AN: Here's chapter 10 for you all.

I've honestly got no real notes for the beginning. I mean, Tropical Storm Ophelia happened, but it honestly turned out to be a bit of a letdown where I live.

Non-story question: Does anybody know where I can find Transformers Prime Season 2? I binged Season 1 on Netflix, but there is no Season 2 there.

Anyway, legal info, I don't own Halo or Avatar, blah blah blah, here we go.

A Soldier's Instincts

Momo leapt after a small beetle, chasing it around a tree, before coming upon a small pile of fruit. The lemur leapt at the food, but was suddenly ensnared by a spherical trap that was hidden under it.

He screeched in fright as the trap rose into the air. As it came to a stop, Momo noticed other animals in similar cages.

"Where's Momo?" Aang asked. No sooner had the words left his mouth than a familiar screech sounded through the woods. Walking towards the sound, the five came across a set of traps suspended in the air.

"Hang on, Momo!" Aang yelled as he leapt into the air, bouncing off the trees to keep his momentum. He eventually reached a branch where a rope was suspended, before working at a crank and lowering Momo's cage. Back on the ground, Hieu pried open the trap and allowed the lemur to escape. Sokka palmed his face in frustration. As Aang landed back on the ground, he looked up again…

…and remembered the other traps. The animals inside clamored about, desperate to get out.

"Alright, you too," Aang relented as he spiraled upwards again.

"This is gonna take forever," Sokka griped, grabbing his boomerang and tossing it upwards. The weapon cleaved clean through the ropes, causing the cages to drop before Aang could get to them.

"That works," the boy conceded. As Aang slid down the trunk, Sokka inspected the cages.

"These are Fire Nation traps, you can tell from the metalwork," the teen observed.

"Guess it's time to hit the road again," Neil assented.

Heading back to camp, the group began repacking their supplies. As Katara helped Aang pack a sleeping bag on Appa, however, Sokka rushed over. "Uh-uh. No flying this time."

"What? Why wouldn't we fly?" Aang asked in confusion.

"Think about it. Somehow, Prince Zuko and the Fire Nation keep finding us," Sokka elaborated. "It's because they spot Appa, he's just too noticeable."

"What?! Appa's not 'too noticeable'!" Katara shot back.

"We are, though," Hieu responded, gesturing to himself and Neil.

"And he's a gigantic fluffy monster with an arrow on his head," Sokka deadpanned. "It's kind of hard to miss him." Appa turned to the teen and groaned in annoyance.

"We can get Sokka an arrow later," Neil reassured jokingly.

"Look, flying is great, but my instincts say that walking is safer," Hieu reiterated.

"Who made you the boss?" Katara pointedly asked.

"The last time someone doubted me, good people died. I'm the leader," Hieu shot back.

" You're the leader? Your armor looks like a scrap heap!" Katara mocked.

"Every scar is earned," Hieu said in irritation.

"If anyone's the leader, it's Aang," Katara dismissed. "I mean, he is the Avatar."

"Are you kidding? He's just a goofy kid," Sokka responded.

Indeed, Aang was currently dangling from Appa's horn upside-down. "He's right."

Katara crossed her arms. "Why do guys always think someone has to be the leader? I bet you wouldn't be so bossy if you kissed a woman."

"Let's go," Hieu glowered as he shouldered a backpack.

"Ooh, don't wanna talk about it?"

"Let's. Go."

Sokka turned back to his sister before she could continue antagonizing Hieu. "Look, me and Hieu agree that our instincts say we have a better chance of slipping through on foot, and leaders have to trust their instincts."

"Well, I suppose I haven't been getting my steps in as of late," Neil relented.

"Who knows? Walking might be fun," Aang cheerily said, slinging a pack over his shoulders.

Before they set off, Neil walked up to Hieu. "Look man, I trust you to a fault. But who's to say they can't just track us from the ground?"

"They'll be looking up, not ahead," Hieu answered. "You don't normally find a sky-bison on the ground."

"…good point."

"Walking stinks! How did people get anywhere without a flying bison?" Aang asked as the five and their animals hiked through the forest.

"I don't know, Aang," Katara replied. "Why don't you ask Hieu and Sokka's instincts? They seem to know everything."

"Ha ha, very funny," Sokka deadpanned. Hieu looked less irritated, but that was probably due to his composure.

"Just be grateful it isn't stairs," Neil groused.

"I'm tired of carrying this pack," Aang complained.

"You know who you should ask to carry it for a while? Hieu and Sokka's instincts!" Katara replied.

"That's a great idea!" Aang agreed. "Hey instincts, would you mind-"

"Okay, okay, we get it!" Sokka exclaimed, unable to take it anymore. "Look guys, I'm tired too. But the important thing is that we're safe from the Fire… Nation…"

As the five passed through the bushes, they came across what looked like a Fire Nation campsite. Every soldier there stared at the group.

"RUN!" Sokka yelled at the top of his voice. The five ditched their packs and turned around, with the Spartans donning their helmets. Before they could retreat through the brush, however, a Fire Nation soldier sent a fireball at the vegetation, blocking their escape. "We're cut off!"

"Sokka, your shirt!" Aang yelled. Looking at his left sleeve, the teen panicked as he realized his shirt was on fire. Thinking quickly, Katara bent water from a pouch on her waist, using it to extinguish her brother before pulling it back in.

As the Fire troops closed in, Neil pulled the Bandit from his back and racked the charging handle. "Take one more step, and you'll be missing some brains!"

