The United Nation of Elements

Chapter Six

The boat creaked around them, but the only thing Petra could hear was the stream of silent curses she was secretly sending White-Hair's way.

He'd seated her at a dusty Pai-Sho table and poured them both some tea, which Petra would have appreciated if she one, wasn't gagged, and two, didn't feel like her bladder was going to explode.

"Would you stop that?" White-Hair asked, irritation tinging his otherwise bland voice. Petra was sure the look she was giving him was bothering him. She only intensified her glare. He sighed.

"Kozu, you're free to go." He said. "I can handle the rest on my own."

The boy who'd gagged her hesitated. "Are you sure, Captain? I can wait outside the door, if you'd like."

White-Hair shook his head. "That won't be necessary. You're dismissed."

Kozu looked like he had more to say, but he left with a quick bow. "Yes, sir."

There was an awkward tension in the air as he left the room, but it followed the guard out, and as soon as the door clicked closed, White-Hair sighed and relaxed in his chair.

"Finally," he murmured. "I thought he'd never leave."

Petra quirked a brow at this, her anger giving way to confusion and suspicion. White-Hair turned back to her and smiled apologetically. "You'll have to forgive me–a show of force was the best way to erase any doubt that I fully intend to capture you. Here," He reached over and pulled the gag down to her neck.

As soon as the gag dropped, Petra inhaled a deep breath (to yell at him or just scream in general, she didn't know). White-Hair seemed to sense this and he rushed forward, clamping a calloused hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream!" He said, sounding slightly panicked. "If you scream, more guards will come, and they'll take you away."

Petra's eyes narrowed to slits. She scowled in irritation and licked his hand.

White-Hair jolted back, disgusted. "Ugh, gross!"

Petra rolled her eyes. "What do you want from me, man? I was just trying to get to the bathroom."

White-Hair wiped his hand off on his pants. He took his time leaning back in the chair and crossing his arms. He was pretty young for a soldier, and high-ranking if his badges said anything. Petra wondered briefly just how much trouble she was in.

"I know you're the Avatar," he said bluntly, head tilted down and eyebrows raised so he could gauge her reaction.

Petra paled immediately. A lot of trouble, then. She thought.

As much as she would argue otherwise, Petra was aware that she wasn't the best liar in the world, and as seconds ticked by she knew the believability of anything she would say to deny it was stretching thin. Still, she laughed airily, forcing a smile as her throat closed up with panic. "Me? The Avatar? You're joking, right?" It was a weak counter, but she choked it out anyway, desperately hoping this guy was too inexperienced to notice.

He noticed.

"You don't have to try to deny it," White-Hair said, reaching into his shirt. He pulled a beaded necklace free of the fabric, and Petra's mouth snapped shut.

Four colored beads strung together on a leather string. A simple piece of jewelry, just painted clay, but from this close up there was no doubt in Petra's mind that it was her mother's.

"Where did you…" she whispered, but her voice wouldn't support the rest of the sentence.

White-Hair reached behind his neck to untie the knot. "Your mother's, right?" He pulled the necklace off and held it out to her. "Here." She held out her hands, still tied together, and accepted it numbly. White-Hair sat back again, guilt darkening his features. "It was sent to me from the head of the UNE. My guess is, they captured her and beat the information out of her. I… can't say for certain if she's still alive. Chances are, she's not."

Petra sat silently, staring down at the necklace in her hands and sucking on her bottom lip in a desperate attempt to stave off the warning sting behind her eyes. She opened her mouth, then clamped it shut, then opened it again. "I…" She swallowed tightly, tried to exhale calmly, but her voice still wouldn't work. "I…"

"I'm sorry," White-Hair interrupted, and Petra looked up with watery eyes. She couldn't decide how she felt about this man, about this soldier handling her mother's necklace and apologizing of all things, despite his affiliation with the very people who wanted benders to suffer.

"You're not," she managed bitterly. "You're not sorry about her. You… you don't even know her."

White-Hair didn't say anything for a moment. When he opened his mouth to speak, Petra raised her voice over him. "Why do you have this? Why did you target her–she was just a potter!"

"I didn't," White-Hair growled, irritation gripping him again. "You think I knew what they were doing? I only got the letter this week, and even if I had known it's not like I could do anything!"

Petra's face twisted as her anger intensified. "You don't get to act like you're not part of this organization–if you've got those badges you're probably someone important, right?" She pointed at his uniform and spat, "You must've done something really bad to earn those."

White-Hair's eyes widened a fraction of a centimeter. He gripped the edge of the Pai-Sho table, knuckles white against the dark lacquered wood. There was a pause, the air tense and lanced with aggression between them. Then, White-Hair sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"You're right," he said. "I cannot deny that I am a member of the UNE. But only out of necessity." He looked back at her, and the rage beating against her ribcage eased slightly. He inclined his head toward her. "Why do you think I brought you here with no backup in the middle of the night?"

