The Avatars Ai (ATLA)

Chapter 37: Finding Ozai

    "Yeah. Is that ... is that Aang and Eve?"

"What?" Sokka looks up at Aang riding in on his glider, dodging several fireballs, where as I just sent them down. We land in front of the group. "Please tell me you're here because the Fire Lord turned out to be a big wimp and you didn't even need the eclipse to take him down."

"He wasn't home. No one was. The entire palace city is abandoned."

"They knew." Sokka said. I tensed. Aang rubs his fingers along the ground idly.

"It's over. The Fire Lord is probably long-gone; far away on some remote island where he'll be safe during the eclipse."

"No. My instincts tell me he wouldn't go too far. He would have a secret bunker; somewhere he could go and be safe during the siege but still be close enough to lead his nation." My eyes widened remember he said under the palace not in the basement under.

"If it's an underground secret bunker we're looking for, I'm just the girl to find it." I looked to

"The mechanist gave me this timing device. It looks like we've got about ten minutes until the full eclipse. Ten minutes to find the Fire Lord."

"We can still do this. We can still win the day."

"Wait! If they knew we were coming it could all be a trap. Maybe we should use the time we have left to make sure we all get out of here safely." Katara said.

"Everyone who's here today came prepared to risk everything for this mission. They know what's at stake. If there's still a chance and there's still hope, I think they would want Aang and Eve to go for it."

"What do you think? You're the two that has to face the Fire Lord. Whatever you decide, I'm with you."

"We've gotta try." Aang said looking at me. I nodded.

     Aang, Toph, and Sokka are flying on Appa to the Caldera Volcano in the Fire Nation. Appa lands on the side as the others jump off. I landed next to them.

"Do you feel anything down there?"

"Yep. There are natural tunnels criss-crossing through the inside of the volcano."

"Anything else? Is there a structure somewhere?"

"There is something big, dense and made of metal deep in the heart of the volcano."

"Sounds like a secret bunker to me." Sokka says as Toph earthbends a hole in the volcano, blowing up a cloud of dust. Sokka follows her into the tunnel.

"Stay safe. We'll be back soon." Aang says as he enters the tunnel into a dark cavern behind me, with Toph leaning over and surveying the area using seismic sense.

"This way! That one's a dead end!" Toph said.

"What would we do without you?" Sokka said smiling.

"Perish in burning hot magma." I snorted.

"Yeah, pretty much." We arrive at a chamber where magma erupts from several spouts in the ground.

"The tunnel continues on the other side and It leads right to the bunker."

"We'll have to be fast, but careful." Sokka begins walking past only for a geyser of magma to erupt, nearly striking him. Aang uses airbending to cool and solidify the gush.

How is that careful?

I was wrong. We need to be fast, careful and lucky. The three leap and run their way through the chamber, while I fly above them, narrowly avoiding magma spouts. We arrive to a rock ledge, completely surrounded by molten lava.