X: Found
Now that the posters of Appa were all about town Aang paced about the house in excitement in the hopes that someone would come knocking with word about Appa. Katara told him to have patience and that it would eventually reward him. To his delight, a knock came from the door, and he opened it up with excitement only to find that the original Joo Dee came over to visit.
"Joo Dee?!" The others exclaimed.
"What happened to you? Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?" Sokka asked.
"What, jail? Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage." Joo Dee replied, holding her ever-present eerie smile
"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph stated.
"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing" Joo dee told them, they looked at her with suspicion in their eyes, Zuko and Sokka especially.
"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara told her.
"I'm Joo Dee."
"Why are you here?" Aang asked. Joo Dee pulled out one of the Appa posters and told them: "Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."
"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka told her in annoyance. With that same stupid smile, Joo Dee replied: "You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." This infuriated Aang, to the point where his face had gone red and steaming, until he finally got in her stupid face and shouted: "WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSON! We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!" Then he slammed the door on Joo Dee.
"That might come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka stated.
"I don't care. From now on we do whatever it takes to find Appa." Aang replied.
"ALRIGHT LET'S BREAK SOME RULES!" Toph declared.
"Don't Earthbend the house, we still need it!" Zuko exclaimed. His head turned and he found Iroh getting ready to return to the tea shop. So he followed after him. While the others were to scour the city again in search for the flying bison.
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When they got to the tea shop, Jet was already there, waiting for them it seemed. Zuko was quick to serve him and then he said to him: "You've gotten a lot done since you've been here, haven't you?"
"Yeah, I've helped dozens of families, by borrowing things from those more fortunate." Jet replied. Zuko leaned in close and told him: "The Avatar is missing his bison. I'm thinking that you might be of some help."
"Sure, I'll look all over the city for the Avatar if it means helping him to defeat the Fire Nation, and Smellerbee and Longshot should be able to help out as well. Although it would help if we had a trail to follow." Jet replied. A few seconds later, some well dressed men entered the tea shop and placed an order directly to Iroh.
Zuko returned his attention to Jet and told him: "I think that the Dai Li is hiding something from the Avatar, and just this morning our 'host' told us that she took a short vacation to Lake Laogai,, but it was under suspicious circumstances. If you find anything, seek him, not me."
"Why?" Jet asked.
"I'll search for the bison on my own." Zuko replied.
"So you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well!" One of the well dressed men declared, looking to Iroh. Pao, the shop owner became alert.
"Good tea is its own reward." Iroh replied.
"But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?" The man replied.
"My own tea shop? This is a dream come true!" Iroh said, stunned.
Pao threw himself between Iroh and the well dressed man: "What's going on here? Are you trying to poach my tea maker?"
"Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?"
"Mushi, if you stay, I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant manager!" Pao told him, panicked.
"I'll provide you with a new home in the upper ring. The tea shop is yours to do whatever you want. Complete creative freedom." The well dressed man told Iroh.
"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked.
"Of course!"
"Uh, Senior Executive Assistant Manager?" Pao said, desperately. Without Iroh, his tea shop would just about be done for. However, Pao couldn't even give Iroh his shop in order to make him stay. So Iroh silently took off his apron and gave it to Pao.
Zuko looked over to Iroh and gave a small smile.
"Well, how about that, it looks like your uncle has some good times coming. Thanks for the tea again, Lee. I'll see you around." Jet stated. Zuko followed him out as they left.
To their luck, they met up with the others within a few moments. Jet put on a cheerful face and told them: "Hey, so Lee clued me in about your sky bison, Aang, well the Freedom Fighters will be at your disposal."
"Thank you, Jet, we could use the help." Aang replied. He looked to Zuko and asked him: "Are you coming too?"
"Not right now, Aang; believe it or not, Uncle just got an offer for his own tea shop!" Zuko replied.
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That night, while Aang and the gang were out with Jet and the Freedom Fighters, Zuko donned his Blue Spirit mask and built a decoy of his character. He snuck his way through the city and set the decoy up in the alley. He waited in the street for a Dai Li agent to pass by.
Once one did, Zuko pushed past him and snarled: "Out of my way, Skinny!"
Zuko ducked into the alley, the Dai Li agent fell for his decoy. When the agent took out the decoy, Zuko snuck up behind him and crossed his swords across his chest and told him: "If you don't want to end up like him. You'll do what I say."
With no other alternative, the agent led Zuko to Lake Laogai and opened the entryway. Zuko tossed him aside and entered the underground, and searched until he would find a holding cell large enough to hold a ten ton bison.
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Team Avatar and the Freedom Fighters tracked the Dai Li to Lake Laogai, and Toph opened the entryway and they clamored inside to look around. There they found some secrets, from the Dai Li training, to a whole flock of Joo Dee's being initiated, repeating the phrases an agent told them.
Upon entering a chamber, the door slammed shut behind them! Long Feng stepped into the light telling them: "You have made yourselves enemies of the state! Take them into custody."
