Collide

by FoxBlitz

Katara had been so sure of her plan to liberate the prison rig. How was she to know how efficiently the guards would respond to an uprising? Zuko had been positive that his best course of action was to travel separate from his Uncle. What else was he supposed to do when he came across a person from his past? Sometimes, through all the doubt, two people collide. Eventual Zutara.

37. Ch 37 - The Confrontation

Chapter 37 - The Confrontation

The fight up the central road leading from the harbor to the Fire Nation Royal Capital City was a literal uphill battle. A quarter of a mile in height, angled at a twenty percent grade; the harrowing trek wove a zig-zagging systems of switchbacks for a little over a mile in distance. And littered at each turn were reinforced pillboxes built directly into the side of the rocky terrain for the Fire Nation garrison forces to rain down flame and boiling pitch in defense of their city.

In terms of force-on-force, the advantage lay overwhelmingly with the defensive-minded Fire Nation garrison forces. The first Earth Kingdom tank that attempted the climb found itself immobilized and its occupants torched as the heated liquid pitch made its way inside. The screams from within were paralyzing to the allied invasion force's momentum.

As a costly stalemate appeared almost inevitable, a single earthbender realized a simple solution to the complex problem. Unfortunately for the Fire Nation, their impeccable defenses barring the path along the central road up the mountain held a singular vulnerability. A glaring weakness that had been overlooked by the Fire Nation architects and engineers.

The system of reinforced pillboxes at the first road checkpoint shuddered. The Fire Nation soldiers within were instantly on edge as their stalwart bunkers creaked and groaned before shaking violently.

And that minor flaw became readily apparent to all as Toph growled in exertion, her small body straining itself to shift and move the amount of earth she was attempting to bend. It became obvious that the problem with mountainous pillboxes was the fact that those bunkers were built, within the side of a mountain, surrounded by earth.

With a determined cry of concentration, Toph finally managed to muster the kinetic energy within the stubborn earth to trigger the rockslide she had been building up. The Fire Nation soldiers within the initial system of reinforced pillboxes could only manage panicked yelps as the once indominable defenses tumbled uselessly down the side of the steep slope and broke apart at the base of the mountain.

Alarmed at the damage that one little girl was doing to their well constructed defenses, the Fire Nation garrison forces scrambled to focus their fiery catapult shots and arrows in the direction of the tiny earthbender. Jin stepped forward to generate a solid dome of dense earth and rock to shield her blind mentor from the concentrated volumes of projectiles raining down on their position.

The Fire Nation forces weren't the only ones dumbfounded by the combined strength of the pair of earthbenders marching unfazed by the defenses on the mountainside. One of the allied earthbenders leaned over to his Earthbending Captain. "Uh... sir, is there anyone in our regiment who can control that much rock all at once? Those two kids are doing more than the rest of us combined."

The Earthbending Captain looked over at the little earthbender in question as Toph laughed in superiority with her hands raised as the small Earth Kingdom girl was essentially redesigning the mountainous central road to her liking with every shifting of the earth. Reinforced Fire Nation bunkers crumbled away down the steep slope as Jin scolded her mentor to quit playing around and to keep moving because of the amount of projectiles being thrown their way. The earthbending duo continued their childish bickering as they steadily progressed upward.

Luckily for the Earthbending Captain, who had no words for what he was witnessing, the Boulder walked up as he placed an understanding palm on the officer's shoulder. "The Boulder too, was overcome with disbelief at the Bandit's abilities in the ring. Just be glad that she is on our side and follow her like the champion she is. You're welcome to refute that if you think you can beat her in a match. She takes on all challengers."

The allied earthbender who had asked the original question glanced back over as Toph and Jin worked together to kick up several earthen columns that they then slammed into a line of firebenders, sending those opponents careening into the vast chasm below. The allied earthbender visibly gulped. "You know, I don't have a problem following those kids."

The Earthbending Captain grit his teeth as he ordered his men forward. "So what if those two girls are powerful! They can't keep this up by themselves forever! Look alive lads! We can't afford to lose those assets!" Under the command of their Captain, the Earth Kingdom soldiers rallied to Toph's and Jin's side, mirroring the actions of the two Earth Kingdom girls as the soldiers worked together to create domes to block projectiles as others combined their bending to pull the remaining Fire Nation bunkers from the mountainside.

The Fire Nation garrison forces slowly started to realize the futility of their cliff side defenses as the Earth Kingdom forces marched stalwartly upwards. The Fire Nation garrison soldiers began to fall back to the top of the hill, hurling fiery catapult shots down on the climbing invaders in a desperate attempt to continue obstructing the allied forces' advance.

Zuko huddled behind a stationary Earth Kingdom tank along with Jeong Jeong, Jee, Zuri, and Bato as they planned what to do once their forces reached the summit.

"Once we spill into the Capital, we'll need to set up defensive perimeters here, here, and here," instructed Jeong Jeong as he indicated to several points on the map. "We'll need to hold the area long enough to defeat the Fire Lord and cut off any reinforcements that try to aid him."

Jee and Zuri studied the map before drawing a couple more marks of their own. "This gate was shuttered last year and made impassable with market stalls. There's a new gate that was constructed over here. And this wall isn't reinforced. If we set-up here, a garrison tank could knock it down easily and flank us," commented Zuri as she looked back up at Jeong Jeong.

"Right," the Fire Admiral answered as he swiftly made some hasty adjustments to the plan. A catapult shot impacted the Earth Kingdom tank the allied force leaders were tucked behind and they winced at the sound, but the metal tank held sturdy.

"That was a close one," joked Hakoda as he walked up to the group being supported by Katara's shoulder.

"Chief!" grinned Bato as he helped his fellow Water Tribesmen kneel behind the Earth Kingdom tank. "You're back on your feet again."

"It's all thanks to Katara here," praised Hakoda. "Her healing ability is leagues beyond anything our fellow tribes in the North have."

"Really?" asked Katara in surprise.

Hakoda ruffled his Daughter's hair. "Really. We've worked with our Northern Brothers and Sisters on various missions during their war, and you're simply one-of-a-kind."

As Katara beamed with pride, a messenger hawk cawed overhead before swooping down and landing on Jeong Jeong's outstretched arm. Pulling the communication from the capsule on the bird's talon, Jeong Jeong quickly read the message. "Word from Chey's fire ferrets. The Fire Lord is not in the throne room. They don't know his exact position."

Zuko grimaced as he studied the map once more. Taking a writing instrument, the Fire Prince hastily marked three locations within the Capital City. "Father is most likely hiding within one of these three bunkers underneath the city. The Fire Catacombs are filled with twists and turns, traps, and other surprises to stop intruders. The exact pathways to these bunkers are only known to the royal family and the Fire Lord's personal guards."

"Is there another way?" asked Hakoda.

"Conventionally? No," answered Zuko as he looked up to see two more allies approaching the group. "But we don't do things by the book, do we?"

"Not unless you let me use that book to hit people with," nodded Toph as she gathered around the map with Jin.

Zuri studied the locations that Zuko had circled. "This is the central library, communications relay station, and the komodo rhino stables. You're telling me each of these spots has a secret hide-away bunker underneath there?"

"We'll break up into separate teams," replied Zuko, confirming his subordinate's question with a head nod. "Zuri and Bato, lead a team to the communications relay station. Katara and Jin, take a team to the central library. I'll secure the stables. We'll have earthbenders tunnel in from above and avoid having to navigate the Fire Catacombs. Whichever team finds the Fire Lord, send a signal up into the sky and the main force can collapse onto that location."

Looking up from the map, the Fire Prince added, "The main force will position here, in front of the Imperial Palace. Toph can create some solid defensive walls for the main force to utilize. From that location, it's roughly the same distance to any of the three potential hiding spots."

The protests to that plan came rolling in almost immediately. "We're not letting you go by yourself!" demanded Katara.

"Allow me the honor of accompanying you," offered Jee.

"No," replied Zuko to the Fire Nation Captain. "I need you here with the main force to support Admiral Jeong Jeong and Chief Hakoda." Turning to his girlfriend, Zuko reassured, "And I won't be alone. I'll take the 41st Division with me."

"And me," declared Toph as she glared directly at the Fire Prince.

Zuko stared back at the little earthbender for a moment. "Then who's going to set-up the defenses in front of the Imperial Palace?"

"Don't underestimate the rest of the earthbenders here," bragged Toph. "They're motivated to catch up to me and Jin. They'll do fine without me there. And this way, Ice Princess doesn't have to worry about you."

