Chapter 4: Cold Heartless Metal
Yeah, it's been a while since I posted anything really on this site. Mainly because I moved to a new city.
But still I promise to write more now that my life is beginning to stabilize.
Hope you enjoy my latest chapter.
Ian and Katara were slightly intimated by giant prison rig that slowly towered above them made of cold, heartless metal.
The boat slowly approach the prison. Each second every prisoner, Ian and Katara included, were filled with dread. Ian just hopped the guards were less imitating compared to his experience with the Daleks on Skaro. Though he doubted that was to be the case.
Soon the boat was docked to the rig and its prisoners were transferred into the actual prison, the only source of land for miles. The metal floor felt cold on Ian and Katara's feet even with shoes on. The prisoners were put in a line, all of them with a range of emotion on their faces, from dreary to scorn. Except for two of them. Can you guess who?
After the prisoners were lined up, the warden of the prison entered loading area of his rig. Ian could tell that Warden's face was a man of cruelty and sadism. Overall a man that Ian recognized as a bully.
The Warden then spoke in a voice full of smugness, "Earthbenders. It is my pleasure to welcome you aboard my modest shipyard. I am your warden. I prefer to think of you not as prisoners, but as honored guests. And I hope you come to think of me as your humble and caring host."
Both Ian and Katara highly doubted the Warden's claims as an honorable host.
The Warden continued his smug speech, "You will succeed here, if you simply abide…"
An inmate at the end of the row then suddenly lightly coughed interrupting the Warden's speech. The Warden then firebend at the coughing prisoner in anger.
After intimating his prisoner with his firebending, the Warden then yelled angrily, "What kind of guest dishonors his host by interrupting him?! Take him below! One week in solitary will improve his manners."
Two guards obeyed their commander's orders and took the coughing prisoner away. Ian and Katara's expression soured even more with this pitiful action by the Warden.
The Warden then continued his speech, "Simply treat me with the courtesy that I give you and we'll get along famously." As he finished his smug speech, the Warden approached Katara and stood hoping to intimate the young woman.
But Katara never changed her expression as the Warden stood over her. Ian almost smiled at Katara's resolve.
The prisoners were then lead to away from the dock to the heart of the prison, the Warden then continued on with his speech.
"You will notice, earthbenders, that this rig is made entirely of metal. You are miles away from any rock or earth."
Ian and Katara looked down as they were crossing a bridge. Bellow, they saw various of prisoners laboring away at various of tasks for the Fire Nation were giving them. They all had one propose. To demoralize the various of earthbenders into a state of hopelessness.
The Warden then spoke on with his smug speech. "So, if you have any illusions about employing that brutish savagery that passes for bending among you people forget them. It is impossible. Good day."
The Warden then left after finishing his speech. The remaining guards escorted the prisoners to the courtyard where various of other prisoners were in a similar demoralized state of being.
Ian and Katara walked around the courtyard hoping to find Haru. But Haru found them.
"Ian? Katara?" The young earthbender said confusingly to the false earthbenders.
"Haru." Katara immediately ran towards Haru and hugged him. Ian couldn't help but smile.
Haru then asked after he finished hugging Katara, "But what are you two doing here."
Katara explained, "It's my fault that you are here. We came to rescue you."
"So, you two got yourselves arrested?"
Ian then spoke, "Well it's not like that we could ask where the Fire Nation sent you."
All three lightly chuckled.
"Well you two got guts. I'll give you that." Haru said with some awe.
Ian continued, "Well it was nothing for me. Maybe I might tell you and Katara the time how me and Barbara, along with some Thals, snuck into the Dalek City on Skaro."
Haru then walked towards where he was sitting and said to the two new arrivals, "Come on. There's someone I want you two to meet."
Haru escorted Ian and Katara to a circle of men, all of them, like the others were looking depressed and had faces full of hopelessness. The oldest of the group noticed them and stood up.
"Katara. Ian. This is my father. Tyro. Dad, this is Katara and Ian." Haru introduced the new arrivals to his dad.
Katara greeted the prisoner, "It's an honor to meet you two."
Ian shook Tyro's hand, which the old earthbender accepted.
Tyro then gave the new arrivals each a bowl of soup, "Have some dinner you two."
Ian looked at the soup. It looked no different than the ones he had during his two years of national service. He looked at Katara's face, which had a face of grimace.
Tyro noticed and said, "It's not as bad as it looks."
Both of them tasted the soup. It was bad. Ian, trying to polite, pretended to like it, even if Tyro most likely didn't make it. Katara on the other hand, gaged in disgust at the taste of it.
Tyro chuckled slightly. "Still pretty bad though."
Another prisoner approached the group. "Tyro, the prisoners are complaining there aren't enough blankets to go around."
"I'll talk to the guards. In the meantime, make sure the elderly are taken care of. The rest of us will simply have to hope for warmer weather."
"If you don't mind me asking, what's your escape plan?" Katara asked Tyro.
"Excuse me?" Tyro responded.
"You know. To escape this earthbending prison." Ian explained.
"What is it?" Katara asked again, "Mutiny, sabotage?"
"The plan?" Tyro said with slight shock, "The plan is to survive. Wait out this war. Hope that one day some of us can get back home and forget this ever happened."
Katara was shocked and said, "How can you say that? You sound like you've already given up."
