Chapter Two: You are 49

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Bolin woke up slowly to find his face planted on a red, thin rug and his hands bound behind his back, blinking as his vision grew less and less blurry. The fog in his mind beginning to clear; sending alarms into his system that he was in serious trouble. He tried to Earthbend but to his shock he could not. Chiblockers. They were the only ones who could do this to him.

Feeling a slight chill on his skin, Bolin realized that his shirt, jacket, knee guards, and shoes were missing. He could not help but mumble, "That was my favorite shirt..."

Laying face down on the floor was proving to be a very uncomfortable position and turned his head. Looking about with the eye that wasn't having a meeting with the floor; he found he was in what looked like a small office. It was furnished and decorated with lots of what he would call "rich and fancy" things, though out of all of them the desk looked the most expensive. The office's tacky wallpaper and bookshelves that looked only for decoration had nothing on the huge black desk that loomed over Bolin like a dark cloud. Bolin could not help but stare at it in awe as he thought what kind of a person would need such a huge desk.

Soon Bolin's attention was caught by the sound of incoming footsteps and his heart went into his throat, already beating loudly. Swallowing some of his fear, he timidly called out, "H-Hello?"

Right then two shadows passed in his vision, nearly in the blink of an eye, and Bolin almost jumped out of his skin if it were possible. Without warning, he felt himself being hauled to his feet and the binds around his hands cut. Before he could react to this, he felt a cold touch of metal around his neck. He felt a small puncture in the back of his neck that made him gasp, "Ah!"

A slight numbness traveled from his neck along his arms. Cold bands of steel were placed on his wrists that left his hands tingling; same thing around his ankles. Bolin nervously tried to get a look at his captors but his new neck wear prevented him from moving much without pain, he nervously tried to reason with his captors, "E-Excuse me, but I don't think all this is really necessary..."

"Oh, but it is very necessary." A deep voice interrupted him. Bolin could now hear the thumping of large boots from behind him travel around him until the owner of the voice entered his gaze; coming to a stop behind the black desk.

A huge man with a black armor chestplate that reminded Bolin of the old Fire nation design he saw in a history book. Scars over the left side of the large man's face that stretched from beyond his hairline to down the man's neck made him look fearful and not the type of man you want to cross... or even meet for that matter. This man looked like he belonged on some sort of battle feild and not in an office. However, his presence behind the dark desk made Bolin feel like he was being brought before the judge of hell.

Bolin swallowed hard and decided to try his luck to get some answers, "Where am I? What's going on? Who are you?"

Bolin's questions were brushed off like dust. The man's scared face held a scowl directed at Bolin and proceeded to speak in an almost military fashon. "You will know me as the Warden and address me as Sir or Warden. Is that understood?"

"What?"

"Is that understood?" The Warden spoke harder with venom in his voice as his eyes closed to thin slits.

Bolin squeaked, "Y-Yes, sir.

"Your name will no longer be a part of you. It is something of your past, your old life. You will now be known as... number Forty-Nine. Remember that number; your old name is useless now and you will forget it. Do you understand, 49?"

Bolin hesitated, he was even more confused now than before. Forget his name? He stared shocked at the Warden until he quickly realized the Warden was waiting for his answer. "Yes sir..."

The Warden continued as Bolin's gaze turned more and more into confusion than fear. "You should know that you will not be able to bend your way to freedom, that right has been taken from you and only can be used when we say. You try to attempt an escape, there will be dire consequences. You make any sort of trouble, there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

"...Yes, sir." and Bolin could not help but wonder what sort of consequences. Not only that but what kind of fool did they take him for? There was no way in the world someone could control anyones bending. Soon any chiblocking technique they did on him will wear off and he'll get get out of here no problem.

The Warden now looked past him to the guards, barking an order. "Take him to the pits and bring in the next one!"

"Yes sir!" A unison of voices behind him and he was being pulled by the elbows backwards through a doorway. He was able to watch as another man who was missing shirt and shoes be brought into the room, and hear the Warden barking the same orders. Bolin wondered for what had to be the hundredth time, what is going on here? The guards gave him a slight shove and he was turned around to walk forwards, his feet lightly padding on the wooden platform.

Bolin was led down a metal set of winding stairs that was bolted in to a rock wall, one guard in front of him and another behind. The stairs were long and the guards were the only ones with him; he smirked smugly as he felt this was his chance to escape. He held up one of his hands in a wave, "I'm sorry to leave your party so soon, but I have to get back home, so... huh?"

