Chapter 29:
Sokka was leaning against and pushing on the brace the two benders had cut through. He groaned and his feet slid as he tried to put force and break the brace.
"C'mon brace, budge!" he demanded his feet slipping along the metal but nothing happened. He slammed his shoulder against it but that wasn't enough either. Katara and Freya were standing watching the boy as Aang sat before them.
"This is bad, really bad." Katara said as Sokka panted and paused in his struggles.
"We're putting everything we've got into busting these braces, but it's taking too long!" Sokka complained
"Then we need to change our strategy." Freya offered "And fast."
"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through." the three turned to Aang as he suddenly looked inspired. "Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give 100% of your energy into any one strike." He levitated himself to his feet. "Sokka, take a fighting stance. You've gotta be quick and accurate." Aang hooked his foot around one of Sokka's ankles and pulled, causing Sokka to loose his balance. "Hit a series of points, and break your opponent's stance. And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow." Aang bonked Sokka on the head and the boy toppled over. "His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally."
"So we just need to weaken the braces, instead of cut all the way through." Katara realised
"Then I'll go to the top of this thing, and deliver the final blow." Aang pointed at the roof as Sokka got to his feet.
"And boom, it all comes crashing down!" Sokka cheered.
"Everyone inside that wall, the whole world, is counting on us." Aang reminded them.
"The whole world, minus the Fire Nation that is." Sokka added
"Well, not all of the Fire Nation. You might actually find there are some who don't agree with what's happening." Freya shrugged
"Yeah like who?" Sokka demanded and Freya looked annoyed
"How about, me?" she offered and Sokka looked surprised
"Oh yeah." Freya rolled her eyes.
"Come on." Freya moved and the others followed her as they moved off to the braces. Freya took one brace and the two other benders took another. Freya heaved and jumped her way through outer shell as she finished and Aang did the same as Katara ran from one to another.
The braces were cut perhaps halfway through and they moved around the outer shell a lot faster now that not as much effort was needed for the one task.
"That's enough, we need to get to the next one!" Aang's voice sounded out and they moved on and around. Freya jumped down beside Sokka as Katara and Aang were moving and cutting through the last brace.
"Good work Team Avatar. Now Aang just needs to… DUCK!" Sokka shouted and blue fire shot over his head. They looked up to see Azula, Mai and Ty Lee on the brace above them and Aang spun and ducked as Azula shot another blast at him.
"Wow Azula, you were right, it is the Avatar!" Ty Lee admired before she smiled as she noticed Sokka "… and friends."
"Hey." Sokka smiled but Katara walked past and grabbed her brother's hand as he waved, moving out of the way.
Mai and Azula followed while Ty Lee jumped backwards, grabbed the brace and swung herself forwards towards Aang, the boy simply blew her off and in the opposite direction.
"Come on!" Freya said and she caught the boy as he landed beside her and they headed after the siblings.
"We need to deliver the blow." Aang said
"Azula wont let you." Freya warned "I'm coming with you, you need to stop this drill, you can't let her stop you." Aang nodded. They reached a T junction and Katara and Sokka turned one way before Aang and Freya stopped.
"Guys get out of here, I know what I need to do." Aang called after them and Freya turned to run in the opposite direction as Katara stopped Aang.
"Wait! You need this water more than I do!" Katara threw him her pouch and the avatar ran off after the Duo Bender.
As predicted Azula sent Mai and Ty Lee after the water tribe siblings and chased the other two benders herself.
Aang zipped his way through the machine with a quick breeze of wind and Freya shot herself out and around after him, jumping landings instead of climbing the stairs. They reached a ladder of stairs and Freya jumped and Aang blew her up them before she blasted her way up the rest, the boy following.
"Hatch!" Freya shouted and Aang nodded as he noticed it ahead. Freya blasted it open and they jumped out and back into the open, landing on top of the drill as the end was tunnelling into the wall. The sky was amber and the sun was setting in the distance. Dust was being blown up everywhere from the hole in the wall and rocks scattered the top of the metal.
