Final Submissions
Oh hey, look who fails at posting submissions! Sorry about that Gaang, that's on me. I could make excuses about moving this month and etc, but that's not why we're here. We're here for Avatar Fandom and with that in mind here is a great fic from DarkPuck.
Title: Freedom
Author: Dark Puck
Fandom: The Legend of Korra
Characters: Amon, the Lieutenant, Intan (OC)
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: An unhappy earthbender is kidnapped by the Equalists. Takes place a few months before Korra arrives in Republic City.
Warnings: Masculine intimidation, depiction of electrocution.
~*~
It was just about dawn when Intan had finally bent enough gems to please Fei Yen. Light shone through the early-morning fog, turning a sea of darkness to a sea of light, with no better visibility. Shivering, Intan drew her coat tighter around her and hurried on her way.
A man's figure coalesced out of the fog.
She stopped, wary. "Can I... help you?" she asked after a moment.
"I believe you can," he replied, voice startlingly deep. "Intan of the Faultlines." He moved towards her, but she had already taken off across the street -
Directly into the arms of another man.
She pulled away, but it was already too late. A stick slammed into her back, and suddenly fire spread through her body, a wave of heat that contracted her muscles and tore a scream from her throat-
And then, mercifully, it was gone, leaving her helpless on the ground as the two men moved in. She moaned as they bound her hand and foot, ignoring the way she continued to twitch with the after-effects of whatever she'd just been hit with.
As one of the men hoisted her over his shoulder, she blacked out.
~*~
Pain roused her, every muscle in her body stiff from the abuse they had taken. She groaned.
"You're awake," commented a man. Her eyes shot open and she tried to surge to her feet, but she was still tied and only succeeded in falling over again.
The man chuckled. "Don't hurt yourself," he advised. The best is yet to come."
She rolled over and glared at him. "Who are you?" she spat.
He smiled, sending a chill of fear down her spine. "I'm called the Lieutenant," he said softly.
She was suddenly very glad of the bars between them. "What do you w-want with me?"
He rose from the crates he'd been lounging on and approached her, still smiling. Before she even realised what she was doing, she'd rolled to the opposite side, as far away from him as she could.
"You should feel honoured," he said, leaning against the bars. "You will be the final test."
She wasn't sure what scared her more -- his words, or his sudden resemblance to Htay. She tried to grab her crystal, but her hands had been tied behind her back. "Test?" she whispered.
His smile widened. "It's a surprise."
Abruptly he turned and strode out of the room, signalling with his left hand. As he left her line of sight, four people came into the room, covered from head to toe so she couldn't see their faces, and took up guarding positions.
Terrified, she managed to force herself into the furthest corner of the cage from those people. What was this? A new form of gang war?
Time passed. She was fed and allowed the use of a restroom after one of the covered people hit her arms and legs in strategic points. She wondered why they bothered - if they knew anything about her, they'd know she couldn't bend properly.
If they didn't know anything about her, why had she been kidnapped? Why was she being kept under such close guard?
Eventually, she slept.
Something hard prodded her out of sleep, and she yelped, jerking away from it. The Lieutenant, it seemed, was back.
He grinned at her. "It's time."
He opened the cage door and gestured with a kali stick for her to precede him. When she hesitated, he flipped the stick around in his hand and depressed some sort of toggle, making electricity crackle around it. "Now," he said, all amusement gone.
She got out of the cage as quickly as she could, and the smile returned. "No funny business, bender," he ordered her.
Too afraid to speak, she just nodded assent.
The Lieutenant grabbed her arm and dragged her after him.
She was led through a series of tunnels, until the Lieutenant all but threw her into a room. She bit back a cry of pain as she landed on her knees.
"I've brought her, Amon."
"Good," a calm voice replied.
Intan looked up to see a man standing in the centre of the room. He wore dark greys and muted reds and golds like a Fire National or one of the Agni Kais -- but the face under his hood was white and pale green, with a red circle on the forehead. For a moment she thought he was a spirit, until she realised he wore a mask.
"So," Amon said. "You are Intan. Financer of the Faultline Triad Group."
Unwilling financer, she thought bitterly, bowing her head. Not that that mattered to anyone.
"After tonight," Amon continued, strolling towards her, "you'll help them no more. You'll never hurt anyone with your bending again."