"If you let us pass, we promise not to hurt you," Sokka continued.

"What are you doing?!" Katara whispered.

"Threatening them," Sokka whispered back.

Their leader smirked, perhaps unwisely considering who was present. "You? Promise not to hurt us?" Before he could continue, however, he collapsed to the ground.

"Nice work, Sokka!" Aang complimented. "How'd you do that?"

"Uh… instinct?" the teen replied.

"Contact!" Hieu suddenly called out, gesturing to a large tree. In its branches, a figure drew a pair of hooked swords, before using them to swing down to the ground. He landed on a pair of soldiers, before rushing forward and hooking another pair's ankles and flipping them on top of the leader.

"Down you go," the figure confidently quipped.

"Well, would you look at that, we've got reinforcements," Neil remarked. "Usually, we're the reinforcements."

A soldier then rushed the mystery figure, who used his hook-swords to throw him off-balance.

"They're in the trees!" another soldier exclaimed. A smaller figure then dropped, landing on the soldier's shoulders and madly cackling as he attacked. A trio of arrows then struck the swords out of three other soldiers' hands. Looking where they came from, Neil noticed yet another figure in the trees, this one with a bow and arrow. The archer then hung from his knees and shot more arrows at more swords. A bulky one then dropped, tossing Fire soldiers over his back like it was nothing. The last one the cadet noticed was a skinny person with red face paint.

Katara then bent water out of her pouch as Aang used his airbending to send a Fire soldier flying. Neil then clubbed another soldier with his rifle, before Hook-Swords vaulted over his blades and kicked one the cadet missed. The figure had shaggy brown hair, an orange tunic, and a piece of wheat in his mouth.

"Good to have you watching my back," Neil said. "Pun intended."

"I already like you," Hook-Swords replied, before rushing back into the fray.

A truly massive figure then dropped behind a pair of soldiers, before pulling out a small log and clubbing their swords with it. Intimidated by the figure's strength, the soldiers dropped their warped blades and ran off.

Hook-Swords then noticed a Fire soldier preparing to run him through with a spear. Turning as the soldier thrusted forward, he hooked the spear between his blades, before twisting and sending the spear flying into another soldier, whom Sokka was preparing to club.

"Man!" the teen lamented.

It was at that moment that a Fire Soldier snuck up behind Hook-Swords. Before he could impale the figure, however, Hieu clocked the soldier in the back of the head, knocking him out instantly. "You missed one."

Hook-Swords then rushed to where the rest of the group was. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," Katara responded quietly. The figure stood a head taller than her.

"You just took out a whole army almost single-handed," Aang said in amazement.

"For the record, it's more like a platoon," Neil interjected.

"Yeah, there were only, like, twenty guys!" Sokka argued.

"So, uh, you mind introducing us to Keebler Elf, Legolas, Sumo, Mean Bean, and André?" Neil asked, drawing several raised eyebrows. "What?"

"My name is Jet," the figure eventually responded. "And these are my Freedom Fighters.

"Sneers." The bulky one started wolfing down a nearby bowl.

"Longshot." The archer raised his head.

"Smellerbee." The one with the face paint brandished a pair of stolen swords.

"The Duke." The smaller figure grabbed a spear.

"And Pipsqueak." The massive one slung the log on his back.

Aang walked forward with a slight giggle. "Pipsqueak, that's a funny name."

The large one leaned forward with a rather unsettling frown. "You think my name is funny?"

"It's hilarious!" Aang replied without skipping a beat. A rather uncomfortable moment later, both of them burst into raucous laughter. Pipsqueak then smacked Aang in the back, sending the boy to the ground, but not ending their laughter.

Half an hour later, the Freedom Fighters were taking inventory of the camp. Sneers opened a small box taken from a crate, while Sokka and Hieu kept rather close eyes on the newcomers.

Katara, meanwhile, awkwardly walked up to Jet, who was sitting against a tree. "Um, thanks for saving us, Jet. We're lucky you were there."

"I should be thanking you," Jet replied. "We were waiting to ambush those soldiers all morning. We just needed the right distraction." He pulled the wheat from his mouth. "And then you guys stumbled in."

"We were relying on instincts," Katara condescendingly said, her eyes flicking to the two who had relied on said instincts. Sokka merely walked away, while Hieu gripped his helmet tighter in his hand.

"You'll get yourself killed doing that," Jet affirmed. It was then that Neil walked up.

"Hey, instincts aren't all bad," the cadet chipped in. "Hieu's done a few crazy things, but it all worked out in the end."

While they conversed, the Duke dipped his finger in one of the barrels, before pulling it out and sniffing. "Hey Jet, these barrels are filled with blasting jelly!"

"That's a great score!" Jet replied.

"Yeah it is," Neil agreed, rubbing his hands together. "Been waiting to get my hands on some explosives. It's not C12, but it'll do."

Pipsqueak lifted a crate. "And these boxes are filled with jellied candy!"

"Also good," Jet confirmed. "Let's not get those mixed up."

"We'll take this stuff back to the hideout," the Duke called as the other Freedom Fighters loaded up a cart.

"You guys have a hideout?" Aang excitedly asked.

"You wanna see it?" Jet asked back.

"Yes, we want to see it!" Katara giddily replied.

"Not every day somebody offers you a tour of their secret base," Neil agreed.

The party trekked through the woods for a few miles. Eventually, Jet brought them to a stop.

