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nine. the drill !

𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐈 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓 𝐈𝐓 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐀𝐖 𝐈𝐓: a heavy tension in the air, the kind that made her stomach twist. Aang’s return only confirmed her instincts. He swooped down on his glider, Momo clinging to his shoulder, but the newfound spark of hope in his expression was gone. Instead, his face was etched with worry, and that alone made Hini's heart pound.

Katara mirrored her concern, her voice sharpm “Aang, what are you doing here? I thought you were looking for Appa.”

“I was,” Aang admitted, his voice carrying an edge of urgency. “But something stopped me. Something big.”

Hini exchanged a glance with Toph. The blind earthbender tilted her head in curiosity, her bare feet lightly shifting against the ground. Hini knew Toph could probably sense more than any of them, but even she seemed unsettled.

Hini squinted toward the horizon, and then she saw it —ba massive drill, branded with the unmistakable red and black insignia of the Fire Nation. It crawled toward the wall of Ba Sing Se like some enormous, menacing insect.

Before Hini could process the scale of the threat, Toph and Aang worked together to earthbend the group to the top of the wall.

When they reached the top, Hini’s breath caught. The sheer size of the drill was even more imposing from this height. It wasn’t just a machine — it was a weapon, and it was aimed directly at the heart of the Earth Kingdom’s supposed impenetrable city.

Ying’s trembling voice broke through the chaos. “We made it to Ba Sing Se, and we’re still not safe. No one is!” She clutched her newborn baby tightly, her despair cutting through Hini’s thoughts like a knife.

A guard approached, his tone accusatory. “What are you people doing here? Civilians aren’t allowed on the wall!”

Aang stepped forward, calm but commanding. “I’m the Avatar. Take me to whoever’s in charge.”

Hini watched as the guard hesitated before nodding and leading them to a covered portion of the wall. The space was grand but impersonal, the weight of military bureaucracy heavy in the air.

They were introduced to General Sung, a man whose casual demeanor immediately set Hini on edge. He lounged behind a desk, his tone so indifferent it bordered on dismissive.

“It is an honor to welcome you to the Outer Wall, young Avatar, but your help is not needed,” General Sung said, his words grating against Hini’s already frayed nerves.

“Not needed?” Aang echoed, clearly taken aback.

“Not needed,” the general repeated with maddening calm. "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."

Hini’s jaw clenched. The man’s arrogance was as solid as the wall they stood on, and it was starting to grate on her nerves. Folding her arms, she decided to cut through his self-assurance. “What about the Dragon of the West?” she asked, her voice steady but pointed. “He got in.”

The question caught General Sung off guard. He hesitated, his confident mask cracking ever so slightly. “Well… uh, technically yes,” he stammered, before recovering, “but he was quickly expunged!” He said it with the air of someone trying to convince himself as much as his audience. “Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It’s the ‘impenetrable city.’ They don’t call it Na Sing Se.” He forced a chuckle, but it fell flat. The next second, he turned abruptly serious, as if realizing he hadn’t landed the joke. "That means 'penetrable city.'"

“Yeah, thanks for the tour,” Toph said dryly, stepping forward with a dismissive wave, “but we still got the drill problem.”

“Not for long!” General Sung declared, puffing up his chest. “To stop it, I’ve sent an elite platoon of earthbenders called the Terra Team.”

Sokka leaned closer to Hini, muttering under his breath, “That’s a good group name. Very catchy.” Hini stifled a laugh, though she couldn’t suppress the small smile that tugged at her lips.

From the edge of the wall, the group watched as the Terra Team launched their assault on the Fire Nation drill. The earthbenders were a precise, disciplined unit. They moved in unison, toppling a tank with ease before advancing toward the machine.

The leader of the Terra Team barked an order. “Ready… attack!”

With practiced coordination, the earthbenders drove massive spikes of rock into the drill’s metal shell, aiming to halt its progress. For a moment, it seemed like they might succeed. The drill shuddered under the assault, its forward motion stalling.

