Cause Some Trouble Chapter 13
CAUSE SOME TROUBLE
CHAPTER 13-- THE DAY OF BLACK SUN, PART 1
If Chapter 11 was difficult to write emotionally, this chapter was difficult to write logistically. >_< I spent forever hammering out all the details. Infinite gratitude to Quantumreality for putting up with all my vacillating on Yahoo Messenger.
I decided to split the eclipse into two parts, like the series did. Writing it all as one chapter just wasn’t working that well. I think you’ll like the way I’ve set this up. ^_^ And yeah, I used the same title as the series. I couldn’t resist!
Linh woke Basam up just after dawn that morning. Lucky thing, having a Firebender on his side-they always rose with the sun, she told him. His hands quivered with nerves and excitement as he sat up and stretched. This was it: after four weeks in a Fire Nation prison, he was either getting out today or he was going down trying it. He just counted himself fortunate that the eclipse had only been a month away when he'd been captured.
That time without freedom, short as it was, had already worn him down. The metal cell, metal walls, metal ceiling… it was like they were squeezing the air out of his lungs. He knew he wouldn't last if he had to stay here much longer. He took a few deep breaths and ran his fingers through his tangled, dirty hair. Instead of his usual long ponytail, he tied it up on top of his head. He stuck his hand into his pocket and rubbed his fingertips against the talisman pouch quickly, reassuring himself it was still there. Then he settled in to wait.
Their plan was mostly Linh's idea. He'd come up with a way out of their cells, but the Firebender had come up with a way out of the prison. Linh had learned a lot about the inner workings of the jail in the time she'd been there; it was amazing, the things guards talked about in earshot of defenseless prisoners. She knew that they'd installed a mechanical door-locking device, for one thing. It had been a very big deal at the time, apparently, for a little prison like this to get something as fancy as that. Flip a switch and all the cell doors in a row slide open. And she knew which guards had the shortest tempers. There was one guard in particular whose watch shift started in the late afternoon-he was new, young, and clearly felt he had a lot to prove. In other words, he was just what they needed.
"Here we go," Basam whispered. He'd been watching the tiny window across the hall all morning and all afternoon. He shot one more look around the hall that his cell was in; it was mostly empty right now. The cells around theirs were empty at the moment, and theirs were close to the door. That was good-fewer people to cause a ruckus.
Looking down at the floor of the cell, he spotted part of the mechanism that Linh had described to him. It was a series of heavy latches clamping the bottom of the door shut. There was another set of latches along the top of the door. There was a system of gears and pulleys attached to either side of the door from top to bottom, encased in steel to protect them from damage. Linh had tried to explain the system to him, but it was like listening to a speech in one of those dead languages that Professor Zei had always rambled about.
The brash new guard was about to start his shift; Basam could hear him talking to the guard coming off his shift at the end of the hall. He was in a bad mood, too, from the sound of things. Good, Basam thought with a smirk. He waited a couple more minutes as the last guard left and the new one took up his spot. Carefully, he slipped the talisman pouch out of his pocket and tugged it open. He Bended the sand out into a ball, resting in the palm of his right hand. Then he leaned against the bars of the cell door with his right arm behind his back.
Basam cleared his throat. He started reciting a little rhyme that one of his friends in the Janan Tribe had come up with, back when they were boys. It was all about the Fire Lord, and how he'd gone to war against the other nations because the people there were all so much better-looking than he was. He was jealous and vowed revenge on anyone prettier than him.
"Shut up, scum!" shouted the guard.
"Just keeping myself entertained. It's boring in here!" Basam called back cheerfully. He waited a minute and then launched into the next verse-it talked about how everyone always laughed at the Fire Lord wherever he went, on account of how ugly he was. And the more people laughed, the angrier he got.
"Quiet!" the guard snarled. Basam fell silent for a moment, then smirked and spoke up again.
"Hey, guard!"
"What, scum?"
"I was just thinking about that rhyme, you know? And I was wondering if it's true at all. Just how ugly, exactly, is the Fire Lord? Would you tell me?"
"What? How dare you!" the guard howled. Basam saw him turn from his post to glare daggers at him.
"So that's a no, huh? Ah well. Maybe you can tell me something else-I noticed that the rest of you Firebender types are pretty ugly, too. Is there a reason for that?"
"Shut your filthy mouth, peasant!"
"Wow, and you're not very original, either. Peasant, really? I've heard that one before. Got anything better? C'mon, I bet you could swear up a storm!" he taunted.
"I said shut up, you desert filth!" the guard snapped.
"Mmm, nah, still pretty boring. I've got some pretty good insults, if I do say so myself. Wanna hear 'em?" He asked with a grin.
"No!"
"Okay, suit yourself. But I still wanna know why all you Firebenders are so damned ugly. Is that a rule? You have to look like a beetle's hind end to join the army? Because you smell like it too, if I'm honest-"
"Okay, that's it!" the guard roared. He came storming down the hallway towards Basam's cell. The Sandbender noticed with satisfaction that he was wearing a helmet with the faceplate raised. The guard stomped up to the door of Basam's cell, his right fist drawn back. He leaned towards the bars, his face twisted in rage. "I'll teach you to keep your mouth shut, you-"
Basam's right hand shot out through the bars, thrusting the ball of sand right into the guard's eyes. The man didn't even have time to cry out. Quick as lightning, Basam seized the collar of the guard's shoulder armor, ripped off the helmet with his left hand, and slammed the guard's head against the iron bars. The man's knees buckled.
Basam shot a quick look around the hall. The prisoners at the end of the hall had taken notice, but they weren't saying anything. He lowered the guard to the ground and crouched down, hands reaching for the keys at the man's belt. C'mon, c'mon, he thought. His fingers closed around the keys at last and he yanked them off of their belt hook. He jumped to his feet and reached through the bars, twisting his arm around to reach the lock. He fumbled with the keys for what felt like hours before the lock clicked and the latches snapped open. It was the most Spirits-blessed sound he'd ever heard at that moment. Triumph surged through him as the door swung open.