"We're here," he said, gesturing to the surrounding area.

"Where? There's nothing here," Sokka responded in confusion.

"Hold this." Jet handed the teen a rope.

"Why? What's this do?" Sokka questioned skeptically. He was then dragged upwards, running into a set of branches along the way, before being yanked through.

Jet grabbed the rope as it lowered back down. "Aang?"

"I'll get up on my own," the boy replied, before launching himself into the air and bouncing off the tree.

"Okay, then," Jet shrugged. "Neil?"

"That rope is not supporting half a ton of titanium and super soldier," the cadet clarified. "Same goes for Hieu." He then pulled out his combat knife, before impaling it in the tree and using it as an anchor to pull himself up, repeating the process as he slowly ascended. Hieu did the same with his smaller knives.

Jet turned to the last member of the traveling quintet and extended a hand. "Grab hold of me, Katara."

The girl grabbed the proffered appendage, before being pulled close to Jet. Seemingly in slow-motion, the two were pulled up the tree, with Katara blushing as she held onto Jet. Eventually, they reached the top, setting down on a wooden platform suspended by the branches. This platform was connected to several others by a large amount of ropes and bridges.

"Nice place you got!" Aang exclaimed as he ziplined down one of the aforementioned ropes alongside Momo.

"It's beautiful up here," Katara complimented.

"It's beautiful," Jet agreed. "And more importantly, the Fire Nation can't find us."

"They would love to find you," Smellerbee interjected as she arrived via the rope. "Wouldn't they, Jet?"

"It's not gonna happen, Smellerbee," Jet confidently replied.

"Why does the Fire Nation want to find you?" Katara asked. It was at that moment that Neil breathlessly clambered his way onto the platform, followed shortly by Hieu.

"Remind me… never… to skip… arm day… whew…" the cadet breathed as he laid his back on the platform. Hieu only fared slightly better, crawling his way over to the trunk and leaning up against it.

"I guess you could say I've been causing them a little trouble," Jet replied after Neil finished his sentence, walking over to a nearby bridge. "See, they took over a nearby Earth Kingdom town a few years back."

"We've been ambushing their troops, cutting off their supply lines, and doing anything we can to mess with them," Pipsqueak proudly continued.

Jet turned to Katara. "One day, we'll drive the Fire Nation out of here for good, and free that town."

"That's so brave," Katara meekly replied as she blushed.

"Yeah, nothing's braver than a guy in a tree house," Sokka interjected as he walked up between the two.

"Don't pay any attention to my brother," Katara said, unamused.

"No problem. He probably had a rough day," Jet agreed.

"So, you all live here?" Katara asked as Sokka fell behind.

"That's right," Jet affirmed, his expression becoming serious. "Longshot over there, his town got burned down by the Fire Nation, and we found the Duke trying to steal our food. I don't think he ever really had a home."

"What about you?" Katara implored.

Jet stopped. "The Fire Nation killed my parents… I was only eight years old. That day changed me forever."

Neil then walked up, having regained his breath at some point. "For what it's worth, my dad was killed by the Covenant when I was nine. Battle of 18 Scorpii."

Katara dipped her head. "Sokka and I lost our mother to the Fire Nation."

"I'm so sorry," Jet sincerely responded.

As the evening approached, the Freedom Fighters and their new friends were feasting.

"Today, we struck another blow against the Fire Nation swine!" Jet announced, raising his cup and drawing a cheer from everyone.

Well, everyone except Sokka and Hieu. One was pouting silently, while the other scrutinized the orange-clad rebel.

"I got a special joy from the look on one soldier's face, when the Duke dropped down on his helmet and rode him like a wild hog-monkey!" Jet continued with a chuckle. A young boy then climbed up on the table as again most everybody cheered.

And again, Sokka and Hieu didn't bother joining in.

"Now, the Fire Nation thinks they don't have to worry about a couple of kids hiding in the trees," Jet said. "Maybe they're right."

Most everyone booed, with the usual suspects plus Neil not partaking.

"Or maybe, they're dead wrong." Cheers once more erupted, with Neil joining back in.

"Hey Jet, nice speech," Katara complimented as the rebel sat next to her.

"Thanks," Jet replied. "By the way, I was really impressed with you, Aang, and Neil. That was some great bending and fighting I saw today."

"Don't expect anything less from a super-soldier in power armor," Neil goodnaturedly said. "And don't expect anything less from the Avatar and his teacher." Katara blushed at the praise.

"Avatar, huh?" Jet responded with a smirk. "Very nice."

"Thanks, Jet!" Aang gratefully replied.

"So I know a way that you guys can help in our struggle," Jet started. But before he could continue, Sokka stood up.

"Unfortunately, we need to leave tonight," the teen objected as he went to leave.

"Sokka, you're kidding me!" Jet said, his trademark smirk turning to a frown. "I needed you on an important mission tomorrow."

This got Sokka's attention. "What mission?"

Hieu gently knocked on Neil's shoulder to get his attention. He then shook his head towards a more private area and stood up. Taking the cue, the cadet got up to follow.

"What's up?" Neil asked once they were secluded.

"It's Jet," Hieu responded. "I've got a feeling about him."

"Is this a good feeling or a bad feeling?" the cadet questioned.

"Bad," the veteran affirmed. "Something's off."

"Like?"

"He's zealous. Too zealous," Hieu elaborated. "You saw how he called the Fire Nation 'swine.'"

