Disclaimer: All rights belong to Nickelodeon, Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, and all the men and women that created the A:TLA show, books, and comics. I take no credit, and I do not mean to break any copyright rules. This is simply a work of fiction made for enjoyment. No money is being made. The lyrics are from the song "This Is War" by Thirty Seconds to Mars
Rating: General Audiences. Warning: some scenes contain dark themes and minor violence
Author's Note: The final battle...are you guys ready?
Chapter 13: Sozin's Comet: Part 1
A warning to the people, the good and the evil
This is war
To the soldier, the civilian, the martyr, the victim
To the leader, the pariah, the victor, the messiah
This is war
It's the moment of truth and the moment to lie
And the moment to live and the moment to die
The moment to fight, the moment to fight
"Queen Azula."
The captain of the Dai Li bows deeply in front of her. She's sitting on her throne, turning her new crown in her hands absently. It's crafted with gold and shaped like a ring of fire. Quite fitting, she thinks. Around her, the braziers burn darkly with her blue fire.
"What is it?" she snaps. "I'm about to go and lead my armies to victory over the entire world."
"I apologize for interrupting, but the matter is of the highest importance." The captain stands. "There have been reports about a person of interest reappearing."
Azula leans forward on her throne, eyes blazing dangerously. "You interrupted me about one person? I'm about to conquer the world, and you think I care about one person?"
The man's eyes widen in fear. It sends a thrill of excitement through Azula.
"The person is Zuko, Your Highness," he says quickly.
Some of her anger fades. "My brother, huh? Interesting."
"He was spotted on Ember Island."
Azula narrows her eyes, and the anger returns. This will require some dealing with. The nerve of that coward! Hiding out right underneath her nose.
She leans back in her throne, turning her options over in her mind. "There will be a change of plans," she decides. "Captain, tell the generals to move forward with our forces. I have some business here to attend to before I join them."
He bows before backing out of the room. Azula turns her new crown over in her hands again before closing her fingers tightly around it. No one will take it from her. She's earned the right to sit here and wear this crown. No one, especially not some cowardly brother of hers, is going to take it away.
If she has to kill everyone in her family to ensure her sovereignty, then she will.
"It's weird to say, but the comet actually looks beautiful." Suki stands on the porch, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Sokka is busy preparing their eel-hound for departure, but he pauses to look up at the sky.
The entire horizon is orange and red, the colors of a permanent sunset. The air is warmer than usual. There's an eerie feeling in the air, like the electricity in the atmosphere before a storm, as if the whole universe knows what evil is about to happen.
"Too bad the Fire Lord is about to use it to destroy the world." Toph sits on the bottom step of the stairs. She seems sad, which is an emotion neither Sokka nor Suki have seen on her before.
"What's wrong?" Sokka asks, stepping over and sitting by her.
"What are we going to do when this is all over?" Toph asks. "Everyone's going to go home. And I'm not ready to go home yet. I can't go home."
Sokka feels the opposite. He wishes more than anything that he could return home - just sail back to the South Pole and walk into his village. All his friends and neighbors would greet him as a war hero, and his father would wrap his arms around him and tell him how proud he was of him, of how much he's grown.
But there is nothing left for him at the South Pole. Just ice and ruins of an old battlefield.
"I don't have a home to go back to," he says, "so I promise we won't all be going home."
"You could always join the Kyoshi Warriors," Suki offers.
Toph manages a smile. "As tempting as that offer is, I'll have to decline. I'm not really into make-up and dresses."
"There are other options, Toph," Sokka promises.
"Remember what the fortune teller said?" Suki asks. "She said you were going to become the best earthbending master in the world and have lots of amazing students. Maybe you can start an earthbending school."
Toph grabs them both and pulls them into an uncharacteristic hug. Then she quickly pushes them away. "Thanks. I feel better. They weren't good ideas, but I feel better."
The door of the house opens and Zuko, Katara, and Aang exit, carrying the last of their bags. They load them onto Appa before returning to where the others are sitting on the steps.
