"We found a printer to make our posters!" Katara exclaimed, rushing into the house with Aang.

Both were smiling brightly.

Katara held up a poster, showing an excellent drawing of Appa.

You frowned at the thought of the bison. He must be so scared.

"Hey, I thought designing the 'lost Appa' poster was my job." Sokka said, looking up at his sister from his seat on the floor. He held up a paper. "I've been working all day on my Appa."

"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head." Aang reminded.

Katara was trying, and failing, to stifle her giggles.

Sokka looked at the drawing. "This is his head."

Katara took the paper, looking at it. "Why are feet coming out of it?"

Sokka snatched the paper back from her. "Those are his horns!" His shoulders slumped and his head dropped in defeat. "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"

"It looks just like him to me." Toph stated from the floor.

"Thank you, I worked really- why do you feel the need to do that?"

"Let's just stick to the professional version." Katara offered softly.

"Come on! Let's get busy!" Aang practically yelled as he pulled out several posters.

You rubbed your ear, trying to stop the ringing.

"I'll go fly over the city with some of the posters. The wind will do the rest!" Aang exclaimed, rushing outside.

You were glad that he was happy.

Things were finally starting to look up.

Aang and Momo rushed outside while Sokka and Katara played a game. Toph was lying on the floor, tossing a balled-up paper at the wall and catching it. You were working on your waterbending.

"I just finished dropping off the posters." Aang informed, coming inside and closing the door behind him. "Has anyone come in with news about Appa?"

"It's only been a day. Just be patient." Katara informed, not taking her eyes off of the tiles in her hand.

Aang sighed, sitting at the table with them.

The sound of a knock at the door had Aang standing instantly.

"Wow. You're right! Patience really pays off!" He rushed over, opening the door. "Joo Dee?"

"Hello Aang and Sokka and Katara and Toph and Y/n." She said. It didn't sound human, though. It sounded stilted… unnatural.

It was, however, the first Joo Dee you had.

"What happened to you?" Sokka questioned. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"

"What? Jail? Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."

"We… know. You said that already." You reminded, face contorted slightly in concern.

"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party." Toph said.

"Oh. I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing." Joo Dee explained.

"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee." Katara voiced.

"I'm Joo Dee." She said, placing a hand on her chest.

"Why are you here?" Aang questioned.

"Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city." She spoke, holding out one of the posters for Appa. "Not without proper clearance."

"We can't wait around to get permission for everything." Sokka denied, starting to sound irritated.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee informed in one breath.

"We don't care about the rules, and we're not asking permission!" Aang hollered. "We're finding Appa on our own, and you should just stay out of our way!" He shouted, closing the door on Joo Dee's face as she backed away.

You blinked in surprise.

"That… might come back to bite us in the blubber." Sokka voiced.

"I don't care. From now on we do whatever it takes to find Appa."

Toph's arms flew up in joy. "Yeah! Let's break some rules!" She turned to the side, using earthbending to blow a giant hole in the house.

You all walked outside, continuing your quest to find Appa.

"We'll split up to cover more area." Sokka said, sticking a poster on a wall. "Toph, I guess you should just come with me."

"Why? Because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" She reached forward, grabbing the brush with glue on it. She wiped it haphazardly across the wall, sticking a poster to it. The poster was on the wrong way, so it just showed a blank page. "It's upside-down, isn't it?" She asked, sounding defeated. "I'll just go with Sokka."

You all separated, putting up posters of Appa. Hearing shouting, you looked around, rushing through streets until your eyes finally landed on Katara.

The rest of the gang arrived as well.

"Katara, what is it?" Sokka asked.

You looked to where Katara was facing, seeing Jet pinned to the wall. Several ice shards were around him.

"Jet's back." Katara said, her tone angry. "We can't trust anything he says."

"But we don't even know why he's here." Sokka defended.

"I don't care why he's here; whatever the reason is, it can't be good!"

"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet informed, holding a poster of the bison.

Aang turned. "Katara, we have to give him a chance."

"I swear I've changed. I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control."

You eyed his mouth. The piece of grass, or whatever it was, that you'd grown so accustomed to seeing him have between his teeth was no longer there. While this wasn't anything that should have alerted you, it did. It just didn't feel right.

"But I don't even have the gang, now! I've put all of that behind me."

"You're lying!" Katara accused.

Toph walked forward and placed her hand on the wall that Jet was pinned to. "He's not lying."

"How can you tell?" Sokka asked.

"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat. When people lie, there's a physical reaction." She turned to face the group. "He's telling the truth."

"Katara, we don't have any leads." Aang reminded. "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."

"But-"

You stepped forward. "Katara, can I talk to you for a second?" You didn't wait for a response, and instead grabbed her arm, pulling her a little bit away. "We'll go with him. Aang's right, we have no idea where Appa is. But, we'll be ready, should he try anything."

Katara sighed. "Okay." She walked over, pointing at Jet. "We're not letting you out of our sight."

