Chapter 9
LOK
Number 49
Disclaimer: I have no ownership of Legend of Korra.
Korra groaned as she was woken up by a sudden flood of light, holding her hand to her eyes as even the dim glow hurt her vision. The first thought that came to her mind was where the heck was she?
"Good morning. Did you sleep alright?" a deep voice asked.
Oh that's right she had no clue as to where she was other than it was dark, surrounded by rock on all sides and the hosts had bad habits of throwing young ladies several stories to their deaths. The waking groans of Bolin beside her made her relax only some, they were still prisoners. Korra cautiously brought her hand away from her eyes. In her line of sight, in the doorway of the hut, stooped a large figure. It was the man who helped Bolin save her from her fall. Sleep? Sure. A good sleep is one where a stone wall is all that stands between you and hungry monsters.
"O-Oda right?" Korra managed to croak. Her throat was a little sore from yelling in the past three days, but also she was feeling very thirsty.
The man nodded as his gaze shifted from her to beside her and Korra turned her head. Bolin was sitting up rubbing his eyes, which seemed to tear up because of the light.
"Is it time already?" The young Earthbender mumbled.
"It is." Oda's tone was solemn.
Korra's head turned from her friend to the older man and then back to her friend, "Time for what, exactly?"
"To work, Korra, the part where we dig." Bolin crawled out of the hut as Oda backed away, forms of other prisoners on their way to who knows where passed by. Korra too shuffled out through the open door, staggering to her feet she winced slightly as the soles of her feet scraped against rough rock reminding her that she was barefoot. Bolin used the side of the hut to pull himself up to stand. In this light even though he still looked sickly she could see that he indeed was becoming stronger, muscle wise. However, she could not get past how his veins showed through, how his eyes were red and that dark circles formed. How dare they do this to another human being! Her friend!
"Why do we really have to do what they say, Bolin?" Korra clenched her fist."Even without my bending we can still bust out of here, with everyone! I'm pretty sure we out number them-"
"NO!"
The outburst unexpectedly came from Oda, even caused several of the other prisoners to stop in their tracks. Looking upon Oda, the man had his own fists clenched with his whole body shaking. His face contorted with a brief fury before he brought one hand up to cover his face as he regained his composure and he repeated, "No."
Korra could not let this go, she needed to know why so many people had not revolted after being taken from their homes. She decided to approach the subject with less force, too much on a sensitive subject she learned long ago does not help anything. Moving closer to the older man, tilting her head under his vision, "Why?"
Oda hesitated before letting his hand fall from his face. He glanced over his left shoulder at something... or someone, then over to his right to Bolin.
"Look at your friend. What he suffers is the continuous punishment that the Warden can inflict on anyone of us, anywhere. Do not take them lightly." His words filled with sorrow and a forceful warning.
This made Korra pause, an unwilling glance over in Bolin's direction even as her friend's head turned away with a look on his face that reflected shame. A deafening quiet fell upon the cavern.
A loud bell cut through the silence and Oda spoke again, making eye contact with Bolin, "We best be moving or we will be late."
The feeling in her stomach grew, she hated not being able to do anything, as impatience gnawed at her, she grumbled, "Working is not what I had in mind..."
"You should follow the women then, they will help you do your job." Oda's demeanor completely changed to that of simply matter-of-fact. The large man turned shortly to leave.
"Wait, why can't I stay with Bolin?"
"Why can't she stay with us?"
Oda turned to Bolin, answering his question, "Have you not noticed, friend, that only men do the digging work?"
Bolin shook his head, "Never really crossed my mind actually..."
"What do the girls do?" Korra asked.
"You will find out when you get there. Go. Bolin and I must take our leave." That stern tone was back.
The authoritative tone of an elder. Korra respected her elders but only ones who've earned it and this man confused her. He obviously meant well, but since the bell tolled Oda had been less than short tempered with her, talking more to Bolin than to her. Had the nerve she struck before really been such a hard subject for him?
Bolin bit his bottom lip, torn between his friend and a secret dread, waving to her, "Don't worry, Korra. I'll see you after the shift is done, alright?"
Korra nodded slowly as Bolin hastily followed Oda down the trail.
...
"Korra is a good friend, Oda. She's just looking out for me that's all..." Bolin spoke as he shifted and molded the rock face with his hands. His feet pivoted as he carefully bent a good sized chunk of rock into an awaiting cart.
The older man was working on the same surface of stone a foot away, "Too headstrong, asking the questions that will only lead to trouble. I pray she learns the lessons taught here."
Bolin contemplated what kinds of lessons Oda meant. Subservience, obedience, being happy with what you get? Just about all that Korra isn't. Bolin chuckled quietly to himself. That was a good thing to him. "She is headstrong, but that's what makes her a good at what she does. It's kind of her job to save people..."
Oda fell silent and Bolin wondered if he said too much about Korra until the older bender spoke again, "My wife and daughter will be with her; the women's work is not nearly as taxing. She will be fine."
