Dreams and Memories
Flames, flames were everywhere.
And screams, so many screams.
Couldn't move, buried under broken wood.
Can barely breath.
Can see them(No.), they're screaming(No!), burning(Mom! Dad!)!
Can't move, can't help, they're gone.
I shook my head, now wasn't the time to be reminiscing about that day; I had a mission to complete and assholes to take down.
"You my transportation?" It wasn't immediately apparent that the sandbender was a woman, all the wraps and how she was leaning against her sand-sailer obscured her figure.
"You the one that 'Yamada' mentioned?" she only turned her head slightly to cast her eyes in my direction, looking me up and down, sizing me up.
"Yeah, he said you could get me to a certain spot in the desert..." I trailed off not wanting to give anything away, in case she wasn't my ride, but with the enemy.
"Yeah, get on." she gestured towards the sailer with her head before climbing up on to it herself; I followed suit shortly afterwards, making sure to get a good look at her. It was hard to discern much considering the heavy sandbender wraps she wore, the only real thing I could tell was the double cross swords she had on the sailer.
The woman quickly created a swirling plume of sand, the sail went and taut and the entire thing swung around with surprising agility; I honestly didn't expect them to be able to handle like that. The sand-sailer was pretty damn fast; good I needed to get my mission done as soon as possible and hope that the Fist wasn't ready to make the move they seemed to be planning.
Plus I was itching to get at them a bit myself, what with my history with these bastards.
Everything was wonderful, the bed was warm and comfortable, I was wrapped in the arms of my dusky skinned beauty, she drew my attention with dotted kisses.
I giggled at her playfulness and her appetite for me.
She started to nudge me, her kisses not rousing me.
"Asami." the sound of her voice saying my name was divine, even if she'd now moved on to poking.
"Asami." the hint of desperation convinced me to stir and turn to face this utterly beautiful girl and just drink in the site.
"Korra..." she was so beautiful.
"Wake up, Asami." I smiled, "Wake up, Asami." huh? Something was wrong. Very Wrong.
My eyes started to flutter open as the comfort of my dream left me, replaced by stiff muscles, a hard floor and sore restrained wrists; how wonderful. I found myself staring up into the blue eyes and for a second I thought it was her, but I was wrong.
"A-Arika?" that was her name, I could just about remember as it all started to come back to me. Finding Arika in the middle of the desert. The rather odd swapping of introductions. Getting jumped by sandbenders. Cracking one in the jaw on my down. I couldn't help but smirk briefly at the small victory I'd managed as Arika helped me into a sitting position; my head still pounding. "Are you okay?"
I saw that Arika likewise had her wrists bound as she gave me a nod in response. Looking around I noticed that we were in some kind of underground prison, I was instantly reminded of the Equalists' underground prison that me and the others had searched for Korra in. This one was different however, it seemed cruder and rougher, like it had been carved out by earthbending in a rush; had these guys only just made it?
"Send word!" my ears perked up, a tad painfully with my still pounding head, at one of the guards calling to his companion, "The prisoners are both awake," I hadn't even noticed the guards at either side of the cell. "The prince will want to know!" Prince? What prince? I suddenly had a bad feeling about this, but I couldn't do anything escape yet.
"We've arrived." my new sandbender buddy brought the sand-sailer to a gentle stop before jumping off and waiting for me to do the same. Following her she led me to a nearby sand dune gesturing to me to stay low. We peeked over the dune and she pointed the dim light coming from the small entrance poking out of the sand a short distance from the huge Si Wong rock. "There's the entrance, I'll take my leave now."
As I looked over my shoulder to see her leave, I called out "Thanks for the lift, Ms... I didn't catch your name..." She was climbing back onto her sailer pausing for a moment before turning to address me.
"Midori." she called out just before she conjuring up a swirling plume of sand again, swinging the craft around so as to hit me with a wave of sand as she left; how rude. Now I just had to sneak up on and kill some guards for their weapons; on site procurement could be kind of annoying sometimes.
I approached from behind the tunnel on top of the dune covering it, ready to drop on the guards, now I just had to decide how to take them out; neck snapping, throat slashing or I could just stab them right in the heart with their own swords. Decisions, decisions.