Petra didn't want to let him change the subject on her, but the conversation was switching gears naturally, and she had questions of her own anyway. "Because you didn't want to start a scene on deck?" Or because you like creeping on people trying to get into the bathroom?

"Partially, I suppose," White-Hair admitted. "But it was mostly because I couldn't have other officials knowing your identity."

"What about that other guy?" Petra argued. "Doesn't he know who I am now?"

"He doesn't know the specifics of your arrest, and I'll just tell him I had the wrong person anyway."

Petra rubbed her wrists together, irritated by the rope binding them. "Here, let me get that." White-Hair offered, taking a knife from his belt and slipping it cleanly under the bindings. "My name's Lien, by the way. I'm a captain of the UNE military."

"Like for the ship?" Petra asked, massaging her wrists and looking around the cabin.

Lien laughed awkwardly. "Ah, no, but you wouldn't believe how many people mix that up even within the military."

He readjusted himself in his chair and cleared his throat before continuing. "I didn't kidnap you to arrest you, Avatar. I know this is all probably pretty confusing, but let me explain."

"Better make it good," Petra mumbled. He ignored her.

"I joined the UNE specifically to assist the search for the Avatar–that's you. I did not, however, ever intend to capture you, despite the orders I've been given."

"Why not?" Petra asked, crossing her legs and folding her arms.

Lien met her gaze, and a shiver went through her as his sharp, icy eyes glinted contemptuously in the dim candlelight of the cabin. "Because I'm not actually on the United Elements' side–I'm a waterbender."

Petra's eyebrows shot up. That was probably the last thing she'd been expecting to come out of his mouth. "Seriously?" She said before he could get too content with the dramatic pause. "Then why d'you work for them?"

Lien spread his hands. "'If you can't beat 'em, join 'em,' is how the saying goes, correct? I figured that by working for the UNE I could find a way to break them from the inside-out."
"And how's that going for ya?" Petra asked dryly.

Lien shrugged. "Eh, it's an ongoing process." He leaned forward, propping his elbows on his the table. "But now that you're here, plans have changed."

Petra hummed sarcastically. "Have they now."

Lien sighed. "Please work with me here."

"I might have been more cooperative if you'd'a let me go to the bathroom back there."

"Sorry about that."

"Sure you are."

Lien cleared his throat. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, we're going to blow up the cargo ship."

Petra had just picked up her tea and nearly spat the drink when he said that. "Blow up the cargo ship, are you crazy!? The last thing I wanna do is draw attention to myself, and I don't really have any way to escape in the middle of the ocean."

"We're almost at the dock," Lien pointed out. "And there are lifeboats along the sides of the ship. If we can all make it into one, I'll be able to steer us to land with my bending."

"What about my friends?" Petra asked, imagining Jarn-Shyr trying to drag Kasai into a rickety lifeboat hanging over open water.

"Are they benders?" Lien replied.

"One of them is," Petra said. "The other is a non-bender, but she's pro-bender. Harumi… I'm not too sure."

Lien looked thoughtful. "Harumi, you said?" Petra nodded. He hummed. "This is just a guess, so excuse me if I'm wrong, but does she wear a cloak of any sort over her regular clothes?"

Petra squinted, suspicious. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

Lien smiled. "Harumi has a very Western-Air-Temple ring to it, don't you think? My guess is that she's an Air Nomad, though what she's doing so far from the safety of an Air Temple eludes me."

Petra blinked. "'Air Nomad?' So she's like, an airbender?"

"That would make her an Air Nomad, yes."

Petra jumped out of her chair, slamming her hands down on the Pai-Sho table between them. Lien raised an eyebrow. "That's perfect! If Harumi's an airbender, then we can take her with us to Bender's Isle!"

Lien smiled curiously. "Bender's Isle? I've never heard of it."

"You wouldn't've. It's a non-UNE bender-exclusive hideout off the coast of the Western Archipelago." Her pride swelled with the fact that she knew something he didn't.

"Sounds like the place to be," Lien agreed. "So, we'll blow up the ship and escape to Bender's Isle?"

Petra grinned sharply. "Heck yeah we will! We can–whoa whoa, wait. Hold your ostrich-horses." She brought a hand up to her chin, suddenly suspicious. "How am I supposed to know you're not faking me out here?"

Lien smiled and raised his arms. With a large, swooping motion, Petra felt the boat rock sideways just enough for her to know the calm waters around them hadn't caused the wave alone.

"Good enough for you?" Petra nodded. "Great. You're free to go. I'll come get you in a few hours when the patrols shift."

"What'll I have to do?" Petra asked.

"It'll be easier to explain right before we do it, so it's fresh in your mind. I'll be doing the hard part, you pretty much just have to get your friends into a lifeboat and detach on my count."

