Chapter 117: Escaping Ba Sing Se
They ran.
Iroh, Zuko, Sokka, Katara, Aang, and Toph. They all ran from the Dai Li, from Mai and Ty Lee, and they ran from Princess Azula, the newly minted leader of the Dai Li. De facto ruler of Ba Sing Se. They ran through the earthen tunnels, the Catacombs that laced their way under the great Ringed City.
Katara could only spare a glance at Jet's still crumpled body, almost moving towards him before Toph grabbed her wrist and dragged her away.
"It's too late for him." The blind Earthbender said, harshly but not cruelly.
Katara swiped a tear away and kept running. Grief would have to come later.
Azula just watched them leave, watched them run, a smile on her face. They wouldn't get far.
Ty Lee asked, "You want us to follow them, Azula?"
The Princess shook her head, still smiling. "Not you two, no. Dai Li? Pursue them and capture them. Alive. My father will want the privilege of killing them himself, particularly the Avatar and my treacherous relatives."
The surviving agents did as the girl, their new leader, commanded, hurrying down the tunnel after the Avatar and his friends.
Toph led the way. Her senses were pretty much all the way back, even if her actual command of the earth was still a little shaky; she could feel it growing stronger by the second, though, her connection to the earth returning to its profound level.
"This way!" she yelled, turning a corner. The others followed her, unquestioningly trusting the little Earthbender's directions.
They ran around the corner but were interrupted by a rumbling to their left.
The six of them slipped into combat forms, ready to both attack and defend. It proved unnecessary, however, when a wall came down, revealing the Boulder and Sister Tin looking a little worse for wear but otherwise in one piece.
Toph frowned, utterly confused. "The Boulder?"
Sokka shrieked in joy, "The Boulder!"
The Boulder frowned at Sokka's jubilance but greeted Toph with a muttered, "Bandit."
He then turned to Iroh and said, "Grand Lotus, time to leave?"
Iroh nodded. "Yes, and quickly. Long Feng is dead, and my niece has taken control of the Dai Li."
Sister Tin uttered a curse so harsh that it made the Boulder raise his eyebrows in shock and awe.
She said, "Then Ba Sing Se will soon fall."
Iroh nodded again, unable to deny the truth of that statement.
Katara said, "Wait, what about the Earth King? Someone needs to warn him."
Iroh shook his head. "We'd never get to him. The Palace is too heavily protected."
"And it'll be swarming with Dai Li." Zuko added grimly, one hand clutching his aching ribs.
Katara eyed him, worried. Her gazed flicked over the heavy bruising around his nose and under both eyes, as well as on his fingers.
"We need to get out of the city." Sokka stated.
The Boulder nodded in agreement. "The boy is correct. Ba Sing Se was dangerous before, but now it will be lethal."
"How do we get out?" Aang asked.
"The same way we entered." Iroh answered, gesturing to himself, the Boulder and Sister Tin. "Via the docks."
Katara worried her lip. "We need to go back to the house. Our stuff, Momo, it's all there."
Aang suddenly gasped and all the colour drained from his face. "Appa! We have to find Appa, they took him again."
Iroh smiled. "Not to worry, my young friend, my associates here," he gestured once more to the Boulder and Sister Tin, who both smiled at him. "They were kind enough to see to your Sky Bison's freedom. It made for a wonderful distraction."
Aang sighed in relief, the colour returning to him. "So, where's Appa?"
Sister Tin replied warmly, "Your bison is hidden, for the moment, with a… friend of ours. She will know to bring him to us when we escape."
Aang nodded to the nun in thanks.
Katara circled the conversation back. "We still need to go back to the house."
"They'll be watching the place." Sokka argued.
Aang responded, "Katara's right, though. We've got to try and get back in."
Toph said, "Sparky, you're up."
Zuko looked surprised. "What?"
The girl shrugged. "You're our resident stealth expert."
He looked to the others. Sokka shrugged as well. "She's kind of right, man."
He shook his head. "Let me think about it, for now we need to focus on getting out of here."
Iroh nodded. "Boulder, Sister, if you would make us a path."
Toph frowned at not being included in making their escape tunnel, even with her currently limited control over her bending. She stayed silent, though.
The pro-fighter and the nun got into bending stances and punched forward simultaneously, opening a tunnel heading up towards the surface.
Iroh went first, summoning a handful of bright orange flames. "Quickly now, my young friends."
