The Undying Fire: City of Secrets

by Boogum

Book 3. It started with a battle for the Outer Wall. It ended with blood and a blackened throne. Ba Sing Se changed all of them, for better or worse.

4. The Drill

"You're bleeding," Katara observed.

Zuko touched his cheek where Mai's knife had grazed. "It's nothing," he muttered. "Just a scratch."

She leaned over and, before he could react, pressed her water-gloved palm to his skin. The coolness of her element brushed against him. Energy hummed and the wound knitted itself together. "You don't need to carry any more scars, Zuko. I'm a healer too, you know. Let me help you sometimes."

His breath caught. It was like she had just given him an emotional sucker punch. Fortunately, she didn't expect a response.

"I can see the campsite." She pointed down to where Changpu had taken them to rest. "Let's hurry."

Zuko tugged on the reins to make Appa descend. As they drew closer, he was surprised to find Toph waiting with the guard. She was reclining on a chair made out of rock and playing some kind of earthbending guessing game with Changpu. The guard, for his part, seemed more resigned than anything. He was still bound with rope.

"'Sup," Toph said, giving a casual nod to the two as they jumped down from the bison. "You took your time."

Katara frowned. "How did you know we had gone?"

"My feet."

This statement did not seem to impress Katara. Zuko didn't even try to get to the bottom of Toph's newfound omniscience. The little brat just liked to rile people up. He wasn't going to give her that satisfaction. Still, her comments from earlier did make a lot more sense. She must have known that Katara had not planned to stop him from leaving.

"Aren't you going to thank me?" Toph asked. She jerked her thumb at Changpu. "I did stop Pig-Chicken Boy here from alerting the guards about your night time escapade."

"Thanks," Zuko said in his flattest voice.

Katara undid the rope that was binding Changpu. "I'm sorry," she said. "I know you were just doing your job, but we didn't have a choice."

"And?" Toph prompted. "What's the verdict?"

"Bad," Zuko admitted, and turned to Changpu. "We need to see General Sung."

Changpu swallowed. "I can't just take you to the general. There's protocol to follow and—"

"I don't care about your stupid protocol! You're taking us whether you like it or not!" With that, Zuko picked him up and slung him over his shoulder.

"H-hey!" Changpu exclaimed. "W-what are you doing? Put me down!"

Toph chortled. "Sunshine has got a real way with people, huh?"

Zuko simply dumped Changpu on Appa's saddle. "It's your job to calm those guards down when we get to the wall," he said curtly. "Don't mess up."

Katara face-palmed. "At least explain to him why this is urgent."

"Fine. There's a big drill. It's going to smash through the wall unless we stop it. Now let's go."

Changpu blinked. Then he blinked some more.

"Wow, Sunshine," Toph said. "Eloquence isn't something that comes naturally to you, is it?"

Katara made a sound of agreement.

Zuko's cheeks warmed. "Who cares about that?" He sat down on Appa's perch and snatched up the reins. "Let's just go!"

There was no time to waste if they wanted to find a way to stop the Fire Nation. That drill would be coming whether General Sung and his soldiers were ready for it or not. Zuko might not have his uncle's tactical abilities, but he hated to see lives needlessly lost. He would do whatever he could to make sure Azula didn't win. Even if that meant forcing that droopy-moustached idiot to listen.

"Yip, yip!" Zuko said grimly.

oOo

It was official: General Sung really was an idiot. Zuko, Katara and Toph had made it past the wall guards thanks to Changpu's efforts, though Appa had been detained. Toph had left to go bring Aang and the others to the late-night meeting. Now, here they all stood surrounded by a ring of high-ranking earthbenders. The drill blueprints lay flat on the desk in the middle for all to see. Just the sight should have shocked the general and his commanders enough to at least rethink their plan, but General Sung was stubborn. He insisted that the Terra Team could handle whatever the Fire Nation threw at them, including this drill.

"It's just a machine," General Sung said, raising his nose at the blueprints. Too bad the effect was ruined by his askew topknot and hastily thrown on armour. "I doubt it will cause a problem for us."

"Are you stupid?" Zuko snapped. "This thing has been specifically designed to cut through the wall!"

The general's moustache bristled. This was the second time Zuko had spoken out against him. "Who on earth is this boy?" he demanded.

Iroh stepped forward, bowing as he did so. "Please forgive my nephew for his rudeness. Lee can be hot-headed sometimes, but he means well. He's just worried."

"You would do better to teach your nephew some manners," General Sung retorted. "Restrain his tongue or I will have him removed."

Iroh murmured another apology and then elbowed Zuko in the ribs.

Zuko struggled for a moment before curving his spine into a stiff bow. "Sorry," he muttered.

General Sung turned his attention to Aang. "I do not know what you and your friends were hoping to prove with this reckless escapade, but I hope you can see now that your efforts were needless. Drill or not, the Fire Nation will not get past the outer wall."

Aang opened his mouth to respond, but the general held his hand up in a silencing gesture.

"I have indulged this farce enough. Aside from the old man there, and regardless of the fact that you are the Avatar, you are all just children. What makes you think you have the right to decide our battle plans?"

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed. "Don't you know we helped stop the Fire Nation armies at both the Northern Air Temple and the Northern Water Tribe? It's not like we're completely clueless."

