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 44:
Jailbreak
Omashu, Bumi POV
The morning was like most normal mornings I'd had since I'd surrendered. Cramped. This box did no favors for my old bones. I kept glancing at the sky, waiting for just the right moment to strike. I looked down at my city. Ugly factories spewed out smog, choking the air. I needed to do some redecorating.
Slowly, the sky began to darken as the moon made it's way over it. I grinned. Time to make my move! I clenched my jaw and rocks sprang up from the ground, colliding with the box and breaking the front off. I dropped back to the ground, free at last!
A group of firebenders immediately ran up and confronted me. "What do you think you're doing?!" one of them shouted. He thrust his fist out, but nothing happened. He jabbed again, but still nothing. His eyes widened in horror. Priceless!
I grinned. "Taking back my city! You've got no firepower, and it's payback time!"
I earth-skated off a nearby ledge and jumped to the lower levels. I threw up a pillar, splitting an eyesore of a factory off from the building it was attached to. I moved the pillar forward, sliding the factory down the mountain and into the ravine. I cackled loudly. It was so nice to cut loose after so many months! I picked up entire factories and threw them out of my beloved city. The firebenders all broke ranks and fled out of the main gate. I kept an eye out for the governor, but I didn't see him. Maybe he was still in my palace?
I looked up at the palace. I frowned. That statue of Ozai had to go. I leapt up to the highest level and got a closer look at it. Such a severe face on the statue. That wouldn't do at all. I made several pillars and launched them into the statue, changing his humorless frown into a smiley-face. The world would be a much better place if everyone had a sense of humor! I tipped the statue over with earthbending, and it slid down the mountain, breaking the bridge at the city's entrance and falling into the ravine.
I laughed and summoned a jennamite crystal and took a big bite. Delicious! I missed my candy so much these past months!
I still had work to do. I strolled into the palace and stomped my foot three times. Several of my guards emerged from the floor. I smiled at my guard captain. "I see you got the message, Yung."
He smiled back. "It's good to see you again, Sire."
I clapped my hands. "Now, we need to comb this palace. I have a feeling the Fire Nation's governor, his wife, and their son are still here. Bring them to the throne room, unharmed. I'm going to change my clothes."
A Quick Change of Clothes Later
It felt so good to sit back on my old throne in my green robes. I got the people back into the city immediately, and I got Flopsy back into his playroom. I turned to my head servant. "Ene, be a dear and get the servants to remove all the Fire Nation banners and replace them with Earth Kingdom ones. Red really isn't a good color for this city."
She smiled and bowed. "At once, My King."
"Also, put a bounty on every statue of Fire Lord Ozai. I got the biggest one, but there are still more in this place. Make it a scavenger hunt for the city's children. One piece of jennamite for every statue smashed."
"Of course, Sire."
"My King," I heard Yung say.
I looked and saw Yung enter the throne room, leading a group of three people surrounded by my guards. A man, a woman, and a baby. The man and the woman looked worried, but the baby bounced happily in his mother's arms.
I smiled and laced my fingers together. "Lord Ukano, Lady Michi, and young Tom-Tom. Welcome to my throne room," I greeted. No point in being impolite.
Ukano scowled. "It should be my throne room, you old fool!" he growled.
Wow. This man did not have good survival instincts. Lady Michi looked at him, silently begging him to shut up. I sighed. "Now, there's no need for that," I said. I clapped my hands together. "Normally, I'd exile you from my city, but as a favor for some friends of mine, I'll be keeping you here as my guests."
"You mean your prisoners," Ukano growled.
I shrugged. "Guests, prisoners, it's all a matter of perspective, really." I turned to Yung. "Take them to the refurbished chamber that was once bad. Change the solid wall door into a wall with bars so we can keep an eye on them. Make sure they get everything they need. Food, water, diapers for young Tom-Tom, everything."
Michi looked bewildered by all this. Ukano kept scowling. Didn't anybody tell him his face would get stuck like that? Oh well. Yung led them away to the chamber. I walked out to the balcony where Gao, one of my other guards, stood with a spyglass, looking towards the coast.
"What's the port look like?" I asked.
"All the Fire Navy ships have fled, Sire," he reported. "Wait, it looks like one is landing at the port now."
I held out my hand. "Let me see," I ordered.
Gao handed me his spyglass. I saw a Fire Navy ship docking at the harbor. I focused on the people on the ship. I recognized Jeong Jeong and Lady Ursa. I grinned. "Those are allies," I said. "I'll go greet them."
