Chapter Text
I’m Sokka. I’m from the Southern Water Tribe, and my life used to be pretty normal. Or sort of normal. Or… well, kinda. Actually, not really. I mean, it was normal for a while, but then the Fire Nation came and… whatever. Let’s just say that I have a pretty good reason to hate the Fire Nation.
What’s important is that one day, my sister and I found the Avatar. I know, crazy, right? He wasn’t even an old man or anything; he was just a kid named Aang. And after that we ran around, all the while chased by the Fire Nation, trying to get to the North Pole so my sister and Aang could learn waterbending. I was hoping to find my dad, who had left to fight the Fire Nation. And I had to protect Katara, ‘cause you know, she needs me.
I kinda thought my life couldn’t get any weirder, what with all the crazy kings and angry firebenders and giant spirit monsters.
Well, I was wrong.
The day started out pretty average. Or, at least, it was as average as life got for us. We were making good progress across the northern Earth Kingdom, but my sister constantly insisted on stopping to practice waterbending. You see, we’d just left the North Pole, where Katara and Aang had been training, and now she was a certified master. You’d think once she became a master she’d chill out for a bit. But no, not Katara. It was like she had to be better than anyone, even Aang!
By that point, we were really far into the Fire Nation territories, and evidence of war was everywhere. Ruined and abandoned towns and cities reared up from the ground, some of them so old they were already decomposing. Aang brought Appa down to one of these, next to a small dam and pool. Once, it was probably used to stock fish for a town but now it was covered with scum and smelled like rotting seaweed. Yuck.
But I guess smelly water is fine for waterbending, since we had no sooner unsaddled Appa than Aang and Katara went to it. They practiced their waterbending forms until nightfall, and by the end of the day, Aang’s legs were shaking and Katara could barely lift her dinner to her mouth. Obviously, they picked me to take first watch.
Frankly, I doubted that we even needed a watch. What Fire Nation patrol would be anywhere near this ruin? Everything valuable had long been looted out, and it’s not like it occupied a crucial military position. I thought it was a travesty that I wasn’t allowed to sleep, especially since I was the one who made dinner! I even made a vegetable dish for Aang! It was ridiculous…
I sighed and leaned back, gazing up at the stars. And the moon.
It’s a long story.
Anyway, I was thinking about the stars (and her eyes) and the constellations (and her hair) and the stories around them (and her lips). The stars in the northern hemisphere were different than the ones I had grown up with, and I wasn’t quite sure how to navigate by them.
After a while, my eyelids began to grow heavy. I began to think: Ah, what did it matter? How could you navigate with these stars? They move around too much, all glowy and colorful…
Wait a minute. Colorful, moving stars? Stars didn’t move like that, so unless I’d already fallen asleep and was dreaming, there was something definitely wrong.
Suddenly, I felt wide awake. I sat up and stared. No, I wasn’t imagining it. A huge blue star was moving around, flashing crazily right above me. My mouth dropped. What in the world was that?
“Guys!” I hissed. “Guys! Something’s happening!”
“Hwazza?” said Aang, yawning and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “Fire Nation?”
“No, I… I have no idea.”
“Oh, wow,” said Katara, staring at it as she stood up slowly. “It’s beautiful.”
Aang got to his feet, staring at the light. “I… I think it’s coming closer.”
The three of us stood together, not quite sure what was going to happen. Aang picked up his stick and I scrambled for my boomerang. And as the glowing shape came closer, it was revealed as… well…
The only things I had ever seen that even came close to it were the Fire Nation warships, all shiny metal and thrumming engines. But other than that, I didn’t really have a reference. I had no clue what I was looking at.
It looked… sorta like a giant scorpion-bee. It had a body, I guess, and wings, sorta, though they didn’t flap. And it had a tail, like a scorpion bee. And it was all metal, with glowy blue bits.
By that point, I would almost have preferred that it was a Fire Nation machine. Because this… thing, whatever it was, was way freakier than anything I’d seen from them. Of course, being the great warrior I am, I was ready to fight it anyway.
As it got closer, all of my danger sensing hairs prickled. “It’s gonna land,” I whispered.
And it did land, touching the ground with a quiet crunch.
We stood there for another moment, waiting for it to do something. Aang was the one who stepped forward, staff at the ready. You know, ‘cause he’s the Avatar. Handling weird stuff is in his job description or something.
“Hello?” he called. “Hello?”
<Hello.>
I blinked. I knew I had just heard someone say ‘hello.’ But at the same time, no one had said anything. It was like a voice inside my head, with no sound. I looked at Katara. Her eyes were like saucers.
