Chapter Thirteen: The Beginning of War

The Airbender and his friends were at the compound where they had spied Jet and his comrades years ago, near the now abandoned training center, where they had also discovered the gang's plan to take out Hakoda and Gyatso, so there was more than enough space to accommodate everyone. It's been three days since Aang's and Katara's children had called them to warn of an attack while at the same time admitting they had left the mountains to pursue Azula. Aang was proud of them if a little disappointed. He tried everything he could to protect his family but he knew they had no choice but to leave the mountains to prepare for a war that should not have begun. Not only has Azula disrupted the peace they had fought for, but she also deliberately involved their kids in her game, and that was something he would never forgive.

He remembered Suki calling them a few days ago to let them know they had help coming, and she wasn't fooling around. The people coming to the buildings were stealthy looking and Aang got the impression they could kill without thinking twice about it. He was a little nervous about that, but they had no choice. Azula wasn't going to let anyone live accept for the people who worked for her. The Firebender was cold, ruthless, with a heart of stone. She could only feel power and greed and with those combined, Azula was all the more dangerous because she has a drive: to destroy everything and rebuild the world for her and her alone.

As the lot filled up with cars and people, Aang was surprised by how many spies there were in this part of the world. There were at least three hundred people, all armed, with special gadgets and equipment to help him win this battle. The Airbender was curious by how there could so many without the world knowing, but he supposed that was the point: they had to stay hidden on order to do their jobs. There were men and women, some as young as their late teens to their fifties or sixties. How the older ones could still be doing this kind of work was beyond him, but Aang was grateful for any help they could get.

A hand touched his and he looked to his side to see his beautiful wife, looking tired and stressed. After the call, she has been working too much, welcoming the arrivals and training those in Waterbending who were a level or two short from achieving master. She cleaned too often, couldn't sleep for more than a few hours, preparing for war. Aang had been stunned by the fact that there were Benders in this little army, a few Airbenders like himself, three dozen Waterbender, almost half as many Firebenders, and more four dozen Earthbenders. They all ranged from the different ages he had noticed before. They might actually have a chance at winning, if only every spy in the world would help.

Kissing her cheek he asked, "You okay?"

Katara sighed tiredly. "I will be; it's been stressful for everyone. What if Azula wins? What if she attacks before we're ready? What if the kids lose?"

He looked at her sternly, squeezing her hand. "They won't lose; they'll make it out of this." He looked out at the crowd. "We all will. We've always known we would be needed again; it was only a matter of time before it happened."

She stared at him; then sighed. "I suppose you're right. They're strong; so are we. But all I'm saying is we should be prepared for the worst. What we're against this time is different from the fight all those years ago. This time, the entire world is involved."

Aang wrapped an arm around her and brought her close. "I know," was all he said, not wanting to voice his other thoughts. Katara laid her head on his shoulder.

It was a few moments later when Suki, dressed in green and black camouflage, stepped onto a podium that had been brought from the old training house, courtesy of Jet. She looked serious and strong. Aang understood how Sokka could be attracted to her; Suki was strong, brave, and beautiful, much like Katara was. The Airbending Master was proud to call her a sister. She looked over the silent crowd and began to speak. "Comrades!" Her voice rang out strong and clear. "Today, we begin to ready for war. As you all are aware, Azula has escaped almost a month ago, and has been terrorizing the people of town and on this part of the US. She has planned to use a comet called the Blaze Orb to obliterate the world as we know it. My friends and I have been showing the early arrivals techniques to help ensure our victory. In a few days, we'll be fighting for more than just our home: we'll be fighting to for the fate of the world. I wanted to thank every one of you for the greatest sacrifice you have ever made. I'm proud to be working by side your side and to call you my friends. Thank you."