Outside Omashu, Azula POV
We used a Fire Navy ship to get close to the port near Omashu, so we wouldn't arouse suspicion if we were spotted. We hid in a cove close to the port. I was belowdecks with the dragons and Momo. While I was petting Shul, something interesting happened. I started to hear voices.
"Why couldn't Mommy come with us?" a low, gravelly voice rumbled. "I miss her head and belly rubs."
"She spoils you rotten," another voice, also low and gravelly, but distinct from the first, replied.
"Oh, please," the first voice said. "Don't pretend that Mai doesn't do the same to you when she thinks nobody's looking."
I looked around, hoping I wasn't hallucinating again. I looked at Ved and Druk, both curled up on the floor. "Did you two just talk?" I asked.
Both of them looked at me. "Huh, I guess we are old enough to be understood now," Ved said.
"That's a relief," Druk said. "Pity that our future riders missed our first words, though." He looked at Shul. "Don't worry, sister, you just have a month to go."
Shul growled something I couldn't understand.
"Oh, you're easily the most spoiled one of all," Ved teased her. "Don't think we can't see Azula fussing over you every free moment she has."
I started to feel my inner fire dim. Ved, Druk, and Shul curled up. "Well, I guess it's nap time now," Druk said.
"Seems so," Ved said, giving a growl that sounded like a yawn. "See you in eight minutes."
I walked up to the top deck, where Hakoda, Kanna, Yue, Jeong Jeong, and Mom were. Momo rode on my shoulder. "Are you certain King Bumi can handle this?" Kanna asked. "It's difficult to believe one person can free an entire city by himself."
"Bumi is quite capable," Jeong Jeong said. "He's the strongest earthbender I know."
I smirked. "You've never seen Toph in action," I said. "That girl gave me a run for my money when she was exhausted."
"It's begun," Hakoda said, looking through a spyglass at the city.
We heard rumbling sounds. I looked through my spyglass and saw buildings sliding down the mountain, falling into the ravine. I saw firebenders run through the main gate of the city, scrambling to reach their ships. As soon as they reached their ships, they raised anchor and fled. I looked back at the city. The massive statue of my father now sported a smiley-face made of rock. I chuckled. King Bumi certainly had style. The statue tipped over and slid down the mountain, crashing through the bridge connecting the main gate to the other side of the ravine.
I nodded. "Well, that seems to be everything taken care of."
When we started unloading the ship, we noticed a lone figure strolling down the path from the city to the port. He wore elaborate green robes, and an aquamarine crown. I recognized his face, even having only seen it once. Mom smiled at him and ran forward. "It's good to see you again, King Bumi!" she said happily.
Bumi wrapped her in a hug. Clearly, he wasn't much of a fan of proper protocol. "And you, as well, Lady Ursa!" he said warmly. They broke their hug. He looked over the assembled crowd on the dock. "Why don't you introduce me?" Bumi suggested.
Mom moved to introduce me. I suddenly felt very small. "So, you must be Princess Azula," Bumi said with a wry smile. "I remember seeing you in my city before."
I swallowed. "I was a different person back then," I said.
"Oh, no harm done," Bumi said. "I got my city back, didn't I?"
Well, he was certainly easygoing. Momo flew off my shoulder and onto his. "Hello Momo!" Bumi said cheerfully. "Where's the rest of the team?"
"Leading a bunch of prison breaks," I said.
"Oh, those are always fun!" Bumi cackled. "I just did one a few minutes ago! I highly recommend the experience!"
Ved, Druk, and Shul flew out from the ship. Shul hovered right next to me. Ved and Druk were behind us. Bumi's eyes lit up. "Ooh, now those are some nice dragons!" he said. He raised an eyebrow. "Yours?" he asked me.
I petted Shul's head. "Shul is," I answered. "The black one, Ved, is Alec's, and the red one, Druk, is my brother's."
"More like Ved belongs to Ty Lee," Druk snorted. "Total momma's boy."
"Don't pretend you aren't spoiled, Druk," Ved growled. "Nobody likes a hypocrite."
Their sudden words floored everyone but me. Bumi clapped in delight. "Ooh, you can talk!" he said happily. "Delightful!"
"We might want to let the others be introduced," Druk suggested.
"Agreed," Ved said.
Mom recovered from her surprise and moved onto Hakoda. "This is Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe," Mom introduced. "He's also Sokka, Katara, and Alec's father."
Hakoda bowed. "Thank you for allowing us to use your city as a base, King Bumi."
Bumi opted for a firm handshake instead of a bow. "Your children are quite remarkable, Chief Hakoda," he complimented.
"Thank you," Hakoda said with a smile. He moved his arm to indicate Kanna. "This is my mother, Kanna."
