I wake back up in a dark room with a few electric lights shining down, which is weird. Even weirder is the fact that my hair is completely down and my staff is missing. There're people close by, the room having the chugging engine of wherever we were rattling me into the shakes.
"Hey. Hey, kid. You up?" a voice hisses, an older guy with cracked glasses and weirdly quaffed dark hair, curling like a cloud around his head. He smiles and kneels.
"Where am I?" I groan, "Feels like I've been out forever." the guy nods and looks around. There're two guards and both of them look bored as all get out.
"You're on the Grand Mamare," he pulls out a small device and it clicks as it flashes a light into my eyes, at my squint he grins and puts it away, "There, that way if you're dumped, your family'll…"
"Nota! Stop talking!" one of the guards snaps, banging on the bars. Nota shrugs and sits next to me.
"I know it's a culture shock," he whispers, "But welcome aboard."
"Are you with them?" I snarl a little, "Don't get in my way when I get out."
"Oh no." Nota answers, "I'm a hostage like everyone else." the others all seem to look at him with a kind of angry expression. He smiles.
"I'm not exactly well-liked."
The guards look back at him with anger, before they both leave. Maybe it's to switch out the guards? Or they're so tired of getting Nota to shut up that they're guarding the door to the room we're in.
I focus on the wall sconces, they're gaslights. This is the Boiler Room, a big engine chugs away and I sit and stare at it. How am I going to make it out of this? There's cries of babies, some of their mothers looking at me like I'm some kinda savior.
Probably because they knew or they had hope that I was some kinda savior. I move over towards one of them, a woman older than me, holdin' a little baby boy in finer clothes that I haven't ever seen before. She's tanner, pretty green eyes meet my dark blue, the little boy's got her same eyes, staring at me with that thousand yard stare. Earth Kingdom people, most likely. At least from what I heard from Dad. They tend to wear green, and judging by the color, they're dirty green and brown. Dirty from the metal floors of course.
She looks at me, "Are you here to help?" she asks.
"Hopefully, if I can figure out a plan." I smile, "I'm something of a planner myself." I look back towards Nota and he smiles as I look back at the woman and her baby. Remindin' me of me and Mom back home.
"I promise I'll find a way for you and…" The baby giggles and reaches out for me, and I let him grip one of my fingers. His big green eyes lock with my gaze as I let him wiggle my finger.
"His name's Takao."
"Takao, huh. Cute name. My name is Ko." I nod, "I'll get you all outta here," another one, an older man with a heavyset frame and balding, he pipes up.
"And who are you supposed to be?"
Looking at him, "The Avatar, duh. I'm from the Southern Water Tribe, and I can prove it. Got any water around?" There's murmuring and something being passed towards the front, it's a waterskin, at least I think it is.
The man chuffs, "Prove it then."
I smile, "Gladly!" raising one hand, I untwist the cap and the water gently flows around my hand, looking back over at the gaslights, I focus and one starts dimming, the flames flying towards my other one, they dance end over end, twisting together and dancing around one another.
Gently, ever so gently, I let them return to their places. Concentrating hard as the people look at me in shock. Whispers I can barely hear are called out, everything kind of blurs together but with my staff it'd be easier. The man's wearing red, a little black, maybe some gold. Fire Nation. He looks shocked and then moves back to where he was, keeping up the rumors. I move back to where Nota is, he's sitting by the cell front, looking up at the door almost wistfully, like he's been wishin' for a way out and he's closer than ever because he's mumblin'.
"He's the Avatar… of course… maybe… no no…" he's jotting something down in a worn leather notebook, he keeps on mumblin' as I settle down alongside him.
"What'cha mumbling about?" I ask.
"Oh! Uhmn… just things about home. I've never thought about it all that much, but-" he sputters but then finds his voice again, "What's your name, again?"
"Ko." I answer, "And I'm trying to find out where I fit in all this."
"Ah, I see. You got this grand destiny and you're all stuck?"
"Yeah…" I look past the bars and into the room beyond, "Hopefully one of us has a plan because this is going to take a while and I don't want to get stuck forever."
"That or a few days with a little food, water, and something to off yourself with. They maroon people on a chain of islands off the coast of an international archipelago." he explains as the door above us creaks open and he immediately grabs me and guides me towards the back wall.
Two men, they're with the pirates, descend the stairs lookin' for someone and some other people seem to press themselves towards the back, with them unlocking the door and opening it, heading in and looking around at the scared people, glaring through my hair at them like I want to bend them into next week with water or fire.
