The Lower Ring was a stranger at dawn: too quiet, too calm. The usual rowdy crowds were nowhere to be seen. There were only empty streets and a few stragglers who either hadn't made it home or simply didn't have a home to which they could return. Not that the sense of peace would last. Sokka knew the rebels had already started their attack. It wouldn't be long before stealth failed and the fight for Ba Sing Se would begin in earnest.

"We need to hurry," he urged.

Enlai rolled his eyes as they ran through the darkened streets. "I get you're worried about your girlfriend, but—"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

Enlai stopped and raised his eyebrow. "Planning to let the whole neighbourhood know?"

Heat crawled across Sokka's cheeks. "Well, she's not. And I'm serious. There's no saying what Azula has been doing to Mai! You don't know how crazy that—"

"Alright, alright. I get it. Let's hurry and save your girlfriend."

"I just told you she's not my—" Sokka broke off with a sigh. "Ah, forget it."

They continued running. He tried to ignore the awful wriggling in his stomach. From the moment he'd learnt that Mai had been locked away by Ty Lee and Azula, he'd been a mess of panic and rage. All he'd wanted was to confront Azula and stop this pretence; however, he'd also known that would be playing into her hands. So he'd been patient. He'd acted like he'd known nothing and simply waited for his chance. Now, he finally had it.

"Oi, Mr Genius."

"What?"

"Just remember: whatever you find in there, whatever has happened to your girlfriend, don't you go doing anything stupid. You stick to the plan."

"The drunk is lecturing me?"

Enlai grabbed him and clipped him around the ear. "I'm not drunk now, boy. Don't be cheeky when your elders are imparting words of wisdom."

"Ow." Sokka rubbed the stinging spot on his head. "That hurt, you know."

"Good. Then it's a lesson you won't forget." Enlai's expression seemed to retreat inwards. "Look, I've seen enough comrades die in my lifetime." He snapped back on Sokka with a bloodshot glare and poked him in the chest. "So you just keep your head cool and don't do anything stupid!"

"I already know, alright! Sheesh. Now can we keep moving?"

Enlai quickened his pace without a word. Sokka glowered, but his expression softened a moment later. The old drunkard might be a gruff, toughened piece of leather, but it was obvious he cared. That was kind of nice. Even if Enlai still had it stuck in his head that Mai was Sokka's girlfriend.

"Please be okay, Mai," Sokka muttered. "We'll be there soon."

oOo

"To your positions! Hurry!"

A group of palace guards dashed past Zuko. Somewhere in the distance, a gong clanged and maintained a steady, resonating rhythm. The gong had been doing so ever since it had become clear that Ba Sing Se was under attack. Too bad most of the damage had already been done by that point. The rebels had started when only the night guard were on watch and had targeted the tunnels, transportation, and lines of communication. By the time the sun had begun its ascent, the entire city was in lockdown. The monorails, the main walls that separated the Rings—all had been seized. Now, the king's forces were scrambling to reclaim control.

"I don't care if you find yourself facing your parent, your sibling, your own child!" one of the higher ranked guards shouted to a group of earthbenders. Bits of spittle flew from his mouth. "You've all sworn your lives to protect the king! Today, the time has come to prove your loyalty!"

"Yes, sir!" the troop cried as one.

Zuko let out a breath and followed his uncle towards the king's throne room. The trek had become a daily activity. Biyu and Iroh were basically pseudo-advisors now. It was strange considering both of their backgrounds, but Kuei had been like a drowning man after losing Long Feng. Kuei didn't understand how to run a city, let alone heal and appease the people now depending on him. It was natural he would turn to those who had uncovered his old advisor's deception. Just as it was natural he would expect them to help contain the rebellion now threatening his throne. Still, Zuko couldn't help but feel like they were being used to clean up someone else's mess.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to get involved in this, Uncle?" Zuko murmured under his breath.

"King Kuei has offered us hospitality and refuge. Would you turn your back on him now that he's asking for help?"

