Author's Note: I would have uploaded this chapter yesterday but I was having technical difficulties. Enjoy.
The group was now gathered in the Avatar's apartment, attempting to question Jet and trigger his memory. He sat in a chair in front of everyone while Sokka paced back and forth, trying to figure things out.
"The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us, and that janitor was part of their plot too," Katara deduced while she glared at the Freedom Fighter.
"I bet they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet," Aang said with growing excitement. He turned to look at Jet. "Where did they take you?"
"Nowhere…I, I don't know what you're talking about," he said, his dark eyes filled with confusion.
"We need to find a way to jog his real memories," Katara pointed out.
"Maybe Katara could kiss him. That should bring something back," Sokka said with a provoking grin, stopping his pacing.
"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka," Katara replied in annoyance.
"Hey, just an idea," Sokka said, putting his hands up in his defense.
"A bad one," Aang said with a frown. Kai's blue eyes lingered on him a moment. Was that jealousy in the Avatar's eyes when he looked at Jet?
"Oh, wait. I got it," Sokka said, plucking a piece of straw from his mattress and sticking it in Jet's mouth.
"I don't think its working," Jet said, taking the straw from between his lips.
"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions," Toph suggested.
"The Fire Nation, remember what they did to your family," Smellerbee added.
Sokka glanced at Kai and studied her a moment. "Kai, everybody knows who you are. Take off your hood and maybe it'll trigger hatred or something."
She frowned at him but removed the hood, eliciting gasps from Smellerbee and Longshot.
"You're an imposter!" Smellerbee growled, pulling her knife.
"Hold on! She's with us," Sokka said, stepping in front of Kai. She was surprised by the gesture, considering how reluctant he had been to let her join their little group.
"She's evil. She's one of them!"
"No, I'm one of you," Kai protested. "I'm no different from the person who's lived with you these past months."
"But-"
Smellerbee was cut off by Longshot's hand on her shoulder. He gave her a meaningful look before glancing at Kai and giving her a nod. The suspicion had cleared from his eyes and she gave him a slight nod in return. He accepted who she was and why she had hidden her identity.
"Close your eyes and picture your past," Katara told Jet, continuing with the process. He did as he was told and the room fell silent as everyone waited for something to happen. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he tried to concentrate and moments later he opened his eyes. He shook his head and put his face in his hands.
"No! It's too painful," Jet whimpered.
"Maybe this will help," Katara offered. She stepped behind him as she pulled out some bending water and coated her hands. She placed her hands on either side of his head and the water began to glow as she used her healing powers. The room was silent again as everyone watched Jet with eager eyes.
"Th-they took me to a headquarters under the water, like a lake," Jet said tentatively.
"Wait, remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai!" Sokka said.
"That's it! Lake Laogai," Jet exclaimed, jumping to his feet. His gaze fell on Kai and he immediately pulled his hook swords. "The hell? Why is she here?"
Kai frowned as he fell into a fighting position. Did he just now realize who she was? He must have gotten all of his memories back. Before she could think on it too much longer, he swung a sword at her and she pulled a katana to block the blow. The space was too small to firebend without setting the house on fire.
"Jet, stop! She's with us," Katara yelled, trying to intervene.
"She's from the Fire Nation!" Jet protested, swinging his other sword down and trying to catch Kai's shoulder. She moved her katana holding his first sword to the side, bending his arm at an awkward angle. Her other hand moved and she caught his wrist before the sword reached her. He grunted and forced his weight onto her, causing her to loose her balance and step back. She fell onto her back and he lunged towards her. A gust of wind interfered and sent him flying into the opposite wall.
"Stop it!" Aang shouted.
Jet got to his feet and glared at Kai. "She's lying. You can't trust her."
"You've trusted me for a while, Jet," she said coldly, getting to her feet. His eyes widened in realization and he scowled.
"You infiltrated my Freedom Fighters?" He moved to attack her again but an arrow from Longshot whizzed through the air and caught the fabric of his shirt, pinning him to the wall. Kai glanced back and gave him an appreciative smile before looking back at Jet.
