After Katara released Jet from the wall, the group made their way to a warehouse in the Lower Ring. Glancing around the room, Azara found that the shed was full of a bunch of random sacks and not much else. And most importantly, there was no sign of Appa. "This is the place I heard about," Jet explained, leading the way into the warehouse.

"There's nothing here," Aang noted, looking around with a questioning look on his face.

"If this is a trap—" Katara snapped, prepared to waterbend Jet through the side of the warehouse.

"—I told you, I work nearby! Two guys were talking about some giant furry creature they had, I figured it must be Appa!" Jet interjected defensively, throwing his hands in the air.

"He was here!" Toph called, running over, and picking up a clump of Appa's fur off the floor. Aang hurried over to her and grabbed the clump of hair from Toph, cradling it in his hand.

"We missed him," Aang sighed, slumping as he held the hair, rubbing his finger over it lightly.

"They took that big thing yesterday," an old man who was sweeping around the warehouse spoke up, causing the rest of the group to turn to him. "Shipped him out to some island. About time, I've been cleaning up fur, and various, uh . . . leavings all day."

"What island? Where's Appa?" Aang asked, running over to the man with hope in his eye.

"Foreman said some rich royal type of Whatetail Island bought him. Guess for a zoo or such. Though, could be the meat that'd be good," the man revealed, causing Azara to raise an eyebrow at the man. Sokka pulled out a map from his bag, Azara moving to help him find Whaletail Island.

"We've got to get to Whatetail Island!" Aang yelled excitedly, before pausing. "Where's Whaletail Island?"

"Far, very far," Sokka sighed, placing the map on the ground. "Here it is. It's near the South Pole, almost all the way back home." Sokka pointed at the small island on the map, nearly the furthest point south in the entire Earth Kingdom.

"It'll us forever to get out there," Azara sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aang, it will take us weeks just to get to the tip of the Earth Kingdom. And then we'll need to find a boat to get to the island," Katara reminded Aang, who shook his head.

"I don't care. We have a chance to find Appa! We have to try!" Aang pleaded, true hope in his eyes for the first time in weeks.

"Must be nice to visit an island. I haven't had a vacation for years," the old man replied gruffly as he continued to sweep behind Aang.

"Don't you have some more hair to clean up?" Katara argued, glaring at the man, who looked up at her with a bored expression.

"Shuffle on, I get you. No more need for Old Sweepy . . ." the man trailed off, walking to another part of the warehouse to clean up.

"You're right, Aang. Right now, our first concern has to be finding Appa. We can come back when we have him," Katara spoke, placing a reassuring hand on Aang's shoulder as she smiled softly.

"Alright, let's get moving," Sokka nodded, standing up and tucking the map away. He followed after Aang out of the warehouse, Azara walking side by side with him.

"I'll come with you," Jet offered, causing Katara to glare over at him, Azara not bothering to give the Freedom Fighter a second glance.

"We don't need your help!" Katara yelled, causing Jet to sigh, and shake his head.

"Why won't you trust me?" Jet muttered, before following after Aang, Azara, and Sokka.

As they walked around the Lower Ring, Sokka began to formulate a plan to get to Whatetail Island. "We can take the train out to the wall but then we'll have to walk," Sokka sighed at the end, the idea of walked the entirety of the Earth Kingdom instantly draining him.

"Don't worry, on the way back we'll be flying!" Aang smiled, sounding excited as Azara chuckled lightly at Sokka.

"We're finally leaving Ba Sing Se. Worst city ever!" Toph cheered, spreading her arms outward in celebration. As they continued to walk towards the train station, the group paused when they heard someone yell out for Jet.

"Jet!" Smellerbee called, running over with Longshot right behind her.

"I thought you said you didn't have your gang anymore!" Azara snapped, glaring at Jet, her hands instantly moving to a defensive stance.

"I don't!" Jet replied, looking confused as Smellerbee pulled him into a hug.

"We were so worried. How did you get away from the Dai Li?" Smellerbee asked, causing Azara's eyes to widen in shock.

"The Dai Li?!" Azara and Katara shouted at the same time, both looking prepared to throttle Jet into the nearest building.

"I don't know what she's talking about!" Jet insisted as Smellerbee stepped towards the rest of the group.

"He got arrested by the Dai Li a couple of weeks ago. We saw them drag him away!" Smellerbee revealed, all eyes suddenly falling on Jet, who stared at them with confusion clear in his features.