"And…?"

"I don't trust him."

"Look man, I know I said I trust you, but I think you're being paranoid," Neil said. "How about this: We keep an eye on him, and whoever's wrong has to clean Appa. Deal?" He extended a gauntlet.

"Deal," Hieu affirmed, taking the hand.

The veteran then went to talk to Jet. In addition to confirming his suspicions, he now had a bet to win.

The party waited in the trees. Most of them stood in the branches, while Hieu suspended himself by one of his knives with his right hand.

Jet then put his hands by his mouth and made a whistling sound, like a bird call. In response, Sneers and Smellerbee got into position on their branches, with the latter answering with her own call. Sokka then stabbed his knife into the tree.

"What are you doing?" Jet whispered in confusion.

"Shh. It amplifies vibrations," Sokka explained.

"Good trick," Jet complimented.

Sokka then clasped his hands around the handle and put his ear up to it. "Nothing yet." He then heard something through the knife. "Wait. Yes! Someone's approaching!"

"How many?" Jet asked.

"I think there's just one," Sokka divulged.

Jet then turned and made another bird call, before turning back to the teen. "Good work, Sokka. Ready your weapons."

Sokka eagerly yanked the blade from the tree, while Hieu drew another knife with his free hand, before they both spotted…

…an old man with a walking stick. The veteran resheathed his knife.

"Wait! False alarm, he's just an old man!" Sokka whispered, but it seemed that Jet had other things on his mind as he drew his hook-swords and dropped from the tree. The old man recoiled in shock.

"What are you doing in our woods, you leech?" Jet aggressively demanded.

"Please sir, I'm just a traveler," the old man tried to explain as he stepped back. Jet only advanced and swung a sword, flinging the walking stick away from the man. The traveler tried to escape, but ran face-first into Pipsqueak and fell flat on his back. He tried to crawl in the opposite direction, but that only took him back to Jet.

"Do you like destroying towns?" the rebel leered. "Do you like destroying families? Do you?!"

"Please let me go," the old man begged. "Have mercy!"

"I'd take his advice if I were you, Jet." Hieu dropped from the trees. "He's a civilian, and an elderly one. Any involvement he might have had with the war was long ago."

"Does the Fire Nation let people go?!" Jet continued, ignoring the veteran. "Does the Fire Nation have mercy?!" He went to kick the old man, but his foot was caught by Sokka's knife.

"Jet, he's just an old man!" Sokka yelled.

Jet swung to the teen aggressively. "He's Fire Nation! Search-"

SHING!

Hieu leveled his machete at Jet's throat before the rebel could process what happened. It was evident that the veteran's patience was wearing thin, even through his opaque visor and calm tone. "He's a non-combatant. Let him go."

"Have you forgotten that the Fire Nation killed Sokka's mother?!" Jet hotly retorted. "Remember why you fight!"

"We got his stuff, Jet!" Smellerbee announced.

"I fight to stop things like this from happening," Hieu answered as he slowly pulled the machete away. Though his voice was calm, his tightly clenched fist said it all. He was done with this crap.

"It's what has to be done," Jet responded, feeling his neck. "Now let's get out of here."

While the others went off to the hideout, Hieu decided to do one more thing while he was here. Turning to the old man, he removed his helmet and extended a gauntleted hand. "You alright?"

"Yes," the unfortunate traveler answered, taking the proffered arm. "And thank you, kind soldier."

"It's what I do," Hieu said with a smile as he pulled the old man up from the ground. "By the way, even if Jet isn't sorry about this, I am. You shouldn't have had to go through this."

"It seems truly kind people are rare these days," the old man remarked.

"You have no idea," the veteran grimly responded.

Aang laughed as he looped around the zipline, before flipping into the air and landing on a nearby platform. A familiar teenager sat up against the tree it was attached to, alongside a certain aged soldier.

"Guys, look what the Duke gave me!" the boy excitedly said. He reached into his satchel, before pulling out a small black pebble. He then threw it at the ground, causing it to spark with a crack and drawing Momo's ire. The lemur then pulled out more firecrackers and angrily tossed them at Aang's feet. "Ow, quit it!" the boy clamored. Neither Sokka nor Hieu paid attention to any of this.

As Momo continued to attack Aang, Katara climbed down a ladder. "Hey guys. Is Jet back?"

Sokka turned to his sister. "Yeah, he's back. But we're leaving."

"What?" Aang asked in confusion.

"But I made him this hat," Katara said, pulling out a leafy object with a flower on top.

"Jet's untrustworthy," Hieu contested, finally joining the conversation.

"What?! No he's not!" Katara shot back.

"He's messed up, Katara," Sokka firmly said.

"He's not messed up," Aang defended. "He's just got a different way of life. A really fun way of life."

"He tried to make us rob an old man," Hieu retorted. "A civilian old man, not a warrior of any kind."

Katara crossed her arms. "I want to hear Jet's side of the story."

"Guys, you told them what happened, but didn't mention that the man was Fire Nation?" Jet probed. Neil had joined in order to see who won the bet.

"No, they conveniently left that part out," Katara accused.

"Sides aren't important when they're civilians," Hieu shot back.

"He was an assassin, Hieu," Jet challenged, stabbing a knife into a nearby stool. He then twisted the pommel off, revealing a small vial filled with red liquid. "See? There's a compartment for poison in the knife. He was sent to eliminate me. You helped save my life, Hieu."