The commanders shifted on their feet. None of them had spoken much during the meeting, but it was obvious that a few of them were at least considering Sokka's words. General Sung, however, was not impressed. He said that those places were not Ba Sing Se, and that the Outer Wall guard had their own way of doing things. There was no need for others to interfere.

"At least let us help!" Aang pleaded, unable to stay silent any longer. "We won't get in the way. I promise."

"My soldiers have always defended this wall on their own, and we will do so this time as well. I repeat, we do not need your help, Avatar."

Aang's shoulders slumped. Even he could see how pointless it was to keep pushing the matter.

Anger bubbled inside Zuko's chest. That damned, drooping-moustached idiot! Just what did that guy think he was doing? Zuko wanted to yell and knock some sense into the Earth Kingdom soldiers. Couldn't they see that they were practically handing victory to Azula on a platter? But Iroh was gripping his wrist hard. Too hard. It was a warning for Zuko not to lose his temper.

"Don't," Iroh said under his breath. "Remember, we don't want to draw too much attention to ourselves."

Zuko knew his uncle was right, but still. It was so hard to stay silent. The general had no idea what was coming for him. The Fire Nation army could not be taken lightly, let alone Azula. It was akin to suicide.

"This meeting is finished," General Sung declared. "Please, return to your rooms."

"But—" Katara began.

Sokka tugged on her arm. "Come on, Sis. Let's go."

Her eyes meet Zuko's, sharing a glance of dismay. Neither had expected the meeting to go this way.

"What about Appa?" Aang asked.

"The bison will remain in our custody," one of the army officials said. "You may collect him when you are ready to leave."

Aang looked like he was going to argue, but he was quickly marched out of the room by Iroh, who was also dragging Zuko in tow. Sokka had Katara while Toph followed much more leisurely at the rear with Momo. Once they were all gathered together in their designated room in the barracks, Iroh sat them down and faced them with a grim expression.

"I understand you're all worried," he said.

An outburst of words poured from the group. General Sung was an idiot! Those earthbenders were all so stupid and stubborn! Appa didn't deserve to be locked away just because Katara and Zuko snuck out with him!

That last one had Katara giving Aang a sheepish expression. "Sorry," she said, ducking her head. "I didn't realise General Sung would react that way."

Zuko gritted his teeth. "I'm not sorry. Even if that pompous bastard won't listen to us, we at least know now that Azula plans to use the drill to breach the wall. The tanks will probably be used for support and to keep the earthbenders busy."

"I would say that is her plan," Iroh agreed. "The problem is that General Sung won't let us help."

Toph stretched her legs out, wriggling her grubby toes to loosen some of the dirt. "We could always just go all out and rebel. I doubt they'd be able to stop us."

Sokka shook his head. "No, if we do that we'll just cause more problems. Remember, we still need to get inside Ba Sing Se. Right now we can't even get past the wall."

All of them fell silent as they considered this predicament.

Zuko glanced up at Iroh from where he sat cross-legged on the ground. "Do you have any suggestions, Uncle?"

Iroh made a humming noise. "Sokka is right that fighting without permission would not be a good idea. I believe the best plan of action would be to simply wait for now." A faint smile curved his lips. "I know you're all eager to make a difference, but sometimes a person has no choice but to sit back and listen to their superiors. Right now, that person is General Sung."

"But he's an incompetent fool!" Zuko exploded. "How can you expect us to listen to him?"

"Nephew," Iroh said gently. "Need I remind you that you acted against my advice tonight as well?"

Zuko swallowed. "I just—"

"I know. You thought you needed to find out what Azula was planning. I won't deny that it's useful to know about the drill, but"—and here he glanced at Katara—"both of you behaved recklessly tonight. You're lucky that you were able to return safely."

Katara hung her head. "Sorry. It was my fault. I didn't try to stop him at all. In fact, I was the one who allowed us to go."

Iroh seemed a little surprised by this confession, but he accepted her apology with good grace and said that they should just put the matter behind them. What mattered was that both of them were safe. Plus, thanks to their efforts, now they could come up with a good counter plan.

"Huh?" Aang blinked. "But you just said it was better for us to wait."

A grin curved Iroh's mouth. "Wait, yes. Do nothing to prepare, no."

Zuko propped his chin on his hand. "Then you have a plan?"

"A plan," Iroh mused in a thoughtful voice. He shifted his gaze to Sokka. "What do you think?"

Sokka blinked. "Uh, me?"

"You understood those diagrams, didn't you? I believe you were able to figure out the drill's weakness."

"Well, yeah." Sokka rubbed the base of his neck. "It was pretty easy."

Iroh's smile widened. "Then that's where we'll start." He clapped his hands together. "So, Master Sokka, tell us all about what you learnt."

Sokka preened a little. The title of "Master" seemed to have quite the effect on him. Katara just groaned and muttered that her brother's ego was going to be bigger than ever now. Still, no one could deny that Sokka was the only person who had been able to interpret the blueprints; he just had a knack for understanding mechanical things. He also proved to have a good head for strategy. Sokka and Iroh bounced ideas off each other as if they were equals rather than a teenager and an experienced general. The others took a backseat approach and shared their input from time to time. By the end of the night, they group had managed to come up with a plan to counter the Fire Nation's attack.

