Wandering Firebender
Eighty Nine: The Tragedy of Jona
"This is the only chance we'll have to strike back against the Fire Nation – to make them pay."
Sneaking into a Fire Nation ship was no easy feat. There was only one way in or out: the loading bay. To get in, you had to be a member of the crew – something that Jona was not – so boarding the ship would require several extra steps, each one increasing in danger as variables increased in number and unpredictability.
Step one: stealing a uniform off one of the soldiers. He managed to accomplish this while the airship was parked just outside of the nearest Fire Nation colony. During the day, Jona managed to catch a Fire Nation soldier alone in a restroom.
He ambushed him and stole his uniform.
Step two: boarding the ship without arousing suspicion. That wasn't too hard since standard Fire Nation uniforms came with helmets that had attached face plates. So that same day, later in the afternoon, Jona entered the ship through the loading bay, where he was only checked by a guard at the door.
"Coming in a little late, are we?" The guard commented.
"Uh...yeah, sorry. I think my food was a little under-cooked for dinner. I was in the bathroom forever, man. I'm honestly surprised I can still stand." Jona said, intentionally making the conversation uncomfortable.
"I didn't need to hear about that. Just get to your room before the captain sees you." The guard said in response.
"Thanks! I owe you big time." Jona said, pressing his hands together and pointing them towards the guard before hurrying inside.
Unfortunately for Jona, he didn't know what room the soldier was staying in. He didn't exactly get a chance to ask. So instead of making his way up to the living quarters, he snuck into the boiler room, where he hid out until the crew disappeared.
Once he was alone, he removed his helmet so he could breathe, scratching his head as he set it on the floor next to him. He sat down on the metal grated floor with his back against the wall.
Jona reached into his pockets and pulled out some small fruits that he had taken onto the ship with him. He bit into it with a crunch sound. He was surrounded by silence with only the hissing of machinery and the faint echoing of footsteps above to accompanyhim.
The dining hall was just above him, he figured that much. He would love to be able to go up there and get a real meal for himself, but that was too much of a risk for now, so he would have to settle for the food that he had packed with him.
Jona let out a tired yawn, resting his head back against the wall. That's when she appeared to him.
"Jona, my love." He felt a hand gently touch his leg. He shook in surprise, but his nerves settled when he realized who it was that found him.
"Anisa. You nearly gave me a heart attack." He said with a sigh.
"Sorry," Anisa said with a little smile, her green eyes scanning over him. "Stealing a uniform. Smart." She acknowledged.
"Yeah. I hate wearing this – it's disgusting." He commented, looking down at the armor with disdain.
"It won't be for long. And it it's any consolation, I always liked how you looked in a uniform." Anisa said, managing a smile.
"Thanks," Jona replied quietly, looking down with a flattered smile. "I didn't expect to see you in here." He spoke seriously now.
"I didn't think you would actually go through with this crazy plan of yours," Anisa said, brushing her brown hair out of her face. "Are you sure that your heart is prepared for what might happen?" She asked him now.
"What do you mean? Of course it is." Jona answered, not understanding what she was alluding to.
"Once this ship takes off, there's no going back. I know you understand that, but I'm afraid of what will happen to you. And I'm more afraid that you are not afraid." Anisa spoke candidly.
"You know I can't just...sit back and let the Fire Nation get off easy after everything they've done to us. Are you really trying to talk me out of going through with this?" Jona asked with a slight wince.
"I'm not. I just don't want you to die too." She said, sitting on her knees by him. She reached forward and gently placed her hand on his chest. He sighed and placed his hand over hers.
"As long as I take down some Fire Nation soldiers with me, I'll be alright." He said in reply, looking at her now. She looked back at him with a troubled expression.
"You already have one man's blood on your hands. How many will it take to satisfy your anger?" She asked.
"As many as I can take. I'll fight my way to the Fire Lord himself if I can, and anyone along the way will just get me one step closer." Jona answered seriously. Anisa let out a small sigh and nodded.
"Then you will need this." She said, reaching into her shirt and pulling out a knife. She held it out to him. He took it. Looking down at it, he recognized it immediately.
"This is your brother's knife." He realized, looking up at her again. Anisa nodded, raising her hand to his cheek and stroking it gently.
"If you're going to do something, make it mean something." She said gently.
"I will. I will." Jona said, leaning forward and sharing a kiss with her.
"I know you will, my love." She said in reply.
"Thank you," He said appreciatively. "What will you do?" He asked curiously.
"I go where you go," Anisa answered in response. "If you leave now, I will follow you home. If you stay, I will make sure you take care of yourself until your mission reaches its end." She promised.
"Okay." Jona said, sighing to himself and sitting back again.
"So what will your next step be?" Anisa asked him now.
