"It's just us against the world
When the smoke clears
All we got is all we got
It's always us, never them"
_____________
Aang lands before the group, Momo perching on his shoulder.
"Aang, what are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa?" Katzumi asked
"I was, but something stopped me. Something big."
☁
Aang and Toph are jointly bending a rock platform up the face of the wall, lifting them all upwards.
"Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Sokka asks
"That." Aang points to a slowly approaching drill, making its way right towards the middle of the wall of Ba Sing Se.
"We made it to Ba Sing Se, and we're still not safe. No one is." Than and family huddle together.
"What are you people doing here? Civilians aren't allowed on the wall." A guard yells
"I'm the Avatar. Take me to whoever's in charge." Aang orders
An Earth kingdom general waits seated at a desk.
"It is an honor to welcome you to the outer wall young Avatar, but your help is not needed." General Sung proudly states
"Not needed?" Aang asks surprised at their ease
"Not needed. I have the situation under control. I assure you the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall. Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded."
The general rises as he speaks, leading the group back out towards an open area of the wall manned by soldiers standing near large stacks of boulders. We are shown an aerial view of the outer wall. Nothing lies beyond the outer face but barren wastes, while a patchwork of fertile fields grow behind it.
"What about the Dragon of the West? He got in." Katzumi simply states
"Well...uh...technically yes. But he was quickly expunged. Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It's the impenetrable city. They don't call it Na Sing Se. That means penetrable city." General Sung smiles again
"Yeah, thanks for the tour, but we still got the drill problem." Toph says
"Not for long. To stop it, I've sent an elite platoon of earthbenders called the Terra Team."
"That's a good group name, very catchy." Sokka says scratching his chin
☁
"We're doomed!" General Sung looks through a telescope at the failed attack on the drill
Sokka slaps general hard on the face "Get a hold of yourself man!"
"You're right, I'm sorry."
"Maybe you'd like the Avatar's help now? " Toph asks
"Yes, please."
☁
General Sung, Aang , Katzumi, Sokka, Toph and Momo watch as Katara spreads the blue energies of her healing technique over the arm of one of the fallen warriors.
"What's wrong with him? He doesn't look injured." General Sung asks
"His Chi is blocked. Who did this to you?" Katara asks the soldier
"Two girls ambushed us, one of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs, and suddenly I couldn't earthbend, and I could barely move...and then she cart wheeled away."
"Ty Lee. She doesn't look dangerous, but she knows the human body and it's weak points. It's like she takes you down from the inside."
an idea suddenly hits Sokka and he begins gesturing wildly"Ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo, ooo!"
"Yes?"
"What you just said, that's how we're gonna take down the Drill. The same way Ty Lee took down all these big earthbenders." Sokka says
"By hitting its pressure points!" Toph sums up
"We'll take it down from the inside."
☁
The Drill's inner corridors, where Sokka leads the others through a red-lit area of pipes and valves.
"I need a plan of this machine. Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find it's weak points." Sokka says looking around
"Where are we gonna get something like that" Katzumi abruptly draws and lifts up her legs and bust off steam valve "What are you doing! Someone's gonna hear us!" Aang exclaimes
Aang looks about worriedly as the room begins to fill with steam.
"That's the point. Fire nations machines needs engineers to run it, and when something breaks..." Katzumi trails off
"They come to fix it." The siblings yell
Moments later, a large Fire Nation engineer in a filter mask appears through the steam holding a large wrench and a rolled up document.
"Hi." Katara appears behind him
Katara bends the steam, condensing it into an icy shell that entraps the engineer.
"This'll work, thanks!" Sokka takes the map from his hand and runs
Sokka leads the others up metal stairs, stopping to unroll the plans across a large pipe.
"It looks like the Drill is made up of two main structures. There's the inner mechanism, where we are now, and the outer shell. The inner part and the outer part are connected by these braces. If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse."
Sokka leads the others out a doorway and onto a massive steel beam.
"Wow, it looks a lot thicker in person than it does in the plans. We're going to have to work pretty hard to cut through that." Sokka looks at the beam
"What's this we stuff? We are going to have to do all the work."Katara points to the three beneders
"Look, I'm the plan guy, You two" He makes rapid chop-chop gestures "are the "cut stuff up with waterbending and firebending guys. Together, we're Team Avatar!"
Katzumi goes to one beam and begins applying massive fire at the bottom of the beam, Clearly trying to melt it off.
Katara bending the water out of her flask, sending it to ring against the edge of a vertical beam before being caught by Aang, who bends it back towards her along the same path
Katzumi stops a bit painting before going back and adding more fire, but less pressure.