"I knew there was an explanation," Katara said.

Sokka scowled and narrowed his eyes. "I didn't see any knife."

"That's because he was concealing it," Jet contradicted.

"See, Sokka?" Katara agreed. "I'm sure you just didn't notice the knife."

"The man's bag contained food and water for two days, a flint and steel, a guide on edible plants, and some money," Hieu rattled off. "And he had a walking stick."

"There was no knife!" Sokka exclaimed. "I'm going back to the hut and packing my things," he announced as he stormed off.

Neil finally spoke up. "Hieu? Let's talk outside." The pair of soldiers went to follow Sokka.

Jet stood up. "Tell me you guys aren't leaving yet. I really need your help."

"What can we do?" Aang asked.

"The Fire Nation is planning on burning down our forest," Jet divulged. "If you both use waterbending to fill the reservoir, we could fight the fires. But if you leave now, they'll destroy the whole valley. Neil can come along, too."

Once the Spartans were out of the curtain, Neil crossed his arms. "Looks like I'm cleaning Appa."

Hieu chuckled. "So you agree with us."

"Yeah, I'm not buying his story," Neil admitted. "You've got fifteen years of black ops experience, you would've smelled an assassin from a mile away. Plus, I think I've picked up a few tricks from our unexpected field deployment."

"Good to know I have an ally," Hieu gratefully replied, clapping a hand on Neil's shoulder.

"Thanks, Hieu," Neil replied with a wide grin as Hieu turned to leave. A few moments later, he realized something.

Wait, did he just…?

As Sokka and Hieu packed up, Katara and Aang barged in. "We can't leave now with the Fire Nation about to burn down a forest!" Katara shouted.

"I'm sorry, Katara," Sokka responded. "Jet's very smooth, but we can't trust him."

"You heard me list what the old man had on him," Hieu reminded.

"You know what I think? You're jealous that he's a better warrior and a better leader than both of you!" Katara accused.

"Katara, we're not jealous of Jet!" Sokka retorted. "It's just that our instincts-"

"Well, my instincts tell me we need to stay here a little longer and help Jet," Katara stubbornly responded as she glared at the two. "Come on, Aang," she said as she stormed off.

"Sorry, guys," the boy apologized as he followed Katara.

Sokka and Hieu sat against the wall as they slept. The two had refused to unpack their supplies. Suddenly, whispering noises awakened the teen. Pulling back the curtains, he watched as several Freedom Fighters ziplined away. Following a hunch, Sokka leapt across the branches to follow.

As he came to a stop, he watched as the Freedom Fighters pushed the cart full of spoils down the road. He then silently dropped to the ground to make sure he didn't lose sight.

They eventually reached a cliff edge, with Jet turning to the others in his party. "Now listen. You're not to blow the dam until I give the signal. If the reservoir isn't full, the Fire Nation troops could survive."

"But what about the people in the town?" the Duke asked. "Won't they get wiped out, too?"

Jet laid a hand on the child's shoulder. "Look, Duke, that's the price of ridding this area of the Fire Nation."

He then pointed at Longshot. "Now don't blow the dam until I give the signal," he reiterated. "Got it?" The archer nodded in response.

Sokka's eyes widened, before a rustling got his attention. Suddenly, Pipsqueak yanked the teen into the air by his wolftail, eliciting gasps of pain from Sokka. Smellerbee then held a dagger to his throat. "Where do you think you're going, ponytail?"

The two then dragged him over to their leader and shoved the teen to the ground. "Sokka. I'm glad you decided to join us."

"I heard your plan to destroy the Earth Kingdom town," Sokka angrily responded.

"Our plan is to rid the valley of the Fire Nation," Jet calmly replied.

"There are people living there, Jet!" Sokka retorted. "Mothers and fathers and children!"

"We can't win the war without making some sacrifices," the rebel steadfastly said.

"You lied to Aang and Katara about the forest fire!" Sokka accused.

"Because they don't understand the demands of war," Jet responded. "Not like you and I do."

"I do understand," Sokka said. "I understand that there's nothing you won't do to get what you want!"

Jet sighed and pulled the wheat from his mouth. "I was hoping you'd have an open mind, but I can see you've made your choice."

The rebel then hooked Sokka's wrist as Pipsqueak and Smellerbee grabbed his shoulders. "I can't let you warn Katara and Aang. Take him for a walk. A long walk."

"You can't do this!" Sokka exclaimed as the thugs tied his wrists behind his back.

"Cheer up, Sokka," Jet said with a smirk. "We're going to win a great victory against the Fire Nation today."

Hieu awakened to find Sokka missing. The teen had likely heard something in the night and went off to investigate. That or foul play. He suspected a mixture of both.

The veteran donned his ARTAIUS helmet and leapt down from the trees. On the ground, he spotted a set of wagon tracks on the trail, and off to the side of the path, there was a set of footprints.

Hieu made his choice. There was only one way to go from here.

"Jet, I'm sorry about how Sokka and Hieu have been acting," Katara apologized as she, Aang, Neil, and the rebel walked down an almost-dry riverbed.

"No worries. They already apologized," Jet dismissed.

"Really? They apologized?" Aang questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, I was surprised too," Jet remarked. "I got the sense that maybe you talked to them or something."

"Yeah, I did," Katara responded.

"I guess something you said got through to them," Jet said.