"This ship will be returning to the Fire Nation soon. I'm hitching a ride there, and I'll figure out where to go next once we land." He decided.
"Do you know where the airships land when they go to the Fire Nation?" Anisa asked curiously. Jona shook his head and shrugged.
"Hopefully somewhere close to the Fire Lord's palace." He answered...
When morning came, Jona was awoken by the airship lurching and taking off. He quickly got up and put his helmet on with the face plate, moving quickly so that he wouldn't be caught in the boiler room.
"Whoa! Careful there." An engineer said after Jona almost crashed right into him.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to barrel into ya." Jona said, doing his best to sound casual and relaxed.
"What're you doing way down here?" The engineer asked curiously, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Uh...stupid prank. One of my buddies hid my stuff down here." Jona answered slowly, patting his pockets and looking side to side.
"Ha, sounds like a good friend!" The engineer joked and laughed, "Did you find what you were looking for?" He asked.
"Yep. Thanks. Hey, uh...I'm having trouble finding my room. I...switched with this guy today and now I can't find where he was at." Jona brought up.
"You didn't ask him?"
"I meant to, but I didn't at the time and now I can't find him. Any easier way to narrow things down?" Jona asked.
"Have you checked the daily registry? I guess you can look for whichever room is missing a checkmark." The engineer answered, pointing towards the stairs leading upwards.
"Ohh good idea! I'll do that, thanks!" Jona said before hurrying up the stairs quickly to break off the conversation before he could be asked anymore questions.
Jona nervously adjusted his helmet as he made his way up the stairs, now exiting the engine area and entering into the commons area. He kept his eyes peeled until he eventually found a poster on the wall that displayed the daily registry.
He took in a deep breath before approaching it, standing by two other soldiers who were hanging out near it.
"...and so then the captain just -BAM!- takes him out in one punch." One of the soldiers was apparently telling a story to the other, smacking his fist into his open hand to demonstrate the impact of the punch he was talking about.
"No kidding. I knew about the bar fight, but how come I didn't hear about any of this?" The second soldier asked.
"The captain didn't want us talking about it...hey, you know you don't have to wear your helmet inside, right?" The first soldier asked, directing his attention to Jona now.
Jona, who was busy scanning through the different names of the directory, wasn't expecting to be spoken to so suddenly. Thankfully, he already had an excuse prepared just in case someone asked him to remove his helmet.
"Oh yeah, uh...must be the dust or something, but I've been having allergies since I got here. Ah-ah-achoo!" Jona faked a loud sneeze, lurching his body back then bending forward suddenly.
"Yeesh," Both men leaned away. "Must be the dust or something. Always makes my nose tingle." One of them said.
"Oh, I get that too! I bought this special remedy recently that helps with that. It's like a cream that you rub under your nose and you breathe it in – it clears you right up after a couple minutes! I can let you borrow it if you want." The second man offered to Jona.
"Thanks, but I'll be alright. I'm just gonna head to my room and lay my head down for a few." Jona said, tapping his finger over the room that hadn't been checked off yet. He quickly turned and started to walk down the hall, looking for his corresponding number.
"Sounds like a good idea...oh, Alayas! I didn't recognize you! You really do sound sick." The first man realized after looking at the name attached to the unregistered room.
"Ha, yeah, sorry. Could you, erm, take care of the registry for me? I'd really appreciate it." Jona requested.
"No problem! Get your rest!" The man responded.
Jona quickly retreated into the empty room, closing and locking the door behind him. He removed his helmet again and took a few minutes to catch his breath. He did his best to slow his breathing down so that his racing heart could relax and stop pounding in his ears.
At least now he had a place to hide out for awhile. He stayed in the room and laid back down on the bed, where he fell asleep without even realizing it. It wasn't until he heard the door creak and Anisa gently shook his leg to wake him that he realized that he had slept at all.
He sat up quickly and sighed in relief when he saw that it was just her again.
"You seem very tired, Jona. Are you feeling alright?" Anisa asked him gently, sitting with him on the bed now. She placed her hand over his forehead.
"Yeah...I think the stress is getting to me." He answered honestly.
"Just keep holding strong. You're safe in here for now." Anisa said to reassure him, giving him another kiss.
"For now," Jona repeated. "But I have to stay out of sight and blend in as much as I can until we reach the Fire Nation. I don't know how to act like they do." He expressed his worry.
"Well, let's see if we can find some clues about the person who stayed here," Anisa suggested, getting up now and taking a look around the room. "I see a wooden doll there and a Fire Nation banner here. What was it that the soldier called you earlier?" She asked him.
"Alayas, I think? Like 'alias' but ah-lie-us, I guess. Ally-us?" Jona answered unsurely.
"Okay, well Alayas seemed to like his country and handcrafted things. We have that to start with. What else?" Anisa wondered aloud, interlacing her fingers and tapping her thumbs together. "Come and take a look at this picture here." She directed.
