Lu Ten was relieved when he saw Hakoda return, although he was leaning heavily on Katara. He had evidently suffered a pretty serious wound, but was unwilling to abandon the troops. He and Sokka talked for a moment before Katara stepped away, gazing at something in the distance.
"Katara, you seem distracted," Hakoda said. "Is something wrong?"
"Yeah, is that Aang?" she wondered, as the figure approached.
It was as if she spoke him into existence. He landed right next to her to the shock of everyone.
"Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down," Sokka said.
"He wasn't home," Aang said. "No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."
"They knew," Sokka said darkly.
"It's over," Aang continued. "The Fire Lord is probably long gone, far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."
"The bunker," Lu Ten said almost under his breath, and could have kicked himself for forgetting something so vital.
"What?" Sokka asked.
"The Fire Nation royal family has an underground bunker beneath the volcano for situations like this," he explained as all eyes turned on him. "That way they can stay safe in case of an attack but still be close enough to control everything in the meantime. I can't believe I didn't think of this before!"
"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it," Toph offered.
"The mechanist gave me this timing device," Sokka said. "It looks like we've got about ten minutes before the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."
"I can lead you to the entrance of the bunker," Lu Ten said.
"We can still do this," Aang said, perking up. "We can still win the day."
"Wait," Katara interjected. "If they knew we were coming, it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely."
Lu Ten liked that idea better than leading the Avatar straight to his uncle. But Hakoda spoke up.
"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission," he said. "They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance, and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."
"What do you think?" Sokka asked Aang. "You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."
Aang rose to his full height and faced the direction of the palace. "I've gotta try."
Aang, Toph, Sokka, and Lu Ten all got on Appa. Lu Ten directed Aang to the side of the mountain where they would be close to the bunker entrance. When they landed, Toph got straight to work to find a way into the tunnels. Lu Ten looked at them.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I can tell you how to get to the Fire Lord's chamber, but I can't go with you. Especially now when I'm minutes away from being without my bending."
"Are you sure?" asked Sokka. "Don't forget you're with the Avatar."
"That's just it," Lu Ten returned. "Even alone, I'd be killed on the spot. All I can do now is take out the guesswork for you."
They listened carefully as Lu Ten gave them the best instructions he could remember. He had never used the bunker when he lived at the palace, but he was drilled heavily on the procedure. He told them which paths to take and what to avoid, and they should reach the bunker just in time for the eclipse to start.
"Thank you for everything you've done," Aang said.
"No, thank you, Avatar Aang," Lu Ten replied with a small bow.
"Will you take Appa and Momo back for me?" Aang requested.
"Of course," Lu Ten assured him. "Good luck to you all."
Lu Ten climbed atop the bison, feeling very uncomfortable. He watched the Avatar and his friends disappear into the tunnel as he took the reins. All his hope went with them. Then he looked down at the massive creature he was supposed to control and gulped.
"Uh…yip, yip?" he said, completely unsure of himself.
Appa obliged and soared upward. They made their way back down to the others, who were marching steadily up the mountain. The Fire Nation was retreating. Appa dropped Lu Ten back with Hakoda and Katara. The eclipse was beginning.
Lu Ten felt completely drained. He had not used his fire bending much over the years since he was with Cho, but he had used it a great deal recently, and found he had not lost his touch. Now, as the moon was taking over the sun, he felt his own body being overtaken. A part of him was missing without his bending. He donned the eclipse glasses with the others and continued forward.
"Ping!" Hakoda called, and then tossed him a Water Tribe spear. It was surprisingly lightweight, despite the ornaments it had. Hakoda smirked. "So you won't be totally useless."
Lu Ten smiled. "Well, I've never used one of these before, but it's better than nothing."
They reached the top of the mountain and Bato took the lead.
"Surround the periphery!" he shouted. "We have to secure the palace by the time the eclipse is over! Otherwise, we'll be in for the fight of our lives!"
Lu Ten and the Water Tribe warriors jogged down into the palace town. Lu Ten tried to push away the memories that came swimming to the front of his mind as he made his way through the streets. His hand-to-hand combat was definitely rusty, but he found his stride. Most of the fire bender guards were surrendering now, anyway.
Then, it seemed as quickly as it had started, the eclipse was over. Lu Ten felt a surge of power within him as his bending returned and he used it right away. Then, everyone came to a stop. Lu Ten looked at Hakoda. Bato came over.
"What should we do, Hakoda?" he asked. "Shouldn't something have happened by now?"
"I don't know," Hakoda answered. "But now that the eclipse is over, I expect we're going to see some fire benders any minute."
Lu Ten felt uneasy. Then machines rising from behind the palace caught his attention.
"Look!" he called, and everyone followed his gaze.
Great red balloons were gliding across the sky. Behind them, even more terrifying, humongous warships rose up. They were so large the balloons looked small. Lu Ten had never seen such a display of power before. His heart sunk. There was no way they could compete with that. This was all over.
Katara spotted Appa, carrying Aang and the others with him. They landed, and Aang looked horrified.
"It was all a trap," Sokka explained. "Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move. We've just gotta get to the beach as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines maybe we can get away safely."
"They've got air power, but so do I," said Aang bravely. "I'm gonna do what I can to slow them down." He took off on his glider.
"Appa, you and I can help too," Katara said, climbing up and following Aang into the clouds.
"Everyone, let's get back to the subs!" Sokka cried.
They turned and went for the beach. This was their last hope. The warships were slow, but fast enough to catch up to them on the side of the mountain. The bottoms opened up.
"Try and find some cover!" Sokka instructed. "I think we're about to see some bombs!"
Toph made a roof above them but Lu Ten stayed out from under it. He shot fire at the bombs before they struck the earth so that it would not collapse on top of them. He hit as many as he could before the warships continued toward the beach.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara wondered.
"They're headed for the beach," Aang observed. "They're gonna destroy the submarines!"
"How are we all gonna escape?" Sokka asked.
"We're not," said Hakoda.
"Then our only choice is to stand and fight," Sokka said. "We have the Avatar. We can still win."
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win," Hakoda agreed. "On another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."
"What?" Katara returned, taking her father in her arms. "We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind!"
"You're our only chance in the long run," Hakoda insisted. "You and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive."
"The youngest of our group should go with you," Bato added. "The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle."
Lu Ten felt his stomach drop. They would be taken as prisoners, but the second Ozai or Azula saw him, he would be condemned.
"I've got some experience with Fire Nation prisons," Tyro said. "It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by."
"They're at the beach already!" Sokka exclaimed.
They looked on as the water benders still on the beach fruitlessly defended the submarines. There were just too many bombs. As Lu Ten saw the subs go up in flames, he felt as if it was his life going up as well. It might as well have been.
The kids all loaded onto Appa's saddle and Lu Ten saw the choice before him. Go with the other adults and be a prisoner of the Fire Nation, or escape with the children. This made him feel ashamed. How could he think of leaving the men he had fought with behind? Many of them had wives and children that they risked this day for. He would have to be with them, no matter the cost.
"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong," Aang said to them. "I'm gonna make this up to you!"
With that, they flew away on Appa. Lu Ten watched his only chance at escaping with his life disappear into a speck in the sky. He looked at the other men around him, and they braced themselves when they heard the marching Fire Nation soldiers coming to arrest them. They surrendered and Lu Ten faced his worst nightmare. He was at the mercy of the Fire Nation.