Equivalent Exchange
Chapter 30: Rescue
Zuko was frowning and muttering under his breath about stupid kids who never listened. Aang still hadn't returned and the prince was positive now that something bad had happened.
"Are you sure that you and Mai can handle this rescue of yours?" Iroh's weathered face was twisted with concern.
"What choice do we have?" Zuko snarled. "He's got himself captured or worse and who else is going to get him? Mai and I have been there before at least. That gives us an advantage and a better chance than any of you."
He regretted the harshness of his tone the moment the words left his mouth. But Zuko's temper still got the better of him sometimes and he often didn't think before he spoke. He needed to work on that too.
"Hmmm," Iroh replied agreeably enough, choosing to ignore his nephew's burst of anger. "I suppose you have no choice. We can't leave the world's hope for peace with the Fire Nation, now can we?"
"No pressure," Mai drawled as she joined the two men.
She was checking her blades one more time, making sure that they were all there and all securely in place. Satisfied, she slung her sword over her back and her satchel over her hip. Inside was her mask along with any rope they could find. Sentries along the way would have to be silenced and immobilized. Zuko had his dao and a satchel as well, containing his allotment of rope and his blue mask.
"Well, yes, actually there is," Iroh replied with a wink. But he still looked worried. "I suppose you don't have a plan, do you?"
Mai and Zuko shook their heads.
"We'll figure things out as we go along. I mean, we don't know exactly where Aang is or even if he's in Pohuai. I have a feeling that the guards will be better prepared this time around," Zuko mused.
"Yeah." Mai nodded her head knowingly. "Colonel Shinu probably got a dressing down for last time."
She was gathering her long black hair into a snug ponytail. It hung halfway down her back and swung gently when she walked. Her clothes were dark and plain, pants and a tunic with an extra shirt underneath to combat the cold. She wished that she could wear her cloak too but it was a bright green, not exactly suitable for stealth. Zuko, wearing his own black clothes, grabbed hold of his ostrich horse. The animals had been fed and watered and were ready to go.
"Come on, Mai," the prince urged. "Let's get this over with."
She nodded her assent and swung gracefully up onto her mount.
"I wish you luck and safety," Iroh called as they disappeared down the path.
Zuko turned to give his uncle a brief wave.
"Please come back," the former general whispered to himself.
He watched until he could see them no more and then rejoined Jee who was tending to Sokka and Katara.
"You look like you used to when Lu Ten left for a skirmish," Jee noted and then dropped his head into his hands. "Oh, forgive me, Iroh. I wasn't thinking."
"Nonsense, Jee; I love hearing Lu Ten's name and having you recall him makes me feel good, not sad. I miss him every day, more than I could ever express but I have many, many wonderful memories of my son. And you're right, I imagine. I look upon Zuko as a son and I hope he thinks of me as more than an uncle. Mai, I love her as well."
"They make a good team, those two. I'm sure that they'll be just fine," Jee said calmly. "And they will bring the Avatar back as well."
"Yes, I believe that you're right," Iroh smiled. "But a cup of tea might help soothe me anyway."
The ostrich horses' hooves striking the hard packed dirt of the path, the occasional call of a night bird and the scurrying of small forest animals were the only sounds that reached Mai's and Zuko's ears as they hurried toward Pohuai Stronghold. Both were intensely alert, searching the trees for lookout posts and the telltale patches of red clothing that indicated a Fire Nation presence. When she finally spotted one up ahead, Mai reined in her animal and pulled off the path before tying it up. She didn't wait for Zuko, but darted up ahead, tying up her mask as she glided gracefully through the thick underbrush.
Unable to call out, Zuko grit his teeth together and darted after Mai's disappearing form. He wondered why in Agni's name she hadn't just waited instead of leaving him behind. Lookouts were always manned by two soldiers. Much as he trusted in her ability, two men, depending on their abilities, could end up getting the better of Mai. He could see the white of her mask as she crept along, keeping low to the ground and making virtually no noise. Zuko was so busy watching Mai that he tripped over a tree root, twisted his ankle and had to bite down on his tongue to stop himself from crying out in pain. He hobbled about on one foot, clutching his injured ankle in his hands. Feeling ridiculous for tripping and childish for being angry at Mai, he sucked up the pain and continued onward.
When he made it to the lookout and stood beneath the canopy of the tree, Zuko listened closely for a moment. All he could hear were muffled but still indignant sounding cries of protest as Mai trussed the two men like festival day ducks. She climbed down the rope ladder a few moments later, guards' knives in hand and almost backed into Zuko. He was standing with his arms crossed now, and Mai could feel the peevishness oozing from the prince's pores. She shrugged, brushed by him and crept back toward their ostrich horses. As soon they were far enough away from the guards, Zuko grabbed hold of her elbow and pulled her around to face him.
