Chapter 87: Sabotage
They stood on a hillside, overlooking the plain that led to the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se.
Ying was in tears, clutching baby Hope to her chest as Than and Noli huddled around them.
Below them, a large, metal tank-like vehicle was approaching the city wall, accompanied by more conventional tanks and several battalions of soldiers.
Ying cried, "We made it to Ba Sing Se and we're still not safe. No one is!"
Sokka asked Zuko, "You ever seen anything like that?"
Zuko shook his head. "Whatever that thing is, it's new."
Ying's fear and despair blazed into anger. She screamed at Zuko, "This is your fault! Your people are monsters, killers! Ashmaker!"
Than held her tight, though his face reflected the anger of his wife. The little family were glaring at Zuko with hatred.
Zuko… said nothing. He just nodded, not meeting their gaze. He looked back to the drill.
Katara, seeing that Zuko wasn't going to defend himself against their vitriol, said, "Hey! Zuko's our friend. He's on our side."
Toph jumped, "Yeah, you people wouldn't have got this far if it wasn't for his help."
Than growled, "It's because of things like him that we are refugees in the first place. They are laying siege once again to the last stronghold left in the Earth Kingdom. When they're finished, the world won't be safe unless you're a filthy ashmaker."
Sokka opened his mouth to argue but Zuko stopped him. He said quietly, "Guys. Stop. They're right."
Aang said, "Zuko, the Fire Nation may have done some bad stuff but you're not responsible for that. You're here, with us."
Zuko shook his head. "I wasn't always your friend. I wasn't always on the side of the Earth Kingdom. You know that."
Aang said, "You changed, though."
Zuko just shook his head again. He cleared his throat and said, "Someone needs to escort them to the Wall. Get them inside. Then we should probably get a closer look at that drill."
Toph growled, "Screw them. Let them find their own way there."
Zuko smiled at her slightly but said, "We promised we'd get them there, Toph."
The Earthbender sighed and shook her head. "You and your spirits-damned honour. Aang, come with me. We'll take them to the Wall by earth platform."
She pointed somewhere over Zuko's shoulder and said, "Don't start attacking that thing without me."
He nodded and said, "Of course not."
She nodded back, punched his arm, and said to the family, "Stand together and hold on!"
They hurried to comply, still glaring daggers at Zuko. Aang walked closer to Toph and said, "What do you need me to do?"
"Just follow my lead."
The two Earthbenders were quick to raise up a platform and set off towards the Outer Wall.
Sokka, Katara, and Zuko watched them go.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Katara turned to Zuko and demanded, "Why did you let them say those things to you?"
Sokka said lowly, "Katara."
She waved him off, her eyes never leaving Zuko. The Firebender didn't return her gaze, he just shook his head.
He said, "I told you. They were right. I'm a Firebender. An ashmaker. They don't even know how right they are. I'm of Sozin's blood. That madness runs in my veins. The same madness that drove Azulon to capture and kill the Southern Waterbenders. The madness that's in my father, my sister. We…"
He looked down, clenching his fists and breathing deeply. Finally he said, "We're not good people, Katara. We haven't been for a long time. I'm not a good person."
Toph and Aang had bent their platform in a wide path, skirting the Fire Nation forces, until they reached the bottom of the Outer Wall.
A voice shouted at them, "What are you people doing here? Civilians aren't supposed to be out here."
Aang looked up and saw that a guard had used his Earthbending to open a hatch about twenty feet above them.
Aang called back, "I'm the Avatar. I've escorted civilians, refugees, through the Serpent's Pass to find shelter in the city. Let them in and then take us to whoever is in charge here."
"I can't believe you actually think that."
Katara said it almost as a whisper. Sokka was silent, staring between his sister and his friend.
Zuko refused to look at either of them. He said nothing.
Katara continued, "You… you've done so much for us. Went out of your way to help us when you didn't have to, when you had no reason to."
Sokka nodded and said, "She's right. You ran back to save Aang at the Abbey."
