Book Two: Earth
Chapter Seventeen: Lake Laogai
Xena sat at the window seat and watched as Sokka tried and failed to make a picture of Appa. She shakes her head slightly and twirls her new knife distractedly. Aang and Katara suddenly burst in with Era in tow. The young nobleman is panting for breath, his brown hair ruffled.
"We found a printer to make our posters!" Katara exclaimed, holding up said poster.
"Hey! I thought designing the lost Appa poster was my job," Sokka whined. "I've been working all day on my Appa!"
He held up his crudely drawn picture of Appa.
Aang face palmed. "Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head."
"This is his head," Sokka said in confusion.
Katara grabbed the picture. "Why are feet coming out of it?"
"Those are his horns!" Sokka snatched it back and sighed after looking at it. "I haven't seen him in a while, okay?"
"It looks just like him to me!" Toph mocked.
"Thank you, I worked really-" Sokka started but stopped recognizing the sarcasm. "Why do you feel the need to do that?"
"Tch," Xena clicked her tongue. "It's not our fault you never learn."
Katara laughed before becoming serious again. "Let's just stick with the professional version."
Sokka ripped his flyer up angrily while they all struggled not to laugh. Era just seemed plain confused by their ability to switch moods so fast.
"C'mon!" Aang said excitedly as he pulled out more posters. "Let's get busy! The soon we get these spread around the sooner we can find Appa."
Era stared after Aang and then turned to look at the other four. "We don't really have to follow him do we?"
"Nah, following him is like trying to get Xena to act girly," Sokka says only to yelp when Xena throws the knife still in her hand. It pins his sleeve to the floor. He tries to pull it out unsuccessfully.
"Xena," Katara chides and tries to pull the knife free as well.
Xena smirks when she also has no luck getting it out. Toph reaches over and pulls it free without even looking. Holding it out to Katara.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Zuko cleaned the table off, only looking up when he overheard part of the conversation between his uncle and a customer.
"I'll provide you with a new apartment in the Upper Ring. The teashop is yours to do whatever you want complete creative freedom."
"I even get to name the shop?" Iroh asked eagerly.
"Of course!"
"Uh, senior executive assistant manager?" Pao said only to have Iroh hand him a pot of tea.
Iroh bowed to the man. Zuko tilted his head and slid the rag into a pocket of his apron before walking over to his uncle
"Did you hear, nephew? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the Upper Ring of the city!"
"That's right young man," The man said. "Your lives are about to change for the better."
"I'll try to contain my joy," Zuko said sarcastically before stomping out of the tea shop.
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest. A poster drifted down from the sky and he reached out and caught it. He looked up after seeing the contents. Seeing no one he looked back down at the flyer determinedly.
lxxxXXXxxxl
"I just finished dropping all of the leaflets." Aang said excitedly, running into the room. "Has anyone come in with news about Appa?"
"It's only been a day," Katara commented as she concentrated on the game she and Sokka were playing. "Just be patient."
Aang huffed quietly and sat down, resting his chin on his folded arms. There was a soft knock at the door and he immediately jumped up.
"Wow, you're right! Patience really pays off!"
"You don't think someone's already answered the flyers, do you?" Era asked Xena as they followed him to the door.
"Joo Dee?" Aang said after opening the door
"Hello Aang, Xena, Katara, Sokka, and Toph," The woman greeted, completely ignoring Era.
"What happened to you?" Sokka asked curiously. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"
"What? Jail?" Joo Dee asked in confusion. "Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."
"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party," Toph pointed out.
"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country," Joo Dee replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "It was quite relaxing."
"But then they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee."
Joo Dee looked at Katara after she spoke. "I'm Joo Dee."
"Why are you here?" Aang said impatiently.
Joo Dee smiled and pulled one of the fliers out of her sleeve. "Dropping fliers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance."
Era glanced over at Xena in confusion. "There's no such rule."
"We can't wait around to get permission for everything," Sokka crossed his arms, not hearing Era.
"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters," Joo Dee said cheerfully.
"We don't care about the rules and we're not asking permission!" Aang shouted, forcing Joo Dee out of the house. "We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of the way!"
He slammed the door in her face and continued to glare at it almost as if he was the one with heat vision.
