Chapter 5 – The First Avenger Part 1

When the Hundred Year War began, the Avatar had died. The world had entered a dark age that would not come to pass for a long time, the spirits and the old gods had abandoned the Earth. Fire Lord Sozin had invaded the Earth Kingdom, had annihilated the Air Nomads, pushed the Southern Water Tribe to the point of extinction and kept hitting the Northern Water Tribe with relentless invasions. The Earth King desperately contacted the Northern Water Tribe Chief in order to create a protector against the Fire Nation. A Super Soldier.

Ba Seng Sei, Earth Kingdom

"What you ask, Earth King, is impossible! We do not have the technology for such things!" The Chief said.

"Relax, Chief of the Northern Water Tribe, Sozin moves fast and quickly." The Earth King said calmly. "He has already conquered many city-states within the Earth Kingdom."

"And we have lost contact with our sister tribe in the south." The Chief said, looking at the ground. "But what you ask is craziness."

"Maybe so, but do we have a choice?" The Earth King asked. "The Earth Soldiers can only do so much, even with the aid of the Water Warriors and Benders; the Fire Nation Armada is just too strong."

Then out of the Meeting Room, where the Generals and the Earth King met to discuss the military's needs and where to plan war tactics and games, a young Earth Sergeant came running out.

"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The sergeant said.

"What is it, sergeant?" The Earth King asked, with an annoyed tone in his voice.

"News from the front, sir, Omashu and Lutvia are being hit pretty hard and the cities outside Ba Seng Sei have fallen." The sergeant read the report.

"By the spirits…" The Water Chief said, with a hopeless voice.

"Who's leading the siege?" The King asked the sergeant.

"The Fire Nation brigade is being led by General Zemo and Brigadier General Shider, better known as 'Red Face'." The sergeant revealed.

"Zemo and Red Face…are they still advancing?" The King asked.

"No, we have stopped them outside the region, they are retreating." The sergeant said.

"What about Omashu and Lutvia, we can't lose them." The King said.

"Omashu is still being besieged and we lost contact Lutvia about two hours ago." The sergeant revealed.

"You hear, Chief? We are currently holding, but without the Avatar the only city that will hold is this one." The Earth King told the Northern Water Chief.

"Hmph…you are right. I will send the best healers and doctors to aid yours, Earth King." The Water Chief said. "Do what you must, save the Earth Kingdom."

The Chief left and accompanied by his Elite Water Bender Warriors back to the monorail system, so they could exit Ba Seng Sei. The Earth King was confident that his plan would work, but he would need volunteers.

One Week Later

In the middle ring of Ba Seng Sei, lived a man by the name of Laobing. His appearance differed from the other citizens of Ba Seng Sei and that of the Earth Kingdom. Since he was the son of a Fire Nation immigrant and a Earth Kingdom woman, his skin tone was paler than those who lived in the kingdom. His hair was lighter in color than those around him, light brown; it was almost the rare yellow color. He was rather skinny, and he had just turned 23 years of age.

Laobing had always tried to enlist in the Earth Kingdom Army, but was always rejected due to his small size, skinny body and being unable to earthbend or bend at all. But he tried and tried to enlist but couldn't, he wanted to serve his kingdom, but he was once again rejected in his fourth time.

"Oh come on, buddy, you can always stay and be my supporter." Laobing's friend, Tao, better known by his nickname 'Buck" said.

"You can say that, you have been enlisted." Laobing said.

"Listen, its better if you stay here, that way you get to have all of the girls around here, heh." Buck said, trying to lighten up the mood.

"Still, I should be out there, fighting the Fire Nation with you and the others." Laobing said.

"Maybe you will, good things happen to do who want to do what's right." Buck said.

That statement only encouraged Laobing to keep trying; maybe he will get lucky and get chosen to fight for his nation.

That night, Laobing had entered another recruitment center. He applied once more and tried his luck. There was one man, a water bending doctor and shaman, his name was Tenk. He looked to be about the age of sixty; his skin was the tan tone that all that came from the Water Tribes had and white hair. He looked at Laobing's application; he was that he had been rejected four times before. He looked at the young man, who looked too frail to be a soldier. He approached Laobing and told him to follow him.

