AN: Back on schedule!

Also… SEASON 5 IS HERE! Cross-core helmets and coatings have arrived, Forge AI has come, and Firefight is on its way!

Spider-Man 2 has released as well! It's moments like these when I wish I had a PlayStation…

…moving on, remember how in last chapter's closing AN, I said I cut Hieu's backstory? Well, be not dismayed, for it is here!

Anyway, I don't own Halo or Avatar, so here we go.


Haunted


Aang whipped Appa's reins noiselessly, and Sokka flew through the air on a glider. The teen flashed a smile to Aang, who mimicked the gesture. Blue streaks followed the bison as Neil used his thrusters to help push Appa along.

Katara and Hieu then pulled up alongside them, riding a supersized Momo. The girl waved over to the others.

'We need you, Aang,' Katara's disembodied voice said.

"I need you too," Aang replied.

Looking ahead, the boy's eyes widened as he saw a massive roiling storm cloud, dark and thunderous.

"Be careful, guys!" Aang called out. Looking around, however, his friends were nowhere to be found. Even Neil had vanished, and he was on board Appa. "Guys?"

A familiar bald figure with a handlebar mustache then floated in front of him. "Gyatso?"

"Why did you disappear?" Gyatso implored.

"I didn't mean to," Aang said apprehensively. He reached out to touch Gyatso, but the figure turned to gray dust before his eyes.

The boy's eyes widened as he entered the storm. 'We need you, Aang,' Gyatso's disembodied voice said.

BOOM!

Aang screamed as a flash of thunder blinded him. Appa crashed into the ocean below, and the two began to sink. As the boy's grip on the reins loosened, more voices spoke.

'We need you, Aang. We need you.'

'We need you, Aang. We need you.'

BOOM!


Aang shot awake.

Momo, who had been laying on top of the boy, screeched as his slumber was disturbed. The lemur scampered across Aang's sleeping friends, jolting them awake as well.

Sokka in particular drowsily held his knife and boomerang ahead of him. "Ugh, what's going on? Did we get captured again?"

"It's nothing. I just had a bad dream," Aang tried to dismiss. "Go back to sleep."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Sokka said as he laid back down.

Neil shook his head as he rubbed his eyes. "Didn't we go through this with Hieu a month or two ago?"

Katara turned to the boy. "Are you alright, Aang?"

"I'm okay," Aang responded as he curled up.

"You've been having a lot of nightmares," Hieu pointed out. "If you want, we can talk."

"I think I just need some rest," Aang quietly said.

Sokka sat back up. "You guys wanna hear about my dream?" The others shot him disapproving looks. "That's okay. I didn't want to talk about it anyway."


The next morning, Katara and Hieu were finishing clearing up the campsite. Appa let out a groan as the group loaded up.

"Look at those clear skies, buddy," Aang said as a flock of birds flew overhead. "Should be some smooth flying."

It seemed that Hieu had other thoughts. "I wouldn't be so sure. Last night was warm, and the barometric pressure is lowering by the hour. I'd say a storm's likely."

"Well, let's take advantage of it while we can," Neil said. He flipped over a bag, only for crumbs to fall out. "We'll need to smoothly fly to a market to restock. The North Pole isn't getting any closer if we starve to death."

"Guys, wait! This was in my dream!" Sokka interjected as Neil climbed into the saddle. "We shouldn't go to the market!"

"What happened in your dream?" Katara asked.

"Food eats people!" Sokka testified. "Also, Momo could talk." He turned to the lemur with a frown. "You said some very unkind things."

"...somebody get this man a tinfoil hat," Neil quipped, drawing stares from the kids. "Right. Tinfoil doesn't exist in this universe. Note to self, remove that from- hey, what's going on?" The cadet suddenly smacked the side of his helmet. "That's odd."

"What's odd?" Aang asked.

"My motion tracker turned off for a second," Neil explained. He then shrugged. "Eh, it's fixed itself."


Iroh inhaled deeply. "There is a storm coming. A big one."

Zuko lowered the spyglass. "You're out of your mind, Uncle!" He walked up to Iroh. "The weather is perfect! There's not a cloud in sight!"

"A storm is approaching from the north," Iroh maintained. He turned to Zuko. "I suggest we alter our course and head southwest."

"We know the Avatar is traveling northward," Zuko insisted, "so we will do the same."

"Prince Zuko, consider the safety of the crew," Iroh implored.

"The safety of the crew doesn't matter!" Zuko barked. He turned to spot one of said crew coming up from below deck, Lieutenant Jee, and walked up to the man. "Finding the Avatar is far more important than any individual's safety." As Zuko went through a hatch into the conning tower, Iroh went up to Jee.

"He doesn't mean that," the old man tried to reassure. "He's just all worked up."


While Appa laid in the water by a pier, the group inspected the various stalls in the market for supplies. Right now, Neil was shaking a melon, and the noises it made didn't sound particularly promising.

"It's good! It's perfect, I'm telling you!" the saleswoman insisted.

Neil simply shook the melon in response. "I'm not so sure the swishing is 'perfect.'"

The saleswoman walked around the stall to the cadet. "Swishing means it's ripe! It's the ripe juices swishing around, huh?"

"I think it's true, Neil," Aang chimed in as Sokka walked up with a basket. "Swishing means it's ripe."

