Several fireballs are launched into the air. One lands forcefully near Sokka, a few troops and I as we were huddled together behind a stationery Earth Kingdom tank, studying a map lying on the ground.
Sokka winces at the explosion, but his expression brightens when Katara returns with Hakoda.
"Dad!" Sokka exclaims, rising and grabbing my wrist as we approach them. "You're on your feet again."
"Thanks to your sister." Hakoda sits down; somewhat weakly. "I'm in no shape to fight, but maybe there's some way I can help."
Sokka kneels before his father. "Everything's going smoothly and the eclipse hasn't even kicked in yet."
Katara, sensing something in the distance, moves away. "Let's hope our luck holds out." Hakoda notices her behavior. "Katara, you seem distracted. Is something wrong?"
Curiously, she responds, "Yeah. Is that...is that Aang?"
Sokka is shocked. "What?" Aang is riding in on his glider, dodging several fireballs. He lands in front of the group. "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down?"
Katara and Aang kneel with Sokka and me. "He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."
Whispering in disbelief, I shake my head. "They knew."
Aang rubs his fingers along the ground, looking dismayed. "It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long-gone; far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."
Thoughtfully, Sokka says. "No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker; somewhere he could go and be safe during the siege but still be close enough to lead his nation."
"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for," Toph interrupts, pointing to herself. "I'm just the girl to find it."
Sokka pulls out a timing device. "The mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."
Aang speaks up with determination. "We can still do this. We can still win."
Katara interrupts, her voice filled with worry. "Wait!If they knew we were coming it could all be a trap." She looks at the others. "Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely."
Hakoda steps in. "Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang to go for it."
Sokka turns to Aang. "What do you think? You're the one that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."
Aang rises, facing away from the group with determination. "I've gotta try."
Aang, Toph, Sokka, and I decide to fly over the caldera volcano on Appa, while Katara stays behind with her father. We land on the side, jumping off.
"Do you sense anything down there?" Sokka asks Toph.
Toph places her hand on the ground, feeling the vibrations. "Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano."
"Anything else?" Sokka inquired. "Is there a structure somewhere?"
Toph digs her fingers into the ground. "There is something big, dense-"
I let out a little chuckle, but Sokka shoved me to shut me up.
"-and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."
Sokka raises his arms up. "Sounds like a secret bunker to me."
Toph earthbends a hole in the volcano, blowing up a cloud of dust. Sokka and I follow her into the tunnel. Aang soon joins in.
Toph leans over and surveys the area using her seismic sense. Pointing, she says. "This way! That one's a dead end!"
Sokka follows her. "What would we do without you?"
We walk past magma channels. "Perish in burning hot magma." Toph answers.
Sokka observes the magma channels; blushing from the heat. "Yeah, pretty much."
We arrive at a chamber where magma erupts from several spouts in the ground.
"The tunnel continues on the other side and It leads right to the bunker."
"We'll have to be fast, but careful." Sokka says.
He begins walking past only for a geyser of magma to erupt, nearly striking him. I grab the back of his ponytail, yanking him towards me.
Aang uses airbending to cool and solidify the gush. "How is that careful?"
"I was wrong." Sokka said. "We need to be fast, careful and lucky."
The four of us leap and run our way through the chamber, narrowly avoiding magma spouts. We arrive to a rock ledge, completely surrounded by molten lava.
"There's no floor. It's just a river of lava." Sokka said.
Aang spins his staff open. "Climb aboard and hold on tight."
So we did. Sokka, Toph and I are screaming in fear, clinging to Aang's glider for dear life as we ride swiftly over the river of lava. We reach the other side safely and approach a large metal, dome-like structure with a huge door.
Sokka is impressed. "That's some door!"
Toph walks over to the door and bangs the metal with her fist. "Not a problem."
She uses metalbending, jamming into the door with her elbows, creating cracks in the metal. She steps back several feet, kisses her fingertips and splits the door wide open. Stepping inside the interior, she points in a direction.
Sokka enters the bunker while making some hand movements. "I am so glad we added you to the group!"
Aang, Toph, Sokka and I run down the tunnels. We come across a man, whistling. The team, upon seeing him, immediately corner him, preparing to attack.
Out of fear, the man says. "The Fire Lord's chamber is that way, down the hall, to the left," he makes climbing motions with his fingers. "and up the stairs, you can't miss it!"
