21: Peta

Staring at the child in front of him, Aaron felt his emotions warring inside.

"How could she have kept this from us?" he whispered. He and Misha might've not seen eye to eye on many things, but to think she'd have kept the birth of her child from him. From the look of the child, he was over a year old. And most important of all, he was an Airbender, and that changed everything.

"She wanted him far away from all of it," the maid said, pulling the child closer. He bopped her nose and laughed, causing Bumi to coo. "She didn't want him dying in your Grandfather's war."

"My grandfather's war?" Aaron's face flashed red. "It's our war. It's for all of the Air Nation, the world even. Have you ever stopped to think about what'd happen if they won? They'll come for the air benders first!"

The maid shrank further back, and little Peta started to cry.

"Then let him stay here, where no one will find him," she said, adamant, and Aaron nearly snorted.

"He'll be safer with the rest of his family." Aaron reached for the child, but she pulled away and shot him a fierce look.

"I won't let you take him. Peta won't be another child soldier."

Aaron's face twitched.

"Every Airbender is a born fighter," Aaron said. "It's in our blood. It is what we've done for 100 years. Misha sent me here to bring him home."

"But he is home!" she yelled. "Look around. Can't you see he has the things you and Misha didn't grow up with?"

Bacgrudginly, Aaron took the house in. The paintings, chairs, wooden toys and play area sparked a strange longing he didn't fully understand.

As rewarding and challenging as fighting for his Nation had been, Aaron hesitated to condemn a child to a life of killing and war. He and the other children in the Air Nation didn't have a traditional family like most of the world. He'd like to think every member had to earn their place. Being lucky enough to be born a bender was only half of it; they had to prove themselves over years of hard work, dedication and training.

There was also the very real possibility of death.

The Air Nation would win the war–of that, he had no doubt– but there'd still be much to do. Palms that needed to be greased, people that needed silencing. Diplomats were essential too. Misha always understood that. Maybe that's why she chose this life.

And it seemed she wanted the same for her child.

Aaron looked back at the child. He'd stopped crying, and now his big curious eyes darted between himself, Sato, and Bumi. He was probably deciding if they were new friends or visitors he should be wary of.

"I don't know if she kept him from Grandfather for so long or whether he allowed it in the first place, but the decision is out of my hands," Aaron said.

"What are you talking about?"

"Master Ren will be in the city soon enough," Aaron said. "And he speaks for my Grandfather. He'll decide what to do with little Peta."

"No," she growled. "You can't take him. He's just a child." Little Peta's cry got even louder.

"Stop scaring him!" Aaron snapped. "You act like I am dooming him to some horrible fate. He'll be showered with love and attention every waking moment, and if all goes well, he won't even remember the war by the time he's old enough."

"What if you're wrong, or the Fire Nation targets him?" she demanded.

"Then we would have utterly failed as a Nation," Aaron said, then turned to Sato and Bumi, who've been mercifully quiet through it all.

"I have another favour to ask you if you'll have me."

The King nodded.

"I need to ensure she stays put until my Father arrives."

"I can assign a squad of men to watch her?" Sato suggested.

"Thank you," Aaron nodded, rubbing his forehead. The noise was grating his ears.

"No," the maid's face fell, and Sato stepped out to make arrangements.

Rocking back and forth, she focused on Peta, whispering sweet nothings to him before turning back to Aaron.

"You never answered my question? What happened to Misha?"

She spoke with more restraint than she'd done through their entire conversation, and it threw Aaron off for a moment.

"There was an incident. The Fire Nation knew they were coming. The kids barely made it out. Misha sacrificed herself."

"No." Her face went white.

"This is your fault," She said slowly. "You came along and pulled her right back in. You sent her to her death."

Her words cut deeper than a knife. "I'm going to get her back, do you hear me?" Aaron half-shouted. "She's not dead, and her son will not grow up without his mother."

The silence was deafening.

"At least tell me you'll let me take care of him," she said, and Aaron noticed King Bumi giving him a passing look.

"I will speak to my Father."

—

Sato didn't follow them back up to the palace, and Bumi, was mercifully quiet the entire way back. The quiet gave room to paranoia until Aaron connected an important dot.

"You must've known about Peta."

King Bumi didn't react.

"Her attending midwife is an Old Paisho rival," he said. "She might've let something slip."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Aaron demanded.

"Because it was none of my business," Bumi said. "I try to keep an eye on the most important people in my city, but I never pry. That's a surefire way to lose your eye!"

Aaron shook his head. "Do you think I should've handled things differently?"

"Kumi came on a bit strong," Bumi said, stroking his chin, "But she did raise some valid points, as did you. None of it might matter if the Firelord is defeated."

"But…" Aaron said.

"But nothing," Bumi returned. "The world is incredibly complex, and there are no clear answers. And as I said, I know better than poking my nose where it doesn't belong."