"There are handcuffs on his belt," Linh said in a harsh whisper. "Get changed and bind him, quickly!" Basam spotted the metal cuffs and plucked them off the belt as he dragged the guard into the cell. Linh obligingly turned around as Basam started in on the guard's clothing. The guard was about as tall as he was, though a little narrower in the shoulders. He stripped off his wraps, tunic, undershirt and pants, then hastily replaced them with the guard's gear. The blood-red fabric looked strange against his skin. And the stiff boots… The sooner I get these off, the better! How do they ever get anything done wearing these? he thought irritably. He settled the helmet on his head and slid the faceplate down. Then he tugged his own clothes onto the guard and cuffed the man's hands behind his back.
He tucked the talisman pouch into the pocket of his new pants, and then he grabbed the keys and opened Linh's cell. She immediately ducked back into his cell and knelt by the guard. She tore a strip of fabric off of one arm wrap and stuffed it into the man's mouth, and then tied another strip over his mouth.
"I heard you guys can breathe fire," Basam whispered. "Won't he just burn through it after he wakes up?"
"Not all Firebenders have the Breath of Fire technique. And even if he does, he will risk inhaling all of the ashes if he does burn the gag," Linh explained.
"Oh. Uh, okay then," Basam muttered, cringing a little at the thought of choking on ashes.
"Psst!" hissed one of the other prisoners. Basam whirled around and raised a finger to his lips.
"Ssh! Hold on," he hissed back. He rushed down the hall to the six other prisoners. They all stared at him with eager eyes. "I'll get you guys out, I promise. But I need to stick to my plan. I'm gonna go for that door unlocker. Just wait till then, okay? Please?" he whispered urgently. A burly man in Earth Kingdom green and brown glared at him.
"How can we trust you?" he demanded.
"I, uh… I don't know, honestly," Basam admitted. "But you have to, you really do!" Linh came up behind him and spoke.
"We cannot take the risk of eight people sneaking through the base," she said. "Our plan will only work with two of us. If we were to let you out now, and the guards caught you, they would bring you back here and find the guard in that cell. That can't happen yet. The other guards must stay away from here for now. Once we reach the door switch, you will all be free." Basam shot her a grateful look.
There was a painful pause as the six prisoners exchanged glances. Basam could practically feel precious minutes going to waste. Finally, another prisoner spoke up.
"I'll wait," he said gruffly. The rest agreed one by one. Basam's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Thank you," he whispered. Then he nodded to Linh. She turned away from him and crossed her forearms behind her back. He loosely tied her wrists with a strip of cloth from his leg wraps and took hold of her upper arm. They walked swiftly to the door at the top of the hall, and Basam paused to take a deep breath. "This had better work," he said quietly.
Linh knew a thing or two about Earth Kingdom jails, from her time as a soldier in the Fire Nation colonies. She hadn't seen much of this one, but she'd told him that it was bound to be similar to the rest. And she'd been awake when they brought her in, so she'd seen more of the prison than he had. The prison had four halls filled with these cage-like cells. They would be arranged in a square, with one hall on each side. She wasn't sure where the door-locking switches were, but they'd be someplace close by.
He pushed the door open and glanced around with what he hoped was an authoritative air. The door opened onto the wide square in the middle of the prison building. And it was filled with guards. He saw eight sentries patrolling the sides of the square, and eight more surrounding a platform set in the very middle of it. Next to the platform, he saw a round staircase that went up through a hatch in the ceiling and down underground; Linh had said that the guards' quarters would be on the second floor of the building. There would be more Firebenders up there, and all of them would come running at the first hint of trouble. But that was okay, really-he and Linh had a plan.
He squared his shoulders and gently pushed Linh in front of him. She stumbled a little to make it more convincing. He strode out into the square with all the confidence he could gather. Just walk like you own the place, he told himself. Their father had told him that if you acted like you knew what you were doing, most folks would just assume that you did.
"Hey, you," said the closest sentry, "Where're you taking that prisoner?"
"She tried to Firebend at me, so she's goin' into the dark cell," Basam growled. He pitched his voice higher to sound more like the angry guard. Linh had told him that most Earth Kingdom prisons had "dark cells" where prisoners who misbehaved got locked up by themselves. The walls and door were solid metal and there were no windows at all. The sentry nodded.
"All right, carry on," he said. Basam gave Linh another shove and they kept walking across the square. The little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as they passed sentry after sentry. It was like walking through a buzzard-wasp hive. He let Linh lead the way, still holding onto her arm to keep up their disguise. As they got closer to the platform, Linh coughed sharply. Basam shot a quick look at the platform and saw exactly what they needed-it was the door locking device, four iron switches connected to a rounded box with slots in it.
Then, out of nowhere, a heavy hand landed on Basam's shoulder and his heart just about stopped. "What do you think you're doing, soldier?" demanded a feminine voice. He turned quickly and saw another sentry standing there. Her lips were set in a deep frown under her helmet's visor. "The dark cells are belowground," she said sternly.
"Uh, right, sorry," Basam muttered.
"That's 'sorry, Lieutenant' to you," the sentry barked.
"Sorry, Lieutenant," he echoed.
"And don't you forget it. Now come on-I'll help you get this prisoner locked up." She turned and started walking towards the stairs, and Basam found himself hurrying to keep up, pushing Linh along ahead of him. Their metal boots clanked against the metal stairs as they dropped down into the dark basement. It was much colder down here. Basam tried hard not to shiver.
The passageway at the bottom of the stairs was like the one they had been in, but dark and damp. Basam was suddenly grateful for the tiny windows in their hall. Once they'd gotten away from the stairs, the sentry whirled around, pushed Linh aside, and grabbed the front of Basam's stolen tunic.
"You're not a guard," she said bluntly, her voice a harsh whisper. He opened his mouth to deny it but he couldn't get words out past the panic boiling up inside him. "And neither am I," she added. Basam's jaw fell open even more, completely confused. "Are you the Sandbender?"
"Uh…last time I checked, yeah," he whispered back. "Who're you?"