Aang's suspicious look suddenly becomes friendly. "Thanks!"
The four of us continue on our way to find the Fire Lords chamber.
Sokka pulls out his timing device. "Only thirty seconds until the total eclipse."
We approach a set of large doors. Aang determinedly focuses on the door. "I'm ready. I'm ready to face the Fire Lord."
He blasts the doors down with airbending. We step inside where Azula is heard speaking.
"So, you are alive after all." Aang stares at her in shock. "I had a hunch that you survived. But it doesn't matter." Proudly, Azula says. "I've known about the invasion for months."
The entire group looks at the princess in surprise and horror. I did not like that girl at all.
"Where is he? Where's the Fire Lord?" Aang demands.
Azula rises from her throne. "You mean I'm not good enough for you? You're hurting my feelings."
"Stop wasting our time and give us the information." Sokka points his sword at her. "You're powerless right now, so you're in no position to refuse."
Toph clenches her fist. "And stick to the truth. I'll be able to tell if you're lying."
Azula walks a few steps forward. "Are you sure? I'm a pretty good liar." She pauses slightly. "I am a four-hundred foot tall purple platypus bear with pink horns and silver wings."
I turned to Toph who paused for a short minute. "Okay, you're good, I admit it." Toph traps Azula using earthbending. "But you ought to consider telling the truth anyway!"
Without warning, the earth trap crumbles and breaks, leaving the team surprised.
Azula brushes off the dust. "When I left Ba Sing Se I brought home some souvenirs: Dai Li agents!"
Two Dai Li agents descend into the room. Aang sends an air swipe at them with his glider; however, the agents quickly conjure up an earth wall that blocks the attack.
Aang bursts through the stone wall the agents had created and the team runs toward the Fire Nation princess. A stone column erupts from the surface, which I manage to dodge. Toph bends two stone slabs sending the agents toward the two sidewalls of the room.
The agents each land on one sidewall and send two earth pillars straight at Toph, who conjures two earth walls to block their attacks. She proceeds to send a stream of earth at Azula, who nimbly back-flips onto the throne after being pushed back by the stream. She smirks as she lands.
Aang races toward her, an agent following close behind. He looks up to catch sight of the agent rocketing along a wall. The agent lands before him and builds up an earth wall which Aang breaks through. He sends an air blast at Azula, who manages to slip away as the blast destroys the throne.
Aang attempts to knock her down by sending an air swipe, however, Azula avoids his attack, acutely leaping and flipping between two metal beams. She lands on the ground deftly and continues running away.
The princess, leaps from one metal beam to the other. Aang sends another air swipe at her only to miss her yet again.
I slide down a stone pillar created earlier by a Dai Li agent. I flip onto one of the stone walls Toph conjured up to protect myself and jump onto the other one before landing on the ground, chasing after Azula.
Azula begins running toward a stone wall. A Dai Li agent slides down a stone column to the floor where he launches Azula into the air by bending an earth pillar below her feet.
Sokka, as he climbs his way through the hole in the stone wall. Azula leaps through the wall, hovering mere inches over Sokka's face, smiling evilly at him as she passes. She lands onto the ground and begins running again.
Sokka dodges again to avoid a Dai Li agent, Aang, Toph and I who each leap through the hole, one after the other. Sokka lands to the ground and follows the group.
Aang, Toph and I are running side by side. "I can't pin her down! She's too quick!"
Azula races through a door, entering a tunnel. A Dai Li agent follows close behind, earthbending a stone wall to block the entranceway. He proceeds to run after the princess.
Aang bursts the wall and chases them, me close behind. The Dai Li agent is suddenly pushed over by a stone column that jutted out from the side of tunnel's wall.
A hole appears and Toph emerges from it. The agent lands into a crevice of a nearby metal beam and prepares to attack Toph only for the blind earthbender to destroy his rock gloves and metalbend the grooves of the beam together, trapping him.
Toph, Aang and I continue chasing Azula. Sokka quickly runs up to us.
Sokka stops running. "Wait! Venus! Aang! Toph! Stop attacking! Don't you see what she's doing? She's just playing with us. She's not even trying to win this fight!"
Calmly," Azula says. "Not true. I'm giving it my all."
Angrily, Toph shouts. "You're trying to keep us here and waste all our time!"
Sarcastically, Azula says. "Um, right, I think your friend just said that, genius. And since you can't see, I should tell you I'm rolling my eyes." She rolls her eyes in disgust.
