Hello everyone.
As always, I want to shout out to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed since the last update.
And as usual, if you find the story worthy please consider continuing to do so as you read along.
A Will of Her Own – Chapter One Hundred One
The alarm sounded off throughout the vast fortress.
While the blinking red lights continued to flash ominously in the chaos filled halls.
Just as two gloved hands pushed open a pair of doors that slid open with a metallic groan.
And then Naoki stepped foot into the chamber with her machinelike brown eyes now gazing back at the far side of the hall.
Only for her lips to pull into an even larger smirk over what she saw.
Standing on the other side of the chamber was none other than Reynolds.
The large man stared back with utterly ruthless blue eyes while the young supersoldier just smirked goadingly back at him.
The two stared at one another for a passing moment while the crimson light flickered above them.
Their faces were accentuated with a red hue that only served to amplify the look of uncontrolled rage on the colonel's face.
The man clenched his jaw while the prodigy released an entertained laugh before he roared at the top of his vocal cords.
And then the fearsome commander opened fire on the smiling supersoldier while his yells echoed throughout the nearby halls.
Mai and Ty Lee sat in the chamber as they reeled for air with their eyes still wide in uncharacteristic fright.
They had held their breath for as long as they could while toxic gas began to blow into the room from the overhead vents.
In reality it had only been about a minute.
But it had felt like an eternity.
And they had been certain that they were going to die.
Only to find themselves gazing up in bewilderment when the gas abruptly shut off.
And the vents immediately began to cleanse the air of the poisonous gas.
"We're…we're alive." Ty Lee stated in a rasping voice with her brown-gray eyes almost tearing up in relief while Mai panted across from her.
"Someone…stopped the execution." Mai coughed in a relieved voice while she gazed around with still startled tawny eyes.
Not even a minute after the woman had stepped away from Azula's cell door.
Azula's amber golden eyes spun towards the door when she heard the door being unlocked from the other side.
And then her curled into a gratified smirk when she found herself gazing back at the woman from before.
She watched the aide wordlessly stride across the distance of her cell to release her from her bonds with a small briefcase in hand.
"As I said…" Azula trailed off in a smooth voice while her merciless amber golden eyes tried to hide any indication that she had any doubt that the woman would return.
"Don't get too overconfident. I have yet to set you free." Cynthia stated flatly as she approached the princess while the woman glared at her through the corner of her eye.
She couldn't deny that the woman had an imposing presence.
Even when she was bound in chains and unable to move the strange princess possessed an ominous aura of intimidation.
"What of my subordinates?" Azula questioned in a callous voice as she took pleasure in how her frigid gaze made the woman sweat.
"They are alive. I shut off the lethal gas before I came to speak with you." Cynthia assured in a hurried voice while the princess's eyes stare lessened in harshness marginally.
And for the briefest of moments there was a flash of something akin to relief in the conqueror's ruthless eyes.
"It takes about fifteen minutes to render fatality. And I would say that your friends were likely only exposed for around a minute and a half. So, they will probably be fine…probably." Cynthia commented in a less than convincing voice while Azula's cold eyes glared at her once more as she fumbled to unlock the face cage.
"I should hope so. Anything that happens to them. I will repay to you and your people tenfold." Azula announced in an unfathomably ruthless voice with her steely amber golden eyes now gazing right back into the aide's fearfully nodding face.
Just as the sound of a distinct click penetrated her ears as the cage was unlocked.
And then she stared on with a more pleased look in her cold amber golden gaze while she watched in satisfaction when the woman pulled the structure free from her head.
Only for the sound of a sudden shout resonating into the air to cause the aide to freeze up and the princess to snap her eyes in the direction of the door.
"What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Ethan demanded with his pistol pointing in the direction of the now paling Cynthia while Azula seethed in her restraints.
"I'm making a calculated call." Cynthia answered in a guarded voice as she knelt with her back turned to the soldier while he kept his gun trained on the back of her head.
Azula scrutinized the two with her cold amber golden eyes sweeping back and forth between the crouched woman and the approaching soldier.
"A calculated call? You know how crucial these experiments are! Our entire country, maybe even the entire planet depends upon it! Not to mention the importance of the resources that this new land has to offer us!" Ethan shouted with desperation lacing his voice while he held the barrel of his gun against the woman's head.
Azula furrowed her elegant brows as she listened intently as she recalled the cryptic words that Elle had told her on their ride to the fortress.
Nothing was ever the same again after that. We ruined much of the world beyond repair.
'What hasn't Elle told me?' Azula thought with her callous amber golden eyes flickering with a desire to learn more about her handmaid's world.
It hadn't escaped her notice that the girl had a tendency to give explanations to her questions that only left her with more questions than answers.
There was clearly more to it than what the girl was telling her.
"Yes, I know. That is what they tell us." Cynthia responded in a doubtful voice only to find herself crying out in pain when she was kicked to the floor of the cell.
And then the aide hit the floor while the princess sat in her bonds with her eyes coldly regarding the furious soldier.
She began to take careful intakes of air into her lungs with her crimson lips pursed into a merciless scowl.
"Then you know that humanity can be as it once was! And if that means killing a few freaks along the way to get there…then so be it!" Ethan bellowed as he now pointed his gun in Azula's emotionless face while the bound woman took in a great inhale of air.
Her cheeks discreetly puffed up with all the fire that she could muster.
And then before the man could react.
She spat a mouthful of yellow flames right in the soldier's unsuspecting face.
And not a moment later Azula watched with vengeful delight in her cruel amber golden eyes when the man recoiled screaming onto the floor.
Her cruel lips curved into a pleased smile.
While it wasn't her usual flawless blue flame.
It was a flame all the same.
