The Burning Truth-Harmony

Part 31~Prisoners

Isu huffed as she looked at the food. "Just take your tray," Zuko ordered, sticking out her tongue. Isu picked the tray with the most vegetables.

Zuko glanced around, noticing he was the only one with a helmet. He was not the only one to notice. "Hey, new guy. I know it's the rule to have your helmet on at all times, but this is the lounge. Relax."

Zuko glanced around nervously. "But what if there's an incident? If I'm not prepared, someone could strike me on the head."

The guards laughed. "Give it a week. He'll loosen up."

"Yeah, Lee, you should relax," Isu joked as Zuko gave her a look.

"See, I like her. You've comfortable."

"Of course. I know that if a prisoner makes the mistake of trying to attack me, I could destroy them—not physically, of course. Or not in any way they could prove." The guards cheered as Isu grinned. "So, I may not have been paying attention during the debriefing. What kinds of prisoners we got in here."

Zuko stared in shock as the guards grinned. "Oh, we got them all—thieves, murderers, traitors."

"War criminals?"

There was a beat as Zuko held his breath, waiting for the answer.

~~~

Sokka frowned as he walked to the cooler and threw Chit Sang inside. "It sure looks cold in there."

"That's why we call it the cooler. He won't be fire-bending there." The guard grinned before he stopped and lowered his mask. "It's the warden. Look alive."

The warden walked by as Sokka and the guard stood to attention. He turned and opened the cooler. "So, Chit Sang, I hear you used fire bending to try to escape. You should know better."

"I wasn't trying to escape."

"He's lying. I saw it with my own eyes." The guard was pushed aside by one of the warden's bodyguards.

"No one has ever, ever escaped from here. I'd sooner jump in the Boiling Lake myself than let that record fall. Don't forget it. Now go back to your shivering."

~~~

"Hey there, fellow guard. How does it?" Zuko waved awkwardly at Sokka as the idiot lifted up his helmet visor.

"Zuko? Isu?"

Zuko shushed him, pulling him to the side. "Listen, we asked around the lounge. There are no Water Tribe prisoners. I'm afraid your father's not here."

"What? Are you sure? Did you double-check?"

"We triple-checked. It didn't change the result," Isu answered as Sokka banged his fist against the wall.

"I'm really sorry, Sokka."

"So we came all this way for nothing? I failed again," Sokka lowered his head as Zuko held his chin.

"What would Uncle say? Sometimes clouds have two sides, a dark and light, and a silver lining between them. It's like a silver sandwich. So when life seems hard," Zuko faltered. "Take a bite out of the silver sandwich."

"Dude, don't do that." Isu patted Zuko's shoulder as Sokka gasped, noticing something below. His face lit up, standing taller. "Maybe we haven't failed after all."

"That's the spirit," Zuko cheered, giving Isu a look. "He appreciated my talk."

Isu punched him before running after Sokka. Sokka gave Zuko a look as well. "No, what you said made no sense at all. But look, it's Sukie."

Sokka beamed as the bell was rang. A guard voice echoed over the prison. "Prisoners back in your cells."

~~~

Sukie jumped up as her door was opened, and a guard walked in. "What is it? Did I do something wrong?"

Sokka crossed his arms. "You mean you don't recognise me?"

"You people all look the same to me."

"Oh? Then maybe you'll recognise this." Sokka tried to go in for a kiss when Sukie refused, shoving him against the door. Sokka's helmet flew off as Sukie's expression softened.

"Sokka! It's you!" Sukie rushed to Sokka, pulling him into an embrace. Sokka hesitated before relaxing into the hug.

After a beat, he pulled away. "The other Kyoshi Warriors, are they here?"

"No. I don't know where they are. They locked me in here because I'm the leader."

"Well, you won't be here for long. I'm busting you out."

"I'm so glad to see you, Sokka. I knew you'd come."

~~~

Outside the cell, Isu huffed. "I preferred it when she was attacking him."

Zuko gave her a look when a new voice called out. "Excuse me. I need to get into the cell."

Zuko turned around in shock. "No! You can't go in there. The lights are out. The prisoner could sneak up on you."

The guard was not impressed. "Step aside, fool." She raised her arm to push Zuko out of the way when he latched on, holding her arm and throwing her into the wall. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?"

She turned, trying to fight against Zuko as he scoffed. "The one time Isu disappears from a fight."

Inside the cell, Sokka and Sukie stayed below the window, watching the fight. Zuko planted his leg before the guard's calf, grabbing her right arm and forcing her to bend backwards. Sokka slipped out of the door, yelping as Isu dragged him away.

The guard pushed Zuko away, gritting her teeth as she spotted Sokka. "Guard, help. I think he's an imposter. Arrest him." Sokka glanced at Zuko unsurely. "Get him off me and arrest him!"

Sokka stayed frozen as Isu rushed forward, grabbing Zuko and pulling him off. "You're under arrest."

"And now you arrive," Zuko hissed quietly as Isu pulled him up.

Before the guards could respond, an alarm sounded. Guards were shouting, and a number of prisoners had broken out.

Isu glanced at the guard. "You go. I'll take the fake to the warden."

The guard looked unsure before she ran off. "Don't lose him."

Isu nodded, pulling Zuko along. "You guys suck at undercover," she hissed, pulling them away.

"This is what you were doing?" Zuko and Sokka looked at Isu in shock as she grinned.

"Well, it was that or a fire, but I didn't think a fire would do much against fire benders."