Author's Note:The second part! Next up we have a minisode for Zuko and everything he got up too! I am really excited for those chapters as I have put a lot of effort and emotion into them to help bring Mira and Zuko's story back together.
~Chapter 8 Start~
"Everyone in position. Earthbenders, into your tanks. This is gonna be a rough ride." Hakoda said.
Toph and the rest of the earthbenders jumped down and headed towards their tanks. We reached the inner gates just as the alarms went off. They began shooting harpoons at us as we worked to bend the water to evade them. We fired the rock torpedoes and hit the first gate, bursting holes into it. We sped through towards the main beach and I held my was it. I could feel everything slow from around me, my breath obnoxiously loud to my ears. I held my breath, bracing for potential impact, but nothing came. I let out my breath as we surfaced to hit land. The Fire Nation immediately began to fire on us, quite literally. My eyes widened as I was reminded of more modern warfare and wondered where the hell they got missiles from. I left my post and rushed towards Sokka, standing beside him with a nod.
It left a large dent and the sub shook before fully docking and released the tanks. I was on foot, rushing towards the royal palace with Sokka and Hakoda. A missile sailed straight towards us as I blocked it with a slab of rock, and sent a shot of flaming air from my staff destroying the 'gun' that had been used. I barely had time to knock another missile away as Toph, Hippo, and The Boulder began taking down the sentry stations. I continued to provide the foot soldiers cover as Katara finally reached us, landing Appa and reading her water. A large metal door open and out poured large metal tanks, ones definitely beyond the means of the Fire Nation I had come to know.
"Shit." I muttered, worried that in Sadar's foolishness and bloodthirsty crusade he could have provided the Fire Nation with fucking guns, guns that could decimate our entire little army in seconds flat.
I kept an ear out for the sound of explosives as I intercepted another missile. I was beginning to worry our plan had already run afoul. The tanks were shooting out fire, their bodies smaller than our tanks, and more intricately detailed. They were advanced, but they were also metal. Metal a certain earthbender could bend, Hopefully that would be our advantage. Could Toph stop a bullet with her bending? I wasn't sure and I wasn't looking forward to finding out. I was so lost in thought I barely stopped another missile from making contact. Shit, focus, Mira, focus!
Our tanks began to crush the little sentry stations on the ground, effectively stopping their attacks and giving us some breathing room. The large machines lifted up their fronts like worms and rolled up, before curling in on itself pressing. Another of our tanks smashed the smaller metal tanks, crushing the front ends enough they could no longer move forward. More tanks took the rear as we continued our push. The swampbenders began to join the fight, sending the tanks skidding into each other with ice. A large seaweed monster rose from the sea and began to throw the tanks.
"What the?" I gasped.
"It's just Huu, he can bend the water in the plants." Sokka explained.
Flaming rocks began soaring towards us next as Fire Nation foot soldiers came rushing at us. Sokka took out one of the cavalry, jumping onto their rhino and splitting their spear in half. Taking the rhino as his own, he surveyed the battle field.
"Dad, look out!" Sokka cried.
Hakoda was hit with a blast of fire, barely blocking it with his shield. Another Fire Nation soldier attacked him, and he barely managed to parry. His shield was knocked away in the fray and he twisted in such a way he managed to take the soldiers spear. Knocking the soldiers feet out with one spear, he took out another two by throwing the second. He mounted Sokka's stolen rhino and they took off into the frey. I bent several slabs of rock to help cover their retreat, my eyes focusing on any of the launchers the Fire Nation still had. One of our tanks was taken out by a harpoon, destroying the rocks with it. The earthebenders scattered, gathering what earth they could for cover. Huu lost one of his swampmonster's arms as one of the missiles hit. We lost another tank as I continued to cover the rest of the soldiers nearest to me. No matter what I did the Fire Nation continued to come relentless.
"Shit is definitely not coming up Milhouse." I grunted as I skidded back from another blast. I was now bending air to deflect the assault, and it was draining.
I wasn't all that versed with airbending yet and I was struggling to keep track of the different elements surrounding me. I lost my footing and stumbled, catching myself by bending up the earth to steady my feet. I blocked another incoming missile, grunting with exertion as the rocks holding my feet began to crack.
