Catalyst

Chapter 1: Crossed Blades

Zuko made a mistake.

He knew he had made several disastrous mistakes over the years, but this one was particularly bad, beginning when Jet barged into the teashop at Ba Sing Se. "I've been watching you two!" he accused them, his hooked swords already drawn. "You're firebenders!"

Zuko immediately went into a defensive stance but Uncle touched his shoulder, warning him not to do anything rash. "I do not know what you mean," the old man said, addressing the boy.

"I saw you heat up your tea!" Jet looked around, acting as if everyone in the teashop should have already started to attack the two men in front of him.

A confused Earth Kingdom soldier spoke up, "They make tea. Of course they heat up their tea."

"With fire!" replied Jet, like that was reason enough to attack.

The soldier looked to his friends as if to say, Is this guy stupid or what?

Iroh stepped forward. "Maybe we all can have a nice cup of jasmine tea and talk about this like civilized men."

"NO! I know you're firebenders. I'll just have to make you show it." Jet burst forward to attack with his hooked swords.

Zuko ran to meet him, grabbing the nearby soldier's blade as he passed.

Their swords met quickly and just as quickly came apart. Jet tried to beat around Zuko's single blade with his two, but Zuko was able to parry one and dodge the other, jumping off to the side to create distance between them in the crowded teashop.

"Be careful, Nephew!" called Uncle.

Zuko didn't need to be told. He continued fighting with his sword, making sure not to use a flaming dagger as a quick end to the fight. Usually he wouldn't bother, but until recently he had nothing to lose. Now he and Uncle had a real future at their teashop in Ba Sing Se. Sure it wasn't perfect—and it sure wasn't the palace—but like Uncle once said, there was a simple happiness to this life and there was an as easy rhythm they had fallen into over the days and weeks.

Jet quickly came forward again, slashing with a quick one-two of his blades, each passing inches from Zuko's face before they were parried away. Before Zuko could recover enough to launch his own attack, Jet brought his blades down swiftly, using their curved ends to hook all three swords together and bring the two enemies close together.

Zuko fought to maintain his grip as Jet attempted to leverage the sword out of his hands. One slip and it would be over.

Just as he felt the handle begin to slide from his grasp, Zuko brought his knee up and landed a blow to Jet's diaphragm. With a shove, Zuko separated the blades and himself from Jet's grasp. Jet fell on his back then slowly got up, catching his breath. "Too difficult for you?" he panted. "Maybe you should just finish this."

By this time, people who heard the commotion coming from inside the teashop had gathered at the windows and entrance, pushing each other to see the action. Dai Li agents seemed to fade into view. Onlookers who noticed them slinked off quietly, no doubt thanking the spirits that they weren't the subject of their interest.

Still catching his breath, Jet looked around the shop once more as Zuko waited for him to make his move. There was interest and concern from the bystanders, but no support for Jet's cause. The boy growled in frustration.

Zuko afforded himself a small smile of victory. He's too tired. He can't beat me, he thought, but his eyes remained on Jet.

"I'm sorry we couldn't talk about this. If you leave now, we won't stop you," Uncle advised.

Jet's eyes slid from where they were—fixed on Zuko—to Uncle. His breathing slowed and his body grew still. All signs pointed to him about to attack.

As Zuko came to this conclusion, Jet's arm raised back, preparing to throw one of his hooked swords. A second realization hit him: He was too far away to stop Jet, to stop him from ruining the life they had built together. He couldn't stop him, not without firebending.

The blade was thrown with such force and speed that Zuko almost didn't hit it, even with his bending.

"NO!" was all he cried when a flaming column of fire sparked and grew from his outstretched hand. It was as controlled as a forest fire, but it did its job. The intense heat manipulated the path of the blade enough so that it embedded itself into the wall just to the right of Uncle, but only just.

The whole room was still, save the quiet quavering of the blade as it stuck out of the wall.

This wasn't good.

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It all happened so quickly. Jet sneered, finally victorious, but not for long. The Earth Kingdom soldiers in the shop all stood at once to face Zuko, apparently forgetting that Jet had accused both him and Uncle of being firebenders. Eight Dai Li ran into the shop while everyone else ran out.

Jet looked like he expected to be praised for his work, but instead he had two rock gloves sent his way by the Dai Li. He tried knocking them away, but he was no match for benders surrounded by their element. He fell without a word as one of the earthen gloves fixed itself over his mouth.

No time to ponder his poor decision-making skills, Zuko sent a wave of flame to everyone who wasn't Uncle. The old man was close to the back while Zuko remained near the front with enemies on all sides. If he and Uncle could just make it to the back of the shop, they could escape into the alley, he was sure of it.

The soldiers jumped back to avoid getting burned, but the Dai Li made walls of rock to block the fire and advanced on Zuko.

"Run, Uncle!"

"No!" The man acted like he was about to firebend but his left arm hung lifeless at his side.

Something was wrong. This was all wrong. They needed to go.

Two of the Dai Li broke off to investigate his uncle since he remained behind when everyone else had left. Zuko sent a fireball at them to get their attention on him. Again, they quickly made a wall of rock, but they turned back towards Zuko. Good.

He already knew it was hopeless to escape. The Dai Li created thick, high rock walls and used them as shields while advancing on him. Any damage his fire blasts had on the walls was easily fixed.

"Run, Uncle!" he yelled again, and this time—thank the spirits—the old man actually fell back and ran. If anyone was going to rescue him, it would be him.

The Dai Li now had him on all sides, slow, but always advancing. He did his best to burn and bake and crack the earth but they refused to yield. Finally, it got to be too hot for Zuko and he couldn't breathe as the walls closed around him, and he couldn't firebend if he wanted to. An earthen lid came down and his capture was complete.