Azula's second chance

Chapter 1: The gavel falls, a new life begins

"The verdict is in, judged by a court of your peers, you Princess Azula of the fire nation are declared guilty of crimes against humanity and conspiracy. As such, you have been sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole, take her away!" The judge presiding her trial orders the bailiffs to carry her away.

As she walks past, she looks into the eyes of her old friend Mai, now Queen of the Fire Nation, which only showed dead eyed anger and distain. And Ty Lee did't even attend the trial. With that, the last shred of the person Azula was dies.

A Few hours later…

Azula thinks back to the last 19 years of her life, her mother leaving, her brother exiled, the return of the Avatar, her attempts to hunt them down at Ozai's behest, her achievements, the betrayal of Mai and Ty Lee, Ozai revealing she was just another pawn in his bid for power. Then her Agni Kai with Zuko, and her defeat at her brother's hands. It has been 5 years since then, spent 3 of them in a mental hospital, then being released to be tried for her "crimes".

The now taller Azula, with her jet black hair stretching down to the middle of her back, sitting in her cell, in her drab, grey prison garb, only thinks one thing "What a goddamn waste". A guard appears before her "You have Visitors" is all he says before he leaves, and her brother and Avatar Aang enter the room.

Zuko, now much taller and imposing than he was before, walks up right to the bars and says in neutral tone "Hello Azula". Azula stands before the current fire lord. "Your highness, and the Avatar himself! Such an honour, what does someone of your status come to visit little old me for?" she says with syrupy sarcasm. "We need to talk" "About what Zuzu? I'm a prisoner of the Nation I swore to protect and rule, put here by my own brother" Azula says with a dull bitterness.

"You know what you did" Zuko replies. "I was just following orders" is her reply standing up to face him eye to eye. "So I heard at the trial, but we both know it isn't true, you may have had Orders to capture the Avatar and take Ba Sing Se, but you took pleasure in every awful act towards those goals"

Azula chuckles "Of course I did! I was the heir to the throne, I was promised the world by Ozai. As such, I did everything in my power to take what was promised to me, being the naïve fool I was" she says in a bitter tone. "That pitiful excuse for a man ruined my life, speaking of great job on his execution, I just wish I had been able to attend" she says with a mirthful smile as she wanders around the cell.

"How goes the search for Mother?" Azula asks. Zuko smiles proudly "She's finally been found, she still loves you" Azula stops to look at him "Then why didn't she attend any of the hearings?" "Too painful" "Huh, didn't expect that" Azula states. Zuko looks at her sadly "The pity in your eyes, I don't need it. I have accepted my fate" she says with a dulled calm, all the life in her golden yellow eyes long gone.

"It doesn't have to be this way you know, the future is still ahead" Zuko says. At that Azula starts laughing "Ha-Ha-Ha, hoo that's rich! What damn future?! I've been stripped of my title, Mai and Ty Lee despise me, and Mother is too ashamed of me to even see me! And I'm spending the rest of my "life" in this dank cell, and I'm only 19. My life is Over, I have no future" Azula says with a deep bitterness.

Aang smiles at her "It doesn't have to be that way though Azula, there is a way out" Azula leers at him in suspicion "What do mean Avatar?" "You might not have a future here, but in a different time, a different place, you could start again".

"What do you mean?" She asks brow raised in curiosity. Aang walks up to her "There are many different places, times in the universe, all linked by the spirit world. I've learned how to open doors to these worlds using the Spirit world as a bridge" Aang says proudly. This shocks Azula "You really have that type of power?"

"I am the Avatar Afterall" is Aang's response. "So what do you think? Wanna try again?" Zuko asks his sister. "Why?" Azula asks. "Because you're my sister, and now I know you deserve a fresh start" is his reply. Azula thinks this over "What do I have to lose?" sums up her thought.

"Sounds fine to me, when will this happen?" she asks. "Right now" Zuko replies pulling out a cell key, letting her free. She walks out, shocked that this is even happening. Aang's eyes glow as he spreads his hands, and a circular portal opens up to reveal a bright void.

"I have open a gate to a separate world, go. I don't know how long it will hold" Aang says. Azula obeys without another word, entering the portal, Aang closing the "Door" behind her.

"Good luck Sister, don't sully my faith in you" Zuko says.

Cape Town, South Africa, July 4th, 2092 A.D…

As Azula jumps out of the light, she realizes she is not in a good situation. She is in the broken street of a war-torn city, with screams, cries and explosions echoing throughout. "Of course I end up in another war zone! I knew it was too good to be true! I was better off in my damn cell!" Azula exclaims in frustration. A nearby wail smacks her out of her self-pity. She runs towards the sound, turning a corner, and witnessing a horrid sight. A young boy, not even at the age of 5 from what she could gather, is crying over the body of a very still, bled out woman.

