Catalyst

Chapter 2: Separate and Apart

In the dead of night, a stone capsule slid across the ground with three Dai Li agents on either side of it, bending the stone along the route. The other two agents had gone out to search the surrounding area for the boy's relative. Of course, capturing the two fugitives was ideal, but the young Prince by himself would fetch many gold pieces when delivered to the Fire Lord. The Dai Li were the best agents of information in all of Ba Sing Se; if General Iroh remained behind in hopes of breaking his nephew out, they would know.

They came to the Crystal Catacombs at dawn. As the sky lightened, they hurried getting the Prince down to the passage under the lake. After all, firebenders rise with the sun. Even with the stone to protect them, the Dai Li weren't going to take any chances.

Finally, the capsule made its way to the cell designed to hold firebenders. An inner layer of stone covered the small cell. A middle layer of metal encased the room, except the small vent for air, which was surrounded once again by a second layer of stone. The footprint of it barely allowed two paces in either direction.

Even in times of peace, the cells were rarely used because the firebenders took care of their own, quickly handing out justice either within the walls of Ba Sing Se or ported west to the Fire Nation for their sentence to be carried out. And in times of war, well...there weren't any firebenders to make use of the cells.

Sergeant Xijan oversaw the entire transfer process, as well as making sure the prisoner was properly incapacitated using a unique concoction the Dai Li used to manage benders intent on fighting them.

The agents created a small opening in the side of the stone that faced the Prince. The traitor snarled, egging them on, "What are you doing?! Fight me! Cowards! You two-faced, dirt-eating..." He continued throwing insults at them. Xijan scanned his men for any hesitation or response to the boy's words. Nothing—as it should be.

A nod from him caused one of the agents to blow the powder into the prisoner's eyes and mouth. He gagged slightly at the taste and his eyes immediately began to water. The insults slowed. It took a couple of minutes, but he finally shook himself like a bird-dog and asked sleepily, "So's what's gonna happen now?"

Xijan smiled. Perfect.

The agents lowered the rock walls, leaving a slightly swaying Prince with his eyes closed and a peaceful smile on his face. Oh, how that smile will turn. Xijan nodded and two agents went away and returned: One with a harness and the other with a knife.

Benders had to be controlled when they weren't drugged. The cell's configuration helped prevent any firebender from escaping, but there was a better way: A harness. A harness was the Dai Li's best solution to prevent bending from happening in the first place. As everyone knew, you had to move to bend, so why not restrict moving?

The Prince still swayed as they cut his tea-stained apron away from him along with his shirt, trousers, and pants. A chill went through him but his eyes remained peacefully shut.

Then the metal harness was placed on him: Two curved bars resting on his shoulders, a square chest piece, and two bars connecting the back and chest. Finally, two cuffs welded to the chest plate were opened to fit the Prince's wrists and then locked. The harness was impossible to wriggle out of and controlling the wrists made sure the prisoner wouldn't bend. As a last piece to the ensemble, his ankles were cuffed and connected by a short chain that allowed a slow shuffle.

The young Prince was half-marched, half-dragged to his cell that would be his home for the foreseeable future until the Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation came to an agreement about the remainder of his short life. They left him on the cold floor. His eyes opened slightly and he murmured to himself, "Oh-kay. I'lla go," then turned over and fell asleep.