Chapter 29: Secrets

XXX

As the night was closing in and everybody was lying asleep, Zhan was still awake and thinking over another theory. Once an idea came to him, he just couldn't let go of it.

'Four years,' he thought. 'There might be a chance.'

Looking at his right, Azula was sleeping - she had been exhausted after her trip. Outside the tent, everything was quiet as well - so he silently made his way outside. The night-sky was a bit chilly - taking a look at their map, they were a good distance away from the Royal Capital. However it could be faster, if he could get some other help - soon making his way over to the airbender's tent.

"Hey...Avatar, ," said Zhan, poking the airbender awake.

"Huh? What?" asked Aang, confused.

"Keep quiet," he said, bringing his voice down. "Listen, Avatar can I talk to you? In private?"

"Umm...okay and call me Aang," he said, getting up while rubbing his eyes. "What is it?"

"I might need your assistance," said Zhan, arms behind his back.

"About what?" asked Aang.

"It...it's complicated, and it's a long-shot...it's complicated. Okay..." explained Zhan.

"I understand, somewhat," replied Aang, he knew people had secrets, that they were afraid to admit. "What you need my help with?"

"I need to get to the Royal Capital," he said.

"The Capital?!" asked Aang, lowering his voice. "Are you serious? I know you don't like the Firelord or maybe not...but that is suicide!"

"I'm not thinking about assassinating the Firelord...I want to check out the Royal Archives, it houses some papers and documents I need to check out," replied Zhan. "I just need to get close enough to the Calderra...nothing much."

"Is this important?" asked Aang.

"Yes..." he sighed.

"Alright. I think I can help you..." replied Aang.

XXX

"How much farther?" asked Aang, flying Appa through the night sky.

"It should soon appear on the horizon," replied Zhan, putting on his signature claws.

"I see something," said Aang, as a non-active volcano started to appear.

"That's it. Put us down somewhere," he replied as Aang took them down. Landing near a clearing.

"What are you looking for?" asked Aang, as Zhan jumped off Appa, wearing the same black clothes Azula and Katara had worn.

"Some important information," he said, covering his face. "Stay hidden."

Arriving at the Capital City, things were mostly quiet and dark - having guards posted at every spot in the city, so he'd have to hope the guards still sticked to their regular schedule and position, that he knew from his time here.

Being this close to the Capital and Firelord was a danger in itself - one false move or sound, and everything would go downhill fast or worse.

He was grateful for his lucky star that the Royal Archives, which housed the most important documents and military information relating to the war, wasn't kept in the Palace - because getting in there, would be suicidal. However the Archives weren't a welcoming place either: guarded by Royal Firebenders, and having more locks and mechanism than on an airship.

'Time to get to work,' thought Zhan, examining the lay-out, before making his move.

Jumping from one building, onto the Archive' roof. Slowly making his way through the roof, careful to avoid the patrolling guards. Then getting the chance, to get in through a nearby window - then going down several floors until he reached the Archives.

'Let's see now: land, sea...skirmishes, battles...engagements...raids,' he thought to himself. Finding what he was looking for soon enough and unlocking the cabinet containing it, with a mix of few careful lockpicking and two good hits. 'Gotcha!'

As Zhan read through the scroll he was after - he felt more distaint and angry on what he was reading; stopping before he got to the end, he got what he wanted. Placing the scroll back, where it was before and leaving the Archives - through the window, onto the roofs and out of the city; making his way back towards Aang.

"So...found what you wanted?" asked Aang, as Zhan returned.

"More or less..." he sighed, getting back onto the bison. "But I need to visit another place, a quarter day flight away. You can return to camp, if you want. I can walk from here."

"No chance. If we came this far...we might as well see it through," said Aang, taking them to the skies. "What are we looking for anyway?"

"A dark secret," he replied death-calmly, hinting at the seriousness of their mission.

XXX

Back at the group' camp as the others woke up, they started to notice soon, that two people were missing.