They hurried into the tunnel after the Dragon.
A Dai Li agent knelt before Princess Azula.
"I'm afraid that they escaped the Catacombs, Princess. We think they had additional allies."
Azula nodded. "Hmm, yes. Two Earthbenders, one of them a nun and the other appeared to be a fighter of some sort."
The agent frowned up at her. "A nun?"
Azula ignored him, pacing back and forth. "They will have escaped into the city above, no doubt."
"Yes, your highness."
"I want the city locked down. Each ring sealed. The gates closed until I say otherwise."
"What if the King asks why? Or one of the Generals?"
Azula paused and stared down at him. "Who controls this city? Who governs it and brings order out of chaos? The King? The Generals? Or the Dai Li?"
He gulped. "The Dai Li, your highness."
"And who controls the Dai Li?"
"You do, your highness."
"Exactly. I want every Dai Li agent in the city on duty, scouring Ba Sing Se from top to bottom. Find them and bring them back here. Am I understood?"
"Yes, your highness."
"Good. You are dismissed."
The agent left the room. Azula smiled.
Mai entered the room, having shed her pilfered Kyoshi Warrior uniform and opted for her usual attire.
Azula remained in the green armoured uniform, but she had removed the heavily applied make-up.
"Ah, Mai. Good. Send a message to Li and Lo and have them relay it to my father. Tell them that Ba Sing Se is effectively under my control, and I am working on solidifying Fire Nation supremacy. The Earth King, and his Kingdom, will fall within days."
Mai nodded her head. "Yes, Princess."
She paused before leaving the room. Azula asked sweetly, "Was there something you wanted to ask, Mai?"
"Zuko…" the knife thrower said slowly, almost uncertain.
"Ah, yes. My brother. Your former betrothed. I am afraid he has proven himself time and again a traitor to both his family and to the Nation. My father was quite clear about his punishment."
Mai pursed her lips, nodded, and then left the room.
When she was alone, the smile slipped from Azula's face. She sighed, deep and weary. Why couldn't Zuzu just be on her side for once? Why did it always have to be this way?
Her mind, sharp as a scalpel, provided her images, memories, of her brother from when they were children. Playing together in the Palace gardens, on the beaches of Ember Island. Sparring together, though she usually enjoyed that more than he did. Her brother was once her closest friend. Now…
She sighed and stared at the floor.
They were in a cave-live recess that the Boulder and Sister Tin had constructed with their Earthbending. It was several hundred feet above where the main Catacombs lay, but at least a couple of hundred feet below Ba Sing Se's bustling streets. They were sat in darkness, as Iroh had snuffed out the flames he'd been using in the tunnels.
"There is too little ventilation here," he explained. "The fire would consume the air."
Sister Tin had escorted Zuko to the surface, to scope out their house for Dai Li presence.
They were quiet for the most part, too tired and emotionally drained to say much.
It was Toph that finally broke the silence. "I think my bending is back. Properly, I mean. I can feel people walking on the street above us."
Katara nodded in the darkness. "That's good. Ours is probably working right again as well."
"Good." Aang said quietly. "We're gonna need it."
Sokka asked, "Hey, Iroh?"
"Yes?"
"How come your bending worked fine? They drugged you too."
The Dragon shrugged in the darkness. "I made it to the surface to retrieve our reinforcements, and I helped myself to a little chi-enhancing tea."
"How did you get out, anyway?" Toph asked. "And why didn't Sparky?"
Iroh sighed lowly. "A… friend. Yes, a friend of myself and the Sister and the Boulder—"
The Boulder interrupted, "The Cat is no friend of mine, even if she is an ally."
"Cat?" Aang asked, confused.
"A Spirit." Iroh said. "Her name is Miyuki, and she is a Spirit that takes the form of a Cat. Through deep meditation I managed to summon her to our cell. She came and she offered a way out, however it would only work for me. That method of travel would have proven damaging to Zuko. I did not want to leave him, but he convinced me to do so. I regret leaving him there."
"It looked like they hurt him." Katara said quietly, almost accusingly.
"I know." Iroh responded, equally quiet and tinged with shame.
There was silence for a long time. Then Aang said, "Wait, did you say 'Miyuki'?"
Zuko watched the house from amidst the branches of a tree.
Or rather, he watched the Dai Li agents that were watching the house from amidst the branches of a tree.
