Su started crying as soon as she was captured. That was the plan. Lin tried to reason with her, but Su didn't want to answer her. Also according to the plan. And it worked.
Azula said the whole mission will have to depend on Su, because she was the little sister. Azula knew a bit about that. Everyone underestimated the little sister. No one payed attention. No one suspected something so cute could hold the key to their downfall.
Su waited until she was alone before she spit out a large metal earring she'd been holding in her mouth since the Red Lotus took her. It was their way out of those cells. The walls were all entirely made of platinum, it was an unbendable metal box, but one little bendable piece could make all the difference in this place.
The first phase went perfectly. No one even thought about checking Su's mouth as they were transporting her. No one cared why she wasn't speaking the whole way. Now it was onto phase two. Getting the earring to Lin, so she'd get them out of there.
Su placed the piece of metal on the floor and stood up to do the pose Lin taught her a few days ago. The earring successfully molded into a little metal ball. But what now?
The girl walked to the one wall that wasn't completely metal, but instead made of bars, and looked around. She felt a bit of panic wash over her when she realized she couldn't see Lin anywhere. There were a lot of people in there, but none that she knew.
"Suyin?" at last she heard from behind her, "Suyin, where are you?"
Su turned around and ran to lean against the wall opposite the bars. Now she could hear the voice clearly.
"Lin?" she tried not to sound too upset, but her shaky voice gave her away.
"It's OK, kid, it's me." Lin's voice also sounded a bit different, "I was beginning to think they caught you with... You know..."
"I can't pass it to you, Lin. You're on the opposite si-"
"I know that. You're gonna have to use it. You can, I know you can."
Su sighed. She couldn't even throw a stupid spoon across the room. And now everyone depended on her breaking those bars with her little metal ball. She took the stance again, breathed in and then slowly out. She moved her hands and the ball clashed against the bars. That was way too loud!
Su took the ball into her hands and moved to sit at the opposite side of her cell. She expected guards to come running immediately to take her away. She sat and waited, but none came.
"So? Su? Did you do it?" she could hear Lin. Su finally found the courage to look at the bars again. They looked like nothing happened. Not a damn scratch.
"No. I'm not strong enough." she whispered to her sister.
"You have to try again."
"No! They'll hear me." Su was shaking her head, but no one could see it.
"Only thing they'll hear will be the door closing after us as we leave this dump. Come on!"
Su didn't like it, but she somehow found the strength to try again. This time she made sure she sent the ball flying as fast as she could. Another loud noise later, the lock still looked the same. It was only when she came a lot closer that she could see the tiniest scratch. That was never going to be enough...
"Lin, I really can't." she whispered to her sister, now beginning to panic again.
"Su, you can take a break, but you have to try again."
"I'm just not strong as you and Mom... I can't hit it hard enough." tears began collecting in Su's eyes.
"That's nonsense. You know Mom would smack you if she heard you say that." Lin realized immediately she may have been a bit harsh, "Imagine you're our mom when she was caught in that metal box. When she first invented metalbending."
"That's what I'm trying to tell you, Lin! I'm not like her. I like dancing more than bending. I like to change my outfit three times a day. You know I'm right, you call me girly all the time."
"It sucks if this is the first time you'll be hearing this, and from me of all people, but listen up... You can like dancing and bending. Don't tell Kya I ever said those words, but... You can care about your hair and still be strong."
Su remained quiet after hearing that.
"So stop worrying about what our mother would do and just do what Suyin would do." Lin added.
Hearing that Su got an idea. She needed to open a door. And how do you open doors? With a key! Of course.
She molded the metal ball into a key-like structure and stuck it into the lock. Now she just needed to adjust the lower side of the key to fit the mechanism. She wasn't strong with her metalbending, but maybe she could be precise. Like her mother when she built statues.
"Su? Su are you trying again?" Lin asked through the door.
Just a little more... Su finally succeeded in turning the key. Could that mean it's done? She let go of it and the door swung open just a crack. She did it.
"Spirits, Su! Su, why aren't you answering?" Lin continued talking to the empty cell until she heard delicate footsteps run to the bars of her cell. She turned to see her sister free.
Su was waving her hands around, trying to open her sister's door the same way she opened hers.
"Are you metal-picking that lock?" Lin smiled.
"I guess so." Su smirked back when she heard the lock click. She immediately ran to put her arms around her sister. They were doing that a lot now. Hugging. And it really wasn't a family custom with them. Neither of them minded it, though.
"You kid have just earned yourself all-you-can-eat ice cream when we get home." Lin chuckled, "Now let's find Mom."
"You think she'll be proud of me?" Su asked.
