drunkenpandaren (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
drunkenpandaren) wrote2009-08-30 04:32 pm
drunkenpandaren) wrote2009-08-30 04:32 pm
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Power Rangers A.D.S. - Chapter 11 "The Road To Corinth"
After some procrastination, I finished with The Road to Corinth. Rewrote the first part twice before I was happy with it.
The Road to Corinth
“Azula 4, status report.” Ordered the tall pillar in the center of the room.
“Everything is going as planned,” reported Azula as she rose from her kneeling position. “Our man on the inside has given us valuable information on the status of the new tank weapons that are being produced by the city, and the location of any and all of their prototypes. He also brings word of the new expansion that they are planning on, moving forces into the surrounding area to reclaim it from our troops for mining and forestry purposes.”
“Excellent work Azula 4. General Zhao, I require a new attack bot for this mission.”
“I have just the one sir,” said Zhao as the crane arm moved into position. “I have been working on it for just such an occasion. Behold!”
A tall bronze-skinned machine with a humanoid appearance was pulled out of the depths and settled down. Three eyes appeared on the front, opening up. “The generation 13 attack bot is ready for combat.”
“Excellent!” praised Azulon, the machine whirring to life. “Send an attack squadron as soon as you gain entry. I do not want the Rangers interfering with these plans.”
“About the rangers milord,” interjected Ozai. “What about the failure? He consistently plans to be a thorn in our side.”
“Indeed. Perhaps now it is time to show him who is true master is. Azula 4: I entrust the activation codes to you.” A beam of light shot out and touched a gemstone on the girl’s armor and she smiled.
“Thank you master, I will do my best to show him what it means to flee our grasp.”
“Subject Ranger Series Black begin the startup sequence.” Commanded Doctor Toph as Sokka shook out his arms.
“All right, here we go.” Powering back to full combat status, he held up a key and his Engine Cell Morpher. “Beginning test run of the A.D.S. System.”
Slotting the key into the device, he twisted it. Power started to build up as Zuko monitored the output.
“Energy levels at 100%, now building to 110.”
“Increase is stable,” reported Katara from her end. “Start up with the first element Sokka.”
“Right. Stage One, activate.” Sweeping his hands around, water from a pot moved and Sokka strained.
“Be a little more gentle Sokka,” warned Aang, his coach in the movement. “Follow the steps we showed you.”
“Trying…” grunted the Ranger. “Almost got it…”
“Pressure building to 115. He’s starting to increase the bio-output,” reported Zuko.
“Energy levels risen to 117. Bending commencing,” reported Katara as the water ripped itself free of the pot as Sokka swirled it around. “Bending of Water element confirmed. Maintain this for 10 more seconds Sokka.”
“No prob,” grunted Sokka as his chi was forced to do things it wasn’t supposed to. He spun the water around before letting it settle around his hands.
“He’s stabilized at 120.” Reported Zuko. “Doctor Toph?”
“Hold the water there Sokka, we’re continuing with the next element. Begin test. Increasing maximum output to 140% threshold.” Said Doctor Toph.
“Bending output is now at 121. Sokka, start pulling the samples up.” Said Katara.
Switching stances from the Water style to the Earth Style, Sokka pulled upwards at the small stone that sat in front of them. Rapid beeping emitted from the monitors and Zuko proclaimed, “123! Pressure has risen.”
“Keep going Sokka, it’s almost there! I can feel it!” exclaimed Aang.
“130. 133. 137. Output achieved at 140!” reported Katara as Sokka managed to heave the stone up over his head with bending. “Output is stable at 140 and holding Doctor Toph.”
“Excellent,” grinned Toph before she switched the third sequence on. “Series Black, begin the third test.”
Flames gushed from a nearby flamethrower and Sokka sweat under his helmet. “Is the third test really needed?” he asked, trying to maintain the water from splashing everywhere and the rock from falling on his head.
“Suck it up you big baby,” snorted Doctor Toph. “It’s perfectly safe!”
“Increasing output to 180,” stated Zuko. “For the record? This is pretty good so far.”
“All right Sokka, just move the fire with you. You don’t need to generate it yet,” instructed Aang.
“I’m trying but some of this is really getting difficult!” exclaimed Sokka.
Katara’s monitor wailed. “Series Black’s energy levels are spiking! Pressure increased to 220.”
“Abort Sokka!” yelled Toph but suddenly, the water exploded everywhere and Sokka was struck on the head. The monitors whined and then started to beep normally as the Black Ranger sat up from where he was thrown from the reaction. “Dang! That was so close too!”
“What did the readout say?” inquired Katara.
“220 with a 167 increase,” replied Zuko. “Considering that Sokka’s not even a bender, that’s a LOT of energy moving in his body.”
“Maybe we should stop for now,” said Aang. “This is a lot of strain on a normal human body.”
“Agreed. Series Black, get some rest and some food. We’ll start again in 2 hours after I recalibrate the system.” Said Toph before she retreated into her back room.
Sokka groaned.
“I’m telling you she’s out to get me,” said Sokka, popping the top of a soda can with a loud hiss.
“Sokka she’s just trying to make sure this new ability works,” said Katara. “And we’re all there with you to make sure it does.”
“I’ve got my misgivings about the whole thing especially when its supposed to emulate Aang’s little glowy-head-and-eyes trick,” grunted Sokka. “It’s not like I want to be an avatar and the powers are cool and all…”
“It’s the best chance we’ve got,” replied Zuko as he stuck his head in the fridge. “Considering the step up in generation technology of the Azulon forces, it’ll be a matter of time before they outpace even the zords.”
“And for once, I won’t feel really special,” added Aang with a grin, rubbing the back of his head. “Everyone from the outside always looks at me and chimes “avatar” and that’s really making me feel uncomfortable.”
“Well I suppose it’s worth a shot,” grunted Sokka. “And what could possibly go wrong with it anyhow?”
“You need to ask?” replied Katara. “A million things can go wrong.”
Sokka shrugged. “Whatever. It’s not like I really want to be a bender anyhow.”
Getting up, he tossed his soda into the trash. “I’m going out for a bit. Hold the fort okay?”
Watching him go, Aang got up. “I’m going with him, just to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“It’s not like you to be all mopey,” said Aang as the pair walked down a random street in Ba Sing Se. “What’s up?”
“I just feel like a third wheel sometimes,” said Sokka as the pair turned the corner onto the mid-level shopping district. “You know, like how responsibility is on my head but then people are trying to replace me for the bigger badder me.”
“What do you mean?” inquired Aang. “No one can replace you in the battlefield.”
