"I thought we were safe, but we're dangling

And it's too far to survive the fall."

- Stiff Dylans

It would be a warm day in Koh's lair when I take orders from Prince Zuko. I never have before, so why would I start now?

That was my reasoning as to why I once again infiltrated his ship. That and I can't let the Fire Lord get his hands on the meteor. I'm getting sick of this back and forth game that Zuko and I are playing. This is the fate of the world that we're talking about; I don't have time to mess around.

And Aang being in the Fire Nation with Toph right now makes me nervous. The Fire Lord could get to them so easily. And even though I'm certain that Toph would be able to escape, the chances of her getting to Aang in time to stop Ozai from taking the Avatar powers would be slim to none. I need to prevent that from being a possibility.

Atleast I know where Zuko's chambers are this time.

I think that Appa secretly used to enjoy going on these little mission type adventures. He would get eager and excited whenever I told him that we had some stealth work to do. We've been hiding him in the South Pole for so long, I guess he just liked to have some excitement going on. Although, after seeing me tied up last night he was pretty riled up. And when I told him that we were going to see the person who did it, he didn't seem too happy. It's gotten him worried. I think he'd much rather be in the South Pole right now.

I walk quietly through the corridors of Zuko's ship, with my black hood pulled up over my head. For whatever reason, I've seen very few guards walking the halls. I saw one man who was asleep at his post. I bet Zuko would be pissed if I told him that.

Zuko's chambers are just around the corner. My new water skin is securely wrapped around my shoulder and I'm prepared to make this encounter with Zuko a quick one. Once I get back to the South Pole, I'm going to hide the meteor in ice, some dozen miles beneath the earth surface and miles away from any tribes. It'll be safe there. Even if Zuko and his men did come for it, they'd never be able to find it.

I'm in front of Zuko's door now. I try the handle, gently, and find that it's locked. If I knock, how many people do I risk waking? I have a hair pin, would I be able to pick the lock? Maybe I could get in through the vent system? That'd be perfect, because then I could maybe get in and out without him even knowing. I'm sure that the meteor is still in his room and still on his person. Zuko seems like an old-habits-die-hard kind of person.

I turn around to search for the nearest vent duct and I come face to chest with a large Fire Nation soldier. He's wearing a red and black outfit and a red helmet, with two men flanking his left and right sides. My eyes slowly trail up to meet his and my breath catches in my throat.

"Well now, what do we have here?" The guard grins smugly at me.

I am shoved forward into a large office. The guards don't loosen their iron-like grip on my arms. I can't believe that I couldn't sense or hear such large men sneaking up behind me outside of Zuko's room. He makes me so mad and flustered that it's affecting my skills. That is just not okay.

Before me, a man is sitting at an oak desk, staring down at paperwork. His hair is black, with gray streaks in it and there is a demanding air of respect around him. He reminds me of Commander Zhao, though much older and somehow more menacing.

"Sir," The guard on my right begins, "we found this girl outside the Prince's chambers. She claims to have snuck aboard when we last made port. She was carrying this." The guard holds out my water skin and the man looks up for a fleeting second to eye it. His gaze then lands on me and an awful smile spreads across his thin lips.

"What's your name?" The man asks. It's less of a question and more of a demand for the information.

I swallow softly. Playing innocent is my best bet here and that's what I intend to keep doing. "K..Kya."

His eyebrow raises. "Where are you from?" Another demand. His voice is deep and powerful.

"The Earth Kingdom." I answer, keeping a frightened look on my face. I need to get out of here without risking anyone discovering who I really am. That would be devastating for me and for Zuko. Not to mention, the Fire Lord could decide to go after the Southern Water Tribe if he finds out that I'm still alive. My getting caught could risk the lives and safety of a lot of people.

The man's smirk returns. "Oh, the Earth Kingdom. I see." His eyes are piercing and I feel as if he can see right through me. "And when exactly did you board this ship?"

"I…I don't remember." I answer in a small voice.