"Once General Sung gives the go-ahead, we'll be able to act," Sokka said.

Toph blew her fringe out of her face. "And if he doesn't?"

"Then we'll use Plan B," Iroh responded. "Either way, you all know what to do."

Zuko exchanged a glance with Aang. The two nodded, both understanding what the other was thinking. No matter what, Ba Sing Se would not be allowed to fall. They would make sure of it.

oOo

The sun and a clanking roar of machines signalled the Fire Nation's advancement. Earth Kingdom soldiers lined the outer wall, nervous and with stone catapults prepped and ready to go. Below, in trenches made from earthbending, the Terra Team crouched in anticipation. Everyone waited. Everyone watched. Soon, the dust cloud cleared and a mechanical monster loomed into view. It was the drill, so much larger in real life, so much more threatening. Tanks followed like some macabre royal escort, more than Zuko could count at a glance.

His eyes narrowed. "This is it," he murmured.

He stood on the side lines of the outer wall with Aang and the others. If all went well, none of them would have to do anything. At least, that was General Sung's plan. The man in question stood a little farther away, giving orders and in general looking like a pompous fool. Zuko clenched his hands into fists. That bastard had better cooperate when the time came.

"Attack!"

The Terra Team's captain gave the order for his platoon to move out. A swarm of green emerged from the trenches, shifting into formation. One group tried to take out a tank by overturning the machine, but the tank just flipped itself back over and began shooting at them with fire blasts. Others were trying to trap the tanks in rock cages or crush their hulking bodies. A portion were focussing on the drill and creating huge pillars to stop the machine. It all seemed so futile. There were still more tanks coming and the drill had not even slowed. In fact, it had smashed through the pillars.

Suddenly, the Terra Team began to fall one by one. It took Zuko a moment to realise that there were two figures moving amidst the green-garbed soldiers. From this vantage point, all he could make out were splotches of colour: someone in pink and another in red. The point was that, in a scarily short amount of time, the whole Terra Team had been wiped out.

"That had to be Mai and Ty Lee," he murmured.

Only chi-blocking could have caused that much damage so quickly. Mai, of course, was the perfect support combination: she was swift with her blades and knew how to create ample distraction for Ty Lee to get close to their opponents. As a duo, they were almost unstoppable. It was the reason Azula had picked them to be her favourites. Only the best were good enough for the Princess of the Fire Nation.

Grimly, Zuko watched the girls retreat now that their job was done. The Terra Team were left to scramble back to base the best they could. It was just as Zuko had feared. The Earth Kingdom soldiers had never stood a chance. General Sung seemed to have finally realised the truth as well. He wasn't so quick to reject the Avatar's help this time.

Sokka grabbed Aang and Katara. "We're going to head for the drill. Toph, you can give us cover, right?"

"Of course," she said, slapping her palm against her chest. "This'll be no problem."

Zuko watched the four dash off to go complete their part of the plan. He nodded to his uncle, who would stay and help direct the soldiers' attacks from the wall. It was better for Iroh to keep out of the thick of things as much as possible. As for Zuko, he had his own part to play.

He scanned the soldiers lined along the wall until he found the person he wanted. Smaller than the others, and still fresh-faced, Changpu stood watching the drill's progress with a nervous expression.

"You!" Zuko marched over to Changpu and grabbed him by the arm. "You're coming with me."

Changpu let out a meep. "W-what are you—"

"I need an earthbender."

"But the general—my orders—"

Zuko gripped Changpu by his shoulders. "This isn't about who's giving you orders anymore. This is about defending the wall." His gaze was intense. "You want to protect your family, don't you?"

Changpu swallowed. He nodded.

A half-grin curved Zuko's mouth. "Then let's go. We're going to take down those tanks."

Some of the colour drained from Changpu's cheeks. "W-wait a minute. Shouldn't we get more back-up?"

"Toph will join us soon. Plus, my uncle will make sure we get the support we need."

Changpu still seemed to have qualms. Zuko simply ordered him to create a lift so they could get down the wall. Any kind of distraction to keep the tanks busy would help right now. That was why they were going. True, Zuko couldn't use his firebending without drawing unwanted attention to himself, but his swords could be just as dangerous. It helped that he knew enough about the tanks to understand their weaknesses.

"Hurry!" Zuko ordered.

The bad feeling from yesterday still had not left him. All he could do was play his part and hope that nothing went wrong. For now, victory rested on Sokka, Aang and Katara.

oOo

"Wow," Sokka said, blinking in surprise.

The three of them had managed to sneak inside the drill with little trouble thanks to Toph taking them right under the machine. After that, it had been a simple matter of following the mental blueprint in his mind to this chamber. Now, they stood on a metal platform staring at the many support beams they would have to break.

Sokka frowned. "That pillar looks a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans. We're going to have to work pretty hard to cut through that."

Katara folded her arms across her chest. "What's this 'we' stuff? Aang and I are going to have to do all the work."

