The next morning it didn't take the group long to find the island where their mothers went. From the outside, it did look a lot like a prison. Just like Azula told them.

After they sent Oogi to hide in the clouds and wait for them, the kids all followed Bumi since he looked like he knew where he was going.

"Maybe you should all let me lead on this one. I am the only one with actual training." Bumi started drawing something in the sand with a stick.

"You're joking?" Lin smirked, "Azula said this was a non-bender prison. Which means I can just open up one of these walls and we walk right in."

"Oh, yeah? And if you open up a wall to the guards' room? What then?"

"If you don't think I can knock out a couple of guys, then you really don't know me."

"I'm serious, Lin. We need a plan this time. That's why I'm trying to figure out our best entry point. You'll need to learn about this stuff if you wanna be a soldier one day."

"I don't want to be a soldier." Lin answered almost disgustedly.

"Then what?"

"I don't know. Now I just want to get inside."

"Where's the entry point?" Tenzin cut in.

"Alright. I think near that corner should be OK." Bumi pointed.

Lin ran closer and took her stance, but then suddenly stopped.

"Su, you gonna help or what?" she asked.

"Yeah!" the little girl's eyes lit up as she tried really hard to mimic her sister's pose exactly. Lin gave her a nod, meaning she's done it right and both of them started moving in unison, opening the wall like a two-winged door.

Bumi urged everyone to get inside as quietly as possible after which the sisters returned the wall to its previous configuration. They found themselves in front of an empty cell and immediately hid inside. The walls were completely metal, except for a tiny slot in the door, so no one could see them.

"What now?" Kya asked.

"Can't you use your seismic sense, Lin?" Tenzin nudged her.

"I'm not my mother. I can't just... I haven't gotten it completely yet." Lin looked away from them for a second.

"I just need you to see if someone's coming. I have to steal a uniform." Bumi said.

"I can try. This is a really confusing building. It's harder here." Lin started taking off her shoes.

"You're a Beifong. Now get to work." Su mimicked their mother, making Lin smile.

"Here it goes." Lin closed her eyes and then stomped really hard on the floor a couple of times with only a few seconds apart, "I think I recognize someone."

Lin stomped one more time.

"I think that's Sokka... Pacing in that cell over there." Lin pointed.

"Are you sure?" Suyin asked.

"Yeah."

"Makes sense. He's a non-bender." Tenzin said.

"Are there any guards coming? We need a uniform." Bumi persisted.

"No... I don't know. I don't think so." Lin said and Bumi sighed.

"I got an idea." Kya exited the cell and returned maybe a minute later with two black uniforms, "I thought I saw a closet walking in... Will those do?"

"Perfect!" Bumi took one and started putting it on, while Kya handed Lin the second one.

"No. You should take it, Kya. You look the right age. The plan comes first." Lin looked over to Bumi.

So Kya and Bumi, looking serious enough to be guards, walked out of the cell and started checking all the prisoners, in the hopes that they'd find someone familiar.

Bumi went to check up on the cell where Lin felt Sokka first. He peeked through a little slot in the door and saw his uncle sitting on the floor, trying to carve something onto the wall with a spoon. Bumi reached for the uniform's pocket and drew out a set of keys. One of them ought to fit...

"Uncle, it's me." he said when he saw Sokka was ready to attack him with the sharpened spoon.

"Private Bumi!" Sokka immediately pulled his nephew into a hug, "Boy, are the United Forces fast... Did you find Aang yet?"

"No. No... This is less of a unit operation and more of an elite team kind of deal." Bumi couldn't believe how happy Sokka was to see him.

"And you made the team? Good for you! You're moving up in the world..."

"No... I assembled the team. It's all the kids. Tez, Kya, Lin... We wanted to help."

"No offense, but how did my sister give the OK on this?"

"She didn't. Her and Aunt Toph went after you."

"Oh, no... Then they have them. The Red Lotus. Listen, I have to explain-"

"No, we know. Azula told us." It still sounded weird to say, at least in Bumi's mind.

"Azula? What are you talking about?"

"She found us. She says she wants to help, but we weren't sure if we could trust her."