“You’re the Avatar,” replied Sokka. “Not too many people know about it here in the city but out there, you’re a big deal. And now this Avatar Drive State program is supposed to make ME into one. I don’t know if I’m willing to step into those shoes.”
“Being the Avatar isn’t fun at all,” replied Aang sourly. “I ran from my duties a hundred years ago and now I’m here, fighting as a Ranger which gives me equal footing. I haven’t begun to learn waterbending let alone fire or earth. Doctor T, er, Toph said that I can learn from her, but in the end I worry about what’s going to happen to me when my job is done.”
“Balance to the world huh?” Aang nodded and Sokka patted his friend on the shoulder. “I know buddy, I know.”
“I also worry sometimes about how things have changed so radically since I was born,” added Aang, looking into a storefront window and gazing at the televisions on display. “Back when I was little, the Air Nomads had little use for technology despite the rapid advancement of it. It started with the Fire Nation as Avatar Roku was known to be a brilliant scientist. He alone pioneered many of the technologies we enjoy today. And at the same time he spent years perfecting the bending styles of all four nations. The Avatar Roku we all hear about was this great man, and there is little that I can admit to to be the same as him.”
“But you’re NOT the same as him,” reminded Sokka. “You’re the Avatar, but most importantly you’re Aang. You’re not Avatar Roku or Avatar Kiyoshi or any of those Avatars that came before. You are who you are, and even if you feel like the world’s outpaced you, you just need to remind yourself that your role is to do what you feel is right to restore balance. And we’re here with you buddy.”
Aang nodded, smiling. “You’re pretty good at speeches Sokka.”
“Me? Heck no, I just say what’s on my mind. And it usually results in Katara hitting me.” Sokka shrugged. “Hey look, lets get a burger and we’ll—“
The Engine Cell Morpher decided to chime that moment and Sokka’s expression fell. “My bad.”
“Hello?”
“Series Yellow, Series Blue. Where have you two been?” snapped Doctor Toph on the other end.
“Walking.”
“Well make your way to Sector 4-F. There’s a situation.”
“4-F? That’s a military instillation,” said Sokka, eyes narrowing. “We’re on our way.”
“Sorry we’re late,” called out Sokka as he kicked a Grinder away. Aang blasted another three with air, scattering them like pins. “What’d we miss?”
Katara and Zuko winced as a blast rocketed over their heads from the attack bot. “Well, we were doing fine until the new attack bot showed up,” replied Zuko testily. “Uncle held it off and he and his men retreated.”
“And why are we hiding behind a flipped car?” inquired Sokka as another blast threw a tank high into the air. The group scattered and it crashed to the ground. “Oh. I get it.”
“We could definitely use some earthbending in this fight,” said Katara as another blast rocked the ground around them. “But as it stands, Doctor T’s picking up a signal that she’s tracing right now.”
“Gee that’s too bad,” grumbled Sokka as he and Aang suited up. “Aang hit him high. I’ll get him low.”
The attack bot turned a bit too late as a blast of wind slammed into its head and Sokka swept his weapon, cutting across its legs. Despite this, the attack bot fired point blank at Sokka from its third eye and Sokka hefted his weapon, blocking it. Driven backwards, he remarked, “Man what is this thing made of?”
Yelping, the Black Ranger ducked behind another ruined car as it let off another blast of focused fire. “I can see why we’re sniping him,” he remarked to Zuko. “Hi.”
“Doctor T’s checking the signal. It seems to be on a frequency interrupt bandwidth,” replied Zuko. “In short, it’s got a shifting shield that makes it mostly immune to our attacks.”
“Just when we thought this couldn’t get any worse.” Grumbled Sokka.
“Cover me Aang,” said Katara and Aang conjoured up a smokescreen. Pulling water from the nearby shattered pipes, Katara hurled it at the robot in a cutting motion. It sliced through the left arm and the attack bot fired back, making the girl to dive to the side.
“You know I think Sparky Sparky Boom Man is unhappy,” remarked Sokka as another three blasts impacted, making the car they were hiding behind explode. Thrown backwards, Sokka and Zuko scrambled to their feet.
“I think your nickname angered him,” replied Zuko as he fired blast after blast of fire which was met with repeated staggered blasts of fire.
“What about Combustion Man?” inquired Sokka who blocked another shot with the flat end of his horn weapon.
“Now’s not the time to be thinking of nicknames for the killer robot who wants to smite us all!” exclaimed Katara. Suddenly she let out a yell of pain as Combustion Man’s attack slammed into her, throwing the Ranger twelve feet away.
“KATARA!” Aang let out a ferocious yell as he mustered up the strongest wind possible and launched it at Combustion Man. The attack bot leaped backwards and continued to fire at Aang who used wind to catapult himself after the opponent.
Katara groaned as she tried to stand up and a booted foot came down, preventing her from doing so. “Hello,” smirked Azula. Her fingertips crackled. “Goodbye Ranger Blue.”
“AZULA!” Azula reacted immediately, the blast of lightning striking Zuko full on and he was thrown backwards into a pile of crates. The momentary distraction allowed Katara to push Azula’s foot off and she swept back to her feet, a little shaky.
Azula hopped backwards as the girl attacked her. Fire and water slammed against each other and she smirked. “My, such concern for him. Do you like him?”
“Wha?” Distracted, Azula kicked out, throwing Katara backwards. Raising her fingers that crackled with lightning, she prepared to launch another blast. But suddenly, Combustion Man slammed into her and the pair were knocked to the ground.
“Leave. Them. ALONE!” Aang growled. The markings on his suit began to glow and beneath his helm, his eyes glowed. A blast of air slammed into the pair, knocking them several more meters. Combustion Man took the brunt of the attack as the winds sheared into it, leaving nothing more than its head. “I said LEAVE!” commanded Aang angrily.
“Hmm… so you do have that power,” smirked Azula before she vanished in a shimmer of light.
The glow dying out, Aang lowered himself to the ground as Katara groaned. Rushing to her side, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine, just a little shook up.” Replied Katara. “Wait, Zuko!”
Running over, Sokka was already at his side. “How is he?”
“Not good. We need to get him into a hospital asap,” replied Sokka.
“He’ll be all right,” said Sokka as he walked out of the room where Zuko was placed into. “Doc says he needs to rest up a bit.”
“That’s a relief,” sighed Katara, her arm in a sling. Aang had a downcast expression.
“However there’s something else,” said Sokka. “I don’t think even he knew this but when they took X-Rays, they found something about Zuko.”
“What sort of things?” asked Aang.