"Look, I'm the plan guy. You two—" he made rapid chop-chop gestures with his hands "—are the 'cut stuff up with waterbending' guys." He struck a heroic pose. "Together, we're Team A—"

Blue flames flared up like a wall between the trio. Sokka found his view cut off from the others. Before he could react, a hand clamped over his mouth. He struggled, but his assailant was surprisingly strong. Something sharp dug into his throat. He swallowed.

"Don't move," a raspy voice warned him.

Sokka knew that voice. It had annoyed him far too many times for him to forget. Just great. He'd been caught by Gloomy Knife Girl.

The flames dispersed with a gust of wind, revealing Katara slumped on the ground next to Creepy Pinky. His sister's waterskin lay useless next to her nerveless fingers.

"Aang," Katara said in a weak voice. "R-run."

Sokka's eyes darted around the platform to find the other boy. Aang had managed to knock back the two firebenders who had come at him, but then Sokka got the feeling those soldiers had not been meant for anything except a distraction. His suspicions were confirmed when a cold laugh echoed through the chamber. That's right, there was a third person to complete this trio of dangerous ladies. The owner of the blue flames.

Princess Azula jumped down from the upper platform. "Yes, Aang," she taunted. The way she said his name sent a chill down Sokka's spine. "Why don't you run? Just abandon your friends here."

Aang clenched his hands. "Let them go."

Azula made a show of pondering the matter, complete with placing her finger to her chin. "I don't think I will. Besides, it's your own fault for falling into my trap." She shook her head in feigned disappointment. "So naïve. Did you really think I wouldn't consider my enemies making such a move after the drill's blueprints got stolen?"

"You—" Aang got ready to attack.

Azula made a tutting sound and waggled her finger at him. "Silly boy. Don't tell me you haven't realised your situation yet?" Her eyes turned cold. "Mai."

The word was sharp and like an order. Suddenly, the pressure digging into Sokka's throat increased. He felt the skin split, sending pain through his nerves. Blood trickled down his neck.

Azula's lips curved into a vicious smile. "Do you understand now, Avatar? One wrong move and I'll have Mai slit your friend's throat." She put on a falsely worried voice. "You wouldn't want that, would you?"

Aang let out a shaky breath. His eyes were wild with panic and rage. In the past, such an experience would have sent him into the Avatar State, but right now he could not call upon his past lives. Sokka didn't know if that was a good thing or not. On the one hand, that Mai girl had him in her pointy death grip; on the other, maybe one good wind blast would have shocked her enough into letting him go before she killed him. Well, that was all just speculation now. The fact was that Sokka was in a sticky situation, and since Katara was immobilised, that left Aang with only two options.

"Just go," Katara said softly. "Get out of here while you can and let the others know what happened."

Aang shook his head. "I can't leave you and Sokka here. You're my family."

Mai twitched. Something about the word "family" seemed to have an effect on her.

"Family?" Azula repeated. A laugh escaped her lips. "How foolish."

She made a motion at Creepy Pinky, who darted forward to take Aang down with her weird punches and jabs, just as she had done to Katara. Fortunately, Aang was agile enough to avoid her blows. Unfortunately, Azula decided that was a cue for Mai to begin more stabby pain. Sokka felt Mai's heartbeat thump against his back—far too quick to be natural—but she nevertheless did as ordered. This time, Sokka couldn't help the gasp that escaped his lips. Geez, at this rate he really might get his throat slit.

"Stop it!" Aang screamed.

Azula put on a mocking baby voice. "Aw, is the little Avatar upset to see his friend hurt?" Her tone steeled. "Then stop resisting and give up like a good boy."

Aang's gaze darted to Sokka—a charged moment of dismay—but then he looked behind at Mai. Sokka wasn't sure what they expressed to each other during their silent exchange. All he knew was that Mai gave another small twitch. She did not loosen her grip. If anything, the arm around his chest tightened.

Creepy Pinky cartwheeled to come up in front of Aang. "Don't worry," she said brightly. "It doesn't hurt that much."

Aang ducked her punch. "That isn't what I'm worried about!" He glared at Azula as he bent backwards to avoid another blow. "Promise you'll let my friends go and then I'll cooperate!"

Azula clapped her hands. "Done."

Aang went still. Creepy Pinky followed up with a rapid blow of jabs, all struck with perfect precision. It was over in a heartbeat. Aang went limp and slumped into her arms. Sokka groaned in resignation.

"Wow," Creepy Pinky said, grinning down at Aang. "I never thought I'd get to hug the Avatar."

"I'd hardly call that hugging, Ty Lee," Azula said dryly.

Ty Lee just shrugged and swept him up so that she was holding him bridal style. Then she jumped down the pipes on which she and Aang had been fighting until she landed on the platform. As Sokka watched, helpless to do anything, he noticed that Ty Lee was surprisingly gentle when she placed Aang at Azula's feet. Somehow, Sokka got the feeling that the only person who was really enjoying this situation was the one calling all the shots. Even Mai seemed too stiff. That was saying something.

Aang raised his face the best he could to look up at the princess. "My friends," he said weakly. "You promised."

Azula took his chin in her hand. "Didn't Zuzu ever tell you?" Her lips curved into a sharp smile. "I always lie."

Aang's eyes widened in horror. Azula laughed and allowed a ball of flames to hover above her palm.

