A/N: Alright, reviews have dwindled down to practically nonexistence. I thank those of you who have been reviewing, but I'll be finishing this earlier than I originally planned. I'll probably only go to two or three more worlds. Expect some more time skips later on.
"Line 'em up for the Warden!" a captain shouted. His subordinates quickly forced the new prisoners into a straight line. Sokka quickly snuck into the group of guards, still disguised as one of them.
"Dad..." he muttered.
"Welcome to the Boiling Rock," the Warden said, examining each of the prisoners. "I'm sure you've all heard the horrible rumors about our little island. Well I just want to tell you, they don't have to be true..." He stopped at Sokka's father, Hakoda, who was staring at the ground. "As long as you do everything I say." Hakoda didn't budge. "Look me in the eye when I'm talking to you."
"No," Hakoda said defiantly.
"No?" the Warden demanded. "You'd rather look at my shoes? Then take a look!" He quickly forced Hakoda to his hands and knees, his face on the ground. "I know exactly who you are, Hakoda of the Water Tribe. So strong willed... But don't worry; we'll get rid of that in time. Now look me in the eye!" Slowly, Hakoda did as he was told. "See, isn't that better." The Warden turned to the other prisoners. "You will all do as I say or pay the price. You will all-"
Hakoda snarled as he tripped the Warden, who attempted to walk away. Sokka snickered from the sidelines. "Are you okay, sir?" a guard asked.
"I'm fine!" the Warden snapped. "Get these prisoners out of my sight!" He quickly strode away, fuming.
Sokka watched as the guards took his father and the other prisoners away before sneaking away himself.
Hakoda glanced up sharply as his cell door was opened. He scowled at the guard that entered.
"Thank goodness you're okay!" the guard exclaimed in relief. He attempted to approach him, but Hakoda quickly entered a defensive stance.
"If you take one step closer, I'll show you just how okay I am," he threatened.
"Dad, it's me!" Sokka said, lifting his visor.
"Sokka..." Hakoda whispered. He quickly embraced his son. "My son..." He chuckled. "You know, Sokka, you should be more careful with that guard outfit. I almost punched you in the gut."
"Yeah, I ran into that problem earlier," Sokka chuckled, clutching the bruise Suki had given him. He quickly turned serious once more. "So where's Bato? Where's everybody else?"
"The others are being held in a prison near the Fire Nation palace," Hakoda answered. "They singled me out as their leader and sent me here. But before I left, I met some young women who said they knew you. The Oshanama Fighters?"
"You mean the Kyoshi Warriors?" Sokka asked in amusement.
"That's right," Hakoda laughed. Sokka nodded.
"Their leader Suki is here and she's gonna escape with us," he answered.
"Good," Hakoda nodded. "We'll need all the help we can get."
"And you know Prince Zuko?"
"The son of the Fire Lord?" Hakoda asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know him but I know of him."
"Well, he and a couple of his friends are here, too," Sokka replied with a smirk.
"That's going to be a major problem..."
"Actually," Sokka said his smirk widening. "He's on our side now." Hakoda looked at him skeptically. "I know. I had the same reaction. After all he's done it was hard to trust him, but he's really proven himself and I never would have found you without their help."
Hakoda nodded in acceptance. "So, do you have a plan?"
"We had one but some of the other prisoners got involved and ruined it," Sokka muttered. "I don't know if there's another way off this island."
"Sokka, there's not a prison in the world that can hold two Water Tribe geniuses," Hakoda reassured him with a pat on the back.
"Then we better find two," Sokka replied jokingly. Hakoda laughed, prompting Sokka to do the same.
"This is seriously starting to piss me off," Xhäs remarked as he began counting the number of stains in the room once again.
"We just have to wait," Larxene replied.
"You really think Sokka will be able to get us out?" Xhäs asked.
"Excuse me?" a voice interrupted them. They turned to see Sokka speaking through the bars in the peak-hole. "I take offense to that!"
"Sokka!" the two Nobodies exclaimed in surprise.
"My dad and I came up with a plan," the Water Tribe boy explained. "We're gonna escape on the gondola and we're gonna take a hostage so they won't cut the lines."