Zuko lowered his gaze. He didn't want to admit what he was thinking: how the city was beginning to feel like a sinking ship; how it seemed futile to fight for a man who, aside from the throne he'd inherited, was barely fit to rule. From what he'd heard, many of the city guards had even joined the rebels. Logic dictated that it would be better to find Sokka, Mai and Shizue and leave before they got dragged even further into this mess. So many people had already got hurt.

Iroh clasped his shoulder. "I understand your reservations. However, I cannot in good conscience walk away from Ba Sing Se until I know I have tried everything."

"This isn't our fight."

"Isn't it?" Their eyes met. "Perhaps you haven't realised yet, but our own actions helped to destabilise the city when we had Long Feng removed from power."

"He was brainwashing people! He was trying to pretend the war didn't exist! He had to go!"

"Yes," Iroh agreed. "There is no denying that Long Feng's methods left much to be desired. Still, getting rid of corruption in such a blunt manner, no matter how well-intended, does not always end in favourable results. You would do well to remember that."

Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. "So, what are you saying? We should have just left Long Feng and the Dai Li in power?"

"No, but that doesn't mean we have to turn our back on an ill-prepared king who is suddenly expected to stop a revolution either."

Again, Zuko went quiet. He frowned at his hands.

"Come," Iroh said. "You're worried, and for good reason, but I think once you see King Kuei yourself, you will understand."

Zuko said nothing and followed his uncle inside the hall. There they found Kuei seated on his throne with Biyu and a few of his personal guards standing around him. The king was chewing on his nails. He looked much younger and somehow lost in his fancy robes, like the heavy brocade and silk didn't quite fit anymore. Bosco sat near the throne with his head resting on his paws.

"Why haven't the rebels been stopped yet?" Kuei asked. "Aren't they just peasants?"

He didn't sound petulant or demanding, only scared. His face was a bloodless mask of white.

"Your Majesty," Biyu said, taking pity on him, "your forces have been cut off from each other and do not have the advantage in terms of manoeuvrability or offence. You also need to understand that being a peasant doesn't necessarily mean being weak. The people living in the Lower Ring are survivors: they're earthbenders, swordsmen, archers; they're refugees who have struggled and fought to find safety in this city. Some have probably been fighting from the moment they were born just to live another day."

Just like her. Zuko could see it in every scar Biyu carried. She was also a product of the Lower Ring. She understood the rebels and their motivations better than anyone.

Kuei swallowed and tightened his grip on the armrests of his throne. "But the rebellion needs to be stopped. If they reach the palace—"

"We will hold them off," Gan, the head of the personal guards, assured him. "You do not need to fear, Your Majesty."

Kuei lowered his gaze, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. A stillness came over the hall, broken only by the shouts of guards and Dai Li, along with the echoing booms of rock smashing apart in the distance. It sounded like the fight was getting closer.

"This is my fault, isn't it?" Kuei said in the smallest of voices. He did not meet any of their gazes. "It's because I let Long Feng do as he pleased for so long. It's because I was too weak to defend my people when I should have."

"Your Majesty, that's not—"

"It's true!" Kuei gripped the armrests so tightly that his knuckles burned white. "If I had just acted like a proper king, if I had just been stronger, the Lower Ring would have never risen up against me. If I had—"

"Oh, enough." Zuko stepped forward, even as King Kuei looked up to meet his eyes. "Are you really going to sit here and wallow in regrets while your city falls to ruin?"

"But I—"

"Are you a king or not?"

Kuei glanced to the side. "The people hate me. They would not have started this revolution if they felt otherwise. Maybe it's better if I just—"

"Your people don't know you!" Zuko jabbed his finger at the king, much to Gan's horror. "Of course they hate you! They probably don't even know what you look like! You've spent your life being worshipped like a living god, but what good is that to the ordinary people who have suffered and are expected to obey every order issued in your name?"

"I guess that's true, but what can I do? The people already hate me; they're coming to remove me from the throne." His shoulders slumped. "It's too late to change things now."

Zuko closed the distance between them until he was right in Kuei's face, completely ignoring the guards' protests. "It's never too late to act. The moment you give up is when you confirm you're too weak to rule." He held his gaze. "Are you too weak, King Kuei? Will you fight to earn your people's respect?"