'As I suspected. Their method of chi blocking isn't full proof. Given enough time…a bender can regain control of their chi. And for a prodigy such as myself…that is all too easy.' Azula thought with her ruthless eyes gazing down in satisfaction at the writhing man as he frantically tried to put out the fire on his face.
Just as the gun clattered to the floor while she watched through the corner of her eye as Cynthia dove to retrieve it.
"Y-you bitch! You blinded me!" Ethan screamed with his burned eyes squeezed shut while he rolled across the floor.
The princess smirked down at him with a noticeably sadistic gleam in her gaze.
Before the sound of a single smoking gunshot erupted thunderously into the air of the cell.
And then just like that Ethan slumped over against the wall with a bleeding hole in his temple while Cynthia now stood panting for air above him.
Azula's amber golden eyes were once again agape in fascination over the power of the nonbending weapon.
It was like she saw in her handmaid's recollection of memories.
All one had to do was point and their target was dead.
It was nothing short of astonishing!
'I have to acquire this technology!' Azula thought with her amber golden eyes still staring down at the man in amazement.
Before she turned her cold eyes to the yet to be named woman as she rushed back over to her side.
"We…we have to hurry! I have to give you the reverse serum before anyone comes to investigate or we're both dead." Cynthia stated in a hurried voice while the princess stared back at her with curious yet pleased amber golden eyes.
"Reverse serum?" Azula asked in a dignified voice while her cold amber golden eyes watched the woman quickly open her case.
She quirked her brows once more when she found herself staring down at a collection of syringes injections that were prefilled with a mysterious substance.
"I can see that you are already slowly regaining use of your…abilities. But as it stands now. It will still be around an hour before you fully regain the ability to move." Cynthia informed in a casual voice while Azula amber golden eyes now boiled over in murderous fury.
"An hour!" Azula hissed with her teeth bared like a wrathful dragon while she stared intimidatingly down at the sweating woman.
"T-that is if I don't give you the antidote. It was developed specifically for aberrants working for the government. It will restore your mobility and your ability to use your powers. But you will still be sluggish for some time." Cynthia explained in a helpful voice while the princess listened with her icy eyes still gleaming in displeasure over her words
"And how do I know that it isn't poison?" Azula inquired with an unmistakable violent edge to her voice while the woman prepared to inject her arm.
"You don't. You just have to trust me. Just like I have to trust you." Cynthia remarked as she gazed back into Azula's glaring amber golden eyes while the imposing woman still scowled down at the syringe.
Before she leaned forward to roll up the princess's sleeve while the woman still eyed her coldly.
And then she injected the syringe into the princess's skin while she still glowered in silence.
'Trust is for fools. Fear is the only reliable way.' Azula thought with her calculating amber golden eyes watching as the fluid was injected into her arm.
Her lips still remained pursed into a moody scowl.
And yet right now…she knew that she had no other choice.
And then not even thirty seconds later.
The sound of the restraints being unlocked resounded into the air of the cell.
Before the bonds were discarded to the floor below as they clanged loudly upon the metal flooring.
The princess now stood up on her unstable feet as she clenched her fists at her hips.
The serum had truly restored her ability to move!
And while it displeased her that her movements were somewhat impaired.
It was much more preferable to being immobile.
Before she turned her cold eyes to gaze down at the aide standing up before her while the woman momentarily regarded her in uncertainty.
Before Cynthia finally broke the silence.
"If you're actually expecting me to bow. I hate to disappoint but the people in my culture haven't had a monarch in centuries. And we don't bow." Cynthia commented in a professional voice as she gazed back into the taller woman's icy eyes while the princess still eyed her coldly.
And yet there was a spark of grudging curiosity in Azula's eyes to learn that the woman's country hasn't had a monarch in centuries.
Just as her amber golden eyes glanced down when she saw the unnamed woman hold out her hand.
"So, you'll have to settle for a dignitary handshake." Cynthia stated with her hand held out before Azula while the princess stared down at her hand.
Only to find herself gazing on with no surprise in her blue eyes when the imposing woman let out an arrogant scoff.
"Whatever. Let's just go free my subordinates." Azula spoke in a glacial voice as she stomped past the woman while Cynthia nodded her head.
Her amber golden eyes shimmered with still present anger when she found herself almost losing her balance.
Only to quickly catch herself before she fell with her lips still smashed into a seething scowl.
Before she carefully made her way out while she tried her hardest to avoid showing any signs of weakness.
"Oh, and If you make any sudden moves…. I will immolate you." Azula called out in a terrifying voice with her cold eyes glaring over her shoulder at the aide's frightfully nodding face.
Just before the two exited her cell while she sternly watched the woman quickly lead the way.
One minute later.
Zoi stared down at the floor in surprise as her bonds fell to the ground with a clang.
She stood up on wobbly legs with her fist grasping at the wall as she stared back at her princess's stony face.
Before she turned her bewildered eyes to the woman standing beside her while the aide silently met her gaze.
"I would ask how you managed to set us free. But at the moment all I care about is paying these bastards back in kind." Zoi stated in a stoic voice with her golden eyes hardening into a focused stare while her princess's amber golden eyes seethed in agreement.
"Come on. We have no time to waste." Cynthia remarked as she rushed out with the base in hand while the two firebenders exchanged a look with one another.
"I take it that she is an ally then?" Zoi questioned as she gazed back at her princess's cold face while Azula let out a snide snort.
"Nothing more than a momentary pawn." Azula replied in a callous voice while her warrior nodded in understanding.
And then the two firebenders quickly followed after the other woman.
They found themselves struggling to maintain their balance on their encumbered legs.
Ty Lee and Mai glanced up with still present panic in their eyes when the chamber door was opened up at long last.
Only to find that they were gazing back at Azula's cold as ever face.
And Ty Lee found herself unable to fight the tears in her eyes while she smiled in relief back at her friend's scowling face.