He had tried to Earthbend, moving his other arm in a punch to pull a slab of rock from the wall to knock one of the guards down the stairs but the masked men simply laughed as nothing happened to them. Bolin's eyes went wide with shock and disbelief as he tried again, punching the air at the guard infront of him. Still nothing happened. The guards only snickered louder as Bolin's chest tightened in fear.

"Were you not listening, you stupid? You don't get to do anything until we say so, Earthbender. You should save your strength for the pits." The guard infront of him chuckled.

"What are the pits?" Bolin asked.

"It's where you will be working from now on." The guard simply replied. "Now, shut up."

Bolin fell silent, his gaze found his hands and he frowned concerned. If he couldn't bend he was in serious trouble. He knew he would need it to get out of this mess but what if this was permenant? Fear welled inside his throat, he might not be able to play in the tournament...

"Keep moving!" the guy behnd him pushed Bolin to move faster down the stair and out into the stale air. Bolin coughed at the change of atmosphere.

Outside the office stair, Bolin's jaw hung open as he gazed upon the vast cavern they were in. A wrenching feeing in his gut as he realized this was underground, rock walls on all dimensions and there was even a ceiling with small stalagmites. Illuminated by electric lights, he could see small rock squares that lined the far left side wall that had been hollowed out and made into dwellings, the obvious work of Earthbenders. Before Bolin had the chance to look around the cavern more, he was led though a great opening that seemed half a natural formation and half shaped by Earthbenders. The air was dark and the temperature dropped, making him shiver slightly. When he voiced about his lack of clothes, shoes namely, he got another shove and even a kick in the back.

Through the opening was dimly lit, nearly dark with much less vision, the sudden change in light caused Bolin to stop which caused the guards to kick him forwards, "Hey why's it so dark?"

"Cause what you will be digging for is sensitive to bright light during the first stages of development." A voice came up right beside him. It was gruff, but it had a kindness the guard's voices lacked. Bolin could barely make out the face of the stranger.

"Wait? What? Digging?" Bolin had so many questions for him.

"What are you doing over here? Get back to work!" One of the guards shouted at the new stranger.

"I was getting water from the well, and I am only welcoming the new one, kind sir..." the stranger's voice lowered submissively.

"Fine then, you take him! Show him how things are done around here." and Bolin was shoved to the side into the stranger's awaiting arms. He half expected to knock the stranger to the ground and was shocked when he was caught by a pair of strong arms. At the same time the tingling that he had gotten used to by then had vanished.

"Easy there, you'll injure your feet stumbling around like that," the stranger, a man, said a little too loudly.

Bolin protested as he was gently made to stand straight, "They pushed me!."

"Not so loud, they hear that and you will trip again." The man's voice had a bit more force to it, trying to get a point into Bolin's head.

"I'll show them who tripped..." Bolin muttered earning a chuckle from the man. He could tell the man was not one of the guards cause he hadn't been pushed or shoved yet.

"What is your name?" the stranger asked him.

Bolin was hesitant to answer, remembering the what was said about his name. "Bolin, but they said something about a number back there. Forty-Nine."

"Do not forget your name though they will call you by that number. Your name will be the only thing that is yours and the only thing that will keep you from going insane."

"Uh... yeah, hah like I'd forget my own name." Bolin looked up at the man and squinted, his eyes adjusting to the faint light. "And you are...?"

"I am Oda, of the village of Heshu in the Earth Kingdom. Follow me Bolin, before the guards come back." Oda pulled on his shoulder to guide him in the gloom.

"Oh, thats one of those undeveloped towns huh? Very old fashioned. N-Not that there's anything wrong with that!" Boln ended with a nervous chuckle.

"Yes, it is very "old fashioned"; but we like to think of it as keeping traditions alive." Oda chuckled also, as he made a path by gently moving boulders aside with a soft stroke of his arm.

"Where are we going?" Bolin focused his vision on the path he was being led on, to not trip over any small rocks but failing half the time as he fell to the ground more than once. He felt his toes becoming sore, the bottom of his feet already numb from the hard stone beneath them. "And why did they have to take my shoes." he rubbed his feet to try and get back some feeling.

"To the deep pit, its where we harvest ore for the Warden. And you do not need to worry about your shoes."

Bolin looked at him with an eyebrow raised, "Not sure I follow, cause my feet are sure worrying."

"You will soon find your footwear to have been a hinderance for you..." Oda walked on while Bolin was left dumbfounded by such a bizzare statement.

Oda had directed Bolin to a dead end rock wall that had one of the few dim light bulbs. Bolin could see Oda's face, covered in dirt and a grey beard that did not go an inch past his chin. Oda placed both of his hands on the wall, "Watch me, feel for the small cracks clay in the stone, thats where the ore is supposed to be found."