"Stop fighting!" Toph interjected. "She's a good guy. Get over it."
Jet's jaw clenched in anger but he couldn't move to attack her again. "I hate you," he said angrily, his dark eyes fixed on Kai.
"I'm not too fond of you either," she retorted.
"Can we put aside our differences for five minutes and go find Appa?" Sokka asked.
"I agree," Aang said. "Let's go."
The group stopped at the edge of a tranquil looking lake and Kai looked around skeptically. How could this be a secret headquarters? There was nothing strange about this lake.
"So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked, sounding as skeptical as Kai felt.
"Under the lake, I think…" Jet said, scratching his head.
"There's a tunnel right there near the shore," Toph said, pointing to the right. She walked toward the edge of the lake and fell into a bending stance, causing a pathway to rise from the water. The group followed her to a disk on the ground and she bent it to the side, revealing a hole with a ladder leading down into its dark depths.
"So…who wants to go first?" Sokka asked, his eyes flicking from one person to the next. Kai rolled her eyes and started down the ladder, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dimly lit tunnels as she descended.
Once everyone reached the bottom, Jet started forward. "It's all starting to come back to me. Come on, this way."
He led them silently along a tunnel, motioning for them to stay quiet as they approached a door. The group kept going and as Kai passed, she glanced into the doorway. Rows of identically dressed women were staring vacantly at a Dai Li agent, repeating everything he said. She scurried along quickly, rubbing her arms as shivers went up her spine. This place was creepy and she knew she wouldn't want to be separated from the group. Longshot glanced back and paused long enough for her to catch up before placing a hand on her back and leading her along. He gave her a small, reassuring smile and she returned it.
"Thanks," she said softly. He nodded and they continued after the group.
"I think there might be a cell ahead big enough to hold Appa," Jet whispered over his shoulder, loud enough for everyone to hear. He stopped at a stone door, "I think it's through here." He led everyone into a dark cavern and they all looked around cautiously. Suddenly, the door slammed closed behind them. The cavern illuminated with green lanterns and everyone noticed Dai Li agents hanging from chains on the ceiling or clinging to it. Across the cavern, a man stood between a few agents. He was middle aged and partially bald with a long braid hanging down his back.
"Well that's something different," Sokka commented as he took in the Dai Li on the ceiling.
"You've made yourselves enemies of the state," the man said grimly. "Take them into custody."
The cavern burst into chaos as the Dai Li began dropping from the ceiling. Kai dodged a flying glove and pulled her katanas from their sheaths, using them to block another stone glove. She let energy flow through her and suddenly the blades were flaming. She swiped, sending a slice of white fire at one of the agents with an angry grunt. Another moved to grab her and she swung her katanas at him. He deflected the blades with his armor and shot a glove at her ankle. It caught her and she let loose another slice of flame to keep him away from her. The glove began pulling her to a different agent and she slid helplessly toward him. Without warning, the glove disintegrated and she was free. She leapt to her feet and silently thanked Toph in her mind before slicing another glove out of the air.
"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang's cry cut through the fight. Kai could just barely see Aang and Jet leaving the cavern through the dust of the battle. Her attention was diverted as yet another agent attacked her. The glove was broken by an arrow and she glanced at Longshot gratefully before moving on to another agent. She sliced at him with her sword and it again deflected off of his stone armor. She needed to find a weak point, but it seemed like they had none.
"Guys, there's too many of them!" Sokka shouted over everyone. Suddenly, an idea occurred to Kai.
"Toph, cover our people!" she yelled. The blind girl did as she was asked and suddenly Kai was alone with the agents. She took the opportunity of their confusion and focused the energy through her chi paths. With an angry cry, she unleashed the lightening building up inside of her and used her blades to guide it toward the agents. Their screams echoed through the cavern and she stopped, the remnants of electricity still running over her fingers. A stone dome slid back into the ground and everyone looked around with wide eyes.
"What the-"
"Are they alive?" Katara asked, her eyes anxiously going to some of the fallen agents.
