Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope that you like this chapter, as always I own nothing. Warning: Mention of rape, murder and torture.

We feel that if someone is bad, he should be burdened with the knowledge that he is bad. It seems to us the ultimate injustice that a person could be evil, by our assessment, and still feel fine about himself-Martha Stout

Everyone, both in the Fire Nation and out of it, knew of the Boiling Rock. The most secure prison in the nation, if not the world, from which there had been only one successful escape. If asked anyone would say that it held the worst of the worst, the most loathsome scum to be found, they would be wrong. That dubious honor lay elsewhere.

In the southernmost part of the Fire Nation was a mountain range, it bore no name and no one had ever lived there, officially anyway. After she had returned to the Fire Nation Hikari had been instructed to create a prison to hold those too dangerous even for the Boiling Rock. She had succeeded, it was her greatest and last creation, and according to the rumors she was killed to keep the place secret.

At first it had held particularly dangerous prisoners of war from the Earth Kingdom but later men and women from the Fire Nation who opposed the Fire Lord ended up there as well. Few people had ever known about the prison and officially it had been closed when Zuko became Fire Lord that was a lie. The end of the war had left a number of war criminals, soldiers and officers guilty of a variety crimes, many too terrible to contemplate. Zuko could not bring himself to have them executed but they needed to be confined at this most secret of all prisons. Many considered being sent there a fate worse than death; the reason that the prison was placed there was because it was the only place in the Fire Nation cold enough for there to be snow all of the year round. The cold sapped firebenders yet that was not the only the way the prison weakened them, nor even the worse, the prison was built into the mountain. To be sent there was to live the rest of one's life in constant cold and never seen the light of the sun again.

Zuko hated the idea of the place but could think of no alternative, he had never told his children about the prison and Zokar doubted that Akemi knew about it. Zokar only knew because he had a habit of snooping through papers, something his aunt had encourage. He had found a file on the prison and had read it with horrified fascination. Included in the reports were the records of all the prisoners confined, included one Major Masaru. What the records said the man had done had given Zokar nightmares for days afterward but at the present moment only one detail concerned him, the man had been head of security for the facility that Zokar needed to get into.

When they arrived home Zokar called Lieutenant Lee and Anana into his cabin, once he was certain that they could not be overheard he turned toward them.

"I have a task for you two, one that must be done with utmost discretion." Lee merely nodded but Anana leered lustfully.

"Oh, is the little prince going on a mission to become a man?" Lee turned toward her, outrage on his face, but then notice that Zokar hadn't reacted.

"My lord?"

"No," Zokar said, "This is not for some assignation. I have a task for you two, like I said.

"Lee, I am going to need for you to take leave, as my aid that shouldn't be two difficult. Anana, I need you to find us a ship, or boat, something that can get us to the Earth Kingdom and back and then get us supplies for such a trip." Now they were both looking at him strangely.

"My lord, what is going on?" Lee asked, "Can't we just requisition a ship and the supplies we need?"

"No, we cannot, as officially we never leave the Fire Nation." Anana smiled again.

"Oh this is getting interesting, where are we going?"

"Just get what we need and be sure to bring extra." The both rose, Lee bowed formally, Anana made hers' a mocking parody. They then left. Zokar waited a moment and then spoke to the air.

"You can come out now." Silent as always Haruko appeared from the shadows and fell into a bow. "You heard?" She nodded, waiting for his signal to rise. "I have a task for you as well; I need you to follow Anana, make sure she doesn't talk to anyone about what she is up to, if she does, kill her." If she was surprised, she gave no sign, she merely rose and departed.

Zokar sighed, feeling ill. In truth he did not think that Anana would actually talk, she was too intelligent for that. No, in truth, he just wanted her away from him for what was coming next, he did not want her to see what he was about to do.

