Ch.19 A Councilman's Betrayal
In no time at all, the battle was on. Aang followed his quarry on the air scooter. Meanwhile, Zuko, Katara and Toph worked together to give Sokka, Ty Lee, and Mai time to get Suki away from the fight. "Take my bending, will you?" Toph asked angrily as she sent at least five soldiers flying. Katara began using water from a nearby well. She weaved around the battlefield as though she were surfing, imobilizing several guards in ice. "Way to go, Sugar Queen," Toph complimented as she sent a boulder toward ten guards. Only one managed to dodge. "You're not doing so bad yourself," Katara replied.
Zuko was shooting fire blasts in all directions, it seemed. He shot with perfect accuracy, hitting every target he aimed at. The guards were on the losing end. Long Feng viewed the battle from a safe distance. He had gone to great lengths to secure this power. He turned to his hand selected Dai Li agents. "Go," he instructed. Each one of them took to the battlefield without hesitation. Katara was the first one to notice. "Zuko, the Dai Li are coming," she warned. At hearing this, Toph stepped up her game.
She stamped her foot, creating multiple pillars. Zuko and Katara converged on the few who were lucky enough to dodge the attack. A rock cuff went flying Toph's way, but she deflected it with an earth shield. Several guards tried to attack her from behind, but her earthsight made sneak attacks from the ground impossible. The few who tried found themselves flying. Katara managed to freeze two Dai Li and was dealing with a third when one shot a rock cuff from behind.
"Katara, look out!" Zuko shouted in warning. In the nick of time, she used water to propel herself out of the way, and the cuff struck her previous opponent. As Toph made her way to her friends, she sensed a familiar presence. "Sugar Queen, get Sparky and get out of here," she suddenly ordered. "What? Why?" Katara demanded. "It's Chan," the blind girl replied, a sense of pain in her voice. She realized now that he was just another victim of Long Feng's mind control.
"We're not leaving you, Toph," Zuko said defiantly. "Zuko's right, he can't take all three of us," Katara added. Toph stared stoicily ahead. "Yes, he can," she replied, without even turning. The finality of her statement took Katara and Zuko by surprise. "How can you be so sure?" Zuko asked. the answer to his question did not come from Toph. "Sifu Toph," Chan said. Toph tried to reason with her former student. "Chan, you're being controlled," she said.
"You're a law breaker," Chan replied, almost robotically. "I can try to heal him," Katara said. Before they could debate any more, Chan sent a boulder in the young water bender's direction. Only quick intervention by Toph stopped it's flight. She stood her ground. "Try not to hurt him," she said. Zuko and Katara nodded, before launching an attack. Chan proved to be a worthy adversary, shielding himself from Zuko's fire blasts and Katara's water whip. Toph herself tried to imprison him in earth, but he merely broke free.
Katara saw an opportunity and took it. As Chan jumped to avoid a pillar, Katara waited. As soon as he landed, she froze him to the spot. He struggled furiously as the group approached. Katara extracted water from the well, and placed her hands on his head. The effect was similar to when she had healed Suki. His struggling ceased, and he let out a scream of pain. Realization of his surroundings began to set in. "Sifu Toph? What am I doing here." Then recent memories began coming back. "Oh no," he said, his voice broken in horror. "What have I done?"
Long Feng couldn't believe what he had just seen. Even his hand picked Dai Li agents failed. His entire scheme was coming apart. He realized he needed to act. It would be foolish, he knew, to take Toph, Katara and Zuko on all at once, but he realized that others were missing. There was only one place they could have gone. He made his way to the Jasmine Dragon. It was time to secure a hostage.
Iroh waited expectantly, and his heart leapt in joy as Mai finally appeared over the hill. "I was so worried about you," he said as they made their way to the wreckage. "Where is Zuko?" he questioned. Ty Lee smiled. "Zuko helped cover our escape," she explained. Suki began moaning in pain. Before any celebration could be had, Long Feng revealed his presence. He bended prisons of rock around everyone present. "Well played," he complimented. He looked his prisoners over. "What do you want?" Iroh demanded. Long Feng ignored the question. He seemed to be deep in thought. Finally, he made his decision. "You are coming with me, my wife," he said as he released Suki from her prison. She fell forward into his waiting arms. "I'll kill you!" Sokka screamed. Long Feng didn't even look back as he dragged Suki away.
Zhang Chang panted as he entered the main hall of the council building. As he stopped to catch his breath, the door to the grand hall blew open. "No more running, council member," Aang said. He was no longer in the Avatar State. "This is all a big mistake," he continued. Chang had his back to the Avatar. It was as though he were searching for something. "Long Feng's behind all of this. He's controlling you and the rest of the council."
At hearing this, Chang turned to face the Avatar. His face wore a maniacal grin, and he began laughing hysterically. "HA! HA! HA!" he bellowed. "Controlling me? Rest assured, young Avatar, I serve Master Long Feng willingly!" Aang stared in disbelief. He was almost unprepared when the former council member began sending fire balls his way.