“There’s Azulon tech in his body. Generation Seven at least.” Sokka hung his head. “And it’s active somehow. Somehow we missed this completely.”
“So what, he’s a machine?” gasped Aang.
“No, a cyborg. He’s like half and half, but the machinery’s started to work on him.” Sokka sighed. “Doctor T’s working on the solution but right now…”
The trio fell into silence. And then Katara said, “I never knew.”
“None of us did. And that’s what’s so hard right now.” Replied Sokka.
“I feel like I need to do something about this,” said Aang. “As the Avatar…”
“No offense Aang but as the Avatar, you can’t just magically wave your hand and wish the tech away.” Said Sokka.
Aang nodded. “I know.” Getting up he added, “I’m going for a walk. Call me if the situation worsens.”
Wandering through Ba Sing Se had become something of a past-time for Aang as the bustling streets often gave him time to think things through. Aimlessly wandering often allowed him to get his footsteps into the hard rock and stone that made up the city, and the sky above was always blue due to the climate controls.
Sighing, he rounded the corner and stopped. “Huh, is that…?”
Pushing the door of the shop open, his expression lit up. “It is! It’s my favourite candy store! But what’s it doing here in Ba Sing Se?”
Browsing the layout of the store, Aang found himself enthralled by the sweets that presented him. Fire Flakes, Air Nomad taffy, Water Spring Salt Candy, the list went on and on. Pressing his face up to a particularly familiar display of rock candy, a voice cut into his thoughts. “Try the rock candy kiddo, it’ll sweeten your disposition on life.”
Aang looked up into the face of a wizened old man who held out a large chunk of Rock Candy. “For me?” inquired Aang and the man nodded, grinning widely with a mouth full of missing teeth here and there. “Uh… sure I guess.”
“Be happy kiddo, I got the proprietor here all the way from Omashu,” said the man, chomping noisily on the candy. “In fact,” he added thickly, “the owner retired and left me in charge of this place since I loved it so much as a kid.”
“Retired? He must be older than you!” exclaimed Aang and then he realized what he said. “Er, that is not to say that you’re old sir…”
“Old?” demanded the man and then he relented. “Okay, I’m old. But old enough to poke you in the right direction you whipper snapper! What would Kuzon think if his old friend was moping about like some silly schoolgirl?”
Aang’s head shot up in surprise. “You know Kuzon? Who are you?”
The elderly man chuckle-snorted. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? Always look under the meaning of everything Aang.”
“Look under the meaning…” Aang’s expression lit up. “You mad genius you know who I am!”
The pair shared a hug and Bumi chuckled. “Oh Aang, you haven’t changed a bit. Literally! I WAS going to test you when you arrived but since you’ve gone through so much today I figured you needed a break this time. So I intercepted the Candy Store Owner and had him open up even though its his day off.”
“How’d you know I’d be in the area?” inquired Aang curiously as he picked up a piece of Air Nomad Taffy and chewed on it. “I don’t usually tell people where I’m going on my walk.”
“You forget you have friends in high places. Quite literally actually since your little friend Toph keeps tabs on all of you. She just radioed me in; handy little contraption. I wish I had more of that in my day.” Replied Bumi. “She also told us about the problem you kids are having with the Fire Nation prince.”
“Yeah,” nodded Aang. “We never knew he had machinery in him. Sounds scary now that I think about it.”
“In hindsight we should have scanned him as well,” admitted Bumi. “But of course we’re never really looking at that possibility. At least not until now.”
Chomping noisily on the candy he held, Bumi added, “There’s a place you may want to visit Aang. It’s the facility Avatar Roku frequented when he was learning Earthbending here in the Earth Kingdom from a man named Sud, or Master Sud as you will. Despite his raw talent in Earthbending and other forms of bending, Avatar Roku was a genius, constantly improving the quality of life wherever he went. This facility might hold some answers you seek about how the world had changed under his guidance.”
“And you think that there might be a clue to reversing the machinery in Zuko’s body?” inquired Aang.
Bumi shrugged. “Who knows? There’s a lot we don’t know about Azulon and why it spread so quickly through the internet.”
“Oh, okay.” A thought occurred to Aang and he added, “You know this is really out of character for you, just handing me the answers like this.”
“Well if it were up to me and we were back in Omashu, things would be different,” admitted Bumi. “If I had my way, I’d probably would have thrown you and your friends into a prison cell that was remodelled into the nice one, made you get a lunchbox dangling from a stalagtite, made you fight flopsy and possibly challenge you to a struggle of doom while your friends were in danger of being eaten alive by rock candy. Of course, since we’re in Ba Sing Se, I don’t really have the resources or the time to set all of those elaborate traps to test your mind up.”
Aang blinked. “Ooooo-kay…”
“So you’d best get a move on Aang; that facility closes its doors by sundown and it’s getting late,” pointed out Bumi as he gestured to the sun which was in a mid-day position. “And it’s across town. Here’s the address.”
Aang took it and hugged his friend. “Thanks for the help Bumi. Can I come visit you?”
“Oh sure, go right ahead!” exclaimed Bumi. “It’ll give me something to do when Long Feng’s shooting his mouth off about culture and preservation and all that tree-rot.”
“Darnit Bumi,” panted Aang who managed to reach the facility near sundown. “You just HAD to throw in one more joke didn’t you!” Opening the map he glared at the directions. “This is a total mess of a map!”
Heaving a sigh, Aang pushed the door open and called out, “Anyone home?”
Stepping into the large majestic room, Aang whistled. A pinnacle of technological marvel, the décor was a mix of all four nations with all four symbols intertwined with the symbol of a white lotus. “Okay, I like this place.”
“Excuse me? Hello?” called out Aang as he reached the back of the room. Suddenly an explosion rocked the hallway and he leaped backwards as a figure staggered into the room, covered in brown goo. “Whoa, what happened mister?”
“Ah I was testing the devastating power of the Peanut Sauce in a weapon,” coughed the man as he towelled his face off. “I should have realized that the end result was only delicious.”
“Ooo-kay. So um, I was told by my friend Bumi that I should come and visit and ask about Avatar Roku?” said Aang. “I’m Aang and…”
“Oh the Avatar,” said the man who polished his glasses. “Yes Bumi called ahead; said to keep the place open until you arrived at sundown. Come along then; I’ll show you the archivum.”
Following the man down the floors, he added, “I’m known as the Machinist, but my real name is—“ his phone rang. “Just a moment.” The machinist picked up his phone and snapped it open. “Yes? Oh Teo. Yes. Yes that will be fine for dinner. All right. I’ll be late tonight so please don’t worry. Thank you.” Hanging up, he turned to Aang. “My son Teo.”