Glancing over at Katara and seeing her head nod, Zuko reluctantly relented. "Alright. Toph, you're with me."

"What if the Fire Lord's not in any of those locations?" asked Jin as she studied the plan.

"Then, we'll think of something else," answered Hakoda firmly. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk it all for the mission. We all know what is at stake here. Solve one problem, then solve the next one, and the next. If we solve enough problems, then we all get to go home."

---

Sailing into the special weapons development port had been no simple feat. The remnants of the Central Fleet had been challenged by each and every checkpoint spanning the journey into the harbor, despite easily being in view of the previous breakpoint.

Arriving into the port, the frustration of the Central Fleet crew shifted into fascination. Drydocked in neat little rows around the area were mammoth-sized, cylindrical crimson balloons shaped by a metal frame. Positioned underneath each craft was a support cabin and railings for firebenders to latch onto to shoot their flames downward. An imposing fleet of two dozen airships appeared near completion.

Disembarking, Captain Daizan was almost instantly beset upon by the mousey harbor master with a clipboard. "I've heard the reports. You all had the audacity to arrive late, undermanned, and under-shipped."

Lieutenant Taka could see his commander's hands immediately ball up into fists as the Lieutenant wasn't sure if his Captain was about to punch the harbor master square in the face for the heartless comment. Stepping forward, Taka attempted to diffuse the situation. "If you've heard the reports, then you understand that we were ambushed by the enemy and suffered harsh losses. We lost much of our fleet."

The mousey harbor master scoffed. "Your incompetence isn't my problem. You being unable to fulfill your position in the blockade of this port is. You all let the enemy have their way with you and now you're making me have to figure out how to compensate for your ineptitude."

Picking up the harbor master by the cuff of his tunic, the rage in Daizan's eyes was readily apparent. "Good men died out there, you bean counter. If you keep insulting them, I'm going to-"

Undaunted, the mousey harbor master stared back unimpressed from his vulnerable state of being lifted into the air. "You're going to what? Kill one of the Fire Lord's administrators overseeing his special weapons project? This recklessness is probably what got your men killed. Admiral Chung certainly didn't recruit stable sailors into his command. Or should I say, former command."

Captain Daizan's fist reared back to deliver a brutal haymaker, only to be caught by Lieutenant Taka. With a nod of his head, the Lieutenant signaled for his commander to take a look around at all the security around the port that had been approaching the confrontation with a measured step.

Growling, Daizan released his grip, allowing the harbor master to drop back to his feet. Dusting himself off, the port administrator continued his belittlement of the Central Fleet. "Acting Captain Daizan, was it? We'll see how long you maintain that position. Resupply your ships and return to sector three. If you had arrived hours ago when you had been originally scheduled, then you would have had been assigned sector one. However, that honor was given to more respectable officers with their whole fleets intact."

With that, the mousey harbor master walked off to inspect a different part of the port as he continued to make notes on his clipboard.

"Lieutenant Taka," grunted Captain Daizan as he stood there, his fury clearly visible on his face. "Oversee the resupply of the ships. Food, ammunition, medical supplies; everything we lost out there." As the Lieutenant gave a salute and moved to comply, Daizan stopped him, adding, "And thanks, for keeping me from making an impulsive decision."

"The men would be hopeless without you, sir," replied Taka. "They know who got them out of that mess."

With a grunt, Daizan proceeded towards one of the larger buildings in the area. "While you're resupplying the ships, I'll get up to speed with our new mission here. Admiral Chun had only provided his officer corps with minor details before."

"Try not to punch any pencil-pushers!" called back Lieutenant Taka as he watched his commanding officer walk into the office building.

---

"You were lying back there," proclaimed Toph as she walked alongside Zuko. The pair of them were walking in the direction of a vacant field near the outskirts of the Fire Nation Capital with the 41st Division behind them. "We're not going to the stables, are we?"

"The catacomb pathway to the bunker underneath the komodo rhino stables caved-in when I was eight," replied Zuko. "Father never bothered to repair it. He didn't see the point." Then, the Fire Prince asked his own question. "I thought that you might have picked up on my omission of the truth. Why didn't you call me out on it back during the planning session?"

"Did you want me to?" retorted Toph. "I easily could have. But if I did that, then I wouldn't have been able to hold one over on you, would I?"

Zuko didn't reply as the group continued their march. He knew he owed Toph for allowing him his good-natured subterfuge. Katara would be absolutely livid if she knew where the Fire Prince was actually heading.

"You were trying to keep Katara away from the greatest danger, weren't you?" returned Toph sharply. "Is there even a chance of the Fire Lord being at the other two locations?"

"Possibly," answered Zuko. "But it's close to zero. We're headed to where Father is most likely hiding out."

"And the others will find...?" pressed Toph.

"Probably some other higher-up members of the Fire Court hiding underground," replied Zuko as he scanned the area. "The communications relay station is still an important target above ground too. If we capture that, then we can limit the messenger hawks our opponents can use. The other targets aren't pointless."

"Alright. Let's say I buy all that. What are we looking for all the way out here?" implored Toph. "There ain't nothing out in this empty field." The little earthbender paused as she reached out further with her earth sense. "Wait." She looked up at the Fire Prince.

"There's no important buildings or locations above ground in this area," explained Zuko. "So there is little reason for invaders to bring a large force all the way out here when there are more vital targets back towards the center of town."

"Sneaky," commented Toph as she started to earthbend the ground, tunneling down into the depths. It didn't take her all that long to carve out a large crater as she continued to shift the earth. "This kinda reminds me of when I first started to learn earthbending from the badgermoles. I was burrowing tunnels all over the place back home."

"You learned from the badgermoles directly?" asked Zuko, a little surprised. "I wondered who your master was."

"You got a problem with badgermoles?" growled Toph as she worked.

"Not at all," deflected the Fire Prince earnestly. "Jin actually got to learn a little bit of earthbending from an ancient badgermole spirit and I got to learn some firebending from an ancient dragon spirit a while back in the Spirit world," stated the firebender as he walked alongside the little earthbender.

"Really? Pebbles didn't tell me that. Going to have to see what other secrets she's been holding out from me with," grinned Toph with a smile that promised an interesting conversation with her student later. Zuko sweat dropped as he silently apologized to Jin in his mind for making her next encounter with Toph all that more difficult.

Toph held up her hand to halt everyone. "We're here. Give the word and I'll take us in."

The Fire Prince gestured to the rest of the soldiers to ready for battle. Swords were drawn and spears were readied as Sergeants Tamo and Yizi nodded confidently at the detachment from the 41st Division's preparedness.

"Alright, go," commanded Zuko. As Toph swung her arms wide and pushed the earth downward, Zuko belatedly realized, "Wait. Where are you dropping us?" The only response he received from the little earthbender was a toothy grin. "Toph, where are you dropping us?!"

Chunks of rock and stone caved-in directly on top of a platoon of Fire Nation firebenders guarding the giant metal door of a secure metal bunker underneath the ground. Coughing through the dust, Zuko examined the wiped out squad of Fire Nation defenders. "You did that on purpose, didn't you?"

"It worked, didn't it?," coughed out Toph as she too breathed out the dust from the cave-in rubble. "And look, we're here without too much fuss."

Zuko helped a member of the 41st Division rise back to their feet from falling in from what used to be the ceiling. "Well, you took out the enemy squad guarding the gate, so nice job there."

The little earthbender was about to open her mouth to make another witty remark, when she paused and grew stern. Listening with her earth sense, Toph tensed as she felt the vibrations reverberating from the tunnels. "Not so fast. There's more. A lot more." She pointed in both directions. "They're collapsing on us from both sides."

Sergeants Tamo and Yizi stepped up as both leaders divvied up half of the assault force to block both tunnels. "We'll hold off the reinforcements!" urged Tamo.

"Leave it to us!" added Yizi as she adjusted the defensive line around her. "This is what we came here to do. Now go do what you have to do, sir."

Zuko nodded at his brave soldiers. "Hold the line." Both the former 41st Sergeants nodded grimly at the desperate defense they were about to endure. They were a small strike team thrown into the far depths of hostile territory fighting against an unknown number of Fire Nation garrison soldiers. There would be no quick retreat. The tunnel back to the surface was on the ceiling and it would be slow going to return up it. Not to mention, they had to keep the reinforcements from approaching the bunker while their Fire Prince was inside.

