crossing the harshest desert on the planet as an afterthought when-
"Halt! Don't move!" a dozen or so sand benders burst up from the sand of the desert floor, they'd managed to get the drop on us and before either of us knew it, we had been tangled in weighted rope, I was struggling to get free when a sand bender got a bag over my head from behind just as I got a hand free.
I was about to swing my elbow around to smash the jerk in the face when I got hit on the back of the head and started to feel dizzy; crap. I gritted my teeth and swung as planned, felt a satisfying crack with a scream as I fell to the ground and lost consciousness.
AN: So now we've seen how Asami met Arika, and a new character shows up, who was mentioned in passing in chapter 9 of 'Reasons to celebrate', though not by name; I wonder if anyone can guess who she is? I hope some of my regulars are reading this story, I also hope I have regulars.
As always please leave a review.