"Aang?!" yelled Katara, looking for him. "Aang!"

"Katara? What's wrong?" asked Zuko, waking up to the yelling.

"Aang is missing!" she replied.

"Are you serious?" he asked, getting up. "He couldn't of just disappeared!"

"What's with the noise?" asked Azula, getting out of her tent.

"Aang is gone," said Zuko.

"That's weird, Zhan has gone somewhere as well - I was only left with a note next to me," said Azula, pulling out a note from her pocket.

"Let me see that!" said Katara, taking the note and starting to read it. "Dear Azula, went searching with the Avatar. Back later...great."

"Looks like everyone is going on a journey nowadays," said Zuko.

"Uh...nevermind. False alarm," replied Katara, handing back the note. 'What a morning!'

XXX

"How far are we?" asked Aang, as they flew through the sky.

"Its a little farther, here..." said Zhan, pointing at the farthest, north-eastern place on the Fire Nation.

"That's a long way, and there doesn't seem to be anything there!" replied Aang.

"Exactly!" he replied, starting to sharpen his claws - because things might get dangerous soon.

It took them the better half of the day, to fly from point to the other: avoiding air patrols and switching between, while one ate or slept - arriving at their location, at noon.

"We're here!" said Zhan, pulling Appa into a clearing.

"What are we looking for?" asked Aang, getting off Appa.

"That I'm guessing," said Zhan, pointing at a cliffside - which had a metal structure built into it.

"What is it?" asked Aang, eyeing the place.

"Nothing good I'll tell you. Well hidden place, no disturbance on the surface, or other signs, that indicate this is a Fire Nation facility," he explained.

"What now?" asked Aang.

"You stay here!" he said.

"What?!" replied Aang suprised. "I...thought, we were going together?"

"Listen...Aang. I don't know what is in there or made there - I do know I'll be able to sneak in and go around alone, better than with you," he explained. "And we can't risk something happening, in that enclosed space."

"So...what will I do, when you go look around?" asked Aang.

"Keep hidden and keep watch for any reinforcements - try to stop them, if you can. If I am not back by dusk...then you can come looking or get help," he said.

"Not a chance. See you at dusk...hopefully or not," replied Aang.

"Alright. Gimme a good boost - straight into there!" he said. Aang giving him a boost via an earth pillar and an added air-boost.

"Is it just me? Or do people want to keep me in a protective moss-ball?" asked Aang from Appa, who just shaked.

XXX

Zhan soon landed onto the rocky cliffside, no worse than usual, albeit having to climb a bit to reach the nearby pipe. Eyeing the structure up-close he could see it had been built during Ozai' time, judging by the lack of corrosion and polished metal.

'One, two, three!' he counted in his head, then jumped onto the pipe and climbing into it - a disposal pipe, judging by the stench. "Disgusting!"

Zhan soon went several metres inside, then had to climb up, several metres vertically - all while trying to avoid puking, due to the smell. Yet soon he reached a dead-end, a locked hatch as he tried to push it open.

"Great!" he said, stuck in a annoying place.

"...hurry up, with that..." came a sound, from beyond the pipe.

"...I am...this stinks..." replied another voice, dragging something along.

"...quit complaining...alright...opening the hatch...do it quickly!" replied the previous voice. Soon coming to where Zhan was and started to turn a valve above - to unlock it. "Now...! What the-"

"Knock, knock!" interrupted Zhan, giving the shocked guard a kick to the face, followed by a knock-out punch to the second guard. Then he realized, where he was - the sewage treatment part of the facility. "Stinks like shit!"

Zhan soon made his way out of the nasty place, being careful to look for any patrols, before opening the door - it looked more like a jail, hearing no machinery or gears turning.

'I got a bad feeling about this,' he thought, slowly sneaking through the place and sticking close to the walls - keeping an eye and ear out for any guards.

Continuing through the facility, he soon came upon a door - Guard Post.