"Sokka, we've gotta take out those battlements. It's our only chance." I heard Hakoda shout through the chaos.
"I've got an idea!" Sokka shouted back.
I took out a Fire Nation soldier, using my staff to twist around their spear, knocking it away. I jumped onto their Rhino sending out a kick, knocking the Fire Nation soldier out. I followed Sokka's lead, and used the rhino for myself as I rushed towards a tank, sending out a large blast of fire, sending it skidding. I needed to get to the remaining missile launchers and so I took off, using my staff to send out deafening gusts of air towards the closest launcher. It exploded into pieces, rubble scattering across the war torn battlefield. I looked around after hearing an explosion to see Sokka, Hakoda, and Katara on Appa taking out the sentries in the towers. I flicked the reins, rushing to catch up to them and take out the second launcher I could still see.
"Good job, Sokka." I whispered to myself with a smirk.
I decided to take out sentries on the ground, leaving them in flaming crumbled heaps. We were now at the final gates to the royal palace. I pushed hard, feeling the sweat drip down my bruised back. I would not lose. I sent out another gust of air hitting the second launcher, my ears ringing painfully from all the explosions. I couldn't see anymore and hoped that was the last of the future tech they had, Sokka had returned with Appa, taking out another tank. He stood up on Appa's saddle and I turned to look at him. He cupped his hands around his mouth and began to yell.
"Listen up, everyone! I want the tanks in wedge formation. Warriors and benders in the middle. We're taking that tower and heading for the royal palace!" Sokka ordered before moving Appa in front of us.
Everyone followed his orders and I abandoned my rhino to follow suit. The tanks protected us from the fire and missiles as we advanced. I didn't allow my exhaustion to overtake me as I kept pushing, using my bending to clear a path and keep me upright.
"Charge!" Sokka roared, drawing his sword.
Appa took off and we started running, taking out everything in our path. My arms burned and I wasn't sure if it was from my own bending, or the soldiers.
"Mira, you need to get to Aang just in case we don't make it in time. My dad's been hurt and Katara is with him." Sokka shouted towards me as I nodded.
I released my glider and took a deep breath. Ok, you can do this, it's just flying. I pulled the air towards me as I started to run. I allowed it to move through my hair and sync with my breathing. Once I felt it fluttering against my glider, I jumped. heart rising to my throat, I rose into the sky with a shriek. Wobbly at first, I managed to stabilize myself and head towards the inner ring of the city lining the palace walls. I kept my eyes peeled, looking for Aang, before spotting him on a building.
"That's strange." Aang mused.
"What is?" I asked, retracting my glider as I landed.
"Wha-ahh!" Aang shouted as he twisted around to face me.
"Whoa, calm down, it's just me." I said, raising my hands in surrender.
"Sorry, you just spooked me. What are you doing here?" Aang asked.
"We had a little trouble so Sokka asked me to fly to you just in case they don't make it in time for the eclipse, so..." I shrugged, "what's strange?"
"Oh, well, no one's around. Shouldn't this place be heavily fortified?" Aang explained.
"Now that you mention it..." I mused, looking around.
"Come on, we need to get to the palace either way." Aang said, bounding into the streets.
I followed suit and we rushed up the palace stairs. Bursting through the door we found no one still. The entire palace seemed to be empty and I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. The hair on the back of my neck was standing on end, the shivers hitting up my spine reminding me of a scary movie. Where was everyone?
"The Avatar is back!" Aang shouted, staff drawn.
"I'd give that a 9/10, but a point is docked since no one was around to hear it." I snorted in an attempt to ease my own anxiety.
We walked through the hall, finding everything eerily quiet. I looked around, finding it so strange to be here now. Was Zuko here? Would I have to face him? We approached a wall at the end of the dragon etched pillars that held a large painting on it. It looked like an old Fire Lord or something. Regardless of where we walked it felt like the eyes were following us. Creepy.
"Hello? Anyone home?" Aang asked.
"Think they'd actually answer if they were?" I asked as our voices echoed around us.
"It can't hurt...right?" Aang asked.
"This doesn't feel right...Zuko described the palace as lonely, but filled with soldiers." I whispered, fearing that mentioning his name would somehow summon him.