They ran along towards the wall of Ba Sing Se before coming to a stop.
"This looks like a good spot Momo." Aang decided before he gasped and jumped out of the way, Freya stepping backwards as a boulder suddenly landed where they'd been standing and then rolled off the side of the drill.
Several more boulders fell down after it and the two benders dodged their way around the metal to avoid the giant boulders. Earthbenders were throwing them down from the top of the wall and the General was looking over biting his nails in worry.
"General Sung, tell your soldiers to stop shooting rocks down here!" Aang shouted up.
The boulder's didn't stop.
"I guess he can't hear you over the drill." Freya realised before they both dodged another boulder. Aang drew his water out of the pouch, ignoring the falling rocks, and began to slice at the metal of the drill at his feet. Freya shot her water around to knocked the boulders away from the boy as he dug a cross into the metal.
The girl paused as suddenly slurry water of mud began to spout out of the wall from the drill. The girl guessed the rock from the wall was being mixed with water somewhere in the drill in order to clear it all out.
"What's happening?" Aang asked her
"I'm guessing something's happening with the drainage…" Freya muttered.
"Katara!" Aang grinned
"Smart to block everything up, it'll mean more damage when we break it." the girl grinned and Aang nodded. The boy continued his cutting before he began to pant and Freya stood before him.
"I got it." Freya said as she cut at the water.
"What I'd give to be a metal bender." Aang thought
"You can work on that later." Freya smiled as she looked up.
"Look out!" Aang ducked as Freya swung her hand and blue fire clashed with ice before the two turned to stare at Azula.
"Momo, get out of here!" Aang ordered as Freya blocked another and the lemur hovered to avoid the embers. The lemur listened with a chirp and flew off as the two benders turned to Azula.
"Aang, you need to finish." Freya reminded him and she stepped forwards.
"But…"
"Do not argue with me." Freya huffed annoyed and he turned back to his metal cutting.
Azula swirled her hands around and pointed her fingers and fire shot at the girl who waved her arms and the water from the pouring slurry rose up and shot through dispersing the fire before the girl sent more and the fire princess had to jump to avoid. She landed and fire burst from her foot before she pointed her hand and more followed it. Freya dispersed, evaded and then returned the attack, whipping at the girl's limbs and stopping her from creating more blue flames.
Azula responded by running forwards and she jumped, turning and shooting two more blasts at the girl. Freya blocked one and skidded back from the force before she slammed her hands together and the second cut in half on either side of her. Azula stared at the girl as she took her stance and stared at the princess, waiting. Aang was jumping around and avoiding more boulders and Freya jumped to the side as he caught one and threw it at the princess past Freya. Azula split to the floor before standing back up to attack again, only for Aang block with the scattered rocks on the metal. The fire collided with it and Aang sent several flying at the girl who kicked the pieces away.
Freya jumped over the wall and shot at the princess who jumped backwards as a wave of water appeared over the girls head and plunged at the princess as icicles.
The girl smashed through the ice with a wall of fire before she ran at Freya. Fire blew out of her finger tips behind her and Freya stood her ground ready but Aang suddenly cried out from behind her and Freya glanced backwards in time to see slurry water suddenly explode all over the wall from within the hole the drill was making. Freya gasped as the slurry slurred and slashed out all over the metal behind her and she turned to raise her hands, waving them to have the wave of mud split apart before her and around her. Aang was covered in the stuff, having been standing the closest to the sudden explosion and Azula's flames were extinguished as she was splashed in the face with the divert from Freya. The water was slippery and Aang fell over as he tried to get to his feet and Azula had too much momentum to stop when she stepped onto the stuff herself. She went sliding and skidding along the metal and Freya watched surprised as she crashed straight into Aang.
The two ricocheted off the brick wall and shot off on either side of Freya. Freya turned and reached for Aang but he slipped by her.