Fear rooted her to the spot. Oh gods, he was going to kill her. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, but strong fingers gripped her chin and forced her head up. "Look at me, Intan," Amon commanded.
Trembling, she stared into eyes cast into shadow by mask and by hood.
"Your contribution to the Equalist Movement will be memorialised," he said, his voice somewhere between consoling and superior. "The first earthbender to lose her bending. The third to prove I have mastered the technique."
Her eyes went wide in a sudden, desperate hope. "Promise?"
Behind the mask, he blinked. "What?"
"You can really take it away? My bending?" She couldn't imagine such a thing! If he could do that, Fei Yen would have to leave her alone. She would be free.
Amon was silent for such a long moment that she feared he'd been trying to frighten her, that he really would kill her after all.
"You sound as though you want to lose your bending," he said.
"Please," she begged, feeling tears well up in her eyes. If he was toying with her... "I don't- I never wanted it. I never wanted any of it. Please... I want to be human."
He let go of her chin to place his fingers gently against her lips. "I see," he said, his tone almost kind.
Behind them, she heard the Lieutenant stir. "Amon," he said warningly. "It might be a trap."
Another long pause, and Amon said, "No. I don't believe so."
"Amon," the Lieutenant repeated, more urgently.
"Lieutenant, I appreciate your zeal," he replied. "But let me handle this." His gaze returned to Intan. "You're certain?"
"Bending ruined my life," she said quietly.
Something flashed in his eyes, so quick she couldn't read it.
"I understand," he said. Rising to his feet, he circled around behind her and gently took hold of the back of her neck. "Look up," he said, and she did as instructed. His other hand descended towards her face, and she closed her eyes.
His thumb touched her forehead, and something shot through her body, holding her in place and ruthlessly suppressing her nonexistent attempts to fight. Even though her eyes were closed, she thought she could see her chi paths being rewritten.
It lasted a second.
It lasted a lifetime.
And then Amon removed his hand and she slumped to the side, only to be caught before she hit the ground. Intan was vaguely aware of him cutting her free and picking her up in his arms.
"The weakness will wear off," Amon explained. "When you've recovered, we'll discuss a place for you."
Intan smiled and relaxed for the first time in years.
Title: Freedom
Author: Dark Puck
Fandom: The Legend of Korra
Characters: Amon, the Lieutenant, Intan (OC)
Rating: PG/K+
Summary: An unhappy earthbender is kidnapped by the Equalists. Takes place a few months before Korra arrives in Republic City.
Warnings: Masculine intimidation, depiction of electrocution.
~*~
It was just about dawn when Intan had finally bent enough gems to please Fei Yen. Light shone through the early-morning fog, turning a sea of darkness to a sea of light, with no better visibility. Shivering, Intan drew her coat tighter around her and hurried on her way.
A man's figure coalesced out of the fog.
She stopped, wary. "Can I... help you?" she asked after a moment.
"I believe you can," he replied, voice startlingly deep. "Intan of the Faultlines." He moved towards her, but she had already taken off across the street -
Directly into the arms of another man.
She pulled away, but it was already too late. A stick slammed into her back, and suddenly fire spread through her body, a wave of heat that contracted her muscles and tore a scream from her throat-
And then, mercifully, it was gone, leaving her helpless on the ground as the two men moved in. She moaned as they bound her hand and foot, ignoring the way she continued to twitch with the after-effects of whatever she'd just been hit with.
As one of the men hoisted her over his shoulder, she blacked out.
~*~
Pain roused her, every muscle in her body stiff from the abuse they had taken. She groaned.
"You're awake," commented a man. Her eyes shot open and she tried to surge to her feet, but she was still tied and only succeeded in falling over again.
The man chuckled. "Don't hurt yourself," he advised. The best is yet to come."
She rolled over and glared at him. "Who are you?" she spat.
He smiled, sending a chill of fear down her spine. "I'm called the Lieutenant," he said softly.
She was suddenly very glad of the bars between them. "What do you w-want with me?"
He rose from the crates he'd been lounging on and approached her, still smiling. Before she even realised what she was doing, she'd rolled to the opposite side, as far away from him as she could.
"You should feel honoured," he said, leaning against the bars. "You will be the final test."
