Rescuing Ozai Part 2

Kota looks at Timur, "Impressive, your earth senses are really paying off."

Akira: "Or we could have just looked in every cell as we were doing and we'd eventually see..."

Kota: "Let him have his moment." Ozai is still laid out asleep and snores heavily.

Timur: "I guess he isn't a light sleeper."

Akira: "That's too bad, we really shouldn't want to make any more noise."

Timur stomps his feet and makes a loud vibration sound as the stone floor shutters. Ozai's eyes widen and shouts, "WHAT?!!! HAVE YOU COME TO KILL ME?! Don't play games with me, are you one of my old adversaries that has finally shown up for revenge?"

Timur: "What? We have come to rescue you."

Ozai: "Rescue me? Why? Every person has their motive, to what purpose do you want to utilize my title or name?"

Reyna: "You think he'd be happy we're busting him out."

Akira (to Ozai): "We're bounty hunters, this was our mission. Our superior didn't tell us why."

Ozai: "What is your superior's name?"

Akira: "Alev."

Ozai: "Never heard of her. Stop toying with me, WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE?!"

Timur: "Stop shouting you idiot! You'll alert..." The squad hears several boots stomping from the right side of the hallway.

Akira: "I guess you spoke too soon."

Reyna: "We don't have the keys to the cell, only to the doors."

Timur: "Well, Zuko's security actually didn't screw up on something this time, but I have an idea." Timur pulls down and caves a hole in the floor in Ozai's cell. Timur warns, "Backup everyone." A team of eight Fire Nation troopers advances toward the unit.

Fire Nation Sergeant: "Stand down! This is your only warning!" Two swordsmen draw their weapons, two mace warriors sprint forward, and three firebenders (including the sergeant) enter their battle stances. Akira points her wrists forward, Kato draws his sword, and Reyna readies her weapons.

Akira: "Timur, get in your battle stance."

Timur: "Just give me one second!" Timur pulls his hands left and a cascade of earth spews out of the ground in front of the bounty hunter squad. Timur extends his arms and transfer earth from Ozai's cell through the opening he created in the hallway.

The Fire Nation troopers look up in awe and the sergeant shouts, "Benders, fire!" A second later, Timur pushes his hands forward and shoots a barrage of dirt, rocks, and stone at the unit. The three firebenders blast some of the incoming debris while two swordsmen and a mace trooper are pelted by the earth fragments. As the cascade continues, one of the swordsmen turns around and runs into the sergeant.

The sergeant and trooper fall. Sergeant: "No, you fool!"

Timur screams in fury, "Errrraahahahhaahha!!!" A burst of the remaining earth fragments smacks the firebenders and other troopers down. Two men fly in the air and one accidentally kicks an ally in his face while doing so. Loud thumps are heard as their bodies hit the floor.

A weary swordsman rises back up and Akira promptly shoots black clay all over his armor. The man slips and is quickly bound to the floor by the solidified clay. Timur looks at Ozai and gives him a beckoning hand signal, "Come on."

Ozai slowly rises, his body weak compared to before due to his lack of motivation to exercise. Ozai: "Who are you talking to? I am, I am royalty! I, I was the most powerful firebender."

Kota: "No one cares, or at least we don't. Now hurry up before we change our minds."

Ozai laughs, "No you need me, bounty hunters. I'm the prize." Timur shifts his left hand back and causes a shift in the ground that yanks Ozai into the hole in his cell. Timur pulls his hand left and Ozai slides across the tunnel Timur dug with his earthbending and Ozai eventually flies out of the hallway's hole before hitting a metal cell bar. Ozai tumbles and his nose turns red. Timur winces.

Ozai barks, "You incompetent buffoon."

Kota: "Look at the dog who lost his teeth. If you want to get them back, you should come with us. I don't know why the Remnant wants you, but maybe they'll reinvented you. Help you get your confidence and discipline back."

Ozai snarls, "Reinvent me! No, I can reinvent MYSELF! Oh wait, the Remnant wants me... Oh, I must be a beckon of hope! Hahaha, I'm still valuable. I knew this day would come."