Neil simply shook his head as he put the melon back. "I'm sorry ma'am, but as the medical expert of our little team, I have to disagree about the swishing. That, and we're out of money anyway."

The woman humphed in response. As Sokka walked past her, she yanked the basket from his hands, before kicking him in the butt.

A few minutes later, the five regrouped on the pier. "Out of food and out of money," Sokka whined as he rubbed his bottom. "Now what are we supposed to do?"

"You could get a job, smart guy," Katara sardonically suggested.

"We shouldn't go out there!" an elderly woman's voice called out. Turning around, the group saw a woman grabbing an old man's shoulder. "Please, the fish can wait! There's going to be a terrible storm!"

"Aw, you're crazy. It's a nice day," the old man crabbed. "No clouds, no wind, no nothin'. So quit your nagging, woman," he said, pointing a finger at her face.

"Maybe we should find some shelter?" Aang slowly suggested.

"Are you kidding? Shelter from what?" Sokka said.

"The storm," Hieu reminded. "I told you before, the barometric pressure is dropping by the hour."

"My joints say there's going to be a storm! A bad one," the elderly woman insisted.

"Well, it's your joints against my brain," the old fisherman carped.

"Then I hope your brain can find someone else to haul that fish, 'cause I ain't coming!" the woman fumed.

"Then I'll find a new fish hauler and pay him double what you get!" the fisherman glowered. "How do you like that?"

Sokka rushed forward, seeing the opportunity. "I'll go."

"You're hired!"

"Got a second slot?" Neil asked. "Somebody's gotta keep an eye on Sokka."

"You're hired too!"

The others glared at the two. "What? You said 'get a job'," Sokka pointed out. "And he's paying double."

"Double? Who told you that nonsense?" the fisherman questioned with a raised eyebrow, apparently having forgotten his words of ten to fifteen seconds prior.


As the ship sailed closer to the storm, Zuko stepped onto the deck.

"Huh, looks like your uncle was right about the storm after all," Lieutenant Jee mocked.

"Lucky guess," Iroh said with his hands raised, trying to prevent the situation from escalating.

"Lieutenant, you'd better learn some respect," Zuko growled, walking up to the lieutenant and jabbing his fingers into his chest, "or I will teach it to you." He walked away.

"What do you know about respect?" Jee asked irately. Behind him, Iroh desperately made a slashing gesture at his throat to try and stop Zuko from lashing out. "The way you talk to everyone here, from your hard-working crew to your esteemed uncle, shows you know nothing about respect."

Iroh palmed his face and sighed. He knew exactly what was coming.

"You don't care about anyone but yourself!" Jee all but yelled. "Then again, what should I expect from a spoiled prince?"

Zuko paused briefly, before snapping around and assuming a ready stance, which Jee mimicked.

"Easy now," Iroh advised the two.

Their wrists collided with a small shower of sparks. The contact point began to smoke, but before the fight could continue, Iroh forcefully separated the two. "Enough! We're all a bit tired from being at sea so long."

The old man crossed his arms. "I'm sure after a bowl of noodles, everyone will feel much better." A tense moment of silence followed, before the lieutenant and the prince walked away from each other.

"I don't need your help keeping order on my ship," Zuko groused. Iroh tried to lay his hand on his nephew's shoulder, but Zuko shook it off.


While Neil and Sokka loaded up the fisherman's boat, Aang was tense. "Guys, maybe this isn't such a good idea. Look at the sky."

Hieu shared his skepticism. "Barometric pressure is just under a thousand millibars, and it'll only drop further once the storm arrives."

"I said I was gonna do this job," Sokka insisted. "I can't back out just because of some bad weather."

"And I've got to make sure he doesn't get thrown overboard like on the solstice," Neil added.

"The boy with the tattoos and the man with the knives have some sense," the elderly woman said. "You should listen to them."

The old man perked up. "Boy with tattoos?" He turned to face Aang. "Airbender tattoos."

He walked up to the boy. "Well, I'll be a hog-monkey's uncle. You're the Avatar, ain't you?"

"That's right," Katara confirmed, as a smile came to Aang's face.

"Well, don't be so smiley about it," the fisherman growled, immediately souring the general mood. "The Avatar disappeared for a hundred years! You turned your back on the world!" he fumed, jabbing a finger into Aang's chest.

"Don't yell at him!" Katara exclaimed. "Aang would never turn his back on anyone!"

"Oh, he wouldn't, huh?" The old man cupped his chin. "Then I guess I must have imagined the last hundred years of war and suffering!"

"Aang is one of the bravest people I know!" Katara defended, putting her hand over her chest. "He has done nothing but help people and save lives since I met him!" While this was happening, Aang began to step back slowly. "It's not his fault he disappeared, right Aang?"

At the lack of response, Katara turned around. "Aang, what's wrong?" Instead of replying, the boy snapped open his glider and took off before anyone could stop him. Katara reached out her hand, as if to try and stop him.

"That's right! Keep flying!" the old man yelled after him.

Hieu narrowed his eyes at the fisherman. "I may be old, but I'm not heartless." He walked up to the man, his up-armored chestplate directly in the man's face. "They'll do the job. Then we're leaving."

He then stepped back. "Katara, let's go find Aang."

