CHAPTER NINE
"ALRIGHT, BOYS. LET'S GATECRASH A PARTY." Yan grinned mischievously, looking down at the floor with a quirked brow as Momo walked past with the drape over his shoulders like a long cape. As she made her way to the door, Sokka grabbed her upper arm to stop her from walking out.
"Yan, wait. What about your sword and your clothes?" he asked, gesturing to the sword on her hip and her clothing. With an exasperated sigh, Yan untied the knot in the string that held her sword against her belt and set the weapon beside the door against the wall. She raised her arms and did a quick spin.
"There, no sword. As for the clothes, we can grab some busboy uniforms in the palace. Come on, we don't want to be late. Just act natural but not too natural; in fact, just follow my lead." she informed the boys who nodded. The trio exited the house and began walking down the street, following the occasional crowd to the monorail transit where they boarded a monorail and headed to the Upper Ring. As they rode the monorail, people around them dressed in far fancier clothing chatted excitedly about what the party might hold.
When they finally reached the Upper Ring, Aang, Sokka, and Yan waited outside for Katara and Toph to let them in. They hid behind a large statue of a lion to keep out of sight from the guards posted at the front entrance, Aang periodically peeking around to see if he could spot his friends. However, after waiting for nearly twenty minutes, it was clear that the girls weren't coming out.
"Where are they?" he asked impatiently after he had looked around the statue for the umpteenth time. Yan sighed impatiently as she sat beside Sokka and Momo around the statue, growing anxious and uneasy.
"Look, I came up with a backup plan." Sokka picked up Momo who purred questionably. "We dress Momo up as a ghost, okay? He flies by the guards, creating a distraction. Then, we blast a hole in the wall-"
"And create an even bigger problem by revealing ourselves? No thanks." Yan rebuffed his idea with a roll of her eyes. Before Sokka could add his argument, Aang stood and his face lit up.
"Or we could go in with these guys," he suggested, Sokka and Yan standing up to see what he was referring to. At the entrance, they could see a few men carrying packages inside the palace. "Toph said we might pass as busboys." Yan nodded at Aang's much better idea, Sokka grumbling.
"Okay, but remember that Momo ghost plan. I think it's a winner." he grinned, Aang flicking him in the forehead as they sank behind the statue. The trio waited for a few moments before they carefully snuck around the wagon holding the packages. They grabbed three uniforms and quickly slipped them on, carrying a few packages in their arms to seem like they were servants and finally stepping into the palace.
Upon entering the crowded ballroom where the party was held, Yan, Sokka, and Aang set off on their own to find Katara and Toph while also posing as busboys. They poured beverages, offered small appetizers, and occasionally met up with each other to see if the South Pole waterbender and the blind earthbender had been spotted. After asking where Katara and Toph were for the third time, Sokka advised Aang to keep an eye out for the Earth King.
"Another crab puff, please." Toph's voice sounded as she stood beside Aang who was standing with the trio. "I'd know your little footsteps anywhere, Twinkle Toes."
"Thanks for letting us in!" Sokka scoffed at his sister as she approached. Katara gave her brother a stern look as she leaned in closer to whisper to the three.
"Sorry, but the guy who escorted us in won't let us out of his sight," she whispered, Yan and Sokka looking around but not spotting anyone suspicious Katara had mentioned. Before they could ask, a partygoer accidentally bumped into Sokka, who in turn bumped into Aang who accidentally drenched a woman in lukewarm tea. The woman shrieked in surprise, her dress soaked and her makeup dripping down her face; to prevent her from causing a scene, Aang blasted her with air to dry her off faster. The woman's hair now stood up and her dress was overall ruined. However, when she realized Aang was the Avatar she had heard from many gossipers, she grinned excitedly.
"The Avatar! I didn't know the Avatar would be here." she twittered. Once she mentioned that the Avatar was present at the party, everyone turned around to catch a glance at him, beginning to surround him. As he waved and smiled nervously, Sokka and Yan went off to see if they could find the Earth King while Aang distracted the crowd.