Akira: "Stop babbling or I'll blast you with my clay shooters."

Ozai: "Well, you will regret it after you return me."

Kota: "How about this, you be quiet or we won't return you."

Ozai: "You wouldn't dare."

Timur raises a wall of earth entrapping Ozai, "watch us." The bounty hunters begin to walk off toward the exit.

Reyna becomes nervous knowing the team can't actually risk leaving Ozai, "Uh guys."

Timur: "Don't worry, he will choke."

As the team nears the door Ozai says, "Ok, I'll humble myself. Just let me out of here."

Akira: "We can't trust this man."

Kato: "Timur, release him." Timur pulls his hands down and the walls around Ozai drop.

Ozai slow strolls toward his liberators. Ozai: "Oh the stories they will tell when I make my return. Ozai the Indomitable! My legacy will be twice as great as it once was."

A mace trooper attempts to get up, but Reyna kicks him in his face. Akira: "Your legacy won't be anything if you don't hurry up."

Kato sighs, "That was close."

Timur: "Oh, I hear something again, sprinting from the other side!" Ozai turns his back and sees two Kyoshi warriors sprinting at full speed toward them. Both are incredibly fast but one is a bit quicker than the other. The warriors have white paint over their hands and faces. They also have black and red makeup as well as green Earth Kingdom battle armor. A several feet behind them is General Mak who is struggling to keep up.

The warrior in the front has a brown ponytail and the one right behind her has medium-length brown hair and is slightly taller than her companion with two battle fans drawn. They are none other than Ty Lee and Suki. Suki: "Quickly, grab Ozai"

Reyna: "Kyoshi warriors, here?"

Timur: "Oh well, they aren't benders. I have a solution." Timur yanks his hands down and causes part of the ceiling to cave in the distance between them and Ozai.

Ozai taunts his enemies, "Failures! Hey!"

Timur yanks Ozai from behind, "Come on!" The bandits exit the facility before realizing they are in an extended yard with seven foot tall walls around them.

Ozai: "Don't worry I know the complete layout of this facility. No matter how much they change it, I can navigate around this way."

Timur: "But first, I have a flare to make." Timur raises his hands and launches a massive ball of earth up in the air before allowing it to slam back down into the ground.

Ozai: "Well that will certainly give our location away."

Timur: "Alright quickly, run to the wall." As the team sprints to the left side of the wall Timur raises his hands and elevates them six feet. Timur commands, "Ok quickly, over the wall." The bounty hunters and Ozai each run across the earth platform toward the wall. Timur raises a four-foot wide column of earth beside the wall. Timur jumps from the wall onto the column then leaps again on the ground; the others follow Timur's forged path.

After the team is outside of the wall Ozai questions them, "Now what?"

Timur: "Now our friends will make a drive around this building and find us." Fifteen Fire Nation army troopers sprint behind the squad but they are still 20 feet away from them.

Army Trooper: "Quickly, take the bounty hunters out. Capture Ozai!"

Ozai comments, "See I'm still important." Timur raises a wall of earth and kicks it into five of the troopers. He then wastes no time as he lifts his arms and hurls two large stone balls into distant soldiers. Three volleys of are fireballs are shot at him but Timur raises an earth barrier ahead of himself to stop the shots.

Kota: "Looks like Timur is getting better by the minute."

Ozai: "You should have seen me when I was a bender, I would have annihilated them in seconds."

Akira: "Well now you aren't a bender, so again no one cares." Ozai groans. The carriage emerges with the two green pig-rhinos.

Ozai turns his head, "Oh disgusting."

Reyna: "Hey shut it, those creatures are loyal, and they got us here."

Kota: "Unfortunately, they're now at risk of getting blasted by our pursuers."

Timur answers, "Perhaps not."

Reyna questions, "What do you mean?" Aten and Cosmos pull up.

Aten: "Quickly, get Ozai in here. We need to get out ASAP!" The team leaps in the carriage.

Cosmos: "Wow, we actually made it this far."

Timur orders, "Release the pig-rhinos!"

