Fight 40: Save Appa
Lying on his stomach, Sokka was working intently on yet another sketch of Appa. He was trying to find the best angle for the wanted poster but his drawing skills were grade-school level at best... and he didn't seem aware of it. Toph and Momo were there too. Katara and Aang rushed in through the front door. They had found a printer to make the posters. She showed the paper containing an expert rendition of Appa, picture of Aang, and dense script. Her brother was upset since he thought designing it was his job and he had been working on it all day. He seemed quite proud of his work... before those two made fun of his drawing, found all those faults and offended him. Even Toph teased him. Since they decided to stick with the professional version, he angrily tore his drawing to shreds. And so they all went out to distribute the leaflets. Aang and Momo soared at rooftop level over Ba Sing Se, dropping a stream of posters behind them into the city streets.
Chenlian, Iroh and Zuko were working in the teashop. The old firebender was pouring tea for a wealthily dressed man and his bodyguards. As Iroh walked away, they sipped the tea and smiled, then rose to approach him.
"So you're the genius behind this incredible brew. The whole city is buzzing about you. I hope Pao pays you well." He held up the cup in a hand with glittering jeweled rings. The elderly smilingly answered that good tea was its own reward. "But it doesn't have to be the only reward. How would you like to have your own tea shop?"
"My own tea shop ?! This is a dream come true!" Iroh exclaimed elatedly.
"What's going on here ? Are you trying to poach my tea maker ?!" Pao scampered to stand protectively between his employee and his business enemy, Quon.
"Sorry Pao, that's business for you, am I right?" The appropriator replied smugly.
"Mushi, if you stay I will make you Assistant Manager. Wait, Senior Assistant manager." Pao was increasingly desperate. Quon offered to provide the teamaker with a new apartment in the upper ring. The tea shop was his to do whatever he wanted. Of course, he even got to name the shop. Complete creative freedom. Pao pleaded one last time but Mushi set the teapot in the hands of his former employer, who grimaced in frustration and disappointment and walked away dejectedly as Iroh and Quon exchanged respectful bows.
"Did you hear; nephew, Meiling? This man wants to give us our own tea shop in the upper ring of the city." Iroh told the teens excitedly.
"That's right youngsters. Your lives are about to change for the better." Quon added.
"That's great." Chenlian smiled. She was glad for Iroh. He really deserved to be happy. And - maybe - Zuko would be a bit less glum with the improvement of their living standards...
"Yeah, I'll try to contain my joy." Lee agreed drily as he put down his tray of cups and stepped outside. The girl stared at him and hung her head. Or maybe not...
Zuko leant against the front of the shop. As a paper fluttered down from the sky he caught it and read. It was the 'lost Appa' poster. Realizing all the implications, he scanned the sky for the source of the paper. He climbed to the roof of the shop just as another scattering of them settled to the street. He looked at the leaflet once more, determination etched onto his face.
Katara and Sokka were playing a card game in their house of the upper ring. Toph was lying on her back nearby, bouncing a small ball off of a wall. Aang and Momo burst though the door. They had just finished dropping all the leaflets and wanted to know if anyone had come in with news about Appa . Katara told him to be patient. It's only been a day. The boy sat down with them and dejectedly rested his chin on the table. A second later, someone knocked on the door.
"Wow, you're right! Patience really pays off!" The airbender rushed to open the door. It was only Joo Dee, their first and 'personal' Joo Dee, who greeted them in her usual manner. Sokka asked what had happened. They had thought the Dai Li had thrown her in jail .
"What, jail ? Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage." She answered dismissively. Toph pointed out that she had disappeared at the Earth King's party. "Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing." She explained, although that did not alleviate Sokka's suspicions and he crossed his arms. Katara noted they had replaced her with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee. "I'm Joo Dee." The woman replied like they were being silly. Going straight to the point, Aang asked why she was here. She pulled out a leaflet and informed them that dropping flyers and putting up posters wasn't permitted within the city without proper clearance. Sokka was growing annoyed. They didn't have the time to get permission for everything! "You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee insisted, grinning eerily.