"What's wrong with you?" he hissed. "Why didn't you wait for me?"
"I got the job done," Mai answered with another shrug. "What was the point in waiting?"
"You wait because we're partners and we work together. What if the watchmen had overpowered you?"
"I can handle two buffoons just fine; thanks for your confidence," Mai retorted acidly.
"Grrr," the prince growled. "I worry about you, okay. Is there something wrong with that?"
Zuko pulled the mask off his face and let it sit on the top of his head. With his jaw set rigidly and smoke curling from his fingertips, he peered at Mai, willing her to take her mask off as well. In a fit of her own petulance, Mai left it on and turned her back on Zuko.
"At least I can walk without tripping on a root; perhaps I should be more worried about you," she flung back over her shoulder. "Let's go. We have a job to do."
They encountered two more lookout stations and at each one Zuko hung back allowing Mai to do the job alone, making an exaggerated show of stepping aside for her and giving her a mock bow as she passed, shuriken in hand.
"Jerk," Mai snarled quietly as she walked by Zuko and headed to the third station.
Not helping Mai went against all of Zuko's protective instincts and made him feel terrible. But he was angry, even if the emotion was irrational in this case, and angry people did stupid things.
By the time the impressive sight of Pohuai was before them, all sturdy walls of stone and turrets, guards pacing everywhere, the prince's ire had cooled but Mai was still upset. She shoved his hand off hers and glared at him through the eyeholes of the white mask. Zuko held his hands out, palms upward, in a gesture of supplication. Sighing, Mai nodded slightly. They needed to work together now more than ever. Their little disagreement could wait until later.
Iroh and Jee shifted on the cold stone of the abandoned temple floor. They drank tea and recounted old war tales as they watched over the brother and sister from the Southern Water Tribe. Iroh's face radiated pride as he recounted a story about his dead son, Lu Ten, one that Jee had never heard. It was strange how so much of their father and son bonding had taken place during the young man's war service, strange how he could have so many good memories of something that had wrenched his only child from him and killed countless other sons and daughters, mothers and fathers.
"Iroh," Katara croaked. "Could I have some tea too?"
"Certainly, dear, let me pour you a cup."
He bustled about for a minute, warming up the tea, making sure it wasn't too hot, then handing it to the feverish girl. He smiled happily as Katara sipped eagerly at the brew.
"It's good, isn't it?"
She did her best to smile but the simple motion irritated her sore throat.
"Why don't you tell the girl some stories?" Jee gave Iroh a nudge and a wink. "Maybe something about your nephew will amuse her."
Iroh looked deep into the fire, an amused look on his features and then turned back to Katara. Her face glistened with sweat and she twisted and turned inside her sleeping bag as if trying to squish the cold out of her body.
"Your situation reminds me of a time when Zuko was sick. He and his sister, Azula, you might meet her one day, were at the Fire Festival on Ember Island. Now, Zuko had a weaknes for flaming fire candies and ate far too many of them…"
"Does this story have a point?" Sokka was awake now, achy and irritated. He tried to sit up but tired limbs wouldn't cooperate. "Can't you give us a story with more intrigue? I'm miserable feeling and need entertainment?"
Iroh considered for a moment, stroking his beard and sipping his tea.
"Has my nephew told you the story of how he got his scar?"
"No," Katara answered, joining the conversation. "He just said that his father did it."
"Ah," Iroh mused and scooted over closer, bringing his beloved tea cup with him. "It's a sensitive subject for Zuko, but not as much now as it was when it first happened. Those early months were terrible, but he's come to terms with things now. It all started when Zuko wanted to go to a war meeting. He thought that since he would be Fire Lord one day, he should …"
Iroh talked until both brother and sister were sound asleep.
As Mai and Zuko crept closer and closer to the Fire Nation stronghold, they heard the movement of many feet, all of them marching in one direction. They were at the back of the stronghold this time instead of the main entrance. Pohuai was built between the sea and solid mountain rock. The guards seemed to be concentrated at the front and the couple had no trouble moving stealthily around to the side of the structure where there were lower walls to scale. Once up and over, they moved along guard towers, climbing down stairs, going lower and lower, until they reached the main floor.
They could see soldiers gathered in a square of sorts, standing in four neat formations and looking upward to a balcony of sorts that jutted out from the wall. Mai and Zuko both sensed the excitement and jubilation in the air. No doubt the Avatar was here and someone was about to make a declaration. Zuko gestured toward the crowd as if asking Mai whether she wanted to stay and listen. She made no move to reply, just stayed rooted to the spot, inclining her head forward as if that would let her hear better.