"Let's just say, I know the people that attacked the convoy in the woods. It's better if we avoid names. Your sister and friend are safe, by the way. I couldn't get a message back to them about your status. Now, what are you up to?"
"We're trying to get to the door mechanism," Linh said, her voice so soft Basam could hardly hear it. The spy nodded and walked past them to the door of the closest dark cell. She unlocked the heavy door and swung it open slowly. Its massive hinges grated loudly. The spy waited a minute, swung the door shut, and locked it again. Basam just stared at her.
"So no one upstairs gets suspicious," she explained. "How're you getting to the mechanism? Tell me everything-and quickly, we can't stay down here too long."
"We had a diversion planned-the alarm bells," Linh said. She explained their plan calmly and carefully. The spy nodded in understanding. Linh had told Basam that most Earth Kingdom prisons had alarm systems: iron bells bolted to the walls all around the building. If there was a riot, a fire, or some other emergency, a guard would ring the nearest bell. They had a different number of rings for each situation. Another guard would hear it and ring the next bell, and so on until the message spread all through the building. The spy smirked at the two of them. She had nice lips, he had to admit. He wondered what the rest of her face looked like.
"We can help you there," she said.
"We?" Basam echoed. The spy just smirked even wider and turned to Linh. "Wait down here for a bit." A minute later, Basam and the spy came up from the basement.
"Next time, new guy, get permission from the warden before you move a prisoner," she said firmly.
"Yes, Lieutenant," Basam said dutifully. They parted ways, the spy heading back to her post and Basam walking back to the hall where his cell had been. He could see her out of the corner of his eye as he walked, watching her closely-
She cut a sharp right and dashed towards the bell on the wall. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Basam spun around and sprinted for the platform. Running in the metal boots was even worse than just walking. He slammed his shoulder into a guard that ran at him, knocking him down and leaping over him-but then two more guards jumped into his path, fists raised. He skidded to a stop and stumbled back a step, and then fell into a fighting crouch. Fighting armored Firebenders without sand or weapons… this should be interesting, he thought grimly.
The woman on the left struck first-fire exploded from her fist aimed right at Basam's head. He shouted and ducked. The one on the right laughed viciously and kicked a stream of fire at his legs; Basam twisted, lost his balance, and hit the metal floor hard. He was back on his feet in a heartbeat and the guard stopped mid-laugh. The Firebender raised his fists to send another flame his way but Basam lunged inside his reach, knocked his fist aside and punched him right in the jaw, then spun and kicked him in the gut. The guard staggered back and fell. The second one rushed at him and they grappled for a minute-but then the female guard jerked, grunted, and slumped down.
Basam looked up in shock and saw another guard, who'd just dropped the woman with a section of metal pipe to the back of the head. The third guard nodded at him. Another spy! Basam thought in amazement. That's what she meant by 'we'! But the rest of the guards had gotten over their surprise by then, and now he and his handful of allies were really in for it.
Behind the new spy he saw guards racing down the stairs from the quarters on the upper level. They only made it halfway down: a massive burst of flame roared up from the dark basement, swallowing up the bottom half of the stairs. The guards at the front of the pack screamed and fell from the stairs. The flames faded out and Linh leaped out from the lower stairwell. The metal stairs glowed red-hot behind her.
"Show 'em how it's done, Linh!" Basam crowed. But then another Firebender at the top of the stairs started drawing out the heat, cooling the metal down, and the rest of the guards rushed out into the square. He saw them grab Linh out of the corner of his eye, and judging by the yelling on his right, they had the first spy too. The rest spread out between Basam and the platform, fists aimed straight at him. Well, at least I got this far, Basam told himself ruefully, bracing himself. They punched their fists forward all at once… and nothing happened. The solar eclipse had started!
Basam let out a whoop and ran straight at the guards, with the second spy right next to him. The guards closed in on him as he hurtled towards them, but they were too slow. They'd spent too long sitting on their hind ends in this prison; even with the clunky boots and shoulder armor, Basam was still quicker than them. He drove his fist into the gut of the nearest one, and a smack from the spy's metal pipe finished him off. Another one attacked from Basam's left and he just barely ducked the man's kick, blocked a punch, then took the next kick to his back. He staggered forward, winded. But then he grinned at the telltale sound of a fist hitting its target. He looked up and saw the first spy, smirking down at him.
Basam took a breath and broke away from the guards, running for the platform. A sentry made a grab for him but he twisted just out of reach of the grasping fingers and hurtled up the steps to the top. The four switches sat before him, looking much bigger and heavier up close. He grabbed two and pushed them forward. The device resisted for a moment and then the switches moved with a metallic groan. They clunked into place and he threw the next two switches.
The low sound of grinding metal echoed through the square as the mechanism went to work, making the platform shake under his feet. Everyone in the square chamber went dead silent for a moment. Then prisoners poured out of the four halls, muttering amongst themselves. The guards charged at them and the prisoners started to fall back. But then Basam cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to them.
"This is a jailbreak!" he bellowed. "There's a solar eclipse right now and the Firebenders are all out of firepower! It won't last long, but we outnumber 'em, so let's give 'em some fury!"
And that was when all chaos broke loose. A roar went up from the prisoners and they surged forward against the guards. Basam vaulted over the platform railing and landed feet-first on top of two of the Firebenders that had taken aim at him. And when he heard the satisfying clank of his boots against their helmets, he was kind of glad he had metal shoes on. He gave them another stomp for good measure and then rushed into the crowd.
Linh found him and smiled widely. "Nicely done, my friend," she said over the tumult of the fighting. Her reddish-brown eyes were lit up with a kind of fierce delight that would have terrified Basam if he were her enemy.
"Not bad, yourself!" he replied, grinning back. Then he shouted, "Behind you!" Linh spun and punched the guard coming at her right in the gut. He fell with a strangled cry. Basam let out a low whistle. He shot a look about the chamber; all around him, he saw prisoners battling it out hand-to-hand with the guards that had held them prisoner. And it was obvious that the Firebenders had let their hand-to-hand skills suffer, because the prisoners were pushing them back one step at a time. The prisoners were forcing them to the walls, pinning them down.