"This is the place I heard about." Jet said, walking into an old building. It was broken down, and there were holes in the ceiling and walls.

"There's nothing here." Aang noted.

"If this is a trap-" Katara started, hand going to her water pouch.

"I told you, I work nearby." Jet insisted. "Some guys were talking about a giant furry creature they had. I figured it must be Appa."

"He was here!" Toph shouted.

Everyone rushed over.

Toph held up a piece of fur, handing it to Aang.

"We missed him." The Avatar muttered, stroking the fur.

"They took that big thing yesterday." An old man said, walking by as he swept the floor. "Shipped him out to some island. It's about time. I've been cleaning up fur and various… uh… leavings all day."

"What island!? Where's Appa?" Aang questioned, following the man around.

"Forman said some rich, royal type on Whaletail Island bought him. Guess for a zoo, or such. Oh, could be that the meat was good."

"We've got to get to Whaletail Island." Aang paused. "Where's Whaletail Island?"

"Far." Sokka said. "Very far." He set down the map, pointing. "Here it is. It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home."

"Aang, it'll take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom." Katara voiced. "And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island."

"I don't care. We have a chance to find Appa." Aang insisted, standing. "We have to try."

"Must be nice to visit an island." The man said. "I haven't had a vacation for years."

"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara asked, placing her hands on her hips as she stood.

"Shuffle on; I get ya. No more need for old sweepy."

"Sweepy?" You echoed.

"You're right, Aang." Katara said once the man had walked further away. "Right now our first concern has to be finding Appa. We can come back when we have him."

"Alright." Sokka declared, putting the map in his bag. "Let's get moving."

Jet jogged to catch up. "I'll come with you."

"We don't need your help." Katara insisted, glaring at him.

"Why won't you trust me?" He asked before walking away.

"Gee, I wonder." Katara sassed once he was out of earshot. Her arms were crossed.

"Was this guy your boyfriend or something?" Toph questioned.

"What? No!"

"I can tell you're lying!" Toph said in a sing-song voice.

Katara rushed away.

You chuckled, following her.

"We can take the train out to the wall, but then we'll have to walk." Sokka informed once everyone was outside.

"Don't worry. On the way back, we'll be flying." Aang reminded, clearly in better spirits.

"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se." Toph said, almost in a daze. "Worst, city, ever!"

"Jet!" A voice called.

You turned seeing SmellerBee and Longshot.

"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore." Katara snapped at Jet.

"I don't." He replied, turning around.

SmellerBee rushed forward, hugging him briefly before pulling away. "We were so worried. How did you get away from the Dai Li?"

Your eyes widened in alarm. The Dai Li?

"The Dai Li?!" Katara exclaimed, voicing what you were thinking.

"I don't know what she's talking about." Jet defended.

"You got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago." SmellerBee reminded. "We saw them drag him away."

"Why would I be arrested?" Jet asked. "I've been living peacefully in the city."

"This doesn't make any sense."

You looked down, seeing Toph crouched, her hand on the ground between the two. "What is it, Toph?" You inquired.

"They're both telling the truth."

"That's impossible." Katara said.

"No it's not." Sokka denied. "Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth." He pointed. "Jet's been brainwashed."

"That's crazy!" Jet insisted. "It can't be!" He looked around and took a step back. "Stay away from me!"

Everyone walked forward, forming a circle around him so he couldn't leave.

"The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us. And that janitor was part of their plot, too." Katara guessed, her arms crossed.

"I bet they have Appa someplace in the city. I bet he's in the same place they took Jet." Aang said. He looked down at the seated leader. "Where did they take you?"

"Nowhere. I- I don't know what you're talking about." Jet insisted.

"We need to find a way to jog his real memories."

"Maybe Katara should kiss him. That ought to bring something back." Sokka joked, grinning over at his sister.

"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka." She retorted.

"Hey, just an idea."

"Yeah, a bad one." Aang grumbled.

"Ooh! Wait! I got it!" Sokka reached down, picking up a plant and sticking it in Jet's mouth.

"I don't think it's working." Jet admitted after a while, spitting it out.

"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions." Toph suggested.

"The firenation." SmellerBee added. "Remember what they did to your family."

"Close your eyes. Picture it." Katara advised.

Jet did as he was told, only to surge forward moments later. "No! It's too painful."

You pursed your lips, stepping forward. "Maybe this'll help." You offered. You drew water out of your canteen, holding it as his head. The water began to glow.

Jet was silent for several moments. He finally spoke. "They took me to their headquarters under the water. Like a lake."

"Wait. Remember what Joo Dee said?" Sokka questioned.

"Something about going on vacation to Lake Laogai." You recalled.

"That's it!" Jet exclaimed, standing.

You backed up, putting your water back in your pouch.

"Lake Laogai."

"I bet they brainwashed Joo Dee, too." You remarked.