Bumi kissed Kanna's hand. "Charmed," he said. Kanna smiled a weak smile. I guess she hadn't gotten over the news about Hama yet. Bumi frowned for half a second, but didn't say anything about it.
Mom moved to Yue. "This is Chieftess Yue of the Northern Water Tribe."
Yue smiled and bowed. "It's an honor to meet you, King Bumi," she said warmly.
He kissed her hand. "Likewise, Chieftess Yue," he said. He looked at Jeong Jeong and grinned. "Jeong Jeong, old boy! Did you come to get your butt kicked at Pai Sho again?"
Jeong Jeong smirked. "You and I have very different memories about how our last game went, old friend."
Bumi clapped his hands. "Now, lets get all of you situated in the city. We just had a bunch of real estate open up, so we should have plenty of space when the others arrive. I can also show you to the war room so we can coordinate further."
"I hope the others will be alright," Yue said on our way up the path to the city. Bumi had earthbent a new bridge over the ravine.
I smirked. "Trust me, Chieftess, the only people you need to worry about are the people standing in their way."
The Navy Yard, Zuko POV
I'd heard of The Navy Yard, but I'd never visited before. I didn't expect it to be so big. It was a massive rig, easily the size of a city. Brand new warships sat anchored at the docks. "Damn," Mai said quietly, "That's a big prison."
"How big?" Toph asked.
"You'll get a feel in a few seconds," I said.
Our ships approached under the cover of a fog that some of our waterbenders made for us. We could see through the fog, but the guards on the rig couldn't. We came here with a force of waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe and the Southern Water Tribe's warriors. We used the cover of the fog to pull the ships right next to the dock. I looked up at the sky, and I saw that the moon was almost in position.
Bato looked at me. "Is it time?" he whispered.
I held up a hand, signaling him to wait. I felt my inner fire diminish. I couldn't feel the sun. I drew my swords and jumped off the ship onto the dock. "NOW!" I shouted.
The fog dissipated instantly. The warriors, clad in their blue wolf armor, charged. Toph and Mai jumped onto the dock and joined me. The guards tried to throw fireballs at us, but not even a spark came out of their fists. A few of them picked up pieces of scrap and tried to engage anyway. We started running into the prison. "Wow," Toph said, "You weren't kidding, this place is huge!" She frowned for a second and stomped. "Hey! I can feel those Council of Five guys," she said.
CLANG!
I blocked a clumsy attack from one of the guards. The piece of steel he used shattered against my swords. I slashed him, ending him quickly. "Which way?" I asked.
Toph spat into her hands and crouched low, bending a metal floor plate around herself like a suit of armor. She pointed in a certain direction. "This way!" she said. "Follow me!"
We ran through the chaos of the battle. Soldiers cut down guards. Prisoners clad in simple red tunics even joined in against their jailers. We ran through the prison yard, breaking prisoners chains, not stopping to explain what was going on. Toph broke them into pieces with metalbending. Mai and I slashed them apart with our meteor blades. Toph ran and pointed. "There they are!" she said.
I saw the five generals, now clad in the red garb of prison inmates. How, Sung, Yiwen, Khièu, and Duanmu. They had picked up hammers that had been used for bending massive steel plates into the hulls of ships, but were now using them to smack guards on the head. I ran over to them and slashed the chains on their wrists and ankles, freeing them. Toph shed her armor.
General How grinned. "Prince Zuko! Lady Mai! Master Toph!" he greeted happily. "I see the invasion has been postponed."
"Ozai found out about the invasion, so we decided to do this instead," I explained, as Mai cut down a guard with her dagger.
"Good thinking," How said.
"It was Mai's idea," I said, smiling at her.
"Prince Zuko?" a familiar voice said. "Is that you?"
I turned around, and my jaw dropped. "Lieutenant Jee?" I said, almost not believing my eyes. His hair was messy, and he was in a red prison outfit instead of a Fire Navy uniform, but it was definitely him.
I ran up and hugged him. "You're alive!" I said happily.
He didn't return the hug, and when I pulled back, his mouth was hanging open. He gathered himself. "Prince Zuko, are you alright?" he asked. "You seem…different."
"I'm fine," I said, confused by the question. "Is the rest of the crew here?"
Jee nodded. "Yeah, we're all here," he said. "I'll take you to the others."
The fighting died down, and word spread among the prisoners, explaining what was happening. Jee led me, Mai, and Toph to another part of The Navy Yard. Just like he said, the rest of my old crew was there. Chu, the fat, bearded cook, Ro, the skinny engineer who was missing several teeth, Aken, the elderly helmsman, and the four soldiers Yao, Rusu, Uro, and Shan.
