A/N: WARNING

I'm rating this chapter M (mature) for content that's a little bit graphic. So if you don't want to read about torturing, you can DM me and I'll give you the basic gist of this chapter. It's pretty crucial to the plot and I'd love to hear your feedback on this chapter.

(Sorry again for the late update, I had finals and a lot of personal stuff going on)

Thanks, review and let me know what you think! I present to you, Chapter 18!

The never-ending darkness was the first thing I registered when I came to. There were no windows, or lanterns, or any indication that light had ever existed in the world.

The second was pain.

I tried to move my arms, hearing metallic clinking sounds each time I shifted and after a bit of experimenting, I'd figured out that my wrists must have been shackled to some sort of wall, as well as by my ankles to the floor. I couldn't stand because the chain length wouldn't allow it, so I was stuck, shackled with my knees on the floor, in a position of submission.

That wasn't going over well with me.

I yanked at the shackles, feeling them biting into my wrists, grunting with the effort. I felt the skin break, and watched, desperation creeping in, as a few droplets of blood dripped down my arm. This couldn't be happening.

I tried to call out to anyone that could be there, only to find myself still gagged into silence. It felt like my chest was constricting. The powerful thump of my heartbeat felt like it was trying to break free from my chest. I'd felt this pain twice before: once, when I found my mother in our home with the Fire Nation raider, and then again when I had to leave my father and brother in the South Pole. Now, I could feel it forming again and I knew why. I couldn't do anything to help myself and that terrified me.

I was truly, completely, utterly trapped.

I couldn't tell you how long I stayed in that position, my arms and legs aching with the pain of staying still for so long. But eventually, I heard voices on the other side of a wall or door, and I went completely still, straining to decipher bits and pieces of the conversation. My effort was in vain, though. Whatever material the walls of this chamber were made from made it nearly impossible for me to hear anything that happened on the other side.

That realization frightened me. Why were the walls so thick?

But I didn't have time to ponder that question in depth, because a blinding stream of yellow light appeared a few yards ahead of me, outlining the dark shadow of a tall man. I tried to focus on his face, but the sudden exposure of my eyes to the light was nearly blinding so I couldn't really see him, just his figure.

"I'm so glad we could meet again, Miss Katara. But I apologize for it having to be like this," the figure spoke with a familiar voice as he approached me. I couldn't exactly remember where I'd heard that voice before though. At the tea shop, maybe? No, that didn't seem right.

He stepped farther into the room as two guards walked in behind him and lit lanterns on the walls. As they burned brighter, I was gradually able to make out my surroundings: I was chained to two columns at the far end of the room, there were no windows and only one door on the opposite end of the room from where I was chained. And when I looked down, I discovered that the top half of my uniform had been removed and I was left in my bindings. My stomach twisted.

Why did they take it off?

Admiral Zhao walked closer to me, each of his steps tormenting me, and stopped a few feet in front of me.

"Leave us," he ordered the guards. "I've got a few questions for Miss Katara, here." He stood tall, nose up, smirking, with his hands clasped behind his back, a pure look of arrogance. I was starting to understand why Zuko hated him.

The guards shuffled out of the room, and closed the door behind them with an echoing click. Zhao watched me with interest as I stared him down, letting no emotion show on my face, but I could feel the hammering of my heart in my chest. He walked up to me, bending down so we were eye to eye, then reached behind me and let the knot of my gag loose. I coughed and sucked in a few heavy breaths, but forced myself to regain my composure quickly so that he couldn't gain any satisfaction from my suffering.

"I'm sure that you would like to inquire about the situation you're currently in right now and why it's happening, but I am very confident that you already know the answer, my dear. So, let's save ourselves the time, and be truthful with each other." His eyes blazed into mine as he spoke, slowly and clearly, pronounciating each syllable like daggers.

I didn't let it phase me and kept silent and still, watching him like a hawk. For a moment, I considered humoring him and asking, but then I realized that wouldn't make the situation any better and he was right. We both already knew the answer.

He knows.

"I've been given something very interesting," he started as he pulled an envelope from his pocket, wax seal broken, my own handwriting on the front of the paper. I sucked in a hiss of breath.

He definitely knows.