"The gondola?" Larxene demanded incredulously. "Did you see how many guards are there?"
"My dad already thought of that, we'll need a distraction, so we'll start a prison riot!" Sokka exclaimed.
"Okay, so let's say this works, and we make it to the gondola," Xhäs said. "The Warden won't care about any guard. He'll just cut the line anyway, even with a captive."
"Not if the Warden is the captive!" Sokka said with a grin. He glanced behind him as they all heard someone approaching. "I gotta go, be in the courtyard in an hour. I'll find you guys before we start the riot!"
"Have you told the others?" Xhäs asked. Sokka shook his head.
"I told Zuko, but the guards dragged him away for some reason," he replied. "I need to find Suki, remember, one hour!"
With that he took off down the hallway.
Zuko struggled as the guards dragged him down a hall. "What are you doing?" he demanded. "Where are you taking me?" They ignored him as they shoved him into a room with a single chair. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"Come on, Zuko, we all know that's a lie," a voice mocked from the shadows. Zuko gasped as a gothic-looking girl appeared from the shadowy corner.
"Mai..." the prince whispered. "How did you know I was here?"
"Because I know you so well," she replied. Zuko looked confused.
"But how..."
"The Warden's my uncle, you idiot," she said, rolling her eyes. She unrolled a piece of parchment, causing Zuko to groan. "I guess the truth is: I don't know you. All I get is a letter? You could have at least looked me in the eye when you ripped out my heart."
"I didn't mean to-"
"You didn't mean to?" Mai repeated, angrily. She began reading the letter. "Dear Mai. I'm sorry you have to find out this way, but I'm leaving-"
"Stop," Zuko demanded. "This isn't about you; this is about the Fire Nation."
"Thanks, Zuko, that makes me feel all better," Mai said sarcastically, throwing the letter at his head.
"Mai..." the ex-prince sighed. "I never wanted to hurt you, but I have to do this to save my country."
"Save it?" Mai demanded. "You're betraying your country."
"That's not how I see it," Zuko growled. Mai turned away from him.
Sokka had just exited Suki's cell after informing her of the plan when suddenly a guard called out to him.
"Hey, you!" he shouted. "The Warden wants to see you!"
"Me?" Sokka asked. "Why?"
"I don't know, I didn't ask."
"Maybe I could schedule a different appointment time with him," Sokka replied, walking away, only for two more guards to grab him by the arms.
"The Warden wants to see you now," one of the guards growled.
They dragged him to the top of one of the guard towers. "Put him in the line up!" the Warden ordered. "One of you is an imposter that thought he could fool me." He gestured behind him and a guard brought Chit Sang, who kept his eyes on the ground. "But now, one of you is going to be in a lot of trouble." Sokka stiffened upon seeing Chit Sang. "Who is it?"
Sokka closed his eyes, waiting to be called out. "That's him, Warden," Chit Sang exclaimed. "He's the imposter!" Sokka's eyes snapped open to see the large man pointing at the very same guard that had thrown him in the Cooler.
"What?" the guard demanded furiously. "I'm not! He's lying! He's a liar!" he shouted as the guards dragged him away. The Warden smirked and followed. Sokka let out a sign of relief as Chit Sang nodded at him.
"I told you, I didn't do anything!" the guard growled from his confinement.
"Save your breath," the Warden snapped. "You threw Chit Sang into the very same Cooler they used to escape. It was all part your plan."
"That was just a coincidence!" the guard exclaimed as the door to the cell opened behind the Warden.
"Uh, Warden..." another guard said nervously. "There's someone here to see you..."
"Who told you to interrupt me?" the Warden demanded, only for his eyes to widen as he got on his hands and knees.
"I did..." a beautiful girl said from the door way.
"Princess Azula..." the Warden muttered as the princess and her friend entered the cell. "It is an honor to welcome you to the Fire Nation's most exemplary prison. I did not expect you to be coming..."
"Who is this?" the princess asked, gesturing to the 'traitorous' guard.
"He is guard who was involved in a recent and feeble escape attempt," the Warden explained.
"It wasn't me!" the guard shouted desperately.
"Quiet, you!" the Warden growled.
"You're wasting your time," Azula sighed. "That's not one of them."
