Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Water, earth, fire, air... Long ago, the four nations lived together in harmony. Then, everything changed when the Fire Nation attacked. Only the Avatar, master of all four elements, could stop them. But, when the world needed him most, he vanished.
A hundred years passed and the new Avatar, an air bender named Aang, was discovered. Now traveling by his side are Katara and Sokka of the southern water tribe, and Ashlynn: an ex-member of the fire nation, and Prince Zuko's lifelong companion...
Author's Note: I apologize to anyone who was a fan of "The Serpent's Pass" episode. I am combining the beginning of that episode, and "The Drill" for my own reasons. These reasons should hopefully come into play as time goes on, but, yes, I am omitting "The Serpent's Pass" from my story. Thus, I have altered the setting a little bit, and I apologize if this upsets anyone. However, please, enjoy.
"Water bending bomb!"
Katara's shout sounded through the area. Ashlynn looked up the cliff just in time to see Katara take a leap off of it, right into the lake below. Sokka cried out in shock, and turned around to protect the ancient scrolls he'd been studying. However, his body alone was not protection enough to keep the massive wave from splashing water all over them as Katara landed deep within the lake.
"Thanks, Katara," Sokka sighed as he shook one of the scrolls out before him, trying to shake off as much water as he could.
Katara apologized, and then bended the excess water out of the scroll, leaving it just as dry and intact as it had been before.
"Did you find out what route we're going to take?" Aang asked Sokka as he clambered out of the lake. Aang approached Sokka, whom laid the map out on the ground for all to see.
"We just got out of the desert, so we must be here," Sokka pointed out, and then said, "We need to go to Ba Sing Se- which is over here." Sokka then proceeded to point out a spot where a ferry had been built to carry people across a lake that divided where they were from Ba Sing Se. "I figure this is the safest route over there, so let's go get some passports and move along," he said.
"Hello there fellow refugees!" said a voice that no one recognized. In unison, the whole group turned their heads to the sound of the voice and saw a group of three people nearby. There was a single man, and two women, one of whom was pregnant. The man was grinning at the group, and waving his hand in a welcoming manner. The group of friends approached them curiously.
"Are you headed to Ba Sing Se too?" Aang questioned once the distance between the two groups had been closed.
The man nodded, and said, "We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby. Are you folks headed for the ferry?" Sokka nodded his head in response. "Great! We can travel together then," the man said, ecstatic.
Full Moon Bay, as it was called, was hidden from the Fire Nation. It was used to carry refugees to Ba Sing Se behind the Fire Nation's back, giving people a freer place to live. There were hundreds of people waiting to board their ferry and be taken to a place where they could start anew.
"I can't believe how many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation," Katara muttered as they entered Full Moon Bay. She eyed all the people surrounding them with sadness, wishing there was something more she could do to help.
"We're all looking for a better life- safe behind the walls of Ba Sing Se," Than, Ying's husband, responded with hope. Katara nodded understandingly.
"That woman looks rather strict," Ashlynn muttered to Sokka and Toph, and pointed at a harsh old woman behind a booth, whom was selling tickets. She was screaming at customers to have a passport before buying tickets for the ferry. Toph smirked and said, "I can take care of that easily." She withdrew an exquisite card from the folds of her clothes, and approached the booth.
Moments later, Toph returned with enough tickets for each of her friends, and then some for the refugees they'd befriended. "Oh thank you so much! This means everything to us- you folk are the kindest we've ever met, "exclaimed Ying as she pulled her ticket from Toph's hand. She patted her stomach with a small smile across her face, grateful to be making it to a safer city before giving birth.
"So it seems like this is going to be at least half a days ride. We'll probably arrive in the morning," Katara told her friends as they boarded the ferry. The sun was already setting behind the distant mountains. "Maybe it's best we just laid our sleeping bags out and slept till we get there," Katara suggested as she looked about for a spot on the ferry where they could all lie down.
When a spot was found, each person laid out their bag to form a circle- that way they could all sit up and talk and be able to look one another in the eye. Tahn, Ying, and the third woman set up their belongings nearby. Ashlynn eyed Ying warily, hoping she wouldn't go into labor while they were on the ferry.