"Maybe…" Neil muttered. He had been uncharacteristically quiet this morning, only giving wary glares at the Freedom Fighters whenever he saw them. Jet in particular got a lot of focus. In fact, this was the first word he'd said all day.

"Anyhow, Sokka went on a scouting mission with Pipsqueak and Smellerbee," Jet explained. "Not sure where Hieu went, but I don't see him getting into trouble."

"I'm glad they cooled off," Katara said. "They're so stubborn, sometimes."

WHOOF!

"AH!"

At the sounds, Katara turned to find Aang blown into the air by a burst of steam.

"Alright, we're here," Jet announced as Aang landed back on the ground. "Underground water's trying to escape from these vents. I need you guys to help it along."

"How am I supposed to help here?" Neil asked as he donned his CAVALLINO helmet. He couldn't exactly bend the water out with the Bandit.

"The Fire Nation's probably got a few patrols around here," Jet hedged. "Your job is to make sure they don't hurt our friends."

"I've never used bending on water I can't see," Katara said apprehensively. "I don't know…"

Jet placed his hands on the girl's shoulders. "Katara, you can do this."

"What about me?" Aang asked.

"I know the Avatar can do this," Jet said with a slight chuckle.

The two benders then stood near one of the many holes in the ground and waved their arms up and down. Swishing noises could be heard from the deep, getting louder with each rise and fall. Eventually, a column of water emerged, ascending as the benders manipulated the liquid, before they sent it towards the small rivulet downhill.

"Yes! Good job!" Jet cheered. "This river empties into the reservoir. A few more geysers and it'll be full."

"Look, there's another steam vent!" Aang proclaimed, pointing towards a nearby puff of vapor. Katara and Neil followed the boy to the geyser.

"Okay, you three keep it up, I'll go check on things at the reservoir," Jet said, before walking away.

"When we're done, we'll meet you over there," Katara announced.

Jet stopped, and turned to face her. "Actually, probably better if you meet me back at the hideout when we're done." As the rebel left, and the benders resumed their task, Neil kept his green visor trained on Jet.

A few hours of bending water from geysers later, Aang looked on at his and Katara's handiwork. "I bet that's enough. And I'm not just saying that to be lazy."

"Let's catch up with Jet at the reservoir," Katara said.

"I thought we agreed to meet Jet back at the hideout," Aang pointed out.

"Well, we finished early," Katara countered. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see us."

Smellerbee shoved the captive Sokka along the forest floor. "Come on, move along!"

"How can you stand by and do nothing while Jet wipes out a whole town?!" Sokka angrily questioned.

"Hey, listen, Sokka. Jet's a great leader," Pipsqueak firmly responded. "We follow what he says, and things always turn out okay."

At that moment, the teen spotted two suspicious piles of leaves with nuts on top. Ideas flashed into his brain. All he had to do was bait his captors.

"If that's how Jet leads, then he's got a lot to learn!" Sokka rushed towards the leaf piles. As Smellerbee and Pipsqueak tried to follow, spherical metal cages sprung up beneath them, ensnaring the two and lifting them high up into the branches.

"While you two are up there, you might want to practice your knot work," Sokka quipped as he held what used to be his wrist bindings in front of him.

It was then that Hieu emerged from a nearby bush. Funny how the red, black, and tan armor blended into the leaves' colors. Turning to the teen, he asked, "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Sokka confirmed. "How'd you find me?"

"Wolves are great at hunting," Hieu cryptically replied. "And it seems that prey isn't hard to catch."

"You set those traps up?" Sokka asked.

"The Fire Nation did," Hieu corrected. "I just moved them. And it was difficult, to say the least."

The veteran then shook his head. "We're getting off track. What's going on?"

"Jet's going to blow the dam," Sokka confided. "He's going to wipe out a whole village just to get rid of the Fire Nation garrison!"

"Then we need to get moving," Hieu declared. Sokka set off at a run, while Hieu jogged to follow.

Pipsqueak spun around in his cage, snacking on the bundle of nuts that had conveniently been in the trap. "Hey, Smellerbee, you gonna eat your lychee nuts?"

Boink!

"Ooh!"

The trio stood on the edge of a cliff, observing the dam that held the reservoir back. At the base, the Freedom Fighters were doing… something.

"What are they doing?" Katara asked, echoing the others' thoughts.

"Let's take a looksie, shall we?" Neil replied. Zooming in with his VISR, he spotted the rebels unloading several barrels from a cart. "Hey, those are the barrels the Freedom Fighters pilfered from that camp the other day…"

"Why would they need blasting jelly?" Katara questioned.

"...because Jet's going to blow up the dam," Aang realized.

"What? No, that would destroy the town," Katara refuted. "Jet wouldn't do that."

"You sure?" Neil probed. "Because in case you forgot, Hieu has an exceptional memory. Two days of provisions, a fire starter, a guide on edible plants, and money. If he said there was no knife, then there was no knife." The rest didn't need to be said.

Aang unfolded his glider. "I've got to stop him!"

"...Jet wouldn't do that," Katara muttered, seemingly to convince herself more than anything.

Aang then ran towards the edge, but as he leapt off the ground, an orange blur tackled the glider away from him. The boy had to bend a gust of air to keep himself from going over.

"Yes, I would." Jet kneeled a short distance away, hooked swords in his hands.

"Jet, why?" Katara begged as Neil unslung the Bandit and shouldered it.