We wandered down a few halls before finding the Fire Lords room. We burst the rough, Aang taking the lead, to find it empty still. Not a single fire was lit, and it was deserted. My shoulders were much like how an animal raised its hackles.
"What the hell?" I whispered.
"No..." Aang said as he dropped his staff, falling to his knees.
"Aang, we can't stay here, we need to go." I said, kneeling down beside him.
"No, no, no! Fire Lord Ozai, where are you?!" Aang continued to cry out.
"Aang, come on. We still have time, we need to find him." I hissed.
But Aang wouldn't move. He knelt there, his hands against the floor now as he shut his eyes tight against the setback. I heard something then that chilled my bones. The sounds of a gatling gun revving up. The clinking of the gears, and the rumble as the machine shook and began to move the ribbon of bullets set my body in a sheet of ice cold dread. My eyes darted around attempting to find where the gun was, but my panic was clouding my senses.
"Aang, we need to go now!' I screamed, pulling Aang up.
But I didn't have time, I knew I didn't have time. Turning to see the flashing lights of the gatling gun letting loose an array of bullets met my gaze as I felt the earth shift from beneath my feet, power surging through my core as I raised a single hand, seeing the bright light casting out. I felt both inside and outside myself. I was no longer in control, but I was aware. My hand flew out, catching every single bullet dead in its tracks. I sent them back, taking out the gatling gun as the shadow behind it leapt into view.
Sadar.
His eyes were as cold as I remembered them and I felt my rage spike and my hand raised as if I could crush him within my palm. He seemed amused by me, his thin lips twisting into a egotistical grin. The energy churning in my gut began to spike, reaching out through every element within reach. The air around me was kicking up knocking the bullet casings into the air. They scattered in the silence chiming as they danced across the floor.
"So you did survive, pity you struggled all this time just to die here." He smiled wide, his perfect teeth gleaming against the storm of power surging around me.
"I'd like to see you try." I said, my voice hollow and filled with hundreds of others.
"Mira, we need to go." I heard Aang yell from behind me, but it didn't work, I was not going to listen, not until he was dead.
"My dear, while I may have been hoping to take you both out with my little gun here, I knew that was only going to happen if I got extremely lucky." He laughed.
I frowned before hearing the telltale sound of a bullet firing from its chamber, I twisted as Aang grabbed my arm, pulling me aside. He wasn't quick enough, and it shot through my shoulder and hit a pillar behind us. Hollow point bullet something in the back of my mind rang. I gasped as the pain rippled up my arm and chest, the power surging out of me dropped like a heavy hot weight. Aang continued to pull me from the room as Sadar's laugh played behind us.
"What the heck was that, are you ok?" Aang asked, speaking rapidly.
"It's...a gun, I think...shit, do you have any water?" I asked as we stopped and I sat down leaning against a pillar.
"Here." Aang offered. It wasn't much, but at least I could close up the hole a bit and not bleed out or die of infection.
I began to heal my shoulder as I leveled Aang with my gaze.
"That was a weapon from my time. It looks like the men who sent me here have ramped up the Fire Nation's tech. He used a gun and shot me, he was aiming to kill. I assume by how badly it tore through my shoulder it was probably a sniper rifle at close range. I have no idea how to shoot one, but I did read a lot about them. This is bad, Aang. Like, really bad. The Fire Nation shouldn't have access to this stuff for hundreds if not thousands of years. If they shoot us in the head or the heart we're...done for, no healing or avatar state will save us." I sobbed.
When had I started crying?
"Then we won't let them get the Fire Nation that far. You were right, we can't waste our time, we gotta find the Fire Lord." Aang soothed.
"Ok, ok, I can do this. Deep breaths. Ok. I think I'm good to go, let's stop Ozai before he can do any more harm." I nodded as I stood up.
"Sounds like a plan." Aang smirked.
~Break~
Aang and I decided to fly back towards the others and let them know we needed to change our plan to include finding Fire Lord Ozai. We reached them stationed behind the tanks, keeping a barrier between them and the Fire Nation soldiers. They were no longer advancing, but neither were they retreating.
"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 dryly asked.
"He wasn't home." Aang said.
"Mira, is that blood?" Katara gasped.
"Tis but a flesh wound." I one shoulder shrugged.
"Did you heal it?" She asked, her mothering voice coming out.