"WE DON'T CARE ABOUT THE RULES, AND WE'RE NOT ASKING PERMISSON!" Red-faced, Aang snapped, shouting and flailing his arms in outrage and frustration. Alarmed to have angered the Avatar like this, the scared attendant backed away. "We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!" He slammed the door shut. Sokka thoughtfully remarked that might come back to bite them in the blubber but the monk didn't care. From now on they were going to do whatever it took to find Appa.
"YEAH! Let's break some rules!" Toph cheered, raising her arms. It was the first time she had been this happy since they had come here. She blasted the wall on the side of the house. Nonetheless, the humans still exited by the door, and Momo through the hole... watched by Dai Li agents from atop a roof across the street.
In Long Feng's private audience chamber, the man was placidly scolding Joo dee. He was very disappointed by her poor handling of the Avatar and his friends. The woman was terribly distressed and upset. They didn't trust her anymore and she didn't think she could keep working like this.
"Joo Dee, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai." The Grand Secretary said softly. His minion looked up, and her pupils dilated.
"I am honored to accept his invitation." She answered calmly. Long Feng nodded approvingly and told her to go await further orders. She left. The man took a scroll.
"If the Avatar keeps searching for his bison, it could upset the delicate balance we worked so hard to achieve in this city. It could even cost us control of the Earth King." He pondered, gazing at the green flames of the fireplace. A Dai Li suggested taking care of him. "No. It's much too dangerous to confront him directly. Let's see if we can still handle this... quietly."
The apartment the three firebenders lived in was actually part of a cramped and somewhat shabby complex. Inside, Iroh and Chenlian were packing. The door slid open and Zuko entered. She welcomed him back. His uncle told him about the name he had chosen for his new tea shop. The 'Jasmine Dragon ' It was dramatic, poetic, and had a nice ring to it. Chenlian liked it too.
"The Avatar's here in Ba Sing Se." Zuko held out the leaflet. The girl froze. And then she could feel her lover's eyes burning a hole in the back of her head. "And he's lost his bison."
"We have a chance for a new life here." Iroh said, taking the paper. His nephew walked to stare out a window. "If you start stirring up trouble, we could lose all the good things that are happening for us."
"Good things that are happening for YOU. Have you ever thought that I want more from life than a nice apartment and a job serving tea?!" The angry boy turned to face him.
"There is nothing wrong with a life of peace and prosperity. I suggest you think about what it is that you want for your life, and why."
"I want my destiny."
"What that means is up to you." The elder tried to explain. Zuko walked away under his girlfriend's gaze. "The Tea Weevil! No, that's stupid." Iroh suddenly exclaimed before shaking his head. Chenlian took the poster and stared at it. Her hands were trembling. And her face had tensed up, trying to contain her sadness, her hesitation, her fear, and her regrets. She knew Zuko, and what he wanted to do. And she knew what she had to do, and the consequences her decision would have. She was not ready, she didn't want to. Why now, just after she and Zuko were finally...?! If only that day hadn't come so soon! But she was who she was. And that was the only thing she could do to stay herself. One could say that she had already chosen her destiny and was following it.
Aang and the Water Tribe siblings were sticking posters to walls and decided to split up to cover more area. Sokka told Toph to go with him. She tried to prove she too could put up posters despite being blind but as the one she glued was on the wrong side (since she couldn't tell up from down or face from back) she agreed to accompany Sokka. They all split. In a square, Katara was affixing another poster to a stone plinth near a stream when a familiar voiced called her name from behind. She wheeled around and let out a startled gasp when she recognized Jet who walked to her.
"I think I can help you." He smiled smugly. Katara's shock turned into rage and she bended a pair of towering waves from the stream behind her, that she sent crashing towards him. "Katara! I've changed!" He begged right before being washed away by the torrent back into an alley. She quickly ran over and bended a sphere from a puddle, ready to attack.
"Tell it to some other girl, Jet!" Freezing the globe of water, she unleashed a volley of ice spikes at him. Whirling off-balance, Jet nonetheless managed to cut them out of the air.