“Teo? Oh the boy from the library,” said Aang as they stopped at a large pair of doors. “Is this it?”
“It is,” said the man. “This is the Archivum, a bastion of technological wonders that Avatar Roku sealed away. We have the keys to it, but no way to access its power.”
Opening the door, the pair stepped into the room and Aang gasped. Unlike the outside that was made of stone and wood, the inside of the deep chamber was made of shimmering crystals from wall to wall. A statue in the middle of it depicted a giant with a glowing sword that shone in the light, illuminating the area with its own internal luminescence. “This is… amazing. Was this made by bending?”
“Yes it was,” replied the machinist. “You see, Avatar Roku found a way to put history and his knowledge into the crystals all around us, making it possible for the next Avatar to access the power. Or so they say at least.” The machinist stepped to the side and nodded. “I’ll leave you to this.”
Stepping into the clear circular platform, the ground beneath Aang lit up and glyphs started to spin about the bottom, symbols and characters.
[Accessing Archivum] stated a mechanical voice. [DNA print confirmed. Welcome Avatar. Query?]
“Uh… bring up records of Avatar Roku. What did he do back in the day?”
[Accessing. In the beginning, Avatar Roku built the Archivum to house the knowledge of the ancient world. Developing the new technologies of the known world as it is today, he developed a sequence of technologies that would improve the quality of life. A—]
“I know all of that,” interrupted Aang. “Can you tell me anything about the Azulon Super Virus?”
[Accessing. Record of Azulon Super Virus not found.]
Aang blinked. “Wait, what? But the virus was said to have spread a hundred years ago!”
[Accessing. Record of Azulon Super Virus not found. Record of Self-Evolving Learning and Reclimation Program codenamed “Sozin” is found. Elaborate?]
“Sure.” Aang wondered what was going on. What was Sozin?
[Sozin is a program designed by Avatar Roku in order to suppress Fire Nation aggression against the rest of the world. Functions include data corruption, reclamation, learning capabilities as well as integration into the world internet system.]
“But what about the name Azulon?” inquired Aang.
[Accessing…] stated the machine. [Azulon: Fire Lord, Fire Nation. Began the rapid industrialization and modernizing of the known world along with the assistance of Avatar Roku at a young age. Known data states that Azulon was prepared to begin a war of expansion, due to ambition by using the technology provided by Avatar Roku’s assistance. In response, Avatar Roku released the Self-Evolving Learning and Reclimation Program codenamed “Sozin” in order to combat the threat of military expansion.]
“I still don’t get it,” frowned Aang. “Can we get a copy of this information made somewhere?”
[Accessing. Copy complete. Would you like the base program of the “Sozin” program duplicated?]
“Sure, sounds good. Could have Toph look at it later,” replied Aang. A small disk popped out of a nearby crystal and he took it, pocketing the device.
[Access complete. Would Avatar like to have system standby until next use?]
“Yeah, go ahead.” The glyphs beneath Aang’s feet glowed and the receeded. Looking at the disk, Aang scratched his head. “I won’t pretend to understand ANY of what that was, but I’ll look into it.”
At that moment, Aang’s Engine Cell Morpher beeped and he snatched it up. “Is there an attack?”
“No, but we have a situation,” replied Doctor Toph and there was a sound of crashing in the background. “Get back here Ranger Yellow – Ranger Red’s gone berserk.”
Zuko snarled, flailing at the rest of the Rangers who held him down. “Get his legs!” roared Sokka, pouncing on his friend who tried to kick him off. “HIS HANDS!”
Katara grabbed Zuko’s left arm and with surprising strength, Zuko hurled her into a console where she bounced off it with a loud crashing noise. The rumble of rocks announced Doctor Toph who bent the ground through the building, fastening him in place.
“That’ll hold him for precisely 12 seconds,” announced Toph as she bent the rest of the ground to bury the rest of his body up to the neck in slabs of stone “The floor will probably need replacing though.”
“I WILL KILL YOU ALL!” roared Zuko and for a moment, they could have sworn he spat fire with that proclamation. “As soon as I get out here I’ll beat you all to a stack of oats!”
“Well there’s a statement of uncreativeness,” snorted Sokka, poking Zuko in the nose. Zuko tried to bite him.
“Four seconds. You might want to step back Ranger Black,” warned Toph.
“Are you really that precise—WHOA!” Sokka ducked as Zuko managed to rip his arm free. “Okay, you were right. BEND MORE ROCK!”
“I’m here!” called out Aang as Zuko wrestled his other arm free. “Why’s Zuko buried in rock?”
“He’s gone crazy and is trying to kill us all,” replied Sokka.
“That makes no sense, but will this help?” asked Aang, holding up the disk.
“What’s in there?” inquired Katara as Sokka jumped atop Zuko who flailed, still half-stuck in the rock. “Some kind of anti-virus?”
“Something like that. I think it said it was made by Avatar Roku. Something to do with a reclamation program?”
“Recli—GIMME!” Toph snagged the disk and shoved it into the nearest console. Scanning the information via VR helmet, Toph turned to Aang and handed him a cable. “Stick this onto Zuko, hurry!”
Aang looked at the plug. “I don’t think Zuko’s USB compatible—OW!”
“JUST SHOVE IT IN HIS EAR DAMNIT!” As Aang rushed to get the USB cable shoved into Zuko’s ear, Toph ran the program through. There was a loud confirming beep and Zuko tensed, thrashed around a little and then slumped over, standing up. Then, slowly he stood back up, rubbing his head.
“Ow… what the… why am I trapped half in rock?” Zuko pulled the cable from his ear. “And why did someone shove a USB cable in my ear?”
“I can’t believe that worked,” deadpanned Aang as Doctor Toph pulled the disk free. “What was on that disk?”
“You really don’t know?” replied Toph. “It had the source code for the Azulon virus, albeit in a more primitive form.”
“Where did you get something THAT dangerous?” asked Sokka as Zuko managed to pull himself out of the stone that pinned him down.
“A little while ago, in this thing called the Archivum. It was said to be made by Avatar Roku.” Said Aang. “But it said stuff that I don’t understand cause of all of that technical stuff.”
“I’m not surprised. The terminology is sound though. And it says stuff that I really don’t like.” Said Toph.
“What did it say?” inquired Katara, rubbing her arm.
“You’re not going to like it, but here it is straight. Avatar Roku created a virus named Sozin and unleashed it on the world to stop the Fire Nation from beginning a war that would have been one of military expansion.” Doctor Toph scowled. “Aang, Avatar Roku was the one who created the Supervirus. Avatar Roku was the one who brought this world to its knees.”