"Let's not waste any time, then." Sokka suggested.

"So, where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as you all faced the body of water.

"Under the water, I think." Jet said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"There's a tunnel right there, by the shore." Toph informed, pointing. She walked over, whistling, and did a few earthbending moves. A pathway emerged from the water. Toph walked on top of it, approaching what appeared to be a lid. She used earthbending to move it, revealing a ladder.

"This is it, all right." You mumbled.

"So, who wants to go first?" Sokka asked.

Aang climbed in first, the rest of you not far behind. You hid behind a wall, having seen to Dai Li agents walking through the long hallway.

"It's all starting to come back to me." Jet spoke, walking through the hallway after the Dai Li agents disappeared.

You walked by a doorway with a Dai Li agent saying "I am Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

Several women were in the room, all dressed the same. They spoke in unison, their eyes dilated and unfocused. "I am Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

You shuddered, trying to move quickly passed that room.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." Jet whispered, continuing to walk. "I think it's through here." He opened a door and walked in. You all followed, seeing that the room was quite large.

The door closed behind you.

You looked around, not seeing anything. Looking up, you saw several Dai Li agents hanging from the ceiling. You raised your hand to your pouch.

"Now, that's something different." Sokka commented.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state." Long Feng spoke calmly as Longshot notched an arrow. "Take them into custody."

The Dai Li agents dropped from the ceiling, surrounding you.

Everyone set to work, trying to take each other down.

Toph seemed to be handling most of the Dai Li agents on her own, but there were enough to go around.

You shot your water at one, freezing it as it made contact with the man's legs.

He fell over, not expecting the sudden stop.

You rushed over, unfreezing the water. Bringing it up to his face, you froze it around his head and kicked him to the ground. You drew your water back, continuing the fight.

"Long Feng is getting away!" Aang hollered.

"Go after him!" You yelled. "We've got it covered!"

Aang and Jet followed him, blocking a hole through the wall to chase him.

You gasped when you felt something close around the back of your shirt.

Toph ran towards you, using earthbending to crush the rocks that had enclosed you.

"Thanks, Toph."

She nodded, sending the Dai Li agent responsible into the wall.

"That's all of them!" Sokka shouted. "We have to find Aang and Jet!"

You all rushed out, searching the place.

"In here!" Toph exclaimed. She opened the door, revealing Aang crouched in front of Jet.

The Freedom Fighter was lying on his back.

Everyone rushed towards them.

Katara was the first to react, using her water to hover over his torso. "This isn't good."

"You guys go find Appa." SmellerBee instructed. "We'll take care of Jet."

"We're not going to leave you."

"There's no time. Just go." An unfamiliar voice said.

You turned, seeing that it was Longshot that had spoken.

Longshot looked up. "We'll take care of him. He's our leader."

"Don't worry, Katara." Jet voiced. "I'll be fine."

You all stood, walking away.

"He's lying." Toph whispered sadly.

You glanced back, seeing SmellerBee crouched on the ground.

She was crying.

You sighed, following your friends out.

Toph opened a door, revealing six giant shackles on the ground, along with fur.

"Appa's gone." Aang said. "Long Feng beat us here."

"If we keep moving, we can keep up with them!" Sokka shouted.

You all ran, following Toph to the exit of the cave.

She used earthbending, opening a hole that you all jumped out of, back into the open.

"Uh, guys!?" When they turned to you, you pointed over your shoulder.

Several Dai Li agents were chasing you.

"You think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked.

"I don't think it's going to matter." Aang replied.

You looked forward to ask what he meant, only to see several members of the Dai Li standing before you. "Oh, great."

Long Feng was among them.

The Dai Li agents in front and behind you raised walls, blocking you in.

"What is it, Momo?" Aang questioned as the lemur landed on his shoulder, beginning to chatter.

Momo flew back up, disappearing in the sun's brightness.

A large creature suddenly emerged, growling.

"Appa!" Aang yelled.

Appa crashed into both of the walls, taking them down.

Aang and Toph hit the side of the cliff, sending the Dai Li agents into the water.

The others ran.

Appa landed in front of Long Feng, who took a fighting stance.

"I can handle you by myself." He insisted, even as Appa growled. He charged forward, only for Appa to grab his leg with his teeth.

Appa turned his head, throwing Long Feng into the water.

Long Feng skipped twice like a rock before sinking.

Appa spat out Long Feng's boot.

You all rushed towards him, collapsing onto the creature.

"Appa!" You and Sokka yelled.

"I missed you, buddy." Aang told the bison, tears flowing down his cheeks.

"Let's get out of here." You grumbled, climbing on Appa. The others followed, all sitting on his head because of the lack of saddle.

Katara looked in the water.

Aang placed a hand on her shoulder, knowing that she was worried about Jet.

Katara wiped her eyes, turning to the rest of you.

Sokka and Aang wrapped everyone in a group hug.

Appa growled happily.

Everything was right with the world.