"That might come back to bite us in the blubber," Sokka pointed out, placing a piece on the game board.
"I don't care!" Aang snapped still glaring at the door. "From now we do whatever it takes to find Appa!"
"Yeah, let's break some rules!" Toph cheered before taking out the side of the house with earthbending.
Era's mouth practically fell open in shock as he looked at the gigantic hole. Xena sighs and puts a hand on Toph's shoulder, pushing her down.
"Aang, you can stop glaring at the door now, she's gone."
lxxxXXXxxxl
Iroh looked up as his nephew came into the apartment.
"So, I was thinking about names for my new tea shop. How about the Jasmine Dragon? It's dramatic, poetic, and has a nice ring to it."
Zuko ignored what his uncle was saying as he pulled out the flyer. "The Avatar is here in Ba Sing Se and he's lost his bison."
"We have a change for a new life here," Iroh said slowly, pausing in his packing. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."
"Good things that are happening to you!" Zuko snapped angrily. "Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?!"
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want from your life and why."
Zuko turned to look out the window. "I want my destiny."
"What that means is up to you," Iroh replied wisely.
Zuko headed into the bedroom.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Sokka brushed the glue on the wall then put up one of the posters.
"We'll split up to cover more area. Toph, I guess you should just come with me."
"Why? Because you think I can't put up posters on my own?" Toph demanded and she angrily took the paintbrush from Sokka, roughly brushing some glue on the wall before slapping one of the posters onto the wall, backwards.
"It's upside-down, isn't it?" Toph asked with a sigh and she handed Sokka the brush back before they could respond. "I'll just go with Sokka."
Xena patted her shoulder as she passed.
lxxxXXXxxxl
"Where's Katara?" Aang asks as he joins Xena, Sokka, Toph and Era at the fountain.
"We thought she was with you," Sokka says in surprise.
"Did you guys hear that?" Xena ask, turning slightly.
This time they all hear the soft yelp of surprise.
"Katara!" Sokka gasped and led the way into a nearby alley where his sister stood with some boy trapped to the wall.
The boy's heat signature was messed up in the same way Joo Dee's was.
"Katara!" Sokka called out again. "What is it?"
"Jet's back," Katara replied coolly. "We can't trust anything he says."
"But we don't even know why he's here!" Sokka protested as he looked between his sister and the guy, Jet.
"I don't care why he's here!" Katara retorted angrily. "Whatever the reason is, it can't be good!'
"I'm here to help you find Appa!" Jet exclaimed and he opened his hand slightly, a flyer unfurling.
"Katara, we have to give him a chance," Aang stated calmly.
"Who's he?" Era asks me quietly.
Xena shrugs, "No idea. Probably someone the met while I was Zhao's prisoner."
"I swear I've changed!" Jet pleaded. "I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control, but I don't even have the gang now! I've put all that behind me!"
"You're lying!" Katara shouted furiously.
"He's not lying."
"How can you tell?" Sokka asked Toph in confusion.
"I can feel his breathing and heartbeat," Toph explained. "When people lie, there's a physical reaction. He's telling the truth."
"Katara, we don't have any leads," Aang pleaded quietly. "If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out."
"Alright," Katara agreed then turned to glare at Jet angrily. "But we're not letting you out of our sight."
lxxxXXXxxxl
"This is the place I heard about," Jet said after leading them into a warehouse.
Aang ran forward but stopped in the doorway. "There's nothing here."
Katara bended the water out of her water pouch threateningly. "If this is a trap-"
"I told you, I work nearby!" Jet exclaimed in exasperation. "Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had, I figured it must be Appa!"
"He was here!" Toph exclaimed, picking up a wad of fur that she'd stepped on.
"We missed him…" Aang mumbled, taking it from her
"They took that big thing yesterday," An old man commented as he swept the floor. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur, and various, uhh… leavings all day."
Aang looked up hopefully. "What island? Where's Appa?"
"Foreman said some rich royal type on Whale Tail Island bought him upm, guess for a zoo or such. Though, could be the meat that'd be good."
"We've got to get to Whale Tail Island!" Aang said urgently. "Where's Whale Tail Island?"
"Far, very far," Sokka responded in dismay before showing them the map. "Here it is. It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home."