And Mai breathed a huge sigh of relief while she still sat trying to regain her air flow.
In all of her life she can't think of a time when she was more relieved to see Azula's face of all people.
And behind the princess stood her loyal captain while the noblewomen gazed back at them with slightly more concern in her eyes than usual.
And to their confusion.
A woman in what seemed to be professional attire stood behind their two companions.
"A-Azula! You have no idea how happy I am to see you!" Ty Lee cried out while the princess allowed her cold stare to thaw ever so slightly.
"It is good to see you too Ty Lee." Azula spoke in a regal voice as she swiftly strode forward with her amber golden eyes never leaving the aide as she moved past her.
"Yeah. Dying in the gas chamber is not the way I want to go." Mai breathed in an exhausted voice while she watched the unfamiliar woman approach them.
"Kind of like being thrown in a mine pit. It's not very fun, is it?" Zoi quipped in a taunting voice while her fellow noblewoman visibly flinched over the reminder.
"Ugh! Do not start that right now!" Azula snapped with aggravation in her amber golden eyes while the two fell silent under her disciplinary stare.
Before the four Fire Nation women turned their gazes to Cynthia now dropping down before Mai and Ty Lee.
The two restrained noblewomen shared a brief uncertain look that soon faded when the woman hurriedly released Ty Lee from her bonds.
And soon after the puzzled Mai.
And then the two women stared on in bewilderment when the woman opened a case full of injections of an unknown medicine.
"Stay still. This injection will reverse the paralyzing effects that your bodies are under." Cynthia announced as she held up the needle before Ty Lee while the noblewoman shakily nodded her head.
Mai observed from beside her with guarded tawny eyes.
As Azula and Zoi stood by the door with their wary eyes keeping a close watch out for any enemy soldiers that might come to investigate.
And then a moment later the two noblewomen were soon uneasily pulling themselves to their feet.
They gazed around in surprise to find that the injection had indeed somewhat restored their ability to move.
Just before the five heard the sound of a large gun being fired off in the distance while they gazed around in alarm.
"That girl is keeping them distracted. But it won't keep them away forever." Cynthia muttered as she strode out into the hall while Team Azula closely followed after her.
And then the four highborn women rushed with great urgency to retrieve their young friend.
And not too long after that…
Elle stirred with her amber eyes now opening up before the memories of what had just happened came back to her.
And then she sprung up with her hair sticking to her face while her mouth was agape in a panic.
"Ty Lee! Mai!" Elle cried out in a distraught voice only to find herself being gently shaken by the shoulders.
Before she was abruptly snapped out of her panic-stricken reverie to find herself shocked to be gazing back into Ty Lee's warm brown-gray eyes.
"We're right here Elle." Ty Lee spoke in a tender voice while she offered the fretful girl a reassuring smile.
And then Elle glanced over the noblewoman's shoulder to find Mai standing over them.
While Mai cracked a small smile down at her.
Before her eyes swept about to find her princess standing at the back alongside the stoic captain.
And most puzzling was a woman that she did not recognize standing at the back of the group.
"O-oneesans. You're…you're alive." Elle stammered in a voice of overpowering sentiment before she flew into Ty Lee's arms.
And then she passionately embraced the noblewoman around the neck while Ty Lee gently patted her back.
Azula's amber golden eyes glared on in jealously at the scene.
"We're alive Shorty. Don't worry about us." Mai stated with a momentary break from her monotone voice while she smiled back at Elle.
Elle emotionally nodded her head.
Only for all but Azula to gaze on comically when Ty Lee smashed the younger girl's face into her breasts.
"Mai is right little sister. We're all going to be fine. We're getting out of here and we're going back home." Ty Lee remarked in a loving voice as she cradled the back of her adopted sister's head while the smaller girl clutched onto her neckline.
"I…I am so happy that everyone is okay." Elle gushed in a cheerful voice once more while she smiled with her face pushed into Ty Lee's soft chest.
"Ty Lee." Azula snapped in a tyrannical voice while her possessive eyes stared daggers back at the smiling acrobat.
"So am I little sister. So, am I." Ty Lee answered in a soft voice as she helped pull Elle to her feet while the petite girl smiled up at her.
"The time for hugs is over. Now is the time for war." Azula spoke in a tone frigid voice devoid of mercy while her comrade's expressions grew colder as they firmly nodded their heads.
"My thoughts exactly." Zoi agreed with her fist clenched before her face while she still stood on her unusually shaky booted feet.
"You'll want to be careful. Your reflexes will be dulled for a while longer now. And that is all it takes to get a bullet in the head." Cynthia advised as she strode forward with her pistol in hand while the Fire Nation women scowled but listened all the same.
"Did…. did you set my friends free?" Elle asked in a gentle voice from where she stood beside Ty Lee while the woman nodded slightly.
"I did." Cynthia replied while she gazed back into the girl's emotional amber eyes.
"Arigatou gozaimasu…for helping us." Elle stated in a grateful voice while the aide numbly nodded once more.
"Yes, thank you." Ty Lee spoke in an appreciative voice while the princess rolled her eyes behind her.
"Please. It's not as if she did it out of the goodness of her heart. The only reason she let us out is because she wants to save her own skin." Azula declared in cold voice while her companions gazed at the woman in understanding.
"You aren't wrong. And I am not going to lie and tell you otherwise." Cynthia admitted as she gazed back at the group while the highborn women eyed her closely.
"It doesn't really matter." Mai said in a deadpan voice as she gazed back at the other woman's clearly worried face.
"Well, whatever your reasons. It's all the same in the end. Now let's go get our weapons back." Zoi announced in a ruthless voice with her golden eyes glaring at the doors while her comrades clenched their fists in concurrence.
