Disclaimer: I do not own A:TLA or any of it's characters. The only thing I own is my OC.

The Six Rules:

Rule Number One: Alec won't warn the Gaang about things in advance or solve their problems for them, with a few rare exceptions.

Rule Number Two: Only Alec has the right to tell people his true origins, and he will mostly limit this to group members. He will tell new group members his secret as soon as they join the Gaang.

Rule Number Three: There are some changes Alec wants to make, and he will use his knowledge of the future to make those changes.

Rule Number Four: Sometimes, to make a change, Alec will act in a way that doesn't make sense. If that's necessary, he'll tell the Gaang "I need you to absolutely trust me." After he says that, the Gaang has to either do whatever he asks or leave him to do what he needs to do.

Rule Number Five: After a change happens, Alec will tell the Gaang what happened in the original story, in the interest of transparency.

Rule Number Six: If a major change happens that Alec doesn't expect, the Gaang will have a meeting ASAP. In this meeting, Alec will break Rule One and tell them all relevant information that will help them figure out how to respond to the change.

Chapter 43:

Combustion and Preparation

Alec POV

We stopped for the day on a small island to the southeast of Shu Jing, less than five hours flight from the Sacred Island. We camped in a depression with a large lake that was probably a dormant volcano.

Tomorrow, we would head to the Sacred Island and wait for our allies to arrive three days later. We spent the day training, and kept Appa packed so we could leave early tomorrow morning. When we all got in our sleeping bags that night, we were exhausted. As Ty Lee and I cuddled as much as we could with our sleeping bags separating us, I was woken up by something I didn't think I would hear.

"Guys," Toph said, waking us up, "you're all gonna think I'm crazy, but it feels like a metal man is coming."

I sat up as quickly as I could. It couldn't be him, could it? As the others sat up, I focused on where Toph was facing. At the top of the depression, I saw something glinting in the moonlight about a hundred yards away. I could just about make out a tall, muscular man with a bald head and a tattoo…

Oh FUCK! It was him! "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!" I shouted as loud as I could. I was about to leap into a stance, but I saw the man inhale. I abandoned that plan and covered Ty Lee with my body. I saw what looked like a beam of air fire from the man's forehead, sparking a few times. Aang's quick reflexes allowed him to put a rock wall between the beam and us.

BOOM!

Even with Aang's rock wall protecting us, the force of the explosion knocked us all back several feet. Toph and Ty Lee were agile enough to land on their feet, but the rest of us had to scramble to get back up. Toph sent a wave of rock at the man, but he blasted through it.

BOOM!

Aang barely managed to stop the beam with an air bubble. Katara got her balance and bent a huge wave of water at the guy, but he saw her attack coming.

BOOM!

The explosion vaporized Katara's wave instantly. On the bright side, all the water turning into mist gave us plenty of cover. We all hid behind a ledge. "This is crazy!" Sokka shouted, putting his back against the wall. "How can we beat a guy who blows things up with his mind?!"

BOOM!

"We can't!" Aang shouted, "Jump on Appa, I'll try to distract him!"

Aang took off into the mist. "Azula, if he shoots at us, maybe lightning can intercept his attacks," I said. She nodded. The assassin moved to follow Aang, but then he saw Ved, Druk, and Shul and he paused.

I saw him inhale and I spun my arms in an arc as quickly as I could. He shot his beam, and I shot lightning.

BOOM!

Our attacks met halfway between us and exploded. That motherfucker just tried to kill my dragon! I heard a growl next to me. Azula and Zuko both looked angrier than I'd ever seen them. Their teeth clenched, their eyes full of fury. "Alec, do you know his weaknesses?" Azula growled.

BOOM!

Azula threw a fire pinwheel, blocking the next attack. "Hit him in the vagina," I said.

"Pretty sure he doesn't have one," Zuko said.

"I could use a fire dagger to make him one," Azula growled.

"I meant the tattoo on his forehead," I clarified. "If we can hit him while he's charging up, at the very least he'll knock himself out."

BOOM!

Katara stopped another explosion with a wall of water.

CLANG!

Mai threw a knife at the assassin, but he blocked it with his metal arm.

WHOOSH!

A blast of air shot across the depression, kicking up a ton of dust. Aang rejoined us. "I saw he wasn't taking the bait," Aang said.

"Where's my chain?" Toph asked. "I've got an idea,"

Suki threw Toph her chain from Appa's saddle. "I'm gonna take him out," Toph said. "Keep him busy for a few seconds!"

With that, Toph made a hole in the ground, jumped into it, and closed it up behind her. Hopefully, whatever her idea was would work. After the dust settled, we saw the assassin charging up for another attack. Toph emerged from the ground, and threw her arms forward. Her chain warped into a blob of metal that wrapped itself around the assassin's head. It was too late for him to cancel his attack.

BOOM!

The force of the explosion threw Toph back into a rock wall. When the smoke cleared, there was a red and black crater where the assassin used to be. We all ran to check on Toph. She was unconscious. Katara started healing her. A few seconds passed, and then Toph's eyes fluttered open and she groaned. "Where's the asshole?" she asked groggily.

