Act III
(The scene returns to a replay of the boulder striking the tent and the explosion of rock and dust that follows. Cut to Aang who has been thrown to the ground. He grabs his staff, now lying on the ground beside him, and airbends himself to his feet. The camera zooms rapidly backward to reveal the damage. The boulder has smashed the desk and one of the support barrels. The smashed barrel was full of water, which is now all over the floor. Chunks of rock, desk, barrel, glass and dirt litter the floor. The sun shines through the hole in the tent.
The sounds of the battle outside continue to roar as the camera in turn completes its backward zoom. Katara, Sokka and the three guards struggle to get to their feet. Aang, completing the swing of his staff, brings the weapon down upon the closest guard's shoulder, then twisting sideways uses the other end of the staff to sweep the guards feet out from under him.
Cut to a shot from behind and above Katara's right shoulder. A guard, spear at the ready, is rushing her as she bends a whip of water out of the remaining intact water barrel. Sokka flashes into the frame from the left. He grabs the spear and drags it and the guard out of the frame at the bottom of the screen. A crash is heard as they hit the floor o.c. As Sokka and the guard fall, Aang is shown to have stepped into the frame behind them. He makes another sweeping motion with his staff and the first guard slams into the wall of the hillside.
Katara now has a large water whip, and the camera begins to rotates rapidly around her as she shifts targets. The third guard has just gotten to his feet, his back to the half height wall overlooking the river scene. The water whip slams into his head and he falls backwards over the wall and out of the frame. Sokka gets up in the foreground, blocking the view of Katara and much of the panorama. He holds his now blood and dirt caked club.
Cut to a wider shot of the three. Katara drops her water whip. The battle continues unabated outside, but the fight is over in the tent.)
Sokka:
We've got to get out of here!
Aang:
(dropping to his knees) Quick! Find Appa's whistle – it
was on the Colonel's desk!
Katara:
(following Aang's example) And my necklace!
(Sokka joins them as they search frantically through the rubble. Sokka finds his boomerang and machete. Outside, another boulder impacts right in front of the half height wall. They are showered with stone dust and dirt as they keep searching. A moment later shouts are heard approaching from the path that leads back to the tent camp behind the hill.)
Sokka: (looking up to where the voices are coming) No more time – we've got to go!
(They run out into the nearby trench and crouch low and the battle noises continue. Chunks of shattered stone, broken barrels, boxes, a few stretchers and other junk are strewn across the floor of the trench.)
Katara:
We can't stay here!
Sokka:
(pointing to an adjoining trench that runs under the bombed out
command tent) Let's try that one – we can use it to get back
behind the hill.
(They crouch low as shouts from above them on the hill are heard. Cut to a shot from between the three kids looking up out of the trench. Half a dozen Fire Nation soldiers jump from the top of one side of the trench to the other, running towards the beach.)
Aang: (emphatic) No. I know it sounds crazy – (pointing the opposite direction o.c., then cut to a wide, long shot of the scene where it is clear he is pointing towards the bridge) but we've got to go down there.
(The beach is obscured by smoke, but the hand to hand fighting on the bridge is clear, though far away. Many bodies that have fallen from the bridge are caught in the bridge's trestles and prevented from floating downstream. One of the few remaining catapults is now on fire.)
Sokka:
(incredulous) Are you insane!
Aang:
We can't go back to the camp, that way's blocked by those
soldiers, and we can't call Appa. Even if we had the whistle, I
don't know if he could hear it over all this. The Colonel said no
bending is allowed near the bridge – it's the safest place until
this ends!
(Another boulder impacts near enough to shake the ground.)
Sokka:
All right, we've done dumber things. (He looks around and picks
one end of a stretcher) Here, I've got an idea. Grab the other
end, Aang. Katara, grab some junk and put it on this thing.
Katara:
Okay.
(Katara grabs a few boxes and some sacks and puts them on the stretcher then covers it all with a blanket.)
Aang: (putting his staff under the cover with the junk) Good idea, Sokka, let's go!
(They begin to walk as fast as they can through the trenches in the direction of the bridge. Several shots pass by the kids as they make their way through the breastworks, the battle raging in the background. The smoke and heat stings their eyes. They pass others soldiers on their way to the fighting and are ignored. They pass wounded and dying men in the foreground who moan pitifully, many call for help or cry out in pain, but they move quickly by. They pass behind the flaming catapult and the trebuchet as it is being reloaded amidst orders barked by members of its crew.
Finally, the kids get out of range of the deadly hail of boulders that continues to rain down upon the defenders. They reach a dugout near the end of the trench closest to the bridge. Other Fire Nation men with stretchers filled with wounded are streaming back from the bridge, but none notice the kids as they enter what is little more than a hole in the ground, open to the sky. They dump their load and slide, backs against the dirt wall to the floor.
Aang then stands up and walks over to where a slit in the wall allows a small view of the bridge near them. Cut to a shot from the slit looking in at Aang's eyes, the siblings visible behind him.)