Petra nodded. "You got it, Captain!"

Lien smiled as she rushed for the door. "Oh, wait!" He said, remembering something.

"Yeah?" Petra asked, hand on the doorknob.

"What's your name?"

The low light of the gas lamp flickered in the room as Petra hesitated. It was safe to tell him, right? He was on her side, no matter what his uniform said.

She turned the knob with a lopsided grin. "Petra," she said simply, and left the room.

Lien watched the door close behind her, a subtle sense of excitement twisting with the anxiety already settled in his chest.

Good work, Tosun. He congratulated himself, placing the Jasmine tile on the Pai-Sho board. He stood up and moved over to his desk, reviewing his blueprints of the ship and finalizing his plan.

– –

As Petra stepped out into the fresh night air, she felt anticipation for the coming escape charging her with adrenaline. She smiled to herself and closed the door behind her, preparing to step off in the direction of the bathroom for a well-deserved pee-break.

"What're you so happy about?"

Petra froze in place, cold recognition trickling down her neck like ocean water. She spun on her heel, donning a sheepish grin and scrambling for excuses. "Oh, just um, y'know, excited about finally getting to the bathroom is all."

The soldier from earlier–Kozu, if Petra remembered right–stared down at her over his nose. He didn't look too menacing–probably Lien's age, but with normal-colored hair and definitely of lower status, but Petra figured that if Lien had told him to go then he wasn't in on the plan. Probably didn't take very kindly to benders, either.

"What'd you guys talk about in there?" He asked gruffly, but Petra could tell his aggression was forced.

"I don't think he would tell you to leave if he wanted you to know, now would he?" She countered. He flushed indignantly and opened his mouth to reply. Petra cut him off with a wave of her hand. "He's your captain, right? Better do what he says."

Kozu didn't reply as Petra turned around to leave. She made it around the corner and back to the bathroom without further incident, but she knew Kozu's eyes had followed her the whole way.

– –

As soon as Petra made it back to the group, she woke up Harumi. Before they started anything, she needed to make sure Lien wasn't wrong.

"W-wha…?" Harumi sat up as Petra shook her awake.

"Harumi!" she hissed, having checked to make sure no one around them was close enough or awake enough to hear them. Kasai's snoring should drown out their conversation anyway.

"Yeah, yeah! What is it?" Harumi said, startled and confused.

"I have a question, and it's really important." Petra whispered, eyes darting around.

"It better be, if it couldn't wait 'til morning." Harumi mumbled.

"Harumi," Petra looked her in the eyes. "Are you an airbender?"

Silence fell like an anvil over the two of them, then Harumi held up an arm defensively. "W-w-what makes you think that? Of course not, I'm from the Earth Kingdom, like I told you, remember? My family s-sent me to the, um, to my grandparents? I mean uncle? For the summer! In the Western Archipelago–I'm–"

Petra interrupted her. "Harumi, it's okay! I'm a bender too!"

Harumi blinked. "You… you are?"

Petra nodded. "Yeah! And I've got a plan that'll get us to Bender's Isle."

Harumi's eyes brightened. "That's where you're headed too? I thought it was just a rumor, but if you know it too it's gotta be real!"

"Yeah, it's real!"

Harumi squealed. Petra hushed her, looking around. Harumi mouthed a Sorry.

She looked between Jarn-Shyr and Kasai. "Are they benders too?"

Petra shook her head. "Just Kasai. Jarn-Shyr's a nonbender."

Harumi stiffened nervously. "Then she's–"

Petra shook her head again. "No, no, she's pro-bender. She's on our side."

Harumi relaxed visibly. "Oh thank goodness." She huffed a laugh. "This is awesome, this is… I can't even describe how relieved I am. I thought we'd have to separate at port and that we'd never be friends if you guys found out I'm a bender."

Petra shook her head so much she was certain it was going to roll off her shoulders. "I know, right? Kasai was so upset when I told him you couldn't travel with us, since we thought you were a nonbender. But you might want to change your name–I only figured it out because a UNE official told me your name sounded like–"

"Whoa, wait." Harumi said, face going stony with fear. "You told a soldier my name? When did this happen?"

Petra waved her hands to try and fend off the misunderstanding. "No, Spirits, he's not a real official–he's on our side, he's just undercover, and–okay, let's wake up the others and I can go into the rest."

Harumi gave her a skeptical glance, but helped her wake up Kasai and Jarn-Shyr anyway.

Petra brought them up to speed on her conversation with Harumi, quieter now that they didn't have Kasai's snoring to act as a barrier for their voices.

"You're an airbender?" Kasai asked, eyebrows shooting up his forehead. Jarn-Shyr's expression mimicked his for a moment, but after a moment's consideration, realization seemed to dawn on her and she nodded like it all made sense.