After about an hour, food was brought by for everyone. It tasted old, and undercooked, but there was not much they could do about it. Then, one by one, everyone began to fall fast asleep, and the ferry became quiet, aside the night-watch doing his rounds on the upper level.
Ashlynn had set up her bag closest to the rim of ferry. Unable to sleep, she gazed upwards at the stars- or, at least, that which she could see, seeing as how the upper level of the ferry blocked some of her view of the sky. She was restless, and felt slightly sea-sick, for she hadn't been on a boat for some time.
After some time, her mind wandered off to thoughts of Zuko. Was he headed for Ba Sing Se too? Did he ever come back to Iroh? Was he okay? When Ashlynn's mind began to fill with poor thoughts, she rolled over, and dozed off into a deep slumber.
The sound of birds, machines, and running water awoke Ashlynn in the morning. She opened her eyes and watched as a few people bustled about the ferry, packing their belongings. Her companions, however, were still fast asleep.
Ashlynn crawled out of her bag and rolled it up, and tucked it safely next to Sokka, whom had put his sleeping bag closest to her. She grinned at her friend, whom was snoring with his mouth wide open, and then she tip-toed away quietly, making her way to the second level of the ferry.
Her stomach rumbled, and she looked around for anyone who was passing around food. When she hadn't any luck, she approached the rim of the ferry, and looked out around her.
The wall of Ba Sing Se was in full view, now, and was getting closer and closer by the minute. Ashlynn had never actually travelled to Ba Sing Se, that she could recall, but she'd heard plenty about it from Iroh. A sense of nostalgia filled her as she recalled the fact that she'd lived in Ba Sing Se before. It was this city that she was born in, this city that she was taken away from as a child, this city that she'd last seen her mother. The fact that she couldn't remember any of it angered her.
These ideas were diverted from her mind as she spotted something in the distance. From where she stood, it looked like a kind of drill several miles away from the wall, but she could not be sure, since she stood so far away. It was moving slowly towards the wall, and she began to worry. Thus, she took off after Aang.
"Aang! Aang!" Ashlynn shouted as she nearly collapsed by Aang's side. "Aang, wake up, this is important!" Ashlynn shouted, and tugged on Aang's arm. He groaned as he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at Ashlynn.
"What's wrong Ashlynn?" Katara questioned after a yawn as she, too, awoke. Ashlynn stood up and snatched her glider, and grasped Aang's too. "Come on Aang, we need to go!" Ashlynn shouted at him, and threw his staff down as she took off to the upper level again.
After a moment Aang showed up behind her. "Alright, what is it?" Aang asked irritably. "That!" Ashlynn shouted, and pointed at the drill. She opened her glider, and prepared to take off. "It's headed right for Ba Sing Se, Aang, we need to do something!" Aang nodded, and opened his glider too.
Then, Katara, Sokka, and Toph all showed up as well, lost and confused. "We'll meet you guys back at where the ferry docks," Aang told them, and took off before they could question his motives. Ashlynn quickly followed him, ignoring the cries of the guards on board that were ordering for them to come back.
Aang and Ashlynn soared together towards the machine, and the closer they got, the more Ashlynn realized that it was, in fact, a drill of sorts that was headed right for the wall. They glided right above it, and Ashlynn growled in frustration and anger as she saw the symbol of the fire nation branded upon the top of the drill.
"They're trying to break into Ba Sing Se and take it for the Fire Nation, Aang! They're trying to do what Iroh failed at years ago! We need to warn them!" Ashlynn shouted to Aang over the roaring winds.
Aang nodded, and said, "Come on! Let's go get Sokka, Katara, and Toph. We'll go to the top of the wall and search for someone that's in command." Ashlynn nodded, and followed Aang back to the ferry docks.
It took a moment to find them, but eventually Aang and Ashlynn spotted their friends through the crowd. They landed beside them, ignoring the gasps of the surrounding people as they realized they were in the presence of air benders. "What's going on you two?" Katara demanded to know.
"There's a fire nation drill headed right for the wall. Come on, we need to go find someone who is in charge," Aang said, and ran in the direction of the wall, away from the ferry docks. His companions swiftly followed closely behind.
