Latent

Chapter 2

The Escape

Disclaimer: ATLA and all of their beautiful characters and artwork belongs to Mike and Brian. I just simply wish I had their talent.

The man looked down at the extended arm. He hadn't been shown civility in years. His gold eyes looked up with determination. "Zuko."

Zuko had waited for this moment. He woke up before dawn, he swore he could feel the excitement thrumming through his veins. He couldn't sleep knowing what the possibility of today could bring. He hadn't felt the sun's power in years but he could still feel the imaginary pull. He had been drugged for so long in this metal pit he couldn't even remember the last time he felt his fire in his palm. Once he was out of this hell hole, maybe…just maybe he could see his flames leave his fist once more before he was wiped off this earth.

The cell doors opened just a little after dawn for breakfast. Most prisoners didn't take their breakfast until the later hours, they did whatever they could to avoid eating the vile rot served daily. Most walked to the field to enjoy the limited view of sky granted to them.

Sokka and Zuko walked against the current of maroon and grey uniforms and straight to cell 47 along the B block. It was farther down the hallway granting them less disturbances from any nosey ass-wipe that wanted to see what they were up to. With all the cell doors open it was easy to get in. Sokka walked in first and Zuko closed the heavy metal door behind them.

The unfortunate man still lay asleep on his cot. Lame designs littered the inside of the cell with old chewed pieces of straw laying on the floor. Zuko didn't know what the guy did to deserve what Sokka was going to do, but he wasn't exactly being paid for his morals.

In a blink of an eye Sokka's arm swung wildly and connected with the sleeping man's jaw. Zuko could have sworn he heard teeth rattle. The man's eye's shot open as he rolled away cursing, "how'd you-"

Zuko took the next shot, with his right hand flat he let his arm fly towards the mans' throat. Bulls eye.

The attacks were ceaseless. Blood splattered Zuko's knuckles, he was sure there must have been a smudge on his face when Sokka dealt another blow to the guy's stomach and he started coughing a fit. To his enjoyment, the guy did try to put up a fight. His foot shot out and connected with Zuko's shoulder, hindering him only temporarily. If he had been any weaker of a man his arm might have been down and out of the socket.

Zuko took a step towards the door, he wasn't imagining footsteps outside after all. It wasn't even five minutes passed from when they entered before Zuko grabbed Sokka's shoulder and was dragging him out of the room. Any more time in there and their plans could be doomed. With one last punch Sokka let out a yell and let his fist connect one more time with the bastard's face.

"I swear to the gods Jet, if I see your stinking face again I'll really show you what the Water Tribe is made of!" Zuko grabbed Sokka by his upper body and dragged him out into the hallway, Sokka fighting him the entire way.

The beaten man lay there, breathing hitched and irregular only inches away from death. Zuko made sure Sokka didn't deliver a deadly blow, he seemed like a good guy, he didn't need that on his shoulders. Sokka was waiving his arms wildly as Zuko dragged him away. His right hand latched onto his shirt and his left arm around Sokka's torso.

"Get your hands off of me! That filthy bastard deserves so much more! And I got tons more in store for scum like him! Let me go!" Sokka apparently hadn't had enough.

Zuko ignored him and dragged him around the far corner. The dim green lights on the floor lighting the hallways. Zuko pressed Sokka up against the wall with his two fists against his collarbones. The only sounds were their harsh breathing and the low conversation sounds from the other inmates within the building.

"Get your shit together. I don't care what he did to you, but you aren't messing up my chance to get the hell out of here." He shoved Sokka against the wall again for good effort. Sokka's breathing started to slow, he looked down and nodded his head. "If I hadn't stopped you, you probably would have killed the guy. What in Agni's name did he do?"

Sokka sighed, "let us just say that Jet is the reason I'm in here ok?"

Zuko gave a grunt in acknowledgement before pulling out a rag from his pant pocket.

Zuko made sure to check to see if the coast was clear before wiping away the blood on his hands on his rag. He threw it at Sokka.

"What's next?"

Sokka eyed him wearily, "we gotta get to the laundry room unnoticed."

Zuko nodded once. "Lead the way."

Sokka lead them through a series of hallways and stairwells. Zuko stopped paying attention to where they were going, his mind getting lost in the maze they called a prison. Sokka had said that it was originally designed to prevent inmates from making it to the front gates, but being on the prison's maintenance crew for a little while, Sokka was able to trace the hallways into a map.

Finally they reached a doubled doorway leading into the laundry area. Zuko's stomach turned at the smell that wafted through the room. Sokka led them to a back corner. Sewer drains littered the floor next to an emergency water valve that looked large enough to fit through, but it probably hadn't been moved since before the start of the Great War. Sokka gave it a weary look.