"How do you know?" the Warden asked in confusion.
"Because I'm people person..." the princess said coldly as she left the cell.
Sokka quickly approached the guard that was watching over the control room that controlled every cell in the prison. "Hey I just got orders," Sokka said. "Let the prisoners out into the yard."
"But we're in the middle of lockdown," the guard said in confusion.
"Oh, okay," Sokka said walking away. "I'll just go tell the Warden you said that. I'm sure he'll be glad to hear you undermining his authority." He quickly returned and looked at the guard. "What's your name again?"
"Wait, don't tell the Warden!" the guard said nervously. "I'm just a little confused."
"Hey, I'm confused, too," Sokka said with a shrug. "But the Warden's in a bad mood and irrational. So if you ask me, its better not to question it and just do what he says."
"Yeah, you're right," the guard agreed as he began pulling the levers that would release the prisoners. "We're letting them out!"
The prison bells began ringing as every cell was opened. The prisoners muttered among themselves as they made their way into the courtyard. Sokka quickly made his way to the courtyard and found his father, Suki, Xhäs, and Larxene already assembled and waiting for him.
"This is it!" Sokka exclaimed. "We have to start a riot!"
"How exactly do we do that?" Suki asked. Hakoda glanced and saw another group of prisoners nearby.
"I'll show you," he said with a smirk. He ran over and pushed down the largest man.
"Hey!" the man exclaimed. "What'd you do that for? That hurt my feelings!"
"Aren't you mad at me?" Hakoda asked in surprise.
"Well normally I would be," the man admitted. "But I've been learning to control my anger."
Sokka face palmed. "This isn't working..."
"Hey, you!" a voice exclaimed, placing a hand on Sokka's shoulder. They all turned to see it was Chit Sang. "You're lucky I didn't rat you out. But my generosity comes with a price."
"Let me guess, you want in on the new escape plan?" Xhäs asked. He nodded. "We're actually trying it now, but we need a riot."
"You wouldn't know how to start one, would you?" Sokka asked. Chit Sang scoffed.
"A prison riot?" he smirked. He walked away, grabbing a random guy by the shirt and lifting him over his head. "Hey!" he shouted at the other prisoners. "Riot! Riot!"
The other prisoners cheered as they began hurling fireballs into the air and attacking each other.
"Impressive," Hakoda remarked as the others just watched in shock.
From above, the Warden was screaming. "Who let these prisoners into the yard? This is supposed to be a lockdown!"
The guard that opened the cells gulped and slowly crept away.
"Ma'am!" a guard exclaimed as he burst in on Mai and Zuko. "There's a riot going on outside. I'm here to protect you."
"I don't need any protection," Mai said coldly. Zuko chuckled.
"Believe me, she doesn't," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, but I'm under direct orders from your uncle to make sure nothing happens," the guard replied. Zuko smirked and sent a ball of flames at the guard's feet, causing him to shriek like a small child and leap into Mai's arms. The prince saw this as his chance and took off.
"Get off me!" Mai snarled as she hurled the guard across the room. She turned to see Zuko locking the cell door behind him. The two former lovers stared at each other, one in rage and one in remorse. Zuko closed his eyes and took off to find Sokka and the others.
He quickly found them all huddled away from the fight.
"Zuko!" Sokka exclaimed. "Good, we're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the Warden and get to the gondolas."
"And how do we do that?" Zuko asked.
...
"I'm not sure," Sokka replied, causing everyone to fall over.
"I thought you thought this through!" Zuko shouted.
"I thought you said it's okay not to think everything through!" Sokka shouted back.
"Maybe not everything, but this is kinda important!" Xhäs growled.
"Hey, uh, fellas?" Chit Sang called, catching their attention. "I think your girlfriends are taking care of it."
"Huh?" Sokka asked as they all peaked around the large man. Suki and Larxene were leaping over the fight, using the prisoners' heads as stepping stones.
Larxene leapt forward and ran straight up the wall and gripping the overhang. She held her hand out for Suki who grabbed it and flipped over onto the balcony, using the momentum to bring Larxene with her. They dodged as a guard sent a stream of fire at them. Larxene countered by throwing her knives at the guard, pinning him to the wall. Suki followed up by punching him in the face, knocking him out.