A wicked smirk crossed Azula's face. "Oh, he's there…" she pointed to a random spot, "and there…" she changed where she was pointing, "and there…"

Toph chuckled weakly. "I think I get it, Dragon Girl."

"Wrapping something around his head was a smart move," Mai praised.

"Like mother, like daughter," I thought.

"Who was that?" Sokka asked.

"Let's talk about it in the morning," Zuko suggested with a yawn. "I don't know about you, but I'm tired."


Zuko POV

The next morning, we took off flying after a quick breakfast. As soon as we got in the air, Sokka turned to all the Fire Nationals. "Anybody know who that guy was?" he asked.

Mai and Ty Lee shook their heads, but Azula and I nodded. Alec did, as well. "I don't know that much about him," Alec said. "I know that he was an assassin, and I know about his powers, but I don't know much else, even his name."

"He was a mercenary with a particular reputation," Azula said. "He was expensive, but he would do any job, no matter how distasteful, and he would always succeed."

"His powers were legendary," I said. "His name…was Lee."

Alec sputtered and started laughing. It started as a giggle, but he got louder until I even saw a few tears in his eyes. He finally calmed down. "Seriously?" he asked. "His name was Lee? That's the most common name in the Fire Nation! That would be like someone in my world going, 'Hi, everybody! I'm the assassin, Bob!'" He started laughing again.

"It wasn't particularly funny for his targets," I said with a shrug.

After Alec calmed himself down again, Katara spoke up. "What kind of power was that, anyway?" she asked.

"I know it's some kind of firebending, but I don't know exactly how it works," Alec admitted.

"I saw his aura," Ty Lee said. "Most benders move their chi through their chi pathways. Lee was forcing his chi to go through his first five chakras before blasting it out of his sixth. It looked like he was compressing all his energy and forcing it into as small a space as he could make."

"Maybe you three should try to learn it," Suki suggested.

"I won't for two reasons," Alec said, "First of all, I don't think the payoff is worth the risk. I mean, Toph just wrapped some metal around his head, and the guy blew himself up. We can already get something almost as destructive with lightning, but with less risk to our bodies."

I nodded. This kind of thoughtfulness was why I asked him to be my Grand Advisor. "What's the second reason?" Aang asked.

"No offense, Aang, but I don't wanna get tattoos," Alec said. "Especially one on my forehead that looks like a gaping vagina."

"Alec!" Katara exclaimed, scandalized. Then again, maybe I praised him too soon.

"Moving on from that," Sokka said. "Alec, if you know about this guy, do you know who hired him?"

Alec frowned. "I'm not sure. It's definitely not the same guy who hired him in the original story, though."

"What makes you so sure of that?" I asked.

He turned to me. "Because you hired him last time."


Alec POV

Everyone turned to me, clearly surprised by the revelation. "I hired him?" Zuko asked with wide eyes. "Why?"

"Because in the story, even though Azula shot Aang with lightning, she gave you the credit for the killing blow," I explained. "You knew about the Spirit Water, so you knew Aang was still alive. You hired Lee to kill Aang so Ozai wouldn't find out Aang survived."

"Why would I give him credit for killing the Avatar?" Azula said.

I shrugged. "You told Zuko that you were trying to do something nice to make sure Ozai let him come back home," I said.

She frowned. "That doesn't sound like the old me."

"What you didn't tell Zuko was that you had a hunch that Aang survived," I continued. "I think you gave Zuko credit so you wouldn't get in trouble if Aang turned up alive."

Azula nodded. "Now that sounds like the old me."

"I think we all prefer the newer model," Sokka grumbled.

"It sure took a while for it to come out," I snarked.

Azula grinned. "It's hard to improve on perfection," she joked. Her face turned serious and she turned to me. "But, if you didn't expect him, shouldn't we be worried? Who could have hired him? And why didn't any of Mom's contacts warn us?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "In the letter we sent to Ursa, I asked her to tell Rezok not to make contact with her or anyone else unless the prison break was compromised," I said. "I didn't want to risk Ozai finding out about it."

"Do you think Ozai hired Lee to take us down?" Zuko asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe, but you two know him better than I do. Does this sound like something he would do?"

Azula looked thoughtful for a second, and then she nodded. "It sounds exactly like something he would do," she said. "He prefers to have his subordinates deal with potential threats."

"Why?" Mai asked.

"It's an ego thing," Azula said. "If an underling can take out a potential threat, then in his mind that means they weren't enough of a threat to warrant his direct attention."

"But why hire an assassin now?" Sokka asked. "He thinks we're going to invade and walk right into his trap."

"Because he's even more vulnerable during the eclipse than I am," Azula said. "I learned enough acrobatics from watching Ty Lee that I could maybe evade attacks until the eight minutes pass. He doesn't have that. The only style of combat he learned is firebending. During the eclipse, he's as vulnerable as a civilian nonbender. Even with the trap he set, there's still a chance that someone could reach him and take him down before the eclipse is over."

"Okay, that sounds like it makes sense, but how did Lee find us?" Suki asked. "And why did he go after the dragons when Aang broke off from the group?"

Azula frowned and reached her hand over the edge of the saddle. It came back covered in white fur. "Appa's shedding again," she noted. "Lee must have found our trail and followed us."