"What is that?" I finally spoke, keeping my voice level. I already knew what the envelope was, and what was inside. It was my letter to the woman on Fire Island.

"You see," he began again, ignoring my question. "We have certain precautions here in the Fire Nation after gaining new territory. We place more guards there, among other things, one of them being a mole. Sound familiar?"

I watched him, not quite understanding.

"You met a young woman on Fire Island, am I correct?"

I stayed silent, fear constricting my throat. I was afraid that if I did speak, I would give myself away. Zhao glared at me, and I glared back.

But what he did next surprised me even more than him pulling out my letter.

His hand shot out to grip my throat and squeeze. "I asked you a question," his voice was low and menacing, and if I hadn't dealt with Zuko's temper tantrums previously, I would have been shaking.

As his grip tightened, his hand grew warmer, and warmer, until it was scalding the skin of my throat. I opened my mouth in a silent scream, overcome by the burning heat. He let go suddenly, sending me into another coughing fit to catch my breath.

"You met a young woman, yes?"

"Yes," I nearly whispered, reluctantly.

"Good, you're not lying. Let's see if you can keep it up," he said as he swung his leg in an arc, letting it connect with my ribs. I gritted my teeth so I didn't scream of cry out in pain. He walked away, unphased, until he was a few feet away from me again, pulling the letter out of the envelope.

"I am very grateful for you to extend a hand of help to me. The Water Tribes and our allies are indebted to you and your family. Enclosed is a letter that must be delivered to the Northern Water Tribe. It contains confidential information that must not be shared with anyone's eyes other than those who it is intended for, so please, keep it safe guarded. Again, I thank you deeply for helping me. Sincerely, Katara."

He finished with a satisfied click of his tongue, and I knew I was done for.

"Do you get it now, my dear? Your little source was nothing more than our mole. We've been keeping tabs on you secretly, not under the Fire Lord's radar of course. We all know he's too soft when it comes to you, but that doesn't mean we will be. But I do have a problem. Where's the second letter?"

I smirked. "Did you really think I'd be stupid enough to trust someone completely and whole heartedly with the information I'd be passing on? I had to test her, and it looks like she's failed miserab-"

I didn't get to finish that sentence because Zhao's hand came swinging toward my face with blinding speed, until is cracked against my cheek, whipping my head sideways with the movement. I could taste blood in my mouth from where I'd bit the inside of my cheek, and on a moment of insanely stupid impulse, I spit it in Zhao's face.

"You little bitch," he said angrily as he grabbed a fistful of my hair and violently pulled my head back. "You're going to tell me what was in that letter."

"In my limited experience of interrogations, the interrogee doesn't just tell the interrogator what they want to know," I said sarcastically as his grip on my hair grew tighter.

And then he released his hold, walked across the room in an angry stride to the door, which he flung open hastily, and barked out an order to the soldiers standing guard in the hallway. "Bring them here! NOW!"

He turned back to me, strode over and gave me another kick to the ribs, which I was sure had cracked after that last hit, but I bit the inside of my mouth again to keep my voice down. "You're going to want to watch your mouth from now on, girl."

And then, I could see the guards push two chained men into the room, but it didn't really feel like I was there.

But I was.

I was there, watching the guards pull my father and brother into the chamber, shoving them to the ground with their chests pressed against the metal. I watched them struggle against their captors, to no avail. I could feel my heart in my throat, choking me.

And then they saw me, their eyes widening in a multitude of emotions. First, surprise, then relief, confusion, anxiousness, and fear. I knew their expressions were mirroring the ones I was desperate to show on my face, but I forced myself to maintain a cool façade.

"Do you know these men, Katara?" Zhao asked as he gripped my hair from behind me, his lips moving close to my ear.

"No."

"Oh, my dear. I thought we weren't going to lie to each other."

He stepped away from me, and I winced, preparing myself for the hit I knew was probably coming. But his footsteps grew farther away from me, back toward my father and brother. I watched Zhao's back, watched as a thin stream of fire formed from his hand, and then I realized what he was about to do.

"NO! STOP!"

But he'd already brought his hand around, and let the fire whip crack across my father's face.