"Maybe," Kai said softly, looking at the damage she had done. A few of the agents were smoking and the smell of burning flesh drifted through the air. Others were struggling to get up. "We need to get to Aang before they get back on their feet. Come on." She started off the way Aang and Jet had gone, waiting for Toph to open the stone door before leading them down the tunnel. She glanced back and caught Sokka's wary gaze on her. She turned away and quickened her pace. It shouldn't matter that she had killed some people. They needed to help Aang; that was her top priority. Another thing she had learned growing up in the Fire Nation: you had to do whatever it took to finish what needed to be done. They arrived in another cavern where Aang was crouched beside a large rock.
"Aang?" Katara asked, jogging over to him. She gasped when she saw Jet's legs were crushed under the rock. She pulled out her bending water and crouched beside him. "This isn't good."
"You guys go find Appa. We'll take care of Jet," Smellerbee said, crouching beside him as well.
"We're not going to leave you," Katara protested.
"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader," Longshot said, causing everyone but Kai and Smellerbee to look at him in surprise.
"It's okay Katara, I'll be fine," Jet said tenderly.
Katara nodded and got to her feet. The others started toward the other side of the cavern, but Kai stopped to look back at her former group mates. "See you on the other side?" she asked.
Smellerbee crouched beside Jet and nodded. Longshot stepped toward her and pulled her into a hug. "If you make it, tell The Duke I said goodbye," Kai whispered into his ear. He nodded and stepped back, tilting his head at the sound of shouts coming from the direction they had fought the Dai Li.
"Go. The Avatar needs you," he told her. She nodded and left them to make their final stand, catching up to the Avatar group.
"Jet was lying," Toph said softly, her voice grim. She pushed toward the front and reached a large stone door. With a swipe of her hand, it slid open to reveal a large room with six empty manacles.
"Appa's gone," Aang said sadly. "Long Feng beat us here."
"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up to him," Sokka said, trying to be optimistic.
"Guys, I hate to burst your bubble, but the Dai Li are coming," Toph said. "We need to get out of here."
The boys nodded and she led the way through the tunnels, finding the way out with ease. They climbed up the ladder and Toph sent the cover flying. They emerged into the bright sunlight and ran down the path just as a few Dai Li agents emerged behind them.
"Do you think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked through his pants.
"I don't think it matters," Aang said solemnly, coming to a stop. Ahead of them stood Long Feng and more Dai Li agents. Both groups of Dai Li made walls, trapping the group. The agents slid down the walls, their threat growing steadily closer.
Descending out of the sky, a flying lemur landed on Aang's shoulder chattering excitedly. "What is it Momo?" the bald boy asked. The lemur leapt back into the air and they watched as he flew into the sun. Moments later, another dot appeared, coming towards them, and a loud bellow echoed out across the lake.
"Appa!" Aang shouted. The beast broke through both walls, sending the Dai Li flying into the lake. He circled back around and landed right beside Long Feng.
"I can take care of you myself!" the man shouted before leaping toward the flying bison. Appa opened his mouth and bit down on the Long Feng's leg, causing him to scream in agony. A sickening crunch sounded and then the bison tossed the offending man out into the lake with his agents.
"Yeah Appa!" Sokka shouted, hugging one of his legs.
"I missed you buddy," Aang said, tears pooling in his eyes as he buried his face in the creature's fur. "Look, we got a new member. Appa, meet Kai."
The bison grunted and gave the firebender a slobbery lick.
"Gross," she commented, flicking the spit off of her.
"It means he likes you," Aang said with a grin.
"Let's get back to the apartment," Katara suggested. The group nodded and they all climbed onto the creature's back. The sensation of flying was new to Kai and she gripped tightly to the edge of the saddle.
Sokka grinned at her panicked look. "What? Never flown before?"
"Something like that," she muttered. Her blue eyes fell on the lake below them and she felt a little piece of her heart shatter. The Freedom Fighters hadn't made it. The people she had lived with for months, gone. And she had only just begun to get to know them.
A/N: Aww...this chapter was kinda depressing. Poor Freedom Fighters. R&R!