Katara and Aang also bend down gasping with exhaustion.
"C'mon team, don't quit now, we're... " Sokka trails off
"Grrrrrr!" Katara shoots a menacing glare back at Sokka, who stands wide-eyed, arms still in air
"I mean, you're almost there."
The two of them resume slicing away at the girder little by little. Sokka watches on, an eager look of anticipation growing on his face. Finally the beam is cut completely in two, and the upper section grinds down the angled cut a few inches before screeching to a halt. While Katzumi is halfway done with hers
"At this rate, we won't do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall." Katara huffs out
"I don't know how many more of those I have in me."
An ominous shudder and low moan passes down the length of the Drill.
"Do you hear that We took it down. We better get out of here fast!"
As they race away, they pause at a doorway as a voice comes down from overhead speaking tubes.
"Congratulations crew, Dill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se.
Sokka is struggling futilely against the severed girder.
"C'mon brace, budge!" He says
"This is bad, really bad." Katara says
"Were putting everything we've got into busting these braces, but it's taking too long!" Katara groans
"Maybe we don't need to cut all the way through. Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn't give 100% of your energy into any one strike. Sokka, take a fighting stance.You've gotta be quick and accurate." Aang hooks a foot around one of Sokka's ankles, pulling him off balance "Hit a series of points, and break your opponent's stance" He hits Sokka with a series of pretend blows "And when he's reeling back, you deliver the final blow. His own weight becomes his downfall. Literally." Aang smiles
"So we just need to weaken the braces, instead of cut all the way through." Katara says
"Then I'll go to the top of this thing, and deliver the final blow." Aang says
"And boom, it all comes crashing down!"
"Everyone inside that wall, the whole world is counting on us."
Katara and Aang inflict cuts into various support beams. Where Katzumi had marked the pressure points with her firebending.
"That's enough, we need to get to the next one!"
"Good work Team Avatar. Now Aang just needs to... DUCK!" Sokka yells
He ducks and covers just in time to avoid a blast of blue flame. Azula, Mai and Ty Lee run out onto another massive girder well above Aang and friends.
"Azula!" Katzumi yells
"Oh it's my baby sister. Nice to meet you again" Azula smirks. The Two watertribe siblings look at each other in shock, While Aang still stares a Azula
"Wow Azula, you were right, it is the Avatar! ... and friends." Ty lee eyes Sokka
"Hey." Sokka says
Katara marches past and yanks him away. As her allies rush off. Ty Lee drops to the bottom edge of the girder and swings out towards Aang, who throws her backwards with a gust of wind. Aang and his friends are fleeing down corridors, when Aang comes to a halt at a T intersection.
"Guys get out of here, I know what I need to do." Aang says
"Wait! You need this water more than I do!"
As Aang turns, Katara draws out her flask of bending water and throws it to him. Sokka and Katara rush down a corridor, while Aang and Momo head the opposite direction.
"Follow them, the Avatar is mine." Azula races off after Aang, while Mai and Tai Lee pursue the others
☁
Katzumi, Katara, and Sokka reach a dead end, with a large hatch marked by a sign written
" Slurry pipeline What does that mean?" Katzumi asked
"It's rock and water mixed together, it means our way out." Sokka says opening the hatchet
As Katara begins to lower herself into the slurry pipe, Mai and Ty Lee suddenly arrive on the scene. Katara lets go and plunges in followed by Katzumi and Sokka, just as Mai's throwing knives ricochet off the open slurry hatch. The three splash into the slurry neck-deep and are quickly swept away by the current.
Mai looks down into the slurry flow.
"Ughh, disgusting!" Mai gags
"Come on, you heard Azula. We have to follow them." Ty lee says
"She can shoot all the lightning she wants at me, I am not going into that wall sludge juice." Mai shudders. Ty Lee hops down into the slurry flow, sending up a great spash that narrowly misses Mai. With a final expression of disgust Mai slams closed the slurry hatch.
☁
Aang races through the Drill's engineering section with airbending speed, past engineers who barely detect him through their respirator masks. Aang finally races up a long ladder toward the Drill's surface.
☁
Screaming with fear, Katzumi, Sokka, and Katara ride the cascade of slurry out the rear spout of the Drill, sliding to a halt in the grayish ooze.
Sokka tries to wipe the revolting stuff off of his tongue, pounds his fists into the slurry in disgust. Ty Lee emerges from pipe exhaust, riding waist deep in the slurry flow with a look of wicked anticipation on her face. Just as she is about to reach the ground, Katara bends back the rush of slurry, pinning Ty Lee at the terminus of the pipe.