"And the dragons?" Suki asked.

Azula scowled. "If he killed them, he would have earned the title, 'Dragon'," she said. "With the fame he got from that, he'd never run out of clients." She pet Shul protectively. "Also, there's a myth that killing a dragon increases your firebending powers dramatically. It's a lie, but the Fire Nation believes it."

"Do you think we'll have to worry about any more mercenaries or assassins?" Katara asked, petting Momo.

"Not likely," Azula said. "Lee worked alone, and he only contacted his clients twice. Once to get the job, and once to get the payment after he succeeded. And, because we defeated him as soon as he found us, he couldn't have told Ozai about the dragons, or about me being alive."

"Well, that's good," I said.

Sokka perked up. "I see the island ahead!"


We landed at a harbor on the southern side of the island. While the tattered, neglected banners on the docks were clearly Fire Nation, the harbor itself wasn't built by them. The Fire Nation inspired barracks were a new addition as well. Underneath the banners, we saw flowing carvings that were clearly made by the Water Tribe. I looked at Katara. "What do you know about this place?" I asked.

"It was a meeting place for the Northern and Southern Water Tribes," Katara said, "There's another dock on the northern side of the island. The tribes would sail here, camp inland, and meet at a table in the center of the island."

I raised an eyebrow. "A table?"

"It's a special table," Katara shrugged.

"Our people will show up in three days," Sokka said. "What should we do between now and then?"

Zuko looked at the banners thoughtfully. "You know, if I'm giving this island back to the Water Tribes, I want to make it presentable." He thrust his hand out and set one of the banners on fire. "Let's redecorate. Remove all traces of the Fire Nation from this place. Buildings, banners, everything."

"Let's explore the island first," Azula suggested. "See what else we're dealing with."


We followed a small dirt path through a forest, and arrived at a clearing with a large, circular lake in the center. Two stone bridges led to a circular stone platform in the center of the lake, about thirty yards in diameter. In the center of the platform was a table big enough for thirty people carved out of some kind of blue stone that reminded me of Katara's necklace. It even had the same carving on it. The water in the lake looked almost unnaturally pure. "Spirit Water?" I asked Katara.

She bent some of it and nodded. "Definitely," she confirmed. She opened the vial that Pakku gave her so long ago and refilled it with Spirit Water.

"We'll need to make sure nobody bathes in this lake or washes their clothes in it," I said. "We don't want to make any spirits angry."

"We passed a river on the way here," Suki recalled. "We can use that."


Over the next few days, we set about trying to make it look like the Fire Nation was never here. Banners got burnt to ashes. Furniture got chopped into firewood. We had a brief dilemma with what to do about the barracks themselves. The large metal buildings would be hard to dismantle.

Toph came up with a solution. She held her hand out to Katara. "Sugar Queen, let me feel your necklace," she demanded.

Katara balked. "What?! Why?!"

"I have an idea," Toph insisted, "just trust me here."

Reluctantly, Katara held out her necklace. Toph grabbed it and ran her fingers along the carving for several seconds. "Okay, I've got it," she said. She gave Katara back her necklace and took a stance. "Everyone, stand back!"

Toph thrust her arms out and compressed her hands together as if she were molding clay. One of the barracks crunched and compressed, then the metal flowed almost like water and separated into a bunch of metal discs, each one the size of a beach ball. Each disc had a foot long pillar extending underneath it. Toph grunted and sank the pillars into the ground, evenly spacing the discs around the edge of the harbor. She clenched her fists one final time, and now every disc sported the same symbol that was carved into Katara's necklace.

Katara gasped. "That's amazing, Toph!"

"Good going!" Sokka cheered.

"I didn't know you were an artist," I joked.

Toph cracked her knuckles. "I think of this more as metalbending practice than art," she said. "With this, I can get rid of the barracks and make the place look more Water Tribe at the same time."

By the end of our third day on the island, there were no buildings left in either harbor.


The following morning, those of us in disguise had changed back to our regular clothing. It was good to be back in blue for a while. Aang shaved his head, proud to show off his arrow again. He also changed his Air Nomad to a sleeveless, one shoulder tunic due to the warm summer weather.

We split into two groups to wait for our allies to arrive. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki, Toph, Appa, and Momo waited at the southern harbor, while Zuko, Mai, Azula, Ty Lee, Ved, Druk, Shul, and I waited at the northern one. All of us with weapons had them on us. Ved, Druk, and Shul concealed themselves in the trees. We didn't want to expose them until our allies arrived. About mid-morning, I noticed a thick fog coming over the horizon.

Azula frowned. "Great," she grumbled, "fog, that's just what we need right now."

Ty Lee smiled. "Chin up, Azula," she said happily. "At least the fog is thick and fluffy!"

I chuckled. She'd been happier than usual, lately, if that was even possible for my bubbly fiance. Azula rolled her eyes. "Not all of us share your doe-eyed optimism, Ty Lee."

"Would you feel better if I told you our allies were here?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I suppose."

I nodded towards the fog. "Get ready to feel better."