Aten: "Have you lost your mind? They are our only way out of here."

Timur: "Trust me, I can drive this thing with my bending. That way they don't have to die."

Cosmos looks at Aten. Aten: "Fine." Aten lets the pigs free.

Ozai: "What was the point of that?"

Timur answers, "Just watch me." Timur extends his hands and the carriage slides forward by itself. It is only moving at 20 miles an hour and it glides toward the Army unit.

Aten: "Brilliant Timur, now we're moving even slower than we were before."

Timur: "Just give me a second!" Two swordsmen run toward the carriage but Akira quickly climbs on top of the vehicle.

Cosmos: "What in the blazes is she doing?" Akira shoots clay fluid onto the soldiers, grounding them before she rotates to the right side of the vehicle. A firebender takes aim at the carriage but Akira blasts him with her clay.

Timur looks up, "Akira, get back in here! I'm going to turn up the heat." Akira hops back inside of the vehicle. Ozai starts sweating.

Kato looks at Ozai, "Are you nervous?"

Ozai: "Of course not! I never get nervous. You know I fought the Avatar and almost killed him."

Reyna: "Well he was only 12, you had a huge experience edge." Ozai grunts in frustration. Timur pulls his hands forward and causes the carriage to accelerate to 45 miles an hour.

One of the firebender's screams as he is run over, "Nooooooooo-aahhahahaah!!" The carriage thumps as it crushes him.

Cosmos braces himself, "Ooou, bumpy ride."

Timur shouts, "Full speed ahead!" The wheels begin to spin at a unbelievable pace. The carriage flies forward at 50 miles an hour. Two firebenders pump flames at the vehicle but miss. As the carriage rides ahead there are some civilians in an unguarded area.

Two soldiers rush through the crowd, "Hey hey, get out of the way!!" As the crowd screams and runs; the carriage wheels crumble and the vehicle crashes into the ground. Timur yells and pushes his arms harder. The carriage violently slides forward at 60 miles an hour with sparks flying under it.

The firebenders enter their battle stances but Timur extends his hands, "Ugh!" Two diamond shaped stones fly out of the ground and disembowel the troopers.

Army Trooper: "Ahhhhh!" Timur grunts again and refocuses on the carriage. The vehicle beams forward at 75 miles an hour. Soon everyone in the carriage is sweating.

Ozai: "If you keep going at this rate, we'll all be blown to shreds!"

Timur: "Just wait! Ok brace yourselves."

Aten mumbles, "Oh dear." Kato holds onto his seat petrified.

Timur: "Ugghghgghhggaahahahaaaaaa!!" Everyone else instinctively screams. Timur lifts his hands and the carriage flies off in the air like a rocket. Multiple citizens look up in the distance at the mad sight.

A man stands in his living room while looking for a bottle of wine while his girlfriend sits at the balcony. The girlfriend asks her partner, "Are you almost ready?"

The man nervously replies, "Just a second." The man pulls out a silver wedding ring and slides it into his pocket. He quickly scrambles onto the balcony with his wine bottle. His girlfriend is sitting at a glass table on the balcony looking at the city around them.

Boyfriend: "Hey, we both have known each other a long time." The girlfriend sees the damaged carriage soar a few inches left of them.

Girlfriend: "Woh!" The boyfriend shrieks and falls out of his chair while inadvertently tossing his proposal ring on the table. The woman looks in shock and picks up the ring, "Is this a wedding ring?"

The boyfriend slowly nods. Girlfriend: "And you did that, just for me?" The boyfriend looks outside in confusion then rises to his knee.

Boyfriend: "Will you marry me?" Meanwhile, the carriage flies directly over the steps of the crater entrance which have ten Fire Nation troopers guarding it.

Fire Nation Corporal: "Lookout! It's, it's, it's!"

Fire Nation Captain: "What is it Corporal?" The captain suddenly notices the blazing carriage soaring toward them at a tremendous speed. Captain: "My god." The carriage flies straight through the opening but Timur uses his earthbending to guide the direction of the vehicle.