“Aang,” I said, and my voice was not strangled with fear (okay, maybe a little). “Maybe you shouldn’t go up to the weird flying mind-talky thing?”
“No, Sokka, I think it’s a spirit,” replied Aang, his eyes wide. “And it’s hurt. See, it’s burned.”
He pointed, and yeah, there were deep, melted burn marks on its… um… front-part. My first thought, which believe me made much more sense than the truth, was that it had been attacked by the Fire Nation.
“Are you okay?” called Aang. “I won’t hurt you.” He put down his stick and held out his hands, to show he was unarmed (not, of course, that it mattered with Aang).
<I know.>
“I’m the Avatar. Can I help you? What do you need?”
<Do not be frightened.>
“I’m not.”
Speak for yourself! I thought, because, alright, I’d seen a lot of scary stuff (like the Fire Nation attacking the Northern Water Tribe, or giant Canyon Crawlers, or Aang in the Avatar State), but this thing? It was terrifying not because I knew what it could do to hurt us, but because I didn’t.
A thin arc of light appeared, like a doorway lit from within, opening slowly in the smooth side of the thing. I stood there, thinking how I had to protect Katara and keep her safe from the whatever-it-was, so I stepped in between her and it. The opening grew, like a crescent moon at first, then a full, bright circle.
And out stepped a…
Well, I guessed it was a spirit. It wasn’t all that much stranger than Hei Bai, to tell you the truth. The weirdest part was that it had no mouth.
It had four legs with hooves, and a body like a foxalope, and two arms and a head kinda like a person, except for the lack of mouth and the three slits for a nose. Also, it had eyes on stalks like an octoslug, coming out of the top of its head, in addition to these big green eyes that were where you’d expect them to be. The spirit was blue, all over, and had a really long tail, with a sickle at the end. The sickle looked sharp. And you know… deadly.
Then, it staggered, and fell to the ground. Aang immediately went to its side, and I saw Katara run over and kneel down. “No! Katara!” I said. “That thing could be dangerous!”
“Sokka, it’s hurt! Look, its side is all burnt up.”
The spirit’s side did look pretty burnt-up, but frankly that wasn’t what I was worried about at that moment.
“But Katara…”
“It’s a spirit, Sokka! We need to help it!”
<You cannot help. I am dying.>
This spirit’s voice was not like Hei Bai’s. Hei Bai, at least, had the decency to roar out loud where I could hear it properly.
Aang gasped. “What? No, please! Let us help you. What… what should we do?”
“I’m a healer,” stated Katara without preamble. “Show me where it hurts and I’ll-”
<No. I am dying. There is nothing you can do.>
Then, just for an instant, I felt it. The pain, I mean. From the spirit. It was awful, and I found myself approaching the creature, even sheathing my boomerang. I guess… I felt sorry for it, but at the same time I figured that since it was so badly injured, it couldn’t hurt us. Much.
Katara quickly drew up some mucky water from the stock pond and pressed it to the spirit’s side. It closed its big eyes in what I assume was gratitude.
<Thank you. But please. I have to warn you.>
It sounded like bad news was coming, and, judging by the looks on Aang’s and Katara’s faces, I didn’t think any of us wanted bad news.
“What is it?” asked Aang, sounding like he didn’t want to know the answer.
<There are others coming. Yeerks.>
“Yeerks?” I said it out loud. It was a weird word, and it didn’t sound pleasant. “What’s a Yeerk?”
<They are aliens. Beings not of this world. From the stars.>
I frowned inwardly. He could have just said ‘spirits’ and been done with it. I mean, there was a time I wouldn’t have believed it, but a lot of things have changed, after meeting Aang.
“And the Yeerks are coming?” This was Aang. Of course, he would take it all in stride, being the Avatar and all.
<Yes. They have come to destroy you.>
There was a quiet moment, through which I could only silently curse. The Fire Nation was taking over the world, the comet was coming at the end of the summer, and now? Now we have a freakin’ invasion from the Spirit World!
“What do you mean?” asked Aang, his voice cut through with anxiety. How could I blame him? Spirit World stuff is his responsibility, after all.
<The Yeerks are different. They are not like you or I. They have no body. They live inside other species. They are…>
The spirit seemed to be at a loss for words. So it closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. Suddenly a picture popped into my head. I saw a gray-green, slimy thing like an octoslug, only no tentacles. I grimaced. It wasn't a pretty sight.
<They are almost powerless without hosts. They- >
There was another blast of pain from the spirit, making me twitch. There was also a feeling of sadness, and despair. I felt another spike of pity for it. After all, Spirits were people too. Well, not really. But close enough.