A few seconds later, ships emerged from the fog. I pulled out my spyglass to get a better look. Most were Northern Water Tribe, but there were at least half a dozen Earth Kingdom ships, and one small Fire Nation vessel. That had to be Piandao and Fat. I saw a few other ships that looked like they were made from giant leaves. Those made me grin.

"What are those leaf boats?" Azula asked, staring through a spyglass of her own.

I grinned. "That's the Foggy Swamp Tribe," I replied. "They're…eccentric." I took a closer look at the biggest leaf ship. While the ship was mostly populated with people in the leafy garments of the Foggy Swamp, I saw two people in there that certainly looked different. They were wearing simple brown cloaks. One looked like he was in his thirties. The other was white-haired, old, and the expression on his face screamed, 'I'm so done with this shit.'

My eyes widened. "Jeong Jeong!" I breathed.

Zuko looked at me, clearly surprised. "The Deserter? He's here?"

I nodded. "That's definitely him."

The first ship pulled up to the docks. It was Water Tribe, and it looked like a flagship compared to the other vessels. A gangplank extended from the ship down to the docks. Poduk and Yue stepped off the ship first. Poduk saw us and smiled. "I'm glad we found the right place," he said. He stepped forward and shook my hand firmly. "We can save formalities for the meeting. We're both really glad to see all of you."

Zuko looked at how many ships there were. "You brought a lot of fighters," he noticed.

"They're not all fighters," Yue said. "We brought many healers with us, as well. And a few seamstresses."

"Seamstresses?" Ty Lee asked with a tilt of her head.

"We heard from Lady Ursa that one of the prisons is holding people from the Southern Water Tribe," Yue said. "We want to give them something to wear other than whatever rags they make them wear in prison."

Ty Lee hugged her. "That's so thoughtful!" she gushed.

Yue laughed lightly. "Thank you, Ty Lee."

More ships started to land. The first of the Foggy Swamp ships landed, and Jeong Jeong practically ran down the gangplank to the harbor. I walked over to him and smirked. "I thought a former Admiral would be used to life at sea," I said, keeping a straight face.

Jeong Jeong gathered his wits and gave me a look. "You would despise the sea if you kept the company I kept these past few weeks," he answered.

I looked behind him and saw the Foggy Swamp people laughing and joking loudly. "On the bright side, they're a good test of your restraint," I said.

Jeong Jeong and I stared silently at each other for several seconds. Then we both broke into grins and chuckled. I bowed to him. "It's good to see you again, Master."

He bowed back to me. "And you as well. I came to offer whatever assistance I could." He straightened back up. "But I also wanted to check on my student." His face turned serious. "I've heard tales of your actions from other members of the White Lotus. I must admit, I am concerned with the amount of bodies you've left in your wake."

I looked down. "I know that I've killed a lot of people," I said. "But killing isn't something I do lightly. I only knew seven firebending techniques when the Fire Nation attacked the North Pole. I couldn't hold back."

"I see," Jeong Jeong said. He shook his head. "That is the cost of war. People too young forced to do terrible things to survive," he said sadly.

"We're doing what we can to end it, and make sure it doesn't happen again," I said firmly.

Jeong Jeong nodded. "I knew there was a reason I took you as a student."

An Earth Kingdom ship landed on the adjacent dock. The first person to disembark was a woman in a black cloak that ran and embraced Zuko and Azula in a tight hug. "I missed you both so much!" Ursa gushed.

"Alec?" A raspy voice said from out of my line of sight. I froze. This was gonna be awkward. I turned around slowly, and came face-to-face with Smellerbee, Longshot, and Sneers. All three of them had serious looks on their faces.

"We all wanna say, we're sorry for what Jet did to you," Smellerbee said, looking sad. "We didn't know what he was gonna do." She looked up at me, her eyes a little bit wet. "Ursa told us what happened to him. Did he really try to kill you when you were leaving?"

My eyes widened. I'd been expecting a lynch mob, not an apology. "He did," I said quietly. "I'm sorry that things ended like that, but it isn't your fault."

Smellerbee nodded, still teary-eyed. She walked up to Zuko, Azula, and Ursa. She pointed at Zuko. "So, let me get this straight," she said. "You're actually the Fire Lord's son, and that nice guy who was with you on the ferry was his brother, the Dragon of the West."

Zuko nodded. Smellerbee pointed her finger at Azula. "And you're the Fire Lord's daughter."

Azula scowled. "I wish I wasn't."

Smellerbee pointed to Ursa. "And this nice lady is your mom, and you're all fighting against the Fire Lord?"

Zuko nodded again. "Yes," he said firmly. "My father has to be stopped."

Smellerbee shook her head. "This is so weird."

More ships arrived, including Piandao and Fat's ship. After some pleasant greetings, we looked around the harbor. "Is this everyone you had with you?" I asked Ursa.

She nodded. "The rest are landing on the south side."

"Everyone!" Zuko shouted to get their attention. "We're making camp inland, follow us to the campsite, please!"

I whistled, and the three dragons emerged from their hiding place and stopped at our sides. There were quite a few gasps, and many people took a step back. The Freedom Fighters drew their weapons. Azula eyed the Freedom Fighters and summoned a ball of blue fire in her hand. "Keep your weapons away from my dragon, if you want to live," she growled.