The Road to Corinth
“Azula 4, status report.” Ordered the tall pillar in the center of the room.
“Everything is going as planned,” reported Azula as she rose from her kneeling position. “Our man on the inside has given us valuable information on the status of the new tank weapons that are being produced by the city, and the location of any and all of their prototypes. He also brings word of the new expansion that they are planning on, moving forces into the surrounding area to reclaim it from our troops for mining and forestry purposes.”
“Excellent work Azula 4. General Zhao, I require a new attack bot for this mission.”
“I have just the one sir,” said Zhao as the crane arm moved into position. “I have been working on it for just such an occasion. Behold!”
A tall bronze-skinned machine with a humanoid appearance was pulled out of the depths and settled down. Three eyes appeared on the front, opening up. “The generation 13 attack bot is ready for combat.”
“Excellent!” praised Azulon, the machine whirring to life. “Send an attack squadron as soon as you gain entry. I do not want the Rangers interfering with these plans.”
“About the rangers milord,” interjected Ozai. “What about the failure? He consistently plans to be a thorn in our side.”
“Indeed. Perhaps now it is time to show him who is true master is. Azula 4: I entrust the activation codes to you.” A beam of light shot out and touched a gemstone on the girl’s armor and she smiled.
“Thank you master, I will do my best to show him what it means to flee our grasp.”
“Subject Ranger Series Black begin the startup sequence.” Commanded Doctor Toph as Sokka shook out his arms.
“All right, here we go.” Powering back to full combat status, he held up a key and his Engine Cell Morpher. “Beginning test run of the A.D.S. System.”
Slotting the key into the device, he twisted it. Power started to build up as Zuko monitored the output.
“Energy levels at 100%, now building to 110.”
“Increase is stable,” reported Katara from her end. “Start up with the first element Sokka.”
“Right. Stage One, activate.” Sweeping his hands around, water from a pot moved and Sokka strained.
“Be a little more gentle Sokka,” warned Aang, his coach in the movement. “Follow the steps we showed you.”
“Trying…” grunted the Ranger. “Almost got it…”
“Pressure building to 115. He’s starting to increase the bio-output,” reported Zuko.
“Energy levels risen to 117. Bending commencing,” reported Katara as the water ripped itself free of the pot as Sokka swirled it around. “Bending of Water element confirmed. Maintain this for 10 more seconds Sokka.”
“No prob,” grunted Sokka as his chi was forced to do things it wasn’t supposed to. He spun the water around before letting it settle around his hands.
“He’s stabilized at 120.” Reported Zuko. “Doctor Toph?”
“Hold the water there Sokka, we’re continuing with the next element. Begin test. Increasing maximum output to 140% threshold.” Said Doctor Toph.
“Bending output is now at 121. Sokka, start pulling the samples up.” Said Katara.
Switching stances from the Water style to the Earth Style, Sokka pulled upwards at the small stone that sat in front of them. Rapid beeping emitted from the monitors and Zuko proclaimed, “123! Pressure has risen.”
“Keep going Sokka, it’s almost there! I can feel it!” exclaimed Aang.
“130. 133. 137. Output achieved at 140!” reported Katara as Sokka managed to heave the stone up over his head with bending. “Output is stable at 140 and holding Doctor Toph.”
“Excellent,” grinned Toph before she switched the third sequence on. “Series Black, begin the third test.”
Flames gushed from a nearby flamethrower and Sokka sweat under his helmet. “Is the third test really needed?” he asked, trying to maintain the water from splashing everywhere and the rock from falling on his head.
“Suck it up you big baby,” snorted Doctor Toph. “It’s perfectly safe!”
“Increasing output to 180,” stated Zuko. “For the record? This is pretty good so far.”
“All right Sokka, just move the fire with you. You don’t need to generate it yet,” instructed Aang.
“I’m trying but some of this is really getting difficult!” exclaimed Sokka.
Katara’s monitor wailed. “Series Black’s energy levels are spiking! Pressure increased to 220.”
“Abort Sokka!” yelled Toph but suddenly, the water exploded everywhere and Sokka was struck on the head. The monitors whined and then started to beep normally as the Black Ranger sat up from where he was thrown from the reaction. “Dang! That was so close too!”
“What did the readout say?” inquired Katara.
“220 with a 167 increase,” replied Zuko. “Considering that Sokka’s not even a bender, that’s a LOT of energy moving in his body.”
“Maybe we should stop for now,” said Aang. “This is a lot of strain on a normal human body.”
“Agreed. Series Black, get some rest and some food. We’ll start again in 2 hours after I recalibrate the system.” Said Toph before she retreated into her back room.
Sokka groaned.
“I’m telling you she’s out to get me,” said Sokka, popping the top of a soda can with a loud hiss.
“Sokka she’s just trying to make sure this new ability works,” said Katara. “And we’re all there with you to make sure it does.”
“I’ve got my misgivings about the whole thing especially when its supposed to emulate Aang’s little glowy-head-and-eyes trick,” grunted Sokka. “It’s not like I want to be an avatar and the powers are cool and all…”
“It’s the best chance we’ve got,” replied Zuko as he stuck his head in the fridge. “Considering the step up in generation technology of the Azulon forces, it’ll be a matter of time before they outpace even the zords.”
“And for once, I won’t feel really special,” added Aang with a grin, rubbing the back of his head. “Everyone from the outside always looks at me and chimes “avatar” and that’s really making me feel uncomfortable.”
“Well I suppose it’s worth a shot,” grunted Sokka. “And what could possibly go wrong with it anyhow?”
“You need to ask?” replied Katara. “A million things can go wrong.”
Sokka shrugged. “Whatever. It’s not like I really want to be a bender anyhow.”
Getting up, he tossed his soda into the trash. “I’m going out for a bit. Hold the fort okay?”
Watching him go, Aang got up. “I’m going with him, just to make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“It’s not like you to be all mopey,” said Aang as the pair walked down a random street in Ba Sing Se. “What’s up?”
“I just feel like a third wheel sometimes,” said Sokka as the pair turned the corner onto the mid-level shopping district. “You know, like how responsibility is on my head but then people are trying to replace me for the bigger badder me.”
“What do you mean?” inquired Aang. “No one can replace you in the battlefield.”
“You’re the Avatar,” replied Sokka. “Not too many people know about it here in the city but out there, you’re a big deal. And now this Avatar Drive State program is supposed to make ME into one. I don’t know if I’m willing to step into those shoes.”