Their only advantage was the width of the tunnels preventing their enemy from swarming with numbers. This would be a battle of attrition. Tamo placed a calming hand on the shoulder of a nervous soldier who looked like he was about to throw up. "Easy now. Numbers alone do not win a battle."

The nervous 41st Division soldier gulped as he steeled his nerves. "But I bet they help." In the distance of the winding tunnels, the sounds of the charging Fire Nation garrison soldiers grew closer.

Toph was already at the door to the metal bunker, punching the thick, triple rolled steel. Each punch left a deep imprint on the steel barrier. Satisfied with getting a feel for the metal, Toph grabbed the door, her fingers cutting through the steel like a hot knife through butter as she gripped the frame and she yanked the door off its hinges, opening the way.

Rushing inside, Toph and Zuko came face-to-face with Fire Lord Ozai and a force of elite Fire Nation warriors armed with spears and swords to protect their leader during the eclipse. The noise from outside the bunker had already put them on high-alert.

"You!" shouted Ozai as he stood up in his make-shift throne, glaring angrily at his prodigal son's return.

Without answering, Zuko firebent all the torches in the room to extinguish the lights as Toph threw the metal door shut behind them, dotting out the last of the illumination from the connecting hallway tunnel. The entire chamber darkened to a pitch black immediately. "Welcome to my world," proclaimed Toph as a haunting laugh of an excited child echoed throughout the blackness.

All Ozai heard for the next couple precious moments of time was the sounds of his suddenly blinded soldiers receiving a one sided beat down from the little earthbender. Unable to see in the dark, no one could mount a proper defense against the columns of earth that slammed into them or the boulders that crashed against their skulls. The cries of anguish and confusion rang out as some Fire Nation warriors attempted to organize and strike back, but those more daring souls were quickly drown out by the booms of rock and stone colliding with squishy flesh.

Fire Lord Ozai sent out a wave of flame from his arms towards the walls of the chamber to reignite the torches hanging there. He frowned as light returned to the bunker. All of his Fire Nation warriors were laying sprawled out in various defeated positions. Some were pinned to the wall by an earthen column, others sandwiched between two earthen plates, even more were pulled down into the ground up to their necks. In the corner of the room, Ozai even saw one of his warriors with his upper body in the ceiling, arms pinned to the man's side and the man's leg twitching uselessly as the confided soldier attempted to free himself.

Giving a singular slow clap, Fire Lord Ozai sat back down in his throne, refusing to give up his haughty air of superiority. "And so we hail the mighty heroes, my traitorous son and a midget from the Earth Kingdom. Come to commit patricide now, boy? It appears your list of heinous crimes only continues to lengthen."

"This midget just wiped out all your best soldiers in a minute flat without breaking a sweat!" growled back Toph as Zuko put a hand on his friend's shoulder to calm her momentarily as he stepped forward instead.

"I am here to bring you to justice, Father," declared Zuko simply.

Ozai laughed mirthfully. "Justice?" The notion was indeed comical to him. "Whose justice? Yours?" The Fire Lord's eyes shifted towards Toph. "The foreign invaders who you so traitorous led into our nation?" Ozai glared down upon his son. "The Fire Nation will condemn you for your actions here today. Your efforts are filled with treachery."

Zuko didn't answer, but instead remained resolute as he stood there defiantly.

Ozai frowned. It seemed his cowardly Son had finally grown a spine. Changing tactics, Ozai played to what he believed his Son still desired above all else, a place on the throne. "Return to my side."

When Zuko continued to remain silent, Ozai elaborated, "I thought you weak, but perhaps I have misjudged you. Azula has never raised an army as strong or as motivated as you have today. It seems your exile has taught you well. It has made you strong. The Fire Nation stands on the precipice of victory. Sozin's Comet is almost here. Our triumph is at hand. Together, with my children, both of my children, we can crush the final pockets of resistance and at long last, the Fire Nation will rule over all."

The Fire Lord stared intently at the Fire Prince as Ozai whispered heavily, "Every choice you have made, every trial you have overcome, every battle you have survived, has led you to this moment. Led you home."

Zuko shifted. Ozai's words had resonated deeply within the Fire Prince. However, the effect was not the one the Fire Lord had been expecting.

"I have returned Father. Your banished Son and your greatest failure," greeted Zuko. Ozai simply smirked in response. Continuing, the Fire Prince stated, "For so long, all I wanted was for you to love me, to accept me. I thought you could give me the honor I had somehow lost, but really, I was just trying to please you. You, my Father, who banished me just for talking out of turn. My Father, who challenged me, a thirteen-year-old boy, to an Agni Kai. How could you possibly justify a duel with a child?"

Ozai's smug smirk grew as he scornfully answered, "It was to teach you respect!"

"It was cruel! And it was wrong!" shouted back Zuko.

"Then you have learned nothing!" growled Ozai angrily.

"No," denied Zuko firmly. "I have learned everything. I have stumbled, and I have fallen. But there were others who picked me up and helped me grow, taught me the meaning of real strength and real honor. The stories you have preached to our people, the ones that tell of our great civilization and how this war is our way of sharing that greatness with the rest of the world, I see them now for what they really are. What an amazing lie our family has weaved. How willingly our people have accepted it. We have created an era of fear and hatred in the world. And if we don't want the world to destroy itself, we must be the ones to replace it with an era of peace and harmony."

Ozai laughed mirthfully. "Your Uncle has finally gotten to you, hasn't he?"

Zuko nodded. "Yes, he has. It took longer than it should have, but I finally see the wisdom of his words. And he wasn't the only one to teach me, merely the first."

"Then it seems I have a long list of people to repay for turning my own Son against me," hissed the Fire Lord.

"The one you turned me against you, is you," argued Zuko. "You and Azula. I have learned our family history, Father, our true history. I know of the atrocities we have committed against the other nations and against ourselves in pursuit of power. I know what really happened to Lu Ten and why Uncle willingly gave up his birthright. You sit upon a false throne."

Ozai's hands gripped the edges of the throne armrests so tightly, the metal strained under the pressure. "Mark your next words very carefully, boy."

Undaunted by his Father's unhidden threat, Zuko declared, "You may be a usurper, but I must thank you as well. In your blatant pursuit for power, you were also the one who set things into motion for our family to right the wrongs of our past. You married Mother, Granddaughter to Avatar Roku, and a force of light to our dark lineage under great Grandfather Sozin. You set Uncle on his path to mentor me when you had Lu Ten killed. You alienated me and banished me, allowing me to travel the world and learn."

Zuko took a step forward. "So you see, I am standing here today, a force for good, because of you. I will be the one to restore the honor our family has discarded and the honor our country has forgotten." Fire Lord Ozai growled lowly as he fumed, irate at the proclamation of his audacious son.

"Out of the love and respect I once had for you as my Father, I'll give you one chance to surrender. Your reign is over," proclaimed Zuko steadfastly.

Ozai scowled at his brazen son. "You'll give me? It appears your banishment did little to teach you the respect you so sorely lacked. Worse, actually. It's given you a fool's courage. My reign, has merely begun!" Rising as he separated the yin and yang energies around his hands, Ozai unleashed a rage of lightning at his own Son without a second thought.

Anticipating his Father's response already, Zuko caught the deadly blue electricity as it raced at him. Sliding backwards from the force of the blow and gritting his teeth as he accepted the attack, the Fire Prince allowed the lightning to flow through him from his left arm down to his stomach and back up to his right arm as he extended the limb outward and redirected the roaring electricity straight back at his Father. Ozai's eyes widened in alarm at the unexpected redirect of electricity as he dove to the side to avoid the lightning. In his place, the throne behind the Fire Lord exploded into pieces as a smoking stump remained.

"It appears my cowardly Son has finally found a backbone," snarled the Fire Lord, climbing back to his feet as he eyed the stone-faced teenager before him with a calculating eye. That redirection of lightning from his Son had been aimed directly at him, not as a warning shot like the Zuko of the past might had done. The realization that his Son indeed meant to deliver so-called justice onto him began to dawn on Ozai.

"I have found much more than that," replied Zuko sternly as he settled into a bending stance. The eclipse was still a few minutes away by his count. Once he endured his Father's firebending for that time, the Fire Prince would have the advantage. Ozai had never practiced with weapons before. His Father had claimed such crude instruments were beneath a true firebending master. Hence why his Father had snidely told Zuko to take up the sword all those years ago, because his bending as a child had been terrible.

Toph moved to help, only for Zuko to wave her off. "No. This is my fight," stated the Fire Prince. "If I'm challenging my Father for the throne, then I must be the one to defeat him."