"Aang, it will take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom and then we'll need a boat to get to the island."
"We have a chance to find Appa! We have to try!" Aang retorted passionately.
"Must be nice to visit an island. I haven't had a vacation for years."
Katara whirled around to glare at the old man. "Don't you have some more hair to clean up?"
"Shuffle on, I get you," The old man sighed and continued to sweep. "No more need for Ol' Sweepy."
"You're right, Aang, right now our first concern has to be finding Appa," Katara stated.
"Wait guys," Xena interrupted. "Doesn't this seem kind of strange. I mean what are the chances that we just missed Appa. The Dai Li are already keeping us from seeing the Earth King who's to say that they aren't trying to get us to leave Ba Sing Se by giving us a false lead."
"Why would they want us to leave?" Katara asked in confusion.
"Because we know that the King is just a puppet," Aang says in realization.
"Umm, I have an idea," Era suggests quietly, before lowering his voice so that the old man can't hear them. "Why don't we act like we left Ba Sing Se? We can still look for Appa, but the Dai Li won't know we're here."
"I like that plan," Sokka said, stroking an imaginary beard. "Alright then let's go find Appa?"
"I'll come with you," Jet offered.
"We don't need your help!" Katara snapped angrily.
"Why won't you trust me?" Jet asked.
"Gee, I wonder," Katara muttered with a huff before leaving the warehouse with the others following behind.
"We'll find Appa, Aang. I promise."
He nodded at Xena before jogging to catch up to Katara. They weren't walking long when someone called out behind them.
"Jet!"
lxxxXXXxxxl
Mist gritted her teeth and slid backwards off the roof before Shun could see her. He was completely messing up her mission. She sighed and closed her eyes briefly. When she reopened them they shined with determination. She was going to continue to follow the Avatar and she was going to do it without Shun knowing.
lxxxXXXxxxl
They all stopped and turned to face the two people running towards them, a boy with a bow and a straw hat and a girl that looked like a boy.
"I thought you said you didn't have your 'gang' anymore!" Katara snapped at Jet
Jet spun around and looked at Katara in confusion. "I don't!"
The girl hugged Jet. "We were so worried about you! How did you get away from the Dai Li?"
"The Dai Li?" Katara gasped in shock.
"I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet exclaimed in confusion.
"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago," The girl explained, stepping away from Jet. "We saw them drag him away!"
"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city."
Toph crouched down and put her hand on the ground. "This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth."
"That's impossible," Katara denied in confusion.
"No, it's not!" Sokka remarked loudly. "Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!"
Xena remembered the abnormalities that she was sensing in his heat signature. If Jet was brainwashed then so was Joo Dee.
"That's crazy! It can't be!" Jet snapped and looked around at them as they closed in on him. "Stay away from me!"
lxxxXXXxxxl
"Out of my way, skinny!" Zuko snapped as he shoved past a Dai Li agent. He ran down the alley where he had set up the straw effigy and quickly jumped onto the roof of a nearby building. The Dai Li agent ran into the alley a moment later and used his rock gloves on the straw effigy, knocking the head clean off. Zuko jumped down behind him and pressed his dao swords against the agent's throat, drawing a thin line of blood.
"If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what I say."
lxxxXXXxxxl
"Xena was right. The Dai Li was trying to mislead us. They sent Jet to lead us to the warehouse and the janitor must have been a part of their plot too," Katara said as they stood in the Freedom Fighter's apartment in a semicircle around Jet.
"That means Appa must be here in the city," Aang said eagerly. "Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?"
"Nowhere!" Jet replied exasperatedly. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"
"We need to find a way to jog his real memories," Aang suggested.
"Maybe Katara should kiss him," Sokka suggested with a mischievous smirk. "That should bring something back!"
"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka!"
"Hey, just an idea!"
Aang scowled faintly. "A bad one…"
"Ohh, wait! I got it!" Sokka shouted and took a piece of straw from the nearby mattress and stuck it in Jet's mouth.
"I don't think it's working…" Jet muttered then spat the piece of straw out.
"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions," Toph suggested.
"The Fire Nation!" Smellerbee suggested. "Remember what they did to your family!"