Harumi nodded. "Yeah. Sorry I didn't tell you guys, it's just–you know how it is."

Kasai hummed in agreement.

"Anyways," Petra said, taking their attention once more. "I just had a talk with an officer who found out I'm the–I'm a bender." She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the way Kasai quirked his brow, obviously not having missed the catch in her voice. "He's actually a waterbender working undercover in the UNE to destroy them from the inside out."

Kasai whistled a low note of appreciation. Jarn-Shyr shushed him.

"He's got a plan to get us off the ship and over to Bender's Isle while taking out the cargo ship." Petra continued. "It would disable the UNE and take down some of their soldiers, which is always a plus."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kasai said, holding up his hands in a Back It Up gesture. "Since when was our goal to take down the UNE? Wouldn't it be safer to just wait 'til we dock tomorrow and then make our way discreetly over to the Isle?"

Petra looked at him for a long moment. His face looked pale under the moonlight, but she couldn't tell if it was just the lighting or because he was afraid. She realized suddenly that she'd signed these people up for a mission without even talking to them about it first, just because she thought it was the best thing to do. She swallowed around her rising guilt. "Kasai," she said finally. He straightened. "I know it's not… the safest way to get there. We'll be taking a big risk if we do this." She looked down. "But it will be faster to just take a boat straight there and I think… I really need to do this." She took a deep breath. "There's a responsibility I've been neglecting for a long time, and this is the best way for me to start addressing it." She let out her breath. "Please understand. This–this is important to me."

They sat quietly for a long time. Kasai exchanged a glance with Jarn-Shyr, and Harumi nodded at him encouragingly. Petra didn't look up immediately, shame trickling into her stomach as she thought about her mom, the necklace, and a promise she hadn't been able to keep. The words, I'll come back for you, I swear, echoed in her head like a taunt, and she closed her eyes against them.

"Well," Kasai started, hesitant. "If it's really that important to you, then it's definitely worth a little longer at sea."

Petra's head snapped up. "Really?" She said, disbelieving. Kasai smiled, a genuine thing carved out of understanding and compassion, and gratitude poured into Petra's chest like a warm drink. She smiled back, appreciative. "Thanks man," she said, trying to keep her voice from shaking. "It means a lot."

Kasai's grin split and his teeth shone. "Alright, so what's our plan?"

– –

Lien came to get them a few hours later. The sun hadn't risen yet, but the sky was getting lighter, and Petra knew dawn would be upon them soon enough.

Everyone was still asleep. Petra wondered why they waited so long, but Lien explained that he wanted to wait until the guards changed shifts.

"They don't guard the boat as heavily during the daytime," he said, leading them along the starboard side of the ship. "I would think they'd have it the other way around, but I guess they're more concerned about nighttime sabotage than daytime food crooks."

"So we're cheating the system?" Petra summarized.

"Exactly."

Lien directed them to a lifeboat tucked away at the back of the ship. He told them to drop it into the water as soon as they heard the first explosion and that he'd catch up quickly.

"Kasai, I want you to come with me."

Kasai stopped abruptly and whipped around. "Me?" He asked.

"Him?" Petra said.

Lien shot her a sideways glance, then turned to address Kasai. "You're a firebender right? I'll need your help if we're going to create an explosion."

Kasai straightened, looking anxious but strangely determined, and he nodded. "Right!"

Lien looked back at Petra. "I'm assuming you three can figure out a lifeboat?"

Petra folded her arms. "What d'you take me for?"

Lien grinned. "I'll take that as a yes, then." He waved to Kasai. "Come on, let's get going. The faster we get this done, the easier it'll be."

Petra watched them turn around and run back the way they'd come. She turned to Harumi and Jarn-Shyr. "You heard the man. Let's get to that lifeboat."

– –

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Kasai asked as he followed Lien down into the heart of the ship. They wound their way deeper into the labyrinth of steel corridors and steaming pipes. Kasai feared they wouldn't be able to find their way out fast enough. "Won't it be difficult to come back up from the bottom of the ship while it sinks?"

Lien turned left down another hallway. "The cargo deck has an emergency escape hatch that leads to the back of the boat. It's made for easy access to both the port and starboard lifeboats, so we'll be able to make it out quickly enough to get on the lifeboat with time to spare."

They ran down another staircase. "That's reassuring," Kasai admitted. "But something could still go wrong. What if we get stuck down there with no way out?"

They reached a heavy door. Lien pulled out a keyring and paused. He sighed and turned around to face Kasai, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It'll be fine, alright? Don't worry so much." He turned to insert the key into the lock, and Kasai had the disturbing feeling he'd just been patronized.

"There," Lien breathed as the door gave way to the key, and it opened into a dark, spacious room.

They made their way inside. Lien made a complaint about the light switch always being too difficult to find, but Kasai managed to light up the area with a snap of his fingers. Lien gave him a thumbs up.