"Aang!" He began to slide sideways and down the side of the round drill. Freya skidded after him and iced her feet to the metal before she swung her arm. The slurry water ran off down the side of the drill as Aang gripped at the metal before it iced out below him and the boy crashed into it with an oof.
He looked up at her and grinned as she smiled.
"You right?"
"Boy am I glad you're here." he said "Thanks Freya." she shrugged before she rose her hand and Aang went flying up the side of the drill before Freya removed the ice from her feet and with a blast of fire followed the boy, both landing on the slurry water.
"Come on, let's finish this." Freya said and Aang nodded before they moved across the metal to find the cross Aang had made. Freya moved the sludge on the metal until they found it and the girl emptied the cuts of the mud water.
"Now all I need is a…" A boulder suddenly came crashing down beside Aang and the two benders looked surprised. "Actually, that is what I needed for once." Aang grinned. He picked up the boulder and bended it in front of him before cutting off the side. Aang cut at the boulder until it pointed downwards and he positioned it into the hole as a nail.
"Now all it needs it the pressure." Freya said. Aang had turned around as she did and she watched him as he placed his hands on the ground and looked ready to run a race. Freya watched as he suddenly ran forwards and created his airball. Aang sat on top and he raced past Freya, blowing her hair everywhere as she watched him race up the wall. The ball began to shrink and Aang continued to run up the wall as much as he could before he turned around and with a shot of air was racing down the wall towards the nailed boulder. Freya looked from Aang to the earth beside her before she gasped. Freya turned to move away from the point and saw Azula had rounded her way up the side of the drill. Azula ran forwards and Freya saw Aang jump to bash the earth. The girl jumped in the air, dispersed the fire blast the princess sent and missed the wave that was shot through the entire drill as Aang landed and pushed the nail down into the metal.
The princess went flying backwards across the drill towards the other end and slurry splashed out everywhere. The cut braces all snapped and the wet sludge shot all over the wall, reaching up to the top before it bursted out of all the separation points of the drill, a total of four points in which the drill was covered in mud. Groaning and creaking sounded and the drill began to steam and collapse from it's movements as the pieces fell apart and the drill that had broken through the wall stopped turning. Freya landed back down on the metal, being careful not to slip and looked up to see Aang standing on his piece of earth. The boy was covered in muddy water from head to toe and Freya started laughing. The boy wiped his face and Momo landed on his shoulder. The boy grinned at Freya as Momo licked the boys head.
"Come on, let's find the others." she decided.
The two slid down the side of the drill and landed on the ground before they moved off over the earth. The three found them before they had looked far and came running towards them covered in the sludge themselves.
"You guys blocked the drill?" Freya asked and they nodded "Good choice."
"We did it!" Sokka cheered "Team Avatar strikes again!" Freya rolled her eyes.
"Now, all we need to do is alert the Earth King as to the Solar Eclipse and find Appa!" Freya grinned and Aang nodded.
"Easy peasy." Sokka smirked
"Well it wont be now you said that." Katara smirked and Sokka looked at her annoyed.
They climbed back up the stairs of the wall and to the top where the General thanked them. The sun began to set off over the horizon and the orange sky glowed over the ground before them.
"I just want to say, good effort out there today Team Avatar." Sokka decided.
"Enough with the Team Avatar stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's not gonna catch on." Katara believed
"How about…" he whipped out his boomerang and startled Momo. "the "Boomerang Squad!", see it's good cause it's got "Aang" in it. Boomer-Aang." he put a hand on Aang's head.
"I kinda like that one." Aang agreed
"Don't give him the satisfaction." Freya mumbled earring a chuckle from the two girls.
"Let's talk about this on our way into the city." Katara decided before they started to make their way to do so.
"The "Aang Gang"?" Sokka offered
"Sokka."
"The "Fearsome Fivesome"?
"You're crazy." Toph believed
"Why? We're fearsome!" Sokka believed as he chased after them.
"Some of us are." Freya returned and Sokka complained as the others laughed.