“Being the Avatar isn’t fun at all,” replied Aang sourly. “I ran from my duties a hundred years ago and now I’m here, fighting as a Ranger which gives me equal footing. I haven’t begun to learn waterbending let alone fire or earth. Doctor T, er, Toph said that I can learn from her, but in the end I worry about what’s going to happen to me when my job is done.”
“Balance to the world huh?” Aang nodded and Sokka patted his friend on the shoulder. “I know buddy, I know.”
“I also worry sometimes about how things have changed so radically since I was born,” added Aang, looking into a storefront window and gazing at the televisions on display. “Back when I was little, the Air Nomads had little use for technology despite the rapid advancement of it. It started with the Fire Nation as Avatar Roku was known to be a brilliant scientist. He alone pioneered many of the technologies we enjoy today. And at the same time he spent years perfecting the bending styles of all four nations. The Avatar Roku we all hear about was this great man, and there is little that I can admit to to be the same as him.”
“But you’re NOT the same as him,” reminded Sokka. “You’re the Avatar, but most importantly you’re Aang. You’re not Avatar Roku or Avatar Kiyoshi or any of those Avatars that came before. You are who you are, and even if you feel like the world’s outpaced you, you just need to remind yourself that your role is to do what you feel is right to restore balance. And we’re here with you buddy.”
Aang nodded, smiling. “You’re pretty good at speeches Sokka.”
“Me? Heck no, I just say what’s on my mind. And it usually results in Katara hitting me.” Sokka shrugged. “Hey look, lets get a burger and we’ll—“
The Engine Cell Morpher decided to chime that moment and Sokka’s expression fell. “My bad.”
“Hello?”
“Series Yellow, Series Blue. Where have you two been?” snapped Doctor Toph on the other end.
“Walking.”
“Well make your way to Sector 4-F. There’s a situation.”
“4-F? That’s a military instillation,” said Sokka, eyes narrowing. “We’re on our way.”
“Sorry we’re late,” called out Sokka as he kicked a Grinder away. Aang blasted another three with air, scattering them like pins. “What’d we miss?”
Katara and Zuko winced as a blast rocketed over their heads from the attack bot. “Well, we were doing fine until the new attack bot showed up,” replied Zuko testily. “Uncle held it off and he and his men retreated.”
“And why are we hiding behind a flipped car?” inquired Sokka as another blast threw a tank high into the air. The group scattered and it crashed to the ground. “Oh. I get it.”
“We could definitely use some earthbending in this fight,” said Katara as another blast rocked the ground around them. “But as it stands, Doctor T’s picking up a signal that she’s tracing right now.”
“Gee that’s too bad,” grumbled Sokka as he and Aang suited up. “Aang hit him high. I’ll get him low.”
The attack bot turned a bit too late as a blast of wind slammed into its head and Sokka swept his weapon, cutting across its legs. Despite this, the attack bot fired point blank at Sokka from its third eye and Sokka hefted his weapon, blocking it. Driven backwards, he remarked, “Man what is this thing made of?”
Yelping, the Black Ranger ducked behind another ruined car as it let off another blast of focused fire. “I can see why we’re sniping him,” he remarked to Zuko. “Hi.”
“Doctor T’s checking the signal. It seems to be on a frequency interrupt bandwidth,” replied Zuko. “In short, it’s got a shifting shield that makes it mostly immune to our attacks.”
“Just when we thought this couldn’t get any worse.” Grumbled Sokka.
“Cover me Aang,” said Katara and Aang conjoured up a smokescreen. Pulling water from the nearby shattered pipes, Katara hurled it at the robot in a cutting motion. It sliced through the left arm and the attack bot fired back, making the girl to dive to the side.
“You know I think Sparky Sparky Boom Man is unhappy,” remarked Sokka as another three blasts impacted, making the car they were hiding behind explode. Thrown backwards, Sokka and Zuko scrambled to their feet.
“I think your nickname angered him,” replied Zuko as he fired blast after blast of fire which was met with repeated staggered blasts of fire.
“What about Combustion Man?” inquired Sokka who blocked another shot with the flat end of his horn weapon.
“Now’s not the time to be thinking of nicknames for the killer robot who wants to smite us all!” exclaimed Katara. Suddenly she let out a yell of pain as Combustion Man’s attack slammed into her, throwing the Ranger twelve feet away.
“KATARA!” Aang let out a ferocious yell as he mustered up the strongest wind possible and launched it at Combustion Man. The attack bot leaped backwards and continued to fire at Aang who used wind to catapult himself after the opponent.
Katara groaned as she tried to stand up and a booted foot came down, preventing her from doing so. “Hello,” smirked Azula. Her fingertips crackled. “Goodbye Ranger Blue.”
“AZULA!” Azula reacted immediately, the blast of lightning striking Zuko full on and he was thrown backwards into a pile of crates. The momentary distraction allowed Katara to push Azula’s foot off and she swept back to her feet, a little shaky.
Azula hopped backwards as the girl attacked her. Fire and water slammed against each other and she smirked. “My, such concern for him. Do you like him?”
“Wha?” Distracted, Azula kicked out, throwing Katara backwards. Raising her fingers that crackled with lightning, she prepared to launch another blast. But suddenly, Combustion Man slammed into her and the pair were knocked to the ground.
“Leave. Them. ALONE!” Aang growled. The markings on his suit began to glow and beneath his helm, his eyes glowed. A blast of air slammed into the pair, knocking them several more meters. Combustion Man took the brunt of the attack as the winds sheared into it, leaving nothing more than its head. “I said LEAVE!” commanded Aang angrily.
“Hmm… so you do have that power,” smirked Azula before she vanished in a shimmer of light.
The glow dying out, Aang lowered himself to the ground as Katara groaned. Rushing to her side, he asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’ll be fine, just a little shook up.” Replied Katara. “Wait, Zuko!”
Running over, Sokka was already at his side. “How is he?”
“Not good. We need to get him into a hospital asap,” replied Sokka.
“He’ll be all right,” said Sokka as he walked out of the room where Zuko was placed into. “Doc says he needs to rest up a bit.”
“That’s a relief,” sighed Katara, her arm in a sling. Aang had a downcast expression.
“However there’s something else,” said Sokka. “I don’t think even he knew this but when they took X-Rays, they found something about Zuko.”
“What sort of things?” asked Aang.
“There’s Azulon tech in his body. Generation Seven at least.” Sokka hung his head. “And it’s active somehow. Somehow we missed this completely.”
“So what, he’s a machine?” gasped Aang.