The Dai Li drop down to the floor, encircling the heroes. Two agents launch a stone fist attack, but Toph disintegrated them in mid-flight. As the dust clears, she launched them across the room with a pair of rock pillars.
Behind her, Jet turns and rushes another pair, cutting their stone fist projectiles from the air. Sliding along the ground past the first, he trips the second with his hook sword, slamming him hard to the ground.
Long Feng watched as Aang dealt with two more of his Dai Li with Air and Earthbending. Katara and Sokka managed to destroy two more of the glove projectiles before being seized by two more. Toph intervened with a stone wall before they can be drug to the waiting Dai Li. They send a rush of stone towards Toph, but she rose high into the cavern on a pillar of rock, forcing them to pursue her the same way.
Two more Dai Li race up the walls to either side of her, to strike out at Toph with horizontal columns of stone. High in the cavern, Toph swats aside the first two agents, then leaps to avoid the two columns as they crash together beneath her. Landing atop them, she bent up a pair of stone blocks from the columns, using them to drive away both of the remaining agents simultaneously. A fist of stone grabs the back of her shirt, and she is hauled through the air toward a waiting Dai Li. Jet intervenes at the last moment. Leaping past he hooks her belt with his sword, pulling her to safety as the agent kicks a stone foot attack after them. Longshot covers them as they land, intercepting the missile with one of his arrows. Joined by two of his brethren, the Dai Li retaliate with three fist attacks at Longshot, but Jet cuts them from the air with a whirlwind of slashes.
Meanwhile Long Feng fled from the room, sealing a stone door behind him. Back at the battle, Aang lands and blows two Dai Li aside with a burst of air.
"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang called out. He chased after him, but he managed to elude him.
"Come on, we need to keep going!" Sokka called out.
They tried another cell, but this one was only filled with large manacles and tufts of shed fur from a flying bison.
"Appa's gone! Long Feng must've beat us here." Aang said.
"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with him." Sokka told them, and with that they turned and ran back outside.
The Dai Li caught up with them, this time the Dai Li made a full box around them, entrapping everyone, and so they would have to stay and fight with the Dai Li, lest they wanted to be arrested.
Momo circled down and trilled to Aang.
"What is it Momo?" Aang asked.
They heard a roar in the sky, they looked up and…
"APPA!" Aang cried out in joy.
Appa crashed through one of the walls, and they saw that he wasn't along, there was someone riding him, someone Aang recognized. It was Zuko, wearing a mask, brandishing his dual swords. When Appa landed, Zuko dismounted and everyone started swinging. The benders with their bending, Sokka with his club and boomerang, and the Freedom Fighters with their weapons. Toph threw some agents into the water, Katara whipped and threw them as well, but at some point during this tangle, Zuko was surrounded and the Dai Li nailed his clothes to the cliff by throwing stone spikes at him, he could only move an arm and a leg, and as the Dai Li advanced, Zuko had to make a critical choice, either get arrested, or…
He used his bending!
The Dai Li agents backed off, and Long Feng looked at the Blue Spirit, horrified. Jet had also seen the flames.
"YOU'RE FIRE NATION!" Jet shouted and he advanced towards Zuko.
"NO! JET STOP, HE'S ON OUR SIDE!" Aang pleaded as he blew agents into the lake, but Jet didn't listen as he continued to push through the crowd, shoving both friend and foe out of his way.
"OW! JET, NO, PLEASE STOP, HE'S FIGHTING ON OUR SIDE!" Smellerbee cried out
"HE'S FIRE NATION!" He growled as he pushed her to the ground.
Zuko drove the agents away from him, but that only thinned out the obstacles between him and Jet. He took his mask and ripped it from his face, hoping that if Jet recognized him, he would stop his advancement. However, instead, Jet felt betrayed, all along his friend had been a treacherous Firebender, and his mind was consumed with a rage that drove him insane!
Time felt as if it had slowed down for Zuko, and the sounds seemed to fall silent as Jet made his approach, pushing everyone who tried to stop him: his Freedom Fighters, Team Avatar, and Dai Li agents. Zuko threw a fireball past him as a warning shot, but Jet didn't break his stride as he stopped before Zuko and raised his curved swords up, his face contorted and twisted with rage and madness, as he prepared to deliver the final blow!
It was a choice between Jet and himself. So with a heavy heart Zuko raised his hand, and burned a hole straight through Jet's heart.
Jet fell dead.
Overwhelmed, the Dai Li retreated and Appa had thrown Long Feng into the lake. Toph pulled out the stone spikes to free Zuko, and he just collapsed to all fours. He looked up, his eyes filled with sorrow and remorse, but in the eyes of the others, he saw fear, save for Toph, since she couldn't see.
Sokka was the first to come to his senses, and he helped Zuko get back up to his feet, and a look at his face revealed that he was weeping. Sokka walked him over to Appa, and they mounted with Katara and Aang following suit, they asked Toph to use her Earthbending to bury Jet before climbing on board.
"We're sorry, Smellerbee, Longshot, that we have to part ways like this." Sokka stated, and they took flight.
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I've been waiting to write that last scene for a while.
Please review.