There was a tense moment as the two royals stared at each other. Then Kuei released the armrests on his throne and stood up. Resolve hardened his green eyes. He nodded to Zuko, who dipped his head in return before moving aside so that the king was standing alone on the dais.

"Gan!" Kuei said in a much steelier voice.

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Bring my armour! I shall go face these rebels myself and prove I'm not weak!"

His audience's reaction was almost comical: a few jaws dropped, everyone's eyes widened, and Gan actually choked on his own phlegm.

"What?" Kuei said, shoulders slumping a little. "Why is everyone looking at me like that?"

"Ah, Your Majesty," Biyu said slowly, as if choosing her words with care, "I'm not sure that is a good idea."

Gan managed to bring his coughing under control. "She's right. Also, you don't have any armour; you never had it commissioned. You don't know how to fight either." He coughed again, though this seemed to be more because he'd realised he'd been too blunt. "Ah, I mean, Your Majesty has had other things to occupy his time over the years, so—"

Kuei flung his hand towards Zuko. "But he said I should fight if I want to earn my people's respect!"

"I didn't mean literally," Zuko retorted, pressing his palm to his forehead. "I just meant you shouldn't give up without trying."

"Oh." Kuei sat back on his throne. "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Iroh's mouth twitched as if he was trying hard not to smile. "Your Majesty, perhaps for now you should let your soldiers do their job. The time for you to prove your mettle as a king will come, but you will be doing a disservice to those fighting for you if you needlessly put yourself in danger."

"I see." Kuei still looked a bit deflated, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes. No doubt he knew just as well as everyone else that he was no warrior.

Iroh proceeded to tactfully steer the conversation back to their original topic of discussion: how to stop the rebels with the least amount of casualties. The problem, as Biyu had pointed out, was that the rebels had the higher ground. To storm the palace and dethrone the king, they would lose that advantage; however, the battle had already become a siege. Not an ideal situation when the palace had no way of restocking its food or water supplies.

They were still discussing what to do when the shouts from outside got louder. Something was wrong. The cries had got more panicked and the rattling booms of shattering rock were worse. One of the personal guards was sent to investigate and came back with the report that the rebels were making headway. There was a female leading the rebel force who could render a person's bending useless and paralyse them from head to foot. Even the Dai Li were struggling to bring her down.

Zuko's heart stuttered in its rhythm. He remembered the girl he had seen in the Lower Ring who had looked just like his sister. He remembered the acrobat who was always at her side.

"I'm going out there," he declared.

Iroh gripped his shoulder. "You shouldn't go alone."

"Don't worry, I won't be."

The answer satisfied Iroh. Zuko wasted no time in sprinting to the chambers King Kuei had allowed them to use. He found Katara in the middle of doing her usual check-up on Aang. Toph sat on a cushion on the floor not far from them with Momo.

"Still no improvement?" Zuko asked, catching sight of Katara's grim expression.

She shook her head and guided the water back into the flask attached to her hip. "Nothing. His chi is all tangled, but I can't seem to get it to straighten out."

Zuko sighed. They could have really done with Aang's help right now.

"What about the meeting?" Katara asked.

She had been invited as well, but had chosen to stay with Aang and Toph. Zuko quickly explained what had happened and how he was about to go check on this chi blocker leading the rebel force.

"Will you come with me?" he asked.

If there was anyone he trusted to watch his back in a potential fight against his sister and Ty Lee, it was Katara.

"Of course," she said. "We can go on Appa."

Zuko's gaze shifted to Toph. "Watch over Aang for us, okay?"

Toph nodded. Normally, she would have made a snarky retort as well, but she just sat there with no expression on her face. His stomach twisted. Even if she had started talking again, she still didn't say much. She hadn't visibly done any bending either.

Katara exchanged a worried glance with him, but there was nothing they could do for Toph right now. So they assured her they would be back soon, gathered several stocks of water for Katara, and ran to find Appa. They had to be fast. If Azula and Ty Lee really were leading the rebel attack, then Ba Sing Se was in far greater danger than anyone had realised. There was no doubt that Azula would have a plan to get the city under Fire Nation control.