"Don't worry," she told him. "I'm not going to kill the Water Tribe peasants. They'll be rounded up and made prisoners of war along with the rest of your pathetic allies. You, however"—she poked him in the cheek—"your fate is a little different. See, I can't kill you. That'll just create a new Avatar. Unfortunately, I don't trust you to cooperate and play the good prisoner either. I hear my brother made that mistake once." She laughed again, and this time the shiver that crept down Sokka's spine was so much worse. "Well, he always was a soft-hearted fool."

Mai's heart thumped faster. Sokka felt her fingers shift on the blade.

"That's why, Avatar, I'm just going to have to ensure you can't be a threat to anyone." She increased the size of her fireball and her smile widened, becoming twisted. "You should have just saved yourself, you know. That's the problem with caring about family; it makes you exploitable."

She raised her hand to attack. A knife suddenly pinned Azula's sleeve to the pillar. Sokka blinked. The blade at his throat had gone. Not even a split-second later, more knives had joined the first, pinning the princess completely.

Azula's eyes burned with something wild. "Mai," she said in a voice that trembled with barely constrained fury. "What do you think you're doing?"

Mai heaved a bored sigh. "I guess I just really don't like following orders."

Azula lost it. She thrashed against her restraints, screaming for the others to stop the traitor. Mai grabbed Aang by the scruff of his tunic and headed for the exit. Sokka quickly pulled himself together and scooped up Katara, following behind. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he wasn't about to look a gift ostrich-horse in the mouth. A flutter of pink passed over their heads. Both Mai and Sokka were forced to a halt as Ty Lee landed gracefully in front of them.

"Get out of the way!" Mai ordered.

Ty Lee chewed on her lip. "Why are you doing this? Aren't we all childhood friends?"

For answer, Mai shoved Aang at Sokka. "Go."

Sokka blinked.

"This is your chance to get out of here. I'll hold them off."

He met her gaze—still as impossible to read as ever, but somehow steeled with determination. It wasn't in Sokka's nature to leave a person behind, not even scary girls like this one who inflicted stabby pain on him, but he also knew that there was no point arguing with her. Katara and Aang were both paralysed and couldn't bend. Right now, Sokka was the only person of any use, and there was no way he and Mai were a match for Azula, Ty Lee and the firebenders. Not when trying to protect two other people. The Avatar was too important to lose; it was what Mai's eyes told him. It was what Sokka instinctively understood.

"Go," Mai repeated, and then the faintest of smiles curved her lips. "The three of you looked after my little brother, right? Consider this a late thank you."

Before Sokka could react, she shoved him away from her and rounded on Ty Lee. Knives flashed from under the hidden folds of her sleeves. The acrobat dodged and flipped through the air, avoiding the attack completely, but that didn't matter. Mai had achieved what she had wanted: an opening for Sokka to escape with Aang and Katara.

Sokka gritted his teeth and started running. The sound of two friends fighting continued to follow him: the pleading, the hurt. Fireballs intermingled in the mix. He winced and quickened his pace.

"There's no way Mai can defend herself against all of them," Katara said quietly. "What she's doing is suicide."

"We should go back," Aang urged. "Maybe we can—"

"We can't!" Sokka snapped. He took in a shuddering breath. "We can't waste her sacrifice."

The three fell silent. Sokka resisted the urge to shout in frustration. This sucked. This really, really sucked. Sure, Mai had always been their enemy, but even he had to admit that she'd been kind of cool back then. Now, were they just supposed to let her take the fall for them?

"Damn it!" he hissed.

This was not how the plan was supposed to go. To make things worse, they hadn't even managed to break through a single pillar. Not one.

For the second time that day, the Earth Kingdom allies had failed.

oOo

Zuko gripped his swords, moving with Changpu on what felt like a shifting, slide-like platform. Not that he could see to prove his theory. Everything was black. All he knew was that they were inside an underground tunnel that Changpu had created. Above them, Zuko could hear the rumbling and groaning of machines get louder. Perfect. That was what Zuko wanted.

"Now!" he ordered.

Changpu raised his arms. The two burst through the earth, spraying rock and bits of gravel. As planned, they had come out right behind a tank—or, rather, in its blind spot. Changpu dug his feet into the ground and brought his arms down. The earth quivered and shook, then started softening and sucking the tank downwards. Frantic cries of alarm came from inside. The wheels turned and turned, trying to tread through the sludgy trap; however, as Zuko had anticipated, such an action was futile. The tank needed proper grip to move. It was the reason spiked wheels had been used during the siege on the North.

Some of the crew spilled out from the escape hatch. Too bad for them that Zuko had been waiting. He lashed out with his swords, sweeping one man clean of his feet before taking another out with a well-placed strike. He turned back to incapacitate the first guy. No need to leave loose ends.

"Uh, a little help here, Lee!"

Zuko spun round to see Changpu just manage to dodge a blast of flames. It seemed someone had stayed inside. Persistent bastards.

"Boost!" Zuko yelled.

The ground underneath him lurched upwards. He used the momentum to flip himself up onto the tank, then wrenched open the hatch and swung inside, kicking an unsuspecting engineer in the face. Flames rushed towards him. Zuko dodged the attack and smashed his hilt into the firebender's nose. Blood spurted everywhere. A second blow did the rest. The firebender's eyes rolled up into his head and he collapsed.

