Avatar The Last Airbender Fan Fiction ❯ Avatar: The Wind on the Waves ❯ Chapter 16 ( Chapter 18 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

The battlefield at the entrance to the cave stood remarkably quiet for far longer than it had in a long time. The offense made no moves to push forward, and the defense, likewise, only stayed at the ready as they had been trained to do. It was a tension loaded silence, and any irregular sound set nerves on edge.

Then, just as the sun began to dip beyond the horizon, the offense sprang into action. A large band of earthbenders and Kyoshi Warriors rushed forward to engage the rebel firebenders. As expected, the defense returned fire, literally. The earthbenders employed their earth shield tactic, replacing overheated ones with fresh earth barriers.

Distracted by the earthbenders, several firebenders fell to well-placed knockdown blows from the Kyoshi Warriors. But the female fighters were not invincible, and could only advance so far before the intense barrage of flames became too much to press forward any further. Still, what ground they gained, they kept.

A singed pant leg for a smarting fan strike to the face…

A burnt arm for a rain of pelting rocks…

It was worth the effort and played out like an irregular, fast-paced dance between both sides. In fact, that's all that it really was—a false battle to keep the firebenders' attention occupied. The real battle was coming literally underway far from the frontlines.

Approaching from the opposite direction was Aang, but the firebenders would never have seen him. He was making his way underground towards cave while they were busy trying to hold back the persistent earthbenders. The Avatar needed no light to see but he did need air to breathe, and every so often bent an air funnel to refresh the meager oxygen supply in his lengthening subterranean passage.

Even with fresh air, the tunnel was hot and stuffy from the volcanic nature of the island itself. Noxious gases agitated his lungs. He would have to get himself above ground inside the cave before the temperature overcame him and he passed out.

Back on the surface, the firebenders were growing fed up with the aggressive enemy and called in their backup group to put a stop to the advancement. Out came the elite firebenders, the ones skilled in magma bending. They approached the forefront and drew the molten rock closer to the surface.

Even with the ground reaching intolerable temperatures, the earthbenders persisted in their assault, hurling heated boulders as they retreated to cooler grounds. A cheer was raised by the defense, as victory was all that they could see before them. But they were in for an unexpected surprise.

Underground, Aang had reached the outer wall of the cave. Just as the Kyoshi Warrior had said, the perimeter was reinforced with metal walls. No regular earthbender could break through it, and even a powerful one could only dent it. The first person to ever effectively bend the impurities within metal was back in Ba Sing Se, but her first pupil stood here in the stuffy passage, about to put his learned abilities to the test.

Aang wiped the beads of sweat pouring from his brow. His knuckles tentatively knocked on the metal, feeling for irregularities in it. Twice… thrice… THERE! Drawing in a quick breath, he struck the wall with his will, commanding it to give way. It did, though not as much as he would have liked. This was going to take time, and anyone that might be on the opposite side would be able to hear it.

“I'll have to work quickly…” he breathed.

Sweat trickled down his face, hitting the ground with a soft sizzle. Breaking in would be made more difficult by his need for air, and he would have to pause his pounding to get some air. When the plan had been finalized, Aang had assumed he would only need enough water to get him through the wall, but at Katara's insistence, he took a larger bloat with him. Now he was glad that he had heeded her advice. As it stood, the supply he did have with him might not be sufficient.

The firebenders' mocking cry was abruptly cut short by a dark shadow from the shoreline. A wave the size of a small tsunami rolled over the land, missing the attacking force and crashing down forcefully on the heated earth. A deafening sizzle sent up clouds of steam, thick and obscuring to both sides.

Katara stood amidst her circle of earth benders, directing the waters to where they were needed. The first wave had cooled the ground of the frontlines, allowing the barefooted earth benders to push forward. One of the benefits of their bending art was that an earthbender didn't need a perfect line of sight in order to strike the enemy; bending a boulder big enough and hurling it in the right general direction meant that the chances of hitting their mark were rather good.

The firebenders, on the other hand, were at a deep disadvantage. Their art required precision for successful strikes, and the sudden smoke screen was a hard blow against them. Adding to the difficulty was the soaking humidity; even blooming fireballs wilted and snuffed out just as soon as they were generated. Despite the setbacks, they were not about to throw their hands up in defeat.

The muted sound of metal bending beneath a persistent pounding echoed throughout the underground passage. Aang had made significant progress and could sense that less than an inch of metal needed to give way before he infiltrated the facility. Still, the overpowering heat and noxious fumes that wafted from the warm ground slowed his progress. He was having to refresh his breathing air much more frequently, and even so, Aang was breaking into heavy coughing fits. Desperate, his hands laced into the barrier, willing it to give way before his strength did.

Several solid slams later, the clean air of the cave reached his lungs, and Aang drank it in like a starved creature. He peeked through the small opening for guards, then widened it to allow himself through. All around him were the sounds of machinery, pumping and clanking who-knew what. The air was breathable, though a bit stale.

From wall to wall were great metal contraptions of every shape and size. One was a huge heater, and the fire within could be seen glowing through a grate on the side. Another device, much in resemblance to the heater, had no grate, but rather a large, flat slab attached to the end of a long, adjustable pole. From the back of the slab and winding all the way back to the heater structure was a series of tubes and wires. The slab end of the pole hovered over a table equipped with manacles. Aang shivered despite the heat.

The familiar vibration of footsteps told him that several people were approaching, and Aang quickly slipped behind the poled machine to stay out of sight. From this vantage point, he could see the table in the middle of the room much more clearly. There were levers and knobs scattered across the surface of the pole machine and several others in the room. One of the contraptions across from him hissed hot steam.

“And what was the energy extraction level set to for this experiment?” said a deep voice as a man in an older style of general's armor strolled into the room. A shorter man in black and white robes followed him, an opened scroll in his hands.