They grab the Fire Nation guy from earlier, "What?! No! Not me! Anyone but me!" he screams, "Take that boy right there!" he points at me and they look at each other.
"Nah, the Captain wants a word with 'im in the morning."
"Ahh?!" the man gasps, "Do something, Avatar! Please!" he looks at me and I stand up, moving towards the two guys, glaring at them with flames stoking in my hands. The guys look down at me like I'm nothing to them.
They take the guy up, out of the cage with his eyes wide, "You're the Avatar! Save me!" I know I have no shot without my staff, so I look away.
"I'm sorry, if we get out of this, I promise that I'll get someone to help you." I say, looking at the others. That night I curl into a little ball, gritting my teeth. For another day I sit and try to figure it out after water and rice gruel they tossed in a bucket.
I need to get these people out of here.
The door above us all rustily creaks open, the turning valve-like knob moves and footsteps sound out, along with the jingling and jangling of some kinda keys. The guards hurriedly stand up and salute a big guy in a silver suit, slicked back dark hair, and piercing golden eyes.
In his hand is my staff, thunking along like he's not using it right.
"So… you're the new meat, huh?" he says, kneeling on the other side of the bars in front of me, "You don't look like much. Consider it luck that I managed to pluck you out of the waves." I glare up at him with rage in my eyes. I want my staff back and this guy took it!
"What's your deal? Some kinda pirate?" I ask, "Because this is really, really funny because I've always dreamed of a Pirate Adventure!" The guys blink at my excitement as I rise against the bars.
The captain laughs, "Wow! That's new, well… Whaddya think so far, boy?"
"It's nice, although… What do you guys do?" They're clueless, so clueless in fact that one of them unlocks the door and grabs me almost roughly as the Captain laughs even louder and his men lead me out of the hold, and into the verandas around the ship.
Nota and the others kind of look after me almost like I'm crazy. But now the sting of the sea air hits me in the face almost like a slap. The Captain whirls on his heel and then a punch rockets into my gut.
The air leaves my lungs and before I could crumple, he roughly grabs my hair and yanks me up to eye level.
"You think I'd just letcha go?" he snarls, "You KNOW how many guys tried that?" His men let me go, well… that's their mistake. I notice his other hand's got my staff in it. As he draws me up to his stinking breath, I don't care what it smells like, it's awful.
But just over us is another gaslight. It brightens at my finger quirking, before blasting down and outward, like an arrow it lands in my hand, the Captain lets go of my hair and my staff clatters to the deck floor.
I scoop it up and whirl around with the flames twisting and shining around me, he and his men watch as I swirl it around my staff and let out a heavy cry of, "C'mon!" they all get their weapons ready but there's something more to all of this.
Ferocity takes over my movements, the flame dancing and darting eagerly along with me. They hit me in the openings I have, but I sway with the hits, countering back with more flames. Skidding after the Captain because he took off running the second I hit 'em with the fact that I can bend fire. Hitting the deck with my staff, flames boost me up and forward, closin' in fast an' loud with my legs wrappin' around the dude's neck and slingin' him as hard as I could to the deck. There's a crash, a lotta pain, and I'm more than just hurt.
His men all take their bending stances, but here I am. With the tenacity of a Honey Badger Dog I spin my staff and thunk it down with a wave of flame blasting out with the walls singing and they slide in some metal walls, but I duck under them, shooting out small fireballs. One of them lashes water at me, but I take it back, slinging it around like a whip and cracking it hard over their heads, a pile of rocks tumbles down and some of them dodge out of the way, Nota running towards the bridge.
What I don't notice is a club coming right for my face, blinding pain rockets across my face. Blood pours out of my nose but I wipe it away, my staff smears with it and the guy clashes with me, pushing hard back towards the railing but I grin.
"Do it, knock me down!" Snappin' feeling brave. I take more of my blood and smear it on my face in some kinda warpaint. Breaking it hard and hammering the guy back, I lash some saltwater into him.
Every inch of me feels at peace. Dancing through the bending of the others with fire and water flowing and striking around me. There's no plans. No thought. For some reason there's a moment where I'm outside everything. The first chance I took, I cut and ran. No solid plan and no solid idea of what I could do. Never thought I'd make it as far as I did. Just fists and feet of fury. All helped by my staff. I make it to the bridge and the Captain and his last few crew members make their final stand.
