Chapter 14: The Road Toward Disunion

The Fire Nation that Azula had inherited was one of immense power, something that even she could barely fathom as to how her father handled the semantics of it all. Evidently, she didn't handle the logistics; that was a job reserved for her servants. She was to be the commander of the military, as well as the cheerleader for the country itself; she was aware of the fact that no one else could ever surmount such a job, given the war crimes perpetrated by the nation. And, like any of her other missions, she accomplished it swimmingly, with a type of guile derived only from something that someone liked doing. Whether she actually fancied ruling a country, or doing anything else with her time, was debatable; again, she was commanded by her father. Even she questioned Fire Nation policy come her father's accession, though she would ascend to the position of Phoenix King once he succumbed.

That was what she feared: a world in which someone did not tell her what to do. She had no plan, no inkling of what to invest resources in without an authoritative figure. All she could rely on was what Fire Nation education, as well as her parents, taught her: to hate the members of other nations, to take whatever was there and make it yours, and, above all else, sacrifice for the state, the Fire Nation state, which was now, more than ever, policed. Never before in Fire Nation history had the country been so authoritarian, so totalitarian: anyone not from the colonies who sympathized with the enemy or criticized the war effort would be sent to concentration camps. Anyone who was deemed an "undesirable," such as those who did not have white skin, those who sympathized with the spirits or dragons, and those who posed so much as a minor threat to the regime, would be imprisoned, being worked to death. It was a scary, scary world, and it could be pictured by one simple act: a boot, stamping on a human face, forever.

This is precisely what Aang, as well as the millions of rebels supposedly under him, had attempted to prevent, and it seemed as if they'd failed. Now, it looked as if the ruler of a country had more control over the destiny of the world than the Avatar, something that had not been true since the inception of the celestial being. The current Fire Lord was aware of this, and promptly called a meeting of all her generals to discuss the details of the post-war world.

"Fire Lord-"

"-it's Fire Lady."

"M-my apologies, Fire Lady Azula, I have news to report. In recent days, a numerous cache of waterbenders has begun to show themselves on this island. As it currently stands, they pose no threat; their skills have not been honed. However, I've taken the liberty of rounding them up and keeping them on lock down, awaiting your orders."

"Prudent of you. Why are there waterbenders in the first place? They were supposed to have been wiped out. Who was the general commanding that invasion?"

"Azulon, your Highness."

"Execute him."

"As you wish, Fire Lady."

"And as for the waterbenders. Why here?"

"Well, your Highness...it's not just here. It's...well...everywhere. They just sort've...popped up. No rhyme or reason."

"Of course there's a reason! The Avatar and his friends got their hands on those fish, the koi fish. They revived them, and now the waterbending's back on. If they had any sense, they probably took the animals with them; we find the Avatar, we find the fish. Shouldn't be too hard."

"There are other things to report as well...the force that attacked the Northern Water Tribe-"

"-what about them?"

"W-well...we linked the attackers with several quiet villages lining the northern parts of the Earth Kingdom mainland. These little towns...we've not received any reports from them, nothing. It's almost as if they just vanished out of thin air, and materialized on the shores of the North Pole."

"...is it not obvious to you? There were evidently small uprisings in those areas, and the villagers were thorough; they made certain that no Fire Nation personnel got in or out of their small townships, effectively cutting off communication. When did the invasion happen?"

"On the Winter Solstice, your Highness."

"Then it's discernible that this development had been in the making for several weeks, possibly since the beginning of November. We were extremely careless, gentlemen; a lapse in communication this grand cannot be allowed to happen in the future, not under my administration. We need to consolidate our gains and make people know, both physically and psychologically, that the Fire Nation is their new ruler now. There is only Fire Nation."

"What shall we do, Fire Lady?"

"We reconquer the northern Earth Kingdom. We bolster army movements in that region and employ brutality to scare them into a peace of fear. Fear, more than any other element, has been the tool of oppression and control, and will continue to be while I'm in office. It is what Father would want."

"Y-yes, your Highness."

"Katara...we need to talk," Aang said.

"Is it about the kiss we shared?" Katara blushed.

"...no...it's a little more serious."

"W-what is it? You look...sadder than usual; God, you, Aang, sad..."

"I know...I just...I don't know where to go from here. In all honesty, I never pondered what we'd do past reviving the koi. I need answers."

"Well, Aang, I think you already know where you can go for that."

"What...-Roku! Of course! You're a genius, Katara!"

"I know. Now go, get those answers, the stuff we need so dearly." With that, Aang went into another tent. Team Avatar had traversed the large Earth Kingdom continent to arrive in the forests of the land. There, they would hide and stage guerrilla attacks on adjacent Fire Nation settlements, doing so until they had to move to another area.

Aang began to meditate.

"Come on, Roku...I need your help, and I need it badly..."

"As always, Aang, I am here when you desire it."

"Thank you so much, Roku..."

"Aang...you have not contacted me in...months. Your demeanor also seems a little more depressed...nothing like you."