"You fought Zhao at the North Pole."
"You went up against your sister."
Zuko shook his head. He hissed, "You're focusing on the things that helped you. You're ignoring the rest."
Sokka challenged, "Like what?"
"Like my heritage. My family. My people. We bring fear to everyone we meet."
Katara shook her head sadly. "You can't hold yourself accountable for what your people have done. What your family has done."
Zuko laughed bitterly. He looked up at them both with a sneer on his face. "Why not? Everyone else does. You guys did when we first met. You found out I was Fire Nation and branded me the enemy."
Katara looked away, feeling ashamed of herself. She was the one that called him that. She called him 'ashmaker'.
Sokka stepped up to defend her. "Hey, that's not fair and you know it."
Zuko deflated a little. He looked away again, but nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry."
Katara whispered, "It's okay."
Sokka said firmly, "You're people are in the wrong. You're not. You're travelling with the Avatar. That makes you one of the good guys."
Zuko replied, "I wasn't always, though."
"What do you mean? Because you were in the Army? You told us you were conscripted. You were just a kid, it doesn't count."
"Do Aang's actions count?"
Katara frowned at him. "What do you mean?"
Zuko sighed. "I was Aang's age, more or less, when I was deployed. Just a kid, as you call it. I was deployed to Osaru Fortress where I lead my company into battle against the Earth Kingdom. We waged war. Killed Earthbenders. I killed Earthbenders, all in the name of my father, the Fire Lord.
"At the North Pole Aang joined with the Ocean Spirit and slaughtered what must have been thousands of Firebenders, maybe more. He practically crippled the Navy. Does that count?"
"Stop it!" Katara snapped. "Leave Aang out of this."
The sneer returned to Zuko's face. "You mother him, Katara. It'll be the death of him."
She slapped him.
"It's an honour to welcome you to the Outer Wall, young Avatar, but your help is not needed."
Aang stared in disbelief at General Sung. "Not needed?"
Sung nodded calmly. "Not needed. That is correct. I have the situation under control. I assure you that the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall. Many have tried, but none have succeeded."
Toph chimed in with, "What about the Dragon of the West? He got in."
Sung reeled. He stared at the blind girl and said, "Well… uh, technically yes, but he was quickly expunged."
"Really?" She said. "I heard he surrendered and left on his own."
"Nevertheless," General Sung snapped. "The city is named Ba Sing Se for a reason. "The Impenetrable City". They don't call it 'Na Sing Se'."
He laughed and then explained, "That means 'penetrable city'."
Toph sighed. "Yeah, we got it. Just didn't think it was funny."
Aang couldn't help but nod in agreement.
She continued, "Anyway, thanks for the tour and the terrible humour, but we've still got a drill problem."
Sung shook his head. "Not for long. I've sent an elite group to stop it. The Terra Team."
Aang nodded. "Sokka would approve of the name. It's catchy."
Toph sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
The crack of her palm colliding with his cheek echoed across the plain.
Everyone was silent.
Sokka was waiting for Zuko to explode. During their travels they'd caught glimpses of the Firebender's temper, though the guy seemed to keep a tight leash on it.
Instead of flames and yelling though, there was… nothing.
Sokka stared at his friend's face and saw nothing. Not a flicker of emotion, just a red mark that looked a lot like Katara's hand.
Zuko just quietly said, "We should head down there. Deal with that thing."
He turned and walked steadily away from them and towards the Fire Nation troops advancing towards Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall.
Sokka turned his attention to his silent sister. She looked shocked, as if she surprised herself.
Her eyes met his. He said, "We should go."
Wordlessly, she nodded.
General Sung watched in horror as his elite team of Earthbenders were defeated by… two non-bending, teenage girls.
"We're doomed!" he cried, clutching at his hair.
Toph sighed and reached out, grabbing hold of the man's collar. She pulled him down to her level and slapped him hard.
"Get a hold of yourself. Jeez!"