The people that Aang could see put their hands over their hearts and saluted her before she gave it back and walked off the platform, right into Sokka's waiting arms. Aang himself brought Katara closer as the group of spies went into different buildings, each containing different weapons, classes, and training for both fighting and medical. He was impressed by how diligently these people worked, as if they had energy that knew no bounds. Yet, despite the promising display, he felt regret. People were going to die and there would be nothing he could do when that happened. You don't fight a war without losing some friends. He would know; he lost his parents because of a war of his own without his realizing he was a part of it. He almost lost Katara that day so long ago when she had taken that knife for him, sparing his life. Aang still had the occasional nightmare from those times, like a wound that had healed but left a nasty scar behind. So had Katara; she always woke up screaming after having a bad one and would take almost an hour to get her back to reality. She did the same for Aang; when his nightmares got bad, the Waterbender, selfless and kind, would silently wrap her arms around him until he calmed and hugged back.

He pulled his thoughts into himself. Aang didn't want Katara to worry any more than she was now. Better to think positive and hope for the best. He was determined and knew the others were too as they stood together as some of the most powerful people in the world. They were gifted with powers and a friendship that could not be broken by force, could not be shattered by anything on earth or in heaven. As they headed towards the large training center, as a team, Aang felt certain they would accomplish their task with the help of their kids: to save the world.

Meanwhile: Tenzin

The younger Airbender sat down heavily on the bench, panting with sweat glistening on his bare chest. Sam had introduced them to the training center in California, a huge dome building near the center of the city that resembled the Coliseum in Rome, only with glass for the ceiling instead of open air. Stairs led to the wooden benches, one he was sitting on, at least three feet from the ground. There were stations everywhere: knotting ropes, archery, targeting with a gun, even some knife and sword fighting. He wondered about that, but he supposed some people fought in older ways. There were some areas in the arena that allowed all four Bending powers to be practiced. It reminded Tenzin that the war was real and they were going to fight it, have been even before Azula had made herself known. Again, this felt like the Hunger Games, and he was getting ready for the slaughtering that would surely come.

As he sat there, wiping himself off with the towel he had with him, Tenzin looked at everyone hard at work, trying to make up for lost time, as Bumi says. They have been training for three days and he felt as if he would collapse from sheer exhaustion. His brother has been making everyone work harder than was the norm. Even the Airbender was irritated with him. His whole body felt as if rocks had been put into it, weighing him down, crushing him. It was rare to get a brake; they didn't stop training until the sun was going down with at least a few minutes for water break. Bumi was pushing everyone, even himself, to the point of collapse. Tenzin needed to talk some sense into the guy's head. At the rate things were going, they would be able to fight the army waiting for the comet.

Pema, sweet, kind, thoughtless Pema, climbed up the stairs to where he sat and handed over a big bottle of water, ice cold, he discovered with delight. Tenzin had to force himself to drink slowly and not all of it even though his burning throat and body wanted more. Before he drank half the bottle, he handed it back to her and she drank from it. She wore only a pale green training bra with brown shorts, which was dirty, along with white tennis shoes, also dirty. Her brown hair was in a messy bun, a few strands clinging to her forehead, which she wiped with her own towel.

"He's pushing us, and himself, too hard," she said, reading his thoughts right on the point. "Someone has to talk to him before we come to point of jelly, if not water."

Tenzin nodded. "I know; sooner or later he's going to wipe us out. I'll try talking to him." Before he could get up, however, his sister walked over to Bumi and started yelling at him. They were on the other side of the arena, but he heard snippets of what was being said and it wasn't hard to figure out what Kya was on about. After he protested, she gathered a water whip and flung it at him, which he dodged and an energy ball formed in his hand. Tenzin could see the older boy was tense but slowly straightened and extinguished is power ball before nodding and announced they could have an couple hours' break before stalking off. The Airbender knew he was annoyed but he couldn't help but feel relief for the break. It was much needed and as everyone dispersed to enjoy their free time, he turned to Pema and grinned. "Let's get out of here, Pem. I need a shower and something to eat. You in?"

She grinned back, making his heart flutter. "You can bet on it! Let's go!" She was up and running before he could react. Then he laughed and jogged after her, happy to spend some time away from work and start having some fun.