"Over here," he beckoned, and Kasai followed him to the far wall. Lien considered the wall and bent down to check where it met the floor.

"This is the door," he confirmed. "Since we're out at sea, it should be at least partially submerged. I'd like to get to a lower, more reliable location, but it would take too long to roll the barrels down the stairs, not to mention we'd probably get caught."

Kasai's head swam as Lien rambled on about positioning. He watched the officer arrange several barrels near the door, still talking on about the trajectory of the explosion and how this many barrels would make too big an explosion but this many would be too little. The longer they spent below deck, the queasier Kasai felt, and he didn't think he could handle being down there for much longer.

"There," Lien said finally. "This should be enough. Come this way." He guided Kasai a few meters away.

"What's in those barrels anyway?" Kasai asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"A new substance the UNE discovered recently." Lien explained easily. "It's said to be a highly explosive powder of sorts, and if we can set it on fire we should be able to blow a hole straight through the side of the ship."

"Won't we get hit by the explosion too?" Kasai asked.

Lien looked at him. "I'm hoping we have enough time to duck behind some boxes to ease the recoil."

Kasai blanched. "So you've never actually seen this stuff work?"

Lien shrugged. "Not really, but I know it will do the job. Come on."

Kasai followed him a good distance away from the barrels, but not too far that his firebending wouldn't reach them.

"Alright," Lien said. "Whenever you're ready."

Now came the hard part. Kasai wasn't the most reliable firebender. He had trouble figuring the motions out on his own a lot of the time, and more often than not he just relied on Jarn-Shyr to guide him through the actions. It was difficult to focus on the instinctual impulse of firebending with the ship swaying beneath his feet, the suffocating presence of water all around him snuffing his internal figurative flame like an oil lamp. But he'd been chosen for this job specifically because of his skill set, and he wasn't about to let Lien down.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He figured the best route to take here was a fire punch, plain and simple. He could manage that; he'd done it before, had seen it work before, so he didn't have to stress about the embarrassment that would follow him if it ended up not working. He could do this.

He focused on the primal feeling of fire deep in his core and squared his stance.

As he stepped into the motion, the door behind them slammed open loudly, and Kasai yelped as he finished the punch.

Several things happened at once. The barrels exploded immediately, blowing a sizable hole in the side of the ship and letting water in at an alarming rate. Lien and Kasai were thrown back, away from the escape hatch and into the far wall. Shouts to their left indicated several soldiers had found them and were making their way into the storage room after them.

Kasai panicked immediately, eyes wide and narrowed in fear as water sloshed up around his feet. The idiot guards caged them against the wall, out of reach of the escape ladder with no regard for their own safety. He pressed his back flat against the metal, feet scrambling back in a desperate attempt to drive him further up the side.

"Benders!" One of the guards shouted. "You're under arrest!"

Lien picked himself up off the floor, holding his head and grimacing at the line of soldiers. "Alright," he mumbled. "Who spoiled the surprise?"

"Captain Lien Tosun!" One of the guards cried out. "You're under arrest for treason and assisting a bender!"

Lien groaned. "Don't bother. As if I'll be going that easily."

Kasai felt Lien grip his arm. "Come on!" he said as the guards drew their weapons. With his free arm, he conjured a wave underneath them and let it sweep them up and over the line of guards. Their cries of surprise were cut short as the wave crashed over their heads, throwing them into the torrential undercurrent of the water as Lien pulled it back.

He and Kasai landed near the ladder, and Lien urged Kasai up first.

"Hurry!" he said, and lifted the water to drown the soldiers once more.

– –

Petra stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back on the palms of her hands and shifting on the uncomfortable wooden seat. "You'd think they'd make lifeboats more comfortable," she grumbled, nervously eyeing the rusty pulley they'd be using to lower themselves.

Harumi shrugged on her right. "Well, it's not like this ship was a luxury cruise in the first place."

Petra hummed her agreement and fell quiet again, listening to the steady, gentle clunk of the lifeboat hitting the side of the ship. It had been fifteen minutes since the boys had left to blow up the cargo bay, and the adrenaline of anticipation was withering into boredom and anxiety. She'd really been hoping to get her hands dirty instead of sending Kasai into the fray, but he was probably better suited to start an explosion than she was anyway. She huffed, frustrated by her own uselessness, and looked over at Jarn-Shyr.

She'd been uncharacteristically antsy ever since Kasai had gone off with Lien. She was currently sitting on the edge of the lifeboat, carving characters into the wooden seat with the tip of her knife.

"What're you writing?" Petra asked, jerking her chin in Jarn-Shyr's direction.

The girl stabbed her knife into the seat with finality, making Petra jump. Jarn-Shyr looked up after another moment, disdain writing a clear message across her face: Do you really expect me to be able to answer that?

