Chapter 8: prison break, hopefully

Captain Niuan couldn't speak as he took another step on the crackling debris, he could barely even breath with what he was seeing. And the body language of his brothers in arms proved he wasn't the only one. The green and beautiful landscape they all knew for so long was leveled, so much of the flora had turned black and shriveled as Zakis and Kullo kept gathering water to build their glacier higher and higher. Niuan looked back to see a glimpse of the land that was still green; it started as they remembered before turning yellow, then brown, and finally black.

Even the sky above them had changed, what was bright blue before had become blanketed in silver as so much steam and water went into the atmosphere, he looked back to the green where the sky was still-

"Haruto" Niuan ordered to his side "take a position over there and come back to the palace when you see them" he said gesturing to a hill and advertising to everyone else what he was seeing. The sky above the green wasn't entirely blue, black smoke rising on the horizon, the current fire nation military was coming to recapture the palace. Even if the avatar wasn't with them it would either be a massive fight if they didn't get out of there fast. And even then Zakis and Kullo won't let them leave if the prince and princess are still alive.

They finally made it back to the palace with Hama free as Kullo watched them arrive. "Hama's finally here!" Kullo announced to Zakis while playing with a baby bottle.

The two of them went down and greeted the hired flamers from the New Ozai society escorting an old friend "Hama" Kullo said bowing to her

"Oh no, my favorite students shall bow to no one" she said and Kullo hugged her and Zakis patted her on the shoulder

"We weren't sure if you were still alive, we tried to get any information we could out of that traitor but she wouldn't break" Kullo shook her head "I'm just glad we don't need her anymore"

"Afraid you'll have to deal with her a bit longer" Hama said with a deep sorrow in her voice "firebender would you please remove my cloak" she said surprising Niuan

Was she really so lazy that she needed someone else to do it? One of his brethren hesitantly did as she wished and removed her cloak, once it was gone everyone was speechless. Both of the woman's fourarms had been amputated off

"I tried escaping the first full moon I had… but they were ready, after a pretty serious scuffle they ensured I'd never be able to do it again" she told with trauma dripping from her voice. "Now where is Katara?"


Zuko enjoyed some edible berries Uncle told him about with Ty Lee. They were both somewhat beaten up from last night, his leg was healing nicely but he'd still enjoy a healing session with Katara.

Azula woke up pretty late and joined them, she didn't say anything and her hair and clothes were still messed up. She didn't look either of them in the eye and just munched on some berries.

"How are you feeling?" Zuko asked afraid of the answer

"Goo-...I don't know" Azula said barely able to raise her voice to talking volume

Suki joined them with a similar mannerism, her makeup completely wiped away. Ty Lee offered her berries "So are the others- ?"

"Yeah," Suki answered. There were still seven other Kyoshi warriors stationed on Kyoshi island to protect their home but a vast majority of them were stationed with them to protect the fire nation royal family, her and Ty Lee were an endangered species. "But there's more" Suki asserted

"What is it?"

"Those two weren't just waterbenders, they're bloodbenders" Suki said making the group go silent

They were frozen with fear, none of them had encountered a bloodbender before but they along with everyone else at this point heard horror stories about Hama and how dangerous it can be, they never wished for a story to have been exaggerated this much.

"Thing just keep getting worse" Azula spoke after clearing her throat "guess that full moon part was a lie"

"Guess so"


"YOU DID WHAT" Hama said with disbelief

"the two of us found a way to bloodbend outside a full moon, it wasn't even remotely as strong but it is definitely possible" Zakis said with great pride as they made it to Katara's icy prison "Wakey wakey 'Master' Katara"

"Katara, such a pleasure to visit a former student"

"Don't call me that" Katara said struggling


"They've got Katara!" Zuko exploded in terror. Suki nodded. "Well we gotta go rescue her"

"Zuko, we can't risk your safety" Suki ordered "besides they won't kill her, I think they might want something from her"

Zuko scratched his head "you know she came to me a little bit before this and acted really weird"

"Me too" Azula said suspicious what that could mean "my last appointment with her she acted like she had some big secret"

"That's what I thought, but she didn't end up saying it" Zuko explained


Zakis and Kullo waved their arms determined to bloodbend. "You won't get to me" Katara enforced

Zakis threw his arm causing Katara to vomit up some water "feels like it"

"Look Katara, you're one of us and you're our last hope to teach us blood bending in its fullest" Kullo pleaded

"I am nothing like-"

"Something's wrong," Hama said with a look of suspicion. She approached Katara and observed her up and down, she raised what was left of her arm to get a better reading "you're different!"