Smellerbee's eyes nearly bugged out of her head. "Those are yours?!"

I nodded. "Ved, Druk, and Shul," I introduced, pointing at each dragon in sequence.

Ursa's eyes widened. "They've certainly grown since I last saw them."

Jeong Jeong stepped forward, his usual stern expression softening. He reached his hand out towards Ved. Ved allowed him to give him a pet on the head. "They are even more majestic than the old stories," he said in awe.


We began leading our allies through the forest to the center lake. Zuko gave Ursa a brief rundown of what happened since we last met. She was surprised that an assassin had managed to find us, but agreed that Ozai probably sent him, and probably didn't know where we were. I couldn't help but notice a few people were missing.

"Where are Earth King Kuei and Ikem?" I asked Ursa.

"I left Earth King Kuei back in my home for his protection, and Ikem stayed there to guard him," Ursa replied. "They'll meet us at the rendezvous point after the eclipse."

I nodded. I turned to Jeong Jeong. "Have you been in the Foggy Swamp ever since you escaped from Zhao?" I asked.

Jeong Jeong grimaced and nodded. "I found Chey wandering around the remains of our camp and took him with me so he wouldn't be captured. We went to the Foggy Swamp because we thought we wouldn't be found there." He closed his eyes and took a calming breath. "But we weren't aware of…the locals."

I suppressed a chuckle.


When we arrived at the campsite beside the lake, other people were already waiting for us. Dad, Bato and the Southern Water Tribe warriors. Tani and the Kyoshi Warriors. Pipsqueak and The Duke had a happy, hug-filled reunion with the rest of the Freedom Fighters. Haru and his father Tyro met us happily. The Boulder and The Hippo came from the Earth Rumble, apparently having no hard feelings towards Toph. Even more swampbenders showed up, including Due, Tho, and Huu. I saw Teo and The Mechanist, as well. They seemed to be fussing over an invention of some kind.

"Mechanist, it's good to see you again," I greeted politely. "How are things at the Air Temple?"

The Mechanist shook my hand with his mostly-prosthetic one. "Things are going very well. We streamlined several of our inventions at the temple and rerouted the pipes. They're not defacing the murals anymore."

I nodded. "That's good to hear." I looked at the invention he and Teo were working on. "What is that?" I asked. It looked like some kind of firework.

"It's an explosive that creates a bright light," Teo explained. "Dad designed it to blind enemy fighters for a few seconds, but…"

I raised an eyebrow. "But?"

"The bright light lasts for hours," The Mechanist explained. "I used a slow-burning spark powder instead of a fast-burning one by accident." He sighed. "Now I have crates of these I have no use for."

"Eh, maybe we'll find some use for them," I said optimistically, though I doubted it.

I made my way over to Dad and Bato. Pakku was with them, as well. I gave Dad and Pakku hugs, even though Pakku was the stiffest hugger I've ever hugged. Dad looked at the spear on my back and whistled appreciatively. "That's a very nice weapon," he complimented. "Same metal as Sokka and Suki's swords?" he asked.

I nodded and brandished my weapon. "Dragon forged meteorite steel," I said.

"Sokka said it was special, and it certainly looks like it," Bato said with a nod.

I noticed someone else in the background. "Gran Gran?" I asked, surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

She put her hands on her hips. "Young man, is that any way to greet your grandmother?" she mock-scolded.

I ran forward and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you!" I said happily.

She broke the hug. "You too, child," she said kindly. She scanned the crowd with her eyes. "Now, where is that girlfriend of yours? Sokka and Katara said you had something to tell us."

I looked around. I found Ty Lee chatting with the Kyoshi Warriors. "Ty Lee, could you come over here, please?" I asked.

She turned, smiled, and cartwheeled over. She gave Gran Gran a hug. "It's good to see you again, ma'am!" she greeted happily.

Gran Gran smiled. She broke the hug and noticed what Ty Lee was wearing around her neck. Her eyes widened slightly and she smiled knowingly. "Child, is that…a betrothal necklace?" she asked quietly.

Ty Lee smiled and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "It is," she sighed happily.

The next several minutes were a blur as literally everyone from all three Water Tribes rushed over to congratulate us. Hand shakes, hugs, well wishes, the whole nine yards. After we were done, I noticed Dad looking a little misty-eyed. "What is it?" I asked.

"I just wish Kya were alive to see this," Dad said sadly.

I nodded sadly. "I'm sorry," I said. "Do you think she would have accepted me?" I asked.

Dad nodded and smiled. "I know she would have, son."

I turned to Gran Gran, curiosity running through my mind. "Gran Gran, if you don't mind me asking, why did you come here?" I asked. "You're not a combatant or a bender, so why come here at all?"

"I heard that one of the prisons you are liberating is where the waterbenders from the Southern Water Tribe are being kept," Gran Gran said. "They likely have suffered much. Many of them were my friends. It would do them well to see a familiar face after you free them."

I nodded. "I understand."

"Do me a favor," she said. "Pass it along to whoever liberates that prison to keep an eye open for my best friend, Hama."