Larxene placed her hands in a 'cup'-like formation. Suki nodded and used the blonde's hands like a spring. She grabbed hold of the balcony railing above and flipped on. The Savage Nymph smirked and ran straight up the wall, using her dominion over electricity to turn the soles of her boots into magnets.
"Look at 'em go," Zuko muttered.
"That's girl power for ya," Xhäs agreed.
The two girls lunged forward, grabbing the Warden's arms. "You wouldn't dare," the Warden growled.
Suki quickly used his wristbands and tied them around his wrists while Larxene grabbed his headband and used it as a gag.
"Sorry, Warden," Suki said sarcastically.
"You're our prisoner now," Larxene said with a smirk. She turned to the boys down below, who were still gaping at them. "Let's get out of here!"
The males quickly snapped out of their daze and took off towards the gondolas. "Those are some girls you boys have," Hakoda chuckled.
"Tell me about it," Sokka said dreamily. Xhäs merely looked at them in confusion.
They reached the gondola platform at the same time the girls did.
"We're almost there!" Larxene exclaimed as she handed the Warden to Chit Sang. The guards spotted them and quickly sent a ball of fire at them. Zuko pushed through them and dispelled the flames.
"Back off, we've got the Warden!" the prince shouted. The guards reluctantly lowered their stance and moved aside. Zuko nodded. "Let's go!"
The group moved forward, watching the guards warily. "Everyone in!" Suki said, as they reached the gondolas. Zuko pulled the lever and the gondola began moving. The prince began kicking the lever in an attempt to break it off.
"Hurry up, Zuko!" Xhäs shouted. The prince redoubled his efforts and the lever flew off. Moving quickly, he leapt off the platform towards the gondola. Sokka reached out and grabbed his arm. He and Xhäs quickly pulled the prince inside.
"What were you doing?" Sokka demanded.
"I was making it so they can't stop us," the prince replied.
"Way to think ahead," Larxene complimented.
"We're on our way," Suki said happily.
"Wait," Hakoda said, pointing down at the platform. "Who's that?"
They turned to see Azula and her friend, Ty Lee staring straight at them.
"That's a problem," Zuko muttered. "It's my sister and her friend."
Azula quickly grabbed a pair of handcuffs from a nearby guard as Ty Lee leapt onto the wire that held up the gondola. The girl began running down the length of the wire with practiced ease as Azula attached the handcuffs to the wire and used Firebending to accelerate forward. Xhäs noticed in surprise that her flames were a bright blue, rather than orange or red.
"What's with her Firebending?" Xhäs asked Zuko.
"She's a Firebending prodigy," he answered. "Her flames are a sign of her skill and power."
"This is a rematch I've been waiting for," Suki growled.
"Me, too..." Zuko agreed.
"Well this should be interesting," Larxene whispered to Xhäs.
"Let's go," Xhäs muttered as he, Larxene, Suki, Zuko and Sokka climbed on top of the gondola. They watched as Ty Lee and Azula landed on either side of them. Zuko, Sokka and Xhäs faced Azula while Suki and Larxene faced Ty Lee.
Azula acted first, sending a blast of flame, which Zuko dispelled instantly. Xhäs reacted quickly, sending a blade of light at her. Azula dodged to the side, not sure what to make of the attack. She sent a bout of flames at him in warning.
On the other side of the gondola, it was Suki that had the first move. She lunged at Ty Lee with a quick punch, which was deftly blocked. Suki continued her assault, forcing Ty Lee to dodge backwards. The girl in pink leapt over Suki, landing in front of a waiting Larxene. The blonde girl sent a roundhouse the sent the other girl flying into the main beam of the gondola.
Xhäs dodged Azula's flames and charged forward with Sokka.
Down below, the Warden managed to free his wrists and quickly removed his gag. "Cut the line!" he shouted. Chit Sang quickly grabbed him.
"He wants us to cut the line," a guard said.
"But if we cut the line there's no way he'll survive," another said.
"He knows that..." a third replied. He motioned to another group of guards who began trying to stop the line from moving by jamming it.