"I don't want to fight you! I'm here to help." He dropped his swords to the ground as Katara drew closer. She stopped, not sure what to think. He reached behind his back for something, and before he could show his new trick, she pinned his clothes to the wall with ice blades. Sokka, Toph and Aang came rushing up behind her, asking what it was.
"Jet's back." The waterbender announced. "We can't trust anything Jet says." She strongly reminded them. Her brother pointed out that they didn't even know why he was here. "I don't care why he's here. Whatever the reason is, it can't be good." She asserted, resolute and resentful. Jet let the leaflet in his hand unroll and he affirmed he was here to help them find Appa. Aang wanted to give him a chance.
"I swear, I've changed. 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." He begged earnestly.
"You're lying!" Katara yelled bitterly. Toph pushed past her, placed her palm on the wall close to the immobilized boy, and attested that he was not lying. She could feel his breathing and heart beat. When people lied, there was a physical reaction. He was telling the truth. They all looked at the waterbender.
"Katara, we don't have any leads. If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out." The Avatar implored. She reluctantly agreed.
After a time, they entered a dimly lit... and empty warehouse. That was the place he had heard about. Since there was nothing here, Katara thought it was a trap and prepared an attack. He justified himself. While working nearby, he had heard two guys talking about some giant furry creature they had and figured it must be Appa. It was then Toph a handful of white bison fur. Appa had definitely been here. Aang took it and sadly stroked it. They had missed him.
"They took that big thing yesterday." The old white-haired janitor said. Aang straightened up with a shocked expression. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur and various, uh... leavings all day." He walked off. The child frantically asked about the island and Appa's whereabouts. "Foreman said some rich royal type on Whaletail Island bought him up, guess for a zoo or such, though could be the meat would be good." He mused. Those words scared the monk who wanted to immediately go to that island... though he had no idea where it was. The kids turned to Sokka who was reading a map.
"Far. Very far. Here it is. It's near the South Pole almost all the way back home." Sokka glumly answered and showed them the island on the map. His sister noted that it would take them weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom. And then they'd need to find a boat to get to the island. But Aang didn't care. If they had a chance to find Appa, they had to try. Katara agreed since she cared so much about Aang. Right now, their first concern had to be finding Appa. They could come back when they had him. Jet decided to come with them but she firmly told him they didn't need his help.
"Why won't you trust me ?" He asked her, apparently serious, before walking after Sokka and Aang.
"Gee, I wonder..." She said sarcastically, crossing her arms and turning and raising her head in a huff.
"Was this guy your boyfriend or something ?" The earthbender inquired.
"What ?! No!" Katara shot back, startled.
"I can tell you're lyyyyying." Toph teased. Her friend stomped off, blushing.
The five were walking through the streets. They could take the train out to the wall, but then they'd have to walk. Aang cheerfully reassured Sokka. On the way back, they were going to be flying! Toph cheered again. They were finally leaving Ba Sing Se, the worst city ever! But then, Smellerbee and Longshot emerged from a side-street in the distance. Both seemed astonished to see Jet. Smellerbee called out to him. Katara turned in surprise, as Jet kept walking indifferently.
"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore ?!" She accused him.
"I don't!" He turned, bewildered, just as Smellerbee caught him in her arms and tightly hugged him, obviously relieved.
"We were so worried! How did you get away from the Dai Li ?" The female Freedom Fighter asked. The waterbender was aghast. The Dai Li?! Jet replied he didn't know what she was talking about. "He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple weeks ago. We saw them drag him away." Smellerbee explained as everyone gathered. Her former leader seemed utterly baffled. Why would he be arrested ? He had been living peacefully in the city. Toph knelt down between them and placed a palm on the ground. This didn't make any sense. They were both telling the truth. Or rather, she couldn't tell who was lying because they both believed they were telling the truth. Jet had been brainwashed.
"That's crazy! It can't be! Stay away from me!" He started panicking as they all encircled him and closed in around him.
At night, a Dai Li agent was walking down a street when the masked figure of the Blue Spirit charged past him, knocking him away, and disappeared around a corner before he could retaliate. The angry earthbender pursed him and rounding the corner, saw the Blue Spirit waiting in the darkness. He launched his stone gloves at him, one after the other. The first burst through the rude man's chest and the other beheaded him. He approached to find out that he had only hit a straw-filled dummy that collapsed to the ground. And suddenly, the 'cultural authority' of Ba Sing Se had a sword against his throat.