“I’m so sorry,” babbled Katara, still intent on her healing. “I just- I’ve never seen burns like these before. And your chi is... different. I’m not quite sure how to even start.”
<I do not blame you. But please listen. The Yeerks are parasites. They must have a host to live in. In this form they are known as Controllers. They enter the brain and are absorbed into it, taking over the host's thoughts and feelings. They try to get the host to accept them voluntarily. It is easier that way. Otherwise the host may be able to resist, at least a little.>
“You mean they… possess people?” That was Aang again.
<Yes, in a sense.>
I groaned. An army of spirit monster slugs, taking over your mind? NOT what I had been expecting that morning, not at all.
<We had hoped to stop them,> the spirit continued. <Swarms of their Bug fighters were waiting when our Dome ship came out of Z-Space. We knew of their mother ship and were ready for the Bug fighters, but the Yeerks surprised us - they had hidden a powerful Blade ship in a crater of your moon. We fought, but... we lost. They have tracked me here. They will be here soon to eliminate all traces of me and my ship.>
“Okay,” I said. “Most of that made absolutely no sense, and… wait. Soon? They’ll be here soon? How soon? Like, right now?”
I drew my boomerang and looked around hurriedly, half-expecting the octoslugs to burst from the bushes ready to eat my brain.
<Soon. We do not have much time.>
Katara’s hands went to her mouth in horror, withdrawing her water for a moment. “What do we do?” she asked breathlessly.
The spirit smiled. Don’t ask me how I knew it was smiling, with no mouth. It was something with its eyes. <I sent a message to my home world. We Andalites fight the Yeerks wherever they go throughout the universe. My people will send help, but it may take a year, even more, and by then the Yeerks will have control of this planet. After that, there is no hope. You must tell people. You must warn your people!>
“Warn them that evil spirits are taking over? Oh MAN. You guys really could have chosen a better time for this! We’re kind of in the middle of a war right now, in case you haven’t noticed.”
Aang and Katara glared at me.
“What?” I objected.
I looked back down at the spirit, and was met with two pairs of strikingly green eyes. <Perhaps there is a way to better your chances,> it said. <Go into my ship. You will see a small blue box, very plain. Bring it to me. Quickly! I have very little time, and the Yeerks will find me soon.>
Ship? I looked up at the big, metal object. That thing is a ship? Like the Mechanist's airship?
Aang got up and walked in, while Katara went back to trying to heal the spirit. I continued to glance around, waiting for the Yeerks to arrive.
After a few moments, Aang came back out of the ‘ship,’ holding the box and looking pale. It was a very small box, not much wider across than Aang’s palm. I wondered what could possibly be inside.
“Here,” said Aang, handing the box to the spirit.
<Thank you.>
The spirit held out the box, and we all looked at it. To tell you the truth, other than its bright color it wasn’t much to look at. It was blank, except for some sort of writing around the top. I didn’t know the language.
<There is something I may be able to do to help you fight the Yeerks.>
“What is it? Some kind of spirit weapon?” I asked.
The spirit looked up for a moment, and I felt his confusion, but then he continued. <I know that your planet is undergoing war, and this will be difficult. But I may be able to give you some small powers that may help.>
We all looked at each other. Powers? I was no bender, but if he could help Aang…
<If you wish, I can give you abilities that no other human being has ever had.>
“You mean like… a new kind of bending?” Aang’s eyes were wide.
<No, this is not your ‘bending.’> answered the spirit. <This is a piece of Andalite technology that the Yeerks do not have. A technology that enables us to pass unnoticed in many parts of the universe - the power to morph. We have never shared this power. But your need is great.>
“Morph?” wondered Katara. “What’s… morph?” She looked at Aang, who only shrugged.
<To change your bodies,> the spirit said. <To become any other species. Any animal. You will only need to touch a creature, to acquire its pattern, and you will be able to become it. It requires concentration and determination, but, if you are strong, you can do it. There are . . . limitations. Problems. Dangers, even. But there is no time to explain it all . . . no time. You will have to learn for yourselves. But first, do you wish to receive this power?>
Before I could even process what the spirit was saying, Aang bowed deeply and said; “Thank you, kind spirit. We are honored to receive your gift.”
I looked at Katara, who nodded with fierce determination in her eyes, putting her water away.
“Wait a minute,” I said. “How do we know that this… morphing is even safe to do? You said there were problems and dangers! I’m not about to enter some spirit war without even knowing what I’m doing!”
“You shouldn’t turn down gifts from spirits, Sokka,” said Aang calmly.