“We raised the extraction level to 15.34 for a better draw, sir.” the shorter gentleman replied. “But in order to do so, we've additionally had to increase the energy output of the furnaces and the generators they power.”

The general nodded, peering about the room.

“What about the next test subject?” he said, resting his hand on the table.

“The paperwork's gone through, sir.” the other man responded. “In fact, they should be bringing him down shortly. Will you be present?”

Aang felt the goosebumps rise on his flesh.

“Yes, I'd like to see for myself the progress that's been made thus far.” the general smiled a satisfied smirk that made Aang sick to his stomach. “Perhaps I can even offer some insight into the matter.”

“Of course, sir. If I may, general…?”

“Yes?”

“The mortality rate is still at 100%. The primary cause seems to be from the strength of the draw, not the—“

“You're concerned about the lives of a few traitors?”

“Sir, I only meant that—“

“That's not the important problem at the moment! First, we get the process to work, THEN we'll worry about if the source subjects are surviving or not! Do I make myself clear?”

“Y-Yes, sir…”

“Good. Now let's get the subject up here!”

With that, the two men left the room. Aang could barely stomach what he had overheard. They were killing their own people to do what only he himself was known to have done, and even then, Ozai had survived. He had to destroy this machinery immediately!

When the footfalls had faded well away, Aang attacked the contraptions with an Avatar-state-like fury. The tubed pole was severed and smashed into irreparable pieces. The furnace and other large structures were promptly impaled on sharp spires of bent earth. All fires were doused with either the little water he carried with him or with slabs of earth, imitating a maneuver that he had seen Toph do. Lastly, he annihilated the holding table, ripping out the manacles and crushing what remained with a heavy boulder.

Only when he stopped to catch his breath did he realize how much noise he had made in the process. It would do him no good to be caught, so Aang hurried into the adjoining hallway. The general had gone this way, and Aang reasoned that if he were headed toward where the `test subjects' were kept, then he would be able to release them and perhaps start a revolt from the inside. He could only hope the prisoners hadn't been so badly tortured that they would be unable to help.

Fast footsteps behind him warned the Avatar that his own rapid pace had not gone unnoticed. He looked for a door, any side door in that hallway, which he could duck into. The winding path seemed unyielding, but at last a metal door, left slightly ajar, came into view and he slipped in. The soft glow of firelight cast countless shadows about the room, but he quickly extinguished it. Aang leapt to the ceiling and clung to a warm pipe he found there. He was grateful the pipe hadn't been scorching hot or he might have yelped his location to the entire facility.

In the darkness, Aang could hear his pursuers stop, then kick open the door with a deafening bang. There were two of them; one with his weapon drawn and the other poised to firebend. With a cue from his ally, the bender lit a tongue of flame to light the room. The dim light illuminated just enough to see the space's contents: a small extinguished heater, several thick pipes winding about the circumference of the walls, a half-eaten rotten apple, the metal bars of a cage, and movement.

“You there!” One of the guards barked at the figure in the cell. “Did you see anyone come in here?”

The person in the cage moved with a slow, weak shuffling, turning his tired, sunken eyes to the guards. He blinked in the low light, covering his face from the fire.

“No…” the prisoner coughed. “Just you.”

“He must've run further ahead!” said one guard.

“We might still catch up with him. GO!” the other ordered, and they dashed out of the room.

When Aang was certain it was safe, he jumped to the floor, turning his attention to the prisoner. He hadn't realized anyone was in here in his haste.

“Who's there?” the captive's mournful voice quivered.

“Shh! It's all right. I'm not going to hurt you.” whispered Aang. He bent a small flame so that they could each see one another.

The man in the cage was sometime in his thirties. He was thin and looked hungry, but not emaciated. Though the room was warm, the man shivered and covered his eyes from the sudden light. When his eyes adjusted, he seemed to stare through Aang rather than at him.

“What is your name?” asked Aang.

“Kujo.” The man replied.

“Kujo, I'm Aang. I've come to help you and the other prisoners out. But to do that, I'm gonna need your help too. What exactly is this place?”

The poor man shivered and shook in his confines. The rattle of metal revealed that Kujo was manacled in addition to being locked up.

“He can barely move with those on!” Aang fumed silently. “What made them think he needed to be locked up too in his condition?”

“This place…” Kujo shuddered. “This place is worse than death! At least at the Boiling Rock, we were fed decently and given yard time… I've forgotten was daylight is like…!”

“Easy…” Aang approached the cage bars, tapping them with his fingers. “I'm getting you out of here. Do you know where they keep the other prisoners?”

Kujo recoiled from the bars and covered his eyes. Even with reassurance, he was still scared of anyone that came close to him.

“At the bottom.” The prisoner curled tighter into the fetal position. “They dragged me up here yesterday. Told me to firebend. They're going to kill me!”

Aang tapped the bars a few more times, then gripped them tightly and forced them apart. Stepping inside, he inspected the heavy manacles and frowned; bending these off would take a lot more precision than he was certain he was capable of doing. Bend it wrong, and he might break the man's wrists.

He shifted his attention to the chain links attached to the manacles. These he could bend without repercussions, but Kujo would still be stuck with the manacles. Regardless, the man would have his freedom and perhaps be more willing to lead Aang to the other captives.

Freed of his bonds, Kujo stared at his wrists with the puzzled look of someone unaccustomed to freedom. Just how long had the man been imprisoned? Aang extended a welcoming hand to him, and it was taken with great trembling. A light seemed to come to the man's eyes, and after a moment, Aang recognized it for what it was: hope.

“Will you help me?” Aang asked.

“Yes…” Kujo replied, a growing strength in his voice. “We'll get the others. And we'll get those jerks!”