Suki bit her lip trying to think of anything that would help "there has to be something, I guess she's been eating a lot more lately"

Ty Lee paced the court "and I noticed she was a little rude lately"


Katara watched as Hama examined her "you're delusional"
"...too much blood inside of you"


"So she's hungry and mean?" Ty Lee said disappointed in her own efforts

Azula flexed her still broken brain "Mean?... Moody?...HORMONAL!"


"You're Pregnant!"

The room went silent

Katara held her breath in terror, pleading and begging for some way out of this.

Kullo froze the air they breath into serrated ice coating her fingers before carving a line on Katara's stomach, they locked gazes as Katara winced in pain "this….is the last thing I want to do, don't be stupid and give us what we need" she threatened as the sweat off Katara's forehead was bended off and added to ice blade slowly reaching her stomach


"You think Katara's pregnant" Suki dumbfoundedly said

"Well it does explain some stuff" Zuko pondered "gather up your stuff, we're going after her"

"Zuk-"

"Don't, Katara may be carrying one of the last airbenders, it was my ancestors that wiped them out and it's my responsibility to save them"

Azula spoke up "Zuko with all do respect I agree with Suki, it's suicide"

"It's Katara," he said. Azula tried coming up with a rebuttal but she couldn't, maybe Katara didn't a hundred percent forgive her and she definitely didn't trust her, but Azula did grow to…kinda like her and definitely appreciate her.

"Look you can argue with me all you want, but Katara's in danger and I'm going to save her I order you not to stop me" he enforced more aggressive than past times

Azula and Suki were silent about this. "You can order me not to stop you, but you can't order me not to be by your side" Ty Lee said standing proudly as the only one still in Kyoshi makeup

Suki sighed "I'll get my things ready"

"No way I'm letting you get yourself killed without me" Azula quipped as he chuckled

They split up to get their things together and get pumped up for a fight. "He was right about one thing you know" Azula turned to see Suki had approached her "it is somewhat his responsibility to do the right thing" she said proudly "would you agree or was that just another 'act in a larger war' "

"Suki I'm really not in the mood" Azula complained

"...you know what me either" Suki said turning away

Azula had gotten what she wanted, in the worst way possible "You don't know what you're talking about!" Azula spat

"I know I was just trying to help refugees and keep Aapa safe, and I ended up starving and terrified in prison for four months" Suki threw back at her

"Yes that's not great but it's not like I haven't suffered the same for three years, edging on four"

"Oh of course" Suki said with obvious sarcasm "I go to prison for helping people escape the war, and you go to prison for assisting in almost wiping out the earth kingdom, you're right I'm blowing things way out of proportion" she snickered

"I….I wasn't.. The goal wasn't to kill anyone there"

"Oh the goal wasn't to kill anyone, my fault, my sincere apologies, I guess you just didn't see all the destruction, or..or maybe you just didn't WISH to see, HUH is that it" Suki rubbed in her face

"What do you want me to say?"

"I want you to admit that everything you did wrong"

"I…I didn't start the war"

"That doesn't make it ok" Suki asserted

"I…I…well I agree I shouldn't have been thinking so irrationally" Azula tried to apologize

"Everything, everything you did was wrong!"

"That's Enough!" Zuko said noticing the argument and coming to investigate, Ty Lee having her fists ready to chi block

"Fine" Azula mediated

"Just chatting" Suki downplayed

They were finally ready to go. It was one of the most awkward hikes any of them had ever endured, which is really saying something. Zuko mostly kept silent, he clearly felt bad about ordering this rescue but wasn't budging on his decision. Azula and Suki weren't talking to each other any time soon, and Ty Lee was forced to imagine what all this tension suddenly came from.

Suki was the one who knew where to sneak up on the palace, but it would be safer to find a different entrance. Didn't matter either way apparently those two waterbenders had sealed off most of the windows and doors after Suki's escape. The only way in would be the main garage.