"It's time," Zuko says quietly. The two words hold so much power; Sokka can feel the dread build up in the pit of his stomach.
But this is their duty, and they'll face it bravely. He pulls Katara into a tight hug. She clings to him, both of them fully aware that it might be the last time they ever see each other again.
"I love you," Sokka says. He feels her shake in his arms. When he pulls away, she's laughing quietly.
"I don't think you've ever actually said those words to me before." Abruptly, her laughter fades and her face turns serious. "I love you too, Sokka."
He turns to Zuko and awkwardly sets a hand on his shoulder. "Look after my sister for me, okay?"
The prince nods. "I will."
"And look after yourself. You're just as important as she is to maintaining peace after today."
Zuko nods again. "I know."
Then Sokka steps back and lets Toph, Aang, and Suki have a chance to bid the other two goodbye. Toph punches them both soundly on the arms, Suki wishes them both luck before hugging Katara and kissing Zuko on the cheek, and Aang even hugs Zuko - a sight Sokka thought he'd never see.
Then Katara and Zuko are climbing up on Appa and waving goodbye. Sokka is the one who made the plan, but it doesn't mean he feels any better about seeing them flying off towards the Fire Nation palace alone. He has a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that something is about to go horribly wrong.
It was a simple strategy, really. Katara and Zuko are going to the palace to fight Ozai and Azula, respectively. He, Suki, Toph, and Aang are going to try and deter the massive war balloons to give Katara the time she needs to defeat the Fire Lord and end the war. On the west coast of the Earth Kingdom, Mai, Ty Lee, and the Kyoshi Warriors are going to take back Omashu. He would have preferred to reconquer Ba Sing Se, but that city is several days away and not in immediate danger of incineration.
Of course, no one knows how fast those war balloons are. If they're capable of travelling all the way to Ba Sing Se in a day, then he and the others are going to have to take down as many as they can as quickly as they can before the rain of fire starts.
"Alright." Sokka tightens the straps holding the bags to the eel hound. "We're up next."
Suki climbs up the creature's leg and perches on its back. Sokka boosts Toph up and then follows, grabbing the reins. Aang leaps into the air and flies above them as the eel hound slips into the water, swimming towards the abandoned volcano where Ozai's war balloon fleet is preparing to take off.
The war is upon them, and there's no going back now.
Iroh can feel the power of the comet through his veins. Even from deep down in the dungeons of Ba Sing Se, the part of him bound to fire alights. He's not been idle in his time here; he's been able to sneak secret messages out and when the guards aren't paying attention, he's been doing exercises to rebuild his muscle and reclaim the body that got him through years of battles when he was a fearsome general. He's stronger than he's ever been, and it's time for him to break out and show the world that the Dragon of the West is still a contender.
He thinks of Zuko and Katara. He hopes they're prepared for the battle they're about to fight. Never before has he met two kids with such strength and determination. If anyone is going to defeat Ozai and Azula and take back the Fire Nation, it's going to be them.
Footsteps outside his cell cause him to abandon his thoughts and ready himself. There are few Firebender guards here; most are Earthbenders, members of the Dai Li that Azula left to watch over the city while she returned to the palace. Though formidable opponents, Iroh has the power of a thousand suns coursing through his veins.
Iroh dreamed of conquering Ba Sing Se once, when he was young. He spent years sieging the city to no avail, until his son died and he gave up hope. But now he realizes that the dream was real. He just never realized he was supposed to take it back from the Fire Nation, not for it.
Today his destiny is calling, and he will answer.
"I can't believe we're back here," Mai grumbles, hiding in the brush and peering out at the bridge that leads over the canyon to the gates of Omashu. "How many times do we have to conquer the same city?"
"Maybe this time they'll name it after us," Ty Lee says, as cheerful as ever. "We can combine our names and call it Mailee."
"That sounds more stupid than 'New Ozai'."
Ty Lee shrugs. "We'll work on it."