"Things...things have been bad, really bad. Didn't you know?"

"Well, I did notice an outage back in June-"

"Azula shot me in the back while I was in the Avatar State-"

"-WHAT?! Aang! You have to be more careful in the future! What happened to trying to control the Avatar State?"

"Things...things didn't peter out the way they were supposed to. And, so, here we are. It's January, if you didn't know."

"That means...that means you failed-"

"-I know. ...I know..."

"...I shouldn't have said that..."

"It's...it's okay. I've accepted the circumstances given to me. Right now, all I want to know is where I should go from here."

"'Here?'"

"Right, right. Okay, so the Fire Nation attacked the Water Tribes during Sozin's Comet. Long story short, both got axed, and waterbenders became extinct for a short while. We were able to invade the North Pole and resuscitate the ability, but the Water Tribe population is probably down to five. Not five million, not five thousand, not five hundred, five. But, I've never been a good counter anyway."

"Well...I have good news for you then. But I now realize that you should visit the Spirit World more often. Many things have been happening since your departure mid-last year."

"What...?"

"The waterbenders, their population has drastically increased. This is probably because of those revived koi fish; the moment you revived those animals, a plethora of new waterbenders were created. Firebenders and earthbenders are now able to manipulate water. Those who'd never had an element can do the same. New waterbenders are being born as we speak."

"That's...that's amazing! You're serious?! This is great! I know I've said this before...but we really have a chance now!"

"But you know the Fire Nation's history of genocide...you must not allow them to round up the waterbenders who have been created. This probably won't be your final chance at winning the war, since the Fire Nation will likely collapse under the girth of the entire planet, but it will certainly enslave humanity for decades to come. And I leave you with this parting thought, aside from the fact that you can always consult me; should the Fire Nation become powerful enough to hold the Earth in its grasp, once it inevitably does collapse, an era of warring states will ensue, a turmoil that will not cease for centuries. Be wary, be careful."

"I...I understand."

"Everyone! Listen up! I have a plan!"

"That's new..." Toph jeered.

"I know, I know, but seriously, I know what to do now."

"Alright, Avatar, shoot!" Sokka supported.

"Okay, so I've just been informed of a measurable contingent of new waterbenders growing systemically in the Fire Nation. This means that they have infiltrated all levels of government. Most, if not all government officials whom have been afflicted by this probably like life more than their country, meaning that a possible revolt may be at hand. Our job will be to propagate it where possible and topple Azula's regime."

"Easier said than done...convincing magistrates to defend themselves will be like walking into a mine field. You'll never know if the guy's just faking it to get us captured," Zuko criticized.

"That's why we study the movements of settlements before striking. We've been over this a million times: come, see, conquer."

"That's all fine and dandy...but Aang...you realize that by doing this, we'll just be beginning an era of warring states? Hundreds of oppressive regimes are just as bad as one," Toph stated.

"...you have a point..." In a stroke of genius, Ty Lee suggested another approach.

"...what if we created our own state? We would call it 'Republic City!' It would be a place where all the nations could meet, where all of them would be on neutral ground. It would be democratic, and we would just expand our influence throughout the area! We would just take a tract of land and bring everyone under our allegiance! Democracy works better than fascism when appealing to people...besides, once they know that the Avatar is leading it, they'll be sure to flock to it! He's a better alternative than Azula..."

"Well, you're not wrong," Aang complimented.

"I've got an idea too," Sokka butted in.

"...what is it?" Aang asked.

"Well, in all this haze of revolution and whatnot, that'd provide a pretty good smokescreen for freeing prisoners. I know we're never getting back the people who perished at Ba Sing Se, but salvaging those we lost there the first time would definitely help us."

"Sokka...we're going to be very busy freeing province after province of the Fire Nation building our own country. What makes you think we'll have the time or resources to start doing prison breaks?"

"I don't know...it's just...I suppose prisoners hate the Fire Nation too! If we get the criminals in on this, the Fire Nation will be sure to fall-"

"-this is about Suki, isn't it?" Katara interjected. Sokka was a bit flabbergasted at this revelation.

"How...how did you know?"

"Well, I can relate...you haven't seen her since Aang got shot. I would feel the same way, and I'm sure everyone else here would too."

"I...I just miss her so much...I miss that connection I had..."

"Sokka, I know you miss her, and I truly feel for you, but I sense that we'll have to put this business on hold. With the population of the Fire Nation, prisons must be rampant throughout their country. Finding the one she's in is going to be impossible. Besides, even if we were to find where she's being held, I bet it would be some super-secret and secure facility that no one escapes from. She's a criminal to the Fire Nation, and a notorious one at that, being associated with Aang and all."

"Well...that's just the thing! Freeing her and other friends of him will show the people that we mean business, that we're for the peace and harmony of the world, that we're for returning to the old ways-the ways by which the Avatar led the world, over a hundred years ago."

"...that brings up another point. That was over a century ago. The generation we're dealing with now knows nothing of how the 'before times' worked. They'll probably think it was just like this, only with the Avatar probably stopping the subjugation of other countries by the Fire Nation, and eventually being killed because of that."