"That's great, you do that," replied Toph. Then, she reached out and lashed out with her earthbending to strike at two spots on the back wall behind Ozai. In response, two Dai Li agents flew from their hiding spots as the two men landed in the room. "I'll handle the extras. But if you take too long, I'm stepping in."

Ozai hid his reaction, but he was just as surprised as Zuko to see the two Dai Li agents emerge from the back wall. 'Azula meant to kill me during the eclipse!' immediately deduced Ozai in shock to himself. 'That ungrateful little wretch! She was going to make it look like the foreign invaders did it.'

Overcoming his disbelief, Ozai almost actually respected the move by his Daughter. It was cunning, and it was exactly something that he would have done in her position. How funny that his Son's comrade made a mess of that plan.

Ignoring the earthbenders fighting off to the side of the chamber, Ozai settled his gaze upon Zuko. Both firebenders shifted into their ready stances. First things, first.

---

Unlike Toph, Jin had sloped a much more gradual decline into the Fire Catacombs a short distance from their intended target location. After all, it didn't make sense to just crash down on top of a situation without knowing where the enemy was. How brash would you have to be to do something like that?

Reaching a corner in the tunnel they traveled through, Katara looked around a junction carefully with an ice mirror she had formed in her hand. She frowned. "Why haven't we run into any soldiers yet?" she hissed, perturbed by the lack of resistance. The whole reason why they had approached slowly was to eliminate any enemy forces outside the shelter first. However, that was an issue if there were no forces to defeat.

"Maybe this location is a dud," supplied Jin. "I'm not sensing any movement nearby. I don't think there are any soldiers hiding in wait outside the bunker. Inside... well, my earth sense isn't any good as Toph's yet. I can't sense across metal as clearly as she can."

"I guess there is only one option then," offered Katara as she froze the hinges on the metal door to the bunker. Then, the waterbender signaled for the allied soldiers that had come with them to form a defensive half ring around the entrance to defend against any possible enemy reinforcements. She nodded at Jin, who stepped forward.

Cracking her knuckles, Jin simply said, "Knock, knock," as she punched ahead and blasted the weakened door into the metal bunker. Katara and Jin surged into the chamber just before a second metal door, thicker than the first, slammed shut behind them as it dropped down from above. They were cut off from their fellow soldiers, still outside the bunker.

Just as Jin moved to work on the metal door once more, a strikingly familiar voice halted both waterbender and earthbender in their tracks. "Oh, it's you two."

Katara readied a ring of water around herself as Jin slowly turned around to observe Azula lounging lazily in a throne room chair at the far end of the chamber. The Fire Princess' legs were kicking back and forth with disinterest over one of the chair arms as Azula rested her back against the other chair arm. "I guess my foolish Brother is somewhere else on the battlefield." She spun around on the chair to sit normally. "I had thought he would have certainly come this way. This is the closest bunker to the Imperial Palace after all. How inconsiderate of Zuzu, making me have to go track him down myself."

Katara shifted slightly as she sized up her opponent and scanned her surroundings. It seemed like Azula was alone in the chamber, but the Water Tribe girl knew Azula likely had a trap or two ready.

Electricity crackled to life in Azula's hands. "At least I can enjoy getting rid of one of the water savages that has vexed me over and over again." A wicked scar across the Fire Princess' right eye marred her otherwise beautiful face. "You can pay for your Brother's offense to me." With a cruel smile, Azula fired a ray of lightning directly at the Water Tribe girl.

Katara's eyes grew wide in fright as she watched the deadly arc of blue, cold-blooded fire rush towards her, only for the electricity to divert midflight and strike a metal post embedded in the center of the room. Jin's arms were still extended as she had bent the broken metal door into a large stake that she had jabbed into the center of the earthen flooring of the room.

Growling in frustration, Azula cursed. "Not this petty trick again!" The Fire Princess prepared a jet burst of fire to melt the metal spike as a torrent of water collided with the flames and erupted into a large amount of steam that blurred the room. The temperature shot up several degrees and the entire place became humid and muggy.

"Water savages... We should have never stopped the raids to South. We should have continued until all of you were wiped out, just like the troublesome Air Nomads," snarled Azula indignantly.

"Give it up Azula," ordered Katara. "You trapped yourself in here with us and it's two-on-one."

No sooner than the Water Tribe girl said that, an array of kunai knives rained down in her direction. Katara managed to block the most dangerous ones with a shield of ice from catching her in the chest or the head, but a couple of the blades clipped her arms and legs, drawing blood. The waterbender grit her teeth through the pain.

"I knew savages couldn't count," jeered Azula. "But I didn't realize you were this horrible at it. It seems to me like it's two-on-three."

From either side of the throne on the far end of the chamber, Mai and Ty Lee both emerged and stood on both sides of their Fire Princess. Mai had another round of knives in her hand while Ty Lee waved cheerfully at her opponents.

As if on an unspoken cue, both Mai flung another round of projectiles at Jin while Ty Lee raced in. Katara barely managed to get out a quick, "Don't let her touch you!" before the waterbender had to bring up some water to deflect a fire blast from Azula. Katara didn't have time to see if Jin heard her as she was forced to engage in her own fight with the Fire Princess. Hopefully that was enough of a warning.

Jin managed to dip underneath a jab that Ty Lee aimed for the earthbender's left shoulder, and then danced around a follow-up to her right side. This continued for a couple of steps as Jin awkwardly dodged a continuous series of jabs and strikes from a more flexible Ty Lee. It didn't help that Mai kept a steady stream of throwing knives flying in Jin's direction. The Earth Kingdom girl couldn't find an opportunity to do anything but defend.

The acrobat laughed as they fought. "Wooh! I can tell you're a pretty good dancer. And your aura, it's practically shining!" Ty Lee grinned. "You're fighting for someone aren't you? What's his name?"

A rocky stalagmite jolted from the ground, nearly skewering the agile acrobat. Ty Lee strained herself to contort her body enough to narrowly avoid the sudden aggressive attack. Looking past the rock outcropping, a furious Jin stood there in a solid horse stance.

Ty Lee realized belatedly that she had unintentionally struck a nerve. It seemed that whoever her opponent was fighting for, that person might be gone. The acrobat started to say, "I'm sor-" only for Mai to throw more blades, forcing Jin to block.

"Focus Ty Lee!" demanded Mai as she stood at the acrobat's side. "This earthbender is dangerous. You nearly got impaled. We need to finish this quickly and support Azula."

Deftly evading a series of rocks thrown in her direction, Ty Lee appeared a little conflicted. "I... okay, Mai."

As Mai created an opening with some shuriken, Ty Lee seemed to move at the speed of lightning herself as the acrobat charged forward. Twisting out of the way of a wild earth counter, Ty Lee's fingers struck out at the unguarded earthbender's arms. However, instead of the fleshy skin the chi blocker expected, her fingers impacted sturdy metal.

Back flipping away from another rocky stalagmite, Ty Lee looked at Jin quizzically as the acrobat noticed the metal links from a whip sword wrapped around the Earth Kingdom girl's waist like a belt. Jin was shifting the metal protectively around her body to defend from Ty Lee's precision strikes.

The chi blocker frowned uncharacteristically. "That's not very fair," Ty Lee pouted.

"Oh? And trying to distract me and lock up my bending is fair?" argued Jin as she began to counter by throwing rocks at the acrobat, who nimbly evaded the projectiles. The whistling of additional kunai in the air caused Jin to summon up a wall of earth behind herself as several daggers embedded themselves deeply within the stone. "I've heard about how you two fight."

Mai appeared behind the earthbender. "Ty Lee. Quit playing around. This one's more dangerous than we realized. So let's eliminate this threat as fast as we can." The weapon mistress' voice sounded cold and detached.

"We're not going to kill her," protested Ty Lee. "I thought we were just going to knock her out or restrain her or something."

"All threats to Azula must be eliminated," declared Mai emotionlessly as she threw more blades.

---

"See that large tower looking building over there? The one with all the hawk coops? That's the communications relay we're looking for," pointed out Teo as he rolled his wheelchair along with the others.

"The Boulder is not a fan of birds," shivered the muscular man as he glared at the messenger hawks circling the tower.

"You're kidding," stated Zuri in disbelief. "A big man like you is afraid of birds?"

The Earth Kingdom wrestler averted his gaze. "The Boulder had a traumatic experience as a young Boulder many years ago. The young Boulder was carrying groceries home for his sweet parents when several of the winged rats descended upon him, hungrily pecking and searching for food. The young Boulder fought them off, of course, but retains a healthy aversion."