"A little." I admitted with a wince.
"Come here." She sighed, beginning to work on my shoulder.
"No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned." Aang explained for me.
"They knew." Sokka spoke, his voice like ice.
"If the city was abandoned, how did you get hurt?" Katara asked.
"That's the rest of the bad news. The palace and palace city were abandoned by Fire Nation soldiers and people, but it had Sadar and his men waiting for us. He intended to kill me, or well, us. He's also been helping the Fire Nation advance their tech. We need to be careful." I finished explaining as my wound knitted together some more, the pain lessening as Katara continued to heal me.
"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long gone, far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse." Aang said.
"No, my instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker. Somewhere he could be during a siege, close enough to lead his nation." Sokka explained.
"I agree with Sokka. This hasn't been the first eclipse in Fire Nation history. They'd be prepared." I spoke up as Katara tugged my shirt to keep me still.
"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it." Toph declared, sticking her thumbs towards her face.
"The mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord." Sokka said.
"We can still do this. We can still win the day." Aang smiled optimistically.
"Wait, 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." Katara countered.
"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope. I think they would want Aang and Mira to go for it." Hakoda said.
"What do you guys think? You're the ones that have to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you both." Sokka said.
Aang and I took one look at each other before turning towards the palace. My body felt battered and bruised but I knew what my answer was, what our answer was.
"We've gotta try." Aang smiled as we fist bumped.
~Break~
And try was what we were going to do. Toph, Sokka, Aang, and I mounted Appa and flew him towards the palace. We landed on the outside of the volcano surrounding it and set off to work. Logically this was the closest place to the palace that could have a hidden network of tunnels and rooms. Toph walked across the rocky terrain, her mouth pursed in concentration. She kicked at a particular spot, seeing with a sense only she seemed to have.
"Do you feel anything down there?" Aang asked.
"Yup. There are natural tunnels crisscrossing through the inside of the volcano." Toph answered as she placed a hand against the ground.
"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?" Sokka asked as we watched Toph move towards the sloping hill and stick her fingers into it.
"There's something big, dense, and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano." Toph answered.
"Sounds like a secret room to me." Sokka declared, folding his arms behind his head.
Toph bent the earth away allowing us to enter the maze of tunnels. She disappeared into the low light of the cavern below and I sighed. I wasn't really looking forward to spelunking in a volcano, but what other choice did we have at this point?
"Stay safe, we'll be back soon." Aang said to Momo and Appa.
We entered after Toph, finding the tunnel decently lit and going on for what seemed like forever. Toph was inspecting the ground again, her fingers pressing against the rock.
"This way, that one's a dead end." Toph said as she rushed down the tunnel.
"What would we do without you?!" Sokka complimented.
"Perish in burning hot magma." Toph explained as we passed a few spots of molten rock.
"Yeah, pretty much." Sokka agreed.
Toph led us towards a larger part of the tunnel where hot steam was shooting out. I could feel the heat pulsing against my skin, my sweat dripping into my eyes as I attempted to regulate my temperature. I could see everyone was slick with perspiration and feeling the fatigue of intense heat. We had to move quickly if we wanted to make it out of here alive.
"The tunnel continues on the other side and it leads right to the bunker." Toph explained.
"We'll have to be fast, but careful." Sokka said as he stepped forward and a rush of magma spewed forth.
Aang cooled it with airbending as Sokka ducked, covering his head. I pulled Sokka backwards and into safety, my heart leaping erratically in my chest.
"How was that careful?" Aang asked.
"I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful, and lucky." Sokka amended.
"Spoken like a true pro." I winked as we rushed through the hot steam and magma geysers.
We made it to the other end to find it was a cliff surrounded by lava. I let out a sigh, brushing the sweat from my brow as I turned towards Sokka for guidance. It seemed like everyone else had the same idea as I locked eyes with Aang briefly.
"There's no floor. It's just a river of lava." Sokka cried.
"Climb aboard us, and hold on tight." Aang said, releasing his glider.
"Woohoo, flying another person." I whined as Aang went to help Toph as I took Sokka.
~Break~
"Ahhh! I HATE THIS I HATE THIS I HATE THIS!" Sokka screeched as he held onto the top of my glider.
"I'm not enjoying this much, either!" I hissed back.
