Chapter 33: Prison 'Break' (1)
The coming morning saw their preparations complete, their plan being more of a constantly argued mess about various things than a coherent approach. Aang had scouted and confirmed Haru's words about a metallic prison rig built offshore that also acted as a refueling station for the Fire Nation Navy that stopped hourly. This prison was a crucial site for the Fire Nation that won the war.
Still cautious of Haru and to nullify any likelihood of betrayal, Sokka kept Haru in the dark about their plan until the very end before quickly rushing to the village and contacting him again. Sokka confirmed that Earth 'Magic' could be useful and planned simply to bring rocks to the prison rig.
The dawn closer to the southern region was darker but not colder. It was a warm coastal climate, and viewing the early sky from a cliff was the Avatar's Team.
*Swish*
Nik dodged a kick by stepping back, the sole of the muddied sandals centimeters from his face as he grunted, "I did not think this is what you meant by working up a sweat."
He quickly caught Suki's raised ankle before kicking at her weight-bearing leg. His move was read through easily as Suki jumped, using Nik's firm grip as a foothold to kick him. Letting go of Suki, Nik managed to block the kick at the cost of a soiled sleeve.
Landing on her hands and feet, Suki grinned, "What else did you think?"
"Jogging," Nik lied. He was hardwired to think of many 'seat-breaking' acts, jogging not being one of them. He glances at the woman's excited form, adding, "Besides, Katara said you'll need one last session after this."
"She doesn't know what she's talking about, I'm fine!" Suki returned the favor by kicking at Nik's calves, only for him to step forward this time and hold the blow before it reached its highest momentum.
"I only taught you how to dodge," Suki remarked, and her legs instantly locked Nik's left foot, pulling him. With the break of the balance, Nik came tumbling down. Suki immediately let go of his foot, almost jumping and pushing Nik down with her fist pressed against his neck.
"Sorry about that. I couldn't just eat a kick even if you didn't teach me how to tackle it yet," Nik huffed as he spread his arms in defeat. What Suki taught was the same as Sokka. To use one's strength to cover up for the disadvantages until they are thoroughly taken care of. Nik lacked in technique but presented a raw force and potential, something he used to stop the kick before it turned destructive.
"No worries about it," Suki stood up before offering her hand, which Nik gladly took.
"I know what I'm saying," Katara and Aang stood a little further away, with Appa still lying on the ground drowsily and Momo sleeping on top of its head. Katara's expression was only annoyed, "When I healed you, just like I healed Sokka's neck last night... I could sense things a little. You still need another session." The waterbender suggested strongly, only for Suki to shrug it off.
"This much pain and injuries are, in fact, welcomed. Don't sweat it. It's not my first time. No pain, no gain."
"Hey, I thought you did well. But if it was me, I would have just evaded and climbed the tree," Aang offered some words to Nik with a bright grin, and Suki flicked his forehead, "And then I would have thrown my sword at you."
"Anyway, I would be changing my outfit behind Appa. Big guy, don't you turn around," Suki ruffled Appa's fur before disappearing behind him as the Sky Bison yawned with a low growl escaping his lips.
"Yeah, buddy. I'm sleepy, too," Aang smiled before slumping against Appa's floof while Katara and Nik shrugged. They indeed spent quite a lot of time planning. From what Nik understood, firebenders, as the name suggests, played with fire expertly. They created fire from their bodies, so naturally, they were dangerous. Although Nik was getting a bit better under Suki's teaching, he planned to employ Sokka's advanced tactic of stabbing and running. Nothing can beat such an elegant solution in the long run.
But this time, he also planned to use his other advantages.
Not everybody can be like him, right?—being calm under the pressure of being naked with a single slap from his 'mother.'
Although Nik hadn't exposed his thoughts about his ability, he was ready to use it this time. Against Suki, too, this ability was valuable. There were a few restrictions on what Nik couldn't absorb, but vastly, he could 'devour' anything that men and women consider their own.
"You're getting more and more skilled at getting your ass kicked," Katara snickered as she looked toward Nik, who pursed his lips.
"Is this something you should say? You froze Sokka's neck last night when you were supposed to heal it."
"A technical error."
"Sokka had some words stating otherwise," Nik smiled as Katara crossed her arms, confrontational as her brother, even if her words were anything but that. "I was just trying to say that you're getting better at fighting than the last week when we found you."
'Almost a week has already gone by, huh,' Nik hummed, "Thanks."
Katara continued to glance as Nik sat down in the end, waiting for Sokka to show up with Haru.
In silence, the sound of Suki changing her outfit was clear. The clicking of her armor, the belt wrapping around her waist, and the frustrated grunts of struggling to wear her boots. Finally, she walked out from Appa's side.
