A gust of cold wind hit Bato's face as he stepped into the dim light of Lel'Ouinla Pe'Mera Afrikti. The shackles on his wrists and ankles were tight and freezing. He never knew the fire nation to have such cold weather. The gaurds behind him pushed him roughly to a group of other prisoners. He was surprised they weren't in a line. A tall, thin woman stepped through the doorway and into the tiny, dimly light room.

"So this is our sorry group of war prisoners." Her voice wasn't as powerful as he'd expected. "That's just sad. I should tell you that I am Warden Quinne, and you will obey my orders or die. Just like that."She pointed out the only window in the room where dull, grey light glowed through. A large machine towered over the prison, Black plumes of smoke piled out. "So welcome," Warden Quinne grinned malevolently. "To Lel'Ouinla Pe'Mera Afrikti, The prison of the dead." She laughed evilly. "Have fun." She turned on her heels and walked out as silently as she came.

"Alright, swine!" A big guard's shout filled the room and reverberated through the hallway. "Follow us." the guards led Bato's group down the hallway to yet another tiny, windowless room. "Sit!" one of them commanded. Some people walked in with needles and ink. A Brunette woman walked up and sat parallel to Bato. The look in her eyes told him she was a prisoner, too.

"Name, please."

"I'm Bato, Ma'am." She nodded and looked at her list, then dipped her needle in the ink and tattooed on his right wrist 'BW230448'. Then he was commanded to wait against the wall for the others.

"Out to the yard with you all!" Screamed a guard with a scar down the side of his face. It started at the outside corner of his eye and ran all the way down to his jaw.

The group stepped outside after the guard with a scar took off their cuffs. The sky was dark grey. Ash blew out of the smoke stacks of the machine Warden Quinne pointed out, along with what Bato could've sworn was bits of bone. The bone-ash mixture cut into his skin before blowing onto the ground. He saw the body of a little girl, carelessly thrown into one of the many dirty puddles of acrid-smelling, ash soaked water. The whole place reeked of rotting flesh and death. Taking a look around, he met too many of the empty, emotionless eyes of the still living prisoners.

" 'ello!" A lively voice sounded from below him and he looked down to meet the eyes of a tennage girl a few heads shorter than he. She had auburn hair and dark cream-colored eyes. Every visible part of her body was soaked with ash, dirt and, yes, maybe even blood. "Yure new 'ere." She observed. "And I cin tell yure a bit frightined by tse appearance of this pris'n. Come," She motioned toward a group of people sitting in a circle around a tiny fire. "You shood meet ma welcoming comitee."

She led him over to the group, they looked up at the girl and smiled in greeting.

"Hi, Riteki, who's yure friend?" a man with shoulder length, curly, jet black hair of about 20 spoke up first.

Before she could open her mouth and admit she didn't know,, he stepped forward and spoke up. "I'm Bato, it's nice to meet you all."

" Likewise."

"Ba to, lemme intraduce you ta ma friends." These people talk weird. Bato thought. This Riteki just said his name as two separate words. " This is Felix," She said, pointing to a red-headed girl. "She's the only one frum tse Fire Nashon. Isn't that cool?"

Those damned guards took my weapons away. Bato thought as he reached for his machete which he soon realized wasn't there. "Yes. Exciting." he said grudgingly.

" 'nd this is Esperanza, she's frum Mori clan. Her name means ' Hope'." She motioned to the girl that sat next to the first to speak. "She's married to Re'Ontredel, tse leader of my clan, Oui'frie. They 'ave two twin boys, Takimune and Tsume." She showed him the black haired man that spoke first sitting behind two twin boys that looked just like him. There's also Az'Lisla, Albericouque, and Xwalacoxihuatl, she's a sun warrior!"

"You can call me Xwala."

"Wait, I've never heard of a nationality that comes in clans." Bato said, confused.

"Yeh, we're mindbenders." Riteki explained.

"Never heard of it."

"No, I'm sure you haven't." Re'Ontredel said. "Fire Lord Ozai put us all here, he doesn't want the world to know we exist. A mindbender can brainwash you, so we can overthrow him"

" Tse Oui'Frie clan is tse largist, and closest ta tse Fire Nashon, culturally. There's soe many of us, even tse pris'n is in our language!" Riteki informed.

Bato started to like these people after he talked with them for a while. They were a bit more lively than they had a right to be, and he liked their attitude. They made it easier to stay at the prison. But they were ignorant of the hope the world had. They thought the fire lord would take over the world, and that would be it. He told them the Avatar was alive, at first they didn't believe him, but eventually they got comfortable and excited about the idea. They thought it was amazing he came from the southern water tribe.

He learned things from and about them, too. He learned that Riteki was only 14. He learned that Felix was mute, she couldn't talk and she had to sign to do so, though she could hear just fine. He learned that his tattoo was his new identity to the guards and Warden, but to them, he was still Bato. Or in Riteki's case, Ba to.

"It's getting' lait." Riteki gazed up at the darkening sky. "Ba to, you cin sleep in me, Esperanza, Lisla, and Albericouque's block. We 'ave room since our last pers'n, Ramona, just recentlie went up tse stacks." She pointed at the same machine warden Quinne pointed out and bowed her head."May she rest in peace." Riteki, Lisla and Albericoque led hi m over to a huge tower of concrete blocks with one end ope on each. Esperanza stayed behind with her family.

"Our block's up there." Albericoque pointed up to the top most block in the right corner.

" It's... it's pretty small, you all fit in there?"

" We stack in a pyramid-like thinge, it isn't uncomm'n. It's probly fur tse better, if ya think it's cold now, wait 'till dark." Riteki explained. "You may have to bend your knees." she joked.

"Well, come on, you two, standin' there ain't gonna get you up to the block." Albericoque said, holding out his hand, and helping Riteki up. It was sketchy climbing, and slow going so Bato couldn't help but realize all the people who seemed sick. And dead.

" 'ere we are!" Riteki said, settling herself in corner. "Ba to, you cin sleep anywhere."

Too tired to say anything, Bato lay down next to Riteki.

"Hey, Riteki?" He said tentatively.

"Mmmm?"

"How'd someone like you end up in a place like this?"

She turned her head and met his eyes sorrow crossed hers. "I wuz born 'ere." She turned back and didn't look at him the rest of the night.