A/N: Sorry it took so long to get started on this. My muse flew off into the sun. After a while, I have decided that the entire Crossing the Rift series will be cut down in size. The kids only have a few more stops before the Alpha session now.

Crossing the Rift: Episode 3-Unbendable

Chapter 1: Ramming Speed

Over the impressive cityscape of Republic city, dozens of metal airships plowed their way through the sky. Massive towers scraped the sky, as if reaching for the Heavens. These serene pillars of glass and stone were startled into clarity as one of the Metalbender airships peeled off of its patrol route to intercept a fleeing young woman in Water Tribe attire, who was riding a Polar Bear-Dog. As the woman's mount leaped off a train onto an adjacent building, metal cords whipped down from the airship, completely constricting the movement of the bear-dog and its rider. The rider struggled for a moment, before resigning herself to the facts.

That was when reality decided to fuck itself over and open a rift in time right over the city. A large 700 meter golden battleship leapt from the red crackling rift, and cruised at a frightening clip over the cityscape. Several towers were grazed by the bottom of the impressive shimmering vessel.

One airship and one tower weren't so lucky.

The Metalbender airship snapped in half like a dry twig as the battleship plowed straight through it, the two parts exploding seconds after. The young woman and her ride were thrown from the explosion, slamming into the top of another building with enough force to break a few bones. The woman was able to roll to minimize the impact, but her ride landed with a sickening crack from its left rear leg.

Then the city was deafened with a crackling boom as the battleship, having lost altitude from colliding with the Metalbender airship, decided to bisect the Cabbage Corp. tower.

[A young Avatar stands on a building, although it was many years ago that she was given life, it is only today that she has seen a giant 700 meter airship brutally end the lives of hundreds of people! What will the name of this young woman be?]

Korra gaped as the massive airship smashed into and through the Cabbage Corp. tower. Sure, Naga was injured, but that actually paled to the sight of half a tower crumbling and plummeting to the ground, crushing untold hundreds, both inside and below the tower. Having hit a couple significant speed bumps, the airship dived steeply into the ground, smashing through several other buildings, sliding at an appreciable clip, smashing the docks, and splashing into the water, all accompanied by the heart-wrenching screams of a thousand dying people and tearing metal.

Shooting to her feet, Korra quickly consoled her pet, "Naga, stay here!" before leaping from rooftop to rooftop, earthbending to amplify her jumps. She had to get to the bay, and the Metalbenders had the exact same idea. The dozens of Metalbender airships descended upon the battleship adrift in the bay.

[[413]]

For what seemed like the hundredth time that day, Vriska attempted to pick herself up off the ground, "I taste blood," she moaned in pain, "and not all of it is mine."

John was motionless by one of the control consoles, apparently something sharp had cut his jugular, and as a result the Bridge was painted in a nice coat of crimson. Jade was trying to lift herself off of a control lever, which she had managed to get herself impaled on. The only sounds in the cabin were low groans and gasps of pain.

Being the least injured, Vriska managed to push herself to her feet, swaying with blood loss and general dizziness.

"Harley… any idea where we are?" Vriska asked as she grabbed Jade and yanked her right off the offending metal pole. The Witch of Space cried out in pain at the sudden movement. Off in the corner, John's body was beginning to glow with the beginning of God Tier resurrection. However, the glow was dimmer than she remembered. Jade would have to look into that.

"Augh!... I don't..hnrgh…know," Jade grabbed at her chest as blood pumped out of it in gushes, "Kill me now…Ghh!... or I'll….bleed…Nn! out…"

"I know what that's like," Vriska nodded sympathetically, drawing her sword and aiming it straight at Jade's heart, "Sorry."

The cobalt blade went straight through and erupted out the Witch of Space's back, even more blood spewing onto the already slick floor. With one last gasp, Jade went limp around the sword. Vriska yanked out her weapon, and held Jade up, waiting for her to come back. In a few seconds, John gasped, breathing in air as he came back to light, and Jade's body began to flicker slightly.

As the light grew brighter, John shakily stood, looking around at the blood-soaked room, "Whoa, what happened?" He looked down at his own bloody clothes, Cerulean mixed with crimson, and at his two companions, who were likewise colored, "Urgh… I think I'm going to be sick."

"Hold it in, windy boy, your blood already smells bad enough, I don't want to smell your vomit too." Vriska shot at him, glaring at Jade as if she could make the resurrection process faster by staring.

John gagged a bit, but held it in, as he started up one of the ship's console. The blood-spattered screen flickered to life, showing extensive damage to all ship systems, including weapons and engines.

"The ship is not going anywhere fast," John reported, "We need to get out of here, though."

"And why is that?" Vriska asked in irritation as Jade's resurrection wrapped up.

"We crashed into a city," John replied, turning the console off, "They're going to come to investigate, and we don't want to be here when they do."

Jade coughed, regaining consciousness, "Ugh…everything hurts…Why do I die all the time?!"

Several clanks could be heard on the outside hull; the impact of metal on metal at high speeds. Vriska paled slightly.

"Time to go!" she shouted, ejecting her sword from her Sylladex and quickly exiting the Bridge, as John helped Jade walk.

As the trio burst out onto the deck of the ship, they were met with the sight of dozens of massive airships descending upon them, with even more boats rapidly approaching them. Their hopes of a peaceful resolution were dashed as the airships shot out steel cables in an attempt to ensnare the kids. John erected a barrier of wind that smacked aside the steel ropes, before equipping his hammer and dropping into a defensive stance.

"Why can't people just leave us alone?!" Jade snarled, wielding SPAS-12 with her left hand and a katana with her right.

"We did just blow through their city," John grumbled, "I'd be mad too."

Vriska sighed, "Here we go again."

A/N: This arc will take about as long as Equivalent Exchange did. Shit's going to get fucked up. Prepare for the AtLoK plotline to be screwed over beyond recognition.