City

The Airbender walked in the streets with Pema, soaking in the sun and light breeze. People were out walking their dogs, jogging, or playing and socializing. There were no clouds in the sky; only a blue so bright it almost hurt to look at. Tenzin was glad of the sky, however. Even before he learned of his powers, he had always loved looking into the sky, imagining himself flying above the clouds and watching the world as he flew, watching life go on below him. Tenzin had tried that once, when he was more experienced; but he ended up in a tree and his mother told him to never do that unless he got better at controlling his Airbending. His father had gotten that twinkle in his gray eyes as he promised Tenzin he would help him. Aang had a special glider that was made for him by his uncle when his Dad was sixteen; his father didn't know it had built-in wings at the time. Sometimes, at night, Aang and he would sneak out and practice the basics of flying. Tenzin was still a bit new at it, but Aang thought he was getting better. The thirteen year old couldn't wait until he mastered it; then his dreams would be a reality.

Pema interrupted his thoughts. "It's so nice out! What do you want to do?" Like him, she too had showered and changed, wearing a yellow tank with orange shorts. Tenzin thought the colors matched her personality.

He looked around and spotted the park about two blocks away and grabbed her hand to pull her towards it. They laughed, feeling some more of the stress of the pass weeks leave them as they raced across the green towards the fountain that seemed to gush with happiness, but Tenzin knew it was a figment of his imagination. Still, being out in the open made his spirit feel free for the first time in a month. Was it really a month that had passed since school ended? It felt like an entire lifetime ago. Tenzin didn't how long they played; it felt like hours. He and Pema were playing tag, him chasing. He could have used his Airbending to catch her, but for once, he just wanted to play without it. He was proud of his Airbending, but he wanted to be a regular boy for a while, chasing his best friend of thirteen years.

A dog ran in front of Pema and she stumbled and tripped on a rock as it passed, a ball in its mouth. Now this time he did use his Bending to catch her; but her balance was too off and they both fell to the ground, grass cushioning them, him in the ground, and her on top of him. As they lay there, panting, Pema started laughing and Tenzin started to also, realizing the funny situation they had made. "Whoo!" Pema said, pushing hair out of her face. "That was fun!" Her gray eyes sparkled.

Tenzin stared into them, feeling his innards turn to jelly. "Yeah," he murmured, unconsciously tightening his hold on her waist. Slowly her smile melted and he didn't know why he did it; maybe he was curious but there was something else in him that made Tenzin lift his head slightly and brushed his lips to her. Her breath caught but she didn't pull away. The Airbender's heart pounded and a dull roar sounded in his ears as tingles came to life in his body. After realizing a few seconds later that she wasn't moving, he broke away with a deep blush and started stammering like his father does when nervous. "Uh, sorry. I-I don't know why I- I mean I-" His nervous rant was stopped as she kissed him again and the tingles intensified as he kissed back.

After a few moments of it, she slowly broke away and he opened his eyes to look into her sparkling ones and couldn't help but marvel at what had just happened: They kissed; and better yet, she had kissed him back. The Airbender's nerves were on high alert at Pema's nearness, but he didn't want to let her go; not yet. The girl smiled at him. "That was really nice."

"I really like you," he blurted out before Tenzin could stop himself. He cleared his throat. "I know it might seem weird, but-"

"I like you too," Pema said, cutting him off.

He blinked at her in surprise. "You do?" he asked.

She nodded. "Of course. Why do you think I kissed you back?"

Tenzin laughed. "Good point." Then he remembered their position and added, "Let me up." Pema chuckled but complied and helped him to his feet. He held her hand tight before grabbing his phone to check the time a realized with a start they would be late going back to training. With a sigh Tenzin said, "We should head back; Bumi's going to have a fit."

Pema pouted. "Aww shucks! Do we have to?"

He rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Yes, Pem." He tugged her hand and started leading her out of the park. "Come on; we have to go." As they walked away, Tenzin, even with happiness in his heart, felt in his gut that this small measure of peace would not last. He also felt as if someone was watching them as they walked away. The Airbender prayed with all his being they would survive the upcoming battle. The war had finally begun.