"I know I am." Lin pulled away and took Su's key.
oooooooooo
While the cells were completely platinum, the rest of this building Lin and Su were roaming around was made out of wood. Lin was hoping to feel some earth underneath the floor and finally get a fighting chance against these bastards, but no luck. She concluded they must have been on a higher floor of the building, far from any bendable earth. Smart. At least she still had the little ball of metal Su smuggled in.
"Mom! Where are you?!" Su called out for Toph.
"Seriously? Why don't you tell everyone we're here?" Lin put a hand across her sister's mouth. It was too late as they could already hear guards running toward them.
"Lin?" Su was sorry for yelling when she saw their way was now blocked by three guards.
"Get behind me, Su." Lin stood between her sister and the men.
"What are you doing out of your cells?" one of them asked pointlessly.
Lin took her bending stance and rose the only piece of metal she had next to her shoulder. She made the little ball morph into what looked like an arrow tip. Sharp and threatening. She hated that the idea was from her dad, but she had to do something.
One of the men bended a stream of water at her, but she dodged it successfully and launched her little metal blade at him. It cut his shoulder and flew right back to her side. The other two guards stared in shock. Lin knew she could go for their throats. It would be so easy. But she wasn't like him! She wasn't her dad.
The metal piece morphed back into a ball that Lin then used to knock out all three of her enemies. A strong hit to the head wasn't harmless, but it was better than dying.
"Su, you coming?" Lin turned to her sister.
"That was awesome! Where did you learn to do that?"
"My trip to Ba Sing Se was useful." Lin started moving forward.
"I still can't believe you got to beat up the Dai Li just like Mom!" Su followed after.
"Just try to be quieter from now on."
oooooooooo
As the sisters were walking through the hallways Lin kept the metal piece floating around her head to be ready in the case of another attack. Then, out of nowhere, it flew away from her and into a cell up front. Lin couldn't pull it back.
"Mom?" she asked carefully.
"I thought I was going nuts in here when I sensed your footsteps coming in." Toph said before smashing the door to her cell with the piece of metal her daughters brought.
"I missed you so much!" Su ran from behind Lin to give her mother a tight hug.
"Hey, baby Su." Toph ruffled up her daughter's hair, "And what about you, Moody One?"
She was reaching for Lin, but about a foot to the left. Lin didn't know why, but it hurt her so much to see her mother make a mistake like this. She used her seismic sense so well on normal surfaces that it was possible to forget she was blind. She always seemed so invincible, seeing her struggle like this terrified Lin.
"Mom, she's not th-" Su wanted to correct her.
"I'm here, Mom." Lin moved left, allowing Toph to find her and pull her into a hug. Yeah, it was one of those rare hugging occasions. One of those usually forbidden vulnerability moments.
"Took you long enough to come after me." Toph complained.
"You could just say thank you." Lin said.
"Mommy, mommy, I can do metalbending now!" Su cut in, but was ignored.
"Why do you have to make a ceremony out of this, Lin?" Toph chuckled.
"Mama, did you hear me?" Su tried again.
"I did, Suyin."
"Why can't you just thank your daughters for coming to save your life? Why can't you just say you're proud?" Lin continued.
"Here she goes..." Toph huffed dismissingly.
"No! No, here you go. You have no idea what we had to go through to get you out of this. How close we were to actually dying for you." Lin paused, "And you don't even think we've earned a thank you!"
"Did I ask you to go ahead and do that? No. You wanted to do it." Toph started walking away.
"Whatever happens, you'll never change, will you?" Lin asked.
"I don't see why I would." Toph said, "Now let's go, girls."
"No." Lin didn't move a muscle.
"Lin? What are you doing?" asked Su following after their mom.
"We have to get the other people out. If we leave them and escape, the Red Lotus will kill them." Lin explained.
"Not our problem. I can't see well, Lin." Toph said, "Come on."
"You can leave. But I'm not giving up on them yet." after Lin said that the metal piece wrapped around her hand and started pulling her towards Toph.
"Stop it! Stop!" Lin screamed as she tried to overpower the metal bracelet.
"You stop saying nonsense." Toph couldn't see how much pain Lin was in because she just wouldn't give in. It was only after she heard Lin moan in pain that she stopped pulling the metal.
"Su, go with Mom!" Lin yelled after seeing her sister conflicted about leaving her behind. The two of them left after that. Good. Perfect. Now she could do what she came to do.
Lin took a deep breath and started running to find the next occupied cell.
"There she is!" she soon heard someone yell. This time it was five guards blocking her way. Bring it on!
Being as mad as she was, Lin immediately started hitting the men with the little ball of metal, but one miss was enough for one of them to manage to punch her in the face. She stumbled back and lost her control over the ball. Then she was hit again and pinned to the wall. She tried desperately to reconnect with the metal and fight back, but the men were now all surrounding her.
