Act II
(The show returns to a shot of Katara and Sokka bound each to a wooden pole. It is night. They are in a jail cell that has a grated door in front of them. Cut to a shot looking out of the grated door, which looks out over the hill behind the camp. Two guards, one of them the sergeant seen earlier, flank the door. Outside, the noise of battle can be heard close by. Flashes of light appear from behind the hill and wink out.
Cut back to a wider shot of the cell. Katara and Sokka look at Aang, chained to a third poll. He is still unconscious. Katara has stopped crying, but her face is still wet.)
Katara:
(closing her eyes in despair) Is he dead, Sokka?
Sokka:
(heavily) No, just knocked out.
(The sergeant turns around.)
Sergeant: Shut up, both of you! Or I promise you'll be killed "trying to escape" before you see another day!
(Cut back to a shot of the door from Sokka and Katara's p.o.v. The guard turns around again. The sky continues to flash and the sounds of battle go on.)
(Fade to a day shot of the inside of a tent that has been cut into the side of a hill. It is open on three sides and a breeze blows through it. The entrances have a guard posted at each. A red messenger hawks sits on a tall, t-shaped stand nearby.
Colonel Diem sits at a rickety desk that is full of papers, weapons and empty bottles. The top paper, a black heavy bottle resting on top of it as a paperweight, is a wanted poster of Aang. Sokka's weapons, Katara's necklace and Aang's bison whistle are present as well. The desk rests on top of two large barrels. Aang's staff leans against the desk. The Colonel's legs are splayed open, his face remains unshaven and he is obviously drunk. Beside him stands the captain.
The Colonel leans over and picks up a heavy, sealed letter from his desk. He offers it to the captain.)
Colonel Diem: Here, it's ready.
(The Captain takes the message and places it in a leather tube. He ties the tube around the bird's neck. The bird flaps its wings a few times, then takes off out of the tent.
Cut to a shot from inside the tent looking out one of the sides of the tent. Along a path from behind the hill emerge Aang, Katara and Sokka escorted by guards. They are brought into the tent. Their hands are bound behind them.)
Captain: (coldly) These are the prisoners, Colonel. We caught them out by the cemetery. (He points to the siblings) These two are Water Tribe. We believe they're Earth Kingdom spies.
(Cut to a close up of the Colonel, who wipes his nose and strokes his stubble covered chin. He looks o.c. through narrowed eyes. Switch to the Colonel's p.o.v, where it is clear he has locked eyes with Aang, noting the hat covering his tattoo. A huge black bruise is visible where Aang's neck and body meet. The Colonel's eyes flicker over the wanted poster on his desk as he picks up the bottle on top of it. He takes a huge drink. Cut back to a frontal shot of the Colonel, who puts the bottle on the knee of his soiled uniform.)
Colonel
Diem: (breaking eye contact with Aang and looking away)
They're children. Untie them.
Captain:
But, Sir, the girl's a –
(The Colonel cuts him off with a wave of his hand. Cut to a wide shot of the three, eyes wide in astonishment. This is clearly not what they were expecting. The guards untie them.)
Colonel
Diem: (after a pause, addressing the kids with a sigh)
Where are you from?
Sokka:
He's right, Colonel. We're from the Southern Water Tribe. We've
been looking for our father since our mother died a few years ago.
Colonel
Diem: (after another pause) So, your father's fighting
with the Earth Kingdom, is he. Excellent. (Takes another drink,
then looking again at Aang) And you?
Aang:
Me? Uh, I'm with them.
Colonel
Diem: Mmm. (looks away again) And you're reason for
being here?
Sokka:
(looking down) Just trying to get away from the fighting,
Colonel. We'd been up north, but things we're bad there.
Colonel
Diem: (laughs) Get away from the fighting – by running
to Fire Nation occupied lands? Hah!
(The Colonel stands and drains the rest of the bottle. He puts the empty over the wanted poster on his desk, and picks up another full bottle from nearby. He uncorks it and walks over between Sokka and Katara, Aang on their left. He turns and puts his arms around their shoulders, the open bottle hanging under Sokka's chin.)
Colonel Diem: (looking at Aang to his left with a dead man's grin, he laughs again) Run away from the fighting? That's impossible, my friends. Come, (he turns Sokka and Katara around in a drunken semi-circle, waving his hands slightly as he guides them) Come, let me show you something.
(Cut to a wide, overhead shot from behind the three as they complete their turn.)
Colonel Diem: We've been fighting here for eight months now.
(They now look out of the tent across a huge river valley panorama. A wall, pitted, scarred, and in places smoking lies across much of the opposite bank. On the beach in front of it and in the shallow water nearby, the toy-like wreckage of Fire Nation boats and tanks can seen.
To the left of the Earth Kingdom fortifications, a monstrous wooden trestle bridge connects one bank of the river to the other.
The camera continues to pan left, revealing rows of trenches up and down the side of the three or four neighboring hills. These trenches are filled with Fire Nation soldiers. They are filthy and haggard. Much coughing is heard as many of the men are clearly ill.
Between the hills and ending close to the beach are wide, railway like tracks. The closest of these end in the twisted remains of several trebuchets. One of the trebuchets farther down looks intact and is manned. A few smaller catapults made of cannibalized parts also appear functional.)
Colonel Diem: Oh, yes, the Fire Nation is winning great victories up north, but here… (he takes another long drink, then, bottle in hand, motions towards the scene before them) here we are outnumbered two to one. General Han has decided that bridge is the key to this whole area, and that we have to defend it, even if all of us are killed.
(Cut to a frontal shot of the four. Katara and Sokka make faces at having to smell the Colonel's stench up close, but nevertheless take in the sight.)