"Did you hear about the prisoners that the dusters picked up?"Dusters? The sandbenders picked some prisoners? Not part of my mission-
"Yeah a couple of girls I hear." Crap, rescuing prisoners was not part of the mission, and I couldn't really get sidetracked, but I knew these bastards too well to leave those prisoners in their care.
"I heard the prince wants to give them a looking over." Prince?! Crap, they were moving on with the plan. No time to lose, I had to do this mission whilst there was still an opening. Time to snap some necks.
This tunnel I was on top of seemed to be made from earthbent sandstone, not the most durable of materials; perfect for a dynamic entry.
Moving into a squat I gave a jump as high as I could and stomped with both feet straight now. I came through right behind the two stunned guards, snapping forward I grabbed one from behind by the neck.
Two simple motions and I was rewarded with the usual cracking sound or a snapped neck.
I grabbed the handle of his sheathed sword, drawing it as his body fell to the ground.
Swinging around to slash bring the sword up and slash.
My entrance had surprised them both and the second guard hadn't even reacted yet; easy target.
The bewildered second guard slipped to the ground holding his bleeding throat, gasping for air, trying to crawl away. No point in leaving him to suffer; one downward stab through his ribs into his heart and his end came quickly.
Two swords and knife, not bad guess I could get a good throw out of the knife, I really wish someone would invent a long range weapon for a non-bender besides a bow, just seems like it would be pretty useful.
Who was this prince the guards had called for, I didn't think sandbenders had any form of royalty and the guards didn't seem like sandbenders, I thought sandbenders were nomadic; not that I really knew much about sand-
"Asami." I turned to meet the gentle nudge from my new friend. "Do you have any idea how we're going to get out of here?" Arika was whispering, trying t make sure the guards didn't hear.
"Not sure, we don't really know enough to think of a decent plan." The best idea would be to try and jump the guards when they deliver food or something, but without knowing the layout of this place, we might easily get lost and recaptured. We needed more information, I looked at Arika and gave a small shush as I crept towards bars of the cell, trying to hear the guards; hoping for something useful.
Two guards on either side of the cell, they didn't look to be dressed like sandbenders, they wore some type of armour coloured with different shades of dark red; it seemed familiar somehow, I'd almost definitely seen it before somewhere.
"I know man, I miss the servants too, nothing quite like good tea when stuck on guard duty." Servants? Tea? Did they have those at their last base or something? Who were these guys?
"At least the dusters did a decent job with this place, not that we really needed a prison." Dusters? Must've been talking about sandbenders, but he talked as if they weren't sandbenders themselves, who the hell were these guys?
"Yeah, I mean other than cell ze- Hey!" Crap he noticed me eavesdropping, I sprung back as he smacked the blade of his naginita into the bars.
"Asami!" Arika rushed to my side as I stumbled back and landed on my rear. "Don't be getting any thoughts of escape, mongrel!" Huh?
"Mongrel?" Did he really just call me a mongrel? I was trying to figure out how this might give away who they were, but my train of thought was interrupted by a third figure just coming into view
"Mongrel, as in half-breed." the appearance of this tall and menacing dark haired man had the guards suddenly back up, bow and hurriedly mumble out something along the lines of "Honoured by your presence my prince." So It was safe to assume that this was the man in charge looking down his nose at me and Arika, who was now holding onto my arm for safety it seemed.
What was more interesting than the apparent prince was his escort. He was flanked by two people wearing the same dark red armour as the guards, but this time they also wore helmets with skull white faceplates, now I remembered where I had seen this armour before; in my history textbooks. They wore old fire nation imperial armour and I could think of only one organization that wore that armour.
"The Fist of the Phoenix."
"Ah, so you've heard of our noble movement then, Ms. Sato." I met the mention of my name with a glare, "Oh don't be so surprised, your face has been in all the papers and your impure heritage is well known." The insult transformed my glare into a scowl.
"Who are you?" I couldn't think of anything else to say.
"Ah, yes I suppose I do have you at a disadvantage," He was smirking now, I'd seen the same look on others who felt completely assured in their position. "I am Prince Azulon the 2nd, grandson of the late Princess Azula,-" I instinctually interrupted.
"Your lying." I really wish I hadn't said that, now he was going wonder how I know; but I couldn't let anyone find out.
