deleonjh | The Traitor – Chapter 1 (Reply)

What a great place! The Freedom Fighters had an awesome hideout and everyone here was the best! Aang laughed as he watched his new friends talking and having fun around the dinner table. It was great being around so many people his age, and for a brief second he recalled being at the Southern Air Temple again with all of the Airbender novices. Of course, the Southern Air Temple had only been this much fun before he'd found out he was the Avatar, before his friends had started to avoid him, before the Fire Nation – Aang quickly changed his thoughts to another subject.

His new friends and his less-new friends looked to be getting along well. Katara especially was hitting it off with Jet, the leader of the Freedom Fighters. Then again, she got on well with everyone. She was just great that way.

Suddenly he heard happy shouts of surprise and turned to see an older boy in a rice farmer's conical straw hat being led to the dinner table by a group of younger Freedom Fighters. His guides were all shouting questions at him. "Lee's back! What adventures have you had, Lee?" "How many Fire Nation soldiers did you take out, Lee?" "Did you bring us anything, Lee?"

"Welcome back, Lee!" shouted Jet. "Now we've got another reason to celebrate. Come on guys, clear a space and let's get some food into him!"

Jet's followers led him to the head of the table to sit with Jet, placing him with Aang's group as well. Lee took off his hat as he sat down beside Aang, and the young Airbender tried not to stare as he saw the burn scar covering the left part of Lee's face.

"What are you celebrating, Jet? Is this a welcome feast for your new recruits?" asked Lee as he indicated Aang and his friends.

"Oh no, we're only passing through," said Katara. "We're happy to help Jet and everyone while we're here, though."

"You see Lee, we're celebrating a victory over a Fire Nation patrol group. We won with the help of these guys," said Jet. "These are Katara and Sokka from the Southern Water Tribe. Katara's a waterbender and Sokka's a great fighter. That little guy flying around is Momo. And this—" here Jet paused dramatically, "—is Aang, the Avatar."

Lee set down the bowl of rice he'd been holding to his mouth. "Really," he said calmly, though it was obvious from the way he'd stiffened up that he'd been rather shocked at the news. He was probably trying to maintain his macho image as a man of few words.

"Wild, isn't it? I almost freaked out when I saw Aang airbending earlier. We stumbled upon them when they were attacking that Fire Nation patrol I told you about. Guys, this is Lee, he's a scout and spy who takes up with us whenever he's in the neighbourhood. He goes around and helps whatever resistance fighters he can find. I've been trying to recruit him for a while but he like the lone wolf thing too much."

Lee said nothing for a long moment as he calmly considered Aang's group. He stared at Aang for a little while before asking, "Shouldn't you be like a hundred years old?"

"Yeah, I was wondering about that," added Jet.

"Oh," said Aang in embarrassment, "It's kind of a long story."

"Hey, we're not going anywhere," said Jet while smiling genially at Aang. "Sit back, grab a fruit punch and tell us all about yourself."

Aang gave what he hoped was not a strained smile as he took Jet's suggestion and started his story. Jet made the appropriate noises while Lee simply watched him calmly. There was something a bit off about the scarred boy but Aang couldn't put his finger on it. Forget it, he's just one of those standoffish types, thought Aang. I'm sure he's perfectly fine once you get to know him.

Damn that bastard Jet! The smarmy jerk had convinced Aang and Katara that he was a good guy but Sokka knew better. He was positive that the old man they'd jumped in the forest before had not had a knife. Honestly, how could such an old guy ever be an assassin? He'd done nothing but cower during the entire encounter before Jet and the others had taken off with the guy's stuff. They might have even taken the old man's life if Sokka hadn't been there.

Well, Sokka would just have to get evidence that Jet was a bad guy, which was why he was now following Jet through the woods. What were he and his friends doing carting around barrels of blasting jelly through the forest in the middle of the night? Very suspicious.

Sokka saw Jet and his lieutenants pause in a clearing and talk. He inched forward carefully and eavesdropped. What the hell, they were going to blast the dam and kill everyone in the town just to get the Fire Nation barracks? Those evil jerks, he'd get Katara and Aang and they'd stop this thing.

