Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: the Last Airbender.

A/N: It has been a while, hasn't it? That's the life of a busy graduate student for you.

This idea came to me not too long ago, and though I still need to iron out some kinks and plot points, I am quite excited about this story. This is only the prologue, and so it is quite short, but I am hoping it sparks your interest for more. I am a bit rusty, though, so I do not know how well this will stack up next to my older works.

I now bring you Winter's Chill, the sequel to Summer's Heat.

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Winter's Chill

Prologue

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The bright, luminescent lights, the sound of hot steam and cranking, clinking metal, the towering, sleek edifices, the promise of new growth in heaps of scaffolding, the new modes of transportation flying across the paved streets…

The city was still in its infancy, but it was still beautiful.

And it was her home.

But this city was more than her home. It was also a physical manifestation of her ideals and all that she held dear. It was living, breathing proof that the world could do without those supposedly blessed by the spirits, that people as simple and humble as she could change the course of the future.

Perhaps such a thought would sound arrogant to the uninformed or ignorant, but such was not the case. Not with her. She harbored no claims of grandeur, nor did she dream of absolute authority over others.

She was not like them. She did not wish to be like them, not even close. The very thought sickened her.

No, she only wanted to peace. And so she had dedicated her heart and mind towards ushering in this grand destiny, where not only would peace be a constant, but all would be equal.

Her heart swelled.

Equality at long last! No more gifted. No more blessed. No more being ignored or looked down upon, simply because you had no power over the four. No more petty differences to separate and divide the nations, to cause conflict and hatred and death. No, no more of that. There would only be balance and harmony.

And was that not what everyone wished for? This was her service to the world.

Her methods were harsh, maybe, but they were very much necessary. You had to remove the root of a weed to kill it, yes? The same held true of the problem poisoning the land. It had to be destroyed and replaced with something better, stronger, purer, before there could ever be utopia.

This grand city's populace was already beginning to see and understand this truth, and soon the three nations would as well. It was only a matter of time, really. No matter how hard you fought and railed against it, progress could not and would not be hampered. It was fact, pure and simple.

And her marvelous creations would open the door to this new age of progress, peace, and equality. It was exciting and very gratifying to know that she and the like-minded Clan members were responsible for so great a purpose.

"Maker."

She turned, from both the sights of the city below and her ponderings, to face her visitor. The tall, brawny man inclined his shaved head. A large sledgehammer hung from his blocky frame. In the dim light, she could just make out the cog-shaped tattoo carved into his thick upper right arm.

She smiled, and though strained and rusty it was real. "Evening, Gao. You're earlier than I expected. How was your trip?"

He only grunted.

A rare chuckle escaped her. "I take it you have some news for me?"

"Yeah, I do, Maker." Gao did not so much speak the words as he growled them. "We've found him."

Oh! Her eyes lit up for a brief second. "Good, good. That is good news." She rubbed her chin; the absent-minded motion smeared the oil already there. "And…?"

"It looks like those rumors were true. He's changed his name to Lee, and he claims to be a simple ranger, but there's no mistaking it. It's him."

"Then he's still in hiding. No surprise there. Okay, then. Where is he right now?"

"He's been living in a small house in the southern mountains of the Earth Kingdom." He paused, frowning. "With his young wife."

Her lips curled. "Another one of those, huh, entrapping our own. No matter how many times I hear it, it's still a little disappointing. You'd think he of all people would know better. We'll have to fix that." She waved a hand, shrugging. "But he's a practical man, so I think he'll see reason."

Gao grunted. "Would you like me and some of the others to go and… escort him here?"

She thought for a moment. "No," she said at last. "No, Gao, I don't think that would be the best idea."

"Beg your pardon?" said the man. "Why not, Maker? You want him with us, don't you?"

"Of course I do. But think about it, Gao. He won't be willing to listen to us if we confront him that directly. Bad first impressions ruin relationships, see? I don't want to risk losing him before we even have a chance at having him. We need him too badly."

"Then what do you want to do?"

"Nothing for the moment," she said. "Production goes well and swiftly, and our prototypes have been seen by more than our own eyes by now. There are whispers, I'm sure of it. Word will reach him of their existence, eventually, and it will lead him straight to us. We just have to be patient, and wait for his arrival."

Gao grunted again. "You're sure about that?"

"I am." She smiled and tapped her temple. "We're a lot alike, you know. Me and him, I mean. He'd react a lot like I would, given the situation, and I'd definitely look into this matter. It's too tempting for us simple inventors. Same with this city. It's as much his child as it is mine. He'll want to see how it has thrived. And besides…"

Wrench in hand, she settled down next to her current project. Its metal hull gleamed in the half-light.

"He'll certainly want to meet the one behind the late Lady Rin's gunne."

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To be continued…