Yan and Sokka scuttled around the crowd, Yan pulling on Sokka's sleeve as she heard a gong go off. She pointed near the front of the room where four men were carrying a palanquin into the ballroom while being escorted by a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers. "That's the Earth King, Sokka. Get Aang's attention," she whispered to him, looking in the direction where Aang was. She spotted Aang standing on a table, entertaining the Earth King's pet bear with orbs of colorful water. Upon spotting the palanquin, Aang conjured a sphere of air and rode it toward the head of the table. Before he could even greet the Earth King, the palanquin was being carried away and a few Earth Kingdom soldiers stood at the head of the table.
"Come on, we can't let him get away," Sokka whispered to Yan. The earthbender girl nodded and followed Sokka around the crowd toward where the palanquin was being carried away. However, they were both grabbed by Dai Li informants and escorted to a dark room away from the party. "Hey! Let us go!"
Yan and Sokka were brought into a fireplace-lit library with Toph and Katara quickly joining them. As Aang was joined by another man, the doors were slammed shut. "Why won't you let us talk to the king? We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!" Sokka exclaimed.
"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day-to-day minutia of military activities." the man, who introduced himself to Aang as Long Feng, simply answered. According to Aang, Long Feng was the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se and the head of the Dai Li.
"This could be the most important thing he's ever heard," Aang added.
"What's most important to His Royal Majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military. Which brings me back to your friend here. How is it that a woman was able to get into the military?" Long Feng asked as he moved his attention to Yan with a smirk. Her stare hardened and her eyes narrowed in growing anger.
"I like to think I was very persistent, you pompous son of a bitch." she spat angrily, her hands balling into fists. Sokka put a hand on her shoulder to get her to relax.
"So the king is just a figurehead. He's your puppet." Katara came to the realization, everyone nodding in agreement other than Long Feng.
"Oh, no, no! His Majesty is an icon, a god to his people. He can't sully his hands with the hourly changes of an endless war." Long Feng continued to deny their reasons.
"But we found out about a solar eclipse that will leave the Fire Nation defenseless. You could lead an invasion-" Sokka tried yet again to force the man to see his reasoning, but Long Feng simply didn't care.
"Enough! I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic. Our economy would be ruined, our peaceful way of life, our traditions would disappear. In silencing talk of conflict, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia; the last one on earth." Long Feng concluded. Yan scoffed in disbelief as she shook her head.
"The war is already in the walls! How are you going to explain to the already wary citizens about the Fire Nation soldiers that roam the streets, or the benders that mysteriously disappear? You can't keep the war a secret from everyone! They already know about the war!" she shouted, pointing outside a window to get her point across.
"She is right! I'll tell them! I'll make sure everyone who denies the war knows it has been happening!" Aang came to her defense. Long Feng stepped closer to Aang, towering above him.
"From now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city. I understand you've been looking for your bison. It would be quite a shame if you were not able to complete your quest." he threatened, Aang's face turning into a scowl. "Now, Joo Dee will show you home." The library doors opened and a woman briskly stepped in, an unsettling grin plastered on her face.
. . .
It was the following day after the party, the encounter with Long Feng, and learning the truth about Ba Sing Se. Team Avatar was awake fairly early in the morning, various sketches of Appa strewn across the floor. Sokka was lying on his front as he drew different variations of what he remembered Appa looked like; though he proclaimed he was a talented artist, the sketches looked like they were drawn by a small child. Yan picked up one parchment, turning it around to try and understand it. Before she could ask Sokka what was on the paper, Katara and Aang ran through the front doors.
"We found a printer to make our posters!" Katara excitedly said as she and Aang beamed ear to ear. She held out a very impressive poster of Appa with writing at the top and bottom left of the page as well as a small picture of Aang on the bottom right.
"Hey, I thought designing the 'Lost Appa' poster was my job! I've been working all day on my Appa." Sokka exclaimed as he held up one of his drawings proudly. Katara stifled a laugh while Aang shook his head.
