A/N: I like Sokka-centric stories and I can't find enough of them. So here's one I threw together a few months ago, just after the first season opener. So now it is very AU. But some out there might still enjoy it. It was inspired by a short drabble in response to a prompt on the LJ Zutara community in 1996:
"There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired." –F. Scott Fitzgerald
(My Response to the prompt:)
"Let's be realistic here," Sokka said to himself, as he rose from another grief-inspired nap as they headed towards the earth kingdom, "No one's looking for me specifically, so I might as well keep myself busy", and he let his mind wander on schemes to disable factories – with visions of blasting jelly; the design of strange machines to cripple to fire nation's army – odd how many leapt to mind immediately; and various methods to sabotage the fire nation's efforts that only a mechanical mind would run to. The thought occurred to him, "What else will I do while Aang is learning earth-bending…"
As it happened, the series and prompt spawned this story a bit later…
Disclaimer: Okay, I don't own Avatar or its characters. Owell. I'll get over it. So will you. In the meantime…
Sabotage: Chapter 1
Since he knew he couldn't draw to save his life, Sokka took a minute to savor the clean lines of the unknown draftsman's images of the war balloon in various stages of construction. Even without the legends, which he could barely decipher anyway, the drawings could provide all the information necessary to build and operate a flying machine that would give the Fire Nation control of the skies. Sokka didn't need his own familiarity with the machine to recognize this. Regretfully then, the drawings, too, must be destroyed. Now he concentrated on memorizing the engineers' names noted in the legends, his real purpose in reviewing the documents in the first place. These were the individuals capable of reverse-engineering, and thus duplicating, the prototype stored in pieces in the hangar behind him. So they must be eliminated as well. Sokka felt relief that his task was merely to take advantage of the munitions stored in this newly completed factory to blow it, and its contents, to the heavens. He had no stomach for killing men whose only fault may be in being clever and working for the Fire Nation.
The factory consisted of a cavernous building, compartmented along one wall for storage, but primarily open to house the machinery to cut, weld, and tool each component of a war balloon and fit it together. Stairs led to an open loft all along the far end, used as an office by the army colonel spearheading the war balloon effort. Sokka was in this office now, having first covered the only window so as not to reveal his presence by his lamp's glow. He was annoyed with himself for not having noticed the window earlier. While the factory was in a part of the small Earth Kingdom city not generally habituated at night, its importance to the war effort warranted regular patrols of the area. Sokka had no desire to be discovered prematurely or otherwise! He had already placed open barrels of blasting jelly around, connected by multiple lines of oil-soaked twine. Storage crates had been liberally doused in more oil, and as he searched the office's documents for lists of already trained workers or other information Sokka took the opportunity to crumble and scatter whatever he found. It would all burn that much more easily and really, they wanted nothing to be recovered.
He was still pausing over the drawings when he heard a strangely familiar voice.
"It seems thievery is a family trait."
It simply couldn't be. Somehow, someway, that jerk of a fire-bending prince had appeared at the top of the stairs in the loft.
"Honestly, don't you have anything better to do than follow us around? I've seen the wanted posters for you, you know" Sokka growled. "The last place you should be is in a city crawling with Fire Nation troops all howling for your hide!"
"I could say the same to you, although I admit your particular hide is of no consequence to anyone," the prince retorted. Slowly he began to advance. "I can't help wondering what makes you think you will get away with stealing military plans." His arms came up and smoke began to trail from the figure-tips of his left hand.
"Careful, Sparky," Sokka grinned. "Perhaps you didn't notice when you came in, but this place is one step shy of going boom-boom." He gestured with the lamp over the railing at the dim reaches of the factory floor. "I appreciate the convenience of your army's storage practices. It meant I didn't have to bring anything with me beyond this lamp. Of course, a little flame from you and I won't even need that to get the party going!" He thought perhaps smoke might be rising from his own ears as his brain burned furiously through all his available options. Then again, perhaps not. Given Zuko's apparent hostility, there were very few options before him if he wanted to get out of here alive.
Zuko hesitated. Now his nose caught the scent of oil on the air, along with an acidic tinge from the barrels of blasting jelly. It wasn't just thievery on the water-tribe boy's mind this night. Ah, now that explained a lot. He had wasted precious time observing the dolt's sister in the street festival after noticing that the boy himself had slipped away. The girl had made no move to withdraw from the public eye and it had taken some time before Zuko's curiosity had drawn him to investigate the absent brother's activities.
For Zuko, tracking the boy to this building after that had been largely a matter of luck. When Sokka left the circle of street performers, Zuko had seen him leave the plaza, heading towards the bridge that led to the block of properties restricted to the Fire Nation. Zuko almost assumed that he had made a mistake. If the tribesman were skulking off to join the Avatar surely he wouldn't be going that way! On the other hand, Zuko trusted his senses. Although he associated the Water Tribe pair exclusively with the Avatar he admitted that there were other possibilities. So he had entered the Fire Nation zone himself, easily avoiding wandering patrols of guards, every sense alert for some sign of the other boy, some irregularity of appearance somewhere.
A faint shifting in a patch of lesser darkness that defined an upper-level window in the otherwise blank façade of the largest building in the quadrant, a shifting that disappeared some moments later, was the only clue he received. More time was lost seeking entrance to the building itself, since both the regular door and the large bay doors at one end appeared to be locked and sealed. But there was yet another door on the far side that, although blocked by crates stacked inside, was not in fact locked. Once inside, he sought out the only light in the building, softly creeping up the stairs.
"Are you insane? If this building goes, the resulting fire won't just spread to the Fire Nation quadrant," Zuko tried to keep his anger contained, and began to judge the distance between the two. Could he close it before the Watertribesman could throw the lamp or draw his own weapons?
"Ah-ah. No closer, please." Sokka waved the lamp over the railing suggestively.
"I'm pretty sure you're wrong about how far the fire will spread," Sokka countered. "After all, there is a full garrison just two streets over, the river bends nicely, cutting off the rest of the city from this sector, and half the city is out attending the festival. There will be no shortage of water or hands to control the blaze, and a good portion of those hands will be especially equipped to provide that control, courtesy of your own particular specialty." Sokka bowed in Zuko's direction with a flourish. After all, a lot of thought had gone into this effort, and not just by him!
"Seriously, go away. Even you are smart enough to figure out that you can't stop me before this place goes up in a blast you can't contain alone. Do you really want to risk us both trying?" His voice had lost its mocking tone, and his look was grim.