The two of them glance back at the Kyoshi Warriors hidden behind them, all of them waiting for the signal. Mai turns back to the city.
"Let's just get this over with." She waves her hand lazily in the air, and two dozen fierce female warriors sprint from behind rocks and bushes, all heading towards the towering city in front of them.
They're across the bridge before the guards notice them. Before the soldiers can react, Ty Lee knocks them down, paralyzed, while Mai pins them by the fabric of their uniforms to the walls with her blades. Then Ty Lee and an equally nimble Kyoshi Warrior scale the gate. Thirty seconds later, Mai hears some shouting and crashes before the gate begins to open. Mai leads the other girls into the city while Ty Lee and the other girl efficiently take out the guards on the ramparts.
Once inside the city, they split up and begin freeing the Earth Kingdom stronghold one sector at a time.
The power of a thousand suns is no match for two dozen female warriors on the warpath.
Sokka, Suki, Toph, and Aang crawl up to the lip of the crater, peering down at the fleet preparing for battle beneath them. A dozen massive metal warships are parked in the middle with a few smaller ones around the edges. There are no soldiers to be seen.
"Where are they all?" Aang asks. As if on cue, the ships begin to rise.
"We're too late," Sokka replies grimly. "The fleet's already taking off."
"Then we're taking off, too," Toph says decidedly. "Where's the closet airship?"
"It's right - Ahhhh!"
Toph catapults them off the side of the crater with a platform of rock and they fly through the air toward the nearest balloon. Aang glides easily past them, landing on the side and turning back to help catch them as they hit the side.
They haul themselves up onto the main deck and hide behind the massive generators working overtime to keep the heavy ships flying. The airships seem so much bigger when they're on them rather than looking from the ground.
"How are we supposed to stop them?" Suki asks, glancing around. Then they all turn and look at Sokka, who gulps.
"Uh…" His brain starts working in overdrive, trying to think of a plan despite his utter lack of information. "Just...give me a minute."
"You sent for us, princess? Is everything alright?"
Azula glares down at the group of Dai Li men kneeling before her throne. The strange blue fire surrounding her casts eerie shadows off the men and the pillars holding up the ceiling. Azula can see figures darting between them, eyes leering out at her. Enemies, everywhere.
"Actually, everything's not alright. Do you know how long it took you to get here?"
"Uh...a few minutes, I guess."
"Five, to be precise. In which time an assassin could have snuck in, done away with me, and been on his merry way. My own brother is lurking around the area, ready to dispose of me and claim the throne for himself, and you think you can take five minutes to answer my summons? Is this how you would treat your queen? With tardiness and disloyalty?"
The man's eyes shine as he meets hers. "The Dai Li would never betray you."
"And I'm sure that's just what you told Long Feng before you turned against him and joined me."
Trust is for fools, whispers the voice in her mind. Enemies are everywhere.
"You're all banished!"
"But -"
"Goodbye!"
The man clamps his mouth shut before standing and exiting. His men follow behind him silently.
"Please send in the next group on your way out," Azula calls after him. "And remind them to address me as queen, not princess!"
Anyone can be an enemy now. Everyone wants her throne, and they all think she's weak. But she'll prove that she's strong. Her brother's on his way here now; after she kills him, she'll join her army on their way across the Earth Kingdom, burning everything in their path. And when they reach Ba Sing Se, she'll kill her uncle. Then no one will have a claim to her throne, and all others will be too intimidated to try.
Ozai was weak, and everyone knew that. But Azula isn't, and she'll prove it.
She'll be the most feared queen to ever rule the four nations.
Sokka and Suki sneak up to the door of the control room, hiding on either sides. Toph walks straight up to it and knocks to the tune of a children's song. Then she bursts in, metalbending the door around her in a suit of armor. Sokka and Suki have to turn and cover their heads as fire shoots out through the open doorway, but the sound of metal clanking and fires roaring gives them a general idea of what's happening.
When a man flies out of the doorway and rolls to a stop, unconscious, Sokka and Suki duck around the corner and enter the room.