Sister Tin had chosen to seat herself on a nearby bench, apparently enjoying the sun and a book she'd taken out of the pocket of her habit. The agents didn't give her a second look; her Sisterly attire did wonders to make people ignore her or dismiss her as non-threatening.
Seeing her, and knowing that she was friends with his Uncle, had been a surprise for Zuko. He'd seen her around the Abbey many times, though they'd rarely spoke; almost nothing beyond him asking if any work needed doing. He'd not even known that she was an Earthbender; in fact, he'd assumed that all of the nuns were non-benders. Zuko wondered just how many 'friends' his uncle had, and whether they were all going to come out of the woodwork at opportune moments.
There were two Dai Li agents stood by the front door to the house, he'd noted. He was fairly certainly that at least two more would be at the back.
His lone eye settled on the open window that led into Aang's bedroom at the top of the house. He grinned to himself.
It had proven surprisingly easy to lure the Dai Li into the house, and then to pick them off one by one. They were tied up, unconscious, in the middle of the living room. Zuko was sat in a chair, drinking a glass of water and catching his breath; Momo was on his shoulder, petting his hair as he breathed harshly. The fights had been short and brutal, and they'd taken brief bursts of intense effort from him.
He'd signalled the Sister to enter, and as soon as she'd taken a look at him she had sat him down, gotten him a cool drink, and told him that she would begin gathering the essentials. Thankfully, following the disaster in the desert, the GAang didn't have much left beyond the necessities.
Zuko had been pleased to discover that the house had been left untouched following their arrest; his dao blades were in his room, where he'd left them, as was his armour. He'd taken the liberty of donning them before initiating his attack on the Dai Li agents guarding the house.
Sister Tin ghosted into the room, a large sack in each hand. She said, "I have gathered necessities, along with what appear to be treasured items. Are you ready to leave?"
Zuko nodded and stood slowly, carefully. Momo screeched and took flight, landing on the nun's shoulder. Zuko reached out and took one of the sacks from her, glancing inside. He nodded and then reached over and picked up Aang's glider-staff from where it was propped against the wall.
"Let's get back to the others and get out of here, before Azula finds us."
Aang had been beyond pleased to be reunited with both his staff and Momo; the only thing that would improve his mood even further would be the reunion with Appa.
They made it to the docks. Miyuki was waiting for them, sitting primly atop Appa's head, like a queen on a throne.
"Appa!" Aang cried, leaping up to hug the Sky Bison.
Sokka said, "Everyone on, it's time we were gone."
He followed Aang up onto Appa's back, Toph and Katara close behind. The Boulder and Sister Tin stood by the Sky Bison's side.
"Think again, peasant." Azula appeared, flanked by Dai Li agents. More agents emerged from the rock all around them.
Iroh, a few paces behind the others, fell into a bending stance. "Time for you to leave, my friends." Iroh ordered, his voice that of a General.
"Uncle, no. We'll take her together." Zuko said, halfway between his friends and his Uncle.
"Such confidence, Zuzu." Azula drawled, moving closer, blue fire playing along her fingertips. "And yet, completely unjustified. Dai Li, prepare to take them down."
The Dai Li moved as one, falling into fighting stances. Zuko moved up alongside his Uncle, drawing his dao blades as Iroh brought flames to his hands.
Not looking away from Azula, Zuko said, "Guys, go. Now."
Katara shouted, "We're not leaving you, Zuko."
"Damn straight." Toph agreed. "We can take them."
Out of the corner of his mouth, Zuko said to Iroh, "She can't be allowed to take Aang."
The Dragon nodded. "I know."
Iroh addressed his fellow Order members. "Boulder, Sister. Remember our most sacred of duties. The one above all."
Sister Tin sucked in a breath. "Yes, Grand Lotus."
The Boulder and the Sister acted at the same time as Iroh. As the Dragon of the West thrust forward a torrent of orange flames, forcing Azula to summon her own shield of azure fire, the two Order members swung up onto the Sky Bison's back.
The Boulder reached past the young Airbender and grabbed Appa's reins, pulling up hard, as Sister Tin in a passable impersonation of Aang's voice said, "Appa, yip yip!"
The bison, agitated by the abundance of fire, took to the air with a bellow, leaving the two Firebenders behind to face countless Dai Li agents and the Princess of the Fire Nation.