Chapter 2: A Wrench
After a furtive glance around the halls to make sure he was alone, Sokka carried the freezing princess to an empty cell, placing her gently down on the flimsy, tattered mattress. "I'm going to find you a blanket," he whispered. "I'll be right back."
Whimpering, she curled into a ball, hugging her knees tightly to her chest.
Moments later, he returned with a wool blanket that he stealthily looted from the guards' cabin and wrapped it snugly around her. "You're going to be okay, Azula," he assured before turning to leave. But even he didn't believe himself. The blanket was not going to be enough. She needed body heat. Just as he reached the door, he stopped and sighed. "This may be a deadly mistake," he thought, turning back and crawling under the wool cover with her.
She instantly turned toward him, resting her head on his racing chest and draping her arm over his shoulder, stealing his heat.
His body stiff as a board, he nervously placed his arm around her back, treating her as he would a wounded feral animal that could turn savage at any moment. He had never felt a human body so cold before. Trying to coax her to sleep, he carefully crept his hand up to her head, where he gingerly stroked her silky hair. Eventually, he felt her head grow heavy.
When he was confident that she was asleep, he slid out from beneath her to continue his search for the prince, who turned out to be only two coolers down from Azula. "What would have happened if I had found Zuko first?" he wondered, shuddering at the thought. He opened the cooler.
Zuko was bent over, sitting lotus style on the frigid metal floor. He looked like hell despite only being in there for an hour.
Playing the role of a guard, Sokka authoritatively crossed his arms. "I can take you back to your cell if you've learned your lesson."
The firebender picked his head up and exhaled a light blast of orange flames. He smirked. "Yes, I have." Unfolding his crimson prison shirt, he revealed a healthy collection of nuts and bolts, demonstrating that he had successfully disassembled the mechanics of the cooler. "Completely."
Sokka leaned his head into the icebox and lowered his voice. "It seems we have a wrench in our plan."
"Very funny," Zuko replied sardonically, assuming his friend was making a bad pun about the wrench he had just used to unhinge the cooler.
"No." His tone was uncharacteristically grave. "Your sister is here."
"What?!" he snapped with panicked amber eyes. "Then we need to get out of here! Now!"
"You don't understand… I think she's in trouble."
"What are you talking about? She is trouble."
"I… found her in a cooler. Without her armor on."
Zuko's unnerved expression changed to one of concern. "She was… naked?"
"Almost." He sighed. "Zuko… if I hadn't pulled her out of there… she would have died."
The prince was speechless for a moment. His eyes were cast downward, his breathing heavy. Sokka couldn't tell if he was going to cry, scream, light something on fire, or punch the metal box. "H-How long was she in there? Who did this to her?!"
"I don't know! She hasn't said a word to me. I'm not sure if she's even capable of speaking… she's in really bad shape."
"We need to wait another night. You need to find out what happened to her – "
"But that would mean risking Suki's freedom! All of our freedom!"
"Look, I know how Azula can be, but she's my sister, Sokka! What if it were Katara in there?!"
"That's not fair! My – "
"Someone's coming!" Zuko hissed, pulling Sokka into the cooler with him and closing the door, careful to make sure it didn't shut completely.
Warily peeping through the small opening, the boys could make out a conversation between two guards.
"Yeah, new arrivals coming in at dawn."
"Anybody interesting?"
"Nah, just the usual. Some robbers, a couple traitors, some war prisoners…"
Sokka turned to Zuko, his blue eyes wide with alarm.
"…though I did hear there might be a pirate."
"No fooling!"
"War prisoners," Zuko murmured. "It could be your father."
Sokka turned away and closed his eyes. "I know."
"Well… I guess you have a reason to stay the night now too."