Toph was screaming from atop Aang's glider as we soared over the lava. Lava began to spew up at us, and I veered left to avoid it. The heat was unbearable and I felt my sweat begin to sting my wounds. But, thankfully, we all reached the other side in one piece and took off down the tunnel. We made it to a large metal wall with two large metal doors. I could feel the heat beginning to grow hotter and hotter as we raced closer to the core.
"That's some door!" Sokka gaped.
Toph walked over, removed her hat, and pressed her ear against the metal as she began to knock.
"Not a problem." She said, taking a step back and putting her hat on.
She hit the door twice with her elbows, before spinning and hitting it a third time. Kissing two fingers on each hand, she jammed them into the door, and kicked the rough it, peeling the metal away. She then pointed down the hall and took off.
"I am so glad we added you to the group." Sokka gushed.
~Break~
We heard someone whistling as we rushed down the tunnel. Turning to find an old man gawking at us in fear, Toph bent a rock up and he flattened himself against the far wall, raising his hands. His eyes looked between all of us and Sokka pointed his sword at the old man with a fierce glare.
"The Fire Lord's chamber is down the hall, to the left, and up the stairs. You can't miss it." He pointed us in the direction, clearly giving up in defeat.
Sokka and Aang advanced on the guy, weapons drawn, before Aang gave him a big bright smile.
"Thanks!" He said as we walked in the direction he gave us.
"Only thirty seconds until the total eclipse." Sokka advised as we reached two large doors with the Fire Nation emblem on it.
Aang took a deep breath as I got my own staff ready. I still had my swords fastened on my back but felt as if this felt like the proper weapon to fight the Fire Lord with.
"I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord." Aang said before sending out a blast of air, blasting the doors into the room.
"So, you are alive after all." Azula said as she lazed about on a throne.
"Azula." I hissed.
"Oh look, you survived as well, isn't it my lucky day," She laughed, "I had a hunch that you both survived, but it doesn't matter. I've known about the invasion for months."
"You bitch." I snarled.
"Tsk tsk, what a mouth on you. I can see how my brother got sweet on you. It's something you have in common." She laughed as her eyes zeroed in on me.
"Where is he, where's the Fire Lord?" Aang demanded.
"You mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings." Azula sighed.
"Good." I snarled.
"Stop wasting our time and give us the information. You're powerless right now, so you're in no position to refuse." Sokka said, raising his sword.
"And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying." Toph added.
"Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar. I am a 400-foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings." Azula said as she walked towards us.
"Okay, you're good, I admit it," Toph said as she sent out a rock prison hitting Azula. "But you really oughta consider telling the truth anyway."
Azula smirked as the rock holding her captive began to crack and break. She flicked off a stray piece of rubble as she basked in our confused faces.
"When I left Ba Sing Se I brought home some souvenirs." Azula explained.
Two Dai Li agents fell from the ceiling, standing between us and her.
"Dai Li agents." Azula grinned.
Aang attacked first, sending out a torrent of air which the Dai Lin agents intercepted with a wall of rock. I followed suit, punching a hole through the wall, and dodging a rock aimed for my head. The agents headed for Aang next, sending out a flurry of rocks which he evaded. I broke apart another rock coming for my head, and twisted my body to evade another. This was decidedly harder than I wanted to admit without my firebending and zero access to water. Toph shot through next, landing in a crouch on the ground and bending two pillars of rock towards the Dai Li agents, knocking them to the ceiling. They flipped to their feet, bending themselves in place on the wall and anchoring themselves in. They sent their own pillars towards Toph who blocked it with two slabs of her own. She sent out several rocks at Azula, who just barely managed to dodge, landing on the throne at the far end of the room.
Aang began to rush Azula, catching the attention of the Dai Li agents. One sent out another wall to block him, and I sank my fingers into it, crushing a hole into pieces for Aang to get through. Aang flipped through landing before Azula. The other Dai Li agent attempted to attack his rear, so I sent another pillar of stone out, pinning him to the ceiling as Aang sent out a jet stream of air at Azula, crushing the throne into pieces. Azula continued to dodge as Aang pursued her. She ran up a wall, flipping over another air attack, before flipping onto the ground. Smug bitch even had the audacity to look pleased about it. She continued to run, leading Aang to the other side of the room leaving me perplexed. She turned and ran back towards us with an impish grin. Just what the hell was she doing?