"Indeed. I couldn't think of a better place to start. I just have one question for you before we begin." Azula remarked in a sophisticated voice with her imposing eyes staring back at Cynthia's weary face.
"And that would be?" Cynthia answered in as calm a tone as she could muster while Azula stare grew monstrous.
Before she gazed on in confusion when the princess pointed her flawlessly manicured fingertip back at Elle's innocent face.
"This one here. Did you have any part in conspiring to render her an experiment?" Azula questioned in a violent voice with her predatory eyes never leaving the woman's fearful face.
Elle bit her lip as she stood in silent between her highborn friends.
As all four of the older girls now directed warning stares back at the other woman's nervous face.
The implication from the stares of the Fire Nation women was quite clear.
And that was that the woman wouldn't be leaving the fortress alive if she indeed had any part in Elle's torments.
"Formerly I worked as an aide for a high-level politician…it wasn't until a few months ago that I received a promotion. And that I learned of this place. Did I know about it these last few months? Yes. Did I have any decision-making power? No." Cynthia responded in a factual voice while the princess's eyes expertly studied her face.
The four highborn women shared a look with each other.
"Do you know who runs this organization?" Azula asked in a smooth voice while her strict eyes remained on the other woman's face.
"No. I do not. The chain is long. And the names of those on the top are unknown to those at the bottom. The highest ranked individuals that I know of are Colonel Reynolds and Senator Greely." Cynthia explained in a serious voice while she reloaded her gun.
As the team took careful note of the senator's name.
"Where is this Senator Greely?" Azula pressed in a searching voice while her eyes watched the woman intently.
"Well then, this…Senator Greely. Would he happen to be the one that I heard Reynolds state that he had just arrived?" Azula pressed in a searching voice while her eyes watched the woman intently.
The three noblewomen now recalled what they had heard the commander say earlier.
"That would be him. When I last left him, he was in the control room." Cynthia stated without delay while the team gazed on in surprise.
"Really? Is he now? How convenient." Azula purred with a cold smile forming upon her crimson lips while her subordinates stared on in agreement.
"If you want, I can point you along the way." Cynthia offered in a helpful fashion while a malicious smirk came upon the princess's lips.
"That sounds wonderful." Azula spoke in an authoritative voice as she stepped forward with her fists on her hips.
"Naoki said that Katsu was captured by a scientist…do you know where she is? Is she here too?" Elle pondered in a soft-spoken voice as she chewed on her lip while her friends turned to gaze curiously back at her.
"You'll have to be more descriptive than that. They don't list any names in their archive. Only numbers." Cynthia responded in a grave voice while Elle's amber eyes flashed with renewed sorrow.
And Ty Lee and Mai found themselves unable to resist gazing on in disgust.
Although once more, given the gravity of the actions of their own nation they knew that they had little right to judge.
The princess and the captain gazed on with more reserved looks in their eyes.
"She's the one who creates explosions with green light. Naoki says that she is the second strongest…after her of course." Elle informed in a concerned voice while the highborn women listened with great interest in their eyes.
Cynthia's blue eyes now flickered with undeniable recognition.
And if Team Azula didn't know any better, there was also a look of fear that came over the woman's eyes.
"You mean the explosions maniac. No, to my knowledge she isn't being held here. And I can't really tell you where they might be holding her." Cynthia answered in a detached voice while Elle's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
The four Fire Nation women gazed on in bewilderment over the girl being referred to as an 'explosions maniac'.
"O-oh…okay." Elle mumbled in a bothered voice as she hung her head.
Azula let out an aggravated groan when she already sensed Ty Lee's eyes on the back of her head.
"It's okay Elle. I am sure that Azula would be more than willing to help you find Katsu." Ty Lee remarked as she patted the smaller girl's shoulder while Azula now glared at her through the corner of her callous eye.
"In any case. It is best if you focus on getting yourself out alive before you worry about anyone else. That is what I will be doing. And if you want to go home with your friends you will too." Cynthia advised in a truthful voice as she turned away from the group while she began to make her way out the doors that they came in.
"I-I'll try to do that." Elle muttered in an unconvincing voice while her princess sighed over her.
"Just stick close to me Elle. The last thing I need is for you to get hurt. We don't need your weakness dragging us down." Azula sighed in a seemingly cruel voice as she swept a fingernail through her dark hair while her possessive eyes lingered on her timidly nodding pet.
As the three noblewomen were unconvinced by their leader's most recent lie.
"Yes Princess." Elle replied in an unquestionably faithful voice with a smile returning to her bashful lips while Azula gazed down at her in approval.
And with that the team began to stride out the doors while they headed after their mysterious benefactor.
"Azula. How did you manage to convince that woman to set us free?" Mai questioned with slight curiosity lining her voice while the others gazed at the princess with inquisitive expressions in their eyes.
A conceited look overcame Azula's amber golden eyes as she gazed after Cynthia's hurriedly striding back.
"The same thing I always do Mai. I conquered." Azula boasted in a smug voice with a proud smirking forming upon her lips while her childhood friends slowly nodded in understanding.
And a small smile of admiration had come over the captain's lips.
She took great delight in the look of innocent worship that had come over her young girlfriend's pretty face.
As she strode with returning confidence in her slowed steps as she savored the way her serving girl now gazed up at her with such adorably love-struck amber eyes.
"O-oh my queen is so authoritative." Elle gushed with a dainty hand on her cheek while the tall princess swelled in pride over her.
The noblewomen just shook their heads fondly as they followed after the two.
Only for the group to be quickly torn from their thoughts not a moment later when they heard another round of rapid gunfire in the far distance of the vast fortress.
As the Fire Nation women gazed ahead with alert looks in their eyes as they hurried out through another set of doors after their new ally.
The sound of roaring machine gun fire split into the air while a storm of bullets sprayed the walls of the fortress.