Without pausing, Zuko hauled both men out of the tank with him and tossed them onto the ground. "That's another down."

Changpu let out a breath. "I think I'm finally getting the hang of this."

"You're too slow!" a familiar voice taunted.

Changpu and Zuko blinked as Toph raced past them. She was moving around on a giant, shifting ball of rock. Every now and then she'd pause to whack the tanks into each other or else just pick them up with bending and toss them far away like unwanted dolls. The soldiers inside had no choice but to get out or get Toph Smashed. Zuko hated to admit it, but he was impressed.

"Can you do that?" he asked Changpu.

The guard swallowed. "Not a chance. That girl is a demon."

As if to prove this statement, Toph laughed maniacally and crushed two more tanks together. Some of the recovered Terra Team also paused to watch her in a mixture of fear and admiration. Maybe her boasts that she was the greatest earthbender in the world weren't so farfetched after all.

The ground juddered. A harsh sound like rock and metal grinding together pierced through the air. Zuko frowned and glanced in the direction of the noise. It was the wall. The wall that was now being chewed through by the drill as if it was nothing. Some of the colour drained from his face.

"What the hell?" he muttered. "Why hasn't the drill been stopped yet?"

Aang and Katara had been given enough time to break through the support beams. The drill should not have been allowed to advance this far. This was not good.

"Toph!" Zuko called.

She was already heading for him. "I felt it," she said in a grim voice. "The drill just made contact."

"Do you think something happened to the others?" he asked.

She shrugged, though for the first time it was not a nonchalant gesture. "I don't know, but I don't like this."

Zuko ran a hand through his hair. More of the tanks were advancing. They couldn't stand around here talking any longer. "Okay," he said, making a decision. "You're better at handling these tanks. Changpu and I will head for the drill and try figure out what's going on."

"Got it!"

She raced off to continue her onslaught. Zuko nodded to Changpu, who lowered his arms in a downward motion and sunk them both into a newly formed tunnel. This way, they'd be able to avoid the tanks' attacks and head straight for the drill.

"Has something really happened to the Avatar?" Changpu asked.

It was pitch black inside the tunnel, but that didn't stop Zuko from hearing the nervousness in the other man's voice. He gritted his teeth. The bad feeling that had been niggling at him was getting stronger, tightening his stomach into uneasy knots.

"I hope not," Zuko murmured. "I really, really hope not."

Because if that was the case, they were all doomed.

oOo

Sokka panted for breath. They had almost made it to the escape hatch. Unfortunately, he could also hear his pursuers gaining on him. It sounded like Ty Lee was at the foreground. That made his gut squirm in a whole series of niggling twists and knots. Mai must have been overwhelmed while trying to give them time. It was an awful realisation.

"The three of you looked after my little brother, right? Consider this a late thank you."

The shallow cut on his throat throbbed. Even now, he could remember her faint smile before she had turned to battle her friend, the only real sign of emotion she had allowed herself to show. Sokka cursed under his breath. He couldn't stand this! He couldn't stand the thought that her sacrifice might come to nothing. He hated how utterly useless he felt.

If only he was a powerful bender. If only he could do more than toss a boomerang around and come up with plans.

Plans that failed, his mind added helpfully.

Sokka gritted his teeth. "Has the feeling come back to your bodies yet?" he asked.

Aang made a noise as if to ponder the matter. "I think I can feel my toe."

"That doesn't help!"

Panic welled in fresh waves inside Sokka's chest. This sucked. This just plain sucked. Why did the universe hate him so much today?

"Hey, cutie!" a familiar voice called, though it sounded a bit more subdued than usual. "Could you, like, stop hiding from me now? I'm worried about leaving Mai with Azula."

Sokka froze. Okay, Ty Lee hadn't spotted them yet, but it was only a matter of time. Her jabs were damned impossible to avoid on the best of days as well. Not good, not good, not—

He jerked to a halt. Wait a minute. Had she just said she was worried about Mai?

His eyes glinted. The plan he'd come up with might be a little like grasping at straws, but he was willing to latch onto anything right now. There was no way he was going to outrun anyone, let alone Creepy Pinky, while he was carrying two people. At the end of the day, Sokka's biggest strength had always been his intelligence. He'd make this work somehow.

"If you're so worried about your friend," Sokka called back, "then why'd you stop her in the first place? You could have just let her escape with us."

Ty Lee was quiet for a moment. "I didn't want her to leave."

"Huh?"

She dropped down in front of him. He yelped in surprise and fell back. Katara and Aang slipped from his grip and landed on the ground, groaning a little. Ty Lee crouched in front of the trio and rested her chin on her knees. There was no bright sparkle in her grey eyes. She looked small and sad.

"You wouldn't understand," she told them. "You don't know our friendship with Azula."

Katara raised her eyebrow. "You call that friendship? It looked to me like you two were just following orders."

"That's not true. Azula has always been our friend. She's done so much—not just for me, but for Mai as well." Her eyes became big and earnest. "I know Azula might seem cruel, but she really does care."

"Even though you just said you're worried about leaving Mai with her?" Sokka pointed out.