The two boarded Appa, and with Katara's urging, the bison took off with a massive splash.


As the fisherman tried to wring out his clothes, Neil came up from below deck. "Well, wouldn't be the first time we've split up unannounced."

"Your friends ain't too polite, are they?" the old man responded.

"It really depends on whether-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, get below deck," the fisherman interrupted, rather hypocritically in Neil's opinion.

The cadet let out a sigh. "It's days like these where I miss the devil dogs."


The veteran and the girl had a rough idea of where Aang went off too. Katara piloted Appa, while Hieu had activated his VISR, keeping an eye out for the green outline of the boy.

They were soaring around a mountain when Hieu spotted what he was looking for. It was almost imperceptible from where he was at, but he saw the green outline of Aang just outside a cave. "Katara, I've got eyes on him. He's near that cave to your right."

The girl dutifully guided Appa to a good landing area a hundred or so feet from the entrance, and Hieu removed his helmet as he and Katara got off. The two walked up a set of stone stairs to the cave entrance, before walking in, both sopping wet.

The boy was kneeling, his head dipped low. "I'm sorry for running away."

"It's okay," Katara replied. "That fisherman was way out of line."

"He's wrong to think you would abandon people," Hieu added.

"Actually, he wasn't," Aang said.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked in confusion.

Aang turned his head to look at them. "I don't want to talk about it."

Hieu stepped in front of the boy, before stooping down to a knee and laying his hand on Aang's shoulder. "It's the nightmares, isn't it? You can trust us."

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Aang said as Katara followed Hieu's example.

A low rumble was then heard. Appa and Momo had followed Katara and Hieu into the cave. The soaked bison nudged Aang slightly to try to comfort the boy. By the looks of things, it was kind of working.

Katara then got up. "I'm gonna try to get a little fire going."

Around fifteen minutes later, a warm fire burned between the friends. Aang raised his head slightly. "I'll never forget the day the monks told me I was the Avatar."


100 years ago

'I was playing with some other kids just outside the south wall. I was trying to teach them how to do the air-scooter.'

Aang whirled his hands above his head, creating an air bubble. "First, you form a ball. Then you've got to get on quick." He then jumped and assumed a cross-legged position on top of the ball, before whirring around the courtyard. He laughed as he zoomed around, going on the underside of the bridge and even up a wall, before speeding down the stairs.

"Okay, here goes!" another airbender boy excitedly said as he whirled his hands above his head and made a ball.

"Quick, get on!" Aang called out. The other boy did indeed get on, but instead of balancing on top of the scooter, he spun around rapidly, before falling off as the bubble disappeared.

Aang dissipated his scooter. "You kinda have to balance on it like it's a top," he added.

The boy clutched his head. "Man, that's hard."

A younger boy grabbed Aang's tunic to get his attention. "Where'd you learn that trick, Aang?"

"I made it up," Aang admitted with a shrug.

"Wow!" the younger boy said in amazement as he spun around.

"Aang, come with us," a familiar voice suddenly said. Gyatso stood at the top of the stairs alongside the other elders. "We need to speak with you."

Aang looked around at his friends apprehensively, before doing as he was told.

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in the elders' chamber.

"How do you know it's me?" Aang asked.

"We have known you were the Avatar for some time," Elder Tashi responded, before airbending a small roll over to the boy. "Do you remember these?" The roll unfurled in front of Aang, revealing…

"Those were some of my favorite toys when I was little!" the boy remarked, before picking up a small stick with a propeller on it.

"You chose them from among thousands of toys, Aang," Tashi noted. "The toys you picked were the four Avatar relics. These items belonged to Avatars past. Your own past lives."

"I just chose them because they seemed fun," Aang replied, pulling a drawstring on the stick and sending the propeller flying around the roo.

"You chose them because they were familiar," Tashi said.

Gyatso then spoke up. "Normally, we would have told you of your identity when you turned sixteen. But there are troubling signs. Storm clouds are gathering."

"I fear that war may be upon us, young Avatar," Elder Pasang gravely added.

"We need you, Aang," Gyatso said.


Present day

While Aang told his story, Hieu was reminded of his own. As the boy briefly went quiet, the veteran's mind flashed back to his childhood.


High orbit, Jericho VII, Lambda Serpentis

Earth-343, year 2535

A twelve-year-old boy watched Jericho VII burn from a glass viewport. The only home he ever knew, turned to glass. His family, killed in the wake of the Covenant.

His hope, lost.

Hieu Dinh would forever remember that day.

February 12th, 2535.

In his silent rage, he failed to notice another boy around his age walk up behind him. This boy had dirty-blonde hair and gray eyes. "Uh, h-hi…?"

Hieu slowly turned to the other boy. "Who are you?"

"M-my name is-is J-Jay Wil-Wilson," the boy said with a heavy stutter. "Wh-what's yo-yours?"

Hieu hesitated briefly. "I'm Hieu Dinh," he said simply.

"N-nice to m-meet you, H-Hieu," Jay replied.

The two boys became close friends that day. The Wilsons took the twelve-year-old Hieu under their wing, and the boys quickly became inseparable.

The two would eat together, play together, and laugh together. When they both turned eighteen, they immediately volunteered for military service. By some miracle, they ended up training in the same squad, and another miracle saw them assigned to the same unit following that.

