We are all sitting around the fire getting ready for bed. Zuko is pouring tea to give to us. I know from experience that Zuko's tea is horrible. So I say no when he offers some to me.

"No one can make tea like Uncle, but hopefully I learned a thing or two. Would you like to hear Uncle's favorite tea joke?" Zuko asked

"Sure." Katara said

"I like jokes." Aang said

"Bring it." Toph said

"Careful he will most likely say it wrong." I said

Zuko glares at me I just shrug my shoulders.

"Okay. Well, I can't remember how it starts, but the punch line is 'Leaf me alone, I'm bushed'." Zuko said

None of us laugh.

"Told you." I said

"Well, it's funnier when Uncle tells it." Zuko said

"Right…maybe that's because he remembers the whole thing." Katara said

Now everyone laughs at that. Zuko smiles a little.

"It's nice to get a chance to relax a little. It hardly ever happens." Toph said

Zuko hands a cup of tea to Teo and Toph and moves to Sokka. Who stands up.

"Hey, can I talk to you for a second?" Sokka asked

Zuko sets down the tray of tea. I see them walk away, I stand up and follow but stay hidden.

"So what's up?" Zuko asked

"If someone was captured by the Fire Nation, where would they be taken?" Sokka asked

"What do you mean? Who was captured?" Zuko asked

"When the invasion plan failed, some of our troops were taken, I just want to know where they might be." Sokka said

Don't tell him Zuko, I thought.

"I can't tell you." Zuko said

Good job.

"What? Why not?" Sokka asked

"Trust me. Knowing would just make you feel worse." Zuko said

He turns to leave but Sokka stops him.

"It's my dad. He was captured too. I need to know what I out him through." Sokka said

"It's not good, Sokka." Zuko said

"Please." Sokka said

Don't do it, don't tell him.

"My guess is, they were taken to the Boiling Rock." Zuko said

"What's that?" Sokka asked

"The highest security prison in the Fire Nation. It's on an island in the middle of a boiling lake. It's inescapable." Zuko said

"So, where is this place?" Sokka asked

Don't tell him.

"Why do you need to know? What are you planning?" Zuko asked

"Nothing. Boy, you're so paranoid." Sokka said

"It's in the middle of a volcano between here and the Fire Nation. You guys actually flew right past it on your way here." Zuko said

Stupid. I'm surround by idjits.

"Thanks, Zuko." Sokka said

I heard him fake yawn.

"Just knowing makes me feel better." Sokka said

"Yeah, I'm sure it does." Zuko said sarcastically

I hear them start to walk my way so I move around the corner. I knew what Sokka was planning to do, I knew Zuko would either stop him or join him. I also knew that they were not going to take Appa. I left the temple and I headed into the woods to where the war balloon was. I also found something to change the color of my hair. An hour or so pass before I hear a tree branch snap. I quickly move and hid in the balloon behind the furnace of the balloon. Sokka and Zuko climb into the balloon and we take off. I stay hidden that way they can't take me back. I fall asleep, and I wake up to a blue sky and clouds.

"Pretty clouds." Sokka said

"Yeah…fluffy." Zuko said

Sokka whistles.

"What?" Zuko asked

"What? Oh, I didn't say anything. You know, a friend of mine actually designed these war balloons." Sokka said

"No kidding." Zuko said

"Yep, a balloon…but for war." Sokka said

"If there's one thing my dad's good at, it's war." Zuko said

The tank I'm sitting behind heats up again.

"Yeah, it seems to run in the family." Sokka said

"Hey, hold on. Not everyone in my family is like that." Zuko said

"I know, I know, you've changed." Sokka said

"I meant my Uncle. He was more of a father to me. And I really let hijm down." Zuko said

"You let a lot of people down." Sokka said in a whisper

"What?" Zuko asked

"Nothing. I think your Uncle would be proud of you. Leaving your home to come help us? That's hard." Sokka said

"It wasn't that hard." Zuko said

"Really? You didn't leave behind anyone you cared about?" Sokka asked

"No. the only friend I had was Mai. Before you ask we were only friends." Zuko said

"That gloomy girl who sighs a lot was your friend?" Sokka asked

"Yeah. Everyone in the Fire nation knows I'm a traitor. I couldn't drag my only friend into it." Zuko said

"So she's not your girlfriend?" Sokka asked

"No. She is not and never will be." Zuko said

"My first girlfriend turned into the moon." Sokka said

"That's rough, buddy." Zuko said

Time Skip To That Night:

It was night now, I could heat Sokka snoring. I go to move out of where I was hiding but Zuko talking made me stop.

