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By Millennia2 | Part of the Alone continuity. |
| "There's nothing on Earth like flying above the towers of New York, especially at night." |
| — Keanu in Open Arms |
Keanu was a resident of the New York Colony in the fanon story Alone.
History[]
Background[]
Keanu was born to two Airbender parents in Kona, Hawaii. Keanu grew up thinking his family were the only ones who were able to bend. His parents played along, wanting to keep Keanu away from the colonies and the growing rebellion led by Joel. Keanu was proven wrong, however, when a contingent of BDA agents came to his home when he was 12.
While Keanu was sleeping, the agents snuck into the home and silently killed his parents. Before they could get to him, Keanu escaped the home. He stowawayed on a fishing boat set for Honuolulu. Once there, he spent three weeks begging on the streets for money while living on a beach near Pearl Harbor. After 3 years of doing this, a woman named Stephanie took pity and adopted him.
Stephanie knew Keanu was an Airbender after seeing him practice on the beach. Once he was in the safety of her home, she revealed she was an Airbender as well. She trained and mentored him until he was seventeen, then sent him away to New York. He hasn't seen her since.
Arriving in New York[]
Keanu moved to New York in 1981. He was warmly accepted by the other colonists, who often joked about his accent. Keanu was astonished by the notion of flying on gliders, especially above a crowded city like New York. After some training and risky test flights, he finally consented to pleas from his peers and joined them on a flight. As his friends lined up on the railing on the roof of the World Trade Center, he started to back out of it. But his excuses were cut short as his friends literally threw him off the building.
He struggled to regain control of himself, but before falling to the halfway mark on the building, he gained control of the currents and flew. Keanu was in awe as he watched the city fly past him in a flurry of light and color. Forever past that one flight, he was hooked to flying. Shortly afterwards, he learned to become a pilot and fly the World Trade Center's helicopter.
Escorting the Avatar[]
In 2001, news spread of the Avatar's escape from Uluru and journey to master the elements. Shortly afterwards, a message was received from Mesaba Colony in Minnesota, telling them that the Avatar was coming to New York. Keanu was chosen to escort the Avatar to the city. He agreed to meet the Avatar and her friends at Newark International Airport, then fly them to the World Trade Center.
On a rainy day, Avatar Leah and her friends Sierra and Keith waited for a signal at the airport. Keanu spotted them and sent a small gust of air, alerting them to his presence. He met them in the parking lot of the airport and took them to his helicopter.
On the flight to New York, he told them they were lucky to be seeing the city from the air, and his prediction was made true as they gazed in amazement at the city. He landed at the World Trade Center and tried to guide them through the crowds of colonists who had gathered to see her. Out of frustration, he sent an air gust that sent the crowd back, allowing them to move.
At the street level of the complex, Keanu left them with money and keys to their room in the Marriot. He also added that the leader of the colony was coming to meet them before leaving them.
A few days later, Keanu began training Leah in airbending. After a few weeks, Keanu informed Leah that she was ready to learn to glide. He began work on her glider. When it was done, he was called by Sierra and he met her and Leah at Central Park for a test flight.
Leah tried it out, and Keanu warned her to take it slow. Leah didn't heed his words, and crashed into a hot dog cart. The police were summoned on a call of vandalism and assault, but Keanu and Neil saved Leah from the incident going on her record. Later, Keanu helped to celebrate Sierra's birthday by taking part in the morning breakfast and in Leah's surprise flight.
9/11[]
On the morning of September 11th, 2001, Keanu was gliding high above the city in the chilled morning air. When the first plane hit the North Tower, Keanu flew to the roof of the Tower to find Leah. On his way down, he ran into Jon, a fellow colonist. Jon informed him that the staircases below had been destroyed by the impact, and that he had last seen Leah and Neil on the 99th floor.
After the second plane hit, he was found by Neil. Neil informed him that Leah and Sierra were okay, and with Jon, they flew to the South Tower to confront the Elite. Neil and Jon dueled Vayu while Keanu fought Kumara. He was eventually knocked unconscious, leaving Kumara to deal with Neil, as Jon had been killed. At that moment, the other two Elite, Hubert, and Leah arrived.
Keanu awoke later to find Vayu choking Neil and Leah. Keanu sent an air blade at him, but missed, severing a foot of his hair and attracting his attention. Keanu ran with the wind to augment his speed and punched Vayu, leaving Leah to incapacitate him. Neil and Keanu rushed to help Hubert, who had been injured by a lightning bolt, but were stopped by Kumara. As Hubert lay dying, he revealed to Kumara that she was his daughter, shocking Neil and Keanu.
While their attention was turned to Kumara and Hubert, Keanu noticed the Leader slip into the impact zone. Keanu ran to protect Neil as the Leader threw a spear of metal to kill him. It hit Keanu instead, killing him almost instantly. His body was left in the tower when it collapsed.
Personality[]
Despite his troubled past, Keanu has shown to be a very caring man. He graciously escorted Leah and her friends through the city, and the three immediately took to him. In the event of chaos and disorder, however, Keanu is shown to lose his temper easily and resort to minor violence.
Keanu is extremely loyal and protective of others. During the battle in the South Tower, he saved Leah and Neil from Vayu, later giving his own life to protect Neil from the Leader.
Abilities[]
Keanu is an excellent air bender. He can create large gusts, swipes, and augment his speed with air bending. During the battle in the South Tower, he lasted against Kumara before being defeated, then defeated Vayu with the element of surprise.
Along with his bending, Keanu is an excellent helicopter pilot and tour guide. Keanu is also skilled in making airbender gliders, having created Leah's first one.
Appearances[]
Book 2: Smoke[]
- 213. "Open Arms"
- 214. "Father" (mentioned only)
- 215. "Learning to Fly, Part 1: The Apprentice"
- 217. "A Leap of Faith"
- 219. "Twin Towers, Part 1: Successor"
- 220. "Twin Towers, Part 2: The Black Plume of Smoke"
- 221. "Twin Towers, Part 3: The Burden of Atlas"
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