Katara: What now?
(Cut to Sokka, still slumped against the wall, his arm on one of the boxes they carried in on the stretcher.)
Sokka: What else can we do, Katara? This isn't like jumping a couple guys in the forest, these are huge armies.
(Cut to a view from inside the dugout looking up to the sky. Several more boulders arc through the sky, one clearly on a trajectory to hit the Fire Nation trebuchet. The men work to prepare the machine to fire again, oblivious to the approaching stones.
Aang, back to the camera, tenses, assumes an airbending stance and releases a mighty blast of air. Sokka and Katara rise half way and pull him to the ground as the boulders are deflected from their target. They crash beyond the trebuchet in the now empty trenches. None notice Aang's intervention. The sounds of battle continue.
Cut to Aang who turns on his friends in anger.)
Aang:
Why did you do that? They were going to die!
Katara:
Aang, no, you'll bring them all down us!
Sokka:
And so what! They're Fire Nation and this is a war! What? Are we
supposed to feel sorry for them now?
Aang:
I'm the Avatar – my job is to protect everybody – even the Fire
Nation!
Katara:
(she puts a hand on her brother's to stop him from answering)
Yes, Aang, we know. But if they discover you're the Avatar they'll
drop everything to capture you! You can't let that happen.
(Aang drops onto his knees, tears beginning to stream from his closed eyes.)
Aang: (after a pause) Even if it means letting more of these people die?
(Katara doesn't answer. She leans forward and hugs him fiercely. Aang's hat, already at an absurd angle, falls off completely, revealing his tattoo.)
Aang: (through tears) I hate being the Avatar. I hate it. All this power, and I can't save anybody.
(Cut to Sokka, now looking down at Aang with sympathy. Cut to a profile shot of the three. Behind them, another group of stretchers and some soldiers go by. The sounds of the battle have begun to recede.)
Corporal: Make way! Move! The Colonel's been hurt!
(Aang releases Katara and the three turn their backs to the camera to look slightly up the hill where the soldiers and the stretchers are passing. The Colonel is on one of them. Cut to Aang's p.o.v. The Colonel makes brief eye contact with him as his stretcher bearers struggle to get up a steep bank. He smiles weakly and then passes out of the frame.
Cut to a profile shot of Aang's face. He turns to face the camera.)
Aang: (determined) I know what we're going to do. We're going to destroy that bridge.
(Cut to a first aid station. The Colonel's stretcher is brought in. He grips the sides of the stretcher tightly and spasms in pain. His tunic has been ripped all the way across his abdomen. He is bleeding profusely and his leg is twisted obscenely. He is clearly dying. A Fire Nation doctor in a red smock begins to quickly examine the wounds. The spasm subsides. Cut to a view from behind the doctor's right shoulder. The Colonel's grimace of pain fades, replaced by a smile of contentment. One the other side of the stretcher is the Captain.)
Doctor: Colonel, we have to amputate the leg now if we're going to save you!
(The Colonel shakes his head. Still smiling, he turns his head to look at the captain.)
Colonel
Diem: Help…
Captain:
(pleading) Yes, Colonel, let the doctor help you!
Colonel
Diem: (gripping the Captain at the elbow) Help… has
finally… come.
(The Colonel spasms again once, and dies.)
(Cut back to the kids. They sit facing each other, Sokka leaning again on the boxes.)
Katara:
It's too big, Aang. Even with both of us it would take too long to
gather enough water to break it.
Aang:
We've got to try! If we destroy the bridge, the armies will stop
fighting!
Sokka:
Yeh, they'll stop fighting here. You're not going to be
saving them by doing this, Aang. I know you're thinking about what
the Colonel said, but they'll just fight somewhere else. We should
follow the plan and just wait.
(Looking up and listening, the sound of fighting has died down, and Fire Nation troops and wounded continue to pass by them on their way back to the Fire Nation trenches.)
Sokka: It sounds like the fighting is stopping.
(Cut to a closer shot of Katara and Aang.)
Katara:
(hesitantly) Aang, I probably shouldn't say this, but… you
could probably destroy it in the Avatar state.
Aang:
(avoiding her gaze) Uh… I think you were right about that
before. I don't think that'd be a good idea.
(Cut to a profile shot of Aang and Katara, Sokka visible between them. He has removed the lid from the box next to him and is looking inside.)
Sokka: Yeh, if it's really that important – Whoa!
(The camera zooms in on Sokka, Katara and Aang disappearing off each side of the frame. Sokka holds up a handful of grey cylinders with stiff strings sticking out of them.)
Sokka: How about we blow it up – with these!
(Cut to a wider shot of the three.)
Aang:
What are those?
Sokka:
I don't know, but they have the same stuff inside that Jet used to
blow up the dam. At least I think – it sure smells like it.
Katara:
Is that enough?
(Dumps out another bundle of explosives and several coils of string from the box and opens the one next to it to reveal still more.)