Five years following their entry into the military, their unit was reassigned to ONI service. Their bond only deepened during the missions that followed. Jay even managed to conquer his stutter.

They were best friends.

Brothers.


Earth-4476, present day

As the ship sailed further into the storm, several of the crew were below deck, sitting around a fire to keep warm. Many of them were in a less than affable mood.

"I'm sick of taking his orders, and I'm tired of chasing his Avatar!" Lieutenant Jee crabbed. "I mean, who does Zuko think he is?"

"Do you really want to know?" an elderly voice said. The crewmembers rapidly stood.

"General Iroh, we were just-"

"It's okay," Iroh dismissed with a wave of his hand, quieting the lieutenant before he could make an excuse. "May I join you?"

"Of course, sir," Jee assented. Iroh quickly descended the steps to sit with the crewmembers.

The retiree stroked his beard as he sat down. "Try to understand, my nephew is a complicated young man." He leaned forward. "He has been through much."


Two years ago

A fourteen-year-old, scarless Zuko walked up to the curtain that separated the war room from the hall. Two soldiers stood sentry on either side. As the young prince approached, however, a guard blocked his way.

"Let me in!" Zuko demanded.

Iroh walked up to the boy and turned him away from the guards. "Prince Zuko, what's wrong?"

"I want to go into the war chamber, but the guard won't let me pass!" the prince explained.

"You're not missing anything, trust me," Iroh tried to reassure as he walked Zuko away from the curtain. "These meetings are dreadfully boring."

"If I'm going to rule this nation one day, don't you think I need to start learning as much as I can?" Zuko adamantly said.

"Very well," Iroh relented after a short pause,"but you must promise not to speak. These old folks are a bit sensitive, you know?"

"Thank you, uncle," Zuko replied with a bow, before he and Iroh entered the chamber. Inside, Fire Lord Ozai sat on his throne, surrounded by fire, while the generals were seated around a rectangular map on the floor. The meeting itself was of no particular note until the Earth Kingdom's defenses were brought up.

"The Earth Kingdom defenses are concentrated here," a general with a stringy mustache said as he gestured to a spot on the map, "a dangerous battalion of their strongest earthbenders and fiercest warriors. So I am recommending the 41st Division." He moved a piece across the map with a stick.

"But the 41st is entirely new recruits," a general with a long white beard pointed out. "How do you expect them to defeat a powerful Earth Kingdom battalion?"

"I don't," the stringy-mustached general said with a smirk. "They'll be used as a distraction while we mount an attack from the rear. What better to use as bait than fresh meat?"

"You can't sacrifice an entire division like that!" Zuko stood tall, or as tall as he could at fourteen years old. "Those soldiers love and defend our nation! How can you betray them?!"

Every eye in that room was on the prince.


Present day

"Zuko was right, you see?" Iroh had the firm attention of the other crewmembers as they sat around the fire. "But it was not his place to speak out.

"And there were… dire consequences."


"So you were upset that you were the Avatar?" Katara asked in confusion. "Why wouldn't you be excited about it?"

"Well, I didn't know how to feel about it," Aang admitted. "All I knew was that after I found out, everything began changing."


100 years ago

As Aang entered the temple courtyard, he saw the other boys excitedly zooming around on air-scooters.

"Hey, not bad!" the newfound Avatar complimented. "You guys have been practicing!"

"Not only that," another boy said as he pulled up alongside Aang, "we made up a game you can play with the air-scooters!"

"Great!" Aang replied as he made a scooter. Just as he got on, however, all the other boys dissipated theirs.

The young Avatar looked on in confusion. "What's going on?"

"Now that you're the Avatar, it's kind of an unfair advantage for whichever team you're on," a taller boy explained sadly.

"But I'm still the same," Aang responded. "Nothing's changed." He glanced around. "So, what? I can't play?"

"That's the only fair way," the tall boy admitted.

Aang disappointedly dissipated his air-scooter. "Oh… okay."

The young Avatar trudged away.


Aang only half-paid attention to his and Gyatso's pai-sho game. His elbow was on the table, and he held his cheek in his hand.

As he slid a piece across the board, Gyatso cupped his chin. "Very interesting move, young one."

"What do you mean?" Aang asked.

Gyatso then spun a column of air over him and Aang, lifting the boy's tunic over his head. Aang pushed it back and instantly noticed that two tiles had been switched. "Hey!" he giggled, with Gyatso laughing along.

The door creaked open, revealing an unhappy Tashi. "You're playing games with him? The Avatar should be training!"

"Aang has already trained enough for today," Gyatso dismissed. Tashi, however, did not care.

"Time is short. Come with me," the elder beckoned. "I must test you on some high-level techniques."

As Aang stood to follow Tashi, however, Gyatso raised his hand. "No. As long as I am his guardian, I will decide when he trains, and when he gets his butt kicked at pai-sho."

Tashi humphed and walked away.


Present day

When Aang again paused, Hieu again flashed back to his past.


Sydney, Earth, Sol System

Earth-343, year 2553

Both thirty years old, Hieu and Jay had been best friends, brothers, for eighteen years at this point. Right now, the two were on their way to ONI Jade Tower in the back of a troop Warthog, alongside the rest of the team.