“No, a cyborg. He’s like half and half, but the machinery’s started to work on him.” Sokka sighed. “Doctor T’s working on the solution but right now…”
The trio fell into silence. And then Katara said, “I never knew.”
“None of us did. And that’s what’s so hard right now.” Replied Sokka.
“I feel like I need to do something about this,” said Aang. “As the Avatar…”
“No offense Aang but as the Avatar, you can’t just magically wave your hand and wish the tech away.” Said Sokka.
Aang nodded. “I know.” Getting up he added, “I’m going for a walk. Call me if the situation worsens.”
Wandering through Ba Sing Se had become something of a past-time for Aang as the bustling streets often gave him time to think things through. Aimlessly wandering often allowed him to get his footsteps into the hard rock and stone that made up the city, and the sky above was always blue due to the climate controls.
Sighing, he rounded the corner and stopped. “Huh, is that…?”
Pushing the door of the shop open, his expression lit up. “It is! It’s my favourite candy store! But what’s it doing here in Ba Sing Se?”
Browsing the layout of the store, Aang found himself enthralled by the sweets that presented him. Fire Flakes, Air Nomad taffy, Water Spring Salt Candy, the list went on and on. Pressing his face up to a particularly familiar display of rock candy, a voice cut into his thoughts. “Try the rock candy kiddo, it’ll sweeten your disposition on life.”
Aang looked up into the face of a wizened old man who held out a large chunk of Rock Candy. “For me?” inquired Aang and the man nodded, grinning widely with a mouth full of missing teeth here and there. “Uh… sure I guess.”
“Be happy kiddo, I got the proprietor here all the way from Omashu,” said the man, chomping noisily on the candy. “In fact,” he added thickly, “the owner retired and left me in charge of this place since I loved it so much as a kid.”
“Retired? He must be older than you!” exclaimed Aang and then he realized what he said. “Er, that is not to say that you’re old sir…”
“Old?” demanded the man and then he relented. “Okay, I’m old. But old enough to poke you in the right direction you whipper snapper! What would Kuzon think if his old friend was moping about like some silly schoolgirl?”
Aang’s head shot up in surprise. “You know Kuzon? Who are you?”
The elderly man chuckle-snorted. “Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten? Always look under the meaning of everything Aang.”
“Look under the meaning…” Aang’s expression lit up. “You mad genius you know who I am!”
The pair shared a hug and Bumi chuckled. “Oh Aang, you haven’t changed a bit. Literally! I WAS going to test you when you arrived but since you’ve gone through so much today I figured you needed a break this time. So I intercepted the Candy Store Owner and had him open up even though its his day off.”
“How’d you know I’d be in the area?” inquired Aang curiously as he picked up a piece of Air Nomad Taffy and chewed on it. “I don’t usually tell people where I’m going on my walk.”
“You forget you have friends in high places. Quite literally actually since your little friend Toph keeps tabs on all of you. She just radioed me in; handy little contraption. I wish I had more of that in my day.” Replied Bumi. “She also told us about the problem you kids are having with the Fire Nation prince.”
“Yeah,” nodded Aang. “We never knew he had machinery in him. Sounds scary now that I think about it.”
“In hindsight we should have scanned him as well,” admitted Bumi. “But of course we’re never really looking at that possibility. At least not until now.”
Chomping noisily on the candy he held, Bumi added, “There’s a place you may want to visit Aang. It’s the facility Avatar Roku frequented when he was learning Earthbending here in the Earth Kingdom from a man named Sud, or Master Sud as you will. Despite his raw talent in Earthbending and other forms of bending, Avatar Roku was a genius, constantly improving the quality of life wherever he went. This facility might hold some answers you seek about how the world had changed under his guidance.”
“And you think that there might be a clue to reversing the machinery in Zuko’s body?” inquired Aang.
Bumi shrugged. “Who knows? There’s a lot we don’t know about Azulon and why it spread so quickly through the internet.”
“Oh, okay.” A thought occurred to Aang and he added, “You know this is really out of character for you, just handing me the answers like this.”
“Well if it were up to me and we were back in Omashu, things would be different,” admitted Bumi. “If I had my way, I’d probably would have thrown you and your friends into a prison cell that was remodelled into the nice one, made you get a lunchbox dangling from a stalagtite, made you fight flopsy and possibly challenge you to a struggle of doom while your friends were in danger of being eaten alive by rock candy. Of course, since we’re in Ba Sing Se, I don’t really have the resources or the time to set all of those elaborate traps to test your mind up.”
Aang blinked. “Ooooo-kay…”
“So you’d best get a move on Aang; that facility closes its doors by sundown and it’s getting late,” pointed out Bumi as he gestured to the sun which was in a mid-day position. “And it’s across town. Here’s the address.”
Aang took it and hugged his friend. “Thanks for the help Bumi. Can I come visit you?”
“Oh sure, go right ahead!” exclaimed Bumi. “It’ll give me something to do when Long Feng’s shooting his mouth off about culture and preservation and all that tree-rot.”
“Darnit Bumi,” panted Aang who managed to reach the facility near sundown. “You just HAD to throw in one more joke didn’t you!” Opening the map he glared at the directions. “This is a total mess of a map!”
Heaving a sigh, Aang pushed the door open and called out, “Anyone home?”
Stepping into the large majestic room, Aang whistled. A pinnacle of technological marvel, the décor was a mix of all four nations with all four symbols intertwined with the symbol of a white lotus. “Okay, I like this place.”
“Excuse me? Hello?” called out Aang as he reached the back of the room. Suddenly an explosion rocked the hallway and he leaped backwards as a figure staggered into the room, covered in brown goo. “Whoa, what happened mister?”
“Ah I was testing the devastating power of the Peanut Sauce in a weapon,” coughed the man as he towelled his face off. “I should have realized that the end result was only delicious.”
“Ooo-kay. So um, I was told by my friend Bumi that I should come and visit and ask about Avatar Roku?” said Aang. “I’m Aang and…”
“Oh the Avatar,” said the man who polished his glasses. “Yes Bumi called ahead; said to keep the place open until you arrived at sundown. Come along then; I’ll show you the archivum.”
Following the man down the floors, he added, “I’m known as the Machinist, but my real name is—“ his phone rang. “Just a moment.” The machinist picked up his phone and snapped it open. “Yes? Oh Teo. Yes. Yes that will be fine for dinner. All right. I’ll be late tonight so please don’t worry. Thank you.” Hanging up, he turned to Aang. “My son Teo.”