When they reached the outer wall, and were far enough away from the ferry docks and all its guards, Aang and Toph earth bended a slab of rock to bring the group up along the wall like an elevator. Katara and Sokka gasped as they saw the drill in the distance, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
When they reached the top of the wall, two guards immediately jumped them with accusations and questions, ordering them to get off the wall, for they were not authorized to be there. "I'm the Avatar," Aang explained, and then said, "Take me to someone who is in charge."
"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall, Avatar- but, your help is not needed," said General Sung, the man who was in charge of defending the outer wall. The group was shocked to hear his response.
"General Sung, the fire nation is hours away from infiltrating Ba Sing Se! How do you plan to stop them?" Ashlynn questioned seriously.
"I have the situation quite under control, I assure you! It is impossible for the fire nation to penetrate this city, no matter how great their weapons may be! Many have tried to break through the wall- all in vain, I'm afraid," General Sung said as he walked along the top of the wall, speaking solemnly to the great.
"What about the Dragon of the West? He got in," Toph reminded the general.
"If you want to get technical, then yes! However, he was quickly… er… disposed of," the general assured them. Ashlynn raised one eyebrow in disbelief, growing more and more irritated the more he talked. How was it that he didn't need the Avatar's help?
"You see- This is why the city is named Ba Sing Se… It means 'the impenetrable city'."
"Thanks for the run-down, but we still got the drill problem," Toph sighed, just as annoyed as Ashlynn was. "Not for long, let me assure you. I've sent an exceptionally powerful elite team of earth benders called The Terra Team to take care of this problem. All we do now is wait and watch," the general said as he turned to survey the drill as it slowly progressed towards the city.
Ashlynn looked over the wall as well, and saw The Terra Team down below, bending rocks and trying to dispose of the drill. After several moments Ashlynn sighed as she recognized two enemies depart from the drill and begin to take out the Terra Team: Mai and Ty Lee. One by one, the two of them took out every earth bender with ease. Ashlynn knew Azula had to be close by.
"We're doomed!" cried General Sung as he watched his fighters collapse one at a time. "Would you like the Avatar's help now?" Toph groaned, hoping he'd admit defeat and request their assistance. General Sung nodded his head, ashamed that he hadn't taken their offer in the first place.
"Alright, good. Now- the question is this: how are we going to stop that thing?" Aang asked, and looked up at Sokka. Katara and Ashlynn followed Aang's gaze, and Sokka frowned at each and every one of them.
"Why are you all looking at me?" he questioned warily.
"Well, you are the one in this group that comes up with ideas," Ashlynn shrugged at him.
"What's wrong with him? He doesn't look injured!" General Sung asked Katara as she used her water bending to heal one of the 'wounded' soldiers. All who had fallen in combat were brought to the infirmary of the outer wall of Ba Sing Se, and all were being tended to. Katara was one of those whom were trying to help heal the earth benders.
"His chi is blocked. Who did this to you?" Katara asked the soldier whom she was currently healing. The man groaned and stretched an arm as he began to retain feeling in his muscles. He looked up at Katara and said, "Two girls ambushed us. One of them hit me with a couple of quick jabs, and then I couldn't earth bend, and I could barely move."
"Ty Lee," Ashlynn explained. Katara nodded in response, and said, "She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. She sort of takes you down from the inside, I suppose."
Suddenly Sokka began to shout with excitement, and everyone jumped in surprise as they all turned to look at Sokka, each with a quizzical look on their face. "What you just said! That's how we're going to take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took out The Terra Team!" Sokka exclaimed excitedly.
"Yeah- by hitting its pressure points!" Toph grinned as she began to understand Sokka's master plan.
"Right- we'll take it down from the inside," Aang agreed.
The group departed from the outer wall and ran to meet the drill head-on. The plan was for Toph to create a cover by earth-bending dust around the area so that anyone on this inside would be unable to see them. Then, they were going to make their way up into the drill, and begin to take it down.
"With this cover, not only will the people inside not be able to see, but you all won't be able to either- so, stay close to me," Toph said. Everyone nodded, and waited for her actions. When the drill was closer, Toph slammed a single foot into the ground, and dirt rose up all around them. "Run!" Toph cried out, and ran directly into the cloud of dirt. Her companions were quick to follow her.
