After hearing some crazy airbender stories from some guy, the group decided to visit the Northern Air Temple. Once there, they noticed something... rather interesting. There were people there, flying through the air like they were airbending.
"Huh!" Katara exclaimed, "They really are airbenders!"
Aang leaned back and crossed his arms unhappily, "No, they're not."
"What do you mean they're not?" Sokka pointed, "Those guys are flying!"
Kaiden took a closer look, "No... they're not. Gliding, maybe, but not flying."
"You can tell by the way they move," Aang further explained, "They're not airbending. Those people have no spirit."
"Geez," Kaiden said to him, "A bit sore, are we?"
One of the gliders, this one outfitted with a wheelchair, flew past them, the kid laughing.
"Besides," Katara said, pointing, "That kid seems pretty spirited!"
After landing, the kid introduced himself as Teo. He took a closer look at Aang.
"Hey!" Teo exclaimed, "You're a real airbender! You must be the Avatar! I-I-I've heard stories about you!"
Aang looked a bit embarrassed, but brightened up, "Thanks."
Sokka took a look at Teo's wheelchair, "Wow! This glider chair is incredible!"
"If you think this is good," Teo grinned, "Wait until you see the other stuff my Dad designed."
Teo then gave the team a tour. Kaiden could visibly see Aang's disapproval increase the further they went through the temple. It had been transformed into a factory, with pipes blowing steam everywhere. Even Kaiden had to admit that that was pretty disrespectful. And the one time they did find an untouched area of the temple, it was immediately demolished.
"What the doodle!" the mechanist at the wheel of the wrecking ball said, getting off the machine, "Don't you know enough to stay away from construction sites? We have to make room for the bathhouse!"
Aang assumed an airbending stance, "Do you know what you did?! You just destroyed something sacred! For a stupid bathhouse!
The Mechanist waved a hand in front of nose suggestively, "Well, people around here are starting to stink.
Aang glared at the Mechanist, "This whole place stinks!!"
Aang shot some air at the wrecking ball, sending it tumbling down the mountain.
"Woah!" Kaiden yelled, holding Aang back, "Cool it, Aang!"
"This is a sacred temple!" Aang yelled, ignoring Kaiden, "You can't treat it this way. I've seen it when the monks were here. I know what it's supposed to be like."
"The monks?" the man replied, confused, "But you're 12!"
"Dad," Teo told him, "He's the Avatar. He used to come here a hundred years ago."
Aang advanced on the mechanist with each question, "What are you doing? Who said you could be here?"
The Mechanist turned away, "Hmmm... doing here... A long time ago, but not a hundred years, my people became refugees after a terrible flood... My infant son, Teo, was badly hurt and lost his mother."
The mechanist sniffled to hold back tears, "I needed somewhere to rebuild and I stumbled across this place. Couldn't believe it! Everywhere pictures of flying people. But empty! Nobody home! Then I came across these fan like contraptions!"
"Our gliders," Aang guessed.
"Yes, little light flying machines. They gave me an idea. Build a new life for my son, in the air! Then everyone would be on equal ground, so to speak! We're just in the process of improving upon what's already here and after all, isn't that what nature does?"
Aang continued to glare, "Nature knows where to stop."
The mechanist looked through the hole in the wall he just created, "I suppose that's true. Unfortunately, progress has a way of getting away from us."
He looked down in some sadness, then lifted his head back up to look at something, "Look at the time!"
While Sokka stayed with the mechanist to do whatever he was doing, Teo, Aang, Kaiden, and Katara continued on. They managed to find the only spot in the temple that Teo said was untouched. It was a huge door that only an airbender could open. Aang refused to open it, preferring that one part could remain that way. But then Kaiden noticed something.
"Um, guys?" he said, "Why do I smell smoke coming from in there?"
Aang looked a bit startled and decided to open it.
"I can't believe I'm finally going to see what's inside," Teo said.
They walked in and were horrified. It was filled with evil looking war machines and torture devices.
"Okay," Kaiden grimaced, "This is messed up."
"This is a nightmare..." Aang agreed.
"You don't understand."
They turned and saw the mechanist and Sokka, the latter glaring at the former.
Aang pointed at the mechanist angrily, "You're making weapons for the Fire Nation!!"
"Explain all this!" Teo yelled, furious, "Now!"
The mechanist looked down in shame, "It was about a year after we moved here. Fire Nation soldiers found our settlement. You were too young to remember this tale. They were going to destroy everything, burn it to the ground. I pleaded with them, I begged them to spare us. They asked what I had to offer. I offered... my services. You must understand, I did this for you!"
Teo just turned his head and wheelchair away.
"When do they get here?" Kaiden asked.
"Soon..." the mechanist looked at a candle clock, "Very soon..."
"You can't give them more weapons," Aang said.
"If I don't give them what they want they will destroy this place."
"How can I be proud of you when your inventions are being used for murder?" Teo exclaimed.
"I need some time to think."
After a pause, a little tinkling bell rang.
"You need to leave! Go!" the mechanist ordered.
"We're not leaving!" Teo insisted.
"Then hide, quickly!"
Kaiden then formed a plan in his head while they scurried off. He whispered it around the group, Sokka even pitching in his own idea. Everyone then got into position.
_________________________________
"You know better than to keep me waiting," the Fire Nation emissary said as he approached the mechanist, "Give me what you owe us so I can be on my way."
The mechanist looked down.
"Well? Is there a problem?"
The mechanist motioned out the door, "No, right this way."
Then the door was promptly shut by a blast of air from Aang, Kaiden standing next to him.
"The deal's off!" Aang declared.
"The Avatar!" the emissary exclaimed.
"Aang, Kaiden," the mechanist begged, "Don't get involved!"
The emissary pointed at the mechanist, "If I don't get what I came for, the Fire Nation will burn this place into rubble!"
"Yeah, well," Kaiden retorted, "I'd like to see you try."
The emissary pointed at them, "Then the destruction of this temple will be on your heads."
After the emissary escaped, Kaiden hatched his plan. While the Fire Nation had more fire power (A/N: Ba dum clash), they had air control. After fitting up the new war balloon Sokka and the mechanist made, everyone got ready for attack.
"You sure this'll work?" Katara asked the Image.
Kaiden just looked at her and raised an eyebrow.
Katara rolled her eyes, "Right. Of course it'll work."
Her friend smirked and looked forward, "Here they come!"
And the battle began. The gliders, Kaiden, and Aang then took off into the air and began dive bombing random soldiers that were trying to climb up. When they ran out of bombs, the gliders then flew back to Katara, who was on Appa, and restocked. However, the battle then got heated when the army began using new weapons. Unfortunately for them, they were taken out as quickly as they were introduced. All of these new weapons involved metal. You see where this is going.
The ones that Kaiden didn't get were taken out by Katara, who used the water within the tanks to freeze them. When they ran out of bombs, Sokka and the mechanist flew in on the war balloon and dropped more. Unfortunately, when they ran out, they had to sacrifice the balloon to drive away the soldiers. Nonetheless, it was a victory. After the battle was over and done with, the group met back up at the temple.
"You know what?" Aang said, "I'm really glad you guys all live here now. It's like the hermit crab... maybe you weren't born here, but you found this empty shell and made it your home. And now you protect each other.
"That means a lot coming from you," Teo smiled.
"Kaiden, you were right about air power," Sokka said, pointing to the sky, "As long as we've got the skies we'll have the Fire Nation on the run!"
_________________________________
And that plot point didn't come back until Book 3! Till next time guys!