"There it is." Zuko said

Sokka bolts up.

"There's plenty of steam to keep us covered. As long as we're quiet, we should be able to navigate through it without being caught." Zuko said

We enter the volcano's steam, the balloon begins losing altitude quickly. I move out of my hiding spot but I stay behind them. Zuko starts blasting fire into the tank.

"We're going down! The balloon's not working anymore." Zuko said

He starts blasting air up into the balloon.

"The air outside is just as hot as the air inside so we can't fly." Sokka said

"So what are we supposed to do?" Zuko asked

"Brace for impact." I said

They turn around.

"KIDA!" Zuko and Sokka yell

The balloon skids along the boiling water, I bend the water back so none splashes into the balloon. We hit the base of a rock ejecting us. We stand up and look at the destroyed war balloon.

"How are we gonna get off the island if the balloon won't work?" Zuko asked

"We'll figure something out! I suspected it might be a one-way ticket." Sokka said

"You knew this would happen and you wanted to come anyway?" Zuko asked

I think they forgot that I was here. Sokka moves over to the balloon.

"My dad might be here. I had to come and see." Sokka said

"Uncle always said I never thought things through. But this…this is just crazy." Zuko said

Sokka starts to gather parts of the balloon together.

"Hey, I never wanted you to come along in the first place. And for the record, I always think things through. But my plans haven't exactly worked, so this time, I'm playing it by ear. So there." Sokka said

Sokka starts to push the balloon into the water.

"Move." I said

Sokka steps back, and bend the water around the balloon, then I send it back into the water.

"What are you doing?" Zuko asked

"It doesn't work anyway, and we don't want anyone to find it." Sokka said

"I hope you know what you're doing. There's no turning back now." Zuko said

They both then turn to me.

"What?" I asked

They both still look at me.

"Look I listened in on your guy's conversation. We you said that the prison inside a volcano in the middle of boiling hot water. I knew that Sokka was going to go and see if Hakoda was here. You coming was a fifty-fifty chance. I knew that if you did come you would take the balloon. I also knew that you would need help." I said

Sokka and Zuko looked at each other. Then at me.

"Your hair is black." Zuko said

"Yes I used something. My white hair is to obvious." I said

"Just stay close to us." Sokka said

"It'll watch out right." Zuko said

"Yes it will." I said

Zuko smiled, nodded, and started to walk away.

"The guard uniforms will show your stomach, is your bump…" Sokka trails

"I'll be okay." I said

Sokka nods.

Time Skip Next Morning:

We had found some uniforms and put them on so we could blend.

"I hope these disguises work." Zuko said

"We just need to lay low and find our dad as soon as possible." Sokka said

A series of guards run by. One of them runs back and looks at us.

"Guards! There's a scuffle in the yard. Come on." a make guard said

We look at each other but follow the guard up to the guard. We see prisoner gathered in a circle as the guards move through to the inside.

"I didn't do anything! I'm going back to my cell." the prisoner said

"Stop right there, Chit Sang." the bully guard said

Zuko tries to approach, but Sokka and I grab him.

"We can't blow our cover." Sokka said

"I've had it with your unruly behavior." the bully guard said

"What did I do?" Chit Sang said

"He wants to know what he did." the bully said

He looks at the three of us.

"Isn't that cute?" the bully asked

"Uh, very cute, sir." Zuko said

"Supper cute." Sokka said

"Very." I said

The bully turns back to Chit Sang and takes a step towards him.

"You didn't bow down when I walked by, Chit Sang!" the bully said

"What? That's not a prison rule." Chit Sang said

"Do it!" the bully said

"Make me." Chit Sang said

The bully guard walks away, but as he is leaving, he whips fire at Chit Sang. Chit Sang blocks it, and redirects it at him. The bully guard breaks the blast with a kick.

"Tsk, tsk. Firebending is prohibited. You're going in the cooler." the bully said

He then points at Sokka.