The carriage slides through the opening and directly out of it while hovering over another ten troopers on the other side of it. Timur pulls the carriage up as it hovers toward the ground, "Get ready for a violent landing. I'll try to soften it." Timur straightens the carriage for the crash but causes dirt to rise over the grass to reduce the friction of the crash.

Akira peaks outside and says, "I have something that might help. I've never used it before, got it from the black market but apparently it helps with large falls. It was super expensive."

Cosmos screams, "JUST USE IT!!" Akira pulls out a small ball and presses it then tosses it in the direction the carriage is falling. Right before the carriage hits the ground, an explosion of a soft mud like liquid extends across a ten-foot radius. The carriage slams into the liquid and suddenly stops as it becomes stuck in it. The entire group braces themselves and falls from the crash.

Reyna's neck becomes incredibly sore and she experiences whiplash as her neck stiffens a bit. Aten has a bad headache and moans. Cosmos hits his arms, bruising them badly. Timur falls on the floor but is not seriously injured. Kato is completely unharmed. Akira hits her head against the backseat and it turns red. A fragment of the carriage splits and flies into Ozai's left abdomen.

Ozai shouts as blood gushes out of his body. Ozai: "Oooooouuuuuuhh!!! Timur you idiot!" Ozai rips the projectile out of his stomach, "I need to be bandaged."

Reyna notions, "I'm on it." Reyna quickly puts ointment on Ozai's wound and wraps it up. Several Fire Nation troopers run toward the vehicle. Cosmos exhales deeply.

Aten: "We've got to get out of here! Immediately!!"

Timur responds, "Where is our pickup?"

Ozai: "You didn't already have it figured out?"

Reyna: "Quiet."

Cosmos: "The ship should only be a twenty or so minute run from here."

Akira: "We don't have that much time."

Ozai: "Oh great, I won't go back to prison!"

Timur: "I have a solution, we all make a circle and get out of this carriage as fast as possible. Let's do it in 30 seconds. Those troops are closing in and we don't have much time. If we are quick, I can get us out of here."

Ozai: "Oh no, not again!"

Reyna: "Timur is the only reason we aren't already dead. No one ever said this mission was going to be easy."

Ozai: "I wasn't briefed on it."

Akira: "Are you a fierce former Firelord or are you a sausage? Because you don't sound like a conqueror right now. Where is your resolve Mr. Hard Man?"

Ozai looks down, "Oh."

Timur: "On three we get out of this carriage." The Fire Nation army troopers suddenly slow down as they move closer to the vehicle. They are just 15 feet away from it.

Army Captain: "Get out of that carriage, NOW!!" The bounty hunters and Ozai all sprint out of the right side of the carriage. Army Captain: "Kill them!" Two spears are thrown, a beam of fire is shot, and three flames are launched as Timur raises his right hand. A wall of earth intercepts incoming shots and begins to crumble. Smoke starts flowing from the wall.

Army Captain: "Keep firing!!" Timur extends his hands and dirt from the ground flies on the troopers at the right flank, briefly blinding them. The Captain crosses his arms, which keeps the dirt away from his eyes. As he lowers his arms, he notices the other troopers wiping mud off themselves. Army Captain: "Don't stop!"

Timur raises his hands and pulls them back in; a dome of earth surrounds the team. Two beams of fire are shot at them shortly after but the earth bounty hunter pulls his arms down and sinks the team underground. Army Captain: "What?! After them!" The trooper run toward the massive hole in the ground but Timur launches the earth sphere dozens of meters away toward the coast.

The Army Captain looks at his soldiers, "Firebenders with me." Three firebenders link up with the captain while the others watch them. Captain: "On the count of three, we all will shoot a storm of fire into that tunnel and fry them!"

While the bounty hunters are underground Ozai looks at Timur, "You honestly have impressed me mercenary."

Timur: "I have a name you know, just call me Timur,"

Ozai: "I know, I heard someone call you it earlier."

Akira: "So how are we going to find the coast?"

Timur: "I can feel the land, but I can also feel the coast laying against it. I know where we can go."

Aten asks, "Can you feel the ships too? We should be on the Western end."