Petra raised her hands defensively. "Alright, sorry, sheesh. What's got you so worked up?"

Jarn-Shyr watched her for another moment, then deflated with a sigh. She pulled her knife out of the wood and maneuvered it between her fingers. She pointed at the deck above them.

"You worried about Kasai?" Harumi guessed. Jarn-Shyr shrugged.

Harumi exchanged a mischievous smile with Petra. She looked back at Jarn-Shyr and raised her eyebrows suggestively. "Y'know…" she started, voice tipping dangerously innocent against the weight of her implication. "You two are pretty close, aren't you?"

Jarn-Shyr blinked, not quite seeing where the conversation was going. Petra stifled a laugh as Harumi went on.

"One might even go as far as to say… you like each other?"

Jarn-Shyr blinked slowly, confusion drawing her eyebrows together and cocking her head to the side. Harumi's eyebrows looked like they were going to fly straight off her forehead and Petra wasn't sure if she'd be able to handle this much longer.

Suddenly, something clicked into place in Jarn-Shyr's head, and her face flushed bright red. She glanced quickly between Petra and Harumi as Petra burst out laughing and Harumi leaned in closer. Her hands worked their way up to fidget embarrassedly in front of her face, mouth opening and closing like she was trying to form the words of denial. She shook her head hard enough to give herself whiplash and leaned so far back she nearly fell out of the lifeboat. Petra laughed harder.

"It's okay, Jarn-Shyr, we're just joking!" She gasped, trying to catch her breath. "Harumi," Petra said as she finally calmed down. "They're more like siblings than… than that. At least, so they say."

Jarn-Shyr scowled at her, but the menace in her eyes was dialed down by the redness of her face.

"Ohh," Harumi said, nodding with understanding. She fed Chee a bit of jerky from his perch on her shoulder. "A shame." She snorted as Jarn-Shyr turned her glare on her.

A sudden explosion rocked the ship, and Petra gripped the side of the lifeboat as adrenaline shocked her fingers. Chee chittered and tucked himself away in Harumi's shirt. "The pulley!" She said, and Jarn-Shyr, closest to the ship, stood up quickly to lower the boat. She balanced herself on the edge of the lifeboat and steadied herself by hooking her fingers over the edge of the deck above. Harumi moved to the front pulley to do the same.

As they were wrestling the ropes, Harumi yelped and fell backwards, losing her balance. She cushioned her fall with a gust of air, then glared up at the deck.

Petra followed her gaze and felt something in her stomach drop. Jarn-Shyr pulled her hand off the edge of the deck quickly.

The soldier from outside Lien's room loomed over them, grinning down at them with contempt. "You!" Petra growled, standing up indignantly.

"I don't know what you and the Captain were talking about back there," Kozu sneered, "but if it ended with you and your friends trying to escape in a lifeboat, you're probably not as innocent as you seemed."

"What, this?" Petra asked. "Nah, man, we're just here because there's no room on deck!"

Kozu scoffed and pulled out his sword. "You'd better hold on tight!"

He cut the rope tied to the front of the raft. Harumi's side of the lifeboat fell loose and crashed against the side of the ship. Petra and Jarn-Shyr hung on to the back of the boat, but Harumi was left dangling dangerously over the edge. Her cloak was blown open by the wild winds whipping around them, revealing the telling orange fabric beneath. Chee screeched.

Kozu's eyes lit up. "Oh, you're benders, then?" He grinned. "Then killing you isn't even illegal!"

He moved to the back pulley. Jarn-Shyr pulled herself upright with the rope.

The ocean thundered far beneath them. Petra could hardly hear anything over the wind and the blood pounding in her ears. Her eyes stung in the salty air, but she searched desperately for a way out. If she could just waterbend, it would be way easier, but that was out of the question.

Kozu grinned, his expression laced with mania. He brought his sword down toward the rope, but Jarn-Shyr was faster. Straining her arm to reach the distance, she countered the sword with the flat of her blade.

Kozu growled and knocked her hand away. Jarn-Shyr grabbed the rope instinctively, fear catching on her face for one of the first times Petra could remember.

"You'll only delay the inevitable!" Kozu laughed, and as he brought his sword down on the rope, Petra's last hope flashed through her mind: Lien.

Then, with the distinct sound of rope snapping, she went weightless, falling towards the tumultuous ocean waters below.

– –

As soon as Lien came out into open air, he ran straight into Kasai.

"Kasai, what are you doing?" He demanded, but Kasai just pointed.

"Jarn-Shyr," he said, eyes wide.

Lien stepped around him, and nearly stepped back in shock.

Standing at the edge of the rail with his sword drawn, back to them and coat whipping around him in the wind, was Kozu. He was leaning over the rail, watching something far below, and laughing with delight.

"Kozu!" Lien shouted above the wind. The soldier turned, eyes lighting up at the sight of his Captain.

