Grind 2.5
Vista ushered me through the halls of the PRT building to the testing room. It was too bad Dad had more than twice as much paper work to go over as I had, but I was too excited to wait for him. As I'd gotten closer to the bottom of my pile of paper Vista had started to fidget more and more often towards the end she was almost bouncing out of her chair. Now she was warping space to get us their faster. Clockblocker followed along quietly behind us.
"We need to get you a more heroic costume at some point, you know that right?" Vista said.
"What's wrong with cloaks? They're cool"
"We just got rid of a cape with the whole dark and brooding shtick. You are neither of those things. That's two very good reasons to get you a friendlier outfit"
"OK, point." She did have a solid argument, but I liked my cloak. Oh well argument for another day.
"So have you ever watched Avatar before?" Vista asked.
"No, I usually read, but I think I've heard of it. What can you tell me?"
Vista chewed at her lip as she dragged me down yet another hallway and into an elevator. "How do you feel about spoilers?" she asked as the doors slid shut behind us.
"Normally I would hate them. Given how much Mario su… stunk and how much I hated the start of Dragonsong, I'd rather be prepared going in. What's the background stuff, and is there anything I should watch out for?"
Vista frowned. "Before that there is some stuff we should try to figure out. Have you ever done a TV show before?"
"Nope."
"So we don't know how you're power will react?"
"We can take an educated guess. So far it hasn't dragged me through all the books in a given series, just whichever one I picked up. It doesn't put me in them until I open the book or when I hit start in Mario."
"Then were probably going to have to pick a CD and just go with that." Vista tapped her chin with one finger thoughtfully. Given her age she looked more adorable than serious, but I elected not to mention that to her. After all, Vista was a senior Ward.
"Would your power pick up abilities that aren't mentioned in the episodes you're in?"
"Not sure, never had a way to test that. It doesn't necessarily give me all the powers from whatever I enter anyway." I shrugged.
"What hasn't it given you?" Clockblocker asked.
"Well I was supposed to get nine fire lizards, though the three I have are more than enough to keep track of. From Mario all I got was the ability to grow when I eat mushrooms, maybe, haven't tried to eat any flowers or stars." Clockblocker chuckled.
"Then we want episodes with fight scenes and healing scenes." Vista said as she opened a door and waved me inside. Go over everything you know about your power with doctor Russell, I'll go set up the DVD player and try to figure out which DVD will give us the best results."
Crap. I hate repeating myself. Oh well, best to get it over with. I headed over to the thin woman wearing a lab coat.
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After ten minutes of answering questions and giving explanations Vista came back leading a PRT officer who was pushing a TV on a cart. Vista carried a DVD box labeled Avatar season two. She flipped it open and pulled out the final disk.
"This disk has two times when Katara, the girl you're going to be, uses bending to heal. One of those times is to heal the effects of brainwashing and hypnosis. I dunno if it'll carry over or not, but I figure we may as well try to get anti stranger healing while where doing this."
Healing the effects of brainwashing, with water? However that worked it sounded cool.
"So we have five episodes. Not much happens involving the characters we want to be in the first, and then the rest jump viewpoints a lot. But there is a lot of awesome bending and the best examples of healing in the series, so it won't get much better than this."
Vista glanced at the Trooper. "Thanks, you can go now." She made a little shooing gesture.
"Actually ma'am, the director sent me here for the power testing." The trooper said, I couldn't tell if he was smiling behind that helmet or not but I suspected Vista's was amusing him.
"Huh?" I replied eloquently.
"The director is interested to see what effects your power has on capes and non capes. She wants to know if you can give powers to others as well as yourself. If you can, you're going to be one of the big names. The director wants the theory tested as soon as possible." The trooper seemed disinterested but Dr. Russell seemed to be really excited by the idea.
As for myself, I think my mouth was hanging open. Me, a big name cape? And how had I not thought of this yet?! If I really could hand out powers like candy that would open up all kinds of possibilities!
"Can we start testing now?" I hoped I didn't sound like I was pleading too much.
The group all seemed to agree. Vista took my left hand and the trooper placed a hand on my shoulder. I raised the remote and hit play.
The black room and the wall of lights greeted us.
"OK Vista, time for that rundown you promised me."