He left the ship, leaving word with his servant to tell Lee and Anana that he would meet up with them in as soon as he could. He then headed straight for the palace. The servants and courtiers all seemed happy to see him but he was distracted and remote. When he arrived at the throne room he was informed that his sister was meeting with the new ambassador from the Northern Water Tribe, all to the good. He made sure he was alone and then moved to the Fire Lord's private office, aside from the Fire Lord no one was allowed to enter this place without permission so he needed to move fast.

He went to the safe in the back of the room and took out the lock picking tools he had brought, a gift from his aunt after she had taught him how to use them. It seemed to take forever but at last he heard the click that signaled that he had succeeded. He opened the safe and there was his objective, the royal signet ring. Technically, the Fire Lord was always supposed to have it on them but Akemi found it bulky and uncomfortable and only brought it out when she needed to stamp an official paper. Zokar moved to the desk and took out a piece of paper, paper designed specifically for the royal usage. He then took out the wax and heated it till it dripped down onto the paper, he then pressed the seal onto the wax. With that done he replaced the seal and hid the paper in his clothing and hurried from the room. He got back to the throne room just as Akemi entered the room. As soon as she saw him her face lit up, she looked like she would run to him but then remembered the dignity of her office.

"Fire Lord." Zokar said, performing the expected bow.

"General," she said, her tone schooled to the calm detachment that was expected of her; "I am pleased to see that you have arrived home safely." Her expression then cracked and she smiled; "I was worried about you." Zokar smiled in what he hoped was a cocky manner.

"You know me, practically indestructible." She smirked for a moment and then her expression became serious again.

"And the matter I wrote to you about?" Zokar reached into his clothing and brought out the bag of powder and handed it to her.

"I am still working on getting the formula for it. I hope to have it soon but I fear that I shall have to leave again and I do not know when I shall be back." At this her face fell even further.

"Do you have to leave so soon? I was hoping that we could spend some time together, just the two of us and we could forget the war for a while." She looked so disappointed that Zokar felt his heart constrict inside him but he remembered the Earth Kingdom weapons and he envisioned them being used on the Fire Nation and that hardened his resolve.

"I am sorry but I must go and at once. I am so sorry." He made to go but she suddenly, and in complete disregard of protocol, threw herself forward in a fierce hug.

"Oh Zokar," she gasped out; "I am just so tired. I want Mother and Father back, I want this war to stop. I just want everything to be normal again." She hugged him so hard he feared she would feel the paper he hid or she would break the seal. For this reason, though he returned the hug he ended it as quickly as possible. He could see that she was surprised and hurt by this and he could not stand that so he hurried from the room.

He left the palace at one, he feared that if he stayed he would run into his aunt and she would likely see through his efforts to hide his motives. So he went straight to stables and got a fresh mount and departed. He rode steadily, stopping as infrequently and as briefly as possible till sunset. He had brought spare clothing and had changed into them. They were still of fine quality but not as fine as he normally wore, more suited to the son of a wealthy nobleman. He passed the night in a small inn. Once he had retired to his room he took out the paper, smoothed it out and began to write.

And so it went for nearly a week till he had left all civilization behind and he drew near his destination. One the fifth day he was within a few miles of his destination. He rode steadily but not too quickly, given the observers that he knew were present to see he posed no threat, he had changed back into his royal garments. At last he crested the top of a hill and looked down into the valley which was at the base of the mountain. Within the valley was the buildings which housed the guards when they were off duty, It was a walled cluster of buildings, half barracks half town, of greater interest to him were the half dozen guards arrayed at the gate.

Zokar halted and waited for them to approach him. When they drew within speaking distance he addressed their leader, a woman nearing fifty with short, gray hair and a face which seemed more scares than anything else.

"You know who I am?" Zokar asked, making sure that his voice was as stern and regal as possible, making sure that none of his nervousness show in his tone or face. The woman nodded, her face a blank mask.

"You are the commander of this place?" Zokar asked. Again the woman nodded.

"I am Colonel Hikari and I command this place. Why is the price of the Fire Nation doing here?" Zokar, his palms sweating, his breath threatening to come in short gasps and his heart beating so fast he was certain that it would burst from his chest, drew the paper he had taken and handed it to her.