"In my experience, no. But desperate times, right?" Sokka put a hand on his nephew's shoulder, "I'm so glad to see you. I don't know where Aang is, but I know he can't escape. They told him they'd kill all of us, prisoners, if he tried. And now that they have your mother too... I don't think he'll even try."

"That's bad." Bumi remembered Kya couldn't check all the cells on her own, "I'll be back, but I have go get the others now. Then we'll talk plan."

When Bumi returned to his friends Kya was already there telling them how the only person she recognized in her part of the prison was Mai.

"Take me." Izumi begged.

"I'll take you, Princess." Bumi said, "Kya, you take everyone else to Sokka. He can help us with the plan to proceed."

Bumi and Izumi encountered two guards on their way to Mai's cell, but none of them even batted an eye. Bumi was glad they were doing everything while raising minimal suspicion. He instructed Izumi to be quiet until he opened the cell since he couldn't see her mother through the thin slot.

Then the second he stepped inside he realized why. Mai was hiding and managed to trip him over her foot and jump on his back before realizing who he was.

"Bumi?"

"Fire-wife Mai..." he joked, still pinned to the ground.

"Mom!" Izumi hugged her mother, who finally let Bumi stand up.

"Thank Agni, Izumi! I thought they took you too..." the older woman placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead.

"No, they saved me. Bumi and Lin and... We're all together."

"I'm sorry for earlier, Bumi. I really didn't know it was you." Mai turned to him.

"No worries, it was way cool." Bumi rubbed his shin, "Anyway, we came to ask something."

"Yes, mother. We ran into Azula..."

"So you see, busting me out of here could cause them to simply kill every person here. We're only useful as long as we're leverage for Aang." Sokka explained.

"I know it makes sense, but I don't want to leave you here." Tenzin said.

"Yeah, what if they move you? If we can't find you again?" Kya asked.

"Don't worry about me. We can't let them know someone's after them. We can't let them know about you kids..." Sokka realized Su looked kind of sad so he pulled her in for a hug.

"I don't want you to stay in this place all alone..." Su touched his chin, since he was beginning to grow a bit of a stubble, not being able to shave.

"It's fine, little badgermole. I'm just happy to see all of you safe and working together."

They agreed it was best if Kya led them out one by one, so Tenzin and her were the first to leave. When she returned again, she led Suyin out, but not before Sokka gave her another hug. Now that it was just him and Lin alone in the cell he realized there was something wrong. She hasn't really said a word to him since the initial hello and she looked beyond pissed now.

"Is everything OK, Lin?" Sokka tried, but he knew Lin wasn't one to open up easily. Not unlike her mother...

"I know..." she decided this was as good a time as any to come clean, since there was no way her mother could hear them, "I know you're Suyin's father!"

She said that like it was a great betrayal. That was essentially how it felt.

"Your mother told you?"

"No, you just did!" her voice sounded a bit shaky.

"Toph wanted to keep it a secret. I respected that." he tried to touch her arm, but she moved away.

"Of course you're her dad! Of course she gets everything! She gets to do whatever she wants without any consequences and she gets to meet her dad! And she appreciates none of it..." Lin didn't plan to have a full on scene there and then, but this was a subject that always had a special way of upsetting her.

"Listen, Lin..."

"Don't worry, I won't tell Su. I just... She won't even tell me my dad's name, let alone... Forget it!" she tried to exit the cell, but Sokka stopped her.

"Believe me, she just doesn't want you to go looking for him. I knew your father, Kanto... He worked for your mother. He was one of her best officers. We all knew him, but when Toph found out she was having you, he couldn't be out the door fast enough. He packed and moved out of Republic City."

With every word he said, Sokka could see Lin's eyes filling up with tears. She's waited for this story all her life and imagined infinite variations of it over the years. But now that she was hearing it... It was all too much.

"How could he? You can't..." she was openly crying at that point, "You can't just make people and then forget about them! They grow up thinking there's something wrong with them!"

"Listen, I'm gonna tell you a part of this story that nobody knows, alright?" Sokka waited for a nod from Lin, "The night he left her, we all got together, the whole gang, to show our support. Katara had just had Tenzin and we were talking, and I just couldn't bear it any longer. So I went out and I caught your father just as he was about to leave for Ba Sing Se. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but when I got there I was just so mad... I just attacked him."

