Mike followed Sulley through the forest. They'd been wandering for days. They were dirty and starving. Yesterday, Sulley had eaten some random berries and learned the hard way that they were hallucinogenic. So now they didn't dare eat anything they saw.

They didn't know where they were going. Mike assumed there were Fire Nation soldiers crawling all over the Earth Kingdom, looking for them. Such disobedience as theirs would not be tolerated. They would certainly never be allowed back in the Fire Nation.

His heart ached as he thought of Celia. He would never see her again. He wouldn't get to kiss her or hold her hand or see her smile. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye.

Sulley's voice broke through his thoughts. "Hey, a village!"

"Finally!" Mike said.

The village was small and dusty. Mike looked around, unimpressed. Only a few people seemed to live here. And they were all looking at Mike and Sulley suspiciously. Did they know they were from the Fire Nation? They'd ditched their soldier uniforms, but maybe people could still tell.

A little girl was playing on her porch. She smiled at Sulley. She seemed to be the only one who wasn't scared of them. Sulley smiled at her. She giggled and held her doll out toward him. He took it and made it dance around. She laughed.

The girl's mother walked over, carrying a basket of vegetables. "Mary, don't talk to strangers." She looked at Sulley. "Hello. We haven't seen you here before." Her tone was polite but wary.

"We're refugees," Mike said. "From…across the Earth Kingdom. Our home was destroyed by the Fire Nation."

"Oh." She relaxed a little. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Guilt crept in as Sulley heard the sympathy in her voice. He didn't like deceiving people, even if it was completely necessary.

A group of large Earth Kingdom soldiers walked over. Their leader snatched the basket from Mary's mother.

"Don't bother fighting this," he said as she opened her mouth to protest. "It's a small price to pay for our protection."

They eyed Mike and Sulley, then walked away. Mary's mother pursed her lips in anger.

"Who was that?" Sulley asked.

She sighed. "They pretend they're guarding the village from the Fire Nation. But they just abuse their power and bully everyone in the village." She shook her head.

"They can't just take your stuff," Sulley said.

Mike pulled on his sleeve to shush him. They'd just gotten here. They didn't need to stir up trouble.

Mary's mother smiled sadly. "It's all right. We're used to it. And we need someone to protect us from the Fire Nation, right?"

Mike took that as their cue to leave. "Well, it was nice to meet you. We have to go."

"What's your name?" Sulley asked.

"Susan. And you?"

"James S—uh…James."

"I hope you like it here," she said with a smile. "Except for the guards, our village is nice."

For the next few days, Mike and Sulley stayed in the village, doing odd jobs for money and shelter. Mike wanted to lay low and just get their work done, but Sulley kept going to visit Mary and Susan in his free time.

Every day, he would see the rude soldiers there, taking people's food, harassing the women, and demanding money. Susan and Mike both told him to just ignore them, but he was finding it harder to stay quiet. He didn't appreciate bullies attacking people who were just trying to get by.

One day, they approached while Sulley and Susan were sitting on the porch with Mary.

"We're here for the protection tax. You know the rules: three silver coins."

"I don't have it," she said quietly. "The market was slow today, so I don't have any money."

They grabbed Mary's arm. "Well, we'll just take this then, until you come up with the money."

"No!" Susan screamed. Mary shrieked and cried as the guards dragged her away.

Sulley ran forward. "Hey! Give her back!"

"Not until we get our money."

Sulley was shaking with rage. His balled fists heated up. Mike seemed to know what he was thinking. He shook his head vehemently, but it was too late.

Flames burst from Sulley's hands. The soldiers dropped Mary and backed away in fear. Mary screamed and ran to her mother.

Sulley raised his hands threateningly, the fire bathing his face in a red glow. "Leave this village and never come back!"

The soldiers ran off. Sulley turned back to Susan and Mary, only to see Susan running away. Away from him. Mary was looking over her mother's shoulder. When Sulley looked at her, she screamed and hid her face.

Sulley's heart dropped. Susan ran into her house and slammed the door. All Sulley could do was stare at the house as Mike pulled him away from the angry mob forming around them. He dragged Sulley out of the village. Sulley's legs were barely working. Shame was setting in as he looked at the mob chasing them. His nation had destroyed so many Earth Kingdom lives. He had no place here, telling their soldiers to leave, even though he was just trying to help.

When they were far enough away, Mike stopped. He pushed Sulley angrily, which snapped Sulley out of his stupor.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Mike yelled.

"Well, I couldn't just let them steal that little girl," Sulley said.

"But did you have to firebend?" Mike snapped. "You're lucky they didn't kill us!"