"Prince Zuko?" Aken asked. "Is that you?" he asked.
"It is," I said. "How did you all get here?"
Ro shook his head. "After Zhao press-ganged us into his service, your uncle arranged for us to escape on one of the lifeboats before the attack on the North Pole," he said. "But we got caught by a Fire Nation patrol, and we were sent here. We've been here ever since."
"Your turn," Chu said. "How did you come to be here? And with Water Tribe warriors, no less?"
"A lot of things happened," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "You won't believe this, but I joined the Avatar."
Their jaws dropped. "What?!" Jee exclaimed. "You mean the Avatar, the one who you were obsessed with capturing for years?! That Avatar?!"
I nodded. "Yes, my father needs to be stopped."
Jee gaped at me. "But you insisted that he cared about you, despite everything. You said you wanted to make him proud!"
I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose, embarrassed by the way I used to be. "I was an idiot," I admitted. "I learned a lot of things recently, and I've become a better person. I'm helping the Avatar end this war."
Jee shook his head. "I need a drink."
"You said it," Aken agreed.
Toph crossed her arms and cleared her throat. "Sparky, aren't you going to introduce us?"
I blinked. "Oh, right," I said. "Men, this is Toph Beifong, Avatar Aang's earthbending teacher."
Toph nodded in their direction. "'Sup," she greeted.
I indicated Mai. "This is Mai," I introduced.
"I'm his girlfriend," Mai added with a satisfied smile.
Jee's eyes widened. "Oh, that explains a lot."
I raised an eyebrow. "Explains what?"
Suddenly, my old crew looked sheepish. "Never mind, sir," Jee said.
"Jee," I said, my voice more insistent, "what does this explain?"
Jee looked at me. "Well, sir, when we were part of your crew, you were very, how do we say, angry and stressed out."
I frowned. "I'm aware of how bad my behavior was, but what does that have to do with this?"
Jee looked like he was struggling to look at me. "Well, the crew had several…discussions…about your behavior, and all of us, including your uncle, agreed that there was something that could help you calm down."
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
Jee took a deep breath. "Well, Prince Zuko, we all agreed…you really needed to get laid."
I sputtered. Mai smirked. Toph burst out laughing. "Wow, even the Old Man said you needed to get some!" she chortled.
I facepalmed. "Anyway," I said, desperate to change the subject, "we need to get all the prisoners to the ships and then destroy this place."
"How are we gonna do that?" Jee asked.
Toph grinned. "Leave that to me."
We loaded everyone onto the ships. Fortunately, everyone was able to fit on our vessels. The only people left on the docks were Mai, Toph, and myself. I turned to Toph. "Wreck everything," I said.
She knelt down on the floor. "My pleasure."
She clenched her hands into fists, crumpling the metal. Great fissures split throughout the docks, running down the path to the prison. Buildings cracked and crunched. The ships that were dry-docked crumpled like paper. Water rushed into the fissures, and the entire prison began sinking. Once the water got up to our ankles, I figured Toph had destroyed enough.
"That's good," I said. "The rest will sink on it's own. We need to get out of here."
We ran up the gangplank to our ship, and we set sail. Mai and I kept watching as The Navy Yard sank beneath the waves, never to produce another ship.
"Nice work, Toph," Mai complimented.
Jee was flabbergasted. "That girl can bend metal?!"
Toph smirked. "I'm the greatest earthbender in the world. Don't fucking forget it."
Jee turned to me. "Where's your uncle?" he asked. "I don't see him here."
"He's breaking himself out of another prison," I replied. "I hope he's okay."
Hari Bulkan Prison, Iroh POV
I sat facing the wall of my cell, mentally preparing myself for the day. Outside the cell, Warden Poon, an unpleasant man with gray hair and sideburns that reminded me too much of Admiral Zhao, sat idly filing his nails.
"I bet you're tired of being in this cell, old man," Poon taunted. "Well, too bad. You're never stepping outside these walls again."
I let his words roll right off my back. For me, it didn't matter what other people thought of me, as long as I knew the truth about myself.
"Breakfast," a happy voice said. I smiled as my favorite guard entered the room. Ming had always been very kind to me during my confinement.
"Careful, Ming," Poon said as he stood up. "Don't get too close. His stench will knock you right out."
Poon left the room, laughing at his own joke. I turned around as soon as he left and smiled at Ming. She smiled back, and approached with the tray of food.
"I snuck in some white dragon tea," she said. "I know you like rare teas."
