The Fire Prison

There were all there. Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph and Zuko. They were hosting a small invasion at a secret prison in the deepest, most desolate destination in the Earth Kingdom.

One week before...

Sokka was watching Zuko training Aang with the skill of firebending, and he was thinking of Suki. He closed his eyes and imaged her in his mind's eye. Tried to relive her touch. Her kiss. But all he could see was Azula, taughting and ridiculing him, down underneath the Fire Nation Palace.

"My favorite prisoner used to mention you all the time. She was convinced you were going to come rescue her. Of course, you never came, and she gave up on you..."

Sokka had opened his eyes, tears welling up in them as her last words echoed in his mind...

"She gave up on you...she gave up...she gave up on you...you never came..."

"No!" Sokka yelled.

Sokka jumped up, startling Aang and Zuko in the process, Katara looking over from where she was cooking. Sokka sweeped his gaze among his friends.

"Group meeting...now!"

Minutes later, the group was assembled in a circle by the fountain. Katara and Toph were both sitting down, as Toph's feet were still hurting her. Aang was standing, ever the strong presence, with his staff, and Zuko was leaning against a stone wall, his arms folded. Not feeling one ounce of regret or nerve, Sokka addressed them.

"Look, I understand that Aang has to learn Firebending," he nodded at Aang, who nodded back, "but I believe we should at least be preparing, show the Fire Nation that we still exist. Yes, the Invasion failed, but we still have the resources and the power to take down Azula and the Firelord. I think we should take them down with simple, easy strikes. Attack the places they would expect. You remember the Drill?" Sokka looked at Katara and Aang, who were looking thoughtful, "We fought and took it down from the inside. We can do the same with the Fire Nation palace. Simple infiltration and then..." he brandished his club on his hand, "Pow."

This suggestion boded well with the group. They were impressed. Aang had put his lessons on hold, Katara had got to work healing Toph's feet, and Zuko, Aang and Sokka were planning their next move.

- - -

And one week later there they were. They had done their homework, and with a lot of help from the former Prince, they had found the Fire Prison, located to the east of Ba Sing Se, where all of the most ruthless fighters and threats to the Fire Nation were kept prisoner. Except for the Avatar, of course.

Aang and thrown his arm to the side, restraining his friends from jumping into the fight with everything they had. They waited until the swarm of guards and firebenders had descended upon them.

"NOW!" yelled Sokka and Aang at the same time.

And they proceeded.

---

They had entered the prison. Katara, Aang and Toph had performed amazing bending yet again as Sokka and Zuko snuck in when Toph created a wall of dust that hid them from sight. Thankfully, most of the guards had gone to the entrance so they found almost no resistance as they ran, pell-mell, to the back of the prison, where all of the prisoners were kept.

The prison was a maze of metal walls, no, a labyrinth, that Sokka and Zuko ran through like they knew the place. They just kept heading north. They could still hear the grand battle ensuing from the entrance, and Sokka uttered a silent prayer:

'Please let them be OK,' he thought, 'Or it would be all my fault.'

They could also smell the awful stuffy stink of the dry air that was being pumped into all corners of the prison from tiny ventilation shafts in the walls.

"That way!" Zuko yelled, the scarred Prince pointing down a dark tunnel, "that's the way to the prisoners!"

"You're sure?" Sokka asked. Zuko nodded grimly, and Sokka had no choice but to oblige.

They ran down the heavily shadowed, narrow corridor, barely able to see a thing. Zuko conjured up a small ball of fire in his hands so the lane was lit, dimly, but it was still lit. Feeling a rising lump in his throat, Sokka stopped, awed, as he and Zuko came to a dead end.

Zuko, also shocked, stood behind him, holding the ball of fire aloft. Sokka was scratching a wall, hopefully looking for a hidden door. Zuko was just about to join him when two hands grabbed his mouth and pulled his arms back. Zuko was just able to emit a startled hum before he disappeared into the darkness, his fire going out.

Sokka, hearing this, turned on his heel but saw nothing. Panicked, Sokka abandoned his efforts to look for a door and brandished his sword, running back down the corridor. When he found himself at a fork in the path, he chose the one he hadn't gone down before. Feeling more panic rising and rising, Sokka realized he could hear no battle from the entrance.

"Zuko? Zuko, where are you?"

He came to a halt, finding a door. It was a wooden door, the hinges joining the walls. Panting, Sokka opened the door with his right hand and held his sword in his other. He ran through it, not bothering to close it behind him, his eyes squeezed tight.

"Sokka?"

- - -

And that's it :D You can decide what happens after that.