"You! Help me take him in." the bully said

Sokka whispers to me and Zuko.

"Meet back here in an hour." Sokka said

He then runs up to Chit Sang and the guard. Zuko and I look at each other before we head back into the prison. We look around and find ourselves in the meal room. We get lunch and go to sit down. A male comes towards us.

"Hey, you two. I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times, but this is the lounge. Relax." the male guard said

"But what if there's an incident? If I'm not prepared, someone could strike me on the head." Zuko said

The guards laugh. I take my helmet off and my hair comes tumbling out. A male guard slides up infront of me.

"Well hello there, I'm Li." Li said

I smile.

"I'm Song." I said

"It is very nice to meet you." Li said

A female guard hits Li on the back of his head.

"Sorry about him he's like that with all the new female guards." the girls said

"It's okay, I'm used to it." I said

"Can the new guy ask you veterans a few questions about the prison?" Zuko asked

"No, you can't date the female guards." the female said

"Tryst me, you don't want to." a different one said

The female guard throws a cup at him, which causes the guard sitting behind him to laugh.

"No, that's not it. The Boiling Rock, it holds the Fire Nation's most dangerous criminals, right? So what about war prisoners?" Zuko asked

The other guards quickly tells us that they don't know anything. We leave and go to find Sokka. We are walking down a hall, we see another guard walk towards us.

"Hey there, fellow guard, how goes it?" Zuko asked

The guard lift his helmet's visor.

"Zuko? Kida?" Sokka asked

"Shhh! Listen, we asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners. I'm afraid your father's not here." Zuko said

"What? Are you sure, did you two double-check?" Sokka asked

"Yeah, were sure." I said

"No. No." Sokka said

He bangs his fist against the wall in frustration.

"I'm really sorry, Sokka." Zuko said

"So we came all this way for nothing? I failed…again." Sokka said

"You haven't failed. We couldn't have known that Azula knew. We took a chance coming here, the chance didn't pan out oh well. Now we need a way home." I said

"Ah, what would Uncle say? Sometimes, clouds have two sides, a dark and light, and a silver lining in between. It's like a silver sandwich! So…when life seems hard…take a bite put pf the silver sandwich." Zuko said

"I think what he is trying to say is look for the good." I said

We moved outside and onto the balcony. Sokka leans on it, he smiles.

"Maybe we haven't failed after all." Sokka said

"That's the spirit. I can't believe that worked. I didn't even know what I was saying." Zuko said

I moved over and punched him the arm, and glared at him.

"No, what you said made no sense at all. But look…" Sokka trails off

He points out to the yard. We follow his finger to see that he is pointing at a girl.

"It's Suki." Sokka said

Suki is sitting in the prison yard in prison garb, looks up at hearing the bell

"Prisoners, back in your cells." a guard yells

We leave the balcony and go to find where her cell is.

"Who is Suki?" I asked

"She is a Kyoshi warrior." Sokka said

I nodded mt head. We ended up finding her cell. Sokka enters her room, while Zuko and I stood guard. We could hear everything that went on.

"What is it? Did I do something wrong?" Suki asked

"You mean you don't recognize me?" Sokka asked

"You people all look the same to me." Suki said

"Oh? Then maybe you'll recognize this." Sokka said

We hear a smooching sound, then the sound of someone hitting the wall. Then the sound of something hitting the floor. There is a moment of silence.

"Sokka! It's you." Suki said

We the room goes silent for a couple of seconds.

"The other Kyoshi Warriors, are they here?" Sokka asked

"No. I don't know where they are. They locked me in here because I'm the leader." Suki said

"Well, you won't be here for long. I'm husting you out." Sokka said

"I'm so glad to see you Sokka. I knew you'd come." Suki said

I smiled. I hear faint footsteps, I turn my head to see guards at the very end of the hall. I tap on the cell door. The female guard approaches us.

"Excuse me. I need to get into that cell." the female guard said

"No, you can't go in there. The lights are out. The prisoner could sneak up on you." Zuko said

"Then I'll take one of you two in with me. So step aside, fool." the female guard said

She raises her left arm to push Zuko out of the way, though before she touch him, he grabs hold of the arm and turns her around, slamming her face first against the door. I go to move towards them, but Zuko pushes me away.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" the female asked

She turns to retaliate, Zuko is then slammed against the door. I stand up and move towards them. Zuko grabs ahold of the woman right arm and forces her to bend backward, thus averting her sight from the door that slides open. Sokka quickly exits. The female guard manages to push Zuko's face up with her left arm, regaining a more leveled pose herself, she turns to look at past me to Sokka.