"Here, keep it safe," Suki gave Nik her bag before sitting in front of Katara with her face paint ready in the cups.
"You won't freeze it on my face, right?" Suki poked as Katara snorted in dissatisfaction while sitting down.
"Maybe. You'll just have to wait and see," Katara remarked while dipping her index and middle finger into the white paint.
Nik, meanwhile, stored Suki's bag in his personal space. Right now, many have their personal effects 'inside' Nik.
"I'm back," Sokka called out as he returned with Haru, who grunted the second he looked at the rest of them, "I get that you don't trust me. But there's no reason not to notify me an hour earlier. Anyway, what should I do?"
"Break out boulders from there and place them neatly. We will transport Earth to the Prison Rig," Sokka smiled as Haru frowned.
"Just do it," Nik hummed while leaning back on Appa's floof, "The quicker we leave, the better it is for us."
"And why is she putting paint on her face? If everyone else is covering their faces, I want to do it, too," Haru looked at Suki, mistaking her act of completing her uniform as a sign of caution about their identities leaking. Sighing, Sokka explained Suki's origin while persuading Haru to begin breaking off chunks of rocks from the ground.
*Thud*
Aang woke up instantly as he looked at Haru stomping his foot that created circular cracks in front of him, and with a punching motion, large portions of rock broke out and floated out before he let them down.
Seeing this, Nik stood up and walked over.
"I'm a little curious. If Earthbenders can move earth, why can't they use the seabed under the prison rig?" Nik tapped the rock as it disappeared.
"It's the distance. And Bending takes energy," Haru explains in soft murmurs, continuously pulling chunks of rocks. "I don't think prisoners are purposely kept full of energy and live on raised platforms above the sea. Not to mention that trying to move rock underwater is many times harder. I tried to use that to my advantage but couldn't easily bend it. Now, where did that rock disappear to?"
Nik smiled, "It's my ability. Break out as many boulders as possible, and I will let all of them out inside the Prison Rig. Oh, and can you shape a rock into a stick?"
"I can," Haru nodded.
What came next was constant trembling that threatened to ruin Suki's paint job. Even Appa and Momo finally couldn't stay sleeping. Haru eventually began shifting the sizes and shapes of the rocks as Sokka explained their plan.
The group set out on Appa, Haru's last creation being a 1.5-meter Earthen Rod.
The first part of the plan was, of course, The Landing. The metal prison doubled as a fuel processing rig for Fire Nation's Navy, so the prisoners were also convenient labor. Appa couldn't hover in one spot for long lest they risk the enemy discovering them. The group needed to land swiftly before letting Aang take Appa away to the coast and group up with them using his glider once they caused a distraction.
Appa wouldn't go unnoticed with four light posts erected on the four corners of the prison as the one-faced lamp on the posts would rotate to supervise the surrounding sea. But the group hadn't planned to let Appa down from the corners. It would have been a tough spot to land in the middle of the large opening if it wasn't for the open platform that worked as the spot for prisoner's break time. Aang could confirm the prisoner's state because of this platform.
"Shh, slowly and quietly, Appa," Aang remarked. There weren't any soldiers guarding the spot due to complete lockdown, and Appa only hovered for a moment before the group landed—
*Thud*
*Clack*
*Thump*
*Thump*
*Thud*
Their jumps echoed, and Aang's expression changed instantly. With a swift flick of his wrist that whipped the reigns on Appa, the Airbender trio flew away to keep from attracting even more attention while the five individuals held their breaths in the dim surroundings.
"Next time, we don't jump," Sokka whispered.
"You think, genius?" Nik looked at the youth before slowly tiptoeing towards the only door bolted shut from the other side.
The rest followed him quickly and didn't let any wave of light catch their image.
The metal door vanished as their expression eased. Nik hadn't simply absorbed the door but also the locks on the other side of the door to prevent them from falling and creating a loud noise.
[Authority Rank: 0 (12.8982/100)]
Nik only looked forward to devouring the entire rig after ensuring everyone's release or the ones left were capable swimmers.
"Come on," Nik took the lead simply because he was standing in the front by his ability. He had already retrieved the rock staff he had asked Haru to make. After all, rocks don't easily catch fire, right? Or was it Sand?
The group instantly saw the glimmer of light from one of the metal corridors, and Suki walked forward.
"Hum~ Hum~ I like pork rabbits, I like boar-q-pines~ Their meat is tender and mine is divine~"
The soft and coarse hums echoed.
"Pfft," Sokka snorted before his expression froze. He was a sucker for puns, and given the tense situation, this one swept him away.
