"The woman you know is probably being held in the rehabilitation area," Joo Dee explained as they walked through the bunker. "We will have to be careful. There will be Dai Li agents on guard."
"Guards schmards," Toph said, waving a dismissive hand. "We can take 'em."
Zuko flicked her in the back of her head. "Don't go busting things up like you normally do. We're supposed to be keeping a low profile."
She elbowed him in the stomach—a little too hard, if he was to be honest. No doubt it was payback for flicking her in the head. "You don't need to remind me," she said, baring her teeth in a smile. "I simply meant we can take the guards down if it comes to that."
Zuko frowned but didn't push the issue. All of them, including Toph, were aware that they couldn't afford to cause too much ruckus until they had Shizue safely out of the Dai Li's hands. Besides, they didn't have time to muck around chatting. They'd already wasted enough time arguing over whether a smaller infiltration group would be better (needless to say, Zuko had lost that argument).
"Let's just hurry," he muttered.
Joo Dee nodded and gestured for them to follow her deeper into the tunnel. The bunker was dark and dank: a web of stone corridors, waterways and passages, all lit by stones that had been fixed into the ground and which glowed dimly. Zuko thought the bunker looked more like a sewer, though he knew that wasn't the case. All he could smell was an odd mixture of damp mustiness. No sewer in the world smelt that subtle.
"This place is pretty big," Sokka observed.
"This is the base of operations for the Dai Li," Joo Dee explained. "Everything that Long Feng wants to keep hidden is here, including the people he wants to make disappear."
"Does the Earth King know about this place?" Iroh asked.
Joo Dee shook her head. "The Earth King is kept secluded in the palace and has little interaction with others. It is unlikely he knows the truth about the war, let alone what the Dai Li have been doing."
Which meant it might be futile to even try getting the Earth King's assistance. The guy sounded weak and unreliable. Then again, all Aang needed was support. It was likely that just loosening Long Feng's control of the military would be enough to get Aang the backup he needed. Sokka seemed to come to the same conclusion, judging by the thoughtful look that crossed his face.
"Dai Li coming up ahead," Toph warned.
They ducked behind a wall and pressed themselves into the shadows. Two agents passed by the corridor the group had been about to enter and headed into a side passage. Toph nodded to give the go-ahead. Joo Dee took the lead again and guided them down a dark stairway. Everyone was silent, careful to stick close to the walls and avoid making too much sound. Zuko's pulse quickened with adrenaline. It felt a bit odd trying to be stealthy in a group. He might have been able to relax more if he was on his own. Such a large group made it difficult to hide at a moment's notice. It also increased their chances of being heard.
They entered a large chamber and followed Joo Dee through the passage on the opposite side. Zuko noted the chains dangling from the ceiling. A chill crept over his skin as he wondered about the purpose of the chains. In fact, this whole place was beginning to give him the creeps. Even the lack of guards was unsettling. Maybe the Dai Li were just overconfident that no one would find this place, but it still seemed like he was being lulled into a false sense of security. Joo Dee, however, was not concerned by how empty the bunker appeared. She led them without hesitation, taking them past a few sealed doors.
"You don't think we should check inside those rooms?" Sokka asked.
"There is a chamber up ahead where those who cause problems for the Dai Li are contained," she explained. "I have a feeling she might be held there."
Mai frowned. "You seem to know a lot about this place." Her tone suggested she didn't think this was a good thing.
"I was brought here many times. The Dai Li might have taken my identity from me, but even they couldn't wipe everything that I witnessed while working for them. I remember enough." Her voice turned brusque. "In any case, we should hurry. There seem to be less Dai Li on guards than usual. We should use that to our advantage."
Zuko's brow creased. So there normally were more people guarding the bunker.
"Perhaps the Dai Li are all out looking for us in the city," Katara mused.
Joo Dee said that it was possible. Either way, she didn't want to waste this opportunity.
Zuko tried to brush off the unsettled feelings that niggled and followed her until they reached a sealed door. She used her earthbending to open it, revealing a darkened chamber on the other side. The creases on his brow deepened. Shizue was being held in here? There weren't even any of those glowing stones.