"If you don't want to end up like him, you'll do what I say." The Blue Spirit menaced him from behind, unaware that they were being watched by a girl in a tight marroon outfit with her mahogany hair up in a bun.
Inside an apartment, Jet had been forced to sit on a chair while the others crowded around him. Smellerbee had explained the circumstances of his arrest and the gaang had been surprised to hear that Chenlian was here too. And Smellerbee was reassured that they knew about the people Chenlian was with. At first they doubted that this guy could be in the Earth Kingdom capital for a good reason but after all, more than they doubted that man, they trusted their friend who was with him. If someone could keep him under control, that should be her. Well, since she didn't seem to have problems or be in danger, it should be okay to leave her for now. The most pressing matter was Jet. Katara inferred that the Dai Li must have sent him to mislead them, and that janitor had been part of their plot too. Aang bet they had Appa here in the city... maybe in the same place they took Jet. He asked where they had taken him but he was still confused and didn't know what they were talking about. They had to find a way to jog his real memories.
"Maybe Katara could kiss him. That should bring something back." Sokka suggested (teased).
"Maybe you should kiss him, Sokka." His sis retorted, annoyed.
"Hey, just an idea." He said slyly.
"A bad one." Aang replied, peeved, which was understandable given his feelings for Katara. Then Sokka plucked a straw from the mattress, and poked it into Jet's mouth in trademark fashion. It didn't work though, and it was spat on the floor. Toph proposed that he thought of something from the past that triggered his emotions. Smellerbee told him to remember what the Fire Nation had done to his family. Jet closed his eyes, remembered the flames burning his village. People were screaming and fleeing while as a child he just stood there, transfixed. And there, mounted on komodo rhinos, Fire Nations mercenaries, whose leader turned back to glare at the helpless and crying child that he had been... He could still feel the heat of the burning wind...
"No!" He yelled, horrified, before sagging forward, exhausted. "It's too painful." Of course, it was better if it didn't hurt. Katara used her healing abilities to help him. Jet stared down at the moving light and shadow cast on the floor before him by the light of her energy. He recalled a great body of water, mountains in the distance, and Long Feng standing on the surface and regarding him grimly. Suddenly he felt himself down into the dark depths of the lake and into a vast man-made subterranean tunnel. And he remembered the Dai Li subjecting him to the hypnotic light of the orbiting lantern. "They took me to a headquarters under the water, like a lake." He began. Sokka reminded his friends that Joo Dee had claimed having gone on vacation to Lake Laogai. "That's it! Lake Laogai." Jet stood up.
And so, they went to Lake Laogai. But let alone a relaxing resort, or some vacation spot, there wasn't a single building in sight. It was really just a vast lake, surrounded by rugged hills and some vegetation. Jet imagined the secret headquarters were under the lake. Toph confirmed there was a tunnel right near the shore and made a stone pathway rise to the surface. They walked along it and she bended aside the round stone slab at the end. Everyone peered down into the dark shaft. They could go down by the ladder and then the stairs further down. Later, they were walking in the underground base which consisted of a long main tunnel lit by green lanterns and many passages lined up on the sides. It was the same place as the one in Jet's vision, and everything was starting to come back to him. As they passed, they peeked by a partially opened door inside a room where a brainwashing session was taking place. Rows of identically dressed young women were standing, hypnotized, before a Dai Li agent, repeating his words in perfect unison.
"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se. We are so lucky to have our walls to create order."
"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." He seemed to remember. After a time, they stopped before a sealed stone door. "I think it's through here."
A stone door slid away. Inside, Appa was chained to the floor. The light from the doorway cast the shadow of a figure on him as the bison rose and groaned uncertainly.