“Teo? Oh the boy from the library,” said Aang as they stopped at a large pair of doors. “Is this it?”
“It is,” said the man. “This is the Archivum, a bastion of technological wonders that Avatar Roku sealed away. We have the keys to it, but no way to access its power.”
Opening the door, the pair stepped into the room and Aang gasped. Unlike the outside that was made of stone and wood, the inside of the deep chamber was made of shimmering crystals from wall to wall. A statue in the middle of it depicted a giant with a glowing sword that shone in the light, illuminating the area with its own internal luminescence. “This is… amazing. Was this made by bending?”
“Yes it was,” replied the machinist. “You see, Avatar Roku found a way to put history and his knowledge into the crystals all around us, making it possible for the next Avatar to access the power. Or so they say at least.” The machinist stepped to the side and nodded. “I’ll leave you to this.”
Stepping into the clear circular platform, the ground beneath Aang lit up and glyphs started to spin about the bottom, symbols and characters.
[Accessing Archivum] stated a mechanical voice. [DNA print confirmed. Welcome Avatar. Query?]
“Uh… bring up records of Avatar Roku. What did he do back in the day?”
[Accessing. In the beginning, Avatar Roku built the Archivum to house the knowledge of the ancient world. Developing the new technologies of the known world as it is today, he developed a sequence of technologies that would improve the quality of life. A—]
“I know all of that,” interrupted Aang. “Can you tell me anything about the Azulon Super Virus?”
[Accessing. Record of Azulon Super Virus not found.]
Aang blinked. “Wait, what? But the virus was said to have spread a hundred years ago!”
[Accessing. Record of Azulon Super Virus not found. Record of Self-Evolving Learning and Reclimation Program codenamed “Sozin” is found. Elaborate?]
“Sure.” Aang wondered what was going on. What was Sozin?
[Sozin is a program designed by Avatar Roku in order to suppress Fire Nation aggression against the rest of the world. Functions include data corruption, reclamation, learning capabilities as well as integration into the world internet system.]
“But what about the name Azulon?” inquired Aang.
[Accessing…] stated the machine. [Azulon: Fire Lord, Fire Nation. Began the rapid industrialization and modernizing of the known world along with the assistance of Avatar Roku at a young age. Known data states that Azulon was prepared to begin a war of expansion, due to ambition by using the technology provided by Avatar Roku’s assistance. In response, Avatar Roku released the Self-Evolving Learning and Reclimation Program codenamed “Sozin” in order to combat the threat of military expansion.]
“I still don’t get it,” frowned Aang. “Can we get a copy of this information made somewhere?”
[Accessing. Copy complete. Would you like the base program of the “Sozin” program duplicated?]
“Sure, sounds good. Could have Toph look at it later,” replied Aang. A small disk popped out of a nearby crystal and he took it, pocketing the device.
[Access complete. Would Avatar like to have system standby until next use?]
“Yeah, go ahead.” The glyphs beneath Aang’s feet glowed and the receeded. Looking at the disk, Aang scratched his head. “I won’t pretend to understand ANY of what that was, but I’ll look into it.”
At that moment, Aang’s Engine Cell Morpher beeped and he snatched it up. “Is there an attack?”
“No, but we have a situation,” replied Doctor Toph and there was a sound of crashing in the background. “Get back here Ranger Yellow – Ranger Red’s gone berserk.”
Zuko snarled, flailing at the rest of the Rangers who held him down. “Get his legs!” roared Sokka, pouncing on his friend who tried to kick him off. “HIS HANDS!”
Katara grabbed Zuko’s left arm and with surprising strength, Zuko hurled her into a console where she bounced off it with a loud crashing noise. The rumble of rocks announced Doctor Toph who bent the ground through the building, fastening him in place.
“That’ll hold him for precisely 12 seconds,” announced Toph as she bent the rest of the ground to bury the rest of his body up to the neck in slabs of stone “The floor will probably need replacing though.”
“I WILL KILL YOU ALL!” roared Zuko and for a moment, they could have sworn he spat fire with that proclamation. “As soon as I get out here I’ll beat you all to a stack of oats!”
“Well there’s a statement of uncreativeness,” snorted Sokka, poking Zuko in the nose. Zuko tried to bite him.
“Four seconds. You might want to step back Ranger Black,” warned Toph.
“Are you really that precise—WHOA!” Sokka ducked as Zuko managed to rip his arm free. “Okay, you were right. BEND MORE ROCK!”
“I’m here!” called out Aang as Zuko wrestled his other arm free. “Why’s Zuko buried in rock?”
“He’s gone crazy and is trying to kill us all,” replied Sokka.
“That makes no sense, but will this help?” asked Aang, holding up the disk.
“What’s in there?” inquired Katara as Sokka jumped atop Zuko who flailed, still half-stuck in the rock. “Some kind of anti-virus?”
“Something like that. I think it said it was made by Avatar Roku. Something to do with a reclamation program?”
“Recli—GIMME!” Toph snagged the disk and shoved it into the nearest console. Scanning the information via VR helmet, Toph turned to Aang and handed him a cable. “Stick this onto Zuko, hurry!”
Aang looked at the plug. “I don’t think Zuko’s USB compatible—OW!”
“JUST SHOVE IT IN HIS EAR DAMNIT!” As Aang rushed to get the USB cable shoved into Zuko’s ear, Toph ran the program through. There was a loud confirming beep and Zuko tensed, thrashed around a little and then slumped over, standing up. Then, slowly he stood back up, rubbing his head.
“Ow… what the… why am I trapped half in rock?” Zuko pulled the cable from his ear. “And why did someone shove a USB cable in my ear?”
“I can’t believe that worked,” deadpanned Aang as Doctor Toph pulled the disk free. “What was on that disk?”
“You really don’t know?” replied Toph. “It had the source code for the Azulon virus, albeit in a more primitive form.”
“Where did you get something THAT dangerous?” asked Sokka as Zuko managed to pull himself out of the stone that pinned him down.
“A little while ago, in this thing called the Archivum. It was said to be made by Avatar Roku.” Said Aang. “But it said stuff that I don’t understand cause of all of that technical stuff.”
“I’m not surprised. The terminology is sound though. And it says stuff that I really don’t like.” Said Toph.
“What did it say?” inquired Katara, rubbing her arm.
“You’re not going to like it, but here it is straight. Avatar Roku created a virus named Sozin and unleashed it on the world to stop the Fire Nation from beginning a war that would have been one of military expansion.” Doctor Toph scowled. “Aang, Avatar Roku was the one who created the Supervirus. Avatar Roku was the one who brought this world to its knees.”