Toph sheds her metal armor. "That's how it's done," she declares.
"Good work, Toph. Time to take control of the ship. Take the wheel."
Toph's eyes widen. "That's a great idea! Let the blind girl steer the giant airship."
Sokka stares at her. "I was talking to Suki."
Suki steps around them and scans the control board, her fingers flittering around the dials and levers as she takes stock of what she has to work with.
"What are we going to do about the rest of the crew?" she asks, half-turning.
"Take us down closer to the water." Something piled against the side of the room catches his attention. "I've got an idea."
Sokka grabs a loudspeaker and, after clearing his throat, announces in a deep voice, "Attention, crew! This is your captain speaking. Everyone please report to the bomb bay immediately for hotcakes and sweet pri! We have a very special day to celebrate!"
Toph grins as she comprehends Sokka's plan. "Let's see how well their fire burns in water."
On another airship, Aang is perched on the bow of the ship, waiting for a signal from Sokka. He watches as their airship drifts down to the surface and empties the bomb bay. Instead of bombs falling out, though, soldiers are the ones free falling through the air before splashing into the water. The irony is not lost on him.
He doesn't think it's the signal yet, though. None of the other ships noticed the departure from the line.
He'll wait until the ships heading for the Air Temples break off. As much as he hates to separate himself from the others, Sokka seems to have everything in control. And if anything goes wrong, Toph and Suki are smart and tough enough to get them through it. They'll keep the Earth Kingdom protected.
Aang needs to be there for his own people.
"Azula!"
Li and Lo enter the throne room, not bothering to bow with their crooked backs as they approach her. "We heard what happened! Why have you banished all your servants? Or your Dai Li agents? And the imperial Firebenders?"
Azula feels weary. It's been a long day, and she's tired of waiting for her brother to show up. She wants to be leading her army to victory, not weeding out future traitors. The last thing she needs is two nosy old women getting up in her business.
"None of them could by trusted. Sooner or later, they all would have betrayed me." Like Ozai and Zuko. Like Mai and Ty Lee.
"Azula, we are concerned for your and your wellbeing," Li and Lo say in sync.
Her eyes narrow at them. "Who sent you? Who is it that thinks I'm not prepared to be queen? Or is it someone trying to get in my head, to manipulate me?"
"In light of today's events, we think it would be best if you stayed here and rested."
Azula whips around. "Stayed here? Rested? My reputation is at stake! I have to be the one to lead my armies to victory or I will be meaningless! Which one of you said that?"
Li and Lo point at each other. Azula grins.
"Well, there's only one way to resolve this." Azula throws her arms out. "You two must duel each other! I order you to fight an Agni Kai!"
The older women stare at her in disbelief.
"But...we're not Firebenders."
"Alright, fine." Azula plays a hand on her hip. "Lo, you're banished. Li, you can stay." She stalks off, tired of sitting around and waiting. If Zuko isn't going to come to her, then she's going to have to go to him.
In the empty throne room, Lo and Li look at each other.
"She pointed to me, but I'm Li," Li says.
"So who's banished?"
Iroh stands on top of the parapets. Next to him stands the earthbending master and former king of Omashu Bumi; swordsmaster Piandao; rogue firebending master Jeong Jeong; and Airbender and Monk Gyatso. Above them waves a light gray flag with a white lotus.
On the outside of the wall is a Fire Nation force a thousand strong. A thousand soldiers, tanks, and guns against five old men.
"Ba Sing Se, the Order of the White Lotus is here," Bumi says, staring out at the opposing force.
Iroh, standing slightly ahead of the others, has his eyes closed. "Here to set you free," he finishes. "Only once every hundred years can a Firebender experience this kind of power." He slowly raises his head and opens his eyes. Fire gleams in his eyes, and when he inhales and exhales deeply, a ring of fire bursts into being around them.
Then Iroh yells and throws his arms forward, the fire converging into a solid ball and smashing into the front of the Fire Nation forces. For better or for worse, the battle has begun.