Sulley sighed. "I'm sorry, Mike." He'd ruined his friend's life for the second time in a matter of weeks. "I messed everything up. You can go out on your own, if you want. We can go our separate ways."

Mike shook his head angrily and punched Sulley in the arm. "Don't say stuff like that. I didn't risk everything for you just to leave now."

The tension went out of Sulley's body. Wondering what he'd done to deserve such a loyal friend, he said, "Thanks, Mike." He looked around. "So what's the plan now?"

"Well, we don't seem to fit in here, in the Earth Kingdom," Mike said. "If we stay here, we'll never be able to firebend again. And I'd like to be able to, since it's our main way to defend ourselves."

"Where else could we go?" Sulley asked.

Mike thought about it. "I have an idea, but it's a little risky. The Fire Nation is huge. And most people there probably don't know what we look like. So even if we're wanted there, maybe we could hide out there?"

"Like a hiding in plain sight kind of thing?"

"Yeah," Mike said. "No one would bat an eye at two random firebenders living alone in a rural colony."

Sulley didn't have a better plan. "Okay. Good idea."

They set off. Sulley couldn't get Mary and Susan out of his head. The fear in Mary's eyes would haunt him for the rest of his life. And he imagined he had scared them for the rest of their lives. They'd never trust strangers ever again, probably.