Lin's eyes widened.

"I didn't really hurt him, I just gave him a good beating..." he explained.

"I do that too. Unload on people..." Lin realized.

"I wanted him to know that he was walking away from what could have been the best thing to ever happen to him in his sorry little life. And because he was stupid enough to leave, I got to be there, for you, for your mom. Since that night on..."

Sokka was interrupted by Lin hugging him.

"I might not be your father, but you'll always be my kid." he hugged her back, "And it's not just me. You have everyone in Team Avatar. You're all our kids, we love all of you."

Sneaking out of the prison proved to be even easier than sneaking in was. Really, the most difficult part was leaving behind those they've found. Everyone agreed it was the only thing that made sense, but it still hurt.

"What did Mai say, Izumi?" Kya asked when they were already on Oogi flying to the pirate hideout, "She knew her well."

"She said we can't trust Azula." the Princess hugged her knees.

"So did Sokka. Maybe we should listen to them." Kya said, "She almost killed both of our fathers and my mother with lightning. She's also a known liar."

"Yeah, when she was fourteen," Lin cut in, "But she changed and wants to help."

"You think it's that easy, huh?" Kya asked.

"Hey, do you wanna take the reins for a while, Bumi?" Tenzin interrupted.

"Why?"

"I'm just a bit tired." Tenzin lied. Lin was upset, he could hear it in her voice. She was a bit red when she returned from Sokka's cell, but he didn't think much of it until he heard her now. What could they possibly have talked about?

"I think we should join her, because for the time being we have no other plan." he said and sat down right next to Lin.

"He's right, Kya." Bumi said, "Our whole plan was to check out this island. But this thing is so much bigger than we thought."

"Fine. Guess, we're going back then..." Kya lied down so she could look at the sky while they were traveling. Su moved closer to Izumi so she could braid her long, black hair.

"What?" mouthed Lin when Tenzin took her hand briefly. No one was paying attention, but still... It was too risky.

"You OK?" he mouthed instead of a response.

"I will be." Lin pulled her hand from him to brush back her hair.

"You will be what?" Izumi seemed to have heard the last part.

"I will be pissed if Azula plays us."

"To tell you honestly, I'm a bit surprised to see you back here." Azula said after hearing about the group's latest endeavor, "I doubt my old friend Mai had anything nice to say about this."

"We're also a bit surprised about being here." Bumi said.

"So is there a plan? A lead we didn't know about?" Tenzin asked.

"Not at first, but I've been busy while you were away. There is a plan." Azula started, "It's become obvious that the Red Lotus has more than one prison. Presumably one for each element, built to the specific requirements of the bending style."

"So you think all our parents are separated?" Kya interrupted.

"Yes. That's why we need all of you. The prisons must be infiltrated at the same time, because if these people start feeling like they're losing, they might just clear their buildings and focus on the Avatar."

"And by clear, you mean..." Lin didn't really want to think about it. Her mother being... Cleared.

"That's what Sokka said." Tenzin added, "He also said he can't leave until we're certain we can get every person out with him."

"Then it seems he possesses more... Savvy, than he lets on." Azula smirked, "For now, they're not killing anyone and we should aspire to keep it that way."

After saying the word killing Azula could see Su pull closer to her sister. Lin didn't seem to give it much thought, but Azula could see the little creature was terrified. Maybe it was just the situation, maybe it was her and her history, but something definitely had to be done.

"Are you gonna fill us in then? On how exactly do we do this?" Bumi stepped forward.

"Don't worry about it yet. It will be at least a few days until our next move, so I suggest you get comfortable here. This compound is completely capable of housing and feeding around a hundred people. We've cleared rooms for you. Now I'm gonna need your names." Azula was stunned that her request was met with silence.

"I need something to call you. Go on." she reassured them further.

"I'm Lin and this is my sister, Suyin. We're Toph's daughters."

"I'm Bumi, soldier in the United Forces."

"Tenzin."

"Kya."