"So there we were, helping a couple ODST's set charges on the bridge, right?" Hieu said excitedly. "All of a sudden, a wraith drives over to the end of the bridge! It begins firing on us and we run over to the ONI building. Before it can blow us up, though, the orange trooper blows the bridge sky-high, and the Covies on it fall into the river! Tell 'em what you said after that, Jay."

Jay spread his arms relaxedly. "'Just keep swimming.'" This drew raucous laughter from the entire squad, even though they'd heard it a half-dozen times before. It was a favorite story of theirs.

They then felt the Warthog decelerate, signaling that the squad had arrived at their destination. Hopping off, Hieu looked up…

…and his jaw dropped as he saw a massive black skyscraper. Easily two kilometers tall, the structure loomed over the streets. It seemed that "Jade Tower" was a misnomer. Jay then lightly nudged Hieu in the side, shaking him out of his stupor, before they walked inside.

The lobby wasn't of any particular note. The squad's leader, Bill, walked up to the receptionist.

"Welcome to ONI Jade Tower, how may I help you?" the receptionist greeted.

"Hi, I'm Staff Sergeant William London, my squad was told to report here," Bill replied. "Authorization code 294739274962138."

"One second… got it. Take the elevator on the right, Sergeant London," the receptionist affirmed.

"Alright, thanks!" Bill said as he walked the squad of six over to the designated elevator. After the doors closed, Hieu felt the elevator start to rise. A few minutes of steady ascension later, the doors opened to a small hall.

"Welcome to the Office of Naval Intelligence," an automated voice said over the PA. "An ONI representative will be with you shortly."

"Alright, take a seat, squad," Bill said. "Not like we have much else to do."

Before they could sit down, however, a man in a jet-black uniform stepped in and cleared his throat. "Hunter Squad."

The squad quickly stood at attention, with Bill taking the lead. "Sir."

"Sergeant London, I'm Lieutenant Quigley," the man introduced, "and I am responsible for your next orders. Hunter Squad, follow me."

The squad followed Quigley to a small conference room. There were seven chairs surrounding a glass table, with a small metal dome in the center of the table. Taking a seat, Hunter Squad intently listened to Quigley.

"This is 2547-191A," the agent began, activating a hologram. It zoomed in on a small moon orbiting a gas giant. "It is a small, terrestrial moon orbiting the gas giant Kepler-82C." The hologram again zoomed in, showing a skeletal, triangle-shaped structure with a cylinder in the middle. "This is a Forerunner terraforming ship. Your goal is to infiltrate the vicinity around the ship and ensure it is clear, so that we can establish a research outpost. Two other squads will be assigned to accompany you, with London in command."

The hologram then rushed away from the ship, before settling on what looked like a massive anti-aircraft cannon. "There is a problem, however. There is a confirmed Banished presence on the moon, so we cannot deploy the squads directly into the ship's vicinity," Quigley continued. "We don't know the exact size of the occupation force, however, only a rough estimate. London, I will leave it up to you and your squad to determine how you will infiltrate the area."

As the agent left the room, London got to work. "Matt, Hieu, you guys are the best at this, so what's your plan?"

Hieu cupped his chin. "Well, he said they don't know how big the occupation force is. In my mind, that rules out a ground insertion. A Pelican would be able to get all three squads to the ship. And if we do it at night, then we stand a better chance of going undetected by the enemy."

"Hieu, did you see that triple-A gun?" Matt pointed out. "It'll be safer to drive than to fly. And a nighttime insertion means that enemies stand a better chance of going undetected by us. It needs to be during the day."

Hieu palmed his face with a sigh. He'd never gotten along with Matt particularly well. "Matt, a single Pelican would be less likely to be detected than a convoy of hogs. And at night, the pilot could simply use infrared to see tangos."

"What's more likely to draw their attention: a few trucks among the dunes, or a massive aircraft?" Matt retorted. "And a nighttime insertion means we'll be blind once we get off the Pelican."

"Alright, alright, settle down," Bill said firmly before the argument could escalate. "We'll decide on the plan on the way to the moon. Hunter Squad, dismissed."


Earth-4476, two years ago

'After Zuko's outburst in the meeting, the Fire Lord became very angry with him.'

As the prince turned to his father, the flames surrounding the throne flared angrily.

'He said that Prince Zuko's challenge of the general was an act of complete disrespect…'


Present day

"...and there was only one way to resolve this," Iroh said.

"Agni Kai," Jee realized. "A fire duel."

"That's right," Iroh affirmed. "Zuko looked upon the old general he had insulted and declared that he was not afraid."


Two years ago

'But Zuko misunderstood.'

The arena was filled with spectators. Zuko kneeled at one end of the stand, facing away from his foe.

'When he turned to face his opponent…'

The prince stood to face the general and shrugged off the cloth on his shoulders, but he let his guard down when he saw who it was.

'He was surprised to see it was not the general. Zuko had spoken out against the general's plan, but by doing so in the Fire Lord's war room, it was the Fire Lord whom he had disrespected.'

The prince's eyes widened.

'Zuko would have to duel his own father.'


Present day

The girl and the veteran continued to listen intently as the boy told his story.

Aang looked down sadly. "Then, just when I was starting to feel better, something worse happened."


100 years ago

"Aang needs to have freedom and fun," Gyatso argued. "He needs to grow up as a normal boy."

