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ten. team avatar !

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐕𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐆 𝐎𝐅 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐍 𝐌𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐋 echoed through the winding corridors of the drill as the group made their way forward. The air was thick with the scent of oil and steam, and the faint hissing of pressurized pipes surrounded them. Sokka walked ahead, his brow furrowed in concentration, holding his boomerang loosely in one hand as if ready for anything. The rest of the group followed, their footsteps muffled against the metal grates.

Sokka paused abruptly, turning to face the group. "I need a plan of this machine," he said, his tone low but commanding. He gestured to the maze of pipes and valves around them. "Some schematics that show what the inside looks like. Then we can find its weak points."

Aang tilted his head, frowning. "Where are we going to get something like that?"

Hini's eyes darted around, taking in the intricate network of machinery surrounding them. Her gaze landed on a nearby steam valve, its metal surface gleaming faintly in the dim light. An idea sparked. Without hesitation, she unsheathed her sword, the sharp metallic ring cutting through the air, and brought it down on the valve. The hiss of escaping steam filled the hallway as the valve split in two, clattering to the ground.

"What are you doing?!" Aang's voice was a mix of panic and confusion as he stepped back from the sudden burst of heat and noise. "Someone's going to hear us!"

"Exactly," Hini said, sliding her sword back into its sheath with a satisfied click. She turned to face him, her tone steady and confident. "A machine this massive doesn’t fix itself. When something breaks, the engineers have to come running. We just wait for them to show up, and then we get what we need."

Sokka’s lips quirked into an approving grin, and for a moment, their eyes met. "Smart thinking," he said, his voice carrying a hint of admiration.

Hini shrugged, trying to ignore the warmth rising to her cheeks. "It’s basic logic, really."

The group exchanged knowing looks before darting into the shadows to hide. Moments later, their plan bore fruit. An engineer, clad in Fire Nation garb and a mask, appeared in the misty hallway, muttering under his breath as he examined the damaged valve.

Katara crept up behind him, her movements silent and fluid. "Hi," she said sweetly, freezing the surrounding mist in an instant. The engineer froze too, encased in a thin layer of ice, his expression hidden but his body rigid with shock.

Sokka rushed forward, snatching the rolled-up schematics from the engineer’s belt. "This'll work. Thanks!"

The group gathered in a huddle around the plans. Sokka unrolled them with a flourish, his eyes scanning the intricate diagrams. "Okay," he began, tracing his finger along the lines. "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." He tapped a section of the map. "If we cut through them, the entire thing will collapse."

Hini leaned closer, her shoulder brushing against Sokka’s. "Sounds simple enough," she said, though her voice carried a note of uncertainty. The sheer scale of the machine made her stomach churn.

"It always does — on paper," Sokka replied, catching her eye. His expression softened for a moment, as if sensing her unease. "But hey, we’ve taken down bigger threats before, right?"

"Right," Hini said, her confidence bolstered by his unwavering optimism.

They pressed onward, navigating the labyrinthine halls until they reached a massive metal door. Pushing it open, they were met with the sight of a towering steel beam, its surface gleaming ominously under the dim red glow of emergency lights.

"Wow," Sokka breathed, staring up at the beam. "It’s a lot thicker in person than it looked in the plans." He scratched the back of his head. "We’re going to have to work pretty hard to cut through that."

Katara crossed her arms, raising an unimpressed eyebrow at Sokka. "What's this "we" stuff? Aang and I are going to have to do all the work."

Sokka turned to her, gesturing broadly to himself and Hini as though presenting a great revelation. "Look, we came up with the plan. You two," he said, making a series of over-the-top chopping gestures, "are the ‘cut-stuff-up-with-waterbending’ team." Then, he struck a heroic pose, grinning confidently. "Together, we’re Team Avatar!"

Katara rolled her eyes, and Aang offered her an awkward smile before they took their positions on either side of the brace. Hini stifled a laugh, standing just behind Sokka.

Katara and Aang focused their energy, waterbending sharp streams to slice through the brace. The sound of metal groaning and hissing filled the room, blending with the steady hum of the drill. It was slow work, and soon, both benders were visibly fatigued, their breaths coming in short gasps.

"C’mon, team! Don’t quit now!" Sokka called out, pumping his fists in an attempt to motivate them.

Katara’s patience snapped. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she turned to him, pulling out her water whip with a sharp flick of her wrist.

Sokka froze, wide-eyed, his arms still in the air. He managed a nervous laugh, pointing reassuringly at the brace. "I mean… you’re almost there."

Katara shook her head, muttering something under her breath as she and Aang resumed their work. Each lash of the water whip chipped away at the brace, and Sokka grew visibly more excited with every strike. Hini leaned against the wall, watching the scene with both amusement and growing concern.

Finally, the brace gave a sharp creak as the last cut went through, and the massive piece of metal shifted — though only by a few inches.

Katara panted, wiping sweat from her brow. "At this rate, we won’t do enough damage before the drill reaches the wall."

"I don’t know how many more of those I have in me," Aang admitted, his voice tinged with frustration.

A sudden, thunderous groan from the drill startled them. The entire structure seemed to tremble beneath their feet.

