Chapter 3: Beating Heart

The creature's scream tore through the darkness of the engine room, reverberating off the dark metal walls, and echoing through the narrow chamber until the sound seemed to come from all directions. Then silence.

The group stood frozen, frantic breathing all around, teeth on edge. Daris felt his entire body shake uncontrollably. His bowels turning to water as fear took hold. It crept into the deepest recesses of his mind, tearing his defenses apart, overpowering him. All his training, his experience, his duty, all forgotten in that instant and replaced with a horrifying realization: that creature was death and there was no hope of escape. One by one they would be devoured, torn to pieces slowly by that insatiable hunger.

"Hakumi, look out!" Toph cried as she saw the monster dart towards the ambassador.

The waterbender shrieked as its rotting hands took hold of her, dragging her towards one of the boilers and into the now empty furnace. In desperation, Hakumi managed to grab hold of one of its handles, but the creatures would not give up and pulled even harder. Hakumi felt her grip beginning to slide. Tears streamed from her eyes as her fingers gave way.

At that moment, a stream of fire lit up the darkness. The flames blazed past the ambassador as the marine shot blindly in her direction. The creature screeched as one of the blasts scorched its flesh, filling the air with its putrid scent. Then the sound of footsteps banging towards the boiler, followed by sounds of a ferocious struggle and the familiar screech as the creature at last released its grip.

Hakumi felt someone grab hold of her and begin to pull her out, but the creature lashed out once more, its jaws chomping with rage, then its teeth sunk into living flesh. Another scream, this time a man's, followed by a second blast of fire. The creature shrieked in pain and melted back into the darkness.

The marine lit a small flame in his hand, followed quickly by Rui, and together they illuminated the now silent engine room. Toph and Sokka stood together in a corner of the room. Sokka clutched his sword tightly in one hand, boomerang in the other. His breathing was frantic and his eyes anxiously scanned the engine room. In his mind, he still heard the shrieks of the undead— the same as in his dreams. The realization caused the hairs on the back of Sokka's neck to rise. Shuddering, he looked around once more, expecting any moment to see her again. Yue was here. He knew it. Somehow she was here!

"Sokka? Sokka?" Toph put her hand on his shoulder, pulling him back from the brink.

"It's alright, Sokka." She said soothingly. "It's gone now."

"Sir, are you alright?" The marine rushed over to Daris who lay crumpled on the floor next to Hakumi. The marine tore away Daris's sleeve to reveal the deep bite wound in his arm. The smell of burning flesh and fresh blood flooded the confined space. Holding his nose to the smell, the marine began to pull Daris up. A jolt of pain brought the Captain back to his senses and he cried out.

"Careful, you idiot!" He seethed, stumbling to his feet.

"Apologies, sir." The marine guided Daris to a small bench, while Rui tried in vain to comfort Hakumi.

"Ambassador, it's ok, you're safe now." Rui said reassuringly, his own mind still racing at what he had seen. If it hadn't been for his intense psychological training, he too would've cracked. What was that thing? Could it truly have been a corpse? His rational mind refused to accept it and yet it had been there only seconds before. Plain as day before his very eyes. Madness.

"Oh spirits." Hakumi whimpered, curling up in a fetal position. "Why me?" She sobbed, tears running freely down her face. "Why me? Why me? Oh spirits."

"Ambassador, please." Rui implored. "You're alright now." But she remained unresponsive, sobbing uncontrollably, her mind shattered.

"Ambassador, please, snap out of it." Rui's voice grew more anxious. "Ambassador!" He shook her.

"Move aside, boy." Toph shoved past him and with one swift motion slapped Hakumi across the face.

"Where...what?" Hakumi raised her hand to her inflamed cheek. "Why..."

"Look alive, princess!" Toph commanded as she pulled her to her feet. "We don't have time for your little breakdown. You're a waterbender, right? Have you done any healing before?"

"I-I am. I-I have."