"We must get out of here as soon as we can," Linh said urgently. "The front gate is on the upper level." She pointed towards the stairs behind him.
Basam nodded and turned to head back towards the steps-a kick came out of nowhere and an armored foot slammed into his stomach. He grunted and reeled back, gasping for breath as he took stock of the Firebender that had attacked him. This one hadn't forgotten his hand-to-hand techniques. Basam blocked the guard's next spinning kick and punched at the man's unarmored face, but the guard swatted his fist aside like it was a mosquito-fly. Basam winced at the pain in his wrist and ducked the next punch. Just as the guard's fist drew back for another one, he heard clanking footsteps behind him. Basam sidestepped quickly, and clank! The second guard collided with the first and they both fell down. Basam dodged around them and bounded to the stairs.
He climbed up the first few steps and shouted into the chaos again. "Everybody, listen! We're getting out of here! Make for the front gate! This way!" At first, he wasn't sure anyone had heard him. But then they started shoving the fireless Firebenders aside and poured towards the stairs. Basam grinned, triumphant, and raced up the steps with the thunder of the prisoners' footsteps following him.
They ran through the guards' quarters, past bunk-rooms and a kitchen before they finally found it. The front gate was a simple set of metal doors at the western end of the upper floor. There were two guards in front of them, nervously clutching their spears. They lasted about half a minute before they dove out of the way. One of them gathered his wits long enough to hand over the keys to the heavy lock on the door. Basam didn't hesitate before unlocking it, throwing his arms out and shoving his palms against the metal. Hinges screeched as the doors slowly swung outward. A warm spring breeze blew in as the doors opened; the prisoners behind him cheered.
And the sunlight! There wasn't much of it at the moment, with the sun blocked. There was a dark haze over the forest outside, like it was nightfall. But the few rays of light that fell through the doorway were like a gift from the Spirits to Basam.
He leaped through the doorway and charged down the winding metal stairs beyond with all the prisoners on his heels. He ducked out of the way at the bottom of the stairs and pulled the metal boots off. And the moment his feet touched the ground, he felt like a new man. He jumped up and threw the boots aside and then yanked off the helmet, his heart soaring at the feel of the fresh air against his face. The shoulder armor went next, and the bracers. He stood and dug his toes into the soil; it wasn't the sand of his home, but he didn't care right then. Soil or not, it was gorgeous. He threw his head back and laughed.
Linh and the female spy from the basement wandered over. The eclipse ended as they drew near, the sunlight coming back with all its glory. He grinned at them. "And you said we weren't likely to succeed!" Basam joked to Linh.
"I am happy to be proven wrong," she said gleefully. Then she grew a little more serious and gestured to the sky. "We should get away from here before the guards get it into their heads to come after us," she pointed out.
"Good idea," agreed the spy. "We should go to the fortress-there was supposed to be an assault there today, to reclaim it from Captain Hideki."
"How'd you keep all these secret messages away from the prison guards? The real ones, I mean," Basam asked as the three of them walked quickly away from the jail. All around them, the prisoners scattered into the woods.
"They were coded to look like love letters," the spy explained. Basam chuckled approvingly. "I know where they keep the komodo rhinos-we can get to the fortress quickly if we take a couple."
The rhino barn was across a small clearing from the main gate. The spy spotted two that already had their saddles on, picked one of them and swung easily up onto its back. Linh clambered up onto the other one. Basam eyed the huge beasts warily. He didn't like the way they glared at him. Linh cleared her throat pointedly. He scrambled up onto the saddle behind Linh and the three of them set off.
The rhinos set a surprisingly snappy pace, for being such lumbering beasts. As they approached the base, Basam spotted thin trails of smoke rising up from within its walls.
"The attack must be underway already," the spy said.
"How're we gonna get in there?" Basam asked.
"There's a hidden door about a mile from the outer wall-so the soldiers could get supplies in if the fortress ever came under siege. It'll take us right into the tower at the center of the place. It's not far from here." They turned their rhinos and headed back into the forest. The spy found the door quickly enough. It was a round, stone hatch set into a boulder. The spy planted her feet apart, lifted her hands, and thrust her palms at it. The door slid back and fell out of sight. Basam felt a twinge of envy at her Earthbending skills. He and Linh let the spy lead the way into the dark tunnel beyond the door.
He knew it wasn't that long of a walk, but it felt like ages. The closer they got, the more nervous Basam felt. Had his sister and Kuei been part of the attack on the base? (Or fortress, as the spy kept calling it.) He wanted to break into a run, the sooner to reach the fortress and find out.
Finally they reached the door at the other end. The tunnel brought them up into a cellar. The spy paused at the cellar door, pressing her ear against it. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she opened the door and they climbed up a short set of dirt stairs. When they reached the top, the spy pushed aside a fake wall panel and they all stepped through it. They were somewhere deep inside the tower's lower floors now. The spy motioned to them to keep moving.
A noise caught Basam's ear as they crept through the tower, searching for a way out. He heard the sounds of a commotion drifting down a passageway to their left and waved to the others to stop for a moment. It sounded like a struggle. He heard two male voices, and a woman shouting. Wait a minute, that sounds like… Unease rose up inside Basam. He motioned his companions to follow and they crept down the passageway until they reached the doorway. Basam inched forward until he could see into the room, staying hidden in the shadows.
Horror seized him at the sight that met his eyes. Kuei stood to one side of the room, his face a pale mask of terror and one hand reaching out, like he was frozen. Captain Hideki stood across from him… and in front of Hideki, eyes blazing with fear and hatred, was Zafirah. Her hands were bound up behind her back. The Firebender had her braid wrapped around his left fist, tugging her head back and exposing her throat to the curved dagger pressing against it.
Hideki spoke then, his voice just as cold and calm as Basam remembered. "Surrender, Earth King, or the sand rat will die."
/////////////
Playlist:
1) One Against Four [True Grit]-The jailbreak begins.
2) Fall [TRON: Legacy]-Jailbreak continued.
3) Run Free [Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron]-Jailbreak; prisoners escape the jail.