"Do you hear that?" Sokka exclaimed, his voice rising with excitement. He turned to the group, a triumphant grin spreading across his face. "We did it! We took it down!"

But before anyone could celebrate, a voice crackled through the overhead speaking tubes.

"Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!"

The cold announcement echoed through the metallic halls of the drill. Hini’s stomach tightened, her chest constricting with a mix of panic and frustration. She turned to the others, her wide eyes meeting their own looks of shock and dismay.

Sokka broke the silence, shoving against the brace with all his strength. "C'mon, brace… budge!" he grunted, his voice tinged with desperation as the metal refused to move.

"This is bad," Katara muttered, her voice shaky. She wiped sweat from her brow. "Really bad."

Sokka straightened up, panting. "We’re putting everything we’ve got into busting these braces, but it’s taking too long!" He slammed his hand against the beam, his frustration spilling over.

Hini frowned, stepping forward to place a steadying hand on his arm. "We’ll figure something out," she said firmly, trying to sound more confident than she felt. She glanced at Aang, silently pleading for a solution.

Aang’s eyes suddenly lit up with realization. "Wait! Maybe we don’t need to cut all the way through."

The group turned to him, intrigued but confused.

"Toph has been teaching me that you shouldn’t put one hundred percent of your energy into a single strike," Aang explained, stepping closer to Sokka. "Here, take a fighting stance."

Sokka hesitated but complied, his movements clumsy compared to Aang’s fluidity.

"You’ve got to be quick and accurate," Aang continued, delivering a series of light but precise strikes to Sokka’s arms and legs. "You hit a series of points to break your opponent’s stance. And when they’re reeling back…" He struck Sokka lightly on the forehead, causing him to stumble and kneel. "…you deliver the final blow. Their own weight becomes their downfall."

Hini couldn’t help but smirk as Sokka glared up at Aang from the floor. "That was a demonstration, right?" she teased, her tone light despite the tension in the room.

Katara nodded, catching on quickly. "So, we just need to weaken the braces instead of cutting all the way through!"

"And I’ll go to the top of this thing to deliver the final blow," Aang added, his determination clear in his voice.

Sokka scrambled to his feet, brushing himself off. "And boom! It all comes crashing down!"

Hini crossed her arms, glancing between them. "No pressure, right?"

Aang’s face softened as he looked at them. "Everyone inside that wall is counting on us," he said. Then, his tone turned grave. "The whole world is counting on us."

"Well, the whole world minus the Fire Nation," Sokka quipped, grinning at his own joke. He glanced around, waiting for someone to laugh, but only received exasperated stares from Aang and Katara.

They worked quickly, slicing halfway through the braces one by one. Hini stayed close to Sokka, her nerves growing with each groaning creak of the drill. Despite the chaos, she couldn’t help but notice how his usual humor, though ill-timed, managed to lighten the suffocating tension.

"Good work, Team Avatar!" Sokka called out as Aang and Katara finished another brace. "Now Aang just needs to—"

His voice cut off abruptly, and his face paled as he glanced upward. "Duck!"

Without hesitation, Hini grabbed Sokka’s arm and yanked him down just as a blast of blue fire seared overhead, scorching the wall behind them.

Azula stepped into view, her piercing golden eyes scanning the group like a predator sizing up its prey. She stood on another brace, her posture poised and menacing. Behind her, Ty Lee and Mai followed, the former bouncing with excitement.

"Wow, Azula, you were right!" Ty Lee exclaimed, her voice chipper as ever. "It is the Avatar!" Her gaze shifted to the others, and her eyes landed on Sokka. A sly smile spread across her face as she added, "And friends."

Sokka straightened up, his earlier fear seemingly forgotten. "Hey," he said, giving her a sheepish wave and a lopsided grin. Katara groaned in frustration and grabbed her brother by the arm, dragging him away.

Hini followed closely, casting a wary glance at Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. She tightened her grip on her sword as the group retreated, their footsteps echoing through the drill's metallic corridors.

They reached an intersection where Aang suddenly stopped. "Guys, get out of here," he said firmly, turning to face them. "I know what I need to do."

"Wait!" Katara called after him. She pulled her waterskin from her side and tossed it to him. "You need this water more than I do!"

Aang caught it with a grateful nod before sprinting down one hallway. The others ran in the opposite direction, urgency driving their every step.

As they reached the end of the hallway, they came to a sudden halt in front of a large, sealed hatch. Sokka immediately began tugging at the handle, grunting with effort.

Katara glanced at a sign beside the hatch and squinted to read it. "Slurry pipeline?" she read aloud, frowning in confusion. "What does that mean?"

With a final pull, Sokka managed to wrench the hatch open, revealing a rushing canal of thick, muddy water below. He leaned over to inspect it, his expression shifting to one of realization. "It’s rock and water mixed together," he explained, glancing back at the others. "It means our way out!"

Hini peered into the murky stream, wrinkling her nose at the thought of jumping in but knowing they had no choice. "I hope you’re right about this, Sokka," she muttered.

"Trust me!" Sokka said confidently before sliding into the channel.