A look of uncertainty passed over Ty Lee's face. That was enough for Sokka. He'd got her to come closer and distracted her with her own unsettled emotions. In a swift motion, he tightened his fingers on the club he'd stealthily taken hold of and swung upwards. Ty Lee's lips formed a small 'O' of shock. She slumped forward, collapsing on Sokka's lap in a flutter of pink.

Sokka let out a breath. "That was close."

Pushing her off him, he once more took hold of Katara and Aang and started running. It was a relief when he made it to the escape hatch. It was even more so when he stumbled across one of the Terra Team.

"Hey!" Sokka called.

The man started in surprise. "Geez, where the heck did you kids come from?"

Without preamble, Sokka shoved his paralysed burdens into his arms. "Get these two back to Yingjie! You should find him on the wall!"

A blink.

"That there is the Avatar," Sokka explained, pointing at Aang's tattooed head. "The other is my little sister. You let them get hurt and I'll hunt you down myself!"

The man swallowed. "Right."

Aang shifted in the bulky earthbender's arms. "You're going back for her, aren't you?"

Sokka lowered his gaze. "This whole thing just doesn't sit right, you know? I don't like the fact we left her behind."

"I know." A grimace twisted Aang's face. "I wish I could come with you, but—"

"Yeah," Sokka agreed. "You're about as useful as a dead fish right now."

"Sorry."

Katara met Sokka's eyes. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe it'd be better to wait for backup or—"

He puffed out his chest. "Hey, who do you think you're talking to? I'm the Plan Guy, aren't I?" A grin curved his lips. "Trust me. I've got it all sorted."

She didn't look happy with this response, but Sokka didn't let her argue. He nodded to the Terra Team soldier, who got the message and quickly dashed off using his bending. Sokka sighed and turned back to the drill. Time to actually think of a plan.

oOo

Mai had realised long ago that she was not a brave person. Not really. If she was brave, she would have stood up to her parents when they had tried to force her to behave like a "lady" instead of relying on Azula to fix the issue. She would have let no one, not even her own mother, suffocate her voice.

If Mai was brave, she would have confronted the princess instead of allowing the turtleducks to be killed that day back at the palace. More importantly, she would not have listened to the tune of Azula's piping when Tom-Tom's safety had been put in jeopardy all for some crazy king (because family did matter, and that had been one of the most frustrating moments of her life).

But Mai was not brave. All she had ever been able to do was pretend that she didn't care about the things that upset her. There was no courage in that. Even now—even though she had finally, finally made her stand—it had all come too late. She could have acted sooner. Could have spared the Avatar and the girl being paralysed. Could have refused to threaten the Water Tribe boy.

Could have, should have, would have. She guessed none of it really mattered now.

Mai tightened her grip on her knife, the last she carried. Ty Lee and the firebenders had already left to pursue the others. It was just Mai and Azula now. That was better odds, but still not great. Mai knew she was the weaker of the two. She had been trained to work as a team with Ty Lee and Azula. It wasn't her style to fight alone.

Huh. Given her current situation, the irony of that thought almost made her want to laugh. Almost. Azula looked a bit too unhinged to be able to appreciate Mai's humour. There was a fractured light in her eyes, as if something wild and dark was oozing out from within her. It was so unlike Azula that it gave Mai pause.

"You," Azula said in a low, trembling voice. "How dare you betray me!"

She shot off two fireballs in rapid succession. Mai was able to dodge the first, but the second one struck her in the arm. A cry of pain escaped her lips. The knife slipped from her grasp with a clatter. Frantically, Mai made a grab for it, but a boot slammed down on her fingers, crushing and cracking the fragile bones. She bit her tongue in an effort to hold back her scream. The taste of copper filled her mouth.

"I see now," Azula said, leaning closer so that the two were at eye level. "This is all Zuzu's fault, isn't it? You always cared about him more."

Mai spat out a glob of blood. "This has nothing to do with him."

"Of course it does!" Azula's face contorted into something twisted and ugly. Something pained. "It's always about him! I noticed it every time his name was mentioned around you. I saw it in your face when you realised he was still alive. A part of you was thinking that you wanted to be with him."

A fluttering, sickening rhythm of fear entered Mai's heartbeat. There was something very off about the princess.

Azula straddled Mai and forced her back against the ground. Her long fingernails dug into Mai's shoulders. "Just remember that you were mine first!" she hissed. "You and Ty Lee both. I chose you. Not Zuko. It was me!"

"I'm aware of that."

"Are you?" Azula cocked her head. "You know, I thought we were friends. I thought you were glad to join me and escape your parents. It was just like old times, wasn't it?" She let out a dramatic and very fake sigh. "But I guess I was wrong. I guess Father was right when he said that people can't be trusted."

The next moment blue fire glowed to life in Azula's palm. Mai swallowed. This development was not what she had anticipated. Perhaps a part of her had still thought that their friendship meant something, at least enough to make Azula hold back from hurting her in any serious way. It seemed she was wrong.

"What are you going to do?" Mai asked.

Azula's mouth curved into an unnerving smile. "Oh, I just thought I'd do a little redecorating." Her voice softened, though it didn't become any less cruel. "You still remember, don't you? Father taught the same lesson to Zuzu when he revealed himself to be a traitor." A manic laugh escaped her lips. "It's almost poetic! You betrayed me for him, and now I'll give you the same scar as punishment. You'll be like the little matching traitors."