The drill’s segments hissed and groaned, then separated, rendering the earth spikes useless. The jagged columns of stone crumbled to the ground, and the Terra Team barely had time to raise shields as an onslaught of flying daggers rained down on them.

Hini’s breath caught as she spotted the source of the attack. A lithe figure with dark hair — Mai — stood atop the drill, her expression calm and deadly as she flung another volley of daggers.

Ty Lee landed effortlessly beside the Terra Team, moving with a dancer’s grace. In a blur of motion, she darted between the earthbenders, her hands striking with pinpoint precision. One by one, the soldiers crumpled, their limbs rendered useless by her chi-blocking strikes.

General Sung's eyes widened in horror as the Terra Team lay defeated on the ground, and he began flailing his arms like a man drowning in his own panic. “We’re doomed!” he wailed, his voice cracking.

Hini rolled her eyes, her patience fraying with each passing second. “We’re doomed because you won’t let anyone else help!” she snapped.

Before she could say more, Sokka stepped in with a surprising burst of decisiveness. He grabbed General Sung by the shoulders and gave him a sharp slap across the face. The sound echoed in the tense air, leaving everyone momentarily stunned.

“Get a hold of yourself, man!” Sokka barked.

General Sung blinked, his hand flying to his stinging cheek. He seemed more bewildered than upset. “You’re right,” he muttered, his voice subdued. “I’m sorry.”

Toph crossed her arms, her smirk as sharp as the rocks she could bend. “Maybe you’d like the Avatar’s help now?” she asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

General Sung swallowed hard, his pride visibly crumbling under the weight of the situation. He turned to Aang, his shoulders sagging. “Yes, please,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Hini let out a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. “Finally,” she muttered.

The group’s attention shifted back to the drill, its massive form grinding steadily toward the wall. The grinding of metal against earth was deafening, and Hini felt a sense of dread creeping over her again.

“The question is,” Aang said, breaking the silence, “how are we going to stop that thing?”

For a moment, nobody spoke. Then, one by one, all heads turned toward Sokka.

He blinked, looking around as if expecting someone else to step forward. “Why are you all looking at me?” he asked, a hint of panic creeping into his voice.

“You’re the idea guy,” Aang said simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Hini couldn’t help but smirk. “Yeah, Sokka. You’re always bragging about your brilliant plans.”

"You think my plans are brilliant?" He asked her, for a moment forgetting what Aang said before turning to him, an offended look on his face. "Wait, so I’m the only one who can ever come up with a plan? That’s a lot of pressure!”

“And also the complaining guy,” Katara added dryly, her arms crossed.

Sokka shot her a look, then shrugged. “That part I don’t mind,” he admitted, his usual humor slipping back into his tone.

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The group huddled around Katara as she knelt beside a member of the Terra Team. Her hands glowed softly with healing water, but the soldier’s pained expression barely changed. Hini stood close to Toph, her arms crossed as she watched Katara work. The oppressive hum of the drill in the distance grated against her nerves, but she pushed the discomfort aside. They needed answers — fast.

“What’s wrong with him?” General Sung asked, his earlier panic replaced with a shallow attempt at authority. “He doesn’t look injured.”

Katara shook her head, her expression pinched with concentration. “His chi is blocked,” she explained. The glow from her hands faded as she stopped healing, turning her attention to the soldier. “Who did this to you?”

The soldier winced as he tried to sit up, his movements stiff. “Two girls ambushed us,” he began, his voice hoarse. “One of them hit me with a bunch of quick jabs, and suddenly I couldn’t earthbend anymore. I could barely move. Then she…” He trailed off, his face twisting in disbelief, “…cartwheeled away.”

Katara’s eyes widened in realization, her lips pressing into a grim line. “Ty Lee,” she muttered under her breath before looking back at the soldier. “She doesn’t look dangerous, but she knows the human body and its weak points. It’s like she takes you down from the inside.”