"Guard, help. I think he's an imposter. Arrest him." the female said

Sokka and I move to quickly get Zuko off the guard.

"Get him off me and arrest him." the guard said

Sokka is the one that pulls Zuko off the guard.

"You're under arrest." Sokka said

He then leans down and whispers in his ear.

"Don't worry, I'll figure it out." Sokka said

Sokka and I lead Zuko away, the female following behind us.

"Are you okay?" I asked

"Yeah. What about you? You hit that floor pretty hard." the guard said

"I'm fine, I've had worse." I said

Later…

Sokka and I come down some stairs to see Suki and Zuko mopping the floors.

"Oh, good, you guys have met." Sokka said

"I think they have met before." I said

"She's right actually, we met a long time ago. What is your name?" Suki asked

"Kida, I'm Sokka and Katara's little sister." I said

"I thought you had white hair?" Suki asked

"I dyed it so I didn't stand out." I said

"When did we met?" Zuko asked

"You burnt down my village." Suki said

"Oh, sorry about that. Nice to see you again." Zuko said

They both move backwards so that they are now out of sight from everyone.

"So, listen, Kida and I came up with an escape plan. We checked out the coolers again, and the point of them is to keep firebenders contained, right?" Sokka asked

"Yeah…" Zuko trailed off

"so, they're completely insulated and sealed to keep the cold in. well, to keep the cold in, it also has to keep the heat out, right?" Sokka asked

"Just get to the point, Sokka." Suki said

"It's a perfect boat for getting through the boiling water. Plus with our resident ice queen we'll be all set." Sokka said

"Did you just call me an Ice Queen?" I asked

"I meant that in the nice way." Sokka said

Zuko and Suki exchanged looks.

"So the cooler as a boat? Are you sure?" Zuko asked

"I'm telling you, it'll work. We walked around the perimeter. There's a blind spot between two guard towers. It's the perfect launching point. We already tested it out. We'll roll the cooler into the water and just float with the current. It'll take us straight across. As long as we don't make a sound, no one will notice. And bing-bang-boom, we're home free." Sokka said

"But how are you going to get the cooler out?" Suki asked

"Yeah, how are you going to get the cooler out?" someone asked

We turn our heads to see Chit Sang. He jumps down from the stair case.

"What? We didn't…w-we didn't say that." Sokka said

"Yeah, you heard wrong." Zuko said

"I heard you hatching an escape plan, and I want in. that and for some reason you called a firebender an ice queen." Chit Sang said

"There's nothing to get in on." Zuko said

"Yeah, the only thing we're hatching is…an egg?" Sokka asked

Zuko lowers his head and Suki covers her eyes, and I face palm.

"Okay, well, I come with you or the warden hears about this egg, too." Chit Sang said

"I guess we have no choice." Suki said

"Okay, you're in. now first we need someone to unbolt the cooler, from the inside." Sokka said

"Oh, I can get you inside." Chit Sang said

We then quickly go over the plan of action. We then sperate. I stand up on the balcony and look down at what is about to happen. Chit Sang walks out from behind the stairs and stands in a pot. Zuko pretends to be mopping and bumps into Chit Sang.

"Hey! What are you, stupid? Watch where you're going." Chit Sang said

"Hey, you watch who you're shoving." Zuko said

"I think you mean whom I'm shoving." Chit Sang said

The two scuffle as the prisoners cheer them on. They break apart and Zuko goes for a punch. Chit Sang throws Zuko onto the floor. Sokka walks onto the scene.

"I need backup over here." Sokka yelled

Zuko dodges Chit Sang as he tries to elbow him. Zuko blasts fire at Chit Sang.

"No firebending. Into the cooler." the male guard said

Zuko is taken down and escorted away by two guards. Sokka looks at Suki, then up at me. I smirk down at him.

Later…

Sokka and I headed to the coolers to get Zuko out. We open the door.

"We can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson." Sokka said

Zuko raises his head slightly and releases a small breath of fire to warm himself up.