"Thank you, Ming," I said sincerely, allowing my act to slip just for her. "Ever since I was put in here, you have been very kind to me."
She truly had been kind. I needed to do something nice for her.
A few hours later, Ming came back for what would be my final meal in this place. "Lunchtime, General Iroh," she said cheerfully. She put the tray down and leaned in close. "And this time, I brought you an extra bowl of rice," she whispered.
I smiled. "Thank you, Ming. Your little gestures of kindness have made my days in prison bearable." I frowned. "I think you should take the rest of the day off."
Her brows furrowed in confusion. "What?"
"You don't look well," I said. "Maybe you should go home and rest."
She smiled. "No, I feel fine," she insisted.
"Trust me," I said in the most serious voice I could muster. "It is better that you are not here this afternoon."
Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she nodded, stood up, and left.
I closed my eyes and began to meditate. It was almost time.
A few hours later, I felt my connection to the sun begin to dim. The moon was enveloping the sun. A few minutes later, I couldn't feel it anymore. I stood up in my cell. Warden Poon was still in the room. Oh well, I suppose I wouldn't be able to escape as quietly as I would have hoped.
"What are you doing, old man?" he demanded. I ignored him. I backed up against the wall of my cell, ran forward, and rammed into the bars with a flying kick. Normally, this wouldn't have any effect. However, I prepared for this moment for several weeks. From outside my cell, the bars looked perfectly fine. From the inside, you could tell that I'd cut nicks in the bars with fire daggers while the guards weren't around. These nicks, combined with my improved physique, caused the bars to yield.
CRASH!
The bars exploded outwards, leaving a gaping hole in my cell. Some of the bars hit Poon in the head, knocking him unconscious. I didn't waste any time. I ran out of my cell and through the hallways of the prison, knocking aside any guards unfortunate enough to try and challenge me. In a few short minutes, I was outside, breathing fresh air once again.
I looked down at the palace from the rim of the caldera. "Soon, my brother, you will answer for what you have done," I thought. I turned around and ran away from Hari Bulkan.
I ran for a long time. A few minutes into my run, I felt my firebending come back. I made my way to a small fishing village on the coast, outside the Great Gates of Azulon. I quickly found my destination. A small fish stall on the docks. I noticed people going about their business like nothing was happening. Ozai must have only told the Imperial City about the invasion. I walked over to the fishmonger. He was about my age, and he regarded my robes and bedraggled state with a raised eyebrow. "Can I help you?" he asked.
"I was wondering about your preferred Pai Sho strategies," I greeted.
His eyebrows shot up. "I prefer the White Lotus gambit," he answered, "how about you?"
"I favor that strategy as well," I said. "Perhaps we can discuss our business over a friendly game."
He nodded and beckoned me to join him behind the counter. He flipped the sign on his stall from 'Open' to 'Closed', and dropped the cover over his stall. "I'm sorry," he apologized with a bow, "I didn't recognize you in that state."
I smiled. "It's perfectly alright," I said. "I need to borrow a boat. The Order will reimburse you later."
He nodded. "I have one out back. I can give you some food for your journey, as well."
I bowed in thanks. "Thank you for your kindness."
He led me to the docks. "I warn you," he said, "The engine is shot, and there isn't much coal."
I smiled. "Oh, coal won't be necessary."
After the fishmonger waved me off, on the small boat, with an engine no bigger than a small fireplace, I sat on the stern, and took some rope to secure myself to the boat. I took a deep breath, and summoned my inner fire. I aimed my hands backwards, and two gouts of flame shot out of my hands, propelling me and the boat forwards like a firework.
Omashu, here I come.
The Forge, Aang POV
Sokka, Suki, Katara, and I stood on the bow of a ship, the fog obscuring us from the Fire Nation. Sokka stared through his spyglass. "I see the island," he reported. He put his telescope away and looked at the prison layout again. He flipped to the map of the island. Then he flipped through another section and his eyes lit up. "Well, well," he said. "It looks like this island is completely deserted except for the prison. And what's this? There's an evacuation plan for all the guards to flee if the volcano erupts, leaving the prisoners behind." He started grinning.
"What are you thinking?" Katara asked.
Sokka looked at me. "Aang, can you ask your past lives if something is possible?"
I looked at him. "What are you thinking?"
He explained his plan to me, and I sat down to meditate.
Spirit World, Aang POV
I found myself in a meadow with a few of my past lives. This was the most of them I'd ever spoken to at one time. Besides me, there were five others, standing side by side in a line. I recognized Roku and Kyoshi, but the other three were new to me. To Kyoshi's left was a big, burly Water Tribe man with a polar bear dog headdress. To his left was a female Air Nomad with long brown hair. Finally, to her left was a tall, thin man in Fire Nation robes, with a thin mustache and goatee, wearing a hat that I'd never seen before.
