You all finally reached the wall, only to see Aang land in front of you.
"Aang. What are you doing here?" Katara questioned. "I thought you were looking for Appa."
"I was. But something stopped me. Something big."
"Aang, what are you talking about?" You asked.
"Just come with me." Aang led the group to the wall, him and Toph bending a chunk of earth to bring you up.
"Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka inquired.
"That." Aang said.
"What on earth?" You murmured, seeing a large machine far away.
"Even in Ba Sing Se, we're still not safe." Ying muttered as the group reached the top of the wall. "No one is."
"What are you people doing here?"
You turned, seeing two guards facing you.
"Civilians aren't allowed on the wall."
"I'm the Avatar. Take me to whoever's in charge."
The guards shared looks.
"Follow me." One said, walking away. The other waited until everyone had passed so he could be in the back.
You all followed the guard where you saw a small table, a man sitting behind it.
"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall, young Avatar." The man spoke. "But your help is not needed."
"Not needed?" Aang echoed.
"Not needed." The man insisted. "I have the situation under control. I assure you, the firenation cannot break into this wall." He stood, leading the group along the outer wall. "Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded." He reminded, placing his hands on the wall.
"What about the Dragon of the West?" Toph pointed out, crossing her arms. "He got in."
The man fumbled for an answer. "Well, technically, yes." He spun around. "But he was quickly expunged." He cleared his throat. "Nevertheless, that's why the city is named 'Ba Sing Se'. It's the impenetrable city. They don't call it 'Ma Sing Se'." He laughed, cutting it short. "That means 'penetrable city'."
"Yeah, thanks for the tour." Toph said dismissively. "But we still have the drill problem."
"Not for long. To stop it, I've sent an elite platoon of earthbenders called the 'terror team'."
"That's a good group name." Sokka voiced. "Very catchy."
You rolled your eyes good-naturedly.
"We're doomed!" The man spoke, looking through a telescope.
Sokka slapped him. "Get ahold of yourself, man!"
"You're right." The man said, rubbing his sore face. "I'm sorry."
"Maybe you'd like the Avatar's help now?" Toph suggested.
"Yes please." He answered weakly.
Aang nodded. "I'll do what I can." He turned to face the drill, watching as it continued its movement toward the wall. "So the question is, how are we gonna stop that thing?"
You all turned to Sokka.
"Why are you all looking at me?"
"You're the idea guy." Aang reasoned.
"So I'm the only one that can ever come up with a plan? That's a lot of pressure."
"And also the complaining guy." Katara added.
"That part I don't mind."
Your face scrunched in confusion.
"What's wrong with him? He doesn't look injured."
"His chi is blocked." Katara stated from her spot on the floor. She was hovering water on the man's arm. "Who did this to you?"
The man laying down groaned in pain before he answered. "Two girls ambushed us. One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs. Suddenly I couldn't earthbend. I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away."
"Ty Lee." Katara muttered. "She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. She takes you down from the inside."
Sokka blurted out a string of incomprehensible noises.
"What?" You asked.
"What you just said! That's how we're gonna take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took down all of these big earthbenders!"
"By hitting its pressure points!" Toph piped up.
Everyone, except Toph, walked to the window to get a better look at the approaching drill.
"We'll take it down from the inside." Aang determined.
"Once I whip up some cover, you're not going to be able to see, so stay close to me." Toph informed, pointing at the drill. She jumped out of the trench, using earthbending to spew dust everywhere, making a smoke-screen. "Run!" She yelled, rushing in.
You all followed her, rushing along the drill. You stopped when Toph did, taking the time to look up at the large machine.
"Everyone into the hole!"
You turned, seeing that Toph had created a hole in the ground.
Aang and Sokka jumped in at the same time, you and Katara following before Toph jumped in, closing the hole behind you.
"It's so dark down here!" Sokka exclaimed. "I can't see a thing!"
"Oh no! What a nightmare!" Toph replied sarcastically.
"Sorry."