Tyro and the other earthbending prisoners reminded Ian of Alydon and the other Thals refusal to fight the Daleks, even after they had exterminated the Thals leader, Temmosus. It took Ian and his friends to convince the Thals to stand up against the Daleks by pretending to sell a Thal named Dyoni to the pepper pots. Which convinced Alydon to attack Ian and prove to them that fighting was possible to his people.
Ian added into the conversation, "But she's right though. You can't let these guards oppress you. Just because you have the ability to control rocks instead of producing flames. You and your fellow earthbenders must have some fighting spirit left in them."
Tyro responded, "Katara, Ian, I admire your courage. And I envy your youth. But people's lives are at stake here. The warden is a ruthless man, and he won't stand for any rebellion. I'm sorry, but we're powerless."
"We'll see about that." Katara said with fiery determinism on her face.
Ian was thinking about what to do with Tyro, Haru, and other earthbenders. The plan that he used with the Thals on Skaro would not work with these earthbenders most likely. But before Ian could think of anything else he heard a loud clang from the wall of the courtyard, it was Katara clanging a metal spoon and a bowel to get everyones attention.
"Earthbenders! You don't know me, but I know of you. Every child in my Water Tribe village was rocked to sleep with stories of the brave Earth Kingdom, and the courageous earthbenders who guard its borders." Katara said with zeal and passion.
Above the courtyard, on the walkway overlooking it. Katara's speech caught the attention of not just the guards, but also a certain Warden as well. They decided to listen to what this new prisoner had to say, after all the new ones had the most spirit in them at the beginning of their stay here.
"Some of you may think that the Fire Nation has made you powerless. Yes, they have taken away your ability to bend. But they can't take away your courage. And it is your courage they should truly fear! Because it runs deeper than any mine you've been forced to dig, any ocean that keeps you far from home! It is the strength of your hearts that make you who you are. Hearts that will remain unbroken when all rock and stone has eroded away. The time to fight back is now! I can tell you the Avatar has returned! So remember your courage earthbenders, let us fight for our freedom!" Katara finished her speech, but nothing seemed to wake up their spirits. Not even a glimmer in their eyes.
Ian walked up to Katara and said to the young waterbender, "Perhaps I should give my own speech to our fellow inmates."
"I doubt that whatever speech you have planned will work." Katara said, her voice full disappointment, "But good luck nonetheless."
Ian then went to the same spot where Katara gave her speech.
"Earthbenders hear me!" Ian yelled as far as his voice could yell. "I am a strangers not just to your place, but also your time as well. I'm what you might call a time traveler, but I don't travel for a holiday. No, my friends and I travel through time and space righting wrongs and making things just. We do it because we are never cruel and cowardly. We never give up and never give in. Early in our travels I once met a group of people called the Thals who were about to be exterminated by things called Daleks. While I admit it took a little bit of convincing, in the end we helped the Thals defeat the Daleks and ensured a new age of prosperity for them."
While Ian was giving his speech, the Warden watched with utter annoyance. While he was able to tolerate that little girl's speech. Random man might inspire some kind rebellion on his rig. After all he wanted to be on the Fire Lord's good graces. So he motioned the guards to deal with this crazy tale made of silly names.
"Or how about another tale, from my own world in fact. My country was in a war probably like this one. It was filled tyranny and oppression, but also hope and courage. It was during the darkest days of the war for my country of the United Kingdom, we had lost our biggest ally France to the enemy country of Germany and all hope had seemed lost. But our Prime Minister, a man by the name of Winston Churchill, gave the people of my country a speech that reinvigorated our patriotism as well as hope. While I can't remember all of it unfortunately I do remember the most important part of it, "We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surren…"
Ian's speech was interrupted by a fireball that nearly hit him, luckily he was able to dodge it just in time.
The Warden, accompanied by several guards, got out of his bending pose and yelled, "New to my prison and already you are inciting rebellion!"
Ian then responded by saying, "Well I've done it once, might as well do it again."
"I'll not be intimidated by such tall tales! Guards! Take him solitary confinement for a month!" The Warden ordered his guards.
Ian knew it would be no use fighting the guards, especially ones that can control fire, so he put his hands up and put his knees on the ground. Though even with his sign of compliance, one of the guards did punch Ian in the stomach.
Katara tired to run over to help her new friend, but Haru and Tyro held her back. She still yelled to the Warden, "Why pick him and not me as well! Come on fight me!"
The Warden chuckled, "A little girl like you inspiring a rebellion in my prison." He, along with several guards laughed. "If nothing else it's cute. Now go back to cooking for the rest of your fellow inmates." He continued laughing some more as he walked away and his guards took Ian to solitary.
But Katara still had plenty of willpower in herself yet.
It was the middle of the night when Aang and Susan woke up Katara. They led her to where Appa, carrying the others, was waiting at the edge of the prison yard.
"Your 12 hours of are up, where's Haru? We've gotta get out of here." Sokka quietly said with impatience in his voice.
Barbara then said with worry, "Wait, where's Ian?"
"The guards took Ian to solitary. But even if he wasn't, I still won't leave." Katara explained with determination in her voice.
"What!" The Doctor yelled quietly, "There are guards everywhere. Let's leave this prison and think of a plan to rescue Chesterton."
"I'm not leaving." Katara said still firm on her answer, "I'm not giving up on these people."
And that's all for now folks.
Don't have much in terms of references other then the continuity nods to "The Daleks".
Also as for the re-upload, it's I seem to not get any reviews from you fans. Just retype them and I can see them. I really appreciate them a lot.
Anyway, tofa and you fans next time.
Next Chapter: Revolution
