We are halfway across a thin ledge, heading back into the main prison, when alarm bells start going off. Sokka pauses in his slow maneuvering and whispers, "The plan failed! They're caught!" We increase our speed, not wanting to get caught this close to where Chit Sang launched.
Sokka continues to lead the way, using his guard uniform to make it seem like he is escorting prisoners around. However, there isn't anyone out and about. The guards have already pushed all the prisoners back into their cells.
We stop outside on a walkway of the main building, Sokka leaning out, eyes on the gondola.
"The gondola's moving," he says. I don't know what happened on the Day of Black Sun for Sokka, but this seems like a big moment for him. What happened that he feels the need to redeem himself? "This is it. If my dad's not there, we've risked everything for nothing."
It's so strange to me, squeezed between Sokka and Zuko, the juxtaposition of fathers between the two. Zuko's dad burned him, and Sokka's dad got captured for him. The gondola stops, jolting on its rickety wires.
"We had to," Suki says, moving to stand behind him and grabbing his hand.
"Come on, come on!"
We can just barely see the people stepping off the gondola, but the first person to step off is a large man with a giant nose ring.
"Is that him?" Zuko asks. I nudge him in his side to hush him. I catch a glimpse of him, and he has a small grin on his face. I grimace back.
"My dad doesn't have a nose ring."
"He also doesn't look anything like Sokka," I add.
Unfortunately, none of the other men that step off the gondola look like him either. All buff and burly Fire Nation men.
"Where is he?" Sokka asks. All of the men have stepped off the gondola. "That's it? That can't be it!"
"I'm sorry, Sokka," Suki says, trying to comfort him.
"Oh, no." Sokka's head bows in desperation.
"Hey, you! Get off the gondola!" a guard yells.
Sokka looks up, and his face is filled with relief and shock. "Dad." Then, Sokka starts moving like he has a fire underneath him. "Okay, Zuko, Suki, and Zia, you need to head back to your cells. I'll - I'll go up to the gondola and join the other guards." He grabs Suki's face and pulls her into a kiss, and they're both smiling.
I can't help it myself, either.
Despite everything.
Despite Zuko's presence.
About a hour after the gondola arrived, Sokka knocks at my door. I open the small slit in my door and look out at Sokka. "I just got done talking to my dad," Sokka whispers, head on a swivel to see if any guards show up. "We came up with an escape plan together."
"Oh, nice, Water Tribe flexibility!" I say, remembering Iroh's speech on how the Water Tribe can change easily.
Sokka smirks and adds, "We have a new plan. We're going to escape on the gondola, with the warden as prisoner! We're going to start a prison riot to distract the guards. Be in the yard in one hour!" He pauses before moving on, adding, "When I went to speak to Zuko, he was being escorted to the warden."
My heart beats quicker. Zuko's in trouble?
No, I don't care about Zuko. I have to keep reminding myself that. This could all be fake, like what he did in Ba Sing Se. He could turn on us at any moment. I don't share that with Sokka, but I nod. Sokka nods back at me, and he moves out of my sight.
My one big issue with Sokka's plan. How are we all going to get out into the yard? It isn't really something that they plan or let us in on.
A hour later, all the cell doors open.
Smart kid, I definitely underestimated him.
I find Suki in the yard, looking on edge. Sokka is running up to us, and he's got a sword on his back. Did he have time to run back down and get his Water Tribe things before he let us out? Kid definitely has priorities.
The man that is Sokka's dad joins us. He's got beads in a few strands of hair. I can see the resemblance between him and Sokka.
The only person not here is Zuko. My anxiety has been through the roof since Zuko showed up at the Boiling Rock. I can't stop thinking about him and everything he's done to me. Him not showing up makes it worse.
Sokka says, "This is it! We have to start a riot!"
"Okay, but how do we do that?" Suki asks, putting her hands on her hips and surveying the other prisoners.
Sokka's dad is also looking around. He smiles, and says, "I'll show you." He walks over to a group of prisoners and shoves one of them.
The prisoner turns around, and he looks sad. "Hey! What'd you do that for? That hurt my feelings."
"Aren't you mad at me?"
"Uh, well, normally I would be, but I've been learning to control my anger."
"Sokka's dad picked the one person in prison trying to work on himself. Good job," I mutter. Suki smiles.
"This isn't working," Sokka says, his shoulders falling in defeat.
"Hey, you!" Chit Sang says. He's got some impeccable timing. "You're lucky I didn't rat you out, but my generosity comes with a price." Chit Sang smiles. "I know you're planning another escape attempt, and I want in."
"Actually, we're trying to escape right now, but we need a riot," Sokka says, seizing the ideas as they come to him. He points at Chit Sang. "You wouldn't happen to know how to start one, would you?"
"A prison riot? Please." Chit Sang grabs the prisoner closest to him, bouncing him up and down in the air. He moves into the middle of the yard and yells, "Hey! Riot!"