This random conclusion to the topic caught Bolin by surprise, though it probably meant the end to talking about Korra. One thing Bolin has learned is if Oda ended the conversation, it meant the end of discussion.
The two worked in silence in their work space. Almost hourly when the cart became full, one of them would send it on its way down the line to be replaced promptly by a new one. The whole project worked like a machine and each person had a function to fulfill. Where the filled carts ended up Bolin did not know.
Bolin began to wonder of what kind of work women did, which led to another thought. The young bender frowned as he realized something, "Oda... you've mentioned your family a lot, but now that I think of it, I've never met your family."
"You never asked." Oda sounded almost surprised.
Bolin almost keeled over in a deadpan state, "Never thought I had to ask."
"My son and future son-in-law are here on the other side in an upper level mine." Oda stated. "If you wish, you may see my family all together later at the circle."
"I'd like that. I wish you could meet my family too." Bolin smiled softly. "Korra is like family but my brother is all I have left. Our parents are... gone. My brother and I have stuck together since..."
Oda looked over his shoulder, "You speak highly of your brother often. He must be a very good man."
"The best there is..." Bolin thought wistfully about Mako. The times when Bolin would get himself into trouble and Mako would always be there to get his tail end out of boiling water.
A sharp grunt from Oda interrupted his thoughts, "Uh-oh..."
The hairs on the back of Bolin's neck started to prickle in foreboding as he turned his head down the line. A guard to which Bolin was more familiar with than he wanted to be walked towards them. The younger Earthbender groaned silently as he grimaced in remembering his daily torture.
...~...~...~
Watching Bolin walk away to another day of working for these bastards who had taken him from Mako felt worse than she thought it would. This whole situation stung her where it hurts and she was helpless right now to control any of it. She had not noticed that the huts were empty, and the paths were devoid of those who she saw before. She also did not notice a figure casually stride behind her, spinning a baton lazily around a gloved index finger.
"Well, well, well, looks like mouthy survived her little fall."
Korra's eyes narrowed as the familiar voice of the fast talking guard... whose name she did not care to remember, spoke. Slowly she turned around as the guard continued.
"And all lost too. I would have expected better supervision from the firsts." The masked guard put a gloved hand to his goggles in an imitation of searching.
Korra just glared at him, annoyed that of all people it had to be this guy. More light footsteps as the tall, silent guard came up the path behind the talkative one. Her gaze did not waver, even as the new guard stopped short when the other raised his hand for him to halt.
"Aww... now don't be like that. You'll scare the rookie here, and besides we only came to show you to where you should be. I ain't much of a sadistic type y'know, the easier it is for me the nicer it is for you. Now come on, move along." The slick talker opened his arm to the path he came from.
Korra did not budge, her glaring eyes daring the guard to make her move, "No."
"Ugh, c'mon I don't want to use this. It's sickening..." he replied, indicating to his baton and with an added grumble. "Stupid Earthbenders..."
"I'm not moving." Korra folded her arms across her chest.
The guard simply shook his head, as he raised his arm and pointed his baton directly at Korra, "Then you leave me no choice..."
The next few seconds happened in seemingly slow motion.
Something inside Korra flashed and strange images welled in her mind that ended in a blaze of fire but more importantly a word came out of her mouth against her will, "No."
At the same time the hand of the rookie behind the guard swiftly placed upon the pointed baton.
The talkative guard turned his head from the rookie to Korra, then back to the rookie and then Korra again. Waving the rookie off his baton, he rested the stick against his shoulder, "Glad you could see it my way, sweetheart."
Korra was frozen, wide-eyed with shock. What had just happened? It was as though someone else had taken control of her words! She held her hand lightly against her mouth, as though to catch any other unexpected phrases to fall from her lips. And those pictures! It felt like something from her past. Of course, even with her bending being controlled she was still the Avatar. She had a feeling her past lives or one of them wanted her to cooperate.
"You moving or what?" The guard asked.
She nodded finally and rushed down the path indicated leaving the two guards behind her.
...~...~...~
Bolin struggled to keep his attention to the wall while his nerves got the better of him. He started to tremble as his eyes teared up. He could now hear the ominous footsteps of the one that caused his fear creep ever closer.
Tump! Tump! Tump!
The sound was loud in his ears. Were those really footsteps? Or was it just his heart threatening to escape and leave his doomed soul behind?
Crunch...
The noise stopped near him and Bolin feared his heart stopped too.
"You. Forty-Nine. Come with me."
Bolin gulped and turned around, "You mean me?"
"Move. Now!" The guard threatened to push the switch on his own baton and Bolin jumped up quick and stood at attention in front of the guard. Bolin followed as the guard moved.
Oda watched with sad eyes, saying a silent prayer to the spirits to protect the young man.
End Chapter 9
Tips and advice are very much appreciated as I am always trying to improve. Thoughts are nice too. Comments. Notes.
Really. Seriously.