My father grunted, but like myself, forced himself to appear unaffected. "Don't tell him anything," my father called out to me from across the room. Zhao slammed his fist across his face in fury, sending my father crashing to the ground. Sokka struggled against the guards holding him, trying to get to my father the same way I was.

"NO!"

"Katara! Don't say anything!" Sokka yelled, watching as Zhao stalked toward him. I could feel the tears in my eyes, blurring my vision. I tried blinking them away, forcing myself to be strong, but it was all beginning to be too much.

"Please, stop!" I begged, my voice wavering.

Zhao's knee came up and struck Sokka's stomach, and when Sokka doubled over from the pain, Zhao let his fist slam into his face. "Katara, be quiet," Sokka scolded me, barely able to speak. Zhao continued to beat them both, but they stayed silent, not a word for mercy slipping past their lips. I couldn't take it. Here they finally were, both of them alive right before my eyes, being tortured for my mistake.

"STOP! STOP, DON'T HURT THEM! PLEASE!" I yelled desperately, feeling all eyes in the room turn to me. "Please, I'll do anything," I said quieter, my head hanging. "Just don't hurt them."

"So, you do know these men?" Zhao asked in a voice that was starkly calm, the complete opposite of his behavior.

"Yes," I whispered defeated, meeting my father and brother's eyes, trying to convey a silent message. I'm sorry.

"And how do you know them?"

"Before I tell you anything else, you have to promise that no more harm will come to them, or anyone of the like."

"Anyone of the like?" Zhao pressed in amusement.

"Swear, or not another word will pass through my lips," I said with a quivering voice.

"I give you my word."

I didn't know if I could trust his word wholly, but I wasn't exactly in a situation where it would be wise for me to question it.

"Katara…" my father began, but I cut him off.

"How did you know they were connected to me?"

"No, no, no. Answer my question first, then I'll answer yours."

"They are my father and brother."

"See how much easier this is when we don't lie to each other, Katara? Guards at the Boiling Rock over heard them say your name, and it wasn't questioned until I received your letter. You were of the Southern Water Tribe, correct?"

I hesitated.

"You were of the Southern Water Tribe," Zhao said as he formed a fire whip again and cracked it against my lower back. "CORRECT?"

I cried out, not expecting it. The pain came immediately, hot and intense. The pain and burning sensations both competed to overpower each other, making a deadly combination. I could hear my father and brother protesting, but they were quickly silenced by Zhao's next threat.

"Quiet! Or I'll whip her again for every word you speak!"

He turned his attention back to me, pushing my hair away from my back to the front of my body, and tenderly tying it together with a ribbon he pulled from a pocket in his uniform. "We don't want your beautiful hair to burn now, do we?"

"Don't touch her!" Sokka yelled at Zhao but immediately received a blow to the stomach from one of the guards holding him.

"Get them out of here. I need to have a word alone with her."

"NO!" Sokka thrashed against the guards grips, breaking free one of his arms and elbowing the guard in the ribs. But his armor padded the blow and he recovered too quickly for Sokka, who took a powerful blow to the head and had suddenly gone limp.

"You promised you wouldn't hurt them!" I yelled at Zhao, my fire suddenly burning intense and bright again.

"I did," he smiled smugly.

I knew I couldn't trust him. The first chance he gets, I'm sure he'll try to get information out of Dad and Sokka. I glared at him and spit at his feet. "Bastard!"

"Four," he said, simply.

"What?"

"Your brother spoke four words," he said as he cracked the whip down my back, but I didn't feel as much pain as I did the first time. Instead, I felt my bindings loosen.

He burned them off.

I felt embarrassment and shame set in, desperation as my breasts were exposed, my white bindings falling to the floor at my knees. "No…"

"Don't worry, my dear," he said as his fingers traveled down the length of my spine. I shivered in disgust and panic. "A little girl's body like yours is no temptation to me."

And then he lashed the fiery whip against the bare skin of my back, four times. When he finished I was sweating, breathing heavily with the effort of keeping myself quiet and the new pain that was so strong it almost felt numbing.

"So, we got a bit off track, didn't we? I'd like for you to answer my question, Katara. I don't really get any enjoyment out of this, you know?" he said almost earnestly, but I could hear the tiny hint of a smile in his voice.