The King was right that there were no clear answers, but he could not help but feel guilty. Misha had sent a message specifically asking him to protect her child. Omashu was safe enough– it could only mean she was talking about the family.

If she'd somehow managed to hide the child from her Grandfather, the moment Aaron laid eyes on Peta, he outed her secret.

His stomach sunk.

Did she expect him to go against everything he knew and stood for to protect a child he didn't think needed protecting?

Aaron rubbed his forehead. Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

A guard came running up as they came to the King's chambers.

"We have news, my King," he said after offering a customary bow. "It's about the smugglers. We've located their base."

"Finally!" King Bumi clapped. "And here I thought I'd have to find them myself."

"What's going on, your Majesty?" Aaron asked.

"I have it on good authority that someone is trying to make a fool of the brave men who guard the city and me. They're smuggling in crystal powder, spiked alcohol and exotic items to distract our citizens and undermine my authority."

His eyes snapped to Aaron's. "I need for this, little Phantom. I'm calling in that favour you owe me. I want you to find these people and remove them from my city. I'll even pay you for the trouble."

After everything the King had helped them with, Aaron couldn't very well refuse. "I'll get Mark, and we'll get right on it." A good distraction was certainly welcome, as was more silver.

"Good," Bumi nodded. "Zhan here will tell you everything we know, and Sato will be joining you sometime later."

Aaron found Mark standing in the corridor leading up to the large room the King had gifted the Gang. He marched back and forth, muttering to himself, and lit up when he saw Aaron.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here. We've got a lot to talk about. The Gang told me what happened."

"How are they holding up?" Aaron asked.

"As well as you'd imagine. Samir has them spooked." Mark folded his hands. "I thought I had more time. I still can't believe he came out the gate swinging like that. He's playing for keeps!"

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"Samir?" It was the only word that caught Aaron's attention.

"That's the name of our 'enemy.' And judging from the move he's just made, he's looking to cut us off!" Mark growled.

"What did your system tell you?" Aaron demanded.

Mark went quiet for a moment, then spoke.

"I need you to promise me you won't overreact."

Aaron narrowed his eyes.

"What did you do?"

"Aaron?" Mark came out soft, and he pinned Aaron with a look until he reluctantly indeed.

"I promise."

"My system tells me a lot, but not anything I don't already know," he said carefully, watching Aaron's eyes grow wide.

"You always knew? His claims of future knowledge when he first met must've been more in-depth than Aaron thought.

"Yes, I was born with foreknowledge of this world," he admitted, and it took all of Aaron's self-control not to throw something. It was yet another thing the boy was keeping from him. After a few seconds of controlled breathing, Aaron realized that was how Mark operated. He was revealing one of his only trump cards, which meant he was angling for something or something was wrong.

"Why now?"

"Because we might be running out of time," he said. "I was what you'd call a NEET in my former life, and I probably spent too much time watching anim— I mean studying history. Nearly a month ago, I knew how everything would play out, but with the introduction of Samir and me, the timeline has changed significantly."

Aaron's brow creased in thought. "Timeline? Histories? Are you from the future?"

"You could say that," Mark nodded with some hesitation. "But that's small potatoes compared to what I'm about to tell you next. You and the rest of the Air Nation didn't survive in this future I come from."

Aaron felt as though the very earth gave way under his feet. "That's not…possible. Grandfather Paku survived the massacre. Are you saying our cause is doomed to fail?"

Mark quickly waved. "Not what I am saying. What I read is likely just one version of history. What we are living through is another. The Avatar brought back the Air Nation in my version, but your people might help him in this version. What I'm getting at is that he doesn't know a lot about you either, and that means we got an advantage, and I say we exploit that before it disappears by changing things completely."

Aaron had a thousand and one questions, but he knew it was better to remain on topic. "So, how do we do that?"

"Well, we begin by centralizing power and finding the most powerful benders in the world and bringing them to our side," he said. "People like Jon Jon the deserter, Toph Beifong, and powerful waterbenders of the water nation tribe. If we can manage it, I'd like to also invite General Iroh."

Half of the people he mentioned were enemies of their Nation, and the other half were mysteries. "Or, we could just rescue Misha and open Samir's throat on our way out. If what you say is true, he has no idea who he's dealing with," Aaron said. It hurt just standing there and doing nothing while Misha suffered at the hands of some child who thought all of this was just some game.

Mark went pale. "We could also do that…."

Aaron massaged his forehead. "Grandfather must have heard everything you've said and will likely have instructions when my father arrives. Until he comes, I need you to tell me everything you remember about this 'history' you remember."

"Yeah...roger that," Mark said. "I'll never get used to your Grandfather seeing everything through all of your eyes." He leaned forward, peering deeper into Aaron's eyes. "He could be controlling your minds, and none of you would ever know. Not that that Old man doesn't have power enough."