"Good, then get to work." Toph pushed her towards Daris.

Seeing the dark blood oozing out of the wound in Daris's arm, Hakumi felt her stomach tighten. She had trained in healing, once, but that had been a long time ago. She had never worked on serious injuries like this.

Glancing down, the sight of his ruined flesh made the bile rise in her stomach and her hand involuntarily clamped down on her mouth. She couldn't do this. This was wrong. All wrong. Oh, spirits, she shouldn't be here!

"Come on, sister!" Toph shook her, "I know this isn't what you imagined doing on this little luxury cruise of ourse, none of us did, but you have to deal with it. He needs you. We need you. Right now!"

Hakumi meekly nodded her acceptance. With her hands still shaking, she pried open her water flask and channeled the water onto her hands. Closing her nostrils to the horrifying scmell, she bent over the wound and got to work.

As the Ambassador wentover Daris's arm, Toph scanned the surroundings with her earthbending. She had seen the creature that attacked Hakumi disappear into the steam pipe leading out of the furnace and now she could detect movement directly above them. From the pattern of the vibrations, there was definitely more than just one them. Atleast four shapes were moving towards them.

"How's it coming along, Ambassador?" Toph asked. Then more urgently as she felt even more movement above them. "You almost done?"

"Not…quite." Hakumi managed through clenched teeth, fighting the urge to vomit as the torn flesh slowly pulled back together beneath her healing hands.

"Everything ok, Toph?" Sokka asked.

"We got company." Toph replied in a low voice. Sokka's heart skipped a beat.

"How many?"

"I count about ten so far. Probably even more on the way."

"What's going on?" The marine asked. He could see the tension on their faces

"We need to get ready to move." Sokka gestured to Daris, "Can he walk?"

"I'm…fine." Daris answered hoarsely, startling Hakumi. He pushed her aside and rose to his feet. "What's the problem?"

"We're about to overrun, that's the problem." Toph pointed up at the ceiling. "There's close to twenty of those things above us now and counting."

"Can't we just seal the doors and hole up in here?" The marine asked.

Toph shook her head, "Uh-uh. The one that nearly dragged off the Ambassador escaped through the furnace pipes. And in case you haven't noticed, this room is full of em."

"If we can't stand and fight, then we have to make a run for it." Daris decided. "If we cut around back through the maintenance stairwell, we should be able to make it to the deck unseen. From there, it's only a short distance to the prow and to the station. We can regroup with the other crewmen there.

Toph scoffed, "Other crewmen? I don't know if you've been paying attention or not, Captain, but your crew is gone. That creature that attacked us was wearing Fire Nation clothes. Whatever is going on here, it got your crew, and its gonna get the rest of us if you keep making boneheaded decisions!"

The insult set Daris's teeth on edge. Anger mixed with pain as the wound in his arm flared. "And what do you suggest?" He asked. "Sprout wings and fly out of here?"

Toph was about to tell Daris exactly what he could do with himself, but Sokka intervened.

"Captain, what about the lifeboats?"

Daris felt his knuckles turn white as he fought to regain his composure.

"The lifeboats aren't built for a journey the open ocean." He muttered. "We'd capsize in even the smallest storm. If we were near land or a shipping lane, I would attempt it. But at this time of year, in this part of the ocean, it's practically suicide."

"So we're basically screwed." Toph surmised. "Lovely."

Daris went on, "Our best chance, our only chance, is to hole up somewhere and flag down a passing ship. If we're lucky, it'll be a military vessel that can handle th— "

"Excuse me, sir." The marine chimed in.

"Yes, Corporal Furon?"

Daris prided himself on knowing the names of all his men, from officers down to the lowliest sailor. In normal times it earned their respect. Now, it served only to remind him of all those men that were now dead— or worse.

"If we did see a passing ship," Furon said, "wouldn't we be putting them at risk too? Whatever is causing this…this phenomenon, it could be infectious."

