| abstract
| - Several Fire Nation tundra tanks rumble across the rugged terrain toward the Outer Wall of Ba Sing Se, the enormous Fire Nation drill following close behind. Several segments of the drill extend forward, elongating the machine. Steam is released from its pipes and metal spikes lodge into the surrounding land. The command module ascends from the top where inside are Mai, Ty Lee, Azula, War Minister Qin, and several Fire Nation soldiers operating the drill. War Minister Qin boasts about the drill's magnificent ingenuity and its capability of defeating Ba Sing Se. Ty Lee questions whether the earthbenders guarding the Outer Wall were capable of halting it, to which Qin objects by stating the drill's metal shell is impervious to any earthbending attack, emphasizing his point by striking the periscope Ty Lee was looking through. Azula doubts Qin's claims and orders Mai, who is sullenly twirling a dagger out of boredom, and Ty Lee to take the earthbenders out. Mai immediately sheaths her dagger and moves to execute Azula's order, musing that she finally had something to do. Meanwhile, Team Avatar approaches Ba Sing Se along with Than, Ying, and their newborn baby, Hope. Aang flies down on his glider followed by Momo and lands in front of them. He warns them of an oncoming danger approaching Ba Sing Se. Moments later, Toph and Aang use earthbending to transport everyone up the Outer Wall, as Sokka asks, "Now what's so big that Appa has to wait?" Upon arrival at the top of the wall, Aang indicates the advancing drill. Ying hopelessly states that they had reached Ba Sing Se and they still were not safe. Earthbender soldiers approach them and question their reasons for coming to the Outer Wall. Aang reveals himself as the Avatar and requests he be taken to their leader. To his surprise, however, the commanding officer, General Sung, says the Avatar's help is unneeded. He assures that the wall's impenetrability prevents any enemy invasion of Ba Sing Se. Toph reminds him that the Dragon of the West, Iroh, had once infiltrated the city to which the general retaliates by saying that Iroh was quickly removed. He humorously explains Ba Sing Se means "impenetrable city". Toph alerts him once more of the oncoming drill to which Sung explains his employment of an elite team of earthbenders, called the Terra Team, to stop it. Sokka expresses his favor of the team's name. Down below, the Terra Team manages to launch one of the Fire Nation tanks into the air and bend earth columns upward against the drill's metal shell in an attempt to hinder its progress. However, the drill is so powerful that when it extends forward again it simply crushes the columns. The soldiers are quickly forced to defend themselves when a flurry of daggers are hurled their way. Mai and Ty Lee are seen skidding down the side of the drill, prepared to battle the earthbenders. Ty Lee swings off a rope onto the ground and deftly takes out all the earthbenders in seconds by striking their pressure points. After successfully blocking their chi, she stands triumphantly over the defeated warriors. The general sees their defeat and exclaims, "We're doomed!" Sokka slaps him and tells him to get a hold of himself to which the general apologizes. Toph asks if he needs their help at this point to which Sung turns to Aang and asks for aid. With the situation of the drill now on their hands, Katara, Toph and Aang all look to Sokka for a plan being that he is the mastermind for developing ideas. Meanwhile, Iroh and Zuko are at the ticket gate in the Ba Sing Se monorail station. The ticket woman accidentally pronounces their names incorrectly and casts them suspicious looks. Iroh corrects her on the pronunciation of their names, angering her. To settle the tension, he quickly compliments her, comparing her beauty to that of a flower in full bloom. Flattered by this, she compliments him back, stamps their tickets and welcomes them to Ba Sing Se. A disgusted Zuko snatches his ticket out of Iroh's hand and walks away. Jet and Smellerbee discuss the possibility of Lee, really Zuko under an alias, joining the new Freedom Fighters. Smellerbee opposes the idea, highlighting their unfamiliarity with Lee. Jet insists on his recruitment, comparing him to themselves. In an infirmary located on the Outer Wall, Katara utilizes her healing abilities on one of the earthbenders attacked by Mai and Ty Lee. When the general mentions the bender did not appear to be injured, she informs him the earthbender's chi is blocked. The earthbender provides a description of the person who ambushed him whom Katara identifies as Ty Lee. She remarks how she does not look threatening, but says, "It's like she takes you down from the inside." Sokka's face suddenly lights up and he states they should dismantle the drill in a similar manner. Toph chimes in by saying, "By hitting its pressure points!" Aang agrees and they start their descent from the wall toward the drill. Toph creates a large dust cloud to use as cover, instructing the rest to follow close behind as they approached the drill. Ty Lee examines the dust cloud through the periscope, remarking that it was "poofy". Azula suspiciously looks at War Minister Qin, who reassures her that everything is in order. The group runs into the cloud, Toph creates a tunnel underground and tells everyone to jump