Timur: "Wait, I feel." Timur rapidly raises the ball several feet in the air then launches it out of the ground. Everyone feel a bump as a blaze of fire flows across the tunnel and into the air.

Cosmos: "What was that?"

Timur answers, "An attack."

Reyna: "What now?"

Timur: "I'm getting tired."

Reyna pleas, "You can't stop now."

Timur: "Who said I was going to stop? I just need to wrap this up soon." Timur moves the ball forward until it hovers at the beachhead. A man walks with his five-year-old son on the beach.

Son: "Dad, ball! Big earth ball!"

The dad looks at his son, "What son? No, we can't steal other people's balls." As the large ball glides against the sand it suddenly stops at the edge of the beach and the father see it.

The dad cautions his son to step back, "Oh." The ball splits open and the bandits exit it. The son laughs.

Son: "Dad, what is that?"

Dad: "I'm not sure son, I'm not sure. Let's go."

Son: "But."

The dad directs his son, "We're going." Timur nearly faints and falls to his knees.

Reyna: "Timur."

Timur: "I'm so tired, I need a nap!"

Aten: "Oh no! Their guns are pointed at us." A corvette hovers across the shore and arrives just 20 feet out from the shore.

Cosmos: "That's the pickup ship,"

Aten: "Are you sure?"

Cosmos: "What else would it be?"

Kato: "I don't know, but we might as well go for it. If we made it this far just for this, we've already lost." Kato leaps into the water and swims toward the ship.

Ozai: "I'm injured, I can float but I can hardly swim."

Reyna: "It's only a few feet man up." Reyna helps an exhausted Timur swim toward the ship. Akira swims toward the shore and Aten does the same.

Cosmos looks at Ozai, "I'll help you get there is you're a bit tired."

Ozai: "On second thought, I don't need any help."

Cosmos: "Just don't go drowning on us, it'll complicate the job." Reyna and Timur make it onto the ship as several crew members help them up. Ozai struggles to swim but makes it toward the ship as he struggles to get onboard. Cosmos helps him up into the vessel.

Kato suddenly points his sword at one of the troopers, "So you are with the Remnant?"

Trooper: "Yes, we came to pick your team up."

Kato: "Prove it! We can't just trust anyone."

The ships female lieutenant emerges. She has long black hair, tan skin, dark orange eyes, and a fit body, "Hello there, I am Lieutenant Yeoh and I am a proud undercover member of the Remnant. Here are papers of the strategic instructions I was given by Alev."

Kato snatches the paper and analyzes them. Kato: "Where is the approval from higher command! You may take me for a fool and most bounty hunters wouldn't notice this but I studied the Fire Nation's procedures. I know the Remnant still does this."

Yeoh: "I wasn't given an authorization from higher command because this was an emergency mission. Authorized only by Alev without full approval. I knew I would be taking a risk, but I owe it to Alev because while she may not be the most pleasant person, her army unit has saved my crew before as well as a few others. I'm doing it as a favor for her, hopefully it pays off or it'll end horribly for us."

Aten: "Wait what? The whole Remnant wasn't behind this grandiose operation?"

Yeoh: "Apparently not but Alev took a risk. I'm guessing she knew a lot about their vulnerabilities."

Akira answers, "She knew enough, but took a lot of risks."

Yeoh: "Then maybe there is some other reason she did this."

Timur passes out. Yeoh (to two of her troopers): "Help that man take refugee in one of our guest rooms."

Reyna: "If he goes, then I'll go with him, to keep an eye on a friend. You all may have the Remnant's trust, but you haven't earned ours yet."

Yeoh: "Anyway, we need to get out of here immediately. Take Ozai downstairs, where he won't be visible. The rest of you also need to head down. My ship has some places where you can hide." Kato nods. Cosmos, Aten, and Akira head down together. As the ship sails toward the edge of the fleet to exit. A patrol ship stops in front of Yeoh's and a 2nd lieutenant hops onto the corvette.

Lieutenant: "1st Lieutenant Yeoh, before we let you go we would like to inspect your ship."