CHAPTER 13-- THE DAY OF BLACK SUN, PART 1
If Chapter 11 was difficult to write emotionally, this chapter was difficult to write logistically. >_< I spent forever hammering out all the details. Infinite gratitude to Quantumreality for putting up with all my vacillating on Yahoo Messenger.
I decided to split the eclipse into two parts, like the series did. Writing it all as one chapter just wasn’t working that well. I think you’ll like the way I’ve set this up. ^_^ And yeah, I used the same title as the series. I couldn’t resist!
Linh woke Basam up just after dawn that morning. Lucky thing, having a Firebender on his side-they always rose with the sun, she told him. His hands quivered with nerves and excitement as he sat up and stretched. This was it: after four weeks in a Fire Nation prison, he was either getting out today or he was going down trying it. He just counted himself fortunate that the eclipse had only been a month away when he'd been captured.
That time without freedom, short as it was, had already worn him down. The metal cell, metal walls, metal ceiling… it was like they were squeezing the air out of his lungs. He knew he wouldn't last if he had to stay here much longer. He took a few deep breaths and ran his fingers through his tangled, dirty hair. Instead of his usual long ponytail, he tied it up on top of his head. He stuck his hand into his pocket and rubbed his fingertips against the talisman pouch quickly, reassuring himself it was still there. Then he settled in to wait.
Their plan was mostly Linh's idea. He'd come up with a way out of their cells, but the Firebender had come up with a way out of the prison. Linh had learned a lot about the inner workings of the jail in the time she'd been there; it was amazing, the things guards talked about in earshot of defenseless prisoners. She knew that they'd installed a mechanical door-locking device, for one thing. It had been a very big deal at the time, apparently, for a little prison like this to get something as fancy as that. Flip a switch and all the cell doors in a row slide open. And she knew which guards had the shortest tempers. There was one guard in particular whose watch shift started in the late afternoon-he was new, young, and clearly felt he had a lot to prove. In other words, he was just what they needed.
"Here we go," Basam whispered. He'd been watching the tiny window across the hall all morning and all afternoon. He shot one more look around the hall that his cell was in; it was mostly empty right now. The cells around theirs were empty at the moment, and theirs were close to the door. That was good-fewer people to cause a ruckus.
Looking down at the floor of the cell, he spotted part of the mechanism that Linh had described to him. It was a series of heavy latches clamping the bottom of the door shut. There was another set of latches along the top of the door. There was a system of gears and pulleys attached to either side of the door from top to bottom, encased in steel to protect them from damage. Linh had tried to explain the system to him, but it was like listening to a speech in one of those dead languages that Professor Zei had always rambled about.
The brash new guard was about to start his shift; Basam could hear him talking to the guard coming off his shift at the end of the hall. He was in a bad mood, too, from the sound of things. Good, Basam thought with a smirk. He waited a couple more minutes as the last guard left and the new one took up his spot. Carefully, he slipped the talisman pouch out of his pocket and tugged it open. He Bended the sand out into a ball, resting in the palm of his right hand. Then he leaned against the bars of the cell door with his right arm behind his back.
Basam cleared his throat. He started reciting a little rhyme that one of his friends in the Janan Tribe had come up with, back when they were boys. It was all about the Fire Lord, and how he'd gone to war against the other nations because the people there were all so much better-looking than he was. He was jealous and vowed revenge on anyone prettier than him.
"Shut up, scum!" shouted the guard.
"Just keeping myself entertained. It's boring in here!" Basam called back cheerfully. He waited a minute and then launched into the next verse-it talked about how everyone always laughed at the Fire Lord wherever he went, on account of how ugly he was. And the more people laughed, the angrier he got.
"Quiet!" the guard snarled. Basam fell silent for a moment, then smirked and spoke up again.
"Hey, guard!"
"What, scum?"
"I was just thinking about that rhyme, you know? And I was wondering if it's true at all. Just how ugly, exactly, is the Fire Lord? Would you tell me?"
"What? How dare you!" the guard howled. Basam saw him turn from his post to glare daggers at him.
"So that's a no, huh? Ah well. Maybe you can tell me something else-I noticed that the rest of you Firebender types are pretty ugly, too. Is there a reason for that?"
"Shut your filthy mouth, peasant!"
"Wow, and you're not very original, either. Peasant, really? I've heard that one before. Got anything better? C'mon, I bet you could swear up a storm!" he taunted.
"I said shut up, you desert filth!" the guard snapped.
"Mmm, nah, still pretty boring. I've got some pretty good insults, if I do say so myself. Wanna hear 'em?" He asked with a grin.
"No!"
"Okay, suit yourself. But I still wanna know why all you Firebenders are so damned ugly. Is that a rule? You have to look like a beetle's hind end to join the army? Because you smell like it too, if I'm honest-"
"Okay, that's it!" the guard roared. He came storming down the hallway towards Basam's cell. The Sandbender noticed with satisfaction that he was wearing a helmet with the faceplate raised. The guard stomped up to the door of Basam's cell, his right fist drawn back. He leaned towards the bars, his face twisted in rage. "I'll teach you to keep your mouth shut, you-"
Basam's right hand shot out through the bars, thrusting the ball of sand right into the guard's eyes. The man didn't even have time to cry out. Quick as lightning, Basam seized the collar of the guard's shoulder armor, ripped off the helmet with his left hand, and slammed the guard's head against the iron bars. The man's knees buckled.
Basam shot a quick look around the hall. The prisoners at the end of the hall had taken notice, but they weren't saying anything. He lowered the guard to the ground and crouched down, hands reaching for the keys at the man's belt. C'mon, c'mon, he thought. His fingers closed around the keys at last and he yanked them off of their belt hook. He jumped to his feet and reached through the bars, twisting his arm around to reach the lock. He fumbled with the keys for what felt like hours before the lock clicked and the latches snapped open. It was the most Spirits-blessed sound he'd ever heard at that moment. Triumph surged through him as the door swung open.