Tashi humphed, and turned to his fellow monk. "You cannot keep protecting him from his destiny."

Before the two could continue, Pasang interjected, "Gyatso, I know you mean well, but you are letting your affection for the boy cloud your judgment."

"All I want is what is best for him," Gyatso defended.

"But what we need is what's best for the world," Pasang rebutted. He looked down for a brief moment as he made his decision, before looking up again. "You and Aang must be separated. The Avatar will be sent away to the Eastern Air Temple to complete his training."

What none of them knew was that the boy in question was eavesdropping from a hole in the roof. Aang's eyes widened in shock as he realized that he was going to be taken away from his mentor.

His friend.


Present day

The rain continued to pound outside as Aang stopped.

"That's awful, Aang. I don't know what to say," Katara said sadly as she tried to put a hand on the boy's shoulder. Aang, however, stood up angrily.

"How could they do that to me?!" the boy snapped. "They wanted to take away everything I knew and everyone I loved!" In his rage, a small vortex began to swirl around him, and his tattoos began to flare.

"Whoa! Hot cinders!" Katara exclaimed as the wind sent flames towards her and Hieu.

The tattoos dimmed as Aang calmed down. He turned back sadly towards his friends. "I'm sorry I got so mad."

"No, you're fine," Hieu responded. "You have every right to be angry at the monks for sending you away."

Aang sat down with his arms around his knees. "Well, that's not exactly what happened."


100 years ago

Aang watched from his window as the other boys zoomed around on air-scooters. As the other boys laughed and played, he went over to his bed.

'I was afraid and confused. I didn't know what to do.'

He dropped face-first into his pillow and clutched at it. It was the only comfort he had.


Late that night, Gyatso walked over to Aang's room. He knocked at the door once, only for it to open without resistance. "Aang?"

He peeked inside. "I'm not going to let them take you away from me."

Pushing the door open fully, he realized that the boy wasn't there. "Aang?"

On the boy's bed, instead of a young Avatar, there was a small scroll. Gyatso picked up the scroll and unfurled it. He gasped as he saw what it said, and turned to look towards the storm outside.


'I never saw Gyatso again.'

Aang struggled to keep in control of Appa as they hurtled towards the ocean below. Eventually, however, they crashed into the water. Appa tried to surface and stay afloat, but a wave crashed down on him, forcing the bison back under.

Aang's grip on the reins loosened, but as his fate was almost sealed, his eyes glowed, and his tattoos brightened. He slammed his fist into his palm, enveloping him and Appa in a sphere of ice.

'Next thing I knew, I was waking up in Katara's arms after she and Sokka found me in the iceberg.'


Present day

"You went AWOL," Hieu realized.

"And then the Fire Nation attacked our temple," Aang responded, a fierce glint in his eyes. "My people needed me, and I wasn't there to help."

Katara leaned forward. "You don't know what would have-"

"The world needed me and I wasn't there to help!" Aang burst out.

"Aang-"

"The fisherman was right!" Aang said, turning his head away from his friends. "I did turn my back on the world."

"You're being too hard on yourself," Katara firmly replied. "Even if you did run away, I think it was meant to be. If you had stayed, you would have been killed along with all the other airbenders."

"You don't know that," Aang murmured.

"Kid, I've never believed in fate," Hieu said, "but I might change that. You came out of the iceberg after Katara and Sokka found you, and you met me and Neil just days later. This universe needs you. It needs hope."

The veteran then sighed. "You're not the only one who messed up, either."


Three miles from objective, 2547-191A, in orbit of Kepler-82C

Earth-343, year 2553

'I told you about INTERIOR EXILE, how it failed. I didn't tell you how I failed."

The convoy drove along the desert as it neared the ship. Bill had ultimately chosen Matt's plan, since in his eyes, it meant that there was less risk of total mission failure. Splitting the three squads into three troop Warthogs, Bill believed that should one hog be disabled or destroyed, the other two would be able to keep going.

Hieu clutched his M392 Bandit close to his chest, wary eyes scanning the horizon. He still believed that an aerial nighttime insertion was the best option, but he couldn't change it now.

BOOM!

The lead Warthog suddenly exploded into flames, killing all six of its occupants instantly. Two brutes and their grunts then crested the hill, manglers, needlers, and plasma pistols in hand.

"Contact!" somebody shouted. Hieu trained his rifle on the nearest grunt and set it to full auto, before firing a three-round burst into the diminutive alien's head. As its body dropped to the sand, the marine next to him suddenly gained a massive hole in her chest, courtesy of a mangler round. Another one was blown apart by needler shards, with only a fine pink mist signifying he was ever there.

Hieu turned to his left and saw a brute lumbering towards Jay. They both emptied their magazines into the ape, but it just absorbed the damage like a sponge. One swipe of its mangler, and Jay was cleaved in two.

"JAY!" Hieu desperately called.

Two more marines then exploded into pink mist, and another took an overcharged plasma pistol shot to the face. The humans were down to two-thirds strength. On the other hand, the grunts were all down, leaving the two brutes.

Bill wasn't fairing too well. A brute was advancing quickly. Just before the ape could impale him, however, he squeezed off two shots from his magnum. One knocked off the brute's helmet, and the other cleaved through its skull. In its death throes, however, it completed its task and slashed Bill across the neck, beheading him.