Toph climbed out of another hole, this one directly under the drill.
"There!" Sokka exclaimed, pointing.
There was a gap, big enough to enter in.
Aang leapt up, helping Katara, Sokka and you up.
"Toph, come on!" Sokka yelled when he realized she wasn't right behind them.
"No way am I going in that metal monster. I can't bend in there." She pointed. "I'll try to slow it down out here."
"But-"
"She's got a point, Sokka." You told him.
Sokka sighed. "Okay." He turned back to Toph. "Good luck."
You all treaded deeper into the drill.
"I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics to show what the insides look like." Sokka declared, looking around. "Then we can find its weak points."
"Where are we going to find something like that?" Aang questioned.
Sokka pulled out his weapon, slashing at a pipe. It burst open, steam beginning to fill the room.
"What are you doing!?" Aang asked. "Someone's gonna hear us!"
"That's the point. I figured a machine this big needs engineers to run it. And when something breaks…" Sokka trailed off, letting the others put it together.
"They come to fix it!" Katara exclaimed.
"Exactly! Now hide!"
You all rushed, hiding in various nooks and crannies.
A large man wearing a gas mask walked in. He was carrying a rolled up parchment.
"Hi." Katara greeted, bending the steam so it turned into ice.
The man was frozen.
"This'll work! Thanks!" Sokka said, grabbing the paper and rushing away.
You all followed Sokka as he disappeared into another room, opening the paper.
"It looks like the drill is made up of two main structures." He pointed. "There's the inter-mechanism, where we are now, and the outer shell." He moved his finger across the page to show you what he was talking about. "The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse."
"Just lead the way." You told him, eyes narrowed and glistening with a seriousness that he had only seen a few times before.
Sokka nodded.
"Wow. It looks a lot bigger in person than it does on the plans." Sokka muttered.
"What'd you expect?" You questioned, turning to look at him incredulously. "A miniature?"
Sokka blinked at you. "It doesn't matter." He insisted. "We're gonna have to work pretty hard to get through these."
"What's this we stuff?" Katara inquired, crossing her arms. "Aang and I are gonna have to do all the work."
You kicked at the metal beam you were standing on, looking away and pursing your lips.
"Look, I'm the plan guy, you two are the cut stuff up with waterbending guys. Together, we're team Avatar!" He declared.
"Should I go… help Toph?" You offered, jerking your thumb towards the exit.
"You can help me cheer."
"Lucky me." You sighed, pinching the bride of your nose.
Katara and Aang set to work bending the water back and forth to each other, slowly slicing through.
Several minutes later, they were only half way through and exhausted.
Sokka tried to cheer them on. "Come on team! Don't quit now! We're-"
Katara let out a threatening noise, drawing her water and facing him.
"I mean, you're almost there!" He corrected.
Katara and Aang finished off the last little bit, only for the beam to slide slightly.
"At this rate, we won't do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall." Katara noted, her voice tired.
You looked up at the beam. Why didn't it work?
"I don't know how many more of those I have in me." Aang admitted, sitting on the walkway.
"If only we had another waterbender here to help us." You deadpanned.
The shaking and loud noises of the drill didn't let anyone respond, though.
"Do you hear that? We took it down." Sokka informed, grinning. "We better get out of here, fast!"
He, Katara and Aang rushed to the exit.
You remained where you were, not believing it. There was no way.
A voice suddenly cut through the speakers.
"Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall to Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory."
You turned. "I don't think it worked, Sokka." You murmured.
The trio all rushed back over.
"Come on, brace! Budge!" Sokka pleaded as he pushed against the metal uselessly.
"This is bad." Katara muttered.
"Gee, ya think?!" You asked sarcastically, turning to give her a sharp glare.
"We're putting everything we've got into busting these dumb braces." Sokka voiced. "It's taking too long!"
"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through." Aang muttered, getting an idea. He floated up from his seat on the floor. "Toph has been teaching me to not give one-hundred percent of my energy into any one strike. Sokka, take a fighting stance."