She raced towards the wall as a Dai Li agent bent some earth to give her a step to jump off of. She jumped towards the hole and dove through, barely missing Sokka who had just managed to climb his way back through. We jumped after him, causing Sokka to fall back down with a cry of pain. I winced as I landed, knowing that must have hurt like a bitch.
"I can't pin her down. She's too quick" Aang said.
Azula began rushing out of the room now, us hot on her heels. It seemed as if she was trying to lead us somewhere, fighting so defensively when she used to fight so aggressively in the past. If she knew about the invasion and had no access to her firebending, was she just merely wasting our time?
"Maybe that's the point." I said, sweating as I ran.
"What do you mean?" Aang asked.
"How much time have we wasted here, with her? What if that's the point?" I asked, destroying another wall the Dai Li agents put up to stop us.
"Think that's what she's doing?" Aang asked.
"All I know is that those Dai Li agents are a lot worse to fight than they have been today. The most they've been doing is setting up walls and obstacles. They haven't even used their stone hands, and trust me, those things hurt." I admitted.
Toph came through the wall, knocking the Dai Li agents in front of us into a metal beam, and bent him into it.
"Wait! Aang, Toph, stop attacking. I think Mira is right. She's just playing with us, she's not even trying to win this fight, none of them are." Sokka declared.
"Not true, I'm giving it my all." Azula said, having the ovaries to sound upset by the notion.
"You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!" Toph shouted as she pointed at her.
"Um, right, I think your friends just said that, genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes." Azula said with a nasty tone.
"And what you're about to not see, Toph, is me ripping her tongue out and jamming it up her asshole." I snarled.
"I'll hold her down for you." Toph spat.
"Touchy, aren't we." Azula smiled.
"She's just baiting you guys again." Sokka said, placing a hand on our shoulders.
"Okay so what do we do? Just ignore her?" Aang asked.
"We don't have a choice. We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow." Sokka declared.
We turned to walk away, ignoring the bitchy girl behind us. I could feel her eyes following us intently as we did.
"It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you." She sang.
"Ignore!" Sokka reminded as he raised his hand.
"So, Sokka's your name, right? My favourite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came and she gave up on you." Azula spoke in a bored manner.
Sokka was crying when he turned around to face Azula. He began to bulrush her as he screamed. She grinned as he came closer, whispering something to herself which I couldn't hear over Sokka's screaming. Toph alerted to something and sent out a rock, trapping Azula's hand against the wall causing her to drop a bladed weapon she had hidden in her hands. Sokka grabbed her shoulder, slamming her against the wall with a violent shake.
"Where is Suki?" He growled, "Answer me!"
"Sokka, she won't talk." Aang said, grabbing Sokka's shoulder and trying to pull him away.
"Where are you keeping her?" Sokka continued.
"Phrasing it differently isn't going to make her talk. Her whole goal is to distract us." I said, trying to sway Sokka.
An explosion interrupted our talk as Azula perked up.
"Oh, looks like the firebending's back on." She smiled, sending a kick of blue flame as Sokka and Aang.
They were knocked back towards us with a shout. She sent out another which I blocked with my own firebending.
"Guess the feeling is mutual." I growled as she broke free from her bonds.
She sent out another fiery kick at Aang who flipped out of the way. I began to pull forth the negative and positive flows on energy, charging up my next attack, pure hatred filling my eyes.
"Oh, so Iroh taught you too, did he. Too bad, I'm done. Dad's at the end of the hall and down a secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you now." Azula laughed, taking off down the hallway just as I shot my lightning out.
It hit the wall causing a small explosion and I cursed.
"Holy crap you can create lightning?" Toph based.
"Heh, yep." I coughed, scratching the back of my head.
"I fell for it. I used up all our time." Sokka said as he looked down.
"You didn't waste all our time, we fell for her trap long before she got to you." I sighed.
"It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out." Toph said.
"And now it's too late." Sokka said.
"Maybe for this battle, but not for the war." I whispered.
"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over, but we can face the Fire Lord anyway." Aang declared.
"No, I don't think it's a good idea." Sokka said.