Bumi raises his arms and thrusts them forward, moving the entire chunk of wall they're standing on forward. Behind them, also on rock platforms, are other members of the Order of the White Lotus.
They leap off when they reach the soldiers. Gyatso blasts down a few houses in the way and Piandao leaps down, moving with lightning speed as he disarms all the non-bender soldiers. Gyatso follows him, using wind shields to protect against the flames from the Firebenders in their midst.
Jeong Jeong blasts himself into the sky. Tanks shoot beams of fire up at him, which he catches before sending it back, the fire blazing so hot that it partially melts the metal shell of the tanks. Then he pushes them together in a chaotic pile of half-melted and misshaped metal.
Some of the soldiers begin to scatter. Others, the strongest ones, stand their ground.
Iroh, watching from his platform, is pleased to see everything going according to plan.
"We need to destroy this fleet of airships before it reaches the Earth Kingdom."
In the distance, Sokka can see the shore approaching. It's only a matter of minutes before some small, poor town gets crispified.
"Well how do you suggest we do that?" Toph demands. "I can't see anything outside this hunk of metal!"
"Maybe you don't have to…" Sokka leans forward and peers out the windows. Then he turns back to the girls, a crazy grin on his face. "Airship slice."
"What?"
"You'll see."
"Uh, Sokka?"
He looks over at Suki. "What?"
"We've got a little problem."
The right half of the airships are angling away, taking off in a different direction. And, perched on top of the lead one, is a familiar figure clad in orange.
"Aang! But where are they going?"
"They're probably headed to the Air Temples," Toph says. "If Aang's there, he'll protect them. We need to worry about our half of the ships."
Sokka nods. As much as he hates deviating from his original plan - and separating from Aang - he needs to focus on what he can control. Right now, there are six massive ships in his control. Well, more or less in his control.
"Right. Airship slice." He walks over to the wheel and nudges Suki out of the way. "Let me show you how it's done."
He maneuvers the ship out in front of the line, then turns the wheel hard. They stagger to the side, trying to keep their footing, as they move in a slow arc back around to the line, approaching from the outside. Even as they're moving, the Earth Kingdom shore appears under them. Fire Nation soldiers standing on the bow of the ships blast waves of fire down upon the land.
"We're running out of time!" Suki exclaims. "This better work!"
Toph, standing by the broken window, can feel the waves of heat even at their altitude. "Woah. That's a lot of fire, isn't it?"
When their airship is aimed straight at the one at the edge of the line, Sokka pulls all the levers, maximizing the speed and power. The metal casing begins to shake; it's being pushed too much too fast.
"It's going to be a bumpy ride!" Sokka warns, putting a hand on each of their shoulders and pushing them out of the room. "We need to get on top of this thing fast!"
"Then what?" Suki stops in the doorway, holding onto his arm. The look in her eyes mirrors exactly what Sokka is thinking: Are we going to make it out alive?
"We watch each other's backs," he answers, holding her gaze. "And if we make it that far, I'll let you know."
He leans forward and kisses her, hoping it's not the last time but not leaving it up to chance. This is war, after all, and they are two normal soldiers surrounded by Firebenders and sailing through the sky - all while trying to destroy the very airships keeping them alive. What could go wrong?
The better question is, What could go right?
The bottom of their airship collides with the top of the first one. The shudder that runs through the entire ship on impact throws all three of them to the floor. Toph is the first one back on her feet, reaching out to grab the other two. They continue running, trying to get to higher ground. Thirty seconds later, the airship collides with the second one, with similar results. And then the next one, and the next.
They manage to pull themselves up the ladder rungs to the top of the airship. Choking on smoke, they stumble forward, trying to reach the metal nose at the front.
As their airship collides with another one, the surface under their feet cracks and slips. Toph anchors herself on Sokka's leg, but Suki isn't so lucky. She's still reaching out for Sokka, her blue eyes wide with fear, as she falls away into the smoke.
"Suki!" Sokka cries out, but she's gone.