Sung nodded, rubbing his stinging cheek. "You're right." He cleared his throat. "Of course. I'm sorry."
She said sweetly, "Perhaps you'd like the Avatar's help now?"
General Sung turned towards Aang, somewhat meekly, and said, "Yes, please."
Aang and Toph had found the others observing the drill from behind a cluster of rocks.
They couldn't help but notice that Zuko was knelt apart from the other two, and Aang noted that there was a red mark on the Firebender's cheek.
Toph opened her mouth, about to comment, when Aang subtly kicked her shin.
She glared at him, but he shook his head violently at her.
She sighed but nodded, albeit reluctantly.
Aang greeted the trio with, "Any idea how we're going to stop that thing?"
Katara looked and sent him a strained smile. "Aang. How'd it go?"
He nodded. "They got inside safely. The General in charge sent out a team to fight the drill but they were taken out by Azula's friends."
Zuko said quietly, almost to himself, "So she's here. Of course she is."
Aang nodded anyway. He turned back to the group, eying Sokka. "So, any ideas how to stop it?"
"Why are you looking at me?" The Water Tribesman said.
Aang shrugged. "You're the idea guy."
Sokka whined, "So I'm the only one who can ever come up with a plan? That's a lot of pressure."
Katara said, "You're also the complaining guy."
Sokka shrugged. "That part I don't mind."
As they considered the problem of the drill, they'd made their way to the top of the Outer Wall. General Sung was overseeing his 'Terra Team'. They were all on the ground and groaning.
Katara drew out her bending water and went over to see if she could help.
Sung demanded, "What's wrong with him? With all of them? They don't look injured."
Katara said, "Their chi is blocked. Ty Lee, the girl in pink, she doesn't look dangerous but she knows the human body and its weak points. It's like she can take you down from the inside."
Inspiration struck. Sokka threw his hand into the air. "Ooh, ooh, ooh, ohh! Ohh!"
Katara looked at him, eyebrow raised. "Yes?"
"What you just said! That's how we're going to take down the drill. The same way Ty Lee took down all those big Earthbenders."
Toph exclaimed, "By hitting its pressure points!"
Aang glanced over the Wall at the drill. "We'll take it down from the inside."
They were crouched in an earth bunker that Toph had thrown up, positioned at the base of the Wall.
The Earthbender said, "Once I whip up some cover, you're not going to be able to see. So, stay close to me."
The others nodded.
Katara looked across at Zuko. The mark on his cheek had faded, but he was clearly avoiding her gaze, along with everyone else's.
Toph said, "Ready?"
They sounded off and she dropped the bunker, throwing up a cloud of dust.
"RUN!"
Toph punched a hole into the ground. "Everyone in the hole!"
They dived down into it and Toph sealed it up after them.
"It's so dark down here, I can't see a thing!" Sokka hissed.
Toph sarcastically replied, "Oh no, what a nightmare!"
Silence and then, "Sorry."
They waited a moment longer and then Toph reopened the hole and they climbed out.
Sokka scouted around the drill and then pointed. "There! An opening."
Aang used his Airbending to jump and grab hold of the small opening, pulling himself inside.
Zuko was quick to follow, scaling the side of the drill with ease.
Aang drops back down, hanging by his legs, and offered his hands to Katara, quickly pulling her up.
Sokka said, "Toph, come on!"
The Earthbender shook her head. "No way am I going in that metal monster. I can't bend in there. I'll try to slow it down out here."
Sokka wanted to argue; he didn't want them to split up. Instead he said, "Okay! Good luck."
He raised his hands and let Aang hoist him up.
Toph felt Sokka disappear and assumed he'd entered the drill with the others.
She began Earthbending large struts that shot up and into the sides of the huge drill, trying to wedge it in place and slow its progress.
The rock crumbled under the drill's immensity, and she was forced to reinforce it; she was literally holding it in place with her will, adding more and more columns of earth to try and slow the thing down.
"Stay there!" She growled, thrusting her hands out. Her mind drifted to the last time she'd confronted this much sheer mass. The Library. The Desert. Appa.