Joo Dee stepped inside, leaving the others no choice but to follow. Iroh had just conjured a ball of flames to give some light when the door sealed shut. There were a few gasps of surprise. Zuko unsheathed his swords with a ring of steel and shifted into an offensive stance. His gaze frantically sought for any flicker of movement. Something caught his eye from up above. Suddenly, green lanterns flared to life along the walls, casting the cavern into stark relief. Now he could see the Dai Li agents suspended like spider-monkeys from the chains dangling from the ceiling. There had to be at least forty of them. This was not good.
"Well done, Joo Dee," Long Feng said, stepping out from the shadows and flanked by several more Dai Li. "You have performed your task admirably."
Mai rounded on their guide. "I knew it. I knew this woman couldn't be trusted."
Joo Dee shook her head, looking pale and wide-eyed. "No," she said, taking a step back. "I didn't betray—I would never—"
"Don't worry," Iroh said, gripping her shoulder. "We know you would not willingly betray us." His eyes narrowed on Long Feng. "You did something to her, didn't you?"
Long Feng smiled. "Call it a contingency plan. We sensed that our control had loosened over this Joo Dee; however, rather than repair the damage immediately, we decided to plant a subliminal message in her mind to return here with any of the Avatar's group who managed to escape us."
All the colour drained from Joo Dee's cheeks. "That's not possible. I wanted to help them! I never wanted this!"
Long Feng remained unmoved. "Whatever you thought you wanted is of no significance. What matters is that you got the job done." He clasped his hands behind his back. "It's a pity this is as far as you go. Once a person realises they've been brainwashed it becomes harder to maintain control. I'm afraid you're of no use to me now."
Zuko stepped forward. "Don't think we're going to let you get away with this! These are people's lives you're tampering with!"
"Do you really think you can stop me?" Long Feng raised his eyebrow. "You've made yourselves enemies to the state." He made a sharp gesture with his hand. "Take them into custody."
The Dai Li agents flanking him rushed to attack, even as those who had been clinging to the chains dropped from the ceiling and joined the swarm. Zuko didn't hesitate. His swords moved in a blur of steel, slashing through the stone hands that tried to latch onto him. Crumbled bits of rock and dust distorted his vision. No matter. He'd never relied on his sight all that much when acting as the Blue Spirit. Instead, he listened to the shuffle of footsteps and breathing around him, along with the whispers of instinct that pulsed through his blood. The battle became clearer in its chaotic movement: the Dai Li closing in, his allies blocking and countering. Zuko found his targets and slid across the ground to knock one agent off his feet before taking down another with his swords.
"Lee!"
That was Joo Dee's voice. Something grabbed the back of his shirt. One of his earthbender allies—he guessed it was Joo Dee—disintegrated the rock hand before it could tug him away. Zuko promised that he'd thank her later and turned to finish off the agent he'd knocked down. A spray of blood splattered across his face. He didn't even wait to see the man fall before he moved onto his next target. A part of him was aware that he was being too vicious with his finishing blows, but then he had never been so pissed off with his opponents before. For the Joo Dees who had been brainwashed, for the woman who had been betrayed by her own mind, and for Shizue, he would take down every one of these bastards if he had to. He would stain his blades red. Besides, his bending was too weak to be of use right now, and swords were not as effective against earthbending. He didn't have the luxury of holding back.
Zuko vaulted over a rock pillar and landed in a crouch before two agents. One of them managed to deflect his attack with a hastily made wall of rock, but the other was not so lucky. Toph appeared out of nowhere and smashed the wall apart, then launched the agent off to the other side of the cavern.
She flashed a grin at Zuko. "Don't take all the fun, Sunshine."
"There's plenty to go around," he muttered, slashing through a rock hand that tried to latch onto his arm.
A flurry of knives shot past them and pinned an agent to the ground. It looked like Mai was busy. Iroh was close to her and helping to fend the Dai Li off with his firebending. Katara and Sokka were also working as a pair, backing each other up where needed. They were doing a good job as well until rock hands grabbed onto both their tunics. There was a yelp from each as they were suddenly dragged towards the Dai Li.
Toph cursed and raised her arms in a powerful motion. A wall appeared to stop Katara and Sokka's progress; the rock hands crumbled to dust. A group of Dai Li turned on Toph as one, perhaps sensing that she was the biggest obstacle in their way. She propelled herself up to the ceiling and grabbed hold of the chains.
"Come and get me!" she taunted.