That name made my blood freeze colder than the polar winter. Gran Gran noticed something was wrong. "Child, what is it?" she asked.

Ty Lee held my arm to comfort me. I looked at Dad. "Team Avatar needs to have a meeting with the leaders of all the Water Tribes, tonight," I said gravely.

Dad nodded, noticing how serious I was.


That evening, a bunch of us gathered around the table in the lake. All of Team Avatar was present, along with Dad, Bato, Pakku, Gran Gran, Poduk, Yue, and Huu, who represented the Foggy Swamp Tribe.

"What did you want to talk to us about?" Dad asked.

"We wanted to report something," Sokka said. We had discussed how to tell the Water Tribes about Hama, and we'd come up with a story that stuck to the truth for the most part, and only lied occasionally to protect my secret.

Mai pulled out a file. "This is the prison record for Water's Wail, the Fire Nation's waterbender prison," she said. She flipped through several pages until she stopped at her destination. "This is the Incident Reports section."

Bato raised an eyebrow. "Incident Reports?"

"Records of escape attempts or successful escapes," Mai explained. "There's only one report for the entire history of Water's Wail, and it's redacted. That's odd."

"Odd in what way?" Bato asked.

"These reports normally aren't redacted, so that prisons can learn from escape attempts and successful escapes and fix any weaknesses in their security," Mai explained.

"But even though the report is redacted except for the date, we determined that the report was about a successful escape by looking at the rest of the record," Zuko added. "For several years before the report, there were forty prisoners. After the report, there were thirty nine prisoners."

"We were simply going to ignore the report until after we won the war," Azula said.

"Why wait so long?" Poduk asked.

Azula pointed at the record again. "The prison went back to forty prisoners six years ago," she said. "We assumed that the escapee was recaptured."

"But we were wrong," I said.

"What happened?" Poduk asked.

"After we stole all the prison records we needed for the eclipse, we tried to decide what to do with our time before we came here," I said.

"I knew of a few problems that the commoners petitioned the Fire Lord about that the Fire Lord ignored," Azula said. "I suggested that we take care of them now, discreetly, so that Zuko would have fewer problems to deal with once he took the throne. The first problem was on Tokido Island."

"And what was the problem?" Yue inquired.

"People on the island kept going missing during the full moon," Aang said. "The locals thought a spirit might be responsible."

"And because the Avatar is the bridge between this world and the Spirit World, you would be the best person to address such a problem," Huu said.

Aang nodded. "Exactly," he said. "Only, it wasn't a spirit."

"When we got to the island," Toph said, taking over for Aang, "I used my earthbending to look for anything weird. I found something under the big mountain in the middle of the island. It felt like a bunch of people were locked up in there."

"We made our way to the cave and found about a dozen people there, chained to the walls of the cave," Suki said. "They were in pretty rough shape. They were dirty, their clothes were ragged, and they hadn't seen bright light in a long time."

"We asked the people what happened to them, and who did this to them," Katara said, swallowing. "They told us that it wasn't a spirit, it was a witch."

Pakku raised an eyebrow. "A witch?"

"We asked them to tell us everything, and they told us that during a full moon, when they were alone, suddenly they couldn't control their own body, and began walking towards the mountain," Katara continued. "When they got to the cave, they saw an old woman, who waved her arms and forced their bodies into restraints." Katara swallowed. "They said it was the innkeeper, Hama."

Gran Gran gasped and her hands flew over her mouth. "It couldn't be…" she said.

"It was, Gran Gran," I said. "The people also told us that Hama ranted and raved at them about how they were getting what they deserved, that this was payback for her brothers and sisters of the Southern Water Tribe." I felt rotten about lying like this, but the fewer people knew my secret, the better.

Gran Gran shook her head, "Those people had to have been wrong," she muttered desperately. "They had to have been lying."

"Kanna," Toph said softly, "I can tell when people are lying with my earthbending. They were telling the truth. A waterbender named Hama captured them and kept them locked underground."

Gran Gran started tearing up. Pakku took her hands in his. He looked at us. "They might have been telling the truth, but how did she capture them?" he asked.

"We have a theory, but we haven't tested it, and we really don't want to," Katara said. She turned to Huu. "We remembered how you were able to move the vines in the swamp by bending the water in the plants."

Huu's eyes widened with realization and horror. "You don't think she was bending their blood, do you?" he whispered.

"That's exactly what we think she was doing," I said. "And we found more evidence to back it up."

"What evidence?" Poduk asked, horrified by the implications of this power.

"We found about a dozen people in that cave," Ty Lee said in a small voice. "That was a lot fewer than we expected. But then we found a backdoor in the cave, and we opened it and looked inside." She shuddered at the memory.

"What did you see?" Dad asked.

"Bodies," Ty Lee whispered, "Over a hundred of them."

Gran Gran cried openly now. Pakku tried his best to soothe her. "The bodies looked like all the blood and liquid had been drained out of them," Katara continued in a haunted voice. "But we didn't see any cuts or punctures on them. Hama likely bent the blood out of their bodies while they were alive."

Gran Gran held tightly to Pakku's hands, squeezing so hard his fingers turned red. "What did you do next?" Pakku asked.

