Prisoner of War

"You did the Right Thing"

Rhea stared at the floor as Sokka led her back to her cell. He opened the door and stood aside for her.

She paused in the doorway. "You made the right call. We will have another chance to get out of here."

He nodded, but didn't answer her.

Sighing, she stepped into her cell, turning to give Sokka one last reassuring look as he closed the door.
————
Rhea walked out into the prison yard behind the rest of the inmates. She could see Suki up ahead, but Zuko and Hakoda were nowhere in sight. She scanned the edges of the yard to try and spot Sokka, but, from that distance, she couldn't pick him out from the line of uniformed guards.

As she wandered through the crowd of people, someone grabbed her arm. She whirled to find Zan Li gripping her bicep so tightly, his fingertips dug into her flesh. His anger burned ravenously in his eyes and, as he locked eyes with his former captor, he tightened his grip. "Where do you think you're going? We have unfinished business."

Rhea glared back at him. "We both know how this will end. Why don't you save us both some time and leave me alone."

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Zan Li's hulking friends step out of the crowd and block her escape route. She glanced at the guards, but the crowd was too thick and noisy for them to notice the squabble.

"No one's going to save you." A wicked grin spread across his face, twisting his ugly scar.

She smirked. "Oh, I'm not the one who'll need saving." She jumped, kicking Zan Li in the chest. She twisted in the air, wrenching herself free of his grip as he toppled backwards. She landed on her feet facing Zan Li's companions. "Who's next?"

"Me!" Zan Li grabbed her from behind, wrapping his arms tight around her chest and squeezing with all his strength.

The air rushed from Rhea's lungs, leaving her gasping for breath as she kicked and squirmed to get free. With her arms pinned to her sides, she lashed out wildly with her legs, nailing the other two men in the face.

Zan Li jerked her around, gripping his forearms and squeezing even tighter. "There's no getting away this time." He gritted his teeth and strengthened his crushing grip.

Rhea felt her ribs creak as she struggled to catch her breath. He held her so tightly she couldn't move anything above her waist. Her mind reeled for something to do - some way to escape.

Before he crushed her chest, something cracked over Zan Li's head and he stumbled forward, releasing Rhea. She dropped heavily to the ground, gulping down the warm damp air.

Someone offered her a hand. She grabbed it and her savior hoisted her to her feet.

"Hello again." She looked up and saw Hakoda smiling at her. "We have to stop meeting like this."

A grin tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Thanks for the save." Her rubbed her arm where Zan Li had gripped her. "I guess that means we're even."

He chuckled. "I suppose it does."

They wandered the prison yard, looking for the others. Suki caught up with them as they skirted the fringes of the crowd, where they quickly found Zuko avoiding the other prisoners.

Sokka made his way over to their little group. "Good. You're all here."

Rhea nodded. "So, how are we getting out of here?"

Sokka's eyes strayed to the cable slanting out of the pit. "The gondola. It's the only way."

"A lot easier said than done." Suki followed his gaze.

"We'll need a hostage." Sokka resolved.

"But the warden will just cut the line." Hakoda added. "He doesn't care about his men."

Rhea smirked. "But he does care about his own life."

Sokka met her gaze, a grin tugging at his lips. "We'll need a distraction."

"I'm on it." Hakoda rushed over to the biggest guy he could find and shoved him.

When that didn't work, they asked for help from the guy who had tried to escape in the freezer when they ditched. As the chaos began, they rushed across the prison yard. Suki swung herself up to the warden and fought off the guards, tying him up with his own clothes.

They raced to the gondola with the warden in tow and dragged him into the small compartment. Zuko pulled the lever down and broke it off. They lurched forward. Racing across the platform, he lunged, just catching the side of the gondola as it rose out of reach. Sokka and Rhea helped him climb inside.

Rhea smiled and looked out the window, back at the prison. Her face fell. "Oh crap!"

The others followed her gaze to where Azula and Tylee stood on the platform. They rushed to the cable. Tylee leapt up and ran across the line. Azula hooked the cable with a pair of handcuffs and propelled herself forward with her blue flames.

Rhea met Zuko's gaze. "Shall we?"

A grin tugged at his lips.

"I've been waiting for a rematch." Suki cracked her knuckles.

They climbed on top of the gondola as Azula and Tylee reached them. Dropping from the line, the two girls faced their opponents. Azula smirked at Zuko and Sokka. Tylee's eyes flashed playfully as she sized up Suki and Rhea.

Rhea clenched her fists, planting her feet. A grin pulled at the corners of her mouth as she raised her hands, ready to fight.

The fight that followed was a blur of attacks and trying not to fall off the gondola. Rhea managed to get in a few cheap shots, but Tylee knew how to protect her pressure points.

From below, the warden shouted. "Cut the line!"

Azula and Tylee jumped onto the next gondola, returning to the prison.

Rhea whirled to see the guards pulling out a large saw to cut the cable. She looked down at the boiling lake below then locked eyes with Zuko. She had so many things she still needed to tell him, so many things she needed to apologize for. She hoped it showed in her eyes - just how much she cared about him. If they were going out, at least they were together.

Just as the cable started to give way, Mae appeared from in the prison, forcing the guards away from the saw. Throwing a spray of blades, she kicked the brake out of the mechanism, freeing the gondola to continue it's trip out of the pit.

Zuko stared back at her as they crept smoothly up the line to freedom.

As they neared the top, Rhea grabbed his arm and they both dropped back into the gondola. It ground to a halt at the end of the cable and they stepped out onto solid ground, leaving the warden and the prison behind.

A/N:
Yay! I got another chapter out!
Hope you enjoyed. 😊
-Cheshire