"Well here goes nothing!" Sokka jumped onto the rusted wheel and turned it with all his might. It didn't even budge. "Ahh! Come on baby!" Zuko noticed his face was starting to get red. "Damn it, this thing is on tight!" he yelled.

Sokka banged his fist on the metal wheel a couple times before trying the wheel again. It was no use, the damned rusty wheel wouldn't move.

Zuko grabbed onto the other side of the wheel, with Zuko pulling down and Sokka pushing up. "Don't yell so loudly you'll alert the guards!"

"Don't tell me not to yell, Fire Nation, when you're yelling too!" Sokka pointed a finger.

"Shut-"

Footsteps, and lots of them.

"Hey! I heard something come from down this way! You, come with me and check it out!" The footsteps were getting louder.

Zuko pointed a finger towards Sokka's chest, before he could let the curses fly out of his mouth the wheel creaked on its own. Sokka stared, if Zuko didn't know any better he would have sworn the wheel had moved. Zuko and Sokka hurriedly worked the wheel again.

Creeeeeeeeeaaaak!

It had budged again! Sokka swatted away Zuko's finger. The foots steps were getting louder and the guards voices were getting clearer. It would be any second before they cleared around the corner.

The wheel spun a quarter turn and was steadily moving faster with their effort. A loud clunk resounded through the metal wall and the wheel was spinning rapidly. The door moved open a hair, but that was all Sokka needed before he swung the door open with all his might and climbed into the tunnel. Zuko was right behind him and closed the door, he spun the wheel shut and gave a resounding kick. The old metal protested under the stress and snapped off, clanking to the ground in defeat.

Zuko turned to follow Sokka and discovered him a ways down the tunnel. He was sure Water Tribe would have left him behind at the pace he was going.

"Hey you aren't any chance a fire bender? I could use some light right now!" Sokka turned towards Zuko, giving him an inquisitive look. Zuko knew he'd have to play his cards right if was going to have any chance at escaping.

"No, I'm not." Sokka eyed him again before turning and continuing down the tunnel. To Zuko's credit he wasn't a firebender, at least not right now. Even if he tried, Zuko doubted he'd even be able to warm his body. The tea would still be in effect for another couple of days, and who knows how long after that.

They sped as best they could down the cramped tunnel before there was a drop. Sokka made a screeching noise as his foot had touched air and flailed a bit before Zuko grabbed onto him and pulled him back. A thunderous noise could be heard and Zuko could have sworn from the stench it was the sewer waters of the entire prison. He tried his best to keep the bile from rising to his mouth.

"Maybe it's a good thing you aren't a firebender, with this much gas in the air you probably would have blown us sky high!" Sokka seemed to think he had been funny and laughed.

Sokka turned and looked and him with a smile, "now or never!" and then he was gone. The idiot actually jumped down into the sewers! Zuko took a deep breath of what he sure was to be his last before jumping feet first into the dark water.

The sludge drug him under, it took him all of might to stay towards the top of the current. It was difficult trying to keep his head in any direction as he was tossed like a rag doll around. He was running out of breath and if the current kept dragging him under like it was, he wasn't going to make it. His lungs were burning in his chest and his throat was closing up from the pressure. His head was spinning as he tried to reach towards what he hoped was the surface. His mind was starting to get spotty from his lack of oxygen, he needed to breathe or he was going to die. He saw flashes of little gold eyes and a tuft of black hair. Zuko tried reaching for the familiar face in his mind, he only wanted to see that face one more time.

And all too quickly, he was being thrown forcefully down, or up, he was so turned around he couldn't tell. It took him a second to realize he was in a lake and kicked with the last of his energy towards the shinning surface.

Gagging and gasping, he finally let the air inside his lungs. His chest burned in gratitude. Looking around the shoreline he saw a familiar maroon shirt off towards the shore and slowly made his way over to it.

Sokka was gasping like a fish out of water as he laid on the shore. His hair was skewed and turned black from the sludge. His ponytail long since destroyed. He spied Zuko in the water and leaned over with his arm to help him out. Zuko flopped onto the shore and stared at the sky, chest heaving and coughing the water out of his lungs. He could hear birds chirping and could feel the moss underneath his finger tips. He couldn't even remember the last time he had seen a bird. An odd feeling began to bubble out of his chest, it was rising and falling as he let out foreign sounds. He after so many years, he was finally free and he was laughing.

Sokka punched him in the shoulder, "can you stop that, you actually have a creepy laugh." Zuko stopped and rolled over.

"Screw you too," he was still panting for breath, "Dear Agni, I'm finally free." All of his combined experiences of happiness could not amount to his feelings of joy as he listened to nature as a free man. Nothing could come close to his feelings of happiness. He was finally free, after almost five years of being imprisoned because of his "suspected" firebending status, he was finally a free man.