Sokka did as he was told.
Aang walked over, grabbing Sokka's leg with his ankle and pulling him off balance. "You've got to be quick, and accurate." He hit a few quick jabs on Sokka's chest. "Hit a series of points."
Sokka's arms flailed as he tried to stay upright.
"And when he's reeling back, deliver the final blow." Aang hit the top of Sokka's head, the teen falling over. "His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally."
"So we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through." Katara said.
"Then I'll go to the top of this thing and deliver the final blow."
"And boom! It all comes crashing down!" Sokka exclaimed happily.
"Everyone inside that wall… the whole world, is counting on us."
"The whole world minus the firenation, that is." Sokka reminded.
"Let's do this!" Aang said.
Katara and Aang set to work, cutting partially through several braces.
"That's enough! We need to get to the next one!" Aang yelled.
They started the next one.
"Good work, team Avatar. Now Aang just needs to- ahh!" Sokka ducked, a burst of blue flames going over his head.
You looked up, seeing the three girls from Omashu. Azula, Ty Lee and Mai.
Blue fire shot at Aang, but he managed to dodge it.
"Wow Azula, you were right!" Ty Lee exclaimed excitedly. "It is the Avatar…" She paused, looking pointedly at Sokka. "And friends."
"Hey." Sokka waved, a dumb expression on his face.
You hit him.
Ty Lee lunged at Aang, but he shot air at her, sending her backwards.
"Let's go!" You yelled, rushing out. As you rushed through corridors, you desperately tried to remember which way you came in.
"Guys, get out of here! I know what I need to do!" Aang shouted.
"Wait! You need this water more than I do!" Katara yelled, throwing her pouch at him.
Aang caught it, continuing on his way.
You and the siblings rushed to the left.
"Slurry pipe line?" Katara questioned as the path came to a stop. "What does that mean?"
Sokka managed to pull the top off of a hole. "Its rocks and water mixed together. It means our way out!"
"Guys, move!" You shouted, seeing Mai and Ty Lee rushing towards you.
Katara and Sokka jumped down, yelling as the water pulled them away.
You jumped in after them, dodging a flurry of throwing-knives.
You all slid out the back of the drill.
Sokka yelled, wiping at his tongue.
You were all covered with mud.
"Oh, great." You muttered, seeing Ty Lee sliding down as well, a look of determination on her face.
You and Katara bended the mud, keeping Ty Lee in place as the mud was unable to get through.
"Why don't you try blocking my chi, now, circus freak!" Katara yelled.
"Guys, keep that up! The pressure will keep building, so that when Aang delivers the final blow, it'll be ready to pop!" Sokka instructed.
"You guys need some help?" A voice asked.
"Toph! Help plug the drain!" Katara requested.
Toph set her stance.
With the three of you, two, since you'd stopped, they shoved Ty Lee and all of the sludge back in the drill.
You bended the mud off of yourself, walking away.
"Where's she going?"
You vaguely heard Sokka ask.
It didn't matter where you were going.
It never would.
"I just wanted to say, good effort out there today, team Avatar!" Sokka exclaimed, grinning widely as he looked down at the destroyed drill from his spot on the wall.
"Enough with the 'team Avatar' stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's not going to catch on." Katara told him.
"How about-" Sokka reached behind him, pulling out his boomerang. "The boomerang squad! See, it's good cause it's got 'Aang' in it." Sokka pointed at the weapon. "Boomer-" He grabbed the Avatar's head, "Aang." He finished.
"I kinda like that one." Aang admitted.
"Let's talk about this on our way to the city." Katara suggested, beginning to walk.
"The 'Aang gang?'"
"Sokka."
"The 'fearsome fivesome'?"
"You're crazy." Toph muttered.
"What? We're fearsome."
"Why do we need a name?" You asked, looking back at him.
"Because it's cool, easy to yell and catchy." Sokka replied, as if it was obvious.
You shook your head, pushing Sokka's back forward. "You can think about it later."