Despair threatens to overwhelm him. Coldness creeps into his heart, and his veins turn to ice. "No," he whispers.
"We have to finish the mission," Toph says, shaking him. "And right now, I think we need to jump!"
The remains of their airship collides with the last one of the line. Toph and Sokka free-fall through the air below landing on the top of the last airship. They roll to avoid being smashed by the metal parts raining down upon them from their first airship.
Sokka holds Toph close, shielding her from the debris. He already lost one person he cared about today; he's not going to lose another.
Aang knows it's only a matter of time before the ships split off into three groups, each group heading to target a different Air Temple. He has to make sure he stops them before that happens.
His problem is that he doesn't have a plan. He's not as clever as Sokka, or as tough as Toph. Aang has spent his whole life avoiding violence, playing the defensive side, and now he's supposed to initiate it.
Then he remembers the young Airbenders playing around the temple. He hears their laughs echoing in his ears and he images the horror on their faces when they see the shadow of the airships looming over them. They'd try to stand up and fight, to defend their home; but against the power of the comet, they'd be crushed. Incinerated. Black shadows burned into green grass.
No. Aang won't let that happen. If the monks don't want to fight for their home, then Aang will have to fight for them.
He climbs up the rungs to the very top of the airship and inspects the line. Six massive war balloons and one Airbender. Nothing he can't handle, right?
He takes his glider in his hands and twirls in around and around, generating a mass of wind. Then he flicks the edge of the staff, sending it flying towards the propeller of the first airship.
The propeller stutters, trying to following two conflicting air patterns, and then stalls. The ship tilts to the side, losing altitude. Aang rushes to the other side and repeats it. As the airship sinks, losing power, he leaps off it and onto the next one.
One down, five to go.
Sokka holds onto Toph's hand as they run across the top of the airship. With all the air and debris swirling around them, she can barely get a handle on what's going on. They're both out of their elements - literally and figuratively.
"Toph, metalbend the rudder so that it's jammed permanently in the turn position."
Despite the horrors of today, Sokka can't give up now. He has to see this mission through. It's what Suki would want. And if they don't succeed, then he lost her for nothing. And he can't live with that.
He can't fail again.
He has to stop this fleet. For Zuko, who's fighting his sister. For Katara, who's fighting the Fire Lord. For Aang, who's trying to save his people. And for Suki, who gave her life trying.
And for his entire tribe, who he abandoned the last time the comet bled fire through the world.
"The ship will spiral and slam into the others," he explains when Toph's face scrunches up.
"Got it."
She feels for his shoulders, pushes him to the side, and then sinks her fingers into the metal rudder. She turns it sharply to the side. The ship responds with a lurch, sending them slamming into the twisted hunk of metal. The entire ship changes course, smashing into the side of the adjacent one.
Sokka watches, both relieved and pleased. He turns back to her. "Have I ever mentioned how sweet it is that you invented metalbending?"
"You could stand to mention it more," Toph replies lightly. There's another crash as another airship hits the next one in line. Sokka is still reaching out and steadying Toph when a hatch behind them opens up and a Fire Nation soldiers peeks out.
They run across the top of the ship as a stream of fire chases them. Sokka unsheathes his sword with one hand and grabs Toph around the waist with the other; then he leaps over the side, slamming the sword into the thin metal shell of the ship. They slide down, the sword keeping them from plummeting to their deaths in the forest far below.
Then the sword runs out of metal to grip and they're freefalling. Toph screams while Sokka looks around wildly. He hits the thin metal walkway of a platform and manages to wrap one arm around it while still holding onto Toph with the other. He turns so that he's laying securely on his back on the platform.
"My leg," he groans, the pain shooting up and down until it's almost the only thing he can sense. The other thing is Toph's hand in his as she swings over the land. "Hang on, Toph!"