Pema

She could not believe what had happened in the park. Tenzin had kissed her! Pema was amazed by it and she would give anything to experience that wonderful first kiss again. As they walked the streets of California, she kept glancing at the Airbender to see him staring at her and blushes while looking away when their eyes met. Yet she always saw the smile that lit up his face whenever they looked at one another. To distract herself from the image of them kissing, Pema thought of everyone from the arena. Kya tossing icicles into targets on dummies; Bumi practicing hand-to-hand combat with a few other boys; the non-Benders, like her, learning knot tying, practicing fighting styles and hiding skills; Lin Earthbending like crazy; even Melisa learning how to make nets. As for Matt, he was learning how to fight with a sword and was surprisingly good at it, from what she had seen before. It was obvious he wasn't ready to show what he could really do, same for his sister, which was why they were picking up what they could before the final battle.

Pema felt proud of this team and was willing to bet they could win…only if Suki had made those calls to her friends that could help. Otherwise they had a slim chance of making out of this alive. She wondered how their families were doing, how her parents were holding out. Were they, even now, setting up an army of their own? Would they survive when the comet came in the a few days? Sam had mentioned that Azula had colonies all over the world, waiting for the moment to strike against the world. Since Lin had the ability to sense that people could lie, she had confirmed that what he said had been true. A knot of sudden anxiety formed in her stomach, along with thoughts she had tried so hard to push back into her mind. What if they failed to save the world? What if Azula wins? What if everything they know and love is destroyed before they could do anything to stop it?

Pema pushed the thoughts from her mind; it was too distracting. She would rather focus on the good day they had. Right now, Tenzin was holding her hand and he seemed to have a bounce in his step and wondered if it had something to do with the kiss. She felt as if she were floating on air, hardly believing what had happened had been real. Pema hoped it wasn't; the thought of this being a dream would be embarrassing. She decided to ask him, "When did you start liking me… you know… as more of a friend?"

A blush stole across his cheeks. "Since we were eight, after the bully pushed me into the sands at the playground and you stuck up for me. What about you?"

Pema squeezed his hand and smiled shyly. "Seven for me after the pond incident. I was trying to catch a frog when my foot slipped. I couldn't swim very well and when you came and rescued me, I was stuck. I started liking you more than as a friend since then."

Tenzin smiled at her. Making her heart beat faster. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one who feels this way. It's weird, but it's a nice feeling to have. I hope this relationship goes somewhere."

"Me too," she answered, smiling back at him. After some time walking in silence, Pema became aware of a sudden stillness and the back of her neck started prickling with unease. Tenzin tensed as well, and she knew he felt it too. Then the screaming started, followed by a fireball hitting a building not ten feet from where they now stand. The Airbender knocked her down as debris rained on them as the streets became chaos around them. They looked up and she gasped as figures in black ran out of the smoke, at least ten of them. Pema was frozen to the ground in shock and fear. These were Azula's minions; they had to be. Why are they coming out now? The comet wasn't due for another few days. Then it hit her: This had been planned. The Cold Firebender wanted to create mayhem before the real trouble began.

Tenzin was pulling her up and shouting. "Come on, Pem! We have to warn the others!" It was then she saw a few of the dark party were heading their way, one of them holding water and the other earth. The third one appears to be the leader and seemed to enjoy the destruction around him. He doesn't seem like a Bender, but something about him made him seem inhuman too.

Then he spoke. "You will not run: you will come with us and fight for the Great Phoenix Queen." A force entered her mind and seemed to turn her thoughts to Azula, forcing her to start thinking how amazing it would be to work for this lady. When the world burned, she would be rewarded for her service, riches beyond anything she knew. Her family would be protected… Her family. Flashes went through her mind: Longshot and Smellerbee, her parents; Aang and Katara; Toph and the Duke; Haru and Ty Lee; Sokka and Suki; Jet and On Ji; Mai and Zuko. Then her friends: Tenzin, Kya, Bumi, Jasmine, Luten, Alex, Lin, Kuzon, Lilly, and Jade. No… she would not let this man get into her thoughts and turn her rebel. Too much was at stake. The world needed her and her friends.