in. When Sokka remarks about the tunnel's dark interior rendering his sight useless, Toph sarcastically replies, "Oh no, what a nightmare!" They all emerge from the tunnel, now underneath the drill. Sokka sees an open hatch and Aang helps him and Katara enter the drill. He urges Toph to follow them inside, but she refuses, explaining that she would not be able to bend or see inside the drill, being it was made of metal. She instead decides to aid their efforts from the outside by wedging a large boulder against the drill to slow it down. Inside the metal mechanism, Sokka says he needs the drill's schematics, causing Aang to wonder as how to acquire the needed arrangements. To his surprise, Sokka slices off the wheel of a nearby pipe, resulting in the rapid release of steam. Aang and Katara grow worried that someone would discover their sabotage. However, Sokka explains that a large machine is bound to have engineers to maintain its function meaning someone will come to fix the problem, thus allowing them to steal the schematics they need. Sure enough, a firebender engineer walks out of the mist and approaches the source of the incident. He turns around sharply only for Katara to freeze the steam, thus entrapping him. Sokka takes the schematics from the engineer and the team runs up the stairway. Sokka examines the schematics and explains they need to cut through the braces that connect the inner mechanism and the outer shell. This action would consequently result in the collapse of the machine. Meanwhile, Iroh and Zuko seat themselves on a bench at the monorail station, when Jet comes over and sits next to Zuko, inquiring about his plans once inside the city. While they talk, a tea seller comes by, yelling, "Get your hot tea here! Finest tea in Ba Sing Se!" Iroh asks for jasmine tea, only to spit it out in disgust, complaining the tea was cold. Pulling Zuko aside, Jet tries to convince Zuko to join the Freedom Fighters, but Zuko declines. Jet suspiciously eyes Iroh drinking the now hot tea and suddenly realizes they are firebenders. Seeing the Freedom Fighter casting a menacing glare at Iroh, Zuko knocks the tea out of his hand and scolds Iroh for firebending his tea in public. Iroh says, "I know you're not supposed to cry over spilled tea, but it's just so sad." Sokka, Katara, and Aang arrive at the location of the massive steel braces and carry out their scheme. Aang and Katara begin slowly slicing through one brace using their waterbending to throw Katara's pocket water back and forth between the two of them. Halfway through the dismantling of the one brace, however, both Aang and Katara grow exhausted. Sokka attempts to encourage them to continue but quickly silences himself when a frustrated Katara threatens to do him bodily harm with her waterbending. They resume work cutting through the brace, however, their efforts merely result in the slightest moving of the brace from its position. Suddenly, a loud rumbling sound reverberates and the entire drill shudders. Having deemed themselves successful in destroying the drill, the team prepares to evacuate only for War Minister Qin to come over the announcement system and explain that the rumbling was due to the drill making contact with the wall. Sokka uselessly pushes against the brace with all his might, but fails to budge it. Despite exerting all their energy into demolishing the braces, the damage is still minimal. Aang suddenly realizes they were only required to slice halfway through the braces, just enough to weaken them. After completing that task, Aang would travel to the top of the drill and deliver a final blow, forceful enough to shear the braces. The team agrees that it was the perfect method of taking down the drill. Aang reminds them that everyone in Ba Sing Se is depending on them to emerge victorious. Aang and Katara immediately resume work cutting away at the braces, while Toph continues to hinder the drill's progress from outside. Meanwhile, earthbenders atop the wall hurl large boulders in an attempt to damage the drill but to no avail. From the command module, a soldier informs the war minister that an engineer was ambushed. Another tells him a brace was cut clean through. Sensing sabotage, Azula beckons Ty Lee and Mai to investigate with her. Aang and Katara continue cutting through the braces. Sokka persistently cheers them on when a blue fire ball suddenly comes hurdling his way, causing him to shout in alarm and duck his head. Katara and Aang look up to find Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee standing on an overhead metal beam. Ty Lee states her excitement to see the Avatar "and friends" while shooting Sokka a flirtatious look. Sokka responds with a wave and a drawled "Hey" while Katara pulls him away. Ty Lee dives toward Aang, who manages to airbends her away. They split up at an intersection where Katara gives her water skin to Aang, saying he would need it. Mai and Ty Lee follow Katara and Sokka while Azula follows Aang. Sokka and Katara come to a hatch reading "slurry pipeline" that leads to a canal where a rock and water mixture channels through. Realizing it is their only escape route, they jump into the muddy water and become washed away through the bowels of the drill. Ty Lee and Mai peer down into the pipe. Ty Lee tries to persuade Mai to accompany her, but Mai persistently