"Makes sense to me," shrugged Teo as Zuri rolled her eyes.

Arriving at the edge of their cover, Bato signaled for the team to halt. The Water Warrior peered across the corner of a building as he observed the communications relay. He frowned. "It's pretty open between here and the relay. We're going to be exposed crossing this clearing. Maybe we could use the market stalls for cover?" Bato continued to scan the area. "Though, perhaps we really should just circle around and approach from the west. It will take longer, but we could use the buildings to hide our movements."

Zuri inwardly debated the same dilemma. The problem was, they didn't have a lot of time to waste. The eclipse would be arriving very soon now. And the Fire Lord still hadn't been located. "I want to agree with you, but we are running low on time. We already had to delay earlier when Boulder over there read the map wrong. The eclipse is about to start and we need to get into position."

"The Boulder," corrected the Boulder.

"I'm not calling you that," snapped back Zuri.

Undeterred, the Boulder defended himself further with, "The Boulder stepped up when you said that map reading was beneath you."

"Quiet you two," silenced Bato before another argument could break out amongst the two. The firebender and earthbender had already almost come to blows about three times during the travel to the communications relay. The Water Warrior weighed his options before taking a deep breath and making a decision. "I vote we risk it. The Boulder and the other earthbenders can give us some cover with their earthbending."

"Might tire the oaf out before he can dig the hole down to the Fire Catacombs," grumbled Zuri. "But I agree. We need to get moving."

The Boulder stepped up to the front of the allied strike team as he assumed a horse stance and earthbent several earthen columns across the open field leading towards the relay.

As the team started to move, it was Teo who noticed a glint of light up in the hawk coops first. The handicapped inventor barely managed to shout a warning of "Archers!" before a hailstorm of arrows rained down on the group as everyone huddled against whatever cover they could find.

"Damn it! Those are Yuyan!" cursed Zuri as she attempted to weakly counter with some long range firebending, but the distance was just too far to reach; whereas the archers had both the height and distance advantage.

From his prone position beside an overturned wooden cart, Bato signaled to the remaining allied force that had yet to break from the building cover. He gestured for them to circle around through the westward buildings towards the communications relay.

Unfortunately, it would be a while before that half of the force would manage to make their way to the target. And that was assuming they didn't run into a surprise of their own on the way.

And that was compiled with the fact that a couple members of the allied strike team lay in the open clearing with an arrow piercing their leg or arm.

"Leave him!" commanded Zuri harshly when one of the Fire Nation deserters almost moved to break cover in a futile attempt to drag a wounded ally to safety. "Veteran Yuyan can pin a fly to a wall from a hundred yards. They didn't kill those men on purpose! They're baiting us!"

Bato grit his teeth in frustration as he punched his fist against the ground. He knew that Zuri was right. The Fire Nation Lieutenant was making the proper call, the logical call. The veteran Water Warrior listened to the cries of pain from several wounded soldiers laying stranded in the clearing and at the mercy of the Yuyan archers above. Emotionally, though, Bato was fighting with himself to prevent himself from running out there.

Another part of Bato was cursing himself silently for making the foolish decision to cut across the clearing, but the Water Warrior shut that part of himself down immediately. He was too much of a veteran to waste time lamenting judgement calls in the field. The decision had been made and they had fallen into a trap. The important thing now, was to figure a way out of this mess.

"Stop moving!" shouted Zuri again, this time to one of the wounded soldiers with an arrow sticking out of his leg and who was attempting to drag himself back behind cover. When the wounded soldier didn't comply, either because he didn't hear the Lieutenant through the pain or because he was actively choosing to ignore her, Zuri cursed lowly. Another arrow rang out and feathered the man's shoulder as the soldier cried out in pain yet again.

"Boulder! Can you do something?" shouted Bato.

The Boulder nodded as he earthbent a couple of low earthen walls in front of the majority of wounded soldiers in the clearing. That task complete, the Boulder attempted to earthbend several more columns closer towards the communications relay; however, the Yuyan archers loosed several bomb arrows that shattered the rock and stone.

"They want to keep us pinned!" assessed Bato as the enemy's plan became more and more apparent. The veteran Water Warrior realized the Yuyan were only using bomb arrows when the few earthbenders on the assault team attempted to create a path closer to the relay. Otherwise they kept using regular arrows as they restricted the movement of the majority of the team. The allied strike team was locked down, unable to move or retreat. "They're wasting our time!" The problem was, there wasn't much Bato or anyone else could do about it at the moment.

---

Crew members of the Akagi busied themselves with crates and boxes from dock warehouse as they moved supplies aboard the transport vessels to ferry out to the larger fleet ships anchored a bit further out. Lieutenant Taka studied his clipboard as he monitored the progress of his men.

Walking up to the officer, Soto checked-in with a crisp salute. "We're nearing completion with getting the cargo ships loaded up, sir. Just a couple more boxes. It's mostly the medical supplies left."

Dropping the top papers of the clipboard back down to cover up what he had been studying on his clipboard, Lieutenant Taka acknowledged Soto. "Who's in charge of getting the medical stuff together again?"

"That would be Medic Wang, sir," answered Soto. "The medics are stretched thin as it is, but he volunteered to come ashore to make sure we got the right supplies."

"If that's the case, then what's taking him so long?" pondered Taka aloud. "You would think Wang would have been the first to ensure the medical supplies were loaded on the ships. Where is he now?"

Scratching the back of his head, Soto appeared unsure. "Actually, until we checked in with all the teams, we didn't notice that we hadn't seen Medic Wang since we arrived on shore. His group hasn't reported in yet."

Sighing in frustration, Taka scanned the busy harbor yard. "This isn't the kind of place to be losing members of our crew. Security's tight on the docks and if the elite guards around here even think that we might be a hazard to the Fire Lord's special project, then we're all going to be in trouble."

Saluting again, Soto promptly stated, "I'll get some men to track Wang's group down. They should be somewhere over near warehouse four."

"No need," came a new voice as Wang helped to push a cart over to the area with two other sailors from the Akagi. "I'm right here."

"Medic Wang," noted Taka sternly. "How come it took you so long to report your status in? Where were you?"

Wang patted one of the crates marked 'gauze and fresh dressings'. "Turned out warehouse four didn't have the right medical stuff that we were missing. Had to work with some port hands to find the right supplies."

"And it didn't cross your mind to check-in with your Lieutenant before venturing off?" grumbled Taka.

Shrugging, Wang answered, "It was just the next warehouse over."

Glaring at the cheerful looking medic, Taka declared, "Just get the supplies loaded. Don't wander off again. We don't have the medics to spare if the guards around here detain you for being where you aren't supposed to be."

With a salute, Wang retorted, "Of course, sir."

As the medic and the two other sailors pushing the wooden cart continued over to the cargo ships, Taka leaned over to Soto. "How much do we know about Medic Wang?"

"Not much, sir," admitted Soto with a curious expression. "He's from one of the Central Fleet ships that sunk in the ambush. I can try to find and talk to some of the other survivors and see if they know anything about him." Receiving the go-ahead from his superior officer, Soto hurried off to accomplish his new task.

Walking over to where the Akagi crew was loading the medical crates onto the transport ships, Taka continued to observe the process. Crossing his arms, he leaned against a post. The elite guards in the area had the Lieutenant on edge.

They were here to protect the hangars housing the Fire Lord's special project. These guards roamed the area in groups of two or four, wearing non-descript white masks to cover their faces and heavy black robes to conceal any weapons they were carrying. The regular soldiers in the harbor gave them a wide berth.

Initially, Taka didn't think much of these elite guards. That was, until he noticed a pair of them detain an unfortunate port worker who just happened to step too close to one of the off-limit hangars. The hapless worker was beaten to within an inch of his life and dragged away to who knows where. And all the while, none of the regular soldiers stationed at the port said a word.

That was why Taka was so on edge with Wang's extended search for medical supplies. One wrong step, and it could spell disaster for everyone on the crew.

Noticing Wang walk back up to him, Taka heard the medic state, "Everything's all loaded up. We can leave on your order."

"Good, then-" started Taka, only to be cut off by Wang as the medic pointed to the Water Tribe boomerang on the Lieutenant's hip.