Bolins eyes widened as the older man felt the wall and then seemed to sink his hands into the rock, then scrape away a top layer. The layer that came off the surface crumbled into an already exhisting pile of rubble, which Bolin began to notice was being lifted into carts by other Earthbenders. They, he and Oda, were not alone and he took some comfort in that. When the carts were full, the Earthbenders stomped the ground and the carts moved along a track. The carts were quickly replaced with empty ones and Bolin wondered where those carts ended up at.

"Your shackles are inactive, have been since the guards left you with me. Why don't you give it a try?" Oda backed away from the wall.

"No." Bolin crossed his arms.

"What?"

"I said no. I don't know what's going here, but I have no intention of doing any sort of work for these guys who come out of nowhere and kidnap me."

Oda simply shook his head, "Many think that way when they first arrive, they think differently when they are punished for not working."

Bolin paused; he wasn't one to provoke punishment and his gazed turned to the ground, perhaps hoping to find all the answers to all the questions in his head written in the dirt. In the end he figured he should give it a shot rather than find out what kind of consequences would happen if he did not comply. He placed his hands on the cold rock surface just as Oda had done, using his Earthbending to scrape at the rock. He felt good having his Earthbending back though the way he was using it was far from Pro-Bending as it could possibly get. It was like digging at dirt with just your hands. Except this was solid rock and clay, and using Earthbending to make "digging" possible. He went at a slow pace trying to get the hang of it; while he toiled at the wall he tried to understand the meaning behind all of this.

"Mmm, close enough. You'll get used to it as time goes on." Oda nodded his approval of Bolin's progress and went to work along side him.

Bolin had no intentions of ever getting used to it. He concentrated on the new work, sweat already beaded his brow as this took a lot more effort than it looked, "Why are we here exactly? I mean I get that we are prisoners, and that we are supposed to dig... but why?"

"I have wondered that myself; it is the ore they are after. We are just the pawns." Oda kept a faster pace than Bolin and showed no signs of slowing.

"What kind of ore is it?" Bolin had to take a break to rub his hands which were quickly becoming as sore as his feet. His lips tightened as he found the shackles on his wrists chaffing a little.

"I do not know. All that I do know is that it is sensitive to light and that it can grow. It is very rare and even in the time I have been here, there have only been a few grains I've uncovered; however, I have never seen it." Oda turned his gaze to Bolin though his pace did not waver.

"How did you know you found some if you've never seen it?"

Oda raised an eyebrow as though he had not considered that question to be asked, "I never knew. However, the guards and the Warden always seem to know."

"Interesting..." Bolin raised his hand to his chin.

"Indeed it was."

Bolin heard footsteps and quickly went back to the wall with his hands on it and relaxed when it wasn't a masked guard. His gaze went back to the other Earthbenders that he could tell were around, "How many people are there here?"

"If I remember correctly, you said you were number Forty-Nine... then that would mean there are at present 49 of us here. A large increase over the years for certain..." Oda mused.

Bolin's eyes widened, 49 people held here against their will? Well actually Oda seemed almost content in his current situation... wait... over the years?

"Oda... just how long have you been here?" Bolin gave him a questioning look.

"I had been given the number Seven." Oda stopped in mid dig, his eyes narrowed in sorrow. "My children were young tots when we were taken, now they are fully grown. It was fortunate... and unfortunate, that my family had been taken with me, they are Earthbenders as well." and he went back to to the wall, working harder than before.

"Where do they come from? From Republic City?" Bolin stepped away from the wall and sat on a nearby rock.

"Many here are from the villages in the Earth Kingdom, Earthbenders all of us. Recently many have been coming in from the city, and so rapidly. Never have I seen such a boom in this population before; never so many arrivals in such a short time." Oda answered without stopping his work.

"Wow..." Bolin's mouth hung open slightly as he realized just how long Oda had been a prisoner here. "Must be nice to have your family with you. My brother must worried about me by now..."

"I am sorry..." was all Oda could say, it was all he could really offer. "Work now Bolin, before a guard comes around." and the older man fell silent. Bolin could hear nothing save for the sounds of the digging of him and others in the cavern.

Bolin was left to his thoughts as he continued his slow working on the layers of the wall. If the bad guys here were the Equalists, then the organization was older than anyone ever thought. But didn't the Equalists want to rid the world of benders? Why would they go through so much trouble to control a bunch of Earthbenders to dig up some rare growing ore?

His thoughts flickered then over his brother and how Mako had saved him from the Equalists last time; Bolin could not help but feel that it was all up to himself this time to get out of this mess. If he only knew how...

end chapter 2

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