"Oh dude…"

Zuko looked up, "what?"

"You got some in your teeth."

After a considerable amount of time, Zuko finally had ceased his vomiting when he was interrupted by the sounds of people approaching.

"Don't tell me, he's got a nervous stomach…" They were the women from before. Both of whom dressed as if they were ready for combat. One in a green and brown outfit with her shins, forearms and chest covered in leather gear. The other, the woman from the prison, was in a blue and dark grey outfit with the same leather protection gear, only hers slightly darker in color. Weapons adorned their belts. Zuko couldn't help but notice a symbol carved directly on the lower sternum of their armor. Two half moons with blunt tips facing in opposite directions with a thick outline. He knew that symbol from somewhere, but couldn't place it.

Zuko looked up and spat the vile taste in his mouth out at the river.

The one with short hair walked up to Sokka and dumped small bags at their feet.

"No time for chit-chat, we got to move."

Sprinting like wild men, they sped through the surrounding trees and kept to the outskirts of surrounding villages until they felt they were a safe distance away from the prison. They camped near a river to let the men scrub to their hearts content while the two women set up camp. As soon as they returned, they tossed the old prison uniforms into the camp fire.

The one with blue eyes looked up at them first as they came back. Sokka made a bee line for the woman with the short hair and dragged her deep into the woods. Zuko prayed they stayed out of hear shot.

"Want something to eat? It'll be a while before we make a camp like this again and have a hot meal." Zuko took the offered bowl. She eyed his outfit, "I didn't think you were that much bigger than my brother. Next time you hit a town you should exchange those clothes for a better fit." Zuko looked down. The green shirt was tight around his shoulders and stopped a couple inches before his wrists. The dark green pants looked worse, they stopped a few inches above his ankles but luckily he was able to cover that up by stuffing them in the boots. At least the boots fit, thank Agni for Sokka's large feet. "Well it seems you've kept your promise. What did Sokka say your reward was going to be?" Zuko looked away from her ice blue eyes.

"My freedom."

She looked towards her food. "I see. You may leave whenever you want then." He nodded and took a bite of his dinner. The food wasn't half bad, better than what he'd been fed in a long while and definitely better than his own cooking. After he finished his second helping he put his bowl down.

"What did it mean?"

Those ice blue eyes looked at him again. "What?"

"That code you told me, what did it mean?"

She raised an eyebrow, "oh, you mean SWT4?" He nodded. "It was a long time ago, but the Southern Water Tribe used to have specialized units that consisted of warriors who went on specific missions. Team 4 was one of them. Knowing Sokka, he probably beat Jet to a bloody pulp and didn't even say anything about it. Well, Jet was a member of team 4.

"He had only joined just recently, but he seemed dedicated. We all were. We were trying to stop the war at any cost. It had come to the point that even Fire Nation citizens hated the war, but wouldn't mention it for fear of losing everything, their lives especially. After my team completed a mission we were supposed to meet up with team 4. Jet was popular and was starting to attract a lot of people who were interested in joining our side. He even had a name for this "posse" as he called it. I can't remember the name, something like "Freedom Fighters," or something like that. Anyways, Jet was attracting a lot of attention and the people he let onto his team were not exactly the best kinds of folks to be around. After we met rendezvoused with the team, Sokka noticed something was off with them. He tried to talk to me but I wasn't about to go against someone on our side of the war. While we were outside a village, I had just returned from the market. I'm a medic so I was also trying my best to heal or cure the townspeople before our teams were leaving the area. They really needed all the help they could get." Zuko noticed her eyes seemed to darken a shade.

"I remember one little girl, Suri. She had just turned five and had broken an arm. She was so excited to see someone willing to help her. She was an orphan, you see. And I didn't care if she was Fire Nation, some things you don't do because they're just cruel." She paused for a second before continuing.

"When Jet found out that there were Fire Nation citizens in the town, he ordered his team to rig explosives along the nearby damn. He took a few extra and spread them around town. We woke up to the blasts and it was too late for us to help them. The village looked like it was sitting on burning water." She looked up into his eyes finally speaking in a softer tone, "I've never seen a child's body so mangled. He was excommunicated shortly after. We fight for justice with justice, he was fighting for his bloodlust."

Zuko could only nod. He could understand Sokka's anger, if only just a little.

She stood up abruptly and walked over to the bags. "Now if that's all, please leave. We're going to be heading out in the morning and I'm sure you have somewhere you want to get to."

A flare of anger burst through his chest. "Don't dismiss me like some pack animal, I'm not your servant."

"Then what is your business staying here?" Her eyes were glowing against the fire light.

"Nothing that would concern you, but I'm tired and I'm not about to trek through unknown woods at night." He leaned up against a nearby tree that surrounded the fire, "I'll be gone by morning." She could only give a "hmph" to his statement before turning around and carrying the used dishes to the river.