Aaron stepped back. "It's not as much of a bother when you trust him." As far as Aaron knew, his thoughts were his own, and he made all of his decisions, but he admitted that his Grandfather's gaze often got in the way.

He made every decision based on what he'd thought the older man wanted, and so did every person in the Air Nation, and that often meant he didn't explore alternatives.

Normally, it was fine, but Peta's case had him wondering how differently he'd have handled things if he wasn't being so closely watched.

'Handle things,' Aaron thought, 'not handled.' His father was not here yet. He still had time.

"So," Mark said, drawing Aaron back to the conversation. "Should we get the Gang in on this? This could change everything for every single one of them."

"No," Aaron said. "We can't do that. Not yet, at least." Informing the Gang of their future would make them beholden to Mark. Moving forward, he'd have more influence with the Avatar, and Aaron couldn't have that. Mark might've played off the suggestion as innocent, but Aaron knew it was anything but that.

"Your Grandfather needs to decide," Aaron said. Of that, he had no doubts.

Mark rolled his eyes. "Of course."

Aaron cocked his head. "You agreed to become part of the Air Nation, remember? This is how we operate. He's your 'Grandfather' now too."

Mark's face went sour. "I suppose you're right. We wait then."

"But not here; King Bumi has a mission for us."

A screen popped up in front of Mark an instant later. "Apparently, the system has one for us too. Kill Vulcan before he completes his plan. Failure means I lose one level of progress, and success nets me an integrated map and the rest of the schematics for the Wingsuit."

'Decent rewards,' Aaron thought. "Come on then, let's go kill Vulcan."

—-

Zhan briefed them on the particulars of their mission as they rode to the lower city in a carriage provided by the King.

"Omashu has always had a smuggling problem," Zhan began. "During my times serving at the gates, we've confiscated everything from poison wine to cabbages."

"Cabbages, seriously?" Mark raised a brow.

"It's odd, but it's the truth," Zhan insisted.

"Oh, I believe you," he chuckled. "I imagined the smuggler cried, 'my cabbages' when you crushed his cart."

Zhan's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Mark grinned. "Well, you see, I—"

"You were telling us about the smuggling problem?" Aaron said to Zhan, cutting Mark off. The boy pouted. Everything was still a game to him.

Zhao coughed as he straightened out. "Ah yes, the problem has been particularly bad recently. Exotic wines, Fire Nation delicacies, weapons, and just about every other contraband you can imagine are being smuggled into the city, and we know the parties responsible and how they're doing it, but we hadn't been able to pin them down until now."

"What changed?"

Zhan pulled a handkerchief and dabbed his face. "The king personally 'interviewed' each of his guards weeks before you arrived. He was looking for spies."

Aaron leaned in closer. "How many did he find?"

"Just the one, and the pig he found was no master sleuth," Zhan snorted. "He sang before the soldiers laid a finger on him, and he's been drip-feeding us information about their organization. We've been hounding them for weeks, and with his help, we finally have them cornered, and that's why you're here."

"Surely, any other experienced earthbender would've been enough?" Aaron asked.

"But the King didn't want anybody. He needs someone who could ensure their leader doesn't survive," Zhan said.

"Is there something else I need to know?" Aaron thought Zhan was acting a bit skittish.

Zhan looked at him for a moment, then lowered his voice as he spoke. Mark instinctively leaned in.

"The King thinks the Fire Nation attack is coming soon," he said. "And whoever the leader of this smuggling ring is has built up a reputation so terrifying everyone we've captured from his network has kept their mouths shut."

"Everyone talks eventually," Aaron said almost automatically.

"All we've managed to squeeze out of them is a codename—Vulcan," he said. "And they say he melts his victims."

"Still can't get over the name. He sounds like an absolute ray of sunshine," Mark said deadpan, and Aaron's mind worked.

"The King is outsourcing and can't afford instability with a potential war on the horizon."

Zhan nodded and said in a self-assured voice, "but you can handle it. I saw you fight the King, and I don't think any lone bender can withstand the power you can conjure up in a squeeze."

Aaron could think of a few. "I think you're massively underestimating benders and the King. If he were fighting us seriously from the start, he'd have killed us both in a few moves."

Mark shook his head. "I think it's you that's underestimating energy bending."

Zhan gave the boy a strange look, and Aaron couldn't help but wonder if Mark's otherworldly knowledge covered Chi-bending. If it did, shouldn't he be able to practice on his own? Or perhaps they were holes in his knowledge base.

It was an issue Aaron saved for a later time.

"Regardless," Aaron said, facing Zhan. "That power is not something I can just use without consequences. I'll be charging the King triple if he's outside our realm of expectation."

"And what's inside our realm of expectations?" Mark asked.

"Anything that doesn't threaten to end us with a wave of its hands."