Reynolds' obsessed blue eyes glared through the now bullet riddled double doors in search of his agile target.
Only for the veins in his forehead to bulge out in his fury when Naoki's amused laughter flowed into his ears once more.
"You'll have to do better than that Reynolds." Naoki taunted with a smirk on her lips while she listened to the colonel howl in fury at the top of his lungs in response.
She nimbly leaped out of the way when a grenade was hurled through the jammed doors.
Just as it rolled along the floor for a few brief seconds while its detonation consumed the air while a flurry of shrapnel exploded into the red lit hallway.
The large man furiously stormed into the corridor with his machine gun fire now penetrating through the dense cloud of smoke.
As many lights shattered overhead with broken glass raining down from above.
Only for Reynolds to find himself spinning around with his eyes widening in indescribable rage when he heard the girl laugh all around him.
"Do you really think that you can hit me with that bulky machine?" Naoki questioned in a sanguine voice from where she stood in the smoke while the colonel gritted his teeth in outrage.
And then with expert quickness the commander slung the machine gun back over his shoulder while he withdrew his military rifle.
"Shut your mouth! You are nothing more than an experiment!" Reynolds roared as advanced into the smoke while he futile fired in the direction of the supersoldier.
And then before he could even react a crimson blur kicked the rifle out of his hands while he recoiled several steps back in disbelief.
The sound of the rifle clanging upon the steel floor resonated into the tense air.
As he could only stand there in impotence when he heard light footsteps touch the ground behind him.
"You have it backwards Reynolds. I am the one who is superior to you." Naoki stated with an ever-present smile on her lips while Reynolds reeled around to lunge at her through the smoke.
"I'll kill you brat!" Reynolds bellowed as he slammed the girl into the wall while Naoki hung from his grip.
Just as his eyes grew wider when he gazed back into the girl's emotionless eyes while she laughed eerily once more.
"I…am Naoki. That's who I am." Naoki announced with her bangs hanging over her face while the man's furious gloved fist swung at her face.
Only for the frustrated commander's fist to plunge straight through a pipe in the wall instead of connecting with his target.
Just as hot steam from the broken pipe exploded into his face while his screams soon resounded into the air.
And just like that.
Reynolds was finally coming to realize his own powerlessness.
For all of his powerful physique, grueling training and ruthlessness.
He didn't stand a chance against this girl!
'This can't be! I can't lose to her!' Reynolds thought with his skin burning from the steam as he took his pistol out of his holster.
He squinted his eyes as he desperately tried to locate his opponent in the overflowing white mist.
Before he began to madly fire several shots into the mist while his roars echoed bounded off the metal walls.
While a red blur sprinted at him with speed that his blinded eyes were unable to follow.
And the next thing Reynolds knew a searing pain consumed his entire being.
And then he fell down to his knees with his left hand frantically clutching at the bloody stump on his right arm.
He stared down in horror to find himself gazing right back at his now severed hand.
As Naoki stood above him with a chilling smile adorning her lips.
She turned around to walk away with her back turned to the helpless man while his shouts of impotence served as music to her ears.
Elsewhere in the fortress.
The Fire Nation women watched in interest as Cynthia smashed an overhead camera to pieces.
"T-that's surveillance technology. She's breaking them so they can't remotely see where we are." Elle remarked in a timid voice while the older girls listened with fascinated looks in their eyes.
And once more they saw the stark difference between their two worlds.
One a world of bending and the supernatural while such technology had yet to be invented.
And the other, a world of cold hard science that was only just discovering the power of bending.
"Surveillance technology…I bet you would love to get your hands on that wouldn't you Princess." Zoi commented in an impressed voice while Azula glared a hole through her forehead.
"Shut up Zoi." Azula snorted in a pompous voice with her cold eyes staring at the broken pieces of the camera as it fell to the floor.
Only for her merciless eyes to narrow with a desire for vengeance when she heard approaching voices in the distance.
The group rushed forward with their young friend hurrying alongside them as they took cover behind a wall.
"It looks like David and the others found out about your escape." Cynthia muttered as she hid with her back against the wall.
The eyes of all but Elle burned with a deep yearning to repay the man for how he treated them.
"Good. Let him." Mai snarled under her breath with her dark hair in her angry tawny eyes while she crouched at the end of a corridor.
Soldiers poured down the halls with David running at the front while he cursed in frustration.
"The prisoners! They got out!" A soldier called out while the lieutenant glared down the hall in his anger.
'How the fuck did they get out? There's no way that they got out on their own!' The lieutenant thought as he clutched a rifle to his chest while he stared out from underneath his helmet.
"I can't reach the commander and the others! I think they've been overwhelmed by Number Three!" Another soldier exclaimed with a panicked look in his eyes while David digested the news with a look of rage in his eyes.
'Just what I needed! Now I have to clean up this mess!' David thought with his eyes narrowing in fury while he sprinted down the hall.
He quickly waved several of his soldiers forward while they rushed ahead of him down the long length of the hall.
Team Azula and Cynthia watched from over the edge of the corner as the soldiers began to advance on them.
The two firebenders seethed with their eyes narrowing into slits as they spied on the approaching soldiers.
"Watch it. They have machine guns. One wrong move…and you'll have dozens of holes in your body." Cynthia whispered with the back of her head touching the wall while Elle's fearful face peered up at her taken aback highborn friends.
Mai and Ty Lee shared a weary look as they knelt low with their backs upon the wall.
Just as they heard the sound of the footsteps growing closer and closer.
And then just before the three men rounded the corner.
Just before the princess and the captain skillfully released their pent-up energy that they had been gathering in their fists.
And explosion of yellow fire detonated in their unsuspecting faces.