When they came out on the other side of the dirt cloud, Toph quickly bended a hole in the ground for each to drop into. Then, they followed Toph beneath the ground as she made her way to the center of the underbelly of the drill, and brought everyone back up onto the solid surface of the earth. There was an opening underneath the drill for them to climb up into. Aang jumped up into the opening first, and proceeded to help lift his companions inside. That is, all aside Toph, who demanded to stay outside where she could 'see'.
Once inside, the group began to follow Sokka, awaiting his orders. "I need a plan of this machine, some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then- we can find its weak points," Sokka said as he looked around at all the machinery that surrounded the group. Suddenly, Sokka used his machete to strike at a wheel on top of a pipe within the drill, causing it to break off and roll away. Steam began to vent through the broken spot on the pipe.
"What are you doing? Someone's going to hear us!" Aang cried out over the hissing steam. "That's the point! A machine this big needs engineers to fix it- so when something breaks they come to fix it," Sokka shouted back, and hid behind a set of pipes. Ashlynn crouched beside him and Aang beside her. Katara hid behind another set of pipes and waited for a mechanic to come fix the problem.
After a few moments a shirtless, muscular man wearing a gas mask entered the room. He held a map of the drill within one hand. Yet, before he could unroll it, Katara quickly used the steam in the room to bend a tight ice formation around the man. Sokka leapt out from his hiding place, and pulled the schematics free from the engineer's hand. Then, he ran away, and his companions swiftly followed him.
"So? Now what's the plan?" Ashlynn asked as Sokka unrolled the map and displayed it before them. He studied it for a moment and then said, "It looks like it's made up of two main structures: the inner mechanism where we are now, and the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we break the braces the entire thing will collapse."
Ashlynn's head swam as she tried to figure out how Sokka's mind worked so fast. She trusted that he knew what he was doing, however, and followed closely behind him as he led the group to the outer shell, where they would begin to cut through the braces and take the drill down.
"Oh wow- the braces look a lot bigger in person than they do in the plans," Ashlynn gasped as they reached the outer shell where the braces were held. "This is going to take us hours," Ashlynn muttered loud enough for Sokka to hear. "Nonsense, Katara and Aang can use their water bending to quickly slice through the braces. It'll get done in no time," Sokka reassured the group.
"I guess I'll sit back and stand guard," Ashlynn sighed as Katara and Aang began to cut through the first brace with Katara's bending water. Sokka stood by her side and watched his friends begin to work.
It was tedious work, but after many minutes, and a short break, Aang and Katara finally cut through the brace. It slid a few inches, and then was stuck on its bottom half. The drill creaked slightly, and the sound echoed through the outer shell, but no damage had been done otherwise.
"It's no use. At this rate we won't be able to do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall," Katara sighed as she wiped the beads of sweat from her forehead. Aang, too, was sweating, and he said, "I'm not sure of how many more of those I have left in me. This is exhausting."
Suddenly, the whole drill began to shake, and a loud groaning noise sounded all around them. "Do you guys hear that? We took it down- let's get out of here, fast!" Sokka said, and turned around the leave the area as quick as he could. However, they were stopped as a voice on an intercom spoke and said, "Congratulations crew! The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se! Start the countdown to victory!"
"We need to move- and fast!" Ashlynn shouted at her companions, hoping Sokka had a better plan stored in his mind.
"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through," Aang suggested. Everyone looked down at where he was sitting, and waited for him to describe his own plan to them. Aang looked up at Sokka and said, "Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give 100 percent of your energy into any on strike. You've got to be quick, and accurate- hit a series of points to break your opponents stance. While he's weakened and taken aback, you deliver a final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall."
"So then you two just need to weaken the braces- not cut all the way through," Ashlynn followed, and Aang nodded in response to indicate she was correct in her assumption. "Then I can go to the top of the drill and deliver a final blow. Then, it'll all come crashing down," Aang replied confidently. "Alright, let's get to work then," Katara said, and they swiftly ran to the next brace.
Ashlynn and Sokka followed close behind, keeping tabs on how long they were taking, how many braces they'd cut through, and how much each needed to be cut through. Finally, they cut through the last one, and began to prepare to go to the top of the drill and deliver the final blow.
"Good work team Avatar! Now all Aang has to do is---" Sokka began to say, but shouted in surprise as he narrowly dodged a ball of fire that was shot straight at him. Ashlynn looked up to see Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, who had found them at last. Azula cast another ball of fire at Aang, who quickly dispersed it with some air.