They entered a medical room, Laobing though that he was finally chosen, and then he was asked some questions.

"So, you want to be a soldier?" Tenk asked.

"Yes." Leobing responded.

"I see, do you want to kill Fire nation soldiers?" He once again asked.

"Is this a test?" Leobing asked once he noticed what was going on.

"Yes." Tenk responded to the young skinny man's question.

"I don't want to kill anyone. I don't like bullies; I don't care where they're from." Leobing said, responding to Tenk's question.

Tenk was surprised by that answer, normally any man who wanted to join the Earth Kingdom's Army responded with an "I want to kill the firebenders!"

"Well, Mr. Leobing, I don't think you should join the army." Tenk said.

"But…" Leobing was about to respond.

"But I think there is something else you could join." Tenk said.

"What is it?" Leobing asked.

Military Camp outside Ba Seng Sei

"You're not REALLY thinking about picking Leobing, are you?" Asked Colonel Chaing, a well-respected officer in the Earth Kingdom Army.

"I wasn't just THINKING about it. He is a clear choice." Tenk responded.

"When you brought a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my army camp, I let it slide. I thought 'What the hell, maybe he'd be useful to you like a gerbil.' Never thought you'd pick him." Said the Colonel.

"You put a needle or anything in that kid's arm it's gonna go right through him." The Colonel said, continuing with his disapproval of Tenk's choice. Leobing was doing ordinary training drills along with other soldiers, he was tired. "Look at that. He's makin' me cry."

"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical." Tenk said.

"You know how much it took the Earth King to get this project get the people's and the military's approval?" The Colonel asked the Water Tribe doctor.

"Yes, I'm well aware of the King's efforts." Tenk answered.

"Then throw me a bone. Hing-Sang passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders - he's a soldier." Colonel Chaing said.

"He's a bully." Tenk quickly responded.

"You don't win wars with niceness, doctor. You win wars with guts." Colonel Chaing said, he turned around and grabbed a hand explosive.

"Explosive!" He yelled as he threw the explosive towards were the soldiers were training; everyone ran away and hid behind something. Leobing quickly took notice and jumped over the explosive.

"Get away!" Leobing yelled as he placed himself on top of the explosive so no one would get injured.

Tenk looked at the Colonel with a 'I told you' face then he walked towards Leobing.

"Don't worry, it's not armed." Tenk told Leobing.

"Was that another test?" Leobing asked as he stood up and cleaned himself up.

"You could say it was, come with me." Tenk said as they walked away.

Everybody else came out of their hiding spot, noticing that it was fluke.

Tojurnkar, Northern Water Tribe

Tojurnkar was a small village that rested on top of an island on the west of the Northern Water Tribe. It was one of the last towns where its inhabitants still held on the believe of the Old Gods of Asgard. In the main mead hall, there was the village chief. He was cleaning up when he heard the sound of fire and crushing force coming from the outside.

Then the doors opened and through them came a young man, he was very desperate.

"De er her, er det Brann Nation her!" the young man yelled in an odd language.

"Få krigerne klar!" yelled the old man in the strange language, but then the gates exploded, crushing the young man.

Through the broken gate walked a man dressed in black and dark red armor. There was a button on his neck collar; it was an octopus with a skull for head.

"Hello, chief of Tojurnkar." The man said.

"You art fire nation! Thy won't obtain what you want!" yelled the old man.

"Please, I understand that you are all savages, but please tone down your voice." The man said. "I come for my superior, General Zemo, has asked me to bring him something of great power."

"It is not here!" The old man yelled.

"Don't lie to me." The man said as he walked towards the other side of the mead hall, on the wall there were runes written all over the place. "It is to our knowledge that the Spirits are not the only divine beings out there."

The Old Town Chief didn't say anything, trying to not reveal the location of their divine gift.

"We know that you have it here…ah…" The man said. "Yggdrasil…the tree of life, guardian of the realms."

"Don't touch that!" yelled the old man once again. The man in black and red just looked back at him and grinned. He then pushed a secret button, it activated the runes on the wall and a small section of the wall opened.

"Here it is…" The man said. "…The Norn Stone."

The stone had various inscriptions on it, possibly magical and divine.