The soldiers screamed out in pain as they tried to back away as fast as they could muster with flames now burning from their armored clothing.
"They have their energy back-" A soldier yelled at the top of his lungs only to find his facial armor exploding under the force of another blast of fire.
And then three soldiers' screams resounded into the hallway as they were consumed in the explosion of flames.
Ty Lee protectively held her hand over Elle's face as the girl quivered under her arm beside her.
As Azula watched the soldiers burn alive with her tyrannical eyes forming an utterly malicious stare.
Before she threw another fire ball down the hallway while the other soldiers shouted in distress as they quickly ran for cover.
Just before the team fell back against the wall when gunfire erupted down the now blazing hall.
"Kill them goddammit!" The lieutenant shouted as he fired through the scope of his rifle while his soldiers followed his lead.
Just as the faint image of a brown head came up through his cross hairs while he readied his finger on the trigger.
Only for Ty Lee to soon find herself stumbling back in surprise when a bullet nearly pierced her skull.
Elle rolled to the floor with a cry alongside her.
She gazed up with astonished brown-gray eyes to find that the still unnamed woman had pulled her back by the neck of her shirt.
As Azula's eyes burned with even greater fury as she generated another fireball in her fist.
And Mai's cold tawny gaze grew cold after witnessing the soldiers nearly kill her friend.
"You…you saved me. Thank you." Ty Lee breathed in a still shaken voice as she sat up on her backside while Cynthia curtly nodded her head.
While bullets continued to spray the hall as Elle shook in fright with a renewed expression of trauma in her eyes.
As she let out yelps of fright while bullet after bullet nearly made it around the corner.
Only to find herself gazing up in astonishment when she felt a strong arm pull her in.
She now stared up with endless adoration in her widened amber eyes while her princess's larger frame now crouched down above her.
The gunfire continued to explode in the distance as she sought haven in her girlfriend's armored side.
"A-Azula-sama." Elle stammered in a sweet voice while the princess crushed her under her powerful arm with her lips pursed in a mighty snarl.
And then the princess threw her gathered ball of flames down the hallway above the soldiers panicked heads.
Before another explosion of yellow fire peppered the walls of the fortress while the shouts of one soldier after another rang out into the air.
Just as Zoi took hold of the discarded rifle of a dead man while she surveyed it with fascinated golden eyes.
Mai did the same as she reached out seize a pistol.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking Saolin?" Zoi inquired in a devious voice as a smirk came onto her lips while her fellow noblewoman almost smirked in response.
"As a matter of fact, I am Song." Mai stated in a monotone voice as she carefully studied the weapon while they took positions against the wall.
And then the two noblewomen opened fire while the princess threw yet another fireball over the screaming soldiers heads.
David and his men desperately ducked their heads as yet another round of intensely hot flames exploded in their armored faces.
The deafening siren served as an ever increasingly eerie ambience as it continued to blare in their panicked ears.
"The whole base is falling apart!" A soldier yelled out in a hopeless voice while the lieutenant stared on with sweat soaked eyes through his helmet.
While hot flames continued to stain the hallways as thick smoke blew into the air.
And the lights began to shatter as the fires that Azula and Zoi started began to spread.
"I can't see shit!" Another man hollered as he strained his eyes to see through the smoky hallway while the inferno began to rise to the ceiling.
Only to find himself slumping down onto his knees as his visor shattered when the captain managed to fire a bullet in his forehead.
"Let's go! Now is our chance to advance!" Zoi called out in a battle-hardened voice as she made her way through the smoke while the rest of the team followed suit.
As the two firebenders skillfully bent the flames to allow safe passage through the inferno.
Azula sprinted down the hall on her still numbed boots with her wrist tightly gripping Elle's hand as she pulled the smaller girl behind her.
Only for Elle to cry out in alarm when an armored body came barreling into them from the smoke.
And then she fell to the ground with a shout.
The princess stumbled backwards on her still unstable feet as she rushed to get back to her girlfriend's side.
And then in that very moment a figure came emerging from the smoke.
It was none other than David himself.
And then her callous amber golden eyes widened in uncharacteristic worry when she saw that the man was pointing his rifle in the young girl's terrified face.
And once more.
Somewhere deep down inside of her cruel heart she felt a jolt of fear.
And that was when she sprang forward like a rampaging dragon.
Azula rammed her shoulder plate into the man before he could fire while she grappled for control of the rifle.
All the while as their shouts split into the air.
"Close your eyes Elle!" Azula ordered in a vicious voice while put all of her weight into the grapple.
And the still traumatized teenager squeezed her eyes shut as she shook upon the floor.
"This base might be collapsing but I swear I'll fucking kill you if it's the last thing I do!" David yelled in a furious voice as their bodies slammed into the wall.
As the two fought for control of the gun.
Only for a plume of yellow fire laced with sparks of blue to explode in his eyes.
And then the barrel of the gun was shifted so that it was staring him directly in his now paling face.
The sound of a single gunshot thundered into the air while the soldier fell to the ground lifeless with a bullet in his skull.
The princess stood panting with her hair clinging to her heated skin with her shaken girlfriend trembling on the floor behind her.
"I told you that I would kill you." Azula snarled as she held onto the rifle in her right hand while she heard her companions rush through the smoke.
As several more gunshots rang out into the hall with explosions of firebending serving to further terrorize the now overwhelmed soldiers.
The enraged Zoi plunged through the smoke as she slammed a man into the wall.
All while as Mai followed suit as she ambushed another soldier.
"Azula! Are you and Elle, okay?" Ty Lee blurted out in a worried voice as she shakily balanced herself on her uneasy feet.
"We're fine Ty Lee." Azula stated coldly as she pulled the younger girl up with her other hand while Elle gazed throughout the flames beside her.
Numerous soldiers lay dead in the heated hallway with what few that remained alive shamelessly retreating down the halls.
