(Disclaimer: I do not own the title, Avatar, or any of its contents.)

(This story is a sequel to "Pure Hatred." It is Rated M due to graphic description and language.)

1
Separation, Information, and Rehabilitation

Aang frantically looked for an exit. At the end of every hallway, he saw a guard waiting for him. Exerting all of his energy, he took off full speed towards the end of the hall, launching attacks at the guards and flinging them to their doom. He took Katara through the back exit. He would return here once again, to free the others.

She woke up to a very tranquil but dark environment; inside a warm tent lying on a nice, comfortable bed. However, there were three other people in her room.

"Sir, if I could speak with the waterbender?" an Earth Kingdom soldier with a notepad, ink bottle, and pen declared at a medical officer.

"In a minute," said the officer. "You'll get your turn."

"I don't have all day."

"My name is Liu," he began. "This is my assistant, Shai. A friend left you here at the medical barracks. You've been under some heavy injuries and drug doses, and have been unconscious for quite a while, so I'll just start from the top."

"Who took me here?" Katara demanded.

"He didn't say his name," the medical officer replied. "What's strange is that I can't even remember his face."

"He was wearing a mask, sir," the medic's assistant said. "A red mask."

Katara could have sworn that she had saw Aang rescue him. "Yes, a mask," the medic agreed.

While the medical officer wrote down some information, Katara gazed at her body. Bandages were wrapped around her torso and arm. There was a wet cloth on her head. Her body was very clean and didn't have any dirt on it. She felt drowsy and weak.

"You have a large concentration of chi blocker in your bloodstream, which can be very lethal. I have given you a medicine from the purple cotton plant that will demolish the chi blocker in your blood stream. Your waterbending abilities will be restored in a matter of days. The severe cuts on your arm will clear up fast as the chi blocker is diminished. Your midsection has bruises and burns wrapped around it, which will also heal fast as the purple cotton plant does its work. However, joints in your midsection have been severely damaged, so you should stay in bed for a week or two. I'll apply the cotton plant again next week for these joints to heal faster. There are also some minor cuts and scrapes on your legs and back, which aren't a big deal."

Katara looked around the tent. She suddenly recieved horrifying memories of her experiences. There were two tables with torture weapons beside her; shiny knifes on the left, pliers and pinchers on the right. Dust was covered on the floors. Dried blood was smeared on the walls. The bricks on the wall stood out like bright colors. She snapped back into reality, blinking numerous times.

"I wouldn't say that you were lucky to be alive," the medical officer continued. "You've been really strong, Katara. I've had many patients that were tortured in similar ways that you were, and they haven't turned out so well. Just make sure you are supplied with water and fruits, and you'll be out of here quick. You're safe with us, Katara. These tents and barracks are packed in tight. Entrance to entrance."

"Liu, if I may?" the soldier impatiently asked. The medic nodded and stepped to the side, blending into the corridor of the tent. The soldier stepped up. "My name is Captain Unago, 1st Division, Fissure Squad. First, let me explain of what you have gone through. The torture facility that you have been to is a compound that we have been searching for years. Dozens of civilians have been captured and held at this facility. Very few have escaped, and a handful have survived their injuries. We need a description of the facility. The chamber, your transport; anything."

Katara paused, knowing that this was the moment where she was supposed to respond. But the memories were too painful to think of.

"Ma'am, this is a serious matter. If you tell us the slightest detail, then you will be helping us save innocent souls that are being tortured as we speak."

She was no different from the rest of them. And this was a tough thing to put out. "It's underground," Katara replied. Captain Unago automatically began writing those two words, indicating that it was a big piece of information. Images flashed before her eyes, and she ignored them harshly. The captain looked like he wanted Katara to expand, but understood that it was hard for her to endure flashbacking to her torture.

"Were you being held anywhere else besides this compound?"

Katara began to sob. Lie, the medical officer, stepped in and spoke to Captain Unago.

"Maybe you should come back later, captain," he said. Without saying anything, he left with a grimace on his face. Liu and his assistant left, too, being called from another tent in the barracks.