She swiped the tears from her eyes, set her teeth and did what she did best, what she did better than anyone else on the planet.
She bent the Earth.
They followed Sokka down a metal corridor.
He said, "I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points."
"Where are we going to find something like that?" Aang asked, looking around.
The Airbender frowned and then said, "Wait, where's Zuko?"
The Water Tribe siblings looked around and saw that the Firebender was, indeed, nowhere to be seen.
Sokka cursed. "I hate it when he just disappears."
Katara's face was a picture of guilt and concern. She said, "I should—"
Sokka shook his head. "No time for that. I'll need you and Aang for this. We'll find Zuko on our way out."
Sokka drew his machete and hacked at a steam valve in the wall near him.
Aang hissed, "What are you doing? Someone's going to hear us."
Sokka nodded. "That's the point. I figure a machine this big needs engineers to run it. And when something breaks…"
"They come to fix it!" Katara cried.
The three of them grinned, and then hurried to find somewhere close to hide.
It had been surprisingly easy to knock the engineer unconscious and take the scrolls from the satchel by his waist.
Sokka skimmed through them, before pulling one out. "This'll work."
They take off running.
Zuko darted through the corridors inside the drill, drifting from shadow to shadow, hands never leaving the hilts of his Dao blades.
He hadn't entered the drill with the intention of ditching the others, but… Well, his sister was here.
The others didn't need him to sabotage the machine. He would find Azula and doing whatever needed to be done.
The thought made him cringe as he considered his sister. Despite their last confrontation, the one that very nearly proved lethal for him, he couldn't help but picture his sister as she was when he left the Fire Nation. Eleven years old, clever, brilliant even, and a strange combination of sweet and terrifying.
One day she'd be helping him steal sweet buns from the kitchens and the next she'd try to drown him the turtle-duck pond. Sweet and terrifying.
He shook his head and tried to see her as she was. A weapon forged by their father. Just like he was, though their purposes were very different.
He kept moving swiftly and silently, trying to find his little sister.
Sokka said, "It looks like the drill is made up of two main structures. There's the inner mechanism where we are now, and then there's the outer shell. The two parts are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, then the entire thing should just collapse."
Aang and Katara nodded, not fully understanding his explanation but trusting that Sokka knew what he was talking about.
Sokka rolled up the scroll and said, "Come on."
Toph felt sweat dripping down her face as she did her utmost to slow down the drill, to stall it. If only she could bend metal…
They'd found the braces and beams that held the drill together.
"Wow." Sokka said, staring all around. "They look… a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans. We're going to have to work pretty hard to cut through that."
Katara eyed him. "What's this 'we' stuff? Aang and I are going to have to do all the actual work."
Sokka threw his hands up. "Look, I'm the 'plan' guy. You said so yourselves. You two are the 'cut stuff up with Waterbending' guys. Together, we're Team Avatar!"
There's silence. Aang and Katara shared a long look.
Katara said, "You've been sitting on that for a while, haven't you?"
Sokka shrugged. "Couple of weeks, why?"
"No reason."
Zuko hadn't come up with a plan for confronting Azula. It was quickly taken out of his hands when he rounded a corner and ran headlong into her.
They'd both ended up on the floor.
She'd looked up, pushing her hair out of her face and ready to chastise some incompetent, and saw her brother.
"Zuko." She snarled, throwing him away and scrambling to her feet. She dropped into a Firebending stance.
Zuko was quick to follow, drawing his swords in the same motion.
He said, "Azula."
They stayed where they were, each one watching the other intently.
Azula said, "What are you doing here, Zuzu? I thought even you would be smart enough not to come here, dumb-dumb."
He glared at the childhood 'nicknames'; that's what she'd always called them, anyway. He called them insults.
Zuko said, "I can't let you attack Ba Sing Se, Azula."
She raised an eyebrow. "Let me? Zuzu, how exactly are you planning on stopping me?"