Some followed her and were soon tangled in the chains like the victims of a spider thanks to Toph's metalbending. The others got smarter and tried to bring her down with massive columns of rock. Joo Dee stepped in to help turn the columns back on their creators. She didn't seem to have the same raw power as Toph, but she was skilled and knew how to fight.
"Look out!" Aang yelled.
A gust of wind swatted two rock hands away before they could clamp onto Zuko. Right, it was dangerous to get distracted. He thanked Aang with a nod and moved to join him. Both seemed to have the same goal in mind: take down Long Feng. The adviser had stayed out of the fight so far, preferring to play spectator. Zuko wasn't content to let that kind of cowardly behaviour slide. Besides, none of this would end until Long Feng was out of the picture.
"What's the matter?" Zuko taunted, slashing at an agent who got too close, and all the while pushing ahead to where Long Feng stood. "Too scared to take us on yourself?"
Long Feng sneered. "Why should I when there is no need?"
Aang raised a wall of earth to block a fresh attack of rock hands. "We'll give you a need soon enough!"
"I doubt that." Long Feng stepped aside to reveal a woman dressed in the garb of a Joo Dee. "This one is important to you, isn't she?"
Zuko's breath caught and it felt like his heart had got lodged into his throat. It was Shizue. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, either unaware or just uncaring of the battle happening around her. Her expression was too blank and her eyes were dead of all emotion. It was like the soul had been sucked right out of her.
"What have you done to her?" he demanded. "You brainwashing bastard! Give her back!"
"Fifty Three," Long Feng said calmly, "the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
Shizue's pupils dilated. "I am honoured to accept his invitation."
Quick as a flash, she darted forward, flipping right over a line of Dai Li agents, and then landed in front of Zuko. Her expression was blank as she attacked with snake-like viciousness, all rapid jabs and punches. The sudden display of aggression and speed took him off guard. Her knuckles connected with his arm. He managed to pull himself together to avoid the rest of her blows, and not a moment too late. The arm she had struck had gone numb and useless. His sword slipped from his nerveless grip and clattered to the ground.
"Shizue, what—"
She was already moving past him, lashing out at Aang with the same rapid flurry.
"Don't let her hit you!" Zuko warned. "She can chi block like Ty Lee!"
Aang yelped as he twisted to avoid a jab to the back. "What?"
It was all he managed to say before he was forced to go on the defensive. Shizue did not have the same acrobatic grace as Ty Lee: her movements were fluid yet ruthless, grounded more in attacking strikes than the twisty, floating-like style Ty Lee adopted. Still, Shizue was very fast. It was obvious she had been well trained and knew what she was doing. Aang was soon backed into a corner.
"Shizue, stop!" Zuko yelled. "You don't want to attack us!"
"I'm afraid she doesn't have a choice," Long Feng replied. "Besides, you have other things to worry about."
As if on cue, a rock hand came for Zuko. He brought his sword up just in time to slice through it, but it was so much harder with only one sword. Dao blades were supposed to be used as a pair. Now he only had one good arm. Worse, it was his right. Zuko was ambidextrous for all intents and purposes, but his left hand still had the edge. He wouldn't be able to fight or deflect as well like this.
He cursed and tightened his grip on his sword. His palm felt sweaty and his heart thudded against his ribs. The four Dai Li agents who blocked his path to Long Feng closed in on him. Shirong was in the lead.
Was it worth trying to firebend? His chi had been greatly depleted after using the purification fire, but maybe there was enough juice there to get in one good attack. He inhaled and willed his energy outwards, letting it shape into fire from his right hand and trail down his blade. The flames flickered and stuttered a little. Damn it. Too weak.
"Nice trick," Shirong observed, "but it looks like this is the end for you."
Zuko gritted his teeth and got his sword ready. Suddenly, a wall of stone came up between him and the agents. He turned to see Joo Dee holding the wall in place with her bending.
"Get to the others!" she ordered. "I'll hold them off!"
The wall crumbled to dust. Long Feng stepped past the Dai Li agents. "Enough," he said calmly. "Your betrayal has gone too far."
"I won't let you take him!" she retorted. "Lee is a good person! I'll protect him with my life if I have to!"
"Admirable sentiments, but it seems you still haven't realised it yet." Long Feng's voice turned cold. "Your mind belongs to me."