"You take the reins," Katara ordered once they reached Appa. "I don't think you should firebend in front of the rebels unless you have to."

It was a testament to how much he acknowledged her skill as a waterbender that he simply grunted affirmation before settling on Aang's usual perch. Besides, she had a point. There was no saying how the rebels would react if they saw him firebending.

He gripped the reins and glanced over his shoulder at her. "Ready?"

She nodded. "I just hope the others are okay. They're still out in the city somewhere. I don't like that we're separated while all of this is going on."

"I don't think you need to worry too much about those three. They're pretty good at taking care of themselves. Let's just focus on doing our part."

"Right."

Zuko urged Appa into the air. From this height, they could see the damage that had been done to the city. There was smoke rising from the different Rings, perhaps from explosions of blasting jelly. Some of the stone walls and buildings had also been shattered and had bits broken off.

"This is terrible," Katara murmured.

He said nothing. Most of the fight was now concentrated on the wall separating the Middle and Upper Ring. Rebel earthbenders and archers defended the wall while more rebels clashed with the Dai Li and palace guards as they pushed forward to the palace. It was a messy tangle of bodies, mixed with screams and grunts of pain. Battle was always brutal, but there was something chilling about watching a revolution. The people fighting each other could have been family, neighbours, old friends. The whole thing made Zuko sad, especially since he knew King Kuei had not even been aware of all the oppression going on in the city.

"Let's get closer," he said, guiding Appa down.

Katara got her water ready. Some of the rebels on the wall spotted them, but they hesitated to attack. Perhaps they just hadn't expected a giant, flying animal carrying two people to suddenly appear. Perhaps they thought Zuko and Katara were allies.

"See them?" he asked.

"Not yet, but—no, there!"

Zuko looked to where she was pointing and saw soldiers and Dai Li collapsing on the street as if all the strength had been sapped from their bodies. In the midst of them, a woman moved with vicious certainty while being supported by a group of earthbenders and nonbenders. Just a glance at her shoulder-length hair and her sharp, lightning fast jabs told him it was not Ty Lee. Still, his heart did surge in a hopeful flutter. There was only one chi blocker he knew who fit that description.

"Shizue," he breathed. "It's her."

Katara met his gaze. "Why is she helping the rebels? And where's Sokka and Mai?"

"I don't know, but let's get down there and find out."

It was fortunate that Appa was used to battle. He swerved around rocks and pillars while Katara deflected stray arrows with shields of ice. Once they were close enough, Zuko called out to Shizue. She knocked down a Dai Li agent and then glanced up in surprise. The other rebels surrounding her froze. Even the king's supporters seemed a bit thrown to have a ten-tonne bison hovering over them and huffing gusts of air.

"You!" Shizue exclaimed.

Zuko held his hand to her. "Come with us! We need to talk!"

She didn't argue, though the rebels protested when she grabbed Zuko's hand and let him swing her up onto the saddle. Appa soared high into the sky a moment later. Now the battle was just a swarm of tiny moving figures.

"At last," Shizue said, staring at Zuko with an intensity that was almost unnerving. "I've found you, pale-eyed one."

There were so many things he wanted to say to her in response, but he was conscious of the fighting still going on below them. This wasn't the time to satisfy his personal questions.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Why are you leading the rebels?"

"I'm not. It's the fire princess who's their leader. She organised the revolution."

All the colour drained from his face.

"Then Azula is here in Ba Sing Se," Katara murmured, balling her hands into fists. "And you're actually helping her?"

"I did what was necessary, just like Sokka and Mai. We knew we could not fight the Dai Li on our own."

Zuko pressed his palm to his face. "Are you telling me that Sokka and Mai have been working with my sister as well?"

"Not because they wanted to. As I said, we just did what was necessary."

Zuko and Katara exchanged a glance. It seemed impossible to imagine either Sokka or Mai choosing to follow Azula for anything, no matter how desperate the situation. None of this made sense.

"I think you'd better explain everything," Zuko said.

"Wait." Katara leaned anxiously towards her. "First I want to know why Sokka and Mai aren't with you. Are they okay?"

"Your brother should have already freed Mai by now."

"Freed?" Zuko and Katara said in unison.