They walked through the black crumbling flora layering the ground scanning the perimeter of the towering glacier piercing the sky beside them, yesterday seemed so far away right now. For reasons only known to their enemies the clouds were being made thicker and darker from all the steam pumped into the atmosphere, making the land for miles upon miles as dark as night at 1 PM. They swore the clouds were also being bended closer to the surface just to scare people off.

They made it to the entrance, most of the new Ozai members were inside but if the ones actually on patrol were anything to go on then they were set for a while. The ones guarding the vehicle entrance were all but in REM sleep and barely able to stand up.

The four of them eventually found the garage entrance and agreed it was their only way in "Alright I say we-"

"Get down," Suki said, forcing Zuko to squat down at the sound of an oncoming vehicle. It looked like a 4th generation Fire Nation military tank but with the entire top removed and a lot more added seating, normally it was supposed to have a crew of at least six but with the modifications had to have had a capacity of forty at most. It was still several meters away and none of the new Ozai members were really paying attention to it.

"Now's our chance" Ty Lee encouraged, the other three were a little hesitant but Ty Lee rambunctiously ran after it and hid inside in a half-thought way to encourage the others; it was half-thought but it worked, the others followed.

The driver looked back for the source of the noise but all he saw were a bunch of empty seats. "Huh" he sighed "WOOOO" he said as he was ripped out of his chair

Meanwhile the sleep deprived guards standing by witness as their way out of this deathtrap was arriving. Aoi was driving in that armor, he envied him so much when out in this cold, and cleared him to drive inside.

Once inside there were two other New Ozai members who approached them, all others were either sleeping close to the only source of outside air or were wandering around the ice covered palace.

Both of them approached the tank "Alright We're gonna hit the hey on a real chair while you-" he started but were interrupted by getting yanked into the tank and hand their arms, legs, and faces chi blocked.

Zuko removed the faceplate on his disguise and helped the others get the bodies in the tank. Luckily they were also covered all over so they had two more disguises and after chi blocking one of the sleeping ones they had a third.

They were all disguised and made it through most of the palace, they passed a few New Ozai members but they couldn't really care less and focused on warming their fingers.

Suki led them carefully where the palace floors ended and where the ice began; they creeped up on a large doorway. Suki leaped through the doorway only to sigh and look disappointed. The others followed her through and it looked like a giant dojo with no one to train in it.

"You're sure this is where she was"

"Definitely" Suki assured "she was right up there" she pointed to the top of a tall pedestal

"She must be in the palace holding cells" Azula pointed out

"Well she might be closer to the garage, it looked like they were planning on leaving soon" Ty Lee added

"We'll check both" Zuko confirmed "holding cells first"

It took a little looking around but they finally found the stairs to the holding cells, the many many stairs to the holding cells. They slowly climbed up, this was gonna be a while no matter what. They spread out, if you're attacked on a staircase then the last place you want to be is crowded together.

"So what exactly were you so sad about earlier?" Suki asked approaching Azula

"If you must know, I….I don't…have a father anymore" Azula stuttered, still trying to accept that fact

Suki was taken aback by this "like he's dead?"

"No" Azula bit her lower lip "He renounced me." she said forcing herself to hold it together "these invaders tried to break him out of prison…Zuko and Ty Lee were discordinated during battle…and I had to be the one to personally escort him back into his cell"

"I see" Suki said not sure how to react "sorry"

Azula nodded "what about you, when you returned you were an absolute wreck"

Suki took a deep breath and wondered if she had the right to know "the other Kyoshi warriors are dead, at least all the ones stationed here"

Azula stumbled on the next step, Suki had it far worse "Sorry, they were great warriors and didn't deserve that"

"...Thank you" Suki hesitantly said not wanting to start an argument

Both of them stopped bickering, they all enjoyed the silence but didn't realize their back and forth picked up a tail.

The four of them eventually made it to the holding cells to find them completely empty.

"They're gone" Azula held her head, trying to hide her concern

Suki and Ty Lee went through the holding cells and found some food scraps along with cracks and imperfections in the ice, it was clear there were definitely prisoners being held there earlier that day, by this much evidence it could have been dozens.