"Destroy the village." The man ordered the soldiers.

"No!" Yelled the old chief.

"Welcome to the war, old man. And to let you know, I am Brigadier General Shider of the Fire Nation!" Shider said proudly as he left the mead hall as it began to be destroyed in flames.

Barracks, Military Camp outside Ba Seng Sei

Leobing and Tenk were talking about what was going to happen the following day now since Leobing had been chosen for the operation. Tenk had brought a bottle of wine with him so they could celebrate.

"Is that for me?" Leobing asked.

"It was, but then I remembered that you can't drink anything until after tomorrow." Tenk said. "But I brought some water."

"Oh well." Leobing said as he grabbed the cup of water. "Can I ask a question?"

"Just One?" Tenk responded.

"Why me?" Leobing asked.

"I suppose that's the only question that matters." Tenk said as he showed Leobing his bottle.

"This is from Katur, my town. It was a town that belonged to the Fire Nation, but was so far north that many waterbenders lived there. So many people forget that the first country the Fire Nation invaded was their own. You know, after the last civil conflict in the nation, they... My people struggled. They... they felt weak... they felt small. Then Sozin gets coroneted and comes along with the marching, and the big show, and the flags, and the, and the... and he... he hears of me, and my work, and he finds me, and he says 'You.' He says "You will make us strong." Well, I am not interested. So he sends the head of the Hydra, his research division, a brilliant scientist and doctor by the name of Joh Shider. Now Shider is a member of the inner circle and he is ambitious. He and Sozin share a passion for occult power and old myth. Sozin uses some of his fantasies to inspire his followers, but for Shider, it is not fantasy. For him, it is real. He has become convinced that there is a great power hidden in the earth, left here by the old gods, waiting to be seized by a superior man. So when he hears about my work and what it can do, he cannot resist. Shider must become that superior man." Tenk explained.

"Did it make him stronger?" Leobing asked.

"Yes, but... there were other... effects. The special liquid was not ready. But more important, the man. The special liquid or serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows... compassion." Tenk answered.

"Thanks. I think." Leobing said.

"Get it, get it. Whatever happens tomorrow, you must promise me one thing. That you will stay who you are, not a perfect soldier, but a good man." Tenk said as he celebrated with Leobing. For tomorrow was the beginning of something marvelous.

The following day: Testing Room, Military Camp

Colonel Chaing along with The Earth King and the Northern Water Tribe Chief and some other military officers assembled to see if all their effort will work.

"Somebody give that kid a sandwich." The Earth King said.

"He's going to be the protector?" The Chief asked.

"Well…yes," Colonel Chaing answered feeling a little embarrassed.

"Let's hope this works." The Earth King said as they all saw what was about to happen.

"Alright Leoning, lay on the testing bed and just be calm." Tenk said to Leoning, and then he turned around to face the others. "Good morning to you all, today we will witness the birth or rather the re-birth of this young man."

"He will be reborn into something else, something marvelous." Tenk said. He turned around and gave the okay to the other doctors. One of them began to inject Leoning with the serum.

"Ugh…I don't like needles." Leoning said.

"Just hold tight." Tenk said. "Alright, now that the serum is inside his body, the only thing needed now is ultraviolet light."

The men started to talk to each other, could sunlight kick off the serum inside, to transform that skinny boy into a super-soldier?

"Earthbenders, remove the roof." Tenk ordered, then the earthbenders around bended the stone roof and allowed the sun to shine inside.

"Uh…I am beginning to feel something." Leoning said. "Okay…my veins are blue."

"It's the serum, its absorbing the light's energy." Tenk said.

"Agh! It….hurts!" Leoning screamed, his muscles beginning to puff, his bones cracking. The Earth King, the Water Chief and the others were shocked at what they were looking at.

"Close the roof, now!" Tenk ordered, the earthbenders quickly closed the stone ceiling. On the testing bed, no longer was a skinny, short and weak man but a tall, muscled and strong man.

"Wow…"Leoning said as he looked at his biceps and stood up from the bed.

"Yes, wow indeed. You are no longer just Leoning…" Tenk began saying. "Now you are the defender of the people, champion of the Earth Kingdom and all the oppressed, you are now…

…The Captain,"

To be Continued