"The princess decided to show her true colours, though she and her little friend tried to blame Mai's capture on the Dai Li."

Zuko's fingers dug into his palms. If Azula had hurt Mai again, he would make sure she regretted it.

"Tell us everything," he said grimly.

Shizue met his gaze. "Very well, but you won't like it."

"I don't expect to."

Everything his sister did left a trail of cunning and pain. Now that he knew she'd had a hand in the revolution, he could see her stamp all over it: the timing, the efficiency. He hated to think what else she had up her sleeve. Azula never did anything by halves. He hoped Sokka and Mai were okay. He hoped they weren't too late to end whatever plan his sister had put in motion. This time, they had to stop her for good.

oOo

"You're late."

Sokka's gaze zoned in on Mai as he stepped inside the storage room. She was chained up next to a Dai Li agent. No fresh injuries. Her expression was also as flat as ever, but that didn't stop the dizzying relief from spilling through him. He didn't need Mai to smile to understand that she was just as pleased to see him as he was her; those two words had expressed everything.

"Well, sorry about it," he said with mock defensiveness. "You don't know what it was like with Ty Lee sticking to me like a shadow. I had no choice but to—"

A slow clap broke through his voice. He tensed and whipped around to see Azula blocking the exit. She was wearing nicer clothes now: plain black with a green sash. Her hair had been pulled up into a topknot. Behind her stood a group of rebels.

"You really are so predictable," she observed. "I knew you wouldn't be able to resist charging in here like a hero the moment I gave you an opening."

Sokka tightened his grip on his club. His heart thumped against his ribs.

"No need to look so shocked." She created a ball of blue flames so that it hovered above her palm. "This game you started with me was never going to end in any other way."

His gaze flickered to the flames. The fact that none of the rebels reacted to her bending told him enough. They all knew her identity and they didn't care. This wasn't good.

"Are you going to kill us?" Sokka asked.

"You'd deserve it after all your interference, but no."

He barely managed to hold back a sigh of relief. For a moment he'd been worried.

"I want you to feel the frustration of knowing all your efforts were in vain." Her smile sharpened and she snuffed the flame to nothing in her fist. "I want you to live with your loss."

Sokka gritted his teeth.

Azula's eyes glinted with smug cruelty. "You should be thanking me. At least I'm letting you stay together." She glanced at Mai. "Though I wonder what poor Zuzu would think if he could see you now. Does he know you've latched yourself onto this oaf, Mai? Or is it that my brother rejected you after all and this was all you could get?"

"You don't know what you're talking about," Mai said flatly.

Azula shrugged. "Whatever you say." She signalled to one of the benders, who moved to stand in front of her. "Anyway, much as I'd love to stay and chat, I have a city to conquer."

She left without another word. The earthbender raised his arms, creating a wall of stone to seal Sokka inside the storage room with Mai and the Dai Li agent. Then there was only silence except for the low booms coming from the battle in the distance. The walls rattled. Dust drifted down from the rock ceiling.

Mai heaved a sigh. "Well, that's that. None of us will be going anywhere now."

"Oh ye of little faith." Sokka flashed a grin. "Would it surprise you to know that getting captured was part of my plan?"

"Right, because getting trapped in here with us is the obvious way to escape."

"Actually, it is."

She raised her eyebrow. "Explain, and don't try to be clever about it. I'm not in the mood for your roundaboutness."

"Alright, it's like this. Azula's made it clear she isn't going to let either of us interfere this time. To beat her, I realised we couldn't face her directly. She's got us boxed in too well and she's dangerous when she's challenged. Then I thought: what if we just make her think she's got the better of us? Use her own plan against her and all that."

"Work within the limits," Mai said, catching on.

"Right. So when she set this trap to lure me here, I played along and did just as she expected. I knew there was no way I'd get you away from her otherwise."

"I can't believe I got reduced to being bait for you."

His mouth twitched. "Yeah, you're a real damsel in distress."

"Don't even start."

Sokka grinned, though he sobered a second later. "Anyway, for all that Azula is scary smart, the fact she thinks she's smarter than everyone can be turned into a weakness. If we play our cards right, we can lull her into a sense of complacency and bring her down." He rubbed his chin. "Or at least that's the idea."