Sokka: Let's find out.
(Cut to the kids by the rivers edge, the beginning of the bridge visible in the background. It is now late afternoon and the shadows have begun to grow long. The sounds of battle have now died away.
Katara freezes a sheet of ice at the edge of the water. They put the boxes on it and then themselves. Katara and Aang then begin to methodically pilot the make shift iceberg out into the river. The current takes them toward the trestles holding up the bridge.
Shift to a frontal shot of Sokka tying several sticks of explosives to a pylon. Aang does the same on one nearby.)
Sokka:
(stone faced) I'm sorry about before, Aang. I know its your
job.
Aang:
(after a pause) You still think this won't do any good?
Sokka:
I don't know. The Colonel thought so. I hope he's right. (He
finishes tying his bundle) That's it. Let's go.
(Cut again to the kids back in the dugout. The kids sit with their back to the wall, the end of a long piece of string dangling next to Aang. Sokka and Katara look over at the Avatar. Cut to a closer shot of Katara, her blue eyes shining.)
Katara: It's okay, Aang. You can do it. (Cut to wider shot, Katara holds one of Aang's hands briefly and releases it.) We believe in you.
(Aang turns to the string and gets on his knees. He cups the end of the string in his palms and breathes slowly. Suddenly he exhales a small flame from his mouth that ignites the end of the string. Aang falls backward on his behind and scrambles away from the burning and hissing thread. It burns fast and soon the lit end is out of sight. Aang scrambles back to the others and they all hug each other tightly.
Cut to a wide shot of the river valley from somewhere down the beach on the Fire Nation side of the river. It is now sunset. Both banks still smoke, fires still burn on the Earth Kingdom side of the river. Several still moments pass, then the screen flashes completely white, followed rapidly by a deafening, deep roar. When the picture returns the entire middle third of the bridge is obscured by an expanding shock wave of smoke and debris. The water and beach in the foreground soon are pelted with bits of wood and rock as the remains of the bridge rain down. Moments later, the shock wave of water vapor and smoke engulf the camera, obscuring the view.
Shift back to the kids huddled together. A shower of wood fragments falls on them as another explosion is heard. Instantly, the whistle of falling stones and the shouts of men are heard once more. The battle begins anew.)
(Fade to a shot of white smoke passing in front of the camera. The battle sounds have faded almost as soon as they had begun. The cloud passes to reveal Aang, Katara and Sokka emerging from their hideout. It is daytime, and silence reigns except for the sound of the river. Cut to a shot from behind them that pans left. The trenches are empty. The Fire Nation army has departed. The kids turn to see the ruined bridge, fully half of it now missing except for some shattered trestles jutting up from the river bed.
Momo flies into the frame from above and lands on Aang's shoulder. He carries Appa's whistle and Katara's necklace. Aang grabs him and hugs him. Momo's eyes bulge out and he chitters at being squeezed.)
Aang: I missed you so much, buddy.
(Momo protests a bit more, then wiggles free and perches on Aang's shoulder. Aang takes the whistle from Momo and blows it.)
Katara:
Aang, I know you feel responsible, but you aren't.
Aang:
(slowly) But then why does it feel that way?
Katara:
Because you care. But, if you'd died here, what hope would there
be? You still have to learn Earth and Fire before you can defeat the
Fire Lord. Remember what Bumi said about waiting and listening before
striking.
(Cut to a frontal shot of Aang, looking at the ground, staff at his side. Katara and Sokka flank him and each put a hand on his shoulder.)
Sokka: You're not alone. You'll never be alone.
(Aang raises his head and looks forward. Cut to a wide overhead shot as Appa lands in front of them and grunts. The camera begins to zoom backward as they get on board. Another cloud of white smoke obscures the view. When it passes, Appa is taking off. A moment later, another cloud passes in front of the camera. Fade entirely to white.)
(End Credits)
Author's Note: Just a couple parting thoughts. First, this is my first (completed) fanfic, yay! I've never finished any fan fiction, let alone published, so I hope some at least find it entertaining.
I chose the screenplay format since I was trying to write an episode, not a novel. If you prefer this or straight prose, however, let me know.
The idea for this story came from an observation I had on the music from "The Warriors of Kyoshi." After watching the episode many times, I kept recalling Ennio Morricone's marvelous scores from the spaghetti westerns of the 1960's. Specifically, the background music from the scene where Zuko enters the village is reminiscent of that used in the final showdown between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach in The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.
For a few weeks after that observation, various scenes from the movie would float through my mind. The bridge scene seemed to me a powerful vehicle I could use to tell a story about a piece of Aang's journey that could never be shown on a program targeted at a younger audience. I leave it to the readers to judge whether I have succeeded in this or not.
I thank the show creators and staff of Avatar, and Sergio Leone et al for bringing to life the greatest western fantasies ever made. All errors, omissions or (though I struggled mightily to eradicate them), logical plot defects, are my own.