"But I'm ready. I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."
"Hey, this isn't all on you, Aang." I said.
"The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side, but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go help out friends." Toph stated.
"You guys are right." Aang admitted.
"You'll have another chance. I know you will." Sokka said as he placed a hand on Aang's shoulder.
~Break~
We returned to everyone riding Appa. We found the sky filled with giant air balloon ships. They reminded me of blimps and I gasped. It was worse than we thought.
"It was all a trap. Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move. We've just got to get to the beaches as fast as we can. If we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely." Sokka said as he dismounted Appa.
"They've got air power, but so do I," Aang declared as he released his glider. "I'm going to do what I can to slow them down."
With that, Aang tossed his glider into the air and jumped to it, speeding off into the sky.
"Should I go help him?" I asked.
"No, we're going to need your help if we want to make it back to the subs safely." Sokka ordered.
"Appa and I can help Aang. You guys get everyone out safely." Katara said as she ran and mounted Appa.
"Sounds like a plan." I said, drawing my swords and stashing my staff on my back now.
"Everyone, let's get back to the subs." Sokka yelled.
We began rushing down the steps and towards the beaches as fast as we could. I gave one last look at Aang, before following after everyone.
~Break~
I saw several limbs crash to the ground, but the larger ones made of metal seemed to be untouchable. I continued to knock out soldiers, blocking their fire wherever I could as we retreated. The large blimps were getting drawing closer now as they opened up their hatches.
"Try and find cover. I think we're about to see some bombs." Sokka shouted over the noise.
Toph bent the rock around us as protection as hundreds of bombs fell, tearing out chunks of the rock around us. We braced against the hit, bending up more rock to keep our cover up. The tanks were having a harder time maneuvering through the assault, but came out mostly unscathed.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara asked.
"They're headed for the beach...they're gonna destroy the submarines!" Aang gasped.
"How are we all gonna escape?" Sokka said.
"We're not." Hakoda declared, stepping forward.
"Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have two Avatars. We could still win." Sokka said.
"Yes, with two Avatars we could still win on another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together." Hakoda explained.
"What? We can't leave you behind. We won't leave anyone behind." Katara cried, rushing into her father's arms.
"You're our only chance in the long run. You and Sokka have to go with Aang and Mira somewhere safe. It's the only way to keep hope alive." Hakoda declared.
"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle." Bato agreed.
"I've got some experience with Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by." Haru's dad said.
"They're at the beach already!" Sokka shouted.
And sure enough, they were, They were already taking out the swampbenders defending the subs, and soon the subs themselves. We stared at the pile of wreckage and I could feel anxiety welling up in my throat. We helped all the other kids mount Appa. Toph helped the mechanist seat his son on Appa's saddle and pulled him into a tight hug. I felt my stomach drop as I realized the implications of this failure. All of the adults were going to be taken as prisoners of war and none of us had any idea if we would ever see them alive again.
"Bye, son." He said.
"Bye, dad, I'm really proud of you." His son responded.
Pipsqueak helped The Duke up with a soft smile.
"I'll miss you, pipsqueak." The Duke said.
"Take care, The Duke." His soft voice responded.
"We'll be back for you, dad." Haru said, hugging his father close.
"If we don't escape on our own first." His father said back.
"We lost today, but we'd never been this close. We tasted victory and that country's for something." Hakoda said, kneeling before his children.
"We'll miss you, dad." Katara said as she dove in for a hug.
"Bye, dad. We won't be apart for too long this time. I promise." Sokka whispered, hugging them both.
I moved to sit next to Aang and gave him a hug.
"You didn't fail, you know that right? None of us did." I said.
"I know, but that doesn't make this any easier." Aang whispered as tears began to fall.
"I know." I said as Katara mounted Appa and walked towards
"Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm gonna make this up to you." Aang said as we all got ready for Appa to take flight.
We flew up into the distance watching the people we loved, and who loved us, fade into the distance as the Fire Nation mainland grew smaller and smaller on the horizon.
"I know just the place for us to go where we'll be safe for a while. The Western Air Temple." Aang said over the loud winds.
Appa dipped into the clouds as the Fire Nation disappeared. The gloom began to hit us all then and the entire ride was filled with silence and tears.
~Chapter 8 End~