"Close your eyes," Katara instructed softly. "Picture it."
Jet closed his eyes as ordered, but snapped them open a second later. "No! It's too painful."
The others sat back and tried to think of other ways to help Jet's memories. Toph snapped her fingers and pointed at Xena.
"Xena, remember Joo Dee's reaction to your bending?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Maybe it can help Jet," She suggests.
Xena glances over at Jet and sighs. "It's worth a try."
"What are you two talking about?" Katara asked in confusion.
Xena ignore her and carefully light an orange flame in my palm.
"You're a firebender," Smellerbee gasps in surprise, pulling a dagger.
"Among other things," Xena replies before allowing her flame to change to its unique coloring. Jet stared at the flame in her hand just as Joo Dee had done. She closed her eyes instinctually as if meditating and didn't see how the silver in the flame expanded until there was more of it than the white or blue.. Jet's heat signature began to turn normal again as he watched the flame.
"They took me to a headquarters under the water," Jet said quietly. "Like a lake!"
Xena reopened her eyes and extinguished the flames as Sokka began to speak.
"Wait, remember what Joo Dee said? She said she went on vacation to Lake Laogai!"
"That's it!" Jet agreed eagerly as he got to his feet. "Lake Laogai."
lxxxXXXxxxl
"So where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as they stared out over the lake.
"Under the water, I think," Jet replied uncertainly.
Toph pointed to the shore. "There's a tunnel right there by the shore."
She walked down to the water's edge and opened the tunnel with earthbending. Momo chirped nervously and flew from Xena's shoulder.
Xena lead the way into the tunnel, using her ability to make sure there were no agents around to see them. Aang's hand clenched tightly to his staff as he dropped into the tunnel after her. He was worried that they were wrong about Appa.
"It's all starting to come back to me," Jet whispered to himself as they passed a room where a Dai Li agent was brainwashing a group of women.
The women repeated whatever he said in blank monotone voices. A shiver ran down her spine and she clenched her hands into fists, but kept walking.
"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa ahead," Jet said before leading them to a stop in front of a large door. "I think it's through here."
lxxxXXXxxxl
"The bison's through here," The agent said with a gesture at the door.
The scarred prince slammed the hilt of a sword onto the agents head knocking him out. He pushed the door open and was met with a growl by the Avatar's bison.
"Expecting someone else?" He asked coldly.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Jet led them into the large dark room. Xena stopped walking immediately, sensing the Dai Li agents on the ceiling and in a line in front of them. A trap. The door closed behind them and light filled the room. Xena drew her swords and shifted into an air style stance.
"Now that's something different," Sokka commented quietly.
"You have made yourselves enemies of the state," Long Feng told them before speaking to his agents. "Take them into custody."
Dai Li agents dropped from the ceiling, encircling them. Xena spun into motion immediately, barely dodging a pair of rock gloves. She slapped the flat edge of her sword into an agent's stomach and did a backflip to avoid a rock spike. The air style was mostly defense and required constant movement. At one point she ended up back to back with Katara and Era, the latter was sandbending.
"Long Feng is escaping," Aang suddenly shouted.
Xena looked over in time to see him and Jet run after Long Feng. With a soft sigh she began moving faster than before. She's Aang's guardian and it doesn't make her job easy when he runs off. With a mix of all four sword styles, bending, and chi-blocking she renders the rest of the Dai Li agents unconscious.
"That was truly terrifying," Sokka commented in obvious awe.
"All part of being the Guardian."
lxxxXXXxxxl
Zuko watched the sky bison stomp his paws angrily for a minute before stepping closer
"You're mine now."
He turned when the door opened behind him only to relax when he saw who it was.
"Uncle?"
"So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask …"
Zuko sighed before removing the mask. "What are you doing here?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," Iroh stated. "What do you plan to do now that you've found the Avatar's bison? Keep him locked up in our new apartment? Should I put on a pot of tea for him?"
Zuko turned back to the bison. "I have to get him out of here first."
"And then what? You never think these things through. This is exactly what happened when you captured the Avatar at the North Pole! You had him and then you had nowhere to go!"
"I would have figured something out!" Zuko shouted, turning to face his uncle again.