"Sokka, the arrow is on Appa's head." Aang pointed out as Katara continued to hold in her laughter. Sokka turned the drawing and explained to Aang that the arrow was on Appa's head. Katara continued to criticize the poor drawing while Yan read over the professionally done poster, nodding in agreement and impressiveness.
Aang set off to display the flyers, taking to the air on his glider and dropping the leaflets from a small bag with Momo's help. He returned shortly after as the group played a matching game. "I finished dropping all the leaflets. Has anyone come in with news about Appa?" he asked eagerly as he joined Katara and Sokka at the table.
"No news yet, Aang. It's only been a day; try to be patient." Yan responded while Aang pouted sadly. His sad expression didn't last long as a knock at the door prompted him to get up. However, when he opened the door, he saw it was just Joo Dee, the grinning woman who escorted the group back home from the party. As he asked her why she was there, Joo Dee pulled out one of the 'Lost Appa' flyers.
"Dropping flyers and putting up posters isn't permitted within the city. Not without proper clearance." she reminded the group who all frowned.
"We can't wait around to get permission for everything," Sokka explained, but it was going in through one ear and out the other.
"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue putting up posters." Joo Dee continued with her overly cheerful voice and creepy grin. Aang's frown deepened as he stood in front of the group, his face quickly turning red with anger.
"We don't care about the rules and we're not asking permission! We're finding Appa on our own and you should just stay out of our way!" he shouted before slamming the door in Joo Dee's face. The group stood behind Aang, not surprised by his outburst. "From now on, we do whatever it takes to find Appa."
The group was out in the city again, gluing posters to the wall quietly. They ultimately decided to split up to cover more area of the Lower Ring, Toph sticking with Sokka and Yan joining Katara and Aang hanging around Momo. "I think this is a good spot," Yan said as she and Katara approached a stone tower near the river. Katara nodded in agreement and put the poster up, stepping back to confirm that it was straight.
"Katara?" a male voice said which caused Katara to tense up. The girls turned and spotted a teenager standing near a building. "I think I can help you." He had a cocky attitude that seemed to set Katara off. Her brows immediately furrowed and she used her waterbending to send a massive wave toward the teenager, causing him to fly back into an alleyway. She continued to attack him, sending ice projectiles his way which he easily dodged.
"I don't want to fight you! I'm here to help!" he protested as he dropped his weapons, but Katara wasn't hearing it. She pinned him to the wall using icicles as he reached behind his back to grab something. Yan quickly joined Katara's side as she looked the teenage boy up and down. The rest of the group met up with the girls once they heard the commotion. As soon as Aang and Sokka recognized the teenager, they stood in a fighting stance.
"We can't trust anything Jet says. I don't care why he's here! Whatever the reason is, it can't be good." Katara argued to the group, Yan and Toph still confused about who he was.
"I'm here to help you find Appa." the teenager called Jet added as he unrolled a 'Lost Appa' poster. "I swear I've changed. I was a troubled person and I let my anger get out of control. But I don't even have the gang now. I've put all that behind me."
"Can someone please explain to me who he is?" Yan finally asked as she stood beside Toph.
"He's someone from our past that tried to tear us apart, that's all you need to know. Besides, he's lying!" Katara shouted. Toph brushed past her and placed her hand on the wall beside Jet.
"He's not lying. Remember how I used my technique on Yan when we first met her? Well, the same thing applies here; I can feel Jet's breathing and heartbeat. When people lie, there's a physical reaction; he's telling the truth." Toph explained. Aang turned to Katara with a heavy sigh.
"Katara, we don't have any leads. If Jet says he can take us to Appa, we have to check it out," he explained to the Water Tribe girl. Katara sighed and nodded, stating that everyone was going to keep an eye on Jet.