The other brute had just finished eviscerating four more marines. The brute then spotted its dead brother, however, and immediately went into a rageful frenzy. It dropped its mangler and charged towards Hieu, impacting the young soldier before he could react. Hieu was sent flying into the ground, and the brute began slamming its fist into his chestplate.

CLANG!

A sickening crack was heard as Hieu's ribs were shattered.

CLANG!

The brute's rage decimated any attempt at resistance.

CLANG!

He was sure he was going to die.

BANG!

A shot suddenly rang out, and the brute collapsed beside Hieu. Its lifeless body was no longer pounding the soldier's chest in.

The soldier then painfully clawed his way across the sand to Jay's barely conscious upper half, tears flooding his vision. "Jay, I'm so sorry," he choked.

"It's okay," Jay breathed. "I'll see you again one day. Just keep… just keep swimming." Jay Wilson went limp.

Hieu grasped at his brother for what felt like hours, shedding every tear he had.

His world fell apart that day.


Earth-4476, present day

"...every time I remember, I always think of what I could have done differently," Hieu sadly said. "'What if I was faster?' 'What if I'd focused on the brute?' Every time, though, it always ends the exact same way."

Katara had a sad expression. "I'm sorry. Really."

The veteran turned to Aang. "Over the years that followed, I learned an important lesson. Remembering what happened is important, but if you focus on what's behind you, you lose sight of what's ahead."

"That's a good lesson," Aang admitted.

The three sat in silence.


Two years ago

'When Prince Zuko saw that it was his father who had come to duel him, he begged for mercy.'

"Please, Father!" Zuko begged. "I only had the Fire Nation's best interests at heart! I'm sorry I spoke out of turn!"

Ozai, however, had no mercy to give as he walked forward. "You will fight for your honor."

Zuko dropped to his hands and knees. "I meant you no disrespect! I am your loyal son!"

"Rise and fight, Prince Zuko!" Ozai demanded.

"I won't fight you," Zuko responded, remaining on the ground.

"You will learn respect," Ozai leered, "and suffering will be your teacher!"

Zuko looked upwards with tears streaming down his face.

'I looked away.'

The prince screamed in pain as his own father left him scarred for life.


Present day

"I always thought that Prince Zuko was in a training accident," Jee confessed.

"It was no accident," Iroh responded, looking around at the room's occupants. "After the duel, the Fire Lord said that by refusing to fight, Zuko had shown shameful weakness. As punishment, he was banished, and sent to capture the Avatar. Only then could he return with his honor."

Jee leaned forward. "So that's why he's so obsessed," he said in a low voice. "Capturing the Avatar is the only chance he has of things returning to normal."

"Things will never return to normal," Iroh responded. "But the important thing is, the Avatar gives Zuko hope."


Zuko sat silently at a desk in his quarters.

A childhood game of tag.

A caring father.

Happiness.

He missed all those things.

BOOM!

A crash of thunder interrupted his thoughts as it struck the ship's conning tower.


"HELP! OH PLEASE, HELP!"

The elderly woman's voice pierced through the solemn silence of the cave. Katara rushed over to her. "It's okay. You're safe."

"But my husband isn't!" the woman pleaded as Katara guided her deeper into the cave.

"What do you mean?" Katara asked. "Where's Sokka and Neil?"

"They haven't returned," the woman admitted. "They should've been back by now! And this storm is becoming a typhoon! They're caught out at sea!"

Aang stood up. "I'm going to find them."

"I'm going with you!" Katara agreed.

"Same here," Hieu replied, donning his toothed helmet.

"I'm staying here!" the woman gibed, plopping herself down by the fire.

Together, the Avatar, the girl, and the veteran prepped Appa for takeoff. "We'll be back soon," Aang said. "I promise."

The three then cast off in search of their friends.


The ship tossed and turned in the stormy sea.

"Where were we hit?!" Zuko yelled as he struggled to remain upright on the deck.

"I don't know!" Jee called back.

"Look!" Iroh suddenly bellowed, pointing to the bridge. A man was dangling from a warped catwalk.

"The helmsman!" Zuko exclaimed. He and Jee furiously ascended the ladder, while Iroh remained down below.

BOOM!

A flash of lightning then struck Iroh. The old man simply held his arms away from his body, using his bending to redirect the lightning into the ocean. To say he came out unscathed would be false, however, as his hair was rather frazzled by the electricity.

As the ship crested a wave, the helmsman lost his grip. He screamed as he fell, before Zuko caught the man's wrist. The prince gently lowered the helmsman onto Jee's shoulders. The lieutenant gave a confident smile, which was returned by the prince.


Appa hovered over the ocean as Aang and his friends desperately searched for their comrades.

"Where are they?!" Katara called. Aang, however, didn't respond, as a massive wave suddenly rose up in front of them.

"Come on, Appa!" the boy urged as the bison shot upwards. They got closer and closer to the wall of water, before Aang twirled his staff ahead of him and sent a powerful gust of air forwards. The wind blew a hole in the wave big enough for them to go through.

Hieu then pointed straight ahead. "The boat's on our twelve-o'clock!"

Appa raced towards the endangered vessel.


"The Avatar!" Zuko called out.

"What do you want to do, sir?" Jee asked. Zuko paused for a long moment…

…and made his decision. "Let him go. We need to get this ship to safety."