"There are handcuffs on his belt," Linh said in a harsh whisper. "Get changed and bind him, quickly!" Basam spotted the metal cuffs and plucked them off the belt as he dragged the guard into the cell. Linh obligingly turned around as Basam started in on the guard's clothing. The guard was about as tall as he was, though a little narrower in the shoulders. He stripped off his wraps, tunic, undershirt and pants, then hastily replaced them with the guard's gear. The blood-red fabric looked strange against his skin. And the stiff boots… The sooner I get these off, the better! How do they ever get anything done wearing these? he thought irritably. He settled the helmet on his head and slid the faceplate down. Then he tugged his own clothes onto the guard and cuffed the man's hands behind his back.
He tucked the talisman pouch into the pocket of his new pants, and then he grabbed the keys and opened Linh's cell. She immediately ducked back into his cell and knelt by the guard. She tore a strip of fabric off of one arm wrap and stuffed it into the man's mouth, and then tied another strip over his mouth.
"I heard you guys can breathe fire," Basam whispered. "Won't he just burn through it after he wakes up?"
"Not all Firebenders have the Breath of Fire technique. And even if he does, he will risk inhaling all of the ashes if he does burn the gag," Linh explained.
"Oh. Uh, okay then," Basam muttered, cringing a little at the thought of choking on ashes.
"Psst!" hissed one of the other prisoners. Basam whirled around and raised a finger to his lips.
"Ssh! Hold on," he hissed back. He rushed down the hall to the six other prisoners. They all stared at him with eager eyes. "I'll get you guys out, I promise. But I need to stick to my plan. I'm gonna go for that door unlocker. Just wait till then, okay? Please?" he whispered urgently. A burly man in Earth Kingdom green and brown glared at him.
"How can we trust you?" he demanded.
"I, uh… I don't know, honestly," Basam admitted. "But you have to, you really do!" Linh came up behind him and spoke.
"We cannot take the risk of eight people sneaking through the base," she said. "Our plan will only work with two of us. If we were to let you out now, and the guards caught you, they would bring you back here and find the guard in that cell. That can't happen yet. The other guards must stay away from here for now. Once we reach the door switch, you will all be free." Basam shot her a grateful look.
There was a painful pause as the six prisoners exchanged glances. Basam could practically feel precious minutes going to waste. Finally, another prisoner spoke up.
"I'll wait," he said gruffly. The rest agreed one by one. Basam's shoulders sagged in relief.
"Thank you," he whispered. Then he nodded to Linh. She turned away from him and crossed her forearms behind her back. He loosely tied her wrists with a strip of cloth from his leg wraps and took hold of her upper arm. They walked swiftly to the door at the top of the hall, and Basam paused to take a deep breath. "This had better work," he said quietly.
Linh knew a thing or two about Earth Kingdom jails, from her time as a soldier in the Fire Nation colonies. She hadn't seen much of this one, but she'd told him that it was bound to be similar to the rest. And she'd been awake when they brought her in, so she'd seen more of the prison than he had. The prison had four halls filled with these cage-like cells. They would be arranged in a square, with one hall on each side. She wasn't sure where the door-locking switches were, but they'd be someplace close by.
He pushed the door open and glanced around with what he hoped was an authoritative air. The door opened onto the wide square in the middle of the prison building. And it was filled with guards. He saw eight sentries patrolling the sides of the square, and eight more surrounding a platform set in the very middle of it. Next to the platform, he saw a round staircase that went up through a hatch in the ceiling and down underground; Linh had said that the guards' quarters would be on the second floor of the building. There would be more Firebenders up there, and all of them would come running at the first hint of trouble. But that was okay, really-he and Linh had a plan.
He squared his shoulders and gently pushed Linh in front of him. She stumbled a little to make it more convincing. He strode out into the square with all the confidence he could gather. Just walk like you own the place, he told himself. Their father had told him that if you acted like you knew what you were doing, most folks would just assume that you did.
"Hey, you," said the closest sentry, "Where're you taking that prisoner?"
"She tried to Firebend at me, so she's goin' into the dark cell," Basam growled. He pitched his voice higher to sound more like the angry guard. Linh had told him that most Earth Kingdom prisons had "dark cells" where prisoners who misbehaved got locked up by themselves. The walls and door were solid metal and there were no windows at all. The sentry nodded.
"All right, carry on," he said. Basam gave Linh another shove and they kept walking across the square. The little hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as they passed sentry after sentry. It was like walking through a buzzard-wasp hive. He let Linh lead the way, still holding onto her arm to keep up their disguise. As they got closer to the platform, Linh coughed sharply. Basam shot a quick look at the platform and saw exactly what they needed-it was the door locking device, four iron switches connected to a rounded box with slots in it.
Then, out of nowhere, a heavy hand landed on Basam's shoulder and his heart just about stopped. "What do you think you're doing, soldier?" demanded a feminine voice. He turned quickly and saw another sentry standing there. Her lips were set in a deep frown under her helmet's visor. "The dark cells are belowground," she said sternly.
"Uh, right, sorry," Basam muttered.
"That's 'sorry, Lieutenant' to you," the sentry barked.
"Sorry, Lieutenant," he echoed.
"And don't you forget it. Now come on-I'll help you get this prisoner locked up." She turned and started walking towards the stairs, and Basam found himself hurrying to keep up, pushing Linh along ahead of him. Their metal boots clanked against the metal stairs as they dropped down into the dark basement. It was much colder down here. Basam tried hard not to shiver.
The passageway at the bottom of the stairs was like the one they had been in, but dark and damp. Basam was suddenly grateful for the tiny windows in their hall. Once they'd gotten away from the stairs, the sentry whirled around, pushed Linh aside, and grabbed the front of Basam's stolen tunic.
"You're not a guard," she said bluntly, her voice a harsh whisper. He opened his mouth to deny it but he couldn't get words out past the panic boiling up inside him. "And neither am I," she added. Basam's jaw fell open even more, completely confused. "Are you the Sandbender?"
"Uh…last time I checked, yeah," he whispered back. "Who're you?"
"Let's just say, I know the people that attacked the convoy in the woods. It's better if we avoid names. Your sister and friend are safe, by the way. I couldn't get a message back to them about your status. Now, what are you up to?"