Suddenly Longshot and Smellerbee came out behind some trees and cornered him. Longshot had his bow nocked and pointed at him while Smellerbee had her knives out; she looked on the verge of saying something clever and gloating when a shadow dropped out of the branches above and knocked the two unconscious. Sokka blinked and in place of the shadow saw Lee, Jet's weird friend with the face.

"Shh," he whispered. Sokka frowned in confusion but decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. The two of them carefully snuck away until they were a safe distance from the Freedom Fighters.

Lee started the conversation. "I knew something weird was up, I offered to help Jet with whatever it was he was up to but he said I should just take a load off, it was just the same old stuff and a soldier should know when to rest. Jet must have known I wouldn't stand for his plan. I guess you got suspicious too?"

Sokka nodded wordlessly. "So how do we stop them?"

"There are too many of them escorting the blasting jelly, maybe we could do it if Jet wasn't there but he and I are too evenly matched, that would leave you to fight four against one. Not good odds for anyone."

"Well, they have to split up eventually, right? Jet needs to get Aang and my sister to bend the water and fill up the dam while the others light the explosives when they get the signal."

"Okay, I can take out the explosives crew just in case, why don't you tell your friends what Jet's plan is so they don't help him?"

"I thought about that but they might not believe me without evidence, they really listen to Jet. And his crew might stop me before I get to them anyway."

"Yeah, Jet's a smooth talker. So what are you going to do, then?"

"I'll go down to the town and warn the people to get out."

Lee regarded him with surprise. "Huh, I hadn't thought of that. I like it, very outside the box. But the townspeople might not believe you."

"I've still got to try. Well, good luck with your end."

"You too, see you afterwards." The two exchanged quick nods and left on their respective missions. No way would they let Jet win today.

"We're striking a blow against the Fire Nation today, Katara. Your brother might have escaped but he can't stand against the crew I sent with the blasting jelly." Katara had frozen Jet to a tree but he still spoke calmly, as if everything was still going according to plan. He made a bird call which was quickly answered, and a flaming arrow shot out over the valley.

"That's the signal, Katara. It's too late now."

"You monster!" Katara drew up even more water to throw at Jet. He ignored her to stare out over the valley. "Why isn't the dam blowing up yet?" he asked in bewilderment.

A boomerang came out of the sky to knock out Longshot and Smellerbee. "Sorry Jet, we took out your little friends," said Sokka as he came down from the sky on Appa. "And I warned the townspeople so your plan would have failed anyway. Face it, you lost."

'We'? Lee was with him! "Lee, how could you help him?" asked Jet in surprise.

Lee jumped down from Appa and helped Aang to his feet. Then he rushed forward and broke Jet's nose. "There's a line, Jet, a line you don't cross. Have you forgotten what you're fighting for?" He looked at Jet in disdain.

"I'm fighting for revenge! I'm fighting to make them bleed! I'm fighting to kill them!" Lee shook his head and turned away.

"Hey Lee, do you need a ride?" asked Sokka. Katara and Aang had joined him on Appa. Lee looked up and considered the trio riding on the sky-bison. "I'm not joining you, I'm getting off at the next town. I don't do the team thing, you've seen what happens."

"I hear you, but we can at least spare you a long walk," answered Sokka.

"Where do you think you're going, Lee?" shouted Jet. "You can't run away from what you are. I've seen you when you're fighting the Fire Nation, you hate them as much as me. You'd do anything to hurt them!"

Lee paused as he started to mount Appa. "I'm Fire Nation, Jet, have you forgotten?" He looked up to see if Sokka still wanted him to climb aboard. Sokka said nothing but just reached down to help him up.

"You were born there, that doesn't make you one of them," continued Jet. "You enjoy fighting them, you enjoy killing them. You're just like me, Lee! Do you hear me?"

Lee and his temporary companions ignored Jet as Appa began to fly away. Jet shouts continued to echo across the valley.

"You can't run from yourself, Lee! You're just like me, do you hear me? You're just like me!"

They flew onwards into the sky. No one said anything for a long time.