"And how exactly would a half-breed such as yourself know of such things?" he narrowed his eyes studying my reaction, I couldn't let anything on, but I had to say something or he might pry deeper and I'd rather he not find out the big secret. Perhaps some irony would save me.
"In my line of work it helps to know how to see through a lie." It wasn't untrue, so he shouldn't notice any of the tell tale signs of a lie; and it seemed he didn't.
"Quite true, though you are mistaken in this case, as will soon be proven." I wasn't sure that he believed me, but I was glad that he wasn't pressing further; plus what did he mean by 'as will soon be proven'?.
As he turned to leave he addressed the guards, "A pair of firebenders will be down soon to relive you and conduct a full interrogation." and with that he left. A full interrogation? That didn't sound good.
A little girl, afraid, tears, crying, alone, stolen.
Last sight, the knife and pain.
Then burning and a word, "cauterize" and more pain; much more pain.
Little girl, crying for pain to stop, pain never stops.
Alone in my wooden cell, can't bend, can't kill. Guards talking, complaining about having to watch "Zero". They don't hear the scratching, my slow scratching, wood restrains ready to crack soon. Get loose, bend, crush, kill, soon.
It had been awhile since the visit from the "prince" and the firebenders had just arrived sending the guards that had been watching us till now away. There were two of them one ready to strike as the other unlocked the cell.
"Opposite walls, now!" The one ready to strike barked at us, I glanced at my new friend Arika and our eyes met for a moment and I gave a nod. As we both moved away from each other I noted that Arika seemed to be handling the situation better, barely a hint of fear in her expression.
After we had both reached the walls Arika was beckoned over the cell door were they undid her restraints before turning her around roughly and refastening them so that her hands were now tied behind her back. I was then also beckoned over to undergo the same, with the exception that I quickly turned of my own accord, wanting to gain a small measure of control.
Then began the walk to whatever passed for an interrogation room in this place, both me and Arika held by a captor each by the restrains around our hands. There were a lot of side passages we were passing by that might hold a place to hide.
I was about to fake a small trip so I could get into a position that I could kick off the ground and launch myself as hard as I could at the guards holding me when something unexpected happened.
Arika sprang into action. She jumped up, kicked off the wall and spin kicked the firebender behind her, stumbling him back onto his arse.
"Wha-" I was barely halfway though my utter amassment before my own captor slammed me into the wall; I'd let my guard down when Arika displayed her unexpected skill.
"Asami!" Arika called out my name just before she was tackled to the ground by the firebender she'd knocked down. Well, this escape attempt has gone terribly.
"I think," the firebender on top of Arika began as he conjured a fire dagger from a closed fist, "that you need a small lesson in manners." The venom and malice was more than evident in his voice as he slowly moved the dagger closer to the clearly terrified Arika.
I was about to call out to the bastard to leave her alone when something else unexpected happened.
"Funny, I was about to suggest the same about you." The surprised firebender's only hint of warning as he turned was slight hiss through the air; then there was a knife handle protruding from his mask's eye hole.
"GAAAHHHH!" and he was screaming.
Meanwhile the guard holding me received a punch to throat, right underneath his helmet, from the suddenly appeared rescuer.
The throat punched guard was then tossed into the knifed eye guard, there was a brief flash as a pair or swords were drawn and used in the space of a few seconds to dispatch the two firebenders.
Time seemed to sand still for a small eternity before the woman seethed her swords. It was a woman, a strong woman, the clothes wouldn't have given away the muscular build if I hadn't spent time admiring a certain other woman's muscular build.
"Th-thank you." Arika was the first to speak, giving thanks to our rescuer.
"No problem." She responded as she bent over to retrieve the knife from the now dead guard, she also seemed to be searching them for something.
"Who are you?" it might've been a tad rude, but it'd been a long day and that was the only with that popped into my mind at this point.
"I'm with the United Forces, " she seemed to have found what she was looking for, keys.
"Special Tactics and Reconnaissance division." she walked over to me with the keys from the dead guard to undo my restraints .
"I'm Commander Shepard, here to help."
AN: Dun dun dun. So that's who it was I wonder who managed to guess that (Bonnefeta at least). Okay so the mystery character has been unveiled, the villain has been established and a new mystery in one little passage.
As always please leave a review.
Also, were the fight scenes hard to read? I was quite worried about that.