"Actually, sir, before we head out, some of the men were wondering if you could demonstrate how that weapon works," commented Wang. "You see, Joki over there doesn't believe a boomerang can really return after it's been thrown. I told him that he's an idiot and of course it can. There's a reason why boomerangs are still used by the enemy. Then, Mozim said to put money on it. And well, now I'm asking if you can demonstrate."

Taka felt the weight of the war trophy on his hip. "We don't have time for this," the Lieutenant attempted to brush off.

"No one expects you to be proficient with a boomerang, sir," added Wang somewhat respectfully. "We all know you haven't had time to practice with it since you received the prize. We just want to know if the weapon actually works." The medic pointed to a training post off to the side where some of the Akagi crew had gathered. "See, we're all waiting for you, Lieutenant. It would certainly improve morale."

Seeing that he was clearly outvoted on this, Taka reluctantly headed over to the training post. The chattering of the Akagi crew ceased as their Lieutenant got into position and unclipped the boomerang from his belt.

Testing the weight of the weapon in his hand, Taka glanced up at the training target. Settling into a stance, the Lieutenant hurled the curved projectile at the wooden post. The boomerang sailed at the column, buzzing overhead, but failing to actually strike the target. Whizzing through the air, the boomerang came rushing back at Taka, who clumsily managed to catch the weapon upon the return.

The gathered Akagi crew clapped in appreciation at the demonstration. Money seemed to be exchanged discreetly. It appeared betting occurred over whether the boomerang would return, if the Lieutenant would hit the target, if the Lieutenant would have a good throw in the first place, or if the Lieutenant could actually catch the returning boomerang.

A couple of the crew members approached Lieutenant Taka and asked if they could try as well. Hesitantly handing over the Water Tribe projectile, Taka joined the amassed crowd as several people attempted to throw and catch the boomerang, only for most of them to get hit by the returning weapon. Each time a crew member was struck by their own inability, the gathered sailors only laughed louder.

Eventually, after the latest failure by one of the sailors, Taka picked back up the boomerang and trudged over to Wang, who had been sitting on a barrel and watching the merriment with a grin. "Your turn," announced the Lieutenant as he shoved the boomerang into Wang's unsteady hands.

"Me?" stuttered Wang. "I'm not much of a fighter. That's why I'm a medic."

"Doesn't mean that you can't throw a weapon," retorted Taka with his arms crossed. "Besides, you're the last one who hasn't tried. And this whole morale session was your idea. Everyone wants to see you try too." At all the head nods from the gathered Akagi crew, Wang relented and got into position in front of the training target.

Observing the medic carefully, Taka was surprised to see confliction in Wang's expression as the medic prepared to throw the boomerang. It had been brief, but it was almost like the man was debating just what to do.

Then, without warning, Wang's demeanor changed as he expertly tossed the Water Tribe boomerang at the wooden post. The boomerang spun rapidly on a wide arc, embedding itself deeply into the training target. The crowd of sailors stared at the column in shock momentarily. Then, almost as one, a loud roar of approval thundered across the area as crew members congratulated Wang on the amazing throw. People were patting the medic on the back and giving him light punches on the shoulder.

"Medic Wang," commented Lieutenant Taka as he walked over, holding the boomerang that he had retrieved from the training post. "That was very impressive. As you saw, not many in the Fire Nation can wield a boomerang with that kind of power and accuracy. Beginner's luck?"

"I'm from the Fire Colonies," replied Wang amidst the jubilant crowd. "Colonials get to practice with the boomerang there."

"I see," answered Lieutenant Taka, his tone revealing that he didn't fully believe that statement. However, Taka took a step back as he hovered near the edge of the supportive crowd of sailors still congratulating the medic's performance.

---

Zuko was seriously beginning to question how wise it was to challenge his Father before the eclipse fully kicked in. Another fire blast licked his face as he exerted himself to disrupt the flames. Jumping over an arc of fire by spinning his body horizontal, Zuko returned a blazing crescent of his own.

Brushing off the meager attack with a wave of his arm, Ozai scowled at his Son. "You finally grow bold enough to challenge me, and this is the level of your firebending? I'm insulted." The Fire Lord punched forward with a brutal haymaker that caused his Son to stumble backwards a step or two as the teenager blocked it. "At least you haven't fallen on your knees and started sniveling like a whipped dog." Another punch of fire. "But this is still pathetic."

Crossing his arms in front of his chest, Zuko flung his hands outward as he released a torrent of flames to intercept the latest attack. Ozai punched through the offending fire arc as he countered with a conflagration wall that he pushed outward to surround Zuko.

Reaching out, Zuko grabbed through the wall and ripped a hole wide enough for him to slip through. Leaping up with a flying front kick, the Fire Prince snapped two solid bits of fire back at his Father. He frowned at how simply the imposing Fire Lord knocked his attacks away once more.

"Your banishment clearly did not improve your weak and feeble firebending," taunted Ozai. "All that time, wasted. If these dismal attacks are the extent of your miserable training, then I should have cut my losses and eliminated you long ago. Azula always was the stronger heir."

The Fire Prince could feel the anger seeping back into his emotions. He attempted to summon strength from his inner fire, but the bending flickered. Somewhere, deep inside of him, was still the scared child who cowered in front of his Father. Despite all the bravado, all the mental preparation, Zuko still couldn't shake the ingrained fearfulness of his youth.

Despite his earlier declaration, just being in his Father's presence was enough to bring back Zuko's self-doubt, his hesitancy. The Fire Prince thought he didn't care what his Father said anymore, but knowing that Azula was always the favored child still hurt. Lashing out with a frustrated shout, Zuko's next flame was barely fully formed as Ozai sneered at the teenager's feeble efforts.

"Allow me to show you how it's done!" Gathering and spreading the yin and yang energies around himself once more, Ozai snapped out two of his pointed fingers as cold-blooded fire raced at his Son once again.

Zuko accepted the lightning as he attempted to redirect it, but for some reason it was more difficult this time. His conflicted emotions were causing his redirection efforts to fight him instead of the lightning. Unable to aim the redirect properly, Zuko knew he needed to get rid of the raging electricity before it ate away at him. Flicking his wrist away, he just barely managed to release the stored charge at the far wall of the chamber.

Ozai didn't give his Son a chance to recover as another flash of lightning was already on the way. Zuko grit his teeth as he repeated the process again. And again, the redirection technique seemed to fight him. This was more difficult than his trial with Edel when he first met the thunderbird. The Fire Prince somehow flicked away the electricity against a different far wall.

Breathing heavily, Zuko set his face with resolution as he watched his Father continue to build-up more electricity in his hands. Zuko prepared to endure this attack as well as he settled into a defensive stance. Suddenly, a metal stake, hastily constructed from a metal door, embedded itself in front of the Fire Prince, absorbing and dissipating the lightning into the ground as Ozai released it. The Fire Lord stared at the metal pillar in disbelief.

"Do I need to do everything around here myself?" shouted Toph as she slammed one of the Dai Li agents against the wall with an earthen square. "Pull yourself together Sparky! I know you have more firepower than that! Don't let your old man tear you down!"

"Sparky?! Old man?! You allow a peasant from the Earth Kingdom to talk to Fire Nation royalty this way?" growled Ozai as he punched several fireballs at the little earthbender, who casually earthbent a defensive wall with one hand while using her other hand to deflect several earthen fists from a Dai Li agent.

"Sparky's got more strength in his left toe than you have altogether in your whole body, ya old Billy Goat," answered Toph nonchalantly. "He better start realizing that before I finish up here. If I have to do your job as well Sparky, then you're in for a world of hurt."

Ozai fumed darkly over the insult to his facial hair as Zuko told his friend, "I'm trying, but my bending is acting up again."

Toph blocked a barrage of boulders, stepping forward with a series of arm blocks that crushed the stones against her forearms, before she stomped on the ground to raise a pillar of earth directly beneath the Dai Li agent in front of her and slammed the man against the ceiling of the chamber.

Turning to face Zuko, Toph mimicked his whining by opening and closing her hand in a talking motion. "Blah, blah, I'm a pouty prince... blah, blah, oh woe is me... blah, blah, something about childhood trauma."

The Dai Li agents rose again for round two as Toph resumed a fighting stance and called over her shoulder. "If you want to throw away everything you've gained up to now because you're struck living in the past, then that's on you. Good luck explaining yourself to Ice Queen later."

Toph's words were the splash of cold water that Zuko needed to hear. In fact, the verbal scolding struck him harder than his Father's lightning strikes ever had. In Zuko's mind, the image of his younger self groveling and cowering before the imposing figure of his Father back on the fateful day of the Agni Kai changed. His younger self ceased his crying and stood as he wiped the tears from his eyes. Then, his younger self aged up to his current self.