"What do you think happened?" Ty Lee said terrified of the answer

Suki exhaled "they ran out"

"HALT!" all four drew their weapons or element to see a single opponent in a captain's uniform "under the authority of the New Ozai society I place all of you under-" he shut the door "PLEASE TAKE ME WITH YOU, I DIDN'T SIGN UP FOR THIS, I'M SORRY, WE GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE, PLEASE!" Captain Niuan pleaded and begged as he ripped his mask off and tossed it to the side

"ugh..no" Azula said pointing her finger ready to shoot

"Finally we agree on something" Suki agreed

"No no no, we should get him out of here" Zuko stated "Ty Lee" he gestured for her to chi block him

"Wait wait, I know where they took your friend" he said making them freeze in place "out in the woods their building some tower into the sky"

"What, why?" Azula asked curious what battle advantage this could mean

"It's really bad but we need to go now, if we don't a lot of your soldiers are gonna die" Niuan stated concerning them "working with those two was a massive mistake and I'm sorry, I'll explain on the way but we gotta go"

He was about to reopen the door but Suki grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled him back, then showed him just how angry she was "Don't lie. Did you kill any of my friends?"

"No, no I didn't, swear" he said terrified of what Suki would do to him

Suki let him go but maintained her scowl


45 minutes earlier

Captain Niuan watched as the last of his comrades still waiting with him for the return of their true Fire Lord left to get some rest. He continued waiting, and waited more, and he waited until he knew something was wrong. How could he have been so stupid, they devoted so much of their resources to those ocean mercenaries that their real mission had completely failed.

"Woah woah" the guard in front of the throne room said trying to block him

"Out of the way," Niuan said, pushing him to the side. He walked all the way up to the throne room to find Zakis, Kullo, and Hama gathered around a map. The light reflecting off the ice wall illuminated over their sepia colored water tribe skin. The guard followed him in just to make sure there wasn't too bad a scuffle

"Alright, here where the clouds should be-

"HEY!" Niuan shouted, he was gonna be heard even if it killed him. He stopped for a moment, noticing the water tribe girl they had in custody for so long crying in the corner.

"Huh what now?"

"Our prison break failed"

"No it didn't, she's free" Zakis referred to Hama while being completely oblivious

"The MAIN prison break!" he asserted "the Fire Lord"

Kullo sighed in impatience "captain, we're busy right now so you can just go get ready to distract the army coming our way"

"No we are done, we are going to-...what do you mean distract?" he noticed, did they mean fight, he had a bad feeling in his stomach

"We'll want the army to stay within this basic area, it's where the waters will be at it's roughest"

"Waters?"

TAP TAP

The sound echoed through the ice of the entire building as Kullo barely touched the wall. "5000 gallons of solid water reaching to touch the sky and gravity desperately trying to take it down" Hama admired "we're not monsters captain, between the initial impact and the rough seas immediately after it'll be a quick end for them and will be drastically shallower when it reaches the capital city, collateral damage will be minimal"

"WHAT!" both Niuan and the guard were terrified at this insane plan "your…your slaughtering thousands of people who could be spared, the Prince and Princess aren't even here anymore-'

"Not here but close, if I'm correct they were the only people who would have possibly known to stop your side mission, they'll die in the flooding which will make all this worth it" Zakis interrupted "don't act all high and mighty, you took lives in the name of your powerless fire lord"

"Think this through, those people have families. Children"

"I am aware.." Zakis gulped "but we didn't start this war" Zakis assured

"How could you be ok with this?"

"Easily captain, their not my children"

The guard stepped up "with all due respect- AHHHHHHHHHHH" he said before his arms were flung up, it took Niuan a moment to realize he was being bended by Kullo. She forced him to shove his spear into his leg as he cried in pain. His cries became silent as he started shaking his head rapidly before he stopped and collapsed onto the floor with red leaking out his eyes. It all happened so fast that Niuan couldn't process it until it was too late. The water tribe girl balled her eyes out more after seeing this.

Kullo got back to the map and gestured for the captain to leave "it's been an honor working with you captain, now do as your told"


All four of them were speechless after hearing this. It took a solid minute and a half before anyone had the courage to speak out, what could have possibly caused all this.

Niuan led them back outside and got in one of the tanks before driving it out of the ice palace. It was clear where they were going, when they went in there wasn't a tower of ice standing 345 meters into the sky, now there was.

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