After waiting a few seconds to reassure that she was gone, Zuko leaned in towards the fire place. The heat from the fire felt just as sweet as his freedom. Slowly he got up and paced around the fire.

Surely the years of drinking that tea wouldn't effect his ability to continue firebending. He lifted a hand to coax the flames to lean towards him. They flickered and cracked like normal as if his burning desire to be reunited with his fire meant nothing. He glared into the fire as if it was the cause for his every misfortune. Anger swelled in his chest when he realized the fire wasn't even responding to his breathing. It existed with a life of its own, mocking him in his failure. The crackle of the wood sounded like a witches cackling to his ears. He had been drugged for so long, he feared that it would have long lasting effects if not permanent. He raised his arm to swipe at the mocking flames when a firm grip grabbed his wrist.

He shoved the intruder against the nearest tree. He didn't release his grasp even after he noticed that it was the woman. Her eyes showed no fear. He had become used to every bystander grimacing at his features, he knew he looked like a monster, might as well play the part.

"What do you think you're trying to pull? My contract with you is complete. I'm not a good person to be around, being housed in a prison should have helped indicate that." His hands shoved her shoulders against the tree a second time for emphasis.

She made a grab for his shirt. Funny, he couldn't feel his legs. Seconds after the thought registered in his brain Zuko found himself flying across the camping space and onto a nearby shrub. His body flew up and against another tree. He may not be able to control his body, but he sure as hell still felt the pain. He gritted his teeth as the wood dug into his back and the back of his head. His entire body was constricting, his lungs refused to let him breathe. He finally opened his eyes to glare at the woman in front of him.

"Try that stunt again and you'll be losing something you hold dear. Just because I'm a woman, don't make the mistake of thinking I'm weak and can be thrown around at your will. When I told you I was a powerful woman, I wasn't using my imagination."

Zuko gasped as he dropped to the forest floor.

"If you want your freedom then leave now. But if you decide to stay, I might make it worth your while." She crossed her arms against her chest. "My team is down one member. Stay and you'll be my right hand. Leave and you better hope you never see the likes of us again."

Zuko had finally regained his breath. He pushed himself off the floor and stalked over to her, he glared down with all his power, hoping his height would put fear in her eyes.

"What motive do I have to stay?"

"Swear to be my right hand, to serve and protect me when I ask and I will do the same for you. We, Water Tribe, take our oaths very seriously. I would be bound to my oath until my death. Besides, anyone related to the Fire Nation royalty would come in handy."

His eyes narrowed slightly. No one was privy to that information. She looked away towards the river with a smirk. She had won this round. "Your eyes gave you away. No one except the highest of royalty have golden eyes such as yours. I've hunted your kind enough to know who's legit, who's a bastard and who's a liar."

Zuko clenched his teeth as the words 'your kind' crawled into his skin. Having spent years being hunted for the sole purpose of 'being Fire Nation' toughens your skin against comments like that. 'His kind' had been running, a race of humans treated like animals whose sole purse of existence was to slaughter or be slaughtered. For being a part of the race who started the Great War, it doesn't come with any perks. Any one suspected of being Fire Nation, or Agni forbid a firebender, is immediately thrown into a prison with no questions asked. Being Fire Nation outside the Fire Nation is a fatal life choice. But unlucky for him, being in the Fire Nation was just as lethal. And guessing by the surrounding area he must have been dragged smack-dab in the middle of the Earth Kingdom.

He had no where to go. He would either die from starvation, the elements or from an angry mob. His best bet was to stay with this woman and hope he wasn't placing himself in another kind of slavery.

Against his will Zuko bowed his head and kneeled. He would stay with them until they traveled to somewhere safer, he'd make his true escape then.

"I swear to serve and protect you and only you." She couldn't help but notice his emphasis on 'only'.

As he rose from the ground she extended her hand for a warrior's grip.

"I swear by oath to serve and protect you with all the strength provided by La and the courage provided by Tui. I swear until my dying breath. The name's Katara." Her eyes had returned to their ice blue color.

"Zuko." As he clasped her forearm, she couldn't help but notice the golden freckles near his pupils that glowed in the fire light.

A/N:

I'm trying to proof-read before I submit but if there's anything I need to fix please let me know! The symbol I talked about earlier is the Adinkra symbol for freedom if you guys wanted to know what it looks like. I had the first two chapters written and I couldn't resist updating. Chapter 3 and 4 are outlined and almost fully written, so maybe they'll be out soon! No promises tho...

So I just looked at the first chapter and I realized none of my dividers were included in the upload and I'm slightly ashamed of myself…I hope they worked this time.

Comments, questions, and reviews are greatly appreciated!