Peeking inside, he soon saw a single guard behind a desk, writing something.

'Excellent!' thought Zhan, slowly opening the door and readying his claws. Then in a blink, he was on the guard - pinning him to the floor, and blades on his neck. "Scream and you'll be short a head - now tell me. What is this place?!"

"I...I can't tell you...the Warden, he will...have my head!" replied the shocked guard. Being face first on the floor, knee on his back and ten blades on his neck - not a good day.

"I'll have it first! Now speak..." replied Zhan, increasing pressure.

"Okay, okay! This is a Testing facility..." said the guard.

"What kind?" asked Zhan.

"The one...you don't speak, hear or want to know about..." replied the guard, before being knocked out.

'Seriously...' thought Zhan, looking around the guard's study - finding numerous transfer documents and other equipment requests of the kind. Soon smashing apart the desk - this place was Testing facility alright, for weapons on living beings. 'Darkness...consume you...Ozai!'

As soon he exited and locked the door, he made his way downstairs - to the Armory.

"Halt! Who goes there?!" asked two stationed firebenders.

"A monkey..." replied Zhan, slashing at them with his claws, then knocking them out. Then kicking open the Armory' door - helping himself to a couple of explosives there.

'Time to bring some light here!' he thought, igniting an explosive and chucking one into the Armory - blowing it up and alerting half the facility.

"Have some sunshine!" said Zhan, chucking a second explosive into a group of charging guards - taking them out easily. Then making his way towards the cell's.

"We have a breach...I say-"

"Nighty-night!" said Zhan, knocking out the cell-controller. Then opening all of the facilities cells and doors - unleashing the dozens of prisoners on the guards.

Eliminating the controls with the final explosive - having sabotaged the Armory, a quarter of the guards and any chance of locking-down this place.

Soon making his way through the fighting of the place - the prisoners were bent on getting out of here, as they didn't stay or fought for long in one place.

'Good, escape!' he thought, as he soon arrived at the cell he was looking for - a blue horizontal line running across it.

Entering it he found a woman suspended by chains, her body beaten and injuried, yet her face having a familiar look to him. Soon unlocking her chains and bringing her down - she was weak and unconscious, but alive.

"Time to go...home," he said to the woman, wrapping her in the damp bed-cloth and starting to carry her out of the horror of this place.

XXX

"Do you think we should go in?" asked Aang, having been waiting for an hour - Appa merely growling at his question. "I know boy, he said to wait till dusk..."

Aang' boredom was soon interrupted by a larger explosion going off and two smaller ones following.

"That isn't good!" said Aang, as he heard the explosions and eyed the place. After a couple of minutes, a group of people soon started to appear from above and starting to run in various directions. It was after ten minutes, until one last figure appeared but he wasn't running, just casually walking towards him and carrying something.

"Zhan? Hey...was that you?" asked Aang, as Zhan walked past him and carrying a woman, wrapped in a bed-cloth. "Who is that?"

"Yes that was me. Adding to my further statement, you don't need to know what that place was - just that it was VERY bad!" said Zhan, placing the woman aboard Appa. "And her? You wouldn't believe me, if I told you..."

XXX

As dusk was approaching Katara was getting more nervous - she didn't know were they went or for how long. At the moment, she was trying out some waterbending techniques to calm her nerves.

"Katara..." came voice, her brother Sokka.

"Yes Sokka? What is it?" she asked, breaking her practice.

"They're back!" said Sokka, to which Katara immediately got up and ran over to the campsite. "AANG!"

Aang had barely enough time to turn around, before getting caught in Katara' hug.

"Goodness' sake! Where did you go?" asked Katara, going from cheery to sour in a blink.

"I...well...we...oh...it's hard to explain, you'll just have to see it yourself," said Aang.

"See what?" asked Katara.

"Metal's and Twinkletoes brought a woman here," said Toph.

"A woman?" asked Katara, suprised and worried.

