The Code

Regrets

Korra took a step toward him. "I'm not—"

But the Equalist was already scrambling for the exit, slamming the door behind him. Korra heard the key twist in the lock and cursed her impulsiveness. The man's frantic footsteps pounded away. Korra sighed. She raised her hand, palm up, against her chest, and watched the slow curl of flame as it glowed against her body. At least she still had her bending. Why hadn't Amon taken that away?

Figuring she might as well eat while she got the chance, Korra moved back over to her cot and sat. After the way she'd behaved, she might not receive another meal for a while. The food was sparse, just a crust of bread and cup of tepid water that tasted like metal. Korra grimaced but forced herself to swallow the last of the water, knowing she'd need to stay hydrated if she wanted any chance at escape. Shuddering, she wiped her mouth and moved back to lean against the wall. Her eyes ticked over the room.

The walls were bare metal. Nothing bendable. The floor was metal too, she noticed with a dry groan. Surely it had been designed that way on purpose, to trap benders so they'd be entirely helpless. Korra realized she shouldn't have drunk all the water in the little cup; she couldn't have used some of it as bending material. She groaned, running a hand through her messy hair. She just wasn't thinking straight at all anymore, was she?

She couldn't airbend. With her current options, she couldn't waterbend, or earthbend. She had fire. Korra glanced over at the door, a thoughtful frown furrowing her brow. There was no handle on her side, just a few bolts and panels. Moving over to it, she laid her hand flat against the cool surface. Metal was just another form of earth, after all. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. What had Beifong said, about feeling the earth? It's vibrations, its aura. Korra stretched out with her mind, straining to feel any kind of connection with the element. She tried to get a feel for how thick the door was, if it would be possible to melt through it with enough superheated firebending.

Slowly, she began to see a sort of mental picture. Smooth blue lines, almost like sonic waves, rippled over her, through her, from her hand down her arm up to her mind. Korra breathed in deeply, feeling the vibrations in the earth. She shivered, hearing the gentle thud of her own heartbeat, the change in rhythm of her own breathing resonate deep into the floor, through the door, into her hand and back through her mind. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Then, without a second's hesitation, she plunged a fire-filled fist into the cold metal.

The heat of the blaze cooked the front of her body, so hot she had to turn her face away. Sweat trickled down her brow. When she risked a glance back, the door had become a frightening red glow of hot metal. A thin silver dribble slipped down the front of the door, and Korra smiled in triumph. This wouldn't take long at all.

She had just about melted through the first layer of metal when she heard it. The soft hiss, almost imperceptible. Korra broke off her firebending in an instant. The cold thrill of danger prickled along her spine. She pivoted, searching the room. Her eyes landed on a small vent she hadn't noticed before, in the far corner of the room. The air shimmered around it. A sudden metallic snap above her made her look up. The grate that allowed air in from the outside had slid shut, the folds of metal turning inward on themselves, sealing her in. A strange, gaseous smell met her nostrils.

Oh. Oh no. They were gassing the room. They'd decided to terminate her already? Korra shrank back as far as she could from the vent, scrambling for some escape. The sick, bitter scent of gas clogged her lungs. Korra staggered back against the ball, burying her nose and mouth in the collar of her shirt. She stumbled toward the vent, dropping to her knees. Feebly, she attempted to block the noxious fumes from escaping, covering the vent with trembling palms. Her hands danced in front of her, jumping and blurring in a swimming sea of dizziness. The world tipped sideways, swirling with strange shapes and colors. Korra tried to scream. It stuck in her throat, pathetic and soundless. A tear slipped from, leaving a burning trail down her left cheek.