"We're trying to get to the door mechanism," Linh said, her voice so soft Basam could hardly hear it. The spy nodded and walked past them to the door of the closest dark cell. She unlocked the heavy door and swung it open slowly. Its massive hinges grated loudly. The spy waited a minute, swung the door shut, and locked it again. Basam just stared at her.
"So no one upstairs gets suspicious," she explained. "How're you getting to the mechanism? Tell me everything-and quickly, we can't stay down here too long."
"We had a diversion planned-the alarm bells," Linh said. She explained their plan calmly and carefully. The spy nodded in understanding. Linh had told Basam that most Earth Kingdom prisons had alarm systems: iron bells bolted to the walls all around the building. If there was a riot, a fire, or some other emergency, a guard would ring the nearest bell. They had a different number of rings for each situation. Another guard would hear it and ring the next bell, and so on until the message spread all through the building. The spy smirked at the two of them. She had nice lips, he had to admit. He wondered what the rest of her face looked like.
"We can help you there," she said.
"We?" Basam echoed. The spy just smirked even wider and turned to Linh. "Wait down here for a bit." A minute later, Basam and the spy came up from the basement.
"Next time, new guy, get permission from the warden before you move a prisoner," she said firmly.
"Yes, Lieutenant," Basam said dutifully. They parted ways, the spy heading back to her post and Basam walking back to the hall where his cell had been. He could see her out of the corner of his eye as he walked, watching her closely-
She cut a sharp right and dashed towards the bell on the wall. CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Basam spun around and sprinted for the platform. Running in the metal boots was even worse than just walking. He slammed his shoulder into a guard that ran at him, knocking him down and leaping over him-but then two more guards jumped into his path, fists raised. He skidded to a stop and stumbled back a step, and then fell into a fighting crouch. Fighting armored Firebenders without sand or weapons… this should be interesting, he thought grimly.
The woman on the left struck first-fire exploded from her fist aimed right at Basam's head. He shouted and ducked. The one on the right laughed viciously and kicked a stream of fire at his legs; Basam twisted, lost his balance, and hit the metal floor hard. He was back on his feet in a heartbeat and the guard stopped mid-laugh. The Firebender raised his fists to send another flame his way but Basam lunged inside his reach, knocked his fist aside and punched him right in the jaw, then spun and kicked him in the gut. The guard staggered back and fell. The second one rushed at him and they grappled for a minute-but then the female guard jerked, grunted, and slumped down.
Basam looked up in shock and saw another guard, who'd just dropped the woman with a section of metal pipe to the back of the head. The third guard nodded at him. Another spy! Basam thought in amazement. That's what she meant by 'we'! But the rest of the guards had gotten over their surprise by then, and now he and his handful of allies were really in for it.
Behind the new spy he saw guards racing down the stairs from the quarters on the upper level. They only made it halfway down: a massive burst of flame roared up from the dark basement, swallowing up the bottom half of the stairs. The guards at the front of the pack screamed and fell from the stairs. The flames faded out and Linh leaped out from the lower stairwell. The metal stairs glowed red-hot behind her.
"Show 'em how it's done, Linh!" Basam crowed. But then another Firebender at the top of the stairs started drawing out the heat, cooling the metal down, and the rest of the guards rushed out into the square. He saw them grab Linh out of the corner of his eye, and judging by the yelling on his right, they had the first spy too. The rest spread out between Basam and the platform, fists aimed straight at him. Well, at least I got this far, Basam told himself ruefully, bracing himself. They punched their fists forward all at once… and nothing happened. The solar eclipse had started!
Basam let out a whoop and ran straight at the guards, with the second spy right next to him. The guards closed in on him as he hurtled towards them, but they were too slow. They'd spent too long sitting on their hind ends in this prison; even with the clunky boots and shoulder armor, Basam was still quicker than them. He drove his fist into the gut of the nearest one, and a smack from the spy's metal pipe finished him off. Another one attacked from Basam's left and he just barely ducked the man's kick, blocked a punch, then took the next kick to his back. He staggered forward, winded. But then he grinned at the telltale sound of a fist hitting its target. He looked up and saw the first spy, smirking down at him.
Basam took a breath and broke away from the guards, running for the platform. A sentry made a grab for him but he twisted just out of reach of the grasping fingers and hurtled up the steps to the top. The four switches sat before him, looking much bigger and heavier up close. He grabbed two and pushed them forward. The device resisted for a moment and then the switches moved with a metallic groan. They clunked into place and he threw the next two switches.
The low sound of grinding metal echoed through the square as the mechanism went to work, making the platform shake under his feet. Everyone in the square chamber went dead silent for a moment. Then prisoners poured out of the four halls, muttering amongst themselves. The guards charged at them and the prisoners started to fall back. But then Basam cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted to them.
"This is a jailbreak!" he bellowed. "There's a solar eclipse right now and the Firebenders are all out of firepower! It won't last long, but we outnumber 'em, so let's give 'em some fury!"
And that was when all chaos broke loose. A roar went up from the prisoners and they surged forward against the guards. Basam vaulted over the platform railing and landed feet-first on top of two of the Firebenders that had taken aim at him. And when he heard the satisfying clank of his boots against their helmets, he was kind of glad he had metal shoes on. He gave them another stomp for good measure and then rushed into the crowd.
Linh found him and smiled widely. "Nicely done, my friend," she said over the tumult of the fighting. Her reddish-brown eyes were lit up with a kind of fierce delight that would have terrified Basam if he were her enemy.
"Not bad, yourself!" he replied, grinning back. Then he shouted, "Behind you!" Linh spun and punched the guard coming at her right in the gut. He fell with a strangled cry. Basam let out a low whistle. He shot a look about the chamber; all around him, he saw prisoners battling it out hand-to-hand with the guards that had held them prisoner. And it was obvious that the Firebenders had let their hand-to-hand skills suffer, because the prisoners were pushing them back one step at a time. The prisoners were forcing them to the walls, pinning them down.