Daris felt his stomach tighten at those words and he glanced nervously at his arm. Down at the dark stains of blood that soaked through the fabric of his makeshift bandage and the wound beneath it pulsating and burning. He could feel the tainted blood coursing through his arteries now, into every corner of his flesh. The rot taking hold.

Daris's heartbeat grew frantic, but Toph barely noticed. Above them, the writhing horde of undead creatures had torn away the grating leading into the pipes and one by one they clambered down. Coming from all sides.

"We have to move." She shouted. "Now!"

The station was dead silent. No wind, nor metallic creaking. Even the footsteps of the group were muffled by the rotting seaweed that caked the floors. Toph was in the lead, carefully scanning the path ahead as the six of them waded deeper into the bowels of the station. Sokka followed close behind her, sword drawn, eyes alert and straining in the darkness. Behind him, Hakumi and Rui walked with Daris, helping him along, while Furon covered the rear. Their only source of light came from the firebenders' flames, which they purposely kept dim to avoid detection, furthering the sense of claustrophobia and immanent danger. Every turn of the corridor felt like a trap, every shadow a threat. This was a mistake, every one of them thought. They shouldn't be here. They had to get out, now, before it was too late. Before the darkness consumed them.

Rui pushed such thoughts out of his mind, his years of training kicking in. He knew there was no point in panicking. Whatever was going to happen would happen regardless of their worrying. The best way to face it was with a clear head. He knew that Daris's plan had little chance of success. They were too far from any major shipping lanes for a passing vessel to spot them and it would be several days atleast before anyone noticed they were overdue and many more before a search was under way. Even if help was on the way, how long could they hope to hold out against those things?

His mind went back to the dark hold of the ship and the monster they had faced. How many more creatures were there? he wondered. Had the entire crew of the Reliance succumb that horrible fate? And what was causing it? Was it an infection, like the marine suggested, or was it something else? Something far more sinister. Something man-made. Something that he had heard whispers of, but never thought to be true. Until today...

Just ahead, the corridor forked in several directions and Toph paused to scan ahead. Exhaling slowly, she focused her attention outward and with all her senses began to flesh out their surroundings. Her vision was hazy at first, the waterlogged metal seemed to fight back against her probing, but gradually it began to give way and the area ahead shimmered into focus. Drifting further and further away, Toph's mind went into a trancelike state.

The station swayed gently with the current. Its metallic frame shifting in her vision almost like cloth in the wind. Objects came into focus and then faded away. Shapes began to form from the endless sprawl. The station began to look less like a building and more like a body. Corridors and stairwells turned into limbs, pipes and vents became arteries, and all of the sudden, Toph felt her limbs go numb. She was paralyzed. Trapped in her vision. Unable to break free or cry for help as an invisible force took hold of her and refused to let go.

The silence around her gave way to a strange humming that seemed to come from below. It steadily grew louder. Biting into her eardrums. Then, the mysterious force that held her, began to pull her down. Through the floors. Past the labyrinth of hallways and stairwells. Down to where hundreds of pipes pierced with thousands of wires converged into a single writhing mass that pumped into a colossal machine—the heart of the station. Toph felt source of the humming was close by. She felt the world around her shrink and expand, the sound engulfing her, throwing her senses into a dizzying spiral. In desperation, she grasped for the support of the wall, but was met with nothing but air, and she collapsed to her knees. At that moment, everything suddenly went silent.

In her weakened state, Toph could faintly make out the outline of a woman floating before her. She reached out for it, calling for Hakumi, but as the woman drew near, Toph realized it wasn't her.

"Toph? Toph?" Sokka tried to shake her awake, but her eyes remained shut.

"What happened?" Daris and the others surrounded them.

"I don't know." Sokka answered breathlessly. "She just collapsed all of a sudden."

Hakumi knelt down beside him and took Toph's wrist in her hand, pressing on the veins. "Her pulse is weak, but steady. I think she just fainted."