Xhäs and Sokka stopped their charge as the gondola began shaking violently. Ty Lee leapt onto the wire and glanced down at the guards.
"They're about to cut the line!" she shouted. Azula glanced back to see the guards using a saw to cut the wire. Something caught her eye as she glanced upward to see another gondola coming towards the prison. She smirked.
"Then it's time to leave," she announced. She quickly used her Firebending as a jetpack and landed on the other gondola. Ty Lee leapt on as well. "Good-bye, Zuko,"
The group quickly jumped back into the gondola. "They're cutting the line!" Zuko exclaimed to Hakoda. "The gondola's about to go!"
"I hope this thing floats," Hakoda said grimly.
The guards had nearly cut through the wire when they suddenly found themselves pinned to the wall by knives. "What are you doing?" a guard demanded.
Mai looked at him emotionlessly. "Saving the jerk who dumped me," She quickly used her knives to immobilize the other guards before un-jamming the wire, allowing the gondola to keep moving.
Sokka glanced down at the platform as the gondola resumed moving. "Who's that?"
"It's Mai!" Zuko gasped.
"What is she doing?" Azula demanded angrily. Ty Lee shrugged as she turned to see Zuko's gondola reach the other side.
The group wasted no time in getting off the gondola. Chit Sang threw the Warden back inside as he stepped off.
"Sorry, Warden," Hakoda cracked. "Your record is officially broken."
"Well, we made it out, now what?" Suki asked as they began running from the volcano. Xhäs and Sokka glanced back to see Zuko staring at the prison sadly.
"Zuko, what are you doing?" Sokka demanded.
"My sister was on that island," the prince responded.
"Yeah, and she's probably right behind us, so let's not stop!" the Water Tribe boy exclaimed.
"What I'm trying to say is she must have come here somehow!" Zuko replied. He ran to the ledge and looked down. "There! That's our way out of here!"
The group looked down to see a large war balloon docked below.
Azula and Ty Lee watched as a guard dragged Mai before them. "Leave us," she ordered as the guards left. "I never expected this from you..." Ty Lee glanced at each of them in concern. "The only thing I don't understand is: Why? Why would you do it? You know the consequences."
"I guess you don't know people as well as you think you do," Mai replied. "You miscalculated. I love Zuko more than I fear you."
Azula snapped. "No, YOU miscalculated!" she snarled. "You should have feared me more!"
The princess raised her arms to send a blast of fire at the goth girl, as Mai prepared her knives. As Azula lashed out, Ty Lee leapt forward, jabbing at various pressure points, leaving Azula immobile.
"Come on!" Ty Lee urged Mai. "Let's get out of here!"
Before they could move, they found themselves surrounded by guards.
"You're both fools!" Azula shouted from the ground as two guards picked her up.
"What shall we do with them, Princess?" a guard asked as they dragged the two girls forward.
"Put them somewhere I'll never have to see their faces again!" she snarled. "And let them rot!"
Ty Lee and Mai both avoided her gaze as they were dragged away.
It was nightfall by the time the gang returned to the Western Air Temple. Needless to say, the others were shocked as they saw Sokka, Zuko, Xhäs and Larxene disembark from a Fire Nation war balloon.
"What are you guys doing in this thing?" Katara demanded. "What happened to the war balloon."
"It kinda got destroyed," Xhäs said.
"Sounds like a crazy fishing trip," Aang remarked.
"Did you at least get some good meat?" Toph asked.
"I did," Sokka exclaimed. "The best meat of all. The meat of friendship and fatherhood."
Everyone's jaw dropped as Suki, Hakoda and Chit Sang stepped off the balloon.
"I'm new," Chit Sang said. "What's up, everybody?"
"Dad..." Katara whispered, her eyes growing misty.
"Hi, Katara..." Hakoda said softly as he embraced his daughter.
"How are you here?" Katara asked. She turned to Sokka and the others. "What's going on? Where did you go?"
"We kinda went to a Fire Nation prison," Sokka said offhandedly. Hakoda grabbed his son and the family shared a group hug. Everyone smiled at the scene until...
"Seriously, you guys didn't find any meat?" Toph asked. Everyone laughed at her.