Nota's held at sword point. The guy isn't even a bender I don't think. I skid to a stop. He grins.
"Now now, let's not do somethin' stupid…" he starts, "Put the staff down, we'll talk it out like men."
"Funny, I never thought trash had a gender." I don't move, Nota looking at me with a shocked expression.
"Quips?! Really, Ko?"
To be one hundred percent honest. I'm terrified. The only guy close to a friend I have right now is at blade point and honestly I'm really not sure how I got as far as I ended up getting with this plan.
"Just let him go, and I won't kick your butts." I state, not really making a motion but it's more like a standoff. I stare at him, and he- Nota slams his head into the guy's nose.
"GAH-OW!" Nota spins, grabbing his sword and pointing it at them.
"Republic City, now! Ko, you make sure everyone down in the hold gets out!" he snaps, "Do it!"
I lope out of there as the crew gives up, getting down to the hold once more and everyone in there looking at me with hope, seeing my bloodied face and uneven steps. But they know. They know.
As the Grand Mamare chugs its way towards the dock, the communications blare and Nota scurries to them. Keeping a good handle on the wheel, Nota almost drops the receiver.
"Who are you?!" the voice yells and Nota calls back.
"This is the Grand Mamare, we're WAY over schedule!" he barks, "My name is Daisuke Nota of Future Industries' R and D department!" he listens for a moment.
"Who is among your men? And what are you carrying?" Nota pauses and looks at me but I don't have my hands free to look through a ledger or something before he barks into the receiver.
"We have men, women, and children aboard! Most of them were captured by the pirates who once controlled this vessel!"
"And we're just going to believe that a ship that's been missing for years now is suddenly coming back with its crew and some missing technician?"
"Also we have the Avatar."
"Oho yeah, and I'm a talking Platypus Bear."
"Come and see for yourself!" Nota snaps. That's when it happens. While everyone was celebrating on the decks there's a looming shadow of something overhead. I rush to defend them and there's a bunch of armored men coming down to investigate. One of them steps towards me.
"My name is Officer Zenigata of the Republic City Police Force. We're here to investigate the ship, if you would be so kind as to drop the staff and come with us, we'd very much appreciate it."
Zenigata's voice is rough but kind enough. But at the same time the people on here seem a little scared. I mean when they descended like vultureowls onto the decks I'm sure it was shocking as all get out.
I look at Nota and he nods, my staff clunks to the deck again as they grab hold of me and whir back up on their metal lines. I've never actually seen Metalbenders before but the blimp flies over the water, the city stretching onward across the water. Shining, endless.
Hopefully, I'll find what I'm looking for.
The light shines down on the table. My staff tied to my wrist and I'm sitting there drumming my hands softly. The officers outside seem to be talking to someone important. I don't know who exactly but the minute she comes in I'll know. The door slides open, and a woman in the same kind of armor as the officers strides in, her harsh green eyes pin me to the chair and her lips downturn in a scowl. She's got scars on her face and a badge on her chest. I hope things go well.
"So, you're the one the people on the Grand Mamare claim to be the Avatar." she starts, "Not only that, but you nearly single handedly took out the entirety of the pirate crew." she sits down with her arms crossed.
"Listen, officer…"
"Chief, it's Chief Lin Beifong."
"Right, ri-" I pause, "Wait, Beifong?" There's a flash of a memory, a girl with the same last name. Chief Beifong raises an eyebrow.
"Sorry, sorry, that was a deja vu moment. If you have to know my name is Ko, I'm from the south pole, and I liberated the Grand Mamare with the help of my friend Nota who works for-"
"Future Industries, yes. I know." she huffs a little, "But why do you claim you're the Avatar? It's been about a ten year long search."
My eyes widened, "Ten years?" It's not that I'm shocked, just the dedication alone is impressive.
She nods, "Tell me, why would the Avatar avoid being found?"
"Mostly because my parents didn't want to hand me over to complete strangers." I huff, "But what happens now?"
Chief Beifong coolly looks at me with a smirk, "You'll stay here, at least until we inform them you're here. It's up to them if you're the Avatar or not."
She gets up, leading me out, "You've made quite the noise, Ko. Let's hope you live up to it." That stays with me for the rest of the night as I lay in the holding cell, laying on the bench and looking up at the ceiling.
What the heck am I going to do if I can't prove I'm the Avatar without a shadow of a doubt?