"Well, she certainly picked a hell of a time for a nap." Daris muttered as he glanced around them. The corridor they were in had no cover and far too many entry points for comfort. Definitely no place to stop for a break.

"Can you carry her?" He asked.

Sokka nodded and began to lift her up in his arms, but freezed when he heard the familiar bloodcurling scream. The others all heard it too.

The horrifying screech came from behind . Then another shriek from in front. Then another and another. Soon the cries of the undead surrounded them from all directions. Dozens of voices, baying for their blood. Hundreds of footsteps pounded the metal floor, shaking the ground like an earthquake.

"Sir, what do we do?" Furon anxiously looked to Daris, but the Captain was at a loss for words.

"Oh, spirits." Hakumi whimpered, pressing her back against the wall as she slumped to her knees. Covering her eyes, she cowered in terror as the pitch-black corridor began to writhe with movement.

All around them, the shadows parted and the snarling faces of corpses in varying stages of decay descended upon them. Some wore standard fire nation uniforms, others were dressed as engineers or wore lab coats, and others still were nothing but bones and mangled sinews.

Setting Toph down, Sokka drew his boomerang. The creatures were mere feet away now. Picking his target, he pulled back his arm and let it fly, severing a corpse's head clean off its shoulders.

"Sir?" The marine shouted at Daris as the creatures closed in.

"Fire at will!" Daris ordered and together the two firebenders blasted aside the first wave.

The undead faltered at first, but within moments they resumed their attack with even more ferocity and the pair found themselves being pushed back. A few of the creatures went around the firebenders, dashing for their exposed flank. Before they could strike, Rui swept them aside with his own flames and joined the other firebenders to create a wall of flames around them, just barely managing to hold the line.

Amid the heat of the flames and the shrieks of the dead, Toph's body twisted in agony. In her vision, the ghostly woman grabbed her by the throat, cold hands clamping down, choking the life out her. The woman's face contorted malevolently and the air around her grew heavy with the stench of decay.

"He's mine!" The woman shrieked as Toph gasped for breath. "You can't take him away. He's mine forever!"

Sokka caught his boomerang as it rebounded and began to pull his arm back for another throw when a fireblast exploded beside him. The force of the blast sent him reeling and the three remaining defenders looked on in horror as their fragile defense came crashing down around them. Several of the creatures bent aside their wall of fire and dozens more swarmed through the gaps. The rest began to ignite flames of their own and sent them hurtling at the defenders who barely managed to block them in turn.

Sokka struggled to his feet, the force of the explosion still ringing in his ears. From the corner of his eye, he saw Toph on her back, hands clawing desperately at her throat. He rushed to her side and tried to wake her.

"Toph!" He shouted, then turning to Hakumi. "She's choking! Do something!"

But the waterbender didn't respond and only buried her head further in her knees and covered her ears.

"Toph! Toph, wake up!" Sokka pleaded, tears welling up in his eyes.

By now, the undead had pushed the firebenders to the very edge of the wall. All around them, the horde screeched with excitement and anticipation. Soon the living flesh would be theirs. Its sweet taste mere inches away.

"Toph." Sokka's voice was barely a whisper now. He cradled the earthbender as her face began to turn blue. "Please, I can't lose you. Please…"

In her vision, Toph saw the woman smile with delight. She could feel Toph's life fading away. The cries of the dead beckoned the Earthbender, leading her towards the device that pulsated with a mysterious energy. Bit by bit, she felt herself drifting into its cold embrace. Surrendering her mind and her humanity. Joining with it. She wanted to be a part of it. The pull was irresistible.

Then, through the fog, she heard Sokka's voice breaking through. Calling her name in desperation. She felt the heat of the flames around her, heard the cries of pain of her comrades, and with a sudden burst of determination, she pried herself free from the woman's grasp.

Toph's eyelids fluttered open and with her remaining strength she slammed her fists into the metal floor, collapsing the ground around them, and sending them hurtling into the dark abyss below.