"Then we must head directly into the eye of the storm!" Iroh proclaimed, eyeing Zuko with a smirk.


The fishing boat bucked across the waves.

"This is not how I envisioned my death!" Neil yelled as he held onto the forward mast for dear life. Sokka and the fisherman, meanwhile, were holding onto ropes. "Doesn't help that I'm not buoyant and that my helmet is in a bag on a ten-ton bison!"

"I'm too young to die!" Sokka shrieked.

"I'm not, but I still don't want to!" the fisherman called back. Appa then swooped around the boat, and Aang dropped onto the deck.

BOOM!

A flash of lightning struck the base of the forward mast. Neil, thinking quickly, let go of what remained and rushed forward. He caught the massive log in his gauntlets and tossed it aside before it could crush his friends and acquaintance.

Aang ran forward and handed the lighter two a line. "Hold onto the rope!" He then leapt back onto Appa and swung the fisherman and Sokka into the saddle.

Hieu, meanwhile, swung himself over the edge of the saddle, holding on with a liquid-crystal-enhanced grip as his legs dangled beneath him. "Grab on, Neil!"

The cadet obliged, catching onto the veteran's boots as the fishing boat began to float away. They all breathed a sigh of relief…

…which was short-lived, as an absolutely monstrous wave rose up behind them with the boat in its thrall. Appa tried to race ahead, but the wave eventually swallowed all of them.

They all sank into the ocean, holding onto the saddle as the air in their lungs was slowly replaced by saltwater. Aang's grip on the reins loosened…

…and his tattoos brightened as he entered the Avatar State. He grabbed the reins once more and slammed his fists together, creating a glowing-blue sphere of air around them. The orb swam through the water towards the surface.


The calm waters of the eye were a relief for everyone involved. The ship and its crew were safe.

Zuko closed his eyes and dipped his head. "Uncle, I'm sorry."

Iroh laid his hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Your apology is accepted." He then turned to walk away from Zuko.

Suddenly, a blue glow appeared in front of the ship, before a familiar sky-bison shot up from the surface of the water. The Avatar aboard made brief eye contact with the banished prince, before flying away.


The elderly woman rushed out of the cave and embraced her husband. "Oh, you're alive!"

She then pulled away with an upset look. "You owe this boy an apology!"

"He doesn't have to apologize," Aang responded.

The fisherman stroked his beard and hummed. "What if, instead of an apology, I give him a free fish and we call it even?"

Aang smiled. "Actually, I don't eat meat."

"Fish ain't meat," the fisherman grumbled. Neil didn't bother correcting him.

Sokka walked forward and held out a hand. "Seriously, you're still gonna pay us, right?" A fish was slapped into his open palm in response. "Ah!"

Aang turned to Katara and Hieu. "Guys, I think you were right before. I'm done dwelling on the past."

"Really?" Katara said.

"I can't make guesses about how things would have turned out if I hadn't run away," Aang responded, before a smile crept onto his face. "I'm here now, and I'm going to make the most of it."

Hieu clapped his gauntlet on the boy's shoulder. "You're growing up fast, kid. In a good way."

The fisherman stepped up to the boy. "If you weren't here now… well, I guess I wouldn't be, either. Thank you for saving my life, Avatar."

Sokka then looked outside the cave. "Do you hear that? It stopped raining."

The gathered all looked out towards the sea. Appa then suddenly shook, spraying water everywhere and drawing rather unappreciative reactions.


Earth-343, north of the Fortress of Iratus

February 9th, 2560

Local time 0127

The three rebels gathered in their hideout as they planned out how they would rescue Sigrid.

"How do we go about this?" Nick asked.

Laurette cupped her chin. "That brute took her through the portal, which means we need to go through, too."

"Commander, that might be a one-way trip!" Remy countered.

"It may be," Laurette admitted, "but that's what we signed up for when we became Spartans. To go to places no one else can and do things that no one else can. If that means going through a portal to save our friend, so be it."

Nick crossed his arms. "Well, a full frontal assault is out of the question. We don't have the numbers or the firepower for that."

"Which means stealth," Remy concluded. "Think some of those camo modules will do the trick?"

"They won't fool a trained eye or last particularly long, but they'll conceal us long enough to sneak past their defenses," Laurette affirmed.

"And for when we run out, we'll need a secondary measure," Nick said. "A Banished IFF might be just the thing."

Remy cocked an eyebrow. "And how do we get an IFF?"

"It's simple," Nick responded. "We capture a couple of grunts and jury-rig their tags to our armor."

"Good idea," Laurette replied. "Operation: MARATHON is go."


Next chapter: Hop to It

Coming 11/06/2023


AN: That's Chapter 12 done.

You might have noticed that I added universe numbers to the location tags. I felt that it would help to ensure you all know where everything's happening. I'll be adding those to past chapters as well.

Also, we got a look into Hieu's backstory, as promised. I know Hieu didn't tell it as it went along, but that's mainly because it would be out of character for Hieu to tell it while Aang is telling his.

On the Academy side of things, they're already making plans to rescue Sigrid. They've got a game plan, but the execution will come in future chapters.

That's all I have for now. Follow, fave, and review. Especially review, since they help me get better.

This is Believer218, signing off.