She wasn't sure what scared her more -- his words, or his sudden resemblance to Htay. She tried to grab her crystal, but her hands had been tied behind her back. "Test?" she whispered.
His smile widened. "It's a surprise."
Abruptly he turned and strode out of the room, signalling with his left hand. As he left her line of sight, four people came into the room, covered from head to toe so she couldn't see their faces, and took up guarding positions.
Terrified, she managed to force herself into the furthest corner of the cage from those people. What was this? A new form of gang war?
Time passed. She was fed and allowed the use of a restroom after one of the covered people hit her arms and legs in strategic points. She wondered why they bothered - if they knew anything about her, they'd know she couldn't bend properly.
If they didn't know anything about her, why had she been kidnapped? Why was she being kept under such close guard?
Eventually, she slept.
Something hard prodded her out of sleep, and she yelped, jerking away from it. The Lieutenant, it seemed, was back.
He grinned at her. "It's time."
He opened the cage door and gestured with a kali stick for her to precede him. When she hesitated, he flipped the stick around in his hand and depressed some sort of toggle, making electricity crackle around it. "Now," he said, all amusement gone.
She got out of the cage as quickly as she could, and the smile returned. "No funny business, bender," he ordered her.
Too afraid to speak, she just nodded assent.
The Lieutenant grabbed her arm and dragged her after him.
She was led through a series of tunnels, until the Lieutenant all but threw her into a room. She bit back a cry of pain as she landed on her knees.
"I've brought her, Amon."
"Good," a calm voice replied.
Intan looked up to see a man standing in the centre of the room. He wore dark greys and muted reds and golds like a Fire National or one of the Agni Kais -- but the face under his hood was white and pale green, with a red circle on the forehead. For a moment she thought he was a spirit, until she realised he wore a mask.
"So," Amon said. "You are Intan. Financer of the Faultline Triad Group."
Unwilling financer, she thought bitterly, bowing her head. Not that that mattered to anyone.
"After tonight," Amon continued, strolling towards her, "you'll help them no more. You'll never hurt anyone with your bending again."
Fear rooted her to the spot. Oh gods, he was going to kill her. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her head away, but strong fingers gripped her chin and forced her head up. "Look at me, Intan," Amon commanded.
Trembling, she stared into eyes cast into shadow by mask and by hood.
"Your contribution to the Equalist Movement will be memorialised," he said, his voice somewhere between consoling and superior. "The first earthbender to lose her bending. The third to prove I have mastered the technique."
Her eyes went wide in a sudden, desperate hope. "Promise?"
Behind the mask, he blinked. "What?"
"You can really take it away? My bending?" She couldn't imagine such a thing! If he could do that, Fei Yen would have to leave her alone. She would be free.
Amon was silent for such a long moment that she feared he'd been trying to frighten her, that he really would kill her after all.
"You sound as though you want to lose your bending," he said.
"Please," she begged, feeling tears well up in her eyes. If he was toying with her... "I don't- I never wanted it. I never wanted any of it. Please... I want to be human."
He let go of her chin to place his fingers gently against her lips. "I see," he said, his tone almost kind.
Behind them, she heard the Lieutenant stir. "Amon," he said warningly. "It might be a trap."
Another long pause, and Amon said, "No. I don't believe so."
"Amon," the Lieutenant repeated, more urgently.
"Lieutenant, I appreciate your zeal," he replied. "But let me handle this." His gaze returned to Intan. "You're certain?"
"Bending ruined my life," she said quietly.
Something flashed in his eyes, so quick she couldn't read it.
"I understand," he said. Rising to his feet, he circled around behind her and gently took hold of the back of her neck. "Look up," he said, and she did as instructed. His other hand descended towards her face, and she closed her eyes.
His thumb touched her forehead, and something shot through her body, holding her in place and ruthlessly suppressing her nonexistent attempts to fight. Even though her eyes were closed, she thought she could see her chi paths being rewritten.
It lasted a second.
It lasted a lifetime.
And then Amon removed his hand and she slumped to the side, only to be caught before she hit the ground. Intan was vaguely aware of him cutting her free and picking her up in his arms.
"The weakness will wear off," Amon explained. "When you've recovered, we'll discuss a place for you."
Intan smiled and relaxed for the first time in years.