"Aye, aye, captain," she replies, but there's none of her usual snark in it. Just a pleading desperation. She doesn't want to die. She's just a young girl who doesn't want to die and Sokka's literally holding her life in his hands and his leg hurts so much and so does the rest of his body and there's Fire Nation soldiers running towards him from the platforms parallel to the one he's laying on and -
And an idea comes to mind. He uses his free hand to wriggle out his boomerang from a pocket on his pants. Even as the soldiers begin to shoot fire their way, Sokka flicks his wrist, sending the boomerang to interrupt their flames. He leans up and grabs his sword from where it had landed on the platform by his feet and throws it the other way, knocking the soldier straight off. He watches sadly as his space sword falls onto the land below.
His victory is short lived. A half dozen Firebenders line up along the ship's edge in front of him, their arms held out in a ready position. Sokka is still clinging on to Toph's hand. His arm is starting to ache from the burden of supporting her, and the pain in his leg is becoming almost unbearable.
Has he done enough? Has he destroyed enough airships to give the Earth Kingdom a chance? Has he distracted enough men to give Katara the time and space she needs to defeat the Fire Lord? Has he done enough to keep Suki from dying in vain?
Toph's hand in his slips. They're holding on by just their fingertips now. Her skin, normally warm and dry, has turned cold and sweaty. She's terrified, but she's trusting him to save her.
"I don't think Boomerang is coming back, Toph," he calls down to her. A warning. A goodbye. "It looks like this is the end."
He closes his eyes, waiting for the final blow. He wonders if it will hurt, or if he'll just die instantly. He wonders how Suki felt when she died - did she just accept it? Or did she scream the entire way down, wondering why he couldn't save her.
He wonders if his dad would be proud of him.
There's a sound of running footsteps and he cracks his eyes open just as an airship slams into theirs from below. Sokka's hand is wrenched from Toph's, and when he tries to turn to grab ahold of her again, he finds himself rolling off the platform and falling through the air.
He lands on the shell of the airship, right next to Toph. He lands on his injured leg, the new pain flaring up and causing his eyes to water. He curls around it, holding his knee with his hands.
"How did that happen?" Toph asks, climbing to her feet next to him. "Did Boomerang come back?"
Sokka looks up, and for a moment the pain disappears. Hanging onto the side of the airship is a familiar face.
"No," he says, and part of him thinks he did, in fact, die. "Suki did."
She smiles when she catches his eye, and Sokka's sure he's in some heavenly afterlife. Like the first time he saw her, he's certain she must be an angel.
The Southern Air Temple appears in the distance. Aang has succeeded in taking down another three airships, leaving just two left. His orange robes are singed from an encounter with Firebenders on the second and third ships, and his feet are blistered from the metal shell of the ship.
He'd barely gotten the last airship in time; it had started drifting away from the others, heading to the Eastern Air Temple. Aang had managed to take it down before it got too far away.
Now he's working his way through the second to the last airship, running across the decks and knocking out soldiers as he passes, trying to access the control room. Maybe if he can ground the ship before it gets to the Temple…
A blast of fire from a side corridor nearly fries him. He spins, snapping his staff and sending a blast of wind to knock back the Firebender. Then he picks up his pace, his eyes darting across every door.
He finds the control room at the front of the ship. A large, metal door stands in his way; when he tries to pry it open, he finds that it's locked. Hearing pounding footsteps behind him, he runs and escapes out of the interior of the ship, sneaking along an outer passage.
He doubles back, staying on the outside, to face the windows looking into the cockpit. Then he pushes off the platform, jumping feet-first into the windshield.
The glass shatters beneath his feet. He lands in a roll, jumping back up to dissipate the fireball aimed at him. Then he returns the attack, using his glider to knock the men's feet out from under them and sending gusts of air to blow them against the walls. When they're all laying on the ground moaning, he takes the wheel.
The Air Temple is directly in front of them now. Aang has only a few minutes before it's too late. He has to make a decision - and now.
He has just placed his hands on the wheel to turn it when the entire ship begins to spin, slowly at first but then picking up speed. He hangs on tight to the wheel as the ship is whipped around. His head spins, nausea consuming his thoughts. It's all he can do to hold on tight. Around him, he can hear the breaking of glass as some of the soldiers fly out the windshield.