Jet led the group to a barn in the Lower Ring, explaining that it was the place where he heard Appa was being held. When they got there, however, the place was empty. Katara immediately grew defensive, Jet quickly explaining himself before he was hit with another wave of water. While the pair squabbled, Yan walked near the back of the barn and crouched down when she saw something. She picked up what appeared to be white hay and brought it over to Aang.
"He was here, but we missed him." he sighed sadly as he pet the white fur that belonged to his longtime friend. a
"They took that big thing yesterday. Shipped him out to some island. About time; I've been cleaning up fur and various... leavings all day." an old man said as he passed by as he swept the floor. Aang gasped at this information and his eyes widened in wonder. "Foreman said some rich royal type on Whaletail Island bought him up. Guess for a zoo or such, or could be the meat'd be good."
"We've gotta get to Whaletail Island. Where is it?" Aang asked Sokka. Sokka unrolled a large map and read it before shaking his head, stating that the island was very far and located in the South Pole where he and Katara were from. Although the group tried to explain to Aang that traveling to Whaletail Island would take them a long time, Aang was still very determined to find Appa. As the group exited the barn and walked back through the city, discussing a plan on what to do, a girl's voice calling Jet's name caused the group to stop.
A girl and a slightly taller boy approached Jet, Katara putting her hands on her hips. "I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore," she said accusingly. As Jet turned, the girl ran into Jet's arms and hugged him tightly.
"We were so worried! How did you get away from the Dai Li?" the girl asked. Katara's jaw dropped at the mention of the Dai Li and was quick to ask him various questions, Jet denying everything his friend was saying. "He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago. Longshot and I saw them drag him away."
"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city." Jet said, clearly very confused. Yan began to think back on what Long Feng said about silencing anyone who tried to disrupt the order in Ba Sing Se.
"That's it! He was brainwashed by the Dai Li! Don't you remember what Long Feng said about keeping order in the city? They've been brainwashing people that step out of line!" she exclaimed as she pointed at Jet. Jet quickly grew erratic as the group circled him and brought him to the tiny home he, Smellerbee, and Longshot were staying in.
Because Katara still didn't trust Jet nor did she believe he was really brainwashed, the group tied Jet to a chair as they began to interrogate him. "The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us and that janitor was a part of their plot too." Katara hypothesized as she stared Jet down.
"I bet they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?" Aang asked Jet as he sat in the chair with his head bowed.
"Nowhere! I-I don't know what you're talking about," he said again for the umpteenth time.
Aang sighed and put a finger to his chin in thought. "We need to find a way to jog his real memories." he thought out loud. The group exchanged ideas, Sokka suggesting Katara kiss Jet to see if anything would come back but she refused and opted for her brother to do it instead. Sokka grabbed a straw of wheat from a mattress and stuck it in Jet's mouth, but that didn't seem to work either.
"Katara, maybe you can use your healing abilities to help him. Sort of navigate him through his memories until he remembers something." Yan suggested, the group nodding in agreement at her brilliant idea. Katara stood behind Jet and brought a small puddle of water to each side of his head, the water glowing as she used her healing abilities on him.
Jet squeezed his eyes shut and began to think. "They took me to a headquarters under the water. Like a lake."
Yan snapped her fingers and nodded in earnest. "Yes, that's it. Remember what that Joo Dee woman said when we asked her who she was when she was escorting us home from the party? She said that she was on vacation at Lake Laogai. That has to be it, guys." she said with a smile, proud of herself for solving the mystery.
Sokka nodded at her theory and Jet's confirmation, putting the pieces together. "Okay, great. We know the Dai Li took Jet to Lake Laogai. The real question is where it is. Yan, you've lived here for most of your life, any ideas?" he asked, the group looking over at Yan.
"Just because I live in Ba Sing Se doesn't exactly mean I know the ins and outs of the place. If I were to guess, maybe we can try the Agrarian Zone? It's large enough to hold a lake." she suggested.
"Then let's check there first. If the lake is large enough, it shouldn't be hard to find." Katara said with a determined smile. The group nodded and headed out of the small home, continuing their search for Appa and the lake.
. . .