"Lien! I mean, Captain! I just took out three benders trying to escape the ship!"

His smile was wide and proud, but Lien wasn't hearing anything he was saying. Lien moved on instinct, marching straight up to Kozu and punching him right between the eyes.

Kozu collapsed, and Kasai rushed over to the rail with him.

Below, bobbing in the sea, was an overturned lifeboat, and no visible people.

"Jess!" Kasai yelled into the ocean. "Petra! Harumi!"

"Come on," Lien said, and without any further warning, threw himself and Kasai overboard.

– –

Kasai was screaming. That was pretty much the only thing he was aware of. Well, that and the rapidly decreasing distance between himself and the ocean below. The water rushed up to meet them, and he barely had time to suck in a breath before he was plunged into the icy depths below.

Despite the salt, he opened his eyes, panicked. He flailed his arms, desperately clawing and kicking for the surface. But his motions were too arrhythmic, too frantic and strained, and he felt himself sinking deeper and deeper into the endless black abyss.

He needed to breathe. He opened his mouth and inhaled water, then choked it back out. Where was Lien? Where were Jarn-Shyr and Petra and Harumi? And the boat–he could see its shadow above him, blocking out the light of the sun he was certain was rising.

This is it, he thought. This is how it ends.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he felt himself being propelled towards the surface. The surprise knocked the remaining air out of him, but when he broke the surface of the water and didn't sink again, he was able to choke an inhale into his lungs.

"Kasai, take my hand!"

He looked up. It was Lien, leaning over the side of the lifeboat that had somehow rightened itself.

He's a waterbender, Kasai remembered dimly, and he reached up for his hand.

Lien struggled to pull him inside the boat, arms shaking with the effort and exhaustion that came from using so much bending after going so long without using any at all. Other hands came to his aid, all helping to hoist Kasai into the raft.

He was still choking up water when someone draped a blanket over his shoulders. He realized distantly that the others must have made it back onto the boat somehow, because suddenly Jarn-Shyr was there holding his hands. More like crushing, for how hard she was holding them. But her presence was reassuring, and he felt his panic slowly bleed away.

– –

Kasai was asleep by the time the sun officially rose. Lien had propelled their raft far from the wreckage, and the ship had almost completely sunk below the surface of the water from their point of view.

Petra sat with her blanket dropped around her waist, finding she'd rather air-dry than soak the blanket. Harumi sat next to her, her cloak stripped away so her Air Nomad robes stood out a harsh orange against the monotony of the sea.

It was thanks to Harumi they'd survived at all. Thinking quickly, she'd managed to cushion their fall with the air, and the three of them had ducked underneath the life boat to hide from Kozu and any other soldiers that might spot them.

Lien had been the one to flip the raft over and help them all inside. Jarn-Shyr had rushed to the edge of the raft, searching the water desperately, and when Petra had explained to Lien that Kasai couldn't swim, Lien had used his waterbending to pull him to the surface.

Petra looked out at the horizon, the remnants of the ship nothing more than dark spots on the water. She sighed, running a hand up her forehead and through her hair.

Maybe that wasn't the best way to start my rebellion, Petra thought. But it was over now, and everyone was safe. Even if things hadn't gone according to plan, they'd still succeeded.

Lien came over with a first aid kit a minute later. He sat down on the bottom of the boat in front of the two girls and clicked it open.

"Either of you got any cuts?" He asked in a hushed tone. Harumi nodded and pulled up her right pant leg, revealing a cut caused by the blunt force impact of her leg against the side of the boat after Kozu had cut the first pulley. She scratched Chee idly behind the ears as Lien pulled out a washcloth to clean the wound.

Silence fell between them, comfortable and exhausted. Petra closed her eyes and leaned on her palm, feeling sleep tugging at her consciousness.

It felt like only seconds had passed, but by the time she opened her eyes again the sun was already dipping low over the horizon.

She stretched. Her neck was sore, but she could get over that. Her back popped and she sat up straight, looking around through her bleary eyes.

Kasai was awake now, sitting under a blanket with Jarn-Shyr while they played tic-tac-toe on a board Jarn-Shyr had carved into the floor. Harumi was playing with Chee at the front of the raft, and Lien was awake too, but just barely.

The guy looked worn to the bone, with his back hunched against the side of the boat and his head leaning on the edge. He was reading through some safety manual about surviving in the ocean. Petra figured they didn't really need it, since they'd be back on land in a day's time or so, but entertainment was pretty sparse on the boat, so she didn't blame him for his poor taste in reading material.

Jarn-Shyr was the first to notice she was awake, and she gave Petra a wave. Petra nodded back, covering her mouth as she yawned. Lien was the second, and he set down his book and called for the others to gather around.

Curious, Petra scooted off the bench and onto the still-wet floor of the raft. They settled themselves in a circle in the center of the boat, and Lien cleared his throat.