A shiver of foreboding crept down Zuko's spine. He wanted to tell her to run, to get as far away from here as possible because he knew, he absolutely knew, that something terrible was about to happen. Except there was no time. All Long Feng had to say was those simple words.
"Forty Two," Long Feng said in a hypnotic voice, "the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
Her eyes dilated just as Shizue's had done. "I am honoured to accept his invitation."
She turned on Zuko as if a switch had been flicked. He threw himself out of the way before she could trap him in a cage of rock, then rolled to avoid a projectile. Four pairs of rock hands came for him. Zuko sliced apart the first one; the next was shattered with a water whip while a boomerang knocked aside one of the others. The rest of the hands latched onto him and dragged him towards the waiting Dai Li. He twisted and thrashed, but he couldn't break free.
"Lee!"
Katara's shout echoed in his ears. The siblings ran towards him, but both were intercepted by Dai Li. Iroh and Mai caught onto what was happening and tried to break free of their own circle of agents to help. One of Zuko's attackers got taken out by Mai's knives, lessening the pull on his body, but then a rock hand latched onto her while her attention was distracted. She yelped as she got tugged off her feet. Zuko wanted to scream in frustration. He was grateful that everyone was trying to help him, but they were only putting themselves in danger.
"Oi!"
Two walls sprouted up from the floor: one in front of Zuko, pushing him away from the agents and completely overpowering the tug of their rock hands, while the other protected Mai. He blinked and saw Toph standing in the middle of the platform with her arms outstretched. Judging from the amount of agents entangled in the chains dangling from the ceiling, she had finished dealing with those who had gone after her.
"You jerks are beginning to get on my nerves," Toph said, blowing her fringe out of her face. "I'm gonna show you what happens when you mess with the Blind Bandit!"
Toph stamped her foot, creating a ripple of earth to knock the earthbenders off balance. She followed up with pillars that should have struck all the Dai Li in her range, but Long Feng created a massive wall to block the majority of the attack. He was obviously a powerful bender.
"Tch." Toph moved her head from side to side, making her neck click. "Alright, Mr Fancy Pants. I'll take you on."
She smashed through the wall with a single punch. Joo Dee blocked her path before Toph could get any farther.
"Get out of the way, lady!" Toph snapped. "I don't wanna hurt you!"
Joo Dee was unmoved. Instead, she created a barrage of slabs of rock that Toph was forced to break or get crushed. The attack was not enough to overpower Toph, but it did keep her distracted. The Dai Li increased their efforts to subdue everyone. Zuko cursed his paralysed arm and tried his best to keep the rock hands away from him. If only his bending wasn't so weak.
Katara forced a path to him. "Let me see your arm. I'll heal you."
"You don't even know if you can! Besides, we don't have time for that!"
They were in the middle of a battle. True, many of the Dai Li agents had been incapacitated, but he and the others were still outnumbered. He wasn't sure if they could hold out at this rate. Katara didn't have enough water on hand to perform her most powerful moves, Iroh's bending was still recovering, Mai had a limit to the amount of knives she could throw, and Sokka could only do so much with a boomerang and a club. Maybe if Aang could attack without being hindered they could turn the tables on the Dai Li again, but Aang had been forced to dart around the chamber to escape Shizue and the agents who trailed after him. Even just being able to regroup would have made a difference, but the Dai Li were slowly but surely forcing them all to be more separated from each other. It was amazing that Katara had even reached him.
Toph made a frustrated sound. "Sorry, lady, but I've had enough of this!"
She smacked Joo Dee back with a wall of rock, then reshaped it to form a cage around the woman to keep her immobilised. Long Feng broke the cage as if it was nothing. Toph twisted her lips in irritation.
"So, you wanna play it that way, huh?" She shifted her stance. "Alright then. I'll just take you down a different way."
She propelled herself to the ceiling where Shizue, a couple of Dai Li, and Aang were jumping around the chains like owl-cats chasing a meadow vole. Toph wrenched a chain free and dropped towards the ground. Without warning, Shizue swung down from the chains and hit her mid-air in the back with a rapid string of blows. Toph's eyes widened as the paralysis took effect.
"No!" Zuko yelled. "Shizue, stop! You can't do this!"
There was no recognition in her eyes. She caught Toph's limp form and landed on the platform, then tossed her into Shirong's waiting arms.