A thought occurs to him and he manages to raise his head to see outside. Through the dizzying vortex, he sees blurs of orange and yellow and hears the roar of high winds.
The monks have come out to fight, after all - but they don't realize one of their own is trapped inside the ship.
Mai and Ty Lee burst into the throne room of the palace in Omashu, flanked by half a dozen Kyoshi Warriors. Seated on the throne is Mai's father, and curled up at his feet is her mother, a bundled baby held protectively in her arms.
Ty Lee looks over at Mai. "You want to handle this?"
Mai steps forward and faces her parents. "Father. Mother." She acknowledges them with a nod. "You're fired."
"Fired?" Her father stands up, anger showing on his face. "You have no authority here. You're out of line, and out of place. We didn't raise you like this."
"No, you didn't," Mai agrees. "You raised me to be seen and not heard, to be the perfect, obedient daughter. That's why I have no personality now. But I do have an army of female warriors that just took over your city, and my old boyfriend is about to become Fire Lord. So I suggest you give up your throne the easy way if you want any chance at rebuilding a decent life."
Her mother's eyes widen and she looks up at her husband. "Do it, Ukano," she hisses.
Her father glares at her as he steps off the dias and raises his palms in defeat. As the Kyoshi Warriors run forward to secure him, he holds her eye contact and says lowly, "You're dead to us."
"Good." Mai waves her hand. "I always was, anyway."
As her family is escorted out, Ty Lee lays a hand on Mai's arm. "That was really brave," she says. "You stood up to them, just like you stood up to Azula."
Mai flicks one of her blades in the air and catches it again. "Yeah. I guess I'm just sick of people who only want me in their lives if I act a certain way."
In the distance, plumes of fire burst up at random intervals throughout the encampment as the Firebenders wage war against each other. Bumi explodes out of the earth in another sector, only to be faced by a half dozen tanks.
They all shoot streams of fire at him. He raises up a shield of earth to block and flames, and when they cease firing he drops the wall, instead raising up circles up earth which he punches forward, right into the openings where more fire is building up.
Then he shoots up platforms of rocks underneath the incapitated tanks, sending them flying sky-high before they land on each other in six crunches of metal.
The men inside groan as they bail from side hatches, but Bumi has already moved on.
In another part of the city, Iroh stands in front of the palace. He scowls before using his finger to set fire to the Fire Nation flags hanging off the walls. They burn away, leaving the carved Earth Kingdom symbols underneath.
A small smile stretches across his face.
Victory, at long last.
Aang takes a deep breath before climbing to his feet. He lists from side to side as the airship continues to spin, but he finally manages to get a good foothold. Then he grabs his glider tightly, closes his eyes, and sprints forward, leaping as he reaches the window.
He musters all his airbending strength as he torpedoes himself straight out into the vortex. The winds whip at him and flying debris narrowly misses him, but he continues. Straight and fast he flies.
He pops out of the tornado with a sucking sound and begins freefalling through the air. Someone catches him and floats him down to the ground of the Air Temple gently.
Aang rubs his eyes with his hands before getting a look at who saved him.
"Monk Sachihiro?" he gasps in surprise. Sachihiro is one of the Airbenders who was most opposed to getting involved with the war and wanted to stay isolated. "What are you doing?"
"Taking a stand," the man replies, offering Aang a hand and pulling him up. "I was living with my eyes closed for too long. It was foolish for me to think that the Fire Nation wouldn't try to destroy our peace as well. You helped open my eyes, Aang."
They both turn to airship swirling in the vortex. Two dozen Airbenders are spread out around them, slowly bringing the ships down to land.
In the distance, the comet is retreating. In just moments they'll know if Katara succeeded - if the sky is gray with ash and red with fire, or if it returns to its normal blue.
Monk Sachihiro lays a hand on his shoulder. "Whatever happens, know that you saved us, Aang."