Zuko seemed to consider the question. He replied, "I was thinking something like this."
He struck out with his right sword, slashing towards his little sister's throat.
Aang and Katara were sweating heavily, breathing harsh, as they passed the water back and forth between them, trying to cut through the thick, metal support beam.
Sokka encouraged them. "C'mon team! Don't quit now!"
Katara glared at her brother and pulled of a stream of water, crafting it into a water whip that she aimed at his head.
Sokka gulped. "Err, I mean, you're almost there?"
She and Aang go back to work, slashing the water back and forth against the metal.
They eventually get through the first of the beams. It barely moved.
Katara and Aang practically collapsed from exhaustion.
Katara gasped, "At this rate, we won't do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall."
Aang nodded in agreement. "I don't know how many more of those I have in me."
A creaking, groaning noise echoed all around.
Sokka said, "You hear that? We took it down! We better get out of here, fast."
They raced for the door when a loud voice blared out. "Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory."
Their faces fell. They turned back and returned to the beams.
Azula dodged Zuko's strike, dancing back and away from his slashing blades.
She said casually, "I must ask, brother, how did you survive my fire blast? I was certain I made it lethal."
He growled. "By the skin of my teeth, same as always."
He thrust forward, towards her stomach. She sidestepped and swiped out with her foot, sending an arc of blue fire towards his boots.
He jumped over it and kicked out quick jet of orange flames. Azula knocked it aside with a contemptuous flick of her wrist.
She remarked, "Your fire has always been weak, Zuzu, and your form pathetic, but even so… This can barely be called Firebending."
He snarled at her and charged forward, swords at the ready.
Toph had failed. The drill had hit the wall. She could feel it vibrating through her entire body; in some ways, she never seen with such clarity and yet, it spelled out the city's doom.
She began hurling boulders at the drill, aiming for the same spot in the hope of fracturing the hard, metal plating.
Sokka hurled his shoulder against the cut beam.
"Come on!" He cried. "Move!"
Katara was pulling at her hair. "This is bad, really bad."
Sokka shouted, "We're putting everything we've got into busting these braces, but it's taking too long!"
Aang gasped. "That's it!"
"What is it, Aang?" Katara asked.
"It's something Toph has been teaching me." He answered. "She says you shouldn't give one hundred percent of your energy into any one strike. You use a series of weaker strikes from different angles that brings your opponent down."
Katara realised what the boy was getting at. "We don't have to cut all the way through!"
Aang nodded. "We just need to weaken them enough that it breaks the drill."
Sokka nodded as well. "You weaken it in here, and then deliver a final, crushing blow from outside."
Aang said, "Everyone inside that wall, the whole world even, is counting on us to do this."
Sokka corrected, "The whole world minus the Fire Nation."
Katara huffed in exasperation, while Sokka just grinned.
"Hurry up, Twinkletoes!" Toph practically screamed.
The fight with Azula was what he'd expected; intense, fiery, fast-paced, and absolutely terrifying.
They'd been moving throughout the drill, playing cat-and-mouse with one another. He'd mostly stuck to his blades, choosing not to rely on his Firebending.
She was too strong, her Fire was too hot. He couldn't beat her like that. He doubted he could beat her at all.
He kept fighting, though.
They'd partially sliced through dozens upon dozens of support beams.
Sokka clapped his hands, grinning like a maniac. "Good work, Team Avatar! Now Aang just needs—DUCK!"
They dived to the side, a blast of blue fire flying overhead. As one, they looked over to see Zuko fighting his sister.
Azula cried out, "Looks like we found your little friends, Zuzu! I think they should get involved in the fun!"
A long arc of sapphire flames slashed towards them.
Aang removed the air from the fire, extinguishing it before it could get too close.
There was a clang behind them and they turned to see Ty Lee perched on a railing.
She waved at Sokka. "Hey, cutie!"
She leapt towards them.
Aang shot a blast of air at Ty Lee, throwing her back, and said to Sokka and Katara, "Guys, get out of here. I know what I need to do."