"Well done," Long Feng praised. "As expected of Fifty Three."
"Toph!" Aang yelled.
He dropped from the ceiling, but he had barely taken a step before he was accosted by Shizue. The Dai Li who had been trailing him also descended to form a pincer attack. This time Aang didn't hesitate: he blasted Shizue and the agents back with a gust of wind and charged at Shirong.
"Give her back!" Aang yelled.
Three Dai Li moved to block Aang's path. He clashed with them in a collision of rock, busting right through their defences. Shizue recovered from where she had been knocked down and went to pursue him. Zuko intercepted her.
"Stop!" he yelled. "Can't you see that you're just being controlled?"
Shizue made to run past him, apparently deciding he wasn't worth her effort. He stopped her with his sword. This time her blank eyes fixed on him. She lashed out with her hands, aiming to paralyse him just as she had done to Toph. It hurt to see how little awareness she had of who was her real enemy, hurt how she and Joo Dee could both attack without any hesitancy simply because Long Feng had ordered them to do so. They were like golems. Even now, Joo Dee was forcing Mai on the defensive and would soon overwhelm her. Iroh and Sokka tried to get closer to assist Mai, but both were blocked by the remaining Dai Li.
"Katara, help Mai!" Zuko cried, ducking to avoid a jab to his neck. "Snap Joo Dee out of the mind control if you can! I'll handle Shizue!"
"But—"
"Just go!"
None of them were going to make it out of the chamber at this rate. They needed to regroup and retreat. First, though, he wanted to at least try breaking the mind control on the two women. He couldn't bear the thought of leaving either behind.
"Shizue, look at me!" he pleaded. "You know me. You used to watch over me alongside my mother when I was a child. Please remember!"
Her attacks didn't falter. She kicked the sword out of his hand, forcing him to flip back to avoid the paralysing jab that followed. Zuko swallowed. Shizue's expression remained blank as she rushed him again. He managed to catch her wrist with his right hand, but she twisted and used the momentum to toss him over her shoulder. He hit the ground with a thud, gasping for breath. Her fist came for him in a blur. He rolled to escape the blow and scrambled to his feet.
"Damn it," he cursed under his breath.
He didn't know what he could do to stop her. Shizue straightened and flexed her hand. The sight made something twist inside Zuko. Had she injured herself? Did she even care?
"Shizue," he tried again, "please snap out of this! You were always loyal to Mother. She wouldn't want you to do this!"
Shizue charged for him. Zuko backed up, knowing he was running out of options. He spotted the sword he had dropped. Without a second thought, he threw himself forward and snatched the weapon from the ground, meeting her jab with the flat of his blade. A hiss escaped her lips. She tried to knock him off balance with a sweep kick, but he jumped the attack and retreated until he bumped into Mai.
"You alright?" Mai asked, sparing him a glance over her shoulder.
"Just peachy."
Katara joined them, even as the ice wall she had created was shattered by a rock projectile. It seemed the two girls had purposely tried to draw Joo Dee closer so that they could cover Zuko as well. Now the three stood back to back. The problem, of course, was that they also had to deal with both brainwashed women.
"I don't have many weapons left," Mai confided.
Zuko tightened his grip on his sword. "Then let's finish this quick."
The three sprang into action. Katara used a water whip to push Shizue back while Zuko charged for Joo Dee. He dug his sword into the slab of rock she shoved at him and vaulted over it, grabbing hold of the front of her dress and forcing her to the ground.
"Now!" he yelled.
Mai came in right on cue. Thin blades pierced through Joo Dee's clothes, avoiding Zuko completely to pin her down. It was unsettling how Joo Dee's eyes were still dilated and her expression blank, yet she twisted and thrashed to break free. Zuko got off her.
"Watch out!" Katara warned.
He turned to see Shizue coming for him. Katara had been held up by two Dai Li agents and even now was trying to fend them off. Mai unsheathed the dagger he had given her. The pearly blade and the message engraved on it glinted in the greenish light. He wondered if it was her last weapon.
"Hey, you," Mai said, glancing at Joo Dee. "You said you didn't want to be controlled anymore, right? Then snap out it! Didn't you want to find out who you are? Didn't you want to be free?" She turned away from her. "You'll never get anywhere if you stay under the Dai Li's control."