"Appa..." The female murmured sadly, pulling back her hood and lowering her neck gaiter, revealing her face. She had followed the Blue Spirit and the Dai Li to this place then found a way to distract them, and especially Zuko, so she could get here first and free Appa before that guy came here. Chenlian approached and stopped when the bison growled. She walked closer and got on her knees, her arms slightly open, with visibly open palms turned upwards. She was trying to make him understand there was nothing to fear. "Appa... I'm sorry... I don't know if I would have been able to do something had I been there... but I'm sorry... and I'm sorry for not having come earlier, for not knowing..." She apologized, looking and sounding so contrite that the animal calmed down. He recognized this voice, this smell... "But I promise that I, Chenlian, will take you back to Aang." She looked up at him with a mixture of hope, determination and gentleness. The bison muzzled her affectionately and licked her. She tightly hugged him. He had recognized her.
"No you won't. He's mine now." The Blue Spirit entered, swords drawn.
"Zuko!" Chenlian sharply turned around.
An identical door slid open. Jet and the others cautiously entered a massive shadowy cavern. Suddenly, the door slid shut behind them, startling them, and the green lanterns flared to life, illuminating the cave. Only now did they notice the Dai Li high above them, suspended upside down from chains or clinging to the ceiling itself. Long Feng and other agents were standing before them further in the cave.
"Now that's something different." Sokka noted as they all stared up. Long Feng grimly declared they had made themselves enemies of the state and ordered his subalterns to take them into custody.
The Dai Li dropped down to the floor, surrounding the group. Two agents launched a stone fist attack, but Toph disintegrated them in mid-flight and sent the men hurtling across the room with a pair of rock pillars. Jet turned and rushed another pair behind them, cutting their projectiles. Sliding along the ground past one, he tripped him with his hook sword. Long Feng watched imperturbably as Aang dealt with two more of his subordinates. Katara and Sokka managed to destroy two glove projectiles before being seized by two others. Toph intervened with a stone wall before they could be dragged to the waiting Dai Li. They sent a rush of stone towards Toph, but she rose high into the cavern on a pillar of rock, forcing them to pursue her the same way. Two more agents raced up the walls to either side of her and tried to strike out at Toph with horizontal columns of stone. The blind girl swatted aside the first two enemies, jumped to avoid the two columns as they crashed together beneath her. Landing atop them, she bended up a pair of stone blocks, using them to drive away both men simultaneously. A fist of stone grabs the back of her shirt, and hauled her through the air toward a Dai Li. Leaping past her Jet hooked her belt with his sword, pulling her to safety. As the agent kicks a stone foot attack after them Longshot covered them, intercepting the missile with one of his arrows. Joined by two of his allies, the operative sent three fist attacks at the archer but Jet cut them from the air. Having seen enough, Long Feng fled through the back door.
"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang yelled, blowing two Dai Li away. He and Jet broke away from the melee to pursue him. The Avatar blasted open the stone door and they ran down the passageway after the minister. They followed him into yet another chamber, big enough to contain a few nice houses, and filled with pipe openings. As they entered, the door shut and Long Feng dropped from the ceiling behind them.
"Alright Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance... if you want your bison back." The Grand Secretary warned.
"So you DO have Appa! Tell me where he is!" The outraged airbender shouted.
"Agree to exit the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and allow you to leave with your lost pet." The minister informed him of the condition.
"You're in no position to bargain." Jet raised his swords.
"Am I not ?" Long Feng wondered haughtily. Aang brandished his staff, saying he was definitely not. "Jet, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."
"I am honored to except his invitation." Jet replied, his pupils dilating, and suddenly, he made a brutal double slash at Aang's neck. The surprised child avoided and reeled backward in dismay as his former helper charged him, snarling with anger.
"Move, Chenlian." Zuko ordered.
"I won't move."
"Move!"
"Or what? Will you fight me? Will you hurt me? Will you bring me down? Is capturing that bison worth sacrificing me and our current relationship?"
"You're the one who's sacrificing me for the Avatar!"