Katara said, "What about Zuko?"
They looked across and saw that the Firebender had sheathed his swords and was engaging his sister, blow for blow, with fire.
Aang grimaced. "I'll get him on my way out. Just go!"
Sokka grabbed Katara's arm and pulled her towards the exit. Katara halted them, removed her flask and threw it to Aang. "You'll need it more than me!"
The Water Tribe siblings ran for the exit as the Fire Nation siblings tried to kill one another.
Aang throws a blast of air at the Fire Princess, just enough to get her attention. He ran for the exit.
Azula stumbled and turned with a snarl, throwing Zuko back with a wave of fire.
She saw the Avatar take off and pursued, yelling at a dazed Ty Lee, "Get Mai and stop them!"
Zuko was on his feet in time to see Azula leave in pursuit of the Avatar, Ty Lee quickly following.
He ran after them, drawing his swords once more.
As she ran down the corridor, following the Airbender, Azula reached out and pulled a cord on the wall, signalling that there was an intruder on board the drill. A clanging echoed throughout the machine, followed by the sounds of Army-issued boots marching on metal floors.
She smiled. The Avatar would soon be in her grasp, along with her traitorous brother.
Sokka and Katara ran down long, never-ending corridors, dodging fire and flying knives and the fingers of a chi blocker.
Sokka suddenly stopped beside a hatch and began tugging at it. Katara read the sign next to it.
"Slurry pipeline? What's that?"
He said hurriedly, "It's rock and water mixed together. It means our way out."
They climbed through into the descending pipe, just as Mai and Ty Lee catch up.
The two girls peered through the open hatch.
Mai scrunched up her nose. "Ugh, disgusting."
Ty Lee insisted, "Come on! Azula said we have to follow them."
Mai shook her head. "She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me. I am not going in that wall sludge juice."
She shuddered in revulsion.
Ty Lee just shrugged and threw herself through the hatch and down the slurry pipe.
Mai closed the hatch behind her.
As Sokka and Katara shot out of the slurry pipe, Katara stumbled to her feet and turned, using her Waterbending to try and block up the pipe.
They watched as Ty Lee became trapped in the sludge.
Katara sneered, "Why don't you try blocking my chi now, circus freak?"
Sokka laughed. "Katara, keep that up. The pressure will build up in the drill. When Aang delivers the final blow, it'll be ready to pop!"
Aang shot out of a hatch that led to the top of the drill. His eyes darted around. He could hear thundering footsteps approaching beneath him.
He said to the lemur on his shoulder, "This looks like a good spot, Momo."
He yelped when a boulder almost hit him. He yelled up, "General Sung! Tell your soldiers to stop throwing rocks down here!"
General Sung turned to his soldiers. "Whatever you do, do not stop throwing rocks down there."
The Earthbenders nodded and continued their bombardment of the drill.
"Good technique, little sister. Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe." Sokka said encouragingly.
Katara scowled over at him. "You know, I'm just about sick and tired of you telling me what to do all day! You're like a chattering hog-monkey!"
Sokka threw his hands up. "Just bend the slurry, woman!"
Katara's left hand shot in her brother's direction, bending a stream of slurry that knocked him to the ground.
A welcome voice behind them said, "You guys need some help?"
Katara smiled at the Earthbender. "Toph, help me plug up this drain."
Toph nodded and began bending the earth particles in the slurry, even as Katara bent the water.
Ty Lee was thrown further back into the pipe, almost back into the drill itself. Her face was pressed against the seal hatch, only tiny holes allowing her to breathe.
Throughout the drill, pipes began the buckle under the strain. The entire structure began to shake and quake. The partially-cut support braces started to twist and shift and snap.
Mai, observing this, said to herself, "Time to leave."
She ran to the nearest escape hatch.
Aang pulled some of the water from Katara's flask and began to slash an 'X' shape into the top of the drill.
He muttered, "What I'd give to be a metalbender."