"Toph led the prisoners out and got them to hide in a different cave. When she came back, we had a meeting to decide what to do about Hama," I said.

"And what did you decide?" Dad prompted.

Zuko took a breath. "I sentenced her to death for the murder of so many of my people," he said.

"I see," Dad said, his face neutral. "And what are your opinions on this?" he asked the other members of the group.

"For," Mai said.

"For," Azula said.

"For," Toph said.

"For," Ty Lee said.

"For," Sokka said.

"For," Katara said.

"For," I said.

"Undecided," Aang said uncomfortably.

Dad nodded. "It would have been better if Aang agreed, especially because he's the Avatar, but if the rest of you were able to come to a consensus, the Southern Water Tribe can accept your judgment." He frowned. "It would be easier to accept if Hama committed a crime against the South."

"She did," I said. "She had enough power to break out of prison, and she didn't break out any of the other prisoners. She didn't come back later for them, either, even though she could have made the guards lock themselves into cells after letting the other prisoners out."

"So, you're thinking Neglect?" Dad asked. I nodded. Dad stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, I suppose that can work." He turned to Zuko. "The Southern Water Tribe accepts your judgment, Fire Lord Zuko." He turned to the rest of us. "Who carried out the sentence?"

"I did," I said, unable to meet Gran Gran's gaze.

Dad nodded. "I see." He turned to Poduk and Yue. "Does the North accept their judgment?"

Poduk and Yue locked eyes for a few seconds. Then they nodded. "Yes," Poduk said.

"And the Swamp?" Dad asked.

"We accept, as well," Huu said.

"In that case, we need to get some sleep," Dad said. "Tomorrow, we meet to finalize the plans. The day after, we break out our people."


After we left the meeting, I followed after Pakku and Gran Gran. "Gran Gran?" I said quietly.

She turned. Her eyes were red from crying. She looked so sad. "I'm sorry," I said. "Hama was your friend."

Gran Gran shook her head. "It's hard to believe she became a monster," she said sadly. She looked at me. "I know you did it out of duty. I do want to forgive you, but it's difficult for me. Please, give me some time."

I was about to say something, throw myself on my knees in front of her, and beg for forgiveness, but Pakku shook his head slightly, silently telling me to give her time.


It took me a long time to get to sleep that night. I hoped that Gran Gran would forgive me, but for now, I would give her some space. We had much more important things to worry about, after all. The next day, there was a meeting to hammer out the details of our plans. Around the table were Team Avatar, Dad, Bato, Ursa, Poduk, Yue, Pakku, an old woman named Yagoda who was the most experienced healer in the Northern Water Tribe, Jeong Jeong, Chey, Piandao, Fat, Tyro, The Mechanist, Huu, and Smellerbee.

Zuko started the meeting. "Thank you all for coming," he began. "We can finally put this plan into action."

Mai put all the prison records on the table. "Most of the war prisons in the Fire Nation are built one of two ways," she said. "There are the prison rigs in the ocean where earthbenders are kept, and then there are island prisons where they keep nonbenders."

"For the prison rigs, we recommend sending waterbenders," Sokka said. "The rigs are surrounded by water. For the island prisons, we recommend sending earthbenders."

"What should us nonbenders do?" Smellerbee asked.

"You can pick any kind of prison," Katara said, "but we suggest going with a force of benders."

"Why?" Smellerbee asked testily, folding her arms across her chest. "Do you think we can't handle it?"

"No, it's that the eclipse only lasts eight minutes," I said. "You need to take out as many guards as you can before that time is up. If too many guards are in fighting shape after the eclipse ends, you'll end up dead or captured."

Smellerbee nodded. "Also, we think most teams should have multiple healers, with how many each team gets determined by the number of prisoners," I continued. "These people are underfed, and forced to make metal for the Fire Nation all day long. A lot of them will need healing."

Yagoda nodded. "I'll make sure our healers are split appropriately."

"Have the healers empty out their waterskins and refill them with water from the lake," Katara suggested. "This lake is Spirit Water, so your healing should be more effective."

Yagoda nodded.

"There are three more prisons we need to talk about," Suki said, pulling three specific prison records from the lot. "These prisons are unique. They don't follow a standard design."

"And they are?" Dad prompted.

"They're called The Navy Yard, The Forge, and Water's Wail," Suki said.

"What's so special about them?" Tyro asked.

"The Navy Yard is a much bigger prison rig where all the Fire Navy's warships are being built," Zuko said. "The Forge is an island prison where the Fire Nation makes weapons."

"And Water's Wail is where they hold captive waterbenders," Katara said.

"Who should we send to each?" Dad asked.

"The Forge and The Navy Yard need to be destroyed, as well as liberated," Zuko said. "Crippling the Fire Nation's ability to make warships and weapons will help us. We're sending some of our heavy hitters to each."

"But, Water's Wail only needs a small force," I added. "There are forty prisoners and only ten guards, making it the smallest war prison in the Fire Nation. Water's Wail needs a smaller force to lead the breakout. I suggest me, Ty Lee, a healer, and a boat big enough to comfortably hold the people after we free them."