"You'll just have to see it," said Aang, taking Katara' hand and leading her into her and Aang' tent. There Zhan was kneeling infront of someone, her body laid out and covered by a bed-cloth.

"Zhan?" asked Katara, catching the boy' attention, who had a smile on his face. "Where did you two go? And who is she?"

"Aang...hold her..." said Zhan to Aang, who held Katara by her waist.

"And why is this needed?" asked Katara, annoyed.

"So you don't hurt yourself...Katara..." he said, moving a little, so she could see the woman' face.

As soon Katara took a look at the woman - her legs almost gave way, her world shook still, she felt dizzy and the shock on her face undeniable.

"I take it as a yes?" asked Zhan, looking at Katara.

"Y...ye...es..." muttered Katara and nodding her head rapidly, barely holding her tears and shock. Before her stood a woman, from her own tribe, her own blood, her own mother - Kya.

"U..ghhh..." came a voice, from the lying female, half-opening her eyes and looking right at Katara. "Ka...t...ra?"

"Yesyesyesyes!" said Katara, as her walls came down and her tears flowed freely in streams, by now holding onto Aang. "...mom..."

"I can say, that the place I found her is destroyed and everyone freed," said Zhan, as he helped Katara closer. "She is injured, malnourished and weak, it isn't much I know bu-"

"...thankyou...thankyou..thankyou.. thankyou..." interrupted Katara, hugging Zhan and crying louder into his chest.

"Your welcome!" he replied, patting her on the back. "I'll leave you two alone."

"What's wrong with my sister? What did you do?!" asked Sokka, as Zhan stepped outside and Katara' crying could be heard outside.

"See for yourself," replied Zhan.

"I swear if yo-"

"3...2.." counted Zhan, before he heard the thud - caused by Sokka fainting. "Well that was fast."

"What happened?" asked Azula, stepping outside her tent.

"Well...me and Aang, we kinda rescued Katara' mother," said Zhan.

"You...you're kidding right?!" asked Azula, shocked still by the news.

"You hear the crying?" asked Zhan, still hearing cries of extreme joy. "It's the truth. Go inside and I'll explain."

"How?! How is this possible?" asked Azula, sitting onto her bed.

"Well it started after you came back: you mentioned Katara' mother being killed, and close-by her home. Well as much as I remember about history - Azulon and...Ozai...had conducted a policy of capturing waterbenders, not killing them. The Southern Raiders, had the largest equipment and supplies needed to capture and transport waterbenders," spoke Zhan. "So why would they change tactics now? How did they even know, that there was one waterbender left?"

"How did you find out?" asked Azula, as Zhan lied down.

"I started to suspect, when you mentioned burned, killed not captured and the last waterbender. The Southern Raiders worked in multiple groups?" asked Zhan, to which Azula nodded. "Then why go through all that trouble, to kill waterbender?"

"Unless..."

"Unless they planned to capture her," added Zhan. "The false trail, and full-burned body was a tiny give-away."

"A traitor maybe? A source?" asked Azula.

"Possibly. The traitor might've been left as a decoy, to prevent anyone from looking for her..." spoke Zhan. "...and trust me...from where I found her - it's best knowing you killed her, rather than take her there."

"And what about the Southern Raider? Yon Rha?" asked Azula.

"Did you ever, ask him full-on if he killed her mom? Did he even have the look, to burn somebody entirely? A mother?" asked Zhan, to which Azula shook her head to. "Exactly. And by far, I'd think the Firelord's rage would be frightening, than a waterbenders revenge..."

"I must say...I am impressed," said Azula, smiling at him.

"It was a long-shot at best and a dangerous one," he added.

"Yet you succeeded and I'll bet somebody, will be very grateful soon or is," said Azula, climbing onto his chest.

"Katara or...you?" he asked.

"How about both?" replied Azula, kissing him.

It would take some time, for Katara to gather herself, but Azula was certain they could find a way to occupy their time.

XXX