"I am authorized to take Major Masaru into my custody for purposes of highest secrecy." At his words Colonel Hikari's expression drew into a scowl.

"You are aware of what that…person did?" She asked, her voice little more than a hiss.

"Believe me," Zokar said and here he did not have to hide his feelings; "If I could avoid having to make use of him I would." The honesty of this statement must have been clear in his voice as Colonel Hikari merely nodded and said nothing. "It also goes without saying," Zokar continued; "That you will say nothing of this and make no entry into any official records or messages."

"Of course," Colonel Hikari replied; "I don't want to even think about that piece of filth let alone write about him."

They proceeded through the base in silence till they came to the gate leading into the prison, or rather the elevator which would take them to the prison which was located near the top of the mountain. Zokar could have sworn that the temperature dropped as they ascended, it seemed to seep into his bones, making him feel like he was forgetting what it felt like to be warm. Once they left the elevator Colonel Hikari led him to her spartan office and sent her aid to fetch Masaru. In about five minutes the man brought the prisoner into the office. Zokar had read about the man and already was repulsed by the man but he had not prepared to be physically repulsed as well.

Masaru was of medium height; he had once been a trim man but had let himself run to fat. Years deprived of natural light had given him an unhealthy pallor. The man clearly shaved infrequently and his jowls were cover with several days' worth of stubble. Though the prison had plenty of light it was still dimmer than natural daylight and living in it for years had given Masaru a bug-eyed look to him.

"Warden," Masaru said, giving the colonel a leer; "Bringing me to your office, I knew you couldn't resist my charms." Colonel Hikari gave him a look of pure loathing. Before she could say anything Zokar interjected.

"Colonel, I think it might be better if we spoke alone." She looked as if she was torn between wanting to be away from Masaru and her duty to remain. At last she gave in and nodded. She and her aid then left the room. As the door shut behind them Masaru turned to regard Zokar.

"I don't usually like boys and you're a little old for my taste."

"So sorry to disappoint you." Zokar said, his tone dry and sarcastic. "But I am not here to relieve your…urges. But I am in a position to see to it that you can be meet them." Masaru looked at him, his expression curious. Zokar indicated a chair and the man sat down. Though he didn't need to, having read it repeatedly, Zokar took out the man's file.

"Masaru, formerly Major Masaru of the Fifth Army. Convicted of after the war of crimes which included theft, torture, murder…" Zokar paused, feeling the bile rise in his throat but forced it down. "The abduction and rape of an unknown number of children." Masaru leaned back and smiled, as if remembering a fond memory.

"Oh yes, good times. You should have heard them squeal. Their so nice at the age, so soft and so breakable and so little tolerance for pain." Zokar could take no more.

"Enough, I don't need to hear about your proclivities. What interests me is the time you spent at a certain facility in the southern Earth Kingdom."

"Oh, that facility. Yeah, that place was fun."

"You remember the facility well then?"

"Oh yes."

"The Earth Kingdom has taken over the facility and is storing something there of great value. I need to enter the facility and retrieve it without being seen. Can it be done?" Masaru leaned forward, a calculating look on his face.

"Well, that is an interesting problem indeed. However; I fail to see how that concerns me. I mean, I understand how I could be of help to you, I just don't see why I should." Zokar took the paper and handed it to the man, careful to avoid touching the man.

"As you can see, I am authorized by the Fire Lord to take you from this facility. If you agree to assist us you will be granted a full pardon for past misdeeds. I can also grant you some monetary compensation from the Royal Family finances." Masaru read the paper for a moment and then handed the paper back.

"Then I am your man, my price." Zokar felt dirty.

Author's Notes: Hey everyone, I hope you liked it. Did it get too gross there? I wanted to show a darker side, that sometimes to save the country Zokar has to do some things that he is not proud of. We will see where this goes next time. Till then pleas pray for the Christians who have been taken by ISIS, a friend of my sisters who lost her child, another who has a sick child, all those who have lost loved ones, the sick and all who need prayer. Bye and may Jesus bless you.