After searching for at least two hours, the group finally found a large lake near the far end of the Agrarian Zone courtesy of Aang and Momo's air search. As they approached the lake, they didn't see anything out of the ordinary. It just looked like a normal everyday lake.
"So where's the secret headquarters?" Sokka asked as he and the group stood on the shore of the lake, looking out at the vast blue water in confusion.
"There's a tunnel right there near the shore," Toph said as she pointed to her right. Whistling, she walked closer to the water and used her earthbending to bring a rocky pathway above the surface before walking across and uncovering a hole leading deeper underground. Exchanging confused looks, the group headed down the long ladder into the secret base.
They had to be extra careful and quiet; Dai Li agents were lurking everywhere. As they walked through the tunnel, they could see large individual rooms big enough to hold large animals. One room they passed had a group of women reciting that their names were Joo Dee to a Dai Li agent. After walking a good length of the tunnel, they reached a door at the end of the underground fortress where they believed Appa was being held. However, when they walked inside, they saw that the room was empty; everyone jumped in surprise when the door slid shut behind them. When they looked up, they saw Dai Li agents hanging from the ceiling by chains, waiting for them.
"You have made yourselves enemies of the state. Take them into custody." Long Feng ordered his men while the group readied themselves for the upcoming fight. The second the Dai Li dropped from the ceiling, Toph and Yan used their earthbending to keep a few back as the group went off to do their own thing. While they were distracted by the Dai Li agents, Yan noticed Long Feng making his escape.
"Guys! Long Feng is escaping!" she shouted as she held back a Dai Li agent. Aang and Jet went off to follow Long Feng as the rest of the group stayed in the larger chamber. Distracted by the fleeing boys, Yan was suddenly grabbed by one of the Dai Li, a yell of surprise escaping her mouth by the sudden pull. Sokka quickly came to her aid, using his boomerang to crumble the rock hand used to grab her.
"Let's go! They'll keep surrounding us if we don't get out of here!" Sokka ordered once Toph handled the last few Dai Li agents. The group quickly retreated before backup could be called, racing down the corridor where Jet and Aang ran off. They quickened their step when they heard the sound of something falling; when they opened the door, they saw Jet on the floor with Aang at his side, a large boulder in front of the two.
The group rushed forward, Katara taking some water out and hovering it over Jet's torso. "This isn't good." she grimly said to the group, unable to heal Jet's internal injuries.
"You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet." Smellerbee said to the Gaang. Everyone shared worried looks before nodding and heading off, saying a quick goodbye to Jet, Smellerbee, and Longshot.
Once they left the chamber, Team Avatar continued their search for Appa, coming to a final room; however, expecting to see Appa, they were instead met with yet another empty chamber with six shackles most likely used to keep Appa in place strewn across the stone floor. Instead of wasting time, the Gaang ran out of the facilities to get a jump on Long Feng before they lost Appa forever. Dai Li agents ran after the group of teenagers, forcing the group to stop as Long Feng waited for them, the Dai Li bending large walls of rock on either side of the group to trap them.
Momo returned to the group, circling Aang. "What is it, Momo?" the Avatar questioned before Momo flew off into the sky. The group looked on confused before a large shadow came flying toward Long Feng and the Dai Li. As the shadow got closer, the group could see that the shadow had white fur and a large arrow on its head: Appa.
Appa flew through the rock walls, causing it to crumble with Long Feng and his agents flying off. Toph and Aang dealt with the final group of Dai Li, using their combined earthbending skills to throw them into the lake. Appa circled back around and grabbed Long Feng by his leg with his teeth, throwing the corrupt man into the lake with the rest of his agents. Once the threat was gone, the group ran toward Appa, Aang throwing his arms around his sky bison's head in an emotional embrace.
Yan hesitated a bit before joining the group in hugging Appa. The sky bison growled in contentment, pulling back to lick Yan with his giant tongue, causing her to grimace and shout in disgust. "Nice to meet you too, big guy." she chuckled as she lay against his warm fur.