Katara looked a little surprised. "Why not me or Sokka?" she asked.

"Three fighters is overkill for ten guards, especially with me and Ty Lee," I said. "And you're probably the strongest waterbender here besides Pakku. It would be a waste to send you there."

She sighed. "I guess you're right."

"I'll go as the healer," Yagoda offered. "I have the most experience."

"I'll come too," Poduk said firmly. "The Northern Water Tribe hid for most of the war and abandoned our sister tribe for years. Allow me to atone for our mistake. We can take our flagship. It has plenty of room."

I nodded.

"What should the rest of Team Avatar do?" Katara asked.

"I think you, Aang, Suki, and I should take The Forge," Sokka said. "We can take out the guards, get the prisoners out, and then Aang can glow it up and flood the place."

Aang nodded.

"Also, The Forge and Water's Wail are in pretty much the same direction," Sokka noted, looking at his map. "After The Forge is destroyed and the prisoners are on their way here, Aang, Katara, Suki, and I can fly and meet up with Alec, Ty Lee, Poduk, and Yagoda. It might help those people from Water's Wail to see more Southerners."

"Which leaves The Navy Yard for Toph, Mai, and me," Zuko said. "After we finish, we'll make our way to the rendezvous point."

"Speaking of which," Jeong Jeong said, turning to Ursa, "where is the rendezvous point? In your communications, you didn't specify where it was."

"Omashu," Ursa replied. "I've been able to communicate with King Bumi. He's generously agreed to host us for the duration of the war."

Dad looked surprised. "Isn't Omashu under the Fire Nation's control?" he asked. "And isn't King Bumi locked up?"

I grinned. "Bumi isn't locked in Omashu with the Fire Nation," I said. "The Fire Nation is locked in Omashu with Bumi. He's biding his time and waiting to strike. When those eight minutes are up, there will only be three Fire Nationals in that city."

Bato raised an eyebrow. "Three?"

"My parents and my brother," Mai said. "My father is the Fire Lord's appointed governor for Omashu."

"I asked Bumi to take them captive for their own safety," Ursa explained. "Ozai doesn't react well to failure, and Mai wants her family to be safe."

"I see," Dad said. "If that's the case, should we send the people who won't be fighting to Omashu?"

"I think that would be a good idea," Yue agreed. "I can take the seamstresses, Kanna, and Ursa there."

"I'm coming with you," Azula said. "And I'm bringing the dragons and Momo. Momo's not a fighter, and the dragons will be drowsy during the eclipse. It might also be a good idea if someone was there to organize our people when they arrive."

"I'll do it," Jeong Jeong offered. "I won't be of much use during the eclipse, and I was an Admiral in the Fire Navy. I know how to organize a fleet."

"They might not listen to a Fire National," Dad said doubtfully. "I'll come and work with you."

Jeong Jeong nodded, but Bato seemed surprised. "Hakoda, are you sure?" he asked.

Dad nodded. "I'll be more effective commanding our forces after they arrive than on the battlefield." He looked around the table. "Is there anything else we need to do that someone can think of?"

Azula stroked her chin thoughtfully. "This plan is a public blow against the Fire Lord, it will make him angry, but we need to do more," she said.

"You think liberating all his war prisons and destroying his two biggest factories isn't enough?" Dad asked.

"I want him so angry that he acts irrationally," Azula said. "After half the navy was destroyed during the Siege of the North, he was angry, but still thinking rationally. We need to do more."

"What do you suggest, honey?" Ursa asked.

Azula ignored the 'honey'. "We need to insult him. We need to do something big, bold, and completely over-the-top to insult him and get under his skin."

Slowly, all the members of Team Avatar turned to me. "What?" I asked.

"You're the insult guy," Aang said.

"You're the best person at getting under people's skin," Azula said. I don't know if she meant it as a compliment or not.

I got to thinking. What could I do? Something so bold and ridiculous. Like painting a bright light into the…sky…

I started grinning. "Mechanist, how many of those failed flash rockets do you have?" I asked.

The Mechanist stroked his beard. "A large crate full of them. I didn't realize I made them wrong until after I finished," he said. "Why?"

"Is anybody here good with fireworks?" I asked.

Chey brightened. "I am!" he said happily. "I was a fireworks artist before I joined the army."

I beckoned him over and whispered my plan into his ear. "Sure!" he said brightly. "I can make that work!"

I rubbed my hands together. "Excellent. Chey, you're on my team."

"Alec," Katara asked cautiously, "what are you going to do?"

I grinned evilly. "I won't spoil the surprise."

Katara pinched the bridge of her nose and groaned. "Oh no."

Dad raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"

"Whenever Alec smiles like that and says 'I won't spoil the surprise', it means he's going to do something that's either very reckless, or very immature," Katara explained.

"I see."

AN: Now, I know some of you might be disappointed that Combustion Man, a.k.a. Lee, didn't last more than a single fight. But, if you think about it, he walked into a fight against a group that was A. Stronger than it was at that point in canon, and B. Had a member that knew his weaknesses. Realistically, he wouldn't have survived that fight.

Next time will be the jailbreak. That chapter will be a bunch of simultaneous POV's of several major characters.