Wow. It's been a while hasn't it? Now! Who wants to get started?
Disclaimer: Avatar: The Last Airbender is owned by Bryan Konietzko and Michael DiMartino
"We're coming up on the blockade!" Suki shouted, running on to the bridge.
"Everyone ready?" asked Zuko, glancing around at the royal family and Aang. Everyone nodded, except for Lu Ten, who was running around, throwing levers at random. Zuko sighed. "And what's that supposed to accomplish?"
"You'll see in about three and a half minutes," Lu Ten replied. "Right now, party as the night is young!"
"It's noon," Ursa replied flatly.
"Hence the night being young!"
"Remind me why we brought him again?" Ursa whispered to Iroh.
"This ship was so heavily modified that he's the only one who knows how anything here works," Iroh replied.
"Ah."
"Just… places, okay everyone?" Zuko requested. Everyone exchanged glances, and ran from the bridge.
Zuko stood on deck, staring out at the horizon—or rather, the massive ships covering the horizon like some kind of mutant blanket.
"Here's where it gets interesting," he muttered, as one of them peeled off and started coming towards them.
"Lu Ten?" he spoke into one of the funnels, "Any minute now."
"Which one? Make up your mind."
"Go! Just go!"
"Ooh! Okay!"
There was a brief pause as Lu Ten threw a few levers. Then, suddenly...
Flames exploded from the smoke stack, and Zuko was thrown off his feet as ship accelerated. He was thrown again after the port anchor abruptly lowered, whipping the ship into a wide, fire spitting circle. Zuko picked himself up with a groan, and ran toward the hatch, Lu Ten's berserk laughter echoing from the funnel.
A few minutes later, the ship stopped spinning, and Zuko could only hope that they were back on course—he couldn't tell from deep inside the hold.
"What in the world was that supposed to accomplish, anyway?" He grumbled, rubbing his shoulder.
"It's Lu Ten," Suki replied, "do you really want to know?"
"Good point. You ready Aang?"
"Yep!" the Avatar replied.
Zuko hesitantly walked over to a nearby funnel. "Lu Ten? We're waiting for your signal."
"My signal? That's boring. Why not a tomato instead?"
"Lu Ten!"
"Sheesh."
In the minutes that followed, Aang, Suki, and Zuko ran into position.
Then: "Okay, peoples, smokescreen is going, and we have launch! Pass the raisins, someone."
A hatch opened, and the lifeboat spilled out into the middle of a massive cloud of smoke.
"Yip yip," whispered Aang, and the sky bison that they were riding silently followed the lifeboat out the side of the ship.
If there was one thing nicer than having a flying animal, it was having a flying animal that no one else knew about.
That's that chapter. Next time: Aang speaks to Roku, and we learn more about what's going on!
I sure hope that I'm not losing my touch.