All the prisoners join in, shouting and throwing fireballs into the air. It's comical, seeing how quickly they are to join in,
The man Sokka's dad pushed says, "Forget about controlling my anger. Let's riot! Whoa!"
Bodies are pushed around us and dust fills the air. From high up on the watchtower, I can see the warden shouting down on us. He's so far away, I wonder how we'll grab him.
After about ten minutes of observing the riot from against the gondola tower, Zuko flips a body to the ground and shows up. I knew he could handle himself, but part of me is definitely relieved to see he won't be left behind.
"Zuko! Good, we're all here. Now all we need to do is grab the warden, and get to the gondolas!" Sokka starts.
"And how do we do that?" Zuko asks.
Suki grabs my hand, and we're suddenly sprinting across the yard. When we come to the giant wall of people, Suki lets go of my hand and vaults herself to jump on the shoulders and heads of the other prisoners. Not breaking stride, I follow suit.
Suki reaches the wall before me, and I watch closely to see how she plans to get over the lip of the walkway. She jumps up the wall and flips backward, grabbing a bar underneath the walkway with her feet. I don't see how she spends her momentum, because the wall is now in front of me.
I haven't done anything like this since losing my airbending, but Suki has kept me in shape since coming to the Boiling Rock. My movements are not as fluid as hers, but I land right behind Suki on the walkway.
Immediately, guards are already throwing shoots of fire at her. I use the little energy I have left to flip one over the edge, into the riot below. I watch Suki jump and climb the last way up, hand over hand like a spider monkey.
Did the dumpling weeds give her this much more strength than me? Or is she just more in shape than me? Well, probably that last one, considering I spend the time I have alone in my cell painting behind my eyes and she, well, runs through Kyoshi Warrior movements.
My goal was to be helpful, but Zuko grabs my hand and pulls me up the last flight of the stairs to where Suki has the warden pressed against the wall. Sokka, his dad, and Chit Sang are all out of breath, looking at Suki with mouths wide.
"We've got the warden. Now, let's get out of here," Suki says. Her smile is so wide, it's hard not to smile back at her. I'm not as out of breath as the men, and I am glad that Suki became my friend in the Boiling Rock.
"That's some girl," Sokka's dad says between gasps.
Sokka replies, "Tell me about it."
"Come on," I say. "Someone carry the warden. Let's get to the gondola!" Without hesitation, Chit Sang throws the warden over his shoulder, not being kind toward the man considering all that he's done.
Suki and Sokka lead the pack, and we climb the rest of the stairs to the gondola. On the top floor, the gondola is in sight. However, we don't slow down. "We're almost there!" Suki says, yelling back to us.
Somehow, I've matched pace with Zuko, stuck in the middle of the group with him and Sokka's dad. Luckily, we are all pushing ourselves too hard to talk.
When we get closer to the gondola, the guards stationed there shoot fire at us. Zuko jumps into action and disperses the flames easily. He's gotten better, more comfortable, with firebending than the last time I saw him. Something has changed within him.
Zuko yells, "Back off! We've got the warden." The warden starts to talk, but Suki gagged him with his own headband. Not wanting to harm the warden, the four guards stand down and move to the edge of the walkway. "Let's go."
Cautiously, everyone keeping a heavy eye on the guards, we pass through to the tower holding the gondola. None of them attack us.
I shove open the door to the gondola and usher everyone inside. Zuko is the last to join us, keeping a fist ready to shoot fire back at the guards. He rushes over and turns the gondola on, pulling the lever.
The wire controlling the gondola's movement starts to creak, and Zuko kicks the lever until it can't be used. The gondola moves past the tower, and he's already so far away.
I hate him, but I don't want him stuck in that prison forever. I want him to feel more of an emotional pain, and from me. Not some ham fisted guard.
However, Zuko jumps, arms cartwheeling. Spirits, he's not going to make it.
Sokka's body is halfway out the window, and he catches Zuko's arm. Together, they pull Zuko up into the gondola.
"What are you doing?" Sokka asks.
"I'm making it so they can't stop us," Zuko says.
"Oh, wow, you actually planned something," I mutter, thinking of the North Pole and Appa. Zuko cuts a glare at me, but doesn't say anything else.
"We're on our way!" Suki says.
"Actually, there's a problem. Unless there's visitors, there won't be an air balloon to take us out," I point out, thinking of how I had suggested something similar to escape on Day of Black Sun. "No air balloon, no way off the island."
"Well, I think they have visitors," Sokka's dad says, pointing down at the gondola tower. "Who's that?"
I stand to the side of Sokka's dad and follow his finger. There's a girl in pink that I don't recognize. But, next to her, is "Azula." The rage swells within me again, even though Zuko claims that Aang is alive. She is still the cause of all my pain, all the suffering and Zuko's betrayal. My hands clench. I hope she finds a way up here, because I can't wait to fight her.
"That's a problem. It's my sister and her friend," Zuko says, looking down.