When Zhao's oily voice boomed out into the square, Mai automatically tensed. She recalled the sensation of his hands on her, trailing across her intimate areas with no regard for decency and no thought for anyone but himself or anything but his sick desires. She could kill him right there if she wanted to. All she needed was one blade and a clear shot. She wouldn't miss. Mai seriously considered doing it. Zhao's death would make everything so much easier for her and Zuko along with the Avatar. The world would be rid of a 'man' with nothing in him but the need to conquer, destroy and damage. She pulled out a blade and ran her finger along its sharp, shiny edge. Then she looked over at Zuko and put the blade back where it belonged.
He wouldn't blame her or judge her; she knew that. But killing wasn't something that Zuko ever wanted to do, no matter his talk of revenge. She knew him better than that. Taking a life, not matter the particular life that it was, should only be done out of necessity. Mai had to trust in the world's fickle sense of justice to take care of Zhao. Or perhaps his own stupidity would do him in.
The prince put a hand briefly on her arm. She allowed it to rest there for a moment before shrugging it off, a move toward forgiveness. They stood still then, listening to Zhao's words, meant to inspire the soldiers below with a sense of Fire Nation pride.
"You are the sons and daughters of fire. Your future will be glorious. Soon, the Fire Nation will own the world. We are well on our way to conquering it already. The Avatar cannot help the people of the world. He is chained in our lowest level right now, broken already, begging for release."
The crowd roared. Mai shook her head and Zuko shook his fists. But what they heard next shocked them into complete stillness.
"Some of you fine soldiers will accompany me to the North Pole where the Northern Water Tribe lives behind their fortress of ice. The waterbenders get their power from the moon, just as we firebenders get ours from the sun. What do you think would happen if the moon spirit died?"
Zhao paused for effect, letting his words hang dramatically in the air. He smirked as a ripple of excitement ran through the soldiers. He had them now, eager to hear more, eager to particpate in one of the Fire Nation's greatest triumphs. He continued then, gesturing wildly with his meaty hands, as if trying to infect the crowd with even more excitement.
"I'll tell you what will happen; the waterbenders will be helpless. No matter what motions they make with their arms, the water will not obey them. While I infiltrate the city, find the moon spirit in its physical form and wring the life out of it, you and the other soldiers already on my flotilla of ships, one hundred strong, will bombard the city until it falls. Then the waterbenders and their city will be ours. We will enslave the people and make them work toward our aim. Then only the Earth Kingdom will remain to be conquered."
Zhao's arms were upraised now, anticipating his great victory. Not wanting to hear anymore, Mai turned and began walking back in the direction they had come from. Zuko took one last look at the admiral and then followed, running tocatch up.
He gestured downward, and they followed dark sets of stairs into the lowest level of Pohuai Stronghold. A fresh determination filled them now. They would stop Zhao and they needed Aang to help with that. The Fire Nation was truly out of control. Ozai had given Zhao one hundred ships and his blessing along with a promotion to admiral apparently. He would be more than keen to prove himself. Zuko knew how his father worked and he was sure that Zhao knew too. There would be no chances after this. If he failed to conquer the Northern Water Tribe, Ozai would kill Zhao himself. The admiral would be at his most dangerous; desperate and depraved.
They encountered two guards walking through the next hallway. The two men blasted them with fire and Zuko neatly deflected it with his swords before knocking both out with one solid punch each. They dragged them into an empty room and then proceeded onwards. The hallways all looked the same but as the number of guards increased, both Mai and Zuko figured they were getting close to Aang.
They stopped and listened outside one last hallway, a hallway that led to a large door, protecting a large prison chamber, no doubt. Two guards stood in front of the door while two more paced the hallway. Mai gestured to the second pair and withdrew some blades. She waited until their backs were turned, and then threw, pinning each to the wall by the wrist. They stared at Mai's mask, horror on their faces, then down at Zuko in his blue mask, taking care of the two men who guarded the door.
"The White Spirit and the Blue Spirit," one said with awe. "They've come to rescue the Avatar. Admiral Zhao will be really angry."
They both struggled, trying valiantly to yank their arms free. Mai leaned in close, pulled loose their sashes and tied their feet together. Zuko meanwhile was using a bucket of water to douse one guard's flames, and pinning a signal horn to the wall with his own knife. With his dao, the prince silently disabled both men, giving each a quick, brutal blow to the head. They wouldn't awaken for hours.
The door to the chamber was unlocked. When Zuko opened the door, he gestured for Mai to walk in first. The Avatar was in chains all right. His arms and legs were stretched to their limits and he looked extremely uncomfortable. Feeling a surge of sympathy, Mai approached Aang, unsheathed her sword and broke the chains with a few quick chops. His eyes were huge as soup bowls in his face and he just stared at his masked rescuers for a moment.