Momo shrieked and took off. Aang turned and dodged out of the way of a bright blue fireball that otherwise would have took his head off.
Aang shouted, "Momo, get out of here! Find the others."
The lemur flew away.
Azula stood at the top of the hatch Aang had come through. Her fist was extended, smoke trailing out of her knuckles.
Aang dropped into an Airbending stance, ready to redirect her fire.
The Fire Princess kicked out with her right leg, sending a torrent of sapphire flames at the Avatar. He ducked under the blast, the heat of it singing the hairs on the back of his neck.
Aang came back up, throwing a gust of wind at the girl, hoping to throw her off her feet.
No such luck as she also dropped of her own accord, coming up firing twin fireballs.
He swept his staff around, sending them off to the side.
The Avatar was about to retaliate when he saw a hand emerge from the hatch, grab the Princess' ankle and pull.
She fell hard, barely catching herself before her face implanted with the drill's hard outer shell.
Zuko emerged from the hatch, face twisted in anger. He snarled at his sister, "We weren't finished."
Aang watched as the Fire siblings squared off with one another. He wanted to help his friend but…
He looked across at the 'X' he was carving into the drill's hull.
He sighed. Zuko would have to hold his own for a while.
He began cutting at it again with his Waterbending, digging deeper and deeper into the metal, carving a furrow.
A whistling sound made him look up and he yelped and dodged, and a large boulder struck the 'X' he was making.
He yelled, "Sung! I said to stop!"
He got no response. He looked back at the boulder. It had landed almost perfectly in line with his Waterbending mark.
"Huh." He said, thoughtfully. "This might actually work."
Zuko and Azula exchanged rapid blasts of fire, advancing on another with each blow.
Azula was grinning, revelling in the battle. Zuko's teeth were set in a snarl.
She said between fireballs, "You'll never beat me, Zuzu. Never have. Never will!"
Visions of that abandoned little village filled Zuko's mind. Fighting his sister. His little sister. The girl his mother told him to be nice to, to look out for. The girl he taught to tie her shoes. He remembered being burned by her, almost killed by her. He thought of the thick scar tissue that now marred his chest because of her.
He growled and increased the ferocity of his Firebending.
Aang used his Earthbending to carve the boulder into the proper shape. He prepared to deliver the final blow, the one that would hopefully destroy the drill plaguing Ba Sing Se's Outer Wall.
His eyes went to where Zuko was duelling his sister. Bursts of orange and blue erupted all around the brother and sister.
Using his Airbending to make his voice louder, Aang bellowed, "ZUKO! GET OFF THE DRILL!"
Zuko heard the Avatar's cry, but didn't allow it to distract him. He ignored whatever warning Aang was trying to give.
So too, it seemed, did Azula.
They continued to fight; long-range fire blasts quickly turning to hand-to-hand combat with flaming fists.
He went to punch Azula and saw her doing the same, both of their fists trailing fire, like twin comets.
Aang shook his head. His friend wasn't listening to him. He had to stop the drill though.
He prayed that Zuko would be alright.
He turned and sprinted towards the wall, forming an air scooter as he went.
He rocketed up the Outer Wall, gaining as much speed and altitude as he could.
He then pushed off into the air, turned, and shot began down, staff poised to strike at the boulder. Faintly he could see an explosion of orange and blue flames.
Sokka watched Aang's progress up the Outer Wall. He watched the Avatar's descent.
He said to the preoccupied Benders, "It's about to happen!"
Aang struck, and the drill exploded.
Azula's fiery fist collided with Zuko's.
Their fire exploded outwards, throwing them both back and down the sides of the drill.
As they fell, the drill exploded too.
As the drill exploded out, Toph raised a shield of earth around herself, Katara, and Sokka.
Aang struck the boulder, and then leapt back into the sky, using his Airbending to gain as much altitude as he could to escape the brunt of the impending explosion.
Zuko did his best to form a shield of fire around himself. It was hard to do; he'd only begun the very basics of shielding before he was sent to war and he'd not had much opportunity to practice.