Then the ball few out of nowhere and knocked out the guards, one by one, until Lin was the only one standing. She looked to her right and saw Toph had returned for her. Lin had to fight the urge to say thank you. Guess, they didn't do that anymore. Toph also didn't say a thing, but used the metal to break open another cell.
"It's alright, I'm Chief Beifong of Republic City. You're safe now." she told the newly freed prisoner. Of course she was going to get all the credit for this.
oooooooooo
In an attempt to cover more ground and also to avoid any more drama, Toph decided to split up from her daughters and start freeing people from a different part of the prison. She let the girls take the metal with them while she had to use the keys to open up cells.
Toph was sure she'd become better at seeing once she stretched her legs again after being imprisoned for all that time. Yet it didn't seem to get any easier as she made her way to each cell and freed people. She told them all to go to the main entrance and wait there, since she refused help with opening cells.
Toph couldn't sense much, but there were certain strides she'd never forget the rhythm of. Lin's even march, Su's playful scamper, the Avatar's gentle tiptoeing... And his damned strut.
Toph was almost embarrassed she had to get so close to recognize it. She hurried forward, skipping a cell.
"Toph! Please!" a man yelled after her.
She was right. Of course, he was here...
"Toph! You can't leave me here!" he continued. Just walk away... Just walk away, Toph.
"I met Lin!" Kanto yelled, before he saw her stop.
"What did you do?" she walked back to the bars of his cell.
"I didn't do anything. She came to me." he sighed, "I know you can't see it, but she gave me this black eye."
"Good. That's my girl. Guess, I did at least something right with her."
"She's wonderful, Toph. When you first told me I was sure she wasn't mine, but... She even looks like me."
"I wouldn't know about that... I'm just happy she doesn't hit like you." Toph smirked before she heard a clank of chains, "They have you chained in there?"
"I punched a few of them trying to escape. They didn't take it so well."
"So did I. Only they didn't think I was worth the chains since I can't see."
"Well, it came back to bite them, didn't it?" he paused, "Come on, Chief. I always had your back. Let's do this together. Like old times."
Toph shook her head, not entirely sure why she was opening the door to let him out. He was a jerk, but leaving him to die was a bit much.
"The little one is for the chains." he said and stepped towards her putting out his hands. As she was unlocking his handcuffs she suddenly felt his hands gently clasp her own. Yet, she refused to be annoyed by it since that was exactly what he wanted to see.
Then, at the exact moment Kanto's hands were finally free, he lunged at Toph crashing his lips to hers. He was immediately pushed away.
"I think Lin's hit you too hard on the head." Toph stepped out of the cell.
"I just... Couldn't help myself, seeing you after all these years. Looking more beautiful than-"
"Stop. I can't believe that worked fifteen years ago... Now, you have to leave through the back."
Kanto tried to walk past her, ignoring her words, but she pushed him back.
"Didn't you hear me?" she blocked his way.
"Lin's here, isn't she? That's why you want me to slip out? I have to talk to her! I didn't know who she was when I met her. I have to make it right."
"So she saw the real you and now you want to lie your way out of it? No."
He tried to surpass her, but she moved to block his way again.
"You can't do this! I'm her father, I have a right to see her!"
Lin had just finished with her part of the prison and ran straight over to help her mother, but stopped and hid when she heard Kanto's voice. She could hear everything, but neither of them paid enough attention to sense her.
"Excuse me, I don't remember a father being there when I gave birth to her. Lin has no father!" Toph took a deep breath trying not to get too angry, "You said you always had my back... You know when I could have used some backup for the first time in my life, Officer? After our daughter was born."
"I am not doing this right now, I'm going to talk to Lin."
"She hit you since she obviously doesn't want anything to do with you. Which means I'm not letting you through."
"You can't stop me!"
"Are you sure? Because you couldn't take our fourteen-year-old daughter... I'm not liking your odds against me." Toph grinned at him, making him even madder than he already was.
"Here, without your bending, you're nothing. You can barely sense where I am..." he reached out to grab her hand and squeezed her until it hurt. He thought he was so terrifying... Well, Toph wasn't going to let him have that. She dealt with enough criminals in her career to know she couldn't let him feel like he was in a position of power.
She quickly slapped him, causing him to let go of her hand.
"You wanna go, Tough Guy? Try that again!" she took a step towards him.
She knew he was way stronger than her without bending. She just hoped he was still afraid of her enough to back down.
"You know what?" he rubbed one of his cheeks, "Screw you and your bastard daughter!"
Lin thought she heard Kanto walk away towards the back exit and then her mother stomp angrily a few times. By that point Lin was already crying her eyes out, holding a hand at her mouth to make sure she doesn't make a sound. She had to get out of that prison.
oooooooooo
So... I'm sorry for Kanto being such a jerk, but he wouldn't have left if he wasn't, right?
Anyway, another Gaang member freed.