"Very well. And in that spirit of trust and community, I would like you all to meet my son, Zari."

No one was ready for that. They all started exchanging looks, some more, some less confused until Izumi noticed a black-haired boy entering the room they were in. He couldn't have been more than a couple of years older than Su was. Now that they knew who he was, they could clearly see the resemblance between him and Azula. His hair, his face, his posture, all like his mother, except his eyes that were dark blue.

He walked over and bowed, something that the surprised kids didn't even have time to respond to.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." he said politely and then flashed a smile.

"Zari was raised here, in this hideout," Azula put a hand on her son's shoulder, "so if there's anything you need, anything you can't find, you can come to him. Or the crew. You're our honored guests."

Zari nodded and then completely turned to look at his mother.

"Alright. You can ask." Azula pointed at Izumi, "That's your cousin Izumi."

Zari took a deep breath, brushed back a strain of hair that was covering his right eye and turned to the Princess.

"Princess Izumi... I always wanted to know if I could be called a prince. And Mother said that if I wanted to know, I had to ask you or the Fire Lord."

"Oh... Um." Izumi tried to speak, but no words were coming out.

"It's alright, you don't have to answer him." Azula said and turned to her son, "Your father was a waterbender. It's far from a clear situation, Zari. Don't make her uncomfortable."

"But you guys were married and I'm a firebender, like you, like her, like the Fire Lord..."

"Remember what I always tell you."

"I know, I know... I'm your prince."

"That's right," Azula gently cupped his face, "And while you're here or on the open seas you'll always be a prince."

"Of course, you're also officially a prince." Izumi cut in, "You're a part of the family, just like your mother is."

"Thank you." Zari smiled at his cousin and then at his mother.

"Good. Now that that's settled, how about you show Suyin to the rooms?" Azula suggested.

Su didn't seem thrilled by the idea of walking away from everyone.

"Come on, you can have first pick of the rooms." Zari put out his hand and gave her such a warm smile it was hard to say no. She took his hand and he dragged her down the hall.

"You're allowed to go, thanks for asking!" Lin yelled after them.

"There's a room for each of you down the hall and me and Zari are just above you." Azula smiled at all of their expressions, "Not what you expected? Is the Great Princess Azula a disappointment?"

"No." Izumi shook her head a little too fast for it to be believable, "We were just wondering about what kind of business actually goes on around here..."

"They're pirates, Izumi. Thieves." Tenzin said, "Not that I'm judging."

"I would call it high risk trade." Azula said.

"So you're smugglers?" Lin knew her mother would love to get most of those people behind bars.

"Partly. We also steal cargo. But only from those who can afford to lose it."

"And all those ships we saw... They're all yours?" Kya asked.

"Well, they each have a captain, but they all answer to me." Azula explained, "I didn't build this alone. I kind of married into the profession."

"Zari's father was a pirate?" Izumi asked before realizing she might have crossed some line.

"The best this world ever saw." Azula smiled for a faint second and then went back to looking serious, "I'm going to need you two, Lin and... Tenzin, ready in the morning. You're going on a mission with me."

"What?" Tenzin asked.

"We go everywhere together." Kya said.

"Well, not on this mission." Azula sighed, "It's an extraction mission. We're extracting a package from Ba Sing Se. When you chose your rooms my people will provide you two with Dai Li uniforms. I expect you will be dressed and ready tomorrow at first light."

"Excuse me," Tenzin rose his hand awkwardly, "I'm not an earthbender."

"I know. That's why you two should take the rest of the day to work out how you are going to fake his earthbending abilities. You're going because it's your bison."

"Fake how?" Tenzin still didn't get what Azula was getting at.

"I bend for two, you just wave your hands, dunderhead." Lin nudged him, "So you're actually gonna take us on missions?"

"Of course," Azula said, "I'm nothing like you parents, I thought you knew that."

"And the rest of us? What do we do?" Bumi asked.

"Well, we have a number of training rooms. Make use of them. Izumi, have you learned to create lightning yet?"

"No... Not quite yet." Izumi squirmed as her aunt came closer.

"I can't have that," the woman started, "It's a disgrace to the family. Come with me, I'll teach you."