Pema fought back and shouted in her mind, 'NO! Azula is EVIL! I will never work for her! I will not betray my family.' The spell broke and Pema blinked; the man looked bewildered too. Now she knew what this person was: a mind controller. She had heard stories of them but didn't think Azula would have them in her army.

Next to her, Tenzin was muttering, "Azula will win; I will join her."

Horror made Pema say to him,"Tenzin, don't! He's trying to trick you!" When he still stared blankly at the man and made a move toward him, she grabbed his hand and turned his face towards her own and kissed him, a wild idea hitting her. If she could break what that man did to her with her thoughts, could she do it with others under the same trick? It was worth a try. Stilling kissing him she thought to him, 'Don't listen to him, Tenzin. He wants you to think Azula is wonderful when she's only black hearted and evil. Come back to yourself and me; don't let me lose you.'

Instantly she felt a change in his mind and he kissed back before pulling away, blinking as if waking from a strange dream. "Wha..?"

They both turned to the man as he growled. "How can this be? A mind controller? It's impossible! No one is stronger than me!"

Pema frowned, her heart pounding. Was she a mind controller? Was she really? The evidence points to that fact, so she decided to try it out. Looking at the Waterbender she tried with every ounce of her being and went into the young man's mind. Fear clouded his mind and almost overwhelmed hers, and Pema knew he was an innocent being played by Azula's dirty tricks. Moving to the Earthebnder, she sensed his excitement and knew he was bad. The sparkle in his eyes even added more dread to her stomach as she thought of how happy he would be if he got to crush them. Moving back to the Waterbender's mind Pema thought, 'You don't need to fight. Join us; we'll keep you safe. You don't need to fear him anymore.'

The young man blinked and the water fell to the ground and he looked at her before his boss before slowly starting to edge away, but the mind reader obviously heard what he thought and grabbed the guy's throat before he could move another step. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Her mind racing, Pema yelled, "Now Tenzin!" Thank the Spirits he understood. The Airbender shot a powerful funnel at the leader and the man released the boy, the Earthbender watching with disbelief. The Waterbender ran away towards Tenzin and Pema, stopping to look gratefully at her. Before he left, she thought, 'If you want a safe place to go and help us win this war, go to my home.' She gave the address and he nodded his thanks before running. She hoped she did a good thing and from the way his thoughts led, she knew in her heart she did just so. They needed all the help they could get.

The man Tenzin had thrown was on his feet and running towards them. "How dare you!" he raged, his bearded face bright red, brown eyes flashing malice. "No one attacks Rashado Lewinski and lives!"

Anger burned in Pema's blood as she turned to face him, a strange power flowing in her. "You should have thought before making innocent people work for that witch! You're not a fighter; you're a coward!"

Tenzin stared at her while the man stood there, breathing heavily with rage. "Pema, what are you doing?"

"Giving him a taste of his own poison," she answered quietly to him before continuing to taunt Rashado. "You control people with just your mind. You can't fight; you only force people with your head, which is surprising considering that a girl like me broke through your power."

Rashado snarled. "You little imp! I'll take care of you myself!" Once again, Pema felt his power go into her thoughts and panic started when he almost came through. Instead of letting the panic outdo her, she used it built a barrier around her mind, along with anger and a strange braveness. She wasn't going to let this man win, not over her dead body. His mind bounced away from hers and he staggered as if struck, clutching his mind. He stared in anger and bewilderment. "How are you doing that? You've never shown this power."

Pema stepped forward, feeling like the fighter her parents had raised her to be. "There's a lot I haven't shown yet! You and me, one on one. If I win, you leave and never return. If you win, you can take me back to Azula."

Tenzin grabbed her hand. "Are you crazy? He'll have you killed!"

Pema looked at him, feeling older but stronger. "I'm not going anywhere, Tenzin. I'll win; I know I can. I need you to keep the Earthbender busy while me and Lewinski fight. I need this." The Airbender looked concerned for her but he nodded and challenged the Earthbender.