refuses, stating, "She [Azula] can shoot all the lightning she wants at me. I'm not going in that wall sludge juice." Ty Lee shrugs and jumps in while Mai closes the hatch after her. Meanwhile, Aang speeds past numerous engineers and control rooms with Momo on perched his back. He climbs a ladder to the top of the drill where he plans to deliver the final strike. Katara and Sokka exit outside the rear of the drill covered in wall sludge with Ty Lee close behind in hot pursuit. Katara uses waterbending to create a plug, thus imprisoning Ty Lee. Sokka urges her to continue plugging the drain, explaining that when Aang delivers the final blow, the pipes will be ready to burst from the built-up pressure. Aang chooses a spot on the top of the drill to deliver the final blow. Several boulders suddenly fall from overhead, one nearly hitting Aang. Aang beckons to the general to stop hurling rocks, but Sung, still paralyzed with fear, orders his men to keep hurling them toward the drill. Aang uses waterbending to cut through the metal, weakening that part of the metal hull. Meanwhile, Katara still holds back the slurry to build up pressure. Sokka continues to "coach" her, commenting on her good technique and telling het to remember her breathing. Irritated by his constant ordering of what she needs to do, she snaps at him that he is like a "shattering hog monkey". Sokka retaliates by ordering her to "Just bend the slurry, woman!", which earns himself a wave of slurry bent at his face by Katara. Toph approaches and teams up with Katara to help plug up the drain. Toph earthbends the slurry, exerting more pressure on the pipes. Aang continues to weaken the metal, momentarily stopping to say, "What I'd give to be a metalbender." Momo suddenly shrieks, causing him to turn around and catch sight of a blue fire blast coming toward them. Aang manages to dodge it and sends Momo away, preparing for a duel with Azula. Azula shoots several fireballs at him, all of which Aang manages to avoid. He blasts a gust of air her way and uses water whips to deter Azula's blasts off-target. Aang attempts to deflect two fierce blasts she conjures up with a water shield, however, the shield evaporates and he is sent back several feet. Several boulders are hurdled downward and Aang takes the opportunity to throw one at Azula. She ducks in time and shoots another fire ball. Aang resorts to creating a wall of rubble and repeatedly hurls components of the wall at the Fire Nation princess, who merely kicks the boulders away and almost strikes Aang with a kick of flames. Azula proceeds to somersault in the air and deliver a powerful fire blast, destroying the makeshift wall. Aang hurtles into the Outer Wall and falls unconscious onto the surface of the drill. The drill extends again and Azula walks over to Aang with bitter intentions. She hoists Aang up and holds him against the wall before his body slides between the wall and the drill. She readies a blue flame in her hand. However, Aang slowly awakens and sees the oncoming attack. He quickly makes an earth gauntlet and blocks her attack, pushing her back several feet. He readies for battle when slurry suddenly spews from the cracks in the wall, coating the drill with a slick layer of liquid and dirt. Azula recovers from the incident and rockets toward him using firebending. She has the misfortune of poor timing and slides across the mud instead. Her momentum flings her into Aang while windmilling to regain her control. The two of them slam into the wall and both begin sliding down opposite sides of the cylindrical drill. Azula manages to turn over and stop her descent, using her hands and the soles of her shoes. Momo arrives on scene and latches onto Aang's back, helping him up while Aang uses airbending to climb back to the top. Aang thanks Momo and runs to the weakened spot. A recently hurled boulder conveniently lands next to him, which he proceeds to cut into a wedge that fits into the "X" he carved into the drill's shell. He rides an air scooter upward along the wall and, at the apex of his ascension, turns around and races down. Azula spots him and, intending to intercept him, sends a powerful blue fire blast at him at close range. However, Aang speeds past it, missing the blast by a fraction of a second, and slams down on the rock. The impact causes the compromised braces of the drill to snap and the excess slurry burst out of the machine. Broken down, the drill is left jammed partially in the Outer Wall. Azula, who was tossed back by the release of air when Aang struck the rock, slides down the drill to join Ty Lee, who is sitting in the slurry, having been freed from her predicament once the influx of slurry stopped. Mai emerges from one of the hatches completely dry and casually announces to the two that they lost. Meanwhile, at the station, Smellerbee, Longshot, and Jet, eyes wild with hatred, board the monorail Zuko and Iroh are riding to Ba Sing Se. Inside the monorail car, Iroh leans over and tickles an infant, who happens to be Ying's baby, Hope. At the top of the wall, Sokka begins to brainstorm clever nicknames for their group including "The Aang Gang", "The Boomeraang Squad", and the "Fearsome Foursome", as the team prepares to enter Ba Sing Se, saved from Fire Nation war tactics once again.
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