Angrily, Toph growls. "I'll roll your whole head!"
"She will!" I backed up my friend.
"She's just baiting you again." Sokka said.
"Okay, so what do we do, just ignore her?" Aang questioned.
"We don't have a choice." Sokka said. "We just have to get out of here and find the Fire Lord on our own somehow."
We turn to leave, walking toward the opposite end of the tunnel.
Coolly, Azula says. "It's a trap. Don't say I didn't warn you."
Aang and Toph stop walking and turn to look at the princess, both appearing hesitant. Sokka and I continue to walk forward.
Sokka waves his hand up in gesture. "Ignore!"
Craftily, Azula says. "So, Sokka's your name, right? My favorite prisoner used to mention Venus and you all the time." Sokka and I stop walking and cast Azula a suspicious glance. "She was convinced you two were going to come rescue her. Of course you never came, and she gave up on you both."
Suki?
As I glance over at Sokka, I shed a few tears. In a blind rage, Sokka charges at Azula. The princess stands perfectly still.
With a quick motion of her left hand, Azula reveals a hidden dagger, prepared to strike Sokka when he comes within range. Toph senses the weapon and pins Azula's hand to the tunnel wall by sending a rock aimed at her wrist. Sokka grabs her by the shoulder, coming face-to-face with her.
"Where....Is.....Suki?!"
I hurried over to Sokka's side and pushed my war fans up against Azula's neck. "You heard him, where's Suki?"
Azula only glared at me. "You're much prettier up close."
Glancing deep into Azula's soul, I squinted at her. "She's not going to tell us."
Sokka ignores me. "Where are you keeping her?"
Azula grins smugly, keeping her lips sealed.
Suddenly, ruckus was heard above us. "Oh, sounds like the firebending's back on."
Azula kicks her leg in a wide arc, sending a fire blast that nearly strikes Sokka. Sokka takes several steps back as he narrowly avoids Azula's attacks.
She back-flips onto the tunnel wall and uses firebending to break free from Toph's earth cuffs. She flips forward, extending her leg forward, nearly striking me, as I flip managing to dodge the incoming danger.
Azula rises and smirks. "Dad's all the way at the end of the hall then down a secret stairway on the left. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to see you now."
She runs away, leaving the four of us dismayed.
Sokka was ashamed. "I fell for it! I used up all our time."
"It's not your fault, Sokka. Azula was ready for us. She had every move planned out." Toph said.
Sorrowfully, Sokka sighs. "And now it's too late."
"Maybe it's not too late. The eclipse is over. But I can face the Fire Lord anyway." Aang said.
"No." Sokka replied. "I don't think that's a good idea."
"But I'm ready!" Aang exclaimed. "I came here with a job to do and everyone's counting on me."
I let out an exhausted sigh. "The Fire Lord knew we were coming this time. We thought we had surprise on our side but we didn't. It just wasn't our day. What we need to do now is go and help our friends."
Disappointedly, Aang says. "I guess you guys are right."
Sokka places a hand on Aang's shoulder. "You'll have another chance. I know you will."
We quickly emerged from the tunnels, boarding back on Appa and flying down to the battlefield.
Aang and I look at the airships that have covered the skies. Sokka looks very dismayed at the turn of events.
Katara runs up to Appa who lands. Aang looks at her with a saddened look on his face.
Sokka and I climb off the saddle. "It was all a trap! Azula knew we were coming and she's plotted out every move! We've just got to get to the beach as fast as we can if we can make it to the submarines, maybe we can get away safely."
"They've got air power, but so do I!" Aang opens his glider. "I'm gonna do what I can to slow them down." He tosses his glider into the air and takes off, Momo following close behind.
"Appa, you, Venus and I can help too." Katara grabs my wrist as we mount Appa and follow after Aang.
Katara approaches a war balloon, swiveling around once and slicing it clean through with waterbending. The top portion of the balloon drifts upward while the rest falls downward.
When I land inside the war balloon after jumping off Appa, I met with the Fire Nation soldiers and swung them off the balloon as they scream and fell to the ground.
Appa is nearby as I jump onto his saddle. Aang flies above us. Appa's armor is struck with fireballs several times; he grunts. Katara uses water shields to deflect the blasts.
"We can't keep them all back! There's too many of them!" Katara exclaimed.
"Let's join the others!" Aang dodges another fireball.