Yeoh smiles, "Of course." Four inspection troopers arrive. They have armor that is primarily grey but with light red and black markings scattered throughout.

As the troopers search the ship the lieutenant looks at Yeoh, "Where are you going again?"

Yeoh: "The Larendox district."

Lieutenant: "That's not a common destination, it's located on the Northwest outskirts of the Fire Nation territories. Not only that, it only faces very small islands. The areas are ripe with pirates, seas are rough, carries many nasty creatures, and is close to uncharted territories that aren't explored by ANY of the nations."

Yeoh: "That's right, it will be interesting. I'm sent on a spice run."

Lieutenant: "Well, I'd have figured you served long enough to avoid those sorts of tasks."

Yeoh: "Sometimes Lieutenants share the sucky duties. You'll see soon enough lieutenant." The inspectors return and one gives Yeoh a thumbs up.

Lieutenant: "Fair enough, best wishes." The Lieutenant signals for the inspectors to follow him off the ship.

Yeoh commands her crew, "Set sail for Larendox."

Kato runs back upstairs to where Yeoh is. Kato: "Wait, you said we're going to Larendox? I thought we were going to Yoruba."

Yeoh: "We are, but not right away. If we do it too soon, it will be obvious. We are going to set a route toward Yoruba but we won't change our destination until we get further in the seas to where other ships won't be notice our change in route."

Kato: "Ok but you better not be trying any funny tricks like selling us out to pirates or something."

Yeoh: "I could, the Remnant has had some allies who grew feint of heart and backed out. With Ozai he'd have a lot of leverage. Kedo points his sword at her. Yeoh: "And you coming to face me alone was unwise and impulsive. But don't worry, I was lying about what I owed Alev. I wouldn't risk going to this mission to back out and Alev never told me Ozai was involved."

Kota pulls his blade back, "Well come to think of it, I don't think she would say something like that. She didn't even tell us until the last minute."

Yeoh: "So just trust me for now, I'm sure this mission required a lot of trust on all sides. But congratulations, you busted out an Ex-Firelord and pulled out one of the biggest heists of all time."

Kota: "Come to think of it, I need to link up with the others and celebrate." The sky turns yellow, white, and blue as the sun begins to set beautifully and mix with the clouds. Kota runs down stairs to the room where his friends are staying and notices they are all sleeping. Ozai is in the same room as Reyna and Timur (who have separate beds) but Ozai's left wrist is handcuffed to his bed while his legs are also handcuffed.

Ozai looks up at Kota, "Can you believe this, the troops restrained me like this? Me? The rightful ruler of this nation, this is an outrage!!"

Kota ignores Ozai and steps into another room where he finds Aten and Osmos sleeping in their beds.

Akira steps behind Kota, "Looking for something to do?"

Kota: "I was thinking about it, but everyone's asleep."

Akira: "I'm not, we could sit and look at the ocean."

Kota: "You know what, that doesn't sound like a bad idea." Kota and Akira sit and look at water beneath them as they feel the steady breeze from the wind around them. Akira smiles and Kota grins as they talk until night fall asleep on the top deck.

Yeoh pokes them. Kota slowly wakes up. Yeoh: "I need you both to go downstairs for a proper rest."

Kota nods and Akira slowly gets up. Akira: "Thanks for the chat Kota, it was fun."

Kota salutes her, "Anytime."

Yeoh: "Maybe you should join the Remnant."

Kota: "This having a cause thing sounds kind of fun, but I'm afraid I'll be out. It's risky enough taking these kinds of missions but staying for the kind of heat you all will get after this really won't be worth it. We still have the option to hideout knowing Zuko's administration will focus the most on the ones who created the bounty rather than the ones who carried it out."

Kota is right, it isn't a standard of any of the governments to focus on killing or imprisoning bounty hunters. The Fire Nation used to do it, but not after Ozai's administration was overthrown. Now bounty hunters are seen more as a neutral party and sometimes are arrested but are then given chances to escaped imprisonment by taking bounties for the very government that catches them. The prize hunters are actually in the most danger during their active missions.

Kota heads to a room where he sleeps in solitude.