"Um, hi past me's," I said timidly.
Despite my awkward greeting, they smiled kindly at me. "So, this is the new one, eh?" the Water Tribe man said. He extended his hand. "Avatar Kuruk. Pleased to meet you." I accepted his hand, and he shook it powerfully. "Hm, a little scrawny, but you'll get bigger," he said.
"Now, now, Kuruk," the Air Nomad woman chided gently. "Be nice to him, he's twelve." She stepped forward and bowed. "Avatar Yangchen. I'm honored to meet a fellow Air Nomad."
My face fell. "I wish I wasn't the only one left," I said.
Yangchen smiled at me. "While you live, the Air Nomads have a chance to return," she said. "Don't give up hope for your people."
The man in the Fire Nation robes stepped forward and gave me a standard Fire Nation bow. "I am Avatar Szeto," he greeted. "I apologize for what my nation has done to yours."
I bowed back. "It's not your fault," I assured him.
"So, Aang," Roku greeted, "What do you want to ask us?"
I took a breath. "I need to control a volcano," I said. "Can you help me?"
Roku frowned. "Perhaps you'd be better asking someone other than me," he said. "I have…bad luck with volcanos."
"I can help," Szeto offered. "I was in the Fire Nation for most of my life. I got the hang of volcanoes after about the sixth eruption I had to deal with."
"I can help, too," Kyoshi said. "I had to bend lava when Kyoshi Island split from the mainland. You'll need some fans, though."
Szeto nodded. "Go into the Avatar State when the time is right," he said. "We'll walk you through it."
I bowed. "Thank you."
The Forge, Aang POV
I opened my eyes. "I can do it," I said. I looked at Suki. "I'll need to borrow your fans."
Suki slowly took her fans from her belt and handed them to me. "Take good care of them," she warned. I nodded.
Sokka grinned. "Okay. Aang, get to the volcano without being seen and put on a show. The guards will evacuate and sail to the west. And, since we're to the south and hidden in fog, they won't see us. After we get everyone onto the boats and start sailing away, you blow it for real and then come join back up with us."
Katara kissed me on the lips. "Good luck," she said with a smile. I smiled back.
"Oogie," Sokka muttered, earning a glare from his sister.
I grabbed my glider. I took off and spun a cloud around me, keeping me unseen as I flew towards the island.
I landed on the rim of the volcano. The caldera was completely made of solid rock. This volcano appeared to be dormant.
"But not for long," I thought to myself grimly. I cleared my mind, and let go of my feelings for Katara, for now. The power of the Avatar State surged through me.
"Okay," I heard Kyoshi's voice say in my head. "So, we want to fake an explosion. We need plenty of rumbling and dust. Take my fans, and make as big and thick a dust cloud as you can."
I took out the fans and swung them in arcs. I churned up a dust cloud, using my airbending to keep it confined to the caldera.
"Good," Kyoshi praised. "Now, launch the dust cloud into the air, and make a small earthquake at the same time."
"Keep it small," Szeto's voice added. "We don't want this thing to blow up too soon."
I took a deep breath and lifted up my foot. I stomped down, causing the ground to rumble loudly and shake. At the same time, I swung both fans in an upward motion, expelling the dust cloud into the air in a thick column of choking dust, making it appear like a mushroom cloud of ash was erupting from the volcano.
I sank underground with my earthbending to hide my presence from any observers. I didn't want the guards to see me and ruin Sokka's plan. I reached out with my seismic sense and took in every form of the prison. The prisoners were panicking, shackled as they were to their workstations. The guards were running towards the docks, frantically boarding the lifeboats as fast as they could. Once I felt the lifeboats leave the docks, I came back aboveground, waiting for the others to arrive.
I saw the fog envelop the docks a few minutes later, and I felt my friends and our allies get off the boats, running through the prison and freeing prisoners left and right. Through their coordinated efforts, the prison was emptied out completely in a few minutes. After the last prisoner disappeared into the fog, I saw three glints of light from the prison yard. Sokka was signaling me to blow the volcano.
Right as I was about to make my move, I felt my inner fire dim. I looked up. Monkey feathers! The eclipse was happening now!
My past lives sensed my distress. "Aang, what's wrong?" Kyoshi asked.
"The moon is blocking the sun," I thought, hoping they could hear me. "I can't blow the volcano for another eight minutes."
There was a long pause, and at first I thought I needed to repeat myself out loud, until I heard their voices again. "Is he serious?" Kyoshi asked with amusement.