"Wow Azula, you were right- It is the Avatar!" Ashlynn heard Ty Lee say.
"Come on, we need to get out of her, or else Aang won't be able to deliver the final blow in time," Ashlynn said to her friends, and they quickly began to run for a doorway. Azula and her friends followed closely behind them.
When they reached an intersection in the first hallway they came to, Aang ran to the right while the others ran to the left. "Go on without me you guys, I know what I need to do," Aang exclaimed. Katara tossed him her water pouch, and Aang took off towards the top of the drill. Katara then followed her brother down the hall, while Ashlynn brought up the rear. Ashlynn could hear Azula's voice say, "You two follow that group, the Avatar is mine!"
The hallway they ran down brought them to a dead end. Ashlynn turned around and held her staff out before her, preparing for Mai and Ty Lee to show up at any second. "What's this pipeline for?" Katara asked, and Sokka examined it. He opened it up and said, "It's dirt mixed with water down there- it means our way out of here!"
"Well get down there, quickly! Mai and Ty Lee are catching up," Ashlynn shouted at them, and she ran to the edge of the pipeline as she waited for the two siblings to jump down into the mud below. Ashlynn swiftly bended a gust of air at Mai and Ty Lee, distracting them for a moment while she jumped down into the muck below. She swam after Katara and Sokka as they made their way to the outside of the drill.
Finally, the mud brought them well outside of the drill. Ashlynn fell to the ground, and she groaned as she felt new bruises being formed on her back and behind. She was covered in water and mud, and she could barely stand up without slipping and nearly falling over once again. She grasped her shirt and attempted to clean the sludge off her face. Once she could see again, she saw Katara bending the water that was pouring out of the drill back into it. Ashlynn assumed this way to keep Ty Lee at bay, for she was stuck in the built-up water at the tail end of the drill.
"Keep that up Katara! The pressure will build up in the drill, so when Aang delivers the final blow it'll be ready to pop!" Sokka exclaimed as he cheered his sister on.
"Ashlynn!" Sokka said suddenly as he noticed his friend struggling to stand up. He stomped his way over to her, trying his hardest not to slip and fall as well. When he reached her he grasped her hand tightly and helped her stand up straight. He brought her arm around his neck, and placed an arm around her waist to keep her steady. "All we have to do now is wait, and hope," Sokka murmured to her. Ashlynn gazed up at Ty Lee and hoped that Aang would deliver the final blow soon.
"Need some help?" said a familiar voice after a few minutes. Ashlynn brought her attention below the drill to where the voice was coming from, and she smiled as she recognized Toph.
"Toph, help me plug up this hole!" Katara requested. Instantly, Toph took a stance within the muck on the ground, and helped to build up the pressure inside the drill. The power of both their bending combined forced the sludge to back up entirely into the drill so that they could no longer see Ty Lee.
"Come on Aang- hurry!" Ashlynn whispered to herself, although she figured Sokka could hear her too.
Suddenly, an explosion of mud and water exploded from the front of the drill and covered a large portion of the outer wall, stretching all the way up to the top. Sokka cheered as a second explosion of mud and water occurred within the drill. Ashlynn followed his cheering as a third explosion came. "Here it comes!" Toph shouted over the sounds of the explosions and the sounds of the machine. She bended a platform of earth around them, and rose them high up above the drill, so that when the final explosion of sludge blasted through the back of the drill they wouldn't be hit by it.
The four of them cheered as the final explosion came forth at a high speed from the tail end of the drill- Ty Lee with it. The mud carried her straight to the pillar that Katara, Ashlynn, Sokka, and Toph stood upon, and she slammed against it and cried out in pain as the side of her face made contact with the rock as well.
Finally, the drill began to crack in several places, and the sounds of the machine slowly came to a halt. The drill had been destroyed.
"Good work today team Avatar," Sokka said as he gazed out at the destroyed drill.
The sun was beginning to dip down behind the distant mountains, and the team looked out at the work they'd done together from atop the outer wall. They each stood in a line with their arms about one another's necks. Mud still stained their clothes, but Toph had been able to bend the majority of the earth off their bodies.
Exhausted, but proud of their work, the team turned around, and began to make their way into the city of Ba Sing Se.