Panic tightened Mai's chest. She had always known Azula could be a bit unhinged, but not like this. In that moment, Mai was truly and genuinely afraid. The sudden juxtaposition Azula displayed from being controlled to full-blown crazy wasn't helping.

"Say bye-bye to that pretty face of yours," Azula cooed. Her eyes glinted. "Oh, but don't worry. I'm sure Zuzu will still accept you. That's all that matters, right?"

"Damn it, Azula, this isn't about Zuko! Can't you see that you've brought this on yourself? You were always testing me, always making me do things that I didn't want to do. What did you think was going to happen?" Something hot clawed at the inside of her throat; it prickled in the corner of her eyes. "I wanted to be your friend, but you were too much of a monster!"

Azula's grin widened so much it was as if her face might crack. "You're right," she agreed. "I am a monster. But, you know"—she leaned closer, whispering the words into Mai's ear—"if I have to be one, I might as well be the cruellest."

Tears slipped free from Mai's eyes, the first she had shed in years. She didn't know why she cried. Perhaps she mourned the end of her friendship with Azula. Perhaps she was just frustrated at her own helplessness. Either way, the heat of the flames drew closer. She felt them caress her cheek, getting too harsh. Too hot. Mai winced and tried to inch her face away. Azula held her in place.

"Uh-huh. You brought this upon yourself. The least you can do is stay put. Really, even Zuko did better than this."

Mai's heart got caught in her throat. She wondered in that moment if she regretted making a stand. She wondered if Azula even fully understood what was about to happen; the princess just seemed so fractured and unlike herself. Maybe Azula would snap out of it later and realise that this whole situation was insane. Maybe she would also regret.

Well, not that any of it mattered now.

Mai gritted her teeth and braced herself for the pain to come. She was not a brave person, but today she had tried. It had been a short-lived victory. In truth, a part of her had never expected to get away unscathed. She just hoped that her actions had allowed the Avatar and his friends to get out safely.

At least give me that, she pleaded to whatever spirit would listen.

It would be too cruel if her sacrifice had been in vain.

oOo

Sokka smelt the scent of burnt flesh before he realised what had happened. It was nauseating. The sight that confronted him when he entered the chamber was even worse. He used his boomerang to knock out Azula, taking advantage of the fact that she was too distracted with her victim to notice him. Hurriedly, he picked up Katara's waterskin from the ground and doused the stray flames that were beginning to eat through Mai's hair. It didn't help much.

"Spirits," he muttered, not even sure where to begin. "This is so messed up."

Mai groaned and murmured something unintelligible. A lump constricted Sokka's throat. She was still conscious. He couldn't imagine how much pain she had to be in right then. One side of her face had been completely ravaged. Just the little burns he had received in his life had been bad enough.

"Hang on," he said, kneeling next to her. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?"

Mai didn't seem to register his words. She was too dazed.

Sokka's eyes narrowed. Anger welled in hot waves inside him. This wasn't right. It was just plain sick. Wasn't Azula supposed to have been this girl's friend? Hadn't Ty Lee said as much?

"I know Azula might seem cruel, but she really does care."

He clenched his hands into fists, digging crescent shapes into his palms. "You call this caring?"

Sokka glared at Azula, who lay defenceless next to him, eyes closed and oblivious to the world around her. Just looking at her made him furious. His breathing turned ragged, his whole body trembling with the rage boiling through his blood. This girl had been going to hurt Aang. This girl had hurt Mai. If she could do that to a childhood friend, he hated to think what she would have done to anyone else. He hated to think what she would do next.

It would be better to kill her.

The thought slipped through his mind like dark silk. Sokka brought out his hunting knife and pulled back Azula's collar, exposing her pale throat. Yes, this made sense. Azula was too dangerous to let run free. Even Iroh had warned as much. Sokka had a chance. Azula was unconscious. He could end it right now. End the threat. End the madness.

The blade trembled in his hand.

Damn, she was really young. He wondered why he hadn't noticed it before. She didn't look much older than Katara. That was a hard thought to swallow. An even harder image to shake. Azula had always seemed so mature and intimidating, but not now. Not while she was unconscious like this and completely at his mercy. She just looked small. Fragile. She looked like a normal girl.

Sokka lowered his knife in disgust. Maybe this was his weakness. Maybe he would even regret his decision later, but that was something he would deal with then. There was someone else who needed his attention more right now.

He sheathed his blade and moved back to crouch in front of Mai. Carefully, he scooped her up into his arms and cradled her to his chest. It was still an effort to march past Azula without stopping. He knew that she deserved to have all the pain she had inflicted upon others given back to her tenfold. Still, Sokka also knew that right now he had to focus on escaping. He had not been able to kill Azula; if she woke up, which she was bound to any moment, it would be all over. Besides, he had to get Mai to a healer.

"I hope your bending has returned, Katara," Sokka murmured. "We're going to need it."

---

I couldn't resist throwing in the "Toph Smash" comment. I'm sorry (not sorry). It was late, I hadn't had much sleep, and it tickled my Marvel nerd humour. You all know Toph would go into Hulk Smash mode if she could.