"No! If his friends hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"
"I know my own destiny, Uncle!"
"Is it your own destiny or is it a destiny someone forced on you?"
"Stop it, Uncle," Zuko shouted before turning to the bison. "I have to do this!"
"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward and begin asking yourself the big question, who are you and what do you want?"
Zuko gave a wordless shout and threw down his swords and mask. For so long he thought he knew what he wanted and then he met Xena. Xena, who acted as if she was in control of her life while she was actually following a destiny that had been laid out for her. She was so much like him and yet so different. Because of her, Zuko didn't know what he wanted anymore or who he was. But it wasn't just because of her and he knew that.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Toph opened the door to the room Aang and Jet were in. They rushed in ready to fight, but slowed when they saw Aang with a badly injured Jet and no Long Feng in sight. Katara ran forward to heal him but the water did nothing.
"This isn't good."
"You guys go and find Appa," Smellerbee said, kneeling next to Jet. " We'll take care of Jet."
"We're not going to leave you," Katara protested.
"There's no time. Just go," Longshot ordered speaking for the first time since they'd met him. "We'll take care of him. He's our leader."
"Don't worry Katara. I'll be fine," Jet assured with a small smile.
After a brief hesitation they turned and walked away.
"He's lying," Toph whispered quietly to Xena and Sokka.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Mist was torn between going after the Avatar and helping Shun. With a soft sigh she jumped down from her hiding place causing Shun to spin towards her, bow at the ready. Whatever he saw in her eyes was enough that he relaxed. Smellerbee watched her with narrowed eyes.
"I can heal him," She said, meeting Shun's eyes evenly.
"Why?"
"He's your friend." And I want to trust you again.
"How?" Smellerbee interjected. "Katara already tried and it didn't work."
"She doesn't have the same abilities as me," Mist said, not breaking eye contact with Shun. Can you trust me?
Shun nodded and stepped to the side. She carefully kneeled next to Jet, noting that she didn't have much time. She placed her hands on his chest and a soft red light shimmered around her hands. Jet cried out suddenly causing Smellerbee to flinch. Mist wasn't a spirit but she was capable of the strongest healing known to mankind. Bloodhealing
lxxxXXXxxxl
When they found the room Appa was in, Toph opened the door with earthbending. The room was empty except for the remains of the chains that had bound the bison.
"Appa's gone!" Aang cried out in dismay. "Long Feng beat us here."
Xena crouched down beside the manacles, running a hand across the broken sharp metal. If Long Feng had taken Appa, why would the manacles be broken? They have the keys.
"If we keep moving maybe we can catch up to them," Sokka suggested.
They ran back the way they came and Toph quickly located an exit. Dai Li agents streamed out after them.
"Do you think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"I don't think it's gonna matter," Xena replied, looking at the Dai Li agents in front of them.
They slid to a halt and the Dai Li agents raised earthen walls in front and behind them while other Dai Li agents stood on the cliff face next to them. Momo suddenly swooped down, chittering rapidly.
"What is it Momo?"
Momo flew off again and a moment later there was a loud roar as a familiar shadow appeared in front of the sun. Aang shouted the bison's name happily as the large bison crashed through both walls in one swoop. Aang and Toph quickly bended the Dai Li agents off of the cliff face next to them. Appa growled and landed in front of Long Feng.
"I can handle you myself," Long Feng declared only to be thrown across the lake like a skipping stone.
Appa spat out Long Feng's shoe before Aang jumped on his face. Xena watched as everyone except for Era and her shower the giant bison with affection. Momo suddenly lands on her shoulder, a very familiar object clenched in his paws.
lxxxXXXxxxl
A few minutes earlier.
Zuko helped his uncle out of the tunnel and then turned to face the lake.
"You did the right thing, nephew." Iroh said gently and watched as Zuko took the Blue Spirit mask from his belt. "Leave it behind."
Zuko stared at it for a moment before dropping it into the lake. It slowly began to sink and he turned and followed his uncle back to the city. Neither of the two firebenders noticed the quick shadow that dived into the lake before coming back up and flying for the opposite shore.
lxxxXXXxxxl
Xena took the Blue Spirit mask from Momo, staring at it in surprise and then out across the lake. Thank you, Zuko.