"Katara, Neil, you would too, if you would just stop to think," Jet responded. "Think about what the Fire Nation did to your mother. Think about what the Covenant did to your father. We can't let people like them do that to anyone else ever again."

"This isn't the answer," Katara pleaded.

"I want you guys to understand me," Jet said. "I thought Sokka and Hieu would understand, but-"

"Where's Sokka?!" Katara demanded as tears fell from her eyes.

"Katara…" Jet placed his hand on Katara's cheek. In a rage, she bent water from her pouch and rammed it into Jet's chest, knocking him to the ground.

A beeping noise then came from inside Neil's helmet. Hieu was trying to contact him. "Guys, Hieu's on the horn."

Putting the comms to speaker, he opened the channel. "Hieu?"

"Neil, I found Sokka," the veteran broadcasted. "Jet's thugs had him captive, but he's out now."

"That's great!" Neil and Katara exclaimed in unison.

"We're off to warn the village and get everyone out," Hieu then said.

"And we mean everyone," a teenaged voice added. "Including the Fire Nation."

"Sokka!" Katara exclaimed happily.

"Aang, get to the dam," Hieu ordered. "I'd rather the village not be destroyed."

"On it!" the boy acknowledged, running over to his staff. As he approached, however, Jet hooked it away.

"You're not going anywhere without your glider," the rebel growled.

"I am, though," Neil announced as he backed up. "You guys deal with Captain Hook while I knock some sense into those guys." He then sprinted forwards and dived off the cliff, vanishing beneath the forest roof at the bottom.

"Will do," Katara snarled, bending a tentacle of water from her pouch.

Jet then swung his swords at Aang, with the boy leaping backwards to dodge, before jumping into the branches of a nearby tree. "I'm not gonna fight you, Jet!"

"You'll have to if you want your glider back!" the rebel sneered. He leapt up and hooked his swords onto the branch Aang was standing on, but the young airbender dodged onto another branch. As Aang leapt from tree to tree, Jet dropped to the ground and gave chase. However, his feet were suddenly ensnared by a glob of water, tripping him up. Looking back, the rebel saw a very angry Katara.

Neil, unfortunately, reached the dam's foundations too late to stop the rebels. The Freedom Fighters were long gone…

…though their handiwork wasn't.

Disarming the bomb would be simple enough. It was all a matter of finding the fuse. Spotting a rope on the ground, the cadet traced it towards the barrels, before unsheathing his combat knife.

As Neil cut the fuses at their source, a lightbulb switched on in his brain. There was a lot of blasting jelly in front of him, and he'd hate for it to go to waste…

All he needed was a way to store it.

Katara pulled the water away from Jet as she angrily advanced. The rebel simply bounced up off the ground and hooked his swords together, like an extra-deadly nunchuk. As the girl sent tentacle after tentacle at Jet, he slashed his swords through them, deflecting each spurt of water that came his way.

Aang then jumped down from the trees, sending a blast of air at Jet that sent him flying into the air. The rebel quickly regained his composure, however, and landed on his feet. He then leapt towards Katara and slashed a sword at her before she could react. The blade cut deep into her left cheek, with a spurt of blood flying as the girl let out a scream of pain.

On seeing one of his best friends hurt, Aang let out a roar, sending a massive gust of wind at Jet and knocking him back. Blow after blow rained upon the rebel as the Avatar refused to let him get steady on his feet.

Katara wiped the blood from her face with her arm. With a newfound fury, she lifted water from a nearby creek, sending tentacle after tentacle at Jet and knocking him towards a tree. She then let out an ice-cold breath, freezing the soaked rebel solid.

"Why, Jet?" Katara whispered. "I can't believe I trusted you. You lied to me. You're sick, and I trusted you!"

Jet then suddenly let out another one of his bird calls. The whistles carried through the valley.

"What are you doing?" Katara apprehensively asked.

"You're too late," Jet responded.

"No!"

Aang unfolded his staff and attempted to take off, only to fall to the ground with a grunt as his glider had several tears in it. "The village might not have been evacuated yet," the boy groaned as Katara rushed over to him. "Sokka and Hieu are our only chance."

"Come on, guys…" Katara breathed. "I'm sorry I ever doubted you. Please…"

Longshot lined up his bow. He then silently let go of the drawstring, sending the flaming arrow flying. It soared towards the dam.

"No…" Katara whispered. She waited for the explosion…

And waited…

…and waited…

"What's happening?!" Jet demanded from his icy prison. "Why isn't the dam blowing up?!"

"Looking for this?"

Neil suddenly arrived, carrying a length of rope in his hand. The ends looked frayed, like he cut through them with a knife.

"How?!" Jet yelled.

"You didn't cover your bases, that's how," Neil responded. Looking at his actual friends, he dropped any illusions of levity as he spotted Katara's injury. Rushing over to her, he asked, "What happened?!"

"Jet," Katara answered quietly.

Neil slowly turned to the frozen rebel, his clenched gauntlets shaking in rage. Even though his visor was opaque and normally expressionless, it only seemed to amplify his anger. He then slowly walked up to Jet, not bothering to quiet his footsteps.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

He was now barely a foot away from the rebel. Beads of sweat appeared on Jet's face as the cadet leaned forward. "You hurt my friends in a lot of ways over the past few days," Neil said, voice barely above a whisper. "You lied… you manipulated… and now you've drawn blood. YOU SON OF A-"

With that last yell, Neil crashed his fist into the tree Jet was bound to, barely half an inch away from his head. Splinters went flying as the power of Mjolnir was demonstrated.