"I think he is," Szeto replied.
"Do you two know something I don't?" I thought.
"You don't need firebending to control lava," Kyoshi said.
"It's actually a form of earthbending," Szeto explained.
"Seriously?" I asked.
"Seriously," Kyoshi replied. "Now, get your tattooed ass up to the rim of the caldera, and do exactly as we say," she ordered.
I got up to the rim. "Okay," Szeto said. "You know how waterbenders can turn water into ice and vice versa by changing the temperature?"
"Yeah," I said.
"This is just a more extreme example with earth," Szeto said. "First, feel the rock inside the caldera. Don't change the top to liquid. Feel about two yards or so below that and liquify all that rock. You need to raise it to extreme temperatures."
I felt the rock with my seismic sense. I let my mind take hold of it. I concentrated, heating it up to an extreme degree. The Avatar State gave me so much power that the task came easily to me. As soon as the rock was liquified, I stopped and stood back up.
"Now what?" I asked.
"Now, you fly out of there like your life depends on it," Kyoshi said. "Because it does."
I took the hint and deployed my glider, flying faster than I'd ever flown before towards the ocean. I barely made it onto the ship when…
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
I felt my eardrums nearly rupture from the loudest noise I'd ever heard in my life. I turned around and saw a plume of fire and ash shooting thousands of feet into the air. Flaming rocks rained down from the sky onto the island. Lava flowed like a river towards The Forge. As the lava got closer to the prison, the metal buildings warped from the heat. The red banners of the Fire Nation caught fire just from being so close to the heat. Fortunately, the our ships were far outside of danger before the volcano erupted.
Watching the metal buildings glow with heat and sink into the lava, I closed my eyes. "Thank you both," I thought. I embraced my feelings for Katara once more, and I felt the cosmic energy of the Avatar State leave me.
Katara wrapped me in a hug. "That was amazing, Sweetie," she whispered. I kissed her cheek in thanks.
I pulled Suki's fans out of my belt sash, and handed them back to her. "Here are your fans," I said. She smiled and nodded at me.
Sokka grinned. "So, we just emptied out one of the biggest war prisons in the Fire Nation, with no casualties, and they probably didn't even know it was us. I'd call that a success. Great work, Team Avatar!"
Katara nodded. "Let's jump on Appa and head towards Alec. How long will it take us to reach him?"
"About a day," Sokka replied after looking at his map.
"You think he'll be okay?" I asked.
Katara frowned. "I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about what his plan for Ozai is."
Water's Wail, Alec POV
The flagship of the Northern Water Tribe was almost eerily empty. Probably because it was meant to hold a crew of dozens but right now only had five people onboard. Ty Lee, Poduk, Yagoda, Chey, and I were the only souls on the ship. While Yagoda and Poduk spun a thick fog around the ship to hide our presence, we looked over the plans of Water's Wail. "Let's go over the plan one more time," I said.
"As soon as you lose your firebending, we attack," Ty Lee said. "Everybody leaves the ship and stays together."
"Kill the guards as quickly as we can, so they can't send a messenger hawk for reinforcements," Poduk said.
"Free the prisoners, and heal the ones who need it well enough so they can move," Yagoda said. "I'll give them more complete healing when we're underway."
"After the guards are dead, I put the package on the roof, and you light the fuse right before we leave," Chey said. He tilted his head questioningly. "Why did you want a five-hour fuse for this thing? It's not like it's dangerous to us unless we have our eyes open when it blows up."
"I want as many people to see it as possible," I said. "The Fire Nation still thinks we're invading, so they likely evacuated at least the Imperial City and hid underground. The five hours is to give them enough time to get back up to the surface to see our little message."
"Will they really be able to see it from that far away?" Ty Lee asked.
I nodded. "The Mechanist told me that when he launched just one of these rockets from the Northern Air Temple, people reported sightings of a shooting star as far away as Gaoling."
"Wow," she whispered.
The sky began to darken. I looked up and saw the moon almost halfway covering the sun. "Get ready," I said. We deployed the gangplank. The fog was so thick that we had actually docked right next to the prison, but none of the guards could see our ship.
As we got ready to run, I felt Ty Lee lean close to me. "You look so sexy in that wolf armor," she purred. "I really want to get you out of it."
I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "Later," I said quietly.
"Promise?" she asked.
I smiled at her. "Promise."
I felt my firebending slowly slipping away. "Wait for it," I said quietly. A few seconds later, I felt the last of my firebending was gone. "Now," I whispered.