Having said her piece, Mai raced to meet Shizue. Zuko was about to follow when he saw the blank expression flicker in Joo Dee's eyes.
"Freedom," Joo Dee murmured. "Yes, I wanted to be free. I wanted to know the truth." Tears gathered in her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.
Zuko was on his knees in a second. "Hey," he said, gripping her shoulders. "It's really you, right? You really snapped out of it?"
Joo Dee's expression hardened with resolve. "Get these knives off me, Lee."
He obeyed without question, freeing up one of her arms so she could help him remove the rest. She got to her feet. In a powerful motion, she stamped forward and thrust her arms out. The ground juddered and rose to trap Shizue inside a cage of rock. Mai blinked in surprise, but Joo Dee didn't stop there. She turned on the other Dai Li, creating walls, stopping pillars, and in general countering their attacks so that Sokka, Iroh and Katara were able to put up a better fight. It wasn't that Joo Dee was much stronger than the other benders; her betrayal simply caught the Dai Li off guard.
"Come back!" Aang yelled.
Zuko spun to see Long Feng and Shirong escaping with the still paralysed Toph. Joo Dee raised a wall to block the door. Shirong smashed through it easily and continued to run with Aang and Sokka hot in pursuit. Long Feng didn't follow.
"You dare to betray me again, Forty Two?" Long Feng demanded.
"That's not my name," she said in an icy voice. "Nor is it Joo Dee."
He tilted his head. "Oh, so you've remembered who you are?"
"No." Her eyes narrowed and she shifted into an offensive stance. "I don't need to know my name. What matters is that you don't control me anymore!"
She thrust her hands forward to hit him with a mass of rock. Long Feng brought his arms together in a cross-like gesture and turned her attack to dust. He retaliated with a move that sent her reeling. She struggled to her feet, hair falling out of its style.
"You're no match for me," Long Feng observed. "Do you really think I was able to get this far in life just through my wits alone?"
Something flickered in her eyes. "That's right. You're originally from the Lower Ring. You're just a commoner."
His mouth twisted. Apparently, reminding him of his humble birth had been the wrong thing to say. He lashed out at her in a violent string of earthbending moves—powerful enough to maybe even match Toph. Joo Dee tried her best to defend against him, but it was clear she was being overwhelmed. Her shields crumbled, her feet were forced back in staggering steps, and even her breathing turned ragged. She tried to propel herself over one of his attacks, perhaps hoping that close combat would be easier, but he made a pillar strike her from behind. Joo Dee gasped in pain and tumbled to the ground like a discarded doll.
"No!" Iroh shouted.
A Dai Li blocked Iroh before he could get close. Mai threw her dagger at Long Feng, but he stopped it with a wall just before the tip could strike his face. The next second Mai was flying through the air, struck with a pillar to the chest.
"Mai!"
Zuko didn't care that he had said the wrong name. He was so tired of seeing his friends hurt. Apparently, he wasn't the only one. Katara broke free of the agent she had been fighting and moved to defend Mai and Joo Dee before either could get captured. Zuko was relieved, but a part of him was also frustrated. He felt so useless. All he had was a sword and a paralysed arm.
If only he could bend. If only he could heal his arm and unleash his full power.
Instinct whispered that he could tap into the threads of energy that linked him to those with whom he had bonded. Aang, Iroh, Changpu, even the nameless Joo Dee; he could feel their energy sealed beyond the doors. His chi would be replenished in an instant. Still, the thought made him blanch. If he opened a door and allowed the energy to flow into him, he would absorb that person's chi like a parasite. Zuko couldn't do that, especially since he knew the only reason his uncle was so weak right now was because he had absorbed his energy.
Movement caught Zuko's attention from out of the corner of his eye. Someone had freed Shizue from her rock cage. She was as blank-faced as ever, yet she still headed straight for Katara. Perhaps she judged Katara as the biggest threat; it seemed like that was how Shizue targeted people.
Zuko narrowed his eyes. "No you don't," he muttered.
He ran after her, not caring if he didn't stand a real chance. Mai had snapped Joo Dee out of the mind control. Maybe he could do the same for Shizue. The last time he'd tried to get information out of her, she had not reacted to anything he'd said either until he'd mentioned the princess. Perhaps that was the key. Shizue had always cared more about his mother and her own duty than anything.