Instinct took over though, and while the shield was shaky, it held.
He fell, surrounded by fire.
Ty Lee, trapped within the slurry pipe and barely able to breathe, felt the resistance holding her there vanish.
She shot out of the pipe like an arrow being flung from a bow.
Azula wrapped herself in layer upon layer of azure fire; a Master's level shield that absorbed the force of the exploding drill.
She could feel herself flying through the air, but was confident that she could account for the ground.
Zuko hit the ground hard, though he did his best to accommodate it by rolling on impact, his fire shield sputtering out of existence as soon as he made contact with earth.
He grunted and rolled, in no way in control of his momentum.
Eventually he stopped and just laid there, gasping for breath.
"Ow."
Sensing that the explosion was, more or less, over, Toph lowered the earth shield from around herself, Sokka, and Katara.
Sokka admired their handiwork and whooped in excitement and victory. "Woohoo! Yeah! Water Tribe, baby!"
Katara couldn't help but grin and shake her head at her genius, moron, brother.
She looked up, squinting at the sky. "Where's Aang? And… Zuko?"
Toph sensed the Waterbender's heartbeat flutter when she said the Firebender's name, but ignored it for the time being. She was looking for Sparky.
She pointed and said, "Sparky's in that direction. Can't find Aang, he must be off the ground."
The three of them took off in the direction she'd indicated.
Azula landed like a cat; with grace, dignity, and the poise befitting a Princess of the Blood.
She stared at the wreckage of the drill. She sighed, feeling tired.
She heard footsteps and hid the exhaustion behind a cool mask. She turned.
Mai and Ty Lee were hurrying towards her. Ty Lee was coated in… something. Azula's nose wrinkled in vague disgust.
As they got closer the Princess said, "We should leave, for now. Regroup. Mai, see if War Minister Qin survived and get him to gather our forces."
The knife-thrower nodded and left again, without a word.
Azula continued, "Ty Lee… go find some water. You're filthy."
The chi blocker sighed. "I know, and this was my favourite outfit!"
Azula just nodded. Her eyes went back to the drill.
Somewhere in that chaos was her brother. And the Avatar. She had no doubt that both had survived.
Not now, she thought, but soon.
They found Zuko at the same time as Aang.
Seeing him on the floor, Katara rushed over. She shouted, "Aang, my bending water."
Aang threw her the flask, though there wasn't much left in it.
She dropped down beside Zuko and reached for him.
He caught her wrist in a firm grasp. His eye flickered open. When it locked on her, it was like some of the light dimmed a little.
He muttered, "I'm fine."
He let go of her wrist and forced himself into a seated position.
She said, "Zuko, I don't think—"
He cut her off. "I said I'm fine, Katara. Leave it."
She closed her mouth with a snap. She looked to the others.
Toph and Aang both looked confused. Sokka looked annoyed and like he was going to open his mouth. She shook her head at him.
Aang said uncertainly, "We should… get to the top of the Wall?"
Sokka nodded solemnly. "Yeah. We should."
They were stood at the top of the Outer Wall, watching as the sun set.
Sokka nodded his head. "I just want to say, good effort out there today, Team Avatar."
Katara said sharply, "Enough with the 'Team Avatar' stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's not going to catch on."
Sokka scratched his chin. "How about…" he pulled out his boomerang. "The Boomerang Squad! See, it's good because it's got 'Aang' in it. BoomerAang."
Aang grinned. "I kind of like that one."
Toph elbowed him. "Of course you do, Twinkletoes."
Katara sighed and began walking away. "Let's talk about this on our way into the city."
Aang followed her.
"The Aang Gang?" Sokka suggested.
"Sokka…" Katara warned.
"The Fearsome Fivesome?"
Toph shook her head, also walking away. "You're crazy."
Zuko couldn't help but nod in agreement as he followed her.
Sokka said, "What? We're fearsome!"
He ran after them, still shouting suggestions.