The man glances at my water skin and stares at it with scrutiny for a few seconds. His gaze returns to his paperwork and he waves his hand dismissively. "Very well. Two hours in the heater should jog your memory."

My heart starts to pound in my chest. What in La's name is a heater? I don't like the sound of that one bit. What have I gotten myself into?

A metal door swings open and my two guards drag me into a dimly lit circular room. There are two more soldiers standing on my left. I notice my breathing start to pick up as the humidity in the room starts to envelop me. This room is substantially warmer than the rest of the ship. I feel panicked, but atleast I know that whatever awaits me isn't death. The man in charge said he'd want to speak to me again in a few hours.

Before me is another door. It's somewhat small and has two thick metal latches across it. One of the men not holding my arms smiles at me in an awful way before turning to unlock the door. I take a deep breath and the door swings open. A blast of hot air hits me in the face, blowing my hair back behind my shoulders. I swallow thickly as I peer into the bright room that has opened up. Although, it's not much of a room at all. Not even a closet. It's a hole in the wall really, no deeper or wider than two feet in length.

Before I have time to study it anymore, I am thrust inside and the door slams shut behind me. And I immediately understand why they call this thing the heater. It is so hot in here and so dry, there isn't an ounce of moisture in the air. Oh, La. Did he really say two hours?

Within minutes, I'm entirely covered in sweat. I'm trying my hardest to keep my breathing steady, but I know that at this rate I'll be completely dehydrated in the next twenty minutes. What are they gonna do with me after this?

I peel my black robes off and let them fall to the floor. Then I start to work on my leggings and slip shirt, until I'm left standing in only black spandex and a white tank top.

I press my back against the wall and slide down it so that I'm sitting. It's cramped in here and I have to keep my knees bent to fit. I'm lucky to be small enough to sit down. I bet that male prisoners have to stay standing the entire time. That must make this torture even worse.

I lean my head back and stare up at the high ceiling. The lights in here are so bright and I'm feeling incredibly disoriented. It's just so hot. I can't think straight anymore. All I want to do is lie down and sleep. I can feel a headache creeping its way in, making my temples throb.

I start to lose track of time as I sit here minute after excruciating minute. It feels as if I've been in here for days. But where is here exactly? And how did I get here? It's so hot in here. This feels like a weird nightmare. My vision is so blurry now that I just keep my eyes closed. My head has been pounding at a steady, rhythmic pace for so long that I don't think it will ever stop. If it wasn't so hot here, I might cry. I think that if it weren't for my chi keeping my center cool, I could actually be dead right now. I'm burning alive and there aren't even any flames. My limbs ache and tingle from remaining in the same place for so long. All I want to do is lie down and sleep. I just want to sleep. And lie down. I just need some sleep…

There's a loud bang. Something grabs my arm and tears me away from my burning prison. I recognize the silhouette of a Fire Nation officer uniform. Of course! I'm still stuck aboard a ship! And the Fire Nation soldiers locked me in that hot room.

The man must not have been expecting me to be so weak, because when I fall over he actually catches me out of surprise. Another man takes hold of my left arm and they lift me up. My limbs feel like jello. How long was I asleep for?

One of the men speaks and it feels like I'm being screamed at through a microphone. His voice leaves my ears ringing and my head pounding even harder than it already was. For a moment, I think that the men have started shaking me around in their grip, but that's just my body trembling violently. I feel so nauseous.

I have to literally be dragged into the hallway. And it's freezing out here. I feel goosebumps rise up all over my body and my teeth chatter loudly. I try to hold myself up, but I can hardly feel my limbs. My head keeps lulling off to the side because I can't lift it for more than a few seconds at a time. Weak doesn't even begin to describe how I'm feeling.

I think one of the men speaks again, but I can't tell. It's hard to hear over the high pitched ringing in my ears.

We start to move again and my legs drag limply behind my body as the men tow me along. We stop after a few moments and all I can do is stare down at the tiled floor, but atleast three more men have joined us. The original guards are still halfheartedly holding me up. I just want to be able to wrap my arms around myself. It's so cold. I feel trapped inside my own non-working body.