"Will…. will we ever achieve peace?" Elle murmured as she held a hand over her chest while Azula let out a heavy sigh over her.
"I'm sorry that you had to see this Elle. But they didn't give us any choice. It was us or them." Zoi spoke in a softened voice as she wiped the sweat from her brow while she held her rifle in hand.
"I…know Zoi. I just wish…that it didn't always have to come to this." Elle lamented in a depressed voice while her princess still stood over her.
"Maybe someday it won't Elle." Ty Lee offered weakly in an uncertain voice while Azula scowled as she glared through the flame filled hall.
"Let's…just get out of here." Mai muttered in a quiet voice while she gazed at her little sister's face in concern.
"Don't waste your compassion on these fools Elle." Azula remarked in an unsympathetic voice while she stood with her palm on her girlfriend's petite shoulder.
"I'll…try not to Azula-sama." Elle responded in a numb voice while she leaned in under the princess's arm.
And then soon enough they began to make their way through the flames while her princess's muscular arm held her exhausted body up.
Just before she shyly wrapped her arm around the woman's armored belly.
And soon enough the couple was soon walking with their arms wrapped around one another.
Their comrades watched in amazement over the touching display of the princess's newfound protective instincts.
And then the team began to make their way through the smoke only to find their new ally standing at the end of the burning hall.
"This was bound to happen sooner or later. You cannot keep people in chains forever. Such a system cannot exist indefinitely. Sooner or later, it is inevitable that it will collapse." Cynthia spoke with her hair in her eyes while the group listened in astonishment behind her.
Elle gazed on with an emotional look in her amber eyes unaware of the looks of guilt in her friend's eyes.
And Mai and Ty Lee could only gazed down at the floor with remorseful expressions in their eyes.
As Azula's amber golden eyes flashed with a hint of an unseen emotion.
Zoi stood reflective at the back of the group with her golden eyes gazing through the smoke.
"That is the fate of every empire. No matter how powerful, no matter how great. History has shown time and time again that they all fall in time." Cynthia commented in a contemplative voice before she resumed her walk forward while the Fire Nation women gazed on in a thoughtful silence.
And the princess glared on with her lips pursed into a regal scowl.
She wanted to tell the foolish woman that she was wrong.
And yet deep down inside there was a small part of her that wasn't certain.
Before she derisively scoffed under her breath.
'Just look at me…I have barely spent forty days with this commoner and her weakness is already starting to get to me.' Azula thought as she shook her head with her toned arm coiled around her handmaiden's small neck.
Only to sigh as she made her way down the hall with her young love under her arm.
And yet strangely enough she couldn't help but feel an intense wave of relief.
Not just over the fact that her childhood friends were alive and relatively unharmed.
But over how she had prevented those soldiers from taking her loyal servant away from her.
The girl was still by her side.
And somehow…in this very moment. That was all that mattered.
And with that the team rushed through another set of doors while they made their way to collect their weapons.
And to the exits to make their way home.
Back in the control room.
"This is Senator Greely! I repeat this is an urgent message from the Porta Base! Does anyone copy!?" Greely shouted in a panicked voice into the speakers while his fist shook over the controls.
Only for his brown eyes to grow wide in terror when he heard the doors open with a click behind him.
And then he turned to gaze over his shoulder.
Only for his entire face to turn pale when he saw who was standing directly behind him.
"There you are Senator. I have been looking all over for you." Naoki spoke in a frighteningly calm voice as she made her way into the control room.
Her machinelike brown eyes stared back at the politician's cowering face as he collapsed against the controls.
"Y-you don't want to kill me! We can talk about this!" Greely yelled out as he watched the girl approach with widened eyes while she smiled back at him.
Only for Naoki to say nothing as she sauntered even closer while his hands trembled at his hips.
"L-look I'm just a senator that was assigned to clean up someone else's mess! I didn't even know about your existence until I arrived!" Greely blurted out in a frantic voice while Naoki's emotionless eyes stared right through him.
"Liar." Naoki countered in an astute voice with her cold eyes staring back at the man's terrified face.
Before her tabi booted feet pressed down into the floor.
And then there was a swish of air.
And before the politician could reach the girl was standing right beside him with her hand swatting his own off the radio controls.
And then she hit a switch on the system controls before she raised the handheld speaker to her lips.
As she never took her unfeeling eyes over the senator's fretting visage.
"People of society…to those of you that can hear me. I have an announcement to make." Naoki announced in a strikingly calm voice with her voice carrying through the speakers.
And into the ears of a great many officials that were picking up the military radio signal.
And throughout the halls of the fortress as well.
The Fire Nation women glanced up with their eyes once more expressing their fascination over the technology of this new world.
Elle stared up at the ceiling with innocent amber eyes that were agape with emotion.
As Cynthia listened with her weary eyes gazing up at the speakers.
"I…was raised as a human experiment…by people that intended to use me for all intents and purposes as a slave." Naoki remarked with fist gripping the speaker while the senator shook in terror.
If the girl gets word of her existence out…
Even if by some miracle he manages to escape with his life he will be killed by the higher ups for sure!
"I was stripped of my name…and rendered a number by people that had the gall to tell me that my will didn't matter." Naoki stated in an unsettling voice that swept throughout the radio network.
The group listened with their eyes glued up at the speakers.
"Naoki…" Elle trailed off with her lip shaking while her princess stood unmoving over her.
"I was broken down until there was nothing left. I lost my identity. I lost…everything that I had ever been." Naoki commented in a chilling voice with her words carrying out into the signal while her bangs hung over her eyes.
The team still listened in a bizarre spellbound intrigue.
"Well, now who I am. I am Naoki." Naoki spoke in a captivating voice with a look of unmistakable identity coming over her brown eyes.