"When I was a child I wanted peace and prosperity for the world, and I thought the Fire Nation would be the one to make it true. But I was wrong. You know that as long as Ozai is on the throne, I can never return to that place, and the world can never be at peace. The war must end. But Ozai won't stop. That's why I'm helping the Avatar. He's my precious friend, and he will bring peace and prosperity to everyone, including the Fire Nation. That's why I've been fighting all this time. But I love you. I don't want to fight you. I want to be with you. That's why I've returned to you. Lately, after fighting all those years, I've finally felt peace. Because I was with the person I love, I felt true happiness for the first time since I escaped from the Fire Nation. What about you? Are you not happy with me? Don't you want to be with me?" She desperately tried to convey her feelings. And once more, Zuko was feeling his heart cracking and splitting. Just as Chenlian, who was standing protectively before Appa, and the Blue Spirit were facing each other, the tension between them palpable, the door opened and the dao swords user turned, ready to attack. Iroh entered the room, surprising the teens.
"So, the Blue Spirit. I wonder who could be behind that mask..." The old man feigned ignorance. The boy heaved a sigh.
"What are you doing here ?" His nephew asked, removing his mask.
"I was just about to ask you the same thing. Chenlian's definitely here to free the bison and return it to its owner who must be very close by. The Avatar is her friend, and she wants to help him. But you... what do you plan to do now that you have found the Avatar's bison? Keep it locked in our new apartment? Should I go put on a pot of tea for him ?"
"First I have to get it out of here."
"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 no where to go!"
"I would have figured something out!" The prince shot back heatedly.
"NO! If Chenlian hadn't found you, you would have frozen to death!"
"I know my own destiny uncle." Zuko looked away in anguish.
"Is it your own destiny ? Or is it a destiny someone else has tried to force on you ?" The former general questioned him forcefully.
"Stop it uncle. I have to do this." The tormented boy turned away, toward Appa.
"No you don't have to. You create your path as you walk. Your destiny is made by the choices you make everyday. You're free to choose!" Chenlian replied vehemently.
"I'm begging you Prince Zuko! It's time for you to look inward, and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you? And what do you want ?" The old man pleaded furiously. "I love you. I don't want to fight you. I want to be with you. That's why I've returned to you. What about you?" Chenlian had a clear vision of who she was, what she wanted, and the path to take. What about him? What was more important to him? What should he do? What were his feelings for her? What path should he take, and with whom? With a cry of frustration, Zuko hurled both his swords to the ground, followed by the Blue Spirit mask. His scream echoed in the chamber.
Aang was still dodging Jet's furious assault while desperately pleading him to recognize him and stop this. He didn't have to do this! Long Feng was afraid he no longer had a choice though. The fighting puppet and once leader of Freedom Fighters paused to catch his breath, sweat running down his face, and with a shout, renewed his attack. The airbender kept evading and creating distance with blasts of air. The tiger hook swords user was tiring. Aang pleaded his friend to look inside his heart. He was so earnest Jet looked conflicted. Long Feng ordered Jet to do his duty. Jet slowly approached the monk, swords raised.
"He can't make you do this! You're a Freedom Fighter." The Avatar asserted. A fighter who fought out of his own free will to remain free from anyone's control... At these words, Jet straightened in shock. He recalled his time with his fellow Freedom Fighters, Smellerbee, Longshot, The Duke and Pipsqueak... Katara blushing as he held her against him, the cheers at the feast in their tree hideout, his fight with Chenlian and how he took her hand, their talk in the night, when he had placed his hands on Katara's shoulders and she'd respond so favorably... When he saw Chenlian again aboard the ferry, when they stole the food with Lee and handed it out to the passengers, Lee kissing Chenlian, his threatening Chenlian when she came to confront him and ask him to stop tailing, her back as she returned to Lee, to that firebender... and then he recalled being dragged away by the Dai Li, and the brainwashing beneath the lake. Faces flashed by rapidly, Iroh, Colonel Mongke, Long Feng, his own at various ages. Jet stood there, motionless, overcome by the memories flooding his mind. Behind him, Long Feng's voice cut through his mental fog.
"Do it! Do it now!" He commanded. With a snarl of rage, Jet whirled and hurled one of his swords directly at Long Feng who sidestepped, avoiding it. And it embedded itself by the spike in the wall. In the same time, the minister sent an out-thrust of stone rocketing towards Jet. When the dust cleared, the boy was lying on the ground motionless, having taken the full brunt of the brutal attack. Momentarily stunned, the Avatar rushed forward. The earthbender lifted himself to the entrance of a tunnel on a column of stone.