"Shizue!" he called after her. "Didn't you swear an oath to serve Princess Ursa and carry out her wishes? If you continue to help the Dai Li, you'll be going against your duty! You'll be breaking your promise!"
Shizue froze. His heart quickened as he wondered if he had finally got through to her. She turned to look at him, and a hint of recognition flickered in her eyes. "You," she murmured, half reaching for him. "You're—"
A rock hand clamped over her mouth and bound her wrists. Horrified, he watched as she was dragged back by an invisible force straight into Long Feng's arms.
Zuko snarled in frustration. "Stop getting in the way!" he growled, sprinting after them.
A part of him was aware that he was being reckless. He couldn't stop Long Feng in his current state. There wasn't anyone to give him backup either. Sokka and Aang were long gone in pursuit of Toph, and the nameless Joo Dee and Mai were injured. True, Katara and Iroh would have tried to give him their support if he asked, but both were tied up with Dai Li and were all that stopped Joo Dee and Mai from being captured. At least, that had been Zuko's impression until the rock hands holding Shizue captured crumbled to dust.
"What the—" Long Feng began in a startled voice.
Joo Dee slumped back to the ground. She must have dredged up enough energy to bend. Shizue took advantage of Long Feng's distraction and rammed her head back into his nose. Blood sprayed everywhere. She spun around and hit him in his pressure points, rendering his limbs useless. Long Feng cried out and toppled like a log. The Dai Li abandoned Katara and Iroh in favour of protecting their leader. Shizue didn't falter. She snatched up the dagger Mai had thrown and tugged Long Feng close to her, pressing the sharpened edge to his neck.
"Stay back!" she warned.
The agents froze and watched her with wary eyes.
"You're going to let us leave now," Shizue ordered them. "Make a wrong move and I'll slit this man's throat." A vicious smile curved her lips. "I'll take pleasure in doing it as well."
Long Feng let out a groan, apparently too paralysed to do much more. Shizue hauled him to his feet in a surprising display of strength. She gestured with her head for Zuko and the others to follow, even as she began backing away to the door.
"Wait," Katara said. "Let me try healing their injuries first."
Shizue hesitated but then nodded to allow this, so Katara quickly knelt beside Mai and brought her glowing palms to her chest. Once she had done what she could with that wound, she moved to Joo Dee and did the same for her. Both still appeared to be injured and struggled to their feet, but at least there had been some improvement. Zuko waved Katara off before she could offer to fix his arm; the chi block had already worn off.
"Thank you for your patience," Shizue said, dipping her head in a mocking bow to the Dai Li who stood watch. "We'll be taking our leave now."
Katara moved to help support Mai and take on some of her weight; Iroh did the same for Joo Dee. Zuko collected his other sword and sheathed it, then hurried to join the others. He wasn't sure what had happened to Sokka, Aang or Toph, but it seemed that Shizue's plan to hold Long Feng hostage was working. The Dai Li agents glared but made no motion to pursue them.
"Fifty Three," Long Feng hissed, finally finding his voice, "the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
Shizue narrowed her eyes. "That isn't going to work on me this time. Still, I don't like that nasty little mouth of yours." She ripped off the scarf from her neck and stuffed it into his mouth. "Chew on that for a while. Spit it out and I really will slit your throat."
Katara leaned closer to Zuko. "This is the woman who helped to look after you as a child?"
He bit back a smile. "She didn't show her ruthless side as much then."
Back then, Shizue had been more like a nanny to him, scolding him when he did something wrong or helping to watch over him with his mother. It was only after piecing more of his memories together—not to mention being able to view the past from a teenager's perspective—that he'd realised Shizue had been playing a role and had many secrets. Perhaps that was why it hadn't shocked him to discover she could fight, though her chi blocking ability had taken him by surprise.
"I like her," Mai decided. "She doesn't muck around."
Zuko made a sound of agreement. He was happy to be reunited with Shizue. What concerned him was how much the Dai Li's taint still influenced her mind. She had just demonstrated that she could resist the command to attack. It was also true that she had appeared to recognise him earlier, but then why was she ignoring him now? He wanted to demand answers, but he also knew that this wasn't the time. Their main priority was to get out of the bunker. Hopefully, they'd be able to meet up with the others as well.