"Why would I be arrested? I've been living peacefully in the city!" Jet yelled, sounding increasingly confused and irritated.

"This doesn't make any sense. They're both telling the truth," Toph announced, feeling the ground between Jet and Smellerbee.

"That's impossible!"

"No, it's not! Toph can't tell who's lying because they both think they're telling the truth. Jet's been brainwashed!" Sokka figured out, pointing at Jet.

"That's crazy! It can't be! Stay away from me!" Jet screamed out as they all moved in to back him into a corner. Having managed to calm Jet down enough, Longshot and Smellerbee led the way him back to their Lower Ring apartment to discuss the situation.

Jet sat in the middle of the room on a chair as the rest of the group fanned out around him. "The Dai Li must have sent Jet to mislead us, and that janitor was part of their plot too!" Katara growled out as Aang nodded beside her.

"I bet they have Appa here in the city. Maybe he's in the same place they took Jet! Where did they take you?" Aang asked, turning to Jet, who stared up at him with a fearful look in his eye.

"Nowhere! I-I don't know what you're talking about!" Jet insisted, causing Azara to groan in frustration.

"We need to find a way to jog his real memories," Aang noted, as Azara crossed her arms over her chest, regarding Jet with a challenging look in her eye.

"Well, sometimes a good knock in the head jogs memories," Azara drawled, glaring down at Jet. "I volunteer to try it out on him."

"No one's hitting Jet," Smellerbee insisted, but Azara was still tempted.

"Ooh, wait! I've got it!" Sokka shouted, before running towards a mattress and grabbing a piece of straw out of it. He ran back over to Jet and stuck the piece of straw into Jet's mouth.

"I don't think it's working," Jet replied after a minute before spitting out the piece of straw.

"Try to think of something from your past that triggers your emotions," Toph suggested, causing Smellerbee to step forward.

"The Fire Nation! Remember what they did to your family!" Smellerbee stated, causing Azara to look away, her arms still crossed in front of her chest as Sokka stepped back to her side.

"Close your eyes. Picture it," Katara added as Jet closed his eyes. Sweat started the bead on his forehead before his eyes snapped open.

"No! It's too painful!" he gasped out, leaning forwards as he tried to regulate his breathing.

"Maybe this will help," Katara offered, bending some water around his head, and healing his mind, the water glowing softly. A few moments passed, before Jet started to speak, his memories now flooding back to him.

"They took me to a headquarters under the water. Like a lake!" Jet remembered, causing Azara and Sokka to share a look.

"Didn't Joo Dee mention a lake? She said she went on a vacation to Lake Laogai!" Azara stated, causing Jet to stand up, a new determined look in his eye.

"That's it! Lake Laogai," Jet confirmed, causing the group to prepare to leave.

Managing to reach Lake Laogai, the group stood on the edge of the shore, looking for any sign of the Dai Li or their headquarters. "So, where's this secret headquarters?" Sokka sighed as Jet stepped forwards, his eyes narrowed as he tried to remember.

"Under the water, I think," Jet replied as Toph pointed to the side.

"There's a tunnel right there by the shore." Toph walked to her left at the water's edge. Jumping slightly, Toph earthbended the entrance to the headquarters to the surface. A small circular opening with an earth pier leading from the shore out to it rose up from the water. Walking out to the entrance, Toph removed the cover with her earthbending, allowing the group to look down and inside the headquarters. One by one, they slid down the ladder to the tunnel system below.

"It's all starting to come back to me!" Jet gasped, before leading the way through the tunnels, his hook swords drawn. They passed by a room full of women dressed like Joo Dee with a member of the Dai Li at the front of the room. "I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se," the Dai Li agent recited, his eyes hidden behind his hat.

"I'm Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se," the women repeated in the same tone, causing Azara's body hair to stand on end.

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order," the Joo Dees replied at the same time.

"Freaky," Azara whispered to herself as Jet led the way further into the Dai Li headquarters.

"I think there might be a cell big enough to hold Appa up ahead." Jet slid through the hallways of headquarters, the rest of the group following after him silently as he turned a corner. "I think it's through here!" Jet announced, opening a door, and leading the way inside. The group filed into the dark room until the door behind them slammed shut and the lights turned on, revealing several Dai Li agents on the ceiling.

"Now that's something different," Sokka joked grimly, holding his boomerang tightly.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state. Take them into custody," Long Feng ordered the Dai Li agents, who jumped off the ceiling and surrounded them. Then chaos broke out. Azara rolled forwards, dodging a rock glove, and sending a fire blast out at the agents, causing them to retreat. Sokka covered her back, smashing a glove with his boomerang. They worked together to block the rock gloves as Azara shot continuous fire blasts at the agents.