Soon, in his mind, a Water Tribe girl stood behind him, followed by an Earth Kingdom girl, a Water Tribe boy, a proud little earthbender, an old firebending Admiral, a host of soldiers and citizens, and several, several more supporters. The encouragement and support grew in Zuko's mind from a whispering trickle to a deafening roar. And suddenly, his Father's words carried almost no weight.

Fire Lord Ozai's attention transitioned from the little earthbender back to his Son as the Fire Nation ruler felt the shift in attitude from the Fire Prince. "Toph's right. I thought I was ready earlier, but I still carried hidden baggage." Fire erupted loudly in both of Zuko's hands, rich and vibrant, stronger than Ozai had ever seen before. "I am a slow learner, Father. But I do learn." Zuko brought both his hands together as he unleashed an inferno of energetic golden, red fire straight at his Father.

Ozai caught the flames in his hands as he struggled to extinguish or deflect the onslaught. Grunting with exertion as he slid back several feet, the Fire Lord managed to finally push the attack upwards as it collided with the ceiling and shook the entire chamber as rocks and debris rained down on the elite firebender. Ozai was breathing heavily and had murder in his eyes as he glared heatedly at his son, who was standing calmly in a basic firebending stance.

The corner of Toph's mouth slid into a cocky grin. "Welcome to the fight, Sparky. Bout time you showed up."

---

On the other side of the chamber, Katara had surrounded herself with several rings of water, the largest of which had several octopus-looking tentacles wiggling about, ready to react defensively or strike out offensively. The waterbender had already used up more than half of the water she had brought with her in her four waterskins. Azula's firebending had been fast and furious, not to mention relentless. Katara's water evaporated quickly each and every time they clashed. A fact the Fire Princess did not miss.

"Tick tock," Azula taunted. "The eclipse hasn't even started and you're almost out of water." At Katara's surprised expression, the Fire Princess continued, "Of course I know about the eclipse, just like how I knew about your pathetic invasion. It will fail, you will fail, and then your allies will die, your friends will die, your family will die, and you will die."

Katara whipped one of the water octopus tentacles out in an attempt to grab Azula's leg, only for the Fire Princess simply backflip over it and fire punch a couple of fire shots as she was upside down. The waterbender raised a shield of ice as more water evaporated with a hiss. "You're wrong. We've already taken the Capital and we've driven you and your Father down into these bunkers. Admit it, you're running scared," rebuffed the Water Tribe girl.

"My, the audacity of savages always astounds me," mocked Azula. "I could explain why your pluckiness is misplaced, but I doubt you would listen or even understand half of the words. It must be confusing, all these big world events taking place outside your little hovel of a village back in the South Pole."

The waterbender hardened several ice needles that spiraled rapidly at the Fire Princess, but Azula merely summoned up a wall of fire and melted the thin needles before they could reach her. Katara's remaining water was getting dangerous low.

Preparing another articulate barb, the Fire Princess cast another verbal quip, "Are you still stringing my Brother along?" At Katara's shocked eyebrow raise, Azula knew she had really hit a nerve this time. The Fire Princess grinned wickedly. Sometimes it was too easy. "He's so gullible you know. I bet you have him wrapped around your little finger. He's always been starved for attention. Show him a little affection and he'll probably do anything to keep receiving acknowledgement from you. But I don't have to tell you all that, do I?"

Katara closed the distance between them as she slid across an ice ramp, re-bending the water at her feet into a concentrated surge to hammer against Azula's side as a livid battle shout escaped from Katara's mouth. The Fire Princess leapt over the attack, spinning her body horizontally in the air. Landing, Azula dashed forward into Katara's guard as she punched out with fire surrounding her fists.

The waterbender encased her own arms with water as she attempted to block the punches. The training and natural fighting ability of Azula was on full display, however, as the Fire Princess easily broke through Katara's novice level of unarmed combative defense and connected with Katara's left side, drawing a hiss of pain from her target at the scorched skin. Azula noticed the necklace around the Water Tribe girl's neck as she stared at the piece of jewelry curiously. Recognition spread across Azula's face as she identified the Fire Nation Royal Emblem interconnected with some absurd Water Tribe symbol.

Katara drew in her remaining water and exploded it outward into ice spikes to push the Fire Princess away. The waterbender gripped her side tenderly with her right hand as she attempted to heal the burn quickly, her other hand still holding up several ice chunks. This was all of the water she had left.

"Zuzu is such the romantic, isn't he? Always caught up in those happy childish, warm feeling stories that Mother plagued us with each night before bed," recounted Azula as she stood up tall, relaxing herself out of her bending stance. "I wonder how long he would cry for if something unspeakable just so happened to befall his precious water savage."

The Water Tribe girl noticed the lightning building up in Azula's hands as the air seemed to crackle. Belatedly, Katara realized that Azula had lured her away from the lightning rod in the center of the chamber. Out of the corner of her eye, Katara knew that Jin was too preoccupied with Ty Lee and Mai to bend another lightning rod closer. Closing her eyes, Katara began to focus.

"Giving up? Not that I blame you. Even prey knows when they've been beat," taunted Azula. However, the side wall began to shake and quiver, giving Azula pause.

Without warning, water gushed into the chamber from a rapidly forming hole in the wall. Water that Katara wasted no time in leveraging against Azula to put the Fire Princess on the immediate defensive.

"Thanks for the tip about the underground reservoir, Zuko," muttered Katara to herself as she whipped a tidal wave of the fresh water at Azula, forcing the Fire Princess to cease her building up her attack to evade the deluge. Katara had just barely managed to refill her waterskins when a boulder resealed the rush of water in the wall. Then, a section of the ground opened up to drain the remaining water pooling in the corner of the room.

"W-What?" managed Katara in surprise. Knowing that Jin wouldn't have done that, the Water Tribe girl looked at her new opponent.

A female Dai Li agent appeared next to Azula. "Did you really think I wouldn't keep a trick or two up my sleeve, especially when the eclipse is so close? Never can be too careful these days."

---

"Ideas! Anyone?!" shouted Bato as he attempted to look around his earthen column with a mirror only for the reflective surface to get shattered from a well-placed enemy arrow.

Zuri uselessly punched out some firebending from behind her earthen column that dissipated barely halfway to the communications relay. "I'm a close ranged fighter. I've got nothing. Why doesn't the muscle head whip us up some dust cover for us to sneak forward with?"

"The Boulder..." the Earth Kingdom wrestler paused before admitting, "...does not have that level of fine control." He looked over at the few other earthbenders on the team, each who shook their heads as well.

"Well, that's just perfect," grumbled Zuri. "We got stuck with all the oafs that only know how to throw giant rocks around and have zero control for the more useful aspects of their bending."

As the earthbender and firebender started to bicker once more, Bato looked over at Teo who was staring at a windsock waving on a small post on the back of his wheelchair. "You got something, Teo?"

The handicapped inventor remained silent for another moment as he ran through some quick mental calculations. Then, he smiled. "Yeah." He pulled a lever on his wheelchair as a small catapult rose up from the chair back. "Have the earthbenders launch a barrage of rocks up at the communications relay, where the archers are hiding in the hawk coop area."

"We tried that already," frowned Bato. "They'll just shoot down the rocks with their bomb arrows."

"Yes, but the rocks are just a distraction. Trust me," grinned Teo as he loaded some kind of homemade explosive shots into his mini-catapult.

Putting his faith in the young inventor, Bato signaled for the earthbenders to launch another barrage of boulders and rocks. As the stones sailed through the air, a chorus of bomb arrows sang out and demolished the projectiles before they got close to the tower. Teo had already taken aim and fired off several shots from his catapult as the earthbenders launched a second salvo of earth.

Teo's projectiles were hidden within the second wave of boulders thrown by the earthbenders and detonated along with the rocks once the bomb arrows struck. Exploding into a black powder, the swift winds caught the fine particles and carried them directly into the openings of the hawk coop. Seeing his plan succeed, Teo immediately began to spin the wheels of his wheelchair as he raced towards the communications relay. "Now! Go!"

"Wait!" shouted Bato in alarm as he made to grab for the boy's wheelchair only to miss by inches. However, no arrows rained down on the inventor as he sped along. "You four! Get the wounded out of the clearing! Everyone else, with me!" Bato broke cover as the rest of the allied assault team followed, quickly catching up to Teo as the Boulder grabbed the handles of the wheelchair and helped to push the boy into the communications relay building.