Jona stood up, walking around the bed to stand next to Anisa. Sitting on a nightstand next to the bed was a small frame containing a drawn-out caricature of a man, woman, and two young girls. Jona reached down and picked it up, looking at it closely.
"Alayas had a family: a wife and two daughters whom I would hope he loved dearly." Anisa observed.
"If the Fire Nation is even capable of such a thing," Jona commented, setting the picture back down. "But I suppose I can try to include some of that...warmth." He said slowly.
"Jona...?" Anisa looked at him with a concerned expression.
"What? They took my family away. Now they can feel my pain." He responded bitterly, taking the picture frame now and placing it face down so he didn't have to look at Alayas and his family anymore.
"You're speaking as someone who is letting his grief and anger consume him. That is not the man I married." Anisa said in a serious tone. Jona looked at her in surprise.
"What is it that you're saying?" He questioned her now.
"I'm saying that you've allowed your emotions to take you down a path that there is no turning back from, my love. This is not something I would have ever wanted you to do." Anisa spoke directly but calmly.
"I know what you wanted, but we can't have that either, can we? That's the fault of the Fire Nation, so I will hold that against every single soldier if I have to until I reach the Fire Lord." Jona stated firmly, reiterating his intentions.
"I know, and you know that I can't stop you...I just wish that there was a way for you to reconsider. But I fear that it may already be too late..." Anisa said sadly...
Jona was able to hide out in Alayas' room for most of the day, but circumstances changed for the worse the next morning when there was a knock on his door. A voice called out for Alayas.
"Hey, Alayas, are you in there? Captain wants to talk to you!"
"Um...can you tell him I'm not feeling well? Maybe tomorrow!" Jona looked around nervously. He had already moved most of his armor, but he would still need that helmet in case that didn't work.
"He's been looking for you since last night, man! If you can't make it up, I can have him come to you!" The guy on the other side of the door suggested.
"Yeah, could you h-have him do that?" Jona asked quietly.
"Sure...yeah, I'll let him know." The guy responded oddly before walking away from the door.
Jona quickly scrambled around the room, hiding the excess armor in the bathroom except the helmet. He jumped into the bed, pulling the covers over himself. He waited anxiously, sitting up with the helmet on. Minutes passed by in silence.
Finally, it came: a knock on the door.
"Alayas! It's Elio! Can I come in?" He called through the door.
"Yeah, that's fine! Elio...?" Jona repeated the name to himself. It sounded vaguely familiar to him, but he wasn't sure why right now.
The door opened, and the captain of the airship walked into the room. Jona kept his head down with his helmet on so to that he wouldn't stand out in any way. However, keeping himself in this position meant he wasn't fully able to see where the captain was standing.
"Delun says you're not feeling well?" Elio asked curiously. "What is it that you're feeling right now?" He asked.
"Uh...it's just a cold, I think, but my body feels really achy." Jona answered.
"Gotcha. How long have you been like this?"
"Since yesterday." Jona answered.
"Well, you were out pretty late the other night. Still, you should've let me know. I went ahead and covered your tasks yesterday." Elio informed him.
"Thank you." Jona replied.
An odd silence filled the room. Jona could faintly hear Elio walking around the room. He didn't seem to have anymore to say, but he wasn't leaving yet either. He lifted his head to catch a glimpse of Elio walking to the other side of the bed.
Elio slowly picked up the picture frame that was laying face down on the nightstand.
"This is a beautiful little portrait. What are your girls' names?" Elio asked curiously. Jona could feel the captain's eyes on him now.
Tension quickly filled the room. Jona had nothing to say in reply. He didn't know the answer. He had no reason to assume that the captain didn't know the answer. Was he testing him? Had he figured it out?
Elio could tell that something was wrong. He slowly started to reach back for his staff. Jona carefully reached into his pocket, his hand wrapping around the hilt of his knife.
"Alayas?" Elio asked again.
Jona felt forced to make his move now. He jumped from the bed, grabbing Elio and wrestling him to the floor. He grabbed Elio by the shoulders, pushing him back against the nightstand before roughly slamming him to the floor. Elio's head bounced against the floor, dazing him further.
Jona ripped his helmet off and gripped his knife firmly, plunging it into Elio's stomach. Elio yelled out in pain, but it was only audible for a moment before Jona pressed his hand over Elio's mouth to stifle his screams.
Elio growled in pain, grabbing Jona's hand that was holding onto the knife to keep him from moving it. Jona tried to twist and pull the knife away from Elio. Despite the intense pain, Elio grabbed his wrist with both hands, breathing rapidly through his teeth as he began to burn Jona's hand.