His mother. And then she sees the culprit, a strange metallic man, holding a crossbow-like weapon. He has the child at his mercy. Another child left motherless, their future torn from them before it can even begin. It is too much, for the first time since her father betrayed her and her humiating defeat at Katara's hands, she feels rage. Her fists clench, and without anything to restrain her power, her hands flare up in blue flame.

"Leave him Alone!" She howls at the man. He tries to turn around, but before he even can react, her fire had hit its mark, melting the metal man, and causing him to drop dead. She runs up to the boy, and kneels to his eye level. "Are you okay?" Azula asks the small brown boy. Shocked at first, he says something in a language she doesn't recognize. "I don't understand you, make sense child!" she exclaims at him. The boy turns his head, blanches in fear, and runs away screaming and crying in terror. She turns towards where he looked. A dozen more of the strange walking machines have their weapons pointed at her ready to fire.

She rises, and her eyes narrow. The machines talk to her in a strange metallic tone in a language she cannot understand. "I do not know what you just said, but you are responsible for this, therefore…" she continues as her arms flare with flame once again "YOU WILL NOT LIVE!" she yells at them as she leaps at them.

"This is bad" says a tall, muscular blonde haired, blue-eyed man in blue and white Armor, with a blue overcoat over top, and a holographic eyepiece over his left eye, says to his commander as they take cover under a ruined fountain. "What tipped you off? The fact that we're separated from the rest of our squad, have been chased by Omnics for what seems like hours, are low on everything, or the fact you've been shot Jack?!" His commander, a tall, well-built Hispanic man with brown eyes, a shaved head, and wearing similar blue and white attire with a black skullcap, says to him as they're pelted with red energy bolts.

"C'mon Gabe, it ain't that bad…" Jack replies to Gabe. "Says the man who's bleeding" Gabe replies with a grin as he blasts an Omnic with his dual pistol shotguns. "We've been through worse" Jack replies. "Shit, only two shells left, you?" Gabe asks Jack. "Uh half a clip, a grenade and a rocket in the chamber" he replies with a small shrug. Gabe rolls his eyes "Terrific". "Uh Gabriel…" Jack says. "What?" "We should run" Jack says as points to a giant 30-foot tall Omnic Mech, who is charging up it dual Arm cannons. "Oh FUCK ME!" Gabriel screams as he and Jack make a bee-line out of there to try and avoid the blast.

However, a blue flaming streak, like a comet flies through the centre of the mech, creating a colossal explosion. Gabe and Jack stop, as someone, a girl, walks out of the flames and wreckage of the mech.

Over two dozen infantry and Bastion-Class Omnics are closing in on her. Before they can say anything, she turns around, lights herself aflame and throws blue flames right back at them! Gabe and Jack are shocked at the spectacle of this girl just chucking flames at the Omnics, melting and imploding them and destroying them with flame enhanced kicks and punches if they get close.

They shake themselves out of their stupor, and charge into the fray with a loud cry, tearing into Omnics with their weapons, supporting her. And when they run out, using their weapons as clubs to smash the Omnics to death. After a 10 minute long battle, the wrecked scrap of at least 100 Omnics of various classes lie dead at their feet, the rest having fled. The girl, clearly exausted, faints almost immediately before Gabe and Jack can even thank her for saving them and breaking a Omnic offensive, potentially saving Cape Town. Gabriel calls for an evac. A large VTOL touches down, revealing his teammates Ana, Reinhart, Torbijorn and Liao, alive and well.

Ana walks up to them. A tall Egyptian woman, with hazel eyes, long black hair and a Egyptian glyph tattoo under her left eye, wearing a blue and gold accented Tee, Black camo-style pants, Tan combat boots, and a light blue beret with a large sniper rifle slung over her left shoulder her walks up to Gabe and Jack as the rear door of the VTOL opens.

She smiles at them "Sir, Lieutenant, good to see you both in one piece" she says relieved in a thick Egyptian accent . "Jack, you've been shot! Get in here right now!" She orders at him. "No problem Ana… ugh" is his reply as he walks in clutching is still bleeding side. "Commander Gabriel, who is that your holding?" Ana asks, pointing to the extremely pale, dirtied girls Gabe is clutching bridal style. "Our Savior" he replies. "Her?!" Ana exclaims.

"Yeah, the Omnics got the drop on us, we'd be fried corpses right now if it wasn't for her" Gabe says in exasperation and shock. "She sounds impressive" Ana replies Gabe grins "You have no idea, what this girl can do, it's a game-changer" he says. "Then let's go, I have many questions for her" "You and me both Ana" is Gabe reply as they walk into the VTOL, the door closes, and they fly off.

Hope you guys and gals get a kick out of this one. Read and Review if it pleases you. More chapters will be incoming soon. GunMaster out.