The group fell silent, each processing Katara’s words. Hini couldn’t shake the unease settling in her chest. If the Fire Nation had people like Ty Lee, they were going to need more than brute force to win this fight.

Suddenly, Sokka’s voice broke through the quiet. “Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh! Ooh!” He exclaimed, practically bouncing where he stood.

Hini blinked, half-amused by his energy. “What’s gotten into you now?” she asked, tilting her head.

“What you just said!” Sokka said, pointing dramatically at Katara like he’d just solved the world’s biggest mystery. “That’s how we’re going to take down the drill! The same way Ty Lee took down all those big earthbenders!”

Hini’s eyes widened as the realization clicked into place. “By hitting its pressure points,” she murmured, her voice carrying a mix of awe and hesitation.

Toph, ever the one to cut straight to the point, grinned. “Exactly.” She punched her fist into her palm. “You knock out the right spots, and that thing’s toast.”

Aang stepped closer to the edge of the wall, his eyes fixed on the drill as if he were imagining the battle ahead. Determination hardened his features. “We’ll take it down from the inside,” he said, his voice steady.

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Hini crouched low in the abandoned trench alongside Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph. The air was thick with tension, the hum of the approaching drill vibrating through the ground beneath them. Her pulse quickened, but she forced herself to stay focused.

Toph gestured toward the monstrous machine looming in the distance, her voice steady despite the chaos. "Once I whip up some cover, you’re not going to be able to see. So, stay close to me."

Hini felt a flicker of gratitude for her sister’s calm confidence. Toph always seemed unfazed, even when the odds were stacked against them.

Without waiting for a response, Toph stepped out of the trench, planting her feet firmly on the ground. With a sharp stomp, she sent a massive cloud of debris flying toward the drill. Dust and rock erupted into the air, forming a dense cover around them.

“Run!” Toph shouted.

The group bolted into the swirling dust cloud, sticking close behind Toph as the world around them disappeared into a haze of gray. Hini coughed, her eyes stinging, but she didn’t dare slow down. The drill’s ominous hum grew louder as they neared, like a mechanical heartbeat echoing through the chaos.

Finally, they reached the base of the drill. Toph turned and slammed her foot down once more, creating a hole in the ground. She gestured sharply. “Everyone into the hole!”

Hini jumped into the hole, landing with a soft thud as the ground sealed above them. The tunnel was pitch black, the air damp and heavy.

“It’s so dark down here, I can’t see a thing!” Sokka complained, his voice echoing slightly in the cramped space.

“Oh no, what a nightmare!” Toph shot back sarcastically, her tone dripping with mock horror.

“Sorry,” Sokka muttered sheepishly, earning a quiet laugh from Hini.

They crawled through the tunnel, the faint vibrations of the drill growing stronger as they neared its core. Finally, they surfaced beneath the behemoth, where Sokka spotted an opening above them.

“There!” he exclaimed, pointing.

Aang didn’t waste a moment. He leapt up to the bar hanging from the opening, his agility effortless. Dangling upside down from his legs, he extended his arms to help Sokka, Katara, and Hini into the drill.

As Hini climbed up, she noticed Aang glancing around. “Where’s Toph?” he asked.

Concern sparked in Hini’s chest. She leaned out of the opening, her hair whipping in the wind as she called down. “Toph! You coming?”

Her sister stood firm on the ground below, arms crossed. “No way am I going in that metal monster,” Toph replied flatly. “I can’t bend in there. I’ll try to slow it down out here.”

Hini hesitated, her protective instincts kicking in. “Are you sure? I can stay with you—”

“Nah, go ahead,” Toph interrupted, waving her off casually. Despite her tough exterior, Hini could sense the quiet confidence behind her sister’s words. Toph wasn’t scared — she was in her element.

Hini smiled faintly, leaning down as far as she dared. “Okay. Good luck,” she whispered, her voice soft but sincere.

“You too,” Toph said, her tone lighter.

Hini pulled herself back into the drill, her chest tightening as the opening sealed behind her.