"YOU TRIED TO WIPE OUT INNOCENT PEOPLE BECAUSE THE FIRE NATION JUST HAPPENED TO BE THERE!" the cadet burst out. "YOU! ARE! A! TERRORIST!"

"The real terrorists are the Fire Nation!" Jet bravely retorted. Too bravely, perhaps.

Neil took a deep breath. "Here's a history lesson for you," he growled. "My homeworld is called Ballast. In January 2552, the Covenant attacked the planet. You want to know what happened to most planets the aliens attacked? They burned to glass. The Covenant would raze cities to the ground with everyone still in them as part of their genocidal war against my humanity.

"But Ballast survived. We fought the aliens off. Every grunt, jackal, and elite, they were all killed or evicted. And we didn't kill all the civilians in the process. If you were in charge of the defense, you would have nuked Havenwinter to the ground just to wipe out the Covenant. Don't you see? You're doing their job for them, whether you realize it or not!"

"He's right!" the voice of Hieu Dinh called out. He and Sokka had arrived on Appa. "If you lower yourself to their level, you're no better."

"The Fire Nation could have been gone!" Jet yelled. "This valley could have been safe!"

"It will be safe, without you!" Sokka shot back. "Even if the dam had gone up, we warned the villagers."

"What?!" It seemed Jet had forgotten about the earlier phone call.

"At first, they didn't believe us," Sokka began. "The Fire Nation's soldiers knew Hieu by reputation. But one man vouched for us, the one you attacked. He urged them to trust us, and we got everyone out in case you won."

"We could've freed this valley!" Jet howled.

"The only freedom they would have had was death," Hieu responded as the others boarded Appa.

"You traitor!"

"Look who's talking," Neil growled. "Let's go. I have half a mind to empty a mag or two into his skull as it is."

"Katara, please… help me," Jet begged.

The girl put a hand to her cut cheek. "Goodbye, Jet."

Sokka whipped Appa's reins. "Yip yip."

Neil heaved a barrel of blasting jelly towards the congregation of villagers. They'd need evidence that this all happened, after all.

Testimony was all well and good, but it wouldn't hold up on its own in court.

The group took the time to wind down as Appa flew through the air. Katara had a bandage going over her face, while Aang was busy repairing his glider.

The boy then turned to Sokka and Hieu. "I guess we should've trusted you guys all along. How'd you figure that Jet was shady, anyways?"

"Let me guess, your instincts told you?" Katara stated more than asked.

"You pick up these things," Hieu answered. "And eventually, it does become instinct."

"And sometimes, they're right," Sokka agreed.

"...umm, Sokka?" Aang said. "You know we're going the wrong way, right?"

"And sometimes, they're wrong," Sokka admitted.

The young Avatar then noticed something. "Hey Neil, where'd you get all that blasting jelly?"

Vallus emerged from the Gateway, dragging the unconscious female Spartan by her leg. In all honesty, the trip was slightly nauseating, but it was nothing he hadn't felt before.

The Spartan Killer then spotted Iratus a short distance away, flanked by two thralls. Walking up to the digital chieftain's chosen body, he set down the Spartan's leg, before kneeling respectfully. "Chieftain Iratus, I have arrived."

"Rise, Vallus," Iratus ordered. "You have no need to bow. This is not the old Covenant."

Vallus stood as directed. "I meant no disrespect, Chieftain."

"I'm sure you didn't," Iratus accepted. He then looked towards Vallus' captive. "I see you brought a friend."

"It is the other demon from Camber, and one of the rebels from what used to be their training grounds," Vallus explained.

"Ah, another one for the collection, I presume?" the construct queried.

"No, I believe this one could be a source of information," the brute hedged. "I am no interrogator, so I elected to bring her to you."

Iratus raised a digital eyebrow and scrutinized his subordinate, before an angular smile appeared on his hologram. "This is why you are a part of the Hand," he chuckled. "Always sure that one demon can show you the others. I will find a suitable warden for her, rest assured. You have done well."

"Thank you, Chieftain," Vallus said earnestly.

"Now, get some rest," Iratus directed. "You will be briefed tomorrow morning."

Next chapter: Facing the Past

Coming 10/09/2023

AN: Chapter 10 is wrapped up.

I honestly initially had Neil being more of a jerk in this chapter, but I realized it didn't fit his character to take it as far as I did, so I changed up his dialogue to fit better. I also don't want him to just be Hieu's yes-man or vice versa, so I had to strike a balance between his loyalty and his agency. This is really gonna be evident in the next chapter.

On that note, I know that a lot of people consider The Great Divide to be simply a filler episode, and one of the weakest stories in the series. I would normally agree. However, I think it's gonna be a great opportunity to flesh out the dynamic between Hieu and Neil.

Anyway, I should probably get back to this chapter. I felt like the Spartans' presence should finally change the way the story goes, rather than just making way for stuff that already happened in the show. So, I saved the village.

I changed up the fight scene at the end for plot reasons. As for having Katara get hurt, the scar should be a handy plot device for Book 2. Also, I think it gave Neil a good reason to blow up, pun intended.

Anyway, Vallus has now arrived in the Benderverse. All I'm saying about this for now is that I'm benching him for a chapter or two while other bits happen. Rest assured, I've got plans for him.

In the meantime, fave, follow, and review. The last one helps me improve as a writer.

This is Believer218, signing off.