Jona tried to pull away, yelling out in pain before finally giving up on the knife. He cried out from the burning sensation still present on his wrist. He let go of the knife and wrenched his hand away, finally getting off of Elio.
"Alayas?! Is that you?!" Sri ran into the room worriedly, gasping when she saw the unfamiliar Jona standing in Alayas' room clutching his hand.
"Uh oh..." Jona grumbled to himself. Unsure of what else to do now, he ran straight for Sri to try and push past her.
Sri swallowed and got into a fighting stance, taking a breath to ready herself. As Jona went to try and slam his shoulder into her, Sri leaned back and trapped his foot between both of hers. This caused Jona to trip and fall face first onto the floor. Sri turned her body around, keeping his foot trapped and bending his leg backwards.
Now positioning herself on Jona's back, she pressed her weight down through her knee onto his back. She threw several quick chi-blocking jabs down into him, immobilizing his arms. By this time, several other soldiers had overheard the commotion and came to help apprehend Jona.
"We have an intruder on the ship! Take him down to the holding cells!" One of the soldiers exclaimed as he realized what was happening.
"Hey...I need help here!" Elio said, forcing himself to get off of his back up to one knee.
"Elio?! Elio!" Sri realized. She ran to his side. Several more soldiers stepped into the room when they heard her shout his name. She ran to him. Her eyes widened when she saw the knife, "Guys, he's hurt! We need to get him to the med bay right now!" She shouted back to them...
With the assistance of Sri and the soldiers, Elio was brought down to be checked by the ship's two medically trained personnel. There, the knife was safely removed and Elio's wound was bandaged.
He spent the day laying on his back, resting and staying still so as not to hurt himself further. But as a quiet day stretched into a restless night, Elio decided that it was time to get up.
He still needed to address the intruder.
Down in his holding cell, Jona sat cross-legged on the floor rocking back and forth and shaking his head sadly. He knew he had failed his mission well before its goal. This was a bad position to be in with no foreseeable way out. Where had he gone wrong? What could he have done differently?
"Are you hurt, love?" Anisa asked, crouching down next to him and stroking his hair. Jona huffed and shook his head again.
"No...they hit me a few times but that's all...I'm sorry, Anisa. I failed you." He said sadly, knowing that he had been defeated. Still, Anisa continued to soothe him by stroking his hair gently.
"I was afraid that this would happen...but as long as you are alive, there is hope." Anisa said to reassure him.
"Is there?" Jona asked, looking up at her. "is there hope if you're not...?" He posed this question to her.
Anisa had no answer.
The door to the holding area opened, and in walked Elio. He had thrown on a shirt, but he was still favoring his right side where he had been stabbed. Jona's expression hardened upon seeing him, but looking him in the eyes now, they both became confused.
"...don't I know you?" Elio asked, recognizing almost right away that something looked familiar about this guy.
"You're that firebender guy that saved me...when I was kidnapped by that Fire Nation marauder band," Jona recognized. "You were with Anisa." He identified.
"Anisa...the earthbender girl, right? Yeah. She had a massage place." Elio recalled now.
"She did." Jona confirmed.
"...I thought you two wanted to move to Ba Sing Se with your family and live there. What happened?" Elio asked.
"You happened! Your disgusting country! We never made it to Ba Sing Se! We were attacked on the way...soldiers took Anisa away because of her bending." Jona told him.
"I'm really sorry..." Elio spoke solemnly.
"Are you? Then why did you join them?!" Jona demanded, "I heard them before. They called you captain."
"I am. I'm trying to make a difference now. The Fire Nation isn't what it used to be, or at least, we're trying to change now." Elio said.
"Ha, after 100 years, you expect me to believe that? They have you fooled! Don't you see? They're using you!" Jona shouted at him.
"...where is Alayas?" Elio asked now.
"Who?"
"The soldier who's room I found you in! You were wearing his uniform! Where is he?!" Elio demanded now, wincing in pain afterwards from straining himself.
"I killed him," Jona answered coldly, spitting in his direction. "Too bad I couldn't finish you too." He added.
"You..." Elio trailed off, his expression dropping.
"And when I get free, I will kill anyone I can get my hands on. I'll climb all the way to the Fire Lord's palace if I can." Jona vowed.
"You'll be placed under arrest for murder, and you'll spend the rest of your life serving the years you stole from a good man." Elio said firmly, sighing sadly afterwards. He turned away from Jona and started walking out of the room.
"Good? Dying was the best thing he ever did for this world." Jona said bitterly. Elio opened the door and looked back at him.
"I guess you two can hash that out one day." He said before closing the door.
Jona let out another huff, sitting back and closing his eyes. He shook his head sadly, his head dropping down. He rubbed his eyes, leaning to his left a little so he could focus on Anisa's gentle touch. Even now, she was still doing her best to soothe him...