"That's great, genius, but you still haven't answered the most important question. How do we get out of here?"

"Oh, that's the easy part. I didn't come alone."

As if on cue, the stone wall lowered to reveal Enlai standing on the threshold. "Time to go."

Sokka moved aside so Enlai could use his bending to break Mai's chains.

Ju Long cleared his throat. "Uh, I don't suppose I could get a little help as well? I'm still chained."

Sokka raised his eyebrows. "This guy is Dai Li."

"He's fine," Mai said, rubbing her wrists. She went on to explain how Ju Long wasn't their enemy, along with everything else she'd learnt the night she'd been taken captive.

"Then the rumours about the Dai Li were true," Sokka mused. "This changes things slightly."

"What do you mean?"

"We made our plan with the expectation that the Dai Li were still a threat and it was better to just let the rebellion follow its course." Sokka gave Ju Long a sharp look. "Are you sure we can trust the Dai Li not to do anything crazy again?"

"Even if some of the agents do agree with Long Feng and Shirong's methods, they won't disobey their orders. There aren't enough of them to fight off the king's forces and the rebels. It'd be suicide."

Sokka nodded. "Makes sense. Not gonna win a bucket of trust points, but it's better than nothing."

Enlai unchained Ju Long, albeit a bit more roughly than he had done Mai. "It'll be difficult to persuade people that the Dai Li are no longer the enemy. Bastards don't exactly give the warm fuzzies." He threw a hard smile at Ju Long. "No offence."

Ju Long lowered his gaze. "Look, I know. I know we've done terrible things, and I know saying that we were just following orders doesn't make it any better, but we've got a chance to do things properly now."

Sokka went quiet. Deep down, he could admit that he had no desire to work with the Dai Li. They had almost killed Aang, they had taken his friends prisoner, not to mention all the brainwashing. There was no way he could forget that. Hell, maybe a part of him had even hoped the rumours weren't true so he had an excuse to really let loose on them. However, Sokka was a practical guy at heart. Any bit of help would make a difference.

He sighed and rubbed a hand over his face. "This won't be easy," he admitted. "We don't have the time to smooth things over properly, but I think we might have bigger worries than whether people are willing to accept the Dai Li as allies." He met Enlai's gaze. "Azula isn't trying to hide her identity anymore. That's not a good thing. I don't like the fact she's turned some of the rebels to the Fire Nation's side either."

"We always knew she had another agenda," Mai pointed out.

"Right, but something still doesn't add up. I doubt the majority of the rebels will support Fire Nation rule. The only way she could pull off conquering the city for herself is if ..." His eyes widened as all the pieces he had been missing fell into place. Then he just swore over and over under his breath.

"What?" Mai asked, faint alarm creeping into her tone. "What is it?"

"I screwed up." Sokka clutched at his head. "I screwed up big time. I thought she locked you in here and set this trap so she could get us out of the way and have her moment of gloating, but the truth is this was all just a distraction. Damn it, Azula was the bait!"

"Sokka, you're not making any sense." Mai gripped his shoulders. "Just tell us what's wrong."

"Ty Lee! She's been breathing down my neck this whole time, but before dawn she left with a team of earthbenders. I was too busy focussing on helping you to think about it. I just figured she was going to lead one of the rebel attacks or something."

"And?"

He balled his hands into fists. "Don't you see? Azula planned this entire rebellion. Why? Why go to all that effort? Because it divides people, it creates chaos, but even that isn't enough. What Azula needs—what she's always needed—is the support of an army large enough to overwhelm both the rebels and the king's forces."

Some of the colour drained from Mai's cheeks and she let her hands slip from his shoulders. "The Fire Nation army. It's been right there beyond the Outer Wall this whole time."

"Exactly. And I'd bet my boomerang that Ty Lee and those earthbenders have gone to ensure the army gets inside the city somehow."

Enlai slammed his fist against the wall, denting the stone into a crater of spreading cracks. He swore much more colourfully than Sokka.

"This isn't good," Ju Long muttered. "This really, really isn't good."