"You're of the Southern Water Tribe? As are your father and brother, yes?"

I tried to keep my voice from wavering. "Yes."

"Are you a water bender?"

I hesitated.

"You are?"

I sucked a breath in to utter words that would be a lie, but he seemed to know exactly when I was lying without me even saying anything.

"Tell me the truth!" he yelled with another crack of the whip against my back.

I whimpered in pain, but didn't say anything, earning another whip.

"I'm not a water bender!" I choked out. "The last water bender in my tribe was killed by your people in a raid a few months ago!"

I couldn't let him know. If he found out I was a water bender and that I was still alive after two failed attempts at finding me, they'd tear apart what's left of my tribe and then move onto the Northern Water Tribe.

He looked suspiscous, and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to buy it. But I didn't feel like fiery whip touch my back again, so he must have believed me.

"Now that we're both on the same page, I'll give you one last chance to answer my original question. What was in the second letter?"

This was it. There were only two choices for me to take: tell him nothing, or tell him everything. But both choices had consequences. Tell him nothing, and I'd keep the tribe safe. The Fire Nation wouldn't know what we were up to. I could have just been sent to find my father and brother for all they knew. It was highly improbably that they'd believe that story though, that was for sure. I'd most likely be killed, along with my father and brother.

But tell him everything, and I would be a traitor to my own people, not to mention a coward. But Dad and Sokka would be able to live. Maybe it wouldn't always be a free life, but if they live, they have a chance to be saved by other people from the Northern Water Tribe. They could get out of the Fire Nation.

Either way I knew what my fate would be. In both cases, I was seen as a threat, the enemy. I would be eliminated, because that is what you do to your enemies in war.

So my choice right now determined who would be safe, but I was having a hard time accepting my decision, even though I knew what I was supposed to do from the moment he asked the question. It's what Dad and Sokka would have done, so I had to be brave.

"I promised you I'd tell you anything you needed to know as long as you promised you wouldn't hurt my father and brother. But from what I've seen, your word means nothing. So I'll tell you absolutely nothing!"

His rage was immediate, but nothing I learned in training prepared me for what was to come next. He lashed my back with his fire whip until the skin was raw and the pain was powerful enough to blind me. The screams I'd held back before had broken loose, and which each lash they grew louder and louder.

But I wasn't going to cry in front of Zhao. That was exactly what he wanted to see. I'd endure it, just to spite him. He could break my body, whip every inch of my skin red, but I wouldn't let him touch my spirit if I could help it.

"TELL ME!"

Zhao yelled, uttering profanities with each lash of his whip, until he'd used every word in the book and was panting from exhaustion. After he'd been satisfied with the markings on my back, he moved to my arms and the backs of my legs. What seemed like hours of pain and screaming later, my throat was dry and my body looked like someone had taken a cheese grater to it.

Zhao had stopped and was now breathing heavily and angrily behind me. I knew what would come next: he'd kill me. The only purpose he brought me in for was void since I refused to answer any of his questions. He stepped to my front, and with the last amount of energy I had in my body, I picked my head up to meet his calculated gaze.

"You're going to kill me." It wasn't a question.

"Not yet."

My eyes widened in fear despite my attempts to keep my emotions off my face. I didn't know if I could physically and mentally handle being tortured again.

"Why?"

"I can see that you aren't going to give me what I want by physical force. And you've made it clear that you care for your family very much, so I know that you aren't going to want to refuse my next deal."

It was an effort to glare at him, but I did my best.

"I'll let your father and brother go."

"What?" I asked, breathlessly.

"IF you do as I say," he mused, a cocky tone to his voice.

"What do you want?"

"Refuse me, and-"

"What!? You'll kill them? I already know that!"

"No. I'll do the same thing I did to you to them, every day, for the rest of their lives," he said sadisticly, each word emphasized to get his point across better.

I felt my heart in my throat, choking me. No. I'd rather he killed them.

"But, if you do as I say, and I'll let your father and brother leave the Fire Nation. They can return back to your tribe, safe and sound as long as-"

"What do you want from me!"

His smile grew wider.

"I want you to kill the Fire Lord."

A/N:

*cue dramatic music*

Haha, thanks again for reading. Let me know what you think!