"Who's the—"
The guard revealed himself hastily, only for Suki to quickly perform a 1-2 jab that struck the unprepared guard in his face before she leaned down to pluck her war fan out of her belt and smashed its butt into the guard's neck, leaving him gasping. The lamp almost fell, only for Nik to make it disappear with a nimble catch, and what Suki performed then sent shivers down their spines. Without waiting for the guard to recover, she twirled and appeared behind him, locking the man in a chokehold until he passed out with gasping sounds.
"Why?" Suki glared at Sokka the moment she gently set the fire soldier guard down. He was a middle-aged man, Nik observed. Meanwhile, ashamed, Sokka hung his head low.
"Sorry, it just caught me off guard."
While Sokka apologized, Nik crouched beside the unconscious guard and used his left palm to store the uniform in the safe space, believing it would be helpful later. He then looked at the white underpants.
*Eek*
Katara squeaked as the fabric disappeared with a touch of Nik's palm. Stares instantly fell on her while Suki hurriedly looked away.
"Man, you Southerners are too quick to moan," Haru snorted as the sibling's expression fell further. Meanwhile, Nik glanced at the guard's meat, stripping his dignity further, "Not so divine, to be honest."
"Enough playing around," Suki finally snapped, "This is dangerous. Focus, okay?"
"No, no, Suki has a point. But so does Nik. Come on, to call such a thing divine, this guard must have a lot of confidence," Sokka leaned down, observing the entity in its natural pubic habitat.
Unable to control himself, Sokka added, "So, the real song must be— I like pork rabbits and boar-q-pines. Their meat is tender, and so is mine."
"Amazing," Nik smiled as he stood up. Sokka's words only elicited groans from the fairer gender in the group while Haru frowned in contemplation. It was a good comeback, but he felt he wasn't close enough to act friendly with them.
"It's in my blood," Sokka replied before sighing, "What about the body?"
"Here," Nik took out a small bundle of rope the group had prepared for such an event.
"I'm not touching him," Suki stepped back.
"Neither me," Katara added with a look of disgust.
"Was stripping him naked necessary? He doesn't have a shred of respect now," Haru frowned.
'Dignity of a stranger... or 0.0003 AP?' Nik wondered.
"It was necessary," he spoke firmly and took the ropes before helping Sokka in tying the man and gagging him with dirty clothing—something the underwear itself could have been used for in the first place if not for Nik's hastiness.
The group then continued. This time, they were more prepared and cautious. They carefully placed the tied unconscious guard in the corner of the open platform behind one of the tables. The prison had multiple levels and many rooms. It was difficult to ascertain which portion contained the prisoners.
"Here's an idea. Next time, one of us could infiltrate the prison and then let others in," Katara remarked, and Sokka refuted instantly, "Too many risks. You cannot even be sure that you would gain more knowledge than you had while being on the outside if you infiltrated."
"Shush," Nik raised his hand. Everyone came to a stop as they hid behind the staircase. Two guards walked by the opposing path.
"We'll have a few prisoners shipped the day after tomorrow. It's just going to make our job harder."
"Cause it was so hard already? Drop the snark, newbie. You don't want to piss the warden with unnecessary whining."
"Let's bag both of them," Haru whispered.
"No," Sokka shook his head, "We keep one, and this time, we don't choke the life out of him." Saying so, he glanced at Suki. At the time, she had the higher ground because of his mistake, but now he could share the blame with others.
Not minding the indirect call-out, Suki continued to remain silent. Unnecessarily conversing tends to lower one's concentration, so she momentarily ignored Sokka.
The group began moving again with a clear purpose. To capture a single guard and have him navigate them through the prison to find the prisoners.
"Aang will probably return in a few minutes. We have to be quicker," Katara whispered.
Frowning, Sokka couldn't help but glance at Nik.
---
A few hours ago.
"What happens if you don't get to the prisoner's quarters by the time I return?" Aang inquired curiously.
Except for Haru, everyone sat around the campfire and gazed at each other. They had to think of this possibility, too. Unlike Nik, others were practically aware of what firebenders represented and their strength.
"If we're unable to locate the prisoners... then we will retreat and cause a bit of mess in the outskirts of the prison to divert attention. The kind of mess that would make no sense to them if they don't know anything about us in the first place."
With a grin, Sokka added, "We'll take their eyes away."
***
Alternate Title: Nik Has Some Ideas On How To Break a Sweat; Katara Loves Being Socially Awkward; She Also Loves Freezing Things And Necks; The Argued Plan; Awkward Infiltration; Noob Spies; The Divine Pun; Because Stripping A Man Naked Is Never Enough; Almost Ruined Paint Job; The Firebender's Threat; Focus
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