"Why don't you try blocking my chi now circus freak!" Katara stands resolutely with one hand upraised
"Katara, keep that up. The pressure will build up in the drill. Then when Aang delivers the final blow, it will be ready to pop!"
☁
The pair start race towards the front of the Drill, which has already penetrated deep into the wall.
"This looks like a good spot Momo." Aang glances up, and barely avoids the large boulder that bounces off where he was standing " Aggh!"
He dodges a second and third boulder as they continue to rain down from above
"General Sung, tell your soldiers to stop shooting rocks down here!" Aang yells up
"Soldiers, whatever you do, don't stop shooting rocks down there!" General sung orders obviously not hearing Aang.
Sung draws his hands up to his face in distress, while the row of benders next to him release another volley of boulders.
Below, Aang vaults past this new wave of stones, and as he lands, begins rapidly scything the surface of the drill with the water Katara gave to him.
☁
Katara continues to block the pipe's exhaust with a slurry ball containing Ty Lee.
"Good technique little sister! Keep it up! Don't forget to breathe!" Sokka says
"You know, I am just about sick and tired of you telling me what to do all day. You're like a chattering Hog-Monkey!" Katara yells
"Just bend the slurry woman!!"
Katara bends up a rush of slurry with her free hand, launching him up to plunge back down into the foul muck.
"You guys need some help?" Toph asks
"Toph!" Katzumi yells
"Toph, help me plug up this drain!"
Bracing her muddy legs she coordinates with Katara, driving the slurry-plug even further up the pipe.
☁
Nearby Aang continues to rapidly cut away at the outer hull in an X pattern.
"What I'd give to be a metal bender." Aang huffs out
Momo, perched on Aang's shoulder, turns and give out a warning cry, allowing Aang to turn and deflect a deadly blast of blue fire. Momo narrowly avoids the flame.
"Momo, get out of here!"
Momo flies off as Aang assumes a stance.
"Now all I need is a..." A boulder crashes down startling him "Actually, that is what I needed for once."
Bending the boulder around to the incision, he begins a series of sweeping earthbending moves, each one slicing away a large chunk of the boulder. Eventually he is left with a large stone spike pointed down into the breach. Aang drops back, falls into a sprinter's stance and starts running toward the wall. Nearing it he bends up a ball of air and leaps atop it, riding up the sheer face of the outer wall. As he rockets up the wall the ball dissipates, and Aang begins to run up the vertical face. As his momentum falls away, he turns and we see that Aang has nearly reached the top of the outer wall, the Drill far below him.
With a powerful shout Aang completes his turn and wind-sprints downward at a fantastic speed. Meanwhile, Azula having finally crawled back up to the top of the Drill, spots Aang streaking down face of the wall. With a shout, Aang leaps free of the wall and plunges downward. Her attack passes just over Aang's head as he strikes the spike with incredible force. The explosive shockwave hurls a screaming Azula through the air as it travels the length of the Drill.
☁
"Here it comes!" Toph begins raising the four of them up on a pillar of rock
As the rock pillar rises from the lake of slurry, a great rush of it issues from the exhaust spout. Ty Lee is washed up against the pillar, slammed against it and held there by the powerful current. Safe atop the pillar, Toph, Katzumi, and the Water siblings watch as one by one the segments of the Drill slump to a stop, great clouds of steam rising from them. On the other side of the wall we see the massive bit slowly stop rotating.
Aang Wipes the mud from his face, he reveals an enormous grin. Momo lands on his muddy shoulder and starts licking the slurry from his forehead.
As the mud slides away it reveals War Minister Qin, standing with an expression of horror and amazement. In another shot we follow a long streak of mud that had exploded up the face of the wall. General Sung stands there completely covered in mud, as it drips away to reveal the pathetic expression on his face.
☁
Toph, Aang, Katzumi, Momo, Sokka and Katara watch the sunset over the barrens from atop the outer wall.
"I just want to say, good effort out there today Team Avatar." Sokka congratulated
"Ya no thanks to you" Katzumi shoots
"Enough with the Team Avatar stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it's not gonna catch on." Katara adds on
"How about... he "Boomerang Squad!", see it's good cause it's got "Aang" in it." Sokka puts hand on Aang's head "Boomer-Aang."
"I kinda like that one." Aang says
"Let's talk about this on our way into the city."
She and the others start walking away.
"The "Aang Gang"? " He asks looking at the group
"Sokka."
"The "Fearsome Fivesome "?'' He asks
"You're crazy." Toph says walking away
"Why? We're fearsome!" Sokka races after the group.