Elle trembled with her amber eyes wide in growing apprehension.
"I have a will of my own now. And it is a will for destruction. And my appetite…is vast." Naoki declared in a voice that sounded more machine than human while she turned her back to the terrified senator.
There was a moment of brief silence while Team Azula still motionless in the now barren halls.
"What happens…when you push someone until they have nothing left to give?" Naoki questioned in a frozen voice with her cold gaze staring back at the bewildered politician while sweat dripped down his face.
And then there was another unsettling pause while Elle quivered in trepidation of what was to come.
"Well, Senator Greely?" Naoki pondered in an almost relaxed voice while she smiled back at the wide-eyed senator.
It was then that Team Azula understood that they had no need to hunt the senator down.
Azula's lips pulled into a coldly amused smile as she listened to the man swallow in terror over the speakers.
"I…don't know." Greely admitted in a barely perceivable voice with his hands shaking at his hips as he stood a shaky step backwards.
Naoki's brown eyes now drilled into his skull with even greater frigidity than before.
"I'll show you what happens…I'll show all of you what happens." Naoki stated as her feet began to slide back along the floor while her brown eyes grew even larger.
And then Greely out into a terrified run with his coat flailing in the air behind him.
Just as a crimson blur leaped into the air above him while the handheld speaker dropped to the ground with a resounding rattle.
And then a moment later an ear-piercing scream split throughout every speaker in the fortress.
And into the ears of all that were listening into the radio signal.
While Greely now fell forward with his mouth fixed in an expression of shock.
And Naoki's knife was now penetrating straight through his chest.
And then the senator hit the floor with final labored breaths flowing into the air like a fading breeze.
As the supersoldier now stood above him with her brown eyes gazing down at his dying face.
"That is what you get." Naoki concluded before she slid her feet back upon the floor with her machinelike brown eyes staring ahead.
And then her chi erupted from her body.
Just before the control room explosion carried out throughout the halls of the fortress.
And then the radio signal finally went quiet with an everlasting static.
Elsewhere.
Reiko turned the radio off with a gloved finger.
She leaned back in her seat with her lips curving into an entertained smirk.
"Naoki…you truly have come a long way from the little girl that I met so long ago." Reiko spoke in an excited voice with her blue eyes taking on an eager gleam.
As her warship soared across the horizon towards its destination.
And back in the fortress…
Several guards now lay dead on the floor by a pair of discarded restraints while the siren continued to blare ominously overhead.
Felix stepped over their corpses with his glasses shaking over the rim of his nose.
As he rubbed at his reddened wrists with a devious smile growing upon his lips.
"Now then Elle…where were we? Oh, that's right. We were in the middle of a reunion." Felix remarked to himself in a delighted voice with a maddened grin adorning his lips.
The sounds of his psychotic laughter soon resonated all throughout the halls of the chaotic fortress.
Yes, indeed.
He was truly looking forward to playing with his sister and her new friends.
Especially, that wild firecracker!
AN:
KingZilla, you are right. Elle will definitely face plenty of discrimination, both for being her sexual orientation and for being a commoner among a court of royalty and nobles. Azula may face discrimination behind her back, but unlike Elle they won't be suicidal enough to say it to her face.
There will be problems when Azula takes Elle as her lover as ruler that Azula will have to work through. Knowing Azula, she will likely just terrify her detractors into submission.
As for the afterword, in this chapter we witnessed Team Azula escape and take out most of Reynolds's forces.
We also got to see Naoki fight and defeat Reynolds. It was a given that Reynolds was going to lose against Naoki in direct combat. If his platoon couldn't defeat her, he obviously wasn't going to win all on his own.
The whole deal with Reynolds is that he cannot being humiliated by Naoki, hence why he was provoked into facing her in the corridors. However, if one thing can be said about Reynolds it is that while he may be a ruthless beast, he is not a coward.
He simply sought to prove that he could best Naoki with modern weaponry only to find out that he was wrong. His mind was too clouded with rage to see that it was futile.
Also, when Reynolds screamed from his hand being cut off. While he was screaming from the pain, he was more screaming out of his pride as a soldier being broken by what he viewed as a lab experiment.
However, Reynolds is not dead yet. He is still alive, he is just for the most part defeated.
I originally intended for the shootout with David to be longer. But I was in a lot of pain when I wrote this chapter, so it ended up being shorter than I originally was aiming for.
David and his squad didn't really stand a chance against the escaped Team Azula. While their bodies are still somewhat hampered by the chi-blocking drug, they had Cynthia to back them up and guide them along the way.
Plus, firebending in a narrow hallway created a devastating splash effect and made it so that the soldiers had to fight through an inferno to get to Team Azula.
We also got to see Zoe, Mai and Azula use guns for the first time.
I want to state that while Azula does aspire to acquire guns, that we won't be seeing Team Azula use guns in place of their bending. They are learning how to react to gunfire and use them when they need should arise though.
We also saw that while Elle was sad about all of the soldiers being killed. That she understood at that point that her friends had no other option. Elle doesn't enjoy death or violence, but she isn't a fool. She knows that there was no talking with those soldiers.
And we also saw Greely meet his end at Naoki's hands. Greely was always intended to be a minor character, who represented a specific role in the government cover ups of their experiments.
He thought that it was safe to come to view the portal, Team Azula and Naoki, but unfortunately for him Reynolds failed to account for Naoki getting the best of them.
We also learned from Rieko's very short scene that she is headed somewhere. I am willing to bet that you can guess where.
And finally Felix killed several guards and is now free.
Naoki is going to take a backseat role for the next six or so chapters while we focus on some other characters. But she will come back into prominence later in the arc.
That will be all for now though.
Stay tuned for next time.
For chapter one hundred two! The Pursuit of Chaos!