Azara looked up as Toph was pulled from behind by an earth glove. Using her rocket propulsion, she jumped up and grabbed Toph, sliding to the ground with Toph beside her. Yelling out, Azara sent a wave of fire at two Dai Li agents, who created a wall to hide from the flames.

"Long Feng is escaping!" Aang yelled out, before chasing after him, Jet close behind him.

Before anyone else could run out of the room, the door was blocked by more Dai Li agents. Azara slid under a rock glove before spinning her foot around, releasing a fire slice at the earthbenders. Toph moved her arms in a series of quick moves, knocking the various Dai Li agents into the wall as the rest of the group cut the earth gloves out of the air.

With the remnants of the Dai Li either knocked out or having fled, the group hurried out of the room and after Aang and Jet. Reaching a closed earth door, Toph moved to the front of the group and easily unlocked it, raising the door with her earthbending.

Running through the doorway, the group paused for a moment at the sight of Aang sitting next to a collapsed Jet. After sharing horrified looks, the group sprinted over to Jet, staring down in shock at the Earth Kingdom boy. Katara bended some water from her pound, kneeling down and rubbing the water over his chest in an attempt to heal him. After a moment, she turned back to the group. "This isn't good."

"You guys go and find Appa. We'll take care of Jet," Smellerbee spoke, moving to comfort Jet.

"We're not going to leave you," Katara insisted, but she was cut off by Longshot.

"There's no time. Just go. We'll take care of him. He's our leader," Longshot spoke, startling the rest of the group as he looked out from under the brim of his hat.

"Don't worry, Katara. I'll be fine," Jet replied, smiling up at Katara. She looked conflicted, clenching her eyes shut, before nodding and standing up, turning towards the door. Azara turned to leave as well when Jet called out to her. Spinning around, Azara locked eyes with Jet for a moment.

"I'm sorry," Jet stated, causing Azara to pause and nod sadly.

"So am I," Azara sighed, wondering how Jet would have turned out if the Fire Nation hadn't destroyed his village. And to think, his downfall wasn't at the hands of the Fire Nation, but rather his own. Azara walked in between Toph and Sokka as they quietly exited the room.

"He lied to Katara," Toph whispered out, causing Azara to sigh, her assumptions confirmed.

Reaching the doorway, they hurried out of the room and towards the cell where Appa was supposedly being held. Sokka thrust the door open, but the room was empty, only the chains remained. "Appa's gone! Long Feng beat us here," Aang gasped out, looking distraught.

"If we keep moving, maybe we can catch up with them!" Sokka suggested, causing Aang to nod and lead the way out of the headquarters. Reaching another entrance, Toph moved to the front of the group, earthbending the entrance to the surface before breaking through the seal. Jumping out, the group hurried down the beach. Glancing behind her, Azara spotted several Dai Li agents behind them, jumping one by one out of the opening. "You think we can outrun them?"

"I don't think it's going to matter!" Azara huffed as another group of Dai Li agents and Long Feng jumped out in front of them. The earthbenders boxed them in, lifting up the ground on both sides of them. More stood on the cliffside, waiting for the opportunity to attack. Before anyone could react, Momo flew down to Aang, chittering loudly.

"What is it, Momo?" Aang asked as Momo jumped up and flew back into the air. Staring up at the sky, Azara's eyes widened at the familiar sight. "Appa!" The sky bison smashed through the rock walls, causing the Dai Li agents to fall to the ground or into the water, screaming in surprise. Aang and Toph slid towards the cliffside and used earthbending to knock the remaining agents off the cliff and into the water.

Long Feng remained standing on the shore as Appa landed in front of him, growling menacingly. "I can handle you by myself," Long Feng vowed, charging forwards. However, Appa grabbed his leg and shook him a few times before throwing him into the lake, Long Feng skipping a few times over the surface before finally sinking below the surface. Appa shook his mouth for a moment before spitting out Long Feng's shoe.

The group cheered and ran over to Appa, each throwing themselves onto his side. "I missed you, buddy," Aang smiled, tucking himself into Appa's fur as tears streamed down his side. After their brief reunion, Team Avatar hurried onto Appa before taking off to find some cover from the Dai Li. As they all sat on Appa's head, Lake Laogai below them, the group took a moment and hugged each other tightly, finally reunited.