"Foolish boy. You've chosen your own demise." Long Feng said contemptuously before vanishing down the dark passage. Aang worriedly sat down at Jet's side.
"I'm sorry, Aang." The Freedom Fighter apologized weakly.
"Don't be." The Avatar reassured him. Toph opened the doorway and everyone rushed to them and surrounded the fallen warrior. They all looked sad and shocked. Katara applied her healing water to his chest but it wasn't good. Smellerbee told them to find Appa. They'd take care of Jet.
"We're not going to leave you." Katara disagreed.
"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader." Longshot spoke for the very first time. The four stared at him in wonder.
"Don't worry Katara, I'll be fine." Jet smiled weakly and tenderly up at her. She closed her eyes in grief before rising to her feet. Team Avatar left somberly, Toph and Sokka bringing up the rear.
"He's lying." The little earthbender noted softly. Smellerbee was weeping and stroking her leader's forehead.
They arrived at the chamber where Appa had been confined, only to find it empty. Long Feng seemed to have beaten them here but if they kept moving, they should catch up to him. However, as they moved along, they found themselves pursued by the Dai Li and fled to the surface where Toph created a new exit out of the lake. They jumped from the inside of the formed outcropping and onto the shoreline. It was only a few yards wide, with the expanse of water on one side and the cliff on the other. The four instantly started running and were chased by nine Dai Li that emerged from the hole after them. And ahead were Long Feng and six more Dai Li waiting for them, plus three on the cliff side. The six bended up a thirty foot wall of stone beneath their leader's feet, sealing the strip of land, and forcing the escapees to stop. The agents raised up another wall behind them. The four youths were enclosed and surrounded. Momo came down and landed on Aang's shoulder chattering excitedly. The airbender asked what it was. The lemur launched upward, past Long Feng, to disappear into the bright midday sun. Moments later Appa emerged from the dazzling light, swooping down on them. Aang yelled his friend's name in delight. The other teens were almost as elated. The bison smashed through the walls. The earthbenders perched on them were knocked senseless by the bursting debris, and fell to the ground or into the water. Aang and Toph bended the cliff, flinging the remaining enemies far into the lake. Appa circled around to land heavily near the shaken Long Feng, as the remaining Dai Li fled. Noticing he had been abandoned, Long Feng faced the enraged sky bison.
"I can handle you by myself." The minister tried to kick Appa, creating an outcropping that followed the line of his kick. But Appa caught his leg in his teeth and tossed him away, sending him skipping far out across the lake. The ruminant spat out the shoe and Aang, Sokka, Katara and Momo threw themselves onto him in happiness and hugged him, while Toph stroked his nose. The Avatar was crying.
"I missed you, buddy." At these words, Appa closed his eyes in contentment. But then, tangled in Appa's fur, Aang noticed a few long strand of reddish brown hair. He took it and smiled. And soon, they were flying over Lake Laogai. Katara stared down sorrowfully at the surface, her eyes brimming with tears. Aang put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she turned back to them, wiping a tear. Sokka evoked what they should do about Chenlian. Shall they bring her back too to really have EVERYONE together? "Nope. If she's fine, she knows we're here and still hasn't contacted us, that must mean there's no need for us to go over to her. Let's believe in her and wait for her." The Avatar smiled confidently. All four gathered in an embrace.
Zuko emerged from the passage originally uncovered by Toph and helped Iroh and Chenlian climb up too.
"You did the right thing, nephew." Iroh reassured him. Zuko pulled out the Blue Spirit mask and stared at its demonic visage as his uncle placed a hand on its shoulder. "Leave it behind." He said. The boy walked to the edge and hesitated.
"You won't need it anymore. It'll be alright. I'm here for you." Chenlian encouraged him with a smile and looked up at him with tender love as she hugged him around the waist from the side. Zuko gazed back at her, wrapped an arm tightly around her shoulders and dropped the mask into the lake, where it slowly sunk into the depths.