"Since we're all awake now," he said, sounding like he very much wasn't, "we should discuss our game plan."

Petra sighed. She really wasn't in the mood for more stress at the moment, but she knew they had to get this out of the way. "Alright, Captain. What's next?"

Lien blinked at her, then looked down at the safety pamphlet in his hands. He set it out in front of them, revealing a neat, printed map of the Western Archipelago. He pointed at a space just below one of the larger islands.

"This is where we got off the ship. And this," he said, drawing his hand over to a smaller island to the left. "Is where we want to be. The Bender's Isle is an uninhabited island, by UNE reports, which is a good sign if it exists at all.

"I should be able to get us there in two days. I'd like to go faster, but I haven't used this much bending in a while, and it can be draining at this extent."

His eyes drifted over to Petra, a suggestion in his eyes, but she shook her head. No, I can't waterbend, but I'd help you if I could.

Kasai looked between them, and Petra felt her heart falter at the realization he could probably figure out what they were thinking. Wherever his weird ability to read people came from, she wished he wasn't half as perceptive.

"So, um," he started cautiously, gauging for a reaction. "Why did you help us, Lien? I mean, I don't doubt that you're on our side or anything, but there's no way you just decided to give away your position and throw away your upper hand for a few random benders."

Lien winced. "Well, when you say it like that, it does sound pretty ridiculous, doesn't it?"

He locked eyes with Petra, a question in his eyes. She sighed and looked away, feeling all eyes drift over to her.

Now's as good a time as any, she decided, and she took a deep breath.

"Allllllllright," she said awkwardly, not meeting anyone's gaze. "It's probably about time I explained a few things."

She looked up finally, first at Lien, then at the others. "So, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I'm kinda the Avatar, and you guys are like my unofficial squad of unaware vigilantes forced into the war by chance or fate, whatever. I mean, at least that's what I consider you guys to be. I know that when we get to Bender's Isle, we probably won't need to be vigilantes anymore, or anything really, I mean I guess we can just kinda chill out finally but, I just thought I'd let you know."

There was a stunned silence. Petra pretty much expected that. She didn't know when she started thinking of these people as her Team Avatar, but with the image in her head she couldn't imagine doing anything without them. Embarrassment flooded her as the time stretched on with nobody saying anything.

Finally, Kasai broke the silence. "I don't think I'd mind being a vigilante," he admitted slowly, tilting his head to the side, considering. "I mean, we all obviously found you for a reason, and I'm a pretty firm believer in fate and things like that, so I'm down to follow you if it's what I'm meant to be doing."

Petra couldn't suppress her shock that it would be Kasai to say so first. She thought back to his reluctance to blow up the ship and the petrified look on his face when Lien had pulled him from the water. If he was going to overlook those experiences for her sake, she wasn't sure she'd be able to find the words to express her gratitude.

"Jarn-Shyr's in too," Kasai said without looking down to see her expression. Jarn-Shyr must have noticed, because she looked up at him. He looked down at her. "You are, aren't you? I'm certain you will."

Jarn-Shyr shrugged. Kasai grinned and gave Petra a thumbs up.

"Me too," Harumi spoke up from Petra's right. Petra looked at her, surprised. Harumi fidgeted. "I know I haven't been around you guys for all that long, and this is probably something pretty dangerous to be getting into, but I believe it too. That we all met for a reason, I mean. So, if you'll have me, I'll be happy to help."

Petra felt compassion well up inside her. "You guys!" she wailed, throwing her arms around them. "You're so gross and nice to me! Seriously, quit it or I'll cry."

Kasai and Harumi laughed. "We'll need a team name!" Kasai suggested suddenly.

"Yeah, something that really fits!" Harumi agreed.

"What about 'Team Avatar?'"

"Too cliché."

"The Vicious Vigilantes?"

"Too aggressive."

"The Anti-UNE Task Force?"

"What kind of mouthful is that?"

Petra laughed along, reaching up to feel the beads tied around her neck. Good, they're still there. She rubbed her thumb over the clay and tilted her head back to look up at the stars.

Whether you're alive or not mom, she thought as the moon rose in the sky. I'll find you someday. I swear.

The boat drifted on over dark, peaceful waters, and the people inside surrounded Petra with the warm nostalgia of family. She closed her eyes and hummed with content.

– –

"I've got it!" Kasai exclaimed. "Avatar Petra and the Rock Squad!"

"Give it a rest, Kasai."

– –

{Wowee, can't believe I wrote that whole thing in a day. I lost the first draft, so it was hard to find the motivation to pick it back up, but here we are now, with the longest chapter of the story and by far the most action-packed yet! Special thanks to the Rock Squad for always keeping me motivated! You guys are the greatest!}

{Next time: The squad finally makes it to Bender's Isle, probably.}