The interview over, the figure nodded solemnly, standing up next to the wounded man's cot as he took in the entire tale. As unbelievable as it sounded, there was only one conclusion to draw from it, one that he never thought he would come to.
"Are you sure...?"
"Yes, there's no mistaking it."
If that were true, then the information that he just passed could, in the wrong hands, seriously interfere with his own plans. He had already made sure to track every last one of the soldiers who had witnessed the attack, and the next step onward was logical, cold and ruthless, but he had to make it. There had to be no loose ends.
He looked at the officer lying wounded on the bed once again with pity, it was such a waste, he thought, but he had to go through with him.
He patted the wounded man on the shoulder softly, his gratitude genuine in his voice.
"You served your nation well, First Lieutenant Qin."
___________________________________________
The solitary confinement section of the Northern Wing was dark and abandoned, save for the lone Wolf Tail Warrior who walked quietly through the halls. The entire section of this wing must have been solitary confinement, Noatak guessed, if the punishment coolers and pits were of any indication. The coolers themselves were like massive cylindrical freezers, designed to wear down the 'hotheaded' prisoners by subjecting them to freezing temperatures. He remembered Korra telling him once about how the Warden had locked her up in solitary for weeks on end for disobeying him or for fighting back, and how so many other prisoners had been broken in these very rooms.
The thought of it just made his blood boil.
After a few more minutes of walking, the long hallway of coolers and punishment chambers ended with a section that led to a spiral staircase which descended deeper into another series of catacombs. The tunnels themselves seemed natural, although the walls contained rows upon rows of darkened cells, carved into the cave side and reinforced with steel bars, and all of them were in filthy condition. Some were occupied by gaunt skeletons of past prisoners, while others were just empty. The floor too, seemed sticky with various pools of dark fluids that Noatak had no intention of even trying to identify, and it took every fiber of his being to not throw up or gag.
From what Korra had told him about the prison, it looked like she never had to seen this part of it, and a part of him was relieved that she didn't have to. The stench and sight of it was enough to make even the most hardened warrior gag in disgust.
"Hey kid."
A low voice called from the darkness, and Noatak turned in his usual bloodbending stance. But he lowered his guard when he saw that it came from one of the occupants of the metal cells.
Noatak stepped up to the man's cell, squinting his eyes to get a better view of him.
He was well built, sporting a thin moustache and wearing ragged green clothes, similar to what he had seen in the Earth Kingdom. Dark tattoos ran along his arms and broad shoulders, while his black hair was long and shaggy, draping over his shoulders. Similar to the Waterbenders in the other cells, he was shackled to the wall, which surprised Noatak, the Warden obviously took no chances with this man, whom Noatak guessed was an Earthbender.
"It sounds like you've been causing quite a ruckus on the surface." The man said casually, as if he was just glad to have company around to talk to.
"You can say that." Noatak replied, somewhat warily, he had no idea what this man was capable of, or if he was even in the right state of mind, being locked all alone down here for spirits knows how long.