"We must get out of here as soon as we can," Linh said urgently. "The front gate is on the upper level." She pointed towards the stairs behind him.
Basam nodded and turned to head back towards the steps-a kick came out of nowhere and an armored foot slammed into his stomach. He grunted and reeled back, gasping for breath as he took stock of the Firebender that had attacked him. This one hadn't forgotten his hand-to-hand techniques. Basam blocked the guard's next spinning kick and punched at the man's unarmored face, but the guard swatted his fist aside like it was a mosquito-fly. Basam winced at the pain in his wrist and ducked the next punch. Just as the guard's fist drew back for another one, he heard clanking footsteps behind him. Basam sidestepped quickly, and clank! The second guard collided with the first and they both fell down. Basam dodged around them and bounded to the stairs.
He climbed up the first few steps and shouted into the chaos again. "Everybody, listen! We're getting out of here! Make for the front gate! This way!" At first, he wasn't sure anyone had heard him. But then they started shoving the fireless Firebenders aside and poured towards the stairs. Basam grinned, triumphant, and raced up the steps with the thunder of the prisoners' footsteps following him.
They ran through the guards' quarters, past bunk-rooms and a kitchen before they finally found it. The front gate was a simple set of metal doors at the western end of the upper floor. There were two guards in front of them, nervously clutching their spears. They lasted about half a minute before they dove out of the way. One of them gathered his wits long enough to hand over the keys to the heavy lock on the door. Basam didn't hesitate before unlocking it, throwing his arms out and shoving his palms against the metal. Hinges screeched as the doors slowly swung outward. A warm spring breeze blew in as the doors opened; the prisoners behind him cheered.
And the sunlight! There wasn't much of it at the moment, with the sun blocked. There was a dark haze over the forest outside, like it was nightfall. But the few rays of light that fell through the doorway were like a gift from the Spirits to Basam.
He leaped through the doorway and charged down the winding metal stairs beyond with all the prisoners on his heels. He ducked out of the way at the bottom of the stairs and pulled the metal boots off. And the moment his feet touched the ground, he felt like a new man. He jumped up and threw the boots aside and then yanked off the helmet, his heart soaring at the feel of the fresh air against his face. The shoulder armor went next, and the bracers. He stood and dug his toes into the soil; it wasn't the sand of his home, but he didn't care right then. Soil or not, it was gorgeous. He threw his head back and laughed.
Linh and the female spy from the basement wandered over. The eclipse ended as they drew near, the sunlight coming back with all its glory. He grinned at them. "And you said we weren't likely to succeed!" Basam joked to Linh.
"I am happy to be proven wrong," she said gleefully. Then she grew a little more serious and gestured to the sky. "We should get away from here before the guards get it into their heads to come after us," she pointed out.
"Good idea," agreed the spy. "We should go to the fortress-there was supposed to be an assault there today, to reclaim it from Captain Hideki."
"How'd you keep all these secret messages away from the prison guards? The real ones, I mean," Basam asked as the three of them walked quickly away from the jail. All around them, the prisoners scattered into the woods.
"They were coded to look like love letters," the spy explained. Basam chuckled approvingly. "I know where they keep the komodo rhinos-we can get to the fortress quickly if we take a couple."
The rhino barn was across a small clearing from the main gate. The spy spotted two that already had their saddles on, picked one of them and swung easily up onto its back. Linh clambered up onto the other one. Basam eyed the huge beasts warily. He didn't like the way they glared at him. Linh cleared her throat pointedly. He scrambled up onto the saddle behind Linh and the three of them set off.
The rhinos set a surprisingly snappy pace, for being such lumbering beasts. As they approached the base, Basam spotted thin trails of smoke rising up from within its walls.
"The attack must be underway already," the spy said.
"How're we gonna get in there?" Basam asked.
"There's a hidden door about a mile from the outer wall-so the soldiers could get supplies in if the fortress ever came under siege. It'll take us right into the tower at the center of the place. It's not far from here." They turned their rhinos and headed back into the forest. The spy found the door quickly enough. It was a round, stone hatch set into a boulder. The spy planted her feet apart, lifted her hands, and thrust her palms at it. The door slid back and fell out of sight. Basam felt a twinge of envy at her Earthbending skills. He and Linh let the spy lead the way into the dark tunnel beyond the door.
He knew it wasn't that long of a walk, but it felt like ages. The closer they got, the more nervous Basam felt. Had his sister and Kuei been part of the attack on the base? (Or fortress, as the spy kept calling it.) He wanted to break into a run, the sooner to reach the fortress and find out.
Finally they reached the door at the other end. The tunnel brought them up into a cellar. The spy paused at the cellar door, pressing her ear against it. Satisfied that the coast was clear, she opened the door and they climbed up a short set of dirt stairs. When they reached the top, the spy pushed aside a fake wall panel and they all stepped through it. They were somewhere deep inside the tower's lower floors now. The spy motioned to them to keep moving.
A noise caught Basam's ear as they crept through the tower, searching for a way out. He heard the sounds of a commotion drifting down a passageway to their left and waved to the others to stop for a moment. It sounded like a struggle. He heard two male voices, and a woman shouting. Wait a minute, that sounds like… Unease rose up inside Basam. He motioned his companions to follow and they crept down the passageway until they reached the doorway. Basam inched forward until he could see into the room, staying hidden in the shadows.
Horror seized him at the sight that met his eyes. Kuei stood to one side of the room, his face a pale mask of terror and one hand reaching out, like he was frozen. Captain Hideki stood across from him… and in front of Hideki, eyes blazing with fear and hatred, was Zafirah. Her hands were bound up behind her back. The Firebender had her braid wrapped around his left fist, tugging her head back and exposing her throat to the curved dagger pressing against it.
Hideki spoke then, his voice just as cold and calm as Basam remembered. "Surrender, Earth King, or the sand rat will die."
/////////////
Playlist:
1) One Against Four [True Grit]-The jailbreak begins.
2) Fall [TRON: Legacy]-Jailbreak continued.
3) Run Free [Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron]-Jailbreak; prisoners escape the jail.