He wanted to apologize to them. But he'd probably never see them again, and he would have to accept that. Besides, they probably didn't want anything else from him; he'd done enough damage. For everyone's sake, he should just stay away.

~~~~

The Earth Palace was just up ahead. A lone guard stood outside. His conical hat cast shadows over his face, obscuring it.

"We want to talk to the Earth King," Alberto declared as they approached.

The guard spoke. "The Earth King isn't taking visitors."

Woody's eyes widened as he recognized the guard's voice. "Buzz?" He reached out to touch Buzz's arm.

Buzz's hand shot out and grabbed Woody's, crushing it in an iron grip. Woody gasped in pain.

"It's forbidden to touch a member of the Dai Li!" Buzz barked, twisting Woody's arm behind his back. "Rule 19-6."

"Okay! Ow! Let me go!" Woody pulled away. "Buzz, it's me! Woody!"

"Who is this Buzz you speak of? I am Agent 1995 of the Dai Li."

"What did they do to you?" Woody asked.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"You're not a member of the Dai Li, whatever that is," Woody said.

"Why are you trying to make me doubt myself? I've been a high-ranking member for years."

"No you haven't," Barley said.

"We just came to Ba Sing Se together a week ago, remember?" Woody said. "And we met Bo and Jessie on the way."

Jessie stepped forward. "Maybe this will jog your memory." She leaned forward to kiss his cheek. He smacked her away.

"Hey!" she cried.

"Spare me your lies, temptress!" Buzz snapped. "Now leave before I have you all taken into custody!"

Barley and his friends backed off. But Woody came closer.

"I'm not leaving you! Lock me up if you want. But that won't stop me from trying to bring you back."

Buzz faltered. Seeing his hesitation, Woody pressed on.

"I wouldn't be doing this if you were just some random Dai Li soldier. You're my best friend." He took another step toward Buzz. "Think, Buzz. Think hard. You don't have any memories before joining the Dai Li, do you?"

Distress flashed across Buzz's face as he realized Woody was right.

"Think back. Find your real memories."

"Maybe this will help," Luca said, stepping forward. He took some water out of his pouch and swirled it around Buzz's head.

Buzz gasped as memories flashed before him. His military training. Woody talking him out of the tea-serving Lady Nesbitt persona he'd taken up after being discharged, because it felt safe. Quiet nights tinkering in his shop. Walking to Ba Sing Se with Woody and the Red Panda Warriors.

His eyes focused on Woody. "Woody!"

Woody hugged him. "You're back! Buzz, what did they do to you?"

Buzz frowned. "They took me to a room underwater. Below Lake Laogai. I was passed out when they brought me there but I remember leaving. I don't remember what happened when I was there."

"Take us there," Woody said.

They followed Buzz to Lake Laogai. The giant lake shimmered in the setting sun.

"There's a tunnel around here somewhere," Buzz said, looking around.

Ian slowly lifted his hand, raising up a slab of earth from under the water. He waved his hand and revealed an opening to the tunnels below the lake.

"Great job, Ian!" Barley said. Ian gave him a small smile, which lifted Barley's spirits immediately. He hadn't seen Ian smile in days.

They followed Buzz into the tunnels. Luca stayed at the back, fighting the instinct to run out of the tunnel. The narrow walls–and the musty odor emanating from them–made him feel incredibly claustrophobic. He looked at Ian, who looked just as nervous as he did.

Buzz looked around, then gasped as he remembered his talk with Lotso. "I just remembered something. Lotso, the leader of the Dai Li, told me that the Earth King was deposed, and the Dai Li are running the city! There is no Earth King anymore."

"Well, I guess we're not going to get any help here," Luca said. He turned around. "Oh well. We tried."

"But Syndrome's here," Barley said. "We can't just let him take over the city!"

"They won't let us talk about the war, so what are we supposed to do?" Buzz asked.

"Maybe they'll listen to Violet," Barley said. "She's the Avatar's sister. That must mean something, right?"

"I don't think they'll listen to anyone," Luca said.

"Yeah, they're all crazy in denial," Alberto said.

They stopped when they heard voices coming from a room further down the tunnel. They walked over as quietly as they could and peered into the room. Luca gasped. It was the eeriest thing he'd ever seen.

Dozens of women were standing there, their eyes as dead and emotionless as Joy's and Laurel's. Unlike Joy and Laurel, they weren't smiling. Just standing there with a completely neutral expression. Like they were waiting to be told what to do, how to feel.

Ken was talking to them in a loud and authoritative voice. "There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se," the women all repeated in perfect unison.

"We're lucky to have these walls to protect us."

"We're lucky to have these walls to protect us."

Barley and Ian looked at each other in horror. This must be what had happened to their mother. She and all these other women had been brainwashed.

Luca backed away. "This is creeping me out. I wanna leave."

"Well, too bad, son!" a voice behind him snarled.

Luca jumped, letting out a small scream.

"Lotso!" Buzz growled.

"What happened to you, Agent 1995?" Lotso asked, his voice dripping with concern. "Why did you let these spies infiltrate our headquarters?"

"They're not spies," Buzz said. "They're my friends. You turned me against them."

Lotso banged his cane against the ground. "They're not your friends. They're the enemy!"

"No, YOU are!" Jessie shouted. "We know what you did to the Earth King! Buzz told us everything, and we're gonna tell everyone else! You're just a bully and a liar!"

A shadow fell over Lotso's face. "The Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

Buzz's eyes dilated. "I am honored to accept his invitation."

"Buzz?" Woody said worriedly.

Lotso gestured at Woody and his friends with his cane. "Take care of these uninvited visitors."

"Buzz, no—"

Woody's sentence was cut short as Buzz kicked him in the chest. Woody crashed into the wall, all the wind knocked out of him. He watched helplessly as Buzz beat up Ian and Barley next. They didn't even have a chance to fight back.

Luca attacked Buzz with a long water tentacle, keeping his distance. Buzz dodged his attacks and leapt over to Alberto. He quickly jabbed at Alberto, and Alberto collapsed.

"Alberto!" Luca cried.

"I can't move!" Alberto grunted.

While Luca was distracted, Buzz leapt over and kicked him in the knee. Luca gasped as Buzz chi-blocked him. He fell to the floor next to Alberto.

All of this happened in under a minute. Violet quickly shielded herself, while Bo and Jessie took defensive stances.