We ran down the gangplank and up the road towards a low, long building that made up the prison. Right before we got to the front door, Poduk dropped the fog, revealing three guards. Their eyes widened, but Ty Lee jabbed each one of them in the throat before they could yell out. I stabbed one through the heart with my spear. Poduk launched an icicle through another's chest. Ty Lee jabbed the final guard in five specific places and he fell over, dead.
Three down, seven to go. Chey and Yagoda came up behind us. Chey held the package, while Yagoda brought up the rear. Poduk, Ty Lee, and I searched the guards' bodies. Each one of them had an identical set of keys. We each held onto them. Those would be useful.
I unlocked the door to the prison with one of the keys, and threw open the door. We saw a small foyer, dimly lit with red light. More importantly, there were six guards sitting and lounging around. They didn't seem to react, shock preventing them from moving at first. One of them, who wore a gold headpiece, probably the warden, opened his mouth in horror when he saw the dead bodies of three of the guards.
"Oh shi…" He didn't get to finish, because Poduk silenced him forever by launching an icicle through his mouth that burst out the other side of his head. Ty Lee killed two other guards before they could even stand up from their seats. I slashed two throats with a single swipe and Poduk stabbed another one through the eye with an icicle. All guards in the room were now dead.
While we were catching our breath, we heard footsteps from a hallway. The final guard emerged from the door, and his eyes widened in terror. He made to run away, but I ran at him with my spear, impaling him in the chest.
I made two mistakes, though.
First, the door the guard came from didn't lead to a hallway. It led to a staircase. Second, I got so much of a running start that I wasn't able to stop. The dead guard and I ended up tumbling down a flight of stairs.
"Well," I thought, "good thing I'm wearing a helmet."
Prisoner POV
Six years. I'd been trapped in this horrible place for six years. Trapped with these other poor people from the Southern Water Tribe who had long since given up hope of ever escaping. Even though one of them had done it before, who they said laughed at them when they pleaded with her to set them free as well. How could someone do that to her own people?
I found myself thinking of my husband and my children. If I got out, would I even recognize them if I saw them? My son would be sixteen now, and my daughter would be fourteen. I missed them so terribly.
Today was even more awful than normal. Most of the time, the guards only locked us in restraints when they fed us and gave us water to drink. Today, for some reason, they chained us up ever since breakfast and left us that way. What was going on?
I heard a series of crashes, and what sounded like curses, coming from the stairway on the opposite side of the cellblock. I craned my neck to get a better look. Two bodies emerged from the staircase. One of them was one of the guards, who had a wicked-looking spear embedded in his chest. The other…
I gasped. The other was a teenager wearing the wolf armor of the Southern Water Tribe.
The one in the wolf armor shook his head and stood up, grabbing the spear from the other guard's chest and pulling it out. He looked around the prison and turned back from the stairwell. "I found them!" he shouted.
A few seconds later, four more people came down. The first was a young man in his teens, who was dressed in Water Tribe clothes. The second was a woman about my mother-in-law's age, who was also Water Tribe. I didn't recognize either of them. Maybe they were from the North? The third person was a man in a brown cloak holding some kind of crate. He didn't look Water Tribe. The fourth was a teenage girl in pink wearing an outfit that showed so much skin that she would freeze to death if she were in the Poles. She definitely wasn't Water Tribe.
The armored boy turned to the man in brown. "Chey, get the package to the roof and start winding the fuse. We'll start unlocking these cells. Meet us back at the ship."
"You got it," the man in brown replied, walking back up the stairs.
He turned to the other three people. "Let's get these cells unlocked and get these people to the ship." He turned to us and smiled. "We're gonna get you all out of here."
My heart leapt into my throat. If this was a dream, please don't let me wake up!
The four of them made their way, unlocking the cells and the restraints, helping the others get their footing. I was the farthest away from the stairs, and it felt like an eternity before one of them got to me. The armored boy finally got to my cell. I got a better look at him up close. His skin was fair, lighter than Water Tribe, and his eyes were brown, not blue.
He took a look at me and his eyes widened in shock and…recognition? Did he know me?
"It can't be," he whispered.
He unlocked the cell and my restraints. He looked me in the eye. "Tell me," he whispered, his voice pleading, "what's your name?"
I don't know why he wanted to know so badly, but I answered his question.
"My name is Kya."
AN: Cliffhanger. Yes, I am the worst. No, I will not apologize.
I've been planning this twist ever since I first thought of this story. I've been dropping hints since Chapter 33. There will be an explanation for how Kya is alive in this timeline, don't worry.
And, before you complain, Alec's little message to Ozai will be in the next chapter as well.
Next time: Reunions.