Aang, Katara, Appa and I are approach in the distance towards our friends. Toph bends a ceiling of earth overhead.
The Fire nation airships release bombs. One bomb lands very near the earth ceiling, causing it to start crumbling. Toph props it up by bending two earth columns to support it.
The earthbending tanks, the soldiers being shaken about by the activity. The airships pass over. The team runs out from under the ceiling. The Royal Plaza, the airships flying past.
"Why aren't they turning around to attack us again?" Katara questioned.
I quickly became alarmed. "They're heading for the beach. They're gonna destroy the submarines!"
Hopelessly, Sokka sighs. "How are we all going to escape?"
Hakoda approaches with help from Bato. "We're not."
Sokka looks determined. "Then our only choice is to stand and fight. We have the Avatar, we could still win."
"Yes, with the Avatar we could still win. On another day. You kids have to leave. You have to escape on Appa together."
"What?" Katara grabs her father. "We can't leave you behind!" She looks at the rest of the invasion force. "We won't leave anyone behind!"
An impulsive thought that had been going through my head ever since Azula escaped had me biting my lip lightly.
"You're our only chance in the long run. You, Venus and Sokka have to go with Aang somewhere safe." Katara looks back at Aang and Sokka sorrowfully. "It's the only way to keep hope alive."
"The youngest of our group should go with you. The adults will stay behind and surrender. We'll be prisoners, but we'll all survive this battle." Bato said.
Tyro approached Hakoda and Bato. "I've got some experience with the Fire Nation prisons. It's not going to be easy, but we'll get by."
Sokka turns, alarmed. "They're at the beach already!"
To the Royal Plaza, the shadows of the airships move along the ground. Airships fly directly overhead. Tho and Due attempt to deflect the bombs with waterbending; they manage to destroy some. The swamp monster grabs several more and tosses them away. One bomb, however, lands inside the seaweed figure and detonates. Steaming piles of seaweed land onto the ground.
Five bombs are released onto each of the submarines, destroying all five of them. The team looks on in disappointment. I hold Sokka close to me as he closes his eyes resentfully.
The adults start to say goodbye to their children and the younger kids. I begin to help the children board on Appa.
I remained amongst the adults as Aang rose up. "Thank you all for being so brave and so strong. I'm gonna make this up to you."
When Aang turns to sit down on Appa, he sees that I'm still on the ground. "Venus, let's go."
My head fell low as I shook my head. "I'm not going with you guys."
"What?!" Sokka exclaimed jumping off of Appa and landing beside me. "What do you mean you aren't coming?"
As tears rolled down my face, I lightly bit my lip."I have to stay. What if..they take me to prison that Suki is in? She's been missing for so long now."
"I don't care," Sokka grunted wrapping his hand around my wrist. "I'm not allowing you to stay here."
I stared down at Sokka's hand. "Sokka, I'm not going."
"Venus-"
I was crying as I looked up at him. "I-I have to go find, Suki. I'm sorry."
Sokka lightly scoffed. "Venus, we don't have time for this, let's go!"
"Son," Hakoda approached Sokka, resting his hand on his shoulder. "If Venus wants to stay with us and potentially find her friend, there's nothing you can do."
"But-but-"
Hakoda sighed. "I know you don't want to leave her son, I know, but I'll be with her. I promise to never leave her sight."
Tears threatened in Sokka's eyes as he glared at his father. Hakoda stepped away, leaving space for Sokka and I to speak.
"I-I'm sorry, Sokka."
"It's- it's fine." He wrapped his arms around me. "No, no it's not fine." He cried. "I can't leave you, Venus."
"I don't want to leave you too," I choked on my tears, "but..I have to stay."
Sokka took my face and kissed me goodbye with a sweet, but still sad kiss. We had no choice but to break apart.
Sokka rested his forehead on mine. "I love you, Venus."
My lips quivered. "I love you too, Sokka."
He slowly climbed up Appa as he stared down at me on the ground. My friends all looked saddened. Toph's face even had tears streaming down it.
"Hey, Sokka?"
He quickly spun his head towards me. "If you start getting a little worried, find me, okay?"
"I already have a plan ready in my head," he smirked.
I half smiled. I waved at my friends as the team turns to leave on Appa. Appa moans and takes off into the air.
Hakoda rested his hand on my shoulder as I lean into his comfort. "We'll be fine."
"I miss him, already."
"I know," Hakoda whispered. "Me too."