Ken came out to see what all the commotion was about. "What is going on?"

Bo and Jessie attacked him. Violet went straight for Lotso. She needed to take him out before Buzz came for her.

Lotso stomped the ground. Giant columns burst out of the ground. So he was an earthbender. Great.

She sent a harsh slice of air at him. It cut through the rock shield he had built around himself. She raised her hands, ready to suck the air out of his lungs until he passed out. Something she'd only seen someone do it once, but it had stuck with her ever since. Then Buzz punched her in the shoulders, the neck, and her lower back. Her muscles locked up, and she fell to the ground.

Woody stood up. "Buzz, stop!" They'd gotten through to him once, they could do it again. "You don't want to do this!"

Buzz didn't respond. His expression was cold and neutral, his eyes dead and emotionless. He was a mindless machine.

Jessie and Bo finished knocking Ken out and advanced toward Lotso. He brought up giant stone walls, walling them off from each other. They furiously kicked at the stone but they couldn't break it.

Lotso knocked one of the walls down, and it fell toward Jessie. Buzz saw this out of the corner of his eye, and time seemed to slow down. He felt a strange burst of emotion. He knew he didn't know her, but he felt like she was someone he cared about.

Buzz leapt toward Jessie and pushed her out of the way. The column crashed down on top of him.

"BUZZ!" Woody and Jessie screamed.

Luca struggled to stand up but it was no use. His limbs felt like limp noodles. If only he could get up, he could heal Buzz.

A bolt of lightning split the air. Everyone in the room stopped and gasped.

Syndrome walked into the room, applauding slowly. Fire Nation soldiers filed into the room. Lotso and the rest of the Dai Li went pale. Violet was suddenly back at the Air Temple, lying helplessly on the ground as the Fire Nation surrounded her.

"This city is mine," Syndrome said.

"No!" Lotso exclaimed.

"It wasn't hard. Turns out it's pretty easy to conquer a city when the government won't acknowledge the threat."

"I bet you feel pretty stupid now, huh?" Alberto said to Lotso. Lotso glared at him.

"The city is now under the control of General Waternoose."

Waternoose and Randall entered. Violet's stomach twisted as she saw the smirk on Waternoose's face. She didn't want to even think about what he would do to them.

"I wanted to run the city," Randall pouted.

"But you have a more important job: being my number two," Syndrome said.

Randall brightened immediately. "Me?"

"Yes. Now that Sullivan and Wazowski have turned out to be miserable traitors, you're my second-in-command."

A twisted smile spread across Randall's face. "I'm honored to be offered such a position." He slithered over to Syndrome's side and stood there proudly.

Syndrome looked around. "Now. As I'm sure you all know, the Avatar needs an earthbending teacher." His gaze landed on Ian and Barley, and a realization hit Barley like a ton of bricks. He should have known.

He put a protective hand on Ian's shoulder. "So you want Ian to go with you?" It made sense. Ian was young and brilliant, and he knew Waternoose had seen him bending and had probably told Syndrome about it.

To his surprise, Syndrome shook his head. "No. We want you. I hear you're quite the teacher. You even know about metalbending. What do you say?"

"What do I say?!" Barley exclaimed. "Eat shit, your royal Fieryness!"

"Yeah!" Alberto piped in, jumping up as his muscles started working again. "A nice, steamy one from a horse's ass!"

Luca winced and hid behind Alberto, fearing the repercussions of saying this to the Firelord. Ian just stood there, staring at Syndrome in shock. He couldn't take Barley. He couldn't.

"How about this?" Syndrome said, a menacing undertone lacing his voice. "You come with me and I'll let your friends live. Even the girl."

Barley hesitated. He really didn't want to leave Ian. He worried that would push his brother over the edge after everything they'd learned about their mother. But this would be a good opportunity to get Jack-Jack back. And if it was the only way to guarantee Ian's safety…

He looked Syndrome in the eyes. "You promise you'll let them go?"

"Live. I said I'd let them live," Syndrome corrected. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."

Barley looked at Ian. "I'm sorry, Ian. I…I have to do this."

"Barley, no!" Ian cried. He couldn't believe Barley was actually leaving him.

"I'll be fine, Ian."

Ian wanted to scream, "You don't know that! And even if you're fine, I won't be!" He couldn't do this alone.

Barley hugged him tightly. "I'll be back, Ian. I promise." He smiled at Ian sadly. "I love you."

A tear rolled down Ian's cheek. "I love you, too."

Syndrome clicked his fingers impatiently. "Come along." He turned to one of his soldiers. "Let's get back to the Fire Nation before the you-know-what happens."

The soldier looked at him blankly. "The what?"

"The Black Sun, you idiot!" Syndrome snapped.

"Oh. Right." The soldier grabbed Barley and forcibly walked him out of the room. Randall followed. Barley glanced back at Ian one last time before his friends disappeared from view.

Waternoose gestured at the other Fire Nation soldiers. "Arrest them. Including the old man."

"Old man?!" Lotso snapped.

The soldiers grabbed them and marched them to the dungeon. Ian looked around at his friends. Violet had her head down in despair. Luca was crying. Even Alberto looked defeated, his shoulders slumped and his usual chaotic energy absent from his body. Buzz was alive but in considerable pain, groaning quietly as they dragged him along.

The dungeon was made of black metal. It was bitterly cold. The overwhelming stench of mold permeated the air, burning Ian's lungs and making him feel sick to his stomach.

Several pairs of handcuffs hung from the ceiling on long chains. Ian winced as the cold metal closed around his wrists. He dangled from the chain, the tips of his shoes barely brushing the floor. His arms would be ready to fall off after a few hours of this.

The door closed. A loud clank rang through the dungeon as the soldiers locked it. For some reason, that was the moment that it really hit Ian what had happened. Barley was gone. Maybe he'd never come back. Why would Syndrome keep him alive? Once he taught Jack-Jack, Syndrome would have no more use for him.

Emotions swamped Ian like a tidal wave. He wanted to scream at nobody in particular and panic and hyperventilate. He wanted to scream at Barley for abandoning him. How could you?! He wanted to scream at Lotso, who was right next to him. He wanted to writhe around until he could just crawl out of his skin.

Instead, he just lowered his head and started to cry.