"OK, the show goes like this. There are four nations, the fire nation, the earth kingdom, the water tribe, and the air nomads. Each group has its own type of benders. Benders are people who control one of the four elements through martial arts." I was impressed Vista was maintaining a very professional attitude, at least until I noticed her right foot tapping against the floor at a machinegun pace, then I just grinned.
"About a hundred years before the start of the show the fire nation invaded and wiped out the air nomads. The only survivor is a kid named Aang. He's the avatar, he can learn all four kinds of bending but he's only ten or eleven years old."
Vista rounded on the PRT agent. "You're not allowed to be Aang, or Zuko!"
The trooper held up his hands in surrender. "Why? Not arguing, but it sounds like the Aang kid is the big prize, in terms of powers."
Vista crossed her arms over her chest. "Because Aang has a thing for Katara, and Taylor has to be Katara." Vista proceeded to glare down the PRT trooper who somehow looked sheepish in armor.
"Right, ugh who can I be then." Vista switched to a thoughtful demeanor and tapped at her chin. "Iroh, you can be Iroh. He's fire nation royalty, but he's awesome. Back on topic, Taylor you're going to be Katara, and I'll be Toph. Any questions?"
"None of us die right?"
"No. OK then!" Vista broke out into a huge smile and bolted for the wall of light tagging the light labeled Toph, and vanishing.
"She could have waited to see if there were any other questions…" The trooper, snorted. "Is she always so… energetic?" I asked.
The trooper chuckled. "You don't know the half of it." With that we made our way over to the wall and tagged our respective lights.
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The first episode went by slowly the three of us sort of… hovered off screen, sometimes literally. Vista kept up a steady string of chatter explaining who Appa was and why he was important and how he managed to get bison-napped. I didn't really know the show, but I still felt sorry for the big guy.
Then the credits played Vi-Toph, because she insisted I call her that, was practically vibrating with excitement.
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"So were walking around the city putting up posters?" I asked. "Not quite we are walking around, but I'm not putting up any posters." Vista answered. "Why not?" I asked
Vista spun to face me and stomped a foot, causing a column of rock to spring up under her feet. The column left her at my eye level as she said with a manic grin and a wiggling of fingers, "I'm blind! I see with Eartholocation!"
"That's not a word Vista." The younger girl shook her head, "Toph, right now my name is Toph. As Toph it is my right as the most powerful earth bender alive to invent words to define earth bending echo location!" She boldly declared. "Listen, don't you get it? You have such an awesome power! You can be anyone! A hero, or villain, a princess, or knight, hell you can probably even be a dragon if you want! On patrol you have to be serious, because what we do matters. But with your power, when you use it like this, you can do anything. You can do crazy things like taking on an army single handed, or kiss all the boys, or get drunk, or blow up the moon! You can do whatever just because you felt like it, and no one will get mad! Now come on our next scene starts soon!"
Anything at all, huh….
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PRT trooper
"Look I'll be happy to make your damn tea, just tell me where the tea bags are."
"What are you talking about? The tea leaves are right above the counter where they've always been. Now hurry up, our customers are getting impatient." The manager rushed out of the kitchen.
"Leaves?"
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Taylor
"Vi-Toph why did you break the house?" she laughed "Weren't you listening? Were breaking some rules to find Appa!"
"No I got that. I just don't understand why you broke the house!"
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I swept my arms out to the side calling up a pair of six foot waves that I brought crashing down on the messy haired boy, sweeping him into an alley. "Tell it to some other girl Jet." Oh so his name is Jet.
Then I pinned him to the wall with spikes of ice.
"I'm here to help you find Appa!"
Oh. Um, oops?
"Katara check out my Armsmaster impersonation!" Vista ran up to Jet, placing a hand on the wall he was pinned too. Composing her features into a stern look she turned to face me and gruffly said, "Truth."
"OK, how do know he's telling the truth?" I giggled I couldn't help it she looked ridiculous. "I can sense the vibrations of his heart rate to detect lies." Vista responded innocently.
"OK so we fallow crazy hair" oh my next line, "But were not letting you out of our sight." I gave Jet my own stern look which started Vista laughing. I guess my serious look was pretty funny too.
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"The old guy with the broom was a plant to trick us wasn't he?" I asked.
"Yup." Vista answered.
"So more shenanigans?"
She gave me a blank eyed stare. "Duh."