"Mai? Zuko? Is that you?"
Mai nodded and then made a shushing motion, placing a gloved finger over the deep red of the mask's lips.
"Oh, okay, I need to be quiet. Thanks for coming guys. I knew that you would. And wow, you look really cool."
Zuko grabbed impatiently at the boy's shirt, dragging him along behind him and out into the hallway. Their time was limited; the alert would go out soon. Someone would notice guards missing. They followed the same route back, working their way up stairs this time, and toward the back of the stronghold where their ostrich horses waited. It had been easy so far, too easy and Zuko began to feel uneasy. They walked up the final flight of stairs and then out onto the final guard turret, where Zhao and five soldiers awaited them.
"The infamous Blue and White Spirits," Zhao chuckled. "And you've rescued the Avatar. Isn't that sweet. I wonder whose faces I would find behind those garish masks. You might want to reconsider your actions. The whole of the Fire Nation army will be after the both of you now."
Mai willed the bastard to just shut up. But he continued to talk as he and the guards all assumed firebending stances, sending a wall of flame in their direction. Aang stepped up, letting go a huge blast of air that not only doused the flames but also sent the men flying. While they were down, Mai and Zuko moved in, standing over them, the grinning blue and white and the expressionless pale mask with a red slash, leering down maniacally.
"What, you think that you're frightening?"
The admiral laughed again and swept outward with his feet, trying to trip one of them up. Mai and Zuko neatly dodged the attempt. Taking her sword out of its sheath, Mai dropped down, digging her knee hard into Zhao's chest and putting the large blade against his throat. The admiral gasped from the pain and then Mai pressed her knee in further, grinding into the flesh beneath the fancy robes. Something was wrong with him. Her knee shouldn't cause that much pain. Curious now, the young woman sheathed her sword and pulled out one of her blades. She looked over at Aang and Zuko, who were tying up the five guards. It was laughable really how incompetent all these men were. She repressed a giggle and then felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder. He pointed to the blade in her hand, trying to communicate that she would be giving away their identity. What did it matter, though; they were all being pursued by the Fire Nation. She was considered a traitor as Mai and a traitor as the White Spirit. So what was the point in hiding behind the mask? She wanted Zhao to know now. The urge to remove the mask was irresistible. Taking a deep breath, Mai untied the cloth straps at the back of her head and let the mask fall to the stone with a clatter.
Zhao grinned up at her. "I thought it was you."
"Aren't you the clever one?" She reached down with her blade now and cut open his tunic and the shirt underneath. "A present from Ozai?"
Mai stared at the burn and was reminded of Zuko's. But instead of feeling anger at Ozai as she had every time she saw her betrothed's bandaged face, Mai felt glee. There, right before her eyes, was tangible evidence of Zhao's suffering. And he needed to suffer. She ran her blade across the wound and watched as Zhao's face tightened.
"Does it hurt, Zhao?" Mai's tone was mocking and almost playful.
She felt Zuko's hand on her shoulder again and this time she stood up, giving the admiral a kick as she backed away.
"This isn't over, Mai," Zhao shouted as they dropped down the other side of the wall. "I'll see all of you dead, all of you! You will never see home again. And this world will go up in flames."
The sound of his furious words followed them.
The trip back to the abandoned town was quiet. After Zuko informed Aang of Zhao's plans regarding the Northern Water Tribe, the Avatar fell into a thoughtful reverie. Killing the moon spirit was beyond brash and stupid, it was potentially catastrophic to the entire world. There was a lot more than just a waterbending master waiting for them at the North Pole. The fight of their lives was waiting for them too.
"Mai." Zuko pulled up beside her and reached out, wanting things to be okay again.
"Just don't touch me yet. I'm still angry with you. You acted like a jerk."
"I worry about you, that's all." He was contrite now and reached out again, desperate for contact with her.
"I can take care of myself. It was a simple enough job, Zuko."
"I know that you can. But, I just want to protect you. You're in danger because of me, because you chose to come with me. I feel responsible. I can't help it, Mai, I just can't."
She didn't reply right away, but his words did have an effect. Honour was a huge part of who Zuko was and taking care of those he felt responsible for was a part of that honour. It all made sense but her anger was real too.
"I get it." The words finally came out and with difficulty. "Just stop being a jerk about it."
Mai reached out this time and Zuko linked his fingers with hers.
A/N: So a very different BS episode. I think that I'll include the Fortune Teller in some form. Thanks to Tribun for suggesting that Iroh tell Sokka and Katara the story of Zuko's scar.