"Hey Rock Head! Do you have any brains, or is your head so full of rocks that all it does is weigh yourself down?" The Earthbender looked at him angrily and took a stance before stomping and shot a shockwave at the boy, which Tenzin gracefully dodged, leading the Earthbender away from Pema. As they fought, the mind controllers stared one another down.

The man smiled evilly. "This fight I will enjoy, little girl. Say your last prayers, for your freedom is about to end."

She took her own stance and said, "Don't count on it!"

With a yell he came at her with a punch to her head, which she dodged and rammed her elbow into his stomach, which was all muscle. Oddly she didn't feel the pain yet; only came back with a high kick, one he blocked with his forearm. Pema jumped back as he kicked at her and did a back hand spring, landing on agile feet before feeling him trying her mind again to no avail. The shield protected her. Pema smiled. "You can't get in there; I'm stronger than you are!"

"I will defeat you, you little wench!" he yelled back. However, he made a miscalculation. The more he tried to strike at her and the more he missed, his mind became lost in the rage that consumed him. It was just what Pema needed. She evaded his other punch and kicked his shoulder, hard, which caused him to howl in pain and fall to his knees, and she knew she had hit his weak spot. Someone had dislocated his shoulder plenty of times before; she knew because he favored his other arm to punch and block. Pema's parents had taught her to look for weaknesses on the human body; that was how she knew he had a weak shoulder.

While he was distracted she thrust into his mind and said, 'You've lost; it's time to call your men back and leave this and to never come back to terrorize these people.'

Rashado tried to rise. "I will not be defeated by a mere child." Then he cried out in pain as a dart hit his bad shoulder and Pema looked up to see Jasmine, a dart gun in her hand, staring angrily at the man whimpering on the ground.

She said, "Beat it! If you don't want another beating, listen to my friend and leave. This is the only warning you'll get." One by one her friends came in to circle her and the man. Pema looked around her and, much to her surprise, that the people who had attacked was feeling the way they had come, some limping, others sprinting. Only Rashado was left.

Tenzin came to her and held her hand, staring at him in disgust. "She told you to leave. I suggest you do that. Your men aren't here; they ran and they can't help you." He sounded so much older than thirteen/almost fourteen; he sounded like a mature grown-up. Yet when he looked at her, some of her old friend was still there, looking at her with a new kind of tenderness. Pema couldn't believe how happy he made her.

She stepped away from him and stared Lewinski down. "You've lost; now go!"

Breathing hard, he stumbled to his feet; Tenzin grabbed her and pulled away from the man as he limped away in the direction his men had gone. A way was opened for him to go through, her friends tense in case he decided to try something. Before he left the circle, he looked at Pema with anger and a hint of respect. "No one has ever bested me. I will admit you are strong for a young mind controller." His eyes darkened. "But know this: We will meet again, and next time you won't be so lucky."

Pema felt a shiver of fear but held her chin high. "I look forward to it. See you on the battlefield."

His eyes seem to soften and a gentle nudge in her mind hit her. Not intrusive but it made her wary. Still, she was curious and she opened her thoughts to his. 'You are too young to be fighting in this war. Leave while you can; I could not bear to hurt a child, let alone kill one. Back away while you still can.'

'I can't,' she answered with conviction. 'Azula attacked our home, my friends, and our families. I'm too deep to back out now. I will fight until the end.'

He considered her words for a few moments before saying, 'Very well. Then know this; the battle will take place where this began for you, all of you; the home of your births. May we meet again, young one.' Then he was gone, limping into the crowd that stared at them in astonishment and fear at the man who had raided their home. Suddenly Pema felt tired, and a sudden dizziness made her feel weak in the knees. She had no clue how long they had been fighting, but her body felt like liquid. She felt herself being caught before she could hit the ground and heard Tenzin's frantic voice miles away. "Pema! Are you okay? Can you hear me?"

She weakly opened her eyes to see his gray orbs looking into hers with concern and raised a tired hand to his smooth cheek. "Yeah," she said quietly. "I'm just tired; so… tired…" Her voice trailed off as darkness closed in, body going limp, dimly feeling the Airbender lift her to carry her away. Then she heard and felt nothing.