I hear a booming voice somewhere off to the left. I wonder if it's the man in charge. I try to force myself to look up and identify the speaker, but it's no use. Instead, I focus on what is being said.

"…dead?!"

"No, sir… making…"

"That's….when I let…my prisoner!" The booming voice is becoming more distinct, like it's coming closer.

The guard on my left tightens his grip on my arm, leaving a stinging pain. "…General Yao issued punishment…"

"…don't care! … me at once! And get out!"

I feel myself being shifted around and I wish I was able to see what is going on. Only one pair of hands is keeping me held up now. "Get out!" The booming voice repeats, and I swear that it's gotten so much closer. Right next to me, even.

Another moment passes and then I get the feeling that I'm being lifted off of the ground. Where are they taking me now? Oh, La. I force my eyes to open and focus. If I'm not mistaken, my head is pressed into someone's chest. I'm in someone's arms…and we're running. Why are we running?

I let out a low groan and I realize that it's not the first. The vibrations in my throat feel very familiar. I guess it's a good sign that I can tell what my body is doing now.

A door slams shut behind me. I am let down gently onto a soft bed. A bed! Where in La's name am I? Why would I be on a bed! Who brought me here! Oh, La, please don't let this happen. Please don't let them rape me!

"No!" I shriek, fighting to make my limbs work.

"Katara!" Someone grabs tightly onto my flailing arms. "It's just me, Katara! Don't yell!" They whisper harshly.

My eyes flutter open and I can just make out a familiar silhouette hovering above me. Shaggy black hair and golden eyes. "Zuko…" I whisper.

He takes my hand. His skin is so hot that it feels like I'm going to catch fire. "I'm here. What did they do to you?"

"It's…it's so cold…" I tell him. My body trembles to convey my feelings.

"You're hotter than I am. How can you be cold?" His voice is filled with concern. His fingers lightly brush across my forehead. But I don't feel like talking anymore. I just want to sleep. All I want is sleep… Zuko shakes me awake. "No, Katara! You can't fall asleep. You have to tell me what happened."

Please, Zuko, just let me sleep. I don't have a concussion, just let me sleep. I let out a shaky breath. The only way that I'm gonna be able to sleep is if I tell Zuko what happened. Easy enough. Okay. What happened? Tell him. "The room w-was so h-hot…"

"Did they put you in the heater?" Zuko's voice approaches an angry tone and I shrink back into the pillows. "Agni damn it. I told you not to come after me, Katara. Why do you have to be so stupidly stubborn?"

I feel a blanket wrap around me and that's when my stomach lurches. "Zu…I'm g-gonna be si…" It starts to come up, along with another groan. Zuko bolts off of the bed and returns with a waste bin. He sits me at the edge of his bed and holds me over it.

My body shakes violently as I dry heave. I'd probably be vomiting, if my dehydration hadn't wiped out my system. The bile that starts to come up leaves a burning sensation in my chest and a sour taste in my mouth. The coughing and gagging noises that I keep making are ringing in my ears.

I register Zuko's fingers on my neck, pulling my hair back behind my shoulders and out of my face. His hand trails down between my shoulder blades and he traces small, comforting patterns there. I feel strangely grateful for his presence.

Everything quiets down after a few moments. Zuko leaves the bed again, only to return with a wet wash cloth and a cup of water. My hands are still trembling wildly, so he holds the glass while I swallow a small sip. My body is aching, but I'm relieved that the worst is over. As long as I never have to visit "the heater" again, I'll be happy.

Zuko lays me back on his bed and presses the wash cloth against my forehead. It's freezing cold, the exact opposite of what I want right now. But atleast it subdues my headache.

Zuko lies down beside me and tugs a blanket up to my neck. The warmth is nice and soothing. Now I can finally sleep. It hits me almost instantly, but just before I pass out I feel Zuko pull me into his arms, a heated embrace.