<I am no spirit.> said the… not-a-spirit. <But time is short. We must->
The two stalk eyes floating above his head suddenly turned upward, and my gaze followed them. Two bright red stars were moving through the night sky.
<Yeerks,> said the not-spirit, and I could feel his hatred.
Then the not-spirit looked at me again. <There is no more time. You must decide!>
I looked at Aang and Katara, who looked back at me, their expressions hopeful. I groaned, and, though the rational, logical part of my mind protested, nodded. Sometimes, I’ve learned, you just have to accept the impossible.
<Each of you, press your hand against one of the sides of the square.>
I did, as did Aang and Katara. Then the not-spirit did as well, placing a blue, surprisingly delicate hand with too many fingers on top of the box.
<Do not be afraid,> the not-spirit said.
Something like a shock, only not painful, seemed to run through me. A kind of giddy tingly feeling.
<Go now,> the not-spirit said. <Only remember this - never remain in animal form for more than two of your Earth hours. Never! That is the greatest danger of morphing! If you stay longer than two hours you will be trapped, unable to return to human form.>
“Oh,” I said. “Great.”
Suddenly, I felt a wave of fear from the not-spirit. It was looking up with all four eyes now, searching for something.
<Visser Three! He comes.>
It was said with such vehemence and terror that I jumped. “Vis- Visser what?”
<Go now. Run! Visser Three is here. He is the most deadly of your enemies. Of all Yeerks he alone has the power to morph, the same power you now have. Run!>
Aang stood up, and Katara quickly followed. “I’m not running,” he said, his face grim. “You said these Yeerks are possessing people. So we’ll fight them!”
The not-spirit made the smiling eyes again. <No. You must save yourselves. Save yourselves and save your planet! The Yeerks are here.>
“But we can fight!” objected Katara. “I can waterbend, and Aang’s the Avatar! We can help you!” She gripped the lid of her waterskin. I crossed my arms, offended.
The not-spirit turned its large eyes on Aang. <If you are truly the Avatar of this world, then it is even more vital that you survive. You cannot win this battle, as you are. Wait, and you will find the right time. Now, you must go.>
“Aang!” I said, looking up. The two big red lights had been joined by something else. Something enormous and black, blocking out the stars.
Katara looked up, and gasped. She got to her feet and ran, stumbling over the rough ground. Appa was on his feet and bellowing, confused.
“We need to saddle him!” yelled Katara.
“Be quick about it!” I yelled back. I cast my eyes around desperately. “Where’s Aang?”
“I don’t know!”
“Look, see that wall over there? Get Appa behind it!”
Katara nodded and grabbed Appa’s reins, leading him over the rubble.
“Aang!” I called. “Aang, where are you?”
“Right here,” panted Aang. “Sorry, I… I got delayed.”
“Aang, quick, help us saddle Appa.”
The saddle was on him in about two seconds, and we got on.
“Yip yip,” I called, and we took off, Aang looking behind him at the strange not-a-spirit and his ‘ship.’
We weren’t too far away when a light, as bright as the sun but red, blazed into life back where we had left the spirit. Katara gasped.
“Turn around,” said Aang, his hands clutching the rim of the saddle.
I stared at him. “What?”
“Turn-”
“I heard you!”
“Sokka, I think he’s in danger. We need to go back and help.”
“Aang, he wanted us to leave! And when a spirit says ‘go away’ it’s probably a good idea to go away!”
“But-”
“I don’t want to get involved, Aang. This is spirit stuff.”
“No, he wasn’t a spirit.” Aang had that odd look in his eye, the look of being far, far older than he appeared. “He was something else.”
“But he said he was from another world,” objected Katara. “What else could he have meant?”
“He didn’t mean the Spirit World,” insisted Aang. “He meant something else. Something that wasn’t our world or the spirit world.”
“Well, like what?” I asked. The whole thing sounded ridiculous to me.
“I don’t know, but… when I stayed with him, he gave me a vision. He showed me a lot of things, about the Yeerks, and himself, all jumbled up. I’m trying to make sense of it, but… I think there are a lot of worlds. Not just two. And he came from one of those. Up in the sky.”
A shiver ran up my spine. Lots of worlds? How many could there be? Dozens? Hundreds? I suddenly felt very, very small. I didn’t like the feeling.
“Please, Sokka, he needs us.” Aang reached forward for the reins, but I held them out of reach.
I looked back. The red light was still shining, like a fire but unflickering and far brighter.
“Aang… it… it’s not our problem. Let’s go.”
Aang stared back at me, looking hurt as we soared farther and farther away from the strange… creature.
But running away wasn’t going to help.