One by one, they descended through the hatch, the slurry carrying them rapidly toward the drill’s exit. The roar of the rushing mixture grew louder as they slid out the rear of the massive machine, tumbling onto the muddy ground below.

Before they could catch their breath, Ty Lee appeared, sliding down the hatch to follow them.

Katara stepped forward, determination lighting her eyes. She raised her hands and used her waterbending to redirect the flow of slurry, sealing the back entrance of the drill with a thick, muddy wall. The sudden shift in pressure forced Ty Lee to retreat, her path completely blocked.

Katara smirked, her voice sharp with satisfaction. "Why don’t you try blocking my chi now, circus freak?"

Sokka, standing nearby and catching his breath, couldn’t help but grin. "Katara, keep that up," he said, his voice tinged with excitement. "The pressure will build up in the drill. Then when Aang delivers the final blow, it’ll be ready to pop!"

Hini wiped a streak of slurry off her cheek, giving him an amused glance. “You sound way too happy about all of this, Sokka,” she teased.

“Hey, I live for the big, dramatic moments,” Sokka shot back, his grin widening. His gaze lingered on her for a moment too long, his face softening ever so slightly.

Katara, however, was less impressed. She threw Sokka an irritated glare as she focused on bending another wave of slurry. “Good technique, little sister!” Sokka called out, his tone gratingly supportive. “Keep it up! Oh, and don’t forget to breathe!”

Katara spun around, her hands still moving to control the slurry, but her irritation was palpable. “You know, I am sick of you telling me what to do all day!” she snapped. "You're like a chattering hog-monkey!"

Sokka raised his hands in mock surrender. "Just bend the slurry, woman!"

Hini couldn’t help but laugh, though she quickly stifled it when Katara’s glare shifted toward her. Before Katara could retort, she flicked her wrist, sending a wave of slurry right into Sokka’s chest. He stumbled backward, slipping and falling into the foul muck with a loud splat.

Before Hini could make a comment, a familiar voice rang out. “You guys need some help, or are you just going to argue all day?”

Hini’s head snapped toward the sound, her heart leaping. “Toph!” she called, her voice filled with relief and warmth.

The sight of her sister emerging from the shadows brought a rare smile to Hini’s face. Toph smirked as she approached, her confident stride cutting through the tension.

Katara gestured toward the massive pipe spewing slurry. "Toph, help me plug up this drain."

The two worked seamlessly, bending waves of slurry into the pipes, sending Ty Lee farther into the drill and causing the pipes to begin to expand under the pressure

Suddenly, the drill shuddered violently. The sound of collapsing braces reverberated through the structure. “Here it comes!” Toph shouted.

The group barely had time to react as a torrent of slurry burst from the rear of the drill, flooding the area. Toph stomped her foot, raising a rock pillar to lift them out of harm’s way. Hini grabbed Sokka’s arm instinctively as they were lifted, steadying him.

“You okay?” she asked, her voice softer now.

Sokka blinked at her, momentarily caught off guard. “Yeah,” he said, a rare seriousness in his tone. “Thanks.”

Below, Ty Lee was swept away by the flood of slurry, slamming into the wall of the rock pillar before disappearing into the chaos. Steam hissed from the drill as its segments began to collapse, the entire structure groaning under its own weight.

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After a job well done, the team stood at the top of the wall, the golden hues of the setting sun washing over them. The distant cries of the Fire Nation soldiers retreating faded into the background as the group took a collective moment to breathe and admire the view.

Sokka, as usual, broke the silence with his signature enthusiasm. “I just want to say, good effort out there today, Team Avatar!” He puffed his chest out proudly, glancing at everyone as if waiting for applause.

Katara groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Sokka, enough with the ‘Team Avatar’ stuff. No matter how many times you say it, it’s not going to catch on.”

Sokka furrowed his brow, clearly offended. "How about..." He paused, his face lighting up as an idea struck him. He whipped out his boomerang and held it up dramatically. "The Boomeraang Squad! See it's good because it's got "Aang" in it. Boomeraang."

Aang’s face lit up with a grin. “I kinda like that one.”

Katara let out a heavy sigh, throwing her hands up in defeat as she turned to walk away. “Let’s talk about this on our way into the city,” she said, her tone exasperated.

Unfazed, Sokka continued brainstorming aloud. "The Aang Gang?"

“Sokka...” Katara said warningly over her shoulder, her patience clearly wearing thin.

Sokka was undeterred. "The Fearsome Fivesome?"

“Why?” Sokka asked, turning toward Hini with an incredulous expression. “We’re fearsome! Right?”

Hini, who had been quietly observing, couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer. She clutched her sides as she giggled, the sound light and infectious. “Fearsome isn’t exactly the word I’d use,” she teased, her tone playful.

Sokka gasped in mock offense, but his indignation melted into a grin when Hini slipped her hand into his. The small gesture made his heart skip, and for once, he was momentarily at a loss for words.

She tugged him along as they chased after the group. The two of them ran hand in hand, their laughter echoing in the quiet of the evening, as the team headed toward the city and whatever challenges awaited them next.