Aang:
Why is the bridge so important, Colonel?
Colonel
Diem: There are only two others like it across the Song. The
Earth Kingdom wants it intact, and so do we.
(Cut to a closer, panning left shot of the bridge, the Colonel continues in voice over. The bridge is wide and, like all trestle bridges, supported by wooden A-frames that sink into the swift flowing water beneath it.)
Colonel Diem: (voice over) The Earth Kingdom army attacks every day. Every day we drive them back.
(Cut back to the frontal shot of the four. The kids have forgotten the Colonel's stench and look out over the valley with blank faces.)
Colonel
Diem: (turning to Sokka) Hand to hand, do you see?
Sokka:
(making a face at the Colonel's breath) Why hand to hand?
Colonel
Diem: Why? Because each side would rather lose every man than see
any harm come to that bridge! No bending allowed, by either side, you
understand? For fear it might, perhaps, harm their precious, stinking
bridge!
(He unhooks his arms from the siblings' necks and leans forward against the half height dirt wall in front of them. He takes another pull from his bottle.)
Colonel
Diem: Oh, friends, I cannot tell you how often I've dreamed of
burning down that filthy, bloody thing. If only I could find the
strength to do that, I could the save thousands of lives.
Captain:
(emerging from over Diem's shoulder) Colonel, please! The
Fire Lord hears all from great distances! We cannot risk –
(The Colonel whirls around on the Captain. He throws the half empty bottle to the ground, which breaks.)
Colonel
Diem: (bellowing) Enough! I know the risks – better than
you. (Turning back to the kids, the smile returning to his face)
Oh, yes, it's a capital offense to even dare to dream of destroying
that bridge against the order of the Fire Lord.
Aang:
Is that why you had that man killed last night?
Colonel
Diem: (dully) Yes. I could not save him.
Sokka:
(angrily) That's just stupid! You're in command, why
didn't you just stop it?
Colonel
Diem: If I did, General Han would learn of it – and he would
have all of my men executed. All of them! I could not disobey, even
for the sake of my own brother.
Katara:
(in shock) That was your brother! You executed your own
brother!
Colonel
Diem: (to Aang) Man against man, brother against brother,
nation against nation. Someday this madness will end. I only pray to
the spirits that some will be left alive to profit from it.
(At this a brief whistling noise is heard and then a massive impact occurs nearby. Just above the nearest trench a boulder has struck and exploded. Yells and shouts are heard as the men in the trenches grab their weapons and put on their ragtag armor. Several more boulders impact and explode in dust. Stone fragments rain down on the tent. The Captain and the Colonel grab their helmets and put them on as the kids duck behind the half height wall.)
Colonel Diem: (to the Captain) Let's go. (to the kids who stand up again, with a laugh and a smile) Stay, friends, stay and watch the spectacle!
(They exit the frame to the right and enter the trenches. Taking the Colonel's words literally, a guard appears behind each of the kids. They place their sword points on the small of each kid's back.
Cut to a shot of the heads of the three kids, Aang in the foreground, then Katara, then Sokka as they look out over the battlefield. Explosions rock the hills below and beside them. Aang holds onto the tent post next to him. His expression tells of the weight he feels.)
Sokka: Aang, what do we do? Are we gonna let this happen?
(Aang doesn't reply. He may not even have heard Sokka. He is transfixed by the Colonel's spectacle, as is Katara.
Cut to the kids p.o.v. Below them, a line of Earth Kingdom skiffs move rapidly over the river toward the Fire Nation lines. They are full of Earth Kingdom soldiers whose spear heads and round, tarnished helmets glint feebly in the sun. The trebuchet and small catapults fire a volley at the ships, some of which hit. Others blow up next to the ships, causing some to capsize.
The bank opposite is now full of earthbenders, groups of which coordinate to throw massive stones in lazy arcs across the sky at the Fire Nation trenches. One of these strikes a catapult, killing its crew of four men instantly. Other Earth Kingdom troops run madly onto the bridge on their side of the river.
The Colonel, standing atop the bottom trench, the captain at his side, raises his sword.)
Colonel Diem: (in a mighty voice) Forward for the Fire Nation!
(Dirty and disheveled, the Fire Nation soldiers nevertheless raise a loud battle cry and rise from their trenches in lockstep. The first three trenches stand row after row on the beach, while the rest follow the Colonel in their own mad rush at the bridge. The first row on the beach fires a volley of fire at the approaching boats. They kneel and the row behind fires.
Another whistling sound is heard as a massive boulder arcs towards the men gathering to repel the beach assault. Cut to a close up of the Colonel, who turns and looks up. He motions in opposite directions with his hands, concentrating. Electricity gathers around his hands. He suddenly turns around completely and stretches his palm to the sky. The valley flashes white as a bolt of lightning snakes from the Colonel's arm toward the arcing boulder, which explodes on contact. Cut back to the kids p.o.v. They lose sight of the Colonel as he turns and melts into the rush of the men heading to the gathering fight on the bridge.
A cheer from the Fire Nation troops on the beach is extinguished when another boulder explodes in their midst, killing many. The first Earth Nation ships run aground and green uniformed soldiers jump ashore, many of which are set on fire, while others are speared.
Cut to a frontal shot of the three again. Katara and Sokka have looked away, their faces taught. The guards behind them press their sword points a little harder and they stiffen.)
Guard: The Colonel said to watch. So watch! Does it make you happy to see us die?
(Sokka and Katara open their eyes and are struck with horror. Aang's grip on the tent post tightens. The slaughter below continues for a few more moments before another whistling sound in heard. A boulder crashes through the top of the tent and shatters as it impacts the floor behind them. The screen goes brown with smoke and dust. Cut to black for commercial break.)
