The Drill

Note: I've started adding line breaks between paragraphs I'll go back and edit the other chapters adding quotations and stuff eventually but I'm lazy, and have other stories to work on as well.

Again I don't own ATLA

Ryu ignored Aang's protests as he flew towards the giant drill, it wasn't until he got really close that fireballs started flying towards him he dodged them and landed at the base of the tower, swinging Aang's staff. He knocked the Fire Benders off the drill he tucked Aang's staff into his belt and started to climb.

Ironically Ryu had never been a fan of heights. He slowly climbed up the side of the tower he really hoped there weren't any Fire benders below him, he was an easy target. To answer him a fireball flew past his face, he yelled and lost his grip falling a few feet before catching onto the tower he yelled again, it felt like his was being pulled out of its socket. He grabbed onto the tower with his other arm and got a good foothold. He rested there for a moment to catch his breath.

Ryu kept climbing as fireballs continued flying past him. Eventually he reached the top of the tower he hit his head on something and looked up to see a trap door, Ryu reached up and turned the handle and eased the door open slowly enough so he could see in. Then opened it all the way and silently climbed up inside. Once inside he didn't see much just a few consoles with people sitting at them, he saw three chairs in the center all of which were empty. Ryu swung Aang's staff knocking everyone against the wall knocking them out then moved forward and looked at one of the consoles.

How was he supposed to shut this thing down? Ryu pulled one of the levers but nothing happened. He tried another one but it made the drill speed up, "definitely not that one." Ryu said to himself pushing the lever back. He went over to one of the crew members and grabbed him, pinning him against the wall.

"How do I stop this thing?" he demanded holding an air dagger to the man's neck, the man clamped his mouth shut. "Wrong answer." Ryu said. Knocking him back out. He turned to leave but found his way blocked by three teenage girls. "Who are you?" he said. In answer one of them threw a knife at him, Ryu knocked it aside with a gust of air. "The Avatar!" The girl in Fire Nation armor said. Then shot a blue ball of fire at him, Ryu dodged it spinning aside, Drawing his swords.

"Sorry to disappoint you but… no" "I'm not the Avatar" Ryu said. The girl wearing pink jumped into the air, Ryu watched her and hit her mid-air with an airblast. Knocking her out of the air. He shot another airblast at the girl in the armor at the same time she fire a fireball at him, when the two collided, it caused an explosion throwing Ryu out of one of the windows. Ryu turned over mid-air, and opened Aang's glider. Landing on the main body of the drill and running to a stop.

He turned and looked back up at the smoking tower, but the drill was still running. He saw Aang at the other end by the wall dodging falling rocks. He looked like he was trying to cut through the drill's metal shell. Ryu ran over to him. "Need some help?" he asked. Yeah I just need you to… Duck! Ryu ducked just as a blue fireball flew over his head. Ryu turned around to see the girl in fire nation armor. "Azula!" Aang said.

Ryu fired an Airblast at her which she dodged by jumping into the air, sending fire balls at him and Aang. Ryu and Aang dodged them easily enough, Ryu tossed Aang his staff and drew his staffs he'd lost his swords during the explosion in the tower. "I'll handle her," "you take down the drill!" Ryu said deflecting a fire blast. Aang turned and ran back to where he'd been cutting into the drill.

Ryu sent a gust of wind towards Azula which she dodged, firing a fire blast back at Ryu, He leapt into the air to avoid it, Ryu landed throwing an air dagger at Azula, one of the advantages of the air dagger was it was hard to see in flight, Azula didn't see it until the last second and barely managed to move out of the way of it in time. Seizing the advantage, Ryu shot several airblasts at her pushing her back by keeping her busy dodging the shots. Ryu swung his staffs making an air slice that hit Azula knocking her over the side.

Thinking the fight was over Ryu turned his back to her replacing his staffs on his hips, He took maybe three steps before he heard something behind him and turned in time to see Azula land back on the drill. "Oh come on!" Ryu said as the other two girls appeared. The girl in pink jumped into the air and landed in front of Ryu and it him in the shoulder it didn't hurt but when he tried to bend at her he found he couldn't bend. He swung his staffs at her. She nimbly dodged out of the way and hit his other shoulder Ryu swung his staffs again, this time he hit her.

She leaped back away from him Ryu wondered what she was doing until he saw arrows flying towards him. He managed to knock them out of the air with his staffs, but lost them in the process. "Aang... help!" He yelled as the gloomy looking girl produced a knife and threw it at him, Ryu dodged the knife but while he was distracted she fired more arrows at Ryu.

Back near the wall Aang heard Ryu's call for help and looked up to see the arrows hit his chest, NO! He yelled as Ryu fell. Suddenly Aang's eyes and tattoos started to glow. He raised his arm and brought it down creating an air slice powerful enough to cut the drill roughly in half, he shot an airblast throwing the three girls back off the drill, after a few moments Aang's eyes and tattoos returned to normal and he collapsed. Aang stood up and rushed over to Ryu, there were three small arrows in his chest.

Aang didn't want to risk pulling the arrows out so he left them in he picked up Ryu and air jumped off the drill to the ground, where Katara, Sokka and Toph were waiting for him. Katara gasped when she saw Ryu. "Can you heal him?" Aang asked. "I don't know." Katara said. "You have to try!" Aang said. Katara Started to try and heal Ryu. But after a moment she stopped. "Why are you stopping?" Aang asked. "I'm sorry Aang" Katara said. "He's gone."

Is Ryu really dead? You'll have to wait until the next chapter to find out.