"Well...then, we'll find a way of setting off a chain reaction! One that frees multiple prisons simultaneously! It'll get this revolution moving! That, coupled with-"

"-right, forgot: if we let criminals join our syndicate, it'll let the Fire Nation paint us as offenders too."

"They're already doing that. They have been since we freed tattoo-boy over here," Sokka said.

"Hey, they're sacred-"

"-sorry, just got a little frustrated. But yeah, we're already public enemy numbers one through however many people are here, Katara. It won't make much difference that we're 'disturbing the peace,' of what harmony there is, by dismantling a few penitentiaries."

"Well, it's not a few, but you're right. Fine, here's what we do: we start this Republic City, getting one of the waterbending magistrates to head it. Once that's done, we expand its reach to gird it against the Fire Nation. Because of the fact that waterbenders are now in the ranks of the Fire Nation army, there'll be defectors. We take them in and build our own military, and you can go free as many prisoners as you want. That's right, Sokka; you destroy any prison you want. I don't want Team Avatar to be associated with this, no matter how criminalized we've been deemed by Azula." Sokka became angry.

"...fine! Never help me with anything anyway! It's always about the Avatar, or Zuko, or you, or anybody, but never me! Never me at all! I can never catch a break, because I'm usually the guy planning and scheduling things! Poor little Sokka! The nonbender! The guy with no master! The side character!" With that, Sokka stormed off, back into his tent. Zuko knew that it was his time to shine, but he had to shoo away Ty Lee first.

"I know him better than you."

"I like him better than you."

"Too much."

"What can I say? He's kinda cute..."

"War first, love later."

"You're no fun...how about we duke it out to see who gets to talk to him?"

"If you want to get electrocuted, fine by me; there aren't any hospitals for hundreds of miles."

"What makes you think I'd let you do that?"

"Back off."

"Fine...Prince Pouty," Ty Lee retorted.

"Ugh...you'll have your day. Just not right now."

"Then pray he gets angry like this again. He's cute when he's frustrated..." Zuko entered the tent.

"If you're here to console me, I don't want to hear it," Sokka said.

"I'm not."

"That's a first. You're usually one to talk about how suicidal you are..."

"...that's a low blow, but you know what? I'm going to let it go, for the war...for you, for Aang. I know where we might find Suki."

"You're lying."

"You know I'm a bad liar."

"...fine. ...where?"

"It's in Fire Nation territory."

"Go on."

"Didn't think I'd get this far."

"Zuko...your girlfriend is right here, with you. I haven't seen mine since my friend got killed, and like him, I didn't think she was going to make it. I still don't think she did."

"Then I'll continue. It's called the Boiling Rock."

"What kind of a name is that?"

"A pragmatic one. It is literally a boiling rock. It's a dormant volcano smack-dab in the middle of the Fire Nation that houses water of temperatures far beyond one hundred degrees Celsius. And the time to break out anyone in that prison, which, mind you, may not house your girlfriend, is now. It's January; the firebending is still weak. Had we attempted this before Sozin's Comet, things would probably have gone awry much more easily. We do it now, and we prepare for the showdown that is still to come between Aang and my father-or Azula-they're interchangeable."

"You know, you had me until you said that Suki may or may not be there. You're asking me to take a leap of faith. I don't know if you know this, but these types of situations have, more often than not, led to the dismemberment of this team. I want concrete evidence that she's there."

"Sokka, I threw you a bone, especially when I shouldn't have. You just insulted me based on my depression. I shouldn't be helping you right now. You're asking a lot from me, from everyone-too much."

"...fine again! What do you want me to do, Zuko?! Is it too much to ask that I get a little confirmation that this plan is going to work? At least with my ideas, you know where they're going to go, and you know that there's a little research. With this, we're entering enemy territory again, with no plan as to how to break her out-that's if she's there! What if we run into a bunch of Fire Nation partisans who just happen to be in prison because of petty crimes and misdemeanors?"

"You don't get into Boiling Rock with petty crimes and misdemeanors. Only the highest profile criminals and political dissidents are taken there. Most rot to death. If Suki's anywhere, she's there. It's a maximum security penitentiary-no one has ever escaped."

"Oh, that's encouraging! Let's just waltz into the joint and perform a good old-fashioned prison break, the likes of which have never worked on a facility of this caliber before! Let's just do what we've always done against an enemy that is cold, calculating, and adapting!"

"Sokka! I have had enough of your attitude! You can either take it or leave it! ...I'll help you, because we'll need you later. As punishment for your rudeness, you get to come up with the plan...well, it was going to be that way anyway, but you get the point! We have to move on this soon, and I hate to break it to you, but if word gets out that you're doing 'research,' she's bound to be moved to another facility, or worse, killed. Besides, we free people from Boiling Rock, I can guarantee a huge garrison that 'Republic City' will dearly need. People in that prison want the Fire Nation, especially its government, on a silver platter."