"OK last question, is his name really supposed to be Sweepy or are the writers just being goofy?" Vista just snorted.
"So, Dennis says you landed on top of him when you got out of that first book." I shot a look at Vista something in her tone was weird. "Yeah, he was real nice about it, and he helped calm me down later. It was sweet of him."
"So you like him?" incredulity lacing her voice. "What? No!"
"I can tell your lying." Vista sing songed at me. Oh that's how it was going to be, well no consequences right? I grinned and flash froze her feet to the ground as she tried to race off ahead of me. "Hey, no fair!" I just laughed.
"Well next time don't tease me."
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"Wait I can heal brainwashing, with water how does that even…" Vista cut me off.
"Magical water bending healing, don't question it!"
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Shit, no, no, no, no. "Jet don't die." Jet has massive internal bleeding and severe organ damage. "Vista, what the hell? This is supposed to be a kid's show! And how is he the only person who's been seriously hurt in one of these fights?!"
"Stop!" Vista sounded shaky but determined. "This is a serious scene, you can be angry later. Right now, just be respectful. Now come on we need to go find Appa."
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"So we're flying back to the palace. When we get there we'll have to fight our way through the palace guard, which is basically a small army, because Long Feng told the Earth king we were going to overthrow the kingdom" Vista explained in a rush.
"Wait Appa through that guy into the lake at the end of the last episode that can't have been more than three minutes ago, and were flying. How did he beat us back there?"
Vista stared at me stone faced for a moment. "Shut up" she grumbled.
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"Are they really that bad? We must have beaten more than a hundred guys breaking in here." Vista shot me a satisfied smile.
"We're just that awesome. Did you see my trick with the stairs?!"
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"So everything is working out? And we're all going our own way?" I asked. Vista wiggled a hand back and forth
"Eh, you'll see."
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Vista
"Captured, excellent" I cracked my knuckles.
It took awhile but sure enough there were particles of earth in the metal. I could feel it. I already knew where things went from here. I could sense it, so I could bend it. I was going to metal bend my way out of this box!
Sure enough all it took was a bit of practice before I managed to rip open my box and throw the dunderheads who were trying to take me back to Mom inside. Then I was off!
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Taylor
"Great, now I'm in jail." I said slumping down against one of the glowing crystals.
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PRT Trooper
Huh lots of suspicious guys in green robes with military demeanors, and an annoying teenage girl. "Looks like I finally get to try out bending." With that I opened my mouth and filled the room with fire.
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Taylor
Oh scar face, umm what was his name, oh Zuko, right.
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Vista
"Yes! Team up! Common Iroh, we have a coup to interrupt" Iroh shook his head.
"Sure whatever you say Vista."
"Toph, I already told you call me Toph!"
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Taylor
Why? Why all the heavy dialogue. Vista hadn't said anything about Katara's mom having died. I guess it didn't matter much except that I could relate. It brought back a lot of sad memories.
No, damn it, I would not be sad! Vista was right this could be fun. I just needed to focus on something else, like my hair! Yes, my hair was defiantly weird! How the heck did Katara maintain these hair loopy things?"
Oh crap more dialogue. Huh could I really heal a burn scar that old? "Well one way to…" The wall exploded "Or I could get busted out"
A minute of running later Aang and I came to a large cavern. "Oh this can't be good."
Sure enough the bolt of lightning Aang blocked with a wall of earth proved that we had just walked into a fight, with a girl shooting blue fire.
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Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. Aang was hit! With Lightning! I needed to get him and get out!
As the scene played out in my head showing me what to do I couldn't help but be pissed. "If I could flood the whole cave, then why the heck didn't I just do that in the first place?!" Why do writers do this!
My wave swept aside the assembled troops and brought me across the room. I grabbed Aang before he could hit the floor. Most of the goons in green were gone now but that still left brother and sister pyro.
"Need some help?" a wall a fire billowed into existence between me and my opponents. It was Iroh! Err that is, the PRT Trooper. I really should have asked what his name was at some point.
"Go on I'm supposed to hold them off while you get out." Nodding I took off carrying the unconscious Aang. As soon as we made it into the sky on Appa I pulled out the little vial of special water from before, energized it, and pressed it into Aang's back. At first I didn't think it would work but then Aang started to breath.
From behind me I heard the earth king say that his nation had fallen.
Then we were back in the real world.