Sokka pulled himself together. Nothing was going to be gained if they continued to panic. "We need to stop that army."

"How do you expect us to do that?" Mai demanded. "It's not like we have the little metal bending brat with us this time. If what you said is true, we're going to be up against tanks and a lot of soldiers."

"We have earthbenders. Plus, we know Toph and the others are at the palace now. We can make this work."

Enlai perked up. "You have a plan, don't you?"

His bloodshot eyes were intense. It was easy to understand his desperation. Enlai had been working hard to bring the White Lotus together and insert spies and gather information in order to avoid these exact kinds of nasty surprises. He probably felt like he'd failed. Not that Sokka blamed the guy or any of the other agents. Sokka only blamed himself since he'd suspected right from the beginning that Azula's goal was to conquer the city. Now they were all stuck doing damage control.

"It's going to be risky as heck," Sokka said, "but yes. I have a plan. We'll just have to hurry."

Enlai punched his palm. "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The others nodded and headed for the door.

Sokka grabbed Mai's wrist. "Wait." He pulled out from his boot the sheathed knife that Zuko had given her, and which Ty Lee had taken. "You'll probably need this."

"It'd be nice if I had more knives, but I guess I'll have to make this one count." She accepted the knife and tucked it into her waistband. "Thanks."

They hurried to catch up to Enlai and Ju Long. There was no time to waste. Sokka just hoped his plan worked. It felt like they were all tangled in the spider-wasp's web. The question was whether any of them could use it to entrap their enemy as well.

oOo

Ty Lee raised her eyes to the sky. The sun was finding its path now, brightening everything in vivid blue. Stealth was out of the question, but that was fine. She didn't need stealth to play her role, especially since her opponents were already distracted with defending the Outer Wall from the Fire Nation army. Besides, hiding away in darkness had never been her style.

"Everyone is in position," a bulky, sharp-faced man said, coming to stand behind her.

"Then let's get started. We've got a deadline to meet." She turned and graced him with a brilliant smile. "Watch my back for me, Muscly Pops."

"My name's not—"

But Ty Lee was already moving. She darted up the wall with effortless grace, flipping from one perch to the next and landing with the silence of panther-tiger's paws. The first soldier came into view. Her fingers were already striking his pressure points before he had time to notice her presence. Too easy. A choked gasp escaped his lips, and he slumped like a deboned fish to the ground.

Ty Lee stepped over the soldier without a second glance and ran for her next opponent. Muscly Pops followed her, creating rock shields and platforms as needed. They had to be fast if they didn't want to be overwhelmed. The element of surprise was all they had going for them right now aside from her chi blocking.

Her expression turned grim. No time for smiles or jokes. She downed another soldier, then another, then another. Not once did she hesitate. All that existed was the beating of her heart, the clunky footsteps of her opponents, and the rapid movements of her hands. Men fell before her like dolls, helpless to stop her progression. She was a wind laced with paralysis: swift, silent, and impossible to catch.

Ty Lee felled the last soldier in her line of vision. She flicked her plait over her shoulder and paused to catch her breath. Muscly Pops came to stand next to her.

"That should be enough," he observed.

His voice quavered a little. She could see the mixture of alarm and awe in his eyes. This guy was afraid of her. Ty Lee smiled to put him at ease, but that just made him back up a step. Oh well.

She stretched her arms above her head. "Go ahead and give the signal. It's time to bring in the tanks."

"R-right."

Soon, the wall lowered in the sections she and her team had cleared with the ease of a knife slipping into warmed butter. Now there was nothing to hold the Fire Nation army back. The tanks rumbled through like metal flea-ants trailing in a line, deadly and filled with firebenders ready to attack.

"There's no going back now," Muscly Pops murmured.

She wondered if he realised he had spoken aloud. It was difficult to place his tone—not quite satisfaction, not quite regret. Perhaps it was only in this moment that he'd realised what it meant to help an enemy force invade his city.

Ty Lee patted his arm. "C'mon, our job is done here. We'll leave the others to defend this position."

Muscly Pops nodded. She didn't question why her own heart felt weighted with the soft words he had spoken.