"Yes, I have…completely." Zuko said

Zuko reveals all the removed bolts and screws, which makes us smile. Sokka and I raise our visors.

"We got Suki and Chit Sang out of their cells a few minutes ago. They'll be waiting for us at the shore." Sokka said

"Someone's coming." Zuko said

He pulls Sokka and I into the cooler. It was a tight fit, and I was surprised that the unbolted cooler hadn't fell.

"Yeah, new arrivals coming in at dawn." the male said

"Anybody interesting?" the female said

"Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, a couple traitors, some war prisoners, though I did hear there might be a pirate." the male said

Sokka, Zuko, and I all look at each other.

"No fooling." the female said

The two guards leave, we step out of the cooler.

"War prisoners. It could be your father." Zuko said

"I know." Sokka said

"Well, what should we do? Are we going ahead with the plan or are we waiting another night?" Zuko asked

"I don't know! Is it right for me to Suki's freedom, all of our freedom on the slim chance that my dad is gonna show up?" Sokka asked

"I'm with you to the end Sokka." I said

"So will I." Zuko said

Outside…

We are rolling the detached cooler down the hill. Chit Sang and Suki move to help us.

"Took you guys long enough." Chit Sang said

We look up to see another man and a female sitting on a rock.

"This here's my girl and my best buddy, they're coming too." Chit Sang said

"Fine, everybody in the cooler. Let's go." Sokka said

We move the cooler into the water. Sokka picks up a rock under the rock is out clothes.

"Are you sure you wanna go? You're the one who said you wanted to redeem yourself. Redeem you honor. Rescuing your dad is your chance." Zuko said

Suki walks over to us.

"Your dad?" Suki asked

"If I had just cut my losses at the invasion, maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Maybe sometimes it's just better to call it quits before you fail." Sokka said

"No, it's not. Look Sokka, you're going to fail a lot before things work out." Zuko said

"Even the best laid plans go wrong." I said

"That supposed to make me feel better?" Sokka asked

"Even though you'll probably fail over and over and over again…" I cut Zuko off by hitting him on the back of the head.

"Not helping Zuko." I said

"You have to try every time. You can't quit becasue you're afraid you might fail." Zuko said

"Besides, try again, fail again, fail better.

"Hey, if you three are done cuddling, can we get a move on?" Chit Sang asked

"No, I'm staying. You guys go. (to suki) You've been here long enough. (to me) You need to go, it's to dangerous." Sokka said

"I'm not leaving without you, Sokka." Suki said

"Neither am I. Even if I don't get along with Hakoda I wouldn't be alive without him. " I said

"I'm stay, too." Zuko said

"Not me, I'm out. Let's roll, baby." Chit Sang said

Chit Sang pushes the cooler into the lake and jumps in.

"We gave up our only chance of escaping. I hope we haven't just made a huge mistake." Sokka said

"They are going to mess it up." I said

"Let's hope not." Zuko said

We are moving up the side of the huge rock the prison sits on. The morning is arriving. We are almost in the prison when we hear a scream. We look down at them.

"The plan failed! They're caught." Sokka said

We can hear the guards and the warden above us.

"Get the fugitives and throw them in the cooler." the warden said

"Uh…they are in a cooler, sir." guard 2 said

"One that's bolted down and not floating in the water! This is a lockdown. We have new prisoners arriving. Everything must be completely secure." the warden yells

One of the guards fires a large ballista bolt, catching hold of the cooler, and drags it back towards the prison.

"The gondola's moving." Sokka said

We all look up at the gondola approaching the prison. The gondola comes to a stop. We are now in the yard.

"This is it. If my dad's not there, we're risked everything for nothing." Sokka said

"We had to." Suki said

"Come on, come on…" Sokka said

The doors open and the first person comes off. It's a large man with a nose ring and a tattoo.

"Is that him?" Zuko asked

"Our dad doesn't have a nose ring." Sokka said

Several other men step off the gondola.

"Where is he?" Sokka asked

The last person steps off.

"That's it? He's not there." I said

"I'm sorry, Sokka." Suki said

"Oh, no." Sokka said

"Hey, you! Get off the gondola." a male guard said

The gondola moves as a person steps off…as Hakoda steps off

"Dad…" Sokka said