Zuri was already rushing up the stairs, her daggers encased in flame as she cut down multiple Yuyan archers who were coughing and sputtering, their eyes teary and red. Several Water Tribesmen and Fire Nation deserters followed as the Yuyan archers attempted to fight back; however, the debilitating effects of Teo's bombs and their lack of close quarters skill led to several rapid archer casualties.

A single arrow rang out as the Boulder bent an earthen wall in front of Teo. The inventor visibly gulped as he stared at the sturdy projectile embedded deeply in the earthen column, resting inches from puncturing his face. A waterskin fell to the floor from high in the rafters as the empty container reverberated throughout the chamber.

Looking up, Teo noticed a teenage boy wearing a conical straw hat, water dripping from his face as he had just wiped the itchy powdery substance from his features. "Not good!" the young inventor shouted as he pulled a lever on his wheelchair just as Longshot released another arrow at him. Two bolas shot upward towards the rafters, one intercepting the arrow and the other wrapping around the teenage archer and pinning his arms to his side.

Longshot stumbled and fell from the rafters. "The Boulder! Soften his fall!" called out Teo. Looking at the young inventor oddly, the Boulder bent the ground below the falling archer into a mixture of sand and mud as Longshot still hit the ground hard, shoulder first and grunting in pain.

"The building's secure," reported Zuri to Bato as she casually wiped some blood from her cheek. Walking towards the handicapped inventor, she asked, "What was in those explosives you launched, kid?"

"Black pepper bombs," answered Teo as he held up a paper wrapped bomb. "My own design. You get hit by one of these bad boys and you can say goodbye to your vision and ability to breath easily for a couple of minutes."

"And you accounted for the wind too, didn't you?" assessed Bato as he recalled the inventor's actions from before. "Quite ingenious."

The Boulder lifted up Longshot by the back of his collar. The young archer was still restrained by the bolas wrapped around him. "What are we going to do with this one?"

Zuri sheathed her daggers. "You deal with it. I'm done with killing kids."

"Let's just take him prisoner for now," suggested Teo. "He didn't look like all the other archers. Maybe he was coerced into fighting?"

Bato looked at the struggling archer. "He doesn't look that coerced to me, and we can't waste manpower to watch a prisoner."

Teo pressed a button on his wheelchair as a dart flew out from the armrest and struck Longshot in the neck. The conical hat archer's eyes rolled back as his body went limp and slumped over immediately.

Zuri looked at Teo in surprise. "You didn't have to kill him. We could have just tied him up somewhere out of the way."

"I didn't." Teo lifted up a similar looking projectile. "Tranquilizer darts. He won't be up for several hours."

"The Boulder wishes you could have given him some warning." The Earth Kingdom wrestler set the unconscious archer down and leaned him against the wall. "You could have hit the Boulder."

"Sir!" reported a Water Tribesman. "We found a pathway leading down. It seems there is already a corridor leading to the Fire Catacombs."

Teo started moving towards the communications room. "I'm going to stay topside. Some of these communications may help us out. There might be some information we can use here."

"Good idea," agreed Bato. "Boulder, stay with him. Be ready to launch a flare if we find the Fire Lord down there. The rest of you, to the Catacombs!"

The Boulder grumbled about having to stay behind in the bird infested building while the rest of the allied assault team rushed to the lower levels. They encountered no resistance or additional forces despite delving deep within.

Approaching the secure bunker, several of the earthbenders took turns smashing the metal door with huge chunks of rock. The metal groaned and caved until it finally gave in and the slab of steel broke inward. Bato and Zuri were first inside the bunker as whalebone club and fire palms prepared to strike out.

Yet no attack came and no movement was observed. As Zuri shifted her firebending, the Fire Lieutenant lit up some torches on the wall. Then, she relaxed her stance with a frown. "This bunker was a fake." Zuri approached a wooden crate and kicked it open as some supplies spilled out. "It's being used for storage."

Bato ordered his men to spread out and check the nearby tunnels in case they missed something. Then, he turned back to Zuri. "Return to the communications relay. Get a message to Admiral Jeong Jeong. Bunker two secure. No sign of the Fire Lord." The Fire Lieutenant nodded as she rushed back up the stairs.

---

As he stood on the edge of the pier checking over his clipboard, Taka made final checks over the gathered supplies. A shame that he didn't get a chance to find out more about the Fire Lord's special project here at the port, but Captain Daizan would likely brief him on the particulars later once the Captain returned from the administrative buildings. They just needed to focus on getting the supplies moved over to the Central Fleet first.

Soto hurried over to the Lieutenant as the sailor appeared unsettled. "Um, sir. There's an issue."

Concerned, Taka lowered his clipboard and gave the Fire Nation sailor his full attention. "What is it?"

"Like you ordered, I asked around about Medic Wang," replied Soto. "The other survivors from his ship claim they have never heard of a medic with that name. There's no official ship roster to check, since that was destroyed with their ship. And there's the possibility that the other survivors just never met Wang. Not everyone goes to the medic station on a ship."

"But what are the odds?" asked Taka rhetorically as he walked over to one of the medical crates packed by Wang's team.

Examining the container, Taka frowned as he realized the writing on the side of it appeared to be freshly marked. Grabbing a crowbar, he ripped off the lid of the crate and threw out some of the hay serving as packing material. Lifting up a stack of Fire Nation helmets that had been stored in the container, Taka shook his head.

"These aren't medical supplies," the Lieutenant muttered as he dropped the helmets back into the crate. He glanced over at the other boxes. "I doubt there's medical supplies in the other crates too."

Hopping down from the mountain of containers, Taka asked, "Where is Medic Wang?"

Soto appeared to be nervous again. "Some of the crew noticed Wang and a couple of others leaving the area just a short time ago, sir. That's the other thing I was going to report."

Growling, Taka quipped, "And you didn't lead with that?!" Pointing at a group of Akagi sailors, Taka ordered, "You lot! With me!" He turned back to Soto. "Stay here and inform Captain Daizan of what's going on when he returns."

"What about you, sir?" asked Soto.

"I'm going to go figure out what's really going on here!" replied Taka as he took off in search of the wayward Wang.

---

High in the sky above, the moon gradually moved in front of the sun as a shadow rapidly crept across the landscape. "The eclipse! It's starting!" announced the Mechanist excitedly. He pulled out a specialized pair of glasses. The frames were made of leather and had thin horizontal slits to protect against the excess light reflected off the total solar eclipse. "Put on your eclipse glasses!"

The command was echoed throughout the allied invasion force as the soldiers, warriors, and fighters each pulled out a pair of specially designed glasses and placed them over their eyes. Now they could safely keep track of their surroundings while the eclipse occurred.

Jeong Jeong turned over a specifically crafted eight minute hourglass he had prepared for this moment. Placing the time keeper on a nearby building ledge, the Fire Admiral looked out amongst the hastily constructed defensive fighting area the invasion forces had secured in front of the Royal Palace. "The clock starts now."

Hakoda finished wrapping his wounds with more bandages as he gingerly stood up and gripped his whalebone spear. "Eight minutes. We have eight minutes to react to when one of our scouting parties finds the Fire Lord and we move to take him down. We have to keep this position secured."

A messenger hawk landed next to Jeong Jeong on a wooden crate as the Fire Admiral removed the message from the bird's leg and gave it a quick read. "Report from Team Two. The second bunker was empty. They are moving to regroup with the main force."

A rumbling to their left signaled the arrival of a komodo rhino battalion as another force of Fire Nation garrison soldiers marched boldly from the other side. "Let's hope Teams One and Three have better luck," declared the Water Chieftain as he signaled for his men to prepare for battle once more. "We should be able to hold off enemy reinforcements, but if this plan doesn't succeed, then we're going to be in for the fight of our lives."

Jeong Jeong readied his forces to engage another battalion of enemy spearmen approaching from the right. "One problem at a time. We can't support anyone if we can't push back these reinforcements first."

Hakoda lifted his whalebone spear. "Never thought I'd live to see the day that I would be fighting side-by-side with a firebender."

Jeong Jeong attempted to firebend, only for faint sparks to sputter from his fingertips before drawing a short sword from his waist. "Not much of a firebender right now. But how about side-by-side, with a